The Office of Flowers 115 



with the female cells in the ovule. (Fig. 56.) This pro- 

 cess is called fertilization or fecundation. When fertili- 

 zation takes place, the fruit is "set" and the ovary 

 begins to grow. The corolla, stamens, etc., wither and 

 fall away. If fertilization does not take place, the entire 

 flower withers and dies in most cases, the exceptions 

 being the fleshy seedless fruits, as seedless grapes and 

 oranges. 



170. The Growth of the Fruit and Seeds. After fertili- 

 zation, the ovary and, in many plants, other adjacent 

 parts, begin to grow rapidly. The reserve food of the 

 stems moves rapidly through the little twig that sup- 

 ported the flower into the fruit. The fruit contains the 

 seed. Seed production exhausts the plant. Nearly all 

 the reserve food passes into the seed and fruits. Often 

 more than half of the substance of a plant is collected 

 into the seeds, as in common field corn. 



171. Importance of Pollination. Pollination and fecun- 

 dation are necessary for the growth of the fruits and 

 seeds, except in some kinds of seedless fruits, like the 

 banana. In some varieties of strawberries the pollen 

 is not produced in sufficient quantity to cause the fruit 

 to set. In such cases it is usual to plant varieties pro- 

 ducing pollen freely, in alternate rows. (Fig. 57). The 

 bees, going back and 



forth from one variety 

 to the other, carry 

 sufficient pollen to 

 make the fruit set on 

 the fine sorts. Some 

 varieties of plums 

 and pears, while pro- Fi - 57 - Flowers of the s^wberry. A, a 



_ flower having both stamens and pistils; B, 



dUCing pollen, are flower of a kind having pistils only. 



