THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Jaii. 26, i9i 5. 



apart for this work, although the theory of a separate 

 section in the Division of Entomology devoted to apicul- 

 ture, was recognized, and certain light expenses, together 

 with stenographic services, allowed. 



This brings us to the opening of the present fiscal year, 

 July 1, 1904. I have quoted from Dr. Riley's article his 

 allusion to the fact that the work which he began so 

 many years before had to be interrupted, and I have also 

 mentioned to what he attributed this, to some extent, 

 namely: "to the lack of effort on the part of bee-keepers 

 themselves, i. e., to their failure to take united action 

 such as would bring home to the head of the Department, 

 and to those in charge of the general appropriations, the 

 needs and just demands of the industry." In this connec- 

 tion I should like to call your attention to the fact that 

 I had strongly recommended to the National Association 

 which met in Albany the year before, i. e., in 1891, some 

 action looking to the development of a separate section 

 or division devoted to apiculture here at the Department, 

 and that a committee was appointed at the Albany con- 

 vention which made the following recommendations: 



1st, That the Section of Apiculture in the Division 

 of Entomology, Department of Agriculture, be raised (i; 

 an independent Division. 



2d. That in connection therewith there be an ex- 

 perimental apiary established at Washington, having all 

 the appointments necessary to a first-class Apicultural 

 Experiment Station. 



3d. That the apropriation for this Division be sufli- 

 ciently large so that the work may not be embarrassed 

 for the lack of funds. 



Had these recommendations been followed up by the 

 proper influence they might long ago, I believe, have 

 been carried out, but the matter rested' in this shape for a 

 long time. However, I should not leave the subject with- 

 out mentioning the substantial encouragement which has 

 been given to the latest effort for development of apicul- 

 tural work at the Department, and in the first rank I 

 must allude to the efficient aid and influence given by the 

 active chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nation- 

 al Bee-Keepers' Association, Mr. W. F. Marks, of New 

 York; and the able editor of Gleanings in Bee Culture, 

 himself one of the board of directors as well, Mr. E. R. 

 Root, of Ohio; to the worthy President of the National 

 Association, Mr, J. U. Harris, of Colorado; to W. Z. 

 Hutchinson, editor of the Review, and himself a member 

 of the board of directors; to Dr. C. C. Miller, of Illinois, 

 another of the directors, as well as numerous friends 

 who have taken occasion to voice their sentiments with 

 their representatives in Congress to the end that they 

 should support such measures as have been so long rec- 

 ommended and so earnestly striven for during this long 

 period of more than a decade. It is in the end a substan- 

 tial victory to the apicultural interests of the country, 

 which is not passing but permanent, and whose results 

 I hope will continue and grow long after all who listen 

 to my voice shall have passed away. 



Thus, at the date mentioned — July 1, 1904 — after long 

 effort and repeated representations to authorities at the 

 Department and legislators themselves of the needs of 

 such general work in entomology, and particularly in the 

 various economic lines grouped under the general sub- 

 ject of entomological investigations, the Division of En- 

 tomology was raised to the rank of a bureau, with what 

 is practically a Division of Apiculture. And while the 

 appropriation is still in the form of a lump sum, there is 

 set apart a definite sum for apiculture, which leaves, 

 after the payment of salaries, some $5,000 for experimental 

 work. I have been allowed two assistants, each bearing 

 .the title. Special Agent in Apiculture, and one whose title 

 is that of Apicultural Clerk, and in addition to this, sten- 

 ographic service. 



As my first assistant I have been able to secure Mr. 

 John M. Rankin, of Michigan, a student and experimenter 

 in apiculture, with whom many of the members of the 

 National Association are well acquainted, and whose 

 name is familiar to many others in connection with his 

 former work as State Inspector of Apiaries in Michigan, 

 and before that was in charge of the experimental work 

 at the Michigan State Agricultural College. He is a 

 graduate of the institution just named, and a young man 

 of excellent habits from whom we may expect valuable 

 aid in the general work in apiculture at the Department. 



As the second assistant, Mr. Leslie Martin, of Ten- 

 nessee, an enthusiastic student of apiculture, has been en- 



gaged. He is still young but has had several years' ex- 

 perience in practical work with bees, and has already 

 shown perseverance and intelligent attention to the sub- 

 ject. 



