Origination of Varieties 217 



with the brush pick up the pollen and dab it on the 

 stigmatic surfaces until they are well powdered. As 

 previously stated (page 131), the ovary has three 

 divisions, each containing ovules. Each division is 

 connected with a separate style-branch (the one stand- 

 ing immediately above it) and to ensure the develop- 

 ment of the ovules in each division the stigmatic 

 surface of each style-branch should be carefully pol- 

 linated. 



When a brush is used to apply the pollen of any 

 variety it should be thoroughly cleaned before it is 

 used with the pollen of a different variety, if it is 

 desired to preserve an accurate record of the subse- 

 quent crosses. 



The polHnation having been finished, some advise 

 covering the flower with a small, light, paper bag; and 

 this may be desirable to keep the record of the cross 

 absolutely correct, but it is hardly necessary — it is so 

 extremely unlikely that a stigma after having been 

 pollinated will be affected by any other pollen that 

 may reach it. 



The active life of an Iris bloom is so short (pre- 

 sumably shorter when pollinated than when not), and 

 it is so easy to see any pollen that may have been 

 deposited on the stigma before arrival of the operator, 

 and it is so generally understood that it is the first 

 pollen that arrives that gets results, that a more ex- 

 peditious course is frequently adopted where the 

 operator will be satisfied with a reasonable (a Uttle 

 short of absolute) certainty as to the parentage of 

 resulting seeds: When the flower of the plant desired 



