272 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



vital energy than the original process of 

 Mr. McEvoy, which means rather more 

 labor, in twice shaking the colony from 

 the combs. I should want a job of this 

 kind cleared right away at one opera- 

 tion, without going over the ground the 

 second time. 



It is evident that oven at the second 

 shaking off, the bees must take up some 

 of the same honey ; but this again points 

 to the conclusion that the infectious 

 microbe does not live long where brood 

 has been absent for several days. Hav- 

 ing no disease about me (and not desir- 

 ing it), these questions remain open for 

 some other experimenter to bring to a 

 satisfactory conclusion; and until the 

 operation is carried out under strict 

 microscopical examination, most bee- 

 keepers experienced with foul brood will 

 be at a loss to account for Mr. McEvoy's 

 plan of using the same hives again, 

 without disinfection. 



From my own study of the subject I 

 am aware that the human system can 

 be cured of most derangements, and all 

 micro-organisms caused to subside with- 

 out the aid of drugs in any form ; but 

 the hive-combs containing both dead 

 and living, cannot be treated as an indi- 

 vidual, and the surroundings are so dif- 

 ferent, that I think it unwise to neglect 

 the precaution of using medicated food 

 aftei' renovation, as an aid to prevention 

 of the disease recurring. I have cured 

 without, but I should not recommend 

 that as the best way, especially for 

 novices. 



Mr. McEvoy mentions his experiments 

 in returning diseased colonies imme- 

 diately upon fully stored combs. His 

 earlier experience shows this to be a 

 critical undertaking ; but had he re- 

 turned such colonies on to unsealed 

 combs previously ftl^d with medicated 

 food by the aid of a rose-watering can, 

 or large syringe, he would doubtless 

 have been successful every time, and 1 

 have reason to believe this same plan 

 will in the future prove more satisfac- 

 tory and expeditious than either Mr. 

 McEvoy's original plan or that of partial 

 starvation. 



I notice Mrs. Atchley's recent reply to 

 Mr. McEvoy, giving her proof that dead 

 brood does not result in foul brood ; and 

 yet I can assure her I have done the 

 same thing many times, and should ex- 

 pect to do it until the end of the chapter 

 without ever producing the real plague. 



Nothing could have disposed of that 

 dead brood quicker than to distrUnite it 

 among healthy, vigorous colonies. I 

 should expect to pile the whole lot up in 

 a lump in the middle of the bee-yard 



without ever encouraging bacillus alvei. 

 But give me one full set of combs, all 

 loaded with dead brood, and only a pint 

 or two of bees sitting thereon, with a 

 queen, and the usual inducements to 

 breeding where such a weak lot will 

 never clear out the fast-rotting brood 

 around them !— there will be but one 

 result from the living attempting to 

 procreate their species and feeding their 

 young among the filth surrounding them 

 — and that result will be the infectious 

 plague. In such a combination alone, 

 can we look for its origin, in districts 

 where infection is out of the question. 

 Seaford, England. 



Broofl-Frames— A Correction. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY BAKNETT TAYLOR. 



Friend York : — On page 185, in a 

 letter of mine, you make me say this : 



"I see the question of shallow hives is 

 still receiving attention, also the best man- 

 ner of making and using closed-end frames 

 in full brood-chambers. The so-called Hoff- 

 man frames, I made long before I heard of 

 Mr. Hoffman. It is the only way I ever 

 used a closed-end frame, that I could tol- 

 erate in a full brood-chamber. These 

 frames can be taken out easily, kill no bees, 

 and are simple and cheap to make." 



Now, Mr. Editor, this makes me com- 

 mend the partly-closed end frame for 

 full brood-chambers, which I do not do. 

 The letter should read, " The best man- 

 ner of using y/xcd/rames in full brood- 

 chambers. I recommend partly-closed 

 end frames for the very shallow hives 

 where the frames are scarcely ever 

 handled singly, but the frame that I had 

 in view when I was writing the letter in 

 question, was the wire end frame I have 

 used so long with such satisfaction. 



When I was first establishing out- 

 apiaries, I concluded that the frames 

 with partly-closed ends would be ex- 

 cellent for moving about, and as I con- 

 cluded to use full brood-chambers in the 

 out-yards, I made some 300 or 400 

 hives in that way; but my partner con- 

 demned them as soon as he tried hand- 

 ling them in comparison with the wire 

 end frame. He is now successfully man- 

 aging his own bees, and would rather 

 pay for hives with wire end frames than 

 have hives with Hoffman frames as a 

 gift. 



Two or three years ago I concluded to 

 abandon the out-yards, and run the 

 home yard only, where I use the little 



