Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-11-07
GREAT IMPORTANCE OF BEES
Beneficial to Fruit and Field Crops Aside
from the Honey Produced.


from the Honey Produced.
While losing nearly $4,000. 0O0, ON
pounds of honey, allowed to go t.
waste every year in the United Slater
through neglect Of the bee-keeping in
dustry. we are also losing hundreds Of
thousands of acres of fruit and grain
The twentieth annual report OF tbs
Massachusetts Fruit Growers Associa
ton describes the function of the honey
bee in the production of the peach.
During a cold, rainy spring col.
ony of honey bees was placed. for ex'
detrimental purposes, IN the center OF
a small block Of peach trees so that the
bees could easily visit the flowers.
The result was that this orchard set
all the peaches that the trees could
carry during the following dry season,
while other peach orchards in the same
vicinity, which bloomed equally we'll
but were without bees, failed to set a
CROP"
GLAD TO HAVE BEES NOW.
The orange growers Of Florida used
to oppose the placing of colonies of
honey bees in the groves, believing.
with the apple growers, that the bee
injured the flowers and fruit. Today
the citrus men of Flo rida are actually
offering the bees yard sites free of
rent. and IN many instances even buy
bees to place among the trees.
The Manatee Fruit Company Of Pal
mettO has established three bee yards
in connection with its groves, having
discovered that the nearer the bees to
the groves the larger the quantity of
fruit and the better the quality.
Sweet cherry orchards have jumped
from production of thirteen tons to
thirty-nine tons through introducing a
few colonies of bees to the acre.
Even the tomato, although it surren-
dsrs no nectar to the visiting honey
bee, Is pollsnated by the activity OF
the little wonder orker.
HONEY BEES AND CUCUMBERS.
In Massachusetts the honey bee is
used almost exclusively tor polIsnatin
cueumbers grown in green houses for
early market. Over 2.000 colonies are
required annually for this one purpose.
and the total crop of squashes, melons
and pumpkins is directly credited to
the bee.
1t has also been clearly established
that in the production Of grapes bee.
yard should he located in CT neaE every
vineyard. This IS equally true with
respect to the strawberry. blackberry,
raspberry. cranberry. 'gooseberry.
blueberry, currant, plum and pear.
In New Zealand red clover could not
be cultivated until honey bees were
imported from England. The first col
onies were successfully established in
South Island IN 1885. Today the pro-
ductlon of seed runs into the hundreds
of thousands of tons. thanks to the
honey bee.
1t is not known to what extent the
great alfalfa fields of the United
Stetes, with their almost priceless
crops. are indebted to the bee.
Certainly alfalfa is one OF the most
important honey plants in the west.
California. Colorado, Arizona and Ne
vada yield, through the alfalfa BIOS
som, sufficient nectar to support more
colonies Of bees to a given acreage
than any other plant in the world.
Nearly 1000 colonies of bees have been
located in circle Of ten miles DAM
eter.
The honey flow from alfalfa after
four or five days of hot weather is SIM
ply Astonishing. Wherever the alfalfa
is cut for hay all this honey is lost.
In the east alfalfa rarely yields nee
tar, although IN New York and Wiscon.
siu an occasional honey flow has been
reported.
WILFUL WASTE.
When one passes through rich farm
ing country where bee-kespiAg could
be made to yield . golden harvest and
vainly looks for single apiary, not.
withdrawing oil the beaents which &C
cfue from bee-keeping, the full force
Of the old adgae "wilfol waste makes
woeful want 10 driven home.
Notwithstanding the needs Of the
world for honey and bees, no employ 60
Of single department at Washington
dareS interview . congressman on the
subject. They say their jobs would
not last . minute II they ever stepped
the Boundary laid out by red tape and ,
official etiquette. Ii
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