642 BEES A^fD FRUITS AND FLOWERS. 



or five hives of bees, directly over the frames, and three 

 weeks after we found that the bees had glued them fast to 

 the combs, as they glue up anything they cannot get rid of, 

 but the grapes were perfectly intact. This test may be made 

 by every Apiarist. 



Mr. McLain, in charge of the U. S. Apicultural Station, 

 was instructed to test this matter thoroughly by shutting up 

 bees with sound fruit, and the results were the same as in our 

 case. (See the Agricultural Reports for 188.5.) 



873. The main damage to grapes is done by birds. Hence, 

 the borders of a large vineyard are first to suffer, especially 

 when in proximity to hedges, orchards or timber. 



Even in small cities, the number of birds that feed on 

 fruit is extraordinary, and one can have no idea of their 

 depredations until he has watched for them at day-break, 

 which is the time best suited to their pilfering. 



Aftei- the mischief has been begun by them or by insects, 

 or whenever a crack, or a spot of decay is seen, the honey-bee 

 hastens to help itself, on the principle of "gathering up the 

 fragments, that nothing may be lost." In this way, they un- 

 doubtedly do some mischief, but they are, on the whole, far 

 more useful than injurious. 



875. Amimg thousands of testimonials, we translate the 

 following from L'Apicoltorr, of Milan, Italy, May 1874, page 

 181: 



' ' Being a lover of good wine, I manufactured mine from 

 wilted grapes; my crop amounts annually to from thirty to 

 forty hectolitres* of wine, worth on average, one franc seventy- 

 five centimes per litre. j AVhen my grapes are gathered, I 

 spread them on mats of reed or straw in a sunny place in front 

 of my apiary, where they remain about two weeks. For the 

 first two or three days the mats are covered with bees, but I 

 pay no attention to this, for I have ascertained that they gather 

 only the jiuce of the berries that are damaged. As soon as the 



* One hectolitre is twenty-five gallons. 



tThis is about one dollar and forty cents per gallon, a high price 

 for Italy. 



