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OLDEST BEE PAPIRT^V
AMERICA ^A-'
I"
DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO PROGRESSIVE BEE CULTURE.
VoL XVIIII.
Ohicago, 111., January 3, 1883.
No. 1.
PUBLISHED nv
THOMAS C. NEWMAN,
Editor Axn PROPKiETOit,
925 WEST MADISON ST., CHICAGO, ILL.
Weekly, $S a year ; Monthly, Sll.
t3^ Any person sending a chib of six Is entitled
to an extra copy (like tbe club) sent to any address
desired. Sample copies furnished free.
FOREIGN POSTAGE, EXTRA :
To Europe-Weekly, 5U cents ; Monthly, 12 cents.
To Australia-Weekly.^! ; Monthly, 24 cents.
George Neighbour & Sons. London, England, are
our authorized agents for Europe.
Entered at the Chicago Post Office as
Second Class Matter.
TOPICS PRESENTED THIS WEEK.
Another Step in Advance 6
Apiary Register 12
Bee-Keeping in the South 3
Bees In a Snow Drift 11
Bees Packed on the Summer Stands II
Brood Killed by Orer-heating, etc 11
Con mention Notices 4
Do Bees Hear ? 11
Eastern Indiana Convention 6
Eastern Michigan Convention 8
Editorial Items 1_4
Gathering the Statistics 2
Good Showing H
Honey and Beeswax Market 3
Honey as Food and Medicine 13
International Fair at Hamburg, Germany.. 3
Local Convention Directory 4
Management of Bees in Winter 6
My Report _,__ H
My Season's work for 1882 11
New Jersey and Eastern Conventton 9
Notice to Subscribers 4
One-half Pound Sections for Honey 5
Our Premiums for 1883 13
Report for 18.S2 n
Sections too small 1 1
Separators a Necessity 8
Small Sections for Honey 8
The Oldest Bee Association 1
Well Pleased with Progress made 11
Who are our best Breeders 9
Wintered without loss in the Cellar 11
Winter Ventilation of Bees 7
p\TO^^^
inaisir
The Oldest Bee Association.
In an editorial on tbe benefits of
apiarian exiiibits at fairs, in the Bee
Journal for Dec. 13, 1S82, we re-
marked as follows :
The Michigan State Bee-Keepers'
Association is the oldest in America,
and we are pleased to say that it has
been among tlie first to realize the im-
portance of appointing a committee
for tlie purpose of conferring with the
officers of the State Fair, relative to
giving the bee-keeping interests their
due shareof attention and prominence
at the Fair.
Mr. E. Rood, ex-President of the
Michigan State Bee-Keepers' Associ-
ation, sends us the following criticism
for publication :
Mr. Newman : 1 see, in the last
two numbers of the Bee Journal,
that Michigan is credited with having
organized tlie first bee convention in
the United States. This is a mistake.
A convention of considerable num-
bers of bee-men was held at Cleve-
land, Ohio, in March, 1860, at which
Prof. J. P. Kurtland was President.
Mr. L. L. Langstroth and others were
present; the first question discussed
was on wintering bees. Two subse-
quent conventions, at least, were held
at Cleveland in 1861. The first Mich-
igan convention was held a few years
after, and was suggested and gotten
up by the late A. F. Moon, as was
also the American Bee- Keepers' Con-
vention, of which he was the first
President. It was held at Indianap-
olis, Ind. See Volume 1, pp. 67, 116,
281, 282 of the American Bee Jour-
nal, 1861. I'or history and date of
first Michigan convention, I respect-
fully refer you to Prof. A. J. Cook, of
Lansing, Mich. E. Rood.
St. Paul, Minn., Dec. 26, 1S82.
Mr. Rood makes the mistake of sup-
posing that we said that the Michigan
society was the fimt bee convention.
We well knew that it was not the first
bee convention held in America ; but
we reiterate that it is the oldest Asso-
ciation. The convention in Cleveland
was a transient affair, convening a few
times and then dying entirely, while
the" Michigan State Association "has
just held its seventeenth regular annual
meeting, and is the oldest Association;
the North-Eastern (New York) comes
next, which holds its thirteenth an-
nual meeting at Syracuse next Tues-
day, Wednesday and Thursday, Jan.
9-11, 1883. We thank Mr. Rood for the
courtesy of calling attention to the
matter, but the error is entirely his
own — he meant one thing, while we
said another.
1^ Our thanks are due to those
who have renewed their subscriptions
for the coming year — and they have
so generally done this, that we believe
our efforts to publish an acceptable
weekly bee paper are appreciated, and
our labors are rewarded. Our corres-
pondents as well as advertisers also
have our thanks.
1^ The Indiana Farmer begins its
new volume with a quarto size, which
is far more convenient for reference
and preservation. It is an able and
well-conducted paper for the farm,
and has a good bee department.
^F When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confu.sion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but should be written on separate
pieces of paper.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Gathering the Statistics.
A committee was appointed by the
"North American Bee-Keepers' Soci-
ety," at its late meeting in Cincin-
nati, Ohio, for the purpose of securing
statistical information relative to bee
culture in North America. The mem-
bers of this committee had a meeting
last month, and elected Dr. C. C.
Miller, chairman, and authorized him
to issue a call for information through
all the bee papers of America, and
directed him to receive, assort and
tabulate them, and then to offer the
Tabulated Statistical Table for publi-
cation, in all the papers devoted to
apiculture in particular, and agri-
culture in general,as well as to present
that table and report to the next
meeting of the North American Bee-
Keepers' Society ,to be held at Toronto,
Canada, next fall. In accordance with
these instructions. Dr. Miller has is-
sued the following notice, and asked
the editors of all the bee papers to
publish it, simultaneously, in the first
issue of January, 1883 :
Mk. Editor :— At the last meeting
of the North American Bee-Keepers'
Society, a committee was appointed
to obtain statistics relating to bee cul-
ture. Upon consultation, the com-
mittee have decided to ask, through
the various papers devoted to the in-
terests of bee culture, for information
directly from the bee-keepers them-
selves. Will you, therefore, please
request each bee-keeper to report his
name, postofflce. State, the number of
colonies he had m the fall of 1881, the
number in spring of 1882, the number
in fall of 1882, the number of pounds
comb honey taken in 1882, the number
of pounds extracted, and the number
of pounds of beeswax. Let it be writ-
ten on a postal card, like the following :
F. Torrens,
East Liberty, Pa.
21 colonies, fall, 1881.
18 colonies, spring, 1882.
2-5 colonies, fall, 1882.
400 lbs. comb honey.
300 lbs. extracted.
3 lbs. beeswax.
No date is needed ; send the postal
to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo. 111., and
as soon as they can be obtained, the
results will be given through the pa-
pers making this request.
Let each bee-keeper send in the re-
port of any other bee-keeper who does
not send in his own report.
C. C. MlLI,ER,
Chairman Statistical Committee.
"We would respectfully request
every reader of this notice to sit down
at once and send a postal card to Dr.
Miller, Marengo, 111., and give the six
items he requests, as above. By doing
this small share in the work every one
will be benefitting him or herself, as
well as aiding the cause of bee culture
generally throughout the country.
Please do not think because you have
reported to some bee paper, that such
will do in place of this, but stop right
here, before reading any further, and
^ WRITE TO DR. MILLER, .^i
Now, having written the postal card
as requested, let us talk the matter
of statistics over a little. Here is a
letter from Mr. H. L. Jeffrey, Vice
President of the N. A. B. K. Society
for the State of Connecticut, who
wants to have a chat with you upon
THOSE STATISTICS.
I have been deeply interested of late
in the articles on obtaining a correct
statistical report of bees, honey and
beeswax in the United States. I most
heartily wish it may be obtained,
though I very much doubt that it will
be. during 1883.
While reading the letter from Prof.
Cook, ex-President of the North
American Bee-Keepers' Society, I'
could not help smiling to think how
much help could or would be obtained
from the town or State supervisors, as
I have had a slight experience in try-
ing to obtain any amount of informa-
tion from that source. During the
census taking, I found just one willing
to give any aid out of over thirty
that I had conversation with, and he
was a bee-keeper. Through him I ob-
tained, as we afterwards found out,
just Hve-sixths of the number of colo-
nies in his town.
In the year 1880, if I remember cor-
rectly, you, Mr. Editor, sent me a card
asking an effort to obtain, as near as
possible, the statistics of Connecticut.
Ever since then I have used every
available means to obtain it, and [ find
that it is next to an impossibility to
find out very much.
In the first place, the number of
colonies in the spring should be stated.
2. The increase, the amount of sur-
plus honey, and the amount of bees-
wax, etc.
3. The number of colonies to be put
into winter quarters, saying nothing
of the hive used, the method of win-
tering, etc.
Now comes the trouble. There are
so many box-hive men to be looked
up, whose separate productions for the
market supply may be compared with
one mill to a dollar, though it should
be known to make the whole com-
plete, and their wax product is pro-
portionately greater than that of the
practical apiarist.
In oider.to obtain the information
in my last annual report to the North
American Bee-Keepers' Association,
1 have worked for three years, and I
honestly do not believe it "is anywhere
near correct, though I worked faith-
fully for it, and used every means in
ray power, and my memoranda shows
it cost nearly $100, to say nothing of
the time spent in writing or visiting
bee-keepers, or the amount used for
postage on letters or cards I received
from parties furnishing me with in-
formation.
Scarcely any one ever thinks of the
magnitud'e or such an undertaking,
except those having tried it, and,
worse than all, is the amount of fault-
finding there is to withstand from
those thinking they could have done
better, though, in reality, the hardest
amount of work they do is with their
tongue.
Mr. J. S. Terrill's plan is qufte
worthy of a trial if the vice-presidents
have either ambition or curiosity
enough about them to push it through ;
and there is another trouble, if they
have too much push they will not get
any information, because it takes time
and some trouble to make out even a
small report. The greatest trouble ia
to try to get a report within a stated
time, because no man will do anything
till he gets ready, and the more you
drive the more he holds back ; never-
theless, it can be worked at, year after
year, until a nearly correct statistical
table will be the result.
Let the Committee on Statistics ap-
point a man in each State, giving him
a specimen blank ; furnish him a list
of all the bee-keepers, and allow him
three months in which to do his best,
then call for a report ; then call for
another final report, in time for the
National Convention. I know that a
fair result can be obtained by that
plan. Nearly every State has either
an agricultural paper or a principal
paper of some sort, and its columns
can be used by some one to a very sat-
isfactory result. Write a few articles
for it, then make a call through its
columns, and he will hear from more
than he thinks ; then, two or three
more articles, another call and another
response ; each time he will obtain a
wider field. I have tried this plan and
I find it is better than anything ex-
cept a regular,thorough canvass. Try
not only the papers, but solicit aid of
all the "farmers' clubs and the agri-
cultural societies. H. L. Jeffrey.
Woodbury, Conn., Dec. 23, 1882.
The reader will please notice the
fact that Mr. Jeffrey has worked for
three years and spent nearly $100 in
money, in his endeavor to get the cor-
rect statistics of his State on bees and
honey. Now, shall we ask another
favor of you V Of every bee-keeper
you can obtain an interview with, no
matter whether he has .5 or 500 colo-
nies of bees, just make a memorandum
of his name, post oflice and State (so
that it may be classified), and then
send to Dr. Miller a postal card con-
taining the reports, from your memo-
randum book, of the season's work of
every one who has not himself al-
ready reported. This is but a trifling
matter, but will tell wonderfully on
the general result. Instead of costing
you $100, as it has Mr. Jeffrey, it will
cost you but a tew cents, and you will
be fully rewarded in the general re-
sults which will certainly follow the
attainment of correct figures concern-
ing the honey crop of America.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
ftof . Cook very aptly remarks that
" the magnitude of the business once
known, it will be better appreciated
as one of the important industries of
the country." But few Can fail to
recognize the importance of full and
accurate statistics of the present con-
dition of Apiculture in the United
States, both as to the number of colo-
nies of bees and the honey product,
and we hope, as a result of this en-
deavor, to obtain them. If we fail,
the failure will be justly charged to
the bee-keepers themselves through-
out the country.
The International Fair at Hamburg.
From Washington we have the fol-
fowing in reference to the General
Stock Fair at Hamburg, Germany.
We should very much regret it, if the
American bee-keeping interests are
not fully and creditably represented.
A dispatch from Washington, a few
days ago, published in the daily papers,
is as follows :
The assistant secretary of state is
just in receipt from the United States
consulate at Hamburg of full informa-
ation in regard to an international ex-
hibition of domestic animals, fish,
etc., to be held at Hamburg in July,
1883.
The committee of this exhibition are
exceedingly desirous of calling the at-
tention of the people of the United
States to this matter, and solicit their
participation in the exhibition. The
committee having charge of the exhi-
bition is composed of the leading and
most distinguished citizens of Ham-
burg, together with representative
men from other countries. The spec-
ial programme will have many novel
features. The exhibition will begin
on .July 3, 18S3, and will be closed on
July 11.
The following departments will be
fully represented : Horses and mules,
cattle, sheep, swine, bees, with appli-
ances for their keep and culture, with
their products ; fish and poultry, stalls
and other places for the keeping of
animals, as well as machinery and im-
plements directly connected with the
breeding, keeping, or culture of do-
mesticated animals, and lastly, scien-
tific researches and results, with the
literature relative to the breeding of
animals. For each of these sections
there will be a special committee act-
ing under the order of the general
committee and the board of general
directors.
All applications for space or place
must be received by Jan. 30, 1883. As
no duties exist in the district of the
free city of Hamburg there are no
custom-house complications. The
prizes to l)e awarded in the several
sections will consist of cash prizes,
medals, certificates of merit and va-
rious honorary prizes. Cash prizes
may be exchanged for articles of silver
of an equivalent value. The commit-
tee is composed of the following per-
sons : Albertus von Ohlendorf , pres-
ident ; Syndic Dr. Leo, vice president;
Consul General Emile Notting, treas-
urer, and Richard Seeleman, secretary.
The committee have made arrange-
ments with the Hamburg-American
Packet company for special reduced
rates for the transportation of animals,
etc., from New York to Hamburg,
and also for their return to New York.
C. B. Richard & Co. are the agents at
New York.
Bee-Keeping in the South.
The following is a very reasonable
article, which we notice in The South,
and will be read with interest by those
who contemplate removing their bees
to some southern climate, diiring the
present winter or coming spring :
It is claimed that honey is one of
the most healthful sweets that can be
found. As the honey bees feed on the
pure juices of healthy plants, it is
clear that the honey must partake of
the quality of the blossoms from which
it is extracted. The sugar in honey
is of a highly nutritive character. It
is a sweet of rare purity, and it has
been regarded with peculiar favor
from the remotest antiq uity.
That the South is highly adapted to
bee-keeping is evident from the natu-
ral condition of the country. The
climate is promotive of rare exuber-
ance of vegetation and of a flora
varied, rich, and abundant. In the
South the bees finds not only this
abundance from which to gather de-
licious sweets, but there are many
plants, shrubs, and trees, such as bass-
wood, poplar, persimmon, holly, black
gum, blackberry, wild cherry, etc. In
addition to these there are numerous
honey-producing perennials.
Again, the season of labor is much
longer than at the North. Neither
does the bee suffer from the severity
of the weather to the same extent as
at the North. The economic aspects
of the subject are largely in favor of
the South as a place for the success-
ful pursuit of the business.
In all sections of the South bee-keep-
ing obtains. A Florida bee-keeper
states that he started the season of
1881 with 35 colonies, which increased
during the year to 86. During the
same season he took from them 6,600
lbs. of honey. He attributes his suc-
cess more to the natural advantages of
the country than to any skill on his
own part.
To insure success, bee-keeping re-
quires intelligent attention and apti-
tude for the business. Those who
undertake it without applying the
proper means are likely to fail in this
pursuit as in others. Theoretical
knowledge is valuable, but practice is
essential to a true comprehension and
to t,he best results. The bee is endowed
with wondeiful instincts, the study
of which is replete with interest.
While reaping large profits from the
pursuit, the beekeeper may, at the
same time, acquire a store of knowl-
edge of the mysteries of nature.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office op AaiEKicAN bbk Journal, (
Monday, Ml a, m., January 1. 188:^. t
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Qaotatlons of Cash Bayers.
CniCAQO.
HONBY-The supply of extracted honey is fully
up to the demand. My quotations are : 7c. for
inTk and 9c. for liKht. 'delivered here.
BEESWAX— It is quite scarce. I am paying 27c.
for good yellow wax, on arrival ; darli and off col-
ors, 17@22c.
Al,. H. Nkw.man, 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demiind is good for extracted in
barrels as well as in ulaya jars and tin buckets ; ar-
rivals are fair. The demand is fair for comb
honey, which, however, is not cheap enough to
mnke trade lively. l<:xtracted brings 7(<jiluc. on
arrival ; comb honey, I402(»c.
BKESWAX— Is scarce and brings 20(j*27c. on
arrival. Chas. F. Mitth.
Quotatlous of Commission Mlerchauts.
CHICAGO.
HONBY-The demand for comb honev does not
keep pace with the receipts. There is a large sur-
plus on this market at present, and prices are from
2 to 3c. lower than last month.
We quote; white comb honey, in l@21b. sections,
17t3lwc. Dark comb honey, hardly anydemand. It
i8heldatl2>i®l5c. Extracted— White brings from
9^iuc.: dark, 8@9c.; kegs, half- barrels and casks
bring about same price.
BKESWAX-Choice Yellow, 30c.; dark to med-
ium, l8@25c.
R. A. Bdhnbtt, 161 South Water St.
SAN VKANCISCO.
HONEY— No business worthy of note is reported.
Offerings of dark honey, either comb or extracted,
are neglected.
White comb. 17@20c; dark to good. ll@13!^c; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8>^@9J^C. ; dark and
candied, 7(5j8c.
BEESWAX-We quote 25»28c.
Stearns ,.1 Smith. 433 Front Street.
ST. I.OUIS.
HONEY— Dull. Comb, at 16c. for large or hard
to IMCi«20c. for choice bright in small packages : ex-
tracted at 8@yc. : strained, 6i^(3i7c. ; choice, in
smaller quantities, brings more.
BKESWAX— Prime bright steady at 27®28c.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO., 1 17 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONBY-Has changed in price a very little, we
find it necessary to sell all grades about I cent per
lb. less. Best white, in 1 m sections, 20{a21c. per
per pound ; in 2 lb. sections. i8^20c. Extracted is
very dull indeed, hardly any sale.
BEKSWAX-Scarce, 2H(g;*)c.
A. C. Kendel. 115 Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— There is only a moderate supply of
choice to fancy white clover honey, and prices are
still held firmly, though the demand is not large.
Buckwheat and extracted honey continue slow.
Wequote: White clover, first quality, 1 lb boxes,
25c; 2 1b. bo.xes, 23;&2.'>c. ; buckwheat, 1 lb boxes,
2nc. : 2 lb. boxes, 16c. Extracted, white, 12@13c.;
dark, 9(a inc.
BKESWAX— The supply has been llghtand prime
lots held a shade higher.
Western pure, .306^/31 c: southern, pure, 31@32c.
D. W. Qi'iNBY, KID Park Place.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
V^ lb. sections at 30c. : l lb. sections, 22fai25c. ; 2 1b.
sections, 20@22c. Extracted. lOc. per lb. Good
lots 01 extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BBBSWAX-:ioo.
Crocker A Blake. 57 Chatham Street.
i^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own V Our premium," Bees
and Honey," in cloth, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,.
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time and Place oj MeeUma.
Jan. 2-4— Eastern N. Y., at Albany, N. Y.
E. Quakenbush. Sec. Barnervtlle, N. Y.
9.— Cortland Union, at Cortland. N. Y.
M. C. Bean. Sec. McGrawville, N. Y.
9.— Ohio State, at Columbuti, Ohio.
I). Spear. Sec, CardinKton, Ohio.
9-II, Northeastern, at Syracuse. N. Y.
G. W. House, Fayetteville, N. Y.
10, n.— Indiana State, at Indianapolis.
Dr. J. H. O'Rear. Prea.
U, Nebraska State, at Wahoo. Neb.
Geo. M. Hawlcy, Sec.
10,— N. W. 111. and S. W. Wis. at Kreeport.
J. Stewart. Sec.
18, Chamolain Valley, at Micidleburg. Vt.
T. Broukins. Sec.
19, 20.— Mahoning Valley, at Berlin Centre. O.
\j. Caraon, Pres.
20.— S. W. Mich., at Ann Arbor,
G. J. Pease, Sec, Ann Arbor.
Feb. 3.— Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, O.
8.— Maine State, at Dexter.
Wm. Hoyt, Sec.
14, l.'i.— N. K. Ohio and N. W. Pa., at Anrtover
C. T. Leonard. Sec.
April 5.— Utah, at Salt Lake City.
Stevenson, Sec
17, 18,— Texas State, at McKinney,
Wm. H. Howard, bee.
May II.— Iowa Central, at Winterset.
J. B. Pryor.Sec.
— , —Texas State Convention, at McKinney.
Dr. W. K. Howard. Sec.
Oct. 17, 18.-Northwe8tern.at Chioafio. 111.
TbomasG. Newman, Sec.
9, 10.— Northern Mifih. at Slieridun. Mich.
O. R. Goodno, Sec. Caraon City. Mich.
Dec. 5-fi. Michigiin State, at Flint.
H. D. Cutting, :?ec.. Union, Mich.
|y In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetiuiis.- Kl>.
Convention Notices.
t^ The Northeastern Ohio and
Northwestern Penn'sylvania Bee-
Keepers' Association will meet at
Andover, Ohio, to liold tlieir annual
convention, on the second Wednes-
day and Thursday of February, 18S3.
C. T. Leonard, Sec.
i^° The annual meeting of tlie Cort-
land Union Bee-keepers' Association
will be held in Cortland, N. Y., on
Tuesday, Jan. 9, 1883.
M. C. Bean, Sec.
McGrawville, N. Y.
1^ The annual meeting of the
Cliamplain Valley Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held at Middleburg,
Vt., on Thursday, January 18, 1883, at
10 a. m. T. BuooKiNS, Sec.
1^ The Northeastern Bee- Keepers'
Association will hold tlieir thirteenth
Annual Convention in the City Hall,
at Syracuse, N. Y., on the 9lh, 10th
and 11th days of January, 1883.
Business of great value to every
bee-keeper in the State will be brought
before the meeting. Every memuer
is requested to attend and bring their
friends, that all may be benefited by
tlie action there taken.
The question drawer will be opened
each day, and questions answered and
discussed. All are invited to send
(piestions. Appropriate diplomas will
be awarded to successful exhibitors of
iinplements, etc. Let all attend.
Geo. W. House, Sec.
^- The Texas State ]5ee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18lh, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
The following committees have been
appointed, and the programme arrang-
ed for the next meeting, by the execu-
tive committee; viz : on Resolutions;
Apiarian Supplies and Exhibits ;
Subjects for Discussion ; and Arrange-
ments, to receive and entertain those
in attendance from abroad.
Froijramme. —President's Address.
Subject— State and National Conven-
tions.
Subjects for general discussion :
£'ssaj/s.— The " Coming bee," W. H.
Andrews. Honey plants. Native
Ilorseraints, different varieties, Wm.
R. Howard. "Extracted vs. Comb
Honey," W. K. Marshall, D. D.
" Bee-Moth," W. H. Andrews. " The
Queen Bee, her nature and habits,
Wm. R. Howard. "The different
races of bees in America; their relative
value to apiculture," W. K. Marshall,
D. D.
Other essays are promised, and a
general good time is anticipated.
Ample arrangements are made to ac-
comodate those from a distance.
Those wishing to place anything on
exhibition or correspond with the com-
mittee of arrangements, will be
promptly attended to, by addressing,
W. H. Andrews, President, McKinney,
Collin Co„Texas. All othercorrespon-
dence to the Secretary. We would be
pleased to have any one propound
questions of interest for discussion,
as we have found great interest, as
well as valuable information gained
hy the discusssion of questions con-
tributed to our " Question Box."
Wsi. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
1^" The annual meeting of the
Northwestern Illinois and South-
western Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation will be held in Temperance
Hall, Freeport, Stephenson county,
111., on January 16 and 17, 1883.
Jonathan Stewart, Sec.
Rock City, 111.
1^" The Eastern New York Bee-
Keepers' Union will hold their 11th
Semi-Anuual Convention on Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday, January
2hd, 3d. and 4th, 1883, at the State
Agricultural Rooms, State Street,
Albany, at 10 o'clock, a. m. All inter-
ested in bees are invited to attend.
C. Quackenbush, iSec.
W. L. Tennant, Pres.
1^ The Nebraska State Bee-Keep-
ers' Association, will hold its annual
session in Wahoo, Saunders county.
Neb., commencing Thursday, Jan.
11th, 1883. Arrangements have been
made with the railroads to -secure 134
fare for the round trip. The Saunders
county Bee- Keepers' Association will
furnish entertainment free to all
visiting apiarists. Bee-keepers from
neighboring States will be welcomed.
T. L. VonDorn, Pres.
Geo. M. Hawley, Sec
1^ The Southeastern Michigan
Bee- Keepers' Association will hold
their annual meeting in the court-
house at Ann Arbor, Jan. 20, 1883. All
are invited. H. D. Cutting, Pres.
G. J. Pease, Sec, Ann Arbor.
i^" The Ohio State Bee-Keepers'
Association will meet in Columbus, in
the rooms of the Ohio State Journal, on
Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 9 and
10, 1883. A full attendance of mem-
bers, and all interested in bee-culture,
is requested, as matters of interest
and importance will be discussed.
Dr. H. Besse, Delaware, O., Pres.
Daniel Speah, Cardington, O., Sec.
i^The annual meeting of the Ma-
honing Valley Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion will be held at Berlin Center,
Mahoning Co., O., in the town hall on
Friday and Saturday the 19th and20tb
of January, 1883. All bee-keepers are
invited to attend and send essays, pa-
pers, implements, or any thing of in-
terest to the fraternity. A full at-
tendance is requested of all who are
interested. In fact, the meetings wiD
be so interesting that you cannot
afford to miss them. We expect a
lecturer from abroad on the evening
of the 19th. L. Carson, Pres.
^" The Indiana State Bee- Keepers-
Association will hold its annual meet'
iiig at Indianapolis, Ind., on Jan. 10
and 11, 1883. AH are invited.
Dr. J. H. O'Rear, Pres.
.,^ The quarterly meeting of the
Marshall County Bee-Keepers' Associ-
ation will meet in Marshalltown,Iowa,
on Siturday, Jan. 6, 1883, at the
Sheriff 's ollice, in the Court House, at
10:30 a. ni. The subject for discussion
being " Winter and Spring Care."
J. W. Sanders, Sec.
Subscription Credits.— After send-
ing subscriptions to this oflfice, we
would respectfully, ask every one to
look at the label on the wrapper of the
next two papers, and there they will
find the credit indicated thus : Those
who have paid for the first six months
of next year will find " June 83 " after
their names. Those who have paid
for the whole year will find " Dec. 83 "
on their papers. The credit runs to
the end of the month indicated. If
the mark is " Dec. 82," it means that
the subscription is paid until the end
of the present year. Please remem-
ber that the credit given on this label
is a sufficient notification of subscrip-
tions due and receipt for payments
made. If not so indicated within two
weeks after sending money to us, you
may be sure something is wrong, and
should write to us about it. It will
save annoyance and trouble if our
subrcribers will give this matter due
attention.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
#^
For the American Bee JoumaL
One-Half Pound Sections for Honey.
JAMES HEDDON.
For sometime Boston honey dealers
have been quoting half-pound sections
of lioney iit prices about 5 cents per
pound higher than those quoted for
the one-pound package. Ttiese ligures
have set hundreds of producers to
thinking about auotlier change, wish-
ing, as all progressive men do, to
"keep abreast of the times," and
reap the protits that always accrue by
so doing. They also do not forget that
■changes cost money, patience and time,
and they dislike to step out from the
beaten path, without some sort of
certainty that they are moving in the
right direction. Atourlate Michigan
State convention this subject was
taken up and discussed at considerable
length. I was reported as saying that
I was intending to adopt the half-
pound size. This was a mistake.
What I said was that my neighbor
bee-keeper (Mr. W. H. Shirley), to
whom I sold my Glenwood apiary,
finds 2-lb sections too large, and thinks
of jumping the whole distance at one
leap, and going, not to the one-pound,
but to the half-pound sections ; and
that we had been holding private con-
ventions of two, over the matter for
some considerable time.
Since the report appeared I have
received several communications re-
garding my opinion about the matter.
It has been said that" a man will give
his opinion when he will not give a
cent in money ; " that " advice is
cheap," etc., etc.; but the truth is,
these friendly letters of inquiry from
brother bee-keepers are gettmg too
many, not for my inclination, but for
my ability to answer, so I will try to
satisfactorily reply to all in this article.
My opinion is, that it is of great im-
portance that we should all use an
uniform section, if any, of this size ;
that it will pay to have some of this
size on our markets ; that we should
try to get to the best size and shape,
as soon and with as little expense as
possible. Just here let me make some
statements that, I think, are settled
facts.
1st. Thin comb foundation, if good,
is used at a profit, even at $1.00 per
pound.
2d. The thinner a card of honey is,
the more surface and look of " quan-
tity " it presents, in proportion to its
weight or real amount.
3d. The thinner the comb is to be
built the straighter it will be, all other
influences being equal.
4th. Tlie thinner it is the sooner the
honey will be ripened, fit to seal, and
the sooner sections will be finished,
ready to come off.
These thin combs would, without
the use of comb foundation, cost more
in proportion to their capacity than
thicker ones ; but, with its use, prob-
ably less. But, again, nothing but
perfectly-made foundation will be fit
for combs as thin as would weigh only
one-half pou"d, yet made in 4ix4i sec-
tions. I have some other reasons to
make me fear to cut the combs down
to this tliinness, as was mentioned at
our State convention.
5th. If tbe weight be reduced one-
half by thinning the 4ix4i sections
alone, they will be extremely tliin,and
we who use the case method will have
no alterations to make, and only to
order sections 9 or 10, instead of 7 to
the foot
6th. If the same reduction is made
by cutting down the size of tlie square
of the section alone, and this being
done only horizontally, leaving the
thickness (2 inches) the same, thus
adapting the new standard one-half
pound section to the present broad
frames in use, fitting the present form
of the tin separators, as they would,
making a section 4i inches high by 2
thick, and say 2 wide, tlien this size
would necessitate no clianges to those
who use broad frames, and while they
would loose the above-named advan-
tages of thinner combs, they would
gain one, viz. : that thissmallersquare
section would ship more safely.
Thin combs will do away with any
n^ed of separators by even the least
adept and experienced, I think, and
also give us richer honey. Cutting
down the perpendicular width will
make our space greater up and down,
than horizontally, and bees prefer this
shape and in it fasten their combs
more securely to the section,as 1 found
out when I used the two sizes, 4ix6|
inches on its side, and 5x6 on its end.
^ow, remembering that there is
often " danger in extremes," I am of
the opinion that a reduction in both
the directions named, will be best, and
that experiments will bring us to a
section (without separators) about H
inches thick by 4i high x 2i inches
wide, standing on end. These will not
fit any of the frames~er cases now
most in use, without remodeling, but
the truth of their appropriate shape
will still remain the same.
In adopting this new standard small
section we cannot afford to have more
than one size, and we cannot afford to
sacrifice the best shape the least parti-
cle, to accommodate any fixtures that
any or all of us may have now on
hand. I know that actual experiment,
on no small scale, and by many apiar-
ists of good judgment and no preju-
dices, is the best method by which to
solve almost any problem in a branch
of science, but theory may bring us
pretty close to tlie true standard if we
reason carefully from facts already
well proven by our past experience.
We who use the new case method
will have to knOck our cases apart and
add three more division spaces, prop-
erly spacing all, and nail together as
before.
Those who use broad frames, if they
still presTtrve that system of surplus
storing (I would abandon it, I assure
you, if I did), will have to cut down
the width of their frames merely. 7
frames, 2 7-16 inches scant, will just
fill the place of 4 frames, 4i. Such a
frame, viz. : 4ix2 7-16x11, used without
separators, will. I think, come as near
one-half pound gross as we can get it.
I deem it a great advantage, as re-
gards the passage of the bees,straight-
ness of the combs, convenience of the
bee-keeper in examining the cases
(enabling one to see the condition of
the combs better), as well as driving
down the bees when removing the
same,and handlingthe sections inand
out of the cases and shipping crates,
tliat the narrow piece be not less than
I narrower than the wide piece, and
that this narrowness extend entirely
throughout the length of both top and
bottom piece of the section. We want
no corners or closed tops, and all the
above holds good for any section of
any size.
It seems that no size of section,
whether filled in company with sepa-
rators or not, can be relied upon re-
garding any particular weight ; that
is, close enougli tomakethesale-with-
out-weight system an honest one. So
let us expect our half-pound sections
to be sold by weight, and not by the
piece. With separators to hold the
same amount of honey, the sections
should be i inch wider. Tliese " sep-
aratored " sections of honey have, like
"yon fellow, Oassio," "a lean and
hungry look," a look of much " tare,"
that combs born without their inter-
ference do not have.
WHO SHOULD ADOPT HALF-POUND
SECTIONS FIItST V
My idea is like that of Dr. C. C.
Miller's, expressed by him at our con-
vention, that all the sizes will be more
or less in demand, and he said if he
knew every one but he were going to
use the pound and half-pound sections
he would use the two-pound, as some
larger ones would be in demand. Now
this is a true system of reasoning.
Now, my own opinion is, that we shall
find that many more one-pound sec-
tions will be demanded than two-
pound ; many more of one-half pound
than of both the others together.
There are, no doubt, a large number
of beekeepers who ought, and are go-
ing to change from the two-pound
section to something smaller ; a larger
number, who have not as yet got
much of any fixtures of value. Then
there are those who are yet to enter
our ranks, and out of these three
classes we will get enough of that
size of sections to fill the demand to
come, without any changes on the
part of those who, like myself, have a
regular all-one-size and style of sur-
plus arrangement, all in working oper-
ation on a scale of considerable mag-
nitude and of medium size (one-pound)
o p p ^" ] Of] Q
For the good of those who are young
in the pursuit, let me warn them not
to encumber themselves with the great
inconvenience of two sizes of sections,
unless the demands for a total change
are imperative, and the two sizes are
not to be allowed to keep company
longer than the entire change neces-
a if ji fpQ
Since penning the above, ITind Mr.
Forncrook's circular on my desk. In
it I find quoted two sizes of halfi)ound
sections of the following dimensions,
viz.: one to he used in the regular
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
2-incli broiul fnime, with separators ;
three tiers of live sections each in
each frame, size, 3|x2 13-16 plump, x2.
The adoption of this size would neces-
sitate the changing of the separators,
placing 3 narrower ones in the place
of the 2 wider ones,would it not V For
sections of this size square, I tliink
Mr. F. has i inch too much. I thinlj
I see great advantage in having snch
a size section If with separators or H
without them.
The second size he proposes is 4ix3|
plflmp, xl %. This section, I fear, is
too large a square,and necessitates too
much thinning to get the gross weight
down to one-balf pound. I tliink the
dimensions given will give us a sec-
tion of about 10 to 12 ounces. I have
just cut a paper model of my proposed
size, viz., 4ix2 7-IGxH without separa-
tors, and it looks quite out of propor-
tion ; it is too long and narrow, yet if
I knew that the bees would work as
satisfactorily (to themselves and our-
selves) in so narrow a space, I think I
can see more advantages in this than
any other form. If tliis should prove
too narroiv to suit the bees (and its
narrowness is advantageous in every
other respect), then I am in favor of
Mr. F.'s 3fx2 13-16 in the section, only
I want it 1* inches instead of " If with-
out separators," as he has it. This
size will have a few minor advantages
over any other mentioned, and, no
doubt, siiit the instincts of the bees
well. I think it will weigh the plump
one-half pound. I liope.in a few days,
to h:!ve the opportunity of talking
with one of our brightest apiarists,
one who has had experience in the
narrow section matter, and if he
favors the one point of the narrow-
ness, as mentioned above,I shall stand
firm for the 4ix2 7-16xIi, as the com-
ing one-half pound section.
Do not confound the words, narrow
and thin. By thin, we mean that
which decides the thickness of the
comb.
Let us hear the opinions of all who
think their experience has told them
something bearing i\]iim the subject,
and let your ideas of the best shape
work without any bias because of any
fixtures or pet theories you may have
on hand. *
Ttie truth will soon come uppermost
and he who gets there first will have
the honor he justly deserves.
Let us settle this, in theory, atonce,
so that we can resettle it in practice
during the season of 1,S83.
Dowagiac, Mich., Dec. 19, 1882.
For the American Bee Journal.
Eastern Indiana Convention.
The bee- keepers of Eastern Indiana
met at Richmond, on the 20th of I)ec.,
and organized an Association to be
known as " The Eastern Indiana Bee-
Keepers' Association." Dr. E. H.
Thurston was called to the cliair, and
stated the object of the meeting and
the advantages to bee-keepers and all
interested in bees and honey, of such
a bond of union. He appointed S. N.
Replogle, Hagerstown ; and William
Kitran and E. Parker, of Richmond,
as a Committee on Constitution and
By-Laws.
The officers for the year were elected
as follows : President, Dr. E. H.
Thurston, Hagerstown ; Vice Presi-
dent, Dr. L. C. Johnson, Fountain
City; Sec, M. G. Reynolds, Williams-
burg ; Treasurer, Jacob Norris, Rich-
mond, Ind.
The Constitution and By-Laws re-
ported by committee after some dis-
cussion were adopted. Various topics
of interest were discussed, viz.: " The
Best Bees," " Which is the Most
Profitable, Comb or Extracted Hon-
ey ?" and " The Best Method of Win-
tering."
S. N. Replogle said he formerly win-
tered his bees in a cellar (built for the
purpose), but now had his 72 colonies
all in chafE hives ; had tried both
methods for three years and found
that the chaff hives gave the best re-
sults. He did not think there could
be anything better. He said tliat the
2i acres of sweet clover, planted six
years ago, bloomed the second year,
and after the third year had continued
to bloom each year ; the bees worked
on it from morning till night; and
said that he should increase the acre-
age and advised all to try it.
Adjourned to meet at Richmond,
on Wednesday, April 1, 1883.
M. G. Retkolds, Sec. •
For the American Bee JoumaL
Another Step in Advance.
DR. H. BESSE.
In my opinion, bee culture should,
in its present advanced condition, b.e
reduced to a science founded upon
knowledge, comprehension, under-
standing, and a collection of the gen-
eral principles anci leading truths
relating to apiculture.
It is expected that all advanced api-
arists are prepared to do their work
scientifically and in order, but this
" advanced step " would stimulate and
prepare young men, and those begin-
iiing tlie business, to qualify them-
selves, so that they would be prepared
to readily enter into tlie labors of a
large apiary at once. To be qualified
for this they should be " graduates " in
bee culture in all its branches ; and in
order to secure such honors tliey should
possess the following qualifications,
at least, and furnish good evidence of
the same — to wit : a good character in
all respects and an experience of at
least one year in all the manipulations
of tlie apiary ; for all of which they
should furnish certificates from some
well-known apiarist, stating their
qualifications and adaptability to the
business.
After passing a satisfactory exami-
nation before a Board, that should be
appointed by the North American Bee-
Xeepers'Society, they should receive a
diploma, signed and sealed by tlie
president and secretary, as well as the
judges that examined the applicants.
Such a diploma would be a first-class
recommendation in any part of the
world, and any apiarist would feel safe
to employ and trust such a graduate.
I repeat that none should so graduate
except those that have earned their
degrees by honest toil, study and ex-
perience in the apiary, and of snch
qualities as to do iionor to the " North
American Apiarian College."
This institution should be a corpor-
ate body, to give it stability and per-
manence, with power to act in a judi-
cious manner. Applicants for honors
should attend the sessions of tlie North
American Bee-Keepers' Society, and
be examined during such meetings.
All graduates should pay, say $10 or
more, and be constituted life members
of the society.
All present rriembers of said society
that could pass an examination ana
comply with the above rules, should
be graduated, and then our profession
would rank second to none as to re-
spectability. Now, let us talk this
matter up, through the Bee Journal,
and see what can be done at the next
meeting of the North American Bee-
Keepers' Convention. My object in
writing these few scattering thoughts
is to get the subject into more compe-
tent liands, and thus assist in my fee-
ble manner to elevate to a still higher
standard our beloved calling.
Delaware, Ohio.
Prairie Farmer.
Management of Bees in Winter.
MRS. L. HARBISON.
We think it is best not to disturb
bees in cold weather ; provision them
in fall with an abundance of stores to
last until warm weather ; protect them
against cold, according to the climate
they are in, and then let them alone;
both bees and their master resting.
These industrious little insects, that
have toiled so faithfully all summer,
should have all the good honey they
want to eat.
Many bee-keepers found out to their
sorrow, that it " didn't pay " to rob
bees of their winter provisions, and
substitute a diet of glucose. They
saved their honey, but the bees were
nonest. Some advocate removing the
honey from the hives in the faU, and
then feed a syrup made from coffee
and sugar, until they have a suffici-
ency for winter. This may be neces-
sary when the honey flow is cut off by
early frost, and bees work on the re-
fuse of cider and sugar-cane mills,
as this substance is not honey and
sours when unsealed, breeding disease
and death ; but, when bees have noth-
ing but good honey in their hives, let
them enjoy it, for it is the food their
Creator provides for them.
Many small after-swarms perish
during winter with starvation. All
such colonies have young queens, and
might be the very best their owner
had, the next season, if provided with
food. It, through oversight or neg-
glect, any such swarms have not been
provided for, they might yet be saved,
if living, by inserting alongside of
the cluster, frames of honey. If this
cannot be done (as all bees are not in
frame hives), a food composed of lioney
and sugar made as follows might be
given : Good sugar and honey are
mixed together thoroughly until it ia
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
thick enough to make into cakes, or
roll into sticks like candy. A cake
of tliis kind could be laid over the
cluster, or a stick of candy inserted
into it. In cold weather, bees might
perish with plenty of it in the hive,
if it was not close to them.
We know a lady who fed liquid food
to bees all winter, by giving them
just enough each day for their wants,
and they came through all right. But
such feeding as this does not pay, as
it entails too much care and thought ;
and if they should be neglected or for-
gotten for a day or two, they would
die, and all the food previously given,
would be lost. In feeding, great care
should be given, lest cold draughts are
made, that would be fatal to tliem,
and in feeding liquid food, many bees
■would perish in the feeders by getting
chilled, if everything is not snug and
warm.
Peoria, 111.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Winter Ventilation of Bees.
DR. G. L. TINKER.
In the consideration of the winter-
ing problem tliere will be few to dis-
claim the statement that the only
really troublesome factor which bee-
keepers now have to contend with, is
the best mode of winter ventilation.
To this extent then, it may be well
said that the problem has been fath-
omed. In presenting this paper, it is
with the hope that it may soon lead to
a solution of the last remaining ques-
tion.
No bee-keeper of experience has
failed to notice the fact that bees
wintered on the summer stands by the
old, unprotected method, require far
greater ventilation than is usually
given. Few colonies survived the
winter of 1880 81, that were not well
ventilated ; and those that came
through strongest generally liad free
ventilation at or near the bottom of
the hive, the top being sealed up as
tight as the bees could make it.
Several remarkable instances of win-
tering in box hives raised from the
bottom-boards % inch, or provided
with very large entrances, came to ray
knowledge, in one of which the space
allowed was nearly 50 square inches.
It has been stated that colonies have
been wintered in hives without bot-
tom-boards, giving aventilating space
of over 100 square inches (see article
by Mr. R. Corbett, page 21.5 of the Bee
Journal). It is my opinion that, in
wintering in the unprotected hive, no
upward ventilation should be allowed
even through a chaff cushion.
If the inside capacity of the hive be
small the entrance sliould be quite
large, not less than 24 square inches
of space, if no upward ventilation is
allowed. Butif tlie hive be very large,
or if there be a large air-tight space
above the bees, the entrance may be
as small as ^ inch by 10 to 12 inches,
according to the strength of the colonv.
It does not appear that moisture col-
lects in a large hive as it will in a
small one with the same size of en-
trance.
It is the instinct of the bees to seal
up air-tight every part of a hive but
the entrance, the object being appar-
ently to provide against the loss of
heat. They are especially particular
to seal up the upper parts of the hive.
The conclusion is therefore unavoid-
able that the natural mode or ventila-
tion is at the entrance or near tlie bot-
tom of the hive. We must further
conclude that if we regulate the size
of the entrance to meet their necessi-
ties and give tlie hive proper protec-
tion, we cannot fail to have success
in wintering, either in clialf hives,
cellars, bee-houses, or clamps. We
have the statistics, moreover, to
show that the latter conclusion is not
ill-founded. That the natural mode
of ventilation, however, will give
better results than any that the
ingenuity of man can devise, remains
for further experimentation to decide.
If we change the conditions in which
bees are usually found in a state of
nature, if we enclose a colony in a
small space upon a few combs and
give proper protection, we shall un-
doubtedly change their necessities in
regard to ventilation. "Heat is life,"
or one of the essentials of life, which
the i nsti net of the bees has taught them
to carefully conserve. If we conserve it
by the above means, or any other
means, then upward ventilation be-
comes of possible and advantageous
utility, otherwise not.
" The prime object to be obtained by
any method of wintering, other things
being equal, is to prevent the accumu-
lation of dampness in the hive," ac-
cording to Mr. Poppleton, whose views
on this subject will stand the test of
time. The natural mode of ventila-
tion which may be depended upon to
prevent an accumulation of damp-
ness in a hive has been given. There
are two other modes that have been
successfully practiced, each having
distinct features, but providing for
upward ventilation to carry oil the
dampness. These modes are often
greatly varied or blended into each
other. Their distinctive features are
as follows. We will take the old
Langstroth hive for illustration. First
mode: The hive is left with the
bees upon all the 10 frames of comb
containing from 30 to .50 lbs. of honey.
The honey-board is left on with
two Ua inch holes through it and
sealed to the hive air-tight. Nothing
whatever is placed in the cap
which tits loosely, or it may be
raised slightly by small nails at the
corners. No opening in the caps,
or auger holes, to iiermit free move-
ment of air, is allowed, but the small
crevices permit a very gradual but
certain egress of the dampness from
the hive. The entrance is left open
the full width of the hive, or not less
than % inch by 10 inches. This is es-
sentially the mode practiced by Mr.
Ileddon, who varies it only as follows :
He leaves off the honey-board and
places burlaps over the inverted honey-
rack, leaving a space of ?4 inch above
the frames. A case 4 inches deep is
put on top and filled with chaff,
planer shavings or leaves. The cover
of the case is raised at the corners by
small nails, and the entrance left %
inch by 10 inches. Only forest
leaves or other loosejjadking over
tlie burlap is prQpBr»b% (jprs mode,
for the reason^thaw'^^iolouy of
bees in a lafgd^ /-lapace do no^
generate heat «ioiii|li5*JtQ-, force thejr-.^^
dampness upwaMs thfovig'JJ r heavy^/>^
packing. If hea!t^ ipcking dver the ^■''
frames is desiredNifh^& all of the ,
brood combs are to be"" leitiii the hive,
the ventilation could be secured by
two \% inch tubes to connect with -the
openings in the honey-board. These
would permit the dampness to pass
upwards into the cap as in the typical
mode. A ease to hold the packing
would be required, in addition,the cap
to be fitted over it. It will be noted
that the ventilation is free as in the
natural mode, but no draft of air
through the hive is possible. That it
is any improvement over the natural
mode is very doubtful.
The second mode is as follows : In-
stead of leaving the bees upon 10
frames of comb they are crowded upon
only 5 by division-boards, the space
between the division-boards and the
sides of the hive are well packed, as
well as the outside of the hive. The
honey-board is left off, and a few J^
inch square pieces of wood are placed
over the frames crosswise. Stout,
porous cloth is laid over them and a
case 10 inches deep is set on top to be
filled with chaff or dry sawdust. The
cap, with a 2 inch auger hole in each
end, allowing a free movement of air
through it, is placed over all, and the
entrance left )4 inch by the distance
between the division-boards. By this
mode- the heat of the bees will drive
the dampness out of the hive and up-
ward through the packing most effec-
tually. Upon passing the hand down
into the packing next to the frames it
will be found sensibly warm and dry
all winter. That it is the heat alone
that forces out the dampness it seems
to me most probable. At all events,
a colony of bees prepared in this man-
ner arein a most formidable condition
to withstand cold and dampness, wliich
are the primary causes of dysentery.
It is provided, "in this mode, as well as
the others, that the colony has plenty
of young bees, plenty of stores, and
winter passages through all of the
combs ; and also that high winds are
prevented from striking the entrances
of the hives by suitable means. That
tlie latter mode above described
is the best for out-door wintering ad-
mits of little doubt, but it requires
more labor in preparation for winter.
The plan of "crowding the bees upon
a few combs " is recommended by
Mr. D. A. Jones, Mr. Foppleton,aiida
number of other prominent bee-keep-
ers, the former holding that in in-door
wintering it is advantageous also. I
have many very interesting statistics
obtained in 1881 that demonstrate
the advisability of crowding a colony
of bees upon a few combs in out-door
wintering. But it is deemed unneces-
sary to give them, as the measure is
well nigh self-evident, if we place any
considerable packing over the bees,
with the expectation to get upward
ventilation.
But all this will apply only to those
plans of wintering which involve a
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
low temperature, or a point below 50'^
Palir., and a seuii-doruiant condition
of tlie bees. In some northern locali-
ties, wintering by the " liigh pressure
plan " ot Mr. Ira Barber {see page 72.5
of tlie Bee Jouknal) in which the
bees are liept at a temperature not
much below 70 ' Fahr., do their own
ventilating, and eat pollen witli im-
punity all winter, may be very desir-
able. Mr. Barber and his neiglibors
have wintered their bees for many
years by the plan given, with very
trifling losses. It also has tlie sanction
of the very learned Dr. Dzierzon (see
translation of Mr. Kolnike, page 153
of the Bee Journal), who says : '" It
is my conviction that tlie average
temperature which bees enjoy during
their working season, which is from
60^ to 7(P P^ihr., is most conducive to
their well-being in winter also." While
a large quantity of bees are lost by
running or flying out of the hives
(about 8 bushels io 100 colonies), it is
likely that as m uiy would be lost in a
given time liy any other method of
wintering. The plan would be salu-
tary in one respect, it would not be
hampered by differences of opinion on
the best mode of winter ventilation
at high temperatures.
New Philadelphia, O.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Eastern Michigan Convention.
The Eastern Michigan Bee-Keepers'
Association met in Detroit, Michigan,
Si pt. 26, 18S2; as the meeting was not
the annual one, no business of impor-
tai I IB was brought up, and topics for
discussion were immediately brought
forward. Among them were :
How large should the lower story be?
Not, less tlian 2,000 square inches.
What is the best absorbent to use in
the upper stories V Sawdust, short
shavings, chaff, or hay seed.
What is the best plant to grow for
bee pasture, when its other qualities
are considered V Alsike clover ; it is
a good honey plant, and makes excel-
lent hay; it prefers a damp soil. Mr.
Hunt sows 4 pounds of seed to the acre.
Mr. Cottrell esteemed raspberries very
highly.
What is the best plant for honey
alone V Figwort first, and tlien motlf-
erwort. Mr. Mooihouse thought that
certainty of yield should be considered.
How often should hives be exam-
ined V Several thought at least live
times a season, but that surplus honey
should not be allowed to accumulate.
How much food is necessary for
■winter? From 20 to 80 pounds.
When the construction of hives was
spoken of. Mr. Higgins said he made
the ends of his U inches thick ; this,
beside securing greater protection,
was a convenience vv'hen handling the
frames, as it admitted of wide rabbets.
Several other questions of minor im-
portance, were also discussed.
A great deal of interest was taken
in the meeting, and the attendance,
which was larger than at any previous
time, has been steadily increasing
since the organization of the society.
Delegates were appointed to attend
the national convention to be held in
Cincinnati.
Adjourned to meet at the call of the
secretary in the spring of 1883.
A. B. Weed, Sec.
In looking over some papers I found
the above Report ; by an oversight 1
neglected to send it to the Jouunal
immediately after the meeting. I send
it now, hoping tliat it may still be of
use.
I was mucli interested in the article
on wintering bees, by S. Cornell, which
appeared lately ; it contained very in-
teresting facts, and was without the
personalities which are contained in
the communications of some apiarists.
I think that the enterprize of the
Jouunal is one of its most prominent
characteristics. A. B. Weed.
For the American Bee JournaL
Separators a Necessity.
J. V. CALDWELL.
The use of separators having be-
come to me "a necessity," and as
some prominent apiarists seem to
think " they are a useless appendage "
in the modern bee-hive, a little discus-
sion, pro and co?i, will not be out of
place, to all who have the good of the
profession at heart. Now, in the first
place, let me ask will it pay to use
them, counting the extra cost.
That we can have tine straight
combs, that can be crated and sliipped
without damage, and consequent loss,
and yet have them built without sep-
arators, I am not ready to admit. In
the Bee Jouunal for Dec. 20, tlie
opinion is advanced that, at least in
tlie production of honey in one-half
pound packages tliey will notbe need-
ed ; but as the reason is not made
apparent, perhaps some one will rise
and explain.
It is just possible there may be cer-
tain conditions in which we may get
good combs without them, but I have
yet to' find them. It has been said the
hive must be full of bees, and honey
coming in fast, then, with sections
filled with good thin comb foundation,
no trouble would be experienced.
Well, during the past season I de-
termined to give this matter a fair
trial, and so prepared six good colo-
nies, with upper stories filled with
wide frames, all being filled with one-
pound sections, and each containing a
full sheet of thin foundation; thus
giving them such good facilities for
comb building, that I thought, if evei"
good combs could be had without sep-
arators, I would have them. The re-
sult proved e.xaetly the reverse. The
honey season being a good one, the
bees soon built tiiem but and filled
them with honey, but when I came to
crate these same boxes for market,
more than one-half had to be laid
aside for the home market ; — and even
then, they are a " bother and vexation
of spirit," as they are sure to crowd
against each other and start the honey
to leaking ; and these corahs, be they
bulged ever so little, are likely to have
tlie caps of the cells broken, if they
but touch each other. Jt seems to me
the only advantage we could gain in
discarding them, lies in the fact that
more honey can be stored in the same
box ; but this is of little account when
we sell the wood in the box at the
same price as the finest honey. Sup-
posing, then, we must use separators,
shall we use wood, tin, or paper V I
have never used anything but tin,
thougli 1 am assured by a friend of
mine, who uses wood entirely, that it
is just as good as tin. However, an-
other important item comes in here.
Will as much honey be stored with, as
without them V I have thought some
seasons the bees were reluctant to
work among ttiem ; then, again, they
seemed to pay no attention, but worked
as busily as though no separators were
present. Let us hear from others on
the subject.
Cambridge, 111., Dec. 23. 1882.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Small Sections for Honey.
F. C. BENEDICT.
By the report of the Michigan State
convention, I see that the above sub-
ject was discussed, and seemed to gain
favor with some of our producers. As
was remarked, bee-keeping is progres-
sive, but let us be careful not to pro-
gress in the wrong direction. The
small sections meet with ready sale,
in limited quantities, at fair prices,
but as soon as we place them upon the
market in quantities that shall reduce
the price below a fancy figure, then
will the producers become losers.
A prime colony of bees will produce
one-third more honey in pound than
half-pound sections. To obtain 1,000
pounds in half-pound packages, you
must liandle and make double the
amount you would to get the same in
one-pouiid packages, besides one-third
more work while upon the hives. In
order to obtain the same amount of
money one must get one-third more in
price for the half-pound sections than
for pound sections, and the extra work
of making and handling the smaller
ones must not be taken into consider-
ation. I speak from three years' ex-
perience with the different-sized pack-
ages, and I write this article to place
the subject in its true light, so that
those who are going to use the small
packages may not be disappointed in
the result, for I know that half-pound
packages cannot be used in large quan-
tities with profit to the producer.
While progression is our motto, we
do not want to progress in a direction
that shall cause our purses to get any
leaner than by producing large pack-
ages, for the sake of supplying an "un-
necessary demand. Tlie "small pack-
age should be used as a dessert, to
give our product a little more variety,
when placed upon the market.
No producer can afford to use half-
pound packages exclusively. I think
I am safe in saying that J. C. Newman
& Son, of Peoria, N. Y., were the first
to place the half-pound sections upon
the market in any amount, in 1879.
They took well. In 1880 thev used
4,000 half-pound .sections, and I used
the same amount'; but we found we
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
were the losers by using so many, for
we could have obtained double the
amount in 2-i)ound sections. Newman
& Son, W. S. Benedici, and myself are
the only ones that have used the half-
pound sections to any extent, and we
would advise, from experience, to use
but few, to help make a variety.
When we get below one-pound pack-
ages, generally, we get below what is
practical or proli table to the producer.
Perry Centre, N. Y., Dec. 22, 18S3.
For the American Uee Juumal.
Who Are Our Best Breeders 1
G. W. DEMABEE.
The article of Mr. James Heddon,
on page 773, vol. 18, of the Weekly
Bee Journal, is calculated to excite
much inquiry into the numerous meth-
ods employed to collect, select and
breed up tlie honey bee to the highest
standard of excellency.
It should not be forgotten, however,
that, like the most of us, Mr. H. has
adopted a theory of his own, and is
therefore, not likely to look favorably
upon the plans and methods of others,
whose views and plans differ materi-
ally from bis own.
With my imperfect mental vision, I
can see, in these numerous plans,
views and methods going on all over
our land, the greatest possible promise
of success ; while, on the other hand,
if all should accept the views of Mr.
Heddon or Mr. Briggs, or any other
breeder, the consequences would be
that all would succeed or all would
fail together, and, in the latter case,
leaving nearly the whole lield unex-
plored, much valuable time would be
lost.
Speaking for myself, I rejoice to see
the good work going forward, know-
ing this — that time, the greatest of all
arbiters, must pass the final j udgment.
Mr. Heddon says : " If a popular
vote could now be taken as to who
our best queen breeders are," etc.
Perhaps I have as much faith in the
intelligence of our " popular voters "
as most people have, but I would not
give much for a decision obtained in
that way, simply because it is impos-
sible that the popular voters could
know, from their personal knowledge,
the qualifications of each breeder.
Those persons who turn out hun-
dreds of queens by means of the
" lamp nursery " and weak nuclei, on
the same principle that the compost
heap sends forth swarms of flies, are
not " breeders," they are simply mul-
tipliers of bees. To be a breeder
worthy of the name he must be some-
thing of a physiologist, must know
something of the laws of cause and
effect. He should be well acquainted
with the methods employed and fol-
lowed by the. master stock-breeders of
the past and present. Thus equipped,
he pursues his course, not without
chart or compass, and if he succeeds
in controlling the drones or male bees
in his vicinity, he is bound to succeed
in his undertaking or prove toliis own
satisfaction that the honey bee is an
exception to all the rules of past ex-
periences.
The modern laws of breeding point
out but two great objects to be gained
by following them. The one object is
to breed from stock, improving the
same by careful selection— the experi-
ment being applied to one or a dozen
races by the breeder if he chooses,
keeping each separate from the others.
The other is to breed up and establish
a thorough-bred race or races, the re-
sult of combination of blood and best
qualities of several races concentrated
in one fixed type or race.
This is the modern idea of " thor-
ough-bred " stock. Originally the
term "thorough-bred," as applied to
stock-breeding, meant no more than
perfectly or thoroughly bred stock. It
evidently now means more than that.
It means a judicious cross of the
blood of several races, bred up to a
Hxed type by careful selection.
I believe it is an admitted fact that
no breeder has ever succeeded in es-
tablishing a fixed race by crossing the
blood of just two pure races. Hence,
Mr. Heddon's experiments, however,
strongly he may insist upon the cor-
rectness of his premises, will come to
grief, sooner or later.
A cross between the Italian and
German races will give mongrel hy-
brids, without fixedness of character
or uniformity of any kind, no matter
how far the experiment may be car-
ried. Those of us who remember how
this class of hybrids looked twenty
years ago, see tliem to-day just as we
saw them then.
" CHIDB ME GENTLY."
A short time ago, Mr. Heddon's
" dark bees " could gather greater
quantities of honey where the light
Italians could get none. Now, he sees
OHly a " good season " as an explana-
tion of Mr. Shuck's good report. Also,
the secretary of the Michigan State
Convent'on reports him as saying that
the light bees are more gentle than
the "dark bees" are. "Who'll be
the next y "
If Mr. S. A. Shuck will look on page
1, volume 17, American Bee Jour-
nal, he will see that the pole and
thread experiment was tried two years
ago, and the actions of drones noted.
Christiansburg, Ky,
NewJersey and Eastern Convention.
The fall meeting of this society was
held in New Brunswick, N. J., on
Wednesday, November 1, 1882. Mr.
G. W. Thompson, the President, on
callingtiie meeting to order, delivered
a stirring extemporaneous address.
Delegates were received with an
address of welcome by the President,
from the Philadelphia Bee-Keepers'
Society, and were made honorary
members. Prof. Geo. H. Cook, Ph.
D., L. L. D., of Rutgers College, State
Geologist and Superintendent of the
New Jersey Agricultural Experimen-
tal Station, was also elected honorary
member. Dr. Townsend, of Phila-
delphia, and Prof. Kroek of Hoboken,
were appointed to (ill the vacancies in
the committee on question drawer.
Mr. Rue, of Manalapan, chairman
of executive committee, reported a
programme of exercises, first on which
was a paper on " Clamp Wintering "
by C. J. Robinson, of Richford, N.
y., which was read by the secretary.
Mr. King highly disapproved of Mr.
Robinson's plan. Bees, he said, needed
a great deal of ventilation to carry
off the carbonic acid generated in
breathing ; and it was his opinion that
it would ruin bees to confine them in
such a clamp without ventilation. A
theory was started a number of years
ago, that bees needed so little air, that
they could be corked uptight in a bot-
tle and live for months. He had tried
the experiment, and had found, that
after remaining in the bottle one night,
the sides of the bottle were covered
with moisture, and that the bees did
not survive twenty-four hours. He
thought the best way to winter bees
was on their summer stands in chaff
packed hives. Another consideration
was, that bees in such a clamp, would
not breed so as to be ready for the
early harvest ; while bees on their
summer stands commenced to breed
by the middle of March, and are strong
>vith young bees by the time the bees
from the clamps are set out.
Mr. Cook, of Caldwell, thought that
bees might be wintered successfully
in this way, but they would suffer from
spring dwindling when set out, as
from any kind of in-door wintering.
Besides the plan' was too expensive.
Mr. Rue thought the plan might do
well enough in cold localities, but that
it was entirely unnecessary in New
Jersey, as bees wintered well here on
their summer stands.
The Secretary thought that the sub-
ject of wintering was yet the most
important that bee-keepers could dis-
cuss. He had wintered his bees
always out of doors, far north, in New
York State, and also in New Jersey, and
while, with plenty of honey, he could
keep every colony alive, yet from
the opportunities he had had of study-
ing bees wintered inside, be had con-
cluded not to winter longer out of
doors. At every warm -spell, in the
middle of the day, the bees out of
doors leave the cluster and go to the
outside of the hive to carry honey into
the middle of the cluster. It soon
grows cold enough to chill a great
many so that they do not return. Thus
the strength of the hive is decimated
worse in New Jersey than in higher
latitudes. Mr. Robinson's plan seemed
the most practical way of protecting
bees in winter. Many persons in this
age are greatly troubled by carbonic
acid, more in imagination than in
reality. He thought the bees could
stand all the carbonic acid generated
all winter in their semi-torpid state.
It was idle to talk of the bees being
ruined in this plan of wintering, as it
has been practiced for years by Mr.
Robinson ; and he reports that he can
winter successfully very small colonies
and that he hiis never lost a single
colony in the clamps. Mr. Hutchin-
son, a prominent bee-keeper of the
West, had tried the plan last winter,
under Mr. Robinson's direction, with
a part of his stock, and had not ruined
his bees ; but was so well pleased, as
he reported to Gleanings, that he ex-
pects to winter largely in this way the
coming winter.
10
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Mr. King said lie learned from
neigbbors of Mr. Robinson, that his
theories of wintering bees were better
than his practice.
Prof. Kroek thought that it would
do no good to theorize as to whether
bees would winter in this way; no the-
ory could stand against a fact, and as
bees have been wintered in that way,
that settled that it could be done, and
now it remained for us to explain how
they were able to live, without the air
seemingly necessary to support life.
He would suggest that Mr. Robinson
did not exclude the ventilation as ef-
fectually as he thought. Quite proba-
bly the air penetrated the covering.
Dr. Townsend said, that as a physi-
ologist, he believed that a constant
supply of fresh air was necessary to
the support of life, and he thought
that air undoubtedly penetrated the
covering.
The President said that he too
believed that air came tlirough the
covering. Air would get through
lately moved earth for a great distance.
A neighbor of his had been building
a silo, and had made one side of it by
a bank, six feet thick, of ground dug
out of the pit. He believed air would
penetrate the bank, enough to spoil
the fodder.
Next on the programme, was a paper
by Prof. Cook of the Michigan Agri-
cultural College, on a " Plan for Gath-
ering Bee Statistics."
Mr. King said that accurate statis-
tics of the honey product had never
been gathered.
Mr. Poole inquired why they could
not get all the statistics required from
the census reports i*
Mr. King answered that those re-
ports were worthless, as far as bees
and lioney were concerned. Mr. Lan-
dreth, when at the head of the Agri-
cultural Bureau, had told him that,
although the census reported a honey
crop of 1.5,0(10,000 lbs., he had data in
his possession showing a yield of at
least 35,000,000 lbs.
On motion of Mr. Cook, the associa-
tion adopted the plan of Prof. Cook,
and Mr. Rue wasappointeda commit-
tee of one to put himself into commu-
nication with the National Association
for the purpose of endeavoring to
carry out this plan.
The next paper on the programme
was by the Secretary, on " Too many
Eggs ni One Brisket."
Mr. Cook said in one light the paper
was right ; but in another it was
wrong. Men to succeed in anything,
must focalize their energies, and learn
one business well, and do tliat in a
proper manner.
Mr. King said that the Secretary
was unfortunate in keeping his bees
in a poor location, or from practicing
too closely Mr. Robinson's theories, or
from too much carbonic acid, and
hence spoke in a discouraging manner.
He said he could name multitudes of
specialists who had made a great deal
of money in bee-keeping — among
whom were G. M.Doolittle, Harbison,
and Jas. Heddon. He said bee-keep-
ers were a good deal like miners stand-
ing around a hole, who, when others
were around, acted as if there was
nothing in it, but when they got a
chance, just raked out the gold dust.
Mr. Betsinger had told him that he
had made an average of 100 pounds
from every colony ever since he had
been in the business.
Mr. Poole said he had been enticed
into the bee business, by supply deal-
ers, especially by the President, Mr.
King, and the Secretary. He had
taken a great deal of honey the last
season, but yet he agreed with the
paper, that the bee business, like the
poultry business, was not adapted to
be carried on on a large scale. He did
not value it for the money there was
in it, but for the pleasure it afforded
him and for the valuable lessons he
could get from it.
The report of the committee on
question drawer was next in order.
The first question—" Can Virgin
Queens be Introduced Successfully V"
—was answered by Prof. Kroeh. Yes;
by putting them into the hive when
less than one hour old, without a cage.
Mr. King could introduce a virgin
queen several days old, by spraying
her and the bees with peppermint
water and making them all crawl some
distance to the hive.
The question—" How can Nuclei be
United for Wintering ? "—was an-
swered by Mr. King. He said that
he took frames from at least three
nuclei and set them close to the hive
he wished to use. Then he put them
quickly into the hive and closed it.
The bees from so many hives were too
much confused to quarrel or injure
the queen.
The question-" Are Winter Pas-
sages Through the Combs Necessary V"
—was answered by Dr. Townsend in
the negative. He said that the holes
mutilated the combs too much— that
the same end could be attained by
small sticks laid across the tops of the
frames.
Mr. King said he stretched canvas
on sticks, so as to liave an open space
above the frames. On this he placed
the cushion.
Prof. Kroeh said he used to put
sticks over the tops of the frames,
bent in the form of a bow, by putting
the ends against the sides of the hives,
thus making an open space above the
combs, where the bees could cluster ;
but upon reflecting that there was no.
honey for the bees in this space, where
they were made to cluster by the warm
air all ascending there, he had aban-
doned the plan.
Mr. Cook said that in visiting Capt.
Hetherington's apiary he had seen
little coils of tin, permanently fastened
near the middle of each comb, for
winter passages.
Mr. Poole said that he put a frame,
covered with wire cloth, over each of
his hives, so that he could lift up the
cushion and see what the bees were
doing, without their being able to see
too much of him. He considered this
an excellent plan, although the worthy
President had told him that he would
not have the things on his place. On
examining his bees in winter, he ob-
served a constant current of bees over
the tops of the combs. He kept a
couple of colonies in a bay window, in
a parlor. The heat in the parlor in
winter did not go above 45° and the
bees were quiet and did not fly out
when the weather was unfavorable.
Thenextquestion — " How Long will
a Queen Remain Profitably Prolilic V"
—led to a lengthy discussion on a the-
ory of Ulivi, that queens are fertilized
inside the hive and frequently. Prof.
Kroeh, altliough undecided as to the
truth of the theory, gave an account
of some of Ulivi's observations and
defended his conclusion.
Mr. King said that the theory could
not be correct, as they sent Italian
queens to Dakota, New Zealand and
other places where Italian queens had
never before been sent. They were
put into hives of black bees and con-
tinued to produce pure Italian bees,
when there could have been nothing
but black drones, if any, in the hives,
for a long time.
The Secretary pronounced Abbe
Ulivi a " crank." His theory was
against the most ordinary facts con-
stantly observed by every bee-keeper.
Nothing was more common than to
see a queen from a black colony filled
up with black drones becoming fertile
by an Italian drone from a neiglibor-
ing apiary, and the opposite. This
cannot be explained on the theory of
Ulivi. Every bee-keeper has seen his
young queen fly off unincumbered and
return in a short time with something
attached, which Ulivi says is excreta.
If all his pretended microscopical in-
vestigations are of the same kind as
this, they are obviously worthless, as
any one can see with the naked eye
that they are the copulative organs of
the drone.
He had examined them carefully un-
der the microscope and always found
the appendage to be torn parts of the
drone. He and several other persons
had seen this copulation take place
before their eyes, and always saw a
lacerated and dead drone as the result.
He had, in conducting some experi-
ments, kept six young queens shut up
in nuclei, well supplied with drones,
till after they had been laying several
weeks, when it was found, in every
case, that they apparently had not
been fertilized in the hive, as all the
eggs they laid produced drones.
Prof. Kroeh said that to show what
chance there was for loop-holes in ob-
servations, he would say, that Ulivi
had found with his microscope that
the vagina of the queen was entirely
too small to be entered by the organs
of the drone.
Several members were on their feet
to explain how the copulation was ef-
fected, but as many members had to
take the train then nearly due, a mo-
tion to adjourn prevailed. New York
city being selected as the place for
holding the spring meeting. — See-
Keepers'' Exchange.
1^ The time for the usual winter
rush of correspondence is here, and w©
wish to impress upon all our patrons
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give ns the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
11
C>y-^ '*i;yL /kj**^ (?^^7y;^=gj^~cJ^^^^^^^=-=^^ — ^
Well Pleased with Progress Made.
The Bee Journal is full of interest.
I have been pleased by the progress
made by bee-keepers in apiculture and
hope that this science will eventually
be fully developed. I had 2 colonies
of bees last spring, one of which
swarmed twice ; the second swarm
escaped while being hived. From the
first swarm and parent colony 1 took
about $18 wortli of honey in 2-pound
boxes. The other stored none and did
not swarm. The 3 colonies are packed
with timothy chaff, on their summer
stands, with plenty of bees and plenty
of honey for winter.
Wm. a. Brundage.
Lodi, N. Y., Dec. 22, 1882.
Do Bees Hear ?
On page 803, of the Bee Journal
for Dec, 1882, reference is made to
certain remarks of Sir John Lubbock,
and tlie influencing of bees, when
swarming, to settle by making loud
noises, etc., etc. I am decidedly of
the opinion that it is not to the sense
of hearing on the part of the bees, that
the custom of beating tin cans, etc.,
took its rise, but to tlie sense of hear-
ing in the human family, and why ?
For the simple reason that the ancient
laws relating to bees, vested the own-
ership in a swarm only to him from
whose grounds they departed, pro-
vided he followed them, and kept them
in sight until they alighted. Now,
what more natural than to " kick up
a row " for the sole purpose of letting
others know that the bees seen in
flight were being followed. I regret
that I cannot at present consult my
library of bee books and give the words
of the ancient laws. I think the word-
ing would go far to prove my hypothe-
sis correct. Arthur Todd.
Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 25, 1882.
Brood Killed by Overheatiug, etc.
Owing to changing my location and
moving my bees, last spring, my suc-
cess has not been as great as it other-
wise would have been. I sold a part
of my bees ; moved 21 colonies ; lost
1; bought 20; increased to 67; ob-
tained about 1,600 lbs. of comb honey,
and 400 lbs. of extracted honey. I
miglit have extracted from 600 to 800
lbs. more, but was called away on
other business at the proper time for
extracting it. The most ot my swarms
came out late but gathered an abun-
dant supply of honey to winter on, and
many of them some surplus. One
swarm came off the 20th of Aug. ; on
the 25th of Sept. I took 23 lbs. of comb
and 24 lbs. of extracted honey and left
six nice frames for them to winter on.
I thought that doing well, but when I
read in the Bee Journal of colonies
giving from 400 to 600 lbs. each, of
surplus (which, by the way, looks a
little " fishy "), I feel like having noth-
ing to say. Would it not be well to
have themocZu^ operandihy which such
yields are obtained ? Or would there
be danger of glutting the market V
You will perhaps recollect, Mr. Editor,
that 1 wrote you in July last, asking
your opinion and advice in regard to
what I feared was foul brood, but
which proved, as you surmised it
would, to be " parboiled or overheated
brood," caused by not giving proper
ventilation in moving. If agreeable,
I will, at another time give you my
experience in getting rid of the dead
brood and building up the colonies,
which 1 succeeded in doing very suc-
cessfully. I do not want to miss a
single number of the Bee Journal ;
it is indispensable.
Reuben Havens.
Onarga, Ill.,Dec. 26, 1882.
My Report.
I commenced the spring with 5 good
colonies and one that was queenless ;
increased to 25, by natural swarming ;
all in good condition. I obtained 1,032
pounds of comb honey.
L. Fatzinger.
Janesville, Wis., Dec. 20, 1SS2.
Wintered withont Loss in the Cellar.
In December, 1881, 1 put 29 colonies
in my cellar, and did not disturb them
till spring. They came out" with fly-
ing colors " on the 15th of the follow-
ing April, all in good condition, with-
out the loss of a colony or a queen. I
sold 15 colonies at $10 each, which left
me 14 to commence the season's work.
By natural and artificial swarming
they increased to 60 colonies during
the season. I also realized about3,000
lbs. honey, being about equal parts of
extracted and in the comb. \Ve had
an abundant flow of honey for about
six weeks. Bee-keepers are greatly
encouraged in these parts. Long life
to the Weekly Bee Journal. I would
not do without it for ten times it cost.
G. W. Stark.
Holmesville, Neb., Dec. 25, 18S2.
Packed on Summer Stands.
My season's work with the bees has
beeii satisfactory. 1 started with 55
colonies on June 7, 1882 ; increased to
250 colonies; had 3,.50O lbs. of comb
honey and 500 lbs. of extracted ; total
4,000 lbs. I have sold about one-half
up to date, at an average of 17 cents
per lb. My bees are all packed in
leaves, on their summer stands, and
look comfortable.
H. S. Hackman.
Peru, 111., Dec. 21, 1882.
Sections too Small.
Our bees seem to be wintering nicely
so far; the winter has been favorable,
up to the present time ; we have had
but little cold weather ; the mercury
was down to 10 below zero, on the
morning of Dec. 7th, but the cold
wave was of short duration. I have
just read the article on the size for the
half-pound sections, or "• The Section
for the Future," 1 give it as my opin-
ion that the size or the section will
have to be reduced, making allowance
for the comb to be the usual or nearly
the usual thickness. I think it will be
fo>'nd impracticable to retain the usual
sized section and force the bees to
build thincomhs. However, I think If
it is done, that separators will have to
be used ; if sections are put on the re- "
quired thickness. Allowing the combs
to be % of an inch thick, supplied with
foundation (without separato.s) it will
be found that some of the combs will
be about the usual thickness, while
others will be very thin ; perhaps only
drawn out on one side. I merely give
it as my opinion that when the object
sought is accomplished separators will
be used, allowing just the space re-
quired, and I fear that bees will her
slow to commence work in such small
spaces. L. G. Purvis.
Weston, Mo., Dec. 22. 1882.
My Season's Work for 1882.
I commenced in the last spring with
30 colonies ; 25 fair and 5 weak ones,
(Italians and hybrids). I have in-
creased 100 per cent.; taken 110 lbs. of
extracted and 20 lbs. of comb honey,
per colony, spring count. I am sellmg
the honey, in the home market, for
$1.2.5 for 10 lb. tin pails, and 65c. for 5
lb. tin pails. We had honey dew for
about six weeks, mostly on hickory
leaves, which seemed to be dripping
wet with the dew. The leaves finally
died, apparently from the effects of
the dew. The "bees visited the dew
quite lively, early in the morning. We
had but one light rain during the
honey dew flow. A. S. Edson.
Martinsville, Mo., Dec. 20, 1882.
A Good Showing.
This is my statement of what I have
done, the present year, with the aid of
the Journal : I took from 14 colonies,
2,400 lbs. of honey, in one and two-
pound sections. My best colony gath-
ered 400 pounds, in one-pound sections,
and 150 pounds in frames, 9}4x\T% in-
ches. From four of my best I took
1 ,930 pounds in one-pound sections. I
use the Parker chaff hive, improved
by myself, which I think is the best
hive in use for winter or summer. I
have in winter quarters 36 colonies in
good condition. I have sold all of my
surplus honey for 20 and 22 cents per
pound. W. H. Will.
Bloomington, 111., Dec. 26, 1882.
Report for 1882.
I put into winter quarters 16 colo-
nies in Hiram Roop's winter-protector
and lost 3 light colonies. I com-
menced the spring of 1882 with 13 col-
onies and increased to 30. My crop of
honey is 1250 poinids of comb honey in
2-pound sections, and 555 pounds of
extracted. The bees are in splendid
condition for winter, except two light
colonies. I. J. Lucas.
Staunton, Mich., Dec. 26, 1882.
In a Snow Drift.
I dug 7 colonies of bees out of a four-
foot snow drift, under which they
have been for three or four weeks.
They were all lively, and had a little
fly, but they did not fly far.
^ C.W.Young-
Stratford, Ont., Dec. 22, 1882.
12
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
^^is^m?
ADVERTISING RATES for 1883.
20 cents per line of space, each insertion,
For either the Weekly or Monthly Editions.
A line of this type will contain about 8 words;
TWELVE lines will occupy ONK-INCH of space.
Transient Advertisements pnyable in advance.
Editorial Notices, 5U cents per line.
SPKCIAI^ KATES.- Advertisements will
■be inserted in both Weekly and Monthly editions,
^t the following prices, if wholly paid in advance :
SPACB.
One
Two
Three
Six
One
month
mo'thB
mo'ths
mo'ths
year.
1 In. 12 lines
10.00
18.00
2.5. Ofl
38.00
,50.00
12 In. 24 lines
20.0fl
32.00
40.00
60.00
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3 In. :i« lines
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40.r)0
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4 In. 4S lines
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FortheTVeekly alone, 20 per cent, less than the
«bove rates. On yearly advertisements, payments
miay be made quarterly, but must be in advance.
Advertisements withdrawn before the expiration
of the contract, will be charged the full rate for
the time the advertisement is inserted.
THOMAS G. NEWMAN.
»S5 West Madison Street.. Chlcaso, III.
CLUBBING LIST.
^:pecial IJotices.
) American Express Company
money order system is the cheapest,
safest and most convenient way of re-
mitting small sums of money. Their
rates for $1 to $5 are 5 cents ; over $5
to $10, 8 cents. They can be pur-
•chased at any point where the com-
pany have an office, except Canada,
and can be made payable at any one
■of the company's 4,000 offices.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
•dollar. Local checks are subject to a
■discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
We supply the Amerlcun Bee «Iournnl and
any of the following periodicals, one year, at the
prices quoted in the last column of HKures. The
first column gives the regular price of both. All
postage is prepaid by the publishers.
PublUhers' Price. Club
The Weekly Bee Journal t'.i 00. .
andGleaninK8lnBBe-Cnlture(A.l.Root) 3 00. . 2 76
Bee-Keepers' Magazine (A.J.King). 3 25 . 3 00
Bee-Keepers'Bxch'nge(Houk&Peet)3 00.. 2 75
Bee-Keepers' Guide (A.G.HIll) 2 60.. 2 35
Kansas Bee-Keeper 260.. 2 40
The 6 above-named papers (135.. 550
The Weekly Bee Journal one year and
Prof.Cook'sManuaKboundin cloth) 3 25.. 3 00
Bees and Honey, <T, G. Newman) " 2 75. . 2 50
Binder for Weekly Bee Journal 2 75.. 2 50
A piary Register for 100 colonies 3 50. . 3 00
Apiary Register for •200 colonies — 4 00. . 3 50
The Monthly Bee Journal and any of the
above, $1 less than the figures in the lust column.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Jouenal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
•convenient way of preserving tlie Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
■cents. They cannot be sent by mail
Tto Canada.
Sample Copies of theAsiERiCAN Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
1^ Articles for publication must be
■written on a separate piece of paper
ifrom items of business.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates t^e end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
i^"The Bee Journal is mailed at
the Chicago post office every Tuesday,
and any irregularity in its arrival is
due to the postal employes, or some
cause beyond our control.
^" Attention is called to a few
changes in our clubbing list for 1883,
as given on this page. Those inter
ested will please take notice.
1^ We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A newedition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cenfs, postpaid; per dozen,. 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
■^Renewals may be made at any
time ; but all papers are stopped at
the expiration of the time paid for,
unless requested to be continued.
1^" Our new location, Ko. 925 West
Madison St., is only a few doors from
the new branch postofflce. We have
a telephone and any one in the city
wishing to talk to us through it will
please call for No. 7087— that being
our telephone number.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
1^" Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1881 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exiiiliition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
It Pays.— I have sold all of my sweet
clover seed. Advertisements in the
American Bee Jouiinal pay.
J. R. Good.
Nappanee, Ind., Dec. 24, 1882.
1^" Attention is called to our new
and liberal advertising rates for 1883.
THE AMERICAJSI BEE JOURNAL.
13
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1883, for the Weekly,
■with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
forthe Monihlv Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
■ ^ I ■
1^ We will send Cook's Manual
in clotli, or an Apiary Register for 100
colonies, and Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, for $3.00 ; or with King's
Text- Book, in cloth, for $2.7h ; or with
Bees and Honey, in cloth, $2.50. The
Monthly Bee Journal and either of
the above for one dollar less.
The American Bee Journal Is the oldest Bee
Paper in America, and hus a kirtie circulation In
every State. Territory and Province, amons: farm-
ers, mechanics, professional and bu-iness men,
and is, therefore, the best advertising medium.
IMPORTANT TO BEE-KEEPERS.
Send your OrrlPrs for oiir CinnilMr. and Prospeo-
tnsof ourNEW BOOK on QUEEN REARING.
HE.VKT Al,L,Eir,
l*ttf WENHAH. MASS.
PRIZE (jUEEl.
Tested I'rize Queen, in a 2-
frame nucleus, iix 17, eacb, $4 00
Siiroe in nucleus, 4 fra.. 8xH, 4 00
Tested Prize Queen, by mail, 3 00
PrizeQueen, warranted pure-
ly fertilized 2 00
Queen, not standard size 1 00
IiullC (luny. t< frames, Prize
Queen 9 00
BefareJuly i, add $1 eacb.
CashOrdert* tilled in rotation.
Address E. r.. BRIGOS,
l*ly Wilton Junction, Iowa.
HIVES, SECTIONS, &c.
Langstroth, Simplicity, and other hives.
T~~i i
The Lewis One-Piece Section.
^3
3
rzzi
The Leiois Tivu-Piece Sections.
We make the one-piece, two-piece, or four-piece
dovetailed or nHi|ed Sections, any size, from half
gound tu 6x15x2 inches, orany other SUPPLIES for
ee-keepers. nuido of wood.
4Kx4'4 of any of the above kinds of sections, $4.TO
All other sizes, larper to ux6, 5.00
Hall -pound sectifms, 3.50
Send Tor Price List and illustrations of ourNEW
HIVK for comb honey — somethine new. just out.
Price Lists will only be sent to those th;it write for
them. G. Ifi. LEWIS.
Watertown, Jeff. Co., Wis., Jan. l, 1883. i+tf
CONTRACTS WANTED
WITH
SUPPLY DEALERS
For next season's stock of
BEE-HIVES AND FIXTURES.
We have NKVV machinery and buildings and
tirsl chiss facilities, in every way, to manufacture
extensively.
l^eitlers, and those who contemplate becoming
such, are requested to write tor estimates on job
lots of hives, section, etc.
AVe makenpecialUes of C'hnffand Simplicity
hives, but will make other styles, if unpatented
and ordereii in considerable quantities.
i^et us know the kind and probable quantity of
floods y(ju expect to handle, with full description
thereof, and we will send you prices that we are
contldent will be satisfactory.
WE WILJL SENI> FKEE
a fine Illustrateil circular of supplies, to any who
desire it. Send for one.
Address S. C. A J. P. WATTS.
Lumber City, Clearfield Co.. Pa.
HIVES & SECTIONS.
We have just put in several new machines and
alsiia larger engine in our factory, consequently
we are in belter shape to fill orders than ever for
Bee Hives, Sections, Ship|)ing Crates, etc. We
make a specialty of our Boss" One-Piece Sec-
tions. Patented June Jf^th, I8HI. We can make
the "Boss" One Piece Sections any size or width
desired. Send for Price List.
a AS. FORNCROOK <fe CO.
Watertown, Jeff. Co., Wis.. Sept. 1. iSS2.
Given'sFoundationPress.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT afBrms that the PRESS
la SUPEKIOK for making t'omb Foundation either
in Wired Frames or fur SECTIONS, and insures
straight and perfect combs, when drawn out by
the bees. Send for Circular and samples.
O. S. GIVEN A. CO..
mtf HOOPESTON. ILL.
Send to I. R. aOOD
For Price List, (or 1R83, of
HOLY- LAND AND ITALIAN BEES
And " Given " Comb Foundation.
He will give satisfaction or refund the money.
l*5t Nappanee, Elkhart Co., Ind.
FRANCES DUNHAM.
Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of
THE DUNHAM
FOUNDATION
MA<
Patenteii Aug. s.id, 188I.
C^Send for New Circular for January. 1882.
OATTTIOIT.
Having obtained LETTERS PAT?:NT Number
24fi,o9n for Dunham Frtundation Machine, making
comb foundation wuth bsise of cells of natureil
shape, and side-walls brought up to form an even
surface : also on the foundation made on said ma-
chine, I hereby give notice to all pitrties infringing^
my rights, either by manufacturing said machines
or toundatlon, as well as tn all parties purchasing
machines asabove, other than of my inMnufncture-
that 1 am prepared to protect my rights, and shall
prosecute all infrtng menls to the full extent of
the law. FRANCES A. I>UNHAM,
2:im4t DePere, Wis.
BARNES' PATENT
Foot Power Machinery
CIRCULAR AND
SCROLL SAWS,.
Hand, Circular Rip Saws for
general heavy and light rip-
ping. Lathes, Ac. These ma-
chines are especially adapted
to Hive Mnklnif. Itwlll pa^
every bee-keeper to send for
our 48-page Illustrated Cata-
logue,
W. F. & JOHN BARNES,
No. 2017 Main street,
Rockford, Winnebago Co. III.,
Friends, if you are in any way interested in
BEES OR HONEY
We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of
the Monthly Oleaiiln|^« In Bee-Culturet
with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve-
ments in IliveM, Honey ExtructorM, Corab
FoDiidutlon, Section lloney BoxeN.all books
and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee-
Culture. Soothing Patented. Simply send your ad-
dress written plainlu.to A. I. llitOT, Medina, O.
HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTH
For the manufacture of
BEE-KEEPERS* SUPPLIES.
Dunham and Root Foiinduilon a specialty.
Italian Queens and Bees from March to November.
l^Send ffir my Illustrated Catalogue.
r>mtf PAUL. L<. VIALiLON, Bayou Goula, La.
Fruit Evaporators,
To be used on a common cooking stove, capacity
:( to -S bushels per day. Price, complete, *in ; Id
the fiat, partly put together, fur *(:. A fen agentft
wanted. For particulars and prices for Evapora-
tors. Queen Bees, etc., aridress
JOHN H. MARTIN.
98mly Hartford. Wash. Co., N. Y.
14
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
A. SSMT IMPOKTATION OF
BOKHARA Glover SEED
has arrived and is for sale cheap.
Apply to GHA.R1.es F. MXTTH,
49sm4t CINCINNATI, O.
BIND YOU JODMALS
AND KEEP THEM
NEAT AND CLEAN.
The Emerson Binder
IS THE NEATEST AND CHEAPEST.
Anv one can use them. Directions in each Binder.
For Monthly Bee Journal SOc.
For Weekly Bee Journal ^oc.
Address, TH01IIA.8 a. SIEIVMAK,
923 West Madison Street, ChlcuKo. III.
SliVFET CtOVEK SEED New and clean,
■25 cts. per lb. Ben Clendenon, QrinnelMoa
50W13
DtTNHAM COMB FOlTNUATION-lOc.
per pound : e.\lra thin and brii/ht, I" sq. ft. to
the lb. 48c. Send lor sHiuples. W;i,\ worked lOc.
per lb. F.W. HOLMES. Coorersville, Mich. 13wly
Cheap ! Cheaper !! Cheapest !!!
SOO COl^ONIES OF BEES
for sale, in movable frame hives. Also, Queens,
Nuclei. Bees bythe pound. Hives. Sections, Smok-
ers, Heeds for Honev Plants. and eveiything a live
bee-keeper needs. Send for circularand price list
to E. T. Fr.ANA.eAN,
Box 819, Belleville. St. Clair co.. III.
(Proprietorof Rose Hill, Cahokla.FalllnK Springs
And Lake Apiaries. iwmly
FLAT - BOTTOM
COMB FOUNDATIOH,
Vg^^^^gjaai,^ highsidp-walla. 4 to Ih' square feet t"
l^^^^^*" the pound. Circular and sampled troti-
j^^SJa J. VAN DEUSE.V & SONS,
Ji^^^^^ Su!c Manufacturers,
'r ~ _a Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., N. y.
LAXOSTROTH AND SIMPLICITY
CHAFF HIVES, with movable upper
etory, section boxes, metal-cftrnered brood rrames,
wide Lanestroth frames and comb foundation.
Bend for Price List. A. B. MILLER i SON,
«wtf Wakarusa, Elkhart Co., Ind.
fieesfor
5© Colonies of Bees, in Gallup frames, cheap.
SOO Colonies of Bees, in Lnngstroth frames
In prime condition.
«r. B. ROBERTSON,
36wtf Pewamo. Ionia Co.. Mich,
LIVE BEE-KEEPERS WANTED,
to introduce the new lime cushion, the only pro-
tection yet discovered that will carry the bees
safely through winter and sprinK without fail.
Send $"'0, for right to retail this cushion in vour
county, or send *5 for one apiary riaht to patentee.
Remit by registered letter or P. O. order.
K. DELLA TORRE.
74 Chariea-Bt. Avenue, Baltimore, Md.
Patented April 25, 1882. No. 254,932. 45wl3t
C<
B.SD TAPE
T"
The Orlclnal
EIKOHAU
Bee Smoker
Who will be the
first to copy 1
25,000 IN USE.
If you buy the Origi-
nal Patent Bingham
Bee Smoker, you will
aid the inventor of
improved bee smok-
ers—get the best, that
never go out— always
please— never is com-
plained of— thestand-
ard of excellence the
world over — better
and handsomer this
season than ever be-
fore. Price per mail,
postpaid, from 6.5 cts.
to $2. Our patents
cover all the smokers
that will burn sound
stove-wood, or do not
go out. If you buy
our smokers and hon-
ey knives first, youp„*p„tpj IRTR
will have to buy no^^^®^^®°' ^^**'
others.
PRICES:
Handed to By Mail,
Customer. Postpaid,
Wide shield Conqueror, 3 inch |i 75
Large Bingham Smoker (wide
shield), jH inch l 50
Extra Bingham Smoker (wide
shield), L» inch
Plain Bingham Smoker, 2 inch. . . .
Little Wonder Bingham Smoker,
\H inch
Bingham & Hetherlngton Honey
Knife, 2 inch
1 25
1 00
50
$2 00
1 75
1 50
1 25
65
I 00
To sell again, apply for dozen or half-dozen
rates.
Send for free description and testimonials, to
BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON.
17wtf A^broniii, Mich.
Muth's Honey Extractor,
Square Glass Honey Jars, Tin Buckets,
A Langstroth Bee Hives, Honey Sections, etc..
Apply to C. F. MUTH,
976 and 978 Central Ave., CINCINNATI, O.
tySend IOC. for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers.
iwly
ENGRA VINGS.
The Horse
BY B. J. KEND ALL, M. D.
A. TREATISE giving an Index of diseases,
and the symptoms ; cause and treatmentof each, a
table giving all the principal drugs used for the
horse, with the ordinary dose, effects and antidote
when a poison ; a table with an engraving of the
horse's teeth at different ages, with rules for telling
the age of the horse ; a valuable collection of re-
cipes, and much valuable information,
Frlce S5 cents-- Sent on receipt of price, by
THOMAS G, NEWMAN,
925 West Madison Street, CUICAGO IILL.
BE SURE
To send a postal card forour Ulustrutetl Catalogue
of Apiarian Supplies before purchasingelsewhere.
U containslllustrationsand descriptionsof every-
thing new tind valuable needed in an apiary, at the
lowest prices. Italian Queens iind Bees. Parties
intending to purchase bees in lotsot 10 colonies or
more are invited to correspond.
J. C. SAYLES.
5lsml5t Hartford, Wis.
THIS PAPER ?t"I;^ef,.'?!"ifoS?i,'"l
Co.'s Newspaper Advertising Bureau (10 Spruce
St.). where advertising contracts may be made for
itin NEW YORK.
C. Olm's Comb Foundation Machine.
J^~ Send for Sample and Circular.
ISmtf C. OI>M. Fond du Lac, Wis.
A NEW BEE BOOK!
Bees&Honey
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor 0/ the Weekly Bee Journal.
It contains 160 profusely illustrated pages, la
"fully up with the times" in all the various im-
provements and inventions in this rapidly devel-
oping pursuit, and presents the apiarist with
everything that can aid in the sucjessful manage-
ment of the honey bee. and at the same time pro-
duce the most honey in its best and most attract-
ive condition. • Chief among the new chapters are
"Bee Pasturage a Necessity," " Management of
Bees and Honey at Fairs," " Marketing Honey,"
etc. Price, bound in cloth, 75 cents; in paper
covers, 50 cents, postpaid.
OSS yV. MadlHon Street, Cfalcaffo, 111.
Appreciative Notices.
beginners.- Farmers
Carefully prepared for
Cabinet, Amherst, N. H.
A very valuable work to those engaged in bee-
raising.— News, Prairie City, Iowa.
We advise all who keep bees to send for this ex-
cellent work.— Journal. Louisiana, Mo.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen, Pulaski, Tenn.
Carefully prepared, and of vast importance to
bee-raisers.- Indianian, Clinton, Ind.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. Y.
New and valuable, and embellished with 109
beautiful engravings.— Democrat, Salem, Ind.
Much practical useful Information, in a cheap
form.— Daily Standard, New Bedford, Mass.
Contains all the information needed to make
bee-culture successful.- Eagle, Union City. Ind.
Just such a work as should be in the hands of
every beginner with bees.— News. Keithsburg, 111.
A valuable work for all who are Interested in the
care and management of bees.— Democrat. Alle-
gan, Mich.
The most perfect work for the price ever yet pro-
duced onthesubjectof bee-culture.— Anti-Monop-
olist, Lebanon, Mo.
The engravings are fine. It is gotten up t» the
very best style, and is cheap at the price.— Farmer,
Cleveland. O.
It comprises all that is necessary for successful
bee-culture, wave experience and good Judgment.
—Daily Republican, Utiea, N. V.
A manual, containing all the newest discoveries
in the management of these little workers. — Plain
Dealer, St. Lawrence, N. Y.
Full of practical instruction, that no one who
contemplates keeping bees can do wtthout.-Far-
mers' Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping a
success.- Col. Valley and Farm.
It embraces every subject that can Interest the
beginner in bee-culture. The engravings perfectly
illustrate the text.— Farm and Fireside, Spring-
field, O.
Embraces every subject of interest in the apiary,
giving very thorough details of the mauiigement
and manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping
a success.- Farm. Longmont, Colo.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even though they be not directly interested in the
care of bees.— Sentinel, Home, N. Y.
It is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the
little busy bee. as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Describes all the newest discoveries in the art,
by which the production of delicious and health-
giving honey is obtained, aswell as how to prepare
it for the market in the most attractive shape.—
Signal. Napoleon, O.
Contains a vast fund of Information in regard to
bee-culture. He who wotild keep abreast of the
times must beep posted in all the improvements in
his line. We advise all interested ui get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times. San Bernardino. Cal.
It embraces every subject that will interest the
beginner. It describes all tht- newest discoveries
in the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare It for the market in the most attractive
form. It isembellished with beautiful engravings,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
A Libei-al BlNcennt to Dealer* by
the Dozen or Hundred.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL
15
BEESWAX
WANTED.
State Quantity, Price and Quality.
CHAS. DADANT & SON,
Hamilton. Hancock Co. III.
THE CONQUEROR.
Large Smokers need wide ahieldB. Bingham's
nave them, and sprlnns that do not ruat an ■ break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all Improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
postpaid for f'2. Address,
BINGHAM & HETHEBINOTON,
I3wtf Abronia. Mich.
I buy and sell Honey for Cash only. As I do no
Commission business. I will not accept shipments
without previous correspondence.
Excelsior Dunham and Vandervort
FOUNDATION.
OwinK to the large advance in the price of wax, I
now quote prices thus : Dunham, lo to 50 lbs., 4i;c.,
over 50 ibs..4lc., less than lo lbs., 44c.; Vander-
vort, 10 sq. feet to the lb.. 1 to 10 lbs.. 57c., 10 to 50
lbs., G4c. No discounts. Circular free.
J. V. CALDWELL,
3wly Cambridge. Henry Co., HI.
mmm honey
^r Send 15 CENTS for Dadant's
pamphlet on " Harvesting, Handling,
and J^arketing Extracted Honey." —
You will get many times the value of
your 15 CENTS in the hints and ideas
that it will give you. Address,
CHARLES DADANT & SON,
Hamilton. Hancock County, 111.
AGENTS WANTED ™T LIVES '"'™
MARTYR PRESIDENTS.
Abraham I..incoln, " From Pioneer Home to
White House," and JumeM Abraiii Oa,rfieldt
*' From Log Cabin lo White House." In KnKlish
and German. Illustrated with fine steel engrav-
ings. By an eminent author. Also, for the OKLY
larice steel portrn.lt or Garlleld. Send for
extra terms.
THE HENEY BILL PUBLISHING CO.,
50w8t NORWICH, CONN.
PLANTERS' JOURNAL
OFFICIAL OKG^VN OF
National Cotton Planters' Associa-
tion of America.
VICKSBURC, MISS.
Which has been proniiunred, bv ;i united press,
■"The must important mnveiuent of mnriern times
for the South." The ATLANTA EXPOSITION
assumed shape from its ideas.
Planters' Journal is Standard Au-
thority on Southern Farming.
Single Subscription, per yesir %i oo
Club of two subscribers, per year 3 no
Club of tive subscrtbera, per year 6 r>o
dub of ten subscribers, per year 12 50
Sample Copies, 10c. Regular Price. 20c.
Address PLANTERS' JOURNAL,
50w4t VICKSBUKG, MISS.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPEE'S ADVISEE.
The Bhitish Bee Journal Is published month-
ly, and contiiins ihu best practical information tor
the time beinj;. showinu what to do, and when and
how to do it. Rev. H. R. PflEL., Kdltor.
We send the Weekly American BKEJotiRNAi.
and ihe British Bee Journal, both for $3.50 a year.
BEESWAX.
I pay 37c. per pound delivered here, for yellow
Beeswax. To avoid mistakes, the shipper's name
should always be on each paeUaKe.
Ar.FRED H. BTfiVVMAN.
t»23 West Madison Street, CHICAOO. ILL.
The Bee-Keeper's Guide;
OR,
MANUAL OF THE APIARY,
By A. J. COOK,
Of Laneing, Processor of Entomology in the
State Agricultural College of MichigazL
3SO PoKea ; i:i3 Fine JlluMtriitloas.
This is a new edition of Prof. Cook's Manual of
the Apiary, enlarged and elceantly illustrated.
The first edition of S.OCO copies was exhausted in
about 18 moDtiis— a sale unprecedented in the
ann:ilsof bee-culture. This new work has been
pru>,iuced with great care, patient study and per-
sistent research. It comprises a full delineation
of the anatomy and physiology of the honey bee,
illustrated with many costly wood eneravings —
the products of the Honey Bee ; the races of beea;
full desccriptiona of honey-producing plants.trees,
shrubs, etc.. splendidly illustrated— and last,thouKh
not least, detailed instructions for the various
manipulations necessary in the apiary.
This work is a masterly production, and one that
no bee-keeper, however limited his means, can
afford to do without. Itlsfully "up with tlie times"
on every conceivable subject that can interest the
apiarist. It is not only instructive, but intensely
interesting and thoroughly practical.
Read the following opinions of the Book;
All agree that it is the work of a master and of
real Viiiue.—L' Apiculture, Paris.
I think Cook's Manual is toe best of our Ameri-
can works.- LEWIS T. CoLBV.
It appears to ha^e cut the ground fronr under
future book-makers.— iJn(ii/i Bee Journal.
Prof. Cook's valuable Manual has been my con-
stitnt guide in my operations and successful man-
agementot" the apuiiy.— J. P. West.
I have derived more practical knowledge from
Prof. Cook's New M;inual of thi? Apiury than from
any other book.— E. H. WY.vii.OOP.
This book is just what everyone Interested in
bees ought to have, and which, no one who obtiiins
it, will ever retiret having purcnased.- 3iic/i. Far.
To all who wish to engage 'n bee-culture, a
manual is a necessity. Piot. Cook's Manual is an
exhaustive work.— iferaici, Monticeilo, 111.
With Cook's Manual I am more than pleased. It
is fuily up with the cimes in every particular. The
richest rewaial awaits us author.— A. K. Wknzel.
My s\iccess has been so great as to almost aston-
ish myMelf. :md nnich of it is due lo the clear, dis-
interested inturm:ttion contained in Cook's Man-
uiii.— W.M. Van Antwerp, m. D
It Is the latest book on the bee, and treats of both
the bee and hives, with their implements. It is of
value to ail bee-raisers.- Ky. Live Stock Record,
It is a credit to the author as well the publisher.
I hiive never yet met witlia work, either French
or foreign, which 1 like so much.— L'AEBE |)(J
BoLS, eUitorof the BuLttin D' Ap-icult^ur^ France.
It not only gives tlie natural history of these In-
dustrious insects, but also a thorough, practical,
and clearly expressed series ot directions for tlieir
management; aboa botanical description ot honey
producing plants, and an extended account ol the
enemies oi bees.— i>e77iocra(, Pulaski, N, V.
We have perused with great pleasure this ivide
mecii/H ot tlie bee-keeper. It is replete with the
beat information on everything beiouging to api-
( uiiure. Q'o al taking an interest in this suigect,
we »i:v, obtain this valuable work, read it caieluUy
and practice as advised.— ^loricuUuruf, Quebec.
This book is pronounced by the press and leading
bee-men to be the must coniplcie luid prjictieal
tiea'ise on bee-culture in Europe or America; a
scieniiilc work on ujodern bee management that
everv t'xperienced bec' man wiJl welcome, and it is
e.-^st'htiul to every amateur In bee-culture. It ie
hun(js<imely printed, ne;itiy hound, and is a credit
to the ^N esu—WtUbm AijricuUu nut.
This work Is undoubtedly the most coiiplete
manual tor the instruction ot bee-keepers which
has ever been publis*hed. It gives a full explana-
tion regarding the care and management of the
apiary. There is no subject relaiing to the culture
of bees letr untouched, and in the compilatutn of
the work Prof. Cnok has had the advantage ot all
theprrvious knowlede of apiarists, which he uses
admirably to promote an«.I make popular this most
interesting of all occLpii'LU)iifl.—-l»tfrtca7i/*iyentor.
toj
pRiCfl— Bound In cloth, !»1.3i» ; in paper cover,
Sil.OO by mail prepaid. Published by
THOMJlS G. NEWMAN,
West Madtson Street, CHICAGO. ILL
1«
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
BOOKS,
f Seut by niHil, on recetpt of price, by
H25 West Madison Street. CHICAGO. LLL.
Bee-Keeper*s Oslde ; or, Cook*s Manual
of the Apiary. — Entirely re-wrltten, elesftntly
lllnstrated and fully " up with the times " on every
subject of bee-culture. It is not only instructive.
but Intensely interesting and thoroushly practical.
The book is a masterly production, and one that no
bee-keeper, however limited his means, can afford
to do without. Cloth, $1.2S ; paper cover, !S1.
Qalnto.v'dNewBee-IteepInK, by L.C. Root—
The anthiir treats the subject of bee-keepinp so
thai it cannot fail to interest all. Its style is plain
and forcible, making all its readers realize that its
author is master of the subject.— i#l. 50.
Novlce*s ABC ofBee-Cnltnre, by A. I. Root
—This em braces "everything pertaininK to the care
of the honey-bee." and is valuable to beginners and
those more advanced. Cloth. SI. 35.
Klnsr** Bee-Keepers* Text-Book, by A. J.
King.— This edition is revised and brought down to
the present time. Cloth. 3#l-00.
I^nngrHtroth on the Hive and Honey Bee.
—This is a standard scientitlc work. Price, SS.
Blessed Bees, by John Allen.— A romance of
bee-keeping, full of practical information and
contagious enthusiasm. Cloth, '7Sc.
Bees and Honey. Or Management of an
Apiary for Pleasure and Profit, by Tnomas G.
Newman.— Third Edition "Fully up with the
times," including all the various impruvemenis
and inventiiins. Chief among the new chapters
are : " Bee P;isturafl;e a Necessity." " Management
of Bees and Honey at Fairs." "Marketing Htmey,"
etc. It contains imi pages, and is profusely illus-
trated. Price, bound tn cloth. Toe; In paper
covers, 50c., postpaid.
Blenen K.ultnr, by Thomas G. Newman, in
the GERMAN language. Price, ia paper covers.
40 cents, or ^.i per dozen, postpaid.
Dzlerzon Theory ;— presents the fundamen-
tal principles of bee-culture, ana furnishes the
facts and arguments to demonstrate them. IS c.
Honey, as F'^od and Medicine, by Tbonjai<
G. Newman.— This pamphlet discourses upon the
Ancient History of Bees and Honey . the nature,
quality, s()urces. and preparation of Honey for the
Market ; Honey as f oort, givine recipes ff)r making
Honey Cakes, Cookies, Puddings, Foam. Wines, etc;
and Honev as Medicine with many useful Recipes,
It Is Intended for consumers, and should be scat-
tered by thousands, creating a demand for honey
everywhere. Published In English and Oerman.
I*rlce for either edition, ©c.; per dozen, 50c.
'WinterliiK Bees. — This contains the Prize
Essays on this subject, read before the Centennial
Bee-Keepers' Association. Price. lOc.
Preparation of Honey for the Market,
iDCluding the production and care of both comb
and extracted noney, and instructions on the ex-
hibition of bees and honey at Fairs, etc., by T. G.
Newman. Price lOc.
The Hive I Use- Being a description of the
hive used by G. M. Doolittle. Price, 5c.
Fonl Brood; its origin, developmentand cure.
By Albert R. Kobnke. Price. «5c.
Kxtracleil Honey; Harvefltln^, Handl-
InK and MarketloK.— A J4-page pamphlet, by
Ch. & C. P. Uadant. giving in detail the methods
and management adopted in their apiary. This
contains many useful hints.- Price ISc.
Bee PuHtura^e a Necessity, by Thomas G.
Newman— Giving advanced views on this impor-
tant subject, with suggestions what to plant, and
and when and how : 2ti engravings. Price, lOc.
Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers, by Chas.
F. Muth; '^'2 pases. It gives Mr. Muth's views on
the management of bees. Price. lOc.
SwarniInf(,I>lvldlnir and Feeding Bees.—
Bints to Beginners, by Thomas G. Newman. Price
& cents.
Bees In ^^Inter, with instructions about
Chaff-Packing. Cellars and Bee Houses, byThomas
6. Newman. Price 5c.
Qneen-Rearlns:. hy Henry Allev — A full
and detailed accountof TWENTY-THREEyears'
experience in rearing queen bees. The cheapest,
easiest and best wav tn raise queens. Never
before published. Price ^l.OO.
Feod Adalteratlon ; What we eat and should
not eat. This book should be in every family, and
ought to create a sentiment against adulteration of
food products, and demand a law to protect the
consumer against the numerous health-destroying
adulterations offered as food. 200 pases SOc.
Scrlbner*H L<nnibemnd I^ok Book.— Most
complete book of its kind published. Gives meas-
urement of all kinds of lumber, logs, and planks
by Doyle's Rule, cubical contents of square and
round timber, staves and heading bolt tables,
wages, rent, board capacity of cisteraB, cordwood
tables, interests, etc. Standard book throughout
United States & Canada. Price S5 c. postpaid.
JKendalPn Horse Book. — No book could be
more useful to horse owners. It has 3.5 engravings
illustrating positions of sick horses, and treats all
diseases in a plain and comprehensive manner. It
has recipes, a table of doses, and much valuable
horse information Price S5c. for either the
English or German editions.
Moore's Universal Assistant, and Com-
plete Mechanic, contains over l.dOO.O'Ki Indus-
dustrial Facts. Calculations. Processeii. Trade Se-
crets. Iiegal Items. Business Forms, etc.. of vast
utility to every Mechanic. Farmer and Business
Man. Gives ioo.iHNi items for Gas. Steam. Civil
and Mining Engineers, Machinists, Millers, Black-
smiths. Founders. Miners, Metallurgists, Assavers.
Plumbers, Gas and Steam Fitters, Bronzers, Glid-
ers. Metal and Wood Workers of every kind.
The work contains l.oifi pages. Is a veritable
Treasury of Useful Knowledge, and worth its
weight in gold to any Mechanic. Business Man, or
Farmer. Price, post aee paid. !((»8.oO.
Flsher*s Grain Tables Tor Farmers, etc.
—lii2 pages, packet form ; full of useful tables for
casting up grain, produce, hay: cost of pork, inter-
est; wages tables, wood measurer, ready reckoner,
plowing tables and more miscellaneous matter and
useful tJibles for farmers and others than any
similar book ever published. Ask your bookseller
for it. Sent post-paid for 40 cents.
Chicken Cholera, by A. J. Hill.— A treatise on
ts cause, symptoms and cure. Price, 2Se.
gcutschc Siuccher^
Ucbcv SSicncnsftiQt.
SiCttcn ^Ultur, ober erfolgreicfic
Se^anbtung bcr Siencii, ooii J^oS. ®.
SReraman. ©icfe^ 5pnmpt)[et cutfjalt
23e(t'()ningen iibev folgenbc ©egcnftanbe
— O e r 1 1 i d; f e i t be§ 33ienenftniibe§ —
,lF)oiiig pftanjen — (Srjietjiing berJ?ontgtn
— 5'""'^'^" — ®d)iDcivmcn — 3I6[eger —
93erl"ct'cit — 3 1 n I i e u i fi r c n — 3''lf ^s''
Don Jloniginiicn — SUiSjic^en — Sicncn
Bef)QnbeIit iinb bcnitjigcn ; rueiter entfjcitt
e§ ciii £apiter,iuorin bie ncuefte 9JJct^obe
fiir bie Jperridjtung bc§ JPjonig? fiir ben
,;^nnbc( fiefd^ricbcn ift. ^ret§ 40 (5ent§.
^ontg al§ 91 a I) run i) unl>
9Rc5ijttt — Don JftomaS '^-SJcromnn.
3)ie)'e6 enttjdit cine tlnve bnrfteUiing iiber
iBtencn unb J>onig be§ 3[(tert()uinS ; bie
Sefd)affcn^cit, Oualilcit, Quellen unb
3iibcreitung bc§ .^ionig6 fiivben Jjanbet ;
.^onig n(§ 9ca()vnngomittc[, nngcbenb
roie man §onigfud)en, g-ovrntiidjcldjen,
5pubbing§,Sd;aiimtonfec{,23eine,u.f.ro
juberoitcn fnnn ; ferner .^(onig n[§
JDJebijin mtt oielen Stejepten. (S§ ift fiiv
ben (Jonfiimentcn beftimmt, unb follte
Dieltaufenbffiltig iibcr bn§ ganjc i^onb
uerbrcitet njerben. $rci§ f> 6ent§.
25a^ »Pfct» tttti> fcinc
^rattf»Kitcn— i^o" 93.3-.ScnbaII,
ilR. 5)., ent(}altcnb ein atpbnbetifci^
georbncte§ 3}ev5ei(^nii'j ber Der[d|iebenen
^fevbctvanf^eiten, fammt ben Strfnc^en,
S:)mptomcn unb ber rid)tigen 23e[)anb:
lung bcrfetben ; ferner, cine ©nmmlung
roertljDoUer Stejepte. ^rei§ 25 SentS.
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
925 West Madison c^lreet, Chicago. 111.
MEHDELSSOHK
' ^iaNo Cos. '^
Pianos
$850 Square Grand Piano for only $245.
PI Alin CJYI C 01 Magnificent rosewood-
rinllU 0 I I LL 02 case elegantly hnished,
3 strings. 7 1-3 Octave", full patent cantante-
agrafles. our new patent overstrung scale, beauti-
ful carved legs and lyre, heavy serpentine and
large fancy moulding, full iron frame, French
Grand Action. Grand Hammers, in fact, every im-
provementwhich can in any way tend to the per-
fection of the instrument, has t>een added.
t^~Oitr price Tor this instrament. boxed
and delivered on board cars at AiewTTork*.
with fine Piano Cover, Stool ti^O/l ^C
and Book, only tJpZi'TfJ.
Reduced from our late wholesale factory price^
a$20.>, for f!o day-- only, to have this beautiful
Piano introduced. This is now, by far. the irreat-
e»l bargain ever offered the musical public. Un-
precedented success I Tremendous demand for
this style ! Order atoncp.
This Piano will be sent on 15 days' test trial.
Please send reference if you do not send money
with order. C"sh sent with nrdemnll be refunded
and freight charges paid bji us bntli icnys if Piano Is
nnt ju^t as represented. Several other special bar-
gains: Pianos. ."SIBO up. Over ir».iKM.i in use,
and not <'ne dissatisfled purchaser, Handsome-
Illustrated Catalogue raniled free, giving the high-
est testimonials ever awarded any manufacturer.
Every Piano fully warranted for 5 years.
SHEET MUSIC M price. Catalogue of 3,0(»
choice pieces sent for yc. stamp.
M£\bje:l.ssou.^ pi.anoco.,
2lsmlT Box 2958, New York.
EARS FOR THE MILLION !
FooChoo's Balsam of Shark's Oil
Positively Restores the Hearing, and is the
Only Absolute Cure for Deafness Known.
This Oil is abstracted from a peculiar species of
small White Shark, caughtin the Yellow Sea,
known as CaTcharodon Rondeletii. Every Chinese
tisherman knows it. Its virtues as a restorative of
bearing were discovered by a Buddiiist Priest about
the year 1410. Its cures were bo numerous and
many soHeemlnirly mlracalon*. tbatthe rem-
edy was ofBcially proclaimed over the entire Em-
pire. Us use became so universal that for over
HOO y*-ars no Deafness has existed atnonff
the Chinese people. Sent, charges prepaid, to
any address at *l.ixi per bottle.
HEAR WHAT S DEAF SAY!
It has performed a miracle In my case.
I have no unearthly noises in my head, and hear
much better.
I have been greatly benefited.
My deafness helped a great deal— think another
bottle will cure me.
**lts virtues are UNQUE.'iTIOJf ABLE and Its CURA-
TIVE CHARACTER ABSOLUTE, AS THE WKITEKCAX
PERSONALLY TEBTIFV. BOTH FROM EXPERIENCB
ANi> UBPEKVATIUN'. Write at once to Haylock
Jt JENNEY.7 Dey Street.New Y..rk. enclosing $1.
and you will receive by return a remedy that wlH
enable you to hear like anybody else, and whose
curative effects will be permanent. You will never
regret doing so."— Editor of Mercantile Re-
view,
j3?~To avoid ]os«in the mails, please send money
by IlEGlSTBKED LETTER.
Only Imported by HAYLOCK & JENNET^
•^ (Late Haylock & Co.)
I Sole Agents for America. 7 Dey St.,NewT'ork-
l -jowly
<t».
DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO PROGRESSIVE BEE CULTURE.
Vol. XVIIII.
Chicago, 111., Jannary 10, 1883.
No. 2.
rrUMSHED BY
THOMAS C. NEWMAN,
EDITOR AXl) PHOPRIETOK,
925 WEST MADISON ST., CHICAGO, ILL-
Weekly. »2ayt'ar; Monthly. »1.
f^ Any person sending a club of six \a entitled
to an exiia copy (like the club) sent to any address
desired. Sample copies furnished free.
FOIIEIGN POSTAGE, EXTRA :
Tn Europe-Weekly, 50 cents ; Monthly, 12 cents.
To Australia -Weekly, 1 1 ; Monthly, 21 cents.
George NeiRhbour & Sons, London, England, are
our authorized aRonts for Europe.
Entered at the Chicago Post Office as
Second Class Matter.
TOPICS PRESENTED THIS WEEK.
A Good Showiug 25
A Question— VVby ia It? 2fi
A Satisfactory Showlntr 26
A Standard Frame 21
Abundantly Satisfied 27
An Averase of 57 lbs. Per Colony 25
Apiary Register 28
Bee-Keeping fur l^adies 24
Bee-Keeping in Nebraska 23
Bees Bnjoying Their Warm Quarters 26
Bees in Good Condition 27
Bees Pay Better than Stock 27
Bees Pay Well 27
"Blessed Bees" Criticized 20
Centralizing the Honey Market 26
Convenliun Notices ift
Correction 27
Editorial Items 17, 18, 18
Enticed tu Take a Flight 27
Folly of Too Small a Section 24
Glassed or Not 25
Good I'rospects 26
Habits of Bees in the South 19
Half-Pound Sections and Supers 20
Honey as a Staple Product 22
Honey Feast. 17
Honey Market at Home 27
In Good Condition 26
Italians vs. Native Bees 25
I^afit Season Beat in Five Years 25
Likes to Work with Bees 26
Local Convention Directory 19
Maryland, Va. and W. Va. Convention 21
Mexican Clover for Bees 26
Mr. Heddon as a Journalist 18
One Continued Flow of Honey 27
Over 100 lbs. to the Colony 26
Packed In a BeeCellar 26
Packed in Sawdust 26
Packed with Buckwheat Chaff 26
Paste for Honey Labels 25
Queen Born Without Wings 27
Iteceipts for Cooking Fruits 25
Satislled 26
Size of the Ilalf-Pound Sections 27
Small Sections for Honey IR
Sraartweed and Hearts-ease • 24
Strong Colonies Necessary for Success — 25
The Cause of Success 17
Thickness of Wood of Small Sections 26
Two Hundred Pounds from One Colony... 27
Wintering in Chaff Hives 25
Wood Separators for Small Sections 2H
A Honey Fe.ist.— A new and novel
way of developing a taste for honey,
has been introduced by Mr. Eugene
Secor, of Forest City, Iowa. It is
worth being adopted in every locality,
and would help wonderfully to adver-
tise the honey-producer of any locality.
To popularize its consumption should
be the aim and object of every pro-
ducer, and Mr. Secor has found a very
neat way of advertising that will pay
him well. From the Winnebago Re-
view we extract the following notice
of it :
The ladies of the Methodist church
furnished something new in the way
of an entertainment during the tirst
evening of their fair last week. Eu-
gene Secor, the king bee-man of this
locality, offered to them all the honey
tliey could use for one evening, and
on ihe strength of that offer they ad-
vertised a Honey Feast. The bill of
fare included choice comb honey,
extracted honey, both liquid and can-
died, milk and honey and honey cake,
the latter furnished by Mrs. Secor.
Hot biscuit were served. The crowd
" got away " with a goodly amount of
sweets, but we did not hear of anyone
being made sick by it, and we are as-
sured that tlie supply was not ex-
hausted, and that tiie ladies cleared
a nice little sura by the arrangement.
The Cause of Suet-ess..— Our readers
are well aware that Mr. E. C. Jordan
is one of the most successful honey-
producers in' Virginia. We are in
receipt of a copy of the Times, of
Winchester, Va., in which we find
the following notice :
Mr. E. C. Jordan, of Jordan's
White Sulphur Springs, laid on our
table, the other day, some copies of
the American Bke Jouiinam, pub-
lished in Chicago. It treats fully of
everything connected with the pro-
duction of lioney and management
of bees, and we should think would
be invaluable to those engaged in
this pleasant and proHtable business.
Whether Mr. Jordan has profited by
its suggestions or not we are unable
to say. but we do know that he is a
most successful bee-man and tlie pro-
ducts of his apiary are not surpassed
by any other in the country. His
" bee orchard " is a source of no small
profit, and his honey is always in
demand in the city markets, at the
highest price.
The Winchester JVeios remarks that
Mr. Jordan has been exceedingly
successful with his bees, and has
shipped large quantities of honey to
the large cities in the South, and that
it commands large prices, and is
eagerly souglit after. This shows
what energy and improved methods
can do, in the development of the
markets for honey.
1^ We notice that the Rev. O.
Clute, of Iowa City, is to give a lecture
on "Bee-Keeping by Modern Meth-
ods," on Thursday, Jan. 11, before the
Iowa State Agricultural Society and
Farmers' Alliance, at Ues Moines,
Iowa, Mr. Clute is an eloquent speak-
er, as well as entliusiastic bee-keeper,
and it will no doubt be a very inter-
esting lecture.
^" The eldest son of Dr. N. P.
Allen, ex-president of the North
American Bee-Keepers' Society, died
of typhoid fever, Nov. 29, 1882.
18
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
The Small Sections for Honey.
This nppears to be the all-absorbing
topic of the hour. Several articles
appear in this number on the subject,
which is being thoroughly discussed
on all sides and in all its phases.
Mr. James lleddon, of Dowagiac,
Mich., has sent us a nice sample of his
new half-pound, dovetailed, white-
wood section, described on page 27. It
is very handsome in appearance, and,
we think, of the right shape : 4U
inches high, 2 13-16 inches wide, l}i
inches thick. Mr. lleddon advises
caution in changing to small sections,
and says : " You may be sorry if you
do it."
• Dr. G. L. Tinker, New Philadelphia,
O., also sends us one. Scinches square
and 1% inches thick. When filled
with honey, the one sent by Dr.
Tinker will look the most for the
money, but, we fear, the extra cap-
ping and comb foundation will make
it too expensive to be profitable.
Mr. L. H. Scudder, New Boston,
111., gives some very strong arguments
against decreasing the size of the
package, and Dr. C. C. Miller, of
Marengo, 111., inclines to that side of
the question. The Doctor very sagely
remarks, that if many are going to
adopt the half-pound size, the present
marked difference in price may not
continue.
Messrs. J. C. Newman & Son,Peoria,
N. Y.,who claim to be the originators
of the half-pound sections of honey,
describe the difliculties to be sur-
mounted in their first use, and advise
caution. They also say that separa-
tors are absolutely essential, and that
straight combs cannot be produced so
as to crate nicely witliout separators,
and find that those made of thin wood
are the best.
Dr. E. B. Southwick, Mendon,
Mich., makes the following criticism
on the size of the small sections. But,
whew ! lie has gone down another
notch— to quarter-pounds— redttdio ad
ob.s«r&nn— perhaps. He says : " Mr.
Bingham has given 9?4 cubic inches
as the size of one-half pound of honey.
That, I think, is correct in extracted,
but not in comb. His shaving-down
experiment shows that it takes ny
cubic Inches to make one-half pound,
and when we measure the inside of a
one-pound section we find it contains
about 261.4 cubic inches, thus allowing
3^ cubic inches for extra, and I think
it is needed. As my hive is so ar-
ranged that I can use any size of sec-
tions, I think, next year, 1 will try a
few 3i^x3j^xli^, upper side, for one-
half pound ; and a few 3x3x114, upper
side, for one-quarter pound. The fur-
ther we riui an absurdity, the sooner
we find we are wrong. There is al-
ways so much waste room between the
comb and sections that I think these
sizes none too large."
The Bek Journal would strongly
advise caution. Let it be thoroughly
discussed, and, then, let afew be tried
and, if they will increase the con-
sumption at good-paying prices to the
producer, then increase the dose,
another year ; but do not attempt to
glut the market, else it may have the
opposite effect.
All sizes will be needed to stock the
market, and if the •' ten-cent " pack-
ages of honey should revolutionize the
market, causing ten times the amount
to be used, no one could or would com-
plain. Any move that would increase
the demand for honey, is in the inter-
est of the producer, and will redound
to his advantage.
The Strength of Bees.— The Noi-ris-
tmen Herald makes the following com-
parison between the strength of bees
and horses :
Mons. Pateau has discovered that
while a horse can pull only six- sevenths
of its weight, a bee can pull twenty
times its weight. When some one dis-
covers how to grow bees as large as
horses, the latter will have to take a
back seat. But it would be fatal to
fool around the heels of such a bee.
With its javelin it could pin a man
against the side of the stable. Per-
haps it would be better not to raise
bees any larger than the present crop.
(^ We regret to learn that Mr. L.
H. Scudder, of New Boston, 111., has
been severely injured. He attended
the convention at Chicago, last Octo-
ber, and helped to make that meeting
very interesting. A few days after
tliat, he returned home, and now
writes us as follows : " A few days
after reaching home I had the misfor-
tune to have a team run away with
me, by which I was so much injured
that I have been unable to perform
any labor. My right arm was dislo-
cated at the shoulder, besides being
badly bruised. My head also received
several severe cuts and bruises from
the horses' feet. However, I am so
far recovered that I feel that I must
be doing something." We extend our
sympathies to friend Scudder, and
hope he will soon entirely recover from
his injuries.
Mr. Heddon as a Specialist.
The Dowagiac Republican in a recent
issue, gives a long notice of the apiary
of Mr. Heddon, and its growth, year
after year. From it we extract the
following :
One of the most important business
interests in this city is Heddon's
apiary and bee-keepers' supply manu-
factory. The proprietor, Mr James
Heddon, begun bee-keeping as a spec-
ialty in 1869 and was the first speci-
alist in Michigan, there being but few
in this country at that time. His
capital stock did not exceed $500, but
the business has increased steadily
since, giving him a nice profit, which
Mr Heddon has, for the most part,
kept in the business. He has owned
at one time as many as three apiaries
and 550 colonies of bees,having now 40O
colonies in his apiary in this city.
He has always produced both comb
and extracted honey, formerly giving
preference to the latter, but of late
years producing mostly comb.
The largest yield of honey from one
hive, was 410 lbs, during one season.
The largest yield from one hive in one
day was 29% lbs. This was extracted
honey, except about 50 pounds of the
410. These figures only show what
can be done, with all conditions the
most favorable. With so many bees
as he now keeps together, in one
area (an area, or bee range, consists
of a field whose diameter is 6 to 8
miles),the pro rata yield is quite small.
\Vhere nothing was gathered before,
he has gathered together and sold
something over $20,000 worth of this
produce during the last 13 years.
Mr Heddon has formerly given em-
ployment to one or two hands, dur-
ing 8 months of the year, and now he
employs three and four during the
summer season, and one all the year
around.
This year's crop of honey was some
over half comb, the bulk of which
was sold to Colter & Co., of CiJicin-
nati, they sending $720 for 4,000
pounds, the price being 18 cts. per lb.
here, cash in advance. He still lias
some 3,000 pounds of extracted honey
now on hand (candied solid) which he
is keeping to fill orders for regular
customers, who depend upon him
from year to year, and the home trade.
1^" The time for the usual winter
rush of correspondence is here, and we
wish to impress upon all our patrons
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
1^" We are sorry to learn that Mr.
Paul L. Viallon has lost his little
boy— the pet of the household.
^ Attention is called to our new
and liberal advertising rates for 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
19
Habits of Bees in the South.
A correspondent' of the Washington
Gazette, who lias a very imaginative
and fertile brain, tries to explain and
account for a foolish story that lias
been again and again published in the
papers all over the country, about bees
losing their inclination to store honey,
when they are placed in the South
vi'here they experience but little of
VFinter. The story, so often told, is as
foolish as it is untrue, and the Gazette
correspondent will try in vain to ac-
count for that which is itself untrue,
as well as unreasonable. The intelli-
gent bee-keepers will be amused and
at the same time disgusted, at the
following, which is received as trutli
by thousands of persons who know
nothing more about bees, than that
they use their sting as a means of de-
fense, and that the honey they store
up is delicious. The item referred to
is as follows :
The Reckless Bee.— An experi-
menter in Southern agriculture told
me the following liistory of Northern
bees in the South. He took a colony
of the little gratuitous honeymakers
down to Florida. The first year they
reveled, throve, and stored honey
nearly all the unvaried summer time.
But the second year a few of the more
reflective bees evidently turned the
thing over in their minds thus : " Tliis
country has no winter to provide
against ; what is the use of laying up
honey when the flowers blossom all
the year round V " These bees exerted
enougli influence among their friends
to keep a good many bees from laying
by any sweet merchandise the second
year of their exile.
But the prudential instinct so strong
in the little insect, prevailed with the
majority. They evidently said to
themselves : " Perhaps this has been
an exceptional year. Next season
may bring cold and snow and dearth
of flowers." So there was quite a stock
of honey laid by on the second year, in
spite of a few strikers. But by the
third year the conviction had evident-
ly thoroughly penetrated the bee mind
that it was foolish to lay up in a land
of eternal blossom. They made just
enough to last from dav to day, aban-
doned themselves to living from hand
to mouth as recklessly as does any
tropic-born butterfly.
i^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one «€«) subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, will pay youfor
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time and Place oj Meeting.
Jan. 0-11, Northeastern, at Syrncuse, N. Y.
G. W. House. Fayetteville, N. Y.
10, 1 1.— Indiana State, at Indianapolis.
Dr. J. H. ORear, Pres.
11, Nebraska State, at Walino, Neb.
Geo. M. Hawlcy, Sec.
16,-N. W, 111. and S. W. Wis. at Freeport.
J, Stewart, Sec.
18, Chamnlain Valley, at Mirtdleburg, Vt.
T. Brookins, Sec.
19, 20.— Mahoning Valley, at Berlin Centre, O.
L. Carson, Pres.
20.-S. W. Mich., at Ann Arbor,
G. J. Pease, Sec, Ann Arbor.
Feb. 3.— Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, O.
8.— Maine State, at Dexter.
Wm. Uoyt, Sec.
14, 15.— N. E. Ohio and N. W. Pa., at Andover
C. T. Leonard, Sec.
April 5.-Utah, at Salt Lake City.
E. Stevenson, Sec.
17, 18,— Texas State, at McKinney,
Wra. K, Howard, Sec.
May 1 1.— Iowa Central, at Winterset.
J. E. Pryor, Sec.
— , -Texas State Convention, at McKinney.
Dr. W. R. Howard, Sec.
Oct. 17, l.S.-Northwestern, at ChicaEO, 111.
Thomas G. Newman, Sec.
9, 10.— Northern Migh. at Sheridan, Mich.
O. R. Goodno, Sec, Carson City, Mich.
Dec. 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint.
U. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
tW In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetings.- Ed.
Convention Notices.
i^The Northeastern Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold their thirteenth
Annual Convention in the City Hall,
at Syracuse, N. Y., on the 9th, 10th
and 11th days of January, 1883.
Business of great value to every
bee-keeper in the State will be brought
before the meeting. Every member
is requested to attend and bring their
friends, that all may be benefited by
the action there taken.
The question drawer will be opened
each day, and questions answered and
discussed. All are invited to send
questions. Appropriate diplomas will
be awarded to successful exhibitors of
implements, etc. Let all attend.
Geo. VV. House, Sec.
^ The annual meeting of the
Champlain Valley Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held at Middleburg,
Vt., on Thursday, January 18, 1883, at
10 a. m. T. Brookins, Sec.
m" The Nebraska State Bee-Keep-
ers' Association, will hold its annual
session in Wahoo, Saunders county,
Neb., commencing Thursday, Jan.
11th, 1883. Arrangements have been
made with the railroads to secure U4
fare for the round trip. The Saunders
county Bee- Keepers' Association will
furnish entertainment free to all
visiting apiarists. Bee-keepers from
neighboring States will be welcomed.
T. L. VonDorn, Fies.
Geo. M. Hawley, Sec.
t^ The Southeastern Michigan
Bee- Keepers' Association will hold
their annual meeting in the court-
house at Ann Arbor, Jan. 20, 1SS3. All
are invited. H. D. Cutting, Pres.
G. J. Pease, Sec, Ann Arbor.
O" The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday iind Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
The following committees have been
appointed, and the programme arrang-
ed for the next meeting, by the execu-
tive committee; viz : on Resolutions;
Apiarian * Supplies and Exhiluts ;
Subjects for Discussion ; and Arrange-
ments, to receive and enterttiin those
in attendance from abroad.
Programme. —President's Address.
Subject— State and National Conven-
tions.
Subjects for general discussion :
Esxays.— The "Coming Bee," W. H.
Andrews. Honey plants. Native
Horseinints, different varieties, Wm.
R. Howard. "Extracted vs. Comb
Honey," W. K. Marshall, D. D.
"Bee-Moth," W. H. Andrews. "The
Queen Bee, her nature and habits,
Wm. R. Howard. "The different
races of bees in America; their relative
value to apiculture," \V. K. Marshall,
Other essays are promised, and a
general good time is anticipated.
Ample arrangeuieuts are made to ac-
commodate those from a distance.
Those wishing to place anything on
exhibition or correspond with the com-
mittee of arrangements, will be
promptly attended to, by addressing,
W. H. Andrews, President,McKinney,
Collin Co ,Texas. All other correspon-
dence to the Secretary. We would be
pleased to have any one propound
questions of interest for discussion,
as we have found great interest, as
well as valuable information gained
by the discussion of questions con-
tributed to our " Question Box."
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
i^° The Northeastern Ohio and
Northwestern Pennsylvania Bee-
Keepers' Association will meet at
Andover, Ohio, to hold their annual
convention, on the second Wednes-
day and Thursday of February, 1883.
C. T. Leonard, Sec.
i^The annual meeting of the Ma-
honing Valley Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion will be held at Berlin Center,
Mahoning Co.,0.,iii the Town Hall on
Friday and Saturday the 19th and 20th
of January, 1883. All bee-keepers are
invited to attend and send essays, pa-
pers, implements, or any thing of in-
terest to the fraternity. A full at-
tendance is requested of all who are
interested. In fact, the meetings will
be so interesting that you cannot
afford to miss them. We expect a
lecturer from abroad on the evening
of the 19th. L. Carson, Pres.
— The annual meeting of the
Northwestern Illinois and South-
western Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation will be held in Temperance
Hall, Freeport, Stephenson county,
111., on January 10 and 17, 1883.
Jonathan Stewart, Sec.
Rock City, 111.
20
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the Amerlcnn Bee Journal.
Half-Pound Sections and Supers.
DR. C. C. MILLER, 171-202.
So many different things have been
said and planned about half-pound
sections, tliat I am not snipnsed that
my opinion is erroneously stated in llie
Bkk Journal, pase 802. It is there
stated that I think " about 10 to a
Langslroth broad frame will be about
right in size." Instead of that it
should be "10 to the foot "of 4Mx4M
sections, that is, to hold a lialt-poHiid,
the section could be 414x414, and, so
that in width, 10 sections would just
measure a foot. This would make the
section about one-sixteenth of an inch
wider than Mr. Bingham calculates
them. Very likely I expressed myself
so bunglingly as to be misunderstood.
But are we getting at the matter of
size in the right way V If some one
has used them, and found upon trial
that a certain-sized section contains
just one-half a pound, that is better
than the figuring of a whole conven-
tion. If, however, no one has used
4^x434 sections, we can ligure on the
width to approximate the matter, and
settle it finally only when we have re-
ferred the matter to the bees for actual
test
AJthough I may try half-pounds, I,
for one, am by no means ready to
adopt them, at least until I know more
about them by actual use. Mr. Bing-
ham, on page 802 of the Bee Journal
for Dec. 20, has ably given the advan-
tages and disadvantages, but I think
I see a possibility of some disadvan-
tages not mentioned.
To begin with, most of us, or at
least some of us, would have to go to
considerable expense to get new broad
frames if the 4i4x4J4 size is used, for,
the width being different, I should
about as soon make new frames as to
alter the ones that had been used for
1 or 2-pound sections.
If used without separators,the thick-
ness of the comb might suit the queen
so well that 1 can imagine such a tiling
as the whole brood-nest moved up into
the super.
At present quotations we should be
warranted in taking some trouble to
change, but will there be any such per-
manent difference in price between
pounds and half-pounds if anything
like an equal amount of each is on the
market ?
Perhaps not one lialf-pound section
was used this year for every thousand
of one-pounds. Suppose the case re-
versed, and that a thousand half-
pounds were put on the market for
every one-pound, would not the one-
pouiid section bring a higher price
than the half-pound on account of its
scarcity V There will probably always
be a large class of customers who will
think a thick piece of comb honey pre-
sents a finer appearance than a thin
one, and I suspect very few think oth-
erwise.
To return to the subject of change
of fixtures; there will be no change
needed where the
HEDDON SYSTEM OF SUPERS
is used. In a private letter Mr. L. II.
Scudder, New Boston, 111., objects to
Mr. Ileddon's somewhat, saying, 1st,
" I have little faith in being able to
produce straight combs without sepa-
rators." 2d, "If 414x414x2 inches
holds one pound of honey, will not a
comb 14 inches thinner be too light to
suit ail honest dealers ?" I am pretty
fully in accord with Mr. Scudder in
his first objection, and yet Mr. Iled-
don does get straight combs. Whether
he could succeed in my locality, or
whether /could succeed in any locality,
is an open question. With regard to
the second objection, a section with-
out separators must necessarily be
thinner than one with, else it would
be too heavy, and I am not sure tliat
one-fouith inchis too much difference.
But even if the section weighs less
than a pound no honest dealer will ob-
ject to that, providing lie gets pay for
just the weight he sells, and most of
the dealers I know anything about
sell in that way, and every one ought
to. I have never been able to raise
one-pound sections so uniform in size
that they ought to be sold by the piece
without weighing, for there is a varia-
tion, from lightest to heaviest, from
one-fourth to one-half a pound in
weight. The coming season I expect
to try a few supers 011 Mr. Ileddon's
plan, and can then tell a little more
about it.
Marengo, 111., Dec. 22, 1882.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Blessed Bees Criticized.
JAMES HEDDON.
A New York visitor and bee-keeper,
accidentally left a copy of a book hav-
ing the above title on my table. Before
sending it to him I obtained his per-
mission to read it. I had heard several
names mentioned as the author, or
alias of "John Allen." I had been
persuaded to believe firmly in the
authorship of one of them. Since
reading it I do not believe the one
whom I had supposed did write the
book.
I am now all at sea in regard to the
matter. Say what I may, I can criti-
cise none but the fictitious " John
Allen." For the sake of what I be-
lieve to be important truths relative
to our business, I will say what I afti
forced to believe. There is no sin in
an unbiased opinion. There is no sin
in publishing it where the motive is to
benefit the class who read it. There
is no cruel bitterness toward any indi-
vidual, as I do not know who wrote
the book.
The evident intent of the work is to
add to other intluences calculated to
induce an influx into honey-producing,
that of the fascination of the novel.
If the author had, for his inspiring
motive, that of assisting good and
needy, but mentally and physically
enfeebled or otherwise unfortunate
people, by inducing them to embark
in what lie considered so lucrative a
business ; that these otherwise possi-
bly unsuccessful ones might succeed
in securing to themselves the means
of obtaining that higher mental, moral
and physical culture that the good,
the true and the noble so justly and
wisely prize, then he has my most
sacred friendship and sympathy. If,
on the other hand, he is endeavoring
merely to augment the income of the
middlemen connected with our busi-
ness (a thing which he is doing), he
deserves the censure of every bee-
keeper, as well as every good human
being.
My own opinion is fully settled upon
that point. I believe, from the tone
and expression of the book, that the
motives are good, and John Allen can
rightfully be classed among the mis-
taken.
My experience as a honey-producer,
together with the valuable lessons I
have learned of others (nearly all in
private conversation), forces me to
believe, and my love of truth induces
me to say, that it is my sincere con-
viction that the methods laid down are
in exact opposition to the results
given in the book entitled " Blessed
Bees."
That this book is not only, like all
other books, hardly ink-dried, until it
is away behind the times, so fast does
the practical part of our science pro-
gress; but it was not up with the
times in which it was printed. That
its author was not a practical honey-
producer ; that he drew largely from
the writings of others and from their
mistakes.
Referring to capacity, we have three
classes of bee-keepers. The first and
largest class are those who have from
the least to the greatest amount of
practical capacity, but no ability to
convey their know-ledge to others
through the medium of ink. Tlieii
those who possess both,in moderate or
extreme degree. Then those who
have, in an eminent degree, the ability
to tell four times as much as they
think, and ten times as much as the
experienced will believe, who have
but very little practical dollar-and-
cent knowledge of the subjects upon
which they write. The more experi-
enced always catch a gleam, if not a
flood of light, revealing the true state
of affairs in every sentence. This
class write, but the younger practi-
tioners, which make up our brother-
hood, are of necessity led round about
in circles by them, paying tollatevery
quarter pole.
To go on and show the whys and
wherefores that connect the system
of practice therein laid down, with
certain failure, would require more
space than we should occupy, and
more time than we can afford to de-
vote, and even to name them would
double this already too long article.
The errors are : Returning Crates,
Fall Breeding to Winder. Dry Cellars,
Bees in the Fall and Spring at Same
Price, Black Bees $5 and Italians SIO
to §20, High Prices of Certain Sup-
plies, Best Honey Made by Italian
Bees, Conditions of Successful Feed-
THE AMERICAN B*:E JOURNAL.
21
ing Back, Taking out One and Feed-
ing Back Anotlier Kind oi Honey to
Winter On, etc., to tlie letter box de-
partment.
It is not my province to contradict
the large reports galliered together
througli several years and from all
portions of the United States, and
placed under the head of Notes, for
none are more willing to admit the
treat possibilities of bees tlian am I,
ut attention should be called to the
fact that these reports are uncommon,
that they are nearly always from few
colonies, excluding the possibility of
coupling them with a future million-
aired condition for John Allen or any
of us, and that the Grimms and liar-
bisons are not only so scarce that we
quote them 15 years apiece, but the
possibilities of Southern California,
coupled with tlie experience of an old
specialist, are not the probabilities of
John Allen's three months of theory,
and a bee book, in the pineries of
Northern Michigan.
We know that there are occasion-
ally men wlio can get large and larger
yields of honey from hundreds of col-
onies, thus putting their thousands of
dollars' worth of lioney into the mar-
ket nearly every year, but these pro-
ducers use methods never dreamed of
in the philosopliy of John Allen.
But the old adage, that there is " no
roses without thorns," is not only
true, but the reverse is also a fact,
that tliere are roses among thorns, as
this little book gives us evidence.
At the close of the work, on page
155, blossoms a rose whose name is
truth. Though not beautiful to the
sight of some begitniers, some wlio
have gone in on the plan of " bees
work for nothing and board them-
selves," its sweet fragrance meets the
nerves of every old practitioner, laden
with memories of the happy past.
I quote: * "So every person, who
expects to get rich quickly by keeping
a few bees, will fail. Money can be
made only by thorough acquaintance
with the business, and by careful, per-
sistent work from year to year. But,
in spite of what I say, some will get
bitten by beginning bee-keeping with-
out due preparation, and with false
expectations. When you do get bitten
please remember that ' I told you so.' "
Let us hope tliat the primary prin-
ciples laid down in this book, when
learned by the reader, will, in part,
compensate for the errors in the gene-
ral maiuigement, which he will soon
have to unlearn, if he does not quit
the business, broken in heart and
broken in pocket.
Dowagiac, Mich., Jan. 1, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Md., Va. and "W. Va. Convention.
The lirst annual meeting of the
Union Bee-Keepers' Association of
Maryland, Virginia and West Vir-
ginia, was held at Ilagerstown, Md.,
Oct. IS and 19, 18K2. The meeting
was called to order with President D.
A. Pike in the chair, and J. Lutlier
Bowers, Secretary. Thomas Foster
was asked to assist the secretary. As
the Association was not yet perma-
nently organized the secretary had
nothing to report.
The standing committee on consti-
tution and by-laws reported, through
the secretary, the constitution and by-
laws fui'iiished by the American Bee
Journal, which were approved by
the committee and adopted by the As-
sociation.
The president's address was read by
the secretary. In eloquent words our
worthy president welcomed the bee-
keepers of the three States to our As-
sociati(ui, asking them to join with us
in our discussions.
The members being slow to proceed
to business, Wm. M. Bowers, of Illi-
nois, said he was in the county and so
came to the meeting; he was sorry to
see the friends so backward and hoped
they would take an interest. His re-
nuirks had the desired effect.
The election of officers resulted as
follows : Wni. Anderson, of Harper's
Ferry, W. Va., moved that the same
officers hold over. Carried. Presi-
dent, D. A. Pike, Smithsburg, Md.;
Secretary, J. Jjuther Bowers, Berry-
ville, Va.; Treastu-er, S. Valentine,
Hagerstown, Md.; Vice Presidents,
Thomas Foster, Cumberland, Md.,
Wm. Anderson, Harper's Ferry, W.
Va., E. C. Jordan, Stephenson Depot,
Va.
C. M. Hicks, of Fairview, Md., read
an essay on transferring bees. On
motion, he was given a vote of thanks
for his address. After discussing the
subject, the meeting adjourned until
7 o'clock, p.m.
Met at 7 p. m.; Vice President Wm.
Anderson in the chair. Ten new mem-
bers were added to the Association.
S. Valentine said that he aimed to
have his queen-rearing colonies as
strong as possible before commencing
business, not giving any special
method.
C. II. Lake, of Baltimore, asked if a
queen that had been balled was of any
account afterwards ?
S. Valentine had seen queens that
had been balled that did well after-
wards. The general opinion was tliat
a queen balled in a friendly way was
sekhim hurt, wliile if balled in an un-
friendly, she seldom, if ever, amounted
to much.
J. Luther Bowers asked if the Albino
bee was not a freak of nature, or, in
other words, would she reproduce
bees of the same marking, one genera-
tion after another.
S. Valentine made a specialty of Al-
bino queen rearing and said that they
were a distinct race.
C. II. Lake said he thought they
were a freak of nature, and said he
liad an imported queen on exhibition
at the Fair, that produced a greater
part of her workers of the so-called
Albinos ; thus proving that they were
not of American origin.
Those taking an active part in these
discussions were : Thomas Foster,
Cumberland, Md.; Jacob Ebersole,
Martinsburg, "W. Va.; W. R. Young,
Myersville.Md.; Wm. Aiuler.son, II;ir-
per's Ferry, W. Va.; S. Valentine, Ha-
gerstown. Md., late of Double Pipe
Creek; C. II. Lake, lialtiuuue, Md.;
Wm. M. Struder, Millwood, Va.
Chas. IT. Lake invited the Associa-
tion to meet at his tent on the fair
grounds.
Adjourned to meet at Mr. Lake's
tent, at 10 o'clock a. in. to-morrow.
Thursday, Oct. 19, 10 o'clock a. m.
After examining the many exhibits of
bee-Hxings and bees, the Association
was called to order. Tliere being no
further business before the Associa-
tion, Ilagerstown. Md., was selected
for the next meeting.
It was moved to adjourn to meet at
Hagerstown some time next summer ;
the secretary to notify members, and
also to publisli these minutes in sev-
eral of tlie bee papers. CaiTied.
J. Luther BiiWKRS, Sec.
For the Amertcan Bee JourQal.
A Standard Frame.
JAMES B. MASON.
Tlie cry comes, from Maine to Cali-
fornia, for a standard frame. Bee-
keepers are beginning to awake to the
fact that it is one of the most essential
points, for the advancement of bee-
culture, that we have a standard frame,
and a standard section-box. The
latter we have secured in the 4^x434
section, but as to a frame we are, as
yet, " terribly mixed," and I believe,
until we settle on a standard frame,
we shall not make any very decided
advance in bee-culture. Ever since
Mr. Langstroth gave us the movable
frame, the country has been flooded
with patent hives, containing frames
ofdifferentsi7.es ; the inventors claim-
ing great advantiiges thereby ; but, on
the whole, has any great advantage
resulted from the use of the different
sizes, over the regular Liingstroth
frame y It seems, that in the past
twenty years, if there had been, we
should have seen them, and if tliere
lias not been any, why will bee-keepers
persist in using odd- sized frames V
G. M. Doolittle, one of the most suc-
cessful bee-keepers, uses the Gallup
frame ; D. A. Jones uses the Ameri-
can frame ; James Ileddon uses the
Langstroth frame ; L. C. Hoot uses
the tjuinby, the largest of all. These
men all appear to be equally success-
ful, and I believe would be the same
if they all used the Langstroth frame.
It is my firm conviction that every
invention tliat has been broughtbefore
the public, that has changed the size
of frame, since the introduction of the
Langstroth hive has been been a det-
riment to the progress of beeeulture.
Mr. Ileddon did not claim but that
there were other frames, in and of
themselves, as good as the Langstroth,
but he thinks the Langstroth is as
good as any, and believes it to be " the
coming frame " and changed our 50
hives so as to fall into the beaten track,
and use a standard frame, and he
thinks he made money by it. When
bee-keeper are willing to follow his
example and give up their pet notions,
then bee-culture will advance rapidly.
How is the adoption of a standard
frame for America to bo brought
about y I do not know just how it can
be done, but will advance a few
thoughts, and leave the subject for
nuue able bauds. The able corres-
22
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
pendents should write more on the
subject through our bee papers ; con-
ventions should canvass the matter
and resolve to accept some size of
frame as a standard, and their influ-
ence will go a long way toward estab-
lishing a standard frame. Supply
dciilers should stop advertising to
manufacture all sizes of iixtures,and
thereby save themselves trouble, and
tlieir customers money. I would not
be understood to discourage invention,
let us have all the improvements in
our hives possible ; then if they can
be improved, all we shall liave to do is
to lift out our frames and hang them
in the improved hives. Carriage
makers would not think, fora moment,
of changing tlie width of carriages in
their new styles, nor should hive man-
ufacturers change from the standard
size.
Mechanic Falls, Me., Dec. 19, 1882.
Read at Eastern N. Y. Convention.
Honey as a Staple Product.
A. J. KING.
Mr. President: The subject assigned
me by your committee, is one of vast
importance, and I cannot hut regret
the limited time 1 can give to its con-
sideration. It is the question which
has been propounded to the promoters
of all other industiies in their incipient
stages. When the bill was passed in
Congress to establisli the tirst line
of telegraph, requiring an appropri-
ation of $30,000, it was argued by
many, even allowing the thing would
work,so few would make use of it that
years would elapse before it would
pay for tlie appropriation. The thou-
sands of miles of telegraph and tele-
pliones all over the world, all paying
handsomely, attest the tolly of such
suppositious. VVlien the elevated rail-
roads of New York city were tirst
talked of, it was thought by many that
it would be so much capital sunk, for,
noliody, but a few "dare-devils" would
ever risk their lives by riding on them.
To-day they are over-crowded with
men, women and children gliding
along at lightning speed, as uncon-
cerned as if in their own parlors at
home, and these roads are paying insti-
tutions
About twenty- five years ago, wlien
the grape question was up for dis-
cussion and vineyards were spring-
ing up in many parts of the country,
the " wise acres " propliecied an over-
stocked market and a general collapse
of the entire business. The "col-
lapse " never came, but the grape crop
of the country has increased since
that time a thousand fold, and is to-
day one of the recognized industries
of leading importance in a large part
of our country.
So we might go on, until we had
outlined tlie history of nearly every
business depended on for a livelihood.
We should see them in their small be-
ginnings, gradually expanding, pass-
ing their experimental phases, and
finally attaining the rank of " neces-
sities." This gradual development
seems to be necessary in art, science,
mechanical inventions, or in new art-
icles of food, in order to educate the
masses to receive them.
Within the last (if teen years the pro-
duction of honey in the United States
has increased ten fold, or, in other
words, from ten millions to about 100
millions of pounds, and yet the aver-
age prices paid for it have not dimin-
islied, and why y simply because the
people have been educated to its use.
Through the influence of conventions,
honey exiiibitions at fairs, bee books,
bee journals, etc., the masses are be-
ginning to realize that honey is the
most healthful of all the sweets ; that
when properly used it surpasses all
others in preserving and adding to the
delicate flavor of all fruits ; that in
the preparation of medicines it has no
equal. The baker and brewer also are
beginning to use extracted honey,
where formerly they used sugar and
glucose, but the greatest and best use
to which it is put is on our tables,
where, in many instances, it is taking
the place of the different brands of
syrups.
The subject has been so widely dis-
cussed that all the agricultural papers
of any value have found it necessary
to devote space to this subject. Many
bee-keepers who, a few years ago, had
no home demand, now And it neces-
sary to reserve several thousand
pounds for this purpose.
With all these influences at work,
there is yet probably not one person
in ten, especially in our cities, in
which honey forms any part of his
diet, not because he does not or would
not like it, but simply from the fact,
that either the information of its
merits above other sweets has not yet
reached his ears, or he is yet ignorant
of the channels through which he may
procure a pure article at a reasonable
price. The great bulk of our honey
is sent to the cities, consigned to a
few houses, who do not retail or take
any pains to let the masses know that
they keep honey for sale; but, instead,
they sell it to grocers who retail it at
prices which make it cost the con-
sumer fully double the amount which
the producer receives for the same
honey. Honey, at such prices, must
be classed among the luxuries, to be
indulged in only occasionally, except
by the wealthy.
Again, some large producers, by
the offer of cash down or small advance
above regular prices, will sell to those
who they have every reason to believe
will use it to give flavor to double
the quantity of glucose to be palmed
off as " choice new honey," thus vastly
increasing the volume, but corres-
pondingly reducing the price and de-
grading the merits of the pure article,
greatly to the disadvantage of the pro-
ducer and to the detriment of the in-
dustry. Of course, the unscrupulous
mixer can well afford to greatly under-
sell all honest dealers, as two-thirds
of his mixture costs him only about
three cents per pound. Were this
abominable practice to be permitted
to continue, the production of honey
would be indeed a precarious busi-
ness, but, thanks to the good sense of
our people, by the aid of our conven-
tions and numerous publications on
bees and honey, assisted by the press
of the entire country, the alarm has
been sounded, and laws have been
and are being passed against the
crime of adulterating food products,
which are even now producing the
most salutary results. The great fac-
tories recently erected for the produc-
tion of grape sugar and glucose have
many of them shut down and all are in
a fair way of collapsing at no distant
day, through the influence of further
legislation on the subject.
Now, I fully believe that with this
enemy disposed of, extracted honey,
averaging the grades, can be made to
net the producer ten cents per pound;
and comb honey about Htteen cents
per pound, and I as fully believe that,
with our present knowledge and appli-
ances, honey may be produced with
fair proflt at these prices. I speak
more confldently v/ith reference to
extracted honey which will, in all pro-
bability, be tlie main supply for the
future. Now this honey ought to
reach the real consumer, after all
freights and commissions are settled,
at an advance of not over five cents
per pound, or 1.5 cents for extracted
and 20 cents for comb lioney.
If the consumer and producer can
be brought as nearly together as here
irdicated, and still more vigor be used
in acquainting the public with the
merits of honey, there will be prac-
tically no limit to the sales which may
be made. It is estimated that if the
amount of sugar and syrup annually
consumed in the United States could
be equally divided among all the in-
iiabitants, each would receive between
thirty and forty pounds. Now, sup-
pose that each individual should con-
sume but ten pounds of honey, and we
have the enormous amount ot .500,000,-
000 pounds at once disposed of, or
nearly live times the present popu-
lation. Add to this the increasing de-
mand tor extracted honey for manu-
facturing purposes, and "the continu-
ally widening and ever extending de-
mand for American honey in foreign
countries, and the outlook for bee-
keepers becomes pleasing to contem-
plate.
Another use to which honey has
been recently put, bids fair to greatly
increase the demand for it. I refer
to the experiments of 'C. J. Quinby
Esq., of White Plains, N. Y. He has,
during the past three years, produced
a wine in considerable quantities,
rivaling in fine and delicate flavor the
best imported brands, and used no-
thing in its production but pure hon-
ey, of any variety. Very little of his
wine has been kept over eighteen
months, for the reason that the de-
mand is greatly in advance of the sup-
ply. He sells it for communion ser-
vices and medical use, as the best
pliysicians in his town recommend it.
We do not refer to this because we
favor the wine industry (for we aim
to be temperate in all things) but
only to show what will, in all proba-
bility, at no distant day, consume a
large quantity of our surplus extracted
honey, especially the darker varieties.
What would be the state of the grape
market to-day if tlie production of
wine should suddenly cease V Now,
assuming that wine made from honey
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
23
is as good as that made from grapes,
that one gallon of honey will produce
at least two gallons of wine, worth at
the very lowest estimate, $1.25 per
gallon, it is easily seen that the man-
ufacturer can use 10 cent honey and
yet make a large percentage on his in-
vestment.
Thus we have endeavored to give
some of our reasons for believing that
extracted honey, at least, will become
a staple article in our markets, so
soon a's the supply may be relied upon
to answer all the demands whicli will
be made upon it, and this rests
entirely with the producer. Comb
honey will likely continue a luxury,
as long as producers treat it as such,
by reducing the sensible one-and-a-
half and two-pound boxes down to
those containing a mere mouthful.
New York, Jan. 1883.
ror tlie American Bee Journal.
Wood Separators for Small Sections.
J. C. NEWMAN & SON.
Having read with much interest the
proceedings of the Michigan State
Convention, and also the article on
page 802 of the Bee Jouknal, we will
state something of our experience in
the use of small packages for comb
honey.
In the season of 1878 we decided to
use small sections for honey, the size
being, if we remember rightly,
3}4x3}ixm, and without separators.
The sections were filled complete with
foundation and we supposed we were
sure of having them all very perfectly
filled, but, on taking them from the
hives, the very opposite was the case.
The worst of all was the difliculty of
putting into the crates; but, after
much patience, it was completed, and
shipped to Thurber & Co., of New
York, with very good results.
It took but one season to decide that
it was ^U^e^iy impossible to produce a
fancy article of comb honey without
the use of separators, eveu with small
sections and the use of comb founda-
tion. After the above experience we
decided to adopt a very different plan,
which was as follows : To change the
size of package and use them on the
same section racks that we used for
other sizes ; which would necessitate
a size 3x5^x2 to hold exactly one-half
pound, and right here we will say that
we have put up many hundred crates
of Hfty sections, weighing from 24 to
26 pounds.
We use separators of very thin wood,
and we are very particular to take the
honey from the hives as soon as fin-
islied, for the bees will soil the small
packages very quickly.
In the season of 1880 we produced
about 6,000 of the half-pound sections
of honey, and made a sample shipment
to Voigt, Mahood&Co.,of Pittsburgh,
with returns at $6.75 per case, and an
order for all we had, at the same price,
stating that it was the neatest article
of the kind that had ever been placed
on their market. The past season we
made a sample shipment to Crocker &
Blake, of Boston, with returns at $7
per case, and saying it was the finest
of anything they had ever had.
The only objections to Mr. Bing-
ham's ■4,i4x4>4 would be the extra ex-
pense of foundation, and the combs
being so very thin. Would the bees
work out tlie wax as well, or would
they leave the (so-called) lish bone in
the center ? And, also, would not the
time occupied by the bees in capping
80 large a surface, for so little honey,
be a more serious objection y
After an experience of four years
with the half-pound sections, and for
the benefit of those who are about to
begin their use, we will say that the
coming season we shall again change
our package, which will be ;U4x4xl%
for the following reasons : It would
give a better-sized comb for cutting
up, and the combs, being thinner, the
bees would hll out better around the
outside, next to the wood.
Unless properly adjusted to the hive,
and very particular attention is given,
the yield per colony, will be very much
less than if larger-sized packages were
used. If any of the brother bee-keep-
ers used half-pound sections before
1878, let him report through the
columns of your rery valuable Bee
Journal.
Peoria, N. Y., Jan. 1, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Bee-Keeping in Nebraska.
WM. STOLIiEY.
I started " Apiculture " here. 150
miles west of the Big Muddy (Mis-
souri River), three years ago, with but
two rather weak colonies of black
bees, without having at that time the
slightest knowledge of them. As was
to be expected, under such circum-
stances, I blundered in my first sum-
mer's management, viz.: increasing
from 2 very weak, to 3 still weaker
colonies in the fall, but with very lit-
tle honey for winter stores.
Then I got hold of the excellent Bee
Journal and found how far I was
missing the mark. But, following
strictly its teachings, I succeeded in
providing, in time, my bees with the
required winter stores, by feeding
night and day with coffee A sugar
syrup; and, in the spring of 1881,1
found to my great satisfaction that
every colony was alive, although seri-
ously afflicted with dysentery ,and two
of the old queens dead. So I com-
menced the season of 1881 with 6 colo-
nies, and, aided by the use of comb
foundation, I increased to 14 colonies
that season, and obtained 230 pounds
of extracted surplus honey.
Meanwhile, I procured, of Rev. A.
Salisbury, 4 tested queens, three of
them Italians and one pure Cyprian ;
all of them were properly introduced
before cold weather set in, in 1881.
Only 2 of these queens proved suitable
for breeders ; and, in particular, the
Cyprian queen outstripped all the rest.
She proved to be, not only exceedingly
prolific, but her worker bees are also
amiable and the best honey gatherers.
From these 2 qipeens I have reared 20
queens in 1882, of which 17 are Cypri-
ans and but 3 Italians, allowing no
drones to be reared in my little apiary
but in the Italian colony; hence, all
my Cyprian queens were mated with
Italian drones.
Ttie spring of 1882 found me as the
owner of 12 good colonies of bees, viz.;
1 Cyprian, 1 Italian, and 10 black and
hybrids ; since 2 colonies had lost their
queens during winter, and I had to
unite the queenless ones with other
colonies.
With the aid of 4 additional Italian
queens bought, one from G. M. Doo-
litle, one from Chas. Dadant & Son,
and two from Scovell & Anderson,
the aid of 70 lbs. of foundation, and
the pasturage of one acre of melilot
clover, I increased to 38 strong colo-
nies in the fall, and obtained .520 lbs.
of extracted, and 80 lbs. of comb
honey, in 2-pound sections, which I
readily sold at 2.5c. per pound.
Towards the close of the season I
lost my Uoolittle queen, after I had
reared 4 queens from her. I also
reared 4 queens from the Dadant, and
2 from theScoville& Anderson queen.
I have superseded all my black and
hybrid queens, except 3, which proved
to be the best of that race of bees, as
I desire to winter them once more,
and compare results next spring.
About the middle of October I fin-
ished packing my bees (inside the
hives) with woolen blankets and chaff,
and about the middle of November I
moved them back to the rear wall of
my bee-house, and packed them in
prairie hay, sheltered the entrance
with slanting boards, and then coi'ered
the whole 2 feet thick with prairie hay.
On December 17 my bees had their
last flight, and I hope that they will
pull through the winter all right.
Whether bee-keeping can be carried
on successfully, in this, the so-called
"Desert of America," I consider prac-
tically solved. At least, I have got the
requisite confidence to persevere, and
my little success has already inspired
others, who will try their hand at it
during the coming season.
I have partly sold, and partly ordered
12 colonies at from $12 to $15 per col-
ony, the risk of wintering to rest with
the purchaser.and, with the proceeds, I
propose to build a honey-house in ad-
dition to my bee-house, 80 feet long.
Our lands are cheap, and melilot,
matrimony vines and borage will
always do well with us, hence, what
should hinder us from becoming suc-
cessful apiculturists ¥ I now have 114
acre of matrimony vines well estab-
lished, which will feed my bees from
early spring till frost. Near me, are
about 20 acres of melilot [Melilotus Al-
ba) which are entirely devoted to bee
pasturage and also 1 acre of borage.
We are preparing another bee-farm
on a larger scale, on the Loop River,
where 50 acres or more will be sown
with melilot, and as many acres with
matrimonv vines as can be grown with
plants obtainable ; and as soon as
ready, we propose to put the bees there,
and do not care much about white
clover, basswood, etc.
I predict that " the Desert of Amer-
ica," willcountbig, in the near future,
as a honey-producing section of this
land of plenty, and the American ,
24
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bee Journal will count its subscrib-
ers from the " far West " by hundreds.
I will send you the names of parties
who become practically interested in
apiculture as fast as the nucleus api-
aries originate here.
Grand Island, Neb., Dec. 28, 1882.
For tbe American Bee Journal
The Folly of Too Small a Section.
L. II. SCUDDEK.
I have read with care the remarks of
Mr. T. F. Binfiliam, the editor, and
others, on page 802 of the Bee Jour-
nal, and will try and give you some
of tlie reasons why I think we, as
honey-producers, should not advocate
the use of a continually decreasing
size of package for honey. In the lirst
place, neither dealer or consumer
would require us to go below a one-
pound section, if we did not induce
tlieni to by placing it before them;
but we, in our anxiety to outstrip our
neighbor in the production of an arti-
cle which will appear nicer and, by
that means, sell more rapidly and for
a shade higher price, continue to re-
duce the size of sections until (if this
folly is continued) honey cannot be
produced with sufficient prolit to jus-
tify a person of ordinary intelligence
in engaging in the business.
We know from experience thathoney
consumers will not be willing to pay a
high price, because of the novelty of the
package, ^Vhat was more attractive
in appearance tlian the glassed sec-
tion, and still, how short-lived it was?
Glass at 2.5 to 30 cents per pound was
more expensive food than consumers
could afford ; and buying wood at
similar prices will become burdensome
when we get to using about as much
w^ood for one-half or one-quarter of a
pound of lioney as we are now using
for one pound.
I cannot view it in any other light,
than that honey-producers are working
against their own interests, in advo-
cating the use of a smaller package.
Let me give you a few reasons why I
think so.
1st. We must discard all our mate-
rial left over from last year, which to
some of us is a considerable item.
2nd. Malcenew supers, which means
money, whatever style we see lit to
adopt.
3d. Double or quadruple our ex-
penses for comb foundation.
4th. Compel the bees to use double
the amount of material for capping,
and requiring additional time to per-
form the labor.
5th. Doubling or quadrupling the
labor in the manipulation of the sec-
tions from the preparation to the final
packing for market.
Is it not clear that this additional
labor will compel many of us to carry
a decreased number of colonies V I
see no other way, for the very impor-
tant reason that competen t help caimot
be obtained ; at least, that is the case
in my locality, and I presume it is so
in many others.
Now, taking this view of the case,
how are we, as bee-keepers, to manage
to win bread for our families? Some
times, for years in succession, the crop
will be light, and our profits small,
barely sutlicient to maintain our fam-
ilies; then, perhaps, a perfect deluge
of nectar will Some, every shrub and
flower bending beneath its weight,
and as our busy little workers come
rustling home, laden to their utmost
capacity with their precious freight,
would it not be interesting to watch
us '■ Progressive Apiarists " undertake
to measure and store away the fruits
of their labor in half-pound sections.
Truly, the prospect is not tlattering;
it seems to me that it would be a
hopeless task, and I, for one, cannot
see my way clear to undertake it. Call
this " croaking " of an old fogy, if you
see lit ; I care but little ; if ttie busi-
ness ceases to be profitable, dearly as
I love it, I will turn my hand to some-
thing else.
New Boston, 111., Jan. 1, 1883.
Resifi before the Maine Convention.
Bee-Keeping for Ladies.
ISAAC F. PLUMMER.
I have thought perhaps it would not
be out of place to give you a few
thoughts on bee-keeping as an em-
ployment for ladies ; as I know there
are a number of ladies in our State
who are interested in bee-keeping,
and I have often thought that bee-
culture and its benefits have never
been properly or fully presented to
ladies as a light and profitable em-
ployment.
The subject of bees and flowers is
so inexhaustible, so full of interest,
indispensible to each other, and each
so well adapted to the care and culti-
vation by ladies, that a few hints on
this interesting subject may lead to
others still greater.
Bee-culture, like all sciences, is full
of opportunities for research, and I
think, even more interesting ; and, in
fact, there is a certain mystery about
the habits of bees that forever keeps
the imagination waiting for some new
discovery or development.
Tlie great drawback to bee-keeping
has been stings, but modern improve-
ments'^in bee-culture, such as bee- veils,
gloves and bee-smokers properly used
should be sufficient to forever dispel
every fear even of the most timid.
Bees have been spoken of from the
earliest history of the world, and we
often see them alluded to in the Bible,
and bees and honey in those days were
spoken of as possessing wonderful
virtues. Some of the greatest writers
in the history of our world mention
tlie honey bee as being a gift of the
gods, and so I am led to believe that
many a silent lesson in the economy
of the world has been learned from the
wonderful bee. We never forget that
sweet and simple song :
" How doth the little busy bee •,
Improve each shining hour."
It teaches us that the sweets of this
life are offered to us all as freely
as the svi'eets of the Howery kingdom
to tlie virtuous and industrious bee.
If we but imitate these virtuous habits
our coffers will overflow with the
sweets of life. In fact, the whole study
and juactice of bee-culture is refining,
ennobling and elevating.
Ladies are certainly adapted to bee-
keeping, because, as a general rule, .
they love and cultivate flowers, the
very perfection of virtue and inspira-
tion ; and bees and flowers seem in-
separable. Where flowers are, bees
are ; even in the deserts where the
foot of man has never trod. In the
cliffs, on the hills, and in tlie valleys
may be found the industrious little
bee, sip|)ing the sweets from the many
flower that are
" horn to blush unseen.
And waste their sweetness on the desert air."
What a wonderful mission these lit-
tle workers seem to perform while
gathering honey, which the Bible de-
clares is "sweet to the soul, and
health to the bones." They spread
from flower to flower the germs of life
of the sweetest things of earth's
broad bosom. Let us provide abun-
dant forage for our bees, fill our gar-
dens full of flowers and thus invite
them to come and taste of the nectar
which the flowers produce within our
bowers. I would not advise all ladies
to keep bees ; but to those who have
time, inclination, and wish all the
benefits, including the profits of bee-
keeping, I say, try a few colonies.
Give them the same care and atten-
tion you give flowers, and I am sure
the results will exceed your most san-
guine expectations. Some of the
smartest bee-keepers we have in this
country are ladies, and I see no reason
why the ladies of Maine cannot be as
successful in this branch of business
as ladies are in other States.
Sinartweetf and Hearts-ease.
The past season has been the best
of the past four years with us. My
bees gathered pollen from the hazel
nut, ami, perhaps, from soft maple
as early as February. During April
and May bees could do but little, on
account of cold and wet weather.
I fed mine; had I not, many of them
would have starved. The principal
flow of honey in Southeastern Ne-
braska was from the smartweed or
hearts-ease, of which there is an abun-
dance growing up among the corn
after the farmer has finished culti-
vating it; also growing thick on wheat
and oat stubble, after harvest, or by
the way side, everywhere, nearly,
except on the prairie. Tliere are sev-
eral varieties of this weed which yield
an abundance of honey superior in
flavor to the well-known basswood.
I have both kind, and most of my cus-
tomers prefer the hearts-ease honey.
This plant blooms from the 1st of
August till frost. My bees commenced
swarming in August, and continued
to swarm until late in September.
One swarm of Cyprian bees came
out the last of August. I hived
them in the Oatman Modest Ilive,
gave them 1 frame of brood and the
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
25
remainder of foundation. I put on
surplus boxes, and closed the hive.
Tliis swarm gave me about 30 lbs. of
comb honey, besides building out and
filling the brood-chamber completely.
Cyprian bees color tlieir combs more
than the German bees. 1 think they
work over all the old comb they can
find ; besides, tliey are not careful
about the quality of propolis they use.
One colony used black paint from
barbed wire fences, and their combs
were as black as pitch, and had the
odor of coal tar. P. Bohngeh.
Salem, Neb., Dec. 22, 18S2.
An Ayerage of 57 Poiiuds per Colony.
It has been a very hard season here
for bees, a year ago this fall I packed
29 colonies in sawdust, with cliaff
over the frames ; when spring came
they were all alive, but one was
queenless, which was united with
another weak colony. I succeeded
in bringing the 28 colonies through
the cold, late spring by feeding a
little over 100 lbs. of coffee A sugar.
My increase was from 28 to 44, mostly
by natural swarming. I also had two
swarms leave for parts unknown.
I took from them 850 lbs. of comb
and 750 lbs. of. extracted lioney, which
gives an average of a little over 57
lbs. for each colony in the spring.
My honey was sold here in Scranton,
the comb for 16 cts. per lb. and the
extracted for 14 cts.
C. E. Miller.
Industry, Fa., Dec. 20, 1882.
Paste for Honey Labels.
Please state, through the Bee Jour-
nal, how to make mucilage or paste
that will hold labels on new tin. I
have tried a mucilage of gum arable,
but it is not a success.
\Vm. Roberts.
Vaughansville, Ohio.
[This question has been overlooked
for some time ; we will now answer it.
Mr. C. Haucke, of Kentucky, gives
the following, which he avers will be
successful : " Make a thin batter of
best buckwheat flour, stir this in boil-
ing water, on a slow fire; when cooked,
or thick, take it from over the lire,
and, to each quart, stir in 2 oz. of New
Orleans sugar or molasses, while hot.
Keep in a cool place. This paste will
stick as well to a non-porous surface
as to a porous one. — Ed.]
Last Season was the Best in 5 Tears.
The season of 1882, after fruit blos-
soms came out, was the best for the
past 5 years, for bee-keeping, in this
locality. Bees commenced swarming
and gave one swarm each all round,
during fruit bloom, which was the
most profuse bloom ever seen in this
section of the country. After fruit
blossoms had gone, white clover came
out in great abundance, yielding well.
I obtained, on an average, 40 lbs. per
colony of comb honey, in 1-pound sec-
tions, from white clover; and 20 lbs.
Eer colony in 1-pound sections from
asswood ; making 00 lbs. per colony
of white honey in the comb. The fall
yield was equally as good ; my colo-
nies storing 40 lbs. each, from buck-
wheat and goldenrod. I notice that
some apiarists think buckwheata poor
honey plant; my experience is that it
is one of the best lioney plants we
have. Last fall there was a held of
buckwheat about a quarter of a mile
from uiy apiary, the road being be-
tween the field and the apiary. I
have repeatedly had people stop and
tell me that the bees were swarming,
such a roaring tliey made going to and
fro from the buckwheat field. My
bees are now all packed on the plan
given by Mr. Ileddon, except 12 colo-
nies which I put in the cellar, for an
experiment, having generally win-
tered on the summer stands. I think
either Mr Ileddon 's or Mr. Doolittle's
writiTigs are worth twice the subscrip-
tion price of the Bee.Iouhnal to any
one keei)ing bees. E. W. Wales.
Disco, Mich.
Receipts for Cooking' Green and Dried
Fruits.
Please publish the following receipts
and add to the pamphlet ou " Honey
as Food and Medicine."
Green Fruit.— If mellow, use only
extracted honey, it being the only
liquid, it holds the fruit firm and gives
a very rich flavor, sweeten or season
with "spices, to suit the taste. Cook
slowly until done.
Dried Fruit.— Cook same as above,
only add water enough to swell the
fruit, after which add the extracted
honey and spices, to suit taste. Cook
slowly until done.
Bray & Seacord.
Warthan, Cal.
A Good Showing.
The past year has been one of the
most laborious I have ever experi-
enced, having the sole care of my
apiary, and an orchard of 15 acres, of
both large and small fruits, adapted
to this clime ; also superintending and
working occasionally in an excavation
for a tish pond, in my orcluird, where
there is a number of small living
springs of water, affording a constant
flow the year round. I am in hopes to
finish it this winter, and shall stock it
with the German carp in the spring.
I commenced the season with about
40 colonies of bees, and by natural
swarming, increased to 160; sold off
20 in the summer, and secured about
3,000 lbs. of surplus comb honey, leav-
ing the hives with honey in store.
Hiram Craig.
Fort Calhoun, Neb.
Italians vs. Native Bees.
As I have now got all of my bees
into winter quarters, I will hand in my
report. I had 175 colonies last fall ;
lost none ; wintered on the summer
stands, mostly black bees. I obtained
13,000 lbs. of honey, nearly all ex-
tracted. I have now 295 colonies ;
have 22 queens reared in 1881 from an
imported Italian ; got 1 imported Ital-
ian queen of Mr. Dadant, early in
1882 and I have about 40 queens reared
from her ; a part of them, I think, are
purely mated. I think that I will
weed all of the blacks and hybrids out
of my home yard, next spring, and
run it with Italian bees. I think that
I can rear them very nearly pure there,
as there are no other bees within 4
miles. But I am not yet satisfied that
the Italian bee is better than the
blacks,taking all points into considera-
tion. I intend to have one yard of
them pure, and then watch them close-
ly. 1 want to know which is best, as
1 think of going more extensively into
the bee business. 1 shall make some
chaff quadruple Langstroth hives, tliis
winter, two stories high. I have one
now that I made last year ; it has 4
swarms of bees in it and I like it very
well, it is the only Langstroth hive I
have. E. France.
Platteville, Wis., Dec. 4, 1882.
Strong Colonies Necessary for Success.
The spring was very backward, sa
that owing to chilled brood and other
causes, my colonies were, if anything,
weaker on the 1st of June than they
were on April 1. This is my season's
work : April 1st, 7 weak and 2 strong
colonies, 9 ; Nov. 15, stored into win-
ter quarters, 14 strong colonies with
an abundance of stores. My crop is
600 lbs. extracted white clover ; 200 lbs.
extracted fall honey; 350 lbs. comb
honey ; total 1 ,1.50 lbs. My experience,
like that of many others, is that the
number of colonies is of less impor-
tance than their strength ; and 1 have
resolved hereafter to keep only strong
colonies, if I can have but a single
one. F. P. BOUTEILLER.
Belle River, Ont.
Wintering in Chaff Hives.
I had 98 colonies to start with in the
spring of 1881 ; increased to 204 ; all
in good shape for winter, and packed
them on from 5 to 7 frames, in chaff
hives with division-boards, with the
open space filled with chaff, and a chaff
box over the frames with muslin bot-
tom and from four to six inches of
dry oats chaff, and the whole hive,
except the front, covered with dry
hay. The winter was very open; the
entrance being open all the time. They
came through with less than 5 per
cent, of loss. Now, then, I had two
extremes of temperature, with bees
put away just the same way, except
that in one case tlie snow and ice
effectually blocked up the entrance
and in the other it was open. Now.
my opinion is that chaff hives and
chaff packing give a more even tem-
perature and that the chaff box on
top absorbed the moisture so that the
bees were kept in a healthy condition.
I have packed 58 colonies this winter
in chaff hives with chaff division-
boards 2 inches thick, with muslin on
one side and % inch boards on the
other, with the muslin next to the
bees. G. Rouse.
Wahoo, Neb., Dec. 21, 1882.
Glassed or Not.
Please state whether the small sec-
tions (1 or 3-2 lb.) are expected to be
glassed, for market.
A Subscriber.
[No. The crates should be glassed,.
but not the sections,— Ed.]
26
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
(Packed in Sawdust.
I commenced the season with 7 col-
onies, blacks and Italians (4 blacks
and 3 Italians); increased to 27 colo-
nies, and have tliera all Italianized ;
took 250 lbs. of extracted and 100 lbs.
of comb lioney in 2-poiind sections. I
use the Langstroth hive and pack them
in sawdust.on their summer stands,
similar to the plan of James Ileddon.
J. VV. Sears.
Harrodsburg, Ind., Dec. 27, 1882.
'Thickness of Wood of Small Sections.
In No. 51, page 802, of the Bee Jour-
nal, Mr. T. F. Bingham gives the
proper size to make half-pound sec-
tions ; in doing so he did not give the
thickness of the section," or inside
measurement. Please give this in the
Bee Journal ; I am only a beginner,
but wish to keep pace with the most
modern ways of bee-keeping. As this
is the time for hive-making I also wisli
to get the best plan ot making the top
bar of the frames for fastening the
foundation. I am making mine 1x1 M
inches, with JJg above tlie sides and
running a cut in the bottom J^ deep,
and bevel from the top % to the bot-
tom groove and then cut off one-half,
thus leaving an open space in which
to lay the foundation and tack on the
piece that came out. I used them last
season and found them to work very
well. Geo. Rogers.
Ilollin, Ont., Jan. 2, 1883.
[The thickness of the wood for the
small sections is one-eighth of an inch.
Many bee-keepers make the top-bars
of broad frames as you suggest, and
like them. It makes but little differ-
ence, so long as the top bar is stiff,
and the foundation strongly fastened.
Any way that will accomplish this,
"will do. — Ed.]
Satisfied.
I had, in the spring, 9 colonies of
hybrids and Italians ; increased to 27,
-or 200 per cent., and obtained, of nice
comb honey, 396 lbs., or 44 lbs. per
colony, spring count, and did not buy
a queen nor use any empty comb or
foundation, and lost but little time
out of my shop, attending to them. I
sell all my honey at 20 cents per pound.
I think there are about 200 colonies of
bees in Wabash, and about one-half
are blacks, kept in the style of our
grandfathers ; the other half are Ital-
ians and hybrids, kept in different
sorts of movable frame hives, by dif-
ferents sorts of men, and I am the
only one, as far as I know, that takes
any bee paper. J. Copeland.
Allendale, 111., Dec. 27, 1882.
A Question— Why Is It 5
We are wintering 240 colonies of
bees — 80 colonies out doors in cliafE
Lives, and the rest in an underground
■cellar. Those in the cellar are win-
tering well. The colonies out of doors
are located in four different places ;
18 at our home apiary, 10 three-fourths
■ of a mile northwest, 14 two miles south,
.and 38 four mile south of home apiary.
These colonies were all prepared for
winter in the same manner, were
strong in numbers and well supplied
with honey. The flora of the four lo-
calites is tiie same. The colonies in
three of the localities mentioned are
in a tine condition. The .38 colonies
four miles from the home apiary are
suffering badly with dysentery, and
we shall probably lose "nearly all of
them. I would like to have you make
the above statementin the columns of
the Journal, and ask the bee masters
to give a reason why the 38 colonies
are affected and not the rest.
S. F. Newman.
Newark, O., Dec. 29, 1882.
A Satisfactory Showing.
My bees in good order for winter. I
have now 80 colonies, packed in chaff.
I started in the spring with .50 colo-
nies; they gave me 48 pounds of comb
honey per colony. Those run for ex-
tracted honey, gave me 100 pounds per
colony ; which 1 sold at from 12J^ to
16 cents per pound and the comb
honey at 16 to 20 cents per pound at
home. The weather is mild; just
right for bees.
J. H. Kennedy.
Little York, N. Y. Dec. 28, 1882.
In 6ood Condition.
I began, in the spring, with 17 colo-
nies ot' black bees ; obtained 1,0.50 lbs.
of extracted honey and 200 lbs. in the
comb, in one-pound sections, and in-
creased to 38 colonies, all in good con-
ditiork for the winter.
Wm. Coleman.
Devizes, Ont., Dec. 21, 1882.
Over 100 Pounds to the Colony.
I commenced in the spring with 54
colonies ; increased to 80 and obtained
5,500 lbs. of honey, of which 4,500 was
comb and 1,000 extracted. Our bees
were in splendid condition for winter.
L. D. Ormsby.
Pierpont, Ohio, Dec. 26, 1882.
Bees Enjoying Their Warm Quarters.
It has been a very poor year in this
section for apiarists, bees having gath-
ered no white honey and but a light
yield of dark honey. But, neverthe-
less, I must have the Bee Journal
for 1883, all the same. I have 26 colo-
nies in the cellar, evidently enjoying
their warm quarters.
J. H. Sheldon.
Dorset, Vt., Dec. 22, 1882.
Mexican Clover for Bees.
My report for 1882 is as follows :
Spring count 39. increase 28, total 67 ;
sold 17. The average per colony for
honey was about 30 lbs., in all 2,000
lbs. Owing to the cold weather, dur-
ing the spring and summer, they did
not do well. Cupalo gum yielded
splendidly, but red rod was a failure ;
these are' the only flowers that amount
to anything. I have moved them
across the river to where there is an
abundance of white clover and poplar.
I will try some sweet clover on the soil
we have here, which is black loam. I
have also some Mexican clover seed.
which is said to bloom luxuriantly, the
season through. Has anyone ever
tried the same, and is it a good plant V
We will test it this season and report.
Head & Brown.
Thebes, 111., Dec. 20,1882.
Likes to Work with Bees.
I like to work with bees, but, as for
getting any prolit out of them, we in
central Ohio are far behind. I started
last spring with 18 colonies, increased
to 35; took about 175 lbs. of honey,
mostly extracted ; this makes a man
feel as though he was a small potato,
after reading some of the bouncing
reports. Some of them certainly look
a little ^,s/h/. John M. Parson.
Tippecanoe City, Ohio, Dec. 22, 1882.
Packed in a Bee Cellar.
I started in the spring with nine
colonies, and have increased to 19, by
natural swarming, and have obtained
500 lbs. of comb honey, and 500 lbs. of
extracted. I realized 15 to 20 cents
per pound in my home market, i
have them all packed for the winter
in a bee cellar. F. A. Gibson.
Racine, Wis., Dec. 23, 1882.
Packed with Buckwlieat Chaff.
I put into winter quarters, last year,
13 colonies, on the summer stands;
one starved, leaving 12 to start with,
last spring; they increased to 32. I
took 800 lbs. of extracted and 200 lbs.
of comb honey. I winter 3i of them in
the cellar and the others on the sum-
mer stands, packed with buckwheat
chaff. They appear to be all doing
well. S. J. Church.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dec. 27, 1882.
Good Prospect.
I have been quite successful the
past year, liaving averaged 100 lbs. of
comb honey, per colony, spring count,
and increased from 70 to 121 colonies.
My honey was all gathered in the
prize section, the largest number from
any one colony that I remember was
106, which is about 200 lbs. I .sold it
at from 14 to 18 cts. per lb., mostly at
Indianapolis. Our prospects for next
year are good at the present time.
B. Z. Smith.
Tuscola, 111., Dec. 27, 1882.
Centralizing the Honey Market.
Bee-men ought to be combined and
have but one wholesale house or
dealer. The honey should be' in a
salable condition and all should be
shipped to him. One dealer can handle
allot our produce to advantage. Then
the merchants will know where to
send to get the lowest price, and we
shall know where to ship our produce
and get what it is worth. Then the
market quotations will be alike in all
the papers. I have 112 colonies in
good condition. Bees have not gath-
ered much surplus here for two years,
but mine have been on the gain.
There are some 400 colonies of beesia
this county, yet we cannot supply the
market. There has been some ex-
tracted honey sent here and sold for
20 cts. per lb. Chas. Follett.
Osage, Iowa, Jan. 2, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
27
200 Pounds from One Colony.
I shall pay more attention to mar-
keting my honey hereafter, and want
to adopt the newest metho !s for doing
it. I could not get along at all with-
out tlie Bee Journal. Had it not
been for, it I should have made a poor
show at bee keeping, but, as it is, I have
taken 9,000 lbs. of extracted and 110
lbs. of comb honey, as well as 200 lbs.
of beeswax from 70 colonies in
the spring and increased them to 130,
iu good condition, by natural swarm-
ing. They could have been increased
to 200, had I tlie hives to put them iu.
The largest yield from one colony, was
220 lbs. of honey.
W. H. McLendon.
Lake Village, Ark., Dgc. 20, 1882.
One Continued Flow of Honey.
I commenced the season of 1882 with
20 colonies; 10 in Langstroth hives
and 10 in box hives ; transferred those
in box hives to Langstroth hives on
May 1. It being wet and cold, I had
to feed until June 3, when the white
clover blossoms began to " nod their
heads at the bees," which are the Ital-
ians, hybrids and blacks. They soon
took the hint, and we had one con-
tinued flow of honey from that time
on. I increased to 45 colonies, ob-
tained 2,000 lbs. of comb and 1,000 of
extracted honey. The bees are in a
good dry cellar, waiting for the balmy
days of spring to come.
Wm. IIealb.
Mt. Sterling, Iowa, Dec. 22, 1882.
Bees Pay Well.
I began the season with 14 colonies,
4 of which were transferred in May.
one colony did nothing during the
whole season , consequently I can really
count but 13 available. 1 ran 8 of the
colonies for extracted honey, witli
sections for side storing in several of
them. I now have 30 colonies all put
into winter quarters on the summer
stands, packed in hay, and sheltered
entirely from rain or snow, and pro-
tected on the west and north by a
board fence. I had 10 swarms and in-
creased 6 by division. Introduced un-
tested 12 queens, 9 of which were
successful, ail producing apparently so
far an excellent offspring. My honey
product foots up, 781 lbs. one-pound
sections; 234 lbs. bulk; 1,000 lbs. ex-
tracted ; in all 2,015 lbs. really from
spring count of 13 colonies. You re-
member, 2 seasons since, of selling me
a queen ; she produced lieautif ul bees
and active workers. This season that
colony gave me 284 lbs. of honey, and
an increase of 5 swarms, the last of
which came out on Aug. 27, filled the
brood chamber and gave 22 lbs. of nice
surplus comb honey. I think my net
results would have been at least 1,000
lbs. larger had I given strict atten-
tion at the proper time. This does not
near compete with some of the reports,
but when coming from one who is not
a practical bee-keeper, it gives you an
idea what a man of average intelli-
fence may do, even with the pressing
uties of another business. I believe
I can, in localities iu this county, buy
land cheap, and with 150 or 200 colo-
nies, that have pasturage intelligently
prepared, make $1,.500 to $2,000 clear
money yearly, besides paying some at-
tention to stock or poultry.
r. A. GUOVE.
Kirksville, Mo., Dec. 30, 1882.
Size of the Half-Pound Sections.
After spending a few days with two
of the brightest and most experienced
boe-keepers in this country, I have
settled, in my own mind, the size of
section that I shall use to hold one-
half pound gross, viz. : 4}4x2 13-16
inches plump, by 1^, or, more exactly,
7 to the foot for separators, or 1^4
without. This measurement, 4y, is
adapted to the old length of fixtures,
cases, broad frames, etc. The 2 13-16
piece is such a width as makes 3 fill
the place of 2, 4}^, thus, 6 of them fill
a broad frame in length. The IJf
with, and 1}4 inches without separa-
tors, is such a thickness as will fit my
case, 8 to tlie foot, but necessitates a
change and addition of cases and par-
titions, using 5 instead of 3. For the
broad frames it simply means cut
them down 3.4 in thickness and use
separators. If I used broad frames
at all I should surely use the separa-
tors. While this section is not adapted
to either case or broad frames, just as
they are, it requires an alteration that
costs but very little in either capital
or l^bor, and the comb it will contain
will be one well adapted to storing and
finishing rapidly, shipping safely and
selling quickly. Do not be in a hurry
to change from the one-pound section
where you have them all in working
order. You may be sorry if you do.
Wait and see what the market says
when plenty of both are there.
James IIeddon.
Dowagiac, Mich., Jan. 1, 1883.
Bees in Good Condition.
My 58 colonies of bees are in good
condition. Some gave me 28 lbs. of
comb honey, and some 50 to 60 lbs. of
extracted honey. I think any number
of the Bee Journal is worth to me
all it costs for a year.
G. W. ASHBT.
Valley Station, Ky.
Abnndantly Satisfied.
Just received the last number of the
Bee Journal for 1882, and I have it in
the Emerson Binder, and on looking
over the numbers, I cannot tell you
how well satisfied I am, to think I
have them all in, clean and snug.
Without the binder, there would have
been great risk of soiling the numbers,
to say nothing of them being laid
aside ; but with the binder, all this is
avoided. To all bee-keepers who do
not take the Bee Journal, I would
say, take it for one year ; you do not
know the loss you suffer by not taking
it ; and to all who take the Journal,
and not the binder, I would advise,
take it, you will never regret it. It
will do more than merely satisfy you ;
if you have any phrenological bump
of order, you will be compelled to say
and do as I advise ; you will be com-
pelled to acknowledge that you are
abundantly satisfied.
Edward Moore.
East St. Barrle, Out., Dec. 29, 1882.
Queen Born without Wings.
In a letter published in the Bulletin
B^ Apiculture de la Somme just to hand,
there is the following, which is inter-
esting to all scientific bee-keepers :
" Miss Josephine Chinni, of Bologna,
Italy, a distinguished apiarist and
queen breeder, has a queen bee which
was born without wings, and, for all
that, has been a very good layer of
drone eggs, and worker eggs also. If
you want to know more details, write
her, and I do not fear contradiction."
Arthur Todd.
Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 25, 1882.
Correction.
On page 809 of the Bee Journal
for Dec. 20, in the 10th line from the
bottom of the first column, for the
word " Heddon's," read Lowmaster's.
Wagon Works, O. A. B. Mason.
Enticed to Take a Flight.
On Christmas day it was so pleasant
that our bees came out from the hives.
Next morning I found great numbers
dead at the entrances. Was it so cold
that they died before going back in ?
Or what V It would hardly do, would
it— to open the hives and look in V
M. E. Stevens.
Lebanon, Ohio, December 29, 1882.
[Of coiuse, they became chilled and
could not return to the hives. While
the sun was warm— the air was very
cold. They were probably old bees
that would soon have died. — Ed.]
Bees Pay Better than Stock.
My apiary, which remunerates for
labor spent, is the best of anything
yet. My 300 head of feeding steers
and 250 head of fat hogs afford me no
greater pleasure than my bees. The
steers cannot compete with the bees
for the amount of capital invested,
and one is just as gentle as the other.
I have hardly a steer but what I
can ride, .and my bees are just as
tame, when necessary to get near
them. I saw Mr. Jackson Woodward,
of Mahaska county, who said that
from 40 colonies this year he obtained
90 swarms, put back 60, leaving him
70 colonies, all told. From these he
took 2,600 lbs. of extracted and .500
lbs. of comb honey. lie is using the
improved Langstroth hive, and is
selling off aU he has in the old form,
at $10 per colony. My bees fairly
swarmed on my cannmg corn, this
summer. I think it pays well to plant
it for its honey qualities, if nothing
more ; but corn brought at the can-
ning factory, $12 per acre, after the
bees were done with it. My buck-
wheat did well. G. B. Olney.
Atlantic, Iowa, Dec. 23, 1882.
Honey Market at Home.
I commenced the season with 60
colonies ; increased to 100 by natural
swarming ; obtained 3,000 lbs. comb
honey, all stored iu one-pound sec-
tions ; sold it for 18 cts.*, wholesale, at
home. Wm. Courtney.
Bichview, 111., Dec. 20, 1882.
28
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
ADVERTISING RATES for 1883.
20 cents per line of space, each insertion,
For either the Weekly or Monthly Editions.
A line of this type will contain about 8 words;
TWELVE lines will occupy ONE-INCH of space.
Transient Advertisements payable in Rdvance.
Editorial Notices, 50 cents per line.
8 PECI AL KATES. - Advertisements will
be inserted in both Weekly and Monthly editions,
at the following prices, if wholly paid in advance :
SPACE.
One
Two
Three 1 Six
One
month
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mo'tbs
mo'ths
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1 In. 12 lines
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2 In. 24 lines
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3 In. 3(i lines
2.").li()
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4 1n. 4Hlines
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6 In. 72 lines
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For the "Weekly alone, 20 per cent, leas than the
above rates. On yearly advertisements, payments
may be miide quarterly, but must be in advance.
Advertisements witbdrawn beforethe e.xpiration
of the contract, will be charged the full rate for
the time the advertisement is inserted.
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
935 West Madison Street.. ChlcnEo, III.
^:p^cci<Tl IJoticc
i®"The American E.xpress Company
money order system is the cheapest,
safest and most convenient way of re-
mitting small sums of money. Their
rates for $1 to $5 are 5 cents ; over $5
to $10, 8 cents. They can be pur-
chased at any point where the com-
pany have an office, except Canada,
and can be made payable at any one
of tlie company's 4,000 offices.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank thaft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. Tliey
will be sent, post-p;.iid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
i^" Articles. for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
CLUBBIS« LIST.
We supply the A-merlcan Ree Jourunl and
any of the following periodicals, one year, at the
prices quoted in the last column of flRures. The
arst column Rives the regular price of both. All
postare is prepaid by the publishers.
PabHuhers'Price. Club
The Weekly Bee Journal 12 0(1. .
andOleaninffsinBee-Culture{A.I.Root) 3 00.. 2 75
Bee-Koepeis' Mafiazine (A..I.King). H 25 3 00
Bee-Keepers'Kxch'nKe(Houk&Peet)3 00.. 2 75
Bee-Keepers' Guide (A.O.mil) 2 60.. 2 35
Kansas Bee-Kceper 2 60.. 2 40
The 6 above-named papers tj 35. . 5 50
The Weekly Bee Journal one year and
Prof. Cook's ManuaUbound In cloth) 3 20.. 3 00
Bees and Honey, (T. G. Newman) " 2 75.. 2 fO
Blnd'er for Weekly Bee Journal 375.. 2 50
Apiary Register for 100 colonies .... 3 50.. 3 00
Apiary Register for 21.10 colonies .... 4 00. . 3 50
The Monthly Bee cToarual and any of the
above, $1 less than the flsures in the last column.
Sample Copies of the American Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
.subscription on the Bee Journal.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
1^ The Bee Journal is mailed at
the Chicago post office every Tuesday,
and any irregularity in its arrival is
due to the postal employes, or some
cause beyond our control.
®" Attention is called to a few
changes in our clubbing list for 1883,
as given on this page. Those inter
ested will please take notice.
1^ We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
i^°Renewals may be made at any
time ; but all papers are stopped at
the expiration of the time paid for,
unless requested to be continued.
^ Our new location, No. 925 West
Madison St., is only a few doors from
the new branch postofflce. We have
a telephone and any one in the city
wishing to talk to us through it will
please call for No. 7087— that being
our telephone number.
Honey as Food and Mediciue.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in whicli honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6-
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of lOO
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This,
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For .50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00-
" 100 colonies (220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
1^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
ejiher portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelop©
but should be written on separate
pieces of paper.
1^ Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have-
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
29
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1883, for the Weekly,
■with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
^" We will send Cook's Manual
in cloth, or an Apiary Register for 100
colonies, and Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, for $3.00; or with King's
Text-Book, in cloth, for $2.7.5 ; or with
Bees and Honey, in cloth, $2.50. The
Monthly Bee Journal and either of
the above for one dollar less.
Subscription Credits.— After send-
ing subscriptions to this office, we
would respectfully ask every one to
look at the label on the wrapper of the
next two papers, and there they will
find the credit indicated thus : Those
who have paid for the first six months
of this year will find " June 83 " after
their names. Those who have paid
for the whole year will find " Dec. 83 "
on their papers. The credit runs to
the end of the month indicated.
The credit given on THAT LABEL
is a sufficient notitication of subscrip-
tions due and receipt for payments
made. If not so indicated within two
weeks after sending money to us, you
may be sure something is wrong, and
should write to us about it. It will
save annoyance and trouble if our
subscribers will give this matter due
attention.
» -. — m — .
l^Postage stamps, of one, two or
three cent denomination, accepted for
fractional parts of a dollar; but money
is preferred.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office of American Bee Journal. }
Monday, 10 a. m., January 8. 18fl2. J
The following are the latest quota-
lions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Qaotatlons or Cash Bnyers.
CHICAGO.
IIONKY— The supply of extracted hnney la fully
up to the demand. My quotations are : 7c. fur
dark and 9c. for ItKht, delivered here.
UEKSWAX~It is qu-te scarce. 1 am payinc 27c.
for good yellow wax, on arrival : dark and off col-
ors, 17&2'^C.
Al. H. NEWMAN. 923 VV. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demand is Rood for extracted In
barrels as well as in wlass jars and tin buckets ; ar-
rivals are fair. The demand is fair tor comb
honey, which, however, is not cheap enough to
make trade lively, Extracted brings 7@10c. on
arrival ; comb honey, H(»20c.
BEESWAX— Is scarce and brings 20<a27c. on
arrival, Chas, F, MUTH.
Quotations of Continlssloii Merchauta.
CHICAOO,
HONEY— The demand for comb honey does not
keep pace with the receipts. There is a large sur-
plus on this market at present, and prices are from
2 to :ic. lower than last month.
We quote; white comb honey, in 1@2 lb. sections.
17'31Nc, Dark comb honey, hardly anydemand. It
is held at 12^(J5I5c. Extracted— White brings from
9(jilnc.: dark. S(gi9c.: kegs, half- barrels and casks
bring about same price.
BKBSWAX-Cholce YeUow, 30c.; dark to med-
ium, 18{SJ25c.
R, A, BURNETT, 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— Business in this line has been ex-
tremely dull the past week. Quotations are little
more than nominal.
White comb, 17(i(j20c: dark to good, 1 1'^KiMIc; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8^^^®y^2C.: dark and
candied, 7@8c.
BEESWAX- We quote 2.'>ffi;28c.
STEAKNB It SMITH, -123 Front Street.
ST. I.OUIS.
HONET-Dnll. Comb, at 16c. for large or hard
to l;K.t,2f)c, for choice bright in small packages ; ex-
tracted at 8i«)9c. ; strained, (i^(5i7c.; choice, in
smaller quantities, brings more.
BEESWAX-Prime bright steady at 27®28c.
W.T. ANDERSON &Co,. 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY-Has changed in price a very little, we
find it necessary to sell all grades about 1 cent per
lb. less. Best white, in I H) sections, 2n(aJ2Ic. per
per pound : in 2 lb. sections, ]8taj20c. Extracted is
very dull indeed, hardly any sale.
BEESWAX-Scarce, 2S(a,:*lc.
A. C, Kendel, 115 Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONE V— There is only a moderate supply of
choice to fancy white clover honey, and prices are
still held firmly, though the demand is not large.
Buckwheat and extracted honey continue slow.
Wequote: White clover, first quality, 1 lb boxes.
2.'jc: 2 lb. bo.xes, 23@25c. : buckwheat, 1 !b boxes,
2nc : 2 lb. boxes, 16c, Extracted, white, ll@12c.:
dark, 8 (/DC,
BEESWAX- Thesupplyhasbeenlightandprime
lots held a shade higher.
Western pure, 3t)(a<:nc: southern, pure, 3trti32c.
I). W. QuiNBl', 10.) I'ark Place.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
H lb. sections at Site: 1 lb. sections, 22f*25c.: 2 1b.
sections, 20(.ic*2c, Extracted, loc. per lb. Good
lots of extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels,
BEESWAX-30C.
Crocker & Blake, ftl Chatham street.
^" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
Special Notice.
It gives me pleasure to announce
tliat Dr. A. X. Illinski, of East St.
Louis, 111., and myself, have formed a
co-partnership in bee-keeping, queen-
rearing and supply furnishing. The
Doctor is well known as an enterpris-
ing, progressive, and enthusiastic bee-
keeper, of ample means. The style of
the new firm will be " Flanagan &
Illinski," and the management of the
business will be conducted by myself
as heretofore. E. T. Flanagan.
Belleville, 111., Jan. 3, 1883.
Catalogues Received.— We have re-
ceived copies of the following price
lists for 1883 :
James Forncrook& Co ,Watertown,
Wis.—" One-Piece Sections," etc.
Merriain & Falconer, Jamestown,
N. Y.— " Apiarian Supplies " of all
kinds.
J. S. Tadlock, Luling, Texas. —
" Bee-Keepers' Supplies."
J. V. Caldwell, Cambridge, 111.—
" Supplies for the Apiary."
A. C. Nellis, Canajoharie, N. Y. —
Catalogue of " Garden, Field and
Flower Seeds."
Preparation of Hone; for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
It Pays. — I have sold all of my sweet
clover seed. Advertisements in the
American Bee Journal pay.
I. R. Good.
Nappanee, Ind., Dec. 24, 1882.
The AMERICAN Bee Journal ts the oldest Bee
Paper In America, aud has a larpe circulation In
every State, Terntiiry and Province, amone farm-
ers, mechanics, prufessional and buj»lnew8 men,
and Is, therefore, the best advertising medium.
pLrWuTHJocFs
Iroquois Strain. Four Yards.
Correspnniipce cheerfully an^iwered Prices reflsonable.
W. H. BUSSEY. 131 Lake Sti-eet, ChicBj;0
SWKET CI.OVER SEED.-New and clean,
115 cts, per lb. Ben Clendenon, GrlnnelMoa
.'il,rWl3
DITNUAIH COIUIt FOir»IDAT10N-40c.
per pound : extra thin and bright, 10 sq. ft. to
the lb, 4HC. Send for samples. Wax worked 10c.
per lb. K.W. HOLMES. Coorersville, Mich. 13wly
Bees for Sale.
so Colonies of Bees, in Gallup frames, cheap.
800 Colonies of Bees, in Jjangstroth frames
In prime condition.
J. U. UOB£RTSON.
3f!wtf Pewamo. Ionia Co.. Mich.
STUDENTS
IN BEE-CULTURE.
Having had such Kood siicccsa for two years past
in teaching tbe theory and practice of honey-pro-
ducina, 1 liave now made arransementH t*t accom-
modate a large class during the coming season. I
shall aim to give a tlve months' instruction, at the
end of which time I hope and expect to turn out
bee-keepers competent to profitably cngiige In the
pursuit, or such as will be sought for as assistants,
at wages above common laborers. All interested.
write Tor terms.
BEE-K£KP£RS* SXJPPI^IES
on hand, as usual.
Dowaglnc, Mich.
Beeswax wanted.
JAMBS UEDDON.
30
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
"USD TAPS
The OrlKlnal
BINGHAM
Bee Smoker
Who will be the
first to copy ^
25,000 IN USE.
If you buy the Origi-
nal I'fitetit Binp;haui
Bee Smoker, you will
aid the inventor of
improved bee sniok-
ers— get the beat, that
never go out— always
please— never is com-
plained of— the stand-
ard of excellence the
world over— better
and haiitlHoraer tljis
season than ever be-
fore. Price per mail,
postpaid, from (ir> cts.
to S2. Our patents
cover all the smokers
that will burn sound
Btove-wood. or do not
go out. If you buy
our smokers and hon-
ey knives first, you p„ *.(,-♦ g^ 1070
will have to buy no *^^^®^''®" ■'°'**
others.
PRICES:
Handed to By Mail,
Customer. Postpaid.
Wideshield Conqueror,3inch ....?1 75 $2 00
Large Bingham Smoker (wide
shield), J"^ inch 1 50 1 75
Extra Bingham Smoker (wide
shield), 2 inch 125 150
Plain Bingham Smoker, 2 inch — 100 125
Little Wonder Bingham Smoker,
IH inch .. 50 60
Bingham & Hetherlnglon Honey
Knife. 2 inch l 00 l 15
To sell again, apply for dozen or half-dozen
rates.
Send for free description and testimonials, to
BINGHAM & HETHERINQTON,
17wtf Abronla, Af Ich.
Muth's Honey Extractor,
Square Glass Honey Jars, Tin Buckets,
A Langstroth Bee Hives, Honey Sections, etc..
Apply to C. P. M IT T H ,
976 and 978 Central Ave..CINCINKATI. O.
|y"Send 10c. for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepera.
@S £:NORAriNGS
The Horse
BY B. J. KENDALL, M. D.
Ill
I I I
Cheap ! Cheaper !! Cheapest
300 COLONIES OF BEES
for sale, in movable frame hives. Also, Queens,
Nuclei, Bees by the pound. Hives, Sectinns, Smok-
ers. Seeds for Honey Plants, and eveiy thing a live
bee-keeper needs. S>end for circuUirand price list
to FLANAGAN «fc ILLINSKI,
Box tsl9, Belleville. St. Clair co., 111.
(Proprietors of Kose Hill, Cubokia, Falling Springs
and Lake Apiaries. Iwmiy
FLAT . 150TT0.U
COMB FOUNDATIOl^
high side-walls, 4 to IR square feet t-
the pound. Circular and samples tree
J. VAN DEUSEN & SONS,
Sole Manufacturers,
Sprout Brook. Mont. Co., N. Y,
Given'sFoundationPress.
A TREATISE giving an index of diseases,
and the symptoms ; cause and treatment of each, a
table giving all the principal drugs used for the
horse, with the ordinary dose, effects and antidote
when a poison ; a table with an engraving of the
horse's teeth at different ages, with rules for telling
the age of the horse ; a valuable ciiUectton of re-
cipes, and much valuable information,
Price 85 cent*.— Sent on receipt of price, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
925 West Madison Street. CHICAGO ULL.
LANG8TROTH ANB SIMPLICITY
CHAFF HIVK8, with mi.v;ible upper
Btory, section boxes, metal-cornered brood frames,
wide Lant-'strotti frames and comb foundation.
Send for Price List. A. B. MIl.LEK & SON,
44wtf Wakarusa. Elkhart Co.. Ind.
LIVE BEE-KEEPERS WANTED,
to introduce the new lime cushion, the only pro-
tection yet discovered that will carry the bees
safety through winter and spring without fail.
Send $!'iO, for right to retail tliis cushi4)n in your
county, or send $5 for one apiarv right to patentee.
Remit by registered letter or P. O. nrder.
K. DELLA TORRE.
74 Chanes-st. Avenue, Baltimore, Md.
Patented April 25, 1882. No. 2ri4,932. 4owi3t
riiTTTC TD A 1I>T?T> maybe found on file
1 Jllo Jl Ar IMV at <ieo. P. Howell &
Co.'s Newspaper Advertising Bureau (10 Spruce
St.), where advertising contracts may be made for
it in NEW YOKK.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT affirms that the PRESS
is SUPERIOR lur niakingCnuib Foundadon either
in Wired Frames tir fur SECTIONS, and insures
straight and perEcct combs, when drawn out by
the bees. Send for Circular and samples.
D. S. GIVEN A CO.,
mtf HOOPESTON, ILL.
BIND TOUR JOURNALS
AND KEEP TUEM
NEAT AND CLEAN.
The Emerson Binder
IS THE NEATEST AND CHEAPEST.
Any one can use them. Directions in each Binder.
For Monthly Bee .Journal 50c.
For Weekly Bee Journal .T5c.
Address, THOMAS O. NKTVAf AN,
923 West Madison Street. ChlcaKo. 111.
A NEW BEE BOOK!
Bees&Honey
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor 0/ the Weekly Bee Journal.
It contains ITO profusely Illustrated pages, is
"fully up with the times" in all the various Im-
provements and inventions in this rapidly devel-
oping pursuit, and presents tho apiarist wttb
everything that can aid in the sucjesslul manage-
ment of the honey bee, and at the same time pro-
duce the most honev in its best and most attract-
ive condition. Chief aranng the new chapters are»
"Bee Pasturage a Necessity." " Management of
Bees and Honey at Fairs,*" ■" Marketing Honey,"
etc. Price, bound in cloth, 75 cents; in paper
covers*, SO centH, postpaid.
OSS'W. Madison Street. Chicago. 111.
Appreciative Notices.
Carefully prepared for beginners.— Farmers
Cabinet, Amherst, N. H.
A very valuable work to those engaged In bee-
raising. — News. Prairie City, Iowa.
We advise all who keep bees to send for this ex-
cellent work.— Journal. Louisiana, Mo.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen, Pulaski, Tenn.
Carefully prepared, and of vast Importance to
bee-raisers.— Indianian, Clinton, Ind.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. Y.
New and valuable, and embellished with 10&
beautiful engravlngy.- Democrat. Salem, Ind.
Much practical useful information, in a cheap
form.— Daily Standard, New Bi-dford, Mass.
Contains all the information needed to mak&
bee-culture successful.- Eagle, Union City, Ind.
Just such a work as should oe in the hands of
every beginner with bees.— News. Keithshurg, 111.
A valuable work for all who are interested Id the
care and management of bees.- Democrat, Alle-
gan, Mich.
The most perfect work for the price ever yet pro-
duced onthesubjectof bee-culture.— Anti-Monop-
olist, Lebanon, Mo.
The engravings are fine. It Is gotten up in the
very best style, and is cheap at the price.— Farmer,
Cleveland, 6.
It comprises all that is necessary for succesafu)
bee-culture, save experience and good Judgment.
—Daily Republican, Utica, N. Y.
A manual, containing all the newest discoveries
In the management of these little workers.—Plain
Dealer, St. Lawrence, N. Y.
Full of practical instruction, that no one who
contemplates beeping hees can do without.-Far-
mers' Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping a
success.— Col. Valley and Farm.
It embraces every subject that can interest the
beginner in bee-culture. The engravings perfectly
illustrate the text.— Farm and Fireside, Spring-
field, O.
Embraces every subject of interest in the apiary,
giving very thorough details of the management
and manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping
a success.— Farm. Longmont, Colo.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even though they be not directly interested in the
care of bees.— Sentinel, Rome, N. Y.
It Is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume or the natural history of the
little busy bee, as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Describes all the newest discoveries In the art,
by which the production of delicious and health-
giving honey is obtained, aswell as how to prepare
it for the market in the most attractive shape.—
Signal, Napoleon, O.
Contains a vast fund of information in regard to
bee-culture. He whti would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted in allthe improvements in
his line. We advise all Interested to get a copy of
thisbook.— Daily Times. San Bernardino, Ca!.
it embraces every subject that will Interest the
beginner. It describes all the newest discoveries
in the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving h<iney is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive
form. It is embellished with beautiful engravings,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
A r.lberal Discount to Sealers by
the Dozen or Hundred.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL
31
THE CONaUEROR.
Large Smokers need wide shields. Bingham's
nave them, and springs that douutruntan i break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all Improvements made to date,
andaaiTlnch stove, and Si7 inch bellows. Sent
postpaid tor »2. Address
ISwtf
BINGHAM & HETHEKINOTON,
Abronla, Mich.
Excelsior Dunham and Vandervort
FO UNDATION.
OwiiiK to the large advance in the price of wax, I
now quote prices thus : Dunham, into 50 lbs., 42c.,
over.)0 lbs., 41c., leas than 10 lbs., 44c.; vander-
vort, in sq. feet to the lb., 1 to 10 lbs.. 57c., 10 to 50
lbs., 54c. No discounts. Circular free.
J. V. CALDWELL,
3wly Cambridge. Henry Co., 111.
AGENTS WANTED Jr LIVES %H.
MARTYR PRESIDENTS.
Abraham I^tncoln, " From Pioneer Home to
White Uouse." iind Jiimew Abi-am Garfield,
"From Log Cabin tn White House." In English
and German. Illustrated with tine steel enprav-
iogs. By an eminent author. Also, for the OIVL.Y
larRe steel portrult of Oarfleld, Send for
extra terms. ,
THE HENEY BILL PXTBLISHING CO.,
SOwSt NOUWICH, CONN.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPEK'S ADVISEE.
The Bhitiwh Bee JoriiNAL is publiehed month-
ly, and contains the best practical information for
toe time beinii, showintt what to do, and when and
how to do it. Rev. H. R. PEEL., Editor.
Wesend the Weeltly American Bke Journal
and the BHtish Bee Journal, both for $3.50 a year.
£/^^/^AV£/^,S roOljS 8^/uPPUE^.
ELECTROTYPES
Of Enuravint-'s used in the Bee Journal for sale at
25 cents per square inch— nosinKle cut sold for less
tban5<ic. THOMAS O. NEV^MAN.
ass West Madison Street. Chlcagro, 1(1.
IMPORTANT TO BEE-KEEPERS.
Send your Ordfrs for our f'ircular, and Prtjspec-
tusof ourNEW BOOK on QUEEN REARING.
HEKKT AI.I.ET,
l*irtf WENHAM, MASS.
PRIZElUEEl7
Tested l*riz<_' Queen, in a J-
frame nucleus, UxiT, each, $4 00
Same in nucleus. 4 fra.. ■f^xx, 4 00
Tested Prize Queen, by mail, 3 00
PrizeQueen. warranted pure-
ly fertilized 2 00
Queen, nut standard size 100
t'ullC >lony, y frames, Prize
Queen 9 00
BefureJuly I. add $1 each.
Cash Order." filled In rotation.
Address E. I... BRIGGS,
l*ly Wilton Junction, Iowa.
Send to I. R. GOOD
For Price List, for iHSi:i, of
HOLY-LAND AND ITALIAN BEES
And " Given " Comb Fonndation.
He will give satisfaction or refund the money.
l*5t Nappanee. Elkhart Co., Ind.
I buy and sell Honey for Cash only. As I do no
Commission business. I will not accept shipmenta
witliout previous correspondence.
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BEESWAX.
I pay a'Jc. per pound delivered here, for yellow
Beeswax. To avoid mistakes, the shipper's name
should always be on each pacbaKe.
ALFRED n. NET^HAN.
^23 West Madison Street,
CHICAGO. ILL.
The Bee-Keeper's Guide;
OR,
MANUAL OF THE APIARY,
By A. J. COOK,
Of Lansing, Projeasor of EntomoloQy in the
State Agricultural College of Michigan..
3dO Paeres ; 133 Fine IlUiMtrution«.
This I3 a new edition of Prof. Cook's Manual oC
the Apiary, enlarged and eleeantly itlustrated.
The first edition of 3,000 copies was exhausted In
about 18 months — a sale unprecedented in the
annals of bee-culture. This new work haa been
produced with great care, patient study and per-
sistent research. It comprises a full delineation'
of the anatomy and physiology of the honey bee^
illustrated with many costly wood euEravmss —
the products of the Honey Bee : the races ot bees;
full desccriptions of honey-producing planis,trees»
shrubs, etc.. splendidly Illustrated— and last,ihouch-
not least, detailed Instructions for the various-
manipulations necessary in the apiary.
This work is a masterly production, and one that-
no bee-keeper, however limited his means, can-
aflord to do without. It is fully "up with the times"
on every conceivable subject that can Interest the
apiarist. It Is not only instructive, but intensely
interesting and thoroughly practical.
Head the JoUoiiAim opinions of the Book ;
All agrree that it Is the work of a master and oi'
real value.—L'ApiciUture, Purls.
I think Coo'-:'8 Manual is toe best of our Ameri-
can works.- Lew IS T. Colby.
It appears to ha^*e cut the ground from undee
future book-makers.- Brifush Bee Journal.
Prof. Cook's valuable Manual has been my con-
stant gnide in my ttperations and successful man-
agement uf the apiary.— J. P. WEST.
I have derived more practical knowledge froua
Prof. Conk's New Miinual of the Apiary than trom
any other book.— E. H. Wynkoop.
This book Is just what everyone Interested 10
bees ought to have, and which, no one who obtain*
It, will ever regret havmg purcnased.— iUic/i. Far.
To all who wish to engage 'n bee-culture, a-
manual Is a necessity. Piut. Cook's Manual Ih an*
exhaustive work.- Herald, Monticello, 111.
With Cook's Manual I am more than pleased. It
is t'uily up with the times in every particular. The-
richeat rewiiru awaits its author.— A. E. W enzel.
My success has been so great as to almost aston-
ish myself, and much of it is due to ihe clear, dis-
inteiesipd intoruiation contained in Cook's Man-
ual.—WM. Van Antwerp, M. U
It is the latest hook on the bee, and treats of both*
the bee and h ives. with their implemeulsi. 1 1 is of
value to all bec-raieers.— Kt/. Live Stock Record,
It Is a credit to the author as well the publisher.
I hiive never yet met with a work, either Frencb
■ If lureign, which I like so much.— L'Abbe Dlt
iJois, editurof the BuUetin D' Avicnlteur^ France.
It not onty gives the natural history of these in-
dustrious insects, but also a thorough, practical,
and clearly expressed series ot directions for their
management; alsoa botanical description ot honey
oroducing plants, and an e.'itended account of the-
enemies of bees.— £>t7uocrat, [*uluski. N. Y.
We have perused with great pleasure this vndt
mecum of the bee-keeper. It is replete with the-
best intormation on everything beloncing to apl-
<-*uiiure. To ul taking an Interest in thissubject^
we ■A-AV, obtain this valuable work, read It carefully
and piaciice as advised.— .*4(7ncaiti(rii(, Quebec.
This book Is pronounced by the press and leading:
bee-men to be the nn.ist complete and practical'
tiea'ise on bee-culture in Euinpeor America ; »
scientiHc work on modern bee management that
ever>' experienced bee man will welcnme, and it is
essential to every aniuteur in bee-culture. It is-
banasomely printed, nt-ntiy bound and la a credit
to the Vi <Ast.— \Vei,lt.rn AQricuUuribt.
This work Is undoubtedly the most complete-
manual tor tho instruction ot bee-keepers whlcl*
hiLs ever been publl^bod. It gives a full ext^lana-
tion regarding the care and uuinagement of the
apiary. There is nosuiiject relating to the culture
of bees letf untouched, and In the compilatmn of
the work Prof. Cook has luid the advantage of all
the previous knowlede of apiarists, which be use&
admirably to promote and make popular this most
interesting of alloccupaiiona.—.4niertcan Inventor.
toj
Prics- Bound In cloth, !S1.2*'> ; in paper cover„
Sil.OO by mail prepaid. Published by
THOMAS G. X£WIIIAN»
West Madison Street, CHICAGO, UJ*
32
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
B O OK S ,
Sent by mail, on receipt of price, by
H2.-> West Madison Street. CUICAGO. ll^L,
Bee-K.eeper's GHlde ; or. Cook** Mauuul
■or the Apiary. — Entirely re-wrltten. elegantly
Illustrated and fully " up with the times " on every
subject of bee-culture. It is not only instructive.
but Intensely intcreatinK and thoroughly practical.
The book Is a masterly production, and one that no
bee-keeper, however limited his means, can afford
todowlthout. Cloth. Sil.as ; paper cover, SI,
Qulnby*8 New Bee-Kee|»lnBr. by 1j. C. Root—
The author treats the subject of bee-keeping so
that it cannot fail to interest all. Its stj'le is plain
and forcible, making all its readers realize that its
authorls master of the subject.— »1. SO.
XoTlce'a ABCof Bee-Cnitnre.by A. I. Root
—This embraces "everything pertaining to the care
of the honey-bee." and is valuable to begiuners and
those more advanced. Cloth. JSl. 85.
KlDK** Bee-Keepers* Text-Book» by A. J.
King.— This edition is revised and brought down to
the present time. Cloth. S1*00.
I^angstroth on the Hive and Honey Bee.
—This is a standard scientitlc work. Price. *3.
Blessed Bees, by John Allen.— A romance of
bee-keeping, full of practical information and
contagious enthusiasm. Cloth. TSc.
Bees and Honey, or Management of an
Apiary for Pleasure and Protlt, by Tnomas G.
Newman.— Third Edition. "Fully up with the
times." including all the various improvements
and inventions. Chief among the new chapters
are : " Bee Pasturage a Necessity." " Management
of Bees and Honey at Fairs." "Marketing lluney,"
etc. It contains i6o pages, and is profusely illus-
trated. Price, bound in cloth. Toe.; in paper
covers, SOc, postpaid.
Blenea Kultnr, by Thomas G. Newman, in
the GEK.VIAN lang\iage. Price, in paper covers.
40 cents, or *3 per dozen, postpaid.
Bzlerzon Theory ;— presents the fundamen-
tal principles of bee-culture, ana furnishes the
facts and arguments to demonstrate them. 15 c.
Honey, as Ftod and Bledlctne, by Thomas
G Newman.— This pamphlet discourses upon the
Ancient History of Bees and Honey , the nature,
qualitv, sources, and preparation of Honey for the
Marke't : Honey as foco. giving recipes for making
Honey Cakes, ('ookies. Puddings. Foam. Wines.etc:
and Honey as Medicine, with many useful Recipes.
It is intended for coiisumffs. and should be scat-
tered by thousands, creating a demand for honey
everywhere. Published in English and Oernian.
Price for either edition. «c. ; per dozen, SOc.
'Wintering Bees. — This contains the Prize
Essays on this subject, read before the Ceniennial
Bee-Keepers' Association. Price. lOc.
Preparation of Honey for the Market*
Including the production and care of both comb
and extracted honev, and instructions on the ex-
hibition of bees and honey al Fairs, etc.. by T. G.
Newman. Price lOc.
The Hive I Use— Being a description of the
hive used by O. M. Doolittle. Price, 5c.
Foul Brood; its origin, developmentand cure.
By Albert K. Konnke. Price, aSc.
Extracted Honey; Harvesting, Handl-
ing and MiirkeiliiK.— A i:4-page pamphlet, by
Ch. & C. I*. Dadant, giving in detail the methods
and management adopted in their apiary. This
contains many useful hints.— Price l^c.
Bee Pastnrnge a Necessity, by Thomas G.
Newman— Givinc advanced views on this impor-
tant subject, with suggestions what to plant, and
and when and how : -^6 engravings. Price, lOc.
Practical Hints to Bee-K.eepers, by Chas.
F. Muth; :Ji3 pages. It gives Mr. Miith's views on
the management of bees. Price. lOc.
Swarming, Dividing and Feeding Bees.—
Hints to Begiuners, by Thomas G. Newman. Price
5 cents.
Bees In Winter, with instructions about
Chaff- Packing. Cellars and Bee Houses, by Thomas
G. Newman. Price 5c.
Oueen-Kearing, hy Henry Alley — A full
and detailed accountof TWENTY-THREE years-
experience in rearing queen bees. The cheapest,
easiest and best wav to raise queens. Never
before published. Price Sl.OO.
Food AdMlteratlon ; What we eat and should
not eat. This book should be in every family, and
ought to create a sentiment against adulteration of
food products, and demand a law to protect the
consumer against the numerous health-destroying
adulterations offered as food. 200 paees SOc.
Scrlbner** l.timber and I^og Book.— Most
complete book of its kind publisbed. Gives meas-
urement of all kinds of lumber, logs, and planks
by Doyle's Rule, cubical contents of square and
round timber, staves and heading bolt tables,
wages, rent, board capacity of cisterns, cordwood
tables, interests, etc. Standard book throughout
United States & Canada. Price 115 c. postpaid.
Kendall's Horse Book. — No book could be
more useful to horse owners. It has 'Sii engravings
illustrating positions of sick horses, and treats all
diseases in a plain and comprehensive manner. It
has recipes, a table of dosea, and mud' valuable
horse information Price 2.kc. fur either the
English or German editions.
Aloore's TTnlversal Assistant, and Com-
plete Mechanic, contains over l,<K.ni.(»(K) Indus-
dustrial Facts, Calculations. Processes. Trade Se-
crets, l^egal Items, Business Forms, etc., of vast
utility to every Mechanic, Farmer and Business
Man. Gives 'Joo.ihki items for Gas, Steam. Civil
and Mining Engineers. Machinists. Millers, Black-
smiths. Founders. Miners. Metallurgists. Assayers,
Plumbers, Gas and Steam Fitters, Bronzers, Gild-
ers. Metal and Wood Workers of every kind.
The work contains 1,016 pages, is a veritable
Treasury of Useful Knowledge, and worth Its
weigbt in gold to any Mechanic, Business Man, or
Farmer. Price, postage paid. 8(18.50.
Fi«her*s Orain Tables for Farmers, etc.
— iHii pages, pocket f')rm ; full of useful tables for
casting up grain, produce, hay; cost of pork, inter-
est; wages tables, wood measurer, ready reckoner,
plowing tables and more miscellaneous matter and
useful tables for farmers and others than any
similar book ever published. Ask your bookseller
for It. Sent post-paid for 40 cents.
Chicken Cholera, by A. J. Hill.— A treatise on
ts cause, symptoms and cure. Price, S5c.
gcutscltc ^uctlxev^
Uebet iSidtensftdit.
©lencn ^UUWV, obev crfolgreid^e
i8cr;anblung bev 33it'ncn, con XfjoS. ®.
91eromnn. jDtcfcS ^nmpfjtet ciit[)a(t
Scre^niiigen ii&t-rfolgenbe ©egenftanbc
— Oev t[id) f ei t beS 23teneitftaiibc6 —
.iTjoiitg pflanjen — (?V5tcI;iiiig bcv.^onigin
— giitterii — Sdjmarmeu — 3(blegcr —
3}eijet5cii — 3i t a 1 i c iii fi V e it — 3''ff ^C-'
uoit £6iiiginncii — ^(iiSjictjcn — SBiencn
bcfjanbelit unb tH'ruf)igcn ; inciter ciitfjiilt
c§ ctii^apitcI,irioriiibteiicueftc9Jtef[jobe
fiiv bie J)eiTidjtiiiig be§ c'ponigg fiir bcii
Jjnnbcl befdjriebciiift. ^vei6 40 geiitS.
J^onif) aU 9tal}vttna unt)
3WcM$in — uon 'i()oma6 'S).3ieroiiiaii.
'J)ie[c'j cittljcilt cine f Inve bfivftcniiiig iibev
SBicncii unb Jnonig bc6 3Utevt()nmo ; bic
Sefd)affcnl)cit, Oiuilitfit, Ouellen unb
^ubevcitnng beg ^onigS fiirbcn .^aiibcl ;
.?)onig nlS 9hi[)rnng?>mittcl, nngebenb
luie uinn i5>onigfiid;cn, 5-ormfud;c(cI)en,
*}3iibbing§,Sd)iuimfoiifect,iE>ciue, ii.f.ra
jubcvcitcn fnnn ; fevner ^onig nf5
2)2ebijin luif uielcn 9te5cptcn. G^ iff fiiv
ben (Sonfuiiicntcn bcftimint, unb foUtc
oicltnufenbfiiltig liber bn6 gnuje Sanb
Bcrbrcifct luevben. ^4>i'ci6 (j 6cnt§.
2irt§ *^fctJ> u»i) fcinc
.«ranfJ)cltcn— «on 23.:^.j?cnban,
SJJ.'J)., entfjattcnb e i ii nlpl)nbctil'd;
gcovbnctcS Serjcid^nifj bcr t)ev|4iebcncu
$fevbefranf()citcn,iammt ben 3(vfncf)eii,
©ijmptoincu unb bev vid)tigen Sef^anb;
lung bevfelbeu ; fevnev, cine ©nmiutung
tuevt^Dotrev Oiejcpte. ^vci§ 25 GcntS.
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
925 West Madison Street. Chlca«to, III.
.NDElSSOHii
T>iAiTo Cost. ^
Pianos
$850 Square Grand Piano for only $245.
PIAMn QTYI C Ql Magnificent rosewood
rinllU 01 I LL 02 case elegantly finished,
3 strlnffs, 1 l-IS OctaTeM, full patent cantante
agraffes, our new patent overstrung scale, beauti-
ful carved legs and lyre, heavy serpentine and
large fancy moulding, full iron irame, French
Grand Action, Grand Hammers, in fact, every im-
prnvementwhich can in anv way tend to the per-
tection of the instrument, has been added.
^fOiir price for this Instrument, boxed
and delivered on board cars at New York,
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This Oil Is abstracted from a peculiar species of
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HEAR WHAT THE DEAF SAY!
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' "^ (Late UAYLOCK A Co.)
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aowly
.<fr.
«?^
ESTABLISHED
IN 1861 X
DEMOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO PROGRESSIVE BEE CULTURE.
YoL XIX.
Chicago, 111., January 17, 1883.
No. 3.
^^M^S^^^J*--^^^^!^
PUBLISHED BY
THOMAS C. NEWMAN,
EDITOR AND PhoPKIETOR.
925 WEST MADISON ST., CHICAGO, ILL.
Weekly, »» a yi ar ; Monthly, ISl.
|y Any person sending a club of six Is entitled
to an extra copy (libe the club) sent to any address
-desired. Sample copies f urniabed free.
FOREIGN POSTAGE, EXTRA ;
To Europe-Weekly, 50 cents ; Monthly, 12 cents.
To Australia -Weekly, $1 ; Monthly, 24 cents.
Oeorge Neighbour & Sons, London, EnKland. are
our authorized agents for Europe.
Entered at the Cli:cago Post Office as
Second Class Matter.
Topics Presented in this Number.
A Few Practical Suggestions 41
A Good Market for Honey 42
Amiiteur's Report 42
Another Kind Suggestion 34
Another Step Higher 43
Are Bees Taxable? 42
A Swarm Filled its Hive in 9 Days 43
Average of 10** Pounds Per Colony 42
Bee Be-ing Basy .'. 36
Bees Buried in the Snow 42
Bees Winter Better than Other Stock 42
Colorado and Bee-Keeping 43
Conpention Notices 41
<;omb or Extracted Honey 40
Do Bees Injure Fruit? 34
Editorial I;ems 33 to 35
Feeding in Winter 43
Frames Across the Entrance 43
From a Lady Bee-Keeper 42
He Lived with His Bees 42
Honey an d Beeswax in Russia 34
Honey in the Rocks 35
Howtouse Small Sections 42
Introducing Queens, Honey Crop, etc 40
Mr. I. U. Good's Apiary 34
My " Bee Business" In 1882 43
Northern Michigan Convention 37
Planting for Honey 33
Poor Locality for Bees 42
Popular Interest in Bee-Keeping 40
Prevention of After-Swarms 39
Scott Co., Iowa, Convention 39
The Markets for Honey 35
The New Small Section- 36
The Past Season's Returns 42
The Use of Separators 43
Value of Good Comb Foundation 4.2
What Bees do in Georgia » 35
Which Race of Bees? 43
Western Michigan Convention 40
Who Shall Keep Bees? 36
Planting for Honey.
" Straws show which way the wind
blows," is an old but true remark.
We were reminded of this, when we
noticed the following item in the Chi-
cago Times of this week.
Bee-keepers are reaching the con-
clusion that to secure the best results
they must cultivate honey-plants.
Alsike clover is said to be equal to
white clover. Buckwheat, basswood.
the blackberry, and raspberry are all
recommended for bee food. Catnip,
motherwort, rape, mustard, sweet
clover, and Rocky mountain bee-plant
are recommended to be sown in waste
places.
Planting for honey is getting to be
a popular " song," and should be kept
up until it is everywhere "sung"—
and acted upon by those who have the
care of bees.
^- The editor of the Daily Tivies of
San Antonio, Texas, has been reading
Cook's Manual of the Apiary, and the
following is his opinion of it, which
we find in the Daily Times of Jan. 8,
1883: "Till we read this book we
thought bee-keeping a sort of side pas-
time, but we are now convinced that
bee-keeping requires study and real
work. Bees are good servants, but
like many other servants they require
a good deal of attending to. To those
who keep bees this book is a necessity,
and the sooner they buy it the better
they will be pleased."
New Catalogues. — We have received
the following Catalogues and Price
Lists for 1883 :
Thorburn & Titus, 1.58 Chambers
Street, New York, Vegetable and
Flower Seeds.
Cole & Brothers, Fella, Iowa, Flower
and Vegetable Garden Seeds.
E. M. Morrill, Plymouth, Ind.,
Flower and Vegetable Seeds.
D. S. Given & Co., Hoopeston, 111.,
Given Foundation Press and Wiring
Machines.
1^" " The Bee and Poultry Maga-
zine, " is the new title of the paper
published by King, Keith & Co., 14
Park Place, New I'ork. The January
number is on our desk and presents a
neat appearance. It contains 20 pages
devoted to bees and 10 to the Poultry
Department. It is published at $1.25
a year.
S^ Mr. Frank Benton has again
removed his residence. This time
from Beyrout, Syria, to Athens,
Greece— the ancient seat of learuinp-.
and mistress of the world.
^- Tlie Bee-Keepers' Guide pub-
lislied by A. G. Hill, Keiidallville,
Ind., comes out in pamphlet form with
the .January number. It is much im-
proved in appearance, and well tilled
with reading matter about bees.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for 1883 and Cook's Manual in cloth
for $2.75, or the Monthly and Manual
in cloth for $1.75.
i^" We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
34
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Another " Kind Suggestion."
The following letter from Dr. A. B.
Mason is just received, and as he wants
to place the matter before our readers,
we will let him " suggest :"
Dear Journal:— X3n page 33 of
the Bee Journal for 1882 under the
heading of "A Kind Suggestion," you
say, " VVe are always pleased to receive
suggestions or criticisms concerning
the Bee Journal, and hence give
place to the following," from L. B.
Jackson, Fairland, Ind.
" I like the size of the Bee Jour-
nal much better than the old, but do
not like the advertisements on the
first page. We have become accus-
tomed to look on the first page for the
valuable editorials, and think the Bee
Journal would look much neater
with all the advertisements at the
When I saw the above I was very
much inclined to " sif^^esi," that the
first two numbers of the Weekly Bee
Journal for 1882 were just right in
that respect. Although 1 have several
times been tempted to do so, I have
not " suggested," but yesterday when
getting tl^e Bee Journals for 1882
ready for the bindery, I thought, not
out loud, I wish I liad influence enough
with the "powers that be," at the
Journal office to induce them to put
the advertisements on the first and
last leaves, so they can be removed
when we want our Journals bound.
I have no use for 208 pages of adver-
tisements in a bound volume that
without them has 621 pages. Like Mr.
Jackson, 1 like to see the valuable ed-
itorials, but if they are ou the first
page and that should get dirty I do not
like it one bit, but if they are on the
the next leaf I can tear off the defaced
one and have the editorials all bright
and clean. I have taken the Beb
Journal for thirteen years, and ex-
cept the volume for 1882, have them
all nicely bound, and shall be glad
when I get through tearing off leaves
of advertisements and pasting on the
loose leaves ready for the bindery.
A few days since one of your patrons
told me he had heard more than a
dozen speak of this very matter, so
you see I am not alone in tliis " sug-
gestion," and although many may
think as Mr. Jackson does, and say so
in the Journal, still I believe if those
that thinli as I do about this, were to
hold up their hands we should have
the " balance of power."
You know, Mr. Editor, that I do
not run a " Growlery," and tl)ese are
only " suggestions," and wherever the
advertising pages may be placed I
shall anxiously look each week for the
safe arrival of my good old friend, the
American Bee Journal, at Wagon
Works, Toledo, O.
Jan. 5, 1883. Dr. A. B. Mason.
Being satisfied that a " cover " for
the Weekly Bee Journal was a thing
to be desired, at the beginning of the
volume for 1882 we adopted that plan ;
but several who had become familiar
•with seeing the editorial matter com-
mence on that page, sent in their
"protest," and, as above indicated,
we changed the " make up " to suit
them— but never changed our mind
on the subject — though we try to please
as many of our patrons as possible,
whether we please ourself or not.
We hardly know now what to do, to
test the matter : suppose we give from
now till February 1st, to all those who
want to " protest " against the change
as suggested by Dr. Mason, to do so—
and also for " approvals " of the pres-
ent " make up." In this way we can
"put it to vote"— and if we let the
readers decide, the majority will
" carry the motion," and the minority
must be " satisfied." We are willing
to do whatever our readers decide—
and this is about the only way we can
determine the matter. Reader, which
way do you vote V
Mr. I. R. Good's Apiary.
The Nappanee, Ind., News, thus
notices one of the industries of that
town, the proprietor of which is well
known to our readers :
Our Apiary.— It is with pleasure
that we notice this branch of our in-
dustries. It is owned by our neighbor,
Mr. I. R. Good, who commenced in
the business a few years ago, with a
few colonies as an experiment, with-
out any knowledge of the business.
But in those few years, by close at-
tention and posting himself, he has
again proven the fact that an indus-
trious specialist will always succeed,
as his report for this season will show
that bee culture will pay. Mr. Good
has also become a rearer of the dif-
ferent kinds of queens, in the past
year,and has had the best of success in
sending them to liis many customers in
different parts of the United States and
Canada, with comparatively no loss,
through the mails, with his " Good "
candyj as the different bee papers call
it, which he makes himself; and from
the many compliments he receives, it
must be appropriately named.
He expects to be more able to sup-
ply his customers the coming season
than ever. His report for the season,
just closed,: shows the following :
Commenced the season with 14.5 col-
onies, and sold $1,000 worth of bees
and queens. Had over 2,000 pounds
of lioney. He has in winter quarters
22.5 strong colonies. We think this
rather a good showing, and hope the
same success will attend Mr. Good in
the future, and we do not hesitate to
say that those who deal with him will
find him as appropriately named as
his bee feed.
^" We have a few copies of our
pamphlet entitled " Bee Culture " left,
and have reduced the price from 40
to 2.5 cents each, or $2 per dozen.
Do Bees Injure Fruit.
We have long tried to believe that
they do not, but the following august
authority traveling the rounds of
the press, is conclusive evidence ;
We once told Mr. Frederick Wil-
helm Henerich Whokendemffeschau-
ferponsky, a whole-souled Dutchman
of our acquaintance, that bees did not
injure fruit at all, when he pitched
in and said he knew better, and
gave the best argument we ever heard,
that bees do injure fruit, in the fol-
lowing words :
" Vounce a long vile ago, ven I first «
to dis coundry gome, I vent into mine
abble orchard to glime a bear dree to
kit some beaches to make mine vrow
a bluni budding mit : und ven I kits
avay up on de tobuermost limbs, a
hole lot of pees, pees vot gome for
honey gitten— dwo, dree five thousand
of 'em gome ven I vason de highermost
pranches, und tey schting me all over
so pad as never vas, und right pefore
mine vace, too, und I not know vere
I am, so I vail town from de lower-
most limbs vay so high up, mit von leg
on both sides of de bicket vence, und
like to stove my outsides in. Vat
you say, hey ! pees no steal de fruit,
ven I ketch 'em at it?"
We do not like to gainsay or resist
such positive, convincing facts. We
think the entire question may now
rest without a quibble on this present-
ation of the case ; it is so pure in lan-
guage, thought and style, that it
should be accepted as a model.
Honey and Beeswax in Russia.— The
Pall Mall Gazette, of London, England
gives the following on the results of
unfair competition of beeswax with
ceresin, in Russia, and its effect upon
bee-culture in that country:
Among the latest victims of foreign
competition are the bees of Russia.
LTnder the influence of the free im-
portation of a spurious kind of wax
called ceresina, manufactured in Aus-
tria, the native industry is dwindling
at a rate which threatens it with ex-
tinction. Of ceresina, which bears
the same relation to genuine wax that
oleomargarine does to dairy butter, no
less than 1,000,000 pounds are annually
imported, chiefiy for use in the manu-
facture of tapers, which figure so
prominently in all Russian churches.
The price of wax has fallen under
stress of competition with ceresina
from 30 to 17 roubles per pound. At
this price bees are regarded as hardly
worth their keep, and in one dis-
trict the honey crop has fallen from
1.5,000 to 6,000 pounds per annum. By
the new tariff an import duty of a
rouble a pound has been imposed on
ceresina; but, according to the Mos-
coru Gazette, it will have to be raised
to 10 roubles to give the poor bees a
chance.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
35
The Markets for Honey.
We have, for a long time, advocated
the plan of bringing the producer
and seller of honey into a closer bond
of union. This would, if carried out
to its fullest extent, no doubt, be
found greatly to the advantage of
the honey-producer, for this reason.
Those more likely to understand the
demands of consumers are those who
are brought into contact with them
most; and when settling upon a plan
of marketing our crop, nothing could
be more advantageous than to have
the consumer, the merchant, and the
producer all in perfect accord. The
consumer to determine what is the
most captivating and attractive, the
merchant to ascertain the best pack-
ages to handle and sell, and the pro-
ducer to decide upon the best plan to
meet the views of the merchant and
consumer.
Last summer, we noted the fact that
the merchants were now reaching out
after the most desirable crops of
honey, and that Messrs. Thurber &
Co., of New York, and Messrs.
Crocker & Blake, of Boston, and
others, were in search of fancy arti-
cles of honey, and that Mr. Kipley, of
the latter firm, had given us a call, to
enquire after some of the larger pro-
ducers of honey. We were very much
pleased with Mr. Ripley and his mis-
sion, and did all we could to forward
it. We have just receiyed the follow-
ing letter from him, which gives his
views of the honey market and will
interest our readers :
Thos. G. Nem'man, Esq. — Dear
Sir: It has been my earnest desire to
write and thank you for the many
courtesies that I enjoyed at your hands
when in Chicago and Toledo, but we
have had a good business, and that,
to-day, means hard, honest work, and
we have devoted ourselves to it to the
best of our ability, and neglected you.
I will endeavor to atone for past neg-
lect. I have read, with great interest,
the honey reports in your valuable
journal, and the notice of my being in
the West, which you kindly gave me,
gave me an acquaintance with tlie
bee-keepers of the country that we
never dreamed of proving to us wliat
our personal acquaintance has always
shown, that bee-keepers, as a class,
are ready and anxious to know any-
thing that will improve their bees or
bring them a higher price for their
honey, and to accomplish that, what
should they do V Subscribe to the
Weekly Bee Journal. As soon
should a sailor go to sea without a
compass, an astronomer be without a
telescope, as a bee-keeper wittiout the
American Bee Joltrnal.
We have had large consignments of
comb honey from the West, and from
New York, and, from letters we have
received, know that our consignors
are well pleased with their Boston
venture. We have had all of J. E.
Crane's honey, of Middleburg, Vt.,
and it has all sold well. In our judg-
ment, it is not well to put the price of
any article too high ; it drives trade
away and it takes one season to make
it popular again. We have noted,
with anxiety, the discussion about tlie
half-pound section, and tind that the
demand is credited to come from Bos-
ton, and we want to set ourselves
right with producers in the mi(,tter.
In the lirst place, we want it dis-
tinctly understood that we do not
advise any one to use the half-pound
section exclusively. Mr. F. C. Bene-
dict expresses our views on the sub-
ject perfectly in your issue of Jan. 3.
No producer can afford to use half-
pound sections exclusively. One-
pound sections are small enough to
please 9.5 out of 100, and producers
must respond in this proportion. We
sold J. C. Newman & Sons, W. S.
Benedict and F. C. Benedict's half-
pound sections, and rendered 30 cents
per pound for all, and could have sold
more, but the demand is limited.
Some dealers say they are too small ;
others say, one-pound sections are too
small, and it is only for the variety
that we may sell every man who comes
along and wants honey.
Our demand for extracted honey is
limited, and we are not able to get
over 10c. per pound. Our demand for
honey is falling off, and our advice to
all is to market your honey early, be
the crop large or small. What we
mean by early is, before January 1.
Yours Respectfully,
Frank L. Ripley,-
of Crocker d- Blake.
Boston, Mass., Jan. 6, 1883.
Honey in the Rocks.
