80 WATER-LILIES 



On Its first day a flower opens about an 

 hour later than on the following days, also 

 closing earlier but opening only half as wide. 



On the first day that the flower of the 

 female parent is open, all the stamens must 

 be removed. This requires a little skill and 

 practice. At the same time the stigma can 

 be fertilised with the pollen of the male parent 

 selected 48 hours earlier. After the operation 

 the muslin bag is replaced, to remain 

 indefinitely. 



The best way to obtain the pollen is to cut 

 off the flower and take it indoors. After 

 removing the muslin bag, the flower is in- 

 verted and the pollen shaken on to a piece of 

 paper. An excellent receptacle for the pollen 

 is a watch-glass with another watch-glass for 

 cover. Or the lid of a porcelain crucible 

 about li to 2 inches wide may be used for 

 this purpose and is very serviceable especially 

 when fastened to a small flat stick such as an 

 8-inch label. From this the pollen is trans- 

 ferred to the stigma, either by simple shaking 

 or with the aid of a dry camel's-hair brush. 



