264 BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



ring during the germination of seeds, and in leaves 

 when stimulated by light, we should expect sugar to 

 be present in considerable quantities in flowers, where 

 growth is so rapid, and cell energy so apparent. 

 Many careful observations, made of late years, by 

 botanists, in various countries, have shown, amongst 

 other interesting facts connected with the existence 

 of nectar in plants, that flowers contain it in quantity, 

 in their tissues, even when no nectary is present to 

 secrete it; and also that, in vegetative organs, quite 

 apart from the inflorescence, nectaries are occasionally 

 present — e.g., in the bracken fern {Pteris aquilina), 

 nectar flows from small, pale swellings at the bases 

 of the secondary petioles ; and the stipules (or leaflets 

 on the leaf-stalk) of beans are nectariferous, as are 

 also small glandular prominences on the leaf-stalk of 

 a species of Prunus, and little, brownish pittings in 

 the leaf-blade of some laurels. From the latter I have 

 sometimes seen hive bees gathering industriously, 

 while their visits to bean stipules are quite en regie. 

 It is here very interesting, while practically important, 

 to note, that experiment has shown that emission of 

 water vapour into the atmosphere, and emission of 

 nectar on the surface of the nectary, are so related, that 

 what favours the one retards the other, the damaging 

 effect of a prevailing east wind being thus perfectly 

 explained. In the flowers, nectar is usually furnished 

 most abundantly in the early morning, diminished 

 till afternoon, and again increased towards evening. 

 Although high temperature favours secretion, flowers 

 of the same kind yield larger amounts in colder than 

 in warmer climates. 



