118 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



done, with the aid of a powerful magnifier. I have explored 

 this matter pretty carefully. I have observed witli great 

 patience, in two cases, this very thing. I have raised hybrids ; 

 and I found it necessary to go through all this careful method. 

 I have spent the ti!ne, under glass, where I could see, from that 

 moment in the morning, when, under the stimulus of the 

 advancing sunlight, the blossoms began to throw off the calices 

 until that time in the afternoon, when they ceased to be thrown 

 off (usually from nine o'clock until four,) with a powerful 

 magnifier, and an assistant to help me, watching this process, 

 and attempting to effect this artificial impregnation ; and I 

 have seen that in nine cases ouH of ten, there is instant impreg- 

 nation. In the tenth case, whether you take off the calyx your- 

 self, or find one where the pollen on the anthers has not 

 effloresced, but is close and compact, you will introduce the 

 pollen from the other grape. You cut away these stamens, 

 and with a delicate camel's hair pencil, put the pollen on the 

 stigma. In two hours after the pollen has been put upon the 

 stigma, you will see the germ, which was before perfect in form, 

 begin to swell irregularly, so that, under a powerful magnifier, 

 it will look like a swollen specimen of the Duchesse d'Angoul- 

 eme pear. If not impregnated, it will retain its form until it 

 perishes. 



Hybridzation, then, is possible. It is a work of skill and 

 patience, but is not impossible. I stated to you at Greenfield, 

 that I suspected that Mr. Rogers had not succeeded in hybrid- 

 izing, but that he had done exactly what I had done ; that he 

 had taken a seedling from the wild grape, and raised seedlings 

 from that, which he supposed hybridized, and got, in the second 

 generation, those successes, as I had got the Concord in the 

 second generation from my experiments. That was the opinion 

 expressed by Mr. Hovey, and the opinion entertained by 

 eminent grape-growers throughout the whole length of the 

 country. I supposed that to be true at that time. But I am 

 perfectly sensible now, from long experience with Mr. Rogers' 

 grapes, that he did hybridize the vine. It is much to his honor 

 and to the credit of his skill that he has succeeded so largely 

 and so well, that he has done the public such service. 



Suppose you have hybridized, however, you have crossed your 

 native, vigorous stock with a foreign stock, to obtain the fine 



