314 



the strained honey, pressed out of the 

 comb and which contains pollen and brood, 

 which impurities are mixed with the honey. 

 Extracted honey should be put up in glass 

 jars— the one-quart fruit jars are very good 

 and will hold three pounds each, and when 

 they are empty, they are very useful in the 

 household. But if the market demands 

 smaller jars, that will hold only one and 

 two pounds each, they should be furnished 

 and nicely labeled, and put in crates of one 

 dozen each. 



Further, we should instruct buyers that 

 extracted honey will granulate in winter 

 when exposed to a low temperature, and 

 that granulation is a pledge of purity, for 

 honey adulterated with glucose will not 

 granulate. Granulated honey can again be 

 brought to a liquid state by simply placing 

 the jar that contains it in hot water until it 

 is melted, but not long enough to bring it to 

 the boiling point. , 



Sell to the consumer as much of your 

 honey as you can, and take the remainder 

 to the retail dealers yourself, instead of 

 sending it to the wholesale dealers, who 

 will sell it to the retail dealers and then 

 charge you a commission. 



J. F. Hershey thought honey put up in 

 one-pound boxes is far more salable than 

 when in larger packages; he, therefore, 

 favored this method. 



Mr. Davis asked whether bees weuld store 

 twice as much honey in a two-pound box as 

 in a one-pound box. The general opinion 

 was that they would not. 



Mr. Huber asked whether any member 

 knew how to prevent robbing. 



J. F. Hershey's method was to set a piece 

 of glass sloping against the entrance. He 

 also changed the places of the two colonies 

 and sometimes he puts the hive depredated 

 upon in the cellar or elsewhere. 



Question for Discussion at Next Meeting. 



" Should glucose be fed to bees ? " Re- 

 ferred to I. G. Martin, 



"What is the best method to prevent 

 swarming ? " Referred to Peter S. Reist. 



Adjourned to meet in Lancaster, August 

 10, 1879. 



-• ■» * 



Read before the Mosouri Valley Association. 



Do Bees Injure Fruit? 



LIEUT. W. Q. HOGARTY. 



It seems to be among the first duties of a 

 convention of this kind to discuss the rela- 

 tions of the honey bee to fruit. 



We feel an apology might be expected 

 from us for bringing this antiquated subject 

 before an intelligent community. We think, 

 however, its necessity must be apparent, 

 and as it is never known to become a sub- 

 ject for re-consideration, we hope to obtain 

 your indulgence. 



The question: " Is the honey bee an enemy 

 to fruit ? " is no longer a debatable one in 

 England, or the vine-growing sections of 

 Germany or France, nor in Italy, that land 

 of flowers, where fruit and bees obtain per- 

 fection in close contiguity. 



In our own country, we might point to 

 California, whose apiaries astonish the 



world with their enormous productions, 

 while her orchards and vineyards are laden 

 with fruits in richness and delicacy the 

 most favored part of the world cannot excel T 

 as nearer evidence of the benefit and not 

 the injury bees do fruit. 



Michigan, next to California in her honey 

 producing resources, as well as in the abun- 

 dance and perfection of her fruit, has also 

 only words of encouragement to the apiar- 

 ist and none of censure to the bee. 



We might appeal, with assurance of cor- 

 roboration in our position, to everv nation 

 and every section of the globe where fruit 

 is grown. 



We might extend our inquiry back through 

 time to that period when man began to re- 

 cord his thanks for blessings given, and we 

 would find the honey bee among the first 

 gratuities recognized. A land flowing with 

 milk and honey is a biblical emblem of an 

 approaching paradise. 



We have been able to glean a few items 

 from the remote numbers of our bee-jour- 

 nals, giving the results of the investigations 

 of others upon the now local question. 



The first article is from the pen of Mr. 

 Chas. Dadant, of Hamilton, 111., published 

 in the May number of the American Bee 

 Journal for 1874, page 108. He says : 



"As I have cultivated bees in a part of 

 France where grapes are the main crop, 

 near the hills of Burgundy, celebrated for 

 the wine produced by the culture of the 

 sugared pineau, a grape richer in sugar than 

 all the American kinds, I think I can bring 

 some light on the discussion existing be- 

 tween Prof. Riley and my friend Kruschke. 



" There has been considerable discussion 

 between the wine-growers and bee-keepers,. 

 in the above-named district, and it is 

 very well established that bees are unable 

 to cut the skin of grapes. 



"In order to ascertain the fact the most 

 juicy and sugared grapes, pears, sweet cher- 

 ries, plums, apricots, etc., were put inside 

 the hive; never have the bees attacked them 

 if they were not previously scratched." 



The following is from Mr. F. Searles, of 

 Hadley, 111., taken from the American 

 Bee Journal for July, 1874, page 148 : 



" One word about bees eating grapes. The 

 past three falls have been dry with us. I 

 nave two fine vines on the south side of my 

 house within twenty feet of my bees. Not 

 a grape did they touch. In my garden, not 

 forty feet from my bees, 1 have several 

 vines. Two years ago I caught the yellow 

 birds eating the grapes. They would light 

 on a stem and pick a hole in every grape ; 

 then the bees took the balance. I put up 

 some rags and scared the birds away. I 

 had no more trouble with the bees. Those 

 on my house they did not touch. 1 had 171 

 stands of bees. 1 have watched them close- 

 ly, and I don't believe a bee ever molested a 

 grape until it had been opened by a bird or 

 something else. F. Searles." 



On page 53 of the March number of the 

 American Bee Journal for 1875, we find 

 the following : 



"Some persons imagine that the bees in- 

 jure fruit and especially grapes. They are 

 greatly in error. It is useful to insist on 

 the part taken by bees and hornets, in the 

 injury done to our vineyards. 



