UMASS/AMHERST s : 3> ^3W 2> ' 2X* S> !,'-3p '•;^g> !>s>> W£ ^^J3>^»r. '^2*» > »^*£ *&^@&i :>^» ^ c* 14-2- DaDDnDDDaDDaDnnDDDnnnnnaDDnDDDDa D D □ a D a a -<°* gi rvy flg m □ D * isUm iEr ** □ •p j^S^^s ** Q a r7J4^£^&r £> D **iMi.\% D o D D a a a D UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS [ a □ LIBRARY D □ D □ □ a D a D a a a □ a D a a a a □ D □ □ Per D D SF g □ D 521 D D A5 D □ v.4 , □ D 1868/69 D D a D D D D D D D D □ □ D a . — . n □ D □ a □ D DaDDDDDnaaDaDDDDDaDDDDDDnDnDnnan "CLARKE &, ^osros^lRs; ! THE AMERICAN BEE EDITED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, " I here present thee with a hive of bees, laden some with wax, and some with honey. Fear not to approach ! There are no wasps, there are no hornets here. If some wanton bee should chance to buzz about thine ears, stand thy ground and hold thy hands ; there's noue will sting thee if tbou strike not first. If any do, she hath honey in her bag will cure thee too." — Quarleb. VOLUME IV.-1868-69. PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHING-TON, CHFOXICT/R PKIKT. D. C Index to Volume IV.-American Bee Journal. Aeassiz Prof. 'and Mrs. 48. Albino queen 224. All worker comb 96, 132, 153, 158. Alsike clover 33, 36, 55, 87, 189. Anecdote 8. Another honey plant 137. Another mishap 67. Antennae, loss of 80. Antidote for bee stings 239. Aphis honev 195. Artificial swarming 11, 16, 20, 180, 225, 233. Association, Northwestern Bee- keepers' 56. Atmospheric changes 176. Australia, bees in 223. Barren queens 243. Bee-bob, Kodelspergers' S7. Bee books 90. Bee botanv 178. Bee-culture 1, 21, 31, 61, 161. Bee disease 138, 155, 156, 164, 167, 172, 198, 209, 218, 219, 220. Bee feed 149. Bee feeder, 16. 17. 53, 54. 99. 105, 120. 180, 217. Bee feeding Si, 65, 132. Bee flowers 8. Bee glue 100. Bee hives 71, 194. Beekeepers, caution to 175. Beekeepers' convention 225. Beekeepers, items for 15. Bee management 5, 11. Bee muss 192. Bee pasturage 188. 189, 226. Bee plants 5, 52. 192. Bee stings 239. Beginner, experience of, 235. Bees and blossoms 128. Bees and fruit 18. Bees disappearing 167. Bees, discolored 71. Bees Egyptian 18. Bees fighting 88. Bees, how to save, 234. Bees hybrid 107. Bees in Australia 223. Bees in Minnesota 134, 216. Bees in Mississippi 217. Bees in Missouri, 14. Bees in Tennessee 20. Bees in war 39. Bees Mexican 24. Bees not dormant 39. Bees, removing 235. Bees, respiration of 13. Bees' saliva 197. Bees, transferring 7. Bees, wintering 3 116, 128, 131, 152. 225, 227. Birds and bees in Louisiana, 242. Bleaching wax 29, 47. Borage 191. Brood, cost of 215. Brooding temperature 168. Brown honey cake 77. Camphor, to stop robbing 200. Can bees be poisoned ? 199. Candid confessions 170. Candied honey 219. Cape of Good Hope, bees from 125. i iapture of queen aud fertile work- ers 146. Cause of bee disease 218. Caution to beekeepers, 175, 178. Cleome intesrrifolia 192. Cost of brood 215. Closed top frames 51, 52, 74. Clover alsike 33, 36, 53, 87. Clover red 65, 136, 196, 197. Color of Italian bees 110, 129. Colonies, drone-breed' ng, 4-5 Comb guides 66. , 69, 70, 72, 109, 157, 169, 190, 198, Comb straight 90, 116. Common failures 119. Convention of German beekeepers 161, 201. Corrections and explanations 200. Criticism 48. Crooked combs 80, 244. Cure for bee stiugs 89. Dark honey 89. Darmstadt Convention 101, 201. Dathe's method 32. Death from a bee-sting 48. Diamond movable comb hive 187. Discolored bees 71. Disease among bees 11, 12. 120, 138, 155, 156. 164, 165. 166, 167, 172, 198. 204. Dividing bees 90, 116, 185, 186. Drone breeding colonies 46, 227, 243 . Drone comb 80. Drones 8, 171, 214 . Drones, late reared 68 . Drones from young queens 171 . Durant's patent hive 223. Dysentery or no dysentery 216. Dysentery, prevention of 145. Dzierzon "theory 222, 243. Early swarms 40. Economic hive 210, 244. Editorial, 17. 37, 55, 75, "76, 95, 117, 118. 137, 138, 157, 177, 197, 221, 241. Esparcette 26, 62. 118. Exodus of honey bees, 138. Experience of a beginner 235. Experience in Italianizing No. iv. 108. Explanation 200. Extraordinary swarming 196 . Facts 135 . Facts and questions 172 . Facts for beemen 220. Failures, common 119. Fecundity of the queen bee 30. Feeding bees 150, 169, 177. Feeding meal 3. 158, 177, 230. Fertile workers 85, 227. Fertilization, pure 31, 37, 47, 90, 205. Fighting bees 88. Flanders vs. Gallup 136. Form of hives 152, 202. Foulbrood 81, 101, 121, 141, 219, 226. Futter's method 32. Gallup's rejoinder 92, 214. Gallup on the Langstroth hive 237 . German Beekeepers' Convention 161,201. Getting bees out of honey boxes 159, 209, 242. Gohde's method 32. Hamburg brown honey cake 77 Hatching queens 233. Hive, convenient 54. Hive, Durant's 223. Hive, economic 210, 214. Hive, Eureka 173 . Hive, triangular 14. Hives and wintering 113. Hives, packing 115. Hives, patented and other 96. Hives, shape and size of 125. Hives, queens, and pollen substi- tute 150. Honey bee, mathematics of the 15. Honey dew 89, 119, 160. Honey emptying machine 58, 59, 76,134,144, 179, 180,224. Honey from red clover 197 . Honey ill-flavored 112. Honey mart 47. Honey n!antl37. Honev product 74 . Honey, qualities and properties 23. Honey scarcity of 33. 110. Honey substitute 53, 89. Honey surplus 226. Honey for wintering 114. Honor to whom honor 185. How I became an apiculturist 27, 78. How to save bees 231 . Hunting queens 233. Hunting wild bees 9, 68. Ill-flavored honey 112. Ill-tempered bees 77. Imbedded bees 79. Impregnation of young queens 65. Improved method of swarming 170,224. Inquiries and responses 34. Inquiries, several 224. Instinct 171 . Introducing queens 16, 157, 201, 226, 240. Italian bees 40, 115. Italian bees, color of 110 . Italian bees, purity of 57, 84. Italian queens 90, 244 . Items for beekeepers 15. Items from Novice 191 . Items, various 131, 219. Kentucky bee disease 164. Kidder's reply, &c, 195, 213, 214. Kingbirds 65,199. Kohler's process for pure fertiliza- tion 31. Kruger's process for pure fertiliza- tion 32, 47. Langstroth hive 91, 178, 215. Letter from Italy 83. Letter from Maine 28. Ligurian bees 84, 124, 127. Linden trees 91. I Long-lived queens 106. Loss of bees 164, 242. I Loss of queens 100. Mail, sending queens by 112,130. Management and hives 60, 181 . Markings of bees 199. Mart, for honey and wax 47. Mead, Queen Elizabeth's 49. Meal feeding 3, 158, 177, 197. Melilot clover 70, 189. Mellextractor 91 . Mice 70. Michigan, the season in 94. Mismanagement 181 . More of the bee disease 172 . Moth worms 59. * Multiplication of stocks 133. Natural artificial swarming 11 Necessity of ventilation 149. New hive 184. New smoker 151 . Non-swarming 58, 88. Notes and remarks 97. Novice 3, 35, 63, 113, 120, 178, 191, 212. Novice, question to 100. Oat and rye meal 63 Observations and suggestions 63 Packing bee hives 115 . Paper hives, 233. Past season 63, 124 . Pasturage 188. Patent claims 151, 240. Patented and other hives 96. Plants for bees 52 . Polinisia integrifolla 192 Pollen 197, 231. Pollen substitute 150, 231. Po?tage on queen cage 2S8 premium offered 165. prevention of dysentery 145. Professor alive 176. Prolific queens 106, 174 . Propolis 100. Dr. Preuss on foulbrood 141, 205. Price's square frame hive 86. Puff-ball smoke 33, 100, 239. Pure fertilization 31, 37, 47, 90, 205. Purity of Italian queens 244. Queen raising 233. Queens 199. Queens by mail 112, 130 . Queens, diminutive 16. Queen, fecundity of 30 Queen hatching 234. Queen hunting 232. Queens, introducing 16. Queens, loss of 100. Queens, laying drone and worker eggs 219. Queens mating twice 20, 56, 110, 140, 238. Queens, prolific and long-lived 106, 174. Queens, pure fertilization of 31, 37, 47,90,205. Queens, renewing 116. Queens, reserve 41. Queens, superseding 9. Queens, to Dreed from 175. Queens, two in one hive 53, 100. Queens and workers 117 . Queens, wintering reserve 99. Queer queen 118. Queries, 186. Querist's questions answered 207. Question to Novice 100. Questions from England 209. Questions answered 213. Questions by Querist 148, 207. Questions and facts 172. Rational bee-culture 147 . Eaw pollen 3 Rectangular frame hive 114 . Red clover 65, 73. Red clover honey 197 . Rejoinder by Gallup 92. Remarks and notes 97, 186. Remarks on bee disease 209. Removing bees 235. Renewing queens 116. Reply from Novice 120. Reply to H. Rosenstiel243. Reply to J. H. Thomas 220. Reproduction of bees lSf. Response to inquiries 34. Reserve queens 41, 99. Results of wintering 232. Reverses, Novice's 212. Ruchee 91 . Rye and oat meal 158, 230. Sainfoin, 26 62, 91. Saliva bees, 197. Scarcity of honey 33, 118, 147. Scotch method of pure fertilization 32. Sending queens by mail 238. Several inquiries 224. Several items from Novice 191. Several things considered 193. Shallow hives 40, 68, 78, 91. Shape and size of hives 125, 127. Side opening hive 74. Singular case 200. Singular disease of bees 106. Size of hives 202. Size of honey bees 66. Small queens 16. Smoker, a new 151. Solvent of wax or propolis 20 . Sorghum as bee food 148 . Square frame movable, comb hive 86. Starch sugar 29 . Sting of the bee 48, 107, 180. Stocks, multiplication of 133 Straight combs 90. 116, 185. Straining honey and wax 159. Straw movable comb hives 38, 160. Substitute for honey 53, 89. Sundry suggestions 139. Superseding queens 9. Surplus honey 226. Surrejoinder 114 . Swarming 52. Swarms, early 40. Swarming, unprepared 60 Swarms and honey product 74 Swarms natural, artificially pro- duced 11, 16. Swarm on a lamp-post 28. Swarming extraordinary 196. Swarming, improved method of 170,224. Swarming artificial 180, 225. Tallow, for honey board 29. Temperature for brooding 168. Tennessee Apiarian Society 74. That Reply (?) 213. Theorv, new and curious 193 . Toads 79. To get bees out of honey boxes 159, 209, 242. Tomato honey 67. Top boxes 98. Transferring bees 7 . Triangular hive 14. Triangular guide strips 66. Tulip trees 59. Unprepared swarming 60. Upward ventilation 183. Value of pollen or meal 197. Various items 131. Various things 194. Various topics 9 . Varronian theory 50. Ventilation 8. 149, 183, 200, 230. Vicious bees 79. What will I do ? 165. , Wild bees 9, 68. Wings of bees 95. Wintering bees 38, 64, 69, 70, 72, 92, 109, 113, 116, 12S, 131, 152, 157, 169, 190, 198, 225, 227, 228, 229, 232. Wintering in paper hives 233. Wintering reserve queens 99,226. Wintering, results of 232. Worker comb 96, 132, 152. Workers fertile 85 . Workers reared in drone cells 140 . Workers and queens, 117 . Young Italian bees 40. Young queens, drones from 117. IISriDEX: TO OOIR-IRESIPOISnDIEilJNTTS- A 108; Adair D. L. 66; Alley H. 69, 192, 215; Aucham- paughB. C. 240. B 194; Babcock B. F. 19; Baldridge M. M. 70, 90, 149, 186; Baldwin A. A. 224; Barnes W. A. 33, 97; Beebe J. M. 150; Belmont 190; Benedict A. A. 220; Bernard Dr. H. C. 50, 167; Berlepsch Baroness L. von 81, 207, 236; BickfordR. 39, 96, 109, 159; Biglow C. B. 76; Bingham T. F. 14, 116 ; Blumhoff Dr. 83: BohrerDr. G. 39, 239; Briar 180; Brundage A. J. 70; Bullard J. 146. Carpenter C . 29 ; Carr W . 84 ; Cary W . W . 186 ; Conant C. 38;Condit W. C. 29; Conklin Dr. A. V. 114, 187; Crathorne F. 150; Crist H. 149; Culver J. L. 129; Cun- ningham W . F . 155 . DadantC. 13.27, 57, 78, 79,91, 147, 167, 168, 169, 180, 220 ; Davis Dr . J . 52, 71, 105, 119, 172, 188, 231, 243 ; Davis J . L. 140; Davis W. J. 198; Dunlavy B. B. 40. Fairbanks L. C. 53, 116;Faul H. 16,112; Flory Rev. J. S. 59; Francis L. C. 52, 74; Ford, J. A. 21*. Gallup E. 5, 8, 9, 11, 31, 34, 40, 90, 92, 106, 119, 128, 133, 145, 152. 154, 170, 176, 181, 196, 209, 214, 233, 234 ; Gardner J. R. 63. 68, 229; Gregg J. L. 14; Grimm A. 159, 199, 200, 240. Hamlin T. B. 38; Hart A. H. 127; Hastings C. 233; Hazen J. 7, 88; Helm J. C. 169; Henchen W. 38. 160; Hill T.C.236; Hipolite Dr. W. W.48; Howe Dr. G. 242; Howe M. O. 107 ; Hubbard J. L. 36, 38, 59, 144, 192, 200 ; Hunter J . W . 87 ; Hussey J . 178 . King H. B. 68; Kirkpatrick D. L. 172. Langstroth J. T. 72, 152, 213, 218; Lattner P. 232; Leav J. W. 139; Libbev H. SO. Marvin J. M. 115, 116, 140, 193; May S. 151; Mayfield J. W. 100; McFatridgeP. W. 38;McGawT. G. 33; Mc- Lav J . 124 ; McLean J. L. 175; McMullenJ. 163, 193; Miller E. H. 118; MillerR. 199; Miner F. H. 183; Miner H. i>. 40, 80, 215, 231 ; Moore C. B. 172; Munson & Wil- ley 36; Murphy R. R. 53. Nesbit H. 20, 156, 213. 224 240. Paine C. S. 65; Palmer M. G. 157: Parker Dr. S. J. 131; Peabodv J. L. 244; Pond J. E. Jr. 110, 238: Pouns- fort J. 16; Price J. M. 16, 53, 54, 59, 60, 65, 86, 89, 120, 125, 132. 146; Puckett Dr. B. 78, 114, 168, 216, 237. QuinbyM. 184,185. Replogle S. B. 55; Rice J. L. 219; Rodgers C. 114; Root A. I. 63, 179: Rose J . T. 112, 156. 230;RosenstielH. 69; Russell, Rev. P. R. 98, 134, 170. 180, 239. Salisbury A. 100, 116; See H. S. 233; Shulze E. 58; SilsbeeG.S. 28; Singleton W. Y. 9, 99; Smith C. T. 222; Smith J. H. 52; Smith M. 196; Stickney R. 33; Stratton W. M. 228; Strickland G. 196; S. W. 242; Sweet W. O. 242. _ Taylor C . 244 ; Thorne C. E. 120, 160, 220; Thomas H. M.36; Thomas J. H. 18, 54, 219, 227, 231, 243, 244: TownleyJ. H. 18, 71, 85, 94, 165, 189, 233; Truesdell Rev. J. W. 73,77, 149,210. Wallace J. W. 54: Wedge J. C. 214; Wheaton Rev. L. 194; Whiting L. C. 9: White J. W. 54: Wilkin R. 20: Willey A . G . 74, 9*, 171 ; Winfield J . 40 ; Wolf W . 57, 59, 99, 10b, 127, 196; Woodbury T. W. 124, 141, 233,236; WorthingtonD. M. 53. American Bee Journal. EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Vol. IV. JULY, 1868. No. 1. [From the German of F. W. Vogel.] Practical Bee-Culture. AFTERSWARMS. Second or afterswarms may be expected when teeting, commonly called piping, and quawking are heard in a hive from which a prime swarm has issued. The latter of these sounds proceeds from mature young queens kept confined with- in their cslls either by constraint of the workers or from fear of the queen already at large in the hive. The teeting proceeds from this young queen already emerged after tlie departure of the first or prime swarm, and is uttered in reply to the querulous cry of one still kept in durance by force or fear. Not unfrequently such calls and responses continue to be heard in a hive during several successive days, even when the weather seems to be highly propitious for emi- gration, and still no swarm departs. While an afterswarm is issuing, the young queen occasionally makes her appearance among the earliest emigrants, though she usu- ally does not come forth till a considerable por- tion of the swarming party is already on the wing. She rarely delays her departure, how- ever, till half the bees are out, nor till towards the close of the exodus. In most cases she shows herself repeatedly on the alighting board, but again retreats into the hive, finally re-ap- pearing and taking wing, to accompany the swarm. Yet, it sometimes also happens that, whether from sheer wilfulness, or from some other cause, she ultimately remains in the hive, after having thus shown herself, and the swarm fails to issue. The bees then already out are apt to settle in small clusters in two or three different places — speedily, however, becoming aware of their queenless condition, and gradu- ally returning to the parent hive. Though an aftei swarm issues to-day, if the swarming impulse continues to prevail, the parent stock will not send forth another to-mor- row, though it may probably do so on the third day, for the young queen will usually remain at least one day at large in the hive after leaving the royal cell. Second, third, and subsequent swarms, not unusually contain two, three, and at times a still larger number of young queens, each — a circumstance easy to be accounted for. When a second or subsequent swarm is sent out, the young queens still in their cells are usually quite mature and full fledged; and several of them avail themselves of the opportunity to emerge during the bustle, and accompany the depart- ing swarm. An afterswarm that has several queens will generally cluster in the usual man- ner in one place ; but occasionally it will subdi- vide and settle in two or more liliputian clusters. In a short time, however, the bees of the smal- ler of these clusters will leave and join the lar- ger uue, wbieii contains the first-Hatched queen, that had emerged and mingled with the workers for some time before the departure of the swarm, and accompanied the first-issuing party. When the swarming impulse has subsided, the bees allow the emerged queen remaining with them to destroy all the queen cells yet ex> isting in the hive, or will extirpate the royal brood themselves, by dragging the nymphs from their cells, and casting'them out. Usually this work of destruction is begun on the day when the second swarm has issued ; but if a dead queen be found in front of a hive in which teeting and qicawkingis still heard, it may not be regarded as certain evidence that the colony has abandoned all inclination to swarm ; for the queen thus found may be one that issued unob- served from her cell and was afterwards encoun- tered and killed by her accepted rival. Usual- ly, however, the workers destroy the supernu- merary queens reared in a hive in preparation for swarming. All bee-keepers residing in poor honey dis- tricts concur in the opinion that after-swarms, especially in unfavorable seasons, are ruinous to bee-culture ; and that even in ordinary sea- sons, they deprive us of all chance of obtaining any surplus honey. The parent stocks com- monly devote some eight or ten days to this matter of sending out after-swarms,during which period many precious hours are wTasted, and honey gathering largely neglected, inasmuch as the swarming impulse does, for the time, to a large degree control or suppress the passion for gathering honey and accumulating stores. In- stead of roaming the fields and exploring the THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL blossoms in quest of coveted sweets, many of the workers loiter at home idle, well gorged with honey, awaiting in vain the forthcoming of a swarm. Besides, by repeatedly sending forth- after-swarms, the parent stock becomes so greatly depopulated, as to be unable to appro- priate properly the supplies yielded by the sur- rounding districts, abundant though these may be for a brief period. Not unfrequently, too, this reiterated swarming results in leaving the old colony queenless — an event always disad- vantageous and sometimes disastrous. After- swarms, moreover, are commonly so weak that if set up as independent colonies, they fail to fill their hives with combs, and are unable to lay up stores sufficient for their wants in the ensuing winter. Efforts have been made to overcome the dis- advantages arising from repeated afterswarm- ing, by uniting several small swarms so as to form one pretty strong stock. But this can scarcely be regarded as a rational process ; for what avails it to deal thus with afterswarms, if their production ruins the parent colony, or so greatly reduces it that it can yield no surplus ? Prevention is here also better than cure; and for this reason we transpose parent stocks with the first swarms, after these have issued, in order to prevent after-swarming as much as possible. We should resolve to content ourselves with prime swarms, and endeavor to suppress subse- quent swarming. If a swarm has issued from a movable comb-hive, the queen ceds remain- ing shou!d all be destroyed or removed, save one, on the sixth or seventh clay. To destroy them earlier, as for instance on the second or third clay, would simply be labor lost, for the workers still finding suitable brood at hand, would immediately start others ; but if the re- moval be effected at the right time no after- swarming can take place. If the owner has not courage or leisure to open his hive and overhaul the combs in quest of queen cells, let him destroy as many on the second or third clay as can be seen at a cursory glance, and imme- diately insert one containing an embryo queen so nearly mature that she will probably emerge in a day or two. When the queen thus intro- duced is hatched, all other queen cells in the hive will be promptly destroyed, and no swarm can issue. In common cottage hives it is not an easy matter to destroy the supernumerary queen cells. Adding surplus honey boxes on the top or at the sides, or inserting an eke below, will not always prevent swarming ; and when the impulse once gets possession of the bees, even decapitating drone brood or cutting it out, will not then always nullify their inclination to se- cede, as experience has often shown. There is, nevertheless, a process available, by which the production of these ruinous afterswarms can certainly be prevented, even in cottage hives. A temporary reduction of the population is an effectual counter-check, and enables the bee- keeper to accomplish his purpose. So soon as teeting and quawking is heard in a hive, remove it from its stand, turn it up and set an empty hive on it — winding a piece of muslin around the line of junction, so as to prevent beea from getting out. Then rap gently on the lower hive for about twelve minutes. The young queen being very agile, will speedily run up into the upper hive, and be followed by a large part of the workers. Now replace the old stock precisely in its former position, and you have it reduced to a non-swarming condition. But if the young queen were now removed from the swarm, aud the bees allowed to return immediately to the parent stock, the work would prove to be labor in vain ; for we should soon hear renewed teeting and quawking, and the driving out would have to be repeated. A dif- ferent disposition must therefore be made of the driven swarm. It must be placed either close at the side, immediately in the rear, or directly on the top of the parent hive, and remain there till the following morning. By that time all the supernumerary queens and royal nymphs will have been destroyed and thrown out, the removal of so large a portion of the population having effectually quenched the disposition to swarm. The bees of the driven swarm will gradually desert their hive and return to their old quarters, let ving only a small number with the forsaken queen, which will also return home when she is finally taken from them. This process is even less troublesome than the search for and removal of the queen in a populous mo- vable comb hive. But with all his care, a beginner may happen to get some of these undesired afterswarms. This, for instance, may be the case if unfavora- ble weather sets in after the parent stock and the first swarm have been transposed, in which case only comparatively few bees can leave the parent stock and join the swarm ; or it may oc- cur also, when it happens that the parent hive contains a large proportion of young bees, just hatched, and which have not yet flown out. Hence, it may be interesting to inquire, what shall the beginner do with afterswarms obtain- ed thus contrary to his own desire ? In the first place, if such after- swarm has perchance united with a first swarm issuing at the same time from another hive, he should not undertake to separate them The queen of the afterswarm will at once be killed, and the two swarms will unite in peace. Secoudly, if he has several populous and well- stored movable comb hives, and designs to stock several more of the same description, let him place the swarm in a uucleus hive of the same size of frames, give it two or three frames with capped brood, and one frame with sealed honey. Now set the nucleus where he designs the colony to remain permanently, and proceed to build up a stock by inserting brood combs from his populous colonies, and transferring to a larger hive as soon as this becomes necessary. Thirdly, afterswarms may also be united with each other, and thus made to constitute one strong colony. To this end, dig a hole in the ground, tight or ten inches in diameter, and twelve inches deep. At dusk set over this hole the hive containing the bees you intend to unite ; then lift it about six inches high aud set it clown again with a sudden jar, that the bees may drop into the hole, taking care that the edge of the hive touch the ground equally all THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. nround, so that no bees may escape. At the same instant rap smartly on the top of the hive with the palm of your hand, to dislodge and throw down any bees that may be adhering in- side. Now lift the hive quickly, set it aside, and substitute for it the one containing the swarm to which the bees stricken down are to be united. Set this gently over the hole. The entrance must be closed, of course, and the bees must be prevented from crawling out from under it, either by surrounding its edges with a strip of muslin, or by heaping up ground around it below. The bees will then unite peacefully, and when all have become quiet, the hive may be placed on its stand ; — though I prefer open- ing the entrance an hour or two after the union, and letting the hive remain over the hole till the next morning, so that any casual stragglers may have an opportunity to join the main body during the night. It need not be feared that both queens will be killed or mutilated in this operation. The queen of the lower party will, on ascending, be seized as a stranger by the bees of the upper hive, and immediately de- stroyed. A beginner might suppose it preferable to invert the hive containing the swarm to be united, and set thereon the one that is to receive them. But this process' would generally result in a murderous conflict between the workers of the two swarms ; if, indeed, the swarm in the lower hive do not refuse to ascend, because its queen, scenting a rival in the upper hive, obsti- nately adheres to the quarters in which she feels herself safe. Again, an afterswarm may sometimes be used with great advantage to reinforce a colony which has become greatly depopulated by re- peated or excessive swarming. If a colony in a movable comb hive is to be thus strength- ened, the bees of the afterswarm should pre- viously be stupefied with tobacco smoke or the fumes of nitrated rags, and the queens then re- moved. Next, sprinkle the bees with di- luted honey, pour them into the vacant part of the hive, and replace the honey-board. They will soon revive, and be kindly accepted by the colony to which they are thus summarily intro- duced. It is best to employ this process in the evening, when the bees have ceased to work. Finally, an afterswarm may be returned to its parent stock, and this is probably the best dis- position that can be made of it. But this should not be done immediately, or another swarm would commonly issue on the third day. Hive the swarm, and place it either at the side, in the rear, or on the top of its parent hive ; wait till the supernumerary queens and queen cells have been destroyed, and the disposition to swarm has subsided. Then search for and re- move the queen, and let the bees rejoin the parent stock. [For the American Bee Journal.] Novice Once More. Neither queens or drones ever consume raw pollen. Whatever they receive of that sub- stance, is derived from the chyme or jelly with which they are fed by the workers ; and it is thus that they are furnished with a nitrogenous pabulum. Mr. Editor, and Readers of the Bee Jour- nal, we trust that you have not come to the conclusion that Novice's enthusiasm had all abated, and that he had decided to remain a novice, with no aspiration for a higher title. Far from it, be assured! To commence where we left off. Our bees wintered finely until the first of March, only having lost one stock, and that was on account of a piece of carelessness, which we would not have believed we could be guilty of, viz: leaving an empty frame in the middle of the hive. The bees consumed all the honey on one side, and were unable to get over. The frame was so placed, to induce them to fill it late in the sea- son, and was forgotten. The first week in March we had a sudden cold spell, the thermometer being ten or twelve degrees below zero. Thereupon we found three of last year's swarms dead, with plenty of honey and good upward ventilation, but not very plenty of bees, as many had been lost by clus- tering apart during the winter, as Mr. Lang- strotii said was sometimes the case, in an article sometime ago. In the December number, we mentioneda light stock that was put in the cellar, because they made such a loud humming when the mercury went down below zero; and that they were quiet after that. Well, our cellar is so arranged as to lioop an ovon tomperature of about 40 degrees and as we only gave them one frame of sealed honey early in December, (at which time they were almost entirely destitute), we had been in the habit of striking the hive nearly every day, expecting them to be out of honey long before spring. But to our surprise, they an- swered promptly every time until the middle of March, when we set them out, and were agree- ably surprised to find not more than twenty dead bees on the bottom-board, though some others left out had lost two or three quarts ; and still further, on taking out the frame of honey given them, we found what we would before have supposed to be an impossibility, viz: near- ly all of it remaining. They must have lived more than three months on less than three pounds of honey. Is it not so that bees remain partial- ly dormant, at about 40 degrees ? By placing the ear against the hive in the cellar, scarcely a sound could be heard, unless the hive was jarred in some way. We should like to add that they did corres- fondingly well since then ; but they have not. n a few days alter setting them out, we found them very few in numbers, and they are now the weakest swarm we have. They were quite light in the fall. About the rye and oats this spring. Mr. Editor, it would have done you good to have seen them, in case you have never seen a simi- lar sight. We had provided about a bushel and a-half, supposing that to be a plenty. But, as if remembering their last year's education, they opened up on it with astonishing vigor, and consumed nearly all of it on the first two or THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. three pleasant days. After the rye and oat meal was all gone, we give them wheat flour, until our "better half" feared that the bees would "eat us out of house and home." They became seemingly almost demented, and would dive into the flour and burrow into it, until it seemed as though they themselves must lose their identity. They would fly towards us, and take it out of our hand, as we were carry- ing it out to them ; and such an incessant jubi- lant humming as they kept up while about it, made one think that they could not be other than the happiest little scamps on the face of the earth. And the huge "little biscuits" (as our chil- dren term them) which they had deftly padded up on either leg, presented an appearance ludi- crous in the extreme, as they scampered hur- riedly into their hives. Alter the rain had wet down their precious meal and it had become baked over the top, they would not give it up, but tunnelled and burrowed under it, until you imagined they were not bees, but some liliputian wild animals burrowing in the ground. The Chicago tunnelling wasn't a comparison ! " But did all this meal really amount to any positive good ?" some of the neighbors asked. Of course it did. Our bees have never before been in half so fine a condition. They have been i^Jly prepared to take advantage, if the apple tree blossoms had drawn them out before the first of May ; and Mr. Editor, — will you be- lieve it ? — we actually had a fine swarm from our best stock, last Tuesday. Just think of it, on the 10th of May, aud the usual time for black bees to swarm ubuiit here lmsbueii, of hil.c yuiirs, about the fourth of July. A swarm of bees in May here is something before unheard of. By the way, Mr. Editor, we must tell you about that swarm. We had begun to think that that stock might swarm, they were getting so full, when our "better half" came to the store hurriedly to say that " the bees were swarming." Now, as we had clipped all the queens' wings last season, to prevent them from " going off," a la Giant- ess, we knew they could not well swarm with- out us ; and under the excitement of the min- ute we caught our hat, and regardless of slippers and shirt sleeves, "tore" down street, for the scene of action. Notwithstanding the aforesaid slippers would persist in "coming off" whenever we allowed our "feelings" for a mo- ment to get the better of us, we at last reached home in safety. Sure enough, the bees were in the air, and clustering all over the hive, on the ground, and round about, showing evident signs of something wruus; somewhere. We searched all around unsuccessfully for the queen, and concluded she had crawled back into the hive. But, as we had got the swarming fever too, we decided we must have a swarm any- way, and accordingly commenced opening the hive to hunt out the queen for the purpose, and found her strangely in the upper part of the hive. As one of the holes in the honey -board was open, she had probably mistaken it for the place of exit. After putting her in a queen cage and suspending her among a few carpet rags nailed to a board hurriedly for the bees to cluster on, we commenced making them swarm over again, by shaking them from the frames near her, nearly all of them having by that time re-entered the hive. But it was " no go." They had concluded not to swarm, nnd would take no notice of the queen, but hastened back into the hive. A lady friend who was witness- ing the operation, suggested that we should put the queen in the place of the hive, so that they could not help finding her. We decided to adopt the plan, and procaeded to plant the queen and carpet rags in the proper position. But as we had only succeeded in scattering over the ground for a rod or two a multitude of young bees who did not know which way to tra- vel, we were probably a little excited ourselves, and in trying to push the strip of board firmly into the ground, it broke suddenly in two. In answer to a remark to our friend whether she was not afraid we would kill ourselves before we got through, she replied that she had more fear that we would kill all our bees, if we at- tempted to stand on our head among them in that fashion. So we took it more coolly and put the balance of the board in its proper place and had the supreme satisfaction of seeing that the queen was recognized, and then such a scampering as there was apparently by common consent in one direction. As the board was broken off, a dangling end of the carpet rag hung down just to the ground, which they seemed to decide upon as the readiest means of ascending to her majesty. Soon we had a liv- ing stream, as large as a man's arm, moving up- ward, and as the wind waved it to and fro. it was picturesque and amusing in the extreme. There we let them hang just like any swarm, until we got a hive ready, with a frame of brood, and they were hived and have remained just like any natural swarm. The bees remain- ing on the combs were sufficient for the parent stock, and both are doing finely. Now, would not the -above plan answer at any time, by causing the bees to cluster about their queen set in the place of their old hive, and then moving them to a new location aud hiving them ? Or would too many of them go back to the old hive ? Mr. Editor, we have got a machine for re- moving honey from the comb, too. Others, according to the description we saw, were all made of wood. We thought tin would benicer, and so had a tin can made, about two feet high, and eighteen inches across ; made the frame for holding the wire-cloth of galvanized wire such as is used for the white wire clothes lines. As we use both the American and the Lang- stroth liives, we made, it to accommodate both. It works to a charm. We have had some labels printed for our self-sealing fruit jars, of which we send you a sample. You can give it to your readers, if you think it worth while. The blank is left so that we can fill it up with the kind of blossoms from which the honey was gathered. For instance, we have honey from cherry blossoms, apple blossoms, raspberry, locust, white clover, &c, &c. The idea seems to please here. We find no trouble in getting $ 1 each for quart jars holding three pounds, jar aud all, and the different kinds of honey, as we have labeled them, are readily distinguish!- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ble. Why not 'remove the honey as fast as gathered, before it is sealed? We find the most tedious part of the operation is shaving off the caps of the cells. The honey is so nice to ui c. or to keep, that we feel as if we hardly wanted to use any more boxes. Though this article is getting- long, we will not postpone what Ave have to say about our long-neglected, hut not forgotten, Giantess. Well, we did get the bees down and into a hive, all nicely, notwithstanding doubtful and desponding surmises from a host of friends to the contrary. We intended to cut the bee tree in April, as a kind correspondent advised us to do, as the tree v. as quite too large to let the top down. Rut our business was such that we really could not get time to think of or look after them until the 25th of May. Then we got our transferring tools all ready, and started about five o'clock in the morning for the scene of operations. By the way, we begin to think ourselves quite an expert in transferring, not- withstanding our first ludicrous attempt. We have this spring transferred three heavy stocks from box hives, and have done them all in tip- top shape, and the bees are doing fully as well, if not better than before. We did one in forty minutes from the time of coming on the ground ; all on the plan we gave last year — moving the old hive back, putting the new one in its place, cutting the comb out, and transferring just the same as you would from one frame hive to another, having plenty of thin pieces of pine with small tacks in each end, all ready to press down wdienever wanted. But we were on the way to the bee-tree, with bee-hive, strips, transf'crring-board, tin pan, &c., &c. It was a beautiful morning, a beauti- ful location, and after a beautiful ride, we planted our tools, wThilc two beautiful choppers plied their axes to one of the most beautiful oak trees our wife's father possessed. Giantess was certainly very obliging, we may remark, to go two miles with her retinue and take up her abode on the property of our relative aforesaid. We directed the tree to be fallen, as per advice from the Bee Journal, so as to strike a couple of small hickories to ease its fall ; and we succeeded so well that we could take out almost every comb entire. After put- ting the brood nicely into the hive, we ran the bees in from a place near the opening where they had clustered, as convenient as we could have wished. But, Mr. Editor, there was one I < tie trouble after all — Giantess teas not there ! In her stead we found a host of gigantic queen cells, and — what was stranger still — at least half a dozen open, with the lids attached as nice as could be ! Of course the bees had swarmed, though the bee-hunter who found them for us, maintained that they could not possibly have swarmed, and still have such a host of bees as we had there. But he did not know Italians. They soon went to work, and actually drove the robbers away from the old tree and licked up the remnants and removed them to the new hive. So well had they (and we) fastened the combs in the frames, that we carried the hive home in the evening without a single accident ; and next morning, on looking them over, we found, not Giantess, but four of her promising daughters, all in one hive, and on peaceable terms, as far as we could discover. Now, how is this to be explained ? They had been together at least twenty-four hours, as we had put no queeri cells whatever in the hive. We divided the swarm into four parts to pre- serve the queens, for whether hybrids or not, we should be glad to find another queen that could lay eggs and raise a colony at the rate that our lamented Giantess did. And, Mr. Editor, we hint it confidentially that we are going to hunt her up again if it is a possible thing ; and if we find her, we shall not wait till the 25th of May next year before we go to work, though black bees do not swarm for a month later. We would like all the readers of the Bee Journal en masse, to take a look at a two- story Langstrorh hive of hybrids that we have filling frames for our honey -emptying machine ; and if the teeming thousands there at work did not remind them that the novice of old was al- most a novice now no longer, we should rest content to sign ourselves, for all time to come, simply Novice. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bee Management. In an article headed " Criticism''1 in the April number of the Bee Journal, by Mr. Quinby, he calls for information, &c. ; and as I never did make any charge for any information that I could give, I do not propose to do so now in this case. A number of years ago, I became acquainted with an old gentleman from Holland, whose name was Wellhuysen ; and I obtained the best insight or instructions in bee-keeping from him that I did from any other source whatever, un- til I began using the movable comb hives. So I propose to give his method of managing bees, the kind of hives used, &c. The hive wras made of willows wove basket fashion, plaistered inside and outside with a thick coat of cow manure, and covered on tlie outside with straw tied on with elm bark. The hive was small at the top, and increased in size down from eight inches to twelve inches in diameter. The portion twelve inches in diameter was about fourteen inches high. The entrance was a small hole on one side, about eight inches from the bottom. I used the hive some seven or eight years, to ex- periment with. The hive was kept plaistered up tight at the bottom. Now, put a very small swarm in such a hive, it being small at the top and warm, all the comb built would be worker comb, and all occupied by brood as fast as built ; and as warmth is necessary for bees to work their wax, there was none lost or wasted. Then, as the swarm needed strengthening, he would drum out young bees from any hive that could spare them, thus strengthening up by de- grees. In filling hives with comb, he used young queens ; and having only bees enough to build comb as fast as the queen could occupy the cells with brood, every hive was filled with worker comb from top to bottom — except a few 6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. with old queens, -which -were filled partly -with worker and partly with drone comb. (He raised drones in the proportion of about five to the hundred.) Strong stocks are the sh»et anchor in bee- keeping ; and all worker ^omb in the breeding apartment of the hive is the ver;T foundation of that sheet anchor. Without it, it is impossible to keep strong stocks. Last July I was called to St. Charles, to assist a man and give him in- structions in managing his bees. He had some twenty-five swarms, in chamber hives, with an inch-and-a-half hole on each side at the top of the lower apartment, covered with -wire screen- ing, and the hives raised on blocks at the bot- tom. Under each young swarm that was build- ing combs, there was a large amount of wax wasted. Under some hives it would amount to a double handful. There was evidently wrong ventilation. Again, take a full frame from one of my swarms and insert an empty one in the centre for them to fill, and they will fill it with- out one particle of waste. But insert that frame at the side of the hive, and there will be some waste of wax. Again, when a swarm is filling boxes placed over them, there is no wax wasted. I saw a Kidder hive last summer, in which the bees were wasting wax while filling boxes. Each box had an inch hole communicating with a corresponding one in the outside cap. Here was too much ventilation. We must understand that most of the comb is built in the night, when the temperature is considerably cooler than it is in the day. Consequently the same ventila- tion that suits for the day will not answer for the night, if the wax is all to be saved. Every person knows that wax when cold is hard and brittle, and when warm enough is soft and pliant. Mr. Wellhuysen's objections to lumber hives, as he called them, were that they are too cold for the development of brood, the saving of wax, and for wintering purposes ; and I know that for increasing stocks his own hives would beat any hive I ever saw. I furthermore know that I manage to have my hives filled with combs without any waste of wax. The Miner hive was the worst hive I ever saw, for wasting wax. It had crossbars on top, sharpened to an edge on the underside, to prevent the bees from at- taching the combs to anything else. There was a piece cf cheap thin cotton-cloth spread over said bars, and the cap then put on. This, as he claimed, was to compel the bees to build all worker and straight comb. Thus it will be per- ceived that this piece of thin cloth allowed the heat to escape so much, that I really believe that they wasted as much wax as they used in filling the hive with combs. Now, if I had said to Mr. Gardner, in my letter to him pub- lished in the April number of the Bee Journal, " you must ventilate all your hives the same as I ventilate my largest, or the same as I ventilate my smallest," (for I happened then to have a small one, though it was through my own care- lessness or neglect,) and had given him no other directions, he might in either case have ruined his bees. In both winter and summer ventilation, a person must exercise a little dis- cretion and judgment. About that two-story bee-house, when I alter my opinion I will let you know by the first mail, postage free. Now, Mr. Wellhuysen could, in his rudely constructed hives, keep all his swarms equally prosperous. I visited his apiary repeatedly, and when he had more than a hundred swarms, I turned up hive after hive and examined them, because he called my attention particularly to the fact that they were all equal in numbers and prosperity. The question with me was, why cannot I manage bees in frame hives better than, he can, for in these everything is under our control ? If a swarm has too much pollen, we can exchange with one that has not enough ; if one has too much honey, and another has not enough, by a proper exchange both may be benefitted, &c. But the first foundation of this prosperity is, all worker comb in the breeding apartment ; then keep no queen over two years old. Equalization must also be attended to in the summer ; in the fall it will be too late. We must attend to this equalization this summer, and then we shall in the next, with artificial swarming, have everything under our control. We must never allow the bees to get in advance ot the queen ; for if we do, the prosperity of the swarm is checked at once ; that is, if the beef are allowed to fill the combs with honey in the spring, before the queen has filled it with brood, the swarm will be an unprofitable one. Take 8 swarm that is nearly destitute of honey and feed it just right, that is so as to promote breed- ing early in the spring, and not to fill the comb with honey, such swarm will almost invarhiblj be a prosperous one. On the other hand, allow a swarm that has honey enough for all purposes, to appropriate all the honey from one or two* other hives early in the spring, and before they consume it, the willows produce honey, then the fruit trees, the white clever, &c. Such a swarm will dwindle down to nothing, because the queen has no place to deposit eggs for brood. If from any cause the queen does not com- mence laying eggs as soon as she should in the spring, she must be stimulated, either by feed- ing or uncapping sealed honey in the hive, for whenever the bees are fed they feed the queen. Thus the rousing up of the bees and compelling them to fill themselves with honey, promotes breeding. — Taking bees from another hive and putting them in with a strange queen, causes them to feed her and pay more attention to her, especially if they are young bees. Bees taken from three or four different swarms, insufficient numbers to make a good stock, and put in a hive with a queen, will work nearly as well again as the same number taken exclusively from one swarm, with their own queen. Drumming out a swarm and putting it back again in the same hive, sets the bees to feeding the queen. A person who has never tried the experiment of stimulating, and regularly giving the queen all the room she can occupy with brood throughout the season, will be astonished at the amount of bees that can be raised in one season from one queen. The article from Mr. Dathe, in the April number of the Bee Journal, is worth a care- ful reading by every reader of the Journal. He arrives at the result of all worker comb in THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. the breeding apartment in one way. Messrs. Bidwell Bros., of St. Paul, Minnesota, arrived at the same result by reducing four hundred colonies to two hundred,— using all the worker comb and all the bees in two hives for one. They thus brought them in the right shape at once. My plan is to use young bees tor tilling hives ; and I commence with a small quantity of bees, for a young queen does not come up to its full capacity at once. As brood increases, I increase the number of bees, yet not so as to have them store honey in the breeding cells. I always insert an empty frame for them to fill, between two that are tilled with brood in the centre of the cluster. By so doing, when the hive is full of comb, every comb is soon occu- pied with brood ; and all the eggs, instead of being laid on the outside of the cluster, are, where they should be, in the centre. My old swarms, when once made up, are always kept strong. If I remove a comb, I al- ways insert an empty frame between two filled with brood; and if there is a small quantity of drone comb in the hive, they almost invariably fill the empty frame with worker comb (for a natural swarm usually builds drone comb at the outside, and not in the centre.) A swarm made up in the way I make them will be a profitable swarm. They never fail to be so with me. Suppose we make a swarm the way Mr. Quinby directs in his book. While the bees are raising a queen, they build drone comb, which he gets rid of by having it built in boxes. Well by the time the queen is ready to commence breeding, nearly all the old brood has hatched and the cells are filled with honey ; and the old bees that were put in with the combs, are for the most part dead. Now the young bees commence filling the frames with worker comb ; but those frames are at one side of the hive, and as there is some brood yet to hatch, it is there that the queen will be deposit- ing eggs as fast as she has room ; and there too the main cluster of bees will be. If they gather honey as fast as they usually do here, they will give the queen very little room. But suppose they fill the hive with comb and honey, there will not be over one third as many bees in such a swarm in the fall as there ought to be; and I could not warrant it to be a profitable hive the next season. To sum up the whole — there must be all worker comb in the breeding apartment of a hive ; and all swarms should "be reinforced and made strong in the breeding season (not in the fall). Auy person that follows the practice ot hcving weak stocks to double up or strengthen in the fall with old bees, will be disappointed and dissatisfied — in other words, will find him- self behind the times. So far as wintering bees is concerned, every swarm that is properly man- aged through the summer, can be wintered and come out in as good condition in the spring as it went in in the fall; and I can make thirty, forty, and even fifty dollars from the poorest stocks that I have had the management of during the previous season. The swarm of which I cave a description in. the May number of the Bee Jouunal, was the poorer one I had under my care the previous summer. I am taking swarms from my neighbors, making them into profitable stocks, and returning them for a reasonable compensation ; and I warrant them, it managed as I direct. Some of these swarms had done nothing for three years previous to my taking them in charge. They gave neither swarms nor surplus honey. But this article ?s too long already, and I have not said one-half of what I could wish to say on the subject. E. Galltjp. Osage, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] Transferring Bees. It is frequently the case that bee-keepers wish to transfer a whole colony from one hive to another. If the comb has become old from long use, it may be best to change the colony to a new hive. If it is designed to introduce an improved hive, to supersede the old hive pre- viously used, it is desirable to transfer the colo- nies in such manner as shall give them all the vigor of a new swarm, and secure a colony con- sisting of the greatest number of workers and the smallest number of drones. Probably about the time of the swarming season is the best time to transfer them. The transfer has been made by driving the bees from one hive to another placed on the top of it ; rapping upon the lower full hive, thus inducing the bees to retreat to the upper empty one. Another plan, adopted by some, is to place the full hive in an empty tub, with the empty hive on the top of it. Pour water in the tub gradually, to rise in the hive with bees, and thus drive them into the upper hive. Still another way is to cut out the comb, fasten it in movable comb frames, and place the frames in the empty hive. The first is perhaps the oldest method, and may be considered as a rather tedious one. The second method destroys the honey in the comb, and is injurious, if not fatal to the uu- hatched brood. The third method changes the home of the bees, but retains the old comb. If the old comb is cut out of the hive and placed in movable comb frames, to transfer them to a new hive, this mode not only retains the old comb, but that comb is also in a less favorable position than the bees would place it themselves. Inquiry. Would not the following plan be an improvement upon the preceding ? Wait for the issuing of a swarm. When they issue place them iu a hive with box room for from 100 to 150 pounds of surplus honey. Re- move the old hive and place the new one on its stand. Remove all the combs from the old hive ; brush off the bees before the new hive on the old stand ; and place all the worker brood in a small box in communication with the new hive. Throw the drone brood to the chickens, and dispose of or destroy the queen cells. By this method you secure two, and what would perhaps have been three colonies in one hive ; and can hardly fail to secure surplus honey accordingly. You dispose of a large number of drones that otherwise would have consumed a portion of the surplus ; and by disposing of the queen cells render swarming improbable 8 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. for the season. You have your bees transferred to your new hire, and if that has surplus honey boxes of the aggregate amount of 200 pounds, you will probably have all of them filled with surplus, if the season is a very favorable one. If you have.non-swarmer hives, by adopting this method you may control them, and limit the number of swarms to the capacity of your field. Jasper Hazen. Albany, N. T. _______ [For the American Bee Journal.] How to Ventilate, so as to Save all the Wax. "When hiving a youug swarm we put in about six frames, one containing honey and brood, and five empty ones —varying this according to the size of the swarm. Then we adjust the divi- sion board, and place the rest of the empty frames on the other side. The division board fits close to the honey board and to the sides of the hive, and extends to within about three-eighths of an inch of the bottom. This leaves a space for the bees to pass under, the whole length of the divi- sion board. The entrance to the hive is in the bottom board, instead of being in the bottom of the hive. Suppose we put the bees in the right hand side of the hive. We move the hive to the right on the bottom board, and this will make the entrance into the vacant side, instead of into the side where the bees are. If the bees cannot all get into that side, they will cluster somewhat in the vacantside, and on the following day, when many are out to work, They wiil have room enough •, and at night, when it is cool, they will all crowd into their own side. As soon as they need more room, place another frame on their side, and set it in the centre. When the young bees begin to hatch, two or three frames can be placed ia at a time. Al- ways put an empty frame between two full ones. You will soon perceive that there are other ad- vantages, besides saving wax, by managing a swarm in this manner. The cpueen will occupy the entire comb with brood when the hive is full, or considerably more than she would under any other management that I have yet found out. Instead of commencing in the centre of the cluster, and extending her egg-laying for three weeks towards the outside, she can be de- positing eggs all the time in the centre. She will consequently deposit nearly, if not quite double the number of eggs in the same length ( of time, that she would otherwise deposit. I build up a weak swarm somewhat on this principle in the spring. But the bee-keeper has got to use some reasoning and judgment in these operations. It is almost impossible to give written instructions that can be followed to the letter. The division board must be put in so that if it shrinks or swells, it will be enlarged or di- minished up and down, or, as a correspondent writes to me, it may become immovable. I had to puzzle my brains considerably to ventilate just right, so as to save all the wax ; but now, it is no trouble at all. I can hit right every time, and the simple directions given in this article ought to enable any of those ex- perienced bee-keepers who, as Mr. Quinby mjs, know all about that division hoard, to do so with a little practice and the right kind of hive. If it takes twenty pounds of honey to produce one pound of wax (and we know that it takes quite a large quantity), and bees can be so man- aged as to save all that waste Cas they certainly can be), it would amount to quite an item in an apiary of one hundred hives. This has been a grand season for bees, so far, in this section of country. Since the 9th of March, up to the first of June, we had only twelve days on which the bees could not do something outside of the hive. Natural swarms commenced coming out, with us, on the 21st of May ; the earliest I have ever known them to do so since I came west, twenty-one years ago. Elisha Gallup. Osage, Iowa. ■ «gi — - — - Another Bee-Flower. A correspondent of the Cottage Gardener re- commends the Phacelia tanacelifolia, or Tansy- leaved Phacelia, as an excellent bee-plant. He says — "It is a tolerably hardy annual, some seeds of which were brought into this country from California in the year 1832. Although but little cultivated, it is remarkable for its ele- gant foliage and fascicled spikes of violet flowers, which continue to blow during the greater part of the summer and autumn months, but chiefly in June, July, and August. It is easily raised from seed, which should be sown in the spring in ordinary garden ground. It requires no protection after the severe frosts arc over. Besides being a great acquisition to apiarians and to amateur bee-keepers, on account of the special attraction of its numerous flowers for bees, it is highly ornamental, aud deserves to be generally grown in flower gardens, and in the neighborhood of apiaries." Dzierzon speaks highly of another species of this plant, the Phacelia congesta, the seed of which was sent to him by an enthusiastic Rus- sian beedieeper. He describes it as an annual of rapid growth, and flowering speedily even when sown in July ou a pea patch, after the peas have been harvested. It is a large showy bush with leaves resembling those of the cypress, and blue flowers not unlike those of the Ecldun vulgare, or Viper's Bugloss, the famous Russian bee-plant, largely cultivated for bee-pasturage by Propokovitsch and others. In Silesia it con- tinues to bloom till late in October, and is vis- ited by bees after frost has cut off all other sources of supplies. There are various other species of Phacelia found in the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico ; but whether any of them arc of much importance as a honey-yielding plant, we do not know. Drones when expelled from their colony by the workers, are apt to repair, to some extent, to queenless stocks. This fact has occasionally given careful observers the first intimation of the queenless condition of a hive not previously suspected. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 9 [For the American Bee Journal.] An Anecdote. Mil. Editor :— Tf you do not think the fol- lowing-worth publishing, just throw it in the waste paper basket ; I shall not complain. About six years ago, last winter, an agent engaged in selling a patent bee hive, came to my house, lie had a model, made and finished off in the best workmanlike style. It was indeed a beautiful thing to look at. He very kindly showed me all its advantages, but none of its disadvantages. He said he had been a practi- cal student of apiarian science for several years; that, after much research and experiment, he had invented the only hive known that was per- fectly adapted to the wauls and habits of bees. TheLangstroth hive, he said, had some reputa- tion, though it was nothing but a humbug. He told me that beeswax was crystallized honey, and how many pounds it took to make a pound of wax ; and that the bees produced it by eating very plentifully of honey. He said a part of the bees worked on the cells as builders, another part labored in working up and preparing the wax as a mason works his mortar, and the other part acted as hod-carriers and delivered it to the builders. He then soared into the higher regions of apiarian science ; said he had otten seen the queen and the drone in the act of cop- ulation ; and could tell whether a queen was fertilized or not, as soon as he looked at her. He then gave me a minute description of the internal organs and 'unctions of the queen, the drone, and the worker l>ee ; and many otkat wonderful things which I do not now recoil* ct. I told him I had been keeping a few bees for a number of years, and though I had been try- ing to learn, I had only learned enough to know that there were many things in the internal economy of the bee hive that I did not know anything about. I then asked — how many legs has a bee ? He answered four. How many wings? Two. Very well ; there is one thing more that I wish to know, how does it happen that you know so much about bees, both scien- tifically and practically, and things too which no human eye can see, even with the aid of a microscope, and jret there are other things plainly visible to the naked eye, which jrou do not know '? If I can see right a bee has six legs and four wings. This he would not believe or admit, till I procured a few bees and gave him ocular demonstration of the truth of my asser- tion. He then said 1 had a differenl breed of bees from any he had ever seen, and, judging by these numerous legs and wing-, they fie a very superior race; and he thought that in}- superior race of bees and his superior hive would work wonders. Now, said I, my friend, you say that beeswax is crystallized honey. By parity of reasoning you would be bound to ad- mit that tallow is crystallized grass, for every one knows that the ox by feeding plentifully on grass produces (allow. If you can demonstrate to me that tallow is crystallized grass, and tell in how many pounds of grass it "takes to make a pound of tallow, I shall have more confidence in your scientific apiarian knowledge. He de- camped immediately. SntiNGFiELD, III. W. Y. Singleton. [For the American Bee Journal.] To Supersede Black Queens. Anyone who, when trying to Italianize a stock, has had as much trouble to find the black queen as I have had, will be glad if some plan can be devised to avoid this tedious and often fruit less search. To those using the movable comb hive, I would suggest the following method. Give two swarms a little tobacco smoke, to alarm them. Then take out the frames from those hives, and brush all the bees back into the hives. Now divide the combs containing honey and brood into three equal parts, and shake all the bees into one hive, giving them one-third of the combs. Place this doubled swarm on a new R'and. Put the rest of the combs, equally divided, into two hives; set them on the old stands; and into each insert an Italian queen cell ; or, as soon as the bees return in sufficient numbers to prevent a queen from leaving, give each hive an Italian queen, tem- porarily eaged. The doubled swarm will soon destroy one of the black queens. When wishing to increase the number of swarms, I see no reason why this plan will not be safe and effective. The bees will be too much alarmed to quar- rel ; but should they be so disposed, a little smoke will subdue them. If you are afraid to risk a new and valuable qn-'en, you can let the hives stand till all the eggs are past being converted into queens ; then cut out all the queen cells and your Italian queen will be safe with them. If not wishing to increase the number of your swarms, add the bees from a strong hive to those of a weak one, smoking both of them thoroughly in the process. Place the hive from which you have taken the bees, with the combs and brood in it, on the old stand ; and in a few hours you will have a good swarm without a queen, unless you have already introduced one Cor them. The weak swarm will be strength- ened by the young bees which will remain in their new quarters. L. C. Whiting. East Saginaw, Mien. [For the American Beo Journal.] Hunting Wild Bees. The following letter from Mr. Gallup, in reply to inquiries about searching for "bee-trees" in forests, has been communicated to us, and will doubtless interest such of our readers as reside in wooded districts, and are not familiar with this kind of " prospecting :" Mu. Merrill :— Your letter is at hand, and in answer to your inquiries will say that I have hud some experience in hunting bees. The old saying is that bees always go in a direct line to the tree ; but that is not always so. They do not fly in a straight line against a strong head wind, but tack right, and left, the same' as a ship at sea with a head wind, In your case of find- 10 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ing a swarm up the mountain, they tacked to the right and left, and so contused you. You should have got a strong line of bees coming to one spot, and'trapped them in a box. Then moved directly up the mountain with them, and let them out slowly, waiting till they formed a line. If they still confused you, conclude that the tree is still higher up. "Proceed again as before, and when you have got as high up as the tree, or higher, the bees will go in a direct line to the tree. When you judge that you are in its immediate vicinity, cross line them. Where bees are hunted for in a thick woods, I find that cross-lining them is the quickest course to adopt. I will explain. Set your bait in an open spot in the woods, and get your line. Set some pickets or spot trees. Trap a lot of bees, and move a half or a quarter of a mile at right angles to the line. Find an open spot ; liberate your bees ; and as soon as you have obtained the line, set your pickets. Now sight both lines through to where they crosa^ and you are some- where near the tree. But recollect that should there be a considerable hill between you and the tree when lining bees, they will fly around the hill instead of going over it, unless it is a long one. They will also frequently go round a heavy grove of tall timber, instead of going over it. I once found a swarm on the edsje of the high bank of a stream. When I first sfarted them, the bees went directly west, but. when I found them they were directly north. They Hew west until they struck the stream, which they then followed around a bend to the tree. In that case, I trapped a large quantity of bees ; and just before sunset, I opened a hole large enough for one bee to come out at a time, and then started on a run on the line. (You can see a bee a long distance just at sunset). By one bee coming directly after another, I could follow them as well as I could a rope stretched from the box to the tree. Of course I left the box where I opened it. For scent to attract the bees, I build a fire, heat some stones, and put a piece of comb or beeswax between the hot stones— putting three or four drops of oil of anise on the wax or comb before burning it between the hot stones. Then have some good honey in the comb, if possible, for bait and drop one or two drops of the oil on that also. Burn your comb and have your bait away from the smoke of the fire. At any time when bees can fly out and cannot gather honey, they will come to you, if you are auywhere near them. The holes to those I have found have been facing all points of the compass — some one way, and some another. Should there be anything that you do not understand, write, enclosing a stamp, and I will endeavor to explain. Elisha Gallup. Osage, Iowa. It is an infallable sign of queenlessness when -pollen-cells are found enlarged and transformed to incipient queen-cells. And when the surface of the pollen in the cells is very uniformly glazed over, as though varnished or cov- ered with size, it may safely be concluded that there is no queen in the hive. [For the American Bee Journal.] Respiration of the Beo. Man breathes through his nostrils or through his mouth, and by this process throws off, in an invisible form, a large proportion of the food which he eats. In the case of the bee the same ultimate is attained, although the passages by which this breathing is effected are very differ- ent and very differently situated. Instead of breathing through its mouth, the bee breathes through a series of holes or spiracles situated along its sides. That the products of respira- tion from these soiracles are nearly the same as from warm-blooded animals (so called), I have abundantly proved by experimental investiga- tion. Carbonic acid and water are the chief if not the sole products. The amount of carbonic acid evolved by a moderate sized swarm is not very easily deter- mined experimentally ; but it is not difficult to arrive at an estimate which will be comparatively correct, by considering the amount of food con- sumed, and iis composition. Honey consists of twelve equivalents each of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, (0 12, H 13, O 12). Twenty-five pounds of honey are sim- ply fifteen pounds of water united to twenty pounds of carbon or charcoal. It will thus be easily seen that when honey is consumed, either for making wax or for sustaining life, very large quantities of carbonic acid and water are pro- duced. When the carbon of the honey is burn!; in the process of respiration, it forms carbonic acid. Respiration, or rather the processes con- nected with respiration, are as truly an act of combustion as is the burning of the fire on the hearth ; and the resulting carbonic acid is as dangerous to the bees as the fumes of sulphur, unless it is mixed with a very large proportion of air. We confined a few bees in a glass jar, and then introduced a quantity of carbonic acid carefully washed from all impurities. In a very short time the bees were all dead. Now, as is stated in a recent article by Mr. Adair, this gas (carbonic acid) is very heavy, so heavy that it can be poured out of one vesssel into another, like a liquid. We have repeatedly dipped up a tumbler full of it out of a large jar, and then, by pouring the contents of this tumbler on a candle, have extinguished the latter. How then does it happen that the carbonic acid, arising from the respiration, does not collect in the lower part of the hive, or in the lower part of the atmosphere in general, and suffocate all the inhabitants ? Mr. Adair states that it does so fall to the gronnd. But in that he is mistaken, as the upper regions of the atmosphere are ac- tuary richer in carbonic acid than those at the surface of the earth. This is due to causes not pertinent to our present subject. If the facts were as Mr. Adair states them, the greater part of the surface of the earth would be uninhabitable. The amount of carbonic acid existing in the at- mosphere is sufficient to form a layer over the entire surface of the earth to the depth of over ten feet. No ocean would be navigable except by vessels whose decks were elevated above this ocean of fluid poison. Every valley would be filled as with an invisible lake, in which the THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 11 unsuspecting traveller would drown as certainly as if lie stepped into a deep pool of water. From ihe mouth of every individual would pro- ceed a stream of this invisible liquid, which would flow downward like a rivulet and collect in every hollow. The first sleep of the babe in its cradle, would be its last, for the exhalations of its own lungs would gather around its head and smother it. But all these results are avoid- ed by the curious law known to chemists as the diffusion of the gases. By means of this law the poisonous gas produced by our breath is carried away from us, by a peculiar and special force of most wonderful power. Carbonic acid 19 not removed from the air of the hive by ab- sorption, as Mr. Adair states. The comb has no power to absorb it ; and if it had, it would not turn it black. Mr. Adair here confouods carbonic acid with carbon — two very different things. We have no reason to believe that car- bonic acid is ever decomposed in the hive. The comb blackens by age and heat. The agency of this curious law in the ventil- ation of the hive, must form the subject of a future article, as we see our space is exhausted. J. P. [For the American Bee Journal.] How to make Natural Swarms Artifi- cially. First : blow in a little smoke at the entrance of the hive ; then take off the honey-board and blow in a Utile more smoke at the top. Use but little smoke at any time when operating with bees. Take your jack-knife and uncap a considerable number of the honey cells at the top of the frames. Now give five or six smart raps on the hive with a small stick. Blow a little more smoke on the bees at the top; replace the cap of the hive, and let them rest about five minutes ; they will be filling themselves with honey in the meantime. Blow a little more smoke in at the entrance, and then, with a stick in each hand, commence rapping quite smartly on the sides of the hive. In about ten or fifteen minutes you will have the queen and a swarm of bees in the cap. Have another cap in readi- ness ; lift off the one with the bees in gently and turn it over, and place the empty one on it, so as to prevent the bees from flying. Let them remain thus five or six minutes, wh'le you are replacing the honey-board and adjusting the old hive. Now take your two caps and carry them five or six rods, to where you want your new swarm to stand. Take off the upper cap, turn it over, and set it up leaning against something convenient. Now take the other cap and shake all the bees out into the one that is leaning up, so as to have the bees there all together. Let them set for about forty minutes, while you are getting a hive ready for them. Then go back to the old hive and take out a frame that has considerable honey and some brood, and put it in the hive intended for your swarm ; for it is bad policy to set the young folks to keeping house without some provision for supper or a rainy day, whether it be a natural or artificial swarm. At the end of your forty minutes your bees will be all clustered and quiet, provided they have a queen, You can now hive them the same as any natural swarm, and the}- will work precisely like one in every respect. But this perfornvncc must be done about swarming time, and when the bees are gather- ing honey. After the first swarm you will have queen eells to give to the old stock. Introduce one the next day after taking out the swarm. In box hives, smoke your bees, turn over the hive, and give it two or three sudden jars on the ground to start the nectar or unsealed honey out of the cells, and use boxes fitting the bottom of the hive instead of the caps. In all cases the bees must be perfectly filled with honey. We prefer to leave the old stock on its old stand. Some recommend removing the old hive and setting the new one in its place. In that case you leave none of the old working force in the old stock. If done just right and at the right time, it will be just as near natural swarming as any method can possibly be. If you hive them immediately after dividing, without letting them cluster, they will nearly all go back to their old stand. Suppose you fail to get the queen the first time, why, try again. You are almost sure to get her the second time. In hiving a swarm, I always make it a point to see the queen. I practiced this method for years, and some- times practice it even now ; especially if the season is an early one. Elisha Gallup. Osage, Iowa. » [From The London Gardeners' Chronicle, March 24, 1808.] Disease among Bees. The subject of bees and bee-keeping being frequently treated of in your columns, it may be of some importance to inquire into the causes and effects of a disease now prevailing iu my own and some other apiaries. The first time it came under my own notice was four years ago, since which it has been increasing both among my own stocks and those of my neighbors. It appeared first with me. in a strong stock in a new hive. About Christmas the bees began crawling out at the entrance, unable to fly ; hundreds were dragged out by the living. They had a darkish appearance, and many seemed ready to burst. A clean new sfand was given, in the hope of checking the mortality, but thou- sands of bees lay on the floor, some dead, others in a torpid state. They continued to die until May of that year, (1864). In 1865, the bees of a hive well stocked with honey and bees, began to crawl out and were dragged out, as before. In 1866, I had four in the same condition. One, which stood many yards distant from the other diseased ones, was affected in a like manner, and died ; and what to me appeared strange, was that in a short time, those hives on either side that stood near- est to this stock also died from the same cause, proving the infectious nature of the disease. I have tried giving free ventilation to some, and keeping others more close ; but there seem- ed to be no difference in the result. Another 12 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. remarkable thing was, that the hive last men- tioned had, when a year old, scut out a large swarm, which I placed about three yards from its parent stock. Just at the time that the bees Of the latter were dying off, those of the swarm began to die also. This season, (18G7-8), I have two stocks fast dying, and one more appearing to be affected. 1 have at the present time some old stocks which are quite healthy, as are als3 the swarms which have come from them. How can this be ac- counted for, these hives being kept under ex- actly similar conditions to the affected hives ? If no remedy can be found for the disease, I propose to destroy every stock in which it makes its appearance, sparing none, with the hope of destroying all traces of it. R. Mower. [The disease which has attacked your apiary appears, from your description, to be a kind of dysentery, but somewhat allied to dropsy. We have known an apiary almost completely de- populated by it. A cure was effected by driving out or brushing off the combs all the bees of a hive and knocking them down on a cloth at some distance from their stand. All that were not affected by the malady, rising on the wing, re- turned home ; the rest were destroyed. This was repeated so long as there appeared to be any sign of it among them. Of course dry warm days must be chosen for the purpose. Have you ever examined the combs of a hive so circumstanced ? If not do so without delay. If you find, as we should not be at all surprised to hear, that the combs contain patches of abor- tive, dead or dried up brood, many of the cells having a small hole in their sealed covering, ac- companied with a more or less offensive odor, you may at once conclude that your apiary has become infected with that terrible scourge, Foulbrood. If this be the case, you can hardly hope to effect its eradication, unless you make up your mind to destroy every stock, burying the bees and burning the combs. Taking every possible precaution to prevent the bees of your other hives gaining access to any of the honey. Scald out and well scrape out your hives, saturating them, inside and out, with a very strong solution of chloride of lime. If the hives are not used again for a year or two, all the better. We know an instance where, last year, nearly twenty hives died or were de- stroyed, in consequence of FoulbrT>od. When you have examined your stocks report the result, and we shall then be better able to advise you as to the best means of affecting a cure.] March 21, 1868. DISEASE AMONG BEES. Within a few days after the publication of the letter of your correspondent, R. Mower, giving an account of a peculiar disease which has for some four years caused consideiable havoc among his hives, I have had the opportunity of witnessing, in a friend's apiary, an instance of what I consider to be the identical malady described by Mr. Mower so graphically. My atention was drawn to one hive in a garden containing perhaps twenty stocks, all with this exception being perfectly healthy and prosper- ous. Bees, dark colored and more or ies ; dis- tended or swollen, had crawled out. of the en- trance and lay dead or dying on the alighting hoard or on the ground below. The box was lifted off the floor-board, which was removed, and a clean board substituted. There were lying on it many — perhaps fifty — dead bees, all presenting the appearance so peculiar to this disease. The owner had followed this course of proceeding everyday for a considerable time, always finding a fresh batch of dead or dying. As far as I could judge, the bees had not been affected with that type of disease generally known as "dysentery." The floor-boards, as they were removed each day, exhibited little or no sign of the noisome excretion voided by bees suffering from dysentery. Should the plan hitherto followed tail in restoring health to the bees of this hive, my friend intends to secure the person of the queen, and establish her at the head of another colony, and destroy all the re- maining bees. If the plan recommended in your reply to R. Mower, be adopted, it should be borne in mind that the queen must, if possible, be captured and replaced in the hive standing in the accus- tomed position, prior to the knocking out of the bees on the ground. This, though very easily accomplished with movable frame hives, is a much more difficult process with ordinary hives. If the operator shall fail in his attempt to capture the queen, he must care- fully renew his search, when the bees are shaken or brushed cut on the cloth. I may add that in}' friend's apiary has on a former occa- tion suffered considerably from this disease, and that he does not believe that the infection is carried from one hive to another. The op- portunity of observation I have had with re- gard to it, will not allow my giving any deci- ded opinion on that point at the present moment. I hardly think from the description given by R. Mower, that the malady which has affected his stocks can be attributed to foul- brood, as under such circumstances the adult bees do not seem to be in any wise the worse for its presence in their hive, the destruction of which is simply owing to there being an insuffi- cient number of bees matured to supply the loss of life from natural causes. S. Bevan Fox. The eggs from which workers and queens are developed, are perfectly identical. This has become an axiom in the theory of bee-culture. Nor could it be otherwise, for then it would be impossible to rear queens from worker eggs, as is done frequently every summer, and of which any one may readily assure himself, by insert- ing a piece of worker comb containing eggs and larva in a queenless colony. — Scnoi/risz. A bee, if undisturbed after stinging, but left entirely to its own instinct, will endeavor to extract the sting by whirling around rapidly, and usually succeeds in getting away uninjured. TOE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For t!ie American Bee Journal J Reproduction of Bees, &c. Referring to the somewhat incoherent theory advanced in the February number of the Bee Journal, page 144, permit me to submit my humble opinion in regard to the procreation of bees. 1 believe, with Dzierzon, that all the eggs contained in the ovaries of the queen are male (drones), and that their eggs are changed to female (workers) by their contact with the drone sperm, and that alone suffices. The Su- preme Orderer is the greatest economist of means, and no one will find Him using two ways, where one can suffice. The new theory assumes that in order to be- come queens, J,he larva1 need to eat some worker egt'S ; and that the workers dose the incipient queen with worker eggs, and thus impregnate the larva, immediately on its disclosure from the egg. with the spermatozoids present in those eggs. Moreover, these two facts arc assumed, as corollaries, namely, 1st — If worker larva; have received some royal jelly, they become capable of laying drone eggs ; and, 2nd — That Dr. Donhoff has succeeded, by artificial impreg- nation, in rearing a worker bee from a drone Let us examine these propositions. I had last season some black swarms. These I deprived weekly of the drone comb they con- structed, in order to prevent intermixture with my Italian queens. At the same time these swarms had to supply me with the workers re- quired for my nuclei. They consequently re- mained weak, and none of them had the least disposition to build queen cells. Yet, each time that my nuclei were made queenless, or became simply broodless, even without hatching cpieens, drone eggs were deposited by worker bees. This continued from May to September. Again, in July, I found one of these black swarms without eggs or queen, but with drone eggs in cpieen cells, desposited by a fertile work- er. Whence, then, came the royal-jelly-par- taking worker bees ? Now, let us turn to the second proposition. After the bridal tour, the queen's seminal recep- tacle is full. At the instant when the eggs glide through the oviduct, it is either on the Wagner or the Bickford theory, or some other yet unknown, brought iu contact with the oii- fice of the seminal receptacle, and one or more spermatozoids slides on the egg. But how is the sex changed ? Here we must still content ourselves with mere conjectures. I submit mine. The eggs in the ovaries contain the germ of one or more drones. But these germs are so slightly developed, that they are not perceptible by our best microscopes. On the other hand, the spermatozoids contained in fecundated or worker eggs, being more developed, are visible as soon as deposited. According to the law that the time required for perfecting bees, is *Dr. Donuoffso stated, in on of his earlier "Contribu- tions io Bee Culture," publi.sh.ed in the Bienemeitw g, but subsequently admitted that he may have been, and probably was, under an erroneous impression.— Ed. five days for the workers, and ten days for tho queens, shorter than for the drones, one of the spermatozoids grows faster than the drone- germ, absorbs it and tills its place. The germ or germs, unaltered by digestion, as the new theory supposes, remains in the new-born indi- viduals, ready and multiplying for future gene- rations, if placed in favorable circumstances, and so on. Consequently, if you can artificial- ly put a newly deposited drone egg in contact with some drone spermatozoids, as did Mr. Donhoff, (a very difficult operation, indeed), you can change the sex of that egg. Yet, if the operation is delayed, the drone germ being more developed, the two male and female spermato- zoids, combining together, become hermaphro- dite, as suggested by Mr. Oldt, in the February number of the Bee Journal, page 151. Prof. Varro concludes tho article referred to, by saying " Please, Brother Grimm, don't ask me to exchange one of my Langstroth queens for a pure Italian just imported." Why thus ? Did Prof. Varro think that Mr. Grimm's import- ed queens are less pure than those of Mr. L ing- stroth ? Yet, in his article on page 20 of the Journal, Vol. 3, he avowed himself to be the owner of Swiss imported bees, producing queens and workers so exactly like those produced by his Langstroth queens, that a good judge might readily mistake one for the other. Have the Langstroth bees more impeccability of temper ? Yet, in the same article, Prof. Varro made no distinction, in that respect, be- tween his imported and his Langstroth bees. Is it the color ? Allow me a digression. Ten or twelve j'ears ago, wishing to replace by im- ported queens the Italian bees I had from Mr. Debeauvoys, I received at the same time two invoices — the one from Italian Swiss, the other from Lombardy. On their arrival, the latter were so light in color, comparatively, that I be- lieved them purer than the former. But some months after, there was no longer any percep- tible difference between them, in this respect. I then thought that the climate had an influence on their color ; but subsequent observation led me to doubt the correctness of that conclusion. Doubtless the weather can produce some ef- fect on the color. But, to my knowledge, the color of the honey consumed in rearing brood, produces more effect on the color of the bees than the climate or the season. Here, last year, the month of May was unusually wet. A queen raised by me in that month, exclusively on stored buckwheat honey, was very dark color- ed. Another, partly raised on newly gathered honey, was sensibly lighter. Yet, my darker queen became so handsome, the following sum- mer, that were I not sure she is the same, I should believe her changed. Moreover, the color of the honey sac placed in the ab I >m< n influences the shading of the tr parent Tings. In the buckwheat season, bees grow daily darker. Everybody can verify the cy of this statement. It, is owing to the difference in thecontei honey sac, that two queens of the same race or variety arc rarely alike. Let some one gorge a portion of his bees with colorless sugar water, and another portion with dark-colored honey, and the exper- 14 THE AMERICAN BEE JOUKNAL. iment will satisfy him as to the value of color, so little fixed in Italian bees. Instead of discouraging those who, like Mr. Grimm, try to introduce imported queens by the hundred, their efforts should be applauded and encouraged. The people of this country will, for many years to come, have to rely on Italy for the improvement of their bees. A great change and simplification in the process of importation is very desirable, so that the cost of imported queens might be much diminished, and a saving effected for the country. I have undertaken, in concert with two queen- breeders in Italy, a series of experiments in that line. The arrangements made lead me to hope that two consignments may arrive in May, and reach me in good condition. If any of your readers wishing to obtain imported queens, would unite with me in ordering more extensive consignments, the advantage of such an ar- rangement could be more fully and conclusively tested. In any event, I will give your readers the result of my trial. Charles Dadant. Hamilton, III., Feb. 14th. IB! — [For the American Bee Journal.] Bees in Missouri. Mr. Editor : — I have never met with any periodical which interests me as much as does the American Bee Journal. I take three political newspapers, some medical journals, the American Agriculturist, and the Bee Jour- nal ; but none of these interest me as the lat- ter does. I am very desirous of your welfare, and wish you great success in your undertaking to improve the bee-keeping public. Few men in this section of the country are at all acquaint- ed with the habits of the honey-bee. I wish you may obtain many subscribers in these parts. I beg to dissent from the late Prof. Varro's theory. I think the "fragmental dash" of his pen dashed his mind in the wrong direction — perhaps into the wrong hive of bees, where the queen was unusually prolific. Further obser- vation will show that his views are erroneous, and his theory will fall to the ground unheeded. If I had never raised a queen bee, and knew nothing about it, he might possibly have made a proselyte of me. But I have raised as fine- looking and as good and prolific queens as I ever saw, in small nucleus hives, where there were no eggs from which to prepare the "royal peptone." Hence there was nothing from which to derive the " fragmental dash." Still, the theory may lead others to investigate, and good may result from it in the end. Without detaining you longeron this subject, I wish to tell you how very prolific our bees arc in Missouri. One of my neighbors found some bees at wTork in a small tree, which he cut off above and below the bees, and carried it home, setting or standing it by a tree in his yard. They worked well and produced five swarms from the parent stock. Some of the first swarms sent forth five more, making ten in all — the increase from one swarm in a single season. John L. Qrego. Holden, Mo. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bingham's Triangular Hive. Mr. S. B. Replogel, in the May number of the Journal, wants a frame hive with boxes as near the brood as the Langstroth form admits them ; and that, while it shall not have more than eight frames, it shall contain honey enough, all above the bees, for their support in winter and yet not cost more than two dollars. Herewith I send a cut of Bingham's Triangu- lar hive, with four six-pound boxes in position on one side— as the shortest explanation of the hive he needs. The outside case is a square box, having a lid for a cover, and not shown in the engraving. This hive has all he requires, and much more than most bee-keepers suppose possible in a hive. It has the advantage of having been thoroughly tested fdr three years, and has met the most sanguine expectations. It has seven frames in the form of the letter A, and ac- comodates eight shallow six-pound boxes at one time. They are not only nearer to the brood than the Langstroth boxes, but so situa- ted that the bees fill them simultaneous- ly with the hive, and yet never de- posit brood in them, even if put on at the moment of hiving in one or two large swarms. The outside case (not shown) covers the boxes in summer, and holds the chaff or shavings with which the triangular part, containing the honey and bees, is packed in winter. No frost or damp- ness ever forms in the hive, or on the combs above the bees. The combs never fall or crack from either heat or cold, and are made straight with winter passage* through them with absolute certainty. The heat generated by the bees is all concentrated in the small top of the hive, where all the honey is stored on seven frames. Much has been written about upward ventila- tion, and no one seems to understand why doc- tors disagree. In my improved Langstroth hives I never use upward ventilation ; neither do I in my Triangular hives. Yet for five years I have wintered from forty to eighty stocks in them, in the open air, in western New York ; and I know that upward ventilation is worse than useless in any hives in which no frost or dampness forms. Who ever heard or even thought of upward ventilation in the old fashion- ed straw hive, where all the honey was in one small place, where the heat of the bees was con- centrated and maintained by the thick straw walls of the hive ? The great cry about water for bees finds an answer in the above question. In my hives no water forms at any season of the year ; yet I have tried all sorts of plans to get the bees to take water, and have never suc- ceeded unless the water was thoroughly sweet- ened. T. F. Bingham. Oberlin, Onio. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 15 [From the Maine Farmer.] Some Items for Bee-Keepers. Judging from the letters and queries we have received, the late discussion on Bcc-Keeping before the Maine Board ot Agriculture, and the formation of a State Bee-Keepers' Association, has awakened much interest in the fascinating pursuit of bee-culture, which we hope will be largely increased throughout our State, through the instrumentality of this organization. The Association is now engaged in preparing a cir- cular of inquiries embracing all points of interest connected with the management of bees, which will be sent to all bee-keepers in our State whose address is known, for the purpose of so- liciting information to be incorporated into an annual report. This circular will probably be sent out in the course of a few weeks, and we earnestly bespeak for it the consideration of all bee-keepers. Mr. Geo. W. Blanchard, of West Gardiner, one of the most intelligent and enthusiastic apiarians in the State, communicates to the last number of the American Bee Journal, his report of the past season's operations in this business, which we take pleasure in transferring to our columns. He says: "The past season has been a very good one for honey, though pro- ducing few swarms. I have taken 596 pounds of honey from seven hives of black bees. My practice has been to feed sparingly in the spring to promote brooding. I use Kidder's double hive. I have transferred black bees and intro- duced the Italian queen at the time of transfer, with perfect success." We should be glad to have other bee-keepers send us similar reports of their management and success. Bee-keeping is a pursuit in which women have engaged with much zest, and in which many have achieved great success. The name of Mrs. Ellen S. Tupper, (a Moine woman by the way), is one that is probably well-known by all our bee-keeping friends, and her case is an instance of rare success won in a pursuit in which women seldom engage, but which is decidedly appropriate for them. The quick ob- servation and gentle handling necessary to suc- cess in the business are the peculiar gifts of women, and there is no part of the business that may not be appropriately performed by them. The apiary of Mrs. Tupper, at Brighton, Iowa, is one of the largest in the country, and her ar- ticle on Bee- Keeping, in the Report of the U. S. Agricultural Department, for 1865, is one of the best we have ever read. In concluding her article by recommending the business to women, she says : " It has proved to me of great bene- fit. I came west twelve years ago, under sen- tence of speedy death from one of New Eng- land's best physicians, yet now rejoice in per- fect health restored. More than to all other causes I attribute the change to the interesting occupation which has kept me so much of the time in the open air and paid me for being there. I most heartily recommend it to others, who are seeking either health or a pleasant and profitable employment." We have recently had the pleasure of exam- ining the American Side-opening Hive, patent- ed by H. A. King & Bro., Nevada, Ohio, which is being introduced into this State by Mr. ('. Paine, of Charleston. It is a movable comb hive, and it is so constructed that one entire side can be removed whenever it is necessary to brush out the litter either in winter or early spring, or when new swarms are hived. It is also so constructed that no air space is i llowed between the frames and honey boxes, and this air space in some other hives is not an advan- tage but in fact otherwise, as it causes a great waste of heat. Boxes are put on to receive the surplus honey. The ventilation of the hive is very perfectly obtained. The operation of transferring bees from the common hive to a movable frame hive is a mat- ter not so difficult of performance as one would seem to infer from the description given of the same. It requires a steady hand and some pluck, but we were most agreeably surprised the other day on being told by one of our sub- scribers, whose wife is a practical bee keeper, that she has often performed the job with good success, besides doing all other work necessary about an apiary of considerable size. We hope that like Mrs. Tupper, of Iowa, she may make her fortune by the business. It gives us pleas- ure to record such instances of woman's success out of the ordinary course of her daily duties. If more of it were practiced women would have better health and more happiness. If a person want to know all that is necessary about bees and their management, without reading too much secondary matter, we would recommend to them a little work by II. A. King & Bro., called the "Bee-Keeper's Text Book," which is sold by Mr. C. Paine, of Char- leston, in this State. Although written in favoi of a certain hive, yet it contains an abundance of reliable information, and plain, simple direc- tions for all bee-keepers. It is a wTork we have before commended, and is well worth the price, 50 cents in paper covers, 75 in cloth. Mr. R. D. Paul, of Farmington Falls, com- municates his success in artificial swarming or dividing. He writes : " I had one hundred and thirty colonies in 1867, and no natural swarming was allowed, with one exception, which was the fifth swarm from one. It was a native swarm. In April I introduced an Italian queen, and divided them three times, making four swarms. One of these sent out a swarm Aug. 10th, thus making five swarms of Italians from one native colony in five months. They all bid fair to winter well." Some interested in bee-culture have expressed a wish to have a public exhibition at some cen- tral point in June next, at which bees and hives can be shown and an interchange of thought and opinion brought about. One of the most success- ful bee-keepers in the State writes us as follows: "Should an exhibition be held in June next, Mr. Paul and myself propose to show the method of transfer of bees, with the introduction of queens, and also a colony of Italian bees on one comb, — the frame of large size, in order that the queen can be seen by all who wish." We should like to hear from our readers who are bee-keepers upon this matter, and hope they will give us their views upon the desirability of such an 16 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL exhibition. If bee-keepers show sufficient in- terest, we have no doubt it will be held. [For the American Bee Journal .] To Introduce Queens Safely. Mr. Editor : — I see by your Journal that bee-keepers still use the wire cage for introdu- cing queens in deprived colonies. I have a bet- ter plan, which may be of benefit to those who are in the bee business, saving time and avoid- ing risk. It is as follows : Dissolve four ounces of sugar in one pint, of water, and add one ounce of essence of pepper- mint. Take out your frames, and sprinkle Ihc bees well all over with the solution. Then replace the frames, and put in your queen, and the bees will not disturb her. I introduce all my queens in this manner, and have not lost one yet. H. Patjl. Council Bluffs, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bee-Feeder. The following was suggested after reading the last number of the Bee Journal. A simple, safe, and cheap bee-feeder for the Langstroth hive is made of a Lyman self-seal- ing fruit jar, or other pattern jar, with suitable top. The principle is to have a vacuum and no vent on top ; thus you may tap it like a bar- rel of cider, but unless you give it vent nothing will run out. Punch holes in the tin top of such a jar, close together about the centre, and then solder a piece of the finest wove wire,* such as is used on milk strainers, over the holes. Fill the jar full of liquid honey or sugar syrup made of about the same consistence ; press on or screAV on the cover, according td the kind of jar used, perfectly air-tight ; then turn over quickly bot- tom up, and nothing will run out, only as the bees suck it through the wove wire. In use, place it over the hole in the honey board, over the cluster of bees. Water can also be given to the bees in the same manner. This bee-feeder was suggested by bird water- glasses and ink-stands that I saw east. I have used nine during the last six weeks with good success. Referring to the article ' 'Criticism, " on p°ge 188 of the April number of the Bee Jour- nal, and "how to make all swarms equally pros- perous," I would like our bee-keeping Mends to answer, through the Journal, whether they have ever tried the experiment of removing the queen of a stock not up to time, and giving them a sea^d or young queen, or brood from a prosperous colony, from which to raise one — and the effect it had on the unthrifty colony ? John M. Price. Buffalo Grove, Iowa. *Wovewire, if of brass, would be apt to generate verdigris it not carefully attended to, and produce foul- brood in the colony It would be well, therefore, to em- ploy some substitute not liable to this objection.— Kd. [For the American Bee Journal ] Artificial Natural Swarming. Opening one of my hives sometime ago, and lifting out. a frame, I saw the queen among the crowd of workers, and distinctly heard her piping — which she continued to do while I held the frame in my hand. Concluding from this that there was another queen in the hive, I pro- ceeded to search, and found a closed queen cell on one of the combs, so placed that its apex nearly touched the lower cross-piece of the frame, thereby preventing the enclosed queen from emerging in the usual manner. On cut- ting open the cell I found a perfectly mature queen in it, which I seized and confined in a cage. Returning the frames, I replaced the honey-board and removed the tin cover from one of the holes ; on this I laid the cage, set a glass tumbler over it, and shut the hive. I in- tended to take away the caged queen after ex- amining some other colonies ; but in a few min- utes a swarm hurriedly issued from this hive, and settled on a tree close by. Supposing the old queen had accompanied the swarm, I incon- siderately liberated the young one, and let her enter the hive. I had scarcely done so, when the swarm returned, as hurriedly as it had left, and re-entered the hive. I had not leisure then to re-examine the hive, but on doing so next day, found the colony queenless. Doubtless the old queen remaining at home had unexpect- edly encountered her rival, and the very rare case happened that both were killed in the deadly fray. This colony was not populous and could scarcely have contemplated swarming; the pur- pose of raising a young queen being, most prob- ably, to supercede the rather unprolific old one. But can swarming be incited by introducing a caged queen in a colony, or placing one thus over a hole in the honey-board? If so, might we not manage to relieve ourselves of the trouble of driving out swarms, by properly availing ourselves of this circumstance ? In driving we are not always successful in securing the queen ; and it would seem that in this case she lagged behind. Yet any difficulty from that cause could easily be overcome by means of the reserve queen confined in the cage, which could be given to either stock, as circumstances might require. But the first matter is to ascer- tain whether such process will produce a swarm. j. pounsfort. Michigan. _^____^_ Hgir Perfect queens are occasionally so small that it is difficult to distinguish them from work- ers ; aud very expert practical apiarians have sometimes been unable to find the queen in a hive where healthy worker brood was regularly produced, and which consequently must have had a normal qncen. Wh3r on earth do people think it fine to be idle and useless ? Fancy a drone superciliously desiring a working bee to stand aside, and say- ing— "out of my way, you miserable drudge ; J never made a drop of honey in all my life." — Country Parson. TIIE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 17 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. WASHINGTON, JULY, 1SG8. CSFTriE American Bee Journal is now published monthly, in the City of Washington, (D. C.,) at $3 per annum in advance. All com- munications should he addressed to the Editor, at that place. Our New Volume. With this number we commence the fourth volume of the American Bee Journal. A constantly growing subscription list induces us to continue the publication, in the expectation that it will ere long secure the support indispen- sable for permanent success. Almost every mail brings us flattering letters of encourage- ment and strengthens our hands with the material aid without which it is impossible to sustain a periodical devoted to a specialty. Still the accessions to our list are not as numer- ous as they should be, to enable us to prosecute the undertaking with ease and cheerfulness. It is true, the Journal now circulates in nearly aH the States and territories of the Union, and in the British provinces. But it should reach every county and township in all this wide ex- tent of country ; for bee-culture can be profita- bly conducted almost everywhere, and bee-keep- ers whom the paper would interest and benefit dwell in all these borders. Will not the nu- merous fast friends of the Journal aid us in endeavoring to reach these and securing their support, by presenting, in their respective neigh- borhoods, the claims of a publication which we know they prize and "would not willingly let die." ______^ This being a busy season with practical bee- keepers, when few of them have leisure to write, we have taken the opportunity to with- draw from our files and insert this month, a number of articles long deferred, but by no means neglected or forgotten. Others still re- main, most of which we expect to be able to present in our next issue. The June number of the " American Natural- ist'1'' contains the most complete account of the parasites of the honey bee to be found any- where in the English language. The article is from the pen of Dr. Packard, one of the editors, and should be read by every bee-keeper who desires to acquire a satisfactory knowledge of the numerous insect enemies to whose attacks the bee is exposed in every stage of its exist- ence. The chief of these foes are minute ich- neumon-flies and beetles, or their larvrc, most of which are figured on an enlarged scale on the two plates which accompany and illustrate the article. The subject, of course, is not exhausted, as hardly any branch or subdivision of natural science is ever likely to be ; and the writer, in the concluding paragraph, says he " would be greatly obliged for material to aid him iu the study of our bees and wasps ; would take pleas- ure in corresponding with those interested in the study of their habits ; and would be very grateful for specimens of the young in alcohol, their parasites and nests." The American Naturalist is published month- ly, at Salem, (Mass.,) by the Peabody Academy of Science, at three dollars a year. It is hand- somely illustrated, and may truly claim to be "a popular magazine of natural history," de- serving as such a liberal patronage and exten- sive circulation. Mr. Harrison, of Frederick, Md., has sent us a sample of his "Nucleus Bee-Feeder," a modi- fication of the Bee-Feeder noticed in a previous number of the Journal. It is a neat and con- venient article, and will doubtless be useful to those who are raising queens in nucleus hives. We are now in receipt of several addi- tional German periodicals devoted to practical bee-culture, which, with the favors of our nu- merous correspondents, will enable us to impart increased value and interest to the pages of the Bee Journal. Correspondence of the Bee Journal. Tompkins, (Mich.,) Feb. 28. I learned with regret the death of Prof. Varro. Although I could not endorse all his opinions, I read his articles in the Journal with a great. deal of interest and pleasure, and think they will be missed very much in future by its numer- ous readers. Very many of us take a deep interest in the success of the American Bee Journal. Other papers are often received, glanced at and thrown aside ; but the Journal is always a welcome visitor, and the business must be very urgent that prevents a perusal of its pages as soon as it is received. From every number we obtain some valuable information. We also become acquainted with its numerous contributors, scattered over a lar^e portion of the country. By reading these writings, we form an opinion as to their character, and imagine their personal appearance. In their monthly visits, we learn 18 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL to regard them as friends, as brothers, as mem- bers of the same family, embarked in the same business, engaged in the same interesting study — that of the honey bee, its habits, and its nat- ural history ; and when one of the number is removed from us, the loss is felt. The Profes- sor was sometimes severe in his criticisms, but his exposures of parties engaged in swindling a credulous bee-keeping public, were just. There are one or two articles in late numbers of the Journal, which may be regarded as open to severe criticism, and I had hoped to see them handled by him, as he alone was capable of handling them. J. H. Townley. Brooklin, Canada, March 9. I was much surprised to hear of the death of Prof. Varro. It is to be much regretted. Though he might by some be considered ultra in his opinions on bee-culture, yet he was a learned and spirited writer. With a style pecu- liarly his own, he "laid out1' his antagonists with " rare wit." His contributions to the Bee Journal, though at times somewhat ambiguous, were of much value. Doubtless the readers of the Journal will feel his loss. J. H. Thomas. [For the American Bee Journal.] The Egyptian Bee. Having recently received a file of the back numbers of the " American Bee Journal," I find an inquiry from L. L. Fairchild, on page 173 of Vol. II, respecting the comparative fer- tility of queen bees ot apis faseiata and the honey- storing capacity of the workers. As no reply appears to have been made to this question, I may state that the Egyptian queens are deci- edly smaller than those of the Italian or the back bee, and in my opinion inferior to either in point of fecundity. The workers also, being smaller, cannot carry such large loads, and have not therefore the honey-storing power of either of the other species named. With regard to their extreme irascibility it may be perceived, by referring to page 164 of the same volume, that I distributed my remaining Egyptians among four British apiarians, three of whom made public their experience,* (which fully con- firmed my evidence as to the ferocity of these bees, whdst the fourth, Mr. George Fox, whose letter alone found admission into the "Ameri- can Bee Journal," happens to be one of those fortunate individuals whom bees never appear to stiug under any circumstances, and who may therefore well be able to manipulate even the savage Egyptians with impunity. T. W. Woodbury. (" A Devonshire Bee-Keeper.") Mount Badford, Exeter, England, 30th April, 18G8. * tST We presume that the experience of the other three British apiarians, to whom Mr. Woodbury consigned Egyptian bees, was pub- lished in some numbers of the Journal of Horti- culture, or other London periodical, which did not reach us, as we had no previous knowledge that any such accounts had appeared. The German periodicals, which reach us more regularly, furnish no additional information re- specting those bees — the Carniolian variety of the common black bee exciting more interest at present among bee-keepers ; though, so fir, its disposition to swarm frequently, and thus mul- tiply rapidly, seems to be the only traits that are urs;ed in its commendation. Bees and Fruit. The following letters respecting the alleged damage done to fruit by honey bees, were sent to us for publication by Mr. Gould, of Wenham, Mass., months ago, and should have appeared sooner, but for our limited space and the crowded state of our columns. The first is from the eminent botanist, Asa Gray, Professor of Natural History in Harvard University ; and the second from Dr. II. A. Hagen, late of Konigsberg, Prussia, but now of Cambridge, Mass., a learned and distinguished German ento- mologist, who has paid especial attention to collecting and making a list of all the works and papers relating to bee-culture. Prof. Gray writes — "Harvard University, Feb. 17, 1868. I thoroughly endorse the correctness of Dr. Packard's statement. There is no doubt that the sole use and object of honey in blossoms is to attract insects, so that they may in their visits carry pollen from the stamens of one flower to the stigma of another, and in that way insure the for- mation of the fruit. I have no idea that the honey after being secreted by the plant into the open flower, is ever taken up again by it ; so that the plant loses nothing it could ever use by the bees carrying off the honey." Dr Hagen says— " I have never known and find nothing in the literaturo of bee-keeping now at rny hand, to prove that bees are ob- noxious to fruit and to fields. I think it is possibly a mis- take, lor other hymenoptera, i. e. that other insects of the group (hymenoptera) to which bees beloDg, may do the al- leged injury." We have not heard whether the venom of the Wenhamites culminated in the actual ban- ishment of Mr. Gould's bees or evaporated in the vote of the town meeting. [For the American Bee Journal. J " Mathematics " of the Honey Bee. Mr. Editor : — I have not received my Journal for last month, and would rather lose one number of all my other papers (some five or six) than the Bee Journal for any month. I cut the subjoined from the New York Tri- Weekly Tribune. It is from a notice of a work lately written by Mrs. Agassiz and her husband, the Professor. "The following agreeable bit of natural history will be read with interest, for the curious pro- osss of insect architecture which it explains, as well as for the light it throws on the much vaunted "mathematics of the bee" in the con- struction of its cell. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 19 ' 'For some time Mr. Agassiz has been trying to get living specimens of the insect so injurious to the coffee tree ; the larva of a little moth akin to those which destroy the vineyards in Europe. Yesterday he succeeded in obtaining some, and among them one just spinning his cocoon on the leaf. We watched him for a long time with the lens as he wove his filmy lent. He had arched the thread upward in the centre, so as to leave a little hollow space into which he could withdraw ; this tiny vault seemed to be com- pleted at the moment we saw him, and he was drawing threads forward and fastening them at a short distance beyond, thus lashing his house to the leaf as it were. The exquisite accuracy of the work was amazing. lie was spinning the thread with his mouth, and with every new7 stitch he turned his body backward, attached his thread to the same spot, then drew it for- ward and fastened it exactly on a line with the last, with a precision and rapidity that machin- ery could hardly imitate. It is a curious ques- tion how far this perfection of workmanship in many of the lower animals is simply identi- cal with their organization, and therefore to be considered a fun< tion, as inevitable in its action as digestion or respiration, rather than an in- stinct. In this case the body of the little ani- mal was his measure ; it was amazing to see him lay down his threads with such accuracy, till one remembered that he could not make them longer or shorter ; for, starting from the center of his house, and stretching hisbody its full length, they must always reach the same point. The same is true of the so-called wathematics of the bee. The bees stand as close as they can to- gether in their hire for economy of space, and each one deposits his wax around him, his own form and size being the mould for the cells, the regularity of which when completed excites so much wonder and admiration. The mathemat- ical secret of the bee is to be found in his structure, not in his instinct. But in the industrial work of some of the lower animals, the ant for in- stance, there is a power of adaptation which is not susceptible of the same explanation. Their social organization, too intelligent, it seems, to be the work of any reasoning powers of their own, yet does not appear to be directly con- nected with their structure. While we wTere wTatching our little insect, a breath stirred the leaf and he instantly contracted himself and drew back under his roof; but presently came out again and returned to his work.' " Now, while the learned Professor and his lady, and the wrriter of this notice, are thus throwing stones at the mathematical ability of our little pets, I should think Huber would move in his coffin and his sightless orbs shed tears of vexation ; Langstroth feel a pang not caused by his disease ; and Quinby say, the lady's bees may make cells in that way, but mine do not, ! When you give this to your readers, how many among them will believe it? The tame mink man is the only one who could make me receive it. [f he endorses her vh ws, I shall of course have to cave. It is rather late in the day for the " high learned " and scientfic to send forth a work promulgating such views. The idea that bees, in comb-building " stand as close as they can together," each making "his own form and size the mould for the cells," must have been con- cocted in the study, for it certainly could not have been derived from observation. The eru- dite reviewer, too, is to be congratulat d on the light he has thus felicitously obtained on the " mathematics of the. bee." Much "wonder," unquestionably, but very little "admiration" indeed, is excited, when one meets with such delectable specimens of analogical reasoning, the. erroneousness of which ordinary eyesight well employed, without the aid of a, "lens," would detect at a glance. B. F. Babcock. Afton, Mtnn. [From the St. Charles (Mo.) Cosmos and Sontinel.] The Battle of the Bees. On Saturday of last wreek a terrific apiarian conflict took place at the Rev. W. II. Varde- man's, in Cuivre township, in this (St. Charles) county. It is not known what number of com- batants wrere engaged in the fight, but their name is Legion. Mr. Vardeman had nine stands upon a single bench or platform, and the conflict began be- tween the inmates of two stands that were sep- arated from each other by several intermediate hives. At first only a few of each garrison were engaged in the conflict, but as the fight progresfed and the fray waged fast and furious, not only the fighting materials of the belligerent garrisons, but also that of the neighboring stands, were drawn into the conflict. It is sup- posed by those who witnessed the fight, that all the war material of the several garrisons was put in requisition, and it is even hinted that several of the fair queens uusexed themselves, aniby their presence gave aid and countenance to tneir respective favorites. Certain it is, there were but few "sympathizers" who did not take part in this battle. The fight is represented as the most furious one of the kind on record. The great captains of the day deported themselves with great valor and intrepidity, and carried on exterminating war, until the number became so great that the air was fairly blackened with the bees. The fight continued for nearly two hours, until one party seemed to give way and the combat slack- ened. Hundreds of bees perished in the fight, and hundreds of others were wounded in the fray and died from their wounds afterwards. It was not till the going down of the sun that the cries of the wounded and the shouts of the victors ceased, and order was once more restor- ed. The ground in the vicinity was literally covered with the wToundcd and dying. The origin of the fight is unknown. Whether it was some old feud, handed down from sire to son, between some ancient houses of York and Lancaster in the Bee Kingdom, or provoked by some raiding band of bushwhackers, who de- sired to appropriate the golden fruits of others' labor to their own use; or whether some "ladye fayre" — some Helen Apis — was in the case, is not recorded. 20 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] DoQueets Mate with two Drones? It has occurred to me that queens sometimes mate with two drones, from the fact that I have frequently had Italian queens whose progeny, when they first commenced depositing egtrs, appeared almost pure, and after a few weeks would change almost entirely to black ; and, again, after some weeks, or sometimes months, the progeny would change back again. This changing I have noticed both with the Italian and black queens in half a dozen or more cases, within the past tour years. While examining a small nucleus last season, I saw the queen had just returned from her bridal tour, showing the usual signs of having mated with a drone. The next day I opened the nucleus to ascertain, if possible, how long before she would commence depositing her eggs, (as some writers profess to tell us the time), and to my surprise she was not in. I am sure she was not, for she was a large well colored Italian, and the bees in the nucleus were few in number and of the black nice. I could there- fore easily have found he/, but she was not in. I opened and looked again in a short time, and saw her bearing fresh signs of having met with a drone or drones. Two days after this she was depositing eggs, which produced black bets for some weeks ; and afterwards others, as bright almost as pure bred bees, proceeded from the eggs she laid. This spring the progeny is black again ; though a great majority of the bees bear the shape, but not the stripes, of the Italian — while others having the shape of the common black bee, have one or two stripes or bands. Did not this queen mate with two drones ? or why the change in the color, markings, and shape, of her progeny ? If birds and animals will mate with two of the other sex, why may not insects also ? I wish your scientific readers would give this their attention, and devise some way that we may have our queens mate with the kind of drone we wish to breed from. Cannot we Americans do what a German has done ? Let every reader of the Journal, try some experi- ments of his own this summer, and I feel sure we shall accomplish the much desired end. H. Nesbit. Cynthiana, Ky. