Methods of Crossing Berries 35 



The terms crossing and hybridizing may sound very 

 scientific to the novitiate, and he may think that the 

 operations lie within a field beyond his reach. Yet there 

 is nothing particularly difficult about the operation. It 

 is, for the most part, slow and delicate work, and requires 

 great care to insure purity of results, if an accurate record 

 of what is accomplished is desired. We have no right to 

 assert that a plant is a cross unless we know beyond ques- 

 tion that no other pollen than that of a given parent 

 reached the stigma of the flower from which the seed was 

 developed. The mere fact that pollen of a given variety 

 has been applied to the stigma of another variety is no 

 evidence that crossing has taken place. 



The methods of crossing vary with the character and 

 structure of the flower in question, but the essential fea- 

 ture is the same in all cases. The pollen of the flower 

 which is to serve as the female parent must be carefully 

 and completely removed before it ripens, then the flower 

 must be carefully covered until the stigma is ready to 

 receive pollen and admit of fecundation. The flowers of 

 the male parent should also be carefully covered before 

 opening, to prevent the admixture of pollen from any 

 other plants. At the proper time this pollen is conveyed 

 to the stigma of the protected flower on the female plant, 

 and the flower again covered until it has reached such a 

 stage that fecundation is no longer possible. If properly 

 fertilized by the pollen applied, the stigma very soon 

 withers, but if not, it may remain in a receptive condition 

 for several days. 



In crossing brambles or groselles, select a cluster which 

 has several buds nearly ready to open, if such a one is to 



