234 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mak. 15. 



so that the wild bees may have been more 

 numerous in early spring. Again, the fruit- 

 trees were as few as the bees — not gathered in 

 great orchards. Thus there may have been 

 pollenizers enough for the amount of fruit to 

 be fructified. Again, who knows whether the 

 amount of fruit was very great in this early 

 time? In California, owing to the mild climate, 

 there would be more — possibly enough — wild 

 bees to pollenize the comparatively few fruit- 

 blossoms on the wild plum, etc., which sweet- 

 ened the spring air before the white man's 

 advent. The case of the islands of Lake Erie 

 seems conclusive; but is there not possibly 

 some error of fact? Is it not possible that bees 

 on other islands not far distant may have put 

 in an appearance? Possibly the Andrencv 

 and other wild bees were in sufficient force to 

 perform the labor. This would very likely be 

 true in case the island was very small, and the 

 trees limited in numbers. 



Let us this season try to experiment so that 

 the blossoms shall be under precisely the same 

 conditions, except for the presence of the bees. 

 Let us put aside all bias and preconceived 

 opinions, and endeavor to settle the question. 

 If it shall be shown, by a most cautious line of 

 experiments, that bees are unnecessary to full 

 fruitage, and of no importance in horticulture. 

 It will not be the first time that theories in sci- 

 ence have had to be recast. So we should all 

 act in our experiments as if the question were 

 unsolved. 



Ill conclusion, jpt mo sny that geology shows 

 that flowering plants and ilie bee orders came 

 into existence at the same time, during the 

 Cretaceous period, and not that the flowering 

 plants were the earliest to arrive. 



Claremont, Cal. 



[We are glad to give Prof. Cook space for this 

 reply, for, owing to the disiance, he has not be- 

 fore had an opportunity lo reply to the criti- 

 cisms that were aimed at his article. We pre- 

 fer to drop the discussion until fall, and com- 

 plete experiments can be made again, taking 

 into consideration the criticisms from the op- 

 position. We feel confident of the result, and 

 that that result will vindicate the claim of the 

 bee more than ever. — Ed.I 



A LECTURE TO THE SISTERS AND— RAMBLER. 



By Riili Roy. 



I have been wondering for some time what 

 keeps the sisters so mute. Do they ponder too 

 much on "golden silence," or have they taken 

 too seriously to heart Rambler's depreciation of 

 the sex ? Such fine specimens as he shows in 

 Dec. 15th Gleanings might explain his atti- 

 tude if they were a fair specimen of pacific 

 womankind, which, of course, they are not. It 

 would take a brave man to dare give his broom 



to such samples. But I do not imagine Ram- 

 bler is altogether sincere in his attitude — it is^ 

 only the bitterness of his loneliness which 

 tinges his writings with bine, and casts shad- 

 ows on womankind; but however this maybe, 

 the rest of us bee-keepers are not so one-sided; 

 orifweare.it is the other sided with us. To 

 be sure, the junior editor seems to hedge you in 

 a little; but I am sure it is not that he begrudg- 

 es you an open space in Gleanings proper. It 

 is probably only that he knows how quiet ladies 

 usually are, and fancies you will better enjoy 

 a corner chat when you can talk wax flowers 

 and dresses as well as aprons, without mascu- 

 line interference. 



For my part I should be sorry you should 

 think we appreciated your help only when the 

 bees hangout, and "'somebody must watch," or. 

 worse yet, when they have been too lavish with 

 propolis and "somebody must scrape," or even 

 when strawberries or peaches are ripe, and 

 somebody must make the shortcake, or skillet 

 pie, deep and rich. No, indeed; we are not al- 

 together selfish, and we should like to have you 

 show that you enjoy our success as well as to 

 contribute to it. 



I have used the plural ive. as I do not fancy 

 myself the only bee-keeper eager to lift my hat 

 to the ladies; and now having expressed our 

 sentiments I shall not feel it lost labor, even if 

 Editor E. R. refuses me admittance into your 

 Conversazione. 



[Why, bless you, dear sister — or, or— brother 

 —we did not mean to hedge in the sisters. We 

 like modesty in the women-folks, bnt dislike 

 that modesty that forbids "speaking out in 

 meeting."— Ed.I 



I'liEVENTING SPRING DWINDLING. 



Question. — Could not spring dwindling be 

 prevented to quite an extent by placing vvire 

 cloth over the entrance to the hives to keep the 

 bees from flying when the weather is not fit? 



A7iswer.—So far as ray experience, goes, it is 

 never best to confine the bees to the hive by 

 placing wire cloth over the entrance, except 

 when they are to be moved some distance or 

 shipped when a sale is made; and in these 

 cases wire cloth placed only at the entrance 

 often ruins the colony if it is a strong one, 

 where there is necessity for keeping it there 

 more than half an hour or so. The matter 

 seems to be like this: Wlien the few bees that 

 act as sentinels go to the entrance from any 

 cause, and find thai their exit is cut off, they at 

 once communicate this fact to the rest of the 

 colony, when more bees come to go out; and 



