FJtlUlT-J3L08SOM8. 



226 



FRUIT-BLOSSOMS. 



ous mixtures to the very floweis from which 

 bees are gathering pollen and nectar. The 

 result is, many bees are killed, also a 

 great deal of brood. The only thing that 

 can be done when there is no law in force 

 is to labor witli neighbors and friends who 

 may be ignorant of or indifferent to the 

 rights of others. Show them that the use 

 of arsenites during the flowering of the 

 trees is both a waste of chemicals and 

 time, and a very great damage to the bees 

 and to the bee-keeper, if not a menace to hu- 

 man beings who might eat honey tinctured 

 with the poisons tliat bees gather from the 

 trees. Much more can be done throutih 

 moral suasion than by big talk and bluff, 

 threatening suit for damages. 



The first thing for the bee-keepers of any 

 State to do, where there is no anti-spraying 

 legislation, is to have a law enacted at the 

 next session of the legislature. 



AGENCY OF BEES IN FERTILIZ- 

 ING FRUIT-BLOSSOMS. 



At various times bee-keepers and fruit- 

 growers have come into conflict, the latter 

 affirming that bees puncture ripe fruit, 

 besides interfering more or less during 

 its packing; and the consequence is, that 

 bee-keepers have in some cases been 

 asked to remove their bees, on the plea of 

 being a nuisance. But fruit-growers little 

 realized that they were trying to drive 

 away something necessaiy to the proper 

 fertilization of fruit blossoms. We are happy 

 to say, however, in later years the two fac- 

 tions are beginning to realize that their 

 industries are mutually interdependent. If 

 any thing, the fru t g ower derives very 

 much more benefit from bees than the 

 bee-keeper himself; for it is now known, 

 as we shall jiresently show, that certain 

 kinds of fruit not only depend very largely 

 for their proper development upon the 

 agency of the bee, but in many instances 

 will fail to come to fruitage at all without it. 

 Some years ago a bee-keeper in Massachu- 

 setts was obliged to remove his bees to 

 another locality, on complaint of the fruit- 

 growers that they were a nuisance ; but 

 after a year or two had passed they were 

 very glad to have the bees back again, be- 

 cause so little fruit set on the trees in 

 proportion to the amount of blossoms ap- 

 pearing. The bee-keeper was recalled ; and, 

 as was to be expected, not only more fruit but 

 more perfect fruit development followed. 



It is also related that red clover, after be- 

 ing introduced into New Zealand, failed to 



bear seed. Finally bumble-bees were im- 

 ported, and then there was seed. 



j In more recent years, very careful and 

 elaborate experiments have been conducted 



I by scientific men, as well as by bee-keepers 

 and fruit-growers together; and the com- 

 bined testimony shows almost conclusively 

 that the two industries depend more or less 

 upon each other. 



} Much has been written in the back vol- 

 umes of Gleanings in Bee Culture on this 

 question ; but in the journals for January 

 1.5 and Februaiy 15, 1894, there appeared a 

 symposium in which a few of the facts were 

 collated. It would be impossible for us 

 to give space to the whole ; and we 

 will, therefore, refer only to a few para- 

 graphs. It may seem almost unnecessary to 

 give evidence of that which we already 

 knoic to be true ; but many a time ignorant 

 prejudice on the part of fruit growers causes 

 trouble, because tliey can not, or think they 

 caii not, afford to read the papers Let the 

 bee keeper present to them a few facts and 

 figures MUil they will, if disposed to be fair, 

 acknowledge their mistake. 



Well, here are the facts : In Gleanings in 

 Bee Culture for Sept. 15, 189], there appeared 

 a most valuable article from the pen of 

 Prof. A. J. Cook, professor of entomology, 

 tlien of the Michigan Agricultural College, 

 detailing the experiments that had been 

 made at that place on the subject of fruit- 

 fertilization. He goes on to say that, while 

 there are solitary insects that help to do 

 pollen-scattering, the work they perform is 

 infinitesimal as compared with that of bees, 

 because, unlike the bees that live over win- 

 ter, they are not present in early spring, 

 wlien the fruit-trees are in bloom. After 

 calling attention to the fact that it is im- 

 portant, by definite experimentation, that 

 we learn just how necessary the bees are in 

 the pollenation of plants, he says : 



I tried many experiments last spring. I counted 

 tlie blossoms on each of two branches, or plants, of 

 apple, clierry, pear, strawberry, raspberry, and cle- 

 ver. One of these, in the case of each fruit or each 

 experiment, was surrounded bj' cheese-clotli just 

 before the blossoms opened, and kept covered till 

 the blossoms fell oflf. The apple, pear, and cherry- 

 were covered May 4th, and uncovered May 35th and 

 May 19th. The number of blossoms considered 

 varied from 33, the smallest number, to 300, the 

 largest. Tlie trees were examined June ilth, to see 

 what number of the fruit had set. The per cent of 

 blossoms which developed on the covered trees was 

 a little over 2, while almost 20 per cent of the uncov- 

 ered blossoms had developed. Of the pears, not one 

 of the covered developed, whlie 5 per cent of the un- 

 covered developed fruit. Of the cherries, 3 per cent 

 only of tlie covered developed, while 40 per cent of 



