FERTILIZATION. 15 



which is analogous to the stalk or stem of a leaf; while 

 the bag which holds the pollen, called the anther, cor- 

 responds to the blade or body of the leaf. These are 

 essential parts of the flower. 



At a particular stage of its growth, the anther, burst- 

 ing, scatters its pollen, some of which, lighting upon 

 the summit of the stigma, is said to fertilize it, when the 

 new seed begins to enlarge, and a germ is formed capa- 

 ble of producing other plants. The process is very 

 apparent to the observation of the farmer in the case of 

 Indian corn, on which the pollen is so abundant that it 

 may be shaken off in clouds. It falls upon the stigmas 

 or " silks," one of which is attached to each embryo 

 seed or germ ; and without this particle of pollen, the 

 seed would not be capable of attaining maturity. The 

 same arrangement is seen less plainly in the other 

 grasses, as, for instance, in Timothy. It is found in 

 this whole family of plants, though it is more percep- 

 tible in Indian corn, on account of its size, than in the 

 smaller grasses. 



The germ is the first part of the seed that is distinctly 

 formed, and hence, if the seed is plucked while " in the 

 milk," or in a green state, it will germinate the next 

 year about as well as if it were allowed to ripen. 



The anther, it will be seen, consists of two cells, 

 very prominent and hanging, supported on the long, 

 slender filaments, and forked or divided at the end. 

 The two short and smooth styles rise from the summit 

 of the ovary, and the stigmas are feathery or rough, 

 sometimes branched or compound. Only one seed is 

 contained in each ovary, and each seed is covered, 

 when mature, with a thin husk or hull called the peri- 

 carp, which originally formed the germ or ovary ; and 

 the ripe seed or fruit is only the ovary arrived at matu- 

 rity. The substance or albumen of the seed of all the 



