AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



39 



fruit, and not on the blossoms. To spray 

 the trees while in bloom is, therefore, 

 quite useless, and results only in death 

 to the bees — not to the worms. 



In the light of these facts our readers 

 will be surprised to see on page 49 of 

 this Bee Journal that Prof. J. A. 

 Lintner, of New York, attended the 

 late meeting of the North American 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, at Albany, 

 and asked to be lieard on this subject. 



He stated that " it would be an ad- 

 vantage, so far as the destruction of 

 some insects is concerned, if spraying 

 could be resorted to previous to and 

 (luring the bloom." Not content with 

 this, he said that he doubted "if bees 

 were killed by the poison," and pressed 

 his opinion so strongly, that in order to 

 >atisfy him, a committee of three was 

 ippointed to make experiments to prove 

 " whether the spraying of trees, while 

 in bloom, actually does lead to the 

 lestruction of bees." 



We are glad to state, however, that 

 the convention did, by vote, condemn 

 the spraying of trees while in bloom, 

 before that committee was appointed. 



That committee, if it does anything, 

 should, at the earliest possible moment, 

 make the experiments and report the 

 result through the bee-periodicals. 



It is of the greatest importance that 

 10 excuse should be allowed for the 

 nauguration of another crusade against 

 .he bees next Spring, by encouraging 

 "ruit growers to spray fruit trees while 

 n bloom. 



It is to be regretted that Prof. Lintner 

 should have been allowed to make such 

 itatements before such an important 

 neeting of bee-keepers. Did he come 

 ,here for that purpose ? The matter 

 vas not on the programme, and would 

 jrobably not have been mentioned had 

 le not " asked to be allowed to say " 

 vhat he did. 



We fear that it was a decided blunder 

 lot to have expunged the matter from 

 ,he published report of the convention, 

 ^t would have done no harm to omit it, 

 tnd that would have been safe, 



Now, perhaps the best that can be 

 done will be to publish the report of the 

 committee as soon as it is possible to 

 make the experiments. 



To illustrate the evil of such publica- 

 tion, here is a " special cable dispatch "' 

 lately published in the Chicago Post : 



London, Dec. 26. — The Horticultural 

 Times has caused some alarm by assert- 

 ing that American apples arc poisonous, 

 as American grapes were sometime ago 

 found to be, owing to the limbs of trees 

 being syringed with chemical solutions 

 to destroy insects, which poisoned the 

 skin of the growing fruit. Demand is 

 made that the Board of Trade restrict 

 the importation of apples. It is asserted 

 that the use of these poisonous solutions 

 is increasing in the United States: The 

 Board of Trade will probably inquire 

 into the matter, owing to the statement 

 that tons of grapes were destroyed by 

 the New York authorities. 



Notwithstanding the fact that it was 

 authoritatively settled many months ago, 

 and widely published to the world (see 

 Bee Journal for Oct. 1 and Nov. 5, 

 1891, pages 423 and 581), that the 

 Bordeaux mixture, used in spraying 

 those grapes, was a solution of sulphate 

 of copper and lime, and was by the 

 Department of Agriculture pronounced 

 harmless — yet it having been published 

 to the world that the grapes -were pois- 

 onous, like the Wiley lie, it can never be 

 recalled — the truth never will overtake 

 the falsehood and destroy its influence ! 

 It " alarms" every time it is repeated, 

 just as much as if its poisonous effects 

 had never been contradicted ! It is just 

 as potent to-day in London, as if it were 

 true that hundreds had been poisoned 

 last Fall in New York, by eating the 

 grapes in question ! 



At the L,ate Convention of 



the Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion, a committee consisting of Mrs. L. 

 Harrison, G. F. Robbins, S. N. Black, 

 W. J. Finch and A. N. Draper, was 

 appointed to formulate a premium list 

 for the Sangamon County Fair. That 

 is right. The fair premium lists should 

 be boked after everywhere. 