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bees in Tennessee. We have the finest bee country here in the world. White clover is becoming the sponta- neous growth of our bottoms. Besides, we have an abundance of other bee pasturage, which lasts all the time that bees can be out. We have no patent hives here yet, nor any Italian bees ; and I hope to get some instruc tions in regard to both from your paper— of which send me the back numbers for the pres- ent s'-ear. Forked Deer River Bottom, near where I live, abounds with wild bees. You cannot place honey out anywhere in it without its be- coming in a few minutes covered with bees. Will some of your experienced bee-men give me some instruction as to the best mode of hunting bees, and the best time to do it ? I have heard a great deal about "coursing" bees, but I do not believe that one bee in a hundred will fly in a direct line for its hive, when leav- ing the bait. I have watched them, after cir- cling for some time, start off in an apparently straight course for the hive ; but they would then curve so much as to leave me in entire un- certainty as to the direction they went. Nor is there any indication of the elevation of the hive irom the ground, by noticing the height to which the beeswil' rise, in circling, before leav- ing ; as all bees, when passing through woods, homeward bound, will fly over the tops of the tallest timber. I would be glad to hear from some of your correspondents on this subject. S. W. Cole. Andrews Chapel, Tenn. tW In the February, March, and May num- bers of the last volume of the Bee Journal, our correspondent will probably find the infor- mation desired. [For the American Bee Journal.] Mr. Editor : — Can you inform me what is a neutraliser or solvent of beeswax and propolis, to remove it from glass or cloth ?* Bees are in good condition here this spring, having been wrell supplied with honey last fall. In the statements of your correspondents, boasting of the productiveness of their bees, I have not seen anything better than that of a colony I sold to a neighbor, which yielded him last season four swarms. The first swarm swarmed twice.; and two of the casts swarmed also — making in all seven from one. Two of these went to the woods. The remaining five became strong and rich for winter. The old colony and the swarms yielded, besides, eighty pounds of surplus honey. I have an Italian queen that was reared last fall. On the 12th of March she had only one inch of comb filled with eggs. On the 23d of April she produced drones, principally even in worker cells. The lower part of her abdomen is enlarged, so that although she is very intent on laying eggs, she only succeeds in getting one deposited after several efforts, and it is then placed at half the depth of the cell. At this date she lias ceased to produce any workers, and very rarely is a drone produced in the worker cells, while the eggs she is now laying in drone comb are developing uniformly. I gave fifteen dollars for her last fall. If you wish to experiment with her, I will freely send her to you. I think she must have dropsy, or an enlargement of the ovaries. R. Wilkin. Cadiz, Ohio, May 16, 18G8. *Propolis may be removed from glass by means of alcohol, and vislk by a solution of potash. (Jloth would probably be injured by the latter. American Bee Journal. EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Vol. IV. ATTGTJST, 1868. No. 2. [From the German of Kohler.] Practical Bee-Culture. RE-QUEENING AND PALL REDUCTION. In a recent communication to the Bienenzeit- ung, the Baron of Berlepsch states the result of a carefully arranged experiment which shows that, at least Jive or six weeks elapse from the time the egg is hatched till the worker bee engages ac- tively in the gathering of honey; or, in other words, becomes converted from a consumer to a producer. I made similar observations last summer, and some memoranda in my posses- sion made prior to the publication of the Baron's article, coincide very precisely with the results obtained by the latter. Though my observations were not made with the view of establishing or maintaining any theoretical proposition, yet practically I had often to wait a wearisome while before I could see workers, hatched from the eggs of a newly reared Italian queen, fly and participate in the out-door labors of the older bees. Yea, like the Baron of Berlepsch, I have counted hours and days, and when, as frequent- ly happens in the case of a young queen, we have to enumerate <4thirty-five," or"uthirty-six" days, we hardly need note down the number in the diary in order to impress the fact on the memory. But, why advert to this matter here, on pages dedicated primarily to suggestions and counsels of practical import ? Patience, gentle reader ; we shall in due time see the practical value of the theoretical proposition referred to. In practice it is, indeed, of far greater significance than seems apparent at first blush, or than the unobservant would imagine. Still, we will now refer to two cases only in which the question — how much time elapses from the hatching of the egg till the workers gather honey 1 deserves spe- cial consideration from the bee-keepers who would not suffer disadvantage and loss without becoming conscious of the fact, or even suspect- ing the truth. There is hardly any bee-keeper who is not occasionally surprised by finding a queen- less colony in his apiary. Nay, it will happen even to the most competent, that days and even weeks elapse before he becomes aware of the queenlessness of a stock. The deportment of the bees at the loss of their queen, and the phe- nomena indicating queenlessness, are not always the same, or are not always manifested in the same decided and striking manner ; or those manifestations are made when the keeper's at- tention is drawn elsewhere ; and finally he finds himself suddenly, he knows not how, the owner of a queenless colony. Now the question forces itself on him — what is to be done? If he does not take the case in hand, and that right speedily, the robbers and moths certainly will, and make short work of the job too ; — leaving him a hive bare of bees and honey, but rich in the larva? and coccoons of the moth I Think not that I am exaggerating. My own eyes have seen such a scene of thorough and utter devasta- tion. I once designedly consigned such a queenless colony to its fate. The experiment cost me nearly twenty pounds of houey and six- teen combs of wax, without counting the vexa- tion, and the time and labor required to cleanse the hive again, and exterminate the multitudi- nous horde of devourers, more greedy and insa- tiable than the horse-leech's daughters. The experiment was nevertheless interesting and in- structive, as demonstrating the necessity of prompt action when a colony becomes queen- less. But, the inquiry recurs — what is to be done in such a case ? Cure or kill, that is the question ! Most of our bee-writers would doubtless advise the former; but the theoretical principle demonstrated and enunciated by the Baron of Berlepsch, indicates clearly that re- course to the latter expedient would be, in the great majority of cases, clearly the more judi- cious and advisable course. In two cases only, would recourse to curative means seem at all advantageous — first, namely, while the bee- keeper is still intent on increasing the number of stocks; and secondly, while engaged initalian- izing his apiary. In the latter case, the occur- rence of queenlessness, if speedily discovered, may exempt him from the trouble and annoy- ance of hunting and removing the old queen — being thus rather advantageous than disadvanta- geous. But in every other case, the only advi- sable process, is to break up the colony at once, 22 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. using the bees to strengthen some weak stock, and giving the combs to a strong colony for protection or use. However much this may run counter to the feelings of the bee-keeper, it will certainly best advance the prosperity of his apiary, and thus promote his pecuniary interest. Cuie should only be attempted if a fertile re- serve queen be immediately available, and at least eight weeks of good pasturage may yet be expected. In such case the young bees proce- diug from the eggs of the introduced queen may still participate for three weeks in gathering in the harvest, and thus reimburse their cost. But to begin even with inserting a queen cell eight weeks before the end of the season, 1 aves no hope of profit, though no mishap supervene — for we must still allow an interval of trom ten days to two weeks, before brooding would be vigorously recommenced, if the colony be still populous ; and if weak and broodless, as such queenless stocks usually are, brooding will pro- ceed so slowly and listlessly that there is small chance of effectual recuperation. In short, nothing will come of it ! To insert brood for queen-raising is a still more unpromising expe- dient ; for thereby the day of relief is put off almost two weeks longer, and if the young queen is not lost on her bridal tour, we may indeed have a redeemed colony, but one that will only linger along during the remainder of the season, consuming honey and storing none Though seemingly busy in gathering, its supplies will in the end be constantly diminishing. In the fall it will need feeding, and will notwith- standing probably perish in the winter. Where- as, had it been seasonably united with some other colony, its stores would have been pre- served, and the entire population would have joined the common household as a band of busy workers. Here they would be of infinit' ly more service than they could be in their native hive, after the loss of their queen ; for though a col- ony under cure for queenlessness seems to labor industriously, bees never really develope and display their full energetic activity unless there be a queen and brood present, and the entire colony feels itself to be in a normal and healthy condition. In a colony that has been queenless, revived and increased energy will therefore only be manifested when the cells are again stocked with brood proceeding from the new bred queen, requiring constant nursing and attention. Consequently where increase of col- onies is no longer our object, but we desire to derive profit from the stock on hand, the attempt to cure a queenless colony, is a gross blunder. This is a truth, a practical axiom in bee-culture, flowing with logical and inexorable rigor from the recorded observations already referred to, respecting the time elapsing from the hatching of the egg to the honey-gathering of the worker. But in the foregoing we have assumed that queenlessness occurs at a very early period in the season; whereas it more frequently occurs late, or is not discovered till late. Queenless- ness most commonly occurs at the swarming season, when the old stocks are raising new queens. And it is precisely in the case of stocks that have sent forth swarms, that queenlessness is most difficult to detect, and is usually detected very late. We naturally expect that such stocks should for a time seem weak, and flalter our- selves that "when the young queen's brood hatches matters will improve." Time passes while we are thus listening to hope's flattering tale, and we finally wake up to the consciousness that there is no queen there ! N >w, in four or five weeks, possibly in only three1, pas- turage will be at an end ; and shall we waste further time in '■'doctoring up" the rapidly dying invalid ? Far better make short work of it, by applying the royal remedy ! Break it up ! But even in so-called "fall reduction," ihe theoretical principle aforesaid has a practical application ; for it is of great importance to the bee-keeper to know when this reduction is to be made. The rule commonly laid down in the books is "at the close of the season ;" that is, at the time when the bees cease to increase their stores; or, in other words, when they gather less daily than they consume. In view, how- ever, of the result of the Baron of Berlepsch's observations, as confirmed by my own, showing the time required to convert a worker bee from a consumer to a producer, the rule thus laid down would lead to gross malpractice. The work must be begun much earlier. Fall reduc- tion, by the union of colonies, to effect the ut- most saving and prove really advantageous, must be executed at least floe weeks before the close of the season. For all the brood proceeding from eggs laid by the queen during this latter period, will render no service of any account during this year. A diminution of the brood at this period is therefore a necessity, because a large portion of the accumulated stores would be consumed by it, for which no compensation would this year be returned. But if the reduction be ac- complished, by the uni n of colonies before the close of the pasturage, we secure the following advantages. In the first place, the working force is more than duplicated in the united stock, because in it no more workers are re- quired to remain at home, as nurses, &c, than in either before the union. And, in the second place, the production of useless brood is dimin- ished fully fifty per-cent. , one of the queens having been discarded. By an early reduction, therefore, we secure increased production and diminished consumption. Moreover, the united colony thus formed, will be made sufficiently populous by the maturing brood of the two stocks and that further produced by the selected and retained queen, and thus become better prepared in this respect for wintering, than if the union had been deferred to a later period. At the same time we secure a larger amount of surplus honey from the superseded hive than would be obtained from it after longer delay — the honey, moreover, being more liquid, is more easily managed. Loss of queen, too, dur ng the operation, is more easily noticed now, than later, when there is little to gather abroad, because the bees are then more disposed tore- main quiet ; and our own tact for vigilant at- tention has greatly diminished, as we feci less interest in our bees when they are idle than when they are busy. On the whole, then, those bee-keepers, who, by means of natural and artificial swarming, THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 23 have obtained the number of colonies desired for their apiaries, and des'gn henceforward^ to confine themse ves to that number by reduction or union of stocks, should ponder well the period at which such reduction can be made in their respective districts, with most advan- tage to themselves. We often hear it said, in- deed, "I have all along proceeded thus and so, and have always got on very well. Why should I change ?" But the proper inquiry is whether a different or a modified process would not be more profitable ? Practice in bee-cul- ture, is nothing more than the application of our knowledge of bees in such manner as to render their labors profitable to ourselves. But the greatest profit will be reached, when, with the least possible outlay, we secure the highest attainable income. In making our calculations we must necessarily take into account, as prin- cipal items, the working time and the working capacity of the bees. Of this, it would seem, there could be no question ; and we may there- fore confidently adopt and repeat the counsel of the Bamn of Berlepsch — " Study the theory, or you will remain practical bunglers all your days." Kohler. [From the German.] Quality and Properties of Honey. The quality of honey depends much on the locality where it is produced and the plants from which it. is gathered. That from warm, dry, hilly dis ricts is finer than such as comes from colder and moist regions. The best is de- rived from the blossoms of the esparsette, the orange, and the fig, and from labiate plants in general, growing on elevated or mountainous ranges Drawn fresh from the comb, honey is clear, translucent, sliglvly amber-colored, and vis- cous, becoming granular in time, with whi'ish transparent crystals. In tas'e and smell it is sweet, agreeable and aromaiic. It should not irritate tlie throat when eaten, and its pecuuar flavor should be so decided, that it can be readily detected when mixed with other articles of diet. Honey derived from the blossoms of rape and other cruciferous plants, granulans or crystal- lizes speedily — often, indeed, while yet in the comb befoie removal from the hive ; while that from labiate plan s, and from fruit trees in gen- eral, maintains its original condition unchanged, for three or four mouths, after being drawn from the comb. Honey produced in northern countries likewise crystallizes sooner than that from southern countries. In districts producing a great diversity of plants and flowers, those which decidedly pre- dominate determine the quality of the honey there gathered. Natural meadows, and artifi- cial pasture grounds sown with esparsette, lu- cerne, melilot, white clover, lupines, vity, apparently made for the purpose on the left-hand side of the aper- ture, and thus allowed the passage of the indi- vidual entering or quitting the hive ; the senti- nel constantly resuming his station immediately after the passage had been effected. That it was the same bee which had withdrawn that again took his station in the opening, could not be mistaken ; for his withdrawal was only into the cavity on the side of the hole, in which his head was generally in view during the brief in- terval while the other was passing ; and that head again immediaely started forward into the passage. During how long a time the same individual remained on duty could not be as- certained ; for though many attempts were made to mark him, by introducing a pencil tip- ped with paint, he constantly eluded the aim taken at him, and it was therefore impossible to determine with certainty whether the current reports conceding him were or were not found- ed in fact. With the paint thus attempted to be applied to the bee, the margin of the opening was soiled ; and the ssntinel, as soon as he was free from the annoyance he suffered from the thrusts repeatedly made at his body, approached the foreign substance to taste it, and evidently disliking the material, he withdrew into his hive. The hole was watched to see what would be the result of the investigation of the sub- stance, and a troop of bees was soon observed to advance towards the place, each individual bearing a small particle of wax or of propolis in his mandibles, which he deposited in his turn upon the toiled part of the wood. The little laborers then returned to the hive, and re - peated the operation until a small pile rose above the blemished part, and completely re- lieved the inhabitants from its annoyance. If the existence of such a sentinel as has just been described can safely be admitted, his util- ity would be unquestionable, as being at all times prepared to encounter a straggling stran- ger, or to give warning of the approach of a more numerous body of foes. Such foes ac- tually exist in moderately sized black ants, which sometimes in small, and occasionally in large bands, attack the hive, and between which and i he industrious bees desperate con- flicts often take place. In tbese struggles the bees g< nerally obtain the victory ; but they are occasionally mastered by the overpowering numbers of their opponents. &T Send us the names of bee-keepers, with their Post OfQce address. [From Low's "Elemonts of Agriculture."] Esparsette, or Sainfoin. Esparsette, as it is called in Spain, Sainfoin, as it is inmed in France, the onobrychis sativa of the botanist, has a perennial root, and is ex- tensively cultivated for green food in the chalk and sandy districts of England and France. Although this species has an extensive range of the lighter class of soils, it is yet in a peculiar decree adapted to the calcareous ; hence it is iound growing naturally in many open downs and hilly pastures where the chalk formation exists. Sainfoin is a deep-rooted plant, with a branch- ing stem, bearing spikes of beautiful flowers. It grows wonderfully on rocky soils, stretching its roots to a prodigious depth amongst the crevices of rocks and open strata. It is, in truth, on dry rocky soils that the chief advan- tages of the cultivation of sainfoin are seen. On a chalky rock, covered with only a few inches of soil, it will thrive and grow for many years with vigor, where neither grain nor culti- vated herbage plants would cover the surface. Like lucerne, although in a lesser degree, it is choked and ultimately exterminated by the prevalence of the grasses ; but in a soil per- fectly suited to it, as in a chalky loam, it will have a duration perhaps as long as any other plant. Although best adapted to the calcareous soils, it will grow upon any light soil which has a free or open subsoil; but on moist clays it will only last a few years, sometimes not above two. Sainfoin may be sown with a crop in the same manner as the clovers and the grasses. In the following season it may be mown for hay or green forage, although it does not attain its full maturily until the third year. When this mode of management is adopted, the sainfoin should be mixed with one or more of the clovers, which will add to the weight of the produce, without materially interfering with the growth of the sainfoin. When greater care is thought necessary, sain- foin, like lucerne, may be cultivated in rows, being regularly tilled and horsehoed during the summer, and manured at intervals, as every fourth or fifth year ; but for the most part, it is not thought necessary to resort to this method of tillage, and the easier and more convenient practice of broadcast is preierred. The seeds of the sainfoin are larger than those of the clovers ; and wUen soavu with the cereal grasses in spring, a little more c no is necessary in covering them with the harrow and roller. The seeds should be of a good and tried kind, and perfectly fresh, for old seeds do not vegetate in a proper manner. The quantity, when sown broadcast, may bo four bushels to the acre ; when sown in rows, from two to three bushels. The b°st period of sowing is in the month of March, or early in April. Sainfoin does not bear such frequent cutting as lucerne. When used for soiling, it may be cut twice ; when used for hay, it should be cut once and the aftermath depastured. Sainfoin may be used for herbage as well as forage, and many farmers prefer depasturing it in the first THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 27 year, so that in the second it may have attained its full growth before it is mown ; and this is a pood practice. Sainfoin, when it is made into hay, should, like other leguminous forage plants, be cut just •when it comes into fall flower. It is not very apt to be injured by heating, and therefore may be put by more quickly than other hay plants. The produce in hay is generally reck- oned from one to two tons to the acre, in dis- tricts "where it is cultivated; and, considering that it is grown on inferior soils, and that it yields good aftermath, it will be seen to be a productive plant. If ground is to be mown for successive years for forage, then, on such soils as are suited to it, scarce a better crop can be cultivated than sain- foin, which is easily grown, hardy, and pro- ductive. But, with regard to this particular mode of cultivation, it cannct be at all com- mended. It is not the most beneficial mode of raising crops of forage ; for, independently of the smaller produce, the keeping of land under any one kind of crop, and manuring it upon the surface, is to deprive the cultivated land of manure for an object which may be better at- tained by other means. Sainfoin, when sown merely to produce one crop of hay, and then to be depastured for such a period as may be thought suited to the nature of the soil, answers well ; but in this case, ir, is recommended that it be sown with a proportion of white clover and rye-grass. It is then merety a substitute for the red clover, and it is a good substitute, for it is a perennial, and will grow on soils on which the red clover cannot be profitably cultivated. It is in this way only, it is conceived, that the cultivation of sainfoin should be much extended. It maybe used as a substitute for red clover in many of the sandy, dry, and rocky soils, which are intended to re- main for several years in herbage. [For t he American Bee Journal ] How I became an Apieulturist, No. 4. The people of Wenham would not find, even in the old city of Langres, (France), a legal precedent for bee-banishment ; for the police- men had transcended their powers, and when one of them, who was a near relative of my neighbor, came again to expel my bees, I being now better informed as to my rights, refused to obey, and on presenting my complaint to the Mayor, the officious official received a sharp reprimand. On hearing of my annoyances, my grand- father proposed to wall in his orchard. He was for some years out of business, and was pleased with the thought of occupying himself with improving that ground, where he had ai- re dy planted many trees. My delight was not less than his, for in my boyhood that locality had always been the scene of my rambles. The next and subsequent days we were both at work, and with the aid of the toiling laborers of my grandfather, the object was speedily ac- complished. The required stones were close at hand, and as the northern and western sides were bounded with high rocks and thorny bushes, and the southern side by an old hedge, there was really only one side of the orchard to be secured by a wall. But, while we were thus engaged, carrying the stones in a wheelbarrow, and piling them one upon another to make a good dry wall, the keeper of the ramparts came and ordered us to desist, declaring that we were within fortification limits, and no stone could be removed without leave from the officer in command. We feigned compliance, but resumed our work more vigor- ously when he left, for my grandfather said we might wait for months for permission to pro- ceed, and not be sure of obtaining it in the end; but if once done they would not order the work to be demolished. My grandfather's scheme, however, included the erection of a small cot- tage, and when that was undertaken, the keeper of the ramparts made his appearance once more, ordering us to desist. As the commandant could not but see our new building, we had now no alternative but to apply for permission to proceed with our work. After many delays, and executing divers obligations, we'were al- lowed to build a plank cottage eight feet square, placed on two wooden axletrees and four wheels, so that the structure might quickly be removed out of harm's way, in case of the in- vasion of the country by an enemy. Yet the city of Langres is hundreds of miles within the frontiers of France ! Let us now return to my bees, wintering on the roof of the house. After a stormy night in February, while the water of the melted snow was overflowing the streets, I found one of the straw coverings of my hives thrown down into the yard. On ascending to the root, I found that the two outer boxes had been removed, and two streams of yellow water were running from the exposed frames. My spiteful neighbor had risked his neck, in order to glut his ven- geance. I confess I was at first quite disheartened. Yet, hoping that my bees were still alive, I re- solved to carry them to my gandfather's. I there set them in front of a large chimney, where my grandmother lighted a fire, and I watched for hours to observe their first hum- ming. At last I fancied I heard a slight buz- zing ; but the rapid beating of my heart did not permit me to hear more. Finally, a single bee came, with vibrating wings, to the edge of one of the frames, and I concluded that that swarm was alive and might yet be saved. I hastened to nail same light millinet on two bottom-and top-less boxes, in which to put my hives to pre- vent the bees from flying away, and then watched their demeanor. Soon many bees made their appearance outside of the frames, all vibrating their wings, till nearly the whole swarm was thus occupied. In the course of the following two days, by means of the vibrations and the warmth of the fire, the bees wrere as dry as ever. Very fewr bees, compared with what I had an icipated, were dead, and no queens were found among these. Often, in spring, the bees vibrate their wings in order to dry their wet and mouldy combs ; and you 28 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. should never remove such combs from your hives, uuless quite rotten, for the bees can cleanse tliem as soon as needed. The hives were then transferred to the orch- ard, and gave me three swarms that spring, which were hived by my grandfather, who was daily engaged in improving his orchard — es- pecially the rocky and bushy spot. One after another the unsightly bushes were removed and replaced by blooming shrubs ; the sweet briers became rose bushes, and the plain old hawthorn was converted into something more attractive and imposing. One day, that same year, I presented a nice comb of honey to a lady who was preparing festivities to celebrate the approaching birthday of her husband, and had already provide d many dainties for the occasion. My honey was deposited in a closet, with othtr sweet- meats. This was in July just after the linden trees had blossomed, and when pasturage had become scarce from the absence of flowers Some hours after my return, the lady sent for me in haste, as the bees had made an invasion of her closet, and she was in great dread of them. " Seeing some bees in the closet," she said, "I opened the window to let them return to their hives. I thus left them, and forgot them, till passing near the closet again I was attracted by the noise within, caused by a countless multitude." Not only was the honey gom, but all the sweetmeats had been attacked and carried off. Of course, I had to replace my honey comb, and the confectioners were called on to furnish a fresh supply of tempting delica- cies. Dissatisfied with the Huber frame hive, I re- solved to try the Ravenel improved straw hive. That hive was composed of ekes, triangular bars, and a convex top. But my bees not only con- structed their comb crosswise, but cemented all ihe ekes together. In the emuing year, I in- troduced spaces between the ekes, according to Ch. Soria's book ; but this only prepared con- venient quarters for mothworms. I afterwards constructed two Nutt hives, in order to get as much honey as possible from my bees. One swarm gave me more than a hundred pounds of nice honey ; while the other absolute y refu- sed to work m the collateral boxes, and swarm- ed three times, though the hive was a so-called non-swarmcr. I then made the observatory hive of De Flurieu, &c, &c"; and tried all the known improvements, more or less sur-im- proved by myself; but these improvements generally resulted in evils as great, if not greater, than those they were intended to reme- dy. My apiary, stored with all kinds and sys- tems of hives 1 had heard of, advanced but so so, till, at the Paris Exposition of 1844, I en- countered Mr. Debeauvoys, with his frame hive ; and I resolved to transfer all my bees into that kind of hive exclusively. Ch. Dadant. Hamilton, III. [For the American Bee Journal.] Lett:r from Maine. CURE FOR ROBBING ! A swarm of bees gathered on a lamp-post on Broad street, Boston, recently, and was cap- tured by the merchant to whose door they came. Dear Journal: — I can hardly see how a young apiarian can prosecute the art of " bee- keeping " intelligently, without the aid of your valuable Journal. He certain'y must possess more brains than the undersigned, or his suc- cess must be materially curtailed. I could not afford to do without the Journal, even if its price were three times greater than it is. The subject matter is so varied in its character — much of it emauating from practical apiarians, who there record the '■'■process'1'1 and result of their experimenting — that "beginners" by care- fully obs rving the hints and suggestions given, can at once enter upon a series of experiments which will add much to the value of the apiary and afford them great pleasure and instruction. There is another class of correspondents, who delight to call themselves "novices" ("of whom I am which," as Nasby says), and tell what they have accomplished in their various manipulations of the hive, and their methods of procedure. In the latter class, Mr. Editor, I am deeply interested, because, from their ex- periments I got much that is of practical value to a beginner. Taking many of their ideas from the veterans in bee-culture, to whom we all look so confidently for counsel, carrying them out practically, and then giving your readers the result — whether it he failure or suc- cess. This enables me to adopt the method that proved successful, and to reject the other. Standard works upon the "Bee and Bee Hive" are valuable ; yet he would be a rare genius who could combine in such a work, the way to manage in all emergencies that are so continually arising. This, the Journal nearly accomplishes, because of the large number who contribute to its columns. I would advise all bee-keepers, whether they possess one or more stocks, to subscribe for the American Bee Journal, and they will surely find in each number some suggestion that will be worth to them more than the subscription price for a year. Now a bit of my own experience. May 19, Mr. Emerson, of Charleston, (Me.) transferred for me a small swarm of bees, from the Torrey hive to the American. But on carrying the hive to the stand, I found the roof of the house too low to admit it, and I placed it in another part of the house. The natural result of this sudden "change of base" was the loss of many bees that flew back to the old stand and perish- ed. I soon became convinced that the queen was destroyed dudng the process of transfer- ring ; but knowing that the combs contained young larvae, I felt sure that a queen would soon be reared; which proved to be the case. June 4th, I found the hive full of robbers, that had completely conquered my little colony. Watching them carefully, I managed lo entrap some two or three quarts of them. After treat- ing them to a good smoking, I kept them snu ; and safe for four days, when I fed them by THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 29 placing in the hive a piece of comb filled with sugar syrup and water ; upon which they soon worked quite freely. At sunset on the fifth day of their imprisonment, I smoked them again and let a few fly out. They returned promptly to the hive. Next morning, I let out about a dozen bees. These flew about for sev- eral minutes, apparantly acquainting them- selves with the " new order of things " about their adopted home, and then off to the blos- soms. From these, in due time, they all re- turned with stores for the young. I then re- moved the slide, and gave all of them the "freedom of the town," which they industri- ously improved. The result is an excellent swarm of bees, with a young queen safely fer- tilized ; and all now working finely. Mr. Editor, here, away down east, on the south of the charming Penobscot, scientific bee-keeping is yet in its infancy. Still, it is be- ginning to receive more attention, and we hope soon to see the branch of apiculture prosecuted with the same intelligence and enterprise that is given to agricultural pursuits. George S. SrLSBY. Wintersport, Me. [For the American Beo Journal.] Bees and the Echo. One should have imagined that echoes, if not entertaining, must at least be harmless and in- offensive ; yet Virgil advances a strange notion, that they are injurious to bees. After enume- rating some probable and reasonable annoyan- ces, such as prudent owners would wish far re- moved from their bee-gardens, he adds: " Aut ubi concava pulsa, Saxa sonant, vocique offensa resultat imago." This" wild and fanciful assertion will hardly be admitted by the philosophers of these days, especially as they are all now agreed that insects are not furnished with any organs of hearing at all. But, if it should be urged that, though they cannot hear, yet perhaps they may feel the repercussion of sounds, I grant it is possible they may. Yet that these impressions are dis- tasteful or hurtful I deny, because bees, in good summers, thrive well in my outlet, where the echoes are very strong, for this village is anoth- er Anathoth, a place of responses or echoes. Besides, it does not appear from experiment that bees are in any way capable of being affec- ted by sounds ; for I have often tried my own with a large speaking trumpet held close to their hives, and with such an exertion of voice as would have hailed a ship at the distance of a mile, and still these insects pursued their various employments undisturbed, and with- out showing the least sensibility or resentment. — Whtie's Selbome. Ten millions of pounds of starch sugar syrup are annually manufactured in Switzerland, and twelve millions of pounds in France. This syrup is principally used in the breweries of the former country, and in the distilleries of the lat- ter. Under the name of glucose it is also used in both countries by the confectioners, and as a bee-feed by bee-keepers. Bees often fasten frames, honey-boards, and boxes so firmly that it is difficult to remove them. By greasing with tallow the parts likely to be so fastened, they will separate readily, and the gum :'s easily removed. It is best to do it when the wood has not already been coated with propolis, but while still new and clean. It does not appear to annov the bees, and they put on the usual amount of gum, but it is easily removed. Ciiarles Carpenter. Kellev's Island, Ohio. Bleaching Wax. Wax is freed from its impurities, and bleach- ed, by melting it with hot water or steam, in a tinned, copper, or wooden vessel, letting it set- tle, running off the supernatant oily-looking liquid into an oblong trough with a line of holes in its bottom, so as to distribute it upon horizontal wooden cylinders, made to revolve half immersed in cold water, and then exposing the thin ribands or films thus obtained to the bleaching action of light, air, and moisture. For this purpose, the ribbands are laid upon long webs of canvas stretched horizontally be- tween standards, two feet above the surface of a sheltered field, having a free exposure to the sunbeams. Here they are frequently turned over, then covered by nets to prevent their be- ing blown away by winds, and watered from time to time, like linen upon the grass field in the old method of bleaching. Whenever the color of the wax seems stationary, it is collected, remelted, and thrown again into ribands upon the wet cylinder, in order to expose new sur- faces to the blanching operation. By several repetions of these processes, if the weather proves favorable, the wax eventually loses its yellow tint entirely, and becomes fit for form- ing white candles. If it be finished under rain, it will become grey on keeping, and also lose in weight. In France, where the purification of wax is a considerable object of manufacture, about four ounces of cream of tartar, or alum, are added to the water in the first melting copper, and the solution is incorporated with the wax by dili- gent manipulation. The whole is left at rest for sometime, and then the supernatant wax is run off into a settling cistern, whence it is dis- charged by a stopcock or tap, over the wTooden cylinder revolving at the surface of a large water-cistern., kept cool by passing a stream continually through it. The bleached wax is finally melted, strained through silk sieves, and then run into circular cavities in a moistened table, to be « ust or moulded into thin disc pieces, weighing from two to three ounces each, and three or four inches in diameter. Neither chlorine, nor even the chlorides of lime and alkalies, can be employed with any advantage to bleach wax, because they render it brittle, and impair its burning quality. Wax purified as above, is white and translu- cent in thin segments, and has neither taste nor 9mell. — Ure. so THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [From the (London) Gardener's Chronicle.] Feaundity of the Queen Bee. In a paper read by Mr. Desborough before the "Entomological Society," on the 4th of May, he makes the following extraordinary statement. To quote from the published report of the meeting : — "The author had succeeded in ascertaining that, in certain cases, the queen bee will survive and deposit eggs during not fewer than six seasons, whereas the worker bees only live about eight months. A single queen had produced as many as 108,000 eggs, which would be about 20,000 a year. But the greatest amount of eggs w;'s deposited during the first two years of her life ; only about 15,000 being laid during each of the last three years." With regard to the longevity of the queen bee, I have little to say, except that I do believe, as a rule, her existence extends to more than four years. In all my experience I have never known the life of any to exceed that period of time. The workers may and do live about eight months, during the autumn, winter and spring; but on an average, during the summer their lives do not exceed three or four mouths. But it is with respect to Mr. Pesborough's state- ment as to the fecundity of the queen, that I musf. take entire exception. A healthy vigorous queen, at the head of a strong and prosuperos colony, in a well proportioned hive, instead of laying only 108,0U0 eggs in the course of her life of— according to the author — six years, will lay nearer 100,000 eggs in one season. I have myself had hives in which I have been quiie certain that the queen laid at least 70,000 eggs in a single year ; and I have had and heard of other hives in which I have no doubt that the numbers far exceeded that amount. I have aUo had occasion to notice that the fertility of a queen is most abundant in the third season of her life — a great change for the worse taking place in her fourth or last year. It ap Dears to me most probable that Mr. Des- borough drew his inferences from observations of a colony domiciled in a glass observing hive. It must be obvious to every one that bees, under such circumstances, must be laboring under very great disadvantages. Their energies are cramp- ed in every way ; and the breeding powers of the queen, as well as the working powers of ordinary bees, cannot have full scope for their developement. S. Bevan Fox. ICsfThere two cases on record where the queen bees attain the age of five years — one ob- served by Mr. Uzierzon, and the other by the Baron ofBerlepsch; though it is believed that, on an average, they rarely survive their third summer. There is a marked difference in the produc- tiveness of queens, even under similar circum- stances of condition and age ; but most of them are much more prolific than Mr. Desborough infers from his observations. ' " The Bee, Whose busy labors wound the ear of Noon, Finds in the winter, from his garnered store, Quick spoliation and u bitter death." [For the American Bee Journal.] Bee Feeding. Mr. John M. Price, Buffalo Grove, Iowa, writes me a description of a bee- feeder, and wants I should te*t it, and report through the Bee Journal. He says: — "I have mine made of a Lyman self-sealing pint glass fruit jar. Punch a few holes in the lid, and s-older on a piece of the finest wove wire, such as is used in milk strainers. Then solder a piece or strip of tin around the edge of the head lid, § or £ inch wide, so as to keep the jar or can from touching the honey-board. Fill with honey or sugar syrup, and put on the lid ; now turn quickly over, and, there being no vent, the honey or syrup will not run out, only as fast as the bees suck it throush the wove wire. Place it over a h le above the clus'er of bees in winter." Thank you, Mr. Price. No doubt it is a good thing ; but I do not use a feeder, neither do I feed bees, except in the spring, to promote breeding, or in summer, and then in small quantities only. Now, for my method. Make your swarms early, and strengthen them up and equalize them with brood from your strong- est stocks. In the breeding season, and while they are gathering honey, feed in small quanti- ties when there is a temporary cessation of pas- turage, to keep up the fertility of the queen ; for recollect that the queen stops breeding it there should be two days together that the bees gather nothing, especially in a young swarm that is building comb. Should you make swarms late, do so by taking a single frame from a hive containing brood and honey, and make up a full swarm at once. This I fre- quently do late in the season to use up my spare queens. By this method you will have no weak stocks in the fall. Every stock will be a No. 1, if properly managed. In summer feeding, it is just as easy feeding a swarm of bees, as it is to feed a brood of chickens. My honey-board is in three pieces. I remove the piece where I wish to teed the bees, and sprinkle the feed in among them, or sometimes put it on a plate in the vacant side of the hive, just at night, to prevent robbing. How many will try this method, and report through the Bee Journal ? Suppose you use a common box hive, your swarm can be strengthened up in summer, by drumming out young bees from a strong stock and giving them to the weak. Mr. Price also sends a description of a novel kind of hive of his invention, and as he is sen- sible enough not to have it patented, we will .sup- pose it is an excellent hive. There is no use in inflicting another patent hive on the public for the next thousand years. All use what is called the Langstroth principle, only the form is varied. When they depart from that princi- ple, they make a move in the wrong direction. Elisha Gallup. Osage, Iowa. %W Send us the names of bee-keepers, with their Post Office address. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 31 Pure Fertilization. Since our last issue full accounts of the pro- cess employed by Mr. Kohler and others, to in- sure the pure fertilization of Italian queen bees, having reached us in the Bienenzeilung and other foreign periodicals, we take the earliest opportunity to place them before our readers. We trust that some of our correspondents are in a position to test the matter promptly, and having done so, will communicate the result to the Bee Journal, for the benefit of its readers. "We begin with The Kohler Process, described in a letter from Mr. Kohler himself, as follows : " Now, as to the process itself. It grew out of an observation I made that, on many fine forenoons and afteruoons, the air is still suffi- ciently warm to permit the queens to fly at times when drones have not yet issued fr< m their hives, or after they have ceased to fly. Hence we must devise a mode of inducing Ital- ian queens and drones to issue at times when common drones are not or are no longer flying, UDtil the young queens reared and matured have become fertilized. The period during which drones usually fly rarely extends beyond four or five o'clock in the afternoon. Hence if we have one or more colonies containing young queens which we certainly know have not yet been fertilized, we place these during three, four or five days in a quite dark and right cool cel- lar, and with them also a hive containing a large numher of Italian drones. Then, when a fine, clear, warm day occurs, we watch our stocks or colonies of common bees, to ascertain when their drones have ceased to fly, and as soon as practicable thereafter, the Italian colonies are to be brought out of the cellar and replaced on their stands, giving each of them a teacupful of diluted honey. The queens and drones, wearied of long confinement, and the bees excited by food and eager for release, will now rush forth precipitately, and pure fertiliza- tion of the queens is sure to be effected. "We should, however, be careful to return to the cel- lar, every colony the queen of which has not been seen to return with the evidence of fertili- zation ; and this must be done on every occa- sion, until it is certain that the object has been accomplished. This is necessary, because it is well known that some queens make lepeated excursions before they succeed in encounter- ing drones ; and this is the more likely to hap- pen when the excursions are made at a time when the number of drones abroad is restric- ted to those of the Italian race alone, contained in only one or two hives. You will be satisfied, even before making the experiment, of the efficiency of this process ; still '■•there's nothing like trying,'1'1 and you will of course do that, to add conviction to belief. But I will now communicate some additional information, which I feel sure will be gratify- ing to you. I do not know whether you prefer natural to artificial swarmiDg. In my practice I combine both, because I can thereby, with the least possible trouble, manage to Italianize a dozen colonies by means of a single one. My process is as follows : Remove the stock from which a swarm has just issued, and set it in the place of another right populous colony. In nine days it will swarm again, by mea- s of the bees received from the colony removed. We now remove it again to the stand of another popu- lous stock, and it will swarm again o > the second or third day. Continue this removal immediately after swarming, so long as tceting and quawkiug continue to be heard in the colo- ny at nightfall. Under favorable circumstan- ces, ten or twelve swarms may thus be obtain- ed, as the first swarmim? stock furnishes the queens and the others supply the bees. Hence if you have one or two Italian slocks and feed them carefully early in the spring, beginning about the 20th of March, if the hives are well supplied with pollen, or can gather it plenti- fully, we may feel assured that tliose Italians will swarm hrst ; and if then transposed as directed with common stocks, a'l the subsequent swarms obtained will have Italian queens though the bees be of the common kind. The advantages secured by this process are very great. In the firs' place we obtain prime swarms with Italian queens, and these queens are almost invariably larger and liner than those which bees produce under compulsion. Again, ■\\c are enabled to Italianize a colony with all ease — nothing more being required than the re- moval and transfer of two stocks to new loca- tions, and the work is done. I am enabled, also, to place the swarms anywhere in my apiary or, elsewhere ; and thus escape the bother and perplexity ofttimes occasioned by artificial col- onies, which cannot be conveniently or safely placed where Ave would prefer to have them. Furthermore, we know precisely when to look for a swarm a ter the first has issued ; for the second will come on the ninth day after the hive has been transferred to the stand of a strong stock ; the third on the third day after the second transfer ; the fourth on the follow- ing day, and so on. If queens are heard teet- ing and quawking in the hive, at eve after re- moval, it maybe carried into a dark cool cellar, and we may have it swarm next day at such hour as suits us. Feed it moderately, and a swarm will issue immediately after it is replaced in its stand and feels the influence of light and heat. 1 would add one remark. The process for ensuring pure fertilization is reliable orly when employed at the beginning of the season, while pasturage is abundant, and before any of the common stocks begin to expel their drones. It frequently occurs that particular colonies hav- ing raised young queens, begin to expel their diones as soon as those queens have been fertil- ized and begin to lay. I observed this in several instances last season. In such cases the drones no longer maintain regular periodi- city in their daily flights, but some are occasion- ally seen on the wing from early in the morn- ing to late in the evening. It is hence advisa- ble to engage in rearing queens early in the season and to hasten that by judicious though moderate feeding. Trusting that you may be able to make your 32 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. experiments this year yet, and that no unex- j pected mishap may thwart your expectations, I am yours, Kohler." July 18, 18G7. The Kruger Method. Mr. Kruger places the colony containing the 3roung queen, hut which must contain no drones, at < vening or early in the morning in a dark and cool cellar ; and places there also the colony containing the pure drones of whatever race he desires to propagate. In the afternoon of the following day, if fair, or of the first sub- sequent fair day, after the drones of the other colonies in his apiary or vicinage have ceased to fly, he again removes those hives from the cel- lar, and replaces them respectively on their for- mer stand ; feeds the bees with hike warm diluted honey, and allows them to fly. The Baron of Berlepsch assured Lieutenant Wedell that the Kriiger and Kohler methods are identi- cal. The Gohde Method. On the 19th of April last, at a meeting of the ■ Lausche Apiarian Society, Mr. Gohde, ofWitt- gendorf, submitted the results of experiments repeated several years, to secure the fertiliza- tion of queen bees by drones selected by the bee-keeper. "I take," said he, "a nucleus hive, and place in it a comb with honey, and another with brood, on which latter there is or has been inserted a queen cell containing an embryo queen nearly matured. I introduce in this nucleus a sufficient force of young bees, (choosing such to guard against desertion), and likewise from twenty to fifty drones of the va- riety designed to propagate from, give them an adequate supply of water ; close the entrance, and place t.ie nucleus in a cool and dark locali- ty eight or ten days. Then on tee afternoon of some suitable day, after drones have ceased to fly, say at about six o'clock P. M., bring the nucleus out, set it on the stand and open the entrance. The bees, drones, and queen will speedily issue, and in most cases the latter will be seen returning with marks of fertilization. But if this fact is not observed, the nucleus is returned to its former locality when the bees have become settled, and the entrance has been closed. It should be brought out again the next evening, or as frequently as necessary, till evi- dence has been obtained that fertilization is ef- fected." Mr. Gohde assured the Society that by this method, he had invariably secured fertilization by the selected drones, though his apiary still contained colonies of black bees, as well as of hybrids and Italians. He desires other bee- keepers to try it, and report the result. TnE Futter Method. Mr. Futter, principal of an academy at Stein, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, has communica- ted to Mr. Dathe, of Eystrup, Secretary of the Central Apiaiian Society of the province of Hanover, his method of controlling fertilization, not, as he says, "with a view of securing pecu- niary remuneration or to interfere to the disad- vantage of Mr. Kohler, but to secure evidence of his claim to a simultaneous or prior discovery of so valuable a process." Mr. Dathe does not publish the method, as the knowledge of it was communicated to him under an injunction of secrecy ; but contents himself with stating that it is substantially the same as that of Mr. Kohler. Dathe' s Method. When communicating the above to the Bienenzietung, Mr. Dathe takes the oppor- tuiny to remark that the alleged Kohler dis- covery is in reality, no new discovery at all. That he himself made and published it a year ago, in his pamphlet " Guide to Italianizing ," page 65. Consequently that which was pub- lished twelve months ago, cannot be a new dis- covery this year. We have a copy of Mr. Dathe's pamphlet, and on turning to it find the following passage on page 65 : " To secure fertilization after the drones have ceased to fly; we shut up in the morning the hive containing the queen and drones we de- sign to propagate from, giving tliem sufficient ventilation, and placing them thus closed till evenfng in some dark cool place. It is unne- cessary to cover the hives with an envelope to enable the bees to course over them on opening the entrance. When the drones of the other colonies in the apiary have ceased to fly, those hives are replaced on their stands, and the bees are impelled to issue and take wing, by feeding or sprinkling them with honey." This is virtually the same method. Having thus furnished our readers with an account of the German methods, we proceed to present to them, from the (London) Garden- ers Chronicle, a statement of a Scotch Method to Beeed Pure Queens. Last week I alluded to the fact of the publica- tion of a discovery very analogous to that of Mr. Kohler, by a Scotch apiarian. I have now the pleasure of supplying your readers with the details of the discovery. The following letter appeared in the pages of a contemporary : — " As many of the readers of our journal may not be in a position to pur- chase the discovery of Mr. Kohler, I think they might in the meantime try the plan of an api- arian friend of mine for preventing his Ligu;- ians from crossing. It is this. As soon as a young queen is hatched out in a nucleus box, a number of pure Liguiian drones are selected for her compan- ions, and confined along with her for two or three days. Then, on the afternoon of a flue day, when all other drones in the apiary have gone to rest, and the queen is judged ready to take her wedding flight, the hive is opened. As might be expected, the queen and her com- panions immediately avail themselves of their liberty, and a pure breed is secure. "Should the first tour not prove successful, THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 33 the hive is again shut up, and not opened until the following afternoon." M. J.— Lockerslie. The foregoing plan is so nearly allied to that of Mr. Kohlcr that I, in common with Mr. Woodbury, deemed it desirable to decline re- ceiving any more names of subscribers at 10s. Gd. each, for the secret of the German discover- er, though at the same time feeling very sorry that he should so soon have tost the chance of receiving a little p cuni try benefit for his plan. I have no doubt that the course of proceeding recommended by M. J.'s Scotch friend, will be found fully to answer the purpose intended It is strange that, while feeding the young swarm and the stocks containing pure Ligurian drones, for the purpose of inducing the young quei n and the pure drones to fly out earlier in the day than the drones of the generality of hives would ordinarily do, has been more than once recommended, thf apparently equally simple mode of inducing them to go abroad after the usual time of flight, should have been com- pletely overlooked. In addition to ihe directions given by M. J., I would suggest that the bees confined in the nucleus, should be supplied with a little artifi- cial food, just prior to their being allowed their liberty. I think this w>uld stimulate both the queen and drones to take flight. I shall hope to hear of favorable results from any of our ar- tificial queen-raising friends who may be dis- posed to try this experiment. S. Bevan Fox. [From the Canada Farmer.] Alsike Clover. [For the American Bee Journal] Is Puff-Ball Smoke Injurious? One question I would like to ask : Does it hurt bees to smoke them with puff-ball ? One of my neighbors ke ps bees, and sometimes smokes them with puff-ball, and I have noticed that his bees do not swarm as well as others in the neighborhood. I do not know whether it is flint, or because his hives are rather small, not measuring more than l,b00 cubic inches. Rufus Stickney. East Templeton, Mass. tS~The use of puff-ball in fumigating bees, has been objected to, when the hives contain brood, on account of its tendency to destroy the uncapped larva?. We never used it our- selves and cannot speak from experience, but if such be its effect, hives so treated in the spring would be very likely "not to swarm as well as others." Small sized hives would rather promote than prevent or retard swarming. Monmouth, III., June 17. Till the 10th of June, bees here did not gather honey enough for their daily need. Since that time, with the exception of three days, they have done well. They are now just beginning to swarm. _ All the bees in this county are black, except eight stands, which are Italians. T. G. McGkaw. EfT" Send us the names of bee-keepers, with their Post Office address. The following is an extract from a farm jour- nal :— u May 26, 18G8. Made the weekly in- spection of the farm. Went first to the Colt grouud, where the span of colts, now three years old, are growing into the future team. 'ibis place consists of four acres, fenced in with black ash pole, or log fence, so high that they cannot jump over, and so strong that th y can- not break through. This is the true way to prevent colts from being breachy. Thepusfum is very rich, and is more than will be necessary to support the colts during the season. "I noticed the Alsike clover particularly, which is now about five inches high. It pos- sesses one unusual peculiarity, viz : that of doing best in the holes covered with water during the winter and spring. No doubt this is a valuable property as compared with red clo- ver, which will not stand such hardship. Another thing to recommend its use is, that, before timothy or red clover is ripe enough to cut for hay, the top-flowers of the Alsike are ripe and shed their seed, which seems to catch at once and grow, as I find vast numbers of young plants, only two inches high, the results of last year's haying. Our colt pasture ia an uneven piece of land, and the root9 and stumps are not out sufficiently to enable us to level it yet." This property of withstanding water in the winter and spring renders it a very useful plans for undrained farms, and reminds us of the na- tive p. ace of the Alsike clover, which was first discovered in the ditches of the fortifications of " Alsike," in Sweden. [For the American Bee Journal.] Revived Bee-Culture. Mr. Editor:— I have alwiys felt a lively interest in the bee question , that is, since I was old enough, though that is not yet a great many years. My father kept bees, in an old fashioned hive, for quite a number of years, or till they run out. He came to the conclusion that it was the mothworm that des' royed them; and that there was no uce in trying to keep bees any longer. Thus the thing was settled, till I took it up again. I procured Mr. Lang- stroth's book and two swarms of bees in frames, and went at it, with the help of some of my knowing friends. The consequence was that the experiment came to a speedy termination the following winter. Since then, I have had better success. Last fall I took the first pre- mium for honey, in New Haven county, and intend to do the same this season. I get my honey in drone comb as much as possible, and generally in small frames. These are set in a large box over the hive; and then, while the comb is built, they are moved apart gradually, till I obtain very thick combs— in fact, as thick as I please, if the season is favorable and long enough. It is very saleable —much more so than in thin comb. Then too, if the clover 34 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. season lasts longer than was expected at first, it gives more room for the yield, without the bees being required to finish and cap it with buckwheat houey. I have about fifty or more stocks at the pres- ent time, and have had very few swarms. They are storing honey fast at present, though I had to feed considerable last spring. Those that I fed most, are doing best now. The Ital- ians (of which I have some) were almost en- tiiely out of stores; in fact some had not a pound of houev in their hives before I was aware of their eondiiion. They are d ing very nicely at this time ; and I shall probably not have a black queen at the close of the season. I received a queen from Mr. Langstroth — one of his twenty dollar ones. She is doing well. I have taken all the eggs away from her as fast as laid, for breeding purposes. A shorr time ago, I introduced a young queen from her in one of my stocks, by smoking, catching and remo- ing the old queen, and sprinkling with honey both the bees and the you-gqueen. I then let her go at o.ice. I saw when looking at them to-day, that she is all right, and has been lay- ing quite extensively. Perhaps the method would rot always be safe; but I shall try it till I fail. I should not, however, recommend it where a valuable or a dear-bought queen was at stake, until it had been more fully tested. I find in one of my stocks of black bees some- thing that I never noticed before. Whether it is a disease or not. I do not know. I never saw a notice of anything like it in any paper or books on the subject. I enclose a bee for your inspection Please report if you know what it is. You will perceive that it is something con- nected with the parts that secrete the wax; and I have seen some of them with the wax scales very thick and long, sticking to the body. William A. Barnes. West Meriden, Conn. PW The bees sent were so crushed in the mail that it was impractible to separate and identify the parts referred to. At Franklin, Ohio, recently a swarm of bees settled on the head of a horse standing in front of a church, aud the owner of the horse went to his assistance. The bees settled on him too, stinging him senseless. A doctor shaved his head, and extracted fifty or sixty stings from his scalp. The horse was stung severely, The bees had come from a hive in that vicinity. The prompt application of a few gallous of cold water, from the rose of a common water- ing pot, sprinkled directly on the clustering bees, would have obviated all difficulty in this case, and saved both horse and owner. A little knowledge, presence of mind, aud calmness, would have been exceedingly serviceable here ; for nothing is more apt to rouse the ill-temper of bees than to come in contact with a sweaty horse ; and a horse is a most helpless animal, when attacked by bees. [For the American Bee Journal. J Response to Inquiries. Advice to a Young Bee-Keeper. "When you don't know what to do, don't do you don't know what." New Beginner wants my reasons for the size of hive, &c. In the first place, New Beginner is mistaken about the capacity of the hive. It contains just 2000 cubic inches inside of the comb frames ; and as a good queen will occupy nearly every square inch of comb surface in said hive every season with brood, a hive of less capacity would not answer in any climate, when properly worked. I wo'kecl my most prolific queen this season, in three weeks, up to the entire capacity of the hive, and two combs over, by feeding her when required, and giving empty worker comb as fast as she used it. I selected comb containing but very little pollen. At the end of three weeks, when the first eggs laid commenced hatching, nearly every cell was occupied, even into the extreme corners of the frames. I also gave her bees a ; fast as she re- quired them, to take care of the brood. If I had given her a full complement of bees at the start, they would have stored honey and restricted the cap icity of the queen. Counting the two extra frames, it makes the capacity about 2700 cubic inches. About the inclined bottom board: I used it for years. In every hive tint I ever saw it was an extra expense, and no benefit whatever, but an actual damage. If you are going into bee keep- ing, you want to wo k your frames continually troni one hive tf) another, and from one part of the hive to another part ; and you want also to turn the frames sometimes one end towards the front, and sometimes the other. The same ob- jections hold good against the closed top bar, and frames fixed permanent at equal distances. Friend, tie up one hand for one week, there will be no great damage doue ; for at the end of the week you can untie it, and you can tell for certain whether you would sooner have two hands than one. Make your hive on the L mg- stroth principle (say you use the form that I do), with open top bar. Be very careful to have the frames made true, that is out of wind, as the carpenters call it ; have the top bar jointed true, and gaged where the bearings come o a to the rabbetings or strips ; hive the shoulders of the top bars cut true and square, so that the frame when put toge her is perfectly square, and when suspended in the hive hangs just where you want it, without any fixture to keep it at equal distances. Now, if you want to try the two methods, dress out pieces one-quarter of an inch thick, one and-a-half inches wide, and tack them ou to the top bar ; cut out notches for the bees to pass into the honey boxes, on the same princi- ple of the American hive ; tack on little blocks or bits of tin or zmc on the side of the frame, or have a notched stick at the bottom, or a stick with wires, to keep the frames at equal distances at the bottom. Apply all this in some of your hives and try the two me hods. When you are satisfied you can take off these fixtures. To test the inclined bottom, raise the rear of the hive, in some cases, and let others set per- fectly level ; and if you get one cent more profit THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 36 from those with the inclined bo'tom, other things being equal, you will discover moro than I have hern able to do in nearly forty years practice, and I have been a very close observer. A lrnged bottom-board is also attended with ex'ra expense, without a corresponding benefit. I object to the permanent bottom-board also. With the permanent bottom-board you have got to 'ake out the frames and bees, to clean out in spring ; and you will frequently want to know the exact condition of your bees in winter, without disturbing them. With a permanent bottom-board and closed top bar this is impossi- ble. With the hive I use you can tell their exact condition at any time. You can see whether there are any dead bees on the bottom-board, or any honey on the top, &c, without any dis- turbance whatever. Should you think that a side-opening bive is a good thing, make your hive enough wider to take in an inch board in place of a frame. Then you have all the advantages, without any of the disadvantages. But you will soon learn to have your comb built so true in the frame is to dispense wth the loose b ard altogether. New beginners wan to test these things for themselves ; — at least I did, when I was a be- ginner ; and my object in telling you this is, that you can try nea-ly everything without being at the expense of making different hives ; for nearly every one of these theories can be ap- plied to the same hive, or the size of the frame need not be varied. A hive with a small frame is altogether ahead of a hive with a large frame, for artificial Swarming, queen raising, equalizing colonies, &c. New beginners will imagine that they see advantages in this whim and the other, when there is no advantage, but disac vantage rather. At least I judge others by myself. I had that disease very hard, but am "so as to be about again," as the saying is. Some people are extra anxious to get their fingers into other people's pockets. They imagine that Mr. Langstroth is making money out of his patent, and they rack their brains to get up something different from his, so as to obtain a patent and get a share of his money or moncj^ that elongs to him. I give no great credit to any person after seeing his hive, and the principle of mova- ble combs, for making alterations, &c. I have made a great many alterations, for the sake of testing by actual experience, yet I never thought of applying for a patent Last week I was sent for and requested to go and see some bees in the shallow things, and I had the curiosity to meas- ure the depth of comb, and it was just six inches* The bees have done nothing, and can- not Co anything but only live along from one season to another, fight against moths, and fina^y give up the ghost. Now, I have almost conu to the conclusion that Mr. Langstroth never sre ap- parent, and the intelligent among them will hail with pleasure the appearance of the " Guide." It will be published in eight or ten parts, at fifty cents each. Part 3, to be issued in August, will begin an account of the Uymenop- tera (Bees, Wasps, Ichneumon Flies, Saw Flics, &c ,) giving the distinguishing marks of the group, its structure, and special explanations of terms used in describing the various species, with their geographical and geological distribu- tion. 88 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Straw Movable Comb Hive. In the Bee Journal for June 1S63, page 235, Mr. J. Davis suggests a minute description of the various kinds of hives iu use, with illustra- tions. This would be instructive and useful. As regards myself, I use a straw hive wi'.h suit- able modifications to adapt it to the employment of movable frames. Mr. Langstroth, on page 831 of his work on the "Hive and Honey Bee," says : — "Straw hives have been used for ages, and are warm in winter and cool in summer. The difficulty of making them take and retain the proper shape for improved bee-keeping, is an insuperable objection to their use." Of the many board hives annually patented, the bee- keeper who practices artificial swarming, will find in the Langstroth hive all he needs. The comb frames supply all that is requisite for ra- tional bee-culture. I have made many experi- ments with comb frames, broader or narrower, but am best pleased with a width of 1^ inch, as Mr. Langstroth directs for the upper bar. Straw hives are unquestionably to be preferred to others ; that is, if arranged for movable combs. I am very far from desiring to claim that I have the best hive in the world, as some inventors seem inclined to do ; because I have not yet actually tried every kind, nor even seen them. My hive is made of straw, is square in shape, and presents all the requisites demanded in Langstroth' s work on bees. It is patented and yet free, because I am a zealous friend of bee-culture William Henchen. Bloomington Ferry, Minn. [For the American Bee Journal.] Wintering Bees. I keep my bees in a deep dry cellar, where it never freezes. It is a part of the house cellar, partitioned off by itself ; and has one ventilator from the top, extending outside. I carry the hiv< s in during the first part of December, and pack them about four inches apart, and some- times two or three tiers deep The entrances are left open, and the room kept dark and quiet. A small trap is kept set, to catch the mice. In the fall of 1866, I carried in thirty-eight swarms. The next spring was quite late, and they were not removed until the 8th and 9th days of April, win n they were all lively and smart, except one swarm, which had starved a few days before. In 1867, I carried in fifty-three swarms. One of them had no queen, and less than a quart of bees. These pei ished in a short time, leaving the honey for my own use. The others all came through iu extra fiue condition-, and were remo- ved i.bout the 25th of March. I giV'S a little upward ventilation, when pos- sible ; and always deem it essential to keep the hives open. J. L. Hubbard. "Walpole, N. H. _' The sounds emitted by bees, are not produced, as Gundelach states, by the attrition of the ab- dominal segments on each other ; but by a for- cible discharge of air through the spiracles of the tracheae. Edgefield Junction, Tenn. I want the Journal continued, unci would like to receive the first and second numbers of volume third. I would not miss having the Journal for five times its cost. I have Quin- by, Langstroth, and other old works of this country's production, and would take Huber, or any other work of much interest on the propagation and culture of the bee. I reside so far from any taking much interest in the bees, that I feel the want of all reliable information possible. The queen from Italy, through Mr. Grimm last fall, is doing finely, her progeny differing from the queens from Mr. Langstroth and others by having more or larger of the white streaks on the after part of the abdomen. I have now seventy-four stocks in Langstroth hives, and think all except four have purely im- pregnated Italian queens, and those four are hybrids. I can raise queens from two to three weeks sooner here, than it can be done north of Kentucky. I had young queens and drones flying on the 10th of April , and have no black bees nearer than one-and-a-half miles. All my tested queens of this season are producing pure workers One colony had sealed queen cells on the 3d of April. I have found three young queens in one stock at the same time ; and an old and a young queen in each of two other colonics. I have a young queen hatched May 20, wings and all seemingly perfect, but she is not fertile. Will she be likely to mate after so long a time ? T. B. Hamlin. June 22, 18G8. E3^"Young queens have been known to be- come fertilized after much longer delay. CT Barnstable, Mass. I wintered fifteen stocks last winter, on their summer stands. Most of them were in good condition in the spring. Some of them are pure Italians; the remainder more or less mixed. Early in March, one morning after a warm day, I discovered on the platform, close in the rear of one of my hives, a cluster of dead bees about the size of a teacup ; and, on separating them, found in the centre a well marked perfect Ital- ian queen. I am unable to tell which hive they came from, or what caused them to take an outside berth so early in the season, when the nights were po frosty. The colony in the hive behind which they were found, has sent out two swarms within two weeks. Having never before seen or read of such an occurrence, I thought I would mention it. C. CONANT. Carthage, Ind. Inclosed please find two dollars, for which send me the fourth volume of the American Bee Journal. I cannot afford to do without it. I ga-ned more than enough honey from one suggestion in the Journal than would pay for it for ten years. My bees are doing well. P. W. McFactbidge. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 39 [For the American Bee Journal. } Bees not Dormant in Winter. During the past winter I made frequent exam- inations of a strong colony of bees, kept in a Langstioth glass hive In the morning of cold days, they could Le seen concentrated in the lour spaces between the five most central combs. By two o'clock of the same day, provided the sun shone brightly, the hive would become so warmed up that the bees would be found con- sidcrablv scattered t rough the hive some on the outside combs, some in the openings of the honey board, and many even clustering between the ends of the frames and the glass in the back part of the hive, which stood towards the s utn, and was consequently the warmest part of the hive. At night they would retreat to the cen- tral spaces again. This I saw repeatedly with undeviating regularity — even on the coldest days, provided the sun shone out steadily and brightly all day. The object of this 'separation of the bees from the main cluster is, not simply to enj y the temporary warmth produced by > he sun, but to bring from their store houses, the adja- cent combs, a fresh supply of food, which is again deposited in the emptied cells in the cen- tral part of the hive. The main cluster does not change its place for the purpose of reaching a new supply of food ; but the new supply is brought by individual bees, to the cluster from the surrounding combs. On opening a hive late in the fall, you will find the old brood-cells in the central part of the hive, completely filled with honey, but not sealed over ; and this sup- ply is replenished daily, during the winter, whenever the warmth of the sun invades the hive sufficiently to allow individual bees to leave the cluster. Hence, I infer that bees, kept on their summer stands, should have their hives exposed to the sunshine, in order to warm them up daily, and give the bees an atmosphere in which they can leave the cluster without danger of freezing. A few years ago I wished to be especially kind to a weak stock that I wras anxious to win- ter ; and for the purpose of protecting it from the cold, I covered the hive very carefully with an abundance of straw, with boards weighted with stones balanced over it so that it could not be blown away. The bees died, having plenty of honey remaining in the hive, but it was out of their reach. The heat of the sun could not penetrate the two feet of straw, to warm up the hive ; the bees were too cold to move, and they perished where they stood. Last fall I resolved to build a house for win- teriug bees, bince then, I have been favored with an inspection of Mr. Langstroth's new plan lor wintering bees, and am so well satisfied that it is better than any house, that I have given up the idea of building, and shall winter my bees on their summer stands. 1 think I shall try an experiment this v inter for darkening the entrance, without closing it ; iu order, if possible, to prevent the loss of bees that tiy out wnen it is too cold, or when there is snow on the ground, and are lost. It could be brought about in this way. On one edge of a board, as long as the portico of a Langstroth hive is wide, and half au inch wider than the portico is deep, nail on a thin strip of wood hah' an inch wider than the thickness of the board; rest this boaid, with the strip turned down, on two small strips of wood ^ or f inches thick, placed one in each end of the portico. You then have a covered entrance the whole width of the portico, and the strip over the edge of the boad falls a little lower than the< nt ranee, and prevents the admission of light, and also keeps out the wind. R. Bickford. Seneca Falls, N. Y. Bees as a Miliiary Force. "On the same occasion the Pacha's son and sixty officers of the rank of Aga, were made prisoners by a truly rustic mode of assault. The Turks had shut themselves up in a church. Inio this by night, the Suliotes throw a number of hives full of bees, whose insufferable stings soon brought the Moslems into the proper sur- rendering mood." — Note on page 270, vol. 22, of De Quincy's writings. Ticknor and Fields' edition, Boston, 1859. Alexandria, Ind. I look upon the American Bee Journal as being worthy of the patronage of every bee- keeper, as it contains much valuable informa- tion not found in any other work on bee culture. Works on the subject treat of it as a science lr.ore particularly, and could not reasonably be expected to give the experience of a large number of practical bee-keepers, of which we find so much in the Journal. This, together with the careful study of bee-keeping as a science, will elevate that branch of industry to the high position which it so much merits. Godfrey Bohrer. Lewisburg, West Va. We have had but very few swarms here, this season. Not more than one colon}' in ten has cast a swarm. I have divided all of mine that would bear it. Some that I had in common box hives I transferred to frame hives, and di- vided them at the time of transferring. I gave one hive about two-thirds of the brood, and kept this one in a dark cool place for three days. To the other I gave the queen, and placed it on the old stand. During the month of May, the weather was very sevrre on the bees, quite cold and wet. Considerable brood perished, even in the best of colonies, I think from cold. The Bee Journal continues to improve iu interest and usefulness. T. L. Sydenstricker. According to the statements of the dealers there, the annual consumption of honey in the city of Paris exceeds 1,00U,000 cvvt. There are about twenty commercial houses engaged in the trade— their transactions embracing both domestic and foreign products. 40 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [Fo: the American Bee Journal. ] S? allow Hives. Well, Mr. Editor, this Gallup is getting into an awful muss, to pay for being so blunt and plain in some of his articles. But I want to tell the readers of the Bee Journal that he had rather be killed outright than frightened to death. Mr. Alley, if I understand him aright, is an agent for the Langstroth hive. Now, it is not my wish to hurt Mr. Langstroth in the least, but Mr. Alley is compelling me to state some truths. I never have used the shallow things myself, but have had the care and man- agement of them for my neighbors, and have examined hundreds of them in different parts of the West ; and therefore probably know how they work as well as any other person. I have known a person to lose $600 worth of bees in one winter in those hives ; another person thirty swarms — all he had ; and I can show you at present such rejected shallow hives all over the West. I received three letters last week from different individuals, all stating, " I bought a right and hive from Mr. Langstroth's agent, but do not like it." "Mrs. E. S. Tupper commenced using the hive, but now uses the American," &c. In all my large acquaintance in Wisconsin and this State, I do not know of a single individual that uses them in the shal- low form, and nearly all of them have pur- chased the right at one time or another. I am aware that our climate is altogether different from yours, friend Alley, but that does not prove that the Langstroth hive is the best in your climate. Now I could use the Langstroth hive here, and do well with it, but I could use the Champion, American, Thomas, Kidder, Lee, Bingham, and several other form?, and do better. To a large proportion of beginners I could recommend the Thomas or American form of hive very highly. Some of their fix- tures I should leave out for myself ; and to another proportion of beginners I would recom- mend the hollow bass-wood, or bee-gum, as it is called here. Now for some of my reasons. In the hollow gum or American form of hive, the bees will commence about so many combs for worker combs, say from six to eight, and as they are tall in proportion to their size, those combs are carried down to the bottom all worker comb, and as the bees can cluster in them naturally, the queen breeds up to her full capacity earlier in the season than she possibly can in this cli- mate in the shallow things. And the bees will winter as well, if not better, in such hives with- out corncobs than yours will with them. I certainly have no objection to your using corn- cobs. The objection I have is this, for a person to come around claiming that he has a valuable secret on wintering bees, &c, and sells that secret to my neighbors for ten dollars, and it turns out corncobs ! It seems to me as though it would be more manly to tell that neighbor how to winter his bees without the use of corn- cobs, and tell it freely, " without money and without price." Now, friend Alley, I have a question to ask. Where, in the name of common sense would or could the bees cluster in that form o f hive, if not snug to the cobs, in winter, every time, supposing the cobs were there? For the very rea- sons I have stated, Mr. Langstroth ought, for his own interest, furnish a different form of hive to such of his customers as need them or re- quire them. As near as I can understand, al- most all movable comb hives contain the Lang- stroth principle. Mr. Langstroth no doubt ob- tains any quantity of testimonials from those that like the hive. But, as a rule, those that dislike or reject it scarcely ever write to him, but adopt some other form, and condemn the Langstroth principle altogether. From a friend and well-wisher to the beo- keeping public, and all the while one of the best- natured fellows you ever saw. So pitch in ! E. Gallup. Osage, Iowa., [For the American Bee Journal.] In changing to Italian bees, last September, the first young bees gathering hone}', or work- ing at sunrise were nine days old. The first young Italians with pollen on their legs, were twenty-three days old, and these bore not half so large loads as the older bees. I have not seen any difference in age of honey-gathering or pollen-gathering bees noticed in the Bee Journal. Perhaps the young bees do not at first gather honey for home storage, but only for their own consumption. H. D. Miner. Washington Harbor, Wis. [For the American Bee Journal.] Early Swarms in 1868. The first swarm of the season in latitude 41°, was from N. Hartman's Italian bees. It, issued on the 15th of May ; and the second swarm came on the 26th. They are from a swarm of last year which I sold him, put in a Langstroth hive, and packed with straw and a board in front, and left on its summer stand during the winter. 1 do not know of any black bees, in this town, swarming till July this year. J. Winfield. Canfield, Ohio. Pleasant Hill, Ky. I am much pleased with the American Bee Journal. Instead of waning, it is increasing in interest ; and I hope in patronage and circu- lation, as I perceive it is exerting a salutary in- fluence on the country, and creating a wide- spread interest on the subject of bee-culture, and the investigation of its yet remaining mys- teries and intricacies, and communicating the most simple and successful methods of manage- ment. B. B. D UNLAW. West Hamburg. Could apiarians know the value of your Journal, none would do without it. Time, I hope, will enlighten them. Mrs. William Harris. American Bee Journal. EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Vol. IV. SEPTEMBER, 18G8. No. 3. [From the German.] Practical Bee-Culture. Reserve Queens. Almost every bee-keeper knows from ex- perience how vexatious a matter it is when col- onies, old or young, become queenless, and how troublesome and difficult a task it ofttimes is to re-queen them. Yet, theoretically, it would seem that the occurrence should cause no trouble, nor give us any uneasiness. " Give the suffering colony* sealed queen cell," we are taught, " or insert a piece of suitable brood- comb, and it will soon provide itself with a queen again." The doctrine is all right; but, alas, in practice, the work of "reconstruction" does not always run on just so smoothly. Let us take a cursory view of the cases in which queenlessness occurs. First. A colony becomes queenless, from no fault or act of its owner, at a time when neither queen cells nor brood from which a queen might be reared are to be found, or when no drones exist to fertilize the young queen when mature. Second. Queenlessness occurs, whether by the owner's action or interference or not, at a time when brood abounds and drones are plen- tiful enough. A natural swarm may issue and lose its queen ; or we multiply by artificial metbods, division or transposition, and thereby produce queenlessness in at least one of the col- onies operated on ; or we remove the queen of a colony while pasturage is abundant, to cause an accumulation of stores without interference from brood, and desire when rc-qucening it to substitute a young queen for the old one ; or, finally, queens are lost on their wedding flight, or from various other obvious or supposable causes. In the first case above stated, re-queening by means of a queen cell or brood comb is either quite impossible or so uncertain that the best practitioners advise against attempting it — deeming it far better to break up the unfortu- nate colony at once. This case occurs not merely in the spring or fall, but not unfrequcntly in the height of sum- mer ; for when a queen is lost on her wedding flight there is usually no more brood in her hive from which a successor could be reared. In the remaining cases, indeed, re-queening by means of queen cells or brood, is not only a possible, but the natural process, (even if it be ef- fected with the aid of the bee-keeper) ; though most apiarians have often found, from sad ex- perience, that after much anxiety and delay, the result is a failure. Even when all things concur to secure a favorable issue, a month and more may pass before a queen raised from brood will begin to lay, and another month before the young bees produced from her eggs will become active workers. Meanwhile the season of pasturage is passing away, and when the new generation is ready to work there is nothing for them to gather. This is the reason why, in districts having spring or summer pasturage only, old stocks that have swarmed late, and late second swarms, usually fail to secure sufficient stores for winter, even if they do not happen to lose their queens, and become the prey of swarms. But matters do not always move on so regu- larly and systematically, as theory teaches or leads us to expect. Old stocks that have swarmed, and artificial colonies supplied with brood, sometimes fail to start queen cells ; or if they do, and succeed in rearing them, the young queens not unfrequently are lost on their wedding llight. In such case, the earliest and most important three or four weeks of their brief allotted season, are already lost ; the work has to be begun anew, and possibly we may have the gratification at the end of ten or twelve weeks, to see young workers returning to their hive laden w'th pollen. Much precious time has been fruitlessly wasted ; many fine combs of brood have been unprofitably sacrificed ; thousands of workers have been hatched merely to become mere unproductive laborers ; and the end of the whole is that a feeble colony has been laboriously built up simply to be united in the fall with some other one equally feeble, in the hope of thus saving them from destruc- tion otherwise obviously inevitable. These are the experiences which have given many a bee-keeper a dislike for every kind of multiplication, whether by natural or artificial 42 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. swarming, dreading the risks to be in incurred and the delay that seems unavoidable. Nevertheless multiplication is absolutely ne- cessary if an apiary is to be established, and a very easy and sure process has been suggested, whereby all the difficulties referred to and the objections urged may be obviated. / allude to the xise of reserve queens. This is a topic that has occasionally been ad- verted to, or made the subject of incidental re- mark ; but it is one so vitally important to suc- cessful bee-culture, that we shall readily be ex- cused for now undertaking to discuss it more minutely and in detail. Without further preface, I assume the position that every provident bee-keeper should adopt measures to keep a constant supply of fertile queens in reserve, through the entire year. Then let queenlessness occur, designedly or undesignedly, and at whatsoever season it may, a thorough radical cure of the colony is ever at command, by the prompt introduction of a re- serve queen, with the usual precaution and care. Let me illustrate this, by adducing a few ex- amples. In the spring or fall, when no drones exist, and brood cannot be found or obtained, we in- troduce a fertile reserve queen, and the colony is instantly restored to its normal healthy con- dition. On a revision of his stocks, the bee-keeper infers from the scattered state of the brood in the combs, or the jnterspersion of drone larva? among worker brood, that the queen of one of his colonies is no longer duly fertile, or is be- coming superannuated. He at once removes her, substitutes a reserve queen and thereby rescues the imperilled stock from probable ruin. The queen of a colony has been removed, to promote increased storage of honey during the gathering season, and the time for re-queening has now come. Instead of inserting a brood comb or a sealed queen cell, a fertile reserve queen is introduced, and egg-laying and brood- ing are resumed without further delay. • Again, the bees of a colony show, by their restless, roaming, inquiring deportment, or their plaintive moans, that a great calamity has befallen them, and that they have suddenly be- come queenless. If, while examining the stock, the bees become quiet and seem content, so as to create a doubt of their condition, insert a sealed queen cell, and if it is not destroyed within twenty-four hours, they have no queen. Give them a reserve queen, and the misfortune is remedied. Artificial multiplication of colonies cannot be too highly recommended, especially to such bee-keepers as are compelled to be away from home frequently during the swarming season. But precisely the easiest and most convenient mode of making an artificial swarm (placing a few brood combs in a hive and setting this on the stand of a populous colony re- moved elsewhere) is obviously defective and liable to fail. In the first place, bees accustom- ed to a fertile queen will betake themselves to mere brood combs with great reluctance, and onlv after Ion;1; resistance — many scattering to other stock, if any be near at hand. And, in the second place, after the bees have yielded to what proves to be an unavoidable necessity, they have still to rear a young queen, which involves delay ; and they may yet lose her atter she is mature. If we prefer giving to the colo- ny the queen of the removed stock, we must undertake the laborious task of searching for her amid an excited crowd of workers — a search not always successful, and which, if successful, involves the re-queening of the deprived stock, with all its attendant risks, disadvantages, and evils. The speediest, safest, surest and most convenient mode of multiplying, therefore, is to let the old queen remain in her hive when it is removed ; place a few combs with brood and honey in the nucleus; introduce a iertile re- serve queen in a cage ; liberate her when she is accepted ; and then build up the colony by in serting sealed brood from other stocks. If it be desired to divide a strong old stock equally, so that each division shall receive its due proportion of bees, combs, and stores, and be able to reach a wintering condition in the course of the ensuing season, the very best course is to give to each division a fertile young reserve queen immediately— unless that of the old stock be young, fertile and prolific. In such case she should be retained in one of the divis- ions, and a fertile reserve queen given to the other. These suggestions sufficiently warrant the po- sition I assumed at the outset, that every provi- dent bee-keeper should a laziness, but we think we can nevertheless show to all thinking minds that such is the fact. Many of our readers may recollect that we mentioned an experiment a year ago of giving 61 THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. a new swarm a hive full of empty comb, and that they gathered 30 pounds in two days by ac- tual weight. In this case, which was an artifi- cial swarm, the bees were all of such an age that they were all honey gatherers, and as we gave them no brood they had nothing else to do. Such a yield could be kept up but a few days, as worker bees are but a short lived in- sect, especially in the working season, and some provision must be made for a rising gene- ration, else our "big swarm" would soon dwin- dle out. After the experiment just mentioned we be- came convinced that could some plan be devi- sed to take the honey from the comb so as to return the latter uninjured to the bees, and thus obviate the necessity of that laborious operation of building comb in the busiest part of the sea- son, that the result would be a yield of honey totally unheard of heretofore. We mentioned last spring that we had constructed a machine for removing the honey, and have only room to add that its operation has proved a success, far beyond our highest expectation. In obtaining the large results mentioned below, we brought in play a combination of facts in bee-keeping of late years, as follows : In the spring we selected a strong stock, with a very prolific queen, and, first, removed every bit of drone comb from the breeding apartment and supplied its place with clean straight frames of worker comb ; second, we arranged the sec- ond story, as it was a Langstroth hive, so as to hold frames above as well as below ; third, the honey was removed by the machine at intervals of from three days to a week, or just before the bees were about to seal it up ; fourth, as the swarm soon became very populous, we were several times obliged to remove comb from the centre and supply its place with empty frames, to prevent their clustering out and "loafing," so that they have in reality built several frames of comb, besides yielding us 203 pounds of pure honey up to this date, July 21st, and from ap- pearances we think they are not near through yet. Of course all our stocks have not done equally well, yet we think we could have made them do so with the same treatment. From 20 stocks in the spring, some of which were quite weak, we have taken just 1,000 pounds of honey, and increased our number to forty stocks, or an average of 50 pounds of honey and one swarm for each. We shall feel happy to show our bees, honey, and apparatus to any who may feel interested in the subject, at any time. Respectfully, Medina, Ohio. A. I. Root. Having partaken of some of the honey made by Mr. Root's bees, we can cheerfully recom- mend it as being among the finest we have ever seen. — Ed. Gazette. The Egyptians by the hieroglyphic of a bee signified a king, because it becomes a command- er of a people to mingle with the sting of jus- tice the honey of clemency. — Purciias. [Far the American Bee Journal.} Wintering Bees. I have seen a great many plans in the Bee Journal for wintering bees, but I prefer the one I adopted last winter to any that has been suggested. Out of seventy-six hives wintered (amoug them some pretty weak colonies) I did not lose one. Whereas, winter befoie last, out of sixty-eight hives wintered on their summer stands, I lost thirty-eight, and the remaining thirty were weak. I came to the conclusion that what is good to keep ice in summer is good to keep bees in winter ; and I went to work and built an ice Jiouse, 16 feet by 20, and 7 feet high. I used six-inch studding siding on the outside, and lined with inch boards inside ; put a tight floor overhead, and then filled all around with saw dust. I also put six inches of saw dust above, on the floor. I had in each corner a four-inch opening, or chimney, through the floor, but not through the roof ; and a dou- ble door in front, which kept the room perfect- ly dark. We had pretty cold weather last win- ter, yet water would not freeze in that room. Towards spring, it was getting rather warm in- side, and I noticed that some colonies were be- coming uneasy. I then left the doors op n af- ter dark and shut them again before daylight — which operation made all quiet. I can winter a hundred colonies in that room, and it did not cost over forty dollars to build it. My bees commenced swarming the first week in June, though one swarm issued on the 28th of May, I only let them swarm once. Six or seven days after swarming I would cut out all the queen cells, and insert one Italian in place of black ones. I have now one hundred and thirty-five colonies; and I think when I put them in winter quarters, I shall have Italian- ized every one of them. I use the Langstroth hive, and prefer it to any other form. Any one must acknowledge that the frames are easier handled than in any other hive — besides the grand place for surplus honey, which no other hive can equal. As for wintering bees out of doors, I do not believe in it any more. We must provide shel- ter for all our stock in the winter ; why can we not afford to do the same for our bees. My bees are doing well, and some of the first swarms have filled six boxes of honey. Those with frames on the top have done still better. I believe bees will store double the quantity of honey in frames, as compared with boxes. P. Lattner, Lattner's, Dubuque Co., Iowa. In valor and magnanimity bees surpass all creatures. There is nothing so huge and mighty that they fear to set upon; and when they have once begun they are invincible, for nothing can make them yield but death ; so great hearts do they carry in so little bodies. A bee cannot live alone ; if she be alone, she dies. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 65 [For the American Bee Journal . ] Red Clover, King Birds, &c. Mr. Editor: — I have a few items relating to bee-culture, which I wish to communicate for the columns of the Bee Journal. First. About bees working on red clover. I have seen it stated that none but Italians were in the habit of working on the blossoms of this plaut. I think it a fact that bees of any sort gather very little honey from that source ; but according to my observation, all work alike on it At this date, August 1st, the second crop of red clover is covered with little busy bodies. I have both the Italian and the black bee, and find them all at work alike. Some weeks ago, while mowing the first crop of red clover, I found the bees at work abundantly on it, and they seemed to be doing a good business. Both varieties were at work on that field also. Hence I think it is all fancy that Italians alone work on red clover. The honey season this summer has been very variable. The bees did poorly on white clover, filling their hives slowly, and up to the 20th of July, the prospect for surplus honey was very poor. But at that time the bees began to work on the bass-wood blossoms, and I never before saw so great a crop of honey from that source. They now promise a full supply of box honey. I have never been able to realize such great returns of surplus honey as some of your cor- respondents tell of. From twenty to fifty pounds I call a great yield, for this section, un- less from non-swarmers, bass-wood blossoms being the last source of supply. Buckwheat is not raised to any extent in Vermont. Do King birds feed on working bees? If any body knows the facts, I should like to hear them. It has been said by some writers on the subject, that it is only the drones they catch. I am inclined to think so too. There is a family of those birds that frequent the vicinity of my apiary; but I notice that it is always in the time of day that the drones are flying, and the old ones are constantly snapping up either drones or workers and feeding them to their young. If drones only are their prey, they are benefactors; but not, if they destroy workers. A word about hives. I have been using, in part, for the past three or four years, the Lang- stroth hive. I like it well when I have a good strong swarm in it, in the midst of the honey season. It is very convenient for obtaining box honey, on account of the large top space for placing boxes. I have no trouble in winter- ing bees in them in cellars. They come out in the spring as strong as any of my hives. But now comes the failure. Bees do not breed and multiply in them as they do in a hive of the square form. Such is my experience, at least. Suppose you should make a hive with the same amount of space in it as the Langstroth hive, and have the frames only four or five inches deep. Anybody must see at once that bees spread out as they must be in such a hive would fail ; and the reason is easily seen. The nearer to a square form, the more heat can be main- tained in a hive. If we do not get a good start early in the season, we are nowhere. This spring I had eight swarms — four in Langstroth hives ; the others in various kinds of square hives. The latter four filled up with bees, and were ready to swarm, a week or ten days ear- lier than the first mentioned. Only one of the Langstroth swarmed at all; though I made one good artificial swarm from them, and gave a few combs to several swarms that came out. I am satisfied, however, that the Langs'roth principle, in a nearly square hive, is the best lor practical use. C. S. Paine. East Bethel, Vt. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bee Feeding.— Those Exceptions. In Mr. Gallup' s article, Bee Feeding, page 30, of the August number, he says : — I do not use a bee feeder — neither do I feed bees, Except in the spring, Except to young swarms, to keep them build- ing combs, Except in small quantities, Except in the summer, Except when there is a temporary cessation of pasturage. On looking over the above exceptions and his method of feeding bees, I should think that he not only fed them, but fed them heavy ; that he fed them often ; and that he fed them under all circumstances. If there is any other reason, except starvation, that he has not enumerated, and that he does not feed them for, I would like to know what it is. It also seems that he does use a feeder, as he gives a description of his method, with an in- vitation to use and report through the Jour- nal. Why a man of Mr. Gallup's experience should recommend putting a plate in the main body of the hive, I cannot imagine, except to be odd. The sprinkler I have used a good deal myself. It is the only way that I can get the bees to feed on pure molasses. They eat it, to get rid of it. I would rather pay any reasonable price for the right to use the Harrison Bee Feeder, than be annoyed by any other contrivance; and the sprinkler is wasteful. John M. Price. Buffalo Grove, Iowa. Bees delight to play abroad before the hive, flying in and out as thick as if they were fight- ing or swarming, in breeding time, once a day usually, if it be fair weather, and ordinarily at a set time ; each hive observing the same hour of the day, if it be fair. And then they will expatiate and "dance the hay" in circling mo- tions and surrounding vagaries ; and at other times, when they have been long shut up with cold or closer weather, the first fair day they will thus abroad, both to recreate themselves, and to ease their bodies, for they evacuate for the most part flying.— Purchas. 66 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Triangular Strips for Comb Guides. In making the Langstroth hive, I had some difficulty in preparing the "comb guide." Not being near machinery, I had to make by hand. I have now hit upon a neat plan and give it for the benefit of those similarly situated. Get out and dress a piece one inch square, about two inches longer than the guide wanted. With a rip saw split this, so as to make four square pieces, leaving the surplus end to hold all together until done. When cut off, each piece will have one perfectly straight edge. Nail two pieces to a plank with edges bevelled off so that, the straight corner being down, you can, with a jack plane set coarse, make a neat three-cornered piece. Tack this on with small finishing brads. The bees build better on this than on the large guides, (| — |— §), and where made by hand, four can be made as quickly as one large one, and from the same piece of timber. A. G. W. MURFREESBORO, TeNN. [For the American Bee Journal. ] Is it possible to materially increase the Size of the Honey Bee by Breeding? The cell of the honey comb has been a won- der on account of its shape, but I have seen no reason given why it is always about a certain size. This fact, I conceive, is no less a subject of wonder than that ; and is as susceptible of an easy solution, by plain practical laws, and has not only a relation to, but explains the former, and at the same time answers my ques- tion. An old friend of mine, who lives some ten miles distant, having heard that I had the Ital- ian bees, rode over, one day, to see them. His curiosity had been greatly excited, by what he had heard about them. He had not more than dismounted before he let me know his errand. "Well," said he, " I understand you have a new breed of bees, as big as bumble bees, that make comb with cells in it as big as a thimble ; that have no stings, and make honey all the year round. I came over to-day to get some, as I understand that one or two is all you need to get a start." I informed him that he was slightly mistaken; that I had no such bees, and that no such bees ex- isted; that I had the Italian bees, that were a lit- tle larger than mme common bees, but that I had the common bees as large as the Italians ; that they had stings, but had the reputation of using them with more discretion than the natives, and as to their making honey "all the year round," they did not make honey at all, but gathered it from flowers, and whenever flowers failed to secrete honey they must stop storing it. "My dear sir," he replied, "you are not pos- ted, for Mr. A told me that he saw them at Newburg." Now, I had acquired some reputation for bee- knowledge, however undeservedly, and to save it with my friends, I had to maintain my position in this wise. "All the habits and instincts of the bee would have to be changed, if it grew to such a size. The comb would have to be built differently. Instead of hanging it in sheets in the hive vert- ically, with horizontal cells on both sides, it, would have to be in sheets horizontally, with cells or cups only on the upper side ; for if tin: cells were as large as a thimble, or even a very little larger than they now are, the honey would run out of them as fast as the bees put it in. The cells in which the worker bees are reared are about one fifth of an inch in diameter, and that seems to be about the maximum size of cell that can be built horizontally, and hold the honey. The drone cells are about one-fourth of an inch in diameter, and when used for stor- ing honey have to be turned up from a hori- zontal position sometimes 30°, in order to hold it." "All that seems reasonable," he admitted, " but why should it be so ? Could not this big bee make the honey stay in the big cell, as well as the little bee in the little cell ? Each would be in proportion." " Nature does not permit miracles, nowa- days," I answered. Every substance exists as such, by reason of certain essential properties or qualities. Destroy any one of those belong- ing to any one substance, and you destroy tha£ substance. Among the properties common to all substances is one called attraction, which is an inclination in bodies and particles of sub- stances to tend toward each other. This proper- ty pervades all material things. Destroy it and you resolve creation into chaos again. It not only causes atoms to adhere together and form different substances or bodies, and holds them all together in a great body we call the earth, but holds all the heavenly bodies in their spheres as they revolve through space. "Attraction of cohesion is the name given to that force which holds together particles in bodies or masses ; and it is through an instinc- tive knowledge of this much philosophy, that the bee is enabled to stow its honey in the ves- sels it makes for it; and the same reason that you cannot fill a barrel with molasses, that is laying on its side, with one head out, prevents your big bee from filling its cell as large as a thimble, which is in the same position." "But why don't it run out of the small cell as well as the large one, as the molasses out of the barrel ?" "That is what I'm coming to. Dip your finger into honey and hold it up, with the end down, and you will soon see that the honey will run down and collect in a globular drop, at the lowest point. That drop or globule will in- crease until it attains a certain size, when it will fall off. If you measure the diameter of the drop of honey you will find it to be about the size of the worker cull." "I cant see," interposed my friend, "what connection there is between the honey dropping from the end of your finger and the size of bees, or even their cells." "I will try to explain, if you will be patient. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 67 The size of the drop indicates the cohesive force with which the particle? of honey arc held to- gether ; when another kind of attraction, called gravitation, is brought to bear on it, (the same force that pulled Sir Isaac Newton's celebrated apple off the tree). If the drop only attained a certain size, it would remain suspended — the force of cohesion would he greater than the force of gravita'ion ; hut other particles added give the latter the advantage, and consequently the drop falls. The honey is held in the cell by this very attraction of cohesion, and conse- quently the cells have to conform in size to the drop of honey, or the other attraction, gravita- tion, would cause the honey to run out." " Ah ! I see now what you are driving at," exclaimed he, "and consequently the bee can- not be any larger than the cells, as it has to go into them to put its honey in, and to pet it out. If it were otherwise the bees would be in the same fix of the fox in iEsop, who went to dine with the stork and had minced meat served in a bottle." "That is one reason, but not the principal one. The queen lays her eggs in the bottom of the cells, where they hatch, are fed by the nurs- ing bees, undergo the different transformations, and emerge full size. Of course they can be no larger than the cell in which they were reared. This is so true, that drones which are some- times reared in worker cells, are no larger than workers ; and I have known workers reared in cells built so near the sides of the hive that they could not be made of full depth, that were but little larger than a house fly." "So the cell is a sort of Procrustean bed," said my friend, "and those that occupy it must be made to fit it. I think I will go home and quit hunting bumble bees." "Stop awhile, till I give you another idea in this connection. Does not this also explain the shape and arrangement of the cells ? A great deal has been said and written, to explain why the bees build their cells with such wonderful uniformity of angle and such remarkable econ- omy of space. Many solutionshave been propo- sed, but none of them is entirely satisfactory! Another law of attraction is ' that when parti- cles of fluids are left free to arrange themselves according to the law of attraction, they assume the form of a globe or ball.' For instance the drop of honey, just spoken of, the dew drops on the leaves of plants, tears running down the cheek, and drops of rain. " Now the cells being constructed, primarily, for the purpose of holding honey, it is but natural to suppose that they would conform as near as possible in shape as well as size to the substance which it is intended to contain. Therefore they would be circular; but when we come to set them together, wre find that they will not fit each other and that there is a great loss of space. If that space is filled with wax, there is a waste of material ; so nature, alwaj'S economical, adopts the only shape that will an- swer the purpose for which they were intended; and constructing all the walls and partitions of an equal thickness, the thing is done, without requiring the bees to work out a difficult mathe- matical problem. There is no other shape ex- cept a cube or square that could be adopted, and that would neither suit the form of the maturing bees, nor be of such a shape as to take advantage of the law of cohesion in retaining the honey. The hexagon varies so slightly from a circle that it is substantially the same." D. L. Adair. Hawesville, Ky., August, 1808. [For the American Bee Journal.] Another Mishap. Last November I buried four small swarms of bees, without ventilation, in a bin of oats. Boards were set up around the hives, to keep the oats away from them — leaving about six inches space between the hives and boards. They were covered with oats to the depth of two feet, and had honey enough to last them till spring. They were taken out in March, dead. They evidently had lived only a short time, as but little of the honey was consumed. My neighbors told me when I buried them, that I would lose them. But I knew better, as Mr. Adair had told me, through the Journal, that bees could not be smothered. Another swarm of the same size — hive eight inches square, and eight inches high, inside measure — that set in the granary on the oat bin, came through the winter in good condition. Will Mr. Adair please to explain why this latter swarm, that was ventilated, was saved ; while the others, without ventilation, were lost? There was no raiding the hive a trifle here, to let in the air ; and no way that light could be admitted. A Wolverine Bee-Keeper. Tomato Honey. To each pound of Tomatoes allow the grated peel of a lemon and six fresh peach leaves. Boil them slowly till they are all to pieces ; then squeeze through a bag. To each pound of l:quid allow one pound of sugar, and the juice of one lemon. Boil them together half an hour, or till they become a thick jelly. Then put into glasses, and lay double tissue paper over the top. It will scarcely be distinguished from real honey. One drop of water hath no power ; one spark of fire is not strong ; but the gathering together of waters called, seas, and the communion of many flames, do make both raging and invinci- ble elements. And una apis, nulla apis, one bee is no bee ; but a multitude, a swarm of bees uniting their forces together, is very profitable, very comfortable, very terrible ; profitable to their owners, c mfortable to themselves, terri- ble to their enemies. — Purchas. In no way can we get at all the facts, correct errors, and reconcile statements, unless each collector carefully observes, and truthfully gives his own experience in the various fields of pur- suit.— American Naturalist. 68 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Shallow Hives again. [For the American Bee Journal.] Late "Reared Drones. Mr. Editor : — The Journal is highly prized hy the bee-keepers in ihis vicinity. The article in the August number, page 39, by R. Bickford, agrees with my own observa- tions exactly. But will he please tell us through the Journal what the new plan of Mr. Lang- stroth is, for wintering bees ? Mr. Gallup, on page 40, says Mr. Alley is compelling him to state some truths. Then he goes on to make some statements which, if he intends for truths, do not answer the purpose. He says, "now for some of my reasons. In the hollow gum or the American hive the bees will commence about so many combs, for worker comb, say from six to eight, and as they are tall in proportion to their size, those combs are car- ried down to the bottom all worker comb." Now those bee-keepers who have not seen the Amer- ican hives with combs built in them by the bees, might believe this. But I have nine of those American hives in which every frame is filled with comb built by the bees, some of them by Italians, and some the common black bee, and not one frame in eithei of the nine hives is in the condition in which he says they will be. My friend, Mr. William O. Sweet, of West Mansfield, Massachusetts, has some thirty or more colonies in those hives. I asked him if his were in the condition Mr. Gallup says they will be. His reply was, "No, not one." Now about those shallow hives. Last fall I bought two of them of Mr. Alley, and about the last of November I transferred a colony of black bees to one of them, giving them six frames well filled with honey and bee-bread. There was the queen and a few bees, less than a quart. I then put on the corn cob pan and cover. We had a long, cold, hard winter, so that the bees did not fly out at all until about the last of February, when I opened the hive and found a good, full colony. They had ac- tually increased during the winter. The depth of the frames is 8| inches. In April I bought twenty-two colonies in siDgle boarded hives, with frames of the same size as Mr. Alley's. They had stood out all winter, in a cold place, without any covering or protection whatever. Most of them had only eight frames, some ten, and one fifteen. They were all in first-rate condition. Some were Italians, some hybrids, and the rest common black bees. They have done very well this season ; have thrown six swarms that have filled as many hives of ten frames each ; and have made considerable sur- plus honey. From one colony, which did not swarm, I have taken ninety-three pounds of honey in frames which were set over the hive in the place of boxes, leaving off the honey- board. From another I have taken twenty- eight boxes of three pounds each. Mr. Benjamin King, of Raynbam, Massachu- setts, has used the Langstroth hive, with frames the same depth, (8£ inches), for the last ten years or more, and has usually left them out all winter on their summer stands ; and they have always wintered well with him. Taunton, Mass. H. B. King. In opening a hive of Italians to-day, (Septem- ber 1), to show a friend the practical workings of movable frames, I was surprised to find ahout one-sixth of the card of comb I lifted out filled with capped drone brood. These are the only drones that have been raised in this hive during the season, although I have manoeuved not a little, to have them furnish early drones, as it contained my only pure Italian queen. Early in the spring, I moved all the combs con- taining drone cells to the centre of the hive, but the queen refused to supply them with eggs, although she is a very prolific one. If these drones are not destroyed it will afford me a good ooportunity to have a lot of queens purely fertilized, as ail black drones have been killed off. Pure Fertilization. Could not this be secured by imparting to the nucleus containing the queen some powerful odor ; and also to the nucleus containing the drones that we wish to cross with ? Would not the black drones be repelled by the scent, whilst the others would not ? Will some bee-keeper give it a trial, and report through the Journal? J. R. Gardener. Fancy Farm, near Christiansburg, Va. Hunting Wild Bees. Hector St. John, in h's letters, give the fol- lowing curious account of the method which he employed in discovering bees in our woods in early times: Provided with a blanket, some provisions, wax, vermillion, honey, and a small pocket compass, he proceeded to such woods as were at a considerable distance from the settle- ments. Then, examining if I hey abounded with large trees, he kindled a small fire on some flat stones, clo?e by which putting some wax, and, on another stone near by, dropping distinct drops of honey, which he encircled with vermillion. He then retired to watch care- fully if any bees appeared. The smell of the burnt wax, if there were any bees in the neighborhood, would invariably attract them ; and on finding the honey, they would necessar- ily become tinged with the vermillion in at- tempting to get at it. Next, fixing his compass, he found out the direction of the colony by the flight of the loaded bees, which is invariably straight when they are returning home. Then timing with his watch the absence of the bee till it would come back for a second load, and re- cognizing it by the vermillion, he could gener- ally guess pretty closely to the distance travel- led by it in a given time. Knowing then the direction and the probable distance, he seldom failed in going directly to the right tree. In this way he sometimes found as many as eleven colonies in one season. Field Music— the hum of bees. