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Entered at the Post-Office at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter. 

 Published W^eekly at $1.00 a. Year by tjieorg-e IV. York & Co., S:n I>earborn St. 



QBORQE W. YORK, Editor. 



CHICAGO, ILL, JUNE 16, 1904. 



Vol, XLIV— No, 24, 





Editorial Comments 



] 



The National Association and a Honey Brand. 



Editor Root suggests in Gleanings in Bee-Culture that the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Association brand the honey produced by its 

 members. Here is the gist of what he says : 



It would not be very expensive for the National to have a local in- 

 spector for each large city, and have him look over each large lot of 

 honey, inspect the shipping and way bills, and look over the corres- 

 pondence to make sure the honey was produced, put up, and shipped 

 by some known responsible bee-keepers' society or individual member. 

 I would assess the cost of this inspection of the honey on the producer 

 or buyer of it, who desires to have the brand of purity and quality of 

 the National affixed to it. I would also have the inspector appointed 

 by the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee jointly, they 

 to examine the recommendations as to his fitness that have been re- 

 ceived, and to apportion out the salary, such salary to be in propor- 

 tion to the amount of honey examined, and in the end to be paid by 

 the honey-producer, the buyer, or commission man who desires the 

 National to guarantee the quality and purity of the honey. If neces- 

 sary, doubtful samples of extracted can be analyzed, and, If pure, the 

 certificate or brand of purity attached. And, by the way, we already 

 have a chemist on the Board of Directors, who is competent to make 

 such analysis at a nominal price. 



This same inspector might also attach his official grading on the 

 various shipments that come in, and thus avoid a lot of trouble be- 

 tween producer and buyer. To have some expert grade, as well as 

 certify the purity of every lot of honey coming into Chicago, would 

 be worth much. 



Several years ago we suggested a plan something like this, but our 

 idea was to have a National Honey Exchange located, say in Chicago, 

 or some other large city, and all the honey that passed through its 

 hands to bear its stamp or brand. There probably would be some 

 danger in allowing each member of the National Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation to use its brand on his honey. It would likely be abused, and 

 result in damage to all. Of course, if it can be safe-guarded in some 

 way, it might be all right. 



It is a pretty large subject to handle, and, as Editor Root well 

 says, " Perhaps this idea is too Utopian to be carried into effect." Still, 

 it will do no harm to discuss it, for something practical may come of 

 it, especially if a number of our best thinkeis get to work on it. 



But of one thing we feel fairly certain, and that is, there should 

 be a national business organization, separate from the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, to handle the honey end of the Associations 

 work. The fact is, the existing National is not organized to do n 

 financial business further than what it has already done. By this we 

 mean, it is not intended to handle either honey or bee-supplies. It 

 really has more to do now in its legitimate lines than it is able to pay 

 for properly. The General Manager receives a mere pittance in coid 

 parison with the time he is called upon to devote to the Association's 

 present work. 



Progress of Apiculture in France. 



In 1S69, the late Mr. Chas. Dadant attempted to introduce to tb 

 l)ee-keeping public of France the American invention of Langstroth— 



the movable frame — and the improvements brought about by this in- 

 vention in America. Their only bee-journal at that time, L'Apicul- 

 teur, derided the idea of any progress in movable-frame hives, and 

 closed its columns against these things in a very peremptory manner, 

 the editor ridiculing Mr. Dadant, calling him " American Barnum," 

 and other derisive appellations, in reply to his insistence. The dis- 

 pute became very acute, and finally ended by Mr. Dadant publishing 

 his views in the Swiss Revue Internationale, edited by Mr. Bertrand, 

 instead of the Franch magazine. 



The years have rolled on, and the Dadant ideas have made their 

 way, for the French bee-keepers took to the new methods to such an 

 extent that last January, after 35 years of delay, L'Apiculteur, in the 

 person of a younger editor, Mr. Sevalle, solicited the younger Dadant 

 for contributions to the same magazine that had derided his father's 

 views; and the May number of L'Apiculteur contains an article from 

 the pen of Mr. C. P. Dadant, one of our esteemed contributors, in 

 which he vindicates his father's memory on the subject that was the 

 cause of the trouble. 



America is on top once more. Truth and Progress will make 

 their way in spite of all obstacles. It is the old story over again. 

 Those who champion the cause of right and advancement finally wear 

 the crown ; and those who oppose them are soon buried in the oblivion 

 which they deserve. The name of Dadant is an apiarian star that 

 shines with a steady light on two hemispheres. May its luster never 

 grow dim. 



Double Permutation in "Shook" Swarming. 



The variation of the method of making shaken swarms, given on 

 page 428, under the caption of " Anticipated Swarming," may well be 

 worth considering. It does not follow, however, that a method which 

 succeeds with black bees in Europe would succeed equally in this 

 country with bees largely Italian. 



Mr. Getaz says of hive No. 3, ''The absence of its queen during 

 the eight days that the brood-nests were exchanged, has killed the 

 swarming fever completely." According to the description, the 

 queen has not been absent from the hive at all, but the removal of the 

 colony to stand No. 3 has deprived it of its flying force, and that con- 

 tinued for eight days would certainly destroy all impulse to swarm. 

 The queen, however, will continue laying without interruption, and 

 when returned to stand No. 3 the colony will be as strong as ever. Is 

 it not likely that in many cases it will then decide to swarm ? 



With regard to hive No. 1, after being placed on stand No. 3, Mr 

 Getaz says it has no field-force, and has lost in bees, so it will not 

 swarm. But it must not be forgotten that during the eight days that 

 hive No. 2 has remained on stand No. 3 a considerable field-force 

 has developed, and that field-force will enter hive No. 1 when that is 

 placed upon stand No. 3. Will that not make the bees in hive No. 1, 

 with a plurality of cells, think themselves strong enough to send out 

 an after-swarm ? 



These criticisms are made not with the view of condemning what 

 has been tried and approved elsewhere, only to suggest caution not to 

 try the plan on this side the water on too large a scale at first. Will 

 any who try it please report as to success ! 



Formaldehyde for Black-Broody Combs. 



E. W. Alexander thinks the failure to disinfect combs affected by 

 black brood is because of lack of thoroughness. After trying less 



