(Entered as aecond-class matter July 30, 1907, at the Post-Offlce at Chicago, 111., under Act of March 3, 1879.) 

 Published Monthly at 75 cents a Year, by George W. York & Co., 118 West Jackson BoulCTard. 



GEORGE W. YORK, Editor 



CHICAGO, ILL,, JULY, 1909 



Vol, XLIX— No, 7 



CditoHaJ ^otes 





and Commenfs ja' 



'*>* 



The Season of 1909 So Far 



There seems to be a very general com- 

 plaint that the season has been cold and 

 backward, giving not the best oppor- 

 tunity for bees to l^uild up. As late as 

 June l8 snow flurries were reported in 

 New York State. There is also com- 

 plaint in some white-clover regions of 

 a scarcity of that plant. Your true bee- 

 keeper, however, is a hopeful individual, 

 and if the season should prove to be 

 one of entire failure he will only the 

 more hopefully look forward to what 

 may be in store for him next year. 

 Good seasons have been, and good sea- 

 sons will be again. The crown is won 

 by the faithful — those who refuse to be- 

 come discouraged, no matter what may 

 come. 



Easy Way for Increase 



Two ways are given in the French 

 bee-journal, L'Apicultcur, that are not 

 recommended as the very best, but on 

 account of simplicity may be liked by 

 some. 



First, where a single colony is at dis- 

 posal. A is the hive containing the 

 colony, which of course is strong, and 

 B is an empty hive. At a time of day 

 when bees are in full flight, take from 

 A 2 frames of brood with adhering bees, 

 being sure not to take the queen ; put 

 these in B, set B in place of A, and set 

 A on a new stand lo feet or more dis- 

 tant. That's all, the bees in P> will rear 

 a queen for themselves. 



Second, with 2 colonics at disposal. 

 In hives A and B arc 2 strong colo- 

 nics; C is an empty hive. Take from 

 B its combs, all but one containing the 

 least brood, brushing back into B all the 

 bees, and filling up B with empty combs 

 or frames filled with foundation. As 



each comb is I)rusluil free of bees, set it 

 in C. tilling the one vacant space with 

 comb or foundation. Set C in place of 

 A, and set A in a new place lo feet 

 away. Do this at a time when bees 

 are afield, all the lietter when they arc 

 out at play. The returning bees will 

 populate C, and the colony will rear its 

 own queen if vou do not furnish one. 



Dates of After.swarms 



They are thus set down in the French 

 bee-journal, L'Apicultcur : 



The second swarm issues about 8 days after 

 the prime swarm. 



The third swarm 4 days after the second. 

 The fourth 2 or 3 days after the third. 

 The fifth 1 or 2 days after the fourth. 

 The sixth 1 day after the fifth. 

 The seventh 1 day after the sixth. 

 And so on. 



Do Yankee bees observe the same 

 dates ? 



Cities Planting Honey-Trees 



N'orwich, England, says the British 

 Bee Journal, has ordered 14,500 trees 

 for planting in its streets and public 

 spaces. Nor is Norwich the only En- 

 glish city taking such action, London 

 perhaps taking the lead, as indicated by 

 the following: 



"The London County Council, indeed, main- 

 tains its own nurseries, and large tracts of 

 ground at .Avery Hill are reserved for rearinK 

 young trees, whose ultimate destinations lie in 

 the various parks and public gardens of the 

 metropolis. 



"The trees most commonly in demand arc 

 lime and plane trees." 



As "lime" is simply another name for 

 linden or basswood, it will be seen that 

 this public action means a goo'd deal 

 to bee-keepers. As the linden is one of 

 the finest shade trees, it might be pos- 



sible in many a village or city for a 

 bee-keeper by a very little influence to 

 secure the planting of trees that woiild 

 turn to his own profit. He might, in- 

 deed, well afTord to furnish trees, to 

 be planted and grown at public expense. 

 And in smaller places, where tree-plant- 

 in" on the streets is a matter of private 

 enterprise, a bee-keeper might make 

 liimself popular by planting lindens 

 throughout the town, thereby getting a 

 double benefit. 



Till- Illinois Foul Brood Law 



Mr. Jas. A. Stone, secretary of the 

 Illinois State Bee-Keepers' Association, 

 sent us the following report, which 

 came just a little too late for our Tune 

 number : 



Krii:nd York:— I have just found out the 

 results of our efforts in the legislature Out 

 appropriation hill came out all right but ..^e 

 same old storv tor the foul brood bill. Both 

 went through the Senate all right, but the foul 

 brood bill was defeated in the house committee. 

 There was the same old protest, backed up by 

 all the untruth they could bring to their aid, 

 and you know God's Word tells us who the 

 f-ither of lies is, and those who get his aid 

 win not lack an argument, though it be ever 

 so false. ^ , 



Two years ago their argument (only one man 

 then) was, "The committee who are working 

 for the bill arc manufacturers of apiarian im- 

 plements, and want to burn our hives so they 

 can get to sell us more." This year (be- 

 cause they had been proven falsifiers before) 

 they came a dozen strong with the same de- 

 ceiving argument, that foul brood cannot be 

 cured, and that the promoters of the bill are 

 manufacturers of bee-hives, such as C. V. 

 Dadant, A. I. Root, and others," (and they 

 named those two right out). 



We told the House Committee that these 

 men were headed by the same party, that did 

 the same leading astray before, and that the 

 false argument they put up all vanished when 

 the law we asked was looked into, and we re- 

 ferred to it (by reading)— "In case the owner 

 of a diseased apiary shall refuse to treat his 

 bees or allow them lo be treated as directed 

 by the foul brood inspector, then the said in- 

 siiector may burn," etc. But they (except those 

 friendly to our bill) paid no attention to our 

 talk, nor to the petition from the Chicago- 

 .N'orthwcstern Association, which we presented, 

 but they were in the minority. 



We had G men in the committee who were 

 our fi lends, and Mr. Pcrvier, from Mr. A. L. 

 Kildow's district, was quite helpful to us. Had 

 it not been so near the close of the session 

 (the delay caused by the senatorial election) 

 we could have killed the weight of the falsi- 

 fiers, by giving the Committee the truth. (It 

 is hard to stand before a committee that does 

 not want to hear you.) . . 



The legislative committee of our Association 

 arc now asking the bee-keepers of this State, 

 if we h.ive all got to be exposed to the dread 



