130 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Bees and Fniit. 



The New York Tribune oi Feb. 15, 

 contained the following item in an 

 article headed " Keystone Horticul- 

 ture," which briefly reported the 

 doings of Pennsylvania fruit-growers 

 in council: 



" Many members expressed senti- 

 ments unfavorable to bees; one re- 

 marked that he saved $500 worth of 

 fruit in one year by dispensing with 

 his honey-makers. Mr. Median said 

 lie had positive evidence that bees are 

 most destructive to the grape-grower 

 when the supply of flowers is insuffi- 

 cient for their needs. Others gave 

 similar testimony, and also that they 

 do great damage to the pear crop. In- 

 closing grape bunches in paper bags, 

 as protection, had several warm advo- 

 cates. Of this new system' all seemed 

 to agree as to its efficacy in preventing 

 insects from puncturing the fruit, but 

 especially for its absolute protection 

 against rot and various forms of fun- 

 goid disease. The cost of the ordinary 

 grocers' two pound paper bags, and 

 placing them over the bunches, is 

 trifling compared to the advantage of 

 magnilicent bloom, beautiful colorand 

 excellent flavor which the covering 

 tends to secure." 



This is altogether the most exagger- 

 ated indictment against the honey- 

 gatherers that we remember to have 

 met with. But we doubt if that grand 

 jury, THE PEOPLE, will find a true liill 

 against the bees, when the evidence 

 comes to be sifted. Mr. Meehan is 

 higli authority on horticultural mat- 

 ters, but we are compelled to chal- 

 lenge his " positive evidence " as to 

 the injury done by bees to grape blos- 

 soms. It lias been pretty clearly 

 demonstrated that the birds do the 

 mischief to ripe fruit. They puncture 

 the skin, and the economical bees only 

 gather up the luscious juices that 

 would otherwise go to waste. As to 

 the bees harming blossoms, this isthe 

 first time we have known this charge 

 laid against them. It is generally 

 supposed that they do good in the 

 fructification of fruit-blossoms; that, 

 in fact, they marry the flowers, and 

 make tlieir nuptials prolific. 



We hope the paper bags will be 

 found an effective protection, but 

 should they ever be ripped open, the 

 blame will have to be attributed to 

 the beaks of birds, and not to the 

 mandibles of the bees. 



It is rather remarkable that side by 

 side with the forgoing indictment 

 against the bees, thus presenting bane 

 and antidote in parallel columns, the 

 following paragraph appears: 



" There is no one simpler or better 

 way of fortifying a child's mind 

 against evil allurements than to teach 



him or her how to gather and plant 

 seeds of those pure and lovely hardy 

 flowers the phloxes, which are to be 

 found everywhere in countless varia- 

 tions. They may be sown in a frame 

 in March or in the open garden in 

 April or early May, and if set thinly 

 and kept clean will show their blos- 

 soms and the variations of pattern 

 and color, butall briglitand charming, 

 the following September. Then wul 

 be the time to point out how the bees, 

 by carrying the pollen from one plant 

 to another, cause the mingling of 

 varieties and origination of new ones, 

 and how men-hybridizers of grapes, 

 potatoes, wheat, flowers, fruits, etc., 

 imitate them to great advantage. 

 The child will see the bees dusted 

 with pollen; can mark fingers or noses 

 with the yellow dust; and if there is a 

 microscope at hand can see how 

 curiously the pollen grains of different 

 sorts of plants differ." 



Mauuin's Section Gluer. 



This is a machine for gluing the 

 dovetailed sections, which has just 

 been made by Mr. A. E. Manum, of 

 Bristol, Vt. It weighs only .35 lbs. 

 when boxed. Strength in sections for 

 marketing honey is a necessity, and 



we are glad to know that " inventive 

 genius " is at work endeavoring to 

 produce a machine to accomplish this 

 as cheaply and rapidly as possible. 

 No matter how accomplished, we want 

 a strong section to keep the comb 

 honey intact and prevent leakage. 

