58 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



1871 



bees. The bee-inaster can find many hours to devote 

 to some other occupation, and no other occupation 

 seems so closely allied with bee-keeping as fruit- 

 growing. The fruit-grower, whilst working among 

 his plants and vines or among his fruits, is always 

 where his bees should be. 



He who cultivates trees and plants without bees, 

 obtains only a part of the profit of his occupation. 

 He should have bees to gather honey from every 

 opening flower. Bees perform an impor- 

 tant service in the transmission of pollen from 

 blossom to blossom Whilst the honey - bee is 

 regarded by the best informed horticulturists as a 

 friend and co-worker, others charge them with 

 damaging some of the sweeter fruits. If you exam- 

 ine the jaws of the honey-bee magnified you would 

 at a glance see the total absurdity of such charge. 

 True, bees are seen frequently on ripe grapes, pears 

 and plums, but they do no mischief to sound fruit ; 

 they sip the juice from a crack or bruise, from spots 

 of decay, or where the mischief had been begun by 

 wasps or hornets ; there the little busy bee may be 

 seen "gathering up the fragments, that nothing may 

 be lost." 



E. KeetchmEr. 



Red Oak Junction, Iowa. 



Why do New Snrarms Desert tbe Hives? 



Ed. Pomologist : — I will give you a bee item 

 that may be of some interest to such of your read- 

 ers as are keeping bees. One of my neighbors, in 

 the summer of 1869, had a new swarm of bees come 

 out in the natural way of swarming. He put them 

 into a new pine board hive, dressed inside. The 

 following day they left the hive and clustered in a 

 bush near by. The swarm was put back into the 

 same hive, but in a day or two they made their final 

 escape to the forest, or somewhere else. 



Last summer he put another new swarm into the 

 same hive. In a day or two they came out and 

 were put back again, but did not go to work. After 

 waiting eight or ten day.s, it occurred to the owner 

 that perhaps want of ventilation was the cause of 

 their inactivity. So he bored a three-fourths inch 

 hole in the top of the hive. The bees commenced 

 work at once, and in a very few weeks the hive was 

 full of comb. May not this solve the mystery why 

 new swarms of bees so often desert the hive for a 

 home somewhere else ? Would it not be well for 

 bee keepers to pay more attention to ventilation? 



M. D. MULFORD. 



New Provident, Iowa. 



\oits anir ^hanings. 



Moisture in Hives. — Moisture sometimes gen- 

 erates in a bee hive in winter, and runs down the 

 sides to the entrance, where, coming in contact 

 with cold air, it is frozen, filling up the space and 

 stopping ventilation. Tliis matter should be looked 

 to occasionally. 



The Cabbage Worm. — We invite attention to 

 an article in this number on the Cabbage butterflj^, 

 or worm. This is the insect that made such whole- 

 sale havoc among the cabbages last season in many 

 parts of the eastern States and Lower Canada. It 

 has spread over a large section of country with 

 astonishing rapidity. We shall not be surprised to 

 make its acquaintance here the coming season. 

 It will be well for those who like kraut to be on 

 the look out for this new enemy. 



Pears and Plums — Ed. Pomologist : From the 

 best of your knowledge of pears suited to Iowa, 

 what varieties would you recommend for a small 

 beginning — say six varieties or so, divided into 

 summer, fall and winter V Also what plums of the 

 cultivated kinds, four varieties ? 



J. C, Cedar Bapids, Iowa. 



Remarks. — For Summer, Bartlett and Tyson ; 

 fer Autumn, Flemish Beauty, Duchess D. Angou- 

 leme, Louise Ben De Jersey and Seckel ; for Win- 

 ter, Vicar of Winkfield and Lawrence. Winter 

 Ncllis also promises well with us. Of plums, from 

 experience so far, Lombard and the Damson. Were 

 we to extend the list, it would be Imperial Gage, 

 Coe's Golden Drop, Washington and Blecker's 

 Gage. We have eight varieties of the plum put 

 out in 1865, embracing the ones named, none of 

 them promise so well as had hoped. Try the 

 Miner. 



Melon Seeds. Friend MiUer : — For years I 

 have been saving seeds of all the best melons and 

 canteloups, which have accumulated to considera- 

 ble. Such seeds are good for any number of years. 

 Now what shall I do with them ? Here is one sug- 

 gestion : Any subscriber to the Western Pomol- 

 GisT who will i-end a stamped envelope properly 

 addressed, telling which kind of seed they wish, will 

 have a small package sent to them. I have to fur- 

 nish the packet and the putting of them up ; which 

 is a little trouble and expense, so that if any see fit 

 to send an additional stamp to help cover it, it will 

 not be objected to, as before now I have found it a 

 considerable tax. There is nothing asked for tlie 

 seeds, but if the outlay for pajicr packages to put 

 the seed in, is defrayed by the recipients, of course 

 it will be acceptable. Let it be distinctlv under- 

 stood, liowevcr, that how to plant and raise them, 

 need not be asked through letter, as that can be 

 learned through the Pomologist. 



Samuel Miller, Bluffton, Mo. 



