1920 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



49 



gate American ideas still more, even 

 more than books would do, and will 

 return benefits to you sooner or 

 later. 



Tie the French and American 

 stripes still closer together. We 

 gave to you when you were young 

 and we were strong. Now that we 

 are old and worn, the American 

 stars are hovering over the broken- 

 down regions renewing friendship 

 and commercial ties. 



Ph. J. BALDENSPERGER, 



Nice, France. 



Fruit Trees by the Roadside 



At the meeting of beekeepers in 

 Nashville, in December last, a very 

 interesting address was given by Ma- 

 jor Lloyd C. Stark, of the Stark Bros. 

 Nursery, concerning orchard grow- 

 ing in F'rance. He was in the A. E. F. 

 a long time and took note of differ- 

 ent particular methods. 



A custom that drew his attention 

 was the immense number of fruit 

 trees lining the highway. He said: 



"In many sections of France, fruit 

 trees are used to line all the high- 

 ways. This is a practice that should 

 be, and some day will be, carried on 

 in our country. Think of the millions 

 of acres now entirely idle that could 

 be producing fruit here in America, if 

 we planted hardy varieties of fruit 

 trees along the state and county 

 roads, to say nothing of the national 

 highways. Many claim that it can't 

 be done satisfactorily in this country, 

 but there is absolutely no argument 

 there. The French do it, and we are 

 just as smart as the French. We have 

 better varieties and as good soil and 

 climatic conditions. Some day we will 

 do it." 



Planting of fruit trees along the 

 highways would greatly increase the 

 opportunities for bees to secure both 

 pollen and honey in early spring. 

 The beekeepers should urge it. 



Sixty Years in the Field 



At the end of the present year, the 

 American Bee Journal will have end- 

 ed its si.xtieth year. Its first issue 

 was in 1861. The Civil War caused it 

 to suspend publication until July, 

 1866. Six editors have managed it 

 successively: Samuel Wagner, George 

 S. Wagner, W. F. Clarke, Thomas G. 

 Newman, George W. York and the 

 writer of this. From a very obscure 

 pursuit, beekeeping has changed in 

 those sixty years to an occupation 

 recognized as worthy of attention by 

 colleges and other institutions of 

 learning. Previous to the World War, 

 scores of magazines were devoted to 

 beekeeping, which suspended publi- 



cation. Slowly but surely they are 

 coming to life again, and we feel safe 

 in predicting that honey production 

 is to become an important branch of 

 agriculture. Why should it not? 

 Food conservation is urgent. Sweets 

 are at a premium and likely to re- 

 main valuable, since the extension of 

 prohibition. Honey, being the best 

 and healthiest sweet, is sure of rec- 

 ognition everywhere. It is the only 

 sweet which may be had readily, in 

 large quantities, without cultivation, 

 and while helping seed production 

 and fructification. The future is 

 bright for practical and intelligent 

 beekeepers. 



F. B. Paddock, of Iowa, was elect- 

 ed Chairman and G. W. Bentley, of 

 Tennessee, was re-elected Secretary. 



Nosema Disease 



We are in receipt of a bulletin of 

 22 pages on Nosema Apis, from John 

 Rennie D. Sc, and Elsie J. Harvey, 

 of the University of Aberdeen. 



The experiences of these scientists 

 practically confirm the views ex- 

 pressed by Dr. G. F. White that this 

 disease does not produce heavy losses 

 in apiaries, though it may occasion- 

 ally cause the loss of colonies. It has 

 probably no connection with Isle of 

 Wight disease, or the so-called par- 

 alysis, though it may exist jointly 

 ■with either of these diseases in the 

 same colony. 



The Economic Entomologists 



The apiary section of the American 

 Association of Economic Entomolo- 

 gists met at St. Louis on Wednesday, 

 December 31. It was a notable meet- 

 ing, in that the officials in charge of 

 beekeeping work in many States 

 were present. Men from New York 

 to Florida and Texas met together 

 with the one purpose of discussing 

 ways and means of elevating the in- 

 dustry of honey production. 



Special plans were laid to make 

 next year's meeting one of unusual 

 interest and to eliminate from the 

 program such matters as are dis- 

 cussed at the usual beekeepers' con- 

 ventions. It is the plan to give 

 place to accounts of research work 

 in beekeeping and matters of special 

 importance in educational and exten- 

 sion work. This organization gives 

 promise of doing much for the bee- 

 keeping industry. One thing of im- 

 mediate interest is the attempt to 

 work out some general plan of in- 

 spection work which can be adapted 

 to all States, thus leading to uniform 

 laws. The great drawback to suc- 

 cessful work in disease eradication, 

 is that there is no co-operation be- 

 tween the States. 



National Affairs 



The reader will notice the report 

 of the National meeting held at 

 Kansas City January 6 to 8. The 

 importance of it is easily compre- 

 hended when one notices how many 

 associations this meeting repre- 

 sented. 



Attempts have been made before 

 to organize a national producers' 

 association. In 1903, at the Los An- 

 geles Convention a very positive at- 

 tempt was made to organize such a 

 body. Two associations only were 

 ready for this move, the Colorado 

 Honey Producers' and the California 

 National Honey Producers. The rest 

 of the country did not yet feel the 

 need of this. 



At Minneapolis, in 1911, a very 

 earnest attempt was made to reor- 

 ganize the National Association on 

 co-operative lines. However, some 

 of the leading men of the association 

 were antagonized, so that there was 

 no united eflort. The mass of the 

 beekeepers were also indisposed to 

 spend money on co-operation. Money 

 is the backbone of co-operation. 

 Without it no progress can be made. 

 The present action, we believe, 

 is a move in the right direction. 

 Several honey producers' associa- 

 tions are thriving in different States 

 and each of them recognizes the ne- 

 cessity of union. Provision has been 

 made for funds sufficient to carry on 

 the work; if the different organiza- 

 tions in the United States support it. 

 If too small a number back it, this 

 time, it will be sure to succeed a lit- 

 tle later. It is in the line of prog- 

 ress. Beekeepers cannot afford to 

 neglect that which has proven of 

 J)enefit to many other lines. A Na- 

 tionay Association has existed for 50 

 years. It is time that something be 

 done by it more than discussing nat- 

 ural history or honey production. 



Plagiarism 



The British Bee Journal, in its De- 

 cember 4 number, copies verbatim 

 our translation of L'Apicoltore Mo- 

 derno's article on "Cryptograms" 

 published in our September number, 

 page 305. This translation cost us 

 some effort. Since it was easier to 

 borrow it from us than to translate 

 it from the Italian, we believe the 

 British Bee Journal should have 

 given us credit for the translation. 



