340 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



June 2, 



surface of the abdomen of the ordinary bedbug that, judging 

 from its structure, must have something to do with mak- 

 ing a noise. Why not for the purpose of letting other bed- 

 bugs hear ? 



In the case of the mosquito hearing seems to be by means 

 of the antennsB. These, as every one who will take the 

 trouble to examine may see, are delicate structures which in 

 the male are covered with fine hairs — feathered would be a 

 better expression — and are affected by every little wave of air. 

 Not many years ago a certain scientist succeeded in cutting 

 the head and antennic of mosquitoes, and a large number of 

 other kinds of insects, into fine slices so that they could be 

 more easily studied by observation through a microscope. He 

 was able to make out the nerves and the nerve-fibers running 

 from the brain into the antennae and connecting with the 

 bases of bristle-like and hair-like structures on the joints of 

 the antennse. Some of these structures were found to be sit- 

 uated on the top of the joints of the antennae nearest the bead, 

 so that when the joint In front moved Its base would strike 

 against the tips of the structures. This would be equivalent 

 to a touch, and would be carried through the nerve fiber to 

 the brain. 



As all of our higher senses — hearing, sight, taste, and 

 smell — are really nothing more than a highly developt or modi- 

 fied sense of touch, there is little reason for not calling these 

 hair-like organs of the mosquito's antennas, organs of hear- 

 ing. Organs very similar to them were found In greater or 

 less abundance in nearly all the insects studied by the scien- 

 tist, even in those having what have been called organs of 

 hearing on the abdomen. They were found In insects closely 

 related to the honey-bee, and there seems therefore good rea- 

 son to believe that any person properly trained in the methods 

 of using the microscope would be able to find similar struc- 

 tures in the bee's antennas. District of Columbia. 



Bees In Relation to Flowers and Fruits. 



BY TH08. WM. COWAN. 



(Belu'erfd at the Unii'ersity Kttnnerf<' Inftitutt' at Pacific Qrot'c, Valif.) 



Most of us know that bees gather both pollen and nectar 

 from blossoms, but it is not generally known why the wants 

 of bees are supplied by the floral world. The answer to this 

 question reveals to us a new meaning to the existence of these 

 insects. Plants blossom in order that seed may be produced 

 and perfected, and the race continued. Before the seed can 

 be produced, pollen borne by anthers must be placed on a cer- 

 tain special part called the stigma. Should the pollen be of a 

 suitable kind, and the stigma in a receptive condition, a deli- 

 cate thread called a pollen-tube is thrown out by the pollen 

 granule into the seed-vessel, by which the seed becomes ferti- 

 lized, and, when mature, capable of germination. 



Let us examine a flower and bear in mind the arrange- 

 ment of the different parts. The calyx is the outer green cup, 

 the cover of the bud, and expands as the flower opens, show- 

 ing its sepals. In some flowers, as In the fuchsia and lark- 

 spur, the calyx is colored. Then we see the corrolla made up 

 of petals. This is the most ornamental and conspicuous part 

 of the flower. 



Just within the corolla are situated the reproductive or- 

 gans. They consist of stamens and a pistil. The stamens 

 are slender filaments surmounted by a pouch bearing pollen, 

 and these are the male organs, while the pistil in the center is 

 the female organ of the flower. This consists of an ovary con- 

 taining the ovules or undevelopt seeds, and one or more 

 thread-like styles arising from it, and each terminating with 

 a fleshy stigma. The great majority of flowers possess both 

 anthers and stigmas, thus carrying the two sexes within them- 

 selves. From this we might suppose that the form of the 

 flower would be such as to secure the transmission of Its pol- 

 len to the stigma in order that the end of its being may be 

 accomplisht. The older scientists thought so, and were puz- 

 zled to explain the various forms of blossoms they examined. 



Very vague ideas prevailed as to how the pollen was car- 

 ried to the stigmas. It was at first thought that the pollen 

 simply fell on the pistil; but when it was found that in some 

 cases the stamens and pistils were on separate plants, the 

 question arose. How could the pollen be transferred at such 

 great distances ? It was only toward the close of the last 

 century that Sprengel, after devoting a long time to patient 

 investigation, came to the conclusion that the structure of a 

 large number of blossoms was such as to prevent the flower 

 being fertilized by its own pollen. Very little attention was 

 paid to this until within the last half century, when the re- 

 searches of Hlldebrand, Delpino, Hermann Muller, and, above 

 all, Charles Darwin, threw new light upon the matter. We 

 now know that conspicuous flowers, generally speaking, are 



especially arranged to prevent, or at any rate impede, fertili- 

 zation by pollen which they themselves produce, while mar- 

 velous contrivances are found to secure pollen from some 

 other plant or flower of the same species. Among those that 

 have been studied there are a few apparent exceptions, but 

 these under renewed examination are frequently revealing 

 unsuspected adaptations to cross-fertilization. The protest 

 made by nature against continuous in-breeding applies no less 

 to plants than to animals, to flowers as well as bees. But as 

 blossoms are fixt, and incapable of locomotion, it may askt, 

 How is the fertilizing dust carried from one plant to another ? 



