GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Self- Sterility of Sweet Cherries; the 

 Value of Bees as Pollinators 



The following from the Fruit Grower of 

 St. Joseph, Mo., April 1, 1916, is both in- 

 teresting and valuable. Statements of this 

 kind are not prejudiced in favor of the 

 bees, hence are of all the more value. 



It has become more and more apparent 

 during the past few years that a number of 

 varieties of sweet cherries grown commer- 

 ciallv in Oregon failed to bear, from no 

 apparent reason. This seeming mystery has 

 attracted so much attention that finally it 

 was decided by the state experiment station 

 authorities to make some experiments to 

 determine the cause, if possible. The first 

 of these experiments was undertaken pri- 

 marily for purposes of breeding tests, and 

 the results obtained pointed so clearly to 

 self-sterility that they were continued with 

 the idea of testing the latter condition, 

 rather than as a further breeding trial. 



The experiments were conducted, both at 

 The Dalles and Corvallis, with quite similar 

 results in each case. It was found that for 

 all practical purposes Bing, Lambert, and 

 Napoleon (Royal Ann) were self - sterile. 

 Cross-pollination was then tried, and they 

 were found to be also inter-sterile. The fact 

 which at first seemed to be somewhat mys- 

 terious, that this lack of fertility in the 

 blossoms was apparently only of recent occur- 

 rence, was finally explained by noting that 

 practically all the solid blocks of any size 

 had been planted within recent years, and 

 that the older orchards contained a greater 

 number of varieties, including a few seed- 

 lings in most cases. 



The most careful tests were made during 

 three years, and the following conclusions 

 were reached: It is necessary to set a num- 

 ber of varieties together in order to insure 

 pollination that will produce a profitable set- 

 ting of fruit. If there are a few trees of 

 Black Eepublican, Black Tartarian, or even 

 seedlings near the Bings, Lamberts, or 

 Napoleons, they should be allowed to re- 

 main, and if necessary a few trees may be 

 top-worked to these varieties in order to 

 provide pollinators. If nothing better can 

 be done until these latter can be secured, a 

 number of large branches of these known 

 pollinators may be cut and placed thruout 

 the orchard in pails or kegs of water, just 

 before the blossoms open. While this will 

 not be likely to give a maximum crop of 

 fruit, yet the results will probably be such 

 as to make it profitable. 



Probably about one tree in every six or 

 eight, scattered thru the blocks of Bing, 

 Lambert, or Napoleon, will be sufficient for 

 the purpose of pollination. It should be re- 

 membered that the three varieties named 

 are inter-sterile, as well as self -sterile. This 

 means that they will neither pollinate them- 

 Belves nor each other. Their pollen is not 

 of itself sterile, for it will fertilize a num- 



ber of other varieties, but is neutral when 

 applied to any of the three named. 



The method of fertilizing by means of 

 seedling branches cut off and placed upright 

 in receptacles of water thru the orchard, 

 was tried by one grower in 1914, and the 

 yield of his trees was increased to three 

 times what it had been previously. 



The importance of bees as agents for the 

 dissemination of pollen cannot be over- 

 emphasized. In the case mentioned a num- 

 ber of swarms of bees were placed thruout 

 the orchard along with the seedling branches 

 at blooming time. No matter what other 

 favorable conditions are present for cross- 

 pollination, it will not be effected unless 

 bees or other insects are present to carry 

 the pollen from tree to tree. There is no 

 doubt that many cherry orchards that are 

 now shy bearers could be greatly improved 

 by the introduction of a number of swarms 

 of bees. 



As pollinators for the Bing, Lambert, and 

 Napoleon, the Black Republican, Black Tar- 

 tarian, and Waterhouse take first rank, but 

 Elton, Wood, Coe, Major Francis, and Early 

 Purple were also found to be good, altho 

 somewhat variable in their results. 



At least some of the sour varieties of 

 cherries are capable of pollinating the sweet 

 cherries. The ability of a variety of cherry 

 to set fruit is not altogether dependent up- 

 on pollination. Soil and climatic conditions 

 are also factors in the case. While, so far 

 as we know, no experiments of this charac- 

 ter have been made in the Middle West, it 

 may be worth while to investigate along the 

 lines mapped out by the Oregon station. 



An Unfortunate Theory; More Proof 

 Needed 



Prop. H. A. Gossard, Entomologist of 

 our Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 Wooster, Ohio, and one for whom we have 

 a regard, has just issued a bulletin entitled 

 " The Role of Insects as Carriers of Fire- 

 blight." Since he attempts to prove that 

 the honeybee is eminently injurious in 

 spreading this disease, we desire to examine 

 his arguments. In doing this the editor ad- 

 mits, of course, his prejudice in favor of 

 the bee; but it is obvious that any attempt 

 to incriminate the bee should be backed by 

 proof; and in our opinion Professor Gos- 

 sard has come short in furnishing such 

 proof. 



He begins by quoting extensively from a 

 paper by Prof. M. C. Waite, of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, read before the 

 National Beekeepers' Association (32d an- 

 nual meeting, Buffalo, New York, Septem- 

 ber, 1901), in which this author gave his 

 evidence that the honej'bee can and does 

 carry blight. The editor remembers this 

 paper well, because he had the pleasure of 



