258 State Boauu of A<jinoui-TUKE, &o. 



that it is liiglily probable that the hist named clover would 

 become extinct ])nt for the humble-bees. 



And may we not find here a reason, in part, at least, 

 why the second crop of red clover seeds so much better than 

 the first, as in later summer humble-bees are much more 

 abundant, while the corolla of the fiowers of the second 

 crop is nmch shorter, thereby giving other bees and insects 

 an oppt)rtunity to work on them. Somewhere 1 have seen 

 the statement that the clover seed introduced into I^ew 

 Zealand produced abundant crops of forage but no seed, 

 until the honey bee was introduced, when abundant crops 

 of seed followed. As the name of the clover was not 

 given, I suppose it to have been the white clover. More 

 recently, I notice that the New Zealand government has sent 

 special agents to England for the purpose of collecting a 

 quantity of small birds and a colony of humble-bees for 

 introduction into that countj-y, the humble-bees for the pur- 

 pose of fertilizing the blossoms of the red clover, that they 

 may produce their own seed. Quite recently, Russia has 

 been introducing this race of bees into her vast domains, 

 believing it cheaj^er than importing clover seed. 



I believe that it has been quite clearly proved that the 

 white clover is indigenous to New England, yet I think it is 

 certain that its advance westward across the continent has 

 been sinuiltaneous with that of the honey boo ; the red man 

 having long since considered the appea^"-. .ce of this plant 

 and the " white man's fly " as sure tokens of advancing civ- 

 ilization. 



Says James M. Marvin, of St. Charles, 111. : " I have 

 grown seventy-five bushels of currants, twenty-five of gooso- 



