Published by The A. I. Root Co., Medina, 0. 



H H Root Assistant Editor. E. R. ROOT, Editor. A. L. Boyden, Advertising Manager. 



A.' I. Root, Editor Home Department. J. T. Calveet, Business Manager. 



Entered at the Postoffice, Medina, O., as Second-class matter. 



VOL. XLI. 



MAY 15, 1913 



NO. 10 



Editorial 



OUR COVER PICTURE. 



Our cover picture for this issue is the 

 work of our Colorado correspondent, Mr. 

 Wesley Foster, as mentioned in his article 

 on another page. The picture shows weak 

 colonies placed over strong colonies so that 

 the former may share some of the latter's 

 strengih, according to the Alexander plan. 



Michigan's new foul-brood law. 



Michigan has at last an up-to-date foul- 

 brood law. Some years ago it had a county 

 law that was practically ineffective, as such 

 laws usually are, and then, later on, a State- 

 wide law; but this law earned with it a 

 very limited appropriation, and was other- 

 Avise defective in many respects. 



Two years ago the late George E. Hilton, 

 Mr. E. M. Hunt, and others, exerted them- 

 selves to get through a modern foul-brood 

 bill, but were unsuccessful. The beekeepers 

 of the State, however, did not despair. They 

 renewed their efforts again this year, and 

 were finally successful in securing an effec- 

 tive law having an appropriation of $1500. 



The administration of this new law has 

 been placed in the hands of the State Board 

 of Agriculture, and the latter has in turn 

 placed it under the direct charge and con- 

 trol of the State Entomologist, where it 

 should be, Professor Pettit, of the Michigan 

 AgTicultural College at Lansing. A compe- 

 tent inspector has already been appointed 

 in the person of Mr. McMillen, of Guelph, 

 Ontario, College. 



Later. — Minnesota has just passed one of 

 the best foul-brood laws we have. Particu- 

 lars in next issue. 



importance of protecting apiaries from 

 the north wind. 

 As spoken of elsewhere in this department 

 we have at the i^resent time, May 9, eight 

 different out-apiaries. As we have more 

 yards this year than usual, several new lo- 

 cations had to be secured. As soon as the 

 roads and weather conditions permitted we 

 took a machine and drove out over our 

 stone roads, seeking possible locations for 

 bees. One spot about five miles out im- 



pressed us as being very favorable for a 

 yard. A steep bluff facing the south had at 

 the bottom a nice grassy plot and a stream 

 of running water. As the location was pas- 

 tured with cattle we tried the experiment 

 of putting the bees on the steep bluff or side 

 hill. The hive-stands were fixed up in such 

 a way that the backs rested on the ground 

 while the front was supported by means of 

 two stakes two or three feet long. In this 

 way the hives were arranged in rows along 

 the bank. 



When our State foul-brood inspector in 

 his annual rounds came here to look over 

 our bees he remarked, " By jingoes, Mr. 

 Root, I guess I shall have to saw oil' one 

 of my leg's and splice it on to the other, if 

 I stand up in front of those hives." It is 

 a fact that, in order to work the hives, one 

 must stand on one knee and a straight leg 

 on the other. While this is inconvenient, 

 the hives are away from cattle, and right 

 where the sun can strike them nicely, and, 

 most important of all, they are entirely 

 screened from a north wind. 



On the 7th of May, right in the midst of 

 fruit-bloom, a sudden cold spell with a 

 north wind came on. This stopped all bees 

 working at all the yards except at this one 

 on the bluff or steep side hill. Here the 

 bees seemed to be working almost as well 

 as at the other yards when the weather was 

 warm. While a chilly wind was blowing 

 strong from the north, the bees from this 

 sidehill apiary were in a perfect roar. They 

 would circle around in front of the hives, 

 and, meeting no cold, would start oft' for the 

 fields. When once started, they would not 

 go back, but go to the fields, and so they 

 roared all day. Whether they were gather- 

 ing nectar we do not know; but busy they 

 were. 



Our State foul-brood inspector worked 

 here all the afternoon in comfort for the 

 bees and himself also, and he didn't saw off 

 his leg either. 



It is proper to remark that he found no 

 foul brood at any of the yards except at 

 one of the outyards, and that was a mild 

 case. That colony was promptly burned. 



