354 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



June A, 



treated can be readily found in front of their hive among the 

 few bees that have not gone in. 



I have never as yet lost a queen by this method, but I 

 will say for the benefit of beginners, that this method should 

 not be practiced during cool weather in the spring, or late in 

 the fall, after queens have stopped laying. 



Southern Minnesota. 



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Benefits of a Foul Brood Law. 



Head iefore the Wiscojisin State Convention 

 BY N. E. FRANCE. 



Perhaps this subject can as well be answered by answer- 

 ing some of the questions I so often hear. I am sorry to say 

 there are too many keeping bees who seem to talk and act as 

 if too wise to learn from our valuable bee papers or books. 

 They ask, What is this disease ? Is it contagious ? Is it near 

 us ? Has any State a foul brood law '? 



Foul brood is a very fatal and contagious disease, doing 

 its work by killing the bees in the grub or worm stage of life. 

 As it takes only a few days from the egg to the hatched bee, 

 you can see how short a time it' would take to destroy the 

 colony after once exposed. This dreaded disease became 

 serious in Canada so that the industry seemed doomed ; those 

 wide-awake neighbors and members of the Ontario Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association could not be content to give up so valuable an 

 industry, and on April 7, 1890, had a law passed providing 

 for an inspector, and heavy fines to any one to sell or expose 

 any diseased bees or appliances. Wm. McEvoy, as inspector, 

 has so carefully and thoroughly done his duty that the dis- 

 ease can scarcely be found. 



I am often asked, " How near is the disease to my bee- 

 yard ?" As long as the disease is in this country, and no law 

 to control it with our mail service carrying bees and supplies, 

 I consider we are all in danger. Allow me to illustrate: 



A bee-keeper told me he wanted a choice Italian queen, 

 so sent to one of our Eastern States for it. The queen with 

 a few bees came, and were introduced with the cage as in- 

 structed. He felt proud of his pretty queen, and after a time 

 he opened the hive to find by some means the colony had foul 

 brood. Not being the honey harvest season, the disease 

 spread very fast, causing a loss of over 100 colonies. 



California, for several years, has had a foul brood law, and 

 their inspector (J. F. Mclntyre) has done great good there, 

 so that now that State is noted for her train loads of honey 

 shipped to various places. 



Colorado also has a foul brood law. Last winter Illinois 

 and Minnesota, and at the same time I, as Wisconsin delegate, 

 tried to get a foul brood law. Why did we fail to get it? 

 Simply because the bee-keepers of the State did not do their 

 duty. How careful we require by law a case of small-pox, or 

 other contagious disease, to be quarantined and doctored. 

 Likewise diseases among farm stock. Why not have a similar 

 law to protect our bees ? If you want such a law, you can 

 have it, if you will only ask for it. 



As delegate to appear before our legislature last winter, I 

 soon learned that very few members of either House had been 

 called on by bee-keepers of their district, and did not know 

 one thing about the disease, or whether they wanted a law 

 or not. I did all I could, but failed simply because I did not 

 have backing. At least a dozen members of the legislature 

 told me they would vote for the Bill if bee-men from their 

 district would request it. A stitch in time, brother bee-keep- 

 ers, will accomplish it. 



I repeat. Do you want the protection of the law ? 



Platteville, Wis. 



^ 



PiO'w is tlie Xime to work for new subscribers. 

 Why not take advantage of the offer made on page 364 ? 



Enlargement of the Bee-Keepers* Union. 



BY W. D. FRENCH. 



Several correspondents request me to again set forth, in 

 detail, the proposition bearing upon the subject of an enlarge- 

 ment of the Bee-Keepers' Union, wherein all bee-keepers may 

 be benefited. 



This subject, to me, seems of vital importance, and will, 

 at no distant day, be carried into execution. The object of a 

 union should be for the protection of all apiarists, not only 

 those who may be harassed by malicious individuals, but ex- 

 tend aid to all who produce honey. 



The proposition I desire to discuss, which tends to accom- 

 plish this feat, may appear to the minds of some to be beyond 

 consummation ; but when we consider the fact that all indus- 

 tries in our land have combined, either to rob or for protec- 

 tion, must we look upon each other with fear and trembling 

 timidity, and allow others to combine upon our product, and 

 with less capital ? Where there is a determination there is a 

 a way. Those who keep bees, but do not produce honey, may 

 be loath to combine ; but the great producing class will join 

 together, and form one vast association, not for the purpose 

 of robbery, but to protect themselves from being robbed. 



A person in his first experience will be advised to begin 

 with a small number of colonies, and in a few years he may 

 possess a large apiary ; beginning with caution and care, ac- 

 quiring knowledge and information, and, as time rolls on, he 

 becomes well versed in the pursuit; and it may be true with 

 reference to the marketing of our product by the formation 

 of a protective bee-keepers' union. It would undoubtedly re- 

 quire two or three years to place such an organization in full 

 and complete operation, although in the first year of its use- 

 fulness it would be heard, seen and felt. 



I do not wish to be understood as advocating a scheme 

 that would in any manner deprive a single member of the 

 present Bee-Keepers' Union from any part or fraction of bene- 

 fits to which he may now be entitled ; my sole object in present- 

 ing this proposition is to enhance the value and elevate the 

 pursuit which we follow, classifying our industry in the cate- 

 gory of those that are honorable, legitimate and profitable. 



There is not a person who dares take issue with me upon 

 this subject, basing his argument on the impracticability of 

 co-operation in the marketing of honey. I may be in error 

 upon different points of my proposition, but I believe in the 

 main it is the only solution to be arrived at. 



To illustrate my views in detail, which I am again re- 

 quested to present, I would first say that every State bee- 

 keepers' association should inaugurate a system of warehouses 

 in every city where it might be deemed necessary, or where 

 honey is produced in large quantities, or in amounts sufBcient 

 to warrant it, and the same be the distributing point for said 

 city and locality ; each point of distribution, however, should 

 not carry more than the consumption of said city, or district, 

 and all surplus be shipped to the great head center to be 

 located in Chicago, which would constitute the distributing 

 point for America. It should be operated by the same system 

 as at present, although necessitating and requiring the full 

 time and attention of its manager. 



A commission should be charged sufficiently large to meet 

 all operating expenses, and to establish a fund in which to 

 pay freight bills, advances on consignments, etc.; and eventu- 

 ally paying the producer his cash upon arrival. By the aid of 

 what cash there is now in the treasury, and one dollar from 

 each new member, a sufficient sum could be realized to estab- 

 lish aud maintain a bureau of distribution in Chicago. 



Should State associations be negligent in the matter of 

 establishing warehouses in their respective States or cities, 

 theu the same should be performed by the Board of Trustees, 

 or officers of the Union. 



I have no desire to formulate a method for electing offi- 



