10 



BEES AND FRUIT. 



seed production of plants by insect aid? Are 

 not plants entirely dependent on infect aid for 

 seed production? All progress made is only 

 filling the duty to "go forth and multiply and 

 replenish the earth, and subdue it." By obser- 

 vation and experiment we find what orders of 

 plants and animals are useful, or can be so 

 changed as to be useful, and what order will 

 aid us in making the change, and then aid the 

 development of the useful. Also, find the or- 

 ders injurious, and destroy them. If we could 

 get all the people in the world to see and think, 

 the progress in subduing the earth would be as 

 great in five or ten years as in all the ages past 

 by the few great minds who have thought and 

 seen things as they are and might be. 



There are several elements of uncertainty in 

 the facts stated on both sides in Jan. 15th 

 Gleanings. Where fruit and seed do not de- 

 velop when cold and rain prevent insect visits 

 when blossoms are open, the same causes pre- 

 vent the normal development of pollen, and, 

 by washing off what is developed, prevent it 

 from fertilizing the blossoms. When a single 

 blossom is covered to keep off insects, it also, to 

 a certain extent, prevents the wind from carry- 

 ing the pollen of other blossoms to it to aid in 

 its fertilization. A single blossom covered may 

 not fertilize itself; but if a whole tree were cov- 

 ered, enough blossoms might be fertilized to 

 yield a crop of fruit. I saw this chance for 

 error last year in my experiments, and for this 

 reason intend to cover all the plants on three or 

 four feet square by driving stakes and covering 

 with netting, then gather the ripe seed each 

 ten days, also ripe seed on a like space by the 

 side of the covered, and find the seed in each 

 lot at each gathering. This will take out near- 

 ly all the elements of uncertainty, and tell 

 whether the time of blooming or temperature 

 has an effect on seed production. 



I suggest the bee-keepers make experiments 

 on this question this year on different fruit- 

 trees and other plants, not covering a single 

 blossom by itself, but have a large number un- 

 der the cover, carefully taking notes of weath- 

 er, rain, cold, and whether bees worked freely 

 on uncovered blossoms; then how much fruit or 

 seeds produced from same number of blossoms 

 under each condition, leaving nothing to gness 

 at or state from memory. I should especially 

 like to have E. R. Root, G. Ai. Doolittle, C. C. 

 Miller, and Prof. Cook make the experiment; 

 then if A. I. Root will hold off publication of 

 that leaflet until fall we may have some very 

 interesting reading for the public. Cheese-cloth 

 is very cheap, and it will not cost much to cover 

 a whole tree. 



Bloom Geld, Ind., Jan. 20. 



[Covering certain blossoms and not others 

 may bring in some elements of uncertainty, as 

 you say; but the fact that all the experiments 

 made by Prof. Cook and others point pretty 

 strongly toward the agency of the bees, is pretty 



good proof. However, we are sure all candid* 

 bee-keepers want to go to the bottom of things;- 

 and we hope that, ere another year, the experi- 

 ment will be tried by several in the way you. 

 indicate. We will publish the pamphlet now, 

 and by fall may get out another. The informa- 

 tion already secured is too good to hold. If the 

 covering of individual blossoms to some seems- 

 objectionable, perhaps the following will an- 

 swer. — Ed.:] 



THE TWO SIDES OP A TREE. 



Our apple-orchard is situated in such a way 

 that it is exposed to both the north and south 

 winds. About four years ago, as the trees on 

 the south row (Transcendenteral, that throws- 

 out a heavy growth of foliage at the same time 

 it blooms) began to open its bloom, a heavy 

 south wind prevailed for about five days. I 

 noticed, during this period, that the bees could 

 not touch the bloom on the south side of these 

 trees, but worked mprrily on the more sheltered 

 limbs of the north side. What was the result?' 

 Those limbs on the north side were well loaded 

 with fruit, while on the south side there was 

 almost none to be seen. Does this prove that 

 these trees depend on the aid of insects to fer- 

 tilize the bloom? I leave it to the judgment of 

 the reader. F. M. Mebbitt. 



Andrew, la., Jan. 19. 



TESTIMONY FROM A FRUIT-GROWER. 



Mr. Root: — Find inclosed an article on "Bees- 

 for Fruit-growers," written by the editor, Chas. 

 A. Green, and clipped from Green's Fruit-grow- 

 er, published at Rochester, N. Y. Mr. Green is- 

 quite a distinguished and well-known fruit- 

 grower of Western New York, and is eminently 

 qualified to judge on the fertilization of fruit- 

 blossoms by the bees. F. H. Fargo. 



Batavia, N. Y., Jan. 25. 



Is the honey-bee beneficial or detrimental to fruit- 

 growers ? This has been an open Question for many- 

 years. It has been contended by some, erroneously,, 

 that bees puncture grapes, peaches, and other fruit 

 when ripe, greatly to the Injury of the fruit. At 

 the same time. It has been noticed that bees fre- 

 quent the berry-fields and the Orchards in great 

 numbers during the blossoming season. It was 

 granted that, in a few cases, bees might be benefi- 

 cial in fertilizing the blossoms, more particularly 

 of the strawberry, which was known to be often* 

 pistillate. 



It has now become demonstrated that many kinds 

 of fruits, if not all kinds, are greatly benefited by 

 the bees, and that a large portion of our fruit, such 

 as the apple, pear, and particularly the plum, would 

 be barren were it not for the helpful work of the 

 honey-bee. This discovery is largely owing to Prof - 

 Waite, of the Agricultural Department at Washing- 

 ton. Prof. Waite covered the blossoms of pears, 

 apples, and plums, with netting, excluding the bees, 

 and found that such^protected blossoms of many- 

 varieties of apple and pear yielded no fruit, lu 

 some varieties there was no exception to the rule, 

 and he was convinced that large orchards of Bart- 

 lett pears, planted distant from other varieties. 



