4 BULLETII^ 962, U, S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



urally in the field, but a much better set can always be obtained by 

 thorough artificial pollination. 



SELFED COMPARED WITH CROSSED PROGENIES. 



In the recent investigations made by the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 no attempt was made to obtain excessive ^'igor in the stocks handled. 



Fig. 1. — Pollinating the Piaster lily. The parts of the flower arc so large that even the 

 conventional tweezers are dispensed with. 



Some years ago Mr. George W. Oliver, working on this subject under 

 departmental auspices, developed some remarkably vigorous prog- 

 enies by crossing the two commercial strains, Harrisii and Gigan- 

 teum.^ Other investigators have obtained similar results by crossing 



1 Oliver, George W. The production of Easter lily bulbs in the United States. U. S. 

 Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Bui. 120, 24 pp., 4 pis. 1908. 



