4 6 



AGRICULTURE FOR BEGINNERS 



FIG. 33. STAMENS 



a, anther ; /, filament. 



some fine grains, or powder. In the lily, this powder is so 

 abundant that in smelling the flower you often brush a 

 quantity of it off on your nose. This 

 substance is called pollen, and the knob 

 on the end of the stamen in which the 

 pollen is borne is the anther. 



The pollen is of very great importance 

 to the flower. Without it there could 

 be no seeds. The stamens as pollen 

 bearers, then,, are very important. But 

 there is another part to each flower that 

 is of equal value. This part you will 

 find in the center of the flower, inside 

 the circle of stamens. It is called the 

 pistil (Fig. 32). The swollen tip of the 

 pistil is the stigma. The swollen base of the pistil forms 

 the ovary. If you care- 

 fully cut open this ovary, 

 you will find in it very 

 small immature seeds. 



Some plants bear all 

 these parts in the same 

 flower ; that is, each blos- 

 som has stamens, pistil, 

 petals, and sepals. The 

 pear and tomato blossoms 

 represent such flowers. 



Other plants bear their 



FIG. 34. TOMATO BLOSSOM 

 stamens and pistils in 



separate blossoms. Stamens and pistils may even occur 

 in separate plants, and some blossoms have no sepals or 



