270 TENNESSEE AGRICULTURE 



More and more is it being understood that the bees are a necessity 

 for the growing of profitable crops of seeds and fruits; yes. and to 

 such an extent that "if all the bees in the State were removed or 

 killed many lines of agriculture would turn out to be dead failures 

 instead of being extremel\- profitable ones as at present." 



Is it a wonder, therefore, that people who know these things try 

 so hard to preserve bees from destruction ? Destruction by disease has 

 taken a strong hold in the United States, and in some of the States 

 has almost annihilated this ]5riceless little insect. The layman may 

 ask. Can this destruction be checked ? The answer is easy. Bee dis- 

 eases are understood and clearl}- defined. Their cures are simple 

 and effective when intelligently and persistentl}' administered. Edu- 

 cate all keepers of bees, fur education means that disease will be 

 recognized by each beekeeper and, being once recognized, is not dif- 

 ficult to cure. 



However, to tell many beekeepers that bees are liable to disease is 

 received with .skepticism. To point out the dead and dying in the 

 hive and urge treatment is regarded as useless and treated with in- 

 difference. J'^ortunate are we in Tennessee in having an apiary law, 

 ^\•hich not only provides for the education of people concerning bees 

 in health, but provides for the inspection of diseased colonies and in- 

 flicts a reasonable punishment for inattention to treatment. Horticul- 

 turists, truck gardeners and beekeepers should all be united in their 

 efl'orts to prevent the honeybee being destro3e(l by disease or by 

 the careless spraying of fruit trees. 



DO BEES INJURE FRUIT? 



Bv Dr. H. a. Surf.xci:, State E.xto.molocist of Picnxsvlwxnlv. 



•■My attention has been called to a paragraph in the IMiddleburg 

 Post, of Thursday, SeptenilKr 21, to the effect that 'keeping bees in 

 town has become a nuisance, and a great annoxance to everybody 

 who raises grai.cs,' and further suggested spraying \\ith white helle- 

 bore in sweetened water. 



"As a student of natural history, as well as from the standpoint 

 of a beekeeper of many colonies, and years of experience, and also 

 from the official po.sition of I^resident of the Pennsvlvania State Bee 

 keepers' Association, and State Zoologist of Pennsvlvania, I feel it 

 my duty to urite a few words for publication, correcting two errors 

 expressed or implied m this paragraph. 



"(I) The bees do not puncture nor directly damage the grapes. 



