FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OP PLANT GROWTH. 23 



tions and the nectar attract insects that aid in transferring the 

 pollen from one flower to another. The edible portions of the 

 fruit attract birds and other animals, including man, who aid 

 in distributing the seed. 



Fruit. — A true fruit as defined by botanists is the ripened 

 seed vessel and its contents. This agrees with the horticul- 



StcLmen. 



Fig. 4. — Diagrammatic drawing showing how pollen grains grow 

 down the pistil of the strawberry and unite with the contents of 

 the ovary in the act of fertilization; At the right, cross section 

 through flower of strawberry, showing its parts. 



turists' definition so far as fruits such as apples, pears, peaches, 

 apricots, plums, gooseberries and currants are concernea, but 

 in the case of strawberries, blackberries and mulberries, this 

 definition would allow us to claim only the single grains on 

 the sides of the berries as fruits, while in these fruits, we com- 

 monly consider the fleshy center a part of the fruit. These lat- 

 ter fruits are in structure much like an ear of corn with an 



