a r, E A N T X O S I X B R F. (' t' I, T T' R K 



OcTOP.KR 19120 



HEADS OF GRAIN I gW ffl DIFFERENT FIELDS 



What Disease E. J. Ladd's article 



Symptoms in the August number, 



Are They? answering J. L. Byer 's 



of July Gleanings re- 

 garding his bees dying off, is far from be- 

 ing true, else several beekeepers along the 

 Verde and Oak Creek Valley would be much 

 enlightened by it. The malady described 

 by Mr. Byer is not a disappearing disease, 

 for his bees do not disappear. He speaks 

 of the bees being much agitated and with 

 widely outstretched wings running to and 

 fro violently trembling, until too weak or 

 tired, they drop off on the ground, where a 

 heap of dying bees and dead ones are ac- 

 cumulating until all but a few die. Only 

 about six per cent of all colonies seem to 

 have escaped. Those left are weak and it 

 seems almost impossible to build them up. 

 Moisture you say! Why we have had no 

 rain since the last of February until the- 



last part of August; dryest in 30 years. 

 Ours is exactly the same as Byer describes. 

 Few, yes, very few bees die anj^ distance 

 from the hive. My home yard, which is 

 about 4% miles away from the United 

 Verde Extension Copper Company Smelter 

 and which gets the benefit(?) of its fumiga- 

 tion every few days, was not affected. 

 Moreover, I have brought and given empty 

 and partly filled combs from the affected 

 colonies to my home colonies without any 

 ill effect, and weak colonies are being built 

 up fairly well at home when transferred 

 from the aft'ected apiary. Our troubles hap- 

 pened the fore part of June. Mr. Mathews, 

 our state inspector, pronounced it a strange 

 malady, with which he had not the slightest 

 acquaintance, a new bee disease, brother 

 Ladd; yes about like recent diseases of our 

 trees, shrubs, plants; yes, and animals. 

 Cornville, Ariz. L. Tissaw\ 



Winter's Coming.— By Bill Mellvir 



(With Apologies to W.ilt Mason.) 



r 



BKR)V. 



vPon, 



The winter's approaching, the frost is eii- 

 fioaching, soon turning green verdure to 

 gold; the evenings are chill}' and straw hats 

 look silly and are you prepared for the 

 cold? These days are so snappy that you 

 are quite happy, forgetting such weather 

 can't last. You're basking at present thru 

 days that are pleasant; but are j'ou pre- 

 pared for the blast? Old Winter is mixing 

 his war paint and fixing to give us a jolt 

 in the neck; the winds will be blowing, the 

 rain will be snowing, and sleet will come 

 down by the peck. From cold polar regions 

 o 'er icebergs by legions, the winds will 

 come cutting like knives. They'll raise the 

 Old Harry, the snow they will carry and 



plaster it over the hives. And are you pre- 

 paring for winter rip-tearing, O knights of 

 the smoker and veil? or are you just wait- 

 ing till time to go skating before you pre- 

 pare for the gale? Are all the hives heavy so 

 winter can't levy a toll in starvation again? 

 or are you too busy joy-riding with Lizzie 

 to think of things other than tin? Say, 

 are you providing some packing and sliding 

 the hives in a good winter case? or are 

 you still burning the coin you've been 

 earning — still sinking it minus a trace? 

 And have you provided a windbreak one- 

 sided foB checking Old Boreas' speed? An<l 

 are you now blocking down entrances shock 

 ing? For winter is drastic indeed. 



