WINTER FORCING 107 
age and still retain enough moisture. When 
the leaves start growing it is sometimes best 
to spray with bordeaux mixture, as a pre- 
ventive against the leaf spot. This spraying 
may have to be repeated later, according to 
the appearance of the plant. Wetting of 
the walks should be discontinued at blossom- 
ing time. This is highly necessary if fruit is 
desired as the pollen will not ripen in a moist 
condition of the air. Good ventilation at 
flowering should also be in order, especially 
at midday, still maintaining the required 
temperature. 
Pollination is carried on by hand, generally 
during the middle of the day. There are 
several ways of giving pollen to the pistils. 
Some growers pick off a flower here and there 
and thrust it into an attached flower; others 
merely tap the flower with a pencil, causing 
the pollen to fall on the pistil. 
The most common method, however, is 
that of collecting the pollen in a watch glass, 
spoon, or ladle and applying it to the pistils 
with the aid of a camel’s-hair brush. Some 
varieties may be able to produce fruit with- 
out this artificial pollination; nevertheless, the 
majority of growers prefer the hand method. 
