64 | - MANUAL OF APICULTURE. 
view of the fact that surrounding conditions vary greatly, it is difficult 
to say exactly how many colonies are positively necessary for a given 
number of trees. However, four or five well-populated hives for every 
hundred large apple trees will doubtless suffice, even though no other 
hive bees are within a mile of the orchard. The bees of a neighbor’s 
apiary are often quite sufficient for the orchardist’s purpose, the benefit 
resulting from their labors being, therefore, mutual, though the orchard- 
ist doubtless derives in this case greater advantage from them than 
does their owner himself. Escaped swarms lodged in forest trees in 
4 
Fia. 52.—Heath-like wild aster (Aster ericoides). (Original.) 
the vicinity of the orchard are sometimes sufficiently numerous ‘orien: 
form the work well. The colonies required to pollenize the blossoms 
of the apple orchard will pollenize also those of many other fruit and 
seed crops grown within their flight and which ripen their pollen and 
develop their pistils either before or after the apple. 
HONEY AND POLLEN PRODUCING PLANTS. 
In the following lists the intention has been merely to indicate the 
main sources from which our hive bees secure honey and pollen. Any- 
thing like a complete enumeration of those plants of the United States 
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