138 PLANT GROWTH 



detect differences. Burbank gave all his effort toward spec- 

 tacular "new creations" whereas Mendel made fewer crosses, 

 kept excellent records, and contributed a scientific law that 

 is useful to all plant breeders. 



Many people have made outstanding contributions in the 

 field of plant genetics, a knowledge of which would suggest 

 problems to the reader, but this work cannot give such de- 

 scriptions since, in most cases, the aim of the experiment was 

 the further development of the science of plant breeding or 

 the improvement of farm crops. One of the most interesting 

 and important projects is that carried on at Cornell Uni- 

 versity, namely, the growing of all the known genetic strains 

 of corn year after year in order that they may be available 

 to plant breeders. It is a living museum well worth seeing. 

 The United States Department of Agriculture has extensive 

 projects in all of the common farm crops. 



Breeding of the garden plants, and especially the little- 

 known ones, has had little attention, but it appears to be a 

 fine field for work. Frequently plants respond readily to 

 improvement of breeding and selection. Select flowers of 

 medium size to begin work, and as the technique advances, 

 smaller flowers may be used. Remove the anthers, snipping 

 them with a pair of fine scissors before they open, and cover 

 the flower with a bag to prevent pollination from an un- 

 known plant. When the stigma is ripe, get pollen from ripe 

 anthers of the desired plant, the flowers of which have been 

 covered to prevent stray pollen getting with the desired 

 pollen. Then apply the pollen to the stigma of the emascu- 

 lated flower, after which the flower must remain covered 

 until the seeds begin to form. A camel's hair brush may be 

 used to transfer the pollen. In many cases the pollination 

 may be unsuccessful; perhaps the stigma was not receptive 

 or in cases where the two plants differ in variety the pollen 

 may grow poorly. The pollinated flower should be labelled 

 and careful records should be kept of the parents. 



