246 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



top of comb frames by using fine wire 

 and placed them in tlie center of 

 strong colonies of both hybrids and 

 Italians. The juice was extracted 

 from the punctured segments as 

 before, and the perfect grapes hung 

 undisturbed for fifteen days. They 

 appeared to have kept better hanging 

 in tlie hive than they would have kept 

 on the vines. 



The evidence then shows that bees 

 do not injure perfect fruit. I have 

 observed that they give no attention 

 to the puncture and blight caused by 

 the ovipositing of other insects, until 

 after the larvw is hatched and decay 

 has set in, and then only in cases of 

 extremity. The circumstances under 

 which bees appear to be able to injure 

 grapes are very exceptional. That 

 they will not molest or even visit 

 grapes when it is possible to secure 

 forage elsewhere is certain. It also 

 appears certain that they never 

 attempt violence to the skin of grapes. 

 The capacity of bees to injure over- 

 ripe grapes is limited by the extent to 

 which the juice and pulp are exposed 

 by the bursting of the film. If the 

 film is only slightly burst the bees can 

 do but little injury. If the progress 

 of decay has caused a wide rupture in 

 the film the bees more readily appro- 

 priate the juice. If overripeness and 

 decay have exposed the pulp of grapes 

 to such an extent that bees can dam- 

 age them seriously, the bees should be 

 confined to the hive (unless the 

 weather be excessively hot), and the 

 grapes should at once be gathered, 

 for from this stage the progress of 

 decay is rapid. Confinement to the 

 hive for a short time, while the over- 

 ripe grapes are being gathered, would 

 result in no loss and the bees would 

 be prevented from gathering the 

 grape-juice and storing it in the hive. 

 Bees confined to their hives in warm 

 weather must always have ample top 

 ventilation, and should be liberated 

 and allowed to fly half an hour before 

 sunset each day during the term of 

 their confinement. The excessive use 

 of grape juice often produces inebri- 

 ety. In the case of the bees it 

 produces diarrhea. After grapes 

 have arrived at the stage of overripe- 

 ness and decay in which it is possible 

 for bees to injure them, and the cir- 

 cumstances are so exceptional as to 

 cause the bees to seek such food, it 

 would be advantageous to the grape- 

 grower to secure his grapes from the 

 ravages of decay, and advantageous 

 to the bee-keeper to secure his bees 

 from the ravages of disease. 



The following named varieties of 



? rapes were used in making these 

 ests : The Niagara, Delaware, Roger's 

 No. 10, Roger's No. 14, Roger's No. 

 15, Roger's No. — , Taylor, Ives, Lady, 

 Hartford, Martha. Concord, Northern 

 Muscadine, Vergennes, Brighton, 

 Pocklington,'\Vorden, Isabella, Diana, 

 and Syrians from ('alifornia, and three 

 other varieties the names of wliich I 

 did not learn. 



Mr. Richard Kees, a florist and 

 horticulturist of many years' experi- 

 ence in the Eastern and Western 

 States, informs me that he has very 

 carefully observed the effect of bees 

 upon flowers andfruitsin the orchard, 



garden, and greenhouse. He regards 

 their presence as wholly desirable and 

 altogether beneficial. During a term 

 of four years he had charge of a large 

 conservatory and garden in this city. 

 At times he had as many as fourteen 

 different varieties of exotic grapes in 

 bearing in the conservatory, and from 

 2 to 3 tons of ripe grapes hanging on 

 the vines at once. A large apiary 

 was located near by, and late in the 

 fall and early in spring the flowers 

 and fruits in the conservatory were 

 visited by the bees in i^reat numbers. 

 The grapes were unmolested, and the 

 bees aided in fertilizing the flowers. 

 He says that he has had large experi- 

 ence in grape-growing in vineyards, 

 and that he has never known any 

 damage or loss resulting from bees, 

 and that when grapes are burst from 

 overripeness, or decayed and blighted 

 by the hatching of insect larva% to 

 such an extent that bees can appro- 

 priate their juices, they are of little, 

 if any, value. He has never kept any 

 bees, but he regards them as being of 

 great service to floriculturists and 

 horticulturists on account of the 

 service rendered in fertilizing blos- 

 soms. 

 U.S. ApiculturalSta., Aurora, 5 111. 



For tne American Bee Journal. 



' Kiiiilly Criticism. " 



-WM. F. CLARKE. 



