THE WHEAT CELTTEIST. 



45 



Thus the races would be impregnated with the pollen 

 of one. TThen matui'ed, the utmost care should be 

 taken to gather the seeds of the crossed race by 

 itself. 



''Hybridization is an operation requiring dexterity, 

 a light and steady hand ; and it has been frequently re- 

 marked that the operation is more uniformly successful 

 when performed by a female. Many singular facts with 

 regard to the structure of flowers have been discovered 

 through attempts to hybridize. In the common nettle, 

 the stamens have elastic filaments which are at fii'st bent 

 down so as to be obscured by the calyx : but when the 

 pollen is ripe, the filaments jerk out, and thus scatter 

 the powder on the pistils which occupy separate fiowers. 

 In the common barberry the lower part of the filament 

 is very irritable ; and whenever it is touched the stamen 

 moves forward to the pistil. In the stylewort the sta- 

 mens and pistils are united in a common column, which 

 projects from the fiower. This column is very irritable 

 at the angle where it leaves the flower, and when 

 touched it passes with a sudden jerk from one side to the 

 other, and thus scatters the pollen."' 



KxIPPAEt's SrOGESTIOXS. 



" When it is desired to obtain a hybrid from her- 

 maphrodite flowers, the first thing to be done is to re- 

 move the anthers ; this is best performed early in the 

 morning, because the dew has swollen the anthers, and 

 prevents the opening of the little sac, which contains 

 the pollen. The simplest method of removing the 

 anthers is to use a pair of very small scissors or forceps. 

 Then at, or toward noon, carefully remove the anthers 



