THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



403 



THOMAS G. NEWMAN, 



Vol, IIIL 



June 30, 1886, 1,26, 



Clueeiis to Canada.— On page 405, Mr. 

 Doolittle has dctiiilod his ead experience in 

 trying to mail queens to ('nnada tills season, 

 as heretofore. Until there Is a new (Join- 

 merclal Treaty between the United States 

 and Canada, we cannot hope for much 

 relief. At present It is plainly against the 

 postolHce regulations to send ijucens, or any 

 other merchandise by mail to Canada ; we 

 hope for some new regulations, and have 

 written the following letter to the Superin- 

 tendent of P'ortign Mails, for any informa- 

 tion be may possess on the subject, and any 

 Information we may receive, will be given 

 to our readers : 



Office of 

 Onion, 



THE National Bke-Keepkks' 

 Chicaoo, III., June 2'>, IHHti. 



N. M. Bell, Esq., 



Supt. of Foreign Mailg, Washington, D.C. 



Dear Sik :— I have noticed some intima- 

 tions that there will be a new Treaty wiiii 

 Canada, which will allow more latitude to 

 the business by mall between the two 

 countries. 



Heretofore we have been able to send 

 queen-bees through the mails to Canada— 

 now they are being stopped at Suspension 

 Bridge, N. Y.— notwithstanding there is no 

 duty in Canada for stock imported for 

 breeding to improve the stock. Bees are 

 imported for juet that purpose, and should 

 pass free. 



V/'ill you kindly advise me if such a Treaty 

 Is contemplated V And any other particulars 

 concerning the transportation of queen-bees 

 In the mails to Canada "for the improve- 

 ment of stock " that may be in your posses- 

 sion, will be greatly appreciated by 

 Yours, etc., 

 THOMAS G. NEWMAN, 



General Manager. 



Bee-Pa«turage Is the title of a new 

 pamphlet by Henry Dobble, Esq., "certiflcd 

 expert of the British Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion." It gives " observations and practical 

 instructions on the cultivation and propa- 

 gation of the best honey and pollen-produc- 

 ing plants, also their honey and pollen 

 values, time of flowering," etc. It contains 

 75 pages, and is nicely printed. It ig put>- 

 llshed by Jarrold & Sons, *J Paternoster 

 Buildings, London, England. 



*' A Blrd'a-Ej'e View of Bee-Keep- 

 Ing," is the title of a new work written by 

 the Rev. W. F. Clarke, and being published 

 by Jones, McPherson & Co., at Beeton, On- 

 tario, Canada. It Is written In rhyme, and 

 will be sold at 25 cents. 



Been In tlie Itlalln.— There seems to 

 liavo been a new trouble sprung upon boe- 

 k,.'ei)ers withf)ut the least premonition. Mr. 

 W. H. McWIlllams, of Crlllln, Oa.. has had 

 a queen-bee Btoppecl In transmission through 

 the mails, bt'cause other bees were caged 

 with her. Ho has appealed to Hon. John 

 Jameson, General Superintendent of the 

 Hallway Mall Service, who has ruled that 

 iiueen-tiees ONLY can be sent by mull. We 

 are well aware that the Pontal Oultle only 

 mentions "queen-bees," but when the 

 Killing was reversed on Jan. 14, 18H0, the 

 following was the press dispatch printed in 

 all the daily newspapers, and copied into 

 the Bee Journal for 1H80, page 74 : 



The Postofflce nepartment, on recommen- 

 dation of the National Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, has reconsidered the order exeludlng 

 queen-bees from the malls. Queen-bees and 

 their necessary attendants will be allowed 

 to go through the malls, so long as no one is 

 injured by them. 



At the National Convention held in 

 Chicago, Ills., In October, lH7i), Prof. Cook 

 was appointed to wait on the Postmaster 

 General and endeavor to have the Kuling 

 reversed, which had excluded "queen-bees" 

 from the mails. He went to Washington in 

 January, 1880, and having obtained the 

 valuable aid of Hon. KdwIn Wllllts, M. C, of 

 Michigan, In presenting the matter to the 

 Postollice Department, the bees were ordered 

 to be admitted to the mails, when put up 

 with " double wire-screens," etc. 



For the past six years, therefore, the 

 United States mails have been freely used 

 for the transmission of "queen-bees and 

 their necessary attendants." This privilege 

 has been alike valuable to the breeders of 

 queen-bees and to the apiarists who purchase 

 them " for the improvement of stock." 

 Now, to apply a technicality to the wording 

 of that " permit," not at the time Intended 

 by the PostofBce Department (that of ex- 

 cluding the queen's "necessary attendants") 

 entirely nulllfles the privilege then granted, 

 entails a serious calamity upon a large class 

 of our best citizens, and is wholly un-called- 

 for, unnecessary and unjust. 



As General Manager of the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Union, we have sent the following 

 letter to the General Superintendent of the 

 Hallway Mall Service : 



Okfice of the National Bee-Keehehs' 

 Union, Chicago, III., June 25, 188H. 



Hon. Jno. Jameson, 



DeauSik:— lam informed by Mr. W. H. 

