June, 1921 



than to run the risk of getting no 

 setting. 



At the beginning of the fruit blossom 

 season an orchard should be humming 

 with bees. In fact, by actual observa- 

 tion in normal orchards the honey-bee 

 has been found to outnumber all other 

 visitors of flowers a hundred to one. 

 Other insects may be present, as for 

 example, a few bumblebees, some wild 

 bees-, a few butterflies and several spe- 

 cies of flies, but all of these combined 

 would hava little effect in cross-polle- 

 nation if the honey-bee were excluded. 



Where actual tests have been made 

 where either branches or whole trees 

 have been inclosed in netting so as to 

 exclude bees, it has repeatedly been 

 found that the fruit crop suffers. Many 

 practical orchard men hire bees for the 

 blossoming period, the usual price to 

 bee keepers being $5 per colony. Keep- 

 ing a small apiary in the orchard will 

 bring returns many times greater than 

 the cost of the colonies. Everyone has 

 noticed how fruiting has been interfered 

 with by bad weather at blossoming 

 time. When bees are not flying, the 

 trees hold out the inducement of their 

 blossoms a longer time, but if cross - 

 pollenation is not forthcoming a heavy 

 June drop may be expected. This is an 

 important factor in growing prunes, 

 berries and other fruit, especially in 

 western Washington. 



In this mutual arrangement of give 

 and take the fact must not be lost sight 

 of that it is the fruit grower who prof- 

 its most. The bees insure a crop of 

 fruit. Due to their activity the crop is 

 increased, perhaps by ten per cent, per- 

 haps doubled. In return during the 

 day or two that each flower is visited 

 they get some pollen and nectar, not 

 enough to build up stores, but only 

 enough to rtimulate brood rearing. 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 7 



Freight Rates Must be Lowered 



By THE EDITOR 



INCREASED freight rates have pre- 

 cipitated a crisis in the affairs of 

 fruit growers of the Northwest states 

 which, unless early relief is granted, 

 will result in smaller production and in 

 many cases in ruin to the growers and 

 corresponding loss of income to the rail- 

 roads. This is the situation as presented 

 to Henry J. Ford, interstate commerce 

 commission examiner, by witnesses at 

 the hearing held in Yakima last month. 

 Unless relief is forthcoming for this 

 serious condition, growers must pin 



their hopes to the development of water 

 transportation, concerning which a 

 meeting will be held at Seattle June 1. 

 Apple exporters at that time plan to 

 organize a corporation to handle all 

 fruit shipped abroad and to the Atlan- 

 tic seaboard. It is hoped to obtain 

 pledges of 10,000 carloads of perish- 

 able products from the Pacific coast for 

 water transportation. 



At the Yakima hearing, J. Curtis 

 Robinson, traffic manager of the 

 Northwest Fruit Exchange, testified 



Ridley, Houlding & Co, 



COVENT GARDEN, LONDON 



WE ARE 



Specialists in 

 Apples and Pears 



CABLE ADDRESS: BOTANIZING. LONDON 



Codes: A. B. C. 5th Edition and Modern Economy 



CARD 



WRAPPERS 



PROTECTS 



"Caro" Protects-"Caro" Prolongs the Life of Fruit-Why? 



CHEMICALLY TREATED, "Caro" from DessiCARE (to dry up) 



FRUIT MATURITY is retarded by cold or refrigeration and hastened by heat or atmospheric exposure. 



The soft fibrous silk-like texture of "Caro" provides just sufficient ventilation to retard the ripening process. 



FRUIT DECOMPOSITION starts from a bruise which opens tiny holes and permits juice to escape and BACTERIA to 



enter. "Caro" clings closely and dries up the escaping juice. "Caro" ingredients harden the spot, kill the BACTERIA, 



arrest the decomposition. 



United States Distributors, AMERICAN SALES AGENCIES CO., 112 Market Street, San Francisco, California 



WHEN WBITINC ADVERTISERS MENTION BETTES FHUIT 



