PRACTICAL POLLIXATIOX 265 



are fully ripe — which is often a few hours 

 or a day before the foreign pollen should be 

 applied. This removal of the stamens may 

 usually be done with a pair of small pincers. 

 In case of flowers that have short pistils — the 

 cherry, apple, and other orchard fruits being 

 good examples — the unopened flower bud may 

 be cut around at about the middle with a 

 thin-bladed knife, the anthers being thus excised 

 at a single stroke. With other flowers the 

 mechanical details vary, of course; but the 

 process is sometimes quite complicated and calls 

 for skill and common sense. 



So-called composite flowers, however, re- 

 quire special treatment. The daisy and the 

 sunflower are familiar examples. Here the 

 true flowers are very small and grouped in 

 masses. Individual treatment is usually out of 

 the question. The best method is to wash away 

 the pollen with a carefully directed stream of 

 water from a garden hose, or by spurting water 

 from the mouth; after which the head of the 

 pollenizing flower is rubbed against the one 

 selected, thus efl'ecting fertilization en masse. 



In exceptional cases it may be desirable also to 

 cover the fertilized flower with a paper bag to 

 prevent the visit of insects; but in practicing 

 pollination on a large scale this may usually be 



