120 LUTHER BURBANK 



It does not matter very much, then, what par- 

 ticular variety of iris is growing in your garden. 

 Probably there are plants that bear purple flow- 

 ers, others with yellow ones, and yet others that 

 are white. This obviously gives you opportunity 

 for hybridizing, and there will be abundant in- 

 terest in watching the results of the blending of 

 different colors, or even of different species. 



If, at the same time that you are crossing the 

 iris of different colors, you save also seed from 

 other plants, or from different flowers on the 

 same plants, that are not crossed, you will be able 

 to check the results of your experiment, and will 

 find yourself launched at once into an investiga- 

 tion that offers fascinating possibilities. It 

 should be explained, however, that the cross-pol- 

 lenizing of the iris presents complications which 

 will not be solved unless you make a very careful 

 inspection of the flower. 



The stigma of the flower has a little lip under 

 the unique petaloid pistils, very different in ap- 

 pearance from the organs of most other flowers. 

 If you examine it closely you will see that the 

 little shell-like lip that projects is adjusted in 

 just the right way to scrape pollen off the back of 

 a bee as it enters the flower, or similarly from the 

 head of a humming bird. The arrangement is 

 such that the bee or humming bird will come in 



