AGRICULTURE 



learn more later, consist of a single cell, a simple wall containing 

 protoplasm. But plants of a higher order, such as the cotton 

 plant, consist of many cells, connected more or less firmly. 



Flower. Week after week passes. The leaves and branches 

 of our cotton plant grow larger, and new ones are formed. It 

 puts forth buds. These open into pale yellow blossoms. The 

 pretty, graceful flowers are a delight to the eye. Of these, also, 

 we feel that beauty is one of their purposes, though not their 

 chief one. 



Let us examine one of these blossoms carefully. We find that 



it has four parts. These 

 parts are made up of 

 leaves changed in form to 

 adapt them to the special 

 work that they have to do. 

 Calyx. There is a cup- 

 shaped green covering at 

 the base of the blossom. 

 This is called the ca'lyx. 

 You will observe that this 

 calyx is five-parted. These 

 parts are called se'pals. In some plants the sepals are separate 

 leaves ; in others, as in the cotton, they grow together. The 

 calyx is usually, but not always, green. 



Corolla. The blossom cup is called the co rol'la. The corolla, 

 like the calyx, is separated into five parts joined at the base. 

 The parts of the corolla are called pet'als. Often, as in the cot- 

 ton blossom, the corolla is more delicate in texture than the leaves 

 and is different from them in color. The calyx and the corolla 

 are the most showy parts of the blossom, yet they are only cover- 

 ings for the necessary parts, the organs in the center. 



COTTON BLOSSOM 



Outside, showing calyx; inside, showing stamen 

 and pistil. 