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 69 [For the American Bee Journal. ] Wintering Bees. Mb. Editor: — You will please find enclosed two dollars to renew my subscription for your valuable Journal, together with a statement ol my experience in wintering bees with suc- cess. I commenced bee-keeping some eighteen years ago, and had as many as fifteen swarms. But by mismanagement and leaving the hives on their summer stands all winter, I lost every one by cold weather. I then bought two swarms more, and they froze to death by the same management. But, being a spunky Ger- man, I bought a third time, procuring three swarms on this occasion. By this time I be- came acquainted with Sir. Langstroth's Book on the Honey Bee, which I read with great in- terest, especially the portion on wintering bees, and the description of a bee wintering reposi- tory on page 348, third edition •, and I conclu- ded to provide one for my bees. I dug mine in the ground three feet deep, eight feet wide, and sixteen feet long — boarded up on all sides six feet high. I then put on a board roof, and banked up the sides with dirt. The gable ends I banked up with straw, and put in each a tube four inches square for ventilation. I placed the door in the north end, to prevent the entrance of too much light when opened. Shelves were arranged within on the two long sides. This repository will hold sixty stands of bees. I put them in this place the first part of Decem- ber and take them out about the fust of April. "When I put my hives in this repository, I give each of them ventilation, as well above as below. For the Lanastroth hive, I leave the honey- board on, with an inch opening, the width of the board, for upward ventilation, and one square inch below. For the square box hives, I give four inches square for upward ventila- tion, and one inch square below. In the year 1865, I placed in this repository nineteen s'ocks of bees, and left two out on their summer stands. I took the nineteen out of the repository on the first of April following, all in fine condition. The two stocks that I left on the summer stands through the winter lost about one-half of their bees, and recovered with difficulty. In the year 1866, I wintered twenty-eight hives in this repository, and in the following winter thirty-six. All came out well in the spring, without the loss of any. When bees are in the repository, it is important to let tbem remain undisturbed as much as possible. I visit mine not to exceed three times all winter, and those visits are made as clandestinely as possible, as I do not wish the bees to become conscious of my presence. Now I will say that nothing further Is neces- sary to convince me, and I think every other person, this winter-housing of bees is des- lined to prove itself to be the most successful method of management that has ever been in- troduced in our northern climates. In this section bees have done very poorly. A wet spring and a dry summer made the bee pasture scant, and it is more than probable that every stock left out in the open air this fall will perish before the opening of spring. Two full-bred Italian queens which I bought of Mr. Laugstroth are doing very well. They are fine specimens. I have raised sixteen young queens from them this summer, which mostly were fertilized by Italian drones. I will here mention a rare case of delayed fertilization. I have a queen which was six weeks and two days old before she became fer- tilized. She was in one of Mr. Langstroth's movable comb hives, which I think is the best hive in the world. I could thus keep track of her and see her so often that there was no chance for mistake. I will send you more some future time. H. ROSENSTIEL. Lena, Ills., Sept. 2, 1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] Wintering Bees in Shallow Hives. I intend to try a new method of wintering bees in the shallow hives the coming winter. I shall remove the honey -board which I use in the summer season, and use in place of it a whole one, which I shall fasten on with screws ; and make an entrance on the front end, large enough for the bees to pass out during the warm days in winter. Now, after putting a strip of wood across the front end, inside, to keep the frames in place, and another across the top of the frames, I shall turn the hive up on the front end, and secure it so that the wind cannot blow it over ; then put the cap on to keep out the water and snow. The wiDter passages should be made as usual ; and if there is a glass in the rear end it must be removed, or covered with woolen cloth. If others should test this method, they will find it a good plan to prepare a hive and then transfer the combs into it. If this is done as early as October 1st, I think the bees will re- move the honey below them to the empty combs near the top or centre of the hive. By turning the hive up we have a deep hive, and not a shallow one. Of course they will winter well, as all agree that a deep hive will winter better than a shallow one. I have never wintered a stock in this way and shape, and hope others will test this plan as well as myself, and report through the Bee Journal. If the hives are well stocked with honey and bees, I see no reason why they should not win- ter well in a hive thus prepared. H. Alley. Wenham, Mass. In the "Magazine of Natural History,'''' we find the folowing instance recorded of sinking psalms to bees, to make them thrive : " When in Bedfordshire, England, lately, we were in- formed of an old man who sang a psalm, last year, in front of some of his hives which were not doing well ; but which, he said, would thrive in consequence of that ceremony. Our informant could not say whether this was a local or an individual superstition." 70 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Wintering Bees. Last season I put up seventy-five colonies of bees in box hives, on the first of December. They were arranged in three rows, side by side, each being four rods long. As will he seen, the hives did not set very closely together. It would be well enough to say that they were not put into a cellar, or building, but near the ground, out of doors. The entrances of the hives were on the inside of the rows. The sur- plus boxes were removed, so as *o give upward ventilation. A light roof [of what?] was then put over the hives on the top and sides, making the interior perfectly dark. On the first of March the bees were removed to their summer stands. But I found eighteen stocks had gone over to Jordan, leaving plenty of honey, in consequence, as I thought, of suffo- cation. Those that survived came out in good condition. But it seems to me the above is a poor way to winter beees. What do the read- ers of the Journal think of it ? Can they sug- gest auy modification that would be an advan- tage ? The ensuing winter I propose to try another plan, and would like see the views of your readers upon it. Here it is. A part of my api- ary I will put into my house cellar, and the bal- ance into bee-houses, where they are kept dur- ing the summer, leaving the honey boxes on, and closing the entrances to the main hive. I propose then to cut a four inch square hole in the bottom-board and cover it with wire sieve — serving the ends of the boxes in the same way. This will give ventilation directly through the hives, and will confine the bees, so the}^ cannot fly out during the winter and get lost on the snow. When bees can fly out in winter, the stocks get so weak by spring that we fail to get early swarms from them. My first swarms this year did not issue till the fourth of July. I must adopt some means to get earlier swarms. Abram J. Brtjndage. Ottawa, Ills. [For the American Bee Journal.] Melilot Clover. No. 4. Mice. In' the fall of the year, particularly in the month of October, mice are apt to make their way into box and straw hives, the entrances of which are unduly large. These vermin may be kept out by inserting a few large pins or bro- ken needles vertically in the entrance, at such distances apart as will permit bees to pass read- ily, but exclude mice. On a Continental forty-five dollar bill, issued on the 14th of January, 1779, is represented an apiary in which two bee hives are visible, and the bees are seen swarmiug about. The motto is, " Sic floret Resptiblica" — Thus flourishes the Republic. It conveys the simple lesson that by industry and frugality the Republic would pros- per. As I am constantly besieged with inquiries with regard to melilot clover, please publish these remarks. Three pounds of seed are enough for an acre. The plants do best when not less than a foot apart. The fall is the best time to sow it, as the seed is more sure to germinate than if sown in the spring. It does not all grow in the fall, the freezings and thawings will prepare the balance for starting early in spring. If it comes up in the fall, the plants will bloom the next season, and they will get such an early stand that the weeds will be kept in check. The first season's growth seldom blooms, and as the plant dies, root and branch, after it does bloom, it is a good plan to sow twice, in the fall and in the spring, so as to have a constant succession of crops from the very first. The seed may be sowed with wheat, rye, or barley, or alone If sowed early in the fall, it should not be with grain, or the plant will be cut down the following season, when in full bloom. This would spoil the honey crop, in the main, for that season. A short harvest may be expected late in the fall. It is a good plan to soak the seed in tepid water, until it swells and is nearly ready to sprout. Then pour off the water, and mix with dry fine sand. In this way the seed can be sowed broadcast without much trouble. But when thus treated the ground should be moist. Immediately after, or just before a rain is a good time to sow it. The ground should then be gone over with a light harrow or a pile of brush Melilot clover will grow on any soil, but is rankest on low moist ground. Except in very dry seasons, it will yield the most honey on high soil. It is well to have part of the crop on low and part on high ground. No fear need be entertained that water will kill it. We have it growing where it is covered with water, several feet deep, for three or four weeks in the spring, and we never fail of a crop each season. It is to-day (September 5), in full bloom. Several parties whom I might mention, in different localities, are raising this clover ex- clusively and extensively for their bees, having become satisfied that it has no equal as a honey plant. A report for the Bee Journal is in preparation, and will be soon forthcoming, that will open the eyes of bee-keeper? to the import- ance of cultivating the melilot expressly for its honey. M. M. Baldridgb. St. Charles, III. A colony of bees has occupied part of a chim- ney stack, in England, for upwards of a century; and there is no recollection of a swarm ever having been captured from it. In Bishopsbourne, England, there is said to prevail the singular superstition of informing the bees of any great public event that takes place, else they will not thrive so well. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 71 [For tho American Bee Journal.] Bee Hives, Cuts, and Explanations. Mb. Editor : — In the June number of the Bkb Journal, volume 3, page 235, I called the attention of our patent hive men to the propri- ety of giving us nice pictures of their respective patented hives in your Journal, as it would he more attractive for the reader, and give him a better idea of what he is reading about, if ac- companied with a copy of his patent claims in the hive represented. Well, then comes the July number, (volume 4), in which, on page 14, we have the illustration of T. F. Bingham's hive ; but he fails to give a copy of his claims — hence we are left -without the desired explana- tion of his il ustration. Next comes the August number, and on page 38, we are called upon to notice. William Hen- chen's straw movable comb hive. But he also fails to give both the illustration of his hive and the points of his claims — though admitting at the same time that this would be " instructive and useful." He says: — "it is patented and yet free, because I am a zealous friend of bee- culture." If a zealous friend of bee-culture why not illustrate the hive you prefer and give all the explanations of it for the benefit of others, since it is free? Certainly Mr. Hen- chen can have no objection to the exhibition of the likeness of his hive in the American Bee Journal, with the claims to its utility, as long as he remains a zealous friend of bee-culture. Who will appear next with the illustration of his hive, and a copy of its patented claims ? Let one or two appear every month, to adorn the pages of the Journal and we shall soon see quite an interest in that direction, to give the cheapest, best, and most profitable residence of the bee, and of the greatest utility to the bee- master. I would remind friend Gallup, of Iowa, while he is in such an " awful muss " about the bee- hives, to give us a picture of the one lie prefers, with an explanation of all its fixtures. It will be none the less worthy of attention because it it not patented. We admire a nice, convenient, profitable resi- dence for our own bees. I "pitch in " for the pictures and the explanations of all the patented hives. Come on — don't be backward. J. Davis. Charleston, III. Bees have all the same common laws, and with common care observe them all. They have one common bond, not to have anything lawful for one which is not lawful for another ; but whatsoever is lawful, is lawful to all. — Pur- CHAS. The best place for wintering bees is a roomy, dry, dark cellar, having a temperature of about 40° F. Few bee-keepers, however, have facili- ties for thus wintering their bees. " Whoso keep well sheep and bee'n, Sleep or wake, their thrift comes in." [For the American Bee Journal ] Discolored Bees, Enclosed you will find a vial of alcohol in which there are a few Italian bees, both drones and workers, all taken from one hive. You will notice that two of the workers are lighter colored than the others, and have somewhat the appearance of workers that have just left the cell, though they were old enough to lly, and were taken from the outside of the hive. I have seen perhaps a dozen or more such work- ers in the colony, and have bred a few queens from the mother, in the hope of getting one similar in color, or one whose workers were similarly marked, as a curiosity. In the first I failed, but succeeded in rearing one whose workers were nearly like the one with the three white bands, as seen in the vial. She was acci- dentally lost, before any of her workers had matured, and I raised no queer, from her. I would remark that the alcohol has changed the colors somewhat. There is a greater con- trast between the two colors on the same bee, than there was before putting them in the alco- hol ; the dark color is darker, and the light perhaps a shade lighter. If the mother lives I shall try again next season. The workers were all taken from the outs' de of the hive, the honey sacs being empty, and the third band does not show as plainly as it would if the honey sacs were filled. I reject all queens as impure whose workers do not all show three yellow bands. The drones are se- lected. I have no queen whose drones all show as fine as those sent. The workers — yellow- banded — were taken at random. J. H. Townley. Tompkins, Mich. E^r*The "lighter colored" workers, above referred to, may be classed with the curious in- stances occasionally observed, showing a dis- position to "sport" in the Italian bees, and per- haps indicating that they are not really so dis- tinct a variety as they are usually thought to be. If the queen whose progeny they are, produce drones also with similar deviations from the or- dinary markings or color, a variety possessing those characteristics permanently might per- haps be originated. The experiment however would require patience and perseverance and involve much difficulty and trouble, for which the result would probably be no compensation, unless it led to a clearer insight into the process or law by which nature effects variations in spe- cies. The other workers, and the drones, are among the finest specimens we have yet seen. In an old English paper there is a notice of a swarm of bees that clustered inside of a lady's parasol, as she was promenading the street in a country village. They were hived without in- jury to the lady, or the parasol. Humble plains or lorsly vallies are commen- ded as the best place for a bee-garden. — Pur- chas. 72 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Wintering Bees on their Summer Stands. An article -which appeared in the Journal of May, 18G8, from the pen of my father, on a new plan of preparing bees for winter, has drawn forth many inquiries in legard to the details of his method. He stated, in that arti- cle, that the full particulars of his mode would be published in the Journal ; and the time, when such promise should be redeemed seems to have arrived. I Avould leave to him the ex- planation and presentation of his views on this subject ; but lie is, unfortunately, again pros- trated by the return of a disease which has for years, at frequent intervals, incapacitated him "from writing, talking, or experimenting on his favorite pursuit, apiarian science. Anxious that the bee-keeping public should be put in possession of this mode of successfully Avinter- ing bees on then .summer "stands, in time for use the coming winter, I shall briefly communi- cate the details without attempting to enter into a full exposition of the reasons that led to its adoption. Experience teaches that there will not. be found wanting those who are ready to make indiscriminate attacks upon anything and everything which has our name connected with it ; but also those who will "prove all things and hold fast to that which is good." In place, therefore, of the full description, both of theory and practice, which my father would give were he able, I present the following brief directions for preparing colonics, in the Laugstroth hive, for open air wintering. First, we (temporarily) double an empty hive on three sides by nailing half-inch boards on the outside of its legs. (All our late style of hives are provided with four legs 1 inch by 2, and 15 inches long, nailed on the sides, front and rear ; their tops coming under the ledge on which the upper cover rests). These side boards can be put on any hive already in use, together with the legs, if they are not already there ; they should extend 1§ inches below the bottom-board of the hive, making them 11 inches wide and 24 inches long, put on so as to project 1 1 inches behind the rear end of the hive. An end board, 19 by 6^ inches, is nailed or secured to the projecting ends of the side boards, fiting up to the ledge on which the up- per cover rests, and coming down even with the top of the rear ventilator. Another piece 19 by 4^ inches, fastened by any simple device that will admit of its being readily removed at any time, and put on behind the rear ventila- tor, completes the outside casing. This can all be readily removed in the spring and replaced in the fall, when desired ; though many may prefer leaving it on, thus making a cooler hive in summer where the apiary is exposed to the direct rays of the sun. Having thus dressed the empty hive as it were in crinoline, turn it upside down and fill in the air chamber with wool, woolen rags, dead leaves, or similar substance; then a heavy coat- ing of straw is laid on the bottom-board, held in place by a few battens. If preferred, tan bark or saw dust can be put in the empty spaces and held in place by boards fitted for the pur- pose. Now right the hive, put strips on the rabbets so as to raise the frames about half an inch higher from the bottom-board, and lay a piece of corn cob, sawed to a proper thickness, centrally from front to rear and from side to side, so that bees can always have a warm and easy way of reaching the central cluster from the bottom-board. By taking off the lower back piece and raising the ventilator, 3'ou have the power in a few moments of sweeping out every dead bee in the hive. This can be done in weather that would not alloAV of the opening of the hive, and in a large apiary where all the hives cannot be opened in the first spring-like weather, will be found to be of great import- ance. By this arrangement we unite all the advantages of movable and permanent bottom- boards, without the usual disadvantages of either. If the frames are not raised there is too little space under them for cleaning out the re- fuse. If desirable, a covered way can be made on the alighting board, by a thin board with two one-quarter inch clamps, this board not to come out within one inch of the outer edge of the portico. A board shutting up the rest of the portico above, may now be fitted in, and the spacT within be filled with straw, saw dust, or similar packing material. Leave the whole en- trance open ; mice cannot get in and scarcely a ray of light, while the foul air which collects on the bottom board, and when all below is kept tight often smothers the bees, can pass out. In putting a colony into the hive, thus prepared, the one of the combs that can be best spared is left out, and the space gained given to the four or five central spaces in which the bees will clus- ter. More bees are thus enabled to occupy the central spaces and keep warmer. This idea was first suggested by Mrs. William Harris, of Buffdo, New York, who has fully tested it. We have no doubt of its great importance. Across the top of the frames lay two strips, f inch thick, leaving between them cen'rally a space of about eight inches. Over these fasten a piece of old woolen carpet, coat, or pants, or several strips of woolen rags torn into narrow bands, making a shallow chamber over the cen- tral part of the hive. The spaces between the combs outside of this are to be stuffed with Avoolen rags or loose wool, or covered with old woolen cloth or carpet, or both stuffed and cov- ered. And over the central chamber loose wool or woolen rags are to be laid, to such amount as the climate requires. The bees will be found to cluster densely under this warm central shal- low chamber, and from it they can radiate to any of the honey combs— making it just as easy to winter them in the shallow frames as in a deeper form of hive. As soon as it grows cold, they retreat from the front, rear, and bottoms of the combs towards this central chamber, which is always filled with bees and kept warm. Sugar candy or liquid food can be fed in this warm central apartment when the mercury is below zero. Every particle of dampness es- capes through the woolen carpet, rags, or loose wool, away from the bees and yet their warm bed-clothes retain their animal heat admirably. For the purpose of experiment THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 73 we have used six thicknesses of carpet and yet a board on top, in a cold morning, would be coated with frost or drops of moisture and the carpets be dry. The bees are kept dark and will not stir, unless the weather is warm enough for them to tly abroad ; and if, in any sunshiny weather, you wish to entice them to fly you may open the back ventilator, and also leave off the top cover to let the sun shine in. If there is the least risk of dampness the tops maybe left off in any bright still winter day. The outside doubling coming down below the level of the sides and bottom of the hive, will guard the bees greatly from the effect of pier- cing winds. Any bee-keeper can thus have his bees put up to winter as well (if not better) on their summer stands than in the best winter depositories, and this even in Minnesota. The co'der the climate the more wool should be used. Ad the wool used may be. sold in the spring, only the interest on its cost price being lost ; and if woolen rags are used the cost is hardly anything. Such is the plan, which may, at first sight, seem to require a great deal of time, trouble, and expense, in preparing the bees for winter and taking them out in the spring. It should be borne in mind, however, that every good bee-keeper wishes to make a thorough exami- nation of each of his colonies in the fall and spring. With one empty hive to commence on, he can go through his apiary, shifting each stock into a prepared hive at the time of making this examination, and the time and money spent infixing the hives may be safely set off against the usual expenditures where especial deposi- tories are used. The outside boards may not be found necessary in the latitude of central and southern Ohio, &c, yet we think they will be found to pay even further south. I have not time nor space to enter into a dis- cussion of the especial disadvantages of burying or housing the bees. They are patent to all who have practiced those plans, in the retarding of vigorous breeding in the spring, risks of wea- ther when removing the bees, &c. It is only necessary to add that while my father may hereafter protect some things here described by a patent, yet during the term of his present extended patent on the frames, the right to use any improvements he may hereaf- ter patent, is free to all those who have the right to use his hive. James T. Langstroth. Oxford, Ohio, Sept. 9th, 1868. P. S. The dimensions of outside casing are based on the use of a hive of standard size, viz : 22| inches long and 16 inches wide, outside measurements of the main or breeding chamber, and 11 inches from the underside of the bottom- board to the top of the ledge on which the up- per cover rests. If a hive of different shape is used, the dimensions of the outside casing must, of course, be varied to correspond. [Fort lie American Bee Journal ] Do Italian Bees work freely on Red Clover ? Bees conserve community unto their last, for no man ever saw a bee degenerate into a drone. Great spirits degenerate not. — Purchas. With some this may still be an unsettled question. On procuring the Italian variety, this was with me an important point upon which, for two years, I was not satisfied ; but I am so now, and will state the facts. During the two years referred to, while Ital- ianizing, from various causes my stocks were weak and did not afford a fair test. Besides, the autumns were cold and wet, and there was little sweet in the clover to attract bees. But in the summer of 1867, I procured of Mr. J. II. Thomas, of Brooklin, Province of On- tario, a beautiful queen, and in the fall, by the aid of Mr. QuinLy, an imported one from the establishment of Professor Mona, in Italy. Be- coming satisfied that I had then the pure article, I set to work early in the spring of this year to requeen all my stocks and provide fertile queens of that type for all my swarms. I now know that I have the right article, and they answer expectations. I have fields of the alsike and red clovers mixed. About the middle of June, when these were coming into blossom, I saw the Italians at work about equally upon the two kinds, where these were about equally mixed. But where the alsike was thickest, it evidently at- tracted them somewhat more, for they would be the thickest upon that part of the field. Probably the alsike clover cannot be exceeded, in its time, as a bee plant. At different times during the summer, I have seen them (the Ital- ians) at work upon the red clover quite freely, and that when there was an abundance of other flowers ; a fact to which I called the attention of men mowing for me in a field in which I had sown large red clover only. I have both the common Western and the large Eastern red clo- ver, and the Italians work on both, pressing the blossoms most earnestly, as if to reach to the very bottom of the nectar cups. So much for the first crop. Yesterday I was at work cutting a small strip of Eastern red clo- ver, and found the Italians working continual- ly upon this second crop. Not indeed so plen- ti fully as one might see them upon a field of white buckwheat blossoms ; but possibly nearly all day, at the rate of from one to thirty on a square rod, and not a black bee to be seen upon it, although three strong stocks were located within one-third of a mile of this field. Surely in some parts of Pennsylvania, and in places where the second crop is reserved for the seed, the Italian bees should do exceedingly well, all other things being equal. I have also seen mine working briskly on iron weed, upon which I do not see black bees. Others may keep to their black bees, but I anticipate fall pay for all expense and trouble needful in Italianizing, and keeping the stock pure. The remaining doubt with me is con- cerning the present power of the Italian race to abide our cold ami long Canadian winters. If there should prove a defect here, thorough accli- matization may remedy ir. J. W. Truesdell. Warwick, P. Q., Canada, Sept. 9, 1868. 74 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Swarms and Honey Product. I noticed, in your last, a statement from Mr. Clark Harris, of the amount of honey and num- ber of swarms he obtained from a hive patented by Mr. E. P. French. His number ot swarms in the spring, amount of honey, and increase of stocks, were so similar to our own, that I could not help noticing it. We use the Langstroth hive. Our spring last year was one of the latest we have ever known. The season, we thought, was a poor honey season. Our stocks were drawn upon pretty seriously, particularly early in the spring, for raising Italian queens, which was continued throughout the season. With a good average honey season, I believe the above products could be nearly doubled, here, with the Langstroth hive. L. C. Francis. Springfield, Ills. [For the American Bee Journal.] Tennessee Apiarian Society. Editor Bee Journal : — The first meeting of the Tennessee Apiarian Society was held in Nashville on the loth of the present month. The following officers were elected : Dr. T. B Hamlin, President. J. M. Hamilton, ) Dr. P. W. Davis, > Vice Presidents. J. M. Cox, ) S. S. Hall, Secretary. A. G. Willey, Corresponding Secretary. G. M. G. Payne, Treasurer. After many interesting remarks by Dr. T. B. Hamlin, J. M. Hamilton, and others, and a free interchange of experience, &c, the meeting ad- journed to October 3, 1868, at 10 o'clock a. m. The number of persons present, and the gen- eral interest taken, go to show that a revolution is about to take place in bee-culture in our State. Dr. Hamlin brought to the meetiDg a frame of Italian bees and queen in a small glass hive ; being the first of that variety of the hon- ey bee seen by many of those present, and caus- ing considerable enthusiasm. The Bee Journal was favorably noticed, and from the memorandums taken, the editor may expect to receive some substantial good from our meeting. A. G. Willey. Corresponding Secretary. Murfreesboro, Tenn., Aug. 24, 1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] Open or Closed Top and Side Opening Hives. As in dry weather bees gather most honey, suppose it with moderation, for immoderate drought, (as in the year 1652), withers away the flowers ; so moist weather produceth store of bees, suppose it still with moderation, for otherwise, (as in the year 1648), the perpetual rains wash away all the substauceot the flowers, that not only the swarms but old stocks gener- ally die. 1 lost half a hundred, in 1648, lor my share.— Purciias. Mr. Editor: — Your three starred correspon- dent of the September number, appears to be a good deal troubled with the Langstroth hive, and seems to think that if his hives were side- opening, he could handle his frames more easi- ly. He also asks for the experience of bee- keepers with regard to the different kinds of hives. We have thoroughly tried side-opening hives with closed top frames, side by side with the open top frames, air space, and honey-board of the Langstroth hive. The writer had the same impression that your correspondent has, that bees would commence woTk in boxes soon- er if placed on top of the frames, than where the air space and honey-board intervened. But such was not the case; and he went to the trou- ble of changing the hives (about thirty) to the open frame, air space and honey-board form. With regard to the side-opeuing feature, the thirty hives above mentioned are side-opening. Yet, while having considerably more than a hundred movable comb hives, the side-opening ones have, during the last two seasons, been treated the same, as the other hives, no advan- tage being taken of that feature. It is true some colonies fill their frames so full of honey that, to an unexperienced hand, they are diffi- cult to take out ; but the expert will find very little trouble. With the use of a thin-blade case knife dipped in hot water frequently, combs can be pared into shape very easily ; so that there need be no necessity for a side-opening hive. L. C. Francis. Springfield, Ills. Supposed New Poem by Milton. — Sir Henry Moreley has discovered an unpublished poem which he believes to be Milton's. He found it written in a handwriting like Milton's on a blank leaf in a copy of the original edition of Milton's poems in the British Museum. The poem was written in 1647, when Milton was 38 years old, and is signed "J. M., October, 1647." It is an epitaph, apparently intended for him- self, and certainly, if internal evidence may be trusted, it is Milton's. A good critic might have imitated the style, but nobody but Milton himself could have infused into those long words, and far-fetched thoughts, and forced im- ages, such a subtle melody as penetrates lines like these : "Think not, reader, me less blest, Sleeping in this narrow chest, Thau if my ashes did lie hid Under some stately pyramid. If a rich tomb makes happy, then That Bee was happier far than men Who, busy in the thymy wood, Was fettered by the golden flood Which from the amber-weeping tree Distilleth down so plenteously ; For so this little wanton elf Most gloriously enshrined itself, A tomb whose beauty might compare With Cleopatra's sepulchre." [London Spectator. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. WASHINGTON, OCTOBER, 18G8. dF" The American Bee Journal is now published monthly, in the City of Washington, (D. C.,) at $2 per annum in advance. Ail com- munications should he addressed to the Editor, at that place. The Fifteenth Annual General Convention of German Bee-keepers was held in the city of Darmstadt, on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of Septem- her, Professor Leuckart, of Giessen, being the President. As there was no meeting for several years past, from political and other causes, the attendance Avas doubtless unusually large on this occasion. The topics for discussion were to be announced in the Bienenzeitung for Aug- ust, which, though now due, has not yet been received. Reports of the proceedings of these Conventions are not usually published very promptly, and several months may elapse before they reach us. Complaints are reaching us, from many quar- ters, of the failure of the honey crop this season, and some desponding bee-keepers seem to be so discouraged by disappointment, as to be ready to abandon bee-culture for something that '■'■promi- ses to pay better /" But what is that some- thing ? Is there any pursuit that is always prosperous, or independent of times and sea- sons ? Grain crops sometimes fail in extensive districts from unpropitious weather, atmos- pheric influences, or insect depredations. Shall farmers therefore horrify each other with dole- ful croakings, and cease to plow and sow ? Fruit has failed, this year, even more generally than honey. Shall horticulturists therefore, dismayed thereby, cut down and burn their trees, resolving to try their hands at something that "will pay better1' than raising apples, peaches, or plums ? When farmers and fruit growers set us such examples it will be early enough for bee-heepers to think of following in their wake. But until then let them hold on pcrseveringly, trusting that the average of years will show that bee-culture is as icmunerative as any other ordinary business— not even tan- ning excepted, though that is supposed to be the surest " in the long run." The Yankees must stir up their bees, or they will be left altogether in the rear, and have to depend on treacle and tar and tallow as substi- tutes for honey and wax. Only think of it, at the "Great Fair of the New England Society," held at New Haven early last month, where the six eastern States were represented and premiums Avere proposed for a greater va- riety of products, Datural and artificial, than could have been found in Noah's ark or Bar- man's museum, there were exhibited only " One sample of honey and Avax, and Two boxes of honey ! I" The Committee on Honey reported that they attended to the duties of their appointment, (Avhich must have been onerous indeed,) and "found but two samples on exhibition." They aAvarded the first premium ($5) to Chauncey Goodrich, of New Haven, and the second pre- mium ($3) to Isaac Baldwin, of Morris, Con- necticut. The Committee also reported that they "found one sample of wax, but deemed it unworthy of a premium." Surely the cordwainers ought to have been permitted to come in here for sAveep- stakes ! Perhaps the premiums offered were not suffi- ciently tempting, or not of a kind to bring out competitors. We suggest to the managers to adopt a different plan for the future. Let them abandon sordid money baits, and next year of- fer a few full sets of the Bee Journal as pre- miums, flanked by copies of Langstroth and Quinby and the various Guides, Manuals, and Text Books on bee-culture, with a lot of im- proved movable comb hives, and half a dozen honey-emptying machines in addition, to be operated on the spot by their makers. There would be good sound sense in this ; and if it fail to excite emulation and bring out a show richly worth looking at, Yankeedom must have lost her enterprise and her apiarians their skill. Pure Fertilization. In the July number of the Bienenzeitung, Mr. F. Pdnecke says: — " The Kohler process, asAvell as those proposed by others, can be made available on'y where single and small hives are used ; but, not, or with great difficulty, where bees are kept in compound hives or large pavilions. Persever- ing study has, however, enabled me to devise a method applicable in any case, easily man- eged, and sure in its results. I shall probably make it known hereafter." *G THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. A new treatise, In French, on the theory and practice of bee-culture, has appeared in Paris. It is said to be the first work published in that lan- guage, devoted decidedly and exclusively to the Dzierzon system. The Austrian Government is fitting out a naval expedition to Africa and eastern Asia, for commercial purposes , and the Minister of Agriculture has inquired of the apiarian socie- ties whether anything can be done by the offi- cers of the expedition to advance bee-culture. In reply he has been requested to instruct those officers to procure, at the different ports they may visit, colonies of the various kinds of bees cultivated there, and send them to Vienna, via Trieste, in the original hives. It is thought that even if the bees should perish on the voy- age, specimens thus obtained would still be im- portant to science, and the samples of hives might furnish useful suggestions. "Guide to the Study of Insects." Part II of this valuable publication has been issued. It contains, among other instructive matter, a general account of the Hymenoptera, and of the Honey Bee and its mode of building cells. The next part will treat of Wild Bees, Wasps, Ants, &c. Each part contains about sixty-eight pages, with plates and illustrations. The work will be completed in eight or ten parts, price, 50 cents each. Address Dr. A. Packard, Jr., Salem, Mass. " The American Entomologist " is a new monthly, published at St. Louis, Missouri, treating popularly of noxious and beneficial in- sects ; and is a work in which farmers, garden- ers, and fruit growers should feel a special in- terest. The editors are well qualified to make it instructive and useful. — See Advertisement. British writers sometimes make strange blun- ders when translating 01 transferring articles from the German, not unfrequently literally oversetting them. To make certain microscopic examinations of bees1 eggs, Professor Von Sie- bold, in August, 1855, visited Seebach, where the Baron of Berlepsch had a hundred colonies of bees at his disposal, from which to supply the required material. This simple story is told by the London Saturday Review as follows: — " Herr Von Berlepsch began to note with the microscope the economy of more than a bun- ered hives, and Professor Siebold brought the trained eye and varied culture of the practiced zoologist to assist in reducing the facts to order and law." The Baron will be amused at the part assigned to him. IE£PSeveral communications were received too late for this number, and a tew others are unavoidably omitted, though earlier in hand. EUPIn Mr. Langstroth's article in this num- ber of the Bee Journal, on " Wintering Bees on their Summer Stands," substitute the follow- ing for the first and second sentences in the second column on page 72 : " Now right the hive, put strips on the rabbets so as to raise the frames about half an inch from the bottom-board, and lay a piece of corn- cob sawed to a proper thickness, on the bottom- board parallel with the front entrance and so as to come directly under the front ends of the centre frames, so that the bees will always have a warm and easy access to the central cluster from the bottom-board. By taking off the low- er back piece and raising the ventilator, you have the power, in a few moments, of sweeping out every dead bee from the hive. (Where hives with no rear ventilator are in use, the cob should be placed at the back end of the frames, so that the refuse can be cleaned out from the front entrance. The rear outside casiug can, in that case, be made of one piece.)" [For the American Bee Journal.] The Honey -Emptying Machine. I regard this invention next in importance to the movable frames, and since using it, I have wondered why some " Yankee " did not invent it years ago. I have one of my own construction, which works admirably. I think that with this ma- chine and the Langstroth two story hives, we can get large amounts of honey. This style of hive seems better adapted to this mode of get- ting surplus honey than any other ; for the rea- son that we are not obliged to disturb the c<>mbs in the breeding apartment. No bee-keeper can afford to be without one of these machines. I would like to inquire of Novice, page 85, of August number, whether the honey is not thin when taken out so soon from the comb after it has once been emptied ? It seems to me that it cannot be as thick and rich as when it is left longer, and the water has had time to evaporate from it. C. B. Biglow. Perkinsville, Vt., Sept. 1868. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 77 [For the American Bee Journal.] Ill Tempered Bees not, upon the whole, undesirable. Since the introduction of the Italian honey bee into northern Europe and America, much has heen said and "written concerning the com- parative temper of the Italian and black races, and that of the hybrids. It seems to be pretty generally acknowledged that the Italians are, under some circumstances, more gentle than the black race ; but that the hybrids are almost invariably more cross than either when pure. Still there are questions about the former statement, and queries about the reason for the latter; and I apprehend it not difficult to give the one key to the fact in both cases. Admitting that the Italians are natively a more hardy, sprightly, and superior variety, may not the whole secret of difference in tem- per and comparative superiority lie in " in and in" and "cross" breeding? And may not these two stand more nearly related than has heretofore been supposed ? I believe it to be the case with black bees, that, should an apiary be built up from one stock, and for years no intermixture allowed with any other, the necessary incestuous rela- tionship of this increasing community would have the effect to render them very docile ; and this just in proportion as their constitutional vigor deteriorated, until a general decline would wind up the community with moth worms, or some other casuaby, in spite of care. This is just what has been acted over and over again, with farmers trying to keep bees from one stock at a distance from other bee stands or apiaries. And this I believe will be precisely the case with the Italians, only that, being a superior race, they might weather under incestuous rela- tions longer than the black bees. The Italians may probably be much improved, by frequent selections of new queens to breed from, taken from a different locality in Italy, or where pure unrelated queens could be found ; particularly if their community was governed by the Kohler or some other efficient process, and stranger af- finities constantly sought. But would it not be found that grea'er peccability of temper will at- tend the result ? I think so; and in proof let me urge the fact that some of the greatest chronicled results in honey gathering have been with the first cross of the two races. These very stocks are noted for being "cross" — that is, they arc superior in defending their rights, or, in other words, there is more of the "bee" about them; and perhaps others than myself have noticed that where black bees from different and unre- lated— or not much related — sources mingle, the vigor of both seems renewed and their tem- per quickened. I will far rather have "cross hybrids" than docile "in and in bred" pure Italians, or any quiet — almost run out — black bees that any one can handle. Take the bees whose lightning thrusts, when aroused, will make one jump from every side instanter, and these have the "bee" about them— they will send out the swarms, and store up the honey. At least so I thick, and without being too positive in advancing a somewhat new theory. Yet not altogether new, either ; for the superiority of mixed races, and — so far as possible — of unrela- ted breeding, is known to belong to other de- partments of the animal kingdom. Why ex- clude it from bee-land ? Allow the suggestion that with this theory a value is to be attached to the Kohler process, now perhaps thought of by few — however it may force our best apia- rians to put on bee hat and gloves ; and teach us that, with rightly bred Italians, even an open hive is not the place to sit on, especially on a cool day, when little honey has been gathered ! J. W. Truesdell. Warwick, P. Q., Canada, Sept. 9, 1868. — ■ ^»- [For the American Bee Journal. ] Italian Bees and Red Clover. Before I procured the Italian bees, I saw it stated in circulars that they would gather hon- ey quite freely from red clover ; but experience has convinced me that this is a mistake. I have several colonies of pure Italians, and this section of country abounds in red clover, and there is but little white clover. I have watched the bees, and have seen only one on red clover this season, and it left it immediately in appar- ent disgust and disappointment. P. R. Russell. Bolton, Mass., Sept. 1868. Hamburg Brown Honey Cake. The flour intended for this cake should bo well dried aud sifted, before being weighed. Then take twelve pounds of flour and twelve pounds of honey ; bring the honey to a boiling heat, pour it in the flour, and mix thoroughly. Dissolve two and a half ounces of pearlash in two gills of rose-water, the evening before. Take one pound of butter or lard, two table- spoons full of West India rum, the grated rind of two lemons, the candied or sugar-coated rind of two orauges, and a very small quantity of pounded cloves. The solution of pearlash is to be added when the dough has become cool, aud the mass must be thoroughly kneaded. The dough may be prepared several days in advance of the baking. Brown Cake. To four pounds of flour take four pounds of honey, one-half pound of pulverized loaf or lump sugar, one-half ounce of Canella, 3 ounces lard, a small quantity of cloves, one ounce of pearlash, one gill of rose-water, and two spoons- ful of rum or French brandy. The honey and lard are to be incorporated by boiling, and when again cooled off, add the pearlash previously dissolved in the rose-water. Knead the mass well, let it stand several days, and then work it over again very thoroughly. Some persons prefer to omit the cloves, and substitute for them pounded cardamon seeds, grated lemon peel, or sugar-coated orange peel. Bardowick. W. Luhvan. 78 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Those " Shallow " Hives again. Mil. Editor : — I like to see candor and hon- esty m all things ; and when we make a state- ment concerning anything we should give all the particulars, not a part only, and then leave the reader to draw his own conclusions. I see ;n the August number of the Bee Jour- nal, page 40, a communication from Mr. Gal- lup, which I think smacks a little too much of assertions without proof. Before going further I will say that all the interest I have in the Langstroth hive, is to use it for myself and family. Mr. Gallup says that he has never "used the shallow things, but has had the care of them for his neighbors," &c. Well, now my case is just the reverse of this. I use the "shallow things" myself, and have care of a good many of my neighbors', and have had for several years. Yet 1 know of no person that has lost any stocks in consequence of the shape of the hive ; though one thing is true of these " shallow things," as well as any that are deeper, and that is, that bees will starve in them if they have not stored enough honey to carry them through the winter. Why did the man mentioned by Mr. Gallup lose six hundred dollars worth of bees in one winter ? We are left to draw our own conclusions. Mr. Gallup says it is so, but does not say why it is so. Now I keep bees every winter in the Langslroth hive, in the open air ; and when they had stores enough, I have not lost the first stock yet. Last winter I had fifty stocks in those hives, that stood all winter on their summer stands, without even a corn-cob about them, and not one particle of extra pro- tection of any kind ; yet I lost only one stock, and that starved to death. Those in the Amer- ican hive that stood amongst them, did just as well and no better. Again, Mr. Gallup says that he can show " all over the west those shal- low things rejected." This is another of his assertions without proof. " All over " means entirely; now I have travelled some in the west, (but not quite "all over" it), and have not seen the first rejected shallow thing, yet my business was amongst bee-keepers. I have transferred a good many stocks, in Illinois, from other hives to Langstroth's ; and now have many colonies in Illinois in the Lang- stroth hive, and winter them in the open air with success. I think Mr. Gallup, in his trip through the west, galloped a little too fast to see all that was going on there. One question, and I am done. Why should we recommend a hive to a new beginner, that an old bee-keeper would reject? Eh! B. Puckett. Winchester, Ind., Sept. 10. [For the American Bee Journal.] How I became an Apiculturist, No. 5. If yon perceive a hive, after it has cast twice, to have some quantity of bees, and yet to work negligently, or not to increase in the spring, suspect them to want a queen, and supply them with one as soon as you can ; if no other way, then by driving a poor swarm into them, for which purpose always reserve some. — Pur- chas. Mr. Debeauvoys was a good-looking and agreeable man. I was very much pleased with his conversation. He sold me, for the small sum of forty-five cents, a copy of the first edi- tion of his book. His hive is 12 by 13 inches, and 15 inches high, opening at both ends, has an attached sloping roof, and a movable bot- tom. The eight frames were supported on strips, and prevented from crowding, by a con- trivance nearly the same as in the American bee hive. While the swarm was still young, or during the first months after transferring, it was easy to remove or take out the frames, four from each side. But after some months, the operation became difficult, as the frames were warped and the combs crooked. Consequent- ly, I soon became dissatisfied with my new ac- quisition. My bee-keeping neighbors, on seeing my continual changes, laughed at me ; and instead of believing the teaching I was always ready to impart, used to ridicule me as soon as I would leave. One of them, a gardener, ou hearing me speak of the queen bee, asserted that there are no queens in the hives. They had bees from father to son, and had never seen such a queen. The big or brooder bees, as he called the drones, had the function of laying and setting the young. He pitied me for believing in such an absurdity as a queen bee. One fair morning, while passing near his gar- den, I heard the sounds of pan and cauldron, announcing as is customary the egress of a swarm. Attracted as by loadstone, I hastened to the spot, and found the gardener in the act of shaking the limb of a medlar tree on which the swarm had clustered. Seeing the queen alight on his shoulder, I at once seized her, pleased to have an opportunity to overcome his incredulity. The man was too much occupied to observe this feat, and I resolved to have some sport with him. Quietly drawing my handkerchief, I gently slipped the queen in a fold and secured her there. The bees, unconscious of their loss, entered the offered hive in great haste. Know- ing that the gardener was very proud of his greenhouse, and easily flattered by a notice of it, I spoke to him of his flowers. He readily offered to show me his new pelargoniums, and we hastened away to the conservatory. After spending some time there, I said to him, " Do you look after your swarms after hiving them?" "Oh. yes !" he replied. "Then come," said I, "for I fear everything is not right about your swarm." "Never fear !" rejoined he, " I have hived swarms for more than twenty years, and very rarely have they deserted the hive again. You see all is right ; all the bees are already in the hive, for not one can be seen hoveriug round." "But," said I, "look at the medlar tree ! It seems to me that the bees have all re- turned to the limb from which they were shaken !" " Indeed !" exclaimed he, " that is so ; not a bee is in the hive, and yet I had rub- bed its inside with sage, knowing that the bees are fond of the odor." THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 79 The man immediately ran to his house, and on his return, rubbed the inside of the hive -with honey, to make it more attractive to the bees. The swarm was now shaken down anew; but, alas ! the hive was hardly inverted over them, when the bees, disregarding the honey charm, rushed forth and took wing again. The man was astounded ! At last, fearing to enfeeble the swarm, as some or the bees were already returning to the parent stock, I showed the queen to the dumb- founded gardener. Then, covering my hand with the handkerchief to keep the bees from en- tering my sleeve, I gent'y seized the queen and presented her where most of the bees were hovering. My hand was speedily covered by them ; I shook them off in front of the hive, and the swarm was soon quietly established in its new home. This simple demonstration worked an entire change in the bee-keeper's opinion as to my teachings. After this I was visited nearly every day by bee-keepers seeking counsel, and asking questions as absurd as ignorance could devise. Some four or five years later, when re'urning to the city from a neighboring village, an unknown person saluted me by name. Perceiving that I did not know him, he said, "you do not recol- lect me ; but I know you. I shall never forget you, since you taught me some secrets about bees. Since then no apiary in my neighbor- hood can vie with mine. But do not fear ! I shall never tell my neighbors how to know if a swarm is queenless ; and how to help it to make a queen! The secietsyou imparted to me will be well guarded !" "You are wrong, my friend," I replied, "I told you some of the truths that science teaches us respecting bees, not that you should keep them concealed, but, on the contrary, that you might scatter them everywhere, for the common benefit of all." I parted with that man, however, doubtless without having convinced him of the propriety of doing to his neighbor as I had done to him. Thus over all old Europe jealousy and rivalry are so intense and prevalent, that elementary knowledge is repressed or kept secret by the more foi lunate or more favored possessors ; and the Governments countenance and maintain this ignorance, for it is the corner stone of their power. Ch. Dadant. Hamilton, Ills. Bees breed best, saith Aristotle, when they gather most honey; but herein he was deceived, for they gather most honey, according to his own position, when the honey dews fall, which saith he is not ante vergiliarum ortum, before the rising of the Pleiads. But we have often swarms, a first, and a second also, out of the same hive before that time. And generally all good hives are furnished with young before that time of the year. Indeed, honey is not the ordinary food for the nymphs, but bee-bread, which from mid" March, and in some temperate springs from mid February, they plentifully gather.— Purchas. [For the American Beo Journal. ] Do Toads Eat Worker Bees? Some days ago, when carrying several nuclei to my cellar, to test the Kohler process, s me worker bees dropped on the sand. A large toad issuing from a dark corner of the cellar, came within an inch and a half of the first bee, stop- ped a second or two, and the poor bee disap- peared down his throat. Then it hastened to the second, which was despatched in the same way. So likewise was the third, and finally the fourth and last. Had I rot seen the toad's mouth opened and closed, I should not have known where the bees had gone, so rapid was the motion of the viscous tongue. Seeing there was nothing more now to devour, the toad re- turned to his dark corner, as gravely as he had come. That toad is well known to the inmates of my family, having for months cleared the cel- lar of all flies, spiders, and other insects, and has thus come to be regarded in the light of a friend. Last year, whi'e digging a trench near my apiary for wintering my bees, we uncovered more than a dozen such toads which had alrea- dy retired to winter quarters. But if I encoua- ter any this year, I shall destroy them without mercy. I advise other bee-keepers to do the same. Ch. Dadant. Hamilton, III., Sept. 5, 18G8. IWWe doubt whether toads should be thus summarily doomed, without a hearing. They may and prob, bly do "gobble up " a few wor- kers in the course of a summer; but rarely have they a chance to seize any except the crippled, diseased, and disowned, which had better be suddenly consigned to the capacious stomach of a toad, than die a lingering death by starva- tion. There have been dozens of toads in our apiary, year after year, and we regarded them as beneficial on the whole — ridding the grounds of spiders, millipeds, ants, and various kinds of bugs and laiva? quite as "ugly and venomous," and needing some such natural enemy to pre- vent their undue increase. The Imbedded Bees, The Liverpool, (England), Advertiser eind Times, of November 24, 1817, contained a long account of three bees being found alive in a huge solid rock from Western Point Quarry. This attracted the attention of scientihe men, who made a careful investigation and cleared up the mystery, by discovering a "sand hole " in the rock, through which the insects had made their way. Vicious Bees. — Two valuable horses be- longing to A. B. Butler, near Richmond, Union county, were stung nearly to death on the 28th ult , by thirteen or fourteen swarms of bees, belonging to Reuben Barnet. Mr. Barnet's bees, three or four years ago, killed in this man- ner thirty hens and one gobbler. — Ohio Farmer, Sept. 11), 1868. 80 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Drone Comb, &c. AH worker comb in the brooding apartment, is just the idea that suits me; and if you cau help your readers to get it, by successes or blun- ders of correspondents, some progress will be made. This is too far north (latitude 45£) for bees «o do extra service. My best bive, after taking out two frames of brood to assist a queenless stock, swarmed July 10. As a prime swarm of mine, in Illinois, hived July 3, starved in October, I concluded to make a sure tbing of tbis, and prevent, any more late swarms, by taking five combs from three stocks for the new hive, and placing it on the parent stand, re- moving the old stock to a new location. Pla- cing the empty frames between brood combs, as near tbe centre as possible, according to Mr. Gallup's directions on page 7 of the July num- ber, I hoped for straight worker comb. As I try to "see my bees often," I noticed the frames were being filled with drone comb ; and also that the boxes, where worker comb had been used for guide pieces, were being filled with nice worker comb. So I concluded to try once more, and as the bees commenced building in two or three places on a frame, I put three pieces of worker comb, each, on eight frames, and exchanged them for those just filled in the hives. July 24th, number 4 (the new swarm) had three full combs, two of them all drone size cells and the third about one-fourth worker cells— the rest drone. One comb was full of brood, ten by eighteen inches, about 5,000, and as much more in the other two, making 10,000 young drones started, besides other patches in the old comb— rather too many, to suit me, in one bive. Number 1 had two frames, two- thirds full, all drone size. Number 2, with a young queen that began laying June 21, filled a frame, all drone comb. Number 3, the parent stock, had, just started some pieces the size ol my hand, drone comb of course. My bees are Italians of the Quinby stock, so it is no wonder they are "behind the times !" A swarm put in an empty hive builds mostly worker combs. Will the editor give us his opinion as to the number of combs in order to get straight combs, and at the same time to avoid drone comb ? I took the combs away twenty or thirty feet, smoked and brushed off the bees into a pan and shook them in front of their hives, giving each its own amount as near as I could guess. They do not appear to quarrel with young bees though these are strangers. I then cut the combs up and put them in surplus boxes, opening what few cells were capped over, aud left them in the cellar two nights to kill the brood, before putting the boxes on the hives. Still some drones were recapped, and have since hatched out. Last year, two black swarms gained four or five pounds each on bass-wood blossoms, weigh- ing twenty-five pounds in August. This year, four Italian hives gained thirty-two pounds each on bass-wood blossoms ; weighing sixty-one pounds each, besides the weight of hives and boxes. H. D. Miner. Washington Harbor, Aug. 15, 18G8. D^~Mr. C. F. H. Gravenhorst, a very intelli- gent, experienced, aud successful bee-keeper, of Brunswick, in the late kingdom, now Prussiau province, of Hanover, announces that he thinks he has succeeded in constructing a hive, or de- vising means, by which bees may be constrain- ed to build worker comb exclusively. He promises to make the process known, so soon as he has satisfied himself, by further experiments, that comb building may be thus controlled in other kinds of hives also, and under all circum- stances. It is to be hoped he may be success- ful, as this would be another important advance in practical bee-culture. [For the American Bee Journal.] Crooked Combs. I have two frame hives with bees in them ; but it is impossible to get the frames out, with- out breaking the combs all to pieces. I have tried Mr. May's form of frame. The bees did not build as straight as they did with the trian- gular bar at the top. When they got about midway, they crossed from one frame to another, and back again. What shall I do ? Does the tulip tree flourish as far north as Maine ? Please answer through the Journal. Horace Libbt. Lewistown, Me. E£lF"Nuttal says the tulip tree " is unknown in a wild state, east of the Connecticut river, although occurring as far north as latitude 45°, at the southern extremity of Lake Champlain. T.t is most common, and attains the largest size, in the Middle and especially in the Western States. It delights only in deep, loamy, and extremely fertile soils." A bee deprived of its antennae, immediately become dull and listless. It desists from its usual labors, remains at the bottom of the hive, seems attracted only by the light, aud takes the first opportunity of quitting the hive, never to return. A queen thus mutilated, ran about without any apparent object, as if in a state of delirium; and was incapable of direc'ing her trunk, with precision, to the food which was of- fered to her. It hath been a constant tradition, that the queen bee hath a special guard always waiting on her ; and that when she goeth forth, she is always attended by them. I r-ave often seen her go forth, but always without attendance. It may possibly fall out that some bees may go abroad with her, and some others return when she comes back to the hive, but never as her special guard. — Purchas. The enclosure in which bees were kept was formerly called the bee-croft, where immense numbers of these insects were housed. In roy- al inventories we find "honey casks" enumera- ted in great number. Honey was royal food ; hence, perchance, the nursery line : — "The queen was in the garden, eating bread and honey." American Bee Journal. EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Vol. IV. NOVEMBER, 18C8. No. 5. [For the American Bee Journal.] Foulbrood. Important discovery by the medical counsel- lor, Dr. Preuss, of Dirschau, Prussia. Com- municated to the American Bee Journal by Lina, Baroness op Berlepsch. This terrible scourge consists in a microscopic fungus, Cryptococcus alveario, and may be pre- vented and eradicated. The next number of our dear Bienenzeitung will publish a most important discovery made by Dr. Preuss, of Dirschau. In order to show my great interest in and kind regard for the American Bee Journal, I will try to treat the subject for its columns. Even from his childhood Dr. Preuss felt a lively interest in bees and bee-culture, and is himself in possession of an apiaiy these seven- teen years. Nevertheless, though he paid fre- quent visits to bee-keepers living in the district extending from Dantzig up to Plock in Poland, he never met with foulbrood anywhere until in the year 18G6. In the valley of the Vistula people mostly use the common straw hive. The rearing of bees is ratber profitable there, rape, white clo- ver, and wild radish, (jointed charlock), fur- nishing immense supplies of food. But, though the old hive is still greatly in use, there are also many box hives, and many hives with movable combs, to be found in the environs of Dirschau and Dantzig. Mr. Mannow, of Giitland, a friend of Dr. Pieuss, possessed still, two years ago, a splendid apiary, consisting of seventy Beriepsch hives in pavilions. Foulbrood be- gan to show itself in these, but Mr. Mannow, though he mentioned the fact to Dr. Preuss, did not pay any attention to it — a mistake against which other bee-keepers should be emphatically cautioned. When, a short time ago, Dr. Preuss again visited his friend, he was surprised and grieved to see that one-half of the number of colonies were dead, and the rest greatly suffer- ing from this disease. From that day he resol- ved to make the discovery of the source of this terrible scourge his earnest study ; and lie has communicated the result of his investigations to the Bienenzeitung, and to my husband, Baron Berlepsch. Dr. Preuss never was a convert to the views of Molitor Miihlfeld. {Bienenzeitung, 1868, No. 8), who considers an ichneumon-fly to be the cause of the disease. He says he could never yet, even with the microscope, find an ichneu- mon-fly, its eggs or larvae, either in the cells of the combs or in the hives themselves. The observation of Dr. Assmuss (see Von Berlepsch, "Die Biene und die Bienenzucht," 1860, page 137), that the larva of the Phora incrassata causes foulbrood., is likewise regarded as un- founded by Dr. Preuss. The foulbroody substance has, as is generally known, a viscous, pappy, yeast-like appearance, and a most offensive odor. In order to make the required microscopic examinations, it is necessary to employ a mi- croscope with a magnifying power of at least from 200 to 400. The splendid instrument used by Dr. Preuss is by Brunner, of Paris, and he makes his observations with a power of 600. Its micrometer allows of measurements to 1-10,- 000 millimeter, or 1-20,000 of a line. The next requisite is to work nea'ly, and with the smallest possible quantity of material. It would be best too if, instead of the light of the sun, that simply of the clear blue sky were thrown on the metallic reflector. A quiet room, unaffected by passing vehicles, and a firmly fixed table, are also required. Tlie microscope itself must be set on a horizontal level. Most beginners put too large a quantity of material on the object-bearer. The celebrated Professor Ehreuberg, of Berlin, always cautioned his pupils against this mistake. If you take too large a quantity, you cannot possibly see any- thing but a cbaotic mass. Having adjusted the instrument perfectly, you dip a clean knitting needle, or a thin glass stick into a diseased cell and put a particle of the size of a grain of sand on a perfectly faultless glass plate, which has first been most carefully clean- ed with a piece of soft leather. A particle of the size of a grain of millet would already be too large. This accomplished, you dip another little glass stick into freshly distilled water, oi 82 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. into water collected in a clean china dish ; for if the water to be used is not perfectly fresh, it will be impregnated with various organic sub- stances, and the observations be consequently unreliable. Pump water deposits crystals, and is therefore not to be used. Of this absolutely pure water put a drop of the size of a grain of millet on the fonlbroody substance mentioned above, in order to let this d'ffuse itself therein ; cover it with a small glass plate not thicker than a poppy leaf ; and you have a preparation with Avhich frequent and careful observations may be made. Placing it under the microscope, you will see thousands of dust-like corpuscles, which every micologist will recognize as fungi. They belong to the species Cryptococcus (Kutzing). Should any one of the above-mentioned pre- liminaries have been neglected, the fungi will not be seen separately, and of course no proper observations can be made. When the cor- puscles seen are of different sizes, the larger ones are globules of fat, remains of the chrysalis, and only the smaller dust-like corpuscles are fungi. The foulbrood fungus, which Dr. Preuss names Cryptococcus alveario, belongs to the smaller species of fungi. It is round, dust-like, and has a diameter of 1-500 millimeter, 1-1,095,- line. Thus 1,095 fungi find place on a Rhenish line, and ov\ a line square, 1,095x1,095, that is, 1,199,825, or in ound numbers 1,200,000 fungi. Hence a cubic line would contain 1,400,000,000,- 000 fungi. One. cubic inch is equal to 1,728 cubic lines, and consequently a cubic inch of foulbrood substance contains 2,488,320,000,000,- 000 foulbrood fungi Now if you take into con- sideration, further, that a cubic inch of comb contains fifty cells, it shows that each cell con- tains 49 766,400,000,000, or, in round numbers, fifty billions of fungi ; or if one-fifth be allowed for wax, still forty'billions of fungi. This enormous capacity of increase is the reason why these fungi are so exceedingly dan- gerous. It is the same with the fungi of the cholera, typhus fever, small pox, &c. In itself the foulbrood fungus is as little poisonous as any luxuriant weed — it simply supplants that which we desire should live and thrive. The closest affinity subsists between the foul- brood fungus and the fermentation fungus, Cryptococcus fermentum. The latter transforms the fermentable fluids by its rankness, and se- cerns itself as yeast, after having consumed every particle serviceable to its own growth. Beer and wine yeast are therefore but a con- glomerate of billions of microscopic fungi. If the question regarding the substance of foulbrood is fairly stated, everything else is but its simple consequence. Of course the disease is infectious, and easily transmissible. As long as the substance lies in pap-like form sealed in the cells, it is perhaps least infectious. But when it dries up and hangs like a black crust on the sides of the cells, or fal's to the bottom of the hive, billions of seed-spores are scattered. They attach themselves to the feet of the bees, get into the cells containing young brood, are carried to the flowers, and spread the disease in every direction in a thousand ways. It is a well-known fact that, not the larva but the sealed up chrysalis is destroyed by the foul- brood. The fungus, however, is already in the larva, but in comparatively small numbers, and cannot do it harm. Some thousands of fungi are not of power sufficient to destroy. Thus the six days' life of the larva are passed ; it still lives, but the germ of death is there alr< ady. The chrysalis is killed by the enormous increase of the fungi, and the httcr luxuriate, even after the death of the animal, till this is entirely con- sumed and transformed into its own substance. The marked distinction made by Dzierzon be- tween innoccuous and malignant foulbrood, is therefore to be understood as stating that the death of th^ larvse in the former case is attribut- able to some other cause ; but the destruction of the chrysalis in the latter is due directly to the foulbrood fungus. As to the origin of foulbrood, we have ob- served that the foulbrood fungus and the fer- mentation fungus belong to the same species. It is known, besides, that fungi — microscopic especially — undergo some change, or pass into each other, when getting on different ground. It is therefore not improbable that Cryptococcus fermentum changes into Cryptococcus alveario, if it happens to get on, or, by feeding, into the body of the larva?— influenced also^erhaps, by cer- tain states of temperature or humidity. All bee cultivators concur in the opinion that feeding fermenting honey is a principal cause of foulbrood. Well, the fermentation of honey is caused if, when in getting it, people do not pay the strictest attention to removing and ex- cluding from it every particle of brood, whether sealed up or not. If that be neglected, the hon- ey will contain albumen, and may consequently not safely be used for feeding. Thus it is of gi'eat importance to be very careful in feeding. The fermentation fungus is to he found in countless sporules almost everywhere in nature ; therefore it is not necessary that it be intro- duced en masse by fermenting fluids. It suf- fices to give it congenial soil wherein to spread. Dead larva? or chrysalids are particularly adapted thereto. Brood dicing from any other cause, would probably give rise to foulbrood, if it remain any length of time in the hive. Changing the places of hives, and caus- ing thereby too great a loss of bees, so that the young brood cau no longer be duly warmed and fed, may generate foulbrood. Artificial swarm- ing may also cause the disease, if the number of the bees is too small in proportion to the brood, because the latter easily becomes chilled, and perishes. Dr. Preuss recommends a mode of heating hives containing new swarms, (Ableger), by means of bottles filled with hot water. Great care is to be taken, moreover, that all dead brood, particularly if sealed up, is removed from the hive as soon as possible. It should even be buried, because the fungi luxuriating on it al- ready would rapidty multiply in the open air. Dead bees should never be emptied out in the vicinity of an apiary — they being the richest food for the fungi. As a human corpse, if not buried, would poison the atmosphere of a whole town, and cause the deadliest epidemics, so putri lying bees might poison an entire apiary. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 83 Supposing the disease has already taken ground the next question is, what is to be done to remove it ? First of all it must not be neglected, but treated as promptly as a ease of glanders in a horse. Of course every kind of food liable to fer- mentation is eminently dangerous and absolute- ly interdicted. There is no physic to destroy the fungus of the foulbrood ! This it is impor- tant to know, because it prevents loss of time in quackery. If there is no physic, available against the disease, the old maxim of Hippo- crates is to be taken into favorable considera- tion : — " quae medicamenta nou sanant, ferrum sauat ; quae ferrum non sanat, ignis sanat.'1 Iron ought therefore to be the first remedy re- sorted to. Every hive should be most carefully examined and every diseased cell cut out. If that prove fruitless, have resource promptly to fire. Do not spare your apiary ; burn every comb that shows the least sign of foulbrood, for fire alone is able to destroy the dangerous fungi. Sound combs are to be transferred to clean hives ; though it is not absolutely neces- sary to burn the infected ones. If they be washed, inside and outside, with diluted sul- pburic acid — one pound to ten pounds of water —and rinsed thoroughly with boiling water, the fungi are sure to be destroyed. It would also be well to put the hives in a baker's oven, and leave them there several hours, in a decree of heat equal to that of boiling water. The same result would be attained too, by placing them for some days in a room heated to 122 de- grees of Fahrenheit. The heat would penetrate every crevice and destroy the fungi. When Dr. Preuss was a medical student in Berlin, thirty-five years ago, the Hospital of Charity there was visited, in a most alarming manner, by puerperal fever and hospital-gan- grene. Lying-in women and persons suffering from wounds or abscesses sunk quickly under these attacks. There was no remedy, and every precaution was ineffectual. At last all the sick were removed, and the rooms heated for weeks to 122 degrees Farenheit. When the patients were then brought in again, the di- seases had entirely disappeared. Probably some noxious fungus had been destroyed by the heat. The ground floor of the apiary should also be frequently sprinkled with dilute sulphuric acid, and the ground spaded up. A better plan, if practicable, would be to remove the apiary to some other spot, after having thoroughly clean- ed the h'ves. This done, Dr. Preuss thinks that infection by the bees themselves need not be apprehended. He advises therefore to kill them only in the last resort, if there is no other remedy remaining. The middle of June he considers the best time to place them into cleaned or new hives, because they would then still be able to build combs and supply themselves with honey for the ensuing winter. It ought how- ever to be done simultaneously throughout the apiary, or the diseased stocks may again infest the sound ones. The next duty is To visit the s ocks regularly, and remove every infected comb, if any be found. Then, and then only, will it be possible to eradicate the disease. As great physicians discover the required treatment of diseases, before ascertaining their precise nature and origin, so Dzierzon and Ber- lepsch gave most of the rules mentioned above, without being sure of the substance of foul- brood. They advised particularly not to re- sort to quackery ; and that counsel cannot be too emphatically impressed on the bee-keeper. Dr. Preuss is confident that a careful ob- servance of his prescriptions will eradicate and cure foulbrood. Baron Berlepsch considers the discovery of Dr. Preuss one of great importance ; and I accordingly tried to treat the subject in a for- eign language, for the benefit of the glorious in- sect and all its friends and cultivators. I am proud to give the first notice of the discovery to America, hoping and trusting that my friendly attempt will be understood and appreciated. Lina, Baroness Berlepsch. Coburg, Sept. 14, 1868. [Communicated for the American Bee Journal], From Italy. My esteemed friend, Mr. Charles Dadant, of Hamilton, Illinois, has communicated to me translations of several articles selected from the American Bee Journal, which I read with great interest. In return, allow me to send some brief comments and remarks on Italian bee-culture. I learn with much gratification, from the ar- ticles received, that Young America is striving to advance beyond other nations, in bee-culture, as well as in general progress and civilization ; and we may surely ascribe a portion of this to the American Bee Journal, which by its excel- lent communications and selections awakens and stimulates a more active interest among bee-keepers. I sincerely wish that as much could be said of Italy, in these respects. But, alas, bee cul- ture is still greatly in arrear in this country. Most bee-keepers have still no idea of the great advance made latterly in other countries, nor any conception of an improved system of bee- culture, founded on a rational mode of manage- ment. With few exceptions, they pay no atten- tion to their bees, except during the swarming season, when the swarms are hived in gums or plain boxes, which are commonly set in some spot where, without shelter or protection, they are exposed to the scorchiug rays of the noon- day sun, and simply consigned to the care of Providence. In autumn, the swarms of the previous season, containing the old queens, are reserved for wintering ; and frequently very superior parent stocks, containing the young queens, are doomed to the brimstone pit. Then, too, it not unfrequently happens that the owner of an apiary finds many of the hives from which he expected abundant returns en- tirely bare of honey ; and in not a few of them neither honey nor bees, nor aught besides a dark and chaotic filmy mass and Mack excreta on the bottom-board, with an array of empty cocoons in close ranks on the iuuer top and sides of ths hive— furnishing ocular demonstration of the 84 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. fate of the colony. The owner looks on dismayed, lamenting the precariousness of bee- culture, which flourishes surprisingly one year and fails altogether in another. But even here the dawn of a better day is ap- proachiug. Several bee-keepers' associations have already been organized, as, for instance, in Milan and Verona. These are endeavoring to introduce a rational system of bee-culture, on Dzierzon principles, and hold frequent meet- ings, at which instructive addresses and lectures are delivered. They also have a constant sup- ply of movable comb hives manufactured and for sale. The bee journal, V Apicoltore, publish- ed in Milan, and edited by the Marquis Balsamo- Crivelli, deserves to be particularly mentioned in this connection. As regards climate and honey resources, Italy and the Italian cantons of Switzerland, possess all that could be desired for succecsful bee-culture. The season commonly commences early in the spring, and continues till late in the fall. This, with the advantage of the superior race of yellow bees, makes this region a very Eldorado for the apiarian. There is only one drawback to be named, and that is that the honey is not uniformly of good quality, most of it being inferior to that procured in more northerly countries. This results from the di- versity of the prevalent pasturage. The honey gathered in the spiing from meadow flowers, rape, clover, and the blossoms of fruit trees, is fine, having a clear amber color, and an aro- matic flavor. Then follows an abundant sup- ply from the blossoms of the chestnut trees, which is of an inferior quality, darker in color, and of a harsher taste. That gathered in July is finer again, being derived from meadow flow- ers. Finally, in August and September, there comes in an abundant supply from the buck- wheat fields and the heathery wastes, which is of inferior quality and little esteemed ; and there- with the season ends. Well, we cannot have all things at once. Where the sources of sup- ply are so ample, numerous, and continuous, much of the honey may indeed be of inferior quality, yet bee-culture be a profitable business still. The current year has been less favorable to bee-culture than any of the three preceeding. The spring was late and cold ; then followed a long continued severe drouth ; and now we have excessive rains. All this restricted the production of honey. I close with a cordial greeting to all Ameri- can bee keepers. DR. BLUMHOP. Biasca, Canton Tessin, Aug. 21, 1868. E2irDr. Blumhof, the writer of the foregoing, as many of our readers are aware, is the origi- nator and proprietor of an extensive establish- ment at Biasco, for rearing Italian queens, where the business is prosecuted systematically, with great judgment and skill. From England. [For the American Bee Journal.] Superiority of Ligurian Bees. The clever German bee-master, the Baron von Berlepsch, states, "that he had never known a queen of the current year to send off a swarm. ' ' The following facts prove that a queen of the current year does sometimes send off a virgin or maiden swarm, but it is a rare occurrence, and I never heard of a second swarm of English, or common black bees, sending out two virgin swarms, in this country. In May, 1866, I sent a stock of pure Ligurian bees to a clergyman in Essex, and it threw off three swarms. The first swarm sent out only one virgin swarm ; but the second swarm, with the queeu of the current year, sent out two vir- gin swarms. So this one stock that year in- creased to seven. Another stock of Ligurian bees, sent out at the same time to the neighborhood of Liver- pool, also increased to seven ; but in this case the old stock, in a glass observatory hive, sent out four swarms, and the first swarm sent out two virgin swarms. The old stock, after throw- ing off four swarms, got so crowded again with bees that they hung out in a large cluster, and it was thought thej would swarm again ; to prevent which a large super was put on the hive, which they nearly filled with combs and honey. Before the introduction of the Ligurian bee into England, such an increase as two stocks of bees to fourteen in one year, all with natural swarming, was never heard of. Another swarm, of last year, that I sold to a friend, sent out four swarms, all in May of the present year. The fourth swarm, with a queen of the current year, sent out a large virgin swarm on the 12th of July. Since then I have not heard from their owner. What a wonder- ful contrast this is, with the common English bees, both in this country and America, as I know several large apiaries that have not sent out a single swarm this remarkably dry sum- mer. WILLIAM CABR. Newton Heath, near Manchester, England. Smoke is very offensive to bees ; therefore let not their hives stand near a brickkiln, lime- kiln, or brewhouse, or where any long continu- ing smoke may beat down upon them. — Pur- chas. In Hampshire, England, there is said to be a superstition prevalent, that bees are idle or un- productive, and unfortunate at their work, whenever there are wars. A popular colony will survive injurious treat- ment, which would speedily cause the destruc- tion of a weak one. The hum of bees is called drowsy by Shak- peare ; by others it is described as sedative and soothing ; and others again call it cheerful and merry. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 85 [For the American Bee Journal. ] Fertile Workers once more. Mr. J. N. Clarke wishes to know how I am certain that the fertile workers, referred to by me in the March number of the Journal, never bad been fed royal food. (See Bee Journal, volume 3, page 229). I supposed the article referred to was sufficiently plain to be under- stood, but I will try and be more explicit. A queenless colony will rear one or more queens from any eggs or young worker larva? found in the hive in worker comb, by enlarging the cell, or cells, changing their position, and feeding the larva? an extra quantity, and, writers assert, a different quality of food. This food is called royal food ; is said to be compounded and used exclusively for royalty, and never used in the hive except 'when the workers are feeding a queen, or queens in embryo. It is said that this 1'ood, that is, the kind of food, has an in- fluence on the development of the several or- gans of the female bee. The idea advanced by the advocates of the fertile worker theory, is this, that in the distribution of this food some portion of it is given to worker larva? in cells adjoining queen cells, thereby producing the partial development of the generative organs of such worker. By referring to the article in the March number of the Journal, it will be seen that the fertile workers were taken in the month of May, from hives from which no swarms had issued since t'.ic preceding July. It wTas late in June when tt ese workers became fertile, conse- quently, if they had been fed royal food in the vicinity of a queen's cradle, they must have been nearly or quite eleven months old when they became fertile. I had several of them, taken from several hives, and it is not at all probable that the young queens were lost after they had become fertile, and new ones reared in all of them after swarms had ceased issuing, or later than July. My experience in changing colo- nics of native bees to Italians, by introducing Italian queens to such colonies, is altogether against the worker bee's living to exceed nine months, under ordinary circumstances, even with the winter months included. If an Italian queen is introduced to a colony of native bees in May, June, or the fore part of July, the last of the natives will have disappeared in about ninety days. If the colony is broodless when she is introduced, they will all be gone in about seventy days after her introduction. If she is introduced as late in the season as October, per- haps a few of the black workers will be alive the first of June following, but the number will he exceedingly small, and they will very soon disappear. I might relate numerous instances to prove that such is the case, but it would be sup< rfluous, as I think every reader of the Journal, who has introduced Italian queens to stocks ot black bees and watched the result, will sustain me in the above assertions. If my observations and the inferences drawn from them are correct, we must either admit that royal food is used in the hive at other times than when queens are being reared, and in that case it ceases to be exclusively royal food, or we must look elsewhere than to the royal food for a cause of fertility in workers. But it may be said that my conclusions may be incorrect, that as are in part at least guess work. For the sake of the argument, admit it ; and what is the fertile worker theory but guess work ? Under certain circumstances the workers in a hive will select a worker larva and change it, from what would otherwise have produced an imperfect female or worker, to a perfect female or queen. We guess that this change is effec- ted, in part at least, by the quality of the food consumed by the larva. Under certain other circumstances we have fertile workers, aud wye guess that they must have been reared in the vicinity of a queen's cradle, and have received a portion of this food. Here is not only guess work, but guess work founded on guess work. Strictly speaking, it should hardly be called a theory at all, as it has more of the character of a mere hypothesis, " a proposition assumed to account for a certain phenomena, having no other evidence for its truth than that it affords an explanation of such phenomena." As before stated, we are sometimes hasty in our conclu- sions. A neighboring bee-keeper once told me the worst trouble he had with black drones, in Italianizing his apiary, was with those from fertile workers. He took workers from native stocks and supplied them with brood from his Italian queen. If they failed to raise a queen, fertile workers soon made their appearance. He claimed that these workers were reared in his queen rearing hive, and had been dosed with food intended for royalty. He entirely over- looked the fact that if the brood given them was pure, not only the fertile workers reared from this brood, but the drones from such wor- kers, would also be pure and would make him no trouble whatever. Again, we will take, if you please, the Varronian theory, as given in the Journal, volume 3, page 147. The Professor held that this royal food consisted in part of fer- tilized eggs, laid by a fertile queen ; and in proof of his position he says, in substance, that a queen cannot be produced from a single egg that will ever lay eggs at all. Mr. Quinby tells us a queen may be reared without being fed eggs at all. Mr. Quinby is correct. If Profes- sor Varro, before advancing his theory, had taken a small piece of worker comb cootaining young larva? only — no eggs— and given it to a queenless and broodlees colony and noted the result, his theory would not have been penned, or at least it would have been somewhat modi- fied or changed. My object in introducing this question was, not to debate or argue it at all, but to stimulate, excite to investigation and experimenting on the part of others; and if possible ascertain some positive fact, something aside from mere guess work, in proof of either the truth or falsi- ty of the position assumed. J. H. Town let. Tompkins, Mich., Sept. 8, 1868. A large prime swarm carries with it three or four pounds of honey, when leaving the parent hive. 86 THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] M. Price's Movable Comb, Square Frame, Double Cased Bee Hive. Mr. Editor : — I wish to introduce to the notice of bee-keepers a hive which I have in- vented and have in use, and which is not pat- ented, but free to all. I send you a model, drawing-, and description, The model is not a sample of workmanship, but a good specimen of the hive as it is actually in use. It is an ex- act representation of the hive in miniature. It is well proportioned inside and out. I can use it as well as my Langstroths ; and as a hive for farmers' use, I think it preferable. At first glance it looks as if it would cost more and take more lumber than the Langstroth ; but a hive of the dimensions I make them takes just as much lumber as a two-story Langstroth, and not more — that is, two of his standard hives, one on top of the other. The relative capacity of each is as follows : A two-story Langstroth, with twenty frames, each 16 by 8|- inches is 2,720 square inches. Mine, with sixteen frames, as per dimensions, is just 2,208 square inches ; and by using two frames in summer instead of the end boards number 20, for the inside covers, 8 and 9, to rest on, the capacity is 2,638 square inches. So you see its cost, in proportion to its capacity, is not as much as that of the other. The frame, in actual use, hangs as true and just as firm. With the use of the honey-emptying machine, the day of surplus honey boxes has passed away. My machine holds just four of my frames. I have not tried it yet, as Ave have had a drought here so that for seven weeks the bees hardly left their hives, and in most of them they have used up the greater portion of their honey. I am told that, in the country around here, many of the young swarms put into box hives, have starved or dwindled away to nothing. Bees are doing better now. Most of them are getting as much honey as they consume. By setting the boards number 20, half an inch from the sides, all you have to do when you want to take out a frame is to sever the connec- tions that bees always make between the frame and side, and take out the board. Then you have a two-inch space to move frames sideways, and so get at any frame without taking any out of the hive, as you do with other hives. That American hive, (King's), having to take out nine to get at the tenth, would be poison to me. The hive which I now introduce to notice, tills a place so far not filled by any other hive now before the public. It is simple in all its details, and free from all humbug. It is easily made by anyone who can use the tools com- monly found on a farm. It is cool in summer and warm in winter, and can in a moment be made so sn't any colony, large or small. It has all the advantages claimed for any hive, and one peculiar to itself. It will bear comparison with any ; and it meets the wants of settlers on our western prairies, who, to keep bees, cannot afford to build expensive winter quarters for a few colonies, but who would still like to keep a few for family use, yet dare not do it now, as it is certain death to attempt to winter them on our cold, bleak, and windy prairies. This hive is most thoroughly protected from the weather, and the interior is easily and quickly reached, to perform any operation with bees ; and it may be used with or without frames. Last winter the mercury of the thermometer, placed between the packing and the inclined top of the inner hive, stood at 63°, while outside the mer- cury was at zero. I examined it several times a day for nearly a month. The mercury ranged from 5° degrees below to 35° above zero outside, while inside the mercury varied only one or two degrees — showing that the temperature of the inner hive did not sympathize with the outside variations. Profitable bee-keeping depends on the safe wintering of bees ; and I believe all acknowl- edge that if that could be done success- fully on their summer stands, it would be the best way. Writers in the Bee Journal and nearly all patentees are now striving for that point. This hive secures their safety more than any with which I am acquainted, and my neigh- bors and myself have thirty-seven of them in successful operation. On the front entrance it is protected by the boards 1, 5, 6, 10, and the dead air spaces 18 and 19 ; on the rear lower side by the boards 1, 2, 3, and the dead air space 17 ; and on the top by the boards 2, 8, 9, 11, 13, and the dead air space 16. The space between the inner covers 8 and 9, and the top 13, is to be filled with straw, chaff, or saw dust in winter, or with rags. The space that is filled with straw in winter can be filled with boxes for surplus hon- ey in summer; but as there is room for sixteen frames in the body of the hive, I think such boxes can be dispensed with, by occasionally removing two or three of the frames when filled and substituting empty ones for them. Two straw cushions are to be placed, in win- ter, between the sides of the hive and the square movabie sides, 20, of the inner hive, on which the covers, 8 and 9, of the inner hive rest, and which keeps them from touching the frames and forms the space between 14 and 8 and 9 . Thus, it will be seen, it has thorough protection. The cost of the hive, including paint, which I make myself, and nails, does not exceed two dollars. Any person wanting further informa- tion, can obtain it by enclosing to me a postage stamp or a directed stamped envelope. Dimensions op the Hive. 1. Bottom of outer hive, 24 by 30 inches. 2. Back of outer hive, 24 by ^4 inches. 3. Back of inner hive, 18 by 22 inches. 4. Strips for frames to rest on, 1 by ^ and 22 inches. 5. Front of inner hive, 16 by 22 inches. 6. Movable front of hive, 4 by 22 inches, with fly-hole, 7. Block, to make fly-hole large or small. 8. Cover of inner hive, 14^ by 21 £ inches. 9. Cover of inner hive, 13£ by 21 g- inches. 10. Movable front of hive, for winter, 24 by 8 inches. 11. Front of hive, 16 by 24 inches. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 87 12. Edge for cover to fit around the top of hive 3;V inches wide. \ 13 Cover of hive, 30 by 32 inches. 14. Frames— strips cut 12 inches by f and f of an inch thick. w m 15. Bee-feeder and waterer, for description of which see July and August numbers of American Bee Journal. 16. Dead air space, to be filled in with straw, chaff, saw dust, or rags. 17. Dead air space. 18. Dead air space. 19. Dead air space, in winter, and covered portico in summer, forming the most complete alighting board for the bees. 20. Two square boards, movable, for inside covers to vest on, 13 by 13 inches. 21. The two sides of the outer hive, 24 by 24 inches. ^^^^-V-i^NViV^KC^XOMIiMliSS.^ By simply making number 20 15J inches square, and the covers, 8 and 9, 13 by 17 inches wide, the hive will accommodate frames 15 inches square. Or by making number 20 6, 8, or 10 inches square, and the covers 8 and 9 in proportions to fit, any size hive holding sixteen frames can be made. Or the hive can be made to hold any number of frames of the above sizes. By simply moving the movable sides, number 20, from the sides inward, it will make the capacity of the hive from one to sixteen frames, either way, without the alteration or destruction of any part. The hive can be made to suit the taste of all in regard to size ; though I think it would be best to use small frames by those who want their surplus honey in boxes ;* and large ones by those who use the honey- emptying machine, f The hive can also be readily adapted to large or small colonies ; and as small colonies increase in strength, the hive can be gradually enlarged to its lull capacity. Again, the form of the bottom of the hive being the shape of the letter V, open at the bot- tom from side to side, all droppings of wax and dirt of every description falls clear of the hive, leaving the hive at all times clean and sweet. Thus there being no accumulation of dirt or pieces of wax on the bottom of the hive, there is no temptation or chance for the moth to lay her eggs — securing the hive against becoming a snug harbor for the bee-moth and worms. To manage bees in my hive, see article, "How to ventilate, so as to save all the wax," by Mr. E. Gallup, page 8 of volume 4, American Bee Journal. How to combine natural and artificial swarm- ing, see article on "Pure Fertilization," page 3, volume 4, American Bee Journal, by Mr. Kohler. John M. Price. Buffalo Grove, Iowa. *Instead of using surplus honey boxes, bore holes in the movable sides number 20, place them towards the centre, so as to leave four frames on each side and eight in the middle for breeding purposes — thus making sdde surplus honey boxes. fNoviCE, page 35, Bee Journal, number 2, volume 4, says of the advantages of honey - emptying machines: — "We can take the honey out of the combs, with brood in it in all its stages, sealed or unsealed, by turning with the proper speed, without injuring the brood at all " Further, he says :— "We took out in all 1G3 pounds of honey up to July 13, (about one month), from one swarm." It will pay to have a honey-emptying machine for even one swarm of bees ; and it will pay those who want to get the most profit from their bees, to subscribe for the American Bee Journal and read it care- fully. J. M. P. [For the American Bee Journal.] Alsike Clover Again. Mr. Editor: — There being a good deal of talk in your paper about the Alsike clover, I will give you my experience in the matter, which may be of use to some who contemplate sending for seed. I sent to Mr. Thomas, of Brooklin, Canada West, last spring, for one peck of the seed. His price was $4,50. This, of course, was to be paid in gold. Canadian express charge, custom-house duty, $1.50 in gold. All summed up, it cost me in currency $13.18. And then it was detained at the custom-house, to go through with a sys- tem of "red tape," so that it was twenty-six days on the way, when it ought to have come in. three, making it too late in the season for suc- cess, as it arrived on the 3d of May. However, I had a piece of good fresh ground on which I thought I would risk it. But dry weather setting in soon after, and continuing through the summer, my clover is a total failure. I let my friend Mr. George Buckles, (who is a devoted apiarian,) have part of the seed. His success is just equal to mine. I fear the tulip tree, spoken of in the last Bee Journal, is too long coming to a blooming age to suit Young Ameriea. With us, this has been the poorest honey sea- son ever known. J. W. Hunter. Piqua, Ohio, September 0. Strong colonics consume proportionally much less honey during the winter than weak ones. 88 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Non-Swarmers. From experiments thus far, I think we may generally guard against the issue of swarms, and so construct our hives that the whole force shall be engaged in securing surplus honey in boxes, except the necessary stores for breeding and for winter's use ; and then secure the issue of natural swarms when desirable. Last season I had one Italian colony in a hive with boxes of about the aggregate capacity of 125 pounds. Its product was two swarms and 106 pounds of surplus honey. One colony of native bees gave two swarms, and with its swarms produced 97 pounds of surplus honey. Two colonies of natives, in hives of similar construction, gave no swarm, and gave 297 pounds of surplus honey. Last season I took ten hives to an apiarian a few miles distant, and had swarms of Italians placed in them. Four of the ten were of larger capacity in box room. Three of them of about 150 pounds ca- pacity each, and one with twenty-seven boxes of nearly 200 pounds capacity. In one of these a very small swarm was placed, and only half filled its central apartment. It has now its central apartment filled; ten boxes nearly filled; and has commenced in two others ; probably about 70 pounds. A second has thirteen boxes filled, except a little finishing out and capping a few of the combs ; probably 100 pounds. A third has fifteen boxes about completed, and commenced in two others ; probably about 120 pounds. A fourth hive is larger, receiving twenty-seven boxes, of an average capacity of nearly seven pounds. This colony has fourteen boxes full, five in which they are working, and only one empty, in which so many bees show themselves as to indicate operations soon. They have probably 150 pounds of surplus hon- ey already. " The fifth colony was so weak in the spring, that I feared they would not survive ; but they have now filled their central apartment, and just commenced in the boxes. The old Italian colony has given two swarms. I think the four described, had they only had the box room of that, would have swarmed. Does not their contented, contin- ued, and successful labor indicate that, with sufficient and acceptable room, they would be likely to go through the season without swarm- ing ? And may not swarming in very large hives, be sometimes the result of anticipated want of room, from the product of a very pro- lific queen ? Jaspeb Hazen. According to the Baron of Berlepsch, three thousand drones consume as much honey as nine thousand three hundred and seventy -five workers. Baron Ehrenfels states that when pasturage abounded and the weather was favorable, many of his strong colonies increased daily more than ten pounds each in weight. [From The London Gardeners' Chronicle.] Fighting Bees. I had a hive of bees given me in the autumn of 18G6, but in consequence of the severe winter by which many hives were destroyed, I had no swarm in 1867. The stock, however, grew strong, and filled a glass with honey. This summer, however, instead of swarming, as I expected, the bees fight so savagely that the ground is covered with the slain ; and this has continued for some time. I thought at first that my bees were defending themselves against robbers ; but I am now convinced that this is not the case. It seems as if they took this method of thinning their over-crowded hive. Can you kindly give me any advice in the mat- ter ? I suppose there is no method to induce them to swarm peaceably, and thus cease their destructive civil war. E. C. B. On this singular case, the Gardeners' Chron- icle has the following remarks: — "Arc you quite certain that the bees really do fight among themselves; or is it only the dragging away of deceased bees by their stionger companious? "We have known many instances in which their apparent slaughter has been attributed to fight- ing, but have in some cases found that it pro- ceeded from the bees being attacked by a disease analogous to dropsy. The affected ones are pulled out and cast forth by the healthy. It has also occurred under our notice, in this and other cases, that from some mysterious cause, a large proportion of the young brood was hatch- ed out with defective wings, or was otherwise immature or malformed. We do not believe at all in the theory of their fighting for the purpose of reducing their redundant population." Whoever intends to erect an apiary, if inex- perienced, should purchase hives towards the close of the year, and such only as are full of combs and stocked with a sufficiency of honey and bees. In order to ascertain the age of hives, it should be remarked that the combs of the last year are white, while those of the for- mer year are dark yellow. When the combs are black, the hive should be rejected, as too old and liable to inroads of vermin. — Willich's Encyclopedia. Baron Berlepsch says second swarms do not send out scouts in search of suitable quarters for their permanent residence, till after they have issued and clustered. A strong colony, when honey is plentifully gathered, can build seventy-two square inches of comb, containing four thousand ceils, in the course of twenty-four hours. Bees begin to build their combs at the inner top or ceiling of their hive, and build down- wards ; though they can also build upward-5, when circumstances require it. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 89 [From the (London) Gardener's Chronicle.] Dark Honey.— Honey Dew. I have taken off some honey comb in two supers, of a particularly dark color ; the honey being nearly as black as ink, and having a pecu- liar taste. I am inclined to attribute this to honey dew, which was very abundant about a fortnight previously ; and which being deposi- ted principally on the lime tree leaves, that had become thoroughly ingrained with soot, was the cause of the very dark color of the honey ttored in the supers. I may add that several of my apiarian neigh- bors have had to complain of the same peculiar- ity in the color and taste of their honey taken at the same period. On the 22d ult., however, we had a heavy thunder storm, since which the bees have been very busy, collecting large quantities of honey. One hive increased in weight to the extent of 5 lbs. 10 oz. in the course of twenty -four hours. Tliis supply, I have no doubt, was obtained chiefly from honey dew on the sycamore trees ; aud I am pleased to observe that it is of a bright pale yellow color — a great contrast to that pre- viously obtained. We have usually prided our- selves on the beautiful pale, almost transparent, color of our honey ; and were both astonished and disappointed on discovering the quality and appearance of that taken by us this year. D. D. [For the American Bee Journal.] Honey Substitute. Would not the candy, made as recommended by Mr. Langstroth in his book on '■'■The Hive and the Honey-Bee" page 272 of third edition, answer the desired purpose? He says the Rev. Mr. Weigel, of Silesia, recommends plain sugar- candy as a substitute for liquid honey. Four pounds of candy will, it is said, sustain a colony having scarcely any winter stores, if they are supplied with water. To make the candy for bee-feed, add water to the sugar, and clarify the syrup with eggs. Put about a teaspoonful of cream of tartar totwenty pounds of sugar, and boil until the water is suf- ficiently evaporated. To know when it is done, dip your finger first into cold water, and then into the syrup. If what adheres is brittle when chewed, it is boiled enough. Pour it into shal- low pans, slightly greased, and when cold, break it into pieces of suitable size. After boiling, balm or any other flavor agreeable to bees, may be put into the syrup. To supply the water with the least trouble to yourself and bees, provide bee-feeders, made as described by me in the July and September num- bers of the Bee Journal. If those having bees will read Mr. Langstroth's book carefully, and make one of the bee. feeders, he will see that he has the means of safely and cheaply wintering his bees. J. M. Price. Buffalo Grove, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] Cure for Bee Stings. On the 12th of July, my youngest son, twelve years of age, was stung by a honey-bee on the side of the neck, just below the ear. In about, five minutes, the ears, lips, hands, lace, feet, and, in fact, every portion of his body, swelled up like a puff, all turning purple, and he com- plained of excessive pain about the heart. I im- mediately put him in a wet sheet pack, and he was relieved at once, got up iu thirty minutes, and went to church. I presume that a cold- water bath would have answered as well. I saw in the papers a case that occurred in Missouri of a man being stung by four or five bees, sitting down on the door-step, and dying in forty minutes. Here is another case. In the next county east of me, a man was stung by a single bee on the side of the neck, and died in forty minutes. The peculiarities of my son's case were these: He is, and always has been, perfectly healthy; but the weither was extremely hot, the ther- mometer being up to 110° Fahrenheit in the shade. It was during this extremely hot weather that the other two cases mentioned occurred. In consequenoe of those two cases, quite a number of bee-keepers have got rid of their bees, and gone out of the business in disgust. But I think they are a little too fast. Who would think of not using a horse because some one had died in consequence of being kicked? Or who would refuse to use milk or butter because some one had been gored to death by a cow? For fear that some may not understand my remedy, I will explain. Have about three quilts or comfortables spread on a bed. Then wet a sheet in cold water, wring it, and spread it on the former. Next wet another sheet, and wring out the water that it will not drip. Spread this on the first sheet. Now strip the patient to the skin, lay him on the wet sheets on his back, and fold them about him so that they will touch every part of his body except the face. Fold up the quilts or comfortables about him in the same manner, and put wet cloths on the face and fore- head. Let him lie there for thirty minutes, and he will be all right. A bath might answer as well, but sheets are almost always at hand. Any person who understands the water-cure knows what effect the wet sheets have, and also knows that it is almost instantaneous. Elisha Gallup. Osage, Iowa. The Septuagint has the following eulogiumon the honey-bee, Proverbs vi, 8, which is not found in the Hebrew Scriptures: "Go to the bee, and learn how diligent she is, and what a noble work she produces; Avhose labors kings and private men use for their health. She is desired and honored by all, and though weak in strength, yet, since she values wisdom, she prevails." — Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. Bees dislike the smell of crabs and lobsters. 90 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Dividing Bees— Straight Combs. On page 244, vol. 3, of the Bee Journal, for June, 1868, are some inquiries by C. E. Thorne, directed to me. They would have been noticed before, but I have been too busy to write. Mr. Thorne alludes to a small book that I have in preparation, on getting straight combs, and making artificial swarms without looking up the queen, there being but "one exception." He wants to know about that "one exception," whether it might not be the rule. I answer in the negative. Let me explain. When a man has but one hive of bees, then he must seek for and find the queen. If there be more than one hive on the premises, then there is no necessity of losing a moment's time in searching for the queen. There are no failures by this system of dividing bees, and every man or woman can safely practise it. The system is perfectly sim- ple and readily understood. It may have been published, for aught I know, but I have failed to find it in detail. On my visit to Professor Kirtland, of Cleve- land, Ohio, three years ago, I gave him a prac- tical illustration of a portion of the system, by dividing a colony of bees for him, and he writes me that he now practises it exclusively, and has ever since my visit as above. He regards the system as the best and simplest yet devised, and worthy the attention of all classes of bee-keep- ers. It is not necessary for me to state that Pro- fessor Kirtland is a bee-keeper of experience, nor that he is regarded as authority on this sub- ject. These facts are well understood. Now, a few words with regard to straight combs. Mr. Thorne wants to know if my way of getting straight combs is an improvement on the well-known plan of raising one end of the hive, a la Quinby. Well, sir, if my plan were no better than that, I would keep still, and never divulge it, for that is of very little value. I have had some little experience in the matter, and think I know whereof I affirm. I should be very glad indeed to get straight combs, and as even in thickness as a f -inch board, by such a simple plan, but I cannot do it. The plan I refer to, however, will do it in every case, and if I can get time to finish writing the book, I am sure that others can secure the same result. It mat- ters not to me how long the frames are, about getting the combs straight. They can be had as straight and nice in frames six feet long as in short ones of one foot or less. The book is not yet ready for the press, nor can I state how soon it will be, for I have so many business corre- spondents to attend to that I find very little time to write even a brief article for the Bee Jour- nal— a periodical worthy of a generous support, not only in a literary but a financial point of view. ' M. M. Baldridge. St. Charles, III. [For the American Bee Journal.] Italian Queens, Pure Fertilization, and Bee Books. Bees require more than twice as much honey to produce an ounce of wax, when they have no pollen at command, as when well supplied therewith. On the 24th of June, I received three queens from Wm. W. Cary, of Coleraine, Mass , price $10. The express charges on the three was $1,60. They arrived in excellent condition, and their purity proves satisfactory. I think Mr. Cary is worthy of patronage. As he says that he had charge of the first queens imported by S. B. Parsons, in 1860, he ought to know, by this time, what good stock is, and rmy person ought to be satisfied with the price. On the 5th of September, I received a queen by mail from Mr. Henry Alley, of Wenham, Mass., price $3; postage, two cents, paid by Mr. Alley. She is a good-looking queen, but as she has not laid an egg since I received her, I can- not say anything about her purity. He also sent me one of his fumigating pipes, and I in- troduced her by his process, and it proved satis- factory in that, case. The readers of the Bee Journal will recollect that his process of intro- ducing is with tobacco smoke. What I wish to call the attention of queen-raisers to is his method of shipping by mail. The box or cage is as cheap and simple, if not cheaper, than any ex- press box I ever saw. Shipped on the 31st of August, with about twenty workers, I received them on the 5th of September, late at night. There was one dead worker, and he looked as though he had died of old age. The rest were as fresh as if they had just been put up, with ample provision for ten or fifteen days. I think nothing of the queen's not laying, for none of my queens had laid any for ten days previous to receiving her. On the 17th of September, Mrs. E. S. Tupper, of Brighton, Iowa, sent me the details of her method of procuring the fertilization of the queen by 'any drone desired, requesting me to test it, and report what I thought of it, but, as I had no drones, I could not test it this fall. Al- low me to say that it is a great step in advance of any process yet made public, for if it works, (and I have not the least reason to doubt it will,) there is no possibility of losing the queen, or of having her mate with any other drones than those selected. The process is secret at present, but will be given to all those who order queens from Mrs. Tupper. The readers of the Bee Journal know by this time that I am opposed to all secrets in bee-keeping; but as Mrs. Tup- per has to support herself and family, (and her husband is an invalid,) she is as much entitled to some compensation for her discovery as any person that I know of; and as she lias imported stock both from Italy and Germany, any person will no doubt obtain his money's worth, both in the secret and in the queen obtained. Mr. J. R. Dodds, of New London, Iowa, has sent me the Bee-Keeper" s Guide-Book, by E. Kretchmer, price fifty cents. It is a work well up to the times, and worth many times the price to any new beginner. In fact, Langstroth's, Quinby's, King's Bee-Keeper" s Text Boole, Kretchmer's, and the American Bee Journal, are the only works on bees that I am acquainted with that are really worth the money thev cost. Osage, Oct. 6, 1808. E. Gallup. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 91 [For the American Bee Journal.] Various Topics. The Sainfoin. The sainfoin (healthy hay) is a plant very convenient for soiling cattle, or for dry fodder. All herbivorous animals are very fond of it. It is, as its name imports, very healthy food for all. Even horses can be fed on it freely, in its green or dry state, without the least danger. In France it is generally sown on poor dry soils, where the clovers or the lucerne grass cannot thrive. It succeeds best on calcarious and sandy soils, and on stony spots. I have known it to yield more than two tons of hay to the acre, on soils so covered with small stones thar hardly an atom of ground could be seen on the sjrface. Its rose-colored flowers, bluish when faded, are so pretty that they would not disparage a flower garden ; and afford for three or four weeks an abundance of delicious honey for the bees. It is to sainfoin that the Gatinais honey owes its well deserved reputation in the Paris markets. If any beekeepers wish to try it, I would ad- vise them to select a dry and porous soil for it, for even in France it will not last more than one or two years on rich ground not naturally well drained. I do not doubt that, with our fine Indian summers, it would here produce a second crop ample enough to be worth cutting and curing, besides affording abundant fall pasturage for bees. The Lindens. Although the nurserymen's catalogues show only two varieties of the linden tribe, the one American and the other European, there are at least three American varieties known — the Tilia alba, (white lime) ; the Tilia Americana, (the American lime or bass-wood) ; and the Tilia pubescens, (the downy lime). The European varieties are : — The Tilia plataphylla, (broad-leaved lime) ; the Tilia microphylla, (the small-leaved lime) ; and the Tilia argentea, (the silver-leaved lime). All these varieties are of rapid growth. The first two European varieties should prove a good acquisition, for, as in France they blos- som in June, it is probable that in this country they would lengthen out the harvest of that delicious honey. The silver-leaved linden is probably too ten- der for the cold winters of the northern, east- ern and middle States, as its native country is the south of Europe. While residing in Fr:mce, the thousands of linden trees which adorn the walks and the roads around the city of Langres, were one of the main resources of our bees. These lindens were mainly of the broaddeaved variety ; yet some of the small-leaved lindens intermixed, blooming later, prolonged the aromatic crop for one or two weeks. Mellextractor. The honey-emptying machine is named mell- extracteur, in France, from two Latin words. That name, being shorter, would, I think, be more convenient than the term Ave use. The mellextractor can be made cheaper, by using a cord winding around a vertical stem, as used in wind-mill toys, instead of the iron cog-wheels. The Ruchee. (Rooshai.) In English we have no term to designate the bees together with the combs, brood, &c. The words stand, stock, &c, are too vague, and designate too many things. In France, they call a swarm essaim, a hive ruche, (roosh), and the inmates of the rushe, ruchee, (rooshai). Why should we not borrow these names from the French dictionary, as the scientists have already borrowed their chemical nomenclature ? The Shallow Hive once more. Though I see from Mr. J. T. Langstroth's arti- cle in the last number of the Bee Journal, that he thinks that ad the criticisms directed against the Langstroth hive, come from men making indiscriminate attacks on anything con- nected with the Langstroth name, or who will prove all things and hold fast to that which U good, yet, setting aside these little courtesies, I wish to submit my humble criticism relative to his hive. The Bee Journal is an arena where all ideas and opinions can meet and struggle. The common sense of the public will, sooner or later, judge without appeal, and decide in favor of the true and the right. A thing valued as good today, may be rejected to-morrow, and replaced by something better. All this is very plain, and fair. The Langstroth hive has received, in the Oc- tober number, many praises — five, if I do not mistake. Yet I find in the same number, page G9, a few lines from the pen of Mr. C. S. Payne, which destroy those praises, in part, if not alto- gether. The fact that the queens do not lay as many eggs in the shallow as in the square hives, agrees with the habits of the queens. Indeed, the queen always begins to lay in the centre of the comb, placing her eggs around those first laid, and so on in a regular circle. The bees give to the young grub the food found in the nearest cells, so that the queen after her turn around the brood, finds the cells ready to re- ceive her eggs ; and so on till all the combs are filled with brood. In the shallow frame, the bottom and the top of the comb are soon reached, and the queen is disturbed in her cir- cuit, and loses time in seeking for empty cells. This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest defects of the Langstroth hive — a defect not compensated by the tacility of drawing the frames ; that greater facility being more in ap- pearance than real. Indeed, the bees, in order to put more honey in the top of the combs, lengthen the cells so as to hardly leave room for a bee to pass between the two adjoining combs; while the lower part of the combs — that is, three or four inches below, destined for brooding purposes, is always of equal thickness, not 92 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. broader than the depth of two worker or drone cells. Now, as the main difficulty resides in drawing the upper four or five inches of the comb out of the hive, it is no matter whether the narrow part is some two or three inches larger. Mr. L. has therefore sacrificed a ma- terial advantage to one quite imaginary. What is the matter. In August last, one of my neighbors traded with me twenty-five ruchees for six Italians. Many of his rucliees being weak, I put six of them in place of six hybrids. The first few days my hybrids sremed discon- tented. Yet as they were working freely, I thought they would soon become accustomed to their new company. But after five or six days, they began to kill the black bees. In vain did I give them honey, smoke, or scented sugar water ; the struggle, restrained through the day, was resumed again at night, and continued till all the black bees in the six hives were killed. Some fifteen days after, I found two black queens dead in front of two of the hives, having evidently been killed by my hybrids. Can any of the readers of the Bee Journal tell me what was the cause of this massacre ? Wintering Bees. Many extensive bee-keepers, Messrs. M. Quinby, J. Marvin, A. Grimm, Bidwell Bros., *nd others, concede that the ruchees winter bet- ter in some conservatory than on their summer stands. I advise Mr. Abram Brundage not to put his scheme in execution. Every warm clay, his .'