,Tri,v, 1919 



G I, K A N T N O S T N H E E C V E T U K E 



437 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



he could get back behind the edge of the 

 comb, what an age of wrist-ache he could 

 have saved succeeding generations of bee- 

 keepers. All it needed was the long blade, 

 stiff enough to keep its shape. I am in- 

 debted to W. A. Chrysler of Chatham, Ont., 

 for this idea; and, after trying first it and 

 then either the Jones or Bingham knife, 

 there is no hesitation in deciding which is 

 most rapid and comfortable, even when used 

 cold as the first one came to me from Mr. 

 Chrysler. When a real good head of steam 

 is added it is nothing short of a revolution 

 in uncapping. 



The rate at which cappings may be remov- 

 ed from honey depends directly on the size 

 of the comb and the ability of the knife to 

 stay hot until the whole sheet is removed 

 from one side. It also depends on the combs 

 being flat and evenly bulged slightly be- 

 yond the frame. The long knife which 

 reaches easily across the largest comb and 

 beyond, has the frame for its bearing at 

 both ends; the steady hand and jet of live 

 steam do the rest. After using these knives 

 for a few years our combs are just like 

 boards which have been thru a planer for 

 evenness, and are a joy to the uncajDper. 



It is of the greatest importance to have 

 a good head of steam. We use a boiler 

 which just covers a three-burner oil stove 

 and holds five or six gallons. It is placed 

 in an adjoining room to keep the heat and 

 fumes away from the workers, and the steam 

 is piped along the floor to a point where 

 rubber hose can be attached from the 

 knives. While we have two knives attached, 

 one active young man can just about keep 

 the eight-frame extractor supplied; and our 

 record last summer, repeated several days, 

 was 5,000 pounds extracted from Langstroth 

 combs in 10 hours, with two men working 

 and the extractor man having an easy time. 

 In conclusion let me pay a slight tribute 

 to the Peterson Capping-melter and the 

 Honey-pump. We would not think of dis- 

 pensing with either. 



Ontario, Canada. Morley Pettit. 



HUNDREDS OF HIVES BURNED 



Jamaica by Radical Treatment Eliminates Foul 

 Brood 



In your May, 1919, issue of Gleanings in 

 Bee Culture, page 319, there is a paragraph 

 which states that foul brood has reached 

 Jamaica. Some people might get the im- 

 pression that it is still here, which is not 

 the case. I wall state briefly what oc- 

 cnrred. 



In March, 191S, I found that Cul)an lioney 

 was being brought to Kingston to be tran- 

 shipped -to England, and this honey was be- 

 ing carted from one wharf to another. 



During transit some barrels burst, and the 

 bees took it up. I reported this to the Di- 

 rector of Agriculture, and also the fact that 

 foul bi'ood is in (!ul»a, as I had information 

 on that point from beekeepers who had seen 

 it there. I also pointed out what would hap- 

 pen if the importation of this honey was 

 not stopped. For various reasons this was 

 not done. 



At the end of May the director got the 

 Governor to make an order in which all 

 owners of bees within three miles of Kings- 

 ton were to report to the director the site, 

 number of hives in their apiaries, etc. This 



" Pre,scribed Area " in which no colonies are allowed. 



area was called the ''Prescribed Area'' and 

 no one could move hives of bees into, out 

 of, or within the area without permission 

 from the director. About the 15th of June I 

 received instructions from the director to 

 commence making a quarterly examination 

 of all hives within the area. 



The first case of foul brood (American) 

 was found on Dec. 19th, and others quickly 

 followed. In the accompanying outline map 

 the crosses with a circle around each are the 

 apiaries that had foul brood. The other 

 crosses are the apiaries on the outer edge 

 of the area which were burnt as well as 

 all other apiaries which were also within 

 the area, tho not marked on the map. The 

 cioss in the harbor marks the place of the 

 source of infection, that is, the place where 

 the schooners were anchored. No other api- 

 aries within the area were found infected 

 up to the time of burning, but on the night 

 the hives were burnt one was found to be 

 infected, attention being drawn to it by the 

 smell. 



When it was disco\ered that foul brood 

 had got a footing amongst the bees in 

 Kingston the beekeepers within the area 

 met the director to co-operate with the Gov- 

 ernment to make a determined effort to 

 stamp it out, before it spread further. The 

 Government finally decided to take all the 

 hives over, compensate the owners, and burn 

 all the hives in the area, to make sure that 

 it got no further. I received instructions 

 to burn all the hives on the nights of Jan. 



