AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



625 



Pres. Russell — You have heard the 

 essay by Dr. Hicks, which is certainly 

 one of great importance, and a subject 

 on which all of us perhaps are not very 

 well posted. Remarks are now in order. 



Dr. Hicks — I would like to say a few 

 words more, and that is, that last year, 

 in my vicinity right east of the city 

 about two miles, there is a gentleman 

 who is largely engaged in growing cu- 

 cumbers, as well as many other veget- 

 ables for the market here. He had not 

 been successful in getting the proper 

 amount of fruiting ; that is, to have the 

 cucumbers stick to the vines until of 

 proper maturity and proper size, until I 

 moved there. I had with me a few colo- 

 nies of bees, as it is always my custom to 

 keep a few bees, and after awhile this 

 gentleman told me that he had never 

 raised cucumbers so well until I came. 

 "I find that the bees are instrumental 

 in fertilizing the bloom of the cucum- 

 bers, and that they bear over a half 

 more than they used to," he added. I, 

 myself, have always found that plants 

 and vegetables that are raised in abun- 

 dance do better where there are bees, 

 and I am well satisfied that they and a 

 good many other little insects that we 

 think very insignificant, are God's 

 chosen instruments through which man 

 is greatly benefited, many times, when 

 he little thinks how it comes about. His 

 interests are advanced, and he is often 

 blessed in many ways through the in- 

 strumentality of these little Insects. 



BEES don't INJTTBE GBAPB6. 



Mr. Pope — I have heard some people 

 say that the bees puncture grapes and 

 destroy them. I want to say that there 

 is not a bit of truth in that. Some other 

 insect, or perhaps the action of the 

 weather, may destroy the grape, and 

 then the bees will suck the sugar, but I 

 know it is impossible for the bees to 

 puncture grapes. 



Mr. Raab — I have a neighbor who is a 

 farmer, and several times I have tried 

 to convince him that the bees do not 

 scratch a grape. I have told him that 

 they will suck the sugar after it is 

 punctured some other way, and that I 

 knew this to be true, for I had both 

 grapes and bees, and they ivere never 

 injured at all by the bees. 



Mr. Simmons — I believe also what has 

 been said, that it is impossible for the 

 grapes to be punctured by the bees. I 

 made a microscopic examination, and 

 found from their construction that it is 

 impossible for them to do so. 



Mr. Catterson — If you are not already 

 satisfied on this point, my friends, just 



take a healthy bunch of grapes and put 

 them into the brood-chamber. The bees 

 will keep it warm all winter, and at the 

 end of the cold weather, it will be almost 

 as good as when you put it there. I am 

 satisfied in my own mind that the grapes 

 can be kept at the same temperature as 

 the bees. 



Mr. Muth — I know that there are 

 dealers in Cincinnati who have tried to 

 create the impression that bees poison 

 grapes ; but we know that this is not 

 so, for as we have said before, it is im- 

 possible for bees to puncture grapes, 

 and it is of great importance that we 

 should not deceive these grape dealers. 

 Again, I know a friend who has in his 

 yard some TO or 80 colonies of bees, and 

 he claims that since he put them there, 

 his grapes have been better than ever 

 before, and he attributes this to the fact 

 of his having the bees in his vineyard. 



Mr. Pope — If we can only get these 

 facts known among the farmers of In- 

 diana, that their bees are their friends 

 and not their enemies, it will be of the 

 greatest benefit. 



Dr. Hicks — In addition to what I have 

 already said on behalf of the honey-bees 

 being the friend of man, I will also 

 state that about three years ago I sent 

 out 150 loads of grapes, while my 

 neighbors got no grapes at all. I also 

 attributed this to having my bees in my 

 vineyard, and fertilizing the bloom of 

 the grape at the proper time. .1 let my 

 grapes remain until quite late in the 

 fall, and then finally gathered them, 

 made one-half a barrel of wine, and had 

 all we needed for our personal use. I 

 think had it not been for the bees, we 

 should have had no grapes at all. 



Pres. Russell — I believe that in under- 

 taking horticulture for the benefit of the 

 bees, that the bee-keepers have found it 

 to be the main feature of bee-culture. 



Mr. Pope — I want to draw up a reso- 

 lution that the bees do not injure the 

 grapes, and if possible, establish this 

 fact among the bee-keepers and farmers. 



At the suggestion of Mr. Pope, the 

 following was presented and adopted : 



Resolved, That it is the sense of the 

 Indiana bee-keepers that it is an impos- 

 sibility for bees to puncture grapes or 

 injure them. 



Pres. Russell — The last essay on our 

 programme is one by Mrs. Rebecca H. 

 Herr, entitled, 



How to Manage Swarms. 



This properly includes from spring to 

 fall, leaving them in good condition for 

 winter. There are more ways than one, 

 some shiftless and careless, others or- 