■>ees, finding the entrance of the hive shut and becoming excited, would gorge themselves with noney, and being prevented from discharging their feces, would perish. A better way is to put all his hives in a cellar, if possible ; or put .some straw around the hives, except in front, to give the bees a chance to avail themselves of ^very sunny day. Perhaps the article in the November number of last year, on wintering bees, if republished, would benefit some of your new subscribers. I have never lost a colony treated in that way. Ch. Dadant. Hamilton, III., Oct. G, 1868. Consider the wisdom and happiness which »re found among a swarm of bees ; a pattern ■io all human societies. There is perfect allegi- ance, perfect subordination ; no time is lost in disputing or questioning; but business goes for- ward with cheerfulness at every opportunity, and the great object is the common interest. All are armed for defence, and search for work; so that in every member of the community the two characters of the soldier and the laborer are united. If you look to the fruits of this wise economy, you find a store of honey for them to feed upon, when the summer is past and the days of labor are ended. — Jones op Nayland. [For l;ho American Boo Journal.] E. Gallnp's General Rejoinder. Mr. Editor:— Some of the readers of the Journal have done as I invited them to do; in other words, they have pitched into Gallup good in the October number. Now, I do not care anything about having the last word; but some explanation seems called for, especially where the parties have misunderstood me. We will begin with friend Price, about those exceptions. To illustrate, I will give this sea- son's feeding, &c. Last fall, I had thirteen swarms of bees, and consequently had thirteen this spring. I have increased them up to thirty- five swarms. As I am commencing in the busi- ness here, my object has been increase of stocks, rather than surplus honey. Two of said swarms lost their queens in May, so I had no increase from them. Some time in the month of June, I fed one swarm twice, three tablespoonfuls each time. One swarm that I had a queen in from which I was raising queens, I fed at three differ- ent times, two spoonfuls each time of thin sweet, made from common sugar. This I sprinkled on the frames and bees from the spoon. I never used a sprinkler in my life to feed bees. That is the extent of my feeding this summer. Now for the result. I have sold one swarm, which leaves thirty-four; and on the 5th of October I examined every swarm, and found one without sufficient honey; but I likewise found three swarms with too much, so that all I had to do was to exchange combs — the very best wray for winter feeding that I ever tried. Our supply of honey was all obtained before the 25th of July, with the exception of six days in September, three days at one time, and three more after an intermission of five days. The swarm that need- ed feeding was a natural swarm. I had three natural swarms this season — the first for the last ten years. I also found one swarm destitute of a queen, and with very few workers remaining, but as the hive is well filled with honey, I shall keep it for spring feeding, or to put a swarm in. Every one of my swarms, deducting the queen- less one, is now in the very best condition for wintering, and on the 20th of July, twenty-six of said swarms were in excellent condition for storing surplus honey; but as the honey harvest was cut off so suddenly, I have only obtained about 200 lbs. in all. In ordinary seasons here, our honey harvest commences about tho 20th of July. One more illustration: A Mr Harding, living about half a mile from me (he is an in- valid,) took a swarm of bees last fall for one half the increase; and, under my direction, he has increased them to five, all in excellent condition, with comb built all right — all worker comb. They are strong in numbers, and heavy with honey. I asked him last week how much sugar he fed his bees, and his reply was, "Not over one pound." Now, as he was gone from home part of the time, his wTife took charge of the bees, and the way she fed them was this: She took a common sauce plate, with a small piece of comb on it, poured the feed in, and set the plate in the vacant side of the hive, for it is only young swarms that need feeding. (You under- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 93 stand that I use a division -board in building up a young swarm.) In the article that Mr. Price got those excep- tions from, I invited people to try my method of managing bees, by strengthening them up early, so that they will not need feeding; at least, that was the intention of the invitation. Now, would Mr. Price have mc pay for the right to use a feeder, and for one sample feeder, to'feed five cents' worth of feed? That would be odd, sure enough! If any one manages his bees so that they are all, or nearly all, destitute of stores, I call it wrong management; and if you allow your bees to manage themselves, you will have, in such a season as this, any quantity of swarms that will need feeding. Such people need a feedo r. Right here, 1 will venture to make another of Gallup's assertions, (as our friend Puckett calls them,) and that is, that I never yet saw the season that bees, properly managed, were kept at a loss. Friend Price, if you will read the article in the August number in this manner, commenc- ing at "Now for my method: Make your swarms early, and strengthen them up and equalise them with brood from your strongest stocks in the breeding season, and while they are gathering honey." (The full stop comes in after honey, and not after stocks. Then, after the word honey, comes,) "How many will try this method, and report through the Bee Journal," &c, you will get at what I intended to say in that arti- cle. Any person who manages his bees so that they require much feeding, either in summer or in winter, will be dissatisfied in the long run, and a great many will retire from the business, (especially after such a season as this has been,) and say that bee-keeping does not pay. Mr. H. D. Miner claims that he has been led astray, &c. Now, friend, it is not my intention to lead any one astray; but this I will tell you: That question requires a long article by itself, and I shall endeavor to give it to the readers of the Bee Journal this winter, in time for next season's operations. Time, patience, and perse- verance will accomplish all things. Mr. H. B. King misquotes and applies a wrong meaning to my article replying to Mr. Alley. Previous to the appearance of Mr. Al- ley's article in the Bee Journal, I had given a description of the hive which I use in prefer- ence to all others that I have ever tried, and also a description of the working of the hive; and it certainly looked like trying to quiz me, to ask what kind of hive I would recommend, after reading those articles. So I answered as I did; and now I am called upon for an expla- nation, which I give as follows: In the first place, I make three classes of be- ginners. One class keeps a few swarms, and lets them stand where they are placed. If they swarm, they hive the swarms perchance, or let them go off to the woods. They never go near them again, summer or winter. Occasionally they consign a swarm to the brimstone pit, after cold weather sets in, so that the bees cannot get out to sting; and that is about the extent of their bee-keeping. To such I say, by all means ■ use hollow basswood for hives. The second class read some work on bees, or have some neighbor that is making bee-keeping pay. These get np a great excitement, and go into bee-keeping with all the enthusiasm imagin- able. They are going to get rich in tlie business, 6cc. They hire Gallup, or some other putty- head, to give them instructions, show them about their hees, &c. He (meaning that putty- head of a Gallup) gives them all the instructions he possihly can. They pay little attention to what he says. If he tells them what to do, they do just the contrary, and for an excuse, say, "Why, I understood you to tell me so." Sonic time along in the winter, Gallup sees them, and the first salutation is, "How come on the beesf Did you fix them up as I told you to do?" "Oh no; I thought I would take some pains with my bees this winter, so I set them all in a row, and built a good box around them, filled it with straw, and stopped up all the holes in the hives to keep them warm, and to keep them in the hive;" Or if they are in box-hives, and Gallup tells tells them how to winter them in the cellar, by turning them bottom up, all open, they put on the bottom board, contrary to direc- tions. Then, every time any one goes into the cellar with a light, the bees are disturbed, crawl out all over the cellar, and die. In fact they get the dysentery, and all, or nearly all, die off be- fore spring, and the survivors, if any, are worth- less for the next season. This class want a frame hive; of course they do. To this class I can recommend a hive of the form of the American. Recollect that I did not recommend the Ameri- can hive, but only the form; or, in other words, a hive tall in proportion to its size. This class usually lose their enthusiasm, and don't talk bee the second season; and Avhen they meet Gal- lup, they act as though they felt ashamed, and Gallup certainly does not blame them. (Friend King, there is really a good reason why the hees did not build worker-comb. If you used the American hive, and if you are good at guessing, you have probably found out the reason, with- out my telling you.) The above picture is not overdrawn. Now we come to the third class. They are anxious for information; and if you give them information, they are careful to remember it, and put it in practice. If they meet with a fail- ure, they learn something nevertheless by that failure, and avoid it the next time. This class persevere, and in a very short time demonstrate to their neighbors that bee-keeping is a profit- able and pleasant pursuit. It is a pleasure to give instruction to this class. They are gene- ral^ very sociable, good company, good citi- zens, an honor to their country, and to the com- munity in which their lot is cast. To this class I can with confidence recommend the Lang- si rot h hive. If you live far enough south, you will be satisfied with the shallow form; hut if you live as far north as this, you will be better satisfied with it in the form in which I use it. If you live in Lower Canada, away north of Vermont, where I was born, make it in a still more compact form, and give it two inches more in depth of comb. The shallow form has eight or eight and a half inches depth of comb. I use ten or ten and a half inches. In Lower 94 THE AMEEIOAN BEE JOURNAL. Canada, I would recommend twelve inches in depth of comb for out-door wintering. This third class of bee-keepers will do credit to a hive; or, in other words, they will build up the reputation of a hive. But the first and sec- ond class will destroy the reputation of any hive that was ever invented. Now, reader, to which class do you belong? Remember that I do not place you in either class; your own actions place you where you belong. I will do all in my power to help you into the third class, but it is poor encouragement to help those who will not help themselves. To explain to Mr. B. Puckett would be the height of folly, for it would only be another of Gallup's assertions. It would lack proof, at least to him. The reader may want to know what became of the swarms that were boxed up, &c. All died, of course — twenty-two in number; and would have died if there had been ten thousand. Osage, Iowa. E. Gallup. [For the American Bee Journal.] The Season of 1868 in Michigan. The past season here was extremely variable. Most of the month of March was pleasant and warm for the season, with but few days on which the bees did not fly. At the close of the month there was brood in the comb in most colonies, throughout a large part of the cluster of bees. April was less favorable. The month was cold and wet, and at its close there was less brood in many colonies than there was at its commence- ment. May was warmer again, and the bees commenced gathering pollen early in the month; breeding was extensively resumed, and for a few days, towards the close of the month, some honey was stored. Swarms (Italians) com- menced issuing May 24. Most of the hives were now well filled with brood, and drones had made their appearance. According to the rules given by the advocates of artificial swarming, such swarms should now have been made; yet a division of stocks made at this time, or, in fact, at any time during the season, would have proved injurious to many, if not entirely ruin- ous to some, of the divided colonies. Perhaps enough bees and brood for one good colony might have been taken without injury from four or five frood hives, but even such a division would seldom have proved advantageous. The yield of honey ceased with the failure of fruit blossoms. No more honey was stored until near the 15th of June, from white clover. Early in the month, most stocks were nearly destitute of honey, some of them quite so, and the drones in all colonies not queenless were killed. The slaughter was general. Not only were the ma- tured drones destroyed, but drone larvoa were dragged out of the cells, and sacrificed to the want s of the colony. Some young swarms, after having been hived a week, deserted their hives, and returned to the parent stocks, without hav- ing made a particle of comb. In some old colo- nies, breeding entirely ceased. In fact, bees were little better off on the 10th of June than they were at the same date in April. About the 15th of June their condition again improved, and for nearly three weeks honey was stored quite freely. Another failure of honey occurred early in July, after which time very little was collected by the native bees, except for a few days from buckwheat. The Italians have done somewhat better. As a whole, the season has been a poor one. But very few of the young native swarms, or old stocks from which swarms have issued, are supplied with sufficient winter stores. Many of them are nearly destitute. Even the best colonies of Italians, from which no swarms issued, and in Avhich no drones were reared, have stored onty about eighty pounds of surplus honey in boxes, and that, too, with all the box-room they could possibly use. Small queen-raising colonies it has been necessary to feed much of the time since July. I have used a home-made feeder, made in the following manner: Take a piece of two-inch plank, of the same dimensions as the top of the hive; bore a two-inch auger hole nearly through, so that the draw of the auger will go through the plank; tack a small piece of fine-wdre cloth over the hole, on the under side; put the feeder on the hive, fill the auger-hole with honev, cover it with the ordinary top board, and the swarm is fed. If the bee-keeper wishes to feed more at a time, enlarge the hole with a chisel and mallet, or make several additional holes. Such a feeder is cheap, quickly made, and the bees can be fed in a moment's time, without attracting outsiders. All can use it, as it is not patented. The wood will absorb some honey, but the quantity will be trifling. Although the past season has been a poor one, it should in no way discourage bee-keepers or bee-keeping. On the contrary, we should con- stantly seek to learn some lesson from the past that will be of use in future. The summer of 1862 was very propitious. It was followed by one just the reverse. The same is true of every season extremely favorable for bees and honev that I have ever noticed. The season of 1867 was a very good one. I expected that of 1868 would be correspondingly poor, and have not been disappointed. I prevented the issue of swarms in every way practicable. When they issued, I returned them to the parent hive, or joined them to some other stock, and have now very few if any colonies but what are in good condition for winter. I think the early, univer- sal slaughter of drones, too, indicated more than a present scarcity of honey, as we were then told. We were advised to make artificial colo- nies, and manage the apiary the same as though the drones had not been destroyed. We were also told that we could see into the future. fur- ther than the bees could, and that in all proba- bility we should, by and by. have favorable weather. But the prophecy was not fulfilled, and the result has shown the iustinct of the bee to be the nearest right. Bee-keepers who have made swarms artificially, or allowed swarms to issue at pleasure, to any extent, are now com- plaining that they have too many bees and too little honey. J. H. Townley. Tompkins, Mich., Oct. 14, 1868. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 9f THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER, 1868. dT.TiiE American Bee Journal is now published monthly, in the City of Washington, (D. C.,) at $2 per annum in advance. All com- munications should be addressed to the Editor, at that place. ElT'We cannot consent to insert, as commun- ications, articles which have previously appear- ed, as such, in other papers or periodicals ; nor can we engage to return manuscripts not used. We are gratified in being able to present our readers this month with an interesting commun- ication on foulbrood, from the Baroness Von Berlepsch — a lady who takes as warm an inter- est in all that relates to bees and bee-culture, as her distinguished husband, whose labors and services have long since secured to him a world- wide reputation. As she speaks and writes English familiarly, we hope to be under obliga- tions to her frequently for valuable articles and important information, earlier than such could possibly reach us through the customary chan- nels. We have not yet received the number of the Bienenzeitung containing Dr. Preuss' account of his discovery ; but our impression is that the fungi observed by him in foulbroody matter are rather the consequence than the cause of the disease. We have long been of the opinion that this malady originates in the use of pollen that is undergoing putrefacative fermentation from whatever cause. This coincides also with the views of Mr. Lambrecht, froniAvhose pen an excellent article on the subject appeared in several recent numbers of the Hanover Central- blatt. Of these we had prepared a translation for our present number, but concluded to post- pone its insertion to next month when we re. ceived the communication from the Baroness Von Berlepsch. These articles, in connection, we conceive convey more definite information as to the nature, source, and cure of the disease than has hitherto been attainable, and we trust may at last lead to a satisfactory solution of the difficulty which has so long perplexed and dismayed bee-keepers in almost every district of country. £2F"We are indebted to Mr. Dadant, of Ham ilton, Illinois, for an article from the pen of Dr. Blumhof, giving an account of the state of bee- culture in Italy. We fiequently see, in the agricultural press, notices of fancied discoveries or new observa- tions respecting bees, the novelty of which is confined to the non-p.)sted observer and the un- informed reader. Of this description is an arti- cle now "going the rounds," in relation to a pe- culiar feature in the wings of bees, enabling the insect to form one wing of two by means of cer- tain minute hooks upon the back of each. This peculiar feature is minutely described on page 85 of Unhoch's "Introduction to a correct knoicledge and proper management of Bees,'''' published at Munich just forty-five years ago, and is exhibited on plate 6, figure 13, of that work. It is also mentioned on page 01, and figured on plate 7, of Notcutt's "Handbook of the Microscope,'1'' published in London in 1849. thus "the wings of Hymenoptera, (bees, wasps, &c), present a curious structure in a series of minute hooks with which the front edge of the wing is fringed. Their object is to c'asp the hinder part of the front wing while flying, so as to increase their strength of flight." Unhoch says : — "The larger wing of a worker bee is 14 lines long and 4^ lines broad. It proceeds from the upper part of the thorax and is so connected, by cartilage, with the smaller wing lying above it that the one cannot move without the other. At about mid-length of the upper mar- gin of each wing are situated nineteen or twen- ty, and frequently twenty-one minute hooks, finely pointed. By means of these the smaller wing is attached to the larger, to secure a more expanded surface when flying." Thus, 'we see, old things become new. Part III of Dr. Packard's "Guide to the Study of Insects" has been received. It is handsomely printed, beautifully illustrated with three full- page plates and numerous cuts, and is replete with information about bees, wasps, and other hymenoptera It is a work of special interest and value to all who wish to obtain a correct knowledge of the various classes of insects. Published at Salem, Massachusetts. Price fifty cedts per Part. We have received from Paris, volumes 10, 11 and 12, of " V Apiculieur,'1'1 the French Bee Journal, from which we expect to derive some THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. valuable material occasionally for our pages. "We send in return the desired number and vol- umes of the A. B. J. Will the Editor please favor us with a copy of the IS Apicultcur for July, 1868? tf°We have no doubt, judging from an inci- dental remark by Mr. Gravenhorst, that the theory of our correspondent below is the same as that on which Mr. G. proceeds, however they may differ in its practical application. [For the American Bee Journal.] To obtain all Worker Comb. It is announced in the October Bee Journal that Mr. Gravenhorst, of Prussia, has probably succeeded in contriving a plan whereby bees may be compelled . in any hive, and under all circumstances, to build worker comb. That would certainly be an excellent thing, and pos- sibly it may be done. Let us see if we too can- not contrive a plan to effect the same result. Drone comb differs from worker comb in two respects only, viz : in the diameter and in the depth of its cells. The greater depth of drone cells is just as essential as the greater diameter. Worker brood cells are seven-sixteenths of an inch in depth, and drone brood cells are nine- sixteenths of an inch in depth, or, taking cells on both sides of the comb, eighteen- sixteenths or one and one-eighth inches for the thickness of drone comb, and drone comb would be en- tirely useless, unless it could be built of this thickness. Now, to prevent drone comb from being built, or, in other words, to compel bees to build only worker comb, it is only necessary to oblige them to build all their combs in spaces too narrow for drone comb. I think that is the whole secret. Worker comb is fourteen-six- teenths inches in thickness. Then there must be left, on each side of the comb, a space wide enough for the bees aud queen to pass, say three sixteenths ou each side, making the whole width devoted to each comb, twenty-sixteenths of an inch, or one and and a quarter inches precisely. Now, this precise width could be given to the space occupied by each frame very easily ; but to prevent the bees from running over to the next frame, and thus occupying a wider space and running into drone comb, some barrier must be used; but it must be of such a construction that the bees can readily pass from one comb to another, or the}'- will be disconten- ted aud probably fail to build any comb at all. This barrier or guide could be made of wood or tin pierced with numerous holes, but best of large-meshed wire cloth, say number 4, or four meshes to the inch. If wire cloth is used great care should he taken to have it perfectly true or straight, so that the space would be of exact width throughout. I shall try this next sum- mer and hope others will. It should be tried only when the honey harvest is abundant, and with large swarms, and it would be best to let them start combs before the guides are inserted. R. Bickford. Seneca Falls, N. Y , Oct. 1G, 1808. [For the American Bee Journal] Patented and other Hives. Mr. Editor : — I see, on reading the Bee Journal, that a free interchange of thought between bee-keepers in different parts of the country, relative to the best modes of manage- ing the honey bee, is readily allowed in its pages. It is no wonder that so many minds should disagree in relation to bee-culture, for such is the case upon every great point at issue, by whomsoever presented. One succeeds well with an old style of box hive ; while not a few are wedded to stationary frames, or close-fitting top-bars. All bear testimony in favor of their respective favorites, through some fancied or real good qualities said to exist in them. Not un- like many of your correspondents, I too have a preference in hives, and that is in favor of Kid- der's Compound Hive, as possessing more good points combined in one hive, than any other with which I am acquainted. I do not know that I could present them separately, or even collectively, without trespassing upon the space devoted to your regular correspondents. How- ever, I have ventured thus far, trusting to the apparent liberality of your excellent Journal. In the June number I find an excellent arti- cle from the pen of J. Davis, of Charleston, Illi- nois, under the heading '■'■Patent Hives and Claims." Now, Mr. Davis is a stranger to me; nevertheless he has paid me, and every subscri- ber of it, a social call through the Journal, for which I am, and every reader of it ought to be, much obliged. His article has the "ring of the true metal "in every line. Yes, gentlemen, if your hives are worth anything, let us know, through the Bee Journal, ichat makes them so. Your circulars reach a few of us. They are no doubt just what they were intended to be, but fall short of the real wants of the bee-keepers. Many of them reveal the character of the writers much better than they do that of their hives. This is not what we want. Present us your "Claims !" Give us a description of your hives, illustrated by good engravings, and give these in the American Bee Journal, through which they can reach the practical bee-keepers of the country. If your hives possess real merit, it is there that the bee-keepers will tell one another thereof. If they are worthless (as many are) a self-conceited inventor may profit and perhaps improve his mental capacity, if not his hives, by criticisms and suggestions received from those whom he egotistically believes are his beneficia- ries. Dr. S. N. Vickary. Darien, Sept. 30, 18G8. KlPWe are under the impression that, in a case tried at Utica a few years ago, before the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, the Kidder hive was de- cided to be an infringement of the Langstroth patent. Occasionally feed even your strongest colon- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 9Y [For the American Bee Journal.] Notes and Remarks. Mr. Editor: — I have received the October number of the Bee Journal, and find many-in- teresting subjects treated of in it, to which I ■would, wit h your permission, add a few remarks. Before I go further, however, let me thank you for so ably conducting the Bee Journal, and I hope that the time may shortly come when it will make its appearance more frequently, and not, as now, almost "like angels' visits, few and far between." I see the last number speaks of the New Eng- land Fair. I ought to have been there, and shoidd have been, but was detained by a felon, which wTas very painful, aud would have pre- vented me from attending to my bees properly if I had gone there. Then, again, my honey did not satisfy me this year, as the season failed very early, and I thought, besides, there would be plenty entered for exhibition as good as any I had. Had I supposed there would be so liitle there, I should have attended with bees, honey, and wax that "might be deemed worthy of a premium." One of your correspondents asks about the basswood tree, or American linden. I would say that it is perfectly hardy, a rapid grower, furnishing excellent forage, (the best, I think, in these parts,) and is a fine shade tree. Why could not our cities and towns be shaded by them? The tulip tree is the same, with this ex- ception, that I do not find the bees work to any considerable extent on it here, even when drip- ping with honey. Why this is so I cannot con- ceive, but such has been my experience. It is quite the contrary with the bass-wood. The bees always resort to it when the weather is favorable, and I have known them to work on it by moonlight. Italians I am very well pleased with, although they do not work upon red clover; neither are they as peaceable, when handled, as has been stated. They will resent an insult quicker, and to a greater degree, than will black bees; but it is the owner's fault if he is troubled with cross bees of whatever kind, either black or Italian. Keep your bees near the house, be around them often, never strike at them, do not jar the hives, and treat them with moderation, and they will be harmless as Hies. I once thought that toads would eat bees. I do not think so now, and for this reason. One lives, and has for three years, under one of my hives. I have tried him many times, the pres- ent season, by offering bees to him on a stick. He would not eat them; but offer him a drone, and presto! it is gone. One day last summer, when the bees were hanging out very strong, I swept them all down on him. He sat as quiet as he could till they crept back, when he hopped away to his hole. I find that Mr. Langstroth's plan for winter- ing bees is precisely the same as mine, except thai my hives are double; conscquenlly, I do not put any covering on the outside of them. I lo t several stocks last winter, till I opened all the entrances nearly as wide as in summer, after which I had no further trouble. I cannot, how- ever, recommend shallow hives. Bees do not do well in them in this locality, or in only few instances. They do not swarm from them as ear- ly as from a more compact hive, and there is no advantage derived, except large box room, which I think can be gained in other ways, without a corresponding loss. I think bees kept in that kind of hive are more liable to dysentery than in other forms. The reason I give for this is, dysentery is caused, in some instances at least, by extreme cold, and as bees cannot cluster as compactly in shallow hives, they are affected accordingly. I do not wish to detract in the least from Mr. Langstroth's hive, for he has originated a valu- able improvement, without which bee-keeping would not be what it now is. I used his hive for a long time, and had a deal of trouble from what I have just stated. I wTrote to Mr. L. last spring, telling him that in my opinion they were too shallow, and also too large. The past sum- mer's experience has convinced me that I was correct, as far as they were adapted to black bees. For Italians they are not too large, aud I am not sure that they are large enough. I think very much of my Italians, but I do not believe that they will do near as well as has been claimed for them. I have one great trouble, which I consider the whole difficulty in keeping bees, and that is foulbrood. Can no way be devised, besides driving them out, to cure it? There was a remedy claimed some time ago by some one in Europe, I think. Why do we hear no more about it? I will give my last experiment in regard to Italians. It has been claimed that they are lon- ger lived than the blacks. I took two hives this season, one black and the other Italians, and transposed the queens. At the present time there is hardly a black bee in the one in which the Italian queen was put, while the other is largely predominant with Italians yet. I find quite a difference with the different hives about the time the young bees go to work. Some of them get started nearly or quite two weeks ear- lier than the others. Why is this? To conclude, this season hat? been the Avorst I remember of. My honey yield has been better than I expected, although it is small. Buck- wheat finished off very veil, as some of my s-tocks made from twenty-five to forty pounds alone from this crop. I had nearly forgot to say that I am making me an emptying machine on a different plan, dispensing with the tub. It will, I think, be a cheaper one than has yet been made. If sue cessful, I will give you the result. It will not be patented. Wm. A. Barnes. West Meriden, Oct, 5, 18G8. Tkeasure Found. — A gentleman in West- ford, Maine, having occasion recently to replace the floor in one of the upper stories of his house, discovered, upon removing the flooring, that a swarm of bees had taken possession of the space beneath, as a depository for their gatherings. He obtained ninety-eight pounds (if honey there- from. 98 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bees and Top Boxes. Mr. Editor: — The present year has not been a good honey-producing season in Massachu- setts, and many bee-keepers have failed to in- crease their stocks or procure surplus honey. I, however, have doubled my stock, and obtained honey enough for family use. I use mostly the Langstroth hive, of the pat- tern made by W. W. Cary, of Coleraine, Massa- chusetts, having a honey-board with H-inch holes, and boxes of a capacity of about fifty pounds. I prepare my boxes with a litrle empty comb, but I find the bees are indisposed to as- cend through these holes to the boxes to go to work, and thousands and tens of thousands had rather loaf than work under these circumstances. I madman experiment, to test their disposition in this direction. In July last, there were sev- eral colonies of Italians, strong in numbers and rich in stores, all with boxes on the honey- boards, but they did not work in the boxes. I selected the weakest of these for an experiment — a colony which lost its queen early in spring, and ran down very low in numbers before a new queen was raised and it began to replenish its strength. From this stock I expected only that it would repair its losses, and get in trim for winter. I took from it one frame of honey, removed the honey-board, and placed on the frames six boxes without bottoms, which just covered the top of the frames. The honey sea- son was almost over, as it was about the middle of July. The bees ascended to the boxes at once, and soon began to work. They filled three of the six boxes full, and one more nearly lull, while seven other colonies by their side s'ored but one box. This experience proves to my mind that bees do not like to ascend through small holes to the boxes, and will not work un- der such circumstances with any zeal or in any great numbers. The common plan of setting the surplus boxes on honey-boards places great obstructions in the way of the workers, and greatly rttards their operations. Look at it, and think ! The entrance to the boxes is from twelve to twenty inches from the entrance of the hive. A bee comes in, loaded with honey, which it wishes to deposit in a box. The combs hang within half an inch of each other, and the hive is full (it bees, which cluster on the combs everywhere, blocking up the passages on every side. This busy worker must crowd and elbow its way slowly along as best it can. By and by, it reaches the box, empties its sack, and turns to make another excursion, but is detained again; jamming through a moving, surging crowd, it at length finds the door, and departs. Here is a tremendous detention, and waste of time and energy. What is wanted is some arrangement by which all workers wTho will can go to work, forty thousand of them simultaneously. No bee should be detained a moment from its work, either by finding a crowTd blocking up its path, or for want of room to work. This difficulty is mostly overcome in the Eu- reka hive, by the Rev. Jasper Hazen, of Alba- ny, N. Y. In this hive there are eighteen boxes, with a capacity of one hundred and twenty-five pounds. They form, when all on, a kind of square arch around the central depart- ment, and are so made and arranged that the bees can enter freely to the right and left, as they pass into the hive, without going up over the combs; and all the boxes communicate with each other, so that a bee entering a box near the entrance, for instance, can pass into any box of the nest, or it can enter the boxes from any part of the sides or top of the central department. The desideratum to be secured is, free entrance to the honey-boxes and unobstructed passage- way, so that all the workers who will can simul- taneously go to work, storing honey in the boxes. The Eureka hive secures this- I have one of these hives, and am satisfied that it se- cures the bees an opportunity to work in boxes which is not afforded by any other hive with which I am acquainted, if I except, perhaps, one gotten up by Henry Alley, of Wen ham, Mass. He has made an improvement on Lang- stroth's hive, by which he encircles the central department with a nest of twenty -five boxes, and he says that, on the 12th of July last, the bees were at work in all of those twenty-five boxes. P. R. Russell. Bolton, Mass. [For the American Bee Journal.] Requeening. Mr. Editor: — In the August number of your Journal there is an article from "Kohler" on requeening, some points of which he seemingly does not understand as I do. He says that all young bees raised in the fall, which will not participate in honey gathering;, are merely con- sumers, and therefore unprofitable for that sea- son. I beg to differ with him, and will give the reasons. I think many who have Italianized their stocks have observed the fact that nucleus colonies formed from black bees at the same time that Italian queens are introduced in large colo- nies, continue to have black bees long after any such can be found in the large colony. Another fact: put an Italian queen in a colony, and make another queenless for a time, and the queenless one will have black bees longer than the one Italianized. This proves that the mortality of bees is brought about by outside labor, and also that the young bees hatched after requeening, take the place of the old ones which engage in field labor. So the question is not whether the young bee will itself have time to gather honey, but wThether it will have time to take the place of older ones, which will certainly go to the field if released from indoor labor. This view makes at least a difference of one month in favor of re- queening, and I think any one who has had the chance to observe the above facts will agree with my view. Of course, if no queen was at hand, or if the colony was much reduced, I would break it up; but if still numerous, and a queen is at hand, I would just as soon break up any other stout colony that has a queen. We have had a fine season for bees, and our best stocks are swTarming as in spring. A. G. WlLLEY. Murfreesboro\ Tenn., Aug. 31. 18G8. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 99 [For the American Bee Journal.] Wintering Reserve Queens. In a former number of the Bee Journal, it was asked whether, and how, supernumerary- queens in nucleus hives could be wintered. As the time is now at hand when colonies should be arranged for wintering, I will endeavor to reply to the inquiry, in so far as my experience warrants. For many years past I have tried to winter nucleus hives of various sizes, but never with a satisfactory result. After spending much time, and wasting a considerable amount of honey on these small colonies, they would die, sooner or later, according to the number of bees they contained. Last year, as a final effort, I concluded to unite all these small nuclei in a larger hive, just half the size of those I com- monly use — that is, nine inches broad by twelve inches deep, and twelve inehes high. This small colony was healthy and lively when I brought out my bees from their winter reposi- tory in the month of March, containing then still about a quart of bees, but no brood. Two other full colonies were in not much better con- dition, having only a small quantity of brood. As we had still a frequent recurrence of cold clays, and of cold nights especially, I replaced these three weak stocks in the cellar, after hav- ing allowed the bees to fly; but two weeks later found the smallest of the three dead. In April, the other two were continually growing weaker, till finally I had to break them up, in order to save the queens, which were pure Italians. I have always found this to be thecondition of all weak colonies. After bringing them through the winter, with great trouble and no small sac- rifice of honey, they would commonly swarm out and decamp in the spring; and if I attempted to reinforce them with brood or bees taken from some strong stock, the latter was much more injured by the operation than the former was benefitted, for in the early spring no colony can Avell be too strong. Hence I have invariably found it most advantageous to unite all the weak stocks with stronger ones in the fall, and have often repeated this in the cellar, towards spring, on finding that others have become greatly enfeebled. After the experience I have thus had, I can- not but advise beginners in no case to undertake to winter weak colonies, as the winters, at least in this latitude, are too greatly protracted, ana all weak colonies are sure to lose twice as many bees, in proportion, as strong ones, and are not strengthened through the winter, like the latter, by accessions from maturing brood. As regards the ventilation of hives, I will only remark that I aim in this, as in all besides, to maintain a judicious medium. Four one-inch holes in the cover or honey-board have always been found sufficient for my strongest stocks. For the weaker, I open only'two holes, on the side most distant from Hie clustered bees. Cov- ering these holes with wire gauze is not only unnecessary, but maybe injurious, as a single bee endeavoring to work its way out there may disturb and excite the whole colony. The main matter is, that the cellar or clamp in which stocks are deposited be dry and dark, and that the hives are carried there only in dry weather. If the place be a little too cold, it will do less harm than if too warm. Disposed of in this manner, I carried my bees — sixty-four colonies — successfully through the last winter, not losing one while they re- mained there, nor did the combs suffer from dampness and mould. Afterwards, indeed, I lost several colonies from various causes, but even of these the comb and the honey they still contained remained available for early spring swarms. I propose to winter all my stocks, comprising one hundred choice Italian colonies, in my detached clamp cellar the coming season, and will report the result in the spring. Unfavorable as the season was on the whole, I doubled the number of stocks iu my apiary, and have obtained, besides, one thousand pounds of honey, and about fifty pounds of wax. The last five years ' have not been as propitious to bee-culture here as the previous ones, and all those who did not keep themselves well posted during this period have fallen back, instead of advancing; some, indeed, have gradually retro- graded till they have lost their entire stock. W. Wolff. Jefferson, Wis. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bee-Feeder. The following is a description of a bee-feeder of which I claim to be the inventor. It is sim- ply a wooden box, open at bottom and top. A piece of cotton cloth is tacked over the bottom edge of the box, and it is then treated to a coat of pitch all around the edge of the box, over the muslin. This sticks it fast, find makes it per- fectly waterproof. A little of the pitch should be put in the corners of the box. A strip should be tacked on to two opposite sides of the box, so as to raise it high enough to keep the bees from waxing or gumming the cloth. It may be cov- ered with a thin piece of board. The pitch is made by melting rosin and bees- wax together ; the large portion should be rosin. This pitch will be found very useful to bee-raisers, particularly for fastening combs in movable frames, or for sticking pieces of comb anywhere you wish. It is used hot, with a small painter's brush. The cloth should be wetted before the feed is poured into the box. Although I have no doubt that this is the best bee-feeder that ever has been or ever will he in- vented, I do not intend to take out a patent on it, and wish this published to prevent any other person from doing so. W. T. Singleton. Springfield, III. An individual may be so full of the virus of one or both of the two inseets, the bee and the mosquito, that the sting of the one and the pro- boscis of theother will produce neither irritating nor harmful effects. — B. F. J. 100 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Two Queens in one Hive. The singularity here was, as will be seen, that one was a fertile mother and the other a 3roung queen, supposed to be about three clays old. In May, 1867, I bought, of Rev. L. L. Lang- stroth, a twenty dollar Italian queen to propo- xate from. Some time in July, 1868, there be- ing quite a demand for queens, I removed the old mother queen from the large hive, to pro- cure cells. After the cells were capped, I removed them to small nucleus hives, and restored the queen to that from which she was removed. In three days, after these cells were hatched, I had oc- casion to go to the old colony, to procure eggs from the old mother queen." On opening the hive, I saw a young unfertilized' queen on the first comb I lifted out; of course I understood how she came there — a cell had been over- looked. I now supposed my old queen was killed, and commenced lifting out the combs with much anxiety ; but, on the third comb taken out, I found the old queen depositing eggs as usual. I then captured the young queen, and introduced her where I intended to put the eggs. This is the second time I found an old queen remaining with the colony, after a young queen had hatched. But I think, as a general rule, | the old queen is on the decline and refuses to leave the hive, and is barely tolerated in her old home. A. Salisbury. Camargo, Ills. [For the American Bee Journal. ] Loss of Queens. I was unfortunate enough this last summer to lo-e a queen that I procured from Mr. Lang- strotli one year ago. I caught her about noon, put her in a cage for the purpose of introducing her into a hive of common bees. At the same time, I caged the common queen, and put them both on a shelf in the house. On examining them in the evening, I found them both dead. There were a few large black ants in and about the cages. The queens had nothing to eat for four or five hours. Now, I wish to ask, did they starve, or did the ants kill them? Or what do you think was the trouble ? J. W. Mayfield. Goshen, Ind., Sept. 29, 1868. ESfWe suppose the queens died of starvation, as we never knew ants to attack living bees. Perhaps a kind of nostalgia too had something to do with it. At the swarming season, if the weather be warm and moist or wet, thus favoring the pro- duction of brood, bees are strongly inclined to build drone combs, often making a sudden transition from worker to drone cells. [For the American Bee Journal.] Is Puff Ball Smoke Injurious to Bees ? Question Answered. All narcotic substances affect bees more or less injuriously, or even fatally, according to the quantity to the operation of which they are exposed. Bees are readily stupefied, and may even be killed, if long subjected to the effects ot tobacco smoke. When fumigated to stupefac- tion with puff ball smoke, a considerable number of the bees operated on are invariably killed, as I have discovered on numerous trials. It is al- most as bad as exposing them to the fumes oi burning brimstone, and I cannot, therefore, re- commend the use of it. W. Wolff. Jefferson, Wis. [For the American Bee Journal. ] Question to Novice. You inform us that you take the honey out or the combs as soon as gathered, or at least every five or six days, and express -your regret that you did not take it out more frequently by means of the machine. Please inform us wliether this very thin fresh- gathered honey did not speedily turn sour ? My opinion is that the honey has to be conden- sed in the cells by the bees, and that as soon as it is sufficiently ripe or thickened they will seal h up. Is it not the proper time to remove it from the comb, just when the bees begin to seal it up ? W. Wolff. Jefferson, Wis. Bee-Glue or Propolis. In the immense forests of Poland and Russia, where the bees select their own habitations in hollow trunks of trees, the bee-glue is deposited in much larger pieces, and of a superior ilavor, to that which is obtained in countries where these insects are raised by the aid of art. The inhabitants of the former generally use this bee- glue as a vulnerary application, to promote the healing of fresh wounds. Dr. James, in his "Medicinal Dictionary''1 praises the bee -glue as being gently heating, abstergent, and attract- ing. It softens indurated parts, alleviates pain, and induces cicatrices on ulcers. — Maillet's Travels. If a swarm by bad weather be checked and hindered in their work the first week, they will seldom work courageously all the summer fol- lowing.— PURCHAS. In the busy summer season, when there is plenty of honey to gather, few of the worker bees get to be more than six or eight weeks old. Bees rarely deposit pollen in drone cells. American Bee Journal. EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Vol. IV. DECEMBER, 1868. No. 6. [From the German.] Poulbrood. Its Cause, Source, and Cure. Among the various diseases of bees mentioned in the history of bee-culture, so far back as that history can be traced, there is none so danger- ous and destructive as the justly dreaded foul- brood. Entire apiaries have been swept away by this pestilential evil; and many a bee-keeper has been literally ruined thereby and constrain- ed to abandon bee-culture, heavy losses having deprived him of the means of procuring a stock of healthy bees to replenish his hives. Others, less seriously injured, were yet so disappointed and discouraged by the damage sustained, as to contract an utter distaste for a pursuit liable to be thus disastrously affected ; and if the matter be regarded solely from their point of view, their case is entitled to commisseration and sympathy, and their determination need not create surprise. The evil befals its victim sud- denly and unexpectedly, ofttimes attacking his stocks like a thief in the night, and spreading rapidly from colony to colony. It is conse- quently by no means strange that the dismayed bee-keeper is filled with sad forebodings when, on opening one of his hives, he perceives exhal- ing from it an offensive noisome steuch, instead of the pleasant odor of honey. With no person- al experience to direct him, and fruitlessly em- ploying the remedies suggested by others, he is forced to look on the progress of the malady in hopeless helplessness ; and when the last of his colonies has perished, he abandons in disgust what he had expected would prove to him a lucrative pursuit, or at least an agreeable relaxa- tion from exacting duties. Such is but too fre- quently the melancholy issue ; and this fact is of itself a sufficient reason for an endeavor to de- vise, from careful observation and a resort to the aids of science, means of infallibly and in- variably curing this disease whenever and wherever it occurs. Whether the following dissertation will show that we have been suc- cessful in this endeavor, must be submitted to the ultimate judgment of intelligent apiarians ; though we shall not, in the meantime, refrain from saying that we will guarantee success in every case where the proposed remedy is ap- plied, and the requisite operations are properly and punctually performed. When the observant bee-keeper finds on the bottom-board of any of his hives small dark- brown particles or granules, which if crushed between the fingers become plastic and emit an offensive odor ; and when, further, he sees that the caps of the brood cells are sunken and that the cells themselves contain dead and putrefy- ing larvae, either still soft though decomposing, or already shrunken to a dry, black and fetid mass ; or, even when immature, dead, and de- composing larva?, are torn out of the cells by the workers and found lying on the bottom-board ; he may feel assured that he has before him con- clusive evidence of the existence of foulbrood in that hive. To the experienced bee-keeper the pestilential smell issuing from the hive, at once proclaims the diseased condition of the colony, and renders closer inspection superfluous. Cases occur, indeed, when from protracted want of forage or prolonged bad weather, the stores of a colony becoming exhausted and there being no immediate prospect of new supplies, the workers tear the brood from the cells in de- spair, and cast it out. But here the larva? are still fresh and untainted, showing not the slight- est symptom of disease or even of incipient de- composition, and from the hive no offensive smell is diffused. This, though an evil, has still no connection with the malignant malady of which we are treating. There is, besides, a mild and non-contageous form of foulbrood, specially distinguishable from the other by the circumstance that where it exists it affects only the uncapped larva?, which are found dead in the cells. This results merely from exposure to se- vere cold consequent to a sudden change of weatlier when the lower portion ot the combs are already occupied by brood ; and not from any injurious property of the chyme with which they were fed. Nevertheless care is important even here, and it is always prudent to treat the case promptly, when such appearances present themselves, in the manner described further on. To the external accompaniments of foulbrood perta n indisputably the peculiar gaseous and putrescent miasms with which the atmosphere 102 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. of the hive iu the interspaces between the combs is charged, converting the hive itself into a reservoir where the germs of the destructive disease are inexhaustively generated and whence they are boundlessly diffused. The atmosphere of a hive containing foulbrood is fatally infec- ted. The ammonia developed therein from the decomposing larvae, and the sulphuretted hy- drogen there generated, act destructively on the vital force of the bees : their store of food — more especially the pollen— is permanently tainted, and thus becomes peculiarly adapted to promote and sustain the continuous generation of miasmatic corpuscles. Of this fact we shall treat more fully further on, our purpose being j previously to elucidate the source of the two elementary substances just named. It is a universally recognised maxim that "wherever organic substances are decomposing — that is, being resolved into their constituent elements — ammonia and sulphuretted hydrogen i are produced." That this is the case, too, j wherever foulbrood occurs in a hive, can lie ; demonstrated beyond doubt by the following simple experiment. Place fifteen or sixteen j larvae of bees in a small glass phial, and pour in as much water as will cover them to the depth i of li inches. Dip a strip of common letter j paper in an aqueous solution of sugar of lead, ] dry it, and suspend it in the phial close above the water by means of a cork. After standing a few days, the following changes will be ob- served. The suspended paper will have assum- ed a dark-brown hue, the sulphur developed by the decomposing larva? having parted from the hydrogen with which it was combined, and united with the lead for which it has greater chemical affinity, thus forming sulphate of lead. The actual presence of sulphuretted hydrogen in the phial can be readily ascertained on open- ing it, hy the disagreeable smell thence issuing, resembling that of rotten eggs. On the other hand, the nitrogen disengaged from the decom- posing larvae, now combines with the liberated hydrogen and forms ammonia, which is held in solution temporarily by the water. Pour a little of this water in a tumbler, warm it gently, drop in a small piece of caustic lime, and the pungent fumes thence arising will indicate the presence of ammonia, liberated and expelled by the lime. Of the other elementaiy substances contained in the larva?, and now liberated, we shall take no notice at present. It is well known that bees breathe not, as most other creatures do, through lungs, but through spiracles, (stigmata), two pairs of ■which are situated on the sides of the thorax, and one pair on each side of the abdominal seg- ments. The larva?, like all creatures, breathe atmospheric air, which, if life is to be sustained, must be pure and consist of four parts nitrogen and one part oxygen, with a small portion of carbonic acid and watery vapor, mechanically uni'ed. But if, as we have already shown, the atmosphere of a foulbroody hive contains in ad- dition a quantity of ammonia and sulphuretted hydrogen, the creatures breathing it inhale cer- tain death. That which they inhale must pro- duce its natural effect. Life cannot be support- ed by such a medium, the inhalation of which can only produce morbific combinations in the delicate tissues of the larva?. That the pollen stored in such a hive becomes constantly more and more decomposed, as has already been sta- ted, by the presence of these foreign elements, probably needs no further demonstration. Having thus indicated the points which we deemed indispensable to a proper elucidation of the subject, we shall now proceed to search for the cause to which solely the existence of foul- brood is to be ascribed. Every bee-keeper is well acquainted with the nutritive substances on which bees subsist ; but it may not be so well understood that these, as Avell as those of vertebrate animals, consist of two distinct classes, the non-nitrogenous, in- cluding honey, and the nitrogenous, including pollen. While the former are composed of three organogons — carbon, hydrogen, and oxy- gen, with a few inorganic substances, the latter are composed chiefly of carbon, hydrogen, oxy- gen, nitrogen, and sulphur, (phosphorus). These, in consequence simply of their peculiar composition, decompose with extraordinary ease. They readily ferment and putrefy when brought in contact with heat and moisture ; and while thus decomposing, irresistibly affect, in like manner, any non-nitrogenous substances with which they are combined. They are the natural ferments which, in conjunction with heat, gen- erate the process called fermentation, and which are peculiarly qualified to convert sacch- arine substances to other forms. I *shall recur again, hereinafter, in its appropriate place, to this property of nitrogenous substances; deem- ing a closer examination of pollen, as a nitrogen- ous and sulphuretted substance, now more im- mediately in place. The chyme which the workers prepare from honey and pollen by partial digestion, and with which the larva? are fed, contains a nitrogenous, plastic, formative substance from which all the organs and tissues of the larvm are derived and composed. It is composed, as has already been remarked, of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitro- gen, and sulphur, (phosphorus) ; and precisely because of this, its complicated composition, it is peculiarly susceptible of rapid decomposition when exposed to air and moisture — that is, to undergo fermentation and putrefaction. By decomposition, the elementaiy substances it contains are liberated; that is, the chemical combination previously subsisting is dissolved, and they are free to form new combinations, de- pendant severally on their more or less strong affinities. Thus nitrogen seizes and appropri- ates as much of the hydrogen as is required to form ammonia, the residue of the hydrogen combining with the sulphur and forming sul- phuretted hydrogen; while the carbon unites with the remaining oxygen to form carbonic acid, &c. ifcc. We perceive from these various processes, that the decomposition which a ni- trogenous substance is undergoing, results in the production of a number of new substances, possessing new forms aud properties ; aud that the original effect which, as an organic unit, it was qualified to produce, is no longer attainable after decomposition is accomplished. It is hence obvious that pollen, even though having THE AMEEICAN BEE JOURNAL. 101 undergone only partial decomposition, must affect the bodies of bees and of larvae differently from what it did or would do in its natural con- dition ; and there is no longer a doubt that it is from pollen thus partially decomposed that foul- brood originates. That it can very readily un- dergo decomposition is manifest. Moisture, emanating in part from the unsealed honey, and in part from the perspiration of the bees, becomes condensed in the hive from external cold; and in the fall and towards spring it is fre- quently found hanging in drops on the combs, just as we find it condensed on the windows of our dwelling houses. If now one of these drops falls into a cell containing pollen, decomposi- tion of the hitter speedily commences, and is then communicated by the bees to the pollen in other cells ; and the cause of foulbrood is hence abundantly present in a hive thus circumstan- ced. This, too, explains the natural disinclina- tion of bees to store water in their culls. Their practice is to carry in barely so much water as their immediate wants require, and carefully lick up every drop of condensed moisture as soon as the internal temperature of the hive permits them to do so. The observation of this fact has doubtless induced many bee keepers to believe in "water-dearth," in hives, and even to write about it ; though bees are obviously averse to having water stored in their hives and remove it promptly whenever feasible. They are perfectly aware that moisture produces mould- iness, and that this destroys their pollen and may lead to the introduction of a fatal disease. This, however, only by way of a passing re- mark. Let us return to the further considera- tion of the problem in hand. At first blush the suggestion that decomposing pollen is the cause of foulbrood may seem im- probable, inasmuch as the brood has partaken of it from the first moment of its existence ; and yet, till it has advanced so far towards ma- turity as to be closed up in its cell to undergo its final metamorphosis, the larva seems to have been in no degree affected by the deteriorated quality of its food or the lurking malady thereby induced. Nevertheless, the seeming contradic- tion will disappear on closer investigation, and the blame will again fall on the contaminated pollen. So long as the larva was fed with chyme already digested in the stomach of the bee, the aliment was partially deprived of its noxious properties by the change it underwent in the bee's stomach, having its oiiginal nutri- tious qualities in great measure restored. Con- sequently the larva? fed therewith developed in an entirely normal manner, until ready for cap- ping. It is possible, moreover, that the decom- position of the pollen may have been arrested or suspended by the action of the bee's stomach, or at least so acted on thereby that its admix- ture could not essentially deteriorate the nu- tritious property of the chyme. Similar changes are easily effected. Thus it has been observed that yeast, a ready generator of fer- mentation, when triturated with a muller, loses the property of exciting alcoholic fermentation; though it can still, in that state, convert sugar into lactic acid, &c. We conceive that this is no inapt illustration, if the stomach of the bee be regarded as a triturating apparatus by which the pollen was deprived of the greater portion of its noxious properties. But when the larva receives undigested chyme, the progressive de. composition is at once communicated to the tissues of its insect organism, which, incapable of resisting or neutralizing the noxious inllu- ence, are at once destroyed, and foulbrood must necessarily be the result. Even when the chyme has been digested, that is, made edible and nourishing, and the larva? receive it in this form, its fermentative power, as in the case of the triturated yeast, may have been changed, but not destroyed. A process ot fermentation still takes place, resulting, how- ever, in other products ; and an accumulation of these in the delicate tissues of the larva?, we may readily conceive would naturally and ne- cessarily lead to death and putrefaction. Every substance capable of generating fermen- tation possesses the peculiar power of being able to communicate it to every fermentable body with which it comes in contact, and superin- ducing continuous decomposition till putrefac- tion is completed. The duration of the pro- cess is longer or shorter, indeed, according to the quantity of ferment present, or the greater or smaller amount of fermentable matter to be decomposed. "When we now reflect how infinitely small is the portion of de- composing pollen matter which is mixed with the chyme in the stomach of the worker, we shall readily conceive that its effects will show themselves only after some lapse of time, cor- responding in this case with the natural pro- gress of development in the larva, and reach- ing its acme only after the larva is sealed up in its cell. A. Lambrecht. Bornuji. (Conclusion next month.) [From the (London) Gardener's Chronicle.] American Bee Journal. I have both this month and last, through the kindness of some unknown apiarian friend on the other side of the water, received a copy of the "American Bee Journal," for which courtesy I beg to thank him through the medium of the Gardeners'' Chronicle. There are in the Journal some admirable papers on bee-man- agement, both from original sources and culled from the German Bienenzcitung. The correspondent styling himself "Novice" says: — "About rye and oats this spring, Mr. Editor, it would have done you good to have seen them, in case you have never seen a simi- lar sight. We had provided about a bushel and a half [the italics are my own] supposing that to be plenty. But as if remembering their last year's education, they opened on it with aston- ishing vigor, and consumed nearly all of it on the first two or three pleasant days. After the rye and oat meal was all gone, we gave them wheat flour until our better half 'feared that the bees would eat us out of house and home.' They became seemingly almost demented, and 104 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ■would dive into the flour and burrow into it until it seemed as though they themselves must lose their identity. They would fly towards us and take it out of our hand, as we carried it out to them ; and such an incessant jubilant humming as they kept up while about it, made one think they could not be other than the hap- piest little scamps on the face of the earth. And the huge 'little biscuits,' (as our children term them), which they had deftly padded on either leg, presented an appearance ludicrous in the extreme, as they scampered hurriedly into their hives. After the rain had wet down their precious meal, and it had become baked over the top, they would not give it up, but tunnelled and burrowed under it until you imagined they thejr were not bees, hut some liliputian wild animals burrowing in the ground. The Chicago tunnelling was not a comparison ! 'Bat did all this meal really amouut to any positive good V some of our neighbors asked. Of course it did. Our bees have never before been in half so fine a condition." I have quoted this passage because, in com- mon with many other English bee-keepers, I have never yet been successful in inducing the bees to partake of flour of any description. Some years since, having seen accounts of the benefits which resulted from feeding bees with rye, oat, or other flour, I tried both oatmeal and wheat flour, given in various ways; but I never could distinguish that they paid the least atten- tion to it, except that when it was placed near their entrances, they tried to convey it away from the vicinity of their hive. Certainly, so far as I could perceive, not a particle was eaten or carried within their entrance. How can this apparent discrepancy be ac- counted for ? I confess I cannot understand it.* Two of my immediate friends, who also tried the meal, also pronounce it an utter fail- ure. I do not at all mean to dispute the accur- acy of "Novice's" statement, but wish to know why it is that we have failed where he has suc- ceeded. -In warm localities and southern districts, where early blossoming pollen-yielding trees and plants abound, the bees will not carry in flour of any description. They prefer the natural article to any substitute whatever ; and in any situation, forsake the meal pan as soon as they can obtain a supply of pollen from natural sources. In northern latitudes or colder districts, however, where brooding en masse commences long before catkins make their ap- pearance on the willows, hazels, and maples, the great demand existing for nitrogenous nu- triment makes the workers eager to obtain it, in the interval, from any available source, and they readily accept the proffered substitute. Probably in the milder climate of England, as in the Southern States of the Union, natural supplies may appear contemporaneously with the first production of brood in the hives, and the bees instinctively resort in preference to that table which they find profusely decked by the hand which caters for them as providently as for the sparrow. — Ed. A. B. J. Some English bee-keepers, at the time of our instituting the experiment, also tried meal and flour feeding, and imagined that their bees de- rived some benefit from it ; but their testimony did not appear to be very positive or conclu- sive. Another correspondent writing on aBee Man- agement," says : — "Strong stocks are the sheet anchor in beekeeping ; and all worker comb in the breeding apartment of the hive is the very foundation of that sheet auchor. Without it, it is impossible to keep strong stocks." It is very true that strong stocks are the sheet an- chor in beekeeping ; but is it a good practice to have nothing but worker combs in the stock hive ? If there is no drone comb there for the queen to lay in, will not the bees almost cer- tainly construct drone cell comb in the supers, and the queen be induced to ascend for the pur- pose of filling them with drone eggs, at the time when the bees imagine that drones are requir- ed ? I usually keep down the quantity of drone combs in my stock boxes; but if, from any cause, I should find in any particular hive all the comb to be worker-celled, I should supply one frame of drone comb in exchange for one of the others. Further on, the same writer has the following remarks : — "We must never allow the bees to get in advance of the queen ; for if we do, the prosperity of the swarm is checked at once ; that is, if the bees are allowed to fill the combs with honey in the spring, before the queen has filled them with brood, the swarm will be an unprofitable one. Take a swarm that is nearly destitute of honey and feed it just right, that is so as to promote breeding early in the spring, and not fill the comb with honey, such a swarm will invariably be a prosperous one. On the other hand, allow a swarm that has honey enough for all other purposes to appropriate all the honey from one or two other hives early in the spring, and before they consume it the willows produce honey, then the fruit trees, the white clover, &c. Such a swarm will dwindle down to nothing, because the queen has no place to deposit eggs for brood." This is all very true, as I have often had rea- son to know. In some of our seasons, in De- vonshire, we have early prolific honey gather- ing. The cells in tho central combs being but sparingly filled with brood, are at once appro- priated by the bees for storing honey ; the queen lays a very limited quantity of eggs, so that by the time the principal honey harvest of the season sets in, the population of the hive is so small that very little advantage can be taken of it, and the hive proves a very unremunera- tive one to its owner. The writer also goes on to say : — " If from any cause the queen does not commence laying eggs as soon as she should in the spring, she should be stimulated either by feeding or by un- capping sealed honey in the hive, for whenever the bees are fed they feed the queen. Thus the rousing up of the bees and compelling them to fill themselves with honey, promotes breeding. Taking bees from another hive and putting them in with a strange queen, causes them to I feed her and pay more attention to her, especi- THE AMERICAN BEE' JOURNAL. 105 ally if they are young bees. Bees taken from three or four different swarms, in sufficient numbers to make" a good stock, and put in a hive with a queen, will work nearly as well again as the same number taken exclusively from one swarm, with their own queen. Drumming out a swarm and putting it back again in the same hive, sets tbebees to feeding the queen. A person who has never tried the experiment of stimulating, and regularly giving the queen all the room she can occupy with brood throughout the season, will be astonished at the amount of bees that can be raised in one swarm from one queen." This is all very correct. I have often been upbraided by my friends for disturbing my hives, by removing the frames, &c, but I have generally found that such disturbance, so far from operating injuriously as regards the bees' industry, really had the effect of exciting them to increased diligence. I have occasionally been quite astonished at the enormous quantity of eggs which a queen can, under favorable circumstances and with judicious stimulation, be induced to lay, filling an immense expanse of comb. A correspondent, H. Faul, recommends a method of safely introducing strange queens, which may be useful to many, and particularly those who are desirous of Liguriauizing their apiaries. He says: — "I see by your Journal that bee-keepers still use the wire cage for in- troducing queens in deprived colonies. I have a better plan." (See Bee Journal, volume 4, number 1, page 1G). I have tried this plan of introducing queens, with success, but not invariably so. I am not disposed to give up the precautionary use of the wire queen cage, which I consider a safer and more reliable method, though I am bound to confess that, even with its use the lives of valuable queens are occasionally sacrificed. Here is an account of what the writer consi- ders to be "the finest bee country in the world" —Tennessee ; "White clover is becoming the spontaneous growth of our bottom lands. Be- sides, we have an abundance of other bee pas- turage, which lasts all the time that bees can be out. Forked Ueer River Bottom abounds with wild bees. You can not place honey out any- where in it, without its being in a few minutes covered with bees." Wild bees being in many districts so very abundant, there is some discussion as to the best method of tracing them to their haunts, and effecting the capture of themselves or their sweets. America must be a much superior honey country to ours. Mr. R. Wilkin states that he has sold a colony "to a neighbor, which yielded him last season four swarms. The first swarm swarmed twice ; and two of the casts swrarmed also— making in all seven from one. Tavo of these went to the wToods. The remaining five became strong and rich for winter. The old colony and the swarms yielded, besides, eighty pounds of surplus honey." The "Kohler process" for insuring the pure fertilization of Italian queens, excites, as may be supposed, considerable interest among bee- keepers who are so anxious to establish the Italian bees as our American brethren. I have not tried the plan recommended by Mr. Kohler for combining natural and artificial swarming, but have great faith in its efficiency, and hope to have an opportunity of trying it. Also his method of ensuring pure fertilization appears likely to be extremely useful to all apiarians desirous of Liguriauizing their apiaries. There are many other articles in the Ameri- can Bee Journal worthy of notice, and I hope to resume their consideration. S. Bevan Fox. August 29, 1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] The Bee Feeders. Mr. Editor : — The object of this communica- tion is to call attention to the subject of bee- feeding in this section of the countiy. We find the production of honey here, this year, has been so light that one-half the bees in the country will die during the coming winter, if they are not fed. Many have already died. This has compelled us to use, or invent for use, the best means within our reach for the purpose of feeding them. I mean the vehicles by or through which we can safely feed them without attracting the attention of robbers. I have used a common tumbler or quinine bottle, with a thin piece of muslin over the mouth of each, held in place by gum elastic bands. I fill the vessel full, put on the muslin and band, turn it bottom upwards over a hole in the honey-board or openings betwTeen the frames. If the syrup is of proper consistence, they will soon empty the vessel ; if it is too thick, it will granulate into sugar again, and will not pass through the muslin. This, howr- ever, makes a pretty good feeder, and is a con- venient way to feed bees. I have also used a better one recently. It is made as follows : Take a pint or quart tin can, air tight, cut a hole in one end large enough so that the screw top for an oil can will cover it sufficiently to admit of soldering the top fast to the can, over the hole ; then punch a number of small holes in the cap and screw it on to the top, fast to Ihe can, and your feeder is done. This make the best feeder I have used. I be- lieve that Mr. John M. Price of Buffalo Grove, Iowa, deserves much credit for this feeder. The screw top to this feeder may be of various sizes ; but one that receives an inch cap is gen- erally to be preferred. I have also the same kind of a can as above described, with an opeu • ing cut in one end three inches long and one- fourtliofan inch wide, with a tube one inch deep soldered into it, and a slide or hoop of the same form, to slip ou this tube, to hold in, place the thin muslin that closes the end of the tube. This likewise makes a good feeder, to use in those hives that have long narrow opening* through the top of the frames. These feeders may compel us to pay particular attention to the density of the syrup used in them. Experience will soon determine this for us. Charleston, Ills. J. Davis. 106 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. " [For the American Bee Journal.] Prolific and Long-lived Queens. For the past rive years I have been experi- menting in regard to the longevity and fertility of queens. In some respects I may differ from all other writers or writings on this subject, that I am acquainted with. But the reader will bear in mind that an old experienced api- arian is not so liable to be mistaken or jump at conclusions, as one with less experience, or a novice in the business. It is a fact that cannot be disputed that some queens are more prolific than others ; and the question arises how can we secure all proMfic queens ? The first swarm of bees I ever owned I kept for twelve years ; and, as I said in a previous article, I never failed of having a pro- lific queen in said swarm in the whole twelve years. The com 0 wa3 all worker comb. I had swarms whose comb was nearly all drone comb, and at different times, I exchanged the queens to see whether the fault was in the queen or in the comb. And I invariably found that there was no difference in the fertility of queens of the same age. The queen put in where there is but little brood comb would breed but little, and vice versa. But these were all natural queens. Natural queens, or queens raised in a strong swarm, at swarming time, are almost in- variably started from the egg, and fed on royal food from the beginning. Such queens are in their prime the second season, and do not show any signs of failure until the third season, or sometimes not until the fourth. They are in- variably very prolific, provided they have a chance. On the contrary a queen that is started from the larva or grub, varies in length of life according to the number of days it was fed on worker food. For example, an eight days queen, hatched in May or June, has invariably failed the first season. They are but little if any longer-lived than a common worker. A ten days queen fails the second season. What I mean by this is, a queen hatched in eight or ten days from the time the nucleus is made up, or from the time a full swarm is deprived of its queen. Nearly all writers give ten days as the shortest term ; but I have at different times had them come out in eight days, and in one case in particular I examined a nucleus before sunrise on the eighth day, and found the queen out and all the other cells,, seven in number, destroyed. This was in May, 1867, and said queen died of old age in August following. (A friend writes me from New York State that he has this sea- son had one come out on the seventh day. ) Consequently an eight day queen is or has been fed on worker food five days, that is allowing sixteen days for a natural queen, from the time the egg is laid ; and I have had a considerable number of queens that did not come out of their cell until the seventeenth day after the swarm was deprived of its queen. In the case of my neighbor Mr. Harding's bees, after making four swarms from one, and taking out the last queen cell, as he supposed, and leaving one queen, his wife informed me, on the morning of the eighteenth day from the time the old queen was taken away, that the queens were still piping in the old swarm. (The weather had been ex- tremely fine and pleasant). To satisfy myself, I went and examined the hive, and found one queen in the cell, having been retained there by the workers. I opened the cell, took the queen, and introduced her to a queenless colo- ny belonging to another neighbor. She proves to be an extra prolific queen. Most writers say that all queen cells hang perpendicular, or near- ly so, when completed, or the queen hangs head downward. I have had as many as five in one hive in horizontal cells. The only difference was, the cell was a trifle enlarged at the outer end, and capped over similarly to a drone cell, only somewhat more elongated or rounded at the point. I know by experience, that such cells are frequently found ; but queens raised in them are not worth keeping, except for ex- periment. Now the question arises, how is the novice to raise prolific and long-lived queens ? Answer : either by waiting until natural cells at swarming time are built and sealed, and then transferring them to nuclei ; or by taking out a swarm with the old queen, as I recommended in a former article, headed " How to make natural swarms artificially." By taking out a swarm in that way, and leaving the old swarm on its old stand, the bees do not appear to be in such a hurry to raise queens, as when deprived of their queen and placed on a strange stand. Old swarms or nuclei deprived of their queens at unnatural seasons, are more apt to raise eight or ten days' queens, thau they are when deprived at the natural season for raising queens. Queens raised in a strong nucleus, or a strong swarm, when forage is abundant, I am inclined to think are better than those raised in small nuclei, weak swarms, or when forage is scarce, on the same principle that a full fed calf makes a better cow than a half-starved one. I picked up an old paper this summer, with an article in it from Bidwell Brothers, of St. Paul, Minnesota. I saw from it that they have ar- rived at nearly the same conclusions that I have, in regard to forced or unnatural queens. And in their circular, they advertise and war- rant their queens to be all prolific, &c. There are scarcely any queens sent out by queen rais- ers, that prove to be good for anything the second season, for this reason, they are nearly all forced or unnatural. On the 2Gth of June, I received three queens from W. W. Cary. They all commenced breeding about alike, and for the first three weeks I could discover no difference between them in their fertility. But after three weeks one began to fail, and by the 10th of August, she died with feebleness and old age. Another commenced failing soon after, but she is still alive, October 17. One out of the three still holds out in her fertility. As I said, in a former article, their purity proves satisfactory. Now, I do not wish to be under- stood as finding fault witli Mr. C, or any other queen-raiser, for sending out such queens ; but merely desire to call their attention to the sub- ject. The practical queen-raiser will readily see that there is some reason why a queen raised from the egg, and fed on royal food from the start, should be longer-lived and more pro- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 107 lific than one fed partly on worker and partly on royal food. I have not been able to discover any differ- ence between a natural queen or a forced or artificial one, provided they were both started from the egg, raised in a strong nucleus, at or about the swarming season, or when forage was abundant. The queen-raiser can easily see that there are other methods than those I have recommended, to secure cells started from the egg. I do not wish to be understood to say that all queens raised from the egg are equally fertile, or that one will live just as long, to a minute, as the other ; but that they will average up to. the standard. Purchasers of queens, here in the west espe- cially, have been badly humbugged by such queen-breeders as Flanders, Kidder, Mack, and a host of others, who have sent out one-striped queens as pure. In ninety-nine cases out of one hundred, the purchaser did not know what a genuine article was ; and unscrupulous dealers have taken advantage of this ignorance to get rid of their impure stock. Mr. Baldridge circulated the report, through the Bee Jour- nal, that Professor Flanders was dead. Well, in his western circulars, he now signs himself W. A. Flanders, A. M. The interpretation of A. M. I suppose means After Money. The Bee Journal has probably killed the Professor, or he has taken an overdose of his bee-charm. Mr. Kidder is now probably dead, as Mr. Lang- stroth, or his agent, obtained a judgment against him for infringement. For particulars, see Re- ports of Cases in United States Circuit Court, Northern District of New York, Roswell C. Otis (Langstroth's agent) vs. Charles Austin (Kidder's agent). Decision rendered at Utica, March 21, 1866. Elisha Gallup. Osage, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] Hybrid Bees.— Bee Stings. It seems highly improbable that among a mul- titude of drones from a large number of hives standing near, a queen should be impregnated by a drone from a distant swarm or apiary. The fact, however, that this frequently occurs, seems to be well established. In hiving a swarm of bees on the 17th of June last, I discovered them to be Italian hybrids, about one bee in six or eight having two or three yellow bands — the third band, in those having three, being nar- row, and somewhat indistinct. My bees were all natives, and, previous to this spring, I was not aware that there were any Italian bees with- in six or seven miles of mine, except wild swarms in the woods. Last spring, a neighbor, nearly three-fourths of a mile distant, procured a colo- ny of Italians. A year ago, a swarm of Italian hybrids were found in the woods, two miles from my apiary. This season, two others have been found, one of them nearly or quite pure Italian, at a distance of four and five miles in another direction. As the only swarm of Italian bees known to be in my immediate neighbor- hood was three-quarters of a mile distant, my queen must have mated with a drone from this swarm — in which case it must have been a young queen, reared to take the place of one lost or disabled in the old hive; or with a drone from a wild swarm in the woods, which is much more probable, as there was no appearance indicating the loss of the queen, two swarms being cast early in the season, in the regular way. There is no reasonable doubt that the foreign blood was introduced by a drone from a colony of wild bees, partly Italian. This shows that im- pure Italians may be reared, where there are no domesticated native bees within several miles, as there are always wild bees in wooded townships. There are two other instances in this county where the native or black bees have hybridised with Italians, and in neither case were there any Italian bees kept in the neighborhood. Speaking of remedies for the stings of bees, Langstroth says: "It may be some comfort to novices to know that the poison will produce less and less effect upon the system. Old bee- keepers, like Mithridates, appear almost to thrive upon poison itself. When I first became interested in bees, a sting was quite a formida- b'e thing, the pain being often very intense, and the wound swelling so as often to obstruct my sight. At present, the pain is usually slight, and, if the sting is quickly extracted, no unpleasant consequences ensue, even if no remedies are used." It is well known that the system may become accustomed to some poisons taken into the stomach, so as not to be immediately affected by quantities that would be sufficient, in other cases, to produce a fatal result; and there seems to be some reason to expect a similar effect from the poisonous stings of insects. But being re- peatedly poisoned with stings, in my own case, and some others that I have known, seems to have increased the effect of the poison. If Lang- stroth's theory had any application to myself, I have been stung enough in former years to make the effect of a sting almost a pleasure; but, on the contrary, while the effect used to be slight, it is now more severe, sometimes producing eruptions all over the body, and frequently headache, and sickness at the stomach. Does one become accustomed to the poison of mos- quito bites, so as to make them agreeable? The Rev. Mr. Kleine advises beginners in bee-keep- ing to allow themselves to be stung frequently, assuring them that, in two seasons, their sys- tems will become accustomed to the poison. A safer way for beginners, and all others, is to handle the bees properly, and avoid testing, in their own persons, the theory of being hardened against the effect of stings. M. O. Howe. Fayetteville, Vt., Sept., 1868. In Echoes from Cornwall is a "Legend of the Hive," commencing — Behold those winged images \ Bound for their evening bowers ; They are nation of the bees, Born from the breath of flowers ; Strange people are they ; a mystic race In life, and food, and dwelling-place I 108 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal ] Experience in Italianizing, &c. By Another Novice. — No. 4. Wintering Bees. Mr. Editor : — I had intended this for the September or October number of the Bee Jour- nal ; but being very busy during the summer, and seeing several pieces on the same subject in the Journal, I have kept it till rather late. My attention was recalled to it the other day, when reading the article on wintering bees in the open air, or on their summer stands, by Mr. J. T. Langstroth, page 72, of the October Journal. T do not like the trouble of putting bees in cel- lars, or burying or housing bees in this latitude. I think it wholly unnecessary. I will just give my experience the two past winters, and leave the readers of the Joup-nal to judge for them- selves, which is the least troublesome and least expensive way. In tbe fall of 1866, I had nine stands, four in frame hives and four in common box hives. The four frame stands, in two of which Italian queens had been recently introduced, with one of the box hives, were too weak in stores for winter. These I fed with brown sugar syrup, knowing no better then ; and to make sure of the two Italians, I mixed half honey with their syrup. I took off the honey-board and spread a piece of warm carpet over the tops of the frames ; then stuffed the caps with dry straw or shav- ings, and put them on. I merely opened the holes of the box hives and put on wire cloth, then put the caps on stuffed as above. One of the Italians being weaker than the other, and being unwilling to lose it, I took a bundle of rye straw, flattened it to four inches thick and a little wider than the top of the hives, thus making a flat mat, and sewed a piece of tow linen around it. I laid this immediately on the frames, and spread a piece of oil cloth over, to keep off the rain ; placed a board on top, weighted with a stone, to keep the wind from blowing all off— the caps being also left off. Don't smile at this, reader, but wait and see the result. This stand wintered so well that I win- tered it again with the same mat last winter, and also three others prepared in the same man- ner. In January I examined the five weak stands, to see if all was right. Found the two Italians in good condition, dry and warm ; but the other three were dying of dysentery. Two of these had about five pounds of honey remaining but could not get access to it. I carried them into a warm room, and tried to save them by uniting the three together and feeding them; but this being in a cold spell of weather, they all died in a few days. I rather attributed this to the brown sugar I had fed them on exclusively, as each hive still had sealed honey; though they were only half filled with comb. On the first of February, I examined the two hives of Italians, and found them all right, dry and warm, with plenty of honey. On the 15th I examined them again, with the same result. I re-examined them on the 8th of March, they still had plenty of honey, with some brood. The six stands wintered well, and from them I increased my stock to eighteen the next sea- son— all of which I wintered successfully, in the same manner ; only setting the weak ones in larger boxes, and filling the space between with shavings, sawdust, straw, &c; and cover- ing the tops well, to keep out dampness. I also drove down stakes, and fastened boards around all sides, except the front ; and stuffed the space between with straw. All my hives face the south-east, and the en- trances are left open all winter, only being con- tracted to half an inch in cold spells. I am confident that some of my weak stands had not over ten pounds of honey last fall, and I had no idea of wintering them ; but concluded to try as an experiment, and the result was a com- plete success, for I only had to feed the two weakest in April, when the supply of honey was exhausted by the brood. I think this mock fully as good as, and much less troublesome and expensive, than Mr. Langstroth's. The mats can be made by any person in a few hours, and will last for years if kept in a dry place in sum mer. I would here say that my apiary is sr situated as to break the force of the wind, and receive the warmth of the sun most of the day. I began last spring with the above eighterr stands, but as the season was so bad, I only al- lowed five first swarms. I never knew or ex- pect again to see such a season as this was. I am now reduced to eighteen stands, and wil1 select fifteen of them for wintering, all of which I am feeding on coffee sugar syrup. A. Lowell, Ky. [For the American Bee Journal.] What's the Difference? Mr. Editor : — Will Mr. Francis be kinc" enough to inform us how much more his bees are disposed to steal honey, where the cells have been unavoidably broken by an inexperi- enced hand, than where the same chance occurs by the use of a thin-bladed knife in the hands of an expert ? I have tried both ways, and cannot see but that my bees are as well pleased with the one as the other. In fact they do not seem to be very choice about the way — they seem to be more interested about the honey ; but perhaps it is because I have neglected their moral cul- ture. This seems to be the only point between us, as he admits that his bees are naughty enough to fill their frames so full that there is difficulty sometimes, ana this is all that I claim- ed. I do not think Mr. F. has demolished a single * * * KWIt is an error to say that queens and drones will not feed themselves. I have often seen queens eating honey out of open cells : and have noticed drones doing so hundreds of times. — Berlepsch. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 109 [For the American Bee Journal.] Wintering Bees, and other Matters. It is settled beyond a doubt in my own mind, by the experience of others as related in the Bee Journal, and by my own experience for several years in the apiary, that bees to winter well, must have sufficient ventilation to carry off the excessive moisture which accumulates in well stocked hives. This moisture arises partly from the exhalations from the bodies of the bees, but mostly, I think, from the surrounding atmosphere, which constantly holds in suspense a greater or less amount of moisture, according as its temperature is higher or lower. The warm atmosphere of the hive is capable of hold- ing a considerable quantity, until is condensed by coming in contact with the cold walls of the hive, at some distance from the cluster of bees. There it condenses, first into minute drops of moisture, and afterwards, if the cold increases, into frost. The constant accumulation of the quantity, by repeated thawing and freezing in a hive that has no efficient means of ventilation, gradually encroaches on the space occupied by the bees, finally reaching those on the outside of the cluster. These grow benumbed, cease to eat, lose their vitality, grow cold, the frost forms on their bodies, and they die where they stand. The frost continues to penetrate the cluster, if the cold weather is prolonged, until finally the last bee dies covered with frost. The warm days of spring then melt this frost, and on examination, the whole mass of bees are found dead and as wet as if just dipped from a basin of water. I found one hive in that con- dition last spring. The entrance to this hive was left open, but the honey-board was left on tight, without any upwrard ventilation, as an experiment. All my other colonies wintered well on their summer stands, having their en- trances open three or four inches wide, and the front and rear openings in the honey-boards (half an inch wide, and extending the whole length of the hive) uncovered, but the middle opening closed. For the coming winter I have adopted Mr. Langstroth's plan with some modifications. I shall omit the outside covering of the hive, be- lieving that it is better to have the hive of a sin- gle thickness of board, say seven-eighths of an inch, in order that the heat of the sun may easily penetrate it, and warm up the hive al- most daily, thus giving the bees an opportunity to bring to the central part of the hive fresh supplies of food from the outer combs. This plan may lead to a somewhat greater consump- tion of honey ; but if a swarm of bees will give its owner from fifty to one hundred pounds of surplus honey in a season, as mine have done the past summer, he ought to be entirely wil- ling to have them eat all they need during the winter. At all events, one of two things must be r'one, to winter bees successfully, in addition to their having a supply of food and thorough ventilation — they must either be kept in a re- pository where frost cannot enter, as a cellar, trench, ice-house, or the like; or they must be put where the sun can warm them up occasion- I have removed all the honey-boards, placed two one-half or three-quarter inch strips across the frames, and covered the whole top of the frames with any old woolen garments that could be found about the house. These need no cutting or fitting. Pack them in as you would pack a trunk, (the roof or cover of my top box is movable, and I like it much better than the old plan of having it nailed on), two, three, or half a dozen thicknesses will make no difference. The moisture will pass through as readily as the insensible perspiration of our bodies will pass through our best clothing. The hives will remain dry and the bees warm. I have no fear of losing a single swarm the com- ing winter, although several new ones which I bought arc quite weak, owing to the sudden close of the honey harvest a month earlier than last year, in consequence of the drouth. I like the plan of using small surplus honey boxes,, such as are described in the Bee Jour- nal for May or June, The bees worked in them readily, three new swarms filling, with the nicest honey I ever saw, sixteen of them each, (the boxes weighing three pounds and from three to four ounces a piece), even with our short honey harvest. Two of the colonies were double swarms of black bees ; and one, a single swarm of hybrids, from a black queen. I am satisfied that hybrids are far better wor- kers than black bees, and believe it would pay any bee-keeper to have at least one Italian queen in his apiary, just to furnish Italian drones to cross with the young black queens, even if he made no further use of her. I re- cently visited the apiary of Mr. William J. Moore, of Danville, Kentucky, consisting of sixty or more colonies. He introduced an Ital- ian queen to one of his colonies five years ago, has never bought any since, has never raised any artificially, has increased his colonies only by natural swarming, and yet nearly every one now shows marks of the Italian bee, notwith- standing his Italian queen died the second sea- son, and he got no pure queen from her. A word about my best hybrid queen. It may seem absurd to some to speak of the excellence of a hybrid queen. Mr. Langstroth pinches their heads off; but I like them. Mine is a grand-daughter of a beautiful hybrid, and is a most prolific mother. She first attracted my attention last summer by coming off with a pro- digious swarm as late as July 26. She could not fly. As the bees began to return to the parent hive before I could hive them, clustering in the portico and over-running the whole front of the hive, I removed the parent hive to a new location and put a new hive in its place, with a comb of brood inserted. Then, with a wing and a dust pan, I removed most of the bees from the portico to the new hive, thus forcing a new swarm. Fortunately the queen was with the bees thus removed, though I did not sec her at the time. In six days they had built eight new frames of comb, which were filled with brood aud eggs. On my return from three weeks' absence, the hive was full — thirteen frames — with combs, honey, and an immense amount of brood. This season, after filling six- teen six-pound boxes, this hive threw a large 110 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. swarm ; but the queen not following them, they returned as they did last year, and I treated them as before, making a new swarm with the wing and dust pan. But this time I did not get the queen, as I learned from the queen cells started on the brood comb given to them. On returning after an absence of about four weeks, I found a large cluster of bees adhering to the under side of the mother colony. A closer ex- amination revealed comb and, to my great sur- prise, brood, and plenty of it. Here, then, was my prolific hybrid queen doing an outside business on her own account, having left a youthful queen and a prime colony inside to take her place. I thought of Novice's " Giant- ess," and concluded I had got her equal. But what to do ? was the question. She could not live there all winter with her swarm, and she must be saved. She had evidently attempted to follow a second swarm, had fallen to the ground, crawled up one of the legs of the hive, and es- tablished her headquarters underneath its bot- tom, where her faithful followers found her and took up their abode. Seven combs were built, the longest nine inches, and reaching to the ground about six inches, all crammed with brood mostly capped. These combs I cut away from the hive very carefully, one at a time, brushed off the bees into a new hive set on the site of the old one, fastened the combs into frames with strips of paper cut from flour bags, as re- commended so highly by some writer in the Bee Journal, and congratulated myself on having created a fine new swarm from almost nothing. This was all done in the morning. I felt it necessary to takcone look at them to- wards night, to see what a nice thing I had done ; when, to my utter surprise, I found all the combs laying in one mingled mass of confu- sion on the bottom of the hive. The bees had in that short period gnawed away the paper strips, and hence the downfall of the combs. There was a double handful of the prettiest paper pulp you ever saw, on the bottom of the hive and among the combs. Had the queen been killed by the downfall ? Luckily, no 1 I found and caged her, removed the comb, clean- ed out the pulp, remembered seeing at a neigh- bor's some slats made for Venitian blinds — wouldn't they be just the thing to hold the combs in the frames ? Tried them ; nothing could be finer ; took them out in three days — combs all fastened to the frames; put in on each side, one nice frame of solid honey from the parent hive. They are now in good order for wintering, and the most prolific queen I ever saw is saved. I shall breed from her next sea- son, although a hybrid of the fourth generation. She is also one of the prettiest queens I ever saw — a uniform dark -yellow or mahogany color, the whole length of the abdomen. Who has a pure Italian colony, or any other, that has made, this season, one hundred pounds of box honey and cast two good swarms ? R. Bickford. Seneca Falls, N. Y., Oct. 1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] Queens Mating Twice, and Color of Ital- ian Bees. Mr. Editor:— My article in the last Journal has stirred up a hornet's nest, aud been the means of putting me in communication with many of your readers. Many of them take exception to my idea that queens do not male with two drones, and I wish to set them right as to my meaning, as some of them misunderstand me. When I used the term "mate" I meant copulation which resulted in impregnation, and not copulation simply, for I can imagine that a queen might meet a drone and bring home signs of impregnation, without impregnation having actually taken place; which being the case, instinct would send her forth again, in order that she might be fertilized. Tins explanation of my letter, and of my position on this subject, I am ready to defend against all comers. In an article in your Journal, I see that some people have an idea that the honey crop has a direct tendency to make light or dark shades. This I do not believe, and can show facts which will do away with the idea. I have two sister queens, one dark and the other light, whose pro- geny is just the reverse — the dark queen bring- ing out invariably light bees, and the light queen dark; and this at all seasons, whether apple, clover, or buckwheat Avas the material from which the honey was gathered. A friend of mine, Mr. W. O. Sweet of West Mansfield, who is largely interested in queen-raising, and who has taken great pains to secure the purest stock, has been engaged in testing this matter of color the last season, by a plan similar to the Kohler, has succeeded in getting both queens and drones of almost any required shade. I have seen, at his apiary, drones on whose abdomen there was scarcely a trace of black — a very light orange marking it as perfectly as the rings on the work- er. I am aware, of course, that imported queens generally are quite dark, and that their daught- ers grow lighter through successive generations; but the working progeny of imported queens is invariably in accordance with the mother color, which would not be the case were it affected by the honey crop. As this color question is one which may have a direct bearing on the matter of purity, I should like to hear from some one who is posted on the color variations of the "Italian bee" at home. J. E. Pond, Jr. Foxboro', Mass., Sept. 12, 1868. The darker the hive, the more contented the beea. Among the "Farm Items" of the Neio York Tribune lately, is the following : — " In Australia the bees are as large as horse- flies, and do not sting." That is, they are about as big as a piece of chalk, and arc native, natural non-combatants and non-resistants, who, unable to appeal to the fierce arbitrament of arms, allow themselves to be despoiled of their property and turned out ol house and home, without even going to law. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Ill [For the American Bee Journal. ] Bee Management. Mr. John M. Price wants me to give my method of managing bees for surplus honey. In the first place we will suppose that each swarm has its combs all worker combs ; has been well wintered ; and is in the right kind of hive to suit the climate. It should also have honey enough for all purposes, or it will have to be fed. See that every queen is in good con- dition for breeding early in the spring ; and every queen that does not come up to the mark should be superseded by a young one as early as practicable in the spring, for it is useless to expect benefit from a swarm that has an unpro- ductive queen. Some swarms may have too much honey for profit ; but this can be reme- died by exchanging combs with such as have not enough. All 3warms that have not a pro- lific queen can be doubled, if the season is not too cold and backward ; but your swarming must be done early in all seasons, or not done at all, if surplus honey is expected. Do not at- tempt any increase of stock until the hive is fil- led with brood. As soon as the weather be- comes warm enough, commence moving your empty combs, one at a time, into the centre of the cluster of bees, between two combs well fil- led with brood. This will induce the queen to breed faster than she otherwise would, on the same principle that raising a partly filled honey box and inserting an empty one under it, causes the bees to build comb faster than they otherwise would. I am aware that this is one of my assertions. But try it, and see it you do not gain considerable time by doing so. In all swarms where the hive is completely filled with bees when the spring opens, resort to this method is of course not necessary. If from any cause other than an unproductive queen, you happen to have a weak swarm, it can be built up within itself by this method. Here, in this section of country, there is no surplus honey gathered until the bass-wood blooms. Last year the bees commenced on it on the 20th of July. This year they commenced on the 8th of July. All hives should be filled, or nearly filled, with comb and brood by the time your honey harvest commences. Then give them abundance of surplus room and free access to the the boxes ; also plenty of room below for the queen to deposit her eggs ; and there will be but little danger of swarming. Heretofore there has been considerable trouble to keep bees from storing too much honey be- low ; but this trouble can now be obviated by means of the honey-emptying machine. I have taken out a full frame and inserted an empty one. Where there is a young queen, if the frame is inserted in the centre of the cluster and when nearly filled with comb, exchanged with an old queen, I could obtain all worker comb ; but if an empty frame be given to an old queen when the bees are gathering honey rapidly, they will usually build too much drone comb. There will be but little trouble about swarm- ing, with any stocks except those from which you have not taken an artificial swarm. There are exceptions, however. This season I had a young stock cast a large swarm while they were filling their hive, before it was full ; and what was more peculiar about it, they had made no preparation for swarming. Not a queen cell of any description had been started, neither did they commence any till the second day after casting the swarm. When I hived the young swarm, I gave them a frame containing brood and honey, and on examining them lour days after, I found they were raising queens; so that the old queen was lost in some way. In localities where the main dependance is on white clover, it would be advisable only to dou- ble the number of those stocks that have a good queen ; but here I can make two good young stocks from each old one, by having a fertile queen for each swarm early, and yet have all three in as good condition for storing surplus honey as they would be if I had only made one. New beginners are very apt to want to com- mence making swarms before the old hive is filled with brood ; but that is bad policy. Here- tofore we have had to have our surplus stored in boxes, and must either have a large surplus room for storing honey, or have the hive so ar- ranged that when a box was partly filled we could raise it and insert another under, otherwise the bees would be idle during a large part of their time. But with the honey-emptying machine, we shall probably have to adopt Novice's plan, or be left far in the rear. The Langstroth hive, either in the form I use it, or in the shallow form, is well adapted for that purpose — that is for a two-story hive. There can be no question in the mind of any practical apiarian on this point, for we know from actual experience, that, if bees can be supplied with empty comb, they will at times store almost incredible quan- tities of honey. Decide as early in the season as possible (and this decision must be governed somewhat by the kind of spring), the amount of increase of stocks you wish to make, and start the requisite number of queens, so as to have them all fertile and breeding early. The next operation is to commence equalising, by either taking young bees only a few days old from strong stocks and giving them to the nuclei, or taking sealed brood from the strong and giving it to the weak. By this method you can have all equal, and ready for storing surplus when the honey hai- vest commences. By taking young bees from a stock that has an old queen, you leave all the comb in the hive, and there will be no oppor- tunity given to the bees to build drone comb in- stead of worker comb. You can take comb from a strong stock that has a young queen, and by inserting an empty frame in the centre, you will have worker comb built almost invariably. I have never failed, by commencing early in the season. The great tendency of all stocks is then to build worker comb, (especially if the queen is prolific), so as to secure an increase of workers. But later in the season the tendency is to build store or drone comb, for storing sup- plies. So you will please take notice, and gov- ern yourself accordingly. Now this article sug- gests another ; and that is, how to raise all pro- lific queens. But don't be in a hurry ; my bee- 112 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. keeping was not a!l learned in one day, neither can I give the whole theory of bee-keeping in one article. Wait with patience, and we will endeavor to have the Temple completed by and by. You will remember that I do not recom- mend a. small box lor nuclei, but a hive with a small frame, and a division board, for practical purposes. The person who is raising queens for market will want small boxes. E. Gallup. Osage, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] Ill Flavored Honey. [For the American Bee Journal.] Queens by Mail, and Illustrations. Mr. Editor : — My bees did nothing all the season, till late in the fall when the sunflowers were in full bloom Then they commenced storing honey in great quantities. They gath- ered from fifty to eighty pounds, per stand, in two weeks. S >mc oftliem filled all their sur- plus honey boxes , and when I took some of the honey for eating, I found it tasted as the sun- flowers smell. It is scarcely fit for table use. There are hundreds of acres of those flowers growing here. Now what I want to get at, is for some bee- keeper to let me know through the Bee Jour- nal, whether bees will work in a prosperous season on flowers yielding distasteful honey ? H. Faul. Council Bluffs, IowrA. tf*Wc presume that the sunflower here re- ferred to is one of the numerous varieties of wild aster— probably the A. sericeus or the A. sagiuifolius ; though we do not know that cither 'of these blooms so late in the season. We have no knowledge of the honey-producing qualities of these, nor of any except the New England ister ; but suppose that bees will gath- er from the blossoms of the variety complained of every fall, if honey is secreted by them. In the construction of their cells, the bees, by a peculiar instinct, have always used the math- ematically correct angles, which give the great- est strength to support pressure, with the great- est economy of materials ; and this insect con- struction, mathematicians and engineers have followed as the proper angle at which dock- gates should be placed, so that the timber em- ployed would yield the most favorable result. The bee's cell is in fact, an elongated dodecahe- j dron ; and consequently the angles of the tribe- : dral roof and base can be no other than those of the true geometrical solid ; the obtuse angle, on the face of which, produced by the union of two i cubes, is the prime angle which affords the greatest resist ence to water-pressure in the dock-gate. The subterranean habitations of the humble- bee are of a much ruder architecture than those of the hive bee. The cells are made of a coarse kind of wax, but placed very confusedly, not exhibiting the geometrical precision observable in the latter. Mr. J. H. Townley, of Tompkins, Jackson county, Michigan, sent, me an Italian queen by mail, which, although delayed four days in the mail, wras safely received and successfully in- troduced to a colony of black bees. (By the way, I think Mr. Townley has the pure Ital- ians, as I have seen some very fine bees raised from queens purchased from him, this season ; I also believe him to be a very reliable dealer). The box in which the queen was mailed was a neat little pine one, about two inches cubic measure inside, with a piece of honey secured to one side by means of a small wooden skew- er ; wire cloth over the bottom, and a half-inch hole in the top, also covered with wire cloth. I see by the stamps on the box that he paid let- ter postage, being twenty-one cents. Now, I think bees should go through the mail the same as seeds. Please ascertain and let us know. I should like to have Mr. Quinby tell us which kind of a box he likes best for mailing queens, as he says he has tried several. I wish also he would describe his new non-patented hive. As I see he has no notion of impoverish- ing himself by getting his hive patented, per- haps he can spend a little time in describing it for the benefit of the readers of the Journal. I agree with Mr. J. Davis, in '■'pitching in for the picttircs and explanations" of all the hives in use. All will agree that the illustrations of the improvements in implements of agriculture seen in all the agricultural papers of the country are an interesting feature in those papers ; and I can see no reason why the illustration of a good hive, or any tool used in scientific bee-culture, should not be interesting in a journal devoted exclusively to apiarian science. I believe that, in describing anything in the Journal, the di- mensions should be given as well as the shape. In the September number, Mr. S. B. Replogle, in describing his hive, and in his circular also, which I have, gives no dimensions. Sup- pose a person should make one too small, and lose a swarm of bees in consequence, would he not condemn the hive with all its points ? John T. Rose. Petersburg, Mich. Aubrey, in his Natural History of Wiltshire, describes Hampshire as having the name of producing the best honey in England, and also the worst. "The forest honey is the finest; but the south of Wiltshire having much the like tufe, must, afford as good, or little inferioure to it. Mr. Butler, of Basingstoke, who wrote a booke of bees, and had a daughter he called his honey-girle ; to whom, when she was born, he gave certain stocks of bees, which produced 400L, as her marriage portion." Mr. Harvey, of Newcastle, got 800-t per annum by bees. Au- brey mentions an improved hive by Mr. Hooke, and other ingenious contrivances of his time. The Egyptians, when they celebrated the feast of Mercury, ate honey and figs. THE AMEEICAN BEE JOUENAL. 113 [For tho American Bee Journal.] Novice's Ideas on Wintering. Mr. Editor : — We are going to put all our bees into the cellar. Does any one care to know why? Well, you remember the one "weak swarm (or rather quart of bees) that we kept in the cellar last winter, which consumed less than one frame of honey, and of which so many were lost, after being set out a day or two ? Though they did become very weak, yet, without any assistance in the spring, except the rye and oat meal, they became a strong colony, and have yielded us more than fifty pounds of hou- ey. Now had they been left out with the oth- ers, they would assuredly have died, as did three or lour much stronger ones, and we should have had nothing but empty combs. (By the way, Mr. Editor, we will pay twenty- five cents each for frames of empty worker comb ; so that a Langstroth hive from which the bees have died, is worth $2 50, for comhs alom). Now, if we can save ten pounds of honey from each stock, by carrying them in the cellar, (which we do not doubt), we shall have three hundred and fifty pounds more rea- dy for our honey machine next spring. We shall place a thermometer there, so as to keep the temperature as near 35° or 40c as we can. A great deal is said about keeping bees quiet, yet the weak swarm first mentioned was struck every day for three months, with hardly an omission, to see if they were alive ; and we are going to " look at " and "punch " our bees this winter whenever we feel inclined to do so. We cannot help thinking Mr. Langstroth's new plan for wintering is an "awful sight of trouble,'1 and that it will not answer the same purpose as keeping them in a cellar at a tem- perature of about 40°. Will not the same ob- jection come in that was made to double hives, that the sun cannot warm them through as quick as a thin hive ? We have reduced our forty stocks into thirty- five. The fall pasturage was poor ; and we hope to have thirty-five stocks sure next spring. Do you not think, Mr. Editor, that our large yield of honey, this poor season, was mainly owing to the large amount of rye and oat meal fed last spring ? That it saved their honey in some way or other, we cannot doubt. We think you should advise, at the proper season, in large letters, the use of RYE AND OAT MEAL ; but then how few would take the trouble to provide it ? We hope every bee-keeper will carefully read Mr. Gallup's article, on page 93, of the Novem- ber number of the Bee Journal. It seems as if it was written purposely for our locality. Many have called on us to get our " secret " for "luck" in bees; and those that did not know more than we could tell them, were sure to get everything wrong, in spite of books and Bee Journals, given or lent to them. We do not mean to say all ; but, alas, too many, for we have a third class here, though they are only too much like "angel's teeth and hen's visits," few and far between. We have little fear that the business wTill be "run into the ground," by two many engaging in it; for there are few that will take the necessary care and trouble to " do the right thing at the right time," even if they are convinced of the large profit to be realized on time and money invested. When equalizing our stocks a few days ago, we found, as we did every season before, our Langstroth hives far heavier than the Ameri- cans ; yet they have furnished more than twice the quantity of honey this seasou, and we must confess that wre cannot see clearly why either. With the practice wre have had we do not find j the least trouble in removing frames. I Bushels of rye and oat meal, and rows of jars ! for honey, miles in length, in anticipation of the season of 1869, are already floating before the vision of Novice. [For the American Bee Journal.] Hives, and Wintering Bees. Mr. Editor : — I am often asked by beekeep- ers, as I meet them and by letter, what kind of hive I use, which kind I like best, how I win- ter my bees, and wha* I think of Langstroth's mode of wintering, &c, &c. ; and as your paper is the means of communication to all who care to know anything about these matters, I reply by saying that I use Kidder's Compound Hive. Do I like it ? Of course I do, or I should change it for a better one. But I do not say this is the best for all to use, though I do think that a hive nearly square inside is the best for cold climates like Wisconsin. And I say to all, use movable frames or no liive. I gave my method of wintering bees in the Journal some time since, and will now say that I have tried most of the plans recom- mended, and think any temporary arrangement too expensive, with too much time, too much litter with clamps, loose boards, &c. I say, make a suitable permanent house. It need not be expensive, and will last for years. I set my bees into their winter quarters as soon as severe cold sets in ; remove the caps entirely, and put on the straw mats, which are made of soft oat straw, and so constructed that they fit tightly on the top of the hive, with a space of three quarters of an inch between the straw and the frames. This allows a free passage for the bees to all the combs, and a warm place for them to cluster. Perhaps ashes, woolen rags, or something of this kind may answer ; but nothing is so cheap and clean to handle as the mat made in a frame with strips of lath. Mr. Gallup has pointed out the three classes of beekeepers to perfec- tion, and I have come to the conclusion that it is time spent in vain to try to educate class No. 1, and class No. 2 is not much better. Yet, with all my care, I cannot make bees gather honey where there is none ; and bees in this vicinity have barely gathered enough to winter on, and my own table will go unsupplied this winter. I have many things to write, but time and space forbid now. B. S. Hoxie. Cooksville, Wiri., Nov. 10, 1868. 