The Baltimore Sun, gives the follow-
ing, to illustrate the provident sagac-
ity of bees. It says that in the moun-
tains of old Virginia there is a mam-
moth natural bee hive, and that a
lot of courageous youths captured the
fort, killed the inhabitants and plun-
dered the stronghold. It is a fine
story, but lacks confirmation, and
should be strongly doubted, unless
more evidence is produced than that
given by the reporter of the Sun.
But here is the item.
Bee-trees are found widely scattered
through the woods, and honey hunters
make a business of felling trees, to
which they trace the flight of bees.
But now bee-rocks are being found
where, in broad horizontal clefts, these
industrious insects have for years
been adding swarm to swarm, and
accumulating vast yearly surplus
stores of honey. The cells being her-
metically sealed, the fluid never cry-
stallizes: and floral bee pasture so
abounds from February to December
that not half the winter stores are
consumed before spring flowers cover
the heather and invite the bees to
feast on fresher sippings. The over-
provident workers make no account
of accumulations, but go on storing
the same over-supplies year after
year— a rare instance of Imperfect
sagacity.
For fifteen years people have ob-
served bees flying towards the high-
est peak of the Butte mountain sum-
mit, 2,000 feet above their camp in
Tehama county. They called it the
mammoth bee hive. In October, a
party of courageous youths undertook
to climb the rocky ascent and make
a raid on the great hive. They found
what they expected, and proceeded to
drill holes and blow up the rock. In-
stantly they were enveloped in a dense
cloud of bees. Stung in every part,
inside their underclothes included,
they fled in dismay, and spent the
night in repairing damages and pre-
paring to renew the onslaught on the
morrow, when, after a batlile of three
hours, they achieved a victory and
captured the stronghold. The dead
bees would have filled several grain
sacks. The plunder consisted of one
solid mass of honey in the comb, 5
feet long by 2i^ feet bv 3 ffeet in
depth.
What Bees do in Georgia.
The Monroe, Ga., Adwrtiser gives
the following account of an interview
had by its reporter, with Mr. Wilder,
abee-keeper of that locality :
'• How is your apiary coming on V"
we asked Mr. Frank Wilder.
" My bees ares getting on nicely but
they have not gathered honey to
amount to anything in the last few
weeks. The storm of the ninth of
September seemed to stop the honey
flow in some way or the other. At
any rate my bees have not obtained
much honey since then."
" Have you sold many bees this
year r"'
" Not a great many bees, but quan-
tities of honey. I have made enough
on my apiary to pay the provision bill
of my family this year, and also the
expenses of my farm."
We expressed surprise at this state-
ment, but Mr. Wilder assured us it is
a fact. " What is the biggest yield
you have had this year from a hive ?"
" I have one hive, from which I ob-
tained three hundred and fifty
pounds. I would not take $50 for
that colony. That is the biggest
yield I ever heard of, except in one
case. There is a man in Texas who
reports seven hundred pounds as the
product of one colony in one year.
That is enormous and I never heard
the like before."
" I have now fifty hives," continued
Mr. Wilder, "and I cannot attend to
them and do my other business. I
believe I lost a thousand pounds of
honey in September, by not being
able to attend to the bees when they
needed it. I intend to bring out a
young man from Ohio next spring—
if I can get the right sort of one — and
put him in charge of my apiary ; I am
satisfied that I can make a deal of
money by it."
36
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Bee Be-ing Busy.
I loTe to Bee the active bee.
I love to watch the hive ;
When 9un is hot. it lingers not.
But seems the more alive.
'Mid summer heat the honey sweet,
It gathers while it may ;
In tiny drops nor ever stops.
To dally time in play.
From sundry lands with various hands,!
Steady to instinct true ;
Slight varied task or odda of haste.
It keeps one end in view-l E^SS
With right good will and wond'rous skill.
It doth to work attend ;
Each little cell is shaped so well.
That none its work could mend.
I hear it come, I love its hum,
Flying from flower to flower ;
While to its store a little more,
Adding from hour to hour.
Example bright, its happy flight.
Presents to all around ;
This lesion good if understood.
Is in its habits found.
Just so should I myself employ.
My proper work to mind ;
Look for some sweet in all I meet,
And store up all I find.
Toronto, Canada. 3 .
For the American Bee Journal.
Who Shall Keep Bees 1
DR. C. C. MILLER, 171-202.
Before me lies a letter from one who
says : " As I have been troubled with
an inflammation of the lungs for many
years, I have been advised by prom-
inent physicians to abandon my pro-
fession and work on a farm. But as
I am no farmer and would be unable
to earn my living on a farm, I thought
I would ask you, as an expert in this
line, if it would be profitable to invest
in an apiary, where to get the best
bees," etc., etc.
It is painful to think that to this
and similar inquiries we can give no
reply that we can feel sure may not
mislead. To 9 out of 10 of every such
persons it would be a real kindness to
dissuade witli all our power, while,
perhaps, 1 out of 20, or 50, might be
urged to embark in apistical pursuits
to the abandonment of all others.
I5ut it is no easy matter to determine
who may be the 20th or 50th one,
hence it is a very difficult matter to
give any honest advice without an inti-
mate acquaintance with all the cir-
cumstances of the inquirer. I have
blamed the editors of our bee papers
in that the drift of the contents of
such papers was to stiow the bright
side only of bee-keeping, thus induc-
ing into the business many not adap-
ted to it, mucli to their after regret.
IJut I am not sure that the papers are
at all to blame. All they can do is to
publish such items of information as
come within their reach, and most of
us like much better to send in reports
of our sucesses than of our failures.
It is quite flattering to my vanity to
report : " I have, this year, com-
menced with 17-t colonies, increased
to 202, and taken over 8 tons of comb
honey." Would I be as prompt to
send in a report like the following :
" This year I devoted my time exclu-
sively to bees, commenced the season
with 200 or more colonies; diminished
by loss and doubling up, so that I had
162 colonies in the fall, and took, in
all, 58 pounds of honey. By means of
the business I am $1,000 poorer than I
was a year ago." Would tlie latter
report be as much noticed and copied
as the former ? The former is a cor-
rect report of my success this year.
The latter is just as correct a report
of my failure two years previous, and I
have no assurance that I may not have
a similar report to make the coming
year. In view of such possibilities,
it is safe to advise that no one should
go into beekeeping, and give up all
other business, until he has saved up
enough ahead to support him at least
one year without any income.
But suppose I hear of one who
makes a success of bee-keeping, year
after year, with never a failure, who
has made thousands of dollars at it.
Do I not hear of others who have
made many more thousands in other
pursuits y Shall I, then, give up bees
and adopt the other pursuit V But
you say, " It takes capital in other
business and one can make a start
with only a single colony,of bees."
Yes, you" can make a start but you
cannot make a living with a single
colony, and with the price of it you
can also make a start in merchandise,
and, within a week, a friend was tell-
ing me of an acquaintance in New
York whose net income from mer-
chandising, the previous year, was a
third of a million. "Oh yes," you
say, " but the merchant had years
of preparation, and special talent in
his line of business."
Now, if you think no preparation
and no special talent is needed to suc-
ceed with bees, you are decidedly in
error. It is true, you can invest in
bees to the extent of your capital,
with no knowledge of the business,
and so you can in merchandise, with
a probability of losing in one as well
as the other. As we are talking
confidentially, I do not mind giving
you a bit of my own experience. I
am by no means as successful as
many others, yet for tlie past more
than 20 years I have been studying
up the business, practicing and ex-
perimenting as much as I could
whilst in other business; reading all
the books and papers I could get about
bee-keeping, and through all those
years lying awake many a night, hour
after hour, studying up plans for bet-
ter success in the apiary. I have not
yet reached that point where unsolved
problems in bee culture are not
I3lenty enough to baffle me. I am
quite inclined to believe that those
who have been the most successful
in bee culture, if they had used their
ability with the same enthusiasm in
any other pursuit, would not fail of
success in that pursuit. In my own
case, so far as financial success is
concerned, I think I should be better
off in this world's goods to-day if I
had never kept bees. During the few
years in which I have made it my ex-
clusive business, I have made far less
money than I did at other business in
the same number of years previous.
But, with my present views, I prefer
it to any other business, because I can
live in the country, be out-doors, have
better health, be much of the time
with my family, and I do not know
of any other business I like so well.
There is liard work in it, in spite of
all that is said about it being nice for
feeble invalids. The man that takes
care of enough bees to make a living,
will find he earns his bread by the
sweat of his brow.
After all I have said, there are some
who will find bee-keeping the most
desirable of all pursuits. If you find
it has so much fascination for yon that
you can take delight in lying awake
nights studying about it, that you can
stoically take the stings, even if they
do sometimes wrench from you a
groan ; that you can come in at night
during the busy season wet with
sweat from head to foot and so tired
that you ache all over, and not feel
disheartened, and have, withal, tact
and talent enough to conquer diffi-
culties as they arise, tlien get the best
weekly bee paper and if you can get
some monthlies all the better; get
a small number of colonies and grow
into the business, or, better still, serve
an apprenticeship with some prac-
tical bee-keeper and gain in one year
the experience of many. Other ques-
tions as to kinds of bees, etc., you will
find fully discussed in the papers and
books (do not forget to get a good
book), and I need not take time with
them here. My chief aim has been to
show some phases of the subject not
generally dwelt upon.
Marengo, 111.
For tbe American Boe Journal.
The New Small Sections.
DR. G. L. TINKER.
Since sending you the article on the
half-pound section I have received a
letter from Mr. Manum on the subject
and he thinks a section 3%x3,?|xl*s
will hold over one-half pound and
that it should hold a little less than
one-half pound, if anything, to suit the
dealers. 1 then made little l)Oxes to
hold about the amount of comb honey
that would be built in the several sizes
given below, allowing one-fourth inch
for passage ways on three sides of the
comb, and, after filling and weighing,
found that the size S^^xSplxl?^ would
hold about H}4 ounces, the size
3hixS%x]%,7\4 ounces, and tlie size
ajgxS^gxl^ would hold just the one-
half pound. Each size includes the
weight of the section, which is about
half an ounce.
1 think thatthesection should weigh
as nearly the half-pound as possible,
and would therefore think it best to
cliangethe figures in the article to
read, 3^x3^x1%.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
37
The size 3?i I sent you a sample of is
as smAll as will look well, but the J-s off
will not make much difference in looks.
I first made two sizes, S}4x3}4xi%
and the one sent to you. I found the
former a little too small and the latter
a little too large, but thought it better
to be as large as possible on account
of llie looks even though it would
weigh a plump half-pound.
I have just read Mr. Heddon's arti-
cle and find that he takes quite the
same view that I do about the half-
pound sections being 2 inches thick.
If reduced to a size to hold just one-
half pound the honey would not look
well in any shape that it could be
made, eitlier in the section or cut out
on the table.
New Philadelphia, O., Jan. 5, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Northern Michigan Convention.
Robertson's Hall, Pewamo, Michi-
gan, Oct. 10, 1882. — One o'clock p. m.
The fifth annual Northern Michigan
Bee-Keepers' Convention was called
to order, and, in the absence of Presi-
dent Roop, Vice President George W.
Stanton, was called to the chair. Roll
of members called and a fair number
answered to tlie call.
The annual reports of the secretary
and treasurer were read and adopted
as read.
Verbal reports were made by vice-
presidents, Geo. W. Stanton, W. S.
Pierson and J. H. Robertson, no oth-
ers being present. President Roop,
not being present, and no report being
on hand, his report was passed for the
time.
The minutes of the last meeting
were read by the secretary and enroll-
ment of new members was taken, enu-
merating thirteen at the opening. A
recess was taken, after wliicli it was
resolved that the election of officers
be postponed until, and made a spec-
ial order of business to-morrow, at 10
a. m. J. 11. Robertson drew up a list
of subjects for discussion which was
submitted and adopted.
Tlie first subject was opened by J.
H. Robertson, upon the " J5est Race
of Bees," who approved of home-bred
Italians, and that hybrids were not
objectionable as workers. He had
reared from 800 to 400 queens this sea-
son, from home-bred queens of im-
ported mothers ; he has some Holy-
land bees, but sees no advantage in
their introduction ; has seen the Cy-
prian bees at Prof. A. J. Cook's, at
Lansing, and, from what he saw of
them, he thinks that they are bad to
sting and are irritable. He thinks he
has secured a good strsin of bees from
home-bred queens, especially strong
to endure our winters.
O. R. Gnodno spoke of his results
with blacks, hybrids and Italians ; he
has always had the best results from
hybrids; he avoids breeding black
queens, but an Italian queen that i)ro-
duces hybrids is not objectionable.
Has had the Cyprian and Hungarian
bees, but too late in the season to test
them and they died that winter.
Mrs. A. M. Sanders' experience was
favorable toward hybrids. She bought
two colonies of Italians and two of
blacks, and her hybrids did the best.
From one colony of hybrids she had
secured four crates of honey, 40 lbs.
each, and one swarm, and from the
swarm she had one crate of honey.
She has no pure Italians now.
Mr. Robertson, in regard to the dis-
position of bees, says he has had just
as cross pure Italians as he ever did
hybrids.
VV. S. Pierson had no experience
with the new races of bees, but is of
the impression that Cyprians are more
cross than the blacks. He finds advan-
tage in the Italians clustering on
combs much better than the blacks,
and concludes that Italians are good
enougli for him.
O. R. Goodno said he could subdue
any colony with a good smoker, so that
it will remember it and be submissive
to handle afterwards. That was his
experience two years ago with his best
hybrid colony, and again this year,
and he sees no injurious results from
subduing them.
Mr. Robertson prefers the American
bred queens. He does not keep queens
over two years, unless they are of ex-
tra quality.
Mrs. Sanders had a queen over 4
years old, and considered her good yet.
Mr. Robertson thinks that in many
cases where there is a queen 4 years
or more old, there is another queen in
the same hive, as he has found several
instances where two queens occupied
the same -hive.
Mr. Robertson moved tliat it be the
sense of this meeting that we rest
content with Italian bees without the
introduction of other races. Carried.
The next subjectwas "How To IJreed
Them," and was opened by Mr. Rob-
ertson upon his method of rearing
queens. He gave the following plan :
First, select the best colonies to breed
from, remove one or more frames from
the center of the hive and insert new
combs or cards of foundation for the
queens to lay in, and when full of eggs,
he selected other strong colonies from
which he took all unsealed larva and
the queens, and, after eggs had been
laid in ttie new combs, from which he
wished to rear queens, in 4 days he
cut off about one inch from the entire
bottom of the new comb and passed
iiis knife blade down through the sides
of the comb and inserted T,he card in
the middle of the hive, which he had
prepared to rear the cells in, and from
60 to 70 cells would be started, and
after 4 days he sorted out the best cells,
not leaving more than from 8 to 12, at
the most, of the cells, and the bees
would carry the royal jelly from those
destroyed to those retained, and those
queens would hatch in Ifidays from
time the card was inserted ; sometimes
in 15 days. He would remove this
card containing the ripe queen cells
to his lamp nursery at lo or 10 days,
as the weather miglit be, and prepare
nuclei, at same time, to receive the
queens, and as fast as hatched he in-
troduced queens to them ; and where
queens were not wanted sufficient to
require a lamp nursery, he described
how he made a wire frame that would
go inside the hive to receive the card
containing the cells ; brushing off all
the bees and inserting the same in the
wire frame. This being in the center
of the hive would receive the proper
temperature the queens should have to
hatch ; and with this frame in the
middle of the hive, the sides could be
covered with separate quilts and a
woolen blanket over the wireframe, it
could be visited without disturbing
the bees in the hive, and, as the queens
hatched, be removed to nuclei.
After Mr. Robertson's interesting
description as to how to rear queens,
it was agreed to adopt and try it next
season. The convention then ad-
journed until 7 p. m.
At 7 p. m. the convention was called
to order l)y Vice President Stanton.
The first subject in order was " The
Best Frame for all Purposes, Including
the Hive."
Mr. Robertson spoke in favor of the
Langstroth frame and against the
Galup and advanced the theory that,
for wintering, bees on tlie Langstroth
frame worked their way from end to
end of the frames, and, in a long con-
tinued cold spell in winter, did not
have to move from frame to frame as
they did in shorter frames, but only
move along on the same ; and for
shipping, he liked them much the best.
Mr. Goodno has both deep and shal-
low frames in use, and much prefers
the deep to the shallow ones, for con-
venience in handling, and for winter-
ing, with a stick under the quilt to
form a passage way, and prefers 3
pieces of bent hoop under the quilt to
a straight stick, which has always
served as passage ways for bees to
pass from one comb to the other.
All the Langstroth hives he had seen
have a closed bottom board, which he
dislikes, for many reasons. One is,
in spring, when set out, he likes to
clean out under the frames, and, with
a movable bottom board, he can re-
place it with a clean, dry one, which
is better than the old one ; and with a
movable bottom board any hive may
be used as a second story, while with-
out, you must have an extra set of
iipiier stories. In very hot weather,
ill smnnier, he has had bees cluster
outside, so as to cover one end and
side two inches deep with bees, and if
it had a movable bottom board he
could raise one side, the east side is
his choice where they face the south ;
by giving them veiitil ition they will
at once go to work in racks, upper
stories, or wherever he wishes them to.
W. S. *l^ierson has experimented
with several different hives, has
bought American and improved Lang-
stroths ; has tried the latter 2 seasons
and cannot say he likes it and never
will make any more ; he likes a hive
best similar to Mr. Roop's.
Mrs. B. Chapman inquires how to
prevent niothsf rom getting into hives?
That they got in her black colonies.
Answered by Mr. Robertson, that
moths would not trouble Italians and
if they were kept strong they would
drive them out. Mrs. Chapman keeps
but few bees and uses a deep frame
and likes it, only lost a few bees a year
ago last winter, and wintered on deep
frames.
C. S. Wolcott likes a medium frame
similar to Mr. Dooliltle's.
38
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Mr. C. Case favors deep frames;
Wintered successfully in 1880-1 in deep
frames.
Mr. Goodni) likes deep short frames,
and wants ttie entrance in tlie end of tlie
hive, with frames crosswise, and thinks
them more convenient to close up
vj'eak colonies in tlie spring with divi-
sion boards, and with frames crosswise
of the hive, eacli acts as a division
for tlie wind and cold that comes in at
theentrance, wliile, with a long frame,
running lengthwise, any cold tliat goes
in at the entrance will go through to
the back end.
Mr. Robertson has no weak colonies
in the spring, lie draws from tlie strong
ones and keeps them all strong ; any
queen who cannot keep her colony
from dwindling in spring is not worth
a cent.
Mr. Goodno has a queen which has
done well this season, that was doubled
up a year ago last spring. Six weak
ones put into the 7th and this is the
original queen that was in the 7th hive,
and after they were doubled a week or
ten days they were no stronger than
the original colony.
Mrs. Sanders has had similar expe-
rience with queens that allowed their
colonies to dwindle in the spring and
afterward proved to he prolific. She
has both square and long frames, and
likes the square frames best ; still, this
year, she has had the best results from
the Langstroth frame ; but they were
her best bees. She has wintered bees
in both, and has no choice.
The frames used by the members
present are as follows. It was agreed
to let the results be shown, another
year.
Size of
Frame.
George W. Mtanton, Sheridan. 11x12
Mrs. A. M. Sanders, " llxl-J.
" " " Lang.
Mis3 F. A. Bellamv, Ionia '* .
B. Chapman. South Boston, " .
Henry Jone.s, Uheaaning, " .
I. A. Balch.Lvons square 28
" " '■ Lang 42
Orren Martin, Carson City 10x10 65
O.R.Goodno, " 10x10 46
" " Lang 16
D-iy Spaulding, Pewamo 11x11 M 14
H. Peck. Sarunac lIxllH 24
R. B. Corriss, St. Johns lIxllK 5
Byron Wightman, Sheridan 11x12 5
W, S. Pierson, Kurelia 11x11^ 70
G. M. Barney. Carson ('lly 10x10 66
Jacob Be.«sey, Ionia, Lang 29
B.Osborn, St. Johns 11x12 90
Henry A. Rogers, Orange, Lang 15
Do not know how many of each, or
how many in all Mr. J. ll. Robertson
has, and at a later date, Deo. 6th, the
secretary has still been unable to ob-
tain the above information Trom Mr.
Robertson.
Seven hundred colonies were repre-
sented at the convention ; of which
186 were in Langstrotli hives and 514
in square or deep frames. Under the
circumstances tliat there was such a
variety of frames represented by the
members present, no frame could be
unanimously adopted by this conven-
tion.
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 1882, 10 a. m.,
the convention was called to order.
President Roop still being absent, and
Vice President Stanton being called
away. Vice President J, 11. Robertson
took the chair. The hour having ar-
rived at which the election of officers
was to be taken up, it was resolved to
elect by acclamation. George VV.
No. of
Col.
....51
....50
....30
....IS
.... 5
.31
Stanton, of Sheridan, was elected pres-
ident for the ensuing year. The fol-
lowing Vice Presidents were nomi-
nated and elected. 1st Vice President,
Francito A. Palmer, of McBride; 2nd,
L. S. Benham, Alma ; .Srd, C. S. VVol-
cott, St. Johns ; 4th, Frank Gleason,
l>yons; 5th, Miss F. A. Bellamy, Ionia.
It was resolved that the office of sec-
retary and treasurer be embodied in
one. O. R. Goodiio, of Carson City,
was elected secretary and treasurer
for the ensuing year.
The convention waived the order of
discussion and listened to an interest-
ing speech from a Mr. James II. Eaton,
of Bluffton, Allen Co., Ohio, who had
come some miles out of his way to at-
tend the convention and could stay
but a short time. lie gave us some
very interestingideas upon foul brood,
and that the use of rock salt was a
good, if not an effectual, remedy for
the same ; to be given to the bees
where they could have free access to
it, and that rock salt was better than
any other, being more pure, and when
used no bees were effected by foul
brood. We all regretted his short stay
as much more might have been learned
from him.
"Prospects of Bee-Keeping" was
the next subject taken up. JVlr. Rob-
ertson said that we had encouraging
prospects tor the future ; our honey
was being sought for, and purchasers
come to us to buy, while in the past
we had to liiid our market ourselves;
honey was being used by many fami-
lies who had not heretofore used it,
and lie advocated extracted honey to
be put up in 50 or 100 lb. kegs, and
that his orders are increasing for that
sort of package ; he had no honey on
hand,so great was the demand for such
packages. He had realized S10..50 for
100 lb. packages, and $6.50 for 50 lb.
packages.
W. S. Pierson s;iid that at these
meeting was the place to learn how to
put up our honey and how to market
it, and all should labor to drive out the
cheap honey and all try to get honey
up in better shape, whether it be ex-
tracted or comb. He has been engaged
in the business several years and tries
to produce good honey and has been
able to sell his extracted at 15 cts.; he
thinks we ought to make it a point to
place honey, implements, and every
thing used in our business, on exhibi-
tion at conventions, that we may com-
pare, note, and profit thereby. Let
each one bring the plants of his section
that produce honey.
O. R. Goodno had found new and
desirable market for his extracted
honey to be used in the manufacture
of tobacco, and, if it proved successful,
would be used to a great extent in the
place of glycerine which cost the man-
ufacturer of tobacco 28 cts. per lb.,
while the honey, at, say 10 cts., which
would be much more profitable, as it
retains its weight while being manu-
factured, and being double or treble
its cost after being placed in the goods,
cannot help being more profitable to
the consumers of the tobacco. Also
inquiries are being made for extracted
honey to sweeten grape wine, and, if
it produces the flavor anticipated,
they will be able to use all the honey
that Michigan can produce. He thinks
that in the near future, extracted
honey will be what all will try to pro-
duce, and that the prospects never
were better for bee-keepers than at
present.
The subject of " Wintering " was
then taken up. Mr. Robertson, antic-
ipating a severe, cold winter, advocates
cuttingdown or doubling up and make
all colonies strong. He winters in the
cellar and looks after the bees every
day during winter, and has water in
cellar all the while, and all his bees
have to winter on is June or July
honey ; but little or no fall honey.
Mr. Goodno gave his method of chaff
packing, but should try wintering
both in and out of doors. He thought
bees, as a general thing, were in good
condition for wintering ; all prepara-
tion for wintering ought to have been
made by this, though his had not
been prepared as yet.
As several of the members were soon
obliged to leave on the train to reach
home on the same day, and desiring
to know where the next convention
would be held, it was -voted that the
next convention be held at Sheridan.
Montcalm Co.. Mich., on the secona
Tuesday and Wednesday of October,
1883.
Further, on preparing bees for win-
ter. Mr. Giwdiio does not like to have
bees disturbed after this date.
Mr. C. Case gave his method, and
said his bees were already prepared
for winter; he puts them in cellar
early, and crowds the combs so closely
that the honey cannot granulate,
owing to the warmth of the bees.
Mr. Pierson had some bees already
prepared in chaff for winter. No one
doubted but what all bees should be
prepared early for winter.
" Best Method of Securing a Large
Crop of Honey, Weather Permitting."
Mr. N. S. Pierson had been rearing
bees many years and had invested in
several patent hives, but all have been
too complicated, and worthless. Since
the invention of the extractor some
have tried to extract all the honey the
bees made, and it has given the ex-
tractor a bad name. The extractor is
all right in its place, but do not rob
the bees ; give them a plenty, and, be-
fore extracting, let the bees cap at
least two-thirds of the comb. He had
43 colonies this spring, and ran 8 of
them for extracted honey and got 657
lbs.; found 2 upper stories with brood
in them, and made colonies of them.
He obtained in all 2,000 lbs. of honey.
Others spoke upon the subject but
nothing practical was brought out.
The convention took a recess for
dinner.
At 1 p. m. the convention was called
to order by Vice Pies. J. H. Robert-
son, Pres. Roop not having appeared.
L. S. Benham, of Alma, Mich., sent in
his report for the year, with regrets
that he could not attend, which was
as follows : Spring count 28, increase
43, queens reared 75, honey extracted
1,800 lbs., honey in comb 200 lbs.
Mrs. A. M. Sanders, of Sheridan,
Mich., reported as follows : I had 50
colonies in the spring and sold one,
leaving 49 for the summer's work ; I
increased to 80 and obtained 3,000 lbs.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
39
of comb honey, mostly white, and 500
lbs. extracted. I worked my bees on
Mr. Doolittle's plan of spreading the
brood and stimulating with uncapped
honey in the spring. It was very late
in the season before I could safely dis-
turb the brood combs, but when rasp-
berries were in bloom, the hives were
crowded with brood and bees and they
went immediately into the crates. We
had no basswood and at no time dar-
ing this season has there been a flow
of honey, but they got enough from
clover to keep them at work in the
crates until the buckwheat bloomed ;
the fall run lasted about 10 days. Mrs.
Sanders has invented a bee-feeder
which met with favor by all present.
It is hoped that she will put it in use
and give us further reports.
Mr. Goodno reported that he had 2-5
colonies in the yard in spring, in-
creased by early nuclei 13 ; natural
swarms 1; boughtlO colon iesin August,
set up 5 nuclei on Sept. 16, for exper-
iment, other parties added 2 colonies,
late in fall, to the yard, so there are 62
hives with bees in under my care, and
have secured 2,000 lbs. of honey, really
from the 2-5 colonies in the spring.
Mr. Robertson gave his plan of
working bees in upper stories, by tak-
ing 2 cards from the lower story and
placing in the second story, tilling the
lower with foundation, and then ex-
tracting from upper story. lie strong-
ly advocated extracted, instead of
comb honey, which is demonstrated
by the fact that he has not secured a
single crate of comb honey this season.
G. M. Barney reported his success,
starting with 34 colonies in the spring
and increased to 66 ; had many more
swarms but put them back ; he could
have had 100 colonies had he not put
the swarms back; had secured 30 crates
of comb honey, which would average
30 lbs. each and 2 bbls. of extracted
honey.
The question drawer was then
opened. The first question was " The
Best Method of Rearing Queens,"
asked by some one who was not pres-
ent at the time Mr. Robertson gave
his plan. As there miglit be others
present who did not hear liis explana-
tion, he gave it again, which was ap-
preciated by all present.
Second question : " What Will be
the best Method of Marketing our Sur-
plus Honey in Future V" was replied
to by Mr. Goodno by referring to the
openings lately found and by exhaust-
ing our home market first, which is
yearly increasing.
Third question : " Wintering Bees
by Burying in the Ground." Replied
to by Mr. Robertson, who had much
experience in that way, and considered
It more expensive than by preparing a
cellar, and not so safe a plan.
The hour having nearly arrived at
which it was necessary to adjourn, the
secretary was requested to make a note
of such articles as were placed on ex-
hibition, which consisted of a smoker
from Scovell & Anderson, of Colum-
bus, Kas., one each of 3 sizes of T. F.
Bingham's smokers, and a fine collec-
tion of honey-producing plants exhib-
ited by J. H. Robertson and Isaac A.
Balch, including a fair specimen of
the noted Simson honey plant, and
it was resolved that each member of
this society, at the next meeting, bring
something in the way of bee-keepers'
supplies, honey, honey-plants, wax or
fixtures, to place on exhibition.
The convention was liberally at-
tended, there being from 25 to 60 per-
sons present at all its sessions, and
our roll gives upward of 20 active
members.
Before adjournment it was unani-
imously resolved, that this convention
tender its thanks to Mr. and Mrs. J.
II. Robertson, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac A.
Balch and others, for their generous
hospitality.
Resolved, That the thanks of this
convention be extended to Mr. J. II.
Robertson for the use of the hall for
this meeting.
Adjourned to meet at Sheridan,
Montcalm Co., Mich., on the second
Tuesday and Wednesday of October,
1883. O. R. Goodno, ISec.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Prevention of After-Swarms.
R. DART.
To prevent my bees from casting
but one swarm each during the season,
has caused me to try about everything
recommended in this line of bee-keep-
ing. You advised me, Mr. Editor,
last summer, to change hives, giving
the old colony a new stand, leaving
the new one on the old stand. Out of
19 changed in this way, 4 cast second
swarms ; the next 10 that swarmed I
served in this way : I moved the old
colony a few feet from the stand and
placed a new hive on the old stand,
ran in my swarm, from the swarm-
catcher, then drew my frames from
the old swarm, shaking them iu front
of the new hive, thereby getting all
the young bees that could not fly out
with the swarm, leaving only bees
enough in the old colony (say one pint)
to protect tlie brood ; set the old hive
oft on a new stand. Out of ten served
in this way, not one cast a second
swarm, but became strong and did
fine work in the sections.
I do not stop to clip queen-cells,
when the first queen is hatched ; in 8
days there is not bees enough to send
off a second swarm, the other cells are
destroyed, and the swarming is over.
You may say this is too much work,
but it is only a few minutes' work,
and if your other work is driving you,
put the old hive to one side and shake
out tlie young bees any time of the
day, or next day ; it keeps allot the
colonies strong and does not reduce
them with after swarming, when the
young brood is all hatched out.
Another experiment I have tried,
with perfect success in this line, is, if
you wish no further increase of colo-
nies, when you are shaking out the
young bees in front of the new colony,
shake them all out, cut out all of the
queen-cells, put on the sections, and
hive the next swarm in it, and keep
on in this way.
I am using the Bailey swarm-
catcher. It is quickly placed in posi-
tion, in front of the hive, at the start-
ing out of the swarm ; and in a very
few minutes the swarm is all in, ready
for hiving. By using the catcher, you
can keep your bees from acting cross,
through the swarming season. No
trees to climb and no limbs to cut off.
A swarm-catcher saves more than
one-half of the work, if you let bees
swarm naturally. We are expected to
give our bees care and attention
through the swarming season and
honey harvest. If we do not, we get
but little or nothing in return.
Ripon, Wis., Jan. 5, 1883.
Scott Co., Iowa, Convention.
The Davenport Deniocra^ of January
7th contains the following notice of
the meeting :
The largest meeting of bee-keepers
ever known in this county, was held
at the Court House yesterday after-
noon. It occurred in pursuance of a
small meeting held a fortnight since.
Thirty-two persons who are interested
in the production of honey as a busi-
ness were present when the meeting
was called to order. After some dis-
cussion, it was decided to organize a
Society forthwith and elect permanent
officers, which the meeting proceeded
to do, as follows : President, I. V.
McCagg ; Vice President, George L.
Gast ; Secretary, J. J.Nagel; Treas-
urer, Israel Hall; Executive Commit-
tee, Enoch Mead, Ed. R. Wright and
Philip Earhart.
A letter from B. F. Little, of Fayette
county, was read. In it the writer
gave his summer experience with bees,
and then strongly urged that the as-
sociation be organized so as to cover
Eastern Iowa, and that meetings be
held in different places for the conve-
nience and benefit of members. This
letter brought up the question as to
whether the society should be a local
one or a district one ; and at last it
was decided to make its jurisdiction
local, christen it the Scott County Bee-
Keepers' Association, and fix the
initiation fee at fifty cents per mem-
ber. Then the roll of membership was
signed by the following named apiar-
ists : I. V. McCagg, Israel Hall, J.
J. Nagel, E.R. Wriglit, John Madden,
Enoch Mead, P. Earhart, Geo. L.
Gast, Emil Magnus, H. O. Stacy, Wm.
Goos, Wm. Gromoll,C. Rock, John D.
Fish, Fred T. Fish, Phil. Osborne, R.
J. Osborne, N. C. Wilson, Wm. Rigg.
John L. Ciimeron, C. L. Newberry, C.
M. JImeis, Joseph W. Churchill, M. A.
Collins.
Twenty-four members is a goodly
number for a beginning, especially as
about every section of the county is
represented in the muster-roll. An
experience meeting was then in order.
Mr. Phil Osborne made a statement
concerning the apiary of Osborne
Brothers, at Le Claire. The spring
count was 73colonies, which produced
5,000 pounds of comb honey and 800
pounds of extracted honey. The bees
increased to 140 colonies. They win-
ter one-half in the cellar, and the rest
on the summer stands, protecting
them a little with straw.
Mr. Earhart had 15 colonies in the
spring of 1882, and has 40 now. He
secured 1,600 pounds of honey.
40
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Mr. J. J. Nagel had 90 colonies last
spring, and has 165 now ; and the
yield of honey has reached 10,000
pounds ; lialf of which is sold and half
is on hand, but there is demand for all.
The question was here raised upon
the keeping qualities of honey, Mr.
Gast and Mr. McCagg both stating
honey did not spoil on their hands,
but was good from one to three years,
which covered their experience, after
taking from the hives, or when first
gathered.
Mr. E. 11. Wright had 70 colonies in
spring and 183 in the fall, with a crop
of 6,430 pounds of comb honey, in two-
pound sections. He favored natural
swarming, and winters his bees alto-
gether on summer stands.
Mr. C. M. Emeis stated that he had
41 colonies in the spring, which yielded
1,605 pounds of comb honey. He fa-
vored the black bees over the Italian
bees.
The secretary was requested to cor-
respond with Mr. Newman, the editor
of the Bee Journal, Chicago, for a
lecture to be delivered at the next
meeting of the association.
The meeting adjourned to Wednes-
day, February 21st, for a two days' ses-
sion, the objectjbeing an exchange of
views and getting hold of the best
methods of bee culture.
Connecticut Farmer.
Popular Interest in Bee-Keeping.
H. L. JEFFREY.
The interest in bee-keeping is in a
growing condition. The meeting of
the Connecticut State Board of Agri-
culture has given by its helping hand
an influence to the elTorts of the bee-
keeping fraternity that is not only an
encouragement to try to spread prac-
tical information on apiculture.butthe
movement has inspired hesitating
bee-keepers with confidence tliat the
present method adopted by the prac-
tical apiarist is not to be classed
among the patent humbugs of the
many patent hives and impracticable
appliances of most of the past thirty
years.
The inquiries of the many waking
up bee-keepers present plainly showed
that the earnest taking up of apicnl-
tnral pursuits would soon supply the
local market with one of the richest
and most healthful delicacies of vege-
table production. Not only as a deli-
cacy is honey considered in many
places but it is used nearly as freely
as butter. This one fact shows that
before long it may be considered in
our own .Slate as much an object of
industry and equally as profitable as
either tlie growing of small fruits or
any other article of food not consid-
ered to be a staple article like flour,
meat or potatoes.
Many will doubtless say, I do not be-
lieve it. But look at this fact. In
1881 two and one-half tons of honey
(not guess work, but actual weight)
were produced in a part of Litcliheld
and Fairfield counties, where in 18S0
there was not 2.50 poumls— that is a
marketable article. The yield was
more the past season than 1881, and
to-day not a pound is left on hand and
the demand is yet unsupplied in those
localities and in every place I know
of the demand is greater than the sup-
ply, and as the supply increases the
demand also increases in a perceptibly
greater degree than the increase.
If those keeping bees do not want
to have apiculturists from abroad
run in their product and thereby shut
out the local producer, if the watch-
word is to be Nutmegs first, then we
Nutmegs must grate out a greater
supply than has been grated in the
last fifty years. Just let's hear you go
to grating immediately and get all
ready for an early spring beginning.
Woodbury, Conn.
Western Michigan Convention.
The Western Michigan Bee-Keep-
ers' Association met at Supervisors'
Hall, Grand Rapids, Nov. 29, 1882, at
1:30 p. m. President W. H. Walker
in the chair.
The secretary being absent, L. S.
Benham read the minutes of the last
meeting, which were approved.
The election of officers for the en-
suing year resulted as follows :
President, W. II. Walker, Berlin ;
Vice Presidents, J. J. Dodge, of Ot-
tawa ; T. M. Cobb, of Kent ; Silas
Remington, of Ionia ; George C.
Younge, of Muskegon ; Treasurer,
Mrs. F. S. Covey, of Coopersville ;
Secretary, F. S. Covey, Coopersville.
On motion of Willson Millard, the
meeting discussed the subject of win-
tering Dees, with the view of deter-
mining the best methods, out-of-doors
or cellars.
Then followed a discussion on the
different honey plants ; perforated
zinc as a division-board, and tlie width
of sections; nearly all agreeing that
15£ inches would be wide enough
where separators are not used.
The discussions on the different
subjects were interesting and instruc-
tive, but as many could not attend the
following day, on account of Thanks-
fiving, on motion of the secretary,
'. M. Cobb was elected delegate to
the State convention, and tlie Associ-
ation adjourned to meet at the same
place in the last week in April, 1883.
F. S. Covet, Sec.
Coopersville, Mich.
For the American Bee Joumal-
Comb or Extracted Honey.
J. L. STRONG.
This is a question that has inter-
ested me for a number of years past,
and, although my experience ditfers
somewhat from that of most of my
fellow bee-keepers, as to the relative
amount of comb and extracted honey
produced, never having been able to
obtain twice as much extracted as
comb honey in a season.
In the season of 1S78 I obtained 175
lbs. of extracted honey from one col-
ony, and 98 lbs. of comb from another.
The comb honey was sold at 20 cents
per lb. and the extracted at 10 cents,
making a difference of §6.65 in favor
of the extracted honey. The bees had
to build their combs in both instances,
that being before I used comb founda-
tion, simply using starters of natural
comb.-
But, with the free use of foundation
during tlie past season, the result has
been different. This season I have
taken, from one of my best colonies,
199 lbs. of comb honey, and from
another colony, worked for extracted
honey, I have taken 152 lbs. of ex-
tracted and 25 lbs. of comb honey.
This, at the present retail price, 20
cents for comb and 15 cents for ex-
tracted honey, would make a differ-
ence of $12 in favor of the production
of comb honey.
Now, admitting the cost of each to
be the same, which I think to be about
right, when we offset the extra labor
of extracting with the cost of sections
to hold the comb honey, this is hardly
a fair example of the relative amount,
for the colony thatproduced the comb
honey was located on the river bot-
tom, with groves of natural trees all
around them, covered with honey
dew, while the one that produced the
extracted honey were located in the
town and had to work on white clover
or fly over half a mile to reach the
timber.
There is one thing that I have no-
ticed, to my great delight, and that is
the greatly increasing demand for
extracted honey in my home market.
I think that the day is not far distant
when extracted honey, in its purity,
will be a staple article and command
as good a price in our home markets
as comb honey. To this end all apiar-
ists should labor, and use their utmost
influence ; for it is so much more
desirable to handle, in every way, and
is much better for the consnmer.
Clarinda, Iowa, Jan. 4, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal
Introducing ftueens, Honey Crop, etc.
J. M. A. MILLER.
On the 1st of May last, I had 22
good colonies of Italian bees. In May
and June they hardly held their oven ;
on the 1st or July they commenced
swarming, and, on the 20th of August
I liad sold two swarms, retained 8,
several had gone to parts unknown,
and I had, then, on hand, -56 good
colonies.
On July 6, a swarm came out about
9 o'clock a. m. and settled on an apple
tree while I was busy getting ready
for harvest; at 10, they left; wasgone
till 12:15 ni., when they returned and
went into the parent hive. A few
days later a swarm came out about
noon and settled on an apple tree.
While I was preparing a hive (as my
supply was now exhausted), they went
off. Next day, about the same time,
they returned and went into the parent
hive. I do not know whether this is
an uncommon occurrence or not.
I bought of L. J. Diehl, of Butler,
Ind., six dollar queens, which came in
good condition. All did well and pro-
duced a nice lot of well-marked bees.
One queen came about the 10th of
July, and was introduced the same
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
41
day. On August 15 she came off with
a large swarm, that filled the hive
full.
As there is much said about caging
queens, I will state my plan for doing
it ; first, prepare a phial of some liind
of essence, say, peppermint, and odor-
izer on liand. I take tiie frames, all
or nearly all, out of the hive; or
enough to find the queen, dispatch
her, odorize all remaining in the hive,
if any ; and as you place the frames
with the accompanying bees, back in
the hive, spray them with the odorizer
thoroughly, until all are returned to
the hive, then spray the queen in like
manner, and let her crawl down from
the top, among the bees ; shut up the
hive and put it on the stand, and the
job is done. I have never lost one in
this way.
My crop of honey this season, from
22 colonies, spring count, is 2,500 lbs.;
all comb lioney, and all but about 200
pounds in one-pound sections.
I find I can secure fully one-third
more honey from a colony facing the
north than if facing the south ; I find,
also, that it makes a great difference
what kind of a hive I use. With tlie
Acme hive (my own invention) I can
secure at least three times the amount
of surplus that I can in the American
hive. My hive is two stories, brood-
nest below, surplus directly on the
top, fitting the lower story nicely, and
holding 36 one-pound sections. 1 have
taken as high as 150 one-pound sec-
tions of honey from a colony that was
a swarm hived as late as June 10 of
the same year. Although I am par-
tial to the Italian bee, I am sure the
hive has more to do with the amount
of honey received, than the kind of
bees used, especially if faced to tlie
north.
I winter my bees in the cellar only,
and seldom lose any ; I give no up-
ward ventilation, ail open below, as
in the summer. I keep the room as
dark as possible, and never disturb
them after putting them away in No-
vember until the last of March or first
of April, as the forwardness of the
season may be.
Galva, 111.
Prairie Farmer.
A Few Practical Suggestions.
MRS. L. HARRISON.
It is well at the close of the year, to
review the past, and investigate the
causes that led to success or failure of
a project. Before undertaking a new
venture, a person should be well posted
in theory, and better yet, have some
practical knowledge of its routine. In
conversing lately with a young man
who had been engaged several years
in the cattle business in the far West,
he remarked, " I have paid so dearly
for the knowledge I have gained, that
I want now to return, and engage in
it again, and profit by what I have
learned."
A lady once said to the writer, " I
have spent $600 during the past sum-
mer in the bee business, and liave had
no returns, and all I have to show for
it, is hives filled with foundations, a
queen and a handful of bees, and they
will all be dead before flowers bloom."
This lady had read " Blessed Bees,"
a charming novelette, snd became in-
fatuated with the business, and was
wiser in her own conceit, than old vet-
erans, the recipients of many stings,
while engaged in a hotly contested
battle with infuriated bees. In Web-
ster's spelling-book of our scliool-days,
we used to read " experience keeps a
dear school, but fools will not learn in
any other."
The hand should be educated as well
as the head, and practical lessons
should be given in bee-culture, at all
the agricultural colleges, as is now
done in Michigan. Girls as well as
boys, should be the recipients of in-
struction in bee-culture, poultry, dairy
work, and also in the care of green-
houses, and raising small fruits. Let
them choose the one they prefer, and
then be taught it theoretically and
practically, in all its bearings. Girls
educated thus, will develop into inde-
pendent, self-reliant women, and will
never shiver in a city's garret, if mis-
fortunes overtake them.
How often do we meet women, fash-
ionably educated, who cannot earn
enough to keep soul and body to-
gether. They can play on the piano,
embroider, paint china, etc., but can-
not produce what is in demand in the
world's market. Luxuries are en-
joyed by the few, while all seek to
obaiu necessary comforts, such as
honey, butter and small fruits, etc.
VVe were at a church fair lately, and
looked over the articles for sale, hop-
ing to find something that we needed,
but discovered nothing but an iron
holder— all fancy, fancy. " All is
vanity, saith the preacher." There
was plenty of darned lace, and a few
mittens, but the backs of them and
wrists, were all open work, and would
be of little use on a cold day.
One zero day last week, we met on
the sidewalk a lady and a little girl,
who was a foundling left at her door
some five years ago. The lady said,
" this child is not old enough to go to
school, and I want to give her a chance,
so I am taking her to the dancing
academy to learn to appear well, for
it is all in appearance now-a-days you
know."
Peoria, 111.
Convention Notices.
1^ The annual meeting of the
Northwestern Illinois and South-
western Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation will be held in Temperance
Hall, Freeport, Stephenson county,
111., on January 16 and 17, 1883.
Jonathan Stewart, Sec.
Rock City, 111.
1^ The Northeastern Ohio and
Northwestern Pennsylvania Bee-
Keepers' Association will meet at
Andover, Ohio, to hold their annual
convention, on the second Wednes-
day and Thursday of February, 1883.
C. T. Leonard. .Sec.
^" The Texas State Bee-Keepers'"
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
The following committees have been
appointed, and the programme arrang-
ed for the next meeting, by the execu-
tive committee; viz : on Resolutions;
Apiarian Supplies and Exhibits ;
Subjects for Discussion ; and Arrange-
ments, to receive and entertain those
in attendance from abroad.
Programme. — President's Address.
Subject— State and National Conven-
tions.
Subjects for general discussion :
Essays.— The "Coming Bee," W. H.
Andrews. Honey plants. Native-
Horsemints, different varieties, Wm.
R. Howard. "Extracted vs. Comb
Honey," W. K. Marshall, D. D.
"Bee-Moth," W. H. Andrews. " The
Queen Bee. lier nature and habits,
Wm. R. Howard. "The diffeient
races of bees in America; their relative
value to apiculture," W. K. Marshall,
D. D.
Other essays are promised, and a
general good time is anticipated.
Ample arrangements are made to ac-
commodate those from a distance.
Those wishing to place anything on
exhibition or correspond with the com-
mittee of arrangements, will be
promptly attended to, by addressing,
W. H. Andrews, President, McKinney,
Collin Co ,Texas. All othercorrespon-
dence to the Secretary. We would be-
pleased to have any one propound
questions of interest for discussion,
as we have found great interest, as
well as valuable intorraation gained
by the discussion of questions con-
tributed to our " Question Box."
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
le annual meeting of the Ma-
honing Valley Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion will be held at Berlin Center,
Mahoning Co. ,0., in the Town Hall on
Friday and Saturday the 19th and 20th
of January, 1883. All bee-keepers are
invited to attend and send essays, ija-
pers, implements, or any thing of in-
terest to tlie fraternity. A full at-
tendance is requested of all who are
interested. In fact, the meetings will
be so interesting that you cannot
afford to miss them. We expect a
lecturer from abroad on the evening
of the 19th. L. Cakson, I'res.
1^- The annual meeting of the
Champlain Valley Bee-Keepers" Asso-
ciation will be held at Middleburg,
Vt., on Thursday, January 18, 1883, at
10 a. m. T. Brookins, Sec.
.^ The Southeastern Michigan
Bee- Keepers' Association will hold
their annual meeting in the court-
house at Ann Arbor, Jan. 20, 1883. AH
are invited. H. D. Cutting, Pres.
G. J. Pease, -Sec, Ann Arbor.
t^ Articles for publication must be-
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
42
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
SEl£^&^&>At
mri
Bees Buried in the Snow.
My bees had a nice flight on Novem-
ber 20, after I liad them snugly packed
in prairie hay, and they went into
winter quarters with an abundance of
stores, and, for the past three weeks,
they have been under a big snow drift ;
nearly the entire 11 colonies are cov-
ered out of sight. I have adopted the
plan of Mrs. Harrison, of Peoria, 111.,
and am letting them remain entirely
quiet until the warm rays of the spring
sun shall call them out. 1 did not
work for honey last season so much as
I did for increase of bees, so I only
took off a small amount of honey, but
as I have mentioned once before 1 had
II good healthy colonies ready for
winter quarters, from 1, commencing
■one year ago last August. Our win-
ter, so far, has been very pleasant and
favorable for bees, and we hope to see
the little fellows come through all
right. W. W. Eastman.
Yankton, Dakota, Jan. 6, 1883.
Jlees Winter Better than Otiier Stock.
I commenced last spring with 50
colonies ; increased to 90, and obtained
3,000 lbs. of honey, one-half extracted,
I might have obtained one-third more,
could the bees have had full attention.
I use the premium section box. After
reading .James Heddon's article, I
think, from my experience, he is nearly
right. I tind by cutting the premium
section box down to 4x.5>4XlJ4; inches,
outside measure, I can use my honey
racks without much loss in changing
them. My bees seem to be wintering
well. I have thus far lost but few in
wintering, say about 3 per cent, since
1 have been keeping bees. I winter
them in the barn cellar ; have about
as much ventilation as I would give a
■calf or pig, to make tliem comfortable.
I have everything stripped from the
brood chamber but tlie blanket, and
pile them up .5 feet deep ; in fact, if I
■could winter my otlier stock as safely
and cheaply as the bees, I would do
much better. Jos. Wood.
Anamosa, Iowa, Jan. 9, 1883.
He Lived with His Bees.
I put into winter quarters 33 colo-
nies ; one queen proved to be a worth-
less drone layer. I lost 2 queens,
which gave me 2 queenless and weak
colonies, and 20 in fair condition. The
season was uncommonly wet and Gold
up to June 28, at which time " the
silver lining of the clouds " made
themselves visible, and, at that time,
I had the blues in earnest, but when
the season had ended and I could
count 48 colonies, and over ■1,000 lbs.
of honey, of which three-fifths atleast
was comb in 2-lb. sections, I could say
from experi[nental knowledge that
honey (especially in large quantities)
is good for the blues. I did not get
anything like all that could have
.been taken, for money matters were
Tery close with me, in one sense, but
not in the other; I could not quite
reach it, therefore my bees were idle,
considerable of the time, and then it
cost me considerable of honey to as-
certain that my drones were not of
that kind that actively participated in
tlie building of comb and tlie sealing
up of honey. For my success the past
season 1 want to extend both hands to
Mr. Doolittle, for I attribute much of
it to his series of articles, which I
followed as closely as I could, and the
balance to a hard season's work ; in
fact, as some one as remarked, "I
lived with my bees," and I could add
that I can do that better than most
men, for I have no one else to live
with, but, for the fear that it would
be taken as an advertisement, I will
omit it. I have three objections to
the Bee Jouknal, : 1st, it does not
come often enough ; 2d, there is not
enough of it, when it does come ; and
3d, when I get it, I have to stop every-
thing else until I have read it.
E. F. Cassell.
Illinois City, 111., Jan. 9, 1883.
Poor Locality for Bees.
I am located in a very poor section
of country for bees. My surplus
honey in the comb was 390 lbs., ex-
tracted, 110 lbs. The beeswax I have
not weighed. I had 10 colonies in the
spring, and 29 this fall. Several colo-
nies are short of stores.
B. H. Westlake.
Sycamore, 111., Jan. 10, 1883.
The Past Season's Returns.
Statement of past season's returns
from my 116 colonies, spring count:
Increase 24, mostly by dividing, and
obtained on an average, spring count,
30 lbs. per colony. 1 nave 138 colonies
now nicely tucked up in chaff, for their
long winter nap. J. M. France.
Auburn Corners, Pa., Jan. 4, 1883.
From a Lady Bee-Keeper.
From 43 colonies, spring count, we
took 4,1001bs. of honey, about one-lialf
comb honey in 1 and 2poMnd sections,
and increased to 84, mostly by natural
swarming. They are in good condi-
tion for wintering. We winter in the
cellar and have good success ; it is dry
and well ventilated. The flow of honey
was great, and the amount would have
been far greater could they have been
run for extracted honey. A great deal
is said about tin and wood separators
for surplus honey. I use starters and
have the hive set right and have no use
for them. S. L. Vail.
Coal Creek, Iowa, Jan. 7,-1883.
A Good Market for Honey.
I have taken, this poor seasouj over
3,000 lbs. from less tlian 30 colonies of
bees. I retail at the following prices :
White clover comb, in 2-lb. sections,
glassed, 26 cts. per lb.; raspberry and
golden rod, same ; buckwheat, 20 cts.
Extracted, of all kinds, 20 cents. I
get the sections back again, free of
cost. They are kept so clean that they
can be used again another season.
Honey is very scarce in the city of
Troy. I think I may safely say that
there is not 500 lbs. outside of my
honey in the city. It is very cold here,
5 degrees below zero to-day. My bees,
85 colonies, are in winter quarters, in-
sured for $8-50 against tire.
Troy, N. Y. G. II. Adams.
Amateur's Report.
I am an amateur in bee-keeping. I
had 2 good colonies last spring ; in-
creased to 5, and obtained 200 lbs. of
extracted honey. I sold all I had to
spare at 18 cents per lb. I think this
is doing well. R. Crawford.
Patterson, K. J., Jan. 6, 1883.
Value of Good Comb Foundation.
In the spring of 1882 1 had 5 colonies
of Italian bees and obtained from
them 25 swarms and about 820 lbs. of
surplus honey, all in sections. This
gives me 30 good colonies, all in good
condition, for winter and spring ;
every hive being well supplied with
honey, bees, and bee-bread. The above
result being obtained by supplying
every swarm with combs, saved from
colonies that I lost in former years,
and the above was wliat convinced me
more than anything else, of the value
of good comb foundation.
C. F. Neubert.
Bryant, Iowa, Jan. 6, 1883.
Are Bees Taxable J
Please answer the following ques-
tions through the Bee Journal.—
1 . Are bees taxable property V 2. Do
assessors generally assess bees ? Last
year mine were assessed, while those
in other townships were not.
I). M. DiEHDORFF.
Waterloo, Iowa, Jan. 10, 1883.
[If bees are property of value, there
can be no doubt of their being taxable
PiOperty. However, quite a number
of assessors omit them, and hence they
are not uniformly taxed. — Ed.]
An Average of 100 lbs. per Colony.
The year just closed has been favor-
able to the bee-keepers here. The
honey crop has been good, making an
average yield of 100 lbs. of extracted
honey to the colony in my apiary. The
early part of the season of 1882 was
very disastrous on account of rains
and cold weather in May ; many colo-
nies of bees starved and there was an
almost total destruction oi the brood.
But soon after, sweet clover came into
bloom, and this, with the honey dews,
again gave the bees a start, and they
were in good condition when the fall
bloom came on and gathered honey
rapidly. Bees went into winter quar-
ters in good condition.
Lee Em kick.
Harrisville, Mo., Jan. 10, 1883.
How to use Small Sections.
In reading the various opinions
about the best way to get half-pound
sections of honey, the thought came
into my mind, why not have the comb
built in a large frame and capped
over ? Then, cut into pieces the right
size and shape to exactly fill the sec-
tion, put them in a frame or case and
give them to a good colony of bees to
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
43
clean up and make fast to the section.
This would be no more work than to
put the foundation into the sections,
and all nice combs of honey could be
used up in this way. If 1 have any
sections made for one-half pound,
they must be 4>4 one way so they can
be put into the same clamp on hives,
and the same crate for market— with
pound sections. This will save any
extra (ixtures. The extra amount of
labor to get the half-pound section
will absort) a large share of tlie extra
receipts. Yours for progressive bee-
keeping, L. C. Whiting.
East Saginaw, Mich., Jan. 11, 1883.
Which Race of Bees 1
I send you a bee in this letter and
would like you to state in the Bee
Journal to which race it belongs. I
bought a colony last spring from a
farmer in a box hive ; they are all
about this size, some a little thicker.
But I do not think they are very good,
for they have not obtained any surplus
honey since I had them.
Ed. LaSallb.
Champaign, 111., Jan. 11, 1883.
[The bee was all mashed up and it
is difficult to say, yet it looks very
much like one of the large brown bees
of the South.— Ed.1
Colorado nud Bee-Keeping.
I clip the following from Pomeroy's
Democrat, issued at Denver, Col., Jan.
6,1883: " The second annual meeting
of the Colorado State Bee-Keepers'
Association will convene in the rooms
of the Horticultural Society, next Sat-
urday, for the purpose of electing offi-
cers and the transaction of other
important business pertinent to the
occasion." Colorado, the youngest
commonwealth in the American
Union, the centennial State, proudly
boasts of her wealth in minerals, yet
lias leisure to cultivate bees. The
flora of her mountains and canyons
must be utilized, as well as her deep,
hidden treasures.
Mrs. L. Harrison.
Peoria, 111.
My "Bee Business" in 1882.
In April, 1882, 1 had 61 colonies and
by inserting empty combs in center of
the hives every few days, I succeeded
in getting all colonies very strong by
^ay 1st. But the most precious
•queen of all in the world tome (my
wife) was taken sick at tliat time, so,
of course, the bees were neglected.
Many colonies had limited supplies,
Hud, when I stopped feeding and car-
ing for them, they dwindled rapidly.
■One colony starved todeatli. My wife
died on May 21st, and for a few days
after tliat I still paid no attention to
the bees, so, in reality, my bee season
began June 1st, with 60 colonies in
only ordinary condition. They were
not so strong on the last day of May
as they were on the last day of April.
Prom June 1st I gave my whole time
to the bees and as they had no " gap"
in their business, I had no holidays
till frost came. I had a great many
swarmsbut" doubled up " persistently
all through the season. I hived as
many as 6 swarms that clustered to-
gether all in one hive, or rather in 3
hives tiered up. By doubling, and
tiering up for room, I only increased
from 60 to 130. I obtained 2,773 lbs.
of comb honey, and 7,402 lbs. of ex-
tracted honey, making a total of 10,17.5
lbs. I only used 30 lbs. of comb foun-
dation and paid $18 for hired help.
C. VV. McKowN.
Gilson, 111., Jan. 8, 1883.
Frames across the Entrance.
Mr. Editor :— Please give me your
views, through the Bee Journal, on
the plan of placing frames crosswise
of a hive instead of lengthwise ?
Where can we obtain half-pound sec-
tions ? I have my bees packed on a
summer stand, in sawdust, and, so
far, they are doing splendidly. I see
some objection to the Syrian bees on
account of their restless disposition.
I have one colony of Syrians and I
find them quieter than any others.
Days that other bees will fly, they re-
main perfectly quiet.
E. W. Thurston.
Hagerstown, Ind., Dec. 29, 1882.
[The half-pound sections can be ob-
tained of the dealers in apiarian
supplies. Within a few weeks you
will find many of such, advertised in
the Bee Journal.
Some like to have the frames across
the entrance, but nearly all bee-keep-
ers prefer the ends to come to the
entrance. It is more convenient for
the bees coming home loaded to get to
the desired place of deposit. It, how-
ever, is quite an unimportant matter,
and, but for the sake of uniformity,
might be subject to the notion of the
apiarist.— Ed.]
A Swarm Filled its Hive in 9 Days.
I had 6 colonies in 1881 ; bought 4;
and lost 1 by queenlessness in March.
They have increased to 29. Several
gave 3 swarms each, and one gave 4
swarms. A swarm tliat came out on
July 18, filled its hive in 9 days. I ob-
tained from them 500 lbs. of honey
besides the increase.
D. Watterson.
Roscoe, 111., Jan. 8, 18;j3.
The Use of Separators.
Seeing that there is a diversity of
opinion in regard to tlie use of sepa-
rators, in obtaining comb honey, I
will give what little experience I have
had in trying to obtain comb honey in
marketable shape, without the use of
separators. In 1881, 1 tried two hives
without the use of separators. One
of them has twenty-four sections filled
full of foundation. I got four boxes
that could be glassed, the rest of them
were either bulged or the comb built
into each other so badly that the sec-
tions could not be separated without
breaking the honey bad'y. Of the
other hive, 27 sections, only 8 could be
flassed and tit to be put on the mar-
et. In the .season of 1882 I had no
better success than the year before, so
I do not want any more box honey
without using separators. I have al-
ways used tin separators until the last
season. In the spring of 1882 I bought
a very nice lot of wooden separators
of C. Van Eaton, and I believe they
are a great improvement. They make
the entrances to the boxes larger and
the bees enter the boxes more readily,
and being wood they are warmer than
tin, and the bees will cluster in the
sections in cool weather a good deal
quicker than they will where metal is
used. Such has been my experience
during the past season. I shall give
them a more thorough trial next sea-
son, and shall use the wood separators
almost exclusively. L. Dunsmore.
Livonia, N. Y., Jan. 9, 1883.
Feeding In Winter.
Last fall I bought a colony of bees
in a bee hive ; they did not have much
honey and I commenced to feed them.
Cold weather came on soon after, and
I put them in the cellar ; the ther-
mometer standing about 40^. I put
some honey over them in the hive, but
they do not move around, and their
honey is almost gone. Now, how will
it do to put them in a warm room V
A Subscriber.
Nashua, N. H., Jan. 9, 1883.
[It might do to put the colony in a
room just above the freezing temper-
aturf", and feed the bees with some hot
syrup made of coffee A sugar. This
they will store in convenient cells for
use, as they need it. — Ed.]
Another Step Higher.
In reply to that article in the Bee
Journal on "Another Advance
Step," to prepare young men who de-
sire to become scientific apiarists.
For a young man to do this, he should
work in the apiary at least three years,
in order to quality himself in all the
branches and be able to handle any
apiary. I was an apprentice 3 years
and have made several mistakes that
have cost me from $300 to $")00 each,
besidescoming very near discouraging
me in bee culture. If a man wants to
qualify in the business he should work
under some of the best talent in the
country for awhile, and, after that,
they should continue to practice and
study. Practice is better than all the
book learning a man can get. I would
not take an apprentice for less than
three years, and a man that cannot
spend that time should not handle
bees at all. It has taken me six years
to get where I am, and I consider that
I am in advance of my instructor, Mr.
J. W. Lindley, who had a large apiary
when I commenced and my means
were limited. I have 112 colonies of
bees in good condition. I advise all
to commence business right and they
will then know what they are doing.
Chas. Follett.
Osage, Iowa, Jan. 7, 1882.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
44
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
ADVERTISING RATES for 1883.
20 cents per line of space, each insertion,
FOT either the Weekly or Monthly Editions.
A line of tbtstype will contain about 8 words;
TWELVE lines will occupy ONE-INCH of space.
Transient Advertisements payable in advance.
Editorial Notices, 50 cents per line.
SPECIAL. KATES. — Advertisements will
be inserted in both Weekly and Monthly editions,
at the following prices, if wholly paid in advance :
SPACE.
1 in. 12 lines
2 in. 24 lines
3 In. 'sa lines
4 in. 4.S lines
5in.«) lines
6 In. 72 lines
One
Two
Three
Six
month
mo'tbs
mo'tbs
mo'ths
10.00
18.00
25.00
38.00
20.00
32.00
40.00
60.00
20.00
40.00
50.00
75.00
32.00
.50.00
65.00
90.00
40.00
00.00
75.00
110,00
4.5.00
70.00
90.00
130.00
One
Tear.
50.00
80.00
100.00
125.00
150.00
175.00
For the Weekly alone, 20 per cent, less than the
above rates. On yearly advertisements, payments
may be made quarterly, but must be in advance.
Advertisements withdrawn before the expiration
of the contract, will be charged the full rate for
the time the advertisement is inserted.
THOMAS G. NEWMAN.
•2S West Madison Street.. Chlcaso, III.
^:pecial IJoticcs.
^"The American Express Company
money order system is the cheapest,
safest and most convenient way of re-
mitting small sums of money. Their
rates for $1 to $5 are 5 cents ; over $5
to $10, 8 cents. They can be pur-
chased at any point where the com-
pany have an office, except Canada,
and can be made payable at any one
of the company's 4,000 offices.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of anv kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Jouunal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 7.5 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
®" Attention is called to our new
and liberal advertising rates for 1883.
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Timt anil Place of MeeUns.,
Jan. 16,— N. W. 111. and S. W. Wis. at Preeport.
J. Stewart, Sec.
18, Chamnlaln Valley, at MiddleburK. Vt.
T. Brookins, Sec.
19, 20.— Mahoning Valley, at Berlin Centre, O.
L. Carson, Pres.
20.— S. W. Mich., at Ann Arbor.
G. J. Pease, See., Ann Arbor.
Feb. 3.— Northern Ohio, at Norwall,, O.
8.— Maine State, at Dexter.
Wm. Hoyt, Sec.
14. 15.— N. E. Ohio and N. W. Pa., at Andover
C. T. Leonard. Sec.
March 13.— Lorain Co., at Elyria, Obio.
O. J. Terrell. Sec, N. Ridgeville, O.
April 5.— Utah, at Salt Lake Cit.T.
E. Stevenson, Sec.
17, 18,— Texas State, at McKinney,
Wm. R, Howard, Sec.
May 1 1.— Iowa Central, at Winterset.
J. E. Pryor.Sec.
— , —Texas State Convention, at McKinney.
Dr. W. R. Howard, Sec.
Sept. 12-14.— Tri-State. at Toledo, Ohio.
Dr. A. B. Mason, Sec, Wagon Works, O.
Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at ChioaBO, HI.
TbomasG. Newman, Sec.
9, 10.— Northern Migh. at Sheridan. Mich.
O. R. Goodno, Sec. Carson City, Mich.
Dee. 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint.
H. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
^" In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetings.— ED.
Subscription Credits.— After send-
ing subscriptions to this office, we
would respectfully ask every one to
look at the label on the wrapper of the
next two papers, and there they will
find the credit indicated thus : Those
,who have paid for the first six months
of this year will find " June 83 " after
their names. Those who have paid
for the whole year will find " Dec. S3 "
on their papers. The credit runs to
the end of the month indicated.
The credit given on Til AT LABEL
is a sufficient notification of subscrip-
tions due and receipt for payments
made. If not so indicated within two
weeks after sending money to us, you
may be sure something is wrong, and
should write to us about it. It will
save annoyance and trouble if our
subscribers will give this matter due
attention.
i^" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
James Tick. — From the appearance
of Fict's Floral Giiid£, which is on
our desk, we should judge that the
young Vicks are " chips of the old
block," as the Floral Q-uide with its
lithographed cover is handsome
enough for the parlor table. It is
printed on the best of paper, has three
colored plates of fiowers and vegeta-
bles, and full of useful information.
Those who send 10 cents for it cannot
be disappointed, as the plates alone
are worth the amount. Address, as
in past years, James Vick, Roches-
ter, N. Y.
CLCBBESG LIST.
We supply the American Bee JoariiAl and
any of the following periodicals, one year, at the
prices quoted in the last column of figures. The
first column gives the regular price of both. Ali
postage is prepaid by the publishers.
PubHthera' Price. Club
The Weekly Bee Journal $2 00..
and GieaningsinBee-CuItureCA.LRoot) 3 00.. 2 75
Bee-Keepers' Magazine (A.J.King). 3 2li 3 00
Bee-KeeperB'Exch'nge(Houk4Peet)3 00.. 2 75
Bee-Keepers' Guide (A.G.Hill)...:.. 2 60.. 2 36
Kansas Bee-Keeper 2 60.. 2 40
The t) above-named papers 6 35. . 6 50
The Weekly Bee Journal one year and
Prof. Cook's ManuaKbound in cloth) 3 26.. 2 75
Bees and Honey, (T, G. Newman) " 2 75. . 2 PO
Binder for Weekly Bee Journal 2 75.. 2 50
Apiary Register for 100 colonies . . . . 3 .M. . 3 OO
Apiary Register for 200 colonies 4 00. . 3 50
The Monthly Bee <Tonrnal and any of the
above, 1 1 less than the figures In the last column.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
^^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own V Our premium," Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one neiv sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
[^Postage stamps, of one, two or
three cent denomination, accepted for
fractional parts of a dollar; but money
is preferred.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamplilet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
i^"Renewals may be made at any
time ; but all papers are stopped at
the expiration of tlie time paid for,
unless requested to be continued.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
45
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1883, for the Weekly,
•with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
vrill send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
-will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For flye subscribers, with $10, we
-will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
«xtra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Eecipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
^" The time for the usual winter
rush of correspondence is here, and we
wish to impress upon all our patrons
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post oflice, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
1^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but should be written on separate
pieces of paper.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFrlCK OF AMERICAN BKK JOURNAL, 1
Mondar, 10 a. m., January 15. 1882. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotutlona of Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONBY— The supply of extracted honey is fully
up to the demand. My quotations are : 7c. for
dark and !ic. for IlKhl, delivered here.
BEKSWAX-It is quite scarce. I am paylnB 27c.
for good yellow wax, on arrival ; dark and off col-
ors, 17@22c.
AL. H. NKWMAN. 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demand Is good for extracted in
barrels as well as in Klass jars and tin buckets : ar-
rivals are fair. The demand is fair for comb
honey, which, however, is not cheap enouKh to
make trade lively. Extracted brings 7®iuc. on
arrival ; comb houey, 14®20c.
BEESWAX-Ia scarce and brings 20(a27c. on
arrival. Chas. E. Muth.
Quotations of Commlsalen Merchant*.
CHICAGO.
HONEY—January month, and still there is a
large surplus of comb honey on the market.
Prices are weak owing to large offerings, and anx-
iety on the part of shippers and holders here to
realize on the product. Extracted honey Is steady,
but the demand is light.
We quote: white comb honey, In I@2Ib. sections,
17(§jiwc. Dark comb honey, hardly any demand. It
is held at I2!^®l,5c. Extracted— White brings from
9^10c.: dark, 8@9c.; kegs, half- barrels and casks
bring about same price.
BEBSWAX-Yellow, 30@32C.; dark, 27@28c.
R. A. BURNKTT, 161 South Water St.
SAN KBANCISCO.
HONEY- Business in this line has been ex-
tremely dull the past week. Quotations are little
more than nominal.
White comb, 17®-20c; dark to good, IT 81 3>^c; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8>^@9J^c.; dark and
candied, 7<3j8c.
BEKSWAX— We quote 25®28c.
Stearns-* smith, 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Dull. Comb, at ICc. for large or hard
to I£t(i20c. for choice bright in small packages ; ex-
tracted at H@9c. ; strained, 6!^(S7c.; choice, in
smaller quantities, brings more.
BEKSWAX-l'rIme brlghtsteady at 27®28c.
W. T. ANDERSON & Co.. 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY -Has changed in price a very little, we
find it necessary to sell all grades about 1 cent per
a. lews. Best white, in lib sections, 20ruj21c. per
per pound ; in 2 lb. sections, 18(ai20c. Extracted is
very dull indeed, hardly any sale.
BEESWAX- Scarce, 28®;Mc.
A. C. Kendkl, 115 Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— There Is only a moderate supply of
choice to fancy white clover honey, and prices are
still held firmly, though the demand is not large.
Buckwhe;it and extracted honey continue alow.
Wequote: White clover, first quality, I ifc boxes,
25c: 2 lb. boxes, 23(a»25c. ; buckwheat, l tt. boxes,
20c. ; 2 lb. boxes, 16c, Extracted, white, ll®12c.:
dark, siasic.
BEESWAX— The supply has been light and prime
lots held a shade higher.
Western pure, 3()(gJSlc: southern, pure, 31@32c.
D. W. QCINB Y, 105 Park Place.
BOSTON.
HONBY— Our market Is fairly active. Wo quote:
HIb. sections at 30c.: lib. sections, 22@25c.; 2 1b.
sections, 2n(«.22c. Extracted, 10c. per lb. Good
lors ot extracted are wanted In kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX- 30C.
Cbockku & Blake, 57 Chatham Street.
^" Attention is called to a few
changes in our clubbing list for 1883,
as given on this page. Tliose inter-
ested will please take notice
The AMERICAN Bee Journal is the oldest Bee
Paper In America, and has a large circulation Id
every State, Territory and Province, among farm-
era, mechanics, professional and buniness men.
and Is, therefore, the best advertising medium.
STVF.ET CL.OTER SEED New and cleaiT.
25 cts. per lb. BEN Clendenon, GrlnnelMoa
,50wl3
DUNBAM COMB FOUNDATION- 40e.
per pound : extra thin and bright, 10 sq. ft. to
the lb, 4HC. Send for samples. Wax worked lOc.
per lb. F.W. HOLMES, Coorer8Ville,Mlch. 13wly
Sample Copies of the Amebic an Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one Intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
^■Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
Bees for Sale.
50 Colonies of Becs« in Oallup frames, cheap.
800 Colonies of Beea, in Langstroth frames
In prime condUlon.
J. H. KOBERTSON,
36wtf Pewamo, Ionia Co.. Mich.
STUDENTS
IN BEE-CULTURE.
Having had Buch good success for two years past
In teaching the theory and practice of honey- pro-
ducing, I have now made arrangements to accom-
modate a largo chis.^ during the coming season. 1
shall aim to give a tlvo months' instriKtion, at the
end of which time 1 hope and e.xpect to turn out
hee-keepers competent to profitably engage in the
pursuit, <ir such us will be sought for us KssiBtante,
at wages above commttn laborers. All interested,
write for t^rms.
BEE-KEEPERS* SUPPLIES
on hand, as usual. Beeswax wanted.
JAMES HEDDON.
Dowagiac, Mich. i»tf
LIVE BEE-KEEPERS WANTED,
to introduce the new lime cushion, the only pro-
tection vet discovered that will canv the beea
safely through winter and spring withuut fail.
Sent! $:in, for right to retail tills cushion in your
county, or send $.'> for one aptary right to patentee.
Kemit by registered letter or P. O. iirder.
F. DELLA TORHE,
74 Charies-st. Avenue, Baltimore, Md.
Patented April 25, 1882. No. 254,932. 45wl3t
THE CONQUEROR.
Large Smokers need wide shiehls. Bingham's
nave them, and springs ihat do imt runt an. break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvenients made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5i7 inch bellows. Sent
postpaid for if2. Address,
BINOHAM & HETHERINGTON,
Abronla. Mich.
ANEIV IMPORTATION OF
BOKHARA Glover SEED
has arrived and is for sale cheap.
Apply to
4e8m4t
CHARI.es F. MITT0,
CINCINNATI, O.
BE SURE
To send a postal card forour Illustrated Catalogue
of Apiarian Supplies before purchnsingelsewhere.
It contains Illustrations and descriptl»»nsof every-
thing new and valuable needed in mi apiary, at the
lowest prices. Italian Queens and Bees. I'arties
intending to purchase bees in lots of 10 colonies or
more are invited to correspond.
a. C. SAYLES.
SlsmlSt Hartford, Wis.
46
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
USD T^FE!'
The Orlelnal
BINGHAM
Bee Smoker
Who will be the
first to copy 1
25,000 IN USE.
If you buy the Origi-
nal Patent Bingham
Bee Smoker, you will
aid the inventor of
improTed bee smok-
ers— pet the best, that
never po out— always
please— never is eom-
plalned of— thestand-
ard of excellence the
world over — better
and handsomer this
season than ever be-
fore. Price per mail,
Eiostpaid, from 65 cts.
o *2. Our patents
cover all the smokers
that will buin sound
Btove-wood, or do not
go out. If you buy
our smokersand hon-
ey knives first, youp„f(.„*pfi 1070
will have to buy no*^^^®^^®^' *^'°'
others.
PRICfS:
Handed to By Mnil,
Customer. Postpaid.
^2 (.to
1 75
Given's FoundationPress. The Bee-Keeper's Guide
1 50
1 25
65
1 15
Wide shield Conqueror, 3 inch 1 1 75
Large Bingham Smoker (wide
shield >. I'H; inch l 50
Extra BinKham Smoker (wide
shield), :; inch 1 25
Plain Bingham Smoker, 2 inch 100
Little Wonder Bingham Smoker,
IW inch 50
Bingham & Hetherington Honey
Knife, 2 inch l 00
To sell again, apply for dozen or half-dozen
rates.
Send for free description and testimonials, to
BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON.
17wtf Abronla, Mich.
HIVES
— AND-
SECTIONS.
1^^3^EE
We have just put in several new machines and
also a larcer engine in <,>ur factory, consequently
we are in better shape to till orders than ever for
Bee Hives. Sections, Shipping Crates, etc. We
make a specially of our
"BOSS" ONE-PIECE SECTIONS,
Patented June 28th. 1881.
We can make the " Boss" One- Piece Sections
any size or width desired. Send for Price List.
We make the Half-Pound Section any
size desired.
fTAS. forncrook: <fe CO.
Watertown.Jeff. Co., Wis.. Sept. I. 1882.
Cheap ! Cheaper !! Cheapest !!!
300 COl^ONIES OF B££S
for sale, in movable frame hives. Also, Queens,
Nuclei, Bees by the pound. Hives, Sections. Smok-
ers, Seeds for Honey Plants, and eveiything a live
bee-keeper needs. Send fur circular and price list
to Fr.ANAGAX <fe II^I^IKSKI,
Box 810, Belleville, St. Clair co.. 111.
(Proprietors of Rose Hill, Cahokia, Falling Springs
and Lake Apiaries. iwmly
50 GENTS
FOR THREE MONTHS.
The new volume fnineteen) of Demorest's Il-
lustrated Monthly Magazine foriynaisihe
best and the cheapest Family Miigazine published,
printed on the finest tinted paper, i-ize x^i x ii'^
inches. The three numbers now ready of volume
19 weigh 1*^ pounds and contain JHipaaesof large.
clear print. New Novelettes, Stories, Biographies,
Poetry. Travels, and valuable information of the
dav and for the household. In demand by every
family. 144 Illustrations, 6 F^hnto Plates and 4 Oil
Pictures. W.JENNINGS DEMOREST, Publisher,
17 East 14lh Street, New York. Single copies,
Twenty Cents ; yearly subscription. Two Dollars.
lUitp
PUBLIC SENTIMENT affirms that the PRESS
Is SUPERIOR for niaking<'nmb Foundation either
in Wired Frames or for SECTIONS, and insures
straight and perfect combs, when drawn out by
the bees. Send for Circular and samples.
D. S. OIT£X «fe CO..
l*irtf HOOPESTON. ILL.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Iroquois Sfrain. Four Yards.
■Correspond ere cheerfully oji'^wered Prices reasonabl'
W. H. BUSSEY. 131 Lake Street. Chicago.
IMPORTANT TO BEE-KEEPERS.
Send your jiddress fnr our C;irrular nnd Prospec-
tus ol our NEW BOOK on QUEEN REARING.
HEXST AI,I,ET,
l»1ttf WENHAM, MASS.
FLAT . BOTTOM
COMB FOUNDATION,
■^^^^^^^^ high side-walla. 4 to Ifl square feet tn
Iji-^^^n^j' the pound. Circular and samples free.
Mtr^^^isl J- VAN DEUSEN & SONS.
K*v.'^^:^-'':-.| Sole Manufacturers,
=^^i^^ Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., N, Y.
BIND YOUR JOUMALS
AND KEEP THEM
NEAT AND CLEAN.
The Emerson Binder
IS THE NEATEST AND CHEAPEST.
Any one can use them. Directions In each Binder.
For Monthly Bee Journal SOc.
For Weekly Bee Journal TSc.
Address. THOMA^S €t. NEWMAIV,
^5 West Madison Street, Chlcaso, 111.
MANUAL OF THE APIARY,
By A. J. COOK,
0/ Lansing, Pro/essor of Entomology in the
State Agricultural College of MichigaXL
320 Pasea ; 133 Flae IlliiBtratlons.
This iB a new edition of Prof. Cook's Manual of
the Apiary, enlarged and elegantly illustrated.
The first edition of 8,000 copies was exhausted Id
about 18 months — a sale unprecedeated in the
annals of bee-culture. This new work has been
produced with great care, patient study and per-
sistent research. It comprises a full delineatiOQ
of the anatomy and physiology of the honey bee,
illustrated with many costly wood engravings —
the products of the Honoy Bee ; the races ot bees;
fulldesccriptions of honey-producing plants.trees,
shrubs, etc.splendidly illustrated— and last.thougb
not least, detailed Instructions for the various
manipulations necessary in the apiary.
This work is a masterly production, and one that
no bee-keeper, however limited his means, can
aflordto do without. It is fully "up with the limes"
on every conceivable subject that can Interest the
apiarist. It is not only instructive, but intensely
interesting and thoroughly practical.
liead the Jollo^iHng opniions of the Book ;
All agree that it Is the work of a master and of
real value.— L' Apiculture, Paris.
I think Cool'.'s Miinual is tne best of our Ameri-
can works.- LEWIS T. COLBV.
It appears to ha'-e cut the ground from undei
future book-makers.— iin(L-./i Bee JsurnaL
Prnf, Cook's valuable M:inunl has been ray con-
stant guide in my <)perations and successful man-
agementof the apiary.— J. P. West.
I have derived more practical knowledge from
Prof. Cook's New Manual ot the Apiary than from
any other book.— E. H. Wynkoop.
This book is just what everyone Interested in
bees ought to have, and which, no one who oDtaind
it, will ever ret^ret having purcnased.— iUic/i, Far.
To all who wish to engage =n bee-culture, a
manual is a necessity. Piot. Cook's Manual is an
exhaustive work.— £itra/d, Monticello. Ill,
With Cook's Manual I am more than pleased. It
is fUily up with the times in every particular. The
richest reward awaits its author.— A. E. Wenzel.
My success has been so great as to almost aston-
ish myself, and much of it is due to the clear, dis-
tnteiesied hiformation contained in Cook's Man-
ual.-WM. Van A.NTWERl'. M. D
It is the latest book on the bee. and treats of both
the bee and hives, with their implements. It is of
value to all bee-raisers.— A'y. Live Stock Record.
It is a credit to the author as well the publisher.
I have never yet met wiih a work, either French
or tureipn. which I like so much.— L'ABBE Du
Bois, editor of the BuLetin D' Apicidteur, France.
It not only gives the natural History of these in-
dustrious insects, but also a thorough, practical,
and clearly expressed series of directions for their
management; also a botanical description ot honey
producing plants, and an e.vteuded account of the
enemies 01 bees.— Democrat, Pulaski, N. V,
We have perused with great pleasure this vndt
nu'cnmot the bee-keeper. It is leplete with the
best inturmation on everything belonging to api-
culture. To al taking an interest in this subject,
we say, obtain this valuable work, read it carefully
and practice as advised.- ..ii/ncK/furiif, Quebec.
This book Is pronounced by the press and leading
bee-men to be ttie njost complete and practical
treatise on bee-culture in Europe or America ; a
scientitlc work on modern bee management that
everj' experienced bee man will welcome, and it is
essential to every auijiteur in bee-culture. It is
banasomely printed. nc;itly bound, and is u credit
to the West.- TWbttni A'jricul,.urii,t,
Thjs work is undoubtedly the most complete
manual tor the instruction ot bee-keepers which
has ever been publi.-hed. It gives a full explana-
tion regarding the care and iiumagemeni of the
apiary. There is no suojeti relating to the culture
of bees left unionchcil. and in the compilation of
the work Prof. Cook has had the advantage ot all
the previous knowlede ot apiarists, which he uses
admirably to promote and make popular this most
interesting of all occ l patious.— ,4 mencan In ventor,
Joj — ■
PRiCfi— Bound In cloth, SI. 25 ; In paper cover,
Sl.OO by mail prepaid. Published by .
THOMAS G. NEWMAN.
West Madison Street, CHICAGO, n.r.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
41
Send to I. R. GOOD
For Price l^lst, for 1883, of
HOLY- LAND AND ITALIAN BEES
And " Given " Comb Foundation.
He will give satisfaction or refund the money.
l«5t Nsppanee, KllitiartCo., Ind.
PRIZE pENST
Tested Prize Queen, in a 2-
frame nucleus. ;)xi7. each, |4 CKJ
Same in nucleus. 4 fra., m.\h, 4 00
Tested Prize Queen, by mail. 3 00
PrizeQaoen. warranted pure-
ly fertilized 2 00
Queen, not standard size — l vo
FulIColony, 8 frames, Prize
Queen 9 00
BeforeJuly i.add *i eacli.
Casli Orders tilled in rotation.
Address E. r.. BKIGG8,
l*Iy Wilton Junction, Iowa.
AGENTS WANTED ™T LIVES °U
MARTYR PRESIDENTS.
Abraham Uncoln, "From Pioneer Home to
White House," and Jameit Abram Oarfleld,
"From Log Cabin to White House." In EnKlish
and German. Illustrated with fine steel engrav-
ings. By an eminent author. Also, for the ONLY
larffe steel portrait of Oarfleld. Send lor
extra terms.
THE HENRY BILL PUBLISHING CO.,
50w8t NORWICH. CONN.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
ANB BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The British Bee Jouknal is published month-
ly, and contains tlie best practical information for
toe time being, showing what to do, and when and
how to do it. Kev. H. K. PEEL, Kdltor.
We send the Weekly American Bee Joctunal
and the British Bee Journal,both for *3.&o a year.
ELECTROTYPES
Of Engravings used in the Bee Journal for sale at
25 cents per square Inch— no single cut sold for less
than 50C. THOMAS O. NEWMAN,
9Z& West Madison Street, Chicago. III.
Muth's Honey Extractor,
Square Glass Honey Jars, Tin Buckets,
A Langstroth Bee Hives, Honey Sections, etc..
Apply to C, P. MUTH.
976 and 978 Central Ave.. CINCINNATI, O.
lar'Send lOc. for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers.
©S ENGRAVINGS.
The Horse
BY B. J. KENDALL, M. D.
A TREATISE giving an index of diseases,
and the symptoms ; cause and treatment of each, a
table giving all the principal drugs used for the
horse, with the ordinary dose, effects and antidote
when a poison ; a table with an engraving of the
horse'steeth at different ages, with rules for telling
the age of the horse ; a valuable collection of re-
cipes, and much valuable Information,
Price SS5 ccnta.— Sent on receipt of price, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
925 West Madison Street, CHICAGO UL,!..
LANeSTROTH AND 8IMPiaCIT"Y
CHAFF HIVES, witli niuviible lipper
story, section boxes, metal-cornered brood triimes,
wide LanKstrotb frames and comb foundation.
Send for Price List. A. B. MILLEK & SON,
«wtf Waltarusa, ElktiartCc, Ind.
TTTTS "P A P17T? ™ay •>« found on file
J-XIXO -r/\-ri!jXV at Geo. P. Kowell &
Co.'s Newaoaper AdvertlsinR Bureau do Spruce
St.), where advertlsiriK contracts may be made for
It in NEW YORK.
I buy and seil Honey for Cash only. As I do no
Commission business, I will not accept siilpments
without preyious corrVApondence.
Hi
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BEESWAX.
I pay 270. per pound delivered here, for yellow
Beeswax. To avoid mistakes, tiie shipper's name
should always be on each package.
ALFRED H. NEYFMAN.
V423 West Madison Street, CHICAGO. ILL.
A NEW BEE BOOK!
Bees & Honey
Management of an Apiary for Fleasnre
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor of the Weekly Bee Journal.
It contains 160 profusely illustrated pages, i&
"fully up with the times" in all the various im-
provements and Inventions in this rapidly devel-
oping pursuit, and presents the apiarist wttb
everything that can aid In the sueoessful manage-
ment of the honey bee, and at the same time pro-
duce the most honey in its best and most attract-
ive condition. Chief among the new chapters are
"Bee Pasturage a Necessity." " Management of
Bees and Honey at Fairs." " Marketing Honey,"
etc. Price, bound In cloth, 75 cents; in paper
covers, SO centH, postpaid.
925 ^V. MadUon Street, Chicago, III.
Appreciative Notlcea.
Carefully prepared for
Cabinet, Amherst, N. H.
beginners.— Farmers
A very valuable work to those engaged in bee-
raising.— News, Prairie City, Iowa.
We advise all who keep bees to send for this ex-
cellent work.- Journal. Louisiana, Mo.
Its chapter on marketing honey Is worth man^
times its cost.— Citizen, Pulaski, Tenn.
Carefully prepared, and of vast Importance to
bee-raisers.— Indlanlan, Clinton, Ind.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.- American Agriculturist, N. Y.
New and valuable, and embellished with 109
beautiful engravings.— Democrat, Salem, Ind.
Much practical useful Information, in a cheap
form.— Daily Standard, New Bedford, Mass.
Contains all the information needed to make
bee-culture successful.— Eagle, Union City, Ind.
Just such a work as should be in the hands of
every beginnt;r with bees.- News, Keithsburg, 111.
A valuable work for all who are Interested In the
care and management of bees.— Democrat, Alle-
gan, Mich.
The most perfect work for the price ever yet pro-
duced onthesubjectof bee-culture.— Anti-Monop-
olist, Lebanon, Mo.
The engravings are fine. It is gotten up in the
very best style, and is cheap at the price.- Farmer,
Cleveland, O.
It comprises all that is necessary for successfn)
bee-culture, save experience and good judgment.
—Daily Republican, Utica, N. V.
A manual, containing all the newest diecoverles
in the management of these little workers.- Plain
Dealer, St. Lawrence, N. Y.
Full of practical instruction, that no one who
contemplates keeping bees can do wlthout.-Far-
mers' Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping a
success.- Col. Valley and Farm.
It embraces every .subject that can Interest the
beginner In bee-culture. The engravings perfectly
illustrate the text.— Farm and Fireside, Spring-
field, O.
Embraces every subjectof intprest In theapiaryf
giving very thorough details ui the management
and manipulationsnecessury tomake bee-keeping
a success.— Farm. Longmonl, Colo.
Written In an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even though they be not directly interested In the
care of bees.— Sentinel, Rome, N. Y.
It is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the
little busy bee, as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Describes all the newest discoveries in the art,
by which the production of delicious and health-
giving honey is obtained, aswell as how to prepare
it for the market in the most attractive shape.—
Signal, Napoleon, O.
Contains a vast fund of Information in regard to
bee-culture. He who would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted In allthe improvements In
his line. We advise all Interested to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times, San Bernardino, Cal.
It embraces every subject that will interest the
beginner. It describes all llu' newest discoveries
in the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive
form. It Is embellished with beautiful engravings,
and Is the most perfect work of the kind, for Ine
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
A Liberal Discount to Dealers by
the I>ozenor Mundred.
48
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
BOOKS!
Sent by mall, on receipt of price, by
Tiiois^-A-S C3-, isr:Ewavi:-A.3sr,
925 West Madison Street, CHICAGO, ILL.,
Bee-K-eeper'a Oalde ; or, Cook*s Munual
■of the Aplury. — Entirely re-wrltten. eleKantly
illustrated and fully "up with the times" on every
subject of bee-culture. It is not only Instructive,
l)Ut intensely InterestinR and thoroughly practical.
The book is a masterly production, and one that no
-bee-keeper, however limited his means, can afford
to do without. Cloth, *1. 85 ; paper cover. »1,
Quinby's New B ee-K.ee p I nir. by L. C. Root—
The anihor treats the subject of bee-teepinR so
that it cannot fall to interest all. Its style Is plain
and forcible, malting all its readers realize that Its
authorls master of the subject.— #1.60.
Novice** ABC ofBee-CuIture, by A. I. Root
—This embraces "everything pertaining to the care
■ol the honey-bee," and is valuable tfl beginners and
those more advanced. Cloth, JSl.SS.
Kins*" l<ee-Keeper«' Text- Book, by A. J.
King.— This edition is revised and brought down to
the present time. Cloth, 9f>l.OO.
I^uniEatroth on the Hive and Honey Bee.
—This is a standard scientific work. Price, »».
Blessed Bees, by John Allen.— A romance of
bee-keeping, full of practical information and
contagious enthusiasm. Cloth, 15c.
Bees und Honey, or Management of an
Apiary for Pleasure and Profit, by Thomas ti.
_Newman.— Third Edition. "Kully up with the
limes." including all the various improvements
and inventions. Chief among the new chapters
are : " Bee Pasturage a Necessity." " Management
of Bees and Honey at Fairs," "Marketing Himey."
•etc. It contains HH> pages, and is prcifusely illus-
trated. Price, bound in cluth, TAc; in paper
covers, .lOc, postpaid.
Blenen Kiiltnr, by Thomas G. Newman. In
(GERMAN language. Price, in paper covers,
40 cents, or $3 per dozen, postpaid.
Bzlerzon Theory ;— presents the fundamen-
tal principles of bee-culture, ana lurnisUes the
facts and arguments to demonstrate them. 15 c.
Honey, us F'«od und Medicine, by Thonia:-
<j. Newman.— This pamphlet discnurses upon the
Ancient History of Bees and Honey . the nature,
quality, sources, and preparation of Honey for the
Market ; Honey as fooa, srivinii recipes for making
Honey Cakes. Cookies. Puddings, Foam.Wines.etc;
and Honey as Medicine with nisiny useful Recipes,
it is intended for consumers, and should be scat-
tered by thousands, creating a demand for honey
everywhere. Published In EnKllsh and Oermau,
Price for either editicpn. Cc. ; per dozen, 50c.
^Vlnterlnjr Bees. — This contains the Prize
Essays on this subject , read before the Centennial
Bee-Keept-TS' Association. Price. 10c._
Preparation of Honey for the Market,
including the production and care of both comb
and extracted honey, and instructions on the ex-
hibition of bees and honey at Fairs, etc., by T. G.
Newman. Price lOc.
The Hive i Vne— Being a description of the
hive used by G. M. Doolittle. Price, oc.
Fonl Brood; its origin, development and cure.
By Albert R. Kohnke. Price, I85e.
Extracted Hoitev ; Harvesting, Handl-
liiK and Marketing. -A -M-page pamphlet, by
Ch. & C. P. Dadant, giving in detail the methods
and management adopted in their apiary. This
contains many useful hints.— Price 15c.
Bee PasturaKC a Necessity, by Thomas G.
Newman— Giving advanced views on this impor-
tant subject, with suggestions what to plant, and
ajad when and how : :;6 engravings. Price. lOc.
Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers, by Chas.
F. Muth; 32 pages. It gives Mr. Muth's views on
the management of bees. Price. lOc.
8\varnilnR,l>lvldlnK and Feeding Be*es.—
Hints to Beginners, by Thomas G. Newman. Price
^ cents.
'Vees In IW^lnter, with Instructions about
CnSff- Packing. Cellars and Bee Houses, by Thomas
G.IWfmnn. Price 5c.
Qn;Ai-Rc(^>*l"fft ^y Henry Alley.— A full
and dSfcled nccountof TWENTY-THREE years'
experience in rearing queen bees. The cheapest,
easiest amj best wav to raise queens. (.Never
before pubtlshed. Price Sl.OO.
Food Adulteration ; What we eat and should
not eat. This boob should be In every family, and
ought to create a sentiment agalnstadulteratlon of
food products, and demand a law to protect the
consumer against the numerous health-destroying
adulterations offered us food. 2O0 pages 50c.
Scrlbner's I^amber and I^otc Book.— Most
complete book of its kind published. Gives meas-
urement of all kinds of lumber, logs, and planks
by Doyle's Rule, cubical contents of square and
round timber, staves and heading bolt tables,
wages, rent, board capacity of cisterns, cordwood
tables. Interests, etc. Standard book throughout
United States & Canada. Price 35 c. postpaid.
KendalPs Horse Book. — No book could be
more useful to horse owners. It has 35 engravings
illustrating positions of sick horses, and treats all
diseases In a plain and comprehensive manner. It
has recipes, a table of doses, and much valuable
horse information Price 25c. for either the
English or German editions.
Moore's Universal Asslst«nt, and Com-
plete Mechanic, contains over l,(X>0.(K>i) Indus-
dustrial Facts, (Calculations, Processes, Trade Se-
crets, Legal Items. Business Forms, etc.. of vast
utility to every Mechanic, Farmer and Business
Man. Gives iJfMt.iKx.i Items for Gas, Steam, Civil
and Mining Engineers, Machinists, Millers, Black-
smiths, Founders. Miners, Metallurgists. Assayers.
Plumbers, Gas and Steam Fitters. Bronzers, Gild-
ers. Metal and Wood Workers of every kind.
The work contains ],oi6 pages. Is a veritable
Treasury of Useful Knowledge, and worth its
weight In gold to any Mechanic, Business Mas, or
Farmer. Price, postage paid, SS8..'50.
Fl8her*s Grain Tables for Farmers, etc.
— I9:i pages, pocket form ; full of useful tables for
casting up grain, produce, hay ; cost of pork, inter-
est; wages tables, wood measurer, ready reckoner,
plowing tables and more miscellaneous matter and
useful tables for farmers and others than any
similar book ever pubtlshed. Ask your bookseller
for it. Sent post-paid for -lO cents.
Chicken Cholera, byA. J. Hltl.—A treatise on
ts cause, symptoms and eure. Price, 85c.
geutsclic ^uecltev^
fSicnen ^Ultut, obcr erfolgreid^e
SBe^aiibtung ber Siencii, Don if)o3. ®.
DJeroman. '3)iei'e^ ^ampfjlet cnttjalt
93c(ef)riingcn iificv fotgcnbc ©egciiftaiibe
— Oerttic^ f ei t bc^ Siciienftniibe'j —
.^ontg pflanjen — (Jrjiefiung berjl'oiiigtn
— Jiittern — ©cljrcavmeu — ?lblegcv —
i^erfet^en — 3i t n I i e ii i fi v c n — 3i'l't''?er
Boii J^oniginiicii — 9(ii§5ic[)cn — 33icneit
bcfjanbcln uitb bcniliigcii ; lucitcv entfiiilt
e§ ciiiilnpitc[,nioviit bie neucfteSJ?et[}obe
fiir bie Jperridjtuiig beg .Jioiugg fiir ben
Jpanbel befc^iiebenift. 5^vei§ 40 gent^.
^oniQ aU 9taf}vuna un'»
9Kc5i}in — von 'JftomnS '^^-Sieromnn.
©iefcS cnt()iilt eiue flare bnvfteniing iifier
SBiencn unb Jponig bc6 ?(ltevt^um§ ; bie
93e|'(^nffen[}cit, duatitrit, OneUen unb
3ubevettnngbc6,!P>ouigSfiivbcn Jpanbel ;
.iTjontg Ills Dfa()vnng'jmtftel, nngc&cnb
itiie mnn i^onighidjcn, 5ornifiid;e[cl)en,
^ubbiugg,'3(^aumtonfect,QSeine,u.f.n)
jubeveiten fann ; fevncr .^Dnig al<j
'JOlebi^in mit nielen 9U',5cptcn. ©§ ift fiir
ben 6on[umenten beftimmt, unb foHte
Dieltnnfenbfaltig iiber baS gnnje Sanb
uevbreitet lucvben. ''^?rci6 (j 6^ent§.
©a§ *PfctJ> tttti* fflnc
jRranfljcitcn— 2]on S.^.^enball,
2R. 'J)., entljnUcnb cin atpljnbefifd)
gcorbneteS iurjeic^nifj ber oerfc^tebenen
H$fevbctranff|eiten,lamint ben Slrfaci^en,
(St)mptomen unb ber ricfitigen SBe^anb=
[ung berfclben ; ferncr, eine ©aminlung
roertt;DoUe,r Stejcpte. ^^rci§ 25 gentS.
^HOMAS C. NEWMAN.
iWest Madtson Street, Chicago, 111,
mm^
Pianos
$850 Square Grand Piano for only $245,
PIAKin QTYI F 01 Magnificent rosewood
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ful carved legs and lyre, heavy serpentine and
large fancy moulding, full iron frame, French
Grand Action, Grand Ifaniniers. in fact, every im-
provementwhlch can in any way tend to the per-
fection of the instrument, has been added.
fS^Our price Tor this Instrument, boxed
and delivered ou board cars at .Vew York,
with flue Piano Cover, Stool (11;'^J_^
and Book, only t^^'XfJ,
ReAiced from our late wholesale factory price,
$S95, for till day- only, to have this beautiful
Piano introduced. This is now, by far, the (great-
est bararnln ever offered the musical public. Un-
precedented success : Tremendous demand for
this style ! Order atonce.
This Piano will bo sent on 15 days' test trial.
Please send reference if you do not send money
with order. Ciish sent ivith order tvill be refunded
and freight charges paid by us both luays if Piano is
not juat ns represented. Several other special bar-
gains: Pianos. a^l60 up. Over I.Vhkj in use,
and not one dissatisfied purchaser. Handsome
Illustrated Catalogue mulled free, giving the high-
est testimonials ever awarded any manufacturer.
Every I*ianii fully warranted for 5 years.
SHEET MUSIC }i price. Catalogue of 3.000
choice nieces sent for 3c. stamp.
MEXl>£l.SSOUN PIAXO CO.,
Box 2958. New York.
EARS FOR THE MILLION !
FooChoo's8alsani of Shark's Oil
Positively Restores the Hearing, and is the
Only Absolute Cure for Deafness Known.
This Oil Is abstracted from a peculiar species of
small "White Shark, caught in the Vellow Sea,
known ii» Cnrchnrndon Rondeletii. Every Chinese
Hrtbernian knows it. Its virtues as a restorative of
hearing were discovered by a Buddhist Priest about
the year i4io. Us cures were so numerous and
cnanv so"eeinlnffly miraciilou*. that the rem-
edy was ofBoiatly proclaimed over the entire Em-
pire- Its use became so universal that for over
:{00 yars no Deafness has existed anionff
the Chinese people. Sent, charges prepaid, to
any addre*ts at tl.W per bottle.
HEAR WHAT THE DEAF SAY!
It has performed a miracle in my case.
I have no unearthly noises in my head, and hear
much better.
I have been greatly benefited.
My deafness helped a great deal— think another
bottle will cure me.
"Its virtues are rN'QtJKSTioN ABLE and Its cura-
tive CHAKACTEK ABfiOLrXE, A8THE WRITERCAM
PEKSONALLY TESTIFV, BOTH PROM EAPEHIENCB
AND OBSERVATION. Write at once to Haylock
Jk Jennkt, 7 Dey Street, New York, enclosing |l,
and you will receive by return a remedy that will
enable you to hear like anybody else, and whose
curative effects will bepormanent. VouwllI never
regret doing so."— EorrdR op Mercantile Re-
view.
|3n*o avoid lossin themalls, please send money
by Registered Letter.
Only Imported by HAYLOCK & JENKKY,
(Late Hayxock X Co.)
Sole AgenU for America, T Bey St., New York,
20W1T
.<it».
ESTABLISHED oX'CsV
IN 18 61 Px^NIk'
DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO PROGRESSIVE BEE CULTURE.
VoL XIX.
Chicago, 111., January 24, 1883.
No. 4.
PUBLISHED BY
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
KinTOK AND Proprietor,
925 WEST MADISON ST., CHICAGO, ILL.
Weekly, SS a yi-ar ; Monthly, SI.
I3P" Any person sending a club of six is entitled
to an extra copy (like the club) sent to any address
desired. Sample copies furnished free.
FOREIGN POSTAGE, EXTRA :
To Europe-Weekly, 50 cents ; Monthly, 12 cents.
To Australia -Weekly.* I ; Monthly. 24 cents.
George Neighbour & Sons, London, England, are
our authorized agents for Europe.
Entered at the Chicago Post Office as
Second Class Matter.
Topics Presented in tills Number.
A Candid Request 60
A Few Odds and Ends 56
An Old Fogy Bee-Keeper 59
Are Separators a Nuisance ? 57
Bee and Honey Show in Michigan 49
Bee and Honey Statistics 57
BeeandHoney Statistics in Illinois 51
Bees Removing Eggs 54
Bees Quiet in the Cellar 50
Binders for the Journal, a Protection 59
Clubbing List , 61
Comb Honey Surplus Arrangements 56
Convention Notices 50, 58
Editorial Items 49 to 51
Experiments in our Apiary 55
Feeding Bees in Winter 51
Footer, not Foster 59
Growing and Satisfactory 59
Half -Pound Honey Sections 52
How to Ventilate Chaff Hives 52
Italians Outstrip Black Bees 59
Local Convention Directory 61
Markings of Holy Land Bees 59
Mr. Heddon's Feeder 60
"Nothing But Leaves," for Packing 59
Origin of Noise in Swarming-time 50
Our Honey Resources 54
Premiums for Clubs 61
Rev. O. Clute's Lecture on Bees 51
Separators of Wood 5,s
Standard Langstroth Frames 55
Statistics for Canada 59
Sweet Endowment 50
Telephone Connected to Each Hive 60
The Blizzard Has Come 5s)
The Coming Bee— Enough 53
Weak Colonies, but Wintering Well 59
^Vestern Bee-Keepers' Convention 58
Wintering in Chaff and in Cellar 59
Wintering in Sawdust 60
Wood Separators for Surplus Honey 53
Bee and Honey Show in Michigan.
Nothing will give more prominence
to honey, and aid in its popular cou-
.sumption than large and attractive
exhibitions of it at fairs, and we are
glad to know that Michigan is taking
the lead in this matter. It is a pat-
tern well worth the copying, and the
result will, no doubt, surprise even its
most active workers. We have re-
ceived the following letter from Prof.
Cook, with the list of premiums to be
awarded at the next Michigan State
Fair :
Deae Mr. Newman:— I send the
following, as I know that you and
otliers will not only be interested but
rejoice in our success. We owe our
secretary, H. D. Cutting, as also the
Agricultural Committee, a hearty vote
of thanks. You see we increase
$64.50 on last year s premiums.
There is a bright outlook in this
direction. Improved bees, better pas-
turage, and grand exhibitions at fairs,
promise much for apiculture. We are
to have a nice building and the right
to make sales.
If Michigan does not have a grand
exhibition next fall, then I misjudge
her apiarists. A. J. Cook.
Lansing, Mich., Jan. 1,6, 1882.
The full list of premiums, both of
last year and this, are given below, so
that all may see what has been accom-
plislied by Mr. Cutting and Prof.
Cook, in their labors with the Board
of the Michigan State Agricultural
Society.
JtlTISION H-BSES, HONEY, ETC.
Superintendent—'W . J. Baxter, JonesvlUe.
COMPETITION OPEN TO THE WORLD.
All entries in this division must be made on or
before Tuesday, the second day of the Fair, at 2
o'clock, p. m.
H— Class 38.— Bees. Honey and Apiarlan
Implements.
1882. 1883.
1st Pr. 2d Pr. 1st Pr. 2d Pr.
Colony of Bees of any
kind. In movable comh
hive. . ... »5 00 t3 00 $8 00 |4 00
Colony of Italian Bees, in
movable comb hive... 500 300 800 400
Colony of Syrian Bees,
In movable comb hive. 500 3 00 800 400
NOTE.-Numerical strength, purity of race and
docility ot disposition, sliall constitute the com-
peting points in judging the above.
5 00 3 00
15 00 10 00
10 00 5 00
3 00 8 00 4 00
3 00
1 00
5 00
4 00
3 00
2 00
Collection of queenbees,
alive 3 00
Largest and best display
otcombhoney 10 00 5 00
Largest and best display
of e-Ytracted honey... ui 00 5 00
Specimen of comb hon-
ey, not less than ten
pounds, and the man-
ner of putting up to be
considered 5 00
Specimen of extracted
honey, not less than
ten pounds, and the
manner of putting up
to be taken Into con-
sideration 5 00
Ten pounds of beeswax 2 00
Specimen of comb foun-
dation 3 00 100 3 00 100
Largest and best collec-
tion of apiarian imple-
ments,to include hives
honey extractors, wax
extractors, comb foun-
dation macbines.honey
knives, shipping cages,
etc 10 00
Honey extractor 3 oo
Bee smoker 2 00
Honey knife for uncap-
ping 1 00
Comb foundation ma-
chine 5 00
Wax extractor...,. 200
Section for comblioney 100
Largest and best collec-
tion of bee literature. 5 00
Best movable frame bee-hive for all
purposes
Best queen cage for shipping and In-
troducing queens...
Best collection of honey-bearing
plants, pressed and mounted, or in
bloom
Best display of queens and bees un-
der glass, in such shape as to be
handled by visitors 500
For 1883 1179 50
For 1882 115 IM
2 00
1 00
3 00
10 00
5 00
3 00
5 IXI
3 («)
1 00
8 00
8 00
2 00
5 00
3 00
2 00
3 00
2 00
Increase for 1883 $64 .^,0
. — I ^ I — .
1^ The Hon. Louis Wallbridge, one
of the principal apiarists of Canada,
has been appointed Chief Justice of
Manitoba, and has gone there to enter
upon his duties. The Judge is a
thoroughly practical and progressive
apiarist.
50
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,.
Origin of Noise in Swarming-time.
Much lias been said and written
about tlie object of making a great
noise, by the ringing of bells, beating
of tin pans, etc., when a swarm issues
from the hive, and is in the air. In
the Bee Jouiinal for January 3, Mr.
Arthur Todd, of Philadelphia, Pa.,
(formerly of Algeria, Africa,) referred
to the matter, as being no proof that
bees could hear, and that it had no in-
fluence on the bees to make them set-
tle. His letter was as follows :
On page 803, of the Bee Journal
for Dec, 1882, reference is made to
certain remarks of Sir John Lnbbock,
and the influencing of bees, when
swarming, to settle by making loud
noises, etc., etc. I am decidedly of
the opinion that it is not to the sense
of hearing on the part of tliebees, that
the custom of beating tin cans, etc.,
took its rise, but to the sense of hear-
ing in the human family, and why V
For the simple reason that the ancient
laws relating to bees, vested the own-
ership in a swarm only to him from
whose grounds they departed, pro-
vided he followed them, and kept them
in sight until they alighted. Now,
what more natural than to "kick up
a row " for the sole purpose of letting
others know that the bees seen in
flight were being followed. I regret
that I cannot at present consult my
library of bee books and give the words
of the ancient laws. I tliink tlie word-
ing would go far to prove my hypothe-
sis correct. Arthur Todd.
Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 25, 1882.
Mr. Todd is evidently correct, and
is corroborated by a correspondent in
the London Journal of Horticulture,
wha says that " the custom of ring-
ing bells, beating pots or kettles, and
otherwise making as much noise and
hubbub as possible when a swarm is-
sues, was in vogue in very early ages.
Since we do not believe that the
noise has any effect whatever in
causing the swarm to settle, we can
only suppose that the institution of
the custom was for the purpose of
giving notice to the neighboring bee-
keepers that the operator on the bell,
drum, or kettle claimed the rising
swarm and identified it as his own.
" Habit is second natnre," says the
proverb, and the habit in question
holds sway over the rnral bee-keeping
world, for long centuries after the
cause for and establishment of that
habit has been forgotten. By an old
law, of the time of Alfred the Great,
a bee-keeper is permitted to follow
and to secure his swarm if on another's
property ; but he must keep the swarm
in sight, and that his neighbors may
know he is following it he must ring
a bell as he pursues it.
The bell-ringing is now oftener re-
placed by yelling and the beating of a
kettle or rattling of fire-irons, and
the bee-keeper is not so much intent
on calling his neiglibors' attention to
the fact that lie is following his bees,
as on charming the swarm and caus-
ing it to alight, seduced or terror-
stricken by his rough music.
The law of Alfred evidently ex-
plains the origin of the custom, al-
though, as we said above, the habit
prevailed centuries before that law
was made. Virgil refers to the tin-
can music in his fourth Georgic.
Plato, Pliny, Varro, and Columella
all speak of it, and attribute the set-
tling of the bees either to fear or joy ;
while Aristotle is not certain what
the effect is which the beating of
brazen vessels has on the bees.
A violent concussion of the air
often affects a swarm ; hence some
fire a gun near the hovering swarm to
cause it to settle ; others throw gravel
or dirt among them. Many bee-keep-
ers use a Whitman's Fountain Pump
to bring the bees down ; this disorgan-
izes them, causes general confusion,
and they usually settle at once. The
wetting of their wings also makes
them in a hurry to obtain shelter, the
same as they would in a shower of
rain.
These are modern practical ways
of doing what has been, by the super-
stitious in ages past, sougtit to be
accomplished by charms, such as
bell-ringing, pan-beating, and such
like noisy demonstrations.
^" The Indiana Farmer says that
" the two most important questions to
the bee-keeping interest of tJie coun-
try are providing pasturage for the
bees, and as to the size of the packages
for surplus honey." These questions
are now being discussed in the Bee
Journal, and while it is the duty of
every bee-keeper to find " pasturage
for the bees," just as much as for
other stock, no progressive apiarist
will fail to give the " best package for
surplus honey" the due amount of
thought, and by many experiments
and repeated trials, the right size and
shape will be developed in due time.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for 1883 and Cook's Manual in cloth
for $2.75, or the Monthly and Manual
in cloth for $1.75.
1^" Attention is called to our neio
and liberal advertising rates for 1883.
A Sweet Endowment.— The follow-
ing item is from a local paper sent us
by Mr. E. Pickup, of Limerick, 111.:
Last spring was very poor for bees ;
so Edmund Pickup fed about 50c.
worth, per hive, in bee candy, sugar
and honey. In the fall he got a little
over 4,000 lbs. of comb honey ; an av-
erage of 138 lbs., spring count, and in-
creased from 29 colonies to 90, besides
6 " swarms " otherwise used, and 8 got
away. More than one-half were black
bees. The best colony in spring pro-
duced 236?4 lbs., and 3 swarms; the
best old colony 991.4 lbs., beside one
swarm. From the best colony 122?:^
lbs.; from the 2nd best, 08 lbs.; from
the 3d best, 27 lbs.; the 4th best, 2914
lbs. Honey at 15 cts. per lb., and new
colonies at S5 each, gave a net com-
pensation of $30.50 per hive in spring.
John, brother of Edmund, has an in-
terest in the bees; so the Pickup
brothers show great skill and industry
in bee-keeping. Yesterday Mr. Ed-
mond Pickup gave to the Limerick
church O6623 lbs. of honey— $100 worth
— for an endowment fund. This is a
praiseworthy act of Mr. Pickup, nii'!
will live after him.
1^ By a copy of the Savannah, Ga.,
Abend Zeitung, we notice that Prof.
Reclam gave a lecture on " Honey as
Food and Medicine," in that city
lately, in which he drew largely upon
our pamphlet on that subject, strongly
endorsing it and advising a more gen-
erous use of honey in families for food,
and highly recommending it for its
medicinal qualities; and for healing
wounds he says its value cannot be
over-estimated.
1^" The next meeting of the Maine
Bee-Keepers' Association will be held
at Dexter, February 8th and 9th, 1883.
A large attendance of bee-keepers
from different parts of the State is ex-
pected, and it is hoped that it may be
one of the most interesting meetings
ever lield by the Association. A large
exhibit of hives and implements, used
in the apiary, is exnected ; and all at-
tending the meeting are earnestly
requested to bring something to help
make a good display. Any article
sent to the Secretary will be placed on
exhibition, and cared for, free of
charge. The following is an imperfect
outline of the programme for the two
days : First day :— Secretary's report ;
Treasurer's report ; reports of Vice
Presidents of the different counties
represented ; President's address ;
choosing committee to award prefer-
ences on articles exhibited ; reading of
essays and discussions. Second day :
— Election of officers ; report of com-
mittee on articles exhibited ; reading
of essays and discussions. Essays
are expected on the following subjects
— Feeeling Bees ; How to make Bee-
keeping Profitable ; Artificial Pastur-
age ; The Coming Bee, etc., etc.
Ripley, Me. Wm. Hott, tiec.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
51
Bee and Honey Statistics in Illinois.
In accordance with the " hint "
given by Mr. S. B. Atwater, on page
•57 of this issue of the Bee Journal,
we sent a letter to C. \V. Fisher, Esq.,
Secretary of the State Board of Agri-
culture, asking for any statistical
information in his oflice on bees and
honey in Illinois during the past year.
In reply we received a very gentle-
manly letter, and the following table,
which will be found very interesting
to our readers :
COUNTIES. ^"1^2^"- Poin^lHoney,
Adams 640 2,23.5
Alexander 460 9,528
Bond
Boone 178 3,111
Brown 395 4,125
Bureau 1,209 9,9.57
Calhoun 435 2,210
Carroll 298 2,034
Cass 1,1.59 6,317
Champaign 2,436 15,045
Christian 1,625 8,982
Clark 1,102 7,257
Clay 1,370 6,.588
Clinton 829 8,584
Coles 1,139 9,287
Cook 231 2,925
Crawford 883 3,614
Cumberland 915 9,468
DeKalb 360 10,049
DeVVitt 1,0.53 8,2.53
Douglas 781 9,2.50
DuPage 19 112
Edgar 1,0.52 5,617
Edwards 400 1 ,796
Effingham 1 ,736 1 ,41 5
Fayette 1,.568 4,601
Ford 369 1,784
Franklin
Fulton 1,799 9,038
Gallatin 412 2,517
Greene 565 3,643
Grundy 6.50 6,303
Hamilton 8.59 8,537
Hancock 1,351 11,980
Hardin 303 1,5.55
Henderson 187 1,696
Henry 1,317 9,638
Iroquois 1,6.50 12,1.59
Jackson 738 4,763
Jasper 1,563 9,6.31
Jefferson 633 4,969
Jersey 264 450
J oDaviess 78 455
Johnson 567 2,237
Kane .574 3,843
Kankakee 1.032 7,062
Kendall 3.51 4,264
Knox 1,073 7,661
Lake
LaSalle 1,.5]7 17,942
Lawrence 797 6,236
Le
Livingston 1 ,487 5,350
Logan 2,566 13,898
Macon 1 ,.523 7,842
Macoupin 814 3,868
Madison
Marion 1,965 11,824
Marshall 431 3,684
Mason
Massac 2.50 1,751
McDonough 6.59 2,316
McHenry 675 14,298
McLean 3,017 30,108
Menard 978 18,722
Mercer 793 7,088
Monroe 2.52 722
Montgomery 1,430 7,029
Morgan 614 7,327
Moultrie 441 1,032
Ogle 366 7,592
Peoria 845 7,193
Perry 89 1,175
Piatt 1,038 4,819
Pike 784 2,695
Pope 324 1,951
Pulaski
Putnam 488 7,337
Randolph 547 1,506
Richland 562 2,850
Rock Island 363 2,865
Saline 7.54 4,135
Sangamon 2,041 8,372
Schuyler 789 2,331
Scott 123 4,52
Shelby 2,314 14,720
Stark 442 3,325
St. Clair 1,241 4,679
Stephenson 9.52 14,904
Tazewell 985 5,4S2
Union 1,662 9,2.58
Vermillion 1,975 8,.599
Wabash 611 4,985
Warren 977 12,496
Washington 896 6,667
Wayne 1,829 11,024
White 1,222 4,.S93
Whiteside 1 ,146 16,0.56
Will 415 4,640
Williamson 806 4,.547
Winnebago 447 12,220
Woodford 693 3,065
Total 86,633 618,947
We are sorry the table is not quite
complete, and would suggest to the
Board of Agriculture that they add
two more columns for the coming sea-
son—one for " increase " of colonies,
and a division of the honey column,
giving the number of pounds each of
" extracted " and "comb " honey pro-
duced. Then it will be much more
valuable.
Only a Crape on The Door. — We
have "just received a copy of a new
motto song and chorus, called " Only
a Crape on the Door," composed by
Edward J. Abraham, a most touching
and affective song. It is very easy,
and can be played on piano or organ.
Of the many gad scenes in the city, you see,
Of the poor who are wantinp for bread ;
Of the homeless who wander so sadly about,
Of the mourners who watch o'er their dead.
Of all these sad scenes, the saddest of all,
Should you travel this wide world all o'er;
Just pause in your journey should you chance to
see.
Only a Crape on the Door.
CHORtJS.—Only a Crape on the Door—
A friend or a loved one no more :
Just pause for awhile should you happen
to see
Only a Crape on the Door.
Price, 40 cents per copy, or three
copies for $1.00. Published by F. W.
Helmick, Music Publisher, 180 Elm
St., Cincinnati, Ohio.
Feeding Bees in Winter.— A cor-
respondent in the Gerniantown Tele-
graph, thus describes his method of
feeding bees in winter :
In the first place let me say that I
would prepare the feed in the shape
of a syrup, thus :— Take of pure clean
water two pounds to four pounds of
sugar ; A coffee or extra C is best.
Bring the water to a boiling heat and
then add the sugar ; stir well until it
again boils, and skim off all impuri-
ties ; then let it cool and tiU up glass
tumblers and tie cotton cloth over
each, and turn them upside down over
holes in the top of the hives, if of the
old-fashioned box or gum log, and you
will have the satisfaction of seeing
the tumblers soon emptied and stored
in the brood combs. If you are using
a good movable frame hive you can
feed your syrup in the top of it in the
following way : Take some old bits
of combs and lay in the surplus
chambers, and pour the syrup over
them, and the bees will take it all
down. Feed as fast as they empty
the glasses or combs referred to. We
should feed all weak colonies late in
an evening, which will prevent rob-
bing in a great degree. If you use
the glass tumblers to feed from, I
would recommend boxes to be turned
over them so as to keep robber bees
out.
1^ Referring to the lecture by the
Rev. O. Clute, of Iowa City, Iowa, on
" Bee-Keeping by Modern Methods,"
delivered before the " Iowa State Agri-
cultural Society," at Des Moines, last
week, the Iowa State Register remarks
as follows : " He gave an address of
considerable length, going extensively
into the minutie of the fascinating
subject, and having a bee-hive at his
side to help elucidate his idea. When
he had concluded, he was subjected to
a long fusilade of questions from his
interested hearers, and his ready an-
swers proved even more instructive
than his address proper. The address
and subsequent discussion will be
printed in tlie forthcoming report of
the Society."
1^ We have a few copies of our
pamphlet entitled " Bee Culture " left,
and have reduced the price from 40
to 25 cents each, or $2 per dozen.
m" The Springfield, Mass., Weekly
Republican gives the following notice
of the Bee Journal :
If there are bee-keepers in the Re-
publican's constituency or those who
would like intelligently to make a
venture in apiculture, rio more val-
uable source of instruction can be
recommended to them than the
American Bee Journal, published
both weekly and monthly at Chicago
by Thomas G. Newman. Mr. New-
man is an enthusiast in bee-culture,
and has a happy knack of drawing
out all the other bee-keeping enthu-
siasts of the country, who contribute
to his journal the fruits of their ob-
servation and experience.
52
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee Journal.
How to Ventilate Chaff Hives.
G. M. DOOLITTLB.
The principal method of ventilating
our hives, for the past 10 or 15 years,
has been by what is known as " up-
ward ventilation." The means gener-
ally employed has been a quilt or
porous cloth placed over the frames,
on the top of which was placed chafl
of various kinds, cut straw and saw-
dust, which were to absorb the mois-
ture from the bees, or let it pass off,
and at the same time keep the bees
drv and warm.
As the entrance was to be left open,
to some extent, this plan gave a slow
draft of air through the hive, thus
keeping the air pure, and carrying off
the moisture thrown off by the bees.
This draft must be in proportion to
the size of the colony, else the bees
might be kept too cold, as too great a
draft would carry away the heat gen-
erated by the cluster, so that they
could not keep up the desired temper-
ature, without consuming more honey
than was best for their existence, in
order to maintain the proper temper-
ature ; or, if too little, the moisture
would not be carried off.
To get this draft just right, appears
to be a very nice point, if we can
judge from the many losses in the
past. My bees have been prepared as
above described, for the past 8 years,
and my losses have been large in se-
vere winters, while in mild ones but
little difficulty has been experienced.
To try and arrive at the proper amount
of air which should pass through a
hive, I have experimented largely,
and believe that I have erred in allow-
ing too great a draft through the
hive. ■
■ As all our material used is so porous,
a very small entrance allows the warm
air generated by the bees to pass off
very rapidly, and more especially so,
when the cluster does not come in
contact with any of the surrounding
material, only at perhaps two or three
places. Thus the heat passes into
empty space, and is carried through
the porous material much too fast.
From past experience, I believe, if
we shut our hives as tightly at the bot-
tom as we conveniently can, that
enough air will get in through the
cracks to furnish all that is needed for
safe wintering.
I am trying, the present season,
another plan of ventilating, which, so
far, bids fair to excel our old plan of
" upward ventilation." It will be re-
membered that Mr. A. G. Hill, editor
of the Bee-Keepers' aidde, has always
favored chafl packing, but has opposed
upward ventilation. He simply places
sawdust around the outside of his
hives, and lets in all the ventilation
the bees get, at the entrance.
After studying upon the matter for
a while, I concluded to try a few of
my colonies on a plan similar to Mr.
Hill's, and pack the majority as I had
formerly done.
In accordance with this determina-
tion, I prepared a few colonies thus:
I took the enameled cloth and cut it
large enough, so that it would com-
pletely cover the tops of the hives and
tuck down over the sides and also
where the side boxes were, placing the
enameled side next to the bees. I
then put in the packing, filling the
sides as full as possible, and also the
cap or chamber to the hive, making it
so full that I was obliged to place
hooks on the same, and hook it down
to tlie body of the hive, in order to
keep it in place.
After thus preparing them, I opened
the entrance the full size, in all the
hives, which is % inches high by 14
inches in length. As an experiment,
I raised four from the bottom board,
placing an inch block in the entrance,
which gives them air from the whole
width of the front of the hive, an inch
in depth. Although this last allows
the snow to blow in, to some extent,
the bees seem to be in splendid con-
dition.
We have just had some very cold
weather, the mercury going as low as
15° below zero, yet, upon examination,
I find but little frost in the hives, and
that in the extreme outside corners,
the farthest away from the bees. In
one or two I found ice formed in drops,
as large as the end of my finger, upon
the enameled cloth at the edges of the
hive, but the bees invariably look
small, bright and healthy ; while some
of them with upward ventilation show
distended abdomens, with here and
there a spot of excrement on the
combs.
So far, our winter has been a steady
cold one, and if it does not warm up
enough so that bees which are on their
summer stands can liave a flight be-
fore the 1st of March, I fear we shall
hear of mortality amongst our pets
again.
Under the most favorable conditions
bees can stand from 4 to B months of
conhnement, without harm, but where
we are lacking, seems to be in not
knovi'ing just vi'hat these " most favor-
able" conditions are. If from long
confinement and the large consump-
tion of honey necessary to keep up the
desired temperature, the bees find
their vitality giving out, instiuct
seems to teach tliem to go to rearing
brood, to supply the place of those
about to die. As the young bees from
this brood are not capable of standing
the cold, to that extent which the old
bees have been capable of, when the
majority of the old bees perish, the
colony soon dwindles away.
That the consumption of pollen has
anything to do with this state of
affairs, is not sufficiently proved to
warrant us in excluding it from the
hives. The point I am desirous of ar-
riving at is, hovv' can we best secure a
condition in which to place our bees,
so that an undue consumption of honey
can be avoided during a long confine-
ment. I think chafl packing, together
with lower ventilation, may give us
some light on the subject.
Borodino, N. Y., Jan. 15, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Half-Pound Honey Section.
DR. G. L. TINKER.
Dbae Editor : — A sample dove-
tailed half-pound section, 43-4x4)^x1}^,
as suggested by Mr. Bingham in a
recent issue of the Bee Journal, is
at hand from Mr. A. E. Manum. It
is too thin to look well, and, even if
there should be no trouble to get the
bees to build straight combs in it
without separators, it would not have
the advantages of some other form.
A' half-pound section may be made
to put immediately upon the brood
frames, if it be of a thickness equal
to the distance from centre to centre
of the frames. Or a rack of sections,
of the right thickness, could be put
upon the frames, so that the passage
ways between them and the sections
would be continuous. This would be
of great advantage in many respects,
and might fully compensate the extra
cost of so many small sections.
For several years I have sought
some plan to put a case or rack of
sections down at once on the brood
frames, so that the passage ways
would be continuous, and found it
could not be done with a two-inch
section ; but the half-pound section
can be made just the thing for this
purpose, and since some change in
the surplus arrangement of most bee-
keepers will be necessary to accom-
modate a half-pound section, less
than 2 inches in thickness, it would
be far better to adopt the most advan-
tageous size and form of section at
once, and then make the surplus ar-
rangement to fit, than to undertake
to make the half-pound section to fit
a surplus arrangement made expressly
for sections of other sizes.
First, then, the sides of the half-
pound section should be 1% inches
wide ; the top and bottom pieces l}i ;
and it should be used without separa-
tors, to make it pay. The thickness
being given, the proper dimensions
would be 3?4x3»4Xl%.
This size would be a little gem in-
deed, and. beyond question, could be
used without separators, if any sized
section could be ; 36 of th§m could be
put upon one rack (9 rows and 4 in a
row), which could be tiered up 4 sec-
tions high to advantage, and thus
give room for 72 lbs. of honey. In
arranging a lot of small sections
upon a rack, it will be seen at once
that the square form can be worked
to the best advantage.
The rack may be made of slats
iiixU^xl7 inches long, nailed at the
ends to inch pieces. The brood
frames would need to be on a level
with the top of the body of the hive,
which should be flat and have a re-
movable case and cover. The hive,
being flat on the top, will permit the
sliding of the rack endwise over the
frames, so that no bees will be killed.
I have tried a similar plan to this
with entire success. If the rack is
accurately made, the tiering up can
be very expeditiously done by sliding
one rack of sections over the other,
endwise.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
53
If it should be foTind impracticable
to use any size of section without
separators, then the proper dimen-
sions for a half-pound section, accord-
ing to my ideas, ivould be 434x434x1^8-
New Philadelphia, O., Jan. 1, 1883.
For the American Bee JournaL
The Coining Bee— Enough.
JAMES HEDDON.
I will here try to make my position
upon this subject so clear that this
tedious coutroversy may waste no
more time or paper, and Messrs. Dem-
aree and Shuck may turn their time
to writing upon other subjects. I here
publicly invite Mr. Demaree to give
us a ringing article on " How Best to
Market a Large Crop of Honey."
First, I believe that we have two
well-known races of honey bees in
this country— Germans and Italians V
Am I correct?
Second, That we have at least two
distinct strains of each of these well-
known races, viz., among the Germans
a smaller black and larger brown bee,
and, among the Italians, a shorter-
bodied, bright golden-colored, and
longer-bodied, darker, leather-colored
bee. Am I right 'i
Third, That, of the German strains,
the larger brown bee is vastly the supe-
rior one. Of the Italian, the long,
darker bee is the best. Am I right ?
Fourth, That each one of these
races possess traits much superior to
the other, traits much desired by the
more extensive producers. Is this an
error V
Fifth, That when all the character-
istics of botli races are considered
carefully, the Italian aggregates the
most, and is, all points considered, the
best bee extant ; this is admitted by
the majority. Anything wrong about
this y
Sixth, That any, and all of these
points of excellence are hereditary.
Are they not '?
Now, as it is a fact, to say the most,
the Germans are only slightly inferior
to the Italians in the aggregate, and
that in the vital points of rapid.white
and straight comb building, non-
swarming and quick and white finish-
ing of sections of comb honey, they
are their superiors. I, .5 years ago,
decided to breed from all of the good
and bad qualities of both races, rather
than both good and bad of either one
alone, all the time discouraging the
bad, and encouraging the good, by all
the processes known to breeders, the
same as any wise breeder would do
with either race in its purity. Have
Messrs. Shuck or Demaree shown us
why I could have developed more good
qualities (such as white, straight and
rapid comb building) by breeding
alone from a racej,hat did not possess
it? But we do not see through the
same glasses.
I am looking forward to the near
day when I shall have from §5,000 to
$10,000 worth of bright comb honey in
nice white little sections to sell— all
the product of one season.
Do you know that, do what I might
with these bright golden Italians, I
could never accomplish it, unless with
double the number of colonies that I
expect to use V
Mr. Demaree always talks to us
about "thorough-bred stock." His
mind always runs horse and corn-
ward before he has properly canvassed
the subject of breeding the best qual-
ities in bees.
"Oh! Mr. Demaree. come back.
From your blue-grass, corn pasture,
And looli at this theme
As sliould a bee master."— C. J. li.
Why tell me, over and over, that I
"can never establish a fixed race with
only two pure races ? " Who said I
could ? I never knew whether I could
or not ; I only knew that I could get
more surplus honey with less friction
and stings, with these crosses, tlian
with either race pure ; as I have them
transiently " fixed," and that it will
pay me much the best, even if I have
to fix them all the time. I am of the
opinion that had I any pure strains of
any race of bees known, that I should
" fix " them as long as I kept them.
The report that tells of my saying
that the light Italians are better-
natured than the dark ones, is an
error, for I did 7iot, and I have always
maintained that the dark ones are the
best behaved bees of any pure race,
and that the crosses between these
and the brown bees are equally as
well behaved. I am sorry you should
have come out at the sight of a
shadow, when the same time and
space might have been devoted to
" How to Market a Large Crop of
Honey."
I think it was Mr. Demaree that
told us that the Italians were hybrids
themselves. Well, if they are, being
composed (as they must be a la I>.) of
" several races,'' there may be a
chance for me to " get there " yet.
Mr. Shuck accounted the impover-
ished, honeyless condition of his bees,
at one time of year, to the season, and
then a result, with a?];/ bees, proved a
honey shower, and credited the latter
result all to the stock. His first state-
ment disproved the last, and the last
proved too much, or nothing. Did it
not?
Mr. Demaree tells us that crosses
sport so much that they are liable to
fall back to worthlessness (if they do
not fall below the worth of the brown
German strain I started with, I will
stand it, well), because they are not
(like the pure races) " fixed," yet Mr.
Shuck proposes to breed up his coming
bee out of this Jixedness. I will leave
Messrs. Demaree and Shuck to settle
this between themselves.
In the tenth paragraph of Mr.
Shuck's reply to me, he says that my
"theory (it isreally my practice) looks
well on paper, but in practice it pre-
sents quite a different picture;" and
then, to prove it, cites us to hisfailure
with a pure queen, imported from
Italy, selected at that, during the years
1880-81.
Several have written me to ask if I
should reply to Mr. Shuck. Mr. Sny-
der, of Clarksville, writes me : " Shuck
is right after you ; I think yoii will
have to give up your coming hybrid
bee," and, in the next line, he says :
" I am quite a poultry breeder, and I
am producing a cross between two
distinct pure breeds, which I think
much superior to either pure race, and
I coiild give good reasons for my com-
ing fowls ? " Mr. Demaree will please
correct Mr. Snyder. Had he not better
add a blue jay or red fowl to his
crosses ?
Well, the reason I had not replied to
Mr. Shuck was because I could see no
argument to reply to. When his ar-
ticle came, I was entertaining an old
queen and bee breeder and honey-
producer (second to none in America,
inmyopinion),and we read the article
togetlier and neither of us could see
what I was going to "hit at," and it
lames my muscles to strike into the
air and hit nothing.
But, really, is it not a matter of
demonstration V Must we not let the
utility of the bees by all who use them,
decide the matter ? I fancy I hear an
accord from Messrs. Hutchinson, Oat-
man, Miller, and a whole host of
men, who are known to " get ttiere "
early and often, saying, with our
worthy editor, " the coming bee will
have the right number of yellow
bands, be it one or many ? "
I may be too grossly practical, but I
feel something like the practical old
lady, who, after doing her full share
of amassing a fortune from the dairy,
hennery and farm, took her big, awk-
ward son " Eli " to the fair, to run to
a 20 rod post and get off the $0 gold
piece first. When on his race, and
nearly been led by numerous competi-
tors, the old lady, who stood by in
breathless suspense, cried out, " do
not jump so high, but git there,
Eli."
Please excuse me if I put more con-
fidence in the opinion of bee-keepers
who get iliere than in those who do the
high jumping. T,Jie ink of imagina-
tion has no affinity for the ear of ex-
perience.
Dowagiac, Mich., Jan. 5, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Wood Separators for Surplus Honey.
C. R. ISHAM.
Mr. Editor :— By to-day's mail I
send you a few wood separators, the
same as we have used in our apiary
during the past season, and of stand-
ard thickness, one-sixteenth of an
inch. I put one or two into the pack-
age, which have been in use, that you
may the better judge as to their prac-
ticability for the purpose of securing
straight combs with smooth, evea
surface.
In an article published in your Jour-
nal a short time ago, Mr. F. C. Ben-
edict gives the experience of himself
and neighbors who have used wood
separators, more or less, for several
seasons past, all of whom are among
our most experienced and successful
honey-producers, and follow bee-keep-
ing for profit more than pleasure.
Mr. Benedict's article on " Half-
Pound Sections," marks him as a
writer possessed of good judgment
and who knows what he is talking
about.
54
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
He has liud experience with wood
separators and half-pound sections,
and those contemplating a change in
their surplus arrangements to conform
to what just now seems to be a '' popu-
lar idea." may do well to pause and
consider awhile, before making the
proposed general alteration.
I will here remark (although we
have high authority to the contrary)
that for us to think of dispensing with
separators for surplus honey would be
likegoing-backtoold box hives, minus
brimstoning the bees.
I will now give a few brief reasons
as to why I am strongly in favor of
using some kind of separator for sec-
tional boxes.
First, When wood is used, the bees
do not travel as much over the honey,
preferring to cling to the separator,
especially when the nights are cool
and honey is coming in slowly ; conse-
quently the combs do not get so badly
soiled, as when used for runways or to
cluster upon.
Secondly, We can get just as much
honey witli, as without them, and have
the sections evenly tilled, giving them
a much nicer and more attractive ap-
pearance, which is always appreciated
by the connoisseur.
Thirdly, If we are in the habit of
glassing our honey,— they are simply
indispensable.
Fourthly, That those of us who like
to take off the tilled sections as soon
as capped, and move the unlinished
ones to the center of the rack, would
have a troublesome job without sepa-
rators between the sections, for, while
some combs would rub against each
other, others would be too far apart,
making the whole operation a trying
ordeal.
Fifthly, Upon general principles to
have tlie combs built just as we want
them, believing that straight combs
are more attractive than crooked ones,
whether or not we may wish to use
glass— and that the cost of separators
are nothing in comparison to beneUts
received.
We want our honey in shape to com-
mand tlie highest market price and
give the best satisfaction to the con-
sumer—believing that a white bass-
wood section, well and evenly tilled
with honey, is an article of " beauty"
and a " joy " to possess— better than
wheat, for it can the more readily be
exchanged for gold or greenbacks and
at a far more remunerative price.
Peoria, Wyoming Co., N. Y.
[The samples of separators are re-
ceived, and some of them look as
though they had done excellent service.
We do not believe that tliose who are
producing a fancy article of comb
honey can afford to dispense with the
use of separators. We think they are
indispensable; with very careful work
some may do without them for a time,
but, for producers of comb lioney in
general, they cannot be dispensed
with, — without costing more for extra
time and care, not only while sections
are on the hive, but in crating for
market, than their entire cost, each
season.
For many reasons wood is prefera-
ble, and when cut so nicely as are
those sent by Mr. Isham, we can see no
objection to their use. — Ed.]
For the American Bee Journal.
Bees Removing Eggs.
O. E. COOLEY.
"Do bees remove eggs from one
cell to anotlier V" Yes ; and from one
comb to another, sometimes. A col-
ony of mine lost its queen, about
July 1st, and after waiting a sufficient
length of time for them to have
reared another, I gave them a frame
of brood, containing brood in all
stages, from the egg to luitctiing bees.
I let it remain until all of the brood
had been capped, at least two weeks;
in fact, most of it had hatched out.
but there was no queen cells built on
it, and no queen in the hive.
Again I exchanged frames, putting
back the frame first taken from the
qiieenless hive, which was now again
full of brood in all stages, but still
the bees built no queen cells on that
frame, nor on the frame next to it, on
either side. I thought it useless to
do anything more with them, and
thought I would wait, and, perhaps,
Mr. Alley would liU an order for a
queen that I sent liiui, and paid for,
over three years ago, but the queen
did not come. About six weeks after
giving the last frame of brood, I dis-
covered that the hive had a queen,
and was filled with brood. The bees
must liave moved an egg and built a
queen cell in some other part of the
hive, or the queen could not have been
there.
Eidgeway, Iowa. Jan. 2. 1883.
For tbe American Bee JoumaL
Our Honey Resources.
W. H. STEWART.
Some are of the opinion that 100
colonies of bees are as many as can
be made profitable within a radius of
five miles, while others believe that
each inhabitant of the rural districts
might keep 100 colonies to advantage,
as far as pasture is concerned. We
are not aware that any one has ever
demonstrated practically, that either
opinion is well founded. You can-
not expect me to give my views, in
full, on this question, in one short cliap-
ter, but I will just give a hint, and
leave the matter for further consid-
eration.
I hold that all animate life is gov-
erned by tlie same universal law, from
which there is no divorce. The law
that dictates that one class of beings
shall live by the sweat of their brow,
is just as arbitrary to every other
class of living ci'eatiires.
Veiy much of the work of the bee
is done in tlie night ; much is done in
tlie swamps, on the mountains, and in
the forests, and even that portion of
her work that is done in our imme-
diate presence is by us, by no means
fully understood.
Her cut is so slight, her blow srj li._'ht,
And ifiven in such rapid succession.
Our nerve is so slow, 'tis but littie we know.
By our most labored observation.
The two planes of life, occupied by
the honev-bee and the human family
are widely separated, and in the na-
ture of things we can comprehend
about as miicti of her plane of life as
she can of ours ; very little more.
Yet, as both are subject to the same
law, when we learn how we can ob-
tain from the nectar-secreting plants,
a portion of their choice sweets, then
we have obtained a reliable key that
unlocks the dark mystery that would
otherwise conceal very much of the
labors of the honey-bee from our
vision. If we would know the re-
sources of the honey-bee, we must
first learn our own resources tor ob-
taining wealth.
We have learned, by experience,
that our stores are only born of labor,
and that the measure of stores cor-
responds to the amount of labor that
we are able to accomplish ; and,
further, that the better and more ad-
vantageous our surroundings are the
more labor are we able to accomplish
in a given time. As man is able to
accomplish more under favorable con-
ditions, even so is it with the honey-
bee. If we allow them to increase
their number of colonies bv natural
swarming, then it is highly" probable
that much of their time in' the height
of the honey season is consumed in
preparing a new home in some old
hollow tree. And, again, if we de-
tain the swarm, and give them no
better home than a straw basket or
empty rough box. they must labor
throiigh the whole season to prepare
their rude home for the coming
winter. But if they are properly
divided, and the new colony given a
good frame hive, filled with sheets
of brood-comb, or even sheets of
comb foundation, they are often
found able not only to prepare for
winter, but to give us large yields of
surplus honey. Thus we perceive that
favorable conditions inside of then-
home is, in reality, a honey resource.
The life of the bee in the working
season is only six weeks, and it has
been proven during the last season. by
Jerome Wiltse, Falls City, Xeb., that
she is able, and does gather honey from
the field at the age of six days after
hatching, if surroundings are favor-
able ; and then she has but five weeks
more that she can work.
Kow, we come to a most important
question, viz. : " Wliat is the bee to
work at during this five weeks ?" Is
she to build combs for brood and stor-
age V Is she to stand guard at her
door to protect what little she has
against robbers V Is she to be tor-
mented out of her wits, by being
stified with smoke, and having her
nest all torn to pieces every day or
two, by unwise bee-keepers ; or will
we prepare and protect her home, and
let her gather hone); all the remaining
five weeks of her life y
I have stated that human life is a
key to the life of the bee. If we were
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
55
in want of maple sugar, how would
we act ? We would liist prepare
storage and means of evaporation,
and, when all was ready, we would
cut the liber or cells of the tree, to
make it leak its sap. Tlien we would
gather the sweet sap as it leaked from
the wounded tree, evaporate the water
from it, and have the desired amount
of sugar.
If we desire to obtain cane sugar or
syrup, when our storage and evapor-
ating fixtures are in order, and the
cane is in proper condition, we cut jiud
<TM,s7t the cane and force from it the
sweet juice, evaporate the water and
retain the nectar. I apprehend that
some are beginning to see the point
and ask if I believe that the bees
must go to the forest, and cut bleed-
ing wounds in the trees, forcing them
to le:ik out a portion of their sap, and
surrender it up to be carried away
and evaporated by the bees. And, in
reply, I answer yes ; mostassuredly do
I believe it. 1 know of no law that
would guide tlie maple or cane, to
J10UY out, unbidden, its sweets to tlie
)ee, and at the same time withhold it
from man.
If the bee would have honey, she
must first have her house, worlvshop
and storage room in order, and when
any one or more of the classes of
plants are in proper condition, at the
proper stage of their new growtli,
she must tind where the plant has by
accident or otherwise been wounded,
or find some of its most tender points
and indict the wound, as best she can,
and tlien gather liome and evaporate
what leaks from the wound that is
made. I hold that bees wound the
toloom of clover, buckwheat, linden,
and, in fact,all other plants before they
are able to extract from them tlie de-
sired sweet.
This being true, then all must ad-
mit that a proper conditicm in and
about tlie home (or hive) of the bee is
■one of the greatest resources for
honey. Webster''s first definition of
the word [Besource] is as follows :
"•Any source of aid, or support ; any
•expedient to which a person may re-
sort for assistance, safety, or supply."
Mr. H. M.Morris, of Rantoul, 111.,
lives where tliere is more corn than
nther honey-yielding plants, and his
bees store large quantities of corn
honey, each year. He finds that bees
work very lively at the base of every
leaf, and at every joint from top to
root of the stalk. The truth is, tliat
the rind of llie stalk is the most tender
;it those points, and the bees mutilate
llie rind, making the stalk bleed, and
tlien gather the sweet fluid. Who can
tell how much sap 1,000 acres of corn
•could spare for the honey bee V Who
•can tell how severe trimming white
•clover is able to endure, and yet bloom
<iu and on, in newness of life and
beauty V We know that it tlirives
ibest, in our stock pastures, where it
is subject to the most severe pruning.
AVho knows but it would be acting
t.uetoits nature in yielding a hun-
<lredfold more sweet, if it were cut
and scared by a hundredfold more
beesV If white clover had been
plenty near the bees of Mr. Morris,
ttiey would most likely liave worked
on that, and have paid but little at-
tention to the corn.
Again Webster says : '■ An enter-
prising man linds resources in his
own mind." Allow me to ask horti-
culturists wliere they find their
resources for clioice fruits V Is it not
in their own mind y You must tear
the little seedling tree, root and
branch, from the bosom of its dear
old mother earth, and then cut off its
little tender liead, and wax on to its
slionlders the head of a stranger, then
transplant, cut off its limbs and con-
tinue to cut and scar, until you liave
finally forced it to present to you the
delicious fruit. Tlie resource for this
fruit is in the enterprising mind !
Who can say that our resources for
lioney are any more hidden, or limited,
wlien touched by tlie liand and genius
of an enterprising people, than are
our resources for the choice grains,
fruits and flowers ?
Then kindly treat the queen of sweet,
Give her a cc)zy home:
Each part ctnoplete, and keep it neat.
From bottom floor to dome.
Of pure f resli air, give her a share,
But not too hot or cold;
Adorn lierliome, with nicest comb,
Of the must perfect mold.
Her days are few, 'tis very true.
But keep lier on the winu :
She ioves to scale the floral hill.
And choicest treasures bring.
With hand and brain. Ao all you can.
And blend your life with hers:
Kesources vast, you'll And at last.
In all the coming years.
Eichland Co., Wis., Jan. 10, 1SS.3.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Standard Langstroth Frame.
M. M. BALDEIDGE.
The season for making hives being
again :it hand, it may be well to call
attention once more to the proper di-
mensions of tlie Langstroth standard
frame. The proper phace to find the
exact measurements of the standard
frame is in Mr. Langstroth's work on
bees, wtiere he gives explicit directions
for making his hive. I will now copy
from the 3d edition of his book, page
37:2, what he says about tlie frame, to
wit : " Top, lOi'gXl 1-^x5-16 in.; bottom,
17%x%xi4 in.; ends, each S^a'X-^i^H
in." As the bottom should be nailed
to the end pieces the outside length of
the standard frame, as given by Mr.
Langstroth, liimself, is \7% in., in-
stead of n% in. as given by some of
his pretended followers. The space
between the ends of the frames and
the hive is given by L-angstroth as Ji
in. This makes the liivelsj^ in. from
front to rear, inside measure. The
space above the frames is 5-16 in., and
under tliem, }i in. The inside width
of the hive for 10 frames, is 14}^ in.
It seems to me that the exact length
and depth, outside measure, of the
standard frame should be strictly ad-
hered to by all parties making the same
for their own use or for the public.
Should this be done, the following
modifications of the standard frame
will do no harm, to wit : 1 make and
prefer said frame as follows— top piece
lfi'4xJ^x5-]6 in.; bottom piece 17Mx%-
XI4 in.; ends, each, SJ^x/gX^ in. Ex-
perience has demonstrated that the
top piece should not be more than
Ja in. wide. I find that 5-16 in. space
atendsof liive, }4 in. above tlie frames,
and ^ in. under them, is just about
as near right as we can get it.
This requires accuracy in getting
out the hive material, but when the
machinery for making hives is as it
should be, and properly adjusted, it is
just as little work to cut out the stuff
accurately, as otherwise. No bung-
ling mechanic has any business to
make hives for the public, nor for
himself either. I rather mistrust that
we are indebted to Mr. Uungler for
sending out sample hives for others to
copy from, and that this explains why
there are so many \1% in. frames in
use for standard frames.
But there must have been more than
one bungler at work to explain the
following extract from a letter recently
received from the makers of the Given
Foundation Press, to wit : " In re-
gard to standard Langstroth frames,
we have received sixty (60) different
orders for tliem, and we find but two
alike ! They vary from \4 to }4 inch."
Now this shows that the makers of
hives are simply following Mr. Bung-
ler, or else their own notions, and not
any accurate formula, such as is given
by Mr. Langstroth. There should
henceforth be a change in this matter
or else the subject and importance of
a standard fraiae should be dropped
altogether.
S|. Charles, 111.
Tor the American Bee Journal,
Experiments in our Apiary.
D. VIDETO.
The past season, though conceded
to be a poor one m this section, has
given me very satisfactory results.
The average product per colony has
been about 40 lbs. and the average
profit a little over $5. Very little at-
tention was given to the production
of comb honey, as it sells little or no
higher in our market than extracted,
and we have never yet discovered
methods by which we could so produce
it as to make it profitable at any rea-
sonable price. We have tried all the
popular methods for producing comb
honey, and never yet found the colony
tliat would produce one-third as much
comb honey as it W(nild of extracted.
Since learning, through tlie very
kindly instructions of Mr. James
Ileddon. how to wire frames and put
foundation into them, I have been
able, at least, to attain entire satisfac-
tion on this point. It is due, perhaps,
to say that I have improved somewhat
upon Mr. Ileddon's method, which is
recommended to persons having no
press. Instead of pricking the wires
into tlie foundation, " cell by cell," I
have arranged a handle to a brass
clock wheel about two inches in diam-
eter; this is run lengthwise of the
wires, pressing it down into the wax.
I had almost concluded that I should
be compelled to purchase a foundation
press, more particularly that I might
work the foundation on to the wires,
I but after such experience have dis
66
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
carded the necessity of a press fortius
purpose, as I can run off a large
amount of work in a short time, and
in every respect satisfactory.
Of course, there is no difficulty in
finding persons wlio will manufacture
and sell the very best samples of comb
foundation, and as long as such shall
be found in the market, there seems
no need of a machine, unless working
up wax is remunerative. I have been
really delighted with my success in
wiring my frames and putting on foun-
dation.
I have also been trying some of those
condemned dollar queens. It was
very easy to see, on their arrival, that
they were /oreed— too small and feeble
looking, to insure much promise of
profit. They were introduced, how-
ever, and thus far have given tolerable
satisfaction. My experience has been
that queens from such, during the
swarming season, are all that may be
desired.
We are strenuous in our praises of
the Italians, and consider them much
superior to the blacks in disposition
and honey-gathering qualifications.
The "Coming Bee " with me, thus far,
has been some Italians and as many
hybrids. I am disposed to agree with
Mr. Heddon, that the best bee is the
one that will produce the most honey.
Extreme gentleness is conceded to be
a characteristic of the Italians, a trait
of character which I very much ad-
mire, but fear we all are sacrificing
the honey-gathering qualities* too
much to secure it. I have no better
bees than some cross hybrids.
North East, Pa., Jan. 9, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Comb Honey Surplus Arrangements.
LEROY WniTFORD.
I have taken great interest in the
half-pound section movement, as man-
ifested in the discussions of the con-
ventions, and especially in the Bee
Journal. The subject has been so
thoroughly ventilated that it has no
doubt already taken shape, to be car-
ried into practice in many apiaries,
and yet I can but regard it as an un-
warrantable extreme, and that who-
ever undertakes to run a large apiary
for comb honey in half-pound sections
will have occasion to swing back to
the golden mean.
Its advocates teach that it must be
adopted or rejected in toto, as it never
will do to have two kinds of sections
in an apiary. Now, while it is ad-
mitted that the demand for larger sec-
tions will continue (even for the two-
pound), the idea seems to be that one
must produce the one-pound package
and another the half-pound.
Dr. Miller says that if he knew that
all others were adopting these two
styles, he should continue to use the
two-pound sections. This means that
the retailer must keep in stock, honey
from three different apiaries, to meet
the wants of his different customers.
It strikes me, that I, as a producer
of comb honey, should meet the de-
mand with different weights, as the
extracted honey-men have, with the
pails of different sizes. lam the more
anxious to do this, when I remember
that the half-pound buyer this year
will, most likely, be the two-pound
buyer next year.
1 have invented— do not be fright-
ened at the word, for it will not be
patented— a case wliicli is readily
adapted to the half-pound, jiound or
two-pound sections, or it mav be used
for two or three styles in the same
case, and separators are used more
conveniently than on any other ar-
rangement ; and I think I know what
I am talking about, having " tried all
things" and found nothing good
enough to " hold fast."
I dislike the broad-frame and have
studied for two years to get rid of it,
and still retain the separators, for I
consider them indispensable. The
out-come is a surplus arrangement
which I have used on 20 hives during
the past season, with great satisfac-
tion, as it facilitates the manipulations
very much and does away with a lot
of bulky " traps," which clutter up the
shop and store-room.
The improvement which gives me
these advantages I will call a " section
sill " made of tin. I take a strip of
tin ]i^ in. wide and fold it lengthwise.
Then crimp the two edges at right
angles, }i in. each, giving it the form
of the letter T (sectional view) ; the
lower part being double and the top
single. Now, take another strip 13-16
in. wide, and put it into the T-shaped
piece, and settle them together solid,
with a hammer, and prick the sides
so that the middle piece cannot get
out. The case is simply a square box
without bottom, but an inch band
is nailed around • the bottom. For
pound sections a kerf is sawed into
this band 4ia in. from the sides into
which this sfll is pushed. It should
go tightly, and will, if a fine back saw
is used ; now, suppose you put in the
two outer rows of sections," the outer
ends will rest on the band and the
inner ends on the tin sills. Now, take
the tin separators, cut to the right
length to reach clear across the case,
and drop them in between the sections.
They will rest on the upper part of the
sill just right for the bees to work
under and over them in the usual way.
But the middle sections are not pro-
vided for. For two more tiers of sec-
tions you have only to take a strip of
tin \}^ in. wide, aiid bend the edges
down at right angles 5-16 of an inch,
and drop it into two saw kerfs at each
end, 4I4 inches from the sills.
If it were desirable I could use sec-
tions in the middle 8^2 inches long,
holding 2 pounds, or I can space for
Heddou's 2 13-16 in. sections and these
sills can be moved in a moment to
accommodate one or the other. It
makes no difference what thickness
of section is used, the separators will
fit them, if you use 2 inches or one.
Of course, the tin sills rest on the
frames crosswise, and the bees have
the freest possible access to the supers.
You would be surprised to see how
easily they lift off, and how easy it
is to clean the tins in the wash boiler.
I have made a long storv, and yet I
fear I have not made myself under-
stood, so Mr. Editor, I will send you
a sample of those tin sills which will
aid your comprehension.
Fearing that I have already made
my communication too long, I will
only say in closing that I shall, the
coming season, offer my customer*
half-pound and pound sections of
honey in the same case, and htting,
mixed in the same shipping crates,
and test tlie market, but to produce all
half-pounds for hotels— my principal
market— I am sure would be a great
mistake.
Stow, N. Y.
[The samples of " tin sills " are re-
ceived, and, from the above descrip-
tion of their use, we have no doubt of
their utility. It is a matter, however,,
that must be decided by those who use
them. Two tin sills are sent to us ;
one with a rest to support the separa-
tors, and the other is a plain, cheaply-
made one for the middle sills. They
are placed in our Museum for the in-
spection of visitors.— Ed.]
For the American Bee JoomaL.
A Few Odds and Ends.
T. r. BINGHAM.
The report of the Northwestern
Convention at Chicago, 111., show.'*
that 70 members were present ; of
whom 32 took part in the discussions.
By a careful review of the secreta-
ry's official report of the North Amer-
ican Bee-Keepers' Convention, there
is circumstantial evidence that there
were present at the meeting 18 persons.
Of these, 11 took part and said some-
thing. Twenty-seven reports appear
from different parties (seven of these
persons' names appear as a part of the
eleven as taking part in the discus-
sions). Judge Andrews, of Texas,
and Dr. Blanton, of Mississippi ; in
fact, all the far-off delegates do not
appear in the report as having taken
part in the discussions.
On page 665 of the Bee Journal.
for Oct. 18th, is a letter giving circum-
stantial evidence that two others, not
elsewhere reported, were present.
These two added to the 18 reported by
the secretary would swell the report
of the North Attierican Bee- Keepers'
Convention, for 1882, to 20. The letter
above referred to gives some further
light, which may add to the number 4
ladies, who took the lead in a carriage,
in the trip to Mt. Healthy. By a strict
construction, this would add two not
elsewhere reported. Thus our bee-
keeping friends in England, Germany,
etc., when the'y read the report, saw
that there might have been 22 persons-
in convention assembled at Cincinnati,
Oct. 3, 1882.
Mr. Muth must have written that
letter after the best spirits (of which
he speaks) had departed, or he would
not have so mixed up the sexes in the
" crowd," or construed what I said as-
reflecting on him. I merely said
"That the lingering of foul brood
about Cincinnati ten years, might be
regarded as evidence against curing
it by medication."
I
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
57
"Mr. Heddon as a specialist," page
18 of the Bee Journal for 1883 ; this
is liable to misconstruction. The fact
of his getting such returns, as a nov-
ice, is full of encouragement for be-
ginners, and is a concise commentary
on his criticism of " Blessed Bees," in
the same issue. Mr. Heddon's incon-
gruous sentence, referring to "capac-
ity," on page 20, of the January num-
ber, illustrated capacity for cruelty ;
but when he went further and gave a
test by w'hich one could decide whether
he was "more experienced," etc.,
he illustrated more. It may be clear
to him how one can write four times
and not think once; if so, he may
well say apiculture.lias progressed.
I am very glad J. C. NewQian & Son
gave their practical experience in
half-pound sections ; their size, with
separators, and their sale when offered
in large quantities, settles at once all
theories. Goods of most kinds are
sold in "lines," differing in size and
quality, and if bee-keepers should fol-
low the same plan and use such sized
section as each one thought best, — the
market would soon determine whether
various sizes were most salable, — or
whether only one— and which one.
Abronia, Mich., Jan. 15, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Bee and Honey Statistics.
S. B. ATWATEK.
During several months past, I have
read a great deal of what has been
said on the subject of collecting apia-
rian statistics, by correspondents of
the bee papers, and in the reports of
the discussion of the question by the
various bee-keepers' conventions. I
do not remember seeing anything
stating tliat any statistics on the
subject were being collected, any-
where in the Union, at State expense.
For some time I have looked for some
farmer in Illinois to write to the
American Bee Journal and volun-
teer the information that the Town
Assessor, hist spring, not only asked
him how many head of fat cattle and
hogs he marketed ; how many tons of
hay, bushels of wheat, corn, oats, rye,
apples, potatoes, etc., and how many
pounds of butter and cheese he pro-
duced ; but that, for the first time, he
asked him something about his bees.
Can it be that all the farmers have
forgotten it V It is possible ; for in
fact I had forgotten just what was
asked. But I think only one or two
questions were asked, and perhaps
these are not the same the committee
on statistics are now asking through
the bee papers. ^
I send you herewith a copy of the
Illinois law to be found on page 3 and
4, " Laws of Illinois, 1877," and call
the attention of the committee on sta-
tistics to what is said in the second
section of this act about the power of
the Board of Agriculture to add to or
omit questions from the blanks fur-
nished the Assessors. If more ques-
tions are desired by the bee-keepers,
no time should now be lost in bringing
influences to bear in making a change
as the Secretary of the State Board of
Agriculture delivers the list to the
State Auditor on or before the lirst
day of April of each year.
AN ACT to secure the Collection and
Publication of Agricultural and
Other Statistics. Approved and in
force May 25, 1877.
Section 1. be it enacted by the
the people of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly,
That it shall be the duty of the Secre-
tary of the State Board of Agriculture
to prepare and deliver to the Auditor,
on or before the the (irst day of April
in each year, forms and blankssimilar
to those used in the assessment and
return of property, one or more copies
of which forms the State Auditor shall
send by mail to the County Clerks of
the several counties on or before the
date aforesaid for their information
and guidance.
Section 2. It shall be the duty of
the County Clerk of each of tlie several
counties to provide schedules and
blanks according to the forms provided
by the Auditor for the use of Assess-
ors and Deputy Assessors in the same
manner and at the same time as is or
may be provided bylaw for the assess-
ment of property, to cause such census
schedules to be filled by all persons
within their respective assessment
districts in possession of property,
concerning which, information is re-
quired by this act. Such schedule
shall truly and distinctly set forth the
number of acres he, or she, or they
may have had the preceding year in
fall wheat, spring wheat, corn, rye,
oats, barley, buckwheat, castor beans,
beans, peas, Irish potatoes, turnips,
and other root crops, and the number
of each produced the preceding year ;
the number of acres in timothy grass,
and the number of tons of hay and
bushels of seed produced therefrom
the preceding year; the number of
acres in clover, and the number of
tons of hay, and bushels of seed pro-
duced tlierefrom the preceding year ;
the number of acres in cotton, and the
number of pounds of lint, and the
number of bushels of seed produced
therefrom the preceding year ; the
number of acres sown in flax, the
number of pounds of fibre and the
bushels of seed obtained therefrom the
preceding year ; the number of acres
planted in tobacco, and the number of
pounds produced therefrom the pre-
ceding year. And the Secretary of
the State Board of Agriculture shall
have power, after the first year, to add
to or omit from the foregoing schedule
such items as the State Board of Agri-
culture shall designate.
Section 3. It shall be the duty of
all persons owning or in possession of
property concerning which informa-
tion is required by this act, to make
out and deliver to the Assessor at the
time fixed for the listing of property
for taxation a schedule as aforesaid,
properly and correctly filled, and it
shall be the duty of said Assessors or
Deputy Assessors to properly fill and
add up the blanks and schedules afore-
said and to return the same correctly
footed up, to the County Clerk at the
same time and in the same manner as
is now or may be required for the re-
turn of assessments.
Section 4. It shall be the duty of
the County Clerk to revise, correct,
tabulate, and foot up the statistical
returns made to him by the Assessors-
or Deputy Assessors of organized
townships in counties under township-
organization, and of congressional
townships in counties not under town-
ship organization, and to transmit to
the State Auditor with his return of
the assessment of the county, an ab-
stract of the agricultural statistics of
the county in the form required by the
schedule and blanks furnished by the-
Auditor; and it shall be the duty of
the Auditor to transfer without delay
such abstracts to the Secretary of the- •
State Board of Agriculture, who shall
revise, correct, and compile the same,,
and publish the results in the annual
report of the transactions of the State-
Board of Agriculture, for the year or
years in which the statistics wer&
collected.
t
I would further suggest to tl!e edi-
tor of the American Bee Journal.
that whatever information there may
have been collected by the thousands-
of Assessors in this State on this sub-
ject, last year, can probably be had by
addressing a line to the Secretary of
the State Board of Agriculture, Spring-
field, Illinois. If the statistics are
already published, a copy, perhaps, can
be obtained by addressing the member
of the legislature from your district.
Viola, Mercer Co., 111., Jan. 8, 1883.
[As suggested by Mr. Atwater, we
have made application for any statis-
tics that may be in the hands of the-
Secretary of the State Board of Agri-
culture,'and a Table furnished by hin»
may be found on page 51 of this issue
of the Bee Journal.— Ed.]
For tlie American Bee JonmaL
Are Separators a Nuisance?
A. L. GOULD.
I send my opinion, in compliance-
with Mr. Caldwell's request.
The more I handle bees, the more I
am convinced that they have a good
deal of human nature about them ; or
more correctly, that they possess some
qualities in common with man ; and
that it is much easier, in dealing with
bees, as in dealing with men, to coax
them to do well, than it is to chive
them to do so. In compelling them to-
build uniform combs in small sections
by the use of separators, you disregard
their instincts, and they will spend
much time in pouting, sometimes
leaving whole sections untouched, and
hang out on the outside of the hive.
But coax them to do reasonably well,
by putting 4 sections, side by side,
with nothing between, with a starter-
of clean white comb in each (I have
not used a scrap of foundation during
the past season), and, finding room to
cluster, according to their instincts,
they will at once take hold of the four
conibs and build them down together,
and finish them straight enough tc»
pack.
S8
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
We have packed 10,000 poinids of
lioney in tlie comb, tliis season, and
much the hirRer part of it built vvith-
•out sepaiatois, and liave not been
•obliged to lay aside lialf a dozen combs
for the home market. .Some of them
were more than full, and some not
<juite straight; but by ])utting such
ones next a thinner one, all went in
without touching. And the inconve-
nience of packing is not worth naming
in comparison to the bother and loss
attending the use of separators. We
have worried with them several years,
because the authorities recommend
tliem ; but we shall do it no more.
We have shaken off the nuisance and
•cut up the tins for other purposes.
January 11, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Separators of Wood.
B. H. FINCH.
In the Bee Journal of Dec. 27,
ipage 820, is an article on wood sepa-
irators. Now I claim to be the first
■person in tliis country that adopted
the wood separator, which I did live
^jears ago. The idea first suggested
itself to me, by being in a factory in
■Geneva, Ohio, where I then lived,
where they manufactured wood ribbon
from a round log, rolling around, and
a knife set to take off any thickness
they saw fit for fancy splints, tooth
-picks, etc., being cut into narrow strips
afterward. The thought struck me
that it might be cut into strips of the
right width and length, and tacked on
the section frames, and answer a bet-
ter purpose than tin. I also bent some
1-lb. honey boxes out of it, lapped the
ends and fastened them with glue ;
that was when we were using dove-
tailed boxes. I ordered several hun-
dred yards of the material, cut to a
thickness according to the sample I
enclose to you. I also sent a sample
to I. B. Haines, of Bedford, Ohio, who
spoke very favorably of it in a letter
to me. 1 have used it for separators
•ever since, and prefer it to tin. I
never have been bothered with bees
'• bracing " any more thiin with tin,
and they never run over the comb
with it. The cost is not over one-
fourth of that of tin, and mine lias not
me over one-eighth as much. I can put
il on as fast as I can tin separators,
by cutting it with a penknife to the
size, and tackhig each end with 4 small
wire nails, 2 at each end. If you
<;hange it every season, it will not cost
one-half as much as tin. Not being
anxious to appear in print and liaving
very little time to write I have never
mentioned it before.
I have .50 colonies of bees, but I have
had very little increase and very little
yhoney dm'ing 1882; no one in this sec-
tion of the State has one-half a yield,
and very little increase. I have sold
all my lioney at home. I took tlie first
premium at Summit county, O., agri-
■cultural fair on bees, honey and hives;
what I call the improved Langstroth
with improved surplus, holding 28
-one-pound boxes. I find they work
l)etter than with 56 boxes, as most
jparties use them.
I also have an improved entrance
for controlling robbers, which I con-
sider better than anything I liave ever
seen ; I can stop robbing in one hour
in nearly every instance.
We live in hopes of a better season
during the coming honey harvest. No
one here has any more tlian paid ex-
penses, and many not that.
Bees are having dysentery badly in
this section, from honey dew. We
think some have suffered quite badly;
there was a profusion of honey dew
late, and bees just swarmed the woods
after it.
I like the old Bee Journal, but I
do not take much stock in those large
yields published. I will give these
parties $.500 in cash to instruct me
how to obtain one- half that quantity
and pay all expenses besides. I sus-
pect that it was not weighed on stand-
ard scales.
Sharon Center, Ohio, Jan. 8, 1883.
For the American B«je Journal.
Western Bee-Keepers*Convention.
Upon previous notification, a goodly
number of persons interested in api-
culture, of Jackson and adjoining
counties, met at the court house in
Independence, Mo., Dec. 23, 1882, for
the purpose of organizing a bee-keep-
ers' society. A permanent organiza-
tion was effected by electing J. A.
Nelson, of Wyandotte, Kans., presi-
dent; L. W. Baldwin, of Independ-
ence, vice-president ; S. W. Salisbury,
of Kansas City, secretary ; and P.
Baldwin, of Independence, treasurer.
After some discussion, the following
articles were adopted :
1. This organization shall be known
as the Western Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation.
2. Its object shall be to promote the
interests of bee-culture.
3. The officers of this association
shall consist of a president, vice-presi-
dent, secretary and treasurer, and be
elected by ballot for the term of one
year.
4. The president, vice-president,
secretary and trea.^urer shall consti-
tute an executive committee.
•5. Any person may become a mem-
ber of this association who shall sub-
scribe his name to these articles and
pay into the treasury the sum of one
dollar. Ladies free.
6. Each meeting of this association
shall be at such time and place as may
be decided by a majority vote.
7. These articles may be changed
or amended at any regular meeting
by a two-thirds vote of the members
present.
Owing to the lateness of the sea-
son the exhibits were few, although
there was displayed a very line pack-
age of honeycomb by L. W. Baldwin ;
also extracted honey from the apiaries
of F. J. Farr and Jonanthan George.
Mr. Salisbuary stated that the
tendency, especially in the east, was
for smaller packages of comb honey,
weighing not more than one half-
pound, as having a ready sale at a
higher price and more satisfactory for
general use.
L. W. Baldwin thought tliat one
pound packages were small enough
for practicle Use, as the change of
apparatus, etc., of the apriary for
procuring honey comb in smaller sec-
tions would be accompanied with
great expense. He stated that he
had sold his crop of comb honey the
present year, put up in 1% pound sec-
tions, at 23 cents per pound in the
Kansas Ci'y market.
There was represented at the asso-
ciation about 1,000 colonies of Italian
bees and 26,000 pounds of honey dis-
tributed among the different mem-
bers as follows :
Name. Spring
Fall.
Extract
Comb.
.h
s. A. Nelson 47
63
700
J.
D. iSIeador 2-5
55
1,000
(;
M. Crandall 52
73
1.200
1,000
s.
D. Gregg 34
50
1,200
F
J. Farr 95
146
1,-500
4,000
J.
n. Jones 40
lOo
700
2,000
L
W. Baldwin 1.50
207
2,825
3,175
F
Baldwin 130
145
900
4,000
S.
W. Salisbury 64
100
2,000
.500
E
M. Hay hurst
110
Total
6.17 1,0.54 12,025 14,675
F.J. Farr, J. H. Jones and L. W.
Baldwin winter their bees in cellars;
all the rest winter them on the sum-
mer stands. E. M. Ilayhurst is prin-
cipally engaged in queen-rearing.
All bee-keepers within reasonable
distance are invited to join or attend
the meetings and help in bringing
the bee-keeping interest more gen-
erally before the public, advance the
production and extend the markets of
its product. An invitation is also
extended to all ladies interested in
any way in bee-culture to be present
and take part in the discussions of
the association.
After a vote of thanks to the county
papers and officers for favors ex-
tended, the association adjourned to
meet at Independence on the last
Saturday in April, 1883, at 10 o'clock
a. m. P. Baldwin, Sec. pro. tern.
Convention Notices.
1^° The Northeastern Ohio and
Northwestern Pennsylvania Bee-
Keepers' Association will meet at
Andover, Ohio, to hold their annual
convention, on the second Wednes-
day and Tfiursdav of February, 1883.
C. T. Leonard, Sec.
1^ The Western Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation meets at Independence, Mo.,
April 28, 1883.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
1^ The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will liold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and \Vedriesday, April
17th and ISth, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
^° Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
59
jgH^i^^'
Growing and Satisfactory.
I began bee-keeping in 1879, with 1
stray swarm ; in ISSO I procured cliaff
hives ; in 1881 I had 5 colonies in cliaff
hives ; in 1882 I increased them . to
28 colonies, mostly by dividing, a'nd
obtained 2,000 pounds of extracted
honey, and 500 pounds of comb honey,
and sold all of it at 12 and 16 cents
per pound. A. Motlay.
Ottawa, 111., Jan. 16, 1883.
" Notliiag but Leaves" for Packing.
I had, in the spring, 5 colonies of
hybrids and blacks, spring count ; by
natural swarming and dividing 1 in-
creased them to 17 colonies; sold 1,
and 2 colonies left me for parts un-
known, leaving nie 14 colonies packed
in leaves. I obtained 375 lbs. of comb
honey, and 75 lbs. of extracted. The
above amount was received from 9
colonies. In Italianizing, they killed
and lost 6 queens, which left me 4;
with loss of time and delay, I can
safely say that I lost 200 lbs. The 14
colonies in winter quarters have 50
lbs. of honey in each hive.
S. J. McKenney.
Burlington, Iowa.
Statistics for Canada.
I would ask whether Dr. C. C. Mil-
ler wishes for statistics from bee-
keepers in Canada as well as the
States y Perhaps other readers of the
Bee Journal besides myself would
like to know. II. F. Buller.
Campbellford, Ont., Jan. 13, 1883.
[Of course Dr. Miller wants statis-
tics for Canada as well as the States.
Canada is rapidly advancing in bee-
culture, and it will be quite interest-
ing to know what she is doing.— Ed.]
Binder for tlie Journal as Protection.
I think that the present " make up "
of the Weekly Bee Journal can
hardly be improved ; certainly not as
suggested by l)r. Mason, for the rea-
son that we want the advertising as
well for reference as the rest of the
reading matter, at least, as far as I
am concerned. I would very much ob-
ject to the soiling of any copy so that
a part of it has to be thrown away.
Let those who wish protection get
one of the binders for the Bee Jour-
nal. A. K. KOHNKE.
Youngstown, O., Jan. 18, 1883.
Wintering in Chaff and in the Cellar.
After receiving all my numbers for
1882, and looking them over in the
Emerson binder, I can hardly refrain
from writing to thank the editor and
tlie many correspondents for such an
excellent instructor in the art of bee-
keeping. I^ast spring I had 4 colonies
of Italian bees (2 being strong and 2
very weak); they increased to 10
strong colonies by natural swarming.
The increase all came from 2 colonies;
and I took 120 lbs. of comb honey from
them. I could have taken a quantity
of extracted, but had no extractor, so
thought I would keep it for spring
feeding. After the honey season was
over I sold 2 colonies, and bought 16
Italians and hybrids in Simplicity
hives, at |5 per colony. I packed 10
in sawdust, and 6 in cliaff ; the other
8 I put in the cellar. They are all
alive yet, but I cannot tell how they
will come ont. I thank Mr. Ileddon
and Mr. Doolittle for their able articles
in the Bee Journal. These articles
alnne were worth more to me than the
subscription price of the Journal.
We have had a nretty solid winter
since November 23. The coldest be-
ing 13° below zero. Henry Gripe.
N.Manchester. Ind., Jan. 18, 1883.
An Old Fogy Bee-Keeper.
A neighbor of mine, who keeps
bees, had a swarm of bees cluster on
the body of a very fine and large ap-
ple tree, about 6 feet from the ground.
He got the hand-saw. and down came
the tree, to get the bees. If my
neighbor that saws down apple trees
to get his bees, when clustered on
them, would read the Bee Journal
for one year, I think he would not
saw any more trees down to hive his
bees. E. Doty.
Mackesburg, Iowa, Jan. 9, 1883.
Markings of Holy Land Bees.
Please tell me, through the columns
of the Journal, if the Syrian or
Holy Land bees have any markings
different from the Italians.
Miss L. E. Davison.
Caribou, Maine.
[That is a difficult question to an-
swer. Mr. Jones says he can tell
them by a " shield " on the body
above the abdomen ; Prof. Cook says
the Syrian queens can be easily dis-
tinguished by peculiar ■■ bars " across
the abdomen. It is easier to distin-
guish them, however, by the extra
amount of brood in the hive, and
their sensitive dislike of jars. — Ed.]
Italians Ontstrip the Black Bees.
I started last spring with 9 colonies,
all but one in box hives and log gums.
I transferred them m April and May,
but the cold and wet weather was very
hard on the bees. I increased to 23 by
natural and artificial swarming, but
doubled back to 16 ; I have but 2
strong colonies, both Italians ; my
blacks stand no chance with them.
While blacks are starving all around,
my Italians are full and strong ; I got;
about 50 lbs. per colony, spring count.
After white clover bloomed I had to
feed the bees and am still feeding
them. I am the only person in this
county that has taken over 30 lbs. of
honey this sea.son. I am trying to in-
troduce ttie frame hive, b<'t everybody
is predicting failure for me ; 1 hope
they will be mistaken. This lias been
the poorest year for honey I ever knew.
Bees, as a general thing, have not
gathered enough to winter on. The
colonies 1 transferred were very large
and my early swarms worked well.
Here, in south wtstern Kentucky, we
did not see " the silver lining to the
clouds,"' but lam tliankful that others
did. I did but little myself but I am
truly glad that others have reaped a
rich harvest. E. C. Frazibb.
Hanson, Ky.
Weak Colonies, bnt Wintering well.
The season of 1882 was the hardest
year on bees in this section (Eastern
Ontario) that I can remember. Bees
wintered vvell, but the spring and sum-
mer were very cold and wet; some
bees having to be fed in June and
July, to keep them from starving.
They gained during the latter part of
July and August, giving a few swarms
and some surplus honey, but did not
average more than 10 lbs. per colony,
and went into winter quarters weak
in bees, but seem to be wintering well
so far. J. N. Raymond.
Newington, Ont., Jan. 10, 18S3.
The Blizzard has Come.
The Bee Journal is indeed a wel-
come visitor at our house, and, more-
over, wlien other visitors take up the
paper to read it, I do not feel ashamed
at having such a fine-looking and
useful weekly to present them. The
Weekly Journal is a perfect fit for
me. It was a very favorable autumn
for bee-keeping. The autumnal leaves
fell from the trees after beiiiu; tenderly
nipped and were strewn with far less
violence than is usual in our country.
There were no tempests here, but
when December came we caught a
storm — caught a storm did I say, we
called it a blizzard, etc., and we have
got it again, and that is not all, we ex-
pect to have it for months to come.
John Morris.
Mauston, Wis., Jan. 15, 1883.
Bees Qnlet in the Cellar.
I cannot brag of my success, this
season, with bees and honey. I was
away most of the summer, leaving the
bees to take care of themselves, but I
gave them a good supply of room to
store in ; being at home a few days in
July ami again in September, at which
times I extracted, getting 110 lbs. of
comb and 1,103 lbs. of extracted honey
which 1 sell at home, the comb at 20
and 25c. per lb., and the extracted at
16c. per lb. I had 3o colonies in poor
condition in the spring ; sold 14, and
increased again to 25, all of which are
now in the cellar and very quiet ; there
are no dead bees on the fioor yet ; I
had more than a bushel of them by
this time last winter.
D. H. Hopkins.
Bear Lake, Mich., Jan. 9, 1883.
Footer, not Foster.
I notice in the report of the Md.,
Va. and W. Va. convention that my
name is printed Foster instead of
Footer. I should not liave called at-
tention to it, but I have received a
letter to-day from the post office, ad-
dressed to Thos. Foster and intended
for me ; this makes about 10 letters so
60
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
received in the last year, and all, I
believe, from my name having been
printed wrong iii several papers. I
am greatly in favor of these Bee Con-
ventions and would strongly advise all
bee-keepers to attend at" least the
nearest one, if they possibly can. At
the Hagerstown convention it did me
good to meet friends with whom I had
had correspondence and dealing, but
whose faces I had never seen. This
association, though yet young and
small in numbers, has in its ranks
some very intelligent and progressive
apiarists, men who have spent many
years in the business, as honey pro-
ducers and queen breeders. I have
just read James B. Mason's article on
a "Standard Frame." It is my opin-
ion that when we get a universal
frame we shall have a universal lan-
guage and dialect.
Thos. Footer.
Cumberland, Md., Jan. 11, 1883.
A Candid Request.
Bee-keepers everywhere should
qualify their reports, and not exagger-
ate, showing such large and enormous
yields of honey from spring counts,
and let the inquisitive and candid
apiarists know from how many col-
onies they get their large yield. Now,
let us figure a little. Scientific calcu-
lations are, in a good season of honey
flow, that a bee will gather a teaspoon-
ful during the season, and a colony
of bees will average from 20,000 to
25,000 ; half of thejn in the field would
obtain 12.500 teaspoon fuls, and if that
will make 1,200 lbs. of honey, they
must have large spoons in Texas. It
looks to me a little exaggerated. There
are some others who claim 800 lbs.,
500 lbs. or 400 lbs. per colony. I have
the highest respect for intelligent
and scientific statements, but have no
relish for exaggerated statements.
S. J. McKennie.
Burlington, Iowa.
[In some of the enormous yields of
honey reported, we are assured that
the colonies are doubled up to the
capacity of 4 or 5 ordinary hives by
extra stories, one over another ; if so,
the statements are unfair, and mis-
lead the unsophisticated. Such re-
ports may be tnie in fact, but totally
imfair, and therefore quite unreason-
able.—Ed.]
Wintering in Sawdust.
I moved into the woods in Marathon
county. Wis., Oct. 24, 1880, and had 6
colonies of bees. Before spring I lost
all, with dysentery. Last June I
bought a colony of Italians that covered
only part of three frames. I fed the
some old honey, and they gave 2 natu-
ral swarms. I bought 2 queens and
made 4 colonies by dividing. They all
have over 25 lbs. of stores each, except
3, which had 45 lbs. divided between
them. I have Scombs full of odd-sized
frame that I can feed them. I only
had 3 six-pound boxes of surplus. We
had much rainy weather last summer.
I winter them in a sawdust house.
There are no bees within 4 miles. I
have hard and soft maple, basswood,
and white clover pasturage. We have
got 15 inches of snow and no frost in
the ground yet. Edwin Bump.
Marshfleld, Wis., Dec. 25, 1882.
Mr. Heddon's Feeder.
In the Journal of Oct. 18, 1882. Mr.
Ileddon says " It takes only 24 hours
time to give them (the bees) 25 lbs. of
liquid food through our feeders, and
they will put it in a proper position in
the hive." Will he be kind enough to
give a description of this feeder,
through your columns, as I have no
doubt it will be of great service to
many beside myself. As I find that
bees do well in the winter on .sugar
syrup, which, in this country, is not a
quarter the price of honey, I should
like to extract all my honey in the
autumn and give the bees syrup to
refill their combs ; but having very
little time to devote to my bees, the
time that would be required to go
round a number of hives to give them
enough for winter, by a pound or two
at a time, would be more than I could
spare. Mr. Heddon's feeder would
help me, and doubtless many others,
out of a dithculty ; and I therefore
hope he will give "us a full description
of his feeder, and thus increase the
debt of gratitude we already owe him
for his able articles.
J. E. Williams.
Porthywaen, Oswestry, England.
A Telephone Connected to each Hive.
I vote for the editor to shape the
" make-up " of the Bee Journal, to
his own notion. The readers can find
the editorials, let them he where they
may. I see that one of the writers in
the Bee Journal of Jan. 17, has been
thinking with me in regard to having
combs built in frames, then cut and
placed in small sections, any size, even
to nickel packaMs, and then placed in
a hive to have them fixed up. I have
been thinking again. Why not have
some kind of a telephone arrangement
attached to each hive, so that we can,
at any time, hear from our bees. We
could soon learn to know by the sound,
whether or not all is well ; 'then, at any
time in winter, if a colony is not doing
well, we can know it and remedy the
trouble, if we can. I do not know
much about the construction of the
telephone, but I do believe one of a
cheap kind can be made to do service
in the way suggested. My 35 colonies
of bees are wintering finely, up to this
time. They are on their summer
stands, with chaff cushions in the
caps. Isaac Sharp.
Waveland, Ind., Jan. 19, 1883.
1^" It is not yet a quarter of a cen-
tury since the first Italian bees landed
on our shores, and in this limited time
they have been improved both in looks
and in honey-gathering capacity. I
am bold to assert that there are breed-
ers of this race in America, whose
queens will average better in looks, in
vigor and in prolificness — workers bet-
ter for business— than queens that
come from Italy to-day.— Dr. /. P. H.
Brown.
ADVERTISING RATES for 1883.
20 cents per line of space, each insertion,
' For either the Weekly or Menthly Editions.
A line of this type will contain about 8 words;
TWELVE lines will occupy ONE-INCH of space.
Transient Advertisements payable in advance.
Editorial Notices, 50 cents per line.
8PECIAI- RATES. - Advertisements wil*
be inserted in botli Weekly and Monthly editions,
at the following prices, if wholly paid in advance :
SPACE.
1 in. 12 lines
-• in. J4 lines
3 in. ::iH lines
■1 in. 4H lines
T) in. 6" lines
6 in. 72 lines
One
Two
Three
Six
month
mo'ths'mo'ths
mo'ths
10.00
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1'5.1MI
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:i'j.(Hi
.''lO.iiO
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4". (HI
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lar.
50. (X>
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For the Weekly alone, 20 per cent. less than the
abuve rates. On yearly advertisements, payments
may be made quarterly, but must be in advance.
Advertisements withdrawn before the expiration
of the contract, will be chareed the full rate for
the time the advertisement is inserted.
THOMAS G. NEWMAN.
925 West Madison Street., Chlcaico, III.
i®°The American Express Company
money order system is the cheapest,
safest and most convenient way of re-
mitting small sums of money. Their
rates for $1 to $5 are 5 cents ; over $5
to $10, 8 cents. They can be pur-
chased at any point where the com-
pany have an office, except Canada,
and can be made payable at any one
of the company's 4,000 offices.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local. checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
• » » # *
^" The Bee Journai, is mailed at
the Chicago post office every Tuesday,
and any irregularity in its arrival is
due to the postal employes, or some
cause beyond our control.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
61
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1883, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with |10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New 13ee-Keepiug,
Root's ABC of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jouk-
NAL for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Jouknal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alO!ie will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Local Convention Directory.
1^ The time for the usual winter
rush of correspondence is here, and we
wish to impress upon all our patrons
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
■ I ^^ I — ♦^
1^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but should be written on separate
pieces of paper.
Time and Place of Meeting.
Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, O.
[883.
Feb. 3,
8.— Maine State, at Dexter.
Wm. Hoyt. Sec.
14, Iri.— N. E. Ohio and N. W. Pa., at Andover
C. T. Leonard. Sec.
March 13.— Ijorain Co., at Elvria, Oliio.
O. ,1. Terrell, Sec, N. Kidgevillo, O.
April 5.— Utah, at Salt Lake Cit.T.
E. Stevenson. Sec.
17, 18,— Texas State, at McKinney.
Wm. R, Howard, Sec.
118.- Western, at Independence. Mo.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
May 1 1.— Iowa Central, at Winteraet.
J. E. Pryor,Sec.
— , —Texas State Convention, at McKinney.
Dr. W. R. Howard, Sec.
Sept. lJ-14.— Tri-State, at Toledo. Ohio.
Dr. A. B. Mason, Sec, Wagon Works, O.
Oct. 17, 18. —Northwestern, at Chicaeo, 111.
ThomasG. Newman, Sec.
9. 10.— Northern Mifjh. at Sheridan, Mich.
O. R. Goodno. Sec, Carson City, Mich.
Dec. 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint.
H. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
fW In order to have ibis table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetinKs.- ED.
Subscription Credits.— After send-
ing subscriptions to this office, we
would respectfully ask every one to
look at the label on the wrapper of the
next two papers, and there they will
find the credit indicated thus^ Those
who have paid for the first six months
of this year will find " June 83 " after
their names. Those who have paid
for the whole year will find " Dec. 83 "
on their papers. The credit runs to
the end of the month indicated.
The credit given on THAT LABEL
is a sufficient notification of subscrip-
tions due and receipt for payments
made. If not so indicated within two
weeks after sending money to us, you
may be sure something is wrong, and
should write to us about it. It will
save annoyance and trouble if our
subscribers will give this matter due
attention.
CLUBBING LIST.
1^ Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations 12.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
^^ Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
Emerson Binders— made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 7-5 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, .50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
We supply the American Bee tjournal and
any of the following periodicals, one year, at the
prices quoted In the last column of figures. The
first column gives the regular price of both. All
postage is prepaid by the publishers.
Publishers' Price. Club
The Weekly Bee Journal |2 00. .
and Gleanings InBee-CuItureCA. I. Root) 3 00. . 2 75
Bee-Keepers' Magazine (A.J.King). 3 23.. 3 00
Bee-Keepers'Exch'nge(Houk&Peet)3 00.. 2 75
Bee-Keepers' Guide (A.G.Hill) 2 50.. 2 35
Kansas Bee-Keeper 2 60.. 2 40
The 6 above-named papers 6 35. . 5 50
The Weekly Bee Journal one year and
Prof. Cook's ManuaUbound in cloth) 3 25.. 2 75
Bees and Honey, (T. G. Newman) " 2 75. . 2 50
Binder for Weekly Bee Journal 2 75. . 2 50
Apiary Register for 100 colonies 3 60. . 3 00
Apiary Register for 200 colonies 4 00. . 3 50
The Monthly Bee Journal and any of the
above, f I less than the figures in the lastcolumn.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) f 1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
i^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own y Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one new sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
i^Postage stamps, of one, two or
three cent denomination, accepted for
fractional parts of a dollar; but money
is preferred.
i^Renewals may be made at any
time ; but all papers are stopped at
the expiration of the time paid for,
unless requested to be continued.
IS" One of the largest seed estab-
lisliments in ttie United States is
located at Marblehead, JIass., and is
owned and managed by James J. H.
Gregory. Mr. Gregory lias earned a
reputation second to none througliout
every State in the Union, of selling
the most reliable seeds that can pos-
sibly be obtained.
62
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office of amekican Bee Journal, ?
Monday, id a. tfi., January ii2. 1882. i
The following are the latest quota-
lions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotations of Cash Bnyera.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The supplv of extracted honey is fully
up to the demand. My quotations are : 7c. for
dark and ;tc. for liiiht. delivered here.
BEESWAX— It is qu.te scarce. 1 am paying '27c.
for good yellow wax, on arrival ; dark and off col-
ors, 17^220.
Al. H. Newman. 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demand is good for extracted in
barrels as well as in glass jars and tin buckets ; ar-
rivals are fair. The demand is fair for comb
honey, which, however, is not cheap enough to
make trade lively. Extracted brings 7(gtlUc. on
arrival : comb honey, \■^w■^Oc.
BEESWAX— Is scarce and brings 20®27c. on
arrival. Chas. F. Muth.
QnotatloDH or Commission HKerchauts.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— January month, and still there is a
large surplus of comb honey on the market.
Prices are weak owing to large olTt*rings. and anx-
iety on the part of j-hippers and holders here to
realize on the pru'iuct. Extracted honey is steady,
but the demand is light.
We quote: white comb honey, in l@2lb. sections,
17^1Hc. Dark comb honey, hardly anydemand. It
is held at iii^(silOc. Extracted— White brings from
9@l(ic.; dark, 8<-i.9c.; kegs, half- barrels and casks
bring about same price.
BEESWAX-Yellow, 30@32c.; dark. 27@2ac.
R. A. BuiiNETT. 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— Nothing of consequence is at present
doing. There is no special inquiry, and no selling
pressure, unless it is on off qualities.
White comb, l7(gJ20c; dark to good. lI@13Hc; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, SJijCsy^c. ; dark and
candied, 7®8c.
BEESWAX— We quote 25®28c.
Stearns & smith. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Strained, at 6<§.7Hc., was salable— one
lot of 17 bbls. bringing inside flgure ; but comb,
very dull at 16c. to I8c.: and extracted do.. 8(s.bc.
BEESWAX— Prime bright steady at 27t4iJHc.
W, T. Anderson & Co.. I17 N. Main Streec.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Has changed in price a very little, we
And it necessary to sell all grades about 1 cent per
ftt. less. Best white, in i ft sections, 20'a21c. per
per pound ; in 2 lb. sections, I8@20c. Extracted is
very dull indeed, hardly anv sale.
BEESWAX-Scarce. 28(tta'Jc.
A. C. Kenuel. 115 Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— Strictly choice to fancy white clover
honey, continues in light supply and prices held
tlrmly. Buckwheat and extracted honey quiet and
unchanged.
We quote: White clover, first quality, 1 ft boxes.
ii4(gi25c; fair to good, 22(s!23c.; buckwheat, I5@l7c.
Extracted, clover. l(.)(©13c.; buckwheat, 9(§)10c.
BEESWAX— There isonly a moderate demand
for wax, but the supply is not large and prices
llrmly held for prime lots.
Western pure, 3tXS32c; southern, pure, 3l@.33c.
D. W. QuiNBY, 1U5 Park Place.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
^ lb. sections at 30c. ; 1 lb. sections, 22(s.'-*5c.; 2 1b.
sections, 20(3j22c, Extracted, lOc. per lb. Good
lots of extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— 30C.
Crocker & Blake, r," Chatham Street.
Send a postal for circular. It lelis you about the
handiest clamp and most perfect sections and
cold-blast Smoker. F. Boomhower,Gallupville,NY
Bees for Sale.
so CoIonlesorSees, in Gallup frames,cheap.
900 Colonies of Bees, in Langstroth frames
In prime condition.
<J. H. ROBERTSON,
36wtf Pewamo, Ionia Co.. Mich.
STUDENTS
IN BEE-CULTURE.
Having tiad such good success for two years past
in teaching the theory and practice of honey-pro-
ducing. I have now made arrangements to accom-
modate a large class during the coming season. I
shall aim to give a Ave months' instruction, at the
end of which time 1 hope and expect to turn out
bee-keepers competent to profitably engage in the
pursuit, or such as will be sought for as assistants,
at wages above common laborers. All interested,
write Tor tf rms.
be£-k£i:fers* supplies
on hand, as usual. Beeswax wanted.
JAMES HEDDON.
Dowagiac, Mich. I'tf
LIVE BEE-KEEPERS WANTED,
to introduce the new lime cushion, the only pro-
tection yet discovered that will carry the bees
safely through winter and spring without fail.
Send $."in, for right to retail this cushion in your
county, or send i>r> for one apiary right to patentee.
Remit by registered letter or P. O. order.
F. DELLA TORRE.
74 Charies-st. Avenue, Baltimore, Md.
Patented April 25. 1882. No. 254,932. 45wi3t
THE CONaUEROR.
Large Smokers need wide shields. Bingham's
nave them, ana springs that do not rust ani break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
postpaid for |2. Address,
BINGHAM & HETHEKINOTON,
Abronia, Mich.
BIND TOUR JOURNALS
AND KEEP TUBM
NEAT AND CLEAN.
. of r *
/pat. B/NDCRfl.^PERIOD/CALSl
The Emerson Binder
IS THE NEATEST AND CHEAPEST.
Any one can use them. Directions in each Binder.
For Monthly Bee Journal SOc.
For Weekly Bee Journal ISc,
Address, THOMAS 6. NE^V^MADr,
925 West Madison Street. Chlcaco, III.
S'WKET CtOVER SEEIl.-New and clean,
25 cts. per lb. Ben Clendenon. Grinnell.Ioa
50W13
DTTNHAM rOMIt FOITNDATION— 40e.
per poun.l ; extra thin and bright, in sq. ft. to
the lb, 4SC. Send t'lr samples. Wa-X wtirked 10c.
perlb. F. W. HULMEy.CnopersYille, Mich. 13wly
PATENT FOUNDATION MILLS .^Zk 1]^
4''t>tp "\V. C. PELHAM. Ma'-srille, Kv.
My Tesetable and Flower Seed Cataloffue far
1888 nnlT be sent Free lo all who apply. Luslomersof
last season need not \% rite for it. Allseed sent from my
establishment warranted to be both fresh and true to name,
so far, that should it prove Otherwise, 1 agree to retill the
order gratis. My collection of vegetable seed is one of
the most extensive to be found in any American catalogue,
and a large p^rt of it is of mv own growing. A« the
origriiiat Intrndiicer of Early OHio and ISurbuiik
Potatoes. Murblehoad Early Corn, tlie Iliibbard
^quaHb, Marbleht-ad Cabbaee* J'hInneyV Melon,
and a score of other new Vegetat-les, I invite the patron-
age of the publio. In the gardens and on the farms of
those who plant mv seed (I ill be found my best advertise-
ment. James J. H. CregOry, Marblehead, Mass.
msmw
The Bee-Keeper's Guide;
OR,
MANUAL OF THE APIARY,
By A. J. COOK,
Of Lansinij, Professor of Entomology in the
State Agricultural College of Micliigaa
3ZO Foffea i 133 Fine Illuatrattooa.
This Is a new edition of Prof. Cook's Manual of
the Apiary, enlarged and elegantly illustrated.
The first edition of 3,000 copies was exhausted In
about 18 months — a sale unprecedeBted in th'-
annals of bee-culture. This new work has been
produced with great care, patient study and per-
sistent research. It comprises a full delineatiori
of the an:it<.>my and physiology of the honeybee,
illustrated with many costly wood engravings —
the products of the Honey Bee ; the races ot bees ,
fuildesccriptions of honey -producing plants.trees,
shrubs, etc.splendiJIy illustrated— and laat.ihougli
not least, detailed instructions for the various
manipulations necessary in the apiary.
This work is a masterly production, and one that
no bee-keeper, however limited bis means, cao
afford to do without. U is fully "up with the times '
on every conceivable subject that can interest the
apiarist. It is not only instinctive, but intensely
interesting and thoroughly practical.
Head the Jollowino opinions of the Book ;
All agree that it is the worli of a master and of
real value.— L'AjrUaUure, Paris.
I think Cook's M;tnual is tne best of our Ameri-
can works.— LEWIS T. Colby.
Itnppearsto have cut the ground from undei
future bouU-makers.— Brt(i.-/i Bet JnurnaL
Prof. Cook's valuable Manual hns been my con-
stanipuide in my operatiuus iind successful man-
agementof the apiary.— J. P. West.
I have derived more practical knowledge from
Prof. C<iok's New Manual ut the Apiary than trom
any other book.— E. H. Wyxkoop.
This book is just what everyone Interested Id
bees ought to have, and whicii. no tpne who ootains
It, will ever reyrei havmg puiuaaseU.--.Vic/t. Far,
To all who wish to engage -n ben-culture, a
manual is a nece>sity. Pivt. Cook's Mauuul is an
exhaustive work.— iferafd, Monticello, 111.
With Cook's Manual I nra more than pleased. It
ia fuily up with the times in every particular. The
richest rewMiTi awaits us author.— A. K. Wenzei..
My success has been so great as to almost aston-
ish myself, and imicli uf it is due to itie clear, dis-
Inteiested inlurm:ition contained in Cook's Man-
ual.—VVai. Van A-NTVVEXiF. M. D
It is the latest book on the bee. and treats of both
the bee and hives, with their implements. It Is of
Value to all bee-raisers.— Ky. Live Stock Record.
It is a credit to the author as well the publisher
I have never yet met with a work, either French
or turpiyn, which 1 like so much.— JVAbbe Dv
Bois, editor of the BuLetin D' A^iculteur, France.
It not only gives the natural history of these in-
dustrious insects, but also a thorough, practicaU
and clearly expressed series of directu>ns for their
management; also a bolanica 1 description ot honey
producing plants, and an extended account of the
enemies of bees.— i>tntocr«t, Pulaski, N. V.
We have perused with great pleasure this vadb
mccuiuof the bee-keeper. It is replete with the-
best information on everything belonging to api-
culture. 'I'o al takingan inierest m this subject,
we say. obtain this valuable work, read it carefully
and practice as advised.— .ttyrituidiriiit, Quebec.
This book Is pronounced by the press and leading
bee-men to be the most complete and practical
treatise on bee-culture in Euiopeor America ; a
scientitlc work on un-iiern bee management that
every experienced bee m;io will welcome, and it is
essential to every ani;ilpur in bee-culture. It in
banasomely printed, neatly bcmnd, and ia a credit
to the West.— irt6ltr7l-4yricu/u[ifij.(.
This work is undoubtedly the most cOTpIete-
manual lor the instruction of bee-keepers whiGii
has ever been published. It gives a full explana-
tion regarding the c;ireand management of the
apiary. There is no suOject relating to the culture
tif bees letf untouched, and in the compilation of
the work Prof. Cook has had the advantage of all
the previous knowlede of apiarists, which he usea
admirably to promote and make popular this most
interesting of alloccupa'tions.— j4«iencan Inventor,
tot
Pricic— Bound in cloth, SI. 25 ; in paper cover*
Sl.OO by mail prepaid. Published by
THOMAS G. NEWMANv
. West Madison Street, CUICAGO, UAa.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Send to I. R. G-OOD
Kor Price List, for iwa. of
HOLY- LAND AND ITALIAN BEES
And " Given " Comb Foundation.
He will give satisfaction or refund the money.
l*5t Nappanee, Elkhart Co., Ind.
PRIZTpEST
Tested Prize Queen, in a 2-
franie nucleus. MxI7, each, f4 Od
Same in nucleus, 4 fra., yxt<, 4 i>0
Tested Prize Queen, by mail, 3 00
PrizeQueen, warranted pure-
ly fertilized 2 00
Queen, not standard size — 100
FullCjIony, Hframes, Prize
Queen it 00
BeforeJuly i.add |l each.
Cash Orders filled in rotation.
Address E. L. BRIOGtS,
l*ly Wilton Junction, Iowa.
OF
AGENTS WANTED jr LIVES
MARTYR PRESIDENTS.
Abraham I^liicoln, " From Pioneer Home to
White House," and Jsinies Ahi-iiin Gurfielcl,
"From Log Cabin to White llmise." In Entilish
and German. Illustrated with flue steel enyruv-
ings. By an eminent author. Alsn, for the OXL.Y
larize Kteel |koi'trsi.I( or Gai-fleld. Seud lor
extra terniH.
THE HENRY BILL PUBLISHING CO.,
50w8t NOUWICH, CONN.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The British Bee Journal is published month-
ly, and contains the best practical infurmMtinn for
tne time being, sliowina what to <Ui. nnd when and
how to do it. Kcv. H. K. PEEI... Editor.
We send the Weekly American Bee Joitrnal
and the Brittsti Bee Jour nal,both for $3.ri0 a year.
ELECTROTYPES
Of Engravings used in the Bee Journal for sale at
25 cents per square inch— no single cut sold for less
thanoOc. THOAIAS G. NEWMAN,
»S5 West Madison Street, Chlcaico, 111.
Muth's Honey Extractor,
Square Glass Honey Jars, Tin Buckets,
A Langstroth Bee Hives, Honey Sections, etc..
Apply to C . F. M U T II ,
• 976 and 97S Central ATe.,CISrCINNAXI, O.
t»"Send 100. for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers.
©S ENQRAVINGH
The Horse
BY B. J. KEND ALL, M. D.
A TREATISE giving an index of diseases,
and the symptoms ; cause and treatment of each, a
table giving all the principal drugs used for the
horse, with the ordinary dose, eflectsand antidote
when a poison ; a table with an engraving of the
horse'steeth at different ages, with rules for telling
the age of the horse ; a valuable collection of re-
cipes, and much valuable information,
**rlce as cents.— Sent on receipt of price, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
925 West Madison Street, CHICAGO IILL.
T ANGSTKOTH ASTD SIMPLICITY
Ll CHAFF HIVKS, with m..viible upper
story, 8ecti<in boxes, metal-cornered brood frames
wide LanEstroth frames and comb foundation
Bend for Price List. A. B. MILLER & SON
■'■•''tf Wakarasa. Elkhart Co., In'd.
TFTTS PAPFT? may he found on file
^ tKf-^ JL /\X rjJXat (ieo. P. Kowell &
to. 3 Newspaper AdverlisinK Bureau (Pi Spruce
It in ItEw' TOKk""' '^°°"''"='° """y ''« °""le for
1 buy and sell Honey for ('ash onlv. As I do no
Commission business. I will not accept shipments
without previous correspondence.
J
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O
BEESWAX.
1 pay 37c. per pound delivered here, for yellow
Beeswax. To avoid mistakes, the shipper's name
should always be on each package.
Ar.FREI> H. NEIVMAN.
923 West MadlBon Street. CHICAGO, ILL.
A NEW BEE BOOK !
Bees&Honey
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor of the Weekly Bee Journal.
It contains lOu profusely illustrated pages, to
"fully up with the times" in all the various im-
provements and inventions in this rapidly devel-
oping piirsuit, and presents the apiarist with
everything that can aid in the successful manage-
ment (if the honey bee. and at the same time pro-
duce the most honey in its best and most attract-
ive condition. Chief among the new chapters are
"Bee Pasturage a Necessity," " Management of
Bees and Honey at Fairs." " Marketing Honey,"
etc. Price, bound in cloth, 75 ceuts; in paper
covers. 50 ««iitH, postpaid.
925 IV. Madison Street. Chlcavu, 111.
AppreclntlTe Notices.
Carefully prepared for beginners.— FannerB'
Cabinet. Amherst, N. H.
A very valuable work to those engaged in bee-
raising.— News, Prairie City. Iowa.
We advise all who keep bees to send for this ex-
cellent work.— Journal, Louisiana, Mo.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen, Pulaski, Tenn.
Carefully prepared, and of vast Importance to
bee-raisera.— Indianian, Clinton, Ind.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. V.
New and valuable, and embellished with lOP*
beautiful engraving*.— Democrat, Salem, Ind.
Much practical useful information, in a cheai-
form.— Daily Standard, New Bedford, Mass.
Contains all the information needed to make-
bee-culture successful.- Eagle, Union City, Ind.
Just sueh a work as should be in the hands o*
every beginner with bees.— News, Keithsburg, 111.
A valuable work for all who are interested in the
care and management of bees.— Democrat, Alle-
gan, Mich.
The most perfect work for the price ever yet pro-
duced on the subject of bee-culture.— Anti-Monop--
olist. Lebanon, Mo.
The engravings are fine. It is gotten up in the
very best stvle, and is cheap at the price.— Farmer-
Cleveland, o.
It comprises all that is necessary for successfus
bee-culture, save experience and good judgment,
—Daily Uepublican, Utica, N. V.
A manual, containing all the newest discoveries
in the management of these little workers.- Plain
Dealer, St. Lawrence, N. Y.
Full of practical instruction, that no one wh!>
contemplates keeping bees can do without.-Far-
mers' Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping »
success.- Col. Valley and Farm.
It embraces every subject that can interest the
beginner in bee-culture. The engravings perfectly
illustrate the text.— Farm and Fireside, Spring-
field, O.
Embraces every subject of interest in the apiary r
giving very thorough details of the management
and manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping:
a success.— Farm. Lungmont, Colo.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all ^eader8^
even though they be not directly interested in the
care of bees.— Sentinel, Kome, N. Y.
It is a valuable and practical book, and containa
a complete resume of the natural history of the
little busy bee, as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Describes all the newest discoveries In the art,
by which the production of delicious and health-
giving honey is obtained, aswell as how to prepare
it far the market in the most attractive shape.—
Signal, Napoleon, O.
Contains a vast fund of information in regard to
bee-culture. He who would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted in all the improvements In
his line. We advise all interested to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times, San Bernardino. Cal.
It embraces every subject that will interest the
begiijner. It describes all the newest discoveries
in the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive
form. It isembellished with beautiful engravings,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancaster, I'a.
A lilhera.1 Discount to Dealers hy
the Uozenor Hundred.
64
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
BOOKS!
Sent by mall, on receipt of price, by
925 West Madison Street. CHICAGO, ILL,
Bee-K.eeper*fl Oulde ; or, Co«k*» manual
of the Apiary. — Entirely re-wrltten, elegantly
Illustrated and fully " up with the times " on every
subject of bee-culture. It is not only instructive.
but intensely interestinR and thoroughly practical.
The book is a masterly production, and one that no
bee-keeper, however limited his means, can afford
todowithout. (^loth, iSil.SS ; paper cover, Wl,
Qnlnby*8 Ne^v Bec-Keeplng:, by L. C. Root—
The author treats the subject of bee-keepiuK so
that it cannot fail to interest ail. Its style is plain
and forcible, making all its readers realize that its
author is masterof the subject'— !S1.*>0.
Novice's ABC of Bee-Culture, by A. I. Root
—This em braces "everything pertaining to the care
ol the honey-bee," and is valuable to beginuers and
those more advanced. Cloth, i$l.2ii.
KlnffN Bee-Keepers* Text-Book, by A. J.
King.— This edition is revised and brought down to
the present time. Cloth, il^l.OO.
IjangTHtroth oa the Blve and Honey Bee.
— This is a standard scientiflc work. Price,"!S2.
Blessed Bees, by John Allen.— A romance of
bee-keeping, full of practical information aod
contagious enthusiasm. Cloth, 7i>c.
Bees and Money, or Management of an
Apiary for Pleasure and Prodi, by Thomas G.
Newman.— Third Editinn. "Fully up with the
times." including all the various improvements
and inventi<in8. Cbief among the new chapters
are : " Bee Piisturage a Necessity." " Management
of Bees and Honey at Fairs." "Marketing Honey,"
etc. It contains 160 pages, and is profusely illus-
trated. Price, bound in cloth, 7Se,i in paper
covers, SOe., postpaid.
Blenen Kultar, by Thomas G. Newman, in
iGEHMAN language. Price, in paper covers,
40 cents, or $3 per dozen, postpaid.
Dzlerzon Theory ;— presents the fundamen-
tal principles of bee-culture, and furnishes the
facts and arguments to demonstrate them. 15 c.
Honey, as F^od and Medicine, by Thomas
G. Newman.— This pamphlet discourses upon the
Ancient History of Bees and Honey , the nature,
quality, sources, and preparation of Honey for the
Market ; Honey as food, giving recipes for making
Honey Cakes, Cookies, Puddings, Ki^am.Wines.etc;
and Honey as Medicine, with many useful Recipes.
It is intended for consumers, and should be scat-
tered by thousands, creating a demand for honey
everywhere. Published in EukHhIi and <5«'rnian.
Price for either edition, ©o. ; per dozen, oOc.
'Wintering Bees. — This contains the Prize
Essays on this subject , read before the Ceniennial
Bee-Keepers' Association. Price, lOc.
Preparation of Honey for the Alarltet,
Including the production and care of both comb
and extrutted honey, and instructions on the ex-
hibition of bees and honey at Fairs, etc., by T. G.
Newman. Price lOc.
The Hive I TTse— Being a description of the
hive used by Q. M. Doolittle. Price, *>c.
Font Brood; its origin, developmentand cure.
By Albert R. Kohnke. Price, 3Sc.
£xtracted Ho^ey ; Harvesting:, Handl-
Idk and Marketlnic-- A iM-page pamphlet, by
Ch. & C. P. Dadanl, giving in detail the methods
and management adopted in their apiary. This
contains many useful hints.- Price 15c.
Bee Pasturagre a Necessity, by Thorn aeG.
Newman— Giving advanced views on this impor-
tant subject, with suggestions what to plant, and
and when and how : :26 engravings. Price, lOc.
Practical Hints to Bee-Keepera, by Chas.
F. Muth : 32 pages. It gives Mr. Math's views on
the management of bees. Price. lOc.
SvParmlngr^Blvldlnff and Feeding Bees.-
Hints to Beginners, by Thomas G. Newman. Price
5 cents.
Bees In "Winter, with instructions about
Chaff-Packing. Cellars and Bee Houses, by Thomas
G. Newman. Price 5c.
Queen-Rearinc, by Henry Alley.— A full
and detailed accountot TWENTY-THREE years'
experience in rearing queen bees. The cheapest,
easiest and best wav to raise queens, t Never
before published. Price Sl.OO.
Food Adulteration ; What we eat and should
not eat. This book should be in every family, and
ought to create a sentiment against adulteration of
food prodHCts, and demand a law to protect the
consumer against the numerous health-destroying
adulterations offered as food. 200 pages SOc.
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Kendall's Horse Boob. — No book could be
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The work contains i.'Mn pages, is a veritable
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Fisher's Grain Tables for Farmers, etc.
—1^2 pages, pocket form ; full of useful tables for
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Chicken Cholera, by A. J. Hill.— A treatise on
ts cause, symptoms and cure. Price, S5c.
Deutsche ^xuchtv^
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SBicncn AJuItur, obcrerfoIgvctcI;e
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SSeletjrungen ii&er folgenbe ©egenftcinbe
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Bon Jlonigtiiiu'ii — SdiSjictjeit — SBicnen
bcfjciubelit iinb boni[)igcii ; ractter ciitljatt
e§ einfi'npitcl,iuovinbie neuefteSOtctljobe
fiir bic Jpcrridjtung bc§ JjonigS fiiv ben
J^nnbcl befc^riebenift. ^rct^ 40 (S'entS.
^onig aU 91 a I) rung un'o
9Wci>ijitt — Bon Iftomn^ •S5.9;etumnn.
S)icfc§ entf)iiU eine f Inve bnvfteUiing iiber
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3ub(reitung he§ JponigS fiiv ben Jpanbel ;
|)ontg nl6 9k()rung6mittel, angcbenb
roie ninit .Jionigfudjen, gormfiicf)eld)en,
5}.subbiiig§,i3iiiiuimfonfect,iBeine,u.f.ro
5ubcvcttcn fnnn ; fevnev Jponig a[§
3}Jcbi,5in mit niclen SRcjepten. (S§ ift fiir
ben gonfumenten beftinimt, unb fotite
tjiettaufenbfdttig iiber ba§ ganjc Sanb
nerbrcitet roerben. $ret§ 6 EentS.
5)a§ qsferJt «ut> fcine
Strait fJ)CitCtt—iSon S.^. jlenball,
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©timptoiTten unb ber rid)tigcn S3ef)anb=
iung berfciben ; ferner, eine ©ammtung
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THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
925 Wait Madison street, Chicago, lU.
"RED TAPS!'
The Orldnal
BINGHAM
Bee Smoker
Who will be the
first to copy f
25,000 IN USE.
If you buy the Origi-
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aid the inventor of
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plained of— thestand-
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season than ever be-
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postpaid, from «r> cts.
to *i2. Our patents
cover all the smokers
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go out. If you buy
our smokers and hon-
ey knives flrst, youp„4.p,„*«ri 1070 I
will have to buy no^^^®^*"®^' ^**'*'' I
others.
PRICES:
Handed to By Mall,
Customer. Postpaid.
Wide shield Conqueror, 3 inch $1 75
Large Bingham Smoker (wide
shield). liH inch l 50
K.xtra Bingham Smoker (wide
shield). 2 inch
Plain Bingham Smoker, 2 inch....
Little Wonder Bingham Smoker,
I9iinch
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To sell again, apply for dozen or half-dozen
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Send for free description and testimonials, to
1 25
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50
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1 75
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1 15
BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON,
.A-bronta, Mich.
Given'sFoundationPress.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT affirms that the PRESS
is SUPERIOR for making Comb Foundation either
in Wired Frames or for SECTIONS, and insures
straight and perfect combs, when drawn out by
the bees. Send for Circular and samples.
». 8. OIT£N <<2 CO..
I Htf HOOPESTON. ILL.
Cheap ! Cheaper !! Cheapest !!!
»00 COJL.ONJES OF BBES
for sale, in movable frame Jiives, Also, Queens,
Nuclei, Bees by the pound, Hives, Sections, Smok-
ers, Seeds for Honey Plants, and evei ything a live
bee-keeper needs. Send for circular and price list
to Fr.AXA.GJLN A II^I^INSKI,
Box 819, Belleville. St. Clair co.. HI.
(Proprietors of RoseHill,Cahokia, Falling Springs
and Lake Apiaries. iwmly
bTcInts
FOR THREE MONTHS.
The new volume (nineteen) of DEMOREST'S II-
t-t:stkated Monthly Magazine for 1883 is the
best and the cheapest Family Magazine published,
printed on the tlnest tinted paper, size 8^^ x li!^
inches. The three numbers now ready of volume
19 weigh 1^ pounds and contain 2i0pages of large,
clear print." New Novelettes, Stories. Biographies,
Poetry, Travels, and valuable information of the
day and for the household. In demand by every
family. 144 Illustrations, H Plioto Plates and 4 Oil
Pictures. W. JENNINGS DEMOREST, Publisher,
17 East 14th Street, New York. Single copies,
Twenty Cents ; yearly subscription. Two Dollars.
l"ff2tp
IMPORTANT TO BEE-KEEPERS.
Send your Htldress for our Circular and Prospec-
tus oi our NEW BOOK on QUEEN REARING.
HENBY Atl-ET,
l«1[tf WBNHAM, MASS.
ii.at-ijotto:j
COMB FOUNDATION.
high ?''if-walts.4 to 16 square feet to
the poQud. Circular :iud samples frea
J. VAN DEUSEN & S(^NS,
Sole Manufacturers,
Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., N. Y,
ESTABLISHED^^
IN 1861
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., JANUARY 31, 1883.
Ko. 5.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Bees as Fertilizers of Flowers.
In fructifying the various flowers
bees act as Nature's marriage-priests,
and present us with a field of study
as boundless as the gorgeous realm of
Nature's bloom. But for the oft-
repeated visits of the bees, many a
a beautiful flower would, in a short
time, cease to bloom — aye, and also to
live ! Many plants absolutely require
the visits of bees or other insects to
remove their pollen-masses, and thus
to fertilize them.
Hence, Darwin wisely remarks,
when speaking of clover and hearfs-
ease : " No bees, no seed; no seed,
no increase of the flower. The more
visits from the bees, the more seeds
from the flower ; the more seeds from
the flower, the more flowers from the
seeds.-"
Darwin mentions the fi)llowing ex-
periment : " Twenty heads of white
clover, visited by bees, produced
2,900 seeds ; wliile twenty heads, so
protected that bees could not visit
them, produced not one seed."
Prof. Beal, of the Michigan Agri-
cultural College, has been conducting
experiments, for the past .six years,
with bumble-beesand red clover. The
sixth experiment, during 1882, he de-
scribes as follows •
Two fine bunches of the first clover
crop, apparently alike, were both
covered with mosquito netting. No
insects were seen about either, except
wliat are mentioned below. On .June
29tli, a bumble-bee was placed inside
of one netting and .seen to work on
the flowers; July lOtti, tvvoBQore were
introduced and seen to work, and on
the 12th, more were put in and ob-
served. On July 31st, fifty ripe heads
were selected from each plant and the
seeds carefully counted. The fifty
heads on the plants where bees were
excluded yiel-^ed twenty-five seeds.
The fifty heads im the plant where
the bumble-bees were inserted under
tlie muslin, and seen to work, yielded
ninety-two seeds. Thiis is nearly four
times as many as were produced by
heads where the bees were excluded.
In all instances, the heads were
seen to be unopened, when they were
covered with muslin or paper sacks.
In the last experiment, as well as in
the others, perhaps the bees did not
visit all the flowers. Insects, even in
the most favorable seasons, are not
always to be relied on to transfer |
pollen enough to fertilize all the pis-
tils. Prof. W. W.Tracy has found in
several seasons, where he has raised
Hubbard squashes on a large scale,
that he increased his crop of fruit
quite largely by artificially trans-
ferring pollen with his ow'n band,
every day or two, during flowering.
To see bow tlie uncovered heacls of
red clover from different plants varied
in the number of seeds produced. I
selected fifty heads from five plants
near each other, where each had
plenty of room. This was the second
crop of clover. Fifty heads from
each plant yielded as follows : 1.260,
1.27.5. 1,46(1, '1,48.1. l.,820 seeds respec-
tively. In another place, fifty heads
yielded 2.290 seeds, or nearly twice as
many as plant number one in the
lots iust above noticed. It is a fair
conclusion that bumble-bees are of
considerable value in fertilizing the
flowers of red clover.
Statistical Reports.
Dr. Miller writes us that he is daily
receiving " a steady stream of postal
cards " covering the whole ground,
'■from Canada to Texas." As each
one helps to swell the aggregate, we
hope they will continue, until all are
sent in. The Doctor adds :
A correspondent asks what should
be the report of wax, from one vs'ho
uses his wax in making foundation. I
suppose each one should report all his
wax, whether he uses or sells it. Sev-
eral say they will send in reports of
others, if desired. By all means, let
us have all we can.
Certainly ; all honey and beeswax
should be reported, no matter whether
used by the bee-keepers themselves,
or sold and used by others.
Dr. Miller assures us that " from
present appearances we shall get fuller
statistics than ever before." This
is very encouraging ; but, probably,
some are neglecting the matter, think-
ing it will make but little difference
about one report ; others may think,
because they have given a report in
some bee paper, or at a convention,
that such is sufficient. A moment's
thought, however, will dispel these
delusions. The many, even if com-
paratively small, will swell the grand
total. Some have asked "if we send
in the reports of onr neighbors, may
they not be duplicated y " No ; the
reports are all classified by States and
each person's name is recorded, so
that duplicates are impossible. If
you have neighbors, that you have
good reason to think have neglected
it, send in the reports for them, and,
in this way, aid the work all in your
power. As this is our LAST CALL,
please attend to it at once.
Do not send to us, but address them
to •' Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111."
1^ Our readers will notice that the
Bee Journal is this week " made up"
with a cover, whioli may be removed
or retained in bindingthe year's num-
bers, to suit the wishes of the owner
of the volume. We have found that
a great majority prefer this plan, and
so have adopted it permanently.
O" The Eev. Thomas Pope Hod-
nett, pastor of St. Malachy's Church,,
Chicago, has placed a neat pamphlet,
of 64 octavo pages on our desk. It
contains a variety of " matter for fam-
ily reading and instruction,"— several
sermons, poetry, facts, figures, letters,.
etc., by " Father Hodiiett," who is an
enthusiastic and zealous Catholic
priest, by whose exertions a very
handsome church has just been erected
on the corner of Walnut Street and
Western Avenue, only a few blocka
from our oflice. We have read several
portions of the pamplilets with more
than ordinary interest, and have laid it
away for a more thorough perusal in
the future.
66
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
The Paraffine and Glucose Story.
Wo have received tlie following
letter from Mr. .J. W. Torter, Char-
lottesville, Va., dated Jan. 18, 1883 :
Dear Editor :— In yesterday 's Cin-
cinnati Commercial Gazette, weekly,
appears a remarkable editorial article
on "Food Adulteration." I have, by
this mail, written them a letter,
which, if published, will tend to cor-
rect the impressions such an article
would produce, when the public mind
is so sensitive on the subject of adul-
teration.
1 take the ground that comb honey
is almost the only unadulterated
sweet on the market, and such, be-
cause the cupidity of man has devised
no way to prolitably substitute a
counterfeited article. Let us, one
and all, labor for legislative protec-
tion against food adulteration,until we
get as full protection as the law gives
the Englishman.
The following are the paragraphs
referred to by Mr. Porter, contained
in the editorial article of the Cincin-
nati paper :
" It used to be considered safe to
use honey in the comb, but now nearly
all this is manufactured."
" At first pure honey was extracted
from the comb, and the bees were fed
on glucose, from which the comb was
rapidly refilled, but now. artificial
combs are produced, and bees being
fed on glucose, so-called honey is
turned out in comparatively large
quantities, and bees, at the same time,
are being demoralized."
The editor of the Commercial Gazette
has been imposed upon by that man
" Wiley," who invented the " parafflne
comb and glucose " story as " a joke,"
as he stated in the Indiana Farmer
last June, which was copied into the
Bee Journal of June 14, 1882, and
commented upon.
Mr. Wiley's own version of the ori-
gin of the story [lie], and our remarks,
are as follows :
Perhaps it may be well enough to
give here the origin of the " parafflne
comb " story which has appeared, I
believe, in almost every publication in
the country, The original ajipeared
in the Popular Science Monthly for
June, 1881, in an article entitled
■' Glucose and Grape Sugar," which I
contributed to that number, and on
page 254, occur the following words :
" Bees eat glucose with the greatest
avidity ; or rather, they act as funnels
by which the glucose is poured into
the comb. For it is quite true that
the honey made by bees which have
free access to glucose differs scarcely
at all from the glucose itself. But
the quantity of honey wliich a bee
will store away when fed on glucose
is truly wonderful. This gluttony,
however, rapidly undermines the
apiarian constitution, and the bee
rarely lives to enjoy the fruits of its
apparent good fortune. In commer-
cial honey, which is entirely free from
bee mediation, the comb is made of
parafiine. and filled witti pure glucose
by appropriate machinery.
This last clause which, when writ-
ten, was meant for a scientific pleas-
antry, came near throwing tlie wliole
bee world into epilepsy. It appears
that persons who devote themselves
to Bee Journals undergo a certain
cerebral inspiration which renders
them incapaljle of seeing a jol^e. The
only point which they can appreciate
seems to be the sting of a bee.
The rejoinder reminds us of an an-
ecdote we heard many years ago, lo-
cated in a rural district in Indiana.
A well-to do-farmer lost a very fine
filly from his pasture-lot, and after
several days' search found it snugly
tied in the log barn of a distant
neighbor of doubtful repute. The
neighbor was indicted, tried, and
found guilty of larceny ; when the
Judge asked what he had to say, why
sentence should not be passed, he put
in a plea that the animal was only
taken fora joke. The Judge inquired
how far his barn w.^.s from the past-
ure lot, to which he replied, " about
•5 miles.'' " Well," said the Judge,
" that is carrying a joke too far ; hard
labor in the penitentiary for seven
years." The writer above says he
contributed to the Popular Science
Monthly his " parafiine comb " story
[lie] about a year ago, " which has ap-
peared in almost every publication in
the country." The latter part of the
article, however, was only meant for
a scientific pleasantry.
Do scientific men indulge in pleas-
antries which will cast a gloom over
thousands of honest producers
througliout the country, and depre-
ciate the value of their product by
creating a prejudice against it V For
nearly a year this scientific joker saw
his fabrication published in nearly all
the papers in the country, and reiter-
ated from across the ocean, and yet
he lacked the manhood to affirm it a
joke until the " Bee Journal man "
counteracted its influence by showing
the falsity and absurdity of the arti-
cle. Whether it be true, as has been
often intimated, that the story was
instigated by parties interested in
the glucose traffic, in retaliation for
the hostility of the bee men to their
frauds, we cannot affirm ; but we do
believe it originated with no honest
intention.
Iowa State Convention.
1^" We have a few copies of our
pamphlet entitled " Bee Culture " left,
and have reduced the price from 40
to 2.5 cents each, or S2 per dozen.
Mr. M. Sorrick, Des Moines, Iowa,
has written us as follows concerning
the practicability of holding a State
Convention, and getting up a good
Bee and Honey Show at the next Iowa
State Fair in that city. He says :
Mr. Editor :— Ought there not to
be a State Convention in Iowa y It
seems as if we were getting behind in
the matter of not having a State Con-
vention. As the State Fair is located
at Des Moines, for 18S3, 1 should like to
see a State Bee-Keepers' Convention
some time during the Fair week, if
not sooner; as this is a central point.
At that time there will be a good
many bee-keepers here from all parts
of the State, as well as other States.
VVould not that be a good time to get
the bee-keepers together? I really
think there ought to be an organiza-
tion sooner. I should like to hear
what the other bee-keepers of Iowa
think of the matter.
We have had steady cold weather
since December 25, with good sleigh-
ing ; tlie snow is two feet deep, on the
level. Half of my bees are under a
snow drift, where I shall leave them,
without disturbing them until the
weather moderates. Then I will dig
them out and clear out the entrances.
M. Sorrick.
Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 18, 1883.
As Iowa is a grand field for bee-
keeping, and as it contains a large
number of wide-awake, progressive
apiarists, we see no reason why it
should not have a State organization,
and a very large and creditable dis-
play of lioney and bees at the forth-
coming State Fair.
The very interesting lecture lately
delivered by the Rev. O. Clute before
the State Agricultural Society, should
have made that body favorable to the
bee and honey interests, and we hope
to see very liberal premiums offered
by the Board. Mr. Clute is one of the
best of public speakers — interesting
and eloquent — and he is, withal, a
thoroughly practical and pirogressive bee-
keeper. If he can be enlisted to labor
with the Board, we have no doubt but
that he can secure premiums, as lib-
eral as have Mr. Cutting and Prof.
Cook, of the Board of the Michigan
State Agricultural Society. We think
all it needs is a little united action
among apiarists, and they can secure
all the premiums that they can con-
sistently ask for. " Ask and ye shall
receive " is a promise, trite but true.
Try it.
i^°Renewals may be made at any
time ; but all papers are stopped at
the expiration of the time paid for,
unless requested to be continued.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
6-7
Bee Culture in the Rockies.
There are many inquiries now about
bee-culture in Colorado. In order to
reply to the many, all at once, we give
the following from the AmeTican Ag-
riculturist for January :
Apiculture is an established Indus-
try in Colorado. A recent tour
through all the valley lands, in search
of agricultural statistics, gave the
writer full evidence that both in
Northern and Southern Colorado more
or less attention is being paid to that
pleasant and prolitable industry ; and
that, if it increased in the same ratio
for the next ten years, at that time
the market could be supplied with the
home product to the entire exclusion
of that now brought from Kansas and
California. We are inclined to believe
that at least five thousand colonies of
bees, mainly Italian, are in the State ;
that Colorado is as well adapted to
profitable bee-keeping as California ;
that the honey produced is full as
white, as pure, and as sweet as any in-
troduced into the market; that there
is hardly a farm or garden where bees
will not thrive, and that the toot-hills
are peculiarly adapted for extensive
apiaries.
In the East, warm weather, with oc-
casional storms, is necessary to a good
honey season. A continual drouth is
fatal to the bees' harvest. Looking at
Colorado from this point of view, it
would seem as if its arid climate would
be unfavorable. But the belief now
prevails, that the hot days, followed
so invariably by cool nights, facilitate
the secretion of honey in tlowers and
blossoms better than any other state
of weather. In the East, days of
drouth are usually followed by warm
nights, which is fatal to honey pros-
pects. Occasional showers cool the
atmosphere, which is favorable ;
therefore, the temperature is of more
importance than dampness. Again,
continual rains destroy the honey crop,
and deprive the bees of an opportunity
to go upon the wing. Taking these
things into consideration, we see why
bees do so well in the dry climate of
Colorado. Its hot days, following by
cool nights, give to nature an abun-
dance of sweets. With no prolonged
rains, bees have an ample opportunity
to improve the shining hour, which in
Colorado means from sunrise to sun-
set, one day after another, week in and
week out — as a rule.
Where a canyon or gulch is open or
wide, and the hills are low, a dry side
gulch with a southeastern exposure
would be a good situation. In the
early spring the bees go to the lowest
foot-hills to get the earliest-blooming
flowers, and as the same varieties
blossom at higher altitudes, they fol-
low them np, and as the season ad-
vances, still keep following them up
higher and higher. Then, as new va-
rieties bloom below, they repeat the
process during the entire season of
bloom. But it is also to be said that
bees will do well upon the plains, in
the valleys, and wherever land is under
cultivation ; for the face of nature here
is covered from early spring-time to
late fall, with flowers that afford honey
in great abundance. Trees, wild
blooms, vegetable blossoms, wild
grasses, cleome, alfalfa, corn blossoms,
all offer their store of sweet treasure
to the ever busy bees. In considering
this source of constant supply, it is a
fact of great importance to know, that
from the early part of March, gener-
ally, bees begin to gather pollen and
honey from willows on southern hill-
sides and sunny slopes, and from this
time to October, there are very few
days that honey is not gathered from
some source.
Now contrast this with a season in
the Eastern, Middle, or even Western
States, where the honey season sel-
dom lasts three months, and it willjbe
seen that Colorado is one of the best
States in the Union for bee-culture.
Pasturage is profuse in its abundance.
With the willow blossoms comes a
species of Delphinium, pushing its
head up through the snow, and cover-
ing foot-hills and plains with its
bloom.
Roses and red raspberries abound
in the foot-hills. On the plains, with
the willow and Cottonwood, comes a
little weed called the "hog potato,"
growing flat on the ground. It has a
purple bloom. Then there are fruit
blossoms and wild roses in May and
June ; milkweed and immeasurable
wild Howers also appear. Alfalfa is
in its first bloom and is favorite for-
aging ground for the busy bees. In
July the wild grasses and wild flowers
tempt the roving fancy of the bees,
while melon, squash, and other vines
invite the winged seekers after sweets.
During August and September, corn
tassels, alfalfa, amber cane, furnish
abunant food. At this time, too, the
prairie, in spots, are covered with
cleome, or the Rocky Mountain bee-
plant, with its wealth of purple flow-
ers, in which lies hidden an amount of
bee-food one little dreams of, which
the bees transform into the choicest
honey that can be found. In October,
there grows on dry prairie land, a
weed, the shape and size of sage brush,
having a yellow bloom. This is not
the best bee-food known, but it is used
when other things are not to be
had.
There is one drawback to bee-cul-
ture which must be mentioned. It
comes from too much warm, sunny
weather in winter. This causes bees
left on summer stands to fly out, and
doing this day after day, many are
lost and never return to the hive, and
as they do not begin breeding until
February, and then very slowly, the
numbers rapidly decrease, and often
the entire swarm is lost from this
cause. The remedy for this is a good
cellar, well ventilated, and so arranged
that the temperature will be kept at
40^ to bOf^ Farenheit. It is to be said,
in addition, that perfect darkness and
the greatest degree of quiet that can
be secured must be maintained.
Special Notice. — We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for 1883 and Cook's Manual in cloth
for .$2.75, or the Monthly and Manual
in cloth for $1.75.
Attractive Packages of Honey.
The following, from the Amaiican
Agriculturist, is such advice as we have
often given to bee-keepers, about hav-
ing honey attractive, when marketing
it for the retail trade. It cannot be
too often stated, nor too persistently
urged. If we want to popularize its
consumption, it must attract the eye,
and, by its neatness, captivate the
purchaser. This " advice is good and
timely," and bee-keepers should " ever
remembei'" it :
Winter is a good time to build up a
market. For extracted honey , use at-
tractive pails and jars, with neat la-
bels, which state the kind of honey,
and the name of the person that pro-
duces it. Neat pyramids of these
packages, in the stores, will attract
buyers. The size of the vessels should
vary from one-half a pound to those
that will hold five pounds. The label
should state that the granulation is
no injury, and, indeed, is the best as-
surance of purity. It should also tell
how to restore the liquid condition,
without harm to the honey, by apply-
ing heat, not to exceed 180° F.
Comb tioney should be put in a neat
case, so as to show off to the best ad-
vantage. The case ought to bear the
name of the producer, and the kind
and grade of the honey. Bee-keepers
cannot be too careful about grading
their honey. In creating a market,
nothing will take the place of neatness
and care in putting up the honey. If
it properly arranged, every dealer will
be only too glad to give it a showy
place in his store.
1^ We wish to thank the many who
have not only renewed their subscrip-
tion to the Bee Journal for 1883,
but who have also sent on one or more
new names with their own. The
multitude of expressions of fraternal
good-will and kind wishes for the suc-
cess of the Journal also call for our
acknowledgment. We cannot And
time to write to each one personally,
and hope that all such will take this
acknowledgment as though personally
addressed to those who have so kindly
aided us in our work.
i^ Mrs. Martha Adams Winder,
wife of Mr. John W. Winder, recently
from Tliibadoux, La., died at Uvalde,
Texas, of dropsy of the heart, on
Sunday the 7th inst., in her .52nd year.
Mrs. Winder is reported to us as a
sincere and consistent Christian, and
that, during her illness, she often ex-
pressed a wish to recover, so that she
might be more useful in the church.
Our sympathies are with the luisband
and the two sons, for truly the very
heart of the home life departs when
the mother is taken away.
68
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Dampness and Bees in Winter.
Prof. Cook, in an exchange, refutes
the idea that dampness is a cause of
mortality of bees in winter. lie says :
A writer on bee culture calls atten-
tion to the fact that l)oney,the winter
food of tlie bees, is almost i)urely a
hydro-carbon, and so needs little
digestion, before it is absorbed into
the nutritive fluid from the stomach.
Then it is assimilated, and passes otf
as water and carbonic acid. Thus
the excretion, in winter, is by respira-
tion. That this may go on freely,
the air must be dry. The writer then
asserts, that in those winters most re-
markable for the bee mortality, the
air has been very moist.
An examination of the condition
of tlie atmospliere as to the point of
saturation, from accurate records
taken tluee times daily, for the past
twenty years, shows that there is not
the least evidence in favor of the
Idea tliat excessive moisture was in
any single case tlie cause of the great
losses of bees. It also appears that in
all the seasons of bad wintering,
severe cold was experienced. It is
further shown tliat when the cold oc-
curred early in the winter, the mor-
tality commenced at an early period.
If late, the bees did not appear dis-
eased until near the end of winter.
1^ " Spence's Select Social Read-
ings" is the title of a pamphlet of 126
pages, by Jacob Spence, Toronto, On-
tario, Canada. This is an excellent
manual of Readings, Recitations, and
interesting Selections, admirably suit-
able for those who are desirous of giv-
ing readings, recitations, etc., at
sociables, or gatherings for spending
a pleasant evening. It covers tlie
ground from " grave " to " gay," with
rich and rare selections. Mr. Spence
is one of Canada's progressive apiarists
and a constant reader of the Bee
JOUKNAL.
i^^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one weio subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one neio sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having tlie satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bek Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
j®" Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 18S2 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
ITew Catalogues and Samples.
We li.ive received Catalogues for 1883
from T. L. VoiiDoni, Oiiialia, Neb., and
I. R. Good. Naiipaiifi', Iiul.
The foUowhig have sent us new Seed
Catalogues : J as. J. II. Gregory, Marble-
liead, Mass.; amlj. W. Manning, Reading,
Mass.
The Philadelphia, Pa., Kecorr Almanac
for 1SS3 is received, and is full of statistical
and useful intVn-mation.
J. V. Caldwell, Cambridge, 111., and D.
S. Given & Co., Hoopeston, III., have sent
us very nice samples of comb foundation.
1^ " There's no Time like the Old
Time," is the title of a new song by
Oliver Wendell Holmes, music by
J. J. Roe. and published by W. W.
Whitney, 111 Summit St., Toledo, O.,
a copy of which we have received,
marked " With the compliments of
the author."
^^ Attention is called to our new
and liberal advertising rates for 1883.
Convention Notices.
1^ The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 18S3; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
Wsi. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
^" The bee-keepers of Xortheast-
ern Michigan are hereby requested to
meet at the Davton Hotel, in Flint, at
10 a. m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 1883, for
the purpose of organizing a bee-keep-
ers' association. All bee-keepers are
earnestly requested to come, and to
bring with them any apiarian articles
of interest that they may possess. A
free room, and reduced rates of board
have been secured.
W. Z. Hutchinson.
Rogersville, Mich., Jan. 22, 1883.
i^° The Tuscarawas Valley Bee-
Keepers' Association will hold a meet-
ing in the Town Hall in Coshocton, O.,
on Feb. 14, 1883, at 10 a. m. Every
bee-keeper is wanted at this meeting.
Every one interested in bees or honey
IS requested to be present.
J. A. BuCKLEW, Sec, Clarks, O.
^" The next meeting of the Ilaldi-
niaiid, Ont., Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Nelle's Corners on Sat-
urday. March 31, 1883, at 11 a. m.
II. Campbell.
^° The second annual meeting of
the Colorado State Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation will be held in Denver, on
February B, and continue two days.
D. S. Grimes, Pres.
1^ The next meeting of the Maine
Bee-Ki'epers' Association will be held
at Dexter, February 8th and 9th, 1883.
A large attendance of bee-keepers
from different parts of the State is ex-
pected, and it is hoped that it may be
one of the most interesting meetings
ever held by the Association. A large
exhibit of hives and implements, used
in the apiary, is expected ; and all at-
tending the meeting are earnestly
requested to bring something to help
make a good display. Any article
sent to the Secretary will be placed on
exhibition, and cared for, free of
charge. The following is an imperfect
outline of the programme for the two
days : First day :— Secretary's report ;
Treasurer's report ; reports of Vice
Presidents of the different counties
represented ; President's address ;
choosing committee to award prefer-
ences on articles exhibited ; reading of
essays and discussions. Second day :
—Election of otiicers ; report of com-
mittee on articles exhibited ; reading
of essays and discussions. Essays
are expected on the following subjects
— Feeding Bees ; How to make Bee-
keeping Profitable ; Artificial Pastur-
age ; The Coming i3ee, etc., etc.
Ripley, Me. Wm. Hoyt, Sec.
^° The annual meeting of the
Northern Ohio IJee-Keepers' Associa-
tion will be held in Whittlesey Hall,
Norwalk, O., Saturday, February 3,
1S83. All bee-keepers are invited to
attend and participate in the exercises.
Subjects for discussion : Size of
Frame ; Size of Section ; Best Method
of Obtaining Surplus Honey, and va-
rious other matters of interest to all
bee-keepers. S. F. Newman, Sec.
^" The Western Bee- Keepers' As-
sociation meets at Independence, Mo.,
April 28, 1883.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
1^" The Northeastern Ohio and
Northwestern Pennsylvania Bee-
Keepers' Association will meet at
Andover, Oliio, to hold their annual
convention, on the second Wednes-
day and Thursday of February, 1883.
C. T. Leonard, Sec.
A $20.00 Biblical Reward.— The
publishers of Eutkdge''s Monthhj offer
twelve valuable rewards in their
Monthly for February, among which
is the following :
"We will give S20.00 in gold to the
person telling us which is the middle
verse in the Old Testament Scriptures
by February 10th, 1883. Should two
or more correct answers be received,
the reward will be divided. The
money will be forwarded to the win-
ner February 15th, 1883. Persons try-
ing for the reward must send 20 cents
in silver (no postage stamps taken)
with their answer, for which tliey will
receive the March MontMiu in which
the name and address of tlie winner of
the reward and the correct answer
will be published. This mny be worth
S20.00 to vou. Address Rutledge
Publishing Company, Easton,Pa.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
69
Beautiful Flowers.
S. W. DtrPFIELD.
Ye are the eyes of the world.
With which the spirit divine
Looks, from a thousand nooits.
Full into mine !
Ye are the breatli of the world.
With which the spirit divine
Breathes, through these fragrant wreaths,
A perfume tine.
Come from the ends of the world.
Ye lio wera in waves of light !
Brealc on the souls that ache
ThrouRh alt the night.
Kor the American Bee JournaL
The Carbonic Acid Oas Question.
S. COKNEIL.
The direction taken by the carbonic
aciJ produced by the respiration of a
cluster of bees is often a leading sub-
ject for discussion at bee-keepers' con-
ventions. A large majority of those
taking part in such discussions seem
to be of the opinion ttiat because the
specific gravity of this gas is about
one-and-a-half times that of atmos-
pheric air, it falls to the bottom and
accumulates or runs out at the lowest
'aperture, like so much mercury or
water, some going so far as to assume
that they can run it off from the cel-
lar through the drain or ventilating
pipe, while at the same time a cur-
rent of pure air Hows in the opposite
direction. We are further told that
it is necessary to raise our hives at
least 10 inches to keep the bees out of
the stratum of this gas, which will
accumulate at the floor before spring.
On the other hand a few bee-keepers,
amongst whom 1 recollect the names
of Dr. Southwick and F. II. Elwood,
hold that this gas does not fall to the
bottom, but tliat it is uniforaily dif-
fused through tlie air of the hive or
repository. ""The detection of this
gas , and an exact determination of
the amount of it contained in air, re-
quire skill, careful attention, and in-
struments and materials of analysis
of much perfection." Fortunately,
it is not necessary for bee-keepers to
make original inquiries to decide
whether it accumulates at the floor or
becomes diffused through the apart-
ment, because very careful experi-
ments have already been made by
some of the most prominent scientists
■of the present age, and the results of
their investigations are such as to
leave no ditliculty in finding out the
direction taken by the carbonic acid
evolved by respii'ation.
The quantity of carbonic acid in
air, " as pure as it blows on the hill
tops," is on an average about 4 vol-
umes in 10.000. The standard for
?:ood ventilation, fixed l)y the late Dr.
'arkes, is that the ratio of carbonic
acid shall not exceed 6 volumes in
30,000. The air exhaled contains one
hundred times the natural quantity.
In the following table, it will be no-
ticed that the proportion of carbonic
acid is in most c;ises excessive. The
variations at floor and ceiling are
likely caused by currents of cooler
air from outside.
TABLE OF .VNALYSES FOB THE DETERMI-
NATION OF CAKBONIC ACID.
Locality.
Observer's name
follows each lo-
cality.
■6
2
a
o
c
i
3 a
< B
ll
Where
Air Was Taken
From.
Opera Comique,
1000
lao
15.04
28.12
22 4
2B.C
62.
55.
49.
43.
46.3
53.6
12.13
12.76
33.05
32.53
23.90
24.69
26.96
29.49
13.82
16.84
26.37
32 12
55
4.8
5.7
4.
4.6
4.8
LeBlanc
Very full mom,
At ceiling.
Pettenkoffer
Lecture room af-
ter a lecture...
Do do do.:.
Las-'^ai^iie
Lecture room af-
ter a lecture...
Do do do...
Lassaigne
cubic
met's
280
28U
280
2S0
52
62
52
At the ceiling.
At the floor.
At ceiling.
At floor.
Do do
Lappeus
Small dwelliug...
Do do ...
Roscoe
School room
Do do
Koscoe
School room
Do do
Koscoe
School rooDi
Do do
Roscoe
■Wellington Bar-
feet.
940
940
4640
4610
4640
46^0
22140
22140
7920
7920
9
S
TO
70
70
70
1611
160
20
20
From gallery.
ll in. below ceili'K
2,ii>ft.abovefloor
6 in. below celli'g
3 ft. above floor
Rir.below ceili'g
ii!.6:t.abovefloor
6 in. below ceili'g
3 it. above floor
3 in. below ceili'g
Do do
Roscoe
3 ft. above floor
Do
Roscoe
House of Reps.,
34 ft. ab.
Do lio ...
DeWetherill
Do
DeWetherill
Do
DeWetherill
ed.
The following quotations are also
to the point :
"Carbonic acid is so heavy that
when quite pure, it can be poured
like water from vessel to vessel, and
yet, if a vessel of it is left open to the
air, it will soon pass off and disap-
pear. This is very important to ns,
otherwise the amount of this heavy
gas produced would make the con-
tinuance of life impossible." — Harts-
home, in " Our Homes."
Dr. Mattson, author of '• Facts for
the People Concerning Health," says :
" This carbonic acid being heavier
than common air, it is often supposed
that it is precipitated to tlie floor as
fast as it escapes from the lungs dur-
ing the process of resiiiration. It
would be unfortunate if tins were
true. Nature has proviiled against
this difficulty through the well-known
law which regulates the diffusion of
gases."
