April 27, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



259 



getting- in and working- in the chaff -vrhich clogged the en- 

 trance ; nearly half the bees were dead in the hive. I think 

 to winter out-of-doors in this climate bees should always 

 have chaff or some such materieal packt around them on all 

 four sides and on top, and raised from the bottom-board an 

 inch or so, as was Moses Ouinb_v's method of out-of-dour 

 wintering. We follow his plan, and find it most successful. 

 White clover does not seem nearly so abundant of late 

 years as it used to be years ago in this vicinity. The road- 

 sides sometimes used to be white with it, which has not 

 been the case of late years. We used to think it was the 

 dry weather that killed it, but it has been wet enough for 

 other crops for two years now. Dry weather in the winter, 

 and freezing aiid thawing, seem to heave it out and kill it. 



Warren Co., 111. 



Spraying Fruit Trees and Bushes. 



BY F. A. SXELL. 



A GOOD deal has been said and written on this impor- 

 tant subject, and yet tliere are some who d^o spray at a 

 time when all informed persons and all writers say it 

 should not be done. That time is during the blooming 

 period. All who have given the matter intelligent thought 

 know that spraying at this time is worse than useless in 

 destroying the codling-moth, as the eggs have not at this 

 time been deposited, for there is no place to deposit them. 

 The eggs are not laid by the female moth until the fruit is 

 formed, and the eggs are then deposited in the blossom-end 

 of the apple. It is thus evident that spraying earlier is of 

 no value, as there is nothing to destroy in this direction. 



Much harm will result from spraying while the fruit is 

 in bloom. The busy bee — the best friend, and most useful 

 one, the fruit-grower has — while in search of honey and 

 pollen will be poisoned from that thrown upon the blossoms 

 by spraying. In this the fruit-grower is deprived of the 

 great fertilizing agent — the busy bee — for while gathering 

 food for its own use and the rearing of young, it carries the 

 pollen-dust from blossom to blossom, thus fertilizing them, 

 without which very little fruit could be secured. The bee- 

 keeper also suffers from the great loss of bees, which means 

 to him depleted colonies, and as a result of this perhaps lit- 

 tle or no increase of colonies, and no surplus honey, when 

 had it not been for the stupidity of the one who did the 

 spraying while the fruit was in bloom, a g'-ood increase in 

 bees and a fair to good crop of honey might have been 

 secured by the apiarist. 



This matter of spraying at the right time is a very im- 

 portant one, and should be kept before the people who do 

 not all yet seem to understand its importance, until the pub- 

 lic is well-informed. 



According to the best authorities I have read, there is 

 no fruit that should be, or need be, sprayed until out of 

 bloom, when apples, plums, cherries, g-ooseberries and cur- 

 rants should be sprayed to destroy the insects or worms 

 which prey upon them. Spraying with the proper mate- 

 rials .soon after the bloom is over will largely destroy the 

 fruit depredators, but it is well to g-ive two applications, 

 the second one being given about one week after the first. 



I have used paris green for a good many years, and 

 have found it to be very effectual in destroying every insect 

 or worm that feeds upon the fruit or foliage of the trees or 

 bushes. London purple is also a good insecticide, but I 

 have not used this, as paris green has pleased me so well. 



Leaf lice have appeared the past few years on the 

 leaves of apple and plum trees, which we spray with paris 

 green to good advantage. 



For currant-worms, which attack our currant and goose- 

 berry bushes, we have used both the paris green and white 

 hellebore, and rather prefer the latter, which may be ap- 

 plied in the form of powder or liquid. A sharp watch 

 should be kept of the bushes, as the worms come up from 

 the ground and do rapid work, first working on the lower 

 leaves. They begin their work when the leaves are about 

 one-fourth grown. The poison would better be put on the 

 first time a little in advance of the worms, and thus nip 

 them at the start. Two or three applications at intervals 

 of five or six days will suffice, and leave the bushes and 

 fruit in good condition. 



