266 LUTHER BURBANK 



omitted by those who have experience enough 

 to recognize the hybrids from the others. 



If the stigma has been satisfactorily covered 

 with pollen, it will present no exposed surface 

 for the reception of other pollen grains. 



The rule is simply this: Seek nature's plan 

 and follow it. 



In other words, take a lesson from the bees, 

 and pollenize the flowers somewhat as they do. 

 Bear in mind the essentials of the process, which 

 are the same for every flower. Study the 

 mechanism of each new flower and adapt your 

 precise method to the needs of the individual 

 case. It does not matter just how the pollen 

 reaches the stigma, provided it does reach it. 



A very short course of practice will give you 

 the knack of cross-pollenizing, and enable you to 

 enter on a course of experiments that will lead to 

 surprising, fascinating, and perhaps far-reaching 

 results results which may prove to be in time of 

 world- wide significance. 



The ferns belong to a conservative 

 family; and the penalty of conser- 

 vatism, whether in plants or in 

 human beings, has always been 

 racial stasis. 



