March, 1922 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page Thirty-three 



Bee Poisoning 



^y A. E. BuRDICK 



T^HE APIARV and the orchard — what a logical 

 combination. When man was first made the 

 Creator took some clay and breathed into it the 

 breath of life and it became a living being. Then, 

 among other creatures he made bees. 



Now bees rob the flower stamens of their pol- 

 len, carrying away the load in little pockets on 

 their legs, provided for that purpose. They reach 

 down into the nectaries at the base of the corrola 

 and drink up the aroma laden nectar. Fecunda- 

 tion is apparently no concern of theirs. They are 

 poaching and, when laden with their golden 

 treasure, wing their way to their hive — their 

 home, the place that pulls the heartstrings of all 

 animate creation. 



Bees and the orchard — a fine and logical com- 

 bination. But, come with me for a few moments 

 to the home of a beekeeper, Mr. S., who lives 

 midway between Grandvlew and Prosser, \Vash. 



In the season of 1919-20 Mr. S. had about 

 100 colonies of bees. The summer of 1920 saw 

 them reduced to 20 colonies through spray pois- 

 oning. These wintered well and the spring of 

 1921 found him with 20 strong colonies, ready 

 for the swarming in April. 



Late in July he wrote me that his bees were 

 being poisoned and that he hoped to be able to 

 sell his small ranch, bees and everything, and 

 muve away, stating that both Mrs. S. and he were 

 in poor health. In this letter he expressed the 

 hope that I would come over and see them and 

 this I did a few days later. 



His bee-yard presented a gruesome sight. All 

 the new swarms cast in April were dead. Start- 

 ing without a store of honey and brood reserves 

 they had quickly succumbed. Their empty hives 

 stood there as grave markers only. 



About 17 colonies of the old stock still showed 

 evidence of life. Figuratively speaking, however, 

 it was necessary to use a stethoscope and mirror 

 to establish the fact. No guards were at the en- 

 trances and an occasional bee would enter unchal- 

 lenged. Where was his great army of peaceful 

 workers? They were everywhere in that neighbor- 

 hood. With every step you crushed their dead 

 bodies. 



The scene reminded me of a despoiled and 

 defeated army, without sufficient reserves to bury 

 their dead, and what an unequal and despicable 

 conflict ! Their death was a travesty on jus- 

 tice. It was preventable and without justification. 

 The remedy is simple. It should be unlawful 

 to spray an orchard with arsenate of lead while 

 the orchard is in bloom, or while a cover crop 

 beneath the trees Is In bloom. 



But let me focus again for a moment, on Mr. 

 S. with your indulgence. He and Mrs. S. had 

 planned to live out their allotted time in the little 

 home there among the bees. He had been a suc- 



cessful beekeeper, a generous hearted neighbor 

 and friend. But what a hardship they had encoun- 

 tered! Is it any wonder they talked of not being 

 well and wishing to sell? 



Yes, they can move on, driven from their 

 Arcadia by greed and disregard for their funda- 

 mental rights. But already the frosts of more 

 than 70 winters have thinned and whitened the 

 hair of his head, and not far distant standi 

 Charon and his bo^r. 



A FIVE-C.iR order of extra fancy Wlnesaps 

 •^ was filled by the Wapato Fruit and Cold 

 Storage Company for a Boston broker, who 

 shipped them to reach London Christmas trade. 

 Apple shipments were made to Norway and 

 Sc itland from Wapato, during the fall. 



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i Our Inquiry Depart- 

 1 ment 



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T HAVE HEARD a great deal about the sex 

 of strawberry plants and know there arc those 

 that fertilize themselves and those that do not. 

 What I particularly want to know now, is how 

 to tell the sex of strawberry plants. I will ap- 

 preciate an answer and you need only give it in 

 your inquiries column if you prefer. J. R. L., 

 Idaho. 



Practically the only way to tell the sex of 

 strawberries is when they are in bloom. Look 

 into the petals and observe the little threads 

 within the circle of the white petals. H you find 

 them all green in color and carrying no yellow 

 knobs — flower dust or pollen — then you may know 

 the plant is female only, or pistillate as the 

 "plantologist" calls it. If the little threads all 

 have yellow knobs on the tops, then the plant is 

 male, or staminate. 



As you evidently already know, there must be 

 both kinds in the strawberry patch or you can 

 get no berries. The staminate plants must fertilize 

 the pistillate in order to set any fruit. More 

 properly, it is generally the case that the flower 

 has both stamens and pistils — threads with and 

 without the pollen knobs — and thus poUenizes 

 itself. 



AAA 



CAN you give me any information regarding 

 best methods for destroying the "borer" in prune 

 trees?— G. T. H., Oregon. 



You will find the subject handled in this issue, 

 where the use of paradichlorobensene in killing 

 borers is discussed. Experts seem well agreed 

 that this poison is decidedly the most effective 

 method yet developed for curbing the borer pest. 



A government bulletin dealing with the codling 

 moth is in course of preparation by E. J. New- 

 comer and W. D. Whltcomb, who have made a 

 three-year study of the pest in Vakima Valley. 

 These men arc entomologists of the Department 

 of Agriculture. 



BEES FOR POLLENIZATION 



Italian bees in modern hives with high 

 grade queens. Now is the time to invest 

 in pollenizers to insure a high percentage 

 u( fertilization. For particulars, write 



J. C. ELMORE 



21-23rd Street, riirvallis, Oregon 



Fruit trees budded from bearing orch- 

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 Salesmen everywhere. More wanted. 



u 



BEES 



The Diamond Match 

 Company 



APIARY DEPARTMENT 



Manufacturers of Bee Keepers' 



Supplies 



Chico, California, U. S. A. 



(The largest bee hive factory in the 



world) 

 Write for catalog and discount sheet; and. 

 if a beginner, for Cottage Bee-Keeping, also 

 for particulars of the MacDonald .'\luminum 

 Combs. 



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Opportunities for More Salesmen 



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 SIMONS & CO., LTD., Glasgow GARCIA, JACOBS & CO., London 



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Agenciei and Representativet in Every Important European Market 



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For Market Information Addreti 



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 12 South Market Street, Boston 



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