308 THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



five parts or shares. If a farmer wishes to turn in bees as his share, 

 have a certain fixed price for those bees, but do not pay an exorbi- 

 tant price for them. 



This yard is then to be placed in charge of a competent bee- 

 keeper on shares, the bee-keeper getting one-half and the farmers 

 the other half of the crop produced. The farmers' part will be 

 divided into as many divisions as there are colonies of bees and each 

 one given his or her proportionate share. If one-half of the bees 

 should die the coming winter, proper increase would be made and 

 the total honey crop would again be divided into the same number 

 of equal shares as there were colonies in the yard when the apiary 

 was first established. 



It is no more than fair for me to say that I don't know of the 

 above plan ever being put in operation, but I can see no reason why 

 it could not be made to work. There will be some details to work 

 out, and if any one desires to undertake it I will be glad to corre- 

 spond with them and oft'er any other suggestions which may occur. 

 The benefit of the plan would be that you would still give the 

 farmer a chance to keep bees, but they would be kept in a scientific 

 manner in charge of a competent person. 



The Washington Branch Passes a Resolution of National Interest. 



The following resolution was read at a well-attended meeting of 

 the Washington State Bee-Keepers' Association, held at Wapato, 

 Washington, May 25, 1912, and, after a general discussion, was put 

 to a vote and carried unanimouslv. 



Whereas, Foul Brood, an infectious disease of the honey bee in 

 its larval state, has been spreading at an alarming rate during the 

 past six or seven years, and, 



Whereas, The essential cause, a bacillus, or microorganism, has 

 to be carried from one locality to another by some agent to which it 

 attaches itself, chief of which has been the extensive mailing of 

 queen bees and their attendants, and, 



Whereas, Queen breeders without special training do not under- 

 stand the details of sterilizing objects, such as the queen cages, their 

 hands, implements, clothing, etc., and as boiling the honey used in 

 the mailing cages without other precautions would be a false safe- 

 guard and furnish no assurance of safety to the purchaser and calcu- 

 lated to do mischief because it is now indorsed and sanctioned by a 

 ruling of the post office department, and. 



Whereas, Honey properly sterilized by boiling would be taken 

 by unsterilized hands using an unsterilized spoon or other instru- 

 ment, put into an unsterilized cage, a queen and her attendants 

 without any knowledge as to condition is put into the cage and by 

 the present ruling is accredited as safe to the purchaser; and, 



