SEED PRODUCTION 41 



many plants can be brought to maturity in water if their 

 positions are constant and the necessary plant food is sup- 

 plied. In the practical growth of crops, however, soil is a 

 necessity. 



THE PRODUCTION OF SEED 



42. Reason for Seed Production. It is the function of 

 nearly all plants to produce seed so as to perpetuate their 

 kind. Very frequently, man has taken advantage of this 

 circumstance and has used the seed for his own purposes. 

 It is the seed of corn, wheat, oats, rye, and other grains which 

 is used as food by man; he also uses the seeds, stalks, leaves, 

 and roots of many plants to feed to domestic animals. He 

 uses the lint, or fiber, which is attached to the seed of cotton; 

 a large variety of products are made from the seed itself. 

 Nearly all our cultivated crops must be grown from the seed 

 every year. Hence the subject of seed production is one 

 which is of importance to the farmer and the student of 

 field crops. 



43. Reproductive Organs. The flowers are the repro- 

 ductive organs of the plant. They consist usually of a pro- 

 tective green covering, the calyx; the corolla, a colored por- 

 tion, the main function of which is to attract insects that 

 are of assistance in pollination; a number of stamens; and one 

 or more pistils. The stamens and pistil are the essential 

 parts for the production of seed. The stamen consists of a 

 slender stem, the filament, and an enlarged upper portion, 

 the anther; the anther contains a fine dust, usually yellow in 

 color, the pollen. The lower portion of the pistil is the ovary, 

 which later develops into the fruit or seeds; the upper por- 

 tion, usually somewhat enlarged, is the stigma; connecting 

 these two is the more or less elongated central portion, the 

 style. The style contains a slender tube through which the 



