Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-20
MAKE IT AN OBJECT.
When Plants Want the Insects to Do
Certain Work for Them
THEY PUT ON COLOR AND PERFUME.
Natures Shrewd Scheme That Explains the
Beauty of Flowers.
BUSINESS METHODS In ODD PLACES
WRITTEN FOR THE D1sPATcH.1

1t is a popular impression that beautiful
things are not generally useful, and tina
beauty itself is only quality to charm tn
eye, and through it to please the mind, bu
in inself, of little Or no special utility. I
we believe that then we must also think tha
nature made many things with regard tt
looks alone, and that the beauties of flower
and leaf are, il not accidents, then only
ornaments of no service save to make th'
landscape more charming and the world 6
more delightful place to live in.
People formerly did believe that for it hal
only been in recent years that scientists have
learned that the colors and fragrance and, in
part, the form of many flowers. are OF
great value to them. 1t is now known
that in this, as in other matters, Mother
Nature does not tolerate useless things. In
general, it is true that every wild flower
that is brightly colored or fragrant, is so
from design, and that without something oil
that kind these flowers would cease to exist,
or. at best, greatly degenerate in few
years. The violet is not blue simply be-
cause it looks up at the blue skies of spring
time, or the spring beauty pink and white
because blossoms of that color will look
prettiest in the spring woods, nor does the
modest little forget-me-not, by the bank of a
woodland brook, give forth its delicate per-
fume simply because it wants to make the
air sweeter for everyone. There is nothing
accidental about these things. They all
have purpose; they all are of value to the
plant that possesses them.
.. A SIGN TO THE INSECTS.
The bright colors or the fragrance is sign
to the bees and butterflies and moths, and
enables these insects to be of particular serv-
ice to the flowers. All this class of plants
grow more vigorously by being cross-fertil-
lied, that is, by having some of the pollen,
that yellow dust of the anther, of one flower
carried to the stigma of another. Some OF
these plants have the pollen on one flower
and the stigma on another, and must depend
on some agency foreign to themselves to
carry the one to the other, for without pol
len no flower can produce fertile seeds. The
pollen is the fertilizing power giving to the
seeds the ability to grow, and without it no
seed natures 1t is to induce the various in
sects to perform this work OF cross-fertiIiza-
tion and to assist them in it that the flowers
of certain plants are brightly colored or fra
grant or peculiar in form.
Snowy flowers are more frequently visited
by insects than those that are not One
for example, has been known to have been
visited by 16 different species of insects
during the time that smaller and less con-
spicuous one (geranium pusillum) was
visited by one. Thus the more snowy flower
had 16 chances of fertilization to the others
one, and it doubtless needed that many
more, because of the difficulty of fertilizing
1t or the flowers disposition to sterility.
FRAGRANCE ALSO USEFUL
Fragrance is no less powerful than color
in attracting the class of insects adapted to
fertilize the flower that possesses it. Thus
one species of honeysuckle can only be fer
tilized by a species of night-fying moth,
and the honeysuckle fragrance is certain
guide to the moth that serves it. As a rule,
flowers with bright colors have little ira
GRANGE because they do not need it to attract
insects, while inconspicuous flowers or white
ones, like the retiring primrose, the white
jasmine, clematis, and others depen6upo
their fragrance as their attraction, nor do
they depend in vain. The cultivated flowers
do not, in all cases, have to depend on in
sect fertilization and this rule, accordingly,
does not always apply to them.
The great humble bee on a June day flies
from one head of red clover to another. He
does not waste time on the white clover or
daily about the daisies. He is after red
clover honey and the color is ready sign,
him to quickly find Just what he
wants. Because OF it he is kept from max
ing mistakes and losing time, and gathers
more honey and at the same time carries
pollen between larger number of flowers
than he could without it. Still more, it
keeps MIN from wasting the pollen on other
species of flowers. The color is therefore a
help to both bee and plant To use bust
ness expression the plant, by its color,
makes it an object for the bee to work for it.
A SIGN THAT BUSINESS IS OVER.
1t will be noticed, too, that the bees do
not visit those brownish blossoms, or rarely.
They know, unless it be some young ones
hat must learn the lessons of life BY trying,
Is children do, that the brownish blossoms
are fertilized and their honey gone. The
brown blossoms are of no use to the bee, or
,he bee to the blossom, and the changed color
prevents the waste of time that is valuable |
% both bee and plant. This change of color,
ike the color itself, is an economy of nature |
'erving well two very different orders of Gre |
ltion. 1t is more pronounced in some plants |
han others. The blossoms of the Lung
wort, plant common in many parts of this |
country, are at first purple and later become
,lue. The bees almost invariably visit the |
ouched. In Southern Brazil is species of
antana, the flowers of which are yellow the
rst day, orange the second, and purple the
bird, and Prot. Fritz Muller has observed
hat many butterflies visit the yellow, a
sw, probably inexperienced ones, the
range, and none the purple blossoms, show
ng that these insects depend upon the color
s guide to the fresh flowers.
The special colors of flowers and their
also have purpose. The
right, central eye of the forget-me-not en-
oles the insect to more quickly find the
ectaries. The lines and spots on pinks and
eraniums, all converging to the CENTER in
ke manner point out the opening of the
over so that the insect may go directly to
, thus saving time and assisting the insect
its work OF gathering food in order that
may fertilize larger number of flowers
PURELY SELFISH DEAL.
The consideration of the flower for the in
ct in this, as in all else, is purely selfish,
nd directed only to securing more service
ON it to the plants of the species. That
lis is the use ior which the beautiful colors
nd the sweet fragrance of flowers were
esigned is further shown by the fact that
lie large number of plants that do not need
lis cross-fertilization, have small and in
,nspicuous blossoms. Grasses of all kinds, :
r example, are fertilized by the wind, and !
, not need to expend strength and energy
snowy flowers.
The common chick-weed, (stellaria medal