March 29, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



199 



ingj.it closed up with only a small entrance, and they will 

 be pretty sure to come out. Put them in, and they will 

 probably stay till it gets hot the next day, and then out 

 they'll come again. 



I 8. See answer to question 3. 



EZ, 9. A prime swarm is not likely to come out in bad 

 weather, but will hardly mind a little cloud or wind, and an 

 after-swarm may come out in almost any kind of weather. 



Cover for Over Brood-Frames -Slow Breeding. 



1. What would you use besides the thin board cover in 

 your hives, over the brood-frames, to keep the bees warm in 

 the spring ? The dovetail hives that I have do not fit so 

 tight but some cold air gets thru in the spring. 



2. What would you do with a colony of bees that do not 

 seem to breed fast enough in the spring to expect them to 

 gather ' any honey, such a colony having honey enough so 

 as not to need feeding ? Wisconsin. 



Answers. — 1. Most of my hives have the plain board 

 cover, which is not very thin, % inch, and that is the only 

 thing over the top-bars. Something warmer would be 

 better, and I have in use (expect to have more) SO covers 

 that are made with a dead-air space in them. The worst 

 thing about the ordinary plain board cover is that in time 

 it will warp and twist so it will not lie close on the hive. 

 However, you ought not to have much trouble in spring, for 

 the bees will fill with glue all openings in the fall, and they 

 should at that time be so well stored with honey that they 

 will not need to be opened early in spring. 



2. If they have all the brood the bees can cover, that's 

 all you can expect. If they could cover more brood than 

 they have, you may hurry up matters in more than one 

 way. The frames that have brood very likely have a border 

 of sealed honey above the brood ; uncap or bruise this, so 

 the bees will empty the honey and allow the queen to re- 

 place it with eggs. If there is no honey over the brood, put 

 next to the outside frame of brood a comb of honey with 

 the cappings broken. Another way is to lift out the middle 

 frame of brood, and turn it end for end. Or reverse one or 

 both of the outside frames of brood. But remember, re- 

 member, that you may do a lot more harm than good by 

 meddling with the brood-nest in cool spring weather, or at 

 a time when a cold snap may come after your meddling. 



The National Pure Food and Drug- Congress. 



BY REV. B. T. ABBOTT. . 



THE third annual meeting of this congress, which was 

 held in Washington, D. C, March 7, 8 and 9, was in 

 many respects the most interesting and profitable meet- 

 ing that has ever been convened for the discussion of the 

 subject of pure food. 



The writer, who went to represent the interests of the 

 National Bee-Keepers' Association, made the trip over the 

 lines of the Missouri Pacific and the Pennsylvania rail- 

 roads. As both of these lines are thoroly equipt for the 

 handling of passengers, and have a national reputation for 

 speed and comfort, it is not necessary for us to say that the 

 ride was as pleasant and enjoyable as any railroad ride 

 can be. 



As we reacht Washington at 1:30, and the congress was 

 called to order at noon, we did not hear the addresses of Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture Wilson and his assistant, Secretary 

 Brigham, but we heard both of the addresses spoken of in 

 the highest terms. A number of excellent addresses were 

 delivered, and among the many speakers was Senator 

 Mason, of Illinois, and a number of congressmen from 

 various parts of the United States. Several valuable addi- 

 tions were made to the ranks of pure-food advocates, and 

 among them were two congressmen from our own State — 

 Champ Clark and C. F. Cochran. We think we are safe in 

 saying that the friends of pure food can depend upon Mr. 

 Cochran's splendid ability being thrown on the right side 

 when the final battle comes on the floor of the house. He 

 made a ringing speech before the Food Congress. 



One of Mr. Clark's sallies was as follows: " I regard 

 this pure-food congress of vaster importance than even a 

 national political convention called for naming a president, 

 for we can live in this country under almost any kind of a 

 president, as has been demonstrated within my recollection. 

 But we can't live without food. There is no doubt but that 

 a man's eating has a lot to do *ith his top piece." 



