162 FERTILISING THE FLOWERS. 



a flower that would expand in the morning should 

 be opened the afternoon or evening previous, and 

 the anthers all removed with a pair of pointed 

 scissors ; the following morning when this flower 

 is fully expanded it must be fertilised with a 

 flower of some variety, of which it is desired to 

 have seedlings partaking largely of its qualities. 

 To exemplify this we will suppose that a climbing 

 Moss Eose with red or crimson flowers is wished 

 for: the flowers of the Blush Ayrshire, which 

 bears seed abundantly, may be selected, and 

 before expansion the anthers removed ; the fol- 

 lowing morning, or as soon after the operation as 

 these flowers open, they should be fertilised with 

 those of the Luxembourg Moss ; if the operation 

 succeed, seed will be procured, from which the 

 probability is that a climbing rose will be pro- 

 duced with the habit and flowers of the Moss 

 Eose, or at least an approximation to them ; and 

 as these hybrids often bear seed freely, by repeat- 

 ing the process with them, the at-present apparent 

 remote chance of getting a climbing Moss Eose 

 may be brought very near. 



I mention the union of the Moss and Ayrshire 

 Eoses by way of illustration, and merely to point 

 out to the amateur how extensive and how 

 interesting a field of operations is open in this 

 way. I ought to give a fact that has occurred in 

 my own experience, which will tell better with the 

 sceptical than a thousand anticipations. About 



