62 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



destroyed over one hundred stocks, within three or four years, 

 in one neigliborhood. 



Mr. Augur. Can you suggest any sanitary conditions by 

 which it can be avoided ? 



Mr. Jeffries. No ; I cannot. The original cause of its 

 appearing is not known. The scientists are now at work 

 upon it to find out, if possible, where it first shows itself. 



Question. Can yoii tell whether bees work by moonlight 

 or not ? 



Mr. Jeffries. Yes, sir ; they do during the bass-wood 

 season. I will relate an instance that will answer the ques- 

 tion exactly. In 1876, I was at Mr. Stone's, in Woodbury, 

 when he came up from the river about half-past seven o'clock 

 at night, and he said there was a swarm of bees in a bass- 

 wood tree down by the river. I doubted it, and went doAvn 

 there to look for myself, and found they were at work very 

 busily. I then went to where I had two hives on a knoll, and 

 I found the bees were going back and forth quite rapidly. 

 Since then quite a number have noticed the same thing, so 

 we know that, during the bass-wood season, they will work, 

 where those trees are close by, by moonlight. 



Question. How far was this bass-wood tree from the 

 hives ? 



Mr. Jeffries. The farthest hive that I know of might 

 have been an eighth of a mile distant. 



Question. How far do you think a bee goes in the day- 

 time from his own hive ? 



Mr. Jeffries. The only way that I can answer that ques- 

 tion is by saying that, in 1873, I had a hive of Italians in 

 Woodbury, and there not being any other Italians nearer than 

 Bridgeport or Meriden, they were found over in Roxbury 

 Centre, which was some six and a half miles from where I 

 had the hives standing. 



Question. Do you think that the Italian bee will go further 

 from the hive than the common bee ? 



