222 DR. miller's 



lature against this spraying when the bloom is on? That is all 

 that will ever stop it. 



A. You are quite right about the importance of a law against 

 spraying, but I am sorry to say there is no law upon the subject 

 in Illinois. A few years ago quite an effort was made in that di- 

 rection, and a bill introduced in the legislature, but it was buried 

 in committee. The trouble is that the chairman of the committee 

 to which such bills are referred has always been a fruit-man 

 rather than a bee-man. I wrote to the chairman of the committee 

 at that time and he replied that fruit-men all knew that spraying 

 fruit trees when in bloom was against their own interests, and so 

 there was no law needed. Of course that looks reasonable; it would 

 seem hardly necessary to have a law against a man building a 

 bonfire under a live apple tree. All the same, there are ignorant 

 orchardists, as in your neighborhood. I think that the real milk 

 in the cocoanut is that those fruit-men, who are none too consci- 

 entious, although they know it to be against their interests to 

 spray during bloom, want to spray as near that time as possible, 

 and don't want the risk of butting up against the lavi- if they 

 should happen to spray at a wrong time. 



Spring Protection. — Q. (a) I wish to give my hives spring pro- 

 tection. I have read of roofing-paper or felt being used, but would 

 not this plan do? That is, just get a dry goods box (which can be 

 done very cheaply), and both sides and bottoms being made of 

 matched lumber, take the top off, and invert the drj- goods box 

 over the hive, a sufficient hole for entrance being cut into the dry 

 goods box to open over the hive-entrance? I figured on no pack- 

 ing of any kind between the bo.x and hive. 



(b) Would not ordinary oat straw covering over the hives, 

 leaving an entrance, be good spring protection? Or would a 

 wet spring keep the hives too damp? 



A. (a) Your plan may work, but the trouble is that when the 

 sun shines out for a short time, or even for a long Imie, the bees 

 don't get the benefit of it, the dry goods box keeping them cool; 

 whereas, with the black felt they would be made warmer than 

 with the naked hive. 



(b) It will be all right if some covering to shed the rain is over 

 the straw, or if the straw is so placed as to shed the rain. 



Splints. — Q. What are your splints, for staying foundation? 

 How are they used? 



A. They are splints one-sixteenth of an inch square, of bass- 

 wood or some other straight-grained wood, about one-quarter 

 inch shorter than the distance from top to bottom-bar. It would 



