itmm m^ammiemM mm^ j@T3fMifMi<. 



197 



Ekes and I\'atlirs.— Many of our 

 readers will wonder what is the meaning of 

 "ekes," as mentioned by Mr. Dadant on 

 page 199. An " eke " is a small additional 

 story (generally a half-story) placed under 

 a hive to add to its capacity. A "nadir" 

 is a whole additional story placed under the 

 brood-chamber for the same purpose. 



These contrivances are used in Europe, 

 and tlie following from the British Bee 

 Journal will give more descriptive infor- 

 mation concerning them, and their uses : 



Nadikinq.— Nadirs or nethers are vessels 

 of wood or straw, or a compound of both, or 

 a compound of both with glass, to be placed 

 beneath a stock hive, either for the purpose 

 of increasing the breeding space or provid- 

 ing storage room for honey. A nadir for a 

 straw skep would be exactly similar to 

 about 4 inches of the lowest part of the skep 

 itself, supposing it to be cut off evenly ; it 

 is, however, made separately, and usually 

 in the form of a straw ring of the same 

 diameter as the skep, and when placed un- 

 der the latter their junction is luted with a 

 mixture of cowdung and clay, which form a 

 hard cement, impervious to insects. The 



sometimes called "raises ;" and when hives 

 are said to have been raised, it is implied 

 that a nadir or an eke, or both, have been 

 placed below the stock-hive. 



These "ekes " and " nadirs " bear no re- 

 lation to a brood-chamber that is divisible, 

 and should not be confounded therewith. 



Both large and small hives have their 

 friends and admirers, but we cannot now 

 give space to a prolonged discussion of 

 these points. An article or two on each 

 side will serve to show that this question, 

 like many others, has two sides— and like 

 our wives and babies, each of us think ours 

 the best. This thought is both pleasant and 

 pardonable in us all. 



A Section containing Ja piece of thin 

 comb foundation fastened to the top-bar 

 came to our desk in a tin box, but it was all 

 broken down. It is marked on the wrap- 

 per : From R. Barlow, Toledo, 0. 



Apiary of Mr. J. H. Robertson, Pewamo, Mich. 



rim of an old barrow-wheel is often called 

 into service as a nadir, and sometimes a 

 simple wooden hoop is used. 



With bar-frame hives shallow boxes are 

 used of about half the depth of the stock 

 hive, and fitted with frames to correspond. 

 In ordinary box-liives similar shallow boxes 

 are used without frames— the object being 

 simply (as in the other cases) to increase 

 the depth of the stock hive. In all hives 

 where nadirs are used as above, the en- 

 trances should be kept in their original 

 positions, ;. c, on the floor-boards, the nadir 

 being intermediary between it and the stock 

 hive. When nadirs are used as receptacles 

 for honey, means are usually adopted to 

 prevent the queen and drones from gaining 

 access thereto, which is generally effected 

 by interposing a slotted board or adapter, 

 which will admit the workers only; and in 

 that case the entrance to the hive must be 

 on a level with the top of the nadir, so that 

 the bees shall go doion into it. There should, 

 however, be a way out of the nadir at Its 

 lowest part, or the bees, finding it easier to 

 get into than out of the slotted gateway, 

 may become over-crowded and perish of 

 suffocation. 



Ekes are also used for enlarging a stock- 

 hive, and sometimes for increasing the size 

 of a .super. Like the nadirs thev are placed 

 beneath, to increase the depth of the hive or 

 super, but are much shallower than the so- 

 called nadirs. Both nadirs and ekes are 



Fiing-us and Foiil Brood.— Mr. G. 



Wendelken, of Marietta, O., remarks thus 

 about once having had foul brood in his 

 apiary, and asks the following questions : 



" How to cure foul brood" is a subject 

 which interests me. All writers say that 

 bacteria has some connection with tonl 

 brood. If these parasites really cause that 

 disease, it is important to know their na- 

 ture, how they are produced, and how to 

 destroy them. I would like to have the 

 following questions answered in the Bee 

 Journal : 



1. Why is fungus sometimes called a 

 plant and sometimes a living being ? 



