BEES AND HORTICULTURE, 457 



of the common varieties of pears require cross-pollination, being 

 partially or wholly incapable of setting fruit when limited to their 

 own pollen. Varieties that are absolutely self-sterile may be per- 

 fectly cross-fertile. 



Pollen is transported from tree to tree by bees and other in- 

 sects, and not by the wind. Bad weather during flowering time has 

 a decidedly injurious influence on fruitage by keeping away insect 

 visitors and affecting the fecundation of the flowers, and, conversely, 

 fine weather favors cross-pollination and the setting of fruit. 



The normal typical fruits and, in most cases, the largest and 

 finest specimens from both the so-called self-sterile and self-fertile 

 varieties are crosses. 



The apples resulting from some of the experiments were col- 

 lected and studied, and the results were found to be parallel with 

 those obtained in the experiments with pears, the crosses being 

 larger, more highly colored and better supplied with seed. For 

 example, the hand-crossed Baldwin apples were highly colored, well 

 matured and contained abundant seeds, while the self-fertilized 

 fruits were only slightly colored, were but one-fourth or two-thirds 

 the regular size and seedless. The crosses were, in other words, 

 lik'e the better specimens of apples not bagged from the same tree, 

 and the self-fertilized fruits corresponded with the undersized, poor- 

 ly-colored specimens. 



The number of insect visitors in any orchard determines to a 

 great extent the amount of cross-pollination carried on. The 

 pollen of the pear and the apple is not produced in sufficient 

 quantity nor is it of the right consistency to be carried by the wind, 

 and the pollination of these trees is therefore dependent on the 

 activity of insects. In an ordinary spring there is usually an abund- 

 ance of these insects to thoroughly cross-pollinate orchards of a 

 few hundred trees, but in the case of large commercial orchards, 

 especially where several are close to each other, there is not a suffi- 

 cient number of insects for cross-pollination when the main body of 

 trees is in bloom if there is no apiary in the neighborhood. There- 

 fore, each large orchardist should keep a number of hives of bees. 

 Honey bees and other members of the bee family are the best 

 workers in cross-pollination. 



Be sure there are sufficient bees in the neighborhood, or at least 

 within two or three miles, to properly visit the blossoms. When 

 possible, endeavor to favor the bees by selecting sheltered situations 

 for the orchard or by planting windbreaks. — Prof. M. B. Waite in 

 Year Book Dept. of Ag. 1898. 



