T62 



Tsu mmLMMi^mM mmm jowmifsi^. 



fortnight in his tobacco column, as a 



great, big sinnor ! 



It goes witliout saying, that tliis Asso- 

 ciation has done mnoli to advance the 

 interests of boe-l<ceping by means of the 

 excellent papers, discussions thereon, 

 and the publication of its proceedings in 

 the bee-periodicals, especially in the 

 American Bee Jouknal, which has 

 always been foremost in giving prompt 

 and full reports. These have been scat- 

 tered far and wide, among bee-keepers. 

 and have cxcrti'd a mighty leavening and 

 educating influence throughout this con- 

 tinent and in all lands where apiculture 

 exists. 



But I am getting ''long-winded" after 

 all. Still my fri<'nd and critic, Dr. Miller, 

 has not left. He is probably staying to 

 15rove the correctness of his professional 

 diagnosis as to the condition of my lungs. 

 However. I am- going to stop — really — 

 sooii — •• Honest Injun 1" 



As a preacher. I never try to exhaust 

 my text, but only to set people thinking 

 about it. The true function of a public 

 discourse is. to lay down a track of thought 

 along which the hearers may travel at 

 will. Now you can all think of many 

 more good things in the past of this 

 Association than I have enumerated. 

 Add the sum total of it all together, and 

 there will be ample proof that its life 

 has been worth living, and consequently 

 deserves to be perpetuated. 



I have only one word more to say 

 about the future of this Association. It 

 needs to assume a more representative 

 character. All along, during the course 

 of its history, we have tried to give it 

 this feature. The only defect in this 

 meeting has been that there were so few 

 " wise men from the East" here. The 

 distance is too great for many whose 

 hearts have bc^eu with us. to bear the 

 expense of the iourney. 



I say frankly, that but for the gener- 

 ous kindness of my fellow-members of 

 the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Assocation, I 

 should have been absent — no great loss, 

 perhaps, except to myself. But I want 

 to hold up the. body I represent as an 

 example in this respect. We are going 

 to send at least one delegate every year, 

 and pay his expenses, even if the Asso- 

 ciation meets as far away as California. 

 I think I nuiy venture to tell you, as a 

 little " tal*- out of school," that here- 

 after, when a bee-keeper fills the presi- 

 dential chair among us for a year, he 

 will not •• step down and out," but will 

 be invited to step up and out, by being 

 appointed our delegate to this Conven- 

 tion. Is not this an idea worth adoption, 

 at least, by every State, )irovincial, and 

 territorial association ? I think it is, 

 and I would express the hope, in closing, 

 that this body, while retaining all the 

 good qualities it has had in the past, 

 will, in the futun-, be more thoroughly 

 and largely representative of the bee- 

 keeping fraternity, and in all parts of 

 North America. \V. F. Clarke. 



Mrs. Harrison asked : Is there never 

 to be an}' chance for us to meet ladies 

 as Delegates from Ontario ? 



W. F. Clarke — Certainly. Canada 

 is not behind the United States on 

 Women's Rights. 



Dr. Millei- — It is evident that Mr. 

 Clarke meant to • ■ embrace the ladies " 

 in his essa}'. 



Thomas G. Newman said that he 

 desired to impress one point in the 

 address of Mr. Clarke. In order to 

 make this Association trulj' representa- 

 tive, in fact as well as in name, it is 

 necessaiy that all the local, State and 

 Territorial Associations should send 

 Delegates to every Convention. We 

 want to see the Society extend even as 

 as far as California, and have Repre- 

 sentatives of that large honey-produc- 

 ing country attend our meetings. But 

 in order to do so, they must come as 

 Representatives, and their expenses be 

 paid bj" the Societies. No one indi- 

 vidual could alibrd the outlay for him- 

 self alone. But for the many, it was 

 easil}' accomplished. Able Represen- 

 tatives would be willing to give their 

 time to attend these assemblies, but all 

 Representatives should have their ex- 

 penses paid by the local Societies. This 

 is contemplated by the Constitution. 



' Under the head of " Voluntary Con- 

 tributions," the following essaj-. writ- 

 ten by Allen Pringle. President of the 

 Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association, was 

 read, but the discussion of the topic 

 was postponed until the afternoon 

 session. 



Foul Brood. 



The Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association 

 has. I believe, two or three accredited 

 rci)resentatives at this Convention, 

 though but one with portfolio. But as 

 the ijresent membership of o\ir Society 

 would entitle us to a dozen or more dele- 

 gates, this communication from mi' will 

 not, I hope, be any enci'oachment on the 

 time, business, or patience of the mi>et- 

 ing. At any rate tlie paramount im- 

 portance of the subj<'ct I wish to bring 

 before you must be at once my justitica- 

 tion and apology. 



On looking o\er the programme for 

 this International Convention of bee- 

 keepers, I am not a little surprised to 

 find that the question most vital to them 

 to-day has no jilace there. I therefore 

 propose to step in under cover of "Vol- 

 unteer Contributions," and fill the gap 

 thus left open. 



The question I refer to- as being the 

 most serious and diflfictdtone confronting 

 the apiarist to-day is the •• Foul-Brood " 

 question. 



The other prime difficulties in bee- 

 cidture have been removed — the largest 

 obstacles surnu>unt<'d. The winter 

 problem is solved: the " spring-swind- 

 ling " problem is solved; the evolution 

 of the "best bee" is well under way; 

 while a host of other minor matters have 

 been resolved into a multitude of solu- 

 tions to suit this bee-keeper, that one, 

 and the other one. 



The fo\il-brood problem has stood the 

 longest. — a defiance to our heads and a 

 menace to our jiockets. But it, too. has 

 been pmcticitUy solved, though still hot 

 in theoretical dispute. But one good 



fact, rightly interpreted, ought to kill a 

 dozen dubious, opposing theories. I 

 remember writing, wlien at school, from 

 this copy: "Theory is worth but little, 

 unless it can explain its own )ihenomena" 

 — and the idea has been useful to me. 

 Whatever the theories of foul-brood 

 presented, atid whatever the drugopathic 

 remedies jjroposed and predicated 

 tliereon, I undertake to say here, that 

 we, in Canada, have practically solved 

 the problem of cure, during the past 

 season. 



As soon as I became satisfied of this, I 

 sought to convince our big cousin over 

 there of the important fact, but appar- 

 ently with poor success — that is, so far 

 as the periodicals and professionals are 

 concerned. I wrote to the two leading 

 American bee-periodicals on the subject, 

 sending a copy of our "Foul-Brood Bul- 

 letin " to each, and suggesting that they 

 give their readers the benefit of its 

 contents. The contents, however, did 

 not appear, though, of cotirse, my own 

 letters did. 



Our inspector (before his appointment, 

 however), wrote out his method of 

 successfully treating foul-brood, and 

 sent it to another .Vuu'rican periodical, 

 that number of whii-li was to be wholly 

 taken up with the foul-brood subject. 

 This communication did not appear, 

 it contained a great truth, and perhaps 

 inore valuable infornuition for tliose 

 scourged with the fo>d-brood, than all 

 else that appeared in that number. 



Now, "brethering." ( I mean ye three 

 editors, and doubth-ss all present), 

 please bear in mind that this is not 

 meant for an attack on you or your 

 periodicals. I attack "brother Jona- 

 than," for I suspect he is to blame. 

 That tremenduously big brother of ours, 

 armed with the " McKinley Bill," is just 

 now straightening himself up in our 

 presence and giving us a withering 

 glance — "on the slant." These " sove- 

 regu " citizens of his have no dotilit 

 caught the infection, and naturally 

 enough imagine that "no good thing 

 can come out of Nazareth," or Canada. 



Be that as it may. I repeat and re- 

 iterate, for the benefit of whom it may 

 concern, that we hav(< practically solved 

 the foul-brood question in Canada — that 

 is, so far as its succ<'ssful treatment is 

 concerned, and that, of course, is the 

 main )ioiut: and we shall charge you 

 nothing for the infornuition of how it 

 was done. Though you may he unwil- 

 ling to import the " furrin " article 

 witlumt a tariff or JIcKinley-tax, we 

 shall nevertheless smuggle it in to you 

 by •• Her Majesty's mail"' and "Uncle 

 Sara's jiost." 



By this little digression we mean imth- 

 ing amiss. It is only a friendly return 

 of harmless banter which I sometimes 

 observe coming over here, from down 

 there. Nor do we mean to boast over 

 our achievement in apicultural thera- 

 peutics. Our determination to give you 

 this information how to cure foiil-brood 

 does not arise from that motive. On the 

 other hand the motive may not be 

 wholly benevolent or disinterested. 

 There may be a trifie of selfishness 

 about it, but of a kind beneficial to you 

 as well as ourselves. 



