{Entered at the Post-Offlce at Chicago as Second-Class Mail-Matter) 

 Pnblislied Weekly at Sl.OO a Tear by Ceorge W. Torlc & Co., 334 Dearborn St. 



OBOROB W. YORK, Bditor 



CHICAGO, ILL,, DECEMBER 28, 1905 



VoL XLV— No. 52 



=^ 



(£bitorial Hotes 

 anb (Eomincnts 



J 



A Happy New Year 



to every reader of the American Bee Journal — throughout 

 all of 1906 — is our wish. 



The Annual Index In January 



Owing to the meetings of the National Bee-Keepers' 

 Association and the Chicago-Northwestern Bee-Keepers' 

 Association last week in Chicago, it was impossible for us 

 to get out the usual annual index for 1905 that we have pub- 

 lished for years in the last number of the American Bee 

 Journal for the year. We will, however, put it in some 

 number for January, in such form that it can be removed 

 and placed back with this number for binding purposes. 



Massachusetts People as Honey-Eaters 



Burton N. Gates says in the American Bee-Keeper, 

 "Honey consumed in Massachuetts is one-fourth State 

 product," and 200 tons are imported from other States. 

 That would make 66 tons produced in the State, and 266 

 tons in all consumed, or some 530,000 pounds. That looks 

 like a good deal of honey, but when it is divided up among 

 the 2,805,000 inhabitants, it figures out only about 3 ounces 

 as the yearly ration for each man, woman, and child in the 

 State. Surely, there can not be very much stomach-ache in 

 Massachusetts as the result of over-eating of honey. 



Size of Winter Hive-Entrances 



A wide gulf exists between views entertained in Ohio 

 and in Canada. The editor of Gleanings says : 



"An entrance 4 inches wide and ,'4 -inch deep we have 

 found to be quite sufficient. This will usually keep rea- 

 sonably clear. I should prefer an entrance only one inch 

 wide, but there is a liability that the bees will clog it up." 



In the Canadian Bee Journal, page 219, " York County 

 Bee-Keeper " says that after experimenting with entrances 

 of different sizes, he is convinced thoroughly that for his 

 locality a fair-sized entrance is necessary for best results, 

 and this winter nearly every one of his colonies will go into 

 winter quarters with entrances equivalent to 5 square 



inches. The editor thinks small winter entrances are regu- 

 lar death-traps for strong colonies, having made experi- 

 ments with them that he has no desire to repeat, and says 

 he has had best results with full-width entrances 12x^8. 



One would think that if there is any difference, smaller 

 entrances would be needed in Canada than Ohio, and when 

 such a wide difference of views exists as to demand an en- 

 trance 4>4 or more times as large in the colder country, one 

 can but wish that the Canucks and the Buckeyes would 

 fight it out to a finish, so that one might know what is the 

 best practice in this really important matter. 



Interstate Pure Food Law 



Of the 27,000 words of President Roosevelt's message, 

 one paragraph is of special interest to bee-keepers. It is 

 this: 



" I recommend that a law be enacted to regulate inter- 

 state commerce in misbranded and adulterated foods, drinks 

 and drugs. Such a law would protect legitimate manu- 

 facture and commerce, and would tend to secure the health 

 and welfare of the consuming public. Traffic in foodstuffs 

 which have been debased or adulterated so as to injure 

 health or to deceive purchasers, should be forbidden." 



Whether any action will be taken upon the President's 

 recommendation remains to be seen. There is a big lot of 

 money invested in businesses that a law of that kind would 

 not help, and there is the conservative Senate on the watch 

 against doing anything too rash in the interests of the 

 common people. But we will wait and see, and in any event 

 President Roosevelt deserves thanks for doing his part in 

 this particular matter. 



Qettlnt; Rid of Ants 



We often receive requests for directions for getting rid 

 of ants. Here is one taken from The Garden Magazine : 



A few years ago the ants took possession of my yard 

 and built mounds or " ant-hills " all over it. I tried all kinds 

 of remedies, among them Paris-green, London purple, cor- 

 rosive sublimate, white hellebore, borax, tobacco, kerosene 

 (or, rather, gasoline) and chloroform. With exception of 

 the last two, all were used as solutions or mixtures in water. 

 The solutions were gradually increased in strength till they 

 killed plant-life with which they came in contact — but they 

 didn't kill the ants. Chloroform gave them a brief vaca- 

 tion only, while gasoline killed not only the ants, but all 

 the plants near by whose roots were affected in the least 

 degree, seemingly, by the oil. 



Finally, I found a cure for the pest in a mixture of Per- 

 sian insect powder in water — '4 pound in a gallon of water. 

 The mixture does not injure plants, though one thorough 

 application destroys the ant-nest. Use pure powder, for 

 much of the powder sold is badly adulterated, and hence of 



