106 CROSS-BREEDING 



be attached, and a muslin bag tied over the flower. Some 

 cross-breeders do not think the muslin bag is necessary; 

 but we prefer it. In a day or two the flower will have 

 withered and the seed pod begins to swell rapidly. The 

 seeds must, of course, be kept well under supervision, never 

 be allowed to get mixed, must be harvested when properly 

 ripened, and be sown in due course. 



Many folks imagine, or used to, in the old days, that 

 the direct seedlings furnish a brand new true variety 

 from which a stock of seed could be worked up. But the 

 first year's seedlings count for nothing, for the flowers may 

 be like one of the parents or totally different. Assuming 

 that six seeds were saved, the crop from each plant must be 

 saved separately, even though the flowers on each may 

 appear exactly alike. The following year there will be a 

 general mixture. Many may be similar to one or the other 

 of the parents, whilst the rest may or may not be distinct 

 and good. Assuming that there are several promising seed- 

 lings, the seed from each must again be saved separately. 



On this second generation, generally termed F2, the 

 raiser must be very careful to keep each plant separate, 

 for some of them are " dominants " and others " reces- 

 sives," which terms are explained later in this chapter. 

 Both may appear alike, but whereas the recessives will 

 breed true, the others will come mixed in the third year and 

 continue to do so over a period of years. 



Until Mendel's theories were understood, raisers were 

 in the habit of putting all seed saved from plants whose 

 flowers were apparently the same, together; consequently, 

 it took many years to rogue down the stock. Certain 

 crosses will not produce a fixable variety. The beautiful 

 rose colored Audrey Crier and its near contemporaries, 

 Miriam Beaver and Syeira Lee, cannot be fixed. 



