166 



HORTICULTURE FOR SCHOOLS 



pending on bees for pollination are said to be entomophilous, 

 and attract the bees by their odor and by their large showy 

 petals, 1 while wind-pollinated flowers are commonly small 

 and inconspicuous. 



262. Ways to distinguish good from poor pollen. It is of 

 value to the practical fruit-grower as 

 well as to the scientific worker to be 

 able to distinguish good from poor pol- 

 len without actually pollinating blos- 

 soms and waiting for the crop to set. 

 Microscopic examination (Fig. 105) is 



FIG. 105. Showing Van Teighem cell with pollen-grains mounted for examination 

 under a binocular microscope. 



a fairly accurate way of determining whether or not pollen is 

 viable. Artificial germination is a sure method. To deter- 



1 It is interesting to note in this connection that flowers supply bees not 

 only with nectar for honey-making, but with pollen for food as well. If bees 

 are watched for any length of time while they are at work on blossoms, they 

 will be seen gathering pollen and stuffing it in curious pocket-like arrange- 

 ments of bristles on the outside parts of the hind legs. The bee-bread found 

 in the brood combs is merely this pollen, which together with nectar and 

 honey constitute their food. These industrious insects distribute pollen so 

 economically that much less pollen is necessary to insure pollination and 

 fertilization in entomophilous plants than has to be produced by anemoph- 

 ilous plants for the same purpose. 



