The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-04-05
THE HONEY BEE.
Its Usefulness to the Orchardist and
Small FruitgroWer.
Crank Adelbert, Somers.)

oman TTultSTOWST.
Crank Adelbert, Somers.)
There is no industry so intimately
connected with horticulture as is api-
culture, for the blossoms of trees and
plants which supply bees with honey
and pollen, thereby enabling the bees
to exist, receive in turn cross pollen
alton, which secures the perpetuation |
of their species. AS the same general |
laws govern both the vegetable and |
animal kingdoms, it is comparatively |
easy for farmers and beekeepers to |
understand the rudimentary principles |
of plant and fruit propagation. In order |
to determine the value of honey bees !
to fruitgrowers, we will go to the or
chard on a sunny day in spring when
the trees are in bloom and the merry |
hum of bees is heard among the ]
branches, and as we stand there,
watching the bees flying from bios
som to blossom, we observe the &C
emulation of pollen on the outside
of the bees hind legs, or pollen bas-
kets. This pollen, which had form
erly been mistaken as the source of
wax, is the surplus pollen obtained
from the blossoms and conveyed to
the hive, to enter into the compost
ton of larval food.
But the gathering of pollen is not
the real mission of the honey bee.
The pollen grain, possessing some
points of similarity to seed,
requires for it's termination such sur
roundings as are best adapted for it's
growth. These conditions are found
in the stigma of another plant bios
som. AS many varieties of flowers
are almost sterile to their own pollen,
they require fertilization with pollen
of another variety.
The usual agents employed by ma
ture to carry pollen from the flowers
OF one plant to the flowers of an
other, or from one tree to another, is
either wind or winged insects AS
honey bees are valuable not only to
fruitgrowers, but also to farmers and
beekeepers, we will give them our
first consideration.
The main object of bees visit to
flowers is nectar. Pollen, which is
used in brooo rearing, is very often
but a secondary matter. When it is
seen that some flowers provide no
attraction to bees and are not visited
by them, it may be safely concluded
that they are either fertile to Lneir
own pollen or do not require cross
pollenation for their propagation; for
flowers depending on bees for cross
ot+ of Inv hoi
beautiful colors and their pollen, but
above all by the nectar they secrete
While bees can distinguish color
they are guided when in search OF
money bearing flowers apparently as
much by their sense of smell as by
their organs of sight After having
found satisfactory foraging grounds
the bees appear to be guided by sigh
only Were it not that fruit blossoms
supplied nectar, they would stand bu
poor chance of being visited b!
bees should other flowers furnishing
both pollen and honey open at thu
same time in sufficient numbers tt
engage the attention of the bees.
AS oss-pollenation is in mos
cases either beneficial or necessar,
to many varieties of fruits to insur
their perfect development, nature ha
so constructed the blossoms that bee
cannot gain access to the odorou
nectar secreted in it's center withou
coming in contact with the poller
bearing anthers surrounding it.
order to secure the proper distribr
ton of pollen, nature has fitted tn
bee with a coat of fine hair, to whic
the pollen adheres, and is carrie
from one blossom to be partly los
on the stigma of the next, and
this is of another variety it is eros
pollenated.
On the stigma of the blossom al
found the conditions necessary fc
the termination of the pollen grail
Here it begins it's growth downwar
until it reaches the ovaries, Whel
seHilization and = Consequent SEE
formation takes place.
As the development of fruit usual
depends on seed formation, and
the blossoms .nanXs varieties