INDICTED.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1024, 13 January 1911, Page 10

INDICTED.

. , AMERICAN MEAT PACKERS. The official text of tho indictment of the meal-packing''firms'of the United States has been issued.- The first count is to' the effect that they have refrained from competing with each other in the Eurchaso of cattle, sheep, and hogs, but avo agreed as to the prices, and as to the quantities to be bought from day to day by each of them. The second count is that these firms, in disposing of. their products, "have used a uniform system of. arriving at a figure representing tho price which they have requested and expected their respective branch house managers to obtain upon the sale thereof." The third charge "is. that they have "monopolisod tho trade iu }rcsh meat by certain unlawful means," and the .fourth gives examples of stifled competition. " On the other side of the caso ' the president of the National Live Stock, Exchange, at the annual convention of the packers, declared that they had benefited tho farmers and ranchmen by devising tasty by-products from meat animals, thus increasing the demand, and that they have so economised ill slaughtering, preserving, and transporting, that they are now selling at less money, as compared with prices on foot, than ever before

FERTILITY OF THE QUEEN BEE

' A STUDY'IN THOUSANDS.' It-may interest many to be informed, to almost exact figures, the number of eggs a queen bee is laying or - a bio to lav within a certain time. In tomo public school books (writes W. Abram in the Sydney "Telegraph") I huvo read that she lays, about 200 eggs per day. This is quite erroneous. A correct statement can only bs given by taking various circumstances info consideration,' which induce Ibo queen to lay' more eggs, at one time, less at another, and none at all at yet' another period. What causes the 'increase, what the decrease? The number of bees are found by weighing them, and from 4500 to 5000 weigh a. pound. Taking 5000 to tho pound,'a swarm of 41b. contains 20,000.bees. I have weighed many swarms, and most of thVra weighed 5 to 71b'., and these gave the. best results. Swarms of 10 and 111b. did not give proportionately larger results. Having- satisfied oneself as to the size of swarms most profitable,- it is also necessary to Know how Ion? tho bees livo in the busy season. This is easily ascertained by the use of different'coloured races of bees, the gentle Italians being yellow banded, the North European dark brown. The. average life is about two months in the summer; but much'longer in winter, when'they are less active. The highest' point of breeding seems to be reached about 11 davs before swarming, when about 2000 eggs are laid per day for a short period. ■ In winter, -when the bees leave oft working, tho queen stops laying eggs also, and as some bees' die dailv during that time the hives are weak in number ui early spring. With the advent of warmer. weather breeding commences again, and the "queen will lav 100 0r..200 eggs per day, gradually increasing the number, and' by the end of August 000 or more eggs are laid everv dav. \s now the young bees begin to 'hatch, tho queen's laying c-anacilv extends, and sho lays more-than 1000 eggs per day.