The authors state that insect visits are essential to the 

 proper pollination of the alfalfa flowers. They state 

 that hunible laees are the most efficient of all insects in 

 setting off the explosive mechanism and hence in "bringing 

 ahoixt pollination. Honey hees though not nearly so effect* 

 ive as humlDle hees should not he under rated in this conn- 

 ection. Wild bees (Andrena spp. and Megachile spp.) and 

 various hutterflies are also valuable agents in pollinat- 

 ing alfalfa flowers. 



A brief discussion of results obtained at Arlington 

 Experimental Parm and at Chico, California by the U. S. 

 Dept. of Agri . is given. The results show that when 

 alfalfa flowers were artificially pollinated on the Arl- 

 ington Farm Twenty-five and one half per cent more pods 

 were produced than when the flowers were not artificially 

 pollinated. At Chico, Calif, a row of alfalfa plants 

 artificially pollinated produced 129^ more pods than the 

 plants in the row not artificially pollinated. 



Medicago Plowers Tripping Historical Resume' 



(Report of American Breeders' Association, 1909) 

 A report of questions submitted to men engaged in 

 alfalfa breeding in different parts of the United States, 

 is given by the committee in charge of breeding forage 

 crops of which Prof. C. V. Piper was chairman. The opin- 

 ion of the different alfalfa breeders, in regard to the 



(72) 



