AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



405 



bee of any kind about them until quite 

 late in August. At that time bumble- 

 bees were on the blossoms, and nearly 

 ail the sets after that grew finely, but 

 were a little too late to ripen, although 

 mature enough to cook well. 



In the spring of 1893 we planted the 

 same kind of squash in the same place, 

 and had about a dozen plants from which 

 the vines spread in all directions. As 

 soon as they blossomed the bees found 

 them, and the result was that nearly 

 every set produced a fine, large squash, 

 all of which matured before the frost 

 killed the vines. There were no honey- 

 bees in this part of the country in the 

 year 1892. Bumble-bees are not so 

 plenty here as further south. 



With pumpkins, we have not had a 

 fair test yet, nor with any kind of squash 

 except the Hubbard. 



It is a well-known fact that vegetables 

 will hybridize from the pollen of one 

 falling upon the fruit blossom of another 

 of the same family of plants. For in- 

 stance, if squashes and pumpkins are 

 planted in the same garden, although 

 they may be several rods apart, they will 

 hybridize ("mix," as we used to say). 

 Now the query is. How does the pollen 

 get from one plant to the other? Is it 

 carried by the wind or by insects? It 

 seems to me that the bees get in their 

 work in nearly all such cases. 



Bathgate, N. Dak. 



Wlien tlie Bees See, Etc. 



Tnmslated fur the Amei-ican Bee Journal 

 BY KEV. S. KOESE. 



Der Bienenvater for January, Vol. X, 

 No. 1, has the following interesting 

 item, asking the question, " Under what 

 circumstances does the bee see?" By 

 clear sunshine the bee sees well, but the 

 reverse at twilight, and in the dark hive 

 she does not see at all, and in all her 

 work inside she is wholly guided by feel- 

 ing. Neither does the bee see well in 

 dark and cloudy weather, for on such 

 days bees do, by mistake, enter neighbor- 

 ing hives. 



We hear it often said that bees can see 

 in the dark, although there are such 

 animals, as the cat and owl, and others, 

 whose eyes are so constructed that they 

 can see at night, but not so with the 

 honey-bee. Take, for instance, a bee in 

 the evening at twilight; throw her up 

 in the air a few steps from the hive. She 

 will rise up feebly, and stray about in a 

 small circle, and drop down and not find 



her hive again. A too bright light will 

 blind the bees, which is proved when on 

 a warm, sunshiny day in the winter bees 

 come out of their hives, they fall down 

 to the ground and die in great masses. 



STORKS AND BEES FIGHTING. 



The Deutsche Imker for January, Vol. 

 VII., No. 1, contains Uie following in- 

 teresting narrative of a desperate fight 

 between storks and bees : 



An apiary was located in a yard where 

 the bees had to take their course over 

 the roof of a large barn. On the top of 

 the roof a pair of storks had their nest 

 with three of their young brood to care 

 for. The hum of the coming and going 

 of the bees seemed to be veiy offensive 

 to father and mother stork, for they at- 

 tempted to hinder them in their flight 

 and catch them, which the bees consid- 

 ered as a declaration of war. The bees 

 advanced to the storks' nest in such 

 masses, attacking the young brood, that 

 the aged couple were unable to protect 

 them. Moment after moment reinforce- 

 ments of bees arrived, and the engage- 

 ment became hotter and hotter. The 

 storks also brought up reinforcements 

 until 13 in number appeared on the 

 scene of action, and all fought unitedly 

 on the barn-roof battle-fleld against an 

 overwhelming and powerful foe. But in 

 vain, for the bees gained the day, and 

 the three young storks remained dead 

 on the battle-field. 



Maiden Rock, Wis. 



Eelrospectiye anfl Prelictlye. 



Written far the American Bee Journal 



BY .JOHN F. GATES. 



Last year was a good one for bee- 

 keepers in many respects, although the 

 honey crop has not been very large in 

 some places, yet, as a general thing, suc- 

 cess has crowned the efforts of those who 

 have managed wisely, and have been in 

 earnest. 



The bee-papers have given us much 

 needed instruction, and they seem to be 

 healthy and in good spirits, with an in- 

 clination to progressive rivalry. Close 

 competition has brought the survival of 

 the fittest to the front, and reminds us 

 that periodicals, like men, must possess 

 " push" or get left on life's ocean. We 

 like to see bee-papers first-class, yet 

 haste in this direction often dwarfs and 

 kills the very object to be attained, and 

 papers may, if not careful, attain unto 



