894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Xov. 



ties may bo eruployed to meet the wants cl' the hu- 

 man famils' are equally great as tlie range of the 

 beautiful. Ueauty is the value of the one, and 

 healing and cleansing energy the value of the 

 other. Heauty can ri^e no higher, for the zenith is 

 reached. Philosophy and chemistry are luxuri- 

 ant plants, and are rising to grander and more sys- 

 tematic proportions every day. N. L. Hiobie. 

 Elsie, Mich. 



Friend 11., perhaps I was careless in say- 

 ing a gallon in -14 hours. I simply meant, 

 suppose I should drink lots of catnip tea. 1 

 admit, that you are right in one part of your 

 reasoning; namely, that while a dipper of 

 hot water would be an excellent thing for a 

 severe cold, e.xperience and common sense 

 would indicate that it would have no effect 

 whatever on a sore toe. If, however, in- 

 stead of drinking the water, we dip the toe 

 in it, [ think it might have some effect. 

 Very likely catnip has properties such as you 

 suggest, and that it will hit the spot when 

 such a remedy is needed, but produce no 

 effect whatever when not needed. I believe 

 in doctors, and we send for one occasionally ; 

 but [ confess it is witli a good deal the same 

 feeling I should try to do something for a 

 severe bee-sting. See my answer to G. A. 

 Parrand, on page 903. 



FOUL BROOD. 



NOT CAUSED UV UNTIDINESS. 



Jlp LTHOUGII I have never had any foul brood 

 gill since I have kept bees in this country, my 

 1^' e}'e (as a mattter of custom) is so suspi- 

 cious that I should likely notic3 it as soon 

 as opening such a hive, however little 

 affected, or even outside. The reason is, that 

 we were so much troubled with it the time 1 first 

 learned how to work with bees, f^ome beekeepers 

 think that foul brood (if they believe in such a 

 thing at all) is the consequence of untidiness about 

 the hive; yes, some smart ones tell nie that there 

 is no need of getting such a thing. Such ones will 

 find out, without need, where bee-keeping begins, 

 as anybod3' in a good locality, and in a good season, 

 can " milk the bees " with an extractor, and lose 

 half in winter. This latter is not even necessary 

 in a warm climate. I consider the last-named 

 point of 10) times the importance of examining 

 the bees before winter to see that every colony has 

 a good queen, as even an expert can see that, very 

 near to the entrance of his hives. Even suppose a 

 colony would have no queen, it would l)e of little 

 or no future consequence; whereas, if one colony 

 had contracted foul brood, and it were overlooked 

 in the spring also, the next season the whole apia- 

 ry would likely bo afiFccted, and worse yet; his 

 neighbors' also, and finally he would sell some of 

 his honey far away for some one to feed his bees 

 with, or rob it from some grocery-store. You see, 

 frienil Koot, I think that every bee-keeper should 

 know something about foul brood, as well as that 

 every doctor should know something about cholera 

 morbus. In youi- own case J think the most and 

 least work you can do (as is the rule in many cases), 

 is to do nothing, comparatively, as the season is, 

 so to say, near with you, and not ship or sell any 

 bees anyhow this season. 1 would only keej) an 

 eye on the affected and suspected ones, and ex- 



amine such with customary care, and treat them; 

 mark each, and keep them strictly separate. After 

 all have gone out of brood, it is an easy matter 

 to detect any affected ones, should there be any. 

 It would be too much of a risk to open so many 

 now, on account of robbing; for in hard times for 

 bees they will often smell and try hard to enter 

 hives the next day that have Vieen opened the eve- 

 ning previous. The bees of any affected colony 

 found in the fall can be shaken out from the 

 combs; and, after a day's fasting in a box, put on 

 a sufficient number of clean combs, and feed on 

 good honey or sugar for winter. 



1 do not as yet take any stock in curing foul 

 brood with acids; and even if it could l)e done, 1 

 consider it too laborious, without any apparent 

 reward, especially since we have foundation; but I 

 would put a few drops of acetic acid in the feed 

 to prevent or expel bad odors from the hive, which 

 is also a sure preventive for keeping sugar syrup 

 from granulating The odor is, or seems to be, 

 very much liked by the bees, as well as by most 

 men. I have always used it when ] had to feed 

 any sugar for winter. A slight scent of this agree- 

 able odor will remain in the hive all winter. 



Hammonton, N. J. C. H. Luttgens. 



Friend L., I am glad you have called at- 

 tention to the very serious consequences 

 that may result from a little carelessness 

 where foul brood is around. Prevention is 

 surely better and easier than cure, especial- 

 ly w'here you contemplate curing a whole 

 apiary or a whole neighborhood. 



FRIEND TUTTLES PHOTOS OF PROM- 

 INENT BEE-MEN. 



SOME COllKEf^TIONS IN KEOARD TO OUR NOTICE. 



NOTICE in the last number of Gi.eaninos 

 your remarks on my new photograph of bee- 

 keepers. While I thank you for some of the 

 things you have said in its favor, I think you 

 have done me an injustice by representing it 

 to he essentially the same as yours. You sa^' a 

 Imye propnrtidn of the pictures are the same as are 

 in your medley, while, in fact, only 26 persons out of 

 the 120 are in your medley at all, and 20 of these are 

 copied from photos taken since your medley was 

 made; so in realit}' there are only six in mine that 

 are the same as they are in yours; namely, Kirt- 

 land, Wagner, Parsons, Grimm, ('ary, and Gallup. 

 I have been very careful to secure good portraits, 

 and many of them were taken on purpose for me. 

 I have also been careful to use only such as have 

 become well known by reputation (one or two ex- 

 cepteil). Instead of giving the size of my pictui-e 

 as 11x14, which it really is, you have measured the 

 bare print, and called it 8!4xll ; while your picture, 

 measured in the same way, would be flxlO'i, instead 

 of UxU, as you advertise. E. O. Tutti.e. 



Bristol, Vt., Nov. !t, 1886. 



Friend T., I had no thought of doing any- 

 body an injustice ; but, of course, I did not 

 take time to count up the names as you 

 have done. In regard to the size, if you and 

 I, both of us, have been giving the size of 

 the cardboard on which the photograph is 

 pasted, I think we had both better be 

 straightened up, and I thank you for calling 

 our attention to the error in our price list. 



