THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



63 



The experiment was tried, and suc- 

 ceeded admirably. Hive after hive was 

 deprived of all drone larva? of proper 

 age, for our purpose. (Though, beyond 

 this point, the history of our wrens has no 

 relation to my subjoct, I will briefly fur- 

 nish their story. We succeeded in rais- 

 ing three of the six. As they grew in 

 size and strength they grew shy and wild, 

 and when, at last, we ventured to set them 

 free, to care for themselves, they seemed 

 most ungratefully willing to leave us, 

 while we, it must be confessed, were only 

 too glad to see them go.) 



While foraging for supplies in behalf 

 of our wrens, and solel}' in consequence 

 of this search, we discovered what first 

 awakened our apprehensions with regard 

 to foul brood. It was only a few cells of 

 dead larvas in a single comb — which comb 

 we promptly destroyed. This idea of 

 foul brood was at once suggested, and 

 though we refused to entertain it, we did 

 not delay to carefully examine the brood 

 in each of our seven colonies, while, for 

 some little time, the suspected colony was 

 subjected to the closest scrutiny. But 

 nothing came of it, and we laughed over 

 our false alarm. Nevertheless its effects 

 remained. We were more watchful and 

 suspicious of evil thereafter, and to this 

 alone we attribute the fact that we subse- 

 quently succeeded in discovering the dis- 

 ease before it had made much progress. 

 A cell of suspicious aspect always at- 

 tracted, and always received attention. 



From my Bee-Record, for the same 

 summer, I quote as follows: 



Aug. 12. — Noticed, to-day, in a comb at 

 No. 7, a cell with a somewhat discolored 

 and depressed cap. Removing it, found, 

 to my dismay, a dead larvae in quite an 

 advanced stage of decomposition. Pro- 

 ceeding to uncap other cells, found, 

 scattered among healthy brood, thirty or 

 forty dead drone larva;. In the worst 

 cases they were of a lead color, soft, and 

 slightly offensive to the smell — the odor 

 being sour rather than putrid. Noticed 

 no perforations in the caps. They were 

 usually slightly depressed. On another 

 comb, found two dead worker larvae. 

 Could find nothing more, but as the hive 

 contains a large amount of brood, and is 

 overflowing with bees, examination was 

 unsatisfactory. I carefully cut out the 

 two dead larvae from one comb, and de- 

 stroyed the comb containing thirty or 

 more. Removed the queen and con- 

 tracted the hive entrance. Fortunately, 

 there is little or no robbing these days. * * 



We were now seriously alarmed, — 

 though by no means ready to conclude 

 that this was foul brood. We attached 

 great weight to the fact that we had found 

 no perforations in the caps. A second ex- 

 amination was made at the time the 

 young queen began to lay— the combs 

 being then nearly empty of brood. Find- 



ing nothing wrong, we gave the bees the 

 benefit of our doubt, and allowed brood- 

 rearing to continue. Repeated examina- 

 tions disclosed only healthy brood, here 

 and elsewhere, during the remainder of 

 the season. 



We concluded, Nellie and I, that dead 

 brood might not, of necessity, \xn\)\y foul 

 brood. We congratulated ourselves that 

 we had dared to disregard the advice of 

 Mr. Quinby — " should a dozen or two 

 such'' viz., dead larvae, "be found, the 

 stock should be condemned at once, and 

 all the bees driven into an empty hive." 

 (See Mysteries of Bee-keeping, page 219.) 

 For by thus doing had we not saved nine 

 beautiful straight worker combs? We 

 were very cautious, however, not to ex- 

 change combs from this hive with others 

 — a caution which we remembered to ob- 

 serve at the beginning of the next season 

 — last spring. 



But for the past season's experiences 

 we shall need another chapter. 



Cyula Linswick. 



Meeting of Mississippi Yalley 

 Keepers' Association, 



Bee- 



In response to a call issued some time 

 ago from the State Board of Agriculture, 

 a number of gentlemen interested in the 

 culture of bees assembled yesterday after- 

 noon in the room of the Board, to effect a 

 permanent organization. The following 

 gentlemen were present: Hon. Norman 

 J. Colman, Hon. John Monteith, E. A. 

 Riehl, of Alton; J. T. Colman, L. C. 

 Waite, Esq., T. W. Guy, of Kimmswick, 

 W. G. Smith, Prof. Riley, Hon. Josiah 

 Tilden, of Jasper county, and Mr. J. R. 

 Cordell. 



Upon motion of Col. Colman, Mr. E. A. 

 Riehl, of Alton, 111., was elected chair- 

 man, and Hon. John Monteith, secretary. 



Col. Colman stated that he had been 

 spoken to by several gentlemen, not pres- 

 ent, with reference to calling this meet- 

 ing. Had seconded their efforts. Bee- 

 keeping is a very important industry and 

 ought to be fostered as much as any other 

 industry of the nation. Here in the 

 heart of the Mississippi Valley an organ- 

 ization of bee-culturists ought to exist. 

 In other parts of the country such or- 

 ganizations have long existed. In the 

 West old fogy ideas still prevailed, and 

 people seemed to think that the best hive 

 in the world was still the beegum or hol- 

 low log. The speaker thought a perma- 

 nent organization should be effected. 



Mr. Waite said that a State Bee Keep- 

 ers' Association had already been organ- 

 ized, but for the past three or four years 

 nothing had been done. There were per- 

 haps tiventy-five or thirty members. This 

 association had been in the habit of 

 meeting in this city during Fair week. 



