1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



709 



percd through the season, and is perfectly heal- 

 thy. A few years ago, when the disease raged 

 with us so badly, I took at different times 

 queens from a dozen badly aflfected stocks, and 

 gave them to healthy ones. These remained 

 healthy in every case. Of course, one swallow 

 does not make a summer, nor do a dozen >uch 

 swallows. But in all my reading on things api- 

 cultural, I do not know of one real good au- 

 thentic case proving that a queen ever did car- 

 ry the disease. Tile principal ground for belief 

 in such transmission seems to be based on what 

 Ch^'shire saw. or tlmiks he saw, as Bacillus 

 alvei (foul -brood germs) in the ovary of the 

 queen. In the first place, microbes are so nu- 

 merous, and diverse in thfir character, that even 

 the best of scieniists are liable to be deceived; 

 in the second place, even if the bacilli were ac- 

 tually there it does not follow that they would 

 enter into the larvae. All the facts and indica- 

 tions seem to show that Cheshire was mistaken. 

 Where practice is at variance with theory, or, 

 if you please, science, we will take practice 

 every time. 



THE ACTION OF THE N. A. B. K. A. REGARDING 

 AMALGAMATION. 



From the action taken at Toronto, the amal- 

 gamation of the North American Bee-keepers' 

 Association with the National Bee-keepers' 

 Union is all but a foregone conclusion. After 

 discussing the matter pro and con, those who 

 seemed to be opposed to the union of the two, 

 and those who favored it, were very near to- 

 gether. The suggestion of Dr. Mason, in the 

 September -Reuicw, was in large measure fol- 

 lowed, except that the committee appointed to 

 consider the matter, instead of waiting till the 

 next annual meeting of the N. A. B. K. A. to 

 report, is expected to complete its work within 

 a month. It is then to report through the bee- 

 papers, submit its findings to a vote of the 

 members of the N. A. B. K. A., and also to the 

 members of the IJee-keepers' Union, along with 

 its next annual report. If accepted, the amal- 

 gamation is elTt^cted. and thereafter only one 

 organization will exist in place of the two. The 

 proposed name of the united organization is 

 the North American Bee-keepers' Union. It is 

 proposed to continue the office of the General 

 Manager, elect a president, secretary, and 

 treasurer, and board of directors, voting to be 

 by mail, giving all members a vote, whether 

 present at annual conventions or not. The de- 

 fense fund of the Union is not to be impaired. 

 One dollar, or whatever f .e may be deemed ad- 

 visable, will entitle any one to the full benefits 

 and privileges of membership in the united or- 

 ganization, instead of om dollar in each, as at 

 present. The benefits and advantages will be 

 greatly increased, and at i less co>t; and every 

 bee-keeper in the land, wiio owns any consider- 

 able number of coloniei. if it be not over a 

 dozen, can not afl'ord not o be a member. 



The committee appointed were Tlios, G. New- 

 man, for chairman, and Dr. A. B. Mason, R. F. 

 Holtermann, and J. T. Calvert, and three others 

 whose names 1 do not now recall. 



The practice of circulating special circulars 

 and dodgers, as was done at the last meeting of 

 the N. A. B. K. A. during its sessions, was not 

 very creditable to the writers of such matter, 

 or considerate to ihose in attendance, especially 

 the persons wiio happened to have the floor at 

 the time. If ihe pet notions and supposed 

 grievances of the writers of these circulars can 

 not be brought to the attention of bee-keepers 

 in any other way, it were better that they re- 

 main inoblivion. Such practices were condemn- 

 ed at the time, and always should be. We refer 

 to the distribution of the pamphlet entitled 

 "Bees," attacking Geo. VV. York and others, 

 by Frank Benton, and a dodger advertising a 

 booklet by VV. F. Clarke, defending sugar-honey 

 production, and attacking Ontario's foul-brood 

 inspector, Wm. McEvoy. 



G. M. Doolittle's genial face and eloquent 

 words on some things of interest to bee-keepers 

 were a treat indeed. The address deserved a 

 larger hearing. His first plea was for more 

 brotherly love, less desire for honor and self-ag- 

 grandizement, more willingness to impart, for 

 the common good, valuable ideas gained in our 

 own experience. "Freely ye have received, freely 

 give." Along the line of honey adulteration he 

 believed that more work (detective work if 

 need be) and less talk would accomplish a great 

 deal more. At present, though a great deal has 

 been said, practically nothing has been accom- 

 plished to stop adulteration. Here is work which 

 the Union ought to take up. If a few examples 

 were made in convicting and punishing adulter- 

 ators they would be more careful. 



Ontario bee-keepers are to be congratulated 

 for the strong and able allies they have in Hon. 

 John Dryden, Minister of Agriculture, and Jas. 

 Mills, President Ontario Agricultural College. 

 Their able addresses at Toronto showed their 

 deep interest in our chosen pursuit, and pledged 

 co-operation as they have given it in the past. 

 With such friends in high station it becomes 

 an easier matter to obtain government grants 

 to help make an organization of bee-keepers 

 valuable. 



The paper by Allen Pringle on the mistakes 

 of bee-keepers and bee- papers was a most ex- 

 cellent one, brim full of good points. To be 

 sure, we could not all agree to all of the mis- 

 takes, but it would be strange indeed if no mis- 

 takes were made in treating such a theme. 



There is some hope of the early publication 

 of ihe report of ihe St. .Joe convention if Mr. 

 Benton carries out his pledge to the convention 

 at Toronto. 



