BUREAU OF EXTOMOLOGY. 329 



in that it is becomin|r more and more educational in character. The 

 control of European foulbrood by the exercise of police power is 

 unsatisfactory, and even for American foulbrood there is a tendency 

 to eliminate the regulations formerly thou<rht essential. In t^iis 

 change the bureau has worked merely in an advisory capacity, but it 

 has been the jDolicy for a decade to emphasize the importance of 

 educating the beekeeper, and this is bearing fruit. 



Beekeeping regions or the United States. — The three Farmers' 

 Bulletins on specific beekeeping regions of the United States, men- 

 tioned in the last report, have been published as follows: Farmers' 

 Bulletin 1215. " Beekeeping in the clover region " ; Farmers' Bul- 

 letin 1216, "Beekeeping in the buckwheat region"; and Farmers' 

 Bulletin 1222, " Beekeeping in the tulip-tree region." 



A tabulation of the percentages of the commercial honej- crop 

 of the United States from introduced and native plants has been 

 made. It is found, curiously enough, that about half of the com- 

 /iiercial honey crop of tlie country is derived from plants that have 

 been introduced and that about three-fourths of the crop comes 

 from plants which are not native to regions originally inhabited by 

 the hone3"bee. 



Demonstrations in beekeeping. — The work on this project, which 

 occupied so large a part of the bee-culture work during the war. has 

 been still further decreased during the past year. At present the 

 office is cooperating with three States in the maintenance of extension 

 specialists in beekeeping. 



It is interesting to note that in almost all the States where ex- 

 tension work in beekeeping was begun during the war the work has 

 })een continued as a State project and there has virtually been no 

 decrease in work of this kincl. in spite of the necessity for cur- 

 tailing the activity of the bee-culture office in this line. The work 

 has proved so helpful to the beekeepers of the various States that 

 it has been virtually impossible for the extension divisions of the 

 various States to drop it. 



The extension short courses which were so widely held imme- 

 diately folloAving the war have to a large degree been dropped. 

 During the past year four such schools were held — two in Colorado, 

 where no such schools had been held previously, and two in Cali- 

 fornia. While it has been impossible to conduct more of these 

 schools, they have been received so enthusiastically by the commer- 

 cial beekeepers in attendance that it is evident that they fill a great 

 need. 



While there have been associations of beekeepers for many years 

 for a discussion of their problems and an interchange of ideas, 

 organizations for the cooperative selling of hone}'^ have been devel- 

 oped recently to a large degree in the Western States, to the advan- 

 tage of the beekeepers of the regions covered. Organization work of 

 this character is now extending into the East. 



Miscellaneous activities. — Several articles for bee journals and 

 other publications have been prepared during the year on subjects 

 which do not deal directly with the investigations of the laboratory 

 or of results which were hot suitable for publication by the depart- 

 ment. 



Status OF beekeeping. — The change in the status of beekeeping 

 outlined in the last report is still manifest. The drop in honey 