Insect Agency. — In some instances it is carried by the 

 wind, and such plants are called anemopliilous. Among them 

 we find Indian corn, wheat, barley, grasses, hazels, pines and 

 others. Anemophllous plants, as a rule, bear Inconspicuous 

 flowers. In the Indian corn the sexes are produced on differ- 

 ent parts of the plant. The pistils are the threads projecting 

 from the ear, while the stamens are the tassels at the top. 

 Such plants produce a very large quantity of pollen so as to 

 insure each blossom having a sufficient number of granules to 

 secure fertilization. But Sprengel was able to show that by 

 far the larger number of flowering plants confide to insects 

 the duty of bringing about those unions which, without them, 

 would never be effected. The whole family of apidiv among 

 insects is found to be most useful for this purpose, and of 

 these Apis vielliflca — our common houey-bee — stands out par 

 excellence as the complement of the blossom. It has been 

 shown that in the spring, when fruit-trees are generally in 

 bloom, there are 20 bees flying and visiting the flowers to one 

 of any other kind of insect. 



As insects are necessary to the existence of most plants, 

 the flower secures their visits by offering them pollen and nec- 

 tar served in the most attractive fashion. Pollen is necessary 

 for the flowers themselves, but it is produced in such profu- 

 sion that there is more than enough for their purpose, some of 

 the surplus going toward the flesh-forming food of the bee. 

 Nectar, however. In most cases, is yielded solely for the benefit 

 of the bee, and is the reward for her work. We thus see that 

 Insects perpetuate flowering plants and flowers continue the 

 existence of insects, both being vitally dependent upon each 

 other. The main function of the highly decorative corolla is 

 to attract insects, but the anthers and stigma are absolutely 

 necessary to secure the reproduction of the plant. 



Character of Pollen. — Pollen contained in the anthers 

 of various flowers differs greatly in form, color and size. In 

 wind-fertilized flowers It is dry, but in entomophllous or insect- 

 fertilized plants the granules are coated with an oily sub- 

 stance which gives them adhesiveness, and enables them to 

 stick to the body of the bee. The stigma, when ripe or in a 

 receptive condition, has a moist surface. When a pollen- 

 grain comes in contact with this, it receives nourishment and 

 the exterior coat bursts, while the interior protrudes and de- 

 velops a tube which passes through the pistil with remarkable 

 rapidity into the cavity of the ovary, sometimes to great dis- 

 tances, as In the crocus, in which the style is frequently five 

 or six inches long. The pollen-tube enters the ovule by an 

 opening called a micropyle, which It has unerringly found in 

 the darkness. Every ovule requires a pollen-tube to fertilize 

 It, but usually many more are produced than can be utilized. 

 (Continued next weeii.) 



Does Bee-Keeplng Pay ? — A 17-Years' Report. 



BY WM. STOLLEY-. 



On page 33 Mr. C. P. Dadant has a very interesting arti- 

 cle, showing the outcome for one year in an apiary of 80 colo- 

 nies, managed by expert bee-keepers, such as the Messrs. 

 Dadants are. It may interest some " farmer bee-keepers " 

 how bee-keeping paid me in 17 years, since I did not know 

 anything at all about bees when I began, but being an enthu- 

 siast I no doubt spent a great deal more work on my bees 

 than probably really was required until years of experience 

 taught me better. And yet, I see that while Mr. Dadant 

 figures on but 19 '^ days worif with SO colonies of bees during 

 the entire season, I workt in all about 28 days with only 

 28 colonies, spring count, in 1897, and I had a boy to help 

 me at times, besides, when my heavy hives had to be lifted. 



I have kept a very accurate account of all money ex- 

 pended, as well as of the money realized out of bee-keeping in 

 the 17 years. Before I present my statement, I will say that 

 I figure all my surplus honey secured at 15 cents per pound, 

 including what of it was consumed in our household, for that 

 Is the price I sell for, and for years I sold all I had at even 25 

 cents per pound. I have, and aim to keep, my customers who 

 will buy only from me, knowing that they will get the pure 



