I have carefully read each post from the beginning, noting all that has been said by experienced apiarians, trying to find the needed light to success in apiculture. But there seem to be as yet no positive rules to guide the young apiarian. The experiences as related are very contradictory, and the conclusions as to the causes and cures remind me of a story.

In the earlier times of medical history doctors were obliged to obtain most of their medical lore from observation. One was called to see a house carpenter suffering from pleurisy. Under the treatment he was duly bled, purged, vomited, blistered, and sweated, all secundum artem. Yet, notwithstanding “everything was done that could be done,” the patient sank low and the doctor gave him up to die, and took his leave, alter directing the housewife to gratify his desire for fat liver pie, as a last indulgence.

On passing the house some weeks after he was surprised to find his patient alive and well. On inquiry he learned, to his surprise, that after eating the fat liver pie, (and of course discontinuing the medicine,) his patient greatly recovered. Rejoicing in the experience, he took out bis notebook and wrote, “For pleurisy give fat liver pie.”

Soon after he had a locksmith for a patient, suffering from the same disease, and ordered for him “fat liver pie.” The next day, finding him dead, he wrote in his note-book, “For pleurisy, give fat liver pie ; good for house carpenters – bad for locksmiths.”

All through I find the observations of experienced bee-culturists with valuable suggestions, but unfortunately there are a great many “locksmiths” among apiculturists, and their bees die from following out these suggestions. But I suppose we must profit by our failures, gathering knowledge from repeated observations until this matter can become a perfected Science.

PLB

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