Mar. 15. 1912 



as they were comiiiji; into bloom, covered 

 with mosquito-netting. Some particular 

 limbs were covered, while others were left 

 to the visitation of bees and other insects. 

 All of these experiments, showing conclu- 

 sively the valuable work of the bees in pol- 

 linating fruit-blossoms when no other in- 

 sects could or would be present, were i)ub- 

 lished in the bee journals at the time, and, 

 later on, were incorporated in more perma- 

 nent form in the A B C and X Y Z of Bee 

 Culture under the head of " Fruit-blossoms," 

 and also under the head of " Pollen." While 

 other investigators had done something 

 similar to this. Professor Cook conductetl 

 his experiments on such an elaborate scale 

 that he practically settled the matter for all 

 time to come. 



Again, we find him among the first to pro- 

 claim that honey is not evaporated nectar, 

 as many had supposed. An elaborate series 

 of experiments were conducted at the Agri- 

 cultural College under his directions, the re- 

 sult of all which showed that nectar, after it 

 has been gathered by the bees, is transform- 

 ed or "digested " into a new chemical prod- 

 uct known as honey. He also claimed that 

 sugar syrup, if fed thin enough, would be 

 transformed also by the bees; and from this 

 arose a sharp controversy at the time, wheth- 

 er it was legitimate to feed bees sugar syrup 

 and have them store it in sections and sell 

 it as "honey." While Professor Cook nev- 

 er contended that it was proper to sell it as 

 honey without stating that it was sugar fed, 

 he maintained that it had the properties of 

 honey, and, if fed thin as nectar, so that the 

 bees could properly invert it, that it was 

 "honey." This stirred up a "bees' nest" 

 among the fraternity at large, and the stings 

 that were jabbed into Professor Cook at the 

 time were something fierce. While scientif- 

 ic men, including Dr. Wiley, admitted that 

 there was a decided chemical change from 

 nectar into honey, and that thin sugar syr- 

 up fed slowly to bees took on the properties 

 of honey, they contended that the product 

 was not honey, because the nectar of flowers 

 has certain j)roperties, including volatile 

 oils, that are not found in sugar. The whole 

 fraternity seemed to feel that the dogma of 

 sugar honey was too dangerous to let go un- 

 challenged, and the matter was dropped; 

 but no one could or should question the hon- 

 esty or sincerity of Professor Cook or those 

 who stood with him on the proposition. 



Professor Cook also took the ground that, 

 as honey was a predigested food, it could be 

 eaten by children and certain invalids, when 

 cane sugars would do harm. In this. Pro- 

 fessor Cook seems to have had considerable 

 support, although there are some food ex- 

 perts who take no stock in this teaching. 

 It is nevertheless true that not a few medi- 

 cal men are beginning to recommend hon- 

 ey in their dietaries; and recent issues of 

 Gleanings have reported how honey is be- 

 ing given to convalescents at hosjiitals. 



Whether Professor Cook is or has been al- 

 ways right on these jiropositions, I can not 

 say; but 1 have always noticed that, when 



161 



some pioneers of science attempt to enunci- 

 ate a new theory or truth, he often meets a 

 storm of opi)osition. (ialileo was pronounc- 

 ed a heretic, and put in prison for saying 

 what we all acknowledge as an unquestion- 

 ed fact. There have been many CJalileos 

 since, and there will be more to follow. 



r^ater on. Professor Cook took an active 

 interest in spraying fruit-trees to destroy in- 

 jurious insects and fungi. Indeed, in the 

 language of another, "the remedies he first 

 recommended are now common; and he was 

 probably the first to demonstrate the efficacy 

 and safety of Paris green for the codling 

 moth." 



Again, we find that Professor Cook was 

 one of the first to point out the danger to 

 the bees and to the beekeeper from spray- 

 ing trees while in bloom. He showed that 

 spraying at such times is destructive to bees, 

 and wholly unnecessary if not harmful from 

 the standpoint of the fruitgrower. Later 

 on we find him in the forefront advocating 

 measures for the suppression of bee diseases, 

 and Michigan was one of the first States 

 in the Union to have a foul brood law. Dur- 

 ing all this time he was teaching entomol- 

 ogy and zoology, and going around lectur- 

 ing at farmers' institutes, telling the farm- 

 ers how to grow more and better crops. Aft- 

 er going to California he continued his ac- 

 tive interest in bees, devoting himself assid- 

 uously to the work of his department. 



During the last four or five years his writ- 

 ings have not appeared in the columns of 

 our bee journals; for be it remembered he 

 was approaching a time in life when he 

 could not work night and day as he had 

 done in his early career. But I find that, 

 according to the college paper published at 

 Pomona, he did much "to place his depart- 

 ment in the college on the most efficient- 

 working basis; and his services to the gen- 

 eral public are warmly acknowledged by 

 grateful men and women throughout the 

 length and breadth of the State. His ex- 

 periments in agricultural and horticultural 

 matters have for many years been of a very 

 extensive character. Taking all of these 

 things into consideration. Governor .lohn- 

 son could scarcely have found a man better 

 equipped to undertake the duties of the new 

 office, involving, as it does, an annual ap- 

 propriation of $100,000 and a corps of assist- 

 ants. 



Besides all his other qualities, Professor 

 Cook is one of the most lovable Christian 

 men I ever met. I have seen him in con- 

 ventions, and time and time again he has, 

 with that broad and loving spirit so charac- 

 teristic of him, poured oil on troubled waters. 

 He was, indeed, a great ])eace-maker, because 

 he seemed to have the happy faculty of see- 

 ing the good in everybody, and of trying to 

 make every one happv- It goes without 

 saying, that Professor Cook will harmonize 

 the api)arently conflicting interests of the 

 beekeepers and the fruitgrowers. If he 

 has any thing to say about it (and he will 

 have a good deal) there will be "no strife 

 between me and thee, for we be brethren." 