 Mr. Manum thus describes his inven- 

 tion : 



" My lightning dovetail gluer works 

 to my satisfaction. It is very simple, 

 durable, and easy to operate. A per- 

 son can put togother from 1,200 to 

 2,000 sections per day with it, and glue 

 them. One of my men has put together 

 with this machine 5 sections in 1 min- 

 ute. It is worked by the foot, the 

 operator sitting astride the seat. The 

 plunger, to ft'hich the glue-pad is 

 attached, has an automatic motion, 

 and makes a dip into the glue at every 

 downward motion of the treadle." 



Gone to the Land of Flowers. 



Mr. A. T. Williams has moved from 

 St. Charles, Mo., to Gretna, La. He 

 is well-known to our readers as a 

 srtccessful and progressive apiarist. 

 The St. Charles Cosmos says he "took 

 with him 250 colonies of bees,'-' and 

 adds: 



"He proposes to follow up his 

 specialty of bee-raising in that land 

 of flowers. He has resided in this 

 county for six years, and has made 

 an enviable record, not only as a 

 thoroughly prolicient apiarist, but 

 also as a gentleman in his business 

 and social relations. He will take his- 

 family with him to New Orleans and 

 will make the Pelican State his 

 home. " 



Since arriving in Louisiana he wrote 

 as follows from Gretna, La., on Feb. 

 14, 1882. 



I left St. Charles, Mo., and brought 

 a part of my two apiaries to this state 

 early in December. I brought over 200' 

 colonies, and lost only 1 in shipping. 

 My bees were closed up over 3 

 weeks. I shipped them by steamboat. 

 I am located now, with my. bees, 

 about 10 miles above New Orleans, 

 La., on the west bank of the Missis- 

 sippi river, and about 2 miles from 

 the river, in tlie edge of the swamp. 

 The location is a good one, I think, 

 orange groves and white clover in 

 front, soft maple, willow, and a vine 

 called Back .Tack, jn the rear. There is 

 no end to the white clover here, but 

 bees don't take to it as they do in the 

 North; it has been blooming spar- 

 ingly for a month. The willow, early 

 variety, has been in bloom 10 days. 

 About 100 colonies have commenced 

 work in the boxes. I have 100 

 Cyprians, and about the same of 

 Italians. I will try and give the two 

 races a fair trial, and report in due 

 time to the Bee Journal. 



CLUBBIN(i LIST FOR 1882. 



We supply the Weekly American Bee tJoar- 

 iial and any of tbe following periodicals, for 1883 

 at the prices quoted in the last column of figures. 

 The first column nives the regular price of botll 

 All postage is prepaid by the publishers. 



Publishers' Price. Club, 



The Weelily Bee Journal $2 00. . 



and Gleanings inBee-Cuiture(A.l.Root) 3 00.. 2 75. 

 Bee-Keepers' Magazine (A..I.King). 3 00.. 2 60 

 Bee-Keepers'In..*tructor( W.Thomas) 2 50.. 2 35 



The 4 above-named papers 4 50.. 4 00 



Bee-Keepers'Exch'nge(Houk&Peet);i 00.. 2 80 



Bee-Keepers' Guide (A.G.Hill) 2 50.. 2 36 



Kansas Bee-Keeper 2 GO.. 2 40 



The 7 above-named papers 6 30.. 5 50 



The Weekly Bee Journal one year and 



Prof. Cook's ManuaKboundin cloth) 325.. 3 00 

 Bees and Honey, (T, G. Newman) .. 2 40.. 2 2.') 



Binder for Weekly, 1881 2 85.. 2 75 



Binder for Weekly for 1882 2 75.. 2 60 



^° Several correspondents in Mich- 

 igan, on Feb. 23, reported snow 6 inches 

 deep, with more coming; the mercury 

 being 20^' above zero. 



^"Gleanings says : Upon inquiry of 

 one of our best physicians, I find that 

 the poison from the sting of the bee 

 is one of their most potent remedies 

 for a certain class of diseases. 



