328 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



foot of open air at cellar bottom — the stronger 

 colonies furthest down, as that is the more try- 

 ing position. 



Notice how moBt good authorities are 

 gradually getting together on keeping bees 

 away from the cellar bottom. 



The editor's summing up seems to be 

 mostly very conservative and sound. Mat- 

 ters little whether it is or isn't a disease that 

 kills us, so long as we are killed. Usually 

 not any one thing but several things com- 

 bine in the mischief. And go for those 

 things which we can mitigate, seeing that 

 some of them we can not. And where there 

 are heavy losses every winter, under all 

 methods, there must be a change of food. 

 Prof. Cook strikes the same string. 



" With other conditions mote favorable, prob- 

 ably any food, almost, would bo wholesome 

 and safe, but with other conditions awry, then 

 the good food may ward off disaster." 



And probably he lights on an important 

 truth where he suggests that somehow or 

 other a cellar dug in sand is better than one 

 dug in clay. In any cellar the air we breathe, 

 much of it, came out of the (jroviid not long 

 ago, and soil air differs. 



Doolittle describes the symptoms with the 

 ability of a medical almanac — and his prime 

 remedy is " good stores, or sugar syrup." 



Heddon's no pollen test, and 72 out of 73 

 (). K.. in the same cellar where two-thirds 

 of those with natural stores died with dysen- 

 tery look^ like knock-down e idence. It 

 probably is conclusive as to such a wickedly 

 cold cellar. It is not quite full proof how- 

 ever that in a dry cellar with pure air, and 

 temperature where it should be, the pollen 

 would have done a particle of harm. The 

 bees that lived were compelled to refrain 

 from activity and brooding by lack of pol- 

 len : but whether it was the pollen, or the 

 untimely activity and brooding, that killed 

 the others is left entirely unsolved. 



Possibly friend Aikiu puts too much stress 

 upon moisture ; but if inspectors represent- 

 ing more than 7, 60() colonies agree that hives 

 having accidental cracks in the top winter 

 the best we had better be looking into the 

 subject a little. 



And friend B. Taylor seems to open an in- 

 side pocket and give us some nuts that are 

 not altogether chestnuts. 



" I favor small liives. * * In a largo 

 hive there is much si)ace left vacant outside the 

 cluster ; here the air stagnates " 



Quite likely (other things being equal) the 

 nearer the cluster comes to filling the cavity 

 the better. Those frequent tires in the cel- 



lar are good, and no possible harm before 

 the bees are put in. And the diarrhoea of 

 starvation ought not to be forgotten, until 

 we understand about it. 



R. L. Taylor in the station report, tries 

 hard to keep us from driving stakes on the 

 apparent conclusions about starters versus 

 foundation or comb for new swarms. Some 

 will drive 'em all the same ; so I will say so 

 some more. Don't do it ! This is a scant 

 and inconclusive beginning at an important 

 matter, which will require pi7es of evidence 

 to settle it. And, don't you see the experi- 

 menter draws conclusions favorable to foun- 

 dation and the editor draws conclusions 

 favorable to starters from the same big table? 

 Very likely the man favormg comb could 

 hew out a nice stake for his side also. Quite 

 possibly (probably, I should say) starters 

 ouly may be good tactics under certain con- 

 ditions, and wretchedly poor tactics under 

 other conditions. This would be unlikely to 

 come out in one season's experiments. 



The General Round Up 



What an unusually meaty number is the 

 American Bee Jou nal for October 12th. 

 How entici gly Dr. Gallup writes of Califor- 

 nia, and his little out-door Maggie, that 

 was'nt going to live and grow up. .Just lis- 

 ten. 



"Wo use tJhinese matting — no costly carpets 

 — so we are not afraid to let in the sunshine and 

 air." A. B. .J., 469. 



O how many thousand lives — yes how 

 many hundred thousand lives — it would save 

 if pretty follies that fade in the sun were 

 cast out of our rooms, and God's healing 

 sunshine let in ! It would almost amount to 

 bringing California to us : aud be money in 

 pocket too. Then we might uliuost hope (as 

 saying A opens the way for saying B) for 

 another unhoi)eable reform. Folks might 

 next consent to banish the mop, and cease to 

 murder the baby. Just imagine what the 

 angels must think of you as they look at 

 baby, and see him creeping along with his 

 little nose close to the floor, breathing con- 

 stantly the deadly gases of damp, decaying 

 lumber and crack crumbs ; aud all for the 

 worship of that C iri^tian Dagon the daily 

 mop I Wliy the mop is at least fourth cousin 

 to the saloon-keeper in the murder business. 

 The m ich execrated saloonist at least does'nt 

 feed the essence of death to the l)aby, and 

 the mop does. 



How daring is brother Dayton to say as 

 he does — 



