V 'A. IN ■ ^ 





STATE BEE-KEEPERS ASSOCIATION. 115 



than the short-tongued bee, and I don't need to see the colony 

 do the work. Some things we can tell from common-sense 

 without seeing. I know that I can from here reach that watch 

 on the table. 



Mr. York — But I don't want you to! 



Dr. Miller — And I know that a man with an arm two 

 feet longer can reach it easier. Have I seen him do it? I 

 don't need to. I know he could do it. 



Mr. Moore — It is kind of mean, but I want to crowd you 

 squarely into a corner. You have long experience and you 

 say to this convention that you do or do not know of a red 

 clover field, whether your long-tongued bees did gather from 

 that field or not? 



Dr. Miller — I don't think that any of my bees have ever 

 gotten a large amout of honey from red clover. They don't 

 need to, the red and white clover being in blossom about the 

 same time. I have seen them working on red clover, and 

 have seen them without going more than two rods from my 

 door, so I do know that they sometimes work on it, and at 

 other times I have gone in a red clover field and I couldn't 

 find a single bee. I don't think I have ever gotten very much 

 honey from red clover, but I believe that I will get more if 

 I haye bees that can reach the nectar. In other words, 

 I could get more honey, if they would try to get it, with 

 long-tongued bees than with short-tongued. Now because 

 some may have gone too far in this business don't settle 

 down that there is no value in long-tongued bees. There is 

 very decided, and positive, and great value in long tongues, 

 and I believe the long tongue will go with other qualities. 

 If there is any truth in the doctrine of scientists about these 

 organs, then the effort to get that honey will lengthen that 

 tongue, and the bee that is good in other resoects will have 

 that tongue. Don't understand me as under-rating because 

 somebody has been advertising too much on it. There is 

 value in the long-tongued bee. But we don't need that sort 

 of a machine to measure the tongue, we can measure the 

 crop, which is worth more. 



Mr. Muth — We want bees with long tongues, but we 

 want to know whether there is any truth in it. That is 

 what I am trying to answer, and candidly. The act of Dr. 

 Miller trying to stretch his arm out to reach that watch is 

 something diflFerent from the corolla of red clover. Suppose, 

 we will say, the nectar in the corolla it is not solid like the 

 watch. The side walls of that little flower attract the mois- 

 ture and a bee with a short tongue will not need to reach the 

 nectar. It can catch ahold of the side-wall, and just sip up 

 that nectar without touching it. 



Dr. Miller — Do you tell us that a bee with a short tongue 

 will reach all the nectar in the clover? 



Mr. Muth — No; nearly all. ■ _. 



Dr. Miller— Do they do it? 



Mr. Muth — I believe they do. 

 ■:'-'''' Dr. Miller — They don't in my locality! 



Mr. Muth — They can suck it off on the side just like 

 when you go to eat gravy. Let a piece of soft bread lie in 



