Vol. XIV. 



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NOTES FBOM THE BANNER APIARY. 



No. 76. 



THE WINTERINC. PK(1IiI-K.M. 



"Up few weeks ago 1 received ii call Irom Cr. C. 

 glM M. Joslin. of Clio, Genesee Co., Mich. He lias 

 J^K made a special study of the wintering- prob- 

 ■*^ lem, having- taliulateil a lai'se mtmbcr of 

 facts concerning' it. We had a ver.y pleas- 

 ant visit and discussion, and T iirsrcd him to write 

 his views for publication. He declined, but flually 

 agreed to send them to mc, together with an article 

 written b.y Mr. Quinby, about 13 years ago, which 

 takes much the same view in regard to the impor- 

 tance of a high temperature as was advocated at the 

 Detroit Convention. In view of the ideas that have 

 lately been put forth upon this sub.icct, ] think Mr. 

 Quinb.y's article will bear repetition. It was publish- 

 ed in the National DccJimrnnl for 1874, page 1 of Jan. 

 No., and is as follows: 



'* I have said considerable on this subject alrcad.v, 

 but perhaps it will bear repetition. Much more ought 

 to be said, and some things repeated, and examined 

 in the strongest light to be found. The cause of 

 the dreadful calamities of the past two winters 

 should be understood as far as possible. 



'^ A post-mortem investigation often discloses the 

 immediate cause of a person's death. It ina.y prove 

 to be tubercle of the lungs, and then, unless the 

 inquirj' goes further, and finds the cause producing 

 tubercles, but little is gained. When bee-keepers 

 find the cause of the deatli of so many boes to be 

 dysenter3% it behooves them to look further, and, if 

 possible, ascertain the cause of that. When we are 

 not pesitive on any subject, wc aro a])t to decide 



according to evidence that makes theory— or some 

 preconceived notions of our own— probable, allow- 

 ing it to take the place of direct testimony. 



" Among the many investigators that have ac- 

 knowledged dysentery as the cause, some few' have 

 gone further, and decided that the malady is pro- 

 duced by the qualit.y of their stores- impure honey; 

 and, to prove that honey is not healthful fer them, 

 claim that syrup of sugar, when fed, exempts from 

 disease. Having Jed the syrup quite extensively, I 

 am pleased with the result when fed as a substitute 

 for honey; but I have no faith in it as a prevent- 

 ive of dysentery, for I have fed stocks with noth- 

 ing Imt that, and had them aflected with it sei-iously. 

 Lest some may think I mention this case to support 

 a favorite theory of my own, I will give the state- 

 ment of Mr. Elwood, of Herkimer Co., N. Y., who is 

 a candid man, a close observer of facts, and one 

 who has no theories of his own to bias his judg- 

 ment. One year ago he fed several stocks with sj'r- 

 up alone, and every one liad the disease as badly 

 as those that had no syrup. These cases, even if 

 we had no others, would show verj' clearly that the 

 cause is notfound in the food. It is further proved, 

 by the case related by Mrs. Tupper, where a row 

 of stocks that gathered their stores from the same 

 field, each alternate one was taken and removed to 

 a cold e'xpesed situation, while the rest were kept 

 warm. The fust perif hed with dysentery, while the 

 latter wintcied well. Moie than 20 years ago [now 

 :)3 yean- W. Z. H.], I became satisfied 1hat cold 

 weather produced d.vsentery.' [ had some stocks 

 left on their summer stands till late in the winter, 

 in a cold, bleak corner of the yard. Snow covered 

 the ground. Laife' in' Jan. they became uneasy; 

 hundreds wou'^'d IrA^c'lhtir hives on a cold day, dis- 