2. Are the bacteria of foul brood plants or 

 living beings ? 



Knowing that this was in the line of 

 study of Mr. N. W. McLain, Manager of the 

 United States Government Apicultnral 

 Station for Illinois, we sent the questions 

 to him for consideration, and here is his 

 reply : 



1. Web.ster defines fungus as "a term ap- 

 plied by botanists to a large natural order 

 of plants of a peculiar organization and 

 manner of growth, comprehending mush- 

 rooms, toadstools, the microscopic plants 

 which form mold, mildew, smut, etc.," and 

 the term " being " be defines in the sense in 

 which it is used in the query, as " an ani- 



mal, any living creature ; as, animals are 

 such beings as are endowed with sensitive 

 and spontaneous motion." 



Accepting this definition of terms it 

 would not be proper to speak of fungus,"an 

 order of plants," as " a living being." 



3. The disease known as the foul brood 

 disease, is due to the presence of minute 

 vegetable organisms, of the order of plants 

 to which the term fungus is applied, grow- 

 ing and multiplying within the animal or 

 living being. 



Bacillus is the term applied to that genus 

 of fnngi which multiply in the larvEe and 

 adult organisms of bees. 



These micro-organisms multiply by fis- 

 suration or division. Under congenial con- 

 ditions they multiply with astonishing 

 rapidity. 



The germs of fungi may be speedily de- 

 stroyed, and the growth of bacillus in larviB 

 and bees, arrested by the use of suitable 

 remedies. 



We recommend the study of the pamph- 

 let on "Foul Brood," by Mr. Cheshire, 

 which can be had for a dime at this office. 



Against IVatnre.— Many an argu- 

 ment is based on this remark, and the Re- 

 view remarks thus concerning it : 



" Not according to Nature." How often 

 we hear this used as an argument against 

 some method ; those using it forgetting that 

 it is not always to our advantage to allow 

 Nature to have her own way. Almost the 

 whole system of modern bee-culture is an 

 innovation upon nature, and we ought no 

 longer to ask, is it according to nature, but, 

 all things considered, is it best ? 



The Indiana Farmer makes this addi- 

 ional comment upon the matter : 



Here is a simple illustration carrying this 

 point still further. We once introduced an 

 Italian queen into a queenless colony, and 

 within a day after being let out of the cage, 

 and before she had laid any eggs, the bees 

 swarmed and were put in a new hive, and 

 the parent colony given a frame of brood 

 from which they reared a queen. Now it 

 would have been "according to nature" to 

 have left the colony queenless both before 

 and after it swarmed, and allowed them to 

 dwindle away. Disregarding this old fogy 

 whim, keeping them in movable-comb hives 

 and handling them by an intelligent and 

 progressive system, saved the bees. This 

 is as far as we use the according-to-nature 

 argument ; of two methods, equally good, 

 take that which most nearly conforms to 

 the natural instincts of the bees. 



Wem- Catalogfties for 1888 are on our 



desk, from the following persons: 



W. E. Clark, Oriskany, N. Y.— 3i pages- 

 Bees, Queens, and Apiarian Supplies. 



H. H. Brown, Light Street, Pa.— 20 pages 

 —Queens, Bees, and Supplies tor Bee- 

 Keepers. 



M. E. Phelps & Co., Binghampton, N. T. 

 —8 quarto pages— Poultry. 



S. W. Morrison. M. D., Oxford, Pa.— 1 

 page— Carniolan Queens. 



Berlin Fruit-Box Co., Berlin Heights, 

 Erie Co., 0.-32 pages— Berry Packages and 

 Apiarian Supplies. 



F. R. Pierson, Tarrytown, N. "S.— lOO 

 pages— Seeds and Plants. 



C. W. Costellow, Waterboro, Maine— 13 

 pages— Apiarian Supplies. 



Tbos. S. Wallace, Clayton. Ills.— 4 pages 

 —Italian Queens, Bees and Honey. 



Scatter tlic Ijcaflets.- Look at the 

 list (with prices) on the second page. 



