120 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Feb. 21, 1901. 



their ability, had they the sense to act, is not a matter of 

 importance. 



In California, where fruit-g^rowing- is so important an 

 industry, this question has called forth not a little discus- 

 sion. It has often {jiven rise to hard feeling-, and, in a few 

 cases, to expensive lawsuits. I am glad to sav, however, 

 that here, as has long- been true in Italy and Switzerland, 

 the fruit-growers are beginning to understand that tho the 

 bees are sometimes an annoyance, they do not attack sound 

 fruit, and are invaluable aids in fruit-growing. Their 

 good work in pollinating the flowers is of inestimable 

 value. The fruit-grower, if anything, is more benefitted 

 by the mere presence of bees than is the apiarist by the 

 close proximity of the orchard. 



Los Angeles Co., Calif., Jan. 21. 



Spraying Fruit While in Bloom. 



Valuable Experiments Conducted at the Geneva 

 Experiment Station, New York. 



BY ERNEST K. ROOT. 



AT the convention of the New York State Association of 

 Bee-Keepers" Societies, held in Geneva on Jan. 9th, we 

 had the very great pleasure of listening to an address 

 by Prof. S. A. Beach, of theGeneva Experiment Station, de- 

 tailing a very interesting series of experiments that were 

 instituted to determine the advantage, if any, of spraying 

 trees while in full bloom. These investigations had been 

 requested by a certain class who believed that spraying 

 during the time that the trees are in full flower was essen- 

 tial to the best development, growth, and maturing of the 

 fruit. Prof. Beach called attention to the fact that a cer- 

 tain manufacturer of spraying outfits, had sent circulars 

 broadcast over the country, advocating and urging the ad- 

 ministering of poisonous mixtures during the time that 

 bees work on trees. Then there were also some among the 

 fruit-growers of New York %vho advocated spraying at such 

 times, but who could not carry into effect such practice be- 

 cause a law had been enacted in 18^8, making it a misde- 

 meanor for any one to spray during the time the trees were 

 in bloom. Some of the fruit-growers (not all) sought on 

 several occasions to have this law repealed ; but being 

 foiled they finally secured the passage of an amendment 

 which provided that trees might be sprayed during bloom- 

 ing-time for experimental purposes. The object of this 

 amendment (and it appears the bee-keepers did not object 

 to It) was to determine whether there was any advantage in 

 spraying when the trees were in full bloom, irrespective of 

 any damage that might accrue to the bee-keeper. As a re- 

 sult of this amendment a series of experiments was beo-un 

 at Geneva, and also at Cornell. 



In the conducting of the experiments. Prof. Beach 

 stated that several questions were kept in mind : What was 

 the effect of spraying while the trees were in bloom ? did 

 the spraying at such times affect the blossoms ? did it kill 

 the pollen ? and if not, did it affect the setting or the devel- 

 opment of the fruit ? what part did the bees play in the 

 matter? 



Some bee-keepers, he stated, were inclined to make 

 sweeping assertions to the effect that no fruit could set 

 without the agency of the bees. This was altogether too 

 strong a statement. That bees did play a most important 

 part in the fertilization of some kinds of fruit-trees could 

 not be denied. That question might be considered settled. 



In the experiments that had been conducted, it was 

 found that the blossoms that were sprayed just at the time 

 they were in full bloom were either killed or injured. If 

 the spraying were administered only during the blooraing- 

 time the poisonous mixtures did not go to the right spot, in 

 a good many cases, for the simple reason that no cluster of 

 apple-blossoms, for example, opened out at one and the same 

 time. Some blossoms would be closed, and impervious to 

 the effect of the spraying-liquids; and if no more spray- 

 ing were administered after blooming-time, then these blos- 

 soms that were not open would not receive the benefit, and 

 the fruit-eating insects would then get in their work. The 

 professor brought out the point clearly, that if spraying 

 were applied before blooming and after, the leaf-eating in- 

 sects in the other, would be destroyed. 



