OCR Text |
Show I WHAT WE OWE TO INSECTS. Thsy Are of the Greatest Benefit to Growing Flowers. Prof. Darwin said that If it had not tocon for Insects wo should novor have had any moro Imposing or attractive flowers thnn those of tho elm, tho hop and tho nettle. Lord Avebury compares com-pares the work of tho Insect to that of tho llorlst. Ho considers that Just as tho florist has by selection produced tho oloRaut blossoms of the garden, so tho Insects, by selecting the lnrgcst and brightest blossoms for fertilization, fertiliza-tion, have produced the pay flowers of tho flold. Prof. Plateau, or Ghent, has , carried out a series of remarkable ex periments on tho ways of Insects visiting visit-ing flowers. He considers that they ' aro guided by scent rather than by color, nnd In the connection ho Is at variance with certain Ilrltlsh natural-( natural-( Ists. Whatever may be tho attraction ( In flowers to Insects as yet, It op- ' , poars undefined It Is certain that the , latter visit freely all blossomB alike, making no distinction between the i largo, hrlght-colorpd ones nnd tho leas conspicuous blossoms like those of tho currants, the lime, the planetrco, the , ,' nettle and tho willow. |