TOBACCO. 



To accomplish such crosses readily, it is necessary to select blooms at the 

 stage of inflorescence jtist before the corallae open; then carefully open the tube, 

 saj of the Oronoko, with a small sharp-pointed pen knife, carefully remove the 

 stamens, then take stamens from say the Pryor bloom just before ft opens natu- 

 rally, and insert these Pryor stamens into the corolla of the Oronoko and around 

 the stigma thereof, and from which its own stamens had been removed, thus fer- 

 tilizing the stigmas of the Oronoko with pollen dust of the Pryor stamens, and 

 thereby producing a cross or hybrid Oronoko and Pryor. By the above-described 

 mode, crosses of any varieties of the species nicotiana tabacum may be effected, 

 and by any planter of intelligence, if directions are followed. 



NATURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CAREFUL PROPAGATION. 



Some of our best varieties are accidental crosses produced by ins.ects carry- 

 ing the pollen from the bloom of one variety into that of another. Some again 

 are developed by careful selection long continued with reference toward increas- 

 ing certain desirable qualities — ^perpetuating and increasing the good points and 

 "breeding out" the objectionable ones — until the highly developed plants became 

 a new variety, sui generis, as are some of our most popular. and desirable ones 

 now in use. 



The top flowers alone ought to be crossed upon, the lower or sucker brancheis 

 being removed as soon as the plant is selected for a seed plant, and then opening 

 them in the order of their maturity, or just as they show signs of opening 

 naturally. If the flower, is allowed to open naturally self-fertilization is apt to 

 take place before the stamens can be extracted artificially. 



The following cuts represent the tobacco flower in all the stages of its growth 

 from the green bud to the fully ripened seed capsule.' 



Fig.l. .- Fig. 2. Fig. 3. 



Fig. 1 represents the bud of the tobacco plant, natural size. 



Fig. 2 represents the flower and all the organs male and female, complete 

 and natural size. 



Fig. 3 represents the flower magnified, with all the organs male and female, 

 stamens and stigma, complete. 



Fig. 4 represents the flower magnified, showing the male organs or stamens 

 domplete, and the stigma or female organs clipped off by tweezers. 



