The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-11-18
What Bees Accomplish.

Nv far the most serious difficulty in
the process of honey collecting BY bees
arises from the extremely minute guam
tity of nectar which each flower yields,
and from its being dilute-in some cases
so moor in saccnarine matter that its
sweetness is not appreciable to the
tonoue. The strength of the sugary
fluid varies in different flowers, and
even in the same flower at different
times. Consequently the most direct
way of estimating the yield of honey is
to ascertain the actual quantity of sugar
in each flower. This can easily be done
bv chemical methods. If we take q
large number of flowers, wash out their
nectar and determine the sugar in the
solution, we can calculate from the
number of flowers used the average
amount of sugar in each flower with the
greatest precision.
Experiments conducted in this way
showed each flower of the fuchsia to
contain little more than the tenth part
of a grain of sugar. In monkshood the
amount was rather less than the tenth
part of a grain. while in the everlasting
pea it was found to be rather three.
| twentieths of a grain for each flower,
In smaller flowers the quantity is pro.
| portionately less. Thus each flower Of
the little naturalized American water
blink only contained six-hundredths Of
| a grain, and in those minute flowers
| which grow together in compact mass
es the amount was still smaller. a
racine, consisting of twenty flowers O
the vetch, only yielded tive-hundredth'
of a grain. or a little over one hve
hundreth for each floret. One head o
common red clover gave little ove1
one tenth of a grain (exactly .1224)
Now each head of clover contains abou
sixty distinct flower tubes. each o
which must therefore have portion o
sugar not exceeding the one five
hundredth part of grain. Th
proboscis of the bee must con
seauently be inserted into five hundre'
clover tubes before one grain OF suga
can be obtained. There are 1000 gram
in a pound. so that for every pound Q
sugar procured in this way 3,5OO,OO
flower tubes must be emptied. Honey
however, only contains three-fourths
its weight of dry sugar; so that ever
pound of honey is equivalent to NOR
than two and half millions OF Glove
tubes sucked by bees.
This shows what an amazing amour
of labor they must perform. Their II
dustry would appear to be indlsPenss
BILE to their very existence. Ines
amounts also reveal to what an exter
the visitation of flowers must so on
, the insect world, and help us to unde
stand how it is that flowers are SO d.
. pendant on 'insects for fertilization,
that we can well believe the forms
r flowers to have been determined in re
erence to the insects frequenting then
: and that the colors of the petals ms
e serve to attract insects by way OF a
e vertisement, as colored bills attract tt
e ewes of busy men. This view OF the u
8 of color and odor in flowers may see
n to smack too much of trade and cor
= merce, nevertheless it is the view
n which science now gives undivid'
i support. We have been so long acct
j. toned to look on the beauty of t
It floral world as if it we're exclusively
e mans qualification, that it is difficl
=. for us to believe that the delicate
,e perfumed and snowy petals of the re
le and lily should be primarily intend
Y for the benefit of the plant possessi
" them. But it must be remember
n that each organism lives for itself. b
its own laws, and does not possess q
organ which is exclusively for the :
a vantage OF another. Good Words.