Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-08-28
JUsTICE TO THE BEES.

Defending the Honey y-Makers-HOw They Have
Been Prosecuted by Fruit Growers, sheep
Owners, village Councils, Etc.
A correspondent of the Country Gentle
man, w. T. Hutchinson, writing from Gene.
sec county, Michigan, pleading for the defense
Of bees from an army of Prosecutors that are
arising around them, relates that in Califor-
mia the Fresno fruit-growers are going di-
rcctly to work to crush bee culture. A COM
plant has been filed in the supreme court
OF San Diego county, charging bee-keeper,
living thirty miles distant, with keeping
hundreds Of colonies of bees wilfully and
maliciously, to eat up and destroy tho fruits
The prayer of the plaintiff is, that he may
have judgment and decree of the court that
the keeping of said bees Is q nuisance and
that it may be abated, and that he may re-
cover from the defendant, as damages for
injuy done, the sum of 81 900.
In the vicinity of Onarga, ILL.,, are raised
large quantities of grapes. During the last
two years they have been SO wormy as to be
almost worthless. The owner of one of the
largest vineyards asserts that the trouble is
caused by bees
Tho city of Waverly, Iowa, has an ordin-
ance making 1t a misdemeanor punishable
with fine for any person to keep more than
ten colonies Of bees within tho city limits.
WISCONSIN FANATIC.
Ono Of the most serious cases of prosecu-
fanatic in Wisconsin against neighbor for
damages done to sheep while grazing. lie
alleges that his pasture is mostly white
clover, and that the bees came in countless
hordes and drove his shoep from tho pas
ture that i'm consequence, the sheep grew
thin and many died during the winters lie
has engaged two lawyers to cond uct the case
and lays his damages at $500 This Will or
course, be a "test case" and should II be
decided, either by ignorance or sSlfintcr-
in a., of "a IF ar n, r,ap
ture, untold trouble for bee-keepers may re-
suit Any "jealous" or "meddlesonic /"
neighbOr may institute proceedings at law
against keeper of bees, and the Costs and
annoyances Of suit will be the resuis. This
"sheep and bee" suit aroused beo keepers
all over the land, and, as result, there has
been formed National Bee-Keepers' Union,
having for its object the protection Of the in
terests of bee-keepers, and the defense OF
tifn fights.
In regard to the bees molesting sheep, any
One who is at all acquainted with the habits
of bees, know that, when away from home
foraging, they are very rimid, and fly away
at the approach of any object. Another thing
during warm, supshiny days (Which are the
days when bees visit clover, sheep feed only
in early morning and at evening, while from
"a. IN. to p. M, they will huddle together
in soma fence corner, or under the shade Of
some tree. Bees work upon clover in the
middle of the day, rather than in the morn
Ing or at night
~ has been proved tlme ana again that
bees are needed in transferring the pollen
from flower to flower, thus securing their
fertilization. 1t appears almost self-evident
that flowers Were given their beautiful
colors, sweet perfumes, and delicious nectar
for the purpose of attracting insects. Dar-
win says: No bees, no seed no seed, no in
crease of the flowers The more visits from
the bees, the more seeds from the flowers
the more seeds from the flowers, the more
flowers from the seeds" He also mentions
tl,o foll nui Qy
of white clover, visited by bees, produced
1880 seeds; while twenty heads SO protected
that bees could not visit them, produced
not one seed"