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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Bees and Fruit. — In a recent 

 issue of the Indiana Farmer, we found 

 the following in " The Apiary " depart- 

 ment, credited to a " sensible fruit- 

 grower :" 



I have purchased five acres more of 

 land, which I hope to plant in fruit- 

 trees, and have enlarged my apiary in 

 order that I may take 10 colonies of 

 bees to my newly-purchased ground 

 when planted, for I am more fully con- 

 vinced than ever that fruit-culture and 

 bee-keeping ought to go hand in hand. 



The nonsense about bees eating fruit, 

 and so spoiling the profits of the pear 

 and grape grower, has been believed 

 about long enough. It can be safely 

 asserted that honey-bees do not trouble 

 fruit unless it has been attacked, and 

 the skin punctured by wasps or birds, 

 and their aid as a fertilizing agent is 

 almost indispensable. 



Here is a fruit-grower's testimony. On 

 account of his experience with fruit and 

 bees, he bought more land for fruit, 

 and 10 colonies of bees to fertilize the 

 blossoms and increase the product. He 

 knows by experience that it will pay to do 

 so ! 



It is then stated that it is time to dis- 

 continue the nonsensical talk about bees 

 injuring pears and grapes — tlvit " their 

 aid as a fertilizing agent is almost indis- 

 pensable" — that wasps or birds punc- 

 ture the skins — that "it can be safely 

 asserted that honey-bees do not trouble 

 fruit, etc." 



Then comes the most surprising part 

 in a foot-note by the editor, which reads 

 as follows : 



Wc are not prepared to endorse thcs 

 last statement. The bees conduct IIkmu- 

 selves very suspiciously, if they are 

 innocent. We are inclined to believe 

 that some of tlicm learn to get into the 

 grapes without the help of birds, while 

 others may not have done so. 



We looked in vain at the heading of 

 the Department to find who is responsi- 

 ble for this "tid-bit" of comment — but, 

 alas, th(ire seems to be no one to father 

 it ! In times past several good apiarists 

 have had control of it, but now some 

 " nobody " is at the helm who assumes 

 to throw doubt upon the; experiments of 



men of ability and honor who have 

 given the most positive testimony in 

 harmony with the assertions and experi- 

 ence of the fruit-grower quoted in the 

 item commented upon ! 



We respectfully call the attention of 

 the editor of the Indiana Farmer to the 

 injustice done to the pursuit by the 

 article in question, and refer him to the 

 following letter from another prominent 

 fruit-grower on the subject : 



I see that there is considerable said 

 from time to time about bees damaging 

 grapes, as well as spme other kinds of 

 small fruit. I claim that it is all 

 " bosh," unless the fruit is first injured 

 in some way or another. I make this 

 assertion from my own experience in 

 growing grapes in the same yard with a 

 number of colonies of bees, at the same 

 time using the grapes as shade for the 

 bee-hives. As my attention has been 

 called to this matter at different times, I 

 have given it much thought, and watched 

 it most carefully. 



In the last three years there has been 

 only two instances where the bees have 

 worked on grapes in the least. 



In the first instance the damage was 

 caused by the chickens picking and eat- 

 ing the lower branches, or clusters, that 

 were hanging low down within their 

 reach. The second instance was caused 

 by a very severe hail-storm, vhich 

 bruised or punctured the grapes enough 

 to expose their seeds, enticing the bees 

 to work on them. This lasted only for a 

 few days, until the bruises became 

 scared over. You will observe that in 

 both instances the fruit was first injured 

 before the bees would have anything to 

 do with it, and I do not believe that 

 bees will hurt grapes or other kind of 

 fruit, unless such fruit is damaged 

 by something else. Using them as I do 

 for shade for bee-hives, large clusters of 

 the delicious fruit hang all around the 

 hives — yes, and even within a few inches 

 of the entrance to the hive. This must 

 certainly give a pretty good chance to 

 test the matter. In conclusion I will 

 say that 1 really believe that the most of 

 this complaint is caused by prejudice. 



Boscobel, Wis. B. E. Rick. 



A Man was recently convicted in 

 New Hampshire for selling artificial 

 honey, and sentenced to pay a fine of 

 $100. 



