VOL. LXI
INDIANAPOLIS, JULY  7, 1906
NO. 27
r%r^m' w'^^*^^*'
VALUE OP THE HONEY BEE.
Of Great Value to the Fruit Orower.
1st Premium.—From the wording of the
subject, we infer that the editor has in
mind, not the benefit derived directly
iKini the storing of honey ami the increase
of colonies, but the greater and less understood benefits to the farmer and fruit
raiser by tlie results of the work of the
bees on the blossoms of fruits, grasses,
vegetables,   etc.
Plants have their distinctive organs of
piopagation. The stamens secrete the
pollen, or fertilizing dust, which must
come iu contact with the' stigma (a part
of the pistil) before fertilization is completed. Now, many plants are physically unable to effect this union, but de-
pond on bees and other insects to do so for
them. Away down deep in the flower,
beneath the overhanging stamens and the
spike-like pistil, Is secreted sweet liquid,
called nectar, to attract the bees to visit
the flower. To reach it, the bee dives
In adfiret into the cup, aud tbe pollen is
biushM over the bristle covered back, and
.is the bee goes from flower to flower it is
(.••i-tied to the stigma and fertilization ensues. What ft lesson we see in this plan.
The flowers are absolutely helpless without the bees, and the bees could not exist
with the nectar from the flowers. Another important end is gained by the carrying of pollen from one plant to another,
and that is the cross-fertilization, without
which inbreeding would ensue and the
plant eventually perish.
All the orchard and small fruits, berries,
melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, all the
legumes (including the clovers), and many
other plants depend on the agency of ins-acts. If it were not for honey bees
there could be no fruits or berries raised,
or so few that it would not be worth while
to bother with them.
White and alsike clover both depend
entirely on honey bees. Red clover is fertilized principally by bumble bees. I
could cite hundreds of cases where this
has been proven conclusively, but lack of
space prohibits.
Horticulturists and farmers are beginning to realize that beekeepers are very
good neighbors. In fact they are absolutely necessary. Of course all farmers
can not keep bees, but all can encourage
the neighbor Who has honey to sell by buying liberally, and thus securing a double
\slue for your money—a luscious sweet
and the benefits from the visits of the
,,<"?s- G. W. W.
•lay Co.
Profit in Honey and Money.
2.1 Premium.—In the first place the
Imtiey bees are of far more value to the
farmer than they are credited with. They
ore worth more as pollenizers for all clovers than the bumble bee. I have seen
Ihem on the first crop when I was cutting
it for hay, and if it is dry and the supply
of blossoms short for the seed crop they
"ill work on that as much as the bumble
bee. For the fruit crop they can't be
'•eat. They commence with the first
blossoms on the peach, cherry, apple, raspberry, blackberrry and in fact with all
kinds of fruit. I have even seen them
gathering pollen on the corn tassels.
Besides being good pollenizers, they
are as profitable in the way of money as
a'most any other stock, considering the
" mount of cost or outlay. , Once you get
your hives, with proper care they are no
more trouble,    only  the  time  to get the
honey I prepare for wintering. I generally keep 12 colonies. They furnish us
with houey three times a day the year
round, and on an average I get about $30
to $35 per year, which is the easiest money
I get during the year. We can learn
a valuable lesson by watching them in the
way of industry. Of course they may
eat some grapes, but there are more
grapes rot on the vines than the bees
destroy, so I don't consider it much loss
after all. Some people are afraid of the
tees, but if you get good Italians and be-
have'properly, it is very seldom they will
sting. I for one would much rather rob
the bees than some people and run the
risk  of  getting  hurt. I  find  my  bees
are much easier to handle at extracting
time than most others are. All farmers
ought to keep enough bees to furnish them
with honey the year round. It is one of
the most valuable articles that goes to the
U'ble. There are many things, too numerous to mention that are of value to us
all in the honey bee. So keep a few
colonies, and have all the honey the children can eat. ' It is more healthful than
medicine. J. C.
Hamilton Co.
and train a colt.
No. 511, July 21.—Give good working
iules for putting in a system of under-
drainage.
$ft£ (SVKUQtt.
Even Wild Bees are Useful.
3d Premium.—The honey bee is of value
to the farmer in more ways than one. It
is a source of income with little labor, furnishes the table with one of the choicest
sweets, and is indispensable as a pollen-
izer of fruit. The bees should be in a
secluded spot, far enough from the house
that the children will not play close to the
hives, or they may become a nuisance instead of a pleasure. The early swarms
are most profitable to keep, as they have
time to fill their hives with honey to run
them through the winter season, while a
late swarm will have to be fed and is usually not strong. If the summer has
been a poor one for the bees, they should
be fed through the winter. If they do
not eat old honey, rye flour or pure
candy, you cau rest assured that they have
plenty of honey; but if you are not positive about it you had better place feed for
them until you are satisfied they are not
in need. The hives should have shelter
over them, and are very convenient in the
orchard if it is oot situated too far from
the house to watch for swarms. White
clover is the best for honey; buckwhaet is
valuable also.
Do not molest the bees more than is
necessary to take the honey or make needful examinations. If you are keeping
bees to sell honey, the pound section boxes
are best and most convenient to place iu
the caps, as they can be taken out and
the honey marketed in them just as it
comes from the hive. Honey is a healthful sweet, as it is pure, and it is useful as
a medicine in some cases of sickness.
