FAEMERS' INSTITUTES. 211 



If we examine the flower of a peach or cherry, we shall find a lot of slender 

 objects, the stamens, with little bunches or sacks on the extremity (anthers)^ 

 These surround a single green object which occupies the center of the flower. 

 This green object is the pistil, and is destined to become the peach or cherry, if 

 nothing happens to prevent. 



The little anthers contain an abundance of fine yellow dust or powder, the 

 use of which is to fertilize the pistil or young rudimentary peach or cherry. 

 Unless the pistil is so fertilized no fruit will set. In some seasons trees blossom 

 full, but no fruit is produced. This may be owing to a severe storm which pre- 

 vents the pollen from getting onto the pistil, or more frequently, I think, a fail- 

 ure to set fruit is owing to the small quantity and poor quality of the pollen or 

 fertilizing dust. In such seasons I have found tliat fruit will set if we select 

 some good anthers and carry the pollen and apply it to tlie proper place. Young; 

 trees often blossom for several years before fruit is produced. This is often, if 

 not always, owing to the poor quality of the anthers. Very often insects or the 

 wind help to scatter the pollen. One way to improve cherries or peaches is to 

 carry the pollen from one variety to the pistil of another, tluis selecting tlie two 

 parents of the future seed. 



In thus crossing the plants we may not get what we want any more than the 

 breeder of animals always realizes his ideal. To be sure of affecting the crosS' 

 as we want, we must visit our cherry flower before it is quite open and cut out 

 all the stamens and tie up the rest of the flower in a muslin or paper sack. 

 At this time, or on ttie next day or perhaps two days after, take off the sack 

 and apply a plump ripe anther to the tip of the pistil, dusting it all over freely. 

 If the pollen is applied before the pistil is ready it will be in the proper place as- 

 soon as the pistil is ready. Mark by string or label the flower operated upon to 

 get its seeds for sowing. The pollen will keep for some weeks, if the two llowers 

 do not happen to be open at the same time. I usually transfer the anther by 

 clasping the slender stem in forceps. Some use a camel's hair brush, but I do- 

 not like it for some reasons. If you experiment on apple blossoms, try those 

 which are likely to open first. These are situated in the center of each cluster 

 of five to seven or eight flowers. The center flowers are the strongest and most, 

 likely to set fruit. To concentrate the strength of the tree on a few flowers, 

 cut off a large number of them in the vicinity of the experiments. In the case 

 of grapes, it will be necessary to carefully remove the outer portion of the- 

 flower and the stamens some days before these would naturally fall off. 



To cross wheat much care will be required to open the young flowers without 

 injuring them. The plants spoken of, and most others, have the stamens and 

 jjistils in each flower, but some, as the Indian corn, have the stamens on one- 

 part of the plant and tlie pistils on another. I presume every one knows that 

 the dust on the top of the corn stalk fertilizes the silk, a single thread of which 

 runs down to each rudimentary kernel. If we want to cross corn we can plant 

 our two kinds together, and just before flowering cut the tassels from the stalks 

 upon which we are experimenting. Quite a number of our forest trees and 

 shrubs have the stamens in one place and the pistils in another, as all our oaks, 

 chestnuts, beeches, hickories, and walnuts. Our willows and poplars have noth- 

 ing but staminate flowers on some of the trees and pistillate flowers on other 

 trees. Our melons, squashes, and cucumbers have two kinds of flowers on the 

 vines. The insects, bees, and striped beetles carry the pollen for us, or else we ■ 

 should have no squashes or cucumbers. 



