340 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



May 11, 1905 



sure to find them unerringly, and nothing 

 less than Nature's product will satisfy them. 

 Will the Hospodar kindly give its readers 

 the benefit of the preceding /ac(s? 



Invention of the Movable. Frame Hive 



It is a bit amusing to find that " locality " 

 plays a part even in the matter of credit for 

 the invention of the movable-frame hive. The 

 average American bee-keeper will tell you 

 that it is the invention of Langstroth, with 

 probably no thought that any one in the wide 

 world should have any other idea. The Ger- 

 man bee-keeper will tell us that we are in- 

 debted to Dzierzon for the movable frame, 

 and likely he has never heard the name Lang- 

 stroth. L'Abeille Domestique, a late French 

 text-book, utterly ignores both Dzierzon and 

 Langstroth, and names Delia Rocca as the in- 

 ventor. Langstroth modestly disclaims en- 

 tire credit, saying it was the work of more 

 than one ; but if Langstroth had never given 

 us the movable frame in its present form, it 

 is not 80 very likely that very many of us to- 

 day would be using it. Dzierzon, who de- 

 serves undying fame for having given us the 

 Dzierzon theory— parthenogenesis— can hardly 

 be said to have invented a movable franw., 

 because he had only a top-bar, cutting away 

 the sides of the comb each time a comb was 

 taken out, and for years he stoutly adhered 

 to this, having no use for end-bars or bottom- 

 bar. Still less practicable was the invention 

 of Delia Rocca. 



Bee-Keeping— Farmers' Bulletin 59 



This bulletin, first issued by the U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture, at Washington, D. 

 C, in July, 1897, was revised in March of this 

 year by its author, Frank Benton, who is in 

 charge of apicultural investigations by our 

 Government. Like other publications of a 

 similar nature, copies may be had on applica- 

 tion to any Senator, Representative, or Dele- 

 gate to Congress, or to the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture, Washington, D. C. 



Considerable new and very interesting mat- 

 ter has been added to this revised edition of 

 "Bee-Keeping," Bulletin No. 59, from which 

 we quote these paragraphs: 



COMB rOTJNDATION. 



Comb foundation is now manufactured with 

 extra thin septum or base, and with the be- 

 ginnings of the cells marked out by somewhat 

 thicker walls which the bees immediately 

 thin down, using the extra wax in deepening 

 the cells. This is not artificial comb, but a 

 thin sheet of wax having the bases of the cells 

 outlined on it. Complete artificial combs 

 have never been used in a commercial way, 

 although there exists a widespread belief to 

 this effect, which is founded on extravagant 

 claims that have appeared from lime to time 

 in newspaper articles. 



NO MAHTJFACTDRBD COMB HONET. 



Owing to the appearance of statements of 

 a sensational character to the effect that com- 

 plete honey-combs are manufactured by 

 machinery and filled with sweets lower in 

 price than honey (glucose, cane-sugar, or 

 mixtures of these), then sealed over and sold 

 in the market as genuine honey, a strong sus- 

 picion exists regarding the comb honey com- 

 monly offered for sale. Wide circulation has 

 been given to these wild stories by sensational 

 newspaper writers, and even monthly periodi- 

 cals, usually far more discriminating and 

 accurate, have repeated them. Some writers 

 have even tried to locate the " comb-honey 

 factories " in given cities, but investiga- 

 tion has always shown that the locations 



were mythical. The forfeit of $1000 which a 

 reputable firm has had standing for 1.5 years 

 past for a pound of manufactured comb honey 

 of a nature to deceive the buyer still remains 

 unclaimed. 



The National Bee-Keepers' Association, at 

 its annual convention held in St. Louis in 

 1904, offered also a like forfeit of 11000 for 

 satisfactory proof of the existence of such a 

 thing as manufactured comb honey. But no 

 claimant has come forward, notwithstanding 

 the $3000 which awaits his proof. The fact 

 is, there is no truth in the "yarn," and no 

 one has thus far shown the thing possible. 

 The comb honey in the markets is pure and 

 wholesome — a healthful and nourishing sweet, 

 easier to digest than cane-sugar or any of the 

 syrups so commonly sold. It is worth a place 

 on the tables of all who can afford to use it. 



LEGISLATION AfFECTING APICCLTCRE. 



Many States have in recent years passed 

 laws having for their purpose the eradication 

 or suppression of contagious diseases among 

 bees. Slate and county inspectors have been 

 appointed under these laws, whose duty it is 

 to go aljout and ascertain where diseased col- 

 onies of bees are located, and recommend the 

 treatment to be given, or, in some cases, to 

 carry out this treatment, even to the com- 

 plete destruction of colonies or apiaries where 

 the virulence of the attack seems to warrant 

 it. Where these laws have been conscien- 

 tiously and energetically executed, much has 

 been accomplished toward freeing the apiaries 

 of the given State from disease. 



