218 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mak. 15. 



danger. The bees are sure to contract the dis- 

 ease thereby, whether they obtain it by deliber- 

 ate feeding on the part of the apiarist, or by gath- 

 ering up what is carelessly allowed to drip and 

 to be left exposed about the apiary or by rob- 

 bing. When once pointed out, every bee-keep- 

 er should be able to guard against the danger 

 arising from the feeding and the dripping of 

 honey; but to secure protection against rob- 

 bing, extraordinary care is often required. If 

 bees were deprived of their disposition to rob. 

 foul brood would soon be eradicated. This can 

 not be done. Indeed, to one who has had to 

 deal with the plague, this disposition seems to 

 be increased thereby. The more po\\eT-ful na- 

 tions of Europe keep their eyes upon the Turk 

 as the "sick man," waiting for occasion when 

 they may profit by his dissolution. The bees 

 emulate the example of the nations. As soon 

 as they catch the odor of the disea,se issuing 

 from a" hive, they promptly label it "the sick 

 man." and eagerly watch and wait: and at 

 length, unlike Russia, Austria, and the rest, in- 

 stead of holding each in check, they all turn in 

 at the nick of time to complete the work of de- 

 struction, and, like many a human individual 

 and nation, find the seeds of death wi-apped up 

 in their ill-gotten wealth. 



From infected colonies that are reasonably 

 strong and in good heart, with sound hives 

 having moderate entrances, I should not ap- 

 prehend immediate danger, but I would keep a 

 sharp lookout for the impending decline. It be- 

 hooves him whose bees are infected, whether 

 or not he obeys the general injunction. "Keep 

 all colonies sti'ong," to be instant in his efforts 

 to keep all diseased colonies sti'ong. No one 

 will understand me to advise building up such 

 colonies. I mean, only, that no weak one in a 

 diseased condition should be tolerated for a 

 day; and. indeed, it is to be hoped that this ad- 

 vice will be seldom applicable; for it is to the 

 interest of every apiarist to banish the disease 

 by the most effectual method, as speedily as 

 possible. 



I hardly need add, that the taking of bees 

 from a diseased colony, and adding them to a 

 healthy one, would as certainly convey the 

 disease in the honey carried as though it were 

 brought by robbers. 



I shall close here, for I am sure that, if due 

 and timely heed be paid to the directions given 

 herein, and in my paper of a year ago. no one 

 need be greatly alarmed nor very seriously 

 damaged by foul brood; and I only hope that 

 none of you may ever iieed even to call them 

 into exercise. ci'llK,, C^— J R- L. Taylor. 



Lapeer, Mich., Mar., 1891. 



[I have carefully read your i)aper. friend T.. 

 and I consider it one of the best that has ever 

 been given on the subject. Youi' method of 

 diagnosing diseased colonies after brood is 

 hatched out. and combs have, after a fashion, 

 been cleaned up. is an exceedingly valuable 

 one; and although I have read a good deal of 

 foul-brood literature, I believe you are the 

 first one to give it. The sample comb that you 

 gave at tlie convention was forwarded to us, 

 and I exhibited the same in person to our artist, 

 showing him the scales ami what we wanted il- 

 lustrated. Afterexaminiug it he answered that 

 it was a hard thing to illustrate. Then 1 said, 

 " Enlarge the drawing five times. This is such 

 an important matter that we want everybody 

 to see it." lie did so. and I am glad to jn'esent 

 the result above. The scaly api)earance around 

 the edges of the cells is perhaps a little exag- 

 gerated, but this was necessary in order to 

 show them. That you may understand it bet- 

 ter, I will say that the ijiece of comb was stood 

 on end, and a knife sliced right thiough three 



or four of the cells, longitudinally. The other 

 row of cells is shown just back. A few scales 

 are seen at the bottom, but more of them are 

 attached around tlie edges, and that side or 

 sides of the cell which are the bottom wh(>n in 

 the hive. I shall be glad to have friend Tay- 

 lor tell us how near the engraving does justice 

 to the thing itself. 



Your methods oi' precautions for preventing 

 the spread of the disease are excellent, all of 

 which we have tried. We can not place too 

 much em])hasis on hcing careful. 



IVrhaps sonic may wish to know, in this con- 

 nection, what Mr. Taylor's method of cure is. 

 It is very similar to the one we give in the 

 ABC book; in fact, I believe it is just the' 

 same, because we followed Mr. Taylor.] 



E. R. R. 



THAT TRADE-MARK. 



MK. HEI)IK)N ARGUES FOR rrS ESTABLISHMENT 

 IN THE BEE-KEEPERS' UNION. 



On page 143 I see you quote the words of an 

 anonymous \\riter in the American Bee Jour- 

 iud; and in your foot-note on the next page 

 you say tliat "some of the points are well ta- 

 ken;" but some way I fail to find much argu- 

 ment in the quotation. In the fii'st place. " Bro, 

 Heddon" has never been " enthusiastic" nor 

 has he yet " waxed eloquent" over the trade- 

 nuirk schiMue. but has said from the beginning 

 that it was only a sua]) idea gathered in a mo- 

 ment's time at the late Detroit State conven- 

 tion. You wer(> there, I believe. Mr. Editor, 

 and will recollect that, at the outset, it was ad- 

 mitted by all that consumei's of honey had full 

 faitli in the jjurity of goods straight from the 

 hands of producers. I think few will deny the 

 prevalence of such an opinion. Well, as pro- 

 ducers have, in the ])ast. placed lots of poor 

 honey upon the market, and surely as much 

 adulterated as they ever will, that washes 

 away that i)oint presented by Anonymous. The 

 Union will not wari'ant any thing, neither need 

 it: for already has the i)ublic full coutidencc in 

 the purity of all honey put uj) by producers. 

 The object of th(> trade-mark is to let the whole 

 l)ublic "know at all times just how to quickly 

 determine which is fiom the jjroducer. Mr. A. 

 can not see how a trade-marl< can be obtained 

 fi'om the gov(>rnnn'nt, for the Union. Well, 

 your gentle subscriber can see. as well as he 

 can see sonu> other things connected with pat- 

 ent laws and rulings, which many others can't 

 get even a glimmer of. The manager can get a 

 trade-mark of a 30-years' longevity for .!!40, and 

 then make out an individual right to any one 

 he pleases. This can be done at a cost not 

 exceeding one cent i)er p(>rson. I wish our 

 friend A. would t<'ll us how the tiade-mark 

 schemt' can hurt the Union "awfully:" that is 

 what I can't see. Will A. be as kind* to me as I 

 have been to him. and (^nlighten me? If the 

 Union doi^sn't handle the trade-mark scheme, 

 who will? Only some organization of actual 

 honey - producers can afford to give a gi'eat 

 numlxM- of bee-keepers such an advantage, at 

 cost. Ali'eady the luanagei of the I'nion has to 

 be on the alert to detect any atteini)t on the^ 

 part of any l)ee-keeper to creep slily into the 

 Union fo)' its protection after ])ersecution has 

 already begun. It will be just as easy— yes, 

 much easiei'. to keep out of the Union, or keep 

 the trade-nuirk out of the hands of a city pack- 

 er of honey who happens to import a wasp-nest 

 into his garret in order to be classed as a honey- 

 producer. It will b(> much easiei- than to pre- 

 vent or detect perjury when a witness has ta- 

 ken an oath which gives his statements a hun- 



