Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-22
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E. L. HuFFM AN. EDITOR.

none do the work so effectually as
bees. and moreover, inaects are often
absent just when wanted, whereas,
the bees ALWAYS at work. whenever 1t
Is waiun enough for trees to put forth
their buds, Any etomologist knows
that the antennae Of the bee are cap
able OF cutting into the skin OF sound
fruit, and IN order 10 make q start
he must first ind hole already made
by some other insect, such as the red
ant. Yet IL Is quite true he VIII
boards OF a hive. This point WAS
raised once at the Bee Keepers assoc
ciaticn and an explanation demanded.
AIR. Dldant answered by asking the
question: why is 1t that, although a
man can bite through a piece OF hlas-
ter, he cannot bite hole with his
teeth through plaster wallg' Yet
you say you saw bees which looked
as though they were searching for
weak spot on sound fruit. upon which 20
make an attack, although you very
cautiously add that you did not see
them actually succeed in piercing the
fruit. Well. bees. although possessed
Of instinct in the largest degree, ara
very stupid in many things, and !
have seen them trying for hours to do
something which. II they had any reI-
son, they would have known to be a
physical imposslhlity.
But l don't conflne myself to theory
only; the practical test has often been
made Of placing absolutely sound fruit
IN the vicinity OF bees care having
been first taken to examine the fruit
microscopically, to see that 1t was
unintured. In every case. although
the bees have lowered around, they
nave ultimately abandoned 1t, UNI
touched,
We may add that all the authorities
We have ever read upon the subject
fully indorse what Mr.. Stewart says,
ana show that the bee is really the
fruit growers best friend Some very
recent experiments proving that many
KINDS Of apples, pears and grapes are
entirely sterile unless cross fortified
with the pollen OF other varieties, and
TO which We may refer at greater
length in the future, show that this
cross-iertilization is greatly dependent
upon the presence of bees in the or
chard. This is now so fully under
stood by the California fruit growers
that IN The Fresno valley they have
organized and purchased 100 acre tracts
Of land every six miles, and are plant
ing 1t with white sage. for the express
purpose OF stocking II with bees They
even offer the free use Of the land
TO beekpeeers. so anxious are they TO
have the busy bee In their orchards.
We think this ought TO settle the uues-
TONS. w. Farm and Orchard.
EXPERIMENT WITH SUBSOILING.
In Notes from the Garden" the In
dustriulist" the state Agricultural col
lcge paper OF Manhattan, Kan, speak
Ing OF last years experiment. says:
Some very interesting results are
SHOWN In the records OF vegetables
grown In the cxpcrime l-al gardens
last summer Four blocks were laid
OH, each containing n little over half
an acre. Two OF the blocks We're sub
solIed and the other two We're not; and
one subsollei and one unsubsOiled block
were irrigated while the other two
We're not The blocks were treated ev-
asuy alike In other respects, and all
blocks planted with the same varieties
or vegetables at the same time. The
results are the same. with almost AN
lhe dlherent vegetables. The unsub-
soIed irrigated block gave the best re-
turns inc subsolled irrigated and the
nnsoAei dry blocks gave about the
sumo while the subsoiled dry block
was the poorest OF all. This must nor
ne taken as point against subsolllng.
IL simply shows what by giving tho
mattcr little thought, would natural
ly De expected. Whore land ia srb-
sgllel In a dry season like tho last ana
there Is not sufficient rain following 10
s9aN up the subsoil, the subson is dot
rlInental for that season, since the
opening Of the soil allows the dry air
10 get In more easily. But last fan AZ
ttr me september rains the soil OF Inc
suos2lled blocks was in much the best
condition, and II Is confidently evract-
ca that this year they will stand abco5
OF the unsubsollod ones. A fine LOT ~
P9grsnlps has just been dug from those
docks, and It Is Interesting TO NOTE the
uliterence In the roots from the dIffer-
ent blocks. Those from the subsoIled
docks are much longer ana smOotber
ana less InCllned To hn hranrhnh -.