18 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1 



as well as in his own. ■ Sixteen States were 

 represented, the number from each being as 

 follows: 



Illinois, 8; Michigan, 2; Missouri. 7; Wisconsin.il; 

 Indiana, 5; New York, 3; Ohio, 3; Minnesota, 1; Kan- 

 sas, 2; Utah, 1; Colorado. 1; Texas, 75; Nebraska, 1; 

 Florida, 2; California, 1; District of Columbi.i. 1. 



San Antonio is a good place to hold a con- 

 vention. The welcome that was extended 

 to ns by the truly hospital)le Texas people 

 will never be forgotten. As one bee-keeper 

 said, "The latch-strings always hang on the 

 outside." 



OUR INDEX FOR 1906. 



The index for 1906 Gleanings, inserted 

 as a supplement in this issue, is very com- 

 plete. One can form some idea of the num- 

 ber and variety of subjects discussed in our 

 columns for last year when it is stated that 

 there are something over 4000 distinct refer- 

 ences. The increased size of the year's vol- 

 ume necessariljr makes a voluminous index. 



Some of our readers have objected to our 

 custom of running the references all in to- 

 gether, instead of making a separate line for 

 each reference. To follow the latter plan 

 would make an index the size of a single is- 

 sue of Gleanings, and a big one at that. 

 It took a deal of time on the part of H. H. 

 Root and the writer to prepare it; and if our 

 readers find it helpful we shall be repaid. 



By the way, you will find it interesting 

 and highly instructive to go over this index, 

 and look up some of the refei'ences to fresh- 

 en the memory. As time goes on, one is li- 

 able to forget some of the conclusions arriv- 

 ed at, or the remarkable agreement on some 

 propositions. As I pi'epare this index, or 

 help to, I learn something by going over the 

 sulijects. In this way I get a l)ird's-eye view 

 of the whole range of discussion for the year 

 — that is, a review. Every one can do' the 

 same. 



A KOUL-BKOOD LAW FOR EVERY STATE IN 

 THE UNION. 



Many of our State legislatures will be in 

 session during this winter. It will then be 

 in order for the bee-keepers of those States 

 that have no foul-brood laws, or, better, a 

 law against the diseases of bees, to get them 

 enacted. It means a lot of hard work, time, 

 and railroad fare for some two or three bee- 

 keepei's; but somebody has to do it. 



The greatest obstacle that will be met will 

 be the lack of funds to defray the salary and 

 expenses of an inspector or inspectoi's. We 

 met that same difUculty in Ohio, but solved 

 it by suggesting that the law-makers put a 

 tax of one cent on each colony of bees kept 

 in the State. This will raise a fund all the 

 way from five hundred to two thousand ilol- 

 lars a year; and there is not a bee-keeper 

 who would object to this tax, provided he 

 knew that it would he the means of protect- 

 ing him from the disease. There are very 

 few bee-keepers who have over 800 colonies; 

 and a man with that amount of investment 

 certainly would not object to paying $8.00 a 

 year as a sort of insurance against disease. 

 The larger the invested capital in bees, the 



more willing would the bee-keeper be to pay 

 the tax of one cent per colony. The small 

 bee-keepers (certainly would not object to 

 paying ten or fifteen cents as their propoi-- 

 tion. When the 1)ee-keepers themselves are 

 willing to submit to a small tax, no legisla- 

 tor could object to voting for a bill provid- 

 ing for the appropriation of such a fund to 

 protect the whole State. It ought to be easy 

 to get a foul brood-law in every State in the 

 Union if the cost of inspection be assessed 

 against the bees at one cent per colony. 



THE PRACTICAL WORKINGS OF THE NEW 

 FU RE-FOOD LAW ALREADY BEING FELT. 



Our readers will not forget that the new 

 national pure-food law goes into effect the 

 first ilay of this year, 1907. This is one of 

 the greatest pieces of legislation that was 

 ever passed by Congress. The chaps who 

 have been selling adulterated or misbranded 

 goods have been endeavoring by every means 

 possible to dispose of their commodities be- 

 fore the beginning of this year; and now that 

 it has begun, ami some of the goods are not 

 sold — well, they are up against it. To label 

 them for what they ar*^, will kill the sale of 

 them. 



The probable effect of this new law also 

 will be to lessen the amount of bleached 

 sugars on the market. Both beet a ad cane 

 'granulated sugars, as is well known, are 

 bleached, and some of the sul^stances used 

 for the purpose are deleterious; and, rather 

 than have this fact come out, the sugar-men 

 will possibly substitute the pure cane sugars 

 with their natural straw color. This will 

 give the general public a cheaper and better 

 sugar, with more flavor to it, and the bee- 

 keeper a better food for his bees at less cost. 



The fact is, the purveyors of all bleached, 

 colored, or disguised foods of any kind are 

 all agog. Like the senator, they are wonder- 

 ing "where they are at." Even the doctors 

 must show what they put into their medicine 

 when they give it to a patient. The candy- 

 men must not use any injurious substances 

 either for coloring or for making candy. 

 That means that commercial glucose, often 

 with injurious sulphites, will have to be elim- 

 inated. 



But the new law does not hurt any honest 

 man. It may embarrass him until he knows 

 its provisions; but it will be mighti/ embar- 

 rassing for the man who attempts to sell 

 adulterated or misbranded goods. 



WIRE-CLOTH SEPARATORS. 



On p. 1304, Oct. 1, I stated that our expe- 

 rience with the wire-cloth separator in the 

 production of comb honey had not been very 

 satisfactory; that the bees built brace-comb 

 attachments to the wire, so that when the 

 separators were removed it left bleeding 

 gashes in the honey. This confirmed the 

 experience of Mr. C. H. Dibbern. But since 

 that time we have received a number of re- 

 ports from various persons who have tested 

 them with the greatest satisfaction. The 

 sections are nicely filled out, they say, and 



