Published by The A. I. Root Company, 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 Postofflce. Medina. Ohio, as Second-elass Matter 



VOL. XXXIX 



OCTOBER 1, 1911 



NO. 18 



C^D{l®[PDai[ 



THE SHARP ADVANCE IN THE PRICE OF 

 GRANULATED SUGAR. 



The sharp advance in the price of sugar, 

 unfortunately for the bee-keeper, came just 

 at a time wlien he needed to do his fall 

 feeding for winter. According to the sugar 

 trust (and apparently it ought to know) , 

 the price will soon drop. 



IS HONEY A STAPLE OR A LUXURY." 



In this issue, under head of Stray Straws, 

 the question is raised why honey has not 

 taken a sharp advance the same as sugar 

 has done of late. Most of our readers will 

 be interested in the reply. This same ques- 

 tion was thrashed out years ago, and James 

 Heddon, then one of the leading bee-keep- 

 ers and correspondents, took the position 

 that honey was not a staple article like but- 

 ter, eggs, and flour, but a luxury. The price 

 of a staple is controlled by the law of sup- 

 ply and demand; and while a luxury is sub- 

 ject somewhat to the same influence it is 

 not to the same degree. 



THE POOREST SEASON IN MANY YEARS. 



The year 1911, from the very test infor- 

 mation we are able to gather, appears to be 

 doomed to go down in history as the poor- 

 est one for honey that has been known for 

 many years back. The crop east was very 

 scanty. The western part of the country 

 fared somewhat better. But there is no 

 great loss without some small gain, for we 

 rest in the hope and conviction that honey, 

 having advanced in price by reason of its 

 scarcity, will maintain its level, even when 

 the crop is more abundant. All food stuffs, 

 including luxuries, are advancing in price; 

 but honey hitherto has not kept pace with 

 other luxuries. 



MR. AND MRS. A. I. ROOT CELEBRATE THEIR 

 50th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. 



In reproducing the photographs, pages 

 594-5, we are responding to frequent and 

 urgent requests on the part of many of our 

 readers for a large picture, not only of A. I. 

 Root, but of Mrs. Root. It seemed an ap- 

 propriate time to gratify these requests in 

 view of the anniversary of their wedding, 

 50 years ago, the 29th of September. Stren- 

 uous opposition was made by both "sides 



of the house," but as they knew nothing of 

 it until the last minute, their protests were 

 in vain. 



A quiet anniversary dinner was held at 

 the home of Mr. and ^Irs. J. T. Calvert, the 

 whole family, including the five children 

 and nine grandchildren, being present. It 

 is hardly necessary to state that A. I. Root 

 does not believe in divorce. See Our Homes, 

 this issue. 



DOES THE SPRAYING OF THE COTTON-PLANT 

 IN THE SOUTH KILL BEES? 



A SHORT time ago several of our corre- 

 spondents asked the question whether the 

 spraying of the cotton-plant in the South 

 would not do serious damage to the bee- 

 keepers near by. As we were unable to an- 

 swer, we handed the matter over to Dr. E. 

 F. Phillips, of the Bureau of Entomology, 

 Washington, D. C. He in turn referred the 

 matter to W. D. Hunter, in the employ of 

 the Bureau, located at Dallas, Texas. Mr. 

 Hunter, in charge of the southern field-crop 

 work of the Bureau, replies as follows: 



In my opinion there is only an exceedingly re- 

 mote possibility that honey-bees will be poisoned 

 by the proper application of Paris green or arsen- 

 ate of lead to cotton for the leaf-worm. It is sel- 

 dom neceSvSary to apply the arsenical in cotton- 

 fields at the rate of more than three pounds per 

 acre. The object of the application is to place the 

 poison on the leaves. It is not only unnecessary, 

 but entirely impracticable, to force the jjoison into 

 the blooms. Moreover, the method followed, which 

 consists of sifting the poison from a sack, would not 

 result in appreciable amounts of poison finding a 

 way into the bloom.s. of course, a very small 

 amount might be blown in by the winds, but I be- 

 lieve this is absolutely inconsiderable. 



Poisoning cotton is often i>racticed in the South, 

 and many plantations have apiaries on them. I 

 have never heard of a case of injury to bees result- 

 ing in poisoning the cotton; and, in fact, so far as I 

 know it has never been suspected that such might 

 be the case. 



Dallas, Texas, Aug. 25. W. D. Hunter. 



Mr. Ct. W. Hood, also of the Bureau, at 

 the request of Dr. Phillips, also furnished 

 an opinion, which we here reproduce: 



This, in all probability, occurs rarely, due to the 

 position of the flower on the plant, as well as the 

 methods of application of the poison. 



As you, no doubt, are aware, the flower has a 

 short petiole, and is located close to the main 

 branches of the plant. In this way they are pro- 

 tected by the large leaves, and the poison is ap- 

 plied in practically all cases by a dust-gun operat- 

 ed by negro help. The poison is forced out through 

 a long tube by a small fan operated by hand. This 

 gives very little force to the poison, which, in my 