He further showed that the spraying-mixtures are ex- 

 ceedingly harmful to the development and growth of the 

 delicate pollen. Some pollen was gathered and taken into 



the laboratory and mixt with a thin syrup, then afterward 

 a quantify of spraying-liquid was applied, of about the 

 strength that is used in spraying trees. It was found in ev- 

 ery case that the pollen failed to grow. Then the spraying- 

 liquid was reduced SO percent, and still mixt with pollen 

 and syrup which had been prepared, and still the pollen- 

 grains failed to grow in most cases. The professor said he 

 was decidedly of the opinion that spraying during bloom- 

 ing time was exceedingly harmful to the delicate reproduct- 

 ive organs, and to the pollen itself in the flowers of the 

 fruit-trees. He referred to a certain Mr. Kellogg who had 

 tried spraying strawberries while they were in bloom, and 

 much to his sorrow. He mentioned a number of instances 

 of fruit-men who formerlj' had believed that spraying dur- 

 ing blooming-time was the correct practice, but now had 

 been completely converted. 



In the experiments that were conducted in four orchards 

 located in different parts of the State, a certain set of 

 trees were set apart and sprayed while in bloom, and only 

 then, and others were not sprayed. Even tho the bloom 

 was exceedingly abundant, it was found that those trees 

 that were not sprayed during blooming-time yielded from a 

 third to a bushel and a half more of fruit. In some cases 

 they sprayed a half of one tree several times during bloom- 

 ing time, leaving the other side of the tree not spraj-ed. 

 There was a markt difference in the setting of the fruit on 

 the two sides of the trees, and that difference was decidedly 

 in favor of the side not sprayed. Experiments were con- 

 ducted in fruit-orchards in different parts of the State ; and 

 in one instance, at least (the Professor would not give the 

 name) a certain fruit-man who believed that spraying dur- 

 ing blooming-time was the right thing to do, estimated, af- 

 ter he had sprayed his whole orchard at such time, that he 

 had lost nearly a thousand dollars. He had had enough of 

 that business. 



The Professor stated, however, that there was one in- 

 stance when spraying right during blooming-time might 

 prove to be advantageous ; and that was, to kill the apple- 

 scab that might come on at just that time ; but even in such 

 a case it has not yet been proved that spraying before and 

 after bloom may not be equally efficient. But, generally 

 speaking, the conclusion seemed to be that spraying during^ 

 blooming-tirae was not only wasteful but decidedly harm- 

 ful as well, cutting down the supply of fruit to an extent 

 that, if generally practiced, would amount to thousands of 

 dollars to the fruit-men all over the State. 



On the evening of the first day we listened to an excel- 

 lent address from another professor of the same station — 

 Prof. V. H. Lowe. The experiments that had been con- 

 ducted under his direction were for the purpose of deter- 

 mining the value of insects in pollenizing fruit-blossoms. 

 A certain set of nine small pear trees (it was not practicable 

 .to use large ones) were envelopt in a hood of sheeting. 

 This hood was large enough to slip down over the whole 

 tree, something in the form of a bag — the bag tied at its 

 bottom around tVie trunk of the tree. The object of thi& 

 was to keep out insects, ants, bees or anything that might 

 assist in pollenizing the blossoms. For the purpose of ven- 

 tilation, some windows were made in the sheeting, and the 

 openings covered with a fine netting. On all of these trees 

 so covered, there was a large number of buds, and all the 

 conditions were favorable for a good crop, except that the 

 flight of insects was entirely cut off. Now, then, for the 

 results : 



Out of the whole lot of trees covered, there was just 

 one fruit. On another set of trees not covered there were 

 145. In the other case, where it was not practicable to en- 

 velop the whole tree, one large limb, for instance, would be 

 enclosed in the bag, the mouth of the bag being tied around 

 the trunk of the limb. In one such instance there were 

 2483 buds of an apple-tree that were thus covered with the 

 sheeting. Out of that number just one fruit matured. 

 There was plenty of fruit on other portions of the tree 

 where the limbs were not covered. In one case, where the 

 sheeting broke open so that insects could get in, there were 

 13 perfect fruits from 818 buds. It was clearly shown that 

 bees or other insects play a most important part in the polli- 

 nation of average fruit-trees. 



When the Professor was askt how much of this pollina- 

 tion was attributable to bees and how much to other in- 

 sects, he said he could not tell ; but Mr. O. L. Hershiser, in 

 referring to a similar set of experiments made some years 

 ago at the Michigan Agricultural College, showing the 

 same results, said that the bees were altogether the earliest 

 insects out ; that at the time the average fruit-tree is in 

 bloom it is too early in the spring for other insects to be of 

 any value. In his opinion the covering of the limbs or the 



