1917 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



119 



h'Apicol tore's Fiftieth Year 



The above mentioned publication is 

 now entering the 50th year of its life. 

 It is the official organ of the Italian 

 Central Association of Beekeepers, 

 and has been sent to us as honorary 

 members of this association since its 

 third year, 1870, a period of 47 years. 

 It is one of the most progressive bee 

 magazines in the entire world. Its 

 January number contains translations 

 from Gleanings, from Dr. Phillips' 

 book, " Beekeeping," from the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal, from the British Bee 

 Journal, with quotations from some of 

 our leading writers, such as Dr. Miller, 

 W. D. Wright and others. 



The January editorial of this maga- 

 zine mentions the names of a few lead- 

 ers who have helped to organize Italian 

 beekeeping but who have disappeared : 

 The microscopist Gaetano Barbo ; B. 

 Crivelli ; Dr. Dubini, author of L'Ape 

 (The Bee); C. Fumagalli ; Chas. Da- 

 dant; Dr. Metelli ; A. Cadolini; Profs. 

 Barbieri, Clerici and Mona, the last 

 named a noted exporter of Italian 

 bees; and lastly Rauschenfels, late 

 editor of L'Apicoltore. Count Vis- 

 conti, who is still living, is another of 

 the early workers. But the future is 

 to the young men, under the direction 

 of V. Asprea, the present editor. Our 

 good wishes go to the generation who 

 will continue the work of the elders. 

 There is always room for progress and 

 Italian bee-culture will hold its rank. 

 The Italian bees have a reputation 

 throughout the world, and the Italian 

 apiarists will remember that "Noblesse 

 oblige." 



Two other magazines, " L'Apicoltura 

 Italiana " and " L'Apicoltore Moderno," 

 are helping the good work. 



Queen-Kearing in Italy 



We have before us a "Manualedi 

 allevamento delle api regine" (Manual 

 of Queen Rearing) by Vincenzo Asprea, 

 the able editor of L'Apicoltore. It is a 

 small book of 243 pages, gotten up in 

 the neatly artistic manner customary 

 in artistic Italy. 



This work is a resum6 of the differ- 

 ent methods in vogue for the rearing 

 of prolific queens of best honey-pro- 

 ducing qualities and should be com- 

 mended to the Italian apiarist, for 

 whom it is fully as important as such 

 work would be in any country, since 

 the entire world looks to Italy for high 

 grade bees. 



The Doolittle method, the Alley 

 method, the Pratt (Swarthmore) meth- 

 od are all explained, with quotations 

 from Sladen, Giraud and other experi- 

 menters who have suggested improve- 

 ments. 



Thus far only a few Italian breeders 



have followed modern methods in 

 (lueen-rearing, but they are leaders. 

 The book mentions our well-known 

 friends, Penna, G. Plana and Plana 

 Brothers, as well as Messrs. Malan and 

 Bozzalla. But it is to be hoped that the 

 study of as thorough a treatise will 

 induce many other Italians to adopt 

 the latest modern methods. 



Our kind friend, Dr. Triaca, has our 

 thanks for sending this excellent trea- 

 tise to us. 



Seventy Year.s of Beekeeping 



The 4th installment of " Seventy 

 Years of Beekeeping " will not appear 

 until May, owing to lack of space. 

 There will be at least two more num- 

 bers of it. ^^ 



Preserve the Bee Maffazine.s 



A few days ago I was astounded and 

 highly pleased to receive a letter from 

 our good Italian friend, D. Barone, 

 now at Medina, Ohio, asking me for 

 the loan of the past five years of the 

 Italian bee magazine, " L'Apicoltore." 

 Luckily I had those five years, not a 

 number missing, in spite of the sub- 

 marines. I have 46 years of this maga- 

 zine in my library. I was about 

 to send the entire lot to the book- 

 binder when this request came. 

 They will be bound by and by and 

 placed side by side with the entire files 

 of the Revue Internationale d'Apicul- 

 ture, Gleanings, and our own American 

 Bee Journal. We have also all of 

 L'Apiculteur, The Review, and a score 

 of other lesser lights. Keep your bee 

 magazines. In years to come it will 

 be a delight to peruse them again. 



Michigan Life Members 



On page 11 of our January number, 

 mention was made of the election of 



C. P, Dadant as a life member of the 

 Michigan Association in company with 

 A. I. Root and Dr. C. C. Miller. This 

 information was imparted to us by E. 



D. Townsend, who had modestly neg- 

 lected to say that he was also elected a 

 life member at the same time and for 

 the same reasons, " Services rendered to 

 beekeeping." We now correct the ap- 

 parent omission of his name in the list, 

 and since 



"On their own merits modest men are dumb," 

 we take this opportunity of saying that 

 Friend Townsend is publishing an ex- 

 cellent magazine, the " Domestic Bee- 

 keeper," which is taking the place of 

 the "Beekeepers' Review," and bids 

 fair to become as valuable as the Re- 

 view was in its best days. We feel 

 proud of his company on the list of 

 life members of the oldest State Asso- 

 ciation of beekeepers in the United 

 States. 



Obitiiar.v— David Clayton Polhemus 

 was born Dec. 7, 1861, at Silverton, N. 

 J., and died Feb. 13, 1917, at Lamar, 

 Colo., aged .'iS years, 2 months and G 

 days. 



He and his brother Charlie went to 

 Nebraska in the spring of 1883, and in 

 the years following his brother John 

 and wife also went to Nebraska, and 

 the three brothers were among the 

 early settlers of Harlan county. 



On April 17, 1889, Mr. Polhemus was 

 united in marriage to Christina Peter- 

 son, and to this union were born three 

 children, Clayton David, Edgar Charles 

 and Millie. In the spring of 189.5. the 

 family moved to Las Animas, Colo., 

 and in a short time baby Millie died. 

 In May, 1900, the family moved to 

 Lamar, and in April, 1902, the mother 

 was called to her heavenly home. 



In August, 1904, Mr. Polhemus was 

 married to Cora Douglas, of Topeka, 

 Kan. Since this time Lamar has been 

 his home. 



Mr. Polhemus had but returned from 

 the meeting of the National Beekeepers' 

 Association, being elected vice-presi- 

 dent of the organization and also presi- 

 dent of the Industrial Section. At the 

 time of his death, he was president of 

 the local school board ; his activities 

 along educational lines have always 

 been the admiration of his fellow citi- 

 zens. He is survived by his wife and 

 and one son. 



Don't Neglect the Bees 



In all our Northern and Middle 

 States, April is the month for examin- 

 ing colonies, making sure that they 

 have laying queens, enough honey and 

 pollen and sufficient poplulation to 

 carry them to fruit bloom. 



Be sure and examine all dead colo- 

 nies, closing up the hives after having 

 removed the dead bees. If there is any 

 disease of the brood in your vicinity, 

 be sure and examine the combs of all 

 that have died. Where there is any 

 dead brood a very careful diagnosis 

 should be made. If there is a ropy 

 foulbrood or any doubt concerning 

 dead brood, send samples of it to Dr. 

 E. F. Phillips of Washington, D. C, for 

 determination of the exact condition. 



Mis.souri Foulbrood.— Dr. L. Hase- 

 man, State Entomologist at Columbia, 

 Mo., would like to correspond with 

 beekeepers who may have foulbrood 

 among their bees, in view of treating 

 them and also of making experiments 

 upon the disease. He will gladly ex- 

 tend his help to any Missouri apiarist 

 who will write him if in need of in- 

 structions. 



