116 



April, 1916. 



American Hae Journal 



CLASS IN APICULTURE IN THE MUSEUM 



longer of value on the farm, as they 

 were filled with fine spun theories 

 which would not work in practice. 

 Pear has been expressed in several 

 quarters that similar conditions 

 would prevail in the new courses in 

 beekeeping that are now being offered 

 in several institutions. A recent vis- 

 it to Amherst convinced the writer 

 that Dr. Gates is very practical in 



his instruction, and that the student 

 will know something besides the anat- 

 omy of the honey bee when he gets 

 through. While Dr. Gates places due 

 importance on the scientific side of 

 beekeeping, he insists that everything 

 must first be practical, bearing in 

 mind that greater efficiency in honey 

 production is the ultimate aim of ap- 

 icultural education. 



A CORNER OF THE MUSEUM 



One feature that especially pleased 

 the writer is the centralizing of all 

 apicultural work under one head. Dr. 

 Gates has charge of the apicultural 

 work for regularly enrolled students, 

 investigation for the experiment sta- 

 tion, apicultural extension authorized 

 by the extension service, and, also, 

 the inspection work under the State 

 Board of Agriculture. Where these 

 different lines of work are handled by 

 different persons without the same 

 central authority, it is out of the ques- 

 tion to secure as efficient service and 

 as satisfactor., results as is possible 

 under the Massachusetts plan. 



Pour years experience as state in- 

 spector of apiaries has convinced the 

 writer that best results from Inspect- 

 ion work will never be secured in any 

 other way. Special skill is required 

 in inspection work and an inspector 

 should have wide experience in bee 

 diseases. In an epidemic of glanders, 

 none but trained veterinarians are 

 permitted to represent the state. 

 While an inspector should be a pract- 

 ical beekeeper he needs at the same 

 time a special training that few bee- 

 keepers have. Where the work is 

 properly correlated it is quite possible 

 to utilize the services of the same man 

 in inspection work at one season, and 

 extension work or some similar line 

 the rest of the year. 



Massachusetts makes a larger ap- 

 propriation for inspection work than 

 most other states, considering the 

 size of the state and the 

 number of apiaries. The work 



