to 



Potato Cidttite. 



lates, to be fruitful, must have the 

 pollen from the anthers of the stami- 

 nate brought in contact with its stigma 

 by wind, insects, or other means. In 

 plants with perfect flower, the stamens 

 are generally situated around and 

 above the pistil, so that the pollen 

 falls upon the stigma by mere force 

 of gravity. In the potato, tjie pollen 

 is conveyed from the anthers to the 

 stigma by actual contact of the two 

 organs. 



Cross-breeding in plants consists in 

 fertilizing one variety with the pollen 

 of another variety of the same species. 

 The offspring is called a cross-breed, 

 or variety. The process of cross- 

 breeding consists in taking the pollen 

 of one variety and applying it to the 

 stigma of another variety, in such a 

 way as to effect its fertilization. This 

 is done by cutting away (with scissors) 

 the stamens of the flower to be fer- 

 tilized, a short time before they arrive 

 at maturity, and taking a flower in 

 which the pollen is ripe, dry, and 

 powdery, from the stalk of the variety 

 wished for the male parent; and hold- 

 ing it in the right hand, and then 

 striking it on the finger of the left, 

 held near the flower, thus scattering 

 the pollen on the stigma of the pistil 

 of the flower to be fertilized. The 

 utmost care should be taken to apply 

 the pollen when the flower is in its 

 greatest vigor, and the stigma is 

 covered with the necessary coating of 

 mucus to insure a perfect connection 

 of the pollen with the pistil, and make 

 [he fertilization perfect. All flowers 

 not wanted in the experiment should be 

 removed before any pollen is formed. 



It is necessary to tie athn piece of 

 gauze over the flower to be fertilized, 

 before and after crossing, to prevent 

 insects from conveying pollen to it, 

 thus frustrating the labors of the ope- 

 rator. If the operation has been suc- 

 cessful, the pistil will soon begin to 

 wither ; if not perfect, the pistil will 



continue fresh and full for some days. 

 This modus operandi is substantially 

 the same in crossing fruits, flowers, 

 and vegetables throughout the vege- 

 table kingdom. 



Hybridizing differs from cross- 

 breeding only in fertilizing one species, 

 or one of its varieties, with the pollen 

 of another species, or one of its varie- 

 ties, of the same or a different genus. 

 The offspring is called a hybrid, or 

 mule. Hybrids, with very few excep- 

 tions, are sterile, they fail to propa- 

 gate themselves from seed, and must, 

 to preserve them, be propagated by 

 grafts, layers, or suckers. No change 

 is perceptible in the fruit produced 

 from blossoms upon which the opera- 

 tion of cross-breeding or hybridizing 

 has been performed ; but the seed of 

 fruits so obtained may be planted with 

 the certainty of producing a fruit or 

 tuber commingling the qualities,colors, 

 and main characteristics of both pa- 

 rents. 



Experience, however, shows that 

 the characteristics of the male pre- 

 dominate somewhat in the offspring. 

 To judicious cross-breeding and hy- 

 bridizing we owe most of our superior 

 fruits and vegetables. If the opera- 

 tion were more generally known and 

 practiced by farmers, the most gratify- 

 ing results would be soon obtained, 

 not only in the production of the 

 most valuable varieties of potatoes 

 and other vegetables, but also in fruits, 

 flowers, and grain of every description. 



SMOOTH VS. ROUGH POTATOES. 



Other things being equal, smooth 

 potatoes are preferable to those with 

 deeply-sunken eyes. The starch be- 

 ing most abundant near the skin, not 

 so much is lost by the thin paring of 

 the former as by the necessarily deep- 

 er paring of the latter. 



Varieties usually well formed some- 

 times grow so knobby and ill-shaped 

 as to be scarcely recognized. This is 