Altho this is only his second terra in the house, there is 

 probably no man on the floor who can command a more re- 

 spectful and attentive hearing than Mr. Cochran. He has 

 the reputation among his fellow members of being thoroly 

 posted on all public questions, and of never talking simply 

 for the sake of being heard, so that when he does speak his 

 hearers always expect him to throw some new light on the 

 subject under discussion, and they are seldom disap- 

 pointed. Mr. Cochran is a man who attends very closely 

 to the business he has in hand, so that he is alwaj's found 

 in his seat during the sessions of the house, looking closely 

 after the interests of his constituents, and the " common 

 people " in every part of the United States. Just now there 

 is a heated campaign going on in his own district, and most 

 men in his situation would be at home looking after their 

 " political fences," but he prefers to stay in Washington 

 and attend to the business of the people who sent him there. 



The thing of most importance to our readers is to 

 know what the Food Congress did. First, they raised 

 nearly $600 on the floor of the congress to wipe out a debt 

 which had accumulated on the hands of the executive com- 

 mittee during the year for necessary and unavoidable ex- 

 penses. 



Second, they made some slight changes in the Brosius 

 Bill, as it was drafted by the congress of two years ago. 

 These changes were thought necessary after mature delib- 

 eration, to strengthen the bill and render it more effective 

 if it ever becomes a law. 



Third, we fought to a finish one of the most exciting 

 and closely contested fights that the writer has ever witnest 

 in a deliberative body. There was an attempt made by 

 some parties who had never before attended a meeting of 

 the congress, to sidetrack the Brosius Bill and substitute one 

 of their own making, known as the " Babcock Bill," in its 

 place. They came prepared for "war," and they got it 

 from start to finish. We are glad to say that when the 

 finish came the Babcock Bill was hung up high and dry, 

 and the Brosius Bill was pusht to the front stronger than 

 ever. * 



The main secret of the enthusiasm for the Babcock Bill 

 was that it hangs out several political plums for the enthu- 

 siastic henchmen, while the Brosius Bill does not offer any- 

 thing of the kind, but leaves the execution of the law in 

 the hands of the secretary of agriculture, where it should be. 



One quotation from the Babcock Bill will show clearly 

 that it proposes to place dangerous power in the hands of 

 one man, who is to be known as " food commissioner," at a 

 salary of $5,000. It reads as follows : "The food commis- 

 sioner is here authorized to cause all compound, mixt or 

 blended products, not only to be properly branded, and pre- 

 scribe how this shall be done, but he may designate the 

 color or colors and shape of packages, labels, printing, and 

 wrappers containing the same." When we think of putting 

 such dangerous power in the hands of any man, and then 

 of the temper of the man who- was slated, according to the 

 program of these would-be reformers, for this position, we 

 feel like saying, " Praise God that the Babcock Bill was 

 not a go." 



We now call upon all bee-keepers, and all who believe 

 in fair play, and all who believe that the secretary of agri- 

 culture is competent to fill the position to which he has 

 been appointed, to write to their congressman at once and 

 urge upon him the importance of supporting the revised 

 Brosius Bill as indorst by the National Pure Food and Drug 

 Congress to the exclusion of all others ; for there will no 

 doubt be an attempt to get the infamous Babcock Bill sub- 

 stituted for the Brosius Bill in the house and senate. 

 Simply say, "Pass the revised Brosius Bill," and sign your 

 name. Every congressman will know what that means 

 when he gets it on a postal card from one of his constituents. 



We thought we would tell more about the congress this 

 time, but we have said enough for the present. The time 

 for talking has gone by, and the time for action has come. 

 The time for the people to act. DO IT NOW. 



We might say in conclusion that the house committee 

 on interstate and foreign commerce invited the food con- 

 gress to a hearing before them, and we appeared there over 

 one hundred strong. A number of speeches were made by 

 different members of thj food congress. The writer had 

 the pleasure of presenting the subject of pure food in be- 

 half of the bee-keepers of the United States. We were 

 greatly pleased by the thoughtful attention which the com- 

 mittee gave to all the speakers, and the deep interest which 

 they manifested in the subject of pure-food legislation. 

 This hearing can not fail to be productive of much good to 

 the country. — Modern Farmer. 



