THE AMER1CA_N JJEE JOURNAL. 



375 



blootn which preceded the fruit liad 

 live stigmas, each one of wliich com- 

 municated witli a dissepiment and re- 

 quired an independent fertilization. 

 Bees seelvins lioney would, by getting 

 their breasts (furnished as they are 

 with abundance of long-webbed hairs) 

 thoroughly dusted with apple pollen, 

 and Hitting to abloom whose stigmata 

 had reached the receptive condition, 

 bring about fertilization. It would, 

 however, frequently happen that three 

 or four of the stigmata only would be 

 pollinated. In this case an apple, 

 though an imperfect one, would be 

 produced. Trees agitated by the 

 winds frequently drop a quantity of 

 tlieir fruits, hence known as wind- 

 falls, but the actual cause of this 

 dropping is in by far the largest num- 

 ber of instances defective fertilization. 



In an examination made sometime 

 since, of a large number of windfalls, 

 less than 4. per cent, were found to 

 have fallen through injuries traceable 

 to insect pests, while the remainder 

 had received pollination in from one 

 to four dissepiments only. 



Fertilization is followed by a de- 

 termination of nutrition towards the 

 seeds, and tlie parenchyma of the 

 apple as a protective envelope gathers 

 around them. If, therefore, we cut a 

 defectively fertilized apple across the 

 middle, we find a hollow, shrunken 

 side lying over the unfertilized por- 

 tion cif the core. These facts taken 

 together show conclusively how com- 

 pletely our apple crop is dependent 

 upon insect agency, and amongst 

 these the hive-bee takes the most im- 

 portant place. 



In the case of the strawberry, the 

 parts popularly denominated seeds 

 which crowd its surface, are really 

 the fruits technically called achenia, 

 while the strawberry itself is really a 

 succulent development from the 

 flower-stalk. The stigma each of the 

 achenia carries must be fertilized by 

 insects which are attracted by the 

 lioney secreted by a ring of glands 

 situate at the base of the strawberry. 

 The anthers are wide set, and as the 

 insect vv'alks around the bloom apply- 

 ing its tongue to the circle of glands, 

 one side of its body is dusted with 

 pollen from the anthers, while the 

 other is applied to the stigmatic 

 faces. In passing from bloom to 

 bloom it frequently reverses the order 

 of its progression, sometimes going 

 around by turning to the right and 

 sometimes to the left ; as a result, tlie 

 pollen gathered upon one side of the 

 body is probably transferred to the 

 stigmas of the next flower visited. As 

 in the case of the apple, so liere, fer- 

 tilization determines nutrition. The 

 placentfe of the fertilized achenia in- 

 crease enormously, the strawberry 

 grows and matures, but where any of 

 tlie stigmas escape impregnation, 

 there the strawberry remains without 

 growth, while the other parts are 

 rapidly increasing around it. The 

 examination of a few fruits would be 

 sure to supply examples where in cir- 

 cumscribed spots no progress has 

 been made since the first full expan- 

 sion of the bloom. The achenia are 

 close set and green, and the flesh of 

 the strawberry is there crude and 



hard, while the rest is sweet, soft and 

 luscious. Imperfect insect work is 

 again the explanation, bringing be- 

 fore us the remarkable fact that no 

 lierfect strawberry can be produced 

 without, perhaps, from three to four 

 hundred indepoiident fertilizations, 

 accomplished, it may be, by the busy 

 hive-bee, whicli, in filling the niche 

 in whicli the great Creator has placed 

 it in unselfishly laboring in providing 

 for the wants of its younger sisters, 

 is unconsciously supplying to its mas- 

 ter not honey only, but honey and 

 fruit. 



The raspberry, although of another 

 type, somewhat resembles the straw- 

 berry in the multiplicity of its stigmas 

 (60 or 70 to each bloom), the wide set- 

 ting of its anthers (about 80 or 90 in 

 number), and its circle of honey- 

 glands. Similarly, too. the insect 

 visitor in seeking nectar passes be- 

 tween the anthers and stigmas, ap- 

 plying its right side to one and its 

 left to the otlier. Each seed fertilized 

 by these visits is soon surrounded by 

 the luscious envelope which protects 

 the seed from injury, and makes the 

 manufacture of raspberry jam a pos- 

 sibility. These rounded red masses 

 with their enclosed seeds, technically 

 called drupels, are never formed un- 

 less fertilization has taken place ; 

 neither ripening nor growth being 

 possible in its absence. We see then 

 in an aspect which may be new to 

 many of us. that this wondrous 

 scheme of Xature has correlations 

 which we never could have antici- 

 pated ; that a large part of the insect 

 world is complementary to plant-life, 

 and plants in turn tlie sustainers of 

 these insects ; and that man, although 

 he can plant his trees, is in no small 

 measure dependent for a crop, upon 

 the assistance of those little laborers, 

 which, by their unconquerable in- 

 dustry, supplied liis tal)le with sweets 

 for long ages before he discovered the 

 uses of the sugar-cane. 



