104 BEEKEEPING IN THE SOUTH 



the educational forces of his state and should see that the free 

 government bulletins on bee diseases and bees receive far wider 

 distribution among the little fellows, than they have ever had in 

 the past. Dr. F. B. Paddock wrote of Texas extension and in- 

 spection work: "We have always felt that the inspection work 

 in this state was most entirely a matter of education. While we 

 have taken the stand that we could not legitimately, under the 

 provisions of the law, engage actively in extensive extension 

 work, we have nevertheless given the inspector every encourage- 

 ment in this work. We are going farther and suggest that the 

 inspectors put on demonstrations of transferring and the treat- 

 ment of disease." 



The Value of Asepsis. 



Considerable interest among southern beekeepers is centering 

 on the inspection work in Florida begun in 1919, where a large 

 appropriation has been granted to fight bee diseases. The work 

 is under the direction of Wilmon Newell. 



Experience with the citrus canker in Florida, where success 

 in the eradication of this plant disease has made Mr. Newell 

 famous, has brought about extreme methods in asepsis among 

 the inspectors. Very thorough methods are taken in disinfecting 

 instruments used, and workers wear a regular suit, which is 

 also disinfected, as are their shoes, before they leave the prem- 

 ises where bee disease may have been found. The success 

 cf this project will be watched with interest, as Florida has more 

 to gain from preventive measures than from treatment of bee 

 diseases, since the latter are happily rather scarce in that state. 