" It is conceived by some that the
carbonic acid of the breath, from its
greater weight, must be chiefly at the
bottom of the room, but this is a mis-
take. The heated breath ascends in-
stantly, because it is, as a whole,
lighter than the air around it, and
the carbonic acid in it does not tend to
separate from it and fall down by its
own superior weight, but by the law of
the diffusion of gases seeks to spread
itself equally all over the room, and
would do so though it were lying at
first on the Roor.^'— Chambers' JSncy-
clonmdid.
Dr. VVetherill, speaking of Loppens'
experiments upon tlie air of uuventi-
lated rooms, says :
"These experiments, like those of
Lassaigne and others, establish the
fact that the carbonic acid of an un-
ventiiated room, is uniformly diffused
therein, the slight difference being iu
favor of the ceiling, and not of the
floor, as was formerly iguorantly as-
sumed from the superior specific
weight of this gas."
The following very important state-
ment is taken from the final report of
a board of United States officers, con-
vened by request of a special com-
mittee, on the ventilation of the Cap-
itol at Washington. Great weight
attaches to it, because they had placed
before them all that could be said in
favor of the downward theory, and
had fully considered the question in
all its bearings.
" This carbonic acid gas, like all
other gaseous impurities derived
from respiration, is present in about
the same proportion at all heights iu
the room, the percentage being nearly
the same in samples of air taken from
the top and from the bottom in ordi-
nary apartments. In the hall the car-
bonic acid is slightly in excess at the
top. It is a gross error to suppose
that this gas falls to the floor of the
Louse, for, although when pure, it is
heavier than atmospheric air of the
same temperature ; yet air expired
from the lungs, is higher than the
surrounding air at ordinary tempera-
tures, and the law of the diffusion of
gases effectually prevents any sep-
aration."
The report is signed as follows :
Josepli Henry, Secretary of the Smith-
sonian Institution, President of the
Board ;Thos. l.,incoln Casey, Lieut.
Col. Corps of Engineers, JVIember of
the Hoard ; Edward Clark, Member of
the Board ; F. Schumann, Civil En-
gineer, Member of the Board ; and J.
S. Billings, Surgeon U. S. Army, Sec-
retary of the Board.
I trust the foregoing will be of some
assistance to our friends in deciding
for themselves what becomes of the
carbonic acid. I propose having
something further to say on the other
principal product of respiration,
aqueous vapor, at a future time.
Lindsay, Jan. 25, 18S3.
For the American Bee Journal.
Catnip as a Honey Plant.
T. KLLICOTT.
I believe little is known as to the
amount of honey liees get from it,
and it is not strange that it is so,
when one thinks of the quantity
growing, and the number of bees to
work oh it. I think it is never neg-
lected (while in blossom) by tlie bees;
at least, I never have see'n it when
bees did not visit it from mm-ning
until night. The amount grovving is
far less than one would suppose. Let
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
any oue take up all the plants grow-
ing in an old village, and I think he
will lind there is far less than he sup-
posed.
I tried getting plants in that way to
set in a piece ot ground which I had
prepared to receive them, and was
much disappointed in the number I
found, but was not at all disappointed
(luring tlie past season, with those I
set out, when I found them thronged
with bees from morning until night,
all the time they were in blossom ;
and then in the fall they blossomed a
second time, and were worked on by
bees until the frost killed them. Let
any one devote a small piece of
ground to catnip, and watch the bees
work on it, and I believe any one who
does so, will be satisfied that there is
not a plant that grows that has more
attraction for bees, and one must sup-
pose that bees do not work on it for
nothing, when, if they watch other
plants, they see them deserted as
soon as the "honey flow ceases.
Much is said about buckwheat for
bees ; it is often neglected by them.
and I think they never work on it all
the day long, and therefore I conclude
that bees get some honey from catnip
all the time. There is not enough of
it in any one place for them to get
quantity enough to be observable as
cattiip honey, but I have no doubt it
adds to the yield we get, and is excel-
lent for the bees ; therefore, I say,
plant and spread it as much as pos-
sible. I take a great deal of pleasure,
seeing bees work, and much interest
in the cultivation of honey plants. I
like to see the bees enjoy themselves,
which I believe they do, far more
when at work ; for, when not at work,
they are always cross.
JTeutonville, Mich., Jan. 20, 1883.
Indiana State Convention.
According to programme, the fourth
annual meeting of the State Bee-
Keepers' Association commenced at
the rooms of the State Board of Ag-
riculture, Indianapolis. Injl., Jan. 10.
On account of the inclemency of the
weather, the members came in slowly ;
but the meeting was called to order a
few minutes after the time set, 10:30
a. m., Mr. Cotton in the chair, with
all the otlicers present. After some
preliminary work the society settled
down to business.
Mr. Bmitain said he was a beginner,
had come to the meeting for the pur-
pose of learning. He was full of
young America, and wanted to learn
to handle bees without having to
wade through the sloughs which had
been traveled by the pioneer bee-
keepers present, and hoped the older
members would take hold of the work
and push it right along.
The president called attention to
the death of Mr. Bellman, a former
president of the Association, and ap-
pointed a committee to take action
on the matter, consisting of Messrs.
O'Rear, Robinson and Mrs. Robin-
son, after which the meeting ad-
journed until 2 p. m.
On re-assembling after the dinner
hour, the secretary read a communi-
cation from Prof. A. J. Cook, Lans-
ing, Mich., on clipping queen's wings,
in which he said, I have practiced
this method of bee management now
for vears, and liave yet to see the tirst
evidence that the bees take umbrage
at the proceeding. In the matter of
statistics, he hoped the Society would
agitate the matter and do all it could
to assist the committee, appointed by
the Xorth American Society. He
hoped this and all other State Asso-
ciations would strive to assist the
J^orth American Society. Happily,
civilization is opposed to selHshness ;
we are all interested in our neighbor's
success. Let tlie Los Angeles bee-
keeper put up his honey in a slip-shod
shape, and the Maine bee-keeper loses
by the act. The subject of the paper
was discussed at some length, and it
seemed to be the voice of the con-
vention, that the clipping of the
queens' wing was no hlnderance in
the management of the bees.
The following, from the question
box, brought out a lively discussion :
" Are queens reared under the im-
pulse of the swarming fever, superior
to those reared from the egg arti-
ficially V" Many of the members had
tried both plans extensively, and
while some very poor queens were
produced artificially, with proper
care, equally good ones could be
reared as those produced under the
impulse of the swarming fever, and
this seemed to be the voice of the
Society.
The question : " Are Cyprians more
vindictive than the Italians V" occu-
pied the time of the meeting at some
length, and led to some very amusing
incidents in the handling of bees,
and while some of the members
claimed to have very gentle Cyprians,
all of those who had them, of known
purity, testified to their ability to
hold their own with any bee-master,
regardless of smoke, sweetened water,
or even chloroform. However, it was
concluded that they had some very
good qualities which were to give
material assistance in producing our
great expectant — Apis Americana.
"Dividing, or Natural Increase"
was the next question of importance
inider discnssion.
Mr. Muth thought that the first ob-
ject to be sought was the honey
crop, and the increase made after-
ward, and that very much depended
on condition and circumstances. For
people who paid but little attention
to their bees, he thought it best to
allow the bees to increase naturally,
but, to those who gave the necessary
care to them, the plan of a gradual in-
crease artificially was the best plan.
After some further discussion the
matter was passed for the present to
allow the president to deliver his ad-
dress.
PRESIDENT cotton's ADDRESS.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the In-
diana Bee-Keepers' Association : This
is the fourth annual meeting since
our organization ; each year increas-
ing in interest ; each member being
ready to give a reason for the faith
that "is in him, in regard to the little
busy bee. Our Society is organized
on philanthropic principles for the
general dissemination of knowledge
of the mysteries of this busy insect.
A few years ago the masses would
have thought if miraculous to have
seen bees handled with impunity, as
we now handle them ; and yet we are
not satisfied with our progress, nor
should we be, so long as we can save
the life of another colony, or cause
them to produce another pound of
honey.
While the winter of 1880-81 will
long be remembered by the apiarist,
the question that arises is, have we
been benefited by our experience to
the extent that we may reasonably
expect to avoid another such disaster '■*
If we have not, we have not taken the
lesson that nature has offered us.
While the old elm-peeler hog could
bury himself in the ground beside a
log,"and winter through, without much
comtort to himself or profit to his
owner, the improved Berkshire or
Poland China cannot stand such treat-
ment, but needs to be well housed, to
give his owner a good profit, and the
same may be said of all the domestic
animals, and the honey bee is not an
exception to this rule.
We no longer expect to get profit
from the bee in tlie old log hive, left
standing exposed to the cold north-
westers withont protection, no more
than we would expect that the old
brindle cow, that has to shelter under
the leeward of a rail fence, would give
profit to her owner.
Then, as true humanitarians, let us
investigate in the light of science and
experience, and especially the subject
of wintering, for this is the i"eef that
we have wrecked upon. In wintering,
some attribute their success to venti-
lation, others to the extracting of bad,
unripe honey, others to the tempera-
ture, and so on. !N"ow% without en-
tering into a discussion of this sub-
ject in this address, I prefer to leave
the discussion of this subject, with
all others, to this convention, merely
hinting at a few subjects which I may
think of importance to bee-keepers.
Some of the things necessary in win-
tering, in my experience, are a hive of
proper size, contracted according to
the number of bees, and plenty of
good, ripe honey, or sugar, wath Mod
ventilation, and well protected from
the cold. ]3ut the question arises,
what is the proper size of the hive,,
how shall we ventilate, and how shall
we protect from the cold ? with nu- >
merous other questions which this As-
sociation may discuss with profit.
I would advise all beginners to
study the physiology and habits of
the bee, which may be done by read-
ing Quinby, Langstroth or Cook ; and
without the study of .some such stan-
dard work on bees, our bee periodicals
must sound much like the German
does to the man who cannot speak
German ; but if he has studied all
that has been written on the bee, he
none the less needs to read some good
bee paper to keep up with the progress
of tlie age.
We cannot expect every family to
take interest enough in bees to supply
themselves with honey, when they,
with plenty of garden room, fail to
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Tl
exert that energy necessary to raise
the common vegetables to supply the
family table, and are satistied to live
on " hog and hominy the year round."
The race is not won by the sluggard,
but by him who is ever on the alert
and ready to exert both his physical
and mental powers.
While much has been accomplished
by our leading apiarists in the science
of bee-keeping, there are hundreds of
smaller lights scattered throughout
the country with a few colonies, with
their untiring zeal and energy, who
have added much to the knowledge
and progress that have been made in
bee-keeping ; and the result is, that
the sweet-silvered voice of the patent
hive vender with his moth-trap is no
longer heeded in our land, except by
liini who reads not.
In our discussions I have observed
that we are more inclined to speak of
our success than our failures, when
often our best lessons are from our
failures ; then let us not fail to give
our experience, wherein we have
failed, that others may benefit thereby.
In my observations, there is no in-
dustry in this country in which thei'e
has been more progress made in a de-
cade, both scientitically and practi-
cally, where the product comes from
the soil ; and if a majority of our citi-
zens could be induced to keep a few
colonies of bees, there would be much
wealth gathered annually which now
is lost, to say nothing of the effects
that a good dish of honey has upon
the family, socially, for we are all
prone to get a little sour at times, and
need sweetening up, and if it could
not be done with honey, a few stings
would make us forget ourselves for
the time being.
I would call to remembrance the
death of the Rev. J. C. iJelhnan, the
first president elect of this Associa-
tion, hoping that this Society will re-
member him with appropriate reso-
lutions.
While the Agricultural College of
Indiana, Purdue, is experimenting
■with all the domestic animals, and
has so far omitted the bee, I think it
would be well for this Association to
call the attention of the Board to the
fact.
For the financial condition of the
Association I refer you to the report of
your treasurer, Mrs. E. Stout. And
for the general work of the Associa-
tion to the report of your secretary,
Frank L. Dougherty, who has labored
industriously for the up-building of
the Association.
There has been a move in some of
the other industrial associations of
tills State, as well as this one, to ob-
tain an appropriation from the State,
that they miglit be able to give their
discussions to the masses, fresh from
their meetings. I would, therefore,
recommend co-operation with these
societies in an effort to procure such
an appropriation.
In conclusion, let me congratulate
this Association on the great stride
that has been made toward tlie im-
provement of the honey bee, and
while we have not been able yet to
breed them without » sting, or with a
tongue long enough to reach the honey
in the red clover on our deep rich
soils, we have lessened the propensity
to sting, and are increasing the past-
ure by tlie cultivation of many honey-
producing plants ; and, considering
the time since the experiments com-
menced, I think the improvements in
the bee have been equal to the im-
lirovements in any of the domestic
animals.
The several particulars mentioned
in the president's address were dis-
cussed at some length, eliciting many
tacts of direct interest to those
present.
A committee, consisting of Mrs.
Cass Robbins, Dr. J. H. O'Rear and
J. M. Robinson, reported a series of
appropriate resolutions on the death
of the Rev. -J. C. Bellman, a foimer
president of the Society.
The subject of " Dividing, or Nat-
ural Increase " was again taken up,
the subject leading to a discussion of
the best plan of handling natural
swarms. The prevailing opinion
seemed to favor a basket or box in
which to secure swarms that have
settled.
Mr. Mutli described a device which
he had seen in use at Mr. Hill's, near
Cincinnati, consisting of an oblong,
perforated box, which could be quickly
adjusted to a pole. He thought any
shaped box, holding not more than a
half-bushel, bored full of one-half
inch holes, and leaving both ends
open, would answer all practical
purposes.
Tlie opinion of the majority seemed
to be that, in divisions of all kinds,
the main object should be to keep all
of the old bees together, that the
largest amount of honey might be se-
cured. The meeting adjourned for
supper.
Tlie evening session was called to
order promptly at 7:30. The first
question being that of " Wintering."
Dr. O'Rear was a strong advocate
of indoor wintering, pi ef erring a
house above ground.
Mr. Sliaw also sided with the Doc-
tor, believing that the difference in
the amount of stores consumed would
more than compensate for the trouble
and cost of the building.
Mr. Muth, Mr. Dougherty, and
many others had wintered on the sum-
mer stands for years successfully.
They thought that, while indoor win-
tering had some advantages in the
Northern States, it was not preferable
in this latitude.
Providing pasturage for the bees
was discussed with an interest which
bodes good for the future honey crops
of Indiana. The value of all the
honey-producing plants which grow
in oiir climate was fully discussed.
Alsike and sweet clover {(/ieJ/Jot) be-
ing the favorites.
Mr. Thompson, president of the
State Dairymen's Association, said he
was not a bee-keeper, but the thorough
discussion he had just heard called up
a new line of thought to him. The
dairymen are directly interested in
the clover, and he thought there
would be no need of scattering the
seed in the fence corners and waste
places, as some member had sug-
gested, but each could greatly assist,
the other in the planting process, for,
quoting Prof. Cook, " happily, civili-.
zation is opposed to selfishness."
Mr. Mason had not succeeded in
getting a good start with meliloti
thought alsike preferable.
Mr. Learning had visited Mr. Salis-
bury, in Illinois, who had many acrea
of it sown, and who pronounced it a
decided success, after trial on a large
scale.
The hour having become quite late,.
the meeting adjourned until the
morning.
The second day's meeting waa
called to order promptly at 9 a. m.,
with increased attendance. The elec-
tion of otlicers became the order of
business. All the old officers were
re-elected for another term, as fol-
lows : For President, Hon. I. N.
Cotton, Traders' Point ; Secretary,
Frank L. Dougherty ; Treasurer, Mrs.
E. Stout, both of Indianapolis. On
motion of Dr. O'Rear, a committee
was appointed to confer with the
State Board of Agriculture, on the
subject of larger premiums and better
accommodations for the bee-keeping
interest.
A communication from Dr. A. B.
Mason, Toledo, Ohio, in reference to.
the Tri-State Fair, of Ohio, Michigan
and Indiana, was referred to a special
committee, consisting of Messrs.
Muth, Davis and Johnson. The^
recommended the sending of Presi-
dent Cotton as a delegate to said Fair,
with power to act for the Society, in
the best possible manner, for the in-
terest of the bee-keepers.
Prof. Cox, formerly State Geologist,
now of California, entertained the
Society with a description of bee-
keeping in that State. Prof. Collett
also spoke a few minutes, in his happy
style, of the instruction and moral
influences of the honey bee. The rest
of the morning session was consumed
in discussing minor subjects con-
nected with tlie business.
The afternoon session opened with,
a discussion of the merits of comb
foundation, the secretary describing
the particulars of its manufacture in
different torms, including tlie wired
frames as made on the Given press,
samples of which he had present.
Gov. Porter being present, waa
called on to address the Society,
which he did. He complimented the-
Society on its increased attendance
each year, and on the intelligent man--
ner of its discussions ; he referred to.
his former meeting with the Society,
and of the general information he
had gained during his short stay. He-
was greatly interested in these indus-
trial meetings of the several State
societies, and believed that they
should have all the encouragement,
possible, as they were destined to
place our State in the very front rank
of industrial States. He spoke of the
great improvement in the several in-
dustries ; thought the Legislature
should make a sm;ill allowance for
each society to enable it to send our
reports of the proceedings of the
meetings to all parts of the State, so
as to place the knowledge of the spec-
ialist into the hands of those who ar©
72
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
■unable to attend the regular meetings.
Mr. Miitli informally replied to tiie
tJovernor, showing that a growing
■demand for liquid honey was spring-
ing up— being now largely consumed
in manufact\iring. Among manu-
facturers using honey are the pork
packers, for sugar-cured hams ; to-
bacconists, bakers, confectioners,
manufacturers of printers' rollers, etc.
I. K. Cotton, Dr. O'Rear, J. Kin-
dey, Mrs. Kobbins and Mrs. Stout
"were appointed delegates to the
North American Bee-Keepers' So-
ciety, with instructions to ask the
Society to hold its next session in
Indianapolis.
After some appropriate resolutions
for favors conferred on the Society,
the meeting adjourned to the call of
the Executive Committee. — Indiana
-Farmer.
For tile American Bee JournaL
Best Way to Use Small Sections.
DR. G. L. TINKER.
That the readers of the Bee Jour-
nal may know why it is proposed to
have the new small sections only ]j?3
inches tliick, it may be well to explain
how they are to be used.
I think that every bee-keeper can
■see that it would be a great ad vantage
if the sections could be set down at
■once upon the brood frames so that
the passage ways would be continuous
into the sections. With broad frames
or racks holding the 2-inch sections it
is necessary to raise them at least }4
inch above the brood frames, in order
to admit the bees into all the passage
ways between the sections. This y
inch space I believe to be a hindrance
to the bees entering the sections and
affords a place for the bees to build
comb, which often interferes in lifting
out tlie frames. It is also no little
trouble to cut away these bits of comb
after the section cases are taken off.
Some colonies are worse than others
about building comb in tliis space and
can hardly be induced to go above it,
into the sections, to work. If the pas-
sage ways between the brood frames
and the sections were contin nous, there
is no doubt but that it would facilitate
the bees in their work and result in a
larger surplus.
iSTow, with a thin section to be used
With or without separators, this space
is unnecessary and the section case or
rack can be set upon the brood frames
so that all of the passage ways will be
continuous. If a rack is used it may
contain 36 to 40 sections, according to
the length of the brood frame ; 36 can
be used on 9 Gallup frames, and 40
upon 8 Langstroth. After the bees
iiave one rack of sections partly filled
it may be lifted oil and an empty rack
of sections put on. The upper rack is
then slid over the other one, endwise,
and no bees need be killed. ]>y tier-
ing up in tills manner. 120 half-pound
sections can be used at once to ad-
vantage.
If wood separators 1-16 inches thick
be used between sections l-''s inches
thick, 9 bro id frames can be evenly
spaced 1 7-16 inches from center to
center, in a hive just 13 inches wide, so
that when the rack of sections is slid
over the frames, the spaces will all bn
continuous. But if the section be \}4
inches thick, the frames would liave
to he spaced 1 9-16 inches from center
to center, but the hive would have to
be just 14 inches wide to hold 9 frames
where 10 are ordinarily used. This
would be spacing the frames too far
apart, and I think would not work
satisfactorily. Hence, if the sections
are to be set upon the frames in the
manner here proposed, the section
ought not to be over 1?^ inches thick.
If used without separators, a section
3?8x3;'|jxl?8 will hold just one-half
pound. If separators be used, tlie size
maybe S^^xS^lxl?^, which will hold
very near one-halt pound.
To prevent the killing of bees, the
brood frames must be brought up on
a level with the top of the body of the
hive, so that the rack of sections can
be slid over the frames, endwise. As
I have used a similar arrangement to
the above, I can speak from experience
as to its practicability. There may be
some danger of the queen moving up
into the section department, but I do
not think it would often occur, espec-
ially where the deeper frames are
used.
Since most bee-keepers will only use
a few of the half-pound sections, the
first season, on trial, it would not be
much trouble to prepare a few hives
and fixtures for the purpose, making,
of course, the hives to fit the frames in
use, and then, sometime in May, set
the frames and bees from some of the
old hives into them.
New Philadelphia, O.
For the American Bee Journal,
The Forncrook Patent Section.
M. M. BALDRIDGB.
I have received Mr. Forncrook's
catalogue for 1883, in which I find
the following lansruage : " We intend
to prosecute manufacturers who in-
fringe upon our rights to manufacture
a one-piece section of any descrip-
tion." Also the following: "We
do not intend to molest bee-keepers
for using the one-piece sections they
may have bought of other parties
previous to Dec. 1, 1881, but caution
them against buying any not bearing
our stamp." The latter quotation is
equivalent to saying that bee-keepers
will be prosecuted for infringement
of the Forncrook patent for using
one-piece sections '■ of any descrip-
tion " made by outside parties since
Dec. 1, 1881.
As the above is misleading, for-
bearance any longer to dissect the
Forncrook patent, ceases to be a
virtue.
llnving had more or less experience
during the past 2-5 years in overhaul-
ing specifications and claims on " pat-
ent hives," it enables me to under-
stand the points in Mr. Forncrook's
patent. Having in my possession the
Forncrook specilic-itions and claims,
I will now give the latter, which are
as follows : I claim " as a new article
of manufacture, a blank for honey-
frames formed of a single piece of
wood having transverse angular
grooves c. longitudinal groove d, and
recesses h, al 1 arranged in the man-
ner shown and described."
The above is what is known as a
" combination " claim, being made
up of parts, as follows : One (1) strip
of wood; three (3) transverse angular
grooves; one (1) longitudinal groove;
and two (2) recesses or passage ways
for the bees, with both ends of the
strip " dentated " so they will " inter-
lock when brought together." The
specifications and drawings must al-
ways be referred to, to get at a proper
understanding of the claims and what
is meant by the following words:
" All arranged in the manner shown
and described." The following en-
graving illustrates the entire claim :
czzn^gi^^LZZi
Now, it must be apparent that, the
omission of any of the parts enumer-
ated destroys the" combination," and
renders the patent null and void.
I will now introduce three illustra-
tions, as follows :
1[
11
E^
1
L
As none of the above sections pos-
sess all the parts of the "cimihina-
tion,"they evidently do not infringe
upon the Forncrook patent.
And now let me suggest another
destructive element, to-wit : The
omission of simply the " longitudinal
groove!" In other words, the sec-
tion can be made all in one piece,
with both ends dentated, with the 3
transverse angular grooves, and with
tops and botf(mis narrower than the
sides, and still not infringe the Forn-
crook patent ! And why not omit
the " longitudinal groove," inasmuch
as the section is just as good without
it V For my own use I always omit
said groove ; in fact, I would as soon
use a^latitudinal groove as a " longi-
tudinal one !"
As a rule, any " combination " pat-
ent can be easily evaded ; in other
words, it is not very difficult to drive
a " span of horses " or a " yoke of
oxen" right through one! I have
yet to find a " combination " patent,
on bee-hives, that cannot be evaded,
and still retain all the essentials.
The Langstroth patent was the most
difficult to evade, but even that could
be done and still make the hive very
practical.
Now, if Mr. Forncrook lias as good
sense as I give him credit for, he will
never prosecute the makers, vendors,
or users of the one-piece section for
infringement, so long as they omit any
of the parts of his "combination," as
i indicated in his patent, and as set
' fortli in this article.
1 For one, I would like to hear from
i Mr. Forncrook through the Bee
! Journal in rei)ly to my analysis of
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
^3
his patent. I have no desire to mis-
lead the readers of the Bee Jouunal,
nor have I any desire to injure Mr.
Forncrook, linancially or otherwise.
My only desire is simply to state facts
as'I lind them, and without fear or
favor from any one.
St. Charles, 111.
[The Bee Journal believes in the
old maxim : " Right wrongs no one."
In dealing out '■ exact justice to all,"
it will neither countenance exlorlion
on the part of an inventor, nor allow
an "'evasion^'' of a legitimate patent,
in order to defraud its owner, without
an earnest protest. To do so, wonki
only impede "progress" and dis-
courage " invention." The one-piece
section now enjoys a well-earned pop-
ularity, and, as its inventor has spent
much time and money in bringing it
to its present state of perfection — is
he not entitled toa?rrt.so)!a&fe reward V
We believe that all right-minded per-
sons will cheerfully assent to this, but
will not, willingly, submit to extortion
on the one hand, nor countenance dis-
honesty on the other.— Ed.]
For the American Bee JournaL
My Bee Cellar and Management.
REUBEN HAVENS.
My cellar is 22x44 feet, divided into
three rooms. The first room is but
half underground, which I use for a
shop and store room. , There is a large
out-door opening into this room ; also
one opening from the kitchen. The
other rooms have heavy stone walls,
plastered ; it is also lathed and plas-
tered overhead. It has a tile run-
ning around the bottom, just inside
the wall, cement floor; and two four
light 12x14 windows in each room.
My bee room is the one fartherest
from the outer door.
On the north side, I have a 4-inch
pipe 8 feet long ; on the south side, a
6-inch pipe with a cross, or T pipe, on
the outside for ventilation. Upper
ventilation is given by a flue running
to the bottom of the cellar ; pipe hole
near the ceiling. If the room becomes
too warm, which it often does, I ven-
tilate by opening the outside door,
and letting the fresh air pass in
through the other two rooms. In this
way I can keep an even temperature.
In putting the bees away for winter.
I place the hives on racks ; tlie tirst
tier 2 feet from the floor, and every
hi''e is pbieed so that it can be moved
■without disturbing the others. After
placing the hives, I remove the tops
and leave no covering, except the
quilts.
By the way, I bought a lot of hives
last summer with enamel cloth covers,
■which I left on, wlien I put them into
winter quarters, and on examination,
a few days since, I found the moisture
had condensed on the quilts and run
down through the combs and out at
the entrance of the hives, causing the
bees to become very uneasy. I im-
mediately stripped off the enamel
covers and replaced them with covers
made of worn ingrain carpet. This
is the best material for covers that I
have ever used. If worn, then make
them double. I think keeping an
even temjierature and good upper
ventilation, are the main things in
successful wintering.
There seems to be quite a differ-
ence of opinion in regard to the right
temperature, varying from 32 to 44
degrees. I lind when the tempera-
ture gets above 40 degrees, the bees
become very uneasy.
Onarga, 111., Jan. IS, 1883.
For the Americun Bee Journal.
Sections, Separators, Apprentices,&c.
JAMES HEDDON, ]7?-500.
After reading a few more thoughts
from others, I wish to say a little
more about the half-pound sections.
On page 8, Mr. Benedict, in his second
paragraph, says " a prime colony will
produce ^^ more honey in one-pound
than in half-pound sections." Whij
they will, he does not say; and, why
they will not, is too long a story to tell
here.
Now, I am quite sure that if I could
have Mr. Benedict in my yard three
days next summer, I could convince
him that more comb honey can be pro-
cured in pound or half-pound sections,
than in any larger receptacles. If he
is correct, then I am wrong, and half-
pound sections will soon be among the
" things that were." I shall use a few
of them next season. I think that
extra cost and manipulation is the
main objection to their use. But, as I
can use them on the same hives with
my pounds, and in the same size crate,
I shall feel bound to make some com-
prehensive tests, regarding them, next
season.
On page 18, the editor tells Dr. Tin-
ker that this section " requires extra
capping, and comb foundation ; per-
haps too much to be profitable." My
experience \\\i\\ combs, down as thin
as % in. has convinced me that (some
how or other) the bees finish sealing
the thinnest combs tirst, and apparent-
ly easiest. Also, I have demonstrated
that the more foundation I can crowd
into use, the better for my yield of
comb honey, to an amount far exceed-
ing the extra cost.
Dr. Miller (one of those who " get
there") can imagine the queen mak-
ing her home and " nest " in the sec-
tions, if they are so thin as would be
needed for half-pounds, of 4}4x4i4
square. I would tell the Doctor to go
ahead, and fear no brood in the sec-
tions, of any thickness ; but I oliject
to sucli thin comb, fbr reasons I iiave
already given on pages 5 and 27. I
wish I was as sure of a good crop in
1883, as that, with any thing like rea-
sonable management, we shall have
no brood troubles.
Let me say to Dr. L. C. Whiting
(see page 42) that if he will try the
process of putting up honey in large
frames, and then cutting up and tit-
ting into sections to be properly fin-
ished up by the bees, he will want to
forget the day the thought first entered
his mind. Try it, Doctor, (justa little)
and report.
Mr. Caldvi'ell (p. 8) says, that in some
seasons bees were reluctant to work
among separators, and wonders if as
much honey will be stored with, as
without them, and yet the same arti-
cle is headed " Separators a Necessi-
ty." Dr. Miller and Capt. Scudder,
(page 20) are of the same opinion. I
have no fears about straight combs,
but two bee-keepers (who also "get
there," and in whom I place great con-
fidence,) assure me that my fears of
their damaging my crop, is groundless.
One of them presents the best argu-
ments [ have ever heard, and presents
a little different manner of their use
and manipulation ; and, while I am
putting considerable money into such
experiments, as I deem essential to
the proper instruction of my class of
students for 1883, 1 shall add $10 for
tin for separators, and make one more
test on a broad and improved scale.
If I find my former views changed in
any way, I shall be (mly too glad to
tell all about it. If not, I shall con-
sider a $10 box of tin, a solid perch
upon which to crow, "I— told — you —
so."
On page 36 Dr. Miller tells us some t
thing about " Who should Keep Bees."
When I read that, " I threw" up my
hat," and shouted. My wife asked
" What fs upV" I replied, " A pen
picture of real life ; an article worth
twice the price of the Bee Journal
for a year, to every reader ; an antidote
for Blessed Bees." Every one should
read that article and not get discour-
aged, for the article is the best of en-
couragement to all who should embark
in the business, and who understand
the article rightly.
On page 6, Dr. Besse points out
" another advance step," as one very
desirable to be taken. That there is
a great demand for the services of
competent apiarists, I very well
know, from the numerous applica-
tions which come to me. All are will-
ing to pay high wages, if they can get
the right sort of a man. The Doctor
maps t)ut a plan by which he thinks
the right man can be detected from
the wrong one. From all that I know
of the apiarian student-apprentice
business, together with diplomas and
seals of presidents, secretaries and
whole societies, committees and all
included — all these seals arid signa-
tures, with all the expense and
trouble of the red tape circumlocu-
tion, mentioned by the correspondent,
would only throw suspicion upon any
one who might apply tome. I should
say. Where did you practice, honey-
producing y With Mr. G. T. Success.
Good. What recommendations can
you giveV This paper. It reads:
" The bearer, Mr. Henry Goodwin,
has spent five months in my apiary of
200 colonies, having passed through
the season's operations, from unpack-
ing the bees in the spring to repack-
ing them for winter quarters. I have
found Mr. G. a young man of integrity
and tact. lie has studied the theory
of apiculture under my supervision,
and has been with me in practice
14
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
through spring preparation, queen-
rearing, surplus storing of botti comb
and extracted honey, transferring nat-
ural and artiiieial swarming, etc., to-
gether with all the mechanical labors
connected with the production and
fitting for market of iiO,00() pounds of
surplus honey. While he has yet
more to learn, I consider him fully
competent to successfullij manage an
apiary of 100 colonies, spring count.
Signed, " Get There Success."
The above is the sort of diploma I
■want.
Is this the firm of Capable & Rich ?
Yes sir. You have advertised for a
salesman, I believe V Yes sir ; we
need one badly. I am here to make
application for the place. What tes-
timonials of character and ability can
you give V lie takes out a document,
covered with the seals and signatures
of all the officers and committees of a
popular commercial college, avowing
that the bearer, "Studious S. Slow-
motion " is everything that a college
professor imagines a young commer-
cial man ought to be. It is all lined
and trimmed with red tape. The pro-
prietor drops his head, looks disap-
pointed, and says, I will consult our
head salesman, and give you an an-
swer in a moment. John ; here is a
young man seeking the place, where
we so much need help, and here is his
testimonials. John reads a little
ways, and says : "There is no use to
try any more of those commercial col-
lege graduates; they usually have
less than one-fourth of the native
tact of a boot-black, and they have it
all to learn after they get here. We
don't want any more stupid appren-
tices; we want an experienced man,
one who has had practice, and is not
all theory."
About such dialogues as this occur
daily in our large cities, I am credi-
bly informed. I like the Doctor's
ideas, all but the diplomas and signa-
tures, which I think entirely useless.
The results would show that a bee-
man is a bee-man " for a' that, and a'
that," and that a failure coulii pass
the examination, get the signatures
and yet be a failure " for a' tliat."
On page 43, Mr. Chas. FoUett gets
up " another step higher." I like the
solid metallic ring oi: " his " short re-
ply. I believe he has reached a point
where he can defy failure ; but his
article gives conclusive evidence of at
least two points ; first, that, if after 3
years of apprenticeship, he blundered
to a loss of $300 to S500, either he did
not become a student as well as an
apprentice, during the time, or else
his teacher was incompetent. Sec-
ondly, in any case, it shows the great
value of experience before we invest
our capital.
In chemistry, 3-7of A, and 4-7 of B,
mixed together, make a healthful
nutritive food, but 3-7 of B, and 4-7 of
A are together a deadly poison ; so
apicultural success will be reached
only by a proper mixture of thought
and labor. The apiarist, in the back-
woods, with no teacher, no reading
matter, no thought to clash with and
sharpen his own, will fail ; so the
commercial student, who is buried
under a mass of books and teachers.
having no store or fabric of merchan-
dise with which to practice, soon for-
gets even how to " swap jack-knives."
Any apiarist, to do justice to student
apprentices, must invest a few hun-
dred dollars in experimental fixtures;
the extra labor, thus incurred, the stu-
dents will perform, and should, in jus-
tice to them, have that extra labor
supplied them.
Mr. FoUett will think five months
(which constitutes a season here, as
we unpack about May 1st, and re-
pack tlie last days of September)
rather a short time to become profi-
cient in the art of honey production.
My limited experience with students
proves that this five months of study
and practical experiment puts them
on the right track, and prepares their
minds for receiving all new truths
right end foremost. All of my stu-
dents, wht) have commenced bee-
keeping, are to-day succeeding; two
will begin in apiaries of mine, on
shares, this spring. My faith is thus
great; with these five months instruc-
tion, any reasonably apt man can
have of me an apiary of 100 colonies
on shares, a position which will pay
him more than high wages, one year
with another, and one in which he
can " blunder " and finish his educa-
tion at my expense. Of course I will
direct the operations. I shall get bet-
ter results than to sell the bees. It
will not take five months to convince
him that comb-honey production,
when properly pursued, pays much
better than extracted.
Dowagiac, Mich., Jan. 22, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Small Sections, Best Bees, etc.
DR. J. R. BAKER.
We are a great people, but. withal, a
little eccentric ; and I think I never
saw the latter characteristic crop out
more prominently — at least in bee-
keepingcireles— than in the half-pound
section business.
Because two or three honey-produc-
ers, who believe in the grand principle
of ever marching forward, and who
like to experiment and indulge in
novelties, put a few half-pound sec-
tions of honey, in nice shape, on the
market, and foimd a good sale for it,
why, about half of the bee-keeping
fraternity seem to have gotten half-
pound section on the brain I
It seems to me that Capt. L. H.
Scudder, of New Boston. 111., Mr. F.
C. Benedict, Dr. Miller, James Hed-
don and others, in the week or two
last past have taken the sensible view
of the matter, as expressed in the Bee
Journal, and now comes, in the last
issue of the Bee Journal, Mr. Frank
L. Ripley, of Boston, Muss., with a
clincher," which it is hoped will act as
a sedative on the over-anxious victims
of the half-pound section craze.
It is contrary to good judgment to
expect the half-pound sections to ever
become universally in demand : for,
there are a few who always seem to
think that acting ridiculously is the
displaying of wisdom, the majority of
honey" consumers will prefer to buy
just as little wood as possible, at from
20 to 30 cts. per pound. The Irishman
said that he wanted just as much
whisky as possible and as little qui-
nine in his prescription as would make
it legal. So the most of tlie honey
buyers will want as much honey as
possible and as little wood for the
money.
In view of this fact I think the ma-
jority of bee-keepers had better stick
to the one and two-pound sections, for
awhile yet, at least. I know one that
will, at all events.
I have looked on with a good deal
of interest in the discussion as to the
merits of the different varieties of
bees, that has been indulged in with
so much ability and warmth by some
of the apicultural gladiators in our
country; and the result of the discus-
sion, to my mind, has been a complete
routing of the three-band advocates.
While the thorough-bred Italians, with
their beautiful yellow bands, are, as a
rule, very docile, and always pleasing
to the eye of one who loves the beau-
tiful, I am fully persuaded that for
honey-gathering the dark-colored (or
hybrids, if you please) are much supe-
rior, as a general thing, to the golden
beauties. While this seems to be the
experience of a majority of our ex-
perienced apiarists, it is most decidedly
mine. That this is true, I very much
regret, for if there is anything that I
love to look upon, it is a colony of
beautiful yellow bees.
Now, while what I have said as to
the superiority of the dark bees as
honey-gatherers, I am much inclined
to think there is a remedy for it, and
that is, in the selection of the good
honey-gatherers from among the yel-
low bees as breeders, and the merciless
beheading of every queen whose prog-
eny prove to be indifferent workers.
No difference, if her bees have forty
gold bands, let her goto the " block,"
unless the bees are good for business.
I am quite certain that it is the in-
breeding of the American Italians for
bands, instead of for workers, that has
wrought the mischief in the ranks of
yellow bees. If the yellow bees are
expected to keep abreast of their more
homely and irascible neighbors as
business insects, they must be judic-
iously selected.
There are good workers among the
most beautiful yellow bees, I know,
and if the breeders of these would
breed from nothing but such, there
would soon be lessto say about the
yellow bees being inferior to the dark
as workers. The trouble has been,
that if a queen breeder of Italians had
a golden queen whose progeny were a
beautiful yellow, she was valued very
highly, wi'thout reference to tlie busi-
ness qualities of her bees at all. All
this must be speedily changed, if the
golden-banded beauties are to hold a
place in the affections of our best
apiarists.
Let some man well- fitted for queen-
breeding give us a good strain of gold-
en Italians and he shall be called
blessed, by one lover of the beautiful,
at least.
There is no better locality for honey
production than near the upper Mis-
sissippi. I believe the honey reports
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
75
of the country will prove this assertion.
But while this is true, 1 am n victim I
of chronic, maliirial poisoninff ; iuul I
am fully persuaded that I must tind
another Held. I must go to some point
-where malaria is a stranger; hut, while
this is true, I must also so where bees
do well. To rob me of the pleasure of
keeping bees, on quite an extensive
scale, would be to deprive me ot a
•world of pleasure, to say nothing
About the pecuniarv consideration. I
flatter myself that I am a successful
bee-master ; and I am looking for a
pleasant locality, good for bees, and
entirely free from bilious difficulties.
Dr. F. A. Grove, of Kirksville, Mo.,
;seems to have the right notion about
keephig bees for profit. He keeps
-bees, poultry, a little other good stock,
raises a little small fruit and culti-
vates a good vegetable garden. I am
quite certain this is better for the ma-
jority of bee-keepers than to keep bees
alone. My advice to all beginners is :
go slowly, and learn as you go. He
who rushes into a business up to his
«yes, of which he knows comparatively
nothing, is apt to get his profits all on
the debtor side.
Keithsburg, 111., Jan. 20, 1883.
enough for 2, stretch and tack this
down tightly, aud it will turn rain or
wind as good as boards. It is much
cheaper and more quickly di)ue.
They get all the fresh air they need
at the entrance. As it is the same
size as in the summer, with a small
tube or box from the entrance to the
outer case, the bees can fly whenever
a warm day comes, although mine
have not had a flight since about
Nov. l-5th ; they are taking a good
rest, to awake during the first warm
davs of spring to come forth with the
eaily fiowers, with their glad hum,
ready for another year's labor.
S. C. Frederick.
Coal Vale, Kansas, Jan. 22, 1883.
Swarms Went to the Woods.
I have 27 colonies ; 19 on the sum-
mer stands and 8 in the cellar. I wish
to try both plans, and report in spring.
They gave me a very poor yield last
year, owing to the cold late spring.
During August, I was in the West,
and lost 6 or 8 swarms. I will try
and do better during the coming sea-
son, if I can. J. Bishop.
Greenwood, Ind., Jan. 20, 1883.
The 2-11). Sections Good Eiioiiarh.
We have been very much interested
in the half-pound section question,
l)ut have decided to adhere to our 2-
Ib. sections, for the present at least.
Taking everything into considera-
tion, the change does not prouiise to
termiaate in a success financially.
Gkeiner Bros.
Naples, N. Y., Jan. 11), 1883.
Jtty Way of Wintering Bees.
I always winter ray bees on the
summer stands. This is my third
winter, and I have not lost any yet.
My plan of preparation is as follows :
After the boxes are taken off, I put
on Mr. Hill's device ; then cover the
frames with a piece of as thin factory
as.I can get (large enough to come
outside of the hive, after the cap is
on). On the top of this, I place a
cushion, 4 inches thick, filled with
chaff, and give plenty of ventilation
above the cushion. They are on their
summer stands, and have a good roof
for shade, supported at each corner
by a small post, the outer case is
■easy put on. For the case, I take best
•canvas, 40 inches wide ; this is wide
Statistics— Planting for Honey, etc.
I have been trying to ascertain the
number of bees in Lucas Co.. Iowa,
this winter, and this will show how
well I have succeeded. I have found
28 men that keep bees; they represent
661 colonies ; 72 of them have bees in
box hives and log gums ; the remain-
der in frame hives, 90 per cent, of the
latter in Langstroth hives ; 6 of the
latter take a bee paper and represent
448 colonies of bees, and have taken
the past season between 9 and 10 tons
of honey. I have made out my report,
the best I could, and sent to Dr. C. C.
Miller. Bees are wintering well, so
far ; there is one thing that bothers
me a little. In 3 or 4 of my hives I
find thin honey running out at the
entrance. What is the reason ? Mice
cannot get in. Tell me the cause and
remedy. It is too cold to open the
hives to see. I sowed 3 lbs. of catnip
seed, last fall, along the creek banks,
in ditches and waste places. Will it
pav V Will sweet clover come up this
spring, if sowed in February ?
Wm. Ma lone.
Oakley, Iowa, Jan. 16, 1883.
[The "thin honey running out at
the entrance " is probably condensed
moisture that could not escape at the
top. In running down over the combs
it came in contact with honey and be-
came sii-eet water. This will make the
bees uneasy, and during the first warm
weather you should place some good
absorbent over the frames. This is
about all you can do, until an exami-'
nation can be made in the spring.
Of course " it will pay " to plant
forage for bees. Sweet clover planted
on the snow in early spring will do
well; freezing' the seed is beneficial
to it.— Ed.1
Do the Drones Accompany a Swarm %
1 have just finished reading the
pamphlet entitled " Dzierzon's The-
ory." I appreciate the theory of
Dzierzon (and indorse it) for its val-
uable instructions, but I want to ask
whether drones (male bees) issue with
the first swarm in " natural swarm-
ing V" Dr. H. R. DOKR.
Worden, 111., Jan. 19, 1883.
[This is governed by the circum-
stances. Usually the old queen and
workers, old and young, compose the
swarm, and therefore they have no
need of drones. In such cases the
drones remain in the hive to fertilize
the young queen, whose "wedding
flight " occurs in a few days after the
swarm leaves. If the old queen is
unable to fly (from her wings being
clipped, or some other cause), then
the bees, after returning to the hive,
will sometimes take the young queen
with them, when Ihey issue again.
Then drones, being necessary, wil
also go with the swarm.— Ed.]
Dnty on Beeswax.
It is within my knowledge that in
view of the great rise in price of wax
in the United States that arrange-
ments were being made by a large
firm of merchants in London, to place
considerable quantities of beeswax on
the American markets. The only ob-
stacle, I believe, was the duty.
Thomas B. Blow.
Welwyn, England, Jan. 10, 1883.
[As wax is so much used in Europe,
we did not tliink that there would be a
chance of getting any there.— Ed.]
My Years' Work.
I commenced the spring of 1882 with
2 colonies of bees and increased to 12
strong colonies, and got 150 lbs. of
comb honey, in 1-pound sections, and
150 lbs. of extracted honey. I sold the
comb honey for 20 cts. per lb.; the ex-
tracted for 15 cts. at home. I use the
Langstroth hive, of my own make.
My bees are wintering on the summer
stands, packed in clover chaff.
George N. Marsh.
Huntley Grove, 111., Jan. 24, 1883.
A Continuons Blizzard.
We are having a blizzard here at
present ; averaging 10'^ below zero,
during the past few days ; but my
bees are in a sawdust bee-house and
doing well. We have had continuous
sleighing since the last of November.
No practical apiarist can afford to do
without the American Bee Jour-
nal. A. BURRILL.
Cuba, N. Y., Jan. 24, 1883.
Half-ponnd Sections.
I am sorry to see the half-pound
sections favorably spoken of by any
one. There may be a demaiul for
them in some places, but I am quite
sure that in the Western States they
are too small. J. J. Tucker.
Arrow Rock, Mo., Jan. 20, 1883.
Trying Theories on Wintering Bees.
Saturday night it thawed and rained
a little with the mercury at 38^ F.,
but early on Sunday morning the wnid
changed to the west, blowing a perfect
gale, which has been kept up ever
since. The mercury dropped below
zero and this morning it was 12° below.
Since Nov. 11 the mercury has not
been above 42^, so that the bees have
had no chance to fly. All seem to be
wintering well so far, but if our winter
76
THE AMERICAlir BEE JOURNAL.
keeps on till April, as it has begun,
all will know of how much value their
Eet theories are, regarding wintering
ees. G. M. Doolittle.
Borodino, N. Y., Jan. 23, 1883.
Bees Quiet Yet.
I fear that unless the bees have a
flight before long tliey will not winter
well, although many of them are quiet
yet. Fay Kennell.
South Gates, N. Y'., Jan. 20, 1883.
Best Hive for Cumb Honey.
Dear Editor : — As a new sub-
scriber to your very valuable and in-
structive Bee Journal, I want more
light. Will you please give your
opinion which is the best form of
frame — the deep or shallow, when we
have in view to obtain the most comb
honey only V My purpose is not to
get extracted honey, but the most
protit from the use of sections.
H. B. IIA3I3ION.
Bristolville, O., Jan. 22, 1883.
[We prefer the Langstroth hive and
frame for all purposes, and more es-
pecially is it well-adapted to the pro-
duction of comb honey. With a shal-
low frame, the bees are more easily
induced to work in sections, over the
frames. For side storing, the Langs-
troth broad frame is just the right
size to hold 8 one-pound sections.
Other sizes can be used, just as well
as in any other liive. — Ed.]
Bees in the Cellar Wintering Well.
Messrs. Crocker & Blake, of Bos-
ton, have kindly sent me a half-
pound section measuring 31^x31-16x2.
I'm afraid Mr. Heddon is mistaken.
I suspect there will always be a
larger market for one-pounds than
for the half-pounds ; and if, the latter
is over-stocked, the one-pounds will
bring the highest price. Bees are
wintering nicely in the cellar, .so far.
C. C. Miller, 174-202.
Marengo, 111., Jan. 9, 1883.
Bees Doing Exceedingly Well.
Bees did remarkably well last year ;
one man got about 13,000 lbs. "from
100 colonies in the spring, and in-
creased to 200 ; another got 37.5 lbs.
from 2 colonies in the spring, and in-
creased to 19 ; another told me he had
cleared S800 en 60 colonies, in honey
alone. B. T. Baldwin.
Oskaloosa, Iowa, Jan. 22, 1883.
Poor Season for Honey.
We have thus far had quite a pleas-
ant winter, although it is pretty cold,
and growing colder, with a steadily
increaing depth of snow. Last season
was a very poor one here for honey ;
there was an abundance of clover,
but the weather was too cold for it to
secrete honey. I obtained only about
3,000 lbs. of comb honey from 90
colonies, and increased them to 106.
My bees are wintering nicely, so far;
1 winter them in a large cellar
under the dwelling house ; the cellar
is very damp, having in it a large open
cistern, but I keep it well ventilated.
Bees went into winter quarters pretty
light in stores, therefore, I look for a
favorable spring for them. Perhaps
I shall be disappointed, but I shall
make observations in this direction.
Last winter they were unufsually
heavy, and the spring was one of the
coldest and most Viackward I ever
saw. B. T. Davenport.
Auroraville, Wis., Jan. 20, 1883.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF A.1IEHICAN BEE JOrKNAL. }
Monday, Hi a. m.. January 129. 1882. J
Tlie following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotations of Cnsh Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Extracted, dark 7c. llKht, 9c. here.
BEESWAX— It is qu.te s(tiirce. 1 am payint: 30e.
for good yellow wax, on arriviil : dark and off col-
ors, I7(g*:i5c.
AL. H. Nkwjiax. una W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement in the honey
market, but sales are tair to our regular trade.
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7&Je. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there
is a large supply of tlrst-clasa quality on the mar-
ket. It brings l2(fl:l.sc. on arrival.
BEESWAX— Comes in slowly and brines 2(J(Si30c.
per lb., according tu quality. CuaS. F. MUTH.
Quotations of C'omntlsHluu Aferchnnts.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— January month, and still there is a
large surplus of comb honey on the market.
Prices are weak owing to large offerings, and anx-
iety on the part of shippers and holders here to
realize on th-* prtnuict. Extracted honey is steady,
but the demand is light.
We quote; white comb honey. in l@21b. sections,
17(i^I8c. Dark comb iioney, hardly anydemand. It
is held at l^Hfajl.^c. Extracted— White brings from
y^ioc: dark, k(,iiic.; kegs, half- barrels and casks
bring about same price.
BEESWA.X-Vellow, aiKT^.-ijc; dark, 27(ru2Sc.
R. A. BfH.METT. liu South Water St.
SAN KRANCISCO.
HONEY— Nothing of consequence is at present
doing. There is no special inquiry, and no selling
pressure, unless it ia on off qualities.
White ctioib. ny^UOc; dark to good. ll@13^c; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, H^r/yJ^c. ; dark and
candied. 7(5.8c.
BEBSWA,X-We quote 2.')(« 2,8c.
SteakNs & SMITH. 42.3 Front street.
ST. i^OUIS.
HONEY— Strained, at fi(5i7^c., was salable— one
lotof 17 bbls. bringing inside figure: but comb,
very dull at lOc. to 18c.; and extracted do., .Sficyc.
BEESWAX-Steady; choice, 27fe27!.2C.; dark.
20£o22c.
W. T. ANDERSON & Co.. 117 N. Main Street,
CLEVELAND.
HONE Y -Has changed in price a very little, we
find it necessary to sell all grades about 1 cent per
It', less. Best white, in I Bi sections, 2n(./i2Ic. per
per pound ; in 2 ib. sections. l8^2Uc. Extracted ia
very dull indeed, hardly any sale.
BEESWAX-Scarce, 28(is30c.
A. C. Kendel. lir> Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— There is very little stock here and the
movement only of a peddling ctiarai'ter.
We quote: White clover, first quality. 1 lb boxes.
24^*250: fair to good. 22('t2;<c.; buckwheat. U>(ii>17e.
Extracted, clover. lo,.i,l:Jc.: buckwheat, ygiluc.
BKESW,\,\— The supply is not large and prices
firmly held for prime lots.
"Western pure. :_iOi<';i2c; southern, pure, 31(3i33c.
D. W. (jlilNUY. luo Park Place.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
V^ Ib. sections at 30C.: l lb. sections. 22<?^25c.; 2 1b.
sections, 20(a22c. Extracted, loc. per lb. Good
lots o' extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
CROCKKU & Bi.aee. 57 Chatham Street.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New Y'ork or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2.5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
S.5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
* — I ^m I ■
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1883, for the Weekly,
vpith $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postjiaid.
For three subscribers, with $(>, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $,S, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For live subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's ABC of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
S.imple Copies of theAMERiCAN Bee,
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., FEBRUARY 7, 1883.
No. 6.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Puoprietor,
moving Bees in Winter.
As we have quite a number of
queries ;iboat moving bees, and the
best method of preparing them for
shipment, we will give some direc-
tions, as we have often done before,
but which seem not to have been seen
by those who now send in questions
on the subject. Mr. T. F. Kinsel,
Shiloh, O., writes thus :
I am wintering my bees in the cel-
lar. I expect to sell some, and move
6 to 8 miles soon, if it can be done
with safety. How shall I proceed V
We have good sleigliing, and they
could be drawn on a sled. Would it
be better to wait until spring '{ Ought
they to be placed in a cellar after re-
moving, etc. y Will the unavoidable
jotting in moving hurt them V
We cannot advise the removal of
bees, in any manner, during a season,
when tliey cannot have a good flight
immediately afterward. We would
much prefer running the risk of
breaking down combs, in the early
spring, over rough roads, than to risk
their disturbance in winter. It miqht
do to move them on a sled over the
snow,butall the chances are against it.
Here is another letter, asking simi-
lar questions, from Mr. M. E. Buck,
McLean, 111. :
Bees have done well here during
the past summer. The spring was
very cold and backward. I com-
menced with 23 colonies, spring count,
and increased to.50, by natural swarm-
ing. My bees are the natives, mixed
somewhat with tlie Italians. I am us-
ing the Mitchell hive. I have taken
1,600 pounds of comb honey; a good
part of it in one-pound sections. The
greatest yield from one colony was 90
pounds in one-pound sections. For
wintering, I am trying tlie plan of
covering my hives over with hay or
straw, on the summer stands. I want
to ship my bees to Kansas. Would it
do to sliip by freight V Which is the
best way to pack or fix them, where
there are .50 or 75 colonies put on one
car V Would it do to pack or heap
them together V Is Kansas a good
place for bees ? I intend to go there
and go into the business.
Some parts of Kansas are good for
bees, as shown by reports from some
bee-keepers there. The best time for
shipping bees is in April, or quite
early in May, before the combs are
too heavy with brood ; but with proper
care in preparing them and ordinary
usage in handling, they may be
shipped at any time with comparative
safety, except in cold weather, if
properly prepared for the journey.
The first work of preparation is to
go through the hives and extract
about all the uncapped honey, as the
least daubing will prove fatal to the
bees ; then procure a block 1 inch
square, and as long as the hive is wide,
in this cut notches and tack in the
bottom of the hive, in which to place
the frames to keep them steady ; now
select the new combs and tliose heavy
with brood or sealed honey, secure
them well in the frames with strip-
binders, and place in the hive ; tack
the ends of the frames firmly to the
rabbets on which' they rest ; dip the
blanket in clean water, lightly wring,
fold about six thicknesses, and lay on
the fi'ont ends of the frames.
If the hive has no portico, leave off
the cover, and use wire cloth instead,
nailing on top of that, three one-inch
strips, two inches wide— one across
the center, the others across each end,
to insure ventilation when piled on
each other. Now tack wire cloth over
the entrance, and your bees are ready
for shipment.
If the hive has a portico, prepare in
the same manner as above, except to
bore a 1 14 inch hole in each side of the
brood chamber, and also in the cover,
which will be used in place of the
wire cloth over the frames ; the holes
to be covered inside and outside with
wire cloth, to admit of ventilation.
Leave the entrance open the full size,
but cover the entire portico securely
with wire cloth, leaving free access to
it from the interior of the hive ; care
must be taken, however, to bore a IJ^
inch hole under the roof-board of the
portico, and left open, to allow free
ingress to the interior of the hive, as
the entrance beneath may become
choked up, and the cluster of bees,
with the queen, die of starvation
through inability to get at the honey
in the hive.
Hives made with porticoes are much
better for shipping bees, for it allows
them to drag out the dead, cleanse
the hive, and, to a great extent, pre-
vent dysentery. Prepared in this
manner, full colonies may be shipped
at all seasons, from May 1st until
Aug. 10th, with perfect success. They
should be sent by freight, and loaded
with the frames running lengthwise
of tha car — the end of the frames
pointing • towards the engine. If
packed in the car the other way, the
"bumping" may break the frames
down. Old and tough combs are best
for shipping. Express charges are
too high, usually, exceptfor short dis-
tances.
Mr. G. Damkohler, Clarence, Mo.,
remarks as follows :
I intend to move to Florida in
March, and as it may be quite cold
here at that time, will you please to
five some directions, in the Bee
OURNAL, how to prepare bees for
shipment in winter 'i 1 tj^ard, a few
days ago, that a whole car load of bees
passed through here, on their way
South. Perhaps you know something
about that shipment.
The trouble will be to prepare them
for the journey so early. In Missouri
there may be some warm days when
you can do so, but here in the North,
it would be too much to expect. To
the foregoing general directions for
shipping bees, we direct attention.
Here is another letter of inquiry
from Mr. T. Thurlow, Lancaster, Pa.,
■78
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
who asks about moving bees by rail
in winter. He says :
I am going into Maryland in Feb-
ruary, a journey of 200 miles. My 14
colonies of bees are in double-walled
hives, with chaff cushions on top.
The question with me is, whether to
leave the cushions on, or to fasten
down the frames, take the cushions
off and give them the whole cap to
roam around in, with holes through
the cap, covered with wire cloth.
Which ?
The answer given to the preceding
questions will apply to this. We do
not think it reasonable to expect
weather warm enough to prepare bees
for shipment during this month. If
the weather was warm enough not to
chill the brood, if they have it, it
would be best to give the bees the cap
to cluster in ; especially would it be
desirable, if the combs should break
down, to give them space to cluster
in, and thus, perhaps, save the entire
colony.
The Sting of the Honey Bee.
A correspondent has sent us the
following descriptive article on the
above subject, takei>-from an English
periodical entitled Oood Words :
If we press the abdomen of a bee,
so as to cause the sting to protrude,
we should naturally think that the
sharp, dark-colored instrument was
The Sting of the Bee.
the sting itself. This, however, is not
the case. The real sting is a very
Blender instrument, nearly transpar-
ent, keenly pointed, and armed on one
edge with a row of barbs. 8o exactly
does the sting resemble the many-
barbed arrow of certain savage tribes
that, if the savages had possessed mi-
croscopes, we should certainly have
thought that they borrowed the idea
of the barb from the insect. What
we see with the unaided eye is simply
the sheath of the sting. Many savages
poison their spears and arrows, and
here also they have been anticipated
by the insect. But the sting is infi-
nitely superior to the arrow poison.
No poison that has yet been made,
not even the terrible wourali, or cu-
rare, as it is sometimes called, can re-
tain its strength after long exposure
to air. The upas poison of Borneo,
for example, loses its potency in two
or three hours. But the venom of the
sting is never exposed to the air at all.
It is secreted by two long, thread-like
glands, not nearly so thick as a human
hair, and is then received into a little
bag at the base of the sting. When
the insect uses its weapon it contracts
tlie abdomen, thereby forcing the
sting out and compressing the venom-
bag.
By the force of the stroke which
drives the sting into the foe, its base
is pressed against the venom-bag and
a small amount of poison driven into
the wound. The barbed weapon can-
not be withdrawn, and the whole ap-
paratus of sting, poison-bag and
glands is torn out of the insect,thereby
causing its ultimate death.
The Honey Market in England.
The following letter will be very
interesting to our readers :
There is not much English honey
to be found on the market, even the
largest producers, the most promi-
nent bee-keepers, have had none to
sell this winter. Mr. Cowan wrote
me the other day, saying he had some
in 1 lb. jars to offer at Is. 3d. (30 cts.)
per pound. English comb honey in
sections of 1 lb. to 2 ib., bring from Is.
6d. (36 cts.) to 2s. (48 cts.) per pound ;
but, even at these prices, it is very
seldom 1,000 lbs. can be found in one
parcel, or in even one neighborhood,
so that if a Arm contine themselves
to English honey alone, they must, of
necessity, be content with very small
operations.
West India, Mexican, Chilian, etc.,
honey, in barrels containing from 250
lbs. and upwards to 600 lbs., have
been selling at auction, upon Mincing
Lane, at from 28s. per 112 lbs. (6 cts.
per pound) to 46s. 8d. (10 cts. per
pound). A parcel of 73 barrels of
about 600 lbs. each, were shipped
from Tuxpam, Mexico, to New Or-
leans, thence to Liverpool, and from
Liverpool to London, by rail,consigued
to Messrs. Geo. Hooper &Co., upon
whom the shipper drew a 90 diiys
draft through Messrs. Baring Bros.,
at the rate of 2.5s. per cwt., about 5%
cts. per pound, but the honey was
simply lilthy with dead bees, etc., so
that Messrs. Hooper very properly
declined to accept the draft. Messrs.
Baring Bros, have, through their
brokers, been hawking this honey
about, and would, I think, be glad to
close it out at 5 cts. This class of
cheap, foreign honey has rather im-
proved the market for finer grades,
because buyers are getting so that
they will not have the poor grades, at
any price.
California honey has been in good
demand ; one sale, a large one, of
Wilkins' honey, sold in Liverpool at
18 cts. per pound. There never was
but one parcel of California comb
honey brought over here, and that
was a parcel of 100 cases by Messrs.
Thurber & Co., but they sent it all
back to New York two years ago, be-
cause it was badly broken, and had to
be repacked, which only could be done
there. We would gladly pay cash for
the grade known in California as
" Extra C," 20 cts. per pound, net
here. California strained, in 5-quart
tins, and barrels of about 250 pounds,
bring from 10 to 18 cts. per pound.
There has been but very little
Western honey imported here, as yet.
Nor has there been any honey without
comb imported from the Eastern
States. Before Christmas, we had
about 1,200 cases in all ; 700 from
Boston, at 23 cts. per pound ; 450 from
Philadelphia, at 22 cts. per pound ;
and 50 from New York at 21 cts. per
pound. It was all very satisfactory,
and arrived safe and sound. We are
now entirely out of the glass-sided
boxes, and could sell many more cases,
at from 28 to 30 cts. per pound, if they
were to be had. We have been obliged
to go to Hamburg, and buy from those
fellows you have seen go around with
a wooden tray upon their head, sell-
ing honey. We buy it from them in
straw supei-s, and cut out the combs,
for repacking in jars.
I wish you would come over next
summer. We are to have the Interna-
tional Fisheries Exhibition here un-
der the patronage of the Queen and
the presidency ot the Prince of Wales,
and at Amsterdam, they will have a
great International Exhibition under
the patronage of the King of the
Netherlands. At the latter there is
to be a great honey show from all
parts of Europe. You must come ;
you have been appointed one of the
judges, Mr. Editor.
Now when you come, this time,
you can arrange it to make some
money. Bring over a consignment
of comb honey, any shape, so it is
white and nice. I will sell it all for
you, so that you can take the money
back in your pocket, and at a good
profit. W. M. HoGE.
London, England, Jan. 11, 1883.
We should be delighted to do as
Mr. Hoge suggests, but with a Weekly
Bee Paper on our hands, it is impos-
sible. Our last visit cost us over a
thousand dollars, in money, besides
months of valuable time, but we have
the consolation of knowing that it
was well spent in developing the mar-
ket for American honey ; now, some
one else may go and reap the harvest.
We would, were it possible.
i^" Attention is called to our Jiew
and liberal advertising rates for 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,
79
Bee-Keeping in Egypt.
During the past year Egypt has
been brought into prominent notice
by the events of the war. It is one
of the oldest countries, and is the
" bridge " of three continents, Asia
and Africa it links by land, and by the
Suez Canal it lets European com-
merce through to the Indies and Aus-
tralia. In it, the haughty Pharaohs
have erected proud structures to per-
petuate their names and deeds
throughout all ages.
But what a sad contrast, between
the land in its era of monuments, and
Egypt of to-day ! How fallen, since
the time that Joseph sat on its throne
next to Pharaoh. What shadows
have cast their gloom over the land
since that time ! Perpetually under
the domination of foreigners : the
Assyrian, the Persian, the Mace-
donian, the Roman, the Arabian, the
Georgian and Tartar slaves, and the
indolent Turk. But its fertilizing
waters still are pouring into the many
tributaries of the White and the Blue
rivers, to be wafted down and de-
posited by the Nile, in Lower Egypt.
The once fertile valley of the Phara-
ohs, with its 4,000 towns and cities,
can yet produce as perfect a flora,
■when properly irrigated. It is still
the Eden of flowers. A correspondent,
who has visited that country, says:
As a commercial country, it pos-
sesses many advantages : bees and
honey still forming an important arti-
cle of trade. The verdure of Upper
Egypt generally withers at the end of
four or five months, and commences
earlier than in Lower Egypt. In con-
sequence of this, the Lower Egyptians
collect the bees of several villages, in
large boats ; each hive having a mark
by which the owner recognizes it, they
commence the gradual ascent of the
Nile, stopping whenever they come to
a region of herbage and flowers. At
break of day the bees issue in thou-
sands ; and busily collect the sweets
of the flowers, which are spread in
luxuriant profusion around them, re-
turning to their hives laden with
honey, and issuing forth again in
quest of more, several times during
the course of a day. Thus, for three
or four months, they travel in a land
of flowers, and are brought back to
the place whence they started, with
the delicious product of the sweet
orange-flowers, which perfume the
Said, the roses of Eaioum, and the
jessamines of Arabia.
Nature still possesses her charms in
the historic Valley of the Nile, which
has always been the great magnet of
the human race, as the land of nat-
ural resources. But the inhabitants
are poor indeed— no better than slaves.
The correspondent adds :
They not allowed to make use of
corn and rice for food, since all that
they can raise is demanded by their
masters. Indian millet, forming a
coarse bread, water, raw onions, some-
times a little honey, cheese, dates, and
sour milk, form "their constant, and
only food. A shirt of coarse linen,
dyed blue, and a black cloak, a cloth
bonnet, with a long red handkerchief
rolled around it, form their costume.
Such a population, dwelling in mis-
erable hovels, moving among the
monuments of ancient grandeur,
awaken in the mind of the stranger
a painful interest. The bees and
their owners, like the pyramids, defy
modern civilization, and, for manage-
ment, as relentlessly point us back
three thousand years ago. With their
clay cylinders for hives, their keepers
but mock at modern bee culture, and
laugh to scorn the progressive ideas
of the nineteenth century.
Judicious Use of Comb Foundation.
Mr. Sylvester Marshall, of Pratts'
Fork., O., propounds the following
questions :
Which is the best kind of comb
foundation to use for getting extracted
honey — drone or worker ? How thick
should it be to obtain the best results V
Drone comb foundation has been
used, to some extent, but now it is
entirely discarded ; the worker-cell
comb foundation answers every pur-
pose, and as drone cells in a hive is a
temptation to drone-rearing when
such are not wanted, it is preferable
not to have it there for any purpose.
Experience has demonstrated that
comb foundation, for the brood cham-
ber and extracting, should be about
43^ feet to the pound, with a thin base
and heavy side walls. This is the most
desirable for economy in the use of
wax and rapidity of comb building by
the bees.
Considering the start given to a col-
ony of bees, by a j udicious use of comb
foundation, the certainty of having
the combs all built straight, the ease
with which the number of drones pro-
duced by a colony may be controlled,
no one can justly intimate that we are
not making prodigious strides in plac-
ing bee-culture among the scientific
and profitable occupations of the pres-
ent progressive age.
Sample Copies of theAMERicAN Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this oftice.
Letter from Switzerland.
The talented and gentlemanly edi-
itor of tlie Bulletin D^Apiculteur, pub-
lished at Nyon, Switzerland, Mons.
Bertrand, writes us as follows :
I have sown at Nyon, on some land
I purchased, 2J^ acres of Bokhara
clover seed, and nearly as much at my
Mountain Apiary ; so you see that I
am following your advice in the edito-
rial articles in the Bee Journal. We
could not do without your able Jour-
nal, and this is the universal opinion.
We are sorry to learn that our friend
and co-laborer has been unwell from
excessive labor and cares, and hope he
may speedily be restored to his accus-
tomed vigor and health.
1^ We have received the initial
copy of the New England Apiarian,
published by W. W. Merrill, Mechanic
Falls, Maine. In it we are assured
tliat the publisher " is in no way con-
nected with a former short-lived jour-
nal published in that place." Had
this announcement not been made, it
would generally have been considered
but a revival of that paper which a year
ago issued one number, but never suc-
ceeded in publishing another. As
several of the Maine bee-keepers seem
to be giving it their influence, we hope
it may succeed. It seems to have pro-
gressive ideas, and the Bee Journal
wishes it prosperity, and extends its
1^" of welcome to the infant.
1^ The January number of the
Kansas Bee-Keeper is on our desk, in
an enlarged form. The "Question
Department " is in charge of Mr.
James Heddon, of Michigan, and Dr.
Howard, of Texas, has become as-
sistant editor.
How Birds are Deceived.— The
woodpeckers in Norway bore into tele-
graph posts, being misled by the
humming sound, to the belief that
there are insects in the wood. The
bears sometimes scratch away the
heaps of stones put to support the
pole, thinking that the noise proceeds
from a nest of bees.
^f May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at hast one ?)€m subscription
with your own y Our premium," Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one )i«o sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
80
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Profitable Use of Foundation, or Old
Combs, when the Supply is Limited.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
It often happens that the apiarist
wishes to give each swarra. vvlien
hived, a start, in the way of frames
tilled with comb or fomidation, but
does not have enough of sucli to give
a hive full to all the swarms he expects
will issue, hence lie wishes to give
four or hve frames to each, or near
tliat amount. To this end he places
his four or live frames of comb in the
center of the hive, and iills out each
side with empty frames, and places
his swarms upon them.
As the queen has plenty of room to
lay in tliese combs without the bees
building more, she goes to work de-
positing eggs. As honey is coming
in at the time, the bees must have a
place to store it, so they lill the empty
frames with stores, which are always
of the drone size of cells, the same
as they would build if hived in an
empty hive with an old unprolitic
queen. Hence, the apiarist becomes
disgusted witli the use of old combs,
and declares that they are of no use
to swarms, as a colony not helped at
all will accomplish more than does
the swarm he has tried to help.
This was about the decision I came
to, when first trying to use a limited
number of combs for a swarm.
Therefore, I decided to use a hive full
of comb, or none at all. I soon found
that these swarms hived on full sets
of combs, so far surpassed those not
helped at all. that I wished for a way
to help all alike, if possible. I had
also noted that by the use of the
division board I could generally get
from four to five frames tilled with
nice straight worker comb, after
which 1 would get more or less drone
comb built by a swarm having no help
at all by way of frames of comb.
I studied on this matter during the
winter, and the result was that the
next season found me placing ten
frames, each having a nice starter of
worker comb along tlie top bar. in
each hive ; 1 placed a division board
in the center, thus leaving five frames
on each side. Tfiis division board
did not come quite to the bottom of
the hive, but allowed room for the
bees to pass under it, as they desired.
Into these hives I placed my swarms,
and in whichever side the queen
chanced to go, there the bees com-
menced work. As fast as the bees
could build comb it was filled with
eggs, hence, nothing but worker
comb was built.
After the swarm had been hived 48
hours, I put on the boxes or sections,
which were immediately taken pos-
session of, thus securing the five
frames tilled entirely of worker comb ;
for if any drone comb was built, it
was in the sections. As soon as these
five frames were filled (which was
readily ascertained by the bees com-
mencing work in the vacant side of
the hive), the frames in tlie vacant side
of the hive were taken out and the
division board moved to side of hive.
I next spread these combs apart,
and put in each alternate space a
frame of comb, thus securing a full
hive of nice, straight worker comb.
As I used only nine frames to the hive,
this gave the swarm four empty
combs.
I thus secured two objects, a hive
full of all worker comb, and the bees
taking possession of the sections in
the shortest possible time. I have
been so well pleased with it, that I
have used it for years, and find it
works equally well in using comb
foundation where the apiarist does
not feel able to buy enough to have a
full hive of it for each swarm.
Borodifio,N. Y.
For the American Bee Journal.
Central Kansas Convention.
On Thursday, Jan. 11, 1883, some of
the bee-keepers of Kansas, met at
Manhattan, to form an Association.
Many were prevented from attending
on account of the severe cold weather.
Mr. Marlatt was called upon to pre-
side; and on motion, the following
persons vvere appointed a committee
on permanent organization, with in-
structions to report at 12 p. m. on Sat-
urday, Jan. 20, 1883, viz. : R. Cor-
bett,"Ed. Kimball and M. D. Waters.
On Saturday, Jan. 20, another meet-
ing was held, and the report of the
committee was made by its secretary,
M. D. Waters, who presented a Con-
stitution and By-Laws of the Central
Kansas Bee-Keepers' Association,
which was. on motion, adopted.
An election of officers for the en-
suing year was then held, with the
following result :
President, D. B. Himes.
Vice-President, E. Kimball.
Secretary, Thomas Bassler.
Treasurer, R. Corbett.
After some interesting discussions
on several points of progressive bee-
culture, the Association adjourned to
meet at the call of the secretary.
TnoMAS Bassleb, Sec.
for llie American Bee Journal,
Chaff Hives andUpwardVentilation.
T. C. DAVIS.
It gave me much pleasure to see an
article from the pen of Mr. Uoolittle,
on page 52 of the Bke Journal, on
this subject, because 1 am fully con-
vinced that our safe wintering prob-
lem is to be solved by the chaff hive
and its proper ventilation.
In the wintPr of 1880 and 1881, 1 had
five of the A. I. Root chaff hives, and
five others, of my own make, of the
same size as the Simplicity, with fixed
bottoms, and the ends double, with 3
inches of space tilled with chaff. Ttiey
had also double stories, put on the
same as the Simplicity.
From the 20th of June until the first
week ill October of 1880, 1 was in
Europe, and had no one to feed the
bees during the dry spell we had in
the early fall, so when they were ex-
amined in October, I found them
rather weak and deficient in young
bees. I had nothing to do but to pack
them for winter, the best way I could,
on their summer stands, in those hives.
They were all put on four frames, in
the middle of the hives, and the sides
filled with division boards and chaff.
Passages were made in all the combs,
and passage ways were provided be-
tween the frames and the coverings,
by laying small sticks across tlie
frames. The coverings were made of
an old ingrain carpet, that was once a
good and thick one. Above that there
were six inches of loose oat chaff, and
a good chaff cushion, so that the upper
stories were nearly full with chaff.
Four of those in the Root chaff-
hives, wintered excellently, and came
out, in the spring, strong and healthy
without any help, except about a pound
of candy made of sugar and tiour, that
was laid on the frames about tlie mid-
dle of March. In the other Root hive,
they dwindled badly. They were un-
easy and flew out continually, when
the weather was not intensely cold,
and died on the snow. It puzzled me
greatly to know why this colony acted
so different to the rest. 1 thought
they were all packed exactly the same,
and the entrances of all were closed
the same, to about four inches.
After many fruitless examinations,
I noticed that the carpet on this one,
was not exactly the same as on the
others. The other four were cut ex-
actly the size of the hives, and they
had raveled some at the ends. After
putting them close to the front parts
of the hives, they were rather short
at the other ends, but not short enough
to let the chaff fall in. The carpet on
this one was an inch longer than the
hive, and both ends were closed tight.
When I found this difference, the car-
pet was turned back about }-4 of an
inch, and a little straw laid on the
opening under the chaff. From that
moment the bees became more easy,
and did not fly ont as before. They
came out all right, but 1 Ind to put
them on two frames and helped them
with some brood from other hives.
When the other five hives were ex-
amined, I found the carpets packed
close, the same as the last mentioned,
and a considerable dampness in the
hives. I turned these carpets back,
also, and filled up as before. The en-
trances of these were not more than
an inch, and they were enlarged to 4
inches at once. They showed some
signs of dysentery, and they dwindled
some, but after this, the hives dried
out some, and all came out strong and
in good condition by the end of May.
During the winter of 1881-82 I had
15 of Root's chaff hives, and 3 of the
others, packed in the same way, with
the carpets turned back about 34 of an
inch at the back part, and the en-
trances of all the chaff hives left wide
open. They all came out in splendid
condition.
This winter, I have the 15 chaff
hives, and 2 of the others, on their
THE AMERICAJSI BEE JOURNAL.
81
summer stands, packed exactly in the
same way, except that tliey are all on
5 frames, on account of their being
very strong last fall. They are doing
well so far, and there is not a particle
of frost inside the entrances of any of
them, in spite of the " cold snaps " we
are having. I have also 8 others in a
small, dark and well- ventilated cellar,
doing well so far.
I never tried coverings of porous
cloth over them, and it seems to me
that Mr. Doolittle's experience speaks
against it. But I believe that my ex-
perience with a warm quilt, or a car-
pet over them, proves that no upper
ventilation will not do. It may be
all right as long as the weather keeps
really cold ; but in my neighborhood,
where we have sudden changes, and
spells of moderate weather, in the
coldest winters, it will not do. I do
not know but ^i of an inch of an open-
ing to the chaff at the back end of the
hive, would be sutlicient, but I am
confident 34 of an inch is plenty.
In this locality, bad honey in the
fall, and pollen in the hives, does not
trouble me in the least, and if I have
all the Root chaff hives I need, and
have my bees packed as I said, I have
no fear of loss. The difference I Hnd
between the Root chaff liive and those
I make myself for wintering, is, mine
are more apt to get damp in the bot-
tom, when the others are always dry,
and that of course is greatly in their
favor. There may be other hives
quite as well as they are, but I have
not seen them yet.
Pittsburgh, Pa., Jan. 26, 1883.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Lorain Co., 0., Convention.
The bee-keepers of Lorain County,
Ohio, met in the Probate Court Room
of the Court House at Elyria, Dec. 20,
at 10 a. m. and organized a society
under the name of The Lorain Co.
Bee-Keepers' Association.
A constitution was adopted, similar
to one in general use by other socie-
ties of the kind, with the following
officers : President, Joseph Hudson ;
Vice President, C. I). Bennett ; Sec-
retary, O.J. Terrell; Treasurer, M.
R. Bennett.
T. C. Crilly and C. D. Bennett were
appointed a committee on statistics.
Adjourned till 1:30 p. m.
President Hudson called the meet-
ing to order at 1 :30 p. m.
Mr. Jump was called for but did not
respond.
O. J. Terrell, being called for, made
a few remarks in favor of organized
work ; he also spoke of the manner in
which his bees were packed for the
winter, namely, in clamps, with clover
haff ; also, that he would rather have
our inches of clover chaff than ten
nches of any other packing he could
ithink of.
B. P. Worcester described a bee-
house which he built, years ago, at the
East, wliicli wintered" bees successful-
ly, although the winters were very
severe. It was made with very tight
single walls, with ground lloor, and
ventilation at top and bottom. He
considered the ventilation a very es-
sential thing.
Mr. Tompkins said he weighed his
bees in the fall and again in the spring,
and the average loss per colony was
about 7 pounds. One small nucleus,
fed 20 pounds of granulated sugar-
syrup, had srained 5 pounds.
The merits and demerits of the chaff
hive were quite thoroughly discussed,
the majority being in favor of the
chaff hives.
The committee on statistics sub-
mitted the following table :
m
m
0^
.s
P^
'a ^■
'3
<D
0 M
31
'or?
OS
-° 0
^4
"d
0 „
O.S
aa
§»•
n
0
L.I
0
6
Q
+^
<
i^
!Z5
X
1
60
75
1,500
0
20
26
425
3
69
100
3,450
4
11
25
400
5
20
30
400
6
12
18
300
7
5
13
400
8
13
19
240
9
7
12
300
10
11
15
200
'600
11
21
47
600
12
60
73
2,000
i',666
13
15
22
225
325
14
3
8
250
15
1
2
.
16
5
10
'iso
17
14
24
568
'226
18
5
11
165
19
6
9
250
20
9
14
400
21
1
3
. . .
i).>
1
3
50
23
7
14
120
24
0
0
50
. . • .
25
1
3
45
26
4
6
'lO
'366
27
100
125
4,000
28
7
11
60
29
13
18
822
'2.56
30
6
11
154
31
20
20
500
32
5
13
'800
33
5
15
'266
34
1
2
35
8
8
"75
....
36
13
7
278
^
37
79
75
3,300
'266
38
0
6
140
39
4
4
90
40
22
49
112
1,466
668
948
21,784
5,510
The question being asked whether
it would pay to plant for honey alone,
Mr. VV. C. Sutliff replied tliat it would
not, but there were plenty of crops
that would yield botli honey and good
hay. He preferred alsike clover to
anything he had tried.
L. L. Sears claimed something good
for mignonette. It lasted till cold
weather and was a wonderful plant to
secrete honey.
J. E. Squires said, in speaking of the
different races of bees, tiiat he did not
want anything to do witli the Cypri-
ans. Had had one large colony, and
they were so cross that he gave the
queen away, and divided the colony
into four small nuclei, giving them
Itahan queens, which he claims are
good enough for liim.
The question was asked by a mem-
ber, if it Daid to keep bees V This
brought forth a lively discussion, and
it was thoroughly proved by several
that bees, rightly managed, did pay.
Some effort was made to establish
uniform prices for honey, but this was
a vexatious question and will be more
thoroughly discussed at the next
meeting.
Mr. Geo. H. Purple exhibited a novel
machine, which he makes use of, in
taking a swarm of bees from a tree.
The machine is so arranged that he
can hang in it a frame of brood comb,
so that the bees readily take to it.
The Association passed a resolution
of thanks to tlie Probate Judge, for
the use of his court room, and also to
the county papers, which so kindly in-
serted the notice of the meeting in
their columns tlie previous week.
On motion of B. F. Worcester, the
meeting adjourned to the second
Tuesday in March, 1&S3.
O. J. Terrell, Sec
For tlic American Bee Journal-
Wintering Bees in the South.
FRANK THIAVILLE.
Wintering bees in the South is no
trouble, if the bees are in proper con-
dition, with plenty of bees and honey.
A populous colony tliat has 25 pounds
of honey on the Ist of November, will
winter well on the summer stand, and
be ready for the honey season when it
comes.
An ordinary colony may winter well
with 8 pounds of honey, provided the
honey season opens early, say by
March 1 ; but if the spring is cool and
backward, they will perish, unless fed.
During tlie period of repose, bees con-
sume au average of 2 pounds of honey
per month ; but when breeding time
comes, they require at first 2 pounds,
then 3 and 4 pounds per week, accord-
ing to the strength of the colony, and
the quantity of brood that is being
reared.
A critical time for our bees is when
the honey season opens early, and is
cut off, by frost and cool weather ; our
hives being then full of bees and
brood, they must have honey, or the
barrel of sugar must be ready.
Colonies well supplied with honey
will remain quiet at home, and there
is no spring dwindling; but, if they
have not honey enough, they will fly
out during the cool days, get chilled
and perish, and the colony will dwin-
dle, and even, if it can pi'ill through,
it is worthless for the season.
In the winter of 1S80-81, no bees
perished on the summer stands, so
long as they had honey ; butthe spring
was cool and backward, and a great
many periShed by the last of JNIarch,
and first part of April, just at the eve
of the honey season.
We are located between 34^ and 35°
north latitude. In the winter of 1880-
81, the thermometer seldom went
82
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
down to zero ; it was several times at
3° and 5° above at daybreals, but at
noon it liad raised to 29°. It was, for
several weeks, at 10° and 12° above at
daybreak, and 30° and 40° at noon ;
and about every week or ten days the
bees liad a flight.
Last winter, the thermometer did
not sink much below 25° above zero
at niglit, and at noon fiO° to 75°.
Last Sunday, Jan. 21, was the cold-
est of the season ; at daybreak it was
at 9° above zero; and at noon 30°.
Yesterday it was uioderating ; at day-
break 16°; and at noon 45°. To-day
is pleasant.and bees fly if they want to.
In cool, hard winters I put my bees
into a bee-house, or pack them with
leaves and straw, for about 6 weeks,
from Dec. 10 to the middle or last of
January, and it saves honey. There
is very little breeding at this date.
This is an indication that we will have
a late spring.
Forest City, Ark., Jan. 23, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
How to Market Honey.
Q. W. DEMARBE.
Mr. James Heddon " publicly in-
vites " me to write an article on the
above subject. Of course he does not
expect to be benefited by it himself,
because he has already " got there."
It is presumable, however, that he
wishes to " prove me " as to whether
I know anything about practical mat-
ters pertaining to bee culture. I
write, then, in the hope of benefiting
those who have had trouble to es-
tablish a market for their honey. I
believe that there are many such,
judging from the private inquiries I
have received in the past.
Before I take up the subject, how-
ever, I wish to say that the article of
Mr. Heddon, which contains the invi-
tation before mentioned, though pur-
porting to be a " clear " statement of
his " position," shows " confusion
worse confounded." His " second "
proposition which, in fact, is the text
of his discourse, is replete with error,
and is marvelously superficial, when
viewed from a historical and scientific
standpoint. Of our native bees, un-
contaminated with the blood of other
races, I have noticed at least four
varieties. Wliile, of the Italian, the
variety is " legion," hence, to con-
fine the "long" or "shorter-bodied "
specimens of the Italian to any im-
aginary variety of the race, is not
only an error, but is an egregious
blunder. The truth is, the long,
slender-bodied specimens of the Ital-
ian race are superior to the short,
thii^k -bodied specimens, no matter
whether they are " dark " or " light."
As far as my observation extends,
the length of the body is in no way
inlliu'uced by the color.
Mr. II. has not attempted to con-
trovert a single important proposition
that I have laid down, exeei)t in the
way of argumentum ad ccu?)ie>! am— ar-
gument to tlie purse, "bread and
butter." Is life a great "tread
wheel," with its perpetual creaking
under an unceasing tread V Even
though the inevitable trough be filled
with bread and butter, such a life is
the meanest bondage tliat ever bowed
the neck of man. If all of us should
write on " bread and butter," who
would be left to do the scientific
thinking and writing V
In the " long ago " I kept some bees
to supply our table with honey ; and,
even then, when I knew but little
about bees, I loved to watch them as
they bore their precious loads of nec-
tar to their home—" sweet home."
After the modern system of bee-keep-
ing became a reality, I purchased
some Italian bees and began to study
their habits and natural history.
Time went on, and my bees multi-
plied under good management, and
soon we had honey for our own use
and plenty to spare, and of this, I
would send around to our neighbors,
each a nice package, every once in a
while. When a person wanted a
"bucket" of honey I .sold it to him.
I bought an extractor and produced
both comb and extracted honey. I
felt some anxiety to introduce the ex-
tracted article, but the chances looked
bad at the start. My customers, wlien
they came for honey, would say, " I
want honey just like that I got from
you last." I would sliow them the one-
and-a-lialf-pound sections, and show
them the article of extracted, and ex-
plain it all to tliem. It was all " won-
derful and nice," but they must have
it just like that they got from me be-
fore. Very well, then, I would say,
just leave your buckets here and I
will fill them in a few days. To fill
these orders my nice section honey
was cut out and the buckets were
filled without bruising the combs
more than could be avoided, and then
the very best quality of extracted
honey was poured into the buckets
till every nook and corner was full.
Put up in this way, a three gallon
bucket will hold 35 pounds of our best
white clover honey. Tiiese packages
gave perfect satisfaction, and when
these customers returned for more
honey, they were pressing in their re-
quests that the honey must be just
like what they had been getting
from me.
On one occasion, a good customer
sent in 4 three-gallon buckets, and
ordered them filled with honey " like
he had been getting from me." At a
venture, I filled 3 of them in the
usual way, and the other I filled with
the very bestarticleof extracted white
clover, so thick that it would nearly
" stand alone." Being a pleasant fel-
low to deal with, he said nothing and
paid the bill— 20 odd dollars. The
next season, his buckets came back
with an order for 1 or 2 hundred
pounds of honey like" that one bucket
that had no wax in it." He had " put
that bucket full aside till winter, and
it was simply splendid, there were no
pieces of hard wax to get into his
teeth ;" others were induced to try it,
and it " took " every time.
Well, by and by, my little honey
house became stored with more honey
than my good little home market de-
manded, and I began to look out for
a city market. I put some samples of
nice section in the " show case." in a
fancy grocery, in Shelbyville, and
they stood there several weeks. They
were " very nice," but nobody seemed
to think that honey, in that shape, was
made to eat. I then corresponded
with a firm in Louisville, proposing
to send them some sample crates of
sections ; also some extracted honey ;
explaining the whole thing to them,
and setting a price on the honey, war-
ranting the honey to be just as I de-
scribed it, or they might return it, at
my expense. They wrote me to send
it on, and I sent them one crate of 32
sections and 2 sixty-pound kegs of ex-
tracted honey. In a few days I re-
ceived a check for the price of the
honey, and an order for more. I now
had an outlet for all the crop that was
not taken by the home market.
It is unnecessary to pursue the sub-
ject further, all large things have
small beginnings. It takes skill and
patience to create a demand for honey,
in any locality, where the business Is
new. "but when once the trade is es-
tablished, it is as easy to sell honey as
any other product for consumption.
I insist that our local markets should
be cultivated to the fullest extent, for
we thereby lessen the competition in
the city markets. The subject, per-
taining to the " size of the packages,"
is interesting ; but to create a demand
for honey as daily food in the stead of
the vile table syrups on the markets,
is a matter of more interest.
Christiansburg. Ky.
Nebraska State Convention.
The Nebraska State Bee-Keepers'
Association met at the Court House
in Wahoo, and was called to order by
T. L. VoiiDoru, President, on Jan. 11,
1883. Quite a large number of the
members from various portions of the
State were present.
Secretary Hawley read his annual
report, which on motion was recived
and placed on file. The treasurer, F.
F. Caldwell, made his annual report,
which on motion was referred to a
committee on finance, consisting of
Messrs. Trester, Rose and Jordan.
The bill of the Allen Printing Co.,
of Omaha, for 250 copies of the By-
laws of the Association, amounting
to $7.50, was allowed, and an order
drawn on the treasurer for the amount.
Quite a number joined the Associa-
tion, and members paid their dues.
The election of officers was post-
poned until 9 a. m. to-morrow.
On motion, the president was in-
structed to appoint a committee of
one on statistics, and M. L. Trester,
of Lincoln, was appointed as such
committee.
Mr. Corbett, of Plattsmouth, called
for a report from persons who had
cultivated forage for bees. This led
to a spirited and lively discussion re-
garding the successful growing of
clovers and tame grasses in Nebraska,
which was of great interest to farmers
and slock raisers, as well as apiarists.
Mr. Stark, of Beatrice, said : I have
sowed about 40 acres of red clover and
it is doing well, and I have a good pas-
ture. I plowed the ground, harrowed
it until vvell pulverized, then sowed
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
83
the seed and rolled it. It blooms well
and tlie bees work on It well. I pas-
ture the liekl with cattle, and do not
think there is any question but what
clover can be grown successfully in
Nebraska. I also sowed two acres of
sweet clover, six pounds to the acre ;
seed cost 30 cents per pound.
Mr. Muir, of Brownsville, said : I
have been in Nebraska since 1856, and
my experience and observation leftd
me to conclude that the new soil of
Nebraska will not produce good clover
and tame grasses, but that as it be-
comes cultivated, and is cropped for
several yertrs, it will produce good
tame grasses. As the soil becomes
■cultivated, it beonmes more solid, the
clover does not so easily winter-kill,
and grows more thrifty ; I consider
■white clover the best forage for bees.
Mr. Fletcher, of Wahoo, said he
thought there was no doubt about
raising clover in this State. He sowed
10 pounds of seed, two years ago, and
now had 20 acres of good clover. He
pastured the field, and thought that
was the best way to insure a growth.
Dr. McAllister, of Columbus, said:
A few years ago, white clover was
sown in a few of the lots of that city,
and was now spreading all over the
streets and adjoining lots. He con-
sidered sweet clover the best honey-
producing plant.
Mr. Myers, of Bellevue, said : Two
years ago I sowed 20 pounds of clover
seed on prairie sod, and on the north
slope of a hill, the soil was new and
had never been cultivated, and I have
had a good field of clover there ever
since ; I tliink white clover would
grow anywhere, if hogs were kept out
of it.
Mr. Trester said : I have sown
tame grasses and clover in Nebraska
every year since 1862, and have never
failed of getting a good crop but
once, and tnen it was poor seed. My
plan is to harrow the ground down
smooth, then sow three or four kinds
of tame grass seed mixed, and in about
double tlie quantity that is recom-
mended by the seed men. Then I
harrow it tlioroughly, and, when the
first crop is ripe, I movv it and leave it
upon the ground, and I have no trouble
in getting the ground matted with
clover by the second year. I have
sown on sod and on cultivated land,
and, I have no doubt but what tame
grasses of all kinds can be successfully
grown in this (State.
Mr. Bouse, of Wahoo, said : Three
years ago there was a pasture lot near
my residence seeded to red clover, and,
in a little, wliite clover appeared with
it, and now it had nearly run the r^d
out. I think all that is needed, to get
forage for our bees, is to scatter white
clover seed. I find tliat it even
spreads on the prairie, where it has
not ever been bi'oken. I think that
white clover always secretes honey in
moist seasons, but in dry seasons
does not.
G. M. Hawley said : I sowed white
clover, seven years ago, and it winter-
killed. Some has since been sovyn in
the cemetery lot, which is growing
and spreading ; 1 think that, as the
country becomes older and more cul-
tivated, tame grasses will do better.
Mr. Corbett, of Plattsmouth, said :
I am glad to see the turn this ques-
tion has taken. I think clover will
grow well in Nebraska. I have al-
ways had success, even when sown on
the open prairie, without any prepara-
tion whatever ; I have watched it in
drv seasons, and do not see that it
kills out. I think white clover does
best when not shaded, and if it does
kill out, some winters, it will return
jigain. I think it secretes honey only
in moist seasons.
It was nearly the unanimous de-
cision that tame grasses of all kinds
would grow well in this State, and
that they were profitable crops to
grow, and that white and sweet clover
were excellent forage plants for bees,
and could be easily grown. After the
the close of this discussion, the Con-
vention adjourned until 7 p. m.
The Convention was called to order
by the president at 7:15 p. m. Quite
a large audience of the citizens of
Walioo were present, besides the
members of the Association.
Mr. T. L. Whitbeck, a member of
the Saunders County Bee-Keepers'
Association, made a very terse and
well-timed speech of encouragement
to the Convention, and the Hon. M.
B. Reese, on behalf of the citizens of
Walioo and the commissioners of
Saunders county, extended to the Con-
vention a hearty welcome. Both
speeches were responded to in a
happy manner by the president, after
which the Convention was favored
witli some excellent instrumental and
vocal music by Miss Stocking, of
Wahoo.
The question box furnished the fol-
lowing questions, which were dis-
cussed at length :
How far will bees go to pasturage ?
Various members gave it as their ex-
perience that they would go from
three to seven miles, but all that was
over two miles was lost labor.
How much honey will one bee
gather in a life time V A bee lives
but forty days, and it is estimated
that one bee will gather a teaspoonful
of honey during that time. Their
average load is from 1% to 3 grains.
Is it necessary to handle queen-cells
carefully ? It is. They should be
handled very carefully, and always
kept in their original position, head
down.
Why do bees of queenless hives kill
their young queens V Several rea-
sons were given by bee-keepers, but
it was thought that it was only a rare
occurrence that they did so.
Will Alsike clover always produce
honey V Mr. Rouse said that it did
not, the lir.st year of its bloom ; but
Mr. Hawley and Mr. Corbett thought
that it did. and they had seen their
bees working on it.
When bees are wintered in a cellar,
is light an injury ? Mr. Hawley did
not think it was, if the cellar was
kept at the right temperature, which,
in Ills o|)inion, was 45 degrees ; but he
preferred a dark cellar, because the
bees kept more quiet and did not con-
sume so much honey as in a light one.
Mr. Baird and Dr. McAllister had se-
cured the best results in dark cellars.
Mr. Turney, of Ceresco, wintered his
bees in a light cellar, with screen over
the portico of the hive, and always
witli success; he preferred a light
cellar. Mr. Stark thought the darker
the cellar and the more quiet they
were kept, the better. Mr. Whitbeck
had wintered bees in cellars, for 15
years, in Wisconsin ; he kept the cel-
lar dark, but well ventilated. At 20
degrees the bees consumed more
honey, but it was less work to take
care of them ; at .30 and 40 degrees it
was more work, but they consumed
less honey. The general sentiment of
the Conventiqn was in favor of win-
tering in dark cellars, if cellar win-
tering was the method adopted.
With what and how would you feed
a colony of bees that have no honey ?
To feed with candy was decided the
best.
A few moments of conversation
was held, when the Convention ad-
journed until Friday morning, at 9
o'clock.
Convention was called to order at 9
a. m. by the president, when the fol-
lowing were elected officers for the
ensuing year: President, T, L. Von-
Dorn, Omaha; Vice-President, S. L.
Thomas, Plattsmouth ; Secretary, M.
L. Trester, Lincoln; Treasurer, F. E.
Caldwell, Bellevue ; Finance Commit-
tee, C. L. Speice, Dr. McAllister and
J. N. Heaton, all of Columbus.
The report of the finance commit-
tee on the treasurer's report was read
and adopted.
A communication from the Hon.
D. H. Wheeler. President of the State
Agricultural Society, was read, and
in compliance with a request therein,
T. L. Von Dorn and D. H. Wheeler
were appointed a committee to meet
with the State Agricultural Society
at Lincoln, to make arrangements for
exhibits and premiums on honey at
the next State Fair.
It was decided that it was not best
to accept the invitation extended to
hold the annual meeting of the Asso-
ciation with the annual meeting of
the State Agricultural Society.
On the question of holding the next
annual meeting, Lincoln received 12
votes, and Fremont and Nebraska
City 8 each. The Executive Commit-
tee will decide upon the time and
place of holding it. The secretary
was instructed to notify all bee-keep-
ers in the State by postal card of the
place and date vifhen decided upon,
and invite them to attend, also to
issue a call for statistics from the bee-
keepers of the State, said call to be
published in the newspapers of the
State ; also to notify delinquent mem-
bers of the amount of arrearage in
annual dues.
The president then delivered his
annual address, as follows :
president's address.
I am glad to extend to yon a kindly
greeting. Another year, with its cares
and labors, its joys and sorrows, its
attainments and its failures, has
passed, and been added to that long
procession of the departed ages. We
have again assembled to counsel to-
gether, to exchange experiences and
thoughts, to lay plans for future ac-
tion. We have a common interest, an
84
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
interest in each iind every one of our
co-laborers, an interest in keeping up
apiculture to the liighest standard.
Let us, therefore, be prompt to advise,
ready in council to advance our cher-
ished pursuit.
Theie are but few things to which
I shall call your especial attention this
session, and these I hope will receive
your careful consideration.
Owing to a season, exceptionally
good, during the last half, in most of
the Western States, a large surplus
has been gatliered, and large quanti-
ties have been thrown on the market
by persons desirous of realizing at the
earliest date. In consequence, prices
have fallen, until they are less than
the situation warrants, especially for
comb honey. Added to this, there
have been frequent shipments of in-
ferior honey, and honey dew, which
the shipper unable to sell at home,
sends abroad to be sold at any price.
This has still further demoralized
trade and disgusted consumers.
With a view to freeing our markets
from undue pressure, I have corres-
ponded with several of the large deal-
ers of this country, and also sent sam-
ples to England. The replies are here
tor your information. In this connec-
tion I feel warranted in saying, tliat
if each producer would briiig or send
average samples of his honey to our
State Fair for exhibit, that much
might be done to market at that place.
I believe that a conference with the
State Board of Agriculture would be
of benefit to the producers and State
at large. An agent for the sale of
honey, in one or more of our largest
towns, to retailers or jobbers, would
also, in my opinion, beneht us all, in
as much as one jierson could, by pru-
dent measures, obtain fairer prices
than a number making promiscuous
sales, as is the practice now.
Next to injudicious sales, no one
thing operates so much against the
sale of good honey as the glucose traf-
fic. This vile stuff, allowed by law to
destroy health and sound business
principles, is in one form or another
upon the tables of the majority of
American families. Never sold under
its own name to the consumer, and
ignorant of its effect upon health, its
consumption is enormous. There is
plenty of imimpeachable testimony,
proving its total unfitness as an article
of food, and 1 think we should leave
no stone unturned to expose its true
character.
I believe much can be done by our
Associatiou to place the facts before
the people. But tliat wliich would
deal it the deadliest blow, would be
plenty of cheap wholesome honey. I
am satisfied we can afford to sell our
extracted honey at 10 cents per pound,
and at thatpriceit is within the reach,
owing to its vastly superior flavor and
sweetening qualities, of even the com-
mon laboring man. We can render
no greater service to our State than to
place a wholesome sweet within the
reach of all its citizens.
While the exhibit at the last Fair
was an improvement over all former
ones, I am sorry to say it was by no
means commensurate with our pres-
ent status in apiculture. 1 am aware
that to make an exhibit, necessitates
an expenditure of both time and
money, yet after attending three con-
secutive" fairs, must unhesitatingly
pronounce it a paying investment for
any bee-keejier who produces for sale,
even for a liome market. Some prac-
tical measures, looking to a more gen-
eral exhibit, would be very desirable.
I believe the State Board of Agricul-
ture will do all in its power to make
our exhibit a success. They certainly
merit our most sincere thanks for
what they have already done.
With this communication, the sec-
ond term of my ofBce as presiding
officer closes. Allow me to thank you,
each and every one, for the very many
kind words, wishes and deeds, you
have bestowed upon me. Let me as-
sure you that I thoroughly appreciate
you all, and in the years to come the re-
membrances of these days will always
be those of sincere and unalloyed
pleasure. T. L. VonDokn.
Louis Trester, a youth of about 14
years of age, read the following report
of juvenile bee-keeping :
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen :
My Pa told me if I would write my
experience in bee-keeping during the
past summer, I might go to the bee-
keepers' meeting— so here it is :
Sometime in June (about the mid-
dle, I think it was), I bargained with
Pa for four frames covered with bees
and filled with brood, for which I was
to pay $1.00 apiece. When I went to
get them. Pa said I might take one
frame with a queen-cell on, as he had
several of them. I took three frames,
one with a queen-cell on, and left the
fourth one, thinking, perhaps some-
thing might possibly happen to my
cell or queen after she hatched, and I
might want another. I took the three
frames and put them in a hive and
closed them in as small a space as pos-
sible, by means of a division-board.
All went well, notwithstanding! took
a peep into the hive every day to see
that nothing happened the all-impor-
tant object of the hive. In due time
the cell was opened and a beautiful,
yellow queen came fortli, but my
anxiety was not over yet, I still kept
peeping into the hive nearly every
day, to see if my treasure, as I deemed
it, was still there. About tlie fourth
or fifth day, I looked in my hive one
evening, and could not find my queen.
It was late, about sundown, and I
thought such a young bird as she
ought to lie at home. I waited until
dark and then closed the front of the
hive, so she would not get out earlier
than I. and, in the morning, when I
looked, I found her ladyship as com-
posed as if she had alvVays been lay-
ing, and then I got my fourth frame
and commenced to build up, by add-
ing one sheet of comb foundation at
a time, putting it in the middle of the
brood chamber. When honey season
began I had as strong a colony of bees
as my Pa had in his apiary. I bought
the top story containing boxes, which
cost me $1.00, making a total cost of
SB.35 for bees, hive, foundation, sec-
tion boxes, and all complete. When
I put on the second story the bees
seemed to have no inclination to work
in the boxes, so I put two frames with
section boxes down in the brood
chamber, and put four brood frames
in the place the others occui)ied, and
left them there about a week, and
found that they were working in boxes
both above and below ; then changed
all to their proper places, and then
they worked readily, but after all my
luck, and being a beginner in the bar-
gain, I took from my four frames of
btes, that I began with in the spring,
47 pounds of comb honey, and 53
pounds of extracted honey, leaving
about 40 pounds to winter on. I sold
my honey for $15 cash, leaving me a
gain of $8.65 on $6. .35 invested.
Remember,that I still have my bees,
they are yet alive. Count them at
what you please, if they come through
all right, in the spring, my profits
will be at least double, tor I have not
counted my bees at all in my report.
Louis TUESTEU.
M. L. Trester read a paper on
" Single-walled vs. Double-walled
hives," which contained much for in-
teresting thought by apiarists.
Adjourned until 2 p. m.
The meeting was called to order
at 2 p.m. The president read some
correspondence from abroad in regard
to marketing and shipping of honey.
Shall we use separators V Not, for
narrow sections.
Is it more profitable to run for comb
or extracted honey V Extracted.
Will chaff hives pay ? A difference
of opinion.
Will bass wood groves grow here?
Yes.
Will the Rocky Mountain bee plant
grow here V It will.
Resolutions were adopted thanking
the citizens of Walioo, and the rail-
roads for courtesies, and then the
Convention adjourned.
For the American Bee Journal.
Feeders and Wired Foundation.
JAMES HEDDON.
In response to Mr. Williams' inquiry
regarding my feeders, and several
private inquiries in relation to wired
foundation, allow me to append the
following : To describe the mechani-
cal construction of my feeders, would
be simply to make confusion worse
confounded. Whoever has faith in it
being the best sliape and style of
make-up, to embrace the vital points
most desirable for a bee-feeJer, and
who may wish to make simie like it,
should by all means make from a sam-
ple. Just so with any article of mer-
chandise in the bee-keepers' line.
When you get a sample, do not be too
fast to make "just a little alteration,"
because you think such change an
improvement, or may not have just
the rigtit stock to work from, and
" guess it will make no difference."
Recollect, that while no one claims
perfection, and that you might im-
prove any apicultural article of mer-
chandise, you will hardly, in a single
day, get ahead of one who has pon-
dered long over, and experimented for
years, peniaps, with it.
Let me illustrate. My style of hive
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
85
and surplus case is, perhaps, as simple
as any form now in use. It requires
more thought to reduce complication
to simplicity, than tnce versa. Several
farmers about here luive taken sam-
ples of my hive and himberto the
shop where I hire my lumber cut, and
by the samples hired theirs gotten out
in the flat, then taken home and
made up. By and by, I was solicited
to go and make a bid on their bees, as
they were positively " going out of
the business." (They were never in
it much.) I was glad to buy bees " in
hives just like mine." I did buy them,
and I, in every case, threw away the
hives. In one case, the frames also
had to go. I could not use anything
about the bolched-up concern. One
man came 30 or 40 miles and left a
sample and an order for 40 hives, all
to he made up by the linn who does
my cutting. Happening in, one day,
and seeing them all up and painted, I
removed the cover, and found that
the owner had left orders so to do, and
they had made all of them 2 inches
deeper than tlie frames. That bee-
keeper had a bottom air chamber
theory, while the real practical air
chamber was " on top," just under his
hat. Well, the stock boards used
were hardly wide enough, so, to make
sure and have this new " air cham-
ber " fully large enough, (so that the
bees could build waste comb in it)
the mill men stole % inch (only %,
that is not much) from the space
above the frames. This reduced that
space to less than bee height, and a
yoke of oxen would be needed to pull
off a cover, by and by. The owner
was reported afterwards, when using
these hives, to call on a name " more
frequent than some would advise."
Please excuse me from the futile at-
tempt to give a description of my
feedei s sutticiently clear to enable one
to make them accurately by it. The
Patent Office experts deftiand compre-
hensive drawings or models. In the
first place, he wlio makes only a dozen
or two, makes them at a greater cost
than to buy them. He who wishes to
make many, for sale or otherwise,
should, and can well afford to pay five
prices for a sample, and then make
them just like thatsample. My fetter
does, and I think all feeders should,
embrace the following principles : It
never leaks. It never daubs a bee.
No rubbing is caused by its use. No
heat is lost. No coming in contact
with the bees when relllling, or ascer-
taining the progress of the bees, or
emptying it. It can be used equally
well at the entrance, but with a
feeder properly made and adjusted,
''top feeding" is much to be pre-
ferred. It holds about '2 pounds, and
works very well for feeding full stores
for wintering. When so doing I used
4 of them (which just covered my 8
frames, Langstroth hives), and 2 fill-
ings (16 lbs.) I find ample to last
from Oct. 1st to May 1st. I feed this
amount in from 24 to 48 hours. The
bottom of the feeder is a solid block,
23^x0x12,14, with saw cuts I4 inch, cut
into it, to hold the feed. The bees
come up through one that is cut clear
through, round over a lower partition,
and till up and retire below. These
cuts are divided by thin partitions
(that prevent daubing of trie bees),
and they are all connected by 3 holes
crosswise at the bottom, so that as
fast as you fill one space, all must fill.
The whole is covered with a wire
cloth, frame and board cover over all ;
and is well painted on the outside.
Basswood is the best to make them
of. As a bee-feeder for general use,
they are good. As a supply, they are
hardly worth bothering with. If feed-
ing ever becomes a wholesale prac-
tice, something on the same princi-
ple of four times the size, will be used,
I think. There is no patent on them.
All tears of damage to brood by fine
tinned wire running through the base
of the foundation, are now at an end.
The use of such wire holds the full
sheets in perfect position, while being
drawn to perfect combs. The Given
is our choice of all comb foundation.
To make full sheets right, in previously
wired fmmes, the press is a gem. A
thing $500 would not tempt me to be
without. An excellent article of
brood foundation can be made with
No. 36 tinned wire incorporated in it,
vertically, every 2 inches, with the ends
sticking out so that they can be put
through holes, in, or on hooks previ-
ously attached to the frame, and all
in apple pie order. But I Ltiink the
better way is for each bee-kFeper who
has too few bees to own a press, to
bore and wire his frames with No. 30
(coarser) tinned wire, and fasten the
sheets of any unwired foundation to
these wires, by the button hook pro-
cess, which I may hereafter more fully
describe. We have found the Given to
be the best style of foundation for
this hand pressing onto wires; also
the best utilized by the bees.
Our bees flew some yesterday, and
just a wee bit to-day, and the pros-
pects now are good for this time of
the year ; for the sun, the glory of
earth, is now " returning on his silver
wheels." He is coming to us again,
with the old certainty ; and whose
eyes will he gladden more than those
of the bee-keeper. VVe know he will
raise the mist, cause the rain, grow
and paint the nectar-laden flowers.
His genial rays will not only warm
our bodies but our minds. In the lan-
guage of Southey,
I marvel not, O Sun ! that unto thee
In atloratlon, man should bow the knee.
And pour the prayer of minKled awe and love ;
For like a Nod thon art, and on thy way
Of t:lory, sheddest with benignant ray,
Beauty, and life, and joyance from above.
Dowagiac, Mich., Jan. 29, 1883. .
For the American Bee JoutdeiL
Kentucky State Convention.
Owing to the poor health of ex-Sfec-
retary Williamson, which prevented
him from attending the last annual
meeting of the Kentucky State Bee-
Keepers' Association, but a very mea-
ger report of the meeting was pub-
lished in the Farmers'' Home Journal
(and I have never seen that), and was
not present at the meeting myself, but
I understand that G. W. Demaree, of
Chrisliansburg, was elected President
and E. Drane, of Eminence, Secreta-
ry ; W. Cook, Vice President ; J. B.
Nail, Treasurer ; N. H. Lettell, Mr.
Hofstatter and A. Snider, Executive
Committee. The meeting stands ad-
journed to meet in Louisville at a-
time to be fixed by the executive com-
mittee, and not knowing the post of-
fice address of the committee, I take
this plan to call their attention to the
matter, hoping this may meet their
eye and that they will take steps im-
mediately to fix the time so that notice
may be given in the papers. It is to-
be hoped that the bee-keepers in Ken-
tucky and those in adjoining States
will see to it that we have a rousing
meeting. Let all bee-keepers attend,
for it is to their interest to do so, and
let their light shine ; let all novices-
and beginners attend, that they may
learn to make bee-keeping a success.
E. Drane, Sec.
Eminence, Ky., Jan. 29, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Do Bees Wound the Blossoms?
KBV. M. MAHIN, D. D.
In the American Bee Journal
of Jan. 24, 1883, I find an article by W.
H. Stewart containing some things
that should not be allowed to pass
without some criticism and inquiry.
He holds " that bees wound the
bloom of clover, buckwheat, linden,
and in fact all other plants, before
they are able to extract from them the
desired sweet." But he does not offer
any proof of his faith in this new doc-
trine. He does not tell us how the
bee wounds the clover blossom. I
have watched bees by the half hour, at
least, gathering honey from clover,
and I never yet saw one insert any-
thing in the flower except its tongue ;
and any one who has ever seen a bee's
tongue knows that it cannot wound
anything. The idea that bees wound
the flowers to get the honey is con-
trary to all observations of the struc-
tures of the flowers, and of the bees,
and of the process of gathering the
honey.
Mr. Stewart furthersays : " Mr. H.
M. Morris, of Rantoul, 111., lives where
there is more corn than any other
honey-yielding plants, and his bees
store large quantities of corn honey
each year. He finds that bees work
very lively at the base of every leaf,
and at every joint from top to root of
the stalk. The truth is, that the rind
of tlie stalk is the most tender at that
point, and the bees mutilate the rind,
making the stalk bleed, and then
gather the sweet fluid."
I not unfrequently see something in
the bee papers and elsewhere about
" corn honey." But corn honey is a
myth, except so much of it as is made
at the glucose factories. People see
bees working on corn tassels, and take
it for granted that they are gathering
honey ; but they are not. There is no
honey there to gather. I have some-
times watched bees working on all the
varieties of corn grown in this coun-
try and I never saw a bee apply its
tongue to the flower. The corn tassel
has no organs for the secretion of
nectar, and it is impossible for it to
yield honey. Such at least is my firm
86
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
•conviction, and will be, till proof of the
contrary is presented.
But ttie bees mutilate the rinds of
<;orn stalks ! Well ! well ! ! If that is
so we will have to acknowledge that
they can break the skin of a grape,
and confess that we are liable to the
grape growers for the damage to their
crops, which we have claimed was done
by birds, wasps, and, more than all, by
the weather. But the thing is too ab-
rsnrd to be treated seriously. Surely,
Mr. Stewart must be joking. If Mr.
Morris ever saw bees sucking at the
joints of corn stalks (I never did, and
I was raised among corn-lields and
bees,) the corn was infested with
■chinch bugs, or some species of plant
lice. In very dry weather I have seen
bees among the foxtail grass when
tlie chinch bugs were working on it,
but only one season.
Huntington, Ind., Jan. 24, 1883.
forties below zero ; the snow is about
2 feet deep, and somewhat drifted.
As the cold dreary days and long
evenings of midwinter pass storraily
by, would not a bee-keeper have a
thought occasionally about the wel-
fare of his stock y I miss the little
bees greatly, during the long term
of their imprisonment. O how I
should like to live in a land of (lowers,
where the music made by their tiny
wings could be heard from the first
to the last day of tlie years, as they
come and go— time would glide so
sweetly by. John Morris.
Mauston, Wis., Jan. 2-5, 1883.
Size of Hives and Frames.
How many square inches should
there be in the brood chamber V What
Is the right distance between the
frames (in the brood chamber), the
frames being % in. wide? What is
the size of sections that will hold 2, 3
and 4 lbs. of honey with separators.
Morven, Ont. W. R. IIbnwood.
[The brood chamber of the hive
should be about 2,000 cubic inches, un-
less a smaller breeding apartment is
required for the purpose of driving
the bees into the boxes above, when
running for comb honey.
The distance between frames, from
centre to centre, should be a little less
than IJ^ inches.
The one-pound section for honey is
434x4>4x2 ; the two-pound section
measures 5}4^G}4x'2. Larger ones are
now entirely out of date.— Ed.]
Trial of Packing: in Different Ways.
Some of my bees flew a little on Dec.
24th, and I swept the dead bees off of
the bottom boards ; on some there
were more than I desire to see so early
in the winter. I hope they will be
able to have a cleansing flight before
many more weeks. In my two-story
hives there are no dead bees. I have
20 hives of bees, packed in different
ways, on the summer stands. Those
that have the honey above are now in
the best condition.
Matteson, 111. A. Wicherts.
Rearing of Drones.
I started this spring with 5 good col-
onies, and increased to 15, by natural
swarming. One swarm, coming out
on June 17th, gathered 218 lbs. of sur-
plus comb honey ; all the others did
well. In the Bee Journal for Dec.
20, Mr. Morse speaks of taking frames
of honey away and replacing them
with frames of foundation. Do you
consider that a good practice V What
would be the consequences to use all
foundation in the brood chamber V
Where would they raise lirones ?
Please anewer through the Journal.
Toledo, Iowa. H. L. Fisher.
[Mr. Morse mentions the plan of
taking frames of honey from the hives,
and putting in frames filled with comb
foundation in their place. These are
readily filled with eggs or honey, as the
case may be, and the practice is a good
one. The bees will be sure to make
drone cells enough on the edges to ob-
tain all they need. This plan is pur-
sued to prevent, as much as possible,
the rearing of drones.— Ed.]
but I have had this same honey at the
same time (June) for 3 con.secutive
years. This honey candies as white
as the best lump sugar when extracted,
but will not candy at all in the comb.
Dysentery has commenced to show
itself, but in hives with the lime pro-
tection I have failed to discover a
trace of the disease. I should be
pleased to have yon try some experi-
ments witli the lime idea this winter
(gratis). I do not claim a cure, but a
preventive for dysentery, and if it is
not what I claim, I want to know it at
once, or as soon as possible, as I hope
to solve the problem of " wintering on
the summer stands " before I give it
up. F. Della Torre.
Baltimore, Md.
[The honey is candied solid, as white
as cream, and very pleasant to the
taste, but we cannot state definitely
the source from which it was gath-
ered ; the white clover flavor seems to
be oveipowered. so that but little of
its taste can be discovered in it. We
shall be glad to publish the experi-
ments of Mr. Della Torre with lime ;
we are not situated so that we can ex-
periment with it now. — Ed.]
The Forties Below Zero.
We are having some very cold
weather now. The temperature has
been very low, continually, since the
first week in December, but I shall
not venture to tell you just the exact
depth that has been reached ; suffice
it to say that it did go down to the
Home Market for Honey.
As there was an error in my report,
I will give it as it should be : I started
last spring with 9 colonies, and have
increased them to 29 by natural
swarming. I have obtained from
them 500 pounds of honey in the
comb, and also extracted 500 pounds.
I realized from 15 to 20 cents per
pound for it in my home market.
The bees are all packed for the
winter in a bee cellar.
F. A. Gibson.
Bacine, Wis., Jan. 25, 1883.
I
A Sample of Peculiar Honey.
I left with C. H. Lake a small bottle
of honey to be forwarded to you to
identify, if possible. Tlie sample sent
is }^ clover honey, which does not alter
the taste, but I had to add something
to darken the shade, before the honey
would sell. This honey is, when pure,
about as clear as water— the lightest
honey in the world, and, to uiy taste,
the best. I took a small sample to the
Cincinnati convention, hoping to get
some information as to the source
from wlience derived, and was sus-
pected of putting up " a joke on the
convention '"with "rock candy syrup."
Dr. Miller said, "glycerine and sugar,"
Mr. Bingham proposed " honey dew,"
Wood Separators,— Thin Boxes.
I have used wood and tin separators
during the last 7 years, and now pre-
fer the wood. Would like Mr. Ripley
to give us more on the size of honey-
box and also any others that wish, un-
til we get a size that suits merchants,
consumers and tlie bees. What thickness
is best for the box V If boxes are 5 or
6 inches high, and 1 or 1>4 thick, hold-
ing 1 pound, would they be liable to
fall down in handling, in retailing, etc.
Has any one had experience with such
thin boxes ? If so, please report on
the practicability of them. At pres-
ent I use boxes 2 inches thick.
P. MOYER.
Havtstown, Pa., Jan. 29, 1883.
Comb Foundation a Great Help.
Uiad 18 colonies last spring, and I
piit into winter quarters 34 colonies.
They did nothing till the middle of
July ; since that I obtained from them
$100 worth of comb honey. I could
not get along without comb founda-
tion. I think it pays well to use it,
as it saves the expense of separators.
I have Italianized part of my bees,
and like them much better than the
blacks. Alfred Gale.
Shelby, Ind., Jan. 23, 1883.
Two Queens in a Hive.
The hive was occupied by a colony
of pure Italians, with a queen two
years old, having her wings clipped.
1 had been giving my bees a good
deal of attention, honey was coming
in fast, and the bees were showing
signs of swarming. About August
2.5th, I was passing the hive, when my
attention was called to it, by seeing
quite a large ball of bees on the
alighting board. I pushed theui apart
and discovered the clipped queen in
a dving condition. I took her to the
THE AMERICAJSr BEE JOURNAL.
87
house, but could not save her. I
thought I would try and find out what
was the trouble, so I opened the hive
and examined it thoroughly. I found
the colony in good condition, with
plenty of eggs, brood in all stages,
and also a young, lively {and I believe
fertilized) queen.
Cato, Mich. S. J. Youngman.
Buckwheat for Honey.
It is customary for farmers, in this
section, to " summer tallow " a field
intended for wheat the next year.
This is done to enrich the land and
clean it of foul weeds. How would it
do to sow such a field with buckwheat
as early as possible after putting on it
the usual barn yard manure ? Would
it give the bees "a lift" in time to
plow under about the middle of Au-
gust, or would the hot weather kill
the flowers for honey i* Would it help
smother out the thistles, etc.? Tak-
ing all together, would it be a good
way to get honey, and yet help the
field for a wheat crop V The experi-
ence of bee men is solicited.
John Yoder.
Springfield, Ont.
[Buckwheat, if sown about the mid-
dle of June, may be made to bloom
about the middle of July, instead of
in August as it usually does, but the
honey is inferior both in flavor and
color, and is generally undesirable for
market. It would be far better to
plant sweet clover for the bees, and it
would not interfere with farming op-
erations—as it can be sown iu waste
places, such as fence corners, road
sides, etc.— Ed.]
Double-Walled Hives.
The colonies of bees that survive
the last week's blizzard are entitled
to a chromo. For four days, last
week, the mercury stood between 2.50
and 30° below zero. I am wintering
16 colonies out of doors, in double-
walled hives, with dead- air spaces be-
tween the walls, made with ■ building
paper. If I have any success with
them, I may give you a description of
the construction of these hives, but
if I succeed in freezing the 16, I shall
doubtless remain as dumb as an
oyster. John Couscot.
Madison, Wis., Jan. 26, 1883.
Good Results.
I started, in the spring of 1882, with
8 colonies of hybrid bees. I increased
them to 9, and took 375 lbs. of comb
honey. L. W. Gray.
Bushville, 111., Jan. 22, 1883.
Yellow Sweet Clover.
Six weeks before the white variety
bloomed, I noticed in my stack yard
some of the yellow sweet clover in
bloom. Like the white, it does not
blossom the first year; but it com-
mences to bloom about May 10th,
while the white does not bloom until
about June 20th. It gives twice as
many blossoms as the white, and the
bees work on it freely when the white
is blooming by its side. I suppose
the wild pigeons must have brought
the seed to my yard.
S. P. Sowers.
Dunlap, Kansas.
Bees Wintering Finely.
The bees are wintering finely, in the
cellar, although it was the coldest
weather we have had many years.
L. E. Welch.
Linden, Mich., Jan. 24, 1883.
Comb Honey Rack.
Please describe, in the Bee Jour-
nal, bow to make a comb honey rack.
L. A. Lowmaster.
[It;would be very difficult to describe
it so as to be understood by the ordi-
nary reader. It will be far more sat-
isfactory to get a sample and examine
— — — °- f
engraving shows one used
with cor^'jTQ^-nva rin t}ic» T aTifraf v/itli
it. The
It. i-ue engravuig snows one useci
with separators on the Langstroth
hive.— Ed.]
Sweet Clover, etc.
What parts of the country are the
best for the production of honey ¥
What proportion of advantage has a
good timbered district over a prairie
pastural region for bees and honey ?
Will sweet clover form a permanent
sward, or does it die out when two
years old, as I have heard y Will it
continue in bloom nearly the year
round in our most Southern States V
W. M. Woodward.
Wilmington, 111.
[Any place near bass wood timber,
or where white clover abounds, would
be good. In the absence of these you
would have to depend on planting for
honey, such as sweet clover, alsike
clover, mignonette, cleome, figwort,
etc. Sweet clover should be planted
on the same ground two successive
years, in order to obtain a continuous
bloom. It blooms from June till frost,
and will thrive on any soil and in any
climate. A good timbered district
has the advantage of being better
protected from winds, and from many
of the trees the bees obtain honey and
pollen.— Ed.]
Water Scarce and Wells Dry.
We are having the driest winter in
Maine for many years ; the rivers and
lakes are very low, many small
streams and shallow wells are entirely
dry, and people are obliged to melt
snow and haul water for daily use in
house and barn. The weather is very
cold and dry. Bees wintering nicely,
so far as I know. We are reading up'
and getting ready for next year's,
work. I am reading " Langstroth on
the Honey Bee." This book can
never go out of use among bee-keep-
ers. Why can it not be revised, and
some additions be made, so as to bring
it down to the present condition of
apiculture ? J. A. Morton, M. D.
Bethel, Maine, Jan. 26, 1883.
[Mr. Langstroth has commenced a
revision, but his health is so poor,
that he may never finish it. It is an
invaluable work, and will always find
a place in every good library.— Ed.]
Wintering Without Bad Symptoms.
I now have 500 colonies of bees ; 460
out of doors, packed, and they have
no bad symptoms, so far. It was 20°
below zero, once, here.
James Heddon..
Dowagiac, Mich., Jan. 26, 1883.
Honey Plants of Florida.
What are the principal honey plants
of Florida, and what part of the State,
is best adapted to bee-keeping.
Gardiner, Me. O. L. Sawter..
[The principal honey plants are saw
palmetto, cabbage palmetto, sweet
gum, snow vine, sweet bay, basswood,
mangrove, etc. Many portions of the
northwest are good, but the south
coast, a little north of the 29th paral-
lel, is said to be unsurpassed for bee-
keeping.— Ed.]
Bees Packed are Doing Well.
Bees are wintering well so far, both
in the cellar and out of doors, al-
though we have had a very cold
winter so far. I have some packed
with clover chaff, on the summer
stands. They are all right so far. I
took a peep at them, one morning,
when the thermometer was down to
280 below zero. They were dry and
comfortable, with no ice inside of the
hives. D. G. Webster.
Blaine, 111., Jan. 29, 1883.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to n6r«
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profits
88
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Convention Notices.
1^ The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
•Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
.on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
^" The bee-keepers of Northeast-
ern Micliigan are hereby requested to
meet at the Dayton Hotel, in Flint, at
10 a. m, on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 1883, for
the purpose of organizing a bee-keep-
ers' association. All bee-keepers are
earnestly requested to come, and to
bring with them any apiarian articles
.of interest that they may possess. A
free room, and reduced rates of board
.(have been secured.
W. Z. Hutchinson.
Rogersville, Mich., Jan. 22, 1883.
^" The Tuscarawas Valley Bee-
Keepers' Association will hold a meet-
ing in the Town Hall in Coshocton, O.,
.on Feb. 14, 1883, at 10 a. m. Every
bee-keeper is wanted at this meeting.
Every one interested in bees or honey
is requested to be present.
J. A. BUCKLEW, Sec, Clarks, O.
^° The next meeting of the Haldi-
mand, Ont., Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Nelle's Corners on Sat-
urday, March 31, 1883, at 11 a. ra.
H. Campbell.
1^ The Western Bee- Keepers' As-
:Sociation meets at Independence, Mo.,
April 28, 1883.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
1^ The Northeastern Ohio and
Northwestern Pennsylvania Bee-
Keepers' Association will meet at
Andover, Ohio, to hold their annual
convention, on the second W^edues-
.day and Thursday of February, 1883.
C. T. Leonard, Sec.
Examine the Date following your
jiame on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
.dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2-5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
:f 5, or less, can be obtained for .5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
And carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
flt another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMKKICAN BEK JOHRNAL, {
Monday, l(i a. m., February 5. 1882. (
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Qiiotatlons of Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONE V-Bxtracted, dark 7c. llrtl, 9c. here.
BEESWAX~lt 18 qu.te scarce. 1 am payins 30c.
for Kood yellow wax, on arrival ; dark and off col-
ors, I7(»25c.
Al. H. Newman. 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement In the honey
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade.
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7(3iyc. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there
is a large supply of tlrst-class quality on the mar-
ket. It brings IJiojlHc. tm arrival.
BEESWAX— Comes in slowly and brings 20(a30c.
per lb., according to quality. Chas. F. Moth.
Quotations of Commission Merchants..
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The past month has not reduced the
stock of comb or extracted honey, the receipts
having been larger than the amounts taken for
consumption. Prices are weak and irregular,
ranging from I6c. to 18c. for white comb in the
smaller frames; dark, very little selling, oflTered
at IJ^c. to 14c. Extracted, 8c. to luc, according
to coI<»r.
BEESWAX— 32@33c. per tt. for good.
K. A. BURNETT, 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY-The market is at present stagnant.
Offerings a'-e not large, but they are receiving no
attention from buyers.
Whitecomb, 17(aj2nc; dark to good, ll@13^c: ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8).^ia9>^c.; dark and
candied, "(i^Jrtc.
BEESWA.X— We quote 25®28c.
STEARNS & Smith, 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Strained, at <>'Si7^c., was salable— one
lot of 17 bbls. bringing inside Hgure : but comb,
very d'lll at 16c. to ISc. ; and extracted do., Hr<tMc.
BEESVVAX-Steady: choice, 27i*27><c.', dark,
20(a22c.
W. T. ANDERSON & Co., 1 17 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is very alow, just now hardly anything
selling, stock on hand quite liberal. Sales slow at
iy(rt;2(ic for best white 1-lb. sections : l8'iiliic. for
2-tb. Second grades nut inquired after. Extracted
very dull at 9(sliic. in bbla. and n(yil3c. in cans.
BEESWAX- Scarce, jHSauc.
A. C. KENDEI,. 11.^ Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— Choice to fancy white clover honey
continues scarce and Arm, but buckwheat and ex-
tracted honey sIkw and irregular.
Wequote: White clover, first quality, 1 lb boxes,
24(io25c: fair to good, 22«'.L'3c.: buckwheat, 15f<il7c,
Extracted, clover. 10)<£I3C.: buckwheat. 9i!ill-ic.
BEKSWAX— Only small lots of wax are moving,
but the supply is light and prices held firmly for
prime.
Western pure, 30&32c; southern, pure, 3T®33c.
D. W. QiriNBV, 105 Park Place.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
H lb. s-'Ctions at 3UC.: I lb. sections, 22>'525c.: 2 1b.
sections. 20(«J22c. Extracted. lOc. per lb. Good
lots o' extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
CROCKER & Blake, 57 Chatham Street.
i^" If you want the earliest, largest
and most prolitic of any corn seed in
America, write to the famous seed
grower, H. C. Beebe, Canton, 111., for
explanatory circulars and engraving.
*. -».-^^-.*- -^
Ribbon Badses, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
C. Olm's Comb Foundation Machine.
%W~ Send for Saniple and CircuUir.
18mtf C. Or.IM(. Fond du Lac. Wis.
Bees for Sale.
so Colonies of Bees. In Gallup frames. cheap.
SOO Colonies of Bees. In Langatrotb frames
In prime condliion.
J. H. ROBERTSON,
36Atf Pewamo, Ionia Co.. Micb.
A NE'W IMPORXATION OF
BOKHARA Glover SEED
has arrived and is for sale cheap.
Apply to CHARLES P. MUTH,
49sm4t CINCINNATI, O.
BE SURE
To send a postal card for our Illustrated Catal-ttnie
of Apiarian Supplies bef()re purchasing elsewhere.
It containalilustrutionsMnd descriptionsof every-
thing newiind vahrtble needed in an apiary, at the
lowest prices. Italian Queens and Bees. Parlies
intending to purchase bees in lotaof iU coloniesor
more are invited to correspond.
a, C. t^AYLES.
5l8ml'>t Hartford. Wla.
HIVES, SECTIONS, &c. .
Langstroth, Simplicity, and other hives.
LZ]
The Lewis One-Piece Section.
p n
i^
1=11
The Leivis Two-Piece Sections.
We make the one-pipce, two-piece, or four-piece
dovetailed or nailed Sections, any size, from half-
pound ti> t;xiix2 inches, or any other SUPPi-.lES for
Bee-keepers, mad" of wood.
4V^x4'i of any of the above kinds of sections, $4.50
All other sizes, larger to 6x6, 5.00
Hall -pound sections, 3.50
Send 'or Price List and illustrations of our NKW
HIVK for comb honey — something new. just out.
Price Lists will only be sent to those thsit write for
tbem. G. 15. LK-WIS-
Watertown. Jeff. Co.. Wis., Jan. i. lHy:j. Ittf
Friends, if you are in any way interested in
BEES OR HONEY
We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of
the Monthly Gleanines In Bee-Culture,
with a descriptive prii-e-lisiuf the latesi improve-
ments in Hives, Honey Extractor", Comb
Foundutton. Section Honey Boxes. all hooka
and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee
Culture. Nothing Patented. Simply send your ad-
dress lurittcn p/ain/]/. to A. I. RnOT. Medina. O.
HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTH
For the manufacture of
BEE-KEEPERS' SUPPLIES.
Bunlinai and Root Fonndalion a specialty.
Italian Queens and Bees from March to November.
J^Send for ray lllii.'^trated Catalogue.
.Smtf PAtJt. L. VIACLON. Bayou Goula, La.
Fruit Evaporators,
To be used on a common cooking stove, capacity
s to .'» bushels per day. Price, complete, ^^h' ; in
the flat, portly put tog^ ther. for ^fi. A few agents
wanted. For particulars and prices for Evapora-
tors, Qaeen Bees, etc. :i<idre9s
^ aOHN H MARTIX.
9smly Hartford. Wash. Co..N. Y.
THE CONaUEROR.
Large Smokers need wide shields. Bingham's
navp them, and springs that donotru-'tan hreak,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
TheCimquernrhasall improvements made to date,
anda;jx7incb stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
postpaid for *-2. Address.
BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON,
ABtf Abronia. Mica.
.^«>.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., FEBRTTARY 14, 1883.
No. 7..
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editob and Proprietor,
Students of Apiculture.
Dr. Jesse Oren, La Porte City,
Iowa, thoroughly endorses the prop-
osition of Dr. H. Besse, on the subject
of preparing young men to become
practical apiarists, by requiring them
to serve an apprenticeship with some
experienced bee-keeper, and pass a
satisfactory examination before some
of the best apiarists of the country,
and to such " graduates " a certificate
should be awarded by the National
Association. This Association to ap-
point the Board of Examiners, and
take charge of the whole business.
Here is his letter :
I desire to offer my thanks to Dr.
H. Besse, of Delaware, Ohio, for his
article on the " North American
Apiarian College." It just fills the
bill. We want you, Mr. Editor, to
give this matter an editorial consid-
eration. The North American So-
ciety are sure to approve of the move-
ment. Why not urge the officers of
that organization to take ail necessary
advance steps to have all consum-
mated at our next meeting at To-
ronto y Will you speak right out in
the Journal ?
Jesse Oren, M. D.
La Porte City, Iowa, Jan. 12, 1883.
The idea is a good one. What is
needed to advance the interests of
progressive apiculture is a company
of young men, thorougly practical and
progressive, who can be employed to
take charge of Apiaries ; and such
would be in constant demand all over
the country. The apiarists of Eng-
land have adopted this system, and,
sooner or later it will be adopted in
America.
On page 73 of the Bee Journal for
Jan. 31, Mr. James Heddon points out
some obstacles in the way of success-
fully carrying out the plan mentioned
by Dr. Besse. But Mr. Heddon thor-
oughly endorsed the necessity of stu-
dents obtaining information and
practical experience, in order to be-
come adepts in the art, and adds :
My limited experience with students
proves that this five months of study
and practical experiment puts them
on the right track, and prepares their
minds for receivmg all new truths
right end foremost. All of my stu-
dents, who have commencecl bee-
keeping, are to-day succeeding ; two
will begin in apiaries of mine, on
shares, this spring. My faith is thus
great; with these five months instruc-
tion, any reasonably apt man can
have of me an apiary of 100 colonies
on shares, a position which will pay
him more than high wages, one year
with another, and one in which he
can " blunder " and finish his educa-
tioH at my expense. Of course I will
direct the operations. I shall get bet-
ter results than to sell the bees. It
will not take five months to convince
him that comb-honey production,
when properly pursued, pays much
better than extracted.
The only obstacle worth mention-
ing now, to the carrying out of Dr.
Besse's proposed method of " gradu-
ating," is the unfortunate lack of
united action among bee-men, and
the " petty jealousies " that are some-
times allowed to mar, in some way or
another, the beauty of design, or
harmonious working out of the plans
proposed by the National Associa-
tion. We regret that this is so, but
shall not here attempt to discuss the
" why " and the " wherefore " of such
a state of things— we simply admit
the fact.
We believe that the officers and
members of that body, have, to their
utmost, done all that they could to
make it a success, and to build an in-
stitution which would endure, and be
handed down to future ages as an
honorable " worker " in the cause of
the progressive apiculture of the pres-
ent century.
Should it fail of attaining this
proud position, it will be either be-
cause its foes will be too zealous, or
its friends may become disheartened '
and give up a war, which is quite dis-
tasteful to those whose only object is ■
that of rearing a temple to scientific ■
bee-culture, where its best interests •
maybe discussed and guarded, and i
its devotees meet to confer on the •■
issues of the moment, and the themes ■
of the ever-progressing present.
Could this obstacle be overcome,,
then a plan might be devised for suc-
cessfully carrying out " another ad-
vanced step," as proposed by Dr..
Besse. Time alone will determine:
this point.
Migrating Apiary.
In last week's Bee Journal, ok
page 77, Mr. Damkohler, of Clarence^
Mo., said that a car load of bees passed
through that place on its way south,^
and said perhaps we could tell him all '■
about that shipment. We had not'
then heard of the matter, but by the ■
Atlanta, Ga., Constitution, of January
9, we obtain the information, and here'
it is :
A Car Load of Bees.— On Satur-
day a car was switched on the East '•
Tennessee & Virginia Railroad, and
moved south.
It was filled with bee-hives. One '
hundred and forty of the latest styles
of bee-hives, piled systematically on
top of each other, and, to the fore-
f round, a philosopher with his bed and '
card.
" Where are you going to take your
bees V"
" To Florida for the winter. My '
name is Thomas McFarland Jackson, .
and I live in Northern Missouri, t
have large apiaries that are forced to •
lie idle in the winter. I am going to '
take this car load of hives to Florida;,
where they can get honey every day
in the year. As soon as the clover is
out again in Northern Missouri 1 will
take them back there."
" Will it pay you to move them V
" I think so. It costs me less than
a dollar a hive for transportation, and
each hive will have from f 6 to $7 worth
of honey in it when I bring them back.
That is what Italian bees, I sent to
Florida last year, did last winter.
Only Italian bees will thrive in Flori-
•90
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
da, as the moths eat up the common
" Will you live in the open air
■there V"
" I am going to camp around with
my bees. I believe I will bring back
about $1,000 worth of honey in hives
that would otherwise lie idle all the
winter and be empty in the spring.
This migratory bee-keeping has
been practiced from the earliest ages.
In Egypt it has kept up for thousands
of years, as we stated in the last issue
of the Bee Journal. Mr. T. F.
Bingham, of Michigan, and others
'have practiced it ; but nearly all have
abandoned it, because it did not pay
them.
Mr. Perrine, of this city, some years
ago, lost several thousand dollars in a
similar manner. He had a floating
apiary, arranged to run up the Missis-
sippi river from New Orleans, follow-
ing the bloom till he was to reach
Minnesota ; but it did not work. Too
many bees were lost, and the projector
ds wiser now, and $10,000 less rich.
California Honey Crop.
The California Qrocer of Jan. 27,
1883 is on our desk, with an article
" marked," criticising the statement
made by Mr. McCaul, that the honey
crop of California of last year was only
•180,000 pounds and then adds :
The ©rocer has taken pains to collate
the data of last year's honey product
tfrom the best available sources. These
figures are very nearly, if not abso-
lutely, correct ; a statement that will
•be guaranteed by the fact that they
•were furnished by Messrs. Geo. W.
Meade & Co., of this city, who are well
known as the principal handlers of
'California honey :
•San Diego county— Comb 300,000
Extracted.. 315,000
Los Angeles county— Comb 2-5,000
" " Extracted.. 170,000
Ventura county— Comb 5,000
" Extracted.. 180,000
Santa Barbara county— Comb . . 6,000
Extracted.. 30,000
San Bernardino county— Comb 20,000
Extracted.. 80,000
■San Benito county— Comb 10,000
:Sacramento county— Comb 8,000
San Joaquin county— Comb — 11,000
Scattering (both kinds), say. . .. 10,000
Total 1,170,000
Making a handsome allowance for
any possible over-estimate, we, there-
fore, find that California's honey pro-
duct for 1882 will considerably exceed
1,000,000 pounds which compares
rather favorably for us with the 180,-
■ 000-declaration of our late guest, Mr.
McCaul, of New York.
The Qrocer then proceeds to correct
Mr. McCaul's statement concerning
the honey crop of California for the
year 1878, in the following language :
In his before-mentioned published
report he states the California honey
crop of 1878 to have been 720,000
pounds, when in fact the phenomenal
crop of that year, by far tlie greatest
ever produced in the State, reached
the enormous figures of between
2,250,000 and 2,.500,000 pounds. The
light crop of last year paid fairly well
after all, the average prices obtained
being very good ; for extracted, ^%
and comb 13 cents per pound. Cali-
fornia has been, and we believe will
continue to be, the most prominent
honey-producing section of the world.
We are glad to have this statistical
information concerning the California
honey crop. It will be very useful,
and Dr. Miller ■mil no doubt be able
to use it to good advantage, in his
forthcoming " Statistical Table " of the
honey production of America.
To take these figures and the table
we have already published of the
" Honey Crop of Illinois," as ofticially
reported by the assessors, and compare
them with the reports that have been
received by him, will give a good cri-
terion by which to multiply the whole
—and thus give the approximate re-
sults of the country at large.
Realizing the difficulties under
which Mr. McCaul labored, we can at-
tach no blame to him for his incorrect
figures. He could give only such as
were reported to him. If his informa-
tion was only partial (and we do not
see how it could be otherwise), his re-
port must be necessarily incomplete,
and, therefore, erroneous. The Grocer
impugns his motive and deals out in-
vectives, but would it not be better to
take a charitable view of the matter ?
All will be thankful for the correction,
and cheerfully give our sister State due
credit for all that it can show it is
entitled to.
Two years ago we endeavored to
obtain correct statistics of the honey
crop of California (as well as other
States) and were unable to give more
than a partial statement, for the rea-
son that those interested did not re-
spond to our call. We published what
we did obtain, and then one of her
champions roundly abused us for be-
littling its crop, and "applied the
lash" to us in a most unmerciful
manner !
To show that California needs a re-
form in this matter, we notice on the
same page of the Grocer, as the article
above referred to, the following edito-
rial, which fully sustains all that we
claim. It is headed " A Reform in
Grain Statistics ; " but the reform
should evidently go far enough to in-
clude " honey " and other industries.
The editor of the Grocer says :
In the matter of collecting and sup-
plying to the public oflicially-corrected
statistics of her agricultural, commer-
cial and manufacturing interests, Cali-
ifornia is certainly not a progressive
State. Such statistics, and especially
those referring to agricultural indus-
tries, are of great importance to the
business community. Our grain in-
terests, already large, are destined ere
many years have passed to become a
strong feature in the annual product
of the country, and it would be well
if we inaugurated, in the now compar-
ative infancy of the industry, some
system by which reliable data could
be furnished to the public as to the
results of each harvest during the pe-
riod of its tlirashing. Such a system
has been adopted in almost all, if not
all, of the great grain-bearing States
to the east of us, and has proven of
immense value to tlie manifold inter-
ests that are devoted to the culture
and sale of, and manufacture from,
the cereals. What would be the best
system we do not pretend to say, but
would suggest the adoption of some
such plan as the one now in force in
Michigan, which is based upon regular
reports, sent to the Secretary of State,
from every thrashing machine at work
in the State. Let some properly-con-
stituted authority at the beginning of
each season supply to every thrashing
machine in the State, blank forms,
upon which must be noted daily the
number of sacks thrashed by each ma-
chine; and let those forms be returned
to the statistical oflicer, or bureau, at
stated intervals, daily or weekly, as
may be thought best. By this means
an accurate knowledge can be had of
all grain thrashed in the State, to the
great benefit of merchants and the
public at large ; and our annual sta-
tistics, which are too often of a highly
speculative character, can be correctly
built upon a basis of satisfactory in-
formation. To the Legislature now
in session we recommend this sugges-
tion as one worthy their careful con-
sideration.
Bee-Keeping in North Carolina.
There is some stir now in the high-
lands of North Carolina about bee-
keeping, and the Blue Ridge Enter-
prise, of Jan. 25, 1883, remarks as fol-
lows, on the subject :
If there is any special industry
which this mountain region is partic-
ularly adapted to, it is that of bee-
keeping. Tons of lioney ought to be
gathered and shipped from these
mountains every season, while at
present there is not one pound sent
out, nor one-fourth of the supply
gathered which home-demand re-
quires. But in order to make bee-
keeping profitable, or even worth pur-
suing, the old gum and box liive must
be abandoned, and the modern frame
hive and improved implements now
necessary to successful apiculture,
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
91
adopted. Preceding these, however,
one of the text-books on bee-keeping
should be procured, and one of the
journals which make bee-keeping a
specialty be subscribed for and care-
fully studied. Two or three dollars
invested iu this kind of literature
would pay an intelligent man or
woman, who has a half dozen bee-
gums, managed in the old, shiftless
style, a hundred-fold on the outlay,
the first season. The American
Bee Journal, is accorded the tirst
Elace in the catalogue of bee papers
y the leading bee-keepers through-
out the country. Being issued weekly
it is always in advance with every-
thing new and interesting in bee-
keepmg. There is no better or more
thoroughly practical publication on
bees and honey in the world, and all
who keep bees and aim to keep them
in a practical and intelligent manner,
for eitlier prolit or pleasure, should
subscribe for either the weekly or
monthly edition of this paper.
Collapse of Another Glucose Factory.
Mr. A. B. Weed, of Detroit, Mich.,
has sent us a Detroit paper, and refer-
ring to an article itcontained announc-
ing the collapse of the " Michigan
Grape Sugar Company," says : " All
bee-keepers must be pleased to note
the decadence of the glucose business.
I have been much interested in the
exposures which tlie Bee Journal
has made from time to time. I have
also been interested in the subject of
small sections.''
Summed up, the article in question
says that the works cost 1300,000 and
$100,000 more have been sunk in run-
ning expenses. The high price of corn,
the remarkable sugar and molasses
crop in Louisiana,last year, the decline
in the demand for the product for ex-
port, and expensive alterations in their
factory are assigned by the manage-
as the principal causes of the compa-
ny's collapse.
Remedy for Dysentery.
Mr. J. M. Hicks, Battle C4round,
Ind., writes as follows to the Grange
Bulletin, concerning this disease and
remedy for it :
Dysentery is usually brought on by
the bees feeding ui)on sour or impure
honey. It is also frequently produced
by being disturbed in some way just
before a sudden change in the tem-
perature, which, if very cold imme-
diately after they have filled them-
selves, you maybe quite sure your
bees will have dysentery. We sug-
gest the following remedy :
Take of good granulated sugar. 4
lbs., and just enough of water to make
it into a mush (not syrup) and add 40
drops of carbolic acid, stirring, so as
to incorporate all thoroughly, and
then mould into cakes so as to feed
your bees, by laying two or three of
the cakes of the candy on their brood-
frames, and your bees will, in a few
days, have relief. This is the best
remedy I have ever found after the
disease has thoroughly set in. It is a
well-known fact that carbolic acid is
one of the most powerful disinfectants
we have in chemistry.
And now I wish to further say, I
have at all times believed that an
ounce of prevention was worth at
least a pound of cure, and in order to
be more successful in the future in
preventing this malady, we recom-
mend a free use of rock salt to be
placed in a small trough, a few yards
from your bees, and fill with water
and cobs so that the bees will visit it
without danger of drowning. This
remedy I have found to be a sure pre-
ventive for dysentery as well as the
dreadful disease called foul-brood,
which has proved to be with some,
very dithcult to manage.
Free Advertising.
Nothing is more embarrassing to a
publisher than to receive articles in-
tended for the reading columns, with
matter woven into it, advertising
some particular hive, section, founda-
tion, extractor, etc. We have re-
ceived quite a number of such articles
lately, from correspondents, and must
here kindly say to all, that such are
not acceptable. Our advertisers, who
pay for their notices, would consider
it unjust to them, if we were to admit
such, and would have reasonable
ground for complaint. Our advertis-
ing columns can be used for all such
matter at 20 cents per line, and in
that department no injustice will
be done to others. This will explain
to some why such advertising matter
is omitted from their articles, and to
others, whose articles would be point-
less without the advertising portion,
why they do not appear at all.
American Honey vs. German.
The following I have copied from
the American Journal of Pliarmacy^
February, 1883, page 98 :
" Honey.— Eugene Dietrich has re-
peatedly observed that good Ameri-
can honey may be more easily ob-
tained than German honey of good
quality, the latter, on keeping, becom-
ing acid by fermentation, at the same
time acquiring an unpleasant taste,
and when clarified, of a dark color
and a caramel-like taste; but fresh
German honey yields, on clarification,
an excellent product. Tlie cause for
the better keeping qualities of Amer-
ican honey has not been ascertained.
—Rundachaii, 1882, page 662."
Thinking that it may be of suffi-
cient interest to appear in your val-
uable Journal, I take pleasure in
sending it, though possibly it may
neither be new to you or the older
patrons of your Journal.
Ferd. Rbppebt.
Muscatine, Iowa, Feb. 7, 18a3.
Separators of Wood.
What is the address of C. Van Eaton,
mentioned in connectio7i with wooden
separators, on page 43 of the Bee
Journal of Jan. 17 V
Wm. Roberts.
It is Charles J. Van Eaton, York,
Livingston Co., N. Y.
Honey and Beeswax Market,
OFFICE OP AMEKICAN Bee JOUKNAl-. V
Monday. Hi a. m.. February 12. r>^2. S
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quututlons of Cuiih Buyfrs.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Extracted, dark 7c. llKht, 9c. here.
BEESWAX— It is qu.te scarce. I am paying 30C...
for good yellow wax, on arrival ; dark and off col-
orfl, 17@25c.
Ai,. H. Newman. 923 w. Madibon St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement in the honev
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade-
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7(a9c. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there-
is a large supply of tlrst-class quality on the mai^
ket. It brings l2(!(j]Kc. on arrival.
BEESWAX— Comes inslowlyand brings ^(Ks.30c..
per lb., according to quality. Chas. F. Muth.
(luotutlons of Commission Sfercbanta.
CHICAGO.
HONEY- The past month has not reduced the
stock of comb or e-vtracted honey, the receipts
having been larger than the amounts taken for
consumption. Prices are weak and irregular,
ranging from 16c. to lyc. for white comb in the
smaller frames; dark, very little selling, offered
at 124c. to 14c. Extracted, sc. to lOc, according
to color.
BEESWAX— 32@33c. per lb. for good.
K. A. Burnett, ibi l^outh Water St.
BAN FRANCISCO.
HONBY-The market is dull, particuliirly so for
comb. Only nominal quotations can be given.
White comb, 17(gJ2(>c: dark to good, llMlSJ^c; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white. HH(iis^c.; dark and
candied, 7Cv^c.
BEES WAX- We quote 2r,(gl28c.
Stearns & smith. 42a Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Strained, at 6®7^c.. was salable— one-
lot of 17 bbls. bringing inside Hgure ; but comb,
very dull at 16c. to If^c; and extracted do., 8@9c.
BEESWAX-Steady; choice, 27(a27>«c.i dark, -
20<a22o.
W. T. Anderson & Co.. 1 17 N. Main street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is very slow, just now hardly anythins"
selling, stock on liand quite liberal. Sales slow at:
ltiraj2iic. for best white l-lb. sections ; is(a)l9c. for-
2-lb. Second gr;ides not inquired alter. Extracted
very dull at Uiyjloc. in bbls. and lliyiiSc. in cans.
BBKSWAX-Scarce, 28®30c.
A. C. Kendel. 11.1 Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— Choice to fancy white clover honey
continues scarce and firm, but buckwheat imd ex-
tracted honey slow and irregular.
Wequote; White clover, first quality, 1 lb boxes.
24(i»i25c; fair to good. 22{<ii2;{c. : buckwheat, I5(a)17c,
Extracted, clover, loyijisc: buckwheat. y(tiUic.
BEESWAX— There is only a moderate supply of
beeswax and prime lots held tirmly.
Western pure, ;in{a.:i_'c: soiitliern, pure. 31@33c.
D. W. Qi'iNBv, lor. Park Place.
BOSTON.
HONE Y— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
H lb. s-T-ctions at HOC. ; I lb. sections, 22<g*25c.: 2 1b.
sections. ■J<K§,22c. Extracted, loc. per lb. Good
lots o' extracte<l are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— <.)ur supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
Croceeh & Blake, a? Chatham Street.
92
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tbe American Bee JoumaL
The Use I Make of the Bee Papers.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
'The bee literature of to-day, has
more to do with the successful man-
agement of the apiary than any otlier
-one thing, hence it is of the utmost
importance that we have it so ar-
ranged that it can be of the most ser-
vice to us. Although I have learned
some things through conventions, and
■by visiting those keeping bees, yet the
imajor part of the little 1 know about
'bees and honey-producing, has been
gotten by reading the different bee
publications, and putting in practice
■what I read, thus learning how the
thing was done by the experimental
knowledge which 1 gained thereby.
'Of course, many things I had great
confidence in, failed, wTien I put them
in practice, and had to be given up ;
but the larger part proved of real ser-
vice to me.
Some people seem to take a bee pa-
per simply for the name of so doing,
ior when asked if they noticed some
very instructive article, their reply is,
"No; I do notget time to read much."
Such help some by taking a publica-
tion, for they help the publislier to
give us better paper, type, etc.; but
they are just as good as dead, so far
as their helping the real life of a pub-
lication, or tlie publication helping
them. For such persons this article
■was never intended, but those who
read for the purpose of using what
they learn, are the persons I wish to
talk to.
When the Bee .Journal first comes
it is carefully placed in an Emerson
binder, and (ikdnings is treated in the
same way. The otlier bee papers are
carefully laid away in a place set apart
for them, so that at the end of the year
they are in perfect order to be bound,
df I wish to have them. If I do not
■care to be to tliis expense, 1 bind tliem
•myself by a plan similar to the Emer-
son binder, or serve them as Mr.
Hasty does, driving wire nails through
and clinching them, so as to hold
them together ; or secure them in any
way to make them handyforreference,
for it is ttiis " referring " to them, I
•wish more particularly to speak of.
The most important part is to pre-
serve the life of our bee literature,
and make good use of it, after we
bave it all preserved in good order.
With all my cares, I cannot find time
to re-read the volume a second time
to get at the many points in it wliich
are of real value, for much of the mat-
ter is hardly worth reading a second
or third time. If I was obliged to
read all a second time, to get the points
I considered valuable to me, I fear I
should never get them all. I read it
.all once, and then I want it so that I
■can get at that which is really valua-
ible when wanted at another time. To
*'do this, whenever I sit down to read
a fresh Jotjknal, I liave a pencil with
me, and when I find a new idea, or an
old one I wish to farther experiment
with, I mark it. In some instances the
marks will embrace a whole article,
while others call attention to only a
few lines. In future years, or at any
time I wish to find that which isreally
valuable in my volume, all I have to do
is to read the marked passages and
thus get tlie cream of the whole year
in a little time. But I often find that
some of the best ideas are suited only
to certain seasons of the year, and as
my memory is not sufficient for dates
and set time, I must have some ineHns
to remind me of the valuable points,
just when they are of use.
If I read in January the best way to
get good queen-cells, or something
valuable regarding extracting honey ;
then in February the best way to take
off filled sections, and so on, till my
mind is insufficient to contain them
all. and have them ready to bring into
use at the right time, how can I man-
age so that I can use wliat I read, just
at the time it would be of the most
benefit to me ? After studying on the
matter for some time I decided on
whjit I call a " Reference Book,"
which is simply a small blank book,
bound in leather. Any memorandum
or account book will answer the pur-
pose, providing it has at least24 leaves
in it. This book I arrange similar to
an assessor's book, which has the let-
ters of the alphabet from A to Z on the
outside margin of the leaves. Cut the
leaves just as you would to letter them,
but instead of lettering them, write
on the little square of the first, " Jan.
1st;" on the second, '• Jan. 15;" on
the third. "Feb. 1st;" and so on,
giving one le;if, or two pages, for each
half-niontli, to the end of the year.
When I sit down to read, I have this
book and a pencil near me, and when
I come to any passage, part of an arti-
cle, or an entire article that I think
will be of service to me, either as some-
thing new that promises to be valua-
ble, or some new plan of using some-
thing already familiar to me, I mark
it with my pencil, and then jot it down
in my book under the date to which
it is applicable. Thus I get all the
matter which I consider valuable con-
tained in whatever I read regarding
apiculture, arranged in reference to
the time it is to be used, in this book.
When January 1st arrives, I look
over all there is on this page, and, for
instance, commence to make a few
half-pound sections as described by J.
C. Newman & Son, page 23, A. B. J.,
by way of experiment, if I chance to
find a note regarding them in this
little book.
To explain more fully : On page 25,
I read liovv to make a paste for honey
labels. As I had always used dextrine,
which was inconvenient to procure, I
thought this recipe might be better,
and the ingredients are also more
easily obtained. So the recipe was
marked. As the last half of October
would be the time I would most likely
want to use it, I turn to Oct. 15th (by
putting my thumb on that date when
opening my reference book), and
write, "a. B. J., 1883, page 25,— Paste
for honey labels." When this date
(Oct. 15th) arrives, I look over all that
IS written there, and, as I come to this.
I turn to page 25, and there is just
what I want, at the right time, for in
a day or two I must get my pails of
extracted honey ready for market. So
I try a part with the new paste, and
some with what dextrine I have left.
If this paste proves valuable I mark
those words on my reference book with
a star, or if wortliless I draw my pen-
cil across the whole line, thus crossing
it off.
If I have made it plain, and I think
I have, it will be seen that I have all
the real worth of many volumes in
this little book, while the matter
wliich was worth only once reading is
left out. Different persons would
make a different line of selections
from what I should, but the plan is a
good one, in my opinion, and one that
will be of great service to any one who
follows it.
Borodino, N. Y.
[The plan is an excellent one. We
adopted a shnilar one for our library
over 25 years ago, and it proved very
valuable, saving much time and labor.
— Ed.1
For the American Bee JournaL
Ohio State Convention.
The convention of the Ohio State
Bee- Keepers' Association was held in
Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 9, 10, 1883, in
the parlors of the Ohio State Journal.
The Convention was called to order
by the president. Dr. II. Besse ; the
minutes of the last meeting were read
and approved.
The requisites of a perfect bee-hive f
Mr. Riegle, of Adelphi, said, it was
formerly thought by our forefathers
that a bee-gum w'as the all requisite ;
he gave a history of some of the im-
provements in hives. Among the
essential requisites, are proper venti-
lation and the best manner for pro-
duction of surplus lioney, he noted
them as follows : 1. Proper size, 1,800
to 2,000 cubic inches, inside measure-
ment. 2. Movable combs in the
brood chamber. 3. Proper arrange-
ments for ventilation. 4. Ease of ad-
justment for handling bees, and se-
curing surplus honey in best shape for
marketing. 5. A proper degree of
warmth and dryness.
Mr. Kingsbury, of Mt. Vernon,
asked relative to chaff hives. Mr.
Riegle said, the chaff hive was not al-
ways proof of successful wintering.
The president said, he had wintered
successfully in a bee-house ; he de-
scribed his bee-house he built, one
with double walls, 6 inches of space
filled with sawdust, valves above and
pipe tube, made of boards, leading
outside, with trap door for ventila-
tion ; it cost him $100, size 10x20 feet.
His bees, in the bee-house, did not
consume more than 10 pounds of
honey to the colony, while those win-
tered on the summer stands consumed
20 to 30 pounds. He preferred saw-
dust to chaff, for packing bees, be-
cause it was handier to get.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
93
Mr. J. L. Mock, of Columbus, ad-
-vised to use kiln-dried sawdust for
ipackin^. He thought the bees went
into winter quarters with too few
young bees.
Adjourned till 1:30 p. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The meeting was called to order
■promptly at 1:30 p. m.
Which is most profitable to bee-keepers,
comb or extracted honey-
Mr. Rhulen, of Gahenna, said, peo-
ple would not buy pure extracted
honey, saying they could buy syrup
far cheaper (not knowing it was made
•of glucose, which was poison). A man
told him he could feed his bees glucose
and sell it for honey and make two to
three hundred per cent, on it.
Mr. Benedict said we must educate
the people as to the difference be-
tween pure honey and glucose ; the
man who will adulterate his honey
oan make more money at the begin-
ning, than one who is honest.
Mr. Riegle made some scoring re-
marks against bee-keepers, who would
put glucose in their honey ; that it in-
jured the honey interest, and he that
would do it should be expelled from
society.
Mr. Kingsbury, of Mt. Vernon, an-
swered Mr. Khulen, that he ought to
have gone to the printing office and
exposed the man who acknowledged
he made honey of glucose ; the bee-
keepers ought to hang together and
drive out adulterators.
The sense of the meeting was to
produce extracted honey and drive
out the adulterators.
Some one asked how to induce bees
to work in sections. Dr. Besse said,
put a frame of brood among the sec-
tions you want filled.
Shall we encourage the new races of bees?
Mr. Riegle said, he and his partner,
Mr. Drum, purchased a Holy Land
queen and reared queens from that
one. It required about two smokers
and three or four thicknesses of veils
while handling them, and persons
who had difficulty in handling Ital-
ians had better let alone the Holy
Lands ; tliey will give a bigger dose
of stings than you can stand ; he gave
them credit for some good qualities :
they started to work earlier in the
morning than the Italians ; they
gather lioney in cold weather, when
Italians will stay at home ; they do not
dart for the face like the Italians, but
will go for a person's neck ; his new
■queens were fertilized by Italian
■drones; he thinks they are about as
hardy as Italians ; they were more
docile when bred down to about the
third generation with the Italians.
Mr. Benedict indulged in a humor-
ous description of the savagery of the
cross between the little black bee and
the Italian ; he did not want any ac-
quaintance with that class of insects,
but he said a cross between the brown
bee and the Italians made a tolerably
decent bee to handle.
The most desirable place to keep bees in
winter ?
Mr. Goodrich, of Worthlngton, said,
for the past two years he had brought
his bees through safely ; this year he
had used special care, but his bees
are restless, and he had nearly decided
that no plan is always successful.
Mr. Benedict said, he was cautious
about giving advice to beginners ;
some of them had not followed the
advice as it had been given ; they
were careless, and would then blame
their advisers.
The president said, he would throw
the doors open at night, and give those
restless bees, which were affected with
dysentery, more ventilation.
Mr. Helphrey, of Utica, said, his
bees have dysentery except two or
three colonies, which had less honey
than others ; those having the least
honey were free from it.
Mr. Benedict, of Bennington, said,
there is a good deal of dysentery this
winter, he thinks the cause to be un-
ripe honey, gathered late.
Dr. Besse said, full combs of honey
would compel the bees to gather be-
tween the combs when they ought to
have empty cells to get into ; said he
had given an ounce of laudanum and
the same of essence of peppermint to
the gallon of syrup ; he found it a
cure for dysentery.
Mr. Biegle had observed closely
what the members had said in regard
to their losses by dysentery ; he be-
lieved, from their description, the
bees were too warm and had not ven-
tilation enough ; he gave the plan of
his partner, Mr. Drum, for wintering
out in a shed, with doors to open in
warm weather ; if he had bees with
dysentery, he would take their combs
away and give them clean combs, or
wash and dry them, and put them
back in the hives.
Mr. Benedict gave his plan of giv-
ing bees a flight in cold weather ; for
this purpose he would use hives with
loose" bottoms and built so that they
can be attached,and stacked one above
the other. Take them into a warm
room and cover the brood frames with
clean paper, leaving open a place for
the bees to crawl into the upper hives ;
they will then fly and eject the feces ;
when they return to their places in
the lower hive the upper ones can be
cleaned and removed ; the paper
should be replaced by a clean quilt,
and their condition is improved. He
believed we would have trouble with
the bees, so many are reported with
dysentery. " I think they gathered
something last fall which was inju-
rious ; the honey should all be ex-
tracted, all of it, and give the bees
clean combs and feed them white
sugar syrup ; it might be smart weed
honey, perhaps not, but we should ex-
tract it and have the honey examined
to ascertain whetlier it was pure, or
bad for bees."
Mr. Riegle would be afraid to feed
the bees sugar syrup in winter, unless
they could seal it up.
Mr. Benedict did not think it would
sour or ferment.
The chairman appointed Mr. C. M.
Kingsbury as soliciting committee,
and 12 new members were added to
the Association.
Mrs. Jennie Gulp, of Hilliards, O.,
said she was afraid she had killed
some of her bees, by handling them
when the weather was too cold. She
asked if it is best to leave the quilt
on the frames that was on all summer
or use a new one y Mr. Goodrich said
it was best to put on a fresh quilt.
She asked if she should use the same
combs, if they are mouldy ? Mr.
Benedict and the secretary coincided
to use the mouldy combs; the bees
will clean them up and use them.
Mr. M. J.King, of Chardon, O., ^
asked which is the best bee ? Dr.
Besse said, " The golden-banded fel-
lows." Mr. Benedict said. "The pure
Americanized Italians, those which
have been specially bred for honey
producers."
Mr. Riegle iisked, " Should farmers
keep bees i*" The secretary said those
who neglected their bees were not the
successful bee-keepers, and careful
bee-keepers were not always success-
ful.
President Besse and Mrs. Jennie
Gulp exhibited samples of extracted
honey.
The president appointed as a com-
mittee on exhibits : Messrs. Benedict,
Rhulen and Riegle ; and as a commit-
tee on the revision of the constitu-
tion : Messrs. Riegle, Benedict and
Kingsbury. Adjourned to 7 p. m.
EVENING SESSION.
Reports of committees were called
for. The committee on revision of
constitution reported in favor of eras-
ing certain words in Article VIII of
the constitution. Adopted.
The committee appointed on exhib-
its reported as follows : Eight sam-
ples of extracted honey by President
Dr. H. Besse ; 2 of his own produc-
tion ; 1 each of Palmetto honey, from
Florida ; buckwheat, from Kentucky ;
horsemint, from North Texas ; horse-
mint, from South Texas, early ;
horsemint, from South Texas, late ;
goldenrod, from Ohio, and white
clover from Ohio ; all of which were
very interesting to the committee and
members who sampled them. The
flavor of the different varieties is very
distinct ; some fine ; others not so
good. Mrs. Jennie Gulp, of Hilliards,
showed 1 bottle of white clover honey
and 1 of linden, both very fine. A
smoker, from W. G. R. Kemp, of Or-
leans, Ind., which contained some
good points.
The best sized sections.
Mr. Riegle said there are several
sizes or forms of sections, the one-
pound or Root section should be used
by those who use the Langstroth
frame ; it is convenient for families of
small means. Voted that the one-
pound section is the best for surplus
honey.
Mr. Benedict said, in regard to the
spacing of brood frames, I am very
careful to keep them in proper space,
and, as near as possible, the same dis-
tance apart, as the bees construct
them naturally.
Mr. Riegle was in favor of spacing
frames i% inches apart, from center
to center, which is the proper distance
for the bees ; he likes the Huffman
arrangement for spacing, especially
for beginners.
94
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Will it pay to cultivate koneu prodvjcing
plant/! and trees for bees f
Mr. Riegle thought the linden
profitable for lioney and shade, also
the blaclf locust is a honey producer,
and the locuSt is profitable tor timber ;
he had planted 5,000 young locusts ;
tie believed the borer would not infest
the locust, when it was planted close
for timber ; he believes if any plant
will pay for honey alone, it is sweet
clover (melilot); he does not think
alsilse will pay for honey alone.
Mr. Rhulen had 2.5 acres of alsike
clover ; the hay is far superior to the
red clover.
Mr. Benedict believes the yellow
willow produces more honey than the
apple blossoms.
The secretary said he bad planted
50 linden trees, and they bloomed the
second year after planting.
The committee appointed by the
chairman to confer with the State
Board of Agriculture, were Messrs.
Riegle, Benedict and Helphrey. Af-
ter taking a recess, the committee re-
ported they had seen the Secretary of
tfie State Board, and could do noth-
ing until after the election of the new
Board.
Adjourned till 9 a. m. to-morrow.
SECOND DAY.
Jan. 10. Meeting called to order at
9 o'clock a. m. Tlie subject for con-
sideration, was "Facilities for Ex-
hibits at the State Fair." The presi-
dent thought we ought to have a suit-
able building for exhibits. Mr. Bene-
dict and Mr. Riegle thought there
should be about one-fourth of an acre
of ground enclosed with wire fence,
attached to the hall, for the use of
bee-keepers. Messrs. Benedict and
Helphrey, on committee to confer
with State Board, were excused, as
they had to go home, and the chair-
man appointed the secretary in their
stead, who, with Mr. Riegle, were to
petition the State Board of Agricul-
ture, on Thursday, for better facilities
for exhibits on tlie State Fairgrounds.
The president presented the follovv'-
ing plan for a report of each member :
Oentlemen of the Convention : It is
my duty, as the Ohio Vice-Presi-
dent of the North American Bee-
Keepers' Association, to make as full
and complete a report as possible of
the number of colonies owned, and
amount of honey, wax, etc., produced
during; the incoming year in the State
of Ohio ; all bee-keepers will confer,
not only a favor upon your president,
but upon the wliole fraternity which
extends througliout the greater part
of North America, by lilling out the
following statistical report, and send-
ing the same to Daniel Spear, Sec,
Cardington, Morrow Co., O., just be-
fore our annual meeting, which will
be held during the State Fair in Co-
lumbus. In this way you can greatly
assist me in this work. Now, gentle-
men, I should justly feel proud if you
would assist me to so represent the
freat commonwealth of Ohio in the
forth American Association, as to
have the fullest and best report of any
State, Territory or Province ; and this
we can do if you will have the kind-
ness to assist me in so doing.
1. Name, P. O. address and county.
2. No. of coloniesowned Sept. 1,1882.
3. No. of colonies owned May 1,1883.
4. No. of colonies owned Sept. 1,
1883, or at time of next annual meet-
ing.
5. No. of colonies showing yellow
or golden bands.
6. No. of colonies of blacks.
7. No. of colonies sold during the
year.
8. No. of colonies bought during the
year.
9. No. of queens sold during the
year.
10. No. of queens bought during
the year.
11. No. of lbs. comb honey taken
during the year.
12. No. of lbs. extracted honey
taken during the year.
13. No. of lbs. wax honey taken
during the year.
14. Kind of hive used or preferred.
15. How and where wintered.
16. If fed during spring, and if so,
how liberally.
This plan was adopted by the
convention.
Mr. A. S. Goodrich asked whose
manufacture of comb foundation is
best V Dr. Besse said, " The Dun-
ham." Mr. Goodrich asked if it made
any difference which side of the foun-
dation is fastened to the top bar 'f
The secretary had never found that
it made any difference.
Mr. Riegle said, " the Dunham foun-
dation pleased him best. Some three
years ago foundation was manufac-
tured in the East, having wire in it,
which troubled the bees ; they tried
to gnaw out the wire. Lately the
foundation invented by Mrs. Dun-
ham (credit to the ladies), was pre-
ferred,because the walls are stronger. "
"The flat-bottomed foundation was
another improvement." " The fish
bone can be detected whenever it is
used in surplus comb honey;" he
showed, by diagram, his plan of put-
ting full sheets of comb foundation
in brood frames.
Mr. McDowell asked, is it any ad-
vantage to introduce fertile queens
after a first swarm V
Mr. Benedict said, his plan for mul-
tiplying colonies, was this : Have
ready a good supply of old comb in
movable frames, drum out the bees
and queen, put them in a new hive,
place it on the old stand ; place the
old hive on a new stand, and the next
day give the old colony a fertile
queen. This plan keeps a laying
queen in each hive. If further in-
crease is desired, go through the
same process in about 15 days, with
the old hive, as before ; there will be
just as much larvae and brood, as
when first divided. By following this
plan the old colony is continually pro-
ducing more bees ; in this way we
improve our natural swarming.
Mr. Riegle said, a natural swarm
will always accept a queen when it
swarms.
Mr. Benedict said, bees gatliered
more fall honey last season than they
had gathered at that season of the
year for 30 years.
Mr. Helphrey stimulated his bees
in April ; they swarmed in that month ,
which alarmed him ; he looked and
found they had no honey.
The following is the statistical re-
port of members :
Mr. S. C. McDowell, 2.50 lbs. of sur-
plus extracted from 4 colonies; buck-
wheat and smart weed honey.
Mr. Rickenbacker, about 25 lbs. to
the colony, fall honey.
S. H. Rhulen, 21 colonies, wintered
on summer stands. I found 10 of
them were starving; fed 200 lbs. sugar
syrup ; increased to 33 colonies ; got
about 2,.500 lbs. of comb honey and
1,000 lbs. of extracted honey.
Earle Clickenger had 9 colonies ;
had no increase ; got 450 lbs. of comb
honey from 6 colonies ; but no honey
from"3 colonies.
C. D. Bennett had 14 colonies in
spring ; got 550 lbs, of comb honey and
250 lbs. of extracted ; the season was
poor in the spring, but good in the
fall.
A. S. Goodrich had 30 colonies in
spring, in good condition ; the fore
part of the season was very bad ; had
to feed up to June 5, to keep them
from starving ; got nothing from fruit
blossoms, and very little liouey from
white clover ; increased from 30 to .54 ;
they gathered very rapidly from fall
flowers ; the hives are very full.
Mrs. Jennie Culp, I am an A B C
scholar, I gave each colony i^ lbs.
of maple sugar ; had 22 colonies ; in-
creased to 30 ; I extracted June 1, put
the honey in 6 gallon stone jars to
ripen ; had over 4 barrels of extracted
honey at Fair time (Sept.) ; extracted
after the Fair ; altogether had nearly
5 barrels of lioney; attribute my suc-
cess to feedhig in spring, and to hav-
ing plenty of surplus combs ; I sold
all my surplus honey for 20cts. per lb.
A. C. Castle, I am a novice ; have'
15 colonies of black bees ; sol J none,
increased to 22 ; got 275 lbs. of comb
honey ; the fall yield was the best.
J. G. Shiably, had 3 colonies in
spring (2 in box hives and 1 in mov-
able frame) ; got nearly 150 lbs. of
comb honey ; I am a beginner ; the
fall yield was tlie best.
M. S. King, commenced with 13 col-
onies ; worked for increase rather
than for honey ; the season was very
poor. Mr. Johnson, in my vicinity,
got only 3 lbs. to the colony.
Mr. Riegle : I had in the spring 50
colonies; yield from maple and yellow
willow, followed by fruit blossoms and
poplar lioney, then white clover ; I §ot
tlie least yield last season from wliite
clover for several years ; got 700 lbs.,
mostly extracted "honey ; hardly any
increase ; the fall yield was from
smartweed and asters.
Mr. Drum increased from 50 to 75
colonies, and had very little honey.
Mr. Benedict gave his plan of work-
ing for extracted honey. Have your
hives made to fit, one on top of
another ; put a colony on the top of
the first ; after three days let them go
together. Do not extract till fall, but
tier up one hive above another, and
give them combs or foundation to
work on and fill.
President Besse commenced the
spring with 55 colonies ; increased to
107 ; put into winter quarters 101 colo-
nies ; got 1,000 lbs. of comb honey and
rMiir«Vr>vii '^.l.i liSiVi^
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
96
1,000 lbs. of extracted, about one-half
clover honey, and the rest was fall
honey ; sold the extracted for 20 cts.
and the comb honey for 22 cts. per lb.
Voted that Mrs. Jennie Gulp had
produced the most honey, for the
number of colonies she had, of any
member of the Society.
A vote of thanks was tendered the
Ohio State Journal Co., for the use of
their parlors, in which the Bee-Keep-
ers' Convention was held.
Voted to adjourn to meet at the call
of the secretary, at some place in
Columbus. Daniel Speak, Sec.
Report of the committee appointed
by the O. S. B. K. Association, to pe-
tition the Ohio State Board of Agri-
culture for a building, in which to ex-
hibit bees and apiarian productions :
Columbus, O., Jan. 11, 1883.
To the Honorable Directors of the Ohio
State Board of Agriculture :
Gentlehen — We, the committee
appointed by the Ohio State Bee-
Keepers' Association, in convention
assembled in Columbus, O., on Jan. 9
and 10, 1883, to represent to your hon-
orable body the interest in apiculture
and the demand for our productions,
and urgently request that you erect,
upon the Oliio State Fair grounds, a
suitable building, with about one-
fourth acre enclosed ground attached,
in which to exhibit bees and apiarian
productions.
Plan and approximate specifications
herewith attached for Apiarian Hall.
We believe the size of this hall,
25x50 feet, to be sufficient for our pres-
ent use, with space left at one end for
extension of hall, if our interest in
the future should require it.
Samuel L). Riegle,
Daniel Spear,
C<ymmittee.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Whitford's Surplus Case, etc.
JAMES HEDDON.
I was much interested in Mr. Leroy
Whitford's description of his surplus
case. The more so because I have
have been over the ground. I have
made and tested theT shaped tin sup-
porters mentioned.
All are aware that I use a 4:}4 in-
high division piece of wood, nailed to
the super. Well, on trying the tin
rests, 1 returned to the old wood divi-
sions, for the following reasons :
The tin rest does not, like the wood
divisions, strengthen the case. They
somewhat hold the sections apart at
the bottom, with no corresponding
wedge to stop up the corresponding
opening at their tops. This means
bee-glue. They are very likely to get
knocked and bent out of shape by the
least touch. It requires much more
care to insert the sections in their
proper place, than with the wood di-
visions. They are but little cheaper.
You must use a case not the proper
length to lit the regular Langstroth
hive, or use sections not of such sizes
as are commonly used by those using
broad frames. "I see no good in the
movable divisions, except in case of
where a bee-keeper wishes to alter his
cases to suit a total change in size
of sections. Then the same cliangs
can be made (with a little more trou-
ble) with the case, using the permanent
divisions.
I see no use in using three cases, each
holding one-third of half-pound sec-
tions, and two-thirds of one-pound,
when you can just as well devote two
cases to the one-pound and the third
to the half-pounds throughout ; but I
do see many reasons for having the
shipping crates hold all sorts, and ours
does ; each crate holds, as follows :
12 4I4X4I4X2 (or 6 to the foot).
14 414x414x1?^ (or 7 to the foot).
21 414x2 IS-iexl-?^ (or 7 to the foot).
24 414x2 13-16xi;^ (or 8 to the foot).
In each instance, the thickest of the
one-pound and half-pound sections are
used with separators, while the thinner
ones are not. I consider an assorted
crate an advantage on the market, but
an assorted case is a disadvantage on
the hives.
I used my T rests at the extreme
bottom of the case, but I think I un-
derstand that Mr. Whitford (page 56)
must place his so that the bottoms of
the sections rest above the bottom of
the case. Now, if the case rests on
tlie top of the hive (as all cases should)
and the hive has a bee space above the
top bars of the frames (as all hives
should), how about your proper bee
space between the bottoms of the sec-
tions, and the top of the frames, where
no honey board is used 'i
There is hardly any system of sur-
plusage, that is so " awfully awful,"
that it does not possess some advanta-
geous features over all others, and I
think if I could be persuaded to use
separators at all, I should use them in
connection with broad frames, but not
such broad frames as I used before, or
any now in general use exactly, but
such as I am now making for the com-
ing season, and " the box of tin "
experiments.
Those who advocate wood separa-
tors, 1-16 and i-e thick, do not tell us
how long it takes the bees to glue up
the less than bee spaces that the sepa-
rators cause between the end pieces of
the frames, at the top and bottom,
where the narrower separators fail to
fill it up. How long will so many bee-
keepers violate the scientific principles
laid down by Langstroth ?
I think that there is now extant all
the conservatism needed, regarding
the half-pound sections. The idea
that their littleness, or tare, will con-
demn them, I think will be found to
be an error. I shall use 20,000 next
season, and fully expect to increase
the number the following season. In
one apiary (of over 100 colonies, spring
count) I shall use nothing else. As 1
said in a recent communication, I be-
lieve, when once on the markets gen-
erally, more thousands of these half-
pound sections, will be used than of
any other size. The present markets
may not, as Messrs. Crocker & Blake
say, demand very many half-pound
sections, but lliese little cards of honey
will, I think, not only fill a certain de-
mand already existing, but increase
that many fold. Let us see.
This year's numbers of the " Old
Reliable," Bee Journal are full of
progressive articles. I sometimes get
'' too full for utterance," when read-
ing them. 1 begin to think that after
I am so old that my hair is white,
(that is, the little row, just around
above the ears), teeth all out, nose and
chin nearly caressing, eyes retired a
half inch, etc., that I shall try to tell
the boys " how we used tu du," and
where they will go tu, if they don't
stop using so many new-fangled dx-
ins." But I expect to stop when death
gets me in his swath. I can not afford
to "forever write," like Mr. Robinson.
But I would like to tell Dr. Tinker
and G. M. Doolittle, why I believe
their ventilation theories will be found
to have little to do with successful
wintering, when we get this branch
of bee-keeping under our thumb,
which I earnestly believe we shall soon
do; and to tell William Roberts to
put a little salycilic acid into the paste,
the formula of which was given on
page 2.5 ; also to tell S. F. Newman
(page 26) why one of his apiaries ha^
dysentery, while the other three have
not, all being " prepared for winter in
the same manner." Also to give R.
Dart what I think to be much more
efficient and easier manipulations
for prevention of after-swarms than
his, as given on page 39. I hope to
get at an article on this subject before
the season for practice begins.
I wish Mr. Isham (page 53) would
send me a sample of his wood separa-
tor, and tell us through the Bee
Journal how he puts up with, or
avoids the glue difficulty, spoken of
above.
I want to say to D. Videto that since
I wrote the " Cell by Cell " article, I
have used the " brass clock wheel,"
and wooden wheels, but found still
better, Mr. Root's button hook process-
or fastening wires to foundation.
I think we owe S. Cornell (page 69)
a large debt of gratitude for his val-
uable article on " The Carbonic Acid
Gas Question ; " it contains just the
information (seemingly beyond all
successful controversion) that I most.
wish to know. For the sake of our
own health, not that of the bees, for I
feel that neither carbonic acid gas nor
dampness, are, either or both, causes-
of dysentery, which I will try to show
in an article on that subject which I
will write as soon as this winter's ex-
periments are over.
I am not a little surprised at Dr.
Tinker's advice to set the sections
down on the brood frames. We have
been through that mill, graduated,
and received our papers, and I there-
fore take the liberty to warn all be-
ginners against violating the instincts
of the bees, by doing any such thing. ,
If they do, the bees will, with their
glue and stings, punish them for it.
Before closing, I must say to Dr.
Baker, whose lively literature is a
pleasure to read, that, according to my
experience, crosses between the brown
Germans and dark Italians, are ex-
celled by no bees known for their good
behavior, and should not be called
" irascible insects," while the term.
" business neighbors " is very applica-
ble to them. I too enjoy the beauti-
96
THE AMERICA2^ BEE JOURNAL.
■ful, but, to gratify this propensity, I
Tvould uo more think ot cultivating
■*' beauty spots " on bees, tlian would
•the wood-chopper of paying two
prices for a beautiful ax ! I wish to
use merely the best bees I can get, that
will, with the least friction, most cer-
tainly procure for me the " filthy lu-
•cre," with which (after obtaining the
necessaries of life) to beautify my
home, my nine and sixty other posses-
sions, before the abdomen of my bees.
I am sorry the Doctor should advise
such a dose, as a mixture of honey,
eggs, blackberries and milk, as a pan-
acea for poverty. " It won't do. Dr.;
it won't do ; " such prescriptions will
not cure. I thank him for putting our
side of the question ahead. I doubt
not experience will keep it there.
Dowagiac, Mich., Feb. 2, 1883.
For tbe American Bee Journal
The Compositse, as Honey Plants.
L. H. PAMILEL,.
Among the many flowering plants
'none are better adapted for honey and
:none are more profitable for bee-keep-
ers than the various species belonging
to the compositie family; not only
because they are productive in honey,
but also because they are continual
bloomers. A well-known example is
the common dandelion, that starts to
Toloom early in April or May, con-
tinuing to bloom in favored localities
until frost.
Tarexacum den leonie. is very rich
in honey, and, according to the observ-
ations of Sir J. Lubbock, the honey is
so abundant that it rises quite a dis-
tance in the floret.
The dandelion, consisting as it does
•of a great many small florets, must
necessarily bloom at different times ;
making it exceedingly productive,
both in honey and pollen, for a long
time.
The different species of Tarexacum
are widely distributed throughout the
■world, and there is, perhaps, no por-
tion of the United States in which
the dandelion does not bloom with
profusion. It is one of our earliest
honey plants, and is certainly visited
more frequently by bees than many
■other honey plants.
Honey bees are not the only ones
that secrete their nectar, but on the
authority of Herman Mueller, no less
than 90 species visit it for this purpose.
Our various lettuces are valuable
honey plants, the flower heads are
smaller than those of the dandelion,
and not so conspicuous, yet they con-
tain an abundant supply of honey and
are in bloom constantly from July to
frost, especially our wild species, some
of which are very common. I have
found, at least, that wild lettuce was
very common about Madison ; less
common is the prickly lettuce, but, as
a honey plant, it is as good in all re-
spects as the cultivated lettuce.
Closely allied to Tarexacum and
Lactuca are Hieracium, hawk- weed,
Sorichtis, snow thistle, and Nabuliis,
rattlesnake root.
They are all late flowering plants,
•especially SoncMis and Nabutus. Al-
though they contain an abundant
supply of honey it is not sought so
eagerly, on account of the abundant
solidagos and asters, in which the
nectar can be obtained easier ; that is,
the expenditure of labor is less.
Madison, Wis.
For the American Bee JoumaL
My Comb Honey Rack.
JOHN HODGSON, JR.
Dear Editor— According to prom-
ise, at the Northwestern Convention,
I send you a honey rack, with the
following description of it :
The engraving represents a comb
honey rack for sections with portable
side and bottom board, to be used on
the top of the hive. This case. A,
being made to hold 28 sections 4J|x-
4J4x2 inches, without separators, is
just4i| inches deep, without bottom
board. B is the portable side held in
its place by the V-shaped beveled
wedges, C.
The honey board is composed of 7
slats, running from end to end, fast-
ened together with a %x% strip across
each end. The slats are one-half inch
apart. The center board E, 4}ix}i
inches, is to hold the sections squarely
in place in the center. The section
board is intended to take the place of
a row of sections ; when it becomes
necessary to have the bees work only
in a part of a set, one or more can be
used.
To fill the rack with sections take
the keys, C, out, and remove B, and
place the sections in the rack on the
honey board ; then replace B, starting
in the keys, C ; put in the center board,
E ; press down the keys, C, tightening
the sections as desired.
To get the sections out, when they
are full, remove the keys, C, and take
the rack from around the sections.
If desired to examine the brood cham-
ber, remove the rack, sections and
honey board, all together, from the
hive. Observation holes, in the sides,
have glass placed in grooves in the in-
side of the rack.
Most of bee-keepers that have used
it, advised me to have it patented, but
I have concluded to give the inven-
tion to the bee-keepers.
Pewaukee, Wis., Jan. 16, 1883.
Fnr the American Bee JoumaL
How My Neighbor Winters Bees.
H. J. NORTHRUP.
Having seen so much in the Bee
Journal about wintering bees, I
thought I would describe how Mr.
O. winters his bees. About December
1st, or earlier, if the weather becomes
settled cold, Mr. O. places boards on
the ground along by a tight board
fence. Placing the hives close to-
gether on these boards, leaving a space
of a few inches between the row of
hives and the fence, he raises the
hives about J^ inch, by putting blocks
under the corners of the hives ; lays a
narrow board, 6 or 8 inches wide,
slanting against the front of the row
of hives so as to make an air space ;
he then takes heavy paper, old carpets
or blankets (paper is best), lays them
on top of the row of hives, allowing
them to hang down the front, near to
the ground ; lays boards, sticks, etc.,
on top, to keep the paper In place ;
fills in between the hives and fence
with forest leaves or straw ; places a
layer of straw in front of the hives,
with a wide board, laid on its edge,
against the straw, to keep the straw
from falling away ; roofing the whole
with old boards, or anything that will
turn the water from the hives. In
very cold weather Jie stops the holes at
the ends of the boards, making the air
space, and opens them when the
weather moderates. Mr. O. tells me
that he has practiced this method 12
years and has never lost a colony, that
was in fair condition when put into
winter quarters. I have practised the
same two winters with equal success.
Lansingburgh, N. Y.
For tne American Bee Journal.
Wintering, Marketing, etc.
WM. CAMM.
I put 57 colonies into winter quar-
ters, with plenty of stores. The hives
run for comb honey, had sections re-
moved and quilt spread in the bottom
of the honey rack, which was covered
with dry wheat chaff, and the rack
left on the hive. All hives were chaff-
packed, then set side by side, on tim-
bers, so as to raise the sills 5 or 6
inches from the ground, a pole laid on
the top of the hives, and then com
fodder reared thickly on the north
side of the hives, and thinly on the
south side, except a few single-walled
hives that were covered deeply on
both sides.
I intended to say that I was selling
comb honey at 2.5cents, and extracted
at 20 cents ; but the " typo " got this
statement reversed, or I made a mis-
take in writing it. It sells but slowly
at these prices, though I have the
sections nicely cleaned, allow net
weiglit, and put the extracted, almost
wholly clover honey, in neat and
handy packages.
Cannot the Board of Bailroad
Commissioners do something about
reducing the freight on honey from
double tiie rates of syrup ';'
It is hard for a man to carry pure
clover honey to the store and be re-
fused 20 cents, when dark adulterated
stuff stands before him on the shelves
at 25 cents. The most discouraging
thing in bee-culture is the low price of
extracted honey, given in the papers.
Discrimination is even made against
candied honey, though candying is a
certificate of purity, and nine out of
ten like candied better than liquid.
Sometime ago a paper remarked,
excusingly, that many worthy dealers,
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
97
rather than face financial ruin, sold
adulterated articles. It seems to me
that we have as much right to avoid
financial ruin as anybody ; and putting
the matter in the light of self-defense,
it is hard to say who, or what class,
should not be excused. We must look
to legislation for a cure ; but not to
repressive legislation. Those who ac-
tually till the soil, pay so much, or
more, every year, directly or indirect-
ly, to get at the land, than would liqui-
date the national debt ; this drives
tens of thousands from the land into
towns, cities, necessities and crimes ;
hence the trades and professions are
over-crowded, wliile the avocation —
agriculture— upon which all depend,
primarily and ultimately, has far too
few engaged in it ; and those who fol-
low it, instead of trying to make one
acre produce double, are trying to get
two acres where they now have but
one. I only hint at the matters we
must deal with, to suppress, or rather
prevent, adulteration. There is no
country in the world, perhaps, where
Jaws are more stringent or better exe-
cuted, especially with regard to adul-
teration, than in England, and yet we
are told that London is the paradise
•of adulterators.
Murrayville, 111.
[We think our correspondent is in
error about London being " the para-
dise of adulterators." English laws
against adulteration are very strin-
gent, and well executed. We wish
we could say this of America. — Ed.]
Translated from Ulustrated Bienenzeitung,
by A. R. Kohnke.
The Giant Balsam as a Honey Plant.
PROF. DU. MUENTEK.
Through the kindness of Mr. Ren-
ter, of Sanssouci (H. M. court garden-
•er), the apicultural exposition of the
Baltic Central Bee- Keepers' Associa-
tion at Potsdam, in September, 1881,
was furnished a specimen of the giant
balsam. It is no new plant, but the
attention of the bee-keepers was called
to it then for the first time as a honey
plant. Some few bee-keepers there,
knowing the plant and its value,
praised it so highly that Von Behr
Schmoldow, II. M. chamberlain, was
induced to try to cultivate it, with
reference to honey-producing and
hardiness. Having obtained a small
•quantity of the ripe seed, he charged
his gardener with the raising of the
•plants therefrom. The seeds were
planted m September, 1881, in drills,
IJI inches deep and about 3^ inches
apart. With only a light covering,
they endured the winter well, and
■were transplanted in the spring of
1882, about 32 inches apart. At the
beginning of September, the plants
had attained the height of 6 to 8 feet,
and were covered with many thou-
sands of blossoms ; and, without ex-
aggeration, there was a bee on each,
so that new comers would hardly be
•able to secure one, not in possession
of some other.
Last September, small quantities of
ithe seed wesre distributeci among the
members of the Horticultural Society
of Fomerania, to raise as much seed
as possible, of which the District Bee-
Keepers' Societies will get their
share, next year. Many plants have
a reputation as good honey producers,
but the giant balsam excels every-
thing by nir ; the more so as it blooms
at a time when there are but few
other honey-yielding plants, and
these furnish it in very small quanti-
ties. It will pay to raise it wherever
possible. It blooms in August and
September.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Small Packages of Comb Honey.
ARTHUR TODD.
In my capacity as delegate to the
International Exhibition of 1878, at
Paris, for the apicultural interests of
Algeria, I called upon Madame Jarrie,
a leading box frame bee-keeper, living
near Paris, and who has given her
name to a certain style of hive nsed
in France. Having explained the
working of her hive to me, this lady
proceeded to show me some of the re-
sults therefrom, and one exhibit struck
me forcibly at the time, which the re-
vived talk upon " small packages "
recalls to my memory.
This exhibit was neither more nor
less than a section about the size of a
Harbison Oalifornian section, divided
by cross pieces of wood into six por-
tions, each portion filled with comb
honey. " This," said Madame, " is
the comb honey package of the future ;
a single spoonful can be removed
without causing all the rest to bleed,
and smear everything it comes near."
" But will it sell, put up like this V "
I asked. " This is an article ' de
ha-.e,^ " she replied ; " and people will
pay for that. I have sold all I had at
•5 francs per pound ($1.00), and could
have sold more, etc."
I went back to Algeria, and fitted up
some Harbison sections in the same
way— fitted in small pieces of white
comb, and had them filled, and perso-
nally proved that it could be done
without in the least altering the shape
or size of the present" one "and " two-
pound sections." I have thought out
a simple plan for subdividing the
same, and inserting the very thin comb
foundation all in one operation. I
hope, Mr. Editor, you will publish it
and so prevent any patent claim being
brought out later on upon the same
thing.
To subdivide a section into four
parts only requires four (4) pieces of
very thin wood cut thus :
Two of these, interlocked, cut the
proper size, and the ends touched with
glue, are placed inside a section.
Now, upon the cross, formed within
the section by these two interlocked
pieces, lay a piece of thin foundation,
cut to the size of the section. Upon
that again place two more of the
pieces of wood, interlocked ; the cross-
ing of the wood of the uppermost will
now press the wax down upon the
crossing of the first pair, and the ad-
hesion of the wax and the wood will
be sufficient to keep all in place. I
enclose four sample pieces, to illus-
trate my method, and it will be easily
seen how the increasing the number
of interlocking slits in the pieces of
wood will increase the number ©f
squares of honey in any section.
Philadelphia, Pa.
For the American Bee Journal.
Returning Swarms, Uniting, etc.
L. DENSMORE.
It was the poorest season for bees
and honey that I ever knew, in over
thirty years. The season opened wet
and cold, and although there was
plenty of white clover, it secreted no
honey, and up to June 25th I had to
feed some of my strongest colonies.
In July, basswood opened, and such a
rush for honey I never saw before.
Colonies were strong in numbers :
most of my Italians had nine full
frames of brood and they were obliged
to store their honey in boxes. I started
with 27 colonies, increased to 41, and
put back 8 swarms. The swarming
lasted only while basswood was in
bloom.
Some one was enquiring for a suc-
cessful way of putting back swarms.
Give them an empty hive and let them
stand until just before night ; look
through the parent hive, cut out all of
the queen-cells and shake the bees in
front of the hive. Catch and clip the
queen's wing, while returning ; put
on an empty crate of boxes, and all is
right. I never had a swarm come out
the second time. Care should be taken
to keep plenty of room for surplus
honey.
I had two colonies of black bees that
would not try to defend their stores
against robbers. They would let the
Italians carry off their honey, so I
pinched the heads of the queens and
united them with an Italian nucleus,
having an Italian queen, and there
was no more robbing.
I have united by the onion process,
and it is a success, every time. Give
them the onions at least 36 hours be-
fore uniting. I have united colonies
and nuclei, and, for experiments, ex-
changed queens from one hive to an-
other, and from nuclei to black
colonies with perfect success, usually
leaving the onions in the hive, sliced
up, 487iours ; and to make everything
absolutely certain I gathered the dried
bloom and seeds of catnip and used it
for fuel in the smoker, giving them a
good smoking after uniting. It leaves
a strong odor of catnip. By this
process I have never lost a queen, or
had any fighting after uniting.
A portion of my Italians and my
Holy Lands, crossed with Italian
drones, work readily on red clover.
My black bees (4 colonies) gathered no
surplus and but one of them swarmed.
One apiary of 70 black colonies, spring
count, gathered but little surplus
honey, and, as far as I can learn, but
few bee-keepers in this section had
any surplus honey. I got 1 ,500 pounds
of nice box honey, and sold it for 20c.
98
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Eer pound. I do not think I should
ave got one quarter of tliat amount
with all black bees. Will the tulip
tree furnish honey, here in the north,
e^ual to the basswood, and is it as
rich a grower and as hardy 'i
Livonia, N, Y.
[The tulip blooms in May and June
and is a very ornamental tree, which
sometimes grows to the height of 130
feet. In the South it yields honey
profusely, but in the North it yields
much less ; the honey is not equal to
basswood. It grows rapidly in deep,
rich soil, after being transplanted
when two years old. It is often called
" whitewood." — Ed.]
Balled Queen— Grape Sugar.
What is meant by a queen being
balled, as spoken of in the Bee
Journal, page 21 'i Wiiat is grape
sugar made of V S. F. Milleb.
North Manchester, Ind.
[When a queen is distasteful to the
bees they cluster about her, and, un-
less she is released, they will sting
her to death— that queen is said to be
"balled." Sometimes she is balled
by her friends to keep the enraged
bees from her— then she is "balled in
a friendly way," as mentioned on
page 21 .
Grape sugar is made from Indian
corn ; the solid is called grape sugar,
and the liquid is named glucose.
These are not as sweet as cane sugar
or molasses.
You should get a manual, and
"read up " all these things; then you
can understand the more advanced
apiarists.— Ed.]
Honey from the Spanish Needle.
My bees are doing well ; they had a
food flight on Jan. 24th and 28th.
;very writer should say how cold it
has been this winter. VVhen we read
what Mr. Doolittle and his neighbors
say about their bees, we should re-
member that they live in New York
State, and it will not do for us in the
West to govern ourselves in the same
way they do. I live 198 miles south of
Chicago, where it hardly ever gets too
cold for bees to remain out of doors.
I think that in 1880-81 there were a
few colonies that did winter-kill by a
careless man who let his bees remain
out on some bench on the north side
of his liouse. Bad honey is all that
we dread in this part of the country
for wintering bees ; that is, the honey
that bees gather in the late fall and
never cap over. It sours and will kill
the bees. The coldest it has been is
12° below zero, but it only lasted a
part of one day. Several mornings it
was 10° below zero. We have had a
very good winter, and our bees have
the very best of honey. Our princi-
pal yield of honey is from the Spanish
needle. Does it sell as well on the
market as other honey y I have about
20 colonies to transfer ; when is the
best time to do it ? They are all in
good movable frame hives, but they
have deep frames, and I use the
Langstroth hive.
D. R. ROSEBKOUGH.
Casey, HI., Feb. 1, 1883.
[The honey from the Spanish needle
will sell very well, especially if ex-
tracted.
The best time to transfer is in early
spring, before there is much honey in
the hives.— Ed.]
"Mason" Bees.
I send an insect, and wish to know
what it is, and what its habits are.
A miner discovered about half a peck
of them some 12 feet in from the
mouth of a coal bank. Do they
usually inhabit such places 'i The
men are much excited about them.
Peteh Sears.
Barnesville, O., Jan. 24 1883.
[The insect is one of the " Mason "
bees, belonging to the genus Colletes.
It is a member of the large family,
the Apiarice, of which the hive bee
forms a conspicuous part, though its
habits are quite different from the
latter. No one, so far as I know, ever
before found them in a coal mine, but
their usual nesting, or home-making
place, is in the ground, where they
tunnel out, a foot beneatli the surface,
six or eight cells, some inches long
and two-thirds of an inch in diameter,
lined with thin, silken membrane and
closed with a cap, like a drum head.
The bees gather pollen and have
been seen in considerable numbers in
the flowers of squashes, cucumbers,
etc.. but I do not know that they col-
lect or use nectar. They are stingless
and harmless little creatures, and
seem to have little fear of harm to
themselves, being slow in their move-
ments and appear to make little effort
to escape.— T. J. Bukrill.]
My Experience in Wintering Bees.
I have 24 colonies in " Langstroth
hives;" I changed 6 of them to
doubled-walled chaff hives ; the others
had large boxes placed around them,
and the spaces filled with chaff. The
weather has been very cold for the
last two weeks, and tlie snow had
drifted entirely over some hives. I
thought I had better remove the snow
from the entrance, for fear they might
smother. I found, in front of those
packed in chaff', a large hollow space
in the snow, which the heat from the
bees had melted, and what bees had
died were in front of the hive, on the
ground. The chaff hives were not in
as good condition ; they had alighting-
boards fastened in front of their hives,
and as some snow had blown in and
some moisture run out from the in-
side of the hive, the entrance."! were
entirely filled with ice. I expected to
find them smothered, as the air
seemed to be entirely excluded, but
they were all right, and the 24 colonies
are yet all right. I think I have
learned a lesson ; there should be no
alighting-boards in front of hives in
winter, as ice will collect on it to the
detriment of the bees. The entrances
should be large with nothing to hinder
the dead bees from falling to the
ground. Bees properly packed in
chaff will never perish from cold ; if
they fail to winter, it will be from
some other cause.
S. J. YOUNGMAN.
Cato, Mich., Jan. 28, 1883.
Experience of a Beginner.
A swarm came to me, a year ago
last spring, and I hived them" in a box
hive. Last spring they swarmed and
I had a frame hive all ready, but, not
knowing how to manage to find the
queen, we could not succeed in hiving
them, and they all went off and liivea
themselves in another box hive, in a
neighbor's yard. Now I have 2 colo-
nies in box hives and I am at loss to
know how to get the honey or wliat to
do with them. Do you think it would
be safe to take any of the honey away
from them '/ They lived out doors au
last winter and came out last spring
very strong and full. I take the risk
of leaving them out this winter, but
how can I get any of ttie honey '?
Mrs. W. W. Smith.
Princeton, N. J.
[Next spring some of the honey can
be taken in the old way, by turning
up the bottom of the hive and cutting
out a little near the bottom. The best
way is to transfer them to a movable
comb hive, in the way recommended
in your bee-manual, for, of course, you
have one. No one should think of
getting along without such at hand to
refer to at all times. — Ed.]
Winter in Kentucky.
The winter in Kentucky has been
a very changeable one ; the mercury
frequently changing from IS"^' to 60°
within 24 hours, and as often as 4
times per week, yet the bees appar-
ently are wintermg well. I have 90
colonies on the summer stands and
think they will come through all right.
J. T. Connley.
Napoleon, Ky., Feb. 3, 1883.
Bees are Wintering all Right.
The bees are all right ; but they
have had no flight since the begin-
ning of November, now almost three
months. There are very few dead
bees on the bottom boards, not aver-
aging over ?^ of a pint.per colony. This
is now the tenth winter's experience
for my sy.stem of wintering bees, and
have hot lost a single colony, all these
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
99
■winters in succession. TJiis, I think,
proves my system correct ; especially
■when we take into consideration that
-we are 2,200 feet above the sea level,
and that our winters are cold and pro-
longed. H. H. Flick.
Lavansville, Pa., Jan. 31, 1883.
Thirty Degrees below Zero.
The weather is a little more com-
fortable now— still there is no thaw or
rain— we have had nothing but dry,
cold, snowy weather. On Tuesday,
Jan. 24, at 6 a. m., the mercury was
down to 303 below zero. How is that
kind of weather for bees on the sum-
mer stands in box hives V If they live,
cold will not kill them, will it V
J. A. Morton, M. D.
Bethel, Maine, Feb. 2, 1883.
taken from each kind of plant, shrub
or tree, be a better medicine for some
one disease than for all diseases. The
buckwheat honey may be a better
medicine for one kind of sickness,
while that taken from linden will be
better for some other kind, and so on,
with all the different kinds of honey.
I think if we will be careful to keep
tlie different kinds of honey separate,
and place it in the hands of medical
and scientific men for investigation,
it may result in good to producer and
consumer. Nelson Pekkins.
Princeton, Ala., Feb. 3, 1883.
King's Cnre-aU as a Honey-Plant.
I send you some pods of seed of a
good honey plant. What is its botan-
ical name V VVe call it " King's cure-
all." It blooms a little on a single
stalk, the first year ; the next year it
throws out branches, growing 6 or 8
feet high, and blooms about the mid-
dle of July, and continues blooming
till frost. The flower is a small cup
with a lid over it, keeping out the sun
and rain. The bees work on it early
and late. S. P. Sowers.
Dunlap, Kansas.
[The plant seems to be Scrophularia
nodosa ("Figwort," Simpson's Honey
Plant). The fruit capsules are more
densely produced than is common
with the above species, but it cannot
be far dilTerent, and there is no near
relative known to me to which it may
be referred. It is, probably, the
variety known as Marilandica. — T. J.
BURRILL.]
Catnip as a Honey Plant.
Since honey plants are of the utmost
importance to successful bee-keeping,
I would say that I agree with Mr. Elli-
cott (see page 69), as far as he goes,
about catnip. We have, in our city
and vicinity, quite a good deal of cat-
nip growing. Three years ago I
gathered some 6 lbs. of seeds and
sowed it on waste places, and I no-
ticed bees working on catnip all-day
long, and if they found no honey in
it, they would not visit it. Should I
ever need to plant much for honey, I
would plant considerable catnip.
H. S. Hackman.
Peru, 111., Feb. 6, 1883.
Bees have the Dysentery.
Please answer through the Bee
Journal, " what must I do to save "
my bees ? They have the dysentery,
and are wasting away very fast. I
fear they will all die. I should like
to know from bee-men if there is a
remedy ? It is a general complaint
about here. I have been watching
the Bee Journal for a remedy, but
have not noticed anything yet. I
have 40 colonies, 9 in box hives. They
all appear to be alike afflicted.
B. HELrHRET.
Utica, O., Feb. 3, 1883.
[Give the bees some good capped
honey, over the frames, and a cleans-
ing flight as soon as the weather will
permit.— Ed.]
first thing every swarm does is to
plaster every crack except the en-
trance, which is always below the
comb. But whoever heard of bees
removing the propolis to cause a
draught through the hive for winter.
I am satisfied upward ventilation is
wrong ; I have studied it for 3 years,
and I fail to reason out such treat-
ment. People even in Montreal
(which is about the same as Dakota
or Manitoba), winter bees safely,
leaving the top well sealed and rais-
ing the hives }4 inch from the bottom
board. Charles Mitchell.
Molesworth, Ont., Feb. 2, 1883.
Bees Confined 80 Days, but Doing Well.
My bees are doing well ; they have
been in winter quarters 80 days, and
each colony has eaten from 1 to 3 lbs.
of honey. I weigh them every
month ; the comb in some of the hives
is getting moldy; is it injurious to
them y F. A. Gibson.
Racine, Wis., Feb. 8, 1883.
[Mold is not injurious to bees ;
leave it to the bees, and when the
weather will permit, they will sur-
prise you by their dexterity in clean-
ing it up.— Ed.]
Medicinal Qualities of Honey.
I was much interested in an article
in the Bee Journal of Dec. 27, page
818, from Mr. Luther Corey, of York-
shire, N. 1' ., in regard to the medical
qualities of honey. The thought sug-
gested to me was, that honey taken
from different kinds of flowers does
not contain the same medicinal quali-
ties. As physicians use the roots,
bark, leaves and flowers of different
kinds of honey-producing plants,
shrubs and trees, and each kind for a
different disease, so may the honey
The California Apiculturist.
Has the California Apiculturist
ceased to exist 'i I have received no
number of it since November, 18821
K. Ercanbrack.
Watsonville, Cal., Feb. 1, 1883.
[As we have not received it since
November last, we expect it has been
numbered with the dead bee papers—
and " their name is legion."— Ed.]
What to Plant.
My bees, are to all appearances,
wintering finely. I put into the cellar
on Nov. 2 and 3, 176 colonies of my
own, and 1 belonging to a friend, all
Italians. I have made arrangements
to start another yard in the spring,
about 6 miles from here. I have
bought 80 acres to sow for honey and
I would be thankful for your opinion
as to what is best to sow, all things
considered. It is low land, that over-
flows about 2 out of every 3 years.
There is lots of basswood. and all kinds
of timber, close by ; such as soft and
hard maple, willow, elm, box elder,
etc., witti high bluffs within one mile
on the north or south, covered with
goldenrod and various other flowers.
I intend to make bee-keeping my fu-
ture occupation and I want to start
right. From what I have seen of
sweet clover and motherwort I think
they are well worth cultivating for
honey. I believe that to get tlie right
kind of bees is no longer a question ;
all that is required is to carefully breed
from those containing the most desir-
able qualities. I do not allow drones
to fly from any hive that does not
come up to the highest standard. I
kill all queens that produce one or two-
banded workers, or very cross ones,
and replace them with good ones,
Wm. Lossing.
Hokah, Minn., Jan. 30, 1883.
[Sweet clover is the best honey plant
we know of, for such a location. — Ed.]
The Winter in Canada.
We have a very severe winter, with
many storms, but, to my mind, it is
the best winter I ever saw for a good
honey season to follow. There being
no frost in the ground, the grass and
wheat are growing under the snow.
Last year, there being no snow, the
ground was frozen everywhere ; what
was left of white clover was very
weak or came from seed the previous
summer. Upward ventilation is en-
tirely contrary to my reasoning, and
the instinct and practice of bees. The
Iowa State Convention.
I second Mr. Sorrick's motion for a
" Bee-Keepers' Convention" to organ-
izeaState Association,during the Fair
week. Allow me to suggest that Mr.
Sorrick issue a call for said meeting.
If those interested in bee-culture will
indicate, to tlie board of directors, the
classification andamountof premiums
for this department, I have no doubt
it will receive a favorable considera-
tion, as they are ever ready to lend "a
helping hand " to develop any inter-
est that is a benefit to the citizens of
our State. E. R. Shankland.
Dubuque, Iowa, Feb. 5, 1883.
Syrian Bees.
The new Monthly Bee Journal is
here, and a neater, more beautiful,
well-printed monthly we never have
seen. It glows with ricli contributions
from the best writers on scientific bee-
culture. I notice in the Weekly Bee
Journal, page 59, a desire to know
100
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL:
the markings of Holy Land bees. If
the writer ever has any occasion to
manipulate them, it will not be diffi-
cult to identify them, for they will be
very apt to make a lasting impression,
never to be forgotten, for they are
more treacherous than a Modoc In-
dian : the minute you open the hive
they hoist the black flag, and start on
the war path. They are good honey
gatherers, and go upon the principle
" that he who does not look out for
his own household is worse than an
infldel." They are as quick as light-
ning. I am glad that the Bee Jour-
nal is talking to so many bee-keepers
in the world ; some of the old fogies
are getting the scales from their eyes
and are discarding brimstone to some
of the most useful insects that a wise
creator ever bestowed.
F. H. Finch.
Sharon Centre, O., Feb. 1, 1883.
Frost in Bee House.
I looked at my bees yesterday, and
they are all in fine condition. I have
them in a bee house ; the thermome-
ter has stood between 260 and 34°, all
winter. There is hoar frost in the
inside of the house, all round, will it
do any harm, when it gets warm, to
melt the frost ¥ Would it be good to
sweep off the frost of the walls and
sweep it out ? Would the sweeping
annoy the bees too much 'i I have
chaff cushions on. Please let me
know through the Bee Journal.
Geo. Kemp.
Navan, Ont., Jan. 27, 1883.
[The only remedy we can suggest
is to raise the temperature. Had it
been kept at from 40° to 45°, as we
have so often advised in the Bee
Journal, the frost would not have
invaded your bee-house. To remove
it now, by sweeping, would cause a
disturbance, and when it melts it will
create some dampness, and the result
may be detrimental to the bees. — Ed.]
A Request.
In one of Mr. Doolittle's invaluable
articles on " Producing Comb Honey,"
page 229, he says : " The old colonies
losmg their queens by their going with
the new swarms, are allowed to rear
their own queens, as {after thoroughly
trying the plan of ) giving each colony
a laying queen immediately after
swarming, has not proven a success
with me." I respectfully ask Mr. D.
to favor us with some particulars on
this point, and the reason why the
plan was not successful.
J. W. Merifield.
Penn Yan, N. Y., Jan. 24, 1883.
Bees in Cellars all Right.
I have devoted considerable time to-
day in looking over the last volume of
the Bee Journal. I have it all
bound together, and prize it very
much for future reference. We are
having a severe winter, especially
since the new year began. The ther-
mometer has been to zero and below,
nearly eyery day during the past
month ; and it has been down as low
as 32° below. Some are losing their
bees, where they are not protected. I
have mine in the cellar, and all seem
right except one, which shows some
signs of dysentery. The temperature
of the cellar is 40° ; is that too low ?
J. W. Sanders.
Le Grand, Iowa, Feb. 2, 1883.
[We prefer to have the temperature
above 40° ; that is the lowest limit for
it; keep it above that.— Ed.]
Bees Wintering Finely.
I like the Bee Journal very
much ; indeed, it has become a neces-
sity, and I would hardly know how
to get alon^ without it. My bees are
wintering hnely, notwithstanding the
extreme cold. I have all but 7 of
mine in the cellar ; 45 in all.
Dr. H. J. Scoles.
Knoxville, Iowa, Jan. 2.5, 1883.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this ofl5ce get either a post ofiice or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
New Catalogues and Price Lists.
The following new Catalogues andt
Price Lists are on our desk :
Bees, Queens and Apiarian Supplier
—Dr. J. P. H. Brown, Augusta, Ga.
Bee-Keepers' Supplies— Alfred H-
Newman, 923 West Madison Street,.
Chicago, 111.
Italian Bees— Rev. E. L. Briggs,,
Wilton, Iowa.
Apiarian Implements, Italian Bees
and Queens— Paul L. Viallon, Bayoa
Goula, La.
Bee- Keepers' Supplies — Chas. F.
Muth, 976 and 978 Central ave., Cin-
cinnati, O.
Bees, Queens and Bee-Keepers' Sup-
plies.—E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, 111.
Seed Catalogue.-^anderbilt Bros.,.
23 Fulton St., N. Y.
Italian Bees, Queens and Apiariaa
Supplies.— James B. Mason,Mechanic
Falls, Me.
Apiarian Implements.— L.E.Welch,
Linden, Mich.
Bee-Keepers' Supplies.— Merrian &.
Falconer, Jamestown, N. Y.
Implements for the Apiary.— Chas.
J. Van Eaton, York, N. Y.
Bees and Queens— W. A. Ham-
mond, Richmond, Va.
©■ Mr. A. E. Manum, Bristol, Vt.,
has sent us samples of one-pound,
two-pound and half-pound sections.
They are made of white wood, and
the workmanship is superb.
Convention Notices.
^ The Union Bee- Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday, April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G. W. Demaree, Sec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
« — I ^ I — •
W The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
^^ The next meeting of the Haldi-
mand, Ont., Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Nelle's Corners on Sat-
urday, March 31, 1883, at 11 a. m.
H. Campbell.
^° The Western Bee- Keepers' As-
sociation meets at Independence, Mo.,
April 28, 1883.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
^" We carefully mail the Beb
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
1^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
.^8>.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., FEBRUARY 21, 1883.
No. 8.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor.
A Severe and Cruel Winter.
The snowstorms, blizzards and very
severe weather of the past five or six
weeks, has now given way to a less
rigorous atmosphere, accompanied
with rain, and the results are, destruc-
tive floods and inundations all over
the country, by the rapid rising of the
great rivers and tlieir tributary
streams. The reports for weeks have
been about delayed and blockaded
trains, terrible snow drifts, with the
temperature so cold that steam could
not be maintained, and hundreds of
men and thousands of animals have
perished. Now, the song changes —
of those animals that are left many
more are drowned with inundations,
and men are robbed of their habita-
tions ; thousands being made home-
less and destitute.
This state of things not only ob-
tains in America, but also in Europe.
England has been visited by storms
more severe than for many years ; her
coasts have been lashed with the
furious waves ; many of her stately
oaks and pleasure bowers have been
leveled to the ground, and much of her
shipping has been destroyed. On the
European continent, floods and storms
of unusual severity have destroyed
and laid waste many large tracts of
country, and the cry for help from
those made homeless and destitute,
ascends to Heaven from thousands of
those wlio, before this calamity, were
in pleasant circumstances.
One of our exchanges, speaking of
the terrible disasters thus far, asks :
" Is 1883 to be a year of calamities V "
Well, surely, it seems already to have
made a terrible record in that line.
including fires, floods, snow-blockades,
sleet-storms, blizzards, shipwrecks,
train disasters, financial failures and
earthquakes.
Of course, the bees have suffered as
well as other stock. For nearly two
months, here in the North, those win-
tered on the summer stands have been
imprisoned by storm and tempest ;
and, finally, their hives were envel-
oped in an icy winding-sheet, or else
carried away on the wild waste of
waters, and the poor bees drowned by
the mad element, if they still sur-
vived the rigors of the Northern
wintry blast.
In some places, disease has set in,
and many may yet die of that fearful
bee malady— dysentery.
This winter will try, to the utmost,
all kinds of out-door wintering. What
the final results may be, can, as yet,
only be conjectured. Those in more
favored localities, where the floods
have less power, will be able to have
a " flight " soon, and the threatened
damage by disease may be averted.
Many already have asked us, AVhat
effect all these troubles will have on
the bee industry ? We reply : .lust
the same as it does on the farmer,
manufacturer, merchant and stock-
men. The floods have destroyed the
stock of thousands of merchants,
stopped the " busy wheels" of manu-
facturers, and carried away thousands
of dollars worth of their property.
Will they become discouraged and
give up ? No ! with redoubled energy
they will start anew and retrieve their
losses !
Because the storm king has de-
stroyed thousands of vessels and many
cargoes, will the mariners forsake
their calling ? No ! but with daunt-
less courage they will pursue their
labors and bid defiance to the elements.
Mr. L. James, on page 111, says that
the fruit trees, in his neighborhood,
are nearly destroyed, and the outlook
for fruit is discouraging. Will the
fruit culturist cjit down his trees.
" cast them into the fire," andlookfor
some business that has no drawbacks ?
No ! he will plant again, watch, culti-
vate and hope for the best !
Millions of acres of land, by the re-
cent inundations, have been robbed
of fences and buildings, and many
winter crops destroyed— will the
farmer cease to plow and build barns
and houses for his cattle and herds,
and repair the damages V No ! To-
morrow's sun will illumine the skies,
earth will smile in gladness ; her fields
will soon be covered with verdure,
and her gardens with flowers ; luscious
fruit will gladden the heart of " the
sons of toil," and fill the pockets of
those whose dauntless courage impels
them to labor for the desired end !
The bees have been compelled to
fight for existence, with disease on the
one hand, and winter's fiercest bliz-
zard, ending in floods and tempests,
on the other. Is it any wonder that,
in this unequal contest, they have suf-
fered to a greater or less extent, gov-
erned by their location and the sur-
roundings, together with the care and
protection afforded them by their
keepers V Instead of being discour-
aged over tlie situation, we should
feel that our sympathies are needed
by the poor bees, who have been thus
tortured, and beset on every side with
warring elements in a mad career of
desolation. We should admire their
pluck, energy and endurance, instead
of being cowardly enough to try to
find an entrance for ourselves to that
dungeon over whose portals are writ-
ten the stinging motto—" Blasted
Hopes." There are no such words as
" blasted hopes !" in tlie vocabulary of
men of true worth. Reverses only
stimulate " progressive men " to
further diligence.
When the fruit grower, the farmer,
the merchant, the sailor and the man-
ufacturer become discouraged and
" give up the battle," it will be time
enough for the bee-keeper to think
about being discouraged ! Until then.
102
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
give no heed to such a bugbear as
" Blasted Hopes," but, by persever-
ance, phick and energy, hold on; for
the average years, for bee-keepers,
make as good a showing for " bees
and honey," as for any business a man
can engage In.
The Forncrook Patent Section.
The following, from Mr. Baldridge,
is due as a correction, concerning the
illustrations given in his previous ar-
ticle on this subject :
I regret exceedingly to find the
wrong cut used in the fourth ilhistra-
tion, on page 72, in my article on the
Porncrook Patent Section. The fol-
lowing cut
2
ir-
is the one used, which correctly repre-
sents the section covered by the Forn-
crook patent ; the one I desired to be
used is the following :
t II II I
which shows a one-piece section with-
out the recesses or passage ways for
the bees, and likewise without the
" longitudinal groove." This style of
one-piece section is public, and not
private property ; so are all sections
having 2, 3 or 4 pieces. The one-piece
section, having a top as wide as the
sides, and a bottom so narrow as to
give ingress and egress to the bees, is
also public, and not private property ;
in other words, there is no style of
section, whether in one, two, three or
four pieces, that is private property
{that is, covered by a patent), except
the one style made precisely like the
section shown in the first cut in this
article. Now, I trust the explanations
will not be misunderstood.
In the preparation of my article, as
it appears on page 72, 1 did not dream
that an enigma would be attached
thereto, to wit : That the one-piece
section was invented by Mr. lorn-
crook, that it has been patented to
him, and that it would be dishonest
and fraudulent to evade said patent.
At this date, I have no proof that Mr.
Forncrook was the first and original
inventor of the one-piece section " of
any description," nor that his patent
covers anything of the kind; nor that
it is wrong, dishonest or criminal to
evade anybody's patent, by making
what is or should be public property y
What right has Mr. Forncrook or any
one else to frighten bee-keepers, by
threats or otherwise, from making,
using or selling property that already
belongs to them? Why should bee-
keepers pay a tribute of $1 toS2..50for
each 1,000 one-piece sections to Mr.
Forncrook, on what is public prop-
erty, or on what they have a perfect
right to get elsewhere at lower figures?
M. M. Baldridge.
We desire neither to add to nor take
from our editorial note, appended to
Mr. Baldridge's article, on page 73.
We believe the position there taken is
invulnerable. The patent has been
issued to Mr. Forncrook, and that,
too, after a prolonged and tedious
fight. As to its invalidity, let the
courts of law decide, as is suggested
in the following from Prof. Cook :
Dear Mr. Newman :— I send you
the following article which I wrote to
the N. Y. Tribime, and I hope you
will give to our friends in the Ameri-
can Bee Journal :
Perhaps no class has suffered more
from imposition in reference to pat-
ents than bee-keepers. The whole
art, as practised to-day, rests on the
use of inventions. Take away our
hives, sections, extractors, and foun-
dation machines, and apiculture
would be bereft of all that gives it
prominence. Unscrupulous persons
may invent attachments to some of
these valuable instruments, which at-
tachments may be wholly worthless,
and, in combination with other inven-
tions which have long been in use, get
a patent. Then by threat they induce
those who use the article, often with
their invention wholly omitted, to
pay them money.
The sale of the Mitchell hive and
the collection of money by threats of
prosecution, extensively carried on
by its inventor, illustrates the point,
and it seems to me that we have just
now a case exactly in point in refer-
ence to the one-piece sections. I
know of several dealers who sold from
1,000 to 500,000 of these the past year.
Now, if bee-keepers are forced to pay
?;6..50 or S7..'50 per 1,000, when, with no
patent hanging over us, $4.50 per 1,000
would be deemed a good price, we see
a serious wrong is committed, unless,
forsooth, the patentee has a clear
right to liis claim.
In 1877, I used one-piece sections
witli transverse cut to enable me to
bend them, with a recess on one side
cut by a chisel, made U-shaped. At
the same date, many were selling
dove-tailed sections with a longitudi-
nal groove in which to insert founda-
tion. In 1878 Mr. Lewis, Watertown,
Wis., made one-piece sections, with
oblique transverse cut. the recesses
such as I made the previous year, and
longitudinal groove. May 19, 1880,
James Forncrook, foreman in Mr.
Lewis' shop, applied for a patent on
just this style of section. The patent
was secured.
In a prosecution of Mr. Lewis for
infringement in the summer of 1881,
Mr. Forncrook, at first, as I under-
stand, failed to make a case, but, upon
a rehearing, won on the ground of the
recess, on the side ef the section,
which permits the bees to pass up into
the section. These recesses I cut one
year before they made the section at
all. Now, as I understand Mr. Forn-
crook's patent, it is a combination.
Unless a section is in one piece, with
oblique transverse cuts, the longitu-
dinal recess, and the longitudinal slit
for foundation, it does not infringe on
his patent. Omit any single feature
and we do not trespass.
Practical suggestions : Believing that
Mr. Forncrook has no rights in this
matter, I suggest that a friendly suit
be brought to test the question. Each
bee-keeper who uses sections can af-
ford to pay SI to bear the expenses of
the suit, and then save much money.
Again, if I understand the matter,
any one can manufacture a one-piece
section, with the recess and trans-
verse cuts, if he only omit the longi-
tudinal groove, which is really of no
importance, and run no risk at all. I
can see no equity in our paying $2 or
$3 for every 1 ,000 sections that we use
to Forncrook, when he really has done
nothing to give us this important in-
vention. A. J. Cook.
Lansing, Feb. 6, 1883.
Prof. Cook's " practical suggestion"
is a good one, and is the only Jiorwrable
way to test the matter ; that is, by a
friendly suit to decide it, in a legal
way. Until it is decided, however, by
legal means, an evasion of the rights
of the patentee is a crime, recognized
by law as such.
We do not propose to occupy many
pages of the Bee Journal to discuss
a matter which must be decided by
law ; we will, however, give the fol-
lowing, from Mr. E. J. Scofieldon the
subject :
I have just read the opinion of M.
M. Baldridge, on page 72 of the Bee
Journal, in which he desires to set
aside the patent of James Forncrook,
or dodge it in some way. The two-
piece section is, I think, a gross in-
tringement on the Forncrook patent;
it may not be in the eye of the law,
but, nevertheless, it is a piece of wood
for storing surplus honey, with trans-
verse angular grooves, to be bent to-
gether in the manner of the Forncrook
section, with the fourth piece to be
dentated at both ends. He leaves out
one of the transverse angular grooves
in the patent section ; otherwise it is
an exact copy of the patent section.
I am no lawyer, but I like to see honor
and justice bestowed, where it is due.
A section is being manufactured now,
exactly like the one illustrated by Mr.
Baldridge, at a lower price per thou-
sand, but I prefer the one-piece, for
two reasons : First, it is a handsomer
package than the two-piece one, and
it is stronger. Secondly, I would not
use the two-piece section and thus
encourage its manufacture. I was all
through the factory where this sec-
tion is made, as well as through the
factory where the Forncrook section
is made, about two weeks ago, and
talked with the proprietors of both
establishments. The proprietor of
the two-piece box admitted that the
two-piece section was intended to
evade the Forncrook patent. James
Forncrook has spent both time and
money to secure what was rightfully
his, in the first place, as all bee-keep-
ers well know, who have read the Bee
Journal for the past five years. I
will copy the following from page 10
of Forncrook & Co.'s price list for the
year 1880 :
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
103
"A word of explanation. As bee-
keepers, no doubt, think it a little
strange that we advertise and claim
to be the inventors of the Boss One-
Piece section, heretofore called the
Lewis section, we think it necessary
to explain the situation. I worked
for G. B. Lewis, and Lewis & Parks,
as their foreman, for the past 11 years,
and in the spring of 1878, 1 invented
the Boss section. On tlie first of Oc-
tober, 1878, the co-partnership of
Lewis & Parks was formed, and they,
thinking it a good thing, made an ap-
plication for a patent without my
knowledge or consent, thinking to get
a patent before I would know it, and
then let me whistle. I mistrusted
what they were up too, but said noth-
ing to them about it, but wrote to a
lawyer in Wasliington, asking him if
there was any way to find out ? He
wrote me tliat the only way to find
out and prevent them f rorn getting a
patent, was to make an application
myself. I made an application and
found that they had also, and would
undoubtedly have had a patent al-
lowed them in a short time. Then it
was put into interference, and we had
to prove who was the inventor, which
I proved to the satisfaction of the Ex-
aminer in the Patent Office, and the
commissioner of patents awarded me
Sriority of invention March 12, 1880.
Tow, after they And they cannot get
a patent, they are trying to prove that
it is an old thing, and not patentable.
I will leave it with bee men to judge
whether it is new or old. I propose to
have a patent on it now, as it has gone
so far, but probably I should never
have applied for a patent if Lewis &
Parks had not tried to beat me out of
it.— James Fobncrook."
Now, I think it is our duty, as bee-
keepers, after all that has been done
about it. not to encourage an infringe-
ment; if the one-piece does not suit
us, let it alone, and use either the
dove-tailed or nailed sections. I used
to manufacture dove-tailed and nailed
sections for my own use and my
neighbors at S8 per 1,000 ; I have the
machinery now, but will make no
more ; for L shall use the one-pound,
one-piece section as long as I can get
it, made of white basswood, planed
and sand-papered on outside and
edges for $G per 1,000.
I have no axe to grind ; no interest
in bee fixtures of any kind ; Forncrook
& Co. are no personal friends of mine ;
I never saw them until about two
weeks ago, when I went thei'e to see
about getting supplies, etc., for the
coming season ; but when I see a fel-
low bee-keeper, as Mr. Forncrook is,
in danger of being defrauded of his
rights, 1 want to let my fellow bee-
keepers see how it looks to me.
E. J. SCOFIELD.
Hanover, Wis., Feb. 3, 1883.
To the above may be added the fol-
lowing, which takes still another view
of the matter :
I know the Bee Journal is not
published for the discussion of patents
in general, but the article from Mr.
Baldridge, on page 72, may mislead,
and needs correction. Any person
making use of a patented invention,
in whole or in part, without the own-
er's consent, is infringing, and lays
himself liable ; even if a person wants
to make an article for his own use, it
is not allowed, and a patent cannot be
evaded by simply leaving off a por-
tion of the invention, as stated by Mr.
B. If it could, our patent laws would
be no protection to an inventor. I
think the two-piece section is an in-
fringement on the Forncrook patent,
but the question is : Can the Forn-
crook patent be lawfully sustained V
I think not. Mr. A. I. Root, on page
98 of Gleanings, 1882, says : " Before
us is a copy of a patent, granted in
1874 to H. W. Hutchins, East Liver-
more, Maine, for a plan of making
boxes of one-piece of wood, precisely
like the Forncrook sections, even to
the V-shaped groove, dove-tailing the
ends, and all. The drawings malce it
so plain that it is difficult to conceive
that Forncrook's was not copied from
it."
I am not personally acquainted with
the party manufacturing one-piece
sections ; but I endorse what the
editor says on page 73, that the in-
ventor is entitled to a reasonable re-
ward for bringing the section to the
present state of perfection, but I do
not like his advance on the price of
sections over what others can make
them for, just because be has a pat-
ent on them. A. J. Hintz.
Lamont, 111.
The assertion that the price has
been increased since the issuance of
the patent, is not sustained by the
facts. By consulting old price lists,
on file in this office, we find that they
were sold before the granting of the
patent at from $1 to $2 higher than
tlie price now asked by the patentees,
and at the same time they are made
vastly better.
Before the patent was issued we
were summoned by Messrs. Lewis &
Parks before a commissioner, directed
by the Patent Office, and for 3 days
we were questioned and cross-ques-
tioned by opposing lawyers, and did
all we could to defeat the patent.
With all the facts obtainable, the pat-
ent was issued, and now should be re-
spected by all law-abiding citizens.
There are points in all four of the
communications that we do not ap-
prove, but it is unnecessary to state
them— the whole matter must be de-
cided by the technicalities of law,
and it will be useless for us to discuss
a thing we have no power to decide.
" To the Law and to the testimony,"
must the appeal be made — that is au-
thority, decisive and final.
The Queen that ;Did Not Come.— In
the Weekly Bee Journal, page 54,
Mr. O. E. Cooley, while trying to
prove that " bees;move eggs from one
cell to another, mentioned the fact
that he had been waiting for a queen
for tliree years from Mr. Alley, but
it did not come." This allusion to a
business transaction, so woven into
the article, passed unnoticed till it
was published. In justice, now, we
admit the following from Mr. Alley :
Mr. Editor :— Please allow me
space in the Bee Journal to say, in
reply to the article of Mr. Cooley, that
his claim has long been in dispute. I
am not satisfied that he did, or did
not, send me the £3 he claimed. How-
ever, rather than do him an injustice,
the amount was sent him sometime
before his article appeared in the
JouiiNAL. Henry Alley.
W ham, Mass.
Tht' I5ee Journal has nothing to
do wii . settling disputes over busi-
ness cu.jplications, and we hope not
to be troubled with any more of such.
i^ Many bee-keepers, as well as
thousands of others, have been swin-
dled by some bogus " brokers," hail-
ing from this city. It is the old " con-
fidence game" played over again.
Some of the " certificates " have been
sent to us, asking if we can collect
anything on them. Of course, they
are worthless, and we would, again,
warn all our readers against sending
money to irresponsible persons, for
anything whatever. The parties we
refer to have been doing [a cheating]
.business under the names of Flem-
ming & Merriam, R. E. Kendall &
Co., Charles J. Henri & Co., Cud-
worth & Co., and Bennett, Koltzman
& Co. The principal man, Flemming,
has gone to Canada with many thou-
sands of dollars of booty.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for 1883 and Cook's Manual in cloth
for $2.7.5. or the Monthly and Manual
in cloth for $1.75.
Size of Standard Langstroth Hive.
—Since reading the article on the
standard Langstroth hive, I have
made considerable inquiries, and I
can find no two factories making
them of the same dimensions. If
there is a standard size it ought to be
duplicated and everywhere used of
the same size. Charles Norris.
Traverse City, Mich.
It is to be deplored that so many
will vary the size of a frame or hive
from the standard size, justfor a sim-
ple notion. It is high time for a re-
form to be made in this particular,
and a standard size of frame be
adopted and unvaryingly adhered to.
i^° Several catalogues are received,
but, our pages being crowded, notice
of them is deferred until next week.
104
THE AxMERlCAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee Journal.
Eun for Right Race of Bees.
That coiuinp bee, we want to see,
Coming to near perfection ;
Of true specttlcscientitic,
Well-deviaed selection.
In choice of kind, and use of mind.
In aKe of vast projiression ;
'Tls now l)eliuoved, to have improved,
Yet genuine succession.
That bee that we. can ali agree.
Shall come to be the leader ;
Take all tbe sons, home ami imports.
We pray, great chieftain breeder.
Italians bright, may well delight.
Gold dollars Indicating :
Then strong, plain blacks with well-filled sacks.
Deserve not underrating.
Smart Cyprians, too; wonders may do.
Of vast, prolitlc nature:
And Pale-stine may much combine.
Of extra valued feature.
Albino pure. or. not so sure.
Cross'd, mix'd. or various races;
From all select, to main effect,
Suited to sundry places.
Knowing and wise: study, devise.
To have petition granted ;
And lieing about, beyond a doubt.
The special bee that's wanted.
To winter live, and summer give.
Large stocks and lots of honey:
Pure nectar piles, and fancy styles,
Uenoting piles of money.
Breed beauteous rings, an<l gentle stings.
But. long and short, that's of it;
All else aside, the strain provide.
That's bound to bring toe profit.
When ye succeed, to meet the need.
Canadian or ye Yankee;
The race well run. the prize is won,
Apiarists all will " thank ye.''
Toronto. Canada. S.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Eggs or Larvae, Which?
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
On page 54 of the Bee Journal,
for the present year, Mr, O. E. Cooley
tells us that bees remove eggs from
one cell to another, and then states
why he believes they do so, giving the
negative side as proof of his position.
There are other ways by which the
colony might have obtained a laying
queen, besides the one he gives, such
as a queen entering the wrong hive,
or a small swarm with a queen, going
into it, etc. ; but, as that is not the
object of this article, I will not go into
detail.
lie says the " bees must have moved
an egg ;" I take it for granted that, if
the bees moved anything, it was a
larva. That bees do sometimes re-
move eggs 1 admit, but they are not
apt to do so, where there are larvae at
their disposal, as there was in the case
given by Mr. Cooley.
To illustrate : A few years ago I
had a colony which was " bent on
swarming," and I was equally " bent"
on their staying where they were.
They had come out twice, and I had
put them back, cutting out the queen
cells each time. After staying five
days they came out again, and while
they were out, I cut out all the queen
cells, queen cups, and everything I
could find that might look like an em-
bryo queen cell, when they returned.
When about half of the swarm had
entered the hive, out came two
swarms from other hives, and instead
of alighting, they simply passed out
of their hives and went in with this
returning swarm. As the queens to
both of these last, had their wings
clipped, they were returned to their
old hives, and the bees allowed to stay
with tliose I had determined should
not be liived as a separate swarm. I
put on extra surplus room, so that the
three swarms could work to advan-
tage, if they saw fit so to do. How-
ever, they did not " see fit," for at 10
o'clock tbe next morning, all came out
in the sliape of a rousing swarm (three
swarms in one), and so 1 concluded to
give them an empty hive. Upon go-
ing to the old hive, I counted more
than 250 queen cells, upwards of 50 of
which had larvse in them. More than
25 had eggs in them, which were all
but one or two deposited ttiere by the
queen ; those one or two being carried
tnere by tbe bees. The larvae, which
were transferred, were from one to
four days old, I should judge by their
appertrauce, and were plentifully sup-
plied with royal jelly.
1 could give several other instances
where larva; have been removed for
queeu-rearing. Where bees have ac-
cess to both eggs and larva?, and a
removal of either is considered neces-
sary, my experience proves that they
nearly always select a larva ; this be-
ing in accordance with the accom-
plishment of their object, which is to
get a queen in the least possible time.
Borodino, N. Y.
For the American Bee JoumaJ.
Clipping the Wings of a ftueen.
G. W. DEMAREE.
At the close of each volume of the
Bee Journal, when it has been ar-
ranged and bound in convenient book
form, I find it quite entertaining to
review its pages and note what has
been established as truth, and what
still remains theory. The well ar-
ranged index at the close of the vol-
ume makes this a very easy and pleas-
ant task.
To the readers of the middle and
southern sections of our country, the
subject matter pertaining to the win-
tering of bees, is simply colossal in
magnitude, enough to make the " head
swim." My insatiate greed for " bee
literature," however, has induced me
to wade through the whole of it, cel-
lars, chaff, sawdust, pits, caves,
clamps, ad infinitum. Just think of
crowding the little fellows so closely
that their legs stick out of the doors
and windows. It occurs to me that if
there is no cases of bee murder, there
is much involuntary bee slaughter
going on in many parts of the country.
But, at this time, I wish to notice
the well-nigh universal practice of
clipping the wings of the queens. In
all of volume IS not a single voice ex-
cept the emphatic protest of Mr.
James Heddon, as reported in the
proceedings of the Michigan Conven-
tion, has been raised in defense of
the inalienable rights of the proudest ,
and grandest of God's little creatures I
— the queen honey-bee. Mr. G. M. '
Doolittle says that " wings are cre-
ated to fiy with ;" yes, but is that all V
Are they not a '' cover " to her body,
her beauty and her glory V If there
was nothing but the merest senti-
mentality in the objections I raise to
the wholesale chopping off of the
wings of beautiful queens, the plea of
Prof. Cook, Dr. Miller and others that
they could not keep bees without clip-
ping the wings of the queens, is suffi-
ciently " set off " by the success of
Mr. Heddon and others wlio do not clip
the wings of their queens.
One of the defects of our bee litera-
ture is, that each writer sets forth his
dogmas as though his locality and sur-
roundings were the same as every
other place on the earth. I think I
can see why Mr. Doolittle can get
along with clipped-wing queens, and
also, why I and others operating in a
different climate to his, cannot get
along so well with them. From
long obsevation I have found that
bees never supersede their queens
during tlie period which intervenes
between the time breeding ceases in
the fall and its commencement in the
spring, and they rarely ever supersede
them during the early and late honey
harvests, simply because, in the lat-
ter case, an attempt to do so always
results in a swarm. Of course, queens
sometimes die during those periods,
in which there is no inclination on the
part of the bees to supersede them.
Well, in a climate like ours, there is
generally a period of about six weeks,
say from the middle of July to the
first of September, in which the dry
hot weather parches the flowers, and
the bees find but little to do in the
fields, and being strong in numbers
they are ready to cut all sorts of fan-
tastic tricks. They will learn how to
cut holes in the quilts, nibble away at
the furniture in the hives, cut to
pieces sheets of foundation, "ball"
and supersede their queens, especially
if the queens are getting old, or are
maimed in any way. I do not remem-
ber of ever having had a queen to sur-
vive two whole seasons whose wings
had beeii cropped in the usual way.
Better success, however, can be had
by trimming the inside of one pair of
the queen's wings, preserving the
original shape of the wings, taking off
just enough to bring the queen down
when she attempts to fly. I now
have a queen, of good old age, whose
wings were trimmed in this way when
she first commenced to lay. To per-
form the operation, you pick the queen
from the comb on which she is found,
holding her wings between the thumb
and fore finger of the right hand, now
place her body across the fore finger
of the left hand, bringing the thumb
gently down upon her head and
thorax — you now have her in position
— then take a small pair of shears and
trim off the inside of one pair of her
wings, preserving the original shape
of the wings, and you have done a
scientific job. With a queen mani-
pulated in this way, the inquisitive
workers will rarely ever find fault.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
105
But, light here I wish to suggest
what I have never seen a hint ot in
print, or liearcl mentioned by any one,
viz. : That if the honey bee is not an
exception to all the rules of past ex-
perience, as applied to winged domes-
ticated animals— our domesticated
fowls— the continuous clipping off the
wings of the queens, thus depriv-
ing tliem of their natural use and
health-giving exercise, as well as the
interference with tlie circulating life-
giving fluids of the body, will as cer-
tainly, in process of time, enfeeble the
"wing power" of their progeny, as
the same process of treatment has
changed our domestic fowls from
" birds of the air " to their present
toddling condition. Mostlikely there
are some who will be ready to laugh
at such an idea, nevertheless, causes
will continue to produce their effects
all the same.
Dr. Wm. M. Rogers, of Shelbyville,
Ky., from whose keen perception
nothing escapes, pointed out to me,
several years ago, unmistakable evi-
dence of clumsiness on the part of our
"carefully bred bees," seen in tlieir
Eroueness to trip and tumble on their
acks, and their spasmodic struggles
to right themselves when rushing out
of the hives during a brisk honey flow.
Their lofty tumbles on the alighting-
board is not only amusing and ludi-
crous to behold, but is in striking con-
trast witli the little lithe iron-gray
bees that plied in and out of my box
hive 20 years ago. In every attempt
to breed for good points, " wing
power " should stand at the head.
Christiaiisburg, Ky.
Mahoning Valley Convention.
The annual meeting of the Mahon-
ing Valley Bee-Keepers' Association
was held at Berlin, on Jan. 19 and 20.
After the reading of the minutes of
the last meeting (which were ap-
proved), the president, Mr. L. Carson,
appointed the following committee
on bee fixtures : Mr. H. A. Simon,
Mr. Mattoon and Mr. Eadler. In the
absence of the secretary the chairman
appointed II. A. Simon, Sec, jno tern.
The president then announced the
meeting open for discussion, and the
first question was : What is the cause
of dysentery Y
Mr. Simon inquired under what con-
dition they got it.
Mr. Mattoon : I have noticed a good
many dead bees on the bottoms of my
hives, and a bad odor ; it may be that
they are too damp.
Mr. Simon : I would use syrup from
good sugar ; I think it a good remedy.
Mr. Carson : A few years ago my
bees became affected with the dysen-
tery. 1 carried the bees into the
house and fed them melted sugar,
warmed them up thoroughly, replaced
them on the stands, and did not lose
any.
Mr. Mattoon : I give my bees a
flight once in the winter. I "place one
hive at a time in a large hot-bed, and
give them a good flight ; then cover
the glass all over, but a small place
just over tl>e hive, and they will all go
in and losses by this process are few.
Mr. Newton applied sulphur in small
quantities, by raising the blanket and
scattering it over the bees. He has
used salt with good results.
Mr. Simon thought dampness and
close confinement the cause of dysen-
tery. A remedy for this difliculty ^yas
proper ventilation and close attention
to the bees.
Mr. Carson thought that the Ital-
ians were preferable to any other ; they
were strong, vigorous workers ; the
queens were prolific, and they are gen-
erally easy to handle.
Mr. Newton thought one or two
hives enough for an amateur to com-
mence with. He should not put too
much money in a business he is not
familiar with.
Mr. Simon considered five or six
none too many ; a man would have to
pav considerable attention to that
many, and would take better care of
them.
Mr. Carson said, it will pay to
plant pasturage for bees ; sow sweet
clover (melilot); flg-wort has great
merit. 1 would advise the planting
of basswood and the golden willow
along the highways.
January 20th, a short forenoon ses-
sion was held, discussing the manage-
ment of bees, in general.
The inclemency of the weather kept
many from attending the afternoon
session ; the election of oflicers for
the following year resulted as fol-
lows : President, Leonidas Carson,
Milton ; Vice-President, H. A. Simon,
Lordstown ; Secretary, E. W. Turner,
Newton Falls ; Treasurer, Geo. Car-
son, Berlin, O.
Mr. G. A. Newton, of North Ben-
ton, O., exhibited and explained the
working of his drone trap, for catch-
ing black or hybrid drones.
Mr. Eadler exhibited some of Gray's
bee feeders.
Mr. Frank King showed some of
his improved wired frames for ex-
tracting.
Mr. Simon said, if honey is to be
shipped it is necessary to use sep-
arators.
Mr. Carson : I would advise all bee-
keepers to try and sell all their honey
at home, even if you sell for 2 cts. per
pound less. 1 consider it one of the
healthiest sweets, and excellent for
canning fruits. We use it in our
family, and never have any fruit spoil.
Mr. Simon suggested that we create
a market for extracted honey at home.
Mr. Simon said, I moved some 30
colonies of bees last spring, about the
first of May. I removed the cap,
covered with wire cloth, and moved
them on a spring wagon. Box hives
I invfvt, and cover the same way.
