THE PLANT 



A bumblebee getting nectar and 

 pollen from red clover 



ferent varieties of corn far apart. If pop corn is planted near 

 field corn, they will 'mix,' as farmers say, and grow alike. 



The wind is a very wasteful messen- 

 ger. It scatters pollen on the ground 

 and over other plants. Plants that 

 depend upon the wind as their pol- 

 len bearer need to produce a great 

 deal. As a rule, plants with wind- 

 borne pollen have small, scentless 

 flowers, and light, dry pollen. Such 

 are the grasses. 



By Insects. Some plants de- 

 pend on winged insects to carry 

 their pollen. Insects, as you know, 

 are busy little workers. They labor 



to provide food for the day and also for the morrow. They do not 

 carry pollen for nothing. The plants pay them by giving food 

 nectar or pollen and it is to get this that the insects visit flowers. 

 The blossoms' gay colors or sweet odors are signs that they have 

 food to give for pollen bearing. When an insect gets food from 

 a flower, it is dusted with pollen. This is deposited on the stigma 

 of the next flower that it visits. Flowers which depend on insects 

 as pollen bearers do not provide as much as do those that depend 

 on the wind, because it is carried with much less waste. 



By Hand. Pollen can be transferred by hand, and this is 

 one of the methods which is used to produce new varieties of plants. 

 The blossom that it is desired to pol'li nate is kept covered to 

 prevent its receiving pollen from any other source. Pollen is care- 

 fully collected from another plant and put upon the stigma. By 

 hand-pol li na/tion valuable breeds of wheat, oats, conij and other 

 agricultural plants have been obtained. 