A civil service examination has been held for the 

 position of apicultural clerk, and we may hope an intelli- 

 gent assistant will soon be appointed to fill this position-. 



The Department has granted the establishing of a 

 model apiary of 50 colonies, and tnrough competitive bids 

 the contract has been awarded to a bee-keeper in the 

 State of Maryland. The bees have been delivered and 

 will shortly be located in their permanent place at the 

 Arlington Experimental Farm, connected with the De- 

 partment of Agriculture. This farm is located on the Vir- 

 ginia side of the Potomac River, directly 'across from the 

 Department grounds. I believe that the location will be 

 fairly isolated, and thus that any particular race we 

 choose to establish there may be bred, with excellent op- 

 portunity for preserving its purity. At the outset the new 

 race imported from the Caucasus of Russia will be estab- 

 lished in these colonies for a thorough test, and for the 

 purpose of crossing with other types. 



THE WORK TO BE tJNDERTAKEN. 



I shall pass very briefly over this, since my historical 

 review of the development of this as a branch of the work 

 at the United States Department of Agriculture has been 

 rather more extended than I had planned; and further- 

 more, I prefer that the work we shall undertake, when 

 completed, shall speak for itself, rather than that I should 

 make at the present time many words over mere plans. 



The fitting up of a model apiary at the Arlington Ex- 

 periment Farm, which is imder the control of the De- 

 partment, the building of a bee-house, laboratory, and 

 workshop combined, and getting together of all the neces- 

 sary implements, hives, queen-rearing outfit, tools, chem- 

 icals, etc., for the conduct of experimental work, will 

 necessarily consume a little time. The bees have been 

 purchased in the open market, after bids had been adver- 

 tised for and received. They have been delivered in good 

 shape, and are now pfospering on the wild aster which 

 blooms so abundantly in the latitude of Washington in 

 September and October. This part of our work is, 

 therefore, well under way. We have already taken steps 

 toward the procuring of seeds and roots of certain import- 

 ant foreign honey-producing plants, and have secured the 

 cooperation of the Bureau of Plant Industry at the De- 

 partment, which is in charge of the introduction of new 

 and valuable forage, seed and fruit crops, as well as the 

 congressional seed distribution, which latter is largely Con- 

 fined to the distribution of vegetable, flower and forage- 

 crop seeds, most of which are already known in this coun- 

 try. The Bureau of Plant Industry wilt undertake to secure 

 at the suggestion of the Agricultural Investigator, seeds 

 of such important forage and garden crops as have not yet 

 been brought to this country, and which are valuable as 

 honey-producers. We are, therefore, ready to file appli- 

 cations for small quantities of seeds which we shall en- 

 deavor to send out with discrimination so as to gain the 

 best results possible with seeds adapted to the region of 

 the applicant. In the aggregate there will be considerable 

 quantities of these seeds, yet anticipating that the demand 

 will also be lively, it is expected that only a small quan- 

 tity for testing can be sent to individual applicants. 



It will be the policy of the Department, in its agricul- 

 tural work, to cooperate with all State bee-inspectors, 

 whenever any cooperative work is desirable, provided, of 

 course, the sum at the command of the Department for 

 this purpose admits of this. During the first year not a 

 large amount can be turned in this direction, however: 

 but it is to be hoped that in sucessive years the original 

 purchasing and fitting up of a department apiary having- 

 been accomplished, there will be more opportunity to- 

 undertake a niore thorough investigation of all known con- 

 tagious bee-diseases. 



Naturally, many interested in seeing the giant bees of 

 India and the Philiooines (Megapis, dorsata and zonata) 

 tested in their native countries, and perhaps in this coun- 

 try also, will inquire what we shall do about this. Some- 

 other, more wise in his own view, and desirin'^ to point 

 his finger and poke fun at ye apicultural investigator, will' 

 at once reply: "Oh, that is one of his particular hobbies: 

 assuredly he will let everything else go by and fly off in- 

 a tangent on this wild bee (goose) chase." But hold, 

 good friend, not so fast. We are- trying to keep a weather 



