secretary's budget. 329 



BIRDS AND BEES. 



BEES ARE POMOLOGISTS. 



Not a few believe that bees injure fruit. They are frequently ac- 

 cused of injuring peaches, apples, berries and even grapes. I do not 

 believe this. But though it be correct the bees are the best friends of 

 the horticulturist. Did you evey think why ? Sex is not confined to 

 the animal kingdom by ony means ; plants are sexual. The sexual 

 organs are in the blossoms. For the blossoms to produce fruit the 

 ovules must be fertilzed b/ the pollen from the anthers at the summit 

 of the stamens, which falls upon the stigma and traversing the style of 

 the pistil reaches the ovary. 



In this process of fertilizing, insects are important aids and in quite 

 a large number of cases are essential aids; and of all insects bees are 

 the most important workers. They seek the honey to be found in the 

 blossoms ; and while on this quest they disturb the anthers, knocking 

 the pollen upon their wings and bodies and in this way conveying it to 

 waiting stigmas. In a large class of flowers the work of insects is es- 

 sential to fertilization either because the stamens and pistils of the 

 blossom do not reach maturity at the same time, or the pistils are 

 turned away from the stamens, preventing the pollen from falling on 

 the stigmas, or else the anthers are below the stigmas, having the 

 same effect ; while other blossoms have no pistils or else no stamens ; 

 in all these cases self fertilization is impossible. 



To fertilize such blossoms it would seem that the creation of the 

 bees had been especially designed, so well do they perform their woik. 

 First, the bees are formed just right to accomplish it. Then the 

 flower has the honey to attract the bee. And when the conditions are 

 most favorable the flower sends out a fragrance to yet further attract 

 the bee. Prof. Gray calls this fragrance the flower's advertisement. 

 But it may occur to the mind of the reader that the bee would visit 

 flowers of different species and thus occasion the greatest confusion. 

 Not so. The bee has a keen sense of taste and never mixes its nectars, 

 but as the nectar of all blossoms of each species tastes alike it confines 

 each vist to one species. Aside from this, having found nectar in one 

 blossom it would naturally seek in others having the same appearance 

 and fragrance. To get at the honey the bee must twist itself into all 

 possible shapes and positions, a wise provision of nature to sepure the 

 dislodgment of the pollen ; and she also doles out the nectar in small 