114 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] A Surrejoinder. Mr. Editor: — I see, in the November number of the Bee Journal, that Mr. E. Gallup is out with a "General Rejoinder." As to his expla- nations to others I have nothing to say, but his notice of my article is some more of his "bun- com." What right has he to put words in my mouth ? How does he know what I would say to his explanation, if he had made one ? Well, I suppose he knew it about as well as he knew that the Langstroth hive was "rejected all over the West" — or rather "the shallow things," as he is pleased to call them. Well, he may call them what he pleases, but I simply say that it is not so. The Langstroth hive is not rejected all over the West, as asserted by Mr. G. My visit this fall through the West satisfied me that Mr. Gallup's assertion is not correct, and I can con- ceive of no good reason he could have had for making it, except to prejudice the public mind against the hive. This fall I attended a public sale of bees in western Illinois, where there was a large quantity of bees sold in different kinds of hives. Three or four hundred persons were pres- ent, and those bees in the Langstroth hives sold from five to eight dollars per hive higher than those in any other kind of hive, and all that I heard say anything at all about hives gave the Langstroth hive the preference. Thinks I, this does not look much like these hives being "re- jected all over the West." Some wood be wise beekeepers in our coun- try know that Mr. Langstroth has got up one amongst, if not the very best hive now extant, and has written the best work on the culture of the honey-bee extant, and they imagine it makes them look smart to find fault with and slander his hive. Do not understand me to say that his hive is perfect, or that no one has a right to reject it and use some other if he pleases. But I do object to these wholesale aspersions on other people's credit. In all my acquaintance in the West, I do not know of a single person that has ever used the Langstroth hive and then rejected it. No doubt there are many such cases, but they are not "all over the West," as Mr. Gallup would have us believe. Hoping that Mr. G. will point out the defects of the Langstroth hive, and condemn it on its de- ments, whatever they be. and not assume to speak for "all the West," I am, as ever, b. puckett. Winchester, Ind., Nov. 14, 1808. The Beekeeper, " intent from out their straw-roofed hives, Watches his little foragers go forth, Boot on the buds to make, to suck the depths Of honey-throated blooms, and home return, Their thighs half smothered with the yellow dust." A young swarm builds worker comb exclu- s. 'ely at first. Weak swarms, second swarms, an » artificial colonies having young queens, .-ar Jy build drone comb the first year. [For the American Bee Journal.] Eectangular Frame Hive. Mr. Editor : — I am much pleased with the Journal, and take a deep interest in the va- rious subjects therein discussed, as well as in Gallup's awful muss ; and, as there seems to be a free exchange of thought through its pages, I write you a few lines to answer the request of friend Davis, of Charleston, 111., and Dr. S. N. Vickary, of Darien, as well as to set friend J. M. Price, of Iowa, all right in regard to that non-patented hive he tells us about in the No- vember number. Firrt, I would tell friend Price that I con- sider the hive he describes as one of the best out, and I have had some opportunity of judging, as I have used and bought rights in Davis' Platform hive, Langstroth's Movable Frame hive, the American hive,the Quinby hive, Flander's Triangular and Hoop-frames hive, and also his Book hive, and they all had a lack of convenience in one respect or another, which made them objectionable. I finally lit on the rectangular frame, as Mr. Price has illustrated, and which I will more fully explain when I get my stereotypes, for which I have sent. Suffice to say that I obtained a patent dated October 20, 1868, No. 83,257, which you will find noted in the Scientific American of Nobember 4th. Friend Price and I have come to the same con- clusion in regard to its value, and I suppose he was entirely ignorant of my hive and claims. I had sent a photograph of it to my brother, W. A. Oonklin, of Oskaloosa, Iowa, some time last July or August. I also told Mr. Wagner of it, and referred him to the Patent Office several months ago, as he will remember. I will give a full description of it, together with specifications and claims, as soon as I get the stereotypes or electrotypes from the foundry. In conclusion, I would say that I have Langs- troth's valuable work on bees, which I consider the best ; also Quinby's, King's, Flanders, Adair's, Mitchell's, and the fourth volume of the Bee Journal. I now send you herewith four dollars for the second and third volumes of the Journal, which please seud me by return mail. I would not do without the Journal for twice its present price. Dr. A. V. Conklin. Bennington, Ohio, Nov. 5, 1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] How Much Honey to Winter a Swarm of Bees ? Mr. Editor : — The question is often asked, how much honey will winter a swarm of bees ? The following, taken from my memorandum, will assist the inexperienced, showing not only the amount used from December 1st to about the middle of April, but also the difference be- tween the winter months, when they are breed- ing but little, and later when breeding is going on rapidly. My bees are wintered in a room about ten feet square in the second story of a large build- ing. The room is double-boarded, with a space THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 115 of four inches between, filled with tan. Venti- lators are so arranged as to be controlled from the outside, without entering the room. ISor. 27, 1861, bees were weighed and housed for the winter. March 9, 1862, they were carried out and placed on tbeir summer stands. March 12, weighed again. Average loss, per swarm, in 105 days, 10 1-10 lbs. ; greatest loss, 15 lbs.; least loss, 6 lbs.; average daily loss, per 6warrn, 1 1-2 oz. April 12, weighed again. Average loss, per swarm, in 31 days, 4 lbs. 13 oa.; average daily consumption, per swarm, 2 1-2 oz. Dec. 2, 1863, weighed and carried in bees. March 5, carried them out. Weighed again March 11. Average loss, 10 lbs. 3 oz. in 99 days ; greatest loss. 16 lbs. ; least loss, 8 lbs. ; average daily loss, about 1 3-4 oz. Weighed again April 9. Average loss in 29 days, 4 lbs.; average daily loss, about 2 1-4 oz. Previous to the last weighing they were fed freely with rye meal, and carried in perhaps one pound per swarm, which would make the loss 5 lbs. in- stead of 4 lbs. In this locality bees do not usually carry in even pollen until about the middle of April. Nothing is added to their weight except what is given them. The amount consumed during the winter months is mostly honey, as not much breeding takes place, but alter being carried out early in March, they begin to breed rapidly; and of course draw largely upon bee-bread. About the 20th of February, 1867, I weighed three swarms, which had been housed from early in December. They had become only about three pounds lighter, each. They were young swarms, aud rather below medium. C. Rodgees. West Newbury, Mass., Nov. 7, 1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] Italian Tees. No. 3. Stock to be bred from should be not only three yellow banded ; but the bands should be wide, with little or no margin of black on the first band ; the other two bands should be very narrow, or half of the body yellow. The drones should be one-half or more yellow, not as dark as those imported from Germany. Queens should be entirely yellow, or at most only one- half brown, not black. All queens should be discarded that produce black queens, even when the queen and her worker progeny look to be pure— no matter if they .are imported, as such stock will not take favor with the majority of American or German bee-keepers. Well bred queens should produce no black queens ; and no queen should be used that has not more than one-half her body yellow, and the rest of the body brown or bronze. Queens and drones vary in color, (Langstroth and others). Now if that is so, use the ones of the right shade to breed from. Make the necessary crosses by breeding out and out ; and, if necessary, in and in breeding may be resorted to on special occa- sions. J. M. Marvin. St. Charles, III. [For the American Bee Journal.] Packing Bee Hives. For five years I have used hives essentially like the Langstroth standard hive in form, but made of three thicknesses of boards, so sepa- rated as to form two independent dead air spaces on each of the four sides and one at the bottom. The top part, or spare honey chamber, is composed of a cover like the Langstroth cap, fitting loosely over a rim of the same form, but sufficiently small to allow the outside cap to pass over it. This arrangement, while it does net take much more lumber than the Langstroth hive when made to accommodate two sets of frames, admits of the cover being raised to admit two sets of boxes or frames ; while by removing the lid entirely, the top of the hive may be packed to the depth of the main rim with chaff, shavings, old coats, carpets, or other poor con- ductors of heat, for the protection of the bees, with very little trouble or expense. I have tried various things, with or without the honey-board, and have not been able to dis- cover any difference, except in expense and convenience. I now use fine shavings, or chaff, without removing the honey-board, as it costs neither money nor labor worth mentioning. Mr. Langstroth says, " every particle of dampness escapes through the carpets, &c," and that above six thicknesses he has placed a board, and the upper side would be coated with frost or drops of moisture and the carpets dry. Is it possible that dampness could pass through six thicknesses of carpet and a board, and yet the carpets remain dry ? No one would sup- pose the honey boards on my hive would allow dampness to pass through, when there are no holes in them at all, and they are covered seven inches deep with shavigns packed snugly upon them. Yet in very cold weather the top of the shavings is often damp and frosted, while there is no dampness or frost on either side of the honey-board. In fact, they are so far from being damp as to shrink materially after the packing is put on. When I made the hive above described, it was in obedience to the fact that cold surfaces, when brought in contact with warm air, at once be- come covered with dampness or frost. To avoid the cold surfaces was to prevent dampness in bee- hives, as effectually in icinter asm summer. The facts have fully sustained the correctness of the premises and their application in my triangular hive ; and the improved Langstroth hive has sustained the correctness of the reasoning which led to their production. I have wintered on their summer stands from thirty to eighty stocks of bees in Gowanda, (N. Y.,) for five yeais. I have used no other hives than the one described and the triangular hive. I have opened them after the coldest nights and shown the combs and bees to my bee-keeping friends many times; and while I have never found frost except at the entrance, I have never been able to find dampnoss on the combs or honey-boards, even after daysof extremestcold 116 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. the weather. The bees cluster up against honey board as if it were a warm brick. I consider the double rim, with or without triple walls or packed sides, the greatest im- provement ever applied to flat hives, and su. perior to the plan of Mr. Langstrotb, in so much that it is cheaper and warmer when packed several inches deep with chaff or shavings, than it would be possible to make a large apiary as Mr. L. directs. Allow me here to say to those who have written to me without enclosing a postage stamp, that I am a watchmaker, and have no time to write letters which do not at least pay their own postage. It is true my inventions were patented, to pi event others from getting patents on them. But as I can make more money at my business and keeping bees, than by selling patents, I do not propose to go into the busi- ness as a business. Yet I will gladly answer any business letters in a business way. F. F. Bingham. Allegan, Mich. [For the American Bee Journal.] Dividing Stocks— Straight Combs. [For the American Bee Journal.] Wintering Bees. I have just been reading Mr. Baldridge's article on page 90 of the November number of the Bee Journal, in which he explains his "one exception" to not having to look up the queen in artificial swarming, as when one has not more than one hive of bees on his premises. The following plan, communicated to me by Mr. Wedge, of Fon-du-lac, (Wis.,) subject only to that same "one exception," I think a good one : One hive is taken from its stand, and an empty one placed on it; then each comb is taken from the hive removed, and the bees shaken off in front of the empty hive. Then one of the cards of brood is placed in this hive, which now contains the bees, and the artificial swarm is made and contains the queen, which insures the building of worker in place of drone comb. Next, into the hive removed, now containing only combs and brood, an empty frame is put to fill up the vacancy arising from taking the said card of brood out ; and a second swarm is removed from its stand and this hive placed in its stead. This hive, having no queen, the bees secured to it from the swarm now removed, will proceed to raise one for itself — during which time the only empty frame in it will be liable to be filled with honey or drone comb. As to devices for securing uniformly straight comb, Mr. A. H. Hart, of Stockbridge, in this State, has one, included in the making of the frames, which I think accomplishes it fully. But, as Mr. Hart will probably describe it for the benefit of the readers of the Bee Journal, I shall not do so at present L. C. Fairbanks. Appleton, Wis. In November, 1867, I put one hundred and three stocks of bees in the basement of my dou- ble walled, brick, sweet potato house; the walls of which were sixteen inches thick, with a four inch dead-air space between; and the floor filled up one foot with dry sand, to prevent moisture arising from the earth. Some of the stocks were in box hives, and others in movable combs. The larger propor- tion were well filled with honey ; but some eight or ten that came off late in August, (some swarms having issued as late as the 25th), were only half supplied. All these were inverted, and flat pieces of sugar candy laid on the combs, to save the honey for spring consumption, when first set out of the house — that being the most dangerous time to feed, from the interference of robbers. I removed them from the house about the middle of March — all being in very fine condi- tion ; and after they were done flyine, the hives were fr^e from specks of faeces, showing the bees to be perfectly healthy. On the 15th of May they commenced sending out natural swarms. (They were Italians, of course). But as the season turned out to be a very poor one, I got only about fifty new swarms ; as I feared to divide them, under the circumstances. I make my frames only seven inches high, in the clear ; intending to winter in my house. In addition to the one hundred and three stocks, I winteied some queens in nucleus hives, with frames only four inches deep. I did not lose a swarm after setting them out March. During the winter the mercury did not fall below 40° F. in my room, when it was 10° be- low zero out of doors. I do not admit a ray of light in the room, ex- cept when I go in with a lantern. I gave no water to facilitate brooding. Brood was very scarce when the stocks were taken out. I shall put one hundred and ihrty stocks in the same room this winter ; and will probably gtve the results in the Journal next season. Camargo, Ills. A. Salisbury. m [For the American Bee Journal.] Renewing Queens. In Hampshire, England, there is said to be a superstition prevalent that bees are idle, or un- productive and unfortunate in their work, when- ever there are wars. In thirty cases of changing old queens for queen cells, none were lost. It may be that the success was in the management. Or it may have been owing to their being Italians. If the latter, it is another good point in their favor. The bees were smoked with rotten wood, and then fed with honey highly scented with pepper- mint. The old queens were at once cru;hed and thrown back into the hive with the bees ; and the queen cell inserted at the same time — the nearer ready to hatch the better. In some cases the young queens hatched so s on that the bees did not start any queen cells of their own. In two instances the queens hatched in my hand, and were allowed to run in the hives on top of the frames. St. Charles, Ills. J. S. Marvin. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 117 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. WASHINGTON, DECEMBER, 1868. H^"The American Bee Journal is now published monthly, in the City of Washington, (D. C.,) at $2 per annum in advance. All com- munications should be addressed to the Editor, at that place. am — Queens and Workers. Our correspondent, Mr. Gallup, errs in as- suming that the queen larvae are fed in their earliest stages, with food differing in composi- tion or quality from that which worker larvas receive. This was formerly believed to be the case ; but it is now ascertained that, as regards quality of nutriment, all fare alike until near the period of capping. Up to the sixth day after emerging from the egg all the larvae, whether workers or drones, or those designed for queens, receive precisely the same kind and quality of food, namely, chyme, as prepared by partial digestion in the stomach of the nursing workers. To the queen larva, however, this is administered in larger quantity — so plentifully, indeed, and apparently so greatly in excess of its immediate needs, that the nascent insect literally swims in it, or on it. But when the time for capping approaches a change is made in the food, and the worker and drone larvae are thenceforward fed with a mixture of undi- gested honey nud pollen, while the queen larva continues to receive the accustomed chyme ex- clusively, still administered with unstinted copiousness. The longevity and fertility of queens do not, therefore, result so much from the peculiar or superior quality of the nutriment consumed by them in the early stage of their existence, as from its greater abundance and continuous use, and from the enlarged size of the cell in which they are reared, whereby a more full and per- fect development of the insect is made attaina- ble and fostered from the instant of its exclu- sion from the egg. In these respects queens reared naturally by the workers possess, in al- most all cases, advantages only partially enjoy, ed by those artificially bred, and hence become qualified to be more productive and longer lived. Mr. T. W. Woodbury, of Mount Radford, England, (the "Devonshire Bee-keeper"), has obligingly favored us with a translation, pre- pared by him, of Dr. Preuss' essay on Foul- brood, which recently appeared in the Bienen- zeitung. We shall present it to onr readers im- mediately after the article on the same subject, from the pen of Mr. Lambrecht, is concluded. E2T On inquiry, we find that we were under a wrong impression as regards the Kidder hive. In the case referred to in our last number, we learn that the court rendered no decision. Had this information reaehed us in time, we should have made the necessary correction in Mr. Gallup's article on page 107 of the present number. A chemical correspondent of a late German bee journal suggests the use of freshly prepared solution of hydrate of lime (lime water) as a specific, to remove pain and prevent swelling when stuag by bees. According to him, the poison of the bees is an acid in all respects similar to formic acid, and like it instanty neutralized by lime-water. We cannot test this prescription ourselves, as, with us, the sting of a bee causes slight pain and no swelling— albeit this was by no means so in by -gone years. A bee-keepers' association has recently been formed at Montreal, in Canada, for the encour. agement of bee-culture in that vicinity. The following named gentlemen are it officers : Gerhard Lomer, Esq., of Montreal, President; Dr. Webber, of Richmond, aud Thomas Vali quet, Esq., of St. Hilaire, Vice Presidents; John Lowe, Esq., of Montreal, Treasurer ; S. J. Lyman, Esq., of Montreal, Secretary ; and J. J. Higgens, of Cote St. Paul, Mr. Goodhue, of Danville, and Mr. Piper, of St. Gabriel Locks, Committee. C^*We have in hand still a large number of communications from valued correspondents, for which we could not make room this month. Though some of them might be in season now, they will not spoil by being held over, and shall have early attention. We expect to begin the coming year with in- creased aid from contributors ; and hope to complete arrangements to have in each number at least one illustration, expressly designed and engraved for the Journal. 118 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. The Egyptian Bee. In relation to these bees, we extract the fol- lowing from a letter recently received from Mr. Woodbury, of Mount Radford, England, known to our readers as the "Devonshire Bee-keeper." "Referring to your note appended to my com- munication, which appeared on page 18, vol. 4, I wish to say that the letters of Messrs. West, Lowe, and S. Bevan Fox, confirming my state- ment as to the ferocity of the Egyptian bee, ap- peared in " The Journal of Horticulture" immedi- ately after the conclusion of the series of arti- cles from my pen, which were copied by you. " When writing to the Rev. Mr. De Romes- tin, at Baden Baden, I told him that I found the Egyptian bees 'the most ferocious little "wretches it is possible to imagine.' His reply ■was that they ' bear everywhere the character which you give them ;' and a correspondent at Capetown, Africa, assures me that it is there quite as ferocious as I found it in England." Wc have no personal experience of the tem- per of these bees ; but it seems doctors will dif- fer in opinion even on so fine a point as the sting of a bee. In a letter from an American friend, speaking of the ill success of some of his importations of Egyptians, he says : — "One stock remains, with the original queen. I have good reason from the uniformity of her progeny, queen and "worker, to believe her pure. I do not find them as vindictive as they have been described by Mr. Woodbury." We hope he may be successful in -wintering them, and that the question may be satisfactor- ily settled next summer. A correspondent desires to know, through the Journal, whether Sorghum or Imphee is good for bees. Can any of our readers give him the desired information ? [For the American Bee Journal ] Scarcity of Honey, and a Queer Queen. Mr. Editor : — I have thirty stocks of bees, ■which lack nearly the whole of having stores for winter. Would you feed sugar, (no honey to be had here), and if so, the best quality, or the cheaper ? If I feed the best it will cost me about one hundred dollars to put them in con- dition ; or would you let them " slide out " and take stock in tanning ? For myself I would prefer not to take stock iu that trade. I do not doubt it will pay some ; but I hope it not quite so sure as you recommend. With your consent, I will continue the bee-kecpiug business to the best of my ability. This has been with me the poorest season I ever knew of, or heard of, for bees. Hives that contained from twenty to fifty pounds of honey last spring when set out, do not now contain so many ounces. And why is it ? I am asked nearly every day, why it is that bees have made no honey this season. Why, my neighbor says my bees are going back on me ; they have not done a thing this season. I tell him there was no honey to gather, and that is reason enough for not doing anything. But, says he, there was as much white clover, basswood, buckwheat, &c, this year as last, and my bees never did better than then; why is it they do not prosper this season ? Just exactly the question I would like to ask the man that knows why. This season has neither been dry nor wet, but to all appearances (except the result) a good healthy one for bees. As this is something over which we have no control, perhaps we should not trouble ourselves about it ; nevertheless, I am anxious to know what the matter is. I have raised any amount of Italian bees this season, but as my stocks were not in condition to multiply and divide, but in a good subtract- ing condition, I amused myself by destroying my hybrid queens, and introducing others of the same stripe ; for if there is anything I find difficult about the business, it is getting a queen mated to suit me. I have had queens make two successful trips each, to meet the drones, and they failed to suit me. I had a queen from Mr. Langstroth last season, which I should judge had made half a dozen such excursions, as she produced pure marked workers during the bal- ance of last season ; this spring, well-marked hybrids; during the summer, all black bees; and now she is the mother of well-marked Ital- ians again. I know her to be the same individ- ual, by a clipped wing. How do the doctors explain such conduct, unless it is that she met two drones ? I had a queen this summer make two excur- sions. She was absent eleven minutes ; return- ed and remained about five minutes, when she came out of the hive, left again, and was absent thirty-one minutes. She returned with unmis- takable evidence of having met a drone on each occasion. E. II. Miller. Tonica, Ills., Oct. 9, 1868. 5£3PByall means feed your bees, to keep them from " sliding out." The hundred dollars so spent will be a better investment than if put in hides. It is bee-keeping and not tanning that we recommend, as a reperusal of our remarks will show. German apiarians tell us they never have more than one very poor honey year in fifteen, and as the past season appears to have been an unpropitious one, in Europe as well as in this country, we have probably seen the worst of the matter for a pretty long cycle. Therefore keep up your spirits, and keep your bees alive. Would you advise a grazier to let his oxen starve the coming winter, because pas- turage during the past summer was short, and they did not grow fat on it? It is true he might thereupon go into the tanning business with their skins as so much "stock in trade" to begin with; but you could do nothiDg with yonr "out-slided" colonies, unless perchance stran- gury should become epidemic throughout the land, and the doctors, following the prescription THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. .19 of the ancient leeches, should resort to bee tea as a specific, and hid apothecary prices for dead workers — two peradventures not likely to hap- pen. Yon not only have our full and cordial "con- sent" to continue the bee-keeping business, but -we should much regret to find so close and careful an observer abandon it. Your observa- tions on queen bees are not those of a man who "seeing, sees not." They corroborate similar observations made, both in this country and in Europe, within the last eighteen months, which will probably serve in the end to remove from the category of mysteries certain puzzling phe- nomena which phj^siologists have not yet been able to explain satisfactorily even to them- selves.— Ed. A. B. J. [For the American Bee Journal.] Honey Dews. On the 31st of May, 18C8, there was a heavy honey due in this vicinity, so that the bees carried in large quantities of it until two o'clock in the afternoon. That night there was quite a heavy shower. On the morning of the 11th of June there was another very heavy clew. Bees commenced gathering at break of day, and gathered all day long and next morning till ten o'clock, when we had a shower of rain wmich washed it all away. This honey dew was on the leaves of oak, poplar, elm, bass- wood, hickory, walnut, grape vines, hazel, grass, weeds, and leaves of all kinds. I called the attention of quite a number of neighbors to the fact, because Mr. Quinby says there is no such thing, or that it must be the ex- udation of some insect. Now, I never saw a honey dew before so early in the season. I have repeatedly seen it in the month of August in Canada, and once in Wisconsin in the same month, but then only on the leaves of some particular trees. In the two cases observed, the weather had been quite warm, and we farmers sometimes call it quite muggy — that is, a peculiar atmosphere, for some ten or twelve days previous. If this was the exudation of any insects they must have been on the wing, for the very top leaves of the trees were covered with it, as well as the grass where there were no trees. I could discover none on the open prairie on the 31st of May. After two o'clock it dried up so much that the bees ceased gathering, but yet it could be plain- ly seen. E. Gallup. Osage, Iowa. "We have never seen honey dew earlier in the year than about the beginning of July, and then only on the leaves of chestnut trees. Ii overspread the leaves evenly, and was glossy and clammy, like a thin coat of varnish. The bees continued at work as late as nine o'clock in the morning. The weather was clear and pleasant — temperature at about 85° F. We never saw aphides, or other insects, on the up- per or under surface of any of the leaves we ex- amined. [For the American Bee Journal.] Common Failures. Mr. Editor:— On page 132, Vol. 3 of tho Bee Jotjrral, O. C. W., quotes the conversa- tion of some person with himself, pertaining to the failures in beekeeping, as follows: — "My father before me kept bees, and I have kept them ever since ; and we know how to keep them by this time, you see. But now the patent hives, cold winters, millers, mould, and robbers, have ruined my bees. So you see how difficult it is to keep bees in our days " O. C. W. says— "Now there is no fiction about this. It is a fair representation of the sentiments of a majority of bee-keepers in the country, very many of whom, though good citizens and intel- ligent men in other respects, are tot, lly igno- rant of first principles— a knowledge of which is indispensable to profitable bee-keeping. What we want then is to introduce the Bee Journal into every beedieeper's family. This would create an interest in the subject ; and then, with the aid of movable frame hives, the business can be reduced to a system, and made profitable, instead of depending on luck, as many bee-keep- ers imagine." I think, of course, O. C. W. did not intend to imply that movable comb hives are necessarily patent hives. Neither do I suppose that he in- tended, on the other hand, to admit that patent hives, as above set forth, are the cause of the common failures in bee-keeping. But should this should be true, the sooner patent hives are dispensed with the better. That the other causes enumerated are often the source of failures, sec- ondarily, I am ready to admit. Yet I do not admit that the hive, be it a patent one or other- wise, is the sole or primary cause of failure. There must be other causes combined with the hive, to make it prove a failure in bee-keeping. I think I am right in the opinion if we "intro- duce the Bee Journal in every bee keepers' family," that it will ever show that the failures in bee-culture are mainly to be found in some other original sources, not enumerated in the above quotations Why do the "cold winters" kill our bees ? Is it because we do not suffi- ciently protect them from the cold ? Why do the "millers" destroy our bees? Is it because we do not keep the stock populous enough to cover and protect the comb from the depredations of moth ? Why does the "mould" prevent bees from do- ing well? Is itbecauseAve do not properly venti- late our hives, and thus let them become too damp ? Why do "robbers" interfere with our success in bee-keeping ? Is it because we Jet our stocks become so weak that they cannot defend them- selves, and because we do not protect them as much as we should in all cases ? From these questions I feel satisfied that the readers will conclude with me that the common failures are from causes bark of the ones indi- cated in the quotations. Permit me to suggest that one of the chief sources of common failure is to be found in the want of sufficient pasturage from which bees can secure ample stores for the 120 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. support and rearing of populous stocks — stocks sufficiently populous to generate the amount of heat requisite to protect them from the cold, enable them to save their combs from destruc- tion by the moth worm, and to defend them- selves, by proper aid, from the assaults of rob- bers. Will the general experience and enlightened knowledge of bee-keepers and the Bee Journal, coincide in this, that to have a good stock of bees it must be populous, and have ample stores for its support, in all cases ? Remove the latter, and the most prosperous stock will fail, and the secondary causes I have referred to will com- plete the destruction. Now, by the above, do not understand me to say that there are no other primary or original causes of common failure in bee-keeping, than the want of sufficient pasturage for the bees. But I do say that this is one of the chief sources of failure and the want of profit in bee-culture. The loss of a fertile queen, from any cause, would be another source of certain failure, in the most populous stocks of bees. The remedy here is not the bee-pasturage, but the introduc- tion of another fertile queen, or young larvae Jrom which to rear one in the proper season. The sooner, then, we introduce the proper means to make bee-keeping prosperous, the sooner it will become profitable; and those "en- lightened men" become "systematic" bee-keep- ers, and chance luck be changed into something worthy of the "country's attention." J. Davis. Charleston, Ills. [For the American Bee Journal.] Reply from Novice. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bee Feeder. A good bee-feeder can be made out of the usually castaway tin fruit and oyster cans. At the tinsmith's you can get the zinc shoulder and screw top, such as are used on kerosene oil cans. Those of one inch in diameter are the right size. Take the top and from the inside punch holes with the end of a file (small holes) being careful not to deform it. After punching eighteen or twenty holes evenly, turn and file the top smooth. The end or edge of the shoul- der wdl fit most of the cans in the crease around the hole made for the cover. Fit and solder. Thus for one dime you will have as good a bee- feeder as any yet devised — one that you can feed on syrup with, thick or thin, or water your bees in the winter or spring. Or you can have a neck fitted around the opening in the can, and by tying a piece of coarse muslin over the end of the neck, you will accomplish the same end. To use, fill up full with honey, sugar syrup, or water, and place the neck in a hole over the cluster of bees. J. M. Price. Buffalo Grove, Iowa. The smell of balm (Melissa officinalis) is very agreeable to bees, and it is well to have this fragrant plant growing in the neighborhood of the apiary. Dear Bee Journal: — In reply to many inqui- ries, both through the Journal and otherwise, in regard to removing the honey from the comb just as it is taken from the flowers, we would say that we think there can be no possible dan- ger of the honey turning sour, as the very thin- nest we had — which was from bass-wood, and in some cases, by way of experiment, removed ou the same day it was gathered — is now so thick that a spoonful may be turned upside clown without spilling. It has seemed to be quite a general impression that our "machine honey" would be inferior on that account ; but we are happy to state that such is not the case at all, and that the honey which seemed quite thin during the very hot weather when it was taken out, is now quite thick, although it was closely sealed on the same day ; and some, which was purposely left open during the warmest weather, showed not the least sign of fermentation. Our success in the bee business has made quite a sensation about here, especially as every one else has done so poorly, and the season is called almost a failure by old bee-keepers. Now, all we ask is more seasons as good as that of 1868 ; and if we cannot do the same thing again, or better, (two hundred and three pounds from one stock), call us forever Novice. Medina, Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal. ] Singular Disease of Bees. Mr. Editor : — I had in my yard, at the close of the past season, about thirty-five stands of bees — six of them Italians, one hybrid, and the remainder black. Early in September I noticed an unusual number of dead bees at the entrances of some of my hives. I soon found that in several of them the bees were all gone, although the hives were well supplied with honey ; and now, with the exception of the Italians and the one hybrid, there are but six stands left, and some of these are dying. The bees seem to drop to the bot- tom of the hive in a stupefied condition, and lie there partly alive for some time. All had plenty of honey ; and it is evident that there is no poisonous property in the honey, as the Ital- ians, which were supplied with the frames from the diseased hives, are apparently strong and healthy. There are no indications whatever of foulbrood. That disease has never appeared in this vicinity. I will send you a few of the dead bees, if desired. Can you explain the disease, and give me a remedy ? C. E. Thorne. Selma, Ohio, Nov". 9, 1868. E^"We have no knowledge of any disease similar to that above described, and cannot suggest any remedy. Transferring the bees and combs to hives well wash d with a solution of chloride of lime and thoroughly dried, might perhaps be useful. Please send us a few of the bees. (v American Bee Journal. EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. AT TWO DOLLAKS PER ANNUM. PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Vol. IV. JANUARY, 1869. No. 7. [From the German.] Foulbrood . Its Cause, Source, and Cure. [conclusion.] In a preceding paragraph of this article we have spoken of the composition of poll* n, and shown its aptitude for and tendency to decompo- sition under the influence of moisture and heat. We have also sought to exhibit the effects which this decomposing substance is qualified to exert on other organic substances with which it comes in contact. We shall now endeavor to demon- strate the correctness of these views by the fol- lowing convenient and conclusive experiment : Put about | of oz. of pollen in a small glass phial or flask, and into another similar flask pour pure water to the depth of an inch; then connect the two flasks by a bent glass tube passed through and fixed in the corks. Now suspend in the first named flask a small strip of paper which has been dipped in a saturated so- lution of sugar of lead, and secure -it by the cork so as to prevent it from touching the water. If the changes which take place in the course of a few days be now carefully noted, the following will be observed : The mass in the first flask becomes slightly turbid, and numer- ous air-bubbles will be seen continually rising in it. This is carbon 'which, uniting with the oxy- gen liberated at the same time forms carbonic acid gas which passes through the glass tube into the second flask, where it is absorbed by the water. The strip of paper there suspended now assumes a brownish hue, as the lead it con- tains has a stronger affinity for sulphur, the latter is attracted from its just formed combination with the liberated hydrogen, and forms sulphate of lead. The nitiogen meantime arising from the pollen combines with the hydrogen, forming ammonia, which is retained temporarily by the water in which it is generated. After this putrefactive decomposition of the pollen has been fully completed, a small quanti- ty of matter remains in the flask as a residuum, which is called the ash. It contains the solid mineral substances taken up by plants through their roots. This decomposition may therefore be regarded as a species of combustion by hu- mid procees, because when pollen is burned in a platina cup, we obtain a residuum of ashes precisely similar in quantity and weight. The principal elements contained in the pollen may now be readily determined. The presence of sulphur has already been detected by the for- mation of sulphate of lead on the strip of paper. The presence of nitrogen and hydrogen may be shown by our search for ammonia, which is a chemical combination of these two substances. Take a portion of water from the second flask and heat it in a porcelain cup, drop into it a small piece of caustic lime, and the pungent odor aris- ing betrays the discharge of ammonia. To show the presence of carbon, combined to form car- bonic acid, dissolve caustic lime in soft or rain water, and when the solution has become clear, pour some drops of it in a portion of the fluid contents of the second flask. The carbonic acid of this will immediately combine with the lime in the solution, forming carbonate of lime and rendering the water turbid. Thus are shown the chief elementary constituents of pollen. Next, to acquaint ourselves with the effects which decomposing or putrefactive pollen has on honey, we resort to the following experi- ment : In a glass vessel place J- oz. of pollen crushed and comminuted between the fingers. Pour thereon f oz. of pure water, and let the mixture stand several days in a warm place, till a perceptible commotion is generated, and numerous air-bubbles rise — the mass alternately swelling and subsiding. Now pour it into another glass vessel containing ^ oz. of honey dissolved in f oz. of water, and set this also in a warm place. In a short time the putrescence of the pollen will have communicated itself to the honey; alcohol and carbonic acid will be evolved, and the former converted into acetic acid by the free admission of oxygen. We may also remark in passing, that by heating in com- bination with nitric acid, chromic acid, sulphu- ric acid, manganese, &c, we can produce the volatile formic acid, which is the poison infused by the bee into the wound when stinging. But of this we shall treat more fully hereafter. From the foregoing it is evident that putres- 122 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. cent pollen placed in contact with a solution of honey, can generate new substances possessing different and peculiar properties; and that con- sequently the utmost caution is requisite, when harvesting honey, not to mingle with it any de- composing substance. The result of the admix- ture of putrescent pollen would be decomposi- tion (fermentation, as we term it) and the liber- ation of a glutinous substance contained in the pollen, which is the ferment whereby, in the body of the bee, wax is eleminated from saccharine, and from which the organism of the insect probably derives its formative tendency in appropriating nitrogenous nutriment. Thus, without pollen no ferment, without ferment no secretion of wax by the bees, and without this process no bees. If not altogether as thus indicated, still in a manner substantially analogous, do those pollen particles operate which have, by means of the ferment they contain, been brought into state of putrescence, and being mixed with the chyme prepared for the brood, are introduced into the delicate bodies of the larvse, and there brought in close contact with other readily decomposa- ble substances. So long as the workers di- gested the chyme adminisistered, the action of destructive element lurking therein was in large measure suppressed and its destroying force mitigated. But when this preparatory action ceases, and the delicate creatures receive for food honey and fermenting pollen undigest- ed, they partake of that "whose mortal taste" brings death unto them. The fermenting pollen particles, or rather the putrescent matter into which they have been converted, becomes im- mediately desseminated through their organism. This is speedily destroyed and decomposed, and the amazed and dismayed beekeeper finds the cells filled with a putrid and fetid mass, which when dried up is partially thrown out by the surviving workers. Behold here, foulbrood in its incipiency, and running on to fatal maturi- ty. The deadly miasmatic gases (sulphureted hydrogen, ammonia) developed from the ever increasing number of dead and decomposing larva1, affect nearly the entire mass of brood, and multitudes of mature bees perish, till the whole colony succumbs and the entire apiary and those of the vicinage are infected, unless by some timely remedy the progress of the malady is arrested. We shall here indicate only briefly how foul- brood is disseminated. We call the substance which transmits disease from one body and place to another, miasm — which is usually un- derstood to emanate from decaying and puttify- ing animal or vegetable matter. It is hence like- wise generated in hives that are suffering from foulbrood. Miasms are probably composed of minute particles of matter in a putrescent state, which floating in the air diffuse the contagion in every direction in which they are borne. They may thus find access to hives through the en- trance, or be carried in by the beea to whose bodies they adhere; and the disease may likewise be earned from a foulbroody hive to a healthy one, if the bees of the latter pilfer the former of its sweets. Analogous observations have been made of the diffusion of malarious diseases from marshy districts, whereby the morbid mat- ter of typhoid and other epidemics has been spread over large areas; and which is attributed to the inhalation of the sporules of a species of fungus found in such districts. The fatal dis- ease, too, to which silkworms are subject, — known as muscardine — springs from a species of fungus developed in the bodies of the worms and fostered and spread by the contaminated at- mosphere of the cocoonery. It is hence apparent, that foulbrood may be communicated from infected to healthy colonies by means of miasmatic corpuscles; and it is this circumstance precisely which give the disease its fearful character; and it is to the progress of chemical science that we are indebted for the means of controlling and counteracting this danger properly, and of finally subduing and eradicating the evil. Indeed, a more intimate acquaintance with nature, and with the powers and resources of science, serves more and more to elucidate many mysterious points, and aids in the solution of many a puzzling problem — enabling us to diminish or prevent some of the ills of life, or helping us greatly to enhance its enjoyments. We shall in due course state the remedial means to be resorted to for the eradication of the evil, after giving a brief resume of what has already been said respecting its nature and source. The name of the disease certainly indicates its character plainly enough — the brood becomes putrid. As the nitrogenous pollen readily un- dergoes decomposition under the influence of heat and moisture; and as this result can easily be produced by the vapor and humid exhala- tions condensed in the hive, just as we often see it on the windows of our houses; and as the pu- trescent matters are able to cause similar putre- faction in nitrogenous substances with which they are placed in communication or contact; and especially as the nursing bees mix the putrescent pollen with honey when preparing food for the larvas, these at once become affected by the con- tagion and perish. Consequently foulbrood is only the result of the progressive putrescent de- composition of pollen particles within the lar- vae, which destroys the bees in their incipient, existence as brood, and by contagion or mias- matic diffusion spreads itself from hive to hive and from one apiary to another. "A dreadfully devastating malady!" ex- claimed an old beekeeper, on hearing foulbrood mentioned, "it brought me to the brink of ruin, by the destruction of more than forty of my col- onies." We could in fact give this hrood -pesti- lence no more appropriate name; and the mag- nitude of the evil was sufficient ground to seek for or devise means by the application of which we can avert the serious injury it is calculated to inflict. Relief was indeed sought for in empirical prescriptions and specific nostiums, but with no benefit whatever, as they were aimed at the con- sequences ot the malady, and not against the malady itself. Finally, recourse was invariably had to the beekeepers' catholicon — the brim- stone pit, as the certain and efficient cure-all. Undoubtedly, when the case seemed hopeless, the continued spread of the disease was enough THE AMERICAN BEE JOUKNAL. 123 to drive the hapless apiarian to despair, and ex- cuse him for resorting to so desperate a remedy. We speak from personal ohservation, and pos- sibly it may be of service to some desponding read* r to learn how great has been the damage sometimes sustained from this cause. About twenty-live years ago Mr. S. sold to Mr. J. his well-arranged apiary, consisting of fifty colonies, with a number of empty hives, a wax press, and other requisites, for the appa- rently exceedingly low price of one hundred dollars. For the purpose of saving honey the bees had been kept in a dark chamber during the winter, with the hives immersed in sand, and ventilation supplied by means of tubes inserted in the entrances. On their removal in the spring most of the combs were found to be mouldy and soiled by faecal discharges; and the popula- tion was greatly reduced, evidently in conse- quence of this "economical1' mode of "winter- ing." Thebee s appeared to be utterly despond- ent, probably from an inkling of the fate that awaited them, if their confinement were much further prolonged — not even the proffered food seeming to revive them. About the first of May, the weather being fine and pasturage plentiful, we examined them thoroughly at the new owner's request, and found, as we had pre- viously surmised, that more than two-thirds of the colonies were foulbroody. The bees were comparatively few in number and languid in de- portment, and speedy destruction was evidently impending. At the suggestion of an old bee- father, a lew drops of the oil of cinnamon had been mixed with their food, without producing any perceptible benefit. Time wore on, the disease increased in extent and virulence, and by the middle of July, the poor man had not a single c lony remaining of the fifty he had bought, besides losing ten more which he had previously owned, and he abandoned the busi- ness. The apiary of one of his neighbors also became infected; and before the ensuing spring he lost twenty-five colonies — his entire stock. We did not learn whether he made any renewed attempt at beekeeping, after sustaining so heavy a loss. Dampness, partly derived from the sand in which they wTere imbedded, and partly caused by defective ventilation, thoroughly pervaded the hives, causing mouldiness of the combs, and inducing fermentation and decomposition of the pollen. The bees had been prevented from issuing to discharge their fa?ces; the combs were soiled, and an intolerable stench issued from the hives when opened. All the circum- stances concurred to generate foulbrood, and hasten the lamentable issue already described. The moral of the sad story is, that bees, hives, and honey should only be bought from intelli- gent, competent, and trustworthy beekeepers; and that no new-fangled mode of wintering should be tried on a large scale, till after it has been thoroughly and repeatedly tested in a small way. " Prove all things," is a good maxim; but the test should be made within prudent and safe limits. Bees are certainly not moles, to feel comfortable when buried in sand. They require a domicile in which they are adequately sheltered from the inclemency of the weather and extremes of heat or cold. Proper ventila- tion should convey away exhalations, which, if in excess, may become noxious; and on mild sunny days at the close of winter, the bees should be allowed to fly to rid themselves of fasces accumulated by long confinement. But whither are we wandering — led away by the remembrance of the melancholy mishaps of our beekeeping friends ? Let us resume our proper task, to explain how foulbrood may be infallibly cured. We conceive that, in the foregoing, we have satisfactorily shown where the source of foul- brood is to be looked for. If we have traced the source and cause of the disease to the putre- factive decomposition of pollen, it naturally fol- lows that we should search for and remove such pollen from foulbroody hives — carefully burn- ing it, to prevent further damage. As such operations mvtst be performed in a thorough manner, it will at once be conceded that conven- ient and effectual removal can only be affected where movable comb hives are employed ; and we therefore cannot refrain from recommend- ing them for general adoption. To remove and cure foulbrood proceed as follows : Early in the morning of a fine, clear, warm day carry the foulbroody hive to a moderately warm room, well lighted with close windows. Remove comb after comb, brushing off the bees, and cut out all the cells containing pollen or brood. Fill the vacant spaces thus caused, by inserting pieces of worker combs from healthy stocks, using such, if possible, as are supplied wTith eggs, and fastening them in the usual man- ner. The piec?s of comb cut out should imme- dictely be burned or juried, or at least made in- accessible to bees. If the hive have a movable bottom board, anoint its lower edges with twenty or thirty drops of pyroligneous acid. Then set it on three equidistant triangular strips of board, so as to elevate it slightly from the ground, and burn within it a square inch of linen dipped in melted brimstone — repeating this fumigating, at intervals, two or three times. Then carry the hive back to its stand, open the windows of the room, to allow the bees collect- ed there to pass out and return to their home. The pollen having been altogether removed from the hive, a shallow box or plate containing oat meal, should be set out for the bees near its entrance. We recommend oat meal for this purpose, asi abounds in nitrogenous elements, and is hence well adapted to supply the want* of the bees. As an after cure and stimulant furnish them with honey diluted with water, and slightly warmed. The bees will thus more speedily recuperate; the queen being fed will be encouraged to commence laying earlier than she otherwise would uo; and the population roused to recommence their wonted labors. When hives have fixed combs, it is of course necessary to operate in a somewhat different manner. The readiest mode is, to stupify the bees, transfer them to an empty hive, cut out the pollen and food, and then proceed as above directed. It is generally known that the sulphurous acid developed by burning brimstone (composed 124 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. of one atom of sulphur ana two atoms of oxgcn — SO*) renders innocuous the contagious or infectious matter generated in confined spaces; and hence the intelligent reader "will un- derstand why we recommend repeated fumiga- tions with brimstone. The reason why we advise anointing the lower edges of the hive with pyroligneous acid is be- cause the creosote it contains possesses the pecu- liar property of arresting as well as of prevent- ing putrefactive fermentation. But as the acid has the strong and penetrating odor of creosote, the quantity applied should be so small as not to injure or annoy the bees, by superinducing prolonged excitement. Foulbrood most commonly manifests itself in the spring, and that is the time when the cura- tive operation can be most conveniently em- ployed. Nevertheless, should the disease occur in the summer, or later in autumn, the same curative process should still be employed, as the colony will thereby be certainly saved, and the pestilential malady be infallibly arrested and destroyed. We part from the reader with the assurance that it affords us heartfelt gratification to have been able to devise, from observation and science, a process by which a disease known to be disastrous and hitherto deemed incurable, may certainly be eradicated at small cost of" time and labor. Observation of nature and her forces, as well as of the substances generated by them, their composition and decomposition, enables us to consider these in their diversified aspects; while science illumines the obscurity in which many of these substances and tissues are involved, the inner structure thus laid bare and ex- posed to view enables the inquirer to scan them with sincere gratification, in their life and work- ings within their innermost recesses. Bokkum. A. Lambkecht. [For the American Bee Journal.] The Past Season. [Communicated for the American Bee Journal]. Ligurian for, and Anonymi from, the Cape of Good Hope. The past season has been a very poor season here for bees. Mine were partially ruined at first when I took them out in March. The weather was then warm, which started them to brooding. April was very cold, with frosts near to zero, which killed a great many. The summer was very dry and hot, and the flowers did not last long. The basswood flowers did not last over a week. As a consequence, a great many hives all over the country are light, and I do not think one half of them will winter. I like the Bee Journal very much. James McLay. Madison, Wis., Nov. 9, 1868. There is some foundation to suspect that the heroic love in bees, either for their queen or for their posterity, is only at bottom a self-interest- edness. It is of great moment to them to be, even in life-time, a mighty people. The cold weather would destroy them if their great numbers did not sufficiently warm the hive; and their num- bers depend on the fruitfulness of the mother. — Wildman. Rather more than two years ago, a gentleman about to leave England for Cape Town applied to me to supply him with a stock of pure Li- gurian bees, packed in such a manner as s'nould enable him to convey them by mail steamer to his new African home with a fair chance of their surviving the voyage. After having in 18G2 succeeded in the far more difficult task of transporting Italian bees to the antipodes, I had, of course, every confidence in my ability to pack them for the shorter journey to the Cape of Good Hope, and had, therefore, little fear as to the result, when, on the 10th of September, 18G6, the Royal Mail Steamer, belonging to the Union Steamship Company, took her departure from Plymouth for Africa with decidedly more emigrants on board than usua1., seeing that in addition to her ordinary complement of passen- gers, she conveyed some thousands of the genus Apis, probably the first of their species ever ex- ported to that continent, which already posses- ses more than one indigenous variety of the honey bee. Although, as I have said, feeling but little anxiety as to the result, I have from time to time given a thought to the fate of those involun- tary little voyagers, and have often wondered whether, after beiug the first to succeed in in- troducing the Ligurian variety of honey bee into England, and afterwards in exporting it to Australia, I should also be successful in trans- mitting it to Africa. These speculations, how- ever, remained in abeyance until February in this year, when a letter reached me from the Cape, by which I learned that the Italian stock had reached that colony in safety, but vastly di- minished in numbers, nearly five thousand hav- ing died. However, after sundry difficulties, they had ultimately been established, and the object which my correspondent had in writing was to obtain from me two more Ligurian stocks, he having unfortunately lost his only pure-bred Italian queen through an accident, at a time when there were no drones in the hive. He also informed me that he had found at Cape Town two native varieties of the honey bee — "one small black, and the other, except in size, the exact counterpart of the Ligurian," and most kindly offered, if I would like to have a stock, to try his hand at packing one, and to send it by steamer to Plymouth. Turning this description over in my mind, I came to the con- clusion that the variety which, except- in size, was the exact counterpart of the Liguriau, could be no other than my old friend, or con- sidering the terms on which we eventually parted, I might rather say enemy, the ferocious Egyptian bee. Apis fasciata, which so nearly simulates the Italian variety that the Rev. H. B. Tristram, author of "The Land of Israel," who found it amazingly abundant in Palestine, was misled into declaring that Apis ligustica was the common Holy Land insect. This con- jecture was confirmed in a subsequent letter from my South African correspondent, wherein THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 125 lie stated that his experience of the "diminutive of the Ligti'ian" was similar to my own in that they were "very savage." It is certainly not a little singular that identically the same variety of honey bee should be found in the extreme south as exists in the north of Africa and adjoining- parts of the xisiatic continent; but as, although separated by so vast a distance, it was but too ap- parent that there was no amelioration in the pugnacity of their disposition, I respectfully de- clined to avail myself ot the opportunity thus offered of renewing my acquaintance with the "pretty yaller gals," electing rather to transfer my attentions and pay court to the very inter- esting but anonymous little African " niggers," which my friend had somewhat vaguely de- scribed us "small black" bees. Pending the receipt of farther intelligence, I made an effort to penetrate the incognito of my intended protegees by submitting the question to my friend Mr. F. Smith, the distinguished hy- menopterist of the British Museum, who, how- ever, could only surmise that "the small black bee possibly is the A. Adausonii of Latreille, which I suppose to be synonymous with A. ni- gritarum of St. .Fayeau — A. uuicolor of La- treille, and which M. Gerstacker considers a va- riety of A. mellifica." I am of course unable to say how far this hypothesis may be correct, but supposing the small black bee of the Cape to be merely a variety of Apis mellifica, it is difficult to imagine how the native species or varieties can exist together in the same locality and yet keep themselves distinct. We know with what facility A. mellifica, A. ligustica, and A. fasci- ata will cross and interbreed with one another, and that this is at least equally the case on the continent of Africa is proved by one of my cor- respondent's letters, wherein, referring to the breeding of Ligurians in connection with Mr. Kohler's process, he says "it is the one thing required here, where bees of at least two or three kinds are common." These speculations can, however, only be set at rest by the arrival in England of the anonymi themselves, which I now hope may be deferred until next spring, although I have been expecting them during the past two months. My last letter from the Cape, dated the 18th of July, says, "Our native bees do not much like the notion of taking a voyage, at least so it seems, as two or three I have been preparing for you have deserted their boxes entirely, leaving brood in all stages, and betaken themselves to their native mountain wilds. I have four or five however, now well established, and hope either by next mail, or perhaps a month hence to be able to pack one or two off in such condition as to reach home alive. So don't be surprised at hearing some African- ders knocking at your door." Although no "Africanders" have as yet knocked at my door, it will not now be very long before their own country is again the scene of an Italian iuvasion, for the Royal Mail steam- ship "Saxon," which took her departure from the port of Plymouth early in the morn- ing of the 10th of October, was freighted with two strong bodies of apian Garibaldini in the shape of a couple of Ligurian stocks, which by the kind offices of a local friend were carefully stowed on board in capital condition, and which, by the time this article appears, will have landed on that coast "where Alric's sunny fountains roll dowh their golden sand." T. W. Woodbuky, ("A Devonshire Beekeeper.") Mount Radfokd, Exeter, Eng., Nov. 3,1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] Shape and Size of Hives. Mb. Editob : — I shall have to enter into the controversy in regard to the shape and size of hives — shallow ones in particular — not so much in their defence as to give my opinion as to their alleged defects, the reasons thereof, and their remedies. 1st. Their uncertainty for wintering, without burying. 2d. Their liability to be infested by the moth worm. 3d. The charge of some that the bees do not build straight combs. 4th. The trouble of getting out a comb from a full hive. First. This depends a good deal on the avarice of beekeepers, who wish to get a large surplus of honey, or profit, from their bees without any corresponding outlay on them. No farmer expects to have fat cattle without feeding plenty of hay and grain; and no beekeeper should expect profit from his bees without providing good warm hives, not simply a nail keg or a soap box; but such a one as is described by Mr. Langstroth in his work, " The Hive and Honey Bee.'''' I refer to the double-story hive, in figures 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23, on pages 48, 6S, 86, and 96. But, instead of glass hives, have the inside boxes made of lumber, and, with the two follow- ing alterations, and you will have a hive that possesses all desirable good qualities. The first is to have a bottom, either loose or stationary, to the base of the lower inside hive, and under that bottom nail strips half an inch thick and one inch broad, so that when placed inside of the outer case of hives, there will be a dead air space between it and the bottom of the outer case. Thus with the two bottoms of outer case and the bottom of inner hive, yoti have three bottom boards, and two dead air spaces between them. Having clone this, you will have to make an alteration at the entrance to corres- pond. Cut the entrance hole 1^ inches higher; then put a piece of 1| inch plank, the width of the entrance, on the bottom of the outer case in front for the bees to alight on, beveling the plank to the front. The second alteration is : Instead of nailing the top boards of outside case cover to the sides as per directions, make a frame of strips one inch wide and two inches deep, just large enough to slip over the top of the sides, and nail the top board to the frame, forming a cover after the fashion of that of a pasteboard band- box, and which can be removed so as to pack straw or chaff between the hive and the outer case in winter — which cannot be done if the top is made according to the directions in the 126 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. the book. Thus you will have a hive that will winter* any swarm of bees on. its sum- mer stand. Second. Their liability to be infested with the moth worm. From all the observations that I have been able to make, either with my own hives or those of my neighbors, this was owing either to defects in construction, or the material shrunk after the hives were made — allowing the frames to touch either top or bottom or both. In making new hives I would not have the frames go nearer the bottom than one inch, nor within five-eighths of an inch of the top. To cure old hives infested with worms, nail strips at top and bottom to make the inside of the hive correspond with the above directions. You will find worms in every hive if the bees have not free access all around the frames, par- ticularly at top and bottom; and you very sel- dom find any if they have — though not more so than you will find in any other hive of any other make, pattern, kind, or patent, under the same circumstances. Third. The charge of some that bees will not build straight combs. Last season my bees filled nearly ninety frames with combs, every one of which was straight. I melted some wax, and waxed the under side of the tops of the frames and the inner sides of the side pieces. Some of the hives were tipped, and some were not. Fourth. The trouble of getting frames out of a full hive. Put in only nine frames; then, in- stead of the tenth, put in a partition board made so as to hang like a frame, but to fit close to the top, bottom, and sides. To take out a frame, cut the connections, if any, between the frame and the partition board; take out the par- tition board, and you can then easily move the frames so as to take out the only frame you de- sire to remove. The movable division board also allows you to make the inside of the hive to suit a large swarm of bees or a small one. Besides double hives form warm and comfort- able quarters in comparison with the wretched makeshifts provided for their bees by the gener- ality of beekeepers. Let any one provide such a hive as is de- scribed above, and test it by selecting two swarms, the queens of the same age, and as near alike as can be in regard to prolificness and the working qualities of the workers also equal. Let one of these be placed in the above de- scribed hive in the beginning of March; and if both swarms are small in numbers, the more marked will be the difference between them at the end of the month. The idea that single hives promote breeding earlier in the season may be all right in theory, but it is not so in practice and reality; for a swarm that can cover five frames of brood in a single hive can cover ten in a double one, and it will only take seventy-two hours to prove it. Just take a swarm that you know has a prolific queen, and which can cover only five frames of brood in the spring or the fall ; place it in a double hive and alternate a frame of brood with an empty one, and in three days every frame will be full of brood — especially if they can have access to plenty of honey, or if one of my bee-feeders containing two pounds of water with four ounces of sugar dissolved in it, s placed over a hole in the top, so that the bees can have access to it. The bee-feeder is de- scribed in the July and September numbers of the Bee Journal. The double hive, moreover, more nearly ap- proaches the natural home of the bee in the hol- low of decayed trees, the walls of which are usually pretty thick and still further protected by the lining of decayed wood around the sides aud top, absorbing the breath and moisture from the bees. The double hive, with holes in the top of inner hive, and with the space between the inner hive and the outside case filled with straw or other suitable material, accomplishes the same thing, only better. A double hive ought always to be set so that the sun may shine on it all or nearly all day. Then the warmth will be pretty much equal, day and night, in the breeding apartment, en- couraging the early and abundant production of brood. Whereas, in a single hive, the bees are alternately roasted by day aud chilled during the night — driving them every night to a compact cluster to keep warm, and thereby retarding the production of brood. The size of hives can only be determined by each beekeeper according to the honey pastur- age of his section of country, and whether he collects his honey in surplus boxes, or uses the honey-emptying machine ; and if the latter, whether he empties the combs once a week, or once in two weeks, or once a month, or only at the end of the season. Each of these circum- stances will require a different size of hive; or by changing the frames, substituting empty ones for those that have been filled, the same result will be accomplished. The shape, whatever advantage the shallow form possesses when surplus honey boxes are used — is of double importance now, since the introduction of the honey -emptying machine. I cannot close without asking whether spiders are not the friends of the bee-keeper ? If they are detrimental to bees, do they not, wrhen tak- ing possession of the space between the inner hive and the outer case, do the bees and the bee-keeper a compensating benefit by the de- struction of the millers, worms, and other nox- ious insects ? At least I have come to such conclusion from my observations this summer, and do not now trouble them in my hive, as I think the occasional appropriation of a few bees is more than counterbalanced by the good they do by destroying the millers that dodge the bee sentinels at the outer entrance of a double hive on chilly nights. The space be- tween the inner hive and outer case forms a convenient trap for the math, very few of which, under any circumstances, find their way into the breeding apartment. The dead air space, between the hive and the outer case, retaining the heat acquired from the sun during the day, preserves its warmth throughout the night, and the bees are thereby enabled to keep a better guard over the entrance to the inner or breeding apartment. With the use of the shallow frames it is more economical THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 127 to use tbe two-story hive, both for space and cost, and to have 'the hive compact with the store frames above, where the bees are better able to protect them. The heat of the breeding apartment below ascending also evaporates the water from the newly-gathered honey. Let bee-keepers, who have suffered from loss of bees in single hives in winter, have a case made and try one double hive this coming win- ter. It will almost pay for itself in the saving of honey through the fall and spring. Report the result of the experiment in the Bee Jour- nal, and let those who are troubled with the molh miller, try the above-mentioned method of cure, and report likewise. I think the foregoing answers all the objec- tions yet urged against Mr. Langstroth's hive. I discarded the single hive for its non-wintering and worm-cherishing qualities. I used the sin- gle standard hive. Neither it nor any other single hive is fit, I think, to put a swarm into, nine months in the year, in our cold and windy climate. But the Double Hive, made so that the frames will not go nearer than one inch of the bottom, nor within five-eighths or three- fourths of an inch of the top, with plenty of room between the ends of the frames and the hive, and with the other alterations I have sug- gested, will winter bees well on their summer stands in this climate if any will; and they will be entirely free from millers. In tiying to make the hive which I invented overcome the nbove objections, I found out what would re- move them in the Langstroth hive, and have correspondingly altered those I have on hand. The above is a full description of the alteration, and shows how it works. John M. Price. Buffalo Grove, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] Size and Shape of Hives. On this subject there exists a great diversity of opinion among bee-keepers, but in view of all that I have yet read, heard, or seen, I have come to the conclusion that the cubic form is on the whole best adapted to the bees. To approximate most closely to this form, in combination with the most recent improve- ments, was therefore my steady endeavor in the construction of my hive — striving, however, to avoid running from one extreme to another, and preferring to aim at an attainable medium. This desired cubic form can, I conceive, be readily approached by the Langstroth hive, and I therefore made my hives fifteen inches square and twelve inches high; and in these hives my bees have always worked to great advantage. But, in my opinion, Italian bees need smaller hives than black bees, wherefore I have latterly made mine only twelve inches broad, calcu- lated for eight frames. The combs in these hives are just as conveniently handled as those in hives only ten inches high; and I think that in high latitudes bees will winter better in such hives. Mr. Grimm, however, uses exclusively hives only ten inches high, and I cannot yet state positively whether my bees have been more productive than his. I propose to try some ten inch hives next year, to ascertain the difference in my own apiary. There has thus far been no want of space for surplus honey boxes on my hives, for my bees have never yet been able to fill a single set arranged for twenty- eight pounds; though I expect to realize better results when I shall be able to provide myself with a sufficiency of empty combs to furnish a set of frames six inches high over the entire top. A colony of black bees which did not swarm yielded sixty pounds of honey in a second story, furnished with frames containing empty combs. An Italian colony produced a strong swarm, and yielded thirty pounds of honey in a super six inches high, rilled with empty combs. Ital- ian bees, however, are prone to fill up their hives with honey, thus unduly contracting the brooding space. Tbe homy-emptying machine will enable us to regulate this matter advanta- geously. Nevertheless, I conceive that in more south- erly countries the ten inch high hive, ki the broad shallow things,'''' could he employed to most ad- vantage; though it seems to me that in this re- gion my twelve inch high hives are usually more populous than those of Mr. Grimm. The tine fall pasturage which we have had here this year has placed bees in general in better condition for wintering than was the case in several previous years. W. Wolff. Jefferson, Wis. [For the American Bee Journal.] Ligurian Bees and Size of Hives. Mr. Editor : — I see in the November num- ber of the Bee Journal, vol. IV, a correspon- dence from Mr. William Carr, of near Man- chester, England, setting forth some of the points of superiority of the Ligurian over the common English or black bees. He instances a swarm sent away by him to Exeter in 1866 that gave off three swarms, the first of which sent one and the second two from a queen of the current year. So this one stock that year in- creased to seven. Now, to corroborate in part the credit of the Ligurian bee, I will say that in 1867 I set apart two hives of Ligurian bees to allow them to swarm naturally, (as I practice artificial swarming generally.) No. 1 swarmed June 3d, and gave off four swarms. Its first gave off three; its second two from a queen of the current year. No. 2 swarmed June 6th, and gave oft" Jive swarms. Its first and second swarms gave one each, one from a queen of the current year. Making in all fifteen swarms — one mingled with other bees and was not iden- tified, thus increasing the two stocks to sixteen, all of which wintered. From hive No. 2 I took thirty -five pounds of surplus honey in the fall, and a considerable quantity from No. 1, of which no account was kept. I am like some other Brother Jonathans, and do not like to be excelled by our cousins over the water. The above result was obtained 128 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. from the use of a shallow hive, ten inches high, fourteen wide, and eighteen inches long iuside; both sides opening with double aud treble wall, with intermediate air- chambers, securing uni- form temperature through the extremes of weather. And, lo ! it is a patent hive, patented by A. H. Hart, of Stockbridge, Wisconsin, in 1867, and known as the Excelsior Hive. If any of our bee-keeping brothers or sisters wishes to know more about the description and working of this hive, send postage stamp to the patentee and obtain his pamphlet and circular. The above-mentioned extensive breeding leads me to conclude that the objections of friend Dadant against the Langstrothor shallow hive cannot be well founded, unless he can show that the square hives have excelled in some par- ticulars. Forty years' experience has not taught me to believe that. As the brother says, on page 91 of the November number, that the habits of the queen are such that she always commences in the centre of the comb, and con- tinues her laying in regular circles; if she comes in contact with the bottom or top of the frames she is thrown out of employ, and that this losing so much time constitutes his principal objection to the shallow hive. It seems to me from the view the brother has of the queen's habits, that a cylindar hive lying horizontally and filled with circular frames would come nearer his idea of a good breeding hive than any other. I think there are quite a number of conditions requisite in a hive of bees to have brooding go on rapidly, which I shall not now enumerate. Practical bee-men understand tliGm. One very essential quality I consider is a hive that will keep as near as possible a uniform temperature during the breeding season. It hardly seems necessary for bee-men to dif- fer about the exact height of a hive, as we have good results from both high and shallow. I am acquainted with a bee-keeper living within twenty miles of me, who has secured better re- sults with the old box hive last season than any other in the circle of my acquaintance. He has taken about nine hundred pounds of sur- plus honey from about eighty swarms; while others with a hundred and more swarms, in im- proved hives, have not obtained half that amount. If I should not explain our doubting Thomases would say, " the old hive after all is as good as any." I was surprised to hear of his success this dry season, and went to visit him. I found that he had been benefitted by a very large amount of buckwheat sown around him. How his bees are off for winter stores I am not able to tell, but a very large percentage of swarms in this county this fall will be minus next spring. A. H. Hart. Stockbridge, Wis. Spiders seem hardly to deserve being ranked among the enemies of bees, because their webs are mostly too weak to entangle a bee. Millepedes or wood lice are most destructive enemies of bees. They enter the hive during the cold of the winter and spring, cat the honey and destroy the combs. — Wi/dmar. Bees and Blossoms. Paragraphs like the following show that fruit- growers are beginning to be aware of the folly of denouncing the honey-bee as an enemy against which the stern resolves of annual town meetings are to be enlisted. Is it not aboul time for the good people of Wenham to recon- sider their late decision, and not persist in the endeavor to hold the world to a retrograde movement ? : Bees. — A writer in the American Journal oj Horticulture advocates the keeping of bees as a' means of making fruit trees productive since they are great fertilizers of plants, carrying pol- len, which in many instances without their aid would never become distributed. He says : "A relative of mine has for upwards of twenty years lived near the city and has all the time kept a great many bees. Since he has kept them the orchards in the vicinity have borne from two to three times the quantity of fruit that they did before ; and some of the neighbors say that should he dispose of his swarms they would be obliged to keep bees themselves toob- tain a paying yield of fruit." He thinks that those people who are about to banish bees from their neighborhoods, in the belief that they do injury to plants and trees, had better study up the subject before they take a step which sooner or later they must regret. [For the American Bee Journal.] E. Gallup on Wintering Bees. Mr. Editor : — As I have a great many in- quiries in regard to wintering bees, I propose to give my answer through the Bee Journal, and in that answer may criticise a trifle, but with no intention to stir up such a mess as I did by the shallow hives. By the way, I suppose that I ought to thank Mr. C. S. Payne for his article in the October number, and Mr. Chas. Dadant for his article in the November num- ber. So here goes — " Thank you, gentlemen !" To begin: Mr. Quinby recommends a barn cellar, and he gives a description of his in his book. Well, but Ave do not all have such cel- lars. Never mind, the principle is what we are after. Mr. Robert Jones, of Cedarville, Ills., in the September number, describes a very cheap house to winter bees in. Mr. H. Rosen- stiel, of Lena, Ills., in the October number, gives us a discription of another cheap house for the purpose. Mr. P. Lattner, of Lattner's, Dubuque county, Iowa, furnishes another. I think ten or twelve inches of sawdust would be rather better than six for our Northern cli- mate. The bees would not feel the effects of the warm sun so soon, at least in the spring; and I am not sure that it would not be better further South. I think it would. Mr. H. M. Thomas, of Brooklin, Canada, on page 224, vol. 3, gives us another cheap plan. His wire cauze is an actual injury, and his corncobs are unnecessary where the cellar is properly venti- lated, and the requisite ventilation is cheaper than the cobs. Mr. B. S. Hoxie, of Cooksvillc, Wisconsin, in No. 11, vol. 3, describes another THE AMEBICAK BEE JOUBNAL. 129 house somewhat more costly, but nevertheless a good one for the purpose. A honey board with the proper ventilation is just as good as his straw mat; but as he uses the Kidder hive, he has the mats and of course uses them. Mr. J. C. Wedge, of Fon-du-lac city, Wisconsin, a practical and well posted apiarian, uses a house 14 feet by 20, with double board -walls and a foot space between each rilled with strawdust, with perfect satisfaction. Mr. Chas. Dadant, of Hamilton, Ills., gives us his method of bury- ing bees, and, with his method of ventilating the trench, there is no doubt but it will work well. His method of ventilating is the true method of ventilating a wet cellar, or a cellar or cave dug into the side of a hill and covered with dirt. If you put oue tube or pipe in the top it is no ventilation at all; or if you put two in, both of the same length, it amounts to just the same. But put one in and let it just come up through the covering of the roof and extend down to within an inch or two of the bottom of the cave or cellar; then put in another, letting it go down just through the covering, and ex- tend five or six feet above the covering or roof, like a chimney, and you have the very best of ventilation without a strong current of air. The fresh air goes down through the lower tube, and the foul or heated air goes out through the up- per one, slowly and surely, no matter from what point of the compass the wind blows. I understand that Bidwell Bros., of St. Paul, Minnesota, practice burying their bees as soon as they are clone gathering honey. Their method of burying I do uot know. A common house cellar is an excellent place, but the most of them are kept too warm. If all those places mentioned above can be kept at an even temper- ature, just above the freezing point, with each swarm ventilated just right to suit the size of the swarm, they will answer well. A large swarm must be ventilated sufficient to keep them perfectly quiet. See vol. 3, page 192, for my method of ventilating. Then, in handling stocks in the fall and again in the spring, you cannot, without actual weighing, discover that the bees have consumed any honey whatever ; but we cannot say that of any method of winter- ing on their summer stands. So the conclusion that we have come to is this, that the saving of honey, and the absolute certainty of wintering, pays all the trouble and expense incurred. I am aware that some say that a cellar or cave dug into a bank, burying, &c, is bad policy, Of this class is a correspondent at Red Wing, Min- nesota. Mr. T. B. Miner, in his American Bee- keepers'1 Manual, published in 1854, condemns the cellar for wintering bees. By the way, this man said, on page 175 of said book, "I think the reader will, on wading through these pages, when he comes to 'finis,' exclaim, 'enough, enough! I want no more.'" Well, if he" is still alive, aud stopped where he left off in that book, he knows precious little about bee-keep- ing. About thirty-five years ago I failed in wintering in the cellar, but the fault was not in the cellar, it was in not knowing how to do it. The conclusion is that if anybody fails, although the cellar may be quite damp, it is from want of the requisite knowledge. Mr. J. II. Thomas, of Brooklin, Canada, in his Canadian Bee-keepers' Guide, on page 46, gives a description of his bee-house for winter- ing in. He says that a house five feet wide, ten feet long, and six feet high, is large enough to hold thirty of his hives, and allow a passage between, &c. His plan is to have double walls filled in with tan, sawdust, or fine straw. By the way, in my list of bee-books I galloped over his without auy mention. The price is twenty- five cents. It is worth the money any time to auy new beginner. A strong large swarm, with abundance of honey and properly ventilated, will winter well on its summer stand ; but it is almost impossi- ble to give written instructions to new begin- ners that will winter every swarm, without as much trouble in fixing up as it will cost to fix some of the special repositories above-men- tioned. Our winters are so variable that the same method that will work well in one winter would not answer the next on the summer stand. With an especial repository we have the winter under our control, and wintering re- duced to an absolute certainty with proper ven- tilation. We must remember that a large num- ber of swarms create a large amount of animal heat, and a small number create heat in propor- tion. So in ventilating we must take this, into consideration and govern ourselves accord- ingly. About that wire gauze. If you fasten in your bees with fine gauze and one bee takes a notion that he wants to go out, he commences butting his head against the wire, and very soon com- municates his agitation to others of the swarm, and they lose some of their number every time. Now, instead of the gauze, ventilate each hive just right, and you will not lose a dozen bees per swarm in the whole winter. If you are troubled with or afraid of mice or rats, use coarse wire that a bee can pass through easily, and still keep out the mice. I winter in the cellar, and yet ventilate each swarm so that I can go all around with a light and not a bee stirs or attempts to come out. If a large swarm is not peaceable, give more ventilation. If from a small swarm some of the bees come out and discharge every time you go into the cellar with a light, the inference is that there is too much ventilation. E. Gallup. Osage, Iowa. ii^ [For the American Bee Journal.] Color of Bees. Mr. Editor : — My experience with the Ital- ian bees leads me to the belief that the color of the black bees is transmitted to the Italian race by them as nurses. I am so confident of the fact that I am willing to sacrifice my reputation as a bee-keeper that it is so, Lockport, N. Y. J. L. Culver. Many people have so strong a dread of bees that no assurance of safety can prevail on them to act familiarly with these insects. Indeed there seems to be a hidden quality in some men which renders them disagreeable to the bees. — Wild- mar. 130 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Sending Queens by Mail. Me. Editor : — The question of the hest way to send queens to distant places has for a few years attracted much attention. We can hox a common bee hive with a space of an inch or an inch and a half between the hive and the box, having covered the bottom and openings, and the lop holes or other ventilators of the hive, or those we make on purpose for free ventilation, with wire cloth, and send it in cool weather all over the world — certainly from Italy and Egypt to America. Then the hive is, say fifteen in- ches square — a large hive — with ample ventila- tion through its wire cloth, in a box eighteen or twenty inches square, full of round holes, also covered with wire cloth, and experience is ample that little difficulty is had in removals of many thousands of miles. But in sending queens there come these re- quisites : 1st. The queen above all things safe ; 2d. Workers enough to take care of her and keep her warm. Under these requirements such bee men as Langstroth began with quite a large box, which they soon reduced to one whose inside diameter were about 2^ of an inch wide, about 5 inches deep, and 6 inches long. This again became reduced to H inches wide, 3 inches deep, and 4 inches loug. In each size, the approximations to which I have named, two movable comb-frames with capped honey, were made fast, or one, as the case might be, and a suitable quantity of bees put on the comb, or combs, with a queen. At last I received by express a box with one movable comb three inches long and one inch wide, a queen and forty workers, all the cells filled with honey except half a dozen, and the cells sealed over, and only carpet taclcs to hold the comb in place. I wrote back that the queen was probably chilled on the cold honey, and complained of the insecurity of the comb- frame fastening. Yet the queen came safely fourteen hundred miles, and with such an ex- cess of honey that I had a taste of almost Rocky Mountain honey. Thus you see I was prepared for the next step, which was — can a queen be sent safely by mail ? Experience had shown that all these ex- press company packages were too large, that the queen often laid the blank cells on the way full of eggs. Here all the workers had accepted their situation in the rattling cars, and had done the best they could to repair damages, and nurse their queen and themselves up to a fair trim again, at the earliest moment. At this point several mail boxes were pro- posed, and only deserve attention. One is a box made of thin lumber, so as to have an in- ternal diameter of about 1^ inch, and is square. Ventilation is given by saw cuts in the sides and ends about an inch long and a sixteenth of an inch wide. This, as I understand it, was to be sent only a few miles. So the bees were fed all they would eat, and sent by mail. Among others came a very peculiar bee-box, made by H. Alley, Esq., of Wenham, Essex county, Mass. This is such a neat affair that I figure it for the Bee Journal. The first thing is a piece of pine wood about two inches long snd i| of an inch Avide and broad. In this cut out a trough-like excavation as that shown in section in tig. 1, in which the space by the in- side lines is the trough-like excavation cut in it. Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows its use, and is a view at right angles to fig. 1. By this figure it will be seen that the trough in fig. 1 is filled with a piece of sponge saturated with honey, and a piece of wire cloth is nailed over the sponge to keep it in place. This sponge feeds the bees while in the mail- bag. To complete the box three pieces of wood are made r quarter of an inch thick and about two inches long. There are two of these nailed to the piece made as in the figures, and the other on the end of the other two thin pieces — thus making part of a box in front of the sponge. A piece ot wire cloth makes the top and bottom of the box. Thus, in the boxed space in front of the sponge, with top and bot- tom of wire cloth, is a place for a queen and a hundred or two of workers; and the sponge has feed enough for fifteen or twenty days. Such a box I received last summer from Mr. Alley, with an Italian queen and about fifty workers, safely; and giving her to a powerful artificial swarm she has done well. Now let me say that I have no doubt that this queen would have gone safely to the Rocky Mountains or to Texas by mail. That is, the package was good for any distance reached in ten days by mail, in any time from June 10th to October 10th. The box was inclosed loosely in paper with my name on it, and came from Weuham, Mass. , near Boston, to me, 450 miles or more, for two cents postage, under the law for the diffusion of seeds and other agricultural products. The Italian stock of Mr. Alley being so pure I was greatly pleased, Mr. Editor, and now tell you and your readers the result. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 131 My bees have done well this season. I am yet skeptical as to the general success of the Ital- ian bee. I hope more from the northern China bee and the bee of "All the Russias," or the Russian bee, enduring the excessive cold of that Empire as it does. But that is too large a ques- tion to discuss now. S. J. Parker, M. D. Ithaca, N. Y., Nov. 14, 1868. [For the American Bee Journal. ] Various Itemsj Will Mr. Gallup please tell us how many frames of comb his bees made, with the size of frames, as I am also just commencing in bee- keeping, this being my third season? He says he had thirteen stocks, and increased to thirty- five. My object was also an increase of stocks, and I would like to compare results. I commenced with ten stocks, one being queenless in April, and failing to raise a queen all summer until September. I had at one time fifty swarms, besides losing ten or more that left for the woods. All had fertile queens. I will here remark that every swarm raised its own queen, with three or four exceptions, and that forty of the young queens, more or less, were from five to seven weeks old before I found eggs or other evidence that a fertile queen had been raised. Also, that my bees, early in the spring as well as during the honey harvest, and later during the drought, started and raised only one queen at a time, with the following exceptions, viz : One stock started thirteen; two started five; two started three, and five started two. My old stocks also — those from which I had taken four or five frames of brood weekly to make new swarms with, and to furnish brood to such as failed to raise queens at first trial, (and they were not a few,) and likewise to sup- ply all young swarms till their own queens be- gan to Lay — would have swarmed naturally if I had allowed them to do so. I made new swarms as long as I had combs to furnish them with. Then I kept up the young swarms as long as there was honey in any of their hives. It was a hard struggle for either young or old stocks during August and September to keep house. They seemed to de- pend for their daily supply on an acre of buck- wheat, sown about the first of June. It looked a good deal as if I had overdone the thing. I started to make ten from one as I did the year before. Acting on the adage "nothing venture, nothing have," I would not give np as long as there was a chance of success to bring me out all right acre of borage, but August and September were so cold that it failed to bloom, and witli it failed my last hope. The season being over, the following is the result : An increase from nine stocks to twenty- eight, with an abundance to winter, but no sur- of comb which they had to mend, patch, and join to the frames. Lastyear I had an increase of forty-five frames from the old stocks win- tered. I have not the least doubt that if I had let those hives that furnished tip- 1 stormy new swarms, furnish the brood, and let the others furnish the bees, the result would have been a great deal better. It will be seen from the above that, if the result is not up to expec- tation, it is still satisfactory. I will also state the following observations ot my hives: The double ones, facing south andin the sun all day, did the best. The double hives facing north, and the single hives facing south, and set so that the sun shone on them all day long, did next best. Double hives in the shade, facing north or south, amounted to little or nothing. And with regard to the time ot flight of bees, from single hives or double, there was not much difference between those facing the same way. As regards the amount of bees that can be taken from a hive, I will only say that I generally moved a swarm once a week; but one swarm I moved twenty times in three months, and it gave bees enough to cover from four to six frames most of the time. In that case I would divide the young one in the course of eight or ten days. Referring now to the article " Criticism,'''1 on page 188 of the April number ot the Bee Jour- nal, " How to make all swarms equally p-os- perous," I would ask, can it be done? Can a man breed his cattle so that his cows will all give even quarts of milk or the same number of pounds of butter, or all weigh even pounds in the scales? I think not. He may, with twenty or more swarms greatly increase their average yield; but there will still be a marked difference between the individual hives, as there would be between the product of his cows. I think tha nearest to such a desirable result that can be reached will be by judicious feeding and stimu- lating during the spring to get strong stocks early; and during August, or a dry period, to have strong stocks on hand for fall pasturage. This, and keeping the queens of about an asre, and the removal of uuprolific queens, is all that can be hoped for. WINTERING BEES ON THEIR SUMMER STANDS. Mr. J. T. Laugstroth says :— "Experience teaches that there will not be found wanting those who are ready to make indiscriminate at- tacks upon anything and everything which has our name connected with it — but those who will "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good." In reference to his mode of wintering, would it not be better to take off the legs ; cut off the portico, leaving it just two On the^ 2011^01^ July 1^ planted &\\ I inches deep ; nail a half inch strip all around the bottom "under;" then place the hive in the large outer case of his glass observing hive, al- tering the entrance to suit ; knock off the cover, and nail a rim or frame so that the cover will fit the case like the cover of a pasteboard box — making it convenient to pack the carpet and plus to take away; and an increase of one hun- | rags around the front, back, and sides" and on dred and sixty frames of comb, each one foot the top ? It being already protected by three square—an increase of lGh frames for each old ■ inch bottoms with two dead-air spaces, it needs stock, besides this, I transferred sixty frames I no further protection there. How much more 132 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. than the way lie recommends will this cost ? But how much better and handier; and how much easier to pack and unpack; how much neater in appearance; and how in every way more desirable. I speak from experience, hav- ing one made: and in use these three months for ■winter. He also says, "Now right the hive, put strips on the rabhets so as to raise the frames about half an inch higher from the hottom board." Now, having done this, why not nail them there, and keep the frames in that position evermore; reducing its chance of becoming infested with worms three-fourths ; and while you are about it, just nail an inch strip all around the top of the hive, raising the honey board also — reducing the chances of its being infested with moth-worms three-fourths of the one fourth left, thus making it almost moth proof? Last spring I altered mine so, and have not had a worm in them since. With regard to the packing with rags, I will say that in my experiments made with the hive I invented (see page 83, vol. 4, of the Bee Journal) the packing was first a layer of cot- ton batting, then a coffee-bag about three-fourths full of woolen rags, leaving the rags loose so that they would readily fill in the corners. I transferred the bees at night when the mercury was below zero. Next morning they had fast- ened the comhs and patched them up all right on top, and in twenty-four hours there was brood in three combs. This was in February, and there was no brood in the others for five weeks after. I thought so well of the rags that I bought 500 to 600 pounds last summer for this winter's use. So you see I am all right on the rag question, and a little ahead of time. A GOOD BEE-BREEDER. Mr. Charles Dadant, on page 91 of the Bee Journal, and other correspondents through the hack numbers, find fault with Mr. Langstroth's shallow hive, on account of the queens not being able to swing around a circle, thereby making it a poor bee-breeding hive. Gentle- men, please turn to page 87 of vol. 4. There you will find a hive described that is warm enough to breed your bees, and a frame as com- pact as possible, hanging in the best shape for breeding, and for storing honey above the brood, with room for plenty of honey in the spring in ordinary seasons. A circle of teu inches in diameter or thirty inches in circum- ference can be had, with practically no bottom to the comb below the cluster of bees for millers to lay their eggs in. Moreover, bees storing honey on their return home, do not have to pass over the brood to reach the top of the frame. They alight at the entrance (7), run up the in- clined back (3) of tlie inner hive until they reach the strips (4), up which they run until they reach the level of the cells they are depositing honey in. ALL WORKER COMB. In running my bees from one to ten this last season, in over" two hundred frames of comb made, not one was drone comb, neither was the comb made in hives without a queen, or where the bees were raising one, nor whether they had a fertile or an unfertile queen, drone-celled. They commenced none ; and I have had no trouble from that source. BEE-FEEDING. In reply to Mr. Gallup's general rejoinder, I will only say that it matters little how he may feed his bees, since by his own confession he does feed. He may feed them spoon victuals or honey by the frame full from other hives. That is his method and his privilege. But, all jokes aside, are bee-keepers to rob their bees in the fall of most of their stores and combs, and then, if the spring is backward, or a season like the last occurs, ought he be either dissatisfied, or al- lege that bee-keeping does not pay, if he has to feed them a little to help them through ? Ask the farmers if manure does not pay; ask the but- ter maker if feed does not pay; ask the cheese- maker if corn does not pay to feed cows ? If your store hogs were not fed, how much pork would they make ? How much wool would you get from your sheep without feed ? And so on to the end of all things or animals appropriated by man to his own use. Even his machines he has to feed with "oil," or they will not run; and the most successful farmer, stock raiser and machinist, is he who/eedsjudiciously. And, in time, I think the mos t successful bee keeper will be included among the most judicious of feeders. TIIE HIVE FOR NATURAL CLUSTERS of bees in winter is the one described on page 86 of vol. 4 of the Bee Journal. The frame, as hung, is eighteen inches high and eighteen inches wide, thus allowing large or small swarms to cluster entirely according to their instincts or nature. In this respect it is equal to any, if not superior to all, for winter- ing bees on their summer stands. THE niVE FOR NEW BEGINNERS is the one described on the same page of the said volume of the Bee Journal. It is a hive that can be recommended to bee-keepers gener- ally as one which, from its form, must always be clean, having no bottom for pieces of wax or dirt to lodge on, which in most cases will be found to be the true cause of trouble with bees. There being no bottom, only inclined sides and top, if no more combs are left in the hive than the bees can cover, all will be well; and in the morning or at eve by simply removing No. 6 during the spring, summer, and fall, and No. 6 and No. 10 in the winter, the condition of the colony can be pretty correctly told at a glance. J. M. Price. Buffalo Grove, Iowa. The queen bee begins to lay her eggs as soon as the severity of the winter's frost is past; and proceeds in proportion to the mildness of the season. The number of young bees that may by this means rise in the hive may endanger the lives of all by famine. On this account the owner should at this season carefully and fre- quently examine the state of his colonies, and supply with food such as are likely to be in want. He may thus save colonies that would otherwise be sure to perish. — Wildmar. THE AMEBICAN BEE JOUBNAL. 133 [For tlie American Bee Journal.] Multiplication of Stocks. Iu the Bee Journal, vol. 3, No. 9, page 180, you will find the following questions: — To "what extent can one stock of bees he increased artifi- cial]}', in sis months, with care and feed suffi- cient ? And what quantity of sugar will he re- quired for the same ? The figures are wanted to see that it will pay." See also the same question, vol. 2, page IG.j. Now, gentlemen, I have heen waiting with all the patience imaginable for some of the knowing ones to answer this question. But, as they do not, suppose you stand hack and let Gallup try his hand. In the first place, Ave will see what stories are told about natural swarm- ing. See vol. 2, No. 10, page 190, for an instance of an increase of thirty in one sea- son, and another of twenty-two, besides several lost for want of hives to put them in. Sec also same volume, page 195, a notice by J. L. Davis of ten swarms from one in one season. Mr. "Wellhuysen (see July number, 1868, for de- scription of hives used) informed me, (and I have no reason to doubt it,) that he had in- creased one colony up to thirteen; and the fol- lowing season he had increased those up to one hundred and twenty-five by artificial swarming; and, as I informed the readers of the Journal, I learned some things from him. There arc but few hives that are calculated for such great in- crease. The Wellhuysen hive was one. The form of hive which I use, and Mr. J. M. Price's hive, are admirably adapted to the pur- pose. In the American form, and the broad, shallow form of the Langstroth, and several others, it would be useless to attempt such an increase. The form I use, and the division board, &c, have already been explained. Wc will say that we have one good swarm to start with in the spring, with the comb all right, and a prolific queen raised the season pre- vious, with not too much honey, and not too much old pollen. We will in this climate com- mence stimulating about the first of March. We want a small quantity of drone comb in the centre of the hive. (Four inches square is suffi- cient). In three weeks we will have every particle of comb filled with brood, and the old | honey all used up. Now, if you please, we will take out one comb filled with mature brood, about three quarts of bees, with the old queen, and start a new swarm. The evening before taking out these, we will give them all the sweet they can contain. Now, when we take them out they will stay where we put them, by doing as I told you in the article "How to make natural swarms artificially," in the July num- ber of the Bee Journal. Give the bees one empty frame and adjust the division board. The young bees hatching out of the full comb, give the queen a chance to deposit her eggs. Now feed the old and the new swarm. The new one must have all they can consume, for they have comb to build. The old swarm wants just as much as they can consume without storing. After the new swarm has filled the empty frame with comb, slacken your feeding until the queen has all or nearly all the cells filled with brood. Then insert another empty frame between the two full ones, and increase the feed again. Now wc have got. to look after our queen cells, and wc want about eight. Take out seven, and seven frames with bees are enough to occupy said frames Insert these frames in seven hives, adjust your division boards in each, and make your division of bees. The evening before this division, give the bees a good strong feeding, and adjust the division board in the old swarm. (We use twelve frames in one hive.) Now, we have four frames left in the old hive, and may want two of these by and by to give to the old queen, to prevent the bees from building drone comb, or the old queen may not breed fast enough to suit us. In that case we will want another comb and queen cell to supersede her. As soon as your young queens commence lay- ing, you have to build their stocks up in the same manner you did the first one. With one full frame and bees enough to occupy that frame, there is no danger of the bees deserting, if the supply of honey is Kept up regularly; and with Mrs. Tupper's process of fertilization there is no danger of losing the queen. In all cases we must have the comb well crowded with bees, whether there is one comb or ten; and all up- ward escape of animal heat must be prevented. Now we have nine swarms of bees, and muse keep them equalised and build them up as fast as possible. Recollect that one frame filled with comb, having a prolific queen and bees to occupy the frame, in the right kind of hive, is just as capable of protecting itself from moths and robbers as any full sized swarm. For, so far as it goes, it is a strong swarm to all intents and purposes. And four frames filled with bees, comb, and honey, will winter just as well as the best of swarms, in a cellar or proper repository, if properly ventilated. In this manner I have wintered spare queens, and if I did not need them for queenless stocks, I built them up to a full sized swarm in the following season. Now after all those nine swarms are built up, wre will have that with the old queen in filled first, and Ave want that frame with the drone comb in, in the hive with the old queen, because if we want more swarms we must have more drones and queens. We can now go through the same process we did at the start with the old queen, only it is later in the season, and we want more bees with her this time. Nor must we start over four new SAvarms at a time, as we have nine swarms to strengthen up and equalise. This we can work very safely; and if we are sure of a supply of honey in September, we can keep on making swarms until into that month. But to move perfectly safe, we must make only one or two at a time towards the last. Now comes the question about the quantity of sugar. I have seen seasons that to make thirteen swarms from one avouUI not require over three dollars' worth of sugar; but from one to two dollars per swarm is enough in almost any season — for should the honey crop be cut off, as it Avas this season, your increase must be stopped at once, unless you want to feed for 134 THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. winter. Remember that at any time when bees can gather sufficient they do not want feeding; and in some seasons or at some times they only want enough lo make up the deficiency, which may be only a trifle. They should not be led so much as to restrict the queen from laying ; and when yon want a comb built they must have abundance of food, either naturally or ar- tificially, and the ferti ity of the queen must be kept up to her full capacity at all times. The next question is, will it pay? W!th Ital- ian swarms at from fifteen to twenty dollars each, where is that everlasting Yankee? He can certainly be taught to make them cheaper than to buy them. Now I can answer another question, and here it is: Had I better buy a stock of four or five hundred dollars' worth, of bees to commence with? No ! If you have not the knowledge and skill, buy only one or two swarms and make the rest; and by the time you have, made them you will know how to take care of them. Your knowledge will increase as your bees in- crease. The reader will probably ask — "Are you sure of getting eight ornine queen cells in the way you speak oi '?" Yes, pretty sure, if you have a prolific queen and the supply of food is kept up just right, either naturally or artificially . I have hardly ever failed of getting from eight to twenty-six in a strong swarm with all worker comb. To feed for comb-building j^ou should use white crushed or coffee sugar; and it is my impression the food should be about the consist- ence of thinnish honey. To promote breeding it should be thinner. We often hear the remark, "My bees were apparently doing well; they were strong and numerous, and I was expecting them to swarm ; but they killed their drones and did not swarm " This could have been prevented by judicious feeding at the right time. If increase is what we want, we can create a swarming mania any season, by keeping up the supply of food artificially when the natural supply fails. In fact a queen can be kept breed- ing even in mid winter by stimulation and keep- ing the swarm in the right condition. As I said on a former occasion, in all cases keep the queen in advance of the bees if you expect to profit from them. I have had three cases in my expe- rience where from some cause the queen did not commence breeding as early as?ke should have in the spring, and the bees filled every cell with honey, so that she had no room to breed. In those cases I removed some of their central combs and compelled the bees to build new. This gave a chance for the queen to lay, and they afterwards became good stocks. There are a great many old and experienced bee-keepers who have said, and will say, that such an increase as Gallup speaks of is impos- sible. Hold on, gentlemen, be not too fast! Let Gallup ask a question: Do you suppose that Gallup, with an improved Langstroth moveable comb hive, is going to be beat by his old friend Wellhuysen with his cow manure immovable comb hive V Not if he can help it, and he thinks he can. I do not wish to be understood as re- commending an attempt at any such increase by a mere new beginner. But what I have learned to do I can teach others to do. And every bee- keeper should thoroughly understand the theory; and then he can practice it or not as he pleases. Let me here remark that I studied long and closely (after practicing with the Wellliuysen hive) on the subject of getting up a movable come hive small at the top, similar to Mr. Bing- ham's or Mr. Price's; but after using the hive I now use it worked so near like what I wanted it to do, in respect to cheapness, simplicity, ease of handling, and for artificial swarming, &c, that I gave up making the one I had already devised in my head. Now, friend Monroe, you will probably say that Gallup has not exactly told the number of increase, nor the exact amount of sugar re- quired. Well, we will leave that for our friend Quinby to tell. And we have as strong suspi- cions as he has of us, that it will bother him to tell within a quarter of a swarm or one ounce of sugar. Elisha Gallup. Osage, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] The Honey-Emptying Machine. The honey-emptying machine must, I think, gradually facilitate the production of honey, and may be regarded as a decided improvement if there are not two if sin the way. If first, the honey will sell in market as well in the li- quid form as in the comb; and secondly, if the so frequent depriving the bees of their stores, and brushing them from the comb, does not so enrage them as to render them too angry and contentious to endure. I find my Italians, in the height of the honey season, very belligerent and not disposed so allow a single frame to be taken from their stores without vigorous pro- test and defence. Now, how will they endure Ihe frequent pilfering of their stores, and the brushing of them from the comb ? Will not their disposition be increasingly exasperated ? Will those who have had experience give us light on these points ? ^Bolton, Mass. P. Pi. Russell. Bees and Honey in Minnesota. Ricn Valley, (Minn.,) Nov. 23, 1868. The past season was rather a poor one for bees in this State. Nevertheless, judging from my own experience, in a poor location (thesur- roundiug country being prairie, almost entirely cultivated in grain) bees, when properly man- aged, paid a larger profit on the capital invested than any other farm stock. The honey gathered was superior irr quality to any that I ever saw before. Of six colonies that I transferred from box hives to frames in the spring, each gave one good swarm and from thirty to forty pounds of surplus honey; and this without the aid of any empty combs, or honey-emptying machine. Doubtless if I had such aids, they would have done still better. I do not intend to be without the Bee Journal as long as I can get it, and only wish it came oftencr. L. M. Lindley. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 135 [For the American Bee Journal .] Pacts. In the November number of the Journal it was editorially stated that the "Kidder Hive" had been declared an infringement on L. L. Langstroth's Patent, in a suit in the United States Court, for the Northern District of New York. In the December number, page 117, I am surprised to see that the editor finds he ■was under a wrong impression when he made that statement. It also appears that friend Gallup, to use his own term, was a "putty head" in thinking the editor was right, although he must have other sources of information, as he quotes names, dates, and locality in regard to the decision which the December number in- forms us was never rendered. Had this infor- mation reached me "in time," I "should have made the necessary correction" of the state- ments in the November number, as I think no cause is ever benefitted by any, even innocent mistatements of facts. But, I was under the same impression with Mr. Gallup, and, as the December Journal upsets my previous notions on this subject, I am moved to ask the publica- tion of the following : U. S. CIRBUIT COURT, \r „ ., Northern District New York. )in ^1uuy- ROSWELL C. OTIS vs. CHARLES AUSTIN. This writ having been duly brought to a final hearing upon pleadings and proofs, it is found and hereby ordered, adjudged, and de- creed by the court, that the re-issued "Letters patent" on which this suit is brought, for im- provements in bee-hives, issued by the United States to Lorenzo L. Langstroth, dated the 26th day of May' 1863, is a good and valid patent, and that said Langstroth was the first and orig- inal inventor of the improvements secured by said re-issued patent; and that said complainant, Roswell C. Otis is the owner of said patent, and among other places in and for the count}- of Wyoming, in the State of New York; and that the defendant Charles Austin, has infringed upon said patent, and upon the rights of the Complainant under and by virtue of the same, in that said defendant has used movable comb frames of bee-hives, constructed and adjusted in such manner that when placed in a hive or case the sides and bottoms of the frames are kept at suitable distance from each other and from the case, and are separated from each other at their tops, substantially as specified in the first claim of the re-issued patent granted by the United States to Lorenzo L. Langstroth dated the 26th of May, 1863, and that said de- fendant has used movable comb frames con- structed and adjusted in such manner that when they are inserted in the hive the distances be- tween them may be regulated at will substan- tially the same as specified in the second claim of said patent. It is further ordered, adjudged and decreed that the complainant do recover of said defendant the profits, gains and advantages which said defendant has received, or which have accrued to him from the use of bee-hives containing said improvements. It is further ordered, adjudged and decreed that said complainant recover of said defendant his costs, charges and disbursements to this suit, to be taxed. It is further ordered, adjudged and decreed that it be referred to one of the masters of this court to ascertain, and take and state and report to the court an account of the gains, advantages and profits which said defendant has recen ed, or which have arisen or accrued to him from infringing such patent by the use of the improve- ments specified in the first and second claims of said patent. It is further ordered, adjudged and decreed that the complainant, on such accounting, have the right to cause an examination of said defen- dant ; and also the production of his books, vouchers and documents, and that he attend for such purposes before said master, from time to time, as said master shall direct. It is further ordered, adjudged and decreed that a perpetual injunction be issued in this suit against the defendant, restraining from further infringement of said patent to, and in accord- ance with the prayer of the bill of complaint in suit. Wm. D. SnirjiAN, Judge. Dated Utica, March 21st, 1866. (A true copy.) Witness my hand and seal of said Circuit Court at Utica, this 21st day of March. A. D., 1866. Aug. A. Eoyce, Clerk. Now, it seems to me that this is a "decision" within the ordinary interpretation of that word, although the language is "ordered, adjudged and decreed." Being an interested party, however, I will leave it to Gallup, who, as far as I know, has no interest in either patent. It only remains to ascertain what kind of a hive Charles Austin used, which was decreed to be an infringement on the Langstroth Patent. To do this let us see what another interested party says, in a flaming circular, headed $500 reward. I quote from said circular : "Mr. Otis commenced a suit, in the Northern District of New York, against Mr. Charles Austin, of Wyoming county, N. Y., having my hive in use. This suit I am now defending. * * * * * And, furthermore, no person buying individual or territorial rights is obliged to pay one cent for any claim or devise their [Lang- stroth and assigns. J. T. L. ] Patent covers, — as I am prepared to show, if they will let this suit come to a trial ; this will show which of the parties is best entitled to the use of a movable comb hive. * * * * {Signed,) II. P. Kidder, June 20, 1865. Burlington, Vt. The italics in the first two sentences quoted are mine; the rest are his own. It seems to me that Gallup and myself were excusable ; he in his statement, and 1 in my ne- glect to contradict the November Journal's editorial statement. If not, please let the public have the benefit of the information now in pos- session of the editor. J. T. Langstroth. Oxford, Butler co., Ohio, Dec. 3, 1858. 