348 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURA.L SOCIETY. 



has said, let every one get a few swarms of bees and put them 

 in his garden. 



Mr. Timberlake: The great trouble with people keeping 

 only a few colonies of bees is, that they expect those bees to 

 take care of themselves. I know of several instances where 

 they have begun and expected it to make a profitable business 

 for them. One man had nineteen colonies in 1892 and made 

 quite a little honey; he left them on the stands all winter, and 

 he had one colony left in the spring, and he got a swarm from 

 that. He said, "If they will not take care of themselves, I will 

 not take care of Ihem." If people get a few colonies of bees 

 and expect them to take care of themselves, they will simply 

 find themselves mistaken. Bees want to be looked after as 

 well as any other business. 



BEES IN RELATION TO FRUIT. 



J. H. PANTON, M. A., PROF. OF BIOLOGY, ONTARIO AGRICULTURAL 



COLLEGE. 

 (Ontario Experiment Station.) 



All act passed by the Ontario Legislature last session, referring- 

 to the prevention of spraying- fruit trees while in bloom, has led to 

 considerable discussion among fruit-growers and bee-keepers. The 

 former feel that the}'^ should be permitted to spray whenever they 

 desire, claiming that bees are not killed from visiting sprayed trees 

 in search of nectar, and that this cry of alarm raised by bee-keepers 

 is unfounded. Further, many are under the impression that bees 

 injure ripe fruit, and that it is questionable whether bees are as use- 

 ful in the fertilization of flowers as is claimed for them by their 

 admirers. 



The bee-keepers, on the other hand, maintain that bees are import- 

 ant in the fertilization of flowers and thus become necessary to fruit 

 production; that thej' do not injure fruit, and that they are killed 

 where trees are sprayed while in bloom. They go so far as to say 

 that honey is affected where bees have been poisoned by Paris green. 



In this somewhat confused state of affairs a bulletin bearing upon 

 bees in relation to fruit should be of interest and practical benefit, 

 now the following act (passed April, 1892 ) is about to be enforced: 



1. No person in spraying or sprinkling fruit trees during the per- 

 iod within which such trees are in full bloom shall use or cause to 

 be used any mixture containing Paris green or aii}-^ other poisonous 

 substance injurious to bees. 



2. Any person contravening the provisions of this Act, shall on 

 suinmary conviction thereof before a justice of the peace, be subject 

 to a penaltj' of not less than $1.00 or more than $5.00 with or without 

 costs of prosecution, and in case of a fine or aline and costs being 

 awarded and of the same not being upon conviction forthwith paid, 

 the justice maj^ commit the offender to the common jail, there to 

 be imprisoned for anj' term not exceeding thirty days,unle8S the fine 

 and costs are sooner paid. 



3. This Act shall not come into force until the first day of Jannary, 

 1893. 



