IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



Quite generally you will find that there is a 

 wide range of variation in the plants grown from 

 the same lot of seed, and you may develop new 

 varieties merely by selecting those individuals 

 that exhibit the desired quality, saving their seed 

 and selecting again for the same quality among 

 the progeny. 



In the case of the pea, and its cousin the bean, 

 the experiment is simplified by the fact that the 

 plants are normally self -fertilized. If you will 

 examine the flower of the pea or bean you will see 

 that its stamen and pistil are encased in a closed 

 floral envelope, to the interior of which bees and 

 other insects cannot readily gain access. Nor- 

 mally each pistil is fertilized by pollen from the 

 stamens that grow beside it. 



In other words, there is the closest inbreeding, 

 and there is no danger of introducing varying 

 strains of other plants by cross-fertilization. 



The case is radically different, for example, 

 from that of the squashes and melons, which are so 

 readily cross-fertilized that it is exceedingly dif- 

 ficult to keep the strains of any variety pure if 

 other varieties are grown anywhere in the neigh- 

 borhood. The bees are almost certain to carry the 

 pollen of one kind of melon or squash to the pistil 

 of another, bringing the pollen perhaps from 

 flowers a quarter of a mile away; so you will ex- 

 perience constant disappointment in growing 

 crops of melons or squashes from the seed, unless 

 you carefully shield the blossom from such con- 

 tamination through cross-pollenizing. 



[113] 