Mr. J. E. Pond, Jr., has an article 

 in the last issue of the Bee-keeper^s 

 O-uide on the new Heddon hive, which 

 he prefaces with a plea for free dis- 

 cussion, in the course of which he 

 complains that bee-keepers are apt to 

 regard adverse criticism as being 

 actuated byawish to injure the person 

 or object criticized. This he dis- 

 claims, and avers that the opinions 

 he is about to express, though adverse 

 to the new hive, are of the nature of 

 " kindly criticism. " He concludes 

 the article by saying that he has 

 written " with malice toward none, 

 and justice toward all." 



In the course of his remarks Mr. 

 Pond says of the new hive : " Mr. 

 Heddon is very enthusiastic in regard 

 to it ; ' my friend ' deems it the great- 

 est output of the age ; ' Rro. Clarke ' 

 sounds its praises with a big blast of 

 his ■ ministerial trumpet. ' " I beg 

 to ask if this reference to myself can 

 be fairly called "kindly criticism," 

 and if it is entirely harmonious with 

 the principle of "justice to all." I 

 go farther, and inquire if it is in strict 

 harmony with truth V For in what 

 sense have I sounded a "ministerial 

 trumpet " in praise of the new Hed- 

 don hive ? Did I quote Scripture in 

 support of its claims ? Did I bring 

 any religious arguments to bear in its 

 favor ? As a literateur, I am some- 

 what versatile. I write on agricul- 

 ture, apiculture, and even on politics 

 as well as religion. It was well 

 said once by a member of the military 

 profession that the worst thing about 

 the army was that a soldier cannot he a 

 man. The same is true about the 

 ministerial calling. No one is better 

 aware than Mr. Pond that when I 



write on general topics, I write as a 

 man, and he would be one of the flrst 

 to object if I claimed that any special 

 weight attached to my utterances 

 because I am a minister. Does Mr. 

 Pond sound the trumpet of a lawyer 

 when he discusses bee-keeping V On- 

 ly when he deals with patent rights. 

 Then he manages to advertise his 

 extensive knowledge and large experi- 

 ence as a patent lawyer. 



It may be asked why not send this 

 critique on Mr. Pond to the Bee-keeper''s 

 Quidei "Thereon hangs a tale," 

 which is a pat illustration of the 

 heading to this article. The March 

 number of the bee- periodical just 

 named contained an editorial para- 

 graph, part of which reads as follows : 



" It appears that James Heddon 

 has organized a band. He is to play 

 flrst fiddle. W. Z. Hutchinson, the 

 second fiddle, while Rev. Clarke is to 

 blow the horn. Prof. Cook is learning 

 to play in hopes of getting in. The 

 necessity of this band is to operate a 

 new hive, etc., etc." I wrote the 

 editor complaining of the injustice 

 done to myself and the other gentle- 

 men mentioned, by this style of 

 remark. No notice of this communi- 

 cation is taken in the April number, 

 nor has it been even acknowledged by 

 private letter. The idea of my being 

 hired as a member of the Heddon 

 band to " blow the horn, " seems to 

 have struckMr. Pond'sfancy. Hence 

 he prod ices it second-hand by sneak- 

 ing of my sounding "a big blast" 

 with the " ministerial trumpet." 



The phrase " kindly criticism" reads 

 well, but there is an old proverb 

 which suggests that we should he just 

 before we are generous, and another 

 which truly declares that " consistency 

 is a jewel. " It is " the unkindest cut 

 of all" to say or to insinuate that 

 what a man writes with protestations 

 of honesty and impartiality is prompt- 

 ed by self-interest, or part of the set 

 policy of a ring or clique banded to- 

 gether " to operate a new hive. " If 

 you consider me in error, say so freely 

 and manfully ; produce your strong 

 reasons in support of the statement, 

 and I shall think the better of you for 

 so doing. But unjust reflections are 

 not changed in character by calling 

 them "kindly criticism," any more 

 than a jar of glucose compound is 

 redeemed by, labelling it " pure 

 honey. " 



Guelph, Ontario. 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



Mr, Franlf Clesliire's New Boot 



DR. C. C. MILLER. 



"Bees and Bee-Keeping; Scientific 

 and Practical. A Complete Treatise 

 on the Anatomy, Physiology, Floral 

 Relations, and Profitable Management 

 of the Hive Bee. By Frank R. Che- 

 shire, F. L. S., F. R. M. S." This is 

 the title in full of the book which has 

 been in course of publication in parts, 

 in Loudon, by L. Upcott Gill, 170 

 Strand, W. C. Volume 1, the Scien- 

 tific part, is now complete. It is beau- 

 tifully bound in cloth, and contains 

 336 pages. Paper and print are both 



