Published by The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio. 

 H. H. ROOT, Assistant Editor E. R. Root, Editor A. L. Boyden, Advertising Manager 



A. L Root, Editor Home Department j. t. Calvert, Business Manager" 



Entered at the Postofflce, Medina, Ohio, as Second-class Matter 



VOL. XXXVIII 



APRIL 15, 1910 



NO. 8 



EDITORIAL 



By E. R. root 



vides for an expenditure of a sum not ex- 

 ceeding $500 during the present fiscal year, 

 in carrying out the provisions of the act. 



NEW DRESS OF TYPE. 



The reader will notice the new dress of 

 type. Our big subscription list, entailing 

 heavy runs on the type, wears our faces 

 much faster than formerly. While a thou- 

 sand dollars' worth of type would formerly 

 give us some two or three years of service 

 on our journal, the same investment will 

 run now scarcely a year. 



FAKES AND FAKIRS. 



The bee-keeping industry does not seem 

 to be cursed with a lot of fakirs as is the case 

 with the jjoultry industry. The bee busi- 

 ness has fewer and better journals, and of 

 a character that will not accept fake ad- 

 vertisements. The time was, in the olden 

 days, when there were advertised moth-traps, 

 bee-balm for drawing swarms, worthless 

 patent hives, certain controllable bee-hives, 

 and the selling of patent-right territory. 

 These have all disai)peared; but as one 

 looks over the jwultry journals of to-day he 

 sees the devices for testing eggs, testing the 

 sex of eggs, and a lot more things of a like 

 nature that are fakes of the worst kind. 

 Pick u]) any of our bee journals and you 

 will find only straight honest goods adver- 

 tised. 



FOUE-BROOD LEGISLATION IN MASSACHU- 

 SETTS. 



On March 25 the House of Representa- 

 tives of Massachusetts passed an act hav- 

 ing to do with the suppression and control 

 of contagious bee diseases, and the matter 

 is now in the hands of the Senate. It would 

 be well for all interested to write to their 

 Senators at once, urging their favorable con- 

 sideration of the bill. 



The proposed bill provides for the ap- 

 pointment, by the State Board of Agricul- 

 ture, of a competent person as inspector of 

 apiaries, who may in turn appoint as many 

 as three deputies to assist him. The in- 

 spector's duties include the preparation and 

 distribution of literature, inspection of api- 

 aries, etc. Sections 3 and 4 make it an of- 

 fense to keep diseased colonies except by 

 an order in writing from the inspector that 

 such are held in quarantine. Section 9 pro- 



NO FLOOD OF HONEY FROM SOUTHERN 

 CALIFORNIA THIS YEAR. 



The following letter just received from 

 .T. W. George, who is in close touch with 

 the situation, will explain. 



From present indications Calilornia will not flood 

 tlie country with lioney tliis year. Wliat earlier 

 looked like a bumper crop in the coast counties 

 looks very discouraging now. My bees are fully a 

 month behind what they were a year ago; and our 

 cold April winds have commenced to blow, and 

 that will retard them a good deal. 



There have been several carloads of bees shipped 

 into the valley this winter; but with one exception 

 our two-mile-limit rule has been observed, and it is 

 more than likely that the man who has disregarded 

 the custom will be sorry of his bargain before the 

 summer is over. The man who is being crowded 

 owns and controls al)out 1400 colonies, and he will 

 certainly keep ujj his end; besides, he has the sym- 

 pathy of every bee-man in the valley. 



There is another problem confronting us now. 

 Black brood was quite prevalent in the San Joa- 

 quin Valley last season, almost wiping out some 

 yards. But the supervisors of this county are 

 awake to the interests of the valley, and at their 

 meeting the first of this month they passed an or- 

 dinance compelling all bees to be inspected at Im- 

 perial Junction; and as that is the only way for 

 them to get into the valley we stand a pretty good 

 chance of keeping it out; however, it will be well 

 for every one to be on the watch, and at the slight- 

 est indication of any thing wrong the inspector 

 should be called in. 



Practically all of our last year's crop is out of the 

 way. I think a hundred cases is about all that is on 

 hand at present. 



Imperial, Cal.. March 28. J. W. George. 



It is strange that the season seems to be 

 late in that section of the country, while it 

 is at least a month ahead in the Eastern 

 States. 



Later. — March 81st Mr. jNIercer writes: 



A few days ago we had 154 inclies of rain. This 

 will help us some, but not enough to make any 

 thing like a crop of honey. 



Ventura, Cal., Mar. 31. 



BEE-KEEPING ON A LARGER SCALE; TEN- 

 FRAME VS. EIGHT-FRAME HIVES; POW- 

 ER EXTRACTING-OUTFITS. 



There are many evidences from bee-sup- 

 ply houses that show that the tendencies 

 now are toward ten-frame rather than eight- 

 frame hives, and large four, six, and eight- 

 frame extractors rather than two-frame ma- 

 chines. When the power-extractor outfits 

 were first put out it was not thought that 

 there would be much of a demand for them; 

 but in the West, where bee-keeping is car- 

 ried on in any kind of large scale, power 

 outfits are more and more supplanting hand- 

 power extracting. 