136 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Italian Bees and Red Clover. Mr. Editor : — Having read, with great plea- sure and profit, the Bee Journal, for the last two years, and also the first volume in 18G1, I will give you a report of my bees for the benefit of your readers, and because I am very much interested in the success of apiarian science. I sent to Mr. Quinby, or rather went to see him at St. Johnsville two years ago, and pur- chased one full-blood Italian stock and several nice queens to introduce to my native stock. I introduced them successfully in July and Au- gust— living then in the suburbs of the city of Syracuse, N. Y. In the month of September and October I had five or six stocks of Italians. I was particularly pleased with their disposition. They allowed me to take out the frames of brood aud bees repeatedly in warm and even in hot weather without smoke, though I invariably use the fumigating pipe for all natives. I had some transferring to do in the robbing season, and proved to my satisfaction that they did not attempt to rob so much as the natives, and still they improved their time well in the field. But my especial test came in 1867. I kept four swarms of Italians and sixteen swarms of natives in the country. I transferred all my bees into frame hives in May. In June I found my mild Italians of the preceding year were up and dressed for business, working for dear life in the fields. When I went to their hives for comb and brood for rearing young queens I found the fumigating pipe of great advantage. They would meet me halfway unless I did busi- ness in a scientific way. I found the Italians always ready to resist robbers. It was really amusing to see them catch the honey-hunters and dress them out on the alighting board. I took three sets of combs aud brood from each of my Italian stocks for building up new stocks during the month of July and August. In August the buckwheat and seed crop of red clover were very plenty in this vicinity. I had read all the statements and arguments, pro and con, in the Country Gentleman, the American Agriculturist, and the American Bee Journal, alleging that the Italian bees would work on red clover, and that they would not. I took three or four cards of honey and brood comb from each of my Italian stocks, shaking and winging off the bees .into their hives, building up new stock with the brood; and served several of my native stocks in the same way in August while the buckwheat and seed crop of red clover were in blossom. No white clover was then in bloom. On the 10th of September I found the Italians had refilled their hives with white honey and comb, and each a set of boxes with white honey. The natives had all stored red buckwheat honey — which is rather unsale- able in first class market. I called my neigh- bors' attention and observation to the facts — they being previously very sceptical of the abil- ity of the Italians to get honey where the na- tive could not; but finally acknowledged the great point of superiority. My Italian stocks have yielded me a profit of from $75 to $100 each last summer, in increase and surplus honey. Last spring I was offered fifty dollars each for two hives of Italians, but did not accept it, as I was bound to give them a fair trial myself. I have increased my stock and Italianized my natives on Mr. Quinby's plan the past season, so that my bees are now worth $1,000. They are all in good condition in winter quarters, in a dry, dark cellar, with the covers off and the honey-boards removed from the hives and plenty of upward ventilation. I sold a few Italian stocks last fall to neigh- bors at $25 each. I purchased twenty swarms of full-blood Italians from Mr. House, ot Oneida, in January, to stock another yard. They are very nicely marked ; bred from Mr. Quinby's stock. I like the natives Arery much; but appreciate the Italians for the Avhite honey they yield, and their uniform business qualities. H. Wellington. Syracuse, K Y. [For the American Bee Journal.] On page 107 of the present volume of your Journal, E. Gallup makes assertions to which I desire to call the attention of your readers, and challenge him to prove as true. Healleges'that Flanders has been selling impure "one-striped queens" to bee-keepers in the West, a9 pure, &c. That I deny, and hereby demand the proof, as the above is an infamous falsehood. The queens sold by W. A. Flan-dcrs & Co., have been carefully bred and Avarranted to give per- fect satisfaction, and, as far as we knoAV, our patrons have been pleased with them. They have been sold to popular breeders as "queen mothers," and we have their letters which show the very high estimation they put upon our stock. We can give scores of such references, if necessary. Our business has increased to such an extent the past season, that we have had no occasion to resort to the common prac- tice of advertising in the papers, in order to sell all the queens we have been able to groAV for the market. At present our terms are as high as market rates. We would inform all inter- ested parties that, in body and business "we still live," and enjoy a very comfortable degree of health ; and that the present weight of one of the firm (Flanders) by Fairbank's standard scales, is just 257^ pounds avoirdupois. If we had belonged to the medical profession and put M. D. to our name, it is probable Mr. Gallup would have interpreted it Mule Driver. "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." We take the Bee Journal and can recommend it as "good to take,'" having taktn it from the begin- ning, and shall coniinue to do so as long as it has for its object the promotion of truth and light in bee-culture. W. A. Flanders. Shelby, Ohio, Dec. 9, 1868. Chamber's Encyclopedia states that the Apis unicolor — the species of honey bee found na- tive in Madagascar and the Isle of France — yield an esteemed honey of a green color. ■ ■ ILL— Hives should not be placed where the water from the eves of houses, or from trees or hedges, may drop on them. — Wildmar. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 137 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. WASHINGTON, JANUARY, 1869. U^~The American Bee Journal is now published monthly, in the City of Washington, (D. C.,) at $2 per annum in advance. All com- munications should be addressed to the Editor, at that place. A Re-Correction 1 We refer our readers, and particularly those immediately interested, to an article in this number of the Journal, under the caption of "Facts," respecting the decision of the Circuit Court for the Northern District of New York, in the case of Otis vs. Austin, in which it was "adjudged and decreed" that the Kidder hive is an infringement of the Langstroth patent. It thus appears that the "correction," made in our last issue, of an editorial article in the November number, was itself a mistake; and that our pre- vious impression of the matter was not "erro- neous." In justice to all parties we may state, that our information was derived from a gen- tlemen in no wise interested, pro or con, who acted at our instance and solely with a view to oblige us; but whose examination of the rec. ords, it seems, did not extend sufficiently far to reach the final action of the Court in the premises— though he supposed he had got to that point; and under the circumstances, almost any one might have been so misled. In an address before the Silesian General Apiaran Association, at Breslau, Mr. Kunze cautions bee-keepers against emptying quite re- cently slored honey by means of the machine, but does not state why it should not be done. Other speakers said it could be done with advan- tage, while the editor of " Honigbiene" remarks that late observations communicated to him ap- pear to show that such seemingly unripe honey "will not keep well." A worthy old lady told us, several years ago, that in her family of seven children "preserves and honey never keep well !" Perhaps the adverse observations communicated to the editor were based on similar experience. Certainly the results of the experiments men- tioned by Novice in the Bee Journal for December, 1868, show no necessity for delay in emptying the combs. No doubt this matter will be fully tested next season. We have received Part IV of the "Guide to the Study op Insects," which, like its precur- sors, is filled with interesting and instructive matter, richly illustrated. Part III contained accounts of the hymenoptera (bees, wasps, &c ,) and three full page illustrations and numerous wood-cuts. Part V will likewise contain two full page illustrations, with many wood-cuts in the text, and if it can be prepared in time, a steel-plate illustrating the transformations of moths, mostly not before figured. In the pages of this serial the structure and habits of the honey-bee, clothes-moth, wheat-midge, hessian- fly, weeYil, grass-hopper, house-fly, dragon-fly, &c, &c, are figured and described in popular language, so that all who choose may acquire a full knowledge of our common insects, whether beneficial or injurious. Another Honey Plant. A short time ago Dr. Devron, of New Orleans, sent us some dried specimens of a "new black- bee plant," which Prof. Porter, of La Fayette College, Pa., identified as Ly thrum alatum, Pursh, "a native of the United States, growing west and south." It is a species of Loosestrife whioh Ave have nowhere seen enumerated among honey-yielding plants. Dr. Devron writes, "it is a native perennial plant, which I have allowed to grow in my garden for the last two years, though very common in our vacant lots and fields. It is a honey-plant— for bees cover it from morn to night, carrying from it no pollen. A strange peculiarity about it is, that it is visited ly almost all the honey loving insects, even to the house-fly, but never by an Italian bee or a hybrid of the same, though growing in front of hives containing this variety of the bee." It is well-known that the Italian bee visits many plants and flowers not frequented by the common bee; and it was supposed to be, in that respect, peculiarly privileged, as enjoying supe- rior advantages in having a wider range of re- sources at command. Here, however, the case is bravely altered and this is the first instance that we know of where the Italians avoid a plant visited by common bees. Is it from mere indifference or from positive repugnance ? And are there any or many more cases of such avoidance ? Maj. Von Hruschka.the inventor and introducer of the honey-emptying machine, announces important improvements in the use of that im- plement which he will shortly communicate to the public. 138 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. The Louisville (Ky.,) Democrat, of November 19, contains the following account of a recent extraordinary emigration or desertion of honey- bees— whether fact or fiction, we cannot say. If not a "moon hoax," we hope soon to receive from some correspondents residing near the scene, a more full account of tbe occurrence : Extraordinary Exodus of Honey Bees — They Abandon their Winter Stores and Disappear. One of the most remarkable occurrences that has ever come to our knowledge was related to us yesterday. Mr. James Broil, a farmer, who resides about seven miles from this city, on the river road, has for some time past been engaged extensively in raising honey bees, and with almost unprecedented success . He has late- ly rejoiced in as many as forty-five hives of the industrious little "cusses," and to use a homely phrase, tliey have been plying themselves like Turks, and making "slathers" of honey for the winter, A few mornings ago, however, Mr. Broil woke up to rind his bees non est. They had "lit out" between two days, leaving no trace whatever of the point or region of country to which they had so unceremoniously migrated. There was not a solitary bee left to keep itslone- ly watch over the forty-five hives. As might be expected Farmer Broil was left in considera- ble of a dilemma, and immediately consulted all the authorities at his command in relation to the peculiar habits and freaks of the bee tribe. Alter wading through many volumes it occurred to him that some of his neighbors might be able to explain the whys and wherefores of this "bounty jumping" move on the part of his army of honey makers. He accordingly made a "bee- line" for the residence of his nearest neighbor, to consult him on the singular problem. To his utter surprise, he ascertained that his friend, who is also a "beeist," had met with the same loss in the same sudden manner, and was in the same perplexity as to the cause. They at once resolved on examining the hives, and it revealed to them the fact that each stand contained from sixty to seventy-five pounds of honey. This develop nent led the two bee raisers to seek for further information, and in their rounds, for a circuit of twenty-five miles, they found that every hive had been deserted about the same time, and all of them were left full of honey. The farmers in that region are unable to account for this mysterious disappearance of their bees, and many theories have been advanced, but up to this time the problem remains unsolved. The opinion of the most of them is, that the mildness of the weather up to so late a season, caused this singular migration. The description of Mr. J. L. Hubbard's Honey- Emptying Machine, intended for this number of the Journal, had to be postponed till next month, as the diagram to accompany and illustrate it, could not be got ready in time. We conclude, in this number, Mr. Lambrecht's essay on the cause, source, and cure of foulbrood; and shall, in our next, present Dr. Preuss's re- cent article on that subject contained in the Bienenzeitung, a lucid abstract of which has al- ready been given to our readers in the commu- nication from the Baroness Von Berlcpsch, in the Bee Journal for November. Though each of these inquirers assumes that he has traced the disease to its source, and their views consequently differ; we conceive that there is no irreconcilable difference between them, the observations of the one being in fact, in essentials, only the complement of the other. 11 To J. P. of C. — We have not seen Darwin's late work on ""The Variations of Animals and Plants under Domestication,'1'' and cannot say whether the author indulges in any "new vaga- ries," or not. We presume that whatever facts he adduces are correctly stated : but we should incline to exercise great caution in following him, whenever he gets astride of his favorite hobby and throws his lasso around the neck of an inference. The hunter and his quarry are then rather apt to come to the ground together. Please complete your ' Strictures,'1'' and send them to us. _ — i an [For the American Bee Journal.] That Bee Disease. Since the date of my previous letter to the Journal, my bees have continued to die as before, the disease finally attacking the Italians also, so that now I have not a single healthy stock left. The disease is not by any means confined to my apiary, as nearly all my neigh- bors have lost all their stocks. It is generally considered here to be something similar to chol- era. The abdomen is swollen, and emits an extremely offensive fluid when crushed. The first warning I had of anything being wrong with my bees, was an unusual activity about some of the hives, as though they were robbing, but I found they were not. A neigh- bor observed the same in his apiary. The fact of the disease appearing simulta- neously in apiaries several miles apart, would in- dicate that it is epidemic rather than contagious. We have used the honey on the table for sev- eral weeks, and find it perfectly good and whole- some. Some have ascribed it to a want of pollen, but I find my combs well supplied with bee-bread. C. E. Thorne. Selma, Ohio, Dec. 7, 1868. HP Mr. Thorne sent us some of the bees that died of the disease referred to above, but there is nothing in their appearance that could lead us even to conjecture the cause of their death. It cannot be foulbrood, for that does not affect or prove fatal to mature bees. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 139 [For the American Bee Journal.] Sundry Suggestions. Mr. Editor : — In a multitude of counsellors there is wisdom. I wish to make some sugges- tions through the columns of your most valu- able Journal, in reference to hives ; but if on examination you fiud this communication in any way objectionable, cast it among your waste paper. My suggestions may perhaps be considered by some as based on new and novel ideas, but the present and the future will satisfy practical bee- keepers as to their correctness. In my expe- rience, (which I think has been considerable,) with all the various patent hives, I find they each have their objectionable features. The bee-keeping public have not got what they need in a way of a hive. There are certain known principles in the business, which experience has fully demonstrated may not be departed from ; and yet by the inexperienced the dividing line between principles and the highway to destruc- tion is not perceived. There are some common sense practical ideas that should be well under- stood for perfect success. Among these is prominent the fact that a swarm of bees, with- out the means of appropriating the animal heat generated in the hive, are in- a helpless condi- tion, in that they cannot manufacture the wax into comb, nor cause the eggs to hatch, nor the brood to mature in a temperature of less than 70° F. (See Langstroth on the Honey Bee.) The difficulty that I wish to speak of occurs in making artificial swarms; which are made: — First. Because the bees will not swarm na- turally when they should. Secondly. Because it is not economy to take the rest of their swarming when their queen is not present (as they frequently do) and go to the timber. As a matter of dollars and cents, then, we are driven to the necessity of making swarms artificially, which mode I think is much the best. When so doing, and in order to induce bees to stay, we generally transfer one or two combs to the new hive. But now comes the trouble in all the hives yet invented. Take first the Langstroth, which is as good as any in this par- ticular. When the comb or combs containing young bees and honey is so transferred, to- gether with mature bees in sufficient number to make the usual sized swarm, they are placed in and up to one side of the hive (which is the most economical to the bees for preserving their animal heat,) and the bees will cluster to the side of the comb in the open space. This leaves on open space opposite the side of the comb 12 by 18 inches and 9 inches high, except that which is filled by the bees clustering. The bees cluster in that form for the purpose of gen- erating animal heat, to keep ihe young brood now in the comb (which is the full size of the frame) from being chilled. This is a very un- natural condition for bees to cluster in. The animal beat so generated escapes into the open vacuum to the side of the comb and against the large flat surface of the hive. Its effect is thus almost entirely lost to the bees, and hence arti- ficial swarms are inclined to linger when just made. This lingering of artificial swarms has been observed by many, and has caused some to my knowledge to abandon artificial swarming, be- cause, as they say, natural swarms always flourish better than artificial ones do. To recapitulate. Our position is this, that if you should have a thousand swarms of bees in different kinds of hives, they would perhaps without exception all go to the top of the hive to commence building their combs dowmward. This seems to be the most natural with them; yet they can build them vertically up or down. They seem to go to the top, not because of any knowledge of duty or economy, but driven there to obtain the benefit of the animal heat, which always tends upward to the top of the hive. And if the hive is made tight, it will ac- cumulate there in sufficient quantity for the benefit of the bees. But still the bees cannot at times generate it in sufficient quantity and tem- perature to fill the hive (when the bees first be- gin) more than \ or | full — beginning at the top of course and building downward. Now it naturally occurs that if the combs are suspended the full length of the hive, and from top to bot- tom, that the bees in clustering against the side of said combs are in an unnatural cluster, and are unable to bring out their full effective force, either in the building of comb or gathering of honey, and hence they linger. In the American hive it is still worse on account of the increased depth of the combs. Further — the bee-keeping public need some- thing enabling them to take the surplus honey from the main hive without damage to the hive and brood, and thereby get nearly double the amount of surplus honey. They also want a better and unlimited control of the combs for various manipulating purposes, rearing queens, &c. We want a hive from which combs, brood, and honey can be taken in proper shape for the purpose of rearing queens in nuclei, and re- turned without loss of comb or bees when the season for rearing has passed. Small combs cut out and inserted in small frames) which is the custom) are generally eaten up by worms or otherwise destroyed ; and many of the bees used in nuclei for rearing queens are generally lost. Every pound of comb so destroyed costs the owner from sixteen to twenty pounds of honey. In the present advancing tendency of bee- culture, most bee-keepers (at least the practical part) understand that they must keep on hand a supply of reserve queens for emergencies; and that it is not economy to allow a fuil stock of bees to rear queens. The nucleus system is therefore a necessity. Query. With honey-emptying machines, where the operator wishes to empty the honey from apiece of comb containing also brood in all stages, does not the rapid revolution at which the machine carries the comb produce as it were a breeze of air within the machine, and thereby chill or otherwise injure the unsealed brood, especially that portion which has only been re- cently hatched V If so, we want a hive to meet 140 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. the emergency. The honey-emptying machine i9 one grand step in advance in the right direc- tion; and together with the introduction of the Kalian bee and the movable comb principle, has given the business a wonderful impulse. If the bee keeper will but understand his own interest he cannot afford to do without these three im- provements. By the way, however, for fear some one should think that I am recommending to the public something which I have to sell, I will state that I have neither queens, hives, nor machines for sale. J. W. Leay. Monroe, Iowa, Oct. 9, 1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] Workers Beared in Drone Cells. In an experiment of driving out two full stocks of bees that had not swarmed, and putting them in a hive of entirely drone combs, they raised all workers, except three or four drones that seemed to be raised through mistake, as they sometimes do in worker cells. What will the advocates of Mr. Wagner's theory say about the eggs being impregnated, by being laid in small cells, when bets can raise workers in drone cells, and drones in worker cells ? The drone cells were not taken down to the base and built up in worker cells, as might be expected. Here is a point for Mr. Wagner's theory. The cells were changed from the middle to the outer end, making them the size of worker cells, with extra wax, making them in funnel shape on the inside, with some irregular cells here and there. The experiment was tried in a scarce time of forage. In a time of a large yield of honey, or on especial occasions, such as swarming or re- newing of queens, they would raise too large a portion of drones for profit, if having the combs ready for doing so; while the case is different if the combs are all of the worker kind. The few drones they might raise in the small cells do not generally amount to much, and the profits are proportionally greater, having little or no drone comb. J. M. Marvin. St. Charles, Ills. WW No full and precise statement of what is known as the "Wagner theory" has ever been made. The brief reference to it in Mr. Lang- stroth's treatise on "The Hive and the Honey Bee" is a mere outline of its general features as then held by us, subject to such modification as lurther observation and reflection might suggest. We have not since felt called on to present our views more in detail, nor do we propose to do so now, contenting ourselves with the remark that we do not regard the determination of sex in the worker egg, by the queen, like Dr. Kiich- enmeister, as a process altogether mechanical, nor like Dzierzon as an act of pure volition. We conceive the matter to be susceptible of explanation, without reducing the insect to a mere machine, or endowing it with faculties and powers surpassing those conferred on any higher order of creatures. The case stated in the fore- going communication does not militate against our views, but rather corroborates them. The notion, revived by Harbison, that "the eggs to produce drones or males are generated in or produced from the one side or branch of the ovaries, and those producing females from the other side," was advanced and exploded long before he was born, unless he is a much older man than we suppose him to be. It could not even pass current with the Buncomites of those days. [For the American Bee Journal.] Queens Mating with Two Drones. Queens often mate with a plurality of drones. I have known this since the fall of 1863, at which time I raised my first Italian queen. I watched one raised in an observing hive at that time very closely, and found that she mated with four different drones, bringing in the signs of con- course very distinctly. I noticed that, after mating, the queen does not fly again the same day, but may do so again some otber day. Since the case mentioned, I have noticed the like of it with more than twenty queens. When we use the Kohler process, we should remember these facts. They can be proved. I wish to state my opinion or theory based on the above observations. It may be stated thus: — A queen may mate with drones of different breeds, as Italians a-nd blacks; and the sperma- tozoids will not influence each other, but the queen will. Consequently we may raise pure and impure queens from such a mother. The pure ones mating with pure drones of their own kind will produce pure stock, both drones and workers. If this theory is true, it will ac- count for the various appearances in the proge- ny of hybridized queens. Prove all things and hold fast to that which is right. Delhi, (Mien) J. L. Davis. [For the American Bee Journal.] Queens Mating Twice. I have observed this in the sense intended by J. E. Pond, Jr., on page 110 of the December number, to take place in a few instances. Queens seen returning, or soon after their re- turn, with the plain marks of copulation were discovered, generally after three days had pas- sed, to have again met the drone. In these cases it was indisputable that the queen had met different drones and on different days. I account for it by supposing that, as is the case with animals, copulation may sometime 3 take place without resulting in impregnation. These queens were caiefully watched thereafter, but their progeny did not vary in color, as might be expected had they been impregnated twice by drones of different species. Of course, this proves nothing, as they probably had paired with pure Italian drones in both cases. It is my opinion, however, that, when impregnation is once effected, we have no reason to beneve that any subsequent copulation takes place. I thus account for the occasional cases of ob- struction owing to the retention of the male or- gan and consequent barrenness of the queen, on the ground that "accidents will happen." Oxford, Ohio. J. T. Langstroth. American Bee Journal EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Vol. IV. FEBRUARY, 1869. No. 8. [Communicated for the American Beo Journal.] Foulbrood, Microscopical Investigation into its Nature and Origin. I have much pleasure in laying before the readers of the Bee Journal the following translation of a very interesting paper which appeared in the last number of the Bienenzeit- ung, and shall be glad if Mr. Quinby and other observers who arc interested in the sub- ject will favor us with their opinions upon the theory which is therein promulgated. Its au- thor, T)r. Preuss, of Dirschau, is a physician of great eminence and wide-spread reputation, "Sanitiitsrath," or Sanitary #Counsellor, being an honorary title conferred by the Prussian Government only upon distinguished members of the medical profession. Whatever we may think of the fungoid theory which he advances, it must be conceded that he is tolerably correct in his treatment of the disease, and that we have to thank him for a very able and laborious effort to dispel the mystery which has so long enshrouded its origin, as well as the mode in which, under certain circumstances, it becomes so rapidly developed and propagated. T. W. Woodbury, ("A Devonshire Bee-keeper.") Mount Radford, Exeter, Eng., Oct. 21, 1868. The Existence op Virulent Foulbrood Dependent upon a Microscopic Fungus, Cryptococcus Alvearis. — It Can be Pre- vented and Cured. Although I have seen boe-keeping carried on from my earliest childhood, and have myself pursued it during seventeen years, in Dzierzon aud straw hives, with German, Italian, and Egyptian bees, and have taken occasion to ex- amine numerous apiaries in the valley of the Vistula from Dantzic to Plock, in Poland, it was not until 1866 that I anywhere met with foulbrood. Bee-keeping in the Vistula valley is generally carried on in straw hives, and is very prosper- ous owing to the rich pasturage furnished first by the extensive fields of rape-seed, then by the white clover, and in the autumn by the wild mustard. In the neighborhood of Dirschau and Dantzic there are, indeed, numerous api- aries of Dzierzon hives, and at Giitland, one mile from Dirschau, my friend Wannow keeps bees entirely in hives of this description. Two years ago, whilst he still possessed a magnificent apiary of seventy hives, mostly in bee-houses, he called my attention to the fact that foulbrood had made its appearance among them. We did not at that time lay any partic° ular stress upon it, and this is an error against which we can scarcely warn bee-keepers suffi- ciently. When I visited him again shortly afterwards, I was astonished at finding this beautiful apiary dwindled to one-half its former number, aud still continuing diseased. I im- mediately purposed to devote myself to the in- vestigation of this horrible malady, especially to the microscopical examination of the foul- broody substance ; and I here communicate the result. The statement of Von Molitor-Muhlfeld, of Mannheim, that a saw-fly is the cause of this disease, we have not found confirmed in a single instance, the minute perforations which some- times exist in the cell-covers being made by the bees. Never have we, either with magnifier or microscope, found in the cells the eggs or mag- gots of saw-flies ; never have we found in the hive even the saw-flies themselves. Neither can we indorse the theory of Dr. Assmuss, that the disease is produced by the larva of Phora incrassata. Foulbrood, as is well known, has a viscous, gelatinous, and yeast-like appearance, and an unpleasant odor. Foulbroody cells may be re- cognised by their sunken covers. In order to be able to set about the microscop- cal investigation of this decease, it is necessarv to possess a microscope which has a magnifying power of at least 200 to 400 diameters. Mine is an excellent instrument by Brunuer, of Paris and my observations have been made with a magnifying power of 600 diameters. It possesses also a micrometer which will measure to the ten-thousandth part of a millimetre or the twenty-thousandth part of a line. It is also essential that we operate very neatly 142 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ami with as little contamination as possible. The investigation is best conducted when the blue sky sheds its light on the Held of the in- strument— not the direct rays of the sun or a reflected light from a building or such like. A retired room that is unshaken by passing vehi- cles, ami a firmly fixed table are also required. The instrument itself should be levelled in a horizontal plane. A great many observers as well as beginners commit the mistake of placing too great a body of matter on the glass slide, in which case noth- ing can be seen but a chaotic mass. It was against this error that my respected and highly honored preceptor, Ehrenberg, of Berlin, warn- ed his scholars the most. When the microscope is properly adjusted, we dip the end of a clean and very slight rod, either of glass or wood, into a foul broody cell, and by this means deposite a particle of the matter about the size of a grain of sand (a por- tion even of the size of a millet grain would be too large) upon a very perfect glass slide scru- pulously cleaned by means of wash-leather. We then dip another rod in freshly distilled water, or in fresh rain water caught in a clean' porcelain vessel (if the water be not fresh it becomes impregnated with organic matter, whilst spring water would deposite crystals and thus vitiate the operation) and by means of this perfectly clean rod dipped in absolutely pure water, we deposite a drop of the size of a mil- let grain, and no more, on the particle of foul- brood of the size of a grain of sand, which by this means diffuses itself a little in tbe water. The Avhole being covered with a thin glass about the thickness of a poppy-leaf, we have a preparation by means of which long and careful studies can be made. If we place it under the microscope we see a thousand dust-like bodies which are known to the micologist as fungi, and which belong to the species Cryptococcus (Kiitzing). These are best seen at the edges of the mass where they are scattered singly; butif the observer has neglected the precautions be- fore indicated he will not be able to detect the fungi singly, nor will he indeed see anything of which he can undertake the examination. If we find different sized bodies, the larger are fatty particles, the remains of the bee-chrysalis, and those which are smallest of all and dust- like are the fungi. The foulbrood fungus, which I have named Cryptococcus alvearis, belongs to the smallest of fungoid forms. It is round and dust-shaped, and" has a diameter of l-500th millimetre, or l-i095th line. Consequently 1095 can lie side by side within a Rhenish line, but within a square line 1095 x 1095— that is, 1,199,825, oi in round numbers, 1,200,000. The cubic line, ac- cording to this would contain 1,440,000,000,000 lungi ; and a cubic inch of foulbrood, which consists of 1728 lines, would contain 2,488,320,- 000,000,000. If we reckon further that a cubic inch of comb contains 50 cells the contents of each cell would be 49,766,400.000,000— in round numbers, fifty billions, or deducting one-fifth for wax, forty billions of fungi. It is only this enormous capability of increase which renders foulbrood so dangerous, as is, in- deed, the case with the cholera, typhus, and small-pox fungi, &c. Foulbrood is no more a poison than is any strong rank-growing weed ; it merely supplants that which otherwise would live and thrive. It is closely allied to the fermentive fungus, Cryp- tococcus fermentum, which by its rapid increase in fluids capable of fermentation, transmutes them, and, after it has consumed all the ele- ments which are capable of serving for its re- production, precipitates itself in the form of lees. Beer and wine lees are in like manner a* conglomeration of microscopic fungi. The actual nature of foulbrood being clearly defined, everything else follows of itself. The extraordinary facility with which it may be communicated must be indubitable ; so long as it lies jelly-like and covered in the cells it is perhaps the least dangerous ; but when it rests dry, and like a black crust on the edges of the cells, or falling down within the hive is scatter- ed abroad like dust, then billions of sporules are sown broadcast. They adhere to the feet of the bees, enter the cells filled with young brood, become transferred to other hives, through resting on flowers, &c, and thus the disease may be spread in a thousandfold manner. It is well known that it is not the larva, but the sealed chrysalis that first dies of foulbrood and is then consumed by it. Tiie fungus, how- ever, first attaches itself to the larva, but in trifling quantity, for some thousand sporules caunot injure it ; so pass the six days of its lar- val life. It has within itself the germ of death, but yet it lives. When in the nymphoid state it is killed by the fungus multiplying prodigiously in geometrical progression, whico. also continues to increase after the death and at the expense of the chrysalis, which it ultimately changes en- tirely into itself. I should define the distinction made by Dzier- son, between non-contagious and virulent foul- brood as consisting in this — that non-contagious foulbrood means the death of the larva from other causes, and virulent foulbrood the death ot the larva from foulbrood fungus. With respect to the origin of foulbrood, inde- pendently of infection, we have seen above that the foulbrood and fermentive fungi are of the same species, and it is also known that fungi, especially the microscopic kinds, change and transform one into the other, according to the different substances upon which they alight. It is in this way highly probable that the fer- mentive fungus Cryptococcus fermentum, may when it comes in contact with, or when as food it enters the body of the bee larva, change it- self, under peculiar conditions of temperature and moisture, into Cryptococcus alvearis, or foul- brood fungus. All practical bee-keepers complain of feeding with fermenting honey as the principal cause ot foulbrood, and fermenting honey arises in the first instance if, when the honey is taken pos- session of, the sealed or open combs containing brood are not carefully separated from the honeycombs, in which case the honey becomes mingled with albumen, and is useless for feed- ing. We cannot, therefore, be too careful in using honey for bee-food. THE AMEEICAN BEE JOURNAL. 143 Mr. Wannow, of Giitland, a very assiduous and intelligent apiarian, always assorted, long before I begun my microscopical investigations, his conviction that foulbrood had arisen with him through giving his bees meal as food, or that it had at any rate been greatly increased by it. Although no other similar observation has reached me, I yet esteem this experience of a thoroughly practical man as well worth notice. Meal is an exceedingly favorable soil for the propagation of this fermentive fungus, as is proved by the abundant fermentation which follows the addition of yeast to dough. It may, therefore, be advisable, at least in hives which are already deceased, to eschew the use of meal as food. As the fermentive fungus is very much dif- fused throughout nature, and as countless mul- titudes of its sporules float in the atmosphere, so they witbout being greatly assisted in their increase by fermenting liquors, when they have the opportunity of establishing themselves on a soil wbich agrees with them, contrive to carry out their propensity for multiplication. A partic- ularly favorable soil is found in dead and mould- ering larvae; and for this reason, if brood which has died from cold or other causes be permitted to remain in the hive, it may occasion virulent foulbrood without feeding with deleterious honey or such like. The removal of a hive, by which too many bees are lost, and those remaining are uuable to foster the brood, may promote foulbrood. The multiplication of stocks by artificial means, by wbich, when the proportion of the bees to the brood is too small, the latter may readily be cbilled to death, is more favorable to the out- break of foulbrood than natural swarming. I have on a former occasion advised for tbe pre- vention of chill, tbe warming of artificial swarms by means of corked bottles filled with hot water — a practice which I have found very beneficial. We are, therefore, very careful that dead brood, especially such as is sealed over, should be removed as soon as possible from the hive and buried deep under ground, since the fungus, which may, perhaps be already on it, readily grows luxuriantly in tbe open air. We should never throw out dead beesnear an apiary, but bury them, as the dead bodies of bees are also soil in which fungi will thrive. As a corpse, if permitted to iie unburied, might infect a whole town and engender within it a fatal epi- demic disease, so may a few putrefying maggots poison a whole apiary. Should ihe disease have already broken out, it may be asked, What farther is to be done ? In the first place, let us not take it easily, but view it with the same serious attention as is wont to be bestowed upon glanders among horses. Tbat we must avoid all the before- mentioned food, either fermenting or capable of fermentation, among which meal sbould be reck- oned, is, of course, self-evident. Medicaments for the extirpation of foulbrood there are none. It is, as with the diseases of men, important to know this, lest time sbould be wasted in useless quackery. But astbere are no medicaments for the disease, the maxim of Hippocrates must needs be valuable : — Qicce medicamenta non sa- nant, ferrum sanat ; quae, ferrum non sanat, ignis sanat. We also pass quickly to the iron— i. e., we examine tbe hives diligently, and as soon as foulbrood appears in tbe apiary, cut out every comb in wbich are foulbroody cells. It this is of no avail, the court of third instance— the fire, comes in its turn. We do not spare oui apiary, but remove each foulbroody comb, dis daining to take from it either honey or wax, with which we should reap billions of foulbrood fungi, but throw it into the fire, wherein the fungi are effectually disposed of, and hang the healthy combs in pure hives. We do not deem it necessarv to burn tbe infected hives, but wash them inside and out with diluted sulphuric acid (one part acid to ten parts of water, by weight) and some time afterwards with boiling water, by which means the fungi are destroyed. If we prefer a self-acting process, we place the hives in an oven, and keep them there for some hours exposed to a temperature equal to that of boil- ing water; here the heat penetrates into all the crevices and pores, and effectually destroys the fungus. When, thirty-five years ago, I walked the hospital in Berlin as a young medical student, puerperal fever and hospital gangrene prevailed to fearful extent, and lying-in women and the wounded perished from ulceration, after enduring the most horrible sufferings. All remedies and precautions having proved futile, we emptied the different wards, keeping them for weeks with closed windows heated to a tem- perature of 40°, (123° Fahrenheit,) and when they were again tenanted by the sick it was found that the epidemic had vanished. Here, then, we may also presume that a fungus was destroyed by the heat. The site of the apiary should be repeatedly moistened with diluted sulphuric acid, and the earth around it dug oeer. After all the hives are purified, we should, if possible, remove the apiary to a new position. The conveyance of the disease by the bees themselves is, perhaps, less dangerous if we only diligently examine their hives, and for this reason we only kill them when everything else fails. Their establish- ment in new, or at any rate clean hives, is best effected about the middle of June, because they are then able to build sufficient combs and store them with food for the winter. But all foul- broody colonies should be transferred as nearly as possible at the same time, lest the healthy stocks become contaminated by the diseased ones. For this reason also we examine all the combs weekly, and remove such as are infected, and in this way it is quite possible to conquer tbe disease. As in medicine the most distinguished prac- titioners generally discovered the right mode of treatment before the actual nature of the disease was determined, so also Dzierson, Von Ber- lepsh, and others have already promulgated many of the above rules for the treatment of foulbrood, and have especially warned us against losing time in worthless quackeries, a warning which we cannot here repeat too forcibly. If, however, the instructions which we have given above be scrupulously and energetically followed out, no one need despair of curing tbe most virulent foulbrood. — Dn. Preuss, Sanitatsrath. 144 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal ] The Honey-Emptying Machino. Having received several requests for a de- scription of »ny machine, I would like to de- scribe it once for all in the Journal. First, let me say it is a difficult thing for mc to describe; but I will try to make it all plain, and if I fail to do so I shall be pleased to answer any inquiries about it, if the necessary post- age is remitted. Provide a tin can 20 inches in diameter by 25 inches deep. Bill of stock for the rack holding the combs — dimensions given in inches : 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 0. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Bottom board 12| x 10 Two cleats 10| x Three pieces 17£ x Four pieces 14£ x Two pieces 12^ x Two pieces 7^ x Four pieces 19^ x x X X X X Oue piece 18 One piece 8 One piece 22 Two pieces 7i Shaft 36" Two pieces wire screen. 19^ x Two pieces wire screen. 8£ x Six strips 14j x 15-16 141 7t X 3 I I | I i 1 h I Use screws to put it together, then if any part needs replacing or adjusting it can easily be done ; it also makes it much stronger, which is quite essential, as a heavy strain comes upon it when in operation. Fasten the cleats (2) to the underside of the bottom board, one at each end; also the clamp (9) to the centre of the same side. This piece should have a hole through the centre, 15-16 Inch in diameter, to correspond with a similar one through the centre of the board. Next, fasten the four pieces (7) to the ends of the bottom board, one end flush with the bot- tom of the cleat (2) and one side flush with the end of the same cleat and the side of the board. Now, fasten the two pieces (5) to the top of the outside of the post (7). They will project £ inch at each end. Fasten the piece (8) diagonally across the tops of (5), and close to two of the po^ts (7). This piece should hole 15-16 inch through the centre. The posts (7) should now be parallel, lh inches apart one way, and 12| inches the other way ; and are ready to have the large screens (13) nailed firmly to their sides. To support these screens more firmly, fasten the strips (4) to the outside of the posts (7) at the top and bottom- Also, fasten the strips (3) lengthwise, to the outside of the posts (7). The six pieces (15) are to ba placed, equidis- tant, horizontally across the wire screens, three on each side, to keep them from pressing out- ward, and should be mortised to (3) before the latter are put on. Tack the smaller screens to the inside lowei ends of the posts (7), and fasten the strips (6) and (11) to the upper and lower edges of these screens between the posts (7). Put in the shaft (12) so that one end will be six inches below the bottom board. A little pin or nail through the clamp (9), and also one through the brace (8), both ending through the shaft, will hold it in place. The rack is now complete, with the exception of trimming off some of the corners, and fas- tening it into the can, so that it may be re- volved. To do this, I jointed two strips, 20 inches long and one inch square, together in the mid- dle, and made a half inch hole halfway through the centre of them. This just fits in the bottom of the can, and the lower end of the shaft is fitted to it. Make an inch hole through the centre of (10), and cut some grooves half way through the same piece, 20 inches apart, so that it will slip on the shaft, and the sides of the can will fit in the grooves. Some little ends soldered to the can, coming up on each side of this piece will keep it in place. The rack is now ready to revolve. To do this, fasten a strong cord, about six feet long, to the shaft just above (20) and wind it up. Pull on the cord until it is all unwound, and hold it so that it will wind up again by the acquired velocity of the rack, and the latter will revolve some thirty or forty times, according to the length of your cord. It is easily stopped by seizing the top of the shaft wfth one hand. Then it is ready to revolve in the opposite di- rection. In this way it may be revolved rapidly or slowly as desired. Such a rack will accommodate any sized frame, up to 12^ inches wide and 18 inches long. If only Langstroth frames of the usual size are to be used, the rack may be made much smaller. When I get a pan full of slicings and small bits of comb, I scrape it into the bottom of the rack, and a few turns takes out the honey as clean as it can be strained in any other way. The wire screen should be ten wires to the inch. Such a can holds about fifty pounds below the rack. A little tube, three-fourths of an inch in diameter, near the bottom of the can, serves for drawing off the honey. If the honey is allowed to stand a little while, after being strained, any particles of wax which have chanced to get in, will rise to the top ; so that most of the honey can be drawn off clear, directly into the glass cans, and save the trouble of straining. The cost of the can, $5 ; screws, screen, and wood work, from $1 to $1,50. How long it would take an experienced hand to put one to- gether I cannot say ; but it will take a " green 'un" some little time, if not longer. Mine was patterned mainly after one I pur- chased of Mr. Langstroth, with some additions of my own, making it stronger and more du- rable. I have not attempted using any gearing on THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 145 top, as the cord works satisfactorily, and gear- ing would be constantly in the way. The above diagram is intended to represent, in part, the rack for holding the frames ; and if you think best to insert it, it will be likely to enable some one better to understand the ar- rangement. J. L. Hubbard. Walpole, N. H., Nov. 6, 1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] Prevention of Dysentery. Here is a question that I have been asked re- peatedly— " How do you manage your bees when they get the dysentery?" — or, "What do you do for your bees when they have the dysen- tery V ' Well, my friends, my bees do not have the'dys- entery ; and, in fact, I have come to the conclu- sion that there is no such disease. Here, me- thinks, I hear friend Pucket say — " That is some more of Gallup's buncom !" And I hear others say — " My bees certainly had the dysentery." Well, mine, too, used to have it, or what is called so, some twenty-five or thirty years ago, but they know better now. But let me ex- plain : It is a condition of the swarm, or of the hive, aud not a disease. I have found a swarm in the spring, in a hol- low tree, with the entrance at the top of the cavity or hollow ; and when they first flew out in the spring, they did not so much as speck the snow. On the other hand, a swarm at the bot- tom of the hollow, will discharge large quanti- ties of fseces on their first flight. This is in their natural state. When bees are kept in cellars or a special re- pository, a large or strong swarm, if not pro- perly ventilated, will be too warm and consume large quantities of honey, more than can be evaporated by insensible perspiration. These will have the dyentery, and will, in all proba- bility consume all their stores and starve before spring. The remedy in this case is to take off all of the honey-board, and if they are not then quiet, raise the hive at the bottom by degrees until they become quiet. What I mean by a very strong swarm, is such a swarm as Novice would have from a two-story hive on reducing it to one-story in the fall. It is best in such a case to take out one or two combs from the sides of the hive and move the remainder fur- ther apart, so as to give more room for the bees between the combs. On the other hand, when we have a small swarm that occupies just two or three ranges of combs iu my hive, (a nu- cleus, if you please, in which we are wintering a spare queen,) we will say we have them in the right hand side of the hive, we move the hive to the right or the bottom board, so as to close the lower entrance. The division board must be adjusted to suit the number of combs ; and the piece of honey-board over the bees can either be moved a trifle or raised ; and your nucleus or small swarm will winter exactly as well as the large one. The small swarm will not consume any more honey in proportion to the number of bees, than a large one. But should you attempt to winter such a small swarm in a large hive, they would consume more honey in proportion to the number of bees, and in all probability have the dysentery. The bees of a small swarm with too much ventilation, will, on your going into the cellar with a light, come out and discharge on the outside of the hive. Give less ventilation, and the remedy is applied at once. A late swarm that has thin watery honey will have the dys- entery. To prevent this, give it in the fall some combs from an old swarm containing good honey; and give them the thin honey in the spring, when the bees can fly out. But enough on this point at present. I wish to be understood on this subject of wintering, ventilation, &c, because it is of great importance to know that bees can be win- tered without consuming much honey. _ Walk down into my cellar and see the bees, it will take but a few minutes. Step up and look at them by the light of the lamp. Do you see the striped fellows in this hive? "Yes, but Gallup, they are dead as a door nail." Not a bit of it. " Well, they don't stir." Let us breathe on them a trifle. " They are alive; that is a fact. Do they keep as quiet as that all winter?" Cer- tainly. And that is not all ; they scarcely con- sume any honey all winter. " Well, Gallup, I do not want to tell you that you lie, but I do not believe a word of it." "Well, sir, your disbelief does not alter the fact one particle. " Why, Gallup, here is your pork, potatoes, aud other vegetables ; your women must come down here two or three times a day with a light. Don't the bees come out ?" Do they come out now ? "They do not appear to, that's a fact. Why, Gallup, I always supposed that bees, 146 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. when kept in a cellar, had to be fastened in with a straw mat, patent bee preserver, or something of that sort." Well, you now see that mine are kept in with a little common sense, do you not? Yes, but I can hardly understand it." That is because you do not believe your own eyes. Reader, scarcely a week passes all winter without some such conversation as the above on this subject. If I had only ten swarms of bees, and never calculated to keep any more than that number, and had no cellar, I would build a place on purpose to winter them in, and save honey enough every year to pay the expense. E. Gallup. Osage, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] To Capture Queens and Fertile Workers. To capture and remove a queen, preparatory to Italianizing, in fifteen minutes, if in a mov- able comb hive, remove the honey boxes, put on the cap, and give them one whiff of smoke from dry cotton rags at the entrance. Then proceed to the next, if you intend to remove the queen from more than one hive, serving them all in the same manner. Repeat the smoke a second time, waiting not more than five minutes. Now take off the caps, setting each by its hive and returning the honey boxes again. You will now catch four out of five queens in fif- teen minutes, as she is the first to go up out of the way of danger. It is not best to wait too long, or you will have more bees to look over. If in a box hive, take it from its stand, set- ting a decoy hive in its stead, and invert it, placing an empty hive or box over, closing up any irregularities between the two, and giving the smoke in the bottom of the lower one as in- verted. To get rid of a fertile worker. While many have tried and failed, and some have destroyed the whole stock, I will give a method which occured to me after losing a number of good queens and queen cells. It is true that where a colony has been queenless for some time, the bees having no facilities for rearing a queen, will supply themselves with a fertile worker, or a substituted queen, which is difficult to detect, (not differing in appearance from a common worker,) unless she is caught laying. Her presence in the hive may be known by her lay- ing two or three eggs in a cell, skipping about, and laying very irregularly and upon the sides of the ceils. Such a stock I remove from its stand several rods, setting in its room an empty hive, looking as much like the one removed as possible. Now, going to some stock, take a frame of brood and honey, eggs and larva?, shake off the bees, and place it in the empty hive. Then go to the removed one, and take out all the combs but one which contains the least honey; shake off all the bees, and be care- ful to leave every bee in the hive, to return at their leisure. Place the removed combs on each side of your brood comb, to keep warm till the bees return. Now, if the hive containing the fer- tile worker be left open, the whole thing will fall a prey to robber bees, and they will return much quicker to their home. The fertile worker, being a substituted queen and having character- istics like a queen, is readily detected and will be stung to death by the robbers, as she would be the last to leave the hive. I have never failed in this way. Perhaps others may know of a better method. This cer- tainly is a very good one; and while some have recommended to destroy, the whole swarm, I manage to save them. Having been somewhat tedious, I will not in- flict my past ignorance on the readers of the Journal, or what I did with my first bees in old box hives or hollow gums, as ignorance needs no delineation. James Bullard. Evansville, Wis. [For the American Bee Journal.] I see by the December number of the Journal that D. V. Conklin claims that he has a patent on the hive of which I sent a drawing and de- scription to you and the editors of the American Agriculturist and Western Rural. Nine months before the date of his patent, I have made and sold them; and allowed my neighbors to make and use them on the strength of my invention, so that by the act of abandonment,and by sending the drawing and description to the different pa- pers, my invention might become public prop erty. I invented and made the hive four years ago last October and November in Dubuque. Can any man under the circumstances have a a better or more legal right to make and use the hive than I have ? I also sent a description and drawing to Mr. E. Gallup on the 15th of April last, which he noticed in the August number of the American Bee Journal. The hive has been owned and in use by five different persons during the last year. Can the last invention enforce any pretended rights of inventor, against the first inventor, who made and used it years before the one patenting it ever thought of or invented the article patented ? I do not know that his hive in any way infringes on mine, except from his article in the December Bee Journal. I would like to have this published, so as to obtain the opinions of the many subscribers of the Journal. A reply will be considered a tavor by John M. Price, and others who are using or going to use the Hive. To a thinking mind, says Mr. Jesse, few phe- nomena are more striking than the clustering of bees on some bough, where they remain, in order, as it were, to be ready for hiving. Where a hive is fixed over a swarm, the bees will generally go into it of their own accord, uttering at the same time, their satisfied hum, and seeming to be aware of the object in placing the hive so near them. No scientific truth can possibly be too trifling or unimportant to be unworthy of preservation, i.- Sir J. & Smith. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 147 [For tho American Bee Journal.] Scarcity of Honey, With national Bee-Culture (Apiculture.) Some centuries ago, the Old World was visited from time to time with devastating famine. In la'ge districts of country sometimes half the population died from starvation. Then Progress came, and with her came "Bright improvement on the car of Time;" Science became the hand- maid of practical agriculture; death from starvation was relegated to less civilized countries. It will be the same with the bees. A few days of good harvestgbeing sufficient to enable my populous colonies to fill their hives with honey, the whole secret lies in having strong stocks in readiness to secure the harvest which those few days offer. The article of Novice, in the December number of the Bee Journal, page 113, is a fair illus- tration of these allegations, and the parallel below is another : Rational Bee-culture. As soon as my colonies were taken out of winter quarters, I gave them plenty of rye- flour, and opened the hives frequently in order to equalize all the colonies. In April all my hives were filled with worker brood. I raised very few drones, as I allow scarcely any drone cells to remain in my hives. Bees Self-managed. During the winter and spring the forty bee- keepers within two miles around my apiary, let their hives remain on their stands, without inter- fering with the work of the bees. The last year's honey, in large part consumed in the cold days of winter, was soon used up in rearing workers, together with a great number of drones. The weather being very wet from April till the 10th of June, the bees killed their drones, then already full grown, and the queens stopped lay- ing almost entirely. The apple blossoms yielded no honey. The white clover ceased blossoming on the 20th of May — three weeks earlier than in previous years ; and by the 10th of June more than half the blossoms were already withered. From the 10th to the 30th of June, the queens resumed laying ; but the flying of the bees on rainy days had reduced the population of the hives, and the brood consumed the honey as soon as gathered. On the 1st of July the hives were filled with brood, and young but not yet full-grown bees ; and as the honey afterwards became very scarce, they mostly starved or remained weak from want of sufficient nutriment. From the 5th of July the queens stopped lay- ing. The linden trees had blossomed three weeks sooner than usual. Some hives swarmed very late, but the swarms and the parent stocks re- mained weak till winter. By the 10th of August the colonies were again too weak for gathering honey from the summer flowers, such as hemp, coral berries, &c, and the fall flowers, buckwheat, &c. The queens resumed laying; but, as in the spring, nearly all the honey gathered was consumed by the brood as rapidly as it was collected. On the 16th of September, brood and young bees were plenty, but the flowers were gone. The latter half of September, and the whole of October, having been very cold, the asters and all other fall flowers were cut short. Result. No swarms ! No surplus honey ! Bees starving in winter ! Poor Season for Bees. In April, the honey preserved in my hives by underground wintering, was consumed in se- curing brood. I gave to all my colonies, every two or three days, in bad weather, several table- spoonfuls of syrup to maintain the laying of the queen. On the 10th of Juue, the bees had no capped nor newly gathered honey in their hives. I had to feed syrup to all my newly made swarms to keep them from starving. From the 10th of June the remaining white clover gave plenty of honey; but for ten days it was so thin that it seemed to be very slightly sugared water. This continued till the 5th of July, my hives overflowing with working bees. On the first clays of July, all the cells unoccu- pied by brood were filled with honey. I emp- tied two or three frames ("18 inches by 11) from all my hives. The bees had worked very little in surplus honey boxes. As soon as the linden blossoms were gone, I opened my hives frequently, to remove frames for my swarms, as I had taken three swarms from every two old colonies. I gave them some sugar water till the 20th of July. On the 10th of August the young bees were at work on the summer flowers, and later on the buckwheat; and filling three hives, they stopped breeding. By the 1st of September some of my hives were so filled with honey that the queen had no place for laying. I emptied two or three full frames from every hive. In three days these frames were filled again, and again emptied. On the 16th of September the frost killed all the flowers; but my hives being too full of honey to_ winter safely, I had to exchange full frames with empty ones from my small swarms— thus equalizing them for the winter. Result. One and a half swarms and sixty pounds sur- plus honey from every hive. Good Season for Bees. Moral. I advise all bee-keepers to subscribe for the Bee Journal, and to get the volumes for the three preceding years. The precepts contained in that collection, if rationally practiced, will con- vince every one that honey is more abundant than good apiculiurists are. Hamilton, III., December 10, 1868. Ch. Dadant. 148 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Questions by Querist— No. 6. Querist desires to come again before the read- ers of the Bee Journal, with some more ques- tions. He has been silent for some months, not because he had run short of questions, but be- cause he has been too busy to jlrepare any. He is very much obliged to those who have made the attempt to answer his former questions, and would now request a solution of the following. If the reader cannot find a solution to some of the questions, please do not fly into a passion and become personal. The questions are re- garded by Querist as practical ones, and he de- sires to have practical and philosophical replies. No. 1. — Some bee-keepers take the position that natural swarms will gather more honey, build more comb, and have more brood, during the first week after they are hived, than artificial ones. Is this true ? And, if so, why ? No. 2. — Suppose we have, at the beginning of the honey harvest, two colonies in the same apiary, each having twenty or thirty thousand bees — the same number of young and old bees — the same amount of worker and drone comb, a fertile queen equally prolific, the same quantity of honey and bee-bread, in the same style of hive, managed alike in every respect, and one gathers fifty pounds of honey and the other seventy -five pounds — what should cause the dif- ference ? We have cases on record very simi- lar to the above, and who can give the solution? No. 3. — Novice says, on page 113 of the Bee Journal, that he cannot doubt but that it "saved them honey in some way or other." Now, is Novice sure of this ? Please tell us what your bees used to make those little pellets of flour and \nea\pack so nicely in their baskets? Do you think it was water ? If it was not water, was it not honey ? If honey, whence did they get it, if not from their own hives ? Are you sure they did not even go so far as to unseal their honey for the purpose named ? If each hive used say five pounds of that rye and oat meal, how much honey think you does it take to pack it into bee-dough ? Did you not also ob- serve that your bees began to breed quite rapid- ly as soon as they began to work on your out- door food ? When they are raising young bees, do they not use up the honey just in pro- portion to the rapidity of breeding ? Think this matter over, and give us your revised views. No. 4. — Novice says that his low, broad, flat, " shallow things1' have given him, the past two years, more box-honey, and have been stronger in winter stores, than the tall, narrow hives. Why this is so he cannot explain. Now, here is a chance for Gallup to do something. Come, gentlemen, let us have this great mystery ex- plained. Quinby is tremendous on explaining "mysteries" and knotty questions, and why cannot he come. to the rescue ? No. 5. — Mr. Bingham, on page 115, writes about preparing hives for winter, and comments on Langstroth's statement that he found frost on the top of a board placed above six thick- nesses of carpet, and then assumes that no mois- ture can pass through a tight board placed over a colony of bees. Is that sound philosophy ? la not lumber so porous that heat can drive mois- ture through it ? No. 6. — On page 110, I find that the darker the hive the more contented the bees are. Now, would you advise me to paint my hive black ? No. 7. — On page 114, I observe that young swarms build worker comb exclusively at first. No exception to this rule, I suppose. Now, it a young swarm has a fertile queen, and she fills a small comb with eggs during the first forty- eight hours after being hived, and then dies from disease or accident, would the bees make much worker comb while they are rearing a new queen? or would the bees decamp ? Querist. [For the American Bee Journal.] Sorghum as Bee Food. Mr. Editor :— On page 118, vol. 4, of the Journal, you say that a correspondent desires to know, through the Journal, "whether Sorghum or Impheeis good for bees?" I answer that if the Sorghum is good, it is good for bees. But an inferior article is not good for bees or anything else. Bees will not consume what might be called a bad article of Sorghum ; and if they consume what might be called an infe- rior article, it will have a deleterious effect upon them, similar to that produced by feeding au in- ferior article of sugar, or Cuba honey. In the spring of 1867, I had two colonies which were scarce of bees and stores, or, in other words, they were weak. About the first of April I commenced feeding them on Sorghum molasses, which I had procured in the fail pre- vious lor family use, having first prepared it by diluting with water, boiling and scumming it. This was what I called a good article of Sor- ghum, and which had been purchased by me in the fall of 1866 because it was good. It was granulated, and of a bright straw color. The supply of this being quite limited it did not last long ; but, while it did last, the bees consumed and stored it away quite rapidly ; were healthy, and improving. As soon as my supply of this was gone, I purchased half a gallon of common Sorghum molasses of one of our grocers, prepar- ed it as I did the other, and gave it to my bees in the same vessels as the other ; and, after wait- ing for two days and nights, I could not perceive that they had either consumed or stored away any of it. I then procured another half gallon of the best Sorghum I could find in town, (which, however, was of an inferior quality,) prepared it and gave it to my bees as before. This they gradually consumed and stored away un- til about one half of the supply was gone. Then I dissolved three pounds of coffee sugar, added it to what was left, reboiled and scummed the mixture, and gave it to the bees. This prepara- tion they soon used up. During the time they were slowly consuming the third supply of Sor- ghum the dullness and stupidity of the bees was plainly perceptible, but when the supply of dis- solved sugar was furnished them they soon re- vived, became active and vigilant, and none died afterwards. Belmont. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 149 [For the American Bee Journal. ] Bee Journal, Contributions and Subscriptions. A new subscriber to tbe Bee Journal, re- siding in the city of Memphis, Tenn., writes me thus : "I have just received the Bee Jour- nal. I observe that nearly all the Bee Jour- nal correspondents are from Northern climales, and that their experience in wintering bees dif- fers materially from mine in this latitude. I never house my bees, but let them remain on their summer stands all winter, believing that they will do better there than if housed. My bees are wintering finely. They usually cast their swarms from the 10th to the 20th of April, depending on the earliness or lateness of the spring." Remarks.— The Bee Journal designs to be national in its character, and therefore calls for the experience of bee-keepers in Southern as well as in Northern latitudes. But in whom does the fault lie if we do not get the experience of bee-keepers in the Southern States ? It seems to us that they alone are to blame, for the columns of the Journal are open to all. As for myself, I am very anxious to hear more about the bee- culture of the South, how the bees are wintered, how many months in a year bees gather honey, how long the surplus honey harvest continues, and the specific sources from which the honey is obtained. Please give us the names of your best honey producing plants and trees, and such other items as you may think will interest us. Let us have a perfect shower of contributions on bee-culture, not only from the South but from the North also, and from the East and the West. We must take the editor of the Bee Journal by surprise ; and, if we do, we may soon expect to see an enlargement of our paper — for we all should have an interest in the present welfare and future usefulness of the Journal. But when sending articles for publication, please do not forget to send along the names and money of new subscribers. Why cannot every present subscriber add one new name at least to the present list ? If you will I am quite sure that we can soon roll up the list to ten thousand pay- ing subscribers. How many readers of the Journal will agree to send in ten new names of subscribers during 1869? How many will join with me to send in fifty new names, each, within the year ? During the past six months, I have 6ent the editor nearly twenty -five new names, and with very little effort too. And I have pledged myself to send fifty names during 1869. Cannot many other devoted apiarians and zeal- ous friends to the improvement and extension of bee-culture resolve to do so likewise? M. M. Baldridge. St. Charles, Ills. The bee-keeper must not judge of the state of his hive in the spring by its weight alone, because at that time the number of young bees and lar- va? in it weigh heavy, and may impose on the unwary for real wealth, when the stock of honey is nearly exhausted. — Wildman. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bee-Feed— A System. »\ Mr. Editor : — Since bee-feed seems to range almost from lager-beer up to pure honey, and from wheat flour down to oat meal, I will, with your permission, also give the readers of the Bee Journal my method of feeding — premis- ing that, as honey is pure food for bees, we should feed no impure substitute. I take eight pounds of coffee sugar, add seven pounds of boiling water, and evaporate one pound — making fourteen pounds of syrup, mea- suring about ten pints. Thus I make by weight any amount needed ; set it by in crocks ; and feed, by measure, to each stock the quantity it needs. In my estimate I have always counted one pound of sugar thus fed equivalent to one pound of honey. For the last four or five years I have used syrup exclusively at all seasons of the year, and for every purpose needed. And for experiment, I have wintered several strong stocks almost exclusively on it, with good success; giving them their entire winter supply about the latter part of September, which they quickly sealed up. To any one who may think it contains too much water, or that it will not pay for the trouble of making it, I would say— "try it !'• By following the above method I am never "guessing," but always know exactly what I am doing. Henry Crist. Lake, Stark Co., Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal.] Necessity of Ventilation. I have again proof that bees in their hives re- quire the ingress of fresh air in order to health and life. I was this tall absent in New York un- til late in November, and when I returned I found the weather here had been for nearly a month quite cold, and the hives considerably covered with snow. Desiring that my little fa- vorites might have the opportunity of unloading themselves again, in the event of an expected thaw, before a close hibernation of 4^ months, 1 did not move to put them in until the 17th of December, when I tound the frames in all the hives covered with frost to within a few inches of the living cluster. They were otherwise in very good order, save in one hive in which all the bees were dead, although a good stock with plenty of honey. On looking for the cause I found this hive, which was a well made one, closely sealed above, and the melted frost had rundown and frozen over the front entrance, until it was entirely closed. So evidently, in a changing tempera- ture, their own breath had been the means of sealing them up unto destruction. My bees need ventilating. My wintering house is a kind of clamp, cov- ered around and over with earth, and that again thickly with buckwheat straw, through which runs a ventilating chimney, with also a ventila- 150 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ting tube and a door of entrance through one side of the bee-house— which is used mainly for a workshop and store room. In this clamp, so arranged with a thermometer, I can regulate the temperature as I please. I find that when the temperatnre is raised above 40° F. the stocks generally manifest uneasiness ; but are most quiet when the temperature stands at from 39° to 40° F. ; which, in my clamp, requires the in- troduction of considerable fresh air. This is let in in such a way as not to admit light. I do not like to have the walls of a wintering house so cold that frost will form from bee breath on the inside. In that case, on every change to suffi- cient warmth, moisture and a damp room will be the result. J. W. Truesdell. Warwick, Canada, Dec. 25, 1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] Feeding Bees. Mr. Editor : — In this section (Chatauqua county, N. Y.) bees as a general thing have done very poorly last summer, probably because of the dry hot weather that continued through the entire honey season. The spring was cold and wet, thus making early forage almost a total failure. Early bee forage is not usually to be depended on here, in consequence of late frosts and cold high winds. Our principal honey-pro- ducing plants are white clover and basswood, mostly the former. As white clover is our main dependence for honey, and it continues in bloom only a short time — five or six weeks at longest — we cannot take too much pains to have our hives well populated at its beginning. It is a well estab- lished fact that when bees are excited by daily employment in feeding or gathering honey, breeding is carried on most vigorously; whereas, if they are idle, the queen will lay only moder- ately, or cease entirely, until honey is again to be obtained, which may be too late, so far as white clover is concerned. The bees that gather honey from clover must be matured from eggs laid at least a month previous to its blossoming; because it requires twenty-one days to hatch a worker bee from the egg, and eight or ten days more for it to gain sufficient strength to work. Thus it will readily be seen that bees matured from eggs when white clover is already in bloom, would be consumers instead of producers in this locality. It is on the rising generation that we have to depend for surplus honey; and if we have our hives well filled with young bees, at the commencement of the honey harvest, we may well expect to obtain early swarms and a good yield of surplus honey. But if not, we shall certainly be disappointed if we expect either. I have practised feeding my bees in early spring for the past three seasons, and feel confi- dent that they have paid me for the little extra expense and trouble, as they swarmed several days earlier, and gave me double the quantity of surplus honey. As I feed all my bees, I have an opportunity to compare with my neighbors who do not feed. All bee-keepers know the ad- vantage which early swarms have over late ones. In the season of 1867, I received from seventeen colonies 1,020 pounds of beautiful honey, and twenty -four young swarms. This season, 1868, I obtained from thirty colonies 850 pounds of equally as nice box honey, and thirty- four swarms. It will be seen from the above figures, that bees in this section have not stored as much surplus by more than fifty per cent, as they did in the preceding year — although they were fed and cared for precisely alike in both years. When the flowers do not yield honey of course the bees cannot gather it. The construction of my feeder is such that I furnish my bees with water, rye flour, and sugar syrup, all at the same time, without at- tracting the attention of robber bees; and they feed on these readily, without diminishing the warmth of the hive, which is important in ma- turing brood in early spring. I have tried many ways of wintering, but I prefer to leave them on their summer stands when in a suitable hive. I have used many kinds of bee hives, but for the past two seasons have been using one of my own invention, not feeling satisfied with those I had in use before. It is intended for wintering bees in the open' air, being double — the frames, which are move- able, form the inner hive. It is simple and cheap in construction, calculated to be packed in winter with cut straw, chaff, or shavings ; and is so arranged that all moisture arising from the bees passes into the packing, thus always keeping the bees warm and dry. As the con- struction of both my hive and feeder is differ- ent from any I have seen described in the Jour- nal, I will give a description of them, illustra- ted by an electrotype of each, if desired by you or the readers of the Journal. J. B. Beebee. Cassadago, Chatauqua Co., N. Y. [For the American Bee Journal.] Hives, Queens, and Pollen-Substitute. Mr. Editor : — My first real commencement in the bee business was last spring. I bought twenty swarms, transferred nine into American Hives, and the remainder into Langstroth Stand- ard Hives. I cannot say that the American meets my expectations as a convenient hive. The bees have built their combs with a bulge here and a depression there, that I find it impossible to take full frames out of one hive and put them in another without too much trimming. In fact I can scarcely get them out without break- ing, which I never find to be the case with the Langstroth frames, even if built up in the same manner. The Langstroth frames being open their full length makes them decidedly easier to handle, as they do not require to be put back with such exactness as demanded by closed top frames. My mode of transferring was to drive out the bees, and use all the combs that could be fitted. in the frames. I first, used fine store twine for fastening; then tried strips of brown paper, as THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. 151 recommended in a former number of the Jour- nal. But this latter -would not answer, as the bees gnawed it off in less than twenty-four hours, and of course before they had fastened the combs. I now use broom twine, which does very well. The bees transferred in June scarcely gathered honey enough to live upon. They killed off al; their drones at once. Linn came into bloom the latter part of the month. They collected enough from that and buckwheat to winter upon, except three swarms which I very foolish- ly divided at the time of transferring. The three queenless parts hatched out their queens, all of which were afterwards lost. I then put in a frame of brood into each, with the following results ,• No. 1 hatched out a queen. I was very busy at that time and did not look at it for ten days after. I found no sign of a queen, but plenty of moth-worms. I burnt that lot, giving the bees to another swarm. Nos. 2 and 3 hatched out queens on the same day. I watched closely when the drones were flying. At last I saw something uncommon about the action of the bees. Whilst watching, I saw a very small glossy black queen alight from her flight, but with no signs of impregnation, go into hive No. 2. She had hardly disappeared when I saw a very handsome queen go into hive No. 3, with signs of impregnation upon her. The results are, queen No. 2 laid drone eggs, which hatched out. No. 3 grew to be a tolerable swarm, con- sidering the chance they have had. Query, was No. 2 a fertile worker ? I could scarcely tell the difference between her and a common bee. Bees in this vicinity failed to make any sur- plus honey to any amount. Will some of your correspondents inform me if they have any plan of feeding bee-bread in the hives, and what they use? Will rye-meal. mixed to a paste and spread upon cotton cloth answer, if placed on the top of the frames. Frederick Crathorne. Bethlehem, Ind. [For the American Bee Journal.] New Smoker Described. Mr. Editor : — I have an item which I think may be of importance to my bee-keeping frends, who are so very liberal in keeping the readers of the Journal posted in their discoveries and improvements in bee-keeping. The item I have reference to is a convenient smoker, to subdue and control our bees, aud is simple and very cheap. I tried various ways of smoking bees. I tried rags until I became satis- fied of their inconvenience. I then tried pieces of decayed wood, but found that in laying the kindled wood about, much risk was incurred, as I came near setting our house on fire on one oc- casion. I also tried Quinby's Smoker, and that did not suit me. So in trying and experi- menting I finally found something that just suits me, and we think that what suits us will be apt to suit others. It is on a plan somewhat like that described by Mr. Quinby. Take a piece of sheet-iron aud make a tube about eisk*. iuches long and two inches in diameter. This is easily done with the small rivets used by tinmen; and almost any person can make it. Now make a plug for each end, tapering down each to a point. Bore a quarter inch hole in the plugs, and cover the large ends of the plugs with screen wire, which I bend so as to raise them in the centre; this keeps trash from filling the holes in the plugs. Next the one end is nailed fast, and the other is left movable that it may be taken out when the pipe or tube thus prepared is to be filled with decayed wood — which is to be kindled at the open end of course. You yet want a handle, which is made by boring a two inch hole in apiece of H inch plank and shaping it to suit you. Then slip the tube into it, and it may be fastened by inserting a nail between the wood and tube. One plug should be shaped convenient to be held in the mouth when blow- ing smoke through the tube ; though in all ordi- nary cases I simply blow across the mouth of the tube after lighting the wood. When I wish to blow the smoke through the tube, I insert the plug made for a mouthpiece, and then I can smoke the bees sufficiently in quick time. By adding fuel occasionally you can keep it burn- ing any desired length of time, keeping the one cud open when not in use. Samuel May. Eddyville, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] Patent Claims. Having published the claims granted to L. L, Langstroth, by the Patent Office, on what is known as the Langstroth Hive, in the earlier editions of the " Hive and Honey Bee," and in numerous small pamphlets and circulars, as well as printed them upon the back of all deeds con- veying individual or territorial rights, sold for many years past, we "had supposed tiiat they were generally known to the bee-keeping public. But we find that many correspondents of the Bee Journal persist in speaking of the inven- tion as it were simply a hive with movable combs of particular shape and size, and could not be constructed of different dimensions or general arrangements, without going away from the "claims" of the patent. Others gravely describe hives which they have constructed and used, and which they an- nounce are free to all, as they make no claim to a patent on them. These either do not know, or forget to state, that some of the principles, and in many instances the most important in their hives, are already covered by our re-issued and extended Letters Patent. As* therefore sev- eral of the correspondents of the Bee Journal call for the patent claims of the various patents, perhaps those who are already posted will bear with us in requesting space to present agaiu the claims granted to L. L. Langstroth by the Pa- tent Office under re-issue No. 1,484, and which have been extended for seven years from Octo- ber 5, 1866, by the then Commissioner of Pa- tents. 152 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Claims. " What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is — First — Constructing and arranging the mov- able comb frames of bee-hives in such a manner that when placed in the hive or case, they have not only their sides and bottoms kept at suitable distances from each other, and from the case, substantially in the manner and for the purposes described, but have likewise their tops separated from each other, throughout the whole or a por- tion of their length, substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth. Second— Constructing and arranging movable frames in such a manner that when they are in- serted in the hives, the distances between them may be regulated at will, substantially in the manner and for the purposes described. Third— Constructing movable combs and ar- ranging them in the hive, in such a manner that the bees can pass above them into a shallow chamber or air-space, substantially in the man- ner and for any or all the purposes set forth. Fourth — The shallow chamber in combina- tion with the top bars of the laterally movable frames, or their equivalents, and with the per- forated honey-board upon which to place honey receptacles, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. Fifth — A movable partition, or divider, sub- stantially as described, when used in combina- tion with movable frames, substantially in the manner and for the purposes described. Sixth — The use of movable blocks for exclud- ing moths and catching worms, so constructed and arranged as to increase or diminish at will the size of the bee-entrance, substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth. The reader will observe that there is nothing in these "claims" which limits the arrangements of the hive, as far as regards shape, size, man- ner of supporting frames, side or top opening, &c. All these details can be, as they have been, varied to suit the ideas or locality of the par- ties using the movable comb frames — which are the central idea around which nearly all bee hive inventors, constructors, and patentees in late years arrange outside fixtures to suit their own tastes or the supposed wants of the bee- keeping public. The decision which was rendered at Utica in 1866, a copy of which was published in the January number of the Bee Journal, makes the first clear— the defendant being decided to have infringed the Langstroth Patent, in that he used frames constructed substantially as specified in our first and second claims. The case of Furman & Parsons (owning the Lang- stroth Patent in Iowa) vs. Silas Dodd (using the "Harbison Hive") decided by the United States Court at Des Moines, Iowa, May 15, 1868 might also be cited. When to these de- cisions are added the facts that the claims of the inventor have been thrice passed upon by the Patent Oflice, and upheld the last time in the face of a most persistent and unscrupulous op- position to the extension of the Patent, by cer- tain infringing patentees of the hives, it appears only fair to say that his right to said Patent, having been fairly, fully, and repeatedly tested and confirmed, parties making use of any of his patent in hives of their own construction, ought to inform the public of that fact — especially when stating that they claim no patent, and leaving the inference that all are free to use all parts of their arrangements. L. L. Langstroth & Son. Oxford, Butler Co., Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal.] Form of Hives and Wintering Bees. In the Bee Journal, Vol. 4, No. 4. page 72, in an article headed " Wintering Bees on their Summer Stands," Mr. J. T. Langstroth, after giving his method of preparing hives, &c, says, " any bee-keeper can thus have his bees put up to winter as well, {if not better) on their summer stands, than in the best winter depositories, and this even in Minnesota.'1'' As I have been called upon, in several private letters, for my opinion, I propose to give it for what it is worth, through the Journal. Free, honest, open discussion is what is wanted, to get at the facts. When I lived in Canada, I used some of the old fashioned straw hives, and had some of them made broad, and flat on the top ; and it is a fact well-known to Canadian bee-keepers, that a straw hive will allow all the moisture to pass off, on the same principle that it would in the wool or carpeting. The combs will be perfectly dry in all weather. Yet in long continued cold weather my bees would starve to death, with abundance of honey in the hive. I know but very little about Minnesota weather from actual expe- rience; but last winter I was hauling wheat to the railroad in Minnesota. One morning the temperature was 15° below zero at home; 36° below, at the station ; and at Spring Valley, twenty -five miles further west, it was at 36° below. Bees will stand any amount of cold when in the proper condition. We will suppose the bees in the warm central chamber, as he says. Now let us see their condition. They have un- sealed liquid honey deposited in the combs, in the cluster, and they also have some sealed honey in their immediate reach — we will sup- pose enough to last them twenty days. Now then comes on a cold snap. In Massachusetts, or in Ohio where Mr. Langstroth lives, it is a rare occurrence if there is not a change in ten or fifteen days, so that the bees can expand; and if the combs are dry, they gather in more honey, and are soon prepared for another cold snap. 3ut a few winters ago we had in Wisconsin (and Minnesota, I have every reason to believe is as cold as Wisconsin) a winter that for thirty- four days in succession the thermometer ranged from 10° to 36° below zero. In such long con- tinued cold the bees consume all the stores in their immediate reach, and contract their clus- ter as small and close as possible ; and to ex- pand their cluster and move laterally to combs containing cold sealed honey, is something that I never knew them to do in such cold weather. The consequence is, they starve to death with THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 153 plenty of honey in the hive. But if they have honey above the cluster for such an emergency, they are all right, for the warmth of the bees keeps the honey directly above them sufficiently ■warm at all times. Bees will perish (with the thermometer at 10° below zero,) if compelled to cluster between combs filled with sealed honey, nearly if not quite as soon as they would if compelled to cluster between sheets of ice. In the cold winter mentioned above, every swarm of bees perished, with abundance of honey in their hives, that were attempted to be wintered on their summer stands in shallow hives — whether Langstroth hives or box hives. Yet in box and frame hives from twelve to four- teen inches high, bees wintered well on the same stands. But, for the sake of our friend Lang- stroth, we will allow that they winter well, even in Minnesota, if prepared as he directs. Yet w7hat are they good for after wintering in this climate, in comparison with a swarm wintered in a hive w7ith greater depth of comb ? The readers of the Journal will please take notice and govern themselves accordingly, that I never condemned the Langstroth hive, or the Langstroth principle. I only object to the broad shallow form, for this climate. And my reasons for this have never been successfully contro- verted. Some time last spring, Mr. R. K. Crum (now editor of the Osage Republican) sold a number of swarms of bees at auction. He sold two to Mr. Charles Brownell, of Osage — one in a box hive, and one in a Langstroth. The combs in the latter were six inches in depth ; and whenl made a good swarm from his box hive, the other had just commenced to gain a trifle in numbers. They failed to store honey enough to winter on, and he destroyed them this fall. A Mr. Dock- stader purchased five swarms, one in a Lang- stroth hive, three in Lee hives, and one in a hollow gum or log. I made swarms for him from his Lee hives, all of which have done well; and he made one from his log hive, but re- ceived nothing from his Langstroth hive, in which the depth of combs is seven inches. Mr. J. P. Long, a preacher of the Gospel at Osage, purchased one swarm in a Langstroth hive, the depth of comb seven inches. He had a box partly filled with honey, probably about ten pounds, and no swarm. Mr. B. H. Whitacie purchased two swarms, both in Langstroth hives, in which the depth ot comb was about eight inches. I took a swarm from his about a month after my swarming, and my neighbors, was all done up for the season — too late for them to do anything this season. (Mr. Dock- stader and Mr. Whitacre are readers of the Bee Journal.) These swarms had all been win- tered in Mr. Cram's cellar, and wintered in a good condition. I believe he had the agency of two counties for the Langstroth hive, when I came here, and he condemned it and bought the right to the Lee hive. He did not know that he could alter the form and still have a Langstroth hive. What we want, and what we must have in this latitude and further north, is a hive with at least ten inches depth of comb, if we expect to have any satisfaction from our bees. And it must be in a more compact form, so that the bees can cluster naturally and the queen can breed up to her full capacity early in the season; or else we shall be left far in the rear of our neighbors. We must have this, whether we winter in special depositories, or on their sum- mer stands. Mr. Furman, of Cedar Rapids, has the agency for the Langstroth hive in this State. We will suppose that he comes into this part of the State, with his hive in the broad shallow form. He will be met with such remarks as this — "We have tried the Langstroth hive, and it is good for nothing, &c, &c, We like the Kidder hive, the Lee hive," or some other of the thousand and one hives that have been got up since the introduction of the movable combs by Mr. Langstroth. Well, there is no use wasting any more words. Friend Furman, furnish us with a form of hive suited to our climate and we shall not have the least particle of fault to find. Call it a Langstroth hive, and then we shall not be throwing away our money to other parties. Remember, I never have doubted or said that the broad, shallow form was not adapted to Mr. Langstroth's climate; neither did I ever object to the Langstroth principle. There is no trouble in wintering bees in the shallow form of hi vein a special depository; but the spring plays the mischief. Our hives become almost depopulated before the weather gets warm enough for the queen to breed as she should. Finally, friend Furman, if you or any of your agents come up this way, do not fail to call on Gallup, and you will not only find him good-natured, but chock full of gas. E. Gallup. Osage, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] All Worker Combs. In all the articles that I wrote for the Jour- nal, I wish to have it distinctly understood that I wrote for the benefit of those who know less than I do, and not for those who know more. Neither is it necessary for beginners to follow the instructions to the letter. They should strive to understand the theory or principle, and then they can go to work intelligently. Now some individuals write to me that they laugh at my productions. Well, I would sooner hear you laugh than cry, at any time. But lemember this: Were you born a natural bee-keeper with all the necessary knowledge, or did you have it to learn ? I had to learn it, and there are others still in the same fix. Instead of laughing, would it not be better to give us a helping hand? Give us some of your great knowledge through the Journal. I for one, am just as anxious to learn as ever I was. But "enough of this." How to secure all worker comb is the ques- tion. We will suppose you have few swarms in frame hives to begin with; and, for the sake of illustration, we will further suppose that you have them in the form that I use (for I know exactly how that works.) About swarming time take out one queen and a smallish swarm 154 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. from a good strong stock, and hive them ac- cording to my directions, how to make natural swarms artificially. (See July No. B. J. 1868.) Leave the old swarm on its old stand, because if the bees are not removed, they are not so apt to raise unprolific queens; or, in other words, they will raise natural and not forced queens. This question I have discussed in an article on queens and queen-raising. Adjust your divi- sion board in the next swarm to suit the size of the swarm; as their first want is worker comb, they will build worker comb in all cases. Al- ways remember to give the young swarm one comb containing nearly mature brood, some un- sealed larvae, and honey. As soon as the queen cells are all sealed in the old stock, separate them, and start a nucleus for each, containing one comb with larva? and honey. Leave one queen cell in the old stock. Should you take the comb with the cell attached from the old hive, replace it with mature brood from another hive, for the object is to keep the old stock strong and populous. Remember also that you have not a laying queen here, to supply losses. Your new swarm will build at least eight worker combs, by inserting the empty frame invariably in the centre to fill ; and I frequently have them fill the whole hive. As soon as they commence building drone comb, go to the old stock and take out full frames enough to fill the hive which contains the old queen, for by this time your young queen has hatched. Insert your division board in the old stock containing the young queen, and give them empty frames, one at a time, for them to fill, placing these in the centre of the cluster, and they will build worker comb invariably. Remember that when you take out a frame where an old queen is, if the bees attempt to fill the empty . one with drone comb, it is better to move the full combs closer together and insert an inch board in place of a frame. Then you can put in* a full frame, by and by, from some swarm that has a young queen. Your nucleus can be strengthened up, after the queen is fertile, by transposing with your strong colonies that have old queens, or by drumming out young bees from old stocks. I prefer the latter method, because I can then take out just what I want, and no more. Your nucleus must be strong at the commencement; that is, use one frame and bees enough to oc- cupy that frame and be somewhat crowded, when the division board is properly adjusted. Remember what I have already told you, that early in the season the tendency in all the swarms that have a prolific queen, is to build worker comb, providing they are not gathering honey too rapidly. With an unprolific queen, or one that is failing, whether young or old, the tendency is to build drone comb. Late in the season the tendency is to build drone comb in all swarms, especially if built at the outside of the cluster. From young swarms, with young queens, that are building combs faster than the queen can supply them with eggs, you can take one comb and exchange with some swarm where the queen has not room enough for egg-laying. That is, exchange an empty comb for one filled with brood. There is little danger of swarming where the old queen is, provided you occasionally draw off some of the working force, to strengthen other swarms. I have been asked this question repeatedly — "How do you mix up your bees without having them to quarrel ?" Drum out your bees into the cap ot the hive; deprive them of their queen and put her back where she came from. In a few minutes the bees will become aware of their loss, and then you can put them where you want them — a part in one swarm and a part in another, if you choose. They will be kindly received in every instance. At the time when they are raising abundance of young brood and gathering honey, is the very time to perform these operations. In drumming out, do it in the middle of the forenoon, when the old bees are out at work ; thus you will get most young bees that have not jret become located, and they will stay where you put them. If you have an old queen that has commenced failing, or a young one either that has commenced doing so, you will get very little worker comb. In fact, the more prolific the queen, the more worker comb you will get in building up a swarm. After your swarms are all built up, give abund- ance of box-room and free access to the boxes, and you will have but little trouble from na- tural swarming. I do not follow any set rule in making swarms, making them sometimes in one way, and some- times in another; but the new beginner must know one way, and the reason for it, and then he can do as he chooses. In transferring I have frequently to use up small pieces of comb. I put a cross-bar in the middle of the frame, and fill up the upper part with pieces of comb, and the bees invari- ably build drone comb below the cross-bar, un- less I attach guide worker comb to the under side of the bar. Now, friend H. B. King, was not your comb built, as Gallup said it would be, down to your centre bar ? And if your centre bar had not been there, would not the bees have extended a part of those combs down to the bottom all worker comb ? You will remember that I did not say the American hive, but the form of the hive. Furthermore, I have never recommended the American Hive to any one. I have frequently, in my articles, mentioned several forms of hive for the sake of illustration, but I have endeavored in all cases to say the form instead of the hive itself. I have given the reason why the shallow form of the Lang- stroth hive does not work in this climate. But I still recommend the Langstroth Patent over all others. Elisha Gallup. Osage, Iowa. " When, amidst the solemn stillness of the woods, the singing of joyous birds falls upon the ear, it is certain that water is close at hand." — Livingstone1 8 "Zambesi." Bees are not apt to sting when they swarm ; therefore it is not necessary to take much ex- traordinary precaution against them on such oc- I casions. — Wildman. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 155 [For the American Bee Journal.] Beo Disease in Kentucky. Mr. Wagner : — Your favor of the 2d instant came in my absence. I answer as soon as I could note contents. Bees in this section have done poorly all the season. While the poplar was in blossom they did well for about eight days ; but till they commenced dying-, they only made a support. They produced about one swarm in a hundred, last spring. About the 20th of August, I noticed a great number of dead bees on the bottom board and in front of a hive. On examination, I discov- ered that about the half of them were still alive, crawling about among the dead; and when I placed a handful of them by themselves, I found some four days passed before lite was extinct. But in ten days from the first attack every Btock of mine (twenty-lour in number) was dead. The bees of some hives did not all get sick or diseased at the same time; and the well ones cleaned out the dead. In some cases there were not a dozen bees left in a hive. So it has been with our friend Broil, who once rejoiced in forty stands, and awoke to see (as he thought) that his bees had Med to parts unknown. My yard and garden were strewn with the dead and dying — many having gone out to get relief from the dead at home. All the honey made this season is very dark and bad flavored. We have but few individuals in this part of the State who have as high as one hundred stocks. I know in Oldham, Shelby, and Jefferson coun- ties, four men with one hundred stocks each, twenty with sixty, fifty with thirty, one hun- dred with fifteen, and one bundred and fifty with from one to ten. Now I am satisfied that of all these, not one stock in a hundred is alive to-day. Yet nearly all I have examined have plenty of honey left. The strongest stocks, in numbers and surplus, were as liable to go as any. I have not heard of a swarm being seen astray this fall in either of the three counties named ; and if seven or eight thousand had taken wing, I presume some one would have been seen. Therefore this part of the account is a hoax. Yours truly, W. F. Cunningham. Middletown, Ky., Dec. 21, 1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] That Bee Disease. In September last, when the first cold weather set in, my bees began to die. First, I found in one of my best stands, with all the frames full of sealed honey and some in boxes, the bees all dead. After that the bees began to die in all my stands, mostly pure Italians, and some hy- brids. First about one third of the bees would be dead; next I would find the queen lying dead before the hive; and in about a week more the whole colony lay dead in and around the hive. Sometimes the queen would live, with a handful of bees. The hives were full of honev gathered the latter part of the season; and the least ones had enough to winter on. In this way I have lost forty stands, and have now only fifteen skele- ton colonies, which I think will also perish be- fore spring. I first thought I was the only victim in this way, but I have now ascertained that all the bees have died in this neighborhood, and as far as thirty miles north and eighteen miles south. Yesterday I saw a letter from Kentucky, in the Country Gentleman, where a man thought his bees had stampeded. I suppose they stampeded in the same manner as mine, from the hive to mother earth. Some of the colonies had brood, others had not. Late in October all the queens had com- menced laying again. To some colonies I gave three queens in about two weeks, and they lost each in turn. My bees are Italians and hybrids, in movable frame hives. My neighbors have black bees in boxes and "gums." In looking over my German books, I find that bees sometimes die for want of bee-bread; and on examining the frames of the dead stands, I find pollen very scarce. Some had none, while others have died with some of it in the combs. Have any of the old bee-fathers auy idea of the nature of this ailment '? I do not find any- thing relating to it in Mr. Quinby'sbook. There was no foulbrood in the hives. Last year I lost some stands, possibly from the same cause. We have had now two or three late springs, the time when bee bread ought to have come in. I think mustard is the best crop for pollen. I had melilot clover last year, but could not find my bees to work on the white blossoms, and plowed it under. Please publish this at an early date, as I am desirous to know the cause of this bee mortality. T. Hullman, Sk. P. S.— Friend Baldridge told me last spring to give the bee-veil to my wife, if I had one° I am happy to tell him that I have one of the best of wives; but to open fifty or more hives of bees, cut out queen cells, drone comb, &c, without protection to the face, I cannot. He is ahead of me in that, and will please give me his modus operandi. My bees have a partiality for the eyes, and one or more sting iu or about them I do hate, and before I commence blowing smoke it is usually about too late. I do not think the Italian bees less inclined to sting than the black. I had queens from differ- ent apiaries. The finest and handsomest were from Mr. Gray, of Reily, Ohio. Some factory might make stuff for face pro- tection. The common bobbinetis too close and heavy. I always had some stands that were ' 'inapproachable. ' ' If auy bee friend should come this way, he will please stop and see the condition of the hives and combs in which the bees died. It is my opinion that the bees died for want of pollen. If this is the case, what could be done ? Would not meal be injurious if given to the bees in fall and winter. T. H. Terre-Hatjte, Ind. 156 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal] That Bee Disease. Mr. Editor : — I see from an article in the Journal by C. E. Thome, of Selma, Ohio, that there is some disease among his bees. The same disease (if it he a disease) is prevalent here to a great extent. In this and the adjoining counties I have heard of half a dozen more men who have lost their whole apiaries of from thirty to forty stands each. The bees die, leaving the hives full of honey. Some have bee-bread or pollen, aud some have none. All I have heard of dying are black bees. Is it a dsease, or is it old age f Bees in this section ceased to gather any honey after the 1st or 10th of July, except the Italians, which gathered considerable from wild flowers, mostly the lady-slipper, (I do not know its botanical name,) a weed that resembles smart-weed. When they ceased gathering honey they ceased breeding, and as breeding ceased about the 1st of July, the bees are now over four months old. Is not that their natural term of life. My bees are all Italians or hybrids, and ap- pear healthy and in good condition for winter. They stored about two pounds surplus honey per hive, forty hives. Please send me the November number of the Journal. I failed to get that number, and as I consider each nnmber worth two dollars to me, I do not want to have my file broken. H. Nesbit. Cynthiana, Ky. [For the American Bee Journal ] The Bee Disease. Mr. Editor: — I see in the December num- ber of the Bee Journal, an account of a new disease among bees. On the 8th of October last my strongest Italian stock was taken in a similar manner, and al- though the disease did not last three days, it re- duced the stock from a powerful swarm to a mere nucleus. The bees seemed to drop in a stupifled state on the bottom board and crawled slowly to the entrance, then out on the alighting board, from which they dropped into the grass. They seemed to want to get as far from the hive as possible before dying. I supposed my bees had been poisoned, as I knew they had been rather mischievous — hav- ing even entered the hives of my neighbors, carrying off the winter stores without permis- sion. In one instance they took possession of a dining hall, and drove the family from the breakfast table on which there was honey. I was told they even came through the keyhole to hold possession. Now some of the knowing ones claim that they can poison bees, when they attempt to rob others. How that is I do not pretend to know. I have come to the conclu- sion that my bees were not poisoned inten- tionally. I have tried various experiments with the dead and the dying bees, but with no satisfactory re- sult. I yet believe that my bees had been work- ing on some poisonous substance ; but that it was so far from my apiary that, as the weather came off cold, the bees could not keep up the line of communication, and that those that found the forbidden fruit died before they could lead others into fatal temptation. Now I do not believe that bees naturally would forage on poisonous substances; but that in some cases, as in the extreme excitement of robbing, they may partake of substances which, under other circumstances, they would not notice. May not some such disease as Mr. Thorne de- scribes be the cause of the sudden disappearance of the bees in the neighborhood of Lexington, (Ky.,) the beekeepers not noticing the hives till the bees were all gone ? John T. Rose. Petersburg, Mich. [For the American Bee Journal.] More About That Bee Disease. Will some of your old bee friends please answer the following, for, in all probability, in their experience, they may have met just such cases. First. This has been the most fatal season to the interests of the apiarian that has probably ever visited them, at least in this section — very little honey being gathered in any one's apiary. Second. In most locations no swarms issued from any of the old colonies — notwithstanding they lay out on the sides of their hives in great numbers. Third. Where a swarm came from an old hive, that hive invariably, I may say so, died. In all my inquiries among bee-men I know of but one instance to the contrary — and I expect that will die. Fourth. Where they have died, they have invariably left large quantities of honey. And, what is stranger still, in not more than one case in ten is there any bee-bread. So universal is this lack of bee-bread, that it has been remarked by every one, and I have been at great pains to inquire ol all the old bee-men living in the country. Besides this, so far as I can learn, all the swarms of this year have also died. The bees do not starve and fall down in the hive; for, in opening a hive, there may often be found a dozen or so, and often not one. Now, we would like to have some informa- tion on this subject; and, if there is a remedy, should be pleased to have it made known. Why is it that it is those casting swarms that invariably die ? And why is there no bee- bread ? Clayton. Bloomington, Ind. When in natural swarming the bees fly too high, they are made to descend lower and dis- posed to settle, by throwing among them hand- fuls of sand or dust; probably the bees mistake this for rain. — Wildman. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 157 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY, 1869. C^~The American Bee Journal is now published monthly, in the City of Washington, (D. C.,) at $2 per annum in advance. All com- munications should be addressed to the Editor, at that place. Unavoidable circumstances constrained us to furnish "copy" for this number of the Ree Jour- nal at an earlier period in the month than usual, and thus several articles intended for it had to be deferred — among these the description and illustrations of the Eureka hive. In addition to the account of the bee disease in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, &c, contained in this number, we have received several other communications too late for insertion this month. The disease is most generally attributed to the want of pollen. We doubt whether this js correct. The want of pollen might restrict and finally prevent the production of brood and wax; but we do not think the effect would be so sudden, sweeping, and widespread. A correspondent desires to know whether any mode of feeding rye, oat, or buckwheat meal to bees, in the interior of the hive, in early spring, has been devised; and, if so, would be pleased to have the process communicated through the Bee Journal. We have received from Mr. J. Winfield, of Canfield, Ohio, a neat pair of forceps or tweez- ers, intended to be used for removing dead bees from cells in which they died. We consider it a useful and convenient implement, now that the value of empty combs is properly appreci- ated. Mr. W., we understand, would send a few by mail, postage prepaid, at fifty cents each, to such as may desire to have them. The article on Foulbrood contained in our present number, is a close and accurate transla- tion of the essay on that subject by Dr. Preuss, recently published in the German Bienenzeitung, for which we are under obligations to the "De- vonshire Beekeeper," Mr. Woodbury, of Mount Radford, England. The series of articles on that subject contained in this and the two preceding numbers of the Bee Journal deserve to be carefully studied by all those in whose apiaries the malady treated of has been introduced. We do not, indeed, wholly concur in the opinions of the writers, but think that, between them, substantial truth has been reached. From a review of the matter as now presented, it seems most probable that the disease originates in putrescent pollen, as Mr. Lambrecht claims; and is diffused and per- petuated, according to Dr. Preus, by the fun- gus which finds a soil congenial to its develope- ment in that decaying substance. If this be so, the remedy is to be sought in the removal of the pollen, and the application of means to arrest and suppress the fungus. The "Beekeeper's Guide Book," by E. Kretchmer, of Red Oak Junction, Iowa, of which we have just received a copy, is an ex- cellent little manual, embracing much informa- tion in practical bee-culture, which beginners especially will find serviceable. [For the American Bee Journal.] Introducing Queens, and Bees. Wintering Letter from Portland, Maine. Having about a dozen hives of black bees that I wanted to Italianize, I invited J. L. Hubbard, Esq., of Walpole, N. H., to visit me and bring his pocket full of Italian queens. He accepted my invitation, although we were strangers, brought a beautiful lot of Italian queens, took out my black queens and introduced the Ital- ians. It was really interesting, instructive, and amusing to witness his manner of handling bees. I think I could Italianize an apiary now with safety. Still, if I had it to do, I would in- vite Mr. Hubbard to help me, as he is so well posted and his charges are very moderate. In order to assist in forwarding the bee enter- prise of this State, I have bought twenty hives of Italian bees to distribute in this vicinity next spring. A part of these are already sold. I have removed my bees into my store cellar, where I invite my friends to look at them almost daily. I set them on a hanging shelf about three feet from the ground. This keeps the rats and mice from them, and enables me to pour my ashes under them to absorb moisture. The temperature ranges from 40° to 44°. Tbe bees appear to be doing well, and are comfortable and content. The cellar is not quite dark, but the bees are not stopped in. I had one colony stopped in, and although they had abv.ndant ventilation, they were still so very uneasy that I was obliged to let them out, when they soon became quiet. You may hear from me again, if no one better qualified keeps you posted up in the beeologyof this State. M. G. Palmer. Portland, Me., December 25, 1868. 158 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] The Season of 1868. Mr. Editor : — Tne white clover was of short duration this season on account of the drouth: consequently the swarming season was very limited. When the clover failed our bees ceased swarming. I had only sixteen swarms from thirty-three stocks, which was an average in- crease in this country. The bees scarcely gathered their living from the time the white clover failed, until the ap- pearance of the buckwhat blossoms — a space of four or five weeks. Only twelve of my young swarms were in a condition for wintering sepa- rately. My old stocks are in fine condition for wintering. I had two hundred and twenty-five dollars C!f225) worth of surplus honey this sea- son; but not a pound did I get from my swarms. This country is well adapted to white clover and buckwheat. These two crops are our main dependance. I have proposed to furnish the seed for any one that will sow ten acres and upwards of buckwheat, over and above their average crop for the last three years — provided it were sown within one half mile of my apiary; and I am satisfied that I will get pay for the seed, if it be a good season and fine weather when it is in bloom. Some time after I took the surplus honey from off the hives, I found one box partly filled and unsealed, that contained honey not much un- like buckwheat for color, but of a bitter taste. Now which hive it was taken from, and whether the rest of boxes of that hive contained the same kind of honey or not, I am unable to say; but we found no bitter honey before nor since. This bitter taste resembles that of black cherry bark. Might this honey have been gathered from the black cherry blossoms ? If so, why was there no more like it? There are not ex- ceeding twenty cherry trees in the range of our bees' flight. Another observation I have made. I found at two different times, a comb in the honey- boxes that contained three lengths of cells fided with honey. The middle and one outside length contained clover honey; and the other outside contained buckwheat honey. This is surely a very uncommon occurrence; at least I never heard of the like before. I have this fall (1868) procured three beautiful Italian queens, and got them safely introduced, as follows : two from W. J. Davis, of Youngs- ville, Pa. On receipt of these two queens, I drove out the natives; caught and secured their queens; caged my Italian queens, placed them between the central combs and returned the workers to their respective hives. I let the Italian queens remain caged ninety hours, and then liberated them. My third queen I received from the National Beehive Company, at St. Charles, Ills., in one of their recently improved study hives, which no new beginner should be without — it is a completely finished hive, got up by a workman. But the bees, both queens and workers, from both parties, are what suits my eye. They are fine specimens. My third queen remained caged just one week. On a recent examination my queens are all right, except that they have not laid any eggs. Allowing me to judge from the pages of our valuable Bee Journal, I have got as pure Italians as are in the United States, though I cannot give an opinion as to their superiority, until I have a trial; but if their qualities are as superior to the natives as their looks and appearance, I shall be satisfied. I use the double-cased Langstroth hive most- ly— some one story with boxes; and some two- stories of frames. I get much the largest amount of surplus honey in the frames. See plate VII, figure 20, "Langstroth on the Hive and Honey Bee." I prefer this style to any other for wintering bees on their summer stands. My hives are all planed and painted. I get my boards planed at the planing mill, run my saws by horse power, &c, and do all the cutting, ripping, and rabbeting with circular saws. M. "Wilson. Meredith, Pa. [For the American Bee Journal.] Rye and Oat Meal. Mr. Editor — I see that some of your corres- pondents do not know how to start bees to work on rye or oat meal in the spring. I have had the same difficulty until last spring. After the meal is set out, and while bees are flying freely, sprinkle a few drops of Essence of Anise near the meal, and it will not be over five min- utes before they will be at work on it lively. In hunting wild bees the essence is used to good advantage, for its scent will attract them. This I have also tried. All Worker Comb. In the November number of the Bee Jour- nal for 1868, under the head " To obtain all worker comb," it is recommended to use guide combs in the space left just wide enough for worker comb only. That is not good in prac- tice with me, as I have found that bees will raise drone brood by building the cells short on one side of the comb, and long enough to accom- modate drone brood on the other. And when they could not put it in so, they built short pieces crosswise; and this not in one instance only, but in many. C. HODGKINS. Marlboro', N. H. Any one who goes through the world with his eyes open, is sure to find out something that even professed naturalists did not know before. — R. Holland. It is rare to find men doubting facts, and still rarer to find them doubting whether' the facts be correctly coordinated. — 67. H. Lewes. Be not too hasty to erect general theories from a few peculiar observations, appearances, or experiments. — Dr. Watts. