THE WIND AND THE FLOWERS 169 



HOP VINE 



Staminate Flowers 



breezy day comes, when they burst out of bounds, 

 dangle at the ends of then* hairlike filaments, and 

 swing and sw^ay gaily, scattering their pollen like 

 maskers throwing confetti; and, like confetti, their 

 pollen floats away to their neighbours. 



Grasses bear perfect flowers but hops are monoe- 

 cious. The two sketches show branches of hop vines 



taken from different 

 plants, and exhibiting the 

 enlarged staminate flower 

 with its umbrella - like 

 calyx and pendulous sta- 

 mens symmetrically ar- 

 ranged. In the pistillate flow^er we see the long, 

 shaggy pistils protruding from beneath the scales. 



When I was a boy and 

 used to help in gathering 

 the hops for our home- 

 made yeast, I imagined 

 that the bitter, yellow 

 powder concealed between 

 the scales was the pollen; but I have learned that 

 I was in error. Botanists do not seem to know" 

 what is the use of this powder, but brewers know 

 it is valuable in flavouring their beer. 



Our billion-dollar corn crop eveiy season hangs 

 for a while suspended on these frail, impalpable 





HOP VINE 

 Pistillate flowers 



