194 ODD HOURS WITH NATURE 



a process which causes the anthers and stigma to 

 emerge, and length of proboscis to reach the far 

 extremity of the flower after it has pushed past 

 the organs, fertilizing them in the by-going. All 

 these the short -nosed bees get at by biting a 

 hole through the protecting petal close to the 

 point where the honey is stored. Where the bees 

 known to science as Bom bus orrestris and B. pra- 

 torum abound it will be found that a large propor- 

 tion of the flowers of peas and beans have been 

 pierced in this fashion. As most of the flowers, 

 nevertheless, set seed it is to be presumed that 

 honest bees played their part before the robber 

 came upon the scene, or perhaps failing to notice 

 that she had opened an easy. way, after her. 



If you are growing food plants it is a very 

 important matter that the flowers should be 

 properly fertilized by the bees. If, on the other 

 hand, you are merely growing flowers for their 

 own sake as flowers, a visit from the bees is of 

 no value, and is even undesirable. A flower which 

 is fertilized has a shorter life as a flower than one 

 which is not. The moment a flower has been 

 fertilized its purpose in the life-history of the 

 plant has been served. It has the double purpose 

 of protecting the essential organs and attracting 

 the bees to them ; and when fertilization has 

 taken place with the deposit of pollen on the 

 stigma no more attention from the bees is wanted, 

 and in a very few hours the protection of the 

 organs ceases to be essential. In the flower- 

 garden, therefore, the robber bee plays no bad 

 part. 



