44 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the bumble-bee, was likewise imported tbere, aud there was no more 

 trouble iu producing the seed of this clover in that clime. Do you not 

 think that the breezes of Australia would be quite as efficient in waft- 

 ing the pollen from one flower to another as here in Nebraska, or that 

 the bee does not ))erforra as efficient service iu one locality as another? 

 A controversy has lately been going on between a gentleman of 

 Iowa and one from Missouri, as to the value of the honey-bee in fer- 

 tilizing the strawberry. Having scrutinized the evidence in this 

 case carefully, most is in favor of its fertilization by the bee, and 

 many have been frank to admit that without the good offices of the 

 bee there would have been no berries. Many of us have sought out 

 the causes for failures, and after finding them have applied the reme- 

 dies. We are not aware but that a cake of nice honey would look as 

 nice and be as palatable on the table of the horticulturist as on the 

 board of his neighbor, the bee-keeper. We know of no reason why 

 these industries so necessary to each other should not go hand in hand, 

 or why the horticulturist should depend upon his neighbor for bees to 

 iertilize his fruit or for honey to supply his table. 



DISCUSSION. 



Question 1 — Do I understand you to take the position that the bee 

 is the principal agent in the fertilization of the strawberry? 



Answer — I do think if it were not for the bees we would not get very 

 ;niany perfect strawberries. When you see an ill-formed strawberry 

 you may set it down that the honey-bee has not visited that berry, or 

 iblossom. I would like to say that the honey-bee has never bothered 

 us by destroying fruit, not but that it has pretty strong jaws, but I 

 believe these are used for the purpose of destroying the moth. I do 

 not think they arc able to puncture the skin of the choicest grape, and 

 do not think they would do it if grapes were placed in the hive. In 

 same cases the saw-toothed wasp is the fellow that punctures the grape 

 and the bee gets the credit for it. The bee will run its tongue into the 

 grape after it has been broken, perhaps three-eighths of an incii, to get 

 the sweet juice. Speaking of fertilization, I have been examining this 

 very closely for the last four years. My observation tells me that the 

 strawberry is visited by the honey-bee, but it is not the honey-bee that 

 does the fertilizing for me. There is a little sweat-bee, not nearly as 

 large as the honey-bee. I do not know wiiether the regular honey- 



