blossom Hosts and Insect Guests 



The practice followed by the Compositae of 

 grouping many small flowers in one head is un- 

 rivalled for utility in the floral world. It is, how- 

 ever, only one of the many thrifty traits which have 

 enabled these hardy folk to penetrate to all quarters 

 of the globe. They spare no effort to insure suc- 

 cess, attracting both pollen-gatherers and nectar- 

 seekers, and still, not quite certain but that both 

 these classes may sometime fail them, reserving the 

 power of self-fertilization for such an extremity. 



Their method, too, of scattering their seed as 

 shown in the dandelion and thistle has aided their 

 march around the world. One cannot help admir- 

 ing their persistency and delighting in their beauty, 

 despite the farmer's lament. 





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