SOME SOUASH INTERESTS 



189 



The Value of Bees in Fertilizing Squash 

 Blossoms. 



UV SUSAN E. HOWARD, STOXliHAM, MASSA- 

 CHUSETTS. 



Replying to your inquiry as to the value 

 of bees to my squash and small fruits, 1 

 would say they are of the utmost impor- 

 tance, and they have been a great factor 

 in mv success in growing squashes The 

 development of a small orchard and fruit 

 growing are secondary to my bee inter- 

 ests; and while the trees ana bushes are 

 growing, I utilize the land by planting- 

 catch crops and fertilizing or cover sow- 

 ings. The eight tons of squash shown in 

 the picture were grown on iive-sixths ol 

 an acre, which also carried 115 two-year 

 fruit-trees and 600 one-year currant 

 bushes. 



The squash followed a crop of 54 bush- 

 els of green peas, which were harvested 

 before the squash were ready to spread. 



As recorded in Apiarian Bulletin Xo. 8, 

 Massachusetts Department Agriculture, 

 it was no uncommon occurrence to note 

 four to six bees in a squash-blossom at 

 one time, happy and contented. I have 

 also counted 28 bees within an hour in one 

 squash-blossom. The scpaash crop was 

 the banner one for this section, for the 

 land occupied, and was in marked con- 

 trast with results at a distance from my 

 apiary. 



To people who realized in a measure 

 the good work performed by the Ijee it 

 was a revelation, and substantiated my 

 oft-repeated statement, "bees as ilower 

 fertilizers first, and honey production an 

 after-consideration." — "Gleanings in Bee 

 Culture," [Medina. Ohio. 



Forest fires, during the last year, 

 burned over six million acres, and did 

 about ten million dollars' worth of dam- 

 age. More than half these fires were 

 due to pure carelessness — in no small 

 measure to campers. 



Of the four or five thousand fires re- 

 ported each year in our national forests, 

 slightly more than a third are attribut- 

 ed to lightning. The largest proportion, 

 of thunderstorms come between three 

 and five o'clock in the afternoon : the 

 smallest, within an hour after midnighv 

 and between seven and eight o'clock in 

 the morning. Thunderstorms are most 

 frequent in June, rarest in December 

 and Tanuar\'. 



A Twin Squash. 

 A remarkable twin squash, of which 

 an illustration is here shown, was 

 grown in Mr. Stanley Tompkins's 

 garden at Glenbrook, Connecticut, 

 and forwarded to this office by Miss 

 Lottiebelle Tompkins. We have re- 



THE TWIN SQUASH. 



ceived other forms of twin fruits, such 

 as apples, plums, strawberries, toma- 

 toes, etc.. l3Ut this is our first twin 

 squash. It is a fine specimen. 



Students of mankind are taking ad- 

 vantage of the vast numbers of Russian 

 prisoners of war to push the study of 

 Russian anthropology To a single in- 

 vestigator, for this purpose, the Vienna 

 Academy of Sciences has lately made 

 a srrant of nearlv a thousand dollars. 



Bronze and Gold. 



The maple fires have come and gone, 

 And earth would be left drear. 



But that the bronze and gold of trees 

 Are left to give us cheer. 



The beech and birch and aspen gold 



Is gold witliout allo3\ 

 And with the richness of the oaks. 



A late Autumnal joj-. 



When they are gone, then all is gone, 



.\nd Fall's parade is o'er; 

 But Winter has its beauties too, 



A richly varied store. 



— Emma Peirce. 



