The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-31
HONEY BEES AND PEACHES
INSECTS FONDNESs FOR SWEETS
CAUSES ENHANCEMENT OF
TWO BROTHERS
PEACH ORCHARD DID POORLY
The Owner of 1t Laid the BIame on
the bees From the
Apiary of His
Brother.
GOSHEN. N. Y, Dec 22-(special to
New York Tribune)

dAEoI1EIANs ~ - Nv 49, \NHON>N@~ ~
New York Tribune)
CHAPTER I.
'Peach Tree Utter took no ease
When he learned his brothers bees
Ate the peaches on his trees,
And caused them all to rot.
by, says he the Hey Grail
An kitch couple by the tall
But, b'gosh. their tails were hot
The motto of the Orange county farm
er as he delves down deep into earth's
mysteries, tilling the soil, driving the
COWS home or harvesting the crops, is
that there must always be a cause for
a reason" When William H. Utter, of
Amity. discovered that instead of ripe,
luscious peaches from his orchard of
four thousand trees, he was producing
only small, half grown fruit, that rotted
rapidly and was totally unfit for mark
ct, he began to cogitate. He thought
long and Vainly. One day, knee deep in
June, he stood out among the trees and
soliloquized. The ways of mystery are
strange" thought he, when suddenly he
made a discovery. From somewhere flew
honey bee. 1t alighted upon a peach
in close proximity to the watcher, and,
standing upon its head, waved its hind
legs in the air. Then it flew away. In
veStigation disclosed the fact that the
peach had been punctured. Next day
he watched again. The bee came back.
With it came others, each of which
punctured peaches, and the fruit rotted.
From it eXuded a sticky substance which
hardened on the branches, and ultimately
forty-nine of his choicest trees died.
Forty rods away was the apiary of his
brother Jeffry, numbering several hun
dred hives. William H. Utter at once
''suspicioned'' his brothers bees, but
had no way of proving that they had
caused the damage.
CHAPTER II.
Further yet than eye could see,
Daily DER the verdant lea
Flew the busy little bee,
Humming merrily its song.
Peach Tree then experimental
Till he had a cage invented
When his nature stern relented,
And he chuckled loud and long.
William H. Utter, who had been dubbed
Peach Tree lay awake nights sorely
troubled. He knew that in order to Sc
cure damages he must fix the Identity
of the bees. At last he succeeded. With
the aid of an apparatus which consisted
of a long-hand I'd utensil such as house
wives fasten a cloth to and shake around
in the bottom Of pots and kettles, Peach
Tree" Utter made a trap. Armed with
his invention he sailed forth into the
orchard, stealthily sneaked upon the
bees as they sat at ease upon his peaches
and shared them He took the captiVes
home and placed them in a box in which
flour had been sprinkled After the bees
had become thoroughly dust-covered, Ut
ter turned them loose. and, with his
son beside him, watched them fly away.
He swears they went straight to the
apiary of his brother Jeffry, who is des-
ignated as Honey Bee Utter. Peach
Tree" brought suit against Honey
Bee before a rural justice and secured
a verdict of $50. This somewhat pro
voked Brother Honey Bee" who is
said ordinarily to be the meekest man
since Moses, and his appeal from the
judgment has been heaN at Goshen.
CHAPTERIIII.
Jeffry Utter and his fellows
Claim the peaches all had "yelIows,''
Zen though William loudly bellows
That. b'gosh. it warn't so.
And all the country roundabout
Is twiXt a "holler and a Shout
While they're waitin' to find out.
Cause they're anxious fur to know
The Beekeepers' Protective Association
of the United States took up Honey
Bee" Utter s case and spent much money
to win, as an adverse decision would es-
tablish precedent detrimental to bee
keepers interests. 1t is the contention Of
the experts that bees will not attack fruit
until it has begun to decay, and they also
assert that Peach tree Utters orcha I'd
is afflicted with 'yellows,' a disease com
mon to peach trees. The appellants had
nearly forty witnesses and among the
experts were Frank Benton, of Wash
ington, assistant entomologist of the
United States department of agriculture
and Z. r. Root, of Medina, O., the root of
the Beekeepers' association Popular
opinion was against Peach Tree and
with his brother. However, there were
several who took the respondents view
of the case. Said one:
I'm jes' nacherly inclined to 'bleeve
William Henery is krect in his seclu-
sions, cause I've handled many a, skin
Of bees myself, and when he says as
how they flew away toward Jeff's place
that settles it. When a bee starts to &c
mum he Jes buzzes right up inter the
air and lights out straightern an arrow
from the bow. You've heerd BOYS at ball.
play when some Teller batted one hard
'nun to go right through another Teller
call 1t a 'bec-liner? Well that's les
where that 'spresson is deprived from
cause a bee flies so straight when he's
goin' home. Many's the time when was
little rooster me and my paw went into
the woods and burnt some salt and honey
10 make bees come nigh, and when
they d light out for hum we always fol.
Iy'd in the same dereckshun and found
many good bee tree
The farmers from many miles around
gathered to hear the trial of this suit
and beekeepers are gathered here from
Ill over the country, some coming even
from New Hampshire and North Caro-
lima
The star witness for the defendant was
FRANK Benton. He had spent thirty years