New-York tribune., 1900-12-23

crops is that there must always be a cause for
reason" When William H. Utter, of Amity, dis
covered that instead of ripe luscious peaches from
his orchard of four thousand trees, he was proouc
ing only small, half grown fruit that rotted rapoiy
and was totally unfit for market. he began 10 cosi
tate. He thought long and vainly. One day. knee
deep in June, he stood out among the trees ana
soliloquZed. 1.-The ways of mystery are strange
thought he when suddenly he made a discovery.
From somewhere few a honey bee. 1t alighted
upon peach in close proximity to the watcher'
and standing upon its head, waved its hind legs IN
the air. Then it flew away Investigation dis
closed the fact that the peach had been punctured
Next day he watched again. The bee came back
With it several others, each of which punct-
ured peaches, and the fruit rotted. From 1t ex-
uded a sticky substance which hardened on the
branches and ultimately forty-nine of his choicest
trees died. Forty rods away the apary OF his
brother Jeffry, numbering several hundred hives.
William H. Utter "suspicioned" his broth
bees, but had no way of proving that they had
caused the damage.
CHAPTER II.
Further yet than eye could see.
Dai
Flew the busy little bee
Ftach ammfns Tnee3 %Giy them expeTimened itT Tfns
When his nature relented.
And he chucked, loud and long.
William H. Utter who had been dubbed Peach
| Tree" lay awake nights sorely troubled. lie knew
that in order to secure damages he must nix the
identity of the bees At last he succeeded with
handled utensil such housewives fasten cloth
to and shake around in bottom Of pots and ket-
ties Peach Tree Utter made trap. Armed with
his invention he sailed forth into the orchard.
stealthy sneaked upon the bees as they sat at
ease upon his peaches and shared them. He took
the captives home and placed them in box IN
which -four had been sprinkled. After the Gees
had become thoroughly dust coated Utter turned
them loose, and, with his son beside him. watched
them fly away. He swears they went straight to
! a.x,k,1 ;S docfOr tod
as Honey Bee Utter. Peach Tree" brought
suit against Honey Bee" before rural justice
and secured a verdict of s25. This somewhat pro-
voked the brother Honey Bee who is said ordi-
narily to be the meekest since Moses. and his
appeal from the judgment has been heard at
CHAPTER Ill
Jeffry Utter and his fellows
feim en though oe ReTSffi Wifam a Iondly bellows
That b,gosh it warn't so:
And all the country roundabout.
Is twixt holler and a shout a6S o,
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 10 win. as an adverse
decision would establish precedent detrimental
to beekeepers' interests II is the contention
of the experts that bees will not attack fruit
until 1t has begun TO decay. and they also assert
that Peach Tree Utter's orchard is afflicted with
! ''yellows" disease common to peach trees. The
appellants had nearly forty witnesses. and among
the experts were Frank Benton. OF Washington AS
sistant Entomoogist Of the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture. and E R. Root, OF Medina,
Ohio the root of the Beekeepers' Association
Popular opinion 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 'beeve William
Henery is krect in his secusions cause I've
handled many skip of bees myself. and when he
thaf settles IT, When bee starts to go hum ne
jes' buzzes right up inter the air and lights out
/ stralghter'n arrow from the bow. You've heerd
boys at ball-play when feller batted one hard
'nuff 10 go right through another feler call IL
"bee-liner? Well, that's jes' where that 'spression
| IS deprived from cause bee flies so straight
when he's goin' home Many's the time when l
was a little rooster me and my paw went Into the
woods and burnt salt and honey 10 make
bees come nigh, and when they'd light s0t Ter hum