Mr. Simon said, I use the Peet cage
for introducing queens. I sometimes
coat the queen with honey and in-
troduce at the top of the frames. I
generally have good success, either
way. I always feed the bees when I
introduce a queen, if there is not a
good flow of honey.
The question of our future meeting
came up for discussion. It was sug-
gested that we have a picnic dinner,
bring our wives and children, and
have a good social time, and that we
have a general display of bee-keepers'
supplies.
Adjourned to the first Saturday of
May, 1883, at the Center of Berlin.
E. W. Turner, Sec.
For the American Bee Journal.
Best Bees— Reply to Mr. Demaree.
JAMES HEDDON.
The discussion of the question of
which are " the best bees," has been
before the general bee-keeping public
for some time. They have, no doubt,
heard about all they desire to hear on
that subject, at least from Mr. De-
maree and myself, who seem to be
the chief disputants. My last article
was an endeavor to sum up as clearly
as possible, not only what I believed
to be vital trnths connected with the
subject, but what I believed were gen-
erally accepted as facts.
I was incorrectly reported to have
said, at our State Convention, that
light Italians were more gentle than
the dark ones. Like a drowning man
catching at a straw, Mr. Demaree
used this " phantom " with wliich to
open controversy on a worn-out sub-
ject. That it is worn out with him, is
evinced by the fact that his article on
page 82, says nothing about it; the
afterpart of it being, " how it market
honey," while the forepart consists of
a series of assertions regarding my in-
ability, etc. These points should be
left with the readers to judge for
themselves ; should they not V This
acting as chief disputant and judge,
is again repeated by Mr. D. Is he
afraid to leave it to the readers V Is
he disheartened by the statement of
Dr. Baker, in his article on page 74,
6th paragraph V Mr. Demaree must
know that I am not the author of the
term, "long leather-colored Italians."
He says it is an " egregious blunder"
for me to confine the term long, to the
darker Italians. I will try to show
why it is not. I have never seen
any Italians of the light hue as long
as the average of the darker ones. I
have always heard leading breeders,
that I have met with, speak as though
they never had. Never having seen,
heard or read of such lengths and
colors combined, as Mr. D. mentions
in his second paragraph, where does
the blunder come in y If Mr. D. has
seen such, we are both consistent, and
no one has blundered.
Mr. D. asks, "Is life a great tread
wheel V" to which 1 reT)ly, too much
so with many of us. He infers that I
am a "bread and butter writer."
Good. If I have written anything
which has even helped to lessen the
struggle for bread and butter, that is,
to make the getting of it more simple
and easy, be it ever solittle, I shall be
at any time proud to compare my
record with his, as an apicultural
writer. About his ability as a honey
vender, I will not imitate him, but
leave each reader to judge for him-
self. In the remainder and forepart
of his article, he says, that I am not
only a " blunderer," but a " confus-
ser-" that my articles " are replete
witii errors," " marvelously superfi-
106
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
cial,""do not attempt to controvert
a single important proposition, except
in the way of unscientific bread and
butter arguments," etc., — as though
" science " (known facts) is something
separate from bread and butter get-
ting. If " science " has naught to do
witn our " dollar and cent" success
in bee-keeping, let our future scien-
tific articles be few and far between .
The above assertions regarding my-
self, and disregarding the subject, re-
minds me of the following :
Por.— Why, man. what's the matter ? Don't tear
your hair.
Sir HuKh.— I have been beaten in discussion,
overwhelmed and humiliated.
For.— Why didn't you call your adversary a fool ?
Sir Hugh.-My God ! 1 forgot it.
Dowagiac, Mich.
[Any controversy that descends to
personalities is not only unwise, but
is generally distasteful to the average
reader. Mr. Demaree had the first
article, and with this rejoinder of Mr.
Heddon, we will, for the present, at
least, dismiss the subject. Both dis-
putants have " had their say," and
anything more will be but a repetition,
or drift to side issues and personal
allusions.— Ed.]
For the American Bee JoumaL
Nebraska State Convention,
[Concluded, from page 84.]
The remainder of the time was de-
voted to discussions and informal
proceedings.
Question: "Where, in the hive, do
bees cluster most y" Mr. Turney said,
his bees invariably clustered in that
part of the hive nearest the entrance.
M. L. Trester thought they clus-
tered at that point in the hive where
the temperature, ventilation, honey,
etc., came the nearest to meet their
requirements, therefore, in different
hives the cluster varied in its location.
The size of section boxes, was then
discussed, and Dr. McAllister thought
that we must supply the demand
■whatever size it may require— half-
pounds or otherwise.
Mr. Corbett would use wooden sep-
arators, and \}ix'^}4yi\^i boxes.
Mr. Kouse sdid, thrt we could not
afford to use the half-pound sections
for the extra pay that was in them.
Dr. McAllister said, that the bees
were apt to build their cells of an un-
even length in any size of section, and
Mr. Meyers concurred with him, al-
though he has dispensed with sep-
arators.
M. L. Trester believed they pre-
ferred an even lengtli in the brood
nest, but outside of it they would run
to both extremes of long and short
cells.
The president said, they preferred a
certain length, that he should return
to the sections IJ^ inch wide. If he
found that he had more sections on
than the bees could occupy, he would
exchange those inside for the outer
ones.
Mr. Rouse : As yet I cannot get
along without separators.
C. A. Speice asked, which was most
profitable, comb or extracted honey V
O. Meyers believed it depended on
the market ; that he could get three
times as much extracted as comb
honey.
Mr. Speice was of the opinion that
there was no trouble in marketing, if
the people were only educated up to a
point where they had confidence in
the producer and dealer.
The president knew that some peo-
ple liked the flavor of wax, spoke
from experience ; he also favored a
trade mark on honey packages.
Dr. McAllister said, that very few
people knew that wax was indigestible.
Several members thought that the
glucose trattic was illegitimate, and
ought to be crushed.
Mr. Trester believed that it was
cruel to kick a dying man, and as the
glucose business was at {)resent in a
very unhealthy condition, it would be
humane to let it die in peace.
The question of a State trade mark
for honey was discussed at length,
without any very definite conclusions.
In regard to single and double-
walled hives, Dr. McAllister said, the
former are the hive.
T. L. Whitbeck had used chaff
hives, but did not like them ; he be-
lieved they were too warm, thought
bees were thermometers, and the
chaff hive would become so warm
that they would fly out and be lost, in
the cold weather ; he puts his hives
close to the ground, and makes a tele-
scope for them, but did not think it
paid ; he thinks bees require a great
deal of ventilation.
Mr. Rouse : A chaff hive, if prop-
erly made, is a ventilator of itself.
The cost is no more than the cost of
protection, in any other way. He has
failed to keep bees too warm, out of
doors. He said he took charge of the
Omaha apiary in February or March,
1881, in the cold winter, and found
that the bees had been put on to five
or six frames, in chaff hives, with
chaff cushion, and some hay thrown
on top. There were about 2 feet of
snow, and the hay had become full of
melted ice, so that it had to be chopped
away ; the entrances had become en-
tirely filled with ice, so that they had
to be opened with a small chisel ; the
hives were close to the ground, and in
spring they only lost 9 out of 107. In
the winter, he found the top of the
chaff cushion covered with frost, that
looked like snow, but it was warm in-
side the cushion. Two inches of chaff
is about right. In winter, he ex-
amined and found the bees lively, and
the sides of the hive were dry. They
consumed only 4 or 5 pounds of honey.
Dr. McAllister used to think that
several auger holes were necessary
for ventilation ; now he thinks the
crevices about the top of a hive suf-
ficient ; he believes that gluing is evi-
dence against top ventilation.
Mr. Speice strongly believes in
chaff hives, wants 2 inches under, 3
inches on the sides, 5 inches in front,
and a 3-inch cushion on the top. He
puts a kind of a hood over the front
of his hives, so that the bees can take
a promenade if they wish, when the
weather is too cool to fly.
The president does not believe in
late manipulation.
R. V. Muir wanted to know the rel-
ative cost of cellar and out-door win-
tering.
N. Pierson believes that drone eggs
are often laid by workers while the
queen is present in the hive, while
Mr. Hawley was of the opinion that
the queen lays all of the eggs, from
the fact that as soon as slie is re-
moved laying ceases. Fertile work-
ers are undeveloped females ; they are
detected by seeing several eggs in a
cell, in irregular and improper posi-
tions.
The president said, that they will
consume double the amount of honey
out of doors than they will in the
cellar. It is advisable to keep them
in the cellar until there is honey to
gather, if you can.
Mr. Fletcher asked if basswood will
grow in any soil.
Mr. Speice : No, it will only thrive
in a damp soil. I have some on high
land that hardly grows at all. I have
not mulched any.
Mr. Muir : I think they will thrive
anywhere.
G. M. Hawley : I have some on sec-
ond bottom, and they grow very fast.
Mr. Meyers stated that the Rocky
Mountain bee plant would grow in
Nebraska.
Mr. Corbett : I know that it has
been growing west of Omaha for the
last four or five years. It is also
known as "Texas bee plant;" it has
magenta or purple blossoms ; the seeds
grow in pods like mustard seed, only
dark and rough.
How many bees can be kept profit-
ably in one hive, was inquired and an-
swered by the secretary ; the number
that can be kept in a hive, under
favorable circumstances,without their
desiring to swarm ; but when they
want to swarm, you might as well let
them have their way, to a limited
extent.
The president did not desire such
large colonies, to get comb honey, as
was considered necessary by most bee-
keepers.
What shall we do with lazy queens,
was asked. The president said, pinch
their heads. The secretary stimulates
in various ways, such as strengthen-
ing, or exchanging combs, with ad-
hering bees, with enthusiastic colo-
nies, and finally pinches her head if
all other means fail.
C. H. Rose had a lazy queen last
year ; but this year she is good.
Is " honey dew " good honey V was
asked. The president said, that from
aphides is certainly not.
G. W. Stark had seen honey dew on
all kinds of leaves, but saw no aph-
ides. This dew came in July, and
was all consumed by bees.
Mr. Muir : We have a large yellow
willow that the bees worked on for a
week, then I noticed glistening sticky
leaves ; this was from the plant louse,
and the honey was of fine flavor and
good color.
The Convention having been in al-
most continuous session for two-and-
a-half days, a committee on resolu-
tions consisting of C. L. Speice, Jos.
Baird and Miss Ada Hoyt was ap-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
107
pointed, and during their absence a
general visit was indulged in, all ap-
pearing to enjoy themselves, and
seeming to regret that they would not
be likely to have an opportunity to
meet again until the second Thurs-
day in January, 1884.
The committee reported the follow-
ing resolutions which were adopted :
Resolved, That the thanks of the
Association be, and are hereby ten-
dered to the people of Wahoo for their
kind hospitality so generously ex-
tended to tlie members of the Con-
vention, and be it further
Besolved, That we hereby tender
our thanks to the B. & M. and the U.
P. railroads for the encouragement
given to apiculture by reason of fur-
nishing reduced rates of fare to our
members.
Adjourned. M. J. Trester, Sec.
For the American Bee Journal.
Figuring up the Large Yields.
GREINER BROS.
On page 58 of the Bee Journal for
1883, we find this: " 1 like the Bee
Journal, but 1 do not take much
stock in those large yields published.
I will give these parties $500 in cash
to instruct me how to obtain one-half
that quantity, and pay all expenses
besides. I suspect that it was not
weighed on standard scales."
Our reply is simply this : If Mr.
F. will guarantee or produce annually
such honey seasons as we had in 1881,
we will guarantee him the same large
yields. It is only necessary for him to
take the position of scholar and accept
Mr. Doolittle's writings as instructor ;
this he can have witliout love or
money, except $2.00 yearly subscrip-
tion for the Bee Journal.
Perhaps Mr. Heddon, or, in fact,
almost any experienced veteran of the
fraternity could lead him to success ;
the reason we mentioned Mr. D. is
because we happened to take him for
our guide, and a good one it was, too,
for we feel indebted to him for the
400 lbs. we took from one colony
(spring count), a year ago. It is true,
we used no standard scales to weight
it, for it would be almost impossible,
or, at least, a great loss of precious
time to run to the scales with every
section, and weigh, and record it,
when we have all we can possibly do
to take finished sections and replace
empty ones, which is tlie case in a
good honey flow. We use 2-lb. sec-
tions exclusively, and the only way of
keeping account of yield we find prac-
tical, is, to record the number of sec-
tions taken from each hive, and this
we do with pencil, on each cover.
When the season is past and the
honey all handled and weighed, it is
an easy matter to figure the average
per colony, of the season, and if we
wish to ascertain the yield of any par-
ticular one, all we have to do is to
raise the cover and add the number of
sections taken, which, multiplied by
2, will give a very correct report in
pounds. To be sure, sections will
vary some, according to the filling of
the bordering cells, but what differ-
ence does it make in a report to call
99 sections 200pounds,when, by actual
weighing they might have overrun or
fell short a pound or two, as long as it
is the best we could do. The reason
we give our yields in even pounds is,
because it is easier to say 400 lbs. than
399 lbs. 14JI oz., and, besides, the lat-
ter is just as liable to vary a trifle as
the former, unless obtained by actual
weighing, which, we think, no exten-
sive bee-keeper can afford to do in the
hurry of the season.
We do not blame Mr. F. in the least
for doubting these statements, for we
were troubled in the same way until
the summer of 1881, when our own
eyes witnessed what our reason had
tried to disbelieve. It taught us the
lesson to be very careful about doubt-
ing tlie veracity of our fellow men,
especially when these doubts were
publicly expressed.
On page 60 we find " A Candid Re-
quest," with an additional remark by
tne editor. As an explanation to
these, we will give a short account of
the way we obtained 400 lbs. from one
colony, spring count.
The colony was divided in proper
time and the queenless half at once
supplied with a laying queen. Soon
after, one of these divided colonies
gave us a natural swarm, which was
hived on a set of empty combs and
the mother colony again supplied with
a laying queen. The one that did not
swarm, filled and finished B half
stories, each containing 15 two-pound
sections, and the seventh was all built
out and nearly filled, with quite a
number of sections finished, so that
we estimated (not weighed) the con-
tents to be equal to 8 or 10 finished
sections. The whole yield of this one-
half of the original colony being thus,
99 sections or 200 lbs., as given in our
report. The other half, which cast a
swarm, finished 3 half stories and
about one-half of the fourth one, so
that the yield of this one was figured
at 52J^ sections or 105 lbs. The natu-
ral swarm was hived in our absence
and could not be traced, so we took
the average yield of our natural
swarms as a report for this one, which
was 41 sections, or 82 lbs.; they all
worked pretty near alike and we were
not far from a correct result by doing
so. The sum of sections taken from
these (now 3 colonies) footed up to
192?.j sections or 385 lbs. We used no
foundation to obtain this amount ex-
cept a starter of about 3^x3 inches in
each section.
When putting up the honey for
market, our crates, of 20 sections,
averaged from 41 to 42 lbs. net, on
account of their being well filled and
capped clear to the wood of the sec-
tions, and from this we figured IJ^lbs.
additional for every 20 sections, or
143M llJS. in all, making an aggregate
of 399?ij lbs. from the original one col-
ony, and this we called, in our report,
400 lbs.
Now, if there is anything wrong in
our figuring the number of pounds, as
stated, or, if the swarms were doub-
led to more than the capacity of one
ordinary hive, by giving them all the
section room they saw fit to use, then
we are at fault, and would be pleased
to be corrected.
Our report for 1882 is very different
to that of the year previous ; whilst
the latter was the best season we ever
had, the former was the poorest. One
apiary of 60 colonies gave about 40
lbs., and another, of the same number,
about 34 lbs. per colony, and hardly
any increase at that.
Mr. F. claims to be the first person
who adopted wood separators in this
country ; we have used them since
1877 and recommended them years
ago, through Gleanings and the Bee
Journal. Several others have also
given their experience lately on the
same subject, and their points of ar-
gument in favor of wood seems almost
like a repetition of what we wrote at
that time. We were opposed in argu-
ment bv much better informed bee-
keepers" than we claimed to be, and
withdrew from the contest. Still, we
continue to use them to this day, and
have now no surplus arrangement
without them ; we can endorse all
that Mr. Isham claimed in their be-
half on page 54.
N. Y.
For the American Bee Journal.
Trying Ordeal for the Bees.
L. JAMES.
Bees that are on their summer
stands, in this section, are passing
through a severe ordeal this winter,
and just now their endurance is being
put to the test. After a long, cold
spell, on the 2d inst. it moderated a
trifle and began snowing, in the morn-
ing ; later, turned to a light rain and
a northwest wind sprung up in the
afternoon, and freezing as fast as it
fell, coating every object with which
it came in contact. By midnight, the
limbs of fruit and shade trees began
giving way from the weight of accu-
mulated ice, and the crashing and
snapping from that time until 10
o'clock next morning, was terrible,
and the damage to our trees is great.
I was unable to visitmy apiary until
to-day, it being a mile from town.
The sun shone clear and bright just
as if nothing was wrong about here,
and, I must sav, that the sparkling
and glittering of the icy diamonds in
his clear, cold rays, as they swayed to
and fro, was a splendid sight to be-
hold, hut when I walked out to the
orchard where 39 colonies of my bees
were, I thought the thing was entirely
overdone, and I saw nothing beautiful
in the prospect before me, for there
they were, buried up in a wilderness
of icy limbs and brush, glued fast
at eve'rv point wherever they came in
contact with any object— bee hive,
cover or ground. While standing
there and looking at the damaged fruit
trees, and studying how to get to the
almost inaccessible hives, I was very
nich impressed with the belief that
;hen the thermometer stands at Ho"
in the shade, an apple orchard is a
very goo! place for bees, but in such
times as these it does not appear so.
I was able to get at nearly all of them,
and found the entrances, in nearly all.
108
TEte AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
completely closed with frozen snow,
ice and dead bees ; the covers frozen
fast to the hives, limbs of the trees,
and long icicles pendant from the cov-
ers and porticoes, all round them. I
opened the entrances as well as I
could, and, in most of them, the bees
seemed lively and in force, coming
out as soon as relieved. The honey
boards being off and cushions or
quilts being on the frames, saved
them from being smothered. Three
colonies, 1 think, are dead, and more
probably, will be if such a state of
tilings continue much longer. I have
over 120 colonies in a cave that I do
not feel much anxiety about, but could
not get to see them as the outer door
■was frozen fast.
Atlanta, 111., Feb. 5, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
" Why I am a Novice."
B. F. WOODCOCK.
I can recollect of no period of my
boyhood when I did not long for a col-
ony of bees. My aspirations ran no
higher, at first, than one colony ; but
I wished for that more than any other
earthly possession. My father was a
lover of honey, but a despiser of bees.
The latter propensity predominating,
he chose to buy his honey, much to
my discomfiture.
When about 15 years of age, I con-
cluded to have a colony of bees, at all
hazards. A visit to the apiary of D.
Z. Kagarice (a disciple of Langstroth,
and a resident ot Bedford, Co., Pa.),
confirmed me in this resolution. 1
made a conditional contract, and
went home highly elated with my
prospects, while visions of an abund-
ant supply of nature's choicest nectar,
passed through my mind.
As my exchequer had never risen
to half the amount necessary to pur-
chase a colony of bees, I was obliged
to make my wants known to my
father, who positively declined fur-
nishing any specie for that purpose.
I then proposed to work out until I
earned the sum required, but was re-
fused the privilege. My ardor ex-
ceeding my judgment, I continued to
importune him about the matter, un-
til he, one day, gave me very dis-
tinctly to understand that he was
running that ranche, and that while
he did there would be no bees buzzing
around his ears.
My air castle crumbled, the pros-
pective bee yard vanished, and I
threw up the sponge. I'ermit me to
say (without intending the least re-
flection upon my father), that cold
water of this kind has dampened the
aspirations of many a boy, and turned
him from a vocation for which he was
naturally adapted, to one for which
he had neither inclination or adapta-
tion.
I have neglected to state that, at the
age of 10 or 12, 1 was the possessor of
a miniature apiary of bumble-bees.
I secured the nuclei in the fields,
early in the summer, and transferred
them to box hives about (ixfi inches
square and 5 high. I placed these on a
broad board, elevated about a foot
from the ground, and put a good roof
over them. I did not divide for in-
crease, neither did they swarm. In
tlie fall I used brimstone to secure
their treasure, and was as happy over
my pint cup full of honey as is Mr.
Heddon over his thousands of pounds.
To atone in part tor my " blasted
hopes," I paid frequent visits to Mr.
K. and his apiary, and would sit, for
hours, an attentive listener to bis
plain practical exposition of the habits
and instructive wisdom of the honey
bee.
After attaining my majority I again
applied for the privilege of starting
an apiary on the old homestead, prom-
ising to buy the bees myself and share
the surplus honey with the family,
but my father could not be persuaded
that he would not be a target for their
javelins (as he terms them), and
kindly refused.
Having selected a partner for life,
who, by the way, is an apiarist of no
mean pretensions, I, or rather we,
came to the Hawkeye State, and in
the fall of the same year (1876), pur-
chased two colonies of black bees. Of
my subsequent experience I shall
have something to say in the future.
I am very much pleased with the
Weekly Journal, and prefer it to a
monthly.
Felix, Iowa, Jan. 7, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaU
Half-Pound Sections and Separators.
A. J. FISHER.
Mr. Heddon requests all to give
their opinion on the half-pound sec-
tions. It is my opinion that they are
too small to be profitable to the bee-
keeper. It is true that some may de-
mand them, but are they willing to
pay the extra price above the one-
pound sections to make them profit-
able to the bee-keeper? I say, no ;
considering the extra expense of con-
struction and the less amount of
honey obtained in them, my opinion
is that the bee-keeper that put his
honey up in half-pound sections will
never compete with that one who uses
sections from one to two pounds.
Those who are contemplating using
the half-pound sections during the
coming season should take the advice
of F. C. Benedict, on page 8, who, I
think, talks squarely on the half-
pound sections. As for separators, I
think I will have no use for them in
the future.
I use a section box 13^ inches and
1 11-16 inches thick, and have eight
and nine of them combined together,
as one solid box, without separators,
making a capacity of about 9 pounds.
And I am one of those who claim that
honey will be stored in a box of that
style, where the bees can assemble in
a large cluster and keep up the re-
quired beat for comb building, much
faster than if each box was separated
with a piece of tin or wood, besides
the expense of construction, to use
tin or wood.
Economy is the road to wealth.
I Those tin separators, with kinks in
I them, filled up with bee glue, are
dirty and sticky things to handle. In
the above style of box I have no such
dirt or traps to work with, and I ex-
pect to crate my honey too.
Am I riglit or wrong in regard to
more honey being stored without,
than with separators V What does
Mr. Heddon say to this question ? I
predict that the time will come with
" the knowing ones," that tin separa-
tors will be ■' things of the past."
Can we not have, from the knowing
ones, more discussion upon the ques-
tion of how to get the most honey in
a given time in the most marketable
shape (not in half-pound sections),
and benefit all concerned 'f
East Liverpool, O.
For the American Bee Journal.
A Eeport from Kansas.
HIRAM J. WARD.
After keeping bees 14 years I am
going to try and make my first thor-
ough report, at least as far as amount
of surplus honey and marketing the
same is concerned. Ttie forepart of
the year 1882 was very backward, be-
ing cold and wet, and as I am situated
where there is no basswood, nor white
clover, my bees were compelled to
live on fruit and wild tlowers, until
alsike clover began to bloom. They
gathered no perceivable surplus until
the middle of June, and then for only
a few days, and not enough to fill any
sections. For about six weeks they
only gathered enough to live upon,
but I had a lot of old combs partly
filled with honey from the bees that
died in the winter of 1880-81, and I
gave them to the bees, to stimulate
breeding, hoping for a change in the
weather, and sure enough, it came
about the first days of August. On
the 7th, I had a natural swarm, and
others on the 8th, 9th and 10th.
I had given up all hope for the bees,
and turned my attention to the farm,
and marketing early apples (for I have
a large orchard), but as soon as they
began to swarm, I knew there was
honey, and so on Aug. 8, I extracted
my first honey from an eight-frame
Langstroth hive, without top story,
emptying a few combs only, to give
the queen room, and put on the top
story full of sections. From that time
until frost, I had all I could do to
take the honey and keep them from
swarming.
This being my first year with
Langstroth hives and sections, I had
some trouble to get the sections evenly
filled, for I have never used any sep-
arators yet. I have used three kinds
of hives; the original American, the
Quinby and the Langstroth, but I am
putting all of my increase into Langs-
troth hives now, and shall change all
from the American into them, by
degrees. »
I commenced in the spring with 17
colonies, and increased to 25 by nat-
ural swarming, and took 437 pounds
of comb honey in sections, and 872
pounds of extracted, and have sold
all of the comb at 22^^ cts., and nearly
all of the extracted at 14 cts., at home.
Total. $220.40 ; an average of $12,963^
THE AMEBIC A:S BEE JOURNAL.
109
per colony, spring count ; all done in
just seven weeks. Besides, I liave
about 300 pounds in brood frames that
I did not extract, for feeding next
year. 1 have never fed a pound of
anything but lioney, and have been
successful. I am seeding pastures of
clover and otlier honey plants, so as to
give my whole attention to bees and
apples, but as soon as I get enough
bees to iceep me busy I will turn the
apples over to somebody else.
Farmingtou, Kans., Feb. 5, 1883.
For the American Bee Journul.
Large Yields— A Review.
J. V. CALDWELL.
On page 60, present volume of the
Bee Journal, Mr. S. J. McKennie
wishes bee men to be candid and let
their readers know from how many
colonies they obtained their large
yields of honey, and also says it would
be better to exaggerate less. Mr. F.
II. Finch, on page .58, also wishes to
pay some one a pile of gold to instruct
him how to get one-half sucli crops.
Now, in all candor, gentlemen,
would it not be better to acquaint
yourselves with the facts in the mat-
ter, before intimating that some over
state the results 'f
Let us look at the matter a little.
On page 59, Mr. McKennie says he be-
gan with 5 colonies and increased
them to 17; he took -150 pounds of
honey from them, and admits he lost
200 lbs. of honey as the result of queen-
lessness, and his bees were put away
with 50 pounds to the hive. Now,
suppose he had concentrated the
honey-gatliering powers of the bees in
the original 5 colonies. Might not the
result of his summer's business have
stood something like this V Leaving
out 5 colonies, we have 1:2 with 50 lbs.,
making 600 lbs.; with the 200 lbs.,
making 800 lbs. This, with the sur-
plus he obtained, making 1,250 lbs.
This, divided by 5 (the original num-
ber), would give him 250 lbs. to each
one, spring count, which, at 18 cts.
per lb., makes the nice sum of $45 per
colony. Which, Mr. McKennie would
say, no doubt, looks like an exaggera-
tion; but as a matter of fact, is not.
Now, for one short item of personal
experience, and which lean prove be-
yond a doubt. Last season I had one
colony, which, without any help, and
although the forepart of the season was
very cold and wet, (they were not fed
an ounce of honey or sugar), gave me
285 well-filled one-pound sections, and
10 lbs. of extracted honey. They did
not attempt to swarm, and they did
more than tliis. I had my bees sit-
ting on brickbats, close to the ground,
and, although they did not cluster
out, a lot of them went under the hive
and built comb enough to store sev-
eral pounds of honey, where I could
not see Them. These bees were what
I call Italian-hybrids, a ijure queen
probably mated with a hybrid drone.
I entirely agree with Mr. Ileddou,
on page 53, and although I would pre-
fer the pure Italian if it had all the
good qualities we desire, yet, I shall
certainly breed from my best honey-
queens, let them be yellow, black or
mixed. During my early days in the
business, ray great ambition was to
get the yellowest and handsomest
Italians. Now, the same ambition
leads me to obtani the greatest amount
of honey from the least number of
colonies.
Who will rear queens that will pile
up the honey, or rather, infuse the
energy into their progeny, to roll in
the honey without rrittering their
time away in swarming and idling ?
I should be glad to pay $5 each for
such queens.
1 have several queens that I could
not be induced to part with at double
that figure. In saying this I have no
"axe to grind," as I do not rear any
for sale, and do not expect to. We
who are putting our time and talent
in apiarian pursuits must look at these
things from a strictly business point of
view.
Cambridge, 111., Jan. 24, 188.S.
For the American Bee Journal.
Honey and Bee Show in Nebraska.
T. L. VON DORN.
Editor Bee Journal: — Please
let me call attention to the Premium
List of tlie Nebraska State Board
of Agriculture : Class %%. Best col-
ony of bees, 1st premium, $25; 2nd,
$10; 3rd, $.5. Comb honey, 1st, $25;
2nd, $10; extracted, $5 ; 2nd, $3. Best
display of honey, in marketable shape.
$10 and $5 ; apiarian implements, $10
and $5 ; foundation, full to partly
drawn, $5 and $2. Open to the world,
except on honey, which is limited to
Nebraska.
Now, I think we have secured a fine
premium list, and we are anxious that
our neighbors compete at least for the
premiums on best bees. The test is,
net gain in stores, for two weeks, and
will commence the latter part of Au-
gust and end during our State Fair.
The superintendent is a practical
apiarist, and a man who enjoys the
confidence of every one who knows
him, and every precaution is taken to
ensure accurate and just results.
1 have taken the premium on bees
for two consecutive years, and I pro-
pose to do so again, if I can ; but if
any one else can show us better stock
or management, he will find a hearty
welcome to the prize, and a good mar-
ket for some stock. The conditions
are that all the bees in the colony
shall be the progeny of the queen
and colony on exhibition. That they
shall also show the usual docility or
amiability of pure Italians.
I voice the feelings of the Nebraska
bee-keepers, wlien I extend a cordial
invitation to all those who haveclioice
stock to come and get the $25, if they
can. I shall be glad to give any
further information desired.
Omaha, Neb., Feb. 5, 1883.
[We congratulate the bee-keepers
of Nebraska on their success in ob-
taining such an excellent Premium
List for the Bee and Honey Show,
and sincerely hope it will have the
desired effect.— Ed.]
«l^S^5i^^.
W^
statistics for New Jersey.
After correspondence with Dr. Mil-
ler, I find that I can best carry out
the auxiliary purposes of our Associa-
tion, by requesting the fraternity in
New Jersey to forward their reports
at once to Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo,
111. Give facts on a postal. Do it
now. C. W. Bue,
Committee, N, J. & I. B. K. A.
Bees and Grapes.
For ten years, or more, I have had
very fine Virginia grapes in front of
and very near my apiary, and, to my
great surprise and deep regret, the
bees do not "injure" my grapes. I
wish I could get them to " go for "
the grapes, peaches and all other
fruits. Last summer I had as fine
grapes as I ever saw, but the bees
sucked none but those which were
" injured " by geese, chickens, wasps,
etc. The story about the " Honey in
the Rocks," belongs to California in-
stead of Virginia. E. C. Jordan.
Stephenson's Depot, Va. '
My Wintering Troubles.
Last January I purchased 10 acres of
land at Ilagerstown, Md., intending to
put up a building early in the spring,
and be located there by harvest. I
commenced in April, but the weather
being so very unfavorable for building
and bees, being disappointed in labor,
etc., I found it would be impossible to
go on with my building, and fill my
orders ; so I postponed the building
until after harvest. Aug. 1, 1 com-
menced building again and my time
was so much taken up during the fall
that I thought I had no time to look
after my bees, and I thought they were
all pretty well supplied with stores,
except those at Ilagerstown, so I con-
gratulated myself that my bees were
strong in number, with plenty of
stores, and did not need special atten-
tion, and out door wintering might do
pretty well after all. Cold weather
set in about Nov. 20. I still expected
some warm weather, but it did not
come and about the middle of Decem-
ber I put the weakest of those at Ha-
gerstown in the cellar, and thought
the rest of them might go through out
of doors, but by Jan. 10 I found it
would be a failure, so I moved them
into the cellar, and they are doing
well. I have spent the most of my
time this winter at Hagerstown ; lam
at Double Pipe Creek, to-day, mak-
ing arrangements to move next week,
and thought I had better look after my
bees, and, to my disappointment, find
them in a very bad condition. Ten
colonies had already perished ; a few
may have starved for want of honey
year the cluster, but most of them had
the dysentery. My bees at this place
have consumed an unusual amount of
honey already, and are generally
bloated, and if it does not get warmer
soon, I fear the loss will be heavy ;
no
THE AMERICA!^ BEE JOURNAL.
there is an unusual amount of dead
bees in the iiives. As the weather is
too cold to disturb them, out of doors,
I did notliins more than to put a well-
filled comb of honey, having a passage
cut through it, over the cluster, wliich
will be sufficient for them until the
middle of March, if dysentery does
not kill them. 1 shall move part of
them to the cellar and give them
plenty of upward ventilation, and ex-
periment with tliem and report later.
I cannot say how my bees are winter-
ing in Virginia and W. Virginia, as I
have not seen them since the fall ;
then they had plenty of stores. We
have not had extremely cold weather
this winter, but it has been continuous
for over 2 months, and damp, with no
chance for a flight. S. Valentine.
Hagerstown, Md.
How the Bees are Doiiiir.
This is another very severe winter.
The weather has been very cold ever
since Dec. 1. Old bee men think we
will have another grand disaster, like
the season of 1880-81. However, I
hope they are mistaken. My bees had
been confined since Dec. 1 until Jan.
27, when a portion of the bees had a
flight. Those in two-story hives came
out the most. When I say two-story
hives I mean 2 hives, one on the top
of another, with both entrances open.
They seemed to be dry and bright.
Those in one-story hives did not come
out as much, although similarly lo-
cated. Very few dead bees were under
the clusters of the two-story hives,
but considerable more in the single
ones. The snow is over a foot deep ;
the thermometer, in the shade, sliovvs
2° below freezing point. Compara-
tively few bees remained on the snow,
considering the chilly air. The bees
are packed in leaves, on the back and
between, and the front open to the
sunny side. The bees spotted the
snow some, but not much.
II. S. Hackman.
Peru, 111., Jan. 31, 1883.
Sundry Questious.
My 35 colonies are all packed on
their summer stands in straw, chaff,
leaves and cobs, as an experiment.
They had a good cleansing flight on
Dec. 2-1 and Jan. 28. They seem to
be strong and healthy, so far. The
index for 1882, is a great convenience.
I have been looking over and review-
ing some of the articles written last
year. I intend to try Prof. Cook's
plan of preventing increase, on page
474, July 26, 1882, and if it works well
with my bees it will be worth more to
me than the price of the Bee Jour-
nal for a year. Mr. Heddon's honey
board is new to me. When the sec-
tions are all on and full of lioney, will
not those ^g inch slats sag in the cen-
ter with the weight, or how is it pre-
vented V Will Mr. Ileddon tell us?
Do yon think the one-piece dove-
tailed sections as good as nailed ones V
Do you know anything about Low-
master's drone trap, referred to on
page 313 of the Bee Journal for
May 17. 1882 V I want one of some
kind. Does not Prof. Cook and others
teach that the brood combs must be
3 inches from centre to centre ? That
is what I understand ; if so, how can
you get ten frames in a hive of 14%
inches, as the Langstroth hive is de-
scribed on page 55, Jan. 24, 1883, by
M. M. Baldridge ? I have been taught
and practising with a hive 15 inciies
wide for ten frames, and 12 inches for
eight frames. I never handled the
movable frame hive much, and I want
to be sure I am right ; " then go
ahead." D. S. Kalley.
Mansfield, Ind.
[We believe the one-piece sections
are as good as any, and are supersed-
ing all other kinds. We know noth-
ing more of the drone trap than is
mentioned by Mr. Lowmaster.
You are mistaken about the dis-
tance between brood frames. Prof.
Cook, as well as all others, state that
the distance should be about IJ^ inches
from centre to centre. — Ed.]
Hard Wiuter— Bees Dying.
Bees are beginning to die, here. A
good many colonies, with chaff and
similar protection, are dead. I have
about 100 colonies in a well-ventilated
bee-cellar, that begin to show symp-
toms of dysentery. The cellar has
been of uniform temperature, about
35°, with all other conditions favor-
able, but present prospects of success-
ful wintering are not promising.
Leonidas Hubbard.
Waldron, Mich., Peb. 12, 1883.
Last Season's Work.
Last spring we had 14 colonies ; in-
creased, by the middle of July, by
natural swarming, dividing and nu-
clei, to 24, and there we set our stakes.
But bees, like many others, are
whimsical. On the last of July they
commenced swarming. Nearly every
pleasant day out came a swarm, and
when threshing ; while I, with the as-
sistance of a young girl, was getting
dinner for 19 men, one day, two
swarms came out ; the next three, be-
tween 10 and 12 o'clock (bee-keeping
and farming makes lively work ; no
time for blues, dyspepsia, and other
luxuries of that kind). Well, I drop-
ped all, to help hive or return them.
One swarm, of our best Italians, the
largest I ever saw, had come out, two
days previous, and had been returued.
The third time they clustered on an
apple tree, near by. We hived them
under it, and when I saw them going
in nicely I skipped to that dinner. 1
never forget the old adage, •' The way
to a man's heart is through his stom-
ach." I think it was my nice bread
and butter that made such a big hole
in my husband's heart (and I really
believe honey has a tendency to make
it larger every day). In the hurry,
instead of putting on the cover, the
"gudemon" laid aboard on top of
the hive. Well, the swarm left, and
the question is, was it for want of
ventilation, or had its conduct of the
two previous days something to do
with it. We should learn from fail-
ures. They kept up their swarming
till Sept. 1. Some we hived, returned
some, and 8, to our knowledge, ab-
sconded. On Sept. 1, 2 came out ; the
first we hived ; it lilled the body, and
gave 20 lbs. in sections ; the others we
returned ; hives were exhausted, so
they stand 39, a very nnromantic
number. While extracting, during
the middle of September, we found 5
colonies without queens. We im-
ported 3 Italians, and introduced
them safely. The others we gave
larva), and, on Oct. 5, they had queens.
They are all on their summer stands
yet, with chaff cushions and quilts
over them. They were not fixed for
winter when the blizzard came, and I
am fearful. Does anybody ever get
quite ready for winter? A word
about that delinquent nuclei. They
reared a queen about Sept. 1, and
filled the body of the hive ; we got
about 1,000 lbs. of honey. Our best
colony of the three, tliat did not
swarm themselves to death, gave 125
lbs. of comb honey. Last year, comb
and extracted honey sold readily for
20 cts. There is so much fruit here,
this year, that honey is a drug. Egypt
might be called, this year, if not the
granary, the fruitery of the East.
Thousands of barrels of apples have
been hauled by our house one mile to
the depot. There are two orchards in
our vicinity of 150 and 160 acres re-
spectively. There were hundreds of
busliels of black or rather dew ber-
ries, picked from those orchards and
shipped to Cincinnati and other points
along the O. & M. road. We have
sold 200 lbs. of honey at 20 cts., and
100 lbs. shipped away at little less.
Many producing honey in the old way,
bring it to town and sell at 12 and 13
cents. Mrs. C. J. Allison.
Noble, 111.
Cellars and Summer Stands.
Time with his sickle is mowing the
days and hours. Seasons come and
go ; days and months, like the sea-
sons, succeed each other. Summer,
with all the joyous anticipations that
could be produced by the warm and
genial rays of the sun, and change of
the season, has given place to au-
tumn, and this to cold bleak winter.
We are all anxiously waiting for
spring-time to come, hoping for the
best results with our bees. The bees
I put in the cellar seem to be doing
finely ; the thermometer registers
from 40'- to 44° ; they remain so quiet
you can hardly hear a hum ; most of
my bees are packed on their summer
stands in sawdust, as recommended
by Mr. Heddon, and all seem to be
doing well, except one colony, which
seems to be afflicted with the dysen-
tery. On Jan. 7, when the nieicury
registered 20'^, the bees from this col-
ony flew out and stained the snow
badly, and many died. I am not able
to attribute the cause of this colony
being affected, while the resf seem to
be doing well packed in the same way.
Perhaps it is owing to their long con-
finement, as they have not been able
to fly out since Nov. 20. I am very
much pleased with the Weekly Bee
Journal, its value has greatly in-
creased, and it is now indispensible.
Disco, Mich. E. W. Wales.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Ill
Queen-Rearing in Small Nuclei, etc.
Allow me to ask a few questions
through the Bee Journal, which
may benefit others as well as myself.
First, 1 have been binding the Jour-
nals and other valuable papers myself
with glue, which is not good. Will
you or some of the readers of your
Bee Journal give a receipt that
book-binders use to paste the book
cover to the book, so that it is durable.
2. On page 741 of Vol. 18, Bee
Journal, Mr. G. M. Doolittle, says :
" After using it a few years I ascer-
tained that a winter that was favor-
able for outdoor wintering was not as
favorable for cellar wintering, and
vice versa, thus proving that the plan
of mixed wintering was a good one.
Again, if any one could tell just what
the winter would be beforehand, I
would place ray bees in the cellar for
a cold winter, and leave them out dur-
ing a mild one." Will G. M. Doolittle
ten us through the Bee Journal
what the thermometer will record for
a mild winter, and what for a cold
winter ; as I notice in the Bee Jour-
nal that there is from 6 to 8 degrees
difference in the temperature between
Mr. D.'s and here. The mercury was
down to 6^ below zero in the fourth
week of January ; for only two days.
3. On page 280 of Vol. 16, Bee
Journal. "No one ever found fault
with (juinby's queens, reared in boxes,
containing 3 or 4 frames, 5x6 inches
square. Is the rearing of queens in
Quinby's method a safe and sure way
to rear queens ?"
Joseph M. Wismbr.
Jordan Station, Ont.
[1. Book-binders use glue, but of
much thinner consistency than that
used by carpenters.
2. Mr. Doolittle is invited to reply
to this.
3. No ; the writer of that article dis-
tinctly states that these small nuclei
were abandoned on " account of the
liability of the bees to abscond, and
the amount of attention required to
keep them in fitness. " You should
have read the whole paragraph.— Ed.]
showing for my bees. The cell pro-
ducing this queen was obtained from
a strong colony of bees which started
only this one cell, during basswood
harvest. Could I have another such
a season (which was very poor at the
commencement), and such a queen, I
think that I could get 800 or 1,000 lbs.
of honey. If cold weather kills bees
fas I think it often does), we may look
for considerable mortality among our
pets next spring. The lowest tem-
perature noticed here, so far, is 35°
below zero ; it was 29'J below on Feb.
2, at sun rising; and away below,
every morning since. My bees all an-
swered to the roll call a few days ago,
and seemed in good condition. I have
them in a good dry cellar, with about
5 iucties of leaves packed above most
of them. W. C. Nutt.
Otley, Iowa, Feb. 7, 1883.
caps from the hives, to let the sun
shine in, to dry out the dampness as
mucli as possible, and the bees are
now in pretty good condition for
another very cold snap. The weather
here has not been so very cold, but
steady, with no thaws until this week ;
there is not a great quantity of snow,
but we have had some very good
sleighing. I call it one of the most
healthy winters, thus far, for a long
time, and hope it will prove so for the
bees. R. Downs.
Naugatuck, Conn., Feb. 2, 1883.
500 Pounds from One Colony.
I commenced the season, about June
1, with 30 colonies, almost destitute
of honey ; increased to 65, in fine con-
dition for winter, and obtained 4,.538
lbs. of honey (807 of comb, in 2-lb.
boxes, and 3,731 of extracted) ; I have
about 300 lbs. besides, stored away,
and not counted in my report. My
best yield from one colony was 486
lbs. of extracted. I think that I took
enough comb honey from it, not in-
cluded in count, to make over 500 lbs.
I fed about 3 lbs. of sugar in spring,
but the bees received no other help ;
fot no increase. Time of extracting :
uly .5, 42 lbs. ; 15, 26 lbs. ; 21, 68 lbs. ;
28, 75 lbs. ; Aug. 24, 90 lbs. ; Sept. 7,
105 lbs. ; 19 and 20, 80 lbs. Had I used
three instead of two stories for surplus,
I think I could have obtained at least
600 lbs. I was crowded too much with
other work to attend to it, as I should,
or I could have made a much better
A Smart Three-Year Old.
" It's a daisy; it's a daisy." Such
were my exclamations on taking the
wrapper off my Bee Journal, dated
Jan. 31. My wife wanted to know
what was a daisy, and after drawing
her attention to the new coat the Bee
Journal had assumed, she said it
was " a pink." My little boy, 3 years
of age, came running up and asked
me what was a daisy, and after show-
ing him the Bee Journal, said it
was " real nice." By-the-by, you are
not acquainted with my little son ;
well, when he was 2 years and 8
months old he could find a queen
when caged. I claim he is the
youngest bee-man known. He asks
after his Journal weekly, and I have
to read to him. I think now you have
a Journal to suit the most fastid-
ious. I, therefore, move a vote of
thanks to you for the improvement.
S. G. Holley.
New Hamburg, Ont., Feb. 1, 1883.
[We are glad that now all are
pleased with the .Journal cover.
But that " boy " is the brightest juve-
nile specimen yet heard of, and will
" make his mark," as the years roll
along. We were hardly prepared for
" the news," that we were preparing
reading matter to interest one so
young as "under 3 years of age," as
well as many who have seen over 80
summers. Give the little " chubby "
a kiss for the editor.— Ed.]
Perfectly Satisfied.
I shall be perfectly satisfied in what-
ever way the editor " makes up " the
Bee Journal. I bind my own
Journals, and have just finished the
volume of 1882. It is a nice work,
and I would not sell it for $10.00, if
I could not get another.
Wm. Bolling.
Dunkirk, N. Y., Jan. 26, 1883.
Bees in Kentucky all Right.
Bees are wintering very well here.
The coldest weather we have had
since the first week in December, was
6° above zero, and the warmest was
64° above zero. J. T. Wilson.
Mortonsville, Ky., Feb. 10, 1883.
Honey Used by Bakers.
Have you noticed the fact that the
bakers are using large quantities of
extracted honey, in their business,
lately V It is news to me. I see our
bakery here has been buying largely
from Mr. Muth, of Cincinnati.
G. B.Lewis.
Watertown, Wis., Feb. 13, 1883.
[Yes; they use it for cakes and
pastry, of the best quality.— Ed.]
Feeding Bees in Winter.
In an article in the Bee Journal,
the writer explains the way he feeds
his bees in winter. I would like to
know whether it is advisable to feed
that kind of food in winter or not. I
was afraid my bees would not winter
very well, so when we had a thaw, the
other day, I opened them and put un-
der the sheet on the frames a cake of
candy, made of the best white sugar,
and which I think, with the honey
they have in the comb, will last them
until spring. I would like to know
which is the best food for winter,
syrup or candy 'i* When I opened
them they appeared to be in first-class
condition, although I never saw them
flying since the first cold snap in the
fall. I winter them in the Jones hive,
with inside packing.
Wm. H. Weston.
London, Ont., Feb. 1, 1883.
[We prefer the candy.— Ed.]
Bees had a Flight.
Tuesday, Jan. 30, was clear and
warm for the season, and my bees
had a pretty good flight, and they
needed it, for they have been shut in
since about Thanksgiving day. Two
light colonies, that I did not unite,
are dead ; the other 24 are in good
condition, at present. I removed the
Motto— "Push and Progression."
I am highly pleased with the change
in the " make-up " of the Bee Jour-
nal. Mr. Newman, you certainly
deserve great credit, and tiie grati-
tude of your patrons, for your suc-
cessful endeavors to bring the Bee
Journal up to the very highest point
of excellence. Push and Progression
seem to be your motto. May long
life and great prosperity be your re-
ward. Many of the communications
are each worth the cost of a year's
subscription for the Bee Journal.
Reuben Havens.
Onarga, 111., Feb. 2, 1883.
112
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
^:pccial IJatices.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper ; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Cliicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to weto
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen,. 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling liim to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1883, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder tor the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Qiiinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's ABC of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OP AMERICAN BEK JOURNAL, j
Monday, 10 a. m.. February 19. I8S2. \
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
QootatlonH of Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Bxtracted. dark 7c. light, Eic. here.
BEESWAX— It is quite scarce. 1 am payiDK 30c.
for good yellow wax, on arrival ; dark and off col-
ors, !7^25c.
Al. H. Newman. 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY- Thereis no excitement in the honey
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade.
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7(*9c. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there
is a large supply of tlrst-clnss quality on the mar-
ket. It brings rJC«l.sc. on arrival.
BEESWAX- Comes in slowly and brings 20@30c.
per lb., according to quality. CHAS. F. MUTH.
Quotations of Commission Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The past month has not reduced the
stock of comb or extracted honey, the receipts
having been larger than the amounts taken for
consumption. Prices are weak and irregular,
ranging from 16c. to 18c. for white comb in the
smaller frames: dark, very little selling, offered
at I2!^c. to 14c. Extracted, 8c. to 10c. , according
to color.
BEESWAX— 32@33c. per tt. for good.
K, A. BtTRNETT. IKl South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY-Marbet is extremely dull. For comb
of ordinary quality it is almost impossible to find
buyers. Good comb, of sage blossom, is offenngat
13c.
White comb, 14@17c.; dark to good, n@l3c.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8J.^@9Hc. : dark and
candied, 5@7Hc.
BEESWAX— We quote 2.'i®28c.
Stearns & smith, 423 Front Street.
ST. I.O0I8.
HONEY- Very quiet: dull. Comb at 140I6C.,
strained, at fi!^(§i7H!C., extracted at 7Jtf(g)8^c.— lots
in small packages, more.
BEES WAX— Steady at 2S®29c. for prime.
W.T. ANDEK.SON & Co., 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is very slow, just now hardly anything
selling, stock on hand quite liberal. Sales slow at
l9@20c. for best white l-lb. sections : 18@l9c. for
2-lb. Second gnides not Inquired after. Extracted
very dull at 9(sloc. in bbls. and ll(*13c. in cans.
BEESWAX— Scarce, 28(»:«o.
A. C. Kendel, ll.'i Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONE V— Choice to fancy white clover honey
continues scarce and firm, but buckwheat find ex-
tracted honey slow and irregular.
Wequote; White clover, first quality, 1 lb boxes,
24®25c: fair to good, 22f'iJ23c.; buckwheat,_l5'S17c,
Extracted, clover, lo(rt)13c.; buckwheat, 9<.ajlOc.
BEESWAX— There is only a moderate supply of
beeswax and prime lots held firmly.
Western pure, :^0<fl>32c; southern, pure, 3l@33c.
D. W.OuiNBY, 10.5 Park Place.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
^6 lb. sections at 30C.; 1 lb. sections, 22(«j25c.: 2 1b.
sections, L'<t<sJ22c. Extracted, loc. per lb. Good
lot« ot extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone: we have none
to'quote.
CROCKER & Blake. s7 Chatham Street.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Convention Notices.
1^ It seems as if we were getting
behind in this part of Iowa, by not
having a convention. On consulta-
tion with a few bee-keepers, it was
agreed to call a meeting on Feb. 24, at
2 o'clock, p. m,, at Columbus Junction,
Iowa, to consider the practicability of
organizing a Bee-Keepers' Society in
Louisa county. D. Rawhouser.
^' The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday, April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G. W. Demarbe, Sec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
1^ The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 188,S; at the residence of
Hon. VV. H. Andrews.
VVm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
1^" The next meeting of the Haldi-
inand, Ont., Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held, at Nelle's Corners on Sat-
urday, March 31, 1883, at 11 a. m.
H. Campbell.
c^ The Western Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation meets at Independence, Mo.,
April 28, 1883,
S. VV. Salisbury, Sec.
1^ A bee-keeper from Sweden has
just arrived in Chicago with a letter
of introduction from Mr.Stalhammar,
editor of the Swedish bee paper. He
endorses him very strongly, and wants
us to find him a place to care for bees.
If any of our bee-keepers want such a
hand, it will be appreciated if they
will write to us. He speaks but a few
words of English,butisa very healthy-
looking man.
t^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
HELP WANTED
f 1 1
An apprentice, or a partner, to join me In raising
Bees and Honev on an extensive scale. The
right person can. at the start, have a half interest
in 150 {>r :i(Ki colonies, depending on qualifications.
For details, apply by letter or otherwise, to
M. M. BAI.DRIDeE. St. Charles, III,
1983. 1983.
von GET VALUE RECEIVED 1
QUEENS,BEES AND SUPPLIES
If you wnnt E-IKI.Y QUEENS from the
best improved trenulne stock for business: or if
you want Imported Italian Queens or bee?, tn full
colonies or nuclei, with tested or untested qupens;
If you want DunhHm or Vandervort comb founda-
tion, made from pure beeswax: or if you want
hivea orapiarian suppliesof any kind, send for my
new catalogue. It tells you about introducinK
queens, new " Races of Bees," etc. Caah paid for
clean beeswax. Address,
a. p. H. BKOWX,
5BDl5t
AuKUSta. Georgia.
(0 ^ OLDEST BEE PAPER
-■'^ _ IN AMERICA
.<!».
Es tablishedT^I /(^.
N 1861
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., FEBRUARY 28, 1883.
No. 9.
i*^B| =W«|BIG4^^^^
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Hives for Observation.
It is our aim to make honey a staple
product. To this end we have en-
deavored to popularize the consump-
tion of honey by the masses, as well
as to raise the standard of production,
by applying correct principles and
progressive art to the management of
the apiary.
Public manipulations with bees and
magnificent honey exhibits are the
most attractive features of State,
County and District Fairs. There are
many good reasons for introducing
such, but the chief one, perhaps, is
that those who produce honey for the
market may be induced to present it
in the most marketable shape; for the
new methods and new ideas of prac-
tical mana|bment must take the place
of the old and undesirable ones.
At the American Institute Fair, in
New York, in 1877, Dr. Worrall ex-
hibited a colony of bees in his hive,
DH. WORKAJJ.'S OBSERVATION HIVE.
the brood chamber of which is shown
in the engraving. It has glass sides
all around, and it was a great attrac-
tion. Prof. Hasbrouck. Mr. Locke
and others, also exhibited bees in ob-
servation hives.
Bees and honey are already the
great attraction at such Fairs as have
given prominence to this industry—
and this will become more apparent
each successive year. Michigan, Ne-
braska, Missouri, and some other
States, have tried a small Bee and
Honey Show, and the results have
been so satisfactory, that they are now
intending to have them on a much
larger scale.
When in Great Britain, during the
summer of 1879, we found that the
most attractive features of the Fairs
were the public manipulations with
bees, and the very large exhibition
of honey of captivating beauty. For
exhibiting bees, observation hives
were used— tho-^e having glass sides,
through which the bees may be seen
at work— the hives being inside the
exhibition building, with a tube cov-
ering the entrance, and running
through the side of the building, giv-
ing free passage, in and out, for the
bees. Sometimes, a glass box inclos-
ing each frame, arranged like leaves
of a book, with a common entrance to
all of them, from the tube running
through the side of the building, is
made to exhibit bees. This gives an
opportunity for thorough examination
of the whole colony.
Prof. Cook has one of the latter
kind in his study, and, by request, he
has sent us a drawing of it, from
which we have made the illustration,
so that our readers will obtain a good
idea from it and the accompanying
description given by the Professor :
OBSERVING HIVES.
Of course, every live bee-keeper
will possess and read one or more of
the books that treat of bees and their
management. These place the whole
subject before him, and, if well in-
dexed, enable him to study any par-
ticular phase of the subject at will.
He will, also, if wise, take and read
one or more of our excellent period-
icals. These keep him versed in the
progressive steps in his art, and the
various discoveries and improvements
can be appropriated as soon as made.
There is still another method to gain
knowledge, which though, perhaps,
not so full of practical aid as the
above, will greatly benefit, even on the
practical side of our business ; but,
more than this, it will enable us to
confirm what we learn from the books,
and will do more than anything else to
exalt our appreciation of the wondrous
habits and instincts of the little in-
sects with which we have to do. It
will do much to make our life work as
full of wonder and admiration as it is
of pleasure and profit. I refer to the
possession of an " Observing Hive ;"
so that, with each leisure hour, we
may look into the very life habits of
our pets. Such observation, in any
field of natural history, always excites
interest, imparts instruction and en-
nobles the observer.
Few experiences in my life have
yielded more real pleasure and valu-
able instruction, than the hours spent
in watching the strangely interesting
labors of the bees, as studied in my
library, by use of the small "observing
hive," here illustrated.
PROF. A. J. COOK'S OBSERVATION HIVE.
I do not think we need any complex
arrangement. A simple, uni-frame
hive, with glass sides, which may be
darkened by doors, is cheap, easily
made, and will enable us to watch any
operations carried on in the hive. I
have even had bees in such a hive
prepare to swarm. Of course, such
limited quarters will not permit much
increase, and so, when the brood com-
mences to hatch out, the bees must be
shaken from the frame, and it re-
placed with a frame of empty comb,
or, better still, a frame of comb foun-
dation. We then can watch the bees
as they transform the foundation into
114
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
a sheet of beautiful l^comb. If the
bees are not gathering at the time of
this transfer, we must either feed
them, or give them a comb containing
some honey. We may now watch, not
only the wondrous fashioning of the
comb, but the laying of eggs, tlie
packing of pollen, the tinding of the
larval bees, and the many other won-
derful manipulations, to be witn^essed
in the " Observing Hive."
My hive, which is correctly repre-
sented in the engraving, is neatly
made of black walnut, and forms, of
itself, quite a pretty ornament in my
study ; while, with its wondrous con-
tents, it forms an attraction which
can hardly be surpassed. It will pay
every apiarist to keep such a uni-
frame hive, for his own edification,
the instruction of his children, and
the entertainment of his friends.
Bees' Tougiie Register.— We have
received, from Mr. John H. Martin,
one of his improved Bees' Tongue
Registers. We notice that he has re-
constructed and simplified it during
the past year. As it registers by hun-
dredths of an inch, it is a very useful
article by which te measure the length
of the tongue of bees, so as to deter-
mine those best fitted for collecting
the nectar from red clover or other
honey-producing plants which have a
deep secreting cell. This is a step in
the direction of "breeding the best
bees,'' and we welcome Mr. Martin's
invention as very useful and emi-
nently progressive.
^° A beginner, J. L. II., fed the
bees sugar syrup while they were out
for a flight on Feb. 16, and says that
they had a fight, some being killed by
those of the same colony, and then
asks: " Why is this ? " Feeding the
bees in the open air close to the hives,
is always dangerous, and might have
caused " robbing " to such an extent
as to have given the beginner a " very
dear lesson." He has two colonies
each of black bees and Italians, and
adds, " the Italians did not come out
much." The angered bees were blacks
{perhaps, hybrids), and, no wonder
that they were on the rampage. They
had feasted on the syrup, become
angry because there was no more, and
then fought over it.
^° The Baroness Burdette-Coutts,
who is. not only the richest lady in the
world, but the most liberal one, and
who is also the President of the
British Bee- Keepers' Association,
gave a New Years' dinner to eight
hundred of her tenants, and after-
wards personally presented a gift to
eacli one of her guests.
Average Intelligence About Bees.
Mr. H. R. Boardman, E.Townsend,
O., sends us the following from Good
Words, which is now " going the
rounds of the local press :"
Honey is, as a rule, very sweet and
fragrant, but it is sometimes injurious
to human beings. Here I may men-
tion that no bee can suck honey out
of flowers, as is popularly supposed.
She licks it out with her tongue, the
end of which is covered with hairs, so
as to convert it into a brush, scrapes
it between the jaws, and so passes it
into the crop where it is changed into
honey. What property may be in the
crop which converts flower juice into
honey, we do not at pressent know. To
all appearance, the crop is nothing
but a bag of exceedingly-fine mem-
brane, and yet, after remaining for
a little time in the crop, the flower
juice undergoes a change of consist-
ence, flavor and scent, and whether
the insect is a wild or domestic bee,
the change is identical throughout.
Mr. Boardman very aptly lemarks
that this demonstrates " how rapidly
we are advancing in the knowledge of
bee-culture, especially as promulgated
by the average newspaper. It is too
good to be lost. If knowledge were
bliss, 'twere ' folly to be wise.' "
Honey Wine.— The Clarke Co., Va.,
Conner has the following :
Mr. J. Luther Bowers, a bee-keeper
of this county, has presented us with
a bottle of honey wine, the prepara-
tion of which was very simple, the
only ingredients being honey and
water. It was very palatable. From
51 colonies of bees he realized, last
year, 1,280 lbs. of choice comb honey,
1,200 lbs. of whicli he sold for $240.
One colony furnished the enormous
yield of 153 lbs., which, at the price
he received for his honey (20 cents per
lb.), brought $31.60, or nearly as much
as two acres of wheat. The value of
such a colony reaches beyond $100,
and shows what energy and improved
methods will accomplish. Mr. Bowers
prefers to use the 1-lb. sections, as
honey in that form commands a bet-
ter price and sells more readily.
1^" Letters and communications
have accumulated so much that we
give up the space this week to an ex-
tra quantity. Several long reports of
conventions are waiting, but we give
the communications a chance this
week, before they get too stale.
1^" We have received a copy of
" The Simmins Method of Direct In-
troduction," a pamphlet of 28 pages,
on introducing queens, detailing his
methods and management, and may
be had of Samuel Simmins, Rotting-
dean, Brighton, England, for 15 cents.
Answering Qaestions. — Mr. Heddon,
Dowagiac, Mich., writes as follows :
I desire, and expect to be able to
answer all questions pertaining to
business transactions ; that I must do
as a duty, and I would not like to have
it otherwise understood. But I have
a host of long, pastime letters, mixed
all through with questions regarding
bee-culture, but I cannot possibly an-
swer them all, and do the other work
allotted to me. I will answer all ques-
tions sent direct to me, or to the bee-
papers, on separate sheets, with spaces
left for answers. Jajies Heddon.
Questions for Mr. Heddon to an-
swer, may be sent to us, or to him
direct, and they will be promptly an-
swered in the Bee Jouunal.
New Catalogues and Price Lists.
We have received the following new
Catalogues and Price Lists of Bees, •
Queens or Apiarian Supplies :
Dr. J. P. H. Brown, Augusta, Ga.
Naramore & Wood,N. Lansing, Mich.
Richardson Bros., Port Colborne,Ont.
Edward B. Beebee, Oneida, N. Y.
Wm. W. Cary & Son, Colerain, Mass.
W. P. Henderson, Murfreesboro,Tenn.
Wm. Ballantine & Son, Sago, Ont.
J. D. Goodrich, East Hardwick,Vt.
E. T. Lewis & Co., East Toledo, O.
SEED AND PLANT CATALOGUES.
Wm. Rennie, Toronto, Ont.
J. A. Everitt, Watsontown, Pa.
F. E. Fassett & Bro., Ashtabula, O.
Chas. A. Green, Rochester, N. Y.
I. F. Tillinghast, LaPlume, Pa.
Also, Crawford's Strawberry Cul-
ture, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
1^ Several correspondents ask if it
is essential to write only on one side
of the sheet of paper when preparing
an article for the Jouknai^ For us,
it is just as well to write both sides,
and saves postage in sending it.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1883, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of -the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
115
For tlie American Bee Journal
How Shall We Report?
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
On page 58, Mr. F. H. Finch takes
exception to " those large yields pub-
lished," and thinks they were " not
weighed on standard scales." Also,
on page 60, S. J. McKennie says, " I
have the higliest respect tor intelli-
gent and scientific statements, but no
relish for exaggerated statements,"
and by the editorial note at the close
of Mr. K.'s remarks, I see that you,
Mr. Editor, are not just clear as to
how a report should be made out. I
once reported 566 lbs. in one season
from 1 colony of bees, hence, I would
be classed by Mr. K. as one of those
"who exaggerate," and by you, Mr.
Editor, as being one of those whose
" statements are unfair, and mislead
the unsophisticated." As I have never
intended to be "unfair" or "mis-
lead," perhaps it were well to look
into the matter regarding how a re-
port should be made out.
I had supposed it fair to give a re-
port based upon the " spring count "
of colonies in a yard, dividing the
total production of honey during the
season, by the total number of colo-
nies in the spring, and qualifying by
saying they increased to such a num-
ber. However, I now see that Mr. K.
does • not consider this as fair. But,
supposing they do not increase at all,
as was the case with Mr. Carroll's col-
ony that gave the 800 lbs., would it
then be fair to report 800 lbs. from one
colony. The editor says not ; for, in
his case, he used " 3 or 4 ordinary
hives by extra stories one over
another," thereby making his report
"unfair and misleading."
But, again, supposing they did not
increase at all, and were kept in a
single story hive, as was the case with
the colony which gave me the 566 lbs.
Would it then be unfair to report that
amount as the production of one col-
ony y Although 1 listen intently, I
hear no one say " unfair." Well, if
the same number of bees, all the pro-
duction of one queen, make the same
number of pounds in 2 or 3 ordinary
hives, by extra stories being placed
one over the other, I cannot see why
it should be more unfair than the
other.
Again, if the bees swarm and are
hived in a separate hive, and none of
the young or second queen's bees are
old enough to labor in the held, I do
not see how it should be unfair to re-
port the product of the two the same
as if they had remained in one hive.
The reason why these " big reports,"
as they, are called, are considered " ex-
aggerated," is, that those calling them
such, think as does Mr. K., that 20,000
to 25,000 bees constitute a colony. If
we make 20,000 bees a standard from
which to report, as does Mr. K., prob-
ably Mr. Finch will have no need of
offering his $500 for some one to in-
struct him how to have his bees make
one-half as much as some report, for
his 20,000 bees will secure nearly or
quite as much as will 20,000 of Mr.
Carroll's.
In the spring of 1877, 1 selected an
ordinary colony of bees, and set it
apart for extracted honey. This col-
ony was no better than one- third of
my yard would average, and was not
helped in the least from any other col-
ony. I built them up as fast as pos-
sible, by the means I usually employ,
which I gave in my series of articles
during 1882. By the time apple trees
were in bloom, the queen had brood
in 12 frames, and from that source I
extracted 16J^ lbs. A few days after
this, the 12 frames, bees and all were
set into a hive 4 feet long, and a
division board placed at the rear of
the combs. Once a week two more
empty combs were inserted in the cen-
tre of the brood-nest, until the hive
contained 20 combs well filled with
brood. As white clover was now
yielding honey, the hive was tilled out
with frames of empty combs, which
numbered 32. I did not expect the
queen would occupy any of these last
12 combs, but in this I was mistaken,
for before white clover was through
yielding honey, I found brood in every
one of the 32 combs, which, if placed
compactly together, was fully equal to
15 frames full of brood. Each frame
gives 100 square inches, and each
square inch gives 50 worker bees,
hence, there were 5,000 bees to hatch
out of each of these frames every 21
days, or 75,000 from the 15 frames.
The average life of the bee, in the
work season, is 45 days, hence, it will
be seen that the queen can place two
and one-seventh generations of bees
on the stage of action, to where one
generation dies off. Two and one-
seventh times 75,000=160,700, as the
number of bees in that hive during the
basswood yield. It was a sight worth
beholding when they were just start-
ing for the field in the morning, for
they would rush out like an army, and
then, later, the entrance would be one
Living mass going to and fro. From
clover, they gave 186 lbs.; from bass-
wood, 2871,^ lbs., and from buckwheat,
76 lbs.; making 566 in all. Now, if we
were to call 20,000 bees a colony, this
would give but about 71 lbs. per col-
ony, and I do not think either of the
correspondents would be willing to
call that an exaggerated report.
Thus, it will be seen that all these
conflicting reports can be harmonized,
when we understand how many labor-
ers there are to perform the work. As
I have said before (and it will bear re-
peating), the main secret in getting a
large yield of honey, is to get plenty
of bees, just at the right time to take
advantage of the honey harvest. If
you understand your location, and get
your bees as above, you will have no
cause to complain of your yield, if the
flowers secrete honey.
Borodino, N. Y.
[Reports had been "going the
rounds " simply stating that from 800
to 1,200 pounds of honey had been
obtained by one colony in Texas or
somewhere else. No matter what ex-
planations were made when the report
was given, the statement was divested
of details, and reiterated as " a good
story " to tell, being so unreasonable
that no one would believe it. Of
course, it was understood that it was
an ordinary colony ; this led Mr. Mc-
Kennie to figure it out (in his letter on
page 60), and that " figuring " we de-
sired to correct in our foot note, by
saying that such colonies were " doub-
led up to the capacity of 4 or 5 ordi-
nary hives, by extra stories, onefover
another "—that the colony was not an
ordinary, but an extraordinary one I
It will easily be seen that to those
laboring under the idea that a colony
of the usual size was spoken of, the
statements were " unfair," " mislead-
ing," and " unreasonable." This was
the idea we intended to convey, but,
perhaps, we were not sufliciently ex-
plicit, and have, therefore, been mis-
understood. We certainly never
thought of reflecting upon any one's
report, as some have presumed. We
liope this will be sufficiently clear and
satisfactory.— Ed.]
For tbe American Bee JoumaL
Moving Bees on a Hand Sled.
G. F. WILLIAMS.
During the fall of 1880, about two
weeks alter our severe winter began,
I moved 9 colonies from my father's,
a distance of two squares, on a hand-
sled, to my own home.
The entrances were partly clogged
with ice, and the bottom boards were
very icy. So, thinking it best to give
them a nice, dry one, as well as to pro-
tect them above, I carried them into
the kitchen, removed the bottom
boards, putting dry ones in their
places, put a piece of thin cloth over
the frames of each, on which a chaff
cushion was placed, using during the
operation, a smoker, when necessary,
to keep the bees in the hives.
Eight of these were carried into the
cellar and one put out of doors, pro-
tected by placing a store box over it,
and tilling the intervening space with
sawdust. Of the 8 in the cellar, only
1 seemed to suffer harm from the mov-
ing ; large numbers dying and clog-
ging the entrance, which was re-
moved about every week.
Early in March, thev were all carried
out for a flight, and again put back.
Towards the latter part of March,
they were again carried out for a
flight, and not one returned. The one
spoken of aliove and two others soon
dwindled, leaving plenty of brood and
eggs. The one left out all winter
came through strong and healthy.
I am of the opinion now, knowing
little of bees then, that if I had not
removed them from the cellar for
three or four weeks, two would not
have dwindled.
116
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Farmers about here, who wish to
move bees, always move them in the
winter. It is now a wonder to me,
since I have read up on improved bee-
culture, that any of the 9 lived
through the long and tedious winter,
and I hope no one will be so unwise
as to move bees until warm weather.
I, for one, shall not, at least until we
have a great deal more knowledge of
the " busy bee" and dysentery.
New Philadelphia, O.
For the American Bee Journal.
Central Illinois Convention.
The Bee-Keepers' Association of
Central Illinois met according to pre-
vious announcement.
A large number of bee-keepers of
McLean and adjoining counties as-
sembled at the surveyor's office, in the
Court House, in Bloomington, on the
10th inst.
Officers elected for one year : Pres-
ident, J. L. Wolcott; Vice President,
Mrs. F. A. Bailer ; Secretary, James
Poindexter; Treasurer, O. Barnard,
all of Bloomington.
Owing to the lateness of the hour
appointed for the meeting, the time
was principally occupied in perfecting
an organization and getting the Asso-
ciation in working order.
Thirty-two names were enrolled. It
was decided to hold meetings quar-
terly. Adjourned to meet the second
Wednesday in May {9th), at 10 o'clock
a. m., in Bloomington, at same place.
.J AS. Poindexter, Sec.
For the American Bee JouraaL
The Eyes of a Bee.
C. THEILMANN.
130 colonies In the bee-house got a
little uneasy, these warm days, as the
temperature in it went up to 65° with
ventilator all open, and the main door
open, its whole width, one whole
night. Thismorningall isquiet,asitis
13° below zero outside ; no dysentery
appears in my bee-house yet.
Theilmanton, Minn., Feb. 17, 1883.
[The large eyes which you saw with-
out the microscope, are the compound
eyes; the three small ones are the
In examining the heads of bees with
the microscope, I found the sides,
which appear to the bareej'e as if the
high brown spots were the eyes, but
found these two spots, all thinly cov-
ered with hair, without any glassy,
bright or clear spot whatever, and the
skin or outside covering api)ears like
grained leathei- when looking with
the bare eye. Looking closer, with
head three little, round, glassy, skinny
the microscope, I found on top of the
spots, one is in the centre, a little
anead of the two, which are one on each
side ; there are no hairs close around
these spots, but a bunch of hair be-
tween the three, and the head has to
be held in a certain position, in order
to see all three at once. If these three
spots are not the eyes, where are they V
I have examined spiders heretofore,
and found from four to six of such
little glassy spots on their heads,
which I would call eyes.
My bees have been closed up now
for over three months, ■ without a
ilight, as it has been cold ever since,
with over 2 feet of snow, and for the
last six weeks the mercury has regis-
tered from 10° to 40° below zero, in
the morning, except the last few days,
when it showed 32° above. My bees
outdoors (30 colonies) need a flight, as
some of them have the dysentery. My
simple eyes, as shown in the accom-
panying engraving of the head of a
worker bee, magnified. — Ed.]
For tlie American Bee Journal.
The Standard Langstroth Hive.
M. M. BALDRID6E.
Having shown on page 55 of this
Journal that the standard Langs-
troth frame is 18^3 inches long instead
of 185^ inches, outside measure, I now
desire to say a few words about the
standard Langstroth hive. The stan-
dard hive, as I understand the mat-
ter, should have 10 standard Langs-
stroth frames— no more and no less —
that being the number given and rec-
ommended by Langstroth in his work
on bees— the highest and only au-
thority tcf follow. Now, Langstroth
makes the hive, or outside case, to
hold 10 frames, precisely \i}i inches
wide, inside measure, but I find, in
practice, that it is not necessary to
make exactly that width of hive for
10 frames. I make the hive 14 inches
wide to avoid the fraction, and find
many times that I can use even 11
frames just as well as 10 in that width
of hive. In fact, the combs will, other
things being equal, be built straighter
and nicer with 11 frames than with
10. I therefore find that a hive 131^
or even 13 inches wide, inside meas-
ure, will answer for 10 frames, but to
have Langstroth hives, of standard
size, we must adhere as closely as pos-
sible to the length, width, and depth,
inside measure, as given by Mr,
Langstroth, or else we may as well
quit talking about standard hives.
But there are quite a number of
bee-keepers in the United States and
elsewhere, who are to-day far in ad-
vance of Mr. Langstroth, in some re-
spects, in practical experience (and
when I say this I mean no disrespect
to Mr. L.), who prefer the 8-frame
hive, with standard frames, to the 10-
frame hive. They have used both
sizes of hives, side by side, in the same
apiary, and claim that they have uni-
formly secured better results from the
smaller hive. Now, that being the
case, it is folly and waste of time to
try to induce all bee-keepers to use the
Langstroth standard hive, although
they might be willing to use the stan-
dard frame. From what has now
been said, the reader will please ob-
serve that the standard hive and the
standard frame are by no means
synonymous terms.
It has been suggested that bee-
keepers should hold a convention to
see if they cannot in some way agree
upon some standard hive to adopt.
Now, to simplify matters, let me sug-
gest that it miglit be far better, and
less expensive, for bee-hive makers to
agree among themselves to make the
standard Langstroth frame of the
same length and depth, both outside
and inside measure, and the outer box
or case of the same length, depth and
width, inside measure, the width de-
pending on the number of frames to
be used, whether that be 8 or 10, more
or less, the main object being to make
the frames interchangeable. Bee-
hive makers are the proper parties,
so it seems to me, to agree upon such
matters, as Tom, Dick, Harry and old-
man Bungler have no more business
to make bee hives, honey boxes, foun-
dation, hives, etc., of modern construc-
tion, than has the former to make
wagons, reapers, threshing machines,
etc. As a rule, every branch of busi-
ness is, or should be, carried on as a
specialty, and bee-culture is, or should
be, no exception. Bee-culture, how-
ever, has several distinct branches,
and there are men so organized as to
carry on two or more of them at the
same time very successfully. But, in
general, it will not pay bee-keepers to
try to run all the branches as special-
ties at the same time. That being the
case, the majority will find it better
and more profitable to purchase cer-
tain supplies for their apiaries from
specialists. I may be mistaken about
this, but think not ; it having been my
experience for nearly a quarter of a
century. And, to get the best results,
two or more bee-keepers should club
together in ordering, supplies, and
thus secure the lowest possible prices.
As I am not now engaged nor inter-
ested in fui'uishing " supplies for the
apiary," and do not again expect to
be very soon, it will not, therefore, be
necessary for any one to impute im-
proper motives to any of the state-
ments set forth in this article.
St. Charles, 111.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
System in the Apiary.
A. E. FOSTER.
" A place for everything, and every-
thing in its place." I know of no
place (unless it is in the family) where
this rule should be followed more
closely than in the apiary. The pros-
perous bee-keeper is always in a hurry,
needing different supplies as he ex-
amines different hives, and it is very
necessary that he should know just
where to find things as he needs them.
THE AMERICAJSr BEE JOURNAL.
IIY
If you have not this faculty well de-
veloped, cultivate it, by assigning
everything in your apiary a place, and
keeping everything in its place. The
time lost in hunting " here, there and
everywhere" for what you need, will
amount to a great deal, more than
any one would suppose ; and it will
not only save time, but keep you from
getting in a bad humor, which gen-
erally follows one of those long
searches. The mother who teaches
her child to put things where it gets
them, does the child good, and saves
herself much trouble, in picking
things up after it.
My bees are wintering well on the
summer stands.
Covington, Ky., Feb. 14, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Moving Bees in Winter.
K. M. DENHAM.
when tbey had sufiScient stores, as the
thermometer here has not been below
zero. I gave my 12 colonies sugar-
syrup, made from the best grade of
coffee A sugar, suflScient to winter on,
and they are doing very well. I placed
8 of them in a clamp, and left the rest
on the summer stands.
The future prospects for bee-keepers
here are, 1 think, good, as there is an
excellent crop of white clover on the
ground, and we usually have a good
crop of locust bloom, which comes in
shortly after fruit bloom.
St. Clairsville, O.
For the American Bee Journal.
Sections, Separators, Etc.
F. C. BENEDICT.
As some desire instructions about
moving bees, and having had a little
' experience in the matter, I will tell
what 1 know about it. I purchased
two colonies of bees in box hives, of a
neighbor, in the winter, and desiring
to move them, when the snow was on,
I put into the sled bed an armful of
hay on which to set the hives. Some-
time before this, I had read Quinby's
" Mysteries of Bee-Keeping," in which
I found instructions on this point, and
I desired to follow him. He said,
when moving bees (in box hives), turn
the bottoms upward, and place a
sheet or something of that kind over
the hives, to keep the bees from fly-
ing. My neighbor was an old man,
and had kept bees (in box hives) many
years, and, of course, thought he knew
more about how to manage the thing
than I did ; consequently, he pushed
the hay to one side and set the bees
flat on the bottom of the sled bed,
bottom down. I suppose he thought
it would not be wholesome for the
bees, to turn their heads down. I said
nothing, however, but started home.
The road was quiet rough in places,
and the bees were considerably jolted,
drive as carefully as I could. I had
not gone far until I discovered that
some of the combs were broken ; this
was a swarm of the previous summer,
and the combs were tender and easily
broken, and before I got them home,
the combs were all broken otf, and
the whole " business " was lodged in
the bottom. The other hive, ueing
full of old combs, stood the jolting
without breaking. This cured me of
ever again hauling bees on a sled;
though, 1 believe, had Mr. Quinby's
instructions been followed, the combs
would not have been broken.
Of course, moving bees in frame
hives is a ditferent thing, as the bot-
tom bar, if the combs are built down
to it, support them. I would always
haul bees, short distances, in a spring
wagon, and place the hives so that
the combs would stand crosswise
with the bed. I have moved bees this
way, in the honey season, without
damage.
This winter, in this locality, has
been quite favorable one for bees,
It is with interest that I read the
different articles on half-pound sec-
tions, separators and their use. It
seems to me that a novice or any one
who contemplates their use would be
so confused they would hardly know
whether there was a size known that
would hold the required amount.
Some talk about narrow sections and
straight combs, without separators.
Let us look into the brood chamber of
a good colony and see the combs.
Straight ! Yes, beautiful combs as I
ever saw ; take the same combs after
a good honey flow, and how are they V
Instead of being \}4 inches thick as
we would like them (and about the
thickness we find them when left to
their own ways), the bees have built
the top of this one a little thicker, con-
tracted the next, no two straight and
perfect. Why ! because there are no
separators to guide them, and they
will expand one and contract another.
Now, this will be found the same in
the surplus arrangement, and let the
section be so narrow that they must
make their combs less than IJ^ inches,
and greater will be the disappoint-
ment to those who shall use what
might well be called the wafer sec-
tions, without separators. Some of
the sections will be so thin they will
he of no value, while others will be
built into sections adjoining, making
it hardly possible to get them in mark-
etable shape. The only safe way
would be to carry them single-handed
and place them upon the consumers,
table.
Some may think me taking a bold
stand, when I state that I hold, that no
one (I care not who) can manipulate
100 colonies of bees for comb honey,
and produce it in first-class market-
able order, whether it is to be glassed
or unglassed, without tlie use of sep-
arators of some kind. Some contend
that separators lessen the crop of sur-
plus, but it is only a delusion under
which some labor who are not up to
the times in producing comb honey
in perfect shape by the right use of
separators. I know of what I speak.
A short time since I was upon the
market of one of our large cities,
where I saw tons of honey, and upon
the cases I saw the names of some of
our noted apiarists ; nearly all were
from the West, and produced without
separators, and put upon the market
without glassing. All were leaking
more or less, some so badly that the
honey had run from top to bottom of
the piles and granulated in streams as
large as your finger. Why ! because
some of the combs were over thick,and
chafed in the cases. Now, had the pro-
ducers of that honey done their part,
as well as nature and the bees did
theirs, tliey might have realized 3 to
5 cts. per pound more for their pro-
duct. This would far more than pay
all expense of putting it upon the
market in first-class order, rather
than third or fourth class, as was some
of the above.
Now, if we are to use half-pound
sections, why not let those who con-
template trying them make a section
that can be used to good advantage
with the surplus arrangement at
hand, and not be to the expense of
new racks, frames, etc. If we must
have different-sized fixtures for each
sized section, what a collection of un-
necessary traps will soon be on our
hands. After three years' experience
I find that a section, to hold ^o lb. of
honey, must contain 11% cubic inches,
whether one thickness or another.
Then adjust your section to your sur-
plus fixtures on hand. Have your 1
and 2-lb. sections the same height, so
that you can use the same width sep-
arator for both sizes. In short, have
just as few extra fixtures as possible,
for it increases the expense and takes
off the profits. I manipulate sections
in racks, and one-sized rack answers
for the 3-sized sections with only ex-
tra separators for half-pound sections ;
one sized shipping case for 1 and 2-lb.
sections.
Perry Centre, N. y.
For the American Bee JoumaU
Wood Separators and Bee Glue.
C. R. ISHAM.
In the Bee Journal (page 95), Mr.
James Heddon, in an excellent article
on Surplus Cases, etc., makes the fol-
lowing request : " I wish Mr. Isham
would send me a sample of his wood
separators, and tell us, through the
Bee Journal, how he puts up with
or avoids the glue difficulty spoken of
above." I have sent Mr. Heddon a
sample, for practical experiment, and
the readers of the Bee Journal will
get the full benefit of his conclusions.
As to " gluing up the less than bee
spaces," I would say, as this space,
when tin is used, remains open until
closed with propolis by the bees ; that
it is not any more work to scrape off a
thick than a thin chunk of glue, con-
sequently I do not find much differ-
ence in cleaning the sections, whether
thick or thin separators have been
used. Those % inch in thickness (and
also, if desired thinner ones), can be
notched out so as to come down to the
bottom and yet let the bees pass up.
In my own arrangements I prefer to
have pieces cut from separator ma-
terial of just the proper size, they
being of same thickness (1-16 ot an
inch), to fill spaces at ends of the sec-
tions above the separators, for, when
the rack is filled and clamped, they
118
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,.
can be quickly put in place, and you
have a neat job, with all outside spaces
nicely closed.
After putting the rack or case upon
the hive, have a piece of enameled
cloth, cut the proper size, to smoothly
lay over the sections, and on top of
the cloth place a guilt or piece of bur-
laps, and cover all with a flat board,
fitted for the purpose. You now have
a chamber for surplus storing which
fully meets all the requirements of
warmth, so necessary for comb build-
ing, early or late in the season, and
violate no " scientific principles laid
down by Langstroth."
In a case of sections thus arranged,
the combs are of evener thickness,
with a smooth face, which gives the
honey a much liner and more attrac-
tive appearance then when dented and
bulged, as is likely to be the case
where metal separators are not used.
As wood is warmer than metal it
economizes the heat of the hive whicli
is the first great principle to be taken
into consideration in making arrange-
ments for obtaining surplus honey.
Peoria, N. Y.
For the American Bee JournaL
Was That Bad Advice?
DR. a. L. TINKER.
It is really bad advice, or rather, it
is impracticable to set a rack of the
thin sections down on the brood
frames V Mr. Heddon so implies, see
page 95 of the Bee Journal, and ex-
presses great " surprise " that I should
give such advice. Now, I am not less
surprised that a man of the experience
and ability of Mr. Heddon as a prac-
tical bee-keeper, should " warn all be-
ginners " against the advice, giving as
Bis objections to it that he had " been
through the mill and graduated," and
that it would be " violating the in-
stincts of the bees," and be resented
by "their glue and stings." Surely,
It is not against the instinct of the
bees to have continuous passage ways
from tlie brood combs into tTie sec-
tions. Neither can there be any
trouble of any consequence on account
of propolis, nor special danger over
any other plan because of stings.
Several apiarists of large experience
have assured me that the plan sug-
gested on page 72 of the Bee Jour-
nal, is thoroughly practical. Not
only so, but it is quite possible that in
no other way can the half-i)ound sec-
tion be made to pay tiie producer.
The writer has not taken a fancy to
the half-pound sections with a view to
using them by any of the ordinary
methods in use for getting comb
honey in the ] and 2 pound sections.
On the contrary, it seems to me that
lis failure as a hnancial adventure to
the producer by these ordinary meth-
ods, is already a foregone conclusion.
There are other advantages from
placing a rack of sections down on the
brood frames than those already given,
and among the first of these is the
readiness by which the bees can be
got to work in all of the sections at
once. This Is accomplished by put-
ting on the first rack of sections with
a narrow strip of foundation fastened
upright to tlie bottom of the section
instead of being fastened to the top
piece. The bees will so to work in
the sections the Instant there is
enough honey coming in, and build
the comb upwards, wliich tliey seem
able to do just about as fast as to
build it downwards. The next rack
of sections may contain full sheets of
foundation, if it is desired, and fast-
ened to the top of the section as usual.
New Philadelpliia, O.
For the American Bee Journai.
New Method of Wintering Bees.
JOHN E. VAN ETTEN.
Any one can get along with bees in
summer, but the great problem is how
to winter them successfully ; and for
want of appliances, if for no other
reason, out-door wintering must ever
prevail with the million.
Some advise that bees should be
placed in a cellar and kept dark. I
tried this in a very dry, sandy cellar,
with a cement floor, and yet with
very disastrous results, arising from
dampness and mold, which I find to
be the greatest enemy of bees, es-
pecially in winter.
Others advise that they should be
placed on the nortli side of a building
or fence, so as to exclude the sun, and
thus prevent them from flying out and
becoming lost. 1 have also tried this
with very fatal results.
Others advise placing them low
down on the ground and letting the
snow drift over them. This is sure
death from the dampness generated
from the melting snow.
Others advise covering with en-
ameled cloth, packing in chaff, etc.
These are all objectionable, because
they absorb and hold dampness, which
is dreadfully fatal to bees in winter,
while they are in a dormant state
and unable to ventilate the hive in
their own natutal way.
After years of trial I became con-
vinced that all sucli tlieorles were
vicious and wrong in principle, and
contrary to the natural requirements
of the bee ; that cold was not so much
an enemy of bees in winter as damp-
ness ; tliat instead of being placed low
down on tlie ground or in some bank,
wliere all the dampness could be
thrown into the hive, the hive should
be elevated so that the winds could
sweep away such dampness as might
gather around it; that, instead of
being kept dark in winter, the bees
should have all the sunlight possible ;
that, instead of being placed in a
shaded spot on the nortli side of a
building or fence, they should stand
on the south side, where they could
receive the full benefit of the winter's
sun— which, of all seasons, the bees
most need in winter.
Acting upon these ideas, I placed my
bees in the warmest spot I could find
on the south side of a high, tight-
board fence, where the full blaze of
the winter's sun could pour down
upon them. I elevated the hives
about 2 feet from the ground to avoid
the dampness, and gave them all the
ventilation which the Quinby hive
will admit of. 1 discarded the enam-
eled cloth, and, instead, covered with
lath, which will not warp. On these
I laid a mat of woolen cloth. In front
of the fly hole, on flying days, I placed
a portable box 2 feet long, 14 inches
wide, and 7 inches high, covered with
wire cloth, and, since then, I have
never lost a colony. There is no damp-
ness, no mold. If the bees want to
fly, they fly around In the box, where
they void themselves and receive the
full benefit of the sun, and yet not a
bee Is lost upon the snow.
Kingston, N. Y., Feb. 2, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Short Articles Always Preferred.
rev. A. SALISBURY.
We live In an age of revolution and
progress. Revolutionary, in not using
many words to express a few ideas ;
progressive in using few words to ex-
press many ideas. Why do short
articles get the preference of readers
in newspapers and magazines 'i* It is
not supposable that any one will pen
an article without an Idea, so all who
have much to do in this busy world
read short articles first, where they
can glean ideas fastest, and where
" counsel Is not darkened by a multi-
tude of words."
O, the horror, after having spent
the time to read a long article, and
the discovery is made, at the close,
that it was words almost without any
ideas.
True, there is an apology for those
who labor under the conviction that
the world is depending on them for
light, so duty requires them to write
many and long articles. Words are
cheaper than ideas. Do not think
that reflections are only to be cast
upon the literary world, outside of our
profession ; like others, we are liable
to fall into certain channels, and write
and rewrite the same ideas, over and
over, and occupy a long time in ex-
plaining ourselves, so as to be under-
stood, and when understood, no one is
benefited.
Camargo, 111.
For the American Bee JournaL
Suggestions About Small Sections.
JAMES F. LATHAM.
To make a half-pound section, kerf
a one-pound section on the inside of
the top and bottom. Let tiie kerfing
be wide enough to admit two pieces,
each as thick as the sides of the sec-
tion, and deep enough to leave 1-16
inch of whole wood on the outside.
Cut two oieces, of a suflicient thick-
ness to fill the kerfs, and in width cor-
responding with the sides of the sec-
tion. Place the two pieces together
and push them into the kerfs. A brad
may be driven into the ends of each
piece, if thought necessary. Put a
piece of foundation In each half-sec-
tion, and after the bees have filled
them with comb and honey, they can
be handled and crated as expeditiously
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
119
as pound sections. When retailed,
the two halves can be separated with
ease by a light stroke, with a sharp
knife, across the top and bottom of
the section, betwixt the two pieces
forming the division.
My first section honey was obtained
in a similar box, containing two 1%-
Ib. sections, and I experienced no in-
convenience in its use. I sold the
honey for a good price, and let the
grocer do the separating when re-
quired, which he did without com-
plaint or objection.
The extra expense in construction,
required by dividing the pound sec-
tion, as described in the foregoing (as
will be readily perceived by the ex-
gerienced), is in the two extra kerfs,
andling tlie pieces forming the divis-
ions, and the lumber required for the
division pieces. The amount of foun-
dation is not as great as tliat required
for a single pound section, and the
two pieces can be fastened quite as
quickly as one. VVtien the whole is
complete, the remaining work of the
apiarist is the same as that of hand-
ling the single pound section. Racks,
crates, etc., will require no alteration.
Other items, pro or con, might be
enumerated ; but, if a half-pound sec-
tion of honey is demanded by the
trade, their discussion is simply a
part of the business negotiation of the
producer, dealer and consumer.
West Cumberland, Me ,Feb.9, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal*
My Apiary for Six Years.
H. S. HACKMAN.
Getting up a complete statistical
statement of even the live bee-keep-
ers' product, will be difficult, and 1 am
sure of the almost impossibility of
getting the statistics of •' old fogies,"
lor I have interviewed a few of such
and not one could or would tell what
amount of honey their bees produced.
Not one in twenty, in ordinary life,
keep any account of what they are
doing, not even the farmers. Ask
them how much they sell from the
farm during a year, and they say, " I
do not know ; I keep no account."
Until men learn the benefit and
pleasure such yearly reports afford, it
will be difficult to gather statistics.
I append a tabulated statement of
my work with my bees for six years,
or since 1 commenced the business :
Total honey sold $861 II
Supplies " 34 40
Total 1893 51
Total bees bought »285 oo
Hive material 185 40
Supplies 126 93
597 33
In favor of the bees $298 18
2,647 IbB. of honey on hand 397 05
100 colonies, average, 25 fts. of honey. . 600 oo
ISO " " 611 " '• .,1,300 00
Supplies and hives 120 00
Total in my favor for 6 years $2,715 23
I have compared bee-keeping with
several of the most profitable busi-
nesses, such as poultry, dairy, etc.,
but find nothing to compare with bees
for profits, according to the capital
invested.
When bee-keepers become enough
interested to keep a correct account of
their work, it will be much more easy
to make out true statistical reports. I
would not think of running even a
pea nut stand without knowing what
I was about, and how I was doing.
Peru, 111.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Hints— Standard Hives, Etc.
W. T. STEWART, 100.
I have just been commenting with
a friend on the merits of the Ameri-
can Bee Journal, and more es-
pecially on its circulation as an adver-
tising medium, and I have come to
tlie 'conclusion that it is like Brady's
Bitters, " Everybody takes it." Two
years ago I wrote for its columns an
article on the value of the Simpson
honey plant tor bee forage. Straight-
way i was deluged with letters of in-
quiry, orders for seed, etc. I com-
menced to answer all letters, cards,
etc., until I had demolished about $2
worth of 3 cent stamps, besides paper,
envelopes, and time to write, so 1 quit
answering unless a stamp was sent
me ; but still they kept coming from
all over tliis big continent. Then,
last year, I told its readers something
about " the coming hive," with re-
versible frames ; ever since that, I
have been almost daily receiving cor-
respondence about that hive, and it
keeps coming from Maine to Califor-
nia, from Canada to Texas, and even
from Scotland. They want a more
minute description of it, until I have
a half bushel of answered letters, and
as many more not answered. My
stationery and stamps gave out, but
when one sends a stamp 1 answer. I
am not stingy, but poor.
Brother bee-keepers, it is our duty,
when writing business letters to any
party, to enclose a stamp or stamps
for a reply. Some forget it, some al-
ways enclose a stamp no matter how
often they write. For instance, Mr.
J. H. Martin wrote me several letters
concerning my hive, and in the first
letter was enclosed five 3 cent stamps,
and one in each after that; a man is
generous who does thus. But these
are hints enough, on correspondence.
I will try to answer all, at once,
through the Bee Journal, seeing
that "everybody takes it."
I cannot describe by words my re-
versible frame and its supports, and
make it plain enough to be under-
stood thoroughly. Last season was
so poor for honey here, that I had no
chance to test it thoroughly, but I am
satisfied it is the best reversible frame
yet invented ; I have not, and will not,
patent it. I have no machinery for
hive-making, and no hives to sell,
unless it be one as a pattern to make
by, at an average price for first-class
hand-made hives, and then only to
accommodate.
As to the Simpson honey plant, I
have sown all the seed I could save
last year.
There is considerable talk about a
standard frame, and a great many
are advocating the Langstroth as the
frame. Go over the country and
measure the so-called Langstroth, and
you will find that about one in ten are
of the right dimensions. They are of
all sizes but the true Langstroth. I
am in favor of three standard frames,
such as will best suit different locali-
ties ; the best frame for the far North
is probably not the best for Southern
localities. Suppose we make the
Langstroth, the Gallup, and the
American frames, the standards ; then
all localities will be suited ; so far as
I am concerned, I can use any of the
three, and will use whatever is adopted
as the standard by the vote of all oee-
keepers, and we can get the vote of all
only in a way similar to tlie one pur-
sued by Dr. Miller in gathering the
statistics. I do not think it best (or
even fair) for a few that are fine
writers to decide this matter. Let us
leave it to a vote, by all being re-
quested to send their vote on a postal
to some one man in a given length of
time, and then have that vote, with
names, recorded in the different jour-
nals as a final contract by vote of the
whole, and if, Mr. Editor, you and
your readers think this way advis-
able, and will so announce it, I will
take charge of the ballot box and re-
port promptly the parties name and
vote at the expiration of the given
time to close the polls. I am using
the Langstroth, and also the Roop
frame, which is 10 inches square, in-
side measure. I have about 50 of
each ; but I will adopt whatever is
made the standard or standards,
though it would necessitate a change
of at least 50 of my hives. I would
cheerfully make the change. My vote
is to make the Langstroth, Gallup and
American, the standards. By this
means those who have bees to sell and
ship, can so arrange their hives as to
fill orders Nortli or South without
trouble, and for those who produce
honey only for market, can choose
any of the three sizes ; section makers
and supply dealers can know what to
keep in stock.
Eminence, Ky., Feb. 4, 1883.
[I think it would not be wise now to
take a vote on a standard hive. Wait
till next fall or winter, after the statis-
tical matter is tabulated. — Ed.]
For the American Bee Journal.
Cold Frame, Mignonette, Etc.
vf. c. .tennison.
March 13, 1882, a cold frame was
placed close to the south side of a
chaff hive. The front side of the
frame was IJ-^feet high by 2 feet long ;
the back side was 2 feet high by 2 feet
long, and was made just wide enough
for a 2x2 feet window sash to cover
it. Cleats were nailed on the sides
and top end of the sash, by raising
the lower end and placing a stick be-
tween it and the frame ; a space was
left for the bees to go outside when
the weather was not too cold for them
to fly.
Two days after placing the frame in
front of the hive, I examined the bees,
and found about 3 square inches of
comb filled with sealed brood, and
enough bees to cover 4 Gallup frames.
120
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
The bees would fly inside tlie frame
when the weather was too cold for
bees in other hives to venture out, but
I noticed the bees bumped themselves
pretty hard against the glass when
flying, and think they wore them-
selves out sooner than they would if
the cold frame had not been there.
They dwindled away so there was only
about one-half as many bees and less
brood on the first of May than there
was when I first examined them. As
I lost 5 other small colonies by the
cold weather and dwindling, perhaps
the cold frame had nothing to do with
their dying.
My experience with mignonette,
the past season, was as follows :
First, it will not succeed under the
shade of apple trees, if you give it the
best of care. Second, it must be kept
free from weeds. Third, it must be
sown early, so to get a good start be-
fore dry weather sets in. I sowed the
seed on different dates, from May 27
to June 19 ; the first sown did well. I
sowed it in rows, covering the seed
about ]4, of an inch deep. The plants
spread out about \]4 feet on either
side of the row. They commenced to
blossom May 27, and increased in
bloom till August; and did not get
through blossoming until freezing
weather. The bees worked on the
blossoms all day, and in all kinds of
weather, when they could fly. They
father large quantities of pollen, but
do not know how much honey they
get from it.
Wired frames seem to be the best
for fastening comb foundation to, but
the wire bothers in many ways. For
example: The bees will often build
queen-cells over them, and if you wish
to save the cells you must cut the
wire ; then, again, in scraping wax
and propolis from the top and bottom
bars of frames, the wire hinders the
operations. I have found the follow-
ing a good way to remedy the diffi-
culty : After the foundation has been
all drawn out, and the honey in the
comb extracted, cut the wires at the
bottom of the frame, take hold the
end of the wires (one at a time) and
pull them backwards to the top bar,
and then through it. They can be
taken out quite fast ; the wire cuts
a slit through one side of the comb,
but does not remove much wax, and
the bees soon draw it together again.
I was surprised to see the following
statement, which I clipped from the
American Cultivator : " The flowers of
raspberries, where this fruit is largely
grown, are ruining the honey product
of the neighborhood. The bees like
this food, but no human being has
been discovered who appreciates the
product. The honey from raspberry
flowers is a dirty yellow in color, with
a very disagreeable flavor." The
honey gathered here, when raspberry
bushes are in bloom, is nice, but I do
not know how large a percentage of it
is raspberry. Will some bee-keeper,
situated where there is an abundance
of raspberries, please report upon this
question.
Nantick, Mass., Feb. 5, 1883.
1^ Attention is called to our new
and liberal advertising rates for 1883.
Foundation with High Side Walls.
I mail you, for the Bee Journal
museum, a sample of comb foundation
made on my mill, that 1 think is the
highest side ivall ever raised by any
mill. Wm. C. Pehlam.
Maysville, Ky., Feb. 8, 1883.
[It certainly has the heaviest side
wall we ever saw ; the cells being
deep enough to be utilized by the
queen for receiving eggs, just as they
are.— Ed.]
Changing to Other Hives.
I have 3 colonies of bees in American
hives, these being the hives most used
in this section. I have read a good
deal about the Langstroth hive, but
have never seen one. Would you ad-
vise me, as I have started with the
American, to change to the Langs-
troth y Some bee-keepers here prefer
the American hive, on account of the
frames being deeper, and say the
Langstroth trame is too shallow for
this section for safe wintering.
A Subscriber.
Milan, N. Y., Feb. 16, 1883.
[Certainly not. Success depends
much more on the management than
on the kind of hives. Beginners
should not change around, or have
different sizes of frames. Begin right,
stick to what you have commenced
with, and " go-ahead."— Ed.]
Profitable Increase.
Here is my report for 1882 : Apiary
Ko. 1.— Spring, 1882, 6 colonies, fall,
1882, 14 colonies, average comb honey,
spring count, 63 lbs. ; apiary No. 2
(on shares), spring, 1882,12 colonies;
fall, 1882, 12 colonies; average, comb
honey, 30 lbs. These figures demon-
strate to me, that, at least in my local-
ity, a judicious increase is profitable.
All tliese colonies were substantially
in the same condition on May 15, viz. :
starving. I fed all alike with the
above result. F. C. Gastinger.
Ada, 0.,Feb. 11, 1883.
Comb Honey Rack.
I sent to the museum a sample of
my improved comb honey super, with
28 43-4x41^x2 inch sections. It is made
for the 10-frame Langstroth hive, l3ut
may be made to suit any sized hive or
sections. It can be used with or with-
out separators. It is a second story,
made to suit the size of the section to
be used. The sections are to be placed
in broad frames, without tops. They
are strong, very simple, and easily
manipulated. They can be tiered up,
one above another, or two of them
may be put on the hive at once, a
frame of sections removed from each,
and a frame of brood put in its place,
to cause the bees to commence work
in sections. If 56 sections, or 48 after
8 are removed, is thought to be too
many, early in the season, the bees
may be excluded from a part of them
by simply turning those not to be used
in the lower super on their sides, or
putting a piece of picture backing, or
cotton sheeting, under them,and using
the wedges as division boards. The
hooks holding the movable sides are
too small, but are all I have on hand.
A. J. Hatfield, 57-88.
New Carlisle, Ind., Feb. 17, 1883.
[The Rack is received and placed in
the Museum. It is so well described
by Mr. Hatfield that it is useless to
add anything to it.— Ed.]
Preventing Increase.
Having now 283 colonies of bees, I
do not desire any increase, and intend
to run them for comb honey ; that, in
the past, I could not do, without the
swarming fever taking place and
partly frustrating my pums. In the
Bee Journal, No. 40, July 26, 1882,
page 474, 1 saw an article by Prof. A.
J. Cook, on " Increase of Colonies Pre-
vented." After reading that article
I would like to put it to the test, but
as my honey flow ceased about July
20, 1 had no opportunity to do so. I
would like to ask, through the Bee
Journal, any apiarist who has tried
that plan to kindly report the result.
If it can be successfully done to the
amount of 75 per cent. I shall be de-
lighted, and I know I am not alone in
this matter. Thus far, bees are win-
tering well. J. B. Hall.
Woodstock, Ont., Feb. 10, 1883.
Bees Eating their Combs.
Two of my colonies of bees are eat-
ing their combs. One had about 60 lbs.
of honey and plenty of pollen, and was
in tolerably good condition, but it had
no queen, and many bees were dead.
The other colony had lots of frost in
the hive, and was in very poor condi-
tion, but it had a queen, and though
the bees were not dead, thev could
not fly in the sunshine. What is the
reason for their doing so ?
M. M. Sperry.
La Harpe, 111., Feb. 13, 1883.
[While bees cut their comb for vari-
ous purposes, such as making passage
ways, shortening the depth of cells,
etc., they do not eat it. They often
cut and drag out excess of bee-bread.
The second colony mentioned, if not
starved, is, very likely, badly diseased
with dysentery, though the outward
symptoms may not have been observed
by you. — Ed.]
More Encouraged.
Since writing my letter, published
on page 109, my bees have had a flight.
I have cleaned out the dead bees from
the greater part of the hives, and I
find that some have commenced breed-
ing. They have a great deal of pollen,
but I think they will get through all
right, if the weather is not wet and
cold too long. S. Valentine.
Hagerstown, Md., Feb. 16, 1883.
THE AMERICAJ^ BEE JOURNAL.
121"
Cellars Safest for Wintering Bees.
I commenced the spring of 1881 witli
1 colony, received 75 lbs. of surplus
comb honey, besides leaving a good
supply for winter ; had 1 swarm come
out, but it went to the woods. I
bought 5 colonies the following spring,
increased to 15, and have taken over
400 lbs. of surplus. I am wintering
part in cellar and part in chaff hives.
I think those in the cellar are doing
the best, but all are doing well. I
have about 75 lbs. of wax, which I
want worked up for my own use.
When would be the proper time to
have it worked in order to have it
fresh, and when ought I to commence
giving it to bees to draw out for my
young swarms V T. S. Johnson.
Bogart, O.
[You should get it made up soon, so
as to have it on hand when you want
to use it, which will be in the spring.
Insert a full sheet in the centre of the
brood nest only as fast as the bees will
use it. All that depends on the
weather, and the honey flow. — Ed.]
Chaff Packing Eaten up by Stock.
On Jan. 18 and 19 we had a blizzard
that has made havoc among our bees.
It was 20° below zero, on the 19th ; on
the 31st it again started at \(P below
zero, and has been cold up to the pres-
ent date. Most of the bees are win-
tered on the summer stands, packed
in sawdust and chaff. One thing with
our wheat chaff : the thrashing-ma-
chines do not take all the wheat out
of the straw and chaff, and it becomes
a harbor for mice, and they disturb
the bees too much during the cold
weather. One of my neighbors had
his bees packed in the old style of
stack hive, with corn fodder, and an
old cow just feasted on the fodder un-
til she had bared the most of his hives,
and it is much the same with lucern
chaff, if the calves get into the lots
where it is, they will be around all
night disturbing the bees and eating
the lucern. Jno. Dunn.
Tooele City, Utah, Feb. 12, 1883,
The Half-Pound Section Craze.
There seems to be a great deal of
enthusiasm displayed, for the past
few weeks, by some, in trying to in-
vent a half-pound section. While I
admired the good judgment, used by
some, in determining the proper size
and dimensions most desirable for
such sections, I must say that it seems
to me as if they are directing their
energies in the wrong way to aid in
the proKtable production of comb
honey at a reasonable price. I admit
that if but a few of these half-pound
sections were used, they might be sold
for a price that would pay for the ex-
tra cost and trouble, but I predict
that, if any are used, many will be
used, for this is Anurica; and few are
willing to be outdone in extravagance,
but the time will soon come when we
shall be unable to sell these half-
pound sections of honey for enough
more to pay for the extra cost, which
would be no small matter in large
apiaries, if we consider all the mani-
pulations, preparing for market, etc.
The retailer will want more profit, per
pound, for the trouble of selling a half-
pound package just as much as for a
pound. This I know by experience,
for in disposing of about 8,000 lbs. of
honey, during the past season, I had a
few cases of partly-filled sections, and
as they were well finished, I sent them
to a retailer who sold them out and
found no fault with the honey, but
said the per centage he received per
pound did not pay for the trouble of
handling, unless the boxes weighed
1 lb. each. Now, the question in my
mind is, can bee-keepers afford to in-
troduce anything smaller than one-
pound sections V Frank McNay.
Mauston, Wis., Feb. 10, 1883.
Wintering Bees.
I have 24 colonies of bees ; they are
in the cellar, and are all quiet, as yet ;
the uncapped honey was extracted, so
they have had capped honey to winter
on. The hives I make myself ; they
are 20 inches long, outside, by 15
wide ; frames run crosswise of the
hive. I use 2 division boards, and
winter the bees on 7 frames, and give
them from 10 to 15 lbs. of honey to the
colony, with a passage way through
each comb. In the winter of 1880-81
I lost 1 out of 9 ; increased to 34, and
sold 15. In 1881-82 I took 500 lbs. of
extracted honey from them. (I had no
losses in the spring of 1882.) From
the 19 colonies remaining I got 1,000
lbs. of extracted honey and 200 lbs. of
comb, and sold 10 colonies. I keep a
thermometer in my cellar ; it stood
from 4° to 8° above freezing, except 2
or 3 nights, thus far. When the mer-
cury was down to the freezing point,
they roared. John Benham.
Homer, Mich., Feb. 16, 1883.
Never Lost a Colony in Winter.
The mercury is up to 66°, this morn-
ing, and I have just examined 2 colo-
nies of bees, finding them in fine con-
dition ; one having orood in all stages.
I can hardly miss the honey they have
eaten ; but since they have com-
menced rearing brood, the honey will
go fast. I have yet to lose my first
colony in wintering. J. P. Mooeb.
Morgan, Ky., Feb. 16, 1883.
345 lbs. of Honey Per Colony.
I have hesitated for sometime to give,
in the Bee Journal, my success with
bees in 1882; but reading of so many
having large yields of lioney, I felt
that I was but a small bee man in the
business, which I readily concede. I
have been in the apicultural business
some 16 years, using the Langstroth
hive, and also a patron of the Bee
Journal, under the late Sam uel Wag-
ner, and always found it full of good
logic. Last spring I had 5 strong
colonies of bees (Italians and hybrids),
to start with. Tlie honey season was
one of the best I ever experienced.
From 5 colonies, I had 6 increase.
One colony gave 2 swarms, and some
of the others gave second swarms,
but I removed all queen cells and sur-
plus queens, and returned the swarms
to the present colonies. This stopped
their swarming. I caught 4 traveling
swarms by decoy hives, that contained
a few sheets of empty combs, making
my number 15 in the fall. My honey
crop was 1,725 lbs., or 345 lbs. per col-
ony, spring count. (9.55 comb, and 770
extracted.) Considering my explana-
tions below, all will certainly give me
credit for not exaggerating. Two
years ago this winter I lost all my
bees (35 colonies) ; leaving many good
frames of empty comb, of which I
took good care. As each of the 6
swarms came out, they were supplied
with these frames, as also those
caught in the decoys. There were but
2 colonies of the 15 but gave surplus
honey. For me to claim (as some do)
that all the honey comes from the first
5, would be unfair. This proves the
great advantage to be obtained by tak-
ing care of all surplus comb, as well as
benefits derived from foundation.
Mr. Editor, does this explanation sat-
isfy you that mine is a correct state-
ment V I have nothing to gain by a
misstatement, and nothing to lose by
straight talk. H. W. Wixom.
Mendota, 111., Jan. 27, 1883.
[The explanation is sufficient ; and
would account for a large yield.— Ed.]
More Light.
In the Bee Journal, page 27, Jan-
uary, 1883, is a report from Mr. W.
H. McLendon, Lake Village, Ark.,
headed " 200 lbs. from 1 colony."
After mentioning the amount of ex-
tracted and comb honey, he says, " as
well as 200 lbs. of beeswax from 70
colonies in the spring, and increased
them to 130, by natural swarming."
AVill Mr. McLendon be kind enough
to explain, through the Bee Journal,
how he obtained the large amount of
wax ? It will gratify some who have
kept bees for many years.
N. B. Tindall.
Grafton, HI., Feb. 8, 1883.
Bees in Dakota.
I started the season with 26 colo-
nies, in fair condition, but owing to
the cold rainy weather throughout
May and June, I was compelled to
feed my bees, to ka^p them from
starving. I had no early swarms, my
increase was obtained during the lat-
ter part of July and early in August.
I only got 16 swarms, giving me 42 col-
onies to put into winter quarters;
they were in good condition, and up
to the present time are doing nicely.
I took 2,200 lbs. of comb honey and
276 lbs. of extracted, making an aver-
age of 95}4 lbs to the colony, spring
count, which I consider very good for
last season. I use a double-walled
hive and winter on the summer
stands. I will give you the result for
the past 4 winters, as follows : In the
fall of 1878 I had 5 colonies, and lost
one during the winter. In the fall of
1879 I had 10 colonies, and lost none
during the winter. In the fall of 1880
I had 22 colonies, and lost one during
the winter. In the fall of 1881 I had 26
colonies ; lost none. Last fall I had
42, and as above stated, have done
nicely up to the present time ; although
122
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
the weather has been very severe since
Dec. 2.5. The Bee Journal failed
to put in an appearance this week for
the first time since 1 became a sub-
scriber. I have become so accus-
tomed to it that I am lonesome with-
out it ; the snow blockade must be the
cause. I hope it will make its way
through, for its bright pages are as
welcome to me as the smiling face of
a friend. W, M. Vinson.
Elk Point, Dak., Feb. 5, 1883.
Shipping Honey to England.
Please give a report of the proceed-
ings of the Northeastern Convention,
held Jan. 9 and 11, at Syracuse, in the
Weekly Bee Journal. I have been
expecting to see it, as usual, and I
have no doubt it will be interesting to
all who were not there. Would you
advise shipping prime extracted honey
to England, next year V Can 10c. net,
in bulk, be realized by shipping '{ An-
swer in Bee Journal.
J. E. Thom.
Streetsville, Ont., Feb. 9, 1883.
[The proceedings of the North-
eastern Convention have not yet been
received from the secretary, or they
might have been published.
As to shipping honey to England,
we advise you to write to honey deal-
ers in that country about the matter
of realizing 10 cents per pound, net,
in bulk.— Ed.]
All is Well.
The floods have done incalculable
damage. On the 15th and 16th in-
stant the weather was like summer;
the bees roared as they do in the
spring of the year. Our bees are safe,
so far. The winter has been wonder-
fully wet and changeable. I feared
the results, but—" all is well."
G. W. Demaree.
Christiansburg, Ky., Feb. 17, 1883.
Bee-Keeping iu Virginia.
My Report for 1882.— I ran 12 col-
onies for extracted honey ; they yielded
4 barrels of honey, or an average of
116 lbs. to the hive ; all of it sold at
IzYi cts. per pound, making $172.80.
I had some 300 lbs. of comb honey in
one-pound sections, which I sold at
12J^ cts. per pound. I cannot sell one
grade of honey here any higher than
another. When a customer comes to
me for honey, 1 sell him the kind he
wants ; if he wants it cut out of the
sections and put into a bucket, I cut
it out ; if he wants it stirred up, I
take a stick and stir it into a mush.
The same 12 colonies that gave the 4
barrels, also gave 72 frames of honey
nearly all full and capped, which I
took out late this fall. I do not know
what they will weigh, but I estimate
them, an average of 6 lbs., which
would make 432 lbs. ; this was gath-
ered from asters in September and
October. Northerners must stop
saying that we cannot produce as nice
honey in latitude .36° as they can in
40°. I will venture to say that South-
western Virginia and Northwestern
North Carolina produce as white
honey as anywhere on the globe. The
most beautiful honey I ever saw was
in Wilks Co., N. C. I do not know
what kind of flowers it was gathered
from, but I expect it was from sour-
wood. I have some honey that has
candied, when put on the table you
cannot tell it from light-colored but-
ter. I have produced sections almost
as white as snow. The flowers we
get our honey from are as follows :
The first to bloom in the spring are
elm and willow ; then comes locusts,
whortleberries and blackberries ; then
poplar and white clover, which is very
abundant; then follow linden, golden-
rod and buckwheat ; asters comes in
September and bloom until cold
weather. The mercury hardly ever
goes below zero, so our bees never
winter-kill, to any extent.
John Paris.
Town House, Va., Feb. 7, 1883.
Packed in Chaff— No Losses.
My 25coloniesof bees, that I packed
last fall, in the Langstroth hives, are
all right. They had a nice flight yes-
terday, and to-day I examined all of
them ; they have brood in all stages,
and some young bees are crawling
over the combs in several of the hives.
I packed my bees on the summer
stands, with wheat straw on the sides
and back end of hive, and chaff cush-
ions over the frames ; and I never lose
any bees in this way of packing.
A. T Kelly
Franklin, Ind., Feb. 16, 1883.
Lovely Weather in Florida.
The weather is lovely here now,
just what is wanted during the State
Fair. I have been out to the Fair
twice, and find the display of fruits to
be very good. The part of most in-
terest to the readers of the American
Bee Journal is the display of \V. S.
Elart, of New Smyrna. He has some
of the finest comb honey I ever saw ;
it, and his display of extracted honey,
cannot be beaten outside of Florida.
Mr. H. also has everything necessary
for successful bee-keeping.
H. G. Burnett.
Jacksonville, Fla., Feb. 15, 1883.
Statistical.
I sometimes tliink it would have
been better if the amount of founda-
tion used by each bee-keeper had
been included in the reports ; mine
would read as follows : 20 colonies,
fall of 1881 ; 20 colonies, spring of
1882 ; .58 colonies, fall of 1882 ; 300 lbs.
of comb honey ; 2,300 lbs. of extracted
honey ; 10 lbs. of beeswax ; and 100
lbs. of foundation used in brood
frames. Aug. J. Hintz, 20-58.
Lamont, 111.
Too Much Sorghum.
Yesterday, the thermometer being
about 45°, I walked out among my
bees, and found two colonies flying
briskly, daubing the entrance, front
of the hive and alighting-boards. The
others (20 in number), seem to be all
right now, but I fear they have too
much sorghum honey in the hives, as
there were several crops worked up
in this immediate neighborhood, and
thousands of my bees were destroyed
in the boiling fluid. There has hardly
been a week this winter that bees
could not fly. I use the Simplicity
hive, with division boards and chaff
cushions, and the two that seem to
have dysentery are better protected
than the others, having a large box
turned down over the hive. One of
the queens is a perfect beauty ; I ob-
tained it from Mr. H. C. Hersperger,
who, I think, has a very superior
strain of bees, as regards docility and
industry. I propose to test sei'eral
of the better strains during the com-
ing season, in an endeavor to find the
best. N.H.Rowland.
Keene, Ky., Jan. 31, 1883.
Mortality Among Unprotected Bees.
My bees, wintered on the summer
stands, had a flight to-day, the first
time since Dec. 23. I made a thor-
ough examination, and I find many
colonies in bad condition. They were
packed in sawdust. Those in the cel-
lar are wintering well. My neigh-
bors have bees left on the summer
stands, unprotected, and I looked over
several of them, and I feel safe in say-
ing more than half of them are dead.
It has been very cold ; as low as 36°
below zero on Jan. 22; the snow is
about 18 inches deep on the level, but
it is raining to-night. I fear the mor-
tality among the bees will equal, if
not exceed, that of 1880-81. I hope
Mr. Sorrick will call a convention at
Des Moines, as he has suggested.
if. Clark.
Palmyra, Iowa, Feb. 13, 1883.
Scarcity of Water in California.
The rain fall this winter, so far, has
been only 22i^ inches. Since 1878 the
rain has been insufficient, conse-
quently the surface of the country is
very dry, and, in the mountains, the
springs and streams are unusually
low. The general appearance of veg-
etation shows the effect of the drouth.
Last winter we had but little rain, un-
til February. The bee-keepers of
California were hoping for a wet win-
ter, as a good honey yield generally
follows such a winter. At present the
prospect for the bee-keepers is not en-
couraging, and, unless it rains soon,
California will not have honey enough
to supply the home demand.
J. E. Pleasants.
Carbondale, Cal., Feb. 5, 1883.
Sowing and Planting for Honey.
I see many favorable reports of the
honey crop for last year ; mine was as
favorable as any. As to the best
honey plant, there is nothing that ■
equals the bassvvood. Clover is also
spoken of, as being first-class ; I only
consider it second-class for quantity,
and that is governed by the season.
Care should be taken to have plenty
of bee pasture. To sow, plant and
cultivate is the only way to make the
business profitable. It is about time
for nurserymen and seed men to ad-
vertise in the Bee Journal, to get
the bee-keepers at work preparing for
the next spring. I shall want some-
THE AMERICAI^ BEE JOURNAL
123
thing of the kind, and desire to know
where I can do the best. Bees in this
locality are all right, up to this writ-
ing ; if the spring opens fairly, the
coming season, will be a prosperous
one. I take my opinion from the con-
dition of the soil. The freezes and
dry weather have not destroyed any
of the plants, as yet. I hope soon to
see some advertisements of plants and
seeds for the coming season, and also
to hear of interest taken in sowing
and planting — that prosperity may
abound among bee-keepers.
Thomas Prall.
Carlisle, Iowa, Feb. 3, 1883.
Bees Dneasy in the Cellar.
My bees are in frame hives ; some
of them are covered with gunny or old
coffee sacks placed on top of the
frames and a board laid on top of
that ; one is covered the same way
with heavy paper in place of the
gunny ; the others have a honey board
that fits the top of the hive, and a cap
that comes down over the top of the
hive and shuts it up tightly. They
are all well tilled with honey, and are
strong colonies. They are in a dark,
dry cellar, and those that have the
caps on are very uneasy, while those
with the gunny and paper on are quiet.
Should I take the caps off, and give
the hives ventilation at the top '?
Would it do to put lights in the cel-
lar, and let them fly in the cellar?
How warm does it need to be for
them to fly '{ W. T. Gkeen.
Union Pier, Mich., Feb. 16, 1883.
[By request, Mr. Heddon replies to
the above, thus : " I should have to
know further of the exact condition,
in every respect, of the two classes of
hives you mention, in order to account
for the difference in behavior of the
\ colonies. Try alterations of two or
three of the uneasy colonies, and note
I effects y Often colonies are very un-
easy and yet persist in wintering well.
By no means give them any induce-
ment to fly in the cellar, nor out-doors
until the temperature is right. Let
your cellar remain dark, and at such
temperature as that in which the bees
keep most quiet." If Mr. Green
wishes any further answer than the
above, he will please send particulars
to Mr. Heddon.— Ed.]
Sending Bees South for Winter.
On Feb. 6, at about 4 p. m., a gen-
tleman came into my oflice and said
to me : "I am E. T. Flanagan, of
Belleville, 111." After reciprocated
compliments, we went to the apiary
and examined bees and queens, until
it was too dark, when we returned to
the oflice, and we got so interested in
discussing bees, that it was nearly 9
o'clock when I thought of supper,
after which we resumed the subject,
and it was 2 o'clock in the morning
when we thought of bed. Next morn-
ing, after showing him my steam
factory, we went back hi the apiary,
and showed him how 1 reared queens.
and we also examined my 4 and 5
frame nuclei, wintering on their sum-
mer stands, etc. I am wintering 3.5
colonies of bees for him, which are to
be sent back to him by May 1, in-
creased to double and full of bees.
He has taken with him 5 of the best,
to Kennerville, La., so as to Italianize
100 colonies he has just bought there,
and they are to be doubled up and
sent back to him in May ; he has a
man tliere to attend to the bees, so
that he will get about 250 to 275 colo-
nies of bees in his apiaries at Belle-
ville, 111., by themiddleof May, strong
and in condition to gather a crop. He
says that he intends to send his bees
South every fall to winter, and have
them returned double in number by
the first week in May, and thus not
run the risk of wintering, and have
them home, etc. The cost of sending
me the colonies were 50 cents each ;
they will cost flo more to return, and
as far as I can calculate, they will not
cost him much over $2.50 each, in-
cluding the new queens for the divis-
ion, etc. P. L. VlALLON.
Bayou Goula, La., Feb. 9, 1883.
Had the Dysentery.
I put 70 colonies of bees, into win-
ter quarters, well Hlled with winter
stores ; 50 of them I put into an out-
side cellar on Nov. 15, especially pre-
pared for them, and they are doing
well. Some of tne 20, left on the sum-
mer stands, had the dysentery about
Jan, 20 ; these I moved into the cellar,
and it seemed to check the disease ;
as just as I saw symptoms of the dis-
ease I moved them in, until I have
only 7 left on the summer stands. I
see no more of the disease in those
that I moved into the cellar. Will
there be any danger of the disease
spreading in the cellar V
M. H. Lewis.
Green Top, Mo., Feb. 15, 1883.
[The cause having been removed,
the effect ceases ; there is no danger
of the disease spreading in the
cellar.— Ed.]
Expects a tJood Season tliis Year.
My 107 colonies of bees, up to the
present time, are in splendid condi-
tion ; they were put in the cellar Nov.
15, 1882, and will there remain until
natural pollen appears. I expect a
good honey season, this year ; last
year was a very poor one, but there
was a good demand for honey at 18
cts. per lb. F. G. Kinney.
Bristol, Ind., Feb. 22, 1883.
What Bees (Jet from Corn.
Bees had a glorious flight to-day ;
they flew from 11 a. m. till 4 p. m.;
they commenced cleaning house,
brought out some half-grown young
bees. Every colony is alive and
strong, one crawled up ray coat into
the back of my neck, and elevated me
a trifle. What is the use of breeding
any longer for the coming bee y VVhy
not get some of the bees Mr. Stewart
spealis of, tliat can split a corn stalk
from end to end, and just flood the
whole country with honey V I have
seen bees work in corn stalks late in
the fall, after the corn was cut up and
the sap oozed out of the stump, but
that is all. They gather pollen from
the tassels, early in the morning, and
on moist, cloudy days. If bees can
gather honey from corn stalks, there'
is corn enough grown in Illinois and
Iowa to float the United States navy.
James Ronian.
Villisca, Iowa, Feb. 20, 1883.
Maryland— Bees All Right.
I took off the cushions from vaj
hives and put one thickness of burlap
over them. They came through all
right, and had a good flight last Sat-
urday. I put wire screens over the
entrances, and to keep the bees from
suffocation, by the entrances being
clogged up, I tipped the hives back
a little. Thos. Thurlow.
Federalsburgh, Md., Feb. 19, 1883.
Symptoms of Disease.
Please give symptoms when the
bees have dysentery. Do the feces
look any different from the healthy
ones y Some of my bees are very un-
easy, and when they come out to the
air, they eject a great deal more feces-
than others. W. T. Green.
Union, Mich., Feb. 19, 1883.
[Y€s;the feces are yellowish, and'
the bees soil the entrance and combs,
their bodies being unusually dis-
tended. A good cleansing flight will
remedy the difficulty.— Ed.]
Bees Gathering Pollen.
My bees are all very strong in num-
bers, and are gathering pollen rapidly
now, and the queens are filling empty
combs with eggs. R. J. Adams.
Lakeport, Ark., Feb. 16, 1883.
Cold, but Bees are Comfortable.
We have had a very cold, change-
able winter. The mercury has been
29 times at and below zero. On the
16th it fell 20° in 3 hours. On the 27th
of last month it was 28° below zero.
Our 84 colonies are wintering nicely
in the house cellar, although it seemed
impossible to keep it as warm as it
should be ; they keep very quiet, and
show no signs of dysentery, and but
very few dead bees on the floor.
S. L. Vail.
Coal Creek, Iowa, Feb. 19, 1883.
Sealed Brood on Two Frames.
Last fall I packed 37 colonies of
bees. Yesterday and to-day they had
a good flight. I looked tliroiigh 22
hives and found sealed brood on two
frames ; some hatching, and all doing
well. Some I packed on the summer
stands ; the rest were put on a broad
board, 6 inches apart, the spaces Hlled
with straw, the hives faced the south,
and they were covered with boards,
extending well over the fronts ; corn
fodder was placed along, back of the
hives (the north side). I see no dif-
ference in the bees, between those
packed and the ones on the board.
Wm. G. Gosney.
Demossville, Ky., Feb. 16, 1883.
124
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
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name on the wrapper label of this
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month to which you have paid your
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this office get either a post office or ex-
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American Express money orders for
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the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 50 cents ;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Emerson Binders— made especially
for the Bee Jouenal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Notice.- Bee-Keepers, we call your
special attention to the advertisement
of Champion Bee-hive Manfactory. 2t
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
^"Postage stamps, of one, two or
three cent denomination, accepted for
fractional parts of a dollar; but money
is preferred.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMBKICAN BKB JOURNAL, t
Mondajr. 10 a. m., February 26. 1882. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotation!! of Cuah Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Extracted, dark 7o. llRhl, 9c. here.
BEESWAX— It is qu'.te scarce. I am paylnK 30c.
for good yellow wax, on arrival ; dark and off col-
ors, 17@i25c.
Al. H. Newman. 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement in the honey
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade.
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7@i)c. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there
is a large supply of Hrst-class quality on the mar-
ket. It brings 12®18c. on arrival.
BEES WAX— Comes in slowly and brings 20@30c.
per lb., according to quality. Chas. F. Muth.
Convention Ifoticeg.
Qaotatlonn or CommlsBlen Merchants.
CHICAGO. .
HONEY— The past month has not reduced the
stock of comb or extracted honey, the receipts
having been larger than the amounts taken for
consumption. Prices are weak and irregular,
ranging from Itic. to 18c. for white comb in the
smaller frames: dark, very little aelllDK, offered
at 12Vtoc. to 14c. Extracted, 8c. to loc, according
to color.
BEESWAX— 32®a3c. per lb. for good.
K. A. Burnett, ibi South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— For common qualities there is no de-
mand. In a small way strictly fancy Iota of either
comb or extracted might be placed at an advance
on quotations.
White comb, 14@17c.: dark to good, ll@I3c.: ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8^@9^c.: dark and
candied, ,^@7^c.
BEESWAX— We quote 25@28o.
Stearns & smith. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONBY-Very quiet; dull. Comb at 14®16c.,
strained, at HVfetuTii.c., extracted at 7Ji@8}^c.~lots
in small packages, more.
BEESWAX— Scarce, firm : quote choice at 28®
30c., dark at 22(a24c.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO.. 1 17 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is very slow, just now hardly anything
selling, stock on hand quite liberal. Sales stow at
19@20c. for best white 1 -lb. sections : I8(«)l9c. for
2-lb. Second grades not inquired after. Extracted
very dull at 9(g)Hic. in bbls. and ll@13c. in cans.
BEESWAX- Scarce, 28®30c.
A. c. KENDEL. lis Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— choice to fancy white clover honey
continues scarce and firm, but buckwheat and ex-
tracted honey alow and irregular.
Wequote: White clover, first quality, 1 lb boxes.
24(«J2,5c: fair to good, 22(0)230. : buckwheat, 15@I7c,
Extracted, clover, lo(rt,i3c.: buckwheat, 9@10c.
BEESWAX— There is only a moderate supply of
beeswax and prime lots held firmly.
Western pure, 30[a)32c : southern, pure, 31@33c.
D. W. QulNBY. m^ Park Place.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
^ lb. sections at 30c. : 1 lb. sections, 22@25c. : 2 lb.
sections, 20ii(j22c. E.\tracted. 10c. per lb. Good
lots ot extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
CROCKER & Blakk. ."iT Chatham Street.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
^^ The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday, April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G. W. Demaree, (Sec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
I®" The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKiuney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
1^" The next meeting of the Haldi-
mand. Out., Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Nelle's Corners on Sat-
urday, March 31, 1883, at 11 a. m.
H. Campbell.
1^ The Western Bee- Keepers' As-
sociation meets at Independence, Mo.,
April 28, 1883.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
The Eastern Michigan
Bee-
Keepers' Society, will hold Tts annual
meeting in Detroit, April 3, in Ab-
stract Hall, commencing at 10 a. m.
An interesting meeting is expected,
and bee-keepers are requested to send
items or questions of interest to the
secretary in time, that they may be
announced previous to the meeting.
A. B. Weed, Sec.
75 Bagg St., Detroit, Mich.
1^ The Central Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association holds its spring
convention at Lansing, in the State
Capitol building, on Tuesday, April
17, 1883, 9 a. m. Programme : Presi-
dent's address (Prof. A. J. Cook), on
Wintering Bees. Essays : S. C. Perry,
on Chaff Hives; C. Case, on Comb
Honey; O. S. Smith, on the Best Bee;
A. D. Benham, on Extracted Honey ;
Mr. Harper, on Queen-Rearing ; Mr.
Waldo, on Best Method of Wintering
Out of Doors, in Single- Walled Hives ;
E. K. Wood, on Sections ; and E.
Greenaway, on Comb Foundation. All
bee-keepers are invited to attend or
send essays, papers, implements or
anything of interest to the fraternity.
A full attendance is requested.
E. N. Wood, Sec.
North Lansing, Mich.
(^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
^f We have a few copies of our
pamphlet entitled " Bee Culture " left,
and have reduced the price from 40
to 25 cents each, or $2 per dozen.
50 Colonies Italian Bees
FOR SALE CHEAP.
Address,
9Atf
\f. J. ANDREfirs,
COLUMBI.\, TENN.
.<!>
dp) (5 OLDEST BEE PAPER
-''■ IN AMERICA '
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., MARCH 7, 1883.
No. 10.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Half-Found Packages for Honey.
In the report of the Eastern New
York Convention, given in this paper
(on page 131), it will be noticed that
the meeting deluded itself with tlie
idea that the editor of the Bee Jour-
nal had conspired with Boston honey
dealers, to force bee-keepers to use
half-pound sections.
Our readers will, no doubt, smile
(and perhaps laugh heartily) at the
absurdity of that convention " making
a man of straw, for the purpose of
knocking him over." We, certainly,
never had such a thought or desire,
and do not see how any one could be
insane enough to impute such a thing
to us. The facts are these : While
attending the Michigan State Con-
vention, last December, at Kalamazoo,
•when the subject of " Sections for
Honey " was being discussed, we
made some remarks about conforming
to the requirements of the trade, as
to the size of sections to be used, and
stated that some years ago people
were satisfied with six-pound boxes,
but in this progressive age they de-
manded sections, holding one or two
pounds ; and as a fact (or item of
news), we stated that a Boston Arm
had, during the past summer, sold a
lot of honey in half-pound sections—
but we did not advocate their use, or
request any one to adopt such a pack-
age ! That this was the case is
proved, beyond successful contradic-
tion, by the report of the secretary,
as published in the Bee Journal, on
page 792 ; which distinctly says :
" T. G. Newman remarked that he
icas not an advocate of half-pound sec-
tions; but, if they were used, they
should have a large surface," etc.
Again, in an editorial in the Bee
Journal for Jan. 10, page 18, we
used this language, in reference to the
half-pound section :
The Bee Journal would strongly
advise caution. Let it be thoroughly
discussed, and, then, let a few be tried
and, if they will increase the con-
sumption at good paying prices to the
producer, then mcrease the dose,
another year ; but do not attempt to
glut the market, else it may have the
opposite effect.
Mr. Ripley (who is alike condemned
with us) on page 35, remarks thus :
We have noted, with anxiety, the
discussion about the half-pound sec-
tion, and find that the demand is
credited to come from Boston, and we
want to set ourselves right with pro-
ducers in the matter.
In the first place, we want it dis-
tinctly understood that we do not
advise any one to use the half-pound
section exclusively. Mr. F. C. Bene-
dict expresses our views on the sub-
ject perfectly in your issue of Jan. 3.
No producer can afford to use half-
pound sections exclusively. One-
pound .sections are small enough to
please 95 out of 100, and producers
must respond in this proportion.
Notwithstanding all the caution,
our remarks are tortured to mean just
the opposite by that Convention, which,
in its report, has published to the
world " that Mr. Newman, editor of
the Bee Journal, should be censured
for his ofBciousness, in writing and
going about with Mr. Ripley, doing
all he could against the interest of
those to whom he looks for support."
That is sublime ' Not only have we
not written in favor of the adoption of
half-pound sections, but we have cau-
tioned against their general use ! Nor
did we go anywhere with Mr. Ripley,
(or any other man), doing all we could
either for or against any section ! !
If those men had solemnly " Be-
solved " that we advocated " a return
to black bees and box hives," were
" making war upon all improvements
in apiculture," defended the adulter-
ation of honey with glucose, " to the
injury of the producer "—and were
sufficiently insane to believe that " the
moon is made of green cheese " — they
would have been as near correct as
the "statement" and "resolution"
were, as published in their minutes.
Of course, the Bee Journal has
published discussions concerning half-
pound sections, giving arguments for
and against them. This is in the in-
terest of progress and improvement,
and if they are not to be used, dis-
cussion, free and untrammeled, will
kill them ; but, if they are desirable
all the resolutions of conventions and
anathemas of opposers, will be as chaff
in the whirlwind, for
" Truth is mighty, and wiil prevail."
The article on page 802, so strongly
condemned by the " resolution," gave
the views of Messrs. T. P. Bingham,
A. I. Root, James Heddon and Dr. C.
C. Miller on the best size to make a
section to hold a half-pound of honey.
After giving their ideas, we remarked
that the small sections (meaning those
holding one or two- pounds) and the
small pails of pure extracted honey
had killed off adulteration, by placing
pure honey within reach of the masses,
and that " any step that will aid in
popularizing the consumption of honey,
and bring it into universal demand,
will be welcomed by apiarists — no
matter if it be a half-pound section for
comb honey, or a five-cent pail for the
extracted." This was a hint that
such packages were among the possi-
hilities, in creating a universal demand
for honey, but did not in any way
advocate their adoption. We cannot
see, howevei^how any bee-keeper can
object to the sentiment expressed.
We are well aware that men of in-
fluence or position are often subjected
to misrepresentation and malignity
(be it in religion, politics or science),
but we had hoped (vainly, it seems)
that bee men would not indulge in
such luxuries! We have assiduously
labored to popularize the consumption
of honey, and thereby benefit pro-
ducers, and to be misrepresented and
maligned seems to be our reward ! —
Be it so ! We accept it as such !
126
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Electric Light and Electric Alarm.
—We have several times illustrated
arrangements for electric alarms for
tiie apiary. It now striijes us tiiat the
new electric apparatus can be made
useful in protecting our apiaries.
Concerning this new Lighter, the Neiv
York Real Estate Chronicle of Dec. 16,
1882, remarks as follows :
At last we can have the electric
light where it can do the most good.
Tliat is to say we can put it now on
our deslis, on our tables, on our man-
tel-pieces, anywhere in fact where a
clear, bright, sate ligliter is wanted.
The portaole electric lighter, patented
in 1879 and again in 1882, is now be-
fore us, and we look at it with sur-
prise and happiness. Surprise, because
it is evident how great a progress we
have made in the science of electricity;
happiness, because it gives us a clear-
er, better, more movable light than
any we liave ever enjoyed. Here is a
lamp, so-called, occupying only the
space of tive square inches, which can
be carried anywhere, and is besides an
ornament. By simply pressing upon
the knob to the full extent of the
spring (which connects with the bat-
tery) an electric current is produced
by which the spiral of platinum is
heated to incandesence and the light
is instantaneous. The material lasts
about two months and can then be
renewed at a small cost through any
chemist. It will not be long before
everybody will have a portable electric
lighter. The price ($5) is so low tliat
it cannot fail to become popular at
once. The principal office is at 22
Water Street, Boston, Mass.
(^ Correspondence waiting to be
published in the Bee Journal has
accumulated so much that we now
have on hand all that can be accom-
modated for the next three months,
and give our usual variety. This week
several Convention reports crowd our
columns so that we cannot give the
usual variety. In one of the Conven-
tion reports some one intimates that
we encourage Conventions in order to
get matter to Hll our paper — Instead of
this being true, we are seriously con-
sidering the necessity of omitting
everything in such reports but the
discussions that we may consider of
value to our readers. iThe business
portion is of but little interest to the
general reader. We expect to be
obliged to do this, to accommodate the
growing interest in apiculture and its
scientific unfoldment.
1^ Those who have written for the
Swede are hereby informed that he
has gone to live with Mr. II. H. Over-
myer, Lindsey, O.
^g" The California ApicuUurist has
been suspended.
Flax Culture for the Seed and the
Fiber, by Mr. II. Koelkenbeck, a flax
grower and manufacturer of twenty-
five years' experience in Russia, Ger-
many, Belgium, Ireland and America,
who is tlius remarkably fitted for the
preparation of such a work. American
flax growers cultivate an area equal to
about one-third of allthe'land planted
to flax in all other countries, that is,
about 1,127,300 acres. The value of
the product is only about $7.10 per
acre, because of the shameful waste
of the fiber. The value of the entire
crop is but $8,000,000, while the value
of the fiber, from this area, if properly
grown and cured, would be over
$40,000,000. Mr. Koelenbeck tells us
how this valuable crop may be saved,
and the flax industry built up in
America, by which we may save to
home industry over $200,000,000 per
year, now paid to other countries for
flax products. The pamphlet gives
full particulars on cultivation, seed
and saving the crop.
1^" Some are getting impatient on
not getting Alley's new book. We are
promised a shipment next week.
When they are received, all orders
sent to this office will be filled at once.
Tot the American Bee Journal,
How I Prevent After-Swarms.
JAIIES HEDDON.
He who has learned the laws govern-
ing the habits of bees, from practice,
as well as from theory,not only knows
and owns, but feels the facts he has
learned. The habit of swarming has
been and is still deplored by many bee-
keepers, not only on grounds of extra
labor of hiving, etc., but as detri-
mental to getting the largest yield of
surplus honey.
You will notice, at the same time,
that it " is not fair " for Smith to put
his yield from one colony and its in-
crease, against Brown's report of sur-
plus taken from one that did not give
any increase.
This plea was raised In Oleanings
when I proposed to pit Mr. Vander-
vort's large yield of comb honey from
one colony and its three swarms
against a lesser yield of honey from
Mr. Carroll's one "colony, that did not
swarm. Every man who objected, ad-
mitted that more surplus honey could
be taken with, than without increase.
This, I think, is correct, and just
what I tried to show, some 8 or 10
years ago, but was then considered a
little too " fresh." Too much inclined
to opposing the majority.
It is a fact, that the discovery of a
practical, efficient method of control-
ing increase, would be a great boon to
the keeper of many apiaries. As far
as I know, no such system is known.
I will proceed to give you a plain,
simple method that I have used suc-
cessfully for the prevention of after-
swarms. Let us suppose that colony
No. 14 swarms June 14. With a non-
erasive crayon we mark upon the hive
O, June 14, and on the hive in which
we put the swarm, S, June 14. Thus,
we distinguish the old colony from the
swarm at a; glance, as we make these
marks in large figures. When we
hive the swarm (always on full sheets
of wired foundation), we place itclose
on the north side (our hives front the
east) of the old colony, with the en-
trance turned northward, away from
the old colony, about 45°. As soon as
the swarm is well at work, having
their location well marked (say two
days), we turn the hive around parallel
with the old colony. Now both hives
face east, sitting side by side, and
close together. Sometimes, however,
being governed according to the size
of tlie swarm, as compared to the
number of bees left in the parent col-
ony, we place the newly-hived swarm
on the old stand, putting the old colony
through the process above described.
In fact, we do this most of the time.
Now, you will remember, that while
each colony recognizes its individual
house, they are, at the same time, as
regards all other colonies in the yard,
practically in one location, or on one
stand.
Now, the dates on the back ends of
the hives plainly indicate that second
swarming will take place in about 8
days. In about 6 or 7 days (according
to season or weather) after this date
on the hives,we remove the old colony
to a new location.
As we do this at such time a-day
as most bees are in the field, this de-
populates the old colony, giving the
force to the new, leaving too few bees
for the young misses to divide, and as
they at once recognize this fact, they
fight it out on the Tine of the " survival
of the fittest." It may be proper, just
here, to say a few words regarding
how we manipulate the surplus de-
partments of these two hives, as it
may have sometliing to do with the
object in view. Let us suppose that,
at the time of swarming, that the old
colony was working in three 28 one-
pound section cases. Suppose the upper
one to be ,?4 completed, the middle one
about }i, the lower one just started.
We win put two (which two, only the
minor circumstances in the case can
decide) on the swarm when first hived,
leaving one, and, sometimes, we get
another to put with it, on the old hive.
Perhaps this surplus room on the old
colony also has a tendency to prevent
swarming.
I fancy I hear some one say, "What !
all this surplus room over a swarm
just hived ?"
Yes, you see, but this article is not
on how to produce comb honey, but
the prevention of after-swarms, and
while we think the success of the
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
127
above method will lie quite clear to
those who are familiar with the in-
stincts of the bee, it will be further
understood that the proper manipu-
lation of the details is an important
part, and can only be gained by expe-
rience. The success of this plan we
know by experience, and its strong
points are that it can be safely, surely
and practically manipulated without
hunting queens, or queen-cells, or even
opening a hive. It only needs to be
properly executed to be thoroughly
appreciated.
Dowagiac, Mich.
For tbe American bee Journal.
Robbing the Inventors.
DR. B. B. SOUTHWICK.
I notice in the Journal much talk
about the " one-piece section," sug-
gesting ways and means to get rid of
paying the man that has introduced
them, anything for his time and money
spent in bringing them before the
public, which is always more trouble
than getting it patented. Prof. Cook
also suggests that bee-men club to-
gether and have a friendly law suit,
to see if the originator can hurt them
if they do rob hiiu. (I thought better
of the Professor than that.)
The action of these men remind me
of the boy that stole the apples. He
saw a basket of nice apples in the
corner of the fence. He saw no one
near. He had nearly filled his pock-
ets when a man, near by, asked what
he was pocketing those apples for.
The boy said he not know whose they
were. The man replied, "you know
whose they are not." So with all
these men ; they know that they have no
right; the introducer lias the right
that is allowed to all nations, the
right of discovery ; and no man has
any moral right to the thing, unless
by agreement with the one that dis-
covered it and brought it forward.
Suppose you unite and have a
friendly (V) law suit, and beat; you
will have the pleasure of congratulat-
ing each other on having the longest
purse, being able to hire the biggest
lawyers to pull the wool over the eyes
of a jury. But that will be the pleas-
ure of tyi-ants, in grinding down their
subject's, because they have hired sol-
diers to do it.
I have no interest in, and I sincerely
hope I may never become so insane as
to desire to use the one-piece section.
Tliose who wish to manufacture or
use the section, should take the advice
of a man (who is not a Christian, but
believes in doing right, because it is
right): unite together and give Mr. F.
a small royalty (say 25c. on a thousand
more or less), for all that are manu-
factured in the next five years. That
would give him a fair remuneration
for time and money spent. How much
better yon would all feel if you were
using a section that you knew had no
dishonesty or injustice connected
with it, anywhere ; and that you were
not liable to be drawn into a suit that
would cost ten times what your sec-
tions were worth V
Mendou, Mich.
For tbe American Bue JournaL
Bees in a Cellar Flooded with Water.
HARRIS PEARSON.
For the benefit of those who have
wet or damp cellars to winter their
bees in, I will give my experience.
On Nov. 1.5, 1880, 1 put 40 colonies of
bees into my cellar, which is very
damp, with water standing in places
around the bottom. The hives were
put into a room 13x8 feet, and were
raised from the ground 16 inches. The
cellar is ventilated by a 3-inch tile
drain, running 3 rods to its mouth,
and a m inch pipe passing from the
bee room through the top of the cellar
wall and up 12 feet on the outside of
the house. The cellar was damp tliro'
Dec. and Jan., and I feared the result.
About the middle of February we
had a heavy rain storm, which caused
all low places to fill up with water.
The mouth of the cellar drain is
near a sluiceway, which crosses the
highway, which, being frozen up, the
water could not pass through ; conse-
quently it backed up, the cellar drain
filling the cellar to a depth of 16
inches, reaching to the bottoms of the
lower tier of hives.
After about .30 hours the sluiceway
thawed out,and the water disappeared,
leaving the cellar as wet as it could
possibly be. The hives remained
standing as when put in, until April
15, 1881, when I carried them out, and
found all colonies in good condition
but two, and they had been destroyed
by the mice.
1 have now 65 colonies in my cellar ;
they have been in since Nov. 15 ; they
are all quiet, and wintering finely.
Gouverneur, N. Y., Feb. 26,1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Sweet Clover not a Noxious Weed.
L. H. SCUDDER, 63-148.
At the Northwestern Convention at
Chicago, last fall, it was stated that
the laws of Illinois made it a penal
offense to introduce or plantinelilotor
sweet clover, and after some discus-
sion in regard to the matter, Mr. M.
M. Baldridge and myself were ap-
pointed a committee to investigate,
and if we found any such laws in ex-
istence to try and secure the repeal of
the same during the present session
of our legislature.
I do not understand that any formal
report was required of us, certainly
not until the next meeting of the So-
ciety, therefore I will report what
action I have taken in the matter, and
will ask Mr. Baldridge to give us,
through the Bee Journal, the re-
sults of his investigation.
I have examined the statutes of Illi-
nois carefully and cannot find the
name mentioned. There are only two
plants named, viz. : Canada thistles
and castor beans, which, by the laws
of Illinois, are declared "noxious
weeds." It is true that the law seems
to imply that there are other noxious
weeds and fixes the same penalty for
introducing as those above named It
is evident that the burden of proof
would rest on the complainant, and if
he failed to establish the fact of the
noxious character of the plant, tlie
case would fail. Therefore, I con-
clude that if sweet clover is as valu-
able as we believe it to be, we should
have no hesitancy in giving it a fair
trial. I have not been able to find any
conclusive evidence to convince any
one that the introduction of sweet
clover could be objected to by any
reasonably disposed person.
The Farmers' Practical Encyclope-
dia speaks of it as a good honey plant,
but " spreading as a persistent weed."
If that is the worst that can be said of
it, let us raise as much of it as we .see
fit, trusting that the good will over-
balance the evil, enough to make all
feel friendly towards it.
New Boston, 111.
For the American Bee Journal*
Comb Honey Rack.
JOHN T. SMITH.
I send to the Bee Journal a sam-
ple of my improved honey rack for
holding the 4^x414 sections. I send
two racks ; they cover one hive ; one
full of sections in place, and one,
empty. 1. I can use one rack at a
time on light colonies or box hives ;
2. I can tier up, one upon another, on
strong colonies, without adding more
than one at a time ; 3. By having each
tier J4 inch apart I can get the honey
off as fast as it is finished, as I can
work in between the other tiers ; 4.
By taking off honey as fast as finished
the combs are nice and white, the bees
keep at work all the summer, and do
not get the rack completed, but have
partly finished ones to keep them en-
couraged ; 5. Tiie shape of the rack is
such that the bees cannot glue the
sections fast or soil the same ; 6. By
being J^ inch inset for sections to set
in the rack, separators can be used
resting on the top edge of the rack,
leaving % inch space below the sepa-
rators, for bees to pass through ; 7.
By using the rubber cord to hold the
sections in place it holds all tight in
dry weather or damp, and the cord is
not in the way when tiering up; 8.
I can take the sections out of the
rack and turn one of the racks upside
down on the top of the hive, for winter
use, that forms the best of winter
passage over the top of the frames. I
like it as well as " Hill's Device " for
that purpose ; 9. In taking out and
replacing sections, the bearing is so
small that I do not kill as many bees
as with other racks, where the bearing
comes on the entire bottom of the sec-
tion. In tiering up I do not raise the
rack, but raise one tier, 6 sections, at
a time ; putting the empty ones at the
bottom, and partly filled ones on top.
I have 83 colonies of bees in winter
quarters ; part of them are packed in
chaff, on the summer stands, and part
are in the cellar. I used the rack on
them last summer with the best of
satisfaction, as have all the bee-keep-
ers in this vicinity.
Bellevue, Mich.
[The rack is placed in the Museum
for the inspection of visitors.— Ed.]
128
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
muT£sM
For tbe Americiin Bee Journal.
Northeastern Michigan Convention.
In inirsuance to a call, the bee-
keepers of Northeastern Alichigan
met at Flint, Tuesday, Feb. 13, and
organized what will henceforth be
known as " The jSfortheastern Michi-
gan Bee-Keepers' Association." A
constitution and by-laws was adopted,
and the following oflicers elected :
President, R. L. Taylor, Lapeer;
Vice-President, Dr. L. C. Whiting,
East Saginaw; Secretary, W. Z.
Hutchinson, Rogersville ; Treasurer,
Ijyron Walker, Capac. The next an-
nual meeting is to be held on the first
Wednesday in March, 1S84, in Lapeer.
After the election of officers, the
appointing of acommittee on exhibits,
and the decision as to the place of
next meeting had been arrived at,
and the president and secretary liad
been instructed to call a special meet-
ing just before the meeting of the
State Association next December,
the convention adjourned until 1:30
p. m.
At 1:30 the meeting was called to
order by President Taylor. The first
subject for discussion was that old,
but ever interesting one, of
Winterinq Bees.
Dr. L. C. Whiting : I would have a
good colony ; a good queen, good
brood, and an even temperature.
Dr. Rulison : 1 would feed plenty
of granulated sugar, and winter in
the cellar. Would have the cellar well
ventilated and diy; the temperature
between 32^ and 35^, and keep no veg-
etables in it.
Prof. Cook : Why would vou have
the cellar dry '?
Dr. Rulison : Because the water at
one time leaked into my cellar.
Where the water came in, a colony
died, and the combs were very moldy ;
at the dry end of the cellar the bees
wintered best.
Prof. Cook : I have wintered bees
five years successfully in a cellar, in
which the water stood one foot deep,
what do you think of that ?
W. Z. Hutchinson : Within the last
few days I have had the pleasure of
visiting Mr. J. il. Robertson of Pewa-
mo. He has 350 colonies in an out-
of-doors cellar. There is a spring in
the cellar, but, when I was there, the
water had not yetcomraenced to flow,
and Mr. R. was shoveling snow into
the cellar by the bushels. The snow
gradually melted, and the atmosphere
was so damp that it could be almost
felt. The bees were in splendid con-
dition. 1 have no hesitation in say-
ing that they were the finest lot of
bees that I have seen this winter.
Clark Simpson : Poor honey often
causes dysentery. Bee-ket^pers often
make a mistake in extracting their
early-stored, well-ripened lioney, and
letting the bees fill their combs with
fall honey, which is often of poor
quality. I think the walls of chaff
hives are usually made too thick.
Byron Walker : I would like the ex-
perience of Mr. Simpson that induced
him to think that chaff hives should
have thinner walls.
Clark Simpson: When the walls
are thinner, tlie bees receive the benefit
of the sun's warmth.
Dr. L. C. Whiting: One winter I
had hives facing in different direc-
tions. The only ones that survived
the winter were those with tlieir en-
trances facing towards the south.
Probably the sun kept the entrances
thawed open.
Dr. Rulison : I have known bees to
winter well, buried deeply in snow.
J. L. Wilcox : I have kept bees 25
years ; I fasten them in the hives dur-
ing the winter, and have never lost
many colonies.
Byron Walker : I think the protec-
tion that bees liave, may have some-
thing to do with whether they can be
fastened in without harm. When
bees were heavily covered with chaff,
and they became uneasy, I have re-
moved the chaff, and the bees soon
quieted down. The kind of winter
stores that the bees have, has much
to do with how they winter.
T. C. Pollock : I do not advise shut-
ting bees into their hives. I leave a
space above the bees in the cap. My
bees winter best in the dampest part
of my cellar. I would not advise bee-
keepers to take away the best honey
and compel the bees to winter on late
gathered honey, that may be of poor
quality.
L. E. Welch : 1 consider it of the
greatest importance that the bees
should be kept in an even temperature.
Prof. Cook : I agree with Mr. Welch,
but there are many other things be-
sides temperature that must receive
attention. I once poured water over
every opening in the hive. This was
during freezing weather, and the bees
were completely frozen in, or sealed
up with the ice. Snow was then
shoveled over the hives. The bees
came through all right, but I would
not advise such methods.
L. E. Welch : Although I consider
an even temperature of great impor-
tance, yet I will admit that good food
is also important.
Prof. Cook : I have visited the bee
cellars of D. A. Jones, of Beeton, Can-
ada. The walls are 3 or 4 feet thick,
being filled with sawdust. Each cellar
is supplied with air through 8-inch
tile that are laid beneath the frost
line, and reach the open air at a dis-
tance of 200 feet from the cellar. The
cellars are ventilated at the top.
There is also an ice-box over each
cellar ; by putting ice into these the
temperature can be controlled during
the warm spring days. I would not
carry bees out during the winter, un-
less they become uneasy, and were
soiling their hives.
R. L. Taylor : Bees sometimes be-
come uneasy, and then quiet down
again without being carried out of the
cellar.
L. E. Welch : Perhaps they move
about, cluster in a new place, and be-
gin to feed upon a better quality of
honey, and hence they quiet down.
Byron Walker : I have tried sub-
earth ventilation, but it failed unless
the bees were furnished with proper
food. I do not think the late gathered
honey is always of the best quality.
Prof. Cook : Late gathered honey
may not always be natural honey : it
may be the product of plant lice.
W.Z.Hutchinson: I have 11 colo-
nies out of doors. Some of them are
now dead from dysentery, and I think
tliey will all die except one, which is
in good condition. This fortunate
colony had all of its honey extracted
last fall , and was fed granu lated sugar.
Clark Simpson : I would not put
more tlian 50 colonies in one cellar. I
would have the cellar frost proof, and
well ventilated. Would be sure that
the bees had good food, and that the
hives were so arranged that they
would not be jarred.
Dr. L. C. Whiting: H my bees
needed feeding, I would feed them
honey that I have put away for that
purpose.
Prof. Cook : Yes, doctor, but if we
had no honey laid away, then what
should we feed V
Cxeo. W. Hand : I would feed the
best white sugar. I have taken bees
that my neighbor was going to brim-
stone, fed them upon white sugar,
and carried them through all right.
Dr. Whiting : 1 can shake the bees
off the combs in the fall, extract and
sell the honey, go visiting during the
winter, buy bees in the spring, and
make more money than you can by
wintering your bees.
W. Z. Hutchinson : And I can
scrape up the bees that you shake off,
feed them sugar, sell them back to
you in the spring, and have more
money left than you will.
Clark Simpson : I knew of a man
who wintered a colony of bees without
combs, by feeding them sugar, and
occasionally rye flour. The bees filled
their hives with combs during the
winter.
Can the production of honey be overdone f
Dr. Rulison : I sell my honey in my
home market— have educated the
people to eat it. If the people are
only educated to eat honey, they will
eat all that we can produce.
M. D. York : I will sell my honey
in my home market. Many people
eat honey now who never thought of
eating it until it was produced in
their neighborhood, and their atten-
tion was called to the matter.
J^r. Rulison : As long as there are so
many losses during the winter, there
will be but little danger of the busi-
ness being overdone.
Dr. Whiting : Now that the mar-
kets of the Old W'orld are opened up
to us, we can sell all of the honey that
we can produce, and that, too, at good
prices, if we send the Europeans
nothing but good, pure honey.
Prof. Cook : C. F. Muth, of Cincin-
nati, who has had a very large experi-
ence in handling honey, says that we
need have no fears of over production
if we will only stop adulteration, so
that the people will have confidence
enough to buy the honey.
M. D. York : We have not labored
entirely in Viiin ; the people are be-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
129
comiiift educated ; just let me give an
illustration : Last fall, to till out an
order, I was obliged to till two jars
witli extracted honey that had just
been melted up. A week or two after-
wards, as I was in the store where the
honey was on sale, the proprietor
called me to one side and said : " You
might just as well carry home those two
jars of liquid honey ; no one will buy
them ; people are beginning to lind out
that pure honey will granulate upon
the approacli ot cool weather." I ex-
plained the circumstances to him, and
the condemned honey was sold before
I left the store.
The essentials of a (jood location.
Byron Walker: I would prefer a
location in which the bees can tind
honey to gather as soon as it is warm
enough for them to fly. Raspberries
are excellent honey producers. Fall
flowers are more certain to yield honey
than tliose that blossom earlier. I
would not advise any one to run away
from white clover and basswood, but
to take in the swamps and fall flowers,
if possible.
L. C. Whiting : I would like a loca-
tion that has willows, soft maples,
barb maples, white clover, basswood ;
in fact, 1 want a succession of bloom.
M.D.York: I have sowed alsike
to help furnish a succession of bloom,
but tlie honey is of poor quality com-
pared to white clover or basswood.
Prof. Cook : It seems to me, Mr.
York, tliat you must be mistaken ;
are you certain that it was alsike
cloveV honey that you found of poor
quality y
M. t>. Y'ork: Yes, I am certain.
Tlie bees were working upon nothing
else ; and I extracted it before they
commenced to work on anything else.
W. Z. Hutchinson : I, one year, had
300 pounds of alsike clover honey, and
nothing could be Hner. It has a pink-
ish color, wliile the flavor, although
distinct, is very pleasant.
Prof. Cook : Instead of moving to a
location near swamps, would it not be
better to cultivate honey producing
plants V Some have reported obtain-
ing excellent results by cutting alsike
clover just before it blossoms, thus
bringing it into bloom after the close
of the basswood honey harvest.
D. Shangle : I have sowed alsike
clover with wheat. It made such a
growth that, when the wheat was cut,
tlie clover also was cut. The clover
grew up again, blossomed and pro-
duced hone v.
W. Z. Hutchinson : Mr. J. H. Rob-
ertson advises pasturing alsike until
the last of .June. By this method he
says that two crops can be obtained ;
one crop of honey and one of seed.
Comb Foundation.
Prof. Cook : I have used foundation
ever since it was flrst sent out by
"John Long,"' or whoever he was.
and I am becoming more and more
convinced, each year, tliat it is one of
the greatest inventions that has ever
been given to bee-keepers ; I do not
think, however, that drone foundation
is going to be used.
R. L. Taylor : I consider foundation
invaluable. One of its greatest ad-
vantages is that it enables us to con-
trol the production of drones. I have
used the flat-bottomed foundation in
boxes, and with this I have found a
" flsh bone " in the honey. By fllling
the boxes with foundation, the bees
build their comb straighter and
quicker. I have given the bees a
frame of foundation, late in the after-
noon, and the next day found it drawn
out and tilled with eggs. I have used
all kinds of foundation, and, unless it
is wired it will sag. In light colonies,
or cool weather, it may work very
well, but in full colonies, or hot
weather, it will sag, warp or break
down. If it sags, the top cells are
drawn out so large that drones will be
reared in tliem. With the Given
press the foundation is made directly
into wired frames, thus saving all
trouble of fastening in the foundation.
J. H. Wellington : I have nothing
to say against wired foundation or
wired frames, but I do wish to say a
word in favor of the flat-bottomed
foundation. I have used it very thin,
and found no " flsh bone " in the
honey. Perhaps Mr. Taylor may have
used thicker flat-bottomed founda-
tion than I did.
L. C. Whiting : I wish to put in a
word in favor of the flat-bottomed
foundation. I have used the Given
foundation, but the bees gnawed it
out before the honey flow came. It
may be because the Given was softer
than the flat-bottomed.
W. Z. Hutchinson: May not the
quality of the wax have something to
do with this ?
R. L. Taylor : So large a surface of
the flat bottomed foundation receives
pressure that it makes the founda-
tion too hard, and instead of drawing
out the wax tlie bees build on it.
J. II. Wellington : I have always
noticed that tlie base of the cells were
worked into a natural shape.
Dr. Rulison : I have used a great
deal of foundation, and prefer that
which is wired.
M. D. York : I use the regular
Langstroth frame, and have kept the
foundation from sagging by using
wliat are called Cheshire rakes, but it
is a very troublesome method.
D. Shangle: I use no wires, and
have no trouble from sagging. My
hives are 1 inch larger, each way,
than the regular Langstroth.
Dr. Rulison : I live near Mr. Shan-
gle, and I would say that he makes
his foundation very heavy.
D. Shangle : I dip the boards three
times. If tlie wax is very hot I some-
times dip once or twice more.
H. A. Fenner had used foundation 6
or 7 feet to the lb., and it did not sag.
L. C. Whiting : I have used founda-
tion in which there was some para-
ffine, and it always stretched badly.
Prof. Cook : I have used the flat-
bottomed foundation, and I must say
that the bees did not work it out very
readily.
Byron Walker : I would not have
foundation, for any purpose, made
heavier tlian 6 or 7 feet to the pound.
Praf. Cook : I have seen them mak-
ing foundation at Mr. Jones', and
they reverse the dipping board each
time they dip it, thus making the
sheets of uniform thickness.
R. L. Taylor : There is a great dif-
ference in wire ; some is " springy "
and will tangle up. other kinds give
no trouble ; get that, that does not
"tangle." I wind the wire around a
board, and the board is of such a
length that when the wire is cut
where it passes around one end of the
board, the pieces of wire are just the
right length for wiring a frame.
Mr. Taylor then had his Given press
brought into the room. A dish of
water was brought to him. He put
one or two pieces of concentrated lye,
as large as a kernel of corn, upon the
dies, wet an old shoe brush in the
water, and with it washed the lye all
over tlie dies. Some wired frames
were piled beside the press, the small
bundle of sheets of wax that had been
lying behind the stove were handed
to Mr. Taylor, when presto, the wired
frames tilled with the beautiful foun-
dation were soon being passed about
the room amid the clapping of hands
and exclamations of delight. A hearty
vote of thanks was extended to Mr.
Taylor for bringing the press and
showing the manner in which it
worked.
Mr. Shangle had an Olm foundation
machine on exhibition, and wished
to show how it worked, but had not
the proper lubricator there.
Overstocking.
Prof. Cook : I think it well-nigh
impossible to overstock a locality. If
there is plenty of honey it is difficult
to have bees enough to gather all of
it ; if no honey is secreted, it makes
little difference whether there are few
bees or many.
Clark Simpson : The secretion of
honey is so rapid that I consider it
impossible to overstock a locality.
Byron Walker : I have noticed that,
wherever a few colonies of bees are
kept just out of my range, they al-
ways give better results than I get
from my large apiary.
J. H. Wellington : There was, at
one time, 600 colonies kept in the city
of Saginaw, and my partner (Mr. O.
J. Hetherington) and myself were
obliged to move most of our bees out
into the country in order to get any
surplus. We kept just enough bees
at home to show that we were in the
business.
Different varieties of bees.
Prof. Cook : I consider the Italians
better than the blacks, and the Syr-
ians better than the Italians. The
Syrians are more prolitic, and are ex-
cellent honey gatherers.
Clark Simpson : The Syrians are
worse to swarm ; but, for all of that,
I like them. ^ ,
Prof. Cook : It has been reported
that they do not seal their honey
properlv. Did you notice anything of
that kind V , ^
Clark Simpson : Nothing of the
kind, they make as nice comb honey
as any bees.
M D. Y'ork: I had a colony of
Syrians, last season, that outstripped
an Italian colony that was its equal
in all respects that could be discerned.
D. Shangle : I have tried blacks,
Italians and Syrians, and the blacks
130
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,.
made tlie most comb lioney, except-
ing some hybrids that I have had.
Dr. Rulisoii : I would not take a
swarm of blacks, and keep tliem
black, if you would give them to me.
Nothing suits me better than pure
Italians. I do not want the Syrians,
because they swarm so much, and be-
cause they are so cross. I do not like
the black bees, because the moths
trouble them so much, and because
they are not of an even " tempera-
ment." Neither do I want imported
stock ; good, pure, home-bred Italians
are good enough for me.
Byron Walker : I like the black
bees because they do not swarm so
much, and because they are the ones
that pile up the comb honey ahead of
anything else.
M. D. York : I have tried the blacks
and Italians, side by side, for three
years, and have discarded the blacks.
1 think that many discard the Ital-
ians because they do not understand
them. The Italians and Syrians
swarm more, simply because they are
more prolific. I practice putting a
swarm into a hive from which a
swarm has Issued a day or more pre-
vious ; there is then spent that en-
ergy that a new swarm always has, in
making comb honey in the boxes.
J. H. Wellington : Our hybrids
beat everything in making comb.
The committee on exhibits reported
as follows :
Mr. President, your committee on
exhibits reports a very large exhibit.
Our president, R. L. Taylor, of La-
peer, exhibits a Given press, wired
frames, a Chapman press for piercing
frames for wires, and comb founda-
tion. Mr. Taylor, like all owners of
the Given press, is very enthusiastic
in its praise. He also showed how
the press worked.
M. S. West, of Flint, shows crates,
comb honey, extractor, hives with
Langstroth frame, also one with Gal-
lup frame, half-pound sections, and a
plan of a bee house presented by his
daughter.
J. H. Wellington, of Saginaw, pre-
sents hives with reversable frames, a
Bingham smoker, and a Bingham and
Hetherington honey knife. He values
the reversible frame very highly.
Reversing causes the bees to fasten
the combs to the bottom bars, and
sets the bees to carrying the honey,
that is stored near the top bars, into
the sections.
Mr. Clark Simpson, of Flushing, ex-
hibits side-opening hive with arrange-
nient for side-storing and chaff pack-
ing; a home-made, cold-blast smoker,
combination seat and tool box, and a
lamp nursery for hatching queens.
In this combs are not put, but the
queen-cells are cut out and placed in
separate apartments. With no honey
accessible, Mr. Simpson says that the
young queens will not kill each other.
Rulison & Simpson, Flushing, ex-
hibit fine samples of extracted honey.
D. Shangle, Hazleton, shows the Olm
foundation machine. He lubricates
the rolls with thin flour starch.
L. E. Welch, Linden, shows a Sim-
plicity hive with Gallup frame, crate
filled with half-pound sections, and
wood separators.
Byron Walker, Capac, presents one-
piece sections, and combined storing
and shipping crate. His sections have
no recesses, out have, instead, projec-
tions on the ends. His section are 1 J|
wide, and he uses no separator. His
crate can be used at the side, top, or
even in the middle of the brood nest.
August Koppen, Flint, exhibits a
chaff hive with bottom board filled
with chaff, and a large extractor with
automatic arrangement for turning
the combs.
W. Z. Hutchinson exhibits several
neat pails of granulated honey, to-
gether with a stand for holding them
while they are on sale in a store, a
Bingham smoker, and a cold-blast
smoker from Mr. Kemp, samples of
all the bee papers, some bee books,
and a photograph medley showing
about 1.50 bee-keepers.
Dr. L. C. Whiting, East Saginaw,
shows a Scoville smoker, a section
crate, and brood section frame with
only three sides, one side of which is
sheet iron, which enables the opera-
tors to easily remove the sections.
A. J. Cook, L. C. Whiting, W. Z.
Hutchinson, Committee on Exliibits.
Twenty-nine members were en-
rolled ; the best of feelings prevailed,
and, if the future meetings are as
good as the one that has just passed,
the Association will be a decided suc-
cess. W. Z. Hutchinson, Sec.
Eastern New York Convention.
The annual meeting of the Eastern
New York Bee-Keepers' Association
was called to order by President Ten-
nant, at Albany, Jan. 2, at 2:30 p. m.
The secretary being absent, T. Houck
was appointed secretary pro tem. The
minutes of the last meeting were read
and approved. The president made a
very appropriate and interesting ad-
dress. Adjourned to 10 a. m.
President Tennant called the meet-
ing to order at 10 a. m., and Secretary
Quackenbush's report was read and
accepted, and his bill was ordered
paid. Tlie treasurer's report was read
and accepted ; showing $15.58 in the
treasury.
An essay by G. W. House was read,
the main points of which were as fol-
lows : " The Western bee-keepers
labor for their united interests, by
protection to their journals ; by the
advocacy of their fancied superiority
of some work published, or the use of
some implement manufactured in the
West, and by a unity of action to keep
us in the East disunited. Under the
existing circumstances, I will venture
to say that beyond the meeting and
hand-shaking of friends, and the mak-
ing of new acquaintances, conven-
tions, as generally managed, are not
beneficial to tlie specialist. I am now
fully satisfied that publishing our
minutes works positive injury to the
Assocation and its members. It
damages the society by driving there-
from our most eminent apiarists, who
do not care to give to the world their
discoveries and inventions, and then
be abused and dictated to by novices.
They would rather reserve what they
know of value, and learn what they
can from the publication of our pro-
ceedings. The members of the society
are injured because many penurious
bee-keepers will remain at home, in-
stead of giving you their attendance,
and assist in sustaining tlw Associa-
tion, knowing that they can read the
proceedings at their leisure."
This essay called out considerable
discussion. " Mr. Vroontian favored
publishing the proceedings ; also that
County Conventions send delegates to
State Conventions ; that many bee-
keepers would not go so great a dis-
tance to attend a State Convention ;
that the delegate should be regularly
elected at the County Convention,
and delegate pay their own expenses.
Mr. Tennant thought the delegate
should be instructed to the interest of
the Association. He opposed all rings
and monopolies. There are things on
foot that are working injury to our
interests. There are many bee-keep-
ers who will not come, on account of
their being henpecked and forced to
tell all they know, to be published.
Mr. Wormer : The more knowledge
one gets of bee-keeping, the more Be
wants to go into the business. He
thinks there is sufticient demand for
all the honey we can procure, and that
if we cannot publish anything, we
certainly cannot learn anything.
Mr. Markell believes in making true
reports and giving it to the public.
Mr. Garret said bee-keepers are like
bojs that hate to be outdone by others
— and make their estimates too high,
so as to be up with their neighbors.
Mr. Robdell thinks a great deal of
our knowledge should not be pub-
lished ; high estimates are an injury.
Mr. Wright : The proper way to
make our reports is by number, as
Western men do.
Mr. Denton thought we ought to
advance new ideas to each other; he
is in favor of having conventions;
what is practical with one, is not with
another; an experimental knowledge
is the best-
Mr. Haverly : Best posted bee-
keepers should tell what they know,
for the behefit of inexperienced ones.
Mr. Tennant : We ought to have a
system to protect ourselves ; bee-
keeping is increasing to such an ex-
tent that we should be protected by
organizations. County and State ; we
must have protection by legislation,
if necessary. There are no kinds of
business but have an organization, to
set prices. Many bee-keepers are too
penurious to attend the conventions —
thinking they can get it all out of the
bee journals. If they cannot come
and take part in the convention, they
are not worthy to be called " Brother
Apiarist."
Secretary Houck said he had gained
his knowledge of bee-keeping by first
reading " Quinby's Bee-Keeping,"
and taking the various bee journals,
with his own experience, and he be-
lieved tliat they all had gained most of
their knowledge in the same way, and
is it for us to say that it must stop
there i* Suppose Langstroth ana
Quinby had been so selfish and not
made their experiments and practical
experience public, where would api-
culture stand to-day V That the bee
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
131
jounicals have done more to work up
the deiiiaiici of our products than any-
thing else. Because we have gained
that knowledge, shall nobody else
He offered the fol
That we publish
this convention in
have the chance ?
lowing : Resolved,
the proceedings of
full. Carried.
After a lively discussion Mr. Garret
offered a motion to rescind the resolu-
tion, which was carried, and the
question was laid on the table until
to-morrow.
The convention was called to order
at 1 p.m. President Tennant being
absent Vice-President Vrooman took
the chair. The election of officers re-
sulted tlius : President,Sol. Vrooman ;
Vice-President, A. Snyder ; Secretary,
T. Houck ; Treasurer. H. VV. Garret.
The secretary read an article by A.
J. King, of New York.
[For this essay see page 22. — Ed.]
After a lively discussion the con-
vention adjourned until 7 p. tn.
Meeting called to order at 7 p. m..
President Vrooman presiding. The
following questions for discussion
were reported by the committee :
1. " What is the Best Method of
Starting Nuclei for Queen-Rearing?"
2. " How Long will a Queen Remain
ProHtably Prolific y
3. " What Improvements can we
Make in Marketing our Products V"
4. " Shall our National Convention
be Held Outside of the United States?"
The first and second questions were
discussed in their respective order.
Mr. Adams makes about four nuclei
out of one of his strongest colonies.
His hives hold eight frames, thus tak-
ing two frames of hatching brood for
each nuclei.
Mr. Tennant : It depends on the
season. Considers young bees the
best for queen-rearihg. He breeds
only from his strongestcolonies— those
that winter and make box-honey best.
Considers two fiames of hatching
brood the best for nuclei.
Mr. Uoomhower; Took about 18
colonies and made one nuclei from
each. He took the box he used to the
hive, found the queen and took a
frame of brood— one that has the
brood near the centre of the frame-
put it in his box, first brushing the
bees off of two frames into the box,
and in 4 or 5 days he would do the
same thing, and so on until he had
made about 90, and he has had an
original colony swarm the same year.
Mr. Adams : My experience with a
lamp nursery was very unsatisfactory.
Mr. Tennant thought it depended
somewhat on how the queen was
reared. Preferred one reared under
the swarming impulse, and in the
forepart of the season. He thought
about three years was the extent the
queen was profitably prolific, but
sometimes longer.
Secretary Houck : You could force
a queen to lay in two years what
would under other circumstances take
four. Adjourned to 9 a. m.
Convention called to order at 10 a.
m. President Vrooman in the chair.
This session was opened by a lively
discussion on an editorial article in
the Bee Journal of Dec. 20, 1882,
page 802, on " Half-Pound and Penny
Packages, or Packages of the Future."
The members thought that it was very
important that the convention com-
plete the idea of protection, discussed
yesterday. They wanted to see the
convention placed upon such a founda-
tion that it would have an influence
at home and abroad. That Mr. New-
man, editor of the Bee Journal,
should be censured for his oflicious-
ness in writing, and going about with
Mr. Ripley, doing all he could against
the interests of those to whom he
looks for support. If Mr, Newman
cannot stand by the producers they
should withdraw their patronage.
That the producers must pay him for
everything he does in the way of
printing, etc., and at the sflme time
he was pushing himself against their
interests. And also, as a convention,
they should ask that Mr. Newman re-
tract and reconsider the article in
question.
Motion made by Mr. Tennant, and
carried unanimously, that the conven-
tion resolve itself into a committee of
the whole and adopt the following :
Resolved, That we ask Mr. Newman,
editor of the Bee Journal, to recon-
sider the article as printed in the
Weekly Bee Journal of Dec. 20,
1882, on page 802, on "Half-Pound
Sections, or Penny Packages, or Pack-
ages of the Future," together with
what he himself has said in the arti-
cle, and the influence that he has set
forth in conflrmation with that of Mr.
Ripley, agent of the firm known as
Crocker & Blake, of Boston, and see
if the items referred to inure to the
best interests of the producer ; also
we ask Mr. Newman if he does not
consider it officious to publisli or
recommend it to the public, to the in-
jury of the producer.
[For reply to the above, see first
page of this paper.— Ed.]
A lively discussion followed in re-
gard to the proper size of box.
Mr. Tennant favored the 2-lb. boxes.
That we should not deviate from 1 to
2 inches thick, as it makes the neatest-
looking card of honey ; it also was the
most natural for the bees to work.
Mr. Vrooman prefers one 5>ix5i-ix-
1% thick.
Mr. Van Deusen thinks it is a bene-
fit for both the supply dealer and
producer to have one standard box,
then the supply dealer could in the
winter time make up a large stock
and be ready to furnish his customers
without that delay which sometimes
causes so much trouble.
Mr. Garret was of the opinion that
the 2-inch was the most used of any,
and that the bees would fill a 2 inch
box quicker than one that ia only 1J|
thick.
Secretary Houck sitid the majority
they manufactured were 1 1.5-h; thick,
called the prize box ; and thought it
was about the right size, and could be
made easier, for the reason tliat 2-inch
plank, as a general thing, would plane
only 1 15-16; if they had to be 2 inch
they would have to block up the
lumber.
Mr. Boomhower said that those
manufactured by Mr. Manum were 2-
inch excepting the 4>4x43^ dove-tailed,
and those were]% thick; he preferred
the iJi box.
Secretary Houck offered the follow-
ing, which was adopted : Resolved,
That we adopt as a standard the 2-lb.,
and nothing smaller than the .5x.53^x2
inch section.
Motion was made and adopted that
we add the following to " article two "
of the constitution : " However we
invite exhibition of products and sup-
plies, and time will be given between
sessions and at proper times appointed
for examination."
Another motion was made and
adopted that the secretary invite ex-
hibition of all apiarian supplies at the
time of his giving notice of meetings.
Where shall we hold our next an-
nual convention came under discus-
sion. Finally, it was voted to be held
at Albany, in Agricultural Hall. Not
knowing when we could have the
hall, it was left to the president and
secretary ; but they were to get it as
early in January as possible.
Aajourned until 1 p. m.
Convention was called to order by
President Vrooman at 1 p. m.
The president, upon motion, ap-
pointed the following members as a
committee on questions for discussion
at our next annual convention. Ques-
tions to be reported to the secretary
on or before Dec. 1, 1883 : W. L. Ten-
nant, Schoharie, N. Y.; A. Snyder,
Clarksville, N. Y.; G. H. Adams,
North Nassau, N. Y.
Motion made and adopted, that we
have a programme, that it contain
three essays, that it also contain the
motions solicited by the question com-
mittee ; and that all be reported to
the secretary, by the respective com-
mittees, by Dec. 1, 1883, and that the
secretary have the same printed and
circulated to each member of the
Association, and to such other mem-
bers of sister associations as the
president and secretary shall direct.
Secretary Houck then read a paper
written by James Heddon, on dysen-
tery, or bee cholera and spring dwind-
ling. Of the latter he said : " I
believe that no colony that was healthy
when the days of long periods of con-
finement ceased (which we call winter)
and the days of oft-repeated flights
arrived (which we call spring), ever
"spring dwindled." Spring dwind-
ling is loss of bees in daily flights,
from weakness engendered by a dis-
ease of the intestines, called dysen-
tery, which had not, at the time of
flight, progressed far enough to make
any outside show, but was all held
within the body of the bees, hence
was unobserved by the apiarist. It is
dysentery in disguise."
Mr. Tennant thinks a cleansing
flight will sometimes cure dysentery,
if they have not been confined too
long ; old bees are more liable to have
the dysentery than young bees— mak-
ing it quite necessary to go into
winter quarters with a good supply of
young bees ; he does not believe that
pollen alone is the cause of dysentery,
but eating it in connection with
honey, and continual cold weather
without purifying flights.
Mr. Vrooman had lost over 100
colonies in one spring, with dysentery ;
132
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
but did not believe pollen alone was
the cause.
Resolutions of thanlcs to the three
writers of essays, and the late presi-
dent and secretary, were passed.
Shall the National Convention be
held outside of the United States, was
discussed. Many members held it
was a North American convention,
instead of National, and, therefore,
could properly be held in Canada.
There was considerable interest
shown in the discussion of what im-
provement can we make in marketing
our products
black bees, and 318 either Italian,
Cyprian or hybrids. Number of colo-
nies sold during the year, 119; number
bought, 106 ; number of queens sold,
17.5; number bought, 73 ; pounds of
honey taken, 5,437 ; pounds of wax,
335. Average amount of honey from
each colony owned May 1, 1882, \2}^
pounds. The average for the year
before was 36 pounds.
97 bee-keepers, not members of tlie
Association, had reported, giving the
following results : Number of colo-
nies owned Oct. 1,1881, 1,092; number
May 1, 1882, 863 ; number Oct. 1, 18S2
Mr. Vroonian thinks we ought to! 1,215; 739 of these were black ; 476
hold on longer, and not be in so big a
hurry to dispose of our crop ; that
October is about the right time to
ship honey ; he would not send it off
on commission, but sell it right out,
and get the money in his pocket.
The members were of the general
opinion that the best way was to let
buyers come and offer, instead of run-
ning after them ; also that we were
apt to be in too much of a hurry to
sell our honey.
Exhibiting honey and apiarian im-
plements at the State Fair, was
discussed, and the following reso-
lution was carried : That the presi-
dent and secretary confer with the
managers of the State Fair, for a
suitable place and room for the exhi-
bition of honey and implements for
the apiarists of the State, and also
offer premiums for the same.
Secretary reported $12.50 fees re-
ceived, of old and new members.
The question in regard to the publi-
cation of the proceedings came up
again. After considerable discussion
it was decided to leave it to the dis-
cretion of the secretary, what part to
publish and what not.
At the last moment there was a
resolution adopted that we glass all
our boxes, both large and small, be-
fore sending to market.
Convention adjourned to meet again
in one veur. Theo. Houck, Sec.
were either Italians, Cyprians or hy
brids. Number of colonies sold dur-
ing the vtar. 164; number bought, 118.
Number of queens sold during the
year, 133; number of queens bought,
61. Pounds of honey taken, 16,003;
pounds of wax, 4.59. Total number of
colonies Oct. 1, 1881, 1814; number
May 1, 1882, 1,300; number Oct. 1,
1882, 1.024. Of these 1,120 were black
bees, and 694 either Italians, Cyprians
or hybrids. 283 colonies were sold
during the year, and 224 bought.
Queens sold, 308 ; bought, 134. 21,440
pounds of honey were produced, and
790 pounds of wax.
Of hives used 31 were the Langs-
strotli frame, 17 the Colton and other
styles, 8 were the Gallup frame, and
8 the Quinby frame, 6 had the Torry
and Maine standard hive, and 5 the
shingle (Eureka) hive. Several other
kinds were used by a few.
In wintering, 42 adopted placing the
hive in the cellar ; 40 winter on sum-
mer stands, and use packing in chaff,
straw, sawdust, boughs, etc. A few
winter bees in chambers, unoccupied
houses or bee-houses built for the
Maine State Convention.
The fourth annual meeting of the
Maine Kee-Keepers' Association was
held at Dexter, Feb. 8, 9, 1883.
President Addition gave his annual
address at the commencement of the
afternoon session. He succinctly
stated the objects of the Association
and the progress it had made. He
briefly reviewed the progress bee-
keeping had made during the last few
years in other parts of the country,
and tlie spirit of enthusiasm having
been felt here in the Eastern States,
bee-keepers were waking up and tak-
ing hold of the business in earnest.
The report of Secretary Hoyt was in
substance as follows : The Maine
Bee-Keepers' Association numbers -52
members— 42 male and 10 females,
showing a gain during the year of 31.
Meetings are held quarterly. 36 mem-
bers report as follows : Number of
colonies of bees Oct. 1, 1881,772; num-
ber May 1, 1882, 4.37; showing a loss
during the winter of 281 colonies.
Number of colonies owned Oct. 1.
1882, 709 ; of this luimber 391 were
purpose.
The subject of feeding bees was in-
troduced by a paper from Mr. Lucien
French. His main points were, that
feeding was essential both fall and
spring, the latter time with all colo-
nies, the former to weak colonies, so
as to give them sufficient store for
winter. The best feed was the purest
sugar we could get. Never feed glu-
cose. He had tried it, and it cost him
dearly. Believed he was out $100 in
conse'quence of the experiment. The
best place to feed was inside the hive.
To feed outside incited to robbing.
To feed for brood-rearing, give a small
quantity each day. It feeding for
stores give it to them as fast as they
would carry it away. A candy made
of half a pint of water to four pounds
of sugar melted and turned into shal-
low tins and laid upon the bars, was a
good way to feed in winter.
Considerable discussion upon the
feeding question followed the reading
of Mr. French's paper. The points
were that very much of the granulated
sugar in market was adulterated with
grape sugar. That in some cases bees
would not always be incited to fight-
ing by out-door feeding. The coffee
A sugar was preferable as a feed for
bees, especially in spring. Glucose or
grape sugar was injurious to bees,
and under no circumstances should it
be fed to them.
To make bee-keeping profitable,
was the basis of an essay by Mr.
Hutchins. He thought our bees
might possibly be superseded by some
newer sort, but did not think that
kind had been found yet. In winter-
ing bees experience seems to prove
that the hives packed in chaff were
preferable to wintering in the cellar.
The spring dwindling, that universal
complaint, was due in great measure
to wintering in warm cellars. Use
frame hives, and examine the bees in
the spring to know their condition.
Cannot do it with the old box-hive.
In dividing, do it so as to have each
colony as strong as possible in as
short time as may be. To keep bees
profitably one must love the business,
and make pets of his bees. Take and
read some good journal devoted to
bees. Keep up with the times, there
is much to be learned yet. Keep a
record of all the colonies and queens,
and their qualifications and attain-
ments. Have everything in readiness
at the proper time, and never put off
doing things which ought to be at-
tended to immediately.
The question of wintering bees was
discussed with a pretty strong leaning
to out-door packing in some way.
Those that had tried chaff packing
had found it satisfactory. Some ad-
hered to cellar packing.
.SECOND DAY.
The election of officers resulted as
follows : Mr. F. O. Addition, of Dex-
ter, President; Wm. Hoyt, Ripley,
Secretary ; J. \V. Hodgkins, Dexter,
Treasurer.
Vice-presidents from the several
counties were elected as follows :
Aroostook, H. B. Chapman ; Andros-
coggin, L. F. Abbott, Lewiston ; Han-
cock, L. S. Brewster, Dennysville;
Kennebec, 11. B. Coney, Augusta;
Penobscot, J. \V. Hodgkins, Dexter;
Piscataquis, VV. A. Cotton ; Waldo, J.
W. Linekin ; Somerset, S. W.Crockett.
A. B. Coney, Isaac Hutchins and
Wm. Hoyt were appointed a commit-
tee to confer with the State Agricul-
tural Society's officials, regarding
future exhibits of honey and bee im-
plements at the State Fair.
Mr. Isaac F. Plummer, of Augusta,
gave bis views and experience in pro-
viding pasturage for bees by sowing
some special crop for that purpose.
His experience had not been great,
but he had tried it enough to know
that to a certain extent it would pay
to plant or sow for bees. Fruit-cul-
ture and bee-keeping, he thought,
should go hand in hand, for fruit trees
in bloom were a source of honey. In
extending our orchards we extended
the facilities for our bees to gather
honey. Every farm has more or less
waste land which might be appro-
priated to raising some plants for the
bees. Where sweet clover will grow
it is one of the best honey-producing
plants we have. Another honey pro-
ducing plant which blooms from July
to October is borage. It is an attrac-
tive flower for Held or garden. It
needs a dry, rich soil in order to
thrive. He sowed some last year,
and it did finely. The bees worked
upon it constantly. He liked the
plant so well that he will sow more
another season. Other plants with
1 whicli he had had some experience as
THE AMERICAJM BEE JOURNAL.
133
honey-producing plants were catnip,
motherwort, boiieset, ligwort, spider
plant, mif^nonette, Chinese mnstard,
clover, golden honey plant, etc. He
tliought if more attention was paid to
this branch of bee-keeping it would
be made to pay better, and he would
advise all to plant largely of honey-
producing plants, as he believed it
would pay in the end.
In discussing this subject, the con-
clusions were thatof the honey plants,
sweet clover (melilot) was as good as
recommended, and one of the best to
sow for bees. Dutcli clover or white
honeysuckle was our best natural
plant. Borage, by those who had
tried it, was liked for its honey-pro-
ducing properties. Jiasswood, in lo-
calities where it grew extensively,
yielded much and a good quality of
honey.
The question whether bees would
work upon red clover to any great ex-
tent was discussed, the conclusion
being that if other flowers were
blooming in abundance red clover
would be slighted, but where honey
was short and red clover blossoms
abundant, honey bees would visit it.
Mr. Reynolds, oil' Clinton, had often
observed black bees on red clover,
but no Italians. Mr. Iloyt had seen
the last named busily engaged upon it.
Mr. Addition said we should use
great care in introducing new honey
plants, not to spread noxious weeds
upon the farm
The question was asked if it would
be judicious to discard the German
black bees in favor of the Italians ?
None were so fully conlirmed in
their convictions regarding the newer
races as to risk their success entirely
upon them. Many favorable opin-
ions were expressed of the Italian,
Cyprian and others— pure and hybrid.
In stopping absconding swarms Mr.
Hodgkins related a metliod which he
found successful. He affixed an oblong
piece of cloth to a pole and struck
this amongst the bees as they circled
away towards the woods. Always
strike in the centre of the circle of
bees, for the queen would be there,
and if she was demoralized in her
flight the bees would alight.
The committees appointed to ex-
amine the various hives and imple-
ments on exhibit, made their reports
at the opening of the afternoon ses-
sion. Three patterns of hives were
shown ; the Quinby closed end frame,
Simplicity with Langstroth frame and
the Eureka, carrying the Gallup
frame. The committee gave the pref-
erence to the Eureka made by Mr.
Addition. On feeders, of which there
were a number shown, tlie first pref-
erence was given to those exhibited
byMr. Hoytaud Lucian l<'rench, the
two being very nearly alike. Queen
cage, to S. M.Crockerand Wm. Hoyt,
extractor; 1st "Novice," shown by
Mr. Hoyt; foundation machine, 1st to
Lucian French ; foundation, il. B.
Chapman, lst;L. French, L!nd ; wax,
Wm. Hoyt; transferring tools, L.
French ; and same on wired trame ;
foundation fastener, Win. Hoyt;
tongue registerer, Wm. Hoyt; en-
trance contractor, E. P. Churchill,
North Auburn.
Secretary Hoyt had experience in
rearing three or four different races
of bees, called attention to the com-
ing bee. In the first place, to deter-
mine the kind we will keep, we should
consider the object to be attained.
Some keep bees for pleasure, but most
of us for the profit they bring. Now,
the bees tliat will gather the most
honey, are the ones that will give the
most profit. How shall we attain the
desired result V By a judicious cross-
ing of different strains and races, and
selecting those which give the best
results. Colonies vary greatly in the
honey-gathering capacity. Those that
are the best should be noted, and from
these rear the bees we keep. From
what statistics he had gathered,
thought the average of honey through-
out the State, was not over 2.5 pounds
to the colony. Was this satisfactory '{
After four years experience with yel-
low bees, was satisfied they were
superior to the blacks. As to the dif-
ferent races of bees, he thought the
Italians very industrious, amiable and
beautiful, and better honey-gatherers
than the blacks. From his experience
thought the Cyprians the best honey-
gatherers known. They were very
prolific, and the most beautiful bee
with which he was acquainted. As
to their disposition it was not always
to be depended upon for amiability.
The Syrian bees he had had limited
experience with. It was claimed that
they were very prolific and good-
natured as the Italians. The coming
bee must possess the energy and hard-
ihood of the Cyprians, the docility of
the Italians, with the prolific qualities
of the Syrian bee. He was not pre-
pared to point out any particular
course for bee-keepers to pursue, but
we should not be content witli 2-5
pounds of honey from a colony, when
some of the best give 100 pounds or
more. One advantage of old-time
keeping over the present was the " sur-
vival of the fittest," as bees that did
not gather sufficient store to winter,
died off or were consigned to a brim-
stone place. Now, colonies short of
stores are fed, and every queen kept
alive if possible, whether they possess
any good qualities or not. A queen
should not be tolerated unless her
progeny are possessed of the following
qualities : Good honey-gathering ;
hardy to winter ; easy to handle ; yel-
low bands. Do not be satisfied with
anytliing short of these, and thus
hasten the arrival of the coming bee.
The subject of re-enforcing colonies,
by a queen reserve system, was pre-
sented by L. F. Abbott, agricultural
editor of the Lewiston Journal, en-
titled, " Pointingto a Practical Point."
He began by saying that the first re-
quisite to success in any business was
to become acquainted vvith the funda-
mental principles upon which the
business was based. To rightly un-
derstand bee-keeping was to become
familiar with the nature and irstincts
of the bee. Much study by compara-
tively a few individuals during the
past few years had brought to light
many mysteries of the bee hive. The
point of practical importance he de-
sired to offer for consideration was
that of providing reserve laying
queens to beusedat swiirmingtime to
provide re -enforcements for both the
old colonies and swarms under certain
contingencies. When bees are allowed
to swarm naturally, much time is lost
between the exit of the old queen and
the time when the hive will feel the
benefit of the progeny of the young
queen ; often amounting to tv\'o or
three weeks. As the old queen goes
out with the first swarm, matters at
the old home are left in a sort of tran-
sition state ; the women folks all
stirred up and the boys fast leaviiig
hom^. Some little fellows are con-
tinually emerging from the cells, the
progeny of the old queen, but they^
by the 21st day after the old queen
turns her back on them, are all about
house. In the meantime another
swarm has gone out with a yoi\ng,
giddy and inexperienced queen, who
remains with her family, but imable
to perform proper duties for a number
of days. Tnis occurs at the season
when honey is most abundant. Time
is honey, and honey is money. What
means sliall we adopt to re-enforce
these hives and bridge over this delay
while these young housekeepers are
getting ready to settle down to the
real business of life i* The remedy
seems to be to partially adopt the sys-
tem of artificial swarming in so far at
least as to provide reserve queens,
which, becoming fertile, will be in
readiness to step into the old hive on
the exit of the old queen, and also
when her daughter leaves, and go
immediately about the business of
laying eggs. By their exchange the
supply ot reserve queens would be
kept good, and non-laying queens be
replaced immediately by fertile ones.
Mr. Hoyt, in reply to a question, re-
marked that the extractor could be
profitably used in Maine. He believed
it one of the most useful inventions of
the age. He believed we could ob-
tain much more honey by its use
than in swarming for box honey.
Should practice artificial swarming, if
the extractor was used, as we could
keep colonies more equalized in that
way. Would extract as fast as the
honey came in, and if colonies were
short in the fall, feed for winter.
After some discussion, relative to
the matter of place for holding the
next meeting, it was left discretionary
with the president and secretary.
Central Illinois Convention.
A convention was held in Bloom-
ington. 111., on Feb. 13, to organize »
Society. Mr. J. L. Wolcott stated the
object, and a committee was appointed,
to present a constitution and by-laws.
32 persons signed the roll.
The committee on constitution pre-
sented its report, which was adopted.
The Association is known as " The
Bee-Keepers' Association of Central
Illinois."
The officers constitute a committee
to select subjects for discussion, and
to apooint members to deliver ad-
dresses and read essays. Meetings-
are held once in three months.
J. L. Wolcott was chosen perma-
nent president,and .James Poindexter,
134
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
secretary. Mr. VVolcott spoke briefly
of the importance wlilch bee-l<eeping
Imd assumed, especially in Central
Illinois. He thought such an associa-
tion was a necessity, and believed its
work would be advantageous to all
concerned.
Mrs. F. A. Bailer was chosen vice-
president, and O. Barnard, treasurer.
Tlie next regular meeting will be
held on the second Wednesday of
May next, at 10 o'clock a. ra., an ap-
priipriate date, as at that season the
bees will have swarmed, and topics of
interest can be presented. Tlie" Asso-
ciation will meet at Surveyor Ela's
office until further notice.
Jas. Poindexter, Sec.
Bees in Cellar Doin^ Well.
In April I bought .5 colonies, in-
creased to 11 by division, caught a
runaway swarm and took 658 lbs. of
extracted honey. Thanks to Cook's
Manual and the Bee Journal. Bees
are in cellar, which is ventilated, as
Prof. Cook recommended, and, so far
as I can tell, are doing well. In the
above report I should have used we
{that would include my wife and little
girl) instead of /, for I have not
walked without the use of crutches
for over 15 months. J. R. Craig.
Beatrice, Neb., Feb. 27, 1883.
Large Yields of Honey in Texas.
Several years ago I became ac-
quainted with the American Bee
Journal, and have profited much
from its able writers, and now I look
■with delight for its more tlian wel-
come weekly visits, and it is not only
necessary to have an able editor at its
head, but it must be supported. The
grand watch word is: "Keep all
colonies strong ;" yes, pile on your
subscriptions by the thousands, and
still there is room for more, and the
Journal grows. Does he split up
this colony into 3, 5. or even 10, and
make a little puny sheet out of each ?
No ; it needs be he moves to a larger
hive, where he can find more room,
pile on story after story until the great
Bee Journal hive is filled full every
week. Just so, when I take the edi-
tor's advice to keep colonies strong,
by adding story after story, not by
doubling up two or more colonies,
but by simply giving the one colony
plenty of room as it increases, thus
preventing any division by natural
swarming, wheVeby I am enabled to
get 300, .500 or 800 lbs. of extracted
honey from single colonies, the cry is
" such reports may be tnw in fact, but
totally unfair, and therefore unrea-
sonable." I cannot see theiinreason-
ableness of such reports. Do not the
authors of these reports tell how they
accomplish these grand results ? A
Texas Hoosieris not particular about
the spoon, a cow's horn will answer
in case of necessity. Texas is a big
State, her bee pasturage grand, and
with a continued honey flow from 30
to 50 days, there is nothing " unrea-
sonable" at all about our reports.
Did not Dr. J. E. Say (a noble speci-
men of Texas' bee-keepers) say at the
last National Convention, that he
made an average of 800 lbs. per col-
ony 'f J. S. Tadlock, of Luling, had
247 lbs. per colony, and had nearly 500
lbs. from one. This is not all ; the
grand news will be wafted from Maine
to California, that Texas has produced
a ton of honey from a single colony,
and its legitimate increase, in one
year, and when she does this, do not
say it was unfair. Let us have a little
more charity. Are we not inmates of
that great hive of nature ? And if
my spoon is a little larger than the
Iowa spoon, by (>2 lbs., just go to work
and make it larger.
Dresden, Texas. B. F. Carroll.
[Mr. Carroll is referred to page 115,
where, we think, he will find a satis-
factory explanation. — Ed.]
Mice as Bee Enemies.
On page 96, Mr. H. J. Northrup
tells how Mr. O. has wintered his bees
successfully tor 12 years. That is
good ; but here it would be a " sweet
jubilee" for the mice. We have, be-
sides the common mouse, a timber or
field mouse. It is dark on the back,
brown on sides, white throat and
belly, with fur on the upper edge, and
rather short tail. We also have the
mole with its peaked nose ; that
pushes its way through on top of the
ground under the snow, grass or
leaves. Have they those three to
contend with in winter among their
bees in Lansingburgh, N. Y.'i*
Limerick, 111. E. Pickup.
Feeding Poor Honey in Spring.
I began the season of 1882 with 4
colonies, in box hives ; have taken 440
lbs. of comb honey from them and
their increase (mostly from the in-
crease) in 1 and 2 lb. sections. I have
sold nearly all at about 16 cts. per lb.,
and increased them, by natural
swarming, to 13. But, owing to the
lack of experience, they were rather
light in stores, the sections having
been left on too late to give them
stores enough for winter. I had to
feed 80 lbs. of sugar. I had every-
thing to buy tor working the apiary,
most of which will come in use this
season. My expenses were $95, and
counting the goods on hand at a low
price, and cash received from sale of
honey, I have made $16 on the invest-
ment, without setting any price on
the bees ; if they winter through, I
shall be that much more ahead. Some
of the colonies appear to be wintering
all right, packed in sawdust with
chaff on top of frames. Two colonies
I packed with sawdust on top of
frames, as an experiment ; one of
which suffered with dysentery, until
the 15th, when the weather became
warm enough for them to fly with
safety. The colonies in the box hives
I left on the summer stands, without
packing. They have suffered with
dysentery, and one is dead. It did
not do well last summer, sent out two
swarms, but did not gather any honey
in sections ; the combs were very wet,
and some were a little moldy. There
was 12 lbs. of honey in the hive, and 2
combs coutained some capped brood
in the centre of cluster. About three
weeks before I found they were dead,
they seemed to be all right. The
weather turned cold, and, on the 14th,
I found them dead. I think their
death was caiLSed by too much damp-
ness in the hive, as it was very wet
throughout. Will it do to feed this
honey to the bees in the spring y The
com bs showed some signs of dysentery,
and some are a little moldy.
Alfred Gander.
Adrian, Mich., Feb. 19, 1883.
[I'es ; when the bees have a chance
to fly you can teed them almost any
kind or quality of honey without
danger.— Ed.]
Will Freezing Eradicate Foul Brood J
I would like to inquire, through the
Bee Journal, of Mr. D. A. Jones
and others, in regard to freezing hives,
combs and honey that contained foul
brood last summer. The bees cleaned
it out of the comb after they stopped
brood-rearing in the fall, and the bees
were changed into new iiives. Would
it be safe to use them next summer,
after being frozen as hard as they
have been this winter 'f Mr. Jones
claims that boiling will kill it. Is not
freezing as good as boiling V
O. E. Burden.
Birdsall, N. Y.,Feb. 24, 1883.*
Wintering Bees in Dakota.
I removed the snow from my bees
to-day, and found 4coloniesout of the
11 had died; 2 were in Simplicity
hives, 1 American, and the other a
Langstroth that had no upper story.
The rest of the colonies, in Langs-
troth hives, were all right, and the day
being warm and pleasant, the bees
had a good flight, the first since Nov.
20. They seem to be iu splendid con-
dition. I do not want any more
Simplicity or American hives to win-
ter bees in. I am satisfied out-door
wintering, with hay packing, in
Langstroth hives, is the best way.
Wm. W. Eastman.
Yankton, Dakota, Feb. 28, 1883.
Old Fogy Notions.
On page 42 of No. 3, of the Bee
Journal, I am made to say 83 colo-
nies, when it should be only 28. In
the tall of ISSl, at the time when I
should have been preparing my bees
tor the winter, I had to serve 3 weeks
on the jury, but we had a mild, open
winter, and, contrary to the general
ideas and practice, I worked with
them many times during the winter,
and with no bad results, and this last
tall I was summoned as a witness on
two different occasions, and my bees
were again neglected. I am anxiously
watching for a nice warm day, that I
can look after their wants, as they are
keeping up a loud roaring in their
sheltered location. As we, in this
section, have but little else than
ignorance to report concerning bee-
culture, and believing that none but
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
13S
true reports should be made, I will
give your many readers a faint ideaot
It. When I launched out in the busi-
ness I had a partner, and we were
getting bees in the timber, and my
partner, one day, asked a German boy
if he had seen any bees V The boy re-
plied that his brother-in-law had some
pretty nigh a soda bottle full already ;
that he runs and catches them on the
flowers, and when he gets that soda
bottle full he will make a colony, and
then they will make honey in it. An
Englishman, about four miles east of
me, had some buckwheat, and he dis-
covered the bees working on it ; he
then hurried down to his neighbor
Johnson, that he could learn if they
would injure the grain. Johnson told
him that he could not see why they
would not injure it, that they were
certainly robbing it of the substance
that formed the grain. He very hur-
riedly got a brush and went in to
drive them out, he said, but as all can
imagine, they were not to be driven.
Illinois City, 111. E. F. Cassell.
Damag'e to Bees by the Flood.
The flood has subsided, and now I
know the amount of damage done to
my bees. I had 85 colonies drowned
outright, besides some damage to the
others from taking them out during a
cold rain ; the water was 414 feet deep
in my bee house. Pretty severe, but I
will show you before the end of the
year what I can do in the way of
building up. L. II. Scuddek.
New Boston, March 2, 1883.
Bees in Fine Condition.
I have 72 colonies on the summer
stands, in the Langstroth hive, and 36
in the cellar, and all are doing well ;
all alive yet, and not one showmg any
signs of dysentery. Will say to S. G.
HoUey he has a young apiarist, but I
have a little girl of 3 years who can
open my observatory hive, and find,
and point out the queen, among other
bees, to visitors. I suppose they
would make a good convention of bee-
keepers of themselves.
Daniel Whitmer.
South Bend, Ind., Feb. 27, 1883.
The Prospect in Kentucky.
The past winter, with us, has not
been as cold as we sometimes have it,
but it has been one of the most disa-
greeable ones we have experienced for
several years. The changes have
been frequent and very sudden, con-
sequently our bees have suffered
severely. It is the general practice
with us to winter bees on the summer
stands, and often without any packing
or protection whatever. The fall was
very favorable for gathering in winter
supplies, consequently our bees were
strong both in numbers and supplies.
But few colonies have died, yet all
have dwindled very rapidly, and
many will be so weak in numbers as
to necessitate wintering with others.
The 14th and 15th were beautiful
days, and warm as May, and our little
pets made full use of them. In look-
ing through several colonies I found
brood in all stages, and queens busy.
Since then they have not been per-
mitted to fly. The prospect, however,
for a good honey crop is very favor-
able. As we had but little fruit last
year, our fruit trees will be sure to
furnish an abundance of bloom. Also,
black locust, basswood and other
honey producing trees. But most
cheering of all is our prospect on
white clover. The winter has not in-
jured it in the least ; our fields are
densely sodded with it, which, even in
these few warm days we have had, is
showing cheerful signs of starting.
Last year, at this time, I could
scarcely discover it at all, yet it came
out well. With these hopeful signs
from vegetation, if we can get our
hives strong by the first of May, we
hope to roll up a list of statistics which
will make Dr. Miller, and that man
with his 500-pound colony, " come
again." L. Johnson.
Walton, Ky., Feb. 25, 1883.
Experiments in Wintering.
To-day has been nice and warm.
Bees all out. I made an examination
and found that out of 12, with no pro-
tection, 5 had died ; that out of 5, with
outside protection, 2 had died; that
out of 80, in chaff hives, 1 had died.
There are signs of dysentery, but I
think to-day's flight will cure that
trouble, and, as I do not expect
"spring dwindling" in chaff hives,
I have commenced whistling 1 How
is chaff with you over in Indiana, Mr.
Kite y C. W. McKowN, 60-180.
Gilson, 111., March 1, 1883.
A Profit of $37 Per Colony.
I commenced the season with 25
colonies, Italians and hybrids, and
have taken 5,000 lbs. of honey, mostly
extracted, and doubled the stock. I
have sold most of the honey at an
average of 16 cts., making me a proUt,
the way I figure it, of $37 per colony,
spring count. Milo Smith.
Greenwood, Polk Co., Iowa.
Sawdust Packing Ahead.
Our bees flew well yesterday and to-
day, for the first time since Nov. 15.
From 137 colonies packed in chaff and
sawdust, 2 are dead. Nearly all are in
prime condition. Sawdust is ahead
of chaff for packing. Colonies, with
entrances % inch wide by 11, wide
open all winter, are in far better con-
dition than those with entrances % in-
by 4. H. D. BuRRELL.
Bangor, Mich., March 1, 1883.
The Season in California.
Our bees have wintered splendidly.
The white willow commenced yielding
honey, this winter, November 26,
fully 3, if not 4 weeks earlier than
usual, and it has yielded most abun-
dantly ; so much so, the queens are
crowded out (in the strong colonies)
and the extractor must be used or we
will have light swarms to go into the
mustard harvest with. Alfalfa is com-
ing into bloom, but will not be at its
best for two weeks yet. We are well
pleased with our hybrid Holy Lands ;
they are rustlers. I speak of tliem as
hybrids, for we have the second gener-
ation of queens, mated both times
with Italian drones, and the progeny
(so it seems to us) possess many of the
desirable traits so much looked for in
the " coming bee." We think we have
had rain sufllcient to give us a mode-
rate harvest in the valley (rain fall up
to date 6 inches), but this will give us
no sage honey at all. Last year we
had four inches of rain after this time,
so we are hopeful yet.
A. W. OSBURN.
ElMonte, Cal., Feb. 25, 1883.
Conventica Notices.
i^" The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G, W. Demaree, Sec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
1^ The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association willhold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
1^ The next meeting of the Haldi-
mand, Ont., Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Nelle's Corners on Sat-
urday, March 31, 1883, at 11 a. m.
H. Campbell.
1^ The Western Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation meets at Independence, Mo.,
April 28, 1883.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
1^ The Eastern Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Society, will hold its annual
meeting in Detroit, April 3, in Ab-
stract Hall, commencing at 10 a. m.
An interesting meeting is expected,
and bee-keepers are requested to send
items or questions of interest to the
secretary in time, that they may be
announced previous to the meeting.
A. B. Weed, Sec.
75 Bagg St., Detroit, Mich.
1^" The Central Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association holds its spring
convention at Lansing, in the State
Capitol building, on Tuesday, April
17,1883,9 a.m. Programme: Presi-
dent's address (Prof. A. J. Cook), on
Wintering Bees. Essays : S. C. Perry,
on Chaff Hives ; C. Case, on Comb
Honey; O S. Smith, on the Best Bee;
A. D. Benham, on Extracted Honey ;
Mr. Harper, on Queen-Rearing ; Mr.
Waldo, on Best Method of Wintering
Out of Doors, in Single- Walled Hives ;
E. N. Wood, on Sections ; and E.
Greenaway, on Comb Foundation. All
bee-keepers are invited to attend or
send essays, papers, implements or
anything of interest to the fraternity.
A full attendance is reqi'ested.
E. N. Wood, Sec.
North Lansing, Mich.
136
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Examine the Date following your
came on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for -5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. 'Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICEOF AMEltlCAN BEE JOtTRNAI., I
Monday. 10 a. m.. Marcb 5, 1882. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotations or Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONK V— Extracted, dark 7c. light, 9c. here.
BEESWA.X— It is qu'.te scarce. 1 am payine 30c.
for (iood yellow wax, on arrival ; dark and off col-
'al. H. Newman, 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement In the honey
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade.
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7<«9c. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there
is a large supply of llrst-class quality on the mar-
ket. It brings 12eilM. on arrival. „„,„
BEESWAX— Comes in slowly and brings 20@30c.
per lb., according to quality. Chas. K, MUTH.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
■with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
j?ees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
•will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
•will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
1^ Several correspondents ask if it
is essential to write only on one side
of the sheet of paper when preparing
an article for the Journal. For us,
it is just as well to write both sides,
and saves postage in sending it.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for 1883 and Cook's Manual in cloth
for $2.75, or the Monthly and Manual
in cloth for $1.75.
Headquartersjn the West
Having fitted up our shop with new machinery,
we lire prepared to furnish all kinds of
APIARIAN SUPPLIES,
Simplicity, Chaff, Langatroth and other hives.
BEES AND QUEENS.
One-PlL'ce Sections, !»;.«. OO per lOOO.
Dunham Foundation at bottom prices.
Silver Hull Buckwheat, SI. 50 per Bushel.
.lob Printing done on short notice.
l.AKeE, NEW r,I8T, FKEK.
BRIGHT BROS.,
Uazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minn.
AlO, 14, 16
Quotations or CommlBBlon merchants.
CHICAGO,
HONEY— The past month has not reduced the
stock of comb or extracted honey, the receipts
having been larger than the amounts taken for
consumption. Prices are weak and irregular,
ranging from IGc. to 18c. for wliite oomb in the
smaller frames; dark, very little selling, offered
at vHic. to 14c. Extracted, 8c. to lOC, according
to color.
BKBSWAx-32®33c. per lb. for good.
R. A. BURNETT, 161 Soutb Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY-Offerings of comb are mostly of ordi-
nary quality, and holders are disposed to close out
at concessions. Market for beeswax is quite firm,
with sti'Cks quite llnuted.
White comb, H(»in;.; dark to good, llOlSc; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, SH®Sii<:-; dark and
candied, 5@7Hc.
BEESWAX- We quote 27Vj'*32>ic.
STKAR-vs & SMITH, 123 Front Street
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Very quiet; dull. Comb at 14®lfic.,
strained, at 6"^®7Hc., extracted at 7X®8)^c.— lots
in small packages, more. , . ,^^
BEESWAX— Scarce, firm ; quote choice at 28®
3UC., dark at 22®24c, , ., , „.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO., 117 N. Main street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is very slow, just now hardly anything
selling, stock on hand quite liberal. Sales slow at
l!](ui20c. for best white i-lb. sections ; 1S(<!119C. for
2-lb. Second grades not inquired after. Extracted
very dull at y(»loc. in bbls. and ll®l3c. in cans.
BEESWAX- Scarce, 2«®3i5c.
A. C. KENDEL. 11.5 Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— Choice to fancy white clover honey
continues scarce and firm, but buckwheat and ex-
tracted honey slow and irregular.
We quote: White clover, first quality, 1 » boxes.
24<»i25c: fair to good, 22(!a23c.; buckwheat, lo(»17c.
Extracted, clover. iu®13c.; buckwheat. !)®10c.
BE15SW AX —There is only a moderate supply of
beeswax and prime lots held firmly.
Western pure, 30@32c; southern, pure, 31®33c,
D. W. QulNBV, 105 Park Place.
BOSTON.
HONEY-Our market is fairly active. We quote:
a lb. sections at 3nc.: 1 lb. sections, 22@2pc.; 2 lb.
sections, 2u®22c. Extracted, inc. per lb. Oood
lots 01 extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BBESWAX-Our supply is gone; we have none
o quo "•^jjgp^j.jj ^ Blake, 57 Chatham Street.
®" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
Notice.— Bee-Keepers, we call your
special attention to the advertisement
of Champion Bee-hive Manfactory. 2t
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
t^ We have a few copies of our
pamphlet entitled " Bee Culture " left,
and have reduced the price from 40
to 25 cents each, or $2 per dozen.
Important ]oJee Keepers
Our New Book is now ready for Delivery.
THE ONI.T- -WORK. BEVOTED TO
QTJEEX-REAKING EXTANT.
Every bee-keeper should have a copy at hand, as
it not only gives
MY NEW METHOD OF REARING QUEENS,
but also the results of
Twenty-five Tfears* Exi»ei*leuce as a
Practical Apiarist.
The work also contains an essay, by one of the
most practical, prominent and successful bee-
masters in New York State, on
The Best Management of the Apiary
to obtain the largest amount of surplus honey,
including preparing for and marketing the same.
Also, an essay on
The New Races and Coming Bee,
by a former superintendent of the queen-rearing
department of the apiary of D. A. Jones, Beeton,
Ontario. .... ^ j
The work contains ISO pages and is intended as a
*' handy book" for bee-keepers, and niuch that is
new and valuable never before pubhshed, will be
found by a perusal of its pages.
Price Ibound in clothl, by mail, Sl.OO.
Enclose the money in presence of the postmaster
at my risk. Those who so desire may remit on re-
ceiptofbook, HENKY AI-I.EX.
lODtf Wenham, Mass.
CZXSiiF ! CIZSiiF !
l,ANG9TROTH HIVES!
SIMPI-ICITY HIVES!,
All kinds of hives and surplus comb foundation,
etc., etc. Having superior advantages for the
manufacturing of hives and of procuring lumber
low. I can furnish very low rates.
Send for descriptive circul.tr.
A. D. BEN HAM,
lOAtf OHvet, Mich.
WANTED an expert, possessing the necessary
credentials, to act as manager, with or with-
out a share, in establishing an apiary at Macieay
Kiver in New Soutb Wales, .\ddrcss terms, etc..
to the undersigned, from whom other inf^irmation
may be oitained. A. VERGE. E. Kempsey.
Macieay River, New South Wales. Australia, lotl
POTATOES AND STRAWBERRY PLANTS 1
Send for Circular and Price List of the " Jordan's
Prolidc" Potatoes, and -Big Bob," " Nigh s Su-
perb "and "Wilson's Albany" Strawberry Plants,
to j'd. K-KVSeHKE. Sidney, Ohio. lOAM
THE BlUTISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The BKITI9U Bee J0['K-NAL is published month-
ly and contains llie best practical information lor
the time being, showing what to do, and when ana
how to do it. Kev. H. K. PEEL, Editor.
We send the Weekly AMEKlCAN BEE JOURNAL
and tl.e British BceJotmial. both for »3,S0 a year.
THIS PAPER aTI.ro.'^l'-^o^S..''*
Co '8 Newspaper Advertising Bureau (10 Spruce
St ) where advertising contracts may be made lor
it in NEW YOKK.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., MARCH 14, 1883.
No. 11.
Published every Wednoaday. by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
EDITOR AND Proprietor,
To Our Correspondents.
" Every day and hour," at lightning
speed, over every railroad centering
in this great city, come letters to the
Bee Journal from all parts of the
•world — east, west, north and south
of this American continent, as well
as from Europe, Asia, Africa and
Australia. (A few days ago, one mail
brought us foreign letters from Eng-
land, France, Sweden, Mexico and
Australia.) Letters of business or
inquiries which call for answer by re-
turn mail. Letters of praise or blame,
of approval or disapproval, of com-
mendation or condemnation of some-
thing in the Bee Jouknai, ! Letters
to the Editor, either kind and compli-
mentary or full of malicious abuse,
which are intended to excite to enthu-
siasm or goad to desperation ! !
Of course, we know the Editor must
be cool and colkded at all times, but to
talk of his " easy chair" is a mockery.
During the winter months, many
bee-keepers have little else to do but
read, criticise and write to the Bee
Journal — and the number of com-
munications on hand now, is simply
overwhelming. In order to accom-
modate as many as possible this week,
we have determined to omit the usual
editorials, etc., and, " without further
ceremony," present our readers with
as many letters and communications
as we can crowd into the paper. We
will give all, as fast as possible. Some
have concluded that their articles have
been consigned to the waste basket,
and ask for our reasons for doing so ;
others demand their return, etc. Ex-
ercise patience, eat a little more honey
to keep good-natured — omit " stings,"
and all will go well in a few weeks.
The Coldest Yet in New York.
The thermometer stood at 160 below
zero here this morning, which is the
lowest, so far, this winter. Bees had
a partial flight 3 days ago, but, as the
wind was strong, many were lost on
the snovv'. They had been confined so
long, that " lly they would," except a
few colonies whicli were banked up
with snow. One colony is no more,
and 3 or 4 others are in bad condition,
having tlie dysentery. Those in the
cellar are quiet and nice, so far.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, March 5, 1883.
Bees All Right.
My 44 colonies all answered to roll-
call to-d ly. It has been a very cold
winter here. Bees crawled up among
their combs on Dec. 13, and remained
there until to-day, March 4, when
they had a good fly. C. E. Millek.
Justus, Pa., March 4, 1883.
Chaff for Wintering.
I have looked over my 135 colonies ;
they are all riglit ; they are clean and
nice except 3 or 4 that have com-
menced breeding; which have some
dead bees, and look demoralized
somewhat. I would say to Mr. Chris-
tiancy that my chaff has " come it,"
so far. Some correspondents think
brood a good sign. I think it a sure
sign of " spring dwindling."
E. B. SOUTHWICK.
Mendon, Mich., March 6, 1883.
My Report for 1882.
I increased from 15 to .53 colonies,
mostly by natural swarming, divided
afewearlv in the season. Took off
1,000 lbs. of comb and 1,150 lbs. ex-
tracted honey. I am using the " Com-
mon Sense " hive. My bees are
wintering well on their summer stands
without protection. H. W. Hitt.
Merritt, 111., March 7, 1883.
Letter from Florida.
The weather here is warm and de-
lightful ; the orange trees are in full
bloom, with the huckleberry, yellow
jessamine, willow and other flowers,
affoi'd the bees excellent pasturage,
and they are making good use of the
opportunity to store lioney. Brood-
rearing is going on fast, and the pros-
pects are good for swarming by the
first of March. We have been visited
by " Northern Lights," in the shape
of O. O. Fodpleton and wife, of Will-
iamstown, Iowa ; they left here last
week for Lampa and the Gulf Coast,
previous to returning home, leaving
behind them a number of friends and
well wishes, besides much valuable
information pertaining to practical
bee-culture. H. Mitchell.
New Smyrna, Fla., Feb. 18, 1883.
Right and Clear.
I desire to publicly thank Dr. South-
wick for his manly utterances, on
page 127, of tlie Bee Journal for
March 7. The contrast between the
Doctor's clear vision and that of the
near-sighted who cannot tell precisely
about the property rights of others, is
positively grand. J. M. Shuck.
Des Moines, Iowa, March 8, 1883.
Bees Wintering Well in Massachusetts.
My bees are all on the summer
stands, and wintering well. They had
a tine flight on Feb. 17, the first since
November. The glass ran up to .59°
in the shade, and 79° in the sunshine.
I am testing a new feeder ; it is placed
under the cushion. Tlie bees can
take the food from it without leaving
the cluster, and the feeder can be re-
filled without disturbing it or the bees.
I tind it an actual necessity, as many
of my colonies are short of stores.
Henry Alley.
Wenham, Mass., Feb. 24, 1883.
Bees All Right In Iowa.
The winter is beginning to disap-
pear ; the snow is gradually going off,
still now and then we have a cold
morning. It was 4^ below zero on
March 7; but it is warmer to-day.
Several days, lately, the bees that
were on the summer stands, flew out ;
many that were unprotected are dead.
Those in good cellars are all right yet.
J. W. SANDErtS.
Le Grand, Iowa, March 8, 1883.
Large Yields of Honey and Increase.
When I see reports of large yields
of honey and great increase of bees, I
always know what I think of it. In
his book of " The Hive and Honey
Bee," Mr. Langstroth says that a
large increase of bees and a large
yield of honey cannot be had at the
same time — and I am satisfied that he
is right. Wm. Roberts.
Vaughansville, O.
138
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bees in Splendid Condition.
Our tiistiSlei), after purchasing 40
colonies of bees, in box hives, was to
send for the ever-welcome and indis-
pensable Bek Journal. Our apiary
is on an elevation, known as East
Hill, descending to the west, }-4 of a
mile from the beautiful city of Elmii-a.
From our apiary every part of the
city can be seen. Near by is the
Chemung river (local name) ; on either
hand, as far as the eye can penetrate,
lies the valley of Chemung, teeming
with a busy population, but without a
bee-keeper for miles around. We
have (for the want of a better place)
wintered our bees in a plastered
room. I succeeded in keeping them
very quiet until the latter part of
February, when I was compelled to
move them to their summer stands.
They are in splendid condition, and I
hope to be able to give a good report
in due time. No expense or labor
will be spared to accomplish our pur-
pose, which is to have as fine an
apiary as can be found in New York.
We shall use the two-story Langs-
troth hive. Which is the best time to
transfer to the new hives '? I have
transferred early and late, but did not
register the results.
CoLEGROVB & Beach.
Elmira, N. V., Feb. 25, 1883.
[The best time is during fruit
bloom ; for there is less honey in the
hives, and fewer bees. They will
more readily fix up the combs when
when they have some honey to
gather.— Ed.]
Bees Saved a House.
My bees were on the roof of my
house, at Shawneetown, 111., during
the great flood. They endured tlie
waves and high winds, and are all
right. Had it not been for the 140
colonies on the house, it would have
floated off, as many other houses of
similar size, in the neighborhood, are
gone.
R. Cable.
Mt. Vernon, 111., March 1, 1SS3.
Cellar Wintering Suits Me Best.
We are having an unusual cold
winter liere. It commenced snowing
sometime in December ; the ground
has been covered ever since, and now,
at present wrifing. is, 1 think, about
18 inches deep, if it was not drifted.
I think it will be just as bad on bees
that are out of doors as it was two
years ago, and I expect to hear of as
many dying as then. Some of my
neighbors, that have a few colonies,
tell me they are nearly all dead. 1
only have 11 on the summer stands; 9
in chaff hives, and 2 in Simplicity
hives, without any protection. They
are both alive, so far, but one of them
has been in the upper story on live
combs, and are about one-half dead.
I have brought them into the house,
that is, the top story with the bees ;
the lower story has 10 frames filled
with sealed honey and ice ; this will
learn me not to leave any more bees
in tlie top story for wintering. One
of the colonies in chaff hives, is dead,
and another one or two have the dys-
entery. I have 42 in the cellar that
appear to be getting along finely, and
I have about come to the conclusion
that cellar wintering suits me best.
My cellar is very dry, and I have a
stove pipe attached to the ovitside
door, and have ventilation inside also.
One of my neighbors found a bee
tree, and I happened along just they
had taken the honey ; about one-half
the bees were clustered in the side of
the tree, where they had taken the
honey from. I looked at them awhile,
and said to the parties, it looked like
a shame to let them freeze, as the
thermometer was, at that time, below
zero. I walked on home, studying
about the matter, and when I got
there I told my wife about them, and
she asked me if I could not save
them ? I told her I would try, and so
1 picked up a market basket and some
flannel cloths, and a garden trowel to
scoop them up with, and went back
and brought them home, warmed a
couple of frames of honey and put
them in a hive ; kept them by the
stove all night, and next morning put
them in the cellar ; they are doing
finely, and I calculate to make a good
colony of bees out of them.
MiLO Smith.
Greenwood, Iowa, March 1, 1883.
Bees in the Cellar All Right.
I commenced the season, June 1,
1882 (which was the poorest for some
years), with 20 colonies, in poor condi-
tion, owing to the cold spring ; in-
creased to 50; extracted, July 1,250
lbs.; fed back about one-third, to late
swarms ; the balance is my surplus
yield. 1 put 50 colonies in the cellar
under the house ; it is a dry one, (35
feet above high water mark. I man-
age somewhat on the plan of Mr. Ira
Barber ; 1 threw in and saturated my
cellar with 6 or S pails of water, before
putting in the bees ; it has no venti-
lation, except a door to the kitchen,
to be opened when needed. To-day, 1
cleaned off the front of the hives, and
swept the cellar bottom clean, not
getting 1 pint of bees. I used a lamp,
and, during the operation, not a bee
flew out. A light roar only was heard,
but all answered to "roll call." I
never knew bees so quiet after three
months' confinement. J. B. Idb.
Climax, Mich., Feb. 20, 1883.
Bees Down iu Maine.
We are having a hard winter for
bees down in Maine. The weather
has been cold e»er since Dec. 1, and
it looks now as thougti we migtit have
another grand disaster, like the sea-
son of 1880-81. Part of our bees are
in single hives, and part in chaff
hives; the chaff hives and a part of
tlie single hives were covered, so as to
stop the entrance up, by the first
snow that came in November, and
have been covered ever since, and the
bees have had no flight since the first
of November. The ottier hives are iu
a sunny place, and, in the middle of the
day, bees have flown a good deal
througti the winter. Tliey have
dwindled badly, and show signs of
dysentery. In three of them, the bees
have left the combs and are occupying
the bottom boards. Those in the
hives under the snow, that have not
flown the entire winter, are looking
all right, and have not consumed half
as much honey as those that have
been flying. Such a winter as this
makes me yearn for a cellar to winter
my bees in. Will some one, having
wintered bees in a cellar with success,
give us a rousing article on how to
ventilate a damp cellar. My cellar is
not what might he called awet one ;
there is a spring in one corner, so
there is water in the cellar at all times,
and still the bottom of the cellar is
not wet. Is there any way to venti-
late such a cellar, so that it would be
a proper place to put bees, and, if so,
how y VVill some one give plain, sim-
ple instructions how to do it.
J. B. Mason.
Mechanic Falls.Maine, Feb. 25, 1883.
Lost One Colony.
I have lost one colony, so far, this
winter, the cause of which we cannot
account for. They had about 20 lbs.
of honey left. Our bees are all in im-
proved Quinby, chaff-hives, same as
they were in 1880-81. Then we did not
lose a colony. The others are all
right. I do not expect to lose any
more. I should be glad to see more
letters from lady correspondents. I
have just read Mrs. C. J. Allison's ex-
perience, on page 110. Let us hear
from more lady bee-keepers.
S. S. Bristol.
Galesburg, Mich., Feb. 26, 1883.
No Profit Without tlie Bee Journal.
I have read the Bee Journal for
over 18 months, and cannot do with-
out it. I have kept bees for 40 years,
but I obtained no profit until I com-
menced to read the Journal, and
there saw that box hives were not the
kind of hives to use. I commenced,
last spring, with 22 colonies in boxes,
and all kinds of hives, except the
Langstroth. I got 24 Langstroth
hives and filled them, mostly by nat-
ural swarming. I have now 44 in the
cellar ; they seem to be all right, yet
have not had a Bight since Nov. 15.
I got 100 lbs. of surplus comb honey
this year. I have a farm of 560 acres,
and keep about 150 head of cattle, but
I am 59 years old, and expect to make
bee-keeping a part of my business. I
shall sow nearly }4 bushel of sweet
clover seed this spring.
E. S. HOVET.
Swanton, Iowa, Feb. 28, 1883.
Remedy for Bee Stings.
Bees did not have a good fly from
the time winter set in (which was
about Nov. 15) till Feb. 16. Mine are all
in good condition except one, in a
single-walled hive, which is very un-
easy, and has the dysentery sliglitly ;
the rest are in Simplicity chaff hives,
with inch holes in gables of covers.
The single-walled hive had only a hole
at one end of the cover, and conse-
quently the chaff packing above the
cluster was very damp, so much so
that I changed the packing and raised
the cover by putting nails under each
corner. This shows the necessity of
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
139
sufficient ventilation above the pack-
ing to let off any excess of moisture,
ijg or 2 inch holes would be better
than 1 inch ; the latter not being suf-
ficient, in my chaff hives, to Iceep the
cliaff as dry as I would wish. Here is
another remedy for bee stings, taken
from" Peterson's "for March : Honey-
suckle— Lonicera Japonica and L.
Caprifolium. Ornaments of our gar-
dens, lawns and piazzas. A. syrup pre-
pared from the sweet-scented (lowers
has been used with benefit in some
cases of asthma. The expressed juice
of the leaves is used to relieve the
pain and inflammation of bee stings.
Who has ever tried it ?
John S. Snearly.
Williamsville, N. Y., Feb. 25, 1883.
Drones Now in tlie Hive.
My bees were shut up from about
Nov. 1 until Feb. 16 ; tliey flew on that
day. I have been sick and confined
to the house since Jan. 4 ; on Feb. 16,
it was very warm and pleasant ; in
the afternoon, about 3 o'clock, I went
out to look after my bees. Upon
looking at one colony, having a black
queen, mated with an Italian drone,
tliat did well last summer, I noticed a
drone leave the hive. To satisfy my-
self that I was not mistaken, I sat
down to watch for his return. In
about 5 minutes 4 drones entered the
hive. I have had some experience
with bees, and have read a good deal,
but never noticed any account of
drones this time of year. I have 22
colonies ; they looked all right on Feb.
16, there were no signs of dysentery ;
they looked slim, and were active.
H. M. Grove.
Titusville, Pa., Feb. 28, 1883.
[Drones are sometimes tolerated in
the hives all winter, if the colony is
queenless ; which yours probably
is.— Ed.]
Preventing Increase.
In reply to J. B. Hall, I will state
that I have practiced the method of
disposing of natural swarms, as given
by Prof. A. J. Cook, on page 474, of
the Bee Journal for July, for sev-
eral years, and found it a perfect suc-
cess, before writing it for Gleanings,
4 years ago, when Mr. Root said it
might do, but was sure they would
swarm and swarm over again. How
did he know when he had never tried
it V Does Prof. Cook claim the idea
as originating with himself V
Carson City, Mich. Hiram Roop.
An Enthusiastic Beginner.
Last spring I commenced with 2
colonies, and made them into 10, but
got no honey, the season being poor.
I have taken great interest in this (to
me) new business. Have read enough,
the last 12 months, to set up a dozen
bee-keepers, and remember about
half enough for one. I lately read
the last year's volume of the Weekly,
the loan of which I got from a friend,
and was particularly pleased with the
letters of Messrs. lleddon, Doolittle
and Hutchinson. Mr. D.'s plan of
collecting the valuable, as mentioned
in the issue for Feb. 14, is good. I
have my bees in a bed room, and
tlilnk they are all right, so far. They
have been very quiet, still quite a
number comes out to die. 1 am long-
ing to see the industrious little crea-
tures at work again. I hope that tlie
coming season will be good, and that
we will get some honey. A great
depth of snow has been covering this
part of tlie country, but a thaw on
the 16th and 17th turned, perhaps, a
third of it into water, which sunk into
the ground, there being little or no
frost below. F. Malcolm.
Innerkip, Ont., Feb. 20, 1883.
The Bees in Cellar All Right.
I have just finished carrying out the
bees to-day. All colonies are alive,
and in good order. I put them in the
cellar on Dec. 7. I have 34 colonies.
I started, last spring, with 11, all in
Langstroth hives. I feel quite pro-
voked, after reading in the Bee Jour-
nal about the dimensions of the
Langstroth hive to find, on measur-
ing my hives, that they are too small ;
the frames are only 16x8 inches, and
the brood chamber contains only 1,800
cubic inclies, in the clear.
John J. Stengeb.
Fort Madison, Iowa, Feb. 23, 1883.
Bees Easy and Quiet in the Cellar.
I commenced, last spring, with 30
colonies; some were very weak. I
had to feed most of them, up to June
1, to save them from starvation. I
got 3,200 lbs. of honey (2,000 lbs. of
comb, and 1,200 lbs. of extracted); in-
creased to 41 colonies, which are in
the cellar and seem to be wintering
nicely ; they are quiet. They became
somewhat restless about two weeks
ago, when it was raining, and the
snow melting off. I put a ball of
snow in front of each hive, in the
portico, and as it melted they got
water from it and became quiet, and
have been so ever since. The ther-
mometer stands at 65° to-day.
Mrs. a. B. Winder.
Grand View, Iowa, March 1, 1883.
Too Much Pollen.
Ten of my colonies are all right, so
far ; 5 have died (1 starved, the other
4 had the dysentery) ; tliey were the
strongest colonies I had. Those fed
with granulated sugar are all right.
One of the colonies that died had the
hive full of bees on one side ; it had a
comb with pollen, and all the bees on
that side had the dysentery ; and an
awful mess there was. The bees on
the other side of the hive, without
pollen, were as dry as they are at mid-
summer. Next fall I shall feed them
all with granulated sugar syrup, and
take out all the pollen.
Racine, Wis. Hugh Williams.
A Cold, Cold Winter.
We liave had some very cold
weather, Dec. 7, it was 26° below
zero ; Jan. 21, 40° below ; 22, 36°; 23,
34° ; and Feb. 5, 29°. We have had
two days in this month that it has
thawed, and the mercury reached 43°
above zero. We have 3 "feet of snow
on the level ; we had to shovel snow
from the roofs of our buildings, to
keep them from being crushed, by
the weight. I have lost 1 colony of
bees with dysentery, and I am fearful
for the rest, if we do not have a day
soon that they can have a good flight.
They have been housed for 114 days.
The Bee" Journal is always wel-
come, and I read it through before I
leave it. I think we will have a good
season for honey, in this part, for the
ground is well protected, and no frost
in it. We hope for the best. I shall
be glad when I can hear the hum of
my pets, and see them bringing in
pollen for their perpetuation.
Edwin Bump.
Marshfield, Wis., Feb. 21, 1883.
Bees Flying To-Day.
The mercury is 50° above zero, and
the bees are now flying a little, for
the first time since Nov. 11. My bees
have wintered well, so far ; they have
been under a snow drift, all winter,
with the snow kept away in front, so
that they could get fresh air. I think
we have a i)retty eveu temperature up
here for wintering bees on the sum-
mer stands. The coldest it has been
is 10° below zero twice, and it run up
to 27° above zero before noon both
days, and it has not been higher than
45'-' above. Most of the time it was
from 35° to 40° above zero.
G. L. Pkay.
Petoskey, Mich., March 1, 1883.
Bees Wintering Well.
I put the bees in the cellar Nov. 29 ;
temperature about 35° ; took them
out for a flight Feb. 14, all wintering
well, except one, which had the dysen-
tery very badly. I removed all their
combs and gave them clean ones, and
fed sugar, saturated with honey.
They are doing well now. Bees con-
sumed very little honej^ ; I used no
chaff cushions or quilts ; I raised
hives about % an inch off the bottom
board, putting sticks under the cor-
ners, and kei)t the cellar perfectly
dark. R. Grinsell.
Baden, Mo., Feb. 26, 1883.
Cellars Best for Wintering Bees.
On Dec. 6, 7, 1882, 1 put 130 colo-
nies in the cellar. I had to pile them
3 high, in order to get them all in. I
put 100 on summer stands on Feb. 28,
1883 ; the other .30 on March 1 ; all are
in fine condition, except one, which
had the dysentery some, and had lost
about half the bees. If sugar syrup
and chaff can beat that, let us hear
from them. I still vote in favor of
the cellar to winter in, if intelligently
done. J- E- Hunter.
Wyoming, Iowa, March 3, 1883.
Prospects are (Jood.
The thermometer registered 65° at
sunrise to-day. The bees have been
flying lively, after a confinement of
100 days. They began to show signs
of dysentery, but all answered to roll
call, but one, which starved with 25
lbs. of honey in the hive, because I
neglected to give them more bees in
the fall. My bees consumed but little
140
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
honey, and the combs are bright and
dry. They were wintered on the
summer stands, as I think all bees
should. More bees are lost by moving
back and fortli than in any other way.
By shading the entrances, the bees
will not fly except when it is warm
enough fortliem to return. Prospects
are good for white clover. I shall
sow 25 acres of alsike and sweet
clover, in wheat, in a few days.
John A. Williamson.
Lodge,Ill.,reb. 16, 1883.
Packing Bees in Sawdust.
Last autumn I packed 9 colonies, on
Mr. James Heddon's plan, and one
two-frame nucleus on Mr. D. A.
Jones' plan. On Feb. 16, they had a
good cleansing flight; they are all
strong, so far, with butfew dead bees.
Even the two-frame nucleus is
strong and lively. Last autumn I put
two frames, full of honey, one on each
side of them, and two division boards
on each side. They are in a small
space in the hive. 1 think that pack-
ing in sawdust is the best plan to
winter bees, for this was a very hard
winter. I think that my bees will
winter through all right. I made a
bridge of Langstroth's portico, for
winter passage for the bees. Will it
do to leave them packed until May 1 1
Wm. Robekts.
Vaughansville, O., Feb. 17, 1883.
[Yes, sir ; keep them packed until
just before they need surplus boxes.
If thin cloth is over them, exchange
this for a solid board cover, or some
cloth they cannot guaw. — J.IIeddon.]
Lar^e Yields— A Correction.
In giving the additional number of
pounds for the 192J^ sections at the
rate of \% lbs. for every 20 sections
(see page 107), 14.3^^ lbs. should be
14?^ lbs. (Perhaps 141^ would be
nearer right, making the aggregate
3993^ lbs. A mistake of the printer.)
Another slight mistake occurred in
the first column : "On" instead of
in each cover. The covers are 7
inches high, and we use the inside of
the 4 sides of the rims for recording
slates. We were pleased to see Mr.
Caldwell's remarks on the same sub-
ject ; he presents it in still a different
light, and we desire to add a thought
or two Mr. F. overlooked. From tlie
yearly reports of our most successful
bee-keepers, Mr. F. will see that these
large yields are very rare cases. Be-
sides, the closest attention of the
apiarian, the co-operation of the most
favorable circumstances is necessary
to produce such results. Among the
many bee-keepers of the country,
there is only now and then one, who
obtains such a large yield, enabling
him to give one of those so-called
" exaggerated reports," and this may
be the only one in his life-time. Since
1875 we have kept from 100 to 200 col-
onies, yearly, and this is tiie only
time that we ever had such a yield or
anything near like it ; we had several
colonies that season, which overrun
300 lbs. considerably ; but even that is
such an exception that we hardly ex-
pect to see it ever repeated. We
would gladly give $.500, or twice that
amount, to any one who could teach
us how to always produce such yields,
but we know that it is an impossi-
bility, and will be as long as we can-
not control nature.
Naples, N. Y. Greiner Bros.
When they Bloom.
Is white clover profitable as a
honey plant, the same season, when
sown in the spring? Will figwort or
motherwort bloom the first season,
when planted in spring? How long
does it lake to bring Rocky Mountain
bee plant to a producing state 'i
Northboro, Iowa. O. E. Moore.
[If sown early in the spring white
clover and motherwort yield honey in
the following June, and cleome (Rocky
Mountain bee plant) and figwort in
the July following. — Ed.J
Feeding in Spring.
Let me say to those who want a big
yield of honey next season, to try
feeding, as soon as bees can fly ; if
they have too much honey, take some
from them and feed sugar syrup. I
have tried it, and know the bees
will pay back the cost with compound
interest. Bees are wintering tolerably
well. I have lost 1 out of 44. I ex-
pected to lose 3, and perhaps more.
They had a good flight, and they
needed it, on Jan. 27 and 28, and Feb.
7, 8, and 19; they have plenty of
honey. I think they have consumed
15 to 20 lbs. already. I have 1 colony
wintering with the hive raised 2 inches
around, with coffee sacks on the
frames, and they are coming through
all right. I have 40 colonies in a dug-
out, on a side hill, facing soutli, and
banked up on the north and ends,
with dirt, even with the top, and cov-
ered over with hay and boards. This
winter I am trying cellar and out-door
wintering. I think the latter will
come out best, since the bees have
had a good flight. Wm. Malone.
Oakley, Iowa, Feb. 23, 1883.
Light in Bee Repositories.
In conversation with an acquaint-
ance of mine, a carpenter, who had
made bee hives and boxes for his
neighbors, lie said lie was ready to
disagree with any bee-keeper that it
is necessary to exclude light from cel-
lars or bee houses wherein bees are
kept in winter. He claims that it is
natural for bees to be surrounded with
light, as they are when in trees and
hives when standing out of doors.
He does not believe it necessary to
make cellars and bee houses dark, so
far as the light is concerned. If the
darkness that is vvitliin the bee hive,
is all that is necessary for the good of
the bees, why not put windows in our
bee houses, clamps and celUrs, and
make them as light as our houses V
It might seem that I have read
euougli to have that question settled,
but I do not remember seeing or hear-
ing it explained why the light is ob-
jectionable to the inside of the bee
house. Pretty much all the reason I
can call to mind, is tlie fact that those
places are built without windows, and
made as dark as possible. Of course,
light attracts bees out, but is it not
the temperature of the room which
keeps them in the hives 'i On consult-
ing Cook and Quinby, I see they both
say a cellar or house must be made
perfectly dark, but do not explain the
particular jeasons why. If " a little
knowledge is a dangerous thing," then
it is best for us, inexperienced ones,
not to form too positive opinions. Such
may be the case with my friend.
Ludlow, Vt. A. P. Fletcher.
[Mr. Heddon promises us an article
on the above subject, which will an-
swer the questions asked. — Ed.]
Wood Separators.
Why not make them come the
whole width of the section box '■*
Then, it it cannot be done in making
the separator, we can lake our pocket
knives and, with straight edge, trim
out a notch in a few minutes, and the
whole question of bee glue is solved,
especially if you use tight-titting cases
and clamps. C. H. Deane.
Mortonsville, Ky.
Hires Full of Honey.
I started in, last fall, with 44 colo-
nies ; lost three ; the rest are mostly
very strong ; wintered on the summer
stands, by turning a box over the
hive ; nearly every frame is full of
honey. Should I extract to give them
a chance to breed up 'i I want to in-
crease early. They coinineuced to-
carry in honey and pollen yesterday,
March 4. I find my hive is too short :
l-SJr^xllJ^xlO inches, side measure.
Should I change 't W.H. Pearson.
Jarbalo, Kans., March 5, 1883.
[If the frames are full of honey, use
the extractor to give the queen room.
As you have started in so liberally, it
will not pay to change frames.— Ed.]
Transferring Bees.
By his, Mr. Heddon's new process,
filling the hive with frames of foun-
dation, he tells us that he takes the
drum box, approaches the box or
queen to be transferred, and proceeds
in the ordinary way to smoke, turn
the hive " topsy turvy " and draw the
bees up. Would it not answer every
purpose to place the old gum or box
on top of the frame hive and proceed
to smoke and draw the bees down on
the foundation frames V If the down-
ward process will answer as well as
the upward expulsion, a board, to
cover the frame hive, could be pro-
vided, with a hole 7 or 8 inches in
diameter, or larger, cut in it ; place
the box hive on it, and everything
would be very convenient for business.
Highlands, N. C. E. E. Ewing.
[The downward expulsion process,
is not as good, etticieut and speedy as
the drum box and upward driving
plan, I laid down in •' Modern Trans-
ferring." Bees hive upwards maA
more readily than downwards.—
James Heddon.]
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
141
For the American Bee Journal,
Temperature to Make a Cold Winter.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
On page 111, Mr. Wismer wishes
me to say " what the thermometer
will record for a mild winter, and
what for a cold one." Two years ago
the lowest point touched was 22^ be-
low zero, and during nearly five
months the liigliest point was only
44° above, which was not warm
enough for bees to fly. The average
temperature was not far from 18°
above zero ; such is what I term a
cold winter. Last winter (one year
ago) the lowest point was 26° below
zero, while, every few weeks, the
mercury stood at from 48° to 60° above,
which gave the bees a chance to fly.
