July 5, 1906 



American Ttee Journal 



Not only is this true of the fruit of the orchard, but 

 likewise with berries and vegetables. As an example, let 

 me cite the case of Senator Swink, of Colorado, who raises 

 melons in fields miles in length. Years ago he was afraid of 

 even the hum of the bee. His melons were raised in several 

 separate fields, one of which was within reach of the bees 

 of neighbors with whom he had several stormy arguments, 

 saying the bees carried away all the substance from the blos- 

 soms, and crop failure would be the result. But to the sur- 

 prise of all that particular field yielded over 200 percent more, 

 and far better melons than any other field. Today he owns 

 1,500 colonies of bees, and during the Trans-Mississippi expo- 

 sition he remarked that he would keep those bees if he did not 

 get a pound of honey; for no bees means no melons. 



The idea that the bees carry away the substance from 

 the flowers entered the head of the owner of an orchard 

 near Friend, Neb., I believe, and to prevent it, he sprayed 

 during the blooming of the trees with paris-green, thus kill- 

 ing every bee that would alight on a blossom. It was 

 effectual in preventing the bees from carrying away the sub- 

 stance from the apple-blossoms, and it was just as effective 

 in depriving him of a crop of apples whilst his neighbor had 

 an abundance. 



Permit me to explain that I am not opposed to spray- 

 ing — on the contrary, I spray my fruit-trees just before the 

 buds open, and then wait until the blossoms fall. I thereby 

 obtain all the benefits from spraying, and also the faithful 

 service of the bees. 



Of late the bees have been accused of being the common 

 carrier to spread the pear-blight, but a Mr. Johnson, of Illi- 

 nois, who, it is alleged, is also an enthusiastic pear-culturist, 

 states that pear-trees in his orchard that did not bloom and 

 numerous limbs covered with wire-netting and not visited 

 by the bees were affected to the same extent as trees and 

 limbs exposed to the bees. However eager as he was to think 

 he had discovered a remedy by excluding the bees, he now 

 says they have nothing to do with spreading pear-blight. 



Bees have been accused of damaging peaches and grapes. 

 Let us investigate the matter before giving full credit to the 

 accusation. The tongue of a bee is as soft as a silken thread. 

 Its mandibles are two soft, smooth lips; so the bee is, there- 

 fore, physically disqualified to break the skin of a grape or 

 peach. Wasps have mandibles with hard teeth-like seg- 

 ments to enable them to cut wood into pulp for their nests. 

 These wasps cut the fruit, or the fruit is bruised by the 

 wind striking it against limbs or trellises, or bursts from 

 being over-ripe. Then only have bees a chance to sip the 

 escaping juices, and thereby prevent fermentation and such 

 rot as might be caused from this source. 



I have repeatedly dipped well-ripened Delaware grapes 

 into honey and laid them out for the bees. They piled on 

 them by the thousands, each one eager to get what was to 

 be had. They licked the outside of the grapes dry, fighting 

 each other like mad to get the last vestige from between 

 the grapes, until compelled to go away unsatisfied. Yet at 

 no time did they puncture a single berry. 



Council Bluffs, Iowa. 



Our 

 /Bee -Keeping 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson, Marengo, 111. 

 Very Discouraging Prospect 



Brave Fight Against Swarming 



If ever there is a time when a bee-keeper is warranted 

 in being discouraged, it is when the time of harvest is fully 

 come, and there is nothing doing. Here it is June IS, with 

 white clover in full bloom, and bees doing nothing. There 

 is a very discouraging prospect for a crop at present. Bees 

 ought to be just hustling, but instead of their busy hum in 

 the apiary there are only a few flying in a listless sort of 

 discouraged way, some of them occupied in killing off their 

 drones. 



Mrs. S. Wilbur Frey, who is making a brave — and let 

 us hope a winning — fight against swarming, -says in the 

 Bee-Keepers' Review : 



Swarming is '/"■ problem to solve when running for section honey. 



Next spring I shall put supers on all my colonies just as soon as 

 they are strong enough to take two 45-pound supers each. Then if 

 they will swarm after this, I will take away their old queens. After 

 all desire for swarming has passed, I will requeen again. I requeened 

 300 colonies la6t spring, while I prevented swarming, and think I did 

 not lose a pound of honey by requeening. Some colonies 6ulked and 

 would not work, and some used all their energy in rearing brood, but 

 would not 6tore any surplus. This year [ shall try to head olT the 

 desire to swarm and sulk, and, at the same time, 6tart all at work as 

 fast as they can occupy 2 large supers. A super that holds less than 

 32 pounds is " no good " here— only to cause excessive swarming. 



San Francisco and a Honey-Qirl Student 



It seems that the San Francisco earthquake is giving 

 one of our young sisters in California a longer time to play 

 with the bees this summer. Miss Flora Mclntyre, daugh- 

 ter of the man who keeps 600 colonies in one apiary, and 

 who is now taking a college course, writes : 



I am enjoying an extra-long vacation this summer with the bees, 

 because the big earthquake and fire sent the students all home some 

 3 weeks before we expected. I went across the bay to see the ruins of 

 San Francisco before coming home. It makes one feel almost as 

 though there were such a thing as magic, to see the busy, noisy city 

 there on Tuesday, and on Saturday find it not there. 



Flora. McInttre. 



Hygienic Honey-Soap in France 



Savon Hygienique au Miel is advertised in Gazette Api- 

 cole de France. In plain English that means Hygienic 

 Honey-Soap, and is no doubt the genuine article, for it 

 seems to be prepared by the management of the bee-paper 

 named. Honey-soap is not an uncommon thing in this 

 country, but the honey is probably only in the name. No 

 doubt honey in soap is a good thing for the skin, and with 

 our improved laws, if the genuine article were put on the 

 market it might not be difficult to prevent the use of the 

 name with anything spurious. 



Sisters Prominent in Irish Beedom 



The sisters have quite a prominent place in the Irish 

 Bee-Keepers' Association, as reported in the Irish Bee Jour- 

 nal. Two of its 6 vice-presidents are of the gentler sex ; 

 2 of its 4 honorary secretaries ; 1 of its certified experts ; 

 and 4 of its 9 life members. 



Gooseberry-Honey Preserves 



Use two parts gooseberry jelly to one of cheap honey. 

 Boil on slow fire for half an hour. Skim off any froth. If 

 carefully put up the jelly will keep fresh for a very long 

 time. — British Bee Journal. 



Honey for Burns 



Children will probably always have the habit of burn- 

 ing fingers. Next time Johnny burns his finger, try dip- 

 ping it in honey ; or else tie on the finger a rag well sat- 

 urated with honey. 



Working On Asparagus 



The bees seem to be paying a good deal of attention to 

 asparagus, from which they get pollen of an orange color. 



Amerikanische Bienenzucht, by Hans Buschbauer, is 

 a bee-keeper's hand-book of 138 pages, which is just what 

 our German friends will want. It is fully illustrated, and 

 neatly bound in cloth. Price, postpaid, $1.00; or with the 

 American Bee Journal one year — both for $1.75. Address 

 all orders to this office. 



