AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



81 



the germs of foul brood. Or, the empty 

 bottle or tin can containing extracted 

 honey from a foul-broody apiary may be 

 placed where bees have access to it. I 

 know that it is not reasonable that the 

 cases mentioned by Mr. McEvoy should 

 have originated in the manner I have 

 suggested, and I will admit that I can- 

 not explain how the foul brood originated 

 in these cases, but if it did come from 

 the dead brood, then dead brood ought 

 always to result in foul brood under 

 similar conditions. Some reliable man 

 should be able to produce foul brood 

 from dead brood under circumstances in 

 which there can be no doubt as to 

 whether it came from some other source. 

 I suppose, of course, that communica- 

 ble diseases, like foul brood, small-pox, 

 cholera, and the like, must have had an 

 origin, but I did not suppose that they 

 continued to originate. That is, if all 

 of the small-pox germs should be wiped 



-*'^" -X 



W. Z. Hutchinson, Editor "Review." 



off the earth, I supposed that would be 

 the end of small-pox. I supposed it was 

 the same with foul brood. If all the 

 germs were destroyed, I supposed that 

 was the end of it. I did not suppose* 

 that it could originate in an isolated 

 apiary, unless the germs were brought 

 there from some other diseased locality. 

 I do not know that Mr. McEvoy differs 

 from me in this view. Perhaps he thinks 

 the germs may be carried in the air, or 

 in the water of a freshet. Perhaps he 

 does not pretend to say how they are 

 carried. The point that we wish estab- 

 lished is, What are the sources of con- 

 tagion against which a bee-keeper must 

 be on his guard ? If it is against dead 

 brood, then let it be known and proved. 

 If that is a fallacy, let's know it. 



Another point on which Mr. McEvoy 

 is not orthodox, is that of using hives 

 without scalding, in which have been 

 combs containing foul brood, or, in other 

 words, foul-broody colonies. Others 



have thought the same as he does on this 

 point, but, finally, a dear experience has 

 caused them to change their minds. It 

 seems strange that in his long experi- 

 ence he has never known a case of foul 

 brood resulting from using a disinfected 

 hive. 

 Flint, Mich., June 12, 1893. 



The Ventilation of IIive§ for 

 Wintering Bee§. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 BY THOS. C. KELLY. 



It is instructive to read and ponder on 

 the various opinions of bee-keepers on 

 different topics pertaining to the busi- 

 ness. 



I would like to call attention to the 

 matter of ventilation in winter. Some 

 advocate bottom, some top, and others 

 think because the bees in their natural 

 state close up all crevices with propolis, 

 that ventilation is not necessary. I rec- 

 ollect a few years ago, a friend of mine 

 got a colony of bees on shares. The box 

 was about 18 inches high, and about 

 12x12 in other dimensions. This box 

 was placed on blocks of wood about IJ^ 

 inches high, from the bench on which 

 it was placed, and there it stood in sum- 

 mer and winter, in the same condition 

 for abont 10 or 12 years, the colony 

 always being among the first to swarm 

 in spring. 



Some 7 or 8 years ago this same man 

 had three top swarms come off at the 

 same time, and cluster together, and 

 nothing but a log-house or log-barn to 

 hive them in, but he thought of an old 

 salt-barrel, which he got, and placing 

 sticks across it he hived the bees in it. 

 They filled the barrel about two-thirds 

 full the first season ; and the next sea- 

 son filled it up. The following spring a 

 neighbor bought it, paying $12 for it, 

 and I helped him remove it. There were 

 several cracks in the barrel that a man 

 could run his finger in, and we had to do 

 it up in cloths to keep the bees in. 



In both of the above cases the bees 

 wintered nicely. 



I noticed the past winter, the older 

 and more open my hives were the fewer 

 bees died, and as a rule are better than 

 most of those in close hives. I would like 

 to hear from others, more particularly 

 as to their experience in ventilation. We 

 don't want theories — give us facts, in 

 time for next winter. 



How would cases like the above do 



