18 Eric Drabble. 
the male parent is applied to the stigma, and the pales are again 
closed. 
The process of events in the flower previously to, and during 
pollination, is as follows. Before self-pollination has occurred the 
stigmas converge. The anthers then partially dehisce, and pollen 
is shed on to the stigmas while still enclosed within the pales. 
Immediately after this pollination the stigmas diverge and emerge 
laterally from between the pales. Now it is that cross-pollination 
may take place, though according to Mr. Garton’s results, cross¬ 
fertilization would appear to supervene but rarely. A few hours 
after the emergence of the stigmas they again converge, and this is 
accompanied by a general contraction of the stigmatic lobes. 
The evidence for self-pollination is strong, though this does not 
necessarily involve the absence of later cross-pollination, which 
may indeed be prepotent, but in no case has Mr. Garton been able 
to produce a hybrid by application of pollen from a male parent to 
the extruded stigma of the female—the pollen must be applied to 
the stigma before it extrudes. 
The fruits of the flowers thus cross-pollinated are allowed to 
ripen, and are gathered and kept separately. They are sown next 
season, and all the grain from each plant is kept separately. This 
is sown in rows the following season, the produce of each plant 
having a row to itself. The resulting plants are found to show 
great sporting; some being superior in certain characters to the 
parents, others being inferior. The plants which in the characters 
desired are found to be the best are noted, and the grain is kept and 
sown the following season. Again the resulting plants will show a 
tendency to sport, but lest markedly so than in the last season. 
The best are again selected and the grains sown, and a further 
selection is made, until finally a progeny is obtained in which the 
sporting is slight and almost negligible. The race is then said to 
be fixed. By this is meant that so long as the plants are allowed to 
breed naturally, as Mr. Garton believes entirely by self-fertilization, 
no further sporting will occur. 
Composite Crosses. 
Many races may be combined in the production of new breeds. 
As an example may be cited the ancestry of the breed “New Bra.” 
The wheat known as “Talavera” was crossed with a form of Triticum 
spelta, and the progeny which we may call a was raised. At the 
same time the wheat “Bartweigcn” was crossed with “Fultz,” and 
again the progeny was raised (/3). a was then crossed with (3 and 
