240 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



July 



matter had yet to come. Towards 

 the end of May in the following year 

 the final examination was held. It 

 somewhat resembled the former one, 

 but candidates have to show evidence 

 of a superior education. It covers a 

 wider held, too, and embraces a 

 knowledge of the bee literature of 

 the Continent and America. The 

 questions on the anatomy and phys- 

 iology of the honeybee, in my case, 

 were distinctively stiff and searching. 

 Xo superficial knowledge would suf- 

 fice to obtain a decent pass. 



It may be well here to give a brief 

 summary of the field covered in the 

 three examinations. The lowest con- 

 sists of two parts. The first is taken 

 up with a series of manipulations of 

 hives, piecing together sections, 

 frames, inserting the foundation in 

 these, handling bees, spotting queens 

 and handling frames. Few candi- 

 dates fail in this branch. The second 

 which consists in oral questions, may 

 be made a severe test, covering, as 

 it does, the whole field of elementary 

 knowledge of bees and beekeeping. 



To pass the second, candidates 

 must show evidence of a fair educa- 

 tion, and the knowledge demanded 

 includes the following: 1. The nat- 

 ural history of the honeybee, with its 

 anatomy and physiology. 2. Prod- 

 ucts of bees. 3. All about swarming. 

 4. The apiary as a whole. 5. Hand- 

 ling frames and manipulating stocks. 

 6. Wintering bees. 7. Difficulties of 

 beekeeping, including diseases. 8. 

 The work of each month of the year. 

 9. Honey and wax extractors. 10. 

 Smokers and other appliances for 

 subduing bees. 11. Comb foundation, 

 fitting in, etc. 12. Our bee flora. The 

 most common nectar-bearing flowers 

 and trees. 



For the final pass evidence of a 

 good education has to be certified, 

 and at least three years' practical 

 experience of beekeeping is requisite. 

 Candidates will be subjected to 

 somewhat severe tests in any or all 

 of the subjects given above and they 

 will be required to show a satisfac- 

 tory acquaintance with the best lit- 

 erature on bees and beekeeping. 



Even then the ordeal is not over 

 for them. If they pass the paper test 

 they must deliver a short lecture on 

 some beekeeping topic before the 

 Board of Examiners in London. The 

 subject is given out to the candidate 

 only five minutes before he is called 

 on, and that time is given him for 

 thinking over the topic selected. At 

 the option of the Board, he may be 

 subjected to a further oral examina- 

 tion as well as to practical tests of 

 his abilities. In my own case I had 

 to deal with "The Pitfalls That Be- 

 si-1 the Footsteps of a Novice, and 

 the Advice You Won].] (live in Or- 

 der to Save Disaster." The title is 

 omewhal paraphrased, as the Coun- 

 cil may consider they have an "all 

 rights reserved" claim on the orig- 

 inal for future use. In course of 

 time the "Final Certificate" reached 

 me and 1 became a full-fledged "Ex- 

 pert." 



These certificates are highly 



1, and many of their possessors, 



by their holding the Final, have been 



al>k to secure good situations as lec- 

 turers, experts and instructors in 

 beekeeping to many of our County 

 Councils and to some of our agri- 

 cultural colleges. Amongst these cer- 

 tified experts are several ladies. 

 They make excellent candidates at 

 all the three stages, and in the final 

 of those who secure 90 per cent and 

 upward, generally half are of the 

 fair sex. 



My position as examiner of the 

 paper work of the intermediate and 

 final, enables me to conclude that ex- 

 cellent results follow the close study 

 of the whole field of beekeeping ne- 



cessitated by the preparation for a 

 pass in these stages. It is almost 

 impossible but that these young men 

 and women must turn out better 

 apiarists as a consequence of the ef- 

 forts made. 



The recently re-constituted Scot- 

 tish Beekeepers' Association, through 

 their Council, are making an earnest 

 endeavor to organize somewhat sim- 

 ilar examinations, with power to 

 grant certificates — but on a rather 

 wider basis. The Irish Beekeepers 

 have been issuing expert certificates 

 for a good many years. 



