, 1888-10-03

at our very doors, frequently at all events
in our back yards, should be hopelessly, al
though not always uncOmplainingly, sub
uniting to bi-weekly, or perhaps more fire.
quent, dental struggles with tough beef.
There must be something wrong: isit with
the papau juice or with ourselves? If with
ourselves, who will undertake to lead the
reform for putting us right?
Leaving the question of the uses of the
papau tree, we would like to say a few
words about its Towering, which is a sub
Ject OF equal, IT not greater, interest. The
purpose of the Towering of the papau, as
of all other plants, is to produce seeds, so
that the species may be continued. In the
case of this tree the seeds are contained i'm
fruits, which by their sweetness attract
birds, rats and some other animals to eat
them and the seeds, which are too hard
to suffer in the process of digestion, are
thus carried about and dispersed, to spring
up as young papau trees in other places.
We thus see at once the meaning of that
arrangement, SO common in the vegetable
world, Of hard seeds in a soft, sweet cover
ing and we see what the ripening of fruit
means, namely the softening and sweeten-
ing OF the envelope just at the right time,
the time, that is, when the seed is ready
for dispersion. Such being the purpose
OF the papau fruit, it might be supposed
that all papau trees would produce it.
One of the first results, however, Of an eX-
aml2atiOn into the matter will be, to show us
that q great many Of the trees bear no
fruit, but appear at first sight to live for
no useful purpose, unless sustaining them
selves must be so regarded. On c0mpar-
ing the trees which bear fruit and the
trees which do hot we find that their gene
raj appearance is the same, there is in
both the same tall stem SurmOuntpd by the
same crown Of beautifully formed leaves.
We shall quickly perceive, however, that
there IS a striking difference in the way in
which the flowers are borne upon the trees.
In the fruit bearing trees the flowers grow
IN small clusters, supported on very short
stalks, hence are close to the stem: while
III the non-producing trees the flowers are
borne in nuuIerouS clusters. supported on
long, dropping stalks. A comparison of the
individual blossoms from the two kinds Of
trees SheWS Il still more marked difference.
The flower from the fruit-bearing tree is
thicker than the other, consisting of five
separate yellow petals, while in the other
the petals are united for the greater part
Of their length into q narrow tube. Within
the cOrOlla ofthe fruit bearing flower we find
one organ only, namely the piStii, showing
at the base the ovary or young papau, in
which the future seeds are growing, and
above it a short style Surmuuntpd by five
spreadingstigmaS Those other organscalled
StamenS, which are found in most flowers,
and which carry in the antherS at their
SUBMITS that marvellous dust, the pollen,
are not found in this flower. Now it il
vel! known that no seed can be produced
in any flower unless the pollen is brought
into contact with the stigma, from thence
to act on the oyary; but in the flower OF
the truIt-bearing papau we find no pollen.
The difficulty is to some extent removed
when we examine the flowers of the nom
producing tree. for in this we find The
StamenS with their pollen, which we had
missed from the first class of flowers;
while on the other hand, there is in these
nOn-prodUcimg flowers no pistil. The
country people commonly speak Of the
trees as "woman' or "man' according rs
they produce Or do not produce fruit.
And in using this phraSeology they are
literally correct the one is female
the other male. The action of the pollen
from the male organs, the stamenS, ON the
female organ, the pistil, by which it is Sc
cured that the seed continues to live and
to grow, is called fertiliSation and the
question Immediately arises, how can the
female papau blossom be fertilised, when
the pollen, bearing organs are growing on
a separate tree, and that tree possibly
l.. -N1n ~ Fonf On nvrnn vnn n nnf