BUMBLEBEE-FLOWERS 



as old maids are fond of cats, and usually keep one or more of 

 these animals as pets, it depended on them whether there should 

 be an abundant crop of red clover or not. Let us, then, 

 chivalrously admit that, as in the bee-hive or bumblebee's nest, 

 the existence of the colony depends on the workers, or unmated 

 females, so the prosperity of England depends on her old maids. 

 It is certainly a curious instance of the intimate correlation of 

 every part of nature. 



When the farmers of New Zealand attempted to grow red 

 clover in their fields they learned to their cost its dependence 

 on bumblebees for pollination, for it failed to produce seed. On 

 inquiry it was learned that there were no bumblebees in these 

 large islands, and it was not until after the introduction of 

 several species from England that the raising of clover-seed 

 became commercially profitable. Once introduced, the bumble- 

 bees multiplied apace; and a few years ago a letter appeared 

 in one of the New Zealand papers complaining that they were 

 becoming so numerous that they threatened to consume the 

 nectar of all the flowers and leave none for the domestic bee. 

 But the alarm proved groundless, for in 1905 the Canadian 

 Department of Agriculture received a letter from the secretary 

 of an agricultural association in New Zealand inquiring what 

 species of Bombus pollinated the red clover in that country. 

 Three species of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris, B. hortorum, 

 and B. hortorum variety harrisellus) , descended from those im- 

 ported in 1885, are stated to occur in New Zealand; but B. 

 terrestris, the most abundant species, was regarded as unsuit- 

 able for clover pollination owing to the shortness of its tongue. 

 It was believed that the best results had not yet been obtained, 

 and that it was desirable to introduce longer-tongued species. 

 Of American species Bombus americanorum and B. fervidus ap- 

 pear well adapted for this purpose. 



71 



