THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



75 



my swarms hived; going occasionally to 

 look after them. My bees in Wharton 

 county had been increased to three colo- 

 nies by going to the woods for some and 

 carrying them home. I was a farmer 

 bee-keeper, on a l)ee-keeper farmer, and 

 between the two did not farm successful- 

 ly- 



In June I discovered that my bees in 

 Colorado Co. were not getting much hon- 

 ey, while those at home were doing fairly 

 well; so I decided to move them all home. 

 I hired a wagon and went after them. 

 My idea was to move the bees at night. 

 I went to work and tacked the oil cloth 

 down over them, and wired up the en- 

 terances. My gable tops did not load 

 well; so I decided to send them by rail; 

 and, as I got a hive ready, I set it in the 

 shade, loading the cover on the wagon 

 to go to the depot. Wlien everything 

 was ready I went for my hor.ses. One of 

 tlieni being a little foolish, tried to jump 

 a picket fence and stuck five pickets in 

 him. While getting the horse patched 

 up so I coulil leave him, the sun .shifted 

 around aiul caught my bees; and, on re- 

 turning, I found honey and wax running 

 from the hives. Becoming disheartened, 

 I fell on a lounge, face downward, and, 

 momentarily, thouglit of my sad fate. 

 Sudtlenly it dawned u])on me that I was 

 a young man full of life and vigor, and 

 should not brood over a little trouble like 

 this: and, with a lightning movement, I 

 sprang to my feet, and to the bee>, jjlacing 

 them in the shade, and upon opening the 

 hives, I found four out of eighteen colo- 

 nies that were not entirely dead. I made 

 up the combs into wax, and cleaned up 

 the hives for future use. 



Two weeks later my horse was able to 

 go home. My estitnate of the cost of the 

 disaster was Ji 20. Hy this time my bee- 

 fever had cooled until my temperature 

 regi.stered but little above the normal. 



Jan. 1st showed my assets to be seven 

 colonies of bees, a few illy made second 

 hand bee-hives, $500 worth of experience, 

 liabilities, $150. So you see, after all, I 

 had not done so badly. I350 (experi- 



ence) and the bees ahead, against I300 

 cash in hand the previous January. 



Moral: Beginner, don't bite off more 

 than you can chew. 



Wh.\rton, Texas. Jan. 9, 1900. 



EGENERATED BROOD, OR 

 "BLACK BROOD," ARIS- 

 ING FROM IMPERFECTLY 

 NOURISHED BROOD. BY 

 C. G. FERRIS. 



As I live in the locality where 

 is to be found the diseased brood which 

 has attracted so much attention of late, it 

 m;iy be of some interest to you and to 

 your readers to know my experience with 

 it. 



About fifteen years ago we commenced 

 buying bees in an eastern locality. Almost 

 every spring we took from 100 to 200 col- 

 onies from this particular section; leav- 

 ing, as we did, only weak and inferior 

 colonies "for seed," as we called it. 

 After picking this section a few times 

 there was a very noticeable deterioration 

 of the bees; and, in every case, we were 

 obliged to supersede the queen before any 

 colony could be built up for honey gath- 

 ering. The brood iwas scattering and 

 did not look right. The colony would 

 about hold its own-in stiength; and yet, 

 apparently, the brood was healthy, ex- 

 cept the natural inherited loss of the vi- 

 tality of the bee.s. The introduction of 

 a good, healthy, Italian, or hybrid, 

 young queen soon placed the colony in 

 the front ranks with the best. I have 

 been watching, for years, this brood of 

 low vitality; and the remedy has always 

 been a young queen. 



This last spring, in some black colonies 

 that I bought the previous year, I was 

 looking after the poor brood as usual, 

 when I saw the first trace of what is now 

 interesting all the country. We had a 

 very plentiful flow from the apple and 

 dandelion, and, during this time there 

 was no trace of anything wrong. The 

 bees were so busy, and honey so 



