212 THE CULTIVATION OF THE 



THE PEAR BUDS 



are large and at the proper time expand into the flowers 

 or blossoms. — and these blossoms are very beautiful, 

 being pure white with purple anthers. These blossoms 

 form into the fruit and the fruit contains the seeds and 

 the seeds continue the propagation of the species. 



The flower is composed of the outside calyx — and 

 the corolla or blossom leaves within the calyx. Now 

 the necessary parts of the blossoms are the stamens and 

 pistils. In the pear the anthers or head of the stamens 

 are purple. In these anthers are the pollen, and it is dis- 

 charged by the bursting of the anther, and this pollen is 

 the fertilizing material essential to the reproduction of 

 the species. The thread-like stalk of a stamen is called 

 a filiment. The pistil consists of a stigma at the top, 

 then below it the style to support the stigma and the 

 ovary or future seed-vessel of the fruit. Now the pollen 

 from the stamens falls on the stigma and the ovules are 

 fertilized and become the seeds of the fruit, and the fruit 

 itself, as we understand it, is merely for the growth and 

 protection of the seed, the true embryo tree. All this 

 talk will be of avail when we come to speak of hybrid 

 pears, as the Kieffer. 



Now just here let me speak of one thing in fruit- 

 growing we hear often of, and ignorance, of which has 

 and will, cost much loss, viz.; the so called pistillate or 



