The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-05-18

The class in applied botany in our
agricultural course has just finished a
laboratory exercise of three hours,
spent in the study of the flowers of the
squash and the cucumber. The students
FIRST noted the more marked differences
between the male and female blossoms.
They saw that the male flowers in the
squash were raised upon tall, slender
stalks, foot or more high, while the
female blossoms were upon short, stout
stems which kept them close to the
ground. They noticed that both sorts
were provided with large, snowy, yell
low, bell shaped corollas which they
quickly saw were only temporary, last
ing for day or two and then whiting
and wasting away. 1t was evident to
them that these conspicuous floral
structures are for attracting the large
insects which frequent these blossoms.
In studying the male flowers with
the compound microscope the location
where the pollen is produced was found
and also the shape of this fertilizing
dust became clear when seen under the
high power of the microscope. 1t was
Seen thata quantity ofan oily substance
was given off with the pollen, and SO
mixed with it that the grains became
adhesive, and held to any object
brought against them. With such
view Of the subject, it is easy to com.
prehend how the pollen adheres to the
bodies of insects as they visit these
flowers for the purpose Of obtaining
the nectar or sweet that is secreted at
the base of each blossom. 81 emetimes
a bee will get belated in squash or
pumpkin flower, and the large corolla
will close down upon the insect. 1t
may be found thus imprisoned, and if
the bloom does not open again, the
honey hunter must either gnaw its way
out or die among the sweets.
At the base of each of the female
flowers, a young squash may be found,
which upon making cross,sections,
shows all the structure of fully grown
squash in miniature. Such squashes
are particularly we'll adapted for study
with the microscope. The young and
unfertilized seeds are then in the same
position they are to occupy when the
fruit is developed. At the upper end
of the minute squash projections were
found, upon the exposed surface Of
which pollen falls and then begins
process of development that needs to
be seen to be appreciated. In short,
the soft protoplasmic contents of the
pollen grain must reach the central
part of the young seed (ovule) before
the latter will be quiekened into further
growth. Abundant experiments were
made last year to prove this fact.
Squash, cucumber, melon and other
plants of this gourd family had their
female flowers covered with sacks, SO
that pollen was excluded, and in no
case did the seeds ripen. All around
these sacked flowers were others which
matured. The pollen, when it has
been busted upon the proper place by
the bees, begins first to send out a
tube or in other words, prolongation
of the thin inner wall Of the grain takes
place, and the tube thus produced is
pushed, or more accurately it grows,
down the soft substance Of the young
squash until it reaches the ovule, and
causes fertilization. After this the
squash grows and will in time mature.
There are, Of course, many young
seeds, so that there are hundreds of
pollen tubes growing down toward the
seeds st the same time. The students
found the same general plan carried out
in the cucumber. In this plant the
male and female flowers are scattered
quite evenly along each running
branch. The blossoms are much
sma ller, and the pollen was also many
times smaller than that of the squash.
Smaller insects usually work upon
these blossoms. All the members of
this group Of plants are dependent upon
insects for the transfer Of their flower
dust, and should their visits come to an
end the human race would suffer from
the absence of melons, squashes, Gu
H.