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HOW TO KEEP BEES

ners- of the bees that it is not within the scope of this book to make an adequate list. Some of the more important are the flowers of trees, and some of farm crops; some bloom in gardens and some are mere weeds.

TREES

Fruit trees, when in blossom, give much pollen and honey at a time when these are greatly needed by the bees for rearing brood.

Peach, pear, apricot, plum and especially apple trees, when in bloom are encompassed about with the happy chorus of busy and grateful bees; and no other creatures can so successfully vocalise blissful contentment as they. Many careful experiments have proved beyond doubt that the help of bees is necessary for securing the pollenation requisite to produce good crops of fruit. The wise and successful fruit-grower recognises this fact and, mindful of his true interests, does not spray his fruit trees with poisons while they are in blossom, lest he thereby kill his friends, the bees. Moreover, to use arsenical sprays, at such a time, is injurious to the petals and the fruit-producing organs of the flowers; and it is also too early to spray successfully against the codlin moth. In many states, legislation forbids the spraying of poisons during fruit-tree bloom, because it is a useless and wanton destruction of the bees.

Some time since great injustice was done the bees through the accusation that they punctured the ripe