96 POLLEN. 



horticulturists, as one of their friends, a strong prejudice has 

 been excited against it, by many fruit-growers in this coun- 

 try ; and in some communities, a man who keeps bees is 

 considered as bad a neighbor, as one who sends out his 

 poultry to riot in the gardens of others. I have repeatedly 

 heard even the warmest friends of the " busy bee," lament 

 its propensity to banquet on their beautiful peaches and 

 pears, and choicest grapes and plums. 



In a conversation with a very intelligent gentleman, I once 

 assigned three reasons, which to me seemed perfectly con- 

 clusive, that the bees could not, of themselves, inflict any 

 very extensive injury upon his grapes. 1st, that as the 

 Creator appeared to have intended both the honey-bee and 

 fruit for the comfort of man, it was difficult to conceive how 

 he could have made the one to be the natural enemy of the 

 other. 2d, that as the supplies of honey frdm the flowers 

 had entirely failed, the season (1854) being exceedingly 

 dry, if the bees had been able to help themselves to his 

 sound grapes, they would, from the many hives near him, 

 in a few days have entirely devoured the fruit of his vines. 

 3d, that the jaws of the bee being adapted only to the deli- 

 cate manipulation of wax, were too feeble to enable it to 

 puncture the skin of even the most delicate grapes. 



In reply to these arguments, I was invited to go to the 

 grape vines, and behold the depredators in the very act. The 

 result justified my anticipations. Many bees were indeed 

 seen banqueting on the grapes ; but on closer observation, not 

 one was found to be doing any mischief to the sound fruit. 

 The bruised grapes on the vines, those lying on the ground, 

 and the moist stems from which grapes had recently been 

 plucked, were covered with bees : while others which were 

 observed to alight upon bunches, after finding by careful 

 inspection that they were sound, left them with evident dis- 



