MARCH. 
55 
Fig. 6.—Flower of 
Buttercup. 
golden tuft or tassel; these are the stamens. There are generally about 
sixty ; their filaments, their anthers (dust- 
pouches), their pollen (dust), are richly 
coloured like the leaves 
of the interior envelope. 
The anthers are attached 
to the filaments by the 
whole length of their in¬ 
ner surface {fig. 7), and 
the two cells which, in 
opening, afford a passage to the pollen, are 
directed rather outwards than towards the 
centre of the flower. 
Before passing to the examination of the 
central organ, observe, at the base of each 
golden leaf (petal), on its inner surface, a 
small scale, forming a sort of 
pouch {fig. 8). Of the use of 
this we shall speak afterwards. 
Now remove the stamens, and 
the central organ will alone re¬ 
main. This organ presents the 
appearance of a head bristling 
with small recurved points, which 
are soft and humid in their young 
state, and becoming with age hard and 
horny {fig. 9). Each point represents the 
point of a small body flattened on its sides, 
and enclosing a seed {fig. 10). These small flattened bodies are called the carpels. 
Take now a fully-expanded flower, and you will see the 
five leaves (petals) of the interior envelope (corolla), opened 
like a little rose, the stamens well spread out, 
and the central organ (pistil) is 
already hardened. This hardening 
is observed best in spent flowers, 
the envelopes and stamens of which 
have dropped. You can, besides, 
Central often observe that in the same flower 
organ of some of the bodies (carpels) of the 
Buttercup. cen £ ra t or g an (pistil) are not de¬ 
veloped like the others, but remain small and stunted, whilst the others swell 
out and become filled with the seed {fig. 11). 
{To be continued.) 
Fig. 7. 
Anther of 
Buttercup, 
back view. 
Fig. 8. — Petal of 
Buttercup show¬ 
ing the gland or 
scale. 
Fig. 10. 
Carpel of 
Buttercup 
magnified. 
Fig. 11. 
Ripe 
fruit of 
Buttercup. 
THE NEW DAHLIAS. 
What about the new Dahlias? There is such a lot this year, I must 
endeavour to find out the best twenty-four I can select to grow. The question 
is, How am I to come at it ? If I consult the parties sending them out, of 
course theirs are the best; at least they poke and squeeze in as many as they 
possibly can. 
If I think right there has been a great quantity of them shown at the 
Floricultural Committee. Well, there are some good judges there, certainly. 