London, England. 



Practical Farmer. 



Marketing Honey. 



W. 'i. I'HELrS. 



With those who make bee-culture a 

 specialty, the marketing of their 

 honey becomes a matter of much 

 concern. Even those who produce 

 honey in moderate amounts are some- 

 times puzzled how to dispose of it to 

 the best advantage. AVith a surplus 

 product of from 1,000 to C,000 pounds, 

 the difference of a half-cent per pound 

 in price amounts to quite a sum in 

 the aggregate. Style and neatness 

 in preparing either comb or extracted 

 honey for market, has an important 

 bearing upon the results.* If taken 

 into market in a soiled state, and 

 dealt out in a slovenly manner, no 

 one need expect remunierative prices. 

 This was well illustrated recently in 

 an adjoining city, where marketing 

 from wagons is still in vogue. One 

 producer offered his one pound sec- 

 tions of honey neatly placed in paper 

 boxes, with fancy labels, being both 

 attractive to the sight and handy for 



customers to carry to their homes. 

 His honey, hard as are the times, sold 

 readily, "wliili! that of another pro- 

 ducer," scarcely half a block away, 

 dealt out in "bniken masses and a 

 clumsy nianncr. hardly sold at all. 

 even though offered at much cheaper 

 rates. 



Style of package has much to do 

 with" quick sales nowadays, and this 

 is no less true in selling honey than 

 any other jiroduct. With some api- 

 arists the idea prevails that there is 

 an overproduction of honey . as of 

 almost every other production ; hence, 

 the dejiressed prices. Comb honey 

 now sells at from l.'j to 10 cents per 

 pound, wholesale, where a year or 

 two since it readily brought IS and 20 

 cents. But everything else is corres- 

 pondingly lower, it must be remem- 

 bered, and sales are slow in almost 

 every department of trade. It is 

 perhaps nearer tlie truth to assert 

 that the unsystematic methods of 

 producing and ottering honey for sale 

 has much to do with depressing the 

 honey market. The aforementioned 

 incident, of methods of honey selling, 

 will illustrate this point. 



But the main object of this article 

 is to suggest and impress upon those 

 who produce honey, the importance 

 of creating a honey market for honey. 

 Il is no wild assertion to state that 

 scarcely half the American people 

 make use of honey as an article of 

 diet. Its virtues and medicinal quali- 

 ties are, in fact, but little realized : 

 the fault lies at the door of the pro- 

 ducer. The introduction of honey 

 into general use as a staple article of 

 use only need be accomplished to 

 create a regular and continual de- 

 mand for it. This has been accom- 

 plished in various ways. Some bee- 

 keepeis have sent small, free samples 

 to each family, vi'ith statement of price 

 per pound, and in quantities. Others 

 have circulated small, neat pamphlets 

 (gotten up for the purpose), giving 

 the virtues and advantages of honey 

 versus the glucose and similar pro- 

 ducts. 



Again, enterprising apiarists have 

 put up their honey in small, pound 

 and half-pound jelly-glasses, which, 

 neatly labeled, generally meet with 

 quicli sales if placed at the country 

 groceries. Comb honey, if produced 

 in small sections, can likewise be 

 offered in the same way, placed in 

 20-pound cases with panes of glass 

 inserted in one side to show the snowy 

 combs. A little pains on the part of 

 the store-keeper in calling attention 

 to the honey will generally result in 

 disposing of a good quantity of it. 



All the methods given above may 

 be combined with siiccPss. A little 

 energy and push will accomplish much 

 in creating a home market, even in 

 small villages. When the miserable 

 glucose mixtures, falsely termed 

 "golden drip,"" etc., are superseded 

 by the daily use of pure honey, then 

 w'ill the many forms of disordered 

 stomachs and kindred complaints 

 (suiierinduced by the excess of acid 

 in these self-same glucose compounds) 

 cease, and health, wealth and happi- 

 ness ensue as a consequence. 

 Galena, c$ Md. v 



