POLLINATION OF HARDY FRUITS. 



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POLLINATION OF HARDY FRUITS. 



By G. H. Hooper, M.R.A.C. 

 [Read before the Scientific Committee, October 24, 1911.] 



The experiments recorded were designed to gain information upon the 

 following points: — (1) To what extent can our ordinary fruits set 

 without the visits of insects to the blossoms ? (2) To what extent fruit 

 flowers set when pollinated with their own pollen, whether from the 

 same flower, the same tree, or another tree of the same variety? 

 (3) Do fruit blossoms, when pollinated with pollen from another 

 variety, set fruit more plentifully and of better quality than when 

 pollinated with pollen of the same variety? 



Mr. W. E. S. Erle Drax most kindly gave me permission to 

 carry out my trials in his garden at Olantigh, his gardener, Mr. Bond, 

 kindly giving me information as to varieties, &c. 



1. To test the effect of excluding insects, fine muslin paper 

 bags were placed over unopened flower buds ; where any flowers 

 had already opened they were picked off. The bags were tied at 

 the mouth with twine, with label giving date, variety, and number. 

 After about three weeks, when the fruits outside had set, the 

 truss inside the bag was examined and notes taken as to results, the 

 bag was taken off, leaving label with notes, &c. 



2. To test whether fruit blossoms set fruit when pollinated with 

 their own pollen or pollen of the same variety, muslin or paper bags 

 were placed over unopened blossoms, which were tied up and labelled. 

 When the flowers opened the stigmas were dusted with pollen of the 

 same variety either with a camel's hair brush or by the use of a pair 

 of forceps taking the stamens from another flower, the anthers of 

 which were shedding their pollen, and touching the stigmas with 

 these anthers. In order to avoid mixing pollen, th-e brush was after 

 use dipped in methylated spirit and dried before using again for other 

 pollen, so four or five brushes were needed for work. After pollina- 

 tion the flowers were again bagged, the date of pollination added to the 



' label, and in some cases a note of the number of flowers taken, with 

 any note of injury by caterpillars or other point influencing results. 

 Where the blossoms were not all open at once, as in gooseberries, 

 currants, cherries, pollination was repeated; in some cases there were 

 three separate pollinations. The bags were kept on for a fortnight 

 or more after pollination; when the bags were removed, the labels 

 saying what had been done were left on. 



3. To test whether foreign pollen — i.e. pollen of another variety — 

 gave better results than pollen of the same variety, unopened blossoms 

 were bagged. Accepting the fact shown by experiments in the U.S.A. 

 and by Mr. F. J. Chittenden that most varieties will not set fruit 



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