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Xlio Csiiisitlisiit Government feels like 

 assisting apiculture to the extent of its 

 ability. At the late Convention at Brant- 

 ford, this was exhibited by the following 

 Instance : 



Prof. Wm. Saunders, Superintendent of 

 the Dominion Experimental Farms at 

 Ottawa and elsewhere, was called, to the 

 platform by President Mason. In a short 

 address Prof. Saunders stated that while he 

 was not well versed in bee-keeping, yet he 

 hoped to learn more of it in the near future. 

 Entomology seems closely connected with 

 the scientific part of bee-keeping, and in 

 this he was very much interested. 



He explained the work of the Dominion 

 Experimental Farms, and added that it was 

 the intention of the Government to take up 

 all lines in any way connected with agri- 

 cultural pursuits as soon as it was possible 

 to reach them. On one of the experimental 

 farms in Manitoba, the Superintendent 



no honey, have to produce enormous quan- 

 tities of pollen to secure fruit fertilization. 



Examples of this are corn and rag-weed, 

 and even then these have to be congregated 

 in large numbers to help fertilize each 

 other. To carry out this fertilization, how- 

 ever, other insects than honey-bees are 

 needed. For instance, the corollas of the 

 clover blossoms are too long for the honey- 

 bees,but the longer proboscis of the bumble- 

 bee here comes into play. If the bees hurt 

 flowers, we should find the corollas of some 

 of the best honey-produciug flowers broken 

 and destroyed, but we do not. 



As to the action of bees upon fruit, Mr. 

 D. said that while they often draw the juice 

 from injured fruit (poor stuff, too), they 

 never injure sound fruit. The mandibles 



siring to pui'il'y such receijtacles so as to be 

 proHtably used again : 



To remove the astringent rpialities from 

 a new oak cask, or the taste from a barrel 

 which has hold alcoholic liquor, nothing is 

 necessary but to fiU with cold water and 

 lot it soak a few days, changing the water 

 two or three times. An old liarrel which 

 has been used for cider or vinegar, should 

 be purified by sulphur fumes. Invert the 

 barrel over a shovel or dish of live coals, 

 upon which brimstone has just been 

 thrown, and let it remain there for half an 

 hour to an hour. Then soak the bari'el with 

 clean water, in which a pound of soda or a 

 shovelful of ashes has been dissolved. 



U:^ Jacob Wollerskeim, of Kauffmau, 

 Wis., sends us a sample of his comb foun- 

 dation, which has high side-walls and is 

 well made. 



Apiary of Mrs. Martini Anderson, BushncU, Ills. 



has a number of colonies of bees with which 

 he is experiiueutiug. 



Mr. Saunders promised the assistance of 

 the faculty at Ottawa in any of the 

 branches wherein bee-keepers were inter- 

 ested, and he thought that they could very 

 often help solve difficulties in the entomo- 

 logical and botanical departments of bee- 

 keeping. 



Bees and Horticulture. — Mr. C. P. 



Dadant, at the recent meeting of the Illi- 

 nois Horticultural Society, in discussing the 

 relation of bees to horticulture, is reported 

 to have said there are two main divisions 

 of the question — the relation of bees to 

 flowers, and their action upon fruit. 



Bees are created undoubtedly to help in 

 fertilizing flowers. This is too well known 

 to need further proof, though a clear evi- 

 dence that honey exists in the blossom to 

 attract insects, for blossom fertilization lies 

 in the fact that those flowers which yield 



of the bee are not made to puncture, they | 

 are round and entirely devoid of teeth. 



He also referred to the relation of bee- 

 culture and horticulture as shown by their 

 allied products— honey and preserves of 

 different kinds ; and the use of honey in 

 wine making. 



Puriijiiis" Casks tor Honey.— 



Although we do not advise the general use 

 of casks and ban-els in the apiary, that 

 have contained wine or alcoholic liquors, 

 yet there are occasions when such recepta- 

 cles can be used to excellent advantage, if 

 cleansed, especially when the honey put 

 into them is to be employed in feeding the 

 bees in the spring, or for winter stores. 



Chas. L. Carpenter, of New Jersey, in one 

 of our valued agricultural exchanges, gives 

 the following method to pursue when de- 



Xlie Edelweiss ot tlie Alps. 



This gem was sent us by L. Mrs. Harri- 

 son. The lines were written by an Ameri- 

 can lady who was traveling in Europe, and 

 sent them to Mrs. H. by one of the party : 



On Alpine heights there blooms a flower, 



So soft, so white, mid snow and ice, 

 Well meet to grace the *yuugtrau's bower. 



And mortals call it tEdelweiss ; 

 For white must all that's noble be, 



And bloom from earth far, far apart ; 

 So she that's robed in purity, 



Must bear an "Bdelvveiss " in heart. 



*The Yungfrau is a anow mountain near Inter- 

 laken, and is a very Rrancl sight to behold. 



+The Edelweiss is a little white (lower, like our 

 daisy, and has a yellow center, and its leaves are 

 thick, like cotton. It is under the snow, and in no 

 other place. Its home is on the Alps. 



Clii'bs of 5 for $4.00, to any addresses. 

 Ten for $7.50, if all are sent at one time. 



