t a hat, Mother Morning-Glory, known in botany as
the "pistil"; and as you follow down this pistil you will find an
enlarged part at the base, which is known as the cradle-nest--the home
of the seed babies.

Little was known about this wonderful fertilization of the seeds by
the pollen two hundred years ago, and a whole century passed before
the secret of the blossom and the bees was discovered; and even then
it was not fully realized how great was the work of the bees in
cross-fertilization. Nor was it understood that the beautiful blossom
of the flower, with its sweet nectar, was an exceedingly important
factor in attracting the bees. Another century passed before Darwin
gave to the world the story of the great work performed by the bees in
cross-fertilization--in carrying the pollen from flower to flower,
for it is now a well-known fact that all of the blossoms visited by
the bees produce better fruit and better flowers.

In the flower where the father and mother part matures at the same
time, self-fertilization is the rule. Cross-fertilization occurs in
instances where either the father part or mother part ripen at
different times, in these cases the pollen is carried from plant to
plant by the wind or by the nectar-seeking bees. These busy bees, with
their fluffy little feet and fuzzy coats, become completely covered
with this all-important flower dust, and in seeking nectar from other
flowers they leave the "awakening dust" behind, and thus
cross-fertilization takes place; new types of babies are produced, new
generations of fruits and flowers.

HOW MOTHER NATURE WORKS

Dr. Chadwick, in her _Blossom Babies_, gives us a beautiful recital
concerning the fertilization of plants, which provides an endless
number of interesting stories. The water plants are very interesting
in that the pollen is just light enough to float on the exact level of
the mother part of the flower, otherwise fertilization could never
take place, and there would be no more lovely lilies. Long throated
blossoms are fertilized by their attraction for certain moths or
humming birds who have long tongues. Mother Nature is exceedingly
careful to reproduce her children, and in every conceivable way she
sees to it that her plant-seeds are fertilized and distributed. We are
all familiar with the dandelion and the thistle and a host of others
which fly through the air with actual plumes, some seeds fly with
wings, such as the maple; other seeds t