1917 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



227 



oughly seconded by its junior editor, 

 W. Herrod Hempsall. 



Shortaf^e of Glass Containers 



The conference of apiarists which 

 met in Washington on April 23 and 

 24, appointed a committee to investi- 

 gate the possible shortages of honey 

 containers. To many people this mat- 

 ter might seem of very little import- 

 ance. Yet when we think of the 

 scarcity of many articles of common 

 usage, we wonder what may cause it. 



The committee have made a very 

 interesting report. We cannot give it 

 in full. But it may be of value to our 

 readers to know why glass honey jars 

 are so difficult to secure. 



Soda-ash is difficult to obtain on ac- 

 count of its use in munition factories 

 and on account of car shortage. Sand 

 deliveries are also delayed owing to 

 car shortage. Factory hands and es- 

 pecially skilled men have gone to 

 munitions factories. Enlistment is al- 

 so reducing the help. 



Both tin can and glass container 

 manufacturers have been urged to give 

 the preference in orders to containers 

 for food products and in many cases 

 they have agreed to do so. So it is 

 hoped that a sufficient quantity of both 

 glass and tin containers may be sup- 

 plied in time for the crop. 



Quebec Beekeeping 



We acknowledge receipt of a copy of 

 the "Methode de Cultiver les Abeilles 

 dans la Province de Qjebec," by Hec- 

 tor Beland and Cyrille Vaillancourt, 

 published and distributed by the Min- 

 ister of Agriculture of the Province of 

 Quebec. It is a bulletin of 68 pages 

 giving the most modern instructions 

 on beekeeping and we commend it to 

 Quebec beekeepers. 



the sex of the eggs which they wish to 

 rear as drones. 



The writer of this article gives a 

 method of verification of his theory 

 which he has evidently not tried him- 

 self. He recommends the inserting of 

 a comb of worker-brood and eggs from 

 a colony of golden Italians into a 

 queenless colony of pure black bees. 

 He asserts that drones will be produced 

 from some of that worker brood and 

 that their color will show that they are 

 pure Italians. Our friends across the 

 ocean who are inclined to believe him 

 had better try this experiment, for it 

 has been performed over and over 

 again in this country and is conclusive. 

 They will then easily convince them 

 selves that the whole thing is a fake. 

 Worker-bees can no mor; change the 

 sex of eggs than we can. 



Happy 



"HAPPy" the life of a bee, by Walter 

 F. McCaleb, published by Harpers, is a 

 short idyll purporting to describe the 

 feelings of a worker-bee from its birth 

 through a life of usefulness. It is 

 quite interesting although of but little 

 practical value. 



Parthenogrenesis and Sex Deter- 

 mination 



Several French bee magazines have 

 lately published a contribution which 

 boldly condemns the discoveries of 

 Dzierzon, Berlepsch, Siebold, Lang- 

 stroth, etc., and calls their teachings 

 obsolete. It holds that sex in bees is 

 determined by the workers, that the 

 queen lays only one kind of eggs, all 

 fecundated when passing by the sper- 

 matheca, and that the workers change 



Secretary Kedfield Urges Use of 

 Fiber Containers 



"Plans for lessening the use of tin 

 cans for products nonperishable, thus 

 releasing large quantities of tin for 

 use in the manufacture of cans as con- 

 tainers for seasonable foodstuffs, have 

 about been completed," Secretary Red- 

 field of the Department of Commerce 

 announces. 



"If the public will cooperate, there 

 will undoul)tedly be sufficient supply of 

 tin cans to care for the perishable 



si inchai 



Waxtd Paper Batr in 

 the flat 



crops for the summer. To this highly 

 necessary condition the individual may 

 assist by accepting goods in fiber or 

 paper iiistead of tin whenever there is 

 no deterioration in the change. It is 

 exceedingly important that there be 

 tin to preserve the summer vegetables 

 and fruit for use next winter. The 

 housewife who helps us provide that 

 supply by lessening her own demand 

 for tin packed goods, is undoubtedly 

 'doing her bit' in a patriotic manner. 



"The Bureau of Foreign and Domes- 

 tic Commerce and the Bureau of 

 Standards of this department, in con- 

 junction with the Department of Agri- 

 culture have been working on this 

 problem— and it is a serious one. The 

 result of the joint efforts is a recom- 

 mendation that many products former- 

 ly packed in tin, be packed in the new 

 fiber containers, which are cheaper, are 

 sanitary, and easily disposed of by 

 burning or otherwise. 



"Some of the products which it has 

 been suggested may be successfully 

 packed in fiber are: Coffee, tea, 

 tobacco, soap powders, cleaners, shoe 

 and metal polish, soaps and shaving 

 preparations, talcum powders, alum 

 baking powders, spices, condiments, 

 raisins, prunes, and various drugs and 

 chemicals. 



Our Cover Page 



J. E. Hull, of Maxwell, Iowa, with 

 his pet swarm, is shown on our front 

 cover. This may seem a remarkable 

 feat to our inexperienced subscribers, 

 but nevertheless it is easily done. 



2i 



<- inches ■ 



Wooden Block for 

 optnina out Ba^ 



PURE 



HONEY 



2lbs.net 



From Hie Apicu-y 

 of 



%V 



Baif opened by B/ock. Bo-af placid in folding Card 

 Box, ready to receive Honey. 

 WAXKD PAPER CONTAINERS FOR HONEY 



