olDject, a comparatively small proportion of the flowers 

 produced pods. In other words, this experim.ent indicates 

 that when the staminal column only moves from its original 

 position to the curved position it assixmes when tripped, 

 without ruhhing the stigma and pollen against the ohject 

 tripping the flower or the standard. The percentage of pods 

 produced is much less than when the flowers are tripped in 

 the ordinary way. 



Pods and Seed Produc ed Pro m Autom atica lly Tripped Plowers. 



The term automatically tripped is applied to an alfalfa 

 flower which has "become tripped without the aid of insects 

 or any other external agency. 



The results of the experiments which have "been recorded 

 in this report indicate that the presence of honey gathering 

 insects, which trip the flowers that they visit, under at 

 least some conditions is essential in alfalfa fields where 

 seed is to he produced. In the fields alDOut Pullman, Wash, 

 there are usually a considerahle numher of honey gathering 

 insects flying about when the flowere are in bloom. On the 

 other hand, there are certain localities in the Northwest, 

 where alfalfa seed is produced, sometimes in verj'- large 

 quantities, though honeybees and bumblebees are quite rare. 



In the vicinity of Chinook, Montana, several car loads 

 of alfalfa seed were produced in 1908, and also in some other 

 years, though honey gathering insects were almost entirely 



(28) 



