94 Life and Love. 



another; in this case the continuance of life in the 

 plant is entirely dependent upon the kindly office 

 of wind or insect. 



Even where both kinds of reproductive material 

 are in one flower, as has been seen, their union is 

 not desirable, and precautions are often taken to 

 prevent it. 



The mountain laurel has its immature stamens 

 bent over like springs, the anthers concealed in 

 little pockets along the inner side of its white cup. 

 The breeze, the wing of a bird, the jostle of a pass- 

 ing creature stirs the laurel-bush, and out fly these 

 delicate springs, throwing the pollen wi.th force 

 enough to land it quite to the other side of the 

 bush, or upon a neighboring bush. Of course this 

 is precarious, for it may not land upon a flower at 

 all; still, with these assaults of pollen continually 

 going on through many summer days, each flower 

 will have a chance sooner or later to secure the 

 prize. One cannot doubt this when observing 

 the seed pods that later weigh down the laurel- 

 bushes. 



The fruit, so agreeable to the palate of man and 

 to the birds, is but a development of the ovary or 

 some related part, and is not the first thought of 

 the plant. The apple exists, not for the pulp, 

 juicy and delectable to man, but for the black little 

 seeds concealed within the pulp. 



The delicious envelope of the plum, peach, pear, 

 apricot, are but invitations to the sister life in the 



