8 MELON CULTURE 



absolutely certain, another application may be made 

 the next day. 



As said before, however, the pistils will remain in 

 a receptive condition for some time if necessary. 

 This fact makes it very convenient for the experi- 

 menter who wishes to cross-fertilize varieties of 

 melons, for all that is necessary is for him to select 

 his female blossoms, or buds, and cover them, just 

 before they open, with paper sacks, leaving them on 

 until the blossoms are fully open in order to pre- 

 vent them from becoming pollinized from, an un- 

 known source. Now get the pollen in the manner 

 indicated from the variety you wish to use as the 

 male parent, slip off the cover and apply it to the 

 waiting pistil and replace the covering, leaving it 

 there until you are sure that fertilization has taken 

 place. This is the method employed by the experi- 

 menter when he wishes to produce new varieties 

 by using parents of certain definite known charac- 

 teristics. 



Another method of applying the pollen, which is 

 preferred by some, is to take a camel's-hair brush 

 and moisten it with the breath, then brush it over 

 the mature stamens of the male blossom, when 

 enough of the pollen will adhere to it to supply the 

 pistils as it is applied to them. Others have good 

 success by simply pinching off the mature male 

 flowers and after removing most of the corolla, ap- 

 plying the stamens to the pistils. There are various 

 methods of performing the operation, but the results 

 are the same. 



