1918 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



83 



the mating organs of both the queen 

 and the drone, and a study of the 

 position assumed by the insects in 

 the act of copulation. It should be 

 of interest to all scientific students 

 of bee anatomy, though containing 

 too many scientific terms to be read 

 with profit by the average scholar. 



The text is accompanied by two 

 plates of drawings and photographs. 

 Mr. Shafer shows that he has care- 

 fully studied his subject. 



Slowly but steadily these cloudy 

 questions are getting more distinctly 

 understood. The amount of research 

 which has been expended, for so lit- 

 tle positive knowledge, shows how 

 much remains to be done. Praise is 

 due to the men who spend years of 

 their life in these arduous studies. 



American Honey in Italy 



According to LApicoltore, of De- 

 cember, 1917, they have received in 

 Genoa about 11,000 quintals of Ameri- 

 can honey, which was selling at 500 

 lire per quintal. We first figured this 

 at the regular exchange price of lire 

 for dollars. But the Italian lire is 

 now very much depreciated in its ex- 

 change for our money. The usual ex- 

 change value is 5.20 per dollar; the 

 present is (January 22), 8.40 per dol- 

 lar. The quintal is 220 pounds. The 

 honey was, therefore, selling at 

 Genoa at 27 cents per pound. Whether 

 this honey was from North America, 

 the West Indies, or the Spanish- 

 American republics is not mentioned. 



When we realize that transatlantic 

 rates are soaring beyond all reason 

 and that the risks of transportation 

 make marine insurance very high, 

 perhaps this price of honey is not 

 more than would necessarily be ex- 

 pected. 



Beekeepers' Conventions 



Formerly it was the custom of the 

 bee journals to give extended ac- 

 counts of the various meetings of 

 beekeepers. This is no longer possi- 

 ble, because the number of conven- 

 tions has increased to the point 

 where to do so would occupy all the 

 available space in the Journal. Where 

 there were formerly but a dozen or 

 two conventions of importance in the 

 entire country, now more than that 

 number are held within the limits of 

 a single State. We are always glad 

 to receive notes concerning the vari- 

 ous meetings, but would call the at- 

 tention of the correspondents to the 

 necessity of making the accounts as 

 brief as possible. 



Securing Sugar 

 For Feeding Bees 



From early reports coming in 

 where bees have had a good flight 

 and it has been warm enough to make 

 a superficial investigation, it appears 

 that bees have consumed a large pro- 

 portion of their winter stores already 

 and that feeding will have to be done 

 early and in quantity. 



The shortage of sugar is acute, but 

 we believe that beekeepers will have 

 no trouble in getting such sugar as 

 they will need if they take the mat- 

 ter up with their grocer or with their 

 nearest wholesale house, executing 

 affidavit as below and explaining the 



STATE OF 

 County of _. 



matter thoroughly. The Food Ad- 

 ministration has expressed its desire 

 to see that all beekeepers are sup- 

 plied with sufficient sugar. 



If you are unable to get sugar lo- 

 cally, execute affidavit as below and 

 send it at once to your State Bee In- 

 spector so that he may take the mat- 

 ter up at once and do what he can to 

 get the sugar. 



If desired, he will furnish copies of 

 this affidavit free. However, we urge 

 every beekeeper not to wait, but to 

 make proper affidavit and take the 

 matter up at once. A week or two 

 may make it too late. 

 Following is copy of affidavit : 



I, , being duly sworn, state upon oath (or 



affirm) that the following statements are true: 



I am the owner or have in my possession colonies of bees. The 



bees above mentioned will need sugar for food in order to live or be in suit- 

 able condition for gathering surplus honey during the season of 1918. I esti- 

 mate that I will need pounds of granulated sugar for the pur- 

 pose of feeding. If I am permitted to secure this sugar or any part of it, 

 I will use it for food for the bees and for no other purpose and if any remains 

 unused at the beginning of the surplus honey flow, I will return it to the 

 dealer from whom I purchased it or to whomever the Federal Food Admin- 

 istrator shall direct. 



My postoffice address is 



My nearest shipping point is : 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 



(Seal) 



day of 191 



Notary Public 



My commission expires 



The above affidavit must be executed before a Notary Public or other 

 officer qualified to administer oaths. 



Food and the War 



The need of saving food is impera- 

 tive if America is to win in the world 

 war. Pork, wheat and sugar are the 

 most available food for transport to 

 feed the armies, because they are 

 readily preserved and easily carried. 

 We can live without discomfort on 

 such products as cannot be sent 

 abroad. To make the most of what 

 we have will require readjustment of 

 the food habits of the average Ameri- 

 can family, but there will be no com- 

 plaint on the part of the loyal citizen 

 intent on making any necessary sac- 

 rifice in order to support our soldiers 

 in the field. 



To give the housewife the best avail- 

 able information concerning the work 

 of the food administration and sug- 

 gestions providing the best possible 



food for her family, while at the same 

 time saving the foods designated, we 

 have arranged for a series of articles 

 on "Food and the War," by Mrs. 

 Mary G. Phillips. Living in Wash- 

 ington, Mrs. Phillips has an excel- 

 lent opportunity to keep in touch 

 with the work of the government. We 

 commend these articles to the atten- 

 tion of the ladies. 



Honey Production in 

 British Columbia 



The Bulletin on honey production 

 in British Columbia shows reports of 

 382 beekeepers owning 1,685 colonies 

 with a crop per colony of 51 pounds. 



The harvesting of honey-dew by 

 their bees in 1916 resulted in a winter 

 loss of about 40 per cent. 



