THE WAY LIFE BEGINS 15 



Giving the Young a Start in the World 



After fertilization has taken place, the petals of the flower 

 wither and drop away; the ovary is left to complete its work of 

 developing the plantlet or embryo. The tough walls of the 

 ovary, now called the seed-pod, make a safe shelter for the 

 young. Each plantlet has its own coat within which is wrapped 

 a goodly supply of food upon which it may live until it is ready 

 to take care of itself. 



When the plantlet is fully matured and ready to start 

 in the world, the dry lily-pod bursts with such a sudden snap 

 that the seeds are flung out like tiny cannon balls. If a seed 

 is fortunate and falls upon good ground, it later absorbs moist- 

 ure and the embryo or plantlet begins to grow. The brown, 

 protecting coat bursts and the green head is pushed up into 

 the sunlight, while the rootlets search far and wide for food. 

 Time passes, but by and by the young plant reaches maturity, 

 produces its blossoms and finally its seeds. 



Since it may take several years for the lily to produce its 

 blossom, advantage is taken of the plant's habit of reproduc- 

 ing itself by means of bulbs to hasten the blooming. Cultivated 

 members of the lily family are grown so readily from bulbs 

 that little attention is given to their seeds. We do, however, 

 frequently find among our many garden forms opportunity 

 to trace the seed history. 



The formation of flowers with their reproductive organs, 

 the fertilization of the egg by the sperm cell, and the ripening 

 of the seed, are all steps in the sexual reproduction of plants. 

 It is well to remember, however, that the higher plants are 

 usually capable of reproducing themselves by means of bulbs, 

 buds, slips, and runners as well as by the sexual method 

 described for the lily. All of these means of perpetuating their 

 kind keep plants from destruction and from being eliminated 

 from the world in which they live. 



