Published by The A. I. Root Co., Medina, Ohio. 



H. H. Root, Assistant Editor E. R. Root, Editor A. L. Boyden, Advertising Manager 



A. I. Root, Editor Home Department J. T. Calvert, Business Manager 



Entered at the Postoffice. Medina, Ohio, as Second-class Matter 



VOL. XXXIX 



MAY 1, 1911 



NO. 9 



Editorial 



SPRAYING TREES WHILE IN BLOOM, AND ITS 

 EFFECT ON BEES. 



For most northern locahties where fruit 

 is grown, spraying will be under way for 

 fungi and injurious insects. Fortunately, 

 our intelligent fruit-growers are not spray- 

 ing while fruit-trees are in bloom; and for- 

 tunately, too, our experiment stations every- 

 where are advising against it, not only be- 

 cause the practice kills thousands of bees, 

 but because of the injury to the delicate repro- 

 ductive organs of the flowers. If any of our 

 readers know of cases where spraying is be- 

 ing done while trees are in bloom, and where 

 bees have been killed, we wish they would 

 promptly inform us. We are gathering data 

 going to show conclusively that spraying 

 when the trees are in flower is very damag- 

 ing to the bee-keeper. This evidence will be 

 presented later on to State legislatures. 



FIFTY-YEAR-OLD BEE-KEEPER. 



It speaks pretty well for an occupation 

 or pursuit in life when one follows it for 

 fifty years. In a letter just received from 

 Geo. W. Aldred, Lapel, Ind., he mentions 

 that it will be fifty 5 ears next month since 

 he got his first colony of bees, and he says 

 he has been in the business ever since. Dr. 

 Miller is another who is in this class. The 

 next edition of his book, "Forty Years 

 Among th'e Bees," that he is now working 

 on, will be known as 'Fifty Years Among 

 the Bees." 



Here is another who has been a bee-keep- 

 er for 54 years: 



This is my 54th year since I started to malce ac- 

 quaintance with the bees. Have manipulated the 

 old-fashioned straw hives with a funnel-shaped 

 piece of spruce bark for cover. 



Lanesboro, Minn., March 27. .lAroB Wahl. 



THB FOUL-BROOD SITUATION IN BRITISH 

 COLUMBIA, 



The following letter from our correspond- 

 ent Mr. F. Dundas Todd will explain itself: 



The Department of Agriculture for the province 

 of British Columbia has appointed two foul-brood 

 inspectors— E. Leonard Harris. \'ernon. B. C, for the 

 eastern half, F. Dundas Todd, Victoria, B. C, for 

 tho western half. The action is precautionary, not 

 remedial, as no defined case is known to exist. One 

 suspicious case was reported in midwinter, and 

 will be attended to at the earliest opportunity. The 

 aim of the Department is to learn the name of ev- 

 ery bee-keeper in the province, and to have every 



hive examined so as to insure a clean bill of health. 

 In addition, the inspectors will give instruction in 

 the art of bee-keeping. F. Dundas Todd. 



Victoria, B. C, March 27. 



The unusual activity in foul-brood legis- 

 lation all over the United States is going 

 to do an immense amount of good. Great 

 is the power of example. 



BUCKWHEAT HONEY IN THE COMB NOT 

 MUCH IN DEMAND. 



Mr. Segelken, of the firm of Hildreth 

 & Segelken, New York, says in the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal, page 46, he notices a de- 

 cided falling-off in the demand for buck- 

 wheat comb honey in sections, and there- 

 fore advises producers in the buckwheat 

 sections to run more to extracted, for which 

 there is a good demand. He also empha- 

 sizes the importance of shipping comb 

 honey in carriers, and selling early. The 

 whole article should be read carefully by 

 producers. 



FOUNDATION IN THE HIVE; IS THERE A 

 RIGHT AND A WRONG WAY TO HANG 

 IT? OR DOES IT MAKE NO DIFFER- 

 ENCE HOW IT IS HUNG? 



On page 282 of this issue will be found a 

 discussion on this question. The verdict 

 of our own men who have made a number 

 of tests seems to show that it does not make 

 any difference. Notwithstanding that, it 

 is iindeniably true that in most cases the 

 bees build their natural comb in such a way 

 that there will be two parallel walls, ver- 

 tical, thus: ^^-^ Theoretically it would also 

 seem that | | this should give the strong- 

 er constru ^.^ ction; but it is equally 

 true that bees in a good many instances 

 build their comb the other way. If any of 

 our readers can give us more positive data 

 we shall be glad to have them do so. 



WILDER's METHOD OF SWARM CONTROL. 



We would call particular attention to 

 Mr. J. J. Wilder's method of swarm con- 

 trol, as outlined by him in our last issue, 

 page 251. The writer did not notice it till 

 his return from Florida and the forms had 

 been made up, or he would have called spe- 

 cial attention to it editorially in the same 

 issue. Mr. Wilder is one of the most ex- 

 tensive honey-producers in the United 

 States, operating in all 21 out-apiaries in 

 Florida and Georgia. A man who is so ex- 

 tensively engaged in the business ought to 

 know whether his plan of bottom ventila- 



