THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 425 



A colony less energetic as honey gatherers may be good disease 

 resisters, but the chances are against them. 



Were I breeding a strain of bees expecting them to be immune 

 from brood diseases, the first requisite as a breeding colony would 

 be one that did not allow dead brood to remain in the comb, but, 

 seemingly, removing it as fast as it died. It would seem to me 

 that 99% of the contagion would be removed with that dead larva. 

 It is to be presumed that more larva would die in that same cell, 

 to be immediately removed by the energetic colony. Doesn't it seem 

 reasonable to suppose that with this good house-keeping colony, 

 disease would eventually be eradicated? 



It is nothing strange to open a colony of bees in summer and 

 find a hundred or more dead larva in the combs, and this neither of 

 the two diseases known as foul brood. It will be later removed by 

 the bees and disappear. Perhaps the next colony opened will show 

 no signs of dead brood in their combs and would be a more desir- 

 able colony to breed from, from a brood disease standpoint. 



The Review wants articles along the line of breeding a strain 

 of bees that are capable of resisting brood diseases. It may not be 

 possible to breed a strain wholly immune from disease, but it is a 

 fact that some colonies are much more susceptible to disease than 

 others. AVeed out the weaklings. 



During the coming leisure of winter will be a good time to talk 

 this matter over. Let me hear from vou, member. — E. D. T. 



Can Honey Producers Do Without the Middleman? 



I wish to commend Mr. Hastings' article, July 1, 1912. He says we can not 

 do without the middleman, and in a very ingenious manner compares what the 

 producer pays the middleman to what he would have to pay hired help to take his 

 place if he marketed his produce himself. 



Omitting a discussion of what added profit the middleman, jobber, wholesaler, 

 and retailer make off the producer, and the tendency of each to cheat the other, 

 and all of them the producer, and granting that bee-keepers are better informed 

 along these lines than most other producers, I doubt whether there is one that will 

 not agree that there should be some better way of handling our product than the 

 present v;asteful unstandardized means of disposing of a crop of honey. Mr. 

 Hastings says we can not do without the middleman, but I think we can. The 

 National Association has stepped out of the dark, and says it is anxious and willing 

 to be the middleman. Now it is up to the producers to help. If we do not sow 

 we can not reap. Let us follov/ Mr. Hastings' advice, and co-operate. If we do 

 our part it will be easy for the Association to do its. 



Calabasas, Cal., Aug. 1. J-^mes K. Hedstrom. 



The above clipping from September loth Gleanings is to the 

 point. The National must have a considerably better support than 

 it has ever had in the past if very much benefit is derived by the 

 members. To be sure a few can do something, and are doing some- 

 thing, but to derive substantial benefits as the management would 



{Contijmed on page 4j/) 



