POLIANTHES 



POLLEN 



1387 



The fertilizer is thoroughly mixed with the soil b}' run- 

 ning a plow with point only in the f mrow. Into this the 

 sets or "seed," as they are called, are carefully phiced 

 upright by hand and covered with plow. Usually the 

 bulhlets are rather slow in starting otY, and just as they 

 begin to break through, the soil, which has become 



Bulb of Polianthes tuberosa. 



hardened or crusted, is raked or broken up. Tiiis assists 

 the plant in getting up and also desti-oys any growth 

 of grass wliich may have started. Cultivation is done 

 chiefly with a cotton plow, using the sweeps to put 

 earth to the plant and destroying any grass in the rows. 

 Tillage is required every two weeks until August: an 

 occasional hoeing between plants by hand is necessary 

 in order to loosen the soil and destroy weeds and grass 

 not reached by the plow. The crop is matured and 

 gathered between Oct. 15 and Nov. 15. The tops by 

 this time have reached a length of 18 or 20 in.; these 

 are cut off at the ground with a sharp weeding hoe and 

 the bulbs are plowed out very much as potatoes are. 

 Women then lift out and shake off the earth, and the 

 oflFsets are removed by hand. These sets are the seed- 

 stock for next season. The bulbs are graded as to size, 

 carried to curing houses, and bj' some placed on shelves 

 to dry or cure out. The bulbs must be stirred or have 

 their position changed every few days to prevent mold 

 and rot. This stirring wears or breaks off the roots and 

 tops of a good percentage of the bulbs, making a less 

 sightly bulb, though not injuring its flowering property. 

 The better and more modern way is to gather them by 

 the roots in bunches of about 10, tie them together with 

 a small cord and hang them upon frames, walls and 

 overhead of house and allow them to cure without dis- 

 turbing them during the process of drying. While this 

 would seem a rather expensive way, it really costs but 

 a few cents per thousand, being done by small negro 

 children at nominal wages. In recent years artificial 

 heat of 80°-100° by means of furnace and flues similar 

 to those used in tobacco barns has been introduced, to 

 hasten curing. Four to eight weeks are required to 

 properly cure the bulbs for shipping, so that the first 

 shipments begin to move about Dec. 1 to 10. Before 

 shipment the bulbs are again sorted in order to get out 

 any undersized bulbs that may have been overlooked; 

 they are also counted and packed in paper-lined barrels, 

 holding from 700 to l,;i00, the number varying with size 

 of bulbs and size of barrels. About 200 bbls., or 150,000 

 to 175,000 bulbs, constitute a car-load. The bulk of the 

 exports go through New York dealers, several of whom 

 handle half a million or more each. A few are exported 

 dirfct. 



Dwarf Pearl is the variety mostly grown. This sends 

 up a flowering stem about 15 inches long, the blossom 



being double. The Tall Double is similar, except that 

 the flowering stem is longer, about 24 inches or over. 

 The White or Orange Flower has a long stem, with the 

 blossom single or resembling the blossom of an orange 

 tree. The Albino, a freak from the I'earl, is a dwarf 

 single or orange-flowered variety, but its tendency in 

 other latitudes is to go back to the double type, and con- 

 sequentl}' is likely to disai)point the grower who expects 

 a single blossom. The foliage of all the above is a rich 

 green. The variegated-leaved variety has a beautiful 

 stripe of golden or silver hue on the outer edge of the 

 foliage. The blossom is single and the habit is dwarf. 

 The Tuberose is treated as au annual and has to be re- 

 placed each season. 



A "number one" bulb (referring to size) is not less 

 than 4 inches in circumference and measures up to 6 

 inches and over; "nuimmoth" bulbs are 6 to 8 inches in 

 circumference. Only a very small part of the crop will 

 attain such measurement. A "number two" bulb is less 

 than 4 in. and over 3 in. in circumference, and while in 

 the South these will bloom as well as the larger bulbs 

 they are not much sought by the northern dealers. 

 The Tuberose is a rather slow grower; hence in the 

 North, where the frosts are much earlier than South, 

 it is likely to get caught before its spike of bloom 

 matures. To succeed in getting flowers in the North 

 they should be started in pots under glass or in rooms 

 free of frost in April and transplanted to open ground 

 in early June. The soil should be deeply pulverized. 

 Select a sandy loam if possible, and fertilize with 

 manure containing a good percentage of potash. Keep 

 the earth about the plant thoroughly stirred and do not 

 let the plant suffer tor moisture. jj_ j;_ Newbury 



POLLEN. All gymnosperms ( conifers, etc. ) and angio- 

 sperms (true flowering plants) normally reproduce by 

 means of seeds. For the fertilization of the ovule, in 

 order that seed may result, the intervention of the pol- 

 len is necessary. The "dust of the flower" is therefore 

 of far more interest to the horticulturist than this old 

 popular name would imply. Studies in hybridization 

 and self-sterility have long made evident the practical 

 importance of a knowledge of pollen. Every plant pro- 

 vides for the production of this substance, and usually 

 in definite pollen-bearing leaves termed stamens. The 

 stamens are organs of the flower, and as essential as 

 the carpels. The pollen is produced in definite sacs 

 or compartments of the anther, located usually at the 

 tip of the stamen; and when the pollen is ripe, or ma- 

 ture, the fine grains are set free in quantity by the rup- 

 ture of the inclosing sacs. The abundance of pollen 

 produced may suggest wasteful management of the 

 plant's resources; but a liberal supply of this substance 

 is necessary. Although it requires but a single one of 

 the small grains to fertilize a single ovule and produce 

 a seed, pollen-grains are produced often a thousandfold 

 more abundantly than ovules. The best offspring are 

 produced when cross - fertilization occurs, and in the 

 transfer of pollen from plant to plant it is only a 

 small part which can reach its proper destination. 

 There are many chances and such great losses that 

 abundance of pollen is a necessary provision. 



In general, flowers are pollinated by the wind and by 

 insects; that is, pollen is transported by these two 

 agencies. Flowers principally dependent upon the wind 

 for pollination are termed anemophilous, while those 

 visited by insects are designated entoniophilous. These 

 distinguishing terms may also be applied to the pollen 

 itself. Anemophilous pollen is of a more or less spheri- 

 cal form, readily yielding to the wind, and correlated 

 with this is a dry and inadherent outer surface. Such 

 is the case, for example, in the various families to 

 which the oak, willow, grasses, pine, etc., belong, all of 

 which plants are devoid of any stock of brilliant color 

 or rich odors that might attract bug, moth, butterfly, or 

 bee. The pollen of the pine has even developed bladders, 

 so as to be borne more lightly upon the wind. On the 

 other hand, those plants largely dependent upon the 

 visits of insects for pollination may have the pollen- 

 grains provided with some kind of spines, ridges, 

 furrows, or viscid coatings that they may the more 

 readily adhere to hair)' limbs or other surfaces of the 

 insect which may come in contact with them. Here, 



