36 



possible give them a chance at the blossoms before plowing 

 under; for while it may not appear to be of any advantage 

 to him to have them visit the clover as he does not raise 

 seed, yet the more that can be done to make strong and pro- 

 fitable the bees the more there will be ready during the fruit 

 bloom to insure the setting of the fruit. 



The same with the use of ashes or of other orchard 

 dressing which will bring in the clover, for clover is the chief 

 source of nectar in this region and were it not for that there 

 would be but few bees here except those in orchards kept 

 by the up to date men for the fruit bloom alone. 



PROF. SEARS. Are there any questions to be asked 

 about Mr. Purrington's most interesting talk? 



MR. STAPLES. Might I ask the time which elapses 

 between the laying of the egg and the maturity of the bee? 



MR. PURRINGTON. It is three weeks. The egg is 

 laid, we will say, as soon as the blossoms open, or about the 

 15th of May; within three days it is hatched into a larva; 

 eight or ten days more and it is capped over, and emerges at 

 the end of the three weeks, which brings the date to about 

 the 7th of June. For a few days then the bee is a nurse-bee, 

 all downy like a young chicken. In seven or ten days it 

 comes out of that, so that with the opening of the clover 

 blossoms, about the 20th of June, we have all those bees 

 which the fruit bloom has brought. 



MRS. HOWE OF MARLBORO. Do you find that the 

 honey is as good when the bees are feeding in the alfalfa? 



MR. PURRINGTON. I have had no experience myself 

 with that phase of it — I am only an amateur — but I know 

 some say they will yield very abundantly a very thin, white 

 honey, which is considered excellent by those who produce 

 it. But I know well it isn't as good as that from the apple 

 blossom — it can't be. 



MRS. HOWE. It is cut just before the bee is ready to 

 make honey, and I would like to find out if it would pay to 

 let it go a little bit longer, whether the value of the honey 

 would be enough to pay for doing that. 



MR. PURRINGTON. It would be to me ; it might not 

 to them. 