The average temperature of last win-
ter was not far from 28° above zero..
Although 26° below zero was the cold-
est of anything we had experienced
during the past 13 years, still the
winter, on a whole, was what I term a
mild one. Occasionally, one or two
extremely cold days do not materially
Injure bees, when it soon warms up,
80 that they can have a flight and
take fresh honey inside the cluster,
but Ave months of steady cold, as low
as 18° above zero, is almost sure to
work death and ruin for them.
Whilst the 26° below zero, a year
ago, did not materially injure the
bees, it was of great disadvantage to
the apiarist, as it killed the fruit buds,
to a large extent, and the continued
freezing and thawing destroyed the
clover. I have often noticed, here in
New York, that our best yields of
honey follow a cold winter, during
which more or less of our bees perish,
which, in fact, compensates for the
loss of bees. During the present
winter the mercury was down to 1-5°
below zero on the morning of Jan. 10,
and has been from 6° to 12-" below
several times since then. The ther-
mometer showed 11° below on Feb.
23, at 8 p. m.
My bees have had no flight since
Nov. 11, and many of them are be-
ginning to badly feel the need of a
cleansing flight ; others are apparently
in as good condition as they were
when packed for winter.
The point I desire light on, above
all others at the present time, is :
How can I secure to all, the condition
enjoyed by the feiv ? All were equal,
as far as 1 could tell last fall, and all
were packed alike. Those having
bottom ventilation, with none at the
top, are in the best condition, so far.
I believe there is a difference in bees
abont wintering ; for the bees from a
queen, received from Texas last June,
were the Hist to spot their combs;
and at this time scarcely a handful of
them remains, and they are in a
deplorable condition.
I am studying, and experimenting
with a view of getting some light on
this inequality of different colonies
regarding wintering, hoping that I
may gain some knowledge of the
matter before my bees have to pass
through another cold winter.
Borodino, N. Y., March 1, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Pure and Dollar ftueens.
JACOB SFENCE.
Intensely interesting have been the
discussions carried on in the Bee
Journal on the many questions as to
the various methods of apiary man-
agement. Particularly notable are
the conflicting ideas entertained by
even the wise and experienced breed-
ers, on the virtues and comparative
merits of the several bee races and
crosses, with a view to producing the
" coming bee."
The object of present reference to
these various presentations of opinion
is particularly to call attention to a
point or two which others, no doubt,
as well as myself, may have noticed,
which these authorities appear to have
overlooked or do not seem to have
taken sufficiently into consideration.
First, Deflnitely to set forth what is
to be squarely understood by the term
" pure '? " In fact, to some who have
also paid attention to the subject, this
idea of a " pure strain " seems not a
very " pure and simple " idea — how
far back pure V and then — where is
the purity start to be discovered V
The farther back genealogy is traced,
assuredly, the more mixed it looks.
Every queen, as well as every (human
or bee) subject, is reported as having
two grandmothers, and, similar count,
grandsires, and then every remove
back, once more doubles the number,
say, 4 ^reai-grandmothers and 8 great-
great, etc.,— so that by the time we
reach six generations ( which some re-
port as accomplished in one season) it
is plain that we repeat great only four
times we have, by correct geometrical
progression, 64 female, and, no doubt,
as many more male progenitors, of our
last queen only a few months since !
(and another generation back 128, etc..)
now,jjM)-e — from whichy
I confess, also, to some serious ap-
prehension in the matter of breeding
certain peculiar good and valuable
characteristics, and, at the same time,
that of the undesirable traits of the
race, while retaining those desirable.
This really looks like a rather up-hill
undertaking.
Most p'lysiologists would be likely
to, at least, hesitate about guarantee
against the cropping out, too, of some
of the bad pranks of some of the
great grand-parents, in the coining
generations.
Most emphatically, however, am I
in favor of shrewd, best-devised effort
to breed in all practicable perfection.
Taking advantage of " survival of
the Attest," as well as all advanced
appliances for controling the provis-
ions for propagation. "Natural" (and
artificial) "selection," utilizing and
guiding what is called instinct, much,
doubtless, may be turned by skill to
valuable account, and very deserving
of high commendation indeed are the
assiduous efforts of our much es-
teemed, progressive queen-breeders.
Yet may one respectfully presume
that some of these may not be entirely
beyond taking in good part a respect-
ful suggestion in the line that they do
not try to have themselves and all
others accept as true, in this particular
line, that "all things are possible to
him that believeth" in hiuiself.
I rather fear that the (so-called)
" fixed type " will need fixing all the
time. To me, pure stock, in this case,
would mean very much akin to " in-
and-in " breeding, and, for one, I do
not want such purity. A queen, from
percentage of good results, I would,
indeed, like ; hoping, too, that she
may have exercised good taste in the
selection of her royal mate. It may
fairly be hoped that many of the good
qualities, so very desirable, are likely
to be largely secured by exercise of
good taste and mature judgment of
experienced apiarists, and, if by extra
application, ability and skill, a strain
can be produced so vastly improved as
to be worth a fancy price, no one need
be disposed to complain. However,
accepting as true what is asserted by
breeders of high reputation, "that
dollar queens are reared, under proper
conditions, from the most approved
parentage," then I feel like taking
such, when I need, thankful to the
decent vender who can do, and honor-
ably does all he promises ; so am I
disposed to vote dollar queens a boon
to bee-keepers.
Toronto, Canada.
For the American Bee Journal.
Obtaining ftueen-Cells for Nuclei.
p. L. VIALLON.
When the time comes, in spring, to
start my queen-cellsfor queen-rearing,
I pick out, in my queen-rearing apiary,
the necessary number (according to
the number of nuclei) of the strongest
colonies, and mark them from No. 1,
up. On the first day that I wish to
start cells, I take out all the unsealed
brood from No. 1 and give it to No. 5,
or distribute it among those in which
it will do the most good. The queen
of this No. 1 is either caged, for fur-
ther use, or used where required. In
.5 days, when all the queen-cells are
capped over, I take the frame of
queen-cells out, and put it in a strong
colony, to take care of the cells until
they are due for the nuclei, which I
rendered queenless and broodless, and
mark it No. 1 A. I mark this differ-
ently, as it will take care of the cells
of 5 others. I give No. 1 the queen
and all the brood of No. .5, which is
the one I have to start cells on that
(the Sth) day. On the second day I
take all the brood of No. 2 and give it
to No. 6, or distribute it, as I did with
that of No. ], and, in 5 days, I give ,
the queen-cells to No. 1 A, to take
care of, and give this No. 2 the brood
and queen of No. 6, and so on, with
No. 3, 4, 5, etc.
Therefore, we see, that when we
reach No. •'5, on the fifth day after
starting cells in No. 1, we give its
142
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,.
brood and queen to No. 1, from which
we have just taken out the queen-
cells. No. 2 received the brood and
queen of No. 6 ; No. 3 that of No. 7,
and so on, as we proceed giving the
brood of the one we start cells in to the
one from which we take the cells. When
1 reach No. 11 I render another colony
queenless and broodless, to take care
of cells, until they are due, that is for
10 days, as No. 1 did, which I mark No.
2 A. I give No. 1 A the queen and the
brood of No. 2 A. By this method my
colonies building cells are queenless
only 5 days, and as they receive the
brood of another, they are kept in
good condition. Of all the colonies I
used, this season (1882), for queen-
cells, I have extracted an average of
75 lbs. of honey, and besides, got all
the brood needed for keeping up my 4
and 5 frame nuclei, and they are, at
this date, as strong as any colony in
the yard.
This is a system of rotation, which
may appear complicated, but when
practised, takes less time and is more
satisfactory than the system previ-
ously adopted.
So as to make it easy, I keep a record
in a book, as follows :
£
fi
B s
g
§.
a
o
a
>
£3
CD
C
<D
3
■a
« 0^
^ 0)
S®
o
d
2
IS
£
0)
-g
S2
o
0
4-1
do
<D 3
= a
8
2
o-a
a
Q
a
6
a
1.
April 1
April 5 No. lA
April 10
2.
2
6
11
3.
3
7
12
4.
4
8
13
"i.
5
6
9
10
14
15
7
11
IB
8.
8
12
17
9.
9
13
18
10.
10
14
19
11.
11
15 No. 2A
20
12.
12
16
i.i
21
Instead of marking the month as in
above, I use only cyphers ; for in-
stance, I put it in my book 4-1 for
April 1st, etc.
For my cells I use strips of brood,
about 3 cells wide, and hang them cell
down, under top bar of frame, and,
under another bar, nearly in center of
frame. 1 use but two strips of brood
and only 1 frame to eacb colony. I use
wires bent in this shape :
c c
to hold my strips to the bars, so that a
branch of it rests on top of bar and the
other penetrates just under septum of
strips of comb. I always use brood
one or two days old for iny cells, never
eggs, for reasons thatall practical bee-
keepers know.
The above is given for 1 colony a
day, but the same method is followed
for more, 1 use 2 a day to supply 250
nuclei with cells.
The above is about the substance of
an essay read at the National Conven-
tion, Cincinnati, which mysteriously
disappeared after it was read.
Bayou Goula, La.
For the American Bee JoumaL
How Shall We Report?
JAMES IIEDDON.
This subject is interesting and im-
portant, and moves directly upon the
interests of honey-producers. I wish
to touch it, in a little different man-
ner, from that upon which it has yet
been treated. I wish to consider it a
little more in the abstract. Nearly all
have assiduously labored to point out
to us the rights and wrongs of count-
ing extracted for comb honey, or say-
ing "honey" without telling which
kind, or weighing up wood and glass,
or piling 5 colonies into 1, or 1 into 5,
all of which admonitions are in place
and to the point. That is right, when
we speak, let us speak the exact truth,
not only in the letter, but in the
spirit. Since we have come to the
consideration of the truth in the
spirit, does it not call to our mind an
old and wise adage, that, " even the
trutli should not be told at all times."
I think Prof. Cook once fully appre-
ciated the force of this adage.
A few years ago, the Professor, in
company with the Michigan State
Treasurer, and plenty of good help
and advice, I doubt not, secured an
extraordinary large yield from 1 colony
of bees. This being a " truth," im-
mediate report was the next step.
This report was an effect of the cause,
extraordinary yield. This effect, like
all other effect's, in its turn became a
cause, and like all other causes, pro-
duced its effects, which were as fol-
lows : Various patent hive venders
throughout the country incorporated
this report verbatim into their be-
nighted or humbug circulars, the
effects of which were to deceive and
rob aviiricious and ignorant farmers
who owned " skeps " of bees.
Its effects, as published elsewhere,
like that of other larM reports, was to
entice many who could not succeed at
anything else, into the profitable busi-
ness of honey-producing.
We know how prone is human na-
ture, especially those who are out of a
job, and just those that we do not
want, and who, for their own sake,
ought not to attempt our business, to
kindly " take " to '■ big things," read-
ily donning the possibilities 6t genius,
as the probabilities of their own sweet
selves.
Suppose one of our ablest producers
was seeking a location in which to
practice his favorite calling, how
much notice would he take from a
big report from one hive, once occur-
ring in that locality V Would he not
ask, what has been the average yield
from a whole apiary during a series of
years ? " Chaff' does not catch old
birds."
What can be the object in sending
in these big reports, no matter whether
false or true ? If their authors have
carefully obeyed the eleventh com-
mandment, viz.: "Thou shalt not be
found out V" the effect is the same
all around. I can conceive an answer
to my question. The enthusiastic be-
ginner, when struck with the semi-
occasional honey shower, becomes
unexpectedly and unaccountably pos-
sessed of a large surplus yield from
his most favorably situated colony
(why most favorably situated, he does
not know), and his young enthusiasm
tills him too full for containance, and
out comes the report. As we have
some bee-keepers, whose eminence
sprang from reports of large surplus,
is another cause for sending in the
report, and these desires thoroughly
test the integrity of the reporter,
which, if found wanting in the least,
has a tendency to stretch the already
large yield to enormous proportions,
weighing up wood, glass, tin points,
etc., and, possibly, direct crookedness
gets into the ligurmg.
It is a great error to immortalize a
bee-keeper for a few large reports,
especially from a few colonies. Con-
tinued authoritative reports of this
kind are quite another thing, espec-
ially if made out by second parties.
Such catering is not only unwise in
the caterers, but tempting to honor-
able aspirations.
I do not honor the natural philoso-
pher who attempts to astonish me
with his new theories of gravitation,
based upon his assertions that he threw
up a brick and it is still going up, but
I honor the Kepler who proves his
theories to my reason, by his discov-
ered philosophy ; or the Spencer, who
proves his social philosophy by the
genius of his mighty brain, who never
asks you to take his word for any
thing, but proves his theories by re-
calling your attention in a philosophi-
cal manner to what you already know.
Let us give in the reports of our
successes and failures, in the aggregate
or extreme, only when we have the
self-consciousness that the effects of
our reports will do justice to all.
Dowagiac, Mich., March 3, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal
Keystone Bee-Keepers' Association.
The bee-keepers of this portion of
Pennsylvania are still at work. On
the 28d day of November last, pur-
suant to a call, a few bee-keepers re-
siding in the counties surrounding
Lackawanna, met at the city of
Scranton, and organized the " Key-
stone Bee-Keepers' Association,"
adopted a constitution and by-laws,
and elected the following officers for
the ensuing year, viz.: President, J.
W.Fisher, Drinkers ; Vice-President,
W. H. Hull, Olyphant; Secretary,
Geo. C. Green, Factoryville ; Treas-
urer, Justice Akeiiey, Justice; and
Assistant Secretary, Geo. II. Colvin,
Dalton.
After transacting the necessary
business, and selecting questions for
consideration at the next meeting, the
Association adjourned to meet at the
same place Jan. 11, 1883.
At this meeting several questions of
importance to bee-keepers were dis-
cussed, and other questions selected
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
143
for consideration. Several new mem-
bers were admitted ; the present num-
ber being 2(3. The admission fee is
50c ; ladies free. The next annual
meeting will be held in Scranton, on
Tuesday, May 8, 1883. The questions
selected for consideration, were :
" Tlie Production and Care of Surplus
Honey ; " The Best Method of Vv in-
tering Bees," and " Rearing Queens."
Mr. Geo. Wright was selected to
read an essay on " Bee-Keeping."
G. C. GiiBKN, Sec.
Factoryville, Pa., Feb. 20, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Bee Dysentery Not a New Disease.
S. F. NEWMAN.
In the Bee Journal for Feb. 14,
page 95, Mr. Heddon says " lie would
like to tell S. F. Newman why one of
his apiaries has dysentery while the
other three have not, all being pre-
pared for winter in the same manner."
Now, Mr. Editor, there are many
beekeepers in Northern Ohio who
will be under very many obligations
to Mr. Heddon if he will give the de-
sired information, especially if the
cause is of such a nature as to be
capable of being guarded against in
the future, for dysentery is making
sad havoc with many apiaries in this
section.
I neglected to say in my letter,
which appeared on page 26 of the
Journal, that our 38 colonies, which
have been tlie worst afflicted, and the
most of which have gone where sick
bees go, were ttie strongest, and to all
appearance, in the best condition of
any we had to withstand a hard win-
ter. Most of them had young queens,
and all had brood in from two to five
combs as late as the last of October.
1 had supposed that dysentery was
comparatively a late disease, but I
find, in reading one of Virgil's poems,
that he liad a knowledge of it, and
prescribed remedies. 1 send you tlie
translation of part of the poem. Vir-
gil says :
" But since life has on bees, too,
entailed our misfortunes, if their
bodies shall languish with a sore dis-
ease, wliich you may know by un-
doubted signs ; immediately the sick
change color, a horrid leanness de-
forms tlie countenance ; then they
carry the bodies of the dead out of
their liouses, and lead the mournful
funeral processions, or clinging to-
gether by their feet, hang about tlie
entrance, or loiter all within their
houses shut up, both listless through
famine, and benumbed witli cold.
" Then a hoarse sound is iieard, and
in drawling hums they buzz, and at
times the south wind murmurs
through the woods, as the ruffled seas
creak hoarsely with refluent waves —
as rapid Are in tlie pent furnace roars.
In this case I would advise to burn
gummy odors, and to put honey in,
through pipes of reed, kindly inviting
and tempting the feeble to their
known repast.
"It will be of service to mix with it,
tlie juice of pounded galls and dried
roses, or inspissated must, thickened
over a strong fire, or raisins from the
Prythian vine, Cecropian thyme and
strong smelling centaury. There is
also in meadows a flower to which the
husbandman has given the name
amellus, an lierb easy to be found ;
for from one root it shoots a vast
luxuriance of stalks, itself of golden
hue, but on the leaves, which are
spread thickly around, the purple of
the dark violet sheds a gloss.
" The altars of the gods are often
decked with plaited wreaths of this
flower. Its taste is bitterish in the
mouth. The shepherds gather it in
new-shorn valleys, and near the wind-
ing streams of Mella. Boil the roots
thereof in fragrant wine, and present
it as food for the bees in full baskets
at their door."
Norwalk, O., Feb. 17, 1883.
For tbe American Bee JoumaL
How to Make Honey Vinegar.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
At the Michigan State Convention
at Kalamazoo, Mr. Bingham liad on
exhibition an excellent sample of
honey vinegar ; and, as he told us how
many pounds of beeswax was ob-
tained from a certain amount of
washed cappings, it occurred to me
that the vinegar was made from the
honey tliat was washed from the cap-
pings. Upon addressing a letter of
inquiry to Mr. Bingham, he wrote me
a long, kind and instructive letter
upon tlie subject, which, with his per-
mission, I now give to the readers of
the IJee Journal. It is as follows :
" Tlie cappings should be put into
a dripper and allowed to remain
about 24 hours, then put into as much
wateras you may reasonably expect to
sweeten a little sweeter than good
new cider, with the cappings that you
expect to have. I fill an ordinary
whisky-barrel with water, and the
honey from the cappings, in extract-
ing 1,000 pounds of honey, usually
makes it sweet enough. The cap-
pings are left in the water an hour or
two, then skimmed out and put into a
strainer to drip dry, which they will
do in 10 or 12 hours. The drippings
are, of course, saved and put into the
barrel.
"This slightly sweetened water
soon begins to ' work,' and the scum
may be taken off with a wire cloth, or
other skimmer, as often as necessary,
until nothing rises. This sweetened
water passes through all the stages of
fermentation, the same as cider, until
it reaches the point called vinegar.
One year, perhaps less, makes it such
vinegar as you saw at Kalamazoo.
We have used no other vinegar in our
family for 20 years, except a year or
two when we first came to Michigan,
14 years ago, when I had no bees.
'• There is, probably, no profit in
making honey vinegar from good
salable honey, but in keeping bees
there is often waste honey tlial is of
little value. I know of no manner of
getting cappings ready for making
into wax that is so convenient and
profitable, and the vinegar is known
to be pure.
" I keep the barrel covered with a
cotton cloth, and there is not much
danger of getting the water too sweet.
If very sweet, it takes longer to get
it to vinegar ; but it is better when it
does get there. T.F.Bingham."
A barrel of excellent vinegar for
every 1,000 pounds of honey extracted
is certainly worth saving. I know of
one bee-keeper who will save that
barrel of vinegar, during the coming
season.
Rogersville, Mich.
For th« American Bee JoumaL
N. E. 0. and N. W. Pa. Convention.
D. VIDETO.
Our trip to the North-Eastern Ohio
and North- Western Pennsylvania Bee-
Keepers' Convention,held at Andover,
O., on Feb. 14-15, was very agreeable,
for many reasons.
Programmes, covering the whole
ground of bee science, were printed,
and circulated through the audience,
and, judging from the attention and
interest manifested, those present had
a desire to know more about bees.
When a topic was announced by the
President, there was no want of de-
baters. Among the 60 or 70 present
(including some ladies), short and
pithy speeches sprang upeveryvvhere.
With all the slashing the dollar-
queen breeders took, and the adver-
tisers of new-idea hives, new fixtures
and half-pound sections without sepa-
rators, and wide frames in the brood
chamber for surplus, and the Given
press, to fasten foundation on wired
frames, etc., etc., there was the utmost
kindness and good feeling, and earnest
desire to compare notes and learn
more about the modern apiary.
Pet theories and pet practices were
alike criticized, and, while all enjoyed
the feast, I am confident that many
unlearned, and learned anew to profit
by closer study and practice.
The first day was rainy, but, on the
second, the storm cloud passed over,
and the members of the convention
were invited to visit the very attrac-
tive apiary of Mr. M. E. Mason, where,
to the delight of all, a portion of his
bees were making their first cleansing
flight. Mr. M. has been using the
Root chaff hive, in part, bvit says he
will make no more, although he con-
siders them tolerably good for winter-
ing; the objections being that they
are too cumbersome for summer ma-
nipulation. The rest of the hives are
the Simplicity, packed in chaff ; the
outer box is made of pine and painted,
with tin roof and tight bottom. CliafE
cushions are placed directly on the
brood frames, also filling the spaces
outside of the division boards. Exam-
ination showed them to be in excellent
condition and it was thought by many
that they could endure another
month's confinement. One very im-
l)ortant feature in Mr. Mason's pack-
ing, is, that the hive sets into the box,
with about four inches of chaff under
the hive. The bee stand is about six
or eight inches high, and so made as
to give little or no moisture to the
packing box. Mr. M. has over sixty
144
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
colonies, nearly all of which are pure
Italians, reared from imported queens.
He says tlie highest type of the Italian
bee is not found in the imported or
foreign bred, but that when American
born and accustomed to our climate,
they exliibit all the desirable qualih-
cations. It is but just to say that he
has some splendid bees. Tliis section
of country seems admiralily adapted
to the bee industry. Andover is sit-
uated 2S miles south of Ashtabula, on
a branch of tlie Lake Shore Railroad.
Tlie country is moderately rolling,
largely timbered with hickory, maple,
ash and basswood ; the soil "is lieavy
and adapted to grazing, with a liberal
scattering of white clover.
Mr. M. contemplates moving about
one-half of his bees, in the spring, six
miles away, to a piece of timber, com-
prising 600 acres, a large portion of
which abounds in basswood.
The time of our meeting sped hur-
riedly by, and, before our programme
was completed, the trains admonished
us that we must kick the dust from
our feet and depart, and, as Provi-
dence would have it, I arrived home
on the morniug of the 16th, to witness
my bees, as they had an all-day ,cleans-
ing fliglit. Examinations, one week
previous, had shown my bees to be
somewhat uneasy, with abdomens ex-
teiided and symptoms of dysentery
about the entrances, with occasional
spots on the combs. The warm day of
the 16th was a God-send to my pets.
North-East, Pa.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Section Racks for Comb Honey.
T. E. TURNER.
This is a subject of much impor-
tance, at the present time, to many
bee-keepers, and especially to those
who contemplate changing from broad
frames to some other arrangement for
holding sections in place, until they
are filled with honey.
There are serious objections to
broad frames as section liolders. It
is with difficulty that the sections,
when tilled, are removed from them,
for the bees fasten them with propoiis.
The bees often stick propolis on the
edges of the sections in broad frames
that must be scraped off in order to lit
them in the shipping case. When an
upper story or surplus hive is tilled
with broad frames and sections full
of honey, it is hard to take them out
without spoiling some of the sections;
unless a movable side is used in the
upper story, which adds to the ex-
pense. That it is easier to make objec-
tions to that which is in use, than to
propose something better to take its
place, is sometimes true, but not in
the present case, as viewed by the
writer. At the Northwestern Con-
vention, some were desirous of chang-
ing from broad frames as supers, if
they only knew of something to use
that was better. It is important for
all who are beginning bee-keeping, as
well as for those who contemplate
changing from broad frames to sec-
tion racks, to knovv which is tlie best
to use, for changing racks, after com-
mencing their use, is costly.
I have used broad frames in upper
stories, and at the sides of the brood
chamber and section racks, in the
same apiary for some years, and I
consider the racks about as far su-
perior to broad frames as frame hives
are to box hives. I have no interest
in the manufacture or sale of any
rack, for I purchase iny apiarian sup-
plies ready-made, but the Hodgson
Rack, that was illustrated and de-
scribed on page 96 of the Bee Jour-
nal, for Feb. 14, has been used by the
bee-keepers in this locality for four
years, and possesses practical merit.
As it is public property, any one can
make it who desires to do so. This
rack is regarded by those who have
used it here, less objectionable than
an upper-story super, with broad
frames, but perhaps some of the
greater lights in the bee world will
find objections to it, that we lesser
lights have not discovered. It does
not need to be turned bottom side up,
and the sections knocked out, with a
jar, as with some others, but by re-
moving the V-shaped beveled wedges
and the sides, any or all of the sections
can be removed without jarring or
danger of breaking the combs. The
expense of making it is about the
same as half-story super, with 7 broad
frames. The observing glass allows
the sections to be seen vvhen on the
hive, without disturbing the bees, but
it can be made with less cost without
glass, if desired ; and it will admit of
tiering up. There is a little board to
shut off the bees from a part of the
section space to concentrate the bees
on partially tilled sections, in case the
honey flow slackens up. It can be
used on top for chaff-packing, just as
well as any other, if desired, and has
no cross pieces to interfere with pack-
ing. With it there is no need of sep-
arators. I have used separators on
broad frames, but none on the rack,
and the sections are about as straight
for packing in shipping cases in ttie
one as in the other. Separators can
be used with it, if desired.
If this imperfect description of sec-
tion racks will aid some progressive
apiarist to greater success in his
" sweet pursuit," my object will be
accomplished.
Sussex, Wis.
For tlie American Bee Jonrnai.
The Adoption of a Standard Frame.
H. D. EDWARDS.
On page 21 of the Bee Journal,
for Jan. 10, is an article by J. B.
Mason, advocating the adoption of a
standard frame. The writer does not
tell us why we should throw away our
present frames and adopt one of a
different size. The advantages he
omitted to state ; they are so few, and
the difficulties so many, that the day
is very distant when we shall see the
same sized frame used by all the bee-
keepers of the country. The incon-
venience occasioned by the different
sized frames, is easily overcome, by
transferring to the one you are using.
He admits that some of our most suc-
cessful bee-keepers are using different
sized frames, according to his partic-
ular notions of the size and shape
required ; and as it has not been dem-
onstrated that a frame of any particu-
lar size is any better than a frame of
some ottier size, it will be very diffi-
cult to get men to discard the frame
and hive they are using for one of a
different size, thereby incurring an
outlay of time and money, for which
they are to receive no adequate re-
turn. Locality, the manner of win-
tering bees, and the production of
comb or extracted honey, will always
have an influence in determining the
size and shape of the frame used. In
the extreme Northern States, where
bees are wintered on tlieir summer
stands, it is generally conceded that a
deep frame is best ; while a sliallow
frame, having the advantages for the
production of comb honey, is the one
most likely to be adopted in the South,
where there is no danger from cold in
wintering. In the intermediate lati-
tudes, wYiere bees are usually win-
tered on the summer stands, a frame
of medium depth is the one most
likely to be selected, as combining
more advantages than any other.
I think it a good subject for discus-
sion, in conventions, as it may bring
out facts, and help to suggest a frame
best adapted to the locality in which
members of the convention reside ;
thereby assisting those who have as
yet but few colonies, and those about
to engage in tlie business who are un-
decided, what frame to adopt.
Delhi, 111.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Enemies of Bees.
F. THIAVILLE.
In the summer of 1878, when bees
were working on mint, cotton and
other low brushes, the bee killers were
as numerous as the bees, playing de-
struction. They were also thick in
the apiary. I tried to chase them with
my net, but with little success.
In this latitude, from the hist of
May to the middle of June, is the time
they are mating ; they make a shrill
noise and can be heard at 30 paces.
Then go around fence corners, and
you find them, male and female, hang-
ing to some low bushes, such as sumac
and blackberries. They can be caught
easily with the hand, and killed. If
too high, have your mosquito net and
catch them. One day, hunting, in
mating time, is sufficient for me, and
I am no more troubled with them.
We have here 4 varieties, but the most
ferocious are the large, black ones,
which also catch grasshoppers and
other bee killers, in the same manner
that they catch bees.
King birds, ants and toads, are little
trouble ; spiders are more destructive
here. Lizards, snakes and scorpions
are always hovering about the hives.
I have the apiary nice and clean, and
keep a good supply of cats and kit-
tens; they catch and eat them. Some-
times scorpions will make cats sick,
and, occasionally, kill them.
The bee moth is very troublesome,
and puts the bee-keepers on the look-
THE AMERICAI* BEE JOURNAL.
145
out, to keep only strong colonies. My
bees are mostly hybrids and brown
bees; they will not suffer by the moth.
I have no pure Italians. Suppose the
disease, foul brood, makes its appear-
ance in a country where there is a
quantity of wild bees in the forests
and rocks, apiarists never will be able
to clear their apiaries of it. The bees
will constantly bring it back from the
forest. I believe the bee moth would
be a good agent for destroying these
diseased colonies and put an end to it.
In a warm climate there is more ver-
min than in a northern country. We
have no winter to kill them.
Bees are doing well for this latitude.
Now is the time they make active pre-
paration. Sometimes bees gather con-
siderable honey in March, but April is
the general honey harvest here.
Forest City, Ark., Feb. 10, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Preparing Bees for Winter.
H, M. MORRIS.
I cannot say that my bees are win-
tering extra well. Part of them, at
least, seem to be a little " uneasy,"
crawling out at the entrance when it
is too cold for them to fly ; most of
them get back, however, but they
look a little too fat to suit me. They
are all packed alike, or nearly so ;
some have the oil cloths directly over
the bees. I have tried some colonies
that way, for several winters, and I
am convinced that it is a poor plan.
This is the way I pack : I put about
6 corn cobs, equally spaced, on the
frames, to hold up the quilt so that
the bees can pass from one frame to
another. I used the cobs long before
" Hill's Device " was spoken of, and
now I find them preferable to punch-
ing holes in the combs, and less ex-
pensive than " Ilill's Device," and
you do not have to store them away
through the summer, which is quite
an item when you have one or two
hundred colonies. Then, over these
cobs, I place a good thick quilt,
blanket, or old piece of carpet ; no oil
cloth. Then either loose chaff or a
cushion. The ol)ject is to have some-
thing on top that will take up all the
moisture that arises from the bees,
and, by the way, I do not call chaff
cushions,on top, "upward ventilation."
A g^od thick cushion, that tits the
hive so tight tliat you must crowd to
get it in, shuts off "upward ventila-
tion," and that is just what we want.
To my mind, upward ventilation is a
term synonymous with "Blasted
Hopes." Of course, I am speaking
now of wintering on summer stands.
I say never use an oil cloth next to the
bees in winter time. It is too cold ;
it condenses the breath and makes
water form directly over the cluster,
and in the end, damp hives, moldy
combs and dysenteric .bees. What is
the good of an absorbent over the bees
with an air-tiglit, water-tight parti-
tion between it and tlie bees V It
defeats the one object we are working
for. Mr. Doolittle should try it on
himself some cold night; crawl under
an oil cloth sheet, and you may put
all the quilts you like over you, and
you will And yourself wet and uncom-
fortable, and (unless extra well cov-
ered) cold. That fact can be demon-
strated by wearing " rubber boots "
for any length of time in cold, dry
weather. Your feet soon get the
dysentery or something else, and you
will have a case of spring dwindling
that you will remember.
I have wintered from 10 to 50 colo-
nies of bees on the summer stands, in
Simplicity hives, through 5 winters,
without loss by dysentery or dwind-
ling, and this is my way of fixing
them : I crowd them into 7 frames.
I know that they liave honey enough
to last until unpacked in the spring, a
thin cushion on either side, then fixed
on top as 1 have described ; entrance
closed to within an inch ; back end of
hive 4 inches the highest, so that no
water can run in, but all that might
gather can run out. Examine each
entrance often enough to know that
it is not clogged with debris, and if
not north of 41°, your bees will come
th'oughthe winter all right, in nine
cases out of ten.
This is the most severe winter we
have had since I have paid any par-
ticular attention to bee-keeping, and
I may lose some ; the mercury going
to 18° and 203 below. It commenced,
last night, with a thunder storm, and
we are still having one of the worst
ice storms I ever witnessed. Trees
look like liberty poles, completely
stripped of their limbs. A white
birch tree, some 20 feet high, in front
of the window where I sit, is bent
with its weight of ice, so that its top
lies on the ground. Fields are one
vast lake of ice; telegraph wires
broken down ; everything out of doors
is grandly beautiful, majestic to look
upon, and the damages are also ma-
jestic. As I sit here writing I can
hear the branches crack and come
crashing down to the ground.
Dr. Miller will find my report for
1882 in December Oleanings, page 600.
N. H. Stewart quotes me, from Glean-
ings, a little wrong. I said : I think
bees gather some honey, each year,
from corn ; his statement is that my
bees gather large quantities of corn
honey each year. I am not positive
of that. I know that they did this
year. Corn honey has such a peculiar
quality that if one ever gets a yield
he will be apt to know it if he ever
gets another, and I am quite sure I
have had corn honey before.
Eantoul, 111., Feb. 2, 1883.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
now keeps the entrances open the full
width.
President Barrows said he lost none
2 years ago. Does not darken his
cellar; the hives face the wall ; Hues
start from cellar, and when the
weather permits he opens doors and
windows for ventilation. If cellars
are kept near freezing point, they will
keep more quiet, and not be liable to
come out, if the cellar is a little light.
The secretary read an article from
the Bee Journal by G. M. Doolittle,
on " Winter Flights."
Mr. Moore said he preferred winter-
ing in the cellar, but should try out-
door wintering, by giving protection,
if his numbers still increased. He
now has 50 colonies in good condition.
All present were much interested, and
reported extra returns for the past
season, and bees in fine condition for
the winter.
The next quarterly meeting will be
held on Saturday, March 24, at 10:30
a. m., at the Sheriff's office, Marshall-
town, Iowa. Subject for discussion :
" Spring and Summer Care." We
hope many Iowa bee-keepers will at-
tend the next meeting.
J. W. Sanders, Sec.
O. B. Barrows, Pres.
Marshall County, Iowa, Convention.
The Marshall County, Iowa, Bee-
Keepers' Association met in Marshall-
town, Iowa, at 1 p. m., on Jan. (i. The
minutes of the previous meeting were
read and approved. The subject of
wintering was then discussed.
Mr. J. Moore stated that bis bees
wintered in his cellar, prepared on
purpose for them. It is dark, and
ventilated by flues starting in the
cellar. He lost heavily, 2 years ago,
but thinks mostly by his own neglect
in not keeping the entrances open. He
For tlie American Bee Journal.
Do Bees Need a Winter Flight ?
FAYETTE LEE.
I have kept bees for 6 years, ancE
have let them have 2 flights between
January and April, with good results,
for the firsts winters. Every colony
coming through in good condition ;
but during the last 3, they had the
dysentery from dampness, and the
winter flight did no good. It caused
them to try to dry the hive, by sipping
up the water that had accumulated
on the combs, and in a few days they
were worse than ever. I believe that
dampness and breeding causes dysen-
tery. About Jan. 28, I went into my
cellar and heard a colony making a
fuss about something; 1 raised the
cover and looked into the hive ; it was
full of bees from top to bottom, and
the water stood in big drops on the
under side of the cover. I took them
out and gave them a flight ; they had
4 frames of brood. I put them back
into the cellar, and before April 15,
they were all dead, witli plenty of
hoiiey. When I put my bees into the
cellar, I put a newspaper on top of
every hive, to make them air-tight at
the top. I learned a lesson, to never
stop upward ventilation, because
some one said so. The temperature
of the celiac was 50- most all winter;
bees commenced breeding the last
week in January, and made bad work
of it. This winter, my cellar stands
from 36'-' tolO'^; bees are quiet, and
there are no dead bees on the bottom
of the cellar. I shall give them no
flight this winter. We have had
steady cold weather since New Year's-
day, with some days as cold as 32^ be-
low zero, with the worst blizzards I
ever saw. Last winter I took up ai
dust pan full of bees from the cellar »
bottom and put them beside the stove-
146
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
and most of them came to life. That
shows me they do not die with old age.
One spring, when I put my bees out,
I found one colony of Italians that
had no brood ; the combs were dry and
the bees healthy, and I never saw a
colony do better, through the sum-
njer.
The best cover to put over bees in
the cellar, is half-inch basswood, just
large enough to cover the hive ; it
will warp just enough to give good
ventilation, and it will take up the
dampness. A new cellar is a poor
place to winter bees in, unless it has
a large ventilator running to the roof.
The Syrian bees suit me best for ex-
tracted honey, the blacks for comb
honey, and the Italians for business.
I had one cohmy of Italians that put
all of their honey in the upper story,
60 I had to feed them in the fall.
Honey sells at from 1.5 to 2-') cents per
pound here.
Cokato, Minn.
For tile American Bee JournaL
My Experience With Sweet Clover.
JOHN H. MARTIN.
Several weeks ago. Dr. Miller re-
quested me (by postal card) to give my
■experience in ttie sowing of sweet
clover, referring to my article upon
bee farming, on page 308, Bee Jour-
nal for 18S1. It is very easy for us
to give our plans and directions for
sowing or planting our crops, but the
result, at the close of the season, is
sometimes a heart-sick task.
My experience, then, with sweet
clover, is this : About 5 miles from
my apiary the roadside is full of sweet
clover. In the fall of 1880 I gathered
enough seed to sow an acre. It was
sown upon gravelly loam. As the
books all say sweet clover will grow
anywhere, even upon a rock, I did not
spend much time in preparing the
land by manuring, but gave it a thor-
ough harrowing. At tlie proper time
for plants to be coming forth, you
would have frequently seen a bee-
keeper about my size prospecting tnat
acre of ground for sweet clover. I
prospected, from time to time, during
the whole season, and at harvest time
I could have easily carried the crop,
honey, blossoms, fodder and roots, all
in one hand ; it was a complete fail-
ure. A portion of the land was quite
rich and moist; upon this a few
diminutive straggling plants put in
an appearance.
I have the same experience in sow-
ing upon the roadside. It will not
catch.*permanently. If, now and then,
a plant does mature and casts its
seeds, you will lind none there the next
season. The species of clover I have
experimented with is an annual. It
seems to thrive best upon clav soil. I
hope to give it another trial up"on a Held
of clay with plenty of manure, another
season. The idea that, because it
grows upon the roadside, it is growing
upon poor land is a mistaken one.
Our highways, and especially all of
the land between the fences here in
the Eastern States, is the richest land
we have. The scrapings in the hol-
lows and ditches is nearly equal to
barnyard manure. There is evidently
great value in sweet clover blossoms,
for during the past season, when our
apiary was yielding no honey, those
having bees within reach of sweet
clover received much benefit from
that source. The question with me is,
how to sow it, so as to have a good
reliable growth. I have thus far fol-
lowed nature's plan, have sown in the
fall, perhaps I should sow in the
spring.
I lind the Simpson honey plant, or
figwort also, hard to start from the
seed, but this objection can be over-
come, by starting plants in a hot bed,
and transplanting them. By this
method, arapidand successful growth
is secured, and although I have had
but a few plants in my yard, I think
it the best plant, exclusively for
honey, I have yet seen. It comes to
maturity the second year, and our
plants were fully 10 -feet in height,
and had half a dozen or more stalks,
all full of blossoms ; and the beauty
of this plant is the seemingly unceas-
ing flow of honey. The bees were at
work upon it in myriads, from early
morn until dewy evening, in rainy
weather or in time of drouth. It was
the " old faithful," among our honey
plants. I hope to set an acre of this
plant this spring. I also consider
alsike clover a bonanza for the bee-
keeper, even if he owns not an acre of
land, his farming neighbors can be
induced to sow it for their stock.
Hartford, N. Y.
[This is about the only failure in
propagating sweet clover, we remem-
ber of seeing recorded, and we fully
believe that there is some mistake
about it— either the seed was poor,
the land too rich, or some climatic
difficulty prevented its development.
It is best adapted for poor clay, but
will certainly grow and thrive in some
good land, as we have proved, year
after year. Probably the key to this
failure is found in the </ii>d paragraph,
where Mr. Martin says : " The species
of clover I have experimented with is
an a7imial." Melilotus alba (sweet
clover) is a biennial, and not an an-
nual, and hence it must have been
another plant entirely. — Ed.]
For the American Bee Journal.
Are Sections Under 1 lb. Profitable ?
F. I. SAGE.
I notice by the Bee Journal that
the impression seems to be gaining
ground among bee-keepers that it is
more desirable and profitable to have
i comb honey put in half-pound pack-
ages. Having bought of the pro-
ducers, during the jsast season, up-
wards of 50 tons of comb honey,
perhaps they may think my views on
the subject worthy of notice. Permit
me to say (and most emphatically) that
I am not in favor of using the half-
pound sections, and never advocated
the using of them so small as one-
pound. Certainly, we want nothing
smaller than the pounds. It may be
said that I am selfish in this matter,
and I admit I am to this extent, viz.:
That I believe I can sell more pounds
or tons of honey by handling nothing
smaller than IJ^ or 2-pound sections,
than I can if handling 1 or J^ pounds.
What is for my interest, I think is
also for for the interest of the pro-
ducer, and the merchants with whom
Ideal. To illustrate : A buys 5 cases
of honey, in 2 pound sections ; to sell
this, he makes 60 sales ; B buys 5
cases, containing 24 one-pound sec-
tions ; he must make 120 sales ; C buys
.5 cases, containing 240 half-pounds,
and, of course, must make 240 sales.
Which one, do you think, will first
sell his stock of honey V Having
tested the matter thoroughly, I know
the 60 two-pound sections will be sold
long before the 240 half-pounds. I
know it is said the pounds and half-
pounds will be sold to many who
would not buy the larger size, but you
must remember that there are many
who would buy the pounds who would
iust as soon take the two-pounds, if
nothing smaller was at hand. I deal
with many who will not buy so small
as the one-pound package of honey,
and would laugh at the half-pounds,
considering them only as novelties.
They would say, at once, when the
honey trade comes to this, we want
no more of it. Suppose I handle 50
tons yearly of two-pound packages ;
40 tons of one-pounds, or 30 tons of
half-pounds would supply this same
trade. This, I firmly believe. It is
said Boston pays 5 cents per pound
more for half-pound sections. For
the sake of the argument, we will
admit she has, for a very limited
quantity, but why did she do itV
Simply because it was a novelty ! I
happen to know that Boston has been
offered half-pound sections for much
less than quotations, but she would
not buy them for cash, at such prices.
If it is for the interest of the mer-
chants, and for mine, to handle noth-
ing smaller than IJ^ or 2-pound sec-
tions, is it not also for the interest of
the bee-keeper to use sections of that
size, and not strive to cut his own
throat by coming down to the " penny-
packager"' Of course, if he under-
stands his business, he knows he can-
not produce a given weight of honey
in penny packages for the same price,
per pound, that he can in IJ2 or 2-
pound sections. If he feels as though
he was getting rich too fast, and his
conscience troubles him much, let him
sell his large packages for the same
amount of money that his honey crop
would have brought him, had it been
in half-pound sections. Let me illus-
trate how this penny package business
works : I have a trade that has never,
until recently, used anything smaller
than two-pound sections ; along comes
a man who has one-pound sections ;
they look nice, are a novelty, and a
little persuasion on the part of the
seller, induces the merchant to try a
case, wliich takes the place of 2 cases
of two-pound sections. Next season
along comes tlie half-pound sections,
and he again buys, which again re-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
147
duces his sales, but the worst of it is,
that alter these small packages have
been introduced, the people seem to
think they want them, and if they
cannot get them, quite likely they
will take none, and the merchant be-
gins to think the honey trade is
scarcely worth bothering with. In
fact, I know of a number who have
given the honey trade the "goby"
altogether, during the present season.
Again (yon may laugh at the idea,
nevertheless it is a fact), that there
are thousands of otherwise intelligent
people, who firmly believe that all
these small nice cakes of honey are
manufactured by man, and will not
believe that bees can be trained to do
such work. I claim it is for the in-
terests of the bee-keeper, the merchant
and myself, that nothing smaller than
two-pound sections are used, and will
try and show how a few bee-keepers
can force the many to work at a loss
to all concerned. For instance, a bee-
keeper in a certain locality uses a few
one- pound sections, perhaps gets % as
much honey as he would by using two-
pound sections, but gets 1 or 2 cents
more, per pound, for his lioney. He
introduces the small packages ; they
are liked arid called for, thus forcing
the dealer to buy what his customers
ask for. Next season he cuts to the
half-pound size, and perhaps gets %
or % as much as in pounds, but gets
a trifle more per pound after the
small size is eitablished, all must
come to it, and the bee-keeper gets
no more per pound for his honey than
if all were in two-pound sections.
Then again, how soon will we get to Lj
pound and " penny packages." When
that time arrives, will be a good time
for cash honey buyers to buy a pea-
nut stand. Time was, when the 4-
pound box sold for more per pound,
glass and all, than the half-pound
novelty will ever bring. Since Sep-
tember I have had a standing order
for 1 or 2 tons of honey in 4 and 6-
pound packages, but in my travels of
several thousands miles, I have not
been able to find lOU pounds of such
size boxes. How has this change been
brought about ? Simply by the bee-
keepers themselves. A few enthusi-
asts, who want to go a little beyond
others, cut the size of box or sections,
and in the end all are obliged to
adopt that size, and sell their >^ or %
crop of honey at the same price, per
pound, that it would have brought in
large sections, if none had started the
use of smaller size boxes.
I believe bee-keepers earn every
dollar they get, and think those who
adopt the half-pound sections, will be
obliged to earn two for every one re-
ceived, beside doing a damage to all
other bee-keepers. At the rate we
are progressing now, we will soon
have " the penny package," and then
will have to throw in a chrorao for
each sold. My advice to the bee-
keepers is never to use anything
smaller than the one-pound sections,
and think, if that had never been used,
it would not now be called for. I am
supprised that so level a headed man
as Mr. Heddon, could see anything so
small as a half-pound cake of honey.
WethersHeld, Conn.
For tbe American B^e Journal.
Separators of Wood.
W. D. WIIIGIIT.
On page 58 of the Bee Journal,
P. H. Finch, under the above caption,
says : " Now I claim to be the first
person in this country that adopted
the wood separator, which I did five
years ago." If Mr. Finch wishes to
sustain his claim of priority in the
use of wood separators, he will have
to go back several years further. They
were used by at least one man in this
section in 1S67 (some one may have
used them even prior to that date, I
cannot say); he used them between
small frames for surplus, and I used
them in the same connection in 1869.
In 1876, I used them between two-
comb or 4-lb. boxes, in both top and
side storing, placing 4 boxes in a row,
and glassing the sides after they were
filled.
In 1877, 1 used them with 2-lb. sec-
tions, and, in 1879 and since, 1 have
used both wood and tin separators ex-
tensively, and have been successful
with both, but, for several reasons, I
prefer the wood. I have not experi-
enced any of the difficulties mentioned
by Mr. Gould and others. I believe
that I can obtain just as much surplus
honey with the use of separators, as
without them.
In 1881, 1 obtained an average of
100 lbs. comb honey per colony, spring
count. I have not had one comb in 500
attached to the separators, unless the
foundation had fallen down. I could
not entertain the idea of securing a
crop of comb honey in marketable
shape, without the use of separators
of some sort.
In reducing the size of our section
boxes, there is certainly a limit beyond
which we cannot go, and still mak^
them as profitable to the producer as
larger packages, and 1 believe the ad-
vocates of the half-pound section have
gone beyond that limit.
Mr. Heddon thinks extra cost and
manipulation the main objection to
their use. Allowing these to be the
only objections (which I think is not
the case), 1 believe there are good and
sufficietit reasons for their general
non-adoption, as both of these items
would be increased about fourfold
over the 2-lb. section. The item of
manipulation may not amount to so
much with Mr. Heddon, for he gets
his help cheap, but to a person who
pays for extra labor it Is no small
item.
Mr. F. C. Benedict, who has had
several years' practical experience
with these small sections, tells us in
his able article, that he can produce
one-tliird more honey in pound than
half-pound sections, and double the
quantity in two-pound sections, while
Mr. Heddon, whom we are led to be-
lieve has had no practical experience
with the half-pound sections, is ready
to convince Mr. Benedict that more
comb honey can be procured in pound
or half-pound sections than in any
larger receptacle. Shall we base our
calculations on theory or practice in
so important a matter i*
The present market quotations on
honey in half-pound section is high,
but, doubtless, cannot be maintained
when a large quantity is placed upon
the market.
Some say that we must cater to the
wants of consumers, but I doubt that
they ever made so unreasonable a de-
mand as a half-pound section of comb
honey. The demand has been created
by the producers themselves.
The two-pound section suits' both
me and my market, and I shall con-
tinue its use,let others do as they may.
Knowersville, N. Y.
Convention Notices.
1^ The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday, April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G, W. Demaree, Sec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
1^ The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
1^ The next meeting of the Haldi-
mand, Ont., Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Nelle's Corners on Sat-
urday, March 31, 1883, at 11 a. m.
H. Campbell.
1^ The Western Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation meets at Independence, Mo.,
April 28, 1883.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
1^ The Eastern Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Society, will hold its annual
meeting in Detroit, April 3, in Ab-
stract Hall, commencing at 10 a. m.
An interesting meeting is expected,
and bee-keepers are requested to send
items or questions of interest to the
secretary in time, that they may be
announced previous to the meeting.
A. B. Weed, Sec.
75 Bagg St., Detroit, Mich.
J^ The Central Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association holds its spring
convention at L;insing, in the State
Capitol building, on Tuesday, April
17, 1883, 9 a. m. Programme : Presi-
dent's address ; Essays : Prof. A. J.
Cook, on Wintering Bees ; S. C. Perry,
on Chaff Hives; C. Case, on Comb
Honey ; O S. Smith, on the Best Bee ;
A. D. Benham, on Extracted Honey ;
Mr. Harper, on Queen-Rearing ; Mr.
Waldo, on Best Method of Wintering
Out of Doors, in Single- Walled Hives ;
E. N. Wood, on Sections ; and E.
Greenaway,on Comb Foundation. All
bee-keepers are invited to attend or
send essays, papers, implements or
anything of interest to the fraternity
A full attendance is requested.
E. N. Wood, Sec
North Lansing, Mich.
148
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Examine the Date following your
oame on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
aionth to which you have paid your
flubscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
•discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
f 5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office of American Bee .Ioitrnal, I
Monday, 10 a. m.. March lii, 1882. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Qaotatlons or Cash llnyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Bxtracted. dark 7o. llKht, 9c. here.
BEKSWAX— It ia qu.te scarce. 1 am paying 30c.
for good yellow wax, on arrival ; darli and off col-
ors, !7@25c.
Al. H. Newman. 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement in the honev
marliet, t)ut sales are fair to our r«^KuIar trade.
Offering's are plentiful of extracted and comb
boney. Extracted brings 7®sic. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there
is a large supply of tirst-class quality on the mar-
ket. It brings 12C(;lHc. on arrival.
BEES WAX— Comes in slowly and brings 20^'.%c.
per lb., according to quality. Chas. F. Muth.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
•subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook"s Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will semi Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for lOOcolonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
-extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
New Catalogues and Price Lists.
We have received the following new
Catalogues and Price Lists of Bees,
Queens or Apiarian Supplies :
James Ileddon, Dowagiuc, Mich.
Bright Bros., Miizeppa, Minn.
A. D. Benham, Olivet, Mich.
W. S. Cauthen, Pleasant Hill, S. C.
F. A.gnell, Milledgeville, III.
E. Kretchmer, Coburg, Iowa.
J. P. Moore, Morgan, Ivy.
H. H. Brown, Light Street, Pa.
E. J. Baxter, Nauvoo, 111.
seed catalogues.
Edward Gillett, Southwick, Mass.
G. L. Miller, Jones Station, O.
Jos. Gilbert, Palmyra, N. Y.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
-which are printed a large bee in gold,
-we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
Quotations or Commission Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The past month has not reduced the
stock of comb or extracted honev. the receipts
having been larger than the amounts taken for
consumption. Prices are weak and irregular,
ranging from Ific. to ISc. for white comb in the
smaller frames ; dark, very little selling, offered
at l2i.se. to 14c. Extracted, 8c. to luc, according
to color.
BEBSWAx-32@33c. per lb. for good.
K. A. Burnett, lei South Water St.
SAN KKANCISCO.
■ HONEY-Aslde from small lots, off In quality,
there is none offering. For the descriptions now
in market there is virtually no demand.
White comb, 14(i9l7c.; dark to good, lioisc; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8>^®9!^c,; dark and
candled, .^@7^c.
BKE8WAX-We quote 30®33c.
Stearns & Smith. 183 Front Street
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY-Very quiet; dull. Comb at 14®ie.-
some inferior sold at inc. : strained at fiH®7c., ex-
"acted at 7^@8i.ac., lots in small packages more.
BEES WAX— Scarce and wanted at 32(i^33c.
W. T. ANDERSON & Co.. 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is very slow, just now hardly anything
selling, stock on hand quite liberal. Sales slow at
19M20C. for best white 1-lb. sections ; isiaisc. for
2-lb. Second griides not inquired after. Extracted
very dull at9(sloc. in bbls. and ll®l3c. in cans.
BEESWAX— Scarce, 2S@;ioc.
A. C. Kendel. 11.5 Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONBY--The prospect is very poor for selling
honey in this market. I think there is all the
honey here that will sell this season, unless itsells
fugter during the next month than it has this.
BKESW AX— There Is only a moderate supply of
beeswax and prime hits held flrmly.
Western pure, 3o<g,32c: southern, pure, 31@33c.
D. W. guiNBy, 105 Park Place.
BOSTON.
,^?5"^''^'^~0ur market is fairly active. We quote:
>6 lb. sections at 30C.: 1 lb. sections, 22(5i25c.: 21b
sections. 2o@22c. Extracted. lOc. per lb. Good
°S'i?i!.o''-,?,'r'lS""' ^"^ wanted in kegs or barrels.
BUESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
CROCKER at Blake. 57 Chatham Street.
m- Mr. W. S. Cauthen, Pleasant
Hill, S. C, has sent us one of his im-
proved queen-cages. The improve-
ment consists in the box to hold the
candy, and keep it from soiling the
mails. It is similar to the Peet cage
in other ways, but has a wood slide
instead of a tin ; this is an improve-
ment, wood being not so cold as tin.
Sample Copies of theAMEKiCAN Bee
Journal will be sent tree to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
FOR SALE
I have 3.5 to r.ii colonies of Italians, hybrid and
Arkansas brown bees, in A 1 condition, with plenty
of stores and brood, which I will sell, on the land-
ing, at $3.00 per colony. Addrei-s
&. B. PETERS,
1 1 Alw Council Bend, Ark.
(Established 1864.)
BEE-SUPPLIES.
We furnish EVEuVTniNG needed
in the Apiary, of practical construction and at the
lowest price. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Send yo'T address on a postal card and we will
send you, free, our large, illustrated catalogue.
E. KKETCHItlER, Coburtc, Iowa.
llA2t4BIt
100 COLONIES ITALIAN BEES,
FOR SALE,
also, queens and nuclei. Will exchange for Jersey
heifer, pair Poland China pigs, or Plymouth Bock
fowls. vVrite for prices.
C. WEEKS.
llA4t Clifton, Wayne Co., Tenn.
IMPROVE YOTJR BEES
By catching your inferior drones, by the use of
the Acme Drone Trap. Price. $l.oo. Patent ap-
plied for. L. A. LOWMASTER.
liAlt ^Belle Vernon. Ohio.
FflR '{Al F Colonies and Nuclei of ITALIAN
I Ull OMLLiBISES, QUKENS. Extractors, Bee
Books, and Supplies. Address, OTTO KLEINOW,
opposite Fort Wayne. DETROIT, Mich. UAB3t
THE CHOICE OF l.OOO SEEDLINeS!
MINNIGHS PKACHBLUW.
Result of 15 years' experimenting. A perfect
potato on all points. Of flrstquulily, yields enor-
mously, is never hollow, dot-s not rot, and is a
perfect keeper. In form, like its parent, the Peach-
blow. Just tlie thing to take the place of the
worn-out Peachblow. If LOW per lb., 3 lbs. for
Sa.OW. postage paid. Address Wm. MInnleh,
SunvlUe, Venango Co.. Pa. llAIt
BASSWdOD^EDLiGS
Four to eight inches, Wl.oO per lOO : three to
fourfeet, Dii^.On pe" lOO. Address.
Z,K..aEWETT, Nurseryman.
l'A4t Sparta. Wis.
DO NOT FORGET to send for Moore's new
price list of Italian queens, nuclei and full
colonies. 3-frame nucleus and tested queen, Ss.uo.
Al.",?'' . J- P- MOORE.
"Alt Morgan, Pendleton CO., Ky.
100 Colonies of Bees in Langstrotii Hives,
CIark'9 No. I Potatoes, wax worked up on Dun-
lijim FoundHtion Mtll. Alsike Clover Seed and Sil-
ver Hull Buckwheat, for sale by
JEK^ST S. HIKDEMAXN.
Ashippun, Dodge ('o. Wis.
R. R. Station, Oconomwoc, Wis. llAlt4Blt
Given'sFoundationPress.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT affirms that the PRESS
la SUPERIOR for nuikingCnnUi Koiindaiion either
in Wired Frames or for SECTIONS, and insures
straight and perfect combs, when drawn out by
the bees. Send for Circular and samples.
D. S. eiTKN Jtc CO.,
lABtf HOOPESTON. ILL.
50 Colonies Italian Bees
FOR SALE (HEAP.
Address,
iiAtf
W. J. ANUBEVTS,
COLUMBIA, TENN.
FLAT - BOTTOM
COMB FOUNDATION,
hish side-walls. 4 to 16 square feet to
the pound. Circular and samples frea
J. VAN DEUSEN & SONS.
Sole Manufacturers,
Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., N. Y.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., MARCH 21, 1883.
No. 12.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Propkietor,
" Friendly " Law Suit.
The Bee Jouknal has always de-
fended hmiest property in inventions
as well as in anything else. For the
first seven years of its existence, under
the able management of our prede-
cessor, the late Mr. Samuel Wagner,
it deprecated the war made on our
venerable friend, the Rev. L,. L.
Langstroth, and his patent, and the
consequent annoyance and continual
appeal to the courts to defend that
patent. His present dependent and
helpless condition, is mainly attrib-
utable to the war that was made on
him, and it is surpassingly strange
that some who know all this, now talk
of waging a similar war on another
inventor.
On page 127, Dr. Southwick gave his
views of the subject, and now Prof.
Cook sends us the following :
KIND RE.JOINDEK TO DR. SOUTHWICK.
I am quite sure that my good friend,
Dr. E. 13. Southwick, and I, do not
understand matters alike, lie says
he is not a Christian. Now, did he
understand Christianity as I do, lam
sure he would say, tliiit whatever I
am, I desire to be a true, genuine
Christian. Which means : I desire
to follow Christ's example. He " went
about doing good." In his life was
no guile. His were the noble words :
'• Let him that is vvithout sin, cast the
first stone ;" and thatgrandestprayer :
" Father forgive them, they know
not what they do." Now, my dear
doctor, do not you and I desire to
copy all this V One thing more :
Christ only had words of sharp con-
demnation for impostors. Now, I
have feared— I almost believe that in
this one-piece section business, the im-
postor shows his face. If I felt that
Mr. Forncrook had studied, labored
and spent money to develop the one-
piece section, and so had honest prop-
erty in it, I would rival my good friend,
Dr. S., in my veliement demands, tliat
he have his rights. But if, as I surely
believe, we would have had tlie sec-
tion just as soon if Mr. F. had never
been born, and that his claim to
invention is not a just one, then,
surely, the case is very different. I
believe Mr. Muth, because he invented
the wire comb basket with inclined
sides, has just as good a right to for-
bid all parties to make and sell ex-
tractors, as has Mr. F. to forbid the
manufacture of one-piece sections, as
he does.
Nay, my friend, there is a principle
at stake right here. Let us uphold
every true inventor's right to his own
invention. Let us denounce as stoutly
the collecting of royalty by threats
of prosecution, where no right exists.
\ ou speak of 25 cents royalty. Why,
Doctor ! it is two dollars.
It may not be wise to have the
friendly suit. I am, however, quite
sure that all the apiarists, who use
sections of this kind— and tliey are
very numemtis — could well afford to
pay the $1.00, if the alternative was to
buy at the higher price.
Of course, this whole question
hinges on Mr. F.'s right. If, as I be-
lieve, his right is a fictitious one, then
" right," which you. Doctor, are
proud to worship, demands that his
claims be opposed. Such action does
not apply to this case only, but to all
such cases which are sure to arise in
the future. I am now done.
A. J. Cook.
Lansing, Mich., March 9, 1883.
Of course, we are sorry that Pro-
fessor Cook (who is, naturally, a very
fair-minded and honorable man) has
seen fit to use such strong language as
impostor. It is not like him; and, we
fear, he labored under some impulse
or unnatursil influence.
Here comes another — from Mr. J.
Lee Anderson, who desires to be
heard :
It seems to me that Dr. Southwick
on page 127, has taken the most honest
position of any one, as yet. in the pat-
ent one-piece section. Prof. Cook
suggests that each bee-keeper put in
one dollar and have a " friendly " law
suit with Mr. Forncrook.
I would suggest that bee-keepers
put in another dollar, each, to give
Mr. Forncrook, with which to defend
the " friendly " suit. ^ think all that
are honest in their friendship will do
so ; for, if Mr. F. owns the patent it
certainly would be very wrong for
bee-keepers to combine togetlier to
beat him out of his rights, tliereby
putting him to great expense and a
large " section " of trouble.
J. Lee Anderson.
Lawrence, 111., March 9, 1883.
Mr. Anderson is right. If the pat-
entee did invent the section, and
spend much time and money to develop
and make it a success, may we not as
honestly appropriate his pocket-book
to our use, without his permission, as
to combine to beat him out of his in-
terest in it ! If it is to be tried legally,
and bee-keepers desire to have a thor-
ough investigation of the legality of
the patent, they should aid one side as
much as the other— that is, if they
desire to be equally honest and just to
the inventor and to the fraternity.
We have declined to publish replies
sent by Mr. Baldridge, because they
contained such ungentlemaidy and
untruthful words and expressions as
the following :
The article is a gross libel, full of lies, and you
ought to know it.... You misrepresent for selflsh
ends Brace up, and publish my article Just as
it is written, and not append remarks thereto
Coward — Why, the devil, don't he try to stop
somebody from making them?.... You are adrtsiiij
bee-keepers to raise a fund to test the validity of
the patent, and fee the lawyersdiars) with. ...Cool
off.... Publish this.... 's article Is "chock full
of lies.". ...Some have written me that you are
now interested in the F. patent, and you aided,
him with solid cash, in getting the patent . . If you
have '■ stock "in the F. patent, take n,y .-idvice and
unload, before the bee-keepers " smell a rat."
Had the replies been courteous they
would have been published, but no
good can come of such bitterness and
strife. We feel sure that our readers
generally will approve of the contro-
versy being terminated right here.
We have no interest in any patent,
or in the manufacture or sale of any
apiarian supplies ; nor have we ever
assisted any one with money to get a
patent. The spiteful intimation to
the contrary is without the slightest
foundation, and was begotten out of
malice and ill-will.
150
THE AMERICAISI BEE JOURNAL.
Kor Ihe American Bee Journal.
Bee-KeepiLg as a Specialty.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
I was very much pleased with Dr.
Miller's article, '• Who Shall Keep
15ees y" on page 86 of the 15ee Jour-
nal, and also willi one given on page
10 of the Bee-Keepers^ Exchange, which
was read before the N. J. B. K. Asso-
tiatiou; title, "Too Many Eggs in
Our Basket." Both of these articles
give the opposite side of bee-culture
from what is generally presented, and
is just what is needed to guard the
beginner against going recklessly into
bee-Ueeping. by putting his last dollar
into a business he knows nothing of.
It is this getting crazy over a business
which looks to be a good thing, but
with whicli we are not acquainted,
and investing all we have in it, ex-
pecting to make a fortune, which
ruins so many. To be successful in
anything, a man must "grow up"
into it, l)y years of patient toil and
study, till he becomes master of the
business, when in 99 cases out of 100
he will succeed. I was brought up a
farmer, and educated by my father as
such, so that, were I to change my oc-
cupation at any time, it would be to
that of farming, unless I could have
time to study up some business better
to mv liking, before I left bee-keep-
ing In the winter of 1868-69 I be-
came interested in bees, by reading
the first edition of King's bee-keepers'
text book, which chanced to fall into
my hands. Next I subscribed for the
Bee Journal, read Quinby's and
Langstroth's books, and in March
bought two colonies of bees, and the
liives I needed for two years paying
$30. 1869 being a poor year, I had but
one swarm from the two, and had to
feed $5 worth of sugar to get them
through the winter. In 1870 I received
enougn from them to buy all the fix-
tures I wished for 1871, and a little to
help on my other expenses from the
farm. So 1 kept on making the bees
pay their way, as I had resolved, at
the outset, that after paying the first
$35 I would lay out no more money on
them than they brought in, believing
that if I could not make two colonies
pay, I could not 200. In the fall of
1873 I found I had an average yield of
80 pounds of comb honey trom each
colony I had in the spring, which was
sold so as to give me S559 free of all
expense incurred by the bees. I also
bought an extractor that season. As
I was determined to give my bees the
care they needed, and knowing that
the time the bees needed the most at-
tention came in haying time. I hired
a man to take my place in the hay-
field It so happened that he com-
menced work on the day basswood
opened. Previously I had hived a
single swarm in an empty hive, and
concluded to devote them to extracted
honey. The man worked 16 days at
$1.75 per day, and I extracted, during
tliose 16 days, honey enough from this
swarm to pay the man for his work. I
state this to showttiatone new swarm
of bees was equivalent to myself in
the hay-field for 16 days, yet how many
keeping 30 to 50 colonies of bees leave
them to go into the hay or harvest
field, and then tell us bee-keeping
does not pay. You can hire a man to
take your place in the field, but if you
expect to become master of the bee
business, so as to make it pay, you
cannot hire a man to take your place
in the apiary during the honey season.
But to return : In 1871 my honey was
sold so as to bring $970 free of all ex-
pense. At this time I began to think
of giving up the farm, but finally con-
cluded to hold on to it one year more,
to make sure that I could make bee-
keeping pay as a specialty. After de-
ducting the expense of the bees from
the sales, I found that I had the next
year (1875) the amount of $1,431, and
hesitated no longer, but gave up farm-
ing and embarked in the bee business,
with nothing else as a source of
revenue.
As it may be interesting to know
how I have succeeded since then, I
will carry the report up to the present
time. In 1876 my net income from
the bees was $774; in 1877, $2,266 ; in
1878. $772 ; in 1879, $-537 ; in 1880, $781 ;
in 1881,31.078; 1882, $822; making a
total of $9,990 during the past 10 years.
The average number of colonies in
the spring of each year, worked to
produce this result, was about 48.
Had it not been for existing circum-
stances which required my keeping so
limited a number of colonies, I believe
I could have taken care of 100 colonies
(spring count), and secured nearly
double the amount.
In the above showing all expenses
have been deducted except my time,
which you will see gives a salary of
$999 a year, as will be accorded by all.
But what about the first four years
during which I was experimenting,
reading and thinking about bees all
my wakeful hours, many of them
hours when I ought to have been
asleep, giving the subject as much or
more study than any lawyer ever
spent on his profession. To be sure
the bees paid their way, but to what
shall I look for my pay V To be just I
must divide my $9,990 by 14 years,
which gives me about $714 a year as
the real pay I have received for my
labor. Is this enough pay for the
labor performed ? Well, many would
not be satisfied with it, and multi-
tudes would be glad to get such a
salary. P. H. Elwood (one of the
largest honey-producers of our State,
though never ■ heard from of late
years) once said to me, " that a man
who was capable of successfully man-
aging 100 colonies of bees would com-
mand $1,000 salary a year in any
business." If we accept this state-
ment as a fact, then, like Dr. Miller,
I can say, " 1 should be better off in
this world's goods if I had never kept
bees.'' But when I turn my eyes to
the thousands who do not get one-
half $714 a year, working in factories,
in the shop, on the farm, and doing
drudgery of all kinds anddescriptious,
I turn my eyes back with pleasure to
our fascinating and health-giving
pursuit (bee-keeping), and say : It is
enough; I am satisfied.
My advice to all thinking of bee-
keeping as a business, would be, get
one or two colonies of bees ; post your-
self by reading of and experimenting
with them, as you can find time to do
so from the business you are already
in, and thus find out for yourself
which is the better for a livelihood,
the business you are already in, or
keeping bees. If successful after a
series of years, you can be able to take
bee-keeping as a specialty, and not be
obliged to exclaim with the writer of
the article in the Exchange, " Too
Many Eggs in One Basket."
Borodino, N. Y.
For tbe American B^e JournaL
Will Freezing Eradicate Foul Brood?
D. A. JONES.
In reply to Mr. O. E. Burden's
query, on page 134, as to whether
freezing will eradicate foul brood, I
would say that I am quite satisfied
that freezing will not kill the germs ;
honey subjected to a temperature of
from 20^' to 35° below zero will not
kill the germs. When fed to a nucleus,
the following spring, frozen honey
gave them the disease. Combs sub-
jected to the same test and temperature
were not freed. I do not believe that
a tin of " foul-broody" houey, kept
frozen in a solid cake of ice in the
Arctic regions for five years, would
be cured of the disease ; nor do I be-
lieve that combs can be cleaned by
subjecting them to a temperature of
from 403 to 6(P below zero. I most
certainly should advise all to render
the combs into wax, boil the honey
and scald the hives and frames. You
only lose your own time, which will
not amount to more than one hour to
each colony. The cost of making up
the wax into foundation, should not
be more than 10 cents per pound and
the freight each way.
Beetou, Out., March 10, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Small Sections, Honey. Eggs, Etc.
DR. J. R. BAKER.
In my last communication to the
Bee Journal, I referred to James
Heddon as one of the apiarists who
advised caution in the adopting of the
half-pound sections ; but I see in a
later article in the Journal that he
intends to use the Lilliputian affairs
quite extensively, sol must have been
mistaken as to what he said on the
subject previously. Still, I am of the
opinion that the safer plan will be for
the majority of honey-producers to be
slow in adopting so small a section. I
think a reaction will set in before
many years in this matter. At all
events, I believe the better way is to
make the change gradually, and feel
our way as we go. Experience is the
best test for all untried theories ; but
it is not always safe to experiment
very extensively in the outset.
.THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
151
Mr. Heddon Uiinks that I err in
calling the cross-bred bees " irascible
insects." My experience has not been
so extensive as that of Mr. Heddon ;
but, with me, the bees that show from
one to two yellow bands have always
done the best vifork for me in the way
of gathering honey, and have also
proved themselves more nervous and
ill-humored. That my experience
should prove an infallible guide, I do
not claim.
My handsomest, yellow bees have
invariably been my laziest, as well as
most docile ones ; but as I said in the
Bbk Journal of Jan. 31, I am in-
clined to the opinion that if careful
breeders would select the very best
yellow bees to breed from, and with-
out " variableness or shadow of turn-
ing," behead every queen whose bees
proved to be indifferent worlters, that
there could be a magnilicent strain of
golden Italians produced. Let it Ce
well understood that, no difference
how pretty a queen may be, or how
many well delined, yellow bands every
one of her progeny may show, unless
they are good workers in the lield, the
queen should be superseded at once.
Dr. I. P. Wilson, of Burlington,
Iowa, has some very handsome yellow
bees, and some excellent workers. I
asked the doctor where he got his
strain, and he said it was a cross of
several strains ; or, to be more ex-
plicit, he got Italians from several
good breeders, and bred his strain out
of the combination. To my mind
this tells the whole story. I have no
wish to be dogmatical, but I believe I
am right in my conclusions; further
experience will tell. The bees in my
apiary, last season, were the out-
frowth, largely, of a cross between
talians from Dadant & Son and
Henry Alley, and native blacks. From
19 colonies, spring count, I increased
to 43 colonies, by natural swarming,
and 0 swarms went to the woods, be-
cause of my alisence from the a|)iary
at the time of their swarming. From
this little apiary I harvested 2,000
pounds of nice comb honey and UOO
pounds of excellent extracted, and
this, too, witliout the use of any comb
foundation, except small starters in a
portion of tlie sections.
But cannot just as good a record be
made with a well-bred strain of Ital-
ians V I mean, bees that are beauti-
fully marked with three yellow bands,
and as gentle to handle as the more
lazy beauties with which I have had
some experience. I purpose getting
some of the best Italian queens, the
coming spring, from different breed-
ers, and breed them into a strain of
my own. and see what the ultimate
result will be.
Mr. Heddon thinks that my advice,
or my prescription of honey, eggs,
milk and blackberries not a good one.
I did not make the suggestion for
men like Mr. Heddon, who have op-
portunity and ability to make honey-
production, alone, a paying business.
But there are thousands of people
who cannot do as Mr. Heddon and a
few others have done, and are still
doing. People must be governed by
their circumstances, and while but
comparatively few can do as Mr.
Heddon does, there are thousunds
who might procure a few acres of land
and raise some small fruit, cultivate
a vegetable garden, keep a hundred
hens, and a good cow or two, and cap
the climax by having a small, well-
conducted apiary. If the products
of this combination would not tickle
the palate of an epicuiean, he would
be hard to please ; so it seems to me.
Any man or woman who has common-
sense can take a good Manual, like
that of Prof. Cook and the Bee Jour-
nal as guides, and make a success of
bee-keeping on a small scale; if not
prepared, or disposed, to go into the
business exclusively. The course I
have suggested may not make people
rich, but it will make them happier
than if they were rich, that is, if you
call money hoarding, riches.
If all persons, who keep bees, should
make it so large a business as does
Messrs, Heddon, Doolittle, Scudder,
Miller, and a few others, the best
comb honey, in my opinion, would
not bring 5 cents a pound in the best
markets.
Keithsburg, 111.
For the American Bee Journal.
"Was That Bad Advice?"
JAMES HEDDON.
Yes, doctor. We still consider your
admonition to " set a rack of thin sec-
tions down on the brood frames, as the
worst kind of advice. You are sur-
prised, however, that I should call
such manipulation a violation of the
instincts of the bees. In the way in
which I mean " violation," I will try
to show you that it is. Some .5 or 6
years ago I got the idea that I could
make top bars to movable frames an-
swer the double purpose of top bars
and honey-board. I made them thick
and just wide enough to leave a ^g
space between tliem ; these made the
narrow, bottom piece of my section
the same width, and arranged the rack
to hold sections in such a way that
they would rest directly on the top
bar, which came flush with the top of
the hive. It seems to me that all vvill
readily guess the solidity with which
the sections will be glued to these
bars and the dlfHculty of removing
them. 1 found, when putting this sys-
tem into practice, that the bees took
to the honey boxes no more readily
than when they pass through a honey-
board and two shallow air-chambers.
I found I had been " straining at a
gnat," and had now, either to " swal-
low a camel," or throw away this ex-
periment. Of course, I tlirew it away.
When I began bee-keeping, I lost so
much by following bad advice, coming
from those who wrote up a big tiling
before they had thoroughly tested it,
I decided that I would not advise the
use of methods that I did not know to
be best by actual experience. Hence,
I passed this experiment into oblivion,
from whence I never should liave
called upon it, but for the very bad
advice given by the doctor. With the
case or super method, more especially
with the honey-board between the
upper and lower stories, there will be
no bits of comb or glue connecting
the sections Willi thelowei'storvof the
hive; the case will liftoff easily an<l
clean. While there are most serious
objections to the sections touching
the frames below, I see no advantage
unless it be to make it more difficult
for thieves to steal your surplus honey.
Let " several apiarists of large expe-
rience " assure us of what they please,
is there one such apiarist vvho now
adjusts his sections as advised by the
doctor y If so, let us "chip in" and
send a missionary to visit him.
The doctor infers that his impracti-
cal method is almost a necessity to the
half-pound sections. Why, I cannot
conceive. I can make bees work just as
fast in half-pound sections as in two-
pound sections. The facts are these: A
worker bee is a small animal which
can readily pass through a space 5-32
ot an inch. She is ever ready, when
in the least crowded for room, to oc-
cupy the 5-16 spaces above the frames
with a cell here and there in which to
place her nectar, and yet many sup-
pose she is going to bump her elbows
in halt-pound sections. It seems to
me she has more room to turn around
in a row of eight half-pound sections
than in a one-pound section, whose
either side is lined with tin separators.
Allow me to thank Mr. C. R. Isham
for his nice samples of wood separa-
tors, as well as his concise replies to
my queries. I shall not only put the
samples he sent me into "practical
experiment," butlikewise a whole box
from the same source.
F. C. Benedict, on page 117, strikes
right out from the shoulder, and hits
us non-separator men a pretty hard
blow. I like him for it. His article
carries with it evidence of earnest-
ness (that's twin brother to honesty,
you know) and experience. He says
that no one can manipulate 100 colo-
nies for comb honey, and produce it in
Urst-class marketable order without
the use of separators of some kind.
Regarding the first part of his propo-
sition, I will say, that with my case-
method, without separators, I can
manipulate far more colonies, and
with greater comfort, than can be
done with any system with which sep-
arators are used. Whether the honey
is in tirst-class marketable order, the
question will arise, what is " lirst-
elass ? " I get the combs so straight
that nearly all producers and honey
merchants think I must have used
separators. More than 2-5ths of my
combs will glass. None touch each
otlier in the cases. I see no more dan-
ger of leakage or breakage than with
combs stored between separators. Of
course, not all the combs are as
smooth and straight as those built
with separators. I wish tiiey were,
but is the difference great enough to
pay me for using separators V
The experiments I made some years
ago, pointed to my assistants and my-
self, the fact that we lost honey by the
use of separators. We may have been
mistaken. Mr. Benedict's sentence,
" I know of what I speak," has
weight with me, and strengthens my
determination to put this matter to
an extensive and undoubted test the
coming season. What Mr. Benedict
152
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
says about thick and thin combs, I
tliink nearly correct. There is a point
in the thickness of combs, or in tlie
distance given to the bees in wiiich to
build combs, at whicli we will get
most easily the straightest and best
combs, and that point reached we will
also find tliat with said thickness we
shall get our combs built, tilled and
si^aled quickest as well as straightest.
Upon this point J have experimented
considerably, and 1 believe, and shall
adopt ]i^' inches without and l^^'scant,
with separators. Taken all in all, I
feel thankful to Mr. Benedict for his
vigorous article.
Dowagiac, Mich., March 3, 1882.
For the American Beo Journal.
N. E. Ohio & N. W. Pa. Convention.
The fourth annual convention of
the Northeastern Ohio & Northwest-
ern Pennsylvania Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation was held in Andover, Ohio,
AVednesday and Thursday, Feb. 14,
15, 1883. The convention was called
to order at 1 oclock p. m. by President
M. E. Mason.
After roll call and reports, the fol-
lowing officers were elected for the
ensuing year: President, E. F.
Mason, Jefferson, O.; Secretary, C.
H. Coon, New Lyme, O.; Treasurer,
N. T. Phelps, Kingsville, O.; Vice-
Presidents, Ashtabula Co., O., D. H.
Troop, L. D. Ormsby, C. L. Payne, P.
F. Twitchel ; Mercer Co., Pa., W. H.
Fonner, J. P. Sterrett, A. Martin, S.
Hogram ; Erie Co., Pa., D. Videto,
W. S. Stinson, D. VV. Nichols; Craw-
ford Co., Pa., D. Carkhulf, A. J. See,
A. \V. Anderson, Charles Olliver;
Trumbull Co., O., J. S. Barb.
The tirst question presented for dis-
cussion, was : " The Best Method of
Transferring Bees from Box Hives."
Mr. Ileddon's plan of drumming the
bees out, was thought to be the best
way, provided it is done when the
weather is warm enough to prevent
the brood from being chilled.
A member asked if it was neces-
sary to keep the combs right side up
when transferriugthem to the frames.
Mr. Sterrett said he had put them in
the frames bottom upwards, and
found no difference.
" Best Method of Rearing Queens."
Mr. Videto advised all to never try to
rear them from dollar queens. He
had tried it several times, and never
got a decent one. He thought the
best way was to get the best, to rear
queens from. He always obtained
better queens in a good honey season
than in a poor one.
Mr. E. Mason said he would feed his
queen-rearing colonies, in a poor sea-
son, and thus rear just as good queens
as in a good season. He thinks tlie
position of the cells, in the hive, quite
important. He would place narrow
strips of comb between the frames,
near the top, and let the bees builci
the cells downward from them.
"Best Method of Introducing
Queens." This brought out an ani-
mated discussion. Several gentlemen
had their pet way of introducing,
but it was thought the only safe way
was to place the queen on a comb
of hatching brood. Mr. Ormsby said,
he once tried, for several days, to get
a colony to accept a <iueen without
success. He linally removed all the
frames from the "hive, leaving the
bees on the bottom board for a few
hours. He then placed the caged
queen in their midst, and left her till
morning, when he liberated her, and
in a few hours replaced the frames,
and she was received all right. Ad-
journed to 7 p. m.
Evening Session. — Convention called
to order at 7:20 p. m.
" What is the Best Way to Separate
Two or More Swarms that Alight in
One Cluster V" Mr. Videto has had
as many as six swarms alight in one
cluster, lie lias a long hive with
division-boards, making as many
parts as there are swarms in the
cluster, and places a comb of brood in
the centre of each part, with a frame
of foundation, or comb, on each side
of the brood ; then empties the bees
all together in front of this hive, and
he usually Hnds a queen in each part
next morning.
" The liest Method for Securing
Comb Honey." Mr. Videto examines
his bees as soon as he unpacks them,
in spring, and takes frames of brood
from the weakest colonies and adds
them to the strong ones; thus, in a
few days, he has half of his colonies
very strong, and tlie other half very
weak, and from these strong ones he
always gets a large amount of comb
honey early in the season. As soon
as he gets them half ready for comb
honey, he commences to build up tlie
weak ones to run for the extractor,
later in the season. M. E. Mason
said, if we want plenty of good comb
honey, we must have strong colonies
early in the season. He would put on
the boxes when the bees begin to
build bits of comb on top of the brood
frames. If the bees do not go up into
the sections readily, take a frame of
sections that are partly lilled, and
place it in the centre of the upper
story, and they will usually go to
work in them. Adjourned to 9 a. m.
Second Day. — Convention called to
order at 9:15 a. m. President E. F.
Mason in the chair. Several members
addressed the convention on different
topics, giving much Information and
advice, especially to beginners.
" Comparative Value of the Differ-
ent Races of Bees." Italians were
thought to be the best, all things con-
sidered. President Mason thought
his blacks Hlled the sections fuller,
and capped the honey better than the
Italians, but obtained less honev.
"Best Method of Wintering." M.
E. Mason thinks they should be well
packed early in the fall, so as to get
their house in order, before cold
weather comes on ; see that there is
plenty of good, sealed honey, or, if the
honey is not of the best quality, re-
move it entirely and feed them sugar.
He has a few that are on the sum-
mer stands without packing, and they
have come out several times, when it
was too cold, and the ground around
these hives are covered with dead
bees, while those packed are in good
condition, and he thinks they will
stand it another month without a
flight. P. F. Twitchel, one year,
packed all his colonies but six. Those
packed wintered well, while the six,
not packed, all died. Mr. Videto
spoke of a neighbor who had a swarm
alight on top of a fence, and he put a
nail keg over them, bottom up, and
they went to work in it and remained
there all winter, with the bottom all
open, and no upward ventilation ;
they came out in the spring, bright
and strong.
oT to" m m ^
.£ .Sci 2 -S 2
"S^ C90 'cii ~ S
I oi of oi 2 n
^ f^; ]2; J?5 o cd a)
< o____n
'l 5 5 12 300 ^77! 5
2 90 90 105 300 400 20
3 20 2 6 150
4 11 10 23 1,000 400 ..
5 14 23 .■^6 400 .... 7
6 2 2 3 100 5
7 6 13 100
8 3 2 5 150
9 54 54 80 4,500 1,000 7
10 6 6 25 .... 300 ..
11 5 3 9 .... 60 ..
12 26 9 28 60 400 ..
13 3 6 50
14 28 27 56 800
15 6 6 13 400 250 40
16 42 36 62 1,800 400 ..
17 2 2 7 7
18 8 8 20 250 435 10
19 .55 .52 72 1,200 2,000 15
20 62 60 83 300 2,400 50
21 112 102 73 1,400 300 20
22 6 6 12 225
23 1 2 6 200
24 2 2 5 200
25 2 5 10 180
26 4 4 6 .... 440 5
27 5 5 8 125 50 ..
28 2 2 4 35
29 4 3 7 60
30 15 15 30 400
31 5 5 10 50 .... 5
The next convention will be held in
Jefferson, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, on the
third Wednesday and Thursday in
January, 1884. C. H. Coon, 8ec.
For the American Bee Journal.
My Report and Other Items.
R. GAMMON.
I have just been reading about large
reports, separators, etc. I have no
use for separators in getting my
honey- in marketable shape, and as
far as half-pound sections, I shall not
use any, at present; doubtless, there
will be a sale for a few at good prices,
but let the supply be large, and I
doubt if they will bring any more
than one-pound packages. I use l}i
pound sections, and find no trouble in
selling them at about 17 cents per
pound. In regard to the large yields,
I have not much to say, only I would
like to know all the particulars in
connection with it. I have never been
able to obtain any such amounts, as
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
153
some say they have, but I have got
nearly as good an average, per colony,
as others, where the most of the honey
was taken in tlie combs or sections ;
my average, last year, being 164
pounds per colony, spring count, and
had but little increase. Last year my
honey was all taken from clover and
basswoood, with the exception of
about 200 pounds of fall honey ; the
average was 153 pounds from 16, in
spring ; increased to 23 by the nucleus
plan ; I made my increase late, so I
took no surplus except from 3 colonies.
I am inclined to think there can be
more honey obtained by letting them
swarm once, if any one wants in-
crease. The most I ever got from
one colony was 238 pounds, part ex-
tracted and part comb ; this colony
■did not swarm. Last year my honey
was all white, and, of course, it was
taken in much less time than the year
before, when I got as much dark as
light. This, I tliink, is owing to a
better plan of getting my honey. It
seems to me that one set of sections is
not enough for a swarm of bees to
work in, when you do not intend for
them to swarm, as is the case with
mine for the last two years.
Last year my best results were from
my best Italians ; this year it was
from two queens which show the three
bands only when tilled with honey. I
think theie is a little black blood in
them ; still there are no bees wholly
black ; they are a little crosser than
some of mine, but not bad. I have
raised some queens from one, and
will watch them with interest next
summer. They may be something
like Mr. Ileddon's, but I see his aver-
age was rather small, as given at the
■Chicago convention. I have one of
his queens, and expect to have some
red clover honey to sell next year.
The twb colonies of dark bees gave
200 pounds each of comb honey, as
near as I could judge by the sections.
Rockton, 111.
For the American Bee Journal
Bee-Keeping in Missouri.
H. S. VAN ANGLEN.
My apiary is situated on a high
commanding table land, a short mile
south of the Missouri river, in Lafay-
ette County, Missouri, and its 90 odd
hives of bees stand in the wintry air,
on their summer stands, where they
are kept throughout the year. This
plateau is dotted over with an occa-
sional oak, maple, wild cherry, and
numerous apple, peach and apricot
trees, flanked north and northwest by
a back view of dwelling and out-build-
ings, and surrounded west, south and
east by extensive fruit orchards, with
a linden or bass wood forest on the
nortli. The hives are scattered and
placed at unstudied, but convenient
intervals over this lawny, tree-shel-
tered spot, singly or in rambling lines
and irregular groups, under and
among the spreading trees, most of
them fronting the south, while, here
and there, some face in other direc-
tions, but none west, and as they are
mostly of the American type, and
painted white, it would not be a very
lively stretch of the imaghiation to
liken this bee yard, on some clear,
placid moonlight night, to a ghostly
cemetery, or during a genial summer
day to indue it with the semblance of
a picturesque, well-to-do and inviting
liamlet of neat and cozy cottages, at
least such are some of tlie conceptions
and fancies that a few of the more
visionary visitors entertain for it.
I am neither a specialist nor an ex-
pert in bee-culture, but manage, after
an easy fashion of my own, to keep on
hand, from year to year, about 100
colonies of bees — do not want any
more— sometimes giving them a good
share of attention, and then, again, in
a great measure, neglecting them,
having varying success according to
season, attention given, etc. I have,
up to the present winter, generally
prepared my hives, in due time, for
the cold months by the common
method of quilts over frames, con-
tracting the entrances, stutling caps
and all other available space with
somegood,porousmaterial, and. some-
times, laboredly stuffing and shelter-
ing, neglecting a few, by way of
experiment, almost wholly, and have
found the per cent, of loss to vary but
little ; and have but few dead bees.
The past season, however, my time
was too much occupied with other
tlungs to fix up my hives as usual.
On the last of November I removed
the honey boxes and simply spread
quilts over the tops of the frames,
contracted the entrances, and left the
hives in that condition throughout
the weeks of terribly severe weather
that ensued — the mercury in January
scored 20'^ below zero, and lingered
for days at a time, off and on, around
zero and lower. An examination on
Feb. 6, found all quite satisfactory,
very few dead bees, hives full of life
and vitality, and in first-rate condi-
tion. Then I liad them well cared for,
" tucked in " the neglected bees —
something like taking'in the grind-
stone after the cow had eaten it up.
It is possible, however, that the
severest test is yet to come with the
varying climatic changes that will
stili necessarily occur. My experience
in this latitude for a number of years
past, with experimental hives and
otherwise, is that bees simply but
carefully fixed up for winter, have
commonly come out in the spring
fully as well or better than those so
elaborately and circumspectly pre-
pared after the " must be " plan of
the would-be orthodox.
My best season's operation was
vphen honey bore a better price than
now. I received about $1,200 cash for
nice and fair comb honey sold from
something less than 100 strong colo-
nies, wliich were closely supervised
and manipulated in a practical com-
mon-sense manner throughout the
season. I rather incline to the opin-
ion that a considerable part of the
gratuitous advice, so freely offered,
and promulgated as science in pro-
gressive bee-culture, is little better
than "clap trap," or in more familiar
parlance, " humbuggery," to acceler-
ate the aims and ends of interested
parties, but as I am not as full of ad-
vanced scientific and progressive ideas
as some, perhaps I should be excused
for my non-appreciation of the ex-
uberant " pile on " in regard to the
special make-up and material man-
agement of an apiary for profit that
not unfrequently meets the eye in this
excessive age of wonder and progress.
An advanced idea that is given for
what it is worth, is more or less
acceptable and relished by the sincere
and progressive, but an idea with a
selfish handle, tliat is calculated to
mislead and damage, should be indig-
nantly repelled.
How to winter bees successfully is
having much attention and study by
able and comprehensive minds, and
the various interesting experiments
being made, notably those of chaff
packing, may possibly go far towards
a satisfactory conclusion, and, per-
haps, after all that is said and done,
some well devised and defined out-
door plan, wherever admissible, will
be. found superior to any special house
or cellar arrangement. Such deposi-
tories are, to a certain extent, unnat-
ural ; the bees are put under a kind
of surveillance,restrained and deprived
of free action, and the possible se-
quence is debility and disease ;
whereas, the out-door methods allow
them to indulge their natural instincts
whenever a suitable opportunity of-
fers, thereby enabling them to retain
their normal condition, and are thus
the better fitted for the active re-
quirements of the hive with the
opening of spring. I believe it is
common for those who winter their
bees in special repositories to com-
plain more or less of " spring dwind-
ling," but this trouble I have almost
invariably escaped, therefore, I shall
continue to adhere to the summer-
stand idea of wintering, as safest and
best in all favorable localities.
Waverly, Mo., Feb. 15, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Progressive Bee-Culture.
W. M. WOODWAKD.
Mr. Editor : — I want to congratu-
late you upon your success in giving
usa"really good Bee Journal. So
far as I know there are only about two
other publications issued, even from
progressive Chicago, that will com-
pare with it. I wonder how many of
us do not date a new era from the
time the Journal first made its ad-
vent on our tables.
1 propose, with your permission, to
say to the i-eaders of the Bee Jour-
nal : Stmh/ the habits and instincts of
the bees for yourselves, and make
everything else conform thereto ;
hives, profits, management and all.
Read for ideas, but "look before you
leap," for what will be a success with
some one else by his methods, may,
perhaps, prove a" failure with you by
yours. But, if you have the genius of
a genuine bee-keeper, you will soon
liit upon something that will be better
suited to you than you will be likely
to get by copying any one's fixtures.
Conservatism has a proper place in
bee culture, jaut its right use is in
154
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
holding on to the best, and only the
best to be had, and not In a tliins^ be-
cause our natural father's, or father's
in bee culture, have used it. I say,
therefore, if you can, make something
good, use it and show it to your
neiglibors ; but do not rush into the
patent and monopoly business.
I hear a call for a '"'standard hive,"
which might be a good one, and it
might be otherwise. It would, no
doubt, be very convenient, but strikes
the death blow to inventive genius,
and malies bee-keeping a machinery
business.
I am one of those who look for
greater advancement in the future
than in the past. A standard hive,
fifty years ago!! Just think of it!
A log gum manipulated by the brim-
stone match. We cannot afford to
stop here ; but let us rather " go on
toward perfection.'" Wlien I read
the proposition for a vote on hives, I
thought, why not change that a little
and call for the solid scientific princi-
ples of a really good hive, and make
all kinds conform to tliem, and thus
get our standard hive. The number
of hives is legion, but not so the good
ones, much less the sound principles
of hive construction.
I want to say to " Subscriber " of
Milan. N. Y., that if he will take his
-Vmerican frames and put them in a
hive, on Mr. Doolittle's plan, he will
have no reason to regret it. I do not
use the American frame, but would
use it so, if at all. In my judgment
the American frame would be much
improved by cutting, say, a 8-16 slot
out of each side of the frame nearly
to each end, letting the comb attach
in the centre of frame, and using no
honey-board. No trouble will be e.x-
perieuced if the bee spaces are not
large enough tn allow them to start
comb up throutrh them.
Custer. 111., Feb. 3, 18S3.
For the American Bee Journal.
Upward Ventilation in Winter.
H. L. JEFFERY.
In the Bsa .JouRXAL for Jan. 2-1
page 52, Mr. G. M, Doolittle tells us
about trying the Hill plan of shutting
off all, or nearly all, of upward venti-
lation. I have, for 2 or 3 years, been
watching to see if Mr. D". would not
say something about hermetically
sealing the top of the brood chamber,
but not one word, or even a hint, at
it. In 1S76, I had a very small swarm
given to me, late in the fall, with not
more than comb enough to lill two
Langstroth frames, if it had been
transferred, but I left them in the box-
hive and fed them some syrup; then
corked the hive tight ; I put the hive
in a large dry goods box, in a very
sheltered situation, and, in lS77,it was
one of my best colonies. The same
fall I took two hives that held 13
American frames each, and put the
bees in the centre on .5 combs each,
set up a tight-fitting division-board
each side, laid some sticks across the
tops, then covered with a cloth and
put 4or5 thicknesses of heavy manilla
paper over the top, and packed the
sides full, letting the paper extend
front and rear, laid another sheet over
the top of the hive and pressed the
cap down carefully; this completely
sealed them up, and they had more
brood than any other 4 colonies put
together, on May 1.
I have, since then, continued to
practice the sealing method, more or
less, every season, with perfect suc-
cess. I have written to and talked
with a number of bee-keepers about
it, but it did not accord with the ven-
tilation theory.
Mr. A. F. Moon once wrote to nie
" that what I know is worth as much
to me as what others know is worth
to them, if they do not agree with
me." Kow, that Mr. D. has started
to use a sealing method, I feel confi-
dent, as he infers, that by this method
one of the steps to successful winter-
ing may be gained.
Mr. D. also infers that we shall hear
of fearful mortality, this winter,
among the bees. Jan. 30 I examined
about 40 box and frame hives, and I
noticed that the dysenterv is begin-
ning to show itself in alt the frame
hives, where there was any amount of
bee bread ; those having sugar syrup
were clear, clean and bright; and
those wintered on candy of honey and
sugar, were as bright, clean and ac-
tive as in summer. As Jan. 30 was
the first day for bees to fly to any ex-
tent, since the middle of November,
they had been shut in for 10 weeks or
more, but their flying showed which
were wintering best, l^efore examina-
tion.
From what I have seen, for the
past six winters, I am sure that the
Langstroth frame, properly prepared,
is just as safe as any. I "have tried
the American, Gallup, both Quinbys,
a frame the size of the Eclectic, and
the Langstroth: the advantages of
the latter for surplus more than com-
pensates for its disadvantage for win-
tering. With a hive having chaff,
front and rear, with 3 inches of chaff
under the bottom board, and room
on the sides for chaff cushions, a good
tight-fitting enamel cloth over the
frames, with a passage ^g to fg over
the top bars, and then some chaff on
top of the cloth, I will risk the best or
poorest colony on the Langstroth
frame as quickly as any other.
I have noticed, so far this winter,
that the box hives are taking a clean-
ing out that will make them beauti-
fully scarcer than they were one year
ago, and those in frame hives, prop-
erly cared for, are laying. My bees
are not suffering much this winter;
about 19 per cent, of the bees in box
hives are playing out, so far, from all
that I hear of.
Woodbury, Ct., Feb. 2, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Central Kansas Convention.
In pursuance to a call, the bee-
keepers of Central Kansas held their
first meeting at Manhattan, Kansas,
on Saturday, March 10, 1883. During
miscellaneous business, a resolution
was adopted asking the authorities of
the State Agricultural College to
teach apiculture in connection with
entomology. The treasurer reports
finances in good condition. The sec-
retary gave encouraging reports from
this section of country. The associa-
tion listened to a paper by Mr. Robert
Corbett, entitled, '■ Hints to Begin-
ners," which was just what we needed.
Association adjcjurned to meet on
June 30, 1883. Seven members signed
the Constitution. We hope to meet
bee-keepers from all parts of the
State at our next meeting, so as to
put us on ;i firm footing.
Thos. Bassler, Sec.
Box 436, Manhattan, Kansas.
For the American Bee Journal-
Can we afford Half-Pound Sections ?
W. E. CLARK.
The half-pound section has been
receiving considerable attention. Of
all the articles I have seen on that
subject, the one by G. M. Doolittle.in
Gkaninqs, for February, is the best ;
in fact, he hits the nail on the head
every time. It will be well for us to
read it carefully and proht by the ad-
vice he gives. He discusses the subject
in a straightforward and unbiased
manner ; does not gush over, as some
do, but gives the facts in a plain, busi-
ness-like way, and I would say that it
will be well if apiarists heed the advice
given. It has become a fact, well
established, that the smaller the sec-
tions the less honey you get. The
great bulk of apiarists keep bees for
the profit, and that comes from the
surplus honey we get. Now, if cut-
ting down the sections would raise
tlie price of honey, so that we would
realize as much for it as in larger
ones.adding the shrinkage in quantity,
extra expense, and labor, it would do ;
but past experience has taught us that
it cannot be done. Let the half-pound
box become the standard, and you and
I will get no more for our honey than
we do now for that in one and two-
pound boxes. Is this our past experi-
ence y We think so.
Mr. Doolittle tells us, by testimony
unimpeachable, that it cannot be sold
in half-pound sections, for less than
46c. per lb., to warrant us in using
them Do you think Mr. Doolittle's
views are a little strong ? He does
not give his individual views only, but
they are backed up by figures and past
experience that challenges successful
contradiction.
The editor of Gleanings talks about
catering to the wants of the consumer.
Now, candidly, is it not the supply
dealer that wants the half-pound sec-
tion V There is a certain class of men,
and we have some of them who are
producers, but, as Mr. Doolittle says,
have a restless spirit, always trying to
have something different from anyone
else, and this class have tried almost
all kinds of occupation and failed.
The buncombe reports published by
some visionary bee-men have called
them into our ranks.
The general opinion of producers is
that we must get double the price for
honey in half-pound sections that we
do for that in the one and two-pound'
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
155
boxes. We all know that when the
half-pound box sells for IS and 20c.
per lb., as it certainly must, if it be-
comes the standard size, that it will not
pay. Some say tliat we must use only
a few half-pound sections. If the
consumer wants them an<l is willing
to pay 46c. per lb. for such honey, it is
best to use them, and not until then.
I do not believe that it is best to edu-
cate theui to use them, but let them
entirely aloue. If proiUicers wish to
cut their own throats they will keep
cuttini? down the size of sectious, or
will allow supply dealers to persuade
them into using them. They will,
perhaps, be wiser some day.
I have sold and produced honey for
the last U'o years, and will say that
cutting dowii the size of sections lias
never been called for by the cunsunier,
but by supply dealers. This restless
spirit, predominates I think, in the
supply dealers. There is no general
demand for a half-pound section. I
have taken some pains to find if there
was any call for them, and I never
liave found a buyer that; said there
was a call for it "by the consumers.
Mr. McCall, Thurber's agent, says
there is no call for them in New York
city.
The facts in the case are just these :
one of two things must come to pass,
if the half-pound box is used, honey-
producing will become a non-paying
business, or the consumer must pay
double the price he now pays for comb
honey.
Oriskany, N. Y., Feb. 20, 1 883.
For tlie American Bee JourDal
West Texas Bee-Culture.
T. C. GREENWOOD.
Our winter is now nearly over, hav-
ing been not the severest we have
ever had, but a very cold one. Our
bees have come through all right, and
have been bringing in pollen for two
weeks. We have no flowers yet visi-
ble, and where they get the pollen
from we do not know ; but surmise it
is obtained from the little buddings
of the long moss, which grows pro-
fusely in our river valleys.
1 experimented .somewhat in my
wintering ; placing some colonies in
the lower Langstroth story, covering
the cloth above with cotton seed ;
others I left with upper story on, giv-
ing them also a covering of seed. I
can discover no difference in them
now ; all being riglit, with laying
queens, now actively breeding up.
This early active breeding is not de-
sirable in this latitude, it promises
early swarms; but where rapid in-
crease is not desirable, it is trouble-
some, as oiu- honey, from our main
honey plant, does not reach us before
the first of May.
I commenced, last year, with 24 col-
onies; increased to 49, and obtained
over 2,400 lbs. extracted, and over 200
lbs. comb honey, in oue-i)ound sec-
tions. From one colony, transferred
from a box hive March 20, I obtained
195 lbs. extracted honey and one
swarm of bees. From a colony
swarming out on the same day, I ob-
tained 145 lbs. by tiering up to four
stories. This last item explains to our
Xorthern friends the wonderful re-
ports coming from Texas, made by
some of our enterprising bee-keepers.
" Spring count," in this warm climate,
does not remain spring count long,
and a vigorous swarm emerging in
March, by judicious management, can
be made ready for work early in the
honey flow, and increase the general
average greatly. Northern brethren,
who doubt our occasional enormous
yields, may make a note of this, be-
sides remembering that such a honey
flow, as we had last year, is seldom
seen in Texas.
I have resided in Texas 30 years ;
have liad bees for 20 years ; have run
against several " patent hive " ven-
ders, who " bled me some," and only
last year " got down to work " in the
Langstroth. In some seasons our
honey How is immense, sometimes
from honey dew, mostly from flowers,
especially the "mint;" but in other
years, as in California, we get noth-
ing. Western Texas is, on the aver-
age, a good honey country, and bee-
keeping, on the right plan, will
undoubtedly pay here. We are im-
proving our colonies with the best
Italians ; have been patiently awaiting
the results of Northern experiments
with the Cyprians, Syrians, etc. Our
three well-delined races here are
enough, just now, for us. Our little
black bee is irritable enough to teach
us to avoid some of the others that
have been tried. Our brown bee,
mixed with the Italians, is a decided
success, the cross producing a won-
derful worker,not always irritable,and
exhibiting the traits evidently best in
both races.
The excessively prolific bee, somuch
desired by many up your way, is not
the best for us. We have plenty of
time to get ready for the honey flow ;
and too much swarming is decidedly
troublesome, and sometimes attended
with loss as well as inconvenience. I
witnessed an amusing illustration of
this, at the apiary of my friend and
neighbor, J. S. Tadlock, last year. He
is one of our most advanced and en-
terprising bee-keepers, had purchased
one of Root's chaff hives, and had it
already for work, last spring, in crack
Older. He gave me to understand,
that with that colony, he was going
"to trump" Mr. Eckman, a bee-
keeper on the Brasos east of us, who
liad, the year before, obtained 450 lbs.
from one colony, and bragged about
it in the Bee Journal.
Well, the chaff hive became full of
bees. He declared there was one-half
bushel of them, and so there must
have been, for I called to see him, and
looked at them myself, admiringly.
They were in fine order, and the
honey just flowing in, " so to speak."
1 went again next week; it was early
in Mav, and immediately noticed that
there were but few bees flying in and
out of that chaff hive. Mr. Tadlock
explained. Says he : " I went around
the other day, suspecting nothing,
when I discovered they had swarmed,
in fact, nearly all went off, and we
knew nothing about it. How they
got away thus, I do not know." He
did not run that colony against Mr.
Eckman last year, but he went quite
up to his figures, with several others.
He is an excellent man, enjoys a joke,
and will pardon me, I know, for tell-
ing on him, how he intended to "lay
it on " Mr. Eckman.
Our people here are not yet trained
to eat honey a great deal. We sell our
extracted at 10 cents and our comb
honey at 15 cents. Bee-keeping, iU
fact, is not regarded as even business
with most of our people, but we have
some few men all over the State who.
are abreast of the times, and who are
opening the eyes of the old box-hive
men.
With the excellent Bee Journal
on my table (many single articles
worth more to me than the subscrip-
tion price), surrounded with the appli-
ances of our fascinating art, I am
well pleased with my progress. 1 no-
tice one fact: wherever the Journal,
is taken, the patent hive " mothtrap
man " disappears, no more to return.
To the Journal and other similar
publications, wherein Heddon, Doolit-
tle, Dadant, Pond, Hutchinson and
others give us their best thoughts,
we owe a great debt of gratitude.
Luling, Texas, Feb. 20, 1883.
Convention Notices.
1^ The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17tli and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
VVm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
^^ The next meeting of the Haldi-
mand, Ont., Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Nelle's Corners on Sat-
urday, March 31, 1883, at 11 a. m.
H. Campbell.
i^ The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday, April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G. W. Demaree, Sec.
Christiausburg, Ky.
1^ The regular meeting of the
Farmers' and Gardeners' Club, will be
held April 2, at A. Z. Madison's oflice,
Fredonia, N. Y. Question: "Bees,
Fish and Poultry." Mr. U. E. Dodge
will open the discussion with a lecture
on " Bees and Bee-Culture," giving
practical manipulations of the hive,
showing the various improved imple-
ments, devices and terms used in bee-
culture, illustrating the lecture with
a colony of bees. Bee-keepers are es-
pecially invited to spend the afternoon
at Sunshine Apiary, where Mr. Dodge
will try and entertain them. Mr.
Dodge is a thoroughly practical apiar-
ist, and this will be a rare treat for
bee-keepers in Western New York.
Means will be taken to form a Bee-
Keepers' Association for this part of
the State. A, Z ]Madison, Sec.
U. E. Dodge, Fres.
156
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
at and Jtoxu.
ANSWERS BY
Javies Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Saying Queeiiless Colonies.
My bees had a good flight on Feb.
28; they have been conlined since
Dec. 1. I examined all, and they were
in good condition, covering from 5 to
8 frames, Langstroth size ; they have
•consumed more honey and come out
stronger than at anytime for 5 years ;
2 are queenless, and 7 have more or less
brood, out of 10. 1. Can Igetqueens
from the Southern States soon enough
to save them y 2. How much candy,
per week, will it take to carry
a 7 Langstroth frame full of bees
through y My bees are most as strong
as they were last full, and have no
•dysentery. D. S. Bukbank.
Grundy Centre, Iowa, March 1, 1883.
1. I think you can, but I cannot see
that it will pay you, if you care for
the queens only for that purpose.
2. I have never had satisfactory re-
sults from feeding candy of any kind.
I feed liquid food, have just fed some
few colonies, and one took down 6 lbs.
in three hours. That colony is now off
my shoulders for the season.
Spring Work. ^
I put 25 colonies into winter quar-
ters, and all of them are doing well.
I want to move them 2 or 3 rods in
my yard. 1. When is the best time to
do it V 2. How early in the spring shall
I begin changing, reversing frames
and feeding to stimulate brood-rear-
ing y 3. How often should the frames
be reversed? E. Newcojib.
PlankRoad, N. Y.
1. At the first period, when they
■will be most likely to be shut in for a
■few days, by cool weather. When you
move them, or just when they are
about to fly from their new stands,
smoke and jar the hives, and put
boards before the entrances, so that
they will bump noses, or have to fly
out sidewise around it, and remove
any fixtures from the old quarters that
may make them " look like home."
2. After having fed and reversed
frames, to stimulate early breeding
for years, some years ago I abandoned
it; and with hives properly made and
arranged, no such practice pays.
3. As a rule, never ; for the reasons
before mentioned.
Bees in Texas.
I have kept bees for 35 years. Here
in Texas, as a general thing, they do
tolerably well. I have 90 colonies in
frame liives. Last season was a tine
season for honey. I took from 50 to
150 lbs. from each. I could have got
)4 more, if I attended to them, but as
1 have no one to assist me, and the
farm to run, the bees filled everything
full of honey, and a great deal on the
outside, before I could attend to them,
and when I got to taking honey. I
went at it with a rush, got the honey
scattered around, and the bees went
to robbing, and I have had a f'reat
deal of trouble. How can 1 check
robbing 'i Some of my strongest
colonies were diseased; the brood
failed to hatch, and they became weak,
and tlie moth and robbers destroyed
about 20 colonies. Tlie bees are all
blacks; they seem to be wintering
well, all on the summer stands. I
never knew of any being housed here
in winter. Our bees always go
through the winter safe, when sup-
plied with honey. The bees have had
a flight every day for 6 days; the
peach trees will be blooming in 2
weeks, if the weather remains favor-
able. J. E Jackson.
Richardson, Texas, Feb. 22, 1883.
First, in this branch of our business
an ounce of prevention is worth ten
pounds of cure. When once really
crazed with robbing, the only practical
way I know of is to remove the rob-
bed colony to a cellar, give plenty of
ventilation, and close up the hiveS;
Protect the other colonies in the de-
moralised yard by close contraction of
the entrances. If the weather is hot,
shade or ventilate the hives at the top.
A Diseased Colony.
Last season my honey crop was
about one-third. Bees gathered a
good fall crop of fine quality. We
had a very cold spell on Jan. 17 to 21 ;
the thermometer was down to 18"^
above zero. On Jan. 28, my bees
commenced carrying in pollen ; we
had one short cold snap since, and the
bees are working now very fast on
wild peach and dogwood ; I notice
one of my colonies has a strange dis-
ease ; the bees crawl out of the hive
in a trembling condition, turn over on
their backs and die. Please tell me
what is the cause of this V In regard
to the use of separators, my experience
is (and I believe that it is a good
teacher), that with one-pound sec-
tions, filled with comb foundation,
and with the use of tin separators,
wlien honey is coming in fast, I can
get as much honey as those who do
not use any, and I know I can have
nice, straight and well-filled sections.
Everything bids fair for a fine honey
season ; peach and plum trees are in
bloom, and farmers are planting corn.
J. W. ECKBIAN.
Richmond, Texas, March 5, 1883.
Having never witnessed any such
phenomenon, I am entirely unable to
account for it.
Snndry Questions and Answers.
1. Is it necessary to have the tin
bars and diagonal wires (as described
in Mr. Root's circular) in wire frames?
2. Are queens, when sent by mail,
wrajiped up in the cage so as to be in-
visible? 3. Is an extractor, with its
basket having slanting sides, an im-
provement over one having vertical
sides y 4. How many Langstroth
frames would you recommend for a
liive 'i Will Mr. Heddon please give
his reasons for using only 8 frames V
5. Would you recommend a hive
with a permanent bottom and por-
tico ? A. S.
Xewark, O., Feb. 24, 1883.
1. Not if you will put a proper
amount of wood in the top bars of the
frames, which I do, and prefer to the
tin posts.
2. Not necessarily so ; the law only
requires that they shall be divided
from the fingers of the mail agents,
by double wire screens, with spaces
between.
3. Not, in my judgment.
4. My reasons for preferring 8 to 10
Langstroth frames as the brood cham-
ber of a colony, in brief (stripped
of argumentive proof) are these :
First, the capital rests in the combs,
etc., and not the queen, since I want
all that capital used to its utmost, and
automatically so. Smaller brood
chambers tend toward up-stair work
in a potent degree. Narrower brood
chambers (that is, fewer combs) are
better for wintering.
5. After having used hives, in
quantity, that had both permanent
and loose bottom boards, and those
with and without porticos, I prefer
and use those without porticos, but
always want my bottom boards perm-
anent. Mr. Langstroth gave argu-
ments in favor of tight bottoms, that,
as yet, I have not seen satisfactorily
controverted. My experience seconds
his views.
Destructive Birds.
Are martins destructive to bees ?
Creston, Iowa. A. E. Footb.
I do not know, but I think not ; at
least, ours here are not known to eat
bees.
Foul Brood, etc.
1. What is foul brood; does it. or
can it proceed from chilled brood V
2. Would bees, that were healthy
and clear of the disease in May, die
of tlie disease by September follow-
ing ?
3. If you should take frames of
brood from a colony in July to form
a nucleus, and the old. colony die in
the fall, and the following fall you
find that the nucleus has tlie foul
brood, and no others in the apiary
have it as far (as could be seen),
would it not be very strong proof that
it came from the frames forming the
nucleus 'i
4. If there were no bees, either
domestic or wild, •within 4 or 5
miles, would there be any probability
of bees, so situated, becoming af-
fected from bees outside, and die in
the same season ?
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
157
5. Would you consider it square-
dealing to sell a customer Langstroth
improved iiives and deliver ttie Sim-
plicity, American, or any other in-
stead y
6. Is it safe or prudent to try D. A.
Jones' foul brood cure, before the
middle of May, in this latitude, or
until past freezing 'i Do you prefer it
to any other way V I expect I have
other colonies that may need to be
treated for that disease in the spring,
and you will confer a favor by an-
swering these few questions through
the Bee Journal, with which lam so
well pleased. O. B. Scofield.
York, Maine, March 5, 1883.
1. I have never seen a case of foul
brood. I suppose it to be a bacterious
disease of the brood, and do not tliink
it is caused by chilling at all. I know
that chilling does not cause it alone.
2. " Bees " never die of or have the
disease. It is a disease of the "brood ;"
it is not foul bees.
3. Yes ; if the old colony had the
disease, I should not expect such
results.
5. Perhaps the Simplicity may be
called, by some, an improved Langs-
troth, but I think it a degenerated
Langstroth hive. However, lean see
no reason for advertising the name
as well as the kind of hive, where the
name is so well established and
known. Of course, it would not be
right to send an American hive when
a Langstroth was ordered.
6. I would rather wait till they
fly, and draw out comb foundation for
the new combs. I think that the plan
of Mr. Jones is the best and most
practical piece of advice ever given
by him. The plan is in perfect keep-
ing with the laws that I have always
supposed governed all bacterial dis-
eases, and not too complicated to be
profitable to one wlio has many colo-
nies affected.
Convention Notices.
1^ The Central Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association holds its spring
convention at Lansing, in the State
Capitol building, on Tuesday, April
17, 1883, 9 a. m. Programme : Presi-
■dent's address ; Essays: Prof. A. J.
€ook, on Wintering Bees ; S. C. Perry,
on Cliaff Hives; C. Case, on Comb
Honey; O. S. Smith, oiitlie Best Bee;
A. D. Benham, on Extracted Honey ;
Mr. Harper, on Queen-Rearing ; Mr.
Waldo, on Best Method of Wintering
Out of Doors, in Single- Walled Hives ;
E. N. Wood, on Sections ; and E.
Oreeiiaway, on Comb Foundation. All
bee-keepers are invited to attend or
send essays, papers, implements or
anything of interest to the fraternity
A full attendance is requested.
E. N. Wood, Sec
North Lansing, Mich.
^^ The Eastern Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Society, will hold its annual
meeting in Detroit, April 3, in Ab-
stract Hall, commencing at 10 a. m.
The following subjects will be brought
up for discussion : What is the best
means of extending the honey marketV
At wliat price can honey, either comb
or extracted, be afforded V Is there
danger of over-production i* Has glu-
cose aflected your market, and if so.
how ? What is the best test for glu-
cose ? In judging queens, what points
are to be considered, and wliat is the
order of their importance i* Foul
brood, and its prevention and cure.
An interesting meeting is expected.
A. li. Weed, Sec.
75 Bagg St., Detroit, Mich.
H^ The Western Bee- Keepers' As-
sociation meets at Independence, Mo.,
April 28, 1883.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
A Bee Paradise.
What we lack here, to promote
great interest in bees and honey, is
simply lirst-class apiarists. Some of
our best ones should come here and
settle among us, in our most beautiful
Shenandoah Valley, which is one of
the best places on earth for raising
bees and lioney. Good crops of honey
never fail here, though they are much
better some years than others. We
want good and true apiarists who will
aid others in attending to their bees,
rearing queens, furnishing supplies,
etc. My apiary, " Bee Cottage," is
about 200 yards from ray main build-
ing, and it is surrounded by a pretty
grove of evergreens. This is a great
country for bees and honey, but there
is not a single first-class apiarist in
any of it. E. C. Jordan.
Stephenson's Depot, Va.
[Here is a fine chance for those who
want to escape the rigors of our
Northern winters.— Ed.]
Wintering Bees iu Canada.
I had 3 colonies of bees in the
spring; one Italian, and two blacks ;
increased to 9 good colonies, and got
98 lbs. of comb lioney, and 12 lbs. of
extracted. I have 3 on the summer
stands and 6 in a neighbor's bee-
house. I looked at them, and all ap-
pear in fine condition.
W. J. Norfolk.
Stratford, Ont., March 12, 1883.
Bees in Splendid Condition.
Bees, in southeastern part of Indi-
ana, have wintered well, so far as
hsard from. Mine are in splendid con-
dition, although the weather was so
changeable. I do not remember a
winter as wet as the last. The mer-
cury was 5° below zero to 60^ in the
shade. J. W. Sturwold.
Haymond, Ind., March 9, 1883.
Bees Under the Snow Still.
My bees are all under the snow to-
day, and it is still snowing. We have
had 116 days of sleighing tliis winter,
and prospects are good for it a month
yet. March 1 and 2 were warm and
pleasant days, and the bees had a
good flight. My SO colonies all an-
swered to roll call; no signs of dysen-
tery. J. H. Kennedy.
Little York, N. Y ., March 13, 1883.
Clieap Bee Feeder.
For a liandy and simple feeder that
costs scarcely nothing, go to the store
where they sell cigars, and get the
small-sized box, tear out the paper
and take a piece of lath and saw it,
so that it will fit across the short way
of the box, yi inch from the end, and
let it come within % an inch of the
top of the box and nail fast ; then cut
a hole in the small space at the bot-
tom, and run sealing wax all around
the corners and the bottom edge, and
you will have a feeder not costing
much, and as good as any. You can
set it on the frames and feed at night,
or you can put 4 of them on at once,
if you want to. Put a stone or brick
onthe lid to keep the heat of the bees
from warping the lid. For fall or
spring feeding it is good and cheap,
and any one can make it. March
came in warm ; the thermometer on
the 1st was 64° above, and on the 2d
it was 52°. I took a look through 4
colonies, and found them in fine con-
dition, witli brood in three frames.
Bees have wintered well in this part
of the country. R. P. Williams.
Goldsmith, Ind.
My Report.
Colonies in spring, 66; fall, 121;
honev obtained, comb, 1,500 lbs.; ex-
tracted, 2,.500 lbs.; total, 4,000 lbs.
Wintering in bee-house, 106; out-
doors, 15 ; loss in bee-house, none ;
out-doors, 5; on hand, 116 colonies.
Frame used, Roop. 10x10.
C. F. Hathaway.
Chelsea, Mich., March 14, 1883.
No Flight Since Nov. 1.
My bees are in the cellar, where
they have been since Nov. 1, and they
have had no flight since. They are in
excellent condition.
Emery L. Fradenburg.
Fentonville, Mich., March 15, 1883.
That Iowa State Convention.
I had 23 colonies last fall ; packed 9
in chaff; put 4 in cellar; left the rest
unprotected ; lost one of the latter,
and many bees have died iu all the
hives, reducing their strength sadly.
I liope that some one will issue a call
for that State convention at Des
Moines. During the State Fair would
be a good time. I think that M.
Poppletou (being the vice-president
of the National Association) is the
proper person to call the convention.
Iowa has many bee-keepers, but no
conventions worthy of the name ; no
supply dealers, and is behind the times
generally. Let us have a Convention.
Dexter, Iowa. M. E. Darby.
158
• fHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
A Summer's Day.
After luiving three months of verv
cold <aiui stormy weather, it whs our
luck, on the 1st day of March, to have
one of the warmest of winter days.
Had it not been for the snow in the
fields and on the surrounding hill-
sides, it would have passed for a
summer day. The bees enjoved
themselves on their wings from" 10
o'clock in the forenoon till after 5
o'clock in the afternoon, and but very
few were seen dead upon the snow,
after they had had their frolic— it was
a general turnout. Who owns the
largest number of colonies of bees in
the United States, and how many
colonies ? Who owns the largest
number in the world, and how many V
What is the greatest number ever
known to have been owned by a single
individual y John Mouris.
Mauston, Wis., March 3, 1883.
[These questions are much easier
to ask than to answer correctly. We
shall, therefore, not attempt it.— Ed]
Notes from the Nauvoo Apiary.
I began the spring of 1882 with 90
colonies of bees, in average condition,
having lost none during the previous
winter. Had 6 colonies, pure Cypri-
ans, with imported queens, the re-
mainder mostly pure Italians, many
of them with imported queens. The
weather was very wet and cold up to
July 4th, chilling large numbers of
the bees, that left the hive for the
fields, and the flowers giving very
little, if any, honey, so that I was
obliged to feed, up to June 20, to pre-
,vent starvation, and to stimulate
them to raise brood. It was consid-
erable expense, but I do not regret it,
as it kept my colonies strong, and en-
abled me to reap a rich reward, later
in the season. The white clover crop-
3,000 lbs. of extracted and 1.50 lbs. of
comb honey— was harvested the Hrst
2.5 days of July, about one month later
than usual. The fall crop began
about one week after the spring crop
closed, and ended Sept. 20. producing
11.000 lbs. extracted and 5.50 lbs. comb
lioney. This makes, for the crop of
1882, 14,000 lbs. of extracted and 700
lbs. of comb honey, together with ISo
lbs. of beautiful wax obtained from
the cappings. I had an increase of
24 colonies, three-fourths of them by
natural swarming. My wife did all
of tlie work of the apiarv up to ex-
tracting time, when my vineyard and
other labors were sutficiently ad-
vanced to allow me to turn rav atten-
tion to the bees. My wife and I did
a good share of the extracting, with-
out any assistance. We often took
off and extracted 2 barrels (1,100 lbs.)
of honey per day, besides returning
the empty boxes to the bees in the
evening. My bees were put into win-
ter quarters, on their summer stands,
during the last days of November.
They are packed according to Mr.
Ohas. Dadant's method, and have
wintered very well, thus far. They
had a good flight the first three days
of last week, and I find that they are
all alive and in comparatively good
condition ; even a very weak colony
that was queenless. last fall, for more
than (i weeks, and Vhich I had not
time to attend to until the middle of
October, when I gave it a queen. My
last swarm was hived Sept. 3, and
gatliered abimdant stores for winter,
besides producing aboutSO lbs. of sur-
plus honey. (Thanks to comb founda-
tion. I may here remark that I would
not do without foundation, even
ttiough it cost me $\ per pound.) I
have been in the bee business, now, .5
years, although I owned but one half
of the apiary until last spring, when I
bought the entire stock. I have in-
creased the number of colonies stead-
ily every year, losing none, or next to
none, in wintering. Have alwavs
wintered on the summer stands. My
object is to produce as much honev as
possible, therefore, I do my best to
prevent swarming, and with good re-
sults, finding it cheaper to buv new
colonies than to rear them. I expect
to buy quite a lot this spring. Al-
though I am engaged in teaching
public scliool, and am obliged to be
there every day, Saturdays and Sun-
days excepted, I have found but little
trouble in disposing of nearly allot
my large crop of honey, and at good
prices, too. Have not dealt with
commission men as yet. Our fruit
prospects are "blasted"" once more, as
the vulgar saying is. Surely, this is
a cold climate. I am seriouslv think-
ing of emigrating South. The only
question is to find a suitable and
agreeable location.
Einr. J. Baxter.
iSTauvoo, 111., Feb. 26, 1883.
Wintering and Ventilation.
I see in " Bees in Winter '' you men-
tion seven things essential to success-
ful wintering; may I add the eighth ?
A cleansing flight, once a month.
Proof : One and three years ago, they
wintered anywhere with that ; while
two and four years ago (and this), they
died everywhere witliout it. An
old bee-keeper said to me, " keep a
bee dry and you cannot freeze it."
How can we keep them dry, venti-
late them properly (much has been
written on that point), both at the top
and bottom V I think G. M. Doolittle's
article on page 52, present volume, is
worth the cost of the Bee Journal
one year. It is right to the point :
"just upward ventilation enough, and
not too much." What would be just
enough here, one year ago. would be
ruinous this winter. That amount of
upward ventilation, which is enough
generally, would often carry off too
much warmth ; then the bees eat to
keep warm ; while, if a little more
than just enough is given below, it
would not do much harm, as I see.
That article refers to A. G. Hill's suc-
cess and experiments, and, so far, ap-
pears good, as per report. (Please
report further ; also W. Z. Hutchin-
son on clamp experiments, Geo.
Grimm on cellars, and lleddon on
out-door or chaff.) But, says one,
snow blows in, when on blocks; true,
make a hole in the bottom board or
let the hive extend over the edge of
the bottom board, a little. I often
see accounts of bees in clamps, buried
or covered in snow, where it is air-
tight above, and the bottom clear out
(or large entrances), that bees came
out in spring strong, lively, and in
good order. Why v Because they are
dry and warm. Page 69 shows that
the air is about as pure near the bot-
tom as at the top. To retain the heat,
let out dampness and impure air, and
let in pure air at the bottom— is not
that better than to let both out at the
top, and lose too much heat, and so
have the bees eat too much V If much
opened above, or they get damp by
sweating, the bees soon die, also if
too little opened at top. It is always
hard to ventilate, upward, " just
enough, and not too much,"
Limerick, III. E. Pickup.
Zinc for Separators.
My bees have wintered well ; to-day-
it was warm enough for the bees to-
fly, for the Hrst time this winter. I
put them out of the cellar, to give
tliem a flight, and I had a chance to
look them over. I found them in
splendid condition except one colony,
which was dead. I made a mistake
in looking them over last fall ; I did
not notice that it had too much pollen
in the hive. That was the only colony
that had the dysentery ; the rest are
all strong and healthy, and I think
will come through all right. It has
been a hard winter on bees ; it has
been so very cold. Will zinc do for
separators V We can get zinc cheaper
than tin. H. J. Smith.
Burlington, Wis., March 13, 1883.
[Zinc corrodes much more easily
than tin, and is, therefore, not de-
sirable.—Ed.]
Bees Wintered Well— Never Better.
My 130 colonies came through with-
out loss, and in splendid condition.
I have wintered, for 11 years, on an
average, about 120 colonies in my bee
house, and have only lost two colonies
in the whole time, and they died of
starvation. My bees never had dys-
entery, except in nuclei. Cold, bad
honey, and the want of suflScient ven-
tilation, are undoubtedly the chief
causes of dysentery. The right tem-
perature is about 45° to 50'^. My
average of honey for the 11 years has-
been about 80 lbs. per colony of ex-
tracted honey. E. C. L. Larch.
Ashland, Mo., March 12, 1883.
Early Breeding, Etc.
My 40 colonies of bees are all on the
summer stands, protected, as in
former winters, in Armstrong's Cen-
tennial hives, and in spite of the
severe cold weather ever since Nov.
27, 1882, tiU to-day ; ouly 6 days in
that time that bees coidd fly ; 8 days
in the time it was below zero ; one day
it was 12- below, and to-day it is 70°
above, at noon. I have, to-day, ex-
amined my bees, and, strange to say,
I found egg larva, young bees hatch-
ing, young brood hatched, and some
of the hives are full of bees in every
colony. Ten colonies have consumed
nearly all their honey ; so I put cap-
ped comb honey in place of empty
frames, and I scraped all the dead
bees and filth out, which I can very
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL
159
■easily do, as I can move the frames in
the rear of my hives without taking
them out of the hives, and almost
without disturbing the bees. My bees
are in splendid condition. S.E.Brown
has 8 colonies ; Robert Stevens has 10
colonies ; M. Harneigan has 2 colonies,
and John Snyder has 3 colonies, all
on tlieir summer stands in good con-
dition, and all Italians but one. They
are all in the Centennial hive, pro-
tected as mine are. On the 2d and 3d
inst. we had the heaviest sleet I ever
saw ; it did great damage to the Judas
trees, willow, peach, cherry, and
plum trees. Some ask about the
marks of the Holy Land bees V In
reply, I say I have several pure colo-
nies of them, and when the weather
is warm, it never gets too dark, nor
rains too hard for them to meet their
visitors at the gate; if you just tap
at their door steps, in a moment they
will make you acquainted with their
natural markings. I have 1 colony
that can sting through buck gloves,
and I do not see any difference in
them and the Italians, in winter
breeding. The deepest snow was 6
inches, and the prospects for 1883 are
good yet. R. M. Osborn.
Kane, 111., Feb. U, 1883.
Some Corrections.
Dear Mr. Editor. — I think I am
wrongly reported in the matter of
"" Overstocking," as given by the sec-
retary of the Northeastern Michigan
Association. I did not mean to say
that it is well-nigh impossible to over-
stock a locality. In fact, I incline to
the opinion ttiat it is quite possible.
1 only said, or meant to say, that the
matter was involved in doubt. That,
perhaps, we had been all wrong in this
matter. In notice of Central Michi-
gan Association, I am represented as
president. The Rev. Mr. Ashworth
tills that office, and so well, that to
him belongs all the honor.
A. J. Cook.
Lansing, Mich., March 0, 1883.
[We cheerfully make the corrections,
but in both cases, we give it exactly
■as the copy was written. The fault
was not ours, therefore. — Ed.]
Experience of a Beginner.
I bought 4 colonies of bees and
«ome empty hives of a neighbor who
was going away, and put them in my
front yard under some apple trees,
last spring; on June 7, one swarm
■came out, and I put it into one of the
empty hives, which I had cleaned,
and from that time they kept me
scraping hives and hiving them, till I
had 19 colonies ; then in about a week
out came another swarm, and liaving
no hive, I put them into a cracker
box ; before they all got in, out came
another, and went into the .same box ;
before they were all in, out came the
third, and tliey also went into the
same box ; the next forenoon another
swarm came out and pitched right for
that box, and all went in. Then I
had 4 colonies in a cracker box ; they
killed all the queens but one, and
filled the box witti honey. I put a 10
lb. box on the top, and that they
filled. I had two early swarms that
each gave a swarm and stored 60 lbs.
of comb honey each. I had from the
4 colonies, spring count, 440 lbs. of
coiub honey, and increased my stock
to 20 colonies. I sold the honey at
from 18 to 2.5 cents per pound. I then
sent for the Bee Journal and Cook's
Manual. I sold 2 colonies in the fall ;
united 3 weak colonies, and bought 14
more. 1 packed one in sawdust, and
one in clover chaff on the summer
stands ; put the otlier 27 colonies in
my cellar ; they are all doing nicely,
so far. Would a refrigerator be a
good place to winter bees in, where it
is perfectly dry, has a circulation of
fresh air, and will not freeze V Has
any one tried it V It strikes me that
it would be just the thing. I intend
to build one to keep eggs in, through
the summer, and I could keep my
bees ill it through the winter.
W. S. SquiRE.
Emerald Grove, Wis.,Marcli5, 1SS3.
Honey Season in Sweden.
The past season here was only a
moderate one ; not much swarming,
generally. I had quite a number of
swarms, and consequently my honey
crop was proportionately small, only
12 pounds per hive. For the past 2
years I have given my bees plenty of
comb foundation, and will increase
the use of it, by hundreds of pounds
yearly ; all other bee-keepers here also
commenced to use it liberally ; when
well made, it is invaluable. The win-
ter came in very early, in the middle
of October, and since then they have
had no flight ; still they are all right,
on the summer stands, packed inchatf ,
and well ventilated in front, half the
way down— an essential thing in win-
tering successfully.
T. G. Stalhammer.
Gothenburg, Sweden, Feb. 2, 1883.
Bees Carrying: in Flour.
My bees have wintered well, and
are strong and lively. They are car-
rying unbolted flour at a lively rate.
They have brood in all stages, and
young bees taking their first flight.
They were wintered on the summer
stands. 1 lost 2 weak colonies that
were queenless until late in the fall,
and let one good one starve to death.
1 have 41 colonies, all in good condi-
tion, and I have no fear of spring
dwindling. Half of them are Syrians.
• M. Mahin.
Huntington, Ind., March 9, 1883.
Bees in Canada.
As far as I can learn, what few bees
are kept in this section of country, are
doing well, in spite of the severity of
the winter. Since they were packed
for the winter, the mercury has only
once or twice, for a few hours, stood
at 40^ in the shade, so there lias been
no chance for a flight, and to-day,
Feb. 26, old Boreas is roaring away as
if his strength is not nearly all ex-
pended yet. I have 9 colonies in a
bee house, all doing well, as far as I
can judge, though the temperature
has not kept as high as I would wish,
being from 34° to oS-^ most of the time.
Two colonies are out of doors in the
Jones, wintering hive. In one of these
the bees are so quiet I should suppose
them to be dead, if I did not know to
the contrary, and this colony has lost
very few bees apparently. The other
colony seems uneasy and noisy, and
many more bees have died in the en-
trance and bottom of the hive than
with the others. I wonder what
causes the difference, as they are
packed alike, and the entrances of
both have been protected from drift-
ing snow by small boxes set up in
front. The first sunny day I shall try
giving the uneasy ones a flight, by
putting a large box over the entrance
with a glass sash sloping like a hot-
bed frame. I highly approve G. M.
Doolittle's suggestions as to the way
to use the Bee Journal, and another
time will tell you how I keep mine
without the expense of binding.
Henrietta F. Buller.
Campbellford, Ont., Feb. 26, 1883.
Fastening Comb Foundation.
The subject of inserting foundation
comb has been very perplexing to
many, though it seems so easy to me,
and one of the least of the troubles
with which I have to contend in bee-
culture. The method I have adopted,
I have used for 4 years, and is a suc-
cess in every particular, and far su-
perior to any I have seen or read of.
For tlie beneflt of the numerous read-
ers of the Bee Journal, I will try to
give a brief description : I use a tun-
nel, about 3 inches in diameter, and,
say, 4 or 5 inches long (that is the
cylinder), with an abrupt tapering off
to about }4 inch, then a long, slim
tapering (say 5 inches) to a point,
only leaving a small liole, say, 3-16 of
an inch. The top has a circular
handle made of tin, with an opening,
through which a wire, bent with
openings toadmitaHnger, by which it
is regulated, and said wire passing
from the hand (top) entirely to the
bottom, closing the hole, from which,
when lifted, the melted wax, contained
in the tunnel, flows, and is thus
moved along the line where the comb
is to be attached to the frame, thus
welding it solid. The comb is, of
course, joined, placed in the inverted
frame, with a cross-bar, cornerwise,
just to steady it, during the operation.
I can set foundation comb of any
width in 100 frames, perfectly, in less
than 20 minutes " by the watch," and
it will sooner break somewhere else
than come loose from the frame.
Elroy, Wis. D. C. Talbot.
My Bees All Right.
My 21 colonies of bees came through
the winter without the loss of one.
They commenced brood-rearing on
Feb. 7 ; brought in pollen on the 21st,
and have been at it ever since, except
a few days. We had a light frost on
March 6, which stopped the bees a
day or so. I was looking over some
of my colonies to-day, and found
hatclilng brood and some sealed drone
comb. Fruit trees are in bloom, and
bees are doing finely.
Marvin M. Binklet.
Sherman, Texas, March 12, 1883.
160
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
J>:|jccial Hoticcs.
Exainiue the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indic;ites the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal,.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
f 5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully tostate what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for .50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinbv's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
1^" When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of p-iper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
Dublication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
orFicK OF amkkican Bek Journal, )
MODday, 10 a. m., March 19, 1882. t
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Qnotatlons of Cash Bnyera.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted Is 7c.
for dark and 9c. for llKht— here. The supply is
abundant and sales are slow.
BEESWAX— It Is qu^te scarce. I am paylnt' 3nc.
for pood yellow wa-v, on arrival ; dark and off col-
ors, 17(*-5c.
Al. H. Newman. 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement In the honev
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade.
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7(ii".K'. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there
is a larjje supply of Hrst-class quality on the mar-
ket. It brings 12(^lSc. on arrival.
BEESWAX— Comes in slowly and brings 20@30c.
per lb., according to quality. Chas. F. Muth.
Quotations orCommlaaloD Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The past month has not reduced the
stock of comb or extracted honey, the receipts
having been larger than the anjounts taken for
consumption. Prices are weak and irregular,
ranging from lijc. to 18c. for white comb in the
smaller frames ; dark, very little selling, offered
at 12Hc. to 14c. Extracted, 8c. to K'c, according
to color.
BEESWAx-32®33c. per B.. for good.
K. A. Burnett, lei South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY-Tbe market is dead and prices are
nominal. No choice qualities are offering.
White comb, I4(3il7c.: dark n> good, lugiisc; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8^(gj9^c.; dark and
candied, 5®7J^c.
BEESWAX- We quote 30(s33c.
STEARNS & Smith. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY- Very quiet; dull. Comb at 14®ie.—
some inferior sold at Inc.: strained at 6J^@7c., ex-
tracted at 7Hi(*8Vuc., lots in small packages more.
BEES WAX— Scarce and wanted at .32@33c.
W.T. ANDERSON &Co., 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is very slow, just now hardly anything
selling, stock on hand quite liberal. Sales slow at
l9(a2oc. for best white l-lb. sections : 18(ail9c. for
2-Ib. Second grades not inquired after. Extracted
very dull atywlnc in bbls. and 11^13c. In cans.
BEESWAX-Scarce, -.'.soaoc.
A. C. KENDEi.. US Ontario Street.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— The prospect is very poor for selling
honey in this market. I think there is all the
honey here that will sell this season, unless itsells
faster during the next month tli:in it has this.
BEESWAX— There is only a moderate supply of
beeswax and prime lots held firmly.
Western pure, 3i)@32c; southern, pure, 3lc5l33c.
D. W. QuiNB V, 103 Park Place.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
H lb. sections at 30c. : 1 lb. sections, 22{(*'J5c. ; 2 1b.
sections. 20(y)22c. Extracted, loc. per lb. Good
lots ol extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote. 9
CROCKER & BLAKE, 57 Chatham Street.
i®° Dr. 11. Besse has sent us a
sample of his wooden separators.
They are very nice.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
COMB FOUNDATION.
Owing to the scarcity of bceswiix, the prices of
comb loundution will hereafter be as follows :
Dunham. Thin. Extra Thin.
U) lbs. or less. .55c. «.ic. 72c.
25 " " .. 54 64 71
5t 53 63 70
100 " " .. 52 62 69
A1,FRED H. IVE-WMAX.
923 W. Madison St., Chicago, III.
BEES FOR SALE !
Having wintered my bees safe, I will spare 10 or
12 Italian colonies, In Langstroth hives. New
queens, butpurity not guaranteed. 1 to 3 colonies,
tioeuch; 4toe colonies, $9 each: 7 to lOcolonles,
JK..'ioeach; 12 colonies, *hki. In shipping boxes,
Jii.50 less for each colony. Addres"
B,, JM
HBClt
:1
AROO,
Paint Lick, Ky.
WOOD SEPARATORS!
PKICE LIHT of the Besae "Wood Separators:
I^or the wide Langstroth frame, per hmi, r>nc.:
per KXui, f4.(Kj. They are of basswood. '
n'-toxi-i(5. Any size to order,
for sample.
i2Ayt BR. H,
- !-ize \7^x
Send \i cent stamp
BEE
. BE88E, Delaware, Ohio.
KEEPERS' SUPPLIES!
Simplicity and Chaff Hives, Queens,
etc. Send for Circular. Address,
HOtf^ARD NICHOI.,AS,
4Blt Etters, York Co., Pa.
r A niio'^^"^®'^ ^^^ Eastern buyers. Stamp for
rflKiyiXinformation. S. P. BIIOCKWA Y.Times
I rmillOuuiijing Chicago, III. 12A4t
100 COLONIES ITALIAN BEES,
FOR 8AI.E,
also, queens and nuclei. Will exchange for Jersey
heifer, pair Poland China pigs, or Plymouth Rock
fowls. Write for prices.
C WEF^tS
IlA4t Clifton, Wayne Co., Tenn.
FflR 'JAI F Colonies and Nuclei of ITALIAN
I Ull OnLLiBEES, gUKENS, Extractors, Bee
Books, and Supplies. Address. OTTO KLEINOW,
opposite Fort Wayne, DETROIT, Mich. nAB3t
Vandervort Comb Fdn. Mills,
Send for Samples <fc Reduced Prlce-I.I«t>
loAtfBi J. VANDERVORT, LacyviUe, Pa,
CO I Colonies, Nuclei and Queens
00
c»
FOR SAI.,E CHEAP.
For terms, address
10D4t3Blt COLUMBIA. TENN.
00
00'
CO
(Established i864.)
BEE-SUPPLIES.
We furnish EVKKVTBING needed
in the Apiary, of practical construction and at the-
lowest price. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Send yo"r address on a postal card and we will-
Bend you, free, our large, illustrated catalogue.
E. K.KETCHUSR, CobnrE. Iowa.
llAJt4Blt
1883.
1883.
YOU GET VALUE RECEIVED !
QUEENS, BEES AND SUPPLlEa
If you want EAKl^Y QXTEENS from the-
best improved greniilne stock for business; or if
you want Imported Italian Queens or bees, in fulli
colonies or nuclei, with tested or untested queens;
if you want Dunham or Vandervort comb tounda-
tlon. made from pure beeswax; or if vou want^
hives or apiarian supplies of any kind, send for my
new catali'sue. It tells you about, intniducinj;
queens, new " Races of Bees," etc. Cash paid for
clean beeswax. Address,
a. p. H. BRo\«^Ar.
5BDl5t Augusta, Georgia.
THE NEW IMPROVED
STEAM POWEE
Comb Foundation Factory
CHAS. OLM, Proprietor,
FOND MU I.AC, WISCONSIN.
Best work and pure beeswax is warranted.
Send for Sample and Circular, 8Dtf
CUT1
b.- lii^tJl, nC„
,>:nn.vmOnc
lute CertaiDl;
UT THIS OUT
And Tv^turu Uh.l,
y>ah TKN CenU,
Di^, 1:3 Grttmwich St.. Nl-w Vork-
'^' ^ OLDEST BEE PAPER^-^"-^ ^
"i AMERICA
.»t».
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., MAECH 28, 1883.
No. 13.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor axd Proprietor.
" Rational Bee-Keeping."
On account of the crowded state of
our columns during the past month,
we have not been able to find room to
notice or review the new book of the
great German bee-master — the Rev.
Dr. Dzierzon. We will now very
briefly do so.
The work contains 3.50 pages, and is
handsomely printed on good paper,
with nice, clear type, and will be read
with a great deal of pleasure. The
author, in his preface, remarks as fol-
lows : " The theoretical part has been
treated but very briefly, and with
special regard to practical bee-culture
— the author's aim being to show how
to keep bees rationally and profitably,
and at the same time to enable bee-
keepers to satisfy themselves and
others as to the reason for the different
operations in their apiaries ; forheonly
is entitled to he called a rational bee-keeper
who clearly comprehends ivhy a thing
is (lone in a certain way, and not in
any other, and who is able and gives
the reason for everything he does."
Concerning foul brood, the Doctor
remarks as follows : " It is well known
that, recently, salicylic acid has been
recommended as a remedy for foul
brood, the most dangerous of all the
diseases of bees, and the method of
treatment has been made known by
Mr. Hilbert. Formerly, he advised
spraying with diluted tincture of
salicylic acid, but more recently he
advises fumigating with refined pow-
dered salycilic acid, strewed on a
metal plate and heated over a flame.
Since this treatment is much simpler
than the repeated spraying of the
separate combs, and is applicable even
to hives with immovable combs; the
author thought it ought not to be left
unmentioned."
The Doctor devotes 8 or 10 pages to
a description of this dreadful disease,
its symptoms and cure.
This great bee master strongly ad-
vises providing bees with pasturage
by planting for honey, and speaks of
the many uses to which honey can be
devoted— making pure wines, metheg-
lin, honey cakes and pure sweetmeats
— instead of depending on adulterated
and poisonous wines and sweets ; and
be adds most confidently : " There is
no need, therefore, to be anxious
about what is to be done with honey,
even if the pursuit of bee-culture be-
comes more general and good bee
seasons set in. At a moderate price,
there will, even then, be no want of a
market."
The book is the master-piece of a
master mind, and should be in the
library of every bee-keeper. The
world has produced but few such in-
tellects as that with which the Doctor
is endowed. He is now the greatest
living authority on bee-culture. To
him, and the late Baron of Berlepsch,
we are indebted for much that is now
known in the realm "of scientific and
progressive apiculture.
We made his personal acquaintance
in Germany in 1879, and though there
were, at that Congress, the master
spirits from nearly all the world, he
was infinitely above all; and, to him,
they all appeared to look for inspira-
tion. He was, and still is, the great
living Father of Bee-Culture.
1^ The Courant, Berlin, Wis., re-
marks as follows : " Every bee-man
should take a wide-awake bee-periodi-
cal, and the American Bee Jour-
nal of Chicago, is essentially that."
r^" Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
^New Catalogues and Price Lists.
We have received the following new
Catalogues and Price Lists of Bees,
Queens or Apiarian Supplies :
B. F. Carroll, Dresden, Texas.
S. D. McLean, Columbia, Tenn.
Geo. W. Baker, Lewisville, Ind.
T. S. Hall, Kerby's Creek, Ala.
W. S. Pouder, Groesbeck, O.
SEED CATALOGUES.
J. W. Manning, Reading, Mass. —
Fruit Trees and Shrubs.
J. H. Walker, Worcester, Mass.—
Jersey Cattle.
1^ Several bee-keepers of Eastern
New York have written to us express-
ing their disgust at the resolution of
the Albany Convention on the Bee
Journal. Among them, several of
those present, including ofiicers of the
convention, who say that the matter
was persistently forced on them, by
the chairman, who, because some op-
posed the matter, left the chair in
high dudgeon, and then was more
highly incensed against the Bee
Journal than ever. The conven-
tion could hardly have acted more
unwisely, or done itself more dis-
credit, than to have been so foolish as
to pass its insane resolutions.
<^ The Lanark, 111., Gazette pays
this compliment to a well-known bee-
keeper ; "Mr. F. A. Snell, of Mil-
ledgeville. 111., has the reputation of
being one of the best bee-men in this
section of the State."
t^ Mrs. Lizzie Cotton's circular is
again sent us, showing that she is still
looking for investors in her bank, this
time it is sent by Mr. Will, of Bloom-
ington, 111., who writes on the mar-
gin : " What do you think of this V"
It is the old story ; tliose who do not
wish to lose their money, should heed
the many warnings already published,
from those who can get no returns (or
some "worthless" hive) for their
wealth sent to her. i
'iyt4A.^i/^y(_
162
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Beo JoumaL
What Shall I Feed My Bees ?
ARTHUR TODD.
This question, as spring opens, will
interest many bee-keepers. Some will
simply seek to feed to keep alive those
colonies that have not stored enougli
to last until plenty reigns. Others will
feed to stimulate the mother bee to
active egg-laying, and so, early in the
season, have strong colonies. It is to
the latter that these remarks are more
particularly addressed. I purpose tak-
ing it for granted that those I address
concede the principle of supplying
their bees a spring feed of .some sort,
with a view to practising this cardinal
virtue in bee-keeping, viz. : " Keep
yonr colonies strong." I purpose to
point out certain substances that may
be employed, and the manner of so
employing them, that remarkable re-
sults may be obtained by those who
chose to give the matter of intensive
feeding their careful attention, this
spring.
This spring feeding is a sort of mild
deception, played upon the mother
bee, tor feeding being once regularly
entered upon, the bees get daily more
active, and, literally, force food on the
mother bee, making her believe that
the time to be " up and doing " has
arrived ; a little earlier than usual,
she may think, but still it has come.
So, as long as the workers keep on as-
suring her that spring has arrived, she
deposits the eggs which are to be the
groundwork of the success of her
colony.
Now comes in the question, " what
shall I feed that shall induce those
worker bees to overfeed the mother
bee, and force from her a supply of
eggs, equal, if not greater than it
would be at the most favorable natural
period of the year. As spring opens,
we see carried into the hives, first,
that substance called pollen, obtained
from (lowers. It is now known that
bees eat pollen, and, moreover, feed it
to the young, growing bees, hence its
old name of " bee-bread." That pol-
len is eaten, the microscope proves, in
the hands of a Scotch authority, who
writes: " When I examined the ex-
crements of bees, even when no brood
was being raised, I found them largely
consisting of the indigestible husks of
the pollen grains."
Now, food is of various kinds, but
all the constituents of food must be
capable of assimilation by the animal
eating thereof, and each constituent
must go to repair a delinite waste in
the animal organism. In animal or-
ganisms we have three distinct classes
of substances, viz. : mineral, non-ni-
trogenous, and nitrogenous. All foods
may be classified as follows : Mineral
— carbonaceous or respiratory (gene-
rally called heat givers) ; nitrogenous
or iiutritious (generally called fiesh-
formers).
All foods are principally composed
of the ctiHuiical elements known as
carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitro-
gen, combined in varying proportions.
Under the head of mineral we class
water, salts and ashes. A large pro-
portion of all animals is water, and of
this element of food a supply is re-
quired to replace loss by evaporation,
and for the changes food undergoes in
the body, while being dissolved, and
made assimilalile. What we know as
salt, and the salts of various minenils,
are of great service in facilitating the
absorption of water, and building up
the framework of the body.
The heat given from the non-nitro-
genous portions of animals — starch,
sugar and fat, are examples. These
are highly carbonneeous, and, when
taken into the animal system, there
unite with the oxygen, "and a slow
combustion takes place, evolving what
is known as " animal heat ; " portions
of these carbonaceous materials un-
dergo various changes and are laid up
in a solid form in the sliape of fat in
the animal body.
The flesh formers, or "nutritives,"
from the nitrogenous portions of ani-
mals— albumen, tibrine and caseine are
examples. These all contain nitrogen,
the element absolutely necessary to
the growth and formation of organic
tissues, by which all muscular force
and nervous force is brought into ac-
tion— bones, hair, skin, nerves, all
require nitrogen to form them, hence
the term " nitrogenous food."
Albumen is req\iired by all egg-lay-
ing animals. Albumen is that form
of nitrogenous food that goes to form
nerve substance, and it is through
and by the nerves, all animals are put
in relation with the world exterior to
themselves. By the nerves the senses
are governed. Fibrine is found in the
blood of all animals, and itconstitntes
the whole of their muscular tissue.
Locomotion, whether by leg or wing,
must spring from the presence of
fibrine. Caseine is tliat substance
which we separate from milk under
the name of cheese, and is an essential
of food. These elements of food are
all to be found in the vegetable world,
and it is plants that have the power of
converting inanimate mineral sub-
stances into the necessary vital pro-
ducts of the whole organic kingdom.
At the opening of the year, bees
have to provide for the animal heat
necessary in the hive, the albumen
necessary for eggs, and the growth of
animal tissue in the young larvce and
bees. Water (often impregnated with
salts of the various minerals) is gen-
eraily in abundance and easily ob-
tained. To the vegetable world the
bees go toobtain those heat givers and
(iesh formers I have mentioned.
Let us return to pollen and analyze
it. Analyzed, it shows, in 100 parts :
Water 12.7-t
Ash 2.72
Albumenoids 21 .75
Sugar 26.20
Nitrogenous organic substances. 36.59
By this we see, pollen eont;iins a
portion of sugar essential to the
production of animal heat, but the
albumen and nitrogenous organic sub-
stances are there in large quantities.
Egg substance being composed of
one-seventh pure albumen, contains,a3
already shown, "nitrogen," and the
poor, mother bee, from whom we want
to force some 3,000 eggs per day, must
be fed nitrogen in ample quantity.
From these eggs come the larvK and
bees, all in a state of growth demand-
ing supplies of Hesh-forming and
nerve-forming food. These albumen-
oids and nitrogenous, organic sub-
stances, shown to bo. contained so
largely in the first food tlie bee seeks
in spring, are, as you can now readily
understand, the most important to
supply. "Nitrogenous food," there-
fore, is the answer to the question,
" what shall 1 feed ? "
The seeds of plants contain, in a
varying degree, these flesh-forming or
nitrogenous foods, and this is why
artificial pollen, in the shape of pea,
rye, barley, oat and wheat flour, has
long been used in the open air as a
spring stimulant, only, however,avail-
able on open, sunny days. Compara-
tively few have known the actual
reasons why bees will take one kind
of flour in preference to anothei-. It
is simply because there is, in some, a
higher percentage of the nitrogenous
element than in others. Rainy and
windy springs, which prevented the
bees from getting to the artificial pol-
len, gave stimulus to invention, and.
at last, it came to be fed inside the
hives, where brood-rearing could go
on uninterruptedly, in all weathers.
The Germans long ago decided that
there is an advantage to be gained by
speculative, nitrogenous feeding of
bees in the interior of the hive. In
the spring of 1878, a German reports
having obtained the most favorable
results, and stated, that in his neisjli-
borhood, such was the miseraule
weather (cold winds, etc.) that not ten
per cent, of swarms were reported,
yet those who, including himself, fed
the bees with flour inside the hives,
increased their colonies .50 and 100 per
cent, and had very good harvests of
honey. Another renowned bee-keeper
reported like good results. Scotch
bee-keepers have long been stimulat-
ing in spring, by means of cakes, com-
posed of rye flour, honey, etc. The
composition of these cakes having
been communicated to the Swiss Bee-
Keepers' Society, that Society went to
work in a very practical manner, got
a baker to make the cakes, and ever
since they have regularly advertised
in the Swiss bee paper. " cakes of
sugar, with or without flour."
In Gleaniix/s, p. 249 (1882), we read :
" A iieri' substitute for pollen — cotton seed
meal. — We have made a discovery
which may be new ; it is in furnishing
bees material for pollen, tliey leave
oatmeal, rye meal, and everything
else for cotton seed meal, and they acr
as though they were perfectly happy
with it, rolling and tumbling over each
other in their eagerness. It may be
the sweetness of the cotton seed meal
that makes it so attractive to the
little beauties. Please give us your
opinion.— II. A. Williams & Co."
Again in Gleanings, page 302 (1882).
"' Cotton s(ed meal again. — My bees
prefer cotton seed meal to any other
substitute for pollen.— D. S. Hall."
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
163
Mr. Root remarks : " If I am cor-
rect, cotton seed meal has once before
been mentioned, but if it is really a
fact that bees take it better than oats
or rye, it might be well to offer it for
sale. Who will tell us what it is
worth V"
I was sorry to see Mr. Root make no
effort to fathom the reason why cot-
ton seed meal is preferred to any
other meal, his only idea seemed to
be to tind something to sell. The op-
portunity for teaching was there
offered, and thrown away. Had Mr.
Root Investigated the point raised, he
would have found that the proportion
of nitrogen in cotton seed meal, to
that in other meals, is as follows :
Cotton seed meal contains 6.50 per cent, nitrogen.
Linseed cuke
meal
4.75
Bean luea!
4.00
Pea meal
' 3.40
Oatmeal
2.00
Wheat meal
1.80
Indian meal
1.80
The wonderful instinct of the bee,
therefore, guides it to select the food,
that analysis shows contains the most
"nitrogen," and, therefore, for open-
air stimulation, wlien the weather is
favorable, the substances, as in order
named, will be found the best appre-
ciated.
For intensive feeding, in the inside
of the hive, there are many highly
nitrogenized substances that may be
employed to advantage. On some of
these I experimented years ago, and I
will now, having proved, I hope, the
value of nitrpgen as a bee food, men-
tion some substances that may be em-
ployed, and methods of preparing tlie
same.
Herr Weygandt (of Germany) pre-
pared his bee food thus : " Take 1
pound of wheat flour, adding thereto
either some salt or a little wine, then
with water make this into a batter, by
mixing carefully to avoid limpiness.
In another vessel put 2 pounds of
sugar (or if honey, IJ^ lbs.), and mix
this up in 1 or 2 quarts of water. This
latter is now intimately blended with
the batter, when it is ready for feed-
ing." This food can be given thus or
boiled. I gave it to my bees unboiled,
and can testify to its ready acceptance
by them.
My advice is to feed it by pouring
over an empty comb, and hanging
that, thus tilled, in the hive. The
bees suck up all the sweet liquor first,
and a portion of flour remains in the
cells, whicli they continue to dig away
at, and, by degrees, carry it all off. It
is best to do all feeding at night,
then, if the morrow prove tine for
flight, those bees, that can, will go out
after the natural supplies.
Mr. Raitt (Scotland's mostadvanced
bee-keeper) writes thus : " Three
years ago a Highland lad told me his
grandmother used to give her bees a
barley bannock (^or cake of barley
meal), soaked in honey every spring,
and that the bees ate all but the skin ;
this was the very idea I was waiting
for. I had previously given meal in
the open air; now I should try it in
the hive. My bannock disappeared,
and as soon as the bees began to eat
it, brood appeared. Now, when I
want breeding, I make easily dis-
solved candy cakes, with, perhaps,
one-tifth of flour, or pea meal, in
them, and as certainly as I give tliem,
they disappear, and broocl appears.
The bees cannot store away sucli pol-
len ; ttiev must utilize it somehow or
other. They over- feed the queen, and
she lays. They go on brood-raising
in all weathers."
Of highly nitrogenized foods there
are two, viz.: Eggs and milk, which I
experimented with. In milk we have
all classes of simple alimentary prin-
ciples and substances together. It
being composed of water, compound
of chlorine salts (caseine), fat and
sugar, whilst the egg contains six of
the alimentary principles, viz.: Car-
bon, liydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen,
sulphur" and phosphorous ; all easily
soluble and assimilable.
All concentrated foods are difficult
of digestion, and so we supply a con-
diment to assist digestion, in the
shape of common salt, either added to
the prepared food, or dissolved in
drinking troughs.
The milk food I prepare thus : The
milk is ttrst boiled as soon as possible
after being milked, the clot removed,
and then, if sugar be used to sweeten
it, a pound of sugar is dissolved in
each quart of milk. If honey be used,
the milk must become cold before the
honey (a pound to a quart) is added,
and it must not be warmed again.
Boiling prevents souring, and coagu-
lates tlie excess of fatty matters which
would be indigestible, and is best re-
moved. In the milk of asses we find
a poverty of fatty matters, and an
abundance of sugar. Those who keep
those interesting and intelligent ani-
mals will, I hope, take the hint, and
feed their bees with their milk, and
report results.
The egg-food I prepare thus : When
a sufficient number of eggs have been
broken into a basin, they are well
whisked, and honey added in the pro-
portion of double weight of honey to
a given weight of egg substance. To
eggs I have likewise added a sugar
syrup made of 7 pounds of sugar to
4 pounds of water. This milk, or
egg food, I used to give at night in
tin or glass dishes, either inside of the
hive or just at the door, the quantity
being regulated by the size of the col-
ony. The milk-food I gave every
night, and did not observe any ill
effects. The egg-food I used to give
for two nights, and allow the third to
pass without any. At eacti feeding,
I gave what I considered adapted to
the strength of the colony, increasing
the quantity as it grew in numbers.
Bees will store milk-food if allowed,
so I took care to give only what they
would consume.
I was interrupted, in a course of
experiments I was about making as
to tlie relative advantages of feeding
the white of egg (which is i)ure albu-
men) only, or the entire egg. The
entire egg contains a great deal of oily
matter, sulphur and salts, the effect
of which I had not time to note.
Some colleague will. I hope, experi-
ment further tliis spring.
In 1879, 1 wrote to a journal as fol-
lows : " The results are simply these,
that by the above means you can
start the queen laying at any moment,
and as fast as the bees hatch out
strong enough to cover the brood,
every cell of a fresli frame of empty
comb you insert will be found to con-
tain a freshly laid egg. I have one
colony fed on milk-food only ; six
weeks ago it contained simply the
queen and a handful of bees ; they
now cover four frames, having built
out their comb from Raitt's founda-
tion, and are busily engaged on a
tifth. One noticeable fact is, that
whereas tho.se particular bees were
weak and puny, never showing fight,
the present generation are large,
strongly developed bees."
From scientific investigation it
would appear that tlie bees assist the
mother bee's digestion by feeding her
half digested, or chymihed food, and
thus convey into her system a larger
amount of substances that go to form
the eggs, than her unaided digestive
organs could accomplish.
There are, however, two sides to
every question, so I join ray warning
to that of the German bee-keepers,
from whose writings I learned so
much, quoting the words of Carl
Zwilling, a noted Alsace bee-keeper :
'• Although there be apiaries at Lune-
bourg of 60 colonies, which, by specu-
lative feeding increased, last year, to
300, it must not be forgotten that the
men who did this are old hands at the
work, that they know how to prepare
not only the food, but the colonies to
pass the winter, and the when exactly
to apply the artificial food. All goes
well if the bright, spring sun and mild
weather favor the bees in their daily
excursions, but if, with a bright sun,
there should be sudden gusts of wind,
or sudden rain storms, then the bees,
tempted out of doors by the thought
that the constant supply of nectar
comes from the fields, instead of from
man's hands, are caught, and chilled,
never to reach that hive again, where
the animal heat generated by each
one is so much needed. A hive in
this way may be quickly depopulated,
and the brood be chilled."
Tersonally, I had ample proof of the
wisdom of these remarks (and, if again
feeding bees on nitrogenous diet, would
place a wire gauze door to my hives,
movable of course). Then, if windy
weather sets in, with bitingly cold
blasts, I would keep the door covered
by the wire, shade all light off and
keep the bees prisoners until the
weather again became favorable ; be-
ing careful, however, to see that the
bees are not crowded for room, so that
no danger from suffocation would
arise, if they became excited on finding
themselves prisoners.
I trust I have now, in some measure,
answered the question, " Whatshall I
feed my bees V " I assure you, I have
but skimmed the surface of this most
interesting subject. It is one well
worthy of close and diligent study,
and I hope some colleagues will experi-
ment a little this spring, and, later on,
give us the benefit of their experi-
ence. If I have, in any measure,
suggested " food for thought," I shall
be well pleased.
Philadelphia, Pa.
[The above was read before the Phil-
adelphia Bee-Keepers' Association, at
164
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
a meeting held Feb. 12, 1883, when the
following resolution was unanimously
passed :
Besohed. That this Association re-
cognizes, in the communication read
this evening by Vice President Todd,
entitled "VVhat shall! feed ray bees? "
many points of great interest to bee-
keepers generally, and hereby request
the vice-president to furnish the Sec-
retary with copies for publication.
He did so, and the secretary, Mr. F.
Ilahman, Jr., has sent us the above,
which, we think, a very valuable and
scientific article, and one that will be
read with much more than ordinary
interest.— Ed. 1
Northern Ohio Convention.
The second annual meeting of the
Northern Ohio Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion was held in Norwalk, O., Feb.
15, 1883 ; the meeting was called to
order at 11 o'clock a. m., by President
Samuel Fish, of Milan. Minutes of
the last meeting were read and ap-
proved. The Society has over 40
members. The election of officers
was postponed until the afternoon.
The lirst subject discussed was
"The size of sections." Mr. Fish
said, he was opposed to adopting any
smaller sections than those now in
use. While there might be a slight
gain in price, in favor of the small
section, such gain was more than
balanced by the loss in tlie amount of
honey stored. Mr. Hovt was opposed
to the use of small sections on account
of the small difference in price be-
tween honey placed on the market in
small and laree sections. He said,
however, that he was not yet satisfied
in his own mind, which size was most
profitable. W. II. Cole said, the larger
the section the faster bees would store
honey. He did not think that honey
would sell for enough more in small
sections to make up the difference in
loss of the amount of honey gathered.
He would not use the half-pound sec-
tion under any circumstances what-
ever. Mr. Ilurlbut said, that in his
experience there had been no differ-
ence in the price of large and small
sections. Mr. (Jauff said, that his
success had been, by far, the best with
large sections. He thought that bees
would store, at least, one-half more
honey in two-pound sections than in
one-pound. Mr. Sanders thought
the use of small sections was like
fencing a farm into small lots. It
took too much time to do the fencing.
It took the bees too much time to
make the wax for the small sections.
Mr. French had not had much experi-
ence. He had all his comb honey
stored in sections, that would hold .5
or 6 pounds each, and sold it all at
home, at a fair price. Mr. Darling
said, the sections best adapted to the
general market were the ones to adopt.
The majority of the members of the
convention were in favor of using a
medium-sized section, one that would
hold about II4 pounds.
Adjourned to 1:30 p. m., when tbe
following were elected officers for the
ensuing year: President, Samuel
Fish, Milan ; Secretary, S. F. New-
man, Norwalk; Treasurer, Joseph
Gibbs, Norwalk.
After the election of officers, the
president delivered the following ad-
dress :
It is now one year since this Society
was organized. Our meetings have
all been pleasantand, I hope, instruct-
ive. It is pleasant to meet with old
friends as well as to make new ones.
As we know each other belter, our
ties of friendship will grow stronger
and stronger. Bound together by our
common interest in bees and honey,
we may well greet each other with a
smile and hearty congratulations.
Anything that increases our knowl-
edge of the honey bee and its ways
and methods of working, or in any-
way increases the amount and quality
of its productions, has real permanent
value. An association which brings
the bee-keepers of a community to-
gether and diffuses useful knowledge
in respect to their calling, deserves
our kindest attention and should be
promoted.
Tlie past season has not been one of
the most profitable on account of the
unpropitious weather ; but we should
not be disheartened. No, certainly
not. We should have no disposition
to give up. Does the failure of a crop
of wheat, or corn, or potatoes cause
the farmer to leave the farm V Such
reverses seem only to stimulate the
farmer to more energetic courage.
Men to succeed in auvthing must
focalize their energies, aiid learn that
honest industry will be rewarded.
I wish to call the attention of this
meeting especially to section honey.
Bee-keepers who succeed the best are
those who get the most honey from
their bees. Most of us, I believe, use
the Simplicity hive. The sections are
placed in this hive in wide frames
with separators. Is this the best
plan y Are separators actually a ne-
cessity V Is thfire no way by which
they can be abolished a"nd still get
honey in merchantable shape V If we
can get 3 pounds of section honey
without separators, while now we are
getting but 2 pounds with them, we
are certainly losing too much. If sep-
arators are necessary, would it not be
better to discard tin ones and use
something else V Some are having
success with wooden ones. Bees cer-
tainly do not want so much cold
metal near them, when they are mak-
ing comb. Separators cost too much.
After-swarming is another trouble
that bee-keepers are afliicted with,
especially those who have bees enough
already and want a good crop of
honey. We all understand that, when
bees once get the swarming fever,
they abandon the surplus boxes, and
we seldom get any more honey from
them during that season. We have
all felt this very keenly. At one of
the conventions in the West, not long
ago, the question was asked, "Can
swarming be prevented ?" and it was
answered by Mrs. Harrison, a lady
bee-keeper of Illinois. She said,
" when yon can prevent bees from
swarming, you may, perha|is,also find
out how to prevent the human family
from increasing. It cannot be done."
As a rule it is best for a colony of
bees to cast one swarm, and only one,
but the trouble is to prevent it. 1 have
controlled them somewhat by cutting
out the queen-cells, but that is not a
sure remedy. James Heddon says he
does not believe in cutting out all the
queen-cells but one, and then expect
that one to give the future queen with
the best results. A writer in the Bee
Journal claims he has accomplished
this, and gives his method, as follows :
" If this inordinate desire to swarm is
manifest, there is still a way to satisfy
the bees without lessening the work-
ing force in the hive. If the bees
seem determined to swarm, usually
there are several cases ; if there is one,
let the first swarm be placed in a new
hive. When the second swarm— 1 re-
fer to a swarm from some other hive-
comes out, it will likely be on the
same day ; put this in the hive that
swarmed first, after having destroyed
all the queen-cells in the hive. This
colony is just as strong now as it was
before, in brood and bees, and the
bees will be satisfied to settle down to
work in the sections. A third swarm
can be put in the hive from which
came the second swarm ; a fourth into
the third, etc.
It has been supposed that the car-
bonic acid produced by the bees in
breathing, on account of its being
heavier than air, settles to the bottom
of the cellar or bee-house. We have
been told that it is necessary to raise
our hives 10 inches from the floor to
keep them from this poisonous gas,
and sub-earth ventilation has been
largely recommended to run this gas
out of the way. The experiments of
the scientific board appointed by the
United States as a special committee
on the ventilation of the Capitol at
Washington, after a careful analysis,
prove that this gas was quite evenly
distributed throughout the building.
If there was an excess in any given
place, it was near the ceiling. This
board of scientific men report it as a
gross error to suppose that this gas
falls to the floor, for, although when
pure it is much heavier than air of
the same temperature, yet air expired
from the lungs is of higher tempera-
ture than the surrounding air at ordi-
nary temperature, and the law of the
diffusion of gases prevents any sep-
aration. This may seem strange and
wonderful, but it is no more so than
to have the amount of water in the
atmosphere in a clear day, determined
for us. Fortunately for bee-keepers,
this board of scientists have solved
the difficulty in finding the direction
taken by the carbonic acid evolved by
respiration. The detection of this
gas and the amount the air contains
requires skill, careful attention, and
instruments of much perfection.
Among them is one of recent date,
the spectroscope. Powerful spectros-
copes, in their early days, were used
almost exclusively to detect, while
in solution, the different kinds of
metals and minerals. Quite recently
this instrument has been simplified
and reduced in size so as to be carried
in the vest-pocket; but it is so power-
ful and true that it will determine for
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
165
us whether there is moisture enough
in the atmosphere to produce rain
within the next 24 or 48 hours. We
can all see, at a glance, what benefits
this little instrument will be to all
classes of society, especially to the
farmer who wishes to secure liis hay
and grain in the best condition possi-
ble. Bee-keeping of the nineteenth
century is notadaptedto theshiggard.
That day is past. Let us all investi-
gate, in the light of science and ex-
perience, as long as we can save one
more colony of bees or cause it to
produce one more pound of honey.
A vote of thanks was given the
president for his able and instructive
address ; after which the address was
discussed by nearly all the members
present.
The secretary said, that the only
sure method of preventing second
swarms was the introduction of a
queen immediately after the first
swarm liad left the hive. Every bee-
keeper should have on hand, daring
the swarming season, extra queens
for this purpose. Not only would the
successful introduction of a queen
prevent second swarms from issuing,
but would largely increase the amount
of surplus honey. The newly in-
troduced queen would occupy the
cells in the broodchamber from which
young bees were constantly hatching,
with eggs, thereby preventing the
bees from storing honey in those cells,
and compelling them to store it in
surplus boxes above. If the colony
from which a swarm has issued is left
to raise a queen for itself, it will gen-
erally be queenless aboutthree weeks,
and consequently would contain about
40,000 less bees during the rest of tlie
season than it would have contained
if given a good queen as soon as the
swarm issued ; for the good queen will
lay not less than 2,000 eggs every day
during the honey sieason. Mr. Iloyt
said, that he would have young
queens to give colonies that had
swarmed, if for no other purpose
than to prevent the loss in bees tliat
would occur by not having them. Mr.
Fish thouglit that the secretary's plan
of introducing queens would not pre-
vent second swarms. It had not, in
his experience. The secretary iiicio
that it would prevent abnormal
swarms. It the second swarm was
normal, there was no loss resulting
from it.
Mr. Beebe asked how to keep bee.s
in the hives when they were wintered
in-doors V Mr. l<'ish : Bees will not
leave their hives if the cellar or bee-
house is kept perfectly dark, and at
the right temperature". Mr. Mackey
said, bees should not be wiTitered in-
doors except in a frost-proof recepta-
cle. Mr. Iloyt: Bees should never be
confined to their hives. If they were,
for any length of time, they would
become uneasy and would collect
about the entrance in such numbers
as to smother the whole colony.
Mr. Parkhurst ask%d if anything
except bad honey produced dysentery
in bees V The Secretary : Long con-
finement without flying, dampness,
cold and hunger sometimes caused
bees to have dysentery.
Mr. Hoyt asked how much chaff
should be placed in the second story
of hives in wintering bees V Mr.
Cole : The more chaff the better for
the bees. His colonies, which had
the most chaff in the cushions above
them, were in the best condition. Mr.
Fish : When too much chaff is used it
is likely to become damp and moldy,
and thus cause the colony to become
unhealthy. A thickness of 4 inches is
sufhcient. The Secretary : Chaff
cushions should not be less than 10 to
12 inches in thickness. If they were
only 4 inches thick they would not re-
tain sufficient heat to keep the colony
in a healthy condition. Thick cush-
ions allow the moisture to pass off as
readily as thin ones. While it is true
that the upper side of a custiion is
frequently quite wet, the lower side,
which is next to the bees, is always
warm and dry. The moisture on the
upper side is produced by the warm
air from the bees passing through tlie
cushion and coming in contact with
the cold air above it. Mr. Cole: Mr.
Fish was mistaken ; a constant cur-
rent of warm air was slowly passing
through tlid cushion and driving out
the moisture contained in it, thus
preventing it from becoming wet.
Mr. Darling : Did not know any-
thing about chaff cushions, but was
successful in wintering. Ilis hives
did not have upward ventilation.
After a vote of thanks to the City
Council of Norfolk for the use of the
Council Chamber the convention ad-
journed to meet sometime during the
month of April. 1883; day to be fixed
by the secretary.
S. F. Newman, Sec.
For tbe American Bee JournaL
Wintering, Ventilation & Dysentery.
DU. O. L. TINKER.
It has been slated that every plan
of wintering fails at times, that what
may succeed in one locality, or one
year, may fail in another locality, or
the next year. All of which, were it
true, would be very unpleasant to the
investigator, and discouraging to the
bee-keeper. But, happily, every effect
must have an adequate cause, and if
one plan of wintering succeeds in one
case, and apparently not in another,
it is because the conditions have not
been exactly the same. Of one thing
we may be certain, that nature does
not change her moods, and that, when
we shall understand the right way to
winter bees, it will be found neither
complex, difficult to execute, or un-
certain of result.
The great object to be sought in
wintering has been well stated by
Mr. Doolittle. It is, that we should
know, and be able to place our bees in
'■ the most favorable conditions."
Beyond this we may not go, but to
secure these conditions is to meet
with undoubted success in wintering.
Tlie writer has stated that " cold
and dampness are the primary causes
of dysentery." Now, the causes of
this disorder may exist in varying
degrees in different cases. We may
have dysentery result in one case,
spring dwindling in another,or simply,
imperfect wintering in others. The
affected bees may survive tlie winter
and spring, but not in that vigorous
condition which is the evidence of
perfect wintering. Thousands of
colonies go into winter quarters in fine
order every year and survive in this
way, the outcome of " unfavorable
conditions," and become of little
profit to those who own them.
If bees become restless in their
hives, and are seen to fly or run out in
unsuitable weather, if they become
torpid or exhibit signs of abdominal
distension, or if, when they do have a
good flight, after a month or two of
confinement, they spot their hives
badly, they have not had favorable
conditions, and cannot, therefore,
winter perfectly. It is considered a
very great mistake to suppose that the
bees that are sometimes to be seen
coming out of their hives in winter,
become chilled and die, are, as has
been often stated, only old bees that
were about to die. According to my
observation, bees seldom fly out when
it is too cold, if all is right within the
hive, and the old bees are just as good
as any, until they begin to take active
exercise on the wing.
A colony of bees, wintering in good
order, does not become restless, or fly
out at improper times. Neither have
they occasion to fly out for long
periods, since they void their feces in
the hive in the form of the so-called
" dry powder," which falls to the bot-
tom of the hive. Upon taking a
flight they spot their hives only
slightly, if at all, and are never seen
in a distended condition.
To secure these desirable results it
is only necessary that a colony be
placed in such condition that it may
easily maintain a temperature in any
part of the hive outside of the cluster,
of not less than 10 J Fahr., in the cold-
est weather, while the temperature of
the cluster itself should remain stead-
ily at about 93 , which, from many
tests that I have made at low general
temperatures, seems to be the normal
point in winter. The temperature,
just above the bees, in the chaff,
should average about 50^ or a little
above. If from any cause the tem-
perature within the hive should fall
much below these points, we shall
then get unfavorable conditions, and
the effects of dampness at once makes
itself apparent.
There is a degree of temperature
within a properly ventilated and pro-
tected hive of bees, outside of the
cluster, at which the dampness arising
will be forced outward, and beyond
the reach of harm. This degree may
be as low as 40=, but it is thought to
be nearer 50 , from a table that! have
prepared of tests conducted on six
hives at once during the first eight
days of February. It is believed that
at 50^ and above, the heat of the
cluster, under proper conditions, is
ample to force all dampness out of
the hive. At this degree of tempera-
ture, the chaff above the cluster will
alwavs be found dry, except a portion
on top, which may often be found
quite wet or even moldy. This is to
be removed once or twice during the
166
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
winter and replaced by dry chaff. I
also believe that the state of the chaff
over the eliisler is, at all times, a re-
liable index of the state of the colony.
If, on passing llie hand down next to
the frames tlie chaff is fonnd to be
sensibly warm, tlie temperature will
range 5(P or above, when we may
know that all is right.
As the temperature in a hive out-
side of tlie cluster recedes towards the
freezing point, the hive becomes damp,
imtil moisture accumulates on the
outside combs and the hive. From
this excessive dampness and a rapid
fall of the temperature of the cluster,
the bees are forced to exercise their
wings and to consume more largely
of their stores, to keep within the
limits of life. The air of the Iiive,
being both cold and damp, rapidly
takes the heat of the cluster, on the
well-known principle that any warm-
blooded animal more readily parts
with its lieat in a damp atmosphere,
at a given low temperature, than in a
dry one at the same temperature.
Add, now, to this state of things the
great dilliculty in the exhalation of
vapor from the air tubes, or respira-
tory apparatus of the bees, which has
been so admirably demonstrated by
Mr. S. Corueil (see page 7iS of the
Bee .JouitN.\L for 1882), and we have
the primary causes of dysentery de-
veloped in full force. The normal
exhalation of a vapor being arrested
by a low temperature in a damp
atmosphere, we have necessarily an
accumulation of liquid in the intes-
tines of the bees, and. being endowed
with an instinct not to pass the un-
natural excrement in the hive, they
become distended often to bursting,
and many may be compelled to void
within the Iiive. Soon the entire
colony becomes more or less wet,
filthy, weak and cold, until all become
extinct.
Now, if there is anything else to
bee dysentery, it is of secondary ori-
gin. Changing states of the honey,
as by acetic formentation, from the
development of some one of the many
forms of bacteria, might thus act, and
unsealed honey, as well as sealed, may
absorb dampness until quite liquid, if
tlie hive becomes cold within, and
thus add immediately to the difficulty
of exhalation.
Last of all, it might be supposed
that the consuming of pollen could
have something to do with it, but I
have been unable to see how it
CdUld.
Pollen, being a nitrogenous food, is
chiefly of service in the repair of the
tissues of the bee, and is little con-
sumed or required by a colony in a
state of rest. If, however, a colony,
owing to severe and protracted cold,
or insufficient protection, or both, is
forced to exercise to keep up the tem-
perature, they would probably con-
sume more pollen than at other times.
But, even in such case.it would be very
difticidt to sliow wha*; relation, if any,
it might have to the disorder. It will
be safe to remember the pollen tlieory
as one of the curious explanations of
the suppo.sed cause of dysentery.
But, with proper ventilation and
jirotection, the secondary causes may
be reduced to a minimum, if not en-
tirely overcome. In at least one ca.se
of a late swarm, which was fed upon
unsealed honey, in partly-tilled sec-
tions, until there were nine frames
nearly full of unsealed lionet as late
as Nov. 10. the colony has so far win-
tered in prime order.
The great mistake that has been
made in wintering, is in giving too
much upward ventilation. The prac-
tice has been to permit the escape of
the heat of the cluster, in the effort
to get rid of the dampness, by provid-
ing too many or too large openings in
the cover. In permitting the loss of
heat we have unwittingly failed of our
design, since the heat is essential to
force out the dampness. In fact, we
have got up a condition to bring about
the very thing we had sought to get
rid of.
Proper ventilation of bees, in chaff
hives, may be had as follows : Across
the brood frames, place 6 or 7 pieces
of wood, % i'lch square, and apart
about 1 inch. A single thickness of
new cotton cloth is laid over them and
the frames. The cap, which should
contain about 1,000 cubic inches, is
then tilled with loose chaff (timothy
hay chaff preferred), and gently
pressed down until 7 inches deep. All
holes for ventilation in the cover,
which should tit tight as possible to
the hive, are to be stopped with pieces
of muslin or other cloth. Ttie en-
trance should be ^ inch by 8 inches,
or an equivalent space. To prevent
high winds from driving into the en-
trance, leave a board, 8 inches wide,
up against the front of the hive. In
very cold sections of the country, the
bees should be crowded upon 5 or 6
combs, by a division board. Several
of my colonies, prepared as above,
did not get a flight for nearly three
months.
After so long a confinement, I was
surprised that some of them did
not spot their hives at all, while the
others dropped only tiny specks, which
were quite unlike the spotting of
those colonies having exclusive lower
ventilation.
In a letter just at hand, Mr. Doolit-
tle conlirms the results of my experi-
ments as follows : " I believe you
are quite right regarding lower venti-
lation, in connection with chaff and a
tight cover, for I have some colonies
in that condition, and they :'.re the
best of any."
A colony of bees, in a chaff hive, on
9 Gallup frames, with strips of wood
between each, and all sealed up per-
fectly tight on top, have wintered in
fair condition with an entrance only
}4 inch by 2}^ inches, but the bees
seemed too warm and are flying out,
which, if they did much too often,
would spot the hive badly. So also,
anothercolony witha larger entrance,
1)2 inch by 13 inches. From this it
would appear that dampness interferes
with exhalation, even in a very warm
hive, where the bees are unable to ven-
tilate it. But if a slight amount of air
can pass upward, through chaff, the
benefits of both upward and lower
ventilation can be easily secured.
New Philadelphia, O., March 7, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
How to Use Bee Papers.
U. J. KENDALL.
The article by Mr. G. M. Doolittle,
entitled : " The use I make of the bee
papers," in your issue of Feb. 14, 1
read with a great deal of interest, as I
do all his articles. I set considerable
store by his articles, and to index
them in a memorandum book which I
keep for the purpose of noting these
subjects, and to speak of it, is one of
the objects of this letter.
The article alluded to, suggested to
my mind tliat I might add a word on
this subject, supplementing Mr. Doo-
little's remarks. When the Bee Jour-
nal comes, I get a blue pencil and sit
down to read it. marking it as I go
along; sometimes pretty fully, some-
times s|)ariiigly. When I have finished
reading it, or a few days after, I go
over it again, and index, under com-
prehensive or particular headings,
some of the articles and paragraphs in
it. I had not hit upon Mr. Doolittle's
plan of indexing for times and sea-
sons, but I shall at once lake his hint
and do so, for I see a valuable advan-
tage in it, and excellent addition to
my own plan. Mr. Doolittle's article
gave me considerable comfort, too. I
seem to forget so much that I do read,
when compared with the little I re-
member. Dr. Johnson once said that
" knowledge is of two kinds, the
knowledge we have in our heads, and
the knowledge we have on our shelves
and know wliere to look for ; and of
the two kinds, when quantity and
quality is considered, I do not know
but what the shelf knowledge is the
best." I liave often thought of the
doctor's remark, and. I confess, have
tried to utilize it, with advantage, and
it was just this that led me to index-
ing my bee papers. I want an index
before the one at the volume's end
comes.
I believe much in theory, and Mr.
Doolittle's remark that while he had
gained considerable knowledge from
conventions and visiting other bee
masters, yet he obtained more from
bee papers, fit me exactly. I can read
the Bee Journal for 10 or 15 min-
utes after my dinner, when I cannot
visit an apiary, and can get out of it
good matter, if it is there ; and this
leads me to make this remark, that
any man who cannot make his busi-
ness pay, had better quit the business
on his own account and go to work for
wages; the odds are against his suc-
cess. An apiculturist who does not
take a bee journal is to me a problem.
There is, however, one more thing
I want to say and suggest, and it is
this : Why do not local bee men form
minor or sub-associations or clubs,
never mind how few, and even if the
clubs are (like Artemas Ward's regi-
ment, which was all generals) all of-
ficers, they ma^ still do tliemselves,
I tliink, much good. Suppose there
are one, two or four only in a district ;
if these met for a chat and " experi-
ence meeting," once in every two
weeks, I think it would pay. They
could unite on a plan of supplying
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
167
the local market orshippingto distant
markets. These local clubs again
<;onki be units of district associations,
and altogether a common plan of
shipiiing or marketing honey could be
adopted, that would enable them to
unite, and, by their unity, work for the
<;ommon good. They could resolve,
for instance, on supplying such and
such quantities of comb or extracted
honey ; they could educate the home
market to either.
Suppose, for instance, the local
market would take nothing but comb
honey, and the bee-keepers in that
locality wanted to introduce extracted.
They could keep coinb entirely out of
the market, but supply and talk ex-
tracted, till the dealers and their cus-
tomers, finding they had only Ilob-
son's ciioice, " that or none," would
try the extracted.
I live at Austin. Texas, and if there
are any l>ee-keepers near, who agree
with my idea, I shall be glad to hear
from tlieni.
Austin, Texas.
For the American Bee Journal.
Bee Notes from Mississippi.
OSCAR F. BLEDSOE.
We have had an unusually severe
winter on bees. Last season my bees
gathered pollen in January. This
season they have gathered it only at
times during February. With It i\-
ians, swHrniing usually commences
here during the last week in March.
I do not expect any swarms now be-
fore the middle of April. I lost a
number of nuclei and small colonies
from starvation and robbery, owing
to want of care, caused by uiy pro-
tracted absence during the fall and
winter.
The conclusions 1 have reached
about wintering bees in this latitude,
is that with plenty of honey and a
well covered hive, even very small
nuclei can be wintered safely, out of
doors — that the full amount of stores
needed must be provided in the fall, —
or the robbery of weak colonies will
always attend, by any method of
feeding in the spring, and that strong
colonies, in large hives, winter best,
«ven comparatively.
I have observed, with great satis-
faction, that all the colonies in my
Jarge hive are in the highest degree of
vigor. It has a short Langstroth
frame, is 33 inches long, from right to
left, containing nearly 4,000 cubic
inches in the lower story, with a half
story added, i^4 inches high, to con-
tain sections. As a rule, I put on 8.5
sections at one time, immediately
above the brood nest, leaving 4 frames
on each side of the sections at the
ends of the hive, easily accessible for
manipulation at all times. I place
the sections across the frames and
prevent them from being glued to
frames by a tin device of my own in-
vention.
I use wooden separators, purchased
in Memphis, being the material cut
out of poplar, used for making straw-
berry boxes. They are much better
Mid cheaper than tin. 1 chisel small
holes in them, so that, with the tin
device, there is perfect intercommuni-
cation between sections and brood
nest, and of the sections with each
other. I think it very desirable not
to be compelled to use brood frames.
On raising the cover I can see what
sections are completed, and take such
out, one at a time, without disturbing
the rest, and put others in their places.
I leave the sections on, all winter. If
I can make each of my large hives
yield an average of 100 pounds of
comb honev up to Aug. 1 (a point I am
trying to attain), I will consider that
I can make bee-culture a profitable
branch of agriculture.
Grenada, Miss.
For the American Bee Journal.
Nebraska State Conveution.
The following is a statistical report
of bees and honey represented at the
Nebraska State Bee-Keepers' Conven-
tion, which met at Wahoo, Saunders
countv, January 11, 1883. As our As-
sociation is but in its infancy ,we have
>;
m
^
di
^^1
.ici
o
02
Is
o
a ^
"o -
O o
CD
P
O
a
a
o
en
x'
<
•^
^
'i^
o
W
W
1...
2
13
85
60
7
2.. .
10
9
43
845
....
3
.3...
10
10
33
1,.500
, ,
4...
7
. . •
. ,
5...
13
13
21
1,.500
6...
10
22
>o
500
2,.566
25
7...
12
3
21
300
....
10
8...
42
42
56
2,600
400
5
9...
3
o
6
35
125
3
10.,
29
29
60
1,500
1,.50O
10
11...
20
11
32
1,000
4.50
20
12...
22
16
61
300
300
15
13...
.5
11
62
2,200
8
14...
17
12
72
250
300
6
1.5...
3
3
25
100
Ifi...
9
7
18
600
17. .
16
12
30
1,200
18...
68
68
124
3,500
1,.500
i.5
19...
6
6
26
500
500
5
20...
4
4
9
100
200
21 , . .
9
4
100
....
QO
82
48
05
700
1,400
is
23...
1
1
5
30
60
24...
7
10
24
1,100
400
2.5...
170
170
320
1,000
5,000
50
Total 5.59
513
1192
19,195
16,895 200
been unable, as yet, to obtain a com-
plete table of the whole State, but
would estimate that there is between
18,000 and 20,000 colonies in the State,
this year they produced not less than
50 lbs. of honey per colony.
The next annual meeting will be
held on the second Thursday in Jan-
uary, 1884, at which time we expect to
obtain a fuller report.
M. L. Teester, (Sec
Lincoln, Neb.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Ventilation of Cellars.
ALLEN FUINGLE.
In a late Bee Journal, Mr. J. B.
Mason, of Maine, asks for informa-
tion on the above subject. lie wants
a " rousing article on how to venti-
late a damp cellar," with " plain^
simple instructions how to do it."
Now, if iny article proves to be a
" rousing " one in the sense of arous-
ing people to tlie imperative necessity
of thorough cellar ventilation for the
preservation of their own health as
well as that of their bees, I will feel
repaid for the little precious time
spent in writing this.
The amount of sickness, doctors'
bills, and even death resulting from the
foul air and poisonous gases of cellars
without ventilation, would be quite
appalling, were it adequately realized.
The disease engendering blood-poison-
ing gases arise into the pantry and
kitchen, and spread themselves
through the whole house, to be taken
into the lungs and blood of the occu-
pants thereof, producing impaired
health, sickness, and in many cases
death, which, instead of being
ascribed to the cause, is usually as-
cribed to a " Mysterious Providence !"
Such, still, is life in this latter half of
the nineteenth century. Intelligent
people, who are fairly educated, and
well posted in the ordinary sense of
the word in all that pertains to bu.si-
ness, etc., are lamentably ignorant of
the very elements of physiology and
hygiene. Of the laws and conditions
upon which health and physical well-
being depend, they know but little.
Now, when we consider that such
knowledge is really the most impor-
tant of all knowledge, this is certainly
a very bad state of things. And tor
its existence our educational institu-
tions are primarily to blame. Self-
knowledge should stand first on the
curriculums of our schools and col-
leges instead of, as now, last, or not
at all. Every parent should be com-
petent to instruct his or her child in
the elements of physiology and hy-
giene—in the laws and conditions
governing life and health.
But now. as to the best methods of
cellar ventilation. There are various
plans, but the very best 1 have been
able to find, and \vhicli is at the same
time inexpensive and practicable, is
as follows : There is, at least, one
stove in every house, and sometimes
two or three, standing over the cellar.
We will begin with the cooking stove,
which, in winter, is kept burning
most of the time, night and day. Get
a tin or zinc pipe, made from previous
measurement, to tit, and put it up
from the cellar through the house
floor, just behind the stove, and close
to it, where it will be out of the way.
Let this enter the stove-pipe by means
of an elbow just above the top surface
of the stove. Have a damper placed
in this pipe near where it enters the
stove-pipe, so that you can turn the
draft on or off at pleasure. As to the
size of this pipe you can have it made
from 3 to 6 inches or more in diameter,
according to the size of your stove-
168
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
pipe. You now have a simple, con-
venient, and most effective upward
ventilator, which is greatly superior to
one leading directly outside, for the
reason that. In consequence of the
draft of the stove, tlie upward rush of
air is greatly increased, and hence a
3-inch ventilator, in such a position,
is more effective tlian one twice as
large in tlie ordinary position. If
your cellar is large you can repeat
tliis arrangement .in the other stove
or stoves standing over the cellar. If
you have but one stove standing over
your cellar, and are wintering your
bees in the cellar, put them directly
under the stove where the ventilator
will go up from about their centre.
If Mr. Mason will adopt this plan of
upward cellar ventilation, together
with the following method for the in-
gress of fresh air, I will stake my
reputation he will winter liis bees
successfully in his cellar, even though
it have half a dozen springs of water
in it. Of course, in cases of wet cel-
lars, the bees must be elevated 2 feet
or more from the cellar floor. I have
had this arrangement for cellar venti-
lation in use fi dozen years, and am
perfectly satisfied of its great superi-
ority over other methods. Although
I have an outside bee-house (illed in
with sawdust, 1 always, of late years,
winter my bees in my cellar, with ex-
cellent results. This winter, which
has been unusually long and severe,
they have now been in winter quar-
ters nearly four months, yet they are
still quiet and healthy with the ex-
ception of one or two colonies, which
were slightly out of order two or three
weeks ago. The weather is still, at
this writing (March 17), cold and
raw, with no prospect of getting bees
out to fly for some days yet.
As to under cellar ventilation for
the introduction of pure air from
without, tlie subterranean convey-
ance of the air for some distance to
raise its temperature in transit is un-
doubtedly the best method ; but unless
this matter has been attended to
when the cellar was being built, it is
scarcely practicable in most cases.
The next best plan then is to intro-
duce the air through a pipe leading
from the outside through the cellar
door near the bottom, to be also pro-
vided witli a damper. If there is no
door leading from the cellar outside,
the pipe may be put tlirough a cellar
window ; or there may be a little door
on hinges put in place of one of the
window lights to be opened warm
days.
Let every reader of this ventilate
his cellar if it is not already done.
Let him do it for the sake of his
family as well as his bees. At this
particular season of the year, cellar
air is proverbially impure, and taken
into the lungs and blood is disease-
producing. We are more careful to
guard our bees from disease than our-
selves and our families. Let us guard
both, but first our families.
I hope that every reader of the Bee
Journal, who neglects cellar venti-
lation, will mark this article and read
it again next fall, before he puts his
bees in the cellar.
Selby, Ont.
For tlie Anierlcan Bee Journal.
Honey Rack for Sections.
H. LAMPMAN.
I send to the Museum a sample of my
improved comb honey rack, complete.
It is very simple, easily adjusted, and
cheap. One rack holds 8 sections 5x6
xl?|, which are tlie size I use, and 4
cover a hive. They are put on the
hive crosswise. In the spring you can
put on one or two tiers of sections or
more, as may be desired, by turning
the quilt back enough to admit them.
In tiering up, one can be set directly
on the other, and when they are filled,
they are crated for the liome market,
and are as cheap as anything you can
get ; and, using them for crates, sepa-
rators are not needed. When any rack
is finished, it can be removed without
disturbing the rest. They are made
like this : Take 2 pieces of heavy tin,
16 inches long and 1 wide, bend at
right angles ; cut a J^ inch slot in the
end, bend so as to make a square cor-
ner ; now take a piece of wood J^ inch
thick, 3 wide and .5 long, place it in
the corners and nail with small nails.
Cut a slot in the tin, % inch long, 23^
from the end, and a little slanting, so
as to run % inch beWw the top of the
end piece ; now, take a piece of tin }4
inch wide, put it through the slot",
clinch and nail to the end piece. This
brace is to stay the top so as to key
the sections in. Cut two pieces of
glass, the same size as the sections,
and place one at each end, and key all
together. It would be necessary to
watch, in case of damp weather. I
have shown it to a number of my
brother bee-keepers and they all think
it a good thing and will use it.
Rockton, 111.
[The section rack is not a new one.
We have had one of them in our
Museum ever since 1877, which was
made and used by Mr. O. J. Hether-
ington, of East Saginaw, Mich., for
several years before that. They were
mentioned in the Bee Journal at
that time, and the engraving used in
this article was the same one then
made to describe them, the only differ-
ence being the four stays across the
corners to strengthen them. — Ed.]
For the American Bee Journal.
Bees in Florida vs. Iowa.
O. O. POPPLETON.
I see, by late numbeiS of the Jour-
nal, that our homes in tlie Northwest
are actually surrounded by cold
weather, snow, ice, blizzards and
dead bees, but it is hard for us, who
happen to be stopping in this far-
away corner of the world, to realize
that such things can be. Here it is
considered extremely cold when the
thermometer marks the freezing
point ; it ranging at present from
about 55^ in the morning to 80-* in the
afternoon. Bees are booming; one
of my colonies cast a natural swarm
Feb. 2.5. and a .second swarm ten days
later, tilling up their hives with honey
and brood, in fact, are in the same
condition now that I hope my bees in
Iowa will be by the middle of next
June.
I am heartily in favor of organizing
an Iowa State Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion, and should have done what little
1 could toward that object had I not
been so far absent from the State,
both last winter and this. The plan
of holding the first convention during
our next State Fair at Des Moines,
seems the most feasible, and I hope
some bee-keeper, living in or near
that place, will take the responsibility
of calling a convention and making
the necessary local arrangements.
On page 104, Mr. Demaree says that
his bees " rarely ever supersede their
queens during the early and late
honey harvests." The exact reverse
of this has been true in my apiary,
nearly all the superseding being done
during the late harvest, usually dur-
ing the month of August. Difference
of localities is, of course, the cause of
our different experiences.
He says further, on same page,
" that hedoes not remember of ever
liaving had a queen to survive two
whole seasons whose wings had been
cropped in the usual way." This is
also directly contrary to my experi-
ence, as I liave had scores of them
retained through their second and
third seasons, and some through
their fourth. I do not believe that
clipping a queen's wings has a particle
to do with their being superseded, or
with causing natural swarming.
I have practiced clipping queens'
wings for several years past, and
have not been able to see a particle of
harm result from the practice, but do
know that it has been quite a help. I
hardly think that mere theoretical
reasoiis will induce me to change my
light Italian bees for hybrids, or dis-
continue clipping queens' wings so
long as, by their aid, I can keep my
average production of honey away up
among the best.
I used to catch queens while clip-
Iting their wings, between thumb and
forefinger, but have lately used a pair
of jeweler's tweezers for that purpose.
I think all who give the tweezers a
trial will continue their use.
Tampa, Fla., March 12, 1883.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-pnid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly; or for the Monthly, SO
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
i
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
169
ANSWERS BY
James ffeddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Transferring Bees.
1. In your new method of transfer-
ring, how do you unite the second
forced swarm witli the first one,
without danger of their fighting 'i
2. VVill not a good portion of the second
driven swarm return to the old gum
and be lost V 3. Will not a consider-
able lot of black or impure drones be
let loose from the old gum by the time
the second drive is made 'i
Myersville, Md. VV. R. Young.
1. I never knew any fighting to take
place, because the bees are all of one
queen and the second queen is only
just out.
2. The " old gum " is split up for
kindling, and they, therefore, will
hardly lind it to return to. The new
hive, whether increase is made or not,
is practically in the place of the " old
gum."
3. Supposing that the old colony is
not of the blood you wish, you will
have to put up with them, or guage
them out, and kill them as fast as they
liatch.
(jiiestious.
1. Will it do to arrange supers with
sections at right angles with the brood
frames, or ought they to run parallel V
2. What space ought to intervene be-
tween brood frames and the sections ?
3. What point must the temperature
reacli to make it safe to lift brood
frames and examine them 'i 4. I find
by measuring, that sections purport-
ing to be 2 inches wide are only IJg
wide. Is this the rule, or are they
meant to be 2 inches? 5. My brood
frames are made of plain, flat pieces,
without rib or wire on top bar, lO.xli;-^
inside measure. How snail I fasten
foundation in them V 6. Is it proper
to put full sheets of foundation in
frames, of the above size and shape 'i
7. What foundation do you prefer V
Northboro, Iowa. O. E. Moore.
1. For convenience in handling, and
the position of hives, and getting
straight combs, I much prefer to have
all combs run parallel.
2. 5-16ths where there is no honey
board between them. Where there is,
the same between the board and each.
3. That depends entirely on how
long you keep them out. I handle
them any time when the bees can fly,
and often, quickly, when tliey cannot.
4. They are usually scant 2 inches.
Thinner combs are best to produce.
6. I should wire them with No. 30
tinned wire. If I only wished to put
on foundation guides 1 or 2 inches
wide, I would see that the under side
of the top bar was dressed smooth,
and " mash " on with putty knife, or
Parker foundation fastener.
6. Most assuredly ; and I should be
sure to do it, but not without the use
of wires.
7. Given, Vandervort, Dunham and
Root, and, in fact, all kinds are worth
more than $1 per lb. to any one who
will use them properly. I have had
the best success with the Given, both
for brood and surplus departments.
sM^MiMMPM,
OUn LE'
'^35
P©rX^
Making Comb Foundation.
I packed 6 colonies of bees with
chaff and straw, in clamps, and they
did not have a cleansing flight from
the last of November until the mid-
dle of February, but they have come
through, so far, all right ; less than
two teacupfuls of bees have died, in
all of them. Please describe the
utensils necessary to make founda-
tion with a roller mill. T. J. Pigg.
Riverside, Iowa.
[The necessary utensils for making
comb foundation, and their use, (with
other useful hints), are thus described
by a manufacturer :
Make the dipping tank 4x12 in., and
2 feet deep; set it in a larger one, with
water between, to regulate the tem-
perature. Melt your wax in another
boiler (a common wash boiler will do),
have water in, to prevent burning the
wax ; dip into the deep tank as fast as
the wax is melted.
Make 4 or 5 thin boards of seasoned
basswood, the exact width, when dry,
that you want you sheets. Nail
cleats on top, to prevent warping, and
make a handle. Have them thor-
oughly water-soaked before using ;
the boards will swell as much as the
sheets will shrink. Wet the boards
before dipping, but shake off all the
water you can. Put the board in the
wax as' deep as the length you want
your sheet, repeat as soon as the wax
stops dropping, dip 3 times for brood
foundation and once for boxes ; hold
the board perfectly plu7nh while cool-
ing ; as soon as the wax stops drop-
ping after the last dip, set it to one
side and take another board. By the
time you have dipped four, the first
will be ready to peel off. If the boards
are smooth and edges perfectly square,
your sheets will need no trimming.
When the wax begins to scum around
the edges of the tank, tlie tempera-
ture is right. If sheets crack in cool-
ing, your wax is too hot. By the above
plan the sheets will be tapering. //'
started with the thin end of the sheet in
the mill, you will never have no
trouble, and the sheet will be long
enough to cut off the thin end.
Thin paste made of cheap starch
makes the best lubricator for the rolls.
Dipping plates, as described above,
made from clear straight-grained bass-
wood, tor any width, costs about 3
cents per inch in widtli. If your tank
is wide enough to take a 12-inch dip-
ping-board, you can dip narrow strips
for starters, 6 at a time, by liaving a
similar board divided into 3 parts, by
broad saw-cuts. Each board will then
be about 3% inches, and every dipping
makes 6 narrow slieets.
The manufacturers furnish direc-
tions for using when you buy a ma-
chine, mill or press.— Ed.]
A Section too Small.
Mr. Editor :— You will remember,
when we were at Toledo, at the Tri-
State Fair, among a crowd of bee-
keepers, I stated tliat " the one-pound
section was a curse to tlie producer,
a curse to the retailer, and a curse to
the consumer," and gave my reasons.
The sneering, silent laugh pronounced
me the fool of the crowd. At the
Michigan convention, I stated the
same thing, with tlie same decision.
Now, comes Mr. F. I. Sage, of
Wethersfield, Conn, (who handles over
•50 tons of honey a year), with an arti-
cle verifying my statement fully, and
Mr. Wright, of Knowersville, N. Y.-
too, must be reckoned with us. I
write this to remind the readers of the
Bee Journal that 1 am not the only
foolish one left.
E. B. SOUTHWICK.
Mendon, Mich., March 16, 1883.
Large Yields of Honey and Increase.
When I see reports of large yields
of honey and great increase of bees,
I always know what I think of it. I
think, or rather know the party mak-
ing said report, has had a good, long,
regular flow of honey. In his book
— " Tlie Hive and Honey Bee,"— Rev.
L. L. Langstroth says tliat a large in-
crease of bees and a large yield of
honey cannot be had at the same time,
and I am satisfied if the dear old man
is spared to revise tliat classic bee
book, you will find this statement cor-
rected, for he has too much faith in
his fellow bee-keepers to think they
would intentionally tell a bee yarn
about it. If tlie good old man could
be in my bee-yard, this beautiful Sab-
bath morning, he would exclaim, no
wonder Texas rolls up such big re-
ports ! My bees are fairly crazy over
the Cottonwood, Judas tree, wild
plum, fruit trees, and a host of other
blooms. One continual bloom from
now until July, if we can only have a
good shower of rain every 15 days.
B. F. Carroll.
Dresden, Texas, March 20, 1883.
Feeding Flour in Spring.
1. What is best for early feeding in
the spring V 2. How sliould it be
given y P. Reakdon.
Jamestown, Colo.
[You will find an excellent article
on this subject in this number of the
Bee Journal.- Ed.]
170
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Failures Throug-h Mismana^eiiient.
It is stilted here by a man who pro-
fesses ii practical experience, that
bees cannot do well here, because the
pasturage is grazed too close. My
experience is exceedingly limited, but
in no book or bee paper have I ever
seen such a statement. There is an
abundance of poplar, ash, locust, and
other bee trees here, plenty of white
clover, fruit trees and fall plants, and
in a radius of 5 miles there are not 100
colonies of bees. I think that a fail-
ure is owing to mismanagement. It
is true that the meadows here are
closely grazed. Can that be the rea-
son that the old-fashioned bee men
have so little honey V
E. H.GAiTnER.
Harrodsburg, Ky., March 17, 1883.
[Ordinary grazing helps some bee
pasturage. Probably mismanagement
has as much to do with the lack of
honey as anything,— Ed.]
Half-Pouud Sections Not Wanted.
This is a cold winter. My bees are
packed in sawdust, on the summer
stands ; they are now in good condi-
tion. I lost one colony by dysentery ;
the rest all clean and bright. Much
has been said and written about in-
troducing the consumption of honey
in place of syrups, and now some turn
around and work on the contrary to
make honey a luxury, which it surely is
when half-pound sections are adopted.
It is not the consumers that demand
small sections, but some bee-keepers
that do it. George Castbllo.
Saginaw, Mich., March 17, 1883.
Xarge Increase and Honey Crop.
I am satisfied that if I had read
Mr. Ileddon's article on 'How to
f)revent after swarms," in time for
ast season's work, it would have been
worth a year's subscription of the
Bee Journal to me. Mr. Roberts
says on page 137, that he does not be-
lieve in large yields of honey and bees
in the same season. I have sold 3,(500
lbs. of last season's crop, " all the
■same," and I have 65 colonies alive at
present (6 dead), besides what honey
a family of ten could use, and there
are full 30 lbs. to the colony, at this
■date, in the hives, besides the 100 ex-
tra combs of honey that are reserved
for use, if needed, which I doubt. If
Mr. Roberts will visit me, this spring,
I think I can convince him that "these
are facts." All of the honey and in-
-crease was produced by 1!) colonies,
that did not have one pound of sweets
in any of them on June 4, 1882, and 3
of them were four-frame nuclei,
■shipped to me May 1, and transferred
May 4. Bees are in fair condition,
and healthy at present. S. H. Moss.
Colchester, 111., March 16, 1883.
Bees in Good Condition.
After almost 4 months confinement
I took 1.5 colonies out of my cellar on
the 13th ; all in nice, clean condition,
and having plenty of honey and brood.
On the day following 1 took the rest
out of the cave ; 1.50 in all, and one
dead ; the rest were heavy and had
plenty of bees. So, out of 145, 144
came through in as healthy condition
as I ever saw them in the spring. I
had 16 on the summer stands, with no
protection, and lost 4. We have had
a pretty severe winter, and a good
many bees are lo.st, where iki protec-
tion was given them ; while others,
that were packeil in chaff, or put in
cellars, came out without much loss,
as a rule. J. E. Hastings.
Carlisle, Iowa, March 16, 1883.
Bees Strong and Healthy.
My bees, to all appearances, have
wintered splendidly ; I put 100 colo-
nies in bee-house, and took out 101
hives, with bees in them. I had a
hive of nearly empty comb in the
house, and the bees got so hot, the day
before I took them out, and crawled
around and got into this hive, enough
to make a swarm, but, as I had no
queen, I had to put the bees in other
hives again. I fear the effects of the
sudden change on the 18th ; the bees
were flying out pretty freely, when a
gale struck us from the northeast and
it began to freeze ; the bees were scat-
tered, and I fear there is a large loss
to each hive by their getting chilled.
I never had my bees come through as
strong and healthy, when taken out,
as they were this spring ; but I expect
to lose some that I will have to break
up, by loss of queens, as I did not get
all my old queens changed last fall.
R. R. Murphy.
Garden Plain, 111., March 21, 1883.
Shipping Crates for Honey.
What size of shipping crates is the
most popular in the great honev mar-
kets of the United States V
M. Blanchard.
Sherwood, Wis.
[Those holding one dozen two-pound
sections or two dozen one-pound sec-
tions of honey.— Ed.]
Gathering Pollen and Honey.
Bees came through the winter
finely ; have plenty of honey vet ; are
breeding up rapidly, gathering pollen
and honey from peach and plum
blooms. We have splendid weather,
and all early vegetables are up and
growing finely. I have 40 colonies to
start with. E. P. Massey.
Waco, Texas, March 14, 1883.
Looking for a Good Honey Harvest.
It has been a very poor winter for
bees here, they have had no flight
since Nov. 11, worth mentioning.
Dysentery is prevailing here, whicli
seems to be caused by bad honey
gathered last fall ; some that were
fed with sugar are not affected. I
have 8 colonies in chaff liives, and
packed 63 in a chaff bin ; those in the
bin had the dysentery, and some, I
fear, are passed their troubles. The
loss around here will be very heavy,
tliis spring. We are looking for a
good honey harvest, as we always
have a good one after a hard winter
and lots of snow. My bees are all
Italians and Syrians. I use the Gal-
lup frame, but have two in the
Quinby frame, which is far stronger
than the rest, and always winter and
come through stronger than the rest.
Honey sold readily at 1.5c. per lb. for
extracted and 25c. per lb. for comb.
I believe dampness is worse on bees
than cold. I could not get along
without the Bee Journal.
Arthur Russell.
Millbrook, Ont., March 14, 1883.
Corrections.
I find some blunders in my article
on the standard Laugstroth liive, on
page 116 of the Journal, which I de-
sire to correct, to wit : The figures
1838 and ISSg, given in 3d and 4th lines,
should be 17% and n%—one inch out
of the way, in that place, might make
lots of trouble. In line 35. next col-
umn, drop first comma and " hives,"
and insert mills instead. The word
"former" in 36th line should be
farmer. M. M. Baldridge.
St. Charles, 111.
[The " blunders " in the figures were
in Mr. B.'s copy ; the loords were not
very plainly written and were an over-
sight of the printer, who also omitted
a figure "4," in Mr. B.'s article on
page 102, in the second line after the
last engraving. It should read : " the
4 recesses or passage ways." — Ed.]
Bees in Georgia.
Bees that have been properly cared
for have, thus far, wintered well in
Cherokee, Ga. The honey flow was
light, in this section, during the
latter part of last summer ; hence,
many late colonies, that were not fed,
died of starvation. Bees are in-
variably wintered upon their summer
stands, in the Southern States, and if
kept dry, with plenty of good,available
food, are never seriously affected by
cold. It would seem that the above
conditions are all that need be ob-
served in any honey-producing coun-
try, since to suppose that bees freeze
and die under such circumstances, is
to suppose a physical inconsistency
contrary to the laws of nature. Our
bees have been gathering pollen for
the past three weeks.
Wm. Farell.
Rome, Ga., March 9, 1883.
Out of the Woods Again.
The middle of March has come, and
my bees are all alive but two nuclei,
which died of starvation. My bees
have been bringing in pollen for a
month from the elm, and have from 1
to 3 frames of brood in each hive. I
consider that good for the middle of
March. In answer to the question
asked by Mr. C. W. McKown in the
Bee Journal for March 7, 1 would
say I have a few chaff hives, but my
bees are in no better condition in those
than in my single-walled hives. I do
not want any more chaff hives in my
yard ; they are too unhandy for trans-
portation and are more expensive than
single liives. I place my hives in a
row and pack sawdust all around
them, except the front, and cover them
well. My therinometer reached zero
THE AMERICA2J BEE JOURNAL.
171
only twice last winter, and I do not
WiUit any better hive than the single-
walled Langstroth hive for this part
of the country. J. F- Kight.
Toseyville, Ind., March 15, 1883.
Bees ('arrjing iu Flour Lively.
Our hees are booming. We have 88
colonies. They are rearing young bees
very fast. They have carried in nearly
200 "lbs of flour. C. J. Lohmann.
Cauieron, Mo., March 19, 188.3.
Substitute for Pollen.
Corn meal is the best I have tried
yet. If you want to see bees circling,
just take 3 or 4 cotton grain sacks,
spread tliem on some boards, and lay
bricks on the corners, to keep the
wind from blowing them off; now
spread the meal on them. Just try it.
Rees are working on soft maples, to-
day. My 30 colonies wintered all
right, and all have hatching brood.
J. S. Hoffman.
Madisonville, O., March 19, 1883.
Bees packed in sawdust wintered well.
I packed 40 colonies, on the summer
stands, in sawdust; tliey appear to
be in good condition, so far. I have
16 colonies in a summer and winter
house. Those on the north side show
signs of dysentery ; those on the south
side seem to be in good condition.
The weather has been very cold this
winter, and now it is 5° above zero ;
on the 20th it was down to 5^ below.
Oakfleld Centre, Mich., Mar. 22, 1883.
Blasted Hopes.
140 days, and not a day in which I
could set a colony out. I had 44 in
fine condition, on Nov. 5, 1882, and to-
day I have only 12 left ; there is from
2 to 4 feet of snow all over my yard,
and the mercury was down to 11'^ be-
low zero last night, and is 10^ below
to-night. " Blasted Hopes," sure
enough, for 44 colonies of as hand-
some bees as ever flew. Discouraged,
is no name for it ; but as Adam
Grimm said, " If I do lose all, I will
show you how soon I can fill those
hives up again, with so many good
combs as I liave." Nearly all the bees
around here are dead.
C. F. Greening.
Grand Meadow, Minn., Mar. 20,1883.
Convention Notices.
1^ The spring meeting of the
Western Michigan I5ee-Keepers' As-
sociation will be lield at Supervisor's
Hall, Grand Rapids, April 26, at 10
a. m.
F. S. Covey, Sec.
Coopersville, Mich.
1^ The semi-annual meeting of the
Western 15ee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Independence, Jackson
County, Mo., on Saturday, April 28,
1883, at 10 a. m. Papers prepared for
the occasion by the president, sec-
retary and others will be read, and
matters of general interest to bee-
keepers discussed. A general attend-
ance of persons interested in bee-
culture is requested. The present
membership of this Association con-
trol 2,000 colonies of bees.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
Kansas City, Mo.
J. A. Nelson, Pres. Wyandotte, Kas.
1^ Tlie Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
t^ The next meeting of the Haldi-
mand. Ont., Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Nelle's Corners on Sat-
urday, March 31, 1883, at 11 a. m.
H. Campbell.
1^ The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday, April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G, W. Demaree, Sec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
ig|° The regular meeting of the
Farmers' and Gardeners' Club, will be
held April 2, at A. Z. Madison's oflice,
Fredonia, N. Y. Question : " Bees,
Fish and Poultry." Mr. IT. E. Dodge
will open the discussion with a lecture
on " Bees and Bee-Culture," giving
practical manipulations of the hive,
showing the various improved imple-
ments, devices and terms used in bee-
culture, iliustrating the lecture with
a colony of bees. Bee-keepers are es-
pecially invited to spend the afternoon
at Sunshine Apiary, where Mr. Dodge
will try and entertain them. Mr.
Dodge "is a thoroughly practical apiar-
ist, and this will be a rare treat for
bee-keepers in Western New York.
Means will be taken to form a Bee-
Keepers' Association for this part of
the State.
A, Z Madison, Sec.
U. E. Dodge, Fres.
t^ The Eastern Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Society, will hold its annual
meeting in Detroit, April 3, in Ab-
stract Hall, commencing at 10 a. m.
The following subjects will be brought
up for discussion : What is the best
means of extending the honey market?
At what price can honey, either comb
or extracted, be afforded '? Is there
danger of over-production V Has glu-
cose affected your market, and if so.
how ? What is the best test for glu-
cose V In judging queens, what points
are to be considered, and what is the
order of their importance V Foul
brood, and its prevention and cure.
An interesting meeting is expected.
A. B. Weed, Sec.
75 Bagg St., Detroit, Mich.
1^ The Central Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association holds its spring
convention at Lansing, in the State
Capitol building, on Tuesday, April
17, 1883, 9 a. m. Programme : Presi-
dent's address ; Essays: Prof. A. J.
Cook, on Wintering Bees; S.C.Perry,
on Chaff Hives; C. Case, on Comb
Honey; O. S. Smith, on the Best Bee;
A. D. Benham, on Extracted Honey ;
Mr. Harper, on Queen-Rearing ; Mr.
Waldo, on Best Method of Wintering
Outof Doors, in Single- Walled Hives;
E. N. Wood, on Sections ; and E.
Greenaway, on Comb Foundation. All
bee-keepers are invited to attend or
send essays, papers, implements or
anything of interest to the fraternity
A full attendance is req"ested.
E. N. Wood, Sec
North Lansing, Mich.
1^" The spring meeting of the
Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held in Cortland, N. Y.,
on Tuesday, May 8, 1883.
M. C. Bean, Sec.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OP AMERICAN BEE .IlM'HNAI.. >
Monday, 1" a. m., March ;;ei, IfW2, i
The following are the latest i] nota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Qnotatlons of Cash lluyers.
cmcAuo.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted is 7e.
for dark and 9c. for liKht— here. The supply is
abundant and sales are sl(tw.
BEESWAX— None in the market.
Al. H. Newman. y23 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement in the honey
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade.
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7(*iic. on arrival. The
sales of comb iioney are very slow, althoueh there
is a larue supply of flrst-class quality on the mar-
ket. It brines 12c«lHc. on arrival.
BEESWA.X— Comes in slowly and brines 20®30c.
per lb., according to quality. CnAS. P. MUTH.
Qaotatlons of Commlsiilon Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The past month has not reduced the
stock of comb or extracted honey, the receipts
having been larger than the amounts taken for
consumption. Prices are weal{ and irregular,
ranging from Ific. to I8c. for white comb in the
smaller frames; dark, very little selling, offered
at l2Hc. to 14c. Extracted. 8c. to luc, according
to color.
BEBSWAx-None in the market.
R. A. BUKNETT. 161 South Water 8t.
SAN KRANCISCO.
HONEY-Quotations for choice are merely nom-
inal, as there are none of that quality offering.
Common qualities are in light supply and ttill
ligliter demand.
White comb, H%l7c.; dark to good, u@I3c.: ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8^(ft9>^c.; dark and
candif^d, o@7^c.
BEKSWAX-We quote 30®33c.
STEARNS & SMITH. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOCJ18.
HONEY-Very quiet; dull. Comb at 14016.—
some inferior sold at loc; strained at 6H(§j7c., ex-
tracted at 7^("->^M>c., lots in small packages more.
BEES WAX-Scarce and wanted at 33(3i34c.
W. T. ANDEKSON & CO.. 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is a little lower, and at the lower price
It has moved off a mtle better of late. 1-lb. sections
of best white sold at iH^iWlsic.; second grades,
1-lb., 17c.; li-lb. sections u little slow at 17@18c.
Extracted very dull altl'ii.llc.
BEESWAX- None in market.
A. C. KENDEI.. 1 1.5 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We (uote:
1^ ib. sections at :)lic.: 1 lb. sections, 221'' ;.'>c. ; 2 1b.
sections. 2(Kw22c. Extracted, inc. per lb. Good
lots of extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BBBSWAX—Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
CROCKER Jk BLAKE, .57 Chatham Street.
172
THE AMERICAl^ BEE JOURNAL.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it inilicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
■this office get either a post ofiice or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2.5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
f 5-, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post oihce, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for .50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, w'itli $10, we
■will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's ABC of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
1^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
«ither portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
^g" And still, we are obliged to say
that the books on Queen-Rearing, by
Henry Alley, have not been received.
As soon as they do, the orders we
have on hand will be filled. In order
to appease those who are impatient,
we may say that Mr. Alley has writ-
ten us that the book will make 2.5 or
30 more pages than he anticipated;
and adds : " We had no idea that
there would be so many pages. I
think all will be well pleased with the
extra amount, and feel compensated
for long and patient waiting." It is
all right, except announcing it '"ready
for delivery " a month before it is act-
ually printed and bound. As this is
Mr. Alley's firstexperience in publish-
ing, we shall have to overlook it on
the ground of inexperience. Old
publishers know better.
1^ The stylograph ic pen is one of
the necessaries of our modern civili-
zation. If Hood's song had been" Dip,
dip, dip," instead of " Stitch, stitch,
stitch," it would have lost its text at
the hands of Mr. Livermore, who has
given his age this perfection of pen,
penliolder, and case, and ink, all in
one, handsome, and always at hand
and ready for use. The inventor has
put some new improvements into it,
and now what remains but for every
scribe and letter writer to tind it on
his desk. Ink, tiller and cleaner, all
go with it. And, to crown all, the
price has been reduced to $2. Send
that amomit to tlie sole agent, Mr.
Louis E. Dunlap,290 Washington St.,
Boston, Mass., and the return mail
will bring you this most perfect pen.—
Contributor, Boston, Mass.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We liave put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, .50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Tbe Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
i^"Postage stamps, of one, two or
three cent denomination, accepted for
fractional parts of a dollar; but money
is preferred.
WOOD SEPARATORS!
PRU'E List' of the Besse Wood i^eparatnrs :
For the wide Langstroth frame, per ]o*), 5nc.;
per KMwi, f4.oo. They are of basswood, ^ize iT^^x
;^^xi-iH. Any size to order. Send 3 cent atamp
for sample.
12A:it I>R, H. BESSE. Delaware. Ohio.
Dci;
^M ^H^n ^i^plicity and ChatT Hives, Queens.
^^^^^™ etc. Send for Circular. Address,
HOWAUD NICHOI^AS.
12A4t 4Blt Etters, YorkCo., Pa.
KEEPERS' SUPPLIES!
Wanted for Eastern buyers. Stamp for
information. S. P. BR'^''^'^*' ^ ^ 'ri™«.
Ming, Chicago, III.
FARMS'nformation. S. P. BRO'CKVV AT. Times
I nil"lv>Bnilding. Chicago. 111. 12A4t
100 COLONIES ITALIAN BEES,
FOR SAI>£,
also, queens and nuclei. Will exchange for Jersey
heifer, pair Poland Cl.ina pigs, or Plymouth Rock
fowls. Write for prices.
C. WEEKS,
llA4t Clifton. Wayne Co., Tenn.
FDR '^ A I F Colonies and Nuclei of ITALIAN
I Un OnLLlBKES, QUEENS. Bitractors, Bee
Books, and Supplies. Address. O'l'TO KLEINOW,
opposite Kort Wayne, DETROIT, Mich. nAB3t
Vandervort Comb Fdn. Mills,
Send for Samples & Reduced Filce-I^Ut.
lOAtfBi J. VANDERVORT, Lacyville, Pa.
60 Colonies of Bees for Sale.
I have (30 colonies of bees in improved double
portico LangBtroth hives for sale.
i:jAU C. H. UIBBERW, Milan, III.
Our desciiptive catalogue and price list of bee
hives, full colonies, Italian bees, Italian queens,
honey extractors, smokers, hive openers, bee veils,
etc., to any address, upon application. Address
K. A. SNELL,
13Alt4B3t Milledgeville,Ci.rrollco..IlL
CEND POSTAl. for my 20 page price list of
Kj Italian, Cyprian and Holy Land bees, queens,
nuclei and apiarian supplies.
H. II. BROWN,
13l>:jt Light Street, Col Co., Pa.
COMB FOUNDATION.
Owing to the scarcity of beeswa.\, the prices of
comb foundation will hereafter Ite as follows :
Dunham. Thin. E.xtra Thin.
10 lbs. or less. 55c. fi.'ic. TJc.
Ud " " .. .54 B4 71
50 " " .. 53 63 TO
100 " " .. 52 62 69
AI.FRED H. NEWMAN,
SJ23 W. Madison St.. Chicago, 111.
TTJST OTJT!
New circular and price of Bees and Queens.
Also, STENCILS for bee-keepers' use.
JOS. M. ICRUOKS,
4B6t Columbus, Ind.
c
UT THIS OUT
And Ri;Luru to t.s,
wiih TEN Cents,
nn-i you'll recelM
by mail, a Gold<;D BoKorGi»>ds, that will bring jou In mort
n^ODev in One Month than anvtbing else in AineHcv AbaO-
lute derUinty. M. Youds, 173 GreeDwich St., N«w Yort
^(Z OLDEST BEE PAPER
-^ IN AMERICA
.<»».
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 4, 1883.
No. 14.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Propkietor.
The Eyes of a Bee.
" The eyes may meet above as in
drones (Fig. 1), most two-winp; flies
and dragon-flies, or tliey may be con-
siderably separated, as in tlie worker-
A correspondent, wbo had read our
brief reply to Mr. C Theilmann on
tbis subject, sends the following re-
quest :
Mr. Editor : — Please describe more
fully, in detail, the simple and com-
pound eyes of the bee. It is a subject
of interest to us, who do not under-
stand all about bee optics. Tell us
what simple and compound eyes are,
in the Bee Journal. J. W. B.
Suwanee, Ga., March 10, 1883.
We cannot do better than to quote,
from Prof. Cook's "Manual of the
Apiary," the following, on this very
interesting subject :
"The eyes are of two kinds, the
compound, which are always present
in mature insects, and the ocelli or
simple eyes, which may or may not be
present. When present there are
usually three, which, if we join by
lines, we will describe a triangle, in
the vertices of whose angles are the
ocelli. Rarely there are but two
ocelli, and very rarely but one.
"The simple eyes [F F F) are cir-
cular, and possess a cornea, lens and
retina, which receives the nerve of
sight.
From the experiments of Reau-
mur and Swammerdam, which con-
sisted in covering the eyes with var-
nish, they concluded that vision with
these simple eyes is very indistinct,
though by them the insect can dis-
tinguish light. Some have thought
that these simple eyes were for vision
at slight distances. Larvse, like
spiders and myriapods, have only
simple eyes.
" The compound eyes are .simply a
cluster of simple eyes, are situated
one on either side of the head, and
vary much in form and size. Between
or below these are inserted the an-
tennae. Sometimes these last are in-
serted in a notch of the eyes, and in a
few cases actually divide each eye
into two eyes.
Fig. 1— Head of Drone. mMKnitied.
bees (Fig. 2). The separate facets or
simple eyes, of each compoinid eye,
are hexagonal, or six-sided, and in the
microscope look not umlike a section
of honey-comb. The number of these
is prodigious — Leeuwenhoek actually
counted 12,000 in the eye of a dragon-
fly—while some butterflies have over
17,000. The compound eyes are mo-
tionless, but from their size and sub-
spherical shape, they give quite a
range of vision. It is not likely that
Fig. :J.— Head of Worker Bee, niitgnifled.
they are capable of adjustment to
accord with different distances, and
it has been supposed, from the direct
darting flight of bees to their liives,
and the awkward wcuk they make in
finding a hive when moved only for a
short distance, that there eyes are best
suited to long vision.
" Sir John Lubbock has i)roved, by
some interesting experiments with
strips of colored paper, that bees can
distinguish colors. Honey was placed
on a blue strip, beside several otliers
of various colors. In the absence of
the bees he changed the position of
this strip, and upon their return the
bees went to the blue strip rather than
to the old position. Our practical
apiarists have long been aware of thiii
fact, and have conformed their prac-
tice to the knowledge, in giving a
variety of colors to their hives.
Apiarists have frequently noted that
bees have a rare faculty of marking
positions, but, for slight distances,
their sense of color will correct mis-
takes which would occur if position
alone was guide."
Our correspondent should get a
copy of the Manual. Its perusal will
repay him a hundredfold its cost, as
well as be a ready book of reference
on every subject connected with bees.
Clubbing with Cook's Manual.— A
subscriber, who has already paid 12.00
for the Weekly Bee Journal for
1883, wants to know if we will send a
copy of Cook's Manual or Bee-Keep-
ers' Guide, in cloth, if he sends us 7.5
cents more. Certainly, we will ; the
only requirement being that the full
price for the Journal, either weekly
or Monthly, has already been paid to
lis, and no other premium has akeady
been sent. All such may send us 7.5
cents in postage stamps and get the
Manual, bound in cloth, by next mail.
The Manual, bound in paper covers,
will be sent for 50 cents, extra to the
price of subscription. This offer will
be good only until the seventh edition,
printed last year (1882), is exhausted,
and no more will be printed in paper
covers. This offer will, therefore,
only last for a very short time, and
those who wish to avail themselves of
it, should order at once.
^g" Some persons, having sent us a
club of subscribers through a club-
agency, have written us to send the
premium for getting up the club. To
do this would be doubling our premium .
The club agency gets their commis-
sion, and then we can send no prem-
ium. Please remember, to be entitled
to the premiums we offer, the full
amount of the subscriptions must be
I sent direct to this office.
174
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
I
For the American Bee Journal,
Reply to J. W. Merrifield.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
On page 100, present volume of the
Bee Journal, J. VV. Merritiekl asks
why the plan of giving each colony a
laying queen immediately after
swarming, had not proven a success
with me. That is right. If you do
not understand anything, ask ques-
Uons, and 1 will explain, if I know
Bow ; if I do not, I will frankly say so.
For years, we have been told that no
colony should go without a laying
queen a single day, if it were possible
to give them one, and plans of intro-
ducing queens, which required that
the hive should be queenless a few
days previous, have been severely
criticised. We have also been told,
for years, that the bee-keeper who
wished to secure the best results from
his bees, should have a laying queen
ready to give each old colony as soon as
they swarmed, as the time lost to
them, by rearing aqueen, was equiva-
lent to a swarm of bees. Being eager
to know, for myself, all the plans which
would give the best results, I have
experimented largely, and the truth
of the statement that the time lost to
the bees by rearing a queen in natural
swarming, was equivalent to a swarm
of bees, is the first reason it has not
proven a success. If it were bees I
was after, the case would be different.
With me, white clover yields enough
honey to keep the bees breeding
nicely, and prepares them so that
they mainly swarm from June 20 to
July 1. Our honey harvest is from
basswood, which blooms from July 10
to 16. Now, all who are familiar with
natural swarming, know that the bees
are comparatively few in numbers in
spring, and increase by the rapidly
increasing brood produced by the
queen, which, in due time, hatch into
Dees, until a swarm is the result.
By giving a laying queen to a colony
immediately after it has cast a swarm,
we bring about the same result
(swarming) as before, for we place the
bees in the same condition. The only
difference is, that having plenty of
brood, they build up quicker, and are
prepared to swarm in a shorter ttme.
As this second swarming, brought
about by giving the laying queen,
comes right in our basswood honey
harvest, it cuts olf the surplus honey,
for it is well known that bees, having
the swarming fever,do little or no work
in the section boxes, and if allowed to
swarm, the object we have sought
after (section honey) is beyond our
reach.
Having given the result of my ex-
perience on this point, let us look at
how the same colony would work, had
we not given the bees a laying queen.
Eight days after tlie swarm has is-
sued, the first young queen will have
emerged from her cell, as a rule, lyhen
the apiarist should remove all the
other queen-cells from tlie hive, so
that second swarming is entirely pre-
vented. In ten days more our young
queen is ready to lay, which is about
the time the ba.sswood begins to yield
honey largely. During this period,
between the time the swarm issued
and the young ^ueen commences to
lay, the bees not having any brood to
nurse for the last half of the time,
consume but little honey ; hence, as
fast as the young bees emerge from
the cells, they are filled with honey ;
for bees, not having a laying queen,
seldom build comb in the sections.
Tlius, whan the young queen is ready
to lay, she finds every available cell
stored with well-ripened honey. At
this point, the instinct of the bees
teach them that they must have brood
or they will soon cease to exist as a
colony, and a general rush is made for
the sections, the honey from below is
carried above, so as to give the queen
room, and, in a week, we have, as a re-
sult, the sections nearly filled with
honey. I have often had such colo-
nies fill and complete 30 two-pound
sections in from 8 to 12 days, while
those to which I had given the laying
queen immediately after swarming,
did little but swarm during the same
time.
Bear in mind we are talking about
(iroducing comb honey, not extracted.
Different locations may give different
results, still I think that nearly all
sections give a large How of honey at
a certain period during the season,
rather than a steady, continuous honey
harvest the whole season. To such
sections these remarks are especially
applicable.
My second reason is, that after
basswood we have a honey dearth,
hence, the bees from the introduced
queen are of no value, but, on the
contrary, become consumers. On an
average, ittakes21 days from the time
the egg is laid, to the perfect bee
ready to emerge from the cell. Then,
if the colony is in a normal condition,
this bee does not commence labor in
the field till 16 days old ; hence, the
eggs for the honey-gathering bees
must be deposited in the cell 37 days
before the honey harvest ends, or
else they are of no value as honey-
producers. As the basswood is all
gone before the eggsof the introduced
queen become honey-producing bees,
and as the larger part of them die of
old age before buckwheat and fall
flowers yield honey, it will be seen
that a great gain is made by letting
each old colony, having cast a swarm,
rear their own queen, for, thereby,
we save the expensive feeding of the
larvse, which are to become expensive
consumers of the honey of the hive.
Also, the chances are, that when the
colony rears its own queen, they will
be stocked with younger bees for
wintering in November, than where a
queen was introduced immediately
after swarming.
The one point worth knowing above
all others in bee-keeping, is a thorough
knowledge of the location we are in,
as to its honey resource, and then
getting the largest amount of bees
possible at that or those times to
gather the honey, having just as few
at all other times as is consistent with
the accomplishing of this object. A
prominent apiarist advised.a tew years
ago, using artificial heat to get our
bees strong so that they would swarm
in April, while others, like L. C. Root,
was advising keeping theiD in the
cellar till pollen was plenty, to pre-
vent early and useless brood-rearing.
The advice of the first would be to
bee-keepers the same as my sending
four men and teams 12 miles to the
railroad for a carload of lumber when
I did not know it was there for cer-
tain. They went and came back, but
no lumber. The part which particu-
larly had a bearing on me was, I had
to pay them the same as if they had
found the lumberand brought it back.
Just so with getting bees out of sea-
son. We have to pay the same price
for them that we would to get them, so
that each one became a produce! in-
stead of a consumer.
If all who read this article will study
their location, and then rear their
bees in reference to that location, I
think they will find their bees will do
as well as their more successful
neighbors.
Borodino, N. Y.
For the American Bee Journal.
Wintering, Ventilation, Etc.
DR. I. P. WILSON.
Dear Editor :— After spending an
hour very pleasantly in reading the
Journal, I desire to say that the ex-
tracts you have published from Mr.
Baldridge's letters are quite sufficient
to convince any candid mind that
right is n6t on his side. Yes, your
readers, " certainly," will approve of
the controversy being terminated
right here. The columns of the Jour-
nal are too valuable to be occupied
with such wrangling.
My bees have wintered tolerably
well. I had SO colonies last fall, and,
for the first time for many years, I left
all but 12 colonies on their summer
stands. One of the 12 placed in the
cellar, died of diarrhoea, and 8 of
those left out died of the same disease,
while 3 colonies starved.
For a number of years I have made
a practice of ventilating each colony
so that a circulation of air can be had
through the hive. Those that died of
diarrhoea were not so ventilated. My
method of ventilation is as follows :
The cap on top of the hive has two
auger holes, covered with wire screen,
directly opposite each other. The
strip covering the front (or back)
opening in the honey-board is left off.
The entrance of the hive may be left
entirely or partly open. Thus they
are ventilated through the entire
winter. When it is waim etiough for
the bees to commence flying in the
spring, the houey-board should be
closed. The circulation of the bees
will cause a circulatio" of the air. If
an inch auger hole is made a little
above the centre of the front of the
hive. I do not find it necessary to leave
the honey- board open. I refer now to
bees left'on their summer stands.
1
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
176
A number of years ago, I had one
of my apiaries in the country. I went
out hite in the fall to prepare them for
winter. The only ventilation I in-
tended to give them was through the
entrance to tiie hive. I accidentally
left the honey-board open in one liive,
after taking off the surplus boxes, also
left the entrance entirely open, and, iu
addition to this, there was an auger
hole in the centre of the front of the
hive. I did not visit the apiary again
until spring. To my surprise, the hive
I had accidentally leftopen was in, by
far, the best condition of any of them ;
the comb being clean and free from
mold, and scarcely any of the bees
dead. The others were all, more or
less, moldy ; about one-third of the
bees were dead, and all in a tilthy
condition. Since then, I have been
more particular about ventilation, and
bave had much better results.
Experience has taught me another
thing, and the 3 colonies that died
from starvation, last winter, is only a
repetition of my experience on former
■occasions. There were supplies in
the hive, but the bees could not reach
them. In the fall, the brood, and,
consequently, the cluster of bees, were
in the centre of the hive. The outside
frames were lilled with capped honey.
As the winter advances the bees shift
their location to one one side or the
other, and in doing so they leave large
supplies behind them, and when they
have exhausted the honey on one side
of the hive, they are too far from the
bountiful supply on the other, to reach
it during the cold winter.
The lesson to be learned, then, is
this : The brood should be transferred
in the fall from the centre of the hive
to one side, and then their supplies
will be accessible to them. 1 hnd it
pays well, at this time (in the fall), to
cut a small hole in the centre of each
■comb, that the bees may pass through,
and not be compelled to pass around
the frame.
Burlington, Iowa.
Colorado State Convention.
[Mr. Phil. Reardon, Jamestown,
Colo., has sent us a report of the con-
vention held at Denver, Colo., March
1.5, from which we make the following
extracts.— Ed.1
In the absence of Mr. D. S. Grimes,
the president of the Association, Mr.
DeVinney called the meeting to order
at 10 a. m. The morning session was
informal.
Dr. (Godfrey gave his experience in
the care of bees. Among other things
he spoke of the quietness of motion
necessary. These insects hated quick
motions, and the least betrayal of
nervousness or fear, on the part of
the keeper, would cause a disposition
in the bees to sting the attendant, and
it would be impossible for him to go
near them. Kiiidnessand gentleness,
on the other hand, had a reciprocal
effect on the inmates of the hives, and
one could go among them and handle
them without molestation.
The afternoon session convened at
2 o'clock, with Mr. D. S. Grimes, the
president, in the chair. The election
of officers resulted as follows : For
President, Dr. Godfrey ; Vice-Presi-
dent, E. Millison; Secretary, J. L.
Peabody ; Treasurer, Mrs. O. Wright.
A committee, consisting of the
president, vice-president and secre-
tary, was appointed to draft a new
constitution and by-laws, the old reg-
ulations having been lost in the de-
parture of the former secretary for
California.
A resolution, to incorporate the As-
sociation under the laws of Colorado,
was unanimously carried.
It was also decided that the bee-
keepers, in connection with the Horti-
cultural Society, should have an ex-
hibit at the National Mining Exposi-
tion next summer.
An adoption of a motion then fol-
lowed to the effect, that under the
re-organization of the Association the
fees of the old members, wliich were
$1 a year, should be considered as
paid, as the future tax of the Society
will only be 50 cents per annum.
Mr. Peabody was appointed to con-
fer with the Horticultural Society re-
garding a suitable exhibit of honey at
the Colorado Exhibition, in August.
Mr. Millison said, at one time the
people preferred imported honey to
honey obtained from the Rocky Moun-
tain bee plant, found so abundantly
in Colorado. Time, however, had re-
versed the choice, and now the article
obtained in this State was richer and
purer than that found in any other
part of the country. It was only now
that people'ln Colorado were waking
up to the fact that such excellent bee-
food existed in the State. Something
which might be cultivated more than
it is here, was sweet clover. Under
the intluences of the climate it could
not be surpassed for honey. Buck-
wheat, the gooseberry blossoms, wheat
and oat bloom were fair, but did not
do so well in the West as in the East.
Another member suggested that a
wonderful thing about bee-food in
Colorado consisted in a more flourish-
ing existence in alkali soil than in
other kinds of earth. Although Irri-
gation was necessary for perfect
growth, it was not needed so much in
the cultivation of clover or other bee-
food, as in the East, where a plant
would dry up. from want of constant
watering. Clover could also be sown
at any time. A very curious and
wonderful phenomena In Colorailo
was the lioney dew, found on tlie
leaves, branches and stalks of the
box-elder, maple, and, especially, the
Cottonwood. Moisture, brought to
bear on the dew, had a strange effect
iu bringing bees to the tree for food.
Some explained the origin of the
dew to the kind of insect, which, by
its pecking, brought the juice of the
tree all over the leaves and stalks, and
some asserted the fact was due to a
certain influence of the atmosphere in
bringing fluid deposits from other
shrubs and plants. This honey dew
was found on every tree In a greater
or less quantity, and under proper
conditions formed an excellent bee-
food. Taking it altogether, no State
in the Union equalled Colorado as a
region vfor successful bee-culture.
A resolution to prepare a herbarium
of bee-food, for exhibition next sum-
mer, and for permanent reference,
was carried.
A motion was also carried to elect
the president of the State Agricul-
tural Society to honorary membership.
The secretary then read a list of •
colonies of bees, owned by members,
with a comparison of colonies last fall
and this spring :
Fall. Spring.
William Davis 15 15
W. H. Davis 7 7
DeVinney 15 14
E. Millison 65
D.S.Grimes 30 30
J.H.Love 29 24
J. L. Peabody 16 14
J.M.Clark 25
C. M. Chilcott 40 36
Dr. King, Boulder 100
L.Brock 20 19
J. W.Tallcott 6 6
J. W. Lamb, Durango 7 7
Adjourned to meet at the call of the
president, next summer.
J. L. Peabody, Sec.
For the American Bee Journal.
" The Worst Kind of Advice."
DR. O. L. TINKER.
Hazardous language that, for a little
friendly criticism. But Mr. Ileddon
proclaims it, and, as a matter of
course, he is infallible on things apper-
taining to the honey bee !
Mr. Heddon cannot mean that his
experiment " settles it," that a rack
of the thin sections may not be set
down on the brood frames and made
a practical procedure V For it was
not the same as the advice given, see
page 151. Then, again, is it not
strange that in his" experiment " the
sections were glued to the bars of the
rack so solid as to be removed with
difliculty, with stings and dismay,
when other bee-keepers have been,
for years, taking off sections without
trouble from racks having bars the
width of the bottom piece of the
sections i*
But stranger still, Mr. H. found that
the bees did not enter the sections
" more readily " by direct passage-
ways than " through a honey-board
and two sliallow air-chambers." His
conclusion on this point, as on several
others, looks " to a man up a tree"
very like an argument for (if not an
advertisementof) Mr. Heddon's " case
or super method."
I have a number of hives now made
on which to test the half-pound sec-
tions. To prevent soiling the tops of
the sections, and to keep the racks
perfectly clean, I shall use a perma-
nent rack on the frames, to be left on
during the honey flow, but which may
be easily removed at any time If the
frames on which it rests are straight
and true on top as they should oe.
As Mr. Heddon did not make it clear
whether the supposed difficulty he
alluded to was in removing the sec-
tions as staled, or in taking off the
rack, will he undertake to explain
again V
1T6
THJi' AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Concerning the use of section racks
in connection with a permanent rack,
a noted bee-keeper, who has had large
experience with tlie half-pound sec-
tion, writes as follows: "It is the
fastest, easiest and simplest way of
handling comb honey we have ever
seen."
By the plan advised, the shallow
spaces usually allowed beneath the
sections of from 40 to 60 cubic inches,
that in any case, must be constantly
filled with idle bees before and after
the sections are occupied, can be dis-
pensed with and an iindonbted advan-
tage secured in obtaining surplus in
the small sections, i'et, iMr. H. con-
demns the procedure, wliich looks to
a larger, cheaper and more attractive
production of comb honey, as " the
worst kind of advice."
Finally, Mr. H. calls for the "apiar-
ist who now adjusts his sections as
advised." There are quite a number
who practice a similar measure;
among others, Mr. A. G, Hill, who
places a row of sections " directly on
the frames, saving the expense of a
honey rack." Mr. Heddon can now
send for that " missionary." There
may be a prospect that he be not only
reclaimed from intidelic doctrines,
but that he may be able to place a
higher value on that good old precept,
" i'irst cast out the beam from thine
own eye, then thou shaltsee clearly to
castthe mote outof thy brother's eye."
New Philadelphia, O.
For the Araerlfan Bee Journal.
How I Wintered My Bees.
F. A. BOHL.
1 wintered my bees in the cellar on
the following plan : My cellar is per-
fectly dark and well ventilated. I
raise my hives off bottom boards, but
not enough to let in the mice. I keep
a barrel with ice, in the cellar. I took
my bees out, on Peb. 28, and lost less
than ever before, as I put a fresh lot
of ice in the cellar the night before,
which kept them quiet, and they did
not come out and perish as usual.
I use the Gallun hive, 12x18 inches,
inside measure, containing 12 Gallup
frames, 10x11)^ inches. I use honey-
boards on top of frames, leaving
about one-half inch space between
them and the frames.
I have never used cloths on top of
frames, as I can see no advantage in
them ; if there is any advantage in
them, I wish some one would mention
it in the Bee Journal.
I obtained 1,100 lbs. of honey, last
summer, from 17 colonies, spring
count, besides increasing to 38.
My colonies are all stronger in bees
now than they were in the fall. Ttie
hives are full" of honey yet, and I in-
tend to extract it as soon as the
weather is titting.
One swarm came out on Aug. 26,
which tilled its hive, and is as heavy
as a man can carry now. One swarm
came out, on .June 1.5, which tilled its
box and yielded 100 lbs. of nice comb
honey. I thought that was a large
yield, but it does not compare with
some reports in the Bee Journal.
I intend to use sections, this sum-
mer, and sow alsike and sweet clover,
as bee pasturage, 1 consider them the
best for honey production.
Summum, 111., March 8, 1883.
For the American Bee Joumai.
Honey and Bee Show at Toledo.
DU. A. B. MASON.
Dear Journal :— I have just been
throwing up my old hat and giving
the regulation number of cheers, etc.,
r in my mind,") for the officers of the
Tri-State (Ohio, Michigan and Indi-
ana) Fair Association, because they
have adopted the following premium
list for the bee and honey department,
to be awarded at the next Tri-State
Fair, to be held at Toledo, O., com-
mencing September 10, 1883, and con-
tinuing one week.
