SOME BEE LORE 47 



Thus, for example, if one grew Cox's Orange 

 Pippin only, the probability is that, though the 

 trees might flower profusely, few if any fruits would 

 be formed, unless bees were plentiful in the district 

 to convey the necessary pollen from other varieties. 

 On the other hand, one might grow only Worcester 

 Pearmain and secure abundant crops, as the flowers 

 of this variety are capable of being fertilised with 

 their own pollen. 



Gooseberry and currant flowers are self-fertile, 

 but cannot self- pollinate themselves, as their pollen 

 grains are glutinous, so the agency of bees is required 

 to transfer the pollen to the stigma. 



Raspberries and loganberries do not fruit so 

 freely if their flowers are not pollinated by the bees. 



It can easily thus be seen how very dependent 

 we are upon the bees for our fruit crops, and this 

 being the case, surely we should endeavour to learn 

 more of their life, and try to encourage bee-keeping 

 on a much larger scale than is now practised in this 

 country. True, of late years there has been a terrible 

 scourge, the " Isle of Wight " disease, which has 

 carried off many large stocks of bees completely, 

 but now it almost seems that the plague has abated 

 somewhat, and a great endeavour should be made 

 to bring the lost art of bee-keeping back into all 

 the country villages. 



The Origin of the Honey Bee. 



Amongst all the fables of ancient mythology, 

 that dealing with the origin of the honey bee is 

 without doubt one of the prettiest. 



On the birth of Jupiter, his mother, Ops, entrusted 



