IMPROVING BY CROSS-FERTITJZATION. 807 



will kcc]), and is rojuly to fertilizo iho 8tigi)iiis as they miituro. 

 All the llowcrs of a spiko may bo operated oUj or only part of a 

 spike, and the rest cnt off. The culm will he marked so as lo 

 secnro the '^nun when it ripens. 



Professor A. K. Blount, of Colorado, is an enthusiast in cross- 

 ing cereals, and has met with excellent success in obtaining good 

 new varieties. Hear him: *'A11 the cereals arc susceptible of 

 great improvement. They can bo made to produce results, heri'- 

 tofore unrealized, at which some of the oldest scientific fanners 

 are amazed. Tho farmer can breed up his grain as he does his 

 stock. If it is deficient in an}' one element, ho can supply that 

 deficiency. Should his wheat, for instance, bo too soft, too 

 starchy, or have weak straw, ho can, by crossing it upon other 

 harder, more glutinous and stiif st rawed kinds, make wheats to 

 suit his soil, climate and liia miller. If his corn docs not suit 

 him, if it is too long-lived, with too largo cobs, too coarse fod- 

 der, too inferior stalks, too high, low, large or small, he can se- 

 lect, cross aiul interbreed until only (luantlty, form, and fineness 

 are obtained. Tho experimenter must be thoroughly actpuiinted 

 with tho jdants before he can succeed in improving them by se- 

 lection. If ho bo a wise man, and understand his business, he 

 does not always take tho largest ear or the largest s])ike. Tho 

 lariTost are bv no means alwavs tho best." 



!Many careful experiments have been made by Darwin aiul 

 others proving conclusively that the chances are largely in favor 

 of great improvements, if the ilowers are cross fertilized. 



Tlie n'ossi)i(/ of closi'li/ related plants is generalli/ an iniproir- 

 iiieiit orer self-O'iiilization; hut rrossing irith /orei'i/n s/octi-s of 

 tite same variety is a far greater iinproreinent. 



Tho reader may ask, "What is meant by the term '' rrossin;/ 

 toith foreign stork." Tho following experiment will illustrate 

 it: Select two lots of seed corn which aire essentially alike in all 

 respects. One should have been grown, at least, for live years 



