262 



AGRICULTURE. 



order to do this, it is simply necessary to under- 

 stand the nature and arrangement of the parts 

 of a flower (Fig. 84). 



FIG. 84. THE PARTS OF A FLOWER. 



Parts of a Flower. — A typical flower consists of four kinds 

 of organs (calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistil), the parts of which 

 vary in form and number in the flowers of different species. 



Starting from the outside, the first whorl is the calyx («), the 

 separate parts of which are the sepals, usually green. The 

 whorl just within the calyx is the corolla {c), composed of petals, 

 which are often bright colored. 



Within the corolla are the stamens (j), consisting of filament, or 

 stalk, and anther, or pollen-sac. In the center of the flower is 

 the pistil (/), a stalk-like organ, the upper portion of which is 

 somewhat rough and swollen, and is known as the stigma (j/). 

 The stamens and pistil are the only organs concerned in repro- 

 duction, the others being merely accessory. 



The organs concerned in fertilization are the 

 stamens (male organs) and the pistils (female 

 organs). In many plants both stamens and pis- 

 tils are borne on the same flower — as, the bean 

 and pea ; in others they are borne on the same 



