isse 



GLllANiKGS IX iJEE CULTURE. 



811 



thing connected with them, is a sure cure ; 

 but if a milder treatment will accomplish 

 just as good results, wliy not use it V We 

 have 5'et to find a single colony of tlie lifty, 

 treated in the manner we have before de- 

 scribed, that was not cured. We destroy 

 the brood-combs and honey only. We put 

 the bees into a clean hive on frames of fdn., 

 and close them up for 24 hours, after which 

 time we feed them. The hives and appurte- 

 nances are thoroughly scalded out with 

 steam. I think it is true, that live bees will 

 not give tlu- disease, where, if they had been 

 sulphured to death with the diseased honey 

 still in their sacks, they would spread it, for 

 this reason : The live bees will consume the 

 honey in their sacks, containing the germs 

 of foul brood, when the same honey in the 

 sacks of dead bees will remain unchanged 

 and consequently be contagious. 



Once more: Your nuclei were together by 

 themselves, and, in consequence, the bees of 

 said nuclei probably did and must have in- 

 termingled to a greater or less extent. Then 

 if one of the nuclei had foul brood, all would 

 have it. It is this very same thing which 

 we think is spreading foul brood at the 

 Home of the IIoney-Bees ; so your experi- 

 ments, although carefully conducted, it 

 seems to me do not prove any thing. As a 

 moral, then, I think it behooves us to have 

 our colonies located pretty well apart. 



Ekxest. 



LEGISLATION NECESSARY. 



DR. C. C. MILLER GIVES US SOME THOUGHTS ON 

 OVERSTOCKING. 



T N my last article I ti-ied to show that the interests 

 (^ of ali would be best subserved by having bee- 

 ^l keeping mainly in the hands of those who 

 ^ make of it a principal if not an exclusive busi- 

 ness, and took the ground that legislation is 

 needed to encourage the movement in that direc- 

 tion. At first thought, the necessity for this may 

 not appear. Some may think the matter will regu- 

 late itself, and that, as a matter of honor, no one 

 will encroach upon ground already occupied. Un- 

 fortunatelj% cases enough have already occurred to 

 disprove this. I recall the case of G. M. Dooliltle, 

 reported by him incidentally as bearing upon some 

 other pointy with no thought, apparently, of finding 

 fault with the existing state of things. I do not re- 

 member exactly, but I think that, by means of oth- 

 ers in his field going into the business, his av- 

 erage yield was reduced about one-half. Mr. Doo- 

 little's plan of dealing with these men who lessen 

 his profits is to give them advice and assistance. 

 Under the circumstances this may be the best way, 

 for they have just as good legal right on the ground 

 as he; but unless Mr. Doolittle is made of different 

 material from myself, lie would be glad to have 

 them out of the waj', and would be willing to pay a 

 fair price for their permanent withdrawal. Sup- 

 pose the same state of things existed in farming, so 

 that a man with fifty head of cattle finds the ground 

 for their grazing beyond control, and subject to the 

 whim of every interlopoi". How long would he con- 

 tinue the business? Just so long as the present un- 

 certainty exists it will be a serious hindrance. Even 

 supposing that no investment whatever were need- 

 ed in the business, the fact remains that any year a 



man may be compelled to seek a new field, possibl!^ 

 at a great distance, and at some expense in the 

 search, and the expense of removal is a serious mat- 

 ter, to say nothing of the breaking-up of old ties. 

 But as the business becomes more settled in its 

 character there will be few without more or less of 

 permanent investment that would be a dead loss 

 upon removal. Buildings are put up, specially 

 adapted to the business. Winter repositories are 

 built in some localities, which are of little or no 

 value for any other purpose. The matter of artifi- 

 cial pasturage would receive a strong impetus if d 

 bee-keeper could feel sufe of himself reaping the 

 harvest of his own sowing. I am notover-sanguind 

 as to artificial pasttirage; still it is among thepossi- 

 bilities, that, not so very far in the future, there 

 may be l)ee-farms of 10, .50, or even 1(10 acres, princi- 

 pally or wholly devoted to honey plants, making- 

 a continuous harvest from May to November. But 

 what encouragement have I to invest in such an en- 

 terprise, with the probability that, as soon as fairly 

 under way, the proceeds must be divided with oth- 

 ers who have borne no part in the expense? 



What kind of legislation is needed? I don't know. 

 I liave studied very little upon this part of the 

 problem; but whenever bee-keepers afe agreed 

 that legislation is needed, some one will suggest a 

 good plan. One way would be to dispose of territo- 

 ry in the same way that the soil was disposed of by 

 government, giving one a deed of so many square 

 miles, or of a township. But it Is premature to dis- 

 cuss the kind of legislation needed, unless bee- 

 keepers first agree that any legislation is needed. 



A WHEELBARROW. 



After greatly delighting my wife with a carpet- 

 sweeper, and nearly as nuich with a lawn-mower 

 from A. I. Root, I meditated sending to him for a 

 wheelbarrow, as my old one was pretty well used 

 up. It occurred to me, however, that 1 could so 

 modify a common railroad wheelbarrow, for which 

 I had but very little use, as to answer the purpose. 

 It was very strong, but an awkward, heavy affair. 

 I knocked oft' the boards that formed the body, or 

 box, and sawed oft' the upper part of the standards 

 nearest the handles, leaving a light and very strong 

 barrow. Taking off the boards took away the stiff- 

 ness, so I had two iron rods put on as braces. The 

 load coming close to the wheel makes it much easi- 

 er handled; and although costing only two or three 

 dollars, I would not exchange it for any $.5.00wheel- 

 barrow I ever saw. Railroad wheelbarrows may be 

 found at almost any hardware store; and although 

 made in different ways, I think any of them can be 

 easily modified to suit a bee-keeper. 



Marengo, III., Sept., 1886. C. C. Miller. 



Friend M., I have many times thought of 

 what you say ; and, in fact, when planting 

 our bassvvood orchard it occurred to me quite 

 often, that, should it ever prove a success, 

 somebody woidd be almost certain to begin 

 bee-keeping in the vicinity, and thus take 

 advantage of om- crop of honey which took 

 us tifteen or twenty years to raise. In fact, 

 a good many asked me w hat I should do if 

 such a thing should happen. I told them 

 this : That I should expect to keep enough 

 bees to overstock the locality. In fact, I 

 proposed to keep such a number of stocks at 

 all times that it would be a very poor invest- 

 ment for a bee-keeper to locate very near 

 me, and some have already found it so by 