BEES, HONEY, ETC.
DR. A. B. MASON, Superintendent.
ENTRIES IN THIS DEPARTMENT ARE FREE TO ALL.
I8t
Pr.
Display comb honey in most marketable
shape, product of 1 apiary in ist83 $10 15
Display e.xtracted honey in most market-
able siiape, product t>f 1 apiary in 1883.. 10 5
Display comb lioney in most marketable
sh.ipe. by a lady, product of her own
apiary in 1S83 '. 5 3
Displa, e.xtiacted honey in mostmarket-
able shape, by a lady, product of her
own apiary in 1883 5 3
Comb honey, not less than 20 lbs., quality
toyovern 4 2
Extracted honey, not less than 20 lbs.,
quality to K'overn 4 2
Crate comh honey, notlessthan 20 lbs., in
best shape for shipping and retailing... 4 2
Colony vl bees 5 3
Colony 01 Italian bees 5 3
Colony of Syrian bees 5 3
CoUniies of bees must be the progeny of one
queen, and exhibited in such shape as to be readily
seen on two sides. Purity of race, docility, size of
bees, and numerical strength to be considered.
Display of queens, to be put up in such
shape as to be readily seen by visitors
(blacks not to compete} f3 $2
Greatest variety of queens, put up in
same shape as for display of queens.... 3 2
t^ueens and colonies cannot compete for more
than one premium.
Bee-hive, for all purposes, in the apiary,
may be represented by model, not less
than half size $3 f2 00
Bee-hive, glass 2 100
Wa.\ extractor 2 100
Honey extractor 2 100
Foundation mill 5 300
Foundation press 5 3 oO
Beeswax, not less than 10 lbs 2 100
Comb fountlution for brood chamber, not
less tlian r> lbs 2 100
Comb foundation for surplus honey, not
less than 3 lbs 2 I 00
Comb foundation machine, making best
foundation for brood chamber, on the
grounds 8 4 00
One-piece sections, not less than riii 1 .oo
Dovetailed sections, not less than .''.0 1 50
Package, with labels, for retailing ex-
tracted honey 1 50
Bee smoker i 50
Honey knife 1 50
Package, for shipping extracted honey in
bulk 1 50
Machine for making holes in frames for
wiring 2 1 Of)
Machines for wiring frames 2 1 tKi
Oisplav of apiarian supplies 3 100
Quinces preserved with honey 2 100
Peaches preserved with honey 2 1 00
Apples preserved with honey 2 100
Pears p'-eserved with honey 2 100
Largest and best collection of bee-Jitera-
ture 2 100
Largest and best display of honey- bear-
ing plants, properly named and labeled, 10 5 00
Queen cage, such as is admitted to the
mails by the postal laws 1 50
Honey vinegar, not less than 1 gallon 2 100
Honey cakes, withreceipe for making... 4 2 00
Last year, the amount of our pre-
mium list was $100, and this year it
amounts to $208..50. The othcers of
the Fair assneiation were so well
pleased with our exhibit last year,that
they adopted this list (prepared and
^^ staid hij,''' by the committee ap-
pointed by the Tri-State Bee-Keepers'
Association) without a dissenting
vote. They have also granted all ex-
hibitors in our department the privi-
lege of selling anything they may
wish belonging to our specialty and ia
any quantity.
The Fair association offered to put'
up a building on purpose for our de-
partment,but the committee "declined
the honor," believing it better to have
our department among other appro-
priate exhibits, where the people are
sure to go by thousands, than in a
building by itself, where but few
would go. We expect to have one or
more tents on the grounds for the ac-
commodation of such bee-keepers as
come from a distance, and want to
stay several days, where they can
" camp out," and if they bring food
ready cooked to last them during their
stay, and a blanket, they can be " at
home " at very slight expense.
We worked hard last year to make
our exhibit a success, so we did not
have to urge the Fair association very
much to adopt what we considered a
good premium list. I believe, if bee-
keepers would do their part, there
need be no fears but the different Fair
associations would do theirs. Of
course, the county Fairs cannot offer
such inducements to our specialty as
can these district and State Fairs,
where thousands are in attendance
every day.
I felt like congratulating Prof. Cook
and his co-laborers over their success
in getting the Michigan State Agri-
cultural Society to adopt such a good
Sremium list as was published in the
lEE Journal of January 24th last,
and I am sure they will not feel hurt
and give us " the cold shoulder " be-
cause we have " succeeded beyond
our most sanguine expectations." It
is all for the " common good."
A new feature that we have intro-
duced is the offering of a premium
for comb foundation machine, making
best foundation on the grounds. I
have invited Mrs. Dunham, Messrs.
D. S. Given & Co., J. Vandervort and
W. C. Pelliam to be here with their
foundation machines, and all have
promised to be here, if possible. A. I.
Root has also been invited and promi-
ses to be here if possible, but is not
sure that he can bring a mill. I have
also asked C. Olm to be here with one
of his mills, but it is not time to hear
from him yet. The prospects now are
for a tine display, and a pleasant time
among the bee-keepers.
Messrs. T. G. Newman, C. F. Math,
and James Heddon have promised to
be here, and the Hon. 1. N. Cotton,
President of the Indiana State Bee-
Keepers' Association, will represent
Indiana on the awarding committee.
Dr. Besse, President Ohio Bee-Keep-
ers' Association, and Mr. Dougherty,
Secretary , Indiana Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation, will " try to be " here.
I will gladly answer all inquiries in
regard to our department, and send a
premium list, with rules and regula-
tions and entry blanks, as soon as
printed, to all applicants. They need
not " enclose stamp for reply," but
should write name and address plainly.
Wagon Works, O.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
171
For the American Bee JoumaL
Simpson Honey Plant— Figwort.
T. ELLICOTT.
For the American Bee Journal.
A great deal of bloom can be ob-
tained from it the first year, by start-
ing tlie plants early in the spring, in
a greenhouse or hot-bed. A great
many plants can be grown in a small
space. I had some started in a green-
house, last spring, and found that a
thousand plants could be grown in a
box 20 inches square, until large
enough to transplant. It grows rap-
idly, some of mv plants were over 6
feet high, the tirst season, and had a
great many branches, from 2 to 3 feet
long. I counted over 2,000 seed balls
on a plant.
I set the plants, 2 feet apart each
way, and think they require that
much room, to do well. I sowed some
seed in the fall and some early in the
spring, in the garden, but none of the
plants grew more than 2 feet high, and
only had a few blossoms on them.
I believe, from the length of time
bees remain on each blossom, and
their eagerness to work on them, that
it is a splendid honey plant. The
Developing a Home Market.
A. J. HATFIELD.
Simpson Honey Plant.
shape of the blossom and its natural
position on its stem, is such that it
cannot be penetrated by rain, conse-
quently the nectar cannot be diluted
or washed out, and bees will work on
them almost immediately after rain.
They work on tliemallday long, when
the weather is such that they can
work, which indicates a continued tlow
of nectar, and I think adds a great
deal to the value of tlie plant. It is
easy to transplant, but requires a
good deal of moisture to make the
seed grow. I have no seed or plants
to sell.
Fentonville, Mich.
[This plant, tig wort {Scrophularia
nodosa), is often called carpenter's
square, because it has a square stalk.
It is also known as rattle weed, as the
seeds will rattle in the pod ; heal-all,
etc. It blooms from the middle of
July till frost. Mr. .J. A. Simpson,
Alexis, 111., first called attention to it
as an excellent honey producer, and
that gave it the name of " Simpson
honey plant." — Ed.]
Myself and son, having, at the close
of tlie honey season of 1S82, about
6,000 lbs. of honey to dispose of (4,S00
lbs. being extracted), which would net
us from 7 cents to 9 cents, as reported
in Chicago, thinking we could do bet-
ter by selling our own honey at home
than to ship it, we determined to make
an effort to do so, but later changed
our plans somewhat, in that we ar-
ranged with several of the grocers of
South Bend and New Carlisle to sell
for us on commission, and in doing
which have saved a nice profit above
selling at wholesale.
To carry out our plans, we first or-
dered several hundred tin cans and
pails, ranging in size from II4 to 2V^
and 5 lbs., and after neatly labeling, we
filled them with No. 1 extracted honey,
preparatory to attending our county
fair, to be held at South Bend.
Assisted by a good brother apiarist,
we made an "exhibit of comb and ex-
tracted honey, bee-hives, extractors,
etc., that gave general satisfaction, as
well as' to put in five days of hard
work.
We had hoped to have the privilege
of selling honey at the fair, but could
not do so, until the last afternoon, but
our display and the few sales we were
able to make, assisted in making
many sales afterwards. We next pro-
ceeded to canvass the town, selling
samples, which we had been disap-
pointed, to a great extent, in doing at
the fair.
Our friend above referred to, selling
his comb honey, while our sales were
almost exclusively extracted (our
comb honey being sold by the crate,
or left on commission with our
grocers), and as sales were made,
families were directed to our grocer
where more honey could be had, and
at same prices, when wanted.
When putting up honey in pails,
full weight was given, and, in selling,
the wholesale price of the pails was
added to that of the honey. We also
made arrangements with our grocers
to pay ttie same prices for them if re-
turned in good condition. This ar-
rangement added materially to our
sales, although but few were returned,
still they expected to return them, at
the time the sale was made. This, of
course, could not be done in a distant
market very well.
After selling up to Feb. 1, and sup-
plying our grocers with what they
might be able to sell, the remainder o(
the season, we still had some hundreds
of pounds on liand. We concluded to
try what could be done selling to the
farmers in our vicinity, and our suc-
cess has been very gratifying.
When extracting we stored the
honey in stone jars, mostly 2 gallon
jars ; these we have been selling to
the farmers at a little less price per
pound than we sell in pails, it being
something of a wholesale trade, and
saved the trouble of liquefying the
honey, to get it into pails.
At this time we have but little
honey on hand, and I am satisfied we
have laid the foundation for good
sales in the future, and have intro-
duced the use of honey into very many
families that had not previously used
it, and others, that had used it spar-
ingly, have been using it quite largely,
this winter.
Our experience has demonstrated
that a pretty general effort in this
direction would add very largely to
the consumption of honey, and we
should not read of overstocked mar-
kets, as at present. My friend, above
referred to, in his canvass, probably
sold some 200 lbs. of comb honey.
New Carlisle, Ind., March 7, 1883.
[This is tlie way to create a market,
and lays the foundation for a large and
increasing trade in honey every year.
By getting a few hundreds of " Honey
as Food and Medicine," and having
the producer's name and address on
the first page, will greatly add to the
efficiency of the plans. Were bee-
keepers to follow this plan of creating
a market, we should hear no more of
overstocking the markets with honey,
and we should not only be blessing
our fellow-beings by giving them a
pure sweet, but be obtaining a much
larger profit for the labor and care of
the bees during the season. Let all
try it.— Ed.]
For the American Bee Journal.
Clamp Wintering and Ventilation.
WM. BRADFORD.
In November last, I visited a neigh-
borhood in Ontario, where the keep-
ing of a few bees was quite common
among the farmers. Tlie modern
system of bee-keeping, with its ac-
companying bee books and journals,
had not penetrated the locality, and
to have talked of brood frames and
sections or foundation, queen-rearing
and extracting, would have been like
speaking in an unknown tongue, but
burying bees for winter was quite a
common practice, and, in one case, I
saw the manner of doing the work.
The usual plan is, to dig a trench
about a foot deep, and a little wider
than the hives. Where I saw the
work done, the soil was gravelly hard-
pan, and a pick was used to make the
excavation. In the bottom of this
trench, a couple of rails orpoles. about
6 inches in diameter, are laid, with
some t) or 8 inches of space between
them. The hives I saw, in use, were
common box liives; some of them
very large. The season, I was told,
had been a very poor one for honey,
and no boxes had been used on top
for surplus, and it may be inferred
that they were .sealed tight at the top,
and that there was no upward venti-
lation. They were placed on the poles
as close together as they would stand,
and without bottom boards. Straw is
then packed on all sides and the top
of the hives, and the whole covered
with dirt. Provision is made for
drainage, but none for ventilation.
178
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,.
My informant did not fear the attack
of mice. He thouRlit a mouse would
have a hard time of it if he meddled
with a hive. I was assured that the
loss of bees, wintered in this way, was
trifling, and that the consumption of
honey was very small. The party re-
ferred to above, thought that o pounds
would winter a colony.
The question of winter ventilation
seems to be receiving a large amount
of attention from correspondents.
The views of Mr. C. J. Robinson, as
to clamp wintering and ventilation,
have gone the rounds of the bee
papers, and I note with some surprise,
the ardor with which his theories
have been attacked by various writers.
I assume that in saying, that in liis
clamps there was a partial vacuum,
he means partial absence of oxygen,
and not of all air or gas ; and looking
at what, I think, was the meaning of
the writer, rather than at what he
says, it appears to me that, possibly,
prolitable inquiry may be made in
this direction. I do not know what
the power of a bank of earth is to ab-
sorb carbonic acid, and to furnish
oxygen in its place, and I have no
authority to which I can refer in the
matter, but I sliould not like to be
shut up for many minutes in such a
clamp as I have described above, after
November rains had saturated the sur-
face soil and frost had congealed and
sealed it tight. I do not think that
the air can long remain, such as an
animal, requiring a full proportion of
oxygen, could breathe with impunity.
It is iipparent that in the matter of
the proportion of oxygen and carbonic
acid in the air they use, that the re-
quirements of bees are ditferent from
tuose of most larger animals. Give a
colony of bees a box, with from I to 2
cubic feet of space in it, and a round
hole an inch in diameter for entrance,
and they will seal up every other ap-
erture air-tight. Then, with the
circulation of air within impeded by
the compartments into which the
space is divided by the combs, and
with these compartments tilled with
the living insects, they cannot only
exist in a quiescent state, but they
work, eat and breathe, and rear their
young. The queen, with the tremen-
dous strain upon her vital powers, in-
volved in the performance of her
functions, never seeks the stimulus
of the purer outside air, but works
contentedly in the midst of her clus
tering subjects, as do her progeny for
days after they emerge from the
combs. The growing young, in their
cells, sealed and unsealed, are still
farther excluded from the pure air,
which we are disposed to think is as
necessary to them as to us. The in-
ference is plain, that they work with-
out detriment, in an atmosphere
highly charged with carbonic acid.
That they can winter in an atmos-
phere similarly impure, needs no
Eroof. The questions for inquiry are,
ow large a proportion of oxygen is
necessary to their safety, and what
influence, if any, has a large propor-
tion of carbonic acid in reducing tlieir
activity, and the consumption of
honey and conserving their vital
forces. That there is proof that it
does or can do this, I do not claim,
but only that the negative is not es-
tablished, and that it is not so im-
probable as to be dismissed without
consideration. Bees, we have all
seen reduced to a quiescent state by
cold, and revive again without appar-
ent injury. Frogs, and some other
cold-blooded animals, in their winter
quarters, furnish us examples of a
torpid condition, witti very trifling
consumption of oxygen for long peri-
ods of time.
This subject, of upward ventilation,
is a question of the safe disposal of
the watery vapor expired by the bees,
not of the carbonic acid. If all were
known that can be known about the
proper adjustment of a current of air
through the hive for this purpose, it
would still be a difficult matter to
regulate properly in every case, with
the varying strength of colonies, and
would change outside temperature,
and require great care, experience and
skill. If a safe way of wmtering can
be secured, better approximating the
natural method, by dispensing with
this upward current, it would be
worth searching for.
St. Lawrence, N. Y.
For the American Bee Journal.
Best Way to Market Comb Honey.
MRS. L. HARRISON.
Mr. E. B. Southwick expresses my
feelings exactly, with reference to
the one-pound section. Before this
insignificant package was put upon
the market, honey changed hands
faster than it does now, and ata better
price per pound, a Bve-pound package
sold as readily.
I do not know what suits Eastern
people, for I never interviewed them
on tiie subject, but Western people,
with their expansive views and capa-
cious stomachs, desire a good square
meal. A one-pound section is be-
neath their notice; cannot see it;
their optics are too large to take it in.
When they used to order their sup-
plies, a box of honey included, it
amounted to something ; it could be
cut out as needed, but they would be
afraid that those little mites of honey
would get lost— the children would
carry them off to their play house.
I interviewed the dealers when they
were selling the prize box, in this
shape, a number of them were fast-
ened together with little wooden
strips, forming a long box, and the
ends glassed. The reply was, " We do
not want it in any better shape than
that ; it is good enough ; a customer
can take a whole box, or part, just as
he likes."
We have always sold our honey in
this shape, mostly to families, with
this exception, our boxes are larger,
seven of them weighing about 15
|)ounds. Consumers can take out the
glass and cut out the honey as needed,
and the remainder is safe from dust
and insects.
1 saw a shallow box of one-pounds,
in a grocery, this week ; it was uncov-
ered, and someone had run against it,
knocking the tiiiy things over, break-
ing them badly. If producers persist in
putting i)ounils upon the market, they
had better nail two of them together,
then a consumer would be ashamed to
ask a dealer to take off one.
Peoria, 111.
Northeastern, N. Y., Convention.
The thirteenth annual convention
of the Northeastern Bee- Keepers' As-
sociation was held in Syracuse, N. Y.,
Jan. 9-11, isas.
After the regular routine of busi-
ness, the topic, " Different races of
bees," was introduced and discussed
by Mr. Jones, his choice being the
Holy Land bees. They are not so
cross as the Cyprians, and they are
better breeders than the Italian. He
has had too few pure Cyprians to
breed from to make a fair test of
them. The Holy Land bees winter
better, and are in every way superior
to Blacks or Italians. They also
gather honey earlier. The pure Holy
Land bees, or cross between them and
the Italian, using a Holy Land queen,
produce one-third to one-half more
honey than the pure Italian. Some
may think the Holy Lands are too
cross to handle, but they show the
same determination to gather honey
that they do to protect their stores.
They are scarcely as large as the Ital-
ian bee, are quicker in their move-
ments, and their hair is greyer ; their
color is lighter also than the Cyprian,
and their rings are more of a lemon
hue. All pure Holy Land bees were
brought from Mount Lebanon and
the Valley of Sharon. The Cyprians
were nothing more than Holy Lands,
brought about by being isolated.
Italians came from Holy Lands
originally.
Mr. Hoffman described a variety he
imported from Germany, called the
Caucasian. The docility of these
bees is remarkable. Their comb and
honey are far whiter than ordinary,
and winter as well as any. They are
rather dark, have silver-grey hair and
narrow yellow stripes, and are not as
thin and pointed as the Cyprian bee.
Mr. Jones, in answpr to a question,
stated that Holy Lauds will not run
off the combs like black bees. They
will (ill their cells full of honey, and
are swifter and make longer journeys
than any others. They will ily in 13
minutes the same distance that it
takes the Italians to traverse in 17 and
Cyprians U minutes.
Mr. Doolittle said he wanted to live
in peace with his friends and bees,
but found it impossible to keep on
good terms with the Cyprians. He
thought the Holy Lands as easy to
handle when they had a queen as the
Italians, but did not want any more
Cyprians ; his Holy Land bees made
whiter honey than his Italians.
Thought them detrimental, in breed-
ing out of season.
Air. Vandervort said the foreign
races were too cross, and he got rid
of what he had.
Mr. Houck said, the most he knew
about the foreign bees was from re- ^
ports received, had but very few re-
ports favorable to Cyprians, and some
J
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
179
good reports from the Holy Lands.
Found the Holy Land bees nearly as
gentle as the Italians.
Mr. .Jones said he never saw any
bees tliat could rob the Holy Lands ;
found they were no worse to rob
others than other bees. Thought the
Holy Land bees quite as hardy as the
Italian or black bees. He said that
queens reared in small nuclei did not
give as good satisfaction as those
reared in Targe colonies. He thought
the time would come when a cent's
worth of chloroform would serve for
introducing a queen in any hive and
at any time of the year.
Mr. Peet had seen queens introduced
by tirst dropping them into honey and
then putting them into the hive, and
that the success of the method had
given good satisfaction, as a queen
was seldom lost by this process.
Mr. Jones explained his chloroform
process as follows : Put one-lialf tea-
spoonful of chloroform on a sponge,
place in a smoker, puff a little of the
smoke into the entrance of the hive,
and then drop tlie queen into the hive.
He never lost a queen by this method.
The question of using half-pound
boxes was warmly discussed, and a
resolution was passed, "That it is the
unanimous opinion of the Association
that half-pound sections are not prac-
ticable or proKtable to the producer at
anything less than 40 cents a pound."
The topic of " Marketing our pro-
ducts," was taken up for discussion.
Mr. J. M. McCaul, of New York,
addressed the convention. He wanted
to interest every bee-keeper in the
matter of awarding prizes, with tlie
view of getting the producer to im-
prove on the grading of his honey.
lie thought the paper boxes, used by
Mr. Schotield, a great improvement,
and the very best manner of putting
up the one-pound packages of comb
honejf. The two-pound boxes should
invariably be glassed and crated, 12 to
a crate. The one-pound packages
should be put up 24 to the crate, llis
opinion of the half-pound, boxes was
decidedly unfavorable to them. He
did not want the trade to become so
contracted as that, and advised bee-
keepers not to use them, under any
circumstances. Upon the whole, he
thought the syx-S inch box the best
for the bee-keeper to use. Extracted
honey for the New York market
should be put up in firkins or small
barrels, weighing from 1.50 to 175
pounds. They had no trade for ex-
tracted honey put up in small pails,
but had a trade for glass bottles and
jars. He would advise bee-keepers
to put up their extracted honey, for
home consumption, in small packages
or pails.
Mr. Jones thought the best manner
for putting up honey for the home
trade and to increase the consumption
of extracted honey, was to put it up
in small packages. We must educate
the people to use our honey in prefer-
ence to the adulterated sweets, found
on the market to-day.
Mr. Root thought that the Western
bee-keepers had greatly injured our
markets by putting their comb honey
on the market without glassing. The
Association should pass a resolution
asking Western friends to glass what
comb honey they put upon the New
York market, lie related his experi-
ence in selling extracted honey direct
to the consumer.
Mr. L. C. Root read an able paper
on " Extracting and curing honey,"
which was listened to attentively.
He said that honey from Pompeii,
8,000 years old, was now in the British
Museum, and is in a perfect state of
preservation.
Mr. Jones said, there was not a
doctor living who could produce a
better remedy for colds and hoarse-
ness than honey. An eminent Roman
priest had found that Jamaica rum
and honey mixed and taken in doses
of one teaspoonful, taken very often,
would cure the worst cold, coughs and
consumption in its worst stages,
which baffled our best physicians. Mr.
Jones also gave the following recipe
for preparing any kind of pail or
bucket, no matter" how musty, or of
what material made of, so that it
would keep honey perfectly : Take
pure hot paraffine and coat the inside
of the vessel. It would more than
pay for all the trouble and expense.
The cost was very little.
Aside from the formal proceedings
common in all deliberative bodies —
and short remarks from many differ-
ent individuals, commenting on the
essays read— the above contains about
all the proceedings of interest to our
readers, so far as we hate received
them. When the essays come to
baud we shall classify them and pub-
lish through the year such as are best
adapted to the immediate wants of
our readers, and thus endeavor to
give them " meat in due season." —
Bee and Poultry Magazine.
Convention Notices.
1^" The Southeastern Michigan
Bee-Keepers' Association will hold
their next meeting at Adrian, Mich.,
April 18, 1883. All are invited. Re-
duced rates at hotel.
II. D. Cutting, Pres.
Clinton, Mich.
H. C. Makkham, ISec.
Ann Arbor, Mich.
^" Thesemi-annual meetingof the
Western Bee- Keepers' Association
will be held at Independence, Jackson
County, Mo., on Saturday, April 28,
1883, at 10 a. m. Papers prepared for
the occasion by the president, sec-
r(?tary and others will be read, and
matters of general interest to bee-
keepers discussed. A general attend-
ance of persons interested in bee-
culture is requested. The present
membership of this Association con-
trol 2,000 colonies of bees.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
Kansas City, Mo.
J. A. Nelson, Pres. Wyandotte, Kas.
1^ The spring meeting of the
Cortland LInion Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held in Cortland, N. Y.,
on Tuesday, May 8. 1883.
M. C. I'.EAN, Sec.
1^" Quite a number of the leading
bee-keepers of Missouri and Kansas
met at the Court House, in Independ-
ence, Mo., December 23, 1882, and or-
ganized a bee-keepers' convention,
which was named the " Western Bee-
Keepers' Association," by electing the
following officers for the ensuing year :
Jas. A. Nelson, of Wyandotte, Kans.,
President; L. VV. Baldwin, of Inde-
pendence, Mo., Vice-President; S.W.
Salsbury, Kansas City, Mo., Treasurer.
The Association passed a resolution
to invite all bee-keepers within a con-
venient distance, to meet with us at
our next meeting and lend us their
councils. Adjourned, to meet again
at Independence, on the last Saturday
in April next, at 10 o'clock, a. m.
J. D. Meador, P. Baldwin, C. M.
Crandall, Committee.
1^ The Central Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association holds its spring
convention at Lansing, in the State
Capitol building, on Tuesday, April
17, 1883, 9 a. m. Programme : Presi-
dent's address ; Essays : Prof. A. J.
Cook, on Wintering Bees ; S. C. Perry,
on Cliaff Hives; C. Case, on Comb
Honey ; O S. Smith, on the Best Bee ;
A. D. Benham, on Extracted Honey ;
Mr. Harper, on Queen-Rearing ; Mr.
Waldo, on Best Method of Wintering
Out of Doors, in Single- Walled Hives;
E. N. Wood, on Sections ; and E.
Greenaway, on Comb Foundation. All
bee-keepers are invited to attend or
send essays, papers, implements or
anything of interest to the fraternity
A full attendance is requested.
E. N. Wood, Sec
North Lansing, Mich.
1^ The spring meeting of the
Western Michigan Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation will be held at Supervisor's
Hall, Grand Rapids, April 26, at 10
a. m.
F. 8. Covey, Sec.
Coopersville, Mich.
1^ The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
i^ The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, ana the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G. W. Demaree, Sec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
180
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
m^
Moldy Combs.
I have some combs badly mildewed,
can you tell me how to get them in
good condition asrain V A party, who
has kept bees for 6 years in Colorado,
told me that he took off 7 tons of
honey from 150 colonies, and that the
average is 200 lbs. per colony.
Fhil. Rearden.
Jamestown, Colo., March 17, 1883.
[The bees will clean up the moldy
combs, if given them, one at a time, in
spring.— Ed.]
Bees Confined 130 Days.
The bees have been confined since
Nov. 13. I put 23 colonies in the
cellar, and left 7 out, 3 of them were
floated some distance by water being
dammed up, in the snow. about the ttrst
of February. I expect some loss from
those that have had no flight yet ; the
thermometer is down to zero every
morning, and we have snow drifts
from 3 to 1.5 feet deep. Those in the
cellar seem to be all right, yet some
are getting a little uneasy. 130 days
without a flight, who can beat that?
Perry McKay.
Spofford, N. Y., March 23, 1883.
Matrimony Vine, Etc.
Last season was a pretty good sea-
son for our " pets ;" crops of all kinds
have yielded well; but just how well
bees could have done, cannot be said,
from the fact that there are no prac-
tical bee-keepers, to my knowledge,
in this section of country, thfe bees
being kept by farmers, in box hives
or the cottage bee-hive, a patented
concern, worse than a box hive. I
have 2 colonies, one good and strong,
the other rather weak from the effects
from dysentery. I put my bees in the
cellar, Dec. 1, 1882. One colony be-
came very uneasy the beginning of
February; every few days a large
quantity of dead bees accumulated on
the bottom board; the hive became
very damp. 1 bored a hole in the top
of the hive, and they became more
quiet (after boring the hole. I laid a
bunch of wool on the top, to keep the
bees in), with fewer dead bees, till
Feb. 1-5, when we had a uleasant day,
but much snow was on the ground. I
brought the affected colony up, let
them fly out, and returned them to
the cellar ; this cured them ; tliere
were no more dead bees nor dysen-
tery, but the colony is weak from dis-
ease, and bees perished on the snow,
the day 1 let them liy. The bees are
the common black bees, which I cap-
tured iri the woods last August. I
found 4 bee-trees ; the bees I united
into 2 colonies, let them build comb,
then bought "wild honey" and fed
them up for winter quarters. I now
have them on their summer stands,
doing well. The elms are yielding
pollen at present. I think I will make
a practical apiarist, for I " fill the
bill " exactly, as given by Dr. C. C.
Miller, in February number of the
Bee Journal. Yes, I not onlv lay
awake at night; talk about bees so
much, that my wife and chiklren also
talk about bees in their sleep, and
take as much delight in the lioney-
bee as I do. When the proper time
arrives, I shall transfer them to some
movable frame hive. In the mean-
time I will content myself with read-
ing the Bee Journal and the A B
C in Bee-Culture, etc., and build u\>
an apiary as fast as my means and
experience will admit. Please give a
description of tlie matrimony vine, as
spoken of by \Vm. StoUey, of Ne-
braska, in the Bee Journal, and
give its botanical name.
Fulton, Mo. D. R. Phillipps.
[The matrimony vine, Lycium har-
barum belongs to the order Solanaceie,
which includes the potato, tomato,
night shade, horse nettle, ground
cherry, bitter sweet, egg plant, etc.
It is easily propagated by layer-
ing.—Ed. 1
A Long Winter, but Bees AH Right.
Bees have had a long winter, but
mine are all right yet, and I think it
is the same in this vicinity generally.
L. M. Roberts.
Fort Atkinson, Wis., March 28, 1883.
Used 80 Bi?fehels of Chaflf.
I have kept bees for 30 vears, and
once thought I knew all about them,
but have since found that I knew but
little. Wintering bees battles me yet.
1 tliink Mr. Heddon is riglit in his
pollen theory. If one tries all the
plans of wintering, he will have no
time for anything else. I have used
SO bushels of chaff this winter, and
have bees prepared in five different
ways ; some are in the cellar, some in
cold frames, some with pollen and
some without it. One colony, having
no honey. [ fed till Feb. 10, when the'
bees all died, as it was too cold to
feed, 10 degrees below zero.
Nineveh, Ind. W. D. Smyser.
All Hopeful— Bees have Wintered Well.
Bees have generally wintered well,
and we are all hopeful, but can hardly
expect another such honey season as
the last. J. L. Wolcott.
Bloomington, 111., March 27, 1883.
Lady's Report for Two Years.
The terrible winter of 1880 made sad
havoc with bees here, as elsewhere,
and of the 47 fine, strong colonies, so
carefully packed in the fall, June 1,
1881, found us with beesinliut 9 hives,
and of these, only 5 colonies were
tlirifty. We equalized bees and brood,
and felt we had but a pom- start for
the season. Were not discouraged,
though things went somewhat askew.
I did my work alone for a family of
7 to 9, till the middle of September.
Mr. Parsons was seriously ill the en-
tire month of October, and a part of
November, and Nov. ], the "cham-
pion queen " of the county, our
daughter Mabel," took up her abode
in our home. " Blessed bees "' failed
to receive all the attention they could
have endured that summer, but our
expenses were only 75 cents,and recom-
pense 278I4 lbs. of salable comb honey,
and 175 lbs. of extracted honey ; the
wax I had to let go. We obtained 20
cents per lb. for comb honey, and 15
cents for extracted honey. Some of
the 1.S80 crop also brought 20 cents,
thereby bringing the average price of
that year's crop to 18 cents per lb. I
packed the bees, which had increased
to 13 colonies, on the summer stands,
in building paper and boards ; they
were left in summer hives, with sec-
tions at sides and above them. (We
were too ill to do more for them.)
Ttiey came through the winter, 9 colo-
nies being strong and thrifty. Our
expenses, this year, were $6.25, and
recompense 1,1133^ lbs. of salable
comb honey, 354 lbs. of extracted
honey, and 10 lbs. of beeswax. The
stock increased, by natural swarming,
to 23 colonies. They are on summer
stands ; some in summer hives with
straw in ends of hives and covers;
some in winter hives with division-
board at each side of the frames, and
straw in the covers. All are encased
in building paper and boards, and are
well banked at the front and back;
have good board roof with tar paper
roof over it, lapped well over the edge
of the roof boards at each side ; have
35 lbs. and upwards of early made,
well-capped honey, and we hope for
the best. All are now quiet, and I
find no indication of frost at the en-
trances of the hives. We have had
steady, cold weather and good sleigh-
ing since Thanksgiving day ; the mer-
cury having fallen as low as 16° below
zero ; that is the extreme.
Mrs. MyraL. Parsons.
Linwood, Mich., Feb. 6, 1883.
Red Clover, Italian Bees, Etc.
In the report of the Maine conven-
tion, in the Bee Journal of March
7, page 123, 1 am made to say that I
" iiad often observed black bees on
red clover, but no Italians."' It was
not me, but another man who said
that. I have been looking, during the
last three summers, to find bees gath-
ering honey from red clover ; having
partially Italianized my black bees,
with that end in view, there being
lots of red clover about here, with
piles of honey, as well as money, in it ;
yet, never have seen the first h<mey
bee, either black or Italian, gathering
honey from red clover. I have seen
them buzzing around and over it, but
when they settle, they invariably
alight on white or alslke clover, or
some flowers beside red clover.
Were I to offer .50 cents ahead for all
the honey bees found gathering honey
from red clover about my locality, "I
do not think I shall be called on for
the first 50 cents.
So far as my experience goes with
Italians, they are poor comb builders,
tliat is, they make it uneven. My
Italians produced dark comb and dark
honey ; at the same time, the blacks
were producing white comb and white
honey, that sold from 2 to 3 cents per
lb. more in market than that put up
by the Italians.
I
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
181
I think the quantity stored by my
Italians about equal to that stored by
my best blacks, but my hybrids stored
more than either. The quality of that
put up by the hybrids, seems to be a
mixture of the two.
I think the Italians are a little more
prolific, and more liable to dwindle,
but, when putting up white comb
honey for tlie market, the black bees
carry off tlie palm with me. Whetlier
the Italians do better in their own
native hills, I cannot say. There
should be some great exhibition, where
all can compare combs, and see for
themselves. I think if Maine men
would take more pains to improve
their own bees, they might make a
great saving in time and money.
John Reynolds.
Clinton, Maine, March 21, 1883.
Rainfall in California.
Quite a mistake appears in the
Weekly Bee Journal of Feb. 28,
under the heading of " Scarcity of
Water in California." On Feb. 5, I
reported the rainfall, so far this win-
ter, 2^2 inches; but in the Bee Jour-
nal it reads 22,13 inches. If we had
that much rain, we would not now be
complaining of drouth. Since my
communication of Feb. 5, we have
had S}4 inches more of rain, making 6
inches for this season. There is little
probability of getting much more rain
this season, consequently the outlook
for surplus honey is not encouraging,
although the bees are now doing well,
working on the Alfilerio (pin grass)
and sycamore. I have noticed that
everything that has bloomed, up to
date, is very rich in nectar. What
the future will bring, is yet unknown.
J. E. Pleasants.
Carbondale, Cal., March 19, 1883.
[True ; that was quite a mistake,
and we wonder that it was not dis-
covered. We try to avoid mistakes,
but perfection does not yet exist in
mortals.— Ed. 1
Lost 2 Out of 83 Colonies.
The spring here is cold and back-
ward ; bees are not in very good con-
dition, generally, as far as heard
from. Some have about one-fifth
left; mine are in good condition yet;
I lost 2 out of 83 ; but we are not out
of the woods yet. A. D. Bennett.
Janesville, Iowa, March 26, 1883.
Beginner's Satisfiiction.
I commenced in the spring of 1882,
with 2 colonies, and Increased to 9. I
bought a few at $3.35 per colony, in
box hives, which I will transfer to
movable frame hives. I formerly lived
near Mr. Hill, of Kendall viUe, Ind.
Edna, Kans. W. E. PoTTS.
No More Loss than Last Winter.
Bees are wintering fairly here, not-
withstanding the severe winter, and
I do not think the per cent, of losses
will exceed that of last winter, unless
very unfavorable weather should in-
tervene between this and warm
weather. I have about 20 colonies
packed on their summer stands, while
the balance are stowed away in the
cellar, to remain until the weather
becomes warm enough to justify their
removal. Chas. S. Burt.
Brecksville, O., March 26, 1883.
Moving Bees.
I have 2 colonies of bees, in the
cellar. I wish to move them 10 miles
ontheUth of May. I cannot move
before. VVill it injure them, or be the
cause of many being lost y It is where
I kept them last season. Please give
best plan of setting them in wagon,
and of preparing for the journey.
Port Elgin, Out. Beginner.
[By that time it should be warm
enough to move them with safety.
Put them in a spring wagon, with
frames running across the body of the
wagon. For manner of preparing
them, see directions given on page 77
of the Bee Journal for Feb. 7,
1883.— Ed.]
Stimulative Feeding.
The question is often asked, about
this time of the year, how sha'l we
keep our bees quiet in the cellar.and
yet have them breed up until we want
to put them out 'f We will suppose
that your bees were put into a warm
cellar last fall, and are in a healthy
condition, and that each colony has
plenty of stores. Now place near the
entrance, or at any place where the
bees can get at it, and it will not leak
or run into the hives, a piece of ice,
and, as often as it melts, replace it ;
the longer it is used, the more they
will require. I prefer ice to water, as
water takes up the poison that is in
the atmosphere, and the ice will keep
the air more humid ; in this way I
have increased ordinary colonies two-
fold by the time they were set out on
the summer stands. Do not give ice
more than 4 or 6 weeks before putting
them out in the spring. Then take a
frame of honey and place it in the
center of the brood-nest (if the colony
is strong enough to move the honey
out of the comb and not chill the
brood); make the hive as warm as
possible, and, if the weather is cold,
close tlie entrance to quite a small
one. As soon as sufficient bees are
hatched, which will be according to
the strength of the colony, place
another in the center, and so continue
until flowers secrete honey, so that
the bees can get plenty to use each
day (if you have no honey in frames,
put the feed in the empty frame by
pouring it from a distance above, in a
small stream), then place in the cen-
ter, the same as a frame of honey ; as
the bees move the honey or feed from
the comb, the queen is sure to fill it
with eggs, and the bees will feed the
young. When honey comes plenti-
fully from the fiowers. place empty
frames of comb in the center of the
brood-nest. If, at any time, for any
reason, honey should cease, and there
is none in the center of the hives, im-
mediately place combs, tilled with
honey or feed in the center of the
brood-nest. If tliese rules are ob-
served, bees will continue to rear
brood until the main honey crop
comes, when you will have to see that
the bees do not crowd the brood-nest
with honey. Colonies that are too
weak to work thus, should be fed^
using some kind of a feeder that will
not let out any of the original heat.
No matter how much honey the colony
has, if it is weak, feed it. 1 cut a hole
through the quilt, over the cluster of
bees, and place the food in a feeder,
made thus : Make a tin cup, 2 inches
deep and 2^ inches in diameter, with-
out top or "bottom, and another that
will just squeeze into it, without top
or bottom (the inside cup should be 3
or I inches deep) : place the cotton
cloth over the largest cup, squeeze the
other into it, until it comes within }4
inch of the bottom ; now you have a
cup without top or bottom, with a
partition ij i"ch above the bottom.
Wet the under side of the cloth with
the food, so as to attract the bees ; set
it over the hole in the quilt, put in the
food, quite warm, at a certain hour
each day, and feed just what they will
use. I have used the above feeder for
15 years, with the best of success.
W. H. B.
Oran, N. Y., March 27, 1883.
Bee-Keepiiig in Minnesota.
We have been having a cold, long
winter, 41° below zero was the lowest,
and 42° above zero was the warmest,
up to March 14, and still we are hav-
ing cold spells. The thermometer,
this morning at 6 a. m., showed 12°
below zero. I set out 130 colonies of
bees on the 14th inst., which I win-
tered in a double-walled bee-house,
but the weather was hardly warm
enough for bees to take a fly (which
they needed badly) ; a large number
of them dropped on the snow and
could not rise again. It was 43° in
the shade, and 60° on the south side
of buildings, in the sun, above zero.
Cold winds have been prevailing for
the past three days, with from 2 10 2%
feet of snow in the woods, and north
side of hills, which is hard enough to
walk over anvwhere. There were
about 2J^ bushels of dead bees on the
floor of the bee-house, though, with
the exception of a few colonies, they
are in splendid condition; most of
them have consumed but little lioney,
and the combs look nice and clean ;
also there are plenty of bees. My 30
colonies, which I wintered out of
doors, came all through safely ; they
were packed with chaff, on the south
side of the building; and were cov-
ered with 13^2 feet of snow for over 2
months ; then the snow melted be-
tween the hives and the top of the
snow ; as it was too warm and damp
for the bees, I cleared it away ; the
coldest weather was over, too. I have
no cushions on top or anywhere, and
left the entrances, on all my hives,
open the whole width, but made holes
through the combs, last fall, for pas-
sages. Nearly all bees in this vicinity,
as far as I have heard, are dead ; their
keepers gave them no protection . I
have not lost any out of 160 colonies,
so far, this winter. I believe a ball of
snow on each entry, in portico, is a
good idea, as Mrs. A. B. Winder (on
182
i'HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
page 139) has stated. Where bees are
kept ill a temperature from -iCP to -io-,
througli the winter, they seem to get
dry, and are in need of water, towards
spring. Mine have been keptontlie
above temperature, and, althougli, in
a healthy state, they liave been very
uneasy tor the past month, and a great
many came out, probably in searcli of
water, and dropped on the floor. I
could not think of such a convenient
and practical way to water my bees,
like Mrs. Winder, and when the Bee
Journal, with its precious contents,
came to hand, it was too late for my
bees, as I had them out, already. H.
M. Morris, on page 14-5, refers to my
experience. Here, corn does not yield
honey every season ; at least, not
enough to notice. I have only ex-
perienced 2 seasons in 8, that rny bees
gathered large quantities of honey on
corn. Some years I could hardly see
a bee visiting the corn, while in
bloom, with large fields close by the
apiary. Corn honey is the very finest
and best that my bees gather.
C. Theilmann.
Theilmanton, Minn., March 19, 1883.
Fruit Trees Killed by the Frost.
I have now set a part of my bees on
their summer stands. I lost 3 out of
60. 1 am now satisfied that they will
winter in this cold country, packed in
sawdust, without freezing. The past
winter has been the coldest one on
record in Iowa. Many apple trees
froze so hard that it will kill them. I
liad 150 trees that had been bearing ;
all were killed but 5. Where trees are
planted on high ridges, probably only
about one-fourth are dead.
H. C. Clark.
Palmyra, Iowa, March 26, 1883.
Tight Top Bars of Frames.
I wish to say through the Bee
Journal that I have been using the
American hive, improved to suit my
own notions, and I find it very con-
venient ; and the alteration is in cut-
ting the hive down to lo inches in
length, also varying the pitch of the
bottom board, s"hortening the frames
and making them ll,i>|xlli.^ in the
clear. The top bars of the frames fill
the hive, over the top, leavings inches
closed at each end of the frame, then
cutting 3 inches, »s of an inch in
width, at eHch side of hive, leav-
ing 2 inches closed in the centre ; then
the quilt is placed on top, pressed
down with a thin board, till the time
of putting on my racks, which hold
12 two-pound sectiiiiis. And as this
rack of sections is filled, I raise it up
and put another under, and as long as
there is a flow of nectar, the bees keep
filling them ; here is one advantage of
the closed frames, concentrating the
heat and throwing it immediately into
the surplus box, where you cannot
get too much, as long as it arises from
the bees ; the next advantage is in
economizing the labor of the bees, in
regard to gathering propolis, where
they could as well be gathering honey,
and would be, if you had frames with
closed top bars for 3 inches at each
«nd. I have never handled open or
narrow top frames till within the last
two years ; in this length of time I
have handled quite a number, for iny
neighbors, and in those I have opened,
I find more propolis in one hive than
in ten of mine, that have closed
frames. I believe if the labor of the
propolis-gathering was spent in honey-
gathering, it would make from -5 to 10
pounds of honey to each strong colony,
which would be of some account,
while the propolis is of no account to
you or to the bees, while packed be-
tween the frames. R. Coubett.
Manhattan, Kans.
American Hive, Honey Vinegar, Etc.
Please give the proper dimensions
of the American hive and frame, as I
find there are several sizes in use in
this vicinity. Also please give the
dimensions of frame to fit extractors
marked for 13x13 inches. My frames
are 12^^x11 inches, with 14 inch top
bar, with cross bar in the middle, con-
sequently are built down to from 12 to
13 inches, and I find the long ones are
set on the bottom of the basket, and
slip about at the top, ^id occasionally
the top bar strikes the can.
In the Bee Journal, page 143. Mi'.
W. Z. Hutchinson gives us Mr. IJing-
ham's plan for making honey vinegar,
which he says was good. We made
some last fall from the washings of
vessels, after extracting. The honey
was first-class, smartweed honey, but
the vinegar had a sickening taste
about it, and the only way we could
use it was to mix it with sorglium
vinegar, the kind we were using.
Does honey vinegar usually have such
a taste i* Joseph Beath.
Corning, Iowa.
[The American frame should be
12x12 inches, but that hive has had so
many changes, and been varied by so
many that use it, that it would be
difficult now to determine a standard
size for it. Mr. King does not give
any size for it in his new Text Book.
As your frames are 12i-^ with a 14
inch top bar, an extractor, with comb
basket 13x13 inches, is just the thing;
the ends of the top bar will rest on
the top of the comb basket.
We never heard of honey vinegar
having a sickening taste, though we
have used considerable of it.— Ed.J
(Jueens Reared in the Soiitli.
On page 141, G. M. Doolittle writes
that he has a colony of bees to which
he gave a Texas queen last Jnjie,
that they were the first to show signs
of dysentery, that they were nearly
all dead, and what remained were in
a deplorable condition. As I have
been thinking of sending to Texas for
queens, this spring, I would like to
ask Mr. Doolittle if he thinks bees,
from a queen reared in the South, are
as hardy and well able to stand the
long^cold winters of the North, as
those from a queen reared here y It
seems to me they are not. but I may
be wrong. I merely ask for informa-
tion. It is true we can get queens
earlier and cheaper, but will it be ad-
visable to send there for them ? I
would like to hear from any others
who have liad experience with .South-
ern queens. T. S. Johnson.
Bogart, O.
Hints About Rearing Drones, Etc.
Professors Siebold and Leuckhart
were right; drone and worker eggs
are not alike, yet they iire all fertilized
by the male bee. The queen has
nothing to do in fertilizing her own
eggs, when laying. A queen is like
all other winged insects; not like
frogs and fish. The drone does not
accompany the queen when she is
laying. When they want drones, the
whole colony engage in the work ;
the same in rearing queens. Bees
make drones and queens, when they
want them ; it is the workers that reg-
ulate the laying, not the queen alone.
Bees never eat nor remove eggs from
one cell to another ; they can destroy
eggs when they desire, but never eat
them. Bee-men should be careful
about importing new kinds of bees,
and not let the drones fly, until proved
to be better than any we now have,
for they may do a great deal of dam-
age. Cyprian drones fly faster and
farther than Italians. I think Italians
are better then any I have yet seen,
for honey-gathering.
Delhi, K. Y. John McCandlish.
Bees Strong and Healthy.
I removed my bees from the cellar,
where they have been confined for 135
days, and they had no flight for 10 or
15 days before they were put in the
cellar. The bees never wintered bet-
ter. J. J. HURLBERT, 40.
Lyndon, 111., March 30, 1883.
tSIIxat mitX goxu.
ANSWERS BY
James Eeddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Transferring Bees, Etc.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following questions through the
" How and What " department of the
Bee Journal : I have 8 colonies of
bees in box hives, which I wish to
transfer to frame hives, this spring,
according to your " Progressive
Method " (published in No. 28 of the
present volume of the Bee .Iournal),
but I do not understand the method
fully. You say : " With smoker, drum
box, etc., drive a colony from the
' old gum ' into the frame hive, filled
with found:ition. After 21 days the
worker brood is all hatched, and a
new queen, just begun to lay, in the
' old gum.' " " Now, I can unite with
my first drive."
2. How do you manage to catch the
young queen, to keep her from going
into the frame hive and raising a row
with the queen already there ? If I
can catch the young queen, I would
much prefer this method to the old
one. Do celonies, so transferred,
have to be fed for a few days V
3. What are the distinguishing
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
183
marks of a brown German queen ?
4. Can a queen-cell be safely in-
troduced to a colony rendered (jueen-
less, and how shoidd it be done V
ROBEKT L. FltBDEItlCK.
Riverton, Va., March 26, IHU'i.
[1. After the bees are above in the
drum-box, Ijefore you put them with
the first drive, shake them down on a
flat board or sheet, and while tliey are
running into the box, or a decoy hive
fixed for the purpose, lools tliem over,
find and pick out the queen and kill
her. There is no easier method of
finding queens than this.
'2. We do our transferring during
a honey flow, and have never yet
fed the new colony. Were we com-
pelled to do it at other times, we
should feed, of course.
3. The brown bee differs from the
smaller black bee physically, to the
observation, as follows : She is larger
every way, lighter-colored, and more
hairy or downy, than her smaller
black cousins. In qualities, her points
of superiority are vastly more marked
and numerous. Queens differ from
each other in appearance mucii the
same as the workers, though not to as
great a degree.
4. About six hours after making
the colony queenless, insert the cell,
by cutting a V-shaped hole in one of
the central combs, in which insert the
cell, which is held in place by the V-
shaped piece of comb attached to it,
if you cut it out properly. 1 have
stuck the butt of cells to a piece of
section honey box, and hung them
down between the top bars with suc-
cess, but the first named plan is the
safest.— James Heddon.]
About a Location.
1. Allow me to ask about the right
kind of a location to keep bees.
Would a prairie place do, say 1 mile
from timber, with no running creek
or branch in IV^ miles, but weak
springs of water nearer, with well on
the premises V
2. Do bees require an abundance of
water, and do the winds blowing, on
the prairies, disturb their working or
destroy them ?
3. Will bees do well with land in
cultivation, a mile in each direction V
4. Everything else being desirable,
or even suflicient as a location, would
1.5 miles from market or railroad be
too far to succeed well, where one
wants to make the business profitable y
Bear in mind this is Texas, with
sometimes long, dry summers, and
high winds in the spring, especially.
Salado, Texas. W. P. Hancock.
[1. Yes; many succeed with far
greater disadvantages.
2. Bees use considerable water, but
will find plenty in your locality. High
winds are unfavorable, but not
enough so, as to prevent success in
windy locations.
3. Yes.
4. No ; honey is a commodity that
possesses much value in small com-
pass, and weight.
Tiering up Sections, Etc.
1. I am a beginner, and would like
to know how to put on sections ; hori-
zontal or " flat " as quoted in price
lists of Bee-Keepers' Supplies V I use
4 lb. boxes, 5x6x2 in cases ; 18 sections
in 8 frame, or 21 in 10 frame Langs-
trotli hive.
2. What is the best way of using
more than one high, or tiering up V
3. Is there more than one method,
horizontal and perpendicular ; how
are tlie sections held, and how many
tiers high ?
4. xVre wood separators better than
tin ones ? J. Shortt.
Oak Centre, Wis.
[1 and 2. I would first advise the use
of one-pound sections, in cases similar
to the one illustrated on page 6-59 of
the Bee Journal for 1882. The tier-
ing up process is then very simple and
practical. There are other methods,
but the one referred to is my choice,
which is the reason why I now use it ;
.5x6 sections could be adjusted in the
same manner.
4. A majority seem to think they
are minorities, and very small ones at
that, have so often been found to be
correct, that I shall test the matter of
tin vs. wood separators thoroughly
the coming season. — James Heddon.]
Shipping Crates.
What is the best size for shipping
crates for the large markets ? ,
Meritt Blanchard.
Sherwood, Wis.
[In answering the above question,
I shall differ from many. I use, and
prefer, a small crate, which holds 12
sections, 4)4x4|^x2 ; 14 sections, 4I4X-
iUxl9i ; 21 sections, 43-4x2 IS-iexl?^ ; 24
sections, 41^x2 13-16x1 J^. The last two
being half-pound sections, to be used
with and without separators, respect-
ively. I have found the advantages
of a small crate to be these : The
honey is not as liable to be broken in
transit ; they take in a large proportion
of retail trade, and in a wholesale
way.— James Heddon.]
Errata.— On page 156, in my answer
to Mr. ScoQeld's questions, 3d reply,
make a full stop at •' disease," and thus
change the meaning. It is a double
reply. In 5th answer, between " for "
and " advertising," put the little word
not, and thus reverse the meaning.
Dowagiac, Mich. J. H.
[The errors were in ttefi copy.— Ed.]
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMEHICAN BEK JOCHNAL, i
Monday, 10 a. m., April 2, 1882. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Qnotatlohs of Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted is 7c.
for dark and 9c. for light— here. The supply is
abundant and sales are slow.
BEESWAX— None in the market.
Al. H. Nkvv.iiak. a23 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is noe-xcitement in the honev
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade.
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7(y.lic. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there
is a large supply of flrst-class quality on the mar-
ket. It brings rj(^ijl.sc. on arrival.
BEESWAX— Comes in slowly and brings 2O@30c
per lb., according to quality. Chas. F. Muth.
Qnotfttlons of CommlsBlon Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The past month has not reduced the
stock of comb or extracted honey, the receipts
having been larger than the amounts taken for
consumption. Prices are weak and irregular,
ranging from Ii;c. to fSc. for white comb in the
smaller frames; dark, very little selling, offered
al IL'MiC. to 14c. Extracted, 8c. to lOc. according
to col<)r.
BEESWAx-None in the market.
R. A. Bdknett, lui South Water St.
SAN KRANCISCO.
HONE Y— All stocks of choice honey in this mar-
ket, either comb or exract-'d, have been closed out.
Present offerings are confined to second and third
grades, and are not large. Were there any desir-
able qualities now here, they would doubtless
meet witli ready sale.
White cipmb, 14(<<jl7c.; dark to good, ll(g;l3c.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, SJ^(gi9Hc.: dark and
candied, 5<&~}4c.
BEESWAX- We quote 30O330.
Stear.ns & SMITH, 43.3 Front Street,
ST. LODIS.
HONEY-Very quiet; dull. Comb at 14®I6.—
some inferior sold at loc. : strained at Rl.^(*7c., ex-
tracted at 7H(§.HV5C., lots in small packages more.
BEESWAX- Scarce and wanted at 33®34c.
W. T. ANDEKSON & CO.. 1 17 N. Main Street.
CLEVEIjAND.
HONE Y— Is a little lower, and at the lower price
it has moved off a little better of late, I -lb. sections
of best white sold at 18H@19c. ;, second grades.
1-lb., I7c.; 2-lb. sections a little slow at 17®18c.
Extracted very dull atii(«']]c.
BEESWAX-None in market.
A. c. Kenuel. 1 1.5 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY- Our market is fairly active. We quote:
^ lb. sections at 3UC.; 1 lb. sections, 22&25C.; 2 1b.
sections, 2(.)<§*22c. Extracted. luc. per lb. Good
lots ot extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
Crocker & Blake, s; Chatham street.
Special lOloticcs.
1^" Attention is called to the adver-
tisement of D. C. Talbot & Co.'s
Comb Foundation Eastener, on page
iSi.— Adv.
i^" I desire to say to those who
liave ordered my book, that we are
now sending out 50 copies each day,
and will continue to do so until every
order is filled. H. Alley.
Wenham, Mass., March 30, 1883.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts each, or $8 per 100.
184
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
■with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, In cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $G, we
•will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
•will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, wdlh $10, we
"Will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Qiiinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
•double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A newedition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to iww
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
■or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
■(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
■of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. — We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
1^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of p-iper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
T)ublication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
Preparation of Honey for tlie Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Bees for Sale !
2CKj or :wo colonies of Italian bees, in Ijanpstroth
hives, in Bood conditton. Price; Single colony.
$(1.50 ; ten or more, *8.'H) per colony. Hybrids, 50
cents less. I will guarantee safe arrival.
€. GRIMM.
14A6t Jefferson, Wis.
WOOD SEPARATORS!
PRICE LIS I' of the Besse Wood Separators:
P^or the wide LanKStroth frame, per hmi, .'iCic;
per J ax I, $4.0(3. They are of basswood, >ize iT^x
'SHxl-iH. Any size to order. Send 3 cent stamp
for sample.
12Aat I>R. H. BESSE, Delaware, Ohio.
KEEPERS' SUPPLIES!
^J ^^^^ Simplicity and CbafT Hives, Queens.
^^^^^^ etc. Send for Circular. Address,
HOW^ARU NICHOLAS,
r2A4t 4Blt EtterB, XorUCo., Pa,
r 1 n»lo^*^nted for Eastern buyers. Stamp for
rAnlVlo-'"™'"'-"' ^' P-BKOCK WAT. Times
'Building, Chicago, III.
12A4t
100 COLONIES ITALIAN BEES,
FOR SALE,
also, queens and nuclei. Will exchange for Jersey
heifer, pair Poland China pigs, or Plymouth Rock
fowls. Write for prices.
C. TrEEKS,
lIA4t Clifton, Wayne Co., Tenn.
CXZSAF! CIIB,^F!
LANGSTKOTH HIVES!
SIMPLICITY HIVES !|
All kinds of hives and surplus comb foundation,
etc., etc. Having superior advant:iyes for the
manufacturing of hives and uf procuring lumber
low, 1 can furnish very low rates.
Send for descriptive circular.
A. n. BENHAM,
lOAtfBit Olivet, Mich.
SEND POSTAI* for my 20 page price list of
Italian, Cyprian and Holy Land bees, queens,
nuclei and apiarian supplies.
H. H. BROWN,
I3D3t Light Street, Col Co., Pa.
COMB FOUNDATION.
Owing to the scarcity of beeswax, the prices of
comb foundation will hereafter be as follows :
Dunha
m. Thin.
Extra Thin.
10 lbs. or less.
55C.
72c.
25 ••
54
64
71
50 " " ..
S3
63
70
100 " •■ ..
52
62
69
ALFRED H.
JfEITMASr,
923 W
Madison St.
Chicago, III.
BEE
KEKI*KRS. before ordering your
APIARIAN-SUPPLIES
send for our large illustrated cata-
logue, sent free to anv address.
£. Kretchmer, Coburg:, lovra.
WISE
people are always on the look-
out for chances to increase
their earnings, and in time be-
come wealthy ; those who do
iiiijjrove theiropportnnities re-
main in poverty. We offer a
great chance to make money.
We want many men, women, bovs and Kiria to
work for us right in their own localities. Anv one
can do the work properly from the tirst start. The
business will pay mure than ten times ordinary
wages. Expensive outllt furnished free. No one
who engages fails to make money rapidly. You
can devote your whole time to the work, or only
your spare moments. Full information and all
that is needed, sent free. Address Stinson «t Co.,
Portland, Maine^ sAlv
Cheap ! Cheaper !! Cheapest !!!
300 COLONIES OF BEES
for sale, in movable frame hives. Also, Queens,
Nuclei, Bees by the pound. Hives. Sections. Smok-
ers. Seeds for Honey Plants, and eveiv thing a live
bee-keeper needs. Send for circular and price list
to rr^AXAOAN <fe lI^r.INSK.1,
Box 819, Belleville. St. Clair CO., III.
(Proprietors of RoseHlIl.Cahokia. Falling Springe
and Lake Apiaries. lABly
BASSWOOO SEEDLINGS
Four to eiKht inches, , nil. so per lOO; three to
four feet, H|i'7.UO p.^■- lOO. Address,
Z. K.JEWETT, Nurseryman,
>IA4t Sparta. Wis.
"RED TiiPE!"
Wio will be the <^ The Original
first to copy 1 lA BINGHAM
25.000 IN USE. 11^ Bee Smoker
If you buy the Origi-
nal Patent Bingham
Bee Smoker, you will
aid the inventor of
improved bee smok-
ers—get the best, that
never go out— always
please— never Is com-
plained of— thestand-
ard of excellence the
world over — better
and handsomer this
season than ever be-
fore. Price per mail,
postpaid, from *i^ cts.
to |;2. Our patents
cover all the smokers
that will burn sound
Btove-wood, or do not
go out. If you buy
our smokers and hon-
ey knives first, youi>«*«.«*„j ioto
will have to buy Do^3.tented, 1878,
others.
PRICES:
Handed to By Mail,
mt^ I.- ,^ ^ Customer. Postpaid.
Wide shield Conqueror, 3 Inch ....$i 75 * $2 1X)
Large Bingham Smoker (wide
shield), 2H inch i 50 1 75
Extra Bingham Smoker (wide
shield). 2 inch i 25 1 50
Plain Bingbam Smoker, 2 inch.... 100 125
Little Wonder Bingham Smoker,
1^ in Jh 50 65
Bingham & Hetherington Honey
Knife, 2 inch 1 oo l 15
To sell again, apply for dozen or half-doxen
rates.
Send for free description and testimonials, to
BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON.
17ABtf Ahronia, Mich.
IMPORTANT TO BEE-KEEPERS.
Our new circular and price list of queens for
18S3 contains :rj pages and is illustrated to show
our new way of rearlng-queens. Send your address
on H postal card for it. Ournew book (175 pages) on
QUEEN REARING
is now ready. Bound in cloth and sent by mall for
$i.(Hi. Those who desire may remit on receipt of
book. HEMST AI^LEY.
13Atf WBNHAM. MASS.
Given'sFoundationPress.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT afflrms that the PRESS
is SUPEKIOK lor making Cnmb Foundation either
in Wired Frames or fur SECTIONS, and insures
straight and perfect corabs, when drawn out by
the bees. Send for Circular and samples.
D. a. eivEN 4%c CO.,
lABtf HOOPESTON. ILL.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
RogrersTille, Genesee County, Mich.,
has made arrangements to receive Italian queens
from the South, early in the season. The queens
will be bred from imported mother.-*, reared by a
thomughly compt'tent and reliable breeder, and.
up(>n their arrival, they will be introduced to
nuclei, until needed in fll ling orders. These queens
will be whipped as s0(m as it is warm enough in
this latitude, probably about Mav Isi, and they
Will be used in filling all orders for untested
queens until about June loth, when queens reared
in the home apiarvwill be ready to ship. Before
June 1st, untested queens will be fl.sn each : dur-
ing June, single queen $1.25. or six for$t5.(>ri ; after
July 1st. sinyte queen fl.oO, six for $.^.5U. twelve
for $10,00. Tested queens (reared last season in
the home apiary), before June 1st, *3.iio each;
during June, t:^.. '.(I each ; after July 1st. $2.00 each.
Safe arrival t:uar;inteed. Make money orders
payable at Flint. Mich. UDtf
The Excelsior Smoker Co.'s Cold Blnst
gets away with all of 'em. You can handle the
moat vindictive colony without veil or gloves.
Send us $1 and try it. By mail, postpaid. Address
W. C. R, KEMP. Manager. Orleans, Ind. I4l>:it
FLAT -BOTTOM
COMB FOUNDATION,
high side-walls, 4 to 16 square feet to
the pound. Circular and samples free,
J. VAN DEUSBN & SONS,
Sole Manufacturers,
Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., N. r.
(f^(^ OLDEST BEE PAPER
-'=■ IN AMERICA /'^^tT^T^
,^m
VOL. XIX.
CHICAQJO, ILL., APRIL 11, 1883.
No. 15.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Apis Dorsata, the Bee of Java.
Mr. Jacob Kefmer, of Lowel, Mich.,
on March 26, 1883, writes as follows :
"I send you a slip from a local paper
with the following description of a
new kind of bees, which I would like
to learn more about, and if they
would do in this country. Please an-
swer through the Bee Journal."
"In perusing a late publication on
the Eastern Arcliipelago, we find that
the writer describes as one of the curi-
osities of the Island of Timor, distinct
species of wild bee, the Apis dorsata,
as abounding there in great numbers.
He says : "Tliese bees construct the
most remarkable and colossal honey
combs, suspending them from the
under side of the loftiest branches of
the highest trees. In shape tliey are
semi-circular, and their diameter is
frequently 3 or 4 feet. Their wax is
one of the principal exports of the
island." Here is information for the
American apiarists to act upon ; for
an importation of the above might be
found very advantageous to their in-
dustry. The Timor bee might prove
to possess a longer proboscis than
even the Italian, or some other quality
which would make it more profitable
to be kept than any of the various
species we now possess."
We have very often described the
bees found in the Islands of Timor
and Java in the East Indies, but as
our correspondent, with many others
who are reading the Bee Journal
this year for the first time are not
familiar with them, we will give a
very brief description.
Mr. Wallace, the celebrated traveler
and author of "The Malay Archipel-
ago," thus relates his experience in
those Islands with the Apis dorsata ;
"On examination I found them half
as long again as Apis meUifica and
their brood comb proportionably
thicker. They were, in fact, a variety
of the magnificent Apis dorsata, which
is described as flourishing abundantly
throughout the great Indian peninsu-
la, from Cape Comorin to the Hima-
layas, as well as in Ceylon."
"In Borneo and Timor the wax
forms an important article of com-
merce. The combs hang on the under
side of horizontal limbs of lofty trees,
often 100 feet from the ground. I
have seen three together as above,
and they are often 4 feet in diameter.
The natives of Timor I have seen
take them. They climb up a tree car-
rying a smoke torch made of a split
creeper bound up in palm leaves, and
hanging by a rope from their waist.
They cover up their body and hair
carefully, but their arms and legs are
bare. The smoke directed on the
the East is one at Malacca ; the na-
tives hang up bamboos and hollow
logs for it, but it is, I believe, not a
true Apis, as it makes clusters of
large oval shells of black wax."
Mr. Frank Benton in 1880 visited
the Islands of Timor and Java in
search of Apis dorsata and Apis Zonula
but was not rewarded by securing any
to transport to America. A very in-
teresting detailed description of his
journey was published in the Bee
Journal for May 11, 1881. We have
no idea, however, that they would
prove of any value to American apiar-
ists ; the only result would be the
securing of a novelty ; their ferosity
and ability to inflict terrible wounds
Manner in which Bees in Borneo and Timor build their combs.
comb makes the bees fly off in a cloud
as the man approaches. He sweeps
oft the remainder with his hand and
then cuts off the comb with a large
knife, and lets it down to his com-
panions below by a thin cord. He is
all the time surrounded by a cloud of
bees, and though the smoke no doubt
partly stupefies them, he must be
severely stung. While looking on
from a considerable distance, a few
came down and attacked me, and I
did not get rid of them till I was half
a mile from the place and had caught
them all, one by one, in my insect net.
The sting is very severe. I should
imagine that in Timor the dry season
answers to our winter, as the drought
is very severe and much of the foliage
is deciduous. Eucalypti are the most
common trees, and their flowers, I sus-
pect, supply the bees with their honey.
In Borneo combs are placed in a
somewhat similar manner, perhaps
formed by the same species. The
only bee I have seen domesticaled in
by means of their enormous stings, is
horrible to contemplate.
1^ The thoughtful and prudent
apiarist will now be making arrange-
ments to provide pasturage for his
bees, if he is not already in possession
of it. The time will soon be here to
sow seeds of honey producing flora of
all kinds, and to plant out basswood
trees. Let no time be lost in making
full provision for the bees, and then
we shall hear no more of "blasted
hopes ;" but instead of it, the songs of
the apiarists and the "merry hum"
of the " busy bees " will vie with each
other in making glad thousands of
homes, scattered all over the country.
This is a " seasonable hint," and one
that should be heeded at once, for this
is •• the accepted time."
186
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee Journal.
Stimulating^ Bees in Spring.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
I am requested to write an article
for ttie Bee Journal on " Stimulat-
ing bees, so as to get ttiem ready for
the white clover honey harvest." In
my opinion tliere is nothing gained by
commencing too early, as from six to
eight weeks is suliicient time to build
np a fair colony in spring, to one suf-
liciently strong to store lioney to the
best advantage. As clover usually
begins to yield honey, in this locality,
about June 1-5 or 20, the tirst of JVIay
is soon enough to commence to stim-
ulate brood-rearing. Some think it
does not pay to change the brood
combs, byway of reversing them, put-
ting combs of honey in the centre of
the brood nest, etc., but after years of
experimenting, I am satisfied it pays
me, whether it does others or not.
Before telling how I manage, I will
describe one experiment. I tried,
to see if it paid to try to build the bees
up in spring faster than they would
naturally do it themselves ; for, on
this matter of pay rests nearly all
tliere is of bee-keeping, to the average
apiarist. One spring, several years
ago, I set apart 10 colonies, all of
which had plenty of honey, and were
as near alike as possible, to obtain 10
colonies of bees. After seeing that
all were in proper condition, 5 were
left to themselves, and the other 5
worked according to the plan I shall
describe. The 5 let alone were 2
weeks behind the others in swsrming,
and, upon footing up in the fall, I
found they only gave an average of %
as much honey as the other .5 which
were stimulated. From tliis and
many other experiments I have tried,
I conclude it pays, and so attest my
faith by adhering to that which gives
me the greater profit.
About the first of May I go over the
whole yard and examine each hive to
see how much brood tliere is, and all
colonies which do not have an equiva-
lent to 2}4 frames full, are shut up
upon the "frames of brood they do
have, by means of a division- board;
while those which have that amount,
or more, are allowed the whole hive.
At this time these last-named colonies
have their brood nest reversed by put-
ting those frames, having the least
brood in them, in the centre of the
cluster, and those having the most at
the outside, thus causing the qneen
to fill these centre combs witli eggs as
fully, or more so, than those were
which were in the centre before ;
while the brood in those now outside
is not .allowed to decrease at all.
Thus quite a gain is made, with little
danger of cliilling any brood. In
about a week I take a frame having
considerable sealed honey in it, and
break the sealing to the cells, by pass-
ing a knife flatwise over it; then,
after spreading the frames apart,
place this in the centre of the brood
nest. The removal of this honey by
the bees, causes them to feed the
qneen, and stimulates brood-rearing,
equally as much (in my opinion) as
any other method of feeding. If I
did not have the frames of honey I
would fill empty combs witli sugar
syrup, and use the same as frames of
honey. As the honey is removed, the
queen fills the cells with eggs, and at
the end of another week another
frame is added in thfjsame way. The
next time over, the brood is removed
as at first, while, at the ei^d of the
fourth week, two frames instead of
one, are placed in the centre of the
brood nest, leaving one or two frames
of brood between them. This brings
us to near the first of June, and if
one colony lias brood in four frames
at the time of commencing, and we
use 9 frames to the hive, we have but
one more frame without brood iu it
in the hive. The next week this is
placed in the centre, and as soon as
the bees get any honey, more than to
feed tlie brood, the boxes are put on.
Tliose weaker colonies shut upon
the frames, having but little brood,
are left so till the frames are well
filled with brood, when they are given
a frame of honey in the centre, and
then manipulated as were the otiiers,
till they are in the same condition.
If I wish as many colonies as possible,
I begin to take brood from those hav-
ing their hive full first, and give to
the strongest of these weak ones, and
later, to tlie next strongest, till all are
built up to strong colonies. I formerly
gave these frames of brood to the
very weakest first, but after losing
several frames of brood, I learned that
to give a frame of brood to a very
weak colony of bees, before settled
warm weather, was almost always
sure to result in loss.
If I wish honey instead of increase.
I work all the weaker colonies till
they have .5 frames of brood each,
when 4 frames of brood, bees and all,
are carried to anotlier and united witli
it, while the frame having the queen
upon it, is placed back in the hive
again. Tlie o frames in the hive we
wish to unite the 4 frames of bees
with, are spread apart, and the 4
frames placed iu each alternate space,
so as to prevent any quarreling, as
bees, thus mixed, seldom quarrel or
harm a queen. In two weeks this
united colony will be as strong as any
in tlie yard, while the frame having
the queen, can be used for a nucleus,
or various other purposes. In tliis
time of high prices of comb founda-
tion, they could be made very profit-
able by setting them to building comb,
for they are almost always sure to
build nice straight worker comb.
In places where pollen is scarce, it
might be well to feed rye meal, early
in the season, but, as long as plenty of
pollen remains in the comb, I do not
think it pays. To feed, place in a
shallow box and drop a few drops of
honey on the meal, when you will put
a bit of comb on a hot iron to make a
smudge, to draw the bees. Use only
a tew drops of honey, or you may ex-
cite robbing. I would invite all those
who do not think that the above will
pay, who live where a crop of clover
honey is to be secured, to try a few
colonies, and see if they do not
change their minds.
Borodino, N. Y.
For the American Bee Journal.
Comb vs. Extracted Honey.
A. W. STITH.
There seems to be quite a diversity
of opinion in regard to producing
comb and extracted honey. I have
had some experience iu producing
both, and can probably say something
that may be a benefit, especially to
the amateur. The idea, that honey
extracted before being capped by the
bees, has all the good qualities of
honey that is capped before extract-
ing, does not meet my approbation.
I am so thoroughly convinced that
honey extracted while green, is in-
ferior to honey capped before extract-
ing, that I do not expect to extract
any more green honey, unless in cases
of emergency, when bees are gather-
ing rapidly and have not sufficient
combs to store their precious sweets ;
and right here let me say, that a too
free use of the extractor is one reason
why many bee-keepers complain of
not having surplus combs. All apiar-
ists know that bees will not tjuild
comb, to any great extent, only as in-
stinct teaches them it will be used
for storing honey, therefore, bee-
keepers should not expect their bees
to build comb, and at the same time
keep the combs they already have
empty, by the use of the extractor.
The judicious use of the extractor
is more than merely to learn how fast
you can sling the honey, and leave the
bees to starve the following winter !
While I am free to admit that the ex-
tractor is indispensable in an apiary,
I do think that, all things considered,
extractors kill as many bees as they
help to produce.
Do not understand me to accuse an
experienced bee-keeper of such blun-
ders as to kill bees in such a manner,
but as there are many persons just
embarking in the business, I thought
a word of caution would not be out of
the way and may be appreciated.
VVhen we examine an apiary in
autumn, worked for extiacted honey,
where we use a two -story hive, and
when we wish to supply our bees with
food for their long winter nap, we
find the honey in bad shape for win-
ter, the combs in the brood-chamber
often being destitute of honey, and
contain much pollen, while those in
the top story are sure to be full frofn
top to bottom, or nearly empty. Such
has been my experience.
I learned, several years ago, to be
rather timid with the extractor, and
settled down on the following plan :
VVhen white clover, which is our main
dependence for surplus honey, fairly
opens, I select, in the top story (for I
seldom bother the brood-chamber for
surplus), .5 or 6 Langstroth frames of
the best worker combs, if they can be
obtained ; if not, a tew drone combs
can be used, and mark the letter W
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
187
(which signifies winter) on the top
bar ; put those combs near together,
and do not extract from them. As
soon as the honey in those combs are
sealed nearly half way down, I spread
them apart, and insert in each alter-
nate space an empty frame, or one
partly filled with comb or foundation,
and the frames thus inserted can, as
fast as completed, be extracted at
pleasure.
I thus secure three objects : A hive
full of straight comb ; the queen is
forced below, on account of the
frames marked containing much
honey and being far apart, and the
rest of the combs, as fast as com-
pleted, are tilled with honey, having a
nice lot of sealed clover honey for
winter.
But here comes the trouble. Empty
combs will not do to winter bees on,
neither do I believe full frames of
honey, without some empty cells,
much better, in this latitude; but
when we produce comb honey, the
honey in the brood-chamber is in a
much more desirable shape. I be-
lieve I am the only one in this part of
the country that produces comb
honey, and being requested, by some
of my neighbors, to write my plan of
manipulating sections without separa-
tors, I cheerfully make the effort.
I use the Langstrotli hive exclu-
sively, have used both 8 and 10 frames,
but have no use for 10 frames beneath
a rack of sections, as I use a rack
similar to a crate, with partitions be-
tween the rows of sections.
The first thing, after the sections
are on, is to get the bees to work in
them ; for Italian bees are very loath
to enter boxes. The best method that
I have ever practiced, is to use 10
frames in the brood-chamber until the
bees are strong in number, and ready
for the boxes; previously to adjusting
the boxes, 1 remove all but 7 or 8
frames, and use a division-board on
each side of the frames, so arranged as
not to allow bees behind them. The
hive having, heretofore, been crowded
with bees to its fullest capacity, and
by contracting the hive inside, the
bees are compelled to take possession
of the boxes immediately, or cluster
outside the hive. As the bees are not
desirous of swarming yet, and as the
honey harvest has just commenced in
earnest, they are most likely to work
in the sections. Now, having the
boxes on, with a starter of comb or
foundation in each section (the
former preferred), and after the bees
have been at work in them a few daj's,
probably they may need some atten-
tion. I usually examine each section
twice a week, and this is the main
secret in obtaining straight combs
without separators, for we are sure to
find some probably half finished,
whilst others near them are just com-
menced. Take out all the sections
that are nearest completed, and put
them together, and thus always keep-
ing the fullest together, and the ones
least worked in near the lean end of
the row. I think I got that " lean end "
from Mr. Ileddon (thanks toMr.Hed-
don). If any of the sections are nearer
completed on one side than on the
other, put them with their fullest
sides together, or near the glass at the
end of the row, but leave space be-
tween the honey and end of the box,
sufficient for the bees to pass, or tliey
will empty the honey from the outside
and carry it to the other sections,
which is only a loss of time, and the
hives are level from right to left, and
if I follow the above plan, I seldom
have to bend or cut a piece of comb,
although if I cut a bit of comb out, it
is not lost, but will make a nice
starter for another section. If not
quite so cheap as foundation, it is
much better.
Perhaps some may think that honey
produced "vvitliout separators would
not be nice enough for the Cincinnati
Industrial Exposition. But I will say
that, with my experience in the pro-
duction of comb honey, and a few
acres of (melilot) sweet clover, I was
able to procure just such honey as Dr.
Miller and others saw there last fall.
I believe my honey was all the comb
honey that was there. What in the
world is the matter with bee-keepers
around Cincinnati V If correspond-
ents of the various bee papers would
write less about half-pound sections,
yellow bees, etc , and more about
practical experience in the production
and sale of pure honey, and try to
create a better demand at home by
making better displays at their county
fairs, and sell only such honey at
home or abroad as they can fully war-
rant, we would certainly do the great-
est good to the greatest number.
Dividing Ridge, Ky., Feb. 23, 1883.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
Description of My Bee Room.
V. B. DODGE.
I have 42 colonies in the cellar, and
19 packed on the summer stands.
Those on the summer stands had a
flight on Feb. 17, the first since Nov.
15. The thermometer showed 6.5° in
open air. 48'^ at the top, and iFp at the
bottom, in the cellar. No signs of
dysentery in the cellar or on the sum-
mer stands. The lowest range of
mercury, this winter, was 9^ below
zero. Last season was poor, in this
locality ; no surplus, and very little
natural increase. This is my first
year's experience in cellar wintering.
My arrangements were as follows : I
have a room, 10x12 feet, partitioned
off in one corner of the main cellar,
which is thoroughlv plastered, on two
sides and bottom, with hydraulic
cement ; the other two side walls are
made of matched boards and battened.
I have a tight-fitting door from the
main cellar, and in close proximity to
my outside cellar-way. through which
I enter the cellar below, down five
stone steps to the cellar bottom. From
the bee room, I have a 3inch glazed
tile pipe, running through the "cellar
wall, 3 feet under ground, running
horizontal about 8 feet ; on the end of
this pipe, I have an elbow which turns
the pipe up, at right angles with the
pipe, that runs through the wall, from
the cellar, leaving the end of the el-
bow sticking out of the ground about
6 or 8 inches. I have a wooden tube,
6 inches square and 8 feet long, made
of matched pine boards and painted,
with galvanized iron, one-half circle,
on top, to keep out the storm and give
room for free circulation of air, with
a damper to shut off the outside air,
when desirable. This wooden tube 1
place over the end of tube-pipe, in a
perpendicular position, holding it in
place by hooks and staples, attached
to the outside covering of the cellar
door, and earthed up snugly around
the bottom or base of the tube ; the
damper completely controls, and I find
I can add or diminish the volume of
outside atmosphere at pleasure, which
gives complete control of the tempera-
ture of the bee-room, at any time,
when the weather outside is colder
than the ordinary temperature of the
cellar. To control the inside atmos-
phere of bee-room, I have a 2}>4 inch
tin pipe, connected with the room, on
the opposite side from the tile pipe,
and running through the floor of the
sitting room, which is directly over
the bees, connecting with the stove
pipe above, in that room. In the pipe
is a tight-fitting damper, which I can
use at will, checking or increasing the
draft of air from the room through
the chimney.
I have two thermometers in bee
cellar, one hung near the bottom and
one near the top. It has not, this
winter, been lower than 42°, nor
higher than 49°, since Nov. 15, the
day I put the bees in the cellar. In
the sitting i*ooni and directly over the
bees, stands an anthracite coal fire,
constantly burning, night and day.
To further control the temperature
of the bee-room, as the weather be-
comes warmer and spring advances,
should the bees show signs of uneasi-
ness, I have secured a quantity of ice
and propose to remove the upright
wooden tube which fits over the end
of tile pipe, leaving the end of tile
sticking above ground, about 6 or 8
inches. Over this I propose to set a
box with a hole in the bottom, just
fitting over the tile, leaving the end of
the tile tube sticking up inside of the
box ; this box is supplied with a tight-
fitting lid, that may be opened or
shut, at pleasure. In this box I in-
tend to put ice from day to day, as re-
quired, in sufficient quantities to cool
the air that passes through the tile
pipe into the bee-room, to obtain the
desired temperature from day to day,
until I deem it proper time to set my
bees upon their summer stands, say
about the blooming of soft maple.
There does not seem to be the
sligh test moisture in the bee-room ;
the quilts seem as dry as the same
material would be in an ordinary
room. The bees seem perfectly at
home, and, to all appearance, in a
happy and contented mood. How
long they may so continue, is a problem
that I am unable to solve at present;
but the prospect is certainly flatter-
ing, and I hope reflections from " the
silver lining," may penetrate and
cheer the hope of every genuine apiar-
ist of the land.
If ihe theory and practice of damp
cellar wintering is correct, I am cer-
tainly on the wrong track, and in the
opposite extreme. My cellar is so dry
188
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
that I can hardly brush the floor with-
out raising quite a dust. There has
not been three days in succession,
this winter, that I have not seen my
bees in tlie cellar, making my obser-
vations quite short, but, most invaria-
bly, turning back the quilt of one or
more colonies, which does not seem to
disturb them in the least.
My experience in out-door winter-
ing, in tlie past, has led me to believe
that one important factor in success-
ful wintering, is to keep the bees dry,
and I fail to comprehend why remov-
ing to a cellar should so much change
the nature and constitution of tlie
bees, that it should require an entirely
opposite state of things. To admit,
when convinced, is one of the most
noble traits of character, and should
I And, by more extended experience,
that I am pursuing the wrong theory,
to the injury of the bee-keeping fra-
ternity, then I shall acknowledge the
error.
My ice proposition is merely theor-
etical, and should I be on the wrong
track, and in danger of injuring my
bees, will some one notify me through
the BisE Journal before it is too
late, and tlie injurv is done. Also
state the extreme limit that it will do
to keep bees in the cellar, when put in
Nov. 15. I wish to keep mine in as
long as possible, and not overdo it. I
have a quantity of candy, ready for
putting on my hives, if necessary.
Can I put it on in the cellar, should
any need feeding 'i
Fredonia, N. Y.
[If the bees remain quiet, when the
maples, willows, etc., furnish pollen,
will be time enough to put them out
on the summer stands. You can put
candy over the frames, at any time it
may be necessary, and they will readily
take it.— Ed.]
For the American Bee JournaL
The Half-Pound Sections.
JAMES HEDDON.
It seems to me that some of our
fraternity are losing faitli in the prac-
tical good sense of bee-keepers.
One says, if we adopt the half-pound
section, it will ruin the business.
Well, then, my faith in our folks is
thus great that I really think they
will not adopt them, or do anything
else, that will ■' ruin " ourselves. If
half-pound sections have connected
with them, and their use, an expense
which costs more than the consumers'
increase of demand is worth, then
those who tempt the little Tarantulas,
will be the first ones to be bitten.
Mr. Baker speaks as though it were
inconsistent for me to have first cau-
tioned against their use, and then
assert that I was going to use a few
thousand of them. I made up my
mind to this : if there is a demand for
this size, no individual or organized
efforts can stop a catering to that de-
mand. 1 put in a word of caution,
hoping to induce others to touch them
lightly, and in a less expensive way,
than last New Year's boom might
lead many to do ; that boom is now
over. A corresponding reaction has
taken place, and I think it expedient
that some, who are the best situated
so to do, and whose experiments are
sought after from time to time, should
experiment with and settle the ques-
tion, here in the West, by the argument
of experiment between the producer
and consumer.
I have carefully read all the articles
I have seen on the subject (I take
nearly all the bee papers), and. as
yet, I have gotten little" light regard-
ing the wisdom of producing comb
honey in half-pound packages. I
fancy I discover an under o»irrcnt of a
fear of competition, in many articles.
This argues in favor of the adoption
of the half-pound section. When I
changed from two to one-pound sec-
tions, I was told by many writers that
1 need not expect as many pounds of
honey. I have taken no less with one
than with two-pound sections, when
using them side by side. I think I
know the reasons why. These rea-
sons give me full assurance that I will
realize just as many pounds with the
use of half-pound sections as witli
any larger size. My bill for sections
will be doubled, and the labor of
manipulation will be increased. Be-
tween this and the extra price, and
sure, safe transportation of the small
sections. I shall be left to decide.
Does it not seem strange that bees
cannot work readily in a space 4i-4X-
2 13-16x12, in the half-pound sections
when they ■' do not object " to a space
4Mx-H4'x2, with tin side walls at that?
Have they an idiosyncracy against
the sound of " half-pound V" I first
said, and say now, -'go slow." Do
not go to any undue expense to rush
into the new, till you have more rea-
son to think it enough better than the
old, to pay for so doing. I shall not
adopt the small sections to the dis-
placement of my one pounds. I can
mix tliem with one-poumls in my ex-
perimental supers, and in my ship-
ping crates, and use or refuse them
without any alteration or fixtures,
and I mean to be able to truthfully
talk more positively upon this subject
ere another year rolls around.
Please let me say to Mr. Newman,
of Ohio, that I -ivill " unload " regard-
ing our winter diseases of bees as soon
as my last chance for 1882 and 1883
experimenting is over.
Perhaps a short item will do for the
subject of " Light in bee repositories,"
referred to on page 140, by yourself
and Mr. A. P. Fletcher. Please tell
your mechanical acquaintance that
death is as natural as life. That na-
ture, with her infinite arms, embraces
all that can be imagined by the mind.
Nature is at war with itself. Most
things thrive at the expense of other's
premature death, and man is found in
either class, viz.: the consumer and
consumed. Animal and vegetable
beings thrive better, when assisted in
the struggle, by the wisdom of man ;
whatever bees " naturally " do, may
or may not be the very best or worst
thing they can do for tlie perpetuation
of their existence. Evolution is the
only key tliat can unlock the many
mysteries just coming into view. It
is the great truth that underlies all
other truths, and is now dawning
upon tlie common mind throughout
the world. It has been demonstrated
that bees can, in cellars as in "trees
in the woods." winter well with light
enough to tell potatoes from apples,
but it has also been found out that an
advantage is gained by changing this
" natural " condition of affairs, and
keeping them free from all irritating
influences ; among which is light, as
well as the activity forced upon them
from the extreme low temperatures of
our winters. None of these are, how-
ever, the real cause of dysentery.
Dowagiac, Mich., March 30, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
My Observation Hive.
W'. HARMER.
I use the Heddon hive, as will be
seen by the engraving. As an obser-
vation hive, it can have any number
of Langstroth frames, from one to
seven ; the sides are movable, and
can be taken out, as they slide down
in grooves, and glass can be put in
HeddoiVs Observation Bive.
the grooves instead of the wooden
sides, making an observation hive. It
is a very simple hive to make, and I
think every bee-keeper should have
an observation hive. I would not be
without mine for considerable. It is
an endless source of pleasure to me.
Manistee, Mich.
Western Maine Convention.
The bee-keepers in Southwestern
Maine met at the residence of Mr. J.
B. Mason. Mechanic Falls, Maine, on
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 1883, at 1 o'clock
p. m., for the purpose of forming an
Association.
The meeting was called to order at
the appointed time, and \V. W. Dun-
ham, of North Paris, was chosen tem-
porary chairman ; after which, com-
munications w'ere read from Messrs.
Win. Hoyt. of Ripley, secretary, and
F. O. Addition, of Dexter, president
of the State Bee-Keepers' Association ;
also from Mr. U. B. Cony, of Augusta.
Following tliese, Mr. J. B. Mason, of
Mechanic Falls, presented a paper,
and it was voted to have it published
in the Apiarian. These communica-
tions were read carefully and consid-
ered by all present.
A permanent organization of the
Western Maine Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion was made, and the tollowing ofli-
cers were elected for tlie ensuing
year : President, Dr. J. A. Morton,
Bethel ; Vice-President, J. B. Mason,
Mechanic Falls; Secretary, W. \V.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
189
Merrill, Mechanic Falls ; Treasurer,
VV. W.Dunham, North Paris. Com-
mittee on Constitution and By-Laws,
VV. W. Dunham, J. A. Morton and J.
B. Mason.
A constitution and by-laws were
adopted. The lirst article of the con-
stitution dehnes its name as the West-
ern Maine Bee-Keepers' Association.
An article in the by-law provides,
that any person can become a member
by signing the constitution, and pay-
ing the sum of 2.5 cents ; ladies, simply
by signing the constitution.
The Association starts out witli 20
members, 18 males and 2 females,
representing l-t-5 colonies of bees. The
object of forming this Association
was to advance bee-culture in this
western part of Maine, and in no
wise to injure the State Association,
and we would like all to join this, as
well as the State Association.
A vote of thanks was tendered to
Mr. Mason and family, for the kind-
ness bestowed by them.
The next meeting will be held on
Wednesday, April 25, 1883, at the resi-
dence of W. W. Dunham, North
Paris, Maine, at 1 and 7 p. m.
W. W. Mekrill, Sec.
For the American Bee Journal
Narrow vs.Wide Frames for Sections.
J. G. STEER.
On page 144 of the Bee Journal,
for March 14, T. E. Turner writes
concerning wide frames for holding
sections ; in which he gives some very
plausible objections to their use, as "I
have fully learned from experience.
The principle one, namely, the diffi-
culty in removing the sections from
wide frames, I have been trying to
overcome, and as a result have made
a narrow frame botli to hold sections
and to answer the place of a division-
board, in winter, for chaff. 1 do not
know that I can make the description
of it plain to the readers of the Bee
Journal, but I will try.
The frame 1 use is tlie Gallup, to
hold 4 sections, .5>4x.5l4 ; inside meas-
ure, IO^bxIO?^ ; outside, ll.yxllij.
Instead of the wide frame, 1 make a
frame to fill the whole space of the
inside of the hive, viz. : 12 inches,
and only }4 inch wide. I cut tlie side
bars out of ^., inch stuff, and 11-16
thick, and reaching clear to the bot-
tom of the hive. The bottom bar is
the same, and 12 inches long; to be
nailed to the side of the side bars even
with the bottom ends of the same, in-
stead of to the end. I use an ordi-
nary top bar of the frame, for the top,
letting it project over ij inch, on one
side, and the otlier being even. On
the side which projects over, I nail tlie
bottom bar, which will also project ^
inch, and is to hold and support the
sections.
Previous to nailing, I slot the in-
side of side bars, the wliole length,
with a ly inch slot, 3-16 deep, and ^
inch from the edge. Be careful in
nailing to make these slots come
nearest to the edge of ttie side of the
frame that is even. Tlie slots are for
% inch wood separators. These can
be slipped in at bottom of the frame
after it is nailed, as will be seen, the
bottom bar being on the other side, it
will not interfere with their insertion.
The separators will stay just where
you put them.
Now you have a frame, with bottom
bar reaching nearly half-way, or J4
inch across the bottom of the section,
which, with I4 inch at the sides, and
?4 at the top, is sufficient to keep the
sections in their places, and allow of
their removal with ease. Set the
frame, tilled with sections, in the end
of the hive, with the naked edge of
the sections next to and close against
the end of the hive ; then the separa-
tors will come next to the brood. If
desired to put two cases or frames of
sections at the side of the brood, the
second set of sections will slip up
against the separators, and into the
frame of the first set, as will be seen,
ifj of inch.
The advantages of this frame are:
It allows of easy manipulation, as it
fits neatly in the hive ; it will stay in
its place, and prevents the bees from
getting at the outside of the sections
to stick them over with propolis.
It serves as the very best kind of a
division-board for chaff packing, as
the thin separators and bee spaces
admit of a more ready absorption of
moisture. They can be used in the
upper story in the same manner as
two at the side.
I would say to Mr. Turner I always
make my upper story to admit divis-
ion-board, after being tilled with
frames of sections, which, when re-
moved, allows of free access to the
frames of sections.
If I have succeeded in making the
principle plain, any one can adopt it
to their different size of hives. Some
may prefer a wider bottom bar, to
support the sections. Such can use %
or ?:£ inch lumber, which will still
allow enough of section to project for
a " finger hold." I prefer about Sg.
If there is any merit in the thing, all
may freely use it.
Barnesville, O., March 20, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
ftueen Rearing— The Lamp Nursery.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
Queens having now become quite a
staple product of the apiary, perhaps
two or three articles devoted to the
subject may not be amiss ; although,
as Mr. Doolittle said in regard to the
excellent articles that he gave us last
year upon comb honey ; " what I write
will necessarily be somewhat of a
repetition of what I have already
written."'
The first step for the would-be
queen breeder is to Italianize not only
his own bees, but all the bees within,
at least, three miles of his own apiary.
The demand, at preisent. for pure
Italian queens, that are purely mated,
is such that a queen breeder cannot
allow black bees in his neighborhood.
In regard to the strains of Italians
that he will breed from, each one
must decide for himself. I prefer the
dark Italians. I do not wish to say
that there are no good honey gather-
ers among the light Italians, but,
among the several different strains of
light-colored Italians that it lias been
my fortune to try, none have equalled
any of several different strains of dark
Italians that I have owned. Honey
production, hardiness, amiability, and
color should be bred for, in the order
named, but I fear that some breeders
have bred in the reverse order. I say
nothing about the Cyprian and Syrian
bees, because, from experience, I
know nothing of them.
Por breeding stpck from which to
rear queens, no pains nor expense
should be spared to obtain the best;
and, as probably the majority of the
queens will mate at the home yard,
equally as much care should be taken
in obtaining stock for the protection
of drones. Selection of stock for the
protection of drones is a point that, I
think, has been too much neglected.
After the apiarist has furnished his
own apiary, and that of his neighbors,
with choice stock, he is ready to com-
mence the rearing of queens for others.
Although objections have been
raised against the hatching of queens
in a lamp nursery, yet the majority of
breeders hatch their queens in this
manner ; in fact, it would be well-nigh
impossible to rear queens at the pres-
ent popular prices without the aid of
the nursery. During the [last five
years I have had queens hatched both
in the hives and in the nursery, and I
have never been able to discover that
hatching a queen in a lamp nursery
enfeebled her constitution or anything
of the kind. I can detect no differ-
ence between queens hatched in a
nursery and those hatched among the
bees. A lamp nursery need not be a
complicated affair — jiist simply a box
with double walls of tin, and large
enough to allow several frames to
hang inside. A hole should be made
at one of the upper corners to allow
the space between the walls, which
should be about ?^ of an inch, to be
filled with water. A round hole, per-
haps an inch in diameter, should be
made through the walls of the bottom,
at the centre, and also through the
side walls of each side, and a tube of
tin soldered in each hole, thus fasten-
ing the walls together so that they
will not bulge when filled with water.
The tin tubes can be covered with
pieces of tin, so that the queens can-
not crawl out and become lost. The
nursery should be fastened in the top
of a tall box. the top of the nursery
being level with the top of the box.
In order that the heat from the lamp
below may circulate all around it,
there should be a space of an inch be-
tween the sides of the nursery and
the inside of the box. Strips of wood,
an inch square, can be crowded in be-
tween the upper edge of the box and
the nursery, and the nursery furnished
with a wooden cover hinged to one
side of the box. To obtain the best
effect, the box, in which the nursery
is placed, should be of sucli a height
that the bottom of the nursery is
about a foot above the top of the lamp
chimney. A thermometer should be
kept in the nurserv, and the tempera-
ture kept between 90^ and 100=. If
190
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
the box is too tight or close, the lamp
will not burn well. To save oil, and
to protect the nursery from sudden
changes of temperature, it is better to
keep it in some building. If it can be
placed in some room that can be dark-
ened, and the light admitted through
a small aperture, it will greatly facili-
tate the examination of queen cells
about to hatch ; as, by holding them
up before the aperture, even embryo
queens can sometimes be seen, es-
pecially when the cells are constructed
of new wax. When there are many
cells in a nursery^ it requires close
attention, otherwise a newly-hatched
queen will destroy several cells. I
nave a brood frame, similar to those
used for holding sections, divided into
apartments about 2 inches square.
This brood frame is covered with a
sheet of glass on one side, and upon
the opposite side, each apartment is
furnished with a glass door tliat is
hinged fast by pasting on a strip of
cloth for a hinge. Each door is kept
closed by a little latch made by driv-
ing a common pin part way in, and
then bending it over, so that it can be
turned around over the door, or
turned away when I wish to open it.
This brood frame of apartments is
kept hanging in the mirsery, and
about 9 o'clock in the evening, I ex-
amine each cell by holding it up be-
fore the lamp, and when I And a cell,
the occupant of • which appears nearly
ready to commence biting her way
out, I place it in an apartment by
itself.
Some breeders have only one nu-
cleus in a full sized hive, while others
make a small hive for each nucleus,
and use it for no other purpose, but,
to my mind, it is better to use full
sized hives, putting two nuclei in
each hive, and keeping them separate
by using division-boards. These
division-boards can be made very
cheaply by using % lumber, tacking a
strip of wood across each end to pre-
vent their warping, and then tacking
a strip of enameled cloth over the
edges, not drawing it uptight or close
against the edges of the boards, but
allowing it to point out so that it will
form a sort of tube all around the
edges of the boards, and tliis yielding
tube will fit any inequalities there
may be in the sides of the hive.
For a stand for the hives I use a
board a little larger than the bottom
of a hive, with two cleats nailed un-
derneath each end to prevent it from
warping and to raise it from the
ground. .To furnish each nucleus
with an entrance, I turn the hives
around upon its stand until two
diagonally opposite corners project
beyond the edge of the stand or bot-
tom board sufficiently to allow the
bees to pass under the edge of the
hive. Three-eighths of an inch below
each entrance, to the edge of the bot-
tom board,! nail a small piece of board,
3 or 4 inches square, to furnish the
bees with an alighting board. Queen
registering cards are a necessity, as
they show, by the position of the pins
upon their dials, the date of the last
examination, and the condition of the
nucleus at that date— something that
the memory could not do.
Queen rearing nuclei need to be ex-
amined quite often, and when the
hives are placed upon the ground, so
much stooping becomes tiresome ; for
this reason I have a large share of my
nucleus hives perched upon stakes, at
such a height that they are conven-
ient for manipulation while I am
standing upon my feet. I also have
the covers hinged, so that they can
be turned back, thus forming con-
venient shelves for the smoker, queen
cages, box of comb containing larvie,
etc., etc. There are also two sticks
tacked to the sides of each hive, and
these sticks project a few inches be-
yond the end of the hive ; and upon
these projecting ends I can hang
combs while caging queens.
Kogersville, Mich.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
New Device for Sections.
THOMAS CANNY.
I send you a drawing of a section
that I shall use this season. This
kind of section originated with me, I
believe, as I have never read or heard
of such being in use. It is cheapness,
utility and convenience combined, in
obtaining surplus honey in one-pound
or half-pound sections, doing away
with extra cases, racks, brood frames.
etc. The apiarist can obtain his sur-
plus honey in either half-pound or
one-pound sections, and the honey
stored in both at the same time, by
this device. If you want to get
pounds, cut only one kerf on both top
and lower bar, of either top or lower
tier of sections.
With a nailing apparatus it can be
put together asquickly as 3 one-pound
sections. Please put it in the Bee
Journal for the benefit of all bee-
keepers. It is not patented.
East Poultney, Vt.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
Inspectors of Apiaries.
J. E. PLEASANTS.
Dear Editor :— Inclosed find a
bill introduced in our State legisla-
ture at its last session, and which has
become a law. What is your opinion
of such a law ? I favor it. The rain-
fall up to date is 6^^ inches.
Carbondale, Cal., March 24, 1883.
A bill has been introduced in the
Assembly, by Mr. Reeves of San
Bernardino, to authorize the Boards
of Supervisors of the several counties
of this State to appoint inspectors of
apiaries, and provide for their com-
pensation, and defining their duties,
and for the further protection of bee-
culture. The bill has the concurrence
of the representatives from San Diego
county. It provides as follows : :
Section 1.— The Board of Super-
visors of any county wherein bees are
kept, are hereby authorized to appoint
one or more persons as inspectors of
apiaries, to hold ofHce during the
pleasure of said Board.
Sec. 2.— The Board of Supervisors
shall fix and determine the compensa-
tion of the inspectors of apiaries to be
paid out of the funds of the county,
not otherwise appropriated.
Sec. 3. — Upon complaint being
made to the inspector, to the effect
that, in complainant's opinion, the
disease known as "foul brood"' exists
in any apiary in that county, it shall
be the duty of such inspector to in-
spect such apiary as soon as practica-
ble, and direct the person in charge
thereof to destroy all hives ascer-
tained to be so affected, together with
the combs and bees therein, by burn-
ing or burying the same in the ground
the following night.
Sec. 4. — If the owner or person in
charge of an apiary, by his own in-
spection or through any other source,
discovers foul brood iii any hive in
said apiary, it shall be his duty to de-
stroy such hive and contents in the
manner provided in section 3 of this
Act.
Sec. .5. — Any persons failing to
comply with the provisions of the last
section shall be deemed guilty of a
misdemeanor, and upon conviction
thereof shall be punished by a fine of
not less than 5 dollars nor more than
2.5 dollars for the first offense, and by
a fine of not more than .50 dollars for
each such subsequent offense.
Sec. .5.— This Act shall take effect
from and after its passage.
[We think such inspectors will be
beneficial, if they attend to their
duties. — Ed.]
For the American Bee Journal.
Getting Candied Honey Out of Combs.
I have been experimenting, for sev-
erat years, to find out the best way to
fet candied honey out of the frames,
n fact, I have experimented away
many dollars, for I wanted to get it
out in a hurry, and I have made sev-
eral things for the purpose, which it is
useless to describe, and wasted more
than a few combs. About one year
ago I thought I would try once more,
and I was successful. I had a boiler
made J^ inch longer than my longest
frame, Jj inch wider than my shortest
frame, and .5 or 6 inches deeper than
the deepest frame. This will just let
the longest frame in, lengthwise, and
the shortest frame in crosswise. If
you have an intermediate frame, you
can lay a stick across the boiler ; in-
side the boiler put a piece of tin.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
191
doubled in the shape of an eaves-
trough, and solder the edges to tlie
boiler, just low enough to let the
frames down below the top of the
boiler. Then place the boiler on the
stove and put in about 2 inches of
water ; make a hot tire and commence
to nncap the honey ; as fast as un-
capped, set the frames into the boiler.
When it is full, the first frames will be
ready for extracting. If the honey
should be very cold or frozen, or the
honey is very hard, it may need to be
set into the boiler the second time.
With this boiler I can extract nearly
as fast as when the honey is liquid.
I use the boiler to carry the frames
in ; in the summer, to store frames
in ; also, in case of emergency, it
comes handy to store unripe honey
in. The boiler should be made of
galvanized iron, so that it will be
strong to handle.
Gazenovia, N. Y., March 31, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
How to Introduce ftueens.
A. R. KOHNKE.
Onion ! Asafetida ! ! Whew ! Next
comes stale eggs. I wonder that the
bees did not leave their master and go
to the woods where they had, at least,
pure air, if nothing else. When I
read the above suggestions in the
Journal, I intended to give the rem-
edy I have used for several years, with
perfect success, but other business
preventing until I got the latest batch
of German papers, in one of which
{Deutsher Bienenfreund), is described a
method by a German bee-keeper, Mr.
Scheuerle, identical to my own, of
which I give a condensed translation :
" After having lost and sacrificed
many a nice and valuable queen, in
order to discover a safe method of
introducing them, I have, at last, hit
upon a plan which has proven en-
tirely successful. In order that a
colony may accept a strange queen,
five conditions must be fulfilled: 1.
The colony must be queenless, nor
should there be any queen-cells with
brood or even eggs in them. 2. The
new queen and the queenless colony
must have the same scent. 3. The
colony must be confused or bewild-
ered. 4. All bees must be present at
the operation. 5. The colony, with
the introduced queen, must be kept
in a dark place, say 24 hours.
" Some may think that the fulfill-
ment of these conditions are very
troublesome, which, in fact, is not the
case. In order that you may not be
detained, get everything you may
need ready before hand. You will
need the following : 1. Essence or
extract of balm (Melissa officinalis), a
small quantity to be had at the drug-
gists. 2. A piece of woolen cloth, the
size of a hand, and a small piece of
cotton cloth, as also a strong quilt. 3.
A tumbler. 4. A small piece of comb
honey, but having no running honey
about it. -5. A room with one window,
which may be darkened.
" If you get the queen sent fi-om a
distance, she and the accompanying
bees should be liberated in a warm
room, to void themselves ; if the room
isnotwarm enough,itmustbe madeso.
"Now, suppose the shipper of the
queen has sent you a notice of having
mailed or shipped by express the
queen you have intended to give to a
certain colony, you will know about
what day to expect her arrival. The
evening before, when all the bees are
home, take that colony into the room
spoken of above, and see that no bee
belonging to the colony leaves or flies
off. Having received your queen and
given her and the accompanying bees
a flight, in another room, always
keeping an eye on her, catch her
again and put her with some of her
companions under a tumbler, then
take a piece of cotton cloth, put some
of the extract of balm on it, and wipe
the inside of a tumbler with it. Now
take the bit of honey comb ; put the
queen and some few of her bees with
her under the wiped tumbler, and let
them remain there for sometime, or
rather until you are ready to intro-
duce her. If the colony, which is to
receive the new queen, has an old
one, that one should be taken away
about noon, on the same day you wish
to introduce another ; but as soon as
you get the colony into the room,
moisten the piece of woolen cloth with
essence of balm, and push it into the
entrance of the hive, which is kept in
the darkened room. If you get the
new queen early in the morning, and,
without delay, exposed her to the es-
sence of balm, she will have acquired
the scent by evening, otherwise she
must remain under the tumbler till
the next day.
" In order to better find the old
queen, and also to confuse the bees,
transfer the bees, comb and all, to
another hive, looking carefully over
each comb, as you remove it from the
old hive, until you have found the old
queen, which must be caught and
caged, and then finish transferring
the bees to another hive ; the bees re-
maining in the old hive must be
brushed out before the entrance of
their new hive, and when they are
seen to move in, the new queen is
also put before the entrance, and will
go in w'ith the rest. Having done
this with open shutters, and as near
the window as possible, darken the
room as soon as you see the queen
enter the hive, to cause all the bees
flying about the window to join the
colony and let them stay there 24
hours, after which you may put them
on their stand in the apiary.
'■ To re-queen queenless colonies,
the apiarist must take such precau-
tion as will suggest themselves, viz. :
There should not be left any queen-
cells in the hive, nor should there be a
laying worker, which might cause
trouble.
" The main principle is that the
colony and new queen have the same
scent, hence the perfume must be
taken from one, and the same bottle
for both. And to have something
agreeable to the bees, is certainly
preferable ; hence, the odor of balm is
better adopted to this purpose than
anything else, for balm and a queen-
bee have both the same name in the
Greek language, viz.: Melissa; and
this, perhaps, on account of both hav-
ing the same odor."
REjrARKS BY Translator: —
Three years ago last summer, while
making new colonies by dividing, I
got two queens into one hive, getting
an old queen by accident, or rather
oversight, into a nucleus which I
strengthened with some frames of
brood and bees, spraying them with
water of balm, as also the bees and
laying young queen introduced into
the nucleus. Both were laying the
next day, when I discovered my old
colony acting queenless.
Youugstown, O.
For ttie American IWe JournaL
Eucalyptus for Honey in Australia.
A. VERGE.
In a late number of the Bee Jour-
nal, a bee-keeper, somewhere in
California, reported a quantity of his
honey crop to be derived from eu-
calyptus. It was a pleasant surprise
to me to hear that one of our Austra-
lian trees had been recognized as valua-
ble in that respect, in a country pro-
ducing so many plants and trees of
world-wide reputation ; and though
I do not suppose it will anywhere be
found to yield such returns as are re-
ported to be derivable from basswood,
yet all its varieties will be found to be
good honey producers, and valuable
beside on account of the durability of
their wood, which is especially well
suited for the purpose of fencing,
wharf piles, railway sleepers, etc., etc.
They will not, I think, flower much
before the tenth year, but considering
how very serviceable such wood will
be, there is no tree, in my opinion,
more deserving of being extensively
cultivated, especially out in the prairie
regions.
For both purposes, probably the
best varieties are iroubark (E. panicu
lata) ; red or large leafed ironbark (E.
siderophloia) ; ur silver-leafed iron-
hark (E. melanophloia) ; bloodwood
(E. corymbosa); stringy-bark (E. ob-
liqua) ; blackbutt (E. popularis) ; and
a species hereabouts called box, but
the title of which I am ignorant of.
It is the most, in fact the only, orna-
mental one of all, and is a flue shade
tree, being frequently planted around
Sydney in ornamental grounds ; its
timber, however, is not durable, being
liable to dry rot. Blackbutt, again,
does not grow beyond a few miles
from the sea coast.
The honey .secreted in the flowers
of these trees has a fine flavor, though
it is strong. There are still other
varieties of the tribe indigenous to
western Australia and south Aus-
tralia, but I know nothing of their
qualities. Here in latitude 31 - south,
they do not all bloom at or near the
same time of year ; ironbark and
tallow-wood (another variety) begin in
October, while bloodwood blooms
from January to March, and near the
sea coast where the frost is less severe,
the country there being more thickly
timbered, and consequently warmer.
They begin a month earUer, and con-
tinue nearly a month later in flower.
192
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
I am but a novice in the use of the
bar-frame hive, and, of course, I meet
with frequent difficulties. 1 began
only, last year, with 12 colonies of
bees in Langstroth hives, procured of
A. H. Newman, Chicago, at the sug-
gestion of Mr. MacDonnell, of Sydney,
to whom I am indebted for much val-
uable information on the mystery of
the system. I had not used comb
foundation long before I discovered
that the adhesion caused by pressing
the alternate strips cut in the edge of
the sheet against the side of the tri-
angular upper bar, after both strips
and bar had been heated, was not suf-
ficient to enable the sheet to support
the mass of bees ; as the bees invari-
ably build out the middle and lower
garts lirst, which were then tilled with
oney or brood before the top liad
been worked. I now fasten with hot
wax, and have no further trouble.
1. Why do not the bees workout the
sheet of foundatiou to the lower bar
and attach it thereto ? Is it because
the frames hang too low ; some of
them leaving barely y of an inch 'i
2. Why do they destroy the newly
hatched brood V A great many were
destroyed last month, though there
was an abundance of clover and other
honey plants in bloom ; so many, in
fact, that the ground below each box
was quite covered with dead ones,
and the smell of the decaying bodies
might be felt at a distance. All the
young bees that I saw being worried,
were healthy looking and well formed ;
the destruction seeming to be com-
mon in tliose hives with wired foun-
dation, and from which I had been
taking cards of brood and cutting
queen-cells in order to stop swarming.
Two small colonies, wtiich had re-
ceived cards of brood, did likewise,
although they had no queen-cells.
Had it not been so in the latter case,
I should have supposed that the
slaughter was owing to my check on
their attempts to swarm. Two otlier
swarms, which have built out their
own comb in empty frames, and which
have not had their frames transposed,
have not destroyed any.
3. What should I do towards the
close of the honey yield witli a hive
having ten frames, chiefly of brood,
and on which I have section boxes.
If I remove the sections altogether,
there will be little else than brood in
the brood-chamber, and consequently
no store for the hatching bees.
Quiuby, at page 173, on boxing,
says that " six combs are all that a
hive requires when boxed ;" but I
have ten frames with eggs and brood
in all. Ought I to remove some
frames and confine to six only, as
recommended, and then supply combs
or foundation to the brood-chamber
to be filled for their own use as the
sections are removed. We have only
frost here in winter, but flowers are
guite scarce. My boxes are placed 10
inches apart, on a frame covered by a
flat roof 6 feet wide ; the frame is 15
inches from the ground, and rests on
supports protected by pots of mixed
tar and grease, without whicli, in this
land of vermin, the black ants alone
would kill every colony. They have
sunshine before 9 a.m. and after 3 p.m.
From previous experience with bees
in common boxes, I am quite certain
that we shall get very satisfactory re-
turns under the new order of things,
in this locality ; and I am, therefore,
desirous of preparing to extend opera-
tions, and dealing with tlie industry
as a business, though I have other
means of dependence. In this view
of the case, an assistant, at least,
would be an absolute necessity ; but
the difliculty of meeting with any one
possessing tlie requisite knowledge —
no such person being obtainable in
this country — is insurmountable.
Though I had always, hitherto,
doubted it, I have now become satis-
tied that maize, too, must be included
among the honey producing plants ;
by the direction of my bees flight, I
know that a large proportion of tlie
stores, now rapidly coming in, must
be derived from it ; besides I have
watched them on its tassels when they
were certainly searching for honey
and not collecting pollen.
Mr. Editor, I send you some seeds
of Australian trees ; they are : 1.
Blackwattle (acacia decurrens). the
bark of which is valuable for tanning
purposes. 2. Wattle (acacia). 3. Wat-
tle (acacia), -t. Ornamental evergreen
shade tree, a variety a pittosporum, a
lioney producer, o. Eucalyptus, or
box referred to before. 6. Australian
forest oak ; the wood of which was
once extensively used for shingles.
All of them will grow readily on ttie
bare, hard ground, or on an ash bed
that has been moistened and made
solid by rain, provided they be drop-
jied on'top and pressed close ; the soil
being well shaded till they take firm
hold, and kept moist when the air is
dry. They will grow (except probably
No. 4) on any poor clay or stone land ;
in fact, they are the hardiest trees
known to us here ; and will certainly
not meet with more severe conditions
of existence in America than in this
country. I am not aware, though
what extent of cold they can endure.
East Kempsey, New South Wales.
[Having no place suitable for test-
ing the seeds sent us by Mr. Verge,
we have sent them to Mr. Heddon,
who will, doubtless, plant them and
report the results in due time. He
also answers the questions thus: — Ed.]
As I sit here at my desk, on April
6, and the mercury nearly at the
freezing point outside, my imagina-
tion carries me to the home of Mr.
Verge, all sunshine and flowers, sur-
rounded by the numerous blessings
and evils that his more torrid climate
affords, and I feel stealing over me a
fear of incompetency to answer his
queries as I wish I could ; but from
what I have learned by my experience
here, I will say :
1 . The bees partially recognize the
bottom bars of the frames as bed-
rock, and thus propose to pass over
them when passing under their combs,
and thus leave the space referred to
instead of recognizing the space be-
low the bottom bars as a proper pas-
sageway. There should be )4 inch
space below your bottom bars, and
we always make % in our new hives,
as Jg is allowed for shrinkage.
2. There are a number of reasons
why bees often drag out their pupa.
If the surplus receptacles are not as
they should be, they often do it to
make room to store below, during an
excessive flow of nectar. Again, you
may have so placed the frames of
brood you manipulated as to force the
bees to cut a passageway between
them, and thus destroy the pupa, I
have used wired comb foundation for
all the combs I have had built, for
three or four years, and can assure
you the wires do not in any way in-
terfere with the success of the coming
generation of bees. I have had (by
careless handling) the wires rust and
stain the foundation for inches each
way, but all went as rapidly and suc-
cessfully as before.
3. You should, in such cases as you
mention, feed your bees with the
cheapest wholesome food you can ob-
tain. Cane sugar syrup is excellent.
The dearth of the brood-chamber is
more than made up by the increased
amount of comb honey in the sections.
The feeding is a very simple, safe,
and practical procedure, when you
once understand it, and are properly
equipped. I would not encumber ray
system of management with any such
removal of brood, and giving of
frames of foundation. I not think it
at all necessary.
The unsupplied and unsuppliable
want of efficient help, you mention, is
much realized in this country ; also
since honey production has reached
its present proportions. My practical
working school for apicultural student-
apprentices, was inaugurated for the
purpose of aiding in supplying that
want, which, it is hoped, will be of
mutual benefit all around. Of course,
most of those who thoroughly and
practically learn the business, will
embark in it on their own capital ; but
some there are who must walk before
they run, and some love travel and
scenery in foreign lands, and by a
year or two more we can send you a
man who will not only " assist " you,
but be of much service in bringing the
latest practical " kinks " from the land
of "Yankee invention." One who
can manage your capital at a profit
while you can do as you please.
I will do the best I can with the
seeds. Many thanks to you and the
editor.— James Heddon.]
J
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
193
Honey Vinegar and Cider.
lu the Bee Journal, page 143, Mr.
W. Z. Hutchinson gives us Mr. Bing-
ham's plan for making honey vinegar,
which lie says was good. We made
some last fall from the washings of
vessels, after extracting. The honey
was Hrst-class, smartweed honey, but
the vinegar had a sickening taste
about it, and the only way we could
use it was to mix it with sorghum
vinegar, the kind we were using.
Does honey vinegar usually have such
a taste? Joseph Beath.
Corning, Iowa.
[The honey vinegar we have made
has not only been vinegar of the best
kind, but it has also, while becoming
vinegar, always been a palatable sub-
stitute for cider, and not distinguish-
able from it. It usually requires a
year to mature so as to be a " tip top "
article, and if very sweet, more time
will be required, and better vinegar
obtained. Mr. Beath may not have
made liis sufficiently sweet. — T. F.
Bingham.]
My Valentine.
The past season was too wet for ob-
taining much honey. My bees did
moderately well. I commenced the
last season with 7 colonies, spring
count, and increased to 13, and all are
doing well, except 2 very late swarms,
which are weak. I winter them on
the summer stands. All but 1 are
in box hives ; that one hive is my own
make, and the bees in it are doing
better than any of the others, and I
intend to transfer all the others, in
the spring, into Langstroth hives, and
would you use the old comb or foun-
dation y What is the best time and
plan of doing it V I send you a sam-
ple of my bees ; are they the German
or black bees, or are they hybrids V
They show the yellow bauds pretty
plainly. My valentine was a swarm
of bees. My wife being sick, leaving
me to do all" the house work as well
as out-door work, confining me closely
to the house, causing me to notice my
bees more particularly. Two late
swarms were weak, and I fed them
syrup made from coffee A sugar,
and yesterday, being very warm, I
discovered a swarm of bees about 75
yards away, coming toward the house ;
they passed over it a little distance,
and whirling round and round, came
down, and tried to enter four or five
hives ; tiiially entered one having a
weak colony. 1 have been feeding
them since, and they seem very quiet
and well satisfied. Where did they
come from ? And why did they come
in such a manner ? I neyer saw such
a winter as this, with incessant Hoods ;
even the little creeks overflowed their
banks, and the Ohio river was never
known so high ; it was almost from
hill to hill, sweeping corn and hay
stacks off by wholesale ; making al-
most a clean sweep. Xow, the weather
is sultry ; the thermometer stood at
70"^ at 7 o'clock this morning, and at
80^ at noon. Hot or cold I welcome
the Bee Jouknal ; it is a weekly
treat. I would be lost without it.
Frank B. Rife.
Malaby, O., Feb. 15, 1883.
[The bees sent are hybrids. We
have already published several good
plans of transferring, and will give
several more before the time to do it
arrives, which should be during fruit
bloom. We cannot say where the
bees came from, but they left some
place that was distasteful to them or
unfit for their longer abode, and
sought and found some better
place. — Ed.]
What harvest follows a severe winter J
There is more mortality amongst
bees, in this locality, than there were
two years ago. One large apiarist, in
this town, is losing very heavily, and
losses are the rule. Many did not
have fall pasturage, and hail to be fed
for winter stores; there was not much
surplus last summer. Mr. Doolittle
says the largest surplus, in this State,
has followed severe winters ; that has
not been the case here, as a rule. 1868,
1870, 1874, 1876, 1878 and 1880 here
were good seasons, while 1869, 1871,
1873, 1875. 1877, 1879 and 1881 were not
so good, all following hard winters.
The winters previous to the first
named were mild with the exception
of 1867 and the winter of 1870-71.
The seasons of 1872 and 1882 were
failures here. My average amount
of extracted honey, per colony for
12 years, is 75 lbs. W. H. S. Grout.
Kennedy, N. Y., March 30, 1883.
200 Lbs. of Wax from 70 Colonies.
In the Bee Journal for Feb. 28,
page 121, Mr. N. B. Tindall wishes for
more light as to how I obtained 200
lbs. of wax from 70 colonies of bees,
spring count. In my report I did not
state that about -3 of my bees were in
odd sizes of frames, some of which I
transferred on Mr. Heddon's plan,
rendering up all of the old combs ;
those old combs and the cappings
from 9,000 lbs. of extracted honey, is
the way I obtained my 200 lbs. of wax.
I should have stated in my report that
had my bees all been in Langstroth
hives, my report would have been
much larger. I think another season
will see all of my bees in standard
Langstroth hives; then do not be as-
tonished at any report I make. Last
year I had one continuous and heavy
flow of lioney from June 7, until Sept.
15, and after I had finished extracting
on Sept. 20, tliev filled their hives,
both lower and upper stories ; con-
sequently they are very strong now.
I will probably give my method of
making vinegar in my next, which
would be hard to beat.
W. G. McLendon.
Lake Village, Ark., March 29, 1888.
Hard Winter In Canada.
This has been a very hard winter
on bees ; I think fully one-half the
bees around here are gone. They
have been confined 130 days, and are
now very uneasy, and many suffering
from dysentery. We have about 4
feet of snow on the ground yet, and
it is freezing hard to-night.
Geo. Garlick.
Warsaw, Ont., March 28, 1883.
Corrections.
Please make the following correc-
tions in my article on page 166 of the
Bee Journal, and oblige : " The
cap, which should contain about 1,000
cubic inches," should read, 7,000 cubic
inches. The cap, or surplus depart-
ment of all my hives, is large, and 1
do not think the case and cover to-
gether should contain less than 4.000
cubic inches to winter well. Also,
the sentence, " but the bees seemed
too warm, and ai-e flying out, which,
if they did much too often," should
read, but the bees seemed too warm,
and on flying out, which they did
much too often. Dr. G. L. Tinker.
New Philadelphia, O., Mar. 29, 1883.
[The figures 1 and 7, in writing, are
made quite similarly, and there the 7
is blotted and indistinct. It occurs in
the eighth line of the second para-
graph in the second column on page
166. The other errors in the 12th and
13th lines from the bottom, were
caused by carelessness in the compos-
tor.— Ed.]
•
Cheap Power for Saws.
As I have seen some inquiry, of
late, in regard to a cheap power for
running saws for hive making, I
thought I would mention that the
Buckeye mowing machine is about
the best ; for one that is rather
•■ played out " can be bought for from
$2 to $5. To use it, tip the machine
up on one wheel, brace it up, and by
digging a hole in the ground the size
of the wheel and letting it down so
that the tumbling rod can be attached
about level with the ground, and run
it out any length desired, to attach a
pully wheel. To attach to it. take
the tongue of the machine to fasten
to the top wheel, and hitch a horse
at the end to go around in a circle.
This makes a good power as well as a
cheap one. I wintered 25 colonies on
the summer stands, with chaff inside
the hive, and lost only one ; the rest
are in fine condition.
Dr. J. S. McAllister.
Columbus, Neb.
Wintered Snceessfnlly.
I wish to record the fact that 1 have
wintered bees, for two winters, on sec-
tions, 8 inches square, two in a frame,
wintered on from 4 to 7 frames in
each hive, with the most perfect suc-
cess. I arranged the sections, with
their contents of honey and pollen, to
suit myself. These frames are about
the size of the Langstroth, and hang
the long way up and down ; thus hold-
ing one section above another, and are
194
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
movable at will. The hives that holds
these frames are chaff hives, and are
protected in tlie usual manner, ex-
cept that the entrance is nearly at the
top of the frames, which is an impor-
tant point ; it lets out all dampness,
and lets in the bees at a point where
it is warm. These frames can be
handled in warm weather about as
easily as the Langstroth, and bees
will work in boxes as well as any
other hive. John L. Davis.
Holt, Mich.
Qneenless Colonies.
Please inform me, through the
Journal, the best method of treating
queenless colonies in the spring.
Shirley, Ont. M. Stonehouse.
[Either give each queenless colony
a fertile queen, or a frame of eggs and
brood from which to rear one, early
in the spring. The fertile queen is
safest and best. Later, when drones
are reared, the frame of eggs and
brood will do. Or, it you have a weak
colony, with a fertile queen, unite the
queenless colony with it.— Ed.]
Meeting of Bee-Keepers.
I put 88 colonies in winter quarters,
on the summer stands ; and left the
cloth on the frames. I put a box over
the hive, packed around with hay, and
covered all with a good roof. Those
packed thus came out strong on April
2, as they were when put there, as far
as I could see. Some, left without
any outside packing, carried out from
a half to a pint of oees. after the cold
spell. The bee men of Joplin and
adioining country meet at Joplin,
May 5, 1883, for the purpose of organ-
izing a Society forthe advancement of
bee-culture, and to establish a uniform
price for the products of the apiary.
All who are in anyway interested in
apiculture, are invited to meet with
us at that time and place. The Society
will hereafter meet at such times and
places as may be determined.
Dr. J. T. Bruton.
Joplin, Mo., April 3, 1883.
When to take Bees out of Cellars.
When I read reports like the one in
the Bee Journal from J. E. Hast-
ings', Carlisle, Iowa, page 170 (and
others similar to it which the reader
will call to mind), I must say I am
puzzled to understand them. If I
should say to the Dairymen's Associa-
tion I put 20 cows into the stable on
Nov. 1 and on March 1 or 16, 1 turned
them to pasture all in good condition,
what would northern farmers think of
me y I can easily guess that they
would say, to themselves : "If he has
any left May 1 they will be a slim lot
indeed, especially in sucli a season as
this." It has been a howling month ;
the ground is frozen solid yet, with
but very few days that bees can fly.
I infer that it is very similar in Mr.
Hasting's vicinity. In short, I would
like to know, as long as the bees are
in fine condition in their winter
quarters, and considering the state of
the weather, why not leave them
there, even until May 1 or 15, if there
should be nothing for them to do out-
side until that time. I think the
opinion prevails among bee-keepers
that cellar-wintered bees are liable to
dwindle badly when set outside, in
fairly good weather ! I would like to
see Mr. Hastings' report on May 1.
I expect that he will wish that his
bees had remained in the cellar and
cave another 4 weeks. I packed 25
colonies in October in clover chaff,
bottom, top, and sides ; all are living,
but 1, which was dead Feb. 15.
P. F. TWITCHELL.
Andover, O., April 2, 1883.
Large Increase and Honey Crop.
I have no doubt but what there is
a difference in locality for honey ; the
best we can do here is the average of
30 lbs. of honey to a colony. I would
be glad to have large increase and
lara;e honey crop, as Mr. Moss says he
had (from "l(i colonies and 3 nucleus,
y.OOO lbs. of honey, and .52 increase,
and all that a family of ten could use
for a year); that stumps the world. I
am 76 years old, but never witnessed
such a thing, as the above, in my life.
William Roberts.
Vaughansville, O., April 3, 1883.
Convention Notices.
1^ The Mahoning Valley bee-keep-
ers will hold their 13th meeting in the
Town Hall, at Berlin Centre, Ohio, on
May 5. All bee-keepers, and the pub-
lic in general, are invited to attend.
Do not forget to bring your wives,
children, and a well-filled lunch basket.
We expect a grand meeting.
L. Carson, Pres.
H. A. Simon, Sec. pro tern.
i^ The Iowa Central Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold their semi-
annual meeting at Winterset, Iowa,
on Friday, May 11, 1883. All inter-
ested in anything pertaining to bee-
culture are invited to attend, and
bring anything that will be of interest
to the bee fraternity.
J. E. Pryor, Sec.
A. J. Adkison, Pres.
i®° The semi-annual meeting of the
Western Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Independence, Jackson
County, Mo., on Saturday, April 28,
1883, at 10 a. m. Papers prepared for
the occasion by the president, sec-
retary and others will be read, and
matters of general interest to bee-
keepers discussed. A general attend-
ance of persons interested in bee-
culture is requested. The present
membership of this Association con-
trol 2,000 colonies of bees.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
Kansas City, Mo.
J. A. Nelson, Pres. Wyandotte, Kas.
^f The spring meeting of the
Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held in Cortland, N. Y..
on Tuesday, May 8, 1883.
M. C. Bean, Sec.
1^ Quite a number of the leading
bee-keepers of Missouri and Kansas
met at the Court House, in Independ-
ence, Mo., December 23, 1882, and or-
ganized a bee-keepers' convention,
which was named the " Western Bee-
Keepers' Association," by electing the
following officers for the ensuing year :
Jas. A. Nelson, of Wyandotte, Kans.,
President; L. W. Baldwin, of Inde-
pendence, Mo., Vice-President; S.W.
Salsbnry, Kansas City, Mo., Treasurer.
The Association passed a resolution
to invite all bee-keepers within a con-
venient distance, to meet with us at
our next meeting and lend us their
councils. Adjourned, to meet again
at Independence, on the last Saturday
in April next, at 10 o'clock, a. m.
J. D. Meador, P. Baldwin, C. M.
Crandall, Committee.
W The Central Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association holds its spring
convention at Lansing, in the State
Capitol building, on Tuesday, April
17,1883,9a.m. Programme: Presi-
dent's address ; Essays: Prof. A. J.
Cook, on Wintering Bees ; S. C. Perry,
on Chaff Hives ; C. Case, on Comb
Honey; O S. Smith, on the Best Bee;
A. D. Benham, on Extracted Honey ;
Mr. Harper, on Queen-Rearing ; Mr-
Waldo, on Best Method of Wintering
Out of Doors, in Single- Walled Hives ;
E. N. Wood, on Sections ; and E.
Greenaway, on Comb Foundation. All
bee-keepers are invited to attend or
send essays, papers, implements or
anything of interest to the fraternity
A full attendance is reqi'ested.
E. N. Wood, Sec.
North Lansing, Mich.
1^ The spring meeting of the
Western Michigan Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation will be held at Supervisor's
Hall, Grand Rapids, April 26, at 10
a. m.
F. S. Covey, Sec.
Coopersville, Mich.
1^ The Texas State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its Fifth Annual
Convention at McKinney, Collin Co.,
on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
17th and 18th, 1883; at the residence of
Hon. W. H. Andrews.
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
Kingston, Texas.
li^ The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday, April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G. W. Demaree, Sec.
Christiausburg, Ky.
1^ The Southeastern Michigan
Bee-Keepers' Association will hold
their next meeting at Adrian, Mich.,
April 18, 1883. All are invited. Re-
duced rates at hotel.
H. D. Cutting, Pres.
Clinton, Mich.
H. C. MARKHA3I, Sec.
Ann Arbor, Mich.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
195
^'^h'd\ mul S^OAU.
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Sections, Honey Board, Etc.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following questions through tlie Bee
Journal y And oblige a reader of
all your articles, and one that thinks
a great deal of them.
1. In using one-pound sections, is it
best to use one or two tiers, in surplus-
chamber, same as in brood-chamber V
2. What is the best time and way to
fasten brood comb from larger frames
into the Langstroth frame V
3. Pleiise describe the lioney board
that you use between the brood and
surplus-chamber V A. H. Given.
Elgin, 111., April 3, 1883.
[1. Whether I used a case or brood
frame super, I should never use
either more than one tier high.
2. In these days of comb perfection,
I should never transfer combs unless
they were all worker, perfectly
straight, and large enough to com-
pletely fill the frames, and then if you
have a flat top bar, nothing is neces-
sary if you cut and press in the comb
properly. Thorns put through bradded
holes, in the top bar, are good to se-
cure the combs till the bees make
them fast.
8. My honey board is described on
page 201, Weekly Bee Journal,
1882.— James Heddon.]
Preventing After-Svvarnis.
I liked your article very much on
"Preventing After-Swarms." I un-
derstand from it that you did not give
the old colony a laying queen imme-
diately, forcing tliem. Is it not advis-
able to do so y DWIGHT FURNESS.
Furnessville, Ind.
[In back numbers of the periodicals
and in conventions, I have always
contended against the plan of rearing
and fertilizhig queens to be used for
the queenless part of a divide, or in
natural swarming. A cessation from
egg laying is just fitted to the condi-
tion of the mother colony at the time
when the natural division does, or ar-
tificial division should occur. There
is uo better place in which to hatch
cells than this old colony ; none any
where near as cheap. Do not let us
get ahead of the old farmer any faster
than will pay. Let our advancements
be real. Mr. Doolittle's article on
page 174 of last issue contains most
of the arguments that I have used. I
differ with him regarding the point of
the introduction of the new (jueen to
the old colony, producing further
swarming. It will not, here, or any
where else, that I know of, for nothing
tends more to prevent the swarming
impulse than the introduction of a
young queen. The real objections
are that it is a useless expense, of
time, for the cessation of laying is
just to our advantage at that season
of the year. This is another point on
which the " advanced " ones used to
" churn" me upon —James Heddon.]
Chocolate for Pollen. '
As a suggestion, what do you think
of sweet ciiocolate as a substitute for
pollen y My bees are highly pleased
with it. Wm. D. French.
C4rand Rapids, Mich.
»
[I have never heard of chocolate as
a substitute for pollen before. You
must find out by experimenting.
Here in my location, and I believe
the same is true in yours, there is
nothing gained in early breeding. I
am satisfied that all the sacks of flour
I ever fed were worse than wasted.
—James Heddon.]
Keeping Honey In Summer.
How can I keep extracted honey
from souring in summer ; and also
comb honey from candying y
N. S. Dean.
Hooper's Valley, N. Y.
[Do not extract your honey till it is
capped over, and there is no danger
of its souring. If you do extract it in
a thinner state, store it in 1 gallon
stone jars, piled 8 or 10 high, with
sticks between them, to allow a cir-
culation of air across the top surface
of the honey. It can thus be stored
in a very small compass, in proportion
to quantity. The room containing it
should Ije dry and airy. To keep
comb honey from candying, have all
capped before removing from the
hives, and keep it in an airy and
warm room. Keep warm in cool
weather.— James Heddon.]
1^" On page 183, center of middle
column, answer 4, read : "A majority
seem to think so, though minorities,"
etc. No matter where the error was
made, let us have it as near correct as
possible. I have to write on the run.
[It was not so written. — Ed.] I must
refuse to answer questions not pertain-
ing to business, except through the
Question Departments I have agreed
to. 1. Because I cannot get the time
to do it. 2. Answers in the Depart-
ments save an endless repetition of
the same questions. If they are re-
peated, I can refer to former an-
swers.— James Heddon.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office OP AMERICAN BKK JOtTRNAL, i
Monday. 10 a. m., April ii, 1882. f
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotations of Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted is 7c.
for dark and 9c. for liKhl— here. The supply is
abundant and sales are slow.
BEESWAX -None in the market.
AL. H. Newman. a23 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONISY- There is noexcitement in the honey
market, but sales are fair to our rnKular trade.
OfferinKs are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7@9c. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there
is a larfje supply of tlrsl-class quality on the mar-
ket. It brinjis ii2(5j1hc. on arrival.
BEESWAX— Comes in slowly and brings 20®30c
per lb., according to quality. Chas. F. Muth.
Quotations of Commission Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The demand is light and it is not now
probable that all of the comb honey can be sold
before a new crop comes. Prices are very irregular
and generally low: 15(al6e.for white, and dark un-
salable. Extracted, very little trade is being done
in it. 7@yc. is about the market.
BEESWAX-3,3&:j«c.
K. A. BURNETT. 161 South Water St.
SAN EKANCISCO.
HONE Y-Buyers are readily obtained for choice
comb or e.Ytracted at full figures, but ofl" qualities
meet with slow sale.
White comb, 14<sil7c. : dark to good, 1 l@l3c.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8H@9^c. ; dark and
candied, ':t(&7^c.
BEESWAX— We quote 30®33c.
Stearns & Smith. 423 Front Street.
ST. liODIS.
HONBY— Very quiet : dull. Comb at 14®16.—
some inferior sold at luc. : strained at 6!*^7c., ex-
tracted at 7'.^(^lxH>c., lots in small packages more.
BEES WAX— Scarce and wanted at 33(a34c.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO., 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— la a little lower, and at the lower price
it has moved off a little better of late. 1-lb. sections
of best white sold at ]8H<&i9c.: second grades,
1-lb., 17c.: 2-lb. sections a little slow at ]7@18c.
Extracted very dull at 9®llc.
BKESWAX-None in market.
A. C. Kendel. 11.5 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote;
H lb. sections at 30c.: I lb. sections, 22(si25c.; 2 lb.
sections, 2(»®22c. Extracted, 10c. per lb. Good
lots ot extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
Crocker & Blake. 57 Chatham Street.
Emei"son Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
1^ We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this oflSce by
Saturday of the previous week.
196
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
^p^ccial 1|otices,
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
"We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 50 cents ;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
i^Postage stamps, of one, two or
three cent denomination, accepted for
fractional parts of a dollar; but money
is preferred.
• Bee Pastnrage a Necessity.— W e have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts each, or $8 per 100.
1^ We have a few copies of our
pamphlet entitled " Bee Culture " left,
and have reduced the price from 40
to 25 cents each, or $2 per dozen.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $G, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For.flve subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the'above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
1^ " The Bonheur des Dames ; or,
TheShopGirls of Paris." Euiile Zola's
new novel, just published by T. B.
Peterson & Brothers, Philadelphia, is
his greatest, most finished, and most
absorbing romance. It opens up an
entirely new field in fiction, and will
be seized upon with avidity by count-
less hosts of readers. In nothing
Zola has written is his vivid natural-
ism so pronounced. The scene is laid
in the "Bonheur des Dames" dry
goods store, an immense Parisian es-
tablishment, employing a whole army
of girls and men. Zola pictures this
store from its modest beginning,
showing how it grew day by day,
ruining rival houses, and gradually
monopolized all the business of a vast
quarter of Paris. The daily life of
the shop-girls and salesmen, their
trials, troubles, temptations and
triumphs are depicted in the most
graphic and realistic fashion. The
heroine is one of the shop-girls. She
goes through the same experience as
the others, but differs from the ma-
jority of Zola's heroines in preferring
purity to dissipation and its gilded
allurements. She is, in short, a good
girl ; pure, guileless and innocent.
Snares are set for her, but her very
purity enables her to escape them all
and come out unscathed from many a
trying ordeal. She ultimately reaches
a suitable social position, attaining
fortune and happiness. Price 75 cts.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Bees for Sale I
20(1 or 3fMi colonies of Italian bees, in LanKBtruth
hives, in good condition. Price : Single colony,
$ii.5'i ; ten or more, ?<t.no per colony. Hybrids. 50
cents less. I will guarantee wafe arrival.
C. QRIMM.
14A6t Jefferson, Wis.
JXJST OTJTI
New circular and price of Bees and (Queens.
Also, STENCILS for bee-keepers' use.
JOS. M. BROOKS,
4B6t Columbus, Ind.
FOR SALE-ITALIAN BEES.
Five to seven dollars per colony.
E. A. ea^STIWAN,
l.-iAlt 5BU Decalur, Ul.
COMB FOUNDATION.
Owing to the scarcity of beeswax, the prices of
comb foundation will hereafter be as follows ;
10 )bs. or less.
50 •• ••'.'.
100 " " ..
Dunham.
55C.
54
53
52
Thin.
65c.
64
Extra Thin.
72c.
71
70
69
AI.FKED H. NSVPMAN.
923 W. Madison St., Chicago, III.
Cheap ! Cheaper !! Cheapest !!!
»00 €OI.ONI£S OF BE£S
for sale, in movable frame hives. Also, Queens,
Nuclei, Bees by the pound. Hives, Sections, Smok-
ers, Seeds for Honey Plants, and evei ything a live
bee-keeper needs. Send for circular and price list
to FI.AXAOAN «fe ILLIAISKI.
Box 819, Belleville. St. Clair co., 111.
(Proprtetorsof Rose Hill
and Lake Apiaries.
,Cahokia, Falling Springs
lABiy
What Shall I Feed my Bees ?
To stimulate early breedingand insure STRONG
COLONIES is the all important point. Cotton-
seed-meal which contains far niore nitrogenous
materia! than any other vegetable product except
pollen. See instructive article by Arthur Todd in
the BEE Journal, page lii-2. 1 can furnish a prime
article at 3Hc per lb., or 3c if more than .50 lbs. are
ordered. GEO. E. HOGGS. Morgan, Ky. ISAlt
atiou Mill.
6 Inch, Price, $25.00.
It makes the Unest extra thin Foundation for
comb honey. For Sale by
U83 'West Madlsoii-8t.,
cHicAeo. - - - ii.i.i»rois.
NOTICE.
You have bought me all out of my
prepared stock of hives and shipping
crates in the flat. I can't make any
more, and fill other orders promptly,
and perform my desk labor. I can't
trust any one else to do it. Will you
please scratch from my list, " Hives
AND Shipping Crates in the
Flat'i"' I will furiiisli hives iliade
up, honey boards, brood frames and
sections in the flat, and in fact all
other goods advertised in my circular,
the same as before.
JAMES HEDDON,
Dowagiac, Mich.
(^^ OLDEST BEE PAPERYi)'^ ^
.<».
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 18, 1883.
No. 16.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
New Book on Queen Rearing.
Mr. Henry Alley's new book on
Queen Rearing is received, and we
are very well pleased, not only with
its contents, but also with its typo-
graphy and binding. It is a hand-
some octavo of 200 pages, and contains
20 illustrations.
This is one of the subjects upon
which "more light" has been de-
manded for some time past, by pro-
gressive apiculture, and we are glad
to welcome this work of Mr. Alley on
the subject, because he is a successful
and experienced queen rearer, and
also because he gives details of the
methods he now practices, after many
experiments covering a period of 22
years, during which time he has, per-
haps, produced and reared more
queens than any other breeder.
Of course, there are many things
stated in the book which we cannot
endorse, and also much that we think
needs confirmation — still it is a valua-
ble addition to the sparse literature
on " Queen Rearing " now extant.
Considerable of the repetition will no
doubt be eliminated from the next
edition.
In the Preface, Mr. Alley remarks
as follows :
I need not state that this work was
not intended as a literary effort, as
indeed I make no pretentions in this
respect. I have endeavored to present
to my readers a work that will be ben-
eficial and advantageous to them and
have tried to avoid all that is super-
fluous or ambiguous, believing that
plain, practical common sense is far
preferable ; and if it meets with gen-
eral approval I shall rest content. I
claim that my method of rearing
queens is new and original, being the
results of my long experience in queen
rearing and practical apiculture.
Hy the careful study of ttiis work,
and by puttiug into practice the direc-
tions herein given, one will experience
no difficulty in rearing queens of a
superior quality. Let it ever be our
aim to rear better not cheaper queens.
We have waited long for the appear-
ance of the work, but have lost nothing
by the delay. Mr. Alley says : "The
long delay in the publication of the
Bee-Keepers" Handy Book, was una-
voidable, and was caused mainly by
the addition of nearly 75 pag6s to the
work more than was originally intend-
ed. My readers will profit by this
gain, which is a loss to me of over
$100.00." Now that it has been issued,
we can cheerfully forget the delay,
and attribute it to the author's inex-
perience in the business of publishing.
In his Introduction the author re-
marks as follows :
The present and future interests of
apiculture demand a more thorough
and practical method of rearing
queens, and I shall endeavor in this
work to give my readers such inform-
ation as shall tend to give a new im-
petus to this branch of bee-keeping,
and also aid, if possible, in doing away
with the cheap and worthless queens
produced under the lamp nursery sys-
tem ; and to offer to the bee-keeping
public, for their careful consideration
and adoption, a thorough, practical
and scientific method of queen-rear-
ing, which is the result of many long
years of practical experience, and
much hard study.
In order to become a successful in-
structor one must first attain a com-
plete knowledge of the subject to be
taught, and unless it has been thor-
oughly and fully mastered in all its
details, failures only cau result.
In presenting this work to the bee-
keeping fraternity, I do not wish to
assume the position of teacher, but
rather to place before its readers in as
plain and practical a manner as possi-
ble my method of rearing queens,
leaving to their judgment the careful
study, and candid criticism of its con-
tents, feeling assured of a favorable
decision regarding its merits and
value ; knowing that if its instructions
are carefully studied in all their de-
tails, and put to a practical test, the
result will be successful. By careful
attention to all the rules laid down
herein, I hope better queens will be
produced, a matter of great import-
ance to the bee-keeper whether he
keeps bees for pleasure or profit ; and
of vastly more importance to the bee-
master who follows it as a vocation
and depends upon the same for a
living.
He then enters into details of the
modus operandi,%y which these " bet-
ter queens " are produced, and de-
scribes his methods and management.
A chapter is also devoted to each of
the following subjects : Transferring
Bees ; Spring and Fall Feeding ; Win-
tering Bees ; Keeping Bees for Pleas-
ure and Profit, and General Remarks,
which includes a multitude of sub-
jects.
Two essays are also incorporated
into the work, the first being on
" Management of the Apiary ; or, the
Production and Marketing of Honey,"
by G. W. House ; the other is on "The
New Races of Bees," by S. M. Locke.
Both of these are very interesting and
instructive.
This new work should be in the
hands of every practical apiarist, and
is worth many times its cost to any
one having the care and management
of bees. It can be obtained of the
author, at Wenharn, Mass, or at this
oflice.
W Quite a number of the new sub-
scribers, who have begun to take the
Journal this month, ask if we can
supply the numbers from Jan. 1, 1883.
We would say that we can supply a
few more sets, and if any want them
they must be sent for soon, or they
cannot be obtained. We can supply
no more numbers of 1882. They are
aU gone.
^^ The 23d annual St. Louis Fair
will be held Monday, Oct. 1, to Satur-
day, Oct. 6, 1883, both days inclusive.
(^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
198
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Glucose— A Scrap of History.
Mr. W. II. Graves, Duncan, 111.,
has sent us the Peoria Jourmd, of Feb.
13, 1883, which contains some historic
items of interest on tlie glucose in-
dustry which has been so detrimental
to honey producers. It says :
One of the curiosities of trade in
these latter days, is exhibited in the
rise, meridian and decline of the glu-
cose industry. Less than five years
ago the general attention of the com-
mercial world was directed to glucose.
Beginning in Germany it was first
manufactured from wheat. It was
carefully made by experienced chem-
ists, who personally superintended its
manufacture through every stage. An
excellent product was the result,
which, being placed on the market,
found a ready sale at prices which
yielded Immense profits.
It was not long before the process
of manufacturing glucose was known
in the United States. Works were
erected in Buffalo, N. Y., at a time
when this country was in the throes
of a financial panic, and when every-
thing in the shape of labor and ma-
terial could be obtained at remarkably
low figures. Immense factories were
erected at a minimum cost, tons of
machinery were procured for about
the value of old iron, corn was away
down among the thirties, and labor
was begging for employment. Under
all these favorable conditions, the
glucose factories, that were first in
the field, made vast sums of money.
A profit of several hundred per cent,
per month, on the original invest-
ment, was only a circumstance.
New uses for the manufactured
article was discovered daily. Its first
extensive use was in the manufac-
ture of confectionery. Then it be-
came an adulterant of molasses, for
which hundreds of thousands of bar-
rels were used annually. Solidified
and placed on the market as grape
sugar, it was used to mix with the
lower grades of cane sugars. It crept
into the pharmacist's laboratory, and
there made itself generally useful in
several ways. The brewer hailed it
joyfully, and it found a temporary
abiding place in his capacious vats
before lubricating many a parched
esophagus, in the shape of lager beer.
Then did glucose find favor with
the capitalist. It had an almost uni-
versal demand ; it could be made
from corn, the cheapest of grain, and
the process of its manufacture was as
easy as eating cheese. All that was
necessary was to soak the grain in
water for so many hours, grind it be-
tween burrs while wet, run the slop
into tubs to allow the starch to settle,
drain off the water, dump the starch
into another vat with sulphuric acid
to convert it into sugar, neutralize
the acid by adding marble dust, strain
the product, boil it down to syrup in a
vacuum at a low temperature, strain
through bone charcoal, and finally
through felt presses, and the syrup
was ready for the barrel.
Thus amazed at the apparent sim-
plicity of the process of manufacture,
and dazzled by the tangible profits on
the investment, capitalists took kindly
to the new industry, and glucose fac-
tories sprung up all over the country.
About the time that everything was
in readiness for turning out glucose
and coining money, the country began
to recover from the effects of financial
depression. The price of corn ad-
vanced from .30 cents to 80 cents, at
whiclijigure the manufacture of glu-
cose ceased to be gratifyingly profit-
able. Higher wages were demanded
and paid, and competition, which, by
this time had grown sharp, lowered
the market price for the finished
goods. To add still further to increas-
ing perplexities, it was found that the
process of making glucose was not so
simple as it seemed. An expert
chemist, at a princely salary, was a
necessary adjunct to every corn sugar
works, and even then not one in ten
of these alleged experts could turn
out a pure article at a profitable
figure. Other drawbacks arose. The
factories were extremely liable to de-
struction by fire, necessitating high
insurance rates ; the cane sugar .crop
for a year or two was abundant, and
consequently reduced in price, and a
new process was discovered for mak-
ing chea^) sugar from sorghum.
All these forces have combined to
give glucose a discolored optic. Two
years ago the corn sugar factories in
Peoria consumed 10,000 bushels of
corn a day. Now but 2,000 bushels
are used daily. One of the factories
burned down, and was rebuilt with
only one-third of its former capacity.
The other factory has been closed for
nearly six months, and now stands
deserted. Of 20 glucose works in the
United States that were running at
full capacity a year ago, only six are
running to-day, and five of them are
running at reduced capacities. For-
tunes, instead of being made, have
been swallowed up in glucose slop.
Hamlin, of Buffalo, and Chaffee, of
Tippecanoe, Ind , are the only men
who have made fortunes at the busi-
ness, and they were the first in the
Held.
This is the history of the glucose
industry ; bright at its dawn, cloudy
at its noonday, and gloomy in its
night — mighty but ephemeral, so does
it pass before us as one of the com-
mercial curiosities of the nineteenth
century.
Seasonable Hints. — The Indiana
Farmer gives the following hints to
beginners about handling bees :
Gentleness and firmness are neces-
sary qualities in the handling of bees.
Sudden jars and quick active motions
should be avoided as much as possi-
ble. During a good honey flow there
is little if any danger of being stung,
with anything like fair treatment
for the bees. With little honey coming
in, they are much more liable to resist
interference. By the judicious use of
smoke tliey may be controlled with
but little trouble, and while it is not
necessary to resort to this under all
circumstances, it is best to have the
smoker ready so that it can be used if
the occasion requires it. The con-
struction of hives, too, has much to do
with the handling of bees. The frames
should hang so thatthev maybe taken
out without first having to pry them
loose, for there is nothing that will
arouse their anger sooner, tlian the
sudden snapping and breaking loose
of a frame. Where the frames must
be pried loose, one should be pro-
vided with a strong-bladed knife, or
small screw driver; pry the frames
loose, one at a time very gently, loos-
ening all of them before removing
any. In fact anything about a hive
that must be pried loose should be
manipulated carefully.
It is the instinct of the bees to fill
themselves with honey when dis-
turbed. Smoke seems to do this more
effectually, with less danger of anger-
ing them, than anything else. But
the smoke has no effect on the bees
only as it causes them to fill with
honey. Tliis is the object of its use
and it is beneficial in no other man-
ner, unless it be simply to drive them
out of the way. They seem to fear
the smoke and offer less resistance to
it, although, if given too much, it may
make them very angry. Preparatory
to opening a hive, smoke should be
blown into the entrance, not too much
at once ; better two light applications
at short intervals.
After the bees have had time to fill
themselves, remove the cover, raise
gently one corner of the cloth over the
frames, or what ever they may be
covered with. If they still show re-
sistance, give a little " smoke at this
place, and with very few exceptions
they will submit to anything in reason;
but bear in mind, the mashing of a
bee, the dropping of a comb, or acci-
dent^ of like kind may cause them to
strike for liberty or death.
Bee Notes for April.— The American
Agriculturist gives the following on
the results of the past winter among
the bees :
Although bees should be set on the
summer stands in April, even in the
more Northern regions, still they
should be closely covered with warm
packing. For two years we have put
into our cellar chaff hives and hives
wjth single walls, all containing bees.
These were set out at the same time.
The bees in single hives were closely
covered with a sack containing fine
sawdust. This was so long that it not
only covered the hives, but reached
over at each end, and hugged the
division-boards that confined the
brood-chamber. So far as we could
discover, the bees in these hives suf-
fered no worse from " spring dwind-
ling " than did those kept in chaff
hives. If future experience sustains
this point, then the argument that
chaff hives are desirable, because they
are safer in spring, is of no impor-
tance. The past severe winter will
enlighten us on this subject. We
shall be mistaken if it does not raise
cellar wintering to a premium. Such
long confinement, with severe cold, is
very hard on bees. If chaff hives
prove equal to the situation, this win-
ter, then their value is assured.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
199
For the American Bee JoumaL
Rearing ftueens— Nuclei System.
w. z. nuTcniNSON.
I have learned that nothing is
gained by commencing operations
very early in the season. Colonies are
weakened, brood is chilled, and
queens do not lay nntil they are two
or three weeks old ; in fact, there are
only unpleasant features connected
with commencing before warm
weather has really come to stay ;
which, in this latitude, is usually
about the 10th or 1.5th of May.
My first step is to put a nice, clean,
light-colored worker comb in the cen-
tre of the colony, having the queen
from whicli I wish to breed. In three
or four days I generally find this comb
filled with eggs, the oldest of which
are beginning to hatch into larvse. I
now remove the queen and all the
brood from some strong colony, shak-
ing the bees from the brood combs
back into the hives, and dviding the
brood among the weakest colonies.
The queen is either sold or given to a
nucleus prepared expressly for her.
The comb of eggs and larvie from the
choice queen is now given to the
queenless and " broodless " colony.
1 usually cut a few lioles in the comb,
just where the eggs are beginning to
hatch, as it gives the bees better op-
portunities for building queen-cells.
The date that the cells are to be re-
moved, is marked upon the top-bar of
the frame, and this date is also writ-
ten upon a Record J3oard, fastened
up in a conspicuous place in the shop.
This board is examined each day, thus
no batches of queen-cells are forgotten
and neglected until some of the
queens hatch and destroy the whole
lit of cells. When a batch of queen-
cells are taken from a hive, the date
of that batch is scratched from the
board, and when a new batch is
started, the date that they must be
removed is written upon the board. I
have found nine days about the right
time for leaving a comb of eggs and
just-hatched larvae in a queenless col-
ony ; the brood is then all sealed over,
and the queen-cells well ripened, but
no queens will hatch in that length of
time. I never shake the bees from a
comb upon which are queen-cells, as,
if the queens are not far advanced,
the sudden jiir will often dislodge
them from their bed in the royal jelly,
and they fall to the lower end of the
cell where they perish, while, if they
are farther advanced, but not fully
developed and hardened, the result
may be queens with crippled wings or
legs. I place one edge of the comb
upon the ground near the entrance,
coax off as many bees as I can with
the smoker, and then brush off the
remainder with a feather. After re-
moving the comb of eggs from the
colony having the choice queen, its
place is filled with another nice comb
or sheet of foundation ; and in three
or four days this will be filled with
eggs, and can be given to another
queenless colony. With 125 nuclei I
have found it necessary to start a lot
of queen- cells every day. I seldom
allow a colony to build more than two
lots of queen-cells, when I give it a
laying queen.
A day or two before I expect the
first lot of cells to hatch, I start as
many nuclei as there are cells. Early
in the season I seldom start more
than one nucleus from each colony,
and I do this by taking three combs
with the adhering bees and placing
them in a nucleus hive, taking care,
of course, not to remove the old
queen. At least one comb should
contain brood, and it is better that a
little of it should be unsealed. As
the weather becomes warmer, more
nuclei are formed by taking combs
with the adhering bees from these
three-frame nuclei, leaving only two
combs in a nucleus. More nuclei are
also formed by taking more combs
with the adhering bees from the full
colonies. If a colony can spare only
one comb, it can be taken and put
with a comb from another colony, and
thus form a nucleus. I have had no
trouble from bees quarreling when
they were united or mixed up.
I consider it important to always
have on hand a good stock of queen-
cells. A breeder cannot rear queens
at a profit if he allows some of his
nuclei to remain queenless several
days for lack of queen-cells.
When honey is coming in plentifully,
I prefer to put a laying queen upon
the combs of the nucleus at the same
time that I remove the laying queen,
but when there is a scarcity of honey,
this plan does not seem to work so
well, unless the bees are fed, as some
of the young queens are killed by the
bees. I have frequently introduced
young queens that were three days
old ; and one breeder, with whom I
talked last winter, says that he has
often made a practice of keeping
virgin queens until they were five or
six days old before introducing them,
they would then often become fer-
tilized the next day after they were
introduced, and five days' time would
thus be gained. Before introducing,
these young queens were kept con-
fined, each queen by itself, but ac-
companied by a few workers against
the side of a comb of honey kept
hanging in the lamp nursery. The
cages used to confine the queens were
similar to a cover of a tin pepper box,
only the tops were wire cloth ; in fact,
they were the cover to some discarded
" Harris mailing cages." A queen
and five or six workers were placed
under a cover, then give the cover a
turning motion, couibined with a
slight pressure against the surface of
the comb of honey, which caused the
sides to penetrate the comb sufBciently
to keep the cage in place. To intro-
duce one of these queens the bees
were shaken from the combs of a nu-
cleus uoon the ground, near the en-
trance, the queen put into the nucleus,
the nucleus closed except the en-
trance, and then the bees allowed to
run back in. He seldom lost a queen
in introducting them, and had been
unable to discover that this practice
injured the queen in any respect.
One more point I consider impor-
tant, and that is that no nucleus shall
remain a single day without unsealed
brood. Attention to this matter saves
a world of trouble, and largely in-
creases the profits.
Rogei-sville, Mich.
For the American Bee Journal.
Ventilation of Bees.
S. CORNEIL.
I agree with Dr. Tinker in the
opinion that the only really trouble-
some factor with which bee-keepers
have now to contend, is the best mode
of winter ventilation. Sometime ago
I completed a sort of digest of articles
on wintering, and of everything said
on the subject as reported in the pro-
ceedings of bee-keepers' conventions.
This comprised all I could find relat-
ing to wintering in 36 volumes of the
current periodicals, and in the stand-
ard works on bee-culture. The items,
thus gleaned, were then classified and
arranged under such headings as
Cause of Dysentery, Cure of Dysen-
tery, The Pollen Ciuestion, VVhere
Wintered, Protection, Condition of
Cellar. Temperature, Ventilation of
Repository, Stores, Upward Ventila-
tion, Lower Ventilation, Side Venti-
lation, No Ventilation, Space Below
Combs, Results, etc. From reading
the apparently contradictory theories
and plans for wintering, scattered
through the bee papers, one is often
at a loss to know which method to
adopt. On this subject, a prominent
bee-keeper writes as follows : " The
reports about wintering are so con-
flicting that they point to nothing
definite, and I confess that I am
wholly ignorant of the whole matter."
But when the evidence is arranged
under such headings as the above,
and carefully examined, and the de-
gree of intelligence and success of
the observers are taken into account,
I am quite sure my friend would agree
with me that the weight of evidence
is overwhelmingly in favor of the
opinion that the removal of vitiated
air as fast as it is produced, and the
substitution of fresh air in the place
of the foul air so removed, is the plan
which has proven to be most success-
ful, and that to the want of this
change of air can be traced an exceed-
ingly large proportion of the cases of
disaster.
The principles constituting the
science of ventilation are always the
same, whether considered with re-
respect to hives containing bees, the
cellar containing the hives, or the
apartments above occupied by their
owner. Let us see if what is known
regarding those principles cannot be
made to assist in providing proper
ventilation for our bees.
We are told "The necessity for
change of air in inhabited spaces is
rendered evident by considering the
sources of contamination. They are :
a. The production of carbonic acid
ga.s by respiration, b. The increased
200
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
moisture from the same source, and
from exhalations from the body. c.
Heat thrown off by tlie occupants."
The object of ventilation, therefore,
is to remove the air tlms vitiated, and
so substitute pure air, of the proper
temperature and humidity, in its stead.
We are further told, " Every person
is surrounded by an envelope of vit-
iated air, and tlie thickness of this
envelope is dependent upon the direc-
tion and velocity of the air past the
person." This is equally true when
applied to a cluster of bees instead of
a person. The extent of the con-
tamination is sometimes determined
by the increased quantity of carbonic
acid, and sometimes by the increased
quantity of aqueous vapor found in
tlie air. An eminent authority says:
" To measure the additional amount
of moisture at any point is, therefore,
to determine the" foulness of the air
at the same point." It has been cal-
culated that the consumption of 30
pounds of honey, by a colony of bees,
will produce 140 barrels of steam, or
about a barrel per day while tliey are
in winter quarters. Suppose they
only consume 10 pounds, each colony
will evolve a barrel of steam every
three days, a quantity so great as to
make it imperative that it be venti-
lated out of the hive, and hustled up
the chimney with as little delay as
possible.
In a former article, page 728, Bee
JouKNAL for 1882, I pointed out that
the conbustion of tlie saccharine part
of the food produces only carbonic
acid gas and water as excreta evolved
by respiration and evaporation, and
that the surrounding air must be in a
condition to take these up as fast as
produced, to keep the bees healthy.
The necessity for evaporation, and
the conditions under which it can be
carried on, may be gathered from the
following statements as regards our-
selves, and they have even greater
force when applied to the bees.
" For health the body must evap-
orate a quantity of water within cer-
tain limits. Tiie amount evaporated,
is influe'iced by the hygrometric con-
dition of tlie air," * * * '-It does
not hurt a young, strong, healthy per-
son so much to draw the water out of
hira too rapidly, ortoo sluggishly, as it
does an old, feeble or sick person, but
the health of the most vigorous man
is gradually undermined by any ex-
tended persistence in living in air,
which has either a great excess or
or deficiency of moisture ; and one of
the greatest difficulties about ills, that
in nme cases out of ten, he does not
know why his health has failed." In
the winter of 1880-81, we had nearly
four months of excessive moisture in
the air, without any break or let up to
it. If there had been spells during
which the air was dry, so that the
bees could get dried out and take a
fresh start, it is probable they would
not have suffered so much. It seems
to be tlie long continued excess of
moisture that is most injurious.
The atmosphere is the great absorb-
ent upon which we all have to depend.
As remarked by the president of our
Ontario convention, last fall, the so-
called mechanical absorbents are
merely transmitters of moisture from
the bees to the surrounding air.
When intelligently handled, the at-
mosphere is the most efficient as well
as the cheapest absorbent bee-keepers
can employ. Let us examine this
matter a little. Air at zero is sat-
urated by a very small quantity of
vapor, and can tlien absorb no more.
On the 12th of December last, we had
a silver frost, the temperature being
down to S'-' at 7 a. m. The women
complained that the clotlies put out
on the line, would not dry as usual.
Tlie reason was, because the air was
already saturated, and could not
evaporate water from anything. —
Suppose we take a sponge saturated
with water and compress it. While
compressed it may hold, say an ounce
of water, but it will still be fully sat-
urated, and can take up no more.
But remove the pressure, and pres-
ently it is increased in bulk, and, al-
though, it still contains the ounce of
water, it is now thirsty for more, and
is capable of absorbing several ounces
in addition. At zero, .545 grains of
watery vapor will saturate a cubic
foot. Raise the temperature to 32^,
and it will become so thirsty for vapor
that it will require 2,126 grains to
saturate a cubic foot, and at 70^ its
greed for moisture will be so increased
that it will require almost 8 grains
per cubic foot to produce saturation.
Heating air does not dry it in the
sense of taking moisture from it; it
only renders it greedier for more.
I am not forgetting the fact that,
althjugli the air in the hive may be
very damp yet, being of lower tem-
perature, as it permeates the cluster
and is breathed by the bees, its tem-
perature is raised, and is in this way
rendered capable of taking up tlie
water from the body of the bee. The
extent of this increased capacity will
depend upon the heat of the cluster.
Prof. Newport says this is sometimes
as low as 3(P, but I have found it to
be between 603 ^nd 70^ with the sur-
rounding air at °40. It is doubtless
owing to this fact that bees are able
to live as long as they do in badly
ventilated hives. But I confidently
make this statement, that when vapor
is produced by the cluster of bees
faster than it escapes from the hive
by ventilation and diffusion, or faster
than it is diluted by the quantity of
air contained in the hive, it is only a
question of time till the bees will
have to succumb to the effects of
moisture and pernicious gasses, and
the length of that time will depend
upon the strength of the colony, the
readiness with which diffusion takes
place through the material surround-
ing the bees, the quantity of air con-
tained in the hive to dilute the vapor
and gases, the extent of the openings
for ventilation, and tlie relative hu-
midity of the air entering the hive
from without. People often wonder
why some colonies die, while others
alongside, apparently in the same
condition in the fall, come through
all right. It is hardly possible to find
colonies exactly equal in all the above
particulars. A closer examination
would doubtless show differences in
the conditions suHicient to account
for the different results. But we are
told that the humidity of the external
atmosphere lias no relation to bee
mortality. No engineer of eminence
will be found to make the statement
that the relative humidity of the ex-
ternal air has no relation to good ven-
tilation. As a matter of fact, it is a
factor always taken into account. In
laying stress on this element in the
case, I do not stand alone amongst the
bee-keepers, nor can I claim priority
in bringing it forward. On page 727
of the Bek Journal for 1882, Mr. F.
Delia Torre says : " When the at-
mosphere outside is damp, that in the
hive is more so, for it has the large
amount additional from the breath of
the bees added to it." On page 70 of
Gleanings for 1882, Mr. George Grimm
calls attention to this as an element
of importance which lias generally
been overlooked. He claims that the
natural moisture contained in the air
affects the honey, the bee-bread, and
the bees tliemselves, and frequently
leads to disease. Mr. James Heddon
says that, in liis climate, " out-doors
rivals the poorest cellars for damp
atmosphere ; in fact, it far exceeds
them." If we knew exactly how
dampitis, it might possibly furnish
a clue in discovering the reason why
dysentery " gets there " pretty badly
at times in spite of his skill as a bee-
keeper. One of the largest bee-keep-
ers on the continent gave it as his
opinion recently, that the air in the
neighborhood of Mt. Healthy, O., is
comparatively dry, and that this is
one reason why Mr. J. S. Hill has
been so uniformly successful in win-
tering, but, as in Mr. Heddon 's case,
we have no reliable data on the
matter.
The following cases will serve fo
illustrate the application of the fore-
going principles, and possibly be of
service in helping to save some of the
bees now suffering from dysentery.
On page 346, of the Bee Journal
for 1881, Mr. G. W. Zimmerman says,
that on one occasion, wlien bees were
dying from dysentery, his 6.5 colonies
were uneasy, very wet and distended.
He heated a room with a stove, re-
moved the quilts and entrance blocks.
" All the bees that were affected with
dysentery came out over the hives.
I did this twice from evening till
midnight, keeping the room dark.
They all dried off and clustered
quickly back in their hives again.
They iiad discharged their feces going
out and coming back. The result
was, I saved all but two queens.
In the same volume, page 129, Mr.
S. ^^alentine describes how he cured
several colonies of dysentery by mak-
ing an opening 21^x4 inches, covered
with wire cloth directly over the cush-
ion. In a few days he found that
those that were almost helpless had
become dry and bright.
On page 268 of Gleanings for 1876,
Eev. M. Maliin, D. D., describes a
case in which he found tlie whole in-
terior of his hives dripping wet, and
the bees dying through lack of venti-
lation. He removed the honey-boards ,
and replaced them with pieces of
carpet. After a few days he found
the hives dry, and the bees healthy.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
201
They both wintered and springed
■well.
Mr. M. H. Snyder tells, on page .583
of Gleanings for 1881, how he saved
his bees, which were dying of dysen-
tery, by raising the hives above the
bottom board and loosening the en-
amelled cloth with which they were
covered. A few days after, all were
■dry and in good condition.
On page 593, of the same volume,
Mr. G. W. Stitts tells how he cured
two colonies half-dead with dysen-
tery, by heating tlie hives and pack-
ing hot cushions and hot bricks over
them, and by repeating this once a
week for three weeks, they were ef-
fectually cured.
On page 452, of the same volume.
Dr. Jesse Oren relates how he suc-
ceeded in wintering bees in box-hives
by inverting them and tiering them up
in the cellar ; how, he also succeeded
with Langstroth hives in the same
way, leaving the holes in the honey-
board open, and keeping them apart
by strips of wood, and how, when this
was neglected, he had dysentery in
his strongest colonies early in the
winter. He says : " I took off the
honey-boards, shoving them forward
about 2 inches, and then re-piled the
hives. This soon ended the dysen-
tery. Bee-bread may have excited
the disease, but ventilation ended it
with me." It will be at once seen
that the above are clear cases of
cures by improved ventilation, giving
the bees a chance to dry out. Com-
ment is unnecessary.
Lindsay, Out., March 7, 1883.
Tor the Amertcan Bee Journal.
Keply to Dr. Tinker.
JAMES HEDDON.
I may be in the dark regarding the
popularly supposed great advantages
of the Langstroth shallow air-cham-
ber above the brood frames, and the
surplus receptacles. I may also be in
error regarding my supposition that
almost all practical producers were
enjoying said advantages. I did
really think that most of the more ex-
perienced bee-keepers, who read our
•controversy, were laughing at the
idea of the barbaric method of resting
the sections, or any bar that might
support them, down" flat on the brood
frame top bars.
The Doctor thinks it " strange "
that the bees will go thro\igha honey-
board and two air-chambers and en-
ter the surplus receptacles just as
soon as the flow of nectar begins.
Now, Doctor, all that you need is
proper arrangements, and' the
" strangeness " will all resolve itself
into simplicity. I would tell you all
about these arrangements if it was
not for the fact tiiat I am foolish
enough to be using these things that
I have found best, and tricky enough
to be selling just what I use, and you
would then accuse me of " advertis-
ing."
I am glad that the Doctor and I see
nearly enough alike about the half-
pound sections, that we mean to give'
them a trial the coming season.
The Doctor should have quoted
some one beside Mr. A. G. Hill as
authority in favor of the ancient prac-
tice of resting the sections directly on
the brood frames. I wonder at his
judgment in selection. I have long
tried to get a missionary to visit Mr.
Hill, but all are afraid of being eaten.
Such things have occurred. Well,
Doctor, let us leave the matter of the
advisability of leaving out the third
claim of Mr. Langstroth's invaluable
patent to the judgment of the future
practice of bee-keepers. It took
years to teach us the numerous ad-
vantages of this " shallow air-cham-
ber," but we learned it to stay (I
think), and it is my sincere conviction
that none will do without its splendid
features long. Upon this suliject, I
long ago "cast out the beam," and
feel sure the Doctor will cast out his,
ere long.
Dowagiac, Mich, April 5, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal-
Results of My Winter Packing.
E. C. CRANE.
Having had many inquiries con-
cerning the result of my manner of
packing, I desire to answer them in
the columns of the Bee Jouknal.
I had 12 colonies, spring count, in
1882; sold 15, and furnished 12 swarms
for tlie woods. I sold 2,000 pounds of
comb honey in one and two-pound
sections, at an average of 17J-^ cents
per pound, and put 37 colonies into
the cellar and 12 on the summer
stands, in ashed, open to the south, for
the winter, making 49 colonies in all.
I use the improved Quinby hive in
preference to four or five other hives
I have tried, or any other kind, all
things considered. The large (11x18)
sensible frames for the brood-cham-
ber, with their two movable division-
boards, gives the operator the most
perfect control, in directing tlie energy
of his bees to the special object de-
sired, in the different honey flows of
the season, enabling him to produce
comb honey, extracted honey, or bees,
at will. The details of each are sup-
posed to be understood by any old
reader of the Bee Journal.
In the fall I select from five to eight
of the best brood-frames, with ripe
capped honey, on the upper edge and
down to the end of each frame, with
division-board each side, and blanket
or honey-board raised enough for the
bees to climb over the tops of the
frames ; also holes in the combs for
runways ; then lill with dry leaves,
chalf or straw, 3 or 4 inches thick
down the sides, to the floor of the hive,
and also on the top of the frames, up
to the cover, leaving their packing
chamber ventilated. I have also used
a ventilating chimney with one-inch
bore 5 or 6 inches long, with wire
screen on top, from the top of the
brood-nest to tlie top of the packing.
I do not consider this very essential
for cellar packing where the cellar is
properly ventilated.
I tilled the summer shed with corn
stalks a foot deep. I set the hives,
packed as above described, one foot
apart, 8 inches from the back side,
covering the whole with dry leaves
between, behind and on the top, to the
depth of 2 feet, leaving the entrance
holes open to the south. Those, in the
summer house, had a vigorous flight
on Jan. 1, 17, 24, 28 and Feb. 4, 11, 17
and 18.
The cellar is 15x30 feet, under a
brick house, finished for the purpose,
and is clean and dry, with a cement
bottom, and it contains nothing but
bees. It is ventilated with a 7-inch
stove pipe, entering the chimney, 5
feet from the floor, with an elbow run-
ningdownto within 1 footof the floor,
having a draught sufficient to suck
up a dry leaf or small paper from its
mouth. I never lost any bees in that
cellar. I carried out my 37 colonies on
Feb. 27, all strong and in good order.
Having sold some, I now have 45 col-
onies, all containing eggs and brood ;
some living drones at this writing.
Burlington, Iowa, April 9, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Raspberry Honey, Etc.
A. E. FOSTER.
I noticed in the Journal, a few
weeks ago, an article asking for infor-
mation about the quality of honey
obtained from raspberry blossom. I
believe the article has not been an-
swered yet. I hope some one, who
has had a large experience with rasp-
berry honey, will give us " light." I
read an item in one of our leading
papers, not long since, saying that the
honey obtained from raspberries is of
an inferior quality, and unfit for the
markets.
It looks as though the season had
opened in earnest here. To-day, the
bees are as busy as can be, bringing
in natural pollen. The following is
an item about bees in the South laying
up stores of honey. Is it true V
Covington, Ky., April 8, 1883.
The Eec'kless Bee. — An experi-
menter in Southern agriculture told
me the following concerning of North-
ern bees in the South, lie took a
colony of the little gratuitous honey-
makers down to Florida. The first
year they revelled, throve, and stored
honey nearly all the unvaried summer
time. But the second year, a few of
the more reflective bees evidently
turned the thing over in their minds
thus : " This country has no winter
to provide against ; what is the use of
laying up honey, where the flowers
blossom all the year round '?" These
bees exerted enough influence among
their friends to keep a good many
bees from laying by any sweet mer-
chandise the second year of their
exile.
But the prudential instinct so strong
in the little insect prevailed with the
majority. They evidently said to
themselves : " Perhaps this has been
an exceptional year. Next season may
t)ring cold, and snow, and dearth of
flower." So there was quite a stock
of honey laid by on the second year,
in spite of a few strikers. But by the
third year the conviction h;id evidently
202
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
thoroughly penetrated the bee mind
that it was foolish to lay up, in a land
of eteniiil blossom. They made just
honey enough to last from day to day,
and abandoned themselves to living
from hand to mouth as recklessly as
does the tropic-born butterfly. — Wash-
ington QazeUe.
[No ! There is no truth in it. It is
but the idle scribbling of a newspaper
correspondent, who thought he would
get up a sensation by telling an ex-
citing story.— Ed.]
For the American Bee JoumaL
The Langstroth Frame.
J. B. MASON.
On page 144 of Bee Journal for
March 14, Mr. II. D. Edwards criti-
cises my article on page 21 of Janu-
ary 10, 1883. He says I do not state the
anvantages of the Langstroth frame,
and asks why we should adopt it,
when the advantages are so few that
I have not seen fit to give them. My
own idea, formed after long experi-
ence with them in my own apiary is,
that its advantages are many ; in fact,
that it contains more real good points
than does any other frame ; else why
is it so fast coming into general use,
and that too with practical bee-keep-
ers y Would any one be insane enough
to adopt it, if it was not, to say the
least, as good as any V I will en-
deavor now to take up the challenge
of Mr. Edwards, and give some of
the advantages possessed by the L.
frame. First, their now being more
largely in use throughout the country
than all others combined ; by now
adopting it. one puts himself on the
same track with the great majority,
and can easily interchange frames
with them, without transferring; as
it bids fair to soon become the stand-
ard of the country, by using it we are
up with the times, and not falling be-
hind. I said it bids fair to become
the standard ; my reason is, that ere
long some standard size will be
adopted, and as the Eangstrotli frame
is so largely in use, and so well liked
by the unprejudiced, who have given
it a fair trial, it will be more easy to
adopt it than any other; in fact, it
will be utterly impossible to adopt
any other as a standard, for all others
are now fast giving way to it, and no
one will purchase on a falling market.
The reasons why some standard will
ere long be adopted, is so patent that
I need not take time or space to give
them ; it is obvious to all that it must
come, and when it does, apiculture
will take a fresh start. So far as
profit is concerned. I care not what
style of frame is desired, but I notice
that those ordering hives from all sec-
tions of New England, at least 95 per
cent, of them are for the standard
Langstroth, and we may be sure that
the climate of New England is pretty
severe, to say the least.
My experience is directly opposite
to ttie statement of Mr. E. who says
it is generally conceded that bees in a
deep frame winterbetterthan in aslial-
low one. I admit that it once was the
case, and that the American frame 14,
and even 16 inches deep, was ex-
tensively introduced, but they are fast
being thrown out, and their places
taken by the Langstroth frame. Ex-
perience showing that the wintering
qualities of a deep frame was a mat-
ter of theory, not well backed up in
practice.
The fact that the Langstroth frame
can be made more cheaply than any
other might be an inducement on the
start ; but practical men do not care
for the slight difference, if they get a
better article ; so that argument does
not carry enough weight to be worth
answering. It answers itself at once.
The Langstroth frame has the ad-
vantage of being the best and most
economical in form, so far as the use
of sections is concerned. The sec-
tions are placed over the brood cham-
ber, close to the bees, where all the
heat of the hive is economized, and
the size is such that the space is tully
economized and all taken up without
loss; this of course is a great advan-
tage, and one that recommends itself
to all.
To sum up, the only real objection
made to the Langstroth frame is,
that it is not best for winter in cold
climates. Assertions amount to noth-
ing; it is facts we want. How are
the facts, and how do they show up '?
Mr. E. E. Hasty says it is the best for
wintering in cold climates, and he
makes the statement from results of
experiments in his own apiary. Mr.
Bingham says it is too deep, if any-
thing, and he uses (and successfully
too) in a cold climate, a frame only 6
inches deep. I apprehend that the
objections to the Langstroth frame is
largely a matter of prejudice. Some
one (no matter who) started the idea
in opposition to the Langstroth frame
that a deeper frame was better, and
the American hives met with large
sales; but they are fast being super-
seded by the Langstroth frame. The
public begin to learn that theories put
forth by interested parties are not
always found, in practice, to be true.
With deep frames it is difficult to tier
up two or three stories,, and this is a
serious objection.
The extractor plays so important a
part in the management of an apiary,
that the best reply I can give to any
one who says tliat the Langstroth
frame is toosliallow to winter well, is,
I do not care whether it is too shallow
or not ; it does well for wintering, and
those who have given it a fair trial
say it is better than deeper frames.
I have not space now to give the
scientiffic reasons why a shallow liive,
of the depth of the Langstroth, should
be better for wintering than a deeper
one, but may make tliat the especial
subject of another article; in fact, I
do not know as we need to inquire the
reasons wliy a thing should be, when
we know that it really is.
Tlie evidence in favor of the Lang-
stroth frame is found in the fact that
it is so generally used, and that too by
practical men ; and in the favorable
reports that they make in regard to
it; and if the unfavorable criticisms
that are made against it were less
theoretical, more strongly backed up
by proof, and come more largely than
they do from persons not interested
in some other style of frame, 1 should
consider them niore worthy of confi-
dence, as advice ; and of far more
weight in favor of their adoption.
Mechanic Falls, March 26, 1883.
For the Aroerican Bee JoumaL
A Brief but Kind Reply to Prof. Cook.
E. B. SOUTHWICK.
Mr. Editor. — My article on the
one-piece section drew out some re-
marks from our mutual friend. Prof.
Cook, which, in self-justifieation, re-
quires a brief reply from me.
I am not a Christian, because I am
too selfish to love my neighbor as my-
self. I cannot leave father, mother,
wife and children to follow Christ ; I
love them too well. Can the Professor
do this y If so, he may be a Christian,
while I am not. But, perhaps, it was
the other part of the sentence, that he
thought differed from Ch ristian teach-
ings ; that is, " Do right because it is
right." The Professor has made the
mistake of confounding Christianity
with morality. Christianity is the
name of one of the many religions of
the day, while rightand wrong existed
when all these religions had yet to be
brought into being. As to the good
and moral examples and teachings of
Christ, I am as much of an admirer
as Prof. Cook. I can say
" I admire the truth, wherever found.
Whether on Christian or on heathen ground."
For example : I find the golden
rule taught by Christ; I admire it
there. I find the same taught by
Confucius (that heathen Chinee), 500
years before Christ ; I admire it there.
I find the Bible directs us to honor our
father and mother. I also find the
same teachings in the old Egyptian
religions that were established before
the Bible was thought of ; and I ad-
mire them in both places. All the
difference between the Professor and
myself, I think, is that he loves the
teachers of these, and I love the teach-
ings themselves.
The Profe.=ssor says I worship right.
Well, I think he will admit then that
the God I worship ia as good as the
best, and that he will elieerfully add
justice and truth, forming a trinity,
over which we can extend to each
other the right-hand of fellowship, and
unite with Pope in saying :
" What conscience dictates to be done,
Or warns me not to do.
This, teach me more tl)Hn hell to shun,
that, more than heaven pursue."
Mendon, Mich., April 2, 1883.
[The Bee Journal is " devoted
exclusively to progressive bee-cul-
ture," and discussions of religion,
politics, and many otlier interesting
topics are all inappropriate in its col-
umns. Prof. Cook aiulDr. Southwick
now have had an opportunity to ex-
plain their remarks in a discussion of
the patent-section controversy,— let
this end the present discussion.— Ed.J
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
203
Fur the American Bee JoumaL
Those Big Bee Stories.
M. >I. BALDUIDGE.
During 1882 the " boys," in various
parts of the country, had "lots" of
"fun" telling "yarns" about big
crops of honey and immense profits
by "fooling with bees." Those
" boys " in Texas rather got the start
of the rest of us and carried off the
belt. It is rather early to begin those
" yarns " for 1883, but I don't propose
to let the Texas " boys " get the start
this year, so I will head the list with
what one of our " boys " did, as long
ago as I860, to wit:
A True Bee Story.— On the 1st
of February, 1860, the Rev. Hiram
Hamilton had 35 colonies of bees near
Stockton, California. Twenty-five
were in small Langstroth hives, con-
taining about 1,400 cubic inches, and
the balance were in larger hives con-
taining about 2.000 cubic inches. At
the above date all the bees were
moved from Stockton to Santa Clara,
California, and they remained there
till July 1, just fivemonths— at which
date they had increased to 270 colo-
nies. I'he honey season having
closed at Santa Clara, the bees were
moved back to the vicinity of Stock-
ton, whence they started, and by Oct.
1,1860, there were .500 colonies ! The
10 colonies in large hives increased to 7.5
and gave 4,.500 lbs. comb honey. The
25 in small hives increased to 425 colo-
nies and gave 16,275 lbs. comb honey!
From the 35 original colonies there
were at the close of the honey season in
1860, 20,775 lbs. of comb honey, and an
increase of 465 swarms, and all of this
was secured without purchasing any
bees or any feed ! They were simply
managed skillfully and intelligently,
by following the teacliings laid down
in Mr. Langstroth's excellent book,
aided by a magnificent harvest in
two very fine locations for honey.
As honey was worth, in California,
about $1.00 per pound in 1860, and as
colonies of bees were then in good de-
mand, at about §100 each, let us see
how this figures :
465 swarms, at |KiO each
20,775 lbs. ol comb honey at $1.00 per lb.
Total 167,275
This, divided by 35, gives a profit (V)
of SI ,922 per colony! Now divide
20,775 lbs. of honey by 35 and we have
an average of 594 lbs. of comb honey
per colony ! It will be seen that the
10 colonies in large hives gave an
average of 6>^ swarms and 4.50 lbs. of
comb lioney per colony ; also, that the
25 colonies in small hives gave an
average, per colony, of 16 swarms and
651 lbs. of comb honey !
The above discloses the important
fact that the small hives were the
most profitable for both swarms and
honey, which accords with the ex-
perience of the best bee-keepers of to-
day. The fact is also disclosed that
it does pay sometimes to move bees
from one honey range to another.
Inasmuch as I have headed the
foregoing as " A True Bee Story." it
may now be well, lest some of the
" boys" may have s(ime doubts about
. $46,SWl
. 20,775
it, to cite my authority : Many of the
facts enumerated will be found re-
corded on page 126, first volume of
this Bee .Journal.
Now " boys " don't let this " yarn "
discourage you "one bit," but press
on and let us see who will be the first
to equal or even surpass, in honey and
swarms, the extraordinary success of
Mr. Hamilton— for I have my doubts
of its having vet been done.
St. Charles, 111.
For tbe American B*;e JournaL
How to Transfer Bees.
A. RICE.
one side of the hive. I can ordinarily
transfer a colony while others are
drumming the bees.
From taking the hive from the
stand and replacing it, as little time
as possible should be lost. It is,
therefore, very necessary that every-
thing be in readiness, and all done as
quickly as possible. It will be ob-
served, that by keeping a box or re-
ceptacle on top of the hive, during the
transferring, it is nearly or quite im-
possible to lose the queen, which is of
first importance.
Davis Junction, 111.
When it is settled and warm
weather, and bees are working finely,
take the hive containing the bees to
be transferred, to some shady place,
or to a work-house away from its own
stand, as bees do very little fighting
away from home. Immediatley place
an empty hive or box in the place of
hive taken away, to receive the re-
turning bees, thereby keeping the
bees from going into a neighboring
hive, that might be standing near.
Turn the hives to be transferred, bot-
tom side up ; notice carefully the con-
dition of the comb, selecting the side
of the hive from which the comb can
be most readily removed, after which
place some box, nail keg, pail, or any-
thing that will partly or fully cover
the hive. With hammer and chisel
remove the side of the hive selected.
Having given the bees a little smoke,
a few moments before removal, after
removing the side of the hive, a little
more smoke may be given, to drive
the bees from the first comb, which
may then be removed to the frame ;
return to the hive and proceed as
before, until the last piece of comb is
taken from the hive, at which time
the bees will have transferred them-
selves to the box or hive at their
original home, or have passed up into
the box that you placed on the top of
the hive. After the best of the comb
(leaving most or all of drone comb
out) is transferred, take the hive to
its original stand, and shake the bees
from the box or boxes, on a sheet in
front of the hive, as in the swarming
season. Very thin splints, from pine
or cedar, such as will split finely,
should be in readiness, 30 to 40 to the
hive, securing two splints to 6 or 8
frames, with small tacks, that they
may be easily removed, and ready to
receive the comb. After placing the
comb,tack two splints on opposite sides
of the frame.
From one to three weeks after the
bees have secured the comb to the
frames, the splints should be removed ;
after this work is finished, close the
hive, so that very few bees can go into
tlie hive at once, lest the bees may be
robbed.
Where several colonies are to be
transferred, change the transferring
stand to a new place, after trans-
ferring each one, to keep away from
robber bees, which, at times, are very
troublesome.
Do you ask when I did the drnni-
mingy I did all the drumming nec-
essary in cutting nails and removjng
For the American Bee Journal.
Selling Honey in My Home Market.
W. C. NUTT.
I have taken quite an interest in the
discussions in regard to the merits
of the different size of sections. I
think we, as producers, should be
very careful about changing to a
smaller sized section. I have had
some experience in furnishing grocery-
men with both comb and extracted
honey. I have not, as yet, used less
than the two-pound section. I was
thinking of trying some one-pound
boxes this season, but have about
concluded to continue with the two-
pound sections for the present.
In conversation with a merchant,
last fall, I remarked that, perhaps, I
would furnish my honey in a little
nicer shape the coming year, as I
thought that I should use some one-
pound sections. He remarked that
two-pound boxes were small enough
for him to handle. I should expect to
sell in my market a two-pound, one-
pound, or half-pound section for about
the same price per pound.
I use the one and two-pound glass
jars for extracted honey ; I sell at 15
cents per pound; charging 10 cents
extra for jars, and taking them back
at the same price. Grocerymen gen-
erally sell for me on 10 per cent, com-
mission where cash is paid me after
the honey is sold ; or even trade, if
paid in goods. My two-pound jars
seem to have the preference. I am
quite sure that the half-pound sec-
tions would not pay in my market,
and will never be called for unless put
on the market.
I examined my bees yesterday ; all
answered to the roll call, and most of
them are apparently in good condi-
tion. Some four or five, out of the 6&
colonies, show signs of dysentery. I
have taken up a considerable number
of bees from the floor. I attribute so
great a number of dead bees on the
floor to the colonies being so strong
when put into winter quarters. The
cellar is very dry, and is kept dark.
For ventilation the outside door is
opened occasonally. The winter still
hangs on.
Otley, Iowa, March 31, 1883.
1^ The spring meeting of the
Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held in Cortland, N. Y.,
on Tuesday, May 8, 1S83.
M. C. Bean, Sec.
204
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Convention Notices.
®" The Mahoning Valley bee-keep-
ers will hold their 13th meeting in the
Town Ilall, at Berlin Centre, Ohio, on
May 5. All bee-keepers, and the pub-
lic in general, are invited to attend.
Do not forget to bring your wives,
children, and a well-tilled lunch basket.
We expect a grand meeting.
L. Carson, Pres.
H. A. Simon, Sec. pro tern.
1^" The serai-annual meeting of the
Western Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Independence, Jackson
County, Mo., on Saturday, April 28,
1883, at 10 a. m. Papers prepared for
the occasion by the president, sec-
retary and others will be read, and
matters of general interest to bee-
keepers discussed. A general attend-
ance of persons interested in bee-
culture is requested. The present
membership of this Association con-
trol 2,000 colonies of bees.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
Kansas City, Mo.
J. A. Nelson, Pres. Wyandotte, Kas.
1^ Quite a number of the leading
bee-keepers of Missouri and Kansas
met at the Court House, in Independ-
ence, Mo., December 2.S, 1882, and or-
ganized a bee-keepers' convention,
which was named the " Western Bee-
Keepers' Association," by electing the
following officers for the ensuing year :
Jas. A. Kelson, of Wyandotte, Kans.,
President; L. W. Baldwin, of Inde-
pendence, Mo., Vice-President; S.W.
Salsbury, Kansas City, Mo., Treasurer.
The Association passed a resolution
to invite all bee-keepers within a con-
venient distance, to meet with us at
•our next meeting and lend us tlieir
councils. Adjourned, to meet again
at Independence, on the last Saturday
in April next, at 10 o'clock, a. m.
J. D. Meador, P. Baldwin, C. M.
■Crandall, Committee.
®" The spring meeting of the
Western Michigan Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation will be held at Supervisor's
Hall, Grand Rapids, April 26, at 10
a. m.
F. S. Covet, Sec.
Coopersville, Mich.
i^° The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G, W. Demaree, Sec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
^ The Iowa Central Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold their semi-
annual meeting at Winterset, Iowa,
on Friday, May 11, 1SS3. All inter-
ested in anything pertaining to bee-
culture are invited to attend, and
bring anything that will be of interest
to the bee fraternity.
J. E. Pryor, Sec.
A. J. Adkison, Pres.
Bees in Fine Condition.
I imagine all bee-keepers wish to
know how bees have endured the past
almost unparallel winter. My bees
are in flne condition, only two having
died, and only one weak.
T. y. Bingham.
Abronia, Mich., April 6, 1883.
A Bee Hive (50 Years Old.
I put into winter, last fall, 29 colo-
nies of bees ; and they are all right
yet, but March has been very hard on
bees in this part of the country. It
has been cold and freezing nearly all
the time. On June 14, 1881, 1 drove a
swarm, for a neighbor, out of a box
hive that was 60 years old; it had
been put in when the box was new ;
and when I drove the swarm, it was
so rotten I could hardly handle it;
there were cracks and holes from top
to bottom ; it stood the hard winter of
1880-81, without any protection, and
the bees were very strong in numbers
when I drove the swarm. I cut out a
lot of sealed comb out the bottom, and
nine days after I had taken the first
swarm, it cast a second, and on the
eleventh day, it cast a third ; tliis hive
had never been known to give a
swarm in all the 60 years before.
Now, if you have an older bee hive
than this one, I would like to hear
from it. That bee hive would hold
about 2 bushels. The bees are alive
and doing well yet, and, of course,
that colony will be 62 years old this
spring. Wm. Ashcom.
Digonier, Pa.
Working on Elder and Maple Blossoms.
My bees had the dysentery this win-
ter, but we had a few very nice days
here, and they were all out, and it has
cured them. I had 12 colonies last
fall, bought 2, and I found 4 colonies
dead this spring. The bees are work-
ing on elder and maple blossoms.
O. Parker Baker.
Woodberry, Md., April 4, 1883.
Bees in Florida.
Bees are hard at work bringing in a
bountiful harvest of saw palmetto
honey. Tliis harvest will last for two
or three months yet; then comes an
even better flow from tlie cabbage
palmetto and mangroves, as fine honey
as was ever extracted. The prospects
are that we will have a very good sea-
son this year. I know one "bee-keeper
here who has extracted over 5 barrels
of 4.5 gallons each from only 23 colo-
nies of black bees, already this year.
How does that compare with what
bees have done so far this season up
North y I consider this region the
" Ne plus uUra " for bee-keepers. We
do not discuss " wintering," " dysen-
tery," etc., but " Where can I get bar-
rels to put my honey in." The Jour-
nal is a most welcome visitor here.
Harry G. Burnet.
Myers, Fla., April 2, 1883.
Bees Strong and Healthy.
Bees, in this section, have wintered
very well, to this date, considering
the long confinement to their hives
(from Nov. 2.5 to March 1), and the
severe cold weather, 10° to 12^ below
zero occasionally. The loss of bees
on summer stands to April 1, will not
be over one-tenth per cent. On Satur-
day morning, March 31, there was 4
inches of snow, and it was 12^ above
zero. I have never before known
such cold weather on that date of
March. I think many bees will need
feeding, to save them till blossoms
open. They have carried no flour in,
to this date. Most of the colonies are
strong in bees. H. H. Brown.
Light Street, Pa., April 2, 1883.
Bees in the Woods.
Again my bees are on scaffolds and
benches on account of the floods.
They seem to be in splendid condi-
tion, and are bringing in honey and
pollen Willi a rush. I expect soon to
have swarms coming out. I would
say a word about bees in the woods
in Arkansas. While in the woods, a
short while back, I found 4 bee trees
within .50 yards of one another, and
among them was a swarm of well-
marked hybrids. This was 12 or 14
miles from my own apiary. I am the
only one that has Italian bees in these
parts ; it would be surprising to any
one that has never been in the bot-
toms of Arkansas, to see the number
of bees in the woods. I have found as
high as 9 bee trees in a single day.
They are mostly yellow bees, with oc-
casionally some hybrids. I intended
to say that one of the 4 that I lately
found, had built outside of the hollow
2 feet long and about a half dozen
sheets, and the bees seemed to be
working in it, and also in a hole by
the side of the combs.
W. G. McLendon,
Lake Village, Ark., March 27, 1883.
Bees in the CeUar All Right.
I put 21 colonies in the cellar, last
fall, and they are all right, so far. I
gave them a flight in March, and then
carried them back to the cellar again,
where they are still, and will remain
for some time yet. I have practiced
the above plan for three winters, and
never lost any in wintering yet. All
my losses have been from robbing in
the fall. H. H. Hasijiond.
Pre-emption, 111., April 9, 1883.
Bee-Keeping in Tennessee.
Scientific bee-culture is not known
in this country, but a considerable in-
terest is expressed by a few men here.
Mr. Wm. Anderson keeps 1-50 colo-
nies, David England has 24, Elija
England 1.50, Dr. O. G. Broyles 25,
Geo. Cole 30, Crocket Lowry 30, Frank
Cope 20, myself 16, Most of them in
some kind of movable frame hives,
but none of them are manipulated
very ranch. There are a great raany
others who keep bees in log gums.
No raore honey was gathered, last
season, than was consumed, and mine
consumed 120 lbs. of sugar, extra.
Our principal source of honey here.
,THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
205
for surplus, is poplar from April 25 to
May 15; blackberry from April 22 to
May 20; June not giving much ; then
comes sourwood, a great yielder of
honey, clear as crystal, during July.
Along our mountain caves, linden or
bassvifood comes in June 20, lasting
only a veeek or ten days ; on some
farms white clover g'-ows profusely,
but in my little experience, not much
honey has come from it ; it blossoms
April 30 to Sept. 30. Last year 1 kept
a record of the time of blossoming and
and of honey yield, of all the different
kinds of plants and trees upon which
I saw bees at work. The articles of
Messrs. Heddon and Doolittle, in the
Journal, are just splendid, but tliey
have collided on the building up or
stimulating early breeding question.
J. A. r. Fanchek.
Fancher's Mills, Tenn., Mar.29, 18S3.
Swarming in Tennessee.
The honey crop in this section, last
year, was a failure ; less honey being
produced than iiny year since I liave
been in the business, which dates back
to the year 1874 ; and, consequently,
the loss of colonies, this winter, has
been very heavy. Many have lost
half; the average loss, I think, will be
about one-third. When the winter
set in, I had 185 colonies; this spring
I still had 140, some of them not doing
well, but the most of them in good
condition, working finely, bringing in
pollen and some honey from peach
bloom, and it looks as thougli the
swarming fever was beginning to run
over them. One of my neighbors had
a fine swarm on the 3d inst.
J. VV. Howell.
Kenton, Tenn., April 7, 1883.
Bees All Right So Far.
I placed 80 colonies of bees in the
cellar on Dec. 7 (a part with top, and
apart with bottom ventilation) ; but
as they have all come through with-
out the loss of a single colony, it does
not prove anything on that point. My
cellar is 22x30 ; the fire flue extends to
the bottom in the centre, with a 6
inch ventilating tube. The thermom-
eter has ranged from 32'-' to 35°. The
loss of dead bees was about ?^ of a
bushel ; our coldest day was March 5,
when it was 8'^ below zero. Those
who have wintered their bees on the
summer 'stands, without protection,
have lost about 50 per cent, of them.
My bees have consumed a very small
amount of honey, and are in splendid
condition. C. H. France.
Erie, Pa., April 9, 1883.
Planting for Uojicy.
I notice in, the Bee Journal, that
Jolm H. Martin has made a failure of
one of the best honey plants there is
(in my opinion), viz.: sweet clover.
Having liad some experience in sow-
ing, 1 will give it to the readers of the
excellent I5ee Jcjurnal. In the fall
of 1881 I sowed an acre on fresh-plow-
ing, harrowed it over lightly, and
awaited the results. In the spring of
1882, not seeing enough young plants
to insure a good stand, 1 sowed the
same ground again with the same
amount of seed ; also, about ^^ of an
acre as Mr. M. says, gravelly loam ;
the result is as good a showing of
plants from 6 inches to 2 feet high as
any one could desire. It will grow in
almost any place, that anything else
will grow ; even in the fence corners
where the soil is never disturbed. I
also have had some experience with
the Simpson honey plant. Last year
I sowed it with catnip, mustard and
motherwort, and I have a showing of
all of them. The ligwort growed 3 or
4 feet high, and after the other bloom
had almost entirely failed, the bees
were swarming on it until frost
stopped them. J. E. Pryor.
Arbor Hill, Iowa.
Success in Wintering.
I put into winter quarters, on Nov.
23, 170 colonies of bees (lOS in two bee
houses, and 62 in the cellar). I took
them out of the bee houses on March
1 ; those in the cellar, on March 9 ; all
in splendid condition except two,
which were queeuless. Nearly all ap-
pear as strong as when put into winter
quarters ; all have plenty of honey. I
use lioney-boards,and till the caps with
tine shavings ; and give no direct up-
ward ventilation. 1 have an inch
auger hole in the front of the hive, a
little above the centre, which is kept
covered with perforated tin. I give
the same ventilation at the bottom of
hive, as I do in summer, and keep the
temperature at 42^, as near as possi-
ble. I have always had good results
when I have wintered in this way ;
but this winter better than ever. I
prefer indoor to outside wintering,
and I have tried both.
H. F. Putnam.
Galesburg, 111., April 4, 1883.
Good Work for an Amateur.
We could not do without the Bee
Journal ; even at three times its
cost. We had 2 colonies of black bees
in the spring of 1882; increased to 7
by natural swarming and. division ;
have now also 1 colony of Italians.
We have lost none this winter (pretty
good for an amateur, thanks to the
Bee Journal and Cook's Manual),
although they wei'e imprisoned for
months without a flight, which they
enjoyed yesterday and to-day, to the
fullest extent. We took 200 pounds
of coinb honey. We intepd to fill 15
hives the coming season. We win-
tered in a clamp, packed with shav-
ings. A. C. Parfey.
Richland Centre, Wis., April 9, 1883.
"Saved the (jneeu."
As I am one of the many " bee
mourners," I am not discouraged
yet. I put into winter quarters 18
colonies of Italians, with good stores
of honey. Up to date, I have lost
seven of that number, and, all but
one, left " good estates " of honey.
Among the number lost, was my
choicest Italian. The queen I pur-
chased from II. A. Burch & Co., in
1881. The 2d of this month I cleaned
them up. anil in " removing the dead "
bees, I found the remains of ray prize
queen. I carefully removed her to a
shelf in a warm room ; after a few
hours, to my great surprise, I noticed
her crawling up on a pile of papers.
I at once made ready to save her, by
fitting up a nucleus hive, with three
frames, in which I found quite a
"good showing" of larvse and young
bees ; and, to-day, I examined the hive
and found a nice supply of eggs.
H. B. IIammon.
Bristolville, O., April 9, 1883.
(fathering Pollen and Honey.
Our bees are gathering an abund-
ance of pollen and some honey ; soft
maple, willow and elm are the sources.
The condition of our bees are just the
reverse of what it was a year ago, at
this time. Our 53 colonies all win-
tered well ; with not even a missing
queen, so far. The number of weak
colonies is small (4 or 5), but all have
hatching brood. S. A. Shuck.
Bryant, 111., April 10, 1883.
Wintered Bees on the Summer Stands.
The winter just over, has been a
very cold one. I wintered my 30 col-
onies on the summer stands. About
half of them are weak ; the rest of
them are strong. V. Fischer.
fronton. Wis., April 7, 1883.
Evaportion of Honey.
1. Has the California honey evap-
orator, mentioned on page 405 of the
Bee Jorunal for 1882, or something
similar, been used in the Northwest,
and with what success V
2. How long can extracted honey be
exposed to air without injury?
Should it be bunged up tight to re-
tain its excellence V
3. Can the rank flavor of fall honey
be diminished by evaporation, or any
other method. H. W. Funk.
Bloomington, 111., April 9, 1883.
[1. Not, that we are aware of.
2. Almost any length of time. It is
better to give it air.
3. No.— Ed.]
A Lady's Apiary.
I have 39 fine colonies of Italian
bees that I manage all by myself. My
place covers a half-block. I have my
hives all nicely arranged along on one
side of the lot, except some few along
the grape arbors. I find it a most de-
lightful pastime for a lady ; so much
pleasanter and healthful than doing
nothing, all the time, in the house.
The swarming season is just begin-
ning. Mrs. Dr. E. II. Mason.
Vmcennes, Ind.
Bees Carrying Pollen.
Bees have wintered with but little
loss here. In the fall of 1880 I put
100 colonies in the cellar ; I lost all, by
dysentery, but one, and that came
through in a very weak condition.
The cause was poor honey and long
confinement. In 18S1 I built up 9
good colonies, which I wintered with-
out loss. I sold two last spring, leav-
ing 7, which I increased to 25 last sea-
son. I obtained about 400 pounds of
206
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
honey. I lost three, tlie past winter ;
they were on the summer stands, un-
der a slied, with straw packed behind
and between them, and chaff in top
story. They carried in their first pol-
len on the 6th inst.
P. D. Johnson.
Bellmore, Ind.. April 11, 1883.
Bees Moved in Winter.
I have examined my bees and lind
them all in good condition ; all liave
laying queens and brood, and some
have drones flying. It will be remem-
bered that I shipped them over 200
miles last fall ; then I moved them
half a mile on a wagon on Jan. 15,
and about March 20, 1 moved tliem
about 05 miles on a wagon. I sold one
and have 17 left, out of 18, in good con-
dition ; they are all right, except a few
broken combs. L. G. Purvis.
Oregon, Mo., April 10, 1883.
Got the Wrong Paper.
I am much pleased with the Weekly
Bee Journal, and I think it the best
paper published. Wishing to get the
Monthly Bee Journal for a friend, I
subscribed through a news agent here,
and not having your monthly on his
list, he sent my dollar to the Amencan
Bee-Keeper published in Mo. I had to
send another dollar to you for the
monthly for my friend, for the Mo.,
paper is utterly useless as a bee paper.
Can you not see to it that these sub-
scription agents get your Monthly on
their lists as well as the Weekly y
Please mention this in the Weekly,
and it may save some one else trouble
and expense.
R. J. & Phil Osburn.
Leclair, Iowa, April 10, 1883.
[Perhaps the best way is to send
subscriptions direct to this office.
"Subscription agents" often get
things mixed, and some of them are
perpetual annoyances to publishers by
their carelessness in giving addresses,
sending the subscriptions to the wrong
papers, etc. It is but just to say that
there are honorable exceptions. We
do not remember a single mistake
made by Mr. Doolittle of Borodino.
N. Y., or the Subscription News Com-
pany of this city. If by chance, a
mistake should be made, any honora-
ble publisher would correct it without
delay. Our Montlily is on the lists of
the principal subscription agents.—
Ed.I
Almost Discouraged.
Sometime ago, being anxious to see
how my bees were (as I had 3 colo-
nies last fall), as soon as I thought it
was warm enough, about the middle
of the day, I opened the hives to
know how the bees were, and found
one colony dead, and in tlie other two
I saw no queens ; neither am I, at
present, able to purchase either queen
or colony, and yet, although it is try-
ing. I do not like to say." class me
among tlie blasted hopes," for I must
try again as soon as I am able, which
will not be till sometime in the sum-
mer. We have had a sharp winter,
sometimes .SO^ below zero ; however,
delightful spring is again close at
hand, and I trust a beautiful summer
will follow. Edward Moore.
Barrie, Ont.
Offensive Personalities.
Mr Editor.— I protest against the
manner of discussing questions per-
taining to bee culture employed by
some correspondents. Friendly con-
troversies upon points of interest
to bee-keepers are proper and desira-
ble, but when I read such discussions
I w^ant arguments instead of person-
alities. Nothing can be added to the
force of an argument by petty flings
respecting the religious opinions of
an opponent. It cannot make tlie
slightest difference with the weight
of an argument whether the author
of that argument believes in this, that
or the other "ism," or no "ism" at
all. Such methods of discussions are
illiberal and unmanly, and serve only
to betray the narrowness of the writer
and disgust all candid and fair-minded
readers. When a writer has ex-
hausted the facts and arguments on
his side of a question he ought to
stop, and not rob w'hat he has said of
its value (if it has any) bv descending
to personalities. It "he has no facts
or arguments to otter, let him leave
the space he would otherwise occupy
to those who have.
Wm. H. Francis.
Frankfort, Mich., April 9, 1883.
[True ; one of the most disagreea-
ble things an editor has to contend
with is the alarming proneness of
human nature to run to "offensive
personalities. This is the outcome of
a too broad an application of the prin-
ciple of a "free press." Public men
are daily misrepresented and their
characters defamed without stint,
simply because they are public " tar-
gets " for the populace to " shoot at."
" Your advice is good and timely," let
all remember that while it costs noth-
ing to be polite and kind, it adds much
to the comfort and unity of the fra-
ternity.— Ed.]
Bees Without a Flight 1 45 Days.
My 65 colonies of bees are removed
from the cellar all in good condition ;
they were in it 136 days in all ; they
were without a flight for 145 days.
F. A. Snell.
Milledgeville, 111., April 12, 1883.
Abiiormal Swarming.
I have had quite a number of bees
swarm out, and go in with other colo-
nies during the past day or two ; what
is the cause ? Tliey left lots of honey,
a nice batch of sealed brood, larvre
and eggs ; the combs were nice and
clean ; in every case, it is about the
same. I have captured afew of tliem,
and returned them ; one swarm lost
its queen, but proceeded immediately
to prepare cjueen cells, and now have
a nice lot of them started. The rest
proceed as usual, and are contented.
If you can give me some light on this
subject, it will be much satisfaction.
A. J. NORRIS.
Cedar Falls, Iowa, April 10, 1883.
[The causes of abnormal swarming
are many ; but it is the weak colonies
that leave their hives. In this case,
we imagine, it is the fact that the
frames are too full of honey, which
are colder than partly empty combs.
Sometimes they can be kept from
swarming out, by giving them combs
containing pollen, if they have none.
They would not go away, if there
were not some things distasteful
about the hives or their • surround-
ings.—Ed.] M
Bees Packed in Dry Sawdust.
I purchased, in the spring of 1882, 3
colonies of Italian bees ; increased by
dividing to 9, and extracted a little
over 500 pounds of honey. We have
had a long severe winter, but all have
come through in good condition. I
packed tliem in dry savsfdust on their
summer stands. Wm. E. Harris.
South Bay City, Mich., Apr'l 10, 1883.
Southern vs. Northern Queens.
In reply to T. S. Johnson, on page
182, I would say that, last spring, I
got two queens from Tennessee, one
from Kentucky, and one from Michi-
gan. As far as wintering is con-
cerned, I can see no difference ; they
are all strong and healthy ; the hives
are as clean and dry as they were last
November. I have about a dozen
colonies that have soiled their hives
some. I find it the same this spring,
as usual ; the more pollen in the cen-
tre of the hive the more dysentery.
Martin Emigh.
Holbrook, Ont., April 11, 1883.
Prospect in California.
On the 28th and 29th of last month,
we had 2 inches more of rain, making
8}i inches for the season. Our bees
are in tine condition ; no swarms up
to this time, but I expect them every
day. The weather is fine, and there
seems nothing in the way for a mod-
erate valley harvest.
A. W OSBUEN.
El Monte, Cal., April 3, 1883.
Best Report on Wintering.
I set my bees out on the 5th inst..
Have wintered 241 colonies, without
the loss of a colony, all are in fine
condition. The hives are mostly full
of bees. If any one has a better re-
port on wintering, let them stand up.
H. R. Boardman.
East Townsend, O., April 13, 1883.
ig^ Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
207
at imtX IJotir.
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
stimulating Early Breeding.
I would like to have Mr. Heddon
answer the following questions :
1. On page 156, Bee Journal, in
regard to stimulating early breeding,
please explain tlie proper arrangement
of hives necessary to early breeding V
2. What kind of honey board or
cover over the frames is best V and of
what goods or material made V
3. I use a board made of % inch
poplar, leaving % space between it
and the top of the frames. Could I
successfully use the feeders you de-
scribe, on the top of my hives V My
covers are made large enough to come
% inch down all round the outside of
hive, and deep enough to cover 6 incli
surplus box.
4. My experience with sweet clover
seed has been no more satisfactory
than that of Mr. John H.Martin, page
146, Bee Journal. I sowed some
early in spring and some late, about
April 10 ; the Brst on rye, and the last
on freshly plowed ground ; the latter
came up finely and grew till about
Aug. 1, after which time I could see
no more of it. Give your advice in
regard to growing it.
J. A. P. Fancher.
Fancher's Mills, Teun.
Answers.— 1. Have none but good,
normally prolific queens. Such are, in
my apiary, the rule. You must not
harbor the exceptions. If you use a
frame not deeper than the Langs-
troth, and not more than 8 of them,
and keep off all cloths, placing on
a board cover with an air space be-
tween the cover and the top bars of
the brood-frames— with this condi-
tion of things no stimulative manipu-
lations are advisable.
2. Do not confound the words
" honey-board " and " cover." A
honey-board is a perforated board or
rack, which supports the surplus
honey receptacles, while being filled.
A cover is a solid piece, and, as above
stated, I prefer a solid board. We
use a % inch board, and cleated at
each end as shown in Fig. 2, letter H,
on page 659, of the Bee Journal for
1882. Cover E., as shown in Fig. 1.,
is about the size, but we have adopted
the style of cleating, as shown on
shade-board H, Fig. 2. The board is
painted all over, and is reversible.
3. Certainly, you can ; any of the
three feeders I use.
4. I do not feel that my experience
with sweet clover, or any other plants,
make ine the fit person to answer this
question. All I can say is, that I
should sow melilot clover in early
spring ; early enough so that the frost
will crack the hard shell, and thus in-
sure more perfect germination. I
sow on all sorts of land, and the bees
act as though I had done well, when
the blossoms appear.
Tiering up Sections.
1. Will the bees bridge from the
honey rack to the bottoms of the sec-
tions in the case 'i
2. Will the tops of the sections be
soiled, when tiered up V
3. VVill the covers blow off V
4. Will not the heat melt the honey
in so thin a case ':*
5. Do you wedge the sections to one
side of the case V J. J. Hurlbert.
Lyndon, 111., April 5, 1883.
Answers.— 1. There will be scarcely
any bridging between the sections
and the honey-board, and the sections
and each other.
2. There will be no noticable soiling.
3. We have no trouble with covers
blowing off. We use a 15-pound stone
on each shade-board.
4. The shade-board above referred
to, breaks the sun's rays from the
cases. All hives should be shaded.
5. I do not ; wedge all you please,
and yet all sections need scraping be-
fore crating.
When and How to Use Sections.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following questions :
1. When should sections be put on,
with reference to beginning of honey
season, and strength of colonies V
2. Do you put on a full case of sec-
tions at first V
3. Should a case of sections be put
on as soon as a swarm is hived V If
not, when V
4. Do you use, and deem essential,
any other hive cover than the solid
honey-board you use ?
W. H. Francis.
Frankfort, Mich.
Answers.— 1. A good guide for all
locations, is when you see new pieces
of comb being built between the top-
bars and the cover of the hive. This
occurs here, generally, when the white
clover begins to yield, but sometimes
during the flow from cherry, apple
and locust trees.
2. Certainly ; we put on a full case
of 56 pound sections the first thing ;
the idea that giving the bees a little
more room than they will use at first
or a little too early will do harm, is
not borne out by experiment.
3. When I have a large prime swarm
hived on full sheets of foundation, I
usually put on one case at once.
There is no danger of brood in the
sections if the hive and whole arrange-
ment is properly arranged, and often
great advantages accrue from so do-
ing. If the swarm is small, the sec-
tions will not be needed for 48 hours,
and if the frames are empty, or have
only foundation starters, usually not
before the sixth to eighth day after
hiving. Be careful about adjusting
the surplus arrangement when you
hive the swarm, unless foundation is
used iu the frames below.
4. I do not use a solid honey- board.
There is, and can be no such thing.
It is a contradiction in terms. A
honey-board is something that the
surplus honey rests on while develop-
ing, and is always perforated. I use
the same cover over the cases that
covers the hive,— a " solid board."
Over this I use a 2x3 feet shade-board
(see cut, Fig. 2, letter H, on page 659,
Bee Journal for 1882), and on this a
15 pound atone.
Correction.—" How and What "
department for April 11. , In my first
answer, on page 195, 1 wish to be un-
derstood as saying " no more than
one tier high " in the same super or
case, but not on the same hive. I be-
lieve in and practice the tiering up
method, but only one tier of sections
in any one case.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper ; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
f 5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
"We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post oflice, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
ress we already have on our books.
i^"Mr. James Heddon announces on
another page that he cannot supply
any more Hives, etc., in the flat. All
interested should notice the adver-
tisement.— Adv.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts each, or $8 per 100.
208
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
I
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New iJee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the"Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen,. 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
^^ On the next page may be found
the advertisement for a "comb foun-
dation fastener," by D. C. Talbot, of
Elroy, Wis., to which attention is
invited. — adv.
<^ Farmers, buy for your daugh-
ters one of the celebrated McTam-
many Organettes that plays any tune.
Price only $S. It will make your
home a paradise, and you will never
regret it. See illustration in another
coliimn. — adv.
WANTED— A situation to worli with Bees,etc.
AddresB.C. R. Hill, care Bee Jo(7RMAL.Chicago
SEND POSTAL, lor my 20 page price list of
ItaiiaD, Cyprian and Holy Land bees, queens,
nuclei and apiarian supplies.
H. H. BROWN.
13D3t Light Street, Col Co., Pa.
The Excelalor Smoker Co. 'a Cold Blait
gets away with all of 'em. You can bandletbe
most vindictive colony without veil or gloves.
Send us II and try it. By mail, postpaid. Address
W. C. R. KEMP, Manager, Orleans, Ind. 14D3t
Motherwort & Catnij) Seeds
I wish to buy a quantity of the above seeds, and
invite correspondence with any who can supply
them. ALFRED H. NEWMAN.
ii23,West Madison St., Chicago.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office of American bek Journal. )
Monday, 10 a. tn., April IH, 1882. S
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotatlous of Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted is 7c.
for dark and 9e. for light— here. The supply is
abundant and sales are slow.
BEESWAX— None in the market.
Al. H. Newman. y23 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement in the honev
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade.
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7®Hc. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow.although there
is a large supply of flrst-class quality on the mar-
ket. It brings I2<*18c. on arrival.
BEES WAX— Comes in slowly and brings 20@30c
per lb., according to quality. Chas. F. Muth.
Quotations or Commission Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The demand is light and it is not now
probable that all of the comb honey can be sold
bef<»re a new crop comes. Prices are very irregular
and generally low: I5ral6c. for white, and dark un-
salable. Extracted, very little trade is being done
in it. 7@9c. is about the market.
BEESWAX-35(a'36C.
R. A. Burnett. 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY-Buyers are readily obtained for choice
comb or extracted at full figures, but off qualities
meet with slow sale.
White comb. I4<3ii7c.; dark to good, n@13c.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8i^@9!^c.; dark and
candied, 5(§;7^c.
BEESWAX- We quote 3()®33c.
Stearns & Smith. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Very quiet: dull. Comb at 1 4® 16c.—
some inferior sold at inc. : strained at ei^@7c.. ex-
tracted at 7?^(isi-5c., lots in small packages more.
BEESWAX— Scarce and wanted at 35c.
W.T. Andekson &Co.. 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY- Is a little lower, and at the lower price
it has moved off a little better of late. l-!b. sections
of best white sold at I8>^@l9c.; second grades,
l-lb., I7c.; 2-lb. sections a little slow at 17@18c.
Extracted very dull at 9@lic.
BEESWAX— None in market.
A. C. Kendel. 1 15 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
?^ lb. sections at 30c.: l lb. sections, 22@25c.; 2 1b.
sections, 20@i;2c. Extracted, lOc. per lb. Good
lots of extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
Crocker & Blake. 67 Chatham Street.
Vandervort Foimdatioii Mill.
6 Inch, Price, $25.00.
It makes the anest e.xtra thin Foundation for
comb honey. For Sale by
.A.XiT'i^EziD 13.. ]srE]"wiwrA.3sr,
U23 "West MadlBou-st.,
CHICAGO. - - ILLINOIS.
IF YOU WISH TO PURCHASE
The BEST KEE HIVE in the world, send
for descriptive circular to
ISAlt C. H. FRANCE, ERIE, PA.
■% ■■ ^^ ^^m not, life is sweeping by, go and
■ ■ W^ ■■ ■ dare before you die, something
^J L ^^ ■ mighty and sublime, leave be-
^^ ^ ^ ■ hind to conquer time." $66 a
■ ■ ^^ M.M ■ week in your own town. f5out-
■ ■ ^" ^^ ■ fit free. No risk. Everything
new. Capital not required. We
will furnish you everything. Many are making
fortunes. Ladies make as much as men, and boys
and girls make great pay. Reader, if you want
business at which you can make great pav all the
time, write for particulars to H. Hallett & Co
Portland, Maine. 8Aly
IMPORTANT TO BEE-KEEPERS.
Our new circular and price list of queens for
I8Ha contains 32 pages and is illustrated to show
our new way of rearing-queens. Send your address
on a postal card for it. Our new book r lioo pages) on
QUEEN REARING
is now ready. Bound in cloth and sent bymail for
*l.fM'. Tho^e who desire mayremit on receipt of
book. HEART ALI..ET.
i;iAtf WENUAM. MASS.
Headquartersjn the West
Having fitted up our shop with new machinery,
we are prepared to furnish all kinds of
APIARIAN SUPPLIES,
Simplicity. Chaff, Lnngstroth and other hives.
BEES AND QUEENS.
One-Piece SFctlonx, ai.'i.OO per lOOO,
Dunham Foundation at bottom prices.
Silver Hull Buckwheat, SI. 50 per Bushel.
Job I'rintin^' done on short notice.
I.AReE, NE'U' I^IST, FKEP.
BRIGHT BROS.,
Mazeppa, Wabasha Co., Minn.
Aio, 14, ii; ■
BE^IJRE
To send a postal card for our Illustrated Catalogue
of Apiarian Supplies before purchasing elsewhere.
It cnntainslllustratirms and descriptionsof every-
thing new and valuable needed in an apiay, at the
loweFc prices. Italian O^ueens and Bees. Parties
intending to purchase bees in lotsof lOColonies or
more are invited to correspond.
5lDl5tB5t Hartford, Wis.
18S3. 1883.
VOU GET VALUE RECEIVED !
QUEENS,BEES AND SUPPLIES
If you want EAKLY tilTEEXS from the
best improved trenulne stock for business; or if
you want Imported Italian Queens or bees, in full
colonies or nuclei, with tested or untested queens;
If you want Dunham or Vandervort comb founda-
tion, made from pure beeswax: or if you want
hives or apiarian supplies of any kind, send for my
new catalogue. It tells you about introducing
queens, new " Races of Bees," etc. Cash paid for
clean beeswax. Address.
J. P. H. BRO^VN.
5BD15t Augusta. Georgia.
THE NEW IMPROVED
STEAM POWER
Comb Foundation Factory
CHAS, OLM, Proprietor,
FOND HXJ r-AC, VPISCONSISr.
Best work and pure beeswax is warranted.
Send for Sample and Circular. sDtf
W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
Koerernvllle. Geut-eee County, Mich.,
has made arrangements to receive Italian queens
from the South, early in the season. The queens
will be bred from imported mothers, reared by a
thoroughly competent and reliable breeder, and,
upon their arrival, they will be introduced to
nuclei, until needed in fll'ling orders. Thesequeens
will be sliipped as soon as it is warm enough in
this latitude, probably about May 1st, and they
will be used in filling all orders for untested
queens until about June I5th. when queens reared
in the home apiary will be ready to ship. Before
June 1st, untested queens will be $I.5n each : dur-
ing June, single queen f 1.2^, or six for ffi.oo ; after
July 1st. single queen f i.w, six for *n.50, twelve
for $10.00. Tested queens (reared last season in
the home apiarv). before June 1st, f3."0 each;
during June. $2.50 each ; after July l at, $2.00 each.
Safe arrival guaranteed. Make money orders
payable at Flint, Mich. l4Dtf
^
?) 'Q OLDEST BEE PAPER
"AMERICA
^ae^
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 25, 1883.
No. 17.
fW^me^^-§^'
StlCV
rx^^^^^sfw ^cT^^*^r^/=rifli/
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
" Paraffine Comb " and " Glucose."
, It is trite but true, tliat while
" Falsehood rides on horseback, truth
.travels very slov*'ly on foot." We are
forcibly reminded of this upon look-
ing over the last annual volume of
Appleton's Cyclopoedia, published by
D. Appleton & Co., of New York. It
is very evident that the compiler of
that volume has been imposed upon
by the notorious Professor Wiley,
who, in June, 1881, originated the
preposterous falsehood about " comb
honey " being sold in New York, the
combs of which were " made of para-
ffins, and filled with pure glucose, by
appropriate machinery," etc.
On page .51, of the Cyclopedia men-
tioned, while enumerating the uses to
which glucose had been put, we find
the following:
" Glucose is used chiefly for the
manufacture of table syrups and can-
dies, for brewing, as food for bees, and
for artificial honey
Glucose is very extensively fed to
bees, which eat it with great avidity,
and store it away unchanged as honey.
It is also put up directly in trade as
honey— with which bees have had
nothing to do— being put up by means
of appropriate machinery into arti-
ficial combs made of paraffine."
When this pernicious falsehood first
appeared, it was extensively copied
by many papers all over this country,
and quoted by men of learning and
influence, and we endeavored to
counteract it, by showing its falsity
and absurdity, and calling upon its
author for proof. Being hard pressed,
this scientific joker admitted the ab-
surdity and falsity of his " story," but
consoled himself with the idea, that
people in general were too thick-
headed to see the " joke," as he stated
in the Indiana Farmer last June,
which was copied into the Bee Jour-
nal of June 14, 1882, and commented
upon.
Mr. Wiley's own version of the ori-
gin of the story [lie], and our remarks,
are as follows :
Perhaps it may be well enough to
give here the origin of the " parafiine
comb" story which has appeared, I
believe, in almostevery publication in
the country. The original appeared
in the Popular Science Monthly for
June, 1881, in an article entitled
" Glucose and Grape Sugar," which I
contributed to that number, and on
page 2.54, occur the following words :
" Bees eat glucose with the greatest
avidity ; or rather, they act as funnels
by which the glucose is poured into
the comb. For it is quite true that
the honey made by bees whicli have
free access to glucose differs scarcely
at all from the glucose itself. But
the quantity of honey which a bee
will store away when fed on gluco.se,
is truly wonderful. This gluttony,
however, rapidly undermines the
apiarian constitution, and the bee
rarely lives to enjoy the fruits of its
apparent good fortune. In commer-
cial honey, which is entirely free from
bee mediation, the comb is made of
paraffine, and filled with pure glucose
by appropriate machinery.
This last clause which, when writ-
ten, was meant for a scientific pleas-
antry, came near throwing the wliole
bee world into epilepsy. It appears
that persons who devote themselves
to Bee Journals, undergo a certain
cerebral inspiration which renders
them incapable of seeing njoke. The
only point which they can appreciate
seems to be the sting of a bee.
The rejoinder reminds us of an an-
ecdote we heard many years ago,
located in a rural district in Indiana.
A well-to-do-farmer lost a very fine
filly from his pasture-lot, and after
several days' search found it snugly
tied in the log barn of a distant
neighbor of doubtful repute. The
neighbor was indicted, tried, and
found guilty of larceny; when the
Judge asked what he had to say, why
sentence should not be passed, he put
in a plea that the animal was only
taken for a joke. The Judge inquired
how far his barn was from the past-
ure lot, to which he replied, " about
5 miles." " Well," said the Judge,
" that is carrying a joke too far ; hard
labor in the penitentiary for seven
years." The writer above says he
contributed to the Popular Science
Monthly his " paraffine comb " story
[lie] about a year ago, " which has ap-
peared in almost every publication in
the country." The latter part of the
article, however, was only meant for
a scientific pleasantry.
Do scientific men indulge in pleas-
antries which will cast a gloom over
thousands of honest producers
throughout the country, and depre-
ciate the value of their product by
creating a prejudice against it? For
nearly a year this scientific joker saw
his fabrication published in nearly all
the papers in the country, and reiter-
ated from across the ocean, and yet
he lacked the manhood to affirm it a
joke until " the Bee Journal man "
counteracted its influence by showing
the falsity and absurdity of the arti-
cle. Whether it be true, as has been
often intimated, that the story was
instigated by parties interested in
the glucose trattic, in retaliation for
the hostility of the bee men to their
frauds, we cannot affirm ; but we do
believe it originated with no honest
intention.
Now we would respectfully call
upon Messrs. Appleton & Co., to make
the correction in the next annual vol-
ume of their Cyclopjedia, not only in
justice to themselves, but for the sake
of truth and right, and thereby aid,
as far as possible, to counteract the
injury they have already done the
honey producers of America, by giving
publicity to the fabrication of the self-
admitted inventor of the pernicious
falsehood ; which he says he intended
as a "joke" or "scientific pleas-
antry," but which has been taken in
earnest, and copied and quoted as
sober facts throughout the world.
210
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
When papers like the Popular Science
Monthhi, and books like " Appleton's
Cyclopasdia" are imposed upon, and
unwittingly publish to the world as a
fact, what this man, Wiley, well knew
was an impossibility, and only the
"silly imagination " of an unbalanced
mind— is it to be wondered at, that
ordinary papers and the common peo-
ple should be " incapable of seeing the
joke V" Evidently Wiley intended
the story to make him famous, and
cause a sensation ! Has he not suc-
ceeded, in making fame? Surely;
but it is, and should be, written— m-
famous! His "scientific pleasan-
tries" are but falsehoods, both un-
scientific and myjZenscmt/ While his
"jokes" bear the closest aflflnity to
the senseless jests of odiocy, and the
foolishness of a maniac.
Postage and Money Orders.
According to the new Postal Laws,
important changes are to be made
during the next few months. In order
to save a multitude of questions we
will give the main features of the new
regulations, which should be studied
by all interested.
On and after Oct. 1. 1883, letter
postage will be 2 cents for each half
ounce or fractional part thereof, be-
tween all points in the United States.
The rate will then be the same on
drop letters and all others. No changes
are made in rates on other classes of
matter. On and after the 1st of July,
1S83, you can obtain at any money
order office, postal orders in sums of
§5 and under, by paping a fee of three
cents. These postal notes will be made
payable to bearer without correspond-
ing advices. They will be payable at
any money orderoiiice within 3 months
of the date of issue. After the lapse
of that time the holder can obtain the
par value, only by applying to the
Postoffice Department at Washington.
On and after the 1st of July, 1883, you
can obtain a postal money order for
as large a sum as $1U0. The present
limit is S50. The fees on and after
that date will be as follows :
Not exceeding f 10 Scents
From SKI to $15 10 cents
From »15 to«.10 15 cents
From »3(> to $40 20 cents
From f4ii to *50 25 cents
From »5n to *60 30 cents
From »fiO to *70 35 cents
From »70 to *80 40 cents
From $80 to *100 45 cents
The postal notes will be found more
convenient in one respect than the
fractional paper currency was. since
they can be obtained for any number
of cents under So. There will also be
less liability to loss by theft than
there was when fractional notes were
used for transmission through the
mails, especially if the department
uses judgment in prescribing the size
and form of the notes, and in selecting
the paper on which they are to be
printed. After the 1st of October the
cost of sending any sum under S5, by
postal note, will be 5 cents— 2 cents
postage and 3-cent fee.
This will be a great advantage to
our subscribers, making a cheap and
safe method of sending money in let-
ters for subscription or advertising.
Transferring Bees.— Mr. G.B. Jones,
Brantford, Ont., thus describes his
method of transferring bees. The
special feature of his hive is the ar-
rangement of entrances, which are
three in number — one in front, and
one at" each side, the former being
twice as long as the latter. The front
one is, of course, essential. The ad-
vantages of the others are by him
described as follows :
In aid of transferring from an ob-
jectionable hive, proceed thus : Place
the old hive 3 to 6 inches from the
new, with its entrance opposite either
side-entrance of the new ; construct a
closed passage between the two hives ;
place a piece of D. A. Jones' perfor-
ated queen metal over the inner side
of the same side-entrance ; close the
other, leaving the front open ; put in
the necessary number of combs or
foundation for the new hive. Now,
drum the bees up from the old hive
until the queen leaves it ; shake them
into the new hive; and, covering both
hives, leave them for 21 days. The
queen will be unable to get back to
the old hive, and will settle down on
the new combs, and the bees with
her, excepting those which go back to
care for the brood. As the brood
hatches, it will come forward, and in
21 days all will be out. When honey is
scarce, they will take it forward also.
Now, remove the old hive, close the
side entrance of the new ; shake any
bees remaining in the old hive in
front of the new ; and melt the old
combs into wax, after extracting what
honey they contained. This method
has been practised by me with success
one summer, and on as late as Sept.
20. Colonies may be doubled much
the same way; for having the one
common entrance they will soon
unite, if scented alike artificially.
The Bacteria.
We have received a pamphlet of 65
pages,!on this subject, by T. J. Bur-
rill, Professor of Botany and Horti-
culture in the Illinois University. It
is a very interesting treatise on tlie
nature, organization, effects and clas-
sification of Bacteria. The following
extracts from"it will give a good idea
of the subject matter :
" It is the object of this paper to
present, in language freed as far as
possible from technical terms, the
principal and most interesting facts
now known about these silent work-
ing denizens of the earth, the air, and
the water."
" We swallow them with our food,
and at least some kinds sometimes re-
tain their activity in the somach and
intestinal tube. It now seems cer-
tain that the latter is always inhab-
ited by special kinds which have to do
with the activities there in operation.
In health the blood is usually quite
free from them, but in certain dis-
eases this too, as it rapidly courses
through the arteries and veins, sweeps
along in the current myriads of the
minute but living and developing,
ever active things, inappropriately
called " germs."
" There is now. in certain cases,
just as good evidence that bacteria
cause diseases as there is that hawks
destroy chickens, and the evidence is
as inductively rigid in the one case as
in the other."
We can supply it to any who may
desire it at .50 cents.
i^ Reports from all the States are
assuring. The past winter, though
severe, has not been a disastrous one.
But few losses are reported, and the
prospect for a full honey crop is ex-
cellent. There is a good sward of
clover, having been protected by the
liberal amount of snow, and, with a
fair amount of propitious weather,
there need be no fears of having a
poor honey harvest.
^° Mr. AV. H. Furman, for 28 years
a resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and
during that time one of tlie most en-
terprising bee-keepers of Iowa, has
taken up his residence in Dakota.
Virginia for Bee Cnlttire.
It will be remembered that some-
time since Mr. E. C. Jordan, at the
White Sulphur Springs, Va., advised
I bee-keepers to try that locality before
going further South or West. A cor-
respondent wrote him for particulars,
and the reply was sent us for publica-
tion, and we have made the following
digest of the questions and answers :
Improved farms here are worth
from Slo to SI 00 per acre; the main
crops produced are wheat, corn, oats,
hay, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, etc.;
the soil is slate, and there are iron
mines here ; the Shenandoah Valley is
not subject to droughts, and we have
no malaria ; all kinds of small fruits
do first rate here ; tliousands of cat-
tle, hogs and chickens are raised here,
and are shipped to Baltimore, Wash-
ington Philadelphia and New York ;
the best of butter, cream and cheese
are produced here ; bees obtain sur-
plus here from March to November,
and our honey is marketed in Win-
chester, AVashington, Baltimore, Phil-
adelphia and at /(ome, and sells at from
20 to 25 cents per pound.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by-
Saturday of the previous week.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
211
Rural New Yorker.
The Influence of Food.
PROF. A. J. COOK.
We often hear farmers remark that
food has more to do with fine stock
than does pedigree. While we do not
think this is true, yet we must con-
fess that good feeding is no mean
factor in successful stock breeding.
Long and careful ■ breeding, indexed
by a valuable pedigree, insures sus-
ceptibility, which makes great re-
sults possible, but only with proper
care. A 50-horse power engine pos-
sesses great potency, but on one-
fourth rations of fuel it would accom-
plish less than a 10-horse power. Yet
It would be foolish to argue that fuel
was more important than the style of
the engine.
Among higher animals we have no
evidence that food produces rapid
structural changes. Food, selection
and time will change the form, car-
cass, and even the habits, but only
after long years of modification.
Among lower animals we have some
startling facts that show most graphi-
cally that food is sometimes a most
powerful agent, able to effect a radi-
cal structural change in a very brief
time. We all know that, in the main,
the animal functions are very simi-
lar, even though studied in animals
which are structually wide apart. The
now generally accepted philosophy
that all animals have a common an-
cestry should lead us to give wise
consideration to the peculiarities of
lower animals, even in our treatment
of the higher forms. If, then, we can
show that food is potent to substan-
tially modify the entire organism and
life habits of bees, it should serve to
exalt our estimate of its value and
influence as affecting the higher ani-
mals. The same egg may, yea will,
produce either a worker bee or a
queen, the character of the progeny
depending solely upon the character
and quantity of the food consumed.
If the food is rich and abundant the
result is a queen bee. If it is less
nourishing and stinted in qiiantity, a
worker bee is the result. Even after
the egg hatches, the young larva may
be fed for three days in the meager
way, then fed the richer food in
ample supply, and a queen will re-
sult, though not so valuable a one as
though fed the rich royal pablulum in
generous quantities from the first.
Now, let us see what the changes
are that are wrought by these im-
proved good rations. The queen is
longer and slimmer than the worker
bees, and her ovaries are feebly de-
veloped, capable of growing daily
from 2,000 to 3,000 eggs. On the other
hand, there is a more feeble develop-
ment of sucli organs as are used in
procuring food and performing the
various operations of the hive. Thus
the queen has no pollen baskets, her
jaws, as compared with those of the
workers, are weak, her tongue short,
and her glandular system and stomach
are more fully developed. Thus a
simple modification of the food regi-
men produces sterility in the workers,
which are only sterile females, while
the organs that are more intimately
connected with nutrition are more
strongly developed. It would seem
that the food is too slight to stimulate
the growth of the ovaries, which
is appropriated in a more decided de-
velopment of the special organs which
minister to nutrition. If food can do
all this with bees, it certainly may be
regarded as a very important element
in tlie development and care of our
higher animals.
Lansing, Mich.
For the American Bee Journal.
Racks for Surplus Honey.
J. W. POKTEIl.
I notice some attempts are still being
made to get over the difficulty I suc-
cessfully accomplished years ago, and
my plaii was illustrated on page 1^40 of
the Bee Jouknal for 1878. Mr.
Whitford's plan on page 56, I see is
referred to by Mr. Heddon on page 95.
The purpose was to have a case that
would be bee tight ; one that could be
readily tiered up (a point of great
value here), and one that would hold
the sections lengthwise of the hive {no
other would do for me), and come
right down on to the brood combs,
with only bee space between sections
and brood ; one, too, that would ad-
mit of long separators of wood. All
Hack for Surplus Honey.
of these points are attained, and the
continued use of this rack, for years,
have been so satisfactory, that I
think a real service will be done to
republish the cut of it. It was freely
contributed to the fraternity. I had
experimented much, and have seen
nearly all, including Mr. Ileddon's
latest; which, while it has some val-
uable points, is open to serious ob-
jections. Mr. Whitford's mistake is
in making hisTsupportssolid. Made
of X or XX tin, and so bent as to
have them thus n, standings^ inch
high, all the strength needed is ob-
tained, and the space permits them
to rest on a nail inserted at the apex.
Mr. Heddon asks about bee space.
The tin angles are flush with the bot-
tom of the case, and the case rests on
strips % wide, by % thick, placed one
at each end, transversely across the
brood frames, tight to the ends of the
hive. Now, with this arrangement it
matters not if the bees build wax
bridges in bee space, prying between
the case and transverse stick, separ-
ates all without displacing or lifting
a comb below. They can be made to
fit any hive. Atone time I considered
it a good advantage to use the deep,
wide frame, with hanging separators,
and with some bees. Much more can
be done with them than with any case.
Because of their use in Langstroth
frames, I adopted the size of 4J:|x5%x2
sections ; six Just fill the frame.
My cases are made to take 18 of
them. The separators are notched to
let down in the middle tins to bee
depth. Five separators only to 18
sections, and each one movable, and
of wood or tin may be used. I much
prefer wood.
The T should be stamped not ham-
mered. That is done by slitting an
oak or hard wood block, strips of tin,
IJs inches wide, are cut and bent
slightly into the slot. Then reversed
and forced by a lever into the next
slot, and they are finished in the
shape of this U- An iron or steel
square blade of equal thickness is
used under the lever. Tinsmiths can
form them, but false bends damage
the strength greatly.
Charlottesville, Va., Feb., 17, 1883.
Translated from Bienenvater by A. R. Kohnke,
Wax— Tests for Proving its Purity.
PROF. P. F. RESCH, S. J.
What is wax y To the uninitiated
this may seem a very superfluous
question ; but the fact that there are a
number of natural products going
by that name, demands accurate de-
termination of the kind. For in-
stance, in some churches the ritual
directions are to use wax candles at
certain ceremonies ; the ordinance
also specifies of what kind of wax such
candles must be made. viz. : " bees-
wax ;" but that is as far as the ordi-
nance specifies. Hence, it is cus-
tomary to use the product of the na-
tive bee, in the different countries
where such candles are used; in Eu-
rope, it is the common or German
bee, or the Italian ; in Syria, the
Syrian ; in Cyprus, the Cyprian ; in the
East Indies, ^4p«,s dorsata. jloreajndica ;
in South America, the species Gothuir,
Melipona, which furnish the wax. It
appears that the wax from all the
different species of bees possesses the
same chemical and physical prop-
erties.
For the sake of convenience it has
been found necessary to classify wax
under the following heads : Bees-
wax, vegetable wax, and animal wax.
On comparing the elementary con-
stituents of the different kinds, we
find them to be composed of carbon
(C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) in
the following average proportions :
Beeswax. . . .C, 81.70, H, 13.26, O, 5.04
Veg. wax... C, 71.61,11, 12.38, O, 16.01
Min. wax. . .C, 85,70, H, 14.30, O, 00.00
As beeswax, to a great extent, is
adulterated, the discription of a few
handy tests may not come amiss.
Pure beeswax has the following
properties : At 30° C, it may be
kneaded ; between 69° and 70-' C, it
melts. Its specific gravity is between
0.960, 0.969. A higher or lower spe-
212
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
citic gravity indicate adulteratlous
witli foreign substances.
Pure wax. when melted, appears as
a clear, slightly yellow liquid, and, if
put into hot water, slionld not dis-
solve the same, nor leave any sedi-
ment. This is one of the most im-
portant tests, and in order to better
observe clianges of transparency, or
a sediment, should be made in a test
tube. But it does not follow that the
wax is pure, if no discolored water or
sediment is noticed ; hence, we have
to apply other tests.
Take a piece of caustic lime and
slack it in about four times its bulk
of water. After it has well slacked,
and been well stirred, it must be
filtered through filter paper, using a
glass funnel for this purpose. Of the
now clear lime water obtained, add
some to the still molten wax, stirring
it well all the time. If now the water
becomes whitish or cloudy, or even
a sediment is noticed, it indicates
adulteration by stearic acid, which
combines with the lime, forming an
insoluble precipitate of stearate of
lime.
A still more delicate test may be
performed by dissolving some of the
wax in ten times its weight of chloro-
form, and then adding some of the
clear lime solution.
The above are the principal tests.
To detect other impurities, which are
added to increase the weight and
bulk of the wax, but do not combine
with it, will not be difficult, and will
show themselves by melting the wax.
The following substances have been
found to be added, to increase the
■weight : Water, starch, phosphate of
lime, sulpliate of lime, carbonate of
lime, ochre and sawdust.
To adulterate wax the following in-
gredients are used : Stearine, para-
ftlne. tallow, ceresine (or ozokerit), gali-
pot, and vegetable wax.
To detect water, it is necessary to
submit quite a large quantity of
the wax to the test of melting, and
keeping it at the boiling point, for
sometime, to evaporate the water,
without burning the wax, of course.
Any decrease in weight indicates an
admixture of water, the amount of
which may be determined by the
scales. In the same manner, viz. : by
melting, other impurities may be de-
tected, as most, or all of them, will be
found as a sediment, either in the
wax on the side next to the water, or
will even sink entirely to the bottom.
Tallow causes wax to feel fatty or
greasy to the touch. One cannot
write on such wax with a piece of
chalk, while on pure wax it can be
done. A little piece of such adulter-
ated wax thrown on a red hot stove,
or other iron or burning coals, will
emit a heavy, very disagreeably-
smelling smoke.
For paniffine, the test Is as follows :
Take a small piece of the wax, put it
into a watch glass, and pour sulphuric
acid on. Pure beeswax will be
charred, and the paratfine remain
without being changed. The same
test is applicable with reference to
any kind of mineral wax, as ozokerit
or ceresine.
If pure wax is put into either, about
half of it will be dissolved, whilst
vegetable and mineral wax is entirely
soluble in it; with this difference,
that the latter, in part, forms jelly
flakes. If wax, on being dissolved in
either, loses more than half, it con-
tains either vegetable or mineral wax.
i'oungstown, O.
For the American Bee Journal.
Spring Management of Bees.
FAYETTE LEE.
I am located 60 miles west of St.
Paul, on the Manitoba railroad. I
have been in the bee business six
years ; the average yield, per colony,
spring count, is 92 pounds. Our sur-
plus honey is from basswood and
golden rod. I do not claim that the
way I manage bees is perfect, but by
putting our experiences together we
can learn something. When I first
began keeping bees, I borrowed all
the bee papers I could find, besides
subscribing for three others.
I use a two-story hive with a loose
bottom-board. I believe they are the
best. I use the American hive, nine
frames in each story. Early in April,
I put the bees on their summer
stands, and raised up every hive and
cleaned the dead bees from the bot-
tom board, and closed the entrances
half an inch. The next thing is to
know if they have honey. I take off
the cover and roll back the quilt ; if
they have capped honey in sight, I
close the hive and mark it : " honey
for ten days." All hives not having
honey in sight, I mark, " short of
honey." Beginners should not open
a hive when bees need feeding,and tear
out all of the frames to see the
queen, or ascertain if they have
brood. The way I handle weak colo-
nies is : I only take out one frame of
comb, just as close to the brood as
possible, and in its place I put a
frame of honey from some heavy hive,
or till a comb" with honey, or syrup
made from sugar.
Careless handlingisthecause of weak
colonies swarmingout in early spring;
you disturb the bees and queen by
handling the brood combs too much ;
it causes robbing, and out they go, to
be killed by trying to enter other
hives; tuck them up, warm, till there
is plenty of honey and pollen coming
in, and then it will do no harm to
iiandle the combs, or look for the
queen. I get all the brood possible
by the time that fruit and dandelions
bloom ; by spreading the brood in
strong colonies, and taking out now
and then a frame of brood, to build up
the weak ones. The best moth-trap
is a few young turkeys or a pair of
ducks ; try them and see. As the
bees get strong, give them wider en-
tances ; it will not pay to unite weak
colonies in early spring ; do not think,
because they are weak, that the queen
is poor ; give them brood and bees,
and you will see plenty of eggs in a
short time.
