GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



451 



[The fallowing from Prof. Cook, althougli not 

 exactly in ih(» line of tliis discnssion, is al<ln to 

 it, and \vc produce it here, re(inesting our read- 

 ers to be.fn'o to express themselves on the two 

 questions that Prof. Coolv proposes at the close 

 of his article.— Ell.] 



Dear Mr. Editor: — I addressed a large meet- 

 ing of the Southern California Horticultural 

 Society yesterday at their annual meeting at 

 Pasadena, on the subject of pollenation. My 

 paper received respectful attention, and I think 

 nearly if not all present were convinced of the 

 usefulness and even necessity of bees in this 

 important role. This seems an important step 

 in the right direction. I feel very certain that 

 the fruit-men will more and more appreciate 

 the value of bees as the most valuable and ef- 

 ficient agents in the work of pollenation; and I 

 consider it proved beyond any question that 

 cross-pollenation is absolutely necessary with 

 many varieties of our most valued fruits. 



In the discussion which followed ray paper, 

 it was stated that, in certain localities where 

 fruit was dried, the bees were serious destroyers, 

 and still more frequently a great annoyance. I 

 was asked what suggestions I could offer in 

 view of these facts. 



I suggested that the bee-keepers and fruit- 

 men hold a joint meeting next winter, and con- 

 fer together. This was once done in Michigan, 

 and was a marked success. It can be arranged 

 that the fruit men meet Tuesday and Wednes- 

 day, and the bee-men meet Wednesday and 

 Thursday in the same place, and then on Wed- 

 nesday evening a joint meeting be held, when 

 topics of common interest may be fully discuss- 

 ed. This seemed to meet with no little favor. 

 I also suggested that, as bees are so imperative- 

 ly necessary where orchards are so common 

 and large, no wise person who was rightly in- 

 formed would think for a minute of removing 

 them from the region of the orchards. The 

 question should be, how we can keep them with 

 a minimum of harm and annoyance. To decide 

 this question should be the object of the joint 

 meeting and conference which I hope may be 

 provided for at an early date. 



In such cases, where there is a seeming or 

 real clash of interests, extreme caution and 

 wisdom, no less than abundant patience and 

 charity, should be exercised, lest, by hasty 

 action, much harm result. 



In this State, the hydraulic mining was car- 

 rying the fine earth to the valleys, filling up 

 the rivers, to the imminent risk and danger to 

 agriculture. Great floods were the result of 

 this filling of the valley river-beds with the 

 clay. A law was passed which stopped all hy- 

 draulic mining, and this business was checked. 

 Many a man with bright prospects ahead was 

 doomed to disappointment; towns were chang- 

 ed from sites of activity to places of no business, 

 and millions of gold that should be helping 

 business and the world lies locked up in the 

 California hills. It may be the wisest thing, 



under the circumstances of our ignorance, to be 

 done; but if so, it is an unfortunate condition, 

 and should make us all work and pray for more 

 knowledge. 



Now, we must make no such decision in this 

 case, but must study to know how we may 

 retain the good and escape or at least minimize 

 the harm. I wish to ask for suggestions. Can 

 some method of using screens be adopted, that 

 shall make the bees powerless to get at the dry- 

 ing grap(?s, peaches, pears, etc.? or in case that 

 is impracticable, would it not be practical and 

 not very expensive to move the bees, in the 

 localities where fruit-drying is an important 

 industry, that the men engaged in this laudable 

 work may escape annoyance? I should like to 

 hear through Gleanings and the American 

 Bee Journal, from bee-keepers, especially of 

 the fruit regions of California, on these two 

 questions: 



1. Desirability of a joint meeting of bee and 

 fruit men. 



-'. How can we manage our bees so that our 

 neighbors may not be harmed or even annoyed? 



We must remember that bees are very valu- 

 able to the pomologist; that they are valuable — 

 very valuable — to the bee-keeper, and through 

 him to the world in furnishing a very whole- 

 some and delicious article of food. We must 

 keep the bees, but must study to know how we 

 may keep them, and yet not vex our neighbor. 

 We must all live " peaceable with one another," 

 for " are we not all brethren ? " 



Pomona College, Claremont, Cal. 



THOSE CALIFORNIA HONEY-YIELDS, AGAIN. 



A REPLY TO WM. G. HEWES. 



By C. H. Chiytun. 



I have just read the communication of W. G. 

 Hewes, on page 374, with amusement- I am at 

 a loss to know why Messrs. Wilkin and Corey 

 were singled out as the "prevaricators" par 

 excellence. Mr. Hewes is not a member of 

 the State Association of Bee-keepers; was not 

 present at the meeting, and evidently doesn't 

 know what he is talking about. The matter of 

 average yield was brought up by Prof. Cook 

 asking *' if any considerable number of those 

 present had kept records of the yield for a term 

 of years," as he had " heard some very glowing 

 accounts of the great yields." Mr. Mclntyre, 

 Mr. MofiFatt, Mr. Richardson (I think), Mr. 

 Corey, Mr. Wilkin, Mr. Mercer, and quite a 

 number of others representing widely separated 

 localities, reported their yield for periods of 

 from ten to fifteen years. Prof. Cook noting the 

 same. I presume he has his memoranda yet. 



There was no report from Mr. Hewes' sheep 

 range. I call it a " sheep range " because there 

 is where you find the ticks he mentions. As lo 

 " prevaricators," I for one certainly object to 

 spme of the bee-keepers of California being thus 



