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Hvbridizing, strictly speaking', is ob- 

 taining a protreny between two different 

 species ; and cross-breeding is obtain- 

 ing a progeny between varieties of the 

 same species. The progeny of hybrids 

 cannot produce seed ; but cross-breeds 

 are fertile. My own observations, and 

 those of others, justify the following 

 statements, as affording some guide to 

 the raiser of varieties: — 



1. The seed-vessel is not altered in 

 appearance by impregnation from an- 

 other plant ; therefore, no hasty con- 

 clusion of failure is justified by that 

 want of change. 



2. The colour of the future seed, not 

 of that first hybridized, seems to be 

 most influenced by the male plant, if 

 its seeds and flowers are darker than 

 those of the female. Mr. Knight found, 

 that when the pollen of a coloured- 

 blossomed pea was introduced into a 

 white one, the whole of the future seeds 

 were coloured. But when the pollen of 

 a white blossom was introduced to the 

 stigma of a coloured blossom, the whole 

 of the future s«eds wore not white. Capt. 

 Thurtell, from his experiments on the 

 pelargonium, also informs mc, that he 

 has always found the colour and spot of 

 the petals to be more influenced by the 

 male than by the female parent. In- 

 deed, all experience proves that the 

 progeny usually, though not invariably, 

 most resembles in colour the male 

 parent. 



3. Large stature and robustness are 

 transmitted to the offspring by either 

 parent. It does not absolutely matter 

 for obtaining this characteristic, whether 

 it be the male or female which is large; 

 but Mr. Knight generally found the 

 most robust female parent produced the 

 tinest ofl'spring. 



4. Capt. Thurtell, from lengthened 

 observation and experiment, has ascer- 

 tained that the form of the petals 

 follows most closely that of the female 

 parent. 



5. Mr. Knight says that the largest 

 seed from the finest fruit that has ripened 

 earliest and most perfectly, should 

 always be selected. In stone-fruit if 

 two kernels are in one stone, these give 

 birth to inferior plants. 



6. The most successful mode of ob- 

 taining good and very distinct varieties, 

 is to employ the pollen from a male in a 

 flower grown on another plant than that 



bearing the female parent. To avoid 

 previous and undesired impregnation, 

 the anthers in the female parent, if they 

 are produced in the same flower with 

 the pistils, must be removed by a sharp- 

 pointed pair of scissors, and the flower 

 inclosed in a gauze bag, to exclude in- 

 sects, until the desired pollen is ripe. 

 Another ettectual mode of avoiding un- 

 desired impregnation, is bringing the 

 female parent into flower a little earlier 

 than its congeners, and removing the 

 anthers as above described : the stigma 

 will remain a long time vigorous if un- 

 impregnated. 



7. Although the fertility of all the 

 seed in one seed vessel may be secured 

 by applying pollen only to one style, 

 even where there are several, yet the 

 quantity of pollen is by no means a 

 matter of indiff'erence. Koelreuter 

 found, that from fifty to sixty globules 

 of pollen were required to complete the 

 impregnation of one flower of llybiscua 

 Syriacus; but in Mirabilis jalapa, and 

 M. longiflora, two or three globules 

 were enough ; and in the case of pelar- 

 goniums, Capt. Thurtell says two or 

 three globules are certainly sufficient. 



8. M. Haquin, a distinguished horti- 

 culturist at Liege, has impregnated 

 flowers of the Azalea with pollen kept 

 six weeks ; and Camellias with pollen 

 kept sixty-five days. He gathers the 

 stamens just previously to the anthera 

 opening, wraps them in writing-paper, 

 places them in a warm room for a day, 

 collects the pollen they emit, and pre- 

 serves it in sheet lead in a cool dry 

 place. M. Godefroy suggests, that two 

 concave glasses, like those employed 

 for vaccine virus, would be better. The 

 globules of the pollen must not be 

 crushed. M. llafjuin thinks the pollen 

 of one year will be efl'ective if preserved 

 until the year following. Mr. Jackson, 

 of Cross Lanes Nursery, near Bedale, 

 says, he has found the pollen of the 

 Rhododendron Smithii tigrinum retain 

 its fertilizing power even for twelve 

 months. 



9. It is easy to discern whether im- 

 pregnation has been eftected, as in such 

 case the stigmas soon wither. The stig- 

 mas which have not received the pollen 

 remain lor a long time green and vigor- 

 ous. " By the aid of the Stanhope 

 lens," observes Capt. Thurtell, in a let- 

 ter now before me, " I fancy I can dis- 

 cover the seed of the pelargonium being 



