19 



The President. No, I don't know that it is; but it 

 is probably desirable if we could find a hall to have a large 

 exhibit of appliances. It certainly would be very instruc- 

 tive. 



A Member. I move that the recommendation on 

 the whole subject be laid on the table until such time as it 

 shall be acted upon tomorrow. It was so voted. 



Secretary Brown. I move that the report of the oth- 

 er two committees be postponed at this time and that we 

 proceed to the first address of the morning. 



The President. The program continues with an 

 address by Dr. Burton N. Gates. Amherst State Inspector of 

 Apiaries: "Bees in relation to fruit production." 



THE VALUE OF BEES IN FRUIT GROWING 



Dr. Burton N. Gates, State Inspector of 

 Apiaries Amherst, Mass. 



It may be read in the oldese of writings how complete 

 coimtries were divested of their bees by a raging epidemic. 

 Aristotle has mentioned this for the classical period. In 

 more recent times in America, marked depressions in api- 

 culture have been observed. For instance, in New Eng- 

 land, including also New York State, Langstroth men- 

 tioned in 1852 the low ebb which bee-keeping had obtained. 

 Just what this was due to is not certain, but in all prob- 

 ability, a bee disease had swept through the country and 

 reduced the number of colonies to a minimum. It would 

 not be unreasonable therefore, to assume it possible for all 

 the bees in a given locality to be completely annihilated. 



It may be assumed that an agricultural country be- 

 comes entirely destitute of bees. What is the result? Would 

 it be possible to grow vegetables, squashes, cucumbers, mel- 

 ons; would the strawberries blackberries, the currants, the 

 raspberries, the apple, pear and plum bear fruit? More- 

 over, if the fiat included the bumble bee, would the clover 

 set seed? In fact, should the bee fauna be entirely reduced 

 as might be under most adverse conditions, it is safe to say 

 that it would be utterly impossible to produce the major- 

 ity of fruits and vegetables and horticultural seeds. 



In a certain locality in Massachusetts through the agency 



