The Director of the Royal Gardens at Kew, England, made a public statement a few weeks ago to the effect that a knowledge of the science of botany is of no value to the practical gardener. It may be in doubtful taste to question the assertion of so high an authority, but the query arises in my mind, what would one accomplish at cross-pollinating plants who knows nothing of the parts of a flower, and of the functions of those parts ? Possibly the dabbling with this sort of knowledge would be regarded by some as a sure evidence of a lack of practical ability. However this may be, I received a letter a few weeks ago from a practical gardener whose hair has grown gray in the business, inquiring if I could give him some simple directions for crossing varieties of the tomato. A sentence in his letter was somewhat touching: "My threescore years and over remind me that those younger than I are the proper persons to do this work, but I do not expect to fold my hands and wait my few remaining years." It occurred to me that there are possibly some among the younger readers of The American Garden who may be inspired to take up this noble work, and for the benefit of any such, as well as my aged friend, I have decided to offer my little experience.

The beginner is likely to meet with difficulty in securing pollen from the flowers of the tomato until he learns a little botanical secret. The same applies to the blossoms of the potato. If we refer in our Gray's Manual to the genus solanum, to which these plants belong, we shall find it stated that the anthers (parts that contain the pollen) open " at the top by two pores, or chinks." In the flowers of many other plants, as the strawberry, apple, lily, etc., the anthers burst at maturity and expose the pollen to view, but not so with the tomato. Just how the pollen makes its own escape through these little pores or chinks I do not know. We are sure that it does, however, for few flowers are more uniformly fertile than those of the tomato.

A reference to the drawings will perhaps be of some assistance. Not having a sample of a tomato blossom at hand, I have substituted a drawing of one of the potato, which resembles it-sufficiently for our purpose. In the larger drawing, the stamens are seen in the cen ter, clustered around the pistil. The chinks a their tips are not shown, as they are chiefly on the inner side. In the smaller drawing, however, which represents the stamens and pistils as cut across transversly, the little folds containing the pollen (marked p. p.) are easily seen. In order to secure the pollen, it is only necessary to insert a very narrow spatula, or the end of the tweezers, between the stamens near the base, crowding the edge of one out sufficiently so that the instrument may be inserted into the fold. Then by carefully raising the instrument upward so that its end will pass through the whole length of the little fold and out at the top, it will be found laden with the golden yellow powder, if the flower is in the proper stage of maturity.

In the case of the tomato, it is better to remove the stamens of the flower we desire to pollenize before the petals open, to guard against self-fertilization ; and to prevent pollination from other plants, it is well to inclose the flower, after removing the stamens, in a little sack made of soft paper. The following day, the sack may be removed and the pollen applied, after which the sack should be replaced.

Cross Section.

A Potato Blossom.

I would invite the readers of The American Garden, of all ages, to make the experiment of crossing varieties of the tomato. My own experience in this work has developed some highly interesting facts, and others will no doubt be repaid for their work. •

University of Wisconsin. E. S. Goff.