The Fascination of Flowers [ 3 1 5 



of each anther is a little bag of pollen grains. When the pollen 

 is ripe, this bag opens and the grains fall on the silk below. The 

 ends of the silk are now branched and covered with fine hairs, to 

 catch the pollen. 



After "landing," a pollen grain goes on a remarkable journey- 

 through the entire length of the corn silk until it reaches the 

 ovule. Now that the ovule is fertilized, it will develop into a kernel 

 or seed. If a strand of silk from one of the flowers does not receive 

 a pollen grain, no kernel will develop. An ear with some of these 

 undeveloped kernels is called "imperfect." If pollen from another 

 variety of corn reaches the stigmas of the silk, the ear shows a 

 mixture of the two kinds of kernels. 



Self-Preservation in the Corn Plant: Corn stalks are so tall and 

 slender that heavy winds can damage them seriously. Yet the struc- 

 ture of the plant provides some defense against wind. The cylinder- 

 like stalk with its pithy center is sturdier towards the base, as the 

 hard nodes, or joints, occur closer together there. Towards the 

 top the nodes are farther apart, allowing the stalk to bend with 

 the wind and recover. 



The leaf structure also affords protection against the wind. The 

 true roots go deep into the soil, but even so they are inadequate 

 for holding a tall heavy plant upright in a windstorm. However, 

 aside from these roots the corn has other roots about the base of 

 the plant they suggest a tentlike frame which hold the stalk 

 erect. 



PUMPKINS SOURCE OF DELICIOUS PIES 



Every year harvest pictures remind us that corn and 

 pumpkin are constant garden companions. A child may guess 

 that these two vegetables are planted together because one grows 

 high while the other barely rises above the ground. The real 

 reason, however, is found in the nature of the respective roots: 

 The pumpkin is a shallow-rooted plant, whereas the true roots 

 of corn go deep into the earth. The consequence is that the two 

 plants do not fight each other for minerals and water. 



The Classic Beauty of the Pumpkin: The fruit of the pumpkin 

 plant, being the source of jack-o'-lanterns and delicious pies, rather 



