1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



665 



filled. Some bee-keepers prefer to ta)) light- 

 ly with the finger. Try tajipiiig a tilled sec- 

 tion, and one unfilled. The empty one gives 

 back a sound like the sounding-board of a 

 violin, though, of course, v('r> faint in com- 

 parison. The filled sections give back almost 

 no sound. It is not a great task to take out 

 the wedge, and pry every one of the frames 

 so that you may see between them. When 

 you close them up again, of course you want 

 to smoke the bees out of the way. 



SOME KIND WORDS FROM THE BEE- 

 FRIENDS IN CANADA. 



NOTES OF THE MEETING OF THE ONTARIO BEF.- 

 KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 



fNOWING your kind interest in our Canadian 

 prosperity, I haste to pass you a few jottings 

 of our convention just terminated, tieinjar 

 held in the same place (council chamber. 

 City Hall) where the N. A. A. held its meet- 

 ing a year ago (always Isindly placed at our service 

 by mayor and city Fathers tree). Although our 

 gathering was not quite so large, we felt it was all 

 the larger for the good influence of that extra pleas- 

 ant and profitable meeting, as the many recollec- 

 tions thereof now brought up on this occasion 

 witnesseth. 



Our membership is now over double that of a year 

 ago. We had three evening sessions, and two in- 

 formal forenoon meetings in Industrial-exhibition 

 directors' hall on the grounds (also cheerfully lent 

 us for the purpose). Questions covering much of 

 the ground so often gone over were discussed with 

 more than common interest. Mr. Jones and other 

 (now leading) bee-men, too, seemed so to feel the 

 importance of these discussions and intex'ests as to 

 leave other pressing calls on their time to wait and 

 bee present every time. Kindly newspaper report- 

 ers, too, seemed really to enjoy the curious and 

 astonishing revelations of the inner bee-hive opera- 

 tions, and as if pretty well inoculated with regular 

 "bee fever." You will no doubt have lengthy re- 

 ports in your Canadian exchanges, so I must not 

 trespass on your space. In fact, one more main idea, 

 however, intended to be expressed in this communi- 

 cation must be allowed to suffice for the present; 

 just one element appeared wanting. Need I tell 

 you the want? Well, it was manifested by prompt- 

 ing such inquiries as, "Will none of our over-the- 

 line cousins, 'Root' or /irojir/* be with us?" "What 

 were our good officials about, that they didn't see 

 to sending pressing invitations, and securing the 

 presence of some such as any of those who last year 

 contributed so materially to the pleasiu-e and i)r()fit 

 of that season of " happy memories "V 



I now conclude with this broad hint, that some, 

 yea, many, over there may calculate on a year 

 hence, taking part in the meeting of the O. B. K. A. 

 Jacob Spencer, Sec. 

 Thank you, friend S. I have often thought 

 of you this fall, and I also must confess to 

 (piite a longing to go once more to Toront(j 

 and see the faces 1 met there. But. how 

 about yoiu- honey-crop this year V I scanned 

 the above article all through. Are you still 

 booming as you were a year ago, or are you, 

 too, in the same boat with friend Doohttle 



and some others? 



PYRETHRUM. 



The Way it Operates in Destroying Trouble- 

 some Insects. 



PROF. COEK ALSO TELLS US WHAT BUHACH IS. 



EAR MR. ROOT: 

 ,f| c|| Muth- 



In response to your and Mr. 

 inquiries in last Glean- 

 ings, p. 624, I i-eply that pyrethrum is a gen- 

 eric term referring to the powdered flowers 

 of any one of three distinct plants— Pyre- 

 tliruin rtisciun, P. Carneum, and P. CinerarkefoUum. 

 The powder from the two first-mentioned plants is 

 known from the locality where the plants grow, as 

 Persian insect-powder, and for a like reason the 

 latter is called Dalmatian insect-powder. Buhach 

 is the Dalmatian insect-powder that is grown and 

 manufactured in California. G. N. Milco, of Stoc- 

 ton, Cal., who, 1 believe, is a Dalmatian, has given 

 the name of his product— buhach— to protect him 

 against the adulteration, which is quite sure to over- 

 take so valuable an ai-ticle. This powder owes its 

 valuable projierties to the presence of a volatile 

 substance which, unless the powder is kept close, 

 will escape, when the article is valueless. Buhach, 

 which I have had a year, and have kept in a close 

 tin vessel, is not so effective as last year, nor so ef- 

 fective as fresh powder obtained this year; yet it 

 kills most insects to which it is aplied. 



Another peculiar property of fresh pyrethrum is, 

 that it may be mixed with several parts of flour, 

 and still be potent to destroy. This makes adultera- 

 tion easy, and likely had its influence in causing 

 Mr. Milco to adopt a peculiar name for his product. 



Buhach— indeed, all pyrethrum— kills by contact, 

 and not by being eaten. Again, it is entirely non- 

 poisonous to- vertebrates. A friend told me that he 

 ate a tablespoonful, with no harm, even to his di- 

 gestion. 



I have found the powder very effective to kill 

 many insects, when dusted on to them by use of a 

 dust-bellows, or sprayed on to them when mixed 

 with water— one tablespoonful to two gallons of 

 the liquid— by use of a Whitman pump, or when the 

 alcoholic extract is applied as a spray. We kill our 

 house-flies by dusting on the powder. We do this 

 as we retire at night, and can sweep up the dead or 

 paralyzed flies the next morning. I prefer to kill 

 cabbage-worms, slugs, etc., by spraying with the 

 liquid mixture. 



I have not seen the article you mention, so can not 

 say as to the correctness of its representations, but 

 I do consider pyrethrum a very valuable insecticide, 

 especially the buhach, which is more apt to be pure 

 and fresh. 



While many of our worst insect pests are quickly 

 killed by use of this powder, I have found that 

 sonic bugs and a few beetles are proof against it. In 

 all our use of this substance, when dusted into close 

 rooms like living-rooms or chicken-houses, the dust 

 comes in contact with flies, lice, etc., and quickly 

 kills. We must put it immediately on the insects, 

 as its virtue is soon gone. A. J. Cook. 



Lansing, Mich. 



Thaidv you, friend Cook. This is indeed 

 soinetliing wonderful, that so small a quan' 

 tity of these insect powders can do so much. 

 If I remember correctly, wlieii you address- 

 ed our agricrUtural institute here, you told 

 us just a puff of the powder would kill all 

 the flies in a rooni. 



