JUNE 1, 1912 



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Cause of European Foul Brood Unknown. 



There was a time when I thousht we knew that 

 foul brood was caused by a certain bacillus (alrei). 

 Then later Bacillus millii and Bacillus brandenbitro- 

 iensis came in for a share, and were accused of be- 

 ing the mischief-makers, and possibly some other 

 bacilli were talked of. I lost track of just what 

 culprit was blamed most. It is a little surprising 

 to me to note that Dr. Phillips, on page 88, Feb. 1, 

 admitsweareso at sea as to the bacillus that causes 

 us so much trouble. Of course I reiili/.e that there 

 must be several different causes for different dis- 

 eases, such as European and American foul brood; 

 but it seems to me that those who are familiar 

 with microscope work and making cultures ought 

 to be able to locate the chap and to ascertain the 

 facts. 



In the instance given on page 88, the prime 

 swarm of Geo. Stephens may have issued with a 

 virgin queen. There would be nothing strange 

 about it, and I can see no evidence that this did 

 not happen. I can not conceive of weather so un- 

 favorable that a prime swarm could be held back 

 six or eight successive days. It Is just as true now 

 as It was years ago, that the prime swarms appear 

 after the first queen-cells are sealed. In practieing 

 the Heddon method of preventing afterswarms, we 

 depend on this. 



Naples, N. Y. F. Greiner. 



[Referring to the cause of disea,se as mentioned 

 by Dr. Phillips, page 88, I may say that the cause of 

 American foul brood has been definitely deter- 

 mined as Bacillus larvce: but the cause of European 

 foul brood is not known. While it is difficult 

 to locate the organism, as Dr. Phillips says, of 

 American foul brood, there is no trouble on the 

 part of a bacteriologist or one who knows how to 

 make pure cultures. — Ed.] 



Reflections on Beekeeping, Past and Present. 



The writer remembers with what naive con- 

 fidence he started in, as a boy, to manufacture hon- 

 ey in a couple of A. I. R.'s chaff hives— the kind he 

 made along in the 80"s. The only difficulty he en- 

 countered was that the bees refused to enter the 

 section boxes of the upper story with business in- 

 tent. Well, other work called him. and he was 

 absent for ten years. When he returned, there was 

 a surprising amount of honey stored, and, needless 

 to say, he enjoyed it, notwithstanding the incon- 

 venience of tearing the hives up to get the sweets. 



So our venture into the realms of apiculture end- 

 ed in something like disaster, and we have con- 

 cluded that beekeeping is a rather perilous calling, 

 not to be entered into without considerable prayer- 

 ful thought, and the genius of common sense. 



After a lapse of 25 years we were prepared to find 

 that giant strides had taken place in the art; but 

 what, in reality, has occurred? Merely this: the 

 fraternity had changed to the eight-frame hive, and 

 then changed back again, like the king of France 

 and his ten thousand men. Is there a lack of 

 imagination somewhere? 



Well, the erosion of the ages wears away the tooth 

 of time, or something like that. Let us study the 

 virtues of the bee in connection with the faults of 

 mankind; and if humanity must go to the wall, let 

 no guilty man escape. One thing is certain— men 

 will eat honey in whatever form, if they can get it. 

 If Mr. Bee objects to working in section boxes, it is 

 evidently a case of a round peg in a square hole, 

 and we should try hard to give him a square deal 

 or a round hole as the case may be. 



Medora, Ind., Oct. 23. H. B. Turrell. 



Honey Butter, What it is and How it is Sold. 



There has been some discussion about honey but- 

 ter and candied honey in cakes often called by this 

 name. However, as we understand it, honey but- 

 ter is made from granulated honey and pure butter 

 mixed in the proportion of one pound of butter to 

 three of honey. If thoroughly mixed together, a 

 spread Is produced that many like, children espe- 

 cially. The best white-clover honey and the best 

 grade of creamery butter should be used. 



