DO APPLES DEGENERATE? 211 



state, especially the northwest, the cedar trees are more valuable than 

 the apple trees, and some other methods must be employed. In the 

 commercial orcharding districts the cedar tree must go, and in the 

 v>est and north where the trees are badly needed and where the 

 orchards are fewer and small the fruit grower should resort to spraying. 



BEES AID FRIIT PRODUCTION. 

 J. R. Duncan, 



Practically all the varieties of fruit grown under cultivation, need 

 to have the blossoms cross fertilized in order to produce fruit. In 

 ether words the blossoms on a tree do not furnish pollen that will 

 fertilize other blossoms on the same tree. These are called self sterile 

 trees. Other trees may have blossoms that will fertilize the blossoms 

 on the same tree but fruits thus fertilized are not as good as those 

 cross fertilized. The number of varieties that are self fertile are very 

 small as compared with those that are self sterile. 



Numerous experiments have shown that wind plays a very small 

 part in cross fertilization and cannot be depended upon. Bees and 

 others insects are the real means of cross fertilization. Then in order 

 to get a crop of fruit there must be a sufficient number of bees or 

 other insects going from flower to flower in search of honey. In so 

 doing the pollen grains from one blossom will be carried to another 

 flower and that flower be fertilized and thus produce fruit. Farmers, 

 fruit growers and the dwellers in town owe a large debt to the tiny 

 bee for its work in helping produce the fruit consumed in our homes. 

 In every orchard there should be several stands of bees. 



Bees are attracted by showy blossoms. In spraying with a poison 

 spray, the insects should be protected and this can be done by spraying 

 after the petals have commenced to fall. The bees usually finish their 

 work before this stage. Some farmers believe that bees sting the fruit 

 and suck the juice from the fruit thus destroying production. It has 

 been proven, however, that such damage results where birds, wasps 

 cr yellow jackets or disease germs have attacked and broken the skin 

 of the fruit. It is not possible for the bee to puncture the skin and 

 the damage attributed to them usually starts from some other cause. 

 The bee should not be condemned for the faults of some destructive 

 insect or pest. 



DO APPLES DEGENERATE? 

 C. G. Marshall, Nebraska City, Neb. 



Early horticultural experts maintained that cultivated plants 

 deteriorate with age and some of the pioneer planters of Nebraska 

 have taken the stand that certain varieties of apples, in particular, 

 have lost ground and are not so valuable as once. Certain varieties 

 that were favorites twenty or thirty years ago and very profitable 

 in eastern Nebraska are considered valueless now and there seems 

 to be a well-founded impression that these sorts have "run out." 



