52 LUTHER BURBANK 



with precious golden dust. The tiny case is called the 

 anther and the golden dust is the pollen. Here is an 

 anther discharging its pollen. 



At the tip of the pistil is the stigma upon which the 

 pollen falls. The pistil thinks itself the most important 

 part of the flower, for the stamen furnishes pollen to help 



Flower of a common 

 weed. 



Two parts of each kind of the same 

 flower, enlarged. 



4 Sepals. 



B Petals. 



C Stamen and anthas. 



D Pistil and stigma. 



Stamen. 



Pista. 



it make the seeds and the sepals and petals form coverings 

 to protect it. No plant can produce . seed unless pollen 

 falls upon its stigma. It seldom happens that the pollen 

 of a blossom fertilizes its own seed. Nature has many 

 pollen-carriers the bees, the wind, and many more to 

 bring the golden dust from other flowers, when the flower 

 is ready to receive it. The pollen is what gives life to 

 the seed. 



If you should plant white corn near a field of yellow 

 corn, many ears would be found to have both yellow and 



