216 



THE SMALL GRAINS 



very small, white tags, with strings attached, for labels are 

 also required. The operation of artificial cross-pollina- 

 tion is as follows : The lemma and palea of the flower to 

 be cross-pollinated are spread apart, and, with the forceps, 

 the three stamens are taken out bodily, thus completely 

 emasculating the flower, if the operation has been done 



at the proper time, 

 just before the an- 

 thers are ripe. At 

 the same time, or 

 soon after, pollen 

 is taken from the 

 fully ripened flow- 

 ers of the plant 

 selected for male 

 parent, and scat- 

 tered within the 

 opened flower that 

 is emasculated, af- 

 ter which it is 

 smoothed back in- 

 to its former con- 

 dition as nearly 

 as possible. After 

 FIG. 64. -Hybridizing barley. pollination, and 



during the inter- 

 val between emasculation and pollination, if the latter is 

 at all delayed, the spike or panicle should be covered 

 with a paper bag, as a precaution against the accidental 

 introduction of foreign pollen (Fig. 64). 



227. Accompanying details. In practice there is 

 much variation as to details of the work. Usually about 

 16 flowers on each spike are operated on, these being the 



