1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



279 



keepers send a few thousand letters. Pile 

 them in so thick and fast thiit the editors 

 of those papers will never ag^ain give space 

 to such nonsense. 



I'HE EFFECT OF WM. STAHL'S ADVICE RE- 

 GARDING THE MATTER OF SPRAYING 

 TREES WHILE IN BLOOM. 



The following letter, from one of our sub- 

 scribers, a member of the National Bee- 

 keepers' Association, shows the effect of 

 Wm. Stahl's advice about spraying while 

 in bloom: 



Mr. Root:—! fear I am about to get my bees all 

 poisoned. A neighbor w ithiii a quarter of a mile has 

 an apple-orchard of 1000 trees. He bought of Win. 

 Stahl, of Quincy, 111., a spra5'ing outfit Stahl advises 

 spraying while in full bloom with Paris green My 

 neighbor says he is going to do it. You certainly 

 know the result will be death to my bees. I sent $1.00 

 to George W. York, as dues in the National Bee-keep- 

 ers' A.ssociation more than one month ago, and have 

 not heard from it yet. I also wrote to our member in 

 Congress, and he turned my letter over to Frank 

 Benton, who sent me his book on bee culture. Now, 

 if you can help me to get bulletins from the experi- 

 ment stations of the States that have laws against 

 spraying fruit in bloom, I think I can convince my 

 neiglibors that Stahl's advice is all wrong. I am n-.t 

 an object of charitv, but I am not in position to know 

 whom to write to in order to get what I want. Will 

 you please help me out? J. T. Williams. 



P. vS. — Apple-trees will be in full bloom here about 

 April 15. J. T. W. 



Noel, Mo., March 1. 



There is no doubt that your dollar was 

 received and forwarded on to the General 

 Manager. The office has been vacant for a 

 few weeks ; but now it has been filled, some 

 action looking to your relief will doubtless 

 be taken. 



Any amount of evidence has been placed 

 before Mr. Stahl showing that his advice 

 is hurtful, not only to bee-keepers but to 

 the fruit-grower. But none are so blind as 

 those who will not see. When a good many 

 bee-keepers complained, he came out with 

 a modified statement in one of his circulars, 

 to the effect that the liquids he recommend- 

 ed were not strong enough to kill bees. 



If there ever was a case that ought to 

 come before the National Association, this 

 is one ; and I recommend that the Associa- 

 tion, through its General Manager, employ 

 the best legal talent it can get hold of 

 to see if there can not be some redress 

 against a man who, apparently at least, is 

 purposely giving such advice. I for one 

 should like to see the Association emptied 

 of half its treasury in making this a test 

 case. Remember, Stahl is one who has 

 been giving a helping hand in the dissemi- 

 nation of the comb-honey canards. 



In the mean time, those of our friends 

 who have disagreeable neighbors who are 

 following the advice of this man Stahl are 

 requested to send to us at once for litera- 

 ture bearing on the subject. If the fruit- 

 growers are persons who will listen to rea- 

 sonable evidence presented by the experi- 

 ment stations at Geneva and Ithaca, N. Y., 

 or any other station in any State, they will 

 for their own protection spray only before 

 and after bloom. We are prepared to fur- 

 nish leaflets on application, which will ex- 

 plain the matter very thoroughly. 



Later. — There is another firm, the Field 

 Force Pump Co., of Lockport, N. Y., inan- 

 ufacturers of spraying outfits, who have 

 been sending out circulars recommending 

 the spraying of trees while in bloom. We 

 wrote a gentlemanly protest to these people, 

 sending them facts from their two experi- 

 ment stations, at Ithaca and Geneva. In 

 repl3' they wrote back this courteous letter: 



Gentlemen: — Our attention had already been called 

 to the fact which you mention in your letter of March 

 18, and we have replied to our correspondent. We 

 promised our former correspondent, however, that, 

 as .soon as there was a reprint of these leaflets, it 

 would be chaiijged to read "As .soon as the blos.soms 

 fall." We are in full sympathy in your efforts to pro- 

 tect the bees, which are sometimes poisoned by the 

 spray, and thank you for calling our attention again 

 to this unintentional error on our part. Trusting that 

 this will be satisfactory, we remain 

 Very truly yours, 



I<ockport, N. Y., Mar. 19. Field Force Pump Co. 



This firm is pursuing a very honorable 

 course, and we are glad to recommend them 

 to our bee-keeping friends, as they are 

 large manufacturers. Mr. William Stahl 

 would not lose any prestige if he were to 

 make as manly a backdown as these people 

 in Lockport have done. 



Here is another letter that will speak for 

 itself : 



Friends: — I have lately received of Wm. Stahl, of 

 puincy. 111., his catalog and instructions on spraying, 

 in which he still advises to spray on full bloom, or at 

 latest when first blcssoms begin to pass. I had sent 

 for his catalog in view of buying a pump. I promptly 

 wrote him that since he would not heed our remon- 

 strances, or mind our proofs of the non-neces.sity to do' 

 so, I could not think of dealing with him at all, no 

 matter how well I might think of his pumps or quo- 

 tations. I wish to suggest to j'ou to advise the readers 

 of Gleanings to again remonstrate with him. 



Yours very kindly and for mutual protection. 



Utica, 111., March 1. ' A. Mottaz. 



WHY IT PAYS TO KEEP POSTED; PRICE CUR- 

 RENT ON HONEY. 



The following paragraph, taken from 

 an article by S. D. Graham, in the March 

 issue of the Bee-keepers^ Review, is some- 

 thing that bee-keepers can afford to read 

 and ponder: 



I sometimes think the readers of our bee-journals 

 do not appreciate the real value they might get out of 

 them. It is this knowledge, coupled with our experi- 

 ence, that has made us the bee-keepers we are; and it 

 depends largely on us, not only how we handle the 

 information we get out of them, but sometimes the 

 value in dollars and cents. Not long ago I decided 

 not to take any of our bee-journals, and I stopped all 

 but Gleanings; and all that saved Gleanings was 

 that I had it paid for a long time in advance. Near 

 the close of the season I had an offer for a lot of 

 honey, and I decided to write a letter accepting the 

 offer the first time I went to town Gleaninc;s came, 

 and in that copy it gave a report of the prospect for a 

 honey crop in the different parts of the United .States. 

 It decided me to hold my honey for a short time. In 

 30 days I sold this lot of honey at % cent more a 

 pound, and I also saved the freight on 8000 lbs. from 

 my place to Grand Rapids. I think it would have paid 

 for Gleanings 6o years. 



Here is a case where the investment of 

 one dollar for a bee journal paid back 6ooo 

 percent. "Nuffsaid." 



It will be a feature of Gleanings, as it 

 has been in the past, to keep our readers 

 posted in regard to the prospects and the 

 probable ruling prices throughout the Unit- 

 ed States. 



