For May, 1920 



IHi 



Bees Adrift Amongst the Apple Blossoms 



WK have heard of a man who was so desperate 

 ijver the sight of bees swinging in and out of 

 his fruit trees and rifling the flowers just as 

 thcv pleased, that in spite of advice to the contrary 

 from experienced friends and counsellors, he put 

 dishes of poison in his garden in the hope of putting 

 a check on the exuberance of the unbidden guests. 

 Needless to say, his tactics were all in vain, and the 

 winged visitors still continued their merry round. 

 But were they doing a great deal of harm and proving 

 themselves worthy of such treatment? The answer 

 is '"Xo," and the owner of the orchard was really trying 

 to drive away his friends if he had only known it. The 

 bees were responding to a natural instinct which made 

 them come in answer to the challenge of color, scent, 

 and promise of honey-store held out to them b)- the 



which they are put together, we shall inevitably be 

 drawn to the conclusion that all have been formed 

 with an eye to giving the flower the best possible 

 chance to reproduce itself ; and that this, apart from 

 any aesthetic considerations, is the main object for 

 which the flower was called into being. 



Taking the apple blossom as an illustration, on the 

 outside we find some stout, green leaves which form 

 a sort of cup to hold together the more precious in- 

 terior parts as well as protect them while in the young 

 stage. Inside this is the pretty pink and white part 

 which attracts our notice as well as that of the bees, 

 and is made up of looser and more open leaves. The 

 most casual observer will see that, while a little pro- 

 tection is afifordcd by these, their chief use is to pro- 

 vide a means of attraction and display. This gaily 





Apple tree in bloom on Estate of Mrs. Horatio Halloway. New Bedford, Mass. What a p'c- 

 ture! I livs called to treat this tree which zvas decayed in several limbs and trunk, the tree 

 being very old and of value in several tvays. First for its Iwving been planted by a dear 

 friend. Second, on account of its beauty in Spring time. Third, screening as it does, a very 

 unsightly old barn in the corner of the' estate. Fourth, for its shades in the Summer-time, as 

 sho'i'n by the tables and chairs standing under. What money could replace such a tree? Is 

 it not a beautiful setting to the landscape:' — .Arthur M. Horn. 



flowers, and at the same time performing for the 

 orchard owner an important piece of work. 



Certain plants known as entomophilous (insect-lov- 

 ing) need insect visitors to enable them to reproduce 

 themselves by bearing seed; and long experience and 

 inherited instinct have taught the insect where to go 

 as well as to associate certain well-marked flower 

 characteristics with the presence of food in the shape 

 of honey and pollen. In return for this, the insect 

 comes to the help of such flowers as need its as- 

 sistance, in a very definite way. If we examine the 

 dift'erent parts of any flower and note the manner in 



colored ring of leaves is known as the corolla, and 

 is usually large, conspicuous, and highly colored in 

 those flowers which desire the presence of insect vis- 

 itors. In addition, its form is often highly modified 

 so as to enable the flower to make the best use of the 

 insect. The gladiolus and similar flowers have the 

 lower portion expanded with a lip which makes a 

 convenient landing stage ; while others, e. g., members 

 of the .'salvia and jiea families, have the corolla so shaped 

 that the insect nuist alight on the flower or enter it in a 

 special way. 



At the base of the corolla leaves is a well-marked. 



