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Pnblisbed W^eekly at «1.00 a Tear by Cieorge W. ¥ork St. Co., 334 Dearborn St. 



QBORQE W. YORK, Editor. 



CHICAGO, ILL, FEB, 2, 1905. 



VoL XLV.— No. 5. 



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"Bee-Keeping in the Southwest." 



Over a year ago we had some correspondence with 

 Prof. Louis H. Scholl, of Texas, concerning the preparation 

 of a series of articles on bee-keeping in his section of our 

 great country. Finally, about two months ago, he wrote 

 us that he would now have the time to write them, and in 

 this issue will be found the first one under a heading of his 

 own selection, "Bee-Keeping in the Southwest". Our 

 Southern readers especially will be interested in Prof. 

 SchoU's articles, though they will be profitable for all. 



Punic or Tunisian Bees. 



The character of these bees is a live topic nowadays 

 among the correspondents of the American Bee-Keeper, the 

 editor having received " numerous comments, aggregating 

 nearly 100 pages of manuscript, together with lots of letters 

 from those who have tested this race of bees". Whether 

 they be good or ill-tempered, there can be no denying their 

 ability to stir up ill temper among the disputants, for the 

 editor says that much of the matter must be rejected 

 " owing to its somewhat vindictive tone ". 



Nominations for Officers of the National. 



Wm. M. Whitney, of Wisconsin, does not favor the 

 plan of selecting for candidates the two having the highest 

 number of votes for nomination. He also says : 



" It seems to me that as many States prominent in bee- 

 keeping as possible should be represented on the Board of 

 Directors, and it might be well for each State organization 

 to indicate in some way the wish of the members in each 

 locality ; but voters to exercise their own free will in mak- 

 ing choice of candidates for any oflSce to be filled." 



Perhaps it would be a good idea for State organizations 

 to take a vote on nominations, provided the members are 

 also members of the National, and yet it would be only a 

 duplication if such members also sent in votes for nomina- 

 tions to the General Manager according to the present 

 custom. 



The idea that the nominees should, so far as possible, 

 fairly represent the different sections of the country is 

 based on that jewel " fair play ". Some might say to in. 

 crease the number of directors so that each State could be 

 represented. But that would make the body a very un- 



wieldy affair, say others. Indeed, some of the Board say 

 the number is now too great for rapid expedition of busi- 

 ness. There is perhaps never an actual meeting of the 

 Board with all the members present, and the business is 

 chiefly transacted by mail. Would it be an improvement 

 to return to the smaller number of previous years ? Could 

 or could not three or five members do the business as satis- 

 factorily as twelve or twenty ? These, and other questions, 

 are fair subjects for discussion. 



One thing that makes it less important that many dif- 

 ferent sections should be separately represented is the fact 

 that the interests of the different sections are generally 

 identical. Protection against unjust litigation is the same 

 in Maine as in California, and the same may be said of 

 adulteration and other matters. However, we believe that 

 it would be an advantage to have the members of the Board 

 of Directors in as many different parts of the country as, 

 possible. 



Drone-Brood Exempt from Foul Brood. 



Something which has perhaps not been heretofore men- 

 tioned on this side the water is given in the British Bee 

 Journal, which says : 



"It is a curious fact that dead drone-larvse, even wheo 

 taken from a hive affected with foul brood, never show the 

 marked characteristics — either in color or ropiness — such 

 as are seen in worker-brood from a diseased colony. It 

 would almost seem as if the bacillus does not propagate or 

 thrive in the former as in the worker-larv^. Anyway, we 

 can only record the fact as we have found it, after an ex- 

 perience probably as great as that of any one in this 

 country." 



A Question-Box Convention Program. 



That's the kind the Chicago-Northwestern is. Not a 

 single paper was read at the last meeting. It was simply 

 question after question, and one lively discussion following 

 another. Such program is very easy to prepare, and when 

 once "ignited", and the " flames " properly directed or 

 controlled, it makes just the livest and warmest kind of 

 a meeting of bee-keepers. 



Such program has many advantages, and scarcely any 

 disadvantages. The secretary is not overworked in pre- 

 paring it before the meeting. Every one present has only 

 to hand in any question that he desires to have discussed, 

 when it is read, and the opinions thereon are forthcoming 

 at once. 



It also furnishes an ever fresh and sometimes surpris- 

 ing program. No one knows what is coming next until the 

 next question is read by the presiding officer. Often the 

 questions are so interesting that several members want to 

 give their experiences in concert. Then the president or 

 I chairman needs only to say which person can have the 



