The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1905-04-15


are some subdivisions but these need
not be considered now. The stamens
produce pollen and are often called
the male parts of the flower, while the
pistils receive it and are called the
female parts of the flower. The PTS
tils must receive pollen or the fruit
will not develop. Now, in a perfect
flower, as already stated, both pistils
and stamens are to be found. Where
this is the case and the pollen from
the same flower falls on the pistils-
that is pollenation, but it is not "cross
pollenation" A flower that can pro-
duce it's own pollen is called fertile,
but when it does not and the pollen
must come from some other flower, it
is said to be sterile. Some flowers
produce pollen but not enough. Such
are not absolutely sterile but do lack
in fertility. There are more of this
kind of flowers than we are aware of.
Here is need of cross pOllenatiOn
The wind may help in this crossing
by blowing the pollen from one tree
or vine to another. Bees and other
insects perform an important work in
cross pollenating. AS they fly from
one flower to another gathering pollen
or nectar for honey, they do a vast
amount of mixing of pollen. The first
red clover raised in Australia would
not produce any seed. This difficulty
was remedied by importing humble
(humble) bees and these flying about
from one flower to another carried
the pollen necessary to the fecunda-
ton of the sterile flowers. The Smyrna
fig would not bear in this country
till an insect was imported to carry
on the work of cross pOllenatiOn.
On account of this sterility or par
tial sterility of many flowers it is a
wise thing to mix our fruit trees and
not to plant them in solid blocks.
Some apples are deficient in pollen
and so are some pears. Better plant
two rows of one kind and then two
of another This proximity of the
trees will assist the wind and the in
sects in this work of cross pollen
alton. Don't pass this over as mere
matter of speculation, or some time
you may pay dearly for your lack of
knowledge on this matter. | once
visited friend in Asotin county, this
state He said his strawberry plants
would not Dear at one emu OF the
patch. l at once suspected what was
the matter. We went out into the
garden and there was fine patch
of strawberry vines but they were all
pistillates, except few in an old
patch near the lower end and they
had perfect flowers. This visit was
in the month of May and consequently
it was too late to remedy the diff
Guilty that year. I told him to mix
his plants from this old bed all
through his patch and he did so and
had plenty of berries next year. Some
of our best strawberries are pistillates
and will bear immensely if perfect
lowered sort is planted in every
fourth or fifth row. Some fruit grow
ers who ought to know better speak
of their staminate strawberry plants.
There are no staminate Strawberries
A staminate plant of any kind is
one having stamens and no pistils,
but all strawberry plants have pistils.
Some strawberry plants must be
classed as pistillates or perfect flow
cred. Formerly it was customary to
call the. perfect Powered sorts her
maphrodites," that is, having both
sexes, but this has been pretty gen
orally discontinued.