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In such instances as have been noted in which the blossom has been 
fertilized with pollen taken from the blossom of another plant of the 
same species, no noticeable difference has been observed between the 
development of the resultant pods and those from close-fertilized 
blossoms. The pollen mass is easily dropped, and the use of pollen 
from a different blossom would greatly complicate and retard hand- 
pollination. . 
A small splinter of bamboo, a stem of stiff grass, or a sharpened 
match or toothpick is a satisfactory implement for the pollinator. 
The lip of the blossom is torn down with the thumb, and the index 
finger of the left hand is placed behind the tip of the column, with 
the other fingers back of the flower, steadying it. With the splinter 
held in the right hand, the large lobe of the stigma is lifted and pressed 
into the cavity back of the anther and held there by the thumb of 
the left hand placed lightly above and to the left of the pollen sac, 
while the point of the splinter is gently pressed against the pollen 
sac to force the pollen out upon the stigma. With a slight upward 
pressure of the splinter as it is removed the anther rises and the large 
lobe of the stigma descends to the original position, shutting in the 
pollen mass between the lobes of the stigma. 
Hand-pollination is a quick and easy process and should be done 
by women and children to whom heavier work is less suited. The 
writer, working steadily for an hour, pollinated 237 blossoms, or 
at the rate of about 4 a minute. This did not allow time for the 
proper selection of blossoms, since many through their position are 
undesirable. The most desirably placed blossom is one whose 
ovary, the small green pod resembling a flower stalk, is attached to 
the lower side of the inflorescence stalk and will later hang perpen- 
dicularly toward the ground, forming a perfectly straight pod. 
Those attached to the upper side should be left unpollinated, as 
they will form very crooked pods, which will be difficult to bundle 
and present in an attractive and easily handled form. 
Tests of different hours of the day for pollination. — Contrary to the 
behavior of most orchids whose unpollinated blossoms remain fresh 
for days and even weeks, the vanilla blossom begins to close early 
in the afternoon of the same day on which it opens and by the next 
morning it has withered. This early closing and brief existence of 
the blossom made it desirable to find whether pollination should 
be practiced in only certain hours of the day. The failure or suc- 
cess of pollination is indicated by the early dropping of the blossom 
from the ovary, to which, on the other hand, if fertilization has 
taken place, the column clings for an indefinite period, sometimes 
even until the pod is sufficiently mature for picking. Of 200 blos- 
soms hand-pollinated at intervals from 8.15 a. m. to 5 p. m. ; only 
15 dropped within one week of opening, but their dropping showed 
no relation to the hour of pollination. In addition, blossoms were 
