The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-08-20
. To THE FARMERS
OF TENNESSEE
BY CAPT. 7. f. PECK,
Commissioner of Agriculture.


The majority of the people thinl
that the only benefit humanity re
ceives from bees is the production o
honey and wax; this is a great mis-
take. The annual honey and wa!
harvest in Tennessee will approximate
a half million dollars, and yet the
bees have value that is far greater
than the wax and honey harvest. II
the work of pollenating and cross
pollenating seed and fruit bearing
plants, so valuable to man, the bees
do work that has never been appre'
ciated and yet has value that is al
most that of the fruit harvest itself.
In the transfer of pollen from sta.
mems to stigmas, or from one blossom
to another, the wind is an effective
agent with many plants. provided il
blows at the right time, in the right
direction and the pollen is ready to be
thus scattered. But often this agent
is non-effective on account of the pol
len being too moist and sticky because
of heavy dews, fogs or rain. Then the
bees become the effective agents in
carrying the poAen from flower to
flower. A little sunshine between the
showers will draw the busy workers
from the hives and send them scamp
ering into the flowers for that food
protein-which the bees must have
for brood rearing.
1t is during fruit blooming time that
brood rearing is at its height and
while the blooms yield the protein for
the bees they in turn pollenate the
cross-pollenate the blossoms. The
bees feed their growing young on a
balanced ration of honey and protein.
The honey is gathered in the fall and
stored away in considerable quantity,
but pollen or "bee-bread pro-
tein-containing minerals not stored
to any appreciable amount; it is prac-
tically gathered from day to day as
needed. Much Is needed in early
spring and nature obliges the bees to
fruit gathering pollen and nectar for
the maintenance of the colony-for
self-preservation- thereby induc-
Ing them to serve in pollenizing bios
SONS, which would otherwise be I'M
productive of fruit or seed.
Bees seldom, if ever, visit flowers
of different species on the same trip,
bat will visit different varieties of the
same species. When peach trees are
in bloom they stick closely to the
peach blossoms. When apple bios
SONS are open they confine their la
bors to these. Even in nectar gather
ing the flavors and colors of the diff
ferent honeys will be sharply outlined
in the combs. We have number of
fruit-bearing plants where certain va
rites are self-sterile, even when both
male and female blossoms are on the
same tree, as in the nut-bearing plants
or both sexes in the same flower, as in
Gravenstein apple, for example. With
these it is necessary to have pollen
transferred from some distance away
Wind will not do it, insects are the
only means to fulfil this law Of ma
ture; and of all the insects only bees
can be had in sufficient number so
1.Iu in, hn ~ do fhio
work. Again they are perpetually I'M
der the control of man. He can, by
light feeding, stimulate them to brood
rearing sufficiently early in the spring
to be assured of thousands of little
pollenators of his fruit blossoms.
More and more it is being under
stood that the bees are a necessity for
the growing of profitable crops of
seeds and fruits. Yes, and to such an
extent that "if all the bees in the state
were removed or killed many lines of
agriculture would turn out to be dead
failures instead of being extremely
profitable ones, as at present"
Is 1t wonder, therefore, that peo-
pie who know these things try so
hard to preserve bees from destruc-
ton? Destruction by disease has ia
ken strong hold in the United States
and in some of the states has almost
annihilated this priceless little insect
The layman may ask, Can this de-
struction be checked? The answer is
easy. Bee diseases are understood
and clearly defined Their cures are
simple and effective, when intelligent |
ly and persistently administered. For
tunate are we in Tennessee in having
an apiary law which not only provides
for the education of people concern
ing bees in health, but provides for
the inspection of diseased colonies
and infiicts a reasonable punishment
for inattention to treatment
Horticulturists. truck growers and
bee-keepers should all be united in
their efforts to prevent the honey bee
being destroyed by disease or the care
less spraying of fruit trees.
Constipation Causes Sickness.