GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



February, 1918 



GLEANINGS FROM THE NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST. 



A''™°h I'". NORTHERN 



nual meet- _, , , 



ing of the Call- Reported by 



foriiia State Beekeepers' Association was 

 held nearly three months ago, part of the 

 proceeding's are of such importance that the 

 readers of Gleanings living in the northern 

 part of the state should receive a short ac- 

 count thereof. The meeting was held at 

 Sacramento on Nov. 5 and 6, and presided 

 over by B. B. Hogaboom of Elk Grove. The 

 principal topics discussed were those of dis- 

 ease and co-operative marketing. Dr. E. E. 

 Phillips of the Bureau of Entomology gave 

 a lengthy and detailed account of both 

 American and European foul brood. It will 

 be difficult to estimate the great value de- 

 rived from his talk, for it became apparent 

 that thruout entire northern California there 

 existed much confusion among beekeepers 

 when it came to differentiating between 

 American and European foul brood. Strange 

 as it may seem, even carlot producers had 

 been treating the former for the latter dis- 

 ease, i. e., by placing infected material above 

 excluders and expecting the bees to clean 

 up. In addition, it was found that many 

 bekeepers firmly believed that European ulti- 

 mately turned into American foul brood, 

 and we owe much to Dr. Phillips in largely 

 dispelling, thru his clear, concise and posi- 

 tive statements, this erroneous notion so 

 generally prevailing among beekeepers. It 

 is easily explained, the writer believes, why 

 this wrong diagnosis in the symptr ms of the 

 brood diseases has prevailed. The history 

 of northern California beekeeping teaches us 

 that we have had always to contend with 

 American foul brood,- practically every year, 

 in almost every beekeeping district. Several 

 years ago, when we had our epidemic of 

 European, its ravages were quick and wide- 

 spread, and our attention was drawn almost 

 altogether to this one disease. In its treat- 

 ment during the past few years we have de- 

 stroyed but few combs, and have paid but 

 little attention to the symptoms of Ameri- 

 can during the devastation wrought by Euro- 

 pean. It- must become evident, then, that 

 the germs of American foul brood have had 

 an eoccellent opportunity to spread. Lately 

 the epidemical character of European has 

 considerably subsided and those beekeepers 

 that are careful observers have noticed that 

 the old, reliable, hard-to-eradicate, American 

 tvpe is'again with them. To further compli- 

 cate the matter, not a few cases have come 

 to light where a bacteriological examination 

 showed that both American and European 

 existed not only in the same hive but also 

 upon the same comb. There is much need 

 for an educational campaign in the matter 

 of brood disease diagnosis and treatment, 

 and this subject will receive the attention 

 of the northern California readers of Glean- 

 ings in the not distant future. Owing large- 



CALIFORNIA 



]y to Dr. Phil- 

 lips' talk, many 

 of our beekeep- 

 M. C. Richter g r s hereafter 



will treat doubtful cases as if they were 

 American, and, likewise, those cases that do 

 not respond readily to European treatment 

 will also be handled as if American. 



Colonel Harris Weinstock of the State 

 Market Commission delivered an address on 

 " The Value of Co-operative Marketing." 

 As a direct result of Colonel Weinstock 's 

 able talk a resolution was passed which in 

 substance read that it was the sense of the 

 convention that the beekeepers of Californ-a 

 should be organized into an effective market- 

 ing association and that the secretary of the 

 association be authorized to appoint a pro- 

 motion committee which should meet at an 

 early date in Los Angeles to form and per- 

 fect an organization campaign. (This com- 

 mitte ^ making excellent progress and hop':'"! 

 to have its plan of organization perfected 

 on Jan. 12.) 



The following officers were elected for the 

 ensuing year: President, F. A. Alexander, 

 of Ontario (Mr. Alexander is the son of the 

 late E. W. Alexander, of Delanson, N. Y.) ; 

 secretary and treasurer, M. C. Richter, of 

 Modesto; executive committee, James F. 

 Kerr, of Eamona, Chas. F. M. Stone, of La- 

 manda Park, J. C. McCnbbin, of Reedley, 

 and the president and secretary ex-oflficio. 

 * » « 



The U. S. Department of Agriculture, thru 

 its States Relations Service, sent us early 

 in December a special field agent in beekeep- 

 ing. Dr. Phillips, who has supervision over 

 the various field agents in beekeeping thru- 

 out the country, fortunately selected E. 

 F. A^twater of Meridian, Ida., for California 

 field agent. Mr. Atwater is a large pro- 

 ducer in his home state, a practical bee- 

 keeper, and is well known thruout the coun- 

 try generally. Mr. Atwater will spend two 

 months of the year as agent in Arizona and 

 New Mexico, but he is scheduled to spend 

 the entire spring and summer in California, 

 dividing his time between the north and 

 the south. California is a big state and our 

 beekeepers are so widely scattered that it 

 will be impossible for him to see every one 

 of us. He is at your service, however, and 

 will answer to the best of his ability any 

 questions you see fit to ask him. Let us sup- 

 pose, for instance, that you and your neigh- 

 boring beekeepers have a certain problem 

 that baffles you and, as is quite frequently 

 the case, have no club that can assist you in 

 your troiibles. You are then at liberty to 

 write to your special agent, explaining to 

 him your particular situation. It is almost 

 certain that he will come and see you and 

 help you solve your difiiculty. A letter di- 

 rected to Special Field Agent in Beekeeping, 

 care of Division of Agricultural Extension, 



