RAISING NEW VARIETIES 77 



Without going into details, it may be said 

 that the main object of hybridisation is to 

 combine in the offspring the characters of the 

 parents. This is brought about by the 

 artificial fertilisation of the stigma of a 

 flower of one parent with the pollen obtained 

 from the other parent. Among many water- 

 lily growers the prevailing custom is to dip 

 under water the flower of the intended female 

 parent on the first day of opening, with the 

 intention of removing any pollen which may 

 be present and then shaking over the stigma 

 the ripe contents of the anthers of the flower 

 intended as the male parent. Numerous 

 objections may be urged against this method. 

 Not only is the dipping of the female flower 

 of doubtful necessity but if the operation is 

 successful there is no means of knowing 

 whether the seed which forms is really the 

 result of fertilisation by the pollen selected, 

 or a consequence of fertilisation by the pollen 

 of the female parent itself, or even of pollen 

 carried by insects to the flower on the same 

 or any ensuing day. 