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 159 [For the American Bee Jounral.] To Get Bees Out of Honey Eoxes. I have never had much difficulty in getting boxes tilled with nice honey; but I have had great difficulty in getting the bees out of the boxes after their removal from the hives. I have taken off boxes early in the morning, at mid-day, and late in the afternoon ; have set ihem near the hive, and away from the hive, covered and uncovered, with smoke and with- out smoke; in short, have tried all sorts of ways. Still, many bees, after leaving a box, would re- turn for a second load of honey aud bring with them a swarm of hungry robbers; so that it was impossible to leave removed boxes until the last bee had been driven or coaxed out, and every hole covered. This took too much time, and I sought a better plan. Why not set the boxes on an empty hive, in some remote part of the apiary ? That worked very well for a little while, but the robbers soon saw through this arrangement. Then I must have some kind of door or outlet to the hive, through which the bees could pass out, but not return. That was soon devised. A piece of tin was placed over the entrance, with four holes cut in the lower edge, about the size of a bee, and each hole cov- ered, on the outside, with a small isinglass door, hung on a bit of fine wire, so as to woik with the utmost freedom and with the least possible friction. All the light admitted into the hive must pass through these little isinglass doors, and thither the bees within flocked. The slightest push against one of these little doors was sufficient to open it, the bee passed out, and the door shut behind him. Hundreds of bees followed him with the same result. This was most satisfactory. But wait, here comes a bee back for a second load. Now for the test. Can he enter ? You may be sure he will try. He does try every door — but fails. Bees are com- ing out of one door while he is trying to enter another. Presently one opens the door he is at, and in goes our little thief. By this time half a dozen have returned, and in ten minutes more the experiment has proved a failure; for they have in that time learned to push the doors to one side, and without difficulty. This might have been remedied by putting a pin at the sides of the doors, to prevent their moving sideways. But this plan wasabandoned for something else that occurred to me just then, which I put in practical operation with entire success. Not a bee got back into the hive after that. I could leave a hive with a dozen boxes (resting on slats put across the frames,) go to dinner or downtown, or leave it all day, and be certain all the time that not a bee could enter it from the outside ; and every bee Avithin could leave atany moment with perfect freedom. The plan adopted was simply that which is used in a certain kind of rat-trap in common use, and the application was made in this way. Through a cork bore a ho:e large enough for a bee to pass through ; cut ten or a dozen pieces of fine wire, say each an inch and a half long, press one end of these wires into the cork around the hole, and so near together that a bee cannot pass between them. Let the outer ends of the wires converge to- gether, leaving an opening at the ends just large enough for a bee to pass out through it. Put the cork to the entrance of the hive, with the wires standing outward, and slanting up a little from the alighting board so that the bees from the outside cau pass under it, while trying to get in. Close the entrance all round the cork, so that all the light that enters the hive mu-t pass through the hole in the cork. This will bring eveiy bee within to this hole, for a pas- sage out. I will guarrantee it to work perfectly. R. BlCKFOKD. Seneca Palls, N. Y., Oct. '1868. [For the American Bee Journal.] My Mode of Straining Honey and Wax. Last autumn I took up fifty old box hives, from five to ten years old. As the combs were mostly very thick and tough, I did not consider them worth saving for future use, and concluded to strain honey and wax from them. This is by no means an easy task. The honey- rendering machine would not work, as the honey was too thick, even after warming it up. If the combs are melted, the honey obtained has always some taste of bee-bread, and is disliked by many. I therefore concluded to make a new experiment. The hives with the honey were kept in a warm room for twenty-four hours, the combs then cut out, and those containing honey selected from the empty ones. They were next put under a cider press, and the honey not granulated was obtained free from the taste of bee-bread, though somewhat mixed with parti- cles of wax; but these could easily be removed by straining through a course towel, after being warmed up some. Very old brood combs are considered by most bee-keepers as perfectly worthless, even for ob- taining wax. This is by no means the case. I prepared a bag from a strong coffee sack— using the inner finer one, holding about a bushel. Into this I poured the melted combs, and placed it under the cider press. On turning and shifting the bag several times, nearly every particle of wax can be pressed out. This is to be collect ed iu a washtub, and after cooling somewhat, taken out in balls. After finishing the straining, the crude wax obtained is to be again melted with some water in an iron kettle, and then poured into forms to cool. For melting the combs, I use a couple of iron pots holding about ten quarts, adding about two quarts of water to each kettleful; stirring it well during the melting, and then pouring it hot into the press-bag, and pressing ouly a bag- ful at a time. With the assistance of one man, I pressed out 163 pounds in a day aud a quarter; but the rcmelting required nearly two days more, for one person — not having pots enough to melt more than 23 pounds at a time. A. Grimm. Jefferson, Wis. 160 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Boo Journal.] Honey Dews. While working under a young white oak tree one clay last summer, I heard an unusual hum- ming above, as if produced by a swarm of hees. Looking upward, I found that the noise was occasioned by bees, and that the leaves were coated with a sweet varnish, which I immedi- ately concluded to be honey dew. Having read Quinby's theory as to these dews being the ex- udation from a species of plant louse, I climbed the tree, to see if I could rind any evidence in favor of his conclusions. The under leaves were all covered with the dew, but had no sign of insects; but when I reached the top I found no dew, but on the un- der side of the leaves were a number of green and white insects, varying in size from that of a musquito to so small as to be scarcely visible. I further noticed that where the leaves were very close together, there was but little if any dew ; but where they were fully exposed to the sun, the species appeared to make no difference, all being covered alike. C. E. Thorne. Selma, Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bees. As it is sometime since we wrote anything in the interest of beekeepers, for the Bee Jour- nal, we hope you will, if compatible with their interest, give publicity to the following items about bees : The winter so far with us, has been one of moderate severity upon bees; the weather being of such a character as to prevent them from leading the hives to discharge their faeces, while it was warm and temperate enough to allow them to change their position among the combs. Nine-tenths of the bees in this locality (except- ing Italians) are ill provided with honey, for the winter, the past summer having been the most unpropitious for honey we have expe- rienced for years. The continued cloudy and rainy Aveather during the fruit blossoms pre- vented the bees from getting a supply of honey nt a time when it was so necessary to the pro- duction of brood, and so completely disconcerted their arrangements for swarming, that they scarcely recovered from it the whole summer. The consequence is that only the very strongest of black colonies, and such as were fed in the tall, will survive the winter. Our stock being mostly Italian, are better provided for, and we expect to take the most of them through. We have hitherto had considerable difficulty in getting our stock pure, as many of the queens we purchased from venders to breed from, were tainted with black blood. True the progeny of some of them were characterised by three yellow bands, but the third band was so imperfect, or indistinct, as scarcely to be seen; while the ap- pearance of the abdomen from those bands to its point, differed very little from that of the black bee. We received a queen bee last summer from Mr. A. Grey, of Reily, Butler Co., Ohio, which we believe would have been a prize, had we been so fortunate as to save her. But we lost her in introducing her in the second hive. We were lucky enough, however, to succeed in raising three queens from her, two of which, we be- lieve mated with Italian drones. At least we hope so. JLJut of all the queens in our possession, the one we esteem most highly is one Ave received from Mr. Adam Grimm, of Jefferson, Wis., which was selected by him for us, in considera- tion of our pajing him one dollar in addition to the published price, for the extra selection. This queen produces the brightest and prettiest progeny Ave ever saw, and we would not take one hundred dollars and do without her. I de- sire to return my thanks to Mr. Grimm for so valuable and handsome a queen, and hope that he will be so kind as to favor me, next summer, with another of the same sort. As long articles are tedious to both publisher and readers, I will close the present remarks With the promise to give the Bee Journal and its readers, hereafter, a synopsis of my expe- rience in the art of feeding and wintering bees. John L. McLean. Richmond, Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal.] Straw Movable Comb Hives. Referring to the notice of the straw n:ovable comb hive in the August number of the Bee Journal, allow me to say that I would have given detailed directions for making, had I not feared that, without a model, such directions would be of little service. Even with a hive before him, a new beginner, not accustomed to Avork in straw, would probably find difficulty in making one. Will not Mr. Van Slyke, who is acquainted with the hive and its construction, gi\-e some account of its adaptation ? It is the perfect Langstroth hive, only substi- tuting rye straw as the material in place of Avood. If bee-keepers desire to make a trial of it, I will deliver a working model at the Ex- press office here, directed to any address, on re- ceipt of five dollars ; the hive to be of full size, containing nine frames, and to be accom- panied with full instructions. By clubbing and ordering a hive, the cost to each member will not be much. If a hive, Avith frames of special dimensions be desired, the length and depth of frame should be stated when oideriug. What Mr. Davis desires from me he will find in the Patent Office Report for 1865; the claim in vol. 1, and the diagram in vol. 2, No. 47, 109. W. Henchen. Bloomington Ferry, Minn. Healthy bees preserve their hives free fiom filth, and are ready always to defend them against every enemy that approaches. American Bee Journal. EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Vol. IV. MARCH, I8G9. No. 9. Great Meeting of German Bee-Masters, Held at Darmstadt, Sept. 8, 9, and 10, 18GS. These meetings of bee-masters held periodi- cally in one after another of the principal towns of Germany, show what a point bee-keeping has reached in that country, and are most interest- ing as well as advantageous in their results. The meeting, which was held this year at Darm- stadt, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, was attended by a large number of the celebri- ties of German bee-keeping. Some Avell known names, including Baron von Berlepsch, (who is suffering from a stroke of paralysis, but grow- ing better,) are missed from the list, but still a meeting attended by such men as Dzierzon, Von Hruschka (the inventor of the centrifugal comb-emptying machine,) Vogel (introducer of the Egyptian bee to Germany,) Dathe, Koehler, Professor Lenckart, of Giessen, perhaps the first authority of the day on the natural history of the bee, a Greek Priest from Croatia, Marchesi Crivelli, the great reformer in Italian bee-keep- ing, from Milan, to say nothing of many others more or less known, from all parts of Germany, and several from France, could not fail to be interesting. Great facilities were also afforded by the fact that almost every railway company in Germany and Austria conveyed bee-keepers or other visitors to the meeting, as well as arti- cles for exhibition, at fares generally 50 per cent, or more reduced. The first day of the meeting was Sept. 8, and at halt-past ten the President, His Excellency Heir von Berchthold, opened the proceedings, by welcoming the visitors in the name of H. Pi. H. the Grand Duke, who had placed his orangery and adjoining grounds at the disposal of the meeting, and addressed the assembly in a short speech, followed by two other addresses by the Mayors of Darmstadt and Bessungen. The President then read out the rules for guiding the speakers, and the real business of the day was commenced by a speech by Pro- lessor LcueUart, enforcing first of all the neces- sity of learning theory as well as practice, in order lo become a successful apiarian. He then proceeded to notice the points of similarity and difference in their habits between hive bees, wasps, ants, and humble bees, dwelling espe- cially upon the extraordinary fertility of the queen bee. The first subject upon the programme then came on for discussion. " 1, What is the cause of the difference of size of queen bees ? 2, Are the larger queens to be preferred to the small, and why? 3, Is it in the bee-master's power to insure the production of large queens ? These questions had been proposed by Dzier- zon, who ascended the speaker's platform amidst a storm of applause. The substance of his remarks was : 1, That the difference in size is caused by difference iu food during develop- ment, and depends, therefore, much upon whether the queens be bred during the time when there is abundance of pollen or not; pollen being, in fact, the clement of their food, which is of most importance in this respect. 2, That although smaller queens are, often, at least, as fruitful as large ones, yet that the ad- vantages of size in other respects arc great, as, for instance, if the queen is to be caught, and especially because experience has shown that large queens are annually impregnated in a much shorter time than small ones; a difference sometimes, especially in cool weather, being observed of ten days. The third question is answered mainly in the remarks on the first, merely adding that the fewer queen« that are being bred at once by one stock, the larger they are likely to be. Dr. Pollmaun, from Bonn, thought that the difference in size depended much on the age of the grubs in the case of artificially-bred queens, for that a grub which had been fed four to five days with common food, could not develep to the same size as if it had all along enjoyed royal food; and also on the fact that the egg na'urally destined to become a queen is kept warmer at the first than other eggs. As every bee keeper will allow, large queens must be stronger than small ones, and to produce large ones we must always take care to commence with the egg at as early a stage as possible. The second subject then came in order. "What is the result of all that has appeared in 162 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. the Bienenzeitung during the last year upon foulbrood?'' This question had been proposed by Baron von Berlepsch, and, owing probably to his absence, the discussion assumed a somewhat desul'ory character. The substance, however, was mucl) as follows: Dr. Preuss, a scientific microscopist of some authority, and an experi- enced bee-keeper, and Professor Leuckart, un- hesitatingly attribute the worst kind of foul- brood to the presence of a microscopic fungus, similar, probably, to the one affecting the silk- worm in North Italy. It was also remarked that foulbrood had much increased since the introduction of the Italian bee. The fungoid theory was also supported by some of the mm scientific bee-masters present, as affording a satisfactory explanation of many of the details connected with foulbrood. Professor Leuckart thought it probable that the eggs (but, of course, only in the worst case) contained already the germs of the dis- ease, an opinion which was opposed by those who alleged eases where they had saved the queens of condemned stocks, which had after- ward always produced a healthy succession. Upon the question how to deal with foul- brood, the opinion was almost general, that the stocks, some said the hives, too, must be de- stroyed. Others, again, and amongst them no mean authorities, maintained that they had cured foul brood by a process recommended by the Rev. Mr. Schieberle, of Moravia, at the. meeting of German bee-masters held at Briinn, iu September, 1803.* It seemed also probable, that in many cases foul brood arose from feed- ing bees with the impure honey imported from Havana and other places. The next question on the programme was — "Whether foulbrood is a result of using hives with moveable combs, and not rather of imprudence when giving them drink in winter?" Unfortunately Mr. Kleine, whose question this was, was detained at home by domestic afflic- tion ; but in his stead Mr. Dzierzon remarked, that though, doubtless, in the hands of inexpe- rienced and incompetent bee-keepers, the system of moveable combs had its dangers, yet, as a matter of fact, it was the easiest, if not the only means of discovering foulbrood and overcom- ing it. He could not understand the meaning of the second half of the question, and had no idea what could be passing in Mr. Kleine's mind to make him connect foulbrood with giving bees drink in winter. Dr. Busch remarksd that possibly Mr. Kleine had formed his opinion from some scientific articles which had appeared in the Hanoverian Bee Journal, of which he is the editor, A Mr. Lambrecht had there made known the results of various chemical investigations, which had induced him to attribute foulbrood to the bees feeding upon pollen which had been wetted and in consequence had fermented. The next question discussed concerned some details in the construction of hives (first intro- duced by Dzierzon) with moveable combs, and ♦We shall give a description of Mr. Schieberle's mode of cuiing foul brood in an early number.— Ed. since used with but slight modifications through- out Germany. We may pass this by as having little interest for English bee-keepers. After this followed the question; "Whether there are localities so absolutely unfitted for keeping bees that, in spite of all the experience and pains of the bee master, the best stocks, if moved thither, die off in a short time?" The only speaker to this question proved that bee-keeping might be impossible in some locali- ties owing to neighbors poisoning the bees. After keeping them successfully tor forty years, he had, owing to the diabolical behavior of a neighboring manufacturer, lost in four years the whole of his bees, above $500 in value. This led naturally to the question next in order, only interesting to Germany, as to the desirability of some laws as to bee-keeping. After this Mr. Dzierzon spoke to one of his own suggesting — 1st, "At what age do young bees first leave the hive and first gather honey? 2nd, Would it be advisable, without reference to vvinteting, to hinder the breeding of bees which cannot gather any honey in the current season ?" Mr. Dzierzon remarked that he had been induced to suggest this question in consequence of statements in Baron von Berlepsch's new edition of his bee book, in which it is stated that young bees begin first to gather honey in about thiity-five days; and that, consequently, it is advisable to prevent the increase of brood from about thirty-five days before the end of the honey season. Dzierzon believes that a young bee may leave the hive when three days old, or remain at home for as many months, so that no precise number of days can be given. If there are plenty of workers, young bees would remain longer at home ; if there were few old bees, as when a hive has been moved, the young bees would gather sooner. This he could assert from experience. And the second suggestion was grounded upon a mistake, for the activity of bees depends very much upon the amount of brood. If, therefore, for the last thirty-five days they had but little or no brood, they would gather comparatively less honey. Mr. Vogel had seen young bees, after careful observation, come out of their hives when six or seven days old, but only in isolated cases. As a rule the eighth or ninth day would be the earliest, and dependent also upon circumstances of temperature, wind, strength of the stock, &c Young bees do not gather honey till sixteen clays old, as is proved by the fact that they starve under that age, if left in a hive without honey or older workers. He agrees, therefoie, on the whole with von Berlepsch as regards the first part of the question. As regards the sec- ond half, Dzierzon has not understood von Berlepsch, -»rho does not say that one should not suffer any brood after a certain time, but that one should not suffer unnecessari brood, a mistake often made by begiunera. And von Berlepsch's remarks are intended for places with very short honey harvests. Mr. Kbhler agreed with the last speaker, and remarked ir. addition, that the question how old the hse is when she first leaves the hive, had a veiy important bearing upon the question ot THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 163 uniting weak stocks for the winter, an operation which he thought was usually undertaken too late in the year. It should he done some time hefore, and not alter, the end of the honey harvest. The next question on the list was, " Whether it be possible to hinder drone brood in hives with moveable combs, without having recourse to the old method of cutting out drone combs ?" Mr. Daihe was of opinion that it was better not to let the bees build drone cells, by filling up any empty space in the breeding-room of the hive with worker comb so soon as the bees begin drone cells. To suffer bees to build drone combs, and then to cut them out, involve * a great waste of honey and a great loss of time for the bees, who build drone cells over and over again. By filling up the gaps, we should probably have young bees in the same space where, but for this, we should still be cutting out drone comb. Further, the bee-keeper saves himself the time and trouble he would other- wise necessarily have to devote to examining his hives and cutting out the drone cells. Of course in the space devoted to honey the bees may build as much drone comb as they please. The speaker had for eight years allowed no droue brood where he did not wish it, and this without any cutting-out. For this purpose it is necessary, 1, That there should be a division between the brood room and honey room, so long as the bees wish to build drone cells. 2, The bees must not be allowed to build in the breed- ing space after they cease to build worker cells. 3, In spite of all care, some drone cells are sometimes built in the breeding space. These should be at once removed to the honey division, using in fact for this part of the hive all the droue cells one can bring together. The speaker then added : 1, That worker comb should never be destroyed, but either kept for feeding the bees if necessary, or, 2, Emptied by means of the centrifugal machine, and the empty comb used again. 4, Every means pos- sible should be employed to secure a good store of worker comb from artificial swarms, late swarms, &c, and others which caunot be win- tered. 4, We can compel any hive to build worker comb by reducing it to the condition of a swarm, i. e. by taking out nearly all the combs. 5, We may take out all perfect combs from a hive with a young queen ; the bees will then build worker cells, li, and lastly, When com- pelled we limy use artificial comb foundations. These conclusions were supported by Messrs. Hopf and Huber. The latter also suggested that, it would often be a good plan to remove the old queen with the drone combs in order that the bees having then a young queen might build worker cells ; but it should not be for- gotten that till the young queen is ready to lay, only drone cells would be built if the bees were allowed access to empty breeding space. The proceedings of the first day were then concluded with a few words from the President, and the appointment of judges for articles exhibited. Honey is a favorite food and medicine with the Bedouins in Northern Arabia. [For the American Bee Journal] Practical Bee-Culture. Practically considered bee-culture is some- thing more than the mass of persons who own a few hives each think it is ; for there are com- paratively few that understand the laws that govern breeding and swarming, or the general economy of the hive. Success in bee-keeping depends greatly on the condition in which the bees are in the fall, and how they are wintered. In order lo know their condition it is necessary that all the stocks should undergo a thorough examination, to ascertain, first, whether the swarm has a good queen ; secondly, whether it has sufficient population to form a dense cluster, say from five to seven pounds of bees; and, thirdly, whether it has at least twTenty-five pounds of honey and pollen ; for honey is to the bee what money is lo the business man, in common with others. Wintering bees in special repositories is at- tended with considerable trouble and expense, unless the right kind of cellar is at command ; and then, here in Iowa, the spring of the year is so cold and blustering that, frequently, it is difficult to get a daj that is calm, and clear, and warm enough to enable a fallen bee to rise from the ground again and return to its hive. In this climate there are so many changes of weather that it is extremely difficult to keep bees sufficiently protected from the cold, and have them so ventilated in warm spells as to keep them reposing quietly in their hives. Now in these winter quarters their confinement is fre- quently protracted to four or even five months, during which lapse of time their abdomens be- come very much distended ; t!, and number 2 may be taken to the first stand occupied by number 1. Number 1 will be rilled right up again as before, and in a day or two will send out another strong vigor- ous swarm, with a young queen. And thus the process may go on until ten swarms, all stronar, have all come through number 1. This plan has been recommended, and is said to work well. It looks reasonable, and is worthy of trial. P. R. Russell. Bolton, Mass. [For tbo American Bee Journal.] Candid Confessions. The senses evidently possessed by bees are sight, feeling, taste, and smell ; but whether they hear we cannot know, although the an- tenna? have been supposed to be its organ, for the apparant responsiveness of these to loud and sudden sounds, may equally result from the agitations of the air which those sounds pro- duce.— Shuckakd. No study, like natural history, pursued in a humble and docile spirit, so harmoniously elicits the religion of the soul, or so fitly pre- pares it to enter, by the pathway of the works of God, the august temple of His revealed word. — SCHUOKAKD. To appease the wrath of Mr. Puckett, I sup- pose I shall have to write a confession, or, in other words, write a sort of preface to my bee- book. AVhen I was a great green boy, and was left one evening with others of my age, after exhausting all the fun and mischief we could think of, we caught the old tom-cat, and one was to hold him and another to but him on the head with the fi-t, merely to see what effect it would have ! That disposition has never left us. If we re- member rightly, about the first' man we hit in the Bee Journal was Mr. Quinby ; and he was hit on purpose to see what effect it would have, and not for any malice or ill-will. Then, knowing what was said against Mr. Laug- stroth's hive, its defects, &c, we hit him, and hit him hard. The object was to draw out both sides of the question as much as possible ; and that we have succeeded in doing to a con- siderable extent. But, in order to keep up the aioful muss , we have had to fight on both sides of the question. Now, friend Puckett, you are considerably gritty ; but we could take your side of the question, and beat you, all hollow. At least that is our opiuion. In one of your articles you find considerable fault, because we did not ex- plain everything as we went along. Well, if we had written barely one article, and no more, your fault-finding would have been just. But, when we commenced writing for the Bee Jour- nal, our intention was and still is, to keep on writing our experience in beekeeping. Fur- thermore, our object in said article was to draw out Mr. Alley again. But, for some reason, he saw fit to pitch into us in private, instead of do- ing it through the Bee Journal. Enough, hotcever, on this head at present. Of all the perplexing questions for a new be- ginner to settle, on commencing bee-keeping, this is probably the worst one — whose patent hive shall I purchase; or whose form of hive is the best ? Every patent hive man says that his hive is the very best — no other can begin to compare with it, &c, &c. Right here I will state that the only money we ever invested in any patent hive, was two dollars in T. B. Min- ers's Great Equilateral, Cross-bar, Cot- ton-cloth Humbug. Always having been a prominent beekeeper, wherever wre have resided, we have had any number of hives given us on trial, &c. We have never been bribed to recommend any one's hive, and prob- ably never shall be. On the other hand, we have never asked for any other man's money, in payment for any information or advice we could give. So that you can safely say, that Gallup has no design on your pockets — an inde- pendent candidate in the fullest sense of the word ! Furthermore, you may call Gallup the new beginner's friend, and you will hit right every time. Just such a blunt, out-spoken, put- ty-head is wanted to write for the Bee Jour- nal. Here comes one of our patent hive gentry. THE AMERICAN BEK JOURNAL. m He goes on extolling the merits of Ma hive and running down the Langstroth hive, calling the latter a shallow thing, a rahbit hutch, &c, &c. In fact he has a special spite against that hive in particular. He says Langstroth was not the in- ventor, obtained his patent, under false pre- tences, &c, ; and finally winds up by requesting Mr. Gallup to buy a right to his hive, and make his fortune. About this time Gallup is green and asks some simple questions about bees, and bee hives, &c. ; but finally wakes up a little, scratches his head, and remarks : — "Now, Mis- ter, look here, you say that Mr. Langstroth is not entitled to anything for the use of the mov- able frames ; and if he is not, pray tell us what you are entitled to ? That is what I would like to know. Your patent slides, patent springs, thumb-screws, slanting bottom-board, &c, &c, are a perfect nuisance on any hive." That is not merely Gallup's say so, but it will prove to be so, to any practical beekeeper, providing he will lay all prejudice or preconceived notions aside. Now I think that new beginners will un- derstand me, when I say — Purchase the right of the movable frames from Mr. Langstroth, if you purchase from any one. Then, if on trial, you do "not like the form, you can change it to some other form, until you get a form that does suit you. There is not, nor ever has been, any question in my mind about the form that Mr. Langstroth uses being well adapted to the cli- mate in which he resides; but ioe must have at least ten inches depth of comb, in our climate. The new beginner Avill understand that he can use the Langstroth principle in almost any form of hive that his fancy may suggest ; for it is not the form of the hive tl at is patented, but the frames and the adjustment. If you happen to think that you can obtain more honey without the honey-board, you can take off the honey- board and set the boxes directly on the frames ; and then you have all the advantages that Mr. King claims for his American side-opener. But do not make a hive of the American form, even expecting to obtain as good results as you will from a hive of medium depth of comb. A six- inch depth of comb is one extreme, and a nine- teen-inch depth of comb is the opposite. As I said in a previous article, a medium depth gives the best results. Well, friend Puckett, you will probably ?ay that this is not attending to j-our case. In fact I think you were barking up the wrong tree. I cannot see any squirrel there. But if you wish to enter into a friendly discussion on the merits and demerits of different forms of hives, Gallup is your man. We, I am satisfied, might get up something, under that head, really interesting to the new beginner. At all events, let us hear from you again, and keep good natured about it. There is one thing more that we have to con- fess in this article. That is, no man can accuse us of ever hitting him in a private circular, or in any paper where we thought it would not meet the eye of the person hit. We always give a man a chance to defend himself. We claim no privileges that we are not willing to grant to others. It is by free, open discussion that we expect to get at facts. There is one thing more, many and zealous friends, mies; and what public DO counting up, we do not tin set us down on the side of We see, in the Januar have succeeded in raising the dead. Osage, Iowa. , Mr. Langstroth baa as well as many ene- an has nor, ; but, in nk you could safely his enemies, y number, that we the Professor from Elisha Gallup. [For the American Bee Journal.] Drones from Young Queens. I wish to make a statement of a fact with us, which, if followed to what would seem proba- ble, will Sive many troubles in Italianizing. The idea seems to prevail that young queens will not lay drone brood the first season. We obtained a young Italian queen the 23d of May last, and from her raised young queens to supply twelve colonies. In August, nearly all made preparations to swarm, the season being exceedingly favorable. In all those colonies which did swarm, and in some which did not, drone brood was rear- ed, although some of the queens were very young. The black drones were nearly if not quite all destroyed during a scarcitv early in July. This proves to me that the wants of the colo- ny, and not the age of the queen, is a guide for depositing drone brood. Therefore, if a young Italian queen can be introduced in a full colony of black bees, before drone brood is produced, the young queen will supply the deficiency. This would give all the benefit of drones the first season, from which, with the Kohler process of fertilization, a large number of colonies might be Italianized. Swarming commences here about the middle of April. Qneensof the pre- vious season can be spared by the 10th of April; and young tested queens can be had before the 1st of May. There are many places where preparations for swarming do not commence as early as these dates — certainly not as soon as the 10th of April. In our own case, we raised a second crop of queens to satisfy the place of the first, which produced hybrid stock. These last became purely impregnated. Of course such a chance is rare, even here; but by taking advantage of the facts above stated, (if they prove to be facts elsewhere, and it is reasonable to think they will), anyone can Italianize in one season. A. G. WlLLEY. Mukfkeesboko, Tenn., Jan. 11, 1869. Instinct is a faculty whose clear comprehen- sion and lucid definition seems impossible to our understanding. Its attributes are various, and its operations are always all but perfect. It is an almost unerring guide to the creature exer- cising it ; and is as fully developed on its awakening as is, and with it, the perfect insect upon its transformation. — Shuckard. 172 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] Facts and Questions. The economy of nature is so perfect that wherever we can trace a difference, we may as- sume that a reason and a purpose exist lor the variation. Thus we do not yet know why some species of bees have three sub-marginal cells to their wings, and others only two. In Spain and Italy bees are largely cultivated; and in ihe former country many a parish priest, the religious monitor of an obscure hamlet, can count his five thousand hives. Mr. Editor : — "Who can explain the problem why so many bees are dying in this section of country ? Many of our beekeepers are losing large numbers of their stocks. The facts are these — in a majority of instances only one or two pints of dead bees are found, all told, both among the combs and on the bottom-board. If the condition of the hive is found in time, the queen and a dozen or two of the workers may be found living. The next fact is, that, in a majority of cases, they leave from six to twenty pounds of honey — perhaps enough to carry a good swarm through the winter. Why have these swarms dwindled away to one pint, having both a living queen and ample stores for wiuter ? Is the honey poisonous to them, causing their death ? Or did the failure of the honey crop, in the latter part of the season, stop the queen from breeding, and consequently cause a dimin- ution of the stock, until there were not bees enough left to maintain a sufficient amount of animal heat to keep them from perishing, when the cold weather came on ? Have any of the old experienced beekeepers some other and better reason for the state of affairs ? I find no satisfactoiy solution of it in any of our books. Who can answer? Who will answer ? Who can tell us the remedy, and when and how t) apply it ? If the thing was poisonous, how can the bees be saved so late iu the season? If it was the failure of the honey that stopped the queen, or rather caused her to cease, from laying and the number of bees to be diminished, then do not Hai bison, Thomas, and Gallup give us the rem- edy, when they tell us to feed during this time of scarcity, that breeding may be continued by the Avorkers feeding and stimulating the queen ? Why is her brood so limited at the coming on of winter, while possessed of ample stores for the winter at hand ? Or, lastly, if the queens have become barren — thus causing the failure,- Avhy should it be so extensive and general ? Will the queen cease to lay eggs, if the bee-pasturage fails ? Is it a general thing, everywhere, that the bees are dying; or is it confined to certain local- ities ? It general, or local, tell us why it is so, if you can ; and name the remedy. J. Davis. Charleston, Ills. [For the American Bee Journal.] More of the Disease. Last season the bees did little or nothing in swarming, and made no surplus honey, in a general way; and nearly all that was gathered had a peculiar, bitter, pungent taste, so that it would have been worthless for table use. At this date (January 14, 18G9) over one- half of the stocks are dead in my territory ; and those that are still alive are, with few excep- tions, not doing well. They commenced dying early in the fall, flying off never to return. On opening the hives after the bees were dead, Ave generally found plenty of honey, with a rather scant supply of pollen. The dead bees seem to be very full of a very offensive fluid-like matter. What the end will be I know not, but think there will not be many stocks left. Those who have kept bees twenty -five years say they never knew bees, do so. I would say that some few owners never had bees seemingly do belter than this fall and winter ; while those around them lost nearly all they had. For myself, I shall stick to the business, be- lieving the disease to be of an epidemical char- acter; after which the keepers will reap a rich harvest. And to aid me in the undeitakino-, I send enclosed two dollars for that invaluable Bee Journal, every number of which is worth the price to the person who has as many as twenty stocks of bees. C. B. Moore. Sardinia, Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal.] I should hardly know how to get along with- out the Bee Journal, as I receive so liiuch valuable information through it from your nu- merous correspondents, in all parts of the coun- try. Novice's experience is so natural that it forcibly reminds me of some of my own ludic- rous blunders when I first began beekeeping, ten years ago. Especially when I moved six stocks, which I had taken on shares, about twenty rods on the first of June, and in the evening found nearly a bushel of bees clustered in the shed I had taken them from. What to do with them I did not know. I had no Bee Journal then to consult, nor any other work relating to bee- culture — though having heard of Quinby's book, I sent for it a few days later. Procuring a sheet and brushing the bees on it, I carried them to their hives, and spreading it out I let them select their own home. Of course a great many bees were lost, but as they were breeding rapidly, they soon recruited again, and in July following I got a few swarms. Novice lives a little further north than I do, but I was ahead of him in early swarming last season, as I had two in May, one on the 10th, and the other on the 11th; and that too without feeding, to stimulate them to early breeding, if we except a little rye flour. I am sorry to" say that those two swarms are the only ones I know of that collected stores enough to carry them through the winter. D.L. KlRKPATRICK. New Paris. Ohio. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 173 ra;.i-SI..»LBMt. Fig. 3. [For the American Bee Journal.] The Eureka Hive. The Eureka hive, in its ' simplest form, and perhaps its best, is constituted of six boards. Two boards 24 inches long and 22 inches wide form its front and back sides. One board 20 inches Ion? and 22 inches wide forms its top. One board 23 inches long and 22 inches wide forms its bottom. These lour are inch boards, nailed firmly together, as shown in the plate, with two shutters of half-inch stuff, 24 inches long and 18^ inches wide, fitted in and button- ed, (B. B , fig. 3), form the body of the hive. For an entrance for the bees in trout, and for ventilation in the rear of the hive, an aperture 2 inches hy 8, is cut out at the bottom, as shown at F; and on the back side a piece of wire gauze is lastened for ventilation ; and in front the piece F is introduced to properly contract the entrance. My other device may be introduced, to catch robbers or shut out drones, &c, Here we have the whole hive of about the c ipacity of 9,000 cubic inches. We now divide it into a central apartment, for the breeding and winter- ing the colony, and side and top chambers for the surplus honey boxes. The central apart- ment is composed of six movable comb frames, the top and bottom of each § inch wide, the sides | inch thick, framed into the top and bottom pieces, forming a square frame, even up- on its four sides, standing sixteen inches high and Yl\ inches wide. That is, the top and bot- tom pieces are \1\ inches long, and the side pieces lfi inches. I drive a nail (B., fig. 1,) in- to the under side of both ends of each bottom piece, projecting half an inch, raising the tops of the frames 16^ inches from the bottom-board. To keep the frames adjusted with the sides of the hive, drive a nail, projecting § inch into both ends of the top and bottom pieces, keeping every frame three-eighths of an inch from the boards forming the front and back of the hive. To hold their position to each other, I drive a nail, projecting half an inch, inside of the top and bottom of the frame E, preserving a dis- tance of half an inch between the frames. Then prepare the second frame in the same manner in relation to the third, and so on to the last. Next, to secure the outer frames from interfer- ence by the movable partitions or boxes, which, each in their turn, form the walls of the central apartment, I drive into each outer side of the top and bottom pieces, a nail projecting three- eighths of an inch, as shown at C and 13, fig. 1. Thus it will be seen that no part of the wood of the frames comes nearer than three-eighths of an inch to any part of the hive, or of the other frames. Nothing but the heads of the nails present themselves to the wood, for the bees to glue together. Fig. 1. To hold them to their position in the hive, I introduce four or six pins, front and rear, five- eighths of an inch in diameter, (as shown at A. A, fig. 1), passing through the boards and hold- ing the frames, as .shown at, G, G. I have at any time only to remove the pins, to take the frames out laterally, without lifting them more than just enough that the nails on which they stand shall not touch the bottom-board. To complete the central apartment prepara- tory to winter, I take two boards eighteen 174 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. inches lone; and seventeen wide, and set them against the nails 0, D, with one edge standing on the bottom, and fasten them in their place by a thin wedge or a nail ; and take a board that will reach across or cover the top, with any aperture through the top board covered with wire gauze for ventilation, desired by the opera- tor. We then have the bees in the central apartment for winter. In the early part of the honey season remove the movable partitions, and place the surplus honey boxes, so that the inner ends, shall occupy precisely the place of the inner side of the movable partition, as shown in fig. 2, and the hive is prepared for the summer labor of the colonjr. If any prefer frames in another form, or pre- fer bars to the manipulation of frames, every one can build to his own preference. The boxes may be of any desired number or size. I have the boxes I now make for use, six inches long, six inches wide, and five and a half inches high, outside measurement. The arrangement of the boxes, as is seen, is to place one upon another, forming upon both sides of the central apart- ment a wall, and enclosing it. I build hives of three sizes. One size with two six-inch boxes side by side — that is, twelve inches wide with ten eleven and a quarter inch frames sixteen and a half inches high, and eighteen top boxes; the top boxes longer than the side boxes, giving about one hundred and ten pounds surplus. One with these boxes side by side, twenty-seven boxes, giving nearly or quite one hundred and fifty pounds, if full, (see fig. 2) ; and another with four boxes side by sir'e, making thirty-six boxes, capable of con- taining about two hundred pounds of surplus. Each is built in the same manner as the medium hive illustrated. I have in reserve, for room, if I find it desirable, to add five and a half inches to the height of my hives, and when the top boxes are partly filled, raise them and place another course of top boxes under them — in- creasing their capacity, say thirty per centum ; having twenty-four, thirty-six, and forty-eight, for the number of boxes on the three sizes of hives. This increase of size for surplus room may appear ludicrously enthusiastic; but my experiments thus far convince there is little dan- ger of too much box room. This would give in (he large hive, room for two hundred and sixty- six pounds of surplus, a little more or less, in surplus boxes. I think a prolific Italian queen would supply the brood for laborers to fill them all, in a good field and season. And with so much room, they would not be likely to swarm. One important object is, to be able effectually to control the swarming, even if we depend up- on natural swarms ; which we need not do, though some prefer it. Fig. 3 shows a stand of five hives, D, D. En- trance, E. Shutters, B, B. Shutters between hives, for winter, C. Eave troughs, A, A. The bench and ends just the width of the hive, 22 inches. The roof boards may be any width de- sired, to secure shade. Two other supports should be placed under the bench, under the in- ner edges of the second and fourth hives. A bench twelve and a half feet long gives room for five medium sized hives illustrated, and ten inches between for the entrance of the bees on both sides of the stand. The alighting board is always kept dry. The stand placed lengthwise, north and south, the morning and evening sun shine directly upon the alighting board. If pre- ferred the hives may be turned a quarter round, and the alighting board and entrance be paral- lel with the side of the stand. But as they now stand, the boxes and movable frames may be approached directly upon both sides. Prepar- atory for winter they should stand as they are here represented. The boxes should be remov- ed, the movable partitions in place, the whole space between the central apartment and the shutters and top of the hive be filled with straw or other suitable material. The device F (fig. 1) be taken out, and the aperture covered with gauze. The spaces between the hives should then be filled with straw, the shutters, C, be closed, and the bees kept perfectly dark and patent^ ii IS 4 III 11 ill ili ^ Fig. 2. warm for winter. It may be well to place a board on each side between the top of the hives and the roof boards. I think the bees are then safe for winter. Should any think otherwise, they can set straw all around and bank up as much dirt as they please. It will be seen that every farmer may put the six boards together to form the shell of the hive, prepare the entrance, and make four fly holes ; place in six bars with their undersides beveled and brought to an edge in the centre, fastened by nails driven through the sides of the hive into the ends of the bars. The boxes may be of any size, only leave them just fill the space, to serve as a partition, that bees may not stray 'all around the hive. He may thus secure from one to two hundred pounds in every sea- son, if he has on a full suit of boxes, with guide comb, early in the season. I present this hive and these views with con- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 175 fidence. I had four colonies in 1867, placed in the season before. They gave me four new swarms and live hundred pounds of surplus honey. They were the only ones in use. This, with honey at twenty-five cents per pound, and swaims at five dollars, is an average of fifty dollar.-, each— enough to pay forty-six dollars for the four hives, twenty dollars for the four swarms, ten dollars for the right to use, and a balance of one hundred and twenty-four dollars in net profits. I here estimate the honey at twenty five cents per pound. It was so white and nice, I sold most of it for forty cents per pound. My claim is the combination of the central apartment, the movable partition, and the side surplus honey boxes. Jasper IIazen. Albany, N. Y. [For the' American Bee Journal.] Prolific Queens. I read with much interest, in the December number, Mr. Gallup's ariicle on " Prolific and Long-lived Queens.'' It is a subject which de- mands our earnest, careful attention. I raise queens for my own use, by keeping all Italian stocks strong in the spring, by mode- rate feeding, to secure early drones; and as soon as queen cells are formed in my imported stock, I swarm it. As fast as cells are ready, blacks or others are swarmed, and cells intro- duced to the old stocks. The queens all seem very prolific, though not all pure. When raising queens for market, I invariably start them in full stocks. When the cells are sealed, I remove them to a hive of the regular size, but contracted inside by a division board, so as to contain but two or three frames, which are taken from another hive with plenty of bees. I sometimes make one hive answer for the nu- clei, by having entrances at opposite ends and painted different colors. My (pieens raised during the past season were all very large. I now raise none out of the swarming season, although this method is more expensive than the old one I used to practice, of raising them in small boxes, and from May to October. The queens are so much more prolific, that it will pay the extra expense. It seems to me that if more care were taken by some of our leading breeders, to follow na- ture closer than they now do, in the raising of queens, the reputation of the Italians would be far ahead of what it now is. Purity is all very well, but fertility ought to be the first considera- tion. Geokge 0. Goodwin. Danville, P. Q., Canada. [For the American Bee Journal. ] Caution to Beekeepers, in Procuring Italian Queers to Breed from. It seems that bees themselves cannot collect | with impunity honey from noxious flowers, for ! they arc occasionally subject to a disease re- sembling vertigo, from which they d. ' not re- cover, and which is attributed to the poisonous nature of the flowers they have been recently visiting. — Suuckakt. Beekeepers who wish to get pure stock to breed from, to Italianize their apiaries, cannot be too particular as to the responsibility of the parties whom they patronize tor this. We have been imposed on more than a little in this re- spect, having purchased some dozen or more queens, from different breeders, out of which Ave could probably select three or four pure enough to breed from. The evil is not so much in the loss of the outlay, as in the mixed and pervert- ed stock of bees it introduces in our apiaries. True the capacity of these for storing honey is perhaps equal to that of the full bloods ; yet when we obtain them at the cost of the genuine, we are naturally led to expect a realization of the full benefit of expected superiority, not only in point of industry, but in every other desira- ble quality. That the Italians, when pure, ex- cel the others, blacks and hybrids, in beauty of color and peacefulness of character, there can be no doubt. That we must have these points of difference, so peculiarly characteristic of the progeny of some queens Ave haAre obtained, pres- ent in those queen mothers which Ave propa- gate from, if Ave would preserve the species dis- tinct and uncontaminated, is equally true. Therefore every beekeeper who contemplates procuring the Italian variety of bee, for the sake of the benefit of their superiority over our common kind, ought, in justice to the breed, and in deference to his own interest and that ot his neighbors, procure them pure, because in this state ouly will they yield him their full value. We have had a feAV queens in our apia- ry from certain breeders, which, for purity of stock, challenge comparison anyAvhere this side of the Atlantic. Among these there is a queen from the apiary of Adam Grimm, which we ob- tained some time last summer, at a trifle more than the advertised price, and which Ave regard as a most valuable acquisition. Meantime, as avc have a goodly number of colonies to Italian- ize next season, mostly the result of purchases last fall, Ave intend, if Providence permits, to increase our list of queen breeders next season, by accessions from the apiaries of other respons- ible parties. We believe in the utility of a multiplicity of breeders, as an antidote to the injurious consequences of "in-and-in1' breeding. John L. McLean. Richmond, Onio. There is a kind of green honey furnished in Western India, the produce of a bee indigenous to Madagascar, which is remarkable. It is of a thick syrupy consistency, and has a peculiar aroma. It is much esteemed on the peninsula of India, Avherc it bears a high price. Whether its greenness of colon's derived from the flowers which this species frequents, or is incidental to the nature of the bee, has not been ascertained. — Shuckard. Bees are very Lnd of garden and wild mus- tard. 176 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal.] The Professor Alive ! Gallup lias been hitting the Professor pretty hard. In the first place, the object was to find out whether the Professor was alive, &c. lie says that Gallup' a assertions in regard to him, are not true. I sincerely hope they are not. 1 am aware that "hearsay is not evidence." Therefore I wished to call out the Professor. Within the last two years I received about a score of letters unsolicited, asking my opinion of Mr. Flanders — the writers stating that they had been badly cheated by him; that they supposed, as he raised his queens on an island, they con- sequently must be pure, &c. ; but that he palm- ed off impure ones on them. Now, as it is my wish always to say publicly, what I have to say, I can tell what I have been informed about the Professor ; and then he can have a good chance to make all necessary explanations. Two years ago, last spring, I received a flam- ing circular from the Professor, setting forth the advantages of his Kelley's Island Apiary, the purity of his queens, and the advantages of his Beekeepers' Institute, &c, &c. In a few days after I received another circular, from another party located on the above Island. Both circulars claimed that each was the only party having bees on said Island, and both were certified to by a Mr. Carpenter aud others. Be- ing personally acquainted with persons residing on said Island, I took the trouble to inquire in- to matters and things. It appeared from that inquiry, that the Professor did, in the previous season, employ or enter partnership with a Mr. Aaron Benedict, the party from whom I re- ceived the second circular. Mr. Benedict went to the Island and raised the queena. The Pro- fessor was secretary and treasurer; shipped the queens raised on the Island ; and at the same time shipped hybrids or anything that happen- ed to be convenient, from the mainland. When remonstrated with by Mr. Benedict, he replied that "tlie parties receiving the queens in all probability never saw an Italian bee, and if they received a queen in any respect different, or that produced bees differently marked from common black ones, they would be satisfied," or language to that effect. Furthermore, Mr. Benedict raised some seven hundred (700) or eight hundred (800) dollars worth of queens, and the said Secretary of the above-mentioned Beekeepers' Institute pocketed the money — Mr. Benedict receiving "nary red" or "greenback," for his services. In the following season he went to the Island on his own account, and the Professor still sent out his Kelley's Island circu- lar. This accounts for my receiving tioo circu- lars almost at the same time. At this period the Prefessor had no bees on the Island, and consequently his (the Professor's) circular was a sell. Last season, and the season before, the Pro- fessor sent out circulars into the west, stating that he could furnish queens raised from im- ported mothers by Mrs. Tupper. in this State. In that circular there was a certificate purport- ing to come from Mrs. Tupper, stating that his queens were as pure as any in the country, &c. At this time, if I have been rightly informed, Mrs. Tupper had never imported any queens; but the way the Professor obtained queens from Mrs. Tupper, was not the most honorable, in my way of thinking. It appears that he sent a line to Mrs. Tupper requesting an exchange of queens; and Mrs. T. forwarded to him two queens, for which, in course of time, she re- ceived in return one drone laying queen and one hybrid; and she had the satisfaction of pay- in a,- the express charges and taking their heads off! I will state to the readers of the Bee Jour^ nal that I have no personal spite against Mr. Flanders — not in the least. If any one wants to make further inquiries, he can apply to Mr. Aaron Benedict, Bennington, Morrow county, Ohio. Further, if the Professor bad signed M. D. to his name, I never should have called it mule driver. Again, I have never teen any of his graduates of the famous Beekeepers' Insti- tute; and Mr. Benedict is the only one I over- heard of. If I am rightly informed, he gradu- ated with all the honors, and the Professor got all the money. About the Bee Journal's being good to take, I never heard any person say to the con- trary. But, what about the Bee-charm ? Is that good to take? Now to all those asking my advice about procuring queens from the Profes- sor, uiv reply is, if I heard nothing else than only of his selling a bottle of Bee-charm for fifty cents, that, in my estimation, would have been sufficient to condemn him as a man of honor. Elisha Gallup. Osagb, Iowa. P. S. — I have received three letters enquiring whether I do not think that the Professor has been into Kentucky with his Bee-charm, and taken the bees away en masse. If he has, and should attach M. D. to his name in his next cir- cular, it would be an easy matter to interpret it. E. G. Bees are exceedingly susceptible of atmos- pheric changes ; even the passage of a heavy cloud over the sun will drive them home ; and if an easterly wind prevail, however fine the weather may otherwise be, they have a sort of rheumatic abhorence of its influences, and abide at home, of which I have had sometimes awful experience in long unfruitful journics. The cause would seem to be a deficiency of electricity in the air; for if the air be charged and a westerly wind blow, or there be still a sultriness with even an overcast sky, they are actively on the alert, and extremely vivacious. They are made so possihly by the operation of the influence upon their own system "coujuctive- ly with the intensity of its action upon the veg- etable kingdom, and the secretions of the flow- ers, both odorous and nectarian. — Shuckard. In spring particular care must be taken to keep bees from famine, and robbing by other bees. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 177 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. WASHINGTON, MARCH, 18G9. ' The American Bee Journal is now published monthly, in the City of Washington, (D. C.,) at $2 per annum in advance. All com- munications should be addressed to the Editor, at that place. We have received from Mr. Lambrecht, of Bornnm, in the Duchy of Brunswick, two com- munications for the Bee Journal, which we shall translate and insert at an early day. The first is an essay on "the production of the queen bee," in which some novel views are presented, and the subject is treated with much ingenuity. The second is on "the effect of water on the combs and the life of the bees," being a contri- bution to the foulbrood question, in elucidation and support of the views expressed by him in his previously published articles. Those who have empty drone combs will fiud them convenient and useful in feeding rye or oat meal to their bees. Fill the cells on one side of such a comb with meal, and set it slant- ing within the shelter of an open-end box, and the bees will carry off the meal with compara- tively little waste. To attract the bees to the place, some diluted honey poured in an empty comb, should be placed in the box a few days previous, and removed when the meal feeding is to commence. The edges of the cells appear to furnish the bees with the requisite support and facilities for quickly forming the pellets into which they shape the meal when packing it in their baskets. Where a colony of bees is to be fed to keep it from starving, it must be done immediately when it is discovered that impending want ex- ists, and continued regularly, plentifully and perseveiingly, until the opening season enables the bees to supply themselves from natural sources. Yet food should not be furnished so lavishly at any time, as to induce the bees to store it up in the cells in quantity, or lead to a premature production of brood. There is nothing gained in having young bees mature, in a tolerably populous colony, much in advance of the usual honey-gathering season. The heat of the hive will tempt them to fly out at unpro- pituous moments, and many will be chilled and lost. Far better retard brooding to a later pe- riod, so as to have the working tone of the col- ony in full strength and continuous vigor, just when the usually profuse supplies of nature can furnish employment to unlimited numbers. Those who resort to stimulative feeding usu- ally begin too early, and feed too liberally. In the Middle States it is early enough 1o begin about the first of April, and administer small doses, say a spoonful, of diluted honey, in the evening of alternate days, at the mouth of the hive. At a recent meeting' of Hanoverian beekeep- ers, at Celle, Mr. Lehzen, who bad all along professed to regard the Italian bees as in no re- spect superior to the common kind, stated that be bad been induced to change his mind by ob- serving that a rape field situated at a great dis. tance from an apiary, was visited exclusively by Italian bees — thus demonstrating that these enjoyed a wider range of flight than other bees, and could consequently command greater or more diversified resou:ces. Dr. E. Parmly, of New York, has sent us a small phial containing "some bees from Mount Lebanon, said to be closely allied to the Egyp- tian," though, in alcohol, no difference is per- ceptible. Also, "two bees lately received from Ceylon, which are not named. They are smal- ler than the Egyptian, and differently marked." The Board of Superintendents of the New York Central Park are following the example of the Acclimatization Societies of Paris and Berlin, in introducing bees. They have now several Italian colonies ; and have taken active measures to procure other foreign varieties. Seed Catalogue and Floral Guile for 1869.— M. O'Kcefe, Son & Co., the celebrated Seed Importers and Growers, of Rochester, N. Y-, have just published their annual "Cata- logue of Seeds and Guide to the Flower and Vegetable Garden." This new and valuable work contains full descriptions of about fifteen hundred varieties of flowers and vegetables, with instruction for their cultivation, and di- rections in regard to the best use to make of them in laying out parterres, gardens, etc. It 178 THE AMEKICAN BEE JOURNAL. will be sent free on application to M. O'Keefe, Son & Co., Seedsmen and Florists, Rochester, New York. Caution. Mr. Editor : — In the February number of the Journal, we notice that Mr. Hazen has furnished you with a description of his "Eureka hive." We may be premature in conjecturing how it reads ; but we take it for granted that his communication is essentially the same as that he has published in other papers. In those, he says: — "For the central apartment use either comb frames, or bars, at pleasure." It may not be out of place for us to add; for the full information of the readers of the Journal, that the comb frames illustrated in his cuts come under the claims of L. L. Langstroth's Patent, published in lull in the February num- ber of the Journal. The pleasure of those using them in the " Eureka Hive " would be much enhanced by their possessing the "right" to do so, as otherwise they would be liable to damages for the infringement of our Patent. "With the other pans of Mr. Hazen's hive, and with his theories, we have in this place nothing to do, our object being simply to cau- tion the public against the use of our property, either in the "Eureka Hive" or any other, without pacing for it. L. L. Langstroth & Son. Oxford, Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bee Eotany. Mr. Editor: — As the time ofmoft interest to beekeepers is near at hand — the time of blooms and honey gathering — will you permit me to make a suggestion through the pages of your valuable Journal. It is a matter of the highest interest to those who would have an intelligent understanding of the capabilities of our whole country for the production of honey, to know what flowers of value for bee-pasturage grow in the different parts of the country, when, and how long they bloom, and what is their comparative value. I wish therefore to suggest to young readers, that they observe and make a note of — 1. The plants which furnish bee-pasturage — giving their botanical nameswheneverpossible. 2. The period of flowering, and the length of time they are in bloom. 3. The comparative quantity and quality of the honey furnished by different plants. 4. The observations actually made in regard to such plants, as may be cultivated on purpose for honey. If persons in all parts of the United States will make accurate observations, and report them through the pages of the Bee Journal, it will not only interest apiarians, but botanists also, and those in general who study the re- sources ot the country. I will take my own advice, and in due time present to your readers the results. John Husset. Glen Dale, Hamilton Co., Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal.] Novice's one Blunder of 1868. Now, Mr. Editor, and the rest of the know- ing ones, as Mr. Gallup calls them, please don't think, from the above heading, that we call the rest of our work of 1868 perfection. What we mean is, that from our standpoint we see no glaring blunder except the one alluded to — which was as follows : On a bright suuny Sunday afternoon in May, 1868, (now we always intend to respect the Sabbath, but it seems our bees do not; and if they want to swarm, or any of the young queens are ready to hatch, they do not seem to care a cent what calender clocks and theolo- gians have to say about proper days for labor or rest, &c ; but rather the contrary, as though they thought it an excellent opportunity to "show off" their utter disregard for the fixed rules and careful bringing up we have been at so much pains to give them), but to return to that sunny Sunday afternoon, if we can find it, after so long a ramble. We were passing a pleasant hour, reading a chapter in " Dickens" to a friend, when it struck us that we had started some queen cells, or rather had taken the proper steps to induce a colony of bees to do so, just, nine days before, intending to re- move them on the morrow ; and fearing thai some precocious aspirant to royalty might take a fancy to come out before the usual time because it was Sunday, we decided upon an examina- tion and invited our friend, who "knew bees some," to witness the operation. Sure enough, a young queen was just gnaw- ing a hole into the outer and wicked world ; and to prevent her from having the sin of mur- der on her conscience at such an early age, we thought we were excusable in removing temp- tation from her path, even if it was Sunday. Accordingly we removed frames with the ad- hering bees from several strong hives, and inserted the surplus queen cells, being careful as usual to see that we removed no old queen. But as the case Avas urgent, we must confess we ran our eyes over the frames more hurriedly than usual. After getting everything all right, as we thought, we resumed our reading till evening, when we examined our Utica, referred to by Mr. G. and Mr. L., as I said before, there was no trial. They took judgment by default and not upon testi- mony. And, furthermore, the expense of the court was paid by the plaintiff and not by the defendant. In this case against Charles Aus- tin, the plaintiff or his counsel was never ready for a trial, unless it wa9 at the time Mr. Austin did not appear ; and after being baffled several times, the defendant deemed it advisable to pay no more regard to it, as it was not a suit for dam- ages, and if they took judgment by default, it amounted to but little, as long as there was no regular trial. Mr. R. C. Otis, an agent for Mr. Langstroth, commenced proceedings against four other patentees, and myself amongst the number, for infringement on the Langstroth pa- tent. All of these suits were withdrawn by Mr. Otis, and all costs paid by him, as I am inform- ed. I know he paid all costs in the suit against me, and withdrew it. I would further inform these knowing parties that the hive in question at that time, is not the kind of hive that I now use or sell, as the point at issue at that time was the particular manner in which the frames are arranged inside the hive. It was not upon the frame itself, nor was it upon any other part of the hive. I will also state that I now use a frame of a dif- ferent construction, and its arrangement in the hive is altogether different from the one Mr. Austin had in his possession in 1883, and does not interfere at all with Mr. Lang^troth's pa- tent, nor any other man's patent. K. P. Kidder. Burlington, Vt., Feb. 11, 1869. [For the American Bee Journal.] Aphis Honey. Mr. Editor: — I will give you my views of what some call honey dew; and its effects on bees. First, its history. I have been acquainted with a dark-colored substance which the bees gather in the fall of the year, once in six years. It is gathered in the woods in August and September, some years in very large quantity in this sec- tion of the counp-y. Its origin is from an in- sect that lives on the Beech trees, and perhaps on some other trees. It was quite plenty last fall, but the heavy rains in September prevented the bees from gathering as much as they wrould if the weather had been more favorable; though, as it was, they stored some in the boxes, Its Effect on the Bees. It does not appear to hurt them while the weather is mild ; but the first cold spell in De- cember generally brings on dysentery, which proves fatal to a great many colonies, and re- duces others very much. Those that die usu- ally leave an abundance of honey — sufficient to have wintered them, if it had been of good quality. Why Does it Kill the Bees ? I will give you my theory. It is this. As this substance is not a vegetable product, I think there is no sugar in it, and hence is no proper food for bees. It has always proved injurious to them, ever since I first became acquainted wdth it, which is more than thirty years. The Remedy. Empty the honey as fast as it is gathered with a honey-emptying machine, and feed your bees with clover honey. If any of your readers have had an opportu- nity to observe the periods of this insect honey, and the length of time between the periods, I 196 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. should be glad to know what their observa- tions are on the subject. Honey dew is not the right name for the substance which I have tried to describe. I always see dew as clear as dis- tilled water, and should just as soon expect to find a salt deic as a honey dew. Remedy for Bee-Stings. I have found the following to be the best rem- edy that I have ever tried. First, extract the sting ; then wash the part with cold water, rub- bing it well for half a minute ; then rub with a dry towel for half a minute more, then apply about one-fourth of a teaspoonful of spirits of camphor, and rub for another half minute. Morris Smith. New Salem, Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal.] In a private letter received from Mr. J. H. Thomas, he says — " I am much pleased with the Bee Journal. Would not do without it for three times its cost. I feel inclined to with- draw my correspondence from other papers, and write more for the Journal, &c, &c." "My sentiments exactly." Good. Don't let that in- clination die out. We all ought to feel a pride in our own institutions, and if all of our old bee-keepers of large practical experience will contribute something of their views and expe- rience to the columns of the Journal it will become still more interesting. Now, what shall we do to bring out Mr. Quinby, Mr. Lang- stroth, Mr. Baldridge, Mr. Marvin, Mr. Alley, Mr. Cary, Mrs. Tupper, and a host of others ? Here, gentlemen and ladies, I will give you a very polite invitation to contribute some of your experience in bee-keeping for the Bee Journal ; and if you do not accept the invita- tion, I do not know but I shall send Gallup after you with a sharp stick, to challenge you to open an ink fight on the bee question. I will freely give up my space in the Journal to more experienced pens. E. Gallup. Osage, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal.] Red Clover and Italian Bees. Numerous articles have already been written on the subject — some writers contending that Italian bees gather honey plentifully from this plant, and others maintaining the contrary. Pos- sibly I may be able to submit some observations that will conduce to an elucidation of this seem- ing puzzle. Red clover belongs to an order of plants yielding honey only in peculiarly favorable states of weather. Even the other clovers do not at all times secrete honey when in bloom. Hence when the largest fields of red clover are in blossom, but the blossoms do not secrete honey, it is of course impossible for the bees to gather any therefrom. But whenever the wea- ther is favorable to the secretion of honey, and the nectaries of the blossom are filled therewith, these will be visited by the bees — not indeed by the Italians alone, but by the black bees also, though the latter will be the smaller num- ber. On the other hand, when honey is not secreted in the blossoms, we shall not only see no bees upon them, but also no humble bees, no butterflies or other other honey-loving insects. Last spring the white clover in this neighbor- hood was not visited by bees before the 20th of June, simply because till then the blossoms contained no nectar. The same was found to be the case with Swedish clover, in several places last summer. I will also notice a striking instance of Ital- ian versus black bees. Last summer I had a field of late buckwheat close to my apiary, which yielded honey plentifully for some time. Though I had then only a few stocks of black bees remaining, the great majority of the bees visiting the buckwheat were blacks — the Italians finding at that time ample and more acceptable pasturage elsewhere, though at a greater dis- tance. Whether this was red clover or some other blooming plant, \ am unable to say ; but know that they very speedily refilled the emp- tied combs returned to them. Buckwheat, too, belongs to an order of plants, yielding honey plentifully only at favorable times and on favor- ble soils — furnishing as far as I am aware, the largest supplies only on sandy soils. The ouly blossom which here yields honey on every kind of soil and season, is that of the Liuden tree, though the quantity varies in different years. In conclusion, I remark that our bees are wintering well here, being apparently healthy, and gratifying expectations of good results next summer. Hitherto the weather has been mild and fine. W. Wolf. Jefferson, Wis., Feb. 1. [For the American Bee Journal.] Extraordinary Swarming. Mr. Editor : — Please oblige a subscriber by inserting in the Journal the following account of natural swarming that surpasses anything I have heard of in this country. Last spring I had a hive of black bees, which produced an increase of fifteen swarms in the following way. The old stock swarmed May 4th, 10th, 18th, and 20th. These swarms were put in hives full of comb. The first or prime one sent off four swarms in May and June. These were hived and did well. The one that came off May 10th swarmed twice in June ; the one that came off May 18th sent out two swarms; the one of May 20th one swarm. The old stock again swarmed twice in August, and gave me fifty pounds of honey. Twelve of these swarms stored honey enough to winter. George Strickland. Dayton, N. Y. Unless they are hurt, provoked, or affronted, bees seldom make use of their stings. TIIE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 19' THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. WASHINGTON, APRIL, 1869. EIF*Teie American Bee Journal is now published monthly, in the City of Washington, (D. C.,) at $2 per annum in advance. All com- munications should be addressed to the Editor, at that place. We have devoted nearly all our space, this month, to our correspondents, though without exhausting our files. A large number of articles remain on hand, which shall have early atten- tion. G3P" We are indebted to Mr. Woodbury, of Mount Radford, (Eug. ) for the account, in our last number, of the first day's proceedings of the German Bee-Masters' Convention at Darm- stadt. The proper acknowledgement was inad- vertently omitted in " making up." IGiPA meeting of beekeepers will be held on the 7th and 8th of April, at the Board of Trade Hall, Jackson, Michigan, to organize a Bee- keepers' Association, and to discuss matters pertaining to bee-culture. A cordial invitation to attend is extended, by tbe Committee of Arrangements, to beekeepers from adjoining States and from Canada. Mr. Grimm, of Jefferson, Wisconsin, sent us a box of honey, gathered from red clover, last season, by his Italian bees. It had a slight pink tinge, and a peculiar, though not unplea- sant, taste and odor. There seems to be no doubt that the Italians can gather honey from the blossoms of this species of clover, as even the common bees can do so, when it is growing in poor soil in a dry season. But how abundant the yield is, in ordinary circumstances, remains to be ascertained. We are pleased to learn that the good people of Wenham, (Mass.) refused to sustain the town meeting resolution, banishing bees from their bounds. The marvel was that, in these days, such exclusion should be thought of or at- tempted anywhere ; but, in view of the argu- ments advanced in its support by some of its advocates, of which a correspondent gives us a specimen, we may cease to wonder. EST* A chemical analysis of the jelly with which the larvce of worker bees are fed, was made by Dr. Donhoff, about fiftsen years ago. He found its principal constituents to be albumen and fihrine, with minute portions of wax and sugar — which latter he regarded as non-essen- tials, and as accidentally present. He judged tho jelly to be an animal secretion furnished by a gland in the gullet, as pollen is never found in the stomach of the bee. This analysis was not considered altogether satisfactory or reliable ; but we are not aware that any other has since been made. Bees' Saliva. Bees usually moisten the pollen or meal slight- ly with saliva, as they gather it, to enable them to form it into pellets. The salivary glands of the workers are very largely developed, and the secretion of saliva is rapid and abundant. This saliva has been regarded as an acid, but we in- cline to believe that it will be found to be an alkali. In comb-building it is obviously used to render the newly-produced wax plastic, and, at the same time, it probably gives to the wax its pure white color — precisely such as results from dissolving yellow wax in a solution of pearlash. A further fact in support of this conjecture is this, that the alkalies readily decompose grape sugar (the chief constituent of honey,) produc- ing formic acid, which is identical with the poi- son of the honey bee. If the saliva is an alkali, the production of the venom is easily accounted for. Value of Pollen or Meal. Our correspondent, Novice, is by no means singular in the opinion that a saving of honey is some way effected, when bees are supplied with meal in the spring, as a substitute for pollen. Dzierzon says — " Much honey is undoubtedly saved, by means of pollen, in the preparation of jelly ; for we see masses of brood maturing in the spring, without finding the store of honey much reduced, when bees are fed with meal." Of meal feeding, Mr. Bartels says, in the Bienenzeitung, " It is always very beneficial when there is a scarcity of pollen, whether the bees use it for their own sustenance or for the nourishment of brood. Much honey is thereby saved." In the spring of 1857, the Baron ot Berlepsch fed to his 106 colonies about 360 lbs of flour, or, on an average, 3 lbs. 7 oz. per hive, and remarks — "I am satisfied that by this feeding my stocks 198 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. not only became populous, but that an extraordi- nary saving of honey was thereby effected. When I commenced feeding meal, my hives contained but little honey, the year 1856 having been an extremely poor one, and I calculated on having to furnish at least 300 or 400 pounds of sugar candy to sustain the bees. But thence- forward their stores of honey decreased very slowly, and I found that only eleven pounds of candy were needed." We have had no opportunity ourselves to in- vestigate these matters, because our bees al- ways procure pollen from natural sources so early in the spring as to render meal feeding unnecessary. [For the American Bee Journal.] That Bee Disease— Wintering Bses. Mr. Editor ; — It may be gratifying to the readers of your Journal, to hear of one place where bees are not dying off, or taking wing by night for parts unknown (not as they did in Kentucky, but) as they did in the Louisville Democrat. The season of 1868 was by no means a favor- ble one for bees in this section. In fact, it ap- pears to be admitted from all parts of the coun- try, that the spring and summer of 1868 were remarkable for the small amount of honey se- creted in the flowers. Yet in this locality (Western Pennsylvania) we were able to secure some surplus honey and a moderate increase of colonies. This is true of the Italians — the blacks not doing so well. And what I wish to say is, our bees are not dying off. About the 1st of December I put one hundred and nine Italian colonies into winter quarters (a cheap structure built for the purpose); and on the 12th and 13th of February I replaced them on their summer stands. The 13th being a very tine day, with the mercury at from 60° to 65° F., they improved the occasion for a "good airing." The weather then becoming cold, I returned them again to their winter quarters, where they can pass in comfort this cold weather — the mer- cury at this date (March 5) falling to 8° below zero. I have not lost a swarm, and do not ex- pect to lose any. I have had some experience in managing bees in this locality, and have never known a case of foulbrood, or a stock of bees to die of disease, but have known veiy many to die of famine. I had the privilege of examining the bees in one locality in Indiana last October, and while I could detect no indication of disease, I found a great destitution of stores — some swarms still alive, but not an ounce of honey in their hive. The stocks and swarms were very much reduced in number, caused, I have no doubt, by neces- sity compelling them to forage, and flying to great distances, as well as entering many for- bidden places, such as cellars, kitchens, grocer- ies, and returning no more. Also, by going forth when the weather was too cold for them to return. I have often observed my bees, during cool and cloudy days, when the buck- wheat Avas in blossom, become chilled and drop by thousands on the sidewalks, fences, standing corn, leaves of trees, and in fact anywhere they chanced to alight, and their return would de- pend altogether upon the sun shining out during the day sufficient to warm them into activity. And now, Mr. Editor, I wish to say in con- clusion that, should you ever conclude to brush off the dust of the editorial sanctum and sally forth to rusticate in the country (which you ought to do — who seconds the motion ?) there is one little village nestling among the hills of Western Pennsylvania, in the beautiful valley of the Brokenstraw, on the line of the P. and E. R. R, where you may be sure of finding at least one latch-string out, around whose door the in- defatigable Italians (with yellow tapering ab- domens) are plying the busy wing in bringing in the nectar from hill and vale, through all the bright days of spring and summer. Long live the American Bee Journal! W. J. Davis. YOUNGSVILLE, Pa. [For tbe American Bee Journal ] About that Bee Disease. I concur with the editor of the Bee Journal that the disease is not likely to have been caused by the want of bee-bread. If want of bee- bread would cause it, my home apiary would have been destroyed before this time. A careful examination of a number of colon- ies, a year ago last fall, disclosed the fact that my bees had not stored bee-bread of any ac- count. The greater number of stocks had either none, or not over a few dozen cells of it. And this year all those colonies that continued breed- ing uninterruptedly to the end of the season, have not a particle of bee-bread. Yet they appear perfectly healthy up to this time — just as healthy as at any other season before ; but they have not commenced breeding yet, while stocks in my southern apiary, with plenty of bee-bread, have brood in all stages. In the month of March, last year, none of the stocks in my home apiary had moic than a hand's breadth of brood, yet remained perfectly healthy. But I once noticed something very similar to the reported bee disease. At the beginning of the month of October, 1861, my bees appeared to be very busily at work on something, coming back heavy laden — though I did not find out from what they were gathering. On the 15th of the month, I carried those bees into my house cellar, which is a good deal warmer than my present wintering cellar. A week later I went clown to examine whether they had quieted down, when, to my hoiror, I found the bottom of the cellar thickly strown with dead bees ; and I heard and saw others continually coming out of the hive and fly off. I remarked to my wife that if the bees continued to die as fast as during the week just past, I would not have a hive left in two weeks. These bees appeared THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 193 very large, the abdomen being greatly distended and filled either with thin foeces or honey. I tasted the latter, but could not detect any strange taste in it. I had no doubt those bees had died in consequence of the use of the honey then recently gathered. This honey, however, seemed not to have lasted long, or was speedily purified by the warmth of the cel- lar, for a week later the bees appeared to be perfectly healthy and quiet. From the reported behavior of the diseased bees last fall, I should judge that they had gath- ered some unhealthy honey, and died from the use of it. I am confirmed in this view of the case by an occurrence in the year 1862. For about two weeks, in the month of June, in that year, my bees gathered a large amount of Loney from honey dews, and the hives speedily became very heavy. One day, while examining the amount of brood in a hive that previously swarmed, I discovered a few cells of foulbrood, and became greatly alarmed. I immediately examined every old stock, and finding a few foulbroody cells in each hive, I feared I should loose all of them ; but this was not the case. Basswood trees commenced blooming on the 8th of July, and continued about three weeks. The bees gathered a large amount of honey from this source; and on further examination, Iceuld find no more foulbrood. A large number of those stocks are still alive, though I took up some forty of them last fall. I wintered them in the cellar, bottom side up, and they appeared to do very well till they commenced using the honey gathered from honey dew. They then seemed to be affected with the same disease from which my bees had suffered in the fall of of 1861. They flew out continually, with the abdomen greatly enlarged, and died. Out of over sixty colonies, nine died out entirely, and of about twenty the population was so greatly reduced that it took them until June to recover. Young swarms that came out while the basswood was in blossom were not at all affected by the disease, remaining perfectly healthy. I am entirely satisfied that houey col- lected from honey dew was, at least in this in- stance, the cause of all the evil. Now, while I think I have discovered the cause of the disease with my bees, I have so far used no remedy. But should they again gather much honey from honey dew, I will drive or transfer every swarm into an empty hive at the time the basswood blossoms come in. Can Bees be Poisoned ? Some of my German bee books state that it can be done, and they state too hoio it can be done ; but I would aot recommend the how, lest, some mischievous beekeeper should take it in his head to destroy his neighbor's bees, when his own are being robbed. But I know some- thing that, if fed to bees, would make them foulbroody in three weeks' time. Yet I would not for any price communicate how it can be done ; and sincerely hope that others who may know the secret will not disclose it. [For the American Bee Journal . ] Markings, and a Query. A. Grimm. Jefferson, "Wis. Mr. Editor ; — My bees are flying out to day as in the spring of the year. We have had a warm winter so far, and our bees have not been prevented from flying longer than a week at a time, and rarely more than three days. Sometime ago I received from the author '■^Kretchmers' Beekeepers'1 Guide Book, which, although devoted to the interest of the Cham- pion hive, contains a great deal of valuable in- formation for beekeepers. His description of the Italian bee is the best that I have seen. On page 109, he says : — "The worker bees, if pro- duced by a pure queen fertilized by a pure Ital- ian drone, have the upper half of three abdomi- nal rings of a bright yellow color, the segment joining the abdomen to the thorax being the first. When young, the body is covered with a deli- cate coat of hair, giving the entire body a light appearance ; when older, this hair begins to wear off and the bee attains a glossy black ap- pearance. * * * "When filled with honey, or extremely distended from other causes, some workers occasionally show even a part of their fourth abdominal ring slightly marked." This description exactly suits my Italian bees, the queen of which I purchased from Mr. Lang- stroth last summer, and was assured by him that she is pure and purely fertilized. All our bee authors tell us in transferring brood or queen cells from one hive to another, not to expose them too long to the sun or air, for fear they would be killed. But none of them tell us how long it will take to kill eggs or larvae thus exposed. Do you not suppose that in a majority of cases where transferred queen cells are destroyed by the bees, it is because the inmates have already perished from exposure ? With an earnest prayer for the success of the Journal, and aDy amount of sunshine for our dear little friends the bees, I am truly yours, J. W. Cole. Andrew Chapel, Tenn., Jan. 4, 1869. [For the American Bee Journal.] King Birds and Bees. Mr. Editor : — I saw in the Bee Journal an article relating to king birds. Now, sir, I have seen the king bird catch worker bees, while these were gathering honey from white clover. I have seen them dart down and catch bees when they were on the blossom of the white clover. I also saw them catch bees last spring, before any drones had made their ap- pearance. I shot one, and found worker bees in his gizzard, and I will shoot all the kingbirds that I see around my apiary. There is another bird, smaller than the king bird, that destroys a good many bees. Whoever does not believe let him go in the vicinity of white clover in blossom, where king birds are found, and he will witness the same facts as I have done. R. Miller. Rochelle, Ills. 200 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal. ] Corrections and Explanations. In my description of the honey-emptying ma- chine, on page 144, are some small errors which I wish to correct. In "bill of stock," No. 3, should be four pieces instead of three pieces. No. 11, should be 7^ x 1| x f . In the ninth paragraph, last sentence, insert "have a'' between should and hole. In the last sentence of paragraph 16, read ears instead of ends. These are made of strips of tin one inch wide, with double edges, looped and soldered to the outside aud inside of the can. They project § of an inch above the top of the piece 10, and small wooden pins extend- ing through these hold this immovably. In the diagram substitute 6 in place of 5, just above the smaller screen. I have found no difficulty in making the combs stay in place ; but, if necessary, a small wooden pin would be found amply sufficient. It could be inserted in one of the posts. J. L. Hubbard. Walpole, N. H. [For the American Bee Journal.] Use of Camphor to Stop Robbing. On account of the great number of stocks I kept in one cellar, I was compelled, on winter- ing them out, to remove only a portion of them in one day, to prevent the bees from mixing up too much. Those taken out first were conse- quently prepared to go to work when those last removed were brought out, and they attempted to rob the latter. When this was discovered, they had already got a good start on some of the stocks; aud I was puzzled how to arrest the robbery. At this time I had purchased a small parcel of camphor for some other purpose, and it struck me that I might stir up the sluggish and inactive stocks which suffered themselves to be robbed without resistance, by inserting a small piece of camphor in the entrance of their hives. I immediately did so, and was not a lit- tle pleased to find that the effect was to frighten the robbers, and to arouse the inmates of the hive to vigorous resistance till they drove off every strange bee. A week later, when I wintered out the bees of my northern apiary, (all of which were taken out in one day), one weak colony was violently attacked by robbers. I pushed a piece of camphor through the entrance, and had the pleasure of seeing the same result. Attempts at robbery had entirely ceased next day, although this colony proved to be queenless on examina- tion about three weeks later. I trust this hint may be of service to some of the readers of the Bee Journal. A. Grimm. Jefferson, Wis. [For the American Bee Journal.] Ventilating the Langstroth Hive. The movable comb hives which I got up after the Langstroth model, have no ventilating ap- paratus in the rear ; but I ventilate those hives more effectually than they could be by the Lang- stroth ventilator. The caps or cover boxes of my hives are half an inch longer than would be necessary to cover the hives ; and consequently allow the honey- board to be moved towards the front sufficiently to open the hind end of the hive | inch. Taking away the entrance blocks, the air passes between every frame from the bottom to the top and out at the rear end. • Tjbe cover box is then lifted up one inch at the back end, and an entrance block put between it and the hive. Should the cover boxes not allow a forward movement of the honey-board, two | inch thick sticks put between it and the hive, would have the same effect. Bees in hives so ventilated did not lay out in the hottest weather last summer. Jefferson, Wis. A. Grimm. [For the American Bee Journal.]. Singular Case. About the beginning of the month of July last, I caged a queen bee for the purpose of raising another. In the hurry of business this queen was overlooked for nearly a month. After basswood blossoms were over I happened to ex- amine that hive again, and found the queen alive, but both her wings were missing, and a young queen at liberty, which had just com- menced laying. I concluded to divide the stock for an experiment. When this was done, I set the caged queen free in the queenless part. About ten days afterwards I examined both stocks again, and in the hive in which I had placed the wingless queen, I found a young queen just hatched, and several queen cells torn open, together with a large amount of brood of nearly all ages. Not finding the wingless qJaeten, I concluded that she had been superseded by the workers. About a week later I re-examined the hive, and found the young queen very slender and apparently unimpregnaied, but the combs contained eggs, larvre, and sealed brood in plenty. After a careful search, I discovered my wingless queen on a brood comb, and immedi- ately removed her. Two days later the young queen had commenced laying. All this, how- ever, would not have presented anything strik- ingly curious to me. About nine days later, I happened to think of this stock of bees, and con- cluded to take another look inside. I found the latter queen laying, with a large amount oi' larvae and sealed brood, and a number of sealed queen cells. I removed the queen and gave her to a queenless colony ; but she was proba- bly killed, as I found no trace of her after- wards. Can any one explain the singular behavior of this stock of bees V Were there two parties o* bees in the hive, and did each maintain its in- dependency ? Or was the last taken queen im- perfect too, though not showing it in her appear- ance. A. Grimm. Jefferson, Wis. EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Vol. IV. MAY, 18G9. No. 11. iTranslated for the Bee Journal. 1 Convention of German Beekeepers, at Darmstadt, September, 1868. [Further asd Final Sketch.] On the morning of the second day, after a somewhat protracted preliminary discussion, it was decided hy the Convention that, as com- pensation for making public his method of se- curing the pure fertilization of queen bees, the Rev. "Mr. Kohler was entitled to receive the contributions of Geiman beekeepers, deposited in the hands of the Editor of the Bienenzeilung. There was much difference of opinion among the members about this matter ; and, though a large majority voted to authorize the payment, several protested strongly against the decision. Introduction of Queens. The President then presented a letter from Mr. Uhie, communicating a process for the safe and speedy introduction of queen bees — which is substantially as follows : Remove the queen of a colony, and feed the bees with diluted sugar water freshly scented with grated nutmeg. When the bees have freely partaken of this, dip the queen intended to be introduced into the scented solution, and immediately set her at liberty among the bees on a brood comb. This should be done in the evening, just be- fore dusk, because the bees are then naturally more disposed to accept an offered stranger than earlier in the day; and because the odor of the scented sugar Avater might attract robbers, if fed either in the morning or at noon. The queen is to be dipped into the scented sugar water, primarily to impart the same smell which the bees have acquired from it ; but like- wise to tame and subdue her, so that she may not act wildly and try to escape when introduced among the bees, but be as it were constrained to accept the caresses and homage of her new subjects. When introducing a queen, she should not be seized or held by her wings, but be grasped gently by the thorax with the thumb and fore- finger. A queen held by the wings is apt to struggle and rush rashly among and over the bees when let go, and thus deporting herself as a stranger, she incurs the risk of being regarded and treated as such by the bees, and may be either mutilated or killed. If the bees are in top-opening hives, the scented sugar water may be poured directly into the cells of one side of every partially empty comb, and the feeding and scenting of them may thus be promptly effected, even while the operator is searching for the queen intended to be removed. This process of course admits of variations and modifications, such as will readily suggest themselves to intelligent beekeepers. The fourth and fifth questions in regular course, were not taken up for discussion, as their proposers did not happen to be in attendance. The sixth questioo, relating to the production of hermaphrodite bees, elicited some remarks from Prof. Leuckart and Mr. Dzierzon, which we pass over, as the subject is one of little im- portance in practical beeculture. The considera- tion of questions 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and la, was like- wise postponed by the Convention, from want of time, or for other reasons, and the thirteenth question was taken up. This was an inquiry whether experience had demonstrated the superior value of movable combs in beecul- ture, and what influence the invention of the honey-emptying machine was likely to exert on this pursuit. Dr. Pollman remarked that the first branch of the question could no longer be properly brought up for discussion in a general conven- tion of beekeepers, inasmuch as bee culture had already reached a point in its progress far in ad- vance of the position which it occupied when movable combs were introduced — and solely be- cause of such introduction. The subject was no longer debateable, since we have on every hand the evidet ce of facts showing what can be accomplished by the use of such means, and what is unattainable without them. The honey-emptying machine was highly ex- tolled, as the complementary invention which placed within reach of the beekeeper a supply of empty combs, which the movable comb system 202 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. had made a desideratum ; and as conducing to the further improvement and advancement of practical beeculture. The Rev. Mr. Kohler re- marked that as the introduction of movable combs was an improvement in the ratio of tioo to one, so the invention of the honey-emptier might he considered as a further advance in the ratio of four to one. A doubt having been expressed whether the machine could be used for extracting either candied honey, or the tough, viscid honey gather- ed from blooming heather, Dr. Pollmau stated that this could be done, the difficulty having been overcome by a young man residing in his neighborhood, who Immersed in tepid water the combs containing such honey, which then readily yielded to the action of the ma- chine. The inventor, Major Von Hruschka, being present, stated that he deemed it practicable to extract such honey by the machine without im- mersing the combs. He had made some recent improvements in his invention, and among them was an arrangement for warming the combs by the use of a spirit lamp, which en- abled him to operate the machine in cool wea- ther, and even in winter ; and he doubttd not that he could thus extract candied or viscid honey. By a further improvement now in pro- gress, he expected to be able to dispense with the uncapping of the cells; and thus a trouble- some and tedious operation would be got rid of. Major Von II was requested to report the re- sults of his experiments in the Bienenzeitung; which he promised to do if he succeeded in ren- dering the uncapping unnecessary. Making Artificial Colonies. Question 14 regarded the best mode of mak- ing artificial colonies. Dr. Pollmam said he would communicate his process. " I have only one apiary," said he, 41 though I make artificial colonies. I usually make them with the queen. I take from a pop- ulous colony several combs with brood, on one of Avhich the queen is seen. I transfer these to an empty hive, add some empty combs, and set the hive on the stand of the parent stock, re- moving the latter to some other part of the apiary. If this is done when the weather is tine and while the bees are flying briskly, we may feel assured that before night all the old bees will have left the parent hive and joined the new colony. This latter has the queen aud a supply of empty combs in which she may at once proceed to deposite eggs and the old work- ers may forthwith store honey. The parent stock, too, is speedily recuperated from the brood it contains, which is maturing from day to day ; and as in the best days of summer the queen lays from 2,000 to 3,000 eggs daily, a cor- responding number of bees will issue daily, and thus speedily repopulate it, though all the old bees that leave fail to return. In the course of a week it will have recovered its normal number, and resume its pristine activity. " Mr. Ilempel remarked that, with some modi- fication, he regarded the process just described as one of the best in use. " I have," said he, " for some time past, made my artificial colonies mainly in this manner, though for convenience I make some changes. 1 do not remove the parent hive, because in some cases that would be diffl. cult, if not impracticable ; but I remove all the combs. That'is, I transfer all the combs from the parent stock to an empty hive, catching the queen and retu.ning her to the old hfve, and placing her among the bees remaining there. All the bees which had previously flown out, will speedily return to the parent hive, and, with those remaining there, soon cons'itute a strong swarm, which I am careful to furnish with plenty of worker guide comb. An artificial colony thus made will build as freely and rapid- ly as a natural one. The transferred stock, too, placed on a new stand in another part of the apiary, though the bees cease flying for a few- days, will thrive satisfactorily, having a store of honey, and nearly all the young bees, with plenty of maturing brood from which its numbers will be rapidly reinforced. When old slocks thus treated are as populous as they should be to jus- tify division, artificial colonies can in this way be best and most easily made, no second or distant apiary beiug required. " Mr. Dzierzon observed that it was hardly possible to say which is the most unexception- able mode of making artificial colonies, as, in every case, much depends on the kind of hive employed and on various attending circum- stances. "I have," said he, " several objec- tions to the mode just recommended, by which the combs are transferred and the older bees return to their late home, uniting with the arti- ficial colony there, which retains the queen. I have learned from experience that a queen so situated is apt to be killed by some of her own bees, returning from the new location on the sec- ond or third day. The most advantageous mode unquestionably is that which most closely re- semb.es natural swarming; namely, driving or drumming out, when the driven swarm can he sent to a distant apiary. If this cannot be done, other modes must of course be resorted to, such as that proposed by the second speaker, as Ave then have the queen aud bees together immedi- ately, and need not wait for a gradual accession of numbers to constitute a colony." Mr. Hempel remarked that, of course, he made his artificial colonies only on days when the bees were flying briskly, wrhen assuredly very few old bees will remain with the trans- ferred stock, because the absence of the queen causes alarm and excitement among them, in- ducing them to leave and return to their old stand on the same day. Long as lie had prac- ticed this method, he had never lost a queen thereby. Form and Size of Hive. Question 15. What is the preferable form and size of a hive — more especially of the brood- ing apartment ? Mr. Klipstein, who had pro- posed this question, said that reasons deduced from physical laws had, on a former occasion, led to the conclusion that a globular form of hive, or some near appioximaiion thereto, fur- nished the most suitable and best brooding apartment. To restate those laws and reeapitu- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 203 late the arguments then employed, would be out of place here. But there are certain proposi- tions which, though quite correct in theory, must necessarily undergo various modifications in their practical application. " Though I have employed the term brooding apartment here," said he, "the gist of the question, from the very nature of the case, involves the whole correct in regarding a body approximating t\ globular form as losing least heat by radiation. But that is not the sole requisite in a bee hive. Other considerations likewise demand attention. The material used in the construction of a hivo is one of these. This may be of such a heat- retaining quality that an excellent domicile for bees may be made therefrom, though in form it wintering space required by a colony, for on ' be an ill-adapted structure. It should, further- the form and dimensions of that, in combina- | more, be borne in mind that the heat-retaining lion with the structure, internal and external, of ; property of a hive depends not so much on the the other portions of the hive, will the perma- nent prosperity of the colony ultimately depend. Hence the winte?ing space has an important bearing on the brooding space, because its size nud adaptedness chiefly determine how early brooding will begin in the latter, and to what extent it will be carried, before the commence- ment, of sprang. This of course refers mainly to colder districts and the winter season. In milder districts and duriugthe warmer seasons, the size and form of the brooding space is of much less importance." Mr. Klipstein then proceeded to discuss the subject of size and form of hive from this point, of view, and with reference mainly to the assumed requisites, and concluded by stating as the result of his inves- tigation, that for safe wintering, early and ex- tensive brooding, ease of management, and suitable storage room, a hive should be ten in- ches square in the clear, or nearly so, and at most fourteen inches high. In all this, doubt- less, Mr. K. had reference to the district of country in which he resides, intending that his figures should indicate the proportional dimen- sions of a hive presenting a square cross-sec- tion, and preserving the most attainable approx- imation to the globular form — his ideal of com- pleteness. Mr. Dathe stated that formerly, while resid- ing in Saxony, in a district where fall pasturage is scarce, he used hives ten inches square and fifteen inches high. But when he removed to Hanover, he found that such hives were too large for profitable bee culture there, -as the bees swarmed much later from them, and then more frequently than was desirable; and he came to the conclusion that a medium sized colony, as being less prone to swarm in summer, would be preferable. The result of experiments in Ibis direction showed that smaller sized combs were more rapidly built and more speedily filled with brood, and that the bees swarmed earaer in the spring from such hives. He therefore adopted reduced dimensions, mak- ing h's hives nine inches square and fourteen inches high, in the clear. Whether these di- mensions were well suited for districts having more ample spring pasturage, he would not un- dertake to say, leaving that to be ascertained by beekeepers residing in such districts. Dr. Pollman said that on the Lower Rhine, where he lived, frames nine inches broad had been commonly used heretofore ; but that of late frames ten or eleven inches broad appeared to be preferred. Shallow frames, too, had been discarded, some practitioners now making them sixteen inches high — which he regarded as run- ning to the other extreme. Mr. Kohler remarked that Mr. Klipstein was quadrangular form of its cross-section, as on the number and due length of the interspaces between the combs, in which the bees dispose themselves. The more we increase the breadth of a hive, the more, under like circumstances, will we decrease the number of interspaces and extend them in length — thereby making the hive really colder, so far as the bees are con- cerned, though in other respects it may seem to be rendered warmer. Again, a hive of bees is not merely a body which has absorbed a certain quantity of heat, and diffuses it again. It is likewise a continuously heat-generating body ; and the heat thus generated flows mainly up- ward, in accordance with a simple natural law. Hence, if we would construct a hive on proper principles, we must introduce the greatest pos- sible number of interspaces, and arrange that the bees in consuming their stores may move regularly upward, always finding a stratum of warm air overhead. If I am now asked what the average dimen- sions of a hive should be, I can only reply that that depends much on the amount of bee pas- turage commonly available, in the given dis- tricts where the hive is to be used. In one dis- trict, large and populous colonies must be pvo- vided for and maintained, if any surplus honey is to be secured. In another, such large colon- ies are objectionable, because there the pastur- age usually available demands a different mode of management, and renders hives of a different construction indispensable. The point, there- fore, on which the question hinges among estab- lished apiariaus, seems to be this — are we to pass over from the use of apparently too small dimensions to larger ones ? or, as the converse may be, from seemingly too large dimensions to smaller ones ? I, however, regard it as of doubtful expediency in any case, for a beekeeper who has already in use a number of hives of uniform size, to make a change either way — thereby introducing hives of varying dimen- sions in his apiary. In large establishments this may not be so objectionable ; but he who operates on a small scale only, will encounter so many difficulties and annoyances from such diversity of dimensions, as will more than neu- tralize any advantages derived or expected from the change. He, however, who is just starting an apiary, if residing in a district where bee pasturage is ordinarily abundant, though of brief duration, will do well to adopt hives with frames not more than eleven inches long; and if his district furnishes less abund- ant though more protracted pasturage, frames not more than pine inches long will be found preferable. Mr. Hempel said he uses bars exclusively in- 204 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. stead of frames, and the experience of years had satisfied him that, for his purposes, hives ten inches wide and twelve inches high were the most suitable, in his district. He had for- merly used hives only ten inches high, but his bees wintered hadly in them, as they could not store sufficient honey overhead for winter con- sumption, and were consequently constrained to lodge and move along the sidewalls. Higher hives were therefore to be preferred ; and last summer he could have wished that his own wore somewhat higher than they are. The bees having stored up honey very abundantly, have so largely encroached thereby on their usual wintering space, as to reduce it to a min- imum— a result which may prove injurious to them. Mr. Deiehert remarked that in assigning di- mensions, Sir. Klipstein appeared to have refer- ence exclusively to single hives. Where double hives and pavilions are used, some modification will be indispensable. In these the bees, during winter, lodge against the common partition, and great width of chamber would consequent- ly be objectionable, especially if containing small colonies ; because in winter much vapor would be condensed in the vacant spaces, and during a cold spell the bees could not reach the honey there stored. In pavilions, therefore, and in double or twin hives, a reduction of breadth and an incrense of height will be advi- sable. When determining the dimensions of his own hives, he had been governed by the ex- perience of Mr. Dzierzon, and adopted nine in- ches and a half for their breadth, and fourteen inches for their height. In such hives his bees had uniformly wintered well. Question 19 referred to the expediency of holding a honey mart annualljr, in connection with the General Convention of Beekeepers ; and inquired what arrangements would be needed for that purpose. Mr. Hopf, who suggested the project, appear- ed to be its sole advocate. He conceived that the advance and the increasing importance of bee culture made it desirable that some increas- ed farilities for the disposal of its products should be provided. Only one mart for honey existed in Germany now, and that was held an- nually on Maundy Thursday in the city of Bres- Iau, at a time consequently which is inconven- ient for those who use movable comb hives, as their honey is ready for market in July, Au- gust, and September. The annual meeting of the Beekeepers' Convention occurs at a more suitable period, and a mart conducted under its auspices would lead to extensive sales at fair prices, and thus create increased attention to this fascinating pursuit. The proposition how- ever did not meet with encouragement, and the Convention proceeded to consider one of the deferred items: Question 11, which was an inquiry whether the heatu bee of Germany is a distinct race, or a mere casual variety of the honey bee. Prof. Leuckart contended that it was not in any re- spect essentially different from the common kind, and that its peculiar characteristics or ap- parently distinguishing qualities are due solely to local causes. His view was sustained by Mr. Dathe and Dr. Pollman ; but a communication from Mr. Gravenhorst (who was unable to he present) was read, in which the claims of this bee, to be regarded as a distinct race, were fully set forth and ably discussed. What primarily called his special attention to these bees, was the circumstance that when movable comb hives were first brought to his notice, and he attempted to use them, he failed of success. For this failure he could not account, inasmuch as he had followed the instructions of the ablest masters, and was fully convinced of the superi- ority of the hives and the system. But later, when he had opportunity to see and compare these bees with others brought from distant sections of the country, the conviction was forced on him that the heath bee was really a distinct race. He then stated his reasons for this belief, in an essay published in the Hanover Centralblalt, in the spring of 1868 ; and the Baron of Berlepsch subsequently expressed his concurrence in this belief, in a communication sent to the Bieneivzeitung, saying inter alia, that " in form and coloring, that is, zoologically viewed, the heath bee is entirely identical Avith our common bees ; but she possesses some such charactistic differences as entitle her to be re- garded as a distinct race." These special peculiarities of the heath bees, Mr. Gravenhorst finds solely and wholly in a more decidedly impressed disposition to swarm, and its correlative consequences. The chief points are — 1. Young queens will leave with and accom- pany a swarm, like old ones, even when the hive is not yet half filled with combs. 2. Young queens will swarm even in the same year in which they are reared. 3. If all the queen cells but one be destroyed on the ninth or tenth day, the young queen will, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, swarm out with a portion of the bees — leaving the parent stock queenless. This is an essen- tial feature, according to Mr. G., to whom it was an interesting sight last summer — when all the native queen cells had been destroyed in a number of his colonies, and maturing Italians or common queen cells inserted — to find the bees swarm out in due time, but speedily return again, because the young queens of these two races refused to accompany the swarming mul- titudes. So certain was the result in every in- stance, that he finally ceased to pay any atten- tion to these demonstrations, well knowing that the seceders would surely return home. 4. In strong colonies, heath bees are prone to build drone combs, even when they have young queens. 