POLLEN. 



337 



POLLEN. 



covered by a sort of wings. The bee comes 

 along, pries them apart, and reaches for the 

 nectar as shown iu cross- sectional drawing of 

 B. The anthers and the stigma both touch 

 the bee on the under side of the waist where 

 there is a good deal of hair. The result is 

 that powder is dusted on the waist of the 

 bee; and as it goes from one flower to an- 

 other, it mingles the pollen and dusts it over 

 the stigma. Tlie general shape of the flower 

 is such tlmt tlie wind could hardly accom- 



FiG. 6.— Papilionaceous Blossoms, and Their Method of Firtilization. 



A, Expanded Pea- Blossom, Order Lcgumtnosce—v, Vexillum; a/, Ala? with Ca- 

 rina between. B, Partial Section of Flower of Vetch being- Fertilized by 

 Cyprian Bee (Magnified Twice), Right Ala removed below line a, b—v' Vex- 

 illum; n\ Nectar Gland; a/', Ala; c. Carina containing the Pistil, the Stig- 

 ma of wluch IS striking the bee's breast. C, Section of Pistil, showing 

 Ovules (Peas) in Ovary— 71, Nectary; a, a. Anthers; s, Stigma.— Cheshire. 



plish much in the way of cross-fertilization, 

 and apparently the bee has to exert some 

 strength in forcing apart the wings of the 

 corolla in order to get its coveted nectar. 



In Fig. 7 we have the familiar raspberry 

 blossom. This is a case of where there is 

 very little color but considerable pol- 

 len and nectar to attract the bees. 

 The anthers and pistils separated 

 from each other appear in large 

 numbers on each blossom. The bee 

 alights on the head and reaches 

 down for the nectar. As it does so, 

 it brushes against the large number 

 of anthers and pistils. In doing so 

 it mingles the pollen, fertilizing the 

 flower with its own pollen and with 

 the pollen from otlier plants. 



In Fig. 8 we have the familiar ex- 

 ample of the apple blossom. Note 

 there are five stigmas and and ten 

 anthers. In many varieties of the 

 apple, pear, and plum, the flowers 

 are sterile to their own pollen: but, 

 as Fletcher points out, they can be 

 fecundated readily with pollen from flowers 

 growing on another tree of the same species. 

 We therefore see how very important it is to 

 have insects, especially bees, to carry on 

 this most important work of cross-pollina- 

 tion, without which there will be imperfect 

 or no fruit at all. Many and many a time a 



lack of fruit during some particular season 

 is ascribed to the fact that frosts kill the 

 blossoms, when, as a matter of fact, the 

 weather has been such that the honey-bees 

 were unable to get out, and thus carry on 

 the work of cross-fertilization. 



In Fig. 8, we have the case of an apple 

 that was imperfectly fertilized. There is 

 perfect seed and perfect fruit formation 

 except on the side that has an indention. 

 The statement has been made by some 

 prominent growers of 

 apples that it is such 

 fruit as this that 

 rarely hangs long 

 enough to ripen. The 

 first severe storm 

 that comes along 

 causes it to drop pre- 

 maturely. One fruit- 

 grower told us there 

 were thousands and 

 thousands of bushels 

 of apples every year 

 that are nothing 

 more nor less than 

 windfalls because of 

 imperfect fertilization. This same fruit- 

 grower went ( n to say that if the bees could 

 get in their work properly, and the trees 

 were sprayed before and after blossoming, 

 the number of windfalls would be very con- 

 siderably reduced. 



Fig. 7.— Haspberry (Rubus idaeus, Order, Rosacea') being 

 Fertilized, and section of Same. 



A, Flower (Magnified Twice)-2J, P. Petals; a, a. Anthers; .v, 

 btigma ; no. Nectary Openings; nc, JVectar Cells; D, 

 Drupels. B, Section through Core, or Torus (C) and Dru- 

 pels (D)—ud. Unfertihzed Drupel; ws, withered Stigma; 

 u'rt, withered Anther.— F/-om Cheshire. 



In connection with this matter, the reader 

 will be interested in referring to the subject 

 of FiiuiT-iiLOSsoMs, elsewhere in this work, 

 where limbs of trees and whole trees have 

 been covered with netting while they were 

 in bloom. The fact that almost no fruit 

 develops under these nets shows that fertil- 



