The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25
Bees in California.
BY a. j. COOK.

BY q. D. COOk.
The Importance of Bookkeeping as an
industry is rarely appreciated as it de-
serves to be. Sugar in some form is a
necessary food element. We could not
live without it. Without question, honey
is one of the most wholesome OF all the
sugars. Excellent physicians have as
serted that some of the distinctively mod
ern diseases may be due to the exchange
of honey for cane sugar as the principal
sugar of the food. Each year, through the
work of bees, millions of pounds of this
valuable food are collected from the flow
ers, all of which would otherwise go to
waste Bookkeeping then conserves the
nectar of the flowers and ADDS substan-
italy TO the wealth OF the people.
But bees have further value that is OF
still greater value 10 the industrial econ
omy Of our people. They act as marriage
priests" in the vegetable world, carrying
the pollen from one flower TO another.
This cross pollination is absolutely neces-
sary TO full frEitage of very many Of our
vegetables, while many others viii prove
absolutely unproductive unless cross-pol-
lnated by insects. Many Of our most val
ued fruits are thus dependent and prove
the Importance OF insects in our farm
economy. The experiments of the De-
partment of Agriculture tsee- bulletin No.
8, Division of Vegetable Pathology, by
Merten 3. Waite) show that twenty-five
varieties OF pears out of thirty-six expert
mented on are sterile by their own pollen
or pollen of the same variety, and that
these that are fertile il their
own pollen often produce less per-
feet fruit when self pollinated than
when receiving pollen from others
variety. 1t is interesting to know
that OF the varieties requiring eross-polli-
nation are such varieties as Anjou, Bart
lett, Clairgau, Clapp's favorite, Lawrence
and Winter Nellis. / have experimental
III California for two seasons and my ex-
peuments fully confirm the conclusions OF
Mr.. Waite as TO the importance of cross
pollination. l have experimental with
two varieties of plum, one of cherry, one
OF apricot. one Of pear-Bartlett-n
orange, lemons and several varieties oil
olives. With the exception of the navel
orange-it fruits without pollen in most
cases-and the royal apricot, ali the varie-
ties were wholly or largely sterile with
their own pollen. We know, then. to a
certainty that success in pOmology. one OF
the greatest industries OF California, re-
quires the presence Of insects to convey
the pollen from the anther of the
flower to the stigma of another OF
q different variety of the same spe-
cies of fruit. But we have collected
fruits in orchards OF immense proper
tions, and so, while the native insect,
wild bees, wasps. flies, moths, thrips, etc,
were sufficient to cross-pollinate the ma
tive plants, like the wild plum, ETC., they
are wholly inadequate to the requirements
in our present orchards. Again these in
digenous insects 1uctuate greatly, SO that
they cannot be depended on. Last veal
the purslane sphinx moth, Deilephils
lineata, was very common and for few
weeks swarmed on the fruit bloom here al
Claremont. This year they were very
rare. The common expression, ''insect
years" arose through this popularity OF
insects. 1t Is evident, then, that the
artificial condition OF orchard trees in pro.
fusion demands q further artificial
condition OF insects III like pro
fusion. This can only be accom-
plished through the aid of bees. Here
we have sometimes 1900 nectar-loving in.
sects in a colony. and thus, oftentimes, 90
100000 or more insects in a single apiary
Thus, in agriculture, we have a most valu-
able adjunct to horticulture. AS Professor
Waite says in the bulletin already referred
to, "Be sure that there are sufficient bee!
in the neighborhood, or within two o.
three miles, to properly visit the blossoms. .
II is fact beyond question that the bees
are as important to the pomologist as K
the beekeeper; and that ii the latter,
through ignorance or prejudice. drives of
the bees he has surely ''killed the goose
that laid the golden egg" Bees may an.
noy in working on overripe fruit or fruit
that is being dried, but they are never
harmful, but always valuable, very valu.
able, to the fruit when visiting the bloom
for nectar. The annoyance can be greatly
lessened by never permitting the fruit tc
become overripe as bees never puncture
fruit. They only sip oozing juice, wher
the fruit has been punctured By bird OF
wasp, or has burst by overripeness, or j:
cut for drying. If the bees trouble seri
ouslY when fruit is being dried, the fruit