and Us Economic Management. 91 



markable to find in my own garden a full, and sometimes 

 an abundant crop of fruit, while the general reports have 

 told of failure and scarcity. 



In a neighbourhood where many bees are cultivated, 

 and more particularly in the garden they may occupy, it 

 is very rarely, indeed, a poor crop of fruit is found, simply 

 because the bloom is so thoroughly and regularly 

 fertilised by the action of the bees, in securing a constant 

 transmission, and mingling of the pollen. 



The failure of the fruit crops has repeatedly been put 

 down to the devastating action of various moths, and other 

 possible and impossible causes ; but while the ruin thus 

 created is sometimes apparent, the absence of suitable 

 insect fertilisers is a deplorably frequent and only too 

 noticeable occurrence. 



It is plainly evident that the fruit grower of the future 

 who attempts to conduct his business without taking 

 every means to secure the aid of the industrious honey 

 bee will be like a captain attempting to carry his ship 

 through the sea without a rudder. More or less success 

 has of course been obtained in the culture of fruit in the 

 past ; but the growers have not hitherto had their eyes 

 fully opened, that they could tell whj^ the greater success, 

 or the least profitable result, and even loss, should occur. 

 The proximity of a larger or smaller number of hives will 

 generally be found to sufficiently explain the variations. 

 The state of the weather, and all supposed enemies of 

 the fruit gardens, will receive far less consideration when 

 the foregoing remarks are fully appreciated and acted 

 upon. A single hive, or even a dozen, will be of little 

 use where there are large gardens and orchards. From 

 twenty-five to one hundred stocks will be needed to 

 secure the best possible results, according to the extent 

 of the fruit farm ; and even if no one on the premises 