Early in May I want every hive full
of brood, in order to get a large yield
of honey from every hive, and a good
increase. I want nine frames of
brood in every hive by May 2.5 ; and
the way to get it done is by s'preading
the brood combs. I take the outside
comb and put it in the centre of the
brood-nest; I do this every seven
days, until I get Jiine full of brood.
I handle the brood very carefully. In
April I have all hives full of brood.
If honey is coming in, I get some
swarms in May and June, but' more
in July. I put on the top-story as
early as June 1. I have surplus combs
in the top story, from the last season,
and what I lack is filled by frames of
foundation. The increase that gives
me the most honey is one swarm from
two. I put one frame of brood in
the upper story, when I put it on ;
this causes the bees to go up there to
work. I save the queen-cells from
the first colony that gives a swarm.
In seven days after, I take out all but
one frame, and make as many nuclei
as I have cells, and take two frames
of brood and put with them from
other hives. I do this every six days ,
until they are full of brood ; as fast as
they swarm I return them to their
own hive, and take three frames of
brood from them, give them a new
location, put the three frames of
brood in an empty hive, and put it on
the old stand. In this way 1 keep all
strong colonies by adding brood. I
do not like too much swarming in
July ; it spoils the honey harvest. By
returning them, giving them a new
location, and removing some brood, I
keep them just where they will give
us a large yield of honey. Jime
swarms always pay me best. A swarm
will fill its hive with comb in two
weeks in June.
Cokato, Minn.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Are Half-Pound Sections Desirable ?
E. N. WOOD.
As much has been said about the
size of sections, I have taken some
pains to find out how our bee-keeping
friends felt about the matter, in this
section of the country, and I have not
heard from one that favors the half-
pound section, from parties that have
a home market for all their product.
We all ought to strive to hold to the
present sizes of boxes and hives, as
changes mean great expense and
trouble. It seems to me that a gen-
eral change in the size of honey boxes
will soon bring new styles of hives that
will be supposed to be better adapted
to the use of the new box, and these
new styles will catch many who are
young in the pursuit, and as first im-
pressions are strong, many of them
would never change ; many more sizes
would be added to our now standard
sizes of hives, frames and boxes.
There are four general or standard
sizes of boxes, 4'4x4i4, 5,14x514, 5J^x-
5%, 5i4'x6i4- The few sizes of boxes
now in use has enabled the manufac-
turers to bring the prices down to the
present very low rates, as they make
large quantities of each size at a time,
whereas, if the half-pound section
comes into general use, I think the
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
213
E rices of them all would be somewhat
igher than at present ; for get the
craze (if I may so call it) once started
and it will sweep over the country,
and nearly every bee-keeper, no mat-
ter what the size his hive may be,
will think he must come to the half-
pound section as near as possible, and
there would be as many sizes of half-
pound boxes as there are different
sizes of hives at present, and I fear
more, as some would reduce their
boxes in one way and some in another.
I think, perliaps, for a season or so,
the half-pound sections may take well
in the market, it being new, and some-
what of a novelty, but it will become
a drug upon the market and be driven
out of use, to the sorrow of those that
have made expensive changes.
Again, I think one-pound is as
small a quantity as most people want
to buy. It is about the right size to
put upon a plate without cutting in
two, and if a pound or more of honey
is to be bought they would certainly
pass by the half-pound lots (for they
have the appearance of too much
tare) to tlie 1, 1}^ and 2-pound boxes,
and, again, I am afraid we cannot
get near as large a yield per hive with
these small boxes. Let us hear some-
thing of this from those tliat have
used them.
North Lansing, Mich.
For tbe American Bee Joumal-
Queens Reared in the South.
THOS. C. DAVIES.
had their hives well stocked with
bees and brood, and fully equal to the
one from New York, in fact, those
20 colonies, except one, have wintered
admirably, and they are now so equal
that I cannot tell which of them is
the best.
Of the 8 in the cellar, 6 came
through well, but the other two are
rather weak, and queenless. One of
the queens died last week, and the
other, three weeks ago. I united
these two, and have sent to the South-
ern breeder, four days ago, for a
queen to give them.
I do not know what has been the
experience of others with Southern
queens, except that of Mr. Doolittle's
with his Texan queen, but I must say
that I am well pleased with them so
far. I believe with Mr. Doolittle,
that " there is a difference in bees
about wintering," but can hardly be-
lieve, at present, that it is due to the
part of the country where they are
reared. I sincerely hope that the
bee-masters, by " studying and ex-
perimenting," will succeed in getting
more light on this inequality of dif-
ferent colonies regarding wintering,
before another cold winter comes.
Pittsburgh, Pa., April 11, 1883.
On page 182 of the Journal for
April 4, Mr. T. S. Johnson, of Bogart,
O., asks Mr. G. M. Doolittle and " any
others who have had experience with
Southern queens, if he thinks bees
from a queen reared in the South are
as hardy and well able to stand the
long, cold winters of the North, as
those from a queen reared here ?"
Being one of the " others " who have
had some experience with Southern
queens, I would like to give the fol-
lowing details :
In April of last year I received a
dollar-queen from a Southern breeder,
and in a few weeks after, a selected
tested queen from the same person.
I also received a selected tested
queen, and a Syrian queen from a New
York breeder. From those two se-
lected queens, several tine queens
were reared during July and August,
and when preparing my bees for the
winter, my queens were as follows :
Two from the South, two from the
State of New York, and 24 reared at
home. Several of those were reared
the season before the last, and one of
them was reared in July, 1879. She
had been such an excellent queen,
that I had not courage enough to kill
her last fall, and she was allowed to
live as long as she could. About
three weeks ago she died, I suppose
of old age.
Twenty of those, including the two
from the South, and the selected one
from New York, were wintered on
their summer stands, well packed in
chaff. On April 3, they were all ex-
amined, and the two from the South
For tbe American Bee J ournal.
Bee-Keeping in Florida.
C. H. LAKE.
As many bee-keepers throughout
the country are turning their atten-
tion to this State, and being in com-
munication with several prominent
bee-keepers already located there,
through wliom I have gathered the
information herein contained. I give
it, thinking it might be of service to
those about to locate there. For the
past three years I have been thinking
of removing there permanently, owing
to the fact I am of a consumptive
family, and suffer extremely with
lung difficulty, especially in cold win-
ters in this latitude.
There is a belt of coimtry along the
east coast, rightly termed the " Bee
Belt." Ten years ago bee-keeping
was an unknown industry there, and
scarcely a dozen colonies could be
found among the few families who
then inhabited tliatportion of Florida.
This "belt" commences about oppo-
site Port Orange, extending South as
far as Oak Hill, a distance of 12.5 miles,
or thereabout.
Thousands upon thousands of acres
of marsh are there covered with the
black mangrove, the best and greatest
honey producing plant known in
Florida. Within this radius the black
mangrove predominates, while above
the head of Indian river, the red man-
grove grows almost exclusively, which,
1 believe, is not a honey-producing
shrub.
This " belt " offers superior induce-
ments to bee-keepers, and when the
fact becomes known, bee men will
not be backward in availing them-
selve.^ of the opportunity, by moving
in and locating at favorable points.
From recent letters from Mr. O.
Olson, of New Smyrna, who is, with-
out doubt, the most experienced and
successful apiarist in Florida, making
bee-keeping his exclusive business,
he informs me that it is " impossible
to overstock thecountry." Mr. Olson
makes the study of honey-producing
flowers a portion of his business, and
from "careful microscopic examina-
tion of the flowers of the black man-
grove," he Hnds they contain "one-
fourth of a drop of honey." When it
is taken into consideration that this
shrub bears thousands upon thou-
sands of blossoms each season, one
can get some idea as to its honey-
producing qualities. It is asserted
that 90 per cent, of the surplus honey
gathered during the season (which
lasts usually about ten weeks), is
from black mangrove. While there
are a great variety of the other honey-
producing flowers, blooming at dif-
ferent periods throughout the year,
among which can be enumerated the
" saw and cabbage palmetto, gallber-
ries, sweet bay, wild sunflowers, yel-
low jessamine, golden rod, orange
bloom, snow vine, basswood, sweet
gum, etc., etc." There is no reason
whv the honey cannot be gathered.
With all these natural requisites of
building up the colonies to perfec-
tion, by the time when the mangrove
season opens.
There seems to be a great diversity
of opinion among the Florida apiar-'
istsin regard to the cabbage palmetto.
Some assert that "the bees neither
gather honey or pollen from its
bloom," while others are equally con-
fident that '• it equals in every respect
the mangrove, as a honey producer;"
while others affirm that " it yields
pollen only." Different situations
probably accounts for the varied re-
sults, like many of our own honey-
producing shrubs, trees, etc.
Florida has its disadvantages, like
all other great honey-producing States,
and will, till the tide of immigration
is sufficient to establish railroads and
water conveyances. New Smyrna is
125 miles from the nearest express
office, and for transportation the in-
habitants have to " depend on schoon-
ers along the coast." A small steamer
has been put on between Jacksonville
and New Smyrna, for the winter, but
is taken off in the spring ; this steamer
makes one trip a week, but all this
will be removed as soon as business
springs up, and the country becomes
more settled.
Besides " being out of the world,"
we have the bear, dragon fly, several
bee birds, and scores of other ene-
mies to the bee to contend with, and,
for that reason alone, we wish the
entire country was settled up, while
the bee moth reigns supreme, which
is owing to the fact that what bees
were kept by the old inhabitants,
were in the old " gum or moth har-
bor."
A few more interesting items may
not be amiss. W. S. Hart, of Hawks
Park, has nearly 100 colonies of bees,
and has the best out-flt, consisting of
the improved machinery for carrying
on the business, foundation machine,
evaporating machinery, etc., that
there is in Florida.
A. J. Packwood has started with 20
214
THE- AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
colonies, and has, during last season,
taken several thousand lbs. of honey.
II. Olson and Mr. Wilson, from
Ohio, seven miles south of New
Smyrna, have 184 colonies, the largest
apiary in Florida. They make bee-
keeping their sole occupation, and are
supplied with machinery for the man-
ufiicture of hives and everything per-
taining to them, and work up an im-
mense amount of lumber during the
year. Their bees are mostly Italians,
with some liybrids and a few blacks.
This seasons crop foots up 25,800
pounds of the best honey we ever
sampled.
In regard to the quality of Florida
honey, Mr. C. F. Muth, of Cincinnati,
who has handled most of the crop
produced by these gentlemen, says
" he considers their honey the finest
ever placed on (lie market, and that it
sells more readily than the white
clover honey of the North."
L. H. Bivens, of Glencoe, has 37
colonies, and has shipped, this year,
2,000 pounds. M. B. Rolfe, also of
Glencoe, has 8, which has produced
600 pounds.
R. S. Sheldon is one of our oldest
bee-keepers. He has, for years past,
shipped tliousands of pounds of ex-
cellent honey, and last year his suc-
cess was very satisfactory. In the
spring he had 53 colonies, increased
by artificial swarming to 84, and took
thus far, Oct. 1 , 6,300 pounds. From
a natural swarm hived April 15, 328)^
were taken, up to Aug. 15.
Mr. Morrison Lewis, of New Smyrna,
is the pioneer in bee-keeping in Flor-
ida ; that is, he was the first to make
bee-keeping pay. He commenced in
1868 with one wild swarm, which he
found in the woods, which did finely,
increasing to several colonies, be.sides
producing a large amount of honey,
the second year, which showed Mr. L.
what they were capable of doing,
when properly cared for. He received
25 to 30 cents per pound for all his
honey, for some eight years. He in-
troduced the first movable comb hive
and the first lioney extractor into the
State, and shipped the first barrel of
honey, gathered in Florida, to New
York, in 1876. From his 30 colonies,
he has shipped, up to Oct. I, 1882,
over 3,000 pounds.
From a private letter received re-
cently from Mr. O. Olson, he states :
"I made six swarms from one colony,
this season, and took from the old
colony 440 pounds of extracted honey.
I have, at last, found a climate where
I like to stay, in spite of all the in-
sects, which is a great drawback on
this coast during June, July and Au-
gust. A more pleasant and healthy
climate cannot be found on earth, and
I have lived in Europe and several of
the States of America. Smyrna is a
place of twelve families, and six miles
distant, are twelve more."
I could continue this article to a
greater length, but have given the
important information sought after
by those thinking of going into the
business, in Florida. Any further in-
formation will be cheerfully given as
far as in my power, or by addressing
any of the above named gentlemen.
Baltimore, Md., Feb. 12. 1883.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Experienced Students of Apiculture.
JESSE OllEN.
I cannot see the force of the ob-
jections made by Mr. Ileddon, page
73, against the views advanced by
Dr. Besse in his " advanced step," in
recommending diplomas to be given
by the North American Apiarian Col-
le'ge. It seems to me that Dr. Besse
requires of the applicant for honors
all that Mr. Heddon requires, and a
little more. Mr. Heddon's diploma
and " red tape circumlocution," as he
calls it, would pass current with the
society, and entitle the young man to
an examination. Dr. Besse demands
an experience of one year in all the
manipulations of the apiary. Mr.
Heddon, five months, or a bee year,
if you please so to call it. Both men
are on the same plane in this period
of preparation. If Mr. Heddon was
one of the examining committee, as
he probably wo\ild be, and his line of
students, with their"red tape," signed
" Get there Success," should file into
line before the committee, would he
not approve them V Would he pro-
test against Dr. Miller's, Doolittle's,
Dadant's, Jones", Dr.Besse"s,Grimm's
"Get there Success V" We believe
he would admit all the names to his
ad eundem list of red tape. They are
all well known to the bee world. I
am glad they are known, and that
they have spoken out. Red tape from
any of them would pass a young man
into my yard. Still I should prefer
the combined red tape of alias being
better than of any one alone. One
might be all extracted, the other all
comb, and half-pound sections at
that, too. I might be suited with a
mixed husbandry.
Some men are born poets, and
must sing ; others are born mutes,
and cannot sing. There is this dif-
ference, also, among bee men. Some
few miles from me lives a man who
has been "getting there annually"
with his 15,000 to 2,000 pounds of
honey. He is a local phenomenon,
and only known at home. His name
is " Get there Success ;" but the
North American Society knows noth-
ing of him. He has paid $100 per
month for an apiarian assistant ; and
any red tape he should adopt would
pass the owner into my yard as com-
petent. We do not want a private
monopoly of red tape, but rather, a
good Jsupply from every part of the
country. In this way, many who are
mutes, will come out of their holes
and hold up their hands to be seen.
We hold that red tape does mean
something ; and that if Mr. Heddon
has any. he is proud of it, and would
not readily part with it. A graduate
of Yale or of Ann Arbor does not im-
ply an illiterate person by any means,
but, on the contrary, snch graduation
is i3rima facie evidence of scholarship,
the United States over. We do not
expect to make such men as Sir Isaac
Newton, Kepler and Leverrier by
diplomas, nor, perhaps, such apiarist
as Mr. Heddon either ; yet this ad-
mission does not diminish the signfi-
cation of diplomas. We are friendly
to Dr. Besse's " advance step," and
believe the Society will so look upon
the matter, wlien it meets in Toronto,
next autumn. I liave just given Mr.
Heddon's and Mr. Jones' address to
a young man wlio wishes to learn our
business. I have given him a hope
that he may be able to meet us at
Toronto and pass examination next
autumn. With the hope of success,
he is going to work tiie ensuing sum-
mer. But like many lawyers and
doctors, he may graduate and after-
wards make an honorable living haul-
ing manure and digging potatoes.
La Forte City, Iowa.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
Haldimand Bee-Keepers' Association
The Haldimand Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation held its third meeting on Sat-
urday, March 31, at Nelles' Corners,
Ontario, pursuant to adjournment.
Members present, E. DeCew, Presi-
dent ; and Alessrs. James Armstrong,
R. Buckley, Robt. Coverdale, Eph-
raim Gee, VVm. Abbott, Joseph Car-
ter. Fred. Mehenbacher, E. C. Camp-
bell, R. Anguish, Ambrose Gloyd,
James Gloyd, William Harrison, A.
Vanderbugh, Wm. Kindree, David
Byers, Henry Smith, Elijah Kindree,
R. W. Beam, David Anguish.
Minutes oi^ previous meeting read
and approved.
The president gave a short address,
after which the first question was
taken up.
Two iStoy Hives.— M.I. Armstrong
said it depended on the depth of
frames ; if the frames were shallow,
two stories were an advantage ; if
deep, one story or Hi stories was
about the right thing. Mr. Buckley
thought that when extracting, a
double story was not necessary.
The Desirabk Style of Hue Cover.—
The president exhibited one which
met with the approval of the mem-
bers. It was very similar to those
now used by D. A. Jones, and is deep
enough to allow for a chaff cushion in
winter.
ZJoMoiJi Boards— Caused considerable
discussion. A number of members
favoring loose bottoms ; others pre-
ferring tight bottoms ; the majority ■
being in favor of the latter.
Spring Feeding.— The president said
the nest plan of spring feeding, was that
of D. A. Jones, and explained how it
should be made. Mr. Byers advocated
feeding syrup strained through a
cloth ; it had worked well. Mr. Van-
derburgh thought the best plan of
spring feeding was to feed in the fall.
Mr. Buckley gave his plan, viz : mak-
ing a syrup of sugar and flour, pour-
ing it into an empty frame, and put-
ting it in the hive between the cluster.
The secretary recommended linseed-
cake meal as one of the best substi-
tutes for pollen.
Is it BeM that Bees Should Swarm?—
Mr. Vanderburgh advocating divid-
ing, as did Messrs. Armstrong and
Buckley, and recommended having
queens on hand for new colonies. Mr.
Kindree thought if the object was to
increase, natural swarming was best;
if for honey, dividing was best. The
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL
215
majority gave their opinion in favor
of artificial swarming. Messrs. Wm
Kindree and VVm. Abbott gave their
plans for securing swarms.
How to Bear Good Queens.— Mi. Arm-
strong preferred rearing queens in a
full colony, on full sized frames, and
explained his method at some lengtli.
Hoiu to Introduce Queens. — Mr. Arm-
strong recomemded the Peet cage,
keeping the queen confined until the
bees became reconciled to her. The
secretary mentioned the plan adopted
by Mr. Simmins, of England, who in-
troduced the queen on a frame of
bees, with good success.
HoiB to Secure Comb Honey. — Mr.
Buckley advocated the use of metal
division-boards and section boxes, in
the body of the hive. Mr. Gloyd also
spoke in favor of that plan, and said
it was recommended by prominent
bee-keepers. Mr. Kindree was in
favor of section boxes in the upper
story, leaving the lower story undis-
turbed.
Register of Each Hive — Its Value. —
The president recommended the use
of a register for each hive, so that he
could tell the condition of his hives
without the trouble of examining
them every day.
Books and Periodicals. — The secre-
tary advocated the reading of books
and periodicals devoted to bee-culture,
and thought no progressive bee-keeper
should be without one or more good
bee papers. In one number of the
American Bee Journal lie had ob-
tained information worth more than
the subscription price for a whole year.
Moved by Mr. Armstrong, seconded
by Mr. Campbell, thateach bee-keeper
give a correct report of the number
of colonies kept, and the number of
pounds of comb and extracted honey
from each colony, and what kind of
bees.
It was resolved that the next meet-
ing be held on June 16, at 10 a. m., at
Cheapside, Ont.
The following statement will show
the loses sustained during the past
winter :
Nov. 1882. April 1883.
Edmund DeCew, 15 5
Robert Buckley, 38 33
James Armstrong, 32 31
Wm. Harrison, 2 2
Ambrose Gloyd, 16 15
Wm.Jack, 8 4
Joseph Carter. 10 9
Robert Coverdale, 6 5
R. VV. Beam. 12 9
Wm. Kindree, 15 11
Henry Smith, 2 2
A. Vanderburgh, 9 9
F. Mehleubacher, 1 1
David Byers, 13 12
Robert Anguish, 37 25
Ephraim Gee, 1 1
E. C. Campljell, 35 32
David Anguish, 4 3
Daniel Rose, 15 7
E. C. Camprell, Sec.
P. S. By the above table it will be
seen that the loses during the past
.severe winter have not been very
high, and was caused principally by
want of stores. I took mine out of
cellar April 9, having been confined
for over five months, without a fiight.
Three colonies were dead for want of
stores ; the rest are in good condi-
tion, with the exception of two or
three, affected with dysentery. — E. C.
For the American Bee Journat
Remarks on Various Matters.
J. O. SHEARMAN.
The wintering problem seems to be
pretty well worn ; but not finally set-
tled yet. My hobby has been pack-
ing in chaff, in which way I have
been ordinarily successful. I wintered
over 100 colonies, last winter and this,
witliout the lo.ss of a colony so far.
I had all of my weakest colonies in
the cellar, including some that were
intended for doubling up ; but the
weak and strong all seemed to stand,
in the cellar, about alike, except a
weak one that had the dysentery ; an
examination showed that they had
only uncapped honey left, though
they had sealed honey in the fall.
Also two nuclei, with reserved queens,
starved. The temperature of the cellar
was as near to freezing as 1 could
keep it ; it was below only once. I
found that when the thermometer in-
dicated near 40-' (as often advised
through the papers), they would be-
come uneasy. 1 had only 27 in cellar.
Those out of doors, packed in chaff,
did well, so far, set close to the
ground, on a little bed of straw, for
under packing. That goes to show
that it is not quite sure death.
I once thought that I had a good
thing on them, if only they were cov-
ered by snow, and said the deeper the
snow the better, with a sloping board
over the entrance, of course ; but now
I have got bravely over that. The
winter of 1880-81 was our test on that
point. Those deep under the snow
were very uneasy, while others sit-
uated on the south side of a hill, where
the wind blew the snow all away from
the front of the hives, came out
bright, strong and healthy. That was
a damp conHnement, while, this win-
ter, though snowed under, 2 feet or
more, they came out nearly dry, with
much better results. My conclusions
are that a number of causes may in-
duce dysentery : 1. Extreme changes
of temperature, particularly if damp.
2. Thin honey, more especially if
soured by changes of temperature. 3.
Long confinement, if in conjunction
with either or both of the above un-
favorable conditions. 4. Undue breed-
ing while confined, or anything that
disturbs them while unable to fly.
On the half-pound sections, my ad-
vice is to put a variety of packages
upon the market, to supply all kinds
of customers ; the half-pounds are
well enough for part of the supply,
but if all the honey was put up that
way, it would be no higher in price
than if all were in one-pound pack-
ages. The novelty helps the price at
first.
During the past season I increased
only from 00 to 107 colonies; though
it was a noted season for swarming,
for over two months. I did it, partly,
by putting one swarm into another
liive, from which a swarm had lately
issued, increasing the surplus room ;
and partly, before they got so feverish,
by gradual extension of the brood-
chamber; at the same time, giving
more surplus room. The hive I use
enables me to do the latter more
readily, as the back of the brood-
chamber is movable, the same as a
division-board, and I can set them to
work in three old-fashioned boxes,
with two brood frames, or use 18
of the same sized boxes on the top of
12 brood frames.
I have run 12 colonies all through
an entire season without swarming,
increasing them to 18 by division, and
giving them plenty of surplus room.
That was four years ago, in a fast-
swarming season ; but it takes too
much time for a large stock to increase
a little at a time.
I had the above mentioned 12 colo-
nies in a location where they gathered
plenty of the red raspberry honev,
while it was too wet for them to do
much on the white clover. It was of
very fine quality and flavor, though
not so light in color as the white
clover honey.
New Richmond, Mich., Mar. 6, 1883.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
Water for Bees in Winter.
EUGENE SECOR.
I suppose some of our Southern
brethren, who have been basking in
the sunshine for two months, and
whose bees have been " out to pas-
ture" so long that they have forgotten
the past winter, will shrug their
shoulders and thank God that they
do not live in this borean land, when
we tell them that we are just taking
our hives to their summer stands.
Well, I suppose the South is a delight-
ful place to live in, but 1 have yet to
learn that they accomplish more in
any of the departments of industry
during their long summers, than we
in the North do in our short ones. A
small portion of Texas came to the
front last year in the production of
honey, but year by year, the North
supplies our leading honey markets,
with as fine a quality as can be found
this side of California. So, while we
can successfully compete with them
in the production of honey, perhaps
we ought not to be so modest in dis-
cussing the wintering problems,
which, undoubtedly is anything but
interesting reading to them.
I have, to-day, taken my bees from
the cellar, where they have been since
Nov. 13. The last flight they had last
fall, was on Nov. 10. This is the
longest period I have ever kept them
confined without a flight. My experi-
ence, to-day, seems to indicate that
they could have endured a much
longer night. I never before saw
bees so cross in the spring. They are
usually so glad to get out and fly, to
void their feces, that they did
not attempt to sting; but, to-day, I
was compelled to don bee-vail and
gloves, and, in spite of both, I am
now far from " spring poor." There
are no signs of dysentery. They did
not " spot " .their hives during the
21G
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
winter, nor anything around the
yard, in tlieir flight to-day. My cellar
was perfectly dark, without any ven-
tilation, and ranged, in temperature,
during the winter, from 32-" to 48°,
usually standing at about 4.5°. It was
quite dry. From March I, I have,
several times, watered a part of them,
a thing that I never practiced before,
but it had the effect to keep them
more quiet, and many of them were
"just booming" to-day.
Now as to the results : One colony
had starved to death. Four out of
six, that were on the bottom tier, one
foot from tlie cellar bottom, that had
not been uncovered since putting in,
and that had had no water, were
dead. Only in one hive were the
combs moldy, and all had sufficient
stores. Those colonies wliich had
been watered since March 1, were
strong and healthy, and began to rob
in less than an hour after having been
set out.
Soft maples, willows, cotton woods,
and elms are in bloom. The prairie
anemones have been out for some
days. The past winter has been one
of the coldest known since the early
settlement of tlie State. For about
nine weeks from the 20th of Decem-
ber, it hardly thawed on the south
side of the house, and the mercury
hugged the zero point most of the
time, occasionally dropping down to
call on numbers 35 and 40. And for
fully three months it was too cold for
even a healthy bee to venture far from
the warmth "of the cluster. Fruit
trees, in many parts of the State, have
been injured ; though in this locality
we have not suffered in that respect.
Bees have also wintered usually well.
Forest City, Iowa, April 16, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Are Bees Taxable ?
JESSE OBEN.
Mr. Editor:— On page 42 of the
Bee Journal for 1883, you are asked,
'' Are bees taxable V" Your answer,
as given, is in accordance with the
facts ; but your conclusion is wrong,
viz. : property of value is taxable
property in Iowa. The statute of a
State tixes and names the kinds of
property on which a revenue shall be
raised. In Iowa, bees are exempt by
statute, and about all your patrons
here are anxious that you snail so
answer. Of course I know that it is
not reasonable to expect you to know
the laws, etc., of all the States. I
have made this matter a special study
years ago, and the matter was de-
termined by the Attorney General
about 15 years ago, when' a special
bill was got up by a member of the
Legislature, exempting bees, etc. He
said that bees were already exempt.
But year after year we put in asses-
sors and boards of supervisors who
are ignorant of the law, and who rea-
son that all property ought to bear its
share of the public burden — good rea-
soning—but not Iowa law. But who
knows any better than you do that
the average assessor's judgment as to
the value of a colony of oees on the
first day of January is a very poor
judgment. He cannot set true values.
Enclosed you will tiiid a spicy digest
of the subject written by a lawyer of
Black Hawk County, Iowa. He had
my assistance in the matter. We
must, however, fight the battle over
and over, year after year. The ques-
tion is not, " Should bees be taxed in
Iowa'?" but, "Are bees taxable un-
der our laws V" Please, hereafter,
wlien asked that question, answer,
" Not by the laws of Iowa, etc." The
Bee Journal, with tliat answer,
will become notorious property, and
will be preserved for the eye or the
new assessor.
La Porte City, Iowa, Feb. 5, 1883.
ARE BEES TAXABLE 'i
Mr. Editor : — Allow me to ask
yourself and readers why it was that
the board of supervisors of Black
Hawk County, on Friday, Jan. 10,
adopted Mr. Jenney's classification of
taxable property for the year 1879,
without first revising it so as to make
it legal y I trust that they acted con-
scientiously in the matter. But will
you please, or will somebody please,
explain how and where they goti
their authority for placing bees upon
that list y Perhaps our board did not
know that they were exempt from
taxation in Iowa V Perhaps they
have some authority unknown to out-
siders y Will somebody please rise
and explain V
Now, Mr. Editor, "let us reason
together," and see if we can find a
little law which is, and ought to be
plain, to every reasonable being, at
least after it has been pointed out to
them. I believe I can show by statute
that bees are as plainly exempt as if
they had been written in gilt letters
at the head of the chapter of exempt
property. First, what are bees ? Are
they vegetables V Are they minerals V
Or, are they animals V To which of
these kingdoms do they belong V Of
course, you and everybody else will
say that they are animals, of the in-
sect order. Now, since they are ani-
mals, then, as animals, they are twice
exempt under the statute. Exempt
from taxation, first, by section 797 and
801 of Code of Iowa, 1873. Section
797, division 4, exempts from taxation
" animals not hereafter specified."
Section 801 enumerates the animals,
viz. : "Horses, cattle, mules, asses,
sheep, swine." Now, we see that it
does not mention bees, nor does it
intend for bees to be listed, or it
would have mentioned them. At a
glance we can see that to have men-
tioned all the animals exempt would
have been an endless task, and when
completed would have been a volume
of itself, and only merited our ridicule.
It might have read like this, viz. :
From the animal kingdom there shall
be exempt 20 species of the quad-
rumania, viz. : The buffalo, the elk,
tlie deer, the cat, tlie dog, the mouse,
etc. Of cetacea species, the oyster,
the clam, etc. Of birds, the wren,
the robin, the swallow, etc. Of rep-
tiles, the lizzard, the garter snake, the
bull snake, etc. Of insects— 30 spe-
cies—viz. : The hornet, the wasp,
the asp, the bee, the bumble bee, and
so on, adinfinitum. But the cobra-
copella, the rattlesnake, the grizzly
bear, the parrot, the seal, the golden
fly of South America, owing to the
vast amount of money invested in
them for show purposes, shall be
listed and taxed at twice their ap-
praised value. Such might have been
the form of the section liad the Leg-
islature attempted it. But they chose
a wiser plan, and only enumerated
those animals which were to be taxed,
and exempted by section 797 all others
—bees with the rest.
Again, according to Langstroth and
other standard authority, the average
life of a working bee, in summer sea-
son, is only six weeks, while it is
a mooted question whether any
worker ever fives to so great an age
as seven months. Now, a bee being
an animal, under section 821 (last
clause), under "classification of prop-
erty" for taxation, we find that " no
entry shall lie made on said books of
any animal under the age of one year,
except swine." The queen-bee is the
only bee which lives to so great an
age as one year. Her market value is
75 cents, and thousands are annually
sold to A. I. Root, of Medina, O., at
that price. We find by this section
(821) that bees are again exempt.
" VVell," say some, " it is not the bee,
it is the value." To this we again
fall back on section 797, where we find
" farm produce harvested within one
year previous to the listing thereof,"
is exempt from taxation ; and since
all that is valuable in a colony of bees,
except the 75 cent queen-bee, is har-
vested " within a year previous to the
listing thereof," and comes in exempt
along with thousands of bushels of
wheat which the farmer may have in
his granery or stack, the thousands,
yes millions of dollars worth of wear-
ing apparel, including valuable house-
hold furniture, thousands of dollars'
invested in swine under six months
old, calves, colts, chickens, and the
like, even down to a $5,000 shawl,
such as Mrs. L is said to wear,
and other articles of a wardrobe pro-
portionately expensive. From the
list of exempt property, it is plain to
be seen th.at it is not the intent of our
law to tax all valuable property, for
if it did, why exempt so many millions
of valuables y In conclusion I would
say that I have not talked with any
lawyer, who, after a little reference,
did not see the exempt condition of
bees under our law. I might refer to
Clark & Curtis, of Lemars, Ordway,
of Waterloo, Judge Gilchrist, of Vin-
ton, the two law firms in our own city,
viz. : Bishop & Sharon and Chas.
Bishop, and many others whose names
I will not occupy time and space to
enumerate.
Now, Mr. Editor, please excuse this
space-consuming article, as my object
in penning this is to aid in the sup-
port of the Constitution of the United
States and the laws of the State of
Iowa. S. A. O.
[We are very glad to make the cor-
rection requested. Certainly, on this
showing, in Iowa, bees are not taxa-
ble property.— Ed.]
THE AMERICAl^ BEE JOURNAL.
217
Are Bees Taxable in Iowa I
Will you please state whether the
laws of Iowa exempt bees from taxa-
tion y All aarree here that if bees are
animals they are then exempt. Some
think they are insects.
Peter S. Tbiem.
Mt. Auburn, Iowa.
[We are informed that the Attorney
General, some 15 years ago, decided
that in Iowa bees are not taxable, and
according to the laws of that State,
they are not assessable. Apiarists In
Iowa should show this to the new
assessors.— Ed.]
Honey Flow in Louisiana.
There has been a fine flow of honey ;
the bees are in splendid condition. I
have been running for increase, and
yet from 100 colonies I liave taken
3,.i00 pounds of good honey. I stall
start for the North about April 25,
with a lot of colonies.
E. T. Flanagan.
Kenner, La., April 16,1883.
A Beginner's Experience.
My father kept bees as long ago as
I can remember, and I was always
fond of them. About 5 years ago, I
and a neighbor procured about a
dozen each, and as we had heard of
the new way of dividing, we divided
them again and again, expecting to
get rich in that way, but the winter
cleaned us out of the bee business.
Taking the advice of a friend, I sub-
scribed for the Bee Journal and
bought Cook's Manual, and concluded
to try agaui, after learning more
about bees. I sold enough honey to
pay for my bees, and all that I had
over spent on them, and still have the
bees left. They are in good condition
now, and will be ready for the harvest
when it comes.
Casey. 111. D. R. Rosebkough.
Wintering Bees, etc.
As dry sawdust is hard to get in the
fall, I procured it dry, after harvest,
and had plenty in the fall. I have
tried chaff with success, but do not
want it any more ; it harbors mice,
and gets damp very quickly. I must
either clip the queen's wings or run a
great risk of my neck, so I choose the
former. I like a deeper frame than
the Langstroth, for Canada. I want
my frames crosswise ; I think a divis-
ion-board as needful as the hives. I
use an outside box about 6 inches
larger than the hive, with the en-
trance bridged, and packed around
and on top { with movable side), pressed
tight on sawdust. In frosty morn-
ings, in the fall, I remove all outside
combs, which can be done very fast,
and feed up, on from 5 to 7 frames.
Where do bees cluster in the fall and
winter ? Below the honey ; the only
place for them, and just where they
should, to give heat for sealing ; they
have warm honey all winter. I have
yet to lose the tirst good colony pre-
pared in the above manner. I have
no carrying to do, in the spring, and
bees are packed all the spring, and are
not coaxed out, with every sunbeam,
to get lost. Two colonies starved, in
Langstroth hives, with honey in the
hive; sometimes bees cluster in the
centre, and getting to the end of the
frames in a cold spell, they will starve
with honey at the other end. Some of
my bees have not down for 147 days ;
neither do they seem to want to
They are in excellent condition, with
about 5 inches of sawdust on the top.
For such a terrible winter, bees that
are packed have wintered well. My
experience will not agree with that of
Prof. Cook, as stated on page 85 of
his Manual. In every case, with me,
the Held bees have decided what shall
be done. Last summer I found them
keeping the queen from drone cells,
and even using violence to stop her
from laying drone eggs. I learn from
them as to whetlier there should be a
second swarm or not.
Chas. Mitchell.
Molesworth, Ont., April 9, 1883.
Willows for Pollen.
I send a shoot taken from a bush or
tree, for identitication. I find it lit-
erally covered with bees, for the sake
of the profusion of its pollen. lean
liken their labors upon it to nothing
else except what we have all witnessed
at the rye meal basket. I take it to
be a species of the willow, of which
Br. Barrett (1850) enumerated 100
species growing in North America.
Wm. S. Barclay.
Beaver, Pa., April 17, 1883.
[It is one of the willow family, as
you have surmized.— Ed.]
My Experience With Bees.
I have liad bees for more than 30
years, but never paid much attention
to them until the spring of 1879, when
I concluded to give them my atten-
tion (having quit active business),
and to that end, I procured a book on
the subject, read the science up, and
tliought I was master of the situation.
Having 5 colonies of black bees I
divided them according to instruc-
tions in King's Text Book, and suc-
ceeded beyond ray expectations; in
the fall I found myself possessed of 10
colonies in good condition for winter,
and got some surplus honey. I put
them in the cellar, and they came out
all right in the spring of 18H0. I again
divided and had 20 in the fall, and got
a small amount of surplus ; all being
heavy and in good condition for win-
ter, I thouglit I would try out-door
packing, and packed 10 in oat straw
and chaff (after Mr. Ileddon's plan),
and 10 put in the cellar. March being
so pleasant I set set them all out, and
unpacked those that were out, all be-
ing in good condition, so far as I
could see ; but April and part of May
being wet, cold and windy, they com-
menced to die off very I'apidly, leav-
ing nice clean combs full of honey, so
by the middle of May I had but one
weak colony left, which died in tlie
fall, after all my nursing. With over
100 frames full, or partly full of honey,
I concluded to try itagain, and bought
12 colonies, part hybrids and part
blacks, and got one colony from Mr,
King, of New York. Increased them
to 26, and got 335 lbs. of box honey,
which I sold at 20 cents per pound,
which paid for the 12 colonies bought.
I put them away for the winter,
packed in the summer stands, as be-
fore, all in good condition. They
came out in the spring of 1882 with^
out the loss of a single colony. Ex-
pecting big things, I bought $47 worth
of supplies, and increased my stock
to 48, by my former method a little
modified. Upon examination Oct. 1,
I found them nearly all short of win-
ter stores, some not having 5 lbs. of
honey, and I got no surplus, except
from one colony, and that gave me
about 25 lbs. of inferior honey. I did
not like to see them die, if I could
help it, so I bought two barrels of cof-
fee A sugar, and made it into sryup
and fed them, so they averaged in
weight from 18 to 30 lbs. I have
packed them in plainer shavings. I
suppose there never was a worse sea»
son for honey in our county before. .
Wm. B. McCormick.
Uniontown, Pa.
Queen Nursery, Observing Hives, Etc.
Please answer the following ques^
tions in the Bee Journal :
1. Seeing that queen nurseries are
required for the purpose of having a
supply on all occasions when needed,
and few bees can be spared for such
nurseries, how are they to be protected
through the winter ; it being neces-
say to have them strong to keep up
heat for winter protection ? As high a
temperature being as necessary for a
weak colony as a strong one, and the
natural heat will not be sufficient,
how is more heat to be created V I
have never seen anything giving in-
structions on this subject, although
Prof. Cook so strongly urges rearing
queens.
2. In the observatory hive, as de-
scribed by Prof. Cook, page 113 of the
present volume of the Bee Journal,
which, of course, is intended to be in
the house, study, or some such place,
should not the alighting board be at;
an open window, for the egress and
ingress of the bees, to prevent them
coming into the room, where it is de-
sired to see them V I suppose that,
during the winter season, the observa-
tory hive may become a queen nursery.
3. What plan must be taken to stim-
ulate late breeding, as urged in Cook's
Manual V He gives the advice, but
not the information which is neces-
sary to many ; in fact to all who have
not had the experience in that way.
If the bees have plenty of honey, ia
there something else better for that
purpose V Edward Moore.
Barrie, Ont.
[Prof. Cook replies to the above
questions as follows :— Ed.]
1. I suppose Mr. Moore means by
queen nurseries the small colonies or
218
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
huclei in which the queens are reared.
Judge Andrews, of Texas, says queens
can 1)6 kept caged indelinitely by put-
ting tlie cage in strong colonies. He
Bays even thougli tlie otiier colonies
have queens, the bees will always feed
the caged queens. Mr. Alley says in
his booli, the queens may be thus
caged for long weeks, but that there
must be feed in the cage ; that the
bees will not feed them. I have al-
ways kept tlie queens in the small
hives or nuclei, by exchanging combs
frequently, giving empty cells, the
queens are kept active. \Vith a good
cellar nuclei can be kept over winter
as well as full colonies. The chamber
containing them must be small ; either
a small hive, or, better, the regular
hive, with brood-chamber contracted
by use of adivision board. My brother
has kept several nuclei in his cellar
the past winter. All but one came
through strong. Tliat died of starva-
tion.
2. My observing hive is on a board
just outside the wMndow. It is just
high enough to be convenient. By
lowering the upper sash 1 can lean on
it and study the bees for hours with-
out fatigue. My window is a dormer,
so it shades the bees in summer and
protects them from storms.
2. I think stimulative feeding is
fully described in my Manual. We
only need to feed a half pint a day, by
the use ofany of the feeders described.
I think the Smith feeder, illustrated
and described in mv new Manual (just
out) is the best.— A. J. Cook.
The Season in Oeorgia.
Spring has fairly opened with us at
last, but bees are in a backward con-
dition. February was mild and pleas-
ant, and breeding progressed rapidly,
March set in cold, and continued so
with wet and inclement weather all
through. Bees could do nothing, but
dwindled fearfully ; so by the 1st of
April colonies, on an average, were
not in as good condition as they were
the last ot February. Box hive bee-
keepers have lost heavily.
J. P. H. Brown.
Augusta, Ga., April 20, 1S83.
How to Press and Monnt Flowers.
In the Michigan State Fair pre-
mium list (apiarian department) is ot-
tered a premium for the best collec-
tion ot honey-bearing plants pressed
and mounted, or in bloom. Will some
one who knows please tell the readers
ot the Bee Journal how to press
and mount llowers V
W. Z. Hutchinson.
Rogersville, Mich.
Bees Still in Winter (Juarters.
In the spring of 1881, I had 4 weak
colonies, and 2 queenless; they in-
creased to 10, and 1 nucleus, fall
count ; all were packed in chaff. The
spring count of 1882, was 9, and 2
queenless. I had from them 500 lbs.
ot comb honey, and increased to 28 ;
they were all packed in dry goods
boxes, with clover chaff. The spring
count of 1883, is 27 in splendid condi-
tion; I lost one, caused by old bees
and dysentery. My bees are still
packed ; I expect to leave them so
until about May 1, or until the weather
becomes settled and warm. My bees
are all Cyprians, Italians, and albinos,
and I am well pleased with them. I
use the A. G. Hill hive, and think it
a good one. We have some old fogies
here, who keep bees in box hives and
brimstone them, etc., and .some of
them have lost heavily this winter. I
could not do without the Bee Jour-
nal. H. Hance.
Biyon, O., April 16, 1883.
Bees All Right.
I have iust unpacked my bees, and
find nearly all in booming condition.
My loss for the winter has been light.
I packed, in my usual way, 165 colo-
nies, and, to-day, I lind 160 in good
condition. Never did I ever see bees
in better condition than mine now
are. The hives are nearly full of
bees, and in some I lind brood in four
and live frames, with capped drone
brood. The weather has been Hue
for nearly three weeks. I anticipate
a line crop of honey. The white
clover has never looked more promis-
ing than it does this spring. Success
to the Weekly Bee Journal.
L. J. DiBHL.
Butler, Ind., April 17, 1883.
Nortli Carolina Bloom.
Apples are in full bloom, and clover
soon will be. I lost 15 out of 100 col-
onies, last winter. My bees are very
strong at this time, and promise great
things, if we have a good season.
J. W. Hinsdale.
Raleigh, N. C, April 13, 1883.
Bees are Just Booming.
I wintered 42 colonies in the cellar,
of which I lost 1 ; of 19 wintered on
the summer stands, packed with saw-
dust, I lost none ; leaving me 60 out of
61 colonies. I put them into winter
quarters on Nov. 15, and removed
them from the cellar, April 10, mak-
ing about 145 days in the cellar with-
out a flight. There is but little spot-
ting of the hives ; all are in flue con-
dition and strong, excepting about 6
which are a little weak, but still are
from fair to good colonies. All are
gathering natural pollen, to-day, from
willows <and soft maples, the first this
season. The thermometer indicates
from 78° ro 82-, and it is raising quite
briskly this evening, at 8 o'clock.
U. E. Dodge.
Fredonia, N. Y., April 15, 1883.
How to use Bee Papers.
I think the printers have scarcely
followed " copy," or I have made a
strange blunder in my communica-
tion, published in the Bee Journal,
March 28, page 166, third paragraph.
I intended to have written: "Any
man who cannot make his busine&s
pay for a good journal published in
the interest of that business, had
better quit the business, etc.," or
words to that effect. It now, how-
ever, reads : , " Any man who cannot
make his business pay had better quit
the business, etc." You will at once
see the difference. The latter quo-
tation, I presume, goes without asking
by the necessities of the case, and
does not need a special communica-
tion to state it, but while the former
may be equally as true, yet it is so
often in practice ignored as to need a
reminder. R. J. Kendall.
Austin, Texas, March 30, 1883.
[It was printed as written in the
copy.— Ed.]
Bees Confined 159 Days.
On page 180, Mr. McKay says who
can beat 130 days without a flight ?
Well, I cau. My bees have been in
the cellar 159 days without a flight,and
have some 10 days more to remain, at
least. All answered to the roll call
to-day, ''21 in number;" loss, thu3
far, none. The dead on the floor can
all be put into a two-quart measure.
The above success is due, in a great
measure, to the American Bee
Journal, of which 1 have been a
constant and interested reader for
three years, and never expect to do
without it as long as I keep bees. I
use chaff mats, and am a strong be-
liever in cellar wintering.
D. L. Herrick.
Brattleboro, Vt., April 15, 1883.
A Swarm Went to the Woods.
I had 4 colonies of bees in boxes
and barrels. Three of them I trans-
ferred more than a month ago, in the
ordinary way. The boxes broke, and
induced robbing, and I had so much
trouble that I determined I would let
the fourth wait and swarm. But see-
ing Mr. Heddon's plan, I concluded
to try it, especially as the weather
was warm, apples, clover, etc., bloom-
ing, and several colonies of my neigh-
bor's bees had swarmed during the last
few days. I very soon drove the bees
into the hive tilled with comb founda-
tion ; Ihey remained several hours,
and took their departure to the woods.
I hope others may proHt by my ex-
perience. A Subscriber.
Omega, La.
Stinging and Dislike of Bees.
The bees have a natural dislike to
me ; they come for me quickly, even
when walking in the yard, but not at
work with them. One sting will
sometimes almost cause me to faint.
The rule, that the more a person gets
stung, the less it hurts, does not hold
good with me ; the pain is as severe
as it was five years ago. I wear veil
and gloves, and have a Bingham
smoker, but I get stung often. To
allay the pain, after the sting, wet
clay is the best thing I have ever
tried. The best antidote I have ever
tried is- whisky ; two teaspoonsful be-
fore I go to work with the bees. I am
not used to whisky, and do not want
to be ; I hate it. Will some of the
readers of the Journal tell me what,
if anything, I can put on my clothes
to pacify them ; and what is the best
antidote besides whisky, and oblige
one who cannot follow hard labor, and
do not want to throw away what it
has taken 15 years to learn.
Riverton, Iowa. J. H. Stephens.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
219
Convention Notices.
1^ The Mahoning Valley bee-keep-
ers will hold their 13th meeting in the
Town Hall, at Berlin Centre, Ohio, on
May 5. All bee-keepers, and the pub-
lic in general, are invited to attend.
Do not forget to bring your wives,
cliildren, and a well-filled lunch basket.
We expect a grand meeting.
L. Carson, Pres.
II. A. Simon, Sec. pro tern.
1^ The semi-annual meeting of the
Western Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Independence, Jackson
County, Mo., on Saturday, April 28,
1883, at 10 a. m. Papers prepared for
the occasion by the president, sec-
retary and others wWX be read, and
matters of general interest to bee-
keepers discussed. A general attend-
ance of persons interested in bee-
culture is requested. The present
membership of this Association con-
trol 2,000 colonies of bees.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
Kansas City, Mo.
J. A. Nelson, Pres. Wyandotte, Kas.
1^ Quite a number of the leading
bee-keepers of Missouri and Kansas
met at the Court House, in Independ-
ence, Mo., December 23, 1882, and or-
ganized a bee-keepers' convention,
which was named the " Western Bee-
Keepers' Association," by electing the
following officers for the ensuing year :
Jas. A. Nelson, of Wyandotte, Kans.,
President; L. W. Baldwin, of Inde-
pendence, Mo., Vice-President; S.W.
Salsbiiry, Kansas City, Mo., Treasurer.
The Association passed a resolution
to invite all bee-keepers within a con-
venient distance, to meet with ns at
our next meeting and lend us their
councils. Adjourned, to meet again
at Independence, on the last Saturday
in April next, at 10 o'clock, a. m.
J. D. Meador, P. Baldwin, C. M.
Crandall, Committee.
W The spring meeting of the
Western Michigan Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation will be held at Supervisor's
Hall, Grand Rapids, April 26, at 10
a. m.
F. S. Covey, Sec.
Coopersville, Mich.
1^ The Union Bee- Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday, April 26,
1883. All bee keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G. W. Demaree, iSec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
®" There will be a meeting of the
bee-keepers of Western New York
and Western Pennsylvania, to adopt
a constitution and by-laws, elect of-
ficers, etc., for the Western New I'ork
Bee-Keepers' Association, on April
28, 1883, at Fredonia, N. Y., opening
at 10 o'clock a. m. All bee-keepers
are cordially invited to attend. Dis-
cussions on bee-culture, etc. Suitable
rooms will be provided.
U. E. Dodge, Actinq Sec.
^ The Tuscarawas Valley Bee-
Keepers' Association will hold their
next meeting in the Town Hall, Cos-
hocton, O., on Wednesday, May 2, at
10 a. m. All bee-keepers are re-
quested to be present.
J. A. BucKLEW, (Sec, Clarks, O.
1^ The spring meeting of the
Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held inCortland,N. Y.,
on Tuesday, May 8, 1883.
M. C. Bean, Sec.
W The Iowa Central Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold their semi-
annual meeting at Winterset, Iowa,
on Friday, May 11. 1883. All inter-
ested in anything pertaining to bee-
culture are invited to attend, and
bring anything that will be of interest
to the bee fraternity.
J. E. Pryor, Sec.
A. J. Adkison, Pres.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMEKICAN BEE JOURNAL. )
Monday, 10 a. m., April 23, 1882. S
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotations of Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted is 7c.
for dark and Dc. fur Itehi— here. The supply is
abundant and pales are wluw.
BEKSWAX-None in the market.
Al. H. Newman. 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement in the honev
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade.
Offerings are plentiful of extracted and comb
honey. Extracted brings 7(sjtic. on arrival. The
sales of comb honey are very slow, although there
is a large supply of tlrst-class quality on the mar-
ket. It brings 12(<iilHc. on arrival.
BEES WAX— Comes in slowly and brings 20®30c
per lb., according lo quality. Chas. F. Muth.
Quotations of Commission Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The demand is light and It is not now
probable that all of the comb honey can be sold
before a new crop comes. Prices are very irregular
and generally low : 15(al0c. for white, and dark un-
salable. Extracted, very little trade is being done
in it. 7@iic. is about the market.
BBKSWAX-35(a.U(!c.
R. A. BURNETT, 161 South Water St.
SAN KRANCISCO.
HONE Y— Buyers are readily obtained for choice
comb or extracted at full figures, but off qualities
meet with slow sale-
White comb. 14i«jl7c.; dark to good. ll@13c. ; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8^(gi9>^c.; dark and
candied. 5(5i7Hc.
BEBSWAX-We quote 3l-l®33c.
STEARNS & SMITH. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Very quiet; dull. Comb at 14®16c.—
some inferior sold at inc.; strained at 6H(3i7c.. ex-
tracted at 7^(«;-^M»c.. lots in small packages more.
BEESVTAX— Scarce and wanted at .15c.
W.T. ANDERSON & CO.. 1I7N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is a little lower, and at the lower price
It has mitvedoff a little better of late, l -lb. sections
of best white sold at is>i;@l'*c. ; second grades.
X-lb., 17c.: 2-lb. sections a little slow at 17®18c.
Extracted very dull at u® lie.
BEESWAX— None in market.
A. C. KENDEI.. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
i^ lb. sections at 3nc.: 1 lb. sections, 22(a.'J5c.: 2 1b.
sections, 2n®22c. Extracted. lOc. per lb. Good
lots 01 extracted are wanted in ke(A or barrels.
BEESWAJC— Our supply is gone: we have none
to quote.
CROCKER & BLAKE. .ST Chatham Street.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of thia
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents,
W e wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-,
ress we already have on our books.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weeklyj
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper^
Emerson's Binder tor the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For Ave subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 20O
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Joubi
NAL for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
^"Mr. .Tames Heddon announces o\\
another page that he cannot supply
any more Hives, etc., in the flat. All
interested should notice the adver-
tisement.—^Icfu.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts each, or $8 per 100.
^°Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
^" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in ths
blanks for 50 cents extra.
220
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
t
Honey as Food and Medicine.
Anew edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
Ihem far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
An Instantaneous Light.
Such in a word is the unique apparatus
vn exhibition at the rooms of the Portable
Electric Light Co., 23 Water Street, Boston.
It occupies the space of only .5 square Inch-
es and wcitfhs but .5 poumls, and can be
t?arried with ease. Tlie light, or more
properly lighter, requires no extra power,
wires or connections, and is so constructed
that any part can lie replaced at small cost.
The chcuiicals are placed in a glass retort ;
a carbon and zinc a|iparatus, with a spu-al
platinum attaclnucnt, is then adjusted so
as to form a battery, and the light is ready.
The pressure on a little knob produces an
electric current by which the spiral of idat-
inum is heated to incandescence. The
Portable Electric Light Company was re-
cently incorporated, with a capital of
»100,0(K), under the laws of Massachusetts.
The usefulness of the ajmaratus and the
low price (five dollars) will no doubt re-
sult in its general adoption. Some of the
prominent bushiess men of the State are
identified with this enterorise. In addition
to its use as a lighter, the apparatus can
ftlso be used in connection wifli a burglar-
ulami and galvanic battery. — " Boston
^Transcript," Dec. 30.
Tlie Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
Iheir work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
lew colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
i^Postage stamps, of one, two or
three cent denomination, accepted for
fractional parts of a dollar; but money
is preferred.
1^ Will the various manufacturers
of t be Standard Langstroth hive please
send circulars giving accurate dimen-
sions, as made by them, to S. X. Clark,
Delavan, Wis. The result as to the
different sizes will be published in the
American Bee Journal.— adu.
Xew Catalogues and Price Lists,
We have received the following new
Catalogues and Price Lists of Bees,
Queens or Apiarian Supplies :
G. B. Jones, Brantford, Ont.
Elvin Armstrong, Jerseyville, 111.
Geo. W. Baker, Lewisville, Ind.
Dr. Wm. R. Howard, Kingston, Tex.
W. G. Russell, Millbrook, Ont.
J. H. Tilley & Bio., CastleHill, Me.
Thos. J. VVard, St. Mary's, Ind.
C. R. Mitchell, Hawkinsville, Ga.
G. H. Knickerbocker, Pine Plains,
N. Y.
A. C. Kendel, Cleveland, O.— field,
garden and flower seeds.
1^ In Mr. S. Cornell's excellent
article on " Ventilation of Bees," in
last week's Journal, on page 200, an
omission was made, when putting it
in type. In the second column, 28th
line from the top, after the period,
add the following sentence : " It is
just so with the air."
Sample Copies of theAMERiCAN Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this ofiBce.
®° On the next page may be found
the advertisement for a "comb foun-
dation fastener," by D. C. Talbot, of
Elroy, Wis., to which attention is
invited. — adv.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for 1883 and Cook's Manual in cloth
for $2.75, or the Monthly and Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be witlidrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
Golden Italians Again!
One Golden Italian Queen, warran-
ted purely mated. :^i.'in. One pure-
ly muted and tested, $^.50. One
pure Queen, not warranted, $l.(Kl.
Alt the above Queens are of the
tliu'st stock in the country. I sold
(ivtT :!(wi last season, and had but
line complaint. Full colonies ready
to divide, for $10.(_)0 ; safe arrival guaranteed.
l7Atf I^. J. DIEUL, BUTL.ER, IND.
E.T. LEWIS & GO. Joledo, Ohio,
Manufacturers of the U. 8. STANDARD Honey
Extractor (new improvements), and all other
Apiarian Supplies. Send for circular. 17A 5Btf
BEE
KEP:pp:rs. before ordering your
APIARIAN-SUPPLIES
send for our large illustrated cata-
logue, sent free to any address.
E. Kretchmer, Coburg, Iowa.
1883 ITALIAN QUEENS. 1883
still they go -IJees for business all ready to ship.
Send for our new Circular of Queens, full colo-
nies and nuclei ; it tells how to introduce queens.
T. S. HALL,
leAi't Kirby's Creek, Jackson co, Ala.
Bee-Keepers' Handy Book,
Or, 22 Years' Experience in Queen Rearing.
Oi>intnns of Eminent Apiarists o/ its vtiUte:
From Geo. W. House, Fayetteville, N. Y.~"The
information gained by u careful study of the new
method of Queen Rearing, I consider worth ♦HXJto
me. It supplies a long- felt want to every Queen
breeder and dealer, and is invaluable to any bee-
keeper.
From James T. Norton. Winsted. Conn.— "I have
read your book with much satisfaction and prodt;
it Is written concisely and to the point. It should
be in the hands of every bee-keeper."
From Rev. D. D. Marsh. Georgetown, MasB.—
"Your book on Queen Rearing has been received.
I am very much pleased with it. It is refrcshingto
see how frankly you have divulged the hard-
earned secrets of your long experience. Your book
contains a great deal of that information, which
those who have already taken the 'first lessons' in
apiculture will Und new and valuable."
It will be remembered that Mr. E. T. Flanagan,
of Bellville. III., went to Kenner, La., in March last
to rear early Queens. After receiving the bocik be
wrote me thus.— "I would have cheerfully given
t.^)M.(Xi to have had your book and apparatus here
when I first came. I am rearing 3<>J Queens."
From L V. Root, Mohawk, N. Y"., and one of the
most prominent apiarists in America.— "Your book
has been received. Its title. 'Twenty two Y^eaks
Exi'EiuENCE IN Queen HEAitiNt;.' is enough to
convince any bee-keeper that they cannot afford
to be without it. Good Queens is the rock upon
which bee-keeping rests. 1 predict a large sale for
the work."
From J. M. Hicks, editor of the bee department.
American Grange Bulletin. Mr. Hicks is well
known to nearly all bee-keepers in the west.—
"Bo<ik received. I pronounce it the best work of
the kind, of American publications. I consider it a
perfect gem for the practical bee-keeper, and
should be in the hands of every apiarist."
Until May 1st the book will be sold for $1.00 per
copy. After that date, $1.^5 per copy, handsomely
bound in cloth, and $1.00 bound in paper. Frac-
tionable parts of a dollar can be sent in postage
stamps.
Our new circular and price list of Queens for
IByy contains 32 pages, and la illustrated to show
our new way of rearingQueens. Send your address
on a postal card for It.
HENRY ALLEY, Wenham, Mass.
FOR EXCHANGE.
Comb Foundation Machine for pure Italian Bees.
Address, S. L.ONGL,EY, CINCINNATI. O.
%^~ In perfect order. 17A it.
Tlie Bee^Keepers' Guide,
OK, MANUAL OF THE APIARY.
9,000 SOLD IN SIX YEARS.
lOth Thousand tluitt Out.
More than 50 pages, and more than 50 tine illus-
trations added. The whole work has been thor-
oughly revised, and contains the very latest in re-
spect to bee-keeping. It is certainly the fullest
and most scientific work treating of bees in the
World.
I had hoped and expected to make the price one
dollar, and it has been so advertised by Mr.
James Heddon and in Alley's new book; but owing
to the increased size and expense, this is Impossi-
ble.
PRICE, BY iMAIL, 1^1. 25,
Liberal discount to deitlers and to clato*.
A. J. COOK..
Author and Publisher, Lansing, Mich.
1000
COLONIES of Italian and
Hybrid bees for sale in
Langstroth and Simplicity
hives.
Three- Frame Nuclei
a specialty. Safe delivery guaranteed. Write
for particulars and special rates to
FLANAGAN & ILLINSKI,
Box SHI. BELLEVILLE, St. Clair Co., ILL.
17A4t 5B2t
Vandervort Comb Fdn. Mills,
Send for Siiiuplts A Reduced Prlce-I-Ut.
ioAi9t J. VANDERVOET, Laoyville, Pa.
'■^^ ^ OLDEST BEE PAPER
"■AMERICA
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., APRIL 25, 1883.
No. 17.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
"Paraffine Comb" and "Glucose."
It is trite but true, that while
" Falsehood rides on horseback, truth
travels very slowly on foot." We are
forcibly reminded of this upon loolj-
ing over the last annual volume of
Appleton's Cyclopedia, published by
D. Appleton & Co., of New York. It
is very evident that the compiler of
that volume has been imposed upon
by the notorious Professor Wiley,
who, in June, 1881, originated the
preposterous falsehood about " comb
honey " being sold in New York, the
combs of which were " made of para-
ffine, and filled with pure glucose, by
appropriate machinery," etc.
On page .51, of the Cyclopaedia men-
tioned, while enumerating the uses to
which glucose had been put, we find
the following :
" Glucose is used chiefly for the
manufacture of table syrups and can-
dies, for brewing, as food for bees, and
for artificial honey
Glucose is very extensively fed to
bees, which eat it with great avidity,
and store it away unchanged as honey.
It is also put up directly in trade as
honey— with which bees have had
nothing to do— being put up by means
of appropriate machinery into arti-
ficial combs made of paraffine."
When this pernicious falsehood first
appeared, it was extensively copied
by many papers all over this country,
and quoted by men of learning and
influence, and we endeavored to
counteract it, by showing its falsity
and absurdity, and calling upon its
author for proof. Being hard pressed,
this scientific joker admitted the ab-
surdity and falsity of his " story," but
consoled himself with the idea, that
people in general were too thick-
headed to see the " joke," as he stated
in the Indiana Fanner last June,
which was copied into the Bee Jouii-
NAL of June 14, 1882, and commented
upon.
Mr. Wiley's own version of the ori-
gin of the story [lie], and our remarks,
are as follows :
Perhaps it may be well enough to
give here the origin of the " paraffine
comb" story which has appeared, I
believe, in almost every publication in
tlie country. The original appeared
in the Popular Science Monthly for
June, 1881, in an article entitled
"Glucose and Grape Sugar," which I
contributed to that number, and on
page 2.54, occur the following words :
" Bees eat glucose with the greatest
avidity : or rather, they act as funnels
by which the glucose is poured into
the comb. For it is quite true that
the honey made by bees which have
free access to glucose differs scarcely
at all from the glucose itself. But
the quantity of honey which a bee
will store away when fed on glucose,
is truly wonderful. This gluttony,
however, rapidly undermines the
apiarian constitution, and the bee
rarely lives to enjoy the fruits of its
apparent good fortune. In commer-
cial honey, which is entirely free from
bee mediation, the comb is made of
parafline, and filled with pure glucose
by appropriate machinery.
This last clause which, when writ-
ten, was meant for a scientific pleas-
antry, came near throwing the whole
bee world into epilepsy. It appears
that persons who devote themselves
to Bee .Journals, undergo a certain
cerebral inspiration which renders
them incapable of seeing a, joke. The
only point which they can appreciate
seems to be the sting of a bee.
The rejoinder reminds us of an an-
ecdote we heard many years ago,
located in a rural district in Indiana.
A well-to-do-farmer lost a very fine
Ally from his pasture-lot, and after
several days' search found it snugly
tied in the log barn of a distant
neighbor of doubtful repute. The
neighbor was indicted, tried, and
found guilty of larceny ; when the
Judge asked what he had to say, why
sentence should not be passed, he put
in a plea that the animal was only
taken for a joke. The Judge inquired
how far his bam was from the past-
ure lot, to which he replied, "about
5 miles." " Well," said the Judge,
" that is carrying a joke too far ; hard
labor in the penitentiary for seven
years." The writer above says he
contributed to the Popular Science
Monthly his "paraffine comb" story
[lie] about a year ago, " which has ap-
peared in almost every publication in
the country." The latter part of the
article, however, was only meant for
a scientific pleasantry.
Do scientific men indulge in pleas-
antries which will cast a gloom over
thousands of honest producers
tliroughout the country, and depre-
ciate the value of their product by
creating a prejudice against it? For
nearly a year this scientific joker saw
his fabrication published in nearly all
the papers in the country, and reiter-
ated from across the ocean, and yet
he lacked the manhood to affirm it a
joke until " the Bee Journal man "
counteracted its influence by showing
the falsity and absurdity of the arti-
cle. Whether it be true, as has been
often intimated, that the story was
instigated by parties interested in
the glucose traffic, in retaliation for
the hostility of the bee men to their
frauds, we cannot affirm ; but we do
believe it originated with no honest
intention.
Now we would respectfully call
upon Messrs. Appleton & Co., to make
the correction in the next annual vol-
ume of their Cyclopeedia, not only in
justice to themselves, but for the sake
of truth and right, and thereby aid,
as far as possible, to counteract the
injury they have already done the
honey producers of America, by giving
publicity to the fabrication of the self-
admitted inventor of the pernicious
falsehood ; which he says he intended
as a "joke" or "scientific pleas-
antry," but which has been taken in
earnest, and copied and quoted as
sober facts throughout the world.
210
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
When papers like the Popular Science
Mnnihly, and books like " Appleton's
Cyclopfedia " are imposed upon, and
unwittingly publish to the world as a
fact, what this man, Wiley, well knew
was an impossibility, and only the
"silly imagination " of an unbalanced
mind— is it to be wondered at, that
ordinary papers and the common peo-
ple should be " incapable of seeing the
jokeV" Evidently Wiley intended
the story to make him famous, and
cause a sensation ! Has he not suc-
ceeded, in making fameV Surely;
but it is, and should be, written— iii-
famous! His "scientific pleasan-
tries" are but falsehoods, both uu-
scientilicand i«i^j?ea.<!a?)«.' While his
"jokes" bear the closest affinity to
the s"enseless jests of odiocy, and the
foolishness of a maniac.
Postage and Money Orders.
According to the new Postal Laws,
important changes are to be made
during the next few months. In order
to save a multitude of questions we
will give the main features of the new
regulations, which should be studied
by all interested.
On and after Oct. 1, 1883, letter
postage will be 2 cents for each half
ounce or fractional part thereof, be-
tween all points in tlie United Slates.
The rate will then be the same on
drop letters and all others. No changes
are made in rates on other classes of
matter. On and after the 1st of July,
1883, you can obtain at any money
order office, postal orders in sums of
$5 and under, by paping a fee of time
cents. These postal notes will be made
payable to bearer without correspond-
ing advices. They will be payable at
any money orderoitice within 3 months
of the date of issue. After the lapse
of that time the holder can obtain the
par value, only by applying to the
Postoffice Department at Washington.
On and after the 1st of July, 1883, yon
can obtain a postal money order for
as large a sum as $1U0. The present
limit is §50. The fees on and after
that date will be as follows :
Not exceeding $10 8 ceots
F'rom * 1(1 to $ 1 .5 1 0 centa
From»15to»30 15 cents
From *3U to *40 20 cents
From $40 to *riii 25 cents
From *r,o to $is» 30 cents
From $H0 to $70 35 cents
From »7i 1 to »so 40 cents
From $80 to $100 45 cents
The postal notes will be found more
convenient in one respect than the
fractional paper currency was. since
they can be obtained for any number
of cents under §5. There will also be
less liability to loss by theft than
there was when fractional notes were
used for transmission through the
mails, especially if the department
uses judgment in prescribing the size
and form of the notes, and in selecting
the paper on which tliey are to be
printed. After the 1st of October the
cost of sending any sum under $5, by
postal note, will be 5 cents— 2 cents
postage and 3-cent fee.
This will be a great advantage to
our subscribers, making a cheap and
safe method of sending money in let-
ters for subscription or advertising.
Transferring Bees.— Mr. G.B. Jones,
Brantford, Out., tlius describes his
method of transferring bees. The
special feature of his hive is the ar-
rangement of entrances, which are
three in number— one in front, and
one at each side, the former being
twice as long as the latter. The front
one is, of course, essential. The ad-
vantages of the others are by him
described as follows :
In aid of transferring from an ob-
jectionable hive, proceed thus : Place
the old hive 3 to 6 inches from the
new, with its entrance opposite either
side-entrance of the new ; construct a
closed passage between the two hives ;
place a piece of D. A. Jones' perfor-
ated queen metal over the inner side
of the same side-entrance ; close the
other, leaving the front open ; put in
the necessary number of combs or
foundation for the new hive. Now,
drum the bees up from the old hive
until the queen leaves it ; shake them
into the new hive; and, covering both
hives, leave them for 21 days. The
queen will be unable to get back to
the old hive, and will settle down on
the new combs, and the bees with
her, excepting those which go back to
care for the brood. As the brood
hatches, it will come forward, and in
21 days all will be out. When honey is
scarce, they will take it forward also.
Now, remove the old hive, close the
side entrance of the new ; shake any
bees remaining in the old hive in
front of the new ; and melt tlie old
combs into wax, after extracting what
honey they contained. This method
has been practised by me with success
one summer, and on as late as Sept.
20. Colonies may be doubled much
the same way; for having the one
common entrance they will soon
unite, if scented alike artificially.
1^ Reports from all the States are
assuring. The past winter, though
severe, has not been a disastrous one.
But few losses are reported, and the
prospect for a full honey crop is ex-
cellent. There is a good sward of
clover, having been protected by the
liberal amount of snow, and, with a
fair amount of propitious weather,
there need be no fears of having a
poor honey harvest.
The Bacteria.
We have received a pamphlet of 65
pages,[on this subject, by T. J. Bur-
rill, Professor of Botany and Horti-
culture in the Illinois University. It
is a very interesting treatise on the
nature, organization, effects and clas-
sificaiion of Bacteria. The following
extracts from^^it will give a good idea
of the subject matter :
" It is the object of this paper to
present, in language freed as far as
possible from technical terms, the
principal and most interesting facts
now known about these silent work-
ing denizens of the earth, the air, and
the water."
" We swallow them with our food,
and at least some kinds sometimes re-
tain their activity in the somach and
intestinal tube. It now seems cer-
tain that the latter is always inhab-
ited by special kinds which have to do
with the activities there in operation.
In health the blood is usually quite
free from them, but in certain dis-
eases this too, as it rapidly courses
through the arteries and veins, sweeps
along in the current myriads of the
minute but living and developing,
ever active things, inappropriately
called " germs."
" There is now, in certain cases,
just as good evidence that bacteria
cause diseases as there is that hawks
destroy chickens, and the evidence is
as inductively rigid in the one case as
in the other."
We can supply it to any who may
desire it at 50 cents.
1^ Mr. W. H. Furman, for 2.S years
a resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and
during that time one of the most en-
terprising bee-keepers of Iowa, has
taken up his residence in Dakota.
Virginia for Bee Culture.
It will be remembered that some-
time since Mr. E. C. Jordan, at the
White Sulphur Springs, Va., advised
bee-keepers to try that locality before
going further South or West. A cor-
respondent wrote him for particulars,
and the reply was sent us for publica-
tion, and we have made the following
digest of the questions and answers :
Improved farms here are worth
from $15 to $100 per acre; the main
crops produced are wheat, corn, oats,
hay, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, etc.;
the soil is slate, and tliere are iron
mines here ; the Shenandoah Valley is
not subject to droughts, and we have
no malaria; all kinds of small fruits
do first rate here ; thousands of cat-
tle, hogs and chickens are raised here,
and are shipped to Baltimore, Wash-
ington Philadelphia and New York ;
the best of butter, cream and cheese
are produced here ; bees obtain sur-
plus here from March to November,
and our honey is marketed in Win-
chester, Washington, Baltimore, Phil-
adelphia and at /ionic,and sells at from
20 to 25 cents per pound.
Advertisements intended for the Beb
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
211
Bural New Yorker.
The Influence of Food.
PROF. A. J. COOK.
We often hear farmers remark that
food has more to do with fine stock
than does pedigree. While we do not
think this is true, yet we must con-
fess that good feeding is no mean
factor in successful stock breeding.
Long and careful breeding, indexed
by a valuable pedigree, insures sus-
ceptibility, which makes great re-
sults possible, but only with proper
care. A 50-horse power engine pos-
sesses great potency, but on one-
fourth rations of fuel it would accom-
plish less than a 10-horse power. Yet
it would be foolish to argue that fuel
was more important than tlie style of
the engine.
Among higher animals we have no
evidence that food produces rapid
structural changes. Food, selection
and time will change the form, car-
cass, and even the habits, but only
after long years of moditication.
Among lower animals we have some
startling facts that show most graphi-
cally that food is sometimes a most
powerful agent, able to effect a radi-
cal structural change in a very brief
time. We all know tliat, in the main,
the animal functions are very simi-
lar, even though studied in animals
which are structually wide apart. The
now generally accepted philosophy
that all animals have a common an-
cestry should lead us to give wise
consideration to the peculiarities of
lower animals, even in our treatment
of the higher forms. If, then, we can
show that food is potent to substan-
tially modify the entire organism and
life habits of bees, it should serve to
exalt our estimate of its value and
influence as affecting the higher ani-
mals. The same egg may, yea will,
produce either a worker bee or a
queen, the character of the progeny
depending solely upon the character
and quantity of the food consumed.
If the food is rich and abundant the
result is a queen bee. If it is less
nourishing and stinted in qiiantity, a
worker bee is tlie result. Even after
the egg hatches, the young larva may
be fed for three days in the meager
way, then fed the richer food in
ample supply, and a queen will re-
sult, though not so valuable a one as
though fed the rich royal pablulum in
generous quantities from the first.
Now, let us see what the changes
are that are wrought by these im-
proved good rations. The queen is
longer and slimmer than the worker
bees, and her ovaries are feebly de-
veloped, capable of growing daily
from 2.000 to 3,000 eggs. On the other
hand, there is a more feeble develop-
ment of such organs as are used in
procuring food and performing the
various operations of the hive. Thus
the queen has no pollen baskets, her
jaws, as compared with those of the
workers, are weak, her tongue short,
and her glandular system and stomach
are more fully developed. Tims a
simple modification of the food regi-
men produces sterility in the workers,
which are only sterile females, while
the organs that are more intimately
connected with nutrition are more
strongly developed. It would seem
that the food is too slight to stimulate
the growth of the ovaries, which
is appropriated in a more decided de-
velopment of the special organs which
minister to nutrition. If food can do
all this with bees, it certainly may be
regarded as a very important elernent
in the development and care of our
higher animals.
Lansing, Mich.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
Racks for Surplus Honey.
J. W. PORTER.
I notice some attempts are still being
made to get over the difficulty I suc-
cessfully accomplished years ago, and
my plan was illustrated on page 240 of
the Bee Journal for 1878. Mr.
Whitford's plan on page 56, I see is
referred to by Mr. Heddon on page 95.
The purpose was to have a case that
would be bee tight; one that could be
readily tiered up (a point of great
value here), and one that would hold
the sections lengthwise of the hive (no
other would do for me), and come
right down on to the brood combs,
Willi only bee space between sections
and brood ; one, too, that would ad-
mit of long separators of wood. All
Back for Surplus Honey.
of these points are attained, and the
continued use of this rack, for years,
have been so satisfactory, that I
think a real service will be done to
republish the cut of it. It was freely
contributed to the fraternity. I had
experimented much, and have seen
nearly all, including Mr. Ileddon's
latest; which, while it has some val-
uable points, is open to serious ob-
jections. Mr. Whitford's mistake is
in making his T supports solid. Made
of X or XX tin, and so l)ent as to
have them thus n, standings^ inch
high, all the strength needed is ob-
tained, and the space permits them
to rest on a nail inserted at the apex.
Mr. Ileddon asks about bee space.
The tin angles are flush with the bot-
tom of the case, and the case rests on
strips Ji wide, by % thick, placed one
at each end, transversely across the
brood frames, tight to the ends of the
hive. Xow, with this arrangement it
matters not if the bees build wax
bridges in bee space, prying between
the case and transverse stick, separ-
ates all without displacing or lifting
a comb below. They can be made to
fit any hive. At one time I considered
it a good advantage to use the deep,
wide frame, with hanging separators,
and with some bees. Much more can
be done with them than with any case.
Because of their use in Langstroth
frames, I adopted the size of 4i4x5;3x2
sections ; six just fill the frame.
My cases are made to take 18 of
them. The separators are notched to
let down in the middle tins to bee
depth. Five separators only to 18
sections, and each one movable, and
of wood or tin may be used. I much
prefer wood.
The T sliould be stamped not ham-
mered. Tliat is done by slitting an
oak or hard wood block, strips of tin,
1% inches wide, are cut and bent
slightly into the slot. Then reversed
and forced by a lever into the next
slot, and they are finished in the
shape of this U- An iron or steel
square blade of equal thickness is
used under the lever. Tinsmiths can
form them, but false bends damage
the strength greatly.
Charlottesville, Va., Feb., 17, 1883.
Translated from Bienenvater by A. U. Kohnke.
Wax— Tests for Proving its Purity.
PROF. p. F. KESCH, S. J.
What is wax i* To the uninitiated
this may seem a very superfluous
question ; but the fact that there are a
number of natural products going
by that name, demands accurate de-
termination of the kind. For in-
stance, in some churches the ritual
directions are to use wax candles at
certain ceremonies ; the ordinance
also specifies of what kind of wax such
candles must be made, viz. : " bees-
wax ;'' but that is as far as the ordi-
nance specifies. Hence, it is cus-
tomary to use the product of the na-
tive bee, in the different countries
where such candles are used ; in Eu-
rope, it is tlie common or German
bee, or the Italian ; in Syria, the
Syrian ; in Cyprus, the Cyprian ; in the
East Indies, ^4p2.s dorsata. floreajndica ;
in South America, the species Gothuir,
MeUpona, which furnish the wax. It
appears that the wax from all the
different species of bees possesses the
same chemical and physical prop-
erties.
For the sake of convenience it has
been found necessary to classify wax
under the following heads : Bees-
wax, vegetable wax, and animal wax.
On comparing the elementary con-
stituents of the different kinds, we
find them to be composed of carbon
(C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) in
the following average proportions :
Beeswax. . . .C, 81.70, H, 1.3.26, O, 5.04
Veg. wax. . .C, 71.61, H, 12.38, O. 16.01
Min. wax. . .C, 85,70, H, 14..30, O, 00.00
As beeswax, to a great extent, is
adulterated, the discription of a few
handy tests may not come amiss.
Puie beeswax has the following
properties : At 30=^ C, it may be
kneaded ; between 69° and 70- C, it
melts. Its specific gravity is between
0.960, 0.969. A higher or lower spe-
212
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
citic gravity indicate adulterations
with foreign substances.
Pure wax, when melted, appears as
a clear, slightly yellow liquid, and, if
put into hot water, should not dis-
solve the same, nor leave any sedi-
ment. This is one of the most im-
portant tests, and in order to better
observe changes of transparency, or
a sediment, should be made in a test
tube. But it does not follow that the
wax is pure, if no discolored water or
sediment is noticed ; hence, we have
to apply other tests.
Take a piece of caustic lime and
slack it in about four times its bulk
of water. After it has well slacked,
and been well stirred, it must be
filtered tlirough filter paper, using a
glass funnel for this purpose. Of tlie
now clear lime water obtained, add
some to the still molten wax, stirring
it well all the time. If now the water
becomes whitish or cloudy, or even
a sediment is noticed, it indicates
adulteration by stearic acid, which
combines with the lime, forming an
insoluble precipitate of stearate of
lime.
A still more delicate test may be
performed by dissolving some of the
wax in ten times its weight of chloro-
form, and then adding some of the
clear lime solution.
The above are the principal tests.
To detect other impurities, which are
added to increase the weight and
bulk of the wax, but do not combine
with it, will not be difficult, and will
show themselves by melting the wax.
The following substances have been
found to be added, to increase the
weight : Water, starch, phosphate of
lime, sulphate of lime, carbonate of
lime, ochre and sawdust.
To adulterate wax the following in-
gredients are used : Stearine, para-
lijne. tallow, ceresine (or ozokerit), gali-
pot, and vegetable wax.
To detect water, it is necessary to
submit quite a large quantity of
the wax to the test of melting, and
keeping it at the boiling point, for
sometime, to evaporate the water,
without burning the wax, of course.
Any decrease in weight indicates an
admixture of water, the amount of
which may be determined by the
scales. In the same manner, viz. : by
melting, other impurities may be de-
tected, as most, or all of them," will be
found as a sediment, either in the
wax on the side next to the water, or
will even sink entirely to the bottom.
Tallow causes wax to feel fatty or
greasy to the touch. One cannot
write on such wax with a piece of
chalk, while on pure wax it can be
done. A little piece of such adulter-
ated wax thrown on a red hot stove.
or other iron or burning coals, will
emit a heavy, very disagreeably-
smelling smoke.
For paraffine, the test is as follows :
Take a small piece of the wax, put it
into a watch glass, and pour sulphuric
acid on. Pure beeswax will be
charred, and the paraffine remain
without being changed. The same
test is applicable with reference to
any kitid of mineral wax, as ozokerit
or ceresine.
If pure wax is put into either, about
half of it will be dissolved, whilst
vegetable and mineral wax is entirely
soluble in it ; with this difference,
that the latter, in part, forms jelly
flakes. If wax, on being dissolved iii
either, loses more than half, it con-
tains either vegetable or mineral wax.
I'oungstown, O.
For the American Bee JournoJ.
Spring Management of Bees.
FAYETTE LEE.
I am located 60 miles west of St.
Paul, on the Manitoba railroad. I
have been in the bee business six
years; the average yield, per colony,
spring count, is 92 pounds. Our sur-
plus honey is from basswood and
golden rod. I do not claim that the
way I manage bees is perfect, but by
putting our experiences together we
can learn sometliing. Wlien I first
began keeping bees, I borrowed all
the bee papers I could find, besides
subscribing for three others.
I use a two-story hive with a loose
bottom-board. I believe they are the
best. I use the American hive, nine
frames in each story. Early in April,
I put the bees on their summer
stands, and raised up every hive and
cleaned the dead bees from the bot-
tom board, and closed the entrances
half an inch. The next thing is to
know if they have honey. I take off
the cover and roll back the quilt ; if
they have capped honey in sight, I
close the hive and mark it : " honey
for ten days." All hives not having
honey in sight, I mark. " short of
honey." Beginners should not open
a hive when bees need feeding,and tear
out all of the frames to see the
queen, or ascertain if they have
brood. The way I handle weak colo-
nies is : I only take out one frame of
comb, just as close to the brood as
possible, and in its place I put a
frame of honey from some heavy hive,
or till a comb with honey, or syrup
made from sugar.
Careless handling is the cause of weak
colonies swarming'out in early spring;
you disturb the bees and queen by
handling the brood combs too much ;
it causes robbing, and out they go, to
be killed by trying to enter other
hives; tuck them up, warm, till there
is plenty of honey and pollen coming
in, and then it will do no harm to
liandle the combs, or look for the
queen. I get all the brood possible
by the time that fruit and dandelions
bloom ; by spreading the brood in
strong colonies, and taking out now
and then a frame of brood, to build up
the weak ones. The best moth-trap
is a few young turkeys or a pair of
ducks ; try them and see. As the
bees get strong, give them wider en-
tances ; it will not pay to unite weak
colonies in early spring ; do not think,
because they are weak, that the queen
is poor ; give them brood and bees,
and you will see plenty of eggs in a
short time.
Early in May I want every hive full
of brood, in order to get a large yield
of honey from every hive, and a good
increase. I want nine frames of
bi'ood in every hive by May 2.5 ; and
the way to get it done is by s'preading
the brood combs. I take the outside
comb and put it in the centre of the
brood-nest ; I do this every seven
days, until I get nine full of brood.
I handle the brood very carefully. In
April I have all hives full of brood.
If honey is coming in, I get some
swarms in May and June, but more
in .July. I put on the top-story as
early as June 1. I have surplus combs
in the top story, from the last season,
and what I lack is hlled by frames of
foundation. The increase that gives
me the most honey is one swarm from
two. I put one frame of brood in
the upper story, when I put it on ;
this causes the bees to go up there to
work, I save the queen-cells from
the first colony that gives a swarm.
In seven days after, I take out all but
one frame, and make as many nuclei
as I have cells, and take two frames
of brood and put with them from
other hives, I do this every six days
until they are full of brood ; as fast as
they swarm I return them to their
own hive, and take three frames of
brood from them, give them a new
location, put the three frames of
brood in an empty hive, and put it on
the old stand , In this way I keep all
strong colonies by adding brood, I
do not like too much swarming in
July ; it spoils the honey harvest. By
retuKning them, giving them a new
location, and removing some brood, I
keep them just where they will give
us a large yield of honey. June
swarms always pay me best. A swarm
will fill its hive with comb in two
weeks in June.
Cokato, Minn.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Are Half-Pound Sections Desirable ?
E. N. WOOD.
As much has been said about the
size of sections, I have taken some
pains to find out how our bee-keeping
friends felt about the matter, in this
section of the country, and I have not
heard from one that favors the half-
pound section, from parties that have
a home market for all their product.
We all ought to strive to liold to the
present sizes of boxes and hives, as
changes mean great expense and
trouble. It seems to me that a gen-
eral cliange in the size of honey boxes
will soon bring new styles of hives that
will be supposed to be better adapted
to the use of the new box, and these
new styles will catch many who are
young in the pursuit, and as first im-
pressions are strong, many of them
would never change ; many more sizes
would be added to our now standard
sizes of hives, frames and boxes.
There are four general or standard
sizes of boxes, 4I4X4I4, 5J4X.5I4, 53^x-
.53^, .514x6,^. The few sizes of boxes
now in use has enabled the manufac-
turers to bring the prices down to the
present very low rates, as they make
large quantities of each size at a time,
whereas, if the half-pound section
comes into general use, I think the
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
213
E rices of them all would be somewhat
igher than at present; for get the
craze (if I may so call it) once started
and it will sweep over the country,
and nearly every bee-keeper, no mat-
ter what the size his hive may be,
will tliink he must come to the half-
pound section as near as possible, and
there would be as many sizes of half-
pound boxes as tliere are different
sizes of hives at present, and I fear
more, as some would reduce their
boxes in one way and some in another.
I tliink, perhapSj for a season or so,
the lialf-pound sections may take well
in the market, it being new, and some-
what of a novelty, but it will become
a drug upon the market and be driven
out of use, to the sorrow of those that
have made expensive changes.
Again, I think one-pound is as
small a quantity as most people want
to buy. Ifis about the right size to
put upon a plate without cutting in
two, and if a pound or more of honey
isto be bought they would certainly
pass by the half-pound lots (for they
have the appearance of too much
tare) to the 1, m and 2-pound boxes,
and, again, I am afraid we cannot
get near as large a yield per hive with
these small boxes. Let us hear some-
thing of this from those that have
used them.
North Lansing, Mich.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Queens Reared in the South.
TIIOS. C. DAVIES.
On page 182 of the Journal for
April 4, Mr. T. S. Johnson, of Bogart,
0., asks Mr. G. M. Doolittle and " any
others who have had experience with
Southern queens, if he thinks bees
from a queen reared in the South are
as hardy and well able to stand the
long, cold winters of the North, as
those from a queen reared here ?"
Being one of the " others " who have
had some experience with Southern
queens, [ would like to give the fol-
lowing details :
In April of last year I received a
dollar-queen from a Southern breeder,
and in a few weeks after, a selected
tested queen from the same person.
I also received a selected tested
queen, and a Syrian queen from a New
York breeder. From those two se-
lected queens, several fine queens
were reared during July and August,
and when preparing my bees for the
winter, my queens were as follows :
Two from the South, tvvo from the
State of New York, and 24 reared at
home. Several of those were reared
the season before the last, and one of
them was reared in July, 1879. She
had been such an excellent queen,
that I had not courage enough to kill
her last fall, and she was allowed to
live as long as she could. About
three weeks ago she died, I suppose
of old age.
Twenty of those, including the two
from the South, and the selected one
from New York, were wintered on
their summer stands, well packed in
chaff. On April .3, they were all ex-
amined, and the two from the South
had their hives well stocked with
bees and brood, and fully equal to the
one from New York. In fact, those
20 colonies, except one, have wintered
admirably, and they are now so equal
that I cannot tell which of them is
the best.
Of the 8 in the cellar, 6 came
through well, but the other two are
rather weak, and queenless. One of
the queens died last week, and the
other, three weeks ago. I united
these two, and have sent to the South-
ern breeder, four- days ago, for a
queen to give them.
I do not know what has been the
experience of others with Southern
queens, except that of Mr. Doolittle's
with his Texan queen, but I must say
that I am well pleased with them so
far. I believe with Mr. Doolittle,
that " there is a difference in bees
about wintering," but can hardly be-
lieve, at present, that it is due to the
part of the country where they are
reared. I sincerely hope that the
bee-masters, by " studying and ex-
perimenting," will succeed in getting
more light on this inequality of dif-
ferent colonies regarding wintering,
before another cold winter comes.
Pittsburgh, Pa., April 11, 1883.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Bee-Keeping in Florida.
C. H. LAKE.
As many bee-keepers throughout
the country are turning their atten-
tion to this State, and being in com-
munication with several prominent
bee-keepers already located there.
througli whom I have gathered the
information herein contained. I give
it, thinking it might be of service to
those about to locate there. For the
past three years I have been thinking
of removing there permanently, owing
to the fact I am of a consumptive
family, and suffer extremely with
lung difficulty, especially in cold win-
ters in this latitude.
There is a belt of country along the
east coast, rightly termed the "Bee
Belt." Ten years ago bee-keeping
was an unknown industry there, and
scarcely a dozen colonies could be
found among the few families who
then inhabited that portion of Florida.
This "belt" commences about oppo-
site Port Orange, extending South as
far as Oak Hill, a distance of 12-5 miles,
or thereabout.
Thousands upon thousands of acres
of marsh are tliere covered with the
black mangrove, the best and greatest
honey producing plant known in
Florida. Within this radius the black
mangrove predominates, while above
the head of Indian river, the red man-
grove grows almost exclusively, which,
1 believe, is not a honey-producing
shrub.
This " belt " offers superior induce-
ments to bee-keepers, and when the
fact becomes known, bee men will
not be backward in availing them-
selves of the opportunity, by moving
in and locating at favorable points.
From recent letters from Mr. O.
Olson, of New Smyrna, who is, with-
out doubt, the most experienced and
successful apiarist in Florida, making
bee-keeping his e.xclusive business,
he informs me that it is " impossible
to overstock ttiecountry." Mr. Olson
makes the study of honey-producing
flowers a portion of his business, and
from " careful microscopic examina-
tion of the flowers of the black man-
grove," he finds they contain " one-
fourtli of a drop of honey." When it
is taken into consideration that this
shrub bears thousands upon thou-
sands of blossoms each season, one
can get some idea as to its honey-
producing qualities. It is asserted
that 90 per cent, of the surplus honey
gathered during the season (which
lasts usually about ten weeks), is
from black mangrove. While there
are a great variety of the other honey-
producing flowers, blooming at dif-
ferent periods throughout the year,
among which can be enumerated the
" saw and cabbage palmetto, gallber-
ries, sweet bay, wild sunflowers, yel-
low jessamine, golden rod, orange
bloom, snow vine, basswood, sweet
gum, etc., etc." There is no reason
why the honey cannot be gathered.
With all these natural requisites of
building up the colonies to perfec-
tion, by the time when the mangrove
season opens.
There seems to be a great diversity
of opinion among the Florida apiar-
ists in regard to the cabbage palmetto.
Some assert that "the bees neither
gather honey or pollen from its
bloom," while others are equally con-
fident that " it equals in every respect
the mangrove, as a honey producer ;"
while others affirm that " it yields
pollen only." Different situations
probably accounts for the varied re-
sults, like many of our own honey-
producing shrubs, trees, etc.
Florida has its disadvantages, like
all other great honey -producing States,
and will, till the tide of immigration
is sufficient to establish railroads and
water conveyances. New Smyrna is
12-5 miles from the nearest express
office, and for transportation the in-
habitants have to "depend on schoon-
ers along the coast." A small steamer
has been put on between Jacksonville
and New Smyrna, for the winter, but
is taken off in the spring ; this steamer
makes one trip a week, but all this
will be removed as soon as business
springs up, and the country becomes
more settled.
Besides " being out of the world,"
we have the bear, dragon fly, several
bee birds, and scores of other ene-
mies to the bee to contend with, and,
for that reason alone, we wisli the
entire country was settled up, while
the bee moth reigns supreme, which
is owing to the fact that what bees
were kept by the old inhabitants,
were in the old "gum or moth har-
bor."
A few more interesting items may
not be amiss. W. S. Hart, of Hawks
Park, has nearly 100 colonies of bees,
and has the best out-fit, consisting of
the improved machinery for carrying
on the business, foundation machine,
evaporating machinery, etc., that
there is in Florida.
A. J. Packwood has started with 20
214
THE' AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
colonies, and has, during last season,
taken several thousand lbs. of honey.
11. Olson and Mr. Wilson, from
Ohio, seven miles soutli of New
Smyrna, have 184 colonies, the largest
apiary in Florida. They make bee-
keeping tlieir sole occupation, and are
supplied with machinery for the man-
ufacture of hives and everything per-
taining to tliem, and work up an im-
mense amount of lumber during the
year. Their bees are mostly Italians,
with some hybrids and a few blacks.
This seasons crop foots up 25,800
pounds of the best honey we ever
sampled.
In regard to the quality of Florida
honey, Mr. C. F. Muth, of Cincinnati,
who lias handled most of the crop
produced by these gentlemen, says
he considers their honey the linest
ever placed on the market, and that it
sells more readily than the white
clover honey of the North."
L. H. Bivens, of Gleiicoe, has 37
colonies, and lias shipped, this year,
2,000 pounds. M. B. Rolfe, also of
Glencoe, has 8, which has produced
600 pounds.
R. S. Sheldon is one of our oldest
bee-keepers. He has, for years Dast,
shipped thousands of pounds of ex-
cellent honey, and last year his suc-
cess was very satisfactory. In the
spring he had 63 colonies, increased
by artificial swarming to 84, and took
thus far, Oct. 1 , 6,300 pounds. From
a natural swarm hived April 15, 328>^
were taken, up to Aug. 1.5.
Mr. Morrison Lewis. of New Smyrna,
is the pioneer in bee-keeping in Flor-
ida ; that is, he was the first to make
bee-keeping pay. He commenced in
1868 with one wild swarm, which he
found in the woods, which did finely,
increasing to several colonies, besides
producing a large amount of iioney,
the second year, which showed Mr. L.
what they were capable of doing,
when properly cared for. He received
25 to 30 cents per pound for all his
honey, for some eight years. He in-
troduced the first movable comb hive
and the first honey extractor into the
State, and shipped the first barrel of
honey, gathered in Florida, to New
York, in 1876. From his 30 colonies,
he has shipped, up to Oct. I, 1882,
over 3,000 pounds.
From a private letter received re-
cently from Mr. O. Olson, he states :
" I made six swarms from one colony,
this season, and took from the old
colony 440 pounds of extracted honey.
I have, at last, found a climate where
I like 10 stay, in spite of all the in-
sects, which is a great drawback on
this coast during June, July and Au-
gust. A more pleasant and healthy
climate cannot be found on earth, and
I have lived in Europe and several of
the States of America. Smyrna is a
place of twelve families, and six miles
distant, are twelve more.''
I could continue this article to a
greater length, but have given the
important information sought after
by those thinking of going into the
business, in Florida. Any further in-
formation will be cheerfully given as
far as in my power, or by addressing
any of the above named gentlemen.
Baltimore, Md., Feb. 12. 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Experienced Students of Apiculture.
JESSE OUEN.
I cannot see the force of the ob-
jections made by Mr. Ileddon, page
73, agaitist the views advanced by
Dr. Besse in his " advanced step," in
recommending diplomas to be given
by the North American Apiarian Col-
lege. It seems to me that Dr. Besse
requires ot the applicant for honors
all that Mr. Heddon requires, and a
little more. Mr. Heddon's diploma
and " red tape circumlocution," as he
calls it, would pass current with the
society, and entitle the young man to
an examination. Dr. Besse demands
an experience of one year in all the
manipulations of the apiary. Mr.
Heddon, five months, or a bee year,
if you please so to call it. Both men
are on the same plane in this period
of preparation. If Mr. Heddon was
one of the examining committee, as
he probably would be, and his line of
students, wiih their "red tape," signed
•'Get there Success," should file into
line before the committee, would he
not approve them 'f Would he pro-
test against Dr. Miller's, Doolittle's,
Dadant's, Jones', Dr.Besse's.Grimm's
"Get there Success 'i"' We believe
he would admit all the names to his
ad eundem list of red tape. They are
all well known to the bee world. I
am glad they are known, and that
they liave spoken out. Red tape from
any of them would pass a young man
into my yard. Still I should prefer
the combined red tape of alias being
better than of any one alone. One
might be all extracted, the other all
comb, and half-pound sections at
that, too. I might be suited with a
mixed husbandry.
Some men are born poets, and
must sing; others are born mutes,
and cannot sing. There is this dif-
ference, also, among bee men. Some
few miles from me lives a man who
has been "getting there annually"
with his 15,000 to 2,000 pounds of
honey. He is a local phenomenon,
and only known at home. His name
is " Get tliere Success ;" but the
North American Society knovi's noth-
ing of him. He has paid §100 per
montli for an apiarian assistant ; and
any red tape he should adopt would
pass the owner into my yard as com-
petent. We do not want a private
monopoly of red tape, but rather, a
good Isupply from every part of the
country. In this way, many who are
mutes, will come out of their holes
and hold up their hands to be seen.
We hold that red tape does mean
something ; and that if Mr. Heddon
has any, he is proud of it, and would
not readily part with it. A graduate
of Yale or of Ann Arbor does not im-
ply an illiterate person by any means,
but, on the contrary, snch graduation
\s prima facie evidence of scholarship,
the United States over. We do not
expect to make such men as Sir Isaac
Newton, Kepler and Leverrier by
diplomas, nor, perhaps, such apiarist
as Mr. Heddon either ; yet this ad-
mission does not diminish the signfi-
cation of diplomas. We are friendly
to Dr. Besse's " advance step," and
believe the Society will so look upon
the matter, when it meets in Toronto,
next autumn. I have just given Mr.
Heddon's and Mr. Jones' address to
a young man who wishes to learn our
business. I have given iiim a liope
that he may be able to meet us at
Toronto and pass examination next
autumn. With the hope of success,
he is going to work the ensuing sum-
mer. But like many lawyers and
doctors, he may graduate and after-
wards make an honorable living haul-
ing manure and digging potatoes.
La Forte City, Iowa.
For tlie American Bee JournaL
Haldimand Bee-Keepers' Association
The Haldimand Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation held its third meeting on Sat-
urday, March 31, at Nelles' Corners,
Ontario, pursuant to adjournment.
Members present, E. DeCew, Presi-
dent ; and Messrs. James Armstrong,
R. Buckley, Robt. Coverdale, Eph-
raim Gee, VVm. Abbott, Joseph Car-
ter, Fred. Mehenbacher, E. C. Camp-
bell, R. Anguish, Ambrose Gloyd,
James Gloyd, William Harrison, A.
Vanderbugh, Wm. Kindree, David
Byers, Henry Smith, Elijah Kindree,
R. W. Beam, David Anguish.
Minutes of previous meeting read
and approved.
The president gave a short address,
after which the first question was
taken up.
Two IStoi-y Hives. — Ml'. Armstrong
said it depended on the depth of
frames ; if the frames were shallow,
two stories were an advantage ; it
deep, one story or V.^ stories was
about the right thing. "Mr. Buckley
thought that when extracting, a
double story was not necessary.
The Desirable Style of Hive Cover. —
The president exhibited one which
met with the approval of the mem-
bers. It was very similar to those
now used by D. A. Jones, and is deep
enough to allow for a chail cushion in
winter.
Bottom jBoards— Caused considerable
discussion. A number of members
favoring loose bottoms ; others pre-
ferring tight bottoms ; the majority
being in favor of the latter.
iSpiiny Feeding.— The president said
the best plan ofspring feeding, was that
of D. A. Jones, and explained how it
should be made. Mr. Byers advocated
feeding syrup strained through a
cloth ; it had worked well. Mr. Van-
derburgh tliought the best plan of
spring feeding was to feed in the fall.
Mr. Buckley gave his plan, viz : mak-
ing a syrup of sugar and tlour, pour-
ing it into an empty frame, and put-
ting it in the hive between the cluster.
The secretary recommended linseed-
cake meal as one of the best substi-
tutes for pollen.
Is it Best that Bees Should Sicarmf —
Mr. Vanderburgh advocating divid-
ing, as did Messrs. Armstrong and
Buckley, and recommended having
queens on hand for new colonies. Mr.
Kindree thought if the object was to
increase, natural swarming was best;
if for honey, dividing was best. The
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
215
majority gave their opinion in favor
of artificial swarming. Messrs. Wm
Kindree and Wm. Abbott gave their
plans for securing swarms.
Hoie to Rear Good Queens.— Mr. Arm-
strong preferred rearing queens in a
full colony, on full sized frames, and
explained his method at some length.
How to Introduce Queens.— Mr. Arm-
strong recomemded the Peet cage,
keeping the queen confined until tlie
bees became reconciled to her. The
secretary mentioned the plan adopted
by Mr. Simmins, of England, who in-
troduced the queen on a frame of
bees, with good success.
Hcno to Secure Comb Honey. — Mr.
Buckley advocated the use of metal
division-boards and section boxes, in
the body of the hive. Mr. Gloyd also
spoke in favor of that plan, and said
it was recommended by prominent
bee-keepers. Mr. Kindree was in
favor of section boxes in the upper
story, leaving the lower story undis-
turbed.
Register of Each Hive— Its Value.—
The president recommended the use
of a register for each hive, so that he
could tell the condition of his hives
without the trouble of examining
them every day.
Books and Periodicals.— The secre-
tary advocated the reading of books
and periodicals devoted to bee-culture,
and thought no progressive bee-keeper
should be without one or more good
bee papers. In one number of the
American Bee Journal he had ob-
tained information worth more than
the subscription price for a whole year.
Moved by Mr. Armstrong, seconded
by Mr. Campbell, that each bee-keeper
give a correct report of the number
of colonies kept, and the number of
pounds of comb and extracted honey
from each colony, and what kind of
bees.
It was resolved that the next meet-
ing be held on June 16, at 10 a. m., at
Cheapside, Ont.
The following statement will show
the loses sustained during the past
winter :
Nov. 1882. April 1883.
Edmund DeCew, 15 5
Robert Buckley, 38 33
James Armstrong, 32 31
Wm. Harrison, 2 2
Ambrose Gloyd, 16 15
Wm.Jack. 8 4
Joseph Carter, 10 9
Robert Coverdale, 6 5
■R. W. Beam. 12 9
Wm. Kindree, 15 11
Henry Smith, 2 2
A. Vanderburgh, 9 9
r. Mehlenbacher, 1 1
David Byers, 13 12
Robert Anguish, 37 25
Ephraim Gee, 1 1
E. C. Campbell, 35 32
David Anguish, 4 3
Daniel Rose, 15 7
E. C. Campkell, ^'ec.
P. S. By the above table it will be
seen that the loses during the past
severe winter have not been very
high, and was caused principally by
want of stores. I took mine out of
cellar April 9, having been confined
for over five months, without a Higlit.
Three colonies were dead for want of
stores ; the rest are in good condi-
tion, with the exception of two or
three, affected with dysentery.— E. C.
For fhe American Bee JournaL
Eemarks on Various Matters.
J. o. shearman.
The wintering problem seems to be
pretty well worn ; but not finally set-
tled yet. My hobby has been pack-
ing in chaff, in which way I have
been ordinarily successful. I wintered
over 100 colonies, last winter and this,
without the loss of a colony so far.
I had all of my weakest colonies in
the cellar, including some that were
intended for doubling up ; but the
weak and strong all seemed to stand,
in the cellar, about alike, except a
weak one that had the dysentery ; an
examination showed that they had
only uncapped honey left, though
they had sealed honey in the fall.
Also two nuclei, with reserved queens,
starved. The temperature of the cellar
was as near to freezing as I could
keep it ; it was below only once. I
found that when the thermometer in-
dicated near 40-' (as often advised
through the papers), they would be-
come uneasy. I had only 27 in cellar.
Those out of doors, packed in chaff,
did well, so far, set close to tire
ground, on a little bed of straw, for
under packing. That goes to show
that it is not quite sure death.
I once thought that I had a good
thing on them, if only they were cov-
ered by snow, and said the deeper the
snow the better, with a sloping board
over the entrance, of course ; but now
I have got bravely over that. The
winter of 1880-81 was our test on that
point. Those deep under the snow
were very uneasy, while others sit-
uated on the south side of a bill, where
the wind blew the snow all away from
the front of the hives, came out
bright, strong and healthy. That was
a damp confinement, while, this win-
ter, though snowed under, 2 feet or
more, they came out nearly dry, with
much better results. My conclusions
are that a number of causes may in-
duce dysentery : 1 . Extreme changes
of temperature, p;uticularly if damp.
2. Thin honey, more especially if
soured by changes of temperature. 3.
Long confinement, if in conjunction
with either or both of the above un-
favorable conditions. 4. Undue breed-
ing while confined, or anything that
disturbs them while unable to fly.
On the half-pound sections, my ad-
vice is to put a variety of packages
upon the market, to supply all kinds
of customers ; the half-pounds are
well enough for part of the supply,
but if all the honey was put up that
way, it would be no higher in price
than if all were in one-pound pack-
ages. The novelty helps the price at
first.
During the past season I increased
only from 90 to 107 colonies ; though
it was a noted season tor svi'arming,
for over two months. I did it, partly,
by putting one swarm into another
hive, from which a swarm had lately
issued, increasing the surplus room ;
and partly, before they got so feverish,
by gradual extension of the brood-
chamber; at the same time, giving
more surplus room. The hive I use
enables me to do the latter more
readily, as the back of the brood-
chamber is movable, the same as a
division-board, and I can set them to
work in three old-fasliioned boxes,
with two brood frames, or use 18
of the same sized boxes on the top of
12 brood frames.
I have run 12 colonies all through
an entire season without swarming,
increasing them to 18 by division, and
giving them plenty of surplus room.
That was four years ago, in a fast-
swarming season ; but it takes too
much time for a large stock to increase
a little at a time.
I had the above mentioned 12 colo-
nies in a location where they gathered
plenty of the red raspberry honev,
while it was too wet for them to do
much on the white clover. It was of
very fine quality and flavor, though
not so light in color as the white
clover honey.
New Richmond, Mich., Mar. 6, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Water for Bees in Winter.
EUGENE SBCOR.
I suppose some of our Southern
brethren, who have been basking in
the sunshine for two months, and
whose bees have been " out to pas-
ture" so long that they have forgotten
tlie past winter,' will shrug their
shoulders and thank God that they
do not live in this borean land, when
we tell them that we are just taking
our hives to their summer stands.
Well, I suppose the South is a delight-
ful place to live in, but I have yet to
learn that they accomplish more in
any of the departments of industry
during their long summers, than we
in the North do in our short ones. A
small portion of Texas came to the
front last year in the production of
honey, but year by year, the North
supplies our leading honey markets,
with as fine a quality as can be found
this side of California. So, while we
can successfully compete with them
in the production of honey, perhaps
we ought not to be so modest in dis-
cussing the wintering problems,
which, undoubtedly is anything but
interesting reading to them.
I have, to-day, taken my bees from
the cellar, wheie they have been since
Nov. 13. The last flight they had last
fall, was on Nov. 10. This is the
longest period I have ever kept them
confined without a flight. My experi-
ence, to-day, seems to indicate that
they could have endured a much
longer night. I never before saw
bees so cross in the spring. They are
usually so glad to get out and fly, to
void their feces, that they did
not attempt to sting; but, to-day, I
was compelled to don bee-vail and
gloves, and, in spite of both, I am
now far from " spring poor." There
are no signs of dysentery. They did
not " spot " their hives during the
216
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
■winter, nor anything around the
yard, in their fliKht to-day. My cellar
was perfectly dark, without any ven-
tilation, and ranfjfed, in temperature,
during the \vinter, from 32^ to 48°,
usually standing at about 45P. It was
quite dry. From March 1, I have,
several times, watered a part of them,
a thing that I never practiced before,
but it had the effect to keep them
more quiet, and many of them were
"just booming " to-day.
Now as to the results : One colony
had starved to death. Four out of
six, that were on the bottom tier, one
foot from the cellar bottom, that had
not been uncovered since putting in,
and that had had no water, were
dead. Only in one hive were the
combs moldy, and all had sufficient
stores. Those colonies wliich had
been watered since March 1, were
strong and healthy, and began to rob
in less than an hour afterhaving been
set out.
Soft maples, willows, cotton woods,
and elms are in bloom. The prairie
anemones have been out for some
days. The past winter has been one
of the coldest known since the early
settlement of the State. For about
nine weeks from the 20th of Decem-
ber, it hardly thawed on the south
side of the house, and the mercury
hugged the zero point most of the
time, occasionally dropping down to
call on numbers .35 and 40. And for
fully three months it was too cold for
even a healthy bee to venture far from
the warmth "of the cluster. Fnnt
trees, in many parts of the State, have
been injured ; though in this locality
we have not suffered in that respect.
Bees have also wintered usually well.
Forest City, Iowa, April 16, 1883.
first day of .January is a very poor
judgment. He cannot set true values.
Enclosed you will find a spicy digest
of the subject written by a lawyer of
Black Hawk County, Iowa. He had
my assistance in the matter. We
must, however, fight the battle over
and over, year after year. The ques-
tion is not, '■ Should bees be taxed in
Iowa?" but, " Are bees taxable un-
der our laws?" Please, hereafter,
when asked that question, answer,
" Not by the laws of Iowa, etc." The
Bee Journal, with that answer,
will become notorious property, and
will be preserved for the eye of the
new assessor.
La Porte City, Iowa, Feb. 5, 1883.
ARE BEES TAXABLE V
Editor : — Allow
For the American Beo JoumaL
Are Bees Taxable ?
JESSE OREN.
Mr. Editor :— On page 42 of the
Bee JouRNALfor 1883, you are asked,
" Are bees taxable V" Your answer,
as given, is in accordance with the
facts ; but your conclusion is wrong,
viz. : property of value is taxable
property in Iowa. The statute of a
State fixes and names the kinds of
property on which a revenue shall be
raised. In Iowa, bees are exempt by
statute, and about all your patrons
here are anxious that you shall so
answer. Of course I know that it is
not reasonable to expect you to know
the laws, etc., of all the States. I
have made this matter a special study
years ago, and the matter was de-
termined by the Attorney General
about 15 years ago, when a special
bill was got up by a member of the
Legislature, exempting bees, etc. He
said tliat bees were already exempt.
But year after year we put in asses-
sors and boards of supervisors who
are ignorant of the law, and who rea-
son that all property ought to bear its
share of the public burden— good rea-
soning—but not Iowa law. But who
knows any better than you do that
the average assessor's judgment as to
the value of a colony of Dees on the
Mr. Editor :— Allow me to ask
yourself and readers why it was that
the board of supervisors of Black
Hawk County, on Friday, Jan. 10,
adopted Mr. Jenney's classification of
taxable property t'or the year 1879,
without first revising it so as to make
it legal? I trust that they acted con-
scientiously in the matter. But will
you please, or will somebody please,
explain how and where they got
their authority for placing bees upon
that list ? Perhaps our board did not
know that they were exempt from
taxation in Iowa? Perhaps they
have some authority unknown to out-
siders ? Will somebody please rise
and explain ?
Now, Mr. Editor, " let us reason
together," and see if we can find a
little law which is, and ought to be
plain, to every reasonable being, at
feast after it has been pointed out to
them. I believe I can show by statute
that bees are as plainly exempt as if
thev had been written in gilt letters
at the head of the chapter of exempt
property. First, what are bees ? Are
they vegetables ? Are they minerals ?
Or, are they animals ? To which of
these kingdoms do they belong ? Of
course, you and everybody else will
say that they are animals, of the in-
sect order. Now, since they are ani-
mals, then, as animals, they are twice
exempt under the statute. Exempt
from taxation, first, by section 797 and
801 of Code of Iowa, 1873. Section
797, division 4, exempts from taxation
" animals not hereafter specified."
Section 801 enumerates the animals,
viz. : "Horses, cattle, mules, asses,
sheep, swine." Now, we see that it
does not mention bees, nor does it
intend for bees to be listed, or it
would have mentioned them. At a
glance we can see that to have men-
tioned all the animals exempt would
have been an endless task, and when
completed would have been a volume
of itself, and only merited our ridicule.
It might have read like this, viz. :
From the animal kingdom there shall
be exempt 20 species of the quad-
rumania, viz. : The buffalo, the elk,
the deer, the cat, the dog, the mouse,
etc. Of cetacea species, the oyster,
the clam, etc. Of birds, the wren,
tlie robin, the swallow, etc. Of rep-
tiles, the lizzard, the garter snake, the
bull snake, etc. Of insects— 30 spe-
cies— viz. : The hornet, the wasp,
the asp, the bee, the bumble bee, and
so on, ad infinitum. But the cobra-
copella, the rattlesnake, the grizzly
bear, the parrot, the seal, the golden
fly of South America, owing to the
vast amount of money invested in
them for show purposes, shall be
listed and taxed at twice their ap-
praised value. Such might have been
the form of the section had the Leg-
islature attempted it. But they chose
a wiser plan, and oiriy enumerated
those animals wliich were to be taxed,
and exempted by section 797 all others
— bees with the rest.
Again, according to Langstroth and
other standard authority, the average
life of a working bee, in summer sea-
son, is only six weeks, while it is
a mooted question whether any
worker ever lives to so great an age
as seven months. Now, a bee being
an animal, under section 821 (last
clause), under "classification of prop-
erty" for taxation, we find that " no
entry shall be made on said books of
any animal under the age of one year,
except swine." The queen-bee is the
only bee which lives to so great an
age as one year. Her market value is
75 cents, and thousands are annually
sold to A. I. Root, of Medina, O., at
that price. We find by this section
(821) that bees are again exempt.
" \vell," say some, " it is not the bee,
it is the value." To tliis we again
fall back on section 797, where we find
" farm produce harvested within one
year previous to the listing thereof,"
is exempt from taxation ; and since
all that is valuable in a colony of bees,
except the 75 cent queen-bee, is har-
vested " within a year previous to the
listing thereof," and comes in exempt
along with thousands of bushels of
wheat which the farmer may have in
his granery or stack, the thousands,
yes millions of dollars worth of wear-
ing apparel, including valuable house-
hold furniture, thousands of dollars
invested in swine under six months
old, calves, colts, chickens, and the
like, even down to a $5,000 shawl,
such as Mrs. I^ is said to wear.
and other articles of a wardrobe pro-
portionately expensive. From the
list of exempt property, it is plain to
be seen that it is not the intent of our
law to tax all valuable property, for
if it did, why exempt so many millions
of valuables? In conclusion I would
say that I have not talked with any
lawyer, who, after a little reference,
did not see the exempt condition of
bees under our law. I might refer to
Clark & Curtis, of Lemars, Ordway,
of Waterloo. Judge Gilchrist, of Vin-
ton, the two law firms in our own city,
viz. : Bishop Ji: Sharon and Chas.
Bishop, and many others whose names
I will not occupy time and space to
enumerate.
Now, Mr. Editor, please excuse this
space-consuming article, as my object
in penning this is to aid in the sup-
port of the Constitution of the United
States and the laws of the State of
Iowa. S. A. O.
[We are very glad to make the cor-
rection requested. Certainly, on this
showing, in Iowa, bees are not taxa-
. ble property.— Ed.]
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
217
Are Bees Taxable in Iowa J
Will you please state whether the
laws of Iowa exempt bees from taxa-
tion V All agree here that if bees are
animals they are then exempt. Some
think they are insects.
Peter S. Trieji.
Mt. Auburn, Iowa.
[We are informed that the Attorney
General, some 15 years ago, decided
that in Iowa bees are not taxable, and
according to the laws of that State,
they are not assessable. Apiarists in
Iowa should show this to the new
assessors.— Ed.]
Honey Flow in Louisiana.
There has been a fine flow of honey ;
the bees are in splendid condition. I
have been running for increase, and
yet from 100 colonies I liave taken
3,o00 pounds of good honey. I shall
start for the North about April 25,
with a lot of colonies.
E. T. Flanagan.
Kenner. La., April 16, 1883.
A Beginner's Experience.
My father kept bees as long ago as
I can remember, and I was always
fond of them. About 5 years ago, I
and a neighbor procured about a
dozen each, and as we had heard of
the new way of dividing, we divided
them again" and again, expecting to
get rich m that way, but the winter
cleaned us out of the bee business.
Taking the advice of a friend, I sub-
scribed for the Bee Journal and
bought Cook's Manual, and concluded
to try again, after learning more
about bees. I sold enough honey to
pay for my bees, and all that I had
over spent on them, and still have the
bees left. They are in ^ood condition
now, and will be ready tor the harvest
when it comes.
Casey. Ill, D. R. Rosebrough.
Wintering Bees, etc.
As dry sawdust is hard to get in the
fall, I procured it dry, after harvest,
and had plenty in the fall. I have
tried chaff with success, but do not
want it any more ; it harbors mice,
and gets damp very quickly. I must
either clip the queen's wings or rnn a
great risk of my neck, so I choose the
former. I like a deeper frame than
the Langstriith, for Canada. I want
my frames crosswise ; I think a divis-
ion-board as needful as the hives. I
use an outside box about 6 inches
larger than the hive, with the en-
trance bridged, and packed around
and on top ( with movable side), pressed
tight on sawdust. In frosty morn-
ings, in the fall, I remove all outside
combs, which can be done very fast,
and feed up, on from 5 to 7 frames.
Where do bees cluster in the fall and
winter 'f Below the honey ; the only
place for them, and just where they
should, to give heat for sealing ; they
have warm honey all winter. I have
yet to lose the first good colony pre-
pared in the above manner. I have
no carrying to do, in the spring, and
bees are packed all the spring, and are
not coaxed out, with every sunbeam,
to get lost. Two colonies starved, in
Langstroth hives, with honey in the
hive ; sometimes bees cluster in the
centre, and getting to the end of the
frames in a cold spell, they will starve
with honey at the other end. Some of
my bees have not flown for 147 days ;
neither do they seem to want to
They are in excellent condition, with
about 5 inches of sawdust on the top.
For such a terrible winter, bees that
are packed have wintered well. My
experience will not agree with that of
Prof. Cook, as stated on page 85 of
his Manual. In every case, with me,
the field bees have decided what shall
be done. Last summer I found them
keeping the queen from drone cells,
and even using violence to stop her
from laying drone eggs. I learn from
them as to whether there should be a
second swarm or not.
CnAs. Mitchell.
Molesworth, Ont., April 9, 1883.
Willows for Pollen.
I send a shoot taken from a bush or
tree, for identification. I find it lit-
erally covered with bees, for the sake
of the profusion of its pollen. I can
liken their labors upon it to nothing
else except what we have all witne.ssed
at the rye meal basket. I take it to
be a species of the willow, of which
Dr. Barrett (18.50) enumerated 100
species growing in North America.
Wm. S. Barclay.
Beaver, Pa., April 17, 1883.
[It is one of the willow family, as
you have surmized.— Ed.]
My Experience With Bees.
I have had bees for more than 30
years, but never paid much attention
to them until the spring of 1879, when
I concluded to give tliem my atten-
tion (having quit active business),
and to that end, I procured a book on
the subject, read the science up, and
thought I was master of the situation.
Having 5 colonies of black bees I
divided them according to instruc-
tions in King's Text Book, and suc-
ceeded beyond my expectations ; in
the fall I found myself possessed of 10
colonies in good condition for winter,
and got some surplus honey. I put
them in the cellar, and they came out
all right in the spring of 1880. I again
divided and had 20 in tlie fall, and got
a small amount of surplus ; all being
heavy and in good condition for win-
ter, I thought I would try out-door
packing, and packed 10 in oat straw
and chaff (after Mr. Ileddon's plan),
and 10 put in the cellar. March being
so pleasant I set set them all out, and
unpacked those that were out, all be-
ing in good condition, so far as I
could see ; but April and part of May
being wet, cold and windy, they com-
menced to die off very rapidly, leav-
ing nice clean combs full of honey, so
by the middle of May I had but one
weak colony left, which died in the
fall, after all my nursing. With over
100 frames full, or partly full of honey,
I concluded to try itagain, and bought
12 colonies, part hybrids and part
blacks, and got one colony from Mr,
King, of New York. Increased them
to 26, and got 335 lbs. of box honey,
which I sold at 20 cents per pound,
which paid for the 12 colonies bought,
I put them away for the winter,
packed in the summer stands, as be-
fore, all in good condition. They
came out in the spring of 1882 with-
out the loss of a single colony. Ex-
pecting big things, I bought $47 worth
of supplies, and increased my stock
to 48, by my former method a little
modified. Upon examination Oct. 1,
I found them nearly all short of win-
ter stores, some not having 5 lbs. of
honey, and I got no surplus, except
from one colony, and that gave me
about 25 lbs. of inferior honey. I did
not like to see them die, if I could
help it, so I bought two barrels of cof-
fee A sugar, and made it into sryup
and fed them, so they averaged in
weight from 18 to 30 lbs. I have
packed them in plainer shavings. I
suppose there never was a woi'se sea-
son for honey in our county before.
Wji. B. McCormick.
Uniontown, Pa.
Qneen Nnrsery, Observing Hives, Etc.
Please answer the following ques-
tions in the Bee Journal :
1. Seeing that queen nurseries are
required for the purpose of having a
supply on all occasions when needed,
and few bees can be spared for such
nurseries, how are they to be protected
through the winter ; it being neces-
say to have them strong to keep up
heat for winter protection V As high a
temperature being as necessary for a
weak colony as a strong one, and the
natural heat will not be sutticient,
how is more heat to be created V I
have never seen anything giving in-
structions on this subject, although
Prof. Cook so strongly urges rearing
queens.
2. In the observatory hive, as de-
scribed by Prof. Cook, page 113 of the
present volume of the Bee Journal,
which, of course, is intended to be in
the house, study, or some such place,
should not the alighting board be at
an open window, for the egress and
ingress of the bees, to prevent them
coming into the room, where it is de-
sired to see them V I suppose that,
during the winter season, the observa-
tory hive may become a queen nursery.
3. What plan must be taken to stim-
ulate late breeding, as urged in Cook's
Manual V He gives the advice, but
not the information w'hich is neces-
sary to many ; in fact to all who have
not had the experience in that way.
If the bees have plenty of honey, ia
there something else better for that
purpose? Edward Moore.
Barrie, Ont.
[Prof. Cook replies to the above
questions as follows :— Ed.]
1. I suppose Mr. Moore means by
queen nurseries the small colonies or
218
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
huclei in wliicli the queens are reared.
Judge Andrews, of Texas, says queens
can be kept caged indefinitely by put-
ting tlie cage in strong colonies. He
Bays even thougli tlie otlier colonies
have queens, the bees will always feed
the caged queens. Mr. Alley says in
his book, the queens may be thus
caged for long weeks, but that there
must be feed in the cage ; that the
bees will not feed them. I have al-
ways kept the queens in the small
hives or nuclei. By exchanging combs
frequently, giving empty cells, the
queens are kept active. With a good
cellar nuclei can be kept over winter
as well as full colonies. The chamber
containing them must be small ; either
a small hive, or, better, the regular
hive, with brood-chamber contracted
by use of adivision board. My brother
has kept several nuclei in his cellar
the past winter. All but one came
through strong. That died of starva-
tion.
2. My observing hive is on a board
just outside tlie window. It is just
high enough to be convenient. By
lowering the upper sash 1 can lean on
it and study the bees for hours with-
out fatigue. My window is a dormer,
BO it shades the bees in summer and
protects them from storms.
2. I think stimulative feeding is
fully described in my Manual. We
only need to feed a half pint a day, by
the use of any of the feeders described.
I think the Smith feeder, illustrated
and described in my new Manual (just
out) is the best.— A. J. Cook.
The Season in Georgia.
Spring has fairly opened with us at
last, but bees are in a backward con-
dition. February was mild and pleas-
ant, and breeding progressed rapidly,
March set in cold, and continued so
with wet and inclement weather all
through. Bees could do notliiiig. but
dwindled fearfully ; so by the 1st of
April colonies, on an average, were
not in as good condition as tliey were
the last ot February. Box hive bee-
keepers have lost heavily.
, ^ „ J. P. H. Brown.
Augusta, Ga., April 20, 1883.
How to Press and Mount Flowers.
In the Michigan State Fair pre-
mium list (apiarian department) is of-
fered a premium for the best collec-
tion ot honey-bearing plants pressed
and mounted, or in bloom. Will some
one who knows please tell the readers
ot the JJEE Journal how to press
and mount (lowers v
o .„ ^^- Z. Hutchinson.
Rogersville, Mich.
feees Still In Winter Qnarters.
In the spring of 1881. I had 4 weak
colonies, and 2 queenless : they in-
creased to 10, and 1 nucleus, fall
count ; all were packed in chaff. The
spring count of 1882, was 9, and 2
queenless. I had from them 500 lbs.
or comb honey, and increased to 28 ;
uiey were all packed in dry goods
boxes. With clover chaff. The spring
count of 1883, is 27 in splendid condi-
tion; I lost one, caused by old bees
and dysentery. My bees are still
packed ; I expect to leave them so
until about May 1, or until the weather
becomes settled and warm. My bees
are all Cyprians, Italians, and albinos,
and I am well pleased with them. I
use the A. G. Hill hive, and think it
a good one. We have some old fogies
here, who keep bees in box hives and
brimstone them, etc., and some of
them have lost heavily this winter. I
could not do without the Bee Jour-
nal. H. Hance.
Bryon, O., April 16, 1883.
Bees All Right.
I have just unpacked my bees, and
find nearly all in booming condition.
My loss for the winter has been light.
I packed, in ray usual way, 165 colo-
nies, and, to-day, I tind 160 in good
condition. Never did I ever see bees
in better condition than mine now
are. The hives are nearly full of
bees, and in some I tind brood in four
and live frames, with capped drone
brood. The weather has been tine
for nearly three weeks. I anticipate
a tine crop of honey. The white
clover has never looked more promis-
ing than it does this spring. Success
to the Weekly Bee Journal.
L. J. DiEHL.
Butler, Ind., April 17, 1883.
North C.iroliiia Bloom.
Apples are in full bloom, and clover
soon will be. I lost 15 out of 100 col-
onies, last winter. My bees are very
strong at this time, and promise great
things, if we have a good season.
J. W. Hinsdale.
Raleigh, N. C, April 13, 1883.
Bees are Just Booming'.
I wintered 42 colonies in the cellar,
of which I lost 1 ; of 19 wintered on
the summer stands, packed with saw-
dust, I lost none ; leaving me 60 out of
61 colonies. I put them into winter
quarters on Nov. 15, and removed
them from the cellar, April 10, mak-
ing about 145 days in the cellar with-
out a flight. There is but little spot-
ting of the hives; all are in fine con-
dition and strong, excepting about 6
which are a little' weak, but still are
from fair to good colonies. All are
gathering natural pollen, to-day, from
willows and soft maples, the first this
season. The thermometer indicates
from 78° ro 82-', and it is raising quite
briskly this evening, at 8 o'clock.
U. E. Dodge.
Fredonia, N. Y., April 15, 1883.
How to use Bee Papers.
I think the printers have scarcely
followed " copy," or I have made a
strange blunder in my communica-
tion, published in the Bee Journal,
March 28, page 166, third paragraph.
I intended to have written: "Any
man who cannot make his busine&s
pay for a good journal published in
the interest of that business, had
better quit the business, etc.," or
words to that effect. It now, how-
ever, reads : " Any man who cannot
make his business pay had better quit
the business, etc." You will at once
see the difference. The latter quo-
tation, I presume, goes without asking
by the necessities of the case, and
does not need a special communica-
tion to state it, but while the former
may be equally as true, yet it is so
often in practice ignored as to need a
reminder. R. J. Kendall.
Austin, Texas, March 30, 1883.
[It was printed as written in the
copy.— Ed.]
Bees Confined 159 Days.
On page 180, Mr. McKay says who
can beat 130 days without a flight ?
Well, I can. My bees have been in
the cellar 159 days withouta flight,and
have some 10 days more to remain, at
least. All answered to the roll call
to-day, " 21 in number ;" loss, thus
far, none. The dead on the floor can
all be put into a two-quart measure.
The above success is due, in a great
measure, to the American Bee
Journal, of which I have been a
constant and interested reader for
three years, and never expect to do
without it as long as I keep bees. I
use chaff mats, and am a strong be-
liever in cellar wintering.
D. L. Herrick.
Brattleboro, Vt., April 15, 1883.
A Swarm Went to the Woods.
I had 4 colonies of bees in boxes
and barrels. Three of them I trans-
ferred more than a month ago, in the
ordinary way. The boxes broke, and
induced robbing, and I had so much
trouble that I determined I would let
the fourth wait and swarm. But see-
ing Mt. Heddon's plan, I concluded
to try it, especially as the weather
was warm, apples, clover, etc., bloom-
ing, and several colonies of my neigh-
bor's bees had swarmed during the last
few days. I very soon drove the bees
into the hive filled with comb founda-
tion ; Uiey remained several hours,
and took their departure to the woods,
I hope others may profit by my ex-
perience. A Subscriber.
Omega, La.
Stinging and Dislike of Bees.
The bees have a natural dislike to
me ; they come for me quickly, even
when walking in the yard, but not at
work with them. One sting will
sometimes almost cause me to faint.
The rule, that the more a person gets
stung, the less it hurts, does not hold
good with me ; the pain is as severe
as it was five years ago. I wear veil
and gloves, and have a Bingham
smoker, but I get stung often. To
allay the pain, after the sting, wet
clay is the best thing I have ever
tried. The best antidote I have ever
tried is whisky ; two teaspoonsful be-
fore I go to work with the bees. I am
not used to whisky, and do not want
to be ; I hate it. Will some of the
readers of the Journal tell me what,
^if anything, I can put on my clothes
to pacify them ; and what is the best
antidote besides whisky, and oblige
one who cannot follow hard labor, and
do not want to throw away what it
has taken 15 years to learn.
Riverton, Iowa. J. H. Stephens.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
219
Convention Notices.
1^ The Mahoning Valley bee-keep-
ers will hold their 13tli meeting in the
Town Hall, at Berlin Centre, Ohio, on
May 5. All bee-keepers, and the pub-
lic in general, are invited to attend.
Do not forget to bring your wives,
children, and a well-Hlled lunch basket.
We expect a grand meeting.
L. Carson, Pres.
H. A. Simon, Sec. pro tern.
^g" Thesemi-annual meeting of the
Western Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Independence, Jackson
County, Mo., on Saturday, April 2S,
1883, at 10 a. m. Papers prepared for
the occasion by the president, sec-
retary and others will be read, and
matters of general interest to bee-
keepers discussed. A general attend-
ance of persons interested in bee-
culture is requested. The present
membership of this Association con-
trol 1!,000 colonies of bees.
S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
Kansas City, Mo.
J. A. Nelson, Pres. Wyandotte, Kas.
1^ Quite a number of the leading
bee-keepers of Missouri and Kansas
met at the Court House, in Independ-
ence, Mo., December 23, 1882, and or-
ganized a bee-keepers' convention,
which was named the " Western Bee-
Keepers' Association," by electing the
following officers for the ensuing year :
Jas. A. Nelson, of Wyandotte, Kans.,
President; L. \V. Baldwin, of Inde-
pendence, Mo., Vice-President; S.W.
Salsbury, Kansas City, Mo., Treasurer.
The Association passed a resolution
to invite all bee-keepers within a con-
venient distance, to meet with us at
our next meeting and lend us their
councils. Adjourned, to meet again
at Independence, on tlie last Saturday
in April next, at 10 o'clock, a. m.
J. D. Meador, P. Baldwin, C. M.
Crandall, Committee.
1^ The spring meeting of the
Western Michigan Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation will be held at Supervisor's
Hall, Grand Rapids, April 26, at 10
a. m.
r. S. Covey, Sec.
Coopersville, Mich.
1^ The Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will meet in Grange Hall, Em-
inence, Ky., on Thursday, April 26,
1883. All bee-keepers, and the public
generally, are invited to be present.
G. VV. Demaree, Sec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
^" There will be a meeting of the
bee-keepers of Western New York
and Western Pennsylvania, to adopt
a constitution and by-laws, elect of-
ficers, etc., for the Western New York
Bee-Keepers' Association, on April
28, 1883, at Fredonia, N. Y., opening
at 10 o'clock a. m. All bee-keepers
are cordially invited to attend. Dis-
cussions on bee-culture, etc. Suitable
rooms will be provided.
U. E. Dodge, Aclinq Sec.
1^ The Tuscarawas Valley Bee-
Keepers' Association will hold their
next meeting in the Town Hall, Cos-
hocton, O., on Wednesday, May 2, at
10 a. m. All bee-keepers are re-
quested to be present.
J. A. BucKLEW, Sec, Clarks, O .
1^ The spring meeting of the
Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held in Cortland, N. Y.,
on Tuesday, May 8, 1883.
M. C. Bean, Sec.
i^ The Iowa Central Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold their semi-
annual meeting at Winterset, Iowa,
on Friday, May 11, 1883. All inter-
ested in anything pertaining to bee-
culture are invited to attend, and
bring anything that will be of interest
to the bee fraternity.
J. E. Pbyor, Sec.
A. J. Adkison, Pres.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office of American Bee Journal. \
Monday, 10 a. m., April 23, 1882. )
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotations of Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted ia 7c.
for dark and Oc. for lieht— here. The supply is
abundant and sales are slow.
BEESWAX— None in the market.
AL. H. New.man. a-a W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— There is no excitement In the honey
market, but sales are fair to our regular trade.
OITerint-'s are plentiful of extracted and comb
huiiey. K.xtracted brinjjs 7@l)c. on arrival. The
sales i>f coTiih honey are very slow, although there
is a lar^e supply of llrst-class quality on the mar-
ket. It briiiKs l"2(a<18c. on arrival.
BEES WAX— Comes in slowly and brings iOQSOc
per lb., according to quality. Chas. V. MUTH.
QtiotailoiiB of CommlBSlon Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The demand is light and It is not now
probable that all of the comb honey can be sold
before a new crop comes. Prices are very irregular
and generally low: 15{al6c.for white, and dark un-
salable. Extracted, very little trade is being done
in it. 7@9c. is about the market.
BEESWAX-35IS3BC.
R. A. BURNETT. 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONE Y— Buyers are readily obtained for choice
comb or extracted at full Sgures, but off qualities
meet with slow sale.
White comb, I4(<iil7c.: dark to good. 11@I3C.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8>6@9^c. ; dark and
candied, T-^l^^c.
BEESWA.\-We quote 30a;33c.
Stbarns & SMITH, 423 Front Street.
8T. liODIS.
HONEY— Very quiet; dull. Comb atUOiec-
some inferior sold at 10c. : strained at fihj^7c.. ex-
tracted at 7Mi(ii8Hc., lots in small packages more.
BEES WAX— Scarce and wanted at 35c.
W. T. ANDERSON & Co.. 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is a little lower, and at the lower price
it has movednfTa little betterof late. 1-lb. sections
of best white sold at I8!.a(rt-l9c. : second grades,
l-!b., 17c.; 2-lb. sections a little slow at 17@18c.
Extracted very dull at y@llc.
BEESWAX— None in market.
A. C. KENDKL. 11.5 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. \Ve quote:
li! lb. sections at 30c.: 1 lb. sections, ■JJlg.-'.^c. ; 2 lb.
sections, l'o(,_i.-jjc. Extracted, loc. per lb. Good
lots ot extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX-Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
CROCKER 4 BLAKE. 57 Chatham Street.
Special 1|oticcs.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-,
ress we already have on our books.
Onr Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy or
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with |10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiuma
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, an^
the same amount of money.
r. .Tames Heddon announces on
another page that he cannot supply
any more Hives, etc., in the flat. AH
interested should notice the adver-i
tisement. — Adv.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts each, or $8 per 100.
ij^ Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
1^" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
220
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to neio
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
'giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
An Instantaneous Light.
Such hi a word is the unique apparatus
■on exhibition at the rooms of tlie Portable
Electric Light Co., ;J3 Water Street, Boston.
It occupies the space ot only .5 square inch-
■es, and weighs but .5 pounds, and can be
•carried with ease. I'lie liglit. or more
properly liglitcr, rcqiiires no extra power,
wires or comici'tiniis. and is so r(>u--tnii'ted
that any part can be replaced at small cost.
The chemicals are placed in a glass retort ;
■a carbon and ziuc apparatus, with a spiral
platinum attachment, is tlien adjusted so
■as to form a battery, and the light is ready.
The pressure on a little knob produces an
lelectric current by wliich the spiral of plat-
inum is heated to incandescence. Tlie
Portable Electric Liglit Company was re-
■cently incorporated, witli a capital of
tlOO,000, under tlie laws of Massatliusetts.
Tlie usefulness of the apparatus and the
low price (five dollars) will no doubt re-
sult in its general adoption. Some of the
prominent business men of the State are
ideiititied with this enterprise, hi addition
to its use as a lighter, the apparatus can
also be used in connection witli a burglar-
alarm and galvanic battery. — " Boston
Transcript,"I)ec. 30.
New Catalognes and Price Lists.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
•copy and commence. to use it.
FoT 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies {420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
•of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
i^'Postage stamps, of one, two or
three cent denomination, accepted for
fractional parts of a dollar; but money
is preferred.
i^ Will the various manufacturers
of the Standard Langstroth hive please
send circulars giving accurate dimen-
sions, as made by them, to S. X. Clark,
Uelavan, Wis. The result as to the
different sizes will be published in the
American Bee Journal.— ady.
We have received the following new
Catalogues and Price Lists of Bees,
Queens or Apiarian Supplies :
G. B. Jones, Brantford, Ont.
Elvin Armstrong, Jerseyville, 111.
Geo. W. Baker, Lewisville, Ind.
Dr. Wm. R. Howard, Kingston,Tex.
W. G. Russell, Millbrook, Out.
J. H. Tilley & Bro., Castlellill, Me.
Thos. J. Ward, St. Mary's, Ind.
C. R. Mitchell, Hawkinsville, Ga.
G. H. Knickerbocker, Pine Plains,
N. Y.
A. C. Kendel, Cleveland, O.— field,
garden and flower seeds.
1^" In Mr. S. Cornell's excellent
article on " Ventilation of Bees," in
last week's Journal, on page 200, an
omission was made, when putting it
in type. In the second column, 28th
line from the top, after the period,
add the following sentence : " It is
just so with the air."
Sample Copies of the American Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this oflice.
i^ On the next page may be found
the advertisement for a " comb foun-
dation fastener," by D. C. Talbot, of
Elroy, Wis., to which attention is
invited. — adv.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for 1883 and Cook's Manual in cloth
for $2.75, or the Monthly and Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
Golden Italians Again!
One Golden Italian Queen, warran-
ted purely mated.*!.. XI. One pure-
ly mated and tested, $2.ri(i. One
pure Queen, not warranted, |:].(m.
All the above Queens are of the
finest slock in the country, Isold
'over yiHi last season, and had hut
one complaint. Full culoniesready
to divide, for *10.(.h) ; safe arrival euaranteed.
17Atf r.. ,J. DIEHL, BUTIjBR, IND.
E.T. LEWIS & CO., Toledo, Ohio,
Manufacturers of the U. S. STANDARD Honey
Extractor (new improvenienta), and all r»ther
Apiarian Supplies. Send for circular. 17A oBtf
BEE
- KEEPERS, before ordeiinK your
APIARIAN-SUPPLIES
send fur our lar^je illustrated cata-
logue, sent free to any address.
E. ]i.retchiiier, Cobui-g, Iowa.
1883 ITALIAN QUEENS. 1883
still they Eo-Bees fur business all ready to ship.
Send for our new Circular of Queens, full colo-
nies and nuclei ; it tells how to introiluce queens.
T. S. HALL.
l(>Ai;t Kirby's Creek, Jackson co, Ala.
Bee-Keepers' Handy Book,
Or, 22 Tears' Experience in Queen Bearing.
Oiyinions of Eminent Apiarists of its value:
From Geo. W. House, Fayetteville. N. Y.— "The
information gained by a careful study of the new
method of Queen RearinR, I consider worth $IW to
me. It supplies a lonK felt want to every Queen
breeder and dealer, and is invaluable to any bee-
keeper.
From Jame8 T. Norton. Winsted. <_'onn.— "I have
read your book with much satisfaction and protlt;
it is written concisely and to the point. It should
be in the hands of every oee-keeper."
From Rev. D. D. Marsh. Georgetown, Mass.—
"Your book on Queen Rearing has been received.
I am very much pleased with it. It is refreshing to
see hi>w frankly you have dlvuljzed the hard-
earned seeretd of y.mr lonu experience. Vour book
contains a Kreat deal of that information, which
those who liave already taken the 'first lessons' in
apiculture will find new and valuable."
It will be remembered that Mr. E. T. Flanagan,
of Beliville. III., went to Kenner. La., in March last
to rear early Queens. After receiving the book he
wrote me thus.— "1 would have cheerfully given
$.50.(.K.t to have had your book and apparatus here
when I first came. I am rearing acxi Queens."
From L C. Root, Mohawk, N. Y., and one of the
most prominent apiarists in America.— "Your book
has been received. Its title, 'Twenty-two Years
ExpEKiENtE IN Ql'KEN Rea Ki.vi.;.' 18 enough to
convince any bee-keeper that they cannot afford
to be without it. Good Queens is the rock upon
which bee-keeping rests. 1 predict a large sale for
the work."
From J. M. Hicks, editor of the bee department.
American Grange Bulletin. Mr. Hicks is well
known to nearly all bee-keepers in the west.—
"Book received. I pronounce it the best w(_>rk of
the kind, of American publications. I consider it a
perfect gem for the practical bee-keeper, and
should be in the hands of every apiarist."
Until May lat the book will be sold for $1.00 per
copy. After that date, $1.25 per copy, handsomely
bound in cloth, and $l.Ou bound in paper. Frac-
tionable parts of a dollar can be sent In postage
stamps.
Our new circular and price list of Queens for
1883 contains 32 pages, and is illustrated to show
our new way of reuringQueens. Send your address
on a postal card for it.
HENBT ALLEY, Wenham, Mass.
FOR EXCHANGE.
Comb Foundation Machine for pure Italian Bees.
Address, S. LONliLEY, CINCINNATI, O.
Uf In perfect order. 17A it.
The Bee^Keepers' Guide,
OR, MANUAL OF THE APIARY.
9,000 SOLD IN SIX YEARS.
lOth Thousand *Tu8t Out.
More than 50 pages, and more than .50 fine illus-
trations added. The whole work lias been thor-
oughly revised, and contains the vt-ry latest in re-
spect to bee-keeping. It is certainly the fullest
and most scientific work treating of bees in the
World.
1 had hoped and expected to make the price one
dollar, and it has been so advertised by Mr.
James Heddon and in Alley's new book; but owing
to the increased size and expense, this is impossi-
ble.
PRICE, BY MAIL, $1.25.
I<lbei*al discount to deiilers and to clubs.
A. J. COOK,
Author and Publisher, Lansing, Mich.
COI^ONIES of Italian and
Hybrid bees for sale in
Langstroth and Simplicity
hives.
Three- Frame Nuclei
a specialty. Safe delivery guaranteed. Write
for particulars and special rates to
FLANAGAN & ILLINSKI,
1000
Box SIM.
irA4t 5B2t
BELLEVILLE, St. Clair Co.. ILL.
Vandervort Comb Fdn. Mills,
Seud for Sampler <V Keiluced PrEce-Llst.
ioAi9t J. VANDERVORT, Lacyville, Pa.
ESTABLISHED .T)!^
IN 1861
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 9, 1883.
No. 19.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Bees and Honey in Ancient Times.
In the books of antiquity, honey is
mentioned as one of the most ancient
articles of food— man's first source of
nourishment. Aye, and are we not
informed that when "the morning
stars sang together " over the pristine
beauty of a new born world, that un-
der the bright smile of Heaven, Adam
and his happy spouse were presented
with a glorious home in an enchant-
ing garden filled with " supernal fruits
and flowers " of Heaven's own plant-
ing— nurtured and watched by hosts
of angelic attendants, who had made
that Eden-home a beautiful ir'aradise ?
There " the beasts of the field and
fowls of the air " dwelled together in
perfect harmony, under sun-lit skies;
and among the beautiful bowers of
that holy retreat, Eden's feathered
songsters rapturously joined in " the
swelling chorus."
There, too, reveling in the precious
nectar yielded from the bloom of
glory-clad hills, shrubs and flowers,
was " the little busy bee," with its
joyous hum and rapid flight — gather-
ing the plenteous sweetness for the
tiny but numerous family about to
spring into existence, at its little
home ! Ever did it flit from leaf to
leaf and flower to flower, gathering
the honeyed treasures,that its "stores"
may be abundant for generations yet
unborn— when winter's sable-shades
might settle down upon the earth,
visiting it with cold and storm, chil-
ling the " little pets " by its frozen
breath or fiercer blast !
No historian has transmitted to our
day a description of the rude hive
provided for the bees that Noah car-
ried into the ark, nor are we informed
whether Abraham's bees were kept
in log-gums or box-hives, but it is re-
corded that the land where Abraham
dwelled — Canaan — was one " flowing
with milk and honey ;" and when the
old Patriarch, because of the famine
that prevailed there, sent his sons to
Egypt to buy corn, he sent as a pres-
ent to the Egyptian ruler some of
Canaan's famous honey. We may
well conclude that Canaan's honey
was then as famous as in subsequent
ages was the honey from Mount Hy-
mettus in Greece.
In later years, Abraham's offspring
journeyed through the deserts of
Arabia, and in order to sustain them
there, God gave them manna from
Heaven, to eat; they said that " the
taste of it was like wafers made with
honey." When the Amorites came
out of the mountains of Sier against
the children of Israel, "they chased
them like angry bees." In the Mosaic
law we find many statutes regulating
the ownership of bees. When Jona-
than was engaged in battle with the
Pliilistines and became tired and
faint, he partook of honey, and was
greatly refreshed. David and his
army was provisioned in Gilead, and
honey was one of the luxuries enum-
erated. The Jews placed honey before
their guests as a sign of welcome,
giving them the greatest luxuries that
the land produced. Jeroboam sent
his queen with presents to the Prophet
Ahijah, and included honey. In the
tythes of the Jewish Priesthood, honey
w enumerated. Job signified the
plenteousness of honey in the land, by
speaking of "brooks of honey." Solo-
mon, relished Canaan's delicious
honey, and volunteered this advice :
" My son eat thou honey ; because it
is good." Isaiah mentions " the bee
that is in the land of Assyria," and
declares that bees were so plenty that
" butter and honey shall every one
eat that is left in the land."
The earliest mention of honey as an
article of commerce, is, that the Jews
were engaged in trading it at Tyre,
that old and honored mart of trade in
Phcenicia. Sirach, who lived about
the time of the re-building of the
Temple of Jerusalem, speaking of the
necessaries of life, mentions honey,
with flour and milk. Solon, in the
year 600, B. C, enacted a law, requir-
ing that bee hives in cultivated fields,
must be 300 feet apart. Homer,
Herodotus, Aristotle, Cato, Varro,
Virgil, Pliny, Columella, and other
ancient sages, composed poems, ex-
tolling the activity, skill and economy
of bees. The celebrated Cilician apiitr-
ist Aristomachus, of Solus, with 58
years of experience in bee-keeping,
wrote on the subject of bees and
honey, some 500 years, B. C— but that
work is lost to us. The Persians,
Grecians and Romans, used honey
quite extensively as an article of diet ;
they also used it largely in preparing
their food, and by it, most of their
beverages were sweetened.
More than 3,000 years ago, it is said
that Samson proposed this riddle to
the Philistines: "Out of the eater
came forth meat ; and out of the strong
came forth sweetness," and gave them
seven days to expound it. They are
said to have been unable to explain
it, and by threats of burning his wife
and all her kindred, they extorted the
explanation from her, as follows :
" What is sweeter than honey i* And
what is stronger than a lion ?"
Samson was not only a riddle-maker,
but was himself a riddle ! It is said
that while he was quietly walking,
unarmed, in the vineyards at Tim-
nath, "a young lion roared against
him," and " he rent him, as he would
have rent a kid." " After a while, he
turned aside to see the carcass of the
lion, and, behold, there was a swarm
of bees and honey in thecarcassof the
lion." Thereupon we are told that he
commenced to regale himself on the
honey, and gave of it to " his father
and mother, and they did eat." This
was the key to his riddle.
234
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Of course it was very singular tliat
he should have slain a lion in the
prime of his vigor, and yet more
strange that a swarm of hees should
have taken possession of the carcass.
This remarkable story of ancient
times is full of enigmas. In explana-
tion of some of these, Oedman re-
marks as follows :
" The lion which he slew had been
dead some little time before the bees
took up their abode in the carcase,
for it is expressly stated that ' after
a time ' he returned and saw the bees
and the honey in the lion's carcase ;
so that if any one here represents to
himself a corrupt and putrid carcase,
the occurrence ceases to have any true
similitude, tor it is well known that in
those countries, at certain seasons of
the year, the heat will, in the course
of 24 liours, so completely dry up the
moisture of the dead camels, that
without undergoing deconposition,
their bodies will long remain like
mummies, unaltered, and entirely
free from offensive odor."
In that country, it is said, that with
wild beasts, birds and insects, coupled
with the dry heat, a dead body is soon
cleansed from all corruption, and the
bones are clean and white, and a
swarm of bees may readily have used
such a carcass for a hive. We do not
propose to attempt to clear the story
of all difficulties, but will draw some
lessons from Samson's very singular
adventure.
In those days, among the Hebrews,
Eomans, and Greeks, honey appears
to have been about the only sweet,
and was used in place of sugar, then
unknown. Honey was then consid-
ered among the necessaries of life. It
is true that Pliny, Galen, and some
other authors allude to saccanon as a
white chrystallizedgum obtained from
an Indian reed, which was some-
times used as a medicine, and was
" brought from Rome, in pieces about
the size of a nut." The Arabians
were first to bring sugar to notice,
after they had pushed their victorious
arms into the Western regions.
The first writers by whom sugar, as
such, is mentioned, says an author,
lived in the 12th century, in the time
of the crusades. Albert of Aix states
that the soldiery, when near Tripoli,
in Syria, pulled up the sweet stalks of
a reed grown there abundantly in the
fields, and called zucra. Its whole-
some juice refreshed them, and was
so grateful to their taste that they
were incessantly sucking it. This
valuable plant was diligently culti-
vated every year. When ripe for
harvest, the natives crushed the reeds
in a mortar, pressed out the juice.
and preserved it in vessels till it be-
came thick and granulated, and re-
sembled snow or salt in its whiteness.
In the year 1306, when Sanudo com-
piled his Mysteries of the Crusaders,
the sugar cane was not yet cultivated
in Sicily, though it was then already
grown extensively in the Morea, in
Cyprus, and Rhodes. A century later
it had become so common in the is-
land of Sicily, that the infant Don
Henry, of Portugal, readily obtained
therea supply of plants for its intro-
duction in Madeira. From here and
from the Canaries it was carried to
America, where it has been so exten-
tively cultivated that the European
plantations were speedily adandoned,
and America now supplies with sugar
not only nearly all Europe, but a large
portion of Asia also. The sugar cane
was first brought to the VVestern
Hemisphere by the Spaniards.
Another writer remarks as follows
on the consumption of honey :
The consumption of honey and wax,
and consequently the demand for
them, was so great among the Rom-
ans, that the production thereof was
an object of the highest importance
in rural economy ; and no one was
deemed qualified to manage a farm
who did not thoroughly understand
bee-culture as then practised. This
was to be made an essential source of
revenue to the proprietor, for the
Romans were a practical people, who,
according to Columella, looked to an
increase of annual income in their
pursuits more than to a mere gratifi-
cation of taste. But the natural sup-
ply of honey in Italy was insufficient
for the home demand, and large
quantities were imported from Africa,
Crete and Sicily, the superior quality
of which induced the Italian bee-
keepers to send the finest and most
aromatic of their own to market un-
der the name of Sicilian and Cretan
honey, as we are informed by Varro.
That of inferior quality, as we learn
from Pliny, they were m the habit of
coloring and sweetening by an ad-
mixture of other substances, and
strengthening by the addition of va-
rious kinds of wine. An annual
tribute of honey and wax was im-
posed on conquered provinces and
territory, as on Pontus and Corsica,
and the hope of obtaining additional
supplies, it is supposed, was among
the inducements for their invasions
of Germany.
A large amount of honey was re-
quired by the religious ceremonies
and worship of the people. " Noth-
ing is sweeter than honey," says
Varro, "grateful to Gods and men.
It is used on the altars." It was par-
ticularly prominent among the sacri-
fices of the peasantry. The numerous
rural deities, whose favor and protec-
tion they invoked, and to whose ser-
vice they were attached, claimed a
portion not only of the products of
their gardens, orchards and fields, but
of their flocks and herds, and of their
apiaries. Also at the feasts of the
Gods, described by Ovid, which re-
quired costly aliments and precious
wines, the delicious honey-cake was
never wanting. These were composed
of meal, honey and oil, and had to be
equal in number to the years attained
by the offerer. For the domestic
worship also of their household deities
— the Pe«a(es— honey " the gift of the
Gods," was indispensable ; and it con-
stituted a large item at the vernal
consecration — ambarvalia — of their
fields in Aprilj as well as at the an-
nual thanksgiving in October, and
likewise at the special worship of
Ceres iu November, who was regarded
as the " flock iiicreaser," and the
" honey dispenser," and who, by her
union with the rain-god Zeus, caused
fruitful seasons. Her priestesses were
called "bees," because honey was the
first food of tlie infant Dionysus, the
son of Bacchus, whom Ceres bore in
her arms, as Isis carried Horns ; and
she was the instructor of AristiEus in
bee-culture. Bacchus, too, demanded
a share, as the " discoverer of honey,"
the " admirer of all sweetness," and
the " decorator of the blooming mead-
ows."
Every sacrificial victim offered to
the higher Gods was sprinkled with
milk, wine and honey, and large
quantities of the latter were required
in the solemn celebration of their
mysteries, and in the obsequies of the
dead. The later Romans poured
honey in the grave of the deceased. It
was with them a symbol of death. It
will hence readily be inferred that
their religious ceremonies involved a
large consumption of honey, and that
this must have induced increased at-
tention to bee-culture. But the quan-
ity used in domestic economy was still
greater, as they were unacquainted
with the sugar now in common use.
What they called saccharum was a very
differentarticle, obtained from Arabia
and India. It was, as we learn from
Pliny, used only medicinally. Honey
was thus the only sweetening em-
ployed by them for meat and drink,
and was as indispensable in their
households as sugar is now in our
families.
In view of the death-dealing adul-
teration of sweets in our day, is it not
our duty to imitate Samson, who,
when he had found the God-given
pure sweet — honey — sought out his
relatives and took some of it to them to
eat ?
Thousands and tens of thousands of
children are dying all around us, who,
because their ever-developing nature
demands sweetness, crave and eagerly
demolish the adulterated "candies"
and " syrups " of modern times. If
these could be fed on honey, instead,
they would develop and grow up into
healthy men and women.
Children would rather eat bread and
honey than bread and butter ; one
pound of honey will reach as far as
two pounds of butter, and has, besides,
the advantage that it is far more
healthy and pleasant-tasted, and al-
ways remains good, while butter soon
becomes rancid, and often produces
I
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
235
cramp in the stomach, eructations,
sourness, vomiting and diarrhcea.
Pure honey should always be freely
used in every family. Honey eaten
upon vfheat bread is very beneficial
to health.
The use of honey instead of sugar
for almost every kind of cooking, is
as pleasant for the palate as it is
healthy for the stomach. In prepar-
ing blackberry, raspberry or straw-
berry short-cake, it is intinitely su-
perior.
It is a common expression that
honey is a luxury, having nothing to
do with the life-giving principle. This
is an error — honey is food in one of its
most concentrated forms. True, it
does not add so much to the growth
of muscle as does beef-steak, but it
does impart other properties, no less
necessary to hecdthand vigorous physi-
cal and intellectual action ! It gives
warmth to the system, arouses nerv-
ous energy, and gives vigor to all the
vital functions. To the laborer, it
gives strength — to the business man,
mental force. Its effects are not like
ordinary stimulants, such as spirits,
etc., but it produces a healthy action,
the results of which are pleasing and
permanent — a sweet disposition and a
bright intellect.
How astonishingly appropriate is
even its name— honey ! Derived from
the Hebrew word ghoney, literally it
means delight. Humanity may,
therefore, delight itself with honey,
as long as the sun endureth !
To Our Exchanges.— We have pre-
pared the first article in this paper
with especial reference to its adapta-
bility for general reading, and respect-
fully invite the editors of our Ex-
changes and others to copy it into
their papers. It contains information
of value to the general public, and
should be read by every one interested
in providing a pure sweet for the
young, middle-aged and old,— both
food and medicine. Bee-keepers who
desire to increase honey consumption,
should send to us for an extra copy,
and personally take it to the editors of
the local papers of tlie county, and ask
them to copy it. We print a large
edition this week, and will supply it
tree for this purpose, while any are left.
The Partridge Pea. —Prof. A. J.
Cook, in the Rural New Yorker, gives
the following concerning this honey
plant :
Among the many plants which I re-
ceive each year from the bee-keepers
throughout the United States, as
turnishiiig aliundant nectar for the
bees, no one comes more frequently,
or from a wider range of territory,
than the partridge pea— cassia chamre-
cnsta. Like the clovers, this is a
leguminous plant, and like its near
relative, the cow pea, it not only
furnishes nectar from the flowers, but
even more abundantly from extra-
floral glands situated on the pedun-
cles. Gray speaks of this as more
abundant southwards; but I have re-
ceived it very frequently from Iowa,
Northern Illinois and Wisconsin.
The flower is bright yellow, and the
habit of the whole plant is quite at-
tractive. The Pulse family is very
rich in bee-plants, as will be seen by
the following list : White and alsike
clover, melilot, or sweet clover, locust,
wistaria, Judas tree, honey locust, and
the cow and partridge peas. We thus
see that the Pulse family, like the
Mint and Compositie families, are of
great importance to the apiarist.
^° By the Eeview, Butler, Ind., we
team that Mr. L. J. Diehl has lost
only 4 colonies out of 160, during the
past winter. Generally the losses have
been very light, and the prospect for
a good honey crop is excellent.
Queen Rearing.— Mrs. L. Harrison,
in the'^Prairie Farmer, gives her views
on her inodus operandi of queen-rear-
ing, thus :
We like all kinds of bees, yet Ital-
ians have our preference ; they are
proof against moths, cling to the
combs better, and are more enterpris-
ing than tlie common bees of the
country. Italians are so common that
we doubt if there are many pure Ger-
man bees now in this country.
Persons who have kept bees for any
length of time have noticed that some
colonies, whose conditions are the
same as the remainder of the apiary,
produce more honey than others.
These colonies are the ones to breed
from, if honey is the object in view.
If a colony is deprived of its queen, in
six hours the bees will be construct-
ing cells to raise another. Worker
eggs, or larvffi not over three days old,
are used for rearing queens. Some
breeders claim that the best results
follow when the bees have access to
eggs only. Bees seem to prefer to
raise queens on new white combs ;
such an one should be given to the
breeding colony, and placed in the
centre of the hive ; holes might be cut
in it, making convenient edges for the
bees to attach their queen-cells, so
that they can be easily removed, if
desirable to do so. On the third day
this comb should be given to queen-
less bees, and they will immediately
commence enlarging cells. On the
twelfth day, if it is desirable to pre-
serve the queens, all cells should be
removed but one, as the first one that
emerges will destroy all rivals. Those
wlio make a specialty of rearing
queens, remove the frame to an in-
cubator and examine it, often remov-
ing the queens to a nucleus, as fast as
liatehed. Those who have not a con-
venience of this kind, can cut out the
cells, and give them to nuclei, pre-
viously formed long enough to have
cells of their own. We have had
many cells destroyed by giving them
to newly formed nuclei, but never
lose them if they have cells of their
own. To save the time of inserting
cells, we often wait until the bees
have eaten off the outside covering,
showing that the queen will soon be
out, and then remove the cell with ad-
hering comb, so that it will fit be-
tween the frames of honey, placing
point downwards, and in a short time
the queen is out. We preserve cells
with variations; sometimes we place
them over cages, similar to a cover of
a tin pepper-box, only the tops are of
wire cloth ; and again cut out cells
and pht them into cages (made of
wire cloth by rolling around the broom
handle, with stoppers in each end),
and place them in the cluster. If
young queens are introduced, when
they are only a few years old, they
are generally well received.
System in the Apiary. — Mr. A. E.
Foster, in the Practical Farmer, gives
this very timely advice on systematic
work in the apiary :
"A place for everything, and every-
tliing in its place.'' I know of no
place (unless it is in the family) where
this rule should be followed more
closely than in the apiary. The pros-
perous bee-keeper is always in a
hurry, needing different supplies as
he examines different hives, and it is
very necessary that he should know
just where to find things as he needs
them. If you have not this faculty
well developed, cultivate it, by as-
signing everything in your apiary a
place, and keep everything in its
place. The time lost in hunting here,
there and everywhere, for what you
need, will amount to a great deal,
more than any one would suppose;
and it will not only save time, but
keep you from getting in a bad humor,
which generally follows one of those
long searches. The mother who
teaches her child to put things where
it gels them, does the child good, and
saves herself much trouble, in picking
things up after it.
^" Mr. O. O. Poppleton has re-
turned from Florida, where he has
spent the winter, accompanied by his
wife. They have had an excellent
time, and look well. They brought
us a sample of mangrove honey from
the apiary of Mr. W. S. Hart, of New
Smyrna, Florida. In the article, on
page 213, entitled Bee-Keeping in
Florida, Mr. P. points out two errors,
wliich we correct with pleasure. They
were, doubtless, inadvertantly made
by Mr. Lake in copying. The " bee
belt " is 25 miles (not 12-5) ; and the
red mangrove grows below the head of
Indian river— not " above," as it is
there stated.
236
THE' AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the Amertcan Bee JournaL
The Best Bees— How Obtained.
JAMES HEDDON.
The following was received April
18, and 1 asked Mr. Hutcliinson if I
might insert it, at tlie liead of my re-
ply as an excuse for again coming
forward with what, to me, is not the
most pleasant of subjects to discuss
at the present time.
Mr. Heddon. — When you have the
time, please give us one more article
on " The best bees — how they were
obtained." Please tell us if the bees
that you now have are any better than
those you had when you tirst made
the cross between the dark Italian
and brown German, if so, in what re-
spect, and what methods and selec-
tions were employed to bring about
the desired results. What I wish to
know is, if I would obtain as good re-
sults at once, by crossing the two
above mentioned varieties, as 1 would
to obtain some of your bees ; that is,
can I gain live years by commencing
where you are now V Some bee-keep-
ers have remarked, in my presence,
that " Ileddon's bees were nothing
but hybrids ; anybody can get hybrids
easily enough, without obtaining his
hybrid queens." Now, what I wish
to know is, if your hybrids are super-
ior to the hybrids that would naturally
result, at once, from a cross between
the dark Italian and the brown Ger-
man varieties, or whether, by selec-
tion and care, you have developed a
superior strain of hybrids ; that is,
superior to what would result nat-
urally at once from a cross between
the above mentioned varieties. In a
year or two more, if I get well started
in the production of comb honey, I
shall cut loose from this band-busi-
ness. I shall make the production of
comb honey my speciality, then if any
vrish to obtain my queens they can
take such queens as I know to be
best, or they can let them alone. Now,
it is my honest opinion that the kind
of bees that you have, are the best for
the production of comb honey, and I
wish to know which is the simplest,
easiest, quickest and bestw'ay to stock
my apiary with siicli bees, and 1 feel
certain that you will let neither mod-
esty nor self-interest influence you in
giving me advice upon tlie subject.
W. Z. Hutchinson.
Kogersville, Mich., April 16, 1883.
I started into this business with the
purchase of 48 colonies of black or
German bees, all in box hives except
eight, which were in old-fashioned
Langstroth hives. They were pur-
chased of farmers about this vicinity,
not buying more than six of any one
person ; generally gotten in lots of
1, 2 and 3. Six colonies were bought
of one Mr. Southerland. Let us call
these the S. bees. Not knowing
enough about the business at that
time to keep busy all the time with
this apiary, and bees being a new and
mysterious thing to me, I spent many
hours sitting close to the hives and
watching the little sharp and indus-
trious individuals come and go, and
guard the entrance. I was not long
in discovering that different colonies
possessed remarkably different char-
acteristics and looks. Right away I
became attached to the S. bees, and
the superiorities that these colonies
plainly manifested, were very well
marked in each and every colony.
With these superior traits, was a
marked physical difference ; these
bees were all larger and lighter in
color than any of the other 42 colonies.
Five colonies purchased of Mr. II
were the meanest and most worthless
colonies in the apiary. Every colony
was vicious, and seemed to spend
most of their time "seeking whom
they might devour." They never
looked into the .surplus boxes that
season. The season was the worst in
my experience. But little honey was
gathered, and the 6 S. colonies (all in
box hives) had more than all the rest
added together. The 5 H. colonies
were the smallest and blackest bees
in the yard. Ever since I have noticed
that traits and marking like the
above, keep company with each other
wherever I have seen German bees.
A few seasons later I got bright
three-banded Italians of several promi-
nent breeders. These Italians pos-
sessed some points of merit over my
brown S. strains, but on the whole,
they were not their equal for the api-
cultural pursuit of dollars and cents.
Crosses between the two races were a
cross "cross." 1 wished I had never
seen them. I wrote against the Ital-
ian bee. and the trade in them. The
" hybrids " were pretty good workers,
better than the pure Italians, but too
irascible for comfort. While I was
freely exclaiming my disgust for
these Italians, Mr. Oatman, of Dun-
dee, said to me : " If you will just try
some of my stock, vvhich is of the
dark leather-colored Dadant impor-
tation, you will become a convert to
the Italian bee, I feel sure."
Always open to conviction, I tried
once more, and sure enough, I did
find these bees vastlv superior to the
bright, shorter bodied Italians. At
the time of their advent into my
apiary, I had bred my colonies, nearly
all, to these brown Germans, and, as
I suppose all do, who breed bees, had
selected colonies of the best qualities
to breed from. This was forced upon
me, as I was somewhat mixed up with
some of the inferior blood. Not much
so, however, as severe winter losses
had assisted me to rapidly get rid of
this blood. As good as these dark
Italian bees were, the brown bees
still possessed some marked traits of
superiority over them. Of course,
crossing between these races took
place at once, and I soon had the
happy privilege of observing bees that
possessed more valuable characteris-
tics, valuable to him who wants protit
from the business than either one of
the races in their purity.
A curious fact here presented itself.
None of the crosses (or hybrids) be-
tween the brown German and dark
Italian bees were bad in temper.
Both of their parent strains were the
mildest of their races, and the crosses
are just as amiable as any bees I ever
handled.
That was about six or seven years
ago, and since that time I have, in as
great a measure as practical, directed
the breeding and crossings, and with-
out knowing the reason why, colony
No. 36 gathered more than No. 29,
and believing that whatever the rea-
son might be, the law of hereditary
claimed it for its own. I have bred
from the colonies that gave me the
most surplus honev, and were the best
behaved toward their operations and
each other. These two, have I made
the vital points. I soon learned that
I need not care for the number of
rings. Two years ago I sold to Mr.
Shirley my Glenwood apiary. At that
time the bees were of my mixed races,
as mentioned above. Mr. Shirley is
an energetic and skilled apiarist, and
a master at breeding, but he has a
fancy favoring the rings, and he has,^
in breeding, added to my list of good-
nature and honey gathering qualities,
the other pointof three bands, and
he works with my bees liere some
every season, and I cannot but believe
that he will agree with me that he
cannot see that his bees are any better,
in any respect, than my hybrids, as
Mr. II. 's acquaintances are wont to
call them. They are hybrids, but I
avoid tlie use of that word, for it has
been made to sound ugly, because of
the old irascible crosses that went
by that name. I think that Mr.
Hutchinson has made a wise determi-
nation, and one that he will not regret.
I am satisfied that, with good bees,
proper fixtures, and the clear calcula-
tion of Mr. H., the production of comb
lioney has far more protit with it than
any queen business.
This is not all. I find that the time
has come when large numbers of bee-
keepers are looking at the matter as
does Mr. H. and myself, and I predict
that, within two years, four-fifths of
the bees sold in this country, will be
ordered for their merits, and not for
anv special number of bands.
I have frankly told you of my ex-
perience in the matter, and once more
given my deductions, drawn from that
experience, and I leave Mr. Hutchin-
son to answer the rest of his ques-
tions from the reasonings of his own
brain.
Dowagiac. Mich.
For the Amertcan Bee Journal.
Old Fogy's Plan of Bee-Culture.
FRANK. B. RIFK.
The terrors of winter has passed,
which has kept our little workers con-
fined for so long ; spring has opened
again, and the busy hum of their
wings is heard from morning till
night, gathering the nectar from the
wild flowers.
I wintered my bees on the summer
stands, with excellent results. I put
13 on a long bench in November, and
boarded up the west side, so as to be
,THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
237
a protection against the west winds,
and they came out all right this
spring, all being very strong but two,
which were weak in the fall. Bees,
in this locality, are booming this
spring ; they are getting such an early
start on the elms, etc. ; the peach
bloom is just coming in, and the pros-
pect is good, 1 dealt considerably in
the fur business this last winter,
which afforded me a great deal of
traveling ; in which I paid the great-
est attention to bees and the differ-
ent methods of bee-keeping, during
the winter. I saw all kinds of bee
hives, from the old-fashioned log gum,
to the finest movable frames, and
among them all, the Langstroth hive
is my choice, for it has more advan-
tages than any other hive that I have
seen. I inquired of all the bee-keep-
ers I met, their method of manage-
ment, and their opinion of the mov-
able frame hives, and found that all
who had used the movable frame
hive, were well satished there with.
I fell into company, for a night,
with an old man who keeps bees in
the old log or st\imp hives. Quite a
number of the old log gums were
scattered throughout an old half-
pruned orchard, which looked like so
many stumps or ash gums, and, see-
ing no supers or caps, 1 asked the old
gentleman how he obtained a surplus
of honey from his hives, as I saw no
caps. " Caps ! What do I want with
caps? I see, young man," said he,
" tnat you know nothing at all about
bee-keeping and honey taking, and I
will tell you something about bees and
honey, and ray experience is worth
listening to. In the first place, cut
down a hollow lime or sycamore tree,
saw off 25 or 30 hives ; then cut and
nail a clapboard top on each of
them, then bore four auger holes
about the middle of each ; now, make
two tapered pins and drive into
them." "Why make the pins tapered,"
I asked. " I will tell you by-and-by.
Chink around the tops with rags, and
they are ready for the bees. After
the bees have stood in them for four
irs, they are old enough to take,
take the honey, you must do this :
About harvest, take a gum, turn it
upside down, set an empty one on the
top, draw a sheet around the joint
where the two gums meet, drum on
the lower gum with a stick, and scare
the bees up into the empty one. Three
or four can take hold of the gums and
lay them upon a couple of good, stout
fence rails, laid sloping upon the
fence. Now bring a bread tray to
catch the dripping honey, pry off the
head of the hive, roll up your sleeves,
aiid go to work with your smoker and
knife, and you will soon have a tub
full of honey. After you have emptied
the old hive, place the new one, and
the bees, on the old stand, and you
will be all right. But they will not do
to take until they are four years old.
You see you can have 8 or 10 to take
every harvest, and always have a
supply of honey on hand." "E.xactly,"
said 1 ; " but do you not believe mov-
able frame hives would be ahead of
all your plans V" Tut, tut," said he,
" I have never seen one, neither do I
want to ; I have heard enough about
¥:
them to know that my plan is much
better ; much better, sir. Don't you
see that a hive full of drawers and
shelves would discourage the bees,
and wouldn't be worth a cuss. If
you want to raise bees, you take my
plan, and you will have lots of bees
and lots of honey, and become well
satislied that I know all about bees."
Malaby, O., April 17, 1883.
Planter's Journal.
Bees and Honey in Mississippi.
O. M. BLANTON.
The following is a tabulated state-
ment of the apiaries of Judge Harri-
man and Messrs. Adams and McLen-
don, of Chicot County, Arkansas, and
o
E
CO
Robert J. Adams
G. C. Vaught
Judge H. A. Harriman. .
Wm McLendon
>
P
Cn M 05 05
0300I COW
No. of Colonies
Spring, 1882.
0
02
00 OOO^Cn
No. of Colonies
Fall, 1882.
1— '
C5CK OOl to
Swarms Lost.
o
lOOOOW
Pounds of
Extracted Honey.
0
4
2
00
00 — 1— lO
OOOOUJ
Pounds of
Comb Honey.
OCD -^ Ci'— '
00 I—" a: *- Ml
h^ — OOi GO
tOOOOOi
Total Pounds
of Honey.
S
loco )— ' C5 to
O OGo c;i 00
Pounds
Per Colony.
g
O O O Cii 00
Pounds of Wax.
$
2
lo <*
Ol -J Ol (X '— '
10 a: 0 *] CO
»^ 0 0 en 10
Total Proceeds.
" toco
0 ^ CO .— ^
a; oco -3GO
COCOOCOrf^
Proceeds
Per Colony.
4
to
CO
a-.
005 to CO l-»
to 0 01 -J to
No. of Increase
of Colonies.
M
CO
i
o
o
00000
00000
Value of
Increase.
HI
■
1
to '^
"00 CO -^ CO *-■
CO ^OCn »^
00 O Ol 00 CO
CO Ol .*- <ICn
^I 0 0 Ol to
Total Proceeds
of Apiary.
CO
g
H- -J ^ to ■f'
'-' CO 04- CO
OCO -JOiC»
CB 01 CO OSh^
Total Proceeds
Per Colony.
Mr. Vaught and myself, of Washing-
ton County, Mississppi. The labor
and shipping cases are not deducted
from the proceeds. We consider the
season of 1882 as more than an aver-
age one, but by no means extraordi-
narv.
Judge Harriman's report is excel-
lent, when you consider the great loss
of swarms ; his apiary is in a grove of
forest trees, and he failed to clip his
queen's wings, and, besides, he neg-
lected his bees, owing to his judicial
and plantation duties.
Bee-keeping is a science, and re-
quires a great deal of study. With a
reasonable amount of entlmsiasm,
hard work and strict attention, one
man can attend to 100 colonies.
With comb foundation as a guide,
that the bees may build their combs
straight; with the movable frame, to
manipulate your combs and bees with
ease ; the uiicapped knife and extrac-
tor, to remove the honey by centrifu-
gal force ; the smoker to quiet the
little workers, and the queen cage to
control and introduce your queen—
with this furniture, so to speak, you
are prepared for work ; and without
any one of these you will certainly fail.
Honey sliould be taken from the
hives almost as rapidly as the bees
gather it, at least every ten days ; and
when they are bringing in the nectar
rapidly, I extract from every comb
that has any honey, even in the brood-
chamber, and when not capped over ;
running the extractor slowly enough
to discharge the honey without throw-
ing out the eggs and larvfe. In a few
hours there is enough honey stored
for feeding the young bees. VVhen
the honey flow slackens, go slow with
your extractor, and never extract
when the flow ceases. I ripen the
honey by evaporation in large tanks
covered with cheese-cloth.
I ship in new cypress barrels of 52.5
pounds net, and comb honey in 28
pound cases.
We never plant anything for bees in
this rich alluvial country. Every tree,
shrub and plant yields more or less
honey. I have never known bees to
be aftiicted with any disease.
To make a specialty of bee-keeping
on a large scale, there is nothing that
pays more for the capital invested, but
do'not stippose there is no hard work
in it. The bee-keeper only goes to
church in swarming season, when the
sun goes down.
These tigures seem extraordinary,
yet they can be exceeded by the gen-
tlemen with their present experience
and a good season.
Greenville, Miss.
For the American Bee Journal,
Importing ftueens from the Orient.
FRANK BENTON.
It seems, when one is away off, out
of the pale of civilization, folks do not
always get the stories they hear about
him straight, and, I am sorry to say,
it looks as though some do not quite
want everything to be known just as
it is. The item about me on the first
page of the Bee Journal for Oct, 18,
1882, which, though true, and evi-
dently published in good faith by the
editor, was very liable to create an
incorrect impression among bee-keep-
ers. As therein state(|, I was quite
238
XHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
sick during last summer; indeed, at
three different times during the year,
my life was dispaired of, and, of
course, I did not rear as many queens
as I had hoped to be able to. But I
think tlie season's showing is fair,
considering the pecular ciifflculties
under which one must labor in cul-
tivating bees in the Orient ; and the
fact that the " Mt. Lebanon Apiary "
had to be wholly created after I came
to Beyrout,.at the beginning of last
year, which latter fact should be no-
ticed, since parties in America stated
in 1881, that the apiary had already
been established at Mt. Lebanon. It
■was during my first illiness in 1882,
that Mr, T. B. Blow, of Welwyn,
England, called on me in Beyrout,
having previously visited nie in Cy-
prus, where I left" him when I came
to Beyrout to start the apiary there.
He, alone, is capable of understanding
the numerous difficulties with which
I had to cope at that time. As soon
as possible earthen pots and cylin-
ders containing bees, were purchased
to start up the new apiary, and the
work of transferring colonies, rearing
and shipping queens began. It was
at this time that the weather was un-
favorable, cold rains, then later warm
rains, with bright warm sunshine be-
tween the driving showers. In June
I was very sick with cholera morbus
again. In July came the sad loss of
our only little one. Following this
was a serious attack, resulting, the
physician said, from too great ex-
posure to the tierce tropical heat of
the sun in Cyprus in preceding years.
We had been obliged to " Ree to the
mountain" on account of the condi-
tion of my health, and the Moslem
outbreak "in Beyrout (which, in the
Bee Journal of Aug 16, 1882, was
wrongly located in Cyprus). The cool
air of the upper Lebanon did me
good, and as soon as it was safe I re-
turned to my work. Notwithstand-
ing these interruptions, I was able to
send out, during the season of 1882,
queens to the number of 340, and 3
full colonies (a small amount of honey
and wax were also sold). Of these,
179 were addressed, by express, directly
to Mr. D. A. Jones, of Canada, while
a number of the rest were sent by
mail to parties in England, who, it
was expected, would forward a por-
tion of them to Mr. Jones. From the
latter I never received any definite
statement as to how many of these
queens were safely received, but only
the assertion that many failed to get
through. The cause of poor success
in shipping those sent by express, was
greatly owing, I believe," to the method
of shipping prescribed by the gentle-
man just mentioned. The only ship-
ments to America made during the
past three years, that have been emi-
nently successful, were two lots (one
of 30 queens in 1881, and one of 42
queens in 1882), i)ut up in accordance
with the plan I proposed upon first
landing in Cyprus in 1880. I have
met with fair success, sending queens
from Cyprus and Syria by mail to dif-
ferent parts of Europe, except when,
this last year, some 40 fine Syrian and
Palestine queens were seized in Lon-
don, and sent to Paris (having been
mailed at a French post-office in
Syria), after which I got them back
at the end of about six weeks, all
dead!
I sent the first queens by mail from
Cyprus to Europe in June, 1880, as
can be seen by reference to the British
Bee Journal for July, 1880, wliere the
method employed is described and
the cage illustrated. With this form
of cage as a basis, changing from time
to time conditions of putting up to,
suit the season of year, and as further
experience suggested, I think I have,
with the help of one modification
suggested by a friend in England suc-
ceeded in finding out how to be suc-
cessful in sending queens from the
East to distant lands. It must be
borne in mind that it is a journey of
3,000 miles, 1,.500 of it by sea. in a sub-
tropical climate, where hot desert
winds are particularly trying for the
bees, which are buried in tlie ship's
hold, under tons of other mail matter.
During the coming season I shall
try to send some queens by mail from
Europe to America. I believe I would
have succeeded in doing this, last
year, had not the 40 queens been
seized in England ; for some of these
packets were experimental ones ad-
dressed to Mr. D. A. Jones. Some of
the English postal regulations are
very troublesome, and, among these,
is that which excludes queen-bees
from the mails. The bee-keepers of
England ought to protest en masse,
and keep protesting until permission
is granted to send queens by mail.
Tills is surely one reason that has
tended to make the introduction of
Italian and other improved bees very
slow in England. Our British cou-
sins, so progressive in many other re-
spects, have not even a packet post,
without which we would liardly
think we could get along.
Athens, Greece, March 30, 1883.
Written for the Kuns.is State Board of Agriculture
Bee-Keeping— Past and Present,
niRAM J. WARD.
The subject of bee-keeping has
claimed the attention of many of our
most learned men of ancient and of
modern times, who look upon it as a
science worthy of their study and
their philosophy, finding in the honey
bee an insect worthy of better care
and attention than it formerly re-
ceived. Gratwell. Schirach, and IIu-
ber the elder, were among those of
antiquity who devoted their time and
wisdom to the advancement of the
knowledge of the habits and charac-
ter of these insects ; and to the latter,
especially, we are indebted for much
that it is of estimable value in the
studies of the naturalist. Although
he became blind at the early age of
1.5, his works gave an impulse to this
branch of rural industry in Europe,
which caused the management of bees
in common hives to be brought to a
high degree of perfection ; his experi-
ments being conducted by his affec-
tionate wife, and going so far as to
count a full colony one at a time.
Debauvoy, in the forepart of this cen-
tury, invented his movable-frame
hive, but it was found to be inconven-
ient for general use, and it has been
improved and impoved, until we now
have hives to suit all men.
At the present day the bee-keeping
world are agitating the production or
the Apis-Americana, or the " coming
bee," that it is hoped will be able to
reach the nectar in our deepest
flowers — such as red clover, thistles,
etc, and will produce one, two or
three hundred pounds of honey per
colony. The idea of stripes or color
has passed away with specialists, and
now they breed for business. Occa-
sionally one, who still sticks to the
common black bee, warmly defending
their excellences. While we all have
to agree that they produce the whitest
of comb honey, I think I cau safely
say that nine-tenths of tlie bee-keep-
ers of to-day would prefer the Ital-
ians, for they possess more excellences
than any other strain that has been
introduced yet; being more docile
than the blacks, also much larger, and
can carry heavier loads against our
strong winds, and breed faster— keep-
ing their hives full of workers. My
advice to all bee-keepers would be to
Italianize all of the bees in their
neighborhood, and then they can be
sure of keeping their bees pure. But
if they allow any black colonies to be
kept within two or three miles of
them, they will have to be very watch-
ful if tliey get any purely-mated
queens, because the queen goes out in
the air to mate, and the black drones
being smaller and swifter, outstrip
the heavy Italian ; and the conse-
quence is, you have a queen produc-
ing hybrid bees. This can be pre-
vented by any judicious apiarist, to a
large extent, by rearing drones from
the best Italian colonies, cutting all
drone comb out of the black colonies,
and not allowing them to rear any
drones.
The hybrid bees has admirers, too,
for they produce beautiful comb
honey, and are very industrious ; very
often storing more than either the
blacks or pure Italians ; but they are
more irascible than the pure of blacks
or Italians, often being very annoy-
ing to everybody and everything that
moves. But anyone cau put up with
considerable trouble to be rewarded
wdth a lot of choice honey, for they
are indefatigable workers. They, too,
are larger than the blacks, although
they do not all have stripes. Some of
them are pure black, while others
have stripes across their abdomen;
and, in fact, are pure Italians. Yet
queens reared from these will have
hybrid drones— the drones being wliat
the mother is ; if she is pure Italian,
her drones will be pure Italian ; if she
is black, the drones will be blacks; or
hybrid, the drones will be hybrids.
Wliile many of our best apiarists
advocate breeding from the swarms
that store tlie most honey, irrespec-
tive of the color of tlie queen or
drones, others recommend selecting a
pure colony to rear queens from, and
select their best working colony to
rear drones from. I have never reared
queens only for my own use, and I
have always selected good, large bees.
THE AMERICAJSt BEE JOURNAL.
239
and as near pure as possible, to breed
queens from ; taking my second best
for drones, and preventing any others
from rearing drones by removing all
droni? combs, or cutting the drones'
heads off, just before they are ready
to hatch ; and I liave a strain of bees
now that winter well, and store as
large an average as any in this coun-
try. My average for 1882, was 82
pounds per colony, the yard through,
although my best went 12U to 140 per
hive. One-third of my surplus was
in small sections, weighing from 1 to
\}4 find 2 pounds each. Honey put up
in such packages sells readily, when
compared with the surplus boxes that
were formerly used.
A word to those who are thinking
of investing in bees will be in order
now ; and it will be the old adage used
so often : " Make haste slowly." By
this I mean, do not invest in more
than two or three colonies at first, for
they will mnlLiply faster than you will
learn to handle them ; and if not prop-
erly cared for, your profits will come
out on the debtor side. Beginners
must have a little adaptation to their
work, or they will fail to reach the
financial goal ; for bee-keeping now,
and in the future, is not as it was
when "father kept bees." It has
been reduced to a science, and will be
more scientific in time to come ; only
those that keep pace with the im-
Erovement, and have a liking for the
usiness, will be successful — and bee-
keeping is becoming a specialty with
hundreds of scientific bee-keepers. It
should be a separate occupation, for
the simple reason that any one posted
In the improvements up to the pres-
ent, can produce honey cheaper than
those who have only a colony or two
out back of the smoke-house, which
are looked after only in swarming-
time, or time to rob, by killing them.
Let the same person just raise one
more hog, and when fattened and sold,
it will buy more honey from any prac-
tical apiarist than he would get from
his two or three colonies, with less
trouble or money invested. Indiffer-
ent or careless bee-keepers allow the
bee-moth to accumulate, and by so
doing, make it more labor for the suc-
cessful bee-keeper to rear good busi-
ness bees, upon which lie depends for
the bread and butter for his family
and himself.
Again, where a man has a love for
the business of handling bees, it is a
very remunerative employment, and
will give him valuable lessons of his
duty toward his fellow-man ; also
teaching him that great results often
have small beginnings. For instance ;
each head of clover contains about 60
distinct llovver tubes, each of which
must, therefore, have a portion of
sugar not e.xceeding the one-hun-
dredth part of a graiu. The proboscis
of the bee must consequently be in-
serted into 500 clover tubes before
one grain of sugar can be obtained.
There are 7,000 grains in a poimd, so
that for every pound of sugar pro-
cured in this way, 3.500,000 flower
tubes must be emptied. Honey, how-
ever, contains three-fourths of its
weight of dry sugar, so that every
pound of honey is equivalent to more
than 2,500,000 clover tubes sucked by
bees. Yet how few people realize, or
even have one thought of the amount
of labor performed by the industrious
honey-bee, in storing a hundred
pounds of surplus honey. Nor do
they think how rapidly they increase,
for it is known that the queen has de-
posited as many as three to four thou-
sand eggs in 24 ^ours ; and in 21 days
they all emerge from their cells per-
fect bees, there being about 35,000 to
40,000 workers in a good colony. It
would only take a few days to rear a
full colony if they did not work them-
selves to death ; but the entire colony
becomes new, every two to three
months during the working season,
owing to the amount of honey obtained
and distance traveled in gathering it.
Some people may think this a wild
assertion, yet after 14 years' experi-
ence, I know what I speak ; and to
any one that does not believe it, I
would say, try it yourself, as I have.
By getting an Italian queen, and in-
troducing her into a black colony, in
three months they will not find a sin-
gle black bee in the hive if the queen
IS a pure Italian ; and it is a conceded
fact that the Italians are the best, all
things considered, for general use,
although wehave in the LJnited States
six different strains of bees — the com-
mon black, Italian, Holy Land, Syr-
ians, Albinos and German — all hav-
ing their friends, although the Holy
Land and Syrians are very cross,
while the Albinos are the most quiet
in handling, and also slower in honey
gathering, often not storing enough
for their own use ; while it is claimed
that one cross of either two of these
kinds improves them, with the possi-
ble exception of Italians, that are sus-
ceptible of weeding out a little in
order to secure good honey gatherers.
I think for the specialist the Langs-
trotli hives are the best, because they
are capable of tiering up, by putting
one above the other in time of a large
honey flow, and when the apiarist is
taxed to his utmost to give the bees
room to prevent swarming, and
thereby secure tlie best results in sur-
plus honey. They are also well
adapted to the storing of comb and
extracted honey ; and being in gen-
eral use, all of the supply dealers
have hives, frames and sections, in
the flat, ready to put together, singly
or in any amount wanted ; and spec-
ialists are adopting the same hive, in
order that they can order, on short
notice, surplus sections, and have
them fit without trouble. I have used
the original American hive, patented
by II. A. King & Co., of New York
city ; the hive being isy square by 21
inches high, outside measurement,
with nine movable frames in them;
the top part of the frame being 1?^^
inches wide, forming a complete floor
or tlie top to the hive, when all of the
frames are in, and each frame has a
slot % by 2 inches tlirough them, for
the bees to pass through into the sur-
plus boxes above, and it is my opin-
ion, that for farmers or those who
want only a few colonies, that the
American is the best hive they could
use ; but would advise any one who
intends to invest in bees, to visit a
well-established apiary and look at
the different hives in use, and there
he could learn more in one day, in a
practical way, than he would" learn
from books in a month. Our most
practicable apiarists advocate the ne-
cessity of students spending one sea-
son in the employ of a specialist,
thereby learning "tlie trade, so to
speak, at the end of which time they
are competent to take charge of an
apiary of 80 to 100 colonies, with rea-
sonable certainty of making a success
of it ; and I can speak for all bee-
keepers, and say that, as a class, they
are always willing to give advice to
beginners, or if visited, will show
them the advantages of the different
hives that they may have in use. It
will repay any one tor such a visit, to
see the "different kinds of bees, for
almost all bee-keepers have two or
more strains, and they are all looking
for the coming bee, the Apis-Ameri-
cana.
Farmington, Kansas.
For tlie American Bee JoumaL
ftueen Rearing.Raspberry Honey, etc
p. p. N. E. PBLISSIEE.
I was surprised, on reading an arti-
cle by W. C. Jennison, on page 119.
He must use hard lumber to make
his frames. Let him use soft pine
and he will find that by pulling a little
on the fine wire, or passing a piece of
iron or hard wood over it, it will be
imbeded sufficiently deep, so as not to
interfere with the scraping of wax or
propolis.
As for queen-cells, if he lets his
bees swarm naturally, he does not
need to cut queen-cells over wires, and
thereby spoil his well-built worker-
combs ; he has simply to destroy those
that he does not wish to hatch. If
he wants to rear queens, tlie best way
is to have frames without wires, fasten
one or two bars (according to depth of
frame) inside of the frame, parallel
with the top and bottom bars ; fasten
a strip of foundation to each of these
bars, and set one or two of these
frames in the centre of the hive con-
taining the best queen. In less than
24 hours, the comb foundation will be
drawn out and every cell will contain
an egg. Every bee-keeper knows
how to have the queen-cells started,
and he will have no difliculty in cut-
ting them out large enough so that
they can be simply fastened on
another frame with a common pin,
which will save the mutilating of
combs.
The statement that Mr. Jennison
clipped from the ..4?»eri!can Cultivator
is wrong, so far as red raspberries are
concerned. The flowers of red rasp-
berries yield whiter, nicer and better-
flavored honey, and in larger quanti-
ties than even the much-praised white
clover.
The bees are good judges of honey ;
they will invariably gather from the
bloom that vields the richest nectar,
even if the secretion is not .so great as
in other bloom. Here, the white
clover is of spontaneous growth ; it
may be seen everywhere ; if a fire
240
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
runs into the forest, fire-weed and
■white clover will generally grow the
same summer ; fire-weed makes ex-
cellent fall pasturage for bees. It
yields honey from Aug. 15 to Oct. 1.
I have hundreds of acres of white
clover and red raspberries within
reach of my bees, who invariably de-
sert the white clover the moment
raspberry bushes begin to bloom.
Bees are in splendid condition, win-
tering finely ; mine were put in the
cellar on Nov. 10, and look as if they
could bear confinement three or four
months longer ; this, I attribute, to
the thick, wholesome honey they have
in the hives ; honey gathered from
raspberry and goldenrod. We are
having the coldest and dryest winter
in the memory of the inhabitants.
Every one "seems to have set his
mind upon a standard frame. Why
not adopt a frame 10 inches deep by
15 inches long, inside? Such a frame
will contain 150 square inches, which
is about the average size of frames in
use. The Langstroth is too shallow
to winter successfully in the North,
and almost all other frames are too
deep for the production of comb
honey with success ; besides, if we
run for extracted honey, by using a
second story, we have a hive of just
the right height ; whereas, if deeper
frames are used, I would not like to
use a second story, in a locality ex-
posed to liigh winds.
Felissier, Quebec, March 10, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Section Eacks.Crates and Separators.
The leading questions, just now,
are. What sized sections, and What
kind of a rack or crate shall we use, to
hold the sections in place on the
hive, for comb honey V After experi-
menting considerably with different
kinds of crates, I have settled on this
as the rack. It is very simple ; if made
properly will adjust itself to the top of
the hive, although it may not be level ;
it is just the thing for tiering up,
whether used with separators or not.
It suits me, and all that I have shown
it to. and who have used it, think it
about right.
For sections, 5 or 6 inches deep, slit
out the stuff lJ-2 or 2 inches wide
(turn up edgewise, to nail together) ;
tor small sections not more than one
inch wide. (I prefer to use sections
running parallel with the frames, for
several reasons). 1 cut two pieces J4
inch longer than the length of the
sections, m a row, from front to back
of hive ; these are the side pieces for
the rack. Next cut the end pieces J2
inch longer than the width of the sec-
tion, from side to side of the hive,
adding to them the thickness of the
side pieces. Nail them on the ends
of side pieces with one nail in each
corner. This will let it adjust itself
to tlie top of tlie hive. Cut some
sticks, as long as the width of the
hive, one inch wide, and as thick as
the space between the top bar and the
top of the hive ; place these sticks
crosswise of the hive, so that they will
come under the ends of the sections,
when they are placed on ; (these sticks
will kill less bees than putting on a
whole crate, filled with sections, at
once, and I tliink it is more easily
cleaned). Lay on the frame and fill
it with sections and separators, if you
use tliem, key up with a stick, which
is as long as the length of the rows of
sections, 1 incli wide aiid '^ inch thick,
having one edge chamfered off. For
tiering up, place a block on each side
of the top of the lower section rack,
just long enough to hold the upper
rack at the proper height. The bees
will work in sections without separa-
tors sooner than with them (especially
if the sections are small), but I find
objections. One year, I fastened the
sections together (without separa-
tors) before placing tliem on the hive ;
took them off and sold them, just as
they came from the hive, and being
fastened together, I could not assort
them. I had something over 7,000
lbs. in this condition, and I lost 3
cents per pound on the lot, by not
h.aving it properly assorted, and my
customers would have been better
pleased. If, in a crate, there is some
dark honey on the outside, it is a hard
matter to make a customer believe it
is white clover in the middle. I find,
when separators are not used, with
large sections, and honey is not com-
ifig in rapidly, the Ijees are sure to fill
one side at a time of the combs, near
the outside of the section crate ; this
causes the combs to curl into the next
section ; this makes trouble, and often
the outside section will not be filled
on the outside. With separators we
have none of thistrouble. Small sec-
tions will be filled nicer without sep-
arators than larger ones, and some-
times so that they can be glassed.
Oran, N. Y., March 7, 1883,
tror the American Bee Journal-
Tile Best Hive for all Purposes.
DK. J. S. MC ALLISTER.
My experience differs considerably
(from what would seem to be tliat of
Mr. Ileddon's) in regard the Langs-
troth frame, and my experience in
bee-keeping dates back nearly 40
years, when we kept from 30 to 100
colonies in the old-fashioned way. I
have traveled some,and am acquainted
with many very successful bee-keep-
ers who, together with myself, do ni>t
consider it safe to keep a valuable col-
ony of bees in the Langstroth hive
(tlie year round). As far as surplus
honey is concerned, either comb or
extracted, I believe that there can be
as much secured with side storing as
top storing, with the proper sized
frame and hive to hold tiiem, and I
think of all the sizes in use, the
"American " comes the nearest to the
most practical size.
Witli a plain hive, about 2 ft. long,
a bee-keeper can have 8 frames tor a
brood nest, and room at each side for
18 one-pound sections, making 38 at a
time, by placing them in edgeway to
the brood frames, and leaving room on
tlie top for as many more as he may
wish. I like but very little upward
ventilation. The past winter I win-
tered 24 out of 25, the brood nest being
sealed and packed nearly as tight as a
drum, except that the entrance was
open about 2 inches ; the colony that
died was ventilated the most. I use
tight top-bars and winter on the sum-
mer stands. On page 001, of Septem-
ber number for 1882, bended an
Amateur's Success, is a partial report
for what I done with 3 colonies. The
full increase was 27, and with the
honey to take out of the hives this
spring, will make the surplus honey
the product of tlie 3 colonies and in-
crease, nearly 500 pounds. I. like
many others, have the pure unadulter-
ated Italians, and 1 am starting an
apiary at a point where there are no
other bees kept for more than 20 miles,
in any direction, for the purpose of
keeping them pure.
Columbus, Neb., April 20, 1883.
Practical Farmer.
Making Ready for the Harvest.
W. G. PHELPS, M. D.
Nothing goes so far towards assur-
ing success in bee-keeping as a state
of preparation for the forth coming
honey season. This preparation con-
sists not simply in having surplus
hives ready for expected swarms. To
be prepared in every sense of the
word, means, 1, well-populated hives ;
2, accessible surplus department ; 3,
the use in boxes of starters or comb
foundation ; 4, right management at
the right time.
Taking up these essentials, in the
order named, let me explain. A well
populated hive means a hive well
crowded with bees at the opening of
white clover bloom. This can be
accomi)lished best by the stimulative
method, and by feeding up. You may
ask, ■' does it pay V" Yes, tenfold ;
particularly if your bees are short of
natural stores, and are gathering none
from without. Not th:it tlie bees
convert the sugar fed them into honey,
but rather into bee muscle, which,
taking wing untiringly, gather na-
ture's sweets, to store it, in more than
compound ratio, for the owner. A
normal colony of bees contains not
less than 20,000 of these industrious
insects. The younger portion of these
assume the duties of nurses and
wax-workers, while the other workers
become the veteran honey gatherers.
A less number of bees than above
stated will store up for their owners
much less honey, in proportion, than
if up to or in excess of that. Wliat I
mean is thus illustrated : Two colo-
nies, each consisting of 12,000 bees,
would, as ordinarily kept, store no
honey in the caps. The same bees
combined in one colony, would yield,
even by the simplest management,
from .50 to 100 pounds. The reason is
this, about so many bees are neces-
sary to keep up the required heat of
the hive and do the " chores," or
household work, so as to speak. They
will not enter the surplus boxes, un-
less conditions as regard heat, wax-
working, etc., are all right. They are
less able to defend their house against
THE AMERICA]^ BEE JOURNAL.
241
robber bees, and many stay home for
this purpose who would otherwise be-
come honey gatherers.
2. Accessible surplus department.—
Let our bees be ever so strong, if the
depository for the surplus comb honey
be not accessible, the bees will be loth
to enter it. To work and transform
the wax (a secretion of their bodies)
into the wondrously-formed honey
comb, requires a heat of at least 85
degrees.
3. Use of "starters" or comb foun-
dation.—"Starters'' are simply pieces
of nice natural comb fastened with
melted wax to the top of the box. In
the absence of combs,comb foundation
may be fastened to the top, in the
same manner. The use of it can be
relied upon to increase the yield of
honey from at least 25 to 50 per cent.
It encourages bees to commence work
in the boxes, and saves them a vast
amount of work in comb building.
4. Ri<jht management at the right
time.— Many who keep bees make a
great mistake in putting on boxes
long before it is expedient to do so.
Wait until the clover bloom is just
ready to open, and then beware of
putting on too many at once. Mean-
while keep all openings in the honey
board well closed and the cap filled
with dry leaves, cliafE or cut straw, to
prevent loss of heat from the breeding
department.
Galena, Md.
For the American Bee JoumeJ.
Putting Foundation in Sections.
M. C. SMITH.
The accompanying engraving shows
a machine for putting in full sheets of
foundation in section boxes, which I
made in March, 1881. I used it last
season to put in over 3,000 full sheets,
vfith entire success. The table which
holds the pot, is made of tin, cut 7
Inches square ; the edge is turned over
and pressed down to give strength.
The legs are cut out of tin, m inches
wide ; the edges turned over and
pressed down, and long enough to
raise the table i?4 inch above the lamp,
to prevent smoking. Any lamp will
do to melt the wax. The pots are gill
cups, with oil can spouts attached, as
shown in the cut. A common oil can,
with handle, will do as well as the
pots. The block, to the left, is to
hold the foundation in the centre of
the section, while being fastened, and
is made of ^ inch board, 8 inches
long, by 6 inches wide. No. 2, cut to
lit inside of the section, and of the
right thickness to hold the founda-
tion in the centre. Fasten Ko. 2 in
the centre of Ko. 1. Cut the founda-
tion to fit without warping ; place it
in the section on No. 2 ; hold the block
in the left liand, in such a manner as
to allow the drop of wax to run down
along the section and the edge of the
foundation. From 1 to 3 drops will
fasten it on both sides and top. Leave
the foundation i^ of an inch from the
bottom of tlie section. Goto your tin-
smith with the above description ; he
will make the tin work, lamp and all,
for less than 75 cents ; you can make
the wood work yourselves.
This is the way I put foundation in
brood frames by a Press. VVlien the
wax is ready, dip the board in the
wax once ; now you liave two thin
sheets. Lay one on the dies ; on this
put the wired frame ; now lay on the
other sheet, close the die book, and
press the two sheets in one. By this
plan you press the wire into the cen-
tre of the foundation. By this method
the wire will not cut the foundation.
Last season I prepared between 300
and 400 frames, as described, and the
bees built every one out into as beau-
tiful combs as I ever saw. You can
hive a bushel of bees on these frames
with success, every time.
Starkville. N. Y.
For the American Bee Juumal.
Saunders Co., Nebraska, Convention.
The Saunders County, Nebraska,
Bee-Keepers' Association, met April
28. 1883. The fact that a large amount
of honey was being imported into this
State was stated as an argument for
a greater effort toward home produc-
tion. To this was coupled the state-
ment that 200 colonies to the square
mile could not gather all the honey.
A report of members on wintering
showed 252 colonies put into winter
quarters. Out of that number 48 col-
onies perished. Many apiaries were
not represented.
There has been a heavy loss of bees
during the winter in this county-
some largely engaged in the pursuit
losing from' half to two-thirds of their
colonies. C. C. Turney, Pres.
J. J. BuRTCH, Sec.
Wilxni and Wiom.
Convention for Northern Iowa.
There seems to be a number of bee-
keepers in tlie northern counties of
Iowa. Why could not a meeting be
held at some central point on the C.
M. & St. P. R'y. V How many vote
ayeV J. G. Bennett.
Emmetsburg, Iowa, April 27, 1883.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for 1883 and Cook's Manual in cloth
for 12.75, or the Monthly and Manual
in cloth for |1.75. As this offer will
soon be witlidrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
When to Paelf Bees for Winter.
Will Mr. James Heddon please an-
swer the following queries in the
Bee Journal : What is the best
time for packing or preparing bees for
winter V What is your opinion in re-
gard to packing them in the forepart
of December, in such a winter as last
winter has been V I would like the
opinions of as many leading bee-keep-
ers as possible on those queries.
Bristolville, O. J. S. Barb.
Answer. — I have never yet been
able to prove satisfactorily to myself,
that very early packing was a benefit.
By all means, I should aim to pack my
bees at such a date that they would
have a good chance to fly several
times, and the first, immediately after
the packing, and get thoroughly ac-
quainted witli their new quarters. I
have maintained for years that I do
not get any advantage from late breed-
ing, and I do not want any undue
early breeding either.
Wired Frames.
Please answer tlie following ques-
tions in the Bee Journal :
1. In wired frames what size of top
bar do you use, and which is the best
way to punch holes in them V
2. How many wires for a Langs-
troth frame, and how near to the end
ijars should tlie first wire be V
3. How near should foundation fill
the frames V
4. Is it not a difficult job, even with
Given's wiring frame or machine, to
get the wire just right, so that the end
bars just so go in?
5. Should the wire be stretched
tight, or must some allowance be
made for it to give, when the die
book is closed, so that it will not
break V H. W. Funk.
Bloomington, 111.
Answers.— 1. I use a top bar %x%,
and bore them on a boring machine
that bores all the holes, in about ten
bars per minute.
2. I use only eight wires per frame,
and I use them all vertically. The
end ones should not be further than %
inch from the end bar.
3. I maintain, against Mr. Root and
others, that it is better and safer
against all bulging, that there be a
space of Js i"ch between the founda-
tion and each end bar, and U to % at
the bottom. Heat expands the wax
sheets.
4. I use the Given press for all wir-
ing, and with the lye process, I al-
ways make up ail my frames com-
242
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
plete, and wire them before I put in
the foundation. I now have no
trouble. Two of my students are,
this moment, in an adjoining room
filling wired frames (a steady jog) at
about three or four to the minute, and
the perfection of the work, makes it
fun for all who witness it. I wish
every reader could see this work.
5. No ; the wire should be woven
quite loosly, as the action of the dies
will take up the slack when the pres-
sure is brought to bear upon it. These
answers are applied to wiring with
No. 36 wire for machine pressing, and
not No. 30 and hand pressing.
Transferring Bees.
1. Eegarding your new method of
transferring bees, where do you place
the old and new hives, after the tirst
drive ?
2. If I unite the second drive with
the first, will they cast a swarm before
the honey season begins V
Devizes, Ont. John S. Riddell.
Answer.— 1. After the first drive
we place the new hive directly on the
old stand, and the old hive a few rods
away to a new stand, unless we mean
to put tlie second drive into the same
new hive, thus avoiding any increase,
when we place the old hive only a
few feet away, and then off to one
side, and partially behind the new
hive.
2. No ; you will not do this driving
till the honey season is just opening.
2. Some otherwise good fertile queens
sometimes liave this fault. 3. A very
prolific queen will often do so when
cramped to a small comb surface. I
presume this is the trouble in your
case.
2. You have a plain case of super-
sedure of a " played out queen." The
bees reared this young queen from the
eggs of the old one, which old one de-
parted about the time the bees began
the new queen. When the new one
hatched, of course there was no brood
young enough to be in the egg or
larval state. You are about in my
latitude, and should have drones fly-
ing in a few days. As queens often
become fertilized 10 to 1.5 days (and
sometimes, we are told, 20 days) after
birth, ihere is hope for this queen, and
my way would be to let the matter
alone ten days or two weeks, and then
examine the combs for eggs.
Freaks of a Queen and Bees,
I am still desirious of " more light."
Thequeen that I spoke of as" coming
to," on April 2, is " performing "
curiously.
1. On my first examination, after
she was introduced to tlie little colony
in the nucleus hive, I found that she
had commenced to deposit her eggs
" all in order," i.e. only one in a cell.
Upon a further examination, to-day,
I found that she was distributing
them quite freely through the few
combs, that are in the hive, but in-
stead of one egg, there are from one
to five. How -can this be explained V
2. Here is another wonderment to a
beginner like me. In looking over
my colonies, to-day, I found one that
had been queenless, but they have
provided themselves with a young
queen, that probably is not more than
48 hours old, and in the whole hive
there is not a singly egg or larva to be
found. What can be done with this
young queen V There are no drones
in my apiary, how am I going to save
this colony and queen ?
H. B. Hammon.
Bristolville, O., April 25,1883.
Answers. — 1. This can be ac-
counted for in the following ways : 1.
Drone layers (unfertile queens) are
apt to lay a plurality of eggs in a cell.
A Cold Wave.
We have had it cold now for nearly
a week ; the mercury standing at 18°
above zero, two mornings. Yester-
day we had 2 inches of snow with a
searcliing wind. As elm and soft
maples were in bloom a week ago, I
set the bees out of the cel'ar, only to
get them caught by this cold wave.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y ., April 26, 1883.
(Jiieeii Rearing — Killing Tree Worms.
The time is near at hand, with us,
when apple trees will be in blossom,
and that is about the time when many
of us begin to sort our nuclei, for
queen rearing, that we may have
queens ready, so that our strong colo-
nies may be divided and be in readi-
ness for the honey harvest. Other
hives may have queens that are old,
or for some other cause need supersed-
ing. I have been in the bee business for
27 years, and have spent much time
and money in rearing queen bees. All
who have but a few colonies of bees,
and especially for those who have
more and wish to improve them, should
procure the new book of Mr. Alley,
which gives the results of 22 years ex-
perience in queen rearing. This tells
hU about how to get good, hardy, pro-
lific queens whose progeny will be
hardy, healthy and good honey gath-
erers. It talks good sound sense, and
is what every bee-keeper should have
before him. When I sat down to
write, I thought I would tell some-
thing about what a hard time we used
to have, killing the worms on our
apple trees, but, as I have run away
from that subject, I will only show
how we destroy them now, as it is so
much nicer than the old way. If we
do not kill the worms, they will kill
the trees. We arm ourselves in the
following manner ; first, we want a
pole long enough to reach the highest
nest ; on the top end tie a rag about
as large as a dish-cloth, or smaller ;
next we want some lye in an iron
kettle, or something convenient to
carry it in ; the lye need not be very
strong, only strong enough to crack
the skins of the worms ; dip the rag
end of the pole into the lye, and give
them one sop, when they are in the
nest. If you have never done this,
you will be surprised to see the
amount of worms you will kill in a
few hours. I prepare the lye in the
following way : Fill a kettle one-half
full of wood ashes, and fill it up with
water ; set it on the stove and bring it
to a boil ; this will be strong enough.
W. H. Balch.
Oran, N. Y., April 23, 1883.
Bees Strong and Residy for Harvest.
My bees are all right. I had 114
colonies in the cellar ; and have lost
six ;some weak colonies I have doubled
up, reducing them to 100 good and
strong. I am now ready for the
honey harvest. J. Stewart.
Rock City, 111., April 28, 1883.
Prospect for Honey Never Better.
The prospects for a good honey
harvest in this locality was never bet-
ter. There is an abundance of wtiite
clover, catnip, etc., which will be in
bloom by tlie middle of this month.
My bees are all in good condition, and
are very busy on the fruit bloom,
which is now at its best. I had two
fine swarms,— one yesterday and one
to-day— the earliest I have ever had.
I am now busy forming nuclei and di-
viding up, so as to be ready to take in
the rich harvest when it comes.
Elvin S. Armstrong.
Jerseyville, 111., May 2, 1883.
Burned Up.
My house, with all its contents, has
been destroyed by fire. My bees got
a scorching, and one hive was burned
up. They had whitered well. I lost
one for want of food, and one was
burned up, leaving me 13 colonies
now. VVm. Mowbray.
Saruia, Ont., April 28, 1883.
Preventing Stings, etc.
Mr. J. II. Stephens, Riverton, Iowa,
wishes to know an antidote besides
whisky, to prevent the dreaded "busi-
ness end" of his bees, when walking
in the yard. He says that the bees
have a natural dislike to him, which
can be avoided by taking a small dose
of whisky, peppermint or anything
that will change the smell of his
breath, which the bees seem to dis-
like, and which exemperates them to
stinging. Wash the hands and face
with the same ingredient, sweetened
with a little sugar ; this will impreg-
nate the skin with odoriferous pers-
piration, which the bees seems to ad-
mire, instead of the objectionable
perfume the body has during manipu-
lation. In the spring of 1882 I bought
one 3-frame nucleus to begin with. I
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
243
increased them to 6, in good condition
for winter. On the first warm day in
April all were doing well, with the ex-
ception of two which were weak in
numbers. One was robbed, through
my own carelessness, so that I have
five to begin the season with. I ex-
tracted, in the first week of Septem-
ber, 80 lbs. of goklenrod honey. I
would like to ask G. B. Jones, Brant-
ford, Ont., if the three entrances
spoken of, on page 210, are more ser-
vicable to winter, than one on a tight
bottom-board i Jos. M. VVisjibr.
Jordan Sta., Ont., April 28, 1883.
Bee-Keeping in Ireland.
You can scarcely imagine wdth what
interest I have re-read the able arti-
cles, during the past year, in the
American Bee Journal. Do not
let me miss any number of this vol-
ume. Long may it be cater for us all.
We have had a very long, wet cold
winter, and it has tried our plans of
wintering. I hope we may all have a
good honey season. Wm. Ditty.
Newtownards, Ireland, April 19,1883.
Bees Breeding Up.
My bees came through in first-class
order. They are breeding up to very
strong colonies at the present date.
All that were put up, either in cellar
or in chaff receptacles on the summer
stands, with chaff box cushion cover,
lived and are in good trim. Those
left upon the summer stands unpro-
tected, and with tight honey-board,
took Heddon's " pollen disease," and
about 10 per cent. died.
E. L. Briggs.
Wilton Junction, Iowa, April 30.
Still Cold in Nortliern Ohio.
There is a cold north wind to-day,
with aclear sky; the ground was frozen
this morning. The past week has
been cold, with two or three mornings
that the thermometer ranged from 27^
to 30 '. Bees have flown but little,
and the maples, elms and willows that
were furnishing them such fine forage
have, of course, been blighted.
P. F. TW^TCHELL.
Andover, O., April 29, 1883.
Problem of Wintering Bees Solved.
The past winter has been the cold-
est ever known here ; notwithstand-
ing which, bees have wintered un-
commonly well. I put 32 colonies in
the cellar on the first of November,
and took them out April 3. All came
out in good order, after the five
months confinement. They did not
have a flight for 15 days, before being
put into the cellar, last fall. The
cellar, that my bees wintered in, dur-
ing the past winter, was very cold ;
potatoes froze solid ; and for weeks at
a time the mercury stood at 123 below
freezing, and I expected to lose heav-
ily ; but all came out right. I have
been so uniformly successful with my
method of wintering bees for the past
13 years, that I think that, to my sat-
isfaction, the problem is solved. I
have never lost but one colony, in the
cellar, that did not starve to death,
and that one was queen less, and con-
tained only a few old bees, when it
was put in. The result of my experi-
ence, in wintering bees, entirely fails
to coroberate many of the scientific
theories advanced by writers on that
subject, and I am content to follow
the course tljat has uniformly proved
successful with me, regardless of
what science may prove, if not sus-
tained by experience. In a future
article I will briefly give my method
of preparing for wintering bees.
O. E. COOLEY.
Ridgeway, Iowa, April 26, 1883.
Ln-poetic Bee-Cnlture.
We are having but little of tlie
poetry of bee-keeping in this state.
A poor honey season, followed by a
winter, quite as disastrous to the bees
here as was tlie winter of 1880-81.
Many bee-keepers have lost all.
My own loss is about 20 per cent.
W. J. Davis.
Youngsville, Pa., May 1, 1882.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
I
Office of amekicax bee JorKNAL. )
Monday. 10 a. m., May 7, 1882. (
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Qiiotatlunfi of Cash Bayers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted is 7c.
for dark and 9c. fur liunt— here. The supply is
abundant imd sales are slow.
BEESWAX— None in the market.
AL. H. Newman, yiia W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY.- The demand for extracted honey is
very good, and arrivals are slow. We pay 7@*i0c.
on arrival. We sold, since last October, more than
600 barrels, and ciur stock is exhausted, while our
customers are relying on us for supplies. Hope our
friends will supply us. No demand for comb
honey, and prices nominal.
BEESWAX.— Arrivals of beeswax are pood, and
prices range from 3n(5i35c. for a pood article.
Chas. F.Muth.
QuotiitloDB or CominliiBlon Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The demand is light and it ia not now
probable that all of the comb honey can be sold
before a new crop comes. Prices are very irrecular
and generally low: i.i>'a.l6c. for white, and dark un-
salable. Extracted, very little trade is being done
in it. 7@9c. is ab<-iul the market.
BEESWAX— 35(a;30c.
R. A. BUKNETT. 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— Buyers are readily obtained for choice
comb or extracted at full figures, but ofi qualities
meet with slow sale.
White comb, ]4('i'i7c.; dark to good. ll@l3c.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8}^@9j^c. ; dark and
candied. 56*"Hc.
BEESWAX— We quote 30cgt33c.
STEARNS & SMITH. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY-Dull; light jobbing sales only. Comb
at KHsiUc — Strained and extracted at 7@7!^c.
Couple lots of pO'jr Comb sold at 10c.
BEESWAX-Sold lightly at 35@36c.
W.T. ANDEUSON & Co.. 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Is a little lower, and at the lower price
it has moved off a little better of late. 1 -lb. sections
of best white sold at I8^@l9c.; second grades,
1-lb., 17c.; li-lb. sections a tittle slow at I7@18c.
Extracted very dull at 9@1 Jc.
BEESWAX— None in market.
A. C. Kendel. U.5 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONE Y— Our market is fairly active. We quote :
!-6 lb. sections at 30C.; 1 lb. sections, 22(st25c.; 2 1b.
sections, liotgi-jiic. Extracted. lOc. per lb. Good
lots ot extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BERSW.\X— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote-
CROCKEK & BLAKE. 57 Chatham Street.
^prjedal notices.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank di-aft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2-5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
\V e wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very .specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to «e(o
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, .50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit. '
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
244
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weeklyj
with $4, will be entitled to a copy or
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder tor the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
^° Our stock of back numbers of
this volume are now getting very low.
Please look over your numbers, and
if any are lacking, send us a postal
card, giving the date of those you
want, and we will send them, if not
all gone. We give this notice, be-
cause, last year, several left it until
the end of the year, and then re-
quested us to send the missing num-
bers. Then it was too late, the num-
bers being all gone. Look them over
«o«;, and you may get them completed.
Foul Brood Pamphlet.— Wishing to
be relieved of sending out my pamph-
let on Foul Brood, I have made ar-
rangements with Mr. T. G. Newman
to supply them to the bee-keeping
fraternity desiring them.
A. R. KOHNKE.
Youngstown, O., April 2.5, 1883.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— W e have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
' gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
H^ Mr. Alley's new book on Queen
Rearing will hereafter cost $1.25
We have received his Circular and
Price List for 1883, which contains 32
pages, and make a nice appearance.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Convention Notices.
i^ The Iowa Central Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold their semi-
annual meeting at VVinterset, Iowa,
on Friday, May 11, 1883. All inter-
ested in anything pertaining to bee-
culture are invited to attend, and
bring anything that will be of interest
to the bee fraternity.
J. E. Prtor, Sec.
A. J. Adkison, Pres.
1^" The Southwestern Iowa Bee-
Keepers' Association will hold its
annual meeting at the apiary of L. E.
Mercer, Lenox, Taylor county, Iowa,
May 26, 1883. Meeting called at 10
o'clock sharp. Forenoon : Election
of officers. Afternoon : Work in the
apiary, when any question, with re-
gard to handling bees, will be practi-
cally explained. Accommodations will
be provided for visitors from a dis-
tance. W. J. Oliver, Sec.
i|^ There will be a meeting of the
Northwestern Illinois and Southwest-
ern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion on Tuesday, May IS, 1883, at Mr.
E. Whitlesey's, two miles south of
Pecatonica, Winnebago County, ID.
J. Stewart, Sec.
Rock City, Stephenson County, 111.
1^ We have a few copies of our
pamphlet entitled " Bee Culture " left,
and have reduced the price from 40
to 25 cents each, or $2 per dozen.
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother " with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am "boss." Bingliam's " Conqueror
Smoker" did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y.. Aug. 15, 1883.
18A4t 5Blt
1^ We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
WAXTEB, by one who has had quite a con-
siderable experience in bee- culture, to enKape
with a practical apiarist for the present season.
No corresptintlence solicited but by those who are
masters of the business. Cimipensation required
according to services rendered. My ape is 64 —
health good. Can (to anywhere on short notice.
Address, L. N. TONGUE, Box 43, Blroy, Wis.
IHA It
1883. JOSEPH D. ENAS, 1883.
(Sunny Side Aptarj',)
Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Colonies, Nuclei,
E.XTRACTORS, COMli FOUNDATION, &c
19c6t Address, Sunny Side Apiary, NAPA, CAL.
A SPLENDID OFFER!
We will send our NKW BOOK ON QUEEN
REARIN(; and Prof. COOK'S new edition of his
MANUAL (both contuin .'■>r)i) solid papes of reading
matter) by mail, on receipt of tii.'Jfi; or both
Books, and a tested Queen of any race, for $3.75.
HENRY ALLEY, Wenhani, Mass.
19A 2t
J. V. CALDWELL,
Cambrtdsre* Henry Co., III.
Manufacturer of Comb Foundation and Dealer
in supplies for the apiary. New circular now
ready. Send for it. 7Al2t
BEE
- KEEPERS, before ordering your
APIARIAN-SUPPLIES
send for our tar^e illustrated cata-
logue. sent free to any address.
£. K.retchnier, Cobiirg:, Iowa.
Given'sFoundationPress.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT affirms that the PRESS
is SUPERIOR for making Comb Foundation either
in Wired Fr:imes or for SECTIONS, and insures
straight and perfect combs, when drawn out by
the bees. Send for Circular and samples.
». S. GITEAT 4Sl CO..
lABtf UOOPESTON, ILL.
E.T. LEWIS & CO., Toledo, Ohio,
Manufacturers of the U. S. STANDARD Honey
Extractor (new improvements), and all other
Apiarian Supplies. Send for circular. I7A .sBtf
Sweet Glover
AND OTHER SEEDS.
Having a large stock of the new crop of Sweet
Clover Seed, I can fill orders at 80c. per pounds
S»4 per peck, or 91& per bushel.
Also, all other SEEDS for HONEY PLANTS.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 West Madison Street, ChicaKO, 111.
CIZSiiF ! CSS AF I
r.ANGSTROTEI HITES !
SIMPLICBTY HIVES!
All kinds of hives and surplus comb foundation,
etc.. etc. Having superior advantages for the-
manufiKturing of hives and of procuring lumber
low, I can furnish very low rates.
Send for descriptive circuliir.
A. D. BEKHAM.
lOAtf Olivet, Mich.
B M ■ n ^^ ^B people are always on the look-
■ ■■ ■ m% ^^out for cbances to increase
■JBI I ^ ^ their earnings, and in tiaie be-
HH ■ ^^ p come wealthy ; those who dO'
HH ■ M.m m improve their opportunities re-
■ ■ I ^0 BBmain in poverty. We offer a.
great chance to make money.
We want many men, women, boys and girls to
work for us right in their own localities. Any on&
can do the work properly from the first start. The
business will pay more than ten times ordinary
wages. Expensive outHt furnished free. No one-
who engages fails to make money rjii>id]y. You
can devote your whole time to the work, or only
your spare moments. Full information and all
that is needed, sent free. Address Stia"«on <t Co.,
Portland, Maine. 8Aly
Golden Italians Again!
One (Jolden Italian Queen, warran-
ted purely mated, *i-r>o. One pure-
ly mated and tested. jiiJ.r.e. One
pure Queen, not warranted, $1.W.
All the above Queens are of the
finest stock in the country. I sold
over 3<M) last season, and had but
one complaint. Fullcoloniesready
to divide, for $10.0(.i ; safe arrival guaranteed.
l7Atf 1.. J. DIEHL. BUTLER. IND.
20 Colonies of Italian Bees
FOR SALE CHEAP,
In I.anRstroth Ilives and all in good condition.
Address, _,^
JAMES 0. PARKER,
19A It WANNKTKA, COOK Co., ILL.
Mornhlne Habit Cnred In lO
to ao duys. No pay until cured.,
J. L. Btephena, M. D.. Lebanon, O,
OPIUM
(^'^ OLDEST BEE PAPER
-■'^ IN AMERICA
.^.
ES TABLISHED (i)l<«V
IN 1661 -
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 16, 1883.
No. 20.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Poisoning Troublesome Bees.
We have recorded many cases where
persons, who object to bees being
kept near their premises, have re-
sorted to poison to rid themselves of
a supposed or real annoyance.
For several years we had from .50 to
100 or more colonies of bees on the
lot behind the Bee Journal office,
and in the fall, when there was noth-
ing for the bees to gather, they be-
came very troublesome to neighbor-
ing grocery stores. In one case they
invaded the store and drove out not
only the customers but the clerks and
the proprietor also. The latter came
to us with his sad complaint and pro-
test, and only regained possession of
his store by the use of brimstone. It
was hard on the bees, but they were
trespassers, and we entered no pro-
test. In order to avert further trouble
with our neighbors, as well as the
city authorities, the bees have been
taken into the country.
Now, suppose, that these bees had
been poisoned, what an amount of
trouble it would have entailed !
We have reports from California
and other localities where trouble has
been experienced in the same direc-
tion—and, in some cases, poisoning
were resorted to.
Our attention has been called to
this matter afresh by the following
article, kindly sent us by some un-
known friend, in a copy of the Younc/
Scientist, published in New York. The
editor remarks as follows :
CAUTION TO BEE-POISONERS.
From notices in several of our ex-
changes we learn that some thought-
less and ignorant persons, urged by
so-called scientific men who certainly
ought to know better, are attempting
to destroy by poison such bees as
annoy them. Aside from the fact
that "such a practice is contrary to
law, to good morals, and to right feel-
ing, those who think of adopting this
vile practice should remember that it
is not at all impossible that they may
take the life of something much more
important than a few bees. Some
human being may fall a victim, and
tiien the poisoner may find himself in
the clutches not only of a guilty con-
science, but of the law. Nor is it
necessary that man, woman or child
should find access to the vessels set
out for the destruction of the bees ;
unless under extraordinary conditions
tlie bees will carry to their hives, be-
fore they die, an amount of poisoned
food sufficient to render the lioney in
their combs virulently poisonous.
This is not a mere surmise or theory,
but a fact, which, some years ago, we
demonstrated clearly and fully to our
own satisfaction. The records of the
experiments were unfortunately de-
stroyed in the great fire which con-
sumed the " World Building " last
January, but the results were so clear
and unequivocal that we can give
tliem from memory without any ma-
terial inaccuracy.
In these experiments we established
small colonies of bees in locations
where they could not mterfeie with
other colonies, and selecting times at
which food was scarce, we fed them
upon syrup to which poison had been
added. In every case we succeeded
in destroying the bees, but it was only
in a very few cases that we failed to
get poison from the honey in the hive,
and in these cases the bees took the
poison only when no other source of
food supply was open to them. In
many cases the bees that carried the
poison to the hive did not seem to
suffer till long after the young bees
were all dead ; in some cases the
queen was amongst the very first to
fall a victim, and next came the young
bees, just emerged from the cells.
We used about a dozen different
varieties of poison in our experiments,
and we fed it to the bees at distances
from their hives varying from three
feet to a mile and a half. Tlie latter,
of course, was easily done by means
well known to every bee-hunter.
When arsenic or Paris green was
used we found no difficulty in detect-
ing arsenic, by means of the usual
chemical tests, in the honey taken
from the hive. A little of the honey
added to the liquid in a Marsh's ap-
paratus readily gave the beautiful
characteristic arsenical mirror, and
some of the honey fed to mice killed
them very quickly.
Nor is this to be wondered at. The
honey-sac of the bee is not a true
stomach, but rather a muscular bag,
which exerts very little action on its
contents. This is readily seen in the
case of the delicate odors of fiovvers
which are retained by the honey in
the comb after it has passed through
the honey- sac of the bee. Hence, we
have clover honey, basswood honey,
buckwheat lioney, etc. — all readily
recognizable after they have been de-
posited in the hive. As might be
supposed, therefore, when the bee has
but a short distance to go, it invaria-
bly succeeds in depositing several
loads of the poisoned honey in the
hive before it succumbs. \Vhen the
distance is very great the case is dif-
ferent, and many bees will then die
on the way, or just after reaching
their hives. But in ordinary cases it
is only those bees whose hives are
quite near that prove an annoyance,
and they are the ones that are least
affected.
To attempt to poison bees, there-
fore, is to attempt to mix poison with a
common and much-valued article of
human fond, and the consequences
may be of the most serious nature.
We feel assured that all that is neces-
sary, in order to put a stop to the
practice, is the diffusion of accurate
knowledge on the subject.
Bees ill Southern Florida. — The
Florida Despatch of last week contains
the following item :
Mr. J. H. Hendrick, the apiarist of
Cedar Key, has commenced transfer-
ring his Italian bees to a more South-
ern locality. Some time since he car-
ried a colony to his new home at
Indian Rocks, Clearwater Harbor,
where he will move his large apiary
as soon as the honey season is over.
1^ After getting a Binder in which
to place the numbers of the Bee
Journal, as received, Mr. F. L.
Dresser remarks as follows : " The
Binder for the Weekly Bee Journal
is received, and I am very much
pleased with it. It doubles the value
of the .Journal, which is saying a
good deal."
246
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bee-Keepers' Guide.
Prof. Cook has just issued the
Tenth Thousand of his Manual of tlie
Apiary. The Professor issued the
first edition himself (a 30c. pamphlet).
Then the six succeeding editions were
published at this office, and 9,000
copies have been sold in six years,
which gives substantial evidence of
its deserved popularity. The preface
to the present edition reads as follows:
In 1876, in response to a desire fre-
quently expressed by my apiarian
friends, principally my students, I
published an edition of 3,000 copies
of the little unpretending "Manual of
the Apiary." This was little more
than the course of lectures which I
gave annually at the college. In less
than two years this was exhausted,
and the second edition, enlarged, re-
vised, and much more fully illustrated,
was issued. So great was the sale
that in less than a vear this was fol-
lowed by the third and fourth editions,
and. in "less than two years, the tifth
edition (seventh thousand) was issued.
In each of the two following years,
another edition was demanded. In
each of these editions the book has
been enlarged, changes made and
illustrations added, that the work
might keep pace with our rapidly-ad-
vancing art.
So great has been the demand for
this work, not only at home and in
Europe, but even in more distant
lands, and so great has been the pro-
gress of apiculture— so changed the
views .ind methods of our best bee-
keepers, that the author feels war-
ranted in thoroughly revising and en-
tirely recasting this eighth edition
(tentli thousand.). Not only is the
work re- written, but much new mat-
ter, and many new and costly illus-
trations are added.
In tills edition, the author also as-
sumes the duties of pul>lisher. In
bidding adieu to the old publisher, I
wish publicly to express my high ap-
preciation, and deep sense of obliga-
tion for the able manner in which
Mr. Newman has performed his share
of the work. I shall still hope for his
wise counsel and advice, from which
I shall surely prolit in the future as
in the past. ' For this, as also for the
able opinions of many other of the
first apiarists of America and Europe,
I wish to express most grateful
acknowledgments.
It is the desire and determination
of the author that this work shall con-
tinue to be the exponent of the most
improved apiculture; and no pains
will be spared, that each succeeding
edition may embody the latest im-
provements and discoveries wrought
out by the practical man and the
scientiist, as gleaned from the excel-
lent home and foreign apiarian and
scientific periodicals. '
It is, perhaps, needless to say that
this Manual covers the entire ground
of apicultural research, and that it is
practical and progressive throughout.
Prof. Cook is an entomologist, a bot-
anist, a passionate lover of the lioney
bee, and his Manual is an admirable
work for all — valuable alike to the
beginner and the more advanced
apiarist.
"Artificial Honey."
Mr. E. C. Jordan, of White Sulphur
Spring, Va., has sent us the following
from Mrs. Dr. Loockerman, of Alexan-
dria, Va., describing the methods of
making "artificial honey," as given in
the Receipt Books of that State :
It is a well-known fact to those even
of a small degree of experience in the
matter, that honey, taken from the
hive in warm weather, soon deterior-
ates ; that it loses its finest qualities,
by the separation of its sugar and the
fluid composing it, the resut of vinous
fermentation. The honey collected
by bees is sometimes found to be
actually iioisonous (see numerous au-
thors), while the honey we present to
the readers of the Old Dominion is so
complete a concentration of pure sac-
charine as to be entirely removed
from all liability of becoming acidu-
lous. It is not known to be subject
to any other change by age than that
of becoming granulous or candied.
And, hence, in the estimation of those
who have been favored with this re-
ceipt, it deserves the title of Superla-
tive Honey. Put one pint of water
and a quarter or third of an ounce of
alum into any nicely cleaned kettle,
over a bright fire, and bring to a brisk
boil. Set the kettle off, and into the
solution therein put four pounds of
number-one crushed or granulated
sugar. Stir together, place over the
fire and bring it to a sharp, brisk boil-
ing for one or two minutes ; remove
from the fire and strain through a
light cotton cloth. In cold weather
use a little more water. When cool
and flavored, let it stand two days be-
fore using.
Flavoring for Superaltive
Honey. — Into a pint bottle put one
ounce of Jamaica ginger, pulverized,
some 1:2 or 1.5 drops otto of rose, and
one pint best alcohol or New England
rum ; shake well once or twice a day
for two or three days. A medium
sized teaspoonf ul of the clear extract
to five pounds of the honey gives it a
most exquisite flavor.
And after all it is but Knimitaiionot
the pure article, though it costs as
much or more than the genuine.
^g" The Fremont, Mich., Indicator
says that Mr. Geo. Hilton laid a couple
of boxes of nice honey on its editorial
desk last fall, and adds: "It is re-
markably fine, and a dish of it will
make a man forget almost all his
troubles." That is the way to do it.
Neic honey will soon be here, and a nice
box taken to the editor of the local
paper will tell others where to get it.
The Time of Honey Bloom.
Mr. Alfred Mottaz, Ottawa, 111.,
sends the following request :
"Will you please give in the Bbe
Journal, the usual time of the blos-
soming of<be principal honey plants?"
The best we can do in this line, is
to give the following from Prof. Cook's
new Manual :
ANNUALS or perennials.
April — Skunk cabbage.
April and May— Danderlion, straw-
berry, ball, and black or blue sage of
California.
May — White sage, of California,
and seven-top turnip.
May and June— Ilorehound, of Cal-
ifornia, sumac, of California, coffee
berry, of California, horse mint, of
the South, false indigo, and lupine.
May to August— C4round ivy or sill.
May to Fall— Cow pea, of the South.
June— Stone crop, of the South, mam-
moth red clover, California figwort,
of California, and hemp.
June and July— White clover, alsike
clover, sweet clover, horehound, ox-
eyed daisy (a bad weed), bush honey-
suckle, and partridge pea.
June to August— Matrimony vine,
sage, and motherwort.
June to Frost— Borage, cotton, silk
or milk weeds, mustard, rape, St.
John's wort, and mignonette.
July— Corn and teasel.
July and August — Basils or Moun-
tain mint, catnip, asparagras. Rocky
Mountain bee plant, Viper's rugloss
(blue thistle),blue vervain or verbena,
white vervain or verbena, and marsh
milk weed.
July to Frost— Boneset, bergamot,
figwort, giant hyssop, malva, iron
weed, Culver's root, and Indian
plantains.
August— Buckwheat, snap-dragon,
touch-me-not or swamp balsam, great
willow herb fire weed.
August and September — Golden
honey plant, and large smart weed.
August to Frost — Spider flower,
golden rod, asters, marsh sunflower,
tick-seed, beggar-licks, Spanish need-
les, and rattlesnake root or tall white
lettuce.
SHRUBS OR TREES.
January to May— Manzanita, of Cal-
ifornia, and willow, of California.
February to June — Gall berry, of
the South.
March— Orange, of the South.
April— Box elder or ash-leaf maple,
red or soft maple, poplar or aspen,
silver maple, and Judas tree, of the
South.
April and May— Willows (also trees)
and Judas tree, of the South.
May — Shad -bush, alder, maples,
sugar maple, crab apple, hawthorns,
fruit trees— apple, plum, cherry, pear,
etc., currant and gooseberry, — wis-
taria vine, of the South .Chinese wista-
ria vine, of the South, Japan privet, of
the South, varnish tree, of the South,
acacia, of the South, black gum, of
the South, bladder-nut, persimmon,
of the South, saw palmetto, of the
South, and buckeye.
i
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
247
May and June — Barberry, grape
vine, tulip tree, sumac, bucli thorn,
of tlie South, and blaclc mangrove,
of Florida.
June— Magnolias,of the South, honey
locust, wild plum, black raspberry,
locusts, and red raspberry.
June and July — Blacljberry, and
sourwood, of the South.
July— Button bush, basswood, and
Virginia creeper.
June and July— Cabbage palmetto,
of the South.
July— Blue gum, of California, and
catalpa.
July and August— Pepper tree, of
California.
July to September — St. John's
worts.
August — Late sumac.
August and September— Indian cur-
rant or coral berry.
August to Frost- Red gum, of Cali-
fornia.
August to December— Japan plum,
of the South.
August to January — Germander or
wood sage.
The. Season in England.— Mr. A.
Pettigrew gives the following very
doleful account, in the Journal of Hor-
ticulture, of the condition of bees in
England, on account of the cold
weather and frosts in the early spring :
In the changing and uncertain cli-
mate of Great Britain showers and
falls of snow are not uncommon in
the month of March, and sometimes
we have had sucli in April. Experi-
enced bee-keepers Ijnow that while
snow is on the ground or around an
apiary, bees should never be allowed
to leave their hives. During frosty
weather they will not venture out,
but when the thermometer rises and
snow begins to melt, the bees venture
to fly, and in doing so many perish.
They seem to be dazzled and bewild-
ered by the light, and rapidly fall into
the snow, and become motionless in a
moment. The heat of their bodies
melts soft snow, causing them to sink
about an inch in it. When snow is
crusted on the surface, bees, on touch-
ing it, lose the power of their feet and
legs by a kind of paralysis, and many
of them are unable to take wing, roll
on to their backs, and speedily perish.
Many colonies are weakened — some
are destroyed by loss of bees in snow.
This is well known.
The severity of the present frost,
and its contnuiance in the middle of
March, is a new experience to British
bee-keepers. The past winter was
mild and favorable for bees. At the
end of January colonies were strong,
and the bees of many of the hives in
this section of the country began to
breed; then "when snowdrops and
crocuses came into flower, the bees in
§reat numbers were seen on them,
ome of the strongest colonies had
two and three seams of brood sealed,
and doubtless much brood unsealed.
At the beginning of March we had
several days of cold and cutting
winds, so cold that bees would not
leave their nests for food ; afterwards
severe frost set in, bringing down the
mercury of the thermometer at nights
below 20^ : one morning, the 10th of
March, to 13-, or 19° of frost. Snow
fell in Cheshire on the 16th of March.
If the frost had come a month sooner,
little harm would have been done to
colonies.
In my time we have never before
experienced such severe and continu-
ous frost in tlie brood-rearing season,
and therefore I cannot speak from
experience as to the extent of the in-
jury probably done to the brood. We
know that bees dislike cold winds
even in April and May. and in order
to protect their brood then from chill-
ing winds, they contract their doors
with compact masses of their own
bodies. In the months of April, May
and June, bees spread the eggs of
their queens as widely as they can be
covered and hatched, and when cold
winds come, they endeavor to keep
them out by blocking or corking their
doorways. In cold weather bees are
very helpless creatures.
In winter and early spring bee-
masters will do well to give them all
the protection possible. Before the
present frost set in colonies were in
capital condition, and fruit trees cov-
ered with blossom buds, giving bee-
keepers good hopes of early swarms
and great results, and therefore this
severe and unexpected weather is the
more disappointing.
This initial number has 25 biographies,
comprising some of the most promi-
nent persons of the present age. We
welcome this new candidate for popu-
lar favor ; it will make an exceedingly
valuable book of reference.
Sweet Music— All of the following
songs and piano pieces come to us, in
a package, sent by the well-known
publishing house of Oliver Ditson &
Co., Boston.
Very many ballads of the " Lilly
Dale " order have, of late years, been
given to the public, but, very few of
them have such smooth, beautiful
music as that which belong to the
song " Under the Willows," by C.
Connolly. Another charming musical
tid-bit by the same author is " That
first little kiss he gave me," an artistic
song and dance in the play of " My
Sweetheart."
Still another beauty is " Sleep, Baby
Sleep !" a charming lullaby by Ange-
lica McCoun Fellowes. " The Train,"
by Molloy, is a song of our hurrying
time, and " Oh, that I had wings," by
Havens, will sound well in church.
" Emmy Polka," by Granado, is one
of the pieces played by tlie Spanish
students. " Heart and Hand Waltz,"
by Le Baron, is a good arrangement.
" Sunshine Polka," by Ida Hurley, is
a pretty piece of brightness.
" Homicide and Suicide, in the city
and county of Pliiladelphia, Pa., dur-
ing a decade, 1871 to 1881, inclusive,"
is the title of a pamphlet laid on our
desk " with the compliments of the
author," John G. Lee, M. D., Coro-
ner's Physician. It contains many
interesting incidents and considera-
ble statistical information.
New Mexico Celebration.— We have
received an invitation to attend the
Tertio-Millennial {third of 1,000 years)
Anniversary Celebration, including a
comprehensive Mining and Industrial
Exposition, of and for the Rocky
Mountain region, which will be held
at Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 2 to
Aug. 3, 1883.
It will present tbe characteristics of
the three civilizations which have oc-
cupied New Mexico and the adjacent
territory, since its first occupation by
the Spaniards, in 1550, to the present
time, and illustrate the progress of
the several centuries.
It is said that the first European
who ever visited the region now
kuown as New Mexico, was Cabeza de
Baca, who was wrecked off the coast
of Texas in 1531 . He was struck with
the appearance of the country, and in
1541 returned with an expedition
headed by Coronado, and, as nearly as
can be ascertained, some of the party
settled at Santa Fe in 1550.
Frank Cushing,who created so much
interest in the East, last summer,
with a party of Zuni Indians, will
have quite a large band of them at
the Santa Fe Tertio-Millennial Cele-
bration, with a large collection of cu-
rious things manufactured by them.
This will prove one of the special
attractions.
We should be delighted to attend
this grand celebration, but shall be
unable to do so.
^" The Biographer, is the title of a
new serial, the first number of which
is on our desk. It is published at 23
Park Row, N. Y ., and, of coarse, it is
illustrated with engravings of the
persons whose biographies it contains.
1^ We have received a small tin
can for honey, from Mr. W. M. Hogs,
of London, England, such as are now
being used extensively in that coun-
try. Tlie cover fits tightly on a fiange,
and can be easily and instantly pried
off with a nickel, but cannot be
knocked off. Its large mouth makes
it very suitable for candied honey.
248
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee Journal.
How the Bees Have Wintered.
G. JI. DOOLITTLE.
By turning to page 741 of the Bee
Journal for 18S2, the reader will see
how a part of my bees were left on
their summer stands to winter, and a
part were put in the "bee cellar"
there described.
We have had it very cold here for
Llie past two weeks, till within a day
or two. On the morning of April 30,
Skaneateles Lake [hi miles long and
•2 miles wide) was frozen over nearly
the whole length of it ; the mercury
standing at IS^ above zero. As is my
custom, I examined the bees that
morning, looking in every hive, and
counting the spaces that the bees oc-
cupied between the combs, as well as
to see that all had sealed honey. The
examination showed that out of the
43 wintered on the summer stands, 11
were dead ; .5 of which had died since
the past cold spell commenced. Of
the 32 left, 10 were good, strong colo-
nies, 10 fair, and the remainder weak.
Of the different methods tried, tliose
having the full entrance left open,
and a little upward ventilation
through tvi'o quits, with the cap to the
hive packed with chaff came out the
best. Tliese, also, had a board stood
up in front of hive to keep out the
snow, and to prevent the wind from
blowing in at the entrance and the
sun from shining on the same. The
next best were those having full en-
trance and enameled cloth over the
top; and those having a little lower
ventilation, and a plenty of upward,
the poorest of all. The colony having
the Texan queen was the tirst to die,
but as I have two other queens from
the South (one from Louisiana, and
one from Georgia), which, with their
bees, came through the winter in
splendid condition, 1 think that the
climate in which queens are reared
has little, if anything, to do with their
wintering qualities. The best colony,
of those wnitered out of doors, is the
one having the old Palestine queen,
which numbered 8 good, full spaces
of bees, while 7 is the highest of any
besides.
Having described those wintered
out of doors, 1 will next speak of those
wintered in the cellar. There were
37 full colonies put in, and a few
queen-rearing nuclei, as an experi-
ment, which was not counted last
tall- . ,.
Of the few nuclei, about one-half
died ; the temperature was not high
enough for mere a handful of bees, as
this was about what each one was.
The thermometer marked 42^ in the
cellar during all the winter, after it
became settled, and I think, if it
could have been kept at .52-, these
little clusters of bees might have win-
tered quite successfully. As elm and
soft maple were in bloom on April 14
to 18, the bees were put out, and, of
the 37, all were alive and in good con-
dition except 3, which were rather
weak. They gathered pollen at once,
but the cold spell put a stop to opera-
tions, and also showed that we are not
always sure of warm weather when
pollen becomes plenty. By referring
to page 741, as above, it will be seen
that 1 left the entrance to a part of
those put in the cellar, as on the sum-
mer stands, a part with full entrance,
a part raised on % inch blocks, and the
remainder raised on inch blocks. Upon
examination, the other mornnig, I
found that those having small en-
trances occupied, on an average, 5
spaces, and the bottoms of the combs
were quite moldv. Those having the
full entrance open averaged 6 spaces,
with a little mold on the combs.
Those raised on }< inch blocks, aver-
aged 7 spaces, with the combs nice
and bright ; while those raised on inch
blocks, averaged but 5^2 spaces, yet
the combs are free from mildew. The
three weak ones are all among those
having the small entrances. It will
also be seen, by referring to page 741,
that the bees were to be put in at four
different times; as the weather be-
came suddenly cold about Nov. 22,
those that were to be put in Dec. 1,
were put in without further delay, so
that I did not carrv out that part of
the experiment as I intended. After
those were put in on Nov. 3, the rest
bad a line flight on Nov. 10 ; while
those put in last, had a snow storm
on them, with some cold freezing
weather, but after careful watching
all winter, and the above examination,
the difference is not enough to favor
either, early or late setting in. Toward
the latter part of the winter the cel-
lar seemed to become quite damp,
which appeared to effect the nuclei ;
but as far as I could discover, the full
colonies were not injured thereby.
As the past winter has been a very
severe one, I think that I am better
prepared to winter successfully than I
was last November. Especially do I
recommend raising each hive on %
inch blocks, when wintering in the
cellar. This seems to allow all the
moisture to pass off, so that the bees
are kept quiet, and the combs clean
and bright.
Regarding out-door wintering, my
loss has been so great that I am
hardly entitled to an opinion in the
matter; yet, from past observation, I
shall try largely, the coming winter,
a full width entrance, with a little up-
ward ventilation through two or three
quilts, covered 4 inches deep with
chaff ; no holes left open in cover, as I
believe all that is needed is what air
can pass through the cracks at the top
of the cap.
I should have said, in my last arti-
cle, regarding stimulating in the
spring. 'that about the first of May,
according to the season, all colonies
not having 2^.i frames of brood were
shut up by means of the division-
board, etc. In this unfavorable spring,
to begin so early would do no good,
for the best colonies in my apiary do
not have enough to amount to one
full frame of brood.