Banff's, Scotland. 



LEGAL SERVICE 

 ft DEPARTMENT & 



Bees in the City 



Would the action of the council 

 mentioned in the following clipping 

 be legal, and would it stand? 



Pennsylvania. 



"By unanimous vote the Council 

 passed on first and second reading an 

 ordinance forbidding the keeping of 

 bees anywhere in Franklin within 

 500 feet of a dwelling house. It was 

 conceded that there are very few 

 places left where bees may lawfully 

 be kept in Franklin when this ordi- 

 nance passes. A fine of $25 is im- 

 posed, with jail for 30 days if fine 

 and costs are not paid. Mayor Em- 

 ery stated that only two or three 

 c'tizens will be deprived of their bees 

 by the ordinance. He said the keep- 

 ing of bees is a menace to the neigh- 

 borhood, and instanced a case where 

 he said children dare not play in 

 their yard because of the bees kept 

 by a neighbor. 'A bee is a useful ar- 



ticle,' said the Mayor, 'but the city 

 is not the proper place for it.'" 



Answer — This is only another ex- 

 ample of arbitrary action on the 

 part of a town council. It would be 

 no more unreasonable for them to 

 pass an ordinance prohibiting the 

 keeping of dogs within the city lim- 

 its because somebody had been bit- 

 ten, or horses because someone had 

 been kicked. There is little chance 

 that such an ordinance would stand 

 the test in court. However, the bee- 

 keeper with only a few colonies kept 

 for pleasure would find it too expen- 

 sive to fight such a case. This is one 

 more good example of the impera- 

 tive need of an organization to look 

 after such matters for beekeepers 

 everywhere. With 5,000 members, a 

 membership fee of a dollar each 

 would pay for fighting such farcical 

 ordinances, as well as providing 

 other needed legal service for the 

 beekeepers. 



Bee-Keeping <®> For Women 



Conducted by Miss Emma M. Wilson. Marengo, III. 



Honey and Good Health 



I notice very frequent objections to use of 

 cane sugar. What can you say of the use of 

 I j as a suhstitute? 



\ I ane sugar requires digestion. When 

 taken in concentrated form and in considera- 

 te- quantity, if is irritating to the stomach in 

 highly objectionable and various ways. Honey 

 has the advantage that it requires no digestion, 

 but is ready for immediate absorption. Hone) 

 contains various flavoring matters derived 

 from flowers, some of which are harmful to 

 oiw people. In fact, most people are able 

 to takt honey only in moderate quantities. A 

 lar... ■ amount produces discomforts, oftl 

 i' hi Some people are made ill by eating 

 honey. Such persons arc usually individuals 

 who have I.-, n -ii-iM ed to the pollen of the 

 plant from which the honey is gathered. The 



the process of gathering honey collects 



I i i intities of pollen anil other for- 



eign bodies. It is said that bees introduce 

 into the honey minute quantities of a sub- 

 stance from a poison oag for the purpose of 

 preserving thi honey, which is accomplished by 

 the formic acid which it contains. This is 

 highly irritating, and in certain hypersensitive 

 persons seems to produce unpleasant effects. 



The foregoing is taken from that 

 excellent monthly. Good Health. One 

 is somewhat at a loss to know what 

 will be the effect of its teaching upon 

 the consumption of honey. The gov- 

 ernment is making urgent appeals 

 to beekeepers to produce the largest 

 amount of honey possible, advising 

 the production of extracted honey 

 rather than comb honey, because a 

 colony of bees will produce a larger 

 an ount of honey in the extracted 

 form; we are to Hooverize on iigai 

 so that our allies may not suffer for 

 want of it, and it is not strange thai ■< 

 seeker after good health should turn 

 to that most popular and reliable 

 dispenser of information regarding 

 matters of diet, and inquire what is 

 to be said of the use of honey as a 

 substitute for sugar. 



In the reply certain things are said 



