orchard, 
- 25 - 
At least one stand of bees should be provided for each acre of 
Cranberry 
Darro.v, G. M., Franklin, H. J., and Malde, 0. G. 
1924. Establishing cranberry fields. U. S. Dept . Agr. Farmers' Bui. 
1400, 37 pp. 
pp. 9-10: Results of investigations by the Massachusetts Agri- 
cultural Experiment Station indicate that in that State cranberry 
blossoms are pollinated by bees. Bumblebees and honey-bees seem to be 
the c hief agents of pollination . As th e former are not always abun - 
dant many growers keop small apiaries . 
Bees are not common in the cranberry region of Wisconsin, and 
experiments and observations by representatives of the Wisconsin 
Agricultural Experiment Station indicate that though they help in 
pollination they are not necessary in that State under normal con- 
ditions. The cranberry blossoms there seem to be practically self- 
fertile. After the flower bud opens ... the pistil grows past the 
anthers and may be fertilized then or later as the flower is jostled 
by the wind. E ven in Wisco ns in bees may be of great value in hasten - 
ing po lli nation, t h us insuri ng uniformity in the time of setting and 
maturing the _ fruit . Without insect aid the pollination is apt to 
extend over a long; period and the fruit likely to mature unevenl y. 
Cucumber 
Beattie, W. R. 
1942. Cucumber growing. U.S. Dept. Agr. Farmers' Bui. 1563, 25 pp. 
pp. 12.-13: Pollina t ion , or the setting of fruit, on cucumber 
vines is dep end en t upon some outs ide agen c y such as bee s. Two kinds of 
flowers are found on every fruiting cucumber plant — the male ones . . . 
which supply the pollen, and the female ones... which produce the 
cucumbers. They can be readily distinguished, as the female flower is 
borne on the outer end of the little cucumber. Usually the male flowers 
appear in great abundance in advance of the female flowers, which 
leads to the erroneous notion that the cucumbers are failing to set 
fruit. Later, the female flowers appear, and fruit is formed. Cucum - 
bers g rown in the field are po llina ted by eithe r tame o r wild bees 
from the neighborhood . Under favorable conditions, cucumbers grown in 
frames may be pollinated by natural agencies, but the sash-cucumber 
growe rs of the Norfolk distri c t prov i de hives of bees near their 
frames when the cuc umbers are s et tin g, in o rder to insure perfect pol - 
lination . Without proper pollinat ion the cu c umbers are deformed, or 
at le ast _ a__consider abl e 1 p ercentage of nubbins a re produ ce d. In local - 
itie s wh ere b e es a re_ scar ce_ i t is advisabl e fo r the growers c f c u cum- 
bers in fields to keep bees, in order to insure pollination. 
sTE PLANT BOA*" 
