BEES NOT INJURIOUS TO GRAPES. 217 



much after the fashion of a snarling dog, molested by 

 another of his species while daintily discussing his 

 own private bone. 



"After the mischief has been begun by other in- 

 sects, or wherever a crack or a spot of decay is seen, 

 the honey bee hastens to help itself, on the principle 

 of < gathering up the fragments, that nothing may be 

 lost.' In this way, they undoubtedly do some mis- 

 chief; but before war is declared against them, let 

 every fruit-grower inquire if, on the whole, they are 

 not far more useful than injurious. As bees carry 

 on their bodies the pollen, or fertilizing substance, 

 they aid most powerfully in the impregnation of 

 plants, while prying into the blossoms in search of 

 honey or bee-bread. In genial seasons, fruit will 

 often set abundantly, even if no bees are kept in its 

 vicinity ; but many springs are so unpropitious, that 

 often during the critical period of blossoming, the 

 sun shines for only a few hours, so that those only 

 can reasonably expect a remunerative crop whose 

 trees are all murmuring with the pleasant hum of 

 bees. 



" A large fruit-grower told me that his cherries 

 were a very uncertain crop, a cold north-east storm 

 frequently prevailing when they were in blossom ; he 

 had noticed that if the sun shone only for a couple of 

 hours, the bees secured him a crop. 



" If the horticulturists who regard the bee as an 

 enemy, could exterminate the race, they would .act 

 with as little wisdom as those who attempt to banish 

 10 



