1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



91 



EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE FOR WINTER- 

 ING. 



For the last two or three weeks we have 

 been having very open weather. The temper- 

 ature here has been ranging from 50 almost up 

 to 70. I fear these very warm spells for out- 

 door bees, almost as much as I fear the very 

 cold ones. In the case of the former, the bees 

 get started in brood-rearing ; and then, when 

 the opposite condition comes on, many times 

 bees, in their efforts to save the brood, are 

 chilled to death, to say nothing of the wasted 

 energy and wasted brood. A moderate, steady 

 cold, is much more conducive to successful 

 vpintering, both for outdoor and indoor bees, 

 than great extremes. 



Later. — The cold wave has already come. 



DR. HOWARD'S REPORT ON THE NEW YORK 

 BEE DISEASE, OR BI,ACK BROOD. 



I HAVE just received the manuscript detail- 

 ing in full Bacteriologist Howard's investiga- 

 tions concerning that new malady that has 

 been afflicting the bee-keepers of Eastern New 

 York. The doctor has made over 1000 micro- 

 scopic examinations, besides doing a great deal 

 of other work connected with scientific research 

 of this kind. 



I have hurriedly gone over the manuscript, 

 and am surprised and pleased at the thorough- 

 ness with which he has apparently gone 

 through with the work. He has made eight 

 different pen-drawings direct from the micro- 

 scope, all of which will be engraved, and the 

 whole will be presented to our readers, proba- 

 bly in our issue for Feb. 15. 



To relieve the suspense of some, I will sim- 

 ply say in advance that the doctor (as was 

 stated in the preliminary report) finds this to 

 be an entirely new disease, and quite distinct 

 from foul brood — so different is it from an}^ 

 thing before discovered that he has named it 

 the New York bee disease, or black brood. 

 Further than this it will not be necessary to 

 go into details, because the doctor will be able 

 to speak for himself as soon as the engrav- 

 ings are completed. 



THE REFORMED SPELLING ONCE MORE. 



Negative votes against the shorter spelling 

 are coming in pellmell. At the present rate 

 they will bury the affirmative votes for ever 

 out of sight. Not wishing to take any more 

 space on this subject, I would simply say that, 

 for the present, we shall not adopt the propos- 

 ed shorter spellings. We have for several 

 years used, without offense to any one, words 

 such as catalog for catalogue ; program for 

 programme , etc. There are several other 

 shorter forms, but they have been incorporated 

 so slowly that no one has noticed them ; and 

 whatever change we make in the future will 

 be made on the same plan. 



But in giving up for the present the proposed 

 spellings, I have a feeling that, if all reforms 

 were treated in a like manner, very little 

 would be accomplished from century to cen- 

 tury. We are still in favor of the shorter 

 spelling, but do not wish to go against the ex- 

 pressed wishes of our subscribers. 



A FUTURE FOR CANDIED HONEY. 



It is evident that there will be more of an 

 effort in the future to sell extracted honey in 

 the candied form. C. F. Muth, according to 

 the American Bee Journal, established a large 

 trade in granulated honey. In more recent 

 years, R. C. Aikin has demonstrated that large 

 quantities of it can be sold in this way without 

 even the assistance of the city honey-merchant 

 or middleman. The only thing necessary is 

 to educate consumers to the fact that candied 

 honey is really and truly honey — just as much 

 so as if it were still in the comb. A bee-keep- 

 er who buys the granulated article never ob- 

 jects because it is candied ; and for his own 

 use he would just as .soon have it as the liquid, 

 for he knows that it can be brought to the lat- 

 ter condition very easily, and that, while it is 

 in the solid, it can be handled and shipped 

 without danger and without leakage. When 

 we get consumers educated to call for candied 

 honey, or, rather, to accept it as pure bees' 

 honey, then the next thing we shall want to 

 know is how to make extracted honey candy 

 quickly so that it may be made available for 

 the market as soon as possible. There is no 

 trouble about getting honey to candy in Colo- 

 rado, for it candies there almost before the pro- 

 ducers can get it into small vessels. 



THE FOUL - BROOD LAW AT THE MICHIGAN 



CONVENTION. 



The bill that was introduced into the Michi- 

 gan Legislature a year ago, providing for a 

 foul-brood inspector, failed to pass and become 

 a law because of apathy and lack of support 

 on the part of bee-keepers. When such a bill 

 is introduced in the legislature of any State, 

 and the secretary of the association, or any 

 other person who is interested in its passage, 

 notifies the bee-keepers, or they see notice in 

 the bee-journals, it should be their first duty 

 to write to their representative and senator, 

 urging the importance of the measure, and im- 

 pressing upon them the necessity of its passage. 

 By flooding the law- makers with personal let- 

 ters, more can be accomplished than in any 

 other way ; and if bee-keepers do not manifest 

 enough interest in a measure of this kind, 

 which is of vital importance to them, you can 

 not blame the legislators for pigeonholing the 

 bill, and giving their attention to something 

 that is more actively supported. We American 

 people need to learn that, after we have gone 

 to the polls and elected those who are to repre- 

 sent us in the halls of Congress and legislatures, 

 and other offices of trust, our duty is not 

 done. These officers are elected as our ser- 

 vants, and they are anxious to know what we 

 want, and we should be free to write them, es- 

 pecially when a matter is up for discussion in 

 which we have a vital interest. When foul 



