THE INSECT POLLINATORS 211 



2. If yovir story is written, illustrate it by such drawings of petals and 

 flowers as seem to you desirable. 



3. Read: — 



The Pollination of Pomaceous Fruits, Yearbook Reprint 157. , 



The Cherry and the Plum 



Make a study of the structure of the blossom and its relation to 

 insect visitors in the case of the cherry or the plum. Follow- in a 

 general way the outline given above for the apple. 



The Strawberry 



1 . Examine a number of strawberry blossoms and see if you can find 

 some in which there are many pistils and but few stamens, and others 

 in which there are both pistils and stamens in abundance. 



2. Watch the flowers on a bright day to see what insects are visiting 

 them. Can you tell whether the insects are gathering nectar or pollen 

 or both. Do you see any pollen on the bodies or legs of the bees ? 



3. Watch a bee carefully as it goes from one flower to another. Would 

 it be likely that some pollen would be brushed upon the stigmas as the 

 bee gathers nectar ? 



4. How does the length of the blossoming period of the strawberry 

 compare with that of the apple ? Are there more days for the bees to 

 cross-poUenize the strawberry than the apple ? 



5. Tie a bit of mosquito netting or cheesecloth over one of the 

 pistillate strawberry blossoms before it opens so as to exclude any insect 

 visitor. See if a well-developed strawberry is formed after the petals 

 fall off. 



B 



1. Tell or write a little story with some such title as this : The 

 Strawberry and the Bees. Show how much we owe to the bees for 

 carrying the pollen from flower to flower. 



2. Illustrate your story with drawings of bees and strawberry blos- 

 soms. 



Cucumbers and Squashes 



A 



I . Examine carefully all the flowers upon a single long stem of a 

 cucumber, squash, pumpkin, or melon plant. How many of the 



