FARMEES' INSTITUTES. 313 



which we shall select for seed. The different kernels on the same ear may have 

 twenty or more different male parents. Now theory and analogy at least tell 

 lis, if we wish to improve our corn to the greatest extent, we must pay some 

 attention to the pollen used. A much better way would be to plant a piece of 

 corn by itself on good soil and treat it well, giving the stalks plenty of room. 

 Before shedding pollen, cut out entirely or remove the tassels of all the poorest 

 stalks. In this way, we not only select seed from good females, but also from 

 those fertilized by good males. "Wheat, oats, rye, barley appear to l)e self- 

 fertilized before the flowers open. I have already referred to their improve- 

 ment. 



Who are Breeding Plants. 



With grapes, E. S. Rogers, of Massachusetts, has jH'oduced some remarkable 

 hybrids; also S. AV. Underhill, of Croton Point, and Campbell, of Ohio, and 

 jVioore and Ricketts, of New York. Charles Arnold, of Canada, has experi- 

 mented on grains and fruits. President Wilder has improved a variety of plants. 

 Pringle, Knox, Brownell, Breesee, Hexamer, B. Hathaway, Saunders, of Can- 

 ada, and some others are engaged in this good work. The speaker is doing 

 something in this subject. A. J. Armstrong, of Schoolcraft, ilichigan, has 

 done something in this way with wheat. He had a very interesting collection 

 at our last State Fair. One liead contained some 180 or 200 kernels, and was 

 ten inches in length. The quality was not first rate. There may be six men 

 crossing wheat. Something has been done at your college, mostly, however, by 

 way of teaching the subject to the students. Pressure of other duties have abso- 

 lutely prevented enough attention to this important subject. 



In Europe there has been much done on peas by Laxton, Dr. McLean, and 

 others. 



Every Experiment not a Success. 



In England, one man after rejDeated trials hybridized wheat and rye, but 

 could make none of the seeds grow. He lost the stock. Efforts have been made, 

 without success, to cross wheat and oats, and barley. 



Professor Sargent succeeded in crossing the radish with the cabbage. 



Wm. Saunders, of London, Canada, has given the results of his experiments. 



In 1869 he crossed fifty flowers of the pear ; all failed. The next year he 

 crossed forty-five pears. One pear was produced which contained three seeds. 

 These did not grow. In 1871 he crossed ninety-five pear flowers. Eight pears 

 were produced, and they contained forty-four seeds, which only produced six 

 plants. In 1868 he operated on three hundred flowers of grapes, and 116 ber- 

 ries produced 106 plants, In 1873 only one of these grapes survived, and that 

 was weakly. 



He gives whole pages of examples where he crossed different kinds of fruits 

 and most of them failed. 



Three years ago I got quite a number of seeds from apples which were cross 

 fertilized. After waiting a year, they were carefully planted in the greenhouse 

 to give them an extra start, and the mice ate every seed. Away went twenty- 

 dollars worth of labor, — some two years of time, — and all my prospects of new 

 apples from that lot of seeds. One year some boys, possibly students, took the 

 fruit, although it was marked by tying it up in bags of netting. I could give 

 many instances of the nature of the above if it were of any use. Of many flow- 

 ers crossed, often but few fruit. These often produce but few seeds; often but 

 few of these grow ; often many of them are tender and winter kill ; often nearly 



