88 CULTURE OF FARM CROPS. 



tification is one in which man can help 1 Can any of his 

 processes, no matter how delicately adjusted they may be, 

 come up to that fine adaptation of means to an end which 

 we find surrounding us in all the departments of nature 1 ? 

 To both of these questions it need not be considered pre- 

 sumptuous to give a reply in the negative. The truth is, 

 that although it may be said, in reply, that the fructifica- 

 tion of our cereals being dependent upon chance, that 

 chance may be lessened by some process which will secure 

 greater certainty, nevertheless, we find, in fact, that there 

 is produced in practice such a superabundance of pollen, 

 that, although much is scattered fruitlessly by the winds, 

 or dashed into uselessness by the rains of heaven, enough 

 is left to impregnate the flowers, the quantity produced by 

 each ear being far in excess of what the fructification really 

 demands. Hence a large balance, to use a commercial 

 phrase, remains to cover losses, even large as they may be, 

 resulting from the above natural causes. But even grant- 

 ing that it would be advisable to save the pollen, which 

 might otherwise be lost by some artificial means, it is more 

 than questionable whether -indeed, an investigation into 

 the matter will show that there is every probability that 

 the plan proposed by M. Hooibfenck cannot and will not 

 be successful; for it proceeds upon the assumption how 

 dangerous the assumptions in the nature of scientific ques- 

 tions are our readers well know that the smeared wool 

 takes up or gathers the pollen, and afterwards delivers it 

 to the stigmas. How do we know that either of these 

 things is done? Whatever may be said in favour of 

 artificial fructification as much may be said of it 

 of isolated examples of flowers, there is, we venture to 

 say, so much that is practically difficult to be overcome in 

 applying it to flowers in the mass, as those of a corn field, 

 that it will not take a place, at least in our day, amongst 

 those processes which can be made available by the farmer 

 in his everyday labour^ 



