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SECTION VI. FRUITS AND SEEDS. 



I. 



i. THOUGH technical terms are very necessary in 

 science, I shall endeavour, as far as I can, to avoid 

 them here. As, however, it will be impossible for 

 me to do so altogether, I will do my best at the 

 commencement to make them as clear as possible. 

 In order to understand the structure of the seed, 

 we must commence with the flower, to which the 

 seed owes its origin. Now, if you take such a 

 flower as, say a Geranium, you will find, as has 

 been already explained, that it consists of the 

 following parts : Firstly, there is a whorl of green 

 leaves, known as the sepals, and together forming 

 the calyx ; secondly, a whorl of coloured leaves, 

 or petals, generally forming the most conspicuous 

 part of the flower, and called the corolla ; thirdly, 

 a whorl of organs more or less like pins, which are 

 called stamens ; and in the heads, or anthers, of 

 which the pollen is produced. These anthers are 

 in reality modified leaves ; in the so-called double 

 flowers, as, for instance, in our Garden Roses, 

 they are developed into coloured leaves like those 



