Seeds for the Garden 143 
day to day, carefully replacing bags. When the pistils are pro- 
truding in abundance, sprinkle pollen over their ends by shaking 
it from a cluster of staminate flowers (tassels). This operation 
should be repeated each day for several days, as the pistils do 
not all mature at the same time. After about 10 days examine 
again, and if the ends of the pistils are dry and shriveled, the 
bags may be removed and each ear tagged or otherwise marked 
for future identification. 
Allow all plants to mature fully. Which ears bear seeds? 
Which do not? 
9. To learn how to cross-breed corn. Select a stalk of a white 
or yellow sweet corn (Stowell’s Evergreen will do) bearing two 
ears, and another of Black Mexican also having two ears. (If 
stalks bearing two ears are not found, select two stalks of each 
variety.) ‘Bag’ each ear at the proper time as directed above 
in8. Pollinate one ear on each stalk with pollen of the other 
variety, and the other ear with pollen of the plant itself or from 
another plant of the same variety. Tag the ears. 
Which parent do the hybrid seeds resemble in color? Can you 
identify hybrid kernels of this cross when borne by the white 
seed parent? by the black seed parent? Is black or white a 
dominating character in this cross? 
Plant some of these cross-bred seeds from both parents. When 
the plants flower, bag some of the ears and make self-pollinations 
as directed in 8. Count the black seeds and the white seeds on 
each ear. Which are more numerous? What is the ratio? 
Do all ears give thesameratio? Arethere any kernels intermediate 
in color between black or white, or are there other colors? 
to. To learn how to cross-breed tomatoes. Select a cluster of 
tomato flowers in which two: or three of the blossoms are freshly 
opened; that is, when the flowers are open but the yellow petals 
are not expanded or the stamens cracked open (a of Figure 75). 
First, remove all the stamens with a pair of-slender-pointed, 
curved forceps; to do this, take hold of each stamen near its 
apex, pull outward with a gentle twist and break the anther from 
its stem. As the pistils are not yet ready for pollination, they 
must be left for a while; during this time they should be guarded 
from stray pollination. 
After removing all the stamens of the several flowers, inclose the 
entire flowering branch in a paper bag of about two-pound size. 
