124 



CLOVER CULTURE. 



able to understand fully the structure of the blossom? of red 

 clover, and the method of pollination with the further aid of 

 the illustration herewith presented. Figure 1 in the illus- 

 tration represents the floret, or one of the minute flowers oi 

 which the clover head is made up, separated from the head, 

 and viewed from below. Figure 2 represents the same flower 

 with the larger petal stripped off and viewed from above. 



The calyx of which 

 Prof. Painmel speaks 

 is marked a in fig- 

 ures No. 1 and 2 in 

 the illustration. Im- 

 mediately above it is 

 the corolla, or what 

 is usually called the 

 blossom, marked b, 

 made up of five parts 

 known as pet als. 

 The bearer or vexil- 

 lum is the upper, 

 larger petal, marked 

 c in figure 1, while c 

 represents the lower 

 border of a wing or 

 small petal bent out- 

 wards, f its outer surface and g a pouch swelling at its base. 

 The lower petals form what is described by Prof. Pammel as 

 the keel or carina, and in figures 1, 2 and 3 are marked A. 

 Figure 5 represents the right half of the carina or keel, from 

 without, while figure 4 represents the right wing or side petal 

 from within, the claws in both being broken off short. Fig- 

 ure 6 represents the pistil, /, and stamens, m, without which 

 no flower can exist, and, hence, called the essential organs. 

 They are found emerged from the depressed keel. It will 

 thus be seen that gravitation of itself would cause the pollen 

 from the stamens to fall away from instead of towards he 

 pistil, or part to be fertilized. This explains why insect 

 fertilization is necesssary. Let us now see how a bee 

 fertilizes clover. It clings with its fore legs to the 

 wings, or lateral petals, resting its middle and hind legs 

 on the lower part of the flower, the keel and wings are 

 drawn down to the stamens and the anthers are thrust up 

 against the underside of the bee's head as described by Prof. 

 Pammel above. In going to another flower it carries the 

 pollen with it and places it on the vital parts of the second 

 plant, thus producing cross-fertilization. 



THE BED CLOVER BLOSSOM. 



