1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEli CULTURE. 



01:5 



1 sent the honey to Dr. Wiley, of Washington, 

 and have just received the following report : 

 Serial No. VIVU. 



Polarization at 3S° - - - — 3 04 

 Glucose as dextrose. ... (5(5. .5:.' ■ 



Total solids, 84 37 ' 



Water, 1.5 (•)3' 



Ash. ].07' 



This analysis shows conclusively that this is 

 no adulteration. The polarization shows that 

 it could not have been adulterated with com- 

 mercial elucose. Like No. n.T of the samples I 

 sent to Washington in 1S'.»2. it will be seen that 

 the ash is abnormally abundant. One of the im- 

 portant results of the previous analyses was the 

 determination of a rule by which honey-dew 

 honey may be distinguished from honey adul- 

 terated with glucose. Now that our chemists 

 can surely detect adulteration, why should we 

 not all move in a solid body for the passage of a 

 Tnited Sta»es law. something like that of the 

 Paddock pure-food bill? and then with the Bee- 

 keepers' Union as a mighty power to enforce 

 law, we can surely stop the whole nefarious 

 work of honey adulteration, 

 ("laremont, Cal.. June 13. A. .1. Cook. 



[Yes. indeed. Prof. Cook, we ought to move 

 in a solid body for the passage of a United 

 States law— something like that of the Pad- 

 dock pure-food bill. The Paddock bill would 

 have gone through but for the moneyed influ- 

 ence, we fear, of those who are engaged in this 

 adulterating business — in adulterating foods of 

 all kinds, and putting a false label upon them. 

 -EdI 



POLLENATION OF PEAR-FLOWERS. 



TESTIMONY FROM A FRUIT-l'APEK. 



I send by this mail a marked copy of Smith's 

 Fruit Farmer, containing an article that I 

 thought might be available for the symposium 

 on ■■ Bees and Fruit.'" Articles like these, com- 

 ing from high authorities, who are not particu- 

 larly interested in bees, I think will have much 

 more weight than the same article if written by 

 one interested from a bee-keeper's standpoint. 



Bluffton, Mo., July 11. S. E. Millek. 



fWe have space foronly the summary, which, 

 as Mr. Miller says, coming from a source where 

 there is certainly no partiality toward the bees, 

 is more valuable. — Ed.] 



The following conclusions are, it is tliouglit, fully 

 warranted from the evidence wliicli has been g-iven, 

 and doubtless many who read this will recall obser- 

 vations in practical orcharding which give fiirthor 

 suppm-t. 



1. Many of the common varieties of pears require 

 cioss-pollenation, being partially or wholly inca- 

 pable of setting- fruit when limited to their own 

 pollen. 



2. Some varieties are capable of self-fertilization. 



3. Cross- pollenation is not acconipllshed by apply- 

 ing pollen from another tree of tlie same grafted 

 variety, but is secured by using pollen from one 

 tree of a distinct horticultural variety; i. e., wlilcli 

 has grown from a distinct seed. Pollen from an- 

 other tree of the same variety is no better than from 



tlie same tree. This failuic to fruit is due to the 

 sterility of tlie pollen and not to mechanical causes. 



4. The impoti'iicy of the pollen is not due to any 

 (leficieiicy of its ow'n. but to tlic lack of affinity of 

 the i)ollen and ovules of the sami- variety. 



5. The pollen of two varieties may be alisolutely 

 self-sterile, and at the same time perfectly cross- 

 fertile. 



ti. The state of nutrition of the tree, and its gen- 

 eral environment, affect its ability to set fruit either 

 with its own pollen or with that of another tree. 



7. Hees iind other insects are the agents for the 

 transportation of pollen 



H. Bad weathei' during flowering time has a de- 

 cidedly injurious influence on fruitage by keeping 

 away insect visitors, and al.so by affecting tlie 

 fecundation of the flowers; conversely, fine weathei- 

 favors rross-fertiliz;ition and the setting of fruit. 



9. Pears produced by self-fertilization are very 

 uniform in shape. They differ from cro.sses, not 

 only in size and shape, but also, in some cases, in 

 time of maturity and in flavor. 



10. Among the crosses the differences were slight 

 or variable, so that their variations are not to be 

 ascribed with certainty to the differences in pollen. 



11. Self-fecundated pears are deflcient in seed, 

 usually having only aborted seeds, while the crosses 

 are well supplied with sound seeds. 



12. Even with those varieties which ai-e capable of 

 self-fecundation, the pollen of another variety is 

 prepotent; and utdess the entrance of the foreign 

 pollen be prevented, tlie greater number of fruits 

 will be affeeted by it, as shown by the study of 

 Buffum peai-s. 



13. The normal typical fruits, and, in most cases, 

 the largest and finest specimens, either of the self- 

 sterile or self-fertile sorts, are crosses. 



PRAtTICAL CONCLUSIONS. 



1. Plant mi.xed orchards, or at least avoid plant- 

 ing solid blocks of one variety. It is not desirable 

 to have more than three or four rows of one variety 

 together, unless experience has shown it to be per- 

 fectly self-fertile. 



2. Where large blocks of one variety which blos- 

 somed well have failed to fruit for a series of years, 

 without any apparent reason, it is exceedingly 

 probable that the failure is due to the lack of cross- 

 pollenation. The remedy is, to graft in other va- 

 rieties and supply foreign pollen. 



3. Be sure that there are suflficient bees in the 

 neighborhood, or within two or three miles, to 

 properly visit the blossoms. When feasible, en- 

 deavor to favor insects' visits to the blossoms by 

 selecting sheltered situations or by planting wind- 

 breaks. 



BEES MOVING EGGS — GARNI - ITALIANS. 



AX INCIDENT SHOWING THAT BEES DO MOVE 

 EGGS. 



By Kmersoii T. Atihott. 



Willie Atchley has a long article on this sub- 

 ject in Gleanings, in which he claims that 

 bees never move eggs. The editor says he 

 would like to hear from the queen-breeders, 

 especially Doolittle. 



Now, I am not a queen-breeder, neither is 

 my name Doolittle: but I think I have positive 



