STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 49 



the average has been about sixteen to eighteen bushels per acre. 

 In every locaHty where bees are kept in any numbers in this 

 state, the results are practically the same." 



As the comparison was much in favor of the bee-keeper the 

 man said, "I think I had better call the account balanced if you 

 are willing." The bee-keeper assured him that he was willing, 

 but insisted that he take a case of honey home without cost to 

 him and told him an honest understanding of things always 

 made better neighbors and friends. 



I will cite a few instances of the value of bees in the orchard 

 and I assure you it is my honest opinion that the honey bee is 

 of much value to the fruit grower, whether of tree or bush 

 fruits. While the strawberry furnishes little, if any, nectar, the 

 bees work on them for the pollen and are of much value. 



That well-known orchardist, J. L. Van Rensselaer, in 1912 

 rented an old orchard in Ohio, of fifty acres, which was return- 

 ing little profit to its owner. With thorough pruning, culti- 

 vating, spraying and fertilizing, he secured in 191 3 a large crop 

 of nearly perfect apples. He attributes much of his success to 

 the placing of fifty colonies of bees in the orchard previous to 

 the blossoming season. He desired more bees but could not 

 readily secure them and thinks the crop would have been much 

 larger had he had twice the number of colonies. 



Prof. A. J. Cook, Professor of Entomology, in 1891, at the 

 Michigan Agricultural College, said : 



"I tried many experiments last spring. I counted the blos- 

 soms on each of two branches, or plants, of apple, cherry, pear, 

 strawberry, raspberry and clover. One of these in case of each 

 fruit, or each experiment, was surrounded by cheese-cloth, just 

 before the blossoms opened, and kept covered till the blossoms 

 fell off. The apple, pear and cherry were covered May 4, 

 and uncovered May 19 and May 25. The number of blos- 

 soms considered varied from 32, the smallest number, to 399, 

 the largest. The trees were examined June 11 to see what 

 number of the fruit had set. The per cent of blossoms which 

 developed on the covered trees was a little over two, while 

 almost twenty per cent of the uncovered blossoms had devel- 

 oped." 



J. F. Mclntyre was a delegate at the California State 

 Fruit-growers Association for 1893 ^^^ reports : 



