Chapter 13

Crossing or Hybridizing.

These expressions seem to be popularly used in a rather free way, as applied to the gladiolus, to denote the bringing together of different varieties, for the purpose of obtaining seed, which shall produce new and diverse kinds, combining in some degree the qualities of the parents, and presumably of superior excellence. Accepting the foregoing terms in the sense alluded to, as meaning simply a mixing of stocks, or of varieties, there are two ways of securing the desired results, the natural and the artificial. In the former, insects and the wind do the work; in the latter, it is done by hand. It may be worth while to speak of these methods somewhat in detail, with the prefatory statement that a variety is not supposed to reproduce itself from seed, and as a rule it does not. Although there are instances in which seedlings bear a close resemblance to a parent, or to each other, theoretically no two are alike, and in reality there is a wide range of variation among those grown from the same bulb. In this variation lies the charm of the work and the secret of success.

Suppose the grower wishes to cross two varieties in the natural way. He plants the bulbs near together and apart from others, far enough distant so that their pollen cannot reach the blooms. Between the two there is an interchange, each being fertilized by the other, and the results will comprise as many variations as there are seeds produced. Several kinds may be planted together in the same manner and the consequent combination will be still more numerous and varied. If the amateur wishes to save seed from his bed of mixed bulbs, he watches the blooms as they come out and cuts and carries away any that are not desirable to propagate from, so that they may not affect the seed of the others. By this method all the seed saved is of a high grade of excellence, and the new developments from it are exceedingly interesting.

When the grower purposes to cross two varieties artificially, he goes about it early in the morning, when the blooms first open. He selects the flower which is to be the mother parent, cuts away the stamens with sharp pointed scissors, and then covers it with cheese capping, to keep out strange pollen. From ten o'clock in the forenoon to about four in the afternoon, the pistil secretes a honey-like liquid, which causes the end or stigma to be moist. It is then said to be receptive, and the grower carries the stamens from the other parent, and gently touches the stigma with the anthers, causing the pollen to adhere.

Hand-hybridizing can be carried on in a garden, or any small area, while special crossing done in the natural way requires a great deal of room. The artificial method also has the advantage of being perfectly exact, while in the other there is a possibility that pollen carried by bees may be introduced, even at a considerable distance.

Whichever plan is adopted, the work is very fascinating, and if the grower succeeds in attaining the realization of his ideals along the lines he is pursuing, or even a near approach to those ideals, the pleasure he experiences is ample recompense for all his efforts.