1898. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



373 



■on the outside just because it lookt the best, supposioK every- 

 body would know that all the honey gathered during the sum- 

 mer would not be alike. 



Let the face be a true index, and thus have the satisfac- 

 tion of knowing that we are not likely to cause discredit to 

 come upon ourselves or those who may be concerned with our 

 work. R. A. Burnett & Co. 



Chicago. 



Geokge W. York & Co. — 



Oentlemcn : — Yes, we have noticed the controversies in 

 the bee-papers as to the facing of comb honey. WE ARE IN 

 FAVOR OF EVEN QUALITY IN A CASE. See those capi- 

 tals ? Firstly, if the sections run uneven in showing the stock 

 every one must be examined. Secondly, a prospective pur- 

 chaser sees the inferior portion of the case — not the superior. 

 That's his business. 



We have shippers who turn all their honey over to us, 

 and, when their goods come in, a thorough examination of 

 every section is unnecessary, and we can go to our trade and 



say, "Here is a lot of honey from , and is like the last 



lot received from him. Can you use it?" He can. This ap- 

 plies to second grade as well as fancy. We know, and the 

 buyer knows, that that man shows up his goods as they are. 

 We cannot imagine what advantage could be obtained by any 

 manipulated packing. This does not imply that a man ship- 

 ping contrary to the above is dishonest. We are simply de- 

 bating the question on the ground of the best sale for the 

 stock. 



If such a shipper as we speak of be interviewed, he would 

 say that he has always received what his honey was worth. 

 We know this, as we have received just such manifestations 

 of satisfaction. On the other hand, unsatisfactory deals can 

 be traced back either to very poor quality in general, or a cer- 

 tain amount of poor stock that more than counterbalances the 

 attractiveness of the more desirable quantity. It is not so 

 hard with the grocer — he sells a section at a time, and gets a 

 price according to the individual worth. The commission- 

 man can't say to him, " Now, here is a section that you can 

 get 10 cents for, and here is one that you can get 11 cents 

 for, etc." He says, " Here is a lot of honey which I offer you 

 at 10 cents." He knows he can't boost up a price on a lot 

 just because there are a few flue combs in, but knows to the 

 contrary that these few superior sections are very liable to 

 sacrifice. Irregular packing has taught us in nearly all in- 

 stances to take three or four sections out of every case before 

 we render a verdict. Some shippers always send in regular 

 quality, and those are the men we like to deal with. 



Honey shipt on commission direct to the groceryman 

 could run very irregular and still command full value for 

 every section, as he sees every one that is sold. 



These are our views, not as honesty, but as policy. 

 Yours truly, , S. H. Hall & Co. 



Minneapolis. Per F. S. Cady. 



George W. York & Co. — 



Oeiitlcmcn: — Yours requesting our opinion in regard to 

 the paragraph recently publisht in one of the bee-papers rela- 

 tive to the facing of honey shipt on commission came duly to 

 hand, and in reply we beg to say that honey can be shipt as 

 our good friend says, but the question is, Would the shipper 

 be satisfied with the results financially ? We desire to say 

 that we have learned in the past 10 years that we have been 

 engaged in the handling of honey, that it is to the advantage 

 of producers of honey to grade and put their product up hon- 

 estly. We think that if the author of that paragraph would 

 devote about one or two weeks in a commission-house where 

 honey is sold every day, he would change his ideas. 



Very little honey is sold nowadays on the facing of it; 

 nine out of every ten people who purchase a case of honey 

 want it opened up, and look into the interior to ascertain its 

 condition, whether it is broken or leaking, or not, and not one 

 person in a hundred would pick out the section in front of the 

 case to learn this information — naturally they will pick it out 

 in the center or towards the back part of the case. What 

 would be the result if the case were packt according to our 

 friend's idea ? The purchaser would refuse to buy that case 

 of honey, or any of the same lot. 



Most of the buyers of honey want some particular kind: 

 some want only Extra Fancy, while others only No. 1 White, 

 and others only desire the buckwheat. Were a case mixt it 

 would be almost useless to them. 



It is just as necessary to take as much precaution in the 

 putting up and grading of honey shipt on commission as that 

 which the honey-producer may sell himself. A good many 

 shippers are in the habit of sending their poorest grade of 

 honey to some commission-man to sell, and keeping their best 

 at home to dispose of themselves, and expect the same price 



for the poorest quality (markt Fancy) as they get for their 

 genuine Funcy which they sell themselvei. 



