310 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



April 27, 1905. 



the cases are surrounded with bees clinging to the sides 

 nearly an inch thick. This condition could not obtain were it 

 not /or the outside wall. 



Now, my theory is, that owing to the great fluctuation 

 of temperature, often between midday and midnight, in our 

 northern localities, the double-wall hive is a better one for 

 the production of comb honey than the single wall, for the 

 reason, as I have thought, that comb-building is carried on 

 moie extensively at night, bees in the outside sections in the 

 single-wall hive, are checked in their operations during chilly 

 nights; hence, the necessity for the use of separators in such 

 hives to prevent the bulging of the comb in the sections. In 

 more southern localities this condition may not prevail, but 

 in northern localities there seems to be this trouble ; or, is it 

 my imagination? It seems to me, that if outside sections are 

 kept as warm as inside ones, and the hive is strong in bees, 

 that work would be as likely to be done there as elsewhere. 

 While I've never had anything but limited experience with 

 single-walled hives, this theory seems plausible to say the 

 least. 



But, I imagine I hear some one saying, "This is all a 

 pretty word-picture ; it looks well on paper ; sounds musical, 

 but I'd like to know whether it is all so, or not." Well, 

 trv it. Some one says, "It's just possible you are not a judge 

 of what constitutes a marketable section of honey." Well, 

 I'll not say as to that, but let the honey speak for itself. 

 A dealer who handles it in one of our large cities reports 

 that he has handled honey in the same place for 16 years, 

 and that this honey — non-separatored honey — is the finest 

 that he ever saw : that he sent a case to a lady who wanted 

 a choice article, and that she sent it back because she thought 

 it was manufactured; said she never saw comb so true and 

 so nice in her life, and that she knew that it was never in a 

 bee-hive. After being convinced that it was all right, she 

 requested the grocer to return the honey to her home. 



My honey has been shipped to St. Louis, Kansas City, 

 Chicago, Oak Park, and to other places, at $3.75 to $4.00 

 per case of 24 sections (f. o. b.), and I'm unable to supply 

 the demand. Of course, it is put up just as nicely as I 

 know how to do it, and I intend that no section back of 

 the front row shall suffer from a comparison with any one 

 of those just behind the glass. 



Now, whether it takes an expert or not, to produce that 

 kind of honey without separators, I'll not admit that I can- 

 not do it. Taking the extra expense of separators, the trouble 

 of cleaning them, and the brace-comb that is so often built 

 that spoils the section, I'm not so certain that I cannot do 

 it as well without separators, and with as little trouble, as 

 with them. 



I have said that I'm experimenting a little in a general 

 way. What we read in books and journals of course is of 

 use to u6, and sets us to thinking, which should prompt us 

 to do a little testing of theories, so that we may know for 

 ourselves; and, if done intelligently, this gives us positive 

 knowledge, which is essential for every person in any line 

 of business or employment to have. In this way, and only in 

 this way, are we likely to advance along any line of research. 

 I am planning to try a different style of separator from any- 

 thing that I have seen, to be used with the various kinds of 

 sections, and if I meet with success I shall give the results 

 of my experience to my brother bee-keepers. If I fail, well — 

 what? Why, "Try, try again." Walworth Co., Wis. 



# 



Governor Folk's Veto Message 



BY DR. G. BOHRER 



ON page 261 appears the Veto Message of Governor Folk, 

 of Missouri, in which he gives what he calls his reasons 

 for not appoving the Apiary Bill passed by the Legisla- 

 ture of that State. 



In the second paragraph he refers to the provision in 

 the Bill for the inspector to make a second visit to an apiary 

 diseased, which is the only real shadow of a valid reason set 

 forth in the entire document, that can serve as a real plea 

 of justification in support of his inexcusable blunder. 



The law should be so formed as to require the appoint- 

 ment of a person for inspector who is well skilled in the 

 habits and management of honey-bees, and well-versed in 

 the diseases of bees and the successful treatment of the 

 same. When called upon to visit and inspect an apiary in 

 case foul brood, pickled brood, or black brood is found, he 

 should prescribe an effectual remedy for a radical cure. If 

 the owner or manager of the bees refuses to permit the 



inspector to treat the disease or fails to apply the remedy 

 himself, the inspector should proceed to destroy all diseased 

 colonies, together with everything about the premises 

 infected in a manner liable to spread the disease. As a 

 rule, one visit will be sufficient to mark out the course to be 

 pursued by the inspector, and he should be the judge as to 

 whether or not more than one is necessary. 