Spraying to destroy fungus that works on or attacks the 

 leaves of fruit-trees and numerous others, as well as bushes, 

 potatoes, etc., is also an important work which should be 

 done. The first application needed for this is at the same 

 time at which we should spray for the codling-moth and 

 the other fruit enemies which begin their work about 



the same time. According to no lees authority than Prof. 

 Burrill, of our State University, the spores that have until 

 recenth' been supposed to liv6 over winter on the twigs of 

 trees do not do so, but instead live over winter on the leaves 

 that drop to the ground, and there remain until spring 

 weather ripens them, when they float in the air and later 

 attack the leaves of trees. Now the destruction of the two 

 may be accomplisht at the same time by using the poi-son 

 and a fung-us destroyer, the two being mixt tog-ether and 

 applied with a good sprayer a few days after the trees are 

 out of bloom. A second application should be made about 

 one week later, or in a little less time, rather than later. 



The fungicide or preventive is composed of sulphate of 

 copper, three pounds, to be dissolved in eight gallons of 

 water. In some convenient vessel two pounds of lime in 

 three gallons of water is slackt, and when cool is poured 

 slowly into the copper solution, at the same timekeeping 

 the liquid well stirred .so that a thoro admixture may be 

 effected. To this I added four heaping teaspoonfuls of good 

 paris green, and mixt thoroly. Before filling the sprayer 

 the liquid was well stirred each time, so that the work 

 would be more effective. No sediment should be put into 

 the sprayer. The quantity mixt can be varied to suit the 

 needs of the user. The proportions should be kept about 

 the same. ' 



No fruit or other tree or bush can remain healthy and 

 produce good fruit unless the fruit and leaves are kept in 

 good condition. The leaves are the lungs, and must be 

 kept free from preying enemies, the same as should be the 

 fruit. Wormy apples, stung plums, wormy cherries, cur- 

 rants and grapes may be reduced to the minimum by spray- 

 ing, which is the only way that the best fruit can be pre- 

 served. This with good culture and care in other directions 

 will give us good fruit in abundance. 



From the fact that the spores live over the winter on 

 the fallen leaves, as Prof. Burrill says, it is very evident 

 that all leaves should be burned during fall, winter, or very 

 early in the spring-, so the fvnigus spores maj' be destroyed. 



What has this to do with the apiarist ? some may ask. 

 It is this : In order that our bees may reap the great benefit 

 from an extensive fruit-bloom it is essential that our fruits 

 of all kinds be kept alive and in abundance, which can only 

 be secured by preserving fruit-trees and bushes in a healthy 

 and vigorous condition, and bear, to encourage still further 

 planting. With no fruit-bloom our bees could not be strong 

 enough to secure any surplus honey from white clover, or 

 but very little at mo.st. One who has not tried it would be 

 surprised at the amount of such work that may be done in a 

 day, or even a few hours, with suitable and cheap conven- 

 iences. Carroll Co., 111. 



i MAf terthought. I 



^^ The " Old Reliable " seen through New and Unreliable Glasses. ^^ 

 :^ By " COOITATOR." g- 



A SEEMINGLY HILARIOUS CONVENTION. 



Inauspicious the opening of that Chicago convention ! 

 First they put up the Beers, and then somebody called for 

 Moore ; and then they all gave willing- ear to a foul subject. 

 Mr. Taylor himself might almost be suspected of hob-nob- 

 bing with Beers, when he leaves us in doubt whether foul 

 brood smells like a bad case of dysentery, or only that the 

 looks around the entrance of the hive suggest it. But he 

 tells us something of sober value when he says for us to 

 tinker with foul-broody bees only when no bees whatever 

 are on the wing. (Page 161.) 'Tater doesn't believe that 

 dj'sentery and foul brood smell alike ; but his experience is 

 sca.nty. Doubtless in early spring the same colony some- 

 times has both diseases at once — to the confusion of non- 

 expert noses. 



DON'T CROWD VILLAGES WITH BEES. 



On page 181, Dr. Miller is admirable in willingness to 

 yield the monopoly of the honey-trade, that the fertilizing 

 office of the bee may be carried on everywhere, to the gen- 

 eral good of the human race. But the logic is not quite 