The sooner bee-keepers learn to put up their honey hon- 

 estly, and mark the cases just what they contain, and grade 

 uniformly, the sooner will they realize better prices for their 

 honey. Very truly yours, 



A. B. Williams & Co. 



Cleveland. Per W. L. Qeiger. 



Bees iu Relation to Flowers and Truits. 



Br THOS. WM. COWAN. 



{Delivered at the University Farmers' Institute at Pacijic Gruve, Calif.) 

 [-ontinued from p&ge 357.] 



Advantages of Bees. — I am not able In the short space 

 of time available to go into all the modifications which exist 

 for securing cross-fertilization of flowers, but I have already 

 said enough to show the farmer the advantage he derives from 

 bees. I will now try to show how largely we are dependent 

 upon bees for the delicious fruit we enjoy. 



If we examine an apple-blossom we will find it contains 

 five stigmas belonging to the five segments of which the core 

 of the fruit is composed. The stigma comes to maturity be- 

 fore the anthers. Bees seeking nectar get dusted with pollen 

 from an older flower and then transfer it to the ripe stigma of 

 a neighboring flower. The apple is strictly a fusion of five 

 fruits into one, and requires no less than five separate fertili- 

 zations for its perfect production. If fertilization does not 

 take place the fruit, instead of swelling, drops and rots. It 

 sometime happens that one or more of the stigmas are not 

 fertilized, and in such a case the fruit develops imperfectly 

 and becomes deformed. If such an apple be cut open it will 

 be found that the undevelopt part lies opposite the section 

 where the pit is shriveled. 



The flowers of pears are similar in structure, altho they 

 are not so dependent upon bees for fertilization. Small fruits, 

 such as gooseberries and currants, are also dependent upon 

 insects. Among plums sometimes the pollen of one plant is 

 impotent upon the pistils of that plant, and fertilization is 

 only secured by introducing a plant of another variety into 

 the orchard. 



In the raspberry the petals are smaller and placed wit'e 

 apart. There are about '.)0 anthers, and each of the 60 or 70 

 drupels carries a stigma, while on the receptacle will be seen 

 a ring of shining dots consisting of nectar. Here the anthers 

 ripen before the stigmas, and a bee, on alighting on the 

 drupels, as she applies her tongue to the dots of nectar gets 

 dusted with pollen, which she carries to another and older 

 flower, and in revolving in an opposite direction transfers the 

 pollen to the ripe stigmas. Each seed thus fertilized develops 

 into the juicy envelope which protects the seed from injury, 

 and makes the fruit so palatable. It requires from 60 to 70 

 fertilizations to perfect each fruit, and should any of the 

 stigmas escape fertilization the fruit does not develop in that 

 part and remains green and hard. If we look at the straw- 

 berry we will find that it required from 200 to 30O distinct 

 fertilizations for its perfect production, and if any of the stig- 

 mas do not receive pollen the development of the fruit is ar- 

 rested in that part and the seed is not produced. 



I would here point out that in the strawberry there is a 

 tendency to a separation of the sexes, and that plants bearing 

 large blossoms are frequently tending to become male and 

 produce few fruits, while those of the same variety that pro- 

 duce small blossoms are tending to become female. These are 

 abundant bearers, but produce few runners. Care should, 

 therefore, be exercised in selecting runners, otherwise the 

 male would in time supplant the female. 



Bees and Fruit Should Go Together.— I have shown 

 the part bees play iu the fertilization of blossoms and the 

 beneflts we derive from their labors, but I wish to point out 

 that a danger exists in making a specialty of bee-keeping and 

 cultivating bees iu large apiaries, as is the practice in Califor- 

 nia. It is useless increasing the area under fruit cultivation 

 without at the same time increasing the number of bees kept. 

 As an instance, I would mention Lord SucJeley's fruit planta- 

 tion in Gloucestershire, England. About 200 acres of fruit- 

 trees were first planted, and for some years there was such 

 poor success that it was a question whether the enterprise 

 should not be abandoned. Lord Sudeley was, however, ad- 

 vised to introduce bees, as it was found that not many were 

 kept in that district. T^fco hundred colonies, in charge of a 

 practical bee-keeper, were introduced, and the result was 

 magical. Thenceforward the trees bore fruit properly, and 

 the former failure was turned into a success. Since then 500 

 acres have been planted with fruit trees, and a large jam fac- 



