The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-02-01

Mr.. j. Il. Crane Of Bridport then read
paper upon Bees as Related to Fruit
Raising"
The belief that bees iDjure fruits and
flowers by extracting the sweets
from flowers. is old, but il is en-.
tirely erroneous. Men have been request.
ed to shut up their bees because they
spoiled the fruits Of their ueighbors. The
interests Of the bee raiser aud the fruit
raiser were one and identical. The pro.
cess Of fertilization was described and the
statement made that this could not be
accomplished by the bees that carry the
liIe-givlng dust, the pollen from one
Hover to another. 1t is wise provision
oil nature that the pollen should be car.
RED by the bees from flower to flower,
and that bees are known to visit but one
kind OF flower, or tho flowers Of one kind
during one journey from their hives. In.
stances were named whore fruit trees had
been grown in glass houses, where the
amount Of frui. was very small, until
swarm OF bees were introduced, when the
crops OF fruit were abundant. Expert
meuts have proved that clover protected
from insects produces no seed, while
that exposed to their visits produced
abundantly. Clover in some countries
hss failed to produce Seed un;i humble
bees have been introduced, when tho clio.
ver blossoms became fertile. The bees
Of single hive, will hy over and collect
honey from an area OF five miles 10 diam.
ctcr, the numbers Of hive may be stated
at twelve thousand (they usually exceed
thaV the vast number of flowers visited
aud iructided over this area by this great
number OF bees would be difficult to est.
mate, and oven this is only The work Of
Que swarm. Does extractipr the sweets
from the lowers iuJure the fruits that
grow iiom tho flowers? Although this
10 generally thought to be the case it was
erroneous. Tho sweet from fruit trees is
hne' from raapberrios very superior other
plants good, bad aud Indifferent. The
wlld sage plants of California nd orange
blossoms produce honey Of great excel
lence' but he was assured by dealers Of
large experience Ia New York ihcro was
no houey equal to that got here from the
white clover of Vermont. This sweet IS
an ezudatioD, Instead of secretion, AZ d
Is wisely provided by nature and ihros n
oil at the right season to cause the bees
to visit the flowers aud carry ie,tii'y
from cue 10 another. This nectar is .ig
en Oh IN great quantities by some plot-.
and those plants are usually those that
furnish the honey OF the highest quality
DO bees puncture ripe fruit to extract
the sweet juices of the fruit? Notwith.
3 s'anding the opinion that they DO, he dis.
! scented from that opinion, anj he thought
the testimony that they do unsatisfactory
aud incomplete, and such as would not be
accepted by a court Of justice, no one
ever saw honey bee puncture q fruit.
Experiments With grapes hung on the
hives proved that in no instance did the
bees iujure the fruit until they were
punctured by the knife, by birds, or other
. Insects, the bald hornet being one that
3 did much Of this mischief
Hon. 4. I. Smith, of New Haven, a
member Of the board made an address
upon Some points in dairying."
c lie commenced with comparing the
I price Of dairy products when he com.
menced dairying and present prices foI
, butter and cheese Cheese then was foul
= cents per pound and butter ten cents pc,
s pound. lie commenced with one COW
5 aud she belonged to another man. The
I first amount Of butter that he Carried tC
f, market was two and one.haf pounds
= Ills first purchase OF cows was seven, al
nine dollars each. a second lot Of twelve
cows cost sixteen dollars He had on
one occasion delivered lot of three year
: old steers at seven dollars each. II,
! thought with the present prices for dairy
n products tho chances fer making money
t was better now than then. He though
"nile ermont was 4 good place for Yer
= mont boys there we're good places To-
them IN other states. He had steadily
C increased his number of cows. until ht
g MIXED 100 five years ago. The mex
d year he reduced bis cows to l20, put il
{ the Jewott pap and made butter, founi
l. the 'aoor much reduced, found he coult
o make hutter OF much moro uniform
+ quality and found on the whole a mucl
greater return Of profit He thought thu
sum o. all this Improvement must he
reliance on our own Judgment We can
not substitute any other mans jgdgmen
j. Tor our own We must have good cows
D lie nKed medium sized cows best. III
c had not found large cows as hardy or a
a profitable Tho farmers were smarte
l. 'han the middle men. He thought t.
%"1o good cheese il was necessary to ee
all 'ne cream possible 10 IT, 1t may b.
c possible 10 make more money by maxim!
= ooth outter and cheese, but it would no
" oe possible TO retain good reputation 70
c good cheese where it is practiccd. II
: thought it most profitable to use tn
s SKINNED milk by feeding it to calves ant
= fattening them. He made by fattenin!
u calves on one COW through the season 49,
i profit. Durhams are first rate to rails
: large calves, and to dry off easy when yol
> have MIXED them long enough OF hi
n own and buying in he had fattened 2l(
calves last season. Most calves will fat
Il ten on skinned milk, if fed three time
j. per day with regularity as to hours anC
t quantity He was in favor Of feedin!
IS meal to cows, but was in favor of raising
Q it ourselves He thought before 81,
l. wears ago that he could not raise his owl
IS wheat, but had sowed it every year sine
: and reaped good crops, He though
o every man should follow that branch o
!. farming that he took the most interest in
n and not leave what We could make profit
d able and run into some other branch o
j. farming, because some one else is maxim,
n money by following that branch, but W
e should try to excel in the branch we or
1t following. Early cut hay is very desira