AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



39 



Bees and Grapes. — Here is more 

 testimony from raisin-growers tliat bees 

 will not puncture sound grapes. It is 

 from I. P. Israel, Olivenhain, Calif., and 

 is from Oleanings of Nov. 15. 1890. 

 He says : 



I have seen Prof. N. W. McLain's exper- 

 iments with bees and grapes called in 

 question by some of the bee-papers. But 

 I think I could convince the greatest 

 skeptic of their truth and reliability. 

 We are now picking our grapes and 

 making our raisins. Now, friend Root, 

 walk up into the vineyard with me. You 

 see we are cleaning the grapes at tables. 

 You see and hear thousands of bees on 

 the tables, on the long line of cleaned 

 grapes, on almost every vine around you, 

 and flying around your head. Take this 

 bunch of grapes. You see half a dozen 

 bees busy on it. They are sucking the 

 juice from the half-decayed grapes, and 

 those that have been punctured by the 

 birds. 



You know already that a bee will suck 

 the juice from rotten or broken fruit. 

 But here is another buiich — the grapes 

 about as large as your best eastern 

 plums. Every grape is as pure, perfect, 

 and unblemished as if it just came from 

 the hands of the Creator. Hold that up 

 for 5, 10, 15 minutes, and not a single 

 bee will alight upon it. Oh, yes ! they 

 will fly around it and sniff at it, but they 

 won't alight on it. Why ? Simply 

 because there is nothing for them to get, 

 and they won't try to pierce a grape. 

 Now you are satisfied that no bee is 

 going to alight on that bunch. But pull 

 one single grape off of it, and see the 

 change ! There is a large, luscious grape 

 at the top — near your hand. But, hold ! 

 Have your mouth wide open and ready 

 to shut the door when the grape goes in, 

 or you may have a small family of bees 

 in there too. You must do this or take 

 a walk once or twice around that grape 

 before eating it. The moment the grape 

 leaves the stem the bees will dash at 

 both of them for the fresh juice. These 

 facts which I have tested again and 

 again, prove that bees do no injury to 

 grapes or fruit. But yellow-jackets can 

 and do pierce the grape. They will, in 

 cool cloudy weather, cut the cheese- 

 cloth into shreds and go in and destroy 

 grapes or raisins. 



Affiliation and Strength. — About the 

 forming of local associations, Mr. E. R. 

 Root says : 



Right here I wish to urge upon all our 

 readers the necessity of forming, if possi- 

 ble, local associations. Make some 

 prominent bee-keeper its president, and 

 some other one, equally prominent, it 

 may be, its secretary. After that, you can 

 organize a good rousing society, and see 

 what a nice lot of .people bee-keepers 

 are. Oh, yes ! after you are well organ- 

 ized, affiliate with the North American 

 Bee Keepers' Association. 



We fully endorse the above and hope 

 that associations will be formed in every 

 locality, who will affiliate and thus help 

 to make a strong National organization, 



We Learn that the East is to have 

 another new bee-paper, to be called 

 " The Bee- World." It is to be located 

 very near to the American Bee-Keeper. 



To Connecticut Bee-Keepers. 



What has become of the bee-keepers 

 of Connecticut, that we do not hear more 

 from them ? Come, wake up, and let us 

 hear from you, and what has been your 

 experience during the past season. It 

 has been the poorest one that I have ex- 

 perienced for many years. I began the 

 season with 3 colonies. These gave but 

 2 swarms, and produced but 50 pounds 

 of honey ; all but 5 pounds of which, I 

 extracted. I put my 5 colonies, and one 

 which I exchanged for honey, in their 

 Winter quarters about Oct. 10, and fed 

 them 14 pounds of sugar syrup, or all 

 they would take. As other bee-keepers 

 are writing of the premiums awarded 

 them at fairs for goods displayed, I will 

 mention a few that I have received : 

 Among the numbers were first premiums 

 on bees, hives (Simplicity), an extractor, 

 and other supplies ; also second premium 

 on comb-honey— extracted-honey by ac- 

 cident being left out. Would it not be a 

 good idea for the bee-keepers of this 

 State to form an Association for mutual 

 benefit, and an interchange of ideas ? 

 Edwin E. Smith. 



Watertown, Conn., Dec. 24, 1890. 



The Apiculturist, for January, comes 

 to hand just as the Jouenai. is all ready 

 for the press. It comes up as " bright 

 and rosy " as a June morning. We con- 

 gratulate Bro. Alley upon its interesting 

 contents and excellent appearance. It 

 has 16 pages and a cover, and costs To 

 cents a year. It will be sent for one 

 year with the American Bee Journal 

 for $1.65 for both. 



