42 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



seed in Australia, until bumble-bees, 

 Bombiis, were introduced, and they ap- 

 pear to be the chief fertilizers of this 

 valuable forage plant. 



When Columbus discovered America 

 he found no honey-bees here. But vs^hen 

 the settlers came, they brought apples, 

 pears, quince and cherry trees, and their 

 fertilizers, the honey-bees. "Nature 

 detests self fertilization." 



The apple blossom is a perfect flower, 

 containing both sexes in one, with the 

 stamens and anthers waving above the 

 germ ; why then does it need a foreign 

 agent to insure fertilization ? On a close 

 examination we find that when the germ 

 is in season for the fertilizing powder, 

 the anthers waving above have not 

 burst. When the germ is ready, nature 

 spreads a rich feast of delicious, fra- 

 grant nectar, and invites the bees to the 

 nuptials. They come, like millers, with 

 flour on their bodies, and their pollen 

 baskets filled with it, kneaded into 

 bread, and as they load up the nectar, 

 they leave behind them some of the fer- 

 tilizing powder in exchange. 



Five distinct fertilizations must take 

 place to produce a perfect apple ; if the 

 seeds on one side are fertilized, and 

 those opposite are not, it will be 

 shrunken, or one-sided. 



Nature has so ordered that only a 

 limited number of insects shall survive 

 the Winter's cold ; only the queens of 

 some species, as bumble-bees and wasps; 

 but bees dwelling in communities have 

 survived by the thousands. 



It has been found, " by actual count 

 in time of fruit in May, that the bees 

 outnumber all other insects twenty to 

 one, upon the bloom ; and on cool days, 

 hundreds of bees are seen on the fruit 

 blossoms, while not a single other insect 

 can be found." Thus we see, that the 

 honey-bees are exceedingly important in 

 the economy of vegetable growth and 

 fruitage, especially of all such plants as 

 blossom early in the season. 



In England, a fruit grower was sur- 

 prised to find that the trees near one 

 corner of his grounds, in which were 

 placed colonies of bees, were heavily 

 laden •'ith fruit, while those more re- 

 mote, had set very sparingly. Then he 

 called to mind the fact of its being very 

 dark and foggy during the blooming of 

 the trees, so the bees flew but a short 

 distance from their hives. 



Fruit and bees are inseparable. Horti- 

 culturists and apiarists are, like the 

 American Union, one, and inseparable. 

 White clover, Trifoliuni repeiis, and its 

 relative, Alsike clover,Tri/oJjwu hybricla, 



is dependent almost entirely for fertili- 

 zation upon honey-bees. 



Dairymen have complained that bees 

 robbed the pastures of their sweetness. 

 A writer in the Naturalist says, " It is 

 estimated that to collect one pound of 

 honey from white clover, 02,000 heads 

 of clover must be deprived of their nec- 

 tar, and that 3,750,000 visits must be 

 made by the bees." If this estimate is 

 correct, the loss of sweetness is not 

 appreciable. 



Charles Darwin experimented for 

 eleven years on the cross-fertilization of 

 plants, and has given to the world some 

 very valuable results, proving the very 

 great value of cross-fertilization, as it is 

 performed by insects. He found by 

 experiments from 20 heads of white 

 clover, protected from insects, one 

 aborted seed was the only result, while 

 20 heads on the plants outside the net, 

 and visited by bees, yielded by count 

 2,290 seeds. Mrs. L. Hakrison. 



A resolution made by Mrs. Harrison 

 was adopted, viz : " That the thanks of 

 this association are due to all the mem- 

 bers of the State Legislature, who by 

 voice or vote aided in placing our asso- 

 ciation upon a solid foundation ; and in 

 particular to the Hon. J. M. Hambaugh, 

 of Spring, for his untiring efforts in be- 

 half of our industry, and our Society." 



A vote of thanks was also given to 

 Mrs. L. Harrison for her efforts in behalf 

 of the cause of bee-keepers throughout 

 the State. 



A resolution was adopted, and a com- 

 mittee appointed to prepare and report 

 a premium list. Committee — Mrs. L. 

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

 Black, W. J. Finch, Jr., and A. N. 

 Draper. 



A resolution was adopted, and a com- 

 mittee of three appointed to prepare a 

 code of rules to govern the awards of 

 premiums at fairs. Committee — Geo. F. 

 Robbins, Mechanicsburg, D. D. Cooper, 

 and Chas. Becker. 



Amotion was carried that when we 

 adjourn, it be to meet at 7:30 p.m. for 

 a night session. 



The question box was opened, and 

 discussions followed which were particiT 

 pated in with much animation. 



Adjourned. 



The night session met at 7:30 p.m., 

 for a sort of "love feast." Among 

 other questions that came up, that of 

 the adulteration of honey, caused a long 

 continued discussion ; the arguments 

 generally favoring the passage of a law 

 for its prevention. 



