. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. November, 1909. American IRee Journalj directly connected with bee-keeping, it strikingly illustrates the fact that suc- cess in the growth of an important crop may depend greatly upon the work of tiny members of the insect world. However important the work of this wasp may be, it is nothing com- pared with what the honey-bee is quietly doing year after year, in most cases getting no credit whatever for its indispensable aid in securing crops that mount up into the millions. If all the bees in the country were suddenly wiped out, the Department of Agr
. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. November, 1909. American IRee Journalj directly connected with bee-keeping, it strikingly illustrates the fact that suc- cess in the growth of an important crop may depend greatly upon the work of tiny members of the insect world. However important the work of this wasp may be, it is nothing com- pared with what the honey-bee is quietly doing year after year, in most cases getting no credit whatever for its indispensable aid in securing crops that mount up into the millions. If all the bees in the country were suddenly wiped out, the Department of Agricul- ture would no doubt promptly get busy scouring the world to get bees to stock the country, not so much for their honey as for their still greater value in fertilizing the flowers. Here is the clipping referred to : Has Solved the Fig Problem. The United States Department of Agricul- ture has solved the question of growing the Smyrna fig in Fresno Calif., in the heart of the San Joaauin valley, one of the biggest and most prosperous irrigation districts of California. This was accomplished by im- porting a pecular kind of wasp, which fruc- tifies the figs from Smyrna. George C. Roeding, one of the early set- tlers of the San Joaquin valley, began ex- perimenting with the Asiatic fig some time ago. but the fruit failed to mature. After much study it was found that the insects were a necessary factor. The Government sent an expert to Asia who brought back a number of little caprifigs containing the in- sects. The bugs were placed on the caprifig trees in the Roeding orchard, and carefully protected during the winter. With the coming of spring many colonies of the wasps appeared, and the crop of Smyrna figs has since been a big success. A Sister's Report and Her Stung Dog Dear Miss Wilson:—With 5 colo- nies I got in all about 140 pounds of extracted honey, and 25 pounds of comb honey. The wet, cold spring was very hard on the bees. The long drouth last year seemed to k
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectbees, bookyear1861