5. The heath bees prefer dwelling in small colonies. These five points, especially the first four, Mr. Gravenhorst conceives may fairly be regard- ed as presenting peculiarities, justifying the conclusion that the heath bee is a distinct race. Without expressing any opinion on this subject, the Convention took up the next regu- lar question. Question 17. Are railroads used by apiari- -THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 205 aus in aid of their businesss ? Might they not be more extensively used ? And how ? Mr. Dzierzon remarked that this question had no direct reference to beeculture as such; yet, if the business is not to be prosecuted for mere personal gratification, but become, through its products, an important branch of national econ- omy, beekeepers must strive to make it yield the greatest possible profit. It must be made a mercantile business, the beekeeper seeking to make merchandise not only of his honey and wax, but of his bees and epieens likewise. In this view, to aid in rendering beecuhure pro- fitable, railroads might be used with advantage for the transportation of stocks from one dis- trict to another, from places where pasturage is exhausted to others where it is just beginning to abound. Colonies might also be sent from districts plentifully supplied, to others -where they are still comparatively scarce ; and a lu- crative and mutually advantageous traffic be thus originated. Mr. Dathe stated that, in Hanover, railroads were already much used for the transfer of colonics, in the spring from the yet unproduc- tive heaths to the marshv districts where early flowers are in bloom. Again, in the fall, col- onies are sent " by rail " to the heaths, from districts which have ceased to furnish supplies ; and thus railroads facilitate communication, in this particular, between sections which pre- viously had no intercourse. More still might l)e accomplished in this way, if the railroads passed through or led directly to honey produc- ing districts. But such is not the case in every instance, and where watron carriage must be resorted to, for the transfer of stocks from the line or the terminus of a railroad to the hill- sides or villages where the coveted pasturage is found, the expenses necessarily incurred leave a narrow margin of profit. Again, pasturage is not equally good every year, even in the same districts, and disappointment and loss sometimes await the "enterprising" bee- master, who has spent time and money in trans- porting his bees. Thus, though he had himself to transport his stocks only one mile, the cost incurred last season was not compensated by the returns. Mr. Geilen said that he annually sent his bees twenty -five miles by rail, safely and cheaply. The agents do not hesitate to receive stocks as freight at moderate charges. The cost would be still less if a number of beekeepers were to unite and hire a car in common. Loading and unloading would then not have to be hurriedly done, while mutual assistance and supervision would prevent damage or loss. He had heard it stated that movable comb hives were not adapted for transportation ; but his own expe- rience satisfied him that this is not correct. If the surplus honey boxes are emptied, the the entrances closed by perforated tin slides, and the hives properly placed and secured, no misgivings as to the result need be enter- tained. The President now remarked that as the day was far spent, he would suggest that the consi- deration of the remaining questions be post- poned. It had not been intended, wrhen so large a number was proposed, that all of them should be discussed at this time. Those not now disposed of, might be taken up by the Con- vention next year. This Convention — the fifteenth — comprised three hundred and eighty -four members. Of these fifty-three were exhibitors ; and twenty, four prizes, amounting to two hundred and fifty florins were awarded by the committee. [From the Bieueuzeitunc Pure Fertilization of Queen Bees. The process for securing the pure fertilization of queen bees, recommended by Kohler and Dathe, which requires that the hives contain- ing the queens and drones should be placed in a dark cellar several days, then replaced on their stands and opened in the evening, when common drones are no longer flying, is certainly an important advance in practical beeculture. Nevertheless, it has some objectionable features. That it involves some trouble is undoubtedly true ; but that is not properly a matter for com- plaint, because the bee-culturist must never be unwilling to incur any reasonable amouut ot trouble in the prosecution of his business. A more material objection is found in the fact that some beekeepers, though they have gar- dens, have no cellars suited for the purpose ; and that where large bee pavilions and double or twin hives are used, the process is literally unavailable. The method which I am about to communi- cate differs from the former in this, that it dees not require the removal of the hives from their stands, is available with every description ot movable comb hives, is convenient and easily practicable everywhere, and is altogether cer- tain in its results. It is presupposed that every beekeeper en- gaged in rearing Italian, Egyptian, or other queens, knows the day on which the young queens will leave their cells — a knowledge which is presupposed likewise wThen the Kohler or Dathe process is employed. By careful ob- servations made by the Baron of Berlepsch, it has been ascertained that young queens do not leave their hives to meet the drones before the fifth day after emerging from the cell ; and the eighth day may be assumed as the period of full maturity. On that day, if fair and mild, they will certainly leave the hive, if they have not previously done so. This fact, stated already by Dzierzon, I have fouud verified in numerous instances ; bad weather alone causing a post- ponement of the excursion. Therefore, to guard against anticipation, on the fourth or fifth day open the hive containing the young queen, search for her, and confine her under an open-base wire gauze cage on the comb on which she is found, pressing the edges of the cage into the comb fully to the septum or middle partition. To confine her earlier might impede or prevent her perfect development. I prefer using the kind of cage mentioned, because the queen has then the comb for a foothold while she remains confined, feels more contented and at ease, and finds herself at 206 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL," once among the workers when liberated by sim- ply lifting the cage. But a still better mode of confining her is'by means of a frame covered with wire gauze, and made to fit the hive closely both front and rear, and touching alike the honey-board and bottom. The comb on which the queen is found, with the bees thereon, is re- moved to a part of the hive having no commun- ication with the entrance; another comb, with bees and honey, is set by its side, with the usual interspace ; and the gauze-covered frame is then inserted between these and the rest of the combs. The queen is thus kept confined among workers, without restraining her personal liberty; and the bees in other portions of the hive, conscious of the presence of the queen, will remain content and prosecute their labors with customary as- siduity, and usually without starting queen cells — .1S they would do if a close division board were inserted. Three or four days thereafter, on the eighth day of the young queen's age, or, if the Avea- ther be unfavorable, on next fine day, in the evening after the common drones have ceased to fly, open a hive containing pure drones of the desired race, take out one or more combs on which drones are congregated, carry them to or near the hive in which the young queen is con- fined, and set them obliquely on a bench or stool. The drones will soon take wing, and hover about the place. Now open the queen's hive, take out the comb on which she is confined, liberate her and set the comb obliquely on the alighting board in front of her hive. In a few moments, the queen, attracted by the hum- ming of the drones, will take wing and quickly disappear, but usually returns in about fifteen minutes, and enters the hive, to commence ovi- positing three days later. As soon as the queen leaves, the combs should be replaced in the hives from which they were respectively taken, and these properly closed. By this process the pure fertilization of the queen bee is as completely under control, as that of any domestic animal whatever. From the following occurrence, interesting in various other respects, it would seem not to be necesaary even to set the comb on which the queen is, at the entrance of her hive before she takes flight. On the 10th of October, 1867, I received' from Mr. Vogel a beautiful Egyptian queen, and introduced her in a populous colony. I may here state also, in passing, that I had confined the old queen of this colony, in a cage six inches long, on the 24th of August or forty-seven days previous. The bees nursed this queen carefully ; built no queen cells (which they rarely do in the fall, if the queen is ca^ed) ; the queen seemed quite healthy when I removed her; and the bees showed the usual evi- dence of uneasiness and concern, when she was taken away, and refusing for several days to accept the Egyptian queen introduced in her stead. The colony occupied one of the com- partments of a six-chambered pavilion; passed the winter in good condition ; and by the mid- dle of May contained Egyptian bees exclusively, with very many beautifully marked Egyptian drones. A comb with drone brood was taken from this colony on the 20th of June, 1868, and given to an after swarm of common bees from which the queen was removed shortly after. On the 6th of September, there were no longer any com- mon drones in my apiary, nor in any other in my neighborhood. I had reared Egyptian queens in several nuclei, and deemed it needless to confine them at this late period, as pure ferti- lization would follow if they were left at liberty. In one of these nuclei the young queen was hatched on the 20th of August ; but, from the 27th of tint month to the 5th of September in- clusive, the weather was so rough that no drones were seen living. The 6th was a splen- did mild day, and 1 concluded to examine the nucleus to ascertain whether any eggs had been laid by the queen, now seventeen days old. The comb case in which I usually suspend combs on such occasions, was standing some eight paces distant from the nucleus, in the rear of a large bee pavillion from which bees were flying in great numbers ; and as it was heavy and inconvenieut to move, I preferred carrying the combs there after examination, where they could be covered to protect them from robbers. Finding no eggs in any of the cells, I was about to return the combs ; but re-examining one of them while standing at the comb case, I saw the queen moving among the bees. But, ap- parently attracted by the humming of the drones which were then flying in multitudes, she took wing at that instant and flew away, unaccompanied by any of the bees. I imme- diately returned the combs to the nucleus, closed it, and placed a trusty assistant in front to watcli the entrance, and note ti.e return of the queen, if she came back. This was at three minutes past one o'clock. The assistant was instructed to close the entrance, whenever he had occa- sion to turn his eyes from it, so that the queen could nut enter unobserved. In about fifteen minutes we saw a cluster of droDes passing about twelve feet overhead, among which we supposed the queen to be. It passed rapidly, and disappeared. We continued to watch for three quarters of an hour, and as she did not return, we gave her up as Jost, concluding that she had been unable to find her way hack. I regretted the more to lose her as she was a beau- tiful bright yellow queen. We now engaged in other work about the apiary, till near two o'clock, when our attention was attracted by an unusual excitement among the bees in tiout of the nucleus. The bees were returning home in crowds, though the sky was entirely un- clouded. Conjecturing that the missing queen was at hand, we resumed our watch, and soon after saw her hovering in the air in a few feet above the hive. In a moment she alighted at the entrance, attended by a crowd of bees, and promptly entered the nucleus. This was at five minutes past two, and she had therefore been absent one hour and two minutes. Twelve days later, on the 18th of September, I found large laivse in the cells, and capped brood on the 21st. The queen had evidently been fecun- dated on the 6th. We were surprised to see so large a crowd of bees accompanying her on her return, as she THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 207 was not attended by any when she left. Did these bees find and gather around her while she was yet abroad at a distance ? Or did they merely recognize her in front of the stand on her return, and join in welcoming her home ? Though she was absent more than an hour, the latter conjecture seems to be the more probable one. That the queen was able to return safely to her hive, though she had flown from a comb distant eight paces from it, may be accounted for by regarding the large retiuue by which she was accompanied on her return, as formed by the bees which discovered and recognized hei, for the purpose of conducting hor to her native home. Dr. Prexjss. Dirschau, Oct. 18, 18G8. [For the American Bee Journal.] Querist's Questions Answered [American Bee Journal, vol. 4, page 108.] Querist desires to have some questions an- swered. I should like to try. It has long been my intention to write occasionally for the American Bee Journal, but my poor hus- band's illness prevented me hitherto. He is still lame, and requires great care. Question No. 1. Some beekeepers take the position that natural swarms will gather more honey, build more comb, and have more brood during the first week after they archived, than artificial ones. Is this true ? and if so, why ? Answer. Experience teaches us that natural swarms, as a rule, will gather more honey, build more comb, and have more brood during the first eight or ten days after they are hived than artificial ones. The reason is, that if the artificial swarm has not been made by a first- rate bee-master, accustomed to pay attention to everything, it will almost always get compara- tively too many young bees — that is, bees which arc not yet sixteen days old. Now, bees in the first sixteen days of their lives attend only to in- door work ; and thus it is evident that, as there are not enough rid bees to do out-door work, there is not as much honey gathered as by swarms which contain the just proportion of old and young bees, as natural swarms always do. With this the progress of comb-buildiDg stands in close connection. If there is but little honey gathered, but few combs will be built and very little brood raised, for brooding keeps pace with building. Another reason is that the artificial swarm is general^ placed too nenr its old standing place, and consequently, during the first few days, many bees return to their old ! home. If you try to make an artificial swarm, by driving the queen and a number of bees out of a straw hive, add thereto outlying bees swept off from the front of other hives, and carry it about two miles from its old stand, such artifi- cial sicarm will not be inferior to any natural swarm equally strong. Question No. 2. Suppose we have, at the honey harvest, two colonies in the same apiary, each having 20,000 or 30,000 bees— the same number of old and young bees — the same amount of worker and drone comb, a fertile queen equally prolific ; the same quantity of honey and bee-bread, in the same style ot hive, managed alike in every respect, and one gathers fifiy pouuds of honey and the other seventy- five hounds — what should cause the difference ? We have cases on record very similar to the above, and who can give the solution '? Answer. If I really understand the question, I will give the solution. At the close of the season, you not unfrequently find hives, which seemingly ha^e the same number of bees, the same amount of worker and drone comb, queens equally fertile, and nevertheless a differ- ence in the Aveight of honey stored There may be several reasons for this ; but, as a rule the difference is caused by a change of queen. If one of the hives changes its queen, the honey I harvest may be considerably increased or dimin- : ished by that occurrence. It is increased when I the change takes place while nature is still rich I in supplies of honey, for then the bees will have I no brood to nurse eight days after the old queen I is gone, and can devote all their time and ener- j gy to honey-gathering ; and thus before the young queen is fertile and begins to lay eggs, the hive will be very rich in honey. It is di- minished, if the rearing of the queen and her fecundation be too long delayed ; for then the old bees are lost, from time to time, and before the young ones begin their out-door labors the honey season is over. Question No. 3. Novice says that he cannot doubt that it [meal feeding] saved them honey in some way or other. Now, is Novice sure of this. Please tell us what your bees used to make these little pellets of flour and meal to pack so nicely in their baskets ? Do you think it was Avater V If it was not water, was it hon- ■ ey ? If honey, whence did they get it, if not from their own hives ? Are you suie they did not even go so far as to unseal their honey for the purpose named ? If each hive used say five pounds of that rye and oat meal, how much honey think you does it take to pack it into bee-dough? Did you not also observe that your bees began to breed quite rapid! y, as soon as they began to work on your out-cloor food ? When they are raising young bees, do they not use up the honey just in proportion to the rapidity of breeding V Answer. 1. Bees do not save, like a good housekeeper. They require each clay a certain quantity of honey to nourish themselves and their brood, and that quantity they use, whether they have much or little to live upon. If that quantity is wanting, they do not content them- selves with half rations, but decamp, or starve. 2. Water will not answer for making those little pellets, because it is not glutinous. In order to pack their pellets so nicely in their baskets, bees use honey, which they take along with them out of their hives. You can prove this by tasting such little pellets, when you will surely detect the honey. 5. If they arc obliged to carry in meal or bee-bread, and have not enough unsealed honey they certainly will un- seal it. 4. It would be difficult, if not impos- sible, to state precisely in figures the weight of honey which bees will want in carrying five 20S THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. pounds of flour; hut I believe that one pound would be more than sufficient. 5. Yes, for then I lie}' find bee-bread in nature, and then, and then alone, do they breed rapidly. This is an indisputable fact. 6. The more brood they have, the more honey they use. Question No. 4. Novice says that his low, broad, flat hives have given him, the past two years, more honey and have been stronger in winter stores, than the tall, narrow hives. "Why this is so, he cannot explain. Answer. Low, broad hives give generally more honey, than tall, narrow ones. In low, broad hives breeding never gets to such an ex- tent as in high, narroio ones ; consequently, the one kind have more honey, and the other more bees. For breeding, broad, low hives are not to be recommended. The rational beekeeper will always use hives from nine to ten inches broad, and from sixteen 1o eighteen inches high. A little more or less is of small consequence. Question No. 5. Mr. Bingham writes about preparing hives for winter, and comments on Langstroth's statement that he found frost on the top of a board placed above six thicknesses of carpet, and then assumes that no moisture can pass through a tight board placed over a colony of bees. Is that sound philosophy ? Is not lumber so porous that heat can drive mois- ture through it ? Answer. If the board is but half an inch thick, no moisture will pass through it. But it must lie tightly, and be well cemented on all sides, or the warm air charged with vapor will pass through the crevices, and then the bees will suffer for want of water, and perish. Question No. G. On page 110, I rind that the darker the hive, the more contented are the "bees. Now, would you advise me to paint my hive black? Answer. Bees only like darkness within the hive ; Avhereas they dislike the dark color out of it. If you would paint your hive black, bees would hesitate long before entering it. To paint it black inside would be useless, as every hive should be so constructed that liffht is only admissable through the entrance. If bees are generally treated" by a person wearing light- colored clothes, they will readily attack and sting a person dressed in black who presents himself before their hive. Question No. 7. On page 114, 1 observe that young swarms build worker combs exclusively at first. No exception to this rule, I suppose. Now, if a young swarm has a fertile queen, and she fills a small comb with eggs during the first forty-eight hours after being hived, and then dies from disease or accident, would the bees make much worker comb while they are rearing a new queen ? Or would the bees decamp ? Answer. At first, that is about the first eight or ten days after being hived, every swarm builds worker comb exclusively. If the fertile queen is lost or killed by some accident during the first forty-eight hours after being hived and having begun to fill a comb with eggs, the bees will not decamp, but will lear a new queen. And until this new queen is fertile, they con- tinue to build in some measure ; but with very lare exceptions, they build drone comb only. Having thus answered Querist's questions, I beg leave to add that, if he is able to read Ger- man, it would be well for him to order, through the importers, my husband's great work — "Die Biene und ihre Zucht mit beweglichen Waben, in Oegenden ohne Spatsommertracht, von August Baron von Berlepsch, lste Auflage, Mannheim 18G9, I Schneider, Preis 4 Thaler." It would be exceedingly useful to him, and not only answer all his queries, but teach him many valuable things besides. I do not say this because the book was written by my hus- band, but because it is really acknowledged to be the best bee-book in Germany ; and that the Germans do know something about bee-culture, and are thorough in everything they cling to is known as well, and conceded. If you devote a lifetime to some branch of knowledge, you are pretty sure to understand it. When my husband was yet quite a }roung child, he used to tease his nurse by running to a neighboring apiary and asking her to get some honey. On his seventh birth-day, his father took'the boy's hand and conducted him to the garden, where was placed a little bee- stand and a hive, v hich his father had bought for him, and said to him — "That's your birth- day present !" Near the hive stood, hat in hand, Jacob Schulze, a simple peasant, but a clever beekeeper. Thenceforward he was my husband's teacher and bee-friend. From the 28th of June, 1822, to the 12th of December, 1854, when he died, that man was always hon- ored and befriended by my husband; for though a peasant by birth, he was truly a gentleman in. heart and character. From 1822 to 1869, my husband loved and tended his little winged favorites, and the ex- perience of forty-seven years is treasured up in the book above-named." It contains not only his own rich knowledge of bee-life and bee- keeping, but also that of other celebrated bee cultivators ; and is a perfect treasure for every bee-friend. I wish it were translated into Eug- lish, for it would be the very thing for the good practical sense of the Americans. I do love America : " Long may her Eagle soar Proudly from shore to shore, From sea to sea !" Lina, Baroness of Berlepsch. Coburg, Saxony, March 3, 1869. [For tho American Bee Journal.] The Last Season not all a Failure. The past season has been a Very poor one for bees, in this section; yet, I know of one man who has had good success. He lives about six- teen miles from me. He started with twenty- nine swarms, and increased them to sixty-four, mostly by artificial swarming. He got about two thousand pounds of surplus honey, and raised fifteen Italian queens to sell ; besides Italianizing some of his old stock. Wji. J. Merrill. Pleasant Brook, N. Y., April 2, 1S69. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 209 [For the American Bee Journal.] A few Questions from England. Mr. Editor: — Accept my thanks for your invaluable Journal. Although three thousand miles of watery waste roll hetween us, we Britishers, (that is, the fortunate few that take the Journal), are regularly marie acquainted with theups and downs of our little friends in Yankeedom. Now, Mr. Editor, I have one or two ques- tions to put. before the beekeeping brotherhood. It would give me great satisfaction if Gallup would "try his hand." The real superiority of the Italians, in what does it consist '? Are Italians more difficult to handle than black hces ? I have only one stock of the for- mer, and they sting furiously. The popular way to handle bees ; whether by smoking, or liquid sweet, or neither '? Is there any way to prevent the accumula- tion of propolis — sealing the honey-hoard and frames so tightly as that they almost become fixtures? What decision have the bee-keepers arrived at concerning red clover? My stock of Italians was separated from twenty-five acres of red clover merely by a turnpike road and a high hedge ; and yet on neither crop could I see any of the family of Apis, excepting a few humlers. If Italians really do work on red clover, almost any part of Kent is good for apiculture. But I fear that is too good to he true. Another question is, whether, by doubling correspondence and eas7i, we can get the Bee Journal fortnight!}' ? The last question, though last is not least, do we not all hold ourselves indebted to Mr. Lang- strotli ? Is he not the Father of modern hives, and the Prince of modern apiarians ? A corres- pondent wrote some time back that Ave owe him a debt not only of gratitude, but of cash ! Brother Beekeepers, if this is so (and it really is), should we not find a pleasure in at- tempting to liquidate that debt ? Surely it will not be so difficult, a question as the present standing Alabama Claims ! Any plan Ameri- can bee-keepers may devise, (providing it does Mr. Langstroth justice), I will cheerfully sub- scribe to. Mr. Editor, I do not wish to intrude on your space, hut allow me to thank Mr. Gallup and all other correspondents, who so unreservedly give us their experience. Walter Hewson. wlckiiam-breaux, kent, england. In their modes of flight the several species of bees vary considerably. Some, like the Sara- pocla and Antlwpliora dart along in a direct line, with almost the velocity af lightning, visit a flower for an instant, and dart off again with the same fleetness and vivacity. Others, like the humble bees and the hive bees, leisurely visit every blossom, even upon a crowded plant, with patient assiduity, sedulously extracting and appropriating the secreted nectar. [For the American Bee Journal.] Remarks on the Bee Disease. In the March number of the Bee Journal, Mr. J. Davis, on page 172, states "facts" and asks "quessions" about the late prevalent bee disease. Now, I think the problem is not a very difficult one to solve. I have had a per- fect shower of letters from Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and portions of this State, with refer- ence to the disease ; and the statements appear to be very contradictory. From these leiters and from what I have learned from the Bee Journal, it is hard to give a positive answer as to the cause of the disease, if all the state- ments are true. I do not wish to be understood as accusing any one of falsehood. It may, in part, be owing to the fact that all the corres- pondents are not practical or experienced bee- keepers, that the statements are so contradic tory, even from the same neighborhoods. But, with my friend Davis, I can be positive, from personal observation of cases of a similar kind. The reader will notice particularly that Mr. Burbank, of Lexington, Kentucky, led his bees, and on the 14th of January they were all right. (See March number, page 1G4). Now, let us look at the facts. In this section the season was good up to the 25th of July, and then the extreme heat cut off the honey crop at once. Still, the Italian bees kept on raising brood un- til the iast of August. Young swarms, that had been building comb, stopped breeding from two to three weeks earlier than swarms that had their combs all built. Mr. Davis asks, will the queen cease to lay eggs if the bee pasturage fails ? She certainly will, and last season de- monstrated that fact conclusively. Understand that if the failure is only of short duration, the cessation of brooding will be only partial ; but when long continued, as it was last season, the cessation is complete. He also asks w&iy it should be so extensive and general ? Answer, because the drouth and extreme heat were ex- tensive. He further enquires, if it was a gen- eral thing everywhere that bees were dying, or was it local ? Answer, it was general, so far as the drouth or extreme heat extended, except where bees had access to buckwdieat pasturage. In neighborhoods where they had not access to buckwheat fields, they died ; and three miles off, where they had access to buckwheat, they are in excellent condition. The buckwheat came in, here, just at the right time, before the queens had entirely ceased breeding, and hence the usual fall brood was matured. Where the bees could not resort to buckwheat blossoms, there was literally nothing for them to gather until September ; and the bees having been so long a time, at that season of the year, without pasturage, when they re-commenced gathering, gathered very rapidly, paying no attention what- ever to their queen, and she consequently laid no eggs. Here, there were only six days in September that they gathered honey. They commenced on the 8th, and continued three days ; then, after a cessation of five days, fol- lowed three more gathering days. When bees 210 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL work rapidly, they wear out rapidly; and in j frames m each hive. On the last of February this case there were no recruits to make up \ I w™ very sick, and for two weeks did not go But the great diminishing of numbers j into the cellar. The weather being very warm, did not take place, until the latter part of Octo her and in November ; and swarms that slop ped breeding first, diminished first. They did not die with poison, but with old age,_ in every case that came under my observation. When bees die with old age, and the weather will permit, they always leave the hive before they perish. Late swarm?, which were exami- ned about the first of October, were strong in numbers ; but by the last of October they had dwindled down to a quart in bulk, and in some cases to a mere handful ; but the queen was there. The Italians being longer lived, the di- minishing in numbers did not commence so early in the season, as with the. black bees. Mr. H. C. Bernard, in the March number of the Journal, says— "Those hives that contain .arge quantities of honey, and no bees, must certainly have gathered it." This we are not going to dispute. But he adds— u Experience teaches me that bees breed freely when storing honey." Now, friend Bernard, this shows that you are not a close observer, for if you had ex- amined those s'ocks, you would have found that they actually did not breed while storing said honey. When the queen has entirely ceased breeding, by the middle or last of Aug- ust, in consequence of the scarcity of forage, it is almost invariably the rule that if forage be gathered again abundantly in the fall, the queen (loes not "recommence breeding, unless the gathering be of long continuance. There are exceptions to this rule, but I have found them rare, indeed. I can assure the reader that there is no poisonous honey gathered in this section of the counlry ; yet the result was just the same as in other sections. I account for the discrepan- cies in the various communications in this way. That the bees are dead, is a fact which all have discovered, and each indulges his own fancy or imagination in seeking for a cause, and imagi- nation seems very wild with some. Allow a i swarm of bees to become queenless about the first of August, and in November the bees are all gone up, in the same manner and with this same bee disease; and this does not prevent their hive from being full of honey. In every case where bees were fed, cither artificially or from natural sources, to keep up the breeding of the queen, I hear that the bees are all right. Yet in those cases, in all probability, as many bets died as in the other, but the increase from brood kept up the population and the loss from natural mortality was never noticed, though it was nevertheless a fact. There has been and there still will be a great loss of stocks in this section of country. I did not feed my bees, and there is where I made a blunder as it turned out; but if we had not had those six days of honey-gathering in September, I had done right. On the first of October I saw that some of my stocks that had stopped breeding earliest were decreasing too rapidly, and I immediately set 1hem in the cellar to stop the cleci ease. The result is, that, out of thirty-four stocks, I have six that occupy with bees only from four to six and the ventilaton to the cellar not being open, all my strong stocks commenced brooding rapidly. I am now (March 20th) equalizing my stocks in the cellar, by taking a few bees at a time, every evening, from the strong and giving them to the weak stocks. This sets the queen to breeding, and in spring, when they are first set out, all those old bees are going to die off with old age; and if wrc do not then have young bees to take their places, the stock is gone up with tliat lee disease. But, by setting them to breeding rapidly, before they are set up, they will come out all right. The want of pollen has nothing to do with bees dying, for the fact is that bees will winter on good honey, without a particle of pollen. The bees, last season, not raising their fall brood as usual, did not store the quantity of pollen they generally do. I never tried the plan of setting bees in the cellar as soon as they cease breeding or gather- ing forage, or of burying them, which, if I un- derstand rightly, is Bidwell Brothers' plan; but I am inclined to think it is a good plan, as it will keep up the strength of the stocks, instead of allowing them to dwindle away to nothing. Thank you, Mr. Davis, for stating facts and not fancy. Elisiia Gallup. Osage, Iowa. [For the American Bee Journal . The Economic Hive. Mr. Editor : — Being your most northern Canadian correspondent, and a constant reader of our valued Bee Journal, while the bee hive question is being so earnestly discussed, I maybe allowed an article on that subject, which — though it may not instruct that well-Rooted novice of yours — may yet be of use to some younger plants, both north and south, who are commencing to read the Journal. All will admit that uniformity in the size and shape of hives, throughout an apiary, is a mat- ter of great practical convenience, especially where honey boxes and movable frames are used. Where extra queens are reared and kept on hand, as should be the case in every well conducted apiary, facilities thereto, should likewise be considered. Size and form of hive, also have much to do with success in building up stocks from small nuclei. Moreover, where a large amount of extra honey is desired (and where is it not ?) arrangements should be made to facilitate its storage, suited to the designed method of removal, whether by the centrifugal melextractor or surplus boxes. Due regard should also be had to simplicity of consl ruction and small cost. I have carefully studied the instincts of the honey bee, together with skill in controlling those instincts, and economy in handling, and and increasing, and preserving ; and, with THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 211 reference thereto, have sought for that one form and size of hive, which, without essential change, best answers the greatest number of practical ends. As the result of my study and practice thus far, I present what I shall call the Economic Hive, because it can be so cheaply and conveuieutly adapted to so many uses. It is made of sound inch boards, and, when com- plete, is three stories high, and covered by a temporary roof for shade and shelter. Two stories are designed for frames, and the third for surplus honey boxes. The several stories are made separately, so that the first story may be used by itself, or in conjunction with the second or third stories, one or both, or all to- gether, as circumstances or desigu may re- quire. The first story is made 12 x 20 x 12 inches, inside measure, or twelve inches wide, twenty inches long, twelve indies deep ; and is set upon a low foundation, eighteen by twenty- six inches. The second story is made 12 x 20 x 11 inches, inside measure, to bet directly upon the first story and kept in place by thin base boards nailed all arounl and shooting a little ovtr the first story. The third, or half story, as it might be called, is made in the form of a cap, fourteen inches wide and twenty-two inches long, inside mea- sure, and any height desired, to accomodate one or two tiers of boxes, which I make after Qum- by's pattern, of glass set in posts, 7 x 16 x 6 inches, outside measure. The frames I make ten by eleven inches clear, inside measure, and set them in the hive so as to leave one-fourth of an inch space around and over them, and one inch beneath, in the first story. In the second story (made shallow' - er by one inch) the bottom of the frames comes down to within one-fourth of an inch of the top able to remove this case, when, by the use oi nicely fitting division boards, some very im- portant purposes can be very conveniently ac- complished, for which it seems to me this size and form is best adapted. First. If it is wished to use a choice queen for providing a stated supply of perfect queen cells, as is my custom, two frames should be removed from her hive and a division board inserted across the middle, and if a board half an inch thick be inserted at either end, it will of course j aid the warmth, and when lifted out leave more room to work the remaiuing frames — six in number— in each apartment, which will be ju&t 9x12x12 inches, leaving each frame at the right distance from the others. Now, in the apart- ment without a queen, cells will be started, and witli due care in alternating the queen from eud to end, every nine or ten days, a stated supply of cells may be safely kept up, which will be far better than those forced in the little nucleus boxes. Second. To prepare one of these Economic hives for rearing queens, it is only necessary to make an entrance in the middle of the uack side and insert two (2) well fitting divi- sion boards, and you have three apartments each 6 x 12 x 12 inches, just large enough to re- ceive four frames, and right to be covered by a honey box. Now insert your comb with brood and bees, and you have three nice little stocks, each aiding to keep the other warm, and reauy to take charge of your extra queen cells ; and (providing each queen, on becoming fertile, is left long enough to fill the combs with eggs), as good in proportion to their numbers, for box honey, as larger stocks. These little stocks, left in this way with their queuns, and an extra box of honey over them, will winter in a warm cellar just as well as large stocks. And, what a treat, three queens to a hive! for emergencies in of the lower tier of frames. No honey-board ! the spring, or with which to start early artifi- between. I use thirteen frames, running cross- ! cial swarms. wise, in each story, save in the breeding season, it will do to use fourteen, all filled with worker comb, in the lower story. The frames in the second story, to be emptied as occasion permits, by the aid of the melextractor, may consist in part or altogether of drone comb ; so that by the use of the two tiers of frames in the two stories, all worker comb can be selected for the first or breeding apartment. As all understand the use of surplus boxes, it only remains to show how usefully the first story may, in a variety of ways be used alone. First. As, a stock hive, two entrances are ne- cessarily made through the sun side, about four to six inches from either end, and closed or regulated by ventilating b uttons, metallic slides, movable blocks, or channels in the bot- tom board, and these also answer for most other uses. Now, if extra warmth is desired, this first story covered with a loose board 14x22 inches, may be surrounded by a cheap rough case 1G x 24 x 18 inches, inside measure, and the vacant space filled with buckwheat hulls or some light material — thus making the hive, when rightly ventilated secure for fall keeping or even wintering out, and warm for early spring breeding. Later in the season, it may be desir- Third. To rear stocks from a nucleus, two division boards may be used, and a few combs witli brood, bees, and a queen cell inserted in either end, and built up Gallup fashion. Then one division board may be left, and both queens wintered ; or one queen and both boards re- moved, and the stock treated as desired. Now, Mr. Editor, I doubt whether any other hive, so simple in construction, can combine so many valuable advantages. Mr. Hazen's and Mr. Quinby's new hives arc no doubt excellent of their kind. But at this stage, when the mel- extractor seems to promise such a saving of comb-building, an arrangement for the accom- modation of extra frames seems desirable, rather than one for surplus boxes. In my opin- ion, Mr. Gallup, in the crosswise frame, has hit upon the best general form, of which my preference is just a modification. I must say that I have received from Lang- stroth, Quinby, Gallup, and others (as anyone may) many useful hints ; and to me the impres- sion made is unpleasant, when any of these ex- perienced and useful men, in the art — or their work — is spoken of lighity or slightingly. If, after much effort, they have not readied the maximum, neither doubtless have others ; and 212 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. if ;:nv of us should attain to brighter ideas, we may after all be indebted to them for many of the seed thoughts which, under joint culture, have only grown a little. As regards patents, I could wish, with Quinby and Gallup, that a matter so simple as bee hive improvements were left untrammelled by conflicting claims. It may be justice to give leaders in the exposition of an important prin- ciple some such advantage; but for myself I can say I am amply repaid in honey and pleasure for any improvement which I can make, and am quite willing to reciprocate with the public lor advantages which I may in like manner re- ceive in return. As a minister of the gospel, I magnify my of- fice, but am quite an enthusiast in bee-culture. And with good reason. For I know nothing beside so well calculated innnocently and profitably to rest a weary mind, as this. After long and intense application to necessary study, an hour's airing and excitement in the bee- yard completely rejuvenates the jaded powers. So my bee-yard serves me for more than cash and pleasure ; and, like Novice, I am long- ing with all bright anticipation for the summer of 1.869 — while two to four feet of solid snow upon the ground, makes it necessary to keep bees housed as yet. But brighter skies an- nounce the spring at hand. "Come gentle spring, etherial mildness, come !" J. W. Truesdell. Warwick, P. Q , Canada, April 6, I860. [For the American Bee Journal.] Novice's Reverses. Now, please, Mr. Editor, do not let the "knowing ones" say, after reading the above heading, "its just what we expected !'■ We are going to confess the whole, and then all can jud^e if it was altogether our own fault. When we last wrote you, we were going to winter our thirty-live stocks so "scientifically" that we could'nt lose any. But, oh — well !— the truth is that " Man proposes, and God disposes," in regard to bees as well as other events. Owing to a rush of business about the holidays, Ave really could not get our bees into that cellar (which we were going to keep so carefully at an even temperature of forty degrees), until just before New Year; so that they had been out during a severe cold spell. After getting them in, in a satisfactory shape, we arranged the ventilation and temperature so, that they were as quiet and orderly as we could wish, for a few days. Then tlie weather kept getting so much vvarmer, that we were obliged to raise the caps from the hives, and uive all possible ventilation, as we mentioned in a former arti- cle. In this way we managed until along in February, when the weather became so de- cidedly ''summery" that we thought we should really be obliged to put them out, and were only deterred Horn doing so by tliiaking that it must certaialy "come colcV soon, according to the prophecies of all the old farmers, that our winter had not come yet. So we waited for even a cold night, to open the doors and win- dows of the cellar ; but even that would not come. About the last of February, one noo:->, we made an examination and found the floor thick- ly strewn with dead bees, and many of the hives covered with a tarry excrement and emit- ting a most unpleasant smell. This decided us to set them our. the next day, at all events, and we started away to business. But, while walk- ing up street, we fell to musing how we had many times put off until to-morrow some disa- greeable piece of work and had afterwards re- pented, until we ended by wheeling about to- wards home, and immediately put every stock on its summer stand. We determined to make a thorough examination of every stock, regard- less of clothing; which we should have done, had not the weather turned so freezing cold before we had finished, that we were obliged to stop. We found many of the bees occupying the centre of a filthy mass of dead bees and the substance before mentioned, which covered the combs and everything else— many of the bees crawling out of their hives and dropping on the ground. Mr. Editor, what could we do ? We thought of the bee disease, cleaned out the hives as well as we could, and tried to feed honey that had been gathered in June ; but it did no good. All we could do, was to wait for a return of that unseasonable warm weather, which we hava not seen yet, (and it is now the fifth of April), unless we except a few days in March, when we induced what were left to work on rye and oat meal. Since that time they appear all right. We have only thirteen stocks left out of thir- ty-five ; and tlie dead include nearly all our heaviest stocks. The one that produced the two hundred and three pounds of honey last year was most lamented of all. Nearly all left plenty of honey, although some of them had consumed an immense amount by the first of March. A neighbor near by lost bis only Italian swarm, with the same symptoms, which re- mained out all the winter. The hive contained very few bees, (as in fact was the case with most of ours), but was nearly half full of scaled honey. We dislike to think all this the result of our ignorance ; but caonot see the difficulty, unless it was bad hone}', or because there was so litlle brood raised in the fall that nearly all our bees wore old. Now, Mr. Editor, instead of those jars of houejr which we talked about, we arc going to see how soon we can build up our number again, with the aid of plenty of combs, honey, and the knowledge gained by three years' ex- perience, if we are only a Novice. The first fifteen days of the new establish- ment of a swarm in a hive are employed in the most active labo". There is sometimes as much work dispatched in that little time, as in all the rest of the season that is proper for working. — WlLDMAN. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 213 [For the American Bee Journal.] Some Questions in Back lumbers Answered. their legs just like pollen and carry it off, I pre- sume to daub \ip the crevices, or to use it iu some way as propolis. H. Nesbit. Cynthiana, Ky., April 2, 1869. While reviewing some back numbers of the Bee Journal, I see on page 58, vol. 3, Mr. J. L. McCune asks two questions. First — Will there generally be a noticeable difference in the markings of workers from mothers, one of which is a pure Italian queen but mated with a common drone; the other a common queen ma- ted with an Italian drone ? I kept about half common bees and half Ital- ians in my apiary for three years, to test the superiority of the two kinds; and had many queens impregnated by drones of their opposite color. The workers from black queens that mated with Italian drones seldom showed more than two bands; while the Italian queens that mated with black drones, always produced some bees that showed three yellow rings. Judging from observations made in my own apiary, my opinion is that the black queens, impregnated hj Italian drones, showed the fewest yellow rings. Second query:— Has any one, not raising queens for sale, ever had bees to work freely on red clover? I intend to raise Italian queens this coming season, for sale; yet I will answer his question candidly, and Mr. McCune can take it for truth or not. I have had Italian bees for six years, and live in a section of country that has hun- dreds of acres of red clover every year; and yet I have never seen bees gathering honey from it except in two years, 1862 and 1864. In 1862, I had no Italian bees, but had one hundred ai d thirty colonies of black bees, and saio them gathering honey from red clover for about three weeks. That was the best honey season we have had here for twenty years or more, The red clover blossoms were filled almost to overflow- ing with honey, and I often saw two bees fill- ing their sacs from one blossom, and then leave honey in the little tubes that they could not reach. In 1864, I saw both Italian and black bees work on red clover for a few days, in the forenoon, but never since. I have bought queens from Mr. Langstroth, but cannot get their progeny to gather honey from red clover. It may be that his soil is so poor that the blossoms are short, or produce more honey than mine. In the same volume, some beekeeper whose name I have forgotten, inquires if paint will prevent bees from sticking the honey-board fast to the upper bars of the frames ? No ! I have tried it with both the black and the Italian bees. They stick it just as fast, with the paint, as without it. Some tell us that fresh paint is so offensive to bees, that they will leave the hive if a swarm is put in one freshly painted. I have, on some half dozen occasions, put bees iu hives just painted, and they all went to work the same as in other hives. I have often had bees come where I was painting, and stick the paint on [For the American Bee Journal.] That Reply (?) Mr. Editor : — In the April number of the Journal, I find an article headed "Mr. Kid- der's Reply," and containing over his signa- ture some references to statements made by Mr. Gallup, and an article headed " Facts," which appeared in the January number of the Jour- nal over my signature. I presume Mr. Gallup is abundantly able to attend to his share of this "reply." As regards the case in hand between Mr. Kidder and myself, I have but a word to say. He begins his reply to my "Facts" by stating that I have asserted certain things. This, to put it mildly, is not a "Fact," as your readers will see for themselves by turning to page 185. Mr. Kidder's controversy should not be with me, but with the Judge and Clerk of the United States Circuit Court — they being the parties who make the assertion that the suit in ques- tion "was brought to a final hearing upon pleadings and proof!1' With all due deference to Mr. K., I would submit that officials are in a position to know Avhat were the facts, quite as well as Mr. Kidder ; and the public will be apt to accept their official verdict in preference to any mere assertions of one who, after boasting- ly advertising that he was defending the suit and prepared to show various things, "if Mr. Otis would let the suit come to trial," now faces about and states that the suit went by default, Mr. " Austin deeming it advisable to pay no more regard to it." I will not occupy more of your valuable space, it being very plain that Mr. Kidder must join issue with Judge and Clerk, in place of with me. They are the parties who state offi- cially the "facts" which Mr. K. will find need a better reply that bare assertions which are directly contrary to "facts." They are of the impression that the defendant was adjudged to pay damages and costs ; and they are in a posi- tion to know. I take their word for it, not hav- ing been present at the trial, and Mr. Otis being no "agent" of Mr. Langstroth, but the owner of the patent for the territory in which Mr. Austin lived. James T. Langstroth. Oxford, Butler Co, Ohio, April 6, 1869. When straggling bees come into a room, if the upper sash of the window be pulled down, they will presently go out again. But where windows are not so constructed, the bees should be gently brushed clown to that part which does open, or otherwise they will beat themselves to death against the glass, as they always ascend to the upper part, where the most light is. — Keys. 214 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal. ] Gallup on the Kidder Case. Mr. Editor : — It appears that our friend K. P. Kidder is still alive. In the April number of the Bee Journal, page 195, he says : " I have no recollection of supplying Mr. Gallup with queens," &c. In the spring of 1864, Mr. Joseph Bates, of Fond-du-lac, (Wis.) sent five dollars to Mr. Kidder for an Italian queen, and when said queen arrived, I took her out of the shipping box and introduced her to a black colony for Mr. Bates. Now for a description of said queen. She had one very narrow stripe around her abdomen, and the next ring was tinged a trifle about half around the abdomen ; the rest of the abdomen was as black as any tar I ever saw. At the time of introducing her, I unhesitatingly pronounced her to be not over one-fifth blood Italian ; but Ave concluded to wait for her progeny. In about four weeks we examined the brood, and on about one out of every dozen we thought Ave could see a small stripe, but we were not sure. We both ex- amined to see that the queen we introduced was there; and there she proved to be, just as black as ever. In the December number, I did not think that anything less than half a stripe was worth mentioning. Mr. Kidder further says that he gives his cus- tomers a warranty that the majority of workers from his queens shall have three distinct bands or stripes. Noav I have seen queens that all of their workers show the three distinct bands or stripes, and all those that produce any workers with less than three stripes, I pronounced im- pure every time. Those stripes, too, can he seen Avithout multiplying glasses. You may ask Avhy did not Mr. Bates send for another queen ? Answer, because I considered a warrantry from a man that would send out such a queen as pure, good for nothing; and I am still of that opinion. I can see no possi- bility of any chance for mistake in such a case. There is a possibility for an honest, person to send out an impure queen, impure from being impurely impregnated; but to send out such a queen as I have described, needs no comment. Mr. Kidder has been very unfortunate in another particular. He has advertised small packages of pure Alsike clover seed, at twenty - five cents per package ; and in every case that has come under my observation, or that I have been informed of, it has persisted in growing common Avhite clover, instead of Alsike. I will further state that I have seen several stocks of Italians, where the queens were ob- j tained from Mr. Kidder, OAvnedby different in- dividuals, and have never seen any that I con- sidered pure. But I am not going to assert that he never sent out any pure ones. About that suit. I received, from a friend, what I understand to be a copy of a judgment ; and I mentioned it as I did, for the purpose of drawing out Mr. Kidder. I wished to sec Avhat he had to say on tbe question. Mr. Langstroth has had published, on page 135, a true copy of said judgment, and that does not correspond with Mr. Kidder's statement at all. In fact it is just the reverse. If this Win. D. Shipman is a myth, and said decision also, it would be very easy for Mr. Kidder to prove it so. Utica, N. Y., is certainly not a myth, for I have been there. I do not understand as Mr. Kidder does, about the "proofs and pleadings-" That is, I do not accept the copy of the judgment as Mr. Langstrotb's assertion, but as a matter of Court record, which Mr. Kidder's mere assertion can- not overthrow or disprove. Furthermore, if said judgment was taken by default, it Avill be found so recorded, or else they do business differently at Utica from any Court of record that I ever knew anything about. The records are kept expressly for the purpose of shoAving the facts. If the plaintiff in the above mentioned suit paid the costs, he was more liberal than the gen- erality of plaintiffs avouUI be in such cases. But perhaps the defendant was like the Dutchman's dog, not worth one cent. The Dutchman sued a man for killing his dog, and swore in Court that the dog was not Avorth one cent., but since the man was so mean as to kill the dog, he wanted every cent the dog was worth. The reader will see also that Mr. Kidder tacitly admits that, his hive, at the time of said suit, was an infringement on Mr. Langstrotb's rights; as he has seen fit to make an alteration in his hive or frames, so as to avoid an infringement. I Avas informed, about two years ago, that Mr. Kidder was obliged or saw fit to make said al- teration, since Mr. Langstroth obtained his re- issue. By the way, why does not Mr. Quinby or Mr. Langstroth procure some of Mr. Kidder's superior stock of Italians — say the light colored ones for which he got up the patent cuts, and then accused Professor Flanders of stealing his thunder or his patent cut ? If any farmer wishes to know what Mr. Kid- der's patent bee preserver is, he can take his fanning mill screen, remove the honey-board and place the screen over the hive, fasten up the entrance, and he will have it. But let him look out, or Kidder will prosecute him for mak- ing use of his patent. Oh, humbug, Avhat a jewel thou art ! Elisha Gallup. Osage, Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal. ] Mr. Editor : — In perusing the Bee Jour- nal, I notice many plans suggested to prevent the production of drones in hives. Perhaps it may be interesting to some of your readers to know the process I pursue to that end. In the spring, before the bees begin to gather stores, I take out the frames, and cut out all the pieces of drone comb, supplying their places with worker comb. Thereby the object is at- tained at very small cost ; and stocks so treated ever after produce very few drones. J. C. Wedge. Fond-du-Lac, Wis. Among the ancients, Aristomachus contem- plated bees for the space of fifty-eight years. THE A-MERIGAN BEE JOURNAL. 215 [For the American Bee Journal.] Cost of Erocd. Mr. Editor : — I would like to get the opin- ion of some who have experience with frame hives, ahout the amount of honey it takes to raise a thousand young bees from the egg till they are capped over. My bees lost iu weight, from August 4th to 24tb, or in sixteen days, eleven pounds each, or eleven ounces per day, viz : No. 1, with about 7,000 drones, 1H lbs. No. 2, with a young queen and 1,000 drones, 9 lbs. Nos. 3 and 4, with 5,000 drones, each, 11 lbs. They had gained, from July 2 to August 1, over thirty pounds each, and probably had a large amount of brood to feed. The number of drones was estimated from the brood previous- ly in the combs. From appearances outside the hive, I should not have judged there were over four or five hundred drones in each. From the difference of two pounds, in sixteen days, in favor of the hives with few drones, it would ap- pear that the usual number cost the apiarian two ounces per day, or twelve pounds of honey for three months to each hive, besides the cost of raising the brood, and the value of the workers that might have been raised instead. I will guess, till some one gives me reliable in- formation, that it takes two pounds of honey and pollen to carry one thousand young workers through their first ten clays. The average weight of my stocks, deducting hives, honey taken, &o, was 48-j lbs. on the 8th of August, and 37i lbs. on the 24th of that month. On the 16th of November, when they were put in the cellar, they weighed 25 lbs. each. On the 29th of January, I weighed two hives, the lightest and the heaviest, and found they had lost 4| lbs. each, or sixty-eight ounces in seventy-four days. The honey -boards were raised one-fourth of an inch on small blocks, and the entrance holes stopped with cotton. According to A. Brown's account of Winter- ing Bees, in the Bee Journal, vol. 3, page 225, his bees consumed in the cellar from 100 ounces to 268 ounces iu 120 days, or from one to two and a half ouuees per day. The amount over one ounce a day, was probably used in February and March, in raising brood. Now if any ob- server can tell how much brood his bees had in February and March, till they were set out, counting fifty to the square inch, and how much they lost in weight more than in the first half of the winter, wc could calculate very accurately what a thousand young bees cost. Last year, March 7th. my frame hive had 3G0 brood, some capped over when I set them out. April 20th, they had no eggs or brood of any age. They had lost two ounces a day from Feb. 13th, or 8^ lbs. in sixty-seven days, leav- ing 11 lbs. in hive. On the 1st of May, when eleven days out, they had 1,300 bees capped over, showing that liberty hastens brseding. If it takes two pounds of honey to a thousand, a hive that has 30,000 brood in the comb when they swarm, as some have, besides as many previously hatched, to make two stocks, they must have used 120 pounds, perhaps half pollen. When the amount is known, we can judge better how long to set our bees out, be- fore we expect them to find houey — according to the weight of hive, and what we could afford to feed. Henry D. Miner. Washington Harbor, Wis. [For the American Bee Journal.] A New Style Langstroth Hive. Mr. Editor : — Several correspondents, iathe Journal for April, describe hives wdiich they have devised, claiming for them a large amount of room for surplus honey boxes. Now I have a new style of the Laugstroth hive, (I call it the Laugstroth hive, because I use the Langs- troth movable comb frames in it,) which has as much, if not more, room for honey boxes than either Mr. Quinby's or Mr. Hazen's. At any rate all that is necessary to increase the box room to any desired extent, is to make the cap large enough to cover all the boxes that can be placed about the brood chamber. I have so ar- ranged the frames that the boxes, when in, are only three-fourths of an inch from the brood comb; and, by removing the honev-board, they can be placed half an inch nearer the brood, thus giving the bees a clear passage to them. The hive is simply this— a brood chamber seventeen inches deep by fourteen inches from front to rear, and nine inches from side to side, is placed on a movable bottom board. The boxes are placed on the sides of the brood chamber ; and, if desired, can be placed on the top also. The frames run crosswise of the hive, and not from front to rear, as they do in all other movable comb hives. As the boxes are on the sides of the hive, it will be seen that when the bees return from the field, they will not have to crowd up through the combs to reach the boxes, but can pass up the sides of the hive, and enter any box they wish to. I use thirty-six three pouud boxes on this hive at one time, and place them only on the sides. I consider that this number of boxes is enough for a stock of bees at one time, and do not use any on the top, as the full ones can be taken off and replaced by empty ones. This hive winters bees well on their summer stands ; and, as it is double, it needs no protec- tion from the weather, summer or winter. Bees in this hive did not cluster on the outside dur- iug the hot weather we had at the last of June and the first of July, last season. I will not describe this hive more minutely now ; but will do so at some time when I have cuts to illustrate it. H. Alley. Wenham, Mass. There is scarcely a village in the country that might not readily keep as many hives ot bee? aa there are dwelling houses in it. 216 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the Ajnerican Ceo Journal.] Dyentery, or No Dysentery. I see in the February number of the Bee Journal, page 145, friend Gallup's article on the prevention of dysentery. He starts out by saying that his bees never have "dysentery;" and that he has come to the conclusion that there is no such disease. Here, he thinks, friend Puckett -will say — "that is more of Gal- lup's buncom." Now friend Puckett does not say so, but he does say that it is a small squib of Gallup's "gas," mixed with a thin slice of his "nonsense." Let us see what there is in his article. He says dysentery is not a disease, "but a condition of the hive or swarm." Well, suppose it is, if the "condition" of the swarm is not the disease, it may have something to do with producing it. It makes no difference what produces it; it is nevertheless a disease after it is produced. Friend Gallup says it is not a disease," and then gives the remedy. He states that his bees used to have it twenty-five or thirty years ago, but "they know better now." Of course his bees "know better" than to have any disease; but that does not prove that three is no such disease as dysentery. May uot other people's bees, not so well trained as friend Gallup's, have the disease ? Was it a "disease," twenty-five or thirty years ago, be- fore friend Gallup's bees learned to "know bet- ter ?" Well, if so, may it not be a disease still amongst bees that have not the scientific knowl- edge that friend Gallup thinks his bees have ac- quired ? A late swarm that has thin watery honey, he thinks may have dysentery. Where did the late swarm get the thin honey. Is not an early swarm just as liable to gather such honey, if it is secreted in the flowers ? Bees do not make honey. They gather it just as they find it in the blossoms, and an early swarm will gather just the same kind of honey that a late one will ; and if they partake of it as food, are they not just as liable to have the dysentery as a la'te swarm, though they may have some good honey, that was gathered in the fore part of the season ? And let us suppose such a case. Sup- pose all the honey that was secreted in the flow- ers in a whole season was thin and watery (as it was last season,) would it not be apt to give everybody's bees the disease that friend Gallup says does not exist? Of course it would, un- less the owners had taught those bees to "know better." The condition of the hive or swarm has nothing to do with the secretion of honey in the flowers. There is no disease either among bees, animals, or the human race, that exists independent of a cause to produce it. A disease of any kind is a condition of the sub- ject, and not a thing. B. Puckett. Winchester, Ind., Feb. 15, 1869. [For the American Bee Journal.] Bees in Minnesota. The piincipal reason why bees have not been reared in greater numbers in this country, is, the almost total neglect of them, by gentlemen of property. Mr. Editor : — I am greatly interested in all kinds of information in regard to bees. I have kept bees here in Minnesota longer, by many years, than any other person, having been en- gaged in it over twenty-six years ; and I have more colonies now than any other person hero that I know of, as I am wintering more than two hundred colonies. All these are in well made and painted hives, with movable frames. A large portion of my stock is Italianized, from a queen purchased from Messrs. Lang- stroth & Son. I think this a good country for bees to in- crease in and store honey, when once through our long winters; though from some cause, they have not stored as much surplus honey for three years past, as they formerly did. It is probably owing to some change in the climate, or greater variableness of the weather. The fore part of last season was splendid for bees. Mine commenced swarming on the 22d of May, and continued until they had thrown off' a hun- dred swarms by the middle of June. They con- tinued to do well until the dry hot weather par- ched up all the flowers. Then for a long time they had nothing to work upon but honey dew, till the rains brought out the fall flowers in great abundance. It was then, howTever, too cold for the bees to do much. Hence a portion of my stocks were quite light at the end of the sea- son, though the remainder had honey enough — such as it was. Early in June, after the white clover was in full bloom, I noticed that the bees were gather- ing honey and building comb faster than I had ever known before at that time of the year. I examined the clover and all other flowers near by, in the morning, and found no bees at work on them in the fore part of the day, and but few in the afternoon ; and I could follow the bees by their loud humming, when high in the air out of sight, until they reached the oats and willows. There the bees were seen gathering this sweet stuff from the leaves. I climbed up some of the trees and saw, above this honey, on the underside of the leaves any number of plant lice, and supposed they produced the sweet stuff which the bees were gathering. Persons who live several miles from here told me that there was great quantities of it almost every- where during the hot, dry weather, but when the rains came on it all disappeared. This honey would granulate in a few days after it was gathered, forming course grains, but does not become solid or hard. It is not good, has a sickening taste, and will spoil all the good honey in the hive. It tastes like some of the poorer qualities of sugar from the Indies. I do not know how the bees will winter on it_ ; but as it is about all they have, I am very suspi- cious of it. I do not know but that it may have something to do with the losses that took place last fall, and fear it may affect the wintering. My bees are very uneasy, and many of them are crawling out and being lost on the groumh It has been the warmest winter we have had since THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 217 I have been here. My bees were put away from frost, as we expected it woukl be as cold as osual; and they have been very warm in spite of all I could do. If they all perish, all well. They cost me but little, as I got them from the woods, and can do the same again. John A. Ford. Newport (Minn.) March 9, 1869. [For the American Bee Journal.] The Season and Bees in Mississippi. [For the American Bee Journal.] J. M. Beebe's Bee Feeder. Mr. Editor : — I have to report that the last season, in this vicinity, was a poor one for bees, though I cannot complain much. I started with seventeen colouies, and increased their number to about forty, besides getting about four hun- dred pounds of honey. My greatest difficulty was with my bees build- ing drone comb. Nearly all my stocks would build more or less drone comb, at all times during the summer ; the new swarms, whether natural or artificial, the same as the rest. My queens are all young, and I think prolific. I have increased my swarms in the way Gallup directs, in his article on straight combs in the February number of the Bee Journal, by using division boards and putting one empty frame between two full ones ; but still I got nearly as much drone as brood comb. The bees would generally begin worker comb, and build down from two to four inches, and tbeu change to drone comb — nay, would oftentimes begin with drone comb. The strongest swarms built as much drone comb as the weakest, if not more. My only remedy was the free use of the knife, using the comb cut out for the honey boxes. Of course this retarded the work of the bees ; but, it was better than raising so many drones. My bees filled only a few boxes, preferring to store in the body of the hive. They would not fill boxes, as in other seasons, although strong in numbers and gathering honey. An infallible rule, by which beekeepers could compel their bees to build all worker combs, and those all straight, would be worth a great deal of money. I think friend Gallup must try again to fit my case. As to straight combs, I will relate my expe- rence, when younger. At that time I was san- guine, and ready to try every new thing that offered in the shape of hives. Among other hives that I tried was one, in which the bees entered at the top; at the ridge so to speak, as it had a double roof like a house. It had no par- ticular advantage that I know of ; but I well re- member that, in all those hives, the combs were invariably worker comb and straight, and built across the roof the way rafters are placed in houses. This would indicate that frames which come to a point at the top, would secure straight and worker combs, better than any other form. I intend, the coming summer, to make some experiments with this end in view. J. Tomlinson. Newbury, Miss. Mr. Editor : — In compliance with many in- vitations received by letter from readers of the Journal, I will attempt to describe my bee- feeder, as I promised to do. The illustration represents the feeder with the glass top partly removed. It is composed of a box containing three compartments for furnish- ing the bees with water, rye flour, and sugar syrup, at the same time. Each compartment is provided with a tin vat movable at pleasure. The vats to contain the liquids are furnished with floats to prevent the bees drowning. C represents a central passage way, through which the bees gain access to the food. A rep- resents a slide door by which the passage way is closed when the feeder is to be filled. D rep- presents a movable glass top, for the purpose of closing the top of the feeder, attracting the bees, and readily discerning when the food is gone. This feeder is cheap, simple in construction, and may be used on any hive. Early in spring I feed each colony of bees one- fourth pound of sugar daily, to promote breed- ing. If their store of honey is light, I feed a little more. They work readily on rye flour, until pollen can be obtained abroad. Bees re- quire a considerable amount of water when they are rearing brood largely. Last season my thirty colonies consumed three pints daily, averaging one day with another, as long as I fed. It will be readily seen that by furnishing bees with water, rye flour, and sugar syrup in early spring, we not only promote rapid breed- ing, but we save the lives of many old bees, that might otherwise be compelled to go in search of the necessary food, and fall victims to the chilling winds of spring. I am fully confi- dent that by feeding, my bees commence swarm- ing much earlier. I have had my hives so crowded with bees, that they hung on the out- side of the hive before the apple trees were in bloom, and drones were flying on the lOtli day of May. When feeding is once commenced, it should be continued every day until white clover or other honey-producing plants yield a sufficient supply, or the bees may kill off their drones and even destroy the unmatured brood, wha h would be a great disadvantage. If any r>*" the readers of the Journal do not fully un- derstund the description given, by writing to 213 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. me and enclosing a stamp, by return mail I will try and explain more fully what is not under- stood. J. M. Beebe. Casadaga, N. Y. [For the American Bee Journal.] A Possible Cause of the Bee Disea:e. Mr. Editor: — I am a reader of the Bee Journal, and also a beekeeper and very much interested in beeculture. I see by the Journal that a disease or something else is destroying the bees in many parts of the country, and learn from the February number that in many locali- ties the devastation has been very great. I made a little discovery in my bees last summer, which may perhaps throw some light on the subject. Whether it is anything new or not I cannot tell ; but this is certain, that I have not read anything written on the subject as yet that furnishes any satisfactory explanation. If you see proper to publish what I have to say you are welcome to do so, and let it go for what it is worth. I have not suffered materially from the myste- rious maladv hitherto, but last summer and fall I noticed a good many dead bees around my hives, especially in the morning. I went to ex- amining some of them, and, to my surprise, in the abdomen of almost every bee that I exam- ined, T found a living worm or maggot, nearly or quite an eighth of an inch long. The head portion or that part which I took to be the head, was much larger than the rest of the worm. From the head it gradually tapered back to a point. On the largest end, or head, of this mag- got there were two very minute black dots, re- sembling eyes. This maggot is found in the upper part of the bee's abdomen, and by taking the bee in my fingers, and drawing it apart, the worm can be readily detected. When taken out and laid on the band, it could be seen to ex- pand and contract in a very lively mannar. A beekeeping friend Of mine put some of the dead bees in a glass bottle, and in a short time tins maggot hatched, producing a fly nearly as large as what is called the Hessian fly— a perfect insect. Now, does this worm destroy the bee, and if it does, will it not destroy a whole colony, as well as a few bees ? In some localities I could not find any of them in the fall, after it became cool enough to prevent the bees from flying, My opinion is that if it would kill a few bees, it might destroy a whole swarm just as well. I incline to believe that the waste of a swarm during the summer months, is occasioned by this maggot, more than by all other causes com- bined. Will not the readers of the Bee Journal in- vestigate this matter next season, to ascertain whether this maggot prevails to any consider- able extent in the apiaries of the country ? I would like to know whether any one else has observed anything of this kind among his bees. H. B. Philbrook. East Banbornton, N. H., March 15, 1800. [For the American Boa Journal. ] That Bee Disease. The first account came in the form of some- thing that looted like a hoax — "Mysterious Ex- odus of Honey Bees in Kentucky!" But the smile with which nil greeted this stoiy has van- ished uuder the array of facts, going to show that throughout southern Ohio and Indiana, and a large part of Kentucky, the bees are al- most without exception, dead. Dead, with plenty of honey in their hives, and in the mild- est winter known for years. I have at this time no explanation to offer, not having had an opportunity personally to exam- ine any case of the disease. Our own apiary of Italian bees is untouched by ils ravages, while nearly every stock of black bees in this vicinity is dead ; but whether from disease or want of stores, it is hard to say. Last season was in this locality a disastrous one for bees. Owing to a combination of mis- fortunes, they closed the season without any swarming, with no box or surplus honey, and, in the case of black bees, without enough stores to carry them through the winter. It therefore happens that the black bees are gone, and the honey ditto ; and whether they had "the dis- ease " or not, no man knoweth. For many weeks we received daily letters of inquiry in regard to the disease, from those whose bees were attacked, but could give no remedy, not knowing the cause The symp- toms, as described, varied a great deal iu differ- ent cases ; but a summing up of the whole pre- vents me from subscribing to Ihe "o;d age" theory as a. complete explanation. I think that theory tells about half the story. Many of the accounts teceived speak of the Italians as partially exempt from the ravages of the disease. Our own, as above stated, have escaped entirely, while we learn this spring that on every side of them the black bees are gone, in some cases leaving considerable honey in ac- cessible parts of the hive. Your readers will be interested in reading the following extracts from a letter dated February 19, from E. L. Grant, of Boone county, Kentucky: "In my county there were perhaps fifteen hundred stands of black bees, and as far as I know not one of them has lived up to this date. In sight of my house were last fall seventy -five stands of black bees, every one of which is now dead . " I had a large stand of black bees in fine condition, in the fall. It perished, leaving about twenty pounds of honey. I had the only stand of Italians in the county. My Italian stand is in fine condition, briskly at work every fine day, carrying in pollen ; and I am fully convinced that the Italian is "the Bee." If the Italians have generally, as here, and in the case of Mr. Grant, withstood the disease and refused to join in the "mysterious ex- odus," we have another recommendation for them. What is the experience of others having them in the infected district V J. T. Langstroth. Oxford, Ohio, March 10, 1869. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 219 [For the American Bee Journal] Items of Various Kinds. The Bee Disease. That bee disease, so far as my knowledge ex- tends, has not appeared in Canada, and I hope it will not, as we have already sufficient draw- backs to beekeeping. Having never seen any- thing of the kind, I am quite unprepared to say what the cause is, 01 what the remedy. How- ever, I cannot believe it to be poisonous honey, scarcity of honey, or barrenness of queen. Why should poisonous honey, such as could cause the disease, have been gathered for the first time last season? Scarcity of honey and barrenness of queen are contingencies too com- mon to be productive of such fatal results. The same may be said of " want of pollen " as the cause. Has there never been a want of pollen before ? Why should this want occur last sea- son ? Were not flowers as abundant as in other seasons, and as productive of pollen, even if not of honey. Neither ©an I accept my friend Dadant's "probable cause1' — constipation; that is, if constipation is produced, as he is inclined to believe, "by a sudden and great fall of tem- perature, while the abdomen of the bees is filled with faeces." Do we not frequently have as great and as sudden a fall of temperature, as was experienced last September ? It appears to me that the true cause of the disease has not yet been arrived at. Foulbrood. I know of but one apiary in the Province of Ontario, where foulbrood exists. There may be others, but not to my knowledge. This apiary is owned by Mr. Thayer, of Georgetown. In the fall of 1867, being in that vicinity, I called on Mr. Thayer, and with him examined several stocks of bees, two of which were badly affected with foulbrood. I tried to induce him to destroy the hives and stocks entirely ; but he being unwilling to do so, I cut out all the affected combs and left the stocks to live or die. Mr. Thaj-er had I think at that time some fifty stocks. I cannot say whether others were affected or not, or how far the disease had spread among his bees, not having heard from there of late. Mr. Thayer now takes the Bee Journal, and it is to be hoped that he will see to it, and rid his apiary of the disease. Candied Honey. Friend A. J. Root, in the current volume of the Bee Journal, page 179, thinks that candied honey, after being melted by submitting it to a temperature of 206° F., will not candy again. My experience has been that it will. If Mr. Boot will put his honey into jars, and then bring it nearly to a boiling heat, and seal it up as fruit is sealed, it will not candy. At least, I have kept it thus for two years, as clear and fine as the day it was sealed up. Queens Laying Drone and Worker Eggs. On page 198, of the current volume of the Bee Journal, Mr. Dadant says— " I think j that the queen finds less enjoyment while lay- j iug in droue than in worker cells ; and that she lays in drone cells only when compelled by J want of room, or when hurried bv the desire (it j laying in the height of the breeding season." I I do not know Whether the queen finds any en- joyment in laying in drone cells, but I do know that a queen will lay in drone cells when not. i compelled by want of room, and this not in tue ! height of the breeding: season. j In reply to Mr. R. Bickt'ord, in the Bee Journal of February, 1868, page 147, I submit that if the queen lays in worker cells because she understands that by so doing she will pro- duce a worker or female progeny; then she lavs in drone cells because she understands that by so doing she will produce a worker or male pro- geny. Logical conclusion. The same under- standing that causes her to lay in worker ce.ls, in order to produce workers, would cause her to open the mouth of the seminal sac, in order to produce fertilized or worker eggs ; and when laying in drone cells, in order to produce drones, would cause her to close it, in order to produce unfertilized or drone eggs. It can require no more knowledge to open and shut the seminal duct, than it does to open and shut the oviduct. Again— if the queen instinctively lays in worker cells, then she instinctively lays in drone cells. Logical conclusion. The same instinct that causes her to lay in worker cells, in order that workers may be produced, would cause her to open the mouth of the seminal sac, in order that impregnated or worker eggs may be deposit- ed ; and, when laying in drone cells, it would cause her to close the mouth of the seminal sac, in order that unimpregnated or drone eggs be deposited. If instinct causes the oviduct to open and shut, it may cause the seminal duct to open and shut. Ye wise ones, either deny the premises, and say the queen does not lay at all, or accept the conclusion. J. H. Thomas. Brooklin, Ontario. [For the American Bee Journal.] Mr. Editor :— R. Bickford's troubles, de- scribed in the February number, have induced me to send you my plan of getting bees out of honey boxes. Place an empty barrel anywhere about the apiary to suit your convenience. Remove the boxes from the hives, and place them in it; then lay a dark cloth over the top of the barrel, leav- ing a space at one side just large enough for one or two bees to crawl out at a time. You may then leave for other work, and return at your leisure, without fear of finding any honey car- ried away by robbing bees. I have tried this plan several years, sometimes placing a dozen boxes in a barrel at one time ; and never yet knew a bee to return to the bar- rel for honey, or a cell to be uncapped by its own or other bees. If any one has a cheaper, quicker or easier way, that is not patented, I should like to hear of it. John L. Rice. Rensselaerville, N. Y. 220 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For Our American Bee Journal. Facts for Bee Men. In the Report of the Commissioner of Agri- culture for the year 1863, page 539, R. Colvin says : — "It should never be lost sight of that, although the drone progeny of a queen reared from a pure Italian egg, but impregnated by an impure or even nntive drone, may be pwre Ital- ian, (which is now considered by Europeans, as well as many American breeders, as an es- tablished fact)." Now, I do not agree with R. Colvin, L. L. Langstroth, and others, that a queen thus impregnated, can produce any pure progeny, either male or female. I tried that process several years ago, until I was satisfied they did not produce pure progeny. Nor do I believe in the doctrine that the size of the cells has anything to do with the fecun- dation of the eggs, by pressure. As the queen backs into the the cells, to deposit her eggs, I have frequently seen her depositing eggs in cells just commenced ; eggs sticking out as far as the edge of the cells. There can be no pres- sure of her abdomen at all. Those eggs thus laid in worker cells, invariably hatch workers. I would advise all who wish to keep their bees pure, not to breed from drones whose mother is impurely fertilized. Bees can be improved by careful breeding, as well as any other stock. "Whilst at Kelley's Island, raising queens in 1866, I commenced by picking out of the first lot of queens hatched, one queen. She was very large and light-color- ed. After she had deposited eggs six days, I removed her and let her bees construct queen cells from her eggs. When they were capped over, I cut them out and inserted them in nu- clei. When they hatched, I picked out the lar- gest and lightest-colored again, and so on until I had raised the eighth generation that year. In 1867, I raised five generations, and in 1868, rive more — making eighteen generations in three years. Most of the queens thus raised I put in my own hives at home and others in the vicinity ; so that I could test them and pick out the best each year to breed from. By careful breeding I have succeeded in producing very large and light- colored bees. When we take the same pains in breeding our bees, that the Vcrmonter does in breeding his sheep, we will find that we can put yellow bands on them, as easily as he can put wrinkles on his sheep. I am in for im- provement. Small bees are more apt to sting than large ones. Aaron Benedict. Bennington, Ohio. [For the American Bee Journal.] Reply to Mr. J. H. Thomas on the Purity of the Queen. A large swarm of bees may weigh seven pound?, and others gradually less, to one pound, Consequently, a very good swarm may weight five or six pounds. All such as weigh less than four pounds, should be strengthened, by uni- ting to them a less numerous swarm. — Wild- man. In contradiction of the theory of Mr. J. H. Thomas, as given in the March number of the Bee Journal, and which seems to mean that all queens whose workers have three rincs, have mated with pure drones ; I maintain, as I have already stated in the September number of the Journal, that color alone is not sufficient to establish the purity of the queens ; but that the slender form, the tapering abdomen, and the I thick greyish hairs around the abdomen are ne- cessary also. No doubt friend Thomas has only purely im- pregnated queens in his apiary ; at least he thinks so. But there are in his vicinity some careless bee-keepers ; let us suppose that one of his pure drones mates with a black queen ; the progeny will be half-breed. If that half- breed progeny mate with a pure drone, the daughters will be three-fourths Italian, and so on. Then let one of these three-fourth Italian drones mate with one of his pure Italian queens; does friend Thomas have eyes keen enough to detect the change, if he relies only on color ? His three-banded seven-eighths Italian bees will no longer be pure in the full meaning of the word. The first importers of Italian queens commit- ted a serious mistake, in importing German bred queens, and in looking only at the color. For, notwithstanding their golden hue, so much loved in Germany and so loudly extolled here, I claim that most of the German bred queens, used as breeding stock, are more or less tainted with Mack blood, because in shape the workers are not all alike in all the hives, and their form is very diiferent from that of Italian imported bees. Furthermore, the best queen breeders in Italy, | living at the foot of the inaccessible Alps, can- not meet the light color so fashionable in Ger- many. Their endeavors in this direction are always frustrated by the drones of their neigh- bors, and their bees invariably revert to the typical color, such as was known and sung by Virgil two thousand years ago. Ch. Dadakt. Hamilton, Ills. [For the American Bee Journal.] The Bee Disease. I have noticed, in emptying the hives in which my bees died last fall, that the honey in the lower uncapped cells was very thin and watery. My bees also obtained honey from a so-called honey dew last summer. But bees north of me did the same, and have not died. Can this disease be connected with the fact that Hie bees cast no swarms during the season V C. E. TnoRNE. Selma, Ohio. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 221 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. WASHINGTON, MAY, 1869. E2F"TnE American Bee Journal is now published monthly, in the City of Washington, (D. C.,) at $2 per annum in advance. All com- munications should be addressed to the Editor, at that place. HgrWc have added four pages to this number of the Journal, without being able to insert all the articles now in hand. Regarding the favors of our correspondents as evidence that the interest felt and frequently expressed by them for the success of the Bee Journal, is sustained and growing, we make every effort in our power to present their communications to our readers without undue delay, but find that we cannot always accomplish what Ave constantly desire. ner : On the 7th of August he removed the queens from two colonies of black bees, A and B. After feeding each colony with a wine- ! glassful of diluted honey scented with grated I nutmeg, he dipped each queen repeatedly in the liquid, and gave the queen from colony Ato colony B, and that from colony B to colony A, setting each at liberty directly among the bees. Next morning he found each queen hale and hearty in her new home, and engaged in laying eggs. He then caught and killed both, and sub- stituted for them two Italian queens dippedinthe scented liquid and immediately liberated them among the bees, as before. This second experi- ment was quite as successful as the first. The process may thus be tested, without risking the life of a valuable queen. )ur readers will find in this number of the Bee Journal, interesting communications from correspondents in Germany, England, and the Canadas ; besides the usual number and variety of contributions from practical bee- keepers in almost every part of the United States. ^°If the process of securing the pure fertil- ization of queen bees announced by Dr. Preuss, as detailed in the present number of the Bee Journal, proves efficient, as we presume it will, another important advance in operations essen- tial to successful bee-culture, will have been achieved. It comes in season to be availed of by those engaged in queen-raising, who, we trust, will communicate the result of any trials they may make. tSfln our present issue we give a further sketch of the debates in the German Bee-keep- ers' Convention at Darmstadt, last fall. The process for introducing queen bees promptly and safely, used and recommended by Mr. Uhle, deserves trial as that of a bee-keeper of large experience. The Bienenzeitung of March 15, contains an extract of a letter to Mr. U., in which the writer states that he had tested the process, with success, in the following man- Ef Wc have received several numbers of the "Journal des Femes et des Chateaux,'1'' a new periodical recently commenced in Paris, and largely devoted to improved and rational bee- culture. It is well edited, and cannot fail to be serviceable to the accessory branches of rural economy which fall within its plan. We have received a specimen of "L' Apicol- tore," an Italian Bee Journal, published monthly at Milan, by the Central Association for the Encouragement of Beeculture in Italy. It advocates the introduction of movable comb hives, and the advancement of beeculture by the adoption of a rational, scientific, and syste- matic mode of managing bees. No. VI of Dr. Packard's " Guide to the Study of Insects,'" has been published, con- cluding the account of the Lepidoptera (butter- flies, moths, &c.) and the beginning of the Dip- tera, including the various species of flies of this country. This number contains a full page steel plate and numerous illustrations on wood, well executed. Four numbers more will com- plete the work. It is published in parts, at fifty cents each. Send orders to Dr. A. S. Pack- ard, Jr., Salem, Massachusetts. The "itemizers" sometimes misapprehend matters strangely, and present their misconcep- tions very absurdly— as witness the following, now "going the rounds:" — "It is stated that a swarm of bees to the num- ^OQ THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ber of fifty can be packed into a Sponge satura- ted with honey and safely transmitted from one point to another through the mails. If a mail robber should chance to open one of these pack- ages without being aware of its nature be would soon be taught a stinging lesson." Michigan Bee-keepers' Association. Pursuant to notice a large number of bee- keepers met at Jackson, Michigan, on the 7th of April last, to organize a State Association, and to discuss questions of interest to those en- gaged in bee-culture. The following named gentlemen were chosen ofScers for the ensuing year, viz : President — Ezra Rood, of Wayne. Vice Presidents — J. II. Townley, Tompkins ; Rev. J. G. Putman, Dowagiac ; A. Harwood, Maple Grove. Secretary — A. J. Cook, Lansing. Treasurer — R. G. McKee, Lansingburg. Executive Board— Martin Mctcalf, Grand Rapids ; A. F. Moon, Paw Paw ; C. L. Balch, Kalamazoo; Hoff, Jonesville ; Tyler, Detroit; O. E. Wolco'.t, Byron; G. Smith, Lexington ; Hastings, Casscounty; L. Foster, Ann Arbor ; J. T. Rose, Petersburg. The Convention continued in session two days, and a number of questions, proposed by a committee, were discussed ; but no regular report of the proceedings has been furnished to us. [For the Americau Bee Journal.] The Season of 1868. Bees did very poorly here last season. I had fiiiy hives last spring, all in good condition ; and the prospect early in the season was very good. 1 bad drones flying on April loth ; and while the crab apples were in bloom, most of the stocks stored more or less honey in the sur- plus boxes. But, after the crab apples were dene blooming, bees almost ceased to work, and killed off their drones in a few days. White clover was tolerably plenty, but I could scarce- ly ever find a bee on it. I did not hive a sin- ale swarm, and did not get over a hundred ■pounds of honev. C. T. Smith, Trenton. Ills., March 24, 1969. Bonner says — " I have often had good hives, with few or no drones in them, during the whole year. [For the Americau Bee Journal.] The Truth of the Dzierzon Theory. Mr. Editor : — I see on page 90 of the Bee Journal for November, 1869, that Mr. J. H. Thomas, of Brooklin, Canada, claims that the Dzierzon Theory of the reproduction of the bone}'- bee is not true, and says that Mr. John Lowe, of Edinburgh, raised from an Italian queen, fertilized by a common drone, workers and drones which he called hybrid in their character, and which bore unmistakable evi- dence of the influence of the male parent. Mr. Thomas fully endorses the conclusion arrived at by Mr. Lowe, that drones are, in some way, affected by the act of fecundation. My experience is different from that of Mr. Lowe and Mr. Thomas. In the year 1805 I had two black queens which were fertilized by Ital- ian drones. Their worker progeny was hand- somely marked in part, and the remainder was black bees. When the drones made their ap- pearance, I examined them to see whether they bore Italian marks. I suppose I have caught hundreds of them for examination, and found not one that showed the least indication of Ital- ian blood. I also caught drones from other stands, and laid them side by side, for the pur- pose of detecting a trace of Italian blood, if any could be observed ; but could perceive nothing warranting such an inference. Now, Mr. Editor, I haye in my possession the first volume of the Bee Journal, published in Philadelphia in 1861. containing an article in which the Baron of Berlepsch states that among twenty common queens raised in his apiary and fecundated by Italian drones, which produced a more or less mixed worker progeny, there was not one drone bearing the slightest resem- blance to the characteristics of an Italian drone, all being thoroughly of the common race. Hence I am forced to believe the theory of Dzierzon will stand, in defiance of all investiga- tion of the subject. In conclusion, allow me to ask Mr. Thomas if he will tell me how many black queens he has raised, that were fertilized by Italian drones, whose drone progeny, as well as the workers, show positive marks of the Italian blood ? h. rosekstiel. Lena, Ills. A swarm of bees and a bountiful store of wild honey were recently found in a tree by wood- choppers on the west side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The incident is recorded as the first discovery of the kind on the Pacific slope. There were no wild bees beyond the Sierras when that portion of the country was first occu- pied by emigrants from the Atlantic board; but it was soon discovered that bees imported from "the States" thrived well, and several persons who engaged early in the business acquired large fortunes from the production of honey for the markets. It cannot be denied that bees have their vice*, as well as their virtues. — Bonner. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 223 [For the American Bee Journal.] A. P. Durant's Patent Hive. The hive repre- sented by the an- nexed cut is the most simple and the easiest man- aped of any that I have ever seen. I think it is per- fectly adapted to persons handling bees. I used it ._= last season, and JH found it far ahead s of my expecta- §§= tions. It is so "ll arranged that I = can take out the frames without injury to the bees or combs, by loosening the iron rod a little. The side board is loose, and comes auy re- quired distance, or can be taken off entirely. The frames are rab- beted at the low- er end, resting . on a shoulder or L a crossbar. |= I make my jig frames 10 1 |l§ inches deep and Sp" 15 inches long. g I am not con- I lined to any par- ' t'cular number of frames with this hive. I make my botrom board wide enough to receive frames for a large stock of bees ; or, if my swarm is small, I use fewer frames. I put a frame on the top, to receive honey boxes. This frame and the cap are nut shown in the cut. I see, in the April number of the Bee Journal, that Mr. Quinby has got up a hive in which the principle of handling the frames, if I understand it, is the same. The first hive I got up, I set the frames on the bottom board. I do not like that as well as setting them ou the crossbar, as shown intho cut. The bottom bar of my frame is three-eighths of an inch trom the bottom- board. I see that some do not, like a patent hive. Very well, I cannot help it now. The thing is done and gone. I obtained a patent on this hive December 8, 1868, number 84,805. What I claim as my inveutijn is, Bottom-board A, Bars B B, Frames C D, Side-pieces E F, Connecting- bars G G, Frame H, Cap I ; all constructed and arranger! substantially as set forth. Inquries from readers of the Bee Journal, concerning this hive, will receive due attention and prompt answers, if addressed to A. P DURANT, April 10, 18G9. Athens, Ohio. [For the American BeeJourual ] The Native Honey Bee of Australia. I see that on page 110 of the American Bee Journal are quoted twTo lines from the JVcw York Tribune, to the effect that " in Australia the bees are as large as horse-flies, and do not sting." This seems ridiculous enough, but I have no doubt that the remark is intended to apply to the native honey bee of that country, and that its apparent absurdity arises entirely from misprint. If we hear this in mind, and substitute house-Hies for "horse-flies," the ab- surdity vanishes, and the infoimation conveyed becomes moreover perfectly correct. It is a curious fact that the apparently powerless Lilli- putians are stated to be quite capable of holding their own, and even of successful!}'' defending their nests against what might well be consi- dered an irrisistible attack of the comparatively gigantic and well-armed European bee, which has been introduced by the colonists, and which has flourished and extended itself through the land to an almost unprecedented extent. Their mode ol defence is described as being summary and effective, although their tactics may be deemed simple in the extreme. They merely grapple with the huge intruder, bite off her wings and legs, and in this helpless condition thrust her out of the nest ! In September, 1863, I received a beautiful nest of these remarkable insects, the scientific name of which is Trigona carbonaria, and which nest is now deposited in the British Museum. Its inhabitants were alive when shipped from Brisbane, but had unfortunately become defunct long before the conclusion of their voyage. If wished by the Editor of the American Bee Journal, I shall be happy to forward a copy of an interesting description of this nest and its architects, from the pen of Mr. F. Smith, the distinguished hymenopterist, who was at that time President of the Entomological Society, and who is at the head of the entomological de- partment of the British Museum.* T. W. Woodbury, ("A Devonshire Bee-keeper.") Mount Radford, Exeter, England, De- cember 21, 1868. *We shall be please \ to receive the descrip- tion referred to above. — Ed. A. B. J. 224 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. [For the American Bee Journal. Improved Method of £ warming. Mr. Editor : — In the March number of the Bee Journal, page 170, Rev. P. R. Russell, of Bolton, Massachusetts, gives his plan of swarming, which would do very well, provided his bees would start the queens from eggs de- posited each on successive days. But I am afraid that about the time he would get his swarm from number three, he would have three if not twice three queens hatch, all within an hour perhaps. Could he change number one from stand to stand so fast as that, and have bees return from the fields too to make new swarms ? My opinion is that he could not, and his plan would fail. But suppose he succeeded in getting a swarm from each of his ten hives, by the time he got through swarming his num- ber one would be so filled with honey by these returning bees, that before number one raised a queen, she would have no room to lay eggs. Every cell would be filled with honey in tiie brood combs, as fast as the young bees hatched out. I do not want Mr. Russell to think that I am criticising his plan from any ill will ; but that I do so lest some new beginners should be led astray, and, failing at the very start to accom- plish all they aimed at, be induced to abandon bee keeping as a poorly paying business — as many of our Kentucky bee-keepers are doing, because their bees died this winter. To such I would say, try it a few years more ; do not be- come disheartened. Suppose we farmers had quit farming two years ago, because we raised only six or eight bushels of wheat or twenty bushels of corn per acre, where would we get our fat Durhams, our fat Berkshires, or old Bourbon ? But, for fear some temperance bee- keeper should say my head is swimming, and that I am going too tar from the subject, I A\ill give my plan for swarming, and let Mr. Russell and others judge which is the best. I propose to make an artificial swarm from number one, taking away two-thirds of the bees and combs to a new stand ; but leaving the old queen on the old stand, to superintend comb- building and prevent too much drone comb being built. Nine days after this division, ex- amine the new swarm and if there are ten queen cells sealed, cut out nine and make a division of each of the old hives, same as number one — giving to each new swarm a sealed queen, which will hatch in a day or two. All will go well, provided all the queens are successful af- ter their excursion to meet the drones. This is intended for those using movable comb hives, as it is supposed that no one who is old fogy enough to use the old box hives, would try anything new. H. Nesbit. Cynthtana, Ky., March 10, 1869. P. S. Why do not correspondents date their ardcles, as some without date lock out of season? Do stinging bees, losing their stints, die ? [For the American Bee Journal]. The Honey-Emptying Machine. Mr. Editor : — I notice while reading the Journal, that many apiarians are writing much in favor of using the honey-emptying machine for getting surplus ; and as we have had a little experience in that line, I will give it for the benefit of the readers of the Journal. Last season we got one of the machines made which cost seven dollars, and extracted a thou- sand pounds of very nice honey from the frames. It worked like a charm, emptying two frames, weighing eight pounds each, in four minutes after the capping was removed. We put the honey up in glass fruit jars, holding one quart each, and sent it to New York city, with our box honey. The box honey sold readily, at a good price ; while the jars went very slow, at a low price. Now, the question is this — whether we can get enough more honey, by the use of the machine, than we can in boxes, to over-balance the difference m price and sale? We shall use it for emptying combs that we wish to use empty ; but not for getting sur- plus. The winter has been long, having had but one day that the bees could fly out, this spring. A. A. Baldwin. Sandusky, N. Y., April 7, 1867. [For the American Bee Journal . Several Inquiries. My bees are in hives piled in tiers, one above the other, in a not very dry cellar, with mats over them. I noticed, in raising the mats, that drops of water had collected on the underside. If the bees should partake of it, would it be in- jurious to them ? Or would it answer the de- mand some writers make for bees in winter ? I notice, too, that my bees are not in a healthy condition, from some cause. From the smell, I should judge it was foulbrood. If there are healthy stocks in the same room, will they be- come diseased by contagion ? Perhaps some experienced bee-keeper will answrer, and oblige J. F. H. [For the American Bee Journal.] Albino Queen. From an Italian queen bee purchased from Mr. Langstroth, I raised a queen, in the sum- mer of 1867, that showed white instead of yel- low rings. The upper half of every ring the whole length of her abdomen was white — the lower half as black as a crow. She was large, and appeared perfect in form. After repeated excursions, she was lost. Could tnis queen have been internally de- formed, or did her peculiar color "deter the drone s from mating with her ? H. Nesbit. Cynthtana, Ky., April, 1869. American Bee Journal. EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNER, WASHINGTON, D. C. AT TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Vol. IV. JUIV^, 1869. No. 12. [For tbo American Bee Journal.] Michigan Beikeepers' Convention. In our last issue we noticed the organization of this Convention, and gave a list of the offi- cers elected. The next meeting is to be held at the time and place of the next Michigan State Fair. The following is the official report, by the Secretary, of the discussions : Why Do Bees Swarm ? Mr. Otis thought the primary instinct of worker hees was to store honey, not to repro- duce their kind. For want of honey cells, they would destroy eggs and young in brood cells, and form queen cells. Tuc queen is character- ized hy implacable hatred to other queens, and as these are hatched, if the worker bees would not permit her to destroy them, she would form a colony and swarm. He thought queen cells were never built except when there was a full store of honey, or when the old queen was disabled from accident or age. Messrs. Baldridge, Moon, and Portman thought that, as with all other animals, the prime instinct of bees was increase of kind. They had known swarming to take place in a hive not more than half full of honey, and con- taining a young fertile queen. They also thought that a season rich in honey plants induced more early and frequent swarming. Best Method op Wintering Bees. All thought there should be a dry uniform temperature, from 32 to 45 degrees. Should be kept in the dark, free from disturbance, and whatever they were in should be mouse-tight. Messrs. Taylor, Baldiidge, Townley, Otis, Conklin, and the President, argued strongly for housing. If put in cellar, it should be dry and quiet. Clay cellars were never good. If houses were built, the ground should be hollow and filled in with saw dust. Some advocated a room within a room. The President said he kept a snow bank near, and, to keep the tem- perature sufficiently low, would throw in snow when necessary. To winter well, bees should be numerous enough, have plenty of food, and some empty cells in which to cluster, to keep warm. Care should be taken not to overheat, as the exercise would cause overfeed- ing, which would fill their intestines with fasces and cause disease. Bees should be taken out on warm days, to extrude their excrement. Should have empty comb for eggs in the spring. Cloths and cobs should be placed in the space for surplus honey boxes, to absorb moisture. Good ventilation was urged by all the speakers. All thought that keeping the bees thus warm, or in uniform temperature, would save fifty per cent, in honey. Some had known good sized stands, when housed, to be kept on four pounds of honey. Rev. Mr. Portman, with Metcalf hive, had been more successful in keeping bees on sum- mer stands, than his neighbors had been in housing. He questioned very much if housing paid for the extra expense and trouble. With many others, he had known bees when buried under straw and earth to winter well. Mr. Moon had experimented much. He said on summer stands ice would sometimes prevent good ventilation. Pure air was the great desideratum. He thought out-door winter- ing most safe . Bad air was the most fruitful source of disease. Mr. Kent said if bees were thoroughly venti- lated they would eat as much when housed as they would on summer stands, and, if not well ventilated, disease would settle among them. Mr. Cook thought the extra heat in housing, without great vigilance, would sow the seeds of disease, and that beginners would run less risk by wintering on summer stands. Best Method op Artificial Swarming. Mr. Moon looked with little favor on artificial swarming. He thought no stand should be di- vided more than twice in the season; generally once was better. He thought natural swarm- ing the best. Never lost a swarm. He could control the time of swarming as follows : Raise queens artificially, and by putting one in a large full stand, swarming immediately took place. 226 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Rev. Mr. Portman said he raised queens in nuclei, and placing them in a hive, took frames containing young brood and workers, which he placed with them. Thought this was the best method of artificial swarming. Mr. Otis gave what he thought the best modes, as follows : 1st. Take one frame of brood comb filled with eggs from the large stands ; put these with a queen in a new hive. The adult bees are left in the old stand. 2d. Put empty brood and honey combs into a new hive; drive all the bees into this; then introduce bees from two other large hives into the old hive. If near swarming time, the old hive will surely have queen cells. From ten good stands he could safely make eighty in a good season ; though it required much experience to produce such a large increase with safety. He did not raise his queens in nuclei, but in a full hive. Queens would always lay, or preferred to lay, eggs in small cells. Thus he could control the kind of eggs, by controlling the kind of cells. Mr. Moon caused large well -filled stands to swarm by introducing queens; and, by exam- ining, he found there were no queen cells in the old hive. Mr. Thomas, of Canada, thought that a great deal was gained by artificial swarming. He left the bees till near the swarming time. He then took the card on which was the queen, put it into a similar hive, and placed it where the old stand had stood, removing the old stand to some distance. If the queen is on a worker brood comb, he placed it in the centre; if on a drone comb, he placed it to one side of the new hive. Mr. Baldridge wished all to examine this point of position, as he thought it was always better to place it on one side. He thought the method given by Mr. Otis the best, as all trouble in finding the queen was obviated. Mr. Rood had practised Mr. Thomas' mode ■with excellent success. Mr. Otis thought that to succeed with bees you must become conversant with their natural history and workings. Following others will never do. Will Bees Work in Boxes Partially Filled the Previous Season. The President, Dr. Conklin, Messrs. Moon and Otis, all said that they would. What is the Best Method op Procuring Surplus Honey? Messrs. Portman and Conklin used boxes, placing one above the other, so that both would be filled without disturbing. Thus time would be saved. Mr. Baldridge said that by uncapping two or three frames the bees would carry all the honey from below upward. Thus a large amount of honey can be obtained in a short time. Mr. Otis confirmed that statement. These gentle- men favored extracting honey from the comb, preserving the comb to be again filled, as comb is an animal secretion, and it takes twenty pounds of honey to form one pound of comb. And if one pound of comb would hold twenty pounds of honey, still they thought the differ- ence in price would not make up for the loss of comb. Mr. Baldridge thought much more honey could be obtained by using frames, aud advised all to try storing in the body of the hive, which he thought the best. Mr. Otis said he thought so too ; the only trouble is eggs will be laid in the boxes. Ho preferred small boxes. It saved waste from cutting the comb. Mr. Moon liked rack boxes best. Sometimes he obtained three tiers in a season. Preferred to place the boxes on top, but very near the main hive. He thought, as a matter of taste and price, it was better to leave thu honey in the comb. Mr. Balch preferred rack boxes. Quite a spirited debate took place as to the policy of pumping. Most of those present seemed to think it a doubtful practice. How to Remedy Foulerood. The President said he had tried all the ways he had heard of, and recommended, as the best riddance, burying bees, hive and all, so deep that there could be no hope of resurrection. In foulbrood the comb is dark, cells very concave, and there is a small opening in ttie cells. Mr. Baldridge would adopt total destruction. Mr. Otis would bury in the fall. In the spring would put them in a clean hive, and shut them up till all the honey in them was digested. He thought they would recover. Mr. Moon thought that transferring to new hives is a sure cure. Best Plants for Bee-pasturage. Mr. Thomas said Alsike clover was excellent for bees, as it was in bloom twice as long as white clover, and par-excellent for stock, as it yielded twice as much fodder in bulk as red clover, and was better feed. He has had eight bushels of seed to the acre. It is better on strong soil, but exceeds red clover anywhere. Lodges, as he has seen it five feet seven inches in length. Sows early, five pounds to the ncra in Canada. Does not fruit much the first year, and only the first blossoms produce seed at any- time. Mr. Baldridge thinks it much belter formed to resist frost than red clover, as the multiple of primary roots was carried much further. It is never thrown out by frost, or killed by water standing on the ground for three or four weeks in the spring. Melilot, a biennial, was better for bees, but otherwise worthless. Ho thought there was but one variety of Alsike. Can Spare Queens be Wintered Over. Rev. Dr. Portman said they can, by taking them with a few bees into a cellar and inverting the receptacle. Best Method op Introducing a Qceen. Rev. Mr. Portman used to cage his queen; but now he covers her with honey, and thus succeeds admirably. Mr. Conklin said when honey is scarce he would drive the bees into a cap, then daub the THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 227 queen with honey, and send the bees back. By tbe time they have taken the honey from her they would surely be friendly. If honey was plenty, he followed the plan recommended by Mr. Portman. Mr. Baldridge said, to change queens, just kill the old one, then throw her in the midst of the bees, and in their grief they will gladly receive the introduced queen. Mr. Balch said beginners had better use the cage, as recommended by Mr. Langstroth. Proper Time to Introduce Honey Boxes. Rev. Mr. Portman said if the season is good and the stock strong, put on the honey boxes early. He would put two swarms together, if young, and place the boxes in two or three days; if sooner, the queen may lay eggs in the extra honey comb. The President thought that honey boxes should bo placed as soon as the bees drum on the hive. Can Honey be Extracted from Comb that Contains Uncapped Larvje without Throwing out the Larvae ? Mr. Otis thought this matter of little import- ance. Mr. Moon thought differently. He did not wish an extracting machine if it destroyed the larvse. Can Queens be Reared and Fertilized in Winter ? No person present could answer affirmatively. Why do Some Queens Lay Only Drone Eggs ? Messrs. Otis and Cook she wred that it had been fully demonstrated by scientists that this was owing to the eggs being unfertilized. This is one of the very few cases among animals, where unfertilized eggs would develop. Unfertilized queens would always lay drone eggs. Fertile queens couid lay drone or worker eggs, by con- trolling the seminal sac. Is There Such a Thing as a Fertile W orker ? Several gentlemen said they had seen work- ers laying eggs. Messrs. Otis and Cook took ground that these were immature queens, nevertheless, which, so soon as there Avas a necessity, would deposite eggs. Mr. Cook showed analogous cases among other animals. Movable Frames and Bee-Hives. Mr. Portman thought movable frames were very desirable. No one could afford to do without them. Mr. Otis thought we should have that perfect control of the bees, which could only be gained by using movable frames. A resolution was passed that all from other States in attendance at our meetings be con- sidered honorary membors. A resolution was passed that we support the American Bee Journal, and request its pub- lication semi-monthly. The Secretary invited the members to visit the Agricultural College. Mr. Moon hoped that all would accept the invitation, as he had visited the institution and had never enjoyed a visit more in his life. Mr. Baldridge presented an invitation to all the members to visit the North American Bee. keepers' Association at its next meeting. [For the American Bee Journal.] Answer to the Question, How Can I Winter My Bees Successfully? Almost every number of the Bee Journal at this season contains articles on wintering bees, and "legion" are the plans suggested. One would winter on the stands; another would winter in the house. One would bury; another would put in the cellar. One ventilates at the top; another at the bottom. One uses corncobs; another uses straw mats. One would cover the passage through the honey-board with wire cloth; another wrould not use the wire cloth at all. I fancy a novice would be led to suppose that it was extremely difficult to hit upon a pro- per plan; and that, at best, there was a great deal of trouble attending the wintering of bees. Now I would say to my fellow beekeepers that it is quite as easy to winter bees as to winter horses, and far less trouble. All this talk about corncobs, stiaw mats, wire cloth, and the va- rious methods of ventilation, will do well enough for those who have time to attend to it. Practically, however, it is of no account. To ■winter bees successfully one must first under- stand what is the natural condition of bees dur- ing the winter; then winter them so as to secure that condition; and nothing further is required. It may be asked — what is the natural condi- tion of bees during winter ? I answer, it is a semi-dormant state — a sleepy, stupid condition. The reason why such a state is the natural one, may be given as follows: First, it is a state or condition in which the least amount of food is required; hence the bodies are less distended un- der this condition, and the excrements are more easily retained. Secondly, a semi-dormant state is secured at a temperature calculated to carry off by evaporation the watery substances from their bodies, thus securing a more healthy condition of the stock. Thirdly, the tempera- ture being always above the freezing point, the bees are able to reach any part of their hive at any time for food. Fourthly, bees wintered in a semi-dormant state always come out in the spring healthy and vigorous. This fact alone is sufficient to prove it to be a natural condition for winter. How then can it be secured ? Says one, if I have a room in which I put fifty stocks, it is all right; but if I have only eight or ten in it, it Is all wrong, for it is too cold. Says another, I find the same difficulty in construct- ing a place lo winter bees ; if I make it warm enough for half a dozen stocks, it is too warm for forty or fifty stocks. Allow me to say that 228 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. such wintering places are not the thing. A properly constructed wintering place for hees may be large enough to winter five hundred stocks in a semi-dormant state; yet a single stock would winter equally well in the same place. Such a place is nothing more nor less than an underground cellar of proper dimen- sions. Do you laugh ? Laugh on, then. But if you construct such a cellar as I arn about to describe, you may, next fall, as soon as the earth is mantled in snow, step out some morn- ing and carry your bees into it; never mind your wire screens, corncobs, or Kidder-mats; never mind whether you have upward or downward ventilation, or ventilation at all ; if sufficient air gets into the hive for breathing purposes, close up the entrances and hustle them in — close the door, lock it, and go about your business; and, if every stock has sufficient honey when put in, every stock will come out laughing in the spring. Then you Avill have something worth laughing at. Now for the cellar. First, build large enough. You cannot spoil it by building it too large; but you can spoil it by building it too small. Second, wall it up with a hollow brick wall. Third, cover the bottom with water- lime as you would a cistern; it will become as hard as stone. Fourth, let it be a least eight or ten feet in depth. In such a cellar, if large enough, you may winter five hundred or a thousand stocks ; and if you have only one stock, it will winter these equally well. A cellar twenty feet by thirty is a good size, and will winter from one to two hundred stocks, without ventilating ; and if ventilated, will winter five hundred stocks, and perhaps more. In such a cellar, a thermometer will range at from 35° to 40° F. above zero, when there are no bees in it. It will take a large number of bees, in a cellar of the above size, to materially affect the temperature. In such a cellar the bees are not affected by the changes of the weather; even a thermometer will not vary more than four or five degrees during the winter. But, says one, I really think the hives should have upward ventilation. It is like the doctor's bread pills, it will do them no harm in such a cellar, if it does them no good. Very strong stocks in a very tight hive might be the better of upward ventilation; but stocks are rare in- deed that require more ventilation than would be given by empty honey-boxes remaining in the hive right side up. If, however, you have time to attend to it and choose to ventilate, you can do so in any way that pleases you best; for in such a cellar you may remove the honey boxes, leaving the passages open, and the bees will hardly come out. Mr. Gallup is quite right in that. But if you choose to put on wire cloth to quiet your fears, and set the thing at rest, be it so; and do not be afraid that some hot blooded bee will gallop up to the wire, and find- iug himself fast, set up such a horrid yell as to arouse all his sleeping companions; for such will not prove to be the rule. And if Mr. Gal- lup will pass around and quietly lay his piece of wire-cloth over his bees, he will find what I say to be true — provided they are now in a semi- dormant state. But says another, I am not able to build such a cellai. That does not do away with the fact that bees can be wintered in such a cellar successfully, and with less trouble than we now winter our horses. Often a stable for two horses costs as much as would a cellar of the above dimensions. Then we require to feed and tend our horses, after having provided them with comfortable quarters, while the bees feed and tend themselves. Surely they are entitled to good quarters. I shall lay out more money for feed for my poney this winter than his head is worth; and the profit derived will simply be the luxury of ridiug. Every ten stocks of Italians I winter will, in the spring, be worth more than the poney, and require no outlay for feed or tending; and the luxury in the form of surplus honey, taken from them last fall, is fully equal to the luxury of riding, and quite as profitable. Therefore I say — "keep bees! keep bees!" and provide good winter quarters for them. If unable to provide as good winter quarters as described, approach as near to it as possible. J. H. Thomas. Buooklin, Ontario. [For tho American Bee Journal.] Wintering Bees on Their Summer Stands. To-day, February 13, 1869, my bees are mak- ing their first general issue, and although tho thermometer only reached 47° at three o'clock this afternoon, yet the atmosphere is dry, soft, and mild; and, with one or two slight excep- tions of a few minutes, the sun shone out brightly all d^ 5*« < «r. '■