THE WELCOMES OF THE FLOWERS III 



facts declared by Grew, and verified them by such 

 absolute proof that no further doubts could be en- 

 tertained. The inference of these early authorities 

 regarding this process of pollination is perfectly 

 clear from their statements. The stamens in most 

 flowers were seen to surround the pistil, " and of 

 course the presumption was that they naturally 

 shed the pollen upon the stigma," as illustrated at 

 B in my series. The construction of most flowers 

 certainly seemed designed to fulfil this end. But 

 there were other considerations which had been 

 ignored, and the existence of color, fragrance, honey, 

 and insect association still continued to challenge 

 the wisdom of the more philosophic seekers. How 

 remarkable were some of those early speculations 

 in regard to " honey," or, more properly, nectar ! 

 Patrick Blair, for instance, claimed that " honey 

 absorbed the pollen," and thus fertilized the ovary. 

 Pontidera thought that its office was to keep the 

 ovary in a moist condition. Another botanist ar- 

 gued that it was " useless material thrown off in 

 process of growth." Krunitz noted that " bee- 

 visited meadows were most healthy," and his in- 

 ference was that "honey was injurious to the 

 flowers, and that bees were useful in carrying it 

 off"! The great Linnaeus confessed himself puz- 

 zled as to its function. 



