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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



BEEKEEPING IN CALIFORNIA 



P. C. Chadwick, Redlands, Cal. 



It is with sincere regret that I 

 read in AVesley Foster's note the 

 sad misfortune to Mr. D. C. Pol- 

 hemus. All of one's extracting 

 combs for 2000 colonies of bees is 

 "some loss," and would put the 

 discouraging crimp in the career 

 of most of us. The great loss of wax and 

 labor involved is in itself considerable; 

 but to ' have one's combs destroyed when 

 the honey season is just at hand is equal 

 to losing a honey crop besides. It was 

 my good fortune to meet Mr. Polhemus 

 and his wife, who spent the night with my- 

 self and family last season. He is one of 

 the few very successful beekeepers, and has 

 on his own initiative created a market for 

 his honey that is of very great value to his 

 future. When he has insufficient honey of 

 his own production to supply his trade he 

 goes into the market to get a supply. 

 * * * 



BE CAREFUL BEFORE YOU SELECT A BREEDER. 



In recent articles there has appeared a 

 suggestion that tested queens were good 

 enough for breeding purposes. It seems to 

 me that in this there might be a pitfall to 

 some beekeepers. I would warn all to re- 

 frain from breeding very extensively from 

 a queen that has not had at least a summer's 

 tryout in the honey season. A tested queen 

 might prove to be the equal of any; but 

 there is too much chance in requeening an 

 entire apiary from a single queen of this 

 kind, that she would not prove equal. For 

 requeening an entire apiary, or perhaps 

 several of them, a guaranteed queen from 

 a reliable breeder should be used, and no 

 other kind. A queen-breeder who has kept 

 close record on a queen for a year is able 

 to give you value for your money, and you 

 run very little risk by paying a fancy 

 price for such a queen. The greatest risk 

 is in not being able, to keep her laying a 

 sufficient length of time to complete re- 

 queening operations before she is supersed- 

 ed, especially after traveling a long dis- 

 tance thru the mails. 



DANGEROUS LEGISLATION. 



There seems to be a feeling, tho I hope to 

 no very great extent, that no honey from a 

 diseased apiary should be allowed to be 

 placed on the market. Wesley Foster, June 

 1, is the first to voice that opinion, and there 

 are several in our own state who think the 

 same. It is the belief of the writer that the 



amount of good obtained would npt be com- 

 mensurate with the vast amount of harm 

 that would result. If it were a matter of 

 vast importance I might take another view 

 of the situation, but I am of the opinion 

 that there can but little harm come from 

 the sale of honey from diseased apiaries, 

 inasmuch as it is not injurious to the human 

 race when eaten. But such a thought enact- 

 ed into law might become a vicious matter 

 in the hands of some men, even those who 

 fostered tlie movement. In the first place 

 we have entirely too many laws on bee- 

 disease control as it is, and the entire lack of 

 the proper kind of laws. In other words, 

 we have a multitude of county, state, and 

 district laws whose enforcement is done 

 largely according to the individual fancy of 

 the interpreter. What we need is a na- 

 tional law that will define the rights of 

 the shipper so definitely that there can be 

 no doubt of its meaning, or the rules laid 

 down in its provisions, this law to super- 

 sede all others, and be the law of the future. 

 Such a law would place us all on the same 

 level; and if we had bees, queens, or honey 

 to ship we could go at it in an intelligent 

 manner, and with the thought we knew 

 what we were about. With a law such as 

 Mr. Foster recommends there would be 3 

 great hardship worked on the producer, for 

 disease might be discovered at the close of 

 the season, and that a man's apiary contain- 

 ed disease, Avhile previous to that time there 

 had been no trace of it visible ; yet on the 

 face of the fact his honey would have to be 

 destroyed. The editor, on page 425, shows 

 where such a law might work a hardship 

 even on Mr. Foster's own state. I think it 

 would be another case of whose ox was 

 gored as to the individual leaning toward 

 the law, and it is very probable that there 

 would be a change of sentiment in some 

 cases. But I am not ready to believe with 

 Mr. Foster that such a law is nearer than 

 we think. I am firmly of the opinion that 

 such a law will never be passed unless 

 " gumshoed " to final passage. Neither can 

 I believe that Mr. Foster is anything but 

 sincere in his views on the question ; but I 

 am as yet not ready to follow his idea. 

 There is too great an economic waste in 

 sight. [Our views are already given on 

 l^age 425. We might add that a national 

 law would be effective only on interstate 

 business. It could have no jurisdiction 

 within any one state. We would have to 

 liave state foul-brood laws as well. — Ed.] 



