i^AMER^ICAN 



"!*■ 



D 





1^ *'^ 



':^ i 



» 



V^- 



(Entered as second-class matter Jub" 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 & Company, 146 West Superior Street, 



GEORGE W. YORK. Editor. 



DR. C. C. MILLER. Associate Editor. 



CHICAGO, ILL., OCTOBER, 1909 



Vol. XLIX- -No. 10 



C'auueil Comb Honey— lis It Com- 

 ing? 



There are signs that the Texas idea 

 is gaining ground in other parts of the 

 country. There are a number of rea- 

 sons for this. 



First, there is the very excellent rea- 

 son that the number of colonies cared 

 for by any one person is largely in- 

 creased by this method. 



The second reason is also important; 

 practically no swarming with its at- 

 tendant worries. 



The third is equally important — less 

 expense in management. 



Fourth, less technical knowledge re- 

 quired. 



Fifth, quick sales at good prices. 



The last reason is the one that car- 

 ries weight, and we know that since 

 the Texans adopted the canned comb- 

 honey idea they have had no difficulty 

 in disposing of their crop at fair prices. 



Now, if this plan works well in Texas, 

 why will it not work in other parts of 

 the country as well? They use the 

 same appliances as we do, and the con- 

 ditions are practically the same. 



What we need at present is the ad- 

 vice and help of men who have tried 

 this plan, and succeeded, and who 

 know the details. Their experience 

 would be valued by many of our readers. 



Milk and Honey— A Cood Mixture 



D. M. Macdonald says in the Irish 

 Bee Journal, "' Milk and honey' is a 

 scriptural phrase, showing that even in 

 early times the mixture was highly ap- 

 preciated." Now what authority has 

 that canny Scotchman for saying that 

 those emigrants to the land of Canaan 

 took their milk and honey " mixed?" 

 After all, why not? 



Foul-lJrood .Sample.s 



There are indications that foul brood 

 of both kinds .-Kmerican and European 

 (the latter is also called " black brood") 

 is distributed more generally than is 

 supposed. To a greater or less degree 

 there is a tendency to suppress the 

 knowledge of the presence of foul 

 brood. The wisdom of such a policy 

 may well be doubted. It is no disgrace 

 to have one's bees attacked by foul 

 brood, and the knowledge that the dis- 

 ease has appeared in any given region 

 is likely to put on his guard any bee- 

 keeper who may be in that region. 



The approach of foul brood is often 

 insidious. By some unknown means it 

 may be carried to a spot many miles 

 distant from any known case. The 

 bee-keeper whose bees have never had 

 foul brood, and on that account thinks 

 he has no personal interest in it, is 

 making a mistake. Every bee-keeper 

 owes it to himself, and to his bee-keep- 

 ing neighbors, to be somewhat familiar 

 with the literature of foul brood. 



It is a matter of hearty congratula- 

 tion that we have at Washington such 

 a man as Dr. Phillips, who with his 

 able corps of assistants, is always ready 

 to render prompt aid to bee-keepers. 

 If any reader of this paper finds in his 

 apiary anything that makes liim sus- 

 picious that disease of any kind may be 

 present, let liim promptly send a dis- 

 eased sample to Dr. 1-2. F. Phillips, Ag- 

 ricultural Dept., Washington, D. C. If 

 uncertain as to the best way to send, 

 ask Dr. Phillips to send a container in 

 which the diseased sample may be 

 safely mailed. 



Don't send samples tt) this office ; 

 don't send to Dr. Miller. At neither 

 Chicago nor Marengo are there the 

 facilities for examination and determi- 



nation — such as there are at Washing- 

 ton — nor the skill to use them. There 

 is no charge whatever made for exam- 

 ination and information. The highest 

 skill is at the command of the humblest 

 bee-keeper, tree as the air he breathes. 



Nailinff Honey-Pacliage.s 



H. C. Ahlers, in the Bee-Keepers' Re- 

 view, urges the importance of thor- 

 oughly and carefully nailing the boxes 

 that contain cans of extracted honey. 

 He buys and sells, and says: 



" Frcuuently sliipments reacli me in wliich 

 cans and l^oxes have parted company: or 

 the bottom lias pulled off one end of tlie box 

 and till' nails run up tlirouKli the can. * * 

 Every box lliat I nail contains i6 8-penny 

 nails and the balance 6-penny box nails." 



Editor Hutchinson says, "Yes, and 

 we learned that nailing alone was not 

 sufficient for the two-can case of five 

 gallon cans — they must be bound with 

 iron at the ends." 



Honey-I>ew— What About It? 



So much is said about honey-dew 

 this year that an Ohio correspondent 

 thinks a discussion of the subject edi- 

 torially would be appropriate. On page 

 21)9, he will find honey-dew so ably dis- 

 cussed by that practical writer, C. P. 

 Dadant, that little is left to be said. 



The chemists tell us that the main 

 difference between honey and honey- 

 dew is that the latter contains cane- 

 sugar, and shows polarization to the 

 right, while the bees have inverted the 

 cane-sugar of the floral nectar, chang- 

 ing it to grape sugar, showing polariza- 

 tion to the left. According to the pure- 

 food laws, it cannot be sold as honey, 

 only as '' honey-dew honey." 



As to wholesomeness, it depends 

 upon whether it is meant to be used as 

 food for man or bee. For man it is 

 not unwholesome, except for its bad 

 taste, for no food can favor digestion 

 that tastes as vile as does some honey- 

 dew. But there is honey-dew and 

 honey-dew. Prof. Cook says in the 

 American Bee Journal for January, 

 1809 : 



■■ It is not to be inft-rred that this hoiiey- 

 di-w is uuwiiok-soinc. It is a secretion, and 

 not au rxcretion. It lias a similar orinin to 

 lioiu-v. aud may be as delicious. Much aphid 

 iioiiiy duw is deliciously wholesome, and the 

 hnuiv from it is superior. Most if not all of 



