. 
Lhe Strawberry Book. 43 
should be a pistillate variety, for in this case we can make 
- absolutely certain that it is not self-fertilized, and shall 
not be plagued by lingering doubts as to whether we suc- 
ceeded in removing every anther before its pollen ripened 
or had a chance to do its work. 
The pistillate plants selected for experiment should be 
isolated from all other kinds, and from each other; and 
this is best effected by covering them with a glass box or 
frame. The staminate or male plant having been fixed 
upon, its blossoms should be watched, and when they are 
fully expanded, and the anthers shed abundant pollen on 
being snapped or jarred, the whole flower may be cut 
off, and its anthers shaken over the stigma of the pistillate 
flower, or the anthers may be very gently rubbed upon 
.the stigma itself. It sometimes happens that we desire to 
experiment with a new variety, whose flowers are too val- 
uable to be totally sacrificed. In that case a few of the 
anthers may be cut off with a fine-pointed pair of scissors, 
and conveyed to the pistillate plant on a dry slip ef smooth 
paper. If both varieties on which we work have perfect 
flowers, the task is more difficult. Every anther must be 
removed with the utmost caution and delicacy from the 
blossom of the plant we desire to fertilize before the pollen 
has ripened or has had a chance to reach the pistil. 
It is best to watch the flowers with patient care, and, as. 
they show signs of expanding, to unfold the petals prema- 
turely, and immediately remove the anthers. In no case 
must the hybridist speak with any confidence of the 
parentage of his seedlings, unless he has insured the ab- 
sence of all foreign pollen by isolating his plants, or, better 
still, by protecting them by glass. The operation of hy- 
bridizing is best carried on in the middle of a warm, 
sunny day, when every part of the flower is dry. , 
If unhybridized seed is to be planted, the vines that 
produce it should be the strongest and most vigorous of 
their kind, and should be limited to one berry each — gen- 
