Bulletin No. 30, Guide to Beekeeping in British Columbia and Bulletin No. 42, Apiculture in British Columbia are available online at:

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/117413 and

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/69501#page/11/mode/1up

No. 30 was published in 1911; No. 42 in 1913. These publications may not be of much interest to those of you not familiar with British Columbia. But I think many would find the general level of beekeeping knowledge of interest. 

The number of commercial beekeepers in B.C. at that time was small. 

B.C.’s first provincial apiarist, F. Dundas Todd was hired in 1911. One of the first bee inspectors Mr. Todd hired was Leonard Harris who kept bees near Vernon B.C.. 

Mr. Harris had emigrated from England in 1906, bringing two hives of bees with him. He crated the boxes using screens and kept them in his cabin during the trip, first on the ocean voyage to Montreal, then on the long train trip across the country to Vernon B.C. Both hives arrived in good shape.

In the spring of 1911, Todd and Harris toured the southern part of the province inspecting hives for signs of European Foulbrood. Most beekeepers were using Langstroth hives but not all. Todd describes some apiaries as needing,  “ a hatchet, crowbar, saw, and butchers knife” to inspect.
 
“The very first hive entered by one of the inspectors was built in this fashion: -- The bottom chamber consisted of an

 ordinary packing box from which the bottom had been removed. Instead of frames the owner had run bars across, hoping that the bees would take the hint and build nice straight combs, but they ignored the suggestion and

 constructed them at a forty-five degree angle with the entrance. Above the chamber was an ordinary section super in

 really good condition. Above this had been placed a heavy canvas cloth, and the bees had by persevering effort made

 a number of large holes in it. The cloth itself was made firm and strong by liberal applications of propolis and wax. The

 third story was a duplicate of the bottom chamber. At one time it must have been the limit of height, for a canvas cloth

 also rested upon it, and of course channels of communication had been pierced through it. Chamber number four was

 an ordinary super without frames or sections, so the bees had a splendid chance to further vary the style of their

 architecture, and they took advantage of the opportunity. A high gable roof crowned the structure. Since there was no

 obstruction to hinder they quite naturally built their combs into the apex. To further complicate matters the cover

 telescoped a couple of inches over the upper chamber so that at first glance it seemed impossible to make an entrance.”

“This apiary contained two dozen colonies in hives all constructed along similar lines. It had been in existence for many years, and until 1911 had not so far as is known ever produced a pound of honey. It seemed as if the beekeeper had planned to introduce into the hives every mechanical obstruction to free movement of the bees that he could devise.”

Every beekeeping era seems to invent a name for some mysterious beekeeping malady. In 1911 it was “pickled brood” which Todd defines as:
 
“… a disease of the brood about which very little is known. Many of the symptoms are very like those of European foul brood, but the cause of death is supposed to be starvation, excess of heat or cold, or poison in the food.”

Todd came from England to Victoria B.C. via the U.S. living in New York, Chicago and  
Ashland, Oregon for short periods. While living in New York he founded Photo-Beacon magazine which he later moved to Chicago, Illinois. While in Chicago he got to know Mr. Eastman of Kodak fame and compared notes on beekeeping with Dadant and Root. 

Todd wrote a number of books that can also be viewed online including:

“What Are We Here For?”

“Worlds Fair Through a Camera. From recent photographs (1893)”

You can read them online at:

http://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Todd%2C%20F.%20Dundas%20(Frederick%20Dundas)%22

You can also view a couple of photos Todd took of beehives in the summer of 1911 at:  


Interior of Chinese beehive 

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/text2html/.visual/img_txt/dir_176/a_03973.txt

Chinese beekeeper and apiary

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/text2html/.visual/img_txt/dir_69/a_03972.txt

Only one apiary was found to be infected with foulbrood in 1911. It was discovered by Harris at Proctor B.C. ( Proctor is northeast of Nelson).
 
Harris explains, “The owners had been taking a holiday trip to England, and returning brought a hive of bees with them. “ The imported hive died of EFB and was robbed out by three other hives so that: “Four hives were found to have contracted the disease, and were promptly destroyed, according to the Foul Brood Act, 1911.”

Ted
Dog Creek B.C. 

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