290 LESSONS IN AGRICULTURE 



stance is called pollen, and the knob on the end in which 

 the pollen is borne is called the anther. The pollen is 

 very important to the flower. Without it there could 

 be no seed. But there is another part to each flower that 

 is of equal value. This part you will find in the center 

 of the flower, inside the circle of stamens. It is called 

 the pistil. The tip of the pistil is the stigma. The base 

 of the pistil forms the ovary. If you carefully cut open 

 this ovary, you will find in it very small unripe seed. 



In the corn flower and many others, the stamens and 

 pistils are separate on the same plant. In some plants 

 these parts occur on separate individuals. 



Now no plant can bear seeds unless the pollen of 

 the stamen falls upon the stigma. The wind and the 

 insects help to carry the pollen to the stigma. 



Staminate and pistUlate flowers. Flowers that 

 have both stamens and pistils are called perfect flowers. 

 Those having only stamens are called stamenate flowers. 

 Those having only pistils are called pistillate flowers. 

 Some varieties of strawberries have individual plants 

 that contain the stamenate flowers and other individuals, 

 the pistillate flowers. In planting such varieties it is 

 evident that both kind of flowers would have to be pro- 

 vided, otherwise the plants would produce no berries. 

 In many plants, such as the clovers for example, the 

 pollen will not grow into the pistil of the same flower, 

 but the pistil must get its pollen from some other flower 

 before the young seeds will develop. The seed of corn 

 is often mixed because the wind or bees carry pollen 

 from different varieties to the silks at the growing ear. 



