1904 



TffE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



63 



careful and thorough experiments at 

 the hands of a most capable student 

 of apiculture, and one who is especial- 

 ly conversant with the biological 

 phases of the art. We therefore an- 

 ticipate the development of knowledge 

 before the lapse of many months which 

 will prove of inestimable value to 

 queen breeders. There's "somethin' 

 doin'." 



A GOOD FARM PAPER FREE. 



The Bee-Keeper invites the atten- 

 tion of its readers to an announcement 

 in the advertising columns of this issue 

 oifering them a free yearly subscrip- 

 tion to the American Farmer, Indian- 

 apolis, Ind. The price of the Farmer 

 is 50 cents a year, but by subscribing 

 for it through The Bee-Keeper office, 

 and in connection with The American 

 Bee-Keeper, it will cost our readers 

 nothing for a whole year. We believe 

 many of our subscribers will be glad 

 to avail themselves of this liberal of- 

 fer; and we shall esteem it a special 

 favor if they will kindly mention this 

 proposition to any bee-keepiuj? friend 

 not at present a subscriber. 

 *-*-¥ 



A NOTEWORTHY THAW IN MIS- 

 SOURI. 



In our January issue we "had to 

 show" Editor Abbott a few things in 

 regard to specialized journalism in api- 

 culture. In his journal, the Modern 

 Farmer and Busy Bee, for February, 

 Mr. Abbott comes back at the editor 

 of The Bee-Keeper with the following 

 sarcastic thrust. It is a relief, how- 

 ever, to be permitted to read something 

 in a cheerful vein from Mr. Abbott's 

 pen, when criticising a point not 

 wholly in accord with his own views 

 upon the subject: 



There comes a wail from the 

 swamps of Florida that indicates that 

 Bro. Hill, of the American Bee-Keeper, 

 is in a bad way. However, his friends 

 need not be alarmed. He will no doubt 

 come out all right, for we see that he 

 reads The Modern Farmer and no man 

 who peruses regularly the clean pages 

 of this high grade, moral, agricultural 

 monthly can remain off his base very 

 long. 



The American Farmer free to our 

 readers. See announcement elsewhere. 



BEE PARALYSIS— WHAT'S THE 

 CAUSE? 

 With reference to Mr. Atchley's the- 

 ory as to the cause of bee-paralysis, 

 Mr. O. O. Poppleton, whom we con- 

 sider one of the very best authorities 

 in the country upon the question, says: 

 "Mr. Atchley must have either a very 

 peculiar kind of bees or an unusual 

 form of paralysis." "For," says he, 

 "one of the distinguishing characteris- 

 tics of the malady is an abnormal 

 brood-rearing inclination, so much so 

 that they are rai-ely able to care for 

 the excessive amount of brood found 

 in afflicted colonies." — American Bee- 

 Keeper. 



The above editorial we clip from the 

 American Bee-Keeper, page 255, 1903. 

 While I have always had due rever- 

 ence for Mr. Poppleton and all other 

 bee brethren, Bro. Hill, it is very essen- 

 tial that we get at the root of these 

 matters. Mr. Poppleton is high au- 

 thority on apiculture, but I feel very 

 sure that he is mistaken as to bee pa- 

 ralysis. Please allow me to ask Mr. P. 

 a few simple questions, and if he will 

 give satisfactory answers then I will 

 bow and sit down. First. Why is 

 pollen always found in the sacs of bees 

 dying with paralysis? Second. What 

 was that pollen taken for? Third. 

 Is not pollen always used in brood- 

 rearing? Then why are bees always 

 healthy in confinement when they have 

 no pollen at all? Certainly, the very 

 character of the so-called disease is an 

 abnormal brood-rearing inclination, as 

 everything would be normal if it were 

 not so. Why, sure bees are not in a 

 shape to care for brood when they have 

 their bodies chock full of old, soured 

 pollen, which has been there so long 

 that they cannot use it, and ultimate 

 death is the only alternative for Na- 

 ture to perform.— Southland Queen. 



The foregoing extract was submitted 

 to Mr. Poppleton with a request for 

 an early response, and the following 

 hurriedly written comments are the 

 result. From a long and intimate as- 

 sociation with Mr. Poppleton, we are 

 strongly inclined to believe that Broth- 

 er Atchley will find his opponent quite 

 equal to any demands he may be 

 pleased to make upon his resources, in 

 the matter of practical experience with 

 paralysis; and that Mr. Atchley's posi- 

 tion must be greatly reinforced before 

 it is generally regarded as tenable by 

 the craft. — Editor Bee-Keeper. 



