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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



The republic of Chile is fast coming to the 

 front as a honey-producing state. A German 

 paper speaks of it as the Calif 01 nia or Eldorado 

 of bees. It enjoys a favored climate, greatly 

 simplifying wintering. Bee-keepers in that 

 country are ably represented by El Apicultor 

 Chileno ( The Chilean Bee-keeper), edited by 

 Juan Dupont-Lafitte, a man who is fully 

 abreast with all that is going on in beedom. 

 Chile might be represented by a green ribbon 

 an inch wide and a yard long, its real length 

 being about 2600 miles. With the Andes 

 Mountains on the east and ocean on the west 

 it enjoys a fine climate for bees. Their sum- 

 mer is, of course, our winter. 



Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria, has an 

 apiary in his private garden, not far from the 

 windows of his palace, for convenience in ob- 

 servation. The government gives about $12,- 

 000 a year for the purpose of developing scien- 

 tific apiculture. It is worthy of note on the 

 part of the various European governments, 

 that they favor in every way men of talent, 

 rich or poor, not only in bee culture, but in 

 all the arts and sciences. Even Russia, be- 

 ginning with Peter the Great, has offered 

 every inducement for artists and artisans to 

 go there to live. The result is, that St. Peters- 

 burg is now probably the finest capital in 

 Europe, while less than 200 years ago its site 

 was a dreary bog. The king of Bavaria appro- 

 priates annually about §8000 to promote scien- 

 tific bee-keeping. 



il/ 



A correspondent of the Revue Ec'eclique, in 

 writing from Greece, gives the following : 



" From the most remote antiquity, and even 

 before all civilization, Greece was a country 

 essentially honey yielding ; and even down to 

 our times the honey harvest in Hellenic coun- 

 tries has had a celebrity that no other rival 

 product has been able to share ; for the abun- 

 dance and especially the richness of the flora 

 of certain localities favor in an especial man- 

 ner this agricultural industry. 



"Nevertheless, in spite of the exceptional 

 situation of Greece it is to be noted that the 

 honey production of that state does not exceed 

 $200,000 in value, and this does not suffice for 

 home consumption. On the other hand, the 

 celebrated honey of Hymettus, once gathered 

 on the mountain of that name, is produced no 

 more. Grecian honey, the superiority of which 

 is due essentially to its aroma, and to its fine 

 flavor and nutritive properties, sells in Athens 

 at from 37 to 45 cents a pound. 



" There is also another kind of honey called 

 rodomeli, or honey of roses. The colonies 

 that produce this honey are situated in the 

 province of Carystie, in the Eubcei — regions 

 which are covered with wild roses, from which 

 the bees gather honey. 



" The honey produced by the juices of these 

 plants exhales a perfume of roses that is very 

 marked. It is sent principally to Constanti- 

 nople, where it is sold at a very high price to 

 Turkish families, who use it for cookiug, and 

 for seasoning their pastry. Wax is worth 

 from 37 to 45 cents a pound." 



THE AUSTRALASIAN BEE-KEEPER. 



We have just received the second issue of 

 this enterprising journal, published by Pender 

 Bros., West Maitland, N. S. W. Bee-keepers 

 there, it seems, are to have a little govern- 

 ment help in selling honey. This is to be 

 done through their Board of Exports. The 

 assistance rendered by this Board must be of 

 such a character that the honey on which a 

 government brand is placed can be guaranteed 

 as to purity and quality, and thus prevent any 

 rubbish being sold as Australian honey. Mr. 

 Pender gives an interesting account of his 

 visit to this country a year ago. Wintering, 

 as we have it in our Northern States, seems to 

 cut no figure in that warm climate. 



The editor says the discoloration of comb 

 honey is due to light. He had some stored 

 for three years that remained as white as ever 

 except where the light struck it But if that 

 is true, why is wax exposed to the sunlight in 

 order to bleach it, as it always does? 



DISEASED BROOD IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 



Pickled and Foul Brood, and Where Scattered; Tall 

 Sections; When and by Whom They Origi- 

 nated ; the No-drip Shipping-case. 



BY CAPT. J. K. HETHERINGTON. 



Mr. E. R. Root:— In reply to your letter 

 requesting information in regard to foul 

 brood in our State, also tall sections and no- 

 drip shipping-cases, and the length of time I 

 have used them in my business, I will reply 

 by saying it is indeed true that the bee-keep- 

 ers of this section of our State have been 

 greatly agitated for the past three years over 

 the appearance of foul brood, pickled brood, 

 or whatever it may prove to be. 



I learn from Mr. N. D. West, who has been 

 recently appointed foul-brood inspector for 

 our State, that it first made its appearance at 

 or near Sloausville, in nuclei swarms bought 

 in the South; and with Schoharie County as a 

 center it has spread quite rapidly, and become 

 a very serious problem, presenting in some lo- 

 calities a more serious aspect than in others. 

 On the surface of things, from facts present- 

 ed, one might almost conclude three or more 

 diseases existed in the same locality. 



My first personal experience was last July 

 on my return from the South. All I have 

 seen up to this time is clearly indicated and 

 described by Dr. W. O. Howard, of Texas, 

 and Mr. N. E. France, foul-brood inspector 

 for Wisconsin, as pickled brood. 



During my early bee keeping experience, 

 when " Father Quinby " was at the helm, we 

 had the scourge foul brood, and I am satis- 

 fied that what we now have has none of the 

 marked characteristics of that disease. 