Every farmer that has fruit, small or
large, should keep bees. They go from
tree to tree, or plant to pla"nt, and carry
pollen on their feet, thereby fertilizing
the blossom and making a heavier yield of
fruit than would be if no bees were kept.
Even tlie wild bees are useful to the farm-
el and should be protected.
Floyd Co. Constant Reader.
Premiums of $1, 75 cents and 50 cents
are given for the best, second and third
best articles for the Experience Department each week. Manuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Farmer Company, and-should reach us one week before date of publication.
Topics for future numbers:
No.  540,  July   14—Tell  how  to  break
The Orange and Ship Subsidy.
The position of the National Grange in
opposition to the ship subsidy bill was stated in a communication to the Committee
on Merchant Marine and Fisheries of the
House, as announced in the April issue of
the "Bulletin," said protest being signed
by the legislative committee for the Nat-
iiual Grange. The signing of this protest
by the master of the National Grange as a
member of that committee precipitated a
vigorous attack by Senator Gallinger, of
New Hampshire, the author and prime
promoter of the bill, based mainly upon
political reasons and the claim that as au
ex-governor of a Republican state, he
should not have attached his signature to
a protest against a measure that all the
Republicans of his state favored. The
Master of the National Grange made reply, and the position taken therein '•has
such broad application to the grange ami
public office in general that it is here given
in full:
"Hon. J. H. Gallinger, senior senator
fiom New Hampshire, in a published interview in a morning paper, gives such
prominence to a statement to the Committee on Merchant aud Marine aud Fisheries iu opposition to the ship subsidy bill
bearing my signature, with others of the
legislative committee of the National
Grange, that a public statement seems
cabled for, much as I detest and refrain
from public discussion of somewhat personal affairs. Our good senator, for
whom the. people of New Hampshire have
great admiration, seems to have the impression that my action was of a personal
or political nature, or in a matter in which
I had discretionary powers rather than as
an officer of the National Grange, acting
under its instruction!
"I am sure that no one seriously questions my loyalty to my political party
when acting personally, or officially in a
partisian position to which I have been
elected by a partisan vote, and I fail to
see why anyone should accuse me of partisanship in the opposite direction in executing a trust reposed in me by a non-partisan farmers' organization.
"In 1899, Mr. Alexander R. Smith, of
New York representing persons engaged
in the shipping business, sought and obtained interviews with officers of the National Grange, and appeared before that
body at its annual meeting in Springfield,
Ohio, in November of that year, in an effort to commit the National Grange to
the ship subsidy proposition. After listening to his lengthy argument the National Grange, with representatives from
26 states present, unanimously adopted
the following resolution:
"That wliile this National Grange does
most heartily desire the upbuilding of our
merchant marine, we are emphatically
opposed to the principle of subsidies, and
believe the desired results ean and will
be accomplished without resorting thereto.
"This position of the National Grange-
has been stated and unanimously reaffirmed at every annual session to, and including, 1905, and the statement of the
legislative committee signed by Aaron
Jones, Indiana, Elliott B. Norris, of New
York, and myself, two Republicans and
one Dempcrat, represents the position of
the National Grange in this matter. The
honorable senator says I ought to have
consulted tlie Republicans before attaching my signature to the statement, which
might be true, were I acting in an individual capacity, but when I am acting for
a great national, non-partisan farmers' organization, representing thirty state organizations aud about a million members,
upon a policy tbat has been unanimously
endorsed at seven sessions in succession,
I do not consider it my duty to consult
either Republicans or Democrats, the honorable senator to the contrary notwithstanding.
"I have always made it a rule to concede the greatest liberty to members of
the grange in acting individually in political matters, and hold that there is nothing wrong in the holding of political office by officials of the grange so long as
the organization is not made to serve the
personal or political interests of the individual or the party represented, and I also concede the liberty to any person to
act for a non-partisan farmers' organization upon matters in which it has taken a
position without having his individual loyalty to his politeal party questoned. The
policy involved in the statement of the legislative committee of the National Grange
was not established by this committee for
the National Grange, but was established
by the National Grange itself by unanimous endorsement, and the members of
the legislative committee would have beeu
recreant to their trust had they neglected
t) perform the duty assigned them. My
great admiration for the honorable senator and confidence in his good judgment
leads me to think that he made the interview public without a correct understanding of my prerogative in the matter."—
N. J. Bachelder.
The National Master  and the Ship
Subsidy.
All honor to National Master Bachelder for his firm stand against critics for
bis obedience to the unanimous instruction
of the National Grange to use every honorable means to prevent the enactment of
a ship subsidy law. The organization is
safe in the hands of a man of such integrity and honor. No man can safely
ignore the instructions of the organization
which entrusts him with certain duties.
Nor can he do it with honor to himself.
Ic is a source of gratification that the nat-
icnal master is made of the right stuff to
act honorably, do nobly.—Mary E. Lee.
July.
1. What are postal savings banks and
what benefits would be derived from their
establishment?
2. What of the advantage of holding
local field meetings or picnics at the farms
of members?
3. What can be done to prevent the
ravages of injurious insects.
Are you looking after those small mites
that at this time of year rob your poultry of their health, and how are you doing
it?	
GRANT   COUNTY   OCTOQENARIANS.
They have an octogenarian club in
Grant County, and it will hold its fourth
annual meeting, Aug. 14, in Muncie. It is
said to be the only age limit society known
but the strange thing about it is that it
has almost 200 members. Prizes will be
given to the oldest woman and to the oldest married couple. The old people are to
be treated to a picnic dinner, and those
who are not too timid are promised an
automobile ride.