APICULTURE. 479 



pa3turiii<;- worked injury to nectar secretiou. As it reduces the fo- 

 liage, so also the rootlets sutler, as nature strives to sustain a just 

 proportion between leaves and root expansion, causing scattered 

 nectaries in the blossoms or only partial development. So our 

 crop of white clover honey was very poor. Basswood honey was a 

 failure altogether with us, and fall honey was a poor crop, too. 

 There was a time when we could rely on a fall crop of honey, but we 

 have given up hopes of former yields on account of the consequent 

 increased population and the turning over of grazing lands for 

 cultivated crops. Then, the loss in wintering has reduced the bees 

 in Minnesota one-half or more, so bee-keeping has not been a pay- 

 ing business, and many have given it up altogether. Upon the 

 whole, the outlook is not very encouraging. 



Now, it is a fact that horticulturists and farmers are dependent 

 upon bees for good crops of fruit and clover seed, which a few facts 

 from men of experience will show. 



The more progressive of market gardeners realize that they can- 

 not get perfect results without bees. 



Wliere imperfect fertilization has taken place, fruit is not com- 

 pletely' developed in size and form, so that the quantity and qualitj' 

 are affected. From observations made, it is claimed that orchards 

 ■with bee-hives in them have been more fruitful than those without 

 hives. 



Prof. A. J. Cook in his experiments says : " Thus we see that in all 

 our fruits, in strawberries the least, the free visit of insects during 

 the period of blooming is absolutely essential to a full or even a 

 fair crop." 



His experiments with clovers, white and alsike, was that, 

 while the uncovered heads were full of seeds, the covered ones were 

 entirely seedless. Then he winds up with these words: "Thus we see 

 that our horticulturists and farmers, alike with apiarists,are depend- 

 ent for the best prosperity on the presence and well being of the 

 bees; they should realize this fact and demand that legislators not 

 only become informed, but act accordingly." 



Now, in conclusion, let me ask that every member of this society 

 do his best and try and persuade farmers to seed with alsike in place 

 of red clover. 



Small Cost of Spraying.— During last year the Delaware Kxperi- 

 tnent Station made some exhausting tests as to the coat of spraying 

 trees. In using the Bordeaux mixture, they sprayed the trees six 

 times, and reckoned in the cost of materials and cost of labor and 

 found it to be two cents per tree per spraj-ing, or twelve cents jier 

 tree for the season. The result was that the rot was reduced to one- 

 third what it was on the unsprayed trees. They found, also, that 

 four sprayings gave about the same results as six sprayings, and 

 that there was about twice as much rot with two spraying as with 

 four or six. So we see that four sprayincfs, or eight cents per tree 

 is all that it really costs. — New York Farmer. 



