The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-06-11

put each one in a vase, and placed
| them in as many different windows,
| separated from each other fecundated
the flowers of one-half these plants with
the pollen of each other, but left the
| other half undisturbed. The following
results were obtained: The seeds of the
| flowers fecundated as aforestated pro-
duced roots of which some gave double
! flowers, others semi-double, and the
greater part only single flowers. The
plants not fecundated gave only plants
with single flowers. This experiment
was continued in the following manner: !:
chose plants of semi-double flowers,
and formulated them with the pollen of
other semi-double flowers. Several 9TH
ers of semi-double flowers were left un-
| touched. The seeds from the fecundated
| flowers produced roots bearing for the
most part double flowers, crowned often
in the middle by tuft of green leaves
| which rendered them very pretty. The
seed from the flowers not fecundated,
| although already semi-double, gave only
plants bearing single flowers. repeated
this experiment for several years, but
always with the same result, and sim
| liar experience with other flowers gave
also the same.
| Experiment VII fecundated the flow
| ers of the orange with the pollen of the
lemon tree, and obtained fruit whose
| skin was cut from end to end by stripe
| yellow and elevated, having the charac-
| istic of the lemon. The taste of the
fruit was entirely that of the orange.
1t had few seeds, and these small and
poor.
Experiment VH.-I fecundated the
| flowers of the orange tree with the pol
! len from several other orange trees, and
obtained several times fruit whose peri
carp hadsan irregular form, containing
| few seeds and those very defective.
Experiment VIII-I sowed orange
/ seeds whose flowers had been S5cunda-
| ted, and whose pericarp had suffered no
| change, and obtained plants which do
not yet bear fruit, but one of them is
! devoid Of s'r;nes, and another displays
a very vigorous foliage, which distin-
guishes it from ordinary orange trees:
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The procedure which was employed in
the artificial fecundation is simple, and
indicated by nature herself
/ chose the ripest and most highly
colored pollen from the moot thrifty flow
ers, and those most nearly ready to bloom
and applied it to the flower which |
wished to fecundate. In order to render
the operation more exact, detached the
flower frOm its stem, and having de-
spoiled it Of corrolla, / rubbed the an
theirs without touching them, upon the
stigma to be fructifed. This operation
was repeated with several different flow
ers, without depriving the flower sub
mitted to the operation of its stamens.
| took care to repeat it several times
each day for several days. This precau-
ton was necessary in order not to miss
the moment in blooming in the pistil
which was to receive the pollen, and to
assure myself by means of quantity OF
this pollen taken from different flowers,
respecting its disposition to exercise It's
formulating qualities.
In the flowers of the orange tree the
moment of maturity for fecundatlon
seems to be announced by the appear
ance of a honey-like drop which fofms
on the stigma of the pistil, and serves to
retain the dust applied to it; and the
same maturity in the pollen is indicated
by the deep yellow color it then as
sumes, and by its quality Of adhering to
the finger when touched; but 1t IS also
necessary to be careful to multiply the
experiments, because often after having
formulated several flowers as one may
suppose, none, or but few, may be sue
cessfully operated upon. But success is
more certain with the ranunculus and
carnation.
CONSEQUENCES.
Conseo,,ence MIXED formulation OPP
crates in various ways upon vegetables.
1t may act upon the ovaries or ovules.
(Exp. ", VI, VII, and VIII) When
| it acts upon the ovaries the perlcarp OF
the fruit which has been fecundated re-
ceiyes notifications, and bears but few
| if any seeds. exp. VI. and VII.) When
the action is upon the ovules the
| fruit which encleses them does not seem
affected by it, but these ovules grown
| into seeds give some trees Which do not
| resemble the parent tree, and most fre-
ouently have a tohdency to sterility.
This tendency to sterility determines
itself in different ways; sometimes upon
| the flower, when we have plants with
double, or semi-double, or possibly with
| simple and sterile flowers; sometimes
upon the fruit, when we have plants
| with sterile or semi-sterile fruit, for
| these fruits either bear no seeds, or very
| few, and those badly nourished. In
| all cases these species OF mules or hy-
brids show unusual vigor in the thrifty
branches free from spines, or in the bet
ter nourished leaf, or the flower with
multiplied petals, or the fruit OF more