In the third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs of the Mes- 

 sage, the Governor proves that he (like millions of other 

 well-meaning people), knows nothing about the bee-indus- 

 try, except, possibly, the superstitions and false reports 

 sent over the country through the press, all of which have 

 their origin in ignorance, and are cradled in superstition, 

 to the serious detriment of a very important industry. For 

 thousands of good people, many of whom are women and 

 invalids, are securing a comfortable support through the 

 scientific support of bees, and many other thousands are 

 keeping a few colonies which supply their tables with 

 honey, the most welcome sweet obtainable from any source. 

 In the fifth paragraph he states that the principle of the 

 measure is paternalistic, and not in accord with the demo- 

 cratic theory of government, which expression had its 

 origin in the brain of some trust magnate, and is used to 

 prejudice the minds of the unthinking and unsuspecting, 

 but confiding, public, and has no legitimate place in the 

 consideration or discussion of any question like the one 

 before us. If I am in error in taking this view of the case 

 why should any of the states enact laws to prevent harbor- 

 ing and spreading glanders among horses, small-pox, yel- 

 low fever, and other ailments among the human family ? 

 The Governor has assumed ground wholly untenable, and 

 he should lay aside all such slang expressions when consid- 

 ering questions which deserve the candid and sincere 

 thought of a real statesman. 



Missouri, like other States, has many intelligent bee- 

 keepers, who are confronted with the deadly disease of foul 

 brood among bees, which is being harbored by the careless, 

 ignorant and superstitious persons who own them, and who 

 are not only careless but egotistical, as well as superstitious, 

 and unwilling to accept the advice of anyone who may be 

 disposed to help rid them of the disease. In view of what 

 the governor says — "leave the matter to the owners of the 

 bees themselves " — why not. Governor Folk, call legislation 

 against railway train-robbing paternalistic, and advise the 

 railway companies, the people, and the robbers, to settle the 

 matters of robbery among themselves ? 



That Governor Folk has in time past done some very 

 good things is a fact, but in vetoing a bill for the suppres- 

 sion of a great source of injury to an important industry, 

 under the tame reasons he offers, he has done wrong. Let 

 us hope that he will not do it again. 



Lyons Co., Kans. 



A Large Increase— How to Secure It 



BY G. M. DOOUTTLE 



A LETTER lying before me reads thus: "I see that you 

 are answering questions in the American Bee Journal, 

 and so am led to ask you to tell me how I can increase 

 my bees more rapidly than I did last summer by natural 

 swarming. During the winter of 1903-04, I lost nine-tenths 

 of my bees, and thought to get the unoccupied combs cov- 

 ered with bees again, by natural swarming, but as few 

 swarms issued, I was obliged to sulphur the combs to keep 

 them. Now can you tell me how I can increase wh^t few I 

 have so that I can get the combs all in use again ? 



I have tried many plans of rapid increase of bees, all of 

 which would work to a greater or less extent; but I will give 

 the one which suits me best, taking everything into consid- 

 eration : 



Get out as many boxes as you think you will want (I 

 keep ten on hand), large enough to hold from three to five 

 pounds of bees. For this purpose there is nothing better 

 than an ordinary 20 to 24 section shipping-case, nailed up 

 and leaving off the side-strips that hold the glass. On one 

 of the open sides nail on a piece of wire-cloth, and for the 

 other side, make a frame to fit, to which you will nail wire- 

 cloth, the same as you did to the box. Now with hinges 

 and a hook or latch, fasten this to the opposite side of the 

 box, when you will have a door that you can open at any 

 time you may wish. 



Next get a tinsmith to make a great, big funnel, which 

 should be eighteen inches across the top, with the usual 

 slope of side, coming down to a 2>i inches upright, or out- 

 let, which should be^about two inches long. If this outlet 



