112 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



izecl that we can act unitedly, then we 

 can make displays and exhibitions that 

 will find a welcome anywhere. 



Let us do our part, and then we 

 shall have something to ofler the ag- 

 ricultural association, when we ap- 

 peal to them. 



FOUL BROOD. 



Mr. H. N. Betsiuger opened the dis- 

 cussion on this question, as follows : 



He stated that " atmospheric 

 changes " were the cause. The cure of 

 the disease could only be eflected by 

 carrying out certain laws. 



Carbolic acid had been suggested as 

 a cure; but in his opinion, it was 

 worse than the disease. Fermented 

 honey or pollen would cause the dis- 

 ease. He had learned by experience 

 that if the fermented honey alone were 

 fed, in less than ten days foul brood 

 would appear. Such fermented honey 

 was oftentimes found in the blossoms. 

 In the cold, wet seasons, the disease 

 prevails, because such seasons are fa- 

 vorable to fermentation. 



In dry seasons foul brood is never 

 found. A complete cure would be 

 found in simply feeding salt. Make a 

 strong brine, immerse the combs 

 over night, and it will positively cure. 

 As a preventive to the disease, keep a 

 little weak brine in the yard, where 

 the bees can get at it. The speaker 

 fills a nail keg partly with sawdust and 

 salt and water; and enbugh will ooze 

 ^through the staves for the bees to 

 get. 



The discussion following Mr. Bet- 

 singer's remarks were extremely ani- 

 mated, as the idea of treating our col- 

 onies to brine was considered by many 

 an original and questionable one. 



That the saline or acid properties, 

 gathered from newly-exposed earth 

 mine, stagnant pools, etc., had been 

 utilized by the bees in feeding, freeing 

 the honey as it came from the flowei's, 

 of all that was injurious, was taught 

 by J. L. Christ (author of the old 

 German work, being translated and 

 published in the " American Apicultu- 

 rist") over one hundred years ago. 

 Also, and recently, the Germans have 

 discovered that the poison of the bee 

 is a powerful antiseptic, and will kill 

 the spores of the Bacteria. Mr. Bet- 

 singer, nothing daunted by the oppo- 

 sition, oflfered $25.00 for a case of foul 

 brood, that he could not cure with salt, 

 provided the competing party would 

 give him $25.00, if he did cure it. 



^Ir. Dickinson also oUei'ed the Asso- 

 ciation $25.00 if any person would, 



under Mr. Betsinger's instructions, 

 produce a case of foul bi'ood, by feed- 

 ing sour pollen or honey. 



On motion of Mr. Root, a collection 

 was taken to defray incidental ex- 

 penses. Convention then adjourned, 

 to meet at 7 o'clock. 



THURSDAY EVENING SESSION. 



THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES 



OF MAKING COLONIES QUEENLESS 



TO PREVENT SWARMING. 



This was the first query discussed. 

 Mr. Doolittle had not attempted mak- 

 ingcolonies queenless for any such pur- 

 pose, and did not believe in it as far 

 as his locality was concerned. He had 

 taken queens from colonies, and such 

 queens had worked vigorously storing 

 honey, and when the queen was put 

 back, the colony would work vigor- 

 ously in carrying stored honey into 

 the boxes, and in bringing in new 

 honey from the field. The remarks of 

 Mr. Doolittle seemed to be endorsed 

 by Messrs. Elwood and Betsinger. 



NEW INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES.^ 



Mr Locke presented a very ingen- 

 iously constructed instrument for 

 measuring the length of a bee's 

 tongue called the Bees' Tongue Reg- 

 ister. He hoped to be able thus to 

 discover the bees having the longest 

 tongues and from these it would be 

 best to rear future stock and thus ob- 

 tain an improved race that would se- 

 cure honey from the largest range of 

 plants. The instrument was most 

 heartily commended and endorsed 

 by the convention. 



Mr. King of New York presented 

 a sample of a reversible frame and 

 another sample of such reversible 

 frame was shown by Capt. Hether- 

 ington. Mr. H. had tried the ex- 

 periment of reversing frames to 

 induce the bees to carry up honey 

 from the bottom of the brood frames 

 into the boxes but had not been as 

 successful as a Michigan beekeeper. 



Mr. Todd of Philadelphia pre- 

 sented an instrument showing that 

 liquid spheres of equal size pressing 



1 Owing to lack of brevier type, we were 

 compelled to use a difl'erent letter for the re- 

 mainder of Convention Notes. 



