436 State Boatid of A(;Ricur.TUEK, &c. 



has been disseminated in this country for specuLative pur- 

 poses, and, though an inferior grain, sometimes sokl for ten 

 doUars per pound. Being impelled by curiosity to see the 

 result of such an experiment, I undertook to hybridize this 

 plant reciprocally with the Berlin variety of wheat. I suc- 

 ceeded in impregnating the Berlin with pollen of the Poland, 

 but failed in the converse operation. I may observe here in 

 passing that it is not an uncommon thing in the hybridiza- 

 tion of species, that the pollen of one species may be effect- 

 ive in the pistils of another, while it would be impossible to 

 impregnate its own ovules with pollen of that other. The 

 plants which sprang from this violent union of two forms so 

 diverse, showed satisfactory vigor, but so nearly sterile were 

 they, that I but narrowly succeeded in perpetuating them. 

 They blossomed freely, but set only a very small number of 

 grains, and those were poorly developed. In subsequent 

 generations of this hybrid cereal, the forms that have tended 

 in their shifting variations toward the original types, have 

 become tolerably fertile, but much sterihty still rules among 

 them. 



Of my experiments in crossing the other cereals I will 

 say little except that the same instability of the young varie- 

 ties has been observed. By crossing the Excelsior and White 

 Probsteier oats I have put a second kernel in the spikelet of 

 the former, and have increased the weight of the jxrains of 

 the latter. 



I have now exemplified the most important of the laws of 

 hybridization which concern the cross-breeding of cereals,, 

 and have shown the facility with which new varieties may be 

 called forth. For the deft fingers of the hybridist liaa 



