2l6 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



me when Just /m/c/iedlarvie, and eggs are 

 given, and no older larvte. 



The doctor says he does not believe in 

 the old tradition that the bees are in 

 such a hurry to rear a successor, that 

 they select larvee too old for rearing good 

 queens. He thinks this a libel on the 

 bees. Is it any more of a libel on them 

 than it is for them to go and build these 

 "fool-cells," over half-grown worker 

 larvae, when they have a dozen nice cells 

 already sealed over ? 



The truth of the matter is that the tak- 

 ing away of a queen puts a colony in an 

 unnatural condition, and that the bees 

 should do something unnatural is but — 

 natural. 



EXTRACTED. 



PRACTICE VERSUS BKAUTIFUL THEORIES. 



The Latter are all Right in their Place, but of 

 not Much Use to Beginners. 



Theories are all right. I do not wish 

 to be understood as being opposed to the- 

 ory. Asa rule, theory must come before 

 practice; but most of the things that a 

 beginner nmst know have already been 

 reduced to practice; and he is in no con- 

 dition, nor has he the disposition, to 

 bother his head with theories. I came 

 across a scrap of paper the other day 

 containing an item that illustrated this 

 idea so well that I copy it. It is as fol- 

 lows: — 



Teachers often shoot their ideas far 

 over the heads of their readers. They 

 can not condescend to get down to the 

 bread and butler side of the question. 

 Indeed, it is hard work for one who has 

 overcome the rudiments, and whose de- 

 sire is to mount higher and higher in the 

 real., s of the unknown and unknowable, 

 to get down on his hands and knees, 

 with trowel in hand to teach the novice 

 how to plant. How much more agree- 

 able to teach how the roots force their 

 wav through the dark soil in search of 

 food; how the leaves breathe, and theo- 

 ries about the feelings of a tree when a 



careless man peels off its bark with a 

 whiffle-tree. But the beginner does not 

 care a fig how the leaves and roots act so 

 long as he succeeds in making his plants 

 and trees thrifty and profitable. He 

 cares but little about poetic or scientific 

 treatment. He desires to be told what 

 the writer did when he was in circum- 

 stances similar to his own. If the writer 

 has not had such experience he is not 

 capable of teaching. 



BOILING FOUL BROODY HONEY. 



Simply Bringing it to the Boiling Point 

 Seems to be Sufficient. 



I have no desire to encourage careless- 

 ness in regard to the treatment of foul 

 brood, or of the preparation for use of 

 the honey that is infected with the germs 

 of the disease; but there seems to be a 

 decided lack of proof that a long period 

 of boiling is needed, and some very de- 

 cided proof that a short period will an- 

 swer. Mr. Doolittle tells in the Pro- 

 gressive how foul broody honey was ren- 

 dered perfectly harmless by .simply be- 

 ing boiled a short time. Here is what he 

 says: — 



There seems to be some doubt now as 

 to the germs of foul brood being killed 

 by .simply 1)ringing honey to the boiling 

 point, .some being sure that 3 or more 

 liours' boiling are required to render hon- 

 ey from a foul broody colony safe. Well, 

 I am no scientist along this line, but if 

 such is the fact, I would like to know 

 why my bees did not contract the di.sea.se 

 again after this happening: A large 

 quantity of such honey from foul broody 

 combs was placed in a tin vessel over the 

 .stove to "scald," [that was thought to be 

 all that was neces.sary in the early seven- 

 ties] when company came and Mrs. I), 

 was called awav from the kitchen while 

 I was out in the apiarj'. This was in the 

 evening. Returning to the hou.se I found 

 the honey nearly one-half run out of the 

 vessel, all over the stove, floor and car- 

 pets, from suddenly rising to the bc^iling 

 point when no one was there. I took 

 what had not run out from the stove as 

 .soon as po.ssible, and when Mrs. I), re- 

 turned, there was one discouraged wo- 

 man I assure you, for nearly one-fourth 

 of the kitchen floor and carpets was just 

 floating in honey. What to do we did 



