82 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ish Beauty, Kieffer and Seckel. Experiments enough have been made 

 with apples to show that in all probability they are even more dependent 

 on bees than are pears. Most varieties are practically self-sterile and so 

 far as we know none are completely self-fertile. It should be borne in 

 mind that this impotency and sterility of apparently perfect flowers has 

 but recently been brought to the attention of botanists, at least in its 

 important applications to horticultural questions, and we are still igno- 

 rant on many important points which doubtless will be cleared up by the 

 experiments of tho next few years. Meanwhile whiat we do know enables 

 us to point out a few practical lessons, the observance of which will cer- 

 tainly increase our chances of good apple and pear crops. 



It must be remembered that it is not sufficient to transfer pollen from 

 flowers of one tree to those of another tree of the same variety; cross- 

 fertilization can be secured only by exchanging the pollens of two differ- 

 ent horticultural varieties. Under these circumstances it is folly to 

 plant large orchards of any one variety; several varieties should be set 

 in the same orch-ird, either in alternate rows or at least with not more 

 than two or three successive rows of any one kind. If already set other- 

 wise, and well grown, the trouble can be remedied in a few years by graft- 

 ing. But most important of all is the presence of bees. It may do to depend 

 upon your neighbor's bees, or upon wild bees, and of course flies, beetles, 

 and some other insects assist more or less in cross-pollination. But you 

 should remember that rainy, cloudy, or even cool weather may deter 

 insects from venturing out at all, and in the short intervals of warmth 

 and sunshine they will naturally confine their visits to the most acces- 

 sible blossoms; so that your crop of apples or pears may be a partial or 

 complete failure for lack of a few hives of bees which a little more fore- 

 thought would have provided easily. 



DISCUSSION. 

 LED BY JOS. A. PEARCE, GRAND RAPIDS. 



I was interested in the remarks of Mrs. Mayo, who stated the necessity 

 of having strong men and women — thinking of an expression I heard 

 once, from a physician, that a human being was, to all intents and pur- 

 poses, two hours after it started life, all that it ever would be; that all 

 after acts were simply developments. 



This is a fact also in regard to our fruits. They are perhaps, two 

 hours after the blossom has fallen, significant of the fruit as it will 

 mature, and all other circumstances are simply developing and bringing 

 up the fruit. 



In the pollination of the fruits, there is an important factor, viz., the 

 bees; they are very necessary to help with the proper pollination or scat- 

 tering of the pollen, carried on by the atmosphere. The bees help in still 

 weather when the wind is not blowing to bring about this perfect pollina- 

 tion which is necessary for the perfect fruit. 



Bees are essential to the pollination of fruits; they never themselves 

 open sound fruit, and so if they do take a few cracked peaches, or fruit 

 that has been opened by other insects, they ought not to be blamed for 

 the crime of opening it. I have seen peaches in times of drouth, in which 



