1HE AMERICAN BEEKEEPER. 



91 



with plenty of unsealed stores. After 

 the great killing frost of May 28th, 

 1889, I uncapped and fed over 500 

 bs. before the clover season opened, 

 and every colony had plenty of 

 sealed honey in their hives while I 

 was doing that. My colonies did 

 great business that honey season, as I 

 had them in grand condition when 

 the honey flow came. — Wm . McEvoy 

 in C. B. J. 



DO BEES INJURE FRUIT CROPS ? 



The question, we are sorry to say, 

 of bees injuring the crops, has had 

 many advocates. It is nothing but a 

 silly prejudice against bees, entertain- 

 ed by some covetous fruit-growers 

 based on the notion that the crops are 

 injuriousy affected both in quantity 

 and quality. It is an unfounded no- 

 tion, and it deserves no support from 

 close observation and science. Yet it 

 occasionally looms up, and dreates as 

 much alarm, as the comet did in the 

 past days. 



I claim that nectar passes oil' and is 

 lost if not collected by the bees. It is 

 the sweet secreted by the flower which 

 produces this nectar. 



A gentleman in France, several 

 yers ago, established a green-house 

 and stocked it with a great variety of 

 choice fruit-trees, expecting to have 

 bountiful crops. Time passed, and 

 every year there was a super-abun- 

 dance of blossoms, but very little 

 fruit. Various plans were devised 

 and adopted to bring the trees into 

 bearing, but without any success un- 

 til it was suggested that the blossoms 

 needed fertilization, and that by 

 means of bees the needed work could 

 be done. A colony of busy workers 

 was introduced the next season, and 



the remedy was a success. There was 

 no longer any difficulty in producing 

 ci'ops there. The bees distributed 

 the pollen, aud the setting of the fruit 

 followed naturally. 



But some will contend that bees do 

 injury to the crop by extracting the 

 honey from the bloom; and they will 

 say that it is reasonable that if a por- 

 tion of the plant is taken away by the 

 bees, there must be a less quantity of 

 material left for the formation of 

 seed! It is a fact that if a person has 

 an opinion formed, he will build up 

 strong proofs in his favor, which, he 

 thinks, he can substantiate by satis- 

 factory reasons. 



The flowers expand, and a set of 

 vessels pour into the cup, or nectary, a 

 minute portion of sweet liquid; and 

 strong testimony proves very plainly 

 that it never again enters the stalk or 

 flower, but there it evaporates like 

 water. For instance in passing a 

 field of horsemint in full bloom, we 

 are assured of the presence of honey, 

 by the oder in the air. Now what is 

 the difference, whether this honey 

 passes off in the air, or whether it is 

 collected by the bees. If any differ- 

 ence, it appears in favor of the bees 

 getting it, for it thus answers an im- 

 portant end in the economy of nature. 



Instead of the bees being an injury 

 to the crop, I shall prove that they 

 are an advantage. The stamens and 

 pistils of flowers correspond to the 

 different organs and sexes of the male 

 and female. The stamen is the male, 

 which furnishes the pollen; the pistil 

 is the female, which must be impreg- 

 nated by this dust or pollen from the 

 stamen or no fiuit will be produced. 



This is fully accomplished by the 



