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 
V*»-.Jk 
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FlG. 52.— Heath-like wild aster (Aster ericoides) . (Original.) 
the vicinity of the orchard are sometimes sufficiently numerous to per- 
form the work well. The great value of bees as cross fertilizers makes 
their destruction a serious injury to the interests of the fruit grower. 
Therefore spraying with arsenicals during fruit bloom should never be 
practiced. The injurious insects can be reached quite as well before 
and after the blooming period. 
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 
