DE3GRIPTI0I OF EXPBP.IFiEITTo AUD SIogUSSIOH 0? THE 



RESULTS. 



Comparative Proportions of glovjers Producing oeed 

 ^J^d-er natural Conditions when ?rot eo ted from 

 Insects and when Artificially Tripped. 



In order to find out something in regard 

 to the manner in which the alfalfa flowers become 

 tripped, and what the effect of excluding insects 

 from the plants is. an experiment was planned and 

 carried out in 1907 and was repeated in 1908. 1909 

 and 1910. A considerable number of alfalfa plants 

 were used in carrying out this experiment. 



The stems of each plant were divided into 

 three groups each having an approximately equal num- 

 ber of flowers. The flowers on the first group of 

 branches v^fere left to develop under natural condi- 

 tions. The other two groups of branches were en- 

 closed in a small tent or cage made of a fine-meshed 

 mosquito netting or tarlatan having about twenty-four 

 meshes to the inch, which effectually excluded all 

 honey gathering insects. The flowers on one of these 

 groups of branches were left to develop with no other 

 treatment than to exclude insects. On the third 

 group of branches a number of flowers were artificially 



tripped by means of a toothpick, green alfalfa stem or 



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