No. 123.] STATE INSPECTOR OF APIARIES. G3 



These figures show that considerably fewer apiaries were 

 visited than last year. The cause of this may be assigned 

 both to the decreased appropriation and to the increased cost 

 of travel. The proportion of American foul brood is far less 

 than in 1919. This is doubtless due to the results of the in- 

 tensive work done in Essex County last year, this disease 

 having been nearly eliminated from this section. Most of the 

 cases of American foul brood found in 1920 were in the vicinity 

 of Framingham. The disease occurred here in 1911; in 1916 

 it had apparently been suppressed; this year's inspection is 

 the first since that time. The percentage of colonies with 

 European foul brood is slightly greater than in 1919. This 

 does not necessarily mean that it is on the increase, but merely 

 shows that in the small part of the State inspected this year 

 the proportion was greater than in another small part of the 

 State inspected last year. 



In most cases instructions were given to beekeepers to treat 

 or destroy their diseased bees. In several instances, however, 

 the inspectors gave demonstrations or destroyed the bees 

 themselves. 



Educational JJ^ork. 



On account of the reduced appropriation but one exhibit 

 was made by the Department this year. This one, at the 

 Brockton Fair, attracted much notice and added many new 

 names to the list of beekeepers. Exhibits of this kind furnish 

 a good opportunity for getting in touch with beekeepers who 

 are not otherwise reached, and a large amount of information 

 can be dispensed in this way at a small cost. 



Retrospect, 1910 to 1920. 



The apiary inspection service has been established for over 

 ten years. We may now profitably look back at the work ac- 

 complished during that time with the view of studying com- 

 parative conditions and of laying plans for the future. 



The following table illustrates some of the important phases 

 of the work. For convenience the figures are tabulated by 

 counties. The work is not done by counties, however, and 

 the figures may be misleading unless considered in connection 

 with the amount of work done in the respective counties as 

 indicated by the number of towns which have been inspected. 



