466 POPULAR BOTANY. 
ation by change or admixture of ground ; by far the most of them, 
however, have gained a more constant character — namely, they have been 
improved by hybridizing. 
In order to explain this interesting process more satisfactorily , I feel 
called upon to remark once more that each flower contains certain organs 
indispensibly necessary for the production of fertile seed. These organs 
are the filaments and styles. In most flowers these organs are com- 
bined, and they are, therefore, called hermaphrodite.?. The styles stand 
usually in the centre of the flower upon the germ and the filaments 
around them. In other plants the filaments and styles, though being 
both on the same plant, are separated from each other by different 
flowers ; and there are still other plants where they are so entirely 
separated that each of them appears as a different individual, one bear- 
ing none but female, the other none but male flowers. The filaments 
bear on their top a little bag, the anther, filled with fine dust called pol- 
len. This little bag bursts, when ripe, and thereby the pollen is com- 
municated to the somewhat sticky stigma of the styles. In cases where 
flowers turn into the double state by one cause or other, the sexual 
organs change into petals, and, therefore, of course, they are not fit to 
produce any seed. The fructification of flowers is very much assisted by 
the aid of insects, as flies, bees, wasps, and by the wind, particularly in 
plants of separated sexes. 
Experiments have frequently been made, and with a uniform result, 
to show that no fruit at all, or at least, no fertile seed will be gained, if 
the style or filaments, or both of them have been carefully taken from 
the flower before the pollen had reached the styles. 
Since we have become aware of this process by attentively watching 
nature, and experience has convinced us of its sure success, we make use 
of the same process for our own advantage. When in the ordinary course 
of nature the style is fructified with the pollen of the same plant, the 
new individuals produced by the seed of them must of course, be of the 
same character. 
If it is, however, our intention to raise new varieties or hybrids in an 
artificial way, then we have to proceed as follows : Suppose we are in 
possession of two apple trees, one of which bears small, green, sour 
apples ; the other one, however, large, red and sweet ones. But we like 
neither sour nor sweet apples, but would prefer to possess some mixed 
varieties. Then let us take the pollen of the sour apple with a little 
brush, and bring it to the stigma of the flower of the sweet apple tree, or 
vice versa before the stigma of the latter has become impregnated by 
another pollen, and then we have done what is called crossing or hybri- 
dizing. This act does not produce an immediate effect or change on the 
fruit growing next after the crossing. When, however, the kernels of 
the fruit are sown, the new trees produced by them, when cultivated, 
will generally furnish about the following phenomenon : 
