Xo. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 317 



The year 1914 has seen the iustallation of another school of agri- 

 culture in the United States — that of the State of Minnesota. This 

 school has an annual api^ropriation of |5,000, and is separate from 

 everj other department of education. There are a number of similar 

 schools and others giving departmental instruction in agriculture 

 now in different states. Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas and Massachusetts 

 each have State agricultural instruction, and the Dominion of Canada 

 has a school at Guelph, Ontario. 



What of the Keystone State? A practice not entirely new, but 

 novel in its experience, has been more extensively carried on during 

 the past year than ever before — that of migratory bee-keeping. A 

 number of Northern bee-keepers sent their bees to the South last 

 winter and brought them back again at the beginning of the North- 

 ern honey flow, thus practically making them work all the year 

 round. The A. I. Root Company, of Ohio, sent a carload of bees to 

 Florida in November, 1918, and brought them back last June. The 

 shipment to Florida was one car of 300 colonies. The return ship- 

 ment consisted of three and one-half cars of bees. The result of the 

 experiment was an increase from 300 to 650 colonies and 460 three 

 frame nuclei besides 13,000 pounds of tupelo honey and the draw- 

 ing out of 6,000 additional frames of foundation into nice combs. 

 During this last fall two carloads were sent to the Dismal Swamp, 

 in Virginia, in which the honey bearing flora is similar to that of 

 Florida, and the season nearly the same. The result of this second 

 venture is anxiously awaited by all practical bee-men. Another com- 

 pany, of Canton, Ohio, sent a carload to Appalachicola, Florida, in 

 the fall and to-day they advertise t^'o carloads of increase for sale. 



The work of inspection of foul brood diseases has been carried on 

 with success, considering the limited funds at command. The work 

 is limited to the expenditure of |500 per year. This is inadequate. 

 Repeated calls have come in from various sections of the State asking 

 for inspection, but these had to be turned down because there were 

 no means at hand to send any one. If the fight of this dreadful dis- 

 ease is to be carried on with any measure of success it will be neces- 

 sary to have an appropriation sufficiently large to employ several 

 competent men during the working season until the entire State is 

 covered by inspection and the disease is under control. 



The value of bees to the farmer and fruit grower is coming more 

 and more into proper recognition. The once-held idea that bees 

 were an injury to blossoms and fruit is thoroughly exploded and no 

 longer held by intelligent persons. It is not only evident that bees 

 are important to the fertilization of fruit, but it is now generally 

 admitted that they are indispensable in the development of perfect 

 fruit. In the summary of an address delivered before the Massa- 

 chusetts Fruit Growers' Association, by the Assistant Pomologist, 

 Prof. W. W. Chenoweth, is the following: 



''1. All tests and observations agree that many varieties of fruit 

 are unable to set a crop of fruit when limited to their own pollen. 



2. Some varieties are partially self-sterile and a few wholly self- 

 sterile. 



3. All investigators agree, that as a rule, the fruit resulting 

 from crossing, even in self-sterile varieties, is larger and better de- 

 veloped than self-fertilized fruit. Foreign pollen furnishes greater 

 stimulus to growth. 



