PLANT BREEDING 13 



peculiar floral structure, and of this family the 

 genus Pisum were found to possess in the best manner 

 the necessary qualifications. 



It is very unlikely that a disturbance through 

 foreign pollen can occur in these flowers, as the 

 fertilising organs are closely packed inside the keel, 

 and the anther bursts within the bud, so that the 

 stigma becomes covered with pollen before ever the 

 flower is open. 



Artificial fertilisation becomes, therefore, rather 

 an elaborate process, but it nearly always succeeds. 

 To perform the operation, the bud should be 

 opened before it is properly developed, the keel 

 is removed, and each stamen carefully extracted by 

 means of a pair of forceps, after which the stigma 

 can at once be dusted over with the foreign 

 pollen. 



The Mendelian discoveries have made matters 

 very much easier for gardeners and florists in the 

 work of plant breeding and fixing new varieties, 

 as, according to Mendel's law, after three flowerings, 

 the variety should be " fixed," whereas in the old, 

 rather muddled way of doing things it often took 

 double, and even treble that time, to fix a variety 

 with any hope of it remaining constant. 



If, after three flowerings, dominants only are 

 produced, then the plant is pure ; but if both 

 dominants and recessives, then it is hybrid. 



Among plants there are many hybrid instances, 

 notably some pedigree strains of Primula sinensis^ 

 raised by Suttons. One is a large-flowered type, 

 known as " Giant Lavender," having a pale magenta 

 flower. This never comes true from seed, throwing 

 always a number of bright magenta reds and a corre- 



