12 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1 



that there may be gentle bees among yellow 

 stock, their disposition, so far as I have 

 been able to observe, is much crosser than 

 the average yellow-colored Italians. — Ed.] 



You ARISE, Mr. Editor, p. 1143, to ask 

 how I know that bees carrying pollen were 

 only five days old. I'll tell you. I got an 

 imported queen and wanted to make a sure 

 thing of introducing. I fastened the queen 

 in a hive with not a living bee, but with 

 brood just ready to emerge. Five days lat- 

 er the entrance was opened, and in a short 

 time the liberated bees returned with loads 

 of pollen. Isn't that proof? [Could not be 

 better. You remind me of the witness who, 

 w^hen asked by the prosecution how far he 

 was away from the man who was shot, re- 

 plied instantly, "Nine feet, four and a half 

 inches." " How do you know it was exact- 

 ly that?' ' ' * Because, ' ' said the witness, * ' I 

 thought some fool of a lawyer would ask me, 

 and so I measured it immediately." Yes, 

 your proof is indisputable. I felt sure you 

 knew whereof you were talking; but some- 

 times we like to know the real foundation of 

 a direct and positive statement. — Ed.] 



Your recollection as to the consensus 

 of opinion as to mid-winter flights, I think, 

 is wrong, Mr. Editor, p. 1145. I think that 

 the general opinion was that taking bees 

 out for a flight and then returning them to 

 cellar was a damage— certainly that was my 

 opinion, an opinion that remained undisturb- 

 ed until you made trouble by raising the 

 question as to its correctness. As I said, p. 

 1145, I've been taking some out for a winter 

 or two, but I couldn't be positive whether 

 they were better or worse for it. I think 

 you overestimate the unbrokenness of the 

 cold in this location, for usually there comes 

 a day before time for taking out that is 

 warm enough for a flight. When that day 

 comes this winter, I expect to take out 

 some bees. [I sincerely hope you will have 

 a suitable flight-day so you can test a part 

 of your bees. I do not like to be alone in 

 this controversy of mid-winter flights. I do 

 not guess, but I know it is a good thing here 

 at Medina, and I should like to know how 

 far the principle would apply to other locali- 

 ties.— Ed.] 



Mr. Editor, I don't understand what you 

 say, page 1149. If you have some private 

 information about the views of the Board of 

 Directors, out with it. I have no recollec- 

 tion that they have passed any resolution 

 which commits them to the view that defend- 

 ing members in their rights stands as the 

 most important work to be done; neither do 

 I remembei; that any member has privately 

 expressed such a view. On the contrary, 

 within a few weeks I have offered a motion 

 whose passage I somewhat confidently ex- 

 pect, providing that in no case shall the Na- 

 tional bear more than half of the expense of 

 any lawsuit. The National has done a grand 

 work in establishing precedents in such cases, 

 and it is to be hoped that the time is not far 

 distant when it may not be necessary for it 

 to spend money to pay even half the cost of 



a lawsuit. If you have any stronger appre- 

 ciation than I of the importance of fighting 

 adulteration, it must have a strong rating 

 with you; and I don't know that my views 

 differ from those of other members. I may 

 not agree with you as to how the fighting 

 should be done; but as to the vigor of the 

 campaign I'm with you. I hope the battle 

 may be waged so fiercely that adulteration 

 in its turn may become a secondary matter, 

 and another thing that I have now in mind 

 may come to the front; "but that's another 

 story." [I had no private information from 

 the Board of Directors nor from any mem- 

 ber of it. If you will turn to the first page 

 of the annual report of the General Manag- 

 er for 1904, and read the published letter 

 from the Chairman of the Board of Direc- 

 tors, you will see where I obtained my infor- 

 mation. I was not criticising Mr. Marks or 

 the Board, but I only regretted that the pol- 

 icy there stated should be as follows : ' • The 

 suppression of adulteration . . , is a sec- 

 ondary object with the Association . . . 

 The Association must not be expected to 

 neglect or jeopardize the prime object of 

 the Association, 'to protect and defend its 

 members in their lawful rights. ' " I do not 

 understand by this that the policy is to ig- 

 nore the question of adulteration, but only 

 to put it partially in the background in order 

 that the defense feature may be given the 

 fullest prominence. Considering the num- 

 ber of petty quarrels between bee-keepers 

 and their neighbors— quarrels which have 

 come up of late and which could have been 

 avoided— it begins to seem as if the insur- 

 ance feature is being overdone. Indeed, I 

 know that the General Manager is being 

 overworked in settling up and adjusting 

 matters at issue between the bee-keeper 

 and his neighbors. So arduous have his du- 

 ties become that it is a question whether 

 he or any man can stand it much longer 

 without breaking down in health. To settle 

 a neighborhood dispute helps one member 

 only. To strike a blow at adulteration helps 

 every member of the Association. The great- 

 est good to the greatest number should now 

 be our motto. Understand, I am not quar- 

 reling with the Board of Directors; and if I 

 had been on the Board at the time the ac- 

 tion was taken 1 undoubtedly would have 

 voted with the majority. But conditions 

 have changed. I now believe that the adul- 

 teration question should be the most prom- 

 inent, and is the one that should receive the 

 best brains and thought of the General Man- 

 ager, and of the Board of Directors back of 

 him. I do not mean to convey the im- 

 pression that the Association should drain 

 its treasury in this or any one line of work ; 

 but I do believe that we should either lessen 

 the duties of the General Manager or pay 

 him a larger salary. If we cut off the labor 

 involved in neighborhood quarrels he can 

 give more attention to other matters per- 

 taining to the Association. Now, let it be 

 understood that General Manager France 

 has not complained to me or any one else; 

 but I do know that he is an overworked ser- 



