218 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mar. 24, 1904 



than the short-tongued bee, and I don't need to see the colony 

 do the work. Some things we can tell from common-sense 

 without seeing. I know that I can from here reach that watch 

 on the table. 



Mr. York — But I don't want you to ! 



Dr. Miller — And I know that a man with an arm two 

 feet longer can reach it easier. Have I seen him do it? I 

 don't need to. I know he could do it. 



Mr. Moore — It is kind of mean, but I want to crowd you 

 squarely into a corner. You have long experience and you 

 say to this convention that you do or do not know of a red 

 clover field, whether your long-tongued bees did gather from 

 that field or not? 



Dr. Miller— I don't think that any of my bees have ever 

 gotten a large amout of honey from red clover. They don't 

 need to, the red and white clover being in blossom about the 

 same time. I have seen them working on red clover, and 

 have seen them without going more than two rods from my 

 door, so I do know that they sometimes work on it, and at 

 other times I have gone in a red clover field and I couldn't 

 find a single bee. I don't think I have ever gotten very much 

 honey from red clover, but I believe that I will get more if 

 I have bees that can reach the nectar. In other words, 

 I could get more honey, if they would try to get it, with 

 long-tongued bees than with short-tongued. Now because 

 some may have gone too far in this business don't settle 

 down that there is no value in long-tongued bees. There is 

 very decided, and positive, and great value in long tongues, 

 and I believe the long tongue will go with other qualities. 

 If there is any truth in the doctrine of scientists about these 

 organs, then the effort to get that honey will lengthen that 

 tongue, and the bee that is good in other resoects will have 

 that tongue. Don't understand me as under-rating because 

 somebody has been advertising too much on it. There is 

 value in the long-tongued bee. But we don't need that sort 

 of a machine to measure the tongue, we can measure the 

 crop, which is worth more. 



Mr. Muth — We want bees with long tongues, but we 

 want to know whether there is any truth in it. That is 

 what I am trying tO' answer, and candidly. The act of Dr. 

 Miller trying to stretch his arm out to reach that watch is 

 something different from the corolla of red clover. Suppose, 

 we will say, the nectar in the corolla it is not solid like the 

 watch. The side walls of that little flower attract the mois- 

 ture and a bee with a short tongue will not need to reach the 

 nectar. It can catch ahold of the side-wall, and just sip up 

 that nectar without touching it. 



Dr. Miller — Do you tell us that a bee with a short tongue 

 will reach all the nectar in the clover? 



Mr. Muth — No; nearly all. 



Dr. Miller— Do they do it? 



Mr. Muth — I believe they do. 



Dr. Miller — They don't in my locality ! 



Mr. Muth — They can suck it off on the side just like 

 when you go to eat gravy. Let a piece of soft bread lie in 

 the gravy ; and it will take it all up ; and that's the same way 

 that the bee gets the nectar from the flower. 



Mr. Abbott — The test of all teaches that bees do work on 

 red clover sometimes. They do in Missouri, and I have in- 

 variably neticed that when we have a flow from red clover 

 every colony in the apiary was working on the red clover. 

 Something like four or five times have we had a good flow. 

 I had Italians and hybrids and Carniolans. I was experi- 

 mentinf?. and time after time when I found the bees in the 

 field working I went to the hives to see if any special colony 

 was carrying in pollen or honey, and I found them all work- 

 ing just the same, and when they were not all working there 

 were not any working. The Italians sometimes get out 

 earlier, and the general condition through the apiary was the 

 same in every hive. It wasn't the long tongues. There was 

 something else besides long tongues. 



RECOGNITION OF THE SECRETARY'S SERVICES. 



Mr. Horstmann — Before we start on more questions, 

 there is one thing I would like to bring up, and I think it 

 should be considered at this time. We have one member 

 in this organization who has been very faithful to the organi- 

 zation, and we have never done anything to pay him for any 

 trouble and work he has had, and I know he has had a great 

 deal. I am speaking of our secretary. He has served ever 

 since we organized. He has done a great many hours of 

 extra work that some of us perhaps never think of, and I think 

 this association can very well afford to pay him a little for 



his work. I move that we give him $25 for his past year's 

 work. 



