SKPTEMBEK 1, lUlti 



779 



BEEKEEPING IN CALIFORNIA 



P. C. Chadwick, 



Mr. Editor, in your footnote, 

 page 585, July 15, you say that if 

 Dr. Miller is right, " does it not 

 argue that it is an advantage to 

 produce both comb and extracted 

 honey in the same yard?" I am 

 not sure as to producing comb 

 honey in an extraeting-yard, but I am sure 

 that it pays to use extracling-combs in con- 

 nection with the i^roduction of comb honey. 



SIMILARITY OF THE TWO DISEASES. 



Inspector M. J. Meeker, of San Bernar- 

 dino County, informs me that American 

 foul brood seems to be more of an ag- 

 gressor than the European variety (black 

 brood) this season, with the two converg- 

 ing apparently in some instances. The 

 American caused the "big scare" among 

 beekeepers a few years ago, but now in this 

 section the other kind seems to be more 

 dreaded. He advises the adding of sealed 

 brood in abundance to check the latter, cag- 

 ing the queen when necessary. He always 

 encourages Italian stock. Mr. Meeker is 

 emphatic as to Italianizing to cure the dis- 

 ease. 



In a recent conversation with Mr. George 

 W. Dixon, of Beaumont, he mentioned the 

 similarity of the American and European 

 types, but his description of the converg- 

 ing lines caused me to believe that the 

 American form is mistaken for the Euro- 

 pean before it has reached the ropy, coffee- 

 colored state of the last stages. Mr. Dixon 

 did not claim that European foul brood is 

 often sealed, but that the larvae of sealed 

 cells at first do not appear as being infected 

 with American ; but later there could be no 

 doubt about the matter. It is a well-known 

 fact that, even with American, the brood 

 when it first succumbs to the diseaese has 

 not reached the stage where it is but a ropy 

 mass in the bottom of the cell, but is noth- 

 ing more nor less than a dead larva. Later 

 it degenerates into a mass of ropy filth in 

 the bottom of the cells. This may in a way 

 explain something of the converging lines, 

 which are in reality only mistaken symp- 

 toms. Of course there may be cases where 

 the germs of the two diseases are vieing 

 with each other for the victim. 



POISONING SKUNKS. 

 Skunks having begun tlieir annual on- 

 slaught upon my Trccinoiil yaid 1 decided 



Redlands, Cal. 



to give tliom their usual feast of sti-ychnine, 

 which, as a rule, puts such a check to their 

 operations that the bees are relieved at once. 

 As I have before mentioned, I use small 

 chunks of fresh beef in which the poison is 

 well hidden. This is necessary, as it is not 

 eaten readily if left on the surface so it 

 may be tasted. All undevoured pieces 

 should be taken up the following morning 

 if there are domestic animals that might get 

 hold of it. 



But I started to relate a little experience. 

 On the evening of July 22 my twelve-year- 

 old son Ralph and I made preparations for 

 a journey to the ranch for the exjjress pur- 

 pose of putting out some poison. It was 

 quite late when we arrived, but we prepared 

 the poison, lighted a lamp, and started to 

 distribute the dope. We soon discovered 

 that the bees were on the war-path at any 

 noise that chanced to pa.?s the hive, having 

 been made so by being irritated so much by 

 skunks. We Avere obliged to abandon the 

 light; but as it was not yet extremely dark 

 we continued to distribute the poisoned 

 meat. We had traveled, not more than a 

 third the distance of the length of the yard 

 when to my horror I found 1 was standing 

 face to face with a large skunk. Well, as 

 a rule I am not much of a cowaid; but I 

 shall have to admit that these skunks have 

 got me " bluffed " from the start. There I 

 stood gasping for breath in a manner that 

 left no doubt about my emotions; but I 

 made no move, neither did the intruder. I 

 was afraid I might draw forth some of its 

 abundance of perfume, but I finally got up 

 courage enough to pick up a rock to throw 

 at it. My moving seemed to give it a spell 

 of fear, and it dodged under the honey- 

 house. It is safe to say that I left it un- 

 disturbed. When we reached the upper end 

 of the yard we i-an on to the second one; 

 but it did not tarry long, to my great de- 

 light. Before we got back to the bunk- 

 house we saw the third one. We retired for 

 the night, and such a night as it was! I 

 had some difficulty in getting to sleep, and 

 it was near midnight when I finally lost 

 myself; but it was not many minutes before ' 

 I found myself again. About that time it 

 seemed that all of the skunks in the country 

 were giving me a smell of their perfumery, 

 and sleep for the rest of the night was out 

 of the question. Poison causes such distress 

 in some cases (hat the odor is released, while 

 in others it acts so (juickly llie result is the 

 reverse. 



