12 Effective Farming 



a slender projection of the pollen-cell penetrates the stigma, 

 passes through it to the ovule, and the egg-cell is fertilized. 

 The fertilized egg-cells develop into the seeds. The distribution 

 of the pollen is called pollination and takes place for the most 

 part by means of the wind or insects. In flowers that are 

 pollinated by the wind, the petals are usually inconspicuous 

 in color, while those pollinated by insects are usually bright 

 in color or fragrant. Why is this ? 



The buds. A bud is a condensed body containing rudi- 

 mentary parts which represent leaves or flowers. Such a 

 body at the end of a twig is a terminal bud, one at the junction 

 of a leaf with the stem is a lateral bud. Under the stimulus of 

 vigorous root pressure, buds may be formed along the inter- 

 nodes. For example a willow cut off early in the growing sea- 

 son will develop buds at the top of the stump ; or when trees 

 have been severely pruned water-sprouts may form along 

 the branches ; or in the case of a frosted tree a circle of shoots 

 may spring up around the base of the tree. Such buds are 

 called adventitious. In propagation by division of the plant, 

 adventitious buds are often utilized. (See paragraph 10.) 



8. Propagation by spores. Spores are the organs by means 

 of which the fungi propagate. They are small seed-like bodies 

 that, under favorable conditions, send out thread-like germinat- 

 ing tubes which, on penetrating a suitable host, draw nourish- 

 ment from it. Spores differ from seeds because they do not 

 contain an embryo, or undeveloped plant. This method of propa- 

 gation is not of direct importance so far as the production of 

 crops other than mushrooms is concerned ; it is indirectly im- 

 portant, however, because it is the means of reproduction of 

 many of the diseases of higher plants, such as rust, leaf-spot, 

 mildew, and scab. All the so-called flowerless plants, as ferns, 

 mosses, and sea- weeds, propagate by spores. The spore is not 

 usually the direct result of fertilization. 



9. Propagation by seeds. Nature's primary method of 

 multiplying the higher plants is by seeds. Nearly all of these 



