538 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



trencli filled with stones is against the wall 

 on tlio south side of the woodhonse, the 

 woodliouse being made of brick. iNo win- 

 dows or doors come near this opening. A 

 large funnel, made of stoneware, something 

 like a sewer-pipe, makes it easy to empty in 

 the slops. Now, when I built it I did not 

 think it possible that any gases could come 

 up through this sewer-pipe to do any harm. 

 At present there is no smell at all. Before 

 it passes off, the fresh damp earth has ab- 

 sorbed it all. If foul-smelling gases should, 

 however, be found coming out of this fun- 

 nel, some other arrangements shall be em- 

 ])loyed. Perhaps your plan of a slop-barrel 

 on wheels is the best one that can be em- 

 ployed ; and if so, I shall employ it. Mean- 

 while we want a picture of tiie arrangement, 

 and then we will see about furnishing them 

 at a low price. It seems to me that at least 

 100 should be made at one time. You may, 

 if you can, get figures on 100, and I will see 

 what we can do on them during the fall 

 months, when we have plenty of leisure. A 

 matter that concerns the life and death of 

 the little ones around our hearthstones 

 should never be passed over lightly ; and 

 iiiaij God help ?/.s in a determined fight 

 against diphtheria and the whole string of 

 malarial fe\ers. 



QUEENS TO CANADA. 



TROUBLE AHEAD. 



fOR the past six years ctistum lias allowed 

 (luccn-becs to jiass between the U. S. and 

 Canada in the mails without detention, al- 

 thoug-h every flrst-of-January edition of the 

 Postal Guide during that time lias distinctly 

 stated that namplrg onlij of merchandise are maila- 

 ble between the two countries; hence the sending 

 of queen-bees through the mails to Canada has 

 been illegal, even if we did put on 10 cts. in postage. 

 Custom, often, for a period of time, has more weight 

 upon the minds of the people than do certain laws, 

 so we lull our conscience to sleep and let custom 

 rule until we are, without warning, rudely awaken- 

 ed. Such an awakening I received the other day 

 by having a choice queen returned by the Suspen- 

 sion Bridge, N. Y., P. M., as " iinmailable to Cana- 

 da." As soon as I recovered my, senses I wrote 

 him as follows: 

 Postmaster at Suspcnsinn BrUhjc, N. Y., 



Dear Sir:— The inclosed tag, doubtless, you will 

 recognize as one attached to a little box containing 

 a queen-bee and her attendants, which you return- 

 ed to our postmaster as unmailable matter to Cana- 

 da. I am aware that the postal regulations say that 

 you are right; liut to help advance a growing in- 

 dustry both in Canada and the U. S., postmasters 

 of the past have allowed queens to pass to and from 

 Canada as samples of merchandise (which they 

 really are), much to the advantage of all concerned. 

 I have sent, during the past five years, hundreds of 

 queens to Canada, all of which have gone safely 

 since I wrote " Queen-bee for the improvement of 

 stock " on the tag". Now, will you not please do as 

 former postmasters have done, and help advance 

 our industry? By so doing you will only be follow- 

 ing a custom of the past, and receive the heartfelt 

 thanks of bee-keepers in all parts of the U. S. and 

 Canada. Please reply, telling me what I may ex- 

 pect, as I have orders for a score or moi-e of queens 

 from Canada. G. M. Doolittle. 



Borodino, N. Y., May 31, 1886. 



The following is his reply: 



G. M. DooLiTTLE,— Dear Sir;— Your letter at hand 



this forenoon. Postmasters who have allowed bees 

 to pass into Canada by mail have not understood 

 the rulings of the P. O. Department. By reading 

 Note 4 on page 770, in the .lanuary, 1886, Guide, and 

 also note 20, on page 75;j, same Guide, you will see 

 that merchandise is not mailable to Canada. I send 

 to.>our ixistmaster a letter which I have from the 

 department, on the bee-question. Please call at the 

 postofHce and see this letter. You can then write 

 to the department, and ask them to remedy the 

 matter. W^e can not allow them to pass through 

 the mail. Wm. Carr, P. M. 



Suspension Bridge, N. Y., May 2.5, 1886. 



Upon calling at the postofflcc I found the fol- 

 lowing: 



PosTOFFicE Department, | 



No. 71,934, Canada. Office of Fokeion Mails, V 



AVashington, D. C, May 6, 1886. ) 



Sir;— In reply to your letter of the 4th inst., in- 

 quiring as to the rule of postage applicable to bees 

 addressed to Canada, I have to inform you that the 

 transmission of articles of merchandise by niHil be- 

 tween the United States and Canada is limited by 

 the postal arrangement in force between the two 

 countries to bona-flde trade patterns, or samples 

 (specimens), not exceeding 8 oz. in weight, and that 

 articles of merchandise such as queen-bees, sent lor 

 sale in execution of an order, or as gifts, are not bona- 

 flde samples, and are not transmissible by mail from 

 one country to the other. In this connection, see 

 Note 4, of Foreign-Postage Table on page 770, and 

 paragraphs 20 and 21 on page 7513 of the U. S. Official 

 Postal Guide lor Jan., 1886. Nicholas M. Bell. 

 Superintendent Foreign Mails. 



To Postmaster at Suspension Bridge, N. Y. 



As my friend in Canada was anxious for his queen, 

 I made a block out of ?» stuff which would slip into 

 an ordinary envelope, provisioned it, put in the 

 queen and ten bees, securely sealed the envelope, 

 and registered the same at our postofflce, directing 

 it via Buffalo. 



To digress a little, I wish to say that this queen 

 and her bees went through in perfect order, al- 

 though they were secui-ely sealed in two envelopes 

 (the ordinary envelope and the thick register envel- 

 ope). Docs not this show that we take more pre- 

 caution for ventilation of our queen-cages than is 

 necessary? As soon as I heai'd the queen was safe 

 in Canada 1 again wrote the postmaster at Suspen- 

 sion Bridge, telling him of it, and showing him by 

 clippings from letters and the C. B. J. that queens 

 were passing nearly every day to Canada by mail. I 

 especially requested that he would allow queens to 

 pass the lines until arrangements could be made 

 and a new law rendered, allowing queens to pass 

 legally. I also asked him how he came to stop 

 queens now, when he formerly let them pass. Here 

 is his replj': 



G. M. Doolittle:— Your letter of the 2d is at 

 hand. I am sorry I can not allow your bees to pass 

 into Canada. We have allowed them to pass until 

 quite recently, and then stopped, only on receiving 

 a letter from Washington, from the Supt. of For- 

 eign Mails. I shall at once refer j'oiir letter to the 

 department, and hope they may make satisfactory 

 arrangements. Wm. Carr, P. M. 



Suspension Bridge, N. Y., June 4, 1886. 



Now, friend Root and brother bee-keepers, what 

 are we to do? It seems to me that the mutual in- 

 terests of the bee-keepers in Canada and the U. S, 

 demand that a law shall be passed, allowing us the 

 privilege of sending queens by mail from one coun- 

 try to the other. But how are we to get such a law? 

 " that's the question." I have written to the Super- 

 intendent of Foreign Mails about the matter. Had 

 each and every apiarist better do so, or can we 

 bring the matter about through the Bee-Keepers' 

 Union? I had thought that it might be a good plan 

 for that body to delegate Prof. Cook or Prof. Mc- 

 Lain, to push the matter through. Prof. Cook did 



