THE MARYLAND 
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT: STATION 
BULLETIN 154. JUNE, 1911. 
BEE KEEPING IN MARYLAND. 
I. THE STATUS OF BEE KEEPING IN THE STATE. 
By T. B. Symons. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The keeping of bees for profit is in its infancy in Maryland. Those 
who gain their entire livelihood from this business are few, but there 
are thousands who keep bees as a side issue to their regular business for 
either profit or pleasure. There is no industry in whose progress and 
protection the farming class as a whole should be more interested than 
in apiculture. It does not follow from this statement that all farmers 
should be bee keepers, for it is not the aim of the friends of apiculture 
to greatly increase the number of persons keeping bees, but to make 
better bee keepers of those already in the business. In the light of 
comparatively recent discoveries of the existence of serious communi- 
cable diseases among bees, it is specially urged that only those who 
are prepared ‘to give the apiary proper attention, should undertake to 
keep bees even if only for pleasure. P 
The honey bee is an important factor as a pollenizing agent, es- 
pecially in cross-pollinating the blossoms of many of our fruits. It 
has long been known that the blossoms of many varieties of fruit, as 
well as other plants, require cross pollination to set a full crop: It is.. 
probable that no other insect is superior to the honey bee in performing 
this service. Many practical fruit growers keep bees for this pur 
pose, and the growers of the vegetables under glass, regularly intro- 
duce bees into their green houses to pollinate cucumbers and othey 
flowers. Probably this useful insect can be given credit for causing. 
‘some of our best varieties that have originated from seedlings. As 
the people of this state become more and more interested in horticul- 
ture, they must at the same time, bear in mind the protection of the 
honey bee, which aids them in producing full crops. 
, Aside from the great service rendered by the honey bee in cross 
pollimetii the flowers of fruit trees and grains, its ability to mann- 
facture the nectar into a most palatable food, which otherwise would 
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