t 446 j 



hills and the indigenous varieties preferred to the cultivated. 

 When seed from the indigenous stocks is used it should be 

 sown in seed beds in shade as naturally the tea plant grows 

 in thick jungles. 



701. Hybridisation, The question of hybridisation of 

 tea is supposed to be of such great practical importance, that 

 we will deal with this general subject here. Hybrids are 

 produced by impregnating the ovule of one plant with the 

 pollen of another and it is a very delicate operation, requiring 

 great skill in dexterously cutting out all the immature stamina 

 from a flower (i. e. emasculating it) and putting mature pollen 

 grains from another flower with which hybridisation is 

 desired on the stigma of the first flower with a little honey. 

 Two sorts of hybridising must be recognised which may be called 

 respectively hybridising and cross-breeding, (i) True hybrids 

 or mules result from the crossing of two distinct but allied 

 species. In some exceptional cases plants belonging to differ- 

 ent genera under the same natural order have been hybridi- 

 sed (e. g. Philageria, Elisena, Ismene, etc). On the other 

 hand, nearly allied species, and even different varieties coming 

 under the same species will not always cross. Apple and Pear, 

 Gooseberry and Currant, Blackberry and Raspberry, though 

 closely allied plants have refused to hybridise. The tendency 

 to hybridise or form mules, is rather the exception than the 

 rule. (2) Cross-breeds or metis which are called hybrids by 

 gardeners are however quite frequent. They are the result 

 of crossing different varieties under the same species, 

 Indeed this cross-fertilisation takes place so commonly in 

 nature, that it is difficult to grow different varieties of rice, 

 maize, cabbage, turnip, peas, cotton &c,, in the same locality 

 without getting them mixed up in the course of 2 or 3 

 generations. 



702. That hybridisation and cross-fertilisation result in a 

 a more vigorous progeny has been very exhaustively de- 

 monstrated by Darwin and Gower. In the field of practi- 



