BREEDING 



419 



The first 

 a blossom 

 Holding petals ready for removing. (Oregon 

 Agricultural Experiment Station) 



are ready to receive the pollen. After the application of pollen 

 is made the emasculated blossom is inclosed within a bag and 



allowed to remain until fecun- 

 dation has taken place and 

 all danger from the action of 

 foreign pollen is over. After 

 every pollination, label each 

 bag in such a way that there 

 will be no question as to what 

 variety of pollen has been 

 used. As the apples approach 

 maturity they should be in- 

 closed in cheesecloth bags. 

 This protects the fruits from 

 being picked accidentally. 



The object in removing the 

 petals is to tell just where to 

 make the cuts without injuring 

 the other parts of the flower. Several methods of emasculating 

 the blossoms are used in different parts of the United States, one 

 being to remove the corolla 

 with the aid of a small, 

 sharp pair of scissors, leaving 

 the emasculated blossom. A 

 sharp scalpel has also been 

 fairly successful in perform- 

 ing the work. It has been 

 found that in every case 

 where the sepals were re- 

 moved with the petals, a 

 malformation of the apple 

 resulted. It is evident that 

 emasculation must be skill- 

 fully done, for the slightest 

 mutilation causes a malfor- 

 mation of the calyx end of 

 the apple. The percentage of emasculated blossoms that set fruit 

 is larger when the sepals of the flower are not injured in any way. 



Fig. 183. The first step completed 



Removal of the petals. (Oregon Agricultural 



Experiment Station) 



