1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



761 



permanent injury. Some years 

 they would not be nipped at all; 

 then, sometimes, in our coldest win- 

 ters they would not be injured, es- 

 pecially when planted in a protect- 

 ed situation, or when encased in a 

 blanket or burlap covering. 



Fig. 1 shows our finest specimens 

 as they appeared two years ago, and 

 Fig. 2 shows one of the same plants 

 in .July of this year when it had 

 been "blooming" two weeks. The 

 foliage had been pretty severely 

 touched by frost last winter, but 

 that is not the entire reason that 

 the plant has such a woebegone ap- 

 pearance. With this banana, as 

 with the well-known century-plant, 

 when it comes to its period of frui- 

 tion it seems to withdraw all sus- 

 tenance fro m its foliage, and throws 

 its entire life into its flower-stem and 

 blossoms. Every thing about it 

 seems to wither and die except the 

 trunk and the apex of the flower. 

 There is no pyrotechnic display 

 about the blooming of the banana. 

 The tip of the flower-cluster stealth- 

 ily pushes itself from among the 

 leaves and soon curves downward. 

 A new flower is constantly being 

 pushed from out the center of the 

 cluster. No matter how often you 

 look within the opening, be it now 

 or two months hence, the flower 

 looks just the same; and if you are 

 not a careful observer you will 

 probably imagine that it is the 

 identical flower you last saw. A dozen — 

 yea, a score — might have unfolded and 

 yielded their pollen to the bees in that time. 

 To illustrate. Fig. 3 was taken Oct. 1, some 

 months after Fig. 2, and yet the period of 

 inflorescence had not yet reached its climax. 



In order to show one of these flowers in 

 detail 1 took a long butcher-knife and cut 

 through the flower lengthwise and removed 

 a few of the petals, and bent some others 

 well backward, as pictured in Fig. 4. The 

 flower is in bloom where the middle row of 

 anthers or stamens shows. The petals at 

 this stage reflex so as to open up the flower 

 to give light and air to the wonderful floral 

 mechanism; also to invite bees and other 

 pollinizing insects to come and revel in the 

 greatest mass of pollen produced by any sin- 

 gle flower in the world. It is no exaggera- 

 tion, and I have no fear of being cast into 

 the Ananias Club when I state that the 

 pollen in one of these circles or whorls may 

 be gathered up with a teaspoon. I did not 

 measure the amount, but I should judge 

 there would be several spoonfuls. It is 

 mostly of a coarse texture — far heavier in 

 grain than any other pollen I e\er saw. 

 Nevertheless, bees pile right into it as they 

 would into a meal-sack, and load up with 

 the dust; but there seems to be some of this 

 pollen-grain that is finer than others. I be- 

 lieve that the coarse grains burst as they 



reach maturity, and thus provide the fine 



FIG. 2. — THE BANANA IN BLOSSOM IN .TI'LY OF 

 THIS YEAR. 



fertilizing pollen; but I did not investigate 

 this. By reference to the same figure it will 

 be noticed that the stamens shown where a 

 petal was removed from an unopened flower 

 are large and plump. At this stage, what 

 appears to be a single anther is in reality 

 several — two or three — and they enclose the 

 pistil. When the flower opens they expand 

 or burst, and liberate the pollen as shown 

 in the second or middle row of anthers. I 

 suppose each group of these anthers and 

 pistils makes a complete flower, for it is they 

 that make the fruit. You will notice by 

 observing a cluster of bananas that the fruit 

 is attached to the stem in successive rings 

 or layers. And it is this manner of bloom- 

 ing that so produces the fruit. Wonderful 

 is the banana! But the way it gives forth 

 its nectar is still more wonderful. While 

 the bees may get some of this sweet by 

 climbing into the flower they do not have 

 to do so altogether, for it comes in a con- 

 stant stream, though not over-copiously, 

 from the apex of the cone, which is always 

 downward, as shown in Fig. 2. 



Will it be profitable to plant this banana 

 for bees? No, I hardly think it would. I 

 know I would not think of doing so, though 

 1 should surely want a few about the apiary 

 for the ornamental effect they would pro- 

 duce. Where shade is wanted for hive- 

 stands their leaves would be serviceable, 



Oakland, Cal. 



