AMERICAN BEE JOURNAU 



518 



eluded that no further fastening need be 

 done there. As the caps slipped over 

 the hives and rested on cleats, I never 

 thought of any bees getting out there, so 

 the work of preparation was reduced to 

 a minimum. In fact, the bees were 

 simply fastened in, and the whole hive 

 set in the wagon. I had expected to 

 haul about half at a time, but I found 

 that six was all the wagon would hold. 



We soon had them loaded and started 

 on a rough rock-road toward Rock 

 Island. I had never before realized Ifow 

 rough the roads were. The wheels went 

 crashing over the rocks, and the hives 

 were slamming against each other, 

 though the horse was walking slowly. 



We had proceeded about a mile, when, 

 looking back, I noticed hundreds of bees 

 in the air following us. I knew at once 

 that bees were getting out somewhere, 

 and that if the exit was not speedily 

 closed, there would be trouble. 



I stopped the team to investigate, and 

 soon found that one of the caps had 

 shifted to one side, allowing a space 

 large enough for the bees to get out, and 

 they were making good use of the oppor- 

 tunity, too. I slipped the cap back to 

 close the crevice, but that only opened a 

 similar crack on the other side, where 

 the bees at once came rushing out. 



Had I taken my handkerchief and 

 corked up the crack, all would have been 

 well, but for the moment I could think 

 of nothing that would stop the trouble. 

 I was getting a good deal excited, and 

 was in mortal fear that the boy and 

 horse would get stung, and that the 

 horse would run away. 



In my anxiety I concluded to take the 

 hive out of the wagon, and leave it by 

 the roadside for another trip. In jerk- 

 ing the hive out I managed to partly slip 

 it off the bottom, letting out many bees 

 — and how cross they were. I was stung 

 more than twenty times in about that 

 many seconds, but I got the hive out and 

 told the boy to drive on a short distance. 

 The hive was now in the middle of the 

 road covered with angry bees, and the 

 street full of passing teams. Fortunately 

 it was about dusk, and bees were not 

 inclined to fly much, and no horses nor 

 anyone besides myself were stung. 



What disposition to make of that hive 

 was a puzzle to me, as it would not do to 

 leave it in the street, and I could not 

 touch it for the bees. I succeeded in 

 borrowing a blanket, and by throwing it 

 over the hive I moved it into a fence- 

 corner, where it was left till the next 

 day. 



We started on with the remaining 

 hives, but had not gone very far till 



some of them began working off their 

 bottoms, and we decided to unload all 

 and return for them the next morning. 

 This we did, and you may be sure the 

 hives were nailed together, when we 

 again loaded them into the wagon. 



. The rest of the bees were moved with- 

 out any further in^cident, but I had 

 learned a lesson that I have never for- 

 gotten. The hives were placed under 

 some small trees on the lawn, but the 

 season was over, and they could only 

 acquaint themselves with the lay of the 

 land, and their new home. I had made 

 a special room in the cellar to winter 

 them in, and in due time they were 

 stored away. — Western Plowman. 



Fonl-Brooil Spreail liy Coili-Foiiiiilatioii, 



ERNEST E. ROOT. 



On page 447 of the American • Bee 

 Journal, Mr. S. Corniel, of Lindsay, 

 Out., says that foul-brood may be spread 

 by the use of comb-foundation. He gives 

 some interesting figures, showing the 

 temperature at which spores and fully- 

 matured microbes may be killed. He 

 says it has been ascertained that the 

 death-point of the most resistant fully- 

 matured microbe is 140^, and that the 

 spore of the microbe could not be killed 

 under a temperature of 257°. Wax, he 

 says, melts at a lower point than 145° ; 

 and he adds that, in sheeting it for foun- 

 dation, the wax is kept at a temperature 

 as near the congealing point as possible, 

 and concludes by saying : "There is 

 good reason for believing that founda- 

 tion has been sent out which has never 

 been heated up to 190°, much less to 

 257^. It is highly probable that such 

 foundation would contain germs of foul- 

 brood, if made from the wax of foul- 

 brood comb.'" 



On the face of things, this appears to 

 be a pretty serious state of affairs ; but, 

 happily, the facts come to our rescue, 

 and prove that there is no cause for 

 alarm. 



We have melted the worst kind of dis- 

 eased combs in our large heating-tank, 

 made foundation, and put it in our own 

 apiary, but no trouble ever came. And 

 there is not wanting testimony from 

 various other experimenters to prove it. 

 But if Mr. Corniel's theory be true, 

 would not foul-brood have been univers- 

 ally spread all over the land with the 

 advent of comb-foundation, years ago ? 



Now, friend Corniel, I do not wish to 

 dispute point blank, so I will explain 