 McWllliams, of Grillin, Ga., that a " queen- 

 bee " of his has been stopped in the malls, 

 because she was accompanied by other bees 

 —her attendants. 



Of course this is but a technicality— with- 

 out her attendants a queen would soon 

 perish, and to show that such was Intended, 

 the Associated Press Dispatch, on Jan. 14, 

 1880, read : "Queen-bees and tlieir necemary 

 attendantg will be allowed to go through the 

 mails, so long as no one Is injured by them." 



I noticed at the time that the " Kuling" In 

 the Postal Guide only stated " queen-bees," 

 but did not suppose any point would be 

 raised on It, ana so said nothing further 

 about It. 



Until now I have never beard of any 

 trouble. During six years the bees have 

 been transmitted in the malls— no one has 

 been stung, and the mails have not been 

 daubed ; and now just ae the time has come for 

 bees to he sent through the ma(i«— to have a 

 mere technicality interfere with that tratilc 

 and entail a heavy loss on bee-breeders Is 

 very unfortunate. 



Will you kindly give this your attention, 

 and reverse the order or instructions to 

 postmasters, so as not to destroy an industry 

 that is the sole business of many persons 'i 



Yours, etc., 



Thos. G. Newman, Oeneral Manager. 



Prof. Cook has also written the followlngr 

 letter to the same person : 



AliIlI(ULTIJUAL('OLLE(iE,MlCH.JUne 24,1886. 



Hon. Jno. Jamehon, 

 Oeti. Sup. lew. Mail Service, Wai<hlngUm,D.O. 

 Dear Sir :— For some years prior to 1880, 



queiMi-bees were excluded from the mails. 

 Cause of ruling, malls daubed, agents stung. 

 'I'lils resulted In serious hardship to bee- 

 keepers. In sparsely settled localities ex- 

 press olllees were often a score of miles 

 away, while the posioilice was near by. 

 Again, (express was often dfillars while 

 [jostage would only be a few cents. I was 

 ajipointed to visit Waslilrigton, and urge a 

 cnaiige In the ruling. I did so, and met with 

 success. In January, 1880, the following 

 Associate Press Dispatch was sent out from 

 Washington. "The Po8t<iIfice Department, 

 on application of the Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion, lias reconsidered the order excluding 

 queen-bees from the malls. Queen-bees and 

 their necesKan/ attendants will be allowed to 

 go through the malls so long as no Injury 1ft 

 done." 



The way queens have been sent since then 

 makes It certain that no daubing of the 

 mails, or stinging Is possible. This privilege 

 has been a great aid to an Important an<l 

 vaMiatile Industry. 



Of late you have ruled and so Instructed 

 the i)f)Htma8ter at Griflin, Ga., that O.VLV 

 queens can be sent. Now, as queens cannot 

 be sent without a few worker bees, this 

 rnllng practically places an absolute Inter- 

 dict on tiie business. Surely, you cannot 

 ha\'e known this or you w<,uld have ruled 

 otherwise. The presence of ten or fifteen 

 worker bees can In no wise do harm, while 

 they are absolutely necessary to care for 

 the (jiicen. 



May we not. Dear Sir, hope and expect 

 that you will change your order and so 

 Inform the postmasters ? Otherwise you 

 will seriously cripple, and in many cases, 

 ruin many who are engaged in this Impor- 

 tant Industry. 



Again, In a few postofllces, notably that at 

 Niagara Falls, queens are forbidden to pass 

 into (Janada. Must this lie so ? They have 

 been allowed to pass freely all these years, 

 greatly to the advantage of both countries, 

 thougn more to our advantage than to that 

 of the Canadians. 



Now inasmuch as there is no duty on 

 stock secured for breeding to Improve our 

 herds, which describes queens exactly, may 

 we not hope for a ruling that queens may 

 pass unotistructed as heretofore into the 

 Dominion ? Yours truly, A. J. COOK. 



Hon. E. Willlts, President of the Michigan 

 Agricultural College,* has also written a 

 strong letter to Mr. Jameson, with whom ho 

 Is personally acquainted. This was done at 

 the solicitation of Prof. Cook. President 

 Wllllts has many times proved himself a 

 true friend of the bee-keepers of America, 

 and on their behalf we tender him their 

 sincere thanks. 



While awaiting the result of the foregoing 

 correspondence, we lay It before our readers, 

 knowing full well that they will appreciate 

 our endeavors, as well as be painfully 

 Interested In the result. 



The BiihIi liaM Come, and supply 

 dealers find It very dlHicult to Hll the orders 

 for sections, foundation, etc., as fast as 

 they come. We adviB,.'d all to send their 

 orders early ; hut, alas, this advice was 

 unheeded, and now manufacturers are 

 running day and and night to accommodate 

 tlie pressing demand for goods. They would 

 have been glad to have had these orders in 

 April and May. Retailers are between two 

 fires- consumers and manufacturers— and 

 arc trying to keep up with their orders. 

 There is but little delay, however, except for 

 "special sizes" not usually kept in stock. 

 This ought to teach a lesson of uniformity ; 

 use regular sizes of everything ; buy 

 " foundation " In oO orlOO pound boxes, and 

 sections In 500 or 1,000 packages. 



