260 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



The pistil commonly has a spongiole, a little sponge, which is lu- 

 bricated by a serous liquid, which takes the pollen and absorbs 

 it. By coloring this with the least drop of colored fluid — say of 

 carmine —if the pistil is white, the absorption is very evident, for 

 the pistil will be all clouded by it. The pollen possesses odor. 



To cross hermaphrodites^-that is where the flower has both 

 male and female organs — take away the anthers, the male organs 

 with delicate pincers, as soon as the flower -blooms, especially in a 

 morning, for then humidity prevents the opening of the little sack 

 which contains the pollen. Take another stamen and lightly shake 

 the pollen on the stigma of the castrated anthers — this operation 

 succeeds best in the middle of the day, because the heat makes the 

 pollen swell and disperse. It is an operation requiring delicacy 

 and dexterity. A flower appears to have much more attraction 

 for its own pollen than for that of a stranger. Kcelreuter and 

 Gcertner have observed that a particle of pollen, invisible to the 

 naked eye, from a brother anther, had many more chances of suc- 

 cess than a great quantity of pollen from a stranger. Decandolle 

 attributed to this, the small number of crossings of natural plants, 

 for he said he knew only forty examples of it in nature. 



Double flowers — always sterile — crysanthemums for instance, 

 can not be reproduced by hybridation. But Mr. Gallesio obtained 

 double flowers by crossing half double with half double flowers, 

 and obtained various colored flowers from crossing double and 

 half double flowers of the Ranunculus. 



The beautiful flowers of hybrid origin, last much longer than 

 the originals. I. Sanrey. 



[Journal de la Societe Imperiale et Centrale D'Horticulture. Napoleon 3d, Pro- 

 tecteur. Paris, June, 1856.] 



Extracts translated by Henry Meigs. 



Mons. Guillard, Jr., manufacturer of metallic cloth, 210 rue 

 de Faubourg St. Denis, asks for an examination of his metallic 

 cloths as shades to hot-houses. 



Silver medals of the first class were given to meritorious gar- 

 deners — actual service with honor — for not less than twenty 



years. 



Hedges of Fuchsias. 



Mons. Bury says : " It is difficult to form an idea of the great 

 beauty of hedges made of Fuchsia virgata or gracilis. 



