ON BREEDING OR RAISING VEGETABLES. 19 



engrafting or budding, and on whatever stocks, \ 

 or by whatever means, it will create no variety ( 

 in the fruit. 



It thus appears, that mankind possess the 

 same influence over the sexual intercourse of 

 vegetables, as over that of animals ; and, conse- 

 quently, they have it as much in their power, to 

 raise and establish peculiar varieties in the one, 

 as in the other, and upon the same principles, 

 viz. that of selecting and pairing the males and 

 females. And if it be desired to exert this in- 

 fluence, the process may be easily conducted, 

 in the following manner : a. blossom being se- 

 lected for a female, which has in itself the male 

 and female organs, as soon as the bud is ad- 

 vanced to the state of being on the point to 

 open or blow, the petals or flower-leaves must 

 be opened, and the apices or anthers taken off; 

 the blossom may then be left a day or two, until 

 the petals have expanded themselves, and the 

 pistilium be advanced to a state fit for impreg- 

 nation; then, a blossom being selected for a 

 male, when in full bloom, it must be taken off 

 the parent plant, and its apices, or anthers, gently 

 rubbed over the point, or end, of the pistiiium of 

 the prepared female blossom, so that the farina, 

 or dust, may attach itself to it ; after this, the 

 female must be defended against the intrusion 



