of Flowers by Cross Fertilization. 101 



diflora, heretofore so called, has already been raised many very 

 superior varieties: our common viscosa may, no doubt, be made 

 to produce very handsome varieties: calendulucea, common in 

 the middle and southern states, is the parent of a very large 

 number of seedlings of great brilliancy. This tribe is sadly neg- 

 lected by our amateurs and gardeners, and it is rare even to find 

 the most common species in our gardens; but we hope more at- 

 tention will be given to them, and that we shall see them 

 in shrubberies and pleasure-grounds, where they certainly, in 

 the months of May and June, eclipse all other shrubs. In 

 England, France and Germany, several hundred new kinds have 

 been raised. The tree poeony is another plant from which new 

 varieties may be raised, and, as they are hardy, would be valua- 

 ble ornaments to the shrubbery. The plants flower in about five 

 or six years from the time the seed is sown. 



The operation of impregnation is simple, and easily perform- 

 ed: the only thing necessary to know is, the proper time at 

 which the stigma is ready to receive the pollen. This varies in 

 different plants: thus in the cameUia the stigma should be im- 

 pregnated almost as soon as it is seen, even before the flower 

 fully opens: but in the geranium it should not be performed until 

 some time after the flowers expand: one reason why geraniums 

 do not generally impregnate themselves is, that their anthers fall 

 before the stigma is ready to receive the pollen. In flowers that 

 are likely to be impregnated with their own pollen, the anthers 

 should be cut out carefully with a small pair of scissors, so as 

 not to injure the stigma, before they burst, otherwise the stig- 

 ma will be fertilized by its own pollen: if the plant to be impreg- 

 nated stands in the open air, it will be necessary to cover it with 

 gauze, to keep the bees from conveying to the flower particles of 

 pollen from other flowers: if in the green-house or stove, unless 

 late in the season, there will be no necessity of this. Fertiliza- 

 tion may sometimes be efi^ected with two or three different kinds, 

 as it is supposed that the fecundating dust will fertilize another 

 portion of the seeds in the capsule than those at first impregnat- 

 ed. Mr. Knight has stated that he dusted the stigma of a smooth 

 cabbage with the pollen of a Savoy and of a red cabbage, and 

 obtained seedlings which were both curled and of a red color. 

 This shows that a plant may be impregnated, and with effect, 

 with two, and perhaps more, different sorts. We have ourselves 

 applied the pollen of two different camellias to one stigma, but 

 we cannot for some time tell the result. The same experiment 

 we tried with some seedling strawberries: but the labels were un- 

 fortunately lost, and, consequently, we could form no correct 

 opinion. From the experiment of Mr. Knight and others, and 

 also from the fact that the stigma is composed of minute tubes, 

 through which the fecundating dust descends to the germen, we 