Some States have passed laws making it a 

 misdemeanor to spray fruit-trees during the 

 time of blossoming, since thereby bees are 

 poisoned, and besides the injury to the api- 

 arist the pollenation of the fruit-blossoms is 

 seriously interfered with. 



Laws against the sale of adulterated goods 

 as genuine, known commonly as pure-food 

 laws, are in operation in some of the States, 

 and where bee-inspectors or bee-keepers have 

 taken the pains to have these laws applied to 

 the marketing of honey, a check has been 

 put upon the selling of adulterated honey in 

 the liquid form, which has been practiced to 



a greater or less extent, and still occurs \a 

 some of the city markets. 



In general, the rights of bee-keepers to own 

 and cultivate bees, either within the limits of 

 cities or on farms adjoining those devoted to 

 grazing and general stock raising, are becom- 

 ing more clearly defined through decisions of 

 supreme and county courts. In this connec- 

 tion the work of the National Bee-Keepers' 

 Association should receive mention. 



This organization is in no sense a trades 

 union, but has for for its purpose the defense 

 of its members against unjust attacks upon 

 their legal rights, the suppression, in so far 

 as possible, of the sale of adulterated honey, 

 the securing of legislation for the protection 

 of its members and favorable to the general 

 advance of the industry, as well as the dis- 

 semination among its members of advanced 

 ideas in bee management and information re- 

 garding the marketing of apiarian products. 

 The membership fee of one dollar per annum 

 entitles every honey-producer to membership 

 and participation in all of the benefits enumer- 

 ated, as well as to the published report of the 

 annual convention held by the association. 

 The membership numbers nearly 2000 at the 

 present time, and the influence of this large 

 body of intelligent bee-masters is already 

 being appreciably felt in the general advance 

 of the industry in this country. 



Foul-Brood Leslslatlon in England 



Foul brood is reported to be on the increase 

 in some parts of England, and probably will 

 so continue so long as ignorant and careless 

 l)ee-keepers have no fear of legal restraint 

 from scattering the seeds of the disease. 

 Legislation does not seem very near at hand, 

 and, strange to tell, the chief hindrance is 

 the apparently hopeless disagreement of bee- 

 keepers. In this country scarcely any practi- 

 cal bee-keeper opposes legislation, the only 

 trouble being to get legislatures to move in 

 the matter. 



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Chairman R. Ij. Taylor, of the Board 

 of Directors of the National Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation, writes us that by a practically unani- 

 mous vote the General Manager of the 

 National will hereafter receive 30 percent of 

 the receipts from dues as his annual salary. 

 But even that amount will be small pay for 

 the services of a man like Mr. N. E. France. 



How to Keep Bees is the title of " a 

 handbook for the use of beginners, by Anna 

 Botsford Comstock, B. S.," and published by 

 Doubleday, Page & Company, of New York, 

 N. T. The price is $1.00 net, or $1.10 post- 

 paid. It is cloth-bound, with 326 pages, 32 of 

 which contain photographic illustrations. The 

 preface contains these words : 



" It is not intended to be a complete treatise 

 for the professional apiarist, but rather a 

 handbook for those who would keep bees for 

 happiness and honey, and incidentally for 

 money. It is hoped, too, that it will serve as 

 an introduction to the more extended manuals 

 already in the field." 



New French Bee-Book.—" L'Abeille 

 Domestique " (The Domestic Bee) is the title 

 of a work of 350 pages, duodecimo, published 

 in France, written by Lucien Iches. It is 

 printed in clear type, with 132 illustrations, 

 and for a book of its size seems well tilled 

 with up-to-date information. It is divided 

 into four parts: I. The Apiary. II. Anatomy 

 and Physiology of the Bee. III. Management 

 of the Apiary. IV. Products of the Bees. 



French readers may obtain the work for 3 

 francs from Garnier Freres, 6 Rue des Saints- 

 Peres, Paris. 



Mr. A. B. Carpenter, of Tulare Co., 

 Calif., writing us Ma.v 1, said: 



" With me swarming is getting late, prob- 

 ably on account of cool weather. Bees are 

 filling every nook and corner of their hives 

 with honey. I think some of going to ex- 

 tracting, regardless of swarming, only par- 

 tially, however. Appearances indicate a good 

 honey season." 



We-st Florida Bee-Keeping seems to 

 have had a backset according to the following 

 from Mr. J. B. Hunter: 



" Just as we were getting ready to take the 

 tupelo crop of honey, a fearful rainstorm set 

 in and cut the crop off almost entirely." 



Mr. and 3Irs. Thos. Wni. Cowan, of 



London, England, passed through Chicago 

 Saturday, April 29, en route to their Califor- 

 nia home, in Monterey County. Mr. Cowan, 

 as most of our readers know, is the honored 

 senior editor of the British Bee Journal. 



It is Mr. and Mrs. Cowan's intention to re- 

 main in California until late autumn, then 

 visit British Columbia, and after that return 

 across the continent through Canada on their 

 homeward journey. They have crossed the 

 Atlantic seven times, and think that once 



