STATE bee-keepers' ASSOCIATION. 165 



am dead sure it is diseased." I said, "Wait a moment. 

 What did we do to this hive ?" "We took away the combs ; 

 we gave them foundations." "Have they got any over there ?" 

 He said, "No." I said, "After they had drawn out the 

 foundation we took that away and made them go again and 

 they had nothing; they had to consume all the honey they 

 took with them to produce the first combs, to start to store 

 the honey they gathered from the field, and I will venture the 

 assertion they are not diseased." 



We went over and cut the tree down, felling it very care- 

 fully,, and there was no disease. We cut some other trees 

 and I found trees where the bees had died from lack of 

 protection; and I also found this, that within a year's time 

 after a colony of bees had died the squirrels and the bee- 

 moth will eradicate everything in the interior of that tree ; 

 there is no danger left. If the bee-keepers will attend to 

 their end of the work they need not worry over the bee- 

 tree problem. There is just one way a bee-tree might be 

 infected. If a colony has combs drawn and has wintered over, 

 or towards the latter portion of the season they have some- 

 body who is careless, thereby having foul brood, that bee- 

 tree bees could go and rob from an infected bee-hive and 

 transmit it to that tree ; but we all know it is a matter of 

 short duration; that colony of bees would not last long; 

 squirrels and moths would soon eradicate what is in the 

 tree. If we do our part v/e will get rid of foul brood. 



Pres. York — What kind of a foul brood law do we need 

 in this State? 



Mr. France — Coming out of another State I hardly like 

 to recommend, but my opinion is this : Keep the appropria- 

 tion you have; put in effect your inspector with authority, 

 and you will accomplish a great deal of good. 



Pres. York — You mean as to a compulsory clause? 



Mr. France — Yes. Now this comb I have here is ap 

 illustration. As I understand this apiary is in your State ; 

 your inspector wants to investigate that apiary and has been 

 objected to. Look at the situation. We will take as an 

 illustration a row of these seats, each one representing dif- 

 ferent apiaries. The inspector comes to this party and wants 

 to look at the hives. "Yes, I am glad to have you come in." 

 The next says, "My bees are all right." The inspector says, 

 "I don't like to look at these, but while I am here I will 

 look at them." The answer he receives is, "You get off the 

 premises." He has got to go. You see the weak point in 

 the law. What would we do with contagious diseases amongst 

 ourselves if our law did not admit of our health warden 

 coming in and saying "this is small-pox," or any other con- 

 tagious disease, "and they must be quarantined." You say, "No, 

 we have no smajl-pox; let everybody come in and out." It 

 is just as necessary for your inspector to be clothed with 

 that authority if you would get the desired effect. 



Mr. Kimmey — You have considered the possibility and 

 propriety of having a National foul brood law ? 



Mr. France — Yes, but we have first got to demonstrate 



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