Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1909-02-17

~ order TO continue to raise crop
ssom year to year W. must propa-
A gate the plants IA some way.
There are two principal ways II
doing this-by seeds and by divisions
OF the plant itself The most impor.
tant of these Is by seeds. "a Il Is in
this way that most of the ordinary
farm crops are multiplied.
In order TO understand this process
we must first learn how the seeds are
formed. The tassel OF the corn is the
male flower and the silk the female.
SPINE plants. such as certain varieties
OF strawberries, have only female
flowers and must be planted In alter
nate rows with varieties which have
both kinds Of blossoms. In other
plants the male aud female flowers
are combined in one. This Is the case
with the apple and many other fruits.
In the apple the stamens. or male
parts, grow In ring around the pis,il.
OF female part, which Is In the center
of the flower. The top OF a sta men.
which rs expanded. is called the an
Their. This contains yellow dust.
the pollen.
The upper portion of the piStil is
called the stigma. From Il tube
called the style leads downward TO
the ovary. This ovary contains one
or more egg shaped cells called ovules.
Zach Of these ovules is capable OF de-
veloping into a seed IL fortified with
a pollen grain When grain OF pol
len alights ON n ripe stigma Il is held
by sticky substance Secreted there.
1t soon terminates and sends long.
threadlike projection down through
the style 10 the orary. This slender
projection enters the ovary. and the
resultant union OF the male and female
elements causes seed To- develop.
One pollen Grain IS required for each
Ovulc. and each ovuie develops into =
separate seed. There are many thou.
sand pollen grains produced 10y each
stamen. and as there are several sta.
mems for each pistil you will SEE that
great excess OF pollen is produced.
This Is one OF natures methods of
making reproduction more certain.
In flowers like the apple the pollen
may sometimes fall directly Oh the
stigma In the same flower More often.
however. the stamen and piStils ripen
at different times. The object OF this
is TO prevent self fertilization. which. II
long continued. will weaken the vitali-
" of the coming generations. Cross
pOllination-that Is. the fertilization OF
the ovule Of one flower by the pollen
from another plant-unites the strength
OF both parents and produces larger.
harder seed.
This has been proved 10y many cxper-
iments. II the tassels arc pulled from
row OF corn before they have time TO
shed their pollen. the silks must neces-
sarily be fertilized 10y pollen from 9TH
er stalks. The cross pollination Will
cause the dctasseled rows 10 produce
heavier and larger ears. II this proc
ess is continued from year 10 year the
yielding power OF that particular strain
Will be considerably increased.
In such plants as corn the wind car
ries the pollen for rods In every direc-
ton. The mir In the cornfell Is so
filled with the yellow dust that there IS
seldom any danger tina; the silks will
fail to catch more than plenty To fer
tiliZe each Of the many ovules that are
10 form the future kernels.
Some plants. however. are not so for
tunate In this respect. The pollen of
fruit trees is carried TO some extent by
the wind. but not nearly SO much so
as that OF corn. In such plants as