444 Journal of Agriculture. [8 July, 1907. 



them to burst and dust the pollen srains over the feathery stigma ; thus 

 fertilization is effected. Some experimenters gather pollen and dust it 

 over the stigmas, but this is more troublesome than dusting from the anther 

 direct, especially if there is the least breeze. In regard to densely packed 

 ears it follows naturally that some of the rows of spikelets have to be 

 removed in order to give room, and to prevent self-fertilization should 

 the pollen in the variety to be made the father be not sufficiently ripe at 

 the time of emasculating what are to be the mother florets ; for should there 

 be any floret not emasculated the pollen from it would possibly find its 

 way into those emasculated and spoil the work done. Personally I carry 

 out the fertilizing as soon after emasculating as possible, though some- 

 times it has been necessary to wait several days fox the pollen tO' ripen 

 before fertilization could be effected. No florets but those worked on are 

 allowed to remain, and I find that in order to check wind and insects from 

 carrying pollen to the emasculated florets, a little strip of cotton wool 

 wound around the operated ear is the best means of preventing fertilization. 

 I cover the whole with a little gauze, or grease-proof paper if desirable. 



1 found frequently that if a floret of oats or wheat were cut through half 

 way down a grain would develop and in fact chance crosses were sometimes 

 obtained. The cotton wool protects the emasculated florets well, allowing, 

 owing to its elasticity, more room for expansion ; it filters the air from 

 pollen grains, and allows moisture transpired to pass off readilv. A cap 

 of waterproof paper of some kind is useful under some conditions, but 

 here the climate is very favorable for the work. 



The operation of crossing wdieats is not a difficult one, and is well 

 within the powers of women ; in fact, with their delicacy of touch and 

 patience they should find the breeding of new varieties of cereals and 

 flowers an interesting occupation, and a new field of useful work would 

 be open to the intelligent woman. At harvest time the grains should be 

 carefully gathered, labelled, and at sowing time planted singly in rows 



2 feet apart and 8 inches to a foot apart in the rows in order that every 

 characteristic of each individual plant may be studied, such as nature 

 of early growth, the tillering properties, flag, straw, ear and colouring. 

 The plants of the first cross during the first season do not vary as a rule 

 much from the mother, but the second generation shows a. more or less wide 

 variation of type according to the variations in the parents being many or 

 few respectively. Thus Bobs or Medeah produced in one season from one 

 ear of the second generation twenty-two different coloured or different 

 shaped ears, six being bearded, the remainder being bald or with tip 

 awns only. Of the six bearded seedlings one tended to become club-tipped 

 and had the dark colouring of Medeah but not its solid straw, the second 

 more nearly approached the Medeah type but was narrower and had straw 

 not solid though more so than the first. Number three bearded had black 

 awns like the others but the chaff on the whole was white except the 

 extreme tips. Number four bearded had more the appearance of Bobs 

 with chaff and awns cream coloured, whilst five had the dark awns. 

 Number six was partly bearded, having the edges of the pales and glumes 

 fringed with slate blue colour. The great difference between this ear and 

 all the others was its tendency to branch like the Mummy wheat, though 

 not to the same extent. The straw was fairly solid but not as much so as 

 Medeah. Five of the bald selections were essentially of the Medeah type 

 in colouring and six approached nearer Bobs in type but were splashed at 

 the apex of the pales and glumes with the faintest dark markings ; the 

 remaining five had no markings and took after Bobs in type, but all were 



