The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-28
BUSY BEE.
He Wants Recognition From
Agricultural College.
Millions of Pounds of Honey CO.
ing to Waste.
SHOULD BE TAUGHT.
Farm Boys Should Understand
Importance of Industry.
States Association Discusses How
to Improve Breed.

The Kansas beekeepers who are in
session here, want recognition from the
State Agricultural college.
In an interview DR.. Borher, of Ly-
ems. one of the Oldest beekeepers in the
state, said:
The agricultural college takes notice
of every industrial pursuit except that
of Bookkeeping and since the lntroduc-
ton of alfalfa into the state and the
growth of millions Of fruit trees and
other honey producing plants there IS
no reason why the habits and manage
ment of the honey bee should pc over
| looked or neglected by the agrlcuituItal
college. 1t is the duty of the regents
of that college to at once see that pee
keeping is taught there in order that
the millions of pounds Of honey that
is now going to waste may be stored
and used by the people of the state.
"The state makes an appropriation
so that they have the money ana can
teach it if only required to DO so. FOR
them to say they know nothing ABOUT
heekeep;ng should not be accepted as
an excuse. but they shoulo pe p., a.
to qualify themselves and teacn II
without further delay. Thlrty-tnree
wears ago when Professor John Anoer-
son was president of that college ne
asked me to deliver a lecture on pee
keeping before the students of that col
it there but knew nothing about II anu
sized me to give them the sources from
which they could derive the requisite
knowledge to enable them TO tedch
practical beekeeplns. 6ut iloioseo "
Anderson left the institution and slnce
that time the matter of bee culture
has received no recognition. There IS
rothing that the agricultural papers OF
the state could do to add more TO the
Industries of the state at the present
TO 2
their papers to the bee industry OF Kan
sas. furnishing their readers with at
least one article each month lnstruc-
tive to the beckeeperS OF the stare.
Farmers raising alfalfa TOT seea WI Nh
yield of seed by the pollenlzatlon OF the
flowers of the plants.
Discussion of foul brood and its
treatment, and the rules adopted In
Illinois for the grading OF apiary ex-
hibits, occupied the Kansas Bee Keep
ers at the morning session of their
yearly meeting, which was held at the
Fifth Avenue hotel. The rules were
not adopted, although there seemeo
to be little opposition to them. In
stead. a committee was appointed to
go over the rules and recommend
them for adoption or rejection to-
night.
DR. G.. Borher of Lyons spoke at
considerable length this morning on
foul brood He told of the various
methods of treating the disease and
of the success that had attended his
efforts in each case. There was no
doubt, he declared that the disease
could be checked If the proper meth
DDS of treating the disease and of the
success that had attended his efforts
in each case. There was no doubt, he
declared that the disease could be
checked if the proper methods were
used in treating it, - Fl
Rather a startling suggestion was
made by O. A. Keene, secretary of the
association, who stated that one way
to avoid foul brood would be to re-
fuse to purchase queens from dealers
in states where there were not strict
foul brood laws.
eve know that foul brood is a liv-
ing organism" said DR.. Borher. 1--WE
know that 1t lives in honey and that
it multiplies rapidly. 1t is fed to the
young bees in the honey and causes
certain death. There is no drug that
checks it, no poison which counter
acts it. that we have been able to
find. We know nothing of the remote
cause of the foul brood. We know
that it is usually traceable to impor-
tation, that it is often brought here
by queens which are imported. 1t
spreads quickly from one colony to