75 



the sides of the anther and to permit the pollen to 

 escape. If any one wishes to behold — not the phe- 

 nomenon itself, for that is microscopic, but its effect — 

 let him station himself near a Red Cedar, or a 

 Chinese Juniper tree, in a warm, dry, spring morning, 

 and he will see the air filled with myriads of little 

 glittering particles ; these are the grains of pollen 

 discharged into the air by the natural elasticity of 

 the anther-springs : let him observe the same tree in 

 a wet morning, as windy as he pleases, or with the 

 rain pattering upon the flowers, and he will not find a 

 symptom of the dispersion of pollen. And why is 

 this ? Nature never chooses her seasons of action in 

 vain. It is because the natural glue upon the stigma 

 enables the pollen to adhere, and it is necessary that 

 the adhesion should be complete if setting is to take 

 place ; but an atmosphere charged with moisture 

 dilutes the natural glue, and renders the attachment 

 of the pollen to the stigma precarious. Moreover, if 

 the anther could open in wet weather, the pollen 

 would not quit it ; for although the latter is often 

 dispersed by its own buoyancy, yet if the particles 

 hold together in masses, as happens when damp, 

 they are then incapable of floating, {Ibid. 1841, 

 259.) 



These facts demonstrate why the gardener finds it 

 necessary to have the air of his hothouse drier during 

 the blooming time than at any other. Yet, with all 



