CULTURE OF THE <i It A P E. 35 



order to make certain work, every moment is precious. 

 The flower is shown in fig. 2. 



The anthers of the five stamens are to be 

 immediately removed. The stamens will then 

 appear as in fig. 3. The air being dry, procure 

 your bunch which is to fructify, the pollen of 

 which should be dry, like dust. With a fine 

 camel's-hair pencil apply this pollen to the 

 stigma of the pistil. This work should be re- Fig. 3. 

 peated after an interval of a few hours, and again on the 

 two following days, in order to make sure of impreg- 

 nation. As the different flowers on the bunch will not 

 open at the same time, it will be necessary to watch and 

 operate upon it for several days. During this time, it will 

 be essential to protect the bunch by a gauze bag to pre- 

 vent bees and other insects from carrying pollen from 

 other flowers, and spoiling your work. After all this skill, 

 care, and patience, there are liabilities either that the 

 stamen was impregnated before you got to your work, or 

 that an atom of the pollen fell upon the stigma when you 

 were removing the anthers, er, in an unguarded moment, 

 was afterwards deposited by a mischief-making insect. 

 You have no means of determining the fact but by the 

 slow process of ripening *the seed, and, by years of after- 



