FLOWERS 



2223 



FLOWERS 



important flour-producing countries, in addi- 

 tion to Canada and the United States, are 

 Argentina, Australia, Austria-Hungary, Bel- 

 gium, British India, Bulgaria, Germany, the 

 Netherlands, Rumania and Russia, but some of 

 these fall far below the United States. M .R.T. 



Related Subject*. The reader Is referred to 

 the following articles in these volumes : 



Bran 



Bread 



Corn 



Food 



Gluten 



Macaroni 



Rye 



Starch 



Wheat 



Yeast 



JL LOWERS , in the popular sense, are the 

 blooms or blossoms of trees and plants. They 

 are wonderful creations which spring from the 

 dull, dark earth, and appeal with their beauty 

 and sweetness, not only to the eyes and hearts 

 of human beings, but also to birds, butterflies 

 and insects. They are those wonders of nature 

 which, from the time man learned to express 

 his thoughts in written language, have inspired 

 artists and poets. Like human children, these 

 children of Mother Nature bring with them 

 happiness, or peace, or comfort. Mary Howitt 

 says, in her Use of Flowers: 



God might have made the earth bring forth 



Enough for great and small, 

 The oak tree, and the cedar tree, 



Without a flower at all. 



Then wherefore, wherefore were they made 



All dyed with rainbow light, 

 All fashioned with supremest grace, 



Upspringing day and night? 



Our outward life requires them not, 

 Then wherefore had they birth? 



To minister delight to man, 

 To beautify the earth ; 



To whisper hope to comfort man 



Whene'er his faith is dim ; 

 For whoso careth for the flowers 



Will care much more for Him ! 



Henry Ward Beecher, in his Discourse of Flow- 

 ers, tells us that "Flowers have an expression 

 of countenance as have men or animals. Some 

 seem to smile; some have a sad expression; 

 some are pensive and diffident; others again 

 are plain, honest and upright." 



In botany, the word flower means a branch 

 or shoot which is highly modified for the 

 purpose of insuring the increase of the plant 

 through the production of seed. 



Flower Structure. In a typical flower there 

 are four circles, or sections, each specially 

 divided into other parts. 



Calyx. The first or outermost circle is the 

 calyx. Its form, that of a cup, suggested the 

 name, which is derived from the Latin calix, 

 meaning cup. The calyx is leaflike in structure, 

 nearly always green, but sometimes it is the 

 most brightly-colored part of the blossom. Its 

 duty is to protect the more delicate parts 

 within. The separate divisions, or leaves, of 

 the calyx are called sepals (see illustration). 



Corolla. The next circle, within the calyx, 

 is the corolla. The word is Latin, and means 

 little crown. The corolla of a flower is usually 

 brightly-colored; it is what people usually call 

 the blossom, and to the child it is the whole 

 flower; it is that part of the flower which in- 

 vites the insects and birds. It also protects 

 still further the very heart of the flower. 



Petals. Each leaf of the corolla is called a 

 petal. When the delicate beauty of many 

 corolla-leaves is regarded, it is easy to believe 

 with M. M. Ballou, who writes: 

 For mine is the old belief, 



That midst your sweets and midst your bloom, 

 There's a soul in every leaf. 



Stamens. Within the corolla is a circle of 

 slender stalks with little knobs at the top. 

 These are called stamens, which is the Latin 

 for thread, and they are the male organs of 

 the flower. Their duty is the production of 

 pollen, which is described below. 



Filament. The threadlike stamen-stem is 

 called the filament. Its only duty is to support 

 the knob at the top. 



Anther. The knob at the top of the filament 

 of a stamen is called the anther. It usually 

 consists of two lobes, or cells, each with a 

 lengthwise slit. Within these cells is a powder- 

 like substance, generally of a yellow color, 

 which is discharged at a special time in the 

 life of a flower. The word is from the Greek, 

 meaning flowery, or blooming. 



