STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 69 



We find that when we start out to test the bee's color vision 

 we have to take very careful pains. We make artificial flowers, 

 bachelors' buttons, for instance, and we find that bees will go 

 to these flowers although they are covered by glass. We find 

 we can get the bees to go to artificial flowers as well as to 

 natural flowers, thus proving beyond question that plants have 

 their beautiful color in order to attract bees, so that cross 

 fertilization may be accomplished. The raspberry is very 

 dependent upon the bee for cross fertilization. We find that 

 when we make an artificial raspberry blossom the bees come 

 to it as often as they do to the natural flower. 



This shows a section of the apple blossom. It is proven that 

 if you go out in the orchard and collect say two hundred apples 

 fallen from the tree, you will find that all but eight or ten have 

 fallen because they have not been cross-fertilized. What hap- 

 pens when a bee revisits the same blossom? He fertilizes 

 every part of the apple blossom. Now this apple is a poor one, 

 that is, it is not developed on one side ; it remains undeveloped 

 because the bees have done their work imperfectly. They do it 

 imperfectly because there are not enough present. Therefore 

 apple growers should keep bees also. The bees do their work 

 imperfectly because weather conditions will not allow them 

 to come out in the spring. If you have a period of damp cold 

 weather when bees don't fly, you will find that many of your 

 apple trees have apples falling from them when the apples are 

 small. Now the reason for that is that the bees don't fly out 

 in such weather. We should have the bees right near the trees 

 then. 



This is my last slide and I want to call your attention es- 

 pecially to this one thing. Apple growers, be very careful when 

 you spray the apple trees. A bee-keeper who is near by has 

 a perfect right to complain in the strongest language if you 

 spray the trees while the trees are in blossom. It is not neces- 

 sary and many states have laws against it, and we should have. 

 There is no necessity for it. Spraying will do just as much 

 good before or after the blossoming season, and you will not 

 kill your neighbor's bees, or your own. They will do you 

 much more good than any amount of spraying at that time. 



