TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING. 45 



variety, or species, that many of our new varieties of fruits, vegetables^ 

 and flowers are obtained, and artificial pollination is now commonly 

 practiced for this purpose. It is only necessary to select varieties, or 

 closely related species, that flower at the same time, and apply the pollen 

 from the anther of one to the stigma of the other. 



To secure a true cross, the unopened flower should be enclosed in a 

 paper sack, after removing the stamens from perfect flowers, and this 

 should be replaced after pollinating, and allowed to remain for several 

 days. The ovules will be the joint product of the two plants, and their 

 character will be determined by the comparative potency of the parents. 

 The influence of the cross seldom if ever extends beyond the ovules,, 

 although there have been well authenticated cases where the entire ovary 

 was affected. When the seeds are planted, however, the full effect of the 

 cross will be seen. 



I have never seen a case where squashes, melons, or cucumbers showed 

 any effect of the cross the first season, although many persons hold the 

 contrary opinion. 



The production of pollen in such quantities must be very exhausting to 

 the plants, and many persons claim that fruit production is greatly less- 

 ened thereby, quoting the results obtained with corn at the Cornell experi- 

 ment station, where greatly increased results were obtained when the tas- 

 sels on alternate rows were cut out. The fact that so large a proportion of 

 our new and productive strawberries are pistillate, would also seem to- 

 substantiate it. 



Aside from its use in producing new varieties, the farmer can in a prac- 

 tical manner avail himself of the advantages of cross-fertilization in 

 increasing the productiveness of his crops. The corn crop in particular 

 is an easy one to cross, from the fact that the stamens and pistils are in 

 different parts of the plants. In case a new variety is not desired, two 

 strains of the same sort, from different parts of the country, may be 

 planted in alternate rows. If the tassels are cut out as soon as they 

 appear, from the plants of one variety, the pistils will be fertilized by pol- 

 len from the other, and a cross will be secured. It may require one or two 

 selections to obtain a variety true to type, but it can be easily done and 

 the results will be more satisfactory than could be obtained were the same 

 seed used continuously, or even if a change of seed were made. 



The botanist regards as a fruit, a ripe ovary and its contents. In some 

 cases the calyx tube becomes a part of the fruit, and as in the apple and 

 pear, it may be thickened and make up by far the larger portion. 



One of the simplest divisions of fruit is into (1) fleshy, (2) stone fruits, 

 (3) dry fruits. In the first class, the walls of the ovary or calyx are soft 

 and quite thick, as in gooseberries, apples, and oranges. The stone 

 fruits differ in that the inner portion of the ovary wall has become hard 

 and forms the shell around the seed, while the outer part remains soft and 

 pulpy, as in cherries, plums, and peaches. Among the dry fruits are lettuce, 

 peas, grains, acorns, and strawberries. 



In each of these classes we find the seeds themselves more or less hard, 

 and with special arrangements to secure dissemination. 



In some cases the flesh is attractive to animals and they are often carried 

 long distances. Most of them are lighter than water, and if they happen 

 to fall into a stream they may be carried half around the world. In some 

 cases the outer walls burst and the seeds may be thrown a number of feet. 

 Many of the dry fruits, as the milkweed, thistle, and dandelion, have long 



