212 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[July, 



This to be done once a week, preferably in the 

 evening. And if after two months trial of this 

 method no benefit is derived, I will then give in 

 that I am wrong. No harm can be done in any 

 case, whether foliage plants, orchids or ferns, the 

 result with me has always been the same. I 

 hope all will try it, including Mr. Henderson, 

 and report on its merits or demerits. 



THORNLESS HONEY LOCUST. 



BY PROF. ROBERT MILLIKEN, EMPORIA, KANSAS. 



A correspondent in your February number 

 inquires about the thornless Honey Locust. I 

 would like to say to him that such a variety is 

 found quite frequently in the timber belt along 

 the Neosho, in this part of the State, and is much 

 superior to the common variety on account of 

 the absence of thorns. 



A few years ago a nurseryman of this place 

 raised and put upon the market a few trees of 

 this kind, but I am not aware that any are to be 

 found in our nurseries. If your correspondent 

 will send me his address I will take pleasure in 

 putting him in the way of procuring the seeds. 



FERTILIZATION BY BEES. 



BY THOS. F. FORFAR. 



A paragragh has been circulating in the news- 

 papers for the last few years and it appears as if 

 it is to continue. As I stumble over it every 

 mouth or two, I do not quite understand it, and 

 would like more light. The paragraph is to the 

 eflect that Red Clover, Trifolium pratense, pro- 

 duces no seed in New Zealand, and that it is 

 because there are no bumble bees there, so an 

 importation from England had to 'be made. 

 Now if such be the case, I have no doubt many 

 of your readers would like to hear some of the 

 details of the voyage of a vessel containing such 

 a queer cargo. Who caught the B. Bs.? And 

 how were they caught ? And, as their lives are 

 short, how was the race perpetuated on the 

 voyage ? And, finally, did their presence in 

 New Zealand cause the perfecting of the seed? 



The flowers of Trifolium repens being perfect, 

 are capable under all ordinary circumstances, of 

 self-fertilization; but if by chance, or some cli- 

 matic influence, the pollen or some of the 

 organs should become imperfect, and to all 

 practical purposes one plant staminate and 

 another pistillate, the bees would be of little use 



from the fact that they always attend to their 

 own business and do only one thing at a time. 

 If they go out to gather honey they gather 

 honey alone,not either honey or bee-bread ; and if 

 they go out to gather pollen they do so and noth- 

 ing else. Now in gathering honey from dioecious 

 flowers as in the willow for instance, they only 

 visit pistillate flowers ; and for wax only stami- 

 nate ones. Again, should the flowers be all 

 staminate, there would be no stigma to be ferti- 

 lized, or should they be all pistillate, there 

 would be no pollen to fertilize them. The only 

 way I can see in which the bees could be of use, 

 would be where a portion of^he flowers had 

 their pollen or reproductive organs perfect, but 

 in that case seed would be produced without the 

 aid of the bees, and the paragraph would be un- 

 true. If the whole thing is not a hoax, it is 

 probable that extreme heat, or continued wet 

 weather has something to do with the infertility. 

 Extreme heat will cause the nectar or sticky 

 substance on the stigma to dry up, and when 

 such is the case, the pollen will not adhere to 

 the stigma, nor will expansion of the inner sac 

 or case of the pollen grains take place, conse- 

 quently there can be no fertilization of the 

 ovary. "Wet weather will cause the honey to be 

 dissolved and frequently both pollen and honey 

 are washed away. The honey that is on the 

 stigma has two offices : first, to cause the pollen 

 to adhere to the stigma, and secondly', to keep 

 the grains of pollen moist, and assist the inner 

 sac to expand so that it may reach the ovary 

 before bursting. 



OF SNAKES SWALLOWING THEIR YOUNG. 



BY BARON FERDINAND VON MUELLER, 

 MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. 



In reading the Gardener's Monthly just 

 come to hand, I note the passages referring to 

 the curious fact that snakes, at least of some 

 sorts, will swallow their young while they are 

 very small to protect them against danger. As 

 your statement on this subject was not credited, 

 it may be some satisfaction to you that in two 

 instances very intelligent and trustworthy Aus- 

 tralian colonists related to me, independently 

 in diff"erent parts of this country and at a dif- 

 ferent time, that they had witnessed snakes con- 

 ceal their small fry in the mouth or throat when 

 danger arose. One of the gentlemen assured 

 me that the maternal snake made a hissing- 

 sound when he approached, and that the young 



