Published by The A. I. Root Company, Medina, Ohio 



H. H. Root, Assistant Editor E. R. Root, Editor A. L. Boydkn, Advertising Manager 



A. I. Root, Editor Home Department J. T. Calvert, Business Manaeer 



Entered at the PostoflBce, Medina, Ohio, as Second-class Matter 



VOL. XL 



MAY 15, 1912 



NO. 10 



d]D{l®D°DSl 



HONEY PROSPECTS. 



A GREAT abundance of fruit bloom and 

 beautiful weather is being reported from all 

 over the United States. In many localities 

 the prospects from clover are excellent; but 

 many say there is a great lack of bees, ow- 

 ing io the severe winter losses. 



SAMPLES OF BROOD FOR EXA3IINATION NOT 

 TO BE SENT TO MEDINA. 



We must again remind our readers that 

 we prefer not to examine suspicious brood 

 here at this office. We formerly did this, 

 but now that bacteriological examinations 

 are made free of charge under the supervis- 

 ion of Dr. E. F. Phillips, of the Bureau of 

 Entomology, Washington, we forward all 

 samples which we receive direct to him. 



PERFECTLY POLLINATED BLOSSOMS MORE 

 RESISTANT TO FROSTS. 



In the Country Gentleman for March 23, 

 1912, p. 13, is a most able article on the value 

 of bees to the fruit-grower. The old idea of 

 bees stinging grapes, etc., is scouted, and 

 the true value of the bee clearly shown. 

 The writer of this article is well informed, 

 as is shown by the following extract: 



Bees are absolutely necessary to the farmer and 

 fruit-raiser. Indeed, fruit-ralslng is chiefly depen- 

 dent for its very existence upon bets. Of the many 

 varieties of bees, the common honey-bee is the 

 most valuable. Without it the orchardist would be 

 in a sad plight indeed. Although the wind will 

 poUenize some varieties of fruit, Nature's chief aids 

 in her great work of producing more and better 

 fruit are the honey-gatherers. They poUenize the 

 individual blossoms; and as they fly from one tree 

 to another they also accomplish the cross-fertiliza- 

 tion so necessary to the raising of good fruit. Their 

 pollen-baskets are filled at one tree, and part of 

 their load is left at the next. For this reason the 

 fruit-raiser should keep bees himself or else en- 

 courage his neighbors to do so. If he can possibly 

 manage it. however, he should have his own bees. 

 If he does not wish to keep bees he can doubtless 

 arrange with a near-by beeman to have some hives 

 placed in his orchard in early spring. This sort of 

 arrangement Is reported from California, both bee- 

 keeper and fruit raiser being well satisfied. 



Fruit failures are often caused bv wet or cold 

 weather. At such times the bees work only in the 

 home orchard or in the immediate neighborhood, 

 A few sunny hours will give them a chance to pol- 

 lenlze the bloom near the hives; and as a rule, 

 during such weather, they will give their whole at- 

 tention to the home <)rch,ard. Since fruit bloom 

 that is set" will stand a lower degree of frost 

 without damage than the unpollenlzed bloom, 

 prompt pollenizatlon may easily be the means of 



saving a crop of fruit from destruction by frost. 

 Bees are to the fruit-grower, therefore, a" sort of 

 frost Insurance. 



DO BLACK BEES WINTER BETTER THAN THE 

 YELLOW RACES ? 



One of our subscribers, referring to the 

 wintering of bees in his locality, writes that 

 the blacks wintered fairly well, while the 

 yellow colonies were either weak or died 

 out altogether. It will be remembered how, 

 years ago, we used to have to buy up colo- 

 nies of black bees to make up for losses of 

 Italians. We have never believed there was 

 any very great difference between the black 

 and yellow bees in the matter of wintering. 

 In most cases which we have traced down, 

 we have found that the bees that have win- 

 tered well have had some favorable condi- 

 tions that the bees which died did not have. 



One of the most favorable conditions for 

 wintering bees is a spot that is sheltered 

 from the fierce wintry blasts. Box hives, 

 usually under a shed, with its back to the 

 west or prevailing winds, often winter quite 

 well, when Italian bees in doubled-walled 

 hives out in the open die. Perhaps there is 

 a lesson here in combining shelter from the 

 winds and double-walled hives. We are 

 coming to believe more and more that we 

 do nof attach enough importance to wind- 

 breaks, whatever we may say about the 

 value of double walls and porous packing. 

 Let's have both in the future. 



WHY CLOVER YIELDS SOME SEASONS AND 



NOT others; the QUESTION OF LIMING. 



On page 97, Feb. 15. the editor calls attention to 



the lessened yield of clover, and attributes it to the 



exhaustion of lime in the soil. 1 may be a little 



dull, but 1 don't see why we should now and then 



get an abundance of honey from clover when no 



lime has been added to the soil. 



Middlebury, Vt, J- E. Ckane. 



As we explained in our editorials on this 

 subject, there are many localities where 

 there is no deficiency of lime. When clover 

 fails to yield, the failure, in such cases, is 

 due to other causes, such as winter-killing 

 or drouth. When conditions are just right 

 for a clover flow, a deficiency in lime will 

 not necessarily prevent a yield of nectar; 

 but when they are from poor to fair, a lack 

 of lime means a total failure of clover honey. 



