loS THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



pistils of various plants, it will be evident that great differences 

 will be found in the construction of the fruits derived from them. 

 Details will be found under the plants described. A word must, 

 however, be said introductory to their study. The fruit, like the 

 flower, must be studied from two points of view. Its structure 

 must be examined in the light of that of the pistil and the other 

 parts of the flower taking part in its formation, and the way in 

 which the fruit is of use in the life of the plant must also be con- 

 sidered. Put broadly, the fruit has to protect the developing 

 seeds and to ensure their distribution, so that they will have a 

 chance of lodging in suitable situations and grow into new plants. 

 Fruits are either dry or succulent. In the latter case, when parts 

 of the fruit are attractive as food to birds or other animals, these 

 effect the dispersal of the seeds. When the dry fruits or the 

 fruitlets contain only one seed, as in the Buttercup, they do not 

 as a rule open to set the seed free. When, however, the seeds 

 are more numerous they are usually shed from the fruit, which 

 opens to allow of this. Dry fruits or seeds are adapted to be 

 dispersed in a variety of ways, very often by means of the wind. 

 These remarks will serve to show that the study of fruits must 

 be carried out in the light of their uses, as the structure of the 

 flower had to be studied in the light of the method of pollination. 



The seeds of plants and their germination are treated of in 

 another section of this work, and may be dismissed with brief 

 reference here. The seed, which varies greatly in size, is always 

 enclosed in a seed-coat, which may be thick or thin and variously 

 sculptured. Within the seed-coat is a small plant which often 

 shows the young root, shoot, and the one or two seedling leaves. 

 This embryo plant may entirely fill the seed-coat, as in the Pea, 

 or along with it may be found a tissue containing food material, 

 as in the Buttercup. In the former case food is usually stored 

 in some parts of the embryo, usually the seedling leaves, which 

 are enlarged for the purpose. The start in life of the plant can 

 sometimes be followed in seedlings collected in the wild state in 

 the neighbourhood of the parent, but usually it is necessary to 

 collect and sow the seeds. 



We have now passed in brief review the main features that 

 can be observed without special apparatus in any Flowering 



