584 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOLRiMAL. 



Aug. 25, 1904. 



thought necessary, inspections are made of apiaries that 

 are suspected, and a report is made to the State Entomolo- 

 gist, who is authority in foul-brood matters. He then at- 

 tends to the matter as deemed best. 



It will be understood that we have no funds for doing 

 this work, as has already been said. The Legislature left 

 off the necessary appropriation, and there are no other funds 

 to draw from for this work. Of course, the law provides that 

 the costs be collected from the owner of the bees that were 

 treated, but il takes a lot of money to pay for the expense 

 involved in inspecting apiaries before any are treated. For 

 instance, if we take the Beeville inspection trip, and con- 

 sider it a minute ; out of the 2000 colonies inspected there 

 were only 25 that needed treatment. And these were in 

 only two yards. Now, who is to be charged up with the 

 expense of inspecting all the other apiaries that received 

 no treatment ? Yet these apiaries had to be inspected, as 

 they were in the same locality, and were suspected. 



I have simply mentioned this so that it might be clear 

 to the bee-keepers of the State. The majority did not quite 

 understand the situation, in that they overlooked this mat- 

 ter of the expense involved in the inspecting trips. I now 

 hope that it will be understood by all why it is necessary to 

 have an appropriation for carrying out this work. This 

 appropriation we should work for, and it is the duty of the 

 bee-keepers to see that we get it if we want to get rid of the 

 dreaded foul brood. 



I would like to say a few more words about the standing 

 of foul brood at Beeville at the present time, as it is due the 

 bee-keepers of that locality that I do so. As I said before, 

 the disease was all destroyed when I was there, and since 

 then the committees referred to have had the matter in 

 hand to keep close watch over it. The last reports show 

 that a stop was put to foul brood at the time of my inspec- 

 tion, in March, and that there is no danger of it appearing 

 again unless brought there again from the outside. But 

 even this is not very likely ever to be, as the vigilance com- 

 mittees will look carefully to all the bees that are brought 

 there hereafter. 



From the above you will be able to draw an idea as 

 to the present standing of foul brood in our State. I will 

 now leave it to the bee-keepers to act in the matter. 



Louis H. Scholi.. 



Willie Atchley, of Bee county, the foul-brood inspector 

 appointed by the South Texas Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 was present and confirmed the statements of Mr. Scholl, 

 saying that he had recently been out on an inspecting 

 tour, but found no trace of more foul brood. He thinks that 

 the country down there is now free of the disease, and that 

 their committees would keep a close lookout for any that 

 might appear. Any bees brought there will receive close 

 inspection before being allowed to land. Thus, there will 

 be little danger of any cases breaking out there again. 



Mr. W. H. Laws, of the Nueces Valley Bee-Keepers' 

 Association, also confirmed the above. He also said that 

 the foul-brood law is too weak in some respects, and espe- 

 cially in that it did not give the bee-men authority enough 

 when it was best to resort to burning the infected apiaries. 

 He was one of the bee-keepers present when the Beeville 

 foul-broody bees were burned, and stated that as the inspec- 

 tor had not the authority to burn these bees he, with the 

 others, united, and insisted that they be burned, and that 

 the bee-keepers would stand behind the inspector in case 

 any trouble should arise. In this case the burning of the 

 bees was the only way to get rid of the disease without in- 

 fecting other yards which were near. Besides, the hives 

 were old, full of propolis, and were in such condition that 

 treating by any other method was impossible. Then, 

 the bee-keepers and the committees referred to were too 



busy to attend to such work at that time, and there would 

 have been nobody who could have attended to it. 



Prof. Sanderson, the State Entomologist, in whose 

 hands the foul-brood law was placed, gave the bee-keepers 

 an address regarding it. He told them of the inefficiency of 

 the law, and that there was no appropriation for doing the 

 work. If no first-class law could be gotten we could not do 

 anything with foul brood. Nothing can be done without a 

 better law, and the necessary appropriation. Of course, the 

 law is good in that it will help much as a stepping-stone in 

 getting something better. He urged the bee-keepers to take 

 this matter up in earnest, appoint a committee to look after 

 it, and that the bee-keepers should pay for the work. This 

 should be taken up at this meeting, as this was the proper 

 time and place to attend to the matter. He also urged that 

 the bee-keepers get up a sum of money from which to draw 

 if expenses should arise. This committee should be at Aus- 

 tin during the meeting of the Legislature, and see to it that 

 the matter is pushed along, and passed. The expenses 

 should be paid by the bee-keepers. Legal advice might be 

 necessary in framing a law of this kind. The persons for 

 this work should be the best from among the members, and 

 those who are well-fitted for carrying out what is to be done. 



A motion was then made to appoint a committee of three 

 to be known as a soliciting committee, and that they be in- 

 structed to get up subscriptions from the bee-keepers for de- 

 fraying such expenses. These are F. L. Aten, C. E. Tribe, 

 and Udo Toepperwein, to report later. 



F. L. Aten, J. K. Hill, Dr. J. B.Treon, H. H. Hyde, and 

 Prof. E. D. Sanderson, were appointed as the Legislative 

 Committee of the Texas Bee-Keepers' Association. 

 (Contiuued next week. ) 



[ Our Bee-KecpinS Sisters | 



Conducted by Emma M. Wilson. Marengo, 111. 



Women as Bee-Keepers. 



In one respect I think llie average wnnian is a better lice- 

 keeper tlian the average man. She is neater; she looks alter 

 the little tilings, keeps things picked up better. If she wants 

 to find atiything that is not in plain sight she does not stir 

 np every thing in the shop to do it, or, if she does, things 

 are not usually left just where they were dropped, making 

 the shop look as if a cyclone had struck it. There are ex- 

 ceptions, of course, but the average man is a genius in thi> 

 respect — I don't mean in respect to keeping things picked up. 

 but in stii'ring things tip. 



" California Bees and Honey." 



In that excellent paper, the National Stockman and Farm- 

 er, appears an article of some length, written by Mrs. Mary 

 G. McKay, headed "California Bees and Honey." One is 

 puzzled to decide whether it is written by one who got her 

 knowledge by actual experience in handling the bees or ]iy a 

 professional writer, obtaining her knowledge at second hand. 

 Likely the latter, in which case it is written with unusual accu- 

 racy, and in any case it is very readable. 



"Sonietinies the good wife," she says, "accustoming her- 

 self to the habits of the bees, with wise outlook, has added to 

 her i)in-nioney until her bank account has exceeded that of 

 lier husband." 



-\ souie\vh;it rosy picture is painted when she says: 



