The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-09-04
Terms $500 per- aan4ns, is adrance.

teemed with fruit, but now the crop is fail
ure. Many reasons are given for this failure
of the apple crop. We can remember that
the orchards in this region many years ago
bore an abundance of fruit, but 1t was of the
common kind more suitable for cider than tor
eating, and yet there were some trees that
bore most excellent fruit, quite as good as
any we have now. These orchards have de-
cayed. They have had their day, and our
cuitiVators have not supplied their places so
wen as they ought to have done. Now ap-
PIE trees cannot be made to last always even
by the best care and cultivation But what
has all this to do with bees? The writer
above alluded to thinks the failure of the ap-
pile crop is due to imperfect lructifcation.
Years ago more bees were kept on the farms
and the woods were swarming with wild
ones. Now things have changed and gradu.
ally the keeping OF bees was deemed nui-
sance, while the woodmans axe destroyed
the haunts OF the wild ones. This is true
Many years ago there were great numbers of
swarms in our woodlands, and bee-huntine
afforded much sport as well as large quanti-
ties OF honey. Afraid as we are of being
stung, we have assisted in hunting many
swarms and taken from large trees much
honey. But such sport is not SO easily en-
joyed now, for the bees are not now in the
woods in such numbers as they once were.
But ofwhat advantage are bees to apple trees?
1t is a fact well know to all botanists that
it is only by proper distribution of the pol
len from tree to tree and from flower to flow
er that proper qualification is produced. II
this is not done, the fruit aborts, and upon
the first rain the ground is covered with them
to the great dismay of the cnlturist who
blames the spring rain for It. The heavy
rains are ruinous to our fruit but not the only
reason OF the failure of the crop. The writer
in the Horticulturist gives it as his opinion
that DECREASING and plentiful fruit crop are
always compatible and he gives several cases
as, proof. ..
One gentleman deeming his bees nui-
sance, had them aba;ed. His trees were al
ways laden with fruit, while in other locali-
ties just as favorable as his, there has been
none for several years. But after he ceased
to keep bees, his trees ceased to bear because
the industrious little creatures were not
there to carry the pollen from one blossom to
another, and thereby to produce natural
qualification without which trees will be bar
ren. Another case is where a fiuit-grower
emigrated West, taking his apiary with him.
The farm he left was always noted Tor its
large yield of fruit, but the removal of the
bees had bad effect upon the trees which
did not yield so much fruit as they did when
the bees had free access to them.
Now we don't believe in this phiiosopy
without some grains of allowance We be-
lieve apple trees will bear fruit upon whose
branches bees have never perched, and yet it
may be true that these insects are useful in
the distribution of pollen, thereby lending
some assistance in the process of fructifica-
tion. We have attended to the sport of
hunting for the hives of wild bees in the
woods and brief description of it may inter
est some of oCr readers. A very bright DAY
in the Indian summer which we often have
in this latitude is the time, for then the
honey is deposited in the hollow trees for
winters use. Take tin box, partially filled
with honey, and start for the woods. There
are always some wild flowers still in blossom
until heavy frost comes. Ii there are any
hives near, some bees will be found at Tork
upon these flowers. Now place your box of
honey on stump or rock, and soon these
little workers will find 1t. Watch them until
they load themselves and rise from the box.
After a few gyrations thoy viii shoot off
straight TO their hive.
Observe the course they take. Soon they
will return and bring some more with them.
As soon as they again settle upon the honey
chalk the backs of two or three of them and
note the time the chalked ones are gone.
This will give you some idea of the distance
the hive is from you. Having carefully noted
the distance they fly, you can shut down the
lid of the box when they return TO it as they
will in due time, and carry it some ten or
twenty rods to another place at right angle
to the course they have previously made
Now open the box and mark we'll the course
they take. Having marked the two courses
you will then find the tree in which this hive
is, exactly where these two bee lines intersect
each other. The tree may be cut down late
in the autumn and the honey secured. But
after all it is cruel work to destroy so many
lives. How marvellous the instinct that di-
rects these little creatures so unerIingly to
their homes! and the wonder increases when
they are carried in a dark box to another
starting plain many rods distant; for they
take straighG course TO their hive although
in a new and different direction.
AGRICoLA