1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



159 



that nectar-bearing trees have the pi'efer- 

 ence when planting has to be done; and 

 where the bee-keeper is diplomatic in stat- 

 ing his case this will probably be done. For- 

 est trees do not cost very much, and it 

 might pay a bee-keeper to donate the young 

 trees. 



THE PENNSTLVANIA STATE CONVENTION. 



The Pennsylvania State Bee-keepers' con- 

 vention was held in Harrisburg. Pa., Jan. 17 

 to 19. About 175 members paid their dues, 

 showing a substantial gain in membership 

 over last year. A little conflict, begun at 

 the meeting a year ago, seemed well nigh ir- 

 repressible at this convention. The first two 

 sessions were a little "stormy," but the 

 clouds soon passed over, and clear sky and 

 plenty of sunshine prevailed for the rest of 

 the sessions. As the matter at issue related 

 only to the constitution and policies of this 

 association it will not be necessary to bring 

 them up here. 



The papers and general discussion were of 

 a high order. Dr. E. F. Phillips, of the Bu- 

 reau of Entomology, and foul-brood inspect- 

 or Charles Stewart, of New York State, de- 

 livered several addresses that received the 

 enthusiastic artention of all the members. 

 Both spoke along the lines of foul-brood leg- 

 islation— a subject in which the Pennsylvania 

 bee-keepers are deeply interested at this 

 time; for be it known the Keystone State has 

 no bee-disease legislation of any sort. 



Prof. H. A. Surface, the zoologist in the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, at Harrisburg. sug- 

 gested that a committee of three be appoint- 

 ed to wait on the new Governor and invite 

 him down to the meeting, for his offices were 

 just overhead of the convention-room. As a 

 I'esult of the conference it was arranged that 

 the whole convention call on Governor Stew- 

 art. A good-sized crowd filed past him. 

 Each member, as he shook hands with His 

 Excellency, was introduced by Prof. Surface. 

 When this was over Dr. E. F. Phillips, at 

 the request of the convention, in a few well- 

 chosen words, explained the very urgent 

 need of a foul-brood law in Pennsylvania. 

 He spoke as follows: 



Mr. OoverTior:—The Pennsylvania Staf Bee-keep- 

 ers' Association represents the protrressive be' -keep- 

 ers of \our State. I would, however, call your att' n- 

 tion to the fact that there are within the confines of 

 this commonwealth over 20.000 persons interested in 

 the keeping- of bees, with an invested capital of over 

 one-half million dollars. 



The industry is endangered in this State by two in- 

 fectious diseases which attack the developing bees, 

 and the bee-keepers are asking that laws be passed 

 providing for the inspection of apiaries. To illustrate 

 to you what losses may be caused by these maladies, 

 I would cite the epidemic of the Mohawk Valley in 

 the State of New York. In 1899 the actual loss to the 

 industry was over $2.1.000. and the disease was spread- 

 ing rapidly. Inspection was begun, and as a result 

 the ravages have not only been held in check but the 

 loss has been reduced so that last year it was less 

 than $1000. In this Slate, both diseases have found a 

 foothold in a number of places widely separated, and 

 the bee-keepers may expect similar losses, constantly 

 increasing in extent unless inspection is instituted, 

 as ha^ been done in over a dozen States. In eight oth- 

 er States the bee-keepers are now working to the 

 same end. 



Inspection of apiaries is made more necessary by 

 the fact that to many bee-keepers are interested to 



only a small extent in the industry and do not inform 

 themselves about disease. Infection may get into the 

 apiary, and the loss is attributed to "bad luck." A 

 competent inspector can do much toward educating 

 these men in improved methods of bee-keeping, and 

 at the same time keep them from endangering the 

 property of their neighbors through ignorance and 

 neglect. Under proper supervision the industry may 

 become vastly more important than it is to-day. and 

 the resources of the State may be considerably in- 

 creased. To protect those in bee-keeping on a busi- 

 ness basis, the Pennsylvania State Bee-keepers' As- 

 sociation asks for the enactment of legislation of the 

 nature mentioned. 



I wish also to state that I have no desire to Influ- 

 ence legislation undul\ . but merely wish to help the 

 bee-keepers by putting at their disposal such informa- 

 tion as may be at hand, which will help them in get- 

 ting the protection which the industry warrants. On 

 behalf of the bee-keepers of this State, represented 

 by the State Association, I thank you for your con 

 sideration of this subject. 



The Governor listened attentively, but dia 

 not commit himself. 



At this convention we had the pleasure of 

 hearing B. A. Hadsell, of Buckeye, Arizona. 

 Mr. H. is one of the most extensive bee- 

 keepers in the country. Last year he pro- 

 duced and sold $7000 worth of alfalfa honey, 

 but he had to feed $4000 worth of sugar, so 

 that, with his labor, his 2000 colonies did not 

 net him so large a sum after all. 



FOUL-BROOD LEGISLATION; SOME PROPOSED 

 LAWS CONCERNING FOUL BROOD, PUKE 

 FOOD, AND SPRAYING FRUIT TREES IN 

 BLOOM, THAT ARE OF VITAL INTEREST TO 

 BEE-KEhPERS OF FOUR STATES. 



Within the last two days four communica- 

 tions have lieen received at this office relative 

 to bills before the legislatures of Connec^ticut, 

 Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri. All of 

 these were received too late to go in our reg- 

 ular department of General Correspondence 

 for this issue: and since it is quite important 

 that these masters be put before our rea-lers 

 as soon as possible, we are glad, therefore, 

 to devote this space to the publication of the 

 different letters as they were received. We 

 hope that our readers for the several States 

 will notice and heed the calls for help. 



CONNECTICUT. 



LACK OF INTEREST WILL CAUSE FAILURE. 



Our new " foul-brood bill " will be presented to 

 the legislature before February 1st. but we shall prob- 

 ably not be granted a hearing until March 1st Two 

 years ago we failed to get a law enacted; and, while it 

 might have been defeated if it had progressed far 

 enough to be voted upon, yet the only real reason we 

 know of for its defeat was the very general lack of in- 

 terest on the part of the bee-keepers. But a law was 

 needed tht-n. for what you now term Europe an foul 

 brood was at that time ravaging a number of apiaries 

 in Fairfield Co.. ar.d large districts aie atpresent in- 

 fested by the disease. 



I am now informed on good authority that one api- 

 arist has hHd his colonies n duced from 80 t^ > 3 during 

 the past season. As each colony died he set out the 

 brood-frames for his bees to clean out. and so spread 

 the disease all through his apiary. In several large 

 sections of Fairfield Co. I am informed that the keep- 

 ing of bees 's practically prohibited by the presence 

 of foul brood unless a continual fight is kept up 

 against it. But it is difflcult to arouse the enthusiasm 

 of those apiarists that are not in any way troubled by 

 the disease. J. Arthur Smith, 



Sec. Conn. Bee-keepers' Ass'n. 

 ILLINOIS. 



FOUL-BROOD AND FRUIT-TREE-SPRAYING BILLS. 



I desire to call the attention of the bee-keepers of 

 Illinois to the necessity of helping the passage of the 

 bills which are now pending before the legi-slature of 

 the State, in the interest of bee culture, as follows: 



