THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 45 



I live in a potato locality where large quantities of potatoes are 

 raised for the eastern market. You never hear a potato grower say 

 anything about freeing the country of potato bugs. They do control 

 them ; it is the same with foul brood. Once in a locality always in 

 that locality. One can free a hive of disease, very probably a yard, 

 but not a locality of any considerable area. — Townsend. 



Director Crane in the South. 



Director Crane is in Florida this winter for his health, which 

 has been none too good for a few years back, and for this reason 

 will not attend the National meeting in Cincinnati the 12th and 

 13th of the month. It is hoped that he will return to his home next 

 spring fully recovered. 



We can enjoy his writings if he is "away down south in Dixie"' 

 and the reader's attention is called to his article in this number of 

 the Review, page oG, where he tells of ^Ir. E. C. Britton, Canton, 

 Conn., as practicing putting on his comb honey supers in April in 

 his northern climate. I have been satisfied for a few years back 

 that we have been "petting" our bees too much during the spring 

 months. I'm speaking more particularly about the "medium to 

 best" swarms during a period of a month or so previous to our 

 main honey flow^ Those little mites of swarms need all the care 

 and protection one can give them, and then they do not usually 

 amount to much. 



It is the swarms we expect to secure the crop of surplus honey 

 from I wish to talk about. These sw'arms we "cuddle and "tuck 

 in the cjuilts" to make warm, and b}' so doing many of the even 

 moderate-size swarms have the swarming fever before the opening 

 of the honey season ; even though they do not have queen cells 

 started, they "feel their oats'' and will never work in tlie super as 

 well as swarms left more to themselves in, perhaps, a "rickety old 

 hive'' where a current of air is allowed to draw up through their 

 brood-nest. Such a swarm may be held back some in the cooler 

 portion of spring, but will come along very well, and will be free 

 from the swarming fever at the approach of the surplus honey flow. 



I wonder how long it is going to take us to learn that it is not 

 necessary to have such very large swarms to secure results, if we 

 can only get them to the beginning of our main honey flow in a 

 mood to "do business." A colony with the swarming fever (out 

 of condition as it is usually termed) at the beginning of the hone}- 

 flow is of very little use, no matter how strong in numbers, for 

 they will not do anywhere near as good work as a more moderate 

 swarm that is in condition, or free from the swarming tendency. 

 Let us note the condition ~SIt. Britton's bees are in with their coml:) 



