JULY 15, 1913 



discovered that the yield per acre could be 

 euormously increased by having bees with- 

 in convenient access. Formerly wild bees 

 in the locality have been sutiicient to do the 

 work of pollination for the cranberries; 

 but the experimental department of the 

 United Company believed that there was 

 not at all times a proper pollination, and 

 in looking about for ways to improve and 

 increase the crop, it was determined to in- 

 crease the number of bees. The company 

 began to buy up bees and put them at the 

 various properties, when, presto ! the yield 

 came up. The company has now something 

 like TOO acres of cranberries; and in the 

 near future it will increase this acreage to 

 2000. Jt is in no way interested in the pro- 

 duction of honey only as the honey itself 

 may be used as a means for paying for the 

 bees, and perhaps leave a comfortable mar- 

 gin besides. What the company wants is 

 cranberries, honey being only a secondary 

 consideration. So gratifying have been the 

 results by increasing the number of bees 

 that Mr. Urann has employed a beekeeper 

 to make rapid increase so that he may be 

 able to take care of their various proper- 

 ties by having the requisite number of bees 

 at each bog where the cranberries are 

 grown. 



The problem that Mr. Urann would nat- 

 urally like to solve is, just how many colo- 

 nies of bees are needed for a given acreage ; 

 ard when he put that proposition to us we 

 auuiitted that we might be wild in our guess. 



One test was, however, somewhat signifi- 

 cant. There was one bog at Halifax that 

 had 126 acres of cranberries. On one side 

 of this were some three or four colonies last 

 year. It was very evident that this number 

 was inadequate to cover the entire field. 

 It was very significant that the yield per 

 acre of bei'ries was in direct proportion to 

 the proximity of such acreage to the bees. 

 The yield was heaviest close to the hives, 

 and was thinner and thinner as the distance 

 from the hives increased. The showing was 

 so remarkable in this and other fields that 

 Mr. Urann proposes to increase materially 

 their investment in bees another year. 



In a small way he has conducted some 

 experiments where he screened a small area 

 of cranberries away from the bees, and 

 right beside it he established a small plot 

 that the bees could visit. There was a 

 " deadly parallel " between the two. The 

 screened portion had veiy little fruit, while 

 that free to the visitation of the bees had 

 a large yield. We will not attempt to 

 give the actual figures at this time. This 

 whole proposition is so interesting that we 

 are now laying our plans to make a second 

 visit to see those wonderful establishments 



where the bees are proving to be such ben- 

 efactors, not in honey production, but in 

 the enormous increase of the yield of ber- 

 ries per acre. 



In our travels over the United States we 

 never saw a situation that demonstrated 

 more clearly the value of bees as pollina- 

 tors than in the cranberry-fields. Every 

 cranberry-grower is now making plans to 

 go into the bee business, not because he 

 expects to produce honey, but because he 

 knows by putting in bees he will increase 

 his yield of cranberries per acre. 



We might explain that a cranberry-bog 

 is nothing more nor less than a piece of 

 swamp land carefully and accurately grad- 

 ed after all trees and other vegetation have 

 been removed. The cranberry-plants spread 

 and grow like sti'awberry-vines, and, like 

 the strawberry, they must have bees. 



At some future time we hope to present 

 some photos that will show some of these 

 remarkable fields where the bees are earn- 

 ing more money for their owners than 

 probably any other bees devoted to the 

 production of honey anywhere in the Unit- 

 ed States. 



HONEY-CROP CONDITIONS. 



Reports from supply dealei-s and bee- 

 keepers generally go to show that 1913 will 

 go down in liistory as a great clover year. 

 There has been a tremendous yield in many 

 localities; but in others the drouth has been 

 so severe that the crop has been cut short 

 or cut ofi: entirely. But the yield has been 

 so heavy in favored localities that wiiite- 

 clover honey will be very much in evidence 

 in the markets. It is of very fine quality, 

 for the reason that weather conditions were 

 ideal for ripening. In general, reports in- 

 dicate that this has been an off year for 

 basswood. Late reports from some parts of 

 Ontario, Canada, indicate a big yield from 

 clover. In some parts the yield was cut 

 down by early frosts. 



Had it not been for the drouth setting 

 in, in many localities, the honey markets of 

 the East, at least, would take a tumble. As 

 it is, prices will probably rule easier than 

 last year. However, it is rather early yet 

 to make a definite statement as to what 

 the actual clover crop will be. Reports have 

 not come in very numeroush' as yet ; but 

 here are a few that will give some idea of 

 what the season has been. It should be 

 noticed that the reports up to June 28, 

 from some localities, are discouraging on 

 account of drouth. But in many of those 

 drouth-stricken places lieavy soaking rains 

 have since come, with the result that honey 

 began to come. This was particularly the 

 case in New York. Well, here are a few of 



