19B PRINCIPLES OF GARDENING. [CH. VI, 



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- 

 pomted pair of scissors, and the flower enclosed in a 

 gauze bag to exclude insects, mitil the desired 

 pollen is ripe. Another effectual mode of avoiding 

 undesii'ed impregnation is biinging the female parent 

 into flower a little earlier than its congeners, and re- 

 moving the anthers as above described ; the stigma 

 will remain a long time vigorous if unimpregnated. 



8. 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 in- 

 difference. Koelreuter found that from fifty to sLxty 

 globules of pollen were required to complete the 

 impregnation of one flower of Hybiscus Syriacus : 

 but in Mirabilis Jalapa and il/. longijiora, two or 

 tliree globules were enough-^, and in the case of 

 pelargoniums, Capt. Thurtell says, two or three 

 globules are certainly sufficient. 



9. M. Haquin, a distinguished horticulturist at 

 Liege, has impregnated flowers of the Azalea mth 

 pollen kept sL\ weeks ; and Camellias -svith pollen kept 

 sixty-five days. He gathers the stamens just pre- 

 viously to the anthers opening, wraps them in writing 



^ Willdenow, 323. 



