6o THE TREE BOOK 



body called an ovule. Its ambition is to become 

 a seed. Let us mark it and view it from day to 

 day. 



AU the air is full of pollen grains, not only 

 from the maple, but from the poplar, elder, and 

 birch, the elm and wiUow. The bees that buzz 

 from flower to flower are laden with it. Pollen 

 from all these trees may lodge on the little sticky 

 red stigma, but a grain of maple pollen is the 

 only kind that makes any impression. This 

 dust is quickly absorbed by the juices of the 

 stigma, and a little tube starts to grow down- 

 ward into the loose tissues. This little tube has 

 a sperm-cell from the pollen at its end. Pres- 

 ently the tube grows long enough to reach the 

 ovule. The little sperm-cell enters through a 

 tiny doorway and mingles with the little egg- 

 cell lying inert in the ovule. Thus the fertiliza- 

 tion of the ovule is accomplished. It will ripen 

 into a seed. 



By and by the little crimson petals, which 

 served to attract the bees fall to, the ground. 

 So, too, do the little pollen knobs. Their work 

 is done. The little stigmas wither, and we 

 watch very carefully the one we have marked. 

 Presently in the place of the little forked tongue, 

 two pert little horns arise. They are to be the 

 wings of the maple seed. Slowly the stem 