This product can be put on the market in a car- 

 ton the same as butter, or in a wide-mouth glass 

 jar, and sold at the same price as butter. There is 



good money In it, for the three pounds of honey at 

 ten cents and the one pound of butter at thirty 

 cents cost only sixty cents, and yet the four pounds 

 of the mixture will bring $1.20. The price can re- 

 main fixed, or It can be varied like the price of 

 butter. 



Although honey is a preservative, the mixture 

 will have to be handled as carefully as butter, as it 

 is likely to become rancid and strong just as butter 

 does if neglected. 



One good feature about honey butter in winter 

 Is that it is always easy to spread. If desired, it 

 can be labeled " Pancake Butter;"' but the exact 

 proportion of each ingredient must be stated on the 

 label in order to conform to the pure-food laws. 



Owosso. Mich. Norman F. Gute. 



Do Not Apply the Stings to the Particular Joint 

 Affected by Rheumatism. 



Will you allow rae to caution (!. Prentice Carson 

 (and perhaps others who may wish to try stings 

 for rheumatism) against applying the stings ttpon 

 the parts directly affected, as he suggests on p. 82, 

 Feb. 1. My own experience has taught me that it 

 is better to apply the stings to some other part of 

 the body, and to let the virus work through the 

 system gradually. 



Rheumatism attacks me, at Intervals several 

 years apart, in the back and legs, and I then take 

 "a course of treatment,"' applying a sting to each 

 wrist every day for about ten days, after which I 

 am free several years again. I learned of the cure 

 by accident, through handling bees, after having 

 been unsuccessfully treated for several months by 

 a good physician. 



In one of ray attacks I tried applying the stings 

 to the joint of my right knee, which was giving me 

 a great deal of pain. As a result of that direct ap- 

 plication I lay in bed for five weeks, unable to turn 

 over without help. I am a firm believer in the 

 good results to be obtained from the stings, but 

 have never again tried the application to the spot 

 affected. My experience of about 35 years also in- 

 clines me to the belief that the effect of a course of 

 treatment disappears in about seven years, the 

 time in which doctors tell us our bodies are renew- 

 ed. 



Frankfort, Kan., Feb. 8. Rev. L. P. Holmes. 



An Experience in Introducing by the Direct Method. 



On Oct. 12, 1911. the writer dequeened a colony, 

 and by the direct method ran in a queen which 

 was about six weeks old. She had been kept in a 

 small nucleus, and had been caged for three days 

 prior to the above-mentioned introduction. When 

 looking up the old queen, a queen-cell was found 

 from which a queen had emerged within a few 

 weeks. The queen, when found, proved to be a 

 young one, and laying. The bees were dark hy- 

 brids, and very irritable. Robbing started when- 

 ever a hive was opened. 



The following morning a dark queen— old but ap- 

 parently not very aged— was thrown out from this 

 colony. The newly introduced queen was found to 

 be quietly at work. What would have happened 

 to her had she been put in by the cage plan? 



Providence. R. I. Arthur ('. Miller. 



Ten and Eighteen Frame Hives. 



We notice that an eight-frame hive is in favor in 

 your country. That size would be of no use here, 

 because it would arouse the swarming propensity, 

 which in out-apiaries is such a nuisance. Hives 

 holding from ten to eighteen standard frames are 

 generally used, but the ten-frame hive with a cou- 

 ple of division-boards is really the most useful 

 type of hive. It is usually doubled-walled, back 

 and front, and the dummy boards make it double- 

 walled at the sides. With plinths, and painted 

 three coats, and the roof covered with thin flat 

 galvanized iron over a thick layer of paper, this 

 hive is warm, and absolutely waterproof. We 

 have our own non-swarmlng system, and rarely 

 have more than one swarm from a hundred colo- 

 nies. We envy you your succession of honey crops, 

 as you appear to have several harvests of honey in 

 one season. C.Calvert (Certificated Expert*. 



Cheltenham, Eng.. Feb. 2.S. 



