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291 



XH091AS G. MEtVSIAW, 



BDITOR. 



Vol mi. May 3,1890. No. 18. 



EDmRIML Bmeisgi 



May Sun is bright — the air is clear, 

 The darting swallows soar and sing, 



And from the stately elms I bear 

 Bluebirds and bees salute the spring. 



Shortly before one of the worst of 

 landslides, at Plurs, Switzerland, on August 

 25, 1618, at 13 a.m., the bees left the hives. 



We want a Volume 3 of the 

 American Bee Journal— July, 1866, to 

 June, 1867. Any one having it for sale 

 may send us a postal card, saying what 

 he will take for it. Do not send any 

 numbers before we order them, for we only 

 need one set. 



Uee-Keepins^ in Ireland is quite 

 an important industiy. Last year (1889) 

 about 30,000 colonies of liees were kept 

 there, which produced, in round numbers, 

 500,000 pounds of honey. Ulster country 

 is the center of this growing and interest- 

 ing pursuit. Verily, the "Emerald Isle" 

 is sweet, as well as " green." 



Xlie Vot<?s for the " National Flower 

 of America " are very emphatically in 

 favor of the golden-rod. Of all the votes 

 sent to Mr. Prang, as requested, 70 per 

 cent, are in for that golden beauty. This 

 is another exhibition of the influence of 

 bee-keepers, when they are properly united 

 in creating an opinion favorable to the 

 pursuit. It presents another proof that 

 " in union there is strength." Now it will 

 be presented to Congress liy Mr. Prang, 

 through some members of each body, and 

 in all human probability the golden-rod 

 will become "the National flower of 

 America." 



UeeM stn«l Fruit.— At the regular 

 meeting of the Rhode Island Horticultural 

 Society, held in Fianklin Lyceum Hall on 

 April 16, Prof. Samuel Cushmau, Apiarist 

 of the Rhode Island Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, read an essay entitled, "The 

 Relation of Bees to Fruit." The Providence 

 Journal of April 17, 1890, gives the follow- 

 ing as its report of the essay and the discus- 

 sion following it : 



Mr. Cushman illustrated his subject by 

 charts, and spoke for about 40 minutes. 

 He began by saying that he was a bee- 

 keeper, and would present views attained 

 by personal observation. 



The essential and important point made 

 by Mr. Cushman, was that bees were not 

 injurious to growing or fair fruit, but that, 

 on the contrary, they were beneficial to 

 flowers and the bloom of fruit trees. In 

 this belief he was supported by every mem- 

 ber of the society present. Mr. Cushman 

 referred generally to the process of devel- 

 opment of flowers, and said that some ferti- 

 lize themselves, some are fertilized by the 

 wind, but the great bulk is fertilized by 

 insects. The latter produce cross fertiliza- 

 tion, a very important thing for plant life. 



To illustrate his position, Mr. Cushman 

 quoted liberally from celebrated writers on 

 the subject of self and cross fertilization. 

 Insects and flowers are beneflted alike. He 

 explained how bees get at the nectar of 

 flowers and, the result of their action in 

 inoculation. He referred to the various 

 kinds of insects that get food from flo wers 

 and fruit. The habits of flowers corres- 

 pond to the habits of insects, and both are 

 indispensable to each other. 



Kingston is celebrated for the variety 

 and abundance of its flowers, and there are 

 more bees there, than in any other section 

 of the State. On certain islands where 

 insects are scarce, very few flowers are 

 found. Of all insects, bees are the most 

 industrious, and flowers visited by them 

 are the most attractive in every way. 

 Insects materially aid the bloom of trees, 

 and better fruit is obtained by reason of 

 their visits. He said that the juice of fruit 

 is injurious to bees, and that bees do not 

 injure sound fruit in any way. They 

 attack only bruised or juice giving fruit, or 

 fruit previously injured by other insects. 

 Pair fruit is never harmed by them. 



After the essay had been concluded, 

 oranges and bananas were served during a 

 short recess. When the meeting was again 

 called to order. President E. J. Nickerson 

 invited a discussion on the subject of the 

 essay. L. W. Russell spoke briefly on the 

 relation of bees to fruit, and of the impor- 

 tant service rendered by the industrious 

 insects, He moved a vote of thanks to Mr. 

 Cushman for his excellent essay. 



Henry T. Root said that he hoped the 

 sense of the meeting would be taken, and if 

 the views expressed in the essay were 

 entertained by the members present, the 

 society should endorse them with the vote 

 of thanks. 



T. K. Parker said : " Never destroy bees, 

 for they are of great benefit to mankind." 

 He also said that he had discovered another 

 thing recently. Heretofore he was of the 

 belief that the crocus was without seeds; 

 he never could find any. There was a good 

 reason why he could not, for cats eat them. 

 The discovery was that cats are very fond 

 of crocus seeds. In referring to bees, he 



said that he did not think they damaged 

 gi'apes. Wasps ho knew to be destructive 

 to various kinds of fruit. 



Dr. Timothy Newell said he never knew 

 bees to injure fruit of any kind. George 

 Hunt, J. L. Snow, and John Bowen testified 

 to the same efl'ect. 



Action was now taken on the motions 

 that the society endorse the statement that 

 bees do not injure souwl fruit, that they 

 are more beneficial than harmful, and that 

 a vote of thanks be extended to Piof. 

 Cushmau. Canied. 



The above testimony of horticulturists, 

 gleaned from the Providence Joiirnnl, 

 should have gi-eat weight, and dismiss the 

 subject at once and forever about bees 

 being injurious to grapes. Tbey are the 

 fruit-growers' best friends, and should 

 always be so regarded. As scientific light 

 and knowledge increases, the wild ideas of 

 ignorance and prejudice will vanish, and 

 the bees will be honored for the important 

 part they take in fertilizing the flowers, 

 increasing the quantity of fruit, and gath- 

 ering Nature's pure sweet — thus multiply- 

 ing the pleasures of mankind, as well as 

 adding to the material wealth of commerce. 



IVunies ol Ollicers.- Mr. J. W. Tefft, 

 of Collamer, N. Y., makes these sugges- 

 tions : 



I should be pleased to see the American 

 Bee Journal adopt a plan of keeping the 

 names of the oflicials of the International 

 Bee-Association and the officials of the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Union at the head 

 of the Letters at all times, so that we may 

 know who and where to addi'ess our letters. 

 The American Bee Journal is the official 

 bee-paper of the world, and was never so 

 powerful and valuable as at the present 

 day. Its teachings in apiculture are that 

 the one who can produce the greatest crop 

 of honey is not the best apiarist, but it is 

 that one who can effect it with the least 

 experience. Its pages are an instrument 

 of civilization — a safety lamp for all bee- 

 keepers. It gives us all the liylU, but none 

 of the conflagration. 



We can very easily accommodate our 

 readers in that matter, and will adopt the 

 plan mentioned, at once. It appears on 

 page 300. 



One coincidence is worthy of note : The 

 President of each is located in Michigan, 

 and both Secretaries are located in lUiuois 

 — for the present year. 



Honey Aliiiansic John Craycraft, 



of St. Francis, Fla., gives this testimony in 

 regard to the importance of circulating the 

 Honey Almanac : 



I have examined the Honey Almanac, 

 and am well pleased with its contents. In 

 making known the uses that honey can be 

 put to, its circulation would certainly be 

 a gi'eat help to the sale of honey. 



Jacob T. Timpe, of Grand Ledge, 

 Mich., has mailed us a sample of his pre- 

 mium Italian bees. They are fine, large, 

 yeUow, and well marked ; and are as lively 

 as they are beautiful. 