Dr. Miller — Past year's work? It is for the past five 

 years' work. I wouldn't say for the past year's work. 



Mr. Horstmann — I wouldn't make an attempt to give him 

 anything for the other years. Just make it for the past year. 

 We will let the other years go. He has never said anything 

 about it in any way. He would be satisfied if he didn't get 

 anything, hut I feel as though we should do somthing for 

 him, for "The laborer is worthy of his hire," and I don't 

 feel satisfied to have him work for nothing. I move that we 

 pay him $25 for the past year. 



Mr. York — I have been in the Association from the be- 

 ginning, and I know that Mr. Moore has done the work for 

 five years, and freely, gladly and willingly, and he has done 

 everything to make this Association a success. I think we 

 all have enjoyed the results of the labors he has given us. 

 So much depends on the secretary. The amount of cor- 

 respondence and mailing out of circulars, especially in the 

 past year in connection with the foul brood law, has been a 

 good deal. I am very glad this motion has been made. 



The motion was put and carried unanimously. 



CAUSE OF PICKLED BROOD. 



"What is the cause of pickled brood?" 



Pres. York — Mr. France ought to be able to help us out 

 on that. 



Mr. France — The cause of pickled brood? In short, I 

 don't know, but certain conditions seem to produce it so that 

 with a series of experience on those lines we can draw some 

 conclusions as to what that might be. A shortage of proper 

 food for the larval bee and a lack of proper temperature 

 are the two main causes. Now to upset that, in one of the 

 counties on the lake shore up here where every colony had 

 pickled brood, it was as serious as if it had been foul brood. 

 The colonies were reduced down badly. I fed every other 

 colony, strengthened them and warmed the hives up by out- 

 side wrappings, and it disappeared in these and not in the 

 others. The next year, in the same yard and in the same 

 locality, I asked them, between the time of fruit-blossom 

 and clover — there was about ten days' lapse of no honey- 

 flow — that each day these bees be fed a little, so that they 

 never knew the lapse between dandelion and clover bloom. 

 It kept up good, and they had no pickled brood, but the others 

 that were not treated did have. It was there at the time 

 when we got the honey-flow. You must go back to the time 

 when it began. Pickled brood, I don't believe, will ever lead 

 to foul brood. Pickled brood will dry down in the cell 

 and it will be lost. The bees will probably take care of it 

 themselves. 



Mr. Abbott — Where did that name "pickled brood" come 

 from? They make pickles in Missouri with vinegar and 

 salt. Why is it called pickled brood? 



Mr. France — Dr. Howard gave it that name, as near as 

 I know. 



Mr. Abbott — Did he assign any reason? 



Mr. France — No, there was somewhat of a sourness there, 

 but we get that also in black brood. 



Dr. Miller — There wasn't any black brood then, so that 

 didn't count in the case, but there was the appearance of 

 sourness, or being pickled. 



Mr. Abbott — That's so. Dr. Miller would make an edu- 

 cator. 



Pres. York — If. Mr. Abbott would read the American Bee 

 Journal he would find out all about it ! 



Dr. Miller— He has. 



Pres. York — Dr. Howard examined a certain sample of 

 diseased brood, then wrote an article about it, and it was 

 published in the American Bee Journal. Afterwards he had 

 it printed to insert in his book on "Foul Brood." It was 

 entitled "Pickled Brood arrd its Causes." Dr. Howard named 

 the new disease "pickled brood." 



Mr. Moore — I want to give Mr. France a chance to take 

 something back. He was quoted in a late number of the 

 American Bee Journal, in a foul brood article. I believe, 

 as saying tliat pickled or foul brood may begin from a lack 

 of prosperity in the colony, chilling, starvation, etc. 



Mr. France— That foul brood might be produced by that ? 



Mr. Moore — Yes, sir. 



Mr. France — If I said so I doubt whether I was under- 

 stood by the reporter. 



Mr. Johnson — I have the article here of the report andl 

 wondered at it myself. It reads: "There may be lots of solid 

 honey in the hive, but the brood may be starved or chilled, 



