328 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



August 



from the stamens, where it is pro- 

 duced, to the stigma, and this at the 

 proper time. It has also been shown 

 by experimental science that the best 

 results are obtained wheu a flower is 

 fertilized with pollen from some other 

 plant of the same species. This is 

 known among botanists as cross-ferti- 

 lization. 



Many are the curious adaptations of 

 nature for securing this result; and 

 though when Sprengel first called at- 

 tention to the subject in 1798, his 

 crude attempts were passed by lightly, 

 modern investigation has revealed 

 therein the germs of a most wonder- 

 ful system. His statement that "na- 

 ture seems to have wished that no 

 flower should be fertilized by its own 

 pollen," a little too sweeping, has 

 been modified by Darwin to, "nature 

 abhors perpetual self-fertilization," 

 and in this form it has met with no 

 objection. 



Sometimes the stamiuate or pollen- 

 bearing flowers are on a seperate plant; 

 it is evident that these can only be fer- 

 tilized by the aid of insects or the 

 wind. Others with stamens and pistils 

 in the same flower are so arranged re- 

 latively that the pollen will not reach 

 the stigma unless aided; while many 

 still further guard against accident of 

 such undesirable union by maturing 

 stamens before the stigma is receptive 

 or vice versr. 



The wind-fertilized or anemophilous 

 flowers are characterized by their lack 

 of bright colors, odor or nectar, and 

 by the superabundance of light pol- 

 len. Many of our forest trees — in 

 fact all with blossoms in catkins ex- 

 cepting the willow belong to this class. 

 It will be seen that even though trees 

 mostly bloom before in full leaf, thus 



rendering the pollen more certain of 

 being carried to its destination. There 

 must be an immense amount of waste 

 in depending upon so indiscrirainating 

 an agency as the wind. And in .the 

 insect- fertilized or anemophilous blos- 

 soms is realized a more certain and 

 economical as well as an infinitely 

 more skillful means of accomplishing 

 the desired end. 



The latter class of flowers are shrewd 

 advertisers, and attractive colors, odor 

 or the presence of nectar, or a combin- 

 ation of two or more of these allure- 

 ments are frequently used. White or 

 yellow is a favorite color among night 

 bloomers, as the evening primrose; 

 these being more readily discerned in 

 the darkness than any other hues. 

 Frequently there are lines of another 

 shade or color termed "honey guides," 

 all pointing directly to the store-house 

 of nectar. These are especially prom- 

 inent in the trumpet vine. Again, 

 the corolla may be of irregular form, 

 as in most of the legumes. And no 

 wonder so many of these are favorites 

 with the bees; for the protruding lip 

 makes a most convenient resting place 

 from which they can sip at their ease 

 from the bounteous store of sweets. 

 Sometimes the flowers are too small 

 to be recognized at a distance. Here 

 comes the value of co-operation among 

 florets. Hence we have gay dande- 

 lions, each head of which contains 

 many tiny florets; plumose heads of 

 golden-rod, each containing innumer- 

 able individuals; and asters in circu- 

 lar heads of tiny flowers, each cluster 

 encircled by a row of purple or white 

 rayed larger flowers, which are sure 

 to attract attention. 



But of what use all this display I 

 A bee comes along, scrambles into the 



