226 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



April, 1920 



HEADS OF GRAIN T £?f™^a | DIFFERENT FIELDS 



again be allowed in the prescribed area on 

 Jan. 14, 1920. 



During the past two years, for fear of in- 

 troducing "Isle of Wight" disea'se, the im- 

 portation of queens from the United States 

 had been prohibited. This order is now 

 withdrawn. 



The better to protect the beekeepers of 

 Jamaica, the Department is considering the 

 appointment of a traveling inspector to 

 promote honey production in all sections of 

 the Island. Also, strict rulings have been 

 made concerning the shipment of honey. All 

 honey on vessels in Kingston harbor must 

 be properly screened from the bees. Foreign 

 honey in port can be shipped only at night. 

 An inspector is to supervise such transship- 



ment and water is to be kept constantly 

 sprayed over the exposed casks of honey. 

 In this connection the report mentions that 

 when the Haytian gunboat " Centenaire," 

 which was equipped as a hulk for the stor- 

 age of Cuban honey in transit, was found, 

 after the honey had been removed, to be 

 thoroly impregnated with infected honey, 

 the government paid the cost of the vessel 

 (about $1,775) and burned it in August, 

 1919. The entire amount expended by 

 Jamaica so far in foul-brood eradication is 

 £4,436 ($10,526). 



The report states that there is no foul 

 brood nor other dangerous disease of bees 

 known or suspected to exist in Jamaica at 

 the present time. — Editor. 



My Neighbors. — By Bill Melvir 



{With apologies to Walt Mason.) 



]\Iy neighbors are nutty, their nootlles are 

 putty, they don 't seem to learn anything. 

 In spite of my teaching, exhorting, and 

 preaching, their bees are all paupers this 

 spring. They robbed them last season beyond 

 sense and reason; I marvel they still are 

 alive. In'stead _ 

 of brood rearing, 

 gaunt famine 

 they 're fearing, 

 with two pounds 

 of honey per 

 hive. The food 

 is so scanty in 

 their little 

 shanty, they 've 

 willies of nu- 

 merous brand. 

 "With omens 

 foreboding a n d 

 worry corroding, 

 the urge of the 

 spring time is 

 canned. Their 

 future looks 

 g'loomiy, their 

 eyes have grown 

 rheumy from 

 watching the 

 vanishing stores. 

 They size up the 

 morrow as load- 

 ed with sorrow 

 as grimly they 



do up their chores. The queens arc unhappy, 

 the workers are scrappy; tiiey've bolshevik 

 notions galore; compelled to be thriftless 

 they soon become shiftless, assuming the role 

 of the poor. 



My neighbors are stingy; their methods 

 are dingy; their bees are ne'er sleek and 

 well fed. Their notions are kinky; their 

 feeders are dinky; so nothing is stored up 



ahead. By feeding and fussing, by smearing 

 and mussing, they keep their poor bees just 

 alive. They go out each morning to give the 

 bees warning, then feed them a spoonful per 

 hive! Now, how in creation with such stimu- 

 lation can brood-rearing boom in the spring? 



They 're saving 

 -M^^.i I a dollar, but 



' ' later they'll hol- 



ler, "The sea- 

 son 's a failure 

 by Jing!" This 

 bummest of sav- 

 ing is rapidly 

 paving the way 

 for no honev in 

 June. They'll 

 sure be disgust- 

 ed and later go 

 b u s t e d fro in 

 feeding their 

 bees with a 

 spoon. Their 

 cheap - John tin 

 feeders and all 

 such impeders, I 

 w o u 1 d to t h (> 

 junk pile con- 

 sign. Such hand- 

 to-mouth giving 

 is mighty poor 

 living for bees 

 with ambitions 

 like mine. With 

 upuk'iice reeking, my bees are now seeking 

 to till ten or twelve frames with brood. 

 With energy boiling, they're buoyantly toil- 

 ing because they have plenty of food. Fat 

 combs filled with honey makes feeders 

 worth money; they're worth at least two 

 bones a comb. So, loudly I'm preaching 

 th.e Doolittle teaching of "Millions of hon- 

 ev at home." 



