THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 303 



])ollinatod are multitudinous. In such flowers as the strawberry each 

 blossom has several ovules to pollinate, and if any are missed the berry 

 may be deformed. Of course all free-flying-, sweet-loving insects are 

 valual)lo to the horticulturist or agriculturist as collaborators in the 

 pollination end of seed and crop production. All bees, honey, bumble 

 and other Avild bees, most if not all wasps, ants, though handicapped 

 by the absence of wings, many moths and most butterflies, such diptera 

 as syrphus flies, nectar-loving l^eetles and not a few homoptera aid in 

 this work of pollination. 



In purely natural conditions there is a pretty safe balance so that 

 • this service is provided for. The native insects suffice to pollinate the 

 wild flowers of plain and forest. In our alfalfa fields and great 

 orchards we have so massed the plants that the native insects are all 

 powerless to perform this necessary function. Australia had no bumble 

 bees and red clover would not seed until the bumble bees were intro- 

 duced. The long flower tube placed the nectar beyond the reach of 

 most insects. Even in Europe and America bumble bees are very 

 scarce in the early season, and so Ave depend on the second crop for 

 seed. Our alfalfa bloom is worked on by honey bees, and so any 

 crop is fruitful of seed if honey bees are present in great numbers, 

 but here the bloom is like the sands of the sea, and this is why we need 

 the apiary close by the alfalfa field if we are to produce seed. It is 

 usiuilly wise to save the second, third or fourth crop for seed, not only 

 to escape damaging rains but also that we may be sure that swarms 

 of bees may properly pollinate the bloom. What a wealth of bloom 

 of beauty crowns the orchard trees as they fling out their signal cry 

 to all passing insects to come and dine and extend to them a life- 

 saving service. How often our fruit trees bloom full, only to set no 

 fruit. No pollination, no fruit; no bees, practically no pollination. 

 We see then that we must not only mix our varieties wisely, but we 

 must secure bees in the near precincts of our orchards if we would 

 secure large and profitable crops. As we have seen generous cross- 

 pollination is not only required for full crops, but perfect fruit often 

 requires the same interpollination in field, garden and orchard. 



We have a strange abnormality in the navel orange. The stamens 

 jiroduce no pollen ; the fruit bears no seeds. Did the secondary orange 

 A\hich results in the navel estop the pollen thread in its way to the 

 ovule and thus cause seedlessness ? In this case why does the tree 

 still fruit ? Occasionally other citrus trees exhibit the same behavior, 

 and a few vegetables are known to fruit without seeding. In these 

 cases absence of pollination doubtless explains ab.sence of seeds, but why 

 the exceptional result of fruiting is yet to me at least a real puzzle. 



As bees are the friends of the fruit grower and of the rancher in 

 general, we should foster their presence and well-being at or close by 

 the ranch. This as well as the best success in spraying for the codling 

 moth will preclude spraying for this insect until the blossoms (petals) 

 of apple, pear and quince fall from the tree. This is the proper time, 

 and earlier spraying often kills not only the adult bees but also the 

 brood. We ought all to adopt the motto : ' ' Never spray our orchards 

 with arsenitas until the blossoms fall," and preach this to all our 

 neighbors. We miLst remember that bees are the good and necessary 

 friends to the successfiil pomologist. We should also remember that 



