2 20 The Golden Rule for Flowers 



Inside the tube, and joined to it, are the ovaries, 

 which together form the horny core. "When the 

 stigmas are all properly dusted with pollen, each 

 ovary, with its two pips, begins to grow; but, if 

 nothing else grew, there would be no apple, only a 

 horny seed-vessel, the only eatable part of which 

 would be the seeds. But the calyx enclosing the core 

 grows too, and so does the top of the stalk from which 

 it springs ; and it is these which together form the apple. 



If, however, one of the stigmas be by chance left 

 without pollen, then the ovary belonging to it, with its 

 two pips and the part of the calyx next to it^ does not 

 grow, and the apple is misshapen. 



There is a French apple caUed the S. Valery apple, 

 which is remarkable for having a double calyx and a 

 double core, with ten divisions, but no petals, and only 

 imperfect stamens, which produce no pollen. This 

 has to come, therefore, from different varieties, and it 

 is a regular custom for the girls of S. Valery to go to 

 the orchards in the spring, taking pollen from various 

 other apple-trees, to, as they say, ' make their apples.' 

 Each marks with ribbons her own fruit, and the 

 different pollen produces apples of different flavour, 

 colour and size, according to the variety of apple from 

 which the pollen has been taken. 



Occasionally one hears of an apple-tree which in- 

 dulges in the freak of bearing fruit, some of which is 

 of the ordinary shape, and some ^eay-shaped, both 

 sorts growing on the same twigs. In this case one 

 must suppose that the bees have been less particular 

 than usual, and have dusted the pistil-tips with pear- 

 pollen. So, too, an orange blossom crossed with 



