62 THE BOOK OF THE DAFFODIL 



Mr Horsfield, the Lancashire weaver. And still more 

 beautiful forms, and in still greater abundance, are being 

 yearly brought into existence by the numerous seedling 

 raisers of our own time. The Rev. G. H. Engleheart 

 has made this branch of work peculiarly his own, has 

 attained a far greater measure of success than any seed- 

 ling raiser before him, and is being successfully followed, 

 though still at a considerable distance, by many others. 

 Indeed, we can hardly doubt that the beautiful new 

 flowers associated with his name and with those of 

 Barr, Wilmott, Williams, De GraafF, Kendall, R. O. 

 Backhouse and others, will soon make a large proportion 

 of our existing standard varieties quite obsolete. 



The work then of cross-fertilisation and seedling 

 raising is full of encouragement, and for those who have 

 enough spare time to devote to it a continual source of 

 interest and pleasure ; and where there is a little garden 

 or greenhouse space at disposal and a few good varieties 

 to work upon, the amateur gardener will be wise to act 

 upon Mr Burbidge's wholesome advice " raise seedlings 

 hybrids if you can but raise seedlings." 



How TO DO IT. Cross-fertilisation should be effected 

 on bright sunny mornings. All the equipment absolutely 

 necessary is a small camel's-hair brush. With this, 

 slightly moistened with water, the pollen is removed 

 from the anthers of one flower and placed upon the 

 stigma of any other which is thought to be suitable for 

 crossing with it. 



As soon as this has been done a piece of coloured 

 thread or scarlet wool should be tied round the flower- 

 stalk as a mark that it has been operated upon, and to 

 save the flower from being cut for use in the house ; 

 and a record should be made in a note-book of the 

 pollen used in each separate case. The stalk should be 

 tied up to prevent any accidental breakage, and the 

 seed-pod watched, as it swells, so that it may be 



