Bees and Fruit.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 2 May 1910, Page 4

Bees and Fruit.

The part played by bees in fruit fertilisation was explained in a lecturo delivered by Mr Walter F. Keid, vice-chairman of tho British Mee-keepers' Association, at the Royal Horticultural Hall, London, recently. He said he had experimented with gooseberry and currant .bushes, covering some of them with muslin in order to prevent the bees reaching them. A gooseberry bush so covered yielded six herries, whilst its immediate neighbours, which were uncovered, yielded 151 to 167 respectively. A protected red currant bush yielded a few berries, but the uncovered ones bore an average crop. A covered black currant bush only produced two berries.

A well known fruit grower, who was dissatisfied with his crop of fruit, procured some hives of bees, with the result that in the next vear the yield was increased fourfold.