Ai'RiL, 1917 GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



FROM THE FIELD OF EXPERIENCE 



271 



county fairs as we could attend. This 

 last season we startod with the beginning 

 of the fairs in August, and attended fairs 

 each week until the end in November. At 

 the State Fair, Inspector D. H. Morris and 

 myself gave a continuous performance in 

 live-bee handling. We started about 8 A. M. 

 each morning, and handled those bees con- 

 tinuously all day. As was to be expected, 

 we had a crowd all day. We did not 

 attempt to give a regular talk, but tried to 

 ansAver what questions were asked, frequent- 

 ly explaining that we were there for edu- 

 cational purposes. 



We were in doubt as to whether we 

 could make one colony hold out the entire 

 week. Editor Root told us some time be- 

 fore that he would not advise us to use 

 one colony too long, because the bees would 

 " get on to our game." Well, he Avas 

 right. The last of the week we had to 

 play pretty carefully for the bees were get- 



ting well acquainted with the proceedings. 

 Our exhibits at the county fairs con- 

 sisted of observation hives and all the 

 smaller articles used in bee culture, includ- 

 ing combs to demonstrate the value of the 

 use of foundatjibn. We also carried ia 

 large number of photographs showing 

 good and bad methods. The state of Ohio 

 spent thousands of dollars doing educational 

 work at county fairs. 



Our assessors at the last ai^praisement 

 listed over 700,000 colonies, and no one 

 can tell how many they mjfised. It is 

 rare when we go thru a county one year 

 that we are able to get back in that county 

 the next season ; and we all know that, if 

 one has much disease, it is very seldom 

 that one cleaning-up will get all the in- 

 fection. The beekeeper must be taught 

 so that he will be able to do his own 

 inspection work. A. C. Ames. 



Peninsula, Ohio. 



Bees working on a substitute for pollen. — Photogr.Tphed by D. M. Bryant, Ethelfelts, Va. 



