The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-06-11
Vhe Apiary.
Bees and Fruit.


Extracts from an address read be.
fore the Michigan Horticultural So.
ciety by w. z. Hutchinson, a bee.
keeper of that State.
A few weeks ago 1 heard two old
farmers discussing bees and buck
wheat. II tell you, said one, "buck.
wheat is a good thing for bees.'
"Yes," replied the other, "but the
bees are not very good things for the
buckwheat." 'No I suppose not"
said No. l. And thus the converse.
ton ran ON until l ventured to ask
Mr.. Farmer how he knew that buck.
wheat was injured by the bees. ''Why
they take something from it, don't
they? If they do, it Injuries it. How
can it be otherwise? replied my farm.
err friend. then explained that l
was a bee.keeper, and also a raiser
of buckwheat; that my buckwh eat,
was at times fairly "swarming' with
bees. yielded fully as we'll, if not bet.
ter, than buckwheat that was tar re-
moved from the busy workers. | ex'
planned how necessary were the bees
for the fertilization of blossoms;
that If the blossoms were coyered
with muslin, so that the bees had no
access to them, they produced no
fruit. My opponent commended that
it might not be lack of visits from
bees that made the covered blossoms
unfertile, but lack Of heat from the
SUMS rays, as the result Of beng COW
cred. l then cited to him the exper.
iments Of Prof. Lazenby of Ohio, in
covering strawberries with boxes, and
fertilizing one variety with the pollen
from another. Specimens that were
left unfertilized produced no fruit, those
that were fertilized did. | also told
that oft-repeated story of how the fruit
grower of certain town in Massachus-
etts years ago compelled the bee keep
ers in that vicinity to move their bees
out of town-the bees injured the fruit.
so said the fruit-growers In few
years they were persuading the bee
keepers to bring back their bees, as the
crops OF fruit had been exceptionally
light since the removal of the bee>.
They were brought back, and with them
came abundant crops l told him that
crops of red clover seed could not be
raised in Australia until humble bees
were imported to fertilize the blossoms.
| then waxed eloquent, and declared
that the beautiful colors were not given
flowers simply to please the human eye
the grateful fragrance to regale the HUI
man olfactories, nor did the nectar flow
simply that it might be gathered up and
used to tickle human palates; these
things were the blossoms advertise
ment, which attracted to it the honey.
loving bee, which came, bringing with
it the fertilizing pollen from distant
flowers. When had finished, my op-
ponent said: swell, I don't knoao any
thing about it; maybe you are right
my frienl."
Now. those of you who know that
bees are largely instrumental in the
fertilization of blossoms, and that the
removal Of the necter in nowise Injuries
the fruit or grain, may be inclined to
smile at the old farmers views, but, my
friend, he is not alone in his ignorance;
even editors-yes, and agricultural ed.
itors at that-have exhibited lametable
ignorance upon this subject, The az.
ricultural editor of a very prominent
New.York weekly very gravely inform.
ed an inquiring correspondent that bees
were an injury to buckwheat, taking
the same ground as did my farmer op.
poneDt. 1t was this same editor who
said he had watched, with interest, the
Italian bees every since the first pairC)
was brought over from Italy.