PROTECTING POLLINATED BLOSSOMS 



Dr. William S. Chafin, \'anderhilt, Midi. 



IN cross-pollinating flowers, it is often 

 necessary for the plant breeder to 

 visit a blossom twice : the first time 

 to remove the pollen from the 

 flower, so it will have no opportunity to 

 pollinate itself, and a second time when 

 the stigmas are in a receptive condition, 

 to apply the pollen from some other 

 plant which he has selected as the male 

 parent of the hybrid. 



Between these two visits, it is of the 

 utmost importance that foreign pollen, 

 which might be carried by the wind or 

 insects, be excluded — otherwise the re- 

 sults of the experiment will be thrown 

 into confusion. It is also necessary, in 

 most cases, to protect the pollinated 



flower for some time after the cross has 

 been effected, for the same reason. 

 Both these objects are usually accom- 

 plished by enclosing the flower in a cloth 

 or paper sac, which of course must be 

 removed when the flower is pollinated. 



Removing these sacs and replacing 

 them without injuring delicate flowers 

 is sometimes a little difficult. A device 

 which I have found very convenient 

 because of the ease with which it may 

 be opened or closed for this purpose and 

 held in the flngers without danger of 

 injuring the flower is seen in Fig. 9. 



A strip of fine muslin of the proper 

 width (a tag end of which is shown at 

 A) is folded lengthwise, stitched along 



CONVENIENT BAG FOR PROTECTING POLLINATED FLOWERS 



Jt is distended by a frame of wire netting, which allows it to be put on or taken off the flower 

 with little danger of injury to even the most delicate blossom. The use of a test-tube, 

 as described in the text and shown at E above, allows the cloth to be slipped over the 

 screen without any trouble from catching ends of the wire. (Fig. 9.) 



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