ise 



THE BEE-KEEPERS REVIEW. 



N. D. West thinks that after March 1st 

 bees die faster in the cellar than they would 

 outside. Page lOCA. In the cellar we can 

 see just how it is; but unfortunately we are 

 left largely to conjucture outside. Yet early 

 setting out seems to be on the win in the 

 Canadian — the editor giving it his adhesion 

 on page 10(10. 



S. T. Pettit has practiced putting ice in 

 the bee cellar previous to carrying out the 

 bees. The plan was only partially a success 

 in restraining the annoying " too-previous- 

 ness " of bees on such occassions. Page 

 10(3.'-). 



At the Ontario Convention seventeen had 

 used both solar and steam wax extractors. 

 Only one of these was ready to back the 

 steam extractors as the best; while a num- 

 ber were ready to maintain the opposite. 

 Page 10(19. 



Prof. Harrison's address to the conven- 

 tion in criticism of Dr. Howard is of in- 

 terest, although provoking. 1070. After 

 hearing scientists show each other's mistakes 

 we are apt to feel that we don't know any- 

 thing about the matter at all, except what 

 our experience has taught us. Harrison's 

 experiments are more labratory-like than 

 Howard's — but not necessarily any more val- 

 uable on that account. May not the bee 

 bacillus, pure bred in the labratory for 

 several generations, be quite a different 

 fellow, in many respects, from his 

 ancestors in the hive ? It is the latter 

 that we are concerned with. If we are 

 to take Harrison's experiments at face 

 value they are in the nature of a warning 

 not to trust to the germ-destroying powers 

 of air and sunlight to make old infected 

 hives and bee-trees safe again. Well, as to 

 trees in which swarms have died of foul 

 brood, if we can trust to the powers of na- 

 ture to render them innocuous we shall have 

 to do the other thing — let them remain 

 nocuous — seeing we can not find them and 

 burn them. 



Mr. McKnight at the Toronto convention, 

 speaking in criticism of a previous speaker, 

 declared that the ripening of honey does 

 not increase its aroma but rather decreases 

 it. (Page 101 7.) Probably we all, if we 

 spoke off hand, and drew mainly on our 

 inner consciousness for our facts, would say 

 the same — assume that the flavor of honey 

 is a volatile essential oil secreted by the plant, 

 and which must of course grow less with 



the lapse of time. Have you, and you, and 

 you noticed this fact in wide awake investi- 

 gation ? or have you only sleepily made 

 this untested assumption ? To put you on 

 your mettle let me make an assertion on 

 the other side. So7netiines flavor, not mere- 

 ly poor or indifferent flavor, but high and 

 admired flavor, is not, not even in the 

 slighest degree, a product of plant chemis- 

 try, but seems to be a deft result of the in- 

 ner chemistry of the bee. Then, as that 

 much is certain, let me submit a somewhat 

 important question for the consideration of 

 the brethren. Is it not usually the case with 

 any sample of honey that its flavor is the 

 joint result of two flavors, one secreted by 

 the plant and one contributed by the bee ? 

 Yet another question. Is it not possible 

 that most of the flavoring contributed by 

 the plant is taken out of the nectar the day 

 it is brought in, and stored in the bodies of 

 the bees — and restored later on in a some- 

 what altered and less volatile form ? At 

 least (with a few conspicious exceptions) 

 nectars do not taste tit to eat when freshly 

 brought in. When we get around to it let 

 us know something about the flavor and 

 aroma of honey, instead of going on for- 

 ever playing the parrot act. 



The General round-Up 



A noted man, when April Ist brought him 

 a letter reading " April Fool, " and not a 

 word else, said he never knew a fellow be- 

 fore to sign his name and forget to write 

 the letter. In like manner I never knew 

 Gleanings before to give adequate directions 

 about making a new honey cake and for- 

 get to put in the receipe itself. (Gleanings 

 87.5) This, when we get it, will be a honey 

 jumble, or cake, with the sweetning all hon- 

 ey; and A. I. R. vouches it as the nicest cake 

 he ever ate. Cheeky of uncle Amos, to tell 

 us how good it is, and then make us go 

 without at least two weeks while he luxuri- 

 ates ! The inventor, who has spent four 

 years of effort upon it, is Maria Fraser of 

 Terminous, California. 



On the same page there is another receipe 

 (this one didn't get away) for a hard honey 

 gingerbread, not to be eaten at all until 

 three months old, and thenceforth growing 

 better and better all the way out. Nice for 

 bachelor's apiary stores. As it requires 

 quite a bit of space to give it I'll just let our 

 editor copy it, or wait till the sisters test it, 

 as he may choose. 



