LUTHER BURBANK 



accessible to insects, may resume the custom of 

 growing seeds in its conspicuous flowers, whereas 

 hitherto it had produced them only in the small 

 inconspicuous bud-like flowers at its base which 

 never open. 



SCHEMES TO ENSURE POLLENATION 



It is curious to observe how insistent is the 

 inherent demand for fertilization of the flower, 

 and how even flowers that openly advertise for the 

 insects may strive to provide for self-fertilization 

 in the event that their call remains unanswered 

 and in vain. 



The common barberry (Herberts vulgaris) for 

 example, opens and exposes its pollen-bearers 

 only during the bright hours of a cloudless day. 

 But in case an insect fails to visit it, provision is 

 made that will ensure self-fertilization; for in 

 due course the stamens dart forward and sprinkle 

 their pollen over the pistil. 



In the case of the fennel flower of France, 

 described elsewhere, which does not open at all, 

 the pistils bend forward when they are ripened, 

 and after taking the pollen from the stamens, 

 straighten up again. 



With the rue, the arrangement is curiously 

 complex and machine-like. Of the several 

 stamens, each in turn bestows its pollen on the 

 pistil at their common center. It has been 



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