78 MINNESOTA STATE HOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



my attention in which it seemed doubtful about the bees really 

 having done the work, and I do not wish to assert that they are 

 the only salvation for the self-sterile apple, pear and plum trees. 

 Nevertheless, their importance has been greatly under-estimated 

 hitherto, and I think we can afford to give them greater consider- 

 ation in the future. 



GENERAL RULES FOR MIXING. 



A question which is very commonly asked is this: "How far 

 apart should varieties stand for the best results in cross-pollina- 

 tion, and how should they be placed with reference to one another?" 

 When it was supposed that the wind was the principal agent in 

 cross-pollination it was usually recommended to plant the varieties 

 in rows east and west, so that the prevailing south wind of the 

 spring season could carry the pollen northward across the rows 

 Perhaps such an arrangement is still the best, since the wind prob- 

 ably has some influence in certain cases, and since the bees also 

 may travel more or less with the wind. 



With varieties which are distinctly self-sterile — and this is 

 especially true of plums — not more than three rows of one variety 

 should be planted next to one another. When a large plum tree 

 is in full blossom it presents <m extensive field for the activities 

 of even the most able-bodied bee. A bee is apt to get his load 

 from two or three such trees and go home to the hive. He may, 

 therefore, spend all his time on the Stoddard rows, without get- 

 ting across to the rows of Surprise waiting next in order. For 

 myself, I should think that in handling plums, alternate rows would 

 be more satisfactory, giving just a single row to each variety. 

 With apples and pears I should feel perfectly safe in putting two, 

 three or even four rows of a single variety, but more than that I 

 should regard as infringing on the limit of safety. 



CONCLUSION. 



In concluding this talk I feel like drawing a moral for more 

 general application. It seems to me that the problems connected 

 with the pollination of orchard fruits have been pretty well worked 

 out, the difficulties have been thoroughly fought over, and fairly 

 satisfactory conclusions have been reached in all the practical 

 questions involved. We are ready to go on to something else. 

 Thus the questions come up one by one. Each generation has its 

 own problems and its own difficulties, which it has to meet under 

 new conditions, and until one problem is solved a new one cannot 

 be taken up. We have to do our part for the progresive develop- 



