WINTER FORCING IO7 



age and still retain enough moisture. When 

 the leaves start growing it is sometimes best 

 to spray with bordeaux mixture, as a pre- 

 ventive against the leaf spot. This spraying 

 may have to be repeated later, according to 

 the appearance of the plant. Wetting of 

 the walks should be discontinued at blossom- 

 ing time. This is highly necessary if fruit is 

 desired as the pollen will not ripen in a moist 

 condition of the air. Good ventilation at 

 flowering should also be in order, especially 

 at midday, still maintaining the required 

 temperature. 



Pollination is carried on by hand, generally 

 during the middle of the day. There are 

 several ways of giving pollen to the pistils. 

 Some growers pick off" a flower here and there 

 and thrust it into an attached flower; others 

 merely tap the flower with a pencil, causing 

 the pollen to fall on the pistil. 



The most common method, however, is 

 that of collecting the pollen in a watch glass, 

 spoon, or ladle and applying it to the pistils 

 with the aid of a camel's-hair brush. Some 

 varieties may be able to produce fruit with- 

 out this artificial pollination; nevertheless, the 

 majority of growers prefer the hand method. 



