THE INFLUENCE OF BEES ON CROPS. 267 



deprived of that fertilising influence. Seeds must me fertilised 

 by pollen from their own species. A newspaper clipping — I think 

 from a Brisbane paper that I have now in my possession — says: 

 "If cue were to plant 20 acres with Stone Pippin apples, or with 

 Clcopatras, or with Duchess pears, and no other kind of apples 

 or pears within a half-mile, it is not at all likely that there would 

 be any fruit. (IJ there were trees ivithin the radius of half a mile, 

 the exf)erime7if would not he a failure ; if bees were within two or 

 three miles they would carry the pollen, but the crop would be light.) 

 It is necessary to have a few of some other variety of apple or pear, 

 which bears blossoms at the same, or about the same time, and then 

 they will pollenate each other, so that both varieties will bear 

 fruit. Bartlett pears are fertilised by Duchess d'Augouleme, 

 Easter Beurre, Beurre d'Anjou, and by others. The thing re- 

 quired is to have the flowers of each variety mature at nearly the 

 same time. There is at least one instance in this State where a 

 large block of apples of one kind has been planted for many years, 

 and ha,3 never borne any fruit, although the trees are very strong 

 and healthy, and bear perfect flowers every year, fhe pollen is 

 ripe before t^e pistils are ready to receive it, and by the time the 

 pistils are mature the pollen is all gone." The italics in this quo- 

 tation are mine. I once read in an American paper a similar 

 failure in connection with cherry orchards, where the bees had 

 all been removed because they were accredited with eating holes 

 in the ripe fruit, and thvxs reducing their market value. After 

 the removal of the bees from the district the trees gave no, or at 

 the most but a slight, crop of fruit. After about three years, the 

 bees were returned to that district, and the trees went on bearing 

 as heretofore. With ignorant men, the poor little bees get the 

 credit of a host of evils they never do. If all orchardists knew 

 the value of bees, apart from that of honey producing, no orchard 

 would be seen without them. 



Every grain of seed requires a grain of pollen to fertilise it. 

 By removing the husks from a corn-cob whilst in a green state, 

 a fine silken thread will be seen attached to each maturing grain. 

 It is the organ of reception, and it is absolutely imperative for a 

 grain of the dust from the anther (the flower on the top of the 

 corn-stalk) to fall or be conveyed to the point (stigma) of each 

 silken thread. In a mature cob of corn, misses in the rows of 

 grain are often obsei-vable. This is caused by the pistil not having 

 received its necessary grain of pollen ; and caused either by au 

 injury to its stigma or an insuflRcicncy of pollen. Deformed fruits 



