THE WIND AND THE FLOWERS 171 



floret; and every floret on the cob has its long 

 strand, reaching out for hfe — as we see in the lower 

 drawing, where silks are separated to show their 

 attachments. A single kernel is shown, separately, 

 and the stigmatic termination of a pistil, greatly en- 

 larged. Every strand of silk must get its pollen or 

 the corresponding kernel of corn will fail to perfect. 

 The value of cross-fertilisation is 

 beautifullv illustrated in the case of 

 corn, for, if a stalk grows solitary and 

 removed from reach of pollen from 

 neighbours, it produces either no 

 grains at all, or a few due to self- 

 fertilisation which are poor and im- 

 perfect. 



Other plants with long, swinging sta- 

 mens are sedges, reeds, hemp, litorella, 

 water-starwort, early meadow-rue. 



The common ragweed grows 

 its pistillate flowers in the axils 

 of the leaves, and its staminate 

 flowers in the tassel above, as 

 shown in the drawing. The 

 anthers, however, do not hang 

 RAGWEED loosely, but are packed into an 



