148 



THE BjTE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



lowing the method described in the Pro- 

 gressive for 1894, page 76 ( or Gleaniugs 

 1895, page 307. ) Many colonies I do not 

 look at ofteuer than once a year. Here- 

 after I think I will uselysol, as the evidence 

 seems to show it is better, and will use it in 

 outside feeding, more than in a solution in 

 water, which is tiie way I have hitherto appli- 

 ed carbolic acid. Outside feeding is much 

 easier, and ought to be effective. I will also 

 feed some in the fall, which I have not 

 hitherto done. 



If I still get one or two cases a year, that 

 will not discourage me at all. To shake my 

 faith in drugs as preventives, it would be 

 necessary for foul brood to break out in 

 eight or ten colonies to the hundred in one 

 season, which it has not done in this apiary, 

 although foul brood has been all around for 

 several years. 



Of course the e is another side to the 

 question. Mr. J. B. Adams, inspector of 

 Boulder Co., who has been using and rec- 

 ommending the carbolic acid solution for 

 several years, told me lately that he hus 

 just as much faith in it as ever, but is afraid 

 to recommend it any more. We have to 

 take bee-keepers as they are, not as tiiey 

 ought to be. lean well believe him, since, 

 when even the editor of the Bee-Keepers' 

 Review keeps thinking that " drugs for fonl 

 brood" means "drugs as cures," Tom, 

 Dick and Hurry will surely tiiiiik so. But I 

 think that advanced bee-keepi rs, at any 

 rate, should not be tleprived of this valuable 

 aid. 



I wish the Review could give us an old 

 fashioned special topic number on ''Foul 

 Brood Legislation. " We have a law in 

 Colorado that we are not satisfied with, and 

 we want to change it. ( I iim one of a com 

 mittee appointed to revise it, so am especial- 

 ly interested. ) Oar law was modele.l on 

 the Canadian law. See tlie discussion on 

 this subject, soon to appear in the report of 

 the Colo. State Bee Keepers' A'^sociation in 

 A. B. J. If you will turn to page (3:$ of 

 the A. B. J., this year, you will see one sect ion 

 of the law. Another section in its present 

 form is likely to remain a dead letter in 

 some cases, for it implies that if a man has 

 one foul broody colony in an apiary, and 

 gets a large crop of nice, fat, clean sections 

 from the rest, that he must boil it all up 

 and stand the loss himself. It is deficient 

 in not providing compensation for property 

 destroyed, except through a suit. Minor de- 



fects are that it takes no account of the 

 harmless disease closely resembling foul 

 brood, and does not seem to be sufficiently 

 plain in the matter of second visits, for the 

 commissioners of one county refuse to pay 

 the inspector for second visits, consequently 

 none are made. Hints have been thrown 

 out that the business of inspecting is liable 

 to be followed by some as a meansof making 

 money. It has been suggested that instead 

 of county inspectors, at four dollars a day 

 for work done, it would be better to have 

 one State inspector at a fixed salary, with 

 power to appoint deputies. It is suggested 

 also that would-be inspectors should pass an 

 examination. 



On the other hand, in California, if I re- 

 member right, the infected colonies are 

 burned on the spot as soon as found, and 

 there is no compensation. Mr. Mendelson 

 while he was here, gave our local association 

 an interesting talk on his experiences as 

 foul brood brood inspector. Tt would be in- 

 teresting to know if the California law has 

 bee" found fatisfactory, and if ro, why. 



I fancy that the topic would be especially 

 interesting to Canada and Wisconsin, and 

 perhaps elsewhere, as well as to Colorado. 



If yon care to investigate the subject far- 

 ther, I suppose Mr. Aikin or Mr. Adams 

 could send you a copy of the law in Colorado. 



The book " Conduite da Racher" was 

 duly received. I see that the iransferring 

 treatment of foul brood is not even mention- 

 ed. The method of fumigating with sali- 

 cylic acid is given the greatest space. They 

 don't believe in doing things in a hurry over 

 there. 



Feb. 3. — Tiie Review has just come, and 

 I suppose it is in order to show gooel and 

 suflSiient reason why I should not be " put 

 out " at the request of Dr. Miller. So I have 

 written a reply, which I enclose. But if you 

 liHven't space for it, all right. I would like 

 to know your opinion on the subject of over- 

 stocking. 



Dr. Miller, hold on. Don't consider me a 

 man wi!h a theory. I believe in theories, 

 but will lay down a tlieory with serene com- 

 phiceni'y wiienever facts or anti-theories 

 become too much for it. 



I can't say how it would be with GOO col- 

 onies in one spot, so should not have used the 

 word "tallies." 'Tends to confirm" is 

 better. 



There is such a thing as overstof'king, and 

 Mr. Marvin's statement is not as precise as 



