How the Plant Produces Seed . fore it is visited by in- is kept away from the plant no seeds can be sects with long mouth parts, * i T-l* • u • j_i j_- such as the moth shown in produced. In time this would result m the extinc-gure I02 tion of that species of plant, and there is reason to believe that this has occurred in certain cases. Therefore speciali-zation of this kind, if carried too far, may endanger the very existenceof the plant. From the foregoing discussion the true meaning of flowers should beclear. They are often thoughtof only as objects of beauty, andcertainly the benef
How the Plant Produces Seed . fore it is visited by in- is kept away from the plant no seeds can be sects with long mouth parts, * i T-l* • u • j_i j_- such as the moth shown in produced. In time this would result m the extinc-gure I02 tion of that species of plant, and there is reason to believe that this has occurred in certain cases. Therefore speciali-zation of this kind, if carried too far, may endanger the very existenceof the plant. From the foregoing discussion the true meaning of flowers should beclear. They are often thoughtof only as objects of beauty, andcertainly the beneficial aestheticeffect they have should never bewholly disregarded. But theflower is of benefit primarily tothe plant itself, and its chief valuelies in the way in which it bringsabout pollination and thereforea more effective great variety of adaptationsdeveloped in this connection andthe surprising degree of refine-ment to which many of themhave been carried, testify to theextreme importance of effective. FlG. 102. MOTH WITH LONG PROBOSCIS Such long mouth parts enable moths to reach thenectar in flowers with long corolla tubes, such as thepollination tO the plant in ltS petunia shown in figure 101 (Drawing adapted from a photograph by M. V. struggle for existence. In the siingeriand) paramount need of more certain reproduction is found the key to the evolution of the flower and its many modifications. How the Plant Produces Seed 271 THE CORNELL READING COURSE FOR THE FARM The Cornell Reading Course for the Farm provides consecutive instruc-tion on subjects selected by the reader, furnishes lessons on subjects ofgeneral interest as they are issued, and encourages correspeudence bymeans of the discussion paper. Residents of New York State may registerwithout charge for one or more of the following series in the reading particular lessons are desired instead of a course of reading they maybe obtained on request. THE PLANT 144 How the plant produces
Size: 1539px × 1623px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidhowplantprod, bookyear1914
