JUNE 1, 1912 



brood inspectors. What Massachusetts is 

 doing is also being accomplished by the 

 Ontario Agricultural CoUegeat Guelph, Can. 

 The apicultural courses are under the direc- 

 tion of Mr. Morley I'ettit, lecturer and pro- 

 vincial apiarist. We had the very great 

 ])leasure of visiting both schools in apicul- 

 ture, the one in Massachusetts and the other 

 in Canada. The faculty of both institutions, 

 including their presidents, are much pleased 

 with the work done; and it now looks as if 

 apiculture would become a permanent part 

 of the college work. 



But this time we wish to speak particu- 

 larly of the work done at the Ontario Agri- 

 cultural College. We asked Mr. Morley 

 Pettit, lecturer and provincial apiarist, to 

 tell something about his apicultural school 

 — not only of the work accomplished, but of 

 the plans for the future. In a letter just re- 

 ceived he writes: 



V\'e have not an apicultural school as 6uch. Our 

 work is in the direct line of the other work at this 

 college. Roughly speaking, there are three classes 

 or courses at this college — the two-year course, 

 which leads to an associate diploma, the four-year 

 course, which leads to a B. S. A. degree, and a num- 

 ber of short courses on special subjects, lasting a 

 few weeks or months each. Students entering for 

 the two-year and four-year courses all take the 

 same subjects for the first three years; then in the 

 fourth year they choose one of three or four op- 

 tions which are provided by the curriculum. 



The work in apiculture consists of twenty-five 

 practical lectures and demonstrations to the first- 

 year students; also a short course was held in May, 

 1911, and the second shortest course in apiculture 

 ever held here was the one which you attended. 

 A few of the students ha\ e shown a preference for 

 this subject, and have asked that an apiculture op- 

 tion be provided in the fourth year; but this pro- 

 vision has not been made as yet. It is probable, 

 however, that the subject will be made a major in 

 one of the other options next year. 



The .students who are specially interested in api- 

 culture have organized a club which has been 

 quite largely attended. It has been addressed by 

 such practical and scientific men as Messrs. Sib- 

 bald, Byer. Miller, of London. Dr. Hewitt, of Ot- 

 tawa, and others. 



My work consists in directing this department, 

 also the inspection work of the i)rovince and the 

 cooperative experiments in connection with the 

 li:xi>erimental Union. The membership of the Ex- 

 perimental Union is made up of students and ex- 

 students of the C. A. C, and the list of experiment- 

 ■ers extends over any who are interested in con- 

 ducting the experiments sent out, such as testing 

 seeds, grains, vegetables, and the like. In apicul- 

 ture we send out Instructions for testing special 

 methods The last two years we tested methods 

 for the prevention of natural swarming. This will 

 be continued next year. Remarkably good results 

 "have been secured. 



In addition to this work I have done a lot of or- 

 ganizing in counties and attending local conven- 

 tions to encourage beekeeping in the different 

 parts of the province. In fact, my traveling is up- 

 -\vard of 10.000 miles a year in Ontario alone. 



I consider one of the most important lines to be 

 the special course which we sive to students pre- 

 paring for inspection work. Those who do well in 

 the subject in their first year, and wish to spcial- 

 ize, are placed with practical beekeepers for the 

 summer as assistants, where they secure plenty of 

 experience: then during the next term they are 

 given some special preparation on diseases of bees, 

 and their second and third year vacations are 

 spent inspecting apiaries. 



Guelph. Can., March '». Morlky Pettit. 



Any reference to the apicultural school at 

 the Ontario Agricultural College would be 

 incomplete without a mention of its presi- 

 dent, Dr. O. C. Creelman, one of the ablest 

 and strongest men we have ever met in any 



institution, and we have seen a large num- 

 ber of them in the United States. Dr. Creel- 

 man is particularly enthusiastic over the 

 work done in the apicultural school. In- 

 deed, he takes pride in it, as he does in ev- 

 ery department of the institution; and dur- 

 ing his administration the college has made 

 a most rapid growth. In the year just clos- 

 ed there were in actual attendance in all its 

 courses 1557 students, representing 22 differ- 

 ent countries, including several States of 

 the American Union. The staff is compos- 

 ed of more than forty i^rofessors, lecturers, 

 and administrators. One of Dr. Creelman's 

 assistants said of him that "he directs the 

 work with a happy manner and ready smile, 

 and with absolute impartiality. It is a 

 ])leasure to see him at work, for one feels 

 that he has a grasp of the whole situation, 

 and knows just what is going on every- 

 where, all the time." This is true, every 

 word of it. 



Dr. Creelman is right in the prime of life. 

 The students, individually and collectively, 

 love him, and well they may, for his per- 

 sonality is magnetic and inspiring. What 

 struck us i^articularly was that there are 

 very few presidents of our agricultural col- 

 leges who know more of bee culture and its 

 important relations to general agriculture 

 than Dr. Creelman. In fact, we doubt if 

 there is a college president on the continent 

 who can give a better address on bees. The 

 one we heard was sparkling, entertaining, 

 and instructive — so much so that the stu- 

 dents who heard him must either have re- 

 solved to keep bees for the honey they pro- 

 duce or to pollinate the fruit trees and clo- 

 vers; for, be it said, Dr. Creelman is an en- 

 thusiastic believer in the value of bees in 

 helping to produce more and better crops on 

 the farm and in the orchard. 



Later. — After the foregoing was written 

 we received the following regarding the 

 Massachusetts apicultural school: 



The Massachusetts Agricultural College has in- 

 stituted, in its regular curriculum, instruction in 

 beekeeping. We note with particular interest, 

 marking the beginning of an epoch when beekeep- 

 ing shall be more generally taught In the United 

 States, that they have erected what we presume to 

 be the first building In the country to be devoted 

 exclusively to apicultural Instruction- The bee- 

 keeping work is under the direction of Dr. Burton 

 N. Gates, of the Department of Kntomology. On 

 the 7th and 8th of February Dr. Gates held a con- 

 vention of Inspectors of apiaries of the eastern 

 United States and Canada. We hope to present in 

 the near future more details of this new movement 

 for advancing apiculture which is centered in Am- 

 herst, as well as an account of the inspectors" meet- 

 ing. 



With respect to the admission of students to the 

 college for regular enrollment, beginning with next 

 fall the tuition is free to residents of Massachu- 

 setts; yet students coming from without the State 

 win be obliged to pay. 



A spring course in apiculture, lasting two weeks, 

 and beginning May 24. will be given. A detailed 

 announcement and program may be obtained from 

 the Director of the extension service, Massachu- 

 setts Agricultural College. This is essentially a 

 'cram course" for the laymen; and, while its mem- 

 bership is nece.ssarlly limited, any beekeeper from 

 any State is eligible. 



And here is still another from Wisconsin: 



Following a resolution adopted at the Feb., 1912, 

 convention of the \\'isconsm Beekeepers' Associa- 



