148 AGRICULTURAL BOTANY 



blossom in a sack of thin cloth or paper to prevent 

 an accidental or undesired pollination. After waiting 

 a period of from one to two days, the pollen of the 

 desired blossom is applied to the stigma of the clipped 

 flower by bringing an anther containing mature pollen 

 in direct contact with it or by removing some of the 

 pollen with a fine brush and transferring it to the stigma. 

 The blossom should be inclosed again until the enlarge- 

 ment of the ovary shows that fertilization has taken 

 place. 



Planting for Pollination. It follows from what has 

 been said about the necessity of pollination to seed- 

 production that the farmer must be careful in planting 

 crops which bear imperfect flowers or there will be 

 nothing to show in fruit and seed at the end of the 

 season. All dioecious plants, like the hop and some 

 varieties of the strawberry, must have pistillate and 

 staminate plants in close proximity or no fruit will 

 be produced. Many varieties of plums and pears 

 require pollen of a different variety in order to be 

 productive. 



Flower Buds. As a flower bud is a modified leaf 

 bud, it is difficult to distinguish one from the other 

 without careful observation. They may be on each 

 side of the leaf bud, as in the peach, or may be formed 

 on short, thick, crooked branches, called spurs, that 

 are three or more years old, as in the apple and pear. 

 In the apple, cherry, and peach the flower buds are 

 usually thicker and more rounded. 



Notes- At what time in the life of the bud its character as a leaf 

 bud or as a flower bud is determined is not definitely known. Sometimes 

 the buds on the spurs of the apple tree all become leaf buds. 



Checking the growth of a perennial plant about midsummer tends to 



