How New Varieties ave Born 
There is no phase of flower growing more fascinating 
than creating new varieties. All that is needed is a 
keen sonse of observation, a well developed curiosity 
and a pair of deft hands. Of course a yen for, keeping 
records and 2.few simple tools will aid in the scien- 
tifie aspects. As most gardeners are well supplied 
with these qualities, the only other thing needed is a 
knowledge of the mechanics of hybridization which are 
So casy they can be performed by a child. 
Flowers have itwo essential osexual. parts, the stigma 
and the anthers. The stigma is the female part. The 
three anthers are the male parts carrying the pollen. 
These parts in the center of every glad floret are quite 
discernable and casily distinguished from one another. 
To properly cross glads one should have a supply of 
the small blank price tags with strings attached, like 
thosé iused by department «steres,.a pair of tweezers,.a 
Supply of small envelopes and paper bags and a soft 
lead pencil. 
Go into the garden early on the morning the florets 
you intend to use first open. With the tweezers remove 
the anthers from the newly opened floret. ithecc may be 
droppec into a properly labeled envelope and used to 
pollenate other specimens. Next, tie a label (price tag) 
to the floret loosely so as not to interfere ith-future 
growth of the seedpod. The label is applied now to aid 
in finding the prepared floret the next day. to be tho- 
roly accurate and scientifit, a paper bag should now be 
tied over the floret so the bees and humming birds. can- 
not reach the stigma with unvanted pollen. Bagging is 
not always done-gas it hasibeen found. that if. al] put 
the top hood petal is cut or broken away the bees and 
birds seldom bother it. Many breeders merely remove the 
anthers, hoping that the few chance crosses may give as 
good or better results as their own. 
