570 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Human Enemies of the bees 

 and their keepers are not all dead yet. 

 They still continue to exhibit their 

 malicious and diabolical natures by en- 

 deavoring to prohibit the keeping of bees 

 wherever they fancy they should not 

 exist. Often, or almost invariably, this 

 opposition is inspired by jealousy or 

 spite on the part of the aggressors, and 

 those who keep the bees must either 

 fight for their constitutional rights, or 

 " move on " with their bees to some dis- 

 tant field. 



The National Bee-Keepers' Union has 

 successfully defended its members in 

 nearly every case which it has under- 

 taken to assist. The Union has a bright 

 record, and did bee-keepers but appre- 

 ciate what it has done, and can do, for 

 them in sustaining their rights and 

 privileges in their chosen pursuit, we 

 think they would all flock to its stan- 

 dard, and enlist their influence and 

 dollars in its and their own behalf. 



We have received a long letter from 

 Mr. H. D. Davis, of Bradford, Vt., 

 dated April 12, 1892, in which he ex- 

 plains fully the trouble in which he is 

 now situated, and asks what the Union 

 can do for him. He is not a member of 

 the Union, and hence, of course, has no 

 claims upon it for assistance. But be- 

 fore commenting further, we will pre- 

 sent his story, so that the readers may 

 understand the unpleasant position of 

 their fellow bee-keeper : 



I have endured great annoyance from 

 malicious parties of this town who dis- 

 like me for a position I once took to aid 

 in closing the liquor dens of this place, 

 and, once having taken an honest posi- 

 tion, I will not back down for the pleas- 

 ure of any liquor-dealer, drinker, or 

 their apologists. These rummies have 

 frequently come upon my premises and 

 destroyed bees, hives and honey, by 

 overturning the hives and rolling them 

 down the bank. 



I have some 400 coloni(^s of bees, and 

 keep from 75 to 100 of them on my 

 homo place, which is just within the 

 limits of the village (said village liaving 

 secured a charter in .January, 1891). 

 My place is about a half mile from the 

 center of the village, and adjacent to 



the main street. The land runs back 

 level from the street for about 75 feet, 

 and then rises to a height of about 50 

 feet above the highway, the top of the 

 bank being about 175 feet back from 

 the road, which, in front of my place is 

 about 50 feet higher than the main 

 street of the village proper. 



Ranged on terraces on the upper part 

 of this bank (some 400 feet in length) 

 are about 250 hives, all of which at 

 present contain -bees, but, as I said be- 

 fore, I keep only 75 to 100 colonies here 

 in the working season, as the balance 

 are some I brought home to winter from 

 an out-apiary which I discarded last 

 Fall. 



They are located so far above the 

 street that when flying they pass above 

 the roofs of the neighboring houses. 

 When there were but few bees, I used to 

 have them on the level piece, but feared 

 some accident, so I moved them up to 

 the top of the bank. I have never 

 known of any animals being stung, 

 though the cows and sheep of my nearest 

 neighbor (who is the principal promoter 

 of the constant fusillade kept up against 

 me) have been repeatedly turned out to 

 feed in my bee-yard and garden, to my 

 serious annoyance ; and I have never 

 known of but one person being stung — a 

 woman, who admitted that it was due to 

 her own carelessness in hastily crushing 

 the bee when it alighted on her. 



This nearest neighbor dispenses an- 

 nually a vast quantity of cider, and 

 therefore has a powerful influence with 

 the rowdy drunken class which he uses 

 as tools for doing his filthy work, and, 

 as he is extremely vicious and malicious 

 himself, nearly all who do not fall in 

 with his views, dare not say anything 

 contrary, for fear of his injuring them. 



A year ago this man drew up a peti- 

 tion to the village oflicers to compel the 

 removal of my bees from town as a nui- 

 sance, and seclired 40 signers thereto ; 

 but it seems that the officers dared not 

 take up the matter then, as the village 

 by-laws were not broad enough to in- 

 clude bees as a nuisance. So there has 

 been a warning just issued for a village 

 meeting, on April 20, to change the by- 

 laws so as to include bees as a nuisance. 



You can readily see that their pur- 

 pose then is to compel me to remove my 

 bees. In view of this will you kindly 

 advise me what action, if any, I can 

 take ; also what decisions have been 

 rendered on test cases of this nature, If 

 such there are ; and in case I decide to 

 make this a test case, what assistance I 

 could have from the National Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Union ? 



