734 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mov. 14, 



selected for the purpose, a history of whose condition, reach- 

 ing back to the preceding fall and up to the time when the 

 packing was removed, Juno 12, was carefully kept. Some of 

 the colonies showed more or less signs of having voided excre- 

 ment during winter, before removed from the cellar, but after 

 their first spring flight I considered them to be in excellent 

 health and of considerably more than the average strength for 

 the season. So far as the rearing of brood was concerned, all 

 the colonies were substantially alike when the packing was 

 done, which was effected as soon as they were thoroughly set- 

 tled after removal from the winter quarters. At that time 

 brood-rearing was only fairly begun, there being capped brood 

 in each, covering a comb space of eight or ten square inches, 

 and young brood and eggs covering a space equal to about 

 one-half a Langstroth frame. The 12 colonies were divided 

 equally into two lots of six each as impartially as possible, 

 that the two lots might be as nearly alike as possible in all 

 respects. Before doing this the colonies were again weighed, 

 this time and the subsequent time the bottom-board of each 

 being included. As will be seen, the advantage in the divi- 

 sion was slightly with the lot packed both in the average 

 strength as well as in the total weight. A table is given here- 



CULONIE9 PACKED. 



with showing the condition of each colony in detail at differ- 

 ent times, including the weights and amount of brood at the 

 time the packing was removed, shortly before the middle of 

 the present month. 



In order to make the experiment a crucial one for bees 

 under like conditions during a spring of like characteristics, 

 the greatest care was taken in attending to all the details. A 

 platform was placed under each of the colonies to be packed, 

 to effectually prevent the packing material from attracting 

 any moisture from the earth. Each one was surrounded with 

 a box of such size as to allow a space of two inches between 

 it and the hive in front, and from three to four inches at the 

 rear, on the sides and on the top, planer shavings freshly 

 made from dry pine lumber were used, packed moderately 

 hard, for filling these spaces. 



The table largely explains itself. Advantageous results 

 are shown in two ways, viz., by increased weight and by the 

 larger amount of brood. In the latter respect the difference 

 is hardly appreciable, but that difference though less than 

 one-half of one per cent, in favor of the colonies without 

 spring protection. In the former point the colonies not 

 packed just bold their own, while those packed show an aver- 

 age gain of about two and three-fourths pounds, so we may 

 set it down as the net advantage of packing in this experiment 

 that it effected a saving of two and three-fourths pounds of 

 honey per colony, though the force of the conclusion is much 

 weakened by the fact that one of the six colonies gained nearly 

 two-thirds of the total 16>':j pounds gain. On the other hand 

 that protection effected some saving is rendered tolerably cer- 

 tain by the fact that each of the protected colonies made at 

 east a little gain while all except two of those without protec- 

 tion lost in weight. But granting that two and three-fourth 

 pounds of honey saved is a fair exponent of the advantage to 

 be derived from spring protection, what shall the verdict be 

 with regard to the policy of giving such protection? At best 

 this would be barely sufficient to pay for the labor of packing 

 and unpacking the colonies, leaving nothing to recompense the 

 procuring and storing of material. Taking this into account 

 and the result would show a considerable percentage of loss in 

 the operation. But circumstances might perhaps be easily 

 changed so as to put an entirely different face upon the mat- 

 ter. The colonies used in the present experiment are in a 

 place pretty well protected from cold winds, which is a condi- 

 tion to be reckoned with. If this protection were wanting. 



spring packing might prove very profitable. Whatever 

 the event may prove to be with regard to packing I am 

 strongly impressed with the idea from my experience in 

 this line last year and this, that the value of the spring sun- 

 shine is not appreciated as it deserves to be. — Hon. R. L. 

 Taylor, in Bee-Keepers' Review, June 24, 1895. 



C^r)^dmr) Bccdon)^ 



Phenol Cure for Foul Brood. 



On page 706, I. W. Beckwith says he has had some expe- 

 rience with foul brood, but has not tried phenol, nor will he 

 until he gets more encouragement than I have given him to do 

 so. What more encouragement can I give him than to assert 

 that, properly used, it is an effective remedy ? He quotes me 

 very unfairly by merely giving my statement that all those 

 who tried the phenol cure on its first appearance failed to 

 make it a success. Why did he not add the reason I gave for 

 their failure ? Reason enough, surely. The bees never took 

 the medicine. It was a case like that of the carpenter who 

 was ill with inflammation of the lungs. The doctor prescribed 

 a blister to be put on his chest. His wife put the blister on 

 his tool-chest. So bee-keepers who tried phenol at first were 

 content with putting it in the hive, whereas it is indispensable 

 to a cure that the bees consume it. > 



I said this cure was " scientific," and gave as proof that 

 carbolic acid is the most powerful antiseptic known to the 

 medical world. Is it any disproof of that statement for Mr. 

 Beckwith to say, " 'Scientific' is a term nearly synonymous 

 with 'humbug,' when used in relation to patent medicine and 

 patent rights ?" 



Mr. Beckwith thinks the drug may kill both the microbe 

 and the spore, but asserts that every cell in the hive which 

 has ever contained the diseased larva? or foul honey contains 

 the germ of the disease. There is no germ of the disease out- 

 side of the microbe and the spore. If these are killed the dis- 

 ease is cured. Every cell in the hive will be disinfected after 

 the destruction of the microbes and the spores. 



Mr. Beckwith has never tried phenol, and yet asserts that 

 both Mr. Cheshire and Mr. Clarke are deceived. Is he war- 

 ranted in saying this without trial ? This is the way many 

 deal with Christianity itself, which says to each and all, "Try 

 me." "No," such reply, "Christians are deceived." 



There is no difficulty, as he supposes, about using phenol 

 during a moderate honey-flow. At about the .500 ratio bees 

 will consume the medicated syrup, and that is strong enough 

 to effect a cure. As a preventive of foul brood, fed in early 

 spring, this remedy is cheap, easy and effective. Try it and 

 be convinced. Wm. F. Clarke. 



Guelph, Out., Nov. 4. 



Vicious Bees. 



A North of England bee-keeper tells the Journal of Horti- 

 culture that he has never in his life found bees so vicious as 

 they have been during the past season. Whether it was on 

 account of the wet weather hindering him from being among 

 the hives as much as usual, or from the abundance of honey, 

 he does not know, but whenever he went near them the en- 

 raged bees would soon cover him. 



This reads like an apocryphal kind of story. It does not 

 accord with the usual laws of bee-life. In wet weather bees 

 are chary of going out-of-doors, and when there is an abun- 

 dance of honey, they are apt to be good-natured, and are far 

 too busy in minding their own business to pay much attention 

 to visitors. This bee-keeper must have been in a bad fix. 

 The enraged bees would cover him, he says. If they were en- 

 raged they would surely sting. And this state of things char- 

 acterized a whole season 1 Most bee-keepers enjoy being 

 among their bees, listening to their cheerful music, and watch- 

 ing them at work. But this one found apiary only another 

 name for purgatory. 



Bee-Keepers and Apiarists. 



A bee-keeper is one who keeps bees. An apiarist is one 

 who understands the nature and habits of bees, knows how to 

 manage them, is constantly studying their ways, and keeps a 

 vigilant watch over all things affecting their welfare. I am 



