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Euiered at the Post-Offlce at Chicajfo as Second-Class Mail-Matter. 



OEORQE W. YORK, Editor. 



CHICAGO, ILL, FEB. 4, 1904, 



Vol, XLIV— No. 5. 





Editorial Comments 





Carbon Bisulphide and Its Use. 



Sulphur has played an important part with bee-keepers in the 

 destruction of the larvfe of the bee-moth, albeit there is less need for 

 it since the incoming of Italian bees. It seems likely, however, to 

 lose its importance and give way to carbon bisulphide as a more 

 efteetive insecticide. In this number appears an article which is quite 

 full and instructive with regard to this drug, and although there may 

 be nothing particularly new in the article, it will repay reading by 

 those who are likely to use it. 



The one particular danger in the use of carbon bisulphide should 

 be kept fully in view : It is highly explosive. But there is no need 

 to run any risk in this regard ; keep away from it tire. Fire Is not 

 needed in its use, as it evaporates at ordinary temperatures, while sul- 

 phur can only be used by means of Bre to produce the fumes, and care 

 must be used to keep from burning up the building in which it is 

 used. Carbon bisulphide has the pre-eminent advantage over sulphur, 

 that it destroys eggs as well as larvte. It does not discolor white 

 comb, as sulphur sometimes does. 



A pound of bisulphide is given for 1000 cubic feet of space ; that 

 would make a tablespoonf ul for about 37 cubic feet, or enough for 20 

 8-frame hive-bodies filled with combs, providing all is air-tight. In 

 actual practice a spoonful may be used for four or five hives. 



Paraguay as a Bee-Country. 



The British Bee Journal copies from The Field, an article by John 

 D. Leckie, in which Paraguay, in South America, is described as a 

 field well worth entering by those of adventurous turn. The climate 

 rivals that of Southern Calfornia ; the bees can store during eight 

 months of the year, and during the other four months they can find 

 more or less flowers, so that it is only necessary to leave in the hives 

 sufficient to tide over a possible ten days of wet weather. 



The orange begins to bloom at the opening of the honey season, 

 continuing in bloom for about two months, followed by numerous 

 other flowers. "Orange trees are present everywhere in Paraguay ; 

 they grow wild in the woods in great abundance, and are, in fact, in 

 many parts the commonest wild tree." The thermometer never sinks 

 to the freezing point except sometimes in early morning, and rarely 

 reaches 100 degrees. Compared with Australia, expenses of living 

 and labor are much less, while prices for honey are higher. General 

 farming is not lucrative, but stock-raising thrives, and may well be 

 combined with bee-keeping. 



Nothing is said as to society, and it is quite possible that a native 

 of the United States might not feel entirely at home in Paraguay. 



Overweight Honey-Packages. 



While some are complaining of light-weight sections, W. Woodley 

 complains in the British Bee Journal that so-called honey- jars hold 

 more than a pound, as he found it took 28 pounds of honey to fill 2tj 

 jars just up to the neck. Possibly the heavier body of Mr. Woodley's 

 honey had something to do with the case. 



Election of the National Association. 



As previously announced, no one received a majority of the votes 

 necessary to elect a successor to Mr. E. R. Root as director of the 

 National, thus leaving Mr. Root a hold-over. Having announced be- 

 fore the election that he would not serve if elected, he has now very 

 properly sent in his resignation to the Executive Committee, which 

 will choose his successor. 



Fortunately, an incident of this kind is not likely to occur again, 

 for the amendment to the constitution lately passed, if a like vote 

 were to be taken again, would make Mr. Wm. McEvoy the director 

 elected, as heretofore an election could only result where a candidate 

 received more than halt of all the votes cast, whereas it is now neces- 

 sary only that he shall have the largest number of votes— in other 

 words, the amendment makes necessary only a plurality vote, not a 

 majority. 



The Executive Committee have an easy task before them in the 

 present case, as they have only to conflrm the plurality vote received 

 by Mr. McEvoy. 



The amendment giving all the members of the Association an 

 opportunity to vote for all the otficers is an improvement. In so large 

 a country as this the attendance at the annual convention must of 

 necessity always be largely local, and in the choice of officers elected 

 at such convention, there is some danger of local coloring, which will 

 be eliminated by the present arrangement. It is to the credit of the 

 majority of the members heretofore attending conventions, however, 

 that so little of local sentiment has appeared in the choice of officers. 



Abundance of Upward Ventilation in the Cellar. 



Four years ago, as C. F. Smith relates in the Bee-Keepers' Review, 

 a cover was moved half off one of his hives when being taken into the 

 cellar, and in the spring the colony in that hive was in perfect condi- 

 tion, while all the rest were wet, moldy, diseased, and half dead. 

 Since then he winters his bees without covers, although in a wet cel- 

 lar, and has not lost a colony nor had moldy combs. 



An Automatic Bee-Smoker. 



For some time there has been in use in Europe a smoker arranged 

 to run by clock-work. It takes about a minute to wind it up, and 

 about 20 minutes for it to run down, providing it is allowed to run 

 without stopping. But a little lever can be used to stop or start it at 

 any time, so one winding may do for half a day or longer, according 

 to the number of times it is allowed to act, and the length of time it 

 is allowed to run. 



Some of the transatlantic bee-keepers have spoken highly of it, 

 but it has not come into notice in this country, although patented in 

 the United Slates two years ago. The Editor of Gleanings in Bee- 

 Culture has obtained one of the smokers, and speaks highly of the 

 ingenuity of the invention, and thinks an expensive set of dies must 

 be used in its manufacture. He further says: 



This mechanical smoker sends out a very light blast of air — so 

 light that it can scarcely be felt. The smoke can, however, be sent 

 several inches from the nozzle, and perhaps it is far enough for a good 

 many operations. It weighs, however, about three times as much as 

 the average smoker, and the fuel capacity is only about a tenth of that 

 of an ordinary standard bellows smoker. It would do very well for a 

 small number of colonies; but for the average American apiarist I 

 doubt if it would give general satisfaction. The cost of it will be 



