SEPARATE DEPARTMENTS 293 



the commissioner of agriculture and the inspection service has 

 the reputation of being very effectively handled. The law is as 

 follows : 



The Prevention of Disease among Bees. — No person shall keep in his 

 apiary any colony of bees afl'ected with the contagious malady known as 

 foul brood or black brood; and every bee-keeper when he becomes aware 

 of the existence of either of such diseases among his bees, shall immediately 

 notify the commissioner of agriculture of the existence of such disease. 



Duties of the Commissioner. — The commissioner of agriculture shall 

 immediately upon receiving notice of the existence of foul brood or black 

 brood among the bees in any locality, send some competent person or per- 

 sons to examine the apiary or apiaries reported to him as being affected, 

 and all other apiaries in tiie immediate locality of the apiary or apiaries 

 so reported ; if foul brood or black brood is found to exist in them, the 

 person or persons so sent by the commissioner of agriculture shall give the 

 owners or caretakers of the diseased apiary or apiaries full instructions 

 how to treat said cases. The commissioner of agriculture shall cause said 

 apiary or apiaries to be visited from time to time as he may deem best 

 and if, after proper treatment, the bees shall not be cured of the diseases 

 known as foul brood or black brood then he may cause the same to be 

 destroyed in such manner as may be necessary to prevent the spread of 

 said diseases. For the purpose of enforcing this article, the commissioner 

 of agriculture, his agents, employees, appointees or counsel, shall have 

 access, ingress, and egress to all places where bees or honey or appliances 

 used in apiaries may be, which it is believed are in any way affected with the 

 said disease of foul brood or black brood or where it is believed any com- 

 modity is offered or exposed for sale in violation of the provisions of this 

 article. No owner or caretaker of a diseased apiary, honey, or appliances 

 shall sell, barter, or give away any bees, honey, or appliances from said 

 diseased apiary, which shall expose other bees to the danger of said 

 diseases, nor refuse to allow the said commissioner of agriculture, or the 

 person or persons appointed by him, to inspect said apiary, honey, or 

 appliances, or to do sucli things as the said commissioner of agriculture 

 or the person or persons appointed by him shall deem necessary for the 

 eradication of said diseases. Any person who disregards or violates any 

 of the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be 

 punished by a fine of not less than thirty dollars or more than one hun- 

 dred dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than one 

 month or more than two months, or by both fine and imprisonment. 



The law above quoted confers abundant authority upon the 

 inspectors without unnecessary restrictions upon their move- 

 ments. If in their judgment a second visit or even a third or 

 fourth is necessary they are free to make it. Most laws require 

 a second visit of the inspector whether or not it seems necessary. 



Separate Departments. — Some States have a separate de- 

 partment for bee inspection. The officer is designated a State 



