THE BEE-KEEPERS" REVIEW 113 



"Our friend, skilled in his profession, and fortunate in his 

 markets, did not recognize the need of any combined ameliorative 

 efforts seeing that he himself was not requiring any such assistance 

 to attain a high degree of success. 



"We fear that his was not an isolated case. In spite of all the 

 arguments advanced in favor of an effort to organize the honey 

 producers, the matter was allowed to drop in convention without 

 any pretence to a debate. The fact is that the hundred or so big 

 bee men that attend conventions cannot be said to be at all repre- 

 sentative of the thousands of bee-keepers scattered through the 

 country, the majority being located at distances far too great to 

 permit of their being present at these annual deliberations. We 

 wish to be frank. A truly representative gathering should be ready 

 to consider more particularly the needs of the great mediocrity, 

 who, as in all walks of life, after all form the majority."' 



We must not forget that our interests are so interwoven that 

 we cannot allow the little bee-keeper to suffer without receiving a 

 part of that injury ourselves. Beginners will continually come to 

 our ranks and the best way is to give those beginners the hecessary 

 advice and co-operation which is not only an evidence of the proper 

 fraternal spirit, but will result in the greatest good to ourselves. 



Isle of Wight Disease. 



D. JM. [McDonald, of Banff, Scotland, gives a description in 

 Gleanings of the Isle of Wight disease, which shows that it is appar- 

 ently bowel disease of the adult bee. Quoting him, we read as 

 follows : 



"The symptoms at first are indistinct, so that the scourge has 

 a deadly hold before any very clear signs are patent. A marked 

 decrease in the number of bees occupying surplus chambers shows 

 something is amiss; fewer bees go out foraging; even the bees 

 which are apparently healthy show a disposition to loiter about, 

 and exhibit a disinclination to go to the fields. Therefore, large 

 numbers are found lolling about on the flight-board — so much so 

 that on a fine day it is black with them, as if they were in need 

 of more room overhead. An examination of the top super, how- 

 ever, shows it quite deserted, owing to lessening numbers. 



"On close inspection an odd bee at first is seen flying aimlessly 

 about. It or others may be seen crawling on the ground near the 

 hive, making ineifectual attempts to fly. Looking more closel}' 

 the wings are seen to make futile efforts to buoy the insect up mto 

 the air. On examining these bees it will be found that, generally, 

 one of the small wings (almost invariably the left) may be seen 

 sticking out at an angle above the front wing in an unnatural way. 

 and looking as if it were dislocated. These bees then crawl about 