Borodino, N. Y., May 2, 1883.
For the American Bee JuunuiL
Wintering Bees in Cellars.
H. V. TRAIN.
Mr. J. B. Miller, of Mechanic Falls,
Me., asks, on page 1.38, of the present
volume of the Bee Journal, that
some one, who has wintered bees suc-
cessfully in cellars, should '• give plain
simple directions how to do it."
In December, 1883, 1 purchased two
colonies of bees, in boxes, and moved
them 20 miles on a sled ; since that I
have wintered bees every winter, save
one. For the tirst live or six years I
experimented in a variety of methods,
and lost moreor less every winter, and
it was usually more. Then I com-
menced cellar wintering, and have
never lost 5 per cent, in any one win-
ter since ; and for the last five years I
have not lost 1 per cent, in any one
winter ; and I have wintered from 12.5
to 15.5 in the one cellar each year. I
have become so confident of success
that I would not give 1 cent per hive
to have them wintered safely through
any winter, cold or mild, provided
they are in normal condition in the
fall. . , ^
If any man wants to winter bees on
their summer stands, in clamps, in
caves, in dark bed-rooms, in old
houses, or in straw piles, I have no
advice to give. 1 have experimented
in these to my sorrow ; and if any of
my friends ask me for advice about
wintering bees any where, save in a
good cellar, I can only say : " Don t.
This, of course, applies only to our
climate.
My cellar is under the main or up-
right part of my house ; and is 18 by
28 feet, and 7 feet high. There is also
a cellar under one wing (the kitchen)
16 by 26 feet, separated from the bee
cellar by a wall, and connected with
it by a door. The last named cellar is
used for family purposes, and we pass
through it, in going to the bee cellar,
when it is not proper to open the out-
side door. The bottom of the cellar was
very dry sand, and is made firm by
the use of pounded stone, and smooth
by quick-lime plaster, so that water
will disappear very rapidly when
poured upon it. I set my hives foiu:
deep, directly on the top of each other,
and a little apart, so that I can, if
need be, take down any one tier and
not disturb any other tier. The hives
are set facing aisles 4 or -5 feet wide,
so that I can pass down the aisles
with my small bed-room lamp and see
all the entrances at any time, day or
night ; which I always do from two to
five times every 24 hours.
To prepare them for the cellar, I
take off the enameled cloth and all
the cushions, and put in their places,
a piece of porous cloth, or, what I like
better, a piece of uuitting from tea-
chests (they cost nothing, when I can
get them), and put the cover directly
on this ; which makes upward venti-
lation enough for a cellar. My ther-
mometer hangs on a post, midway of
the cellar, and about half-way from
the floor to the ceiling. I never al-
low it to fall below 40-, and never rise
above 50 , if I can control it; but I
,THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
249
would rather tor it to rise above 6(P
than fall below 40"'. Below 40^ means
dysentery or death, in my experience.
The cellifl- is always kept perfectly
dark ; and the bees are never dis-
turbed unless it becomes absolutely
necessary.
To ventilate the cellar, there is a
tin pipe 4 inches in diameter, extend-
ing from near the bottom of the cellar
to near the point where the pipe from
the sitting room stove enters the
chimney, and there euters the chim-
ney. The tin pipe is made air-tight
through its whole length, and air-
tight where it enters the chimney, so
also is the stove-pipe ; so that when
ever there is a tire in the stove there
is a heavy draft out of the cellar, and
we always keep a fire in the stove
when the bees are in. I consider this
draft an essential condition.
My last improvement in letting air
into the cellar, is a box made of four
boards, 16 feet long and 12 inches
wide, nicely made so as to be water-
tight, with both ends open. This
forms a pipe 10x12 inches inside. One
end of this pipe is fitted into a window
so as to admit no light. The other
end extends 16 feet into the cellar,
and is raised about a foot higher than
the end in the window, so as to carry
all the water from the melting ice out
of the window. At the outer end of
this pipe there is a gate by which it
can be partly or wholly closed at pleas-
ure. Whenever the weather is warm,
this pipe is filled nearly full of ice or
snow its whole length, so that all the
air that enters the cellar comes over
and among blocks of ice for 16 feet,
which affects its temperature materi-
ally. Over the inner end of this pipe
I hang a black curtain to exclude all
light.
I have often contemplated the feasi-
bility of a sub-earth pipe to act in
conjunction with the ice pipe, so as to
let the air through either at pleasure.
I think it would make a perfect ar-
rangement, but have never tried it for
want of strength to dig or means to
hire. With my present arrangement
I have no trouble unless I neglect
some of the following rules :
1. Keep the bees breeding late in
the fall, by feeding if necessary, and
have them well cushioned, the en-
trance partly closed, and otherwise
kept warm.
2. Put them into the cellar early,
before any frost gathers on the honey,
to crack the cappings.
3. Watch very carefully, and never
let the thermometer sink to 40° (it
had much better never come below
44°), and never let it rise above 50-'.
To cool off the cellar, when the
weather outside is colder than 40°, let
in as little air as will keep the bees
alive, and keep ice in the pipe. When
the cellar gets too cold, shut off the
air, and, if necessary, carry in a kettle
of coals from the stove. This last is
a good practice, whenever it can be
done and not make the cellar too
warm .
4. Never take the bees out until
they can get pollen, unless it is for a
flight, and then put them back the
same day. I never take mine out un-
less they get the dysentery, and then
only the sick ones, and have never
done that but a few times, with a few.
5. Exercise good common sense,
and you will have no trouble.
I have now 131 colonies in the cellar
and two nuclei. They were put in
Nov. 1.S ; and, up to this date, they
have not made any noise that could
be heard 10 feet from the hive, ex-
cepting one colony, which was inad-
vertantly set under the ingress pipe,
where the cold air fell almost directly
on it, and they took the dysentery
early, and I tried the carbolic acid
and sugar ; it seemed to check it for a
time, but they are noisy again, and I
shall give them a flight the first warm
day. All the rest are in fine condi-
tion, thus far. The thermometer
marks 48° this evening, and all is
quiet along the whole line.
I will close by saying to all the wise
ones, that, in my opinion, if their bees
never get any sour honey, they will
never have dysentery ; and I do not
care how much pollen they have,
either. If any doubt my statement or
opinion, let them carefully examine
every hive that has the disease, and
see if they do not find sour honey, if
they find any. Mind another thing, if
in cellar ; the honey outside the clus-
ter gets cold enough to condense the
breath of the bees ; thai honey will
almost always sour, more or less, and
give dysentery.
Mauston, Wis., March 17, 1883.
The question is often asked, " Will
it pay to use foundation at present
prices." I answer yes— in an ordinary
season it will pay to use it even at a
cost of SI per pound, or to use wired
frames filled with it, even if they cost
2.5 cents each. I have proven it by
actual experiments in my own apiary.
In thanking you for the unexpected
honor of being elected president of
this association, allow me to express
the hope that our present meeting
may be pleasant and profitable to us
all.
The members made individual re-
port on wintering, as follows :
f.
S .
«
NAMES.
n
M
OT3
'I
S£
6^
6?;
H
II
A
z.
&
S. M. Salisbury..
11x14
Rfi
81
Sum. Stan.
10
'.IxlT
14
Id
10
James A.Nelson.
iixir
KB
58
10 to 13
10x14
55
15
"
P. Baldwin
lllxU
140 125
"
10
L. W. Baldwin...
iiixi;) 'JO- '.w
Cellar
5
F. J. Farr
lllxlo' 1411, 135
luxia
105 ; 03
"
C. M. ('randiiU...
10x13
75
74
Sum.Stan.
James D. Aid
10x13
',1
0
Jonathan Ueuree
10x13
til
58
Cellar
D. G. Parker
lOxlS
™
5(1
Sum.Stan
ilxlS
105
l'J4
Cellar
10
J. Y. Detwiler....
9x171 21 2
Attic-
Western Missouri Convention.
The Western Bee- Keepers' Conven
tion was held at Independence, Mo.,
April 28. Jas. A. Nelson, of Wyau-
dott, Kans., president, on taking the
Gentlemen -.—I am glad to meet
so many bee-keepers on the present
occasion. I have nothing of special
importance to offer, but think the
wintering problem deserves attention,
and will give you some items of my
own experience.
I put into winter quarters 66 colo-
nies on the summer stands, all but 11
of them in Langstroth hives, and
nearly all of them had chaff cushions,
6 or 8 inches thick in the upper stories;
I have lost 8 colonies in all, 3 in Lang-
stroth hives, and 5 in hives having
deeper frames. A few weak ones are
stillamong them, and since the first
of April, some of the strongest colo-
nies have dwindled, and one has
superseded the queen. The young
queen was fertilized and laying on the
20th inst.
Another matter— small, it may be,
but bee-keeping is made up of small
matters. I notice that many persons
do not save the bits of comb which are
necessarily made, about an apiary.
The demand for beeswax is great and
increasing, and it behooves us all to
save and produce all we possibly can.
It is no great trouble with a wax ex-
tractor to place the bits of comb into
it, and when once full, to heat it and
let the wax run into a pan placed to
hold it. A wax extractor will soon
pay for itself in the amount of wax
that might otherwise be allowed to go
to waste.
Mr. S. W. Salisbury, secretary of
the convention, read the following
paper :
Mr. President and Members of the
Western Bee-Keepers' Association :
On fixing the time for our semi-
annual meeting, which has now ar-
rived, our members generally shared
the desire to learn from each other
how their bees had passed the winter,
aud how well prepared they were for
active summer work.
In this latitude 1 am confident that
bees winter best on their summer
stands, especially if they are protected
with a mat or quilt over their frames,
or with a piece of burlap or carpeting
that will keep the chaff or leaves,
which should half fill the upper story,
from getting between the frames.
They must, however, in any situation
have plenty of food, and I am confi-
dent that 20 pounds of honey is the
least possible amount that will safely
bring a colony through winter and the
flisttwo months of spring. Where
bees can have an opportunity to lly
every month, and gerierally several
days during each month, as they us-
ually do in this latitude, I think it
must be obvious that bees will suffer
less by natural frosts than by confine-
ment in a cellar.
But an unusually severe winter,
with long continued cold, will neces-
sarily produce damaging effects upon
bees on their summer stands. Let
the thermometer stand at zero, or
thereabouts, for two weeks at a single
time, and chaff hives are insufticient
protection. Let this cold be contin-
ued for 30 or 40 days without inter-
ruption, and every colony must suffer,
while a large percentage will be
ruined. An occasional mild day,
whicli, without inducing bees to fly,
enables them to move among the
frames and replenish their stores for
250
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
present use from different parts of
tlie hive, tides them over another cold
spell and enables them, with health
and vigor, to greet tlie invigorating
rays of the sun on every salubrious
day of the winter solstice. In colder
latitudes, cellar wintering must be
preferable ; in warmer latitudes cellar
wintering would be intolerable.
Every bee-keeper has his own fancy
for hives. Every novice in bee-keep-
ing tries to invent some new arrange-
ment for a hive superior to all others.
Not long since such an inventor ex-
hibited to me a device to prevent
drones from building drone comb,
which he declared with great sin-
cerity and earnestness to be wholly
his own. He positively affirmed he
had not got the idea from any book
whatever, and extorted from me the
promise not to make public his device
until he had obtained a patent. In
imagination he could see millions in
it, notwithstanding he is the only per-
son in the world who ever knew of
drone bees making any comb at all.
But nearly every bee-keeper, in
some easy or naturid way, becomes
attached to some particular kind or
form of hive, and as he makes the
business a specialty disposes of or dis-
cards others and develops his favorite
kind. We thus see nearly every
prominent apiarist in the country (all,
however, with movable frames) using
a different style of hive.
The Langstroth, undoubtedly, has
the call at present, being exclusively
recommended by several prominent
bee journals, but I very much doubt
its general adaptation or desirability.
The length of its frame, 17 inches, and
depth only i» inches, makes it objec-
tionable for successful wintering and
springing of its inmates. It is un-
doubtedly too large and barn-like.
Going between that and the American
frame, I have found, by an experi-
ence of 20 years, that a .similarly con-
structed frame, 14 inches long and 11
inches deep is best.
Little attention is usually given to
the ventilation of hives, especially in
summer. Not unfrequently the front
of a hive remains for weeks covered
with bees while they hang in festoons
from the bottom board, and all for the
want of ventilation. Let a hive, thus
covered, be raised one-quarter of an
inch from the bottom board, and kept
so raised by blocks under its corners,
and every one of this idle crowd will
go inside the hive or into the fields to
work in less than a single hour.
Its a mistake to say that bees clus-
ter outside the hive for the sake of
swarming. They never stop work for
that purpose, but when they cannot
sufficiently ventilate their hive to pre-
vent danger of their comb melting
down, they have sufficient sense to go
outside, and thus save their stores.
One of the most provoking, and
probably the most fatal malady among
the bees, in this locality, is dysentery.
We know its effects, but we can only
guess at its cause. To say that it has
diminished numbers, or cold weather,
or impure honey, does not satisfy the
anxious inquirer; for some colonies in
the cellar are atHicted with it, and as
the sick ones die, of course their num-
bers diminish ; while the claim that
impure honey causes it. is answered
by the fact that other colonies, feeding
from the same source of supply, are
not affected in the least. I would
suggest faithful inquiry and observa-
tion among the members of this as-
sociation as to the real cause or causes
of dysentery among our bees and the
resultant remedies for the disease.
It is always noticeable that some
colonies build up and increase much
faster in the spring than others. To
have them all full of bees and ready
for the honey harvest is the great de-
sideratum of tlie apiarist. The most
prosperous colonies, early in the
month of May, can suffer the loss of
a frame of brood without apparent
injury, while the impetus, energy and
strength given to a weak and strug-
gling colony, by the insertion of such
frame, is almost wonderful.
I deem it of the utmost importance
to have every colony in an apiary as
nearly equal, both iii stores and bees,
by the middle of May, as possible, and
this equality can easily be effected by
the interchange of a few frames be-
tween them. Of course all queenless
colonies should be supplied with
queens before this time, and weak
ones united.
The question as to how many bees
can profitably be kept in one place is
not readily determined. I see it no-
ticed that' in some parts of C4ermany
several thousand colonies are fre-
quently found in a single compact
neighborhood, while in this country
the weight of authority seems to place
a much smaller limit to the number
that can profitably be kept in one
locality.
Let us, if possible, add something
to the solution of this question at our
future meetings.
Since brimstone has, in a great
measure, been discarded, the question
of increase enters seriously into the
calculations of the bee-keeper.
How to overcome the great dis-
asters of winter and spring without
detriment to the crop of honey ? If
he works for increase he can obtain
no surplus honey, and consequently
no revenue, as the demand for colo-
nies is limited and prices very un-
satisfactory.
The natural tendency of bees is to
swarm, not only once, but twice or
three times. The parent colony is
thus left without workers, and can
produce no surplus. The second and
third swarms are often too small to
obtain a livelihood until the coming
spring, while the first swarm can only
furnish a small amount of honey to
the bee-keeper. He must, therefore,
restrain swarming, and keep his forces
united in order to obtain the best
results.
As time for swarming approaches,
I remove two frames of brood and
bees from each of the most prosper-
ous colonies, being very careful not
to take the queen, and uniting eight
of these frames in a single hive, thus
construct one-fourth as many new
colonies as I have in my apiary. By
giving these new colonies a queen-
cell ready to hatch, I soon have this
number of full and prosperous colo-
nies, all capable of collecting surplus
stores. The old colonies being fur-
nished with frames of fotmdation,
have such additional work to perform
that in a majority of cases they forget
to cast a swarm that season. Such
swarms, however, as do issue, I fur-
nish with two or three frames of
brood from the hive whence they
came (first removing all queen-cella
therefrom), and then place them on
the old stand. The parent colony I at
once break up into nuclei for queen
rearing, or unite the frames with
others into full colonies.
Other questions readily present
themselves for consideration, but I
desist, with the remark that it is
probably a good tiling that we do not
all think exactly alike.
The discussion which followed was
based mostly on points made by the
essayist.
L. W. Baldwin says he prefers cel-
lar wintering. He placed 207 colonies
in the cellar the 1st of December, and
wintered every one. He returned
them to the summer stands on the 1st
of March, and found, by weighing,
that they had consumed only five
pounds and one ounce of honey each ;
while out of doors they would have
consumed ten or twelve pounds each.
J. D. Meador prefers small frames
of 10 or 11 inches depth ; he would not
use the Langstroth frame ; he thinks
bees prepare themselves for swarming
by quietness and fattening ; he thinks
bees on summer stands must have the
sun to shine on their hives in winter ;
he lost heavily this last winter of such
colonies as he did not properly pre-
pare for winter.
r. Baldwin says bees prepare for
swarming by clustering and resting,
and that they will do so inside of the
hive and in boxes if not on the out-
side ; he does not want foundation nor
old combs for swarms. His bees do
best in making their own comb.
D. G. Parker wants foundation to
prevent excess of drones, if for no
other purpose, because bees construct
drone comb largely, especially in
swarming time.
The 20th day of September was des-
ignated as the time, and Independ-
ence as the place for liolding the next
convention. Committees "were ap-
pointed to prepare premium lists for
said occasion, and to make arrange-
ments for a two days' session.
Thanks are extended to Mrs. J. D.
Meador for providing a sumptuous
collation, which was served in an ad-
joining room in the court house, and
heartily relished.
Sundry other miscellaneous busi-
ness was transacted and convention
adjourned. S. W. Salisbury, Sec.
1^ The Southwestern Iowa Bee-
Keepers' Association will hold its
annual meeting at the apiary of L. E.
Mercer, Lenox , Taylor county, Iowa,
May 26, 1883. Meeting called at 10
o'clock sharp. Forenoon : Election
of officers. Afternoon : Work in the
apiary, when any question, with re-
gard to handling bees, will be practi-
cally explained. Accommodations will
be provided for visitors from a dis-
tance. W. J. Oliver, Sec.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
251
For the American Bee Journal.
Burying Bees in Clamps.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
In the Bee Journal, page 177, is
an article by Mr. \Vm. Bradford on
clamp wintering and ventilation. On
April 19, I visited two box-hive men
■who both wintered their bees as de-
scribed in tlie lirst part of Mr. Brad-
ford's article.
One of the men is very old, and has
kept bees for a number of years, al-
ways with success, whenever he has
buried his bees. He showed me the
places where tliey wintered last win-
ter. He liad taken out 12 colonies the
day before I visited him, and the bees
were Hying out of the hives and carry-
ing in pollen, and were very strong.
The hives were clean and not " spot-
ted," in the least ; the combs were
all clean and bright, with plenty of
honey. He winters about 10 or 12
colonies in a place.
After packing straw around the
hives, he puts straw on top, then some
dry dirt on the tops of the hives, then
covers over with boards to keep out
the wet; then covers all up with earth,
3 or 4 inches deep. The hives came
out as dry as when put in. He gives
no upward ventilation ; the hives are
sealed \\\) as tight as the bees can do
it. There is a hole in ttie side of the
hives, 5 or 6 inches from the bottoms.
The hive sets upon a 4x4 joist, in the
bottom of trench. He puts straw or
buckwheat chaff on the bottom. He
said, one fall, he had 100 colonies of
bees ; he put them in on Oct. Land
they remained there until April 1 ;
when he took them out they were in
tine condition, without loss. Some of
the colonies were very small, but they
came out with plenty of bees and
honey.
He covers up his trenches with
boards, and that saves digging new
trenches every fall. He cleans out
the straw sometime before he wants
to put the bees in, and lets them dry
out. It does not take a very large
place to bury 100 colonies. It saves
carrying them in the cellar, and is not
half'the work that it is to pack them
in chaff.
I shall have him help me bury some
of mine, next fall, if all is well. I
have tried almost all kinds of ways,
but lose some in any way.
I thought I would write this, and,
perhaps, it might give some light on
the wintering subject. Some may
think they are right, but when they
test their ways of wintering, year
after year, they may fail in some
years. Tliis man told me he heard so
much about wintering in chaff , that
in the winter of 1881-82, he packed all
of his in chaff, except .5 or 6 which he
buried, and these were all he had left
for seed. One of his neighbors, who
had buried his bees, in other winters,
thought he would let them go that
winter, and lost tiiem all (some 80 col-
onies) ; all the man had to depend on
for a living, and an old man at that.
One of my neiglibovs winters his
bees, packed in cliaff He uses an ex-
tra box, and sets the hive in the bot-
tom. There is about 1}i inch of space
under the frames ; the entrance is 4
inches long and % high ; he leaves tlie
quilts on. the same as he puts them on
after taking off the surplus boxes.
The bees wax them down as close as
they can ; lie has nothing over the
frames, and does not cut holes through
the combs. His bees come out good.
In the year of 1881-82, when I lost
7.T colonies, his came out without loss.
There was no chance for upward ven-
tilation, for the quilts were all covered
with propolis, and waxed tight to the
frames.
Fi-anklinton, N. Y., April .30, 1883.
ror tne American Bee Journal.
The Standard Langstroth Frame.
G. M. ALVES.
Mr. .James Heddon, on page 224 of
the Bee Journal, advocates 17^8
inches as the proper length ot the
Lang;stroth frame, on the sole reason
that it is so given by Mr. Langstroth,
in his book published about 20 years
since. Now, I submit four proposi-
tions why 17^8, and not 17?-^ inches,
should be universally accepted as the
standard length.
1. There are more Langstroth
frames in use of that length than any
other.
2. The largest manufacturers of
hives, and the greatest number of
them, have adopted this size.
3. This size will exactly take eight
standard one-pound sections— a very
important consideration with those
who prefer to take their honey in
frames.
4. The editors of the principal bee
periodicals liave, and do now, give
this size as the standard, and on the
authority of the Editor American
Bee Journal, Mr. Langstroth him-
self has approved the change. See
American Bee Journal for 1882,
page 251.
Now, if these propositions are all
true, and Mr. Heddon cannot success-
fully disprove them, the conclusion to
all wlio appreciate their weight is, that
the standard Langstroth frame should
be, and is 17^ inches in length.
Now, in the light of the above, I
must submit that Mr. Heddon, in
selling and advocating a frame 11%
inches in length as the standard
Langstroth frame, is in this particu-
lar detrimental.
Henderson, Ky.
[As stated by Mr. Alves, in 1878 we
referred tliis matter to Mr. Langs-
troth, and he replied that he now con-
sidered 17'';; the correct measurement
for the length of the standard Langs-
troth frame. See Bee Journal for
1878, page 427. As Mr. Alves remarks,
the fact that this size of frame is
better adapted to the use of cases to
hold 8 small sections, should be very
potent in deciding tfie point in con-
troversy This small difference often
makes serious trouble.— Ed.]
For tbo American Bee JuumaL
How to Press and Mount Flowers.
F. A. HUNTLEY.
In reply to Mr. N. Z. Hutchinson'a
inquiry in the Bee Journal of April
25, asking liow to press and mount
flowers for study, I will give the
metliod by wliich the students of the
Iowa Agricultural College make up
their herbariums.
In the rtrst place the collector should
have everything in readiness for col-
lecting, pressing and mounting his
specimens before he begins the work.
The tools and apparatus for collecting,
consist of a good sharp pocket knife
to be used for cutting and trimming,
a gardner's trowel, or a good strong
butcher-knife for digging, as it is
sometimes advantageous to have a
portion of the root with the flower,
and a botanizer's can, or some other
convenient vessel, for carrying the
plants and keeping them from the dry
air and.sun. The collector will lind it
greatly to his advantage to have a
good pocket lens with him, to enable
him to examine more closely the va-
rious parts of his specimens. He
should have a note book in which he
may note down anything that he
might want to look up, at some other
time ; and if he wishes to classify hia
specimens while out, he should have
a good classitier's manual with him.
The one used here, and probably the
best in the United States, is the one
edited by Dr. Asa Gray, the well-.
known professor of botany in Harvard
University. It is always easy to class-
ify specimens while they are fresh^
as all parts may then be easily dis-
cerned.
The apparatus for pressing consista
of two wide boards, about 12x18
inches ; these should have cleats nailed
on them, to keep them from warping,
and to keep the lower one up from the
floor, so that no dampness will con-
tract about the press.
The pressing paper should be thick
and reasonably soft in texture, so aa
to be a good absorbent. The paper
sold for putting under carpets is
about as good as can be procured.
Tissue paper is the best for keeping
the specimens from direct contact
with the drying paper. All the paper
should be cut to tit the press. In
placing the plants in the press, great
care should be taken to arrange the
parts, as to the position they are to
have after mounting ; the leaves
should be so arranged as to show both
upper and under surfaces. Where a
portion of the root is to be saved, it is
best to cut one side entirely otf , so aa
to avoid unevenness in the specimen.
The amount of weight to be ap-
plied to the press should be enough to
flatten the specimens without crush-
ing. Driers should be changed twice
a day and placed in the sunshine, or
near a Hre, so that they may be thor-
oughly dried before exchanging them
for the damp ones in the press.
The value of a specimen depends
upon the rapidity and care with which
it has been dried. Therefore, the
press should always be kept in a dry
252
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
place. When the specimens have be-
come thoroughly dried, they should
be mounted on white paper and la-
beled with the name of the order,
genus, species, and the common
name, if it be known ; any other in-
formation may be placed upon these
labels, which will help to identify the
specimens.
The mounting paper used should be
ft good article, smooth, stiff and firm ;
and, according to Dr. Gray's direc-
tions, should weigh about 28 pounds
to the ream of 480 sheets. The size of
the herbarium sheet adopted in the
United States, is llj^xieji inches.
Paper may be procured from a bindery
or ordered by any stationer ; a good
article should cost about a cent a
sheet.
The specimen should be mounted
about the centre of the sheet, and the
label placed in the lower right hand
corner. The label should be not
larger than l?4x3 inches, and they
may be partly printed, if the collector
Bo desires.
For fastening the specimen on the
herbarium sheet, common white glue,
dissolved in just enough acetic acid so
that it may be easily applied with a
brush, has been found to be the best
for all ordinary plants.
As the sepcimens are mounted, the
sheets may be laid away in a binder
or a good clean box made of tin or
wood. A good home-made binder is
made by falsing card-board and cut-
ting it a trifle larger than the her-
barium sheets, and making a hinge
of cloth on one side, and with strings
to the other side, and ends of the
cover with which to tie the sheets in.
The herbarium should always be
kept in a dry place, so that no mold
will collect on the specimens and de-
stroy them. Sometimes the herbarium
is attacked by insects, which are very
destructive, and especially is this so
with honey-bearing plants. To ef-
fectually destroy these pests sprinkle
the specimen with a mixture of alco-
hol and corrosive sublimate.
Agricultural College, Ames, Iowa,
May 2, 1883.
Secretary, and J. S.Beding, Treasurer.
Committee to draft by-laws, J. S.
Bruten, John Nilson and E. Kammer-
dienner. The next meeting to be held
in Joplin. A regular meeting is to be
held on the first Thursday in each
month.
It is designated that the meeting be
held in different places in the district,
so as to accommodate all who are in-
terested in apiculture.
Resolutions adopted that the Kansas
Bee-Keever, • Columbus, Kansas, and
the American Bee Journal, Chi-
cago, 111., be furnished with a synopsis
of the proceedings of this meeting.
Adjourned. J. S. Bruten, Pres.
Ira Creech, ISec.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Cure for Foul Brood.
did not want it to take place until I
had a good queen to give the bees."
Tooele City, Utah, May 2, 1883.
JOHN DUNN.
For the American Bee Journal.
Jasper County, Mo., Convention.
In pursuance of a call heretofore
Issued, about 25 bee-keepers assem-
bled at the office of Ira Creech, in
Joplin, Jasper County, Mo. The
meeting was called to order, and Dr.
J. T. Bruten chosen chairman, Ira
Creech secretary. The chairman
stated the object of the meeting, after
which a general discussion was en-
tered into by Bruten, Holden, Creech,
Kemmerdienner, Mrs. Gaston and
others, upon the best way to handle
bees,which brought out the ideas of the
various bee-keepers present in regard
to hives, artificial and natural swarms,
and various other items connected
with the apiary ; after which a perma-
nent organization was had, which was
named the Jasper County Bee-Keep-
ers' Association.
Officers elected for the first year :
Dr. J. T. Bruten, President; S. B.
Holden, Vice-President ; Ira Creech,
For the Amerlnan Bee Journal.
That "Three King" Fancy.
W. H. SHIRLEY.
The following I have copied from
the Desert Kars, from the pen of W,
A. & P. M. Greggs, of Payson, Utah :
'• The plan we adopt for the destruc-
tion of this fatal disease (viz.: foul
brood) among bees, is as follows :
When we discover a colony affected
by this disease, we find the queen and
cage her. We then remove the af-
fected hive and replace it with a box
painted the same color as the hive.
We next brush the bees off the combs
into this box, and allow them to stay
there 48 hours. The caged queen is
then put in the box with the bees, and
is kept caged 48 hours. There should
be no frames or combs put in the box
during this time, but a few sticks
may be put in for them to work upon.
When the bees are brushed off the
combs, the combs should be imme-
diately destroyed, also the hive.
While staying in the box the bees
should not be confined, but allowed
to fly out freely, so as to cleanse them-
selves outside the hive, then they will
not besmear each other.
At the expiration of 48 hours the
bees should be transferred to the hive,
which is designed for them to occupy.
This hive should be filled up with
frames with foundation in them. The
queen is now liberated, and the bees
are now cleansed and ready to go to
work like a new swarm. If a frame
of brood is given them, it will be bet-
ter and safer, as they will not then
desert the hive. This remedy has
been used for five years with success,
and never known to fail. It will only
apply during the honey season. If
foul brood ' is discovered in early
spring, before the honey season, or in
the fall of the year, after the honey
season, we know of no remedy but
destroying bees, hive and all."
Since the 20th of March bees have
not been out much ; it lias been snow-
ing and raining most of the time, so
that a few colonies have perished. I
have been able to keep my bees in
good condition. 1 have found one of
my colonies queenless (hybrids), so I
have given tliem a frame of eggs and
brood, so tliat they can raise an Ital-
ian queen, as I was not sorry that the
old hybrid queen was gone, only '
On page 2.36 of the Bee Journal
for May 9, 1883, Mr. James Heddon,
in his reply to W. Z. Hutchinson; on
" Best bees ; how obtained," puts me
down as a " ring " fancier, but fails
to give my way of "ring" or band
breeding. The rings I anchored so
long ago, are these : First ring, good
honey gathering ; second ring, good-
nature ; third ring, to get rid of that
hybrid cross " cross " and strained
mixed-up mess.
Yes ; I have a fancy for the golden
rings, but it must be backed up by the
ring of pure gold, and I shall try hard
to breed up mv apiary of 100 colonies,
so that they will be all alike, as near
as possible. No two kinds of hives,
or two kinds of bees for me ! And the
bee I am after is the one that will
produce the most honey, whether
black, brown or blue ; three rings or
no rings.
I took my first lessons of bee-keep-
ing from Mr. T. F. Bingham, for four
weeks, in 1876. That four weeks of
practical knowledge has been worth
many dollars to me, and to those about
to take up bee-keeping as a business,
I would say, go and spend a season
with some practical apiarist, regard-
less of cost ; after that, subscribe for
some good bee-paper and you will
then feel master of the business. As
a teacher I know of none so well fitted
in every respect, as my esteemed
friend, James Heddon. I speak from
experience. " Honor to whom honor
is due."
Glenwood, Mich.
For Ibe American Bee JoumaL
The Standard Frame, Etc.
T>. F. MARKS.
There seems to be a move among
bee-keepers to adopt a standard frame,
which I believe to be a grand idea.
I have been making my hives, this
spring, of the Simplicity, two-stories
high ; but as Mr. Heddon says some
have different sized Langstroths, and
by comparing his figures with my
frames, 1 find that my frames are U
inch too long. This I very much re-
gret, for I have quite a number of
hives made, but I made mine by the
instructions laid down in Root's
ABC Book. , . ^
Mv bees are just " on a big tear;"
I have had 8 swarms already— some of
my colonies have swarmed twice ; my
first swarm came out April 6th ; the
next on the 9th or 10th. -I have 16
colonies spring count, two are weak ;
they are all hybrids, or mixtures of
various grades, from the black to a
bright yellow.
I only lost one in wintering, and it
starved through lack of attention.
1 1 Such a thing as wintering bees in a
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
253
cellar Is unknown here, only by read-
ing of it in the papers.
What swarms have issued are the
largest I ever saw. I hived the last
and largest one, as usual, in the lower
story only of tlie 9-frame Simplicity
Langstroth hive, and it lacked about
a quart of holding all the bees after
they got on the frames. Probably I
should have divided it into two, giving
one an extra queen ; but I just set on
the other story, raising the duck on
top of the other frames. The bees
are gathering honey from what we
call tlie primrose, of which our prai-
ries are white, during April and May;
also from a blue blossom resembling
the common sage.
This is the first year I ever knew
bees to lie out in early spring ; even
our earliest swarms lay out for several
days, but all are at work now, except
some old ones in box hives which
have not swarmed yet.
South Bosque, Tex., May 6, 1883.
Fnr the American Bee JoumaL
How to Read Works on Bee-Culture.
W. H. STEWART.
I have owned and handled bees,
more or less, for the last 40 years, and
I have read many works on bee-cul-
ture during that period. I have ever
experienced a peculiar delight in see-
ing bees work, and in handling them ;
although the handling of bees 30 or
40 years ago was attended with more
pain than pleasure.
I have ever found that bee-keepers
were of an inquiring turn of mind.
Whenever two or more of them met
in conversation, some bee talk would
have to be passed around, each inquir-
ing of the other how they managed
to get along with the bees and avoid
mishaps and drawbacks, and, as the
conversation led on, the art of bee-
keeping would often be discussed in
all its various ramifications (as far as
then understood), and as we were
about to part, I have often put a bee-
book or paper in the hand of a friend,
telling them, at the same time, that
they would derive from it very much
valuable information, if they would
read it carefully.
When we met those persons again,
we would inquire how they liked the
books. Of course we got various an-
swers. Some seemed much delighted,
and said they had found very much
valuable instruction in them. Others
that seemed to view the subject at a
shorter range, would say :
" 1 hardly know whether I like that
magazine very much or not. Why,
the truth is, that the more I read it,
the more I got mixed, and when I
had read it all through, I made up my
mind that I didn't know a thing about
bees, and the book didn't know half
as much as I did."
Now, the truth is. that many who
have made tlie latter answer, were
men of very sound minds, but as they
seemed to overlook one fact, the whole
work was to them confusion. For in-
stance, the article was, perhaps, writ-
ten by an author living in Southern
Ohio, who had given his experience
in bee-culture in that locality, and he
would recommend to others the modus
operandi that seemed to work well in
a mild climate. The reader lived, we
will say, in Northern New York or
Canada, and he found that bee-cul-
ture, as laid down in the book, was
j ust the opposite of his own experience.
During all these many years, bee-
culture has become wider spread, and
has also taken a higher stand, and a
magazine like the Ajiekican Bee
Journal is found to contain letters,
giving the experience of the most im-
portant bee-keepers of every State in
the Union. Not only so, but of Can-
ada,England, France, Italy, Germany,
Scotland, and, in fact, all parts of the
civilized world.
Now, suppose an amateur bee-
keeper should read, in the Bee Jour-
nal, the experience and success of a
bee-keeper in Texas, who used a hive
that would hold about half a bushel,
and had plenty of swarms in the
month of March ; wintered all on the
summer stands, without any other
protection than a simple plain box of
inch boards ; and extracted honey in
April.
Suppose this amateur bee-man lived
in Vermont or Canada, and engaged
in bee-culture on the Texas plan, he
would be sure to meet failures on
every hand, by overrlooking the fact
that bee-culture in Texas is not at
all like bee-culture in any Northern
climate.
On the other hand, if this beginner
had discriminated between bee-cul-
ture in Texas and bee-culture as prac-
ticed by Mr. Jones, of Canada, and
had been governed by the experience
of the latter, he might have met with
success.
Let us suppose that a man should
cast anchor in Northern Wisconsin,
in the month of November, with his
wife and five or six robust children,
and propose to let the children sleep
on the ground, and himself and wife
in the Dlanket-clad wagon, through
the tliree or four months that he
wished to remain. Suppose you re-
monstrate witli him, and tell him of
his imprudence, and he should reply
that he often did in that way in
Louisiana, where he came from. You
might post up notices that there would
behalf a dozen second-class funerals
at that camp within four weeks, and
you would be safe in doing so.
The truth is, that all warm-blooded
animals require a certain amount of
warmth, or they are not in a comfort-
able condition. If they are not com-
fortable, then they cannot be healthy.
Animal lite is shortened up just in
proportion to the ill-health of the in-
dividual. As vvith children and our
domestic animals, even so with bees ;
they all need different care in differ-
ent localities.
Thus, all will see, that in order to
get a "portion of meat in due sea-
son," it becomes necessary that we
glean from our bee paper the most
important items as deduced from ex-
periences of our own locality, and as
the American Bee Journal em-
bodies the experience of the most re-
liable bee-keepers of the civilized
world, it is very easy for all to find
in it that which will do them good in
their localities.
Then, scan we keen the A. B. Journal,
Met in f rlenly council there :
Sisters, brothers, all fraternal,
Strength in union everywhere.
Strenntli In union, Ite <iur motto,
Emblem, little honey-bee ;
Outward, onward, swell the echo,
GreetinK, send it o'er the sea.
Orion, Wis.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Remarks on Those Big Reports.
J. L. VAN ZANDT, M. D.
In Gleanings of about May 1882, B.
F. Carroll, of Texas, reports a re-
markable queen (a hybrid Cyprian, if
I mistake not), which was proving to
be wonderfully prolific, filling in all
four stories, 40 frames with brood.
Later, in July, he reports the "largest
yield" 700 lbs. of honey. Then he is
called to order, stating that Mr. Some-
body had previously reported 787 lbs.;
in Iowa, probably. There being an
abundance of rain, Mr. C.'s bees
in the fall gathered 100 lbs. more and
enough to winter on — after your bees,
Mr. Editor, were asleep.
A great cry is raised, "4 or .5 doubled
up," "yield of colony and increase,"
and sundry "insinuations, because for-
sootli Mr. C, with a climate allowing
his bees to gather pollen every month
in the year, and honey almost as long,
should report a yield of less than 9 per
cent, more than an Iowa man, whose
bee year is but little more than half
as long.
If it is a yield of a one-story hive,
and not of the immediate progeny
(workers) of one queen that is to be
reported, I would suggest to Mr. C.
that he have a one-story hive large
enough to accommodate her Eoyal
Highness, in order that his report will
" pass muster."
The writers from whom I have
quoted, are all readers of Gleanings,
so in charity I conclude that they
overlooked Mr. C.'s explanation, and
also the report of over 1,000 lbs. from
one queen and her increase.
This is not prompted by personal
friendship, as I am not acquainted
with Mr. C.
Dido, Texas.
For tlie American Bee Journal
Western New York Convention.
A few of the leading bee-keepers of
Western New York, held a meeting
at Fredouia, April IIH, 1883, and organ-
ized an Association. The day was
not one calculated to make bee men
boyant, being cold and raw, with oc-
casional gusts of snow ; the hills from
2 to 4 miles south of Fredouia being
shrouded with a snowy mantle, which
no doubt kept many from attending.
The meeting was, however, a very
enthusiastic one ; 8 became members
by paying the membership fee of .50
cents, and the following were elected
ofiicers for the ensuing year : Presi-
dent—U. E, Dodge, Fredonia. Vice
President— T. A. C. Everets Ran-
dolph. Secretary— T. W. Gleason,
254
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. •
Fredonia. Treasurer — Miss Bessie
Marsh.
It was then resolved that each mem-
ber be requested to obtain others to
unite with the Association, collect
the fees and forward them to the
Secretary.
The Secretary was instructed to
prepare the minutes of the meeting
for publication, and to be paid $1 for
expenses and trouble.
T. A. C. Everets made some very
interesting remarks on Queen Rear-
ing, Wintering, etc. He was not
much in favor of cellar wintering ;
he preferred contracting the brood
chamber (according to the size of the
colony) with division boards, and en-
casing the hives on the summer
stands in an outside shell, some 4 to (>
inches longer than the hive, packing
the space at the sides and on the top
of the hive with dry forest leaves ; he
much preferred this method to cellar
wintering.
E. Moon, of Moon's Station, said it
was 40 years since he bought Ids first
colony of bees, and he had more or
less bees ever since, sometimes as
high as 30 or 40 colonies ; he has honey
on bis table 2 or 3 times a day, the
year round, and divided liberally with
the needy around him ; he had never
sold but 14 lbs. of honey during the 40
years he had kept bees ; he had 18
good colonies last fall, but only had 3
very weak ones this spring ; yet be
was not discouraged ; he had just
bought 12 colonies, and was prepared
to start anew and make bee-keeping
pay ; what he wanted to know was
how to winter bees successfully, and
advised beginners to go slow.
President Dodge sjioke very favor-
ably of cellar wintering ; although he
had only one year's experience in
that method of wintering; if he could
succeed as well every winter as he had
during the past one, he could hardly
ask anything better, losing only one
weak colony out of 42 wintered in his
cellar. He had compared closely the
condition of those wintered in the
cellar and those wintered on the sum-
mer stands ; he thought the indica-
tions were very much in favor of cellar
wintering. Speaking of hives, he said
it makes but little difference what
pattern we use, provided it be so con-
structed as to be easy of manipulation
at all times, and susceptible of thor-
ough packing and protection to the
bees, with surplus arrangements both
for comb and extracted honey. He
would not advise bee-keepers to win-
ter their bees all in one way ; would
winter some in the cellar, some on the
summer stands, and, perhaps, a few
colonies, each winter, in clamps. He
was asked by C. E. Gates what books
on bee-culture he would recommend
for beginners. He replied that this
was a delicate ciuestion to answer.
Should he give his honest opinion, it
might hit some one's corns. He bad
Quinby's New Bee-Keeping. Cook's
Manual of the Apiary, ABC in Bee-
Culture, Dzierzon's Rational Bee-
Keeping, Newman's Bees and Honey,
Alley's Handy Book for Bee-Keepers,
etc.— all works of the highest merit.
He would advise beginners to pur-
chase one or more of these, and sub-
scribe for some good bee paper, and
start with a few colonies. He thinks
the Langstroth hive, for beginners,
as good as any. He feeds all colonies,
short of stores, with good granulated
sugar syrup ; he prefers it to anything
except the very best sealed honey ; he
feeds for winter stores during the
latter part of September or early in
October.
J. A. Benedict, of Brocton, liad
made bee-keeping pay ; he wintered
his bees on the summer stands ; sets
the hives in a compact form, and
builds a tight board fence around
them. He would hardly like to take
the chances of wintering in his cellar ;
thinks it is too damp. He spoke very
highly of Mr. Moon's benevolence, and
would be glad if there were more of
such men. He thought if there were,
that the world would be much better
than it is now, and the needy would
fare much better.
\Vm. Bauling, of Dunkirk, winters
his bees in the Quinby iiive, packed
with oat chaff; he builds a storm
house over the entrances, with lath ;
inserts a hollow elder or sumac into
this storm house, which gives plenty
of air, and acts as an ear trumpet;
he could put his ear to the end of this
tube, which is above the suow line,
any day during the winter, and hear
with ease what is going on inside of
the hives. He is located in the midst
of 10 or 15 acres of sweet clover, and
proposes to sow more ; he thinks it the
best substitute for basswood, where
that is scarce.
On the whole, it was very pleasant
and profitable meeting ; a general
good feeling prevailed, and the in-
terests of apiculture seemed to take a
step in advance.
Adjourned to meet May 18, at Fre-
donia, in T. W. Gleason's otlice, at 10
a. m. All interested in bee-culture
are invited.
T. A. C. Everets, Sec.
U. E. Dodge, Pres.
Convention for Northern Iowa.
There seems to be a number of bee-
keepers in the northern counties of
Iowa. ^V^hy could not a meeting be
held at some central point on the C.
M. & St. P. R'y. y How many vole
ayey J. G. Bennett.
Emmetsburg, Iowa,April 27, 1883.
1^" Tliere will be a meeting of the
Northwestern Illinois and Southwest-
ern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion on Tuesday, May 15, 1883, at Mr.
E. Whitlesey's, two miles south of
Pecatonica, Winnebago County, 111.
J. Stewart, Sec.
Rock City, Stephenson County, 111.
mWt£W
Uf
i^° Quite a number of the new sub-
scribers, who have begun to take the
Journal this month, ask if we can
supply the numbers from Jan. 1, 1883.
We would say that we can supply a
few more sets, and if any want them
they must be sent for soo)i,orthey
cannot be obtained. We can supply
no more numbers of 1882. They are
all gone.
How Bees Wintered in New York.
My 156 colonies of bees were win-
tered in the cellar, and came out in
tine condition. In cellar No. 1, 155
were wintered with the loss of one
nucleus ; in cellar No. 2. •IIS, with the
loss of one colony, which starved.
The prospects for a good honey sea-
son were never better in this county,
if the weather becomes favorable.
Bees have had but little chance to fly
yet ; it has been so cold and windy.
They are working finely , to-day, on the
soft maples and willows. In the cen-
tral part of this county there is only
about one colony of bees now, where
there were three one year ago.
Ira Barber.
DeKalb Junction.N. Y.,May8,1883.
The Season in California.
Through sickness last season, I lost
most of my bees, after extracting
2,500 pounds of good honey. I saved
only 10 pure Italian queens ; I bought
some blacks, and now have, with in-
crease of 16 swarms, 39 colonies of
Italians, to-day. I have to extract,
this week, to keep down swarming.
Young queens have been laying a
week or ten days. The weather is
cool at nights, and we liave late spring
rains. The honey crop is not very
encouraging. The rain fall is light.
The mountain streams have only
been full once this season. Most of
the time there has been but very little
more water running than througli the
summer ; that is, where the streams
riui the year through. Late rains
have revived the flowers. Bees have
made a living and a little more. It is
too cool for comb honey.
J. D. Enas.
Napa, Cal., April 23, 1883.
The Old Fogy Bee-Keeper.
I am not an expert in the art of
bee-keepin", by any means, but I
have a neighbor living about one-half
mile from my place, who, seeing what
I had done, last summer, with my
bees, thmking, I suppose, to get rich,
has embarked in the business. When
visiting, I would tell some little ex-
perience that I had from working
with my bees, and what I had learned
from the Bee Journal ami Cnok's
Manual, etc. ; it seems natural f t
bee-keepers to talk and tell all they
know of the art. I tried to get him to
take the Bee Journal. I told him
if he would take the Journal I would
send the order with mine and he could
have the premium. Bees and Honey,
in cloth. He took home some of my
Journals to read. Next time I saw
him, [ asked if he was going to take
the Journal '^ He said. No ; he did
not believe one word of it ; he did not
want it ; but I see he has lost one or
two colonies of bees this spring, be-
sides lots of brood, trying to build up
weak colonies. In such cold weather
the brood would get chilled, before
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
255
this master of the art could do what
lie did not believe men of 20 years ex-
|)erience was doing right. Of course
I do not wish him bad luck ; that is
not my make-up ; I would ratlier see
him do well and make money, if there
is money in it, but when a man tells
me he does not believe what men of
experience says, it makes me feel
sorry for the bees that he may own.
I shall not talk with him any more
about bees. I like to be told what I
<lo not know, and I do not think that
I shall ever get so much experience
but that some »ne can tell me some-
thing. E. L. FliUDENBURG.
Fentouville, Mich., May 9, 1883. •
Something New to Me.
On the first day of May, I was
called upon by a party three miles
from my residence, to transfer 2 colo-
nies of black bees. In transferring,
I found them collecting honey, build-
ing combs in four boxes, and storing
honey in the boxes; tliis is unusual in
this vicinty. Out of 108 colonies of
bees, wliich I put into winter quar-
ters last fall (86 in cellar, and 72 on the
summer stands), I lost one in the cel-
lar. I think it was queenless, and,
therefore, died. The rest came ou^
very strong, witli from 4 to 8 frames
of brood, and a few about ready for
the boxes. Of those on the summer
stands, I lost four, principally by
spring dwindling, three being some-
what weak, leaving me 100 colonies in
tine condition. I lost eight iu all. I
like cellar wintering best, thus far.
Daniel Whitmer.
South Bend, Ind., May 12, 1883.
Spring Dwindling.
The past month has been a disas-
trous one to our bees. I lost 6 colo-
nies since March 9, that were then in
good condition ; they left hatching
brood, eggs, larvse and new honey. I
see no cause for their dying. I have
12 colonies left, all in good condition,
though some are not very strong. 1
put away 23 colonies. The spring has
been very cold, wet and wmdy— bad
for bees. Mus. Myka L. Parsons.
Linwood, Mich., May 7, 1883.
Bereaved.
Last Friday morning a telephone
message called me to Grand Rapids
to the bedside of the " queen " of my
household, who has been suffering for
the past 15 months with that dreadful
disease, cancer. She welcomed me
on getting there, but passed to that
other world beyond us, and into that
" better life," at 7 o'clock Sunday
evening. Yesterday (Wednesday) we
brought her eartlily remains to Mus-
kegon, and laid them beside lier
father and mother, after six years of
happiness. Geo. E. Hilton.
Fremont, Mich., May 10, 1883.
Done Again.
I wintered 29 colonies of bees in the
cellar safely, and without the loss of
a single colony. They were there 141
•days without a chance to tly. I gave
them upward ventilation. The tem-
perature of the cellar was from 33^ to
41°. They did not breed in the cellar.
Willow is now in full bloom and all is
lovely. The Syrian bees take the lead.
I notice that some enquire why their
bees swarm out, leaving honey and
brood. My advice is : Do not open
the hive and handle the frames, if the
flolony is weak. F. Lee.
Cokato-, Minn., April 27, 1883.
Bees Gathering Honey.
Being away last fall, my bees were
not properly prepared for winter.
I have 24 colonies in very fine condi-
tion. They have gathered some honey.
My loss was 10 colonies.
John Meader.
Delaware, Iowa, May 11, 1883.
^:pccial Wi^oiiccs.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMEHICAN BEK JOURNAL, j
Monday, 1" a. m.. May H, 1882. S
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Uiiotatlonn of €a»b Huyera.
CHICAGO.
HONF.Y— The nominal price of extracted Is 7c.
for d»rk and itc. for ItKljt— here. The supply Is
abundant and salea are slow.
BEESWAX-None in the market.
Al. U. Newman. y23 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY.— The demand for extracted honey is
very good, anil arrivals are slow. ^Ve pay 7(yjioc.
on arrival. We sold, sinf e last October, more than
tioo barrels, and our stock is exhausted, while our
customers are relying on us for supplies. Hope our
friends will supply us. No demand for comb
honey, and prices nominal.
BBESWA.V.— Arrivals of beeswax are good, and
prices range from 3U@35c. for a wood article.
Chas. p. Muth.
Quotntlonii or Commission Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Thedemand is light and it is not now
probable that all of the comb honey can be sold
before a new crop comes. Prices are very irregular
and generally low: l;j(,«.16c. for white, and dark un-
salable. Extracted, very little trade is being done
in it. T@9c. is about the market.
BEESWAX-a.vo.aec.
K. A. BUHNETT. IBl South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— Stocks and the demand are both light.
More or less difficulty would be experienced in
tilling a large order for a straight lot.
White comb. I4(.il7c.; dark to good. ll@13c.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, H>^(3)9!.4c. ; dark and
candied. r><^7\ic.
BKESWAX— Wholesale. 27(a28c.
STEARNS & SMITH. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Dull; light jobbing sales only. Comb
at 10(gjl4c. — Strained and extracted at 7{3l7><ic.
Couple lots of poor Comb sold at 10c.
BEESWAX-Sold lightly at a-iOSGc.
W. T. ANDERSON & Co.. 1 17 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Stocks of honey are running low with
us. l-lb. sections are ail sold and there is a very
light inquiry for such; would probably sell at
18((i(JOc. 2 Ib.sections are not in demand, and no
sales to quote, asking I7<s.l8c. Extracted no sale
BEESWAX- Not offering.
A. C. KENDKL. 1 1.5 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
^ lb. sections al 30C.; 1 lb. sections. 22(ii.35c.; 2 lb.
sections. 20('ji22c. Extracted. loc. per lb. trood
lots 01 e.xtracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone: we have none
to quote.
CROCKER & Blakb. 57 Chatham Street.
Price Lists.— The following Price
Lists for 1883 are on our desk :
S. Valentine & Son, Hagerstown,
Md.
E. A. Tliomas & Co., Coleraine,
Mass. '
E. S. Hildemann, Ashippun, Wis.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to wliich you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Joitrnal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post otiice or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks iire subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post oftice, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exliibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition , revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cookingin which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
iaee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at liome, at a good profit.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
256
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For Ave subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Joubnal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
1®° Our stock of back numbers of
this volume are now getting very low.
Please look over your numbers, and
if any are lacking, send us a postal
card, giving the date of those you
want, and we will send them, if not
all gone. We give this notice, be-
cause, last year, several left it until
the end of the year, and then re-
quested >is to send the missing num-
bers. Then it was too late, the num-
bers being all gone. Look them over
now, and you may get them completed.
Foul Brood Pamphlet. — Wishing to
be relieved of sending out my pamph-
let on Foul Brood. I have made ar-
rangements with Mr. T. G. Newman
to supply them to the bee-keeping
fraternity desiring them.
A. R. KOHNKE.
Youngstown, O., April 25, 1883.
^" Mr. Alley's new book on Queen
Rearing will hereafter cost $1.25
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother " with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am " boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker " did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1883.
18A4t 5Blt
^g" We have a few copies of our
pamphlet entitled " Bee Culture " left,
and have reduced the price from 40
to 25 cents each, or $2 per dozen.
1^ We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. — We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Special Notice. — We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for 1883 and Cook's Manual in cloth
for $2.75, or the Monthly and Manual
in cloth for 51.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
1^" Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
i^°May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own ? Our premium, "Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one nev) sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
THOSE WHO want
Hybrid or Black Queens,
TAKE NOTICE.
We have bought a larpe number of Hybrid
a.ud Black CMlonleit of Been) which hiive fine
Queens. These Queens we will sell at '>0 cts. for
Blacks, and 7r> cts. for Hybrids. Notice our adver-
tisementbf ALBINO AND ITALIAN QUEENS.
etc., in the April or Mav numbers.
Address S. VALENTINE ««r SOX,
L'dC 2t HAGERSTOTVN, MD.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The British Bee Joi'UXAL is published month-
ly, and contains the best practical information for
tne time bein^. showing what to do, and when and
how to do it. Rev. H. K. PEEL.. Editor.
We send the Weekly American Bee Journal
and tUe British Bee Joutiia] Lhoth forlS-Oo a year.
1000
^
COLONIES of Italian and
Hybrid bees for sale in
Langstroth and Simplicity
hives.
Three-Frame Nuclei
a specialty. Safe delivery euarantfpii. T\rite
for particulars and special lates to
■FLANAGAN & ILLINSKI,
Box 819.
17A4t 5B2t
BEI.LEVILLE, St.Cliilr Lu., ILL.
A NEW BEE BOOK!
BEES and HONEY,
OK THE '
Management of an Apiary for Fleasnre
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN,
Editor of the Weekly Bee Journal.
935 ^Vest Af adleon Street, Chicago, 111.
It contains 160 profusely illustrated pages, is
" fully up with the times" in'*11 the improvements
and inventions in this rapidly developing pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everything that can
aid in the successful manaKement of the Honey
Bee, and at the same time produce the most honey
in its best and most attractive condition.
Appreciative Notloes.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-boolt of
apiculture.— American Agrriculturist, N. Y.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen. Pulaski, Tenn.
Contains all the information needed to make
bee-culture successful.— Eagle, Union City. Ind.
Just such a work as should be in the hands of
every beginner with bees.— News, Keithsburg, III.
Valuable for all who are interested in the care
and mana^'ement of bees.— Dem., Allegan, Mich.
Engravings are fine, (iotten up in the best Btyle>
and is cheap at the price.— Farmer. Cleveland, O.
. It comprises all that is necessary for successful
nee-culture, save experience and good Judgment.
—Daily Republican. IJtica. N. Y.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even though they be nut directly interested in the
care of bees.— Sentinel, Kome, N. Y.
It is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the-
little busy bee, as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of information in regard to
bee-culture. He whn would keep abreast of the-
times must keep posted in all the improvements in
Bis line. We advise all interested to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times, San Bernardino, Cal.
It embraces every subject ihat will interest the
beginner. It describes all the newest discoveries-
in the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive
form. It is embellished with beautiful engravings,.
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for the-
price, that has ever come under ournotice.- Far-
mer. Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound in cloth, tS cents ; in paper
covers. SO cents, postpaid.
THOMAS O. NElpVMAJr,
;er> AV. Madison St.. Chicago, HI.
1S83. 188S.
YOU GET VALUE RECEIVED !
QUEENS,BEES AND SUPPLIES
If you want EAKI-Y QUEENS from the
best improved srenulne stock for business; or if
you want Imported Italian Queens or bees, in full
colonies or nuclei, with tested or untested queens;
if you want Dunham or Vandervort como founda-
tion, made from pure beeswax; or if you want
hives or apiarian suppliesof any kind, send for my
new catalogue. It tells you about introducing
queens, new " Races of Bees," etc. Cash paid for
clean beeswax. Address,
a. p. H. BKOW^N.
5BDl5t Augusta. Georgia.
BE SURE
To send a postal card for our Illustrated Catalogue
of Apiarian Supplies before purchasing elsewhere.
It contains II lustrations and descriptions of every-
thiny new and valuable needed in an apiay. at tlie
lowe I prices. Italian Queens and Bees. Parties-
intencingto purchase bees in lots of lo Colonies or
more are invited to correspond.
J. c. sayi.es,
5lDlr>tB'.t Hartford. Wis.
ELECTROTYPES
Of Engravings used in the Bee Journal for sale at
2.=. cents per square inch— no single cut sold for less
than 60C. THOMAS G. KE"WMAN,
9Z5 West Madison Street Chicago. III.
.^.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 23, 1883.
No. 21.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Adulteration, a Root of Bitterness.
One of our correspondents writes us
as follows :
Prince Bismarck says that Ameri-
can pork and lard are the "root of all
evil," and that it is fattening the
grave-yards with human beings.
At East Buffalo, N. Y., are the
great hog yards fed on the refuse of
the grape sugar factories ; there are
others at Lawrence, Peoria, and Des
Moines, where the hogs and cattle are
covered witli boils. Adulteration is
the root of much evil, in America.
The California Canner and G-rocer
remarks as follows :
If some means is not soon devised
to check the alarming tendency to
food adulteration, there will, in a
short time, be but little market for
our goods abroad. It is to be re-
gretted that manufacturers cannot be
made to see that any policy, except
tliat which grants a pure article at a
fair profit, defeats itself in the end,
and that an adulterated article placed
upon a foreign market, bearing the
label of an American firm, inflicts an
irreparable injury upon American
manufacturers. This should be made
the gravest kind of a misdemeanor,
;ind those driven to such course.?
through their inordinate greed, should
meet with speedy and condign pun-
ishment. With our present manu-
facturing interests, we need an
Jiuropean market as an outlet for our
goods. Increasing as our manufact-
ures are, it is of vital importance that
foreign markets should be kept open
to us. That they will not be, we have
every reason to expect, unless some
means is soon found of checking the
iidulteration of goods, and the coun-
terfeiting of brands, to enable the
lilacing of inferior goods. The fore-
going remarks are suggested by the
recent action of the Cuban Govern-
ment in reference to importations of
American lard into the port of Havana.
The Collector of Customs of that port
lias been instructed to refuse admit-
tance to four brands of this American
lard, until they have each been the
object of a rigid scientiflc examina-
tion. The charge of adulteration is
entered against them, and the adulter-
ant is thought to be injurious.
The Canner and Grocer continues by
saying, "Adulteration is the thief of
trade. More tempting than Delilah,
for it woos with promises of golden
gains ; it finds numberless lovers
among those who deal in the staple-
food articles of commerce, and lures
them on from bad to worse, until
finally they become hopelessly en-
tangled in a net-work of dishonest
practices. Under our at-present im-
perfect laws for protection against the
sale of spurious goods, with but slight
danger of detection, and with a cer-
tainty of large profit, many a dealer,
finding his keener sense of honor
dulled by money greed, begins to
adulterate the commodities he keeps
for sale, and thus enters into a career
that is more villainous and more dan-
gerous to the community than that of
the old-time highwayman; for through
it the public are robbed not only of
their coin, but of their health as well.
" This infamous system has been
growing of late with frightful rapidity
until one is in almost perpetual fear
lest he be eating or drinking some
poisonous compound instead of the
healthful article which it counterfeits.
This vile traffic is confined to no local-
ity or country, but is pursued in all
the business centres of the civilized
world, and from them finds its way
into the most distant channels of
trade. As an evidence that this evil
exists in many of the ramifications of
trade, let us glance at ttie report of
the New York Board of Health, tfiey
having been investigating tlie matter
of late: "Out of 236 samples of oils ex-
amined, the committee reported that
only 32 stood the test provided by law.
Seventy-five samples of drugs" were
examined, and 32 found to be adul-
terated. Samples of food to the num-
ber of 119 were examined, 60 of wfiich
were found to be in similar condition."
Organized efforts are being made in
several countries to check or put a
stop to this adulteration of food and
other necessaries of daily use, but so
far they have met with only partial
success, excepting in the case of Ger-
many, where the good work goes
bravely on, and its excellent results
are already proven. The English sys-
tem is acknowledged to be unsatis-
factory. Dr. Wigner, Public Analyst,
wrote in 1881 :
" These statistics, unfortunately,
prove that our legislation is not per-
fect, but, on the contrary, that the
rate of adulteration prevailing now,
although a vastimprovement over the
condition of things prior to the pas-
sage of the acts, does not show a con-
tinued decrease."
In referring to this subject Prof.
Charles R. Fletcher, of Boston, said:
" While in England 17,000 samples
of food were analyzed in a year, one
finds over 231,000 samples examined
in Germany. The German law is
rigid, and receives vigorous Govern-
ment and individual support, and if
anybody would examine an approach
to an effective system, I think he
should turn to Germany."
We are glad to learn that, in New
I'ork city, the Board of Health is
putting tlie new adulteration law in
vigorous force, and the result of its
investigations has been the com-
mencement of numerous prosecutions
against dishonest manufacturers and
tradesmen. There are some com-
plaints, it is true, that these have been
instigated by rival houses, etc., but
even if that be so, the public have
reason for congratulation. An Ex-
change aptly remarks that it " would
be better, for instance, that the courts
snould punish burglars even to the
verge of inquisitorial persecution, and
at the same time allow sneak-thieves
to go unprosecuted, than that they
should, for the sake of ill-named jus-
tice, allow both of these rascally
classes to go unscathed. Every case
of adulteration punished is a victory
gained for honest trade in general, no
matter from what branch of business
the offenders may have been selected."
Adulteration of honey, as well as all
kinds of food, should be strongly con-
demned, until strong, well-defined and
rigidly-enforced laws shall give full
and permanent relief to all innocent
purchasers and consumers.
258
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bee-Pastures of Mount Shasta.
The Century contains the following
interesting descriptions of the bee-
pastures of Mount Shasta, in the
Sierras of the far west :
Shasta is a lire-mountain, created
by a succession of eruptions of ashes
and molten lava, which, flowing over
the lips of its several craters, grew
outward and upward like the trunk of
a knotty exogenous tree. Then fol-
lowed a strange contrast. The glacial
winter came on, loading the cooling
mountain with ice which flowed slowly
outward in every direction, radiating
from the summit in the form of one
vast conical glacier— a down-crawling:
mantle of ice upon a fountain of
smoldering fire, crushing and grind-
ing for centuries its brown, Hinty
lavas with incessant activity, ^and
thus degrading and remodeling 'the
entire mountain. When, at length,
the glacial period began to draw near
its close, the ice-mantle was gradually
melted off around the bottom, and, in
receding and breaking into its present
fragmentary condition, irregular rings
and heaps of moraine matter were
stored upon its flanks. The glacial
erosion of most of the Shasta lavas
produced a detritus, composed of
rough, sub-angular bowlders of mod-
erate size and porous gravel and sand,
which yields freely to the transport-
ing power of running water. Under
Nature's management, the next
marked geological event made to take
place in the history of Mount Shasta,
was a water-flood of extraordinary
magnitude, which acted with sublime
energy upon this prepared glacial de-
tritus, sorting it out and carrying
down immense quantities from the
higher slopes, and re-depositing it hi
smooth, delta-like beds around the
base ; and it is these flood-beds of
moraine soil, thus suddenly and sim-
ultaneously laid down and joined edge
to edge, that now form the main
honey-zone.
Thus, by forces seemingly antago-
nistic and destructive, has Mother
Nature accomplished her beneficient
designs— now a flood of fire, now a
flood of ice, now a flood of water ; and
then an outburst of organic life, a
milky-way of snowy petals and wings,
gurdling the rugged mountain like a
cloud, as if the vivifying sunbeams
beating against its sides nad broken
into a foam of plant-bloom and bees.
In this lovely wilderness the bees
rove and revel, rejoicing in the bounty
of th e sun, clam berin g eagerly through
bramble and hucklebloom, stirring
the clustered bells of the manzanita,
now humming aloft among polleny
willows and firs, now down on the
ashy ground among gilias and butter-
cups, and anon plunging deep into
snowy banks of cherry and buck-
thorn. * * * The Shasta bees are
perhaps better fed than any others in
the sierra. Their field-work is one
perfectual feast ; but, however exhil-
arating the sunshine, or bountiful the
supply of flowers, they are always
dainty feeders. Humming-moths and
humming-birds seldom set foot upon
a flower, but poise on the wing in
front of it, and reach forward as if
tliey were sucking through straws.
But bees, though as dainty as they,
hug their favorite flowers with pro-
found cordiality, and push their blunt,
polleny faces against them, like babies
on their mother's bosom.
Planting for Honey.
The value of an apiary is determined
not by the number of the colonies it
contains, but by the strength of the
colonies, and their availability for
work. If there is no pasturage the
best bees in the world must be idle.
If but little honey bloom is provided
for the bees to gather from, then but
little honey will be the result. Hence
the necessity of providing pasturage
for the bees during the whole season,
"rianting for honey" is the key to the
situation.
Speaking of the liouey dearth be-
tween fruit bloom and white clover,
when the bees hardly obtain enough
honey for daily use, the Indiana
Farmer says : " To our mind this is
the most important dearth which the
bee-keeper must strive to bridge over
by planting. The stimulus given the
bees by fruit bloom should, if possi-
ble, be kept up until the coming of
white clover, so as to have them in
the best possible condition when the
harvest comes." This is evidently
the truth in a nutshell. To obtain
something to fill this gap is the one
point that should engage the attention
of every apiarist.
Continuous bloom means continu-
ous honey gathering, and a continuous
flow of money into the bee-keepers'
pockets.
A "Good" Man Going South,- Mr.
F. L. Dougherty, of Indianapolis,
says : " While waiting at the depot a
few days since, we happened upon
friend I. R. Good, of N4ppanee. Ind.
Mr. Good is a queen rearer of some
note, but lost heavily of bees during
the past winter. Out of 22.5 colonies
put into winter quarters only 80 sur-
vived, many of them being in a weak
condition, those in the cellar suffering
as much or more than those wintered
on the summer stands. Mr. Good has
decided to move his bees south, and
after considerable search has picked
on a location near TuUahoma, Tenn.
He thinks he will not be able to do
anything in the way of queen rearing
this season, except for his own use.
His brother will have charge of the
Tullahoma apiary the present season.
Queens will be reared here and shipped
to Tullahoma for the purpose of fully
stocking the apiaries there, while Mr,
Good again stocks the home apiary.
He is inclined to think the bee and
queen trade is turning to the south, as
they can there be got into better con-
dition so much earlier in the season."
"The Doctor."— Another arrival at
our Museum is " The Doctor," which
is a large bellows bee smoker — the
largest we ever saw — consisting of a
fire box 3J| inches in diameter. Its
gust of wind is tremendous, and the
volume of smoke from it would in-
stantly subdue the most vicious bees
in existence. It is made by Bingham
& Hetheringtou, Abronia, Mich,
Signs of Swarming.— Mr. F. L.
Dougherty, in the Indiana Famur,
gives the following on this subject :
There is no certain method of judg-
ing, from out-side appearances, as to
just when a colony is going to swarm.
The most general indications notice-
able from the out-side of the hive that
they are preparing to swarm are the
inactivity of the bees, hanging in
clusters about the entrances, and pol-
len gatherers hanging with the cluster
instead of entering the hive. How-
ever, they may be prepared to swarm
with queen-cells built ; then, because
of unfavorable weather, or a slight
cessation of the honev flow may sud-
denly destroy the cells and give up
aU attempts to swarm. Or they may
soon again commence preparations,
wasting a very great part of the honey
crop, for they seldom do but little
good gathering honey while the
swarming fever is on. Just here is
where the knowledge of the scientific
bee-keeper comes to his help. As the
bees are just in the right condition to
divide, he divides them at once with-
out farther waiting. Bees will at
times, if left to themselves, throw off
as many as five or six swar«is, each
one smaller than the preceding. The
old queen leaves with the first swarm.
All after swarms contain young
queens. Where honey is the object,
colonies should not be allowed to cast
but one swarm, as a very rapid in-
crease can seldom be accomplished
except at the expense of the honey
crop. ^Vith the movable frame it is
but little trouble to prevent this by
simply opening the hive 7 or 8 days
later and removing the extra queen-
cells. With box hives, the only plan
is to place the hive containing the
first swarm, on the old stand, moving
the old hive to a new location, thus
depleting its strength to such an ex-
tent that it will not want to swarm
any more. Before swarming, bees
usually gorge themselves with honey,
and while in this condition can be
handled almost with impunity, yet
care should always be used, that no
bees be mashed or they may take the
notion to make it very unpleasant for
the manipulator.
THE AMERICAl^ BEE JOURNAL.
259
The Coming Bee.— The following
very amusing sketch of the troubles
incident upon removing bees from
cellars, is from Gleanings, by Eugene
Secor, Forest City, Iowa. On April
17, 1883, he wrote as follows :
This subject has been discussed so
many times that I should not touch it,
were it not from the fact that I have
seen it. I saw it yesterday. In fact,
I saw several of them. Tliey saw nie,
too — I mean some of them did, and
the rest felt for me, and they found
me. I felt them without feeling for
them either. My feeling so pleased
them that they called in their sisters,
cousins and aunts, fo feel of me also.
They came, they saw, they felt.. I
felt, too— in fact, I feel yet.
This is iiow 1 came to see,
And feel tlie points of tiie coming bee.
They were in the cellar, where they
had been for only the short period of
1.57 days and nights, amiable, gentle
Italians, as I supposed when I tucked
them in their little beds in the fall.
My cellar was dark. They could not
see ; so I suppose they had got accus-
tomed to feeling. May be that ac-
counts for the fellow-feeling they
manifested for me. I carried out col-
ony Xo. 1, sans hat, sans coat, sans
gloves. The "coming bee" at once
dawned upon my vision. She felt of
my hands, felt of neck, felt of my
hair, and felt of my whiskers. She
sang a song in bee-sharp which at-
tracted all her female acquaintances.
They improvised a jubilee concert on
the spot. I was the only interested
auditor ; and as soon as I could "un-
load my stock," I "clapped." They
appreciated the cheering, and sang
louder. They called in some of their
finest Italian opera-singers and per-
formers. That music is not usually
understood in this country. The
clapping is generally done because it
is fashionable to applaud everything
that is foreign. I5ut 1 understood
every demi-semi-quaver. I clapped
with the spirit and with the under-
standing also. But I felt that they
were expending too much talent on
such a small audience, so I retired as
gracefully as the overwhelming at-
tentions being paid me would allow.
Intermission of 15 minutes. Curtain drops.
It is usually customary for the actors
to change costumes while the curtain
is down. In this instance, however,
the audience changed dress. The
next act begins wlien I carry the
second colony out of the cellar. This
time I am prepared for the coming
bee. Armed with straw hat, bee-
veil, and gauntlet gloves, I looked like
a cross between a knight-errant, a
sister of charity, and an honest
granger. With my gauntlets drawn
snugly around the arms witii rubber
cord, and the veil ditto around the
neck, now let 'em sing, sang I. They
sang again ; and as the wind gently
pressed the tarlsttan against my nose,
one of the foremost of the Italian
singers sat down to rest on the orna-
ment part of my face. As I had no
one to help me let go of the hive I was
carrying, and as I was in somewhat of
a hurry, I allowed the Italian miss to
keep her seat. All at once she doubled
up like a boy who has eaten too many
green cucumbers ; and as if afraid of
falling off, she drilled my proboscis
with her little gimlet. Others of her
companions, hearing of her distress,
came to see what was the matter, and
sat down also. And as there was not
sitting room on my front porch for
all the sympathizing friends, some of
them crowded between my veil and
the place where my shirt collar ought
to have been, and came up on the in-
side for a closer interview. By the
time I had reached the yard, my neck
felt as if I had undergone treatment
for sore throat with counter-irritants.
Then if you ever saw a cat trying to
pull a mitten off its head with its fore
paws, you can imagine how dignified
I looked. Instead of being the audi-
ence, I was now one of the chief per-
formers, while my wife, sitting in the
bay-window, was the interested and
amused spectator, enjoying the show
as much as our boys did Barnum's
Hippodrome. I created as much
interest as a whole menagerie, when
the animals had just been "stirred
up." The performance lasted only
about an hour, and closed amid the
wildest enthusiasm.
Don't talk to me about the Apis
dorsata. If their gimlets are any longer
than the ones I felt, I'll be excused
from buying any. Tell Mr. Jones he
had better call Frank Benton home.
I have lost all interest in the "coming
bee."
Dzierzon's Rational Bee-Keeping.
Oleanings, in bee-culture, gives this
book the following notice :
Mr. Newman has kindly sent us a
work entitled " Rational Bee-keping,"
by our old father Dzierzon, the origi-
nator of the theory bearing his name.
The author is not only a thoroughly
scientific bee-keeper, but a naturalist.
lie has probably made greater strides
in scientific apiculture than any one
man. His book contains his many
discoveries, together with his valua-
ble experience and research. In ad-
dition to this are foot-notes by C. N.
Abbott, the former editor of the
British Bee Journal. We thus have
the opportunity of direct comparison
and verification. As regards the na-
ture, the distinctive characteristics
and explanation of some of the pecu-
liar phenomena noticed in bees, the
book seems to stand among the fore-
most, if not in the front ranks. I
hardly think the implements of the
apiary would be at all suited to Ameri-
can bee- keepers ; but as for real scien-
tific value, it would well repay any
bee-keeper whose attention is at all
inclined to scientific research, to pur-
chase a copy. It contains 350 pages,
fully illustrated.
We can mail it to any address for $2,
bound in cloth, or $1.75 in paper
covers.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, J
Monday, 10 a. m., May 21, 1882. (
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotations of Cash Bnyera.
CHICAGO.
nONEY— The nominal price of extracted is 7c.
for dark and uc. for IlKht— here. The supply is
abundant and sales are slow.
BBESWAX-None in the market.
AL. H. Newman. a23 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY.— The demand for extracted honey i&
very f.'nod, and arrivals are slow. We pay 7@l0c.
on arrival. We sold, sint e last October, more than
6(H.l barrels, and our stock is exhausted, while our
customers are rely ing on us for supplies. Hope our
friends will supply us. No demand for comb
honev. and prices nominal.
BEESWA.X.— Arrivals of beeswax are good, and
prices range from 3U{Si35c. for a good article.
Chas. F. Muth.
t^ Articles for publication must be
vnritten on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
Quotations of Commission Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The demand is light and it is not now
probable that all of tiie comb honey can be sold
before a new crop comes. Prices a re very irregular
and generally low: l5(*16c.for white, and dark un-
salable. Extracted, very little trade is being done
in it. 7@9c. is about the market.
BEESWAX-SSCiiafic.
R. A. Burnett. I61 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY-Stocks and tbe demand are both light.
More or less difilculty would be experienced in
fllling a large order for a straight lot.
White comb. 14@17c.: dark to good. ll@I3c.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8^@9^c. ; dark and
candied, 5(gt7^c.
BEBSWAX-Wholesale, 27®28c.
Stearns & Smith. 423 Front Street.
ST. 1.01118.
HONEY— Dull: light jobbing sales only. Comb
at Kt@14c.— Strained and extracted at 7@7^c.
Couple lots of poor Comb sold at 10c.
BBESWAJC— Sold lightly at 35@36c.
W. T. ANDEKSON & CO., 1 17 N. Main Street.
CL,KVELAND.
HONEY— Stocks of honey are running low with
us. l-lb. sections are all sold and there is a very
light inquiry for such: would probably sell at
18(gi20c. 2-lb. sections are not In demand, and no
sales to quote, asking 17®18c. Extracted no sale
at 9w)10c.
BEESWAX— Not offering.
A. C. KENDEL. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
H lb. sections at 30C.: 1 lb. sections, 22(S25c.; 2 1b.
sections, 20@22c. Extracted, loc. per lb. Good
lots of extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone: we have none
to quote.
CROCKER & BLAKE, 57 Chatham Street.
t^ The Southwestern Iowa Bee-
Keepers' Association will hold its
annual meeting at the apiary of L. E.
Mercer, Lenox, Taylor county, Iowa,
May 26, 1883. Meeting called at 10
o'clock sharp. Forenoon : Election
of officers. Afternoon : Work in the
apiary, when any question, with re-
gard to handling bees, will be practi-
cally explained. Accommodations will
be provided for visitors from a dis-
tance. W. J. Oliver, Sec.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
260
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tlie American Bee JournaL
Bees and Honey in Navarro co.,Texas.
B. F. CAKKOLL.
The following Table represents the
bee and honey interest in Navarro
County, Texas, with the exception of
those who have only one or two colo-
nies of bees :
NAME OF
APIARIST.
* I * la
□ ^' c^ o
o n; od,^
H. A. Halbert
J. K. Love
M. M. Morrison. . . .
G. A. Treadwell
Mr. — Viisa
John S. Miller
B. F.Carroll
Dr. C. H. Hart
W.R Melton
M. T. Krencb
Tank Spivey
Dr. W. 8. Eoblnson
Dr. Parley
Q. W. Ttiomison...
Westbrk&MAfee
Mrs. Eliz. Melton..
Jas. Davis
J. C King
Jack Smitli
Ben Youni^er
Dr. H.B.Kansom..
R. Gowen
A. T. Barton
Henry Forgey
(Jeorfje Acre
T. B. Kice
Q. W.Cook
J. R. HerrinK
W.T.Moore
Bill Black
■VV. H.Woodard....
J. T. Lancaster
A.S.Gill
J. M. Trammel
Wm.Boykin
A.J. Miller
James A. Spicer...
Thos. Stokes
Wm. Stokes
275
500
250
125
600
375
250
200
30(1
360
'760
250
37.50
150
(10
'2511
286
1250
iiiio!
2000'
urn
m
126
'm
(j24
.'20111
. 3tlU
Italians
Blacks
Hybrids
Blacks
Italians
Blacks
Cyp. Syr. Ital.
Italians
Blks.Hvb.Ital.
BI.(_'y.Hy.Ital.
Hybrids
Blacks
ital. & Blacks
Italians
Blacks & (-"yp.
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Hybrids
Hybrids
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Blacks
Dresden, Texas.
For the American Bee JournaL
Uniting Bees— Spring Management.
0. M. DOOLITTLE.
I am requested by several to give,
in the Bee Journal, my plan of
uniting bees, and I will try to do
so ; if I do not make it all plain, I will
further explain if necessary.
We are often told, that if our bees
are weak in March or April, we should
unite them at once, putting two or
more together, till a fair colony is
formed. I formerly adopted this plan
until I ascertained from many experi-
ments, that colonies thus made were
no better at the end of three or four
weeks, than each would have been
had they been left separated. If I
had colonies that would not live till
June separately, I found they would
not if united. I have put as high as
six or seven very weak colonies to-
gether, in April, thus making a good
large colony at tlie time, and in a
month all were dead. Hence, I came
to the conclusion that I could not
unite my bees profitably early in the
season, so I liave adopted the follow-
ing, which has proven very successful:
About the middle of April, accord-
ing to the season (earlier if any early
season, and late if a late one), some
cold morning I look over all my bees,
by taking oft the cap and lifting the
quilt a little, and all that do not oc-
cupy live spaces between the combs
are "marked, and the first warm day I
shut them on to as many combs as
have brood, by means of a divison-
board. Those which are very small,
so as to have brood in only one or two
combs, and small patches at that,
have all their extra combs taken
away from them, so as to take precau-
tion against robbing ; but if stronger,
I leave the extra combs on the other
side of the division-board, so that the
bees can carry the honey over as they
need it for brood-rearing.
The entrance to each hive is con-
tracted to suit the size of the colony,
not leaving more than an inch in
length for the best of them, and only
space enough for one bee to pass at a
time for the weakest.
The next work is to increase the
brood as fast as possible in these
small colonies. 1 keep them on the
combs, first given them, till they are
filled with brood clear to the bottom,
when I give them an emptv comb,
placed in the centre. This' will be
filled in a week or so, when another is
given. I go over them once a week,
in this way, till I have five frames full
of brood in the strongest. The next
time I go over thenij I take a frame
of brood just hatcning from those
having the five filled, and give it to
the next strongest (say one that has
four frames), putting an empty comb
in the place where it came from, and
so keep working until each hive con-
tains five frames crowded with brood.
.Do not make the mistake of giving
the frame of hatching brood to the
weakest colonies first, for they may
not be strong enough, if the weather
should suddenly become cool, to care
for it ; when a loss of brood, to the
amount given, might occur.
By the middle of June, I generally
get all in the above condition, when
they are ready for uniting. To do
this, I go to No. 1 and open it ; look
the frames over until I find the queen,
when I set the frame she is on out-
side of the hive ; then take the four
remaining frames (bees and all) to No.
2, spread the five frames apart in No.
2, and put the four frames taken from
No, 1 in each alternate space, made
by spreading the frames in No. 2. I
now close up No. 2. and in 12 or 15
days it will be one of the strongest
colonies in the yard.
By alternating the frames, the bees
are so mixed up that they will not
quarrel, and I have never known a
queen to be harmed. It will be seen
that I use but nine frames to the hive,
but the plan is the same with any
number of frames. I now return to
No. 1, where the frame of bees was
left standing outside of the hive,
close to one side, and put in an empty
frame ; adjust the division-board, and
I have a nice nucleus to get a queen
from at any time I may need one. 1 1
find also, that such a nucleus will
build comb almost as cheaply as foun-
dation can be gotten into comb ; for
many of the old bees taken to No. 2
will return, thus making a strong
nucleus, which will build nice straight
worker combs, as if by magic. If I
do not wish these for queens or comb
building, I build them up to good
strong colonies by the fall.
UNITING IN THE FALL.
If I wish to unite bees in the fall,
on account of there being but little
honey, fewness of bees, or from what-
ever cause, the first thing to find out
is, which of the two has the most val-
uable queen. Having ascertained
this. I hunt up the poorest and kill
her, then take this hive to the stand
of the one it is to be united with. I
now select from the two frames hav-
ing the most honey in them, to the
number I wish to winter them on, and
set them in one of the hives, alterna-
ting them, as they are set in the hive.
I next shake the bees, which are on
the remaining frames, off at the en-
trance, taking one frame from one
colony, and the next from the other,
so as to mix the bees up as much as
possible.
When all the bees are inside the
hive, the work is done. Remove the
hive, bottom board and all, from the
stand occupied by the united colony,
and no loss of bees will occur. What
few bees go back to the old stand, re-
turn after finding their old hive is
gone ; also the mixing up process
causes them to mark their location
anew, at their first flight afterward.
Borodino, N. Y.
For the American Bee Journal.
Bees as Aids to Fruit Growers.
J. F. LATHAM.
In the agricultural column of a
weekly paper, I find a " clip " credited
to another journal, from which the
following is an extract :
" Honey is a vegetable production,
appearing in greater or less quantities
in every flower that nods to the
breeze, or kisses the bright sunlight.
* * * It is secreted in the
flower for the purpose of attracting
insects, thus securing the complete
fertilization of the female blossoms.'
The declaration embodied in the
last sentence of the foregoing extract,
is new to me ; as, heretofore, I have
understood the nectar of flowers to
be a menstruum, surplus secretion, ex-
cess of growth, etc., drawn from the
soil and atmosphere, which, after the
necessary operations of assimilation,
and contribution to the requirements
of vegetable growth are accomplished,
is conveyed to and lodged in the
chalice of the pistillated bloom by
capillary process, and can, therefore,
be no more or less than w-aste matter,
so far as needed to • further enhance
the growth of fruit or seed.
That the liectar in flowers is an aid
to their fertilization (in a general
way), by inducing insects to distribute
the fecundating element from the
staminate blossoms, by conveying it
,THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
261
on their bodies durinff their flights
among the flowers, while collecting
the exuding sweets, is evident ; that
this is the sole object for which nectar
is secreted does not seem admissible.
Pollen is borne from flower to
flower on the breeze as well as on the
bodies of insects ; in fact, that ap-
pears to be nature's prime method of
conveying the fertilizing germs from
the anthers of the staininate to the
pointals of the pistillate blossoms.
Among insects, it seems the honey-
bee, in her floral wanderings in search
of nectar and pollen, in consequence
of her peculiar form and downy cov-
ering, should be entitled to a tirst
place in the work of direct and cross-
fertilization of fruit-producing flowers
of all kinds ; and were it not for this
generous and disinterested aid to the
chances of nature, the loss to fruit
growers would be much greater every
year from sterile bloom.
That the honey-bee causes injury
by extracting the nectar from fruit-
producing trees and shrubs. Is simply
fallacious, notwithstanding the gen-
erally entertained and oft-expressed
opinion of those ignorant of dame
nature's process of reproduction, to
the contrary. During the past two
following seasons I have observed
apple trees loaded with well developed
matured fruit in autumn, that
bloomed several days earlier than the
remainder of the orchard, and were
swarming with bees until the bloom
from the other trees shared their at-
tention. Two of the trees alluded to,
stand but a few feet from some of my
hives, and have always been favorites
with the bees during the season of
bloom, but I have yet to note any
diminution in their products caused
by the bees sipping nectar from their
blossoms.
The discussion of this subject, of
" planting for honey," is receiving a
merited attention from contributors
to the Bee Journal, but it appears
to be too desultory to produce the
benefit it might, if in a more concise
form. Would not a more favorable
influence be exercised by having a
space in the bee publications in whicli
those wlio have tested the qualities of
honey-producing trees, shrubs and
plants of various kinds, can be al-
lowed to give their experience in de-
tail. The names of trees, etc., and
their adaptability to location in all
sections of our land, from Maine to
California, is needed. As the pur-
suit of the apiarist is constantly
prompting his attention to the sources
from which honey is obtained by his
bees, who is more favorably situated
to observe and reduce the results of
his observations to utility V
Again, if properly appreciated, a
triple benefit may be derived from the
result of such a consolidation of ef-
fort ; a more general cultivation of
food-producing trees, shrubs and
plants, a more bountiful return for
apiarian enterprise, and the unequaled
advantages of studying the illustra-
tions of nature from her open book of
floral beauty ; for
" There are sermons In stones.
Music in the trees,
Boolts in runnine brooks.
And good in everything."
For the American Bee Journal.
Sundry Matters from Canada.
ALLEN PBINGLE.
I find, no matter how much one
may know about the science of bee-
keeping, or even of the art, through
experience, the Bee Journal is a
great desideratum — a real aid to be de-
sired and valued. The varied experi-
ence of different bee-keepers contri-
buted to its columns, is interesting
and valuable, no less to the profes-
sional than the amateur apiarist.
With one thing, however, I feel dis-
posed to find a little fault, or rather
kindly admonish those concerned,
and in doing so, I hope to give no of-
fence, as the admonition is given in
no carping or captious spirit, but
solely for our common good as bee-
keepers. Some of the reports sent in
seem, at least, pcMJia facie, to be over-
drawn or exaggerated. This, how-
ever, may be entirely unintentionally
on the part of those who send such
reports ; nevertheless they are mis-
leading, and tend to lead to evil con-
sequences in more than one way.
When a correspondent says he has
taken so many hundred pounds of
honey — an almost fabulous amount —
from a single colony of bees in the one
season, he may be quite honest in his
statement ; but his statement may, at
the same time, need much qualifica-
tion or, at least, explanation, and this
ought always to be given. A hive of
bees may be large— much above the
average— and it may have one story,
on top of another, and it may be kept
the whole season gathering honey in-
stead of allowing it to swarm or divid-
ing it ; and under sucli circumstances,
such a colony would, no doubt, during
a good season, carry in an immense
quantity of iioney.comparti vely speak-
ing. But it would be either disingen-
uous to say Uiat one colony of bees
did all this, without giving any ex-
planations.
By a colony of bees, the reader un-
derstands an average colony, under
ordinary circumstances or conditions.
Now, please bear in mind, I do wish
to impeach the honesty or sincerity of
a single correspondent.
So far as my experience and obser-
vation have gone, bee men, as a class,
are proverbially honest and fair-
minded men ; and let us not, there-
fore, tarnish our fair name by mak-
ing statements or reports which have
even the semblance of fraud or mis-
representation. Let us avoid even
the appearance of evil. Let us un-
der-state, rather than over-state our
exploits in our reports.
The amateur apiarist, starting out
in the business with great and com-
mendal)le enthusiasm, and, perhaps,
superadded to that, great expectations
of coining money, is only too apt,
when he comes with honest pride to
write his report, to draw upon the
uttermost fraction for presentation.
The temptation is strong to draw it
at the highest instead of the lowest.
But, gentlemen (and ladies too, for
we have lady bee-keepers), let us be
strictly, severely, honest and fair in
our reports, and in our statements of
facts in our experience.
Sometimes incidents of apiarian ex-
perience are given, ^hich seem to be
in direct opposition to well-estab-
lished principles or hypothesis, which
have been well-nigh postulated into
laws or principles.
I was present, last fall. In Toronto,
at the meeting of the Ontario Bee-
Keepers' Association the first night,
and one gentleman stated on that oc-
casion that one of his neighbors had
buried the bees from a hive he had
taken up in the fall in a hole in the
earth, and duly filled it in, and in the
spring, upon exhuming them, they
were found to be alive and well — in
good health. The gentleman im-
proved upon this fact (V) by suggest-
ing that the plan of wintering bees in
a "dormant" condition, without any
food, was well worth considering.
This sage bee philosophy no one at-
tempted to controvert ; albeit Mr. D.
A. Jones, our great Canadian bee-
king, dryly remarked that he would
not mind paying $500 for a queen that
would produce such unique progeny.
Experience, to be valuable, must be
real. There must be no mistake about
the facts. Then if they are facts, and
are in conflict with certain precon-
ceived theories, so much the worse
for the theories. A few real, stub-
born facts will sometimes spoil a very
nice, plausible and time-honored the-
ory. But before we discard the cher-
ished theory, let us be sure that the
opposing statements are facts.
It is, therefore, of the utmost im-
portance, if the contributed experience
of bee-keepers through the Bee
Journal, is to be really valuable in
helping us forward to ultimate truth,
that such experience should be most
carefully and accurately stated, and
nothing put forward as a fact if there
is any uncertainty or doubt about it,
especially if such alleged fact militate
against a recognized principle.
Of course I am well aware that very
miusual and even unheard of facts
will sometimes arise in our experience,
and this, on the other hand, should
make us careful about putting any-
tliing down as an ultimate principle
until it is well supported. The most
unexpected things will sometimes
turn up in the experience of the prac-
tical bee-keeper.
As relevant here, allow me to re-
late a little incident in mv own ex-
perience : Last summer, in clipping
the wings of a young, recently fer-
tilized Italian queen, in a new colony,
I accidently cut off one of the legs of
her royal highness. This was un-
gallant", but there was no malice pre-
pense, as the lawyers say. Not know-
ing exactly what the upshot of this
surgical misadventure might be, I
kept an eye upon her majesty for a
few days. I found, however, that stie
laid all right, only seeming to experi-
ence a little difficulty in locomotion,
being a trifle awkward in her move-
ments. She was very prolific, and
things went on swimingly in her es-
tablishment, although the head there-
of was minus a leg and without wings.
In a short time they began to prepare
for swarming, by starting numerous
262
XHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
queen-cells, all of which I destroyed,
or supposed I did ; I examined tiiein
af?ain in a week or ten days, but
found no new cells, and was not
aware that in a sly corner was one
just about hatching, of the original
ones which had escaped my notice. It
so hajjpened that I did not look into
this hive again for two weeksor more,
when, there I found a young, fertile
laying queen, wings, legs and all. I
looked around, and upon another
frame found No. 1 minus foot and
wings. There they were, both in the
hive, and no mistake. 1 was a little
puzzled ; looked around and found the
glace where the cell had been, which
ad escaped me, when I was destroy-
ing the others. At first thought, I
had supposed No. 2 had been but re-
cently hatched, and that the two royal
rivals had not yet met. But, no ; the
young queen was evidently fertile and
laying, as I afterwards proved. To
test matters, however, and look
further into the problem, I closed the
liive until the next day, when I ex-
amined it again. I still found both
queens there on different frames. No.
1, with wings and leg off, seemed,
however, to be neglected, and I no-
ticed a slight diminution in the size of
her abdomen.
My theory, whether right or wrong,
was this : The workers, being cog-
nizant of her deformity, were super-
seding her. They were nourishing
the young and perfectqueen, and neg-
lecting the deformed one, and, hence,
she had ceased laying. But this un-
gracious business did not happen to
agree with my notions of entomologi-
cal ethics, and I accordingly put a
stop to it. Besides, barring the de-
formity of No. 1, she was a fine, hand-
some queen, and very prolific. I ac-
cordingly took out No. 2, clipped her
wings, and put her in another place
where she was needed, and left No.
1 to " hold the fort." The usurper
being gone, and the bees finding that
fact out, turned their attention to
their riglitf ul mother, and nourished
her as she deserved. All went well,
and she is now safely away with her
colony in winter quarters, as also the
other. Now, whatever may have been
the experience of others in this direc-
tion, the fact of two fertile queens oc-
cupying the same hive together for
some days, was, to me, something al-
together unprecedented.
The winter here (Eastern Ontario)
has, so far, been unusually severe, the
temperature, frequently dipping much
below zero, and we have had continu-
ous sleighing nearly three months.
As a consequence, some of the old-
fashioned bee-keepers, in this section,
who leave their bees out during all
the winter on the summer stands,
without any protection, will, I fear,
as Mr. Jones says, be in ' mourning "
in the spring. Of course we have
some few bee-keepers here in the East
who try to keep up with the times
and do the business scientifically ; but
there is, I believe, a larger proportion
of such in Western Ontario, where
Mr. D. A. Jones is located, and where
his influence in developing apiculture
has been much felt, in the past two or
three years. Of course every Cana-
dian bee-keeper is proud of Mr.
Jones, wliom I had the pleasure of
meeting for the first time in Toronto,
last fall, at the Industrial Exhibition,
where he had a splendid display of
almost everything pertaining to the
art of apiculture. I was very favor-
ably impressed with the genuinely
progressive and cosmopolitan spirit
of Mr. Jones, who, though having
made many inventions and improve-
ments in apiarian apparatus, patents
notliing, but leaves all free to make
from his patterns. This admirable
trait is as rare as it is generous.
Witliout, evidently, having had many
scholastic advantages, Mr. Jones has,
by his native ability, genius and in-
dustry, placed himself in the very
first I'ank of eminent apiarists, and
has shown more enterprise in the
business than any of his compeers.
In the eastern part of the Province
here, we have recently lost one of our
best and most enthusiastic bee-keep-
ers. I refer to Hon. Lewis Wall-
bridge, of Belleville, who has lately
been elevated to the cliief justiceship
of the new Province of Manitoba.
Mr. Wallbridge was president, last
year, of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation, and was a very enthusiastic
amateur bee-keeper. I fear, however,
that he will not be able to enjoy his
favorite recreation in the Northwest,
as the climate, I understand, is too
severe for what he used to call his
" little pets," the bees. If these
"little pets" failed to let him feel
their stings once in a while, he said
he felt " neglected." Most people
would prefer to suffer that kind of
neglect, but not so with the redoubt-
able Lewis. In the East here we
have anotlier very good bee-keeper,
Mr. Wm. 0. Wells, of Thurlow, Hast-
ings County. Mr. W. is quite a genus
in his way, he makes nearly every-
thing he wants in the bee line for
himself, even to making foundation
comb.
Lennox Co., Ont.
For tlie American B\iO Journal.
Extracted Honey and Extracting.
FAYETTE LEE.
In my last article I described my
plan for getting bees ready for the
honey harvest, and that comes about
July 6. Last year basswood bloomed
on July 19. The bees need all the
honey from dandelions to rear their
brood. Y^ou may see the comb begin
to look wliite, and in a few days it
will be all capped over ; but let it
stand in the hive until June 2.5, then
get the honey extractor ready and a
sweet barrel, well waxed, to put the
first honey in ; this done, you need a
good smoker, screw driver, and a tur-
key wing. Take the comb basket
and stool to put the upper story on,
and commence at hive No. 1, put the
screw-driver between two frames and
pry them apart, smoking the bees at
the same time ; put the upper story
on the stool, take out four of the out-
side frames, put them in the comb
basket, and fill up tlie brood-nest with
frames of foundation. Put back the
upper story and take out every frame
and extract them and return them to
the hive. Now, we have four spare
frames. Go to No. 2 and take off the
top story, as before, take out four
frames and put in the extra four, and
put on the upper one again and ex-
tract the same as No. 1. We take out
all the dark honey, so that it will not
get mixed with the basswood honey.
Do not stop to strain the honey. Put
it in a 40 gallon barrel and let it stand
a few days, when all the small cap-
pings will be on the top. Then skim
it and cover it with sheeting. By all
means keep each kind of honey by
itself.
My honey weighs 113^ pounds to the
gallon. It is a disgrace to a bee-
keeper to have honey sour. The cause
of its souring, is that it was extracted
before it was ripe. When it is capped,
it is ripe, and the bees put their seal
on it. If you want to spoil the sale
of extracted honey, sell your store
keepers unripe honey, and you will do
it the first time. It is riot the big
yield we want, but good honey. We
keep this first honey till September to
feed, if we need it. My honey in
June is dark in color, sometimes.
Goldenrod does not give much honey,
and we want this to feed the bees.
Having taken all the dark honey
out on June 25, the next yield will be
from the basswood. Wait about four
days from the time the flrst basswood
honey comes in, then open all of the
top stories, and put the outside frames
in towards the centre, and close up
the hives. In this way I get all the
frames full about the same time, so
that I can extract it all at once. In
about four days more, the bees will
have it capped over. Now we are
ready to take the first basswood
honey. We will commence at No. 1,
and extract four frames from the
brood-nest, and all from the upper
story. Be sure to take the outside
frames in the brood-nest. I only ex-
tract two times during the basswood
harvest. Now being through ex-
tracting for a while, put the honey in
tin cans and glass jars for market, and
label it " puue honey," giving your
name on every can and jar, that you
have. I believe every bee-keeper has
a riglit to set a price on his honey ; if
every one would do so, it would be
mucii better for them.
I have been in the bee business for
six years, and have sold H,757 pounds
of honey, and put my own price on it,
and it averaged 11 cents a pound.
In producing extracted honey we
have surplus combs to use from the
last year, and bees will store honey
when they will not make comb. One
year I tried tiering up, with a few
hives, and did not extract until the
honey harvest was over. I found that
the bees had not capped the honey,
for they had too much surface room
to cover, through August and Sep-
tember.
Do not extract from the brood-nest,
but take all they put in the upper
story. There may be better ways to
manage bees to produce comb honey,
but the way I have managed has
given me 92 pounds of extracted
honey to the colony, spring count. If
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
263
beginners will follow my way of
swiirmingj they are sure to have
strong colonies, and tiiat is the sure
way of getting a large crop of lioney.
Do your best, and the bees will do the
rest, if there is any honey to gather.
Cokato, Minn.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Use of Separators.
T. E. tui:neb.
I confess to becoming " so insane "
as not to use separators, and will not
charge those who continue their use
with insanity ; but will confess that
ray e.xperience has made me so saue
as to discontinue tlieir use. My ex-
perience with tliem lias been varied.
I have used narrow strips of tin for
separators, and also broad pieces, and
find that bees work best with narrow
strip separators, if any are used ; but
they will build some combs fast to the
tin. Witli broad pieces and large
passages for bees to enter the sections,
combs are built under, out of shape
for casing, and witli broad pieces and
narrow passages, bees are slow to
commence work in the sections.
Some may force them into sections
with such separators by keeping them
in prime condition, but witli all the
forcing I can do, they are slow to en-
ter sections with narrow spaced sep-
arators.
That separators lessen the crop of
surplus is not a delusion, as is proven
by the experience of many leading
apiarists. To test this matter, last
season, I put a frame of sections in
each end of a hive, one witli and the
other withoutseparators, and the bees
worked in the one without separators,
and would not touch the other ; then
they were changed in the hive, and
new sections put in with the same re-
sult. Then sections were put in both
ends of the hive without separators,
and they worked in both places nearly
alike. Now this result, with the fact
that bees will, things being equal,
work more readily in the space occu-
pied by 8 or i) sections than that oc-
cupied by one section, proves that as
much honey cannot be obtained with
as without separators.
Now, with the riglit kind of a rack
to hold sections, and a little care in
putting starters in, I claim that one
can manipulate more colonies of bees
for comb honey, without separators,
than he can witli them, and produce
his honey in just as good shape for
market. The reason for this is. that
he will have to give less time and care
while the sections are on the hive,
to see that they get sealed, and taking
them off, and no more in casing them
for market.
The tinest section honey in Chicago,
at the time of the meeting of the
Northwestern Convention, and, per-
haps, during the past season, was
produced by a bee-keeper in this
county, without separators. Seven
thousand pounds were produced
from 60 colonies, spring count, in that
way. Twenty thousand pounds of
tirst-elass honey was produced in this
part of Wisconsin, last season, with-
out separators, and packed and ship-
ped to various points with no com-
plaint of leakage from combs rubbing
each other.
Mr. Steer's narrow frame and sep-
arators, described on page 189 of the
iJEE Journal, for April 11, though
he uses a divison-board, will not ad-
rait of the speedy removal of the full
sections from the hive, and the bees
will propolize his section frame to the
hive, if it is the same size as the in-
side of the hive.
Glassing sections is too expensive
both to producer and consumer; for
the time and cost of glassing is much
greater to the producer than he gets
returns for, and the glass is useless to
the consumer.
So separators are dispensible, and
bee-keepers are dispensing with them,
and also with broad frames, and are
adopting suitable racks in their stead.
Progressive apiarists here would not
think of securing a large crop of comb
honey in marketable shape with their
use now.
You will see from these remarks
that the articles on separators, tin or
wood, that have appeared recently in
the Bee Jouknal, are of but little
interest to some of its readers, for
they regard them as useless and cum-
bersome.
Sussex, Wis.
Western Michigan Convention.
The Western Michigan Bee-Keep-
ers' Association held their regular
semi-annual meeting at Grand Rapids,
Mich., May 3. There were about 20
members in attendance.
The meeting was called to order at
10 a. m., by the president, W. II.
Walker, of Berlin. Secretary Frank-
lin S. Covey, of Coopersville, read the
minutes of the last meeting, and they
were approved by the association.
The treasurer's report was also read,
which showed the society to be in a
good financial condition. All ex-
penses had been paid, and a surplus
of a few dollars still remained in the
treasury.
The forenoon was chiefly occupied
with dissusions on wintering bees.
T. M. Cobb, of Grand Rapids, intro-
duced the subject with a few remarks.
Quite a number spoke concerning
the matter, and the general sentiment
of the convention seemed to be that a
good cellar was preferable to any
method of out-door shelter.
A. B. Cheney, of Sparta Centre, had
wintered his bees in a cellar for ten
years past, with uniform success.
President Walker thought that they
should be so protected, if left out dur-
ing tlie winter, that tliey would not
be compelled to rely upon the rays of
the sun for their warmth— that heat-
ing apparatus was too variable.
Secretary Covey thought that too
much pollen was detrimental to a
healthy condition in bees. Honey
taken by the bees passes off in insen-
sible persiration, having no ash in the
bowels of the subjects, and they need
not tly to void their faices. Pollen is
stronger food, and excites breeding in
the winter time, when such an act is
out of season, thus causing disease
and otherwise disarranging the sys-
tem of the hive.
A. A. Dodge, of Coopersville, pre-
sented the next topic for discussion —
the subject of foul brood. He had
met with good success in using the
Jones method of cure. He shakes the-
bees of their combs into a box which
has been provided with thorough ven-
tilation, and places it in a cool, dark
place. The bees remain in their com-
parative dungeon for two or three
days, in a state of absolute fasting.
They are then removed to a new hive.
He starves the bees until the infected
honey of the sacs is all consumed.
The use of automizers and salicylic
acid had proved unsuccessful in meet-
ing the desired end.
T. M. Cobb made a few remarks
upon the different varieties of bees.
He expressed a preference for the
Cyprians. They were more hardy and
better honey gatherers. They would
breed faster, and raise more and bet-
ter queen cells ; also, they were less.
liable to swarm.
The meeting, upon the whole»
abounded in features of interest.
Although the attendance was not a&
large as the merits of the discussions,
deserved, yet those who visited the
scene displayed the greatest zeal in
their work of investigation, and re-
tired at the adjournment of the meet-
ing fully salistied with the manner in
which they had spent the day.
The fall session of the association
will be held at Berlin, on the last
Wednesday in October.— frrand Bap-
ids Times.
For the American Bee JoumaU
Essentials of a Standard Frame.
E. B. SOUTHWICK.
I notice that every little while there
comes up the subject of the " stan-
dard frame," and an article giving
the writers preference, but seldom
the inherent properties, for which the
preference is given.
It is also frequently asked, " What
is the best frame V" And the answer
given is, " We use the frame, '^
without giving the merits that frame
i%above all other frames. The two
classes of frames that their advocates
have been trying to have recognized
as the standard frame, are, I believe,
the long and shallow frame like the
Langstioth, and the nearly square
ones like the Gallup.
Now, I request that some one, fully
competent and versed in all the wis-
dom and lore of the Langstroth frame,
and its every property and merit, will
write an article and mention every
good feature it has, not leaving out a
single quHlity that recommends it to
be •• the standard frame," and I will
write an article comparing its merits
with that of the square frame, and
have both articles printed side by
side in the same Journal, and copied
into other papers, if their editors can
be induced to do so. Then when the
kind of hive or frame is asked for,
the inquirer can be referred to these
articles for the reasons for either.
264
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
The advocates of the square frame
may think their side is poorly repre-
sented, but do not mention that, lest
the other side make that an excuse,
and keep mum._ If my proposition is
agreed to, I will Vrite out my article
as soon as I know it, and know who
the other advocate is to be.
Mendon, Mich., May 10, 1883.
ror tho American Bee JoumaL
The Great Need of a Bee Boom.
JOS. 31. HAMBAUGH.
This section is sadly in need of a
bee boom. Old fogyism reigns su-
preme, and notwithstanding the sur-
roundings, will warrant the belief of
this being a superior point for har-
vesting the nectar, but few of my
neighbors use a movable frame hive,
preferring to indulge in the old-fash-
ioned box, constructed of rough
planks, with round sticks through the
■centre, and, perhaps, slats at the top
and bottom. This seems, in their es-
timation, a broad stride over the old-
fashioned mode of hollow bee logs,
Bawed up iu about .3 feet blocks, with
a roof over one end ; not appearing to
see the gist of the new-fangled idea
of the movable frames ; and though
they keep abreast of the times in
other matters, the poor little honey-
bee is left to battle with the ignor-
ance of the past.
The common German black bee is
the only kind within 20 miles of this
section, if I mistake not ; and yet
honey (though of au inferior quality)
has always been abundant.
To the east and southeast of my
residence is spread a vast waste of low
lands, four miles in width, reaching
to the Illinois river, wtiich is subject
to overflow. This region is studded
With willow, button-brush, boneset,
pond-lily, Spanish needle, and myriads
t)f other blossoms, not known to the
vmcultured. To the north and west
are the bluffs.whose fertile hills, where
not disturbed with the woodman s
axe, is heavily wood, with linden or
basswood predominating. How^many
colonies can I have without exhaust-
ing the pasturage'? I have 17 colo-
nies with which to make a start ; all
natives, and I intend to Italianize as
soon as all are in movable frame
hives. I have 27 Langstroth hives
completed for the purpose, and I wish
to ask if the perforated zinc, for ex-
cluding drones and the queen from
the upper story, is a success ? If not,
what divice is used, if any V
The writer has bad the pleasure of
visiting Charles Dadant & Son, of
Hamilton, 111., and though we came
as a stranger, we were treated as a
brother. A glimpse among their bees
and foundation manufaetory was
W'Orth many times the expense of my
trip, and opened my eyes to the on-
ward march of scientitic bee-culture.
Long may they live as shining lights
in scientific bee-culture.
Versailles, 111., May 14, 1883.
[Your pasturage resources are
good, but you will find the 17 quite
enough to begin with. As they in-
crease, so will your knowledge of the
business increase, by the practical
knowledge you will obtain in manag-
ing them. The zinc excludes are
used by many, and are considered in-
dispensable by them. — Ed.]
Wi\m\ ixntX Boiu,
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Sundry (Questions.
1. How long sliould the brood-comb
remain in the hive before changing
for new ; as some claim that the cells
gradually become less • by frequent
breeding in them y
2. How old ought a queen to be be-
fore she should be replaced with a
young one ?
3. Does the old queen leave the old
hive with the fir.st swarm in the springy
4. Why do bees lie out on the sides
of the hives, so long in spring, before
they swarm ; are they waiting for a
queen to batch, or is their old queen
to come with them, and she is too
old ; or what ? D. F. Marks.
South Bosque, Texas, May 9, 1883.
Answer.— 1. I never destroy a
comb on account of its age alone. I
saw comb that I was assured came
from a hive over 40 years old, and the
owner pronounced the colony as vig-
orous and prosperous as ever.
2. She ought not to be replaced as
long as she proves worthy, by her
works.
3. Yes.
4. There are two reasons for such
laying out ; first, the neglect to give
them full opportunity to work, and
sometimes intense heat, and when
the master does not do his duty they
swallow large drafts of honey and
hang outside of the hives in clusters,
transforming that honey into scales
of wax.
Is it Square-Dealing' J
In looking over a bee paper (not the
Bee Journal), I saw the following :
" Square dealing men." We, whose
names appear below, do not know
that we have a single dissatisfied per-
son with whom we nave had dealings ;
but if we have, such will confer favor
by writing us kindly, and we will do
our best to render satisfaction," —
Among those names, is one with
whom I have had a little " deal," and
I fear that little was, at the best, " a
deal too much." I will put the case
by asking some questions which I
wish answered through the Bee
Journal, as I have twice written the
party and can get no reply from him.
1. Is it square-dealing to advertise
a Langstroth frame, and send a Sim-
plicity V
2. Is it square-dealing to sell colo-
nies of bees that have had or been ex-
posed to foul brood 'i
3 Would bees that were healthy
and free from the disease in May, be
likely to die of it in tlie fall V
4. If you should take frames of
brood and bees from a hive and form
a nucleus in June, and the old colony
dies in the fall, and next fall you find
that colony (the nucleus) has the foul
brood, would yoti not think it came
from the frames forming that nuclei,
especially if those frames contained
most of the foul brood ?
5. If there were no bees within 4^
or 5 miles, domestic or wild, would
there be any probability of their be-
coming infected from outside, or wild
bees, and dying the same season ?
6. Is there any redress for one who
is thus imposed upon, unless through
exposure, which most or all dislike to
do, but right should supplant right
and wrong. O. B, Scofield.
Y'ork, Maine.
Answers.— When I first saw that
" square " department, I thought that
it would only serve as a hiding place
for some dishonest dealers to lurk in,
where they could deceive many be-
ginners of our pursuit. In it I found
the names of men of whom I had
heard grave complaints, and failed to
find the names of some of our well-
known reliable dealers. It reminded
me of the French bastile, prior to the
Revolution, where "most that were in,
ought to be out, and many that were
out, ought to be in." Right here I
want to express a long harbored opin-
ion, and that is, that he who succeeds
in giving perfect satisfaction to all he
deals with, will do great injustice to
some of his customers or to himself.
It is not right, and is an immoral
method of seeking patronage to in-
dulge the selfish in their unjust de-
mands. Some just person must foot
this indulgence bill. Besides this,
it develops to a higher degree this
wrong propensity in the indulged.
Each dealer should draw his own line
of justice, and in drawing that line,
use his imagination with which to
place himself in the outside party's
place, and then live up to this, his
highest conception of justice, and let
the people decide by their acts whether
or not he has drawn the line well.
No man who does this duty, can
honestly get into that "square-list"
upon the terms it proposes. No man
can deal with one hundred customes
exactly on the square, and nothing
more, and not have one dissatisfied.
My advice is, do not try it. " Dare
to do right ; dare to be true," and you
have nothing to fear.
I have dealt in supplies on quite an
extensive scale for three or four years,
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
265
as many well-know, and I have three
very much dissatistied customers, and
I wish it was not out of place to give
a history of the origin of their dis-
satisfaction; also of their Christian
spirit in reporting the same, together
with the direful things they are going
to do, but never commence. It is also
true that some dealers have not aimed
to do justice, and under this head I
will try to answer the questions, as
best I can.
1. The Langstroth and Simplicity
frames are calculated by their makers,
to be one and the same frame. The
words Langstroth and Simplicity
apply to the styles of the hives, and
not the frames.
2. No, sir.
3. Bees do not die of foul brood. It
is a disease of the brood, and the col-
ony would " peter out " in the fall if
the disease was well under way, and
of a malignant type in the previous
spring. This is as I understand it ;
though I have never seen a case of
foul brood.
4. I should.
5. Very little, if any, I should say.
6. I am not a lawyer, but as laws
are based upon reason and justice, I
would guess that damages could be
collected in a civil court, if the parties
were collectable. The distance the
parties are usually a part, and the
financial worthlessness of many small
dealers, makes the legal course usually
impracticable. The exposure course is
in order, but there is no place, except
in apicultural periodicals, through
which to do it, and the nature of the
complaint and defense are incompati-
ble with the purposes for which said
papers are published and read.
not to buy frames filled with founda-
tion, but wire their own frames and
put the heavy foundation on by the
method above referred to ; it is safer
and cheaper.
Wired Frames.
1. Will bees build comb in wired
frames and have the wires in the cen-
tre of the combs y
2. Will they do it readily.
E. Sanford.
Answers.— Yes ; if you properly
press the wire into the foundation.
If you do not mean to use foundation,
do not use wire at all ; it will not work
on that plan.
2. Nearly all now know the advan-
tages of tlie wires when used with
foundation, and I have used them for
years, and find them in no way detri-
mental. The Given press puts them
to place more perfectly and quickly,
but the hand method is excellent, and
perfectly practical when done as I dis-
cribed it in the February number of
the Kansas Bee-Keeper. I advise all
Shipped His Bees.
I left Delta, Ohio, for this place on
April 20, with 43 colonies of bees, and
arrived here without the loss of a
comb. Miles S. Pray.
St. Johns, Mich., May 10, 1883.
Looking for a (Jrand Honey Harvest.
My bees have done well so far, and
are in fine condition. I have had one
swarm on May 2. Prospect are boom-
ing for white clover, hnd we are look-
ing for a grand honey harvest.
J. G. Norton.
Macomb, 111., May 14, 1883.
Moving Hees in Cold Weather.
My 9 colonies of bees came through
the winter all right. I bought 40 col-
onies more, which makes me 49 to
commence with. Those which I win-
tered came through very strong.
They had drones flying on the 10th of
May. The 40 which I bought are not
so strong, covering from 6 to 9 of my
frames, which are IQ'^^xVi^ inches,
outside measure. A neighbor of
mine bought S colonies of bees in
what is termed the "patent" hive;
he put them into a cave last fall.
They were doing very well in the cave.
Mr. M. told him that his bees would
all be dead before spring, if he did not
take them out of there ; so he took
them out and hauled them on a sled
one-quarter of a mile, in the coldest
part of winter, to an old house, and
there buried them up with oats, as if
they were ice. Long before spring,
his bees were dead, and now he has
only the old boxes and combs (for
some one stole the honey) for the $20.
The fruit trees are in bloom, and we
expect a full crop of honey.
J. F. Sellers.
Reynolds, 111., May 12, 1883.
Apiary Destroyed by a Tornado.
May 9, about .5 p. m., this section
was visited by a terrible tornado,
which laid my apiary in ruins. I had
40 good colonies, and not a hive es-
caped the fury. They were carried
up in the air, through the woods, and
the hives smashed into "kindling-
wood," combs and frames carried over
a mile and dashed to atoms, and the
bees drowned. You can imagine my
feelings, for there is nothing I think
so much of as my bees (except my
family). I was just starting an apiary
anew, after my disaster in Iowa. This
was my first season here, and my
apiary is my only dependence. I
have 17 queens left, that I picked up,
and bees enough for 5 or f> colonies ;
the unhatched brood was nearly all
chilled in the combs I saved, so it is
dead and the bees are dragging it out.
The tornado also damaged my house,
twisted it out of shape some, and
took about 20 feet off one of the side
walls out of my bee cellar, so I had to
get help and prop up the house, to
keep it from falling over. The house
is a frame one, just built, last Octo-
ber. I think the elements have been
hard on me, but it might have been
worse as none of my family were
killed or hurt. E. J. Scofield.
Hanover, Wis., May 12, 1883.
Parasitic Bees.
Enclosed I send a specimen of a fly,
which I discovered among my bees.
Please describe and explain through
the Bee Journal what they are.
They seem very lively among the
bees. I think they destroy eggs, and
do mischief. Geo. D. Freshour.
Canandaigua, N. Y.
[The insects are parasitic bees. Three
specimens were received, of which
one belonged to a distinct species
from the other two. I should be glad
to get more of each. These cuckoo-
bees have not been known to infest
the cells of the honey-bee, so far as I
am informed, but are well-known dep-
redators upon various wild bees.
Their eggs are laid in the cells, and
the strange larvas are fed like those
belonging to the host. It is not at all
probable that these adult bees destroy
the eggs already laid by the hive
queen ; though careful observation on
this point would be valuable.— T. J.
Burrill, Champaign, 111.]
Bee-Keeping in Florida.
I have spent the past winter in
Florida, and will hazard the opinion
that bee-keeping in that State will
not be a success to any great extent,
except in a very few localities where
there is a plenty of mangrove, palm-
etto, etc. A few bees could probably
be kept in almost any locality.
Bonair, Iowa. G. W. Webster.
Bees Prospering.
My bees came through the winter
with very little loss, and are now
doing well, notwithstanding the cold
and backward spring.
G. W. Zimmerman.
Napoleon, O., May 15, 1883.
That Apiarian CoUege.
I noticed an article on page 6 of the
present volume of this Journal, en-
titled " Another step in advance."
The writer. Dr. Besse, says that it
would be advisable to start an apiar-
ian college under the auspices of the
American Bee-Keepers' Society ; each
graduate to pass an examination be-
fore that society. I would like to
ask the Doctor or Mr. Ileddon to sug-
gest a number of the leading ques-
tions for a person just starting to keep
bees to ask himself, and be able to
266
THE- AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
answer, so that he may be thorotighly
acquainted with the science of bee-
culture. Mr. Heddon says in an arti-
cle on page 73, tlia* tlie art is acquired
by the majority. Of course it is, but
I thinlt it would be a great deal
easier to acquire the art after or when
a person is studying the science with
the art. A very large number start
to keep bees every year, and 1 might
say that a large number of them never
get past the first year or two, unless
they just swarm them in boxes, and
let them have their own way. I think
a great deal of good could be done if
some one that is more able than my-
self would take up the subject and do
it justice. Wm. H. Weston.
London, Ont.
Cannot be Beat.
I think the Bee Jouhnal cannot
be beat. I would not lose a number
for the price of it a year.
F. M. Taintok.
Elm Grove, Mass., May 15, 1883.
Bees Wintered Without Loss.
My 35 colonies of bees were packed,
last fall, by putting chaff cushions in
the caps, and they wintered all safely ;
I did not even lose a queen. Tliey
are now doing well, and there is a
good prospect ahead. My experience
teaches me to keep a laying queen in
the hive, if possible, all the time, Mr.
Heddon to the contrary, notwithstand-
ing. Isaac Sharp.
Waveland, Ind., May 16, 1883.
3. What do the experienced apiarist
think of Alley's new method of queen-
breeding V I have -a colony engaged
in the business already. I think it
will be a grand success.
S. J. YOUNGJIAN.
Cato, Mich., May 15, 1883.
[1. In the excellent article on page
260, by Mr. Doolittle, will be found
instructions for spring management,
building up weak colonies, etc.
2. It is too early in this latitude to
think of shipping queens, even if they
were ready for shipment. The nights
are cold ; and the exposure they would
get would be detrimental.
3. As you are rearing queens accord-
ing to the plan given in Mr. Alley's
book, of course there is no necessity
of further answers in detail. We re-
fer you to the book, which meets with
very general approval by apiarist
everywhere. — Ed.]
had no queen-cells, but some brood.
I emptied them in front of the hive ;
they did not go in the hive very good ;
some of them crawled over to the
other hive, which was about a foot
away,, and clustered on the hive in
large bunches. I brushed them down
in front of the hive, but they would
not go in. I left them there all night,
still they would not go in ; so the next
day I took the cover of the hive,
placed the boxes over the chambers
and drammed and smoked them up'
and dumped in front of the other hive,
which, by the way, had but few bees,
in it, so they went into the hive (at
least some of them did) and staid in.
I do not understand why they acted
so. To-day. which is about a week
since I transferred them, the strong
colony gave a swarm. I hived it in
good time ; in ten minutes they were
back to the same hive they came
from. C. Vanculin.
Delaware, Del.
Spring Management, etc.
I have a few questions which I
would like to have answered in the
next number of the Bee Journal.
They are of great importance to bee-
keepers at this time of year, especially
those that have several hundred
combs and but very few bees ; which
is the case here with several. One
man at Mecosta, Mich., put in the
cellar 54 heavy natural swarms in the
fall ; on the lirst of May he had only
10 weak ones left ; another at Coral,
Mich., packed 38 natural swarms in
straw ; he has only 7 weak ones left.
These men want to know how to
build up these little handsfuU of bees,
so as to make use of these combs.
1. Is it any advantage to feed this
honey back to them, the combs can
be placed in the caps of the hives, so
that the bees can have access to them
very easily, and those on the outside
be none the wiser, and will take all of
the honey out of the combs and clean
the combs up some too ; but is it any
gain ? Will the bees breed any faster
for having plenty of honey in the hiveV
2. For all of the advertising of
queens, none can be found for sale at
present ; although all queen breeders
are willing to receive your orders for
queens, wliicli will be lilled in the or-
der received, sometime in June or
July. IIow early can queens be
reared in tliis latitude? IIow soon
should queen-rearing be commenced,
when there is such a demand for
them y Cannot queens be reared suc-
cessfully at any time, when drones are
plentiful '? I have drones in any
quantity at this date.
Splendid Honey Harvest Expected.
My colonies are in splendid condi-
tion ; full of brood, andstrong in bees.
The locusts are just opening, and the
surplus arrangements are placed on ;
the hives have a surplus of fruit
bloom honey ; the first of the kind in
three years (that is, surplus above
what they needed for rearing brood).
It is fine weather now, but we had
cool weather up to last week ; some
days it has been too cold for bees to
fly. We hope, and have the indica-
tions of a splendid honey harvest;
white clover looks well, and basswood
trees are full of buds.
J. W. Sturwold.
Raymond, Ind., May 18, 1883.
Troubles in Transferring.
I had 2 colonies in box hives ; I
transferred them, last week, into
movable frame hives, according to
your instructions, and succeeded be-
yond my expectations, without any
bee-vail, and received no stings, but
I do not understand the way they
acted. The first hive was very
strong ; a peck of bees, at least, and
five queen-cells, and one was capped
over, and two others with larvoe in
them. I put eight frames in the hive
with most all the brood, and very
little honey. I placed the new hive
on the old stand, in the same place,
and dumped the bees in front of the
liive,. which were about a peck in
bulk ; part of them went into the
hive, and some of them raised in the
air and clustered about 30 yards from
the hive. There v*'as about a quart of
them. I hived them at once; went
into dinner, and when I came out
they were clustered in one corner of
theliive; in about half an hour they
were gone, perhaps to tlie old hive.
They would not go in the hive, so I
raised the hive in front and they went
into the chambers outside of the
division-board, and staid there until
I took them out. The next colony I
transferred acted much like the first ;
it had about a half-peck of bees ; they
A Degenerated Langstrotli Hive.
Mr. Editor:— Will you please to
give me your reasons for calling the
Simplicity hive a '■ degenerated Lang-
stroth hive ?" I am only a beginner
in the art of bee-culture. I want to
learn all I can, and do not like to
start with the wrong hive. I read
your Journal with great interest,
and could not do without it. Please
answer through the Bee Journal.
O. H. Carpenter.
Camanche, Iowa, May 17, 1883.
[Our correspondent has evidently
been dmmiing. The Simplicity hive
is to all intents and purposes a Lang-
stroth hive. It uses the Langstroth
frame, and only gets its name by the
manner of making the outer box. We
have never used any such language,
either in the Bee Journal or in
public speaking. Our correspondent
should have designated the place in
the Journal where it might be
found, or given the time and place, if
we were reported to have used such a
phrase in public speaking. We sus-
pect that Mr. Carpenter has been
dreaminy, and this time is "caught
napping."— Ed.]
Ho w the Bees were Prepared for W inter.
We packed 5 colonies of bees in chaff
and 5 with planer shavings, 4 inches
in the bottom and sides, and 10 inch
chaff cushions, on A. I. Boot's plan.
On October 27, the snow drifted over
them ; we shoveled them out in Feb-
ruary, during a thaw, and some of the
bees Hew out. We examined them and
found them all right. In April, we
found some wet in the bottom of the
hive ; the cushions were moldy on
top, but the bottom was dry and
warm, and 4 showed signs of dysen-
tery. We cleaned the hive of dead
bees, but we lost 4 colonies, and 4
more are weak. At this date they
have brood. I think if we had put
them up out of the snow, they would
have been dry ; the snow is so heavy
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
267
liere, with a damp atmosphere, it will
not flo to let them be covered up in
snow as they do in the west. We put
38 colonies in the cellar on November
15, and took them out May 3. They
were»contined 109 days ; 4 wer^ead;
2 of them starved witli plenty of
honey on the outside combs, the mat
laid close down on the frames. I did
not cut holes in the combs ; 2 had
■dvseutery, and several showed signs
■of it. Some of them were stronger
wlien they came out, than when they
went in. Others were weak ; all had
plenty of honey. Since putting them
•out, 2 more have died, and we doubled
up two more ; most of them had
brood, and some liad frames, capped
over. They are bringing in pollen,
but it is very cold and windy. Our
•cellar is under the house we live in ;
the thermometer stood at 36 ' to 40-;
tlie hives were put up over the pota-
toes ; some of them were as bright as
they were last fall. We think that
the cellar was too cold. We put a
small stove in, to dry out the moisture.
We had a pipe under ground to let in
air, some 60 feet from the house,
l)elow the frost. The bees were in
Root's Simplicity hives, with the bot-
tom board up-side-down, with half-
inch opening ; burlap mat to cover the
frames ; cover up-side down. The
bees in the cellars came out strong
and better than last year. The bees
that were wintered out on the sum-
mer stands in summer hives are all
■dead. JAS. H. Tilley & Bros.
Castle Hill, Me., May 14, 1883.
Will they Rear a (Jiieeu 1
I liave a light colony that became
queenless a week ago ; I shall unite it
to another.
1. If I give the queenless colony
brood with eggs and larvae, or if they
have it already, will they rear a queen
before drones have appeared i*
2. If I give them a frame of brood
with eggs, larvse, and filled drone
comb, will they rear a queen V
3. Will a colony rear a queen when
its own hive contains neither drones
nor drone comb, but when drones i^re
in other colonies near V
4. In forming a nucleus, is it neces-
sary to place drone combs in the nu-
cleus hive ? Chas. F. Willcott.
Exira, Iowa, May 5, 1883.
[If you have no prospect for getting
a queen soon, it will be better to unite
the queenless colony with any other
weak one having a queen.
1. Drones will be on hand by the
time the bees have reared a queen.
Many have them now.
2. Of course they will immediately
rear a queen, if you give them the
means of doing so.
3. Yes.
4. No.— Ed.]
have taken the Held yet, which is 8
months and 10 days ; therefore I will
not be very uneasy after this if I do
not get any breeding in September.
My Italians will be ready for the
honey flow, if we get fair weather.
They are not so nervous as blacks,
and pull through bad weather better.
I have tested the two distinct races
pretty well, and can give their pedi-
gree any time. I kept a standing
offer, last year, of $5 for any person
being attacked with an Italian bee ;
if it had been in favor of the blacks,
I should soon have been in poverty.
To explain the above, we got no fall
crop here,and the way I fed up was on 6
frames; there was no breeding; neither
could be. I was afraid, but appar-
ently without cause.
Chakles Mitchkll.
Molesworth, Ont.. May 12, 1883.
Backward Spring iu Maine.
Four Indies of snow fell here to-
day. It has been one of the most
backward springs that we have had
for a long time. My bees are quite
vveak, owing to the cold backward
spring. G. W. Dunbar.
North Anson, Me., May 1.5, 1883.
1^ The Marshall County Bee-Keep-
ers' Association meets at !Marshall-
town, Iowa, Saturday, May 26, at 10..30
A. M, The place of meeting is at the
Sherilt's office. Subject for discussion:
"Summer Care." The meeting of
March 24th was one of much interest.
Five new members were admitted
into the Society. All present seemed
to realize it was "'good to be there ''
and the general feeling was to build
up a good first-class society.
J. Sanders, Sec.
BOOK CLUBBING LIST.
We will supply tbe American Bee Journal
one year, and any of the following Books, at tbe
prices quoted in the last column of figures. The
first column gives the regular price of both. AH
postage prepaid.
Price of both. Club
The Weekly Bee Journal $2 OU. .
and Cook's Manual, 7th edition(in cloth) 3 25.
Cook's Manuiil, (in paper covers) 3 00.
Bees and Honey (T.G.Newman)cloth 2 75.
All Old Bees.
I have been testing late and early
breeding. My bees are all 8 months
old ; they bred none after August,
last year, and very few young bees
Bees and Honey (paper covers) 2 50.,
Binder for Weekly Bee Journal 2 75. .
Apiary Register for loo colonies 3 50.
Apiary Register for 2iX) colonies .... 4 00. ,
Dzierzon's New Bee Book (cloth) 4 00.
Dzierzon's New Book (paper covers) 3 50.
Quinby's New Bee-Keeping t3 50.
Langstroth's Standard Work 4 00,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture (cloth) 3 25.
Alley's Queen Rearing 3 25.
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book 2 35.
Fisher's Grain Tables 2 40.
Moore's Universal Assistant 4 50.
Honey as Food j£ Medicine, .'>OCopiea 4 00.
Honey as Food cS: Medicine, lOO.Copies (> 00.
Blessed Bees 2 75.
King's Text Book 3 OO.
2 76
2 50
2 50
2 25
2 60
3 00
3 50
3 50
3 00
3 36
3 76
300
300
2 25
2 25
4 25
3 75
5 50
2 50
2 75
The Monthly liee «Jeurnal and any of the
above, ¥1 less than the figures in the lastlcolumn.
J^p^ccial notices.
Examine the Bate following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2.5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$.5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
i^Renewals may be made at any
time ; but all papers are stopped at
the expiration of the time paid for,
unless requested to be continued.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to neto
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For .50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
2G8
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cork's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keepmg,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
1^ Our stock of back numbers of
this volume are now getting very low.
Please look over your numbers, and
if any are lacking, send us a postal
card, giving the date of those you
want, and we will send them, if not
all gone. We give this notice, be-
cause, last year, several left it until
the end of the year, and then re-
quested us to send the missing num-
bers. Then it was too late, the num-
bers being all gone. Look them over
now, and you may get them completed.
Foul Brood Pamphlet.— Wishing to
be relieved of sending out my pamph-
let on Foul Brood, 1 have made ar-
riingements with Mr. T. G. Newman
to supply them to the bee-keeping
fraternity desiring them.
A. R. Kohnke.
Youngstown, O., April 25, 1883.
t^ Mr. Alley's new book on Queen
Rearing will hereafter cost SI. 25
^' We have a few copies of our
pamphlet entitled " Bee Culture " left,
and have reduced the price from 40
to 25 cents each, or $2 per dozen.
Bingham Smoker Corner. I
Larjje Smokers need wide shields. Bingham's
have them, and sprlnKS that do not rust und break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for SI. t5. Address.
BINGHAM & HETHEEINGTON,
Abronia. Mich.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& Hetheringtou, Dear Sirs :— I am
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. " You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
^- We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
CyprLins Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother " with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker " did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1883.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
Will Make It an Even Dozen .—Mr. W
H. Brearley, of the Detroit (Mich.)
Eveninq News, who has personally
conducted $22,000 round trip excur-
sions " from Detroit to the Sea."
everv year for the past seven years,
and who is to take three more this
year in June and July, has made the
ascension of Mt. Washington nine
times, and. this year, proposes to make
it an even dozen. — Adv.
Emerson Binders— made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
THE HANDY BOOK.
Rend the opinion of one of the most eminent
writers on bee matters;
Bound Brook. N. J., May 4, 1883.
FttlESn ALLEY :— Handy Book received, I am
hiippv C*hrt.ay that I consider that it tells more on
tlie vital subjects of rearing Queens and manalfinff
bees so as to take honey, than jtny book now before
the public. It seems to be tilled with just those
thinu's which practical men find out about their
business in a lifetime of work, but which they
generally don't tell the dear public.
J. Hasbbouck.
The HANDY BOOK has received from those
most coiupetent to judge of its value, more praise
than any book now in print. Send forour Circular
and get their opinions.
HENKY ALLEY, Wenham, Mass.
21Atf
i^'May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one )ie«) sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
E.T. LEWIS & CO., Toledo, Ohio,
Manufiicturers of the U. S. STANDARD Honey
Extractor (new improvements j, and all other
Apiarian Supplies. Send for circular. 17A 5Btf
A NEW BEE BOOK !
BEES anTHONEY,
OK THE
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN,
Editor of the Weekly Bee Journal.
925 ^We»t Madison Street. ChtcnKO, 111.
It contains 160 profusely illustrated pages, la
"fully up with the times" in all the improvemente.
and inventions in this rapidly developinR pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everything that can
aid in the successful management of the Honey
Bee, and at the same time produce the most honey-
In its best and most attractive condition.
Appreciative Notices.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. Y.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times it3 cost.— Citizen, Pulaski. Tenn.
Contains all the information needed to make
bee-culture successful.— Eagle, Union City, Ind.
Just such a work as should be In the hands of
every beginner with bees.— News, Keithsburg. 111.
Valuable for all who are interested in the care
and management of bees.- Dem., Allegan, Mich.
Engravings are fine. Gotten up in the best style,
and is cheap at the price.— Farmer, Cleveland, O.
It comprises all that is necessary for succcBSfuli
bee-culture, save experience and good judgment.
—Daily Republican, Utica, N. Y.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even though they be not directly interested in the
care of bees.— Sentinel, Rome, N. Y.
It is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the
little busy bee, as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of Information In regard to
bee-culture. He who would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted in all the Improvements In
his line. We advise all interested to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times, San Bernardino, Cal.
It embraces every subject that will Interest the
beginner. It describes all the newest discoveries
in the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
nrepareit for the market in the most attractive
form. It is embellished with beautiful engravings,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, tor the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancayter, Pa.
PRICE— Bound In cloth, 7& cents; in paper
covers, 50 cents, postpaid.
THOMAS a. BIJEWMAN.
925 W. Madison St., Chicago. 111.
Morphine Habit Cured In lO
to ao days. No pay until cured.
J. L. Btephens, M. D., Lebanon, O.
PATENT FOUNDATION MILLS ^^.L-Ict |1^:S:
]sA«t W. C. PELHAM. Maysville, Ky.
OPIUM
W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
BogersTlUe. Oeiiesee County, Mich.,
Is now receiving Italian Queens from the Simth
(for particulars see advertisement In the BEl,
Jol'RNAL of April 18). and can send them
bv return mall at the following prices: Belore
June 1st, untested queens will be »1. 50 each : dur-
inBJune,BinBlequeen|1.2.'i, or SIX for »6(H.i; after
Julv 1st. sinBle queen »l.(X), 9i.\ for J.-j.SO, twelve
for'*l"i«' Tested queens (reared last season in
the home apiaryi, before June Ist. «3:™ ea<;,n. =
during June, $:;.r.n each : alter July ist, *2.00each.
Safe arrival Buarnnteed. Make money orders
payable at Flint, Mich. iVeow tt
(?r(5 OLDEST BEE PAPER
-•'' IN AMERICA -
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., MAY 30, 1883.
No. 22.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Bditob and Pboprietok,
The New National Chemist.
Prof. H. W. Wiley, of Purdue Uni-
versity, has resigned the chair of
chemistry there, to accept the position
of chemist in the National Agricul-
tural Bureau at Washington. Prof.
Collyer was removed by Commissioner
Loring, in order, it is alleged, that a
more intense sorghum sugar man
might be placed in charge of the
chemical laboratory. So says an ex-
change.
He must remember that there are
other equally important interests re-
quiring the attention of the National
Chemist, and give these due credit,
as well as that of sorghum-sugar !
This Wiley is the one who invented
the " paraffine comb and glucose "
story, as a "scientific pleasantry," and,
with it, deceived Gov. Porter, of In-
diana, who, in his addresses before
the Farmers' Institutes held at Co-
lumbus and Crawfordsville, reiterated
the fraudulent fabrication, supposing,
of course, that he was backed up by
some authority, instead of being de-
ceived by a wily, cunning and crafty
unscientific joker, the sound of whose
very name is a suggestion.
Webster thus defines the word
"wily:" "Full of wiles, tricks, or
stratagems ; using craft or stratagem
to accomplish a purpose ; mischiev-
ously artful ; subtle ; as, a wily adver-
sary." There was no need of adding
an "e" to that word !
Any one who could invent the lie
about " paraffine comb " being made
and " filled with glucose by appro-
priate machinery," and most likely
laugh in his sleeve at those, who. being
deceived by it, were telling it as a sober
fact, and then enjoy the Joke for
months, without doing the least thing
to undeceive his dupes, is unworthy
the name of man — for he lacks both
manhood and integrity 1 Yet this
is he who is now National Chemist, in
charge of the National Chemical Lab-
oratory, and what for V An exchange
says it is because he is a " more in-
tense sorghum-sugar man " than his
predecessor.
Is he so " intense " that he must
distort facts, manufacture a story,
and publish a lie about honey, in or-
der to serve his sorghum-sugar in-
terest ? Is this the key to his bold
attack on comb honey V
Is he such an " intense sorghum-
sugar man " that it becomes neces-
sary to calumniate, by false reports,
that God-given and pure sweet —
honey — in order to make him the Na*
tional Chemist? If that is the meas-
ure of his " intense " ambition —
Heaven pity his poor contracted soul I
It matters not what station such an
one may occupy, all honorable men
vifill unite in execrating him.
"Go ! mark him well !
For him no minstrel rapture Bwell [
High though his titles— proud his name-
Boundless his wealth, as wish mlghtclalm—
Despite those titles, power, and pelf !
The wretch, concentered all in self.
LiTlng, shall forfeit fair renown:
And, doubly-dying, shall go down
To the vile dust from whence he sprung-
Unwept, unhonored, and unsung !"
The Senses of Bees.
Sir John Lubbock, whose very in-
teresting book we noticed in the Bee
Journal last fall, has recently read
to the members of the Linnean Society
an account of his further observations
on the habits of iusects made during
the past year. The two queen bees
which have lived with him since 1874,
and which are now, therefore, no less
than 8 years old, are still alive and laid
eggs last summer as usual. His oldest
workers are seven years old. The
American Naturalist for April has the
following particulars :
Dr. Muller, in a recent review, had
courteously criticised his experiments
on the color-sense of the bees ; but
Sir John Lubbock pointed out that he
had anticipated the objections sug-
gested by Dr. Muller, and had guarded
against the supposed .source of error.
The difference was, moreover, not one
of principle, nor does Dr. Muller
question the main conclusions arrived
at, or doubt the preference of bees for
blue, which, indeed, is strongly indi-
cated by his own observations on
flowers.
Sir John also recorded some further
experiments with reference to the
power of hearing. Some bees were
trained to come to honey which was
placed on a musical box on the lawn
close to the window. The musical
box was kept going for several hours
a day for a fortnight. It was then
brought into the house and placed out
of sight, but at the open window, and
only about 7 yards from where it had
been before. The bees, however, did
not find the honey, though when it
was once shown them they came to it
readily enough. Other experiments
with a microphone were without re-
sults.
Every one knows that bees when
swarming are popularly, and have
been ever since the time of Aristotle,
supposed to be influenced by clanging
kettles, etc. Experienced apiarists
are now disposed to doubt whether
the noise has really an effect ; but Sir
John suggests that even if it has (with
reference to which he expressed no
opinion), it is possible that what the
bees hear are not the loud, low sounds,
but the overtones at the verge of or
beyond our range of hearing.
As regards the industry of wasps,
he timed a bee and wasj), tor each of
which he provided a store of honey,
and he found the wasp began earlier
in the morning(at4a. m ),and worked
on later in the day. He did not, how-
ever, quote this as proving greater
industry on the part of the wasp, as it
might be that they are less sensitive
to cold. Moreover, though the bee's
proboscis is admirably adapted to ex-
tract honey from tubular flowers,
when the honey is exposed, as in this
case, the wasp appears able to swallow
it more rapidly. This particular wasp
began work at four in the morning,
and went on without any rest or in-
termission till a quarter to eight in
the evening, during which time she
paid Sir John 116 visits.
2 TO
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Putting on the Sections.
Among beginners and amateurs the
inquiry is often heard, "When shall
we put the sections on our hives V"
Mr. Dougherty answers this question
as follows in the Indiana Fm-mer :
There can be no fixed time for put-
ting on the surplus box. only as the
season develops itself showing a surp-
lus of honey coming in, and the
necessity of giving room for its stor-
age. The bees will seldom commence
in the sections so long as there is any
available space in the brood chamber
in which to put the honey, and where
the combs are not well filled with
brood, the better plan is to occupy the
extra space with a division-board, in-
creasing the brood space as the queen
becomes cramped for room in which
to lay. Usually the first indications
that the bees are gathering a surplus
of honey, is the filling of the combs
next to tlie top-bars of the frames,
lengthening out the cells, showing the
white, new comb which they are add-
ing to fill in all of the unnecessary
space.
Bees seldom get a surplus of honey
before the coming of white clover,
although where locust is abundant
they sometimes get quite a surplus
from this source. Too much room
should not be given at first, as too
much space at first may lower the
temperature to such an extent as to
retard brood-rearing. The better plan
is to give but little room at first.
After they have commenced in this
nicely, then give more room, as re-
quired. They are at times loth to
commence work in the boxes, and
where a colony shows a hesitancy in
occupying the boxes, some induce-
ment should be given them ; such as a
section well filled with comb. We
usually have a great many sections
left over from one season to another,
with which to encourage them, but
have had to resort to the plan of cut-
ting out a small piece of board and
fastening it into the center section.
We seldom bother with anything of
that kind now, for where we find a
colony that does not enter the sections
at once, we lift them off, and hang on
a fuU set of empty combs for extract-
ing. After they have got well started
to going above, they will most gener-
ally enter the boxes at once on there
being replaced.
Apis Dorsata Coming. — Mr. A.
Schroeder, one of our subscribers in
Trieste, Austria, under date of May
2, 18S3, writes as follows: "Mr. G.
Dathe, of Germany, has arrived in
Joppa with 4 colonies of Apis-Dorsata.
He is very much disappointed in the
(act that those bees will not build
combs, neither will they stay on them.
One colony decamped, and he was
obliged to cut the queen's wings. I
hope he will reach Europe with his
bees alive, to bare them to experiment
with for the sake of science. I do not
believe the bees are worth anything
for bee-keepers. Bees are doing well
here. Strong colonies wintered well,
and are in swarming condition now,
if the weather would permit. I will
build up nuclei into strong colonies,
etc. We havenever very cold winters
here."
Seasonable Hints.
Mrs. L. Harrison gives the follow-
ing directions in the Prairie Farmer
for the management of bees at the
present season :
Eggs and young larvaj disappear
very mysteriously at times when there
is a cessation in the flow of honey,
and also when there are too few bees
to hover and nourish it. A few days
ago we gave a weak colony a frame of
comb containing eggs, larvse, and
hatching bees. On examining them
a few days afterward we found sealed
brood, and voung downy bees crawl-
ing around," but the cells were empty
where the eggs and larvie had been.
The bees had been playing cannibal,
breakfasted on the eggs and dined on
the young larvie. Itiey had plenty
of stores, but were lacking in bees
necessary to produce warmtli and
nurses for the young, and so utilized
them by devouring them. If chipping
brood is given to weak colonies first,
and as soon as it is hatched, eggs and
larvoe are put in, there will then be
bees of the right age to nurse and
care for it.
Great care should be taken lest we
injure our bees more than we do them
good by meddling with them. If
brood is taken from strong colonies,
reducing them to the condition of the
weak ones, great harm is done, for
the brood given to the weak colonies
may be entirely wasted. When the
warm weather has come to stay, we
may take brood with impunity, and
not before. In the interim we must
take care that the weak have plenty
of honey in their hives, and feed the
strong whenever they will accept it.
Bees are now carrying a great deal
of water, and venture out for it when
the mornings are quite cool. It will
save the life of many a bee if drink-
ing vessels are filled with warm water.
We have some small kegs in the
apiary whicli are filled with water,
and some old muslin is put into them
with a portion hanging over the sides,
serving the purpose of syphons, and
ttie bees suck the water from the
muslin on tiie sunny sides of the kegs
without danger of drowning.
1^- We notice that quite a number
of local papers have copied our article
on " Bees and Honey in Ancient
Times" from No. 19 of the Bee
Journal. It will help to educate
the mas.se3 on the uses of honey, and
if there are any more persons who
think they can prevail upon local
editors to get it inserted, we can send
them extra copies free for that pur-
pose. Just send a postal card for No.
19, and it will be sent at once. Be
sure to give your name and address.
Chickens Eating Drones.
Mr. Dadant, says the Prairie Farmer,
"once had an apiary located on the
side of a hill and fenced. He also
had, at the same time, -500 chickens
occupying the some enclosure with
the bees. He had his hives raised
from the ground, and at night the
hens brooded their chickens under
them. He also taught his chickens to
eat drones, by feeding them brood
and hatching drones. He says he has
seen a rooster pick them off as they
were clustered closely together for
mutual protection against their female
prosecutors, as all bee-keepers have
seen them do, until he could swallow
no more, then rest a bit, stretch up
his neck, and go for them again — and
if corn was thrown to him he would
not notice it."
®' The weather for the past few
days, in the whole Northern States,
has been cold, windy and wet; but
with a warm sunshine added to the
well-watered ground, the flow of
nectar will be abundant. It is true
that the colonies of bees have become
weaker, and in some cases "spring
dwindling" has been severely felt,
but, on the whole, an abundant honey
harvest is to be expected.
^" The Annual Exhibition of the
Nortfiamptonshire Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation of bees, hives, honey, and
bee appliances, will be held in connec-
tion with tlie Northamptonshire Hor-
ticultural Society, on Monday and
Tuesday, Aug. 6 and 7, 18S3, in the
grounds of Delapre Park, Northamp-
ton, England. Practical illustrations
of mauipulating with live bees, show-
ing tlie best method of driving bees,
making artificial swarms, transferring
combs from straw skeps to bar frame
hives, finding the queen, extracting
the honey without injuring the bees
or combs, etc., will be given at inter-
vals during the show days, in a tent
specially constructed, so that visitors
can see the whole manipulations with-
out any danger of being stung. Prizes
will be awarded amounting to over
$.50.00. Entries will be received, and
further information given, on appli-
cation to Mr. James Davies, 33, Semi-
long, Northampton, by sending
stamped addressed envelope. Entries
close on July 31, 1883.
(^ Mr. Alley's new book on Que
Bearing will hereafter cost $1.2S
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
271
Bee-Cnltnre in India.
The London Times gives the fol-
lowing information respecting the bee
industry in India, gathered partly
from the Indian Agriculturist. The
details were obtained by Mr. John
Douglas, superintendent of telegraphs,
from Mr. Morgan, deputy conserva-
tor of forests, and are noteworthy
from the light they throw on the
modes of collecting wild honey:
The best tioney producing flower of
Southern India, is the strobilanthes,
which not only forms the principal
undergrowth of the sholas, both tem-
perate and tropical, but spreads over
the grassy slopes of the higher eleva-
tions. Tliere are immense numbers of
species in this genus, and they almost
all (lower once in seven years, dying
down entirely, and afterward a fresh
growth springing up from seed.
Whenever any species of strobilan-
thes flower, colonies of bees migrate
from all parts of the country to feast
on the honey, and rear their young
brood. At such times lioney becomes
plentiful and cheap, and as the strobi-
lanthes honey is of the finest quality
atd flavor, rivaling that from the
famous Mount Ilymettus, it is eagerly
sought after by the Todas of the JSTeil-
gherry Hills, and, in fact, by all ab-
original tribes. The year 1879 was
sucn a season for honey that it sold at
the rate of four annas per imperial
pint, whereas its usual price is from
eight to ten annas. This honey, in
the cold climate of the Neilgherries,
crysializes in from a fortnight to three
weeks, when tlie flavor becomes richer
wnd finer.
In the Wynaad, as soon as the moon
has waned sufticiently, great prepara-
tions are made to take the honey.
Bamboo and rattan ladders are con-
structed, sometimes of astonishing
length, and at nightfall, after 9 p. m.,
for the bees do not go to rest until
then, as you will find to your cost it
you disturb them, the jain (honey)
kurumbars proceed to theburray, and
and having erected their ladders, if
they have to climb upward or suspend
them downward, arm themselves with
torclies and knives, and sever the
combs from the rocks or branch. The
disturbed bees, meanwhile, roused by
the glare of the torches, desert the
combs and buzz aimlessly about, even
on the persons of those engaged in
taking the combs, but never attefript
to sting unless crushed or hurt. The
combs are then lowered down in bas-
kets, the karumbars feasting on the
larv;e, which tastes something like
cream, while the fish, which swatm in
thousands when the hives are built
over a river, have a glorious feed on
the grubs and bees that fall into the
water and float helplessly down the
stream.
The Coorgs make some attempt at
bee-culture, and practice the industry
to some extent in their own homes.
The bees are domesticated, and the
hives, which are of a very primitive
description, made merely of the hol-
lowed out trunks of trees, are placed
near the houses. The Coorgs have,
however, no notion of collecting the
surplus honey by any of the contri-
vances now in use.
In Cuddapah wild honey is collected
also from the cliffs and ravines of the
district. The process adopted in both
is perilous and exciting, and the Yan-
adies alone are able to climb into the
difficult and apparently inaccessible
places over perpendicular cliffs, in
some places from 100 to 200 feet in
height. They do this by the aid of a
plaited rope, made of young bamboos
tied together. This rope sometimes
gives away, the result being a terrible
accident. It is a very nervous sight
to watch tjie men climbing up these
frail suppTTrts, and it reminds one of
the egg-collecting process in northern
latitudes. The men from below look
like little babies hanging midway, the
rope being fastened on the top of the
cliff above by means of a peg driven
into the ground, or to the trunk of a
tree, the man swinging midway with
100 feet or so above and below him,
and armed with a stick and a leather
basket. The Yanady first burns some
grass or brushwood under the hive,
by which he pokes with his stick,
holding out his basket at the same
time to catch the detached portions of
comb. Wlien the basket is full he
shakes the rope, at which signal his
comrades above draw him up. The
bamboo ropes are left to hang often
for years, until they rot away, for a
rope of this kind is never used twice,
a fresh one being made on each occa-
sion, and at each place.
South Canara is also a great honey
district. Tlie honey and Wax have,
however, but little local value, a
mound, about 25 pounds, only fetch-
ing R. 2 and R. Ifi. It is thought that
much might be done to open up the
industry by exporting the honey and
wax to England, the latter being a
valuable product, and one for which
there is always a demand. The trade,
at present in Indian honey, is almost
entirely confined to wild honey ; but
as the keeping of bees is an industry
requiring little or no capital, it is es-
pecially adapted to the people of
India.
Should the returns obtained from
the inquiries now made and set on
foot by Mr. Douglas, show that it is
worth while to introduce this industry
in a practical form, then Mr. Buck,
the whole subject having been placed
under his department, may possible
see his way to making a decided ef-
fort to interest the people in syste-
matic bee-culture with a view to the
trade in honey and wax becoming ul-
timately a profitable one to the
country.
FMladelphia Bee-Keepers.
Mr. John Shallcross, of Philadel-
phia, sends us the following item of
news from the Herald:
The Philadelphia Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation met at the residence of Dr.
Townsend, the President, 1514 Vine
street, on Monday evening. May 14.
An interesting essay upon the bee and
honey, from the earliest times, was
read bj[ Dr. Townsend. Questions of
a practical nature were read from the
question box, and were answered and
discussed by the members. Two hand-
some charts of the "anatomy and
physiology of the honey bee, and its
relation to flowering plants," by Mr.
Frank R. Cheshire, recently procurred
from England by the Association,
were exhibited and explained by the.
President. An observatory hive, with
a nucleus colony of bees in full opera-
tion, was also exhibited by Dr. Town-
send. Bee-keeping in Philadelphia is
making considerable progress.
Ladies as Bee-Keepers.
^g" Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them — one-cent stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
Prof. A. J. Cook, of Lansing, Mich.,
gives the following on this subject in
the New York Tribune :
Mr. Heddon constantly complains
of over-praise of bee-keeping. He
says they all do not "get there"— to
success, I suppose he means. Of
course ft is not all sunshine in api-
culture. Severe winters mow down
the colonies. "Foul brood" devas-
tates and unfavorable seasons, not
infrequently, make the profits micro-
scopic ; while, worst of all, many lack
true persistence to "overcome" till
delayed success has chance to crown
their efforts. Yet I could name
hundreds, amateurs and specialists,
who get pleasure and no small gain
from bees, and they include many
ladies. For instance, Miss West, of
Flint, Mich., whose father owns 100
colonies, is a teacher in the public
schools. Last Juno Mr. West was
prostrated with typhoid fever, and his
daughter took the whole care of the
apiary during this most active season,
and with success, though she cared
for her father besides. A fiiend of
Miss West taught a district school,
and for recreation cared for a few col-
onies of bees, which in no wise inter-
fered with her duties as teacher. The
income from the bees exceeded that
earned as teacher. Of course, manj
will not succeed in bee-keeping— only
those who are punctual and observing
of the needs of the myriad laborers
whom they oversee. But to use this
as an argument against the business,
would be virtually to condemn every
employment.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving onr
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
272
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tbe American Bee Jouroal.
Bees and Honey in Lucas Co., Iowa.
A. KEUSCH.
Tlie following Table represents the
bees and honey in Lucas Co., Iowa :
E
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
o
In Cave
Sum. Stand
Sum. Stand
Cellar
Sum. Stand
Sum. Stand
Sum. Stand
Sum. Stand
House
I Cave
(Sum. Stand
16|Sum. Stand
17 Sum. Stand
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
2.5
26
Cellar
Sum. Stand
a
200
ion
19
18
14
13
8
14
14
.5
4
8
7
11
4
3
4
3
5
5
3
3
1
3
5
3
ox
I"
iiOO
88
19
17
14
11
8
10
14
5
2
8
6
9
3
3
4
3
.5
5
3
3
1
3
2C^
•fa
170
132
.56
23
30
.35
8
18
35
12
19
22
13
28
9
8
16
9
7
17
6
7
5
7
3
7
477 448 702 .5950 39,380
1800
1240
1150
600
375
"60
48
2.50
150
2&5
12
O 3
■ccq
15,000
10,000
2,200
775
1,600
1,500
1,400
400
375
7.50
640
700
615
600
.500
300
3.50
.500
485
135
200
120
100
65
70
Kftr the American Bee Journal.
The Standard Langstroth Frame.
JAMES HEDDON.
If I am not misinformed, Mr.
Laugstroth, after inventing his hive,
Issued a book, in which he gave the
exact dimensions of his hive and
.frame. Tliis was Mr. Langstrotti's
standard. The booli did tiie worli of
introducing that hive and frame. Tliat
book gave the dimensions that I claim
are the standard. Soon after, the
National Bee-Hive factory was started
at St. Charles, 111., and ni,ade and sold
these hives on the most extensive
scale of any house in the United
States, thousands of bee-keepers
bought them, and have patterned
after them, or, at least, the frame,
ever since.
Mr. G. M. Alves. of Kentucky,
submits the following propositions
why 17%, and not \1% inches, should
be universally accepted as the stand-
ard length :
1. There are more Langstroth
frames in use of tliat length than any
other.
2. The largest manufacturers of
hives, and the greatest number of
them, have adopted this size.
3. This size will exactly take eight
standard one- pound sections — a very
important consideration witli tliose
who prefer to take their honey in
frames.
4. Tlie editors of the principal bee
periodicals have, and do now, give
this size as the standard, and (on tlie
autliority of the Editor of the Ameri-
can Bee JouitNAL,), Mr. Langstroth
himself has approved the change. See
American Bee Journal for 1882,
page 251 .
In reply, I will say: First, Mr. Alves
is undoubtedly mistaken about there
being very many more of the altered
Langstroth frames in use than of the
old standard. I have been agreeably
surprised to find a much larger num-
ber of the true standard in use than I
expected. But if the question of what
is the true standard frame rests with
numbers of them, then I will build a
large " brick factory " run by an " en-
gine," and make enougli of tlie 17?8 to
make that once more the true stan-
dard frame. I had heard that this
principle applied to lying, that is, a
man could tell a lie so many times
that he would finely believe it himself,
but until now I did not know that the
true standard frame could be made
the false one by making enough
frames of an odd size. I dislike to
make so many of these frames as to
make Mr. Alves change all of his, but
I see no other way to avert the trouble
of changing my hundreds of hives and
the thousands t have sold to others.
2. I admit that the largest manu-
facturers of hives have adopted the
mongrel size, and for aught I know,
originated it, but large folks are often
in the greatest error, and " truth is
often on the scaffold, and wrong often
on the throne." This proves nothing
but the mistaken method of Mr. A.'s
reasoning.
The question is, " What is the .stan-
dard Lnngstrotli frame V" I^ot Smith
frame, or Brown frame, or Jones
frame V Let us stick to the subject.
3. Mr. A. tells us that the new
mongrel size will exactly take 8 stan-
dard one-pound sections. In reply to
this, which has no bearing upon the
question under discussion, I will say
that the Langstroth brood frame
does not take sections at all. A broad
frame can be perfectly titled to the
true standard, and the 4I4 sections at
the same time by just making the end
pieces a trifle thinner. Further, tliat
this style of adjusting sections is now
doomed, and is rapidly being super-
seded by much better methods.
4. This simply proves that editors
can be mistaken ; and further, Mr.
Langstroth can no more change the
standard frame than any one else;
when he changes the dimensions, he
simply gives us another frame ; this
second frame might become the stan-
dard, but it has not as yet. There is
this one thing in our favor; where-
ever we find the true standard, we
find the measurements accurate. Of I
this mongrel, we find a great varia-
tion in depth, as well as lengtli. The
" large manufacturers " seem to get
in too great a hurry to keep their ma-
chinery from varying, often times
more than the difference over which
we are discussing. If Mr. L. had made
a few frames 17^ and then abandoned
them for 17%, and booked this latter
size, then I should say Mr. A. was
right, but I find that he, after much
figuring and experimenting, settled
upon, and gave publicly to the world,
the 173^ ; and until he notifies us in
the same manner that 17% is not the
standard, we shall insist on it, that it
is the standard Langstroth frame.
Mr. L. may now " prefer" the 17^,
but to entertain any such preference
is scarcely based upon any laws in
nature, but rather favoring some ones
convenience in the matter ; is it not ?
As regards the two lengths, we can-
not believe that any one would realize
any difference in them, except where
fixtures were to be exchanged from
one hive to the other, and in this case,
many of us have done it successfully.
Dowagiac, Mich.
[The inventor of the frame, and
author of the book, Mr. Langstroth,
has publicly given his sanction to the
frame 17% inches long. No amount
of discussion vi'ill be able to change
the thousands of both sizes now in
use, and we fear none of the manu-
facturers will be willing to change
unless an agreement can be entered
into to make a new standard frame
for America. This, in many ways,
would be desirable if all would con-
form to it. — Ed.]
For the American Bee JuumaL
Central Illinois Convention.
In answer to a call for a meeting of
bee-keepers of the association of Cen-
tral Illinois, 22 members assembled
at the Surveyor's office in Burlington,
Iowa, April 11, 1883.
The forenoon session, which was a
short one, consisted in the reading of
the minutes of the previous meeting,
the report of financial standing of the
association, and giving some experi-
ences in working with bees.
In the afternoon session the subject
of " hives and sections " was taken
up, and President Wolcott thought
more depended on proper manage-
ment than the kind of hive, for
success.
Mr. Cox believed if we had a stan-
dard hive it would be much better,
but did not expect such a hive would,
very soon, become universal.
Mr. Butler asked what kind of
frame was best to winter on V
Mr. Cox : A deep frame.
Mr. Corbett thought bees worked
better in surplus frames at the sides.
Mr. Butler used the Langstroth
hive, with frames running crosswise,
and was decidedly in favor of the
chaff hive for wintering, and the 43^-
x4J^ section for surplus.
Jas. Foindexter considered large
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
273
flumes better for finding the queen or
manipulation, as a less number are
required in a liive, and it did not take
as much time, as if the frames were
smaller and more of them.
Mr. J. Knran thought short frames
more easily manipulated ; he liked
single-walled hives better than chaff
hives; they were more easily handled.
Mr. Smoot preferred the American
hive with the cap to slide down over
the lower hive, in winter. He was
very successful in wintering, but gave
no upward veiililatiou.
Mr. Funk used tlie chaii hive for
winter, and let the snow remain
around the hive until it began to
thaw ; then remove it to keep the hive
dry.
The next subject was " swarming,"
and Mr. Hayes made artificial swarms
by taking three frames of brood and
bees from the old colonies as often as
they could be spared, and in this way,
last season, increased from 2 to 13
colonies.
The next subject was " bee pastur-
age,'' and Mr. Wolcolt thought there
was a marked difference in bees kept
in ttie city and tliose in the country.
Mr. Cox thought that, in good sea-
sons, if the honey was taken away as
fastsas collected, there would be but
little difference.
Mr. Funk was asked if he noticed
whether his bees gathered any honey
during the first part of last August.
He said there were but few days that
his bees did not get some honey, and
that was during stormy weather.
" Different races of bees " was next
discussed.
Mr. Kiiran : Holy Land bees were
very prolific, but no better honey-
gatherers than Italians ; he could tell
the Holy Land bees by their peculiar
motions ; they were worse about rob-
bing. Black bees were bothered more
by the moth.
Mr. Funk said the Holy Lands were
very sensitive, and took some time,
after being handled, to become quiet.
They did notproperly seal their honey.
The next subject was " queen-rear-
ing," and Mr. Kuraii liad not noticed
any difference between artificial and
natural queens.
Question by the President. — " Are im-
Eorted queens any better than those
omebred V Answer by Mr. Kuran :
He could not see that tliey were better
in any respect.
The next subject was " marketing
honey." Mr. Cox said he could get
twice as much extracted as comb
honey, and, with him, it was the
most profitable. He sold extracted
clover honey at 10 cents, and fall
honey at 9 cents per pound. He
thouglit it best to cultivate a home
market, by retailing at wholesale
price.
Mr. Wolcott said if people were ac-
quainted with the real value of honey
all that could be produced would
easily be disposed of . Adjourned.
Jas. Poindextek, Sec.
ror the American Bee Journal.
Clipping ftueens' Wings.
DU. G. L. TINKER.
t^ The Central Kansas Bee-Keep-
ers' Association will meet at Manhat-
tan, Kansas, on June 30, 1883.
Thos. Basslbr, Sec.
A few bee-keepers, including Mr.
G. W. Deuiaree, think tliat the clip-
ping of queens" wings is liable to
injure tlie wiiig-powerof worker bees.
As this is a question of much im-
portance to all bee-keepers, it should
liave thoughtful consideration. For
myself, I should dislike greatly to
liave my queens go luiclipped. But if
it could be shown that there is danger
from the practice, it would be dis-
continued.
The fact that a colony in a very
large hive, in some instances, never
swarm, is evidence that some queens
do not again take flight after the time
of mating. It is exceedingly rare, if
it ever occurs, for a fertile queen to
leave the hive except with a swarm.
Hence, in a non-swarming hive, the
queens' wings could be of no use to
her after fecundation, and it would
not matter whetlier her wings were
clipped or not. Probably, Mr. Dem-
aree, nor any one else, would venture
to assume that because the laying
queens of non-swarming hives rarely
or never take flight, ttiat eventually
the worker bees would, in consequence,
suffer a loss of wing-power.
As the clipping of queens' wings is
never practiced except upon the fe-
cundated queen, it seems to me that
there is nothing analogous about it to
the domestication of fowls, which,
from ages of confinement, has re-
sulted in a loss of their wing-power.
If, iiowever, a plan of artificial ferti-
lization could be devised by which the
mating of queens could take place
without having to take flight, then we
would have, no doubt, an analogous
case to the domestication of tlie com-
mon fowl, and, after many years of
such practice, we might have worker
bees going " on their bellies " after
nectar.
The question therefore arises : Is
not the fact that the virgin queen is
rarely, if ever, mated except upon the
wing, a wise provision of the creator
against the possible loss of the wing-
power of the worker bees, either
through natural processes, or the
hand of man in securing artificial
fertilization V
I take it that Mr. Uemaree's sug-
gestions are applicable, not to the
clipping of the wings of fecundated
queens, but to the proposed and at-
tempted practice of artificial fertiliza-
tion, which would necessitate more or
less of confinement of virgin queens.
In view of the possible dangers indi-
cated by Mr. D., may we not be
thankful that it has never been ac-
complished in a practical manner, and
hope that it never will be.
But the proper clipping of the
wings of laying queens cannot, in my
estimation, be considered in any sense
injurious, and I sliall continue the
practice for the many well-known
reasons that liave been given.
HIVING SWAKMS.
After the swarm is out and the
queen found and caged, tlie old hive is
moved back and covered with a
sheet, the new hive to be set in its
place with the caged queen near the
entiHuce. To juevent the returning
swarm irom going into the adjoining
hives, I take off the covers and set up
ill front of them, or sheets may be
thrown over them. After the bees
get well started into the new hive the
queen is liberated. Tiie swarm is
readily hived, and when set upon a
new stand, will work just as well as
if a great din had been made upon
the dinner-horn and a lot of tin pans,
before clustering in some tree-top to
be hived in the ordinary manner. By
the way, there is less danger of a
swarm going to the woods at once
where the queens" wing is not clipped,
than of its bidding good-bye to the
new hive and the bee-keeper a few
hours after hiving. By having the
queens' wing clipped, this annoying
dilemma is avoided.
now TO CLIP THE QUEEN'.S WING.
The comb on whicli the queen is
found, is lifted out and hung on a re-
volving stand for the purpose, or it
may l)e leaned against a hive. With
the thumb and finger of the right
hand, lift gently the queen off from
the comb by the wings— not one wing.
With the thumb and finger of the left
hand, take hold gently of the queen
by the thorax, or middle part of her
body. Do not let go of tlie wings un-
til she is held firmly, but very care-
fully, in the left hand. Then with the
right hand take a pair of sharp-pointed
scissors and steady the lower blade
upon the second or third finger of the
left hand. About one-half, or nearly
one-half, of the thin edge of only one
of the large wings is cut lengthwise,
or nearly so, of the wing. By this
means the deformity can be hardly
noticed, which is a matter of some
moment to me, since I believe it to be
cruel to cut more than is necessary,
and injurious to cut the wing squarely
off. By the method here given the
queen goes about her duties as if
nothing had happened, and I have yet
to see that it is in any way detri-
mental.
With bee-keepers having large or
stiffened fingers or who are very
nervous, it might not be safe to handle
queens in the manner here given. In
such case, the lady of the house could
perform the operation as dexterously
as any one.
New Philadelphia, O.
For the American Bee JuunuU.
The " Strained " Bees.
W^. H. SHIBLEY.
After reading Dr. E. B. South-
wick's remedv for the small section
craze, on page 256 (May number of
Gleanings), I commenced to take his
remedy, and it has made me feel so
much better that I have sent to the
Doctor for a prescription for "the
strained bees."
We take the Doctor to be a home-
opathic physician, and if we under-
stand rightly, their way is to test the
strength of all medicines on them-
selves before giving to their patients.
274
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
That is why we put so much faith in
the Doctor. •
I believe Mr. Iledilon was the first
to cross dark leather-colored Italians
with brown German bees. From this
cross sprung the famous red-clover
strain.
From Mr. Otman's report, backed
up by sales of honey, we should say
wnite-clover strain for Mr. O.
B. F. Carrol, of Texas, must have
a new strain ; and now Henry Alley,
of Wenham, Mass., is out with a win-
ter strain — needing but little honey to
winter them. Next, some one will
have a strain that lives all the winter
without eating any honey. Followed
by another strain" that gathers from
100 to 200 pounds of nice white honey
where our common bees would starve.
Believing in the old adage, "An
.ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure,'' we sent to the worthy Doc-
tor of Mendon to be prepared for the
"coming" Apis-Americana. Could
we have had the next to the last
named strain of bees, during the past
winter, we should have been 20 colo-
nies better off, as our fancy strain
were perfect gormandizers, and the
20 colonies died for want of food.
Kow, we are longing for the last-
named strain ; particularly the honey
part. As the truth must be told, (I
have just taken another dose of the
Doctor's medicine), our golden strain
only gathered 20 pounds of surplus,
per colony, spring count, last year.
Not much of the ring of gold about
that, except the ring of truth !
But, if the Doctor's prescription,
sent for, does not make us sick, fol-
lowed by too big a honey shower, we
hope to speak better of our dark ring-
sters ; for they are stronger in num-
bers, at this time of year, than we
have ever seen them before.
And, Mr. Editor, if we make a re-
port of a large honey crop, we will
back it up by showing bills of sales.
Last winter I wintered my bees on
something of a new plan (to me at
least), and as 1 never saw it in print
(although it may have been there a
dozen imies, as I have not time to
read one-halif that is written), perhaps
I will try my pen at a description,
when in season, and safe from being
called a winter crank.
Glenwood, Mich., May 17, 1883.
For the Americiin Bee Journal.
Northern Ohio Convention.
The Northern Ohio bee-keepers
held their spring meeting at Korwalk,
O., May 2, 1883. The president not
being present at the hour appointed
for opening the meeting, Allen Bar-
tow, of Milan, O., was chosen tem-
porary chairman. The secretary's re-
port of the last meeting was read and
approved. The treasurer's report
slinwiug a balance in the treasury of
$10.45.
C. D. Bennett, of Elyria, O., B. P.
Whitney, of Kipton, O., and Peter
Biermacher, of Avon, O., joined the
Society, which now numbers 43 mem-
bers. After the enrollment of new
members, the president having ar-
rived, took the chair and called for
the reading of the first essay, which
had been assigned to Allen Bartow, of
Milan, as follows :
PRODUCING SURPLUS COMB HONEY.
Having been assigned the task of
writing an essay on the subject of
comb honey, or how to obtain the
largest crop of the same, I sliall state
th;it we must have the largest crop of
working bees in each hive to obtain
it; now, how sliall we obtain the bees?
If we commence in the spring with
good, healthy bees, either blacks or
Italians (for I ignore all •others), we
must first learn their exact condition
as to strength and numbers, then use
good judgment in building them up
to full strength or capacity of hive
(movable frame of course), and by
manipulation hold them up to this ;
now comes the all important question,
how shall we do thisV Each bee-
keeper must decide for him or herself ;
but I suppose I am expected to give
some plan, and sliall do so to the best
of my knowledge of the subject,
which is the following :
Treat your bees as you do your
other farm stock, encourage breeding
by giving them warm quarters and
plenty of food ; it is not enough that
there is plenty of honey in the hive,
any more than it is enough that your
cow has plenty of hay or straw — spring
having arrived, both bee and cow re-
quire a change of food, if they are to
successfully bring forth and rear their
young, and give you a profitable sur-
plus; then I would say, stimulate
your bees in every possible way to
breed and rear bees for the time
maples are in bloom until fruit goes
out of bloom, and white clover comes
sufficient to give full flow of honey.
Now, how is this to be done V If
the colony is light, reduce the size of
brood-chambers (by means of division
boards or otherwise), to the number
of combs upon whicli the bees cluster,
removing the other combs beyond or
behind the division-board, leaving
room underneath the division-board
for the bees to pass and get the honey
from them, not forgetting to narrow
the entrance to the hive to prevent
robbing ; now prepare feed of thin
syrup of granulated sugar, or sugar
and honey, and feed it on warm even-
ings in front of the hive at sundown,
in a feeder that prevents drowning of
bees, and remove your feeder in the
morning, replacing entrance block to
narrow the entrance, and prevent rob-
bing. The feeder should be made to
fit the entrance, while feeding the
colony. Now, when combs become
crowded with bees, move back the
division-board and make room in cen-
tre of cluster foranotherempty comb,
put it in, and when again crowded,
repeat as before until the hive is
crowded with bees with full combs
and board removed. In a day or two
prepare for surplus, in this way :
Remove from the hive a frame of comb
filled with honey ready to cap, and put
it at side of surplus box, putting next
to it a frame of sections filled with
foundation, put in division-board next
to surplus frame and cover down the
brood-chamber. As soon as bees get
crowded, and are working in sections,
add more surplus frames until your
surplus chamber is full of frames,
then as each frame is filled with honey
remove it and put in its place empty
frames of sections. Look to your
brood-chamber, removing all queen-
cells, and keeping your queen supplied
witli empty comb in which to lay. If
you lose your queen, replace by intro-
duction a fertile one at once.
In conclusion I would say, that the
treatment would be proper in case
tlie colony is a strong one.
Milan, O.
The president said place a comb
filled with liquid food between two
coml>s tilled with brood, and it would
stimulate brood-rearing better than
any other method he had ever tried.
Must be careful not to spread brood
combs too often. The brood might
become chilled.
Mr. Smith said he used a mixture of
granulated sugar and buckwheat flour
for stimulating, with good success.
Mr. .lohnson said, he fed in a feeder
placed on the top of brood combs with
cushion placed over it.
Mr. Whitney said, he had a colony
in his cellar which he found floating
in 18 inches of water during tlie win-
ter, which was now in good condition.
Mr. Boardman said, he would not
spread brood combs at this season of
the year, as bees now are reduced to
their smallest numbers, and there is
great danger of brood being chilled.
Mr. Whitney asked if spring feed-
ing had proved successful when prac-
ticed during cold weather.
Mr. Fish said, he would not feed
during cold weather if bees had an
abundance of stores. He would feed
those only that were destitute.
Mr. Bartow said, he would reduce
the space occupied by each colony to
such size by the use of the division-
board, as would enable the bees to
cover all the combs all the combs, and
thus the requisite amount of heat
could be kept up.
The next essay was by H. R. Board-
man, as follows :
THE MOST PROFITABLE RACE OF BEES.
One of the most prominent objects
of my early boyliood recollections, is
the old box bee-hive out in the gar-
den, under an old apple tree, with its
inhabitant, the black bee. By the
hour have I laid on the grass under
this old apple tree, and watched with
eager interest, those mysterious little
workers.
Many wonderful things had I been
told about them, and the economy and
government of the multitudes within
their well-guarded home ; which, to
me, was shrouded in the deepest mys-
tery, and their well-kept secrets,
guarded with a dignity and honesty
which I had never presumed to ques-
tion. I had been told that they had
a form of government like a nation of
people, and had a king who sat upon
a tlirone, and all his subjects paid im-
plicit obedience to his commands and
rendered the utmost respect to his
sovereign wish, and I had noticed
upon all combs, that had been re-
moved from the hive, undoubted proof
of this. The throne upon which the
king sat. I have since learned, were
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
275
old queen-cells. I had been told that
these conmiunites were systematically
divided, and that each division had
its particular work to perform, and
leaders or overseers were placed over
them to superintend the work in each
department; and some were assigned
the position of guards at the entrance
of the hive, and did not have to gather
honey.
I w'Htched them swarm with more
than idle curiosity, and [ heard older
people say that when the swarm Is-
sued they followed the king out, and
wherever he went they followed — and
if the king died in a colony, they
would all stop work and would never
do anything more, and would tinally
all die. I watched them toil the sum-
mer through to accumulate their
sweet stores of food to provide for the
coming winter, only to he robbed of
them and cruelly murdered in the
fumes of the foul brimstone pit. I
said it was cruel and wrong, and that
there ought to be some other way,
and if their stores must be procured
in that piratical way, although honey
to me was a tempting luxury, I pre-
ferred for one to forego the pleasure
of such luxury.
How did any one learn these won-
deful thingii, I said, unless by patient
and caiefnl watching, and if others
had discovered these wonderiul things,
why not I, by patient observation,
penetrate the mysterious precincts of
these wonderful little insect people 'i
And 1 did watch with all the energy
awakening curiosity could arouse,
and I listened often with my ear close
to the hive, to their mysterious bee
talk ; but their secrets remaind un-
told, and their every movement re-
mained a dark, unsolved enigma.
But a new era came, light dawned.
There came the movable frame and
the new bee, the yellow bee, with its
wonderful reputation for penetrating
the depths of the rich red clover. And
what then ? Then came a knowledge
of those mysterious things within the
hive; improvement and progress in
bee-culture ; old superstitions van-
ished, new and startling truths were
brought out, until that mysterious
hive of 20 years ago is to-day a thing
of practical fact, within the compre-
hension of the veriest novice. Italian
queens were introduced into our colo-
nies of black bees, and in an incredi-
ble short time the whole colony was
changed from black to yellow bees,
discovering the startling fact to even
old bee-keepers, of the brief, almost
ephemeral existence of the honey-bee
during summer.
So readily was this change made,
and so apparent the benefits gained
thereby, that Italian queens were
rapidly imported, queen breeders
sprung up over the land everywhere,
and the queen has become a common
article of trade in the market of bee-
keepers' supplies, and the superiority
of the yellow race of bees over the
black, became almost universally ac-
knowledged. But a mountain of dif-
ficulty arose in the pathway of queen
venders, especially importers. A stan-
dard of purity was necessary to pre-
serve the reputation of the imported
stock, and distinguish it from the
plebeian race, but in attempting to
establish this, it became apparent that
even the imported stock would not
stand any single test, so various were
their markings and characteristics.
Suspicions were awakened among un-
prejudiced bee-keepers that the race
of bees from which we were receiving
importations, were not a pure race,
and this suspicion has been strength-
ened into fact, by the knowledge that
black bees are found in Italy. As a
result of these variations, different
strains of bees began to be brought to
notice, each possessing particular,
valuable qualities as set forth by their
particular champions ; and many a
sharp contest has been carried on in
the bee papers, by the advocates of
some particular stripe, or tint, or
tinge in his favorite strain, and now
we have almost as many strains of
bees as there are breeders.
Who that has read the bee literature
has not a vivid recollection of the
sharp criticisms upon the dark queen,
sent out by Messrs. Dodant ; even un-
kind reflections upon their integrity.
They have outlived it all, and float
successfully now above suspicion.
Some breeders take pride in publish-
ing what they no longer hesitate
themselves in believing— that they are
breeding a cross of the black and yel-
low race, and no longer consider yel-
low bands a test of excellence, or a
guarantee of purity, and that although
beauty and amiability maybe desired,
they are too often obtained unwisely,
at a sacrifice of more sterling qualities.
The reports of large yields of honey
coming from colonies not possessing
the requisite number of yellow bands
to entitle them to a certificate of roy-
alty, has become too frequent to be
accidental, and the wise apiarist will
hesitate long before superseding the
queens of such colonies with those
having the regulation markings.
We are, without doubt, largely in-
debted to the introduction of the yel-
low race of bees into this country, for
the knowledge and improvements in
modern bee-culture.
But while Mr. A., and B., and C.
have made a paying business rearing
queens, and have made a hobby of
yellow bands and golden tints, we, as
practical bee-keepers, are looking to a
different source for our revenue, and
are only anxious how we may obtain
large yields of honey. Beauty and
pleasure are secondary considerations.
Honey gathered by the black or hybrid
bees, brings as much money in the
market as that obtained by the most
beautiful golden Italians— and in fact,
it is claimed that honey comb made
by the black bees is whiter and more
delicate in appearance than that made
by the yellow race.
But what shall we say of the new
races more recently introduced into
this country by Mr. D. A. .Jones, of
Canada, at such great expense both
in time and money ? The Cyprians
and the Holy Land bees, what can we
say of them V except that they are an
experiment, and like all experiments
in bee-culture, .should be tried with
much caution. There is an old maxim,
" Let well enough alone," not alto-
gether a noble one, yet for all that.
successful for the moderately ambi-
tious, and perhaps a very safe one for
the average bee-keeper. We can but
admire the enthusiasm of Mr. Jones,
which has prompted him to such un-
tiring energy, and to make such sacri-
fice of time and money in his search
for some superior race of bees, by
which he might benefit mankind.
And Mr. Frank Benton, too, his as-
sistant, has done much to command
our esteem and admiration.
But all great enterprises of this
character are measured by their ulti-
mate success or failure. The reports
that have already been received from
his importations", seem to promise but
little or any improvement upon tlie
yellow races of bees already so uni-
versally diffused over this country, of
which I prefer to consider them only
a strain — and. indeed, the Cyprians
have already gained a reputation of
being very un-amiable in disposition ;
and orten becoming angry without
provocation.
By what name, then, shall we know
the coming bee V We might adopt
the phrase used by Mr. Heddon, and
applied not to bees, but to bee-keepers,
" Get there success," as it is very
comprehensive of the qualities we
think essential, but we prefer that
other, more beautiful and more sig-
nificant name, already heralded forth
among progressive bee-keepers : Apis-
Amencana.
Townsend, O.
C. E. Newman asked if Cyprians or
Holy Land bees had proven more
profitable than the Italians.
Mr. Boardman said, he thought the
Italians were the most profitable.
S. F. Newman said, he had tried
both Cyprians and Italians, and in his
experience the Italians had proved to
be fully equal to the Cyprians as honey
gathers, and were not as irritable.
At times it was almost impossible to
handle the Cyprians unless they were
chloroformed.
Mr. Bartow said, he preferred hy-
brids to Italians ; they protected their
stores better than other bees.
Mr. Bartow asked whether Holy
Land bees were more likely to be
pure than the Italians.
Mr. Boardman said, he thought the
Holy Lands as likely not to be pure as
the Italians.
The President :— We are ignorant
as to the fact whether the Cyprians
are indigenous totheislandof Cyprus,
or whether they were Italians modi-
fied to a certain extent by climate and
other causes. The important ques-
tion to be decided is, which race of
bees will give us the largest amount
of honey, and thereby fill our pockets
with money. He wanted no pure bees,
but preferred hybrids.
Mr. Whitney asked Boardman which
produced the best workers, an Italian
queen mated with a black drone, or a
black queen with an Italian drone.
Mr. Boardman: did not know which
would produce the best results. The
facts are that Italian queens generally
mate with black drones.
Mr. White : an Italian queen mating
with a black drone produces better
workers than the reverse.
276
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
The next essay was by D. White,
as follows :
PRODUCTION, CAKE AND SAI,E OF EX-
TRACTED HONEY.
I received a notice from Mr. New-
man, a few days .since, saying we
shall depend npon you for that part of
the programme, namely: "Tlie Pro-
duction, care and sale of extracted
honey." I believe this subject should
be discussed freely, and, no doubt,
some one else could have been selected
that could come nearer doing justice
to the subject than myself.
For the past three years it has been
my hobby to procure' almost entirely
extracted honey. The first season I
took all my honey from brood-cham-
ber. Second season, from brood-
chamber, and some from surplus
chamber. At the commencement of
the season, or when I commenced ex-
tracting, would take all I could get
from each colony, but after that com-
menced, being careful by taking about
half each, so on until the last work
was to take only one side comb from
each colony ; this I would keep up as
long as they were able to fill the empty
comb. This was my plan of working
safe, and in case the honey How should
shut off (as it frequently does without
any warning), I would have plenty of
honey left for winter purposes.
I fancy a great many who have used
an extractor, have done so without
using any judgment. Hence, their
bees were compelled to go into winter
quarters with nothing but late un-
sealed stores, and the consequences
were heavy losses during the winter.
The honey procured during the two
seasons mentioned, was about 7.5
pounds to the colony, on an average,
each season. I was obliged to work
■very hard, and compelled to visit a
hive too often ; but had no notion of
going back to comb honey. I use
chaff hives that take Langstroth
frames, 10 frames below and 13 above,
and, last spring, 1 was ready with
enough wired frames filled with foun-
dation to fill the surplus chambers to
80 hives.
We must take into consideration
the amount of comb work that had to
be done ; about 1,000 sheets of foun-
dation was worked into comb. My
extracting, last season, was entirely
from above, and I procured enough
honey so that I sold 8,000 pounds with
enough left to winter— and 1,000
pounds held in the combs to use this
spring, if needed — I call this a reserve,
and expect hereafter to have plenty
of honey in the same shape every
spring. "The bees gathered it, and if
they fail to need it to carry them until
the honey comes again, they will cer-
tainly have enough, so that the first
day's work they do will be done for
me. I weighed what I extracted from
one of my strongest working colonies
and it gave me 213 pounds, and I
think I had several that did equally
as well.
My theory, to procure plenty of ex-
tracted honey, is first, strong colonies;
second, plenty of room for the bees to
work, and the next thing is for the
bee-keeper to roll up his sleeves and
work too. It is no place to put a man
that does not like to work. I was en-
tirely alone with my 80 colonies last
season, and I worked hard enough so
that only 3 colonies cast natural
swarms.
1 do not tell this, wanting you to
think that 1 like to work so dreadful
well — for 1 do not — but, last season, I
was forced. 1 think I am safe when
I say I could have procured at least
1,000 pounds more honey than I did,
had I had good help ; that is. I lacked
that much of working the bees for all
there was in them. This loss came
from not getting around to extract
the second and third times as soon as
I should, by from three to four days,
which makes a great loss, when be-
hind that way on a large apiary.
I believe we all want to make this
business as remunerative as possible.
I read and hear a great many splendid
leports from men that produce en-
tirely corab honey ; am glad to know
that such is the case. I believe it our
duty to supply the demand for both
comb and extracted honey. It would
be too much like all belonging to one
church for us all to procure one kind
of honey.
We that procure extracted honey
must get about double the weight that
our brother bee-keepers do that pro-
cure comb honey. If we fail to do
this, they will get more money than
we do. Then another thing we must
make up our mind to do ; we must
work harder than they do, for while
we are working early and late, carry-
ing heavy combs 'and wielding and
uncapping knife, they are doing what
I call put:ering around, hiveing now
and then a swarm, and the rest of the
time waiting for section boxes to be
filled and completed. We do not want
to make them feel bad, and do not
think we shall, but I believe we have
got a large per cent, the advantage
over them in a short honey flow, and
I believe it the characteristic of this
section of the country to usually give
us short seasons.
Now, suppose we have plenty of
nice straight combs in wired frames
(and they must be wired for we do
not want the combs tumbling out and
smashing to pieces), and we have
filled our surplus room, ready for the
first honey to be found in white clover
— all our bees have to do the en-
tire season is to gather honey and de-
posit it in our empty combs — then I
believe bees will work stronger on
large combs than on small combs in
section boxes. It must be an ex-
tremely short season if we cannot ex-
tract, at least on an average, 75 pounds
to the jolony of good, ripe honey — 13
combs once filled will more than do
this. Now, how would it be with SO
pound sections in one of these hives ;
a few completed out of the number
ready for market, and the rest all the
way from not being touched at all to
half and two-thirds completed, and a
lot of unsalable nubs, I call them 'i
This is in a short honey flow, under-
stand, and season shut off, leaving
everything as I have tried to explain it.
I may be wrong, but we are here to
learn, if possible, from each other,
and if we can tread on the toes of our
brother bee-keepers that procure cotub
honey, it may be the means of fetch-
ing out something that will be a
benefit and do us all good. I believe
there are too many men that keep
bees that think they know it all. Any
how, it seems to be my lot to run
across such men ; especially men that
have always kept bees and will not try
to learn what they call new-fangled
things. I'ou will see these men with
a rag rolled up for a smoker and drum-
ming a tin pan when a swarm is out.
I mention this, for I believe we are
never too old to learn. When I first
conunenced with bees I learned to
play quite well on a tin pan, cut ofiE
virgin queens' wings, and several
things that I do not do now.
Care of extracted honey occupies
but little of ray time. I have tin cans,
capacity about -500 pounds, with large
gate to draw out the honey. I tie
over cans securely, cheese capping
cloth, letting it bag enough to hold a
large pail full ; and when that much
comes from extractor, I carry it into a
dry honey house and empty into cheese
cloth to strain, while I am filling the
next pail of honey. I believe it a
good plan to store in 10, 15 and 25
pound cases ready for market. Ex-
tracted honey will candy in from 4 to
6 weeks after extracting, and I be-
lieve it will not be very long before it
will sell best in a candied state, es-
pecially when people learn that c.mdy-
ing is a positive proof that it is pure
unadulterated honey. We know of
no other liquid sweet that will candy.
Candied honey can be put back to a
liquid state by warming gradually, as
often as desired, without injuring the
flavor, but must not come to a boiling
point.
The sale of extracted honey seems
to be the great trouble with some, but
I believe it can be more readily sold
than comb honey, and in very much
larger quantities, for the following
reasons : It is sold for about half the
price of comb honey, and comes w-ith-
in the reach of every family. But the
most important thing of all is, never
to sell a poor article. Never extract a
comb unless it is sealed as nice as any
section-box honey. It takes elbow
grease, and will give most anybody
the backache. But we must come to
it, if we expect to build up a trade on
extracted honey.
It is very easy work to empty combs
of thin, unsealed honey, and not a
very hard task to extract when only
half of the combs have to be gone
over with an uncapping knife ; but my
opinion is to not sell such honey. I
do not believe any one can build up
an extensive trade with such stuff,
and know he cannot if he comes up in
my territory. I have built up a good
trade, and have done so with a first-
class article.
About 4,000 pounds were taken from
my door, last season, by customers
that came with pails, cans, crocks and
jugs to carry it in, and they kept com-
ing long after my honey was all gone.
I had a wagon on the road peddling
about one week, and could dispose or
about 300 pounds a day in this way.
Go where you will, you will find more
or less peo))le down on strained honey,
as they call it ; but my plan from the
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
277
start was to give such people a saucer
of honey if I could not persuade them
to buy, and in nearly every instance
it has made rue a steady customer;
some that were so p.ejudice on the
start, now buy, each season, from 50
to TOO pounds. I have a host of cus-
tomers that work by days' work for a
livelihood. They can afford it, and
will buy at 11 cents a pound, while
but few of this class will look atcomb
honey at from 18 to :22 cents per pound.
I think I gave this a fair test last fall,
with all classes, when peddling. I
had comb honey in section boxes,
letting any one "take their choice, 11
cents for extracted and 18 cents for
comb, and I had a few sections left
out of 100 pounds while I was dispos-
ing of about 1,800 of extracted.
There would not have been as mucli
difference as this had I not put more
force on the extracted, telling them
all the difference there was, the ex-
tracted was out of the comb. I told
them facts, and after tasting and ex-
amining for themselves they would
conclude to take all or part extracted.
I have a great many customers that
want a little comb honey each season.
They want it for special occasions.
One steady customer of this kind is
my wife, and I am ready to agree,
when we take looks into considera-
tion, we must fetch out the comb
honey.
I will close by saying we can keep a
strong colony of bees under control,
scarcely one will cast a swarm if at-
tended to in the proper time, that is,
combs taken out and extracted as fast
as they are sealed and ready, and if
increase is wanted it can be done
after the honey How, and to make it
safe, save plenty of good sealed stores
to give the colonies we build up. I,
last season, increased from 80 to 120.
In my home apiary, I now have 100
rousing colonies, did not lose one, and
not a weak one at the present time. I
lost 4 out of 20 two and one-half miles
from home. Cause, not properly
cared for. I did not fix them for
winter as I should. I used the old-
fashioned way too much — guessed at
it. Guess work will not do in the bee
business, any more than any other.
New London, O.
Mr. Bartow : How many times do
you extract from the same colony dur-
ing one season ?
Answer : As many times as two or
more combs in the upper story are
perfectly sealed.
Mr. VVhitney : How do you prevent
the queen from laying in the upper
story y
Aiiswer : I do not prevent it, and it
is not necessary, as it does no harm.
The comparative profit of produc-
ing comb and extracted honey was
thoroughly discussed by nearly all the
members present, without arriving at
any definite conclusion.
The Berlin Fruit Box Company had
on exhibition some very tine one-piece
sections, and Newman Bros., of Nor-
walk, some Quinby smokers.
James Gibbs, the treasurer, having
resigned, Edwin Gibbs was chosen to
fill his place, and Miss Eliza Moon of
Milan, was chosen vice-president.
After a vote of thanks to Norwalk
City Council, the convention ad-
journed to meet at the call of the sec-
retary, sometime during the month of
October, 1883.
S. F. Newman, Sec.
at and Jtoiu.
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Queries About Extractiug Honey.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following questions :
1. Will it do to extract honey the
next day after it has been deposited
in the cells by the bees '!
2. Are one-story hives as good for
the production of extracted honey as
two-story hives?
3. How many 12x12 inch frames
should there be in hives, when only of
one-story V
4. How can we ripen the honey after
extracting, to make it keep well V
.5. Is there any way to ascertain a
good day for honey-gathering, by the
indications in the morning 'i
Nineveh, Ind. W. D. Smyseb.
Answers. — 1. Not if the honey is
intended for sauce. If for manufac-
turing purposes, it will, if the nectar
is of good quality.
2. Not for my use. I have tried
both thoroughly, and much prefer the
2-story system. Some experienced and
successful producers differ with me.
but I must answer from my own ex-
perience.
3. I .should want as many as 25 at
least.
4. I have tried all plans, except sun
evaporation, and I find no method
equal to the old-fashion one of letting
the bees ripen and cap it, when it will
be rich and oily, and not nearly as
liable to grain or sour. The best
methods I have used, is to store the
honey in one-gallon crocks of stone-
ware, and pile them up, with sticks
between them, and keep in a dry
room, with screened windows and a
free circulation of air. All double-
walled or cool rooms will be damp.
5. Electricity, that great mover of
all that stirs, that other name for
heat, light and motion, is the honey
producer's friend ; when the morning
indicates a day of electric conditions. I
look for a good secretion of honey.
The Lje Process.
Mr. Heddon, in some of the back
numbers of the Bee Journal, you
speak of the lye process for making
the sheets of comb foundation, let go
of the press, etc. Do you still use it ?
How do you prepare the lye V Do you
rinse the sheets afterwards V
V. W. Kenney.
Shirland, 111., May 22, 1883.
Answer.— Of all that slips and
slides, lye is the "slickest." Get the
best concentrated lye— poor stuff is
no go. Louis Menzes Co. is the only
good kind we can get out of many
brands. Put 2 tablespoonfuls into a
quart of water. With a brush made
of a handful of broom corn, wound
with stovepipe wire, lye the book
thoroughly. Now don't be afraid of
the effects of the lye on the book. It
will not injure it nor the foundation.
Drop a piece of foundation in this
strong lye solution ; leave it there a
week, and notice that it does not effect
it at all. The lye solution, when on
the foundation in large quantities,
precipitates and losses its strength, so
that the white powder it leaves can be
tasted on the tongue, and only a
brackish taste is perceptible. To put
to the bees it is perfectly harmless.
We use a cheap brush because the lye
eats up a brush in three or four hours.
The dies must be cleaned of the par-
ticles from the eaten brush, every two
or three hours. To keep the fingers
from being eaten through the skin,
dip them every few moments in strong
vinegar. Do not get any vinegar
(not a drop) on to the dies. You will
omit to dip your fingers into the vin-
egar often enough, at first, but you
will soon have a gentle reminder, in
the shape of a sore, that will sting like
a bee when lye touches it. With some
die books, and on certain days, we run
off 100 sheets with once using the lye
on the book; but, at other times, only
two or four sheets without having to
touch the book in places with the
saturated brush. The above is the
general outline.
Convention Notices.
Convention in South- Western Iowa.
All who are willing to help support
a convention in the South- Western
counties of Iowa, will please drop me
a postal card. Who will be first '?
T. A. HOUGAS.
Henderson, Iowa, May 21, 1883.
1^ The Warren County, Kentucky,
Bee-Keepers' Association, meets at
Smith's Grove, Ky., on June 2. A
large attendance is expected.
N. P. Allen, Sec.
^■Renewals may be made at any
time ; but all papers are stopped at
the expiration of the time paid for,
unless requested to be continued.
278
THJi AiMERlCAISf BEE JOURNAL.
Bees Gathering Honey.
Bees are doing well— taking in
honey fast from black locust; white
and red clovers are coming into bloom.
I have 03 colonies.
Wm. Hamilton.
Louisville, Ky., May 17, 1883.
Bees Biiihllng' New Comb.
My bees built some new comb in
the small sections from apple tree
bloom, but did not complete any. My
colonies are now very strong, and
have mostly nine full frames of brood.
There will be a great amount of
swarming in this section, this year.
Dr. G. L. Tinker.
New Philadelphia, O., May 21, 1883.
What Became of His Bees ?
Neighbor A. had two colonies of
bees last fall ; this spring one was
dead, the other good and strong. He
cleaned out the hive in which were
the living bees, and wliile doing so
set the frames (and bees) in the hive
tliat had contained the dead bees.
After having nicely cleaned up, he
thought the bees might as well stay
where they were and save the trouble
of replacing them in their own hive.
So lie placed them on their own stand
and took their own hive away. After
a few days he opened the hive, when,
lo ! not a hundred bees were found.
New, he is anxiously inquiring of his
neiglibors, who are amateur bee-keep-
ers, " What became of my bees V Can
vou tell T J. B. Craig.
Beatrice, Neb., May 21, 1883.
[It is a case of abnormal swarming.
The hive was distasteful to the bees,
and they " left for parts unknown."
Perhaps it was quite dirty, much be-
spattered by the diseased bees that
finally died in it, and the bees placed
there against their will, concluded to
" take to the woods," rather than re-
main in a hive that was too highly
perfumed for their comfort. — Ed.]
Bees in Good Condition.
I have 36 colonies of bees now, in
good condition ; I lost 8 in the winter;
5of them by neglect, on account of
being away from home.
E. S. HOVET.
Swanton, Iowa, May 17, 1883.
A Cold Wave in Kentucky.
Notwithstanding the weather here
has been very changeable, the season
so far has not been altogether un-
favorable. My bees have built up
rapidly, and have done well on fruit
bloom, dandelion, etc. Locustopened
on the 13th inst., and gave a deluge of
nectar till cut short off by the cold
wave of the 21st. We had a skift of
snow (a sight never before witnessed
here at this season of the year), on
the night of the 21st. The bees were
housed for 3 days. White clover is
wasting. I have been feeding a swarm
that issued just before the present
cold, rainy, gloomy spell. The pros-
pects look better to-day (23d). I notice
that the three dismal, cold, rainy days
just past, have afflicted some of my
nursing nuclei wiih dysentery. The
weather has been unfavorable to
queen rearing— too changeable.
G. \V. Demarbe.
Christianburg, Ky., May 23. 1883.
Phacelia for Houey.
I send you a bee plant for name. It
is an early bloomer, and the bees
swarm on it. The plant is a native of
this country. • E. E. Ewing.
Highlands. N. C, May 8, 1883.
[This is Phacelia pusilla, a plant
with no other common name than
that of the genus or, first part of the
scientific name here given. It is a
peculiarly Southern species, though
the genus is well represented through-
out the United States, and are all im-
portant honey producers. Most of the
members of the family (Waterleaf
Family), grow in shady places, but
this and a few others thrive in the
open sunshine on prairies, etc. They
often clothe the banks of railroads,
etc., on particular soils, and this, no
doubt, might giveahint as to their
cultivation, should this be desirable.
The ilowers are almost wholly de-
pendent on honey - loving insects —
especially bees— for fertilization, as the
stamens and pistils of the same flower
mature at a different time. The at-
tractions for the bees are, however,
such, that there is little loss in seed
production on this account; the pollen
is abundant, and the nectar copious
and easy of access. — T. J. Burrill,
Champaign, 111.]
Cold, Cold, Cold.
We have not had 5 days so far this
year, warm enough to open the bee
hives without danger of chilling the
brood, of which there is but little. It
freezes nearly every night. On the
morning of the Htli, ice was found y
inch thick. Bees are getting poor in
numbers and short of stores.
G, M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., May 17, 1883.
The Spring in Texas.
The spring thus far in Texas has
been cold and backward. We are three
or four weeks later than usual. Our
spring crop of honey will be short.
On the prairies, the bees, as yet, have
gathered but little honey. I have
moved my bees from Shreveport, to
Arlington, west of Dallas, to take
advantage of the horsemint. This is
the great honey-producing plant of
Texas. My bees wintered well, as
they always do when they have plenty
of honey. Without an unusual sum-
mer, and fall, we will not have so good
a honey season as the last. Our State
Bee-Keepers' Convention met at Mc-
Kinney, on the 16th of Api-il; we had
a good turnout, and considerable en-
thusiasm. The business of bee-culture
is largely on the increase in Texas,
and bids fair to be, in a short time,
one of our largest industries. We. of
the South, hope that the bee papers
will have nothing more about winter-
ing bees in them, this year. This is a
subject that does not interest us ; in
fact, we do not read the articles on
that subject. We would Tike, at least
for the summer, to have the periodi-
cals filled up with matter relating to
the general interest of bee-culture.
I am glad you. Mr. Editor, are dis-
posed to exclude personal matter, and
personal crimination from the Bee
Journal. W. R. Marshall.
Marshall. Texas, May 18. 1883.
Still Snowing.
Byron said, "The moon is up, and
yet "it isn't night." We can say, "It
snows yet. but still it is not winter."
Bees were never so weak and poor in
stores at this date in my apiary. I
have lost 125 out of 350, and the loss
will amount to 150, ere warm weather
arrives. As the law of supply and
demand governing prices has not yet
entirely deserted apiculture, every
dead colony enhances the value of all
the living. All bloom is 2 weeks be-
hind time. James Heddon.
Dowagiac, Mich., May 22, 1883.
Prospect Good.
The bees are doing well, in spite of
the weather. We had a white frost
last night, and the night before, and
a big swarm of bees to-day. White
and alsike clovers are coming on finely,
and the prospects are good for a large
honey crop. J. V. Caluwell.
Cambridge, 111., May 23, 1883.
Cyprians Ahead.
Last fall I had 55 colonies (5 being
weak ones) ; and, out of the 55, I lost
11 ; one starved, 3 swarmed out this
spring, and seven died with the dys-
entery. The Syrians and Cyprians
wintered the best of all, with few ex-
ceptions, and the Cyprians are ahead
of all, for they have more brood and
honey than any of the rest ; the out-
side combs are filled up with new
honey, and sealed up two-thirds of the
way down, and last Saturday (liith)
one of them swarmed. How is that,
for Cyprians, for a wet and cold
spring ? I think the Cyprians are the
hardiest race of bees in America. I
handle mv Cyprians without gloves
or veil, and "do not get stung very
often either, I think the man that is
disposing of his Cyprians is fooling
his time away. The snow is 2 inches
deep this morning, and is melting
fast, and it is raining now. This has
been the worst spring for bees I ever
saw, and it does not look very favora-
ble this morning. I do not think my
Cyprians will swarm to-day, and yet
I expect them to swarm as soon as it
gets warm again.
L. A. LOWMASTEK.
Belle Vernon. O., May 22, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
279
A Wrong Righted.
In my article, on page 252, headed,
" That ' Three-Ring ' Fancy," in try-
ing to riglit myself, perhaps I wronged
Mr. Ueddon ; if so, 1 apologize, for I
had no such intention ; far fiom it.
As I am a believer in short sermons,
perhaps I did not make things clear.
Some may think I was trying to cast
a reflection on Mr. Heddon's way of
breeding, but I had no such thought.
Honestly, I believe his way of cross-
ing the dark leather-colored Italian
with the brown German bee, will, in
time, bring forth the true Ajyis-
Aniericana — the "bread and butter"
bees. W. H. Shirley.
Glenwood, Mich.
A Snow Storm in Indiana.
We have had the worse snow siorm
ever known for this time of year, in
Indiana. It commenced with a cold
rain, and yesterday, about 10 o'clock,
it turned to snow, and snowed until
night; although it melted very fast,
there was about 2 inches of snow on
the roofs, boards, etc. It snowed
more last night, and fruit trees are
bent to the ground, and the timber
is mourning under its heavy burden.
I think there has fallen quite one foot
of snow, since yesterday morning.
Bees were doing extra well ; their
brood-chambers are full of brood and
honey, and some were storing honey
in the boxes. White clover is begin-
ning to bloom, and is as plenty as I
ever saw it, and everything looked
favorable for a good harvest, but it
looks dismal this morning.
A. Fbazer.
Bloomingsport, lud., May 22, 1883.
In Good Spirits.
Bee-keepers are in good spirits —
having prospects of a rich, white
clover harvest. Bees are in fine con-
dition, and are gathering honey rapidly
from the clover.
N" T* A T T T^'N"
Smith's Grove, Ky., May 23, 1883. '
Some Corrections.
Dear Journal:— In an article
written by me on the 17th of March,
and published on the 16th of May, on
pages 248 and 219, you make me say :
I purchased 2 colonies of bees in
December, 1883." I meant to have
said 1863. And on page 249, in my
3d rule, " To cool off the cellar, when
the weather outside is colder than 4(f^,
let in as little air as will keep the bees
alive, and keep ice in the pipe." 1
meant to have said : To cool off the
cellar, when the weather outside is
below 40°, let in more air ; and when
the weather outside is above 40 '. let
in as little air as will keep the bees
alive, and keep ice in the pipe." And
in the 1st rule, same page, the " have
them." etc., should be, having tliem,
etc., making the cushioning and other-
wise keeping them warm, one of the
requisite conditions to late breeding.
If you will kindly make this correc-
tion, my meaning will be better un-
derstood.
H. V. Tkain.
Mauatou, Wia., May 19. 1883.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office op American Bek Joctknal, {
Monday. 10 a. m.. May 28, 188-j. t
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotations of Cuah Bay«rs.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted is 7c.
for darit and 9c. for light— here. The supply ia
abundant and sales are slow.
BEBSWAJC— None in the market.
al. H. Newman. 923 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY.— The market for extracted honey is
lively, and the demand exceeds the arrivals. Our
stock is small and we are in danger of having sold
out every day. We pay 7(Sll0c. for pood honey on
arrival, the latter price for choice clover. There
Is a small demand for comb honey, and prices
nominal.
BEESWAX.- Arrivals of beeswax are plentiful.
We pay 35c. for a good article on arrival.
CHA8. F. MaTH.
Quotations of Commission Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The demand is light and it ia not now
probable that all of the comb honey can be sold
before a new crop comes. Prices are very irregular
and generally low; I5(itl6c. for white, and dark un-
salable. Extracted, very little trade is being done
in it. 7(rti9c. is about the market.
BEESWAX— 35<a3lJC.
R. A. BCJUNETT, 161 South Water St.
SAN KRANCISCO.
HONE Y-Stocks and the demand are both light.
More or less difficulty would be experienced In
filling a large order tor a straight lot.
White comb. 14(iiJ17c.; dark to good. ll@13c.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8>^@9J.6c. : dark and
candied. .'j(§(7!^c.
BEESWAX— Wholesale. 27@2Sc.
8TEAKN8 & SMITH. 42,1 Front Street.
ST. LODIS.
HONBY—Dull; light jobbing sales only. Comb
at 10(«il4c. — Strained and extracted at 7@7^c.
BEES WAX-Sold lightly at 32@34c.
W. T. ANDEKSON & CO.. 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Stocks of honey are running low with
us. 1-lb. sections are all sold and there is a very
light inquiry for such; would probably sell at
l8@20c. 2-lb. sections are not in demand, and no
sales to quote, asking l7@18c. Extracted no sale
at9Ol0c.
BEESWAX- Not offering.
A. C. Kendel, ll.'i Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote;
H lb. sections at 30C.: 1 lb. sections, 22@25c.: 2 1b.
sections, 2nfSi22c. Extracted, uic. per lb. Good
lots of extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone: we have none
to quote.
Crocker & Blakb. 57 Chatham Street.
A $20.00 Bible Reward.
The publishers of Butledge's Monthly
offer twelve valuable rewards in their
ilonthly for June, among which is the
following :
We will give $20.00 in gold to the
person telling us which is the shortest
verse in the Old Testament Scriptures
by June 10th, 1883. Should two or
more correct answers be received, the
reward will be divided. The money
will be forwarded to the winner June
15th, 1883. Persons trying for the re-
ward must send 20 cents in silver (no
postage stamps taken) with their an-
swer, for which they will receive the
July Monthly, in which the name and
address of the winner of the reward
and the correct answer will be pub-
lished, and in which several more
valuable rewards will be offered.
Address, Rutledqk Publlshinq
CoMi'ANT, Easton, Peniia.
^ipecial IJotices.
Examine tlie Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
f 5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Preparation of Honey for tlie Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to iiew
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far arid wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Tlie Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
280
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
BOOK CLUBBING LIST.
We will Bapply the A-inerlcua Bee dournal
one year, and any of the following Books, at the
prices quoted in the last column of tlgurfls. The
first column Rives the regular price of both. All
postage prepaid.
Price of boWi. Olub
The Weekly Bee Journal, 12 00..
and Cook's Manual, 7th edltiondn cloth) 3 Z5. . 2 lb
Cook's Manual, (In paper covers) 8 00. . 2 50
Bees and Honey (T.O.Newman)cloth 2 75. . 2 50
Bees and Honey (paper covers) 2 50.. 2 25
Binder for Weekly Bee Journal 2 75. . 2 60
Apiary Keglster for 100 colonies 3 60. . 3 00
Apiary Register for 200 colonies .... 4 00. . 3 60
Dzierzon's New Bee Book (cloth) 4 00.. 3 50
Dzlerzon's New Book (paper covers) 3 50. . 3 00
Qulnby'sNew Bee-Keeping [3 50.. 3 26
Langstroth's Standard Work 4 00 . 3 76
Root's A B C of Bee Culture (cloth) 3 '25. . 3 00
Alley's Queen Rearing 3 25. . 3 00
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book — 2 35. . 2 25
Fisher's Grain Tables 2 40. . 2 25
■Moore's Universal Assistant 4 50. . 4 25
Honey as Food&Medlcine,50Copie8 4_00.. 3 75
Honey as Food <i:;Medicine,100jCoples 6 00. . 5 60
Blessed Bees 2 T5.. 2 50
King's Text Book 300.. 2 76
The Ihlonthly Bee tlaornal and any of the
above, ll less than the figures in the last column.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Qiiinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's ABC of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Joub-
NAL for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal .send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Special Sotioe. — We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Jox'knal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in tine cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee .Journal, and the Manual
In cloth for SI. 75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, .50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Bingham Smoker Corner, the handy book.
^ ' Read the ODinion of one of the most eminei
Large Smokers need wide shields. Bingham's
have them, and springs that donotrust an.l break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for JSl.'JS. Address,
BINOHAU & HETHESINGTON,
Abronia. Mich.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& Hetherington, Dear Sirs :— 1 am
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother" with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have — but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker '' did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y.. Aug. 15, 1882.
Daring the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor", .(wide shield)— 3>i in. fire tube, 12.00
The conqueror (wide shield)— 3 In.firetube, 1.75
Large (wideshield)- 2^in. tire tube, 1..50
Extra (wideshield)— 2 in.firetuhe, 1.25
Plain (nar. shield)- 2 In.tlrelube, l.oo
Little Wonder, .(nar. shield )—l?Jin.tiretul)e, .65
Bingham & Hetherington Uncapping Knife. . 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-flve
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
BiNGHAJi & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883.
Foul Bi-ood Pamphlet.— Wishing to
be relieved of sencling out my pamph-
let on Foul Brood, 1 have made ar-
rangements with Mr. T. G. Newman
to supply them to the bee-keeping
fraternity desiring them. Price 2.5c.
A. R. KOHNKB.
Youngstown, O., April 25, 1883.
SPLENDID QUEENS, by Mail. »l each: « for
»-..5n. F, 1, -WKIGHT, Plainfleld, Mich.
22A3t6Blt
Read the opinion of one of the most eminent
writers on bee matters:
Bound Brook, N. J., May 4, 18K3.
Friend Alley:— Handy Book received. 1 am
happy to say that I consider that it tells more on
the vital subjects of rearing (Queens and manauing
bees so as to take honey, than tiny bt-'oknow before
the public. It seems to be tilled with just those
things which pntetical men find out about their
business in a lifetime of work, but which they
generally don't tell the dear public.
J. Hasbrouck.
The HANDY BOOK has received from those
most competent to judge of its value, more praise
than any book now in print. Send for our Circular
and get their opinions.
21Atf
HENRY ALLEY, 'Wenham, Mass.
A NEW BEE BOOK!
BEES and HONEY,
OR THE ^
Management of an Apiary for Fleasnre
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN,
Editor of th( Weekly Bee Jourrml.
92S West Madlaon Street, CtalcaKo, in.
"VyO MORE BEES TO SB1,L.-I cannot fill any
i.1 more orders for bees. I have already sold my-
self short. TV. H. BALCH, ORAN, N. Y.
QUEENS!
During June find Julv. 1 nhiill be prepared to
furnish the CHOlCEfeT OK yUEKNS, both tested '
and untested, from two different strains, i. From
my new strain, viz: a ernsa between the Brown, |
German, and dark leather-colored Itiiliiin. u. Pure i
Italians reared from imported mottiers. With my
hives of all worker combs, usin*: drone comb ,
where I desire it only, isolated from otherapiaries. i
I have the best of opportunities to control the I
matinKof my Queens. 1 rear Queens under the I
swarminK impulse only, and upon the true plan of i
getting the best and most vigorous stock. All j
orders filled in turn, and it is useless to burry us.
PRICES :
Tested Queens (all selected) each, $ S.vo
Untested before July I. each 1.50 i
Uuntested after July l, each, i.ihi
These are bottom prices in any quantity. Send
for descriptive Catalogue to
JAMES ll£I>I>ON, Oowiiglac, Mich.
It contains 160 profusely illustrated pages, ta
'* fully up with the times" in all the improvements
and inventions in this rapidly developing pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everything that can
aid in the successful management of the Honey
Bee, and at the same time produce the most honey
in its best and most attractive condition.
Appreciative Notices.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-boofe of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. Y,
Its chapter on marketing honey Is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen. Pulaski, Tenn.
Contains all the information needed to make
bee-culture successful.— Eagle, Union City. Ind.
Just such a work as should be in the hands of
every beginner with beea.— News, Keithsburg, III.
Valuable for all who are Interested in the care
and management of bees.— Dem., Allegan, Mich.
Engravings are fine. Gotten up in the best style,
and is cheap at the price.— Farmer, Cleveland, O.
It comprises all that Is necessary for succcBsful
bee-culture, save experience and good judgment.
—Daily Republican. Utlca. N. Y.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even though they be not directly interested in the
care of bees.— Sentinel, Rome, N. Y.
It Is a valuable and practical boob, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the
little busy bee. as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chica*ro
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of information In regard to
bee-culture, lie who would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted in all the improvements In
his line. We advise all Interested to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times. San Bernardino. Cal.
It embraces every subject that will Interest the
beginner. It describes all the newest dlacoverieo
in the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive
form. It is embellished with beautiful engravings,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for tne
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound in cloth, 75 cents t in paper
covers, SO cents, postpaid.
THOMAS G. NKW^MAN.
y-'.'j W. Madison St., Chicugo. 111.
OPIUM
Mnrphlne Habit (^ured In lO
to 20 da:ps. No pay until cured.
J. I.,. Stephens. M. D., Lebanon, O.
PURE ITALIAN BEES AND QUEENS,
Tested and untested Queens, nuclei in Langs-
troth sie frames, full colonies, queens by the
half dozen, hees by the pound. Send for prices
and particulars. A. B. MILLER ^k SON.
44Atf Wakarusa. Elkbart Co.. Ind.
ELECTROTYPES
Of Engravings used in the Bee Journal for sale at
25 cents per square inch— no single cut sold for less
thanSdC. THOMAS O. NEWMAN,
9ZS West Madison Street Cblcavo. III.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 6, 1883.
No. 23.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
The Clouds of Adversity Departing.
The pipoent Spring, if it deserves
that name, has been one of severe
trial for the bee-keeper. Winter, as
an unwelcome guest, lingered in the
lap of Spring so long that his presence
became irksome and disgusting. We
have the following wail from Mr.
Heddon :
Still Snowing.
Byron said, "The moon is up, and
yet it isn't night." We can say, " It
snows yet, but still it is not winter."
Bees were never so weak and poor in
stores at this date in my apiary. I
have lost 12.5 out of 3-50, and the loss
will amount to 1.50, ere warm weather
arrives. As the law of supply and
demand governing prices has not yet
entirely deserted apiculture, every
dead colony enhances the value of all
the living. All bloom is 2 weeks be-
hind time. James Heddon.
Dowagiac, Mich., May 22, 1883.
And Mr. Doolittle wrapped himself
In his overcoat and sighed :
Cold, Cold, Cold.
We have not had 5 days so far this
year, warm enough to open the bee
ihives without danger of chilling the
brood, of which there is but little. It
freezes nearly every night. On the
morning of the 14th, ice was found i|
inch thick. Bees are getting poor in
numbers and short of stores.
G, M. Doolittle.
Borodino, N. Y., May 17, 1883.
While Mr. Demaree records the
fact of having
A Cold Wave in Kentucky.
Notwithstanding the weather here
has been very changeable, the season
so far has not been altogether un-
favorable. My bees have built up
rapidly, and have done well on fruit
bloom, dandelion, etc. Locustopened
on the 13th inst., and gave a deluge of
nectar till cut short off by the cold
wave of the 21st. We had a skift of
snow (a sight never before witnessed
here at this season of the year), on
the night of the 21st. The bees were
housed for 3 days. White clover is
wasting. I have been feeding a swarm
that issued just before the present
cold, rainy, gloomy spell. The pros-
pects look better to-day (23d). I notice
that the three dismal, cold, rainy days
just past, have afflicted some of my
nursing nuclei with dysentery. The
weather has been unfavorable to
queen rearing — too changeable.
G. W. Demaree.
Christiauburg, Ky., May 23, 1883.
And Mr. Frazer is not at all pleased
with
A Snow Storm in Indiana.
We have had the worse snow storm
ever known for this time of year, in
Indiana. It commenced with a cold
rain, and yesterday, about 10 o'clock,
it turned to snow, and snowed until
night ; althougli it melted very fast,
there was about 2 inches of snow on
the roofs, boards, etc. It snowed
more last night, and fruit trees are
bent to the ground, and the timber
is mourning under its heavy burden.
I think there has fallen quite one foot
of snow, since yesterday morning.
Bees were doing extra well ; their
brood-chambers are full of brood and
honey, and some were storing honey
in the boxes. White clover is begin-
ning to bloom, and is as plenty as I
ever saw it, and everything looked
favorable for a good harvest, but it
looks dismal this morning.
A ^^^T? A7FT?
Bloomingsport, Ind., May 22, 1883.
Mr. G. W. Ashby grows despond-
ent over his
Sad Case of Spring Dwindling.
I send the discouraging news of my
sad disappointment in my bees. I
doted upon my 66 colonies which I
had in the fall of 1882. Now I have
56 ; they wintered well enough, but
dwindled awav in the springy till my
loss is ten ; and nearly one-half of the
others are to-day nothing more than
nuclei. If I unite them, or wait until
they build up, I shall get no honey
this season, from a part of them. VVe
are now in the loctist, poplar and white
clover bloom, etc. The bees all have
a good quantity of brood. It has
been a very bad spring here ; it was
too cold during peach and apple
bloom. On May 15, we had almost a
blizzard. We had to wrap up as in
winter. Now it is too windy and dry;
the bees cannot stick to the locust
blossoms ; they are blown and tossed
about in every direction, and many
are lost in the pond. It is awful to
see my pets have such a time, I
fondly anticipated a glorious harvest,
this season, of several thousand
pounds of honey. I ordered a lot of
bee supplies and foundation to aid
them, but all my fond hopes are
blasted. Not a swarm yet, and but
few colonies look likely to make a
surplus. I have one colony in the
Cunningham hive, which seems to
outstrip all the others. They are at
work in four boxes of 5 pound weight;
more than one-half built out, and
partly filled with honey. The others
are in the Langstroth hive. If you
ever saw any one have the blues, I am
the one. I have quit looking after my
farming interest, and gone wild on
the bee, that wonderful insect. I will
have to give up, and keep one or two
to study their mysterious ways. My
whole thoughts were centered on the
bee, but, alas, I must look after some
other business for a livelihood. I got
all kinds of seeds to sow for my bees ;
last year I had a tine lot of sweet
clover. My bees went wild over it ;
this year there are only about 100
plants to the acre, all told. Alsike is in
tolerable condition ; Simpson honey
plant, line; Rocky Mountain bee plant,
none ; spider plant, none. My grief
is past endurance. G. W. Ashbt.
Valley Station, Ky., May 17, 1883.
Judge Andrews gives a cheerless
account of
The Spring in Texas.
There never has been such a spring
for bees in South Texas before ; my
bees have not swarmed as much up to
this date as they did last year by the
27th of March. They have not in-
creased 3 percent, yet, and the pros-
pect for more thaii 25 per cent, is
poor ; but I confess that we are sailing
in " unknown waters."
W. H. Andrews.
McKinney, Texas, May 27, 1883.
And Dr. H. M. Williams reports
discouragingly that it is
Still Cold in Georgia.
We are having the latest spring
here I have known in 20 years. For
the last three mornings the thermom-
eter stood at 42^, and we have had
considerable frost. Bees have done
nothing in the way of storing honey
in the upper story. My bees are
282
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
swarming some, and I am hiving
them on full combs, where my bees
died in the winter. When I put a
swarm in a hive full of empty combs,
they go back and rob the old hive, so
I have to move the old one. I expect
they rob the old one because the honey
flow is small. I have 60 colonies;
some pure Italian, some hybrid, and I
am satisHed my mixed bees, with the
pure blacks and Italians are the best
bees I have, for honey ; though not so
easy handled. I am always glad when
the Bee Journal comes ; I could not
do without it.
H. M. Williams, M. D.
Bowden, Ga., May 24, 1883.
These letters are anything but en-
couraging ; truly, in the language of
Thomas Paine, " These are the times
that try men's souls." We do not
wonder why some may become dis-
couraged, as they view the unten-
anted hives and soiled combs which
are left, as the sequel to tlieir cher-
ished hopes for the future. However,
none should be too hasty in passing
judgment. With the hives and combs
already provided, more than one-half
the original investment is saved, and
with a propitious season for the pres-
ent, our losses will be made good with
a credit in our favor on the balance
sheet. We cannot expect bee-keep-
ing to be unvaringly prosperous, any
more than any other special branch
of industry which is dependent upon
natural causes, but we can, with fore-
thought, industry and systematic
perseverance, make it as reliable as
any other.
Were it only the lesser bee-keepers,
or the novices, who had suffered
losses, it might, perhaps, be attributed
to ignorance or negligence ; but when
we take into account the losses by
specialists and scientific bee-keepers,
we cannot but look upon such a
charge as an insult to intelligence.
The fruit-grower expects frequent
failures in his crops, and is thankful
that his trees survive without injury ;
the farmer's wheat winter-kills, when
he plows up the ground in the spring
and plants anew in corn or something
else, and replants if frost kills that ;
the stock-raiser who loses part of his
flock, gives the remainder better at-
tention, and patiently toils two or
three years to repair his losses ; the
merchant has his seasons of loss, but
with renewed push and activity makes
up for the dull times when the " good
time coming " has arrived ; and the
energetic bee-keeper, although many
bright dreams may have vanished,
will not despond, but without taking
time to count the untenanted hives,
begins immediately to estimate the
number he can refill, working with a
will to retrieve his losses ; and while
keeping time with the musical hum of
his bees, in the " Sweet by-and-by "
will reap a more than commensurate
recompense for his vexations and dis-
appointments.
As we write this the air has again
become warm, the sun shines out as
cheerfully as it ever shone on a sum-
mer's day. The robin's cheerful pip-
ing, and the bluebird's merry song
can be heard in the early morning, as
the golden sunshine tips the hill-tops,
and the hills and valleys are arrayed
in gorgeous robes of emerald green.
The trees, plants and shrubs have
commenced to bloom here in the
North, and soon the heavy basswood
will enrich the hives, making them
to overflow with the rich nectar. Let
all, therefore, take courage and pre-
pare for a vigorous season's work—
the sunshine already succeeds the
storm, and chases the gloom away.
Be cheerful and hopeful— there is no
time to lose. Nature now awakens
to life ; the far-stretching fields
clothed in emerald green, the lawns
and lanes with their grassy carpets,
the air laden with the sweet perfume
of the blossoms in garden and orchard,
the trees in forest and grove animated
with the feathered songsters whose
little lives seem an incarnation of
happy melody — all these combine to
help us forget the dreary hours of the
past, and with keener zest enjoy the
future.
" Into all lives rain must fall.
Over all lands the storm must beat.
But when the pain and the storm are o'er
The after-sunshine is twice as sweet.
Through every straight we have found a road.
In every grief we have found a song.
We have to bear, and have had to wait.
But think how well we have got along."
1^ We have received from Mr.
Wm. Sims, Secretary of the Kansas
State Board of Agriculture, at To-
peka, a pamphlet entitled " Kansas,
its Resources and Capabilities," which
is being printed in the English, Ger-
man, Swedish, and Danish languages,
for gratuitous distribution, and will
be sent to any one upon application,
or will be mailed to any address fur-
nished, either in this country or Eu-
rope, the person sending address to
indicate the language desired. It
contains a map of the State, and sev-
eral views of farms, cattle, ranches,
etc., and is full of useful information
concerning that State.
<^ Mr. Alley's new book on Queen
Rearing will hereafter cost $1.25
Honey and Bee Show in Canada.
Mr. A. Robertson, of Carlisle, in the
Canadian Farmer gives the following
list of prizes offered in the Honey and
Bee Department of the Hamilton
Central Fair :
As the directors of Hamilton's Cent-
ral Fair had a meeting on April 24, I
am now able to present our prize list.
I feel like giving three cheers to the
directors, tor the way they used us ;
they gave us nearly everything we
asked for. Last year we were mixed
up with the fruit, such as turnips and
cabbages, and the prizes altogether
amounted to about $20. This year we
are to have a class by ourselves, and
they are offering prizes to the amount
of $70. They also allow us to appoint
our judges, and we will endeavor to
get practical bee men, who each use a
different size frame and hive.
Frizes offered by the Central Fair
Association :
1st. 2d.
For best Comb Honey, not less than 10
pounds 15.00 |3.no
For Best Extracted, not less than 10 lbs. 5.00 o.oo
ForBest display of Comb Honey 8.00 4.00
For Best display of Extracted 8.00 4.00
For Bt-st and largest display of both
kinds Medal and Diploma
For Bnst Exhibition and management
otBees 10.00 5.00
For Best Hive for Comb Honey 4.(X) 2.00
For Best Hive for Extracted Honey — 4.0i> 2.(X>
For Best Hive for all pu rposes. . Medal and Diploma
The following are by our Bee As-
sociation and Specials :
Best display of Apiarian Supplies 910.00 95.00
Specials given by D. A. Jones,
Beeton, Ont. :
Best display of Extracted Honey, put up in
the most pleasing and marketable shape,
best imported Holy Land Queen.valued
at »I5.00
Best display of Comb Honey, in the best
marketable shape, beet imported Cyp-
rian Queen, valued at $10.00
In both of the above classes, exhibi-
tor must be producer.
Special by Green & Robertson,
Carlisle, Ont. :
Best Bee Hive for all purposes. Chaff Hive
complete, for Comb Honey, valued $5.00
Roofs Simplicity Hive complete, for Ex-
tracted Honey 2.00
Special by J. M. Knowles, Presi-
dent of the Association :
Best Observatory Hive 15.00
Special by Canadian Farmer:
Best display of Wax. CatwdiaTi Farmer for
one year LOO
Best Honey Crate, Canadian Farmer for
1^ Ants are sometimes troublesome
in an apiary. They can be destroyed
by sprinkling salt around the hives
and in the ant-hills.
i^"Renewals may be made at any
time; but all papers are stopped at
the expiration of the time paid for,
unless requested to be continued.
^"Postage stamps, of one, two or
three cent denomination, accepted for
fractional parts of a dollar; but money
is preferred, for larger amounts.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
283
How to Foretell the Weather.
A. J. DeVoe, of Hackensack, N. J.,
sends to the Farmers' Club of the
American Institute, the following nine
rules by which, it is said, a person in
any part of the Northern Hemisphere
(north of 15° of latitude) can form an
accurate opinion of the wind and
weather for a hundred miles around
him ■
1. When the temperature falls sud-
denly, there is a storm forming south
of you.
2. When the temperature rises sud-
denly, there is a storm forming north
of you.
3. Wind always blows from the re-
gion of fair weather toward a region
where the storm is forming.
4. Cirrus clouds always move from
a region where a storm is in progress
toward a region of fair weather.
5. Cumulus clouds always move to-
ward a region where a storm is raging.
6. When cirrus clouds are moving
rapidly from the north or northwest,
there will be a cold rain storm on the
morrow ; if it be winter, there will be
a snow storm.
7. The wind blows in a circle around
a storm, and when it blows from the
north, the heaviest rain is east of
you ; from the south, the heaviest
rain is west ; from the east, the heav-
iest rain is south ; from the west, the
heaviest rain is north of you.
8. The wind never blows unless rain
or snow is falling within 1,000 miles
of you.
9. Whenever a heavy white frost
occurs, a storm Is forming within 1,000
miles north or northwest of you.
A few Seasonable Hints.
As there has, during this spring,
been so much cool and wet weather,
the bees are suffering for food. Mr.
Oatman, who was in our office a few
days since, says he is systematically
feeding his bees every day in order to
keep them strong in numbers, and
ready for the honey harvest. Mrs. L.
Harrison, in the Prairie Farmer, re-
marks as follows :
Those who are desirous of increas-
ing their colonies, sliould feed lib-
erally, whenever tlie honey flow fails,
either by reason of cool or rainy
weather, so that brood-rearing will
not be retarded. Large quantities of
stores are consumed in brood-rearing,
as a bee eats more in a larvse state,
than during tlie remainder of its life.
New swarms sometimes, perish dur-
ing long continued rainy weather, by
starvation. It is good management
to feed during intervals of honey-
gathering, as the queen lays, not ac-
cording to the stores on hand, but in
ratio to her income.
Some colonies have too much
honey, so that the queen has not room
enough to lay ; when this is the case,
it should be removed, and may be ex-
changed for empty comb, from a less
provident stock, and both be bene-
tited. Diluted honey, or syrup made
of either brown or white sugar, can
be fed almost any way, at this season
of tlie year. Great care should be ex-
ercised, lest robbing is induced, by
dropping the feed around the hives.
The feed sliould be thin, and the ves-
sels holding it should contain cut
straw or little floats to prevent the
bees drowning, or a piece of thin cloth
can be spread over the surface.
Where two story hives are used, the
feed can be placed in the upper one,
and a small aperture made to allow
the bees to come up from below ; or if
a division-board is used, it can be
placed back of it. Anyway that does
not admit bees from the outside, or
let the warmth from the cluster es-
cape.
Bee-Keeping in Florida.
Mr. J. M. Lisenby, of Cedar Key,
writes to the Florida Journal as fol-
lows concerning bee-keeping :
As the interest in Florida and its
various resources are attracting con-
siderable attention, I will try to give
some facts in regard to bee-keeping —
an industry that can be made success-
ful in quite a large portion of the
State. It is true that a great deal of
the interior — especially the high pine
lands— is not adapted to bee-culture,
while the Atlantic coast, south of St.
Augustine, and the Gulf coast, south
of Cedar Key, certainly are rich
honey-producing sections.
In the best bee pastures of the State
the season for storing surplus honey
only lasts about two months ; but in
this short lime they will store from
100 to 150 pounds per hive, and the re-
mainder of the year they will gather
enough for their support.
At Cedar Key the bees commence
breeding in January, and continue to
breed until November. They usually
commence to swarm in March, and
continue until about the Hrst of June,
when the work of storing surplus
honey begins.
The mangrove is the principal
honey-producing plant, and the honey
gathered from it cannot be excelled
in appearance, even by the white
clover honey of Vermont, and the
superiority of the mangrove over
other honey-producing plants, is that,
growing as it does in the marshes, it
is never affected by the floods or
drouth.
The honey produced from the palm-
etto is also of good appearance and
flavor, yet it is not so reliable as that
from the mangrove.
I have never been in any country
where I had as little trouble to man-
age bees as this. They are never
troubled by worms or bee-moths, if
they are kept in anything like good
condition.
1^ Mr. Joseph D. Enas, Napa,
Cal., has issued a six-paged circular
and price list for Queens and Supplies
for the Paciflc Coast.
Honey Production in Canada.
I enclose an item of bee news, clip-
ped from the Montreal Witness of May
9, containing an inquiry and reply
by D. A. Jones, of Beeton, Out.,
who edits the bee department of that
paper. I think Mr. Jones' reply does
American honey producers an injus-
tice. 1 have lived in Canada for 40
years, and my experience and obser-
vation have been the very reverse.
What is your opinion V
Marlette, Mich. Wm. Shier.
In answer to the inquiry, Mr. Jones
makes the following very extravagant
assertions :
I strongly I advise yourremainingin
Ontario. You will lind that the peo-
ple of Canada are better educated to
the use of honey — and especially ex-
tracted honey, which is more protit-
able than comb. Packages for put-
ting up honey are cheaper in Canada
than the United States, and we seem
to be farahead of our neighbors in the
style of putting them up. The labels
which are being used by the United
States' dealers now so extensively are
made here in Canada, and the duty
they pay is high. Above all these
considerations there are localities in
Canada which are superior to any in
the United States. For large yields
of honey the West is second to no
country in the world, and our bee-
keepers are at the present time more
than equal in the race as regards su-
premacy for fine bee-keeping. Many
of the new devices and improvements
emanate from Canada's bee-keepers.
Many persons think their own bees,
hives, utensils and locations are the
best, and, perhaps, this individual and
local pride dictated the reply of Mr.
Jones. Of course no one on this side
of the boundary will agree with him.
Honey for the Children.— The Farm-
ers' Review thus comments approv-
ingly on a late editorial in the Bee
Journal:
Editor Newman, of the Bee Jour-
nal, wisely suggests that those par-
ents who feed their children on candies
and syrups, because they want some-
thing sweet, to the great injury of
the children, would And their child-
ren growing healthy and happy too,
if given good honey instead of candies
that are so fearfully adulterated.
iS^ The number of the Bulletin
D' Apiculture pour la Suisse Romande,
for May, has a full-page illustration
of Mr. Chas. Dadant, of Hamilton,
111. It is a lithograph, and is quite
natural.
1^ The American Apindturist is the
title of a new monthly just started by
S.M.Locke, at Salem, Mass. It con-
tains 32 pages, and makes a very cred-
itable appearance.
284
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tlie American Bee JouraaL
Systematic Breeding, etc.
G. W. DEMAREE.
On page 236, present volume of the
Bee Journal, Mr. ileddon ap-
proaches the old subject, " Best bees,
etc," with apology and apparent trepi-
dation ; but still he approaches the
subject and conies prophesying.
The subject is " unpleasant " just
now, but there are " millions in it."
"Three-fourths" of the bees sold
hereafter will be hap-hazard-hybrids.
I only take the liberty to put it in
plain English. I mean nothing but
good to the cause of apiculture. I
write this article not because it is
Eleasant or " unpleasant " to me, but
ecause I wish to raise the standard
of systematic breeding rather than to
trail it in the dirt, and rather because
as a breeder, I do not seek to be re-
leased from responsibility as to the
character of my queens and bees.
I protest against the present ten-
dency— mercenary tendency — to lower
the standard of bee-breeding below
the standards adopted and approved
by all breeders of domesticated ani-
mals. I can see no reason why bee-
breeding should not be entitled to as
much dignity as a business as other
like occupations.
"Bees for business" may be sug-
gestive to some people of the hasty-
made dollar, but to me it sounds like
a clap-trap, cheap advertisement. Let
us suppose that a prominent breeder
of farm stock should breed his "breed-
ing stock " for " business," ignoring
pedigree and purity of blood. Could
any one doubt the result of such a
course V He would soon tind himself
"ignored" as a breeder, and justly
too, because the very necessity of the
case demands, that, in breeding stock,
some distinguishing features must be
adopted as a test of the purity of the
stock, and as a guarantee of good
faith on the part of the breeder. So
important is this matter considered
by the stock interest in Kentucky,
that the Legislative department of the
State have enacted statutory laws to
Eunish fraudulent, and protect honest
reeders.
A prominent stock breeder has sug-
gested that the reason why the mule
has been a perpetual success is, be-
cause he is a " mule," and, therefore,
cannot be deteriorated by unlimited
crossing by those who are ignorant of
the laws of scientiHc breeding.
It has occured to me that it would
be better for the future good of api-
culture if the hybrid bee (the word
" hybrid " in bee lore means a cross
between the Italian and German
races) was, in fact, a mule, in which
case they might justly and properly
be called " bees for business." The
first cross between the two races
make good business workers, but they
are utterly unlit tor breeding stock.
I insist that every honorable breeder
of bees should be able to give a de-
scription of his stock sufliciently com-
prehensive to enable any one to iden-
tify them, and distinguish them from
other races and strains of bees.
The transparent attempts, of late,
to render rediculousthecliief features
by which the Italian or yellow race of
bees is most easily identiiied, is the
severest blow of all toscientitic breed-
ing. All who have cared to read my
articles on the subject of the three-
band test, are aware of what my views
are concerning that matter, and I
need not consume time and space to
go over the grounds again ; but 1 do
say that there is no such a thing as
Italian bees without the yellow bands,
and those who sneer at " bands " and
" stripes " simply sneer at the Italian
bee. I have no controversy with those
who prefer native or mixed bees to
the Italian, but they should stand to
their position.
Let us look for a moment at this
matter of "bands" and "stripes."
Most breeders are able to describe the
stock sold by them so clearly that
they can be identified as a distinct
race or variety. Some insure their
tested queens to produce workers that
will show the three-bands, if filled
with honey and placed in a window.
Some insure them to show the bands
while standing on the combs ; others
sell " golden " Italians. If these last
know what a golden Italian is, the
workers must show the beautiful
golden plumage in addition to the
bands. Pure Albinos must have the
white or silver bands, whicli consist
of plumage, in addition to the regular
bands.
Other distinguishing features may
be named. My favorite strain of bees
may be deseabed as slender in form,
the second band conspicuously broad,
while the corslet and posterior bands
are rather narrow, but finely cut and
distinct. As a general rule they have
but little plumage on their bodies, and
that little is of a light, but not of a
golden hue, as is the case with the
golden variety.
I would describe them generally as
slender, orange-banded bees. If
there are any bees in the country that
can beat them as honey-gatherers, I
have a reasonable number of dollars
which I would like to exchange for a
few colonies of them. It will be seen
that the several strains of bees de-
scribed above may be identified
wherever seen by the description
given.
Xow, apply the test to the " busi-
ness bees " about which we have
heard so much of late. It will be ad-
mitted that Mr. Ileddon is good au-
thority on the subject, and if there is
a man living who can give an intelli-
gent description of the " business
bee," Mr. II. is the man to do it.
Well, I have been reading his articles
on " Business get-there bees " in
nearly all the bee papers for two years
past, and the most that I can make of
it is, they are " larger " than some
"shorter" bees are, and "darker"
than some " lighter " bees are, and
may or may not have " stripes." The
description is wonderfully accommo-
dating. No one, I presume, but Mr.
ileddon, can indentify them.
Christiansburg, Ky.
For the American Bee JonmaL
Texas State Bee-Keepers' Convention
The fifth annual meeting of the
State Bee-keepers' Association was
held in the apiary of Judge \V. H.
Andrews, at McKinney, Texas, on
April 17 and 18, 1883.
After the routine business wa#
done, the president addressed tlie
meeting upon the subject of " Conven-
tions." The address, though well-
timed and interesting, but we have
tliought best not to send for publica-
tion, as we fear we may overtax the
space of our valuable Journal.
Dr. VV. K. Marshall, of Marshall,
then read his admirable essay on the
"Different races of bees." [As soon
as I am furnished a copy I will tor-
ward for publication. — Sec]
The question ' was asked, " Are
Cyprians remarkable as workers ¥" to
which Dr. Marshall replied : They
are swift on the wing, and as indus-
trious as any bees he ever handled,
and gave as good results.
In answer to a question as to the
temper of the Cyprians, the Doctor
said they are cross, very easily an-
gered, and when aroused, would sting
everylihing on the yard, from chicken
to king ; and would not " down," but
they were not a ghost.
Judge Andrews said he could not
speak from a satisfactory trial, having
handled but 3 colonies, which were
enough to do him " the rest of the
way."
It was asked if it is true that their
queens are so wonderfully prolific as
iney are said to be V
Dr. Marshall said they are great
breeders, and that he had thought
they had too much at certain seasons.
Judge Andrews said that Dr. Dzier-
zon says they breed so late in the fall
that in bad honey years they often
come out rich in bees, but poor in
honey.
It was asked of Dr. Marshall, what
are dark Italians y He replied that
he regarded them impure bees,
whether home-bred or imported.
E. H. West, of Tarrant county,
asked Judge Andrews if he thought
Italian bees swarmed more than
blacks V He replied that he could see
no difference as to that.
Are Italians better honey gatherers
than the blacks 'f Dr. Marshall said
he could not say that they were, but
that they possessed some valuable
traits peculiar to their race. Judge
Andrews said he did not know what
those traits are, but that he claimed
but two points for the Italian over the
blacks and all others ; those are
beauty, most exquisite, and amiability;
that he could manipulate two colo-
nies of Italians to one of the other
races ; he says the queens of the other
yellow races are not near so beautiful
as those of the Italians.
Judge Andrews was asked if he
thought that hybrids are more iras-
cible than blacks, as taught in our
leading books on bee-culture? And
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
285
be replied, that his bees bec.ime good-
mannered in proportion to tlieir Ital-
ian blood, and ^ice versa.
It was askf d, " Can we, by the co-
rn ingling of races and careful selec-
tion, reach the ' coming bee ?' " Judge
Andrews said he would try to give
his " say " on that subject in his essay
on the coming bee, that aint coming.
Convention adjourned till '2 p. m.
FIKST DAY— AFTERNOON SESSION.
An essay of B. F. Carroll, of Dres-
den, Navarro county, was read by the
secretary.
[I will send it as soon as transcript
is obtained. — Sec]
Judge Andrews was asked if he
could approve Mr. Carroll on the bee
moth V To which he replied that he
could not ; that the so-called bee moth,
more properly the comb woi-m, is not
an enemy to the bee ; that no colony
of bees was ever destroyed by the bee-
moth larvse ; they never infest combs
used by the bees ; that abandoned
combs only became a prey to those
worms. He was then asked why the
books taught this fallacy V To which
he replied that our books do not all
teach it ; that they had been read
through the " glasses " of a barbarian
tradition; he then opened Quinby's
New Bee-Keeping, page 228, and read
as follows : " Let it be distinctly un-
derstood by all beginners that the
moth is not the cause of the decline of
a once healthy stock. It simply takes
advantage of the weakness induced by
other causes."
Dr. Howard said that the so-called
bee moth subsisted wholly upon the
comb as constructed by the bees; that
foundation made from pure wax was
not attacked ; that comb constructed
upon it was infested only for the sake
ot the additional natural comb. He
said that Judge Andrews called his
attention to this a year ago, in a re-
mark that the moth larvai could not
subsist upon pure beeswax.
M. H. Davis, of Grayson county,
asked if these worms could subsist
upon bee- bread ?
Judge Andrews said bethought not,
but could not speak from a satisfac-
tory trial.
Dr. Howard said, that they could
not ; that they must have comb.
J. H. Manlove, of Fannin county,
asked, " How long do fertile workers
liveY" Dr. Marshall said, that he
thought they partook of the nature
and longevity of the queen ; that in
their development they, perhaps, ob-
tained a portion of royal jelly, the
food intended for the queen larvae,
which caused a greater development
of the reproduction organs. Judge
Andrews thought that laying workers
live just as long as other worker-bees.
Is there more than one fertile
worker in a hive at one time, was
asked ?
Dr. Marshall said, that the number
of eggs were not more than would be
laid by one queen, but the manner in
which they were deposited indicated
the work of a plurality of fertile
workers.
Judge Andrews said, that he had
seen six workers laying eggs in one
comb, at the same time.
Can we know when a hive is in-
fested with fertile workers without
opening it, was asked 'f
Dr. Howard said, that the appear-
ance of dwarfed drones was evidence.
Judge Andrews said, that unfertilized
laying queens would produce dwarfed
drones the same as fertile workers
winild.
It was asked, " Is there any differ-
ence in the appearance of the eggs of
a fertile workers and those of fertile
queens V"
Dr. Howard said, there was no dif-
ference, except that the workers de-
posited a multitiide of eggs in one
cell, and that often without changing
her position ; and again, they are at-
tached carelessly along the cell-walls
from extremity to base.
What is the best method to get rid
of fertile workers, was asked by Judge
Goodner 'f
Dr. Marshall said, give the colony
a fertile queen. Judge Andrews ap-
proved the Doctor's plan, but pre-
ferred to give small quantities of
young worker brood, at short inter-
vals, and a young queen will soon suc-
ceed the worker pests.
Horace Welch, of Marion county,
asked how long .worker-bees live y
Judge Andrews said they live 75 days
in this latitude, the average life.
Will it pay to plant here, for honey,
asked by Dr. Marshall ? This was
considered, by the convention, an
important subject, and deserved our
best attention ; but as the secretary
announced that an essay upon this
subject was soon to be read, the mat-
ter was dropped.
Then came the question, by E. P.
Massey, of Waco, will bees do as well
in dense shade as they will where the
sun reaches them most of the day ¥
Judge Andrews said, that the ques-
tion embodied the extremes, that in
the sun would be preferable in the
early part of the season, and shade
during July, August and September;
that he preferred the sun to shine
upon the hive till 9 o'clock a. m. and
after 4 o'clock p. m.
What one fact, if generally known,
would advance the cause of bee-cul-
ture more than any other, not now so
known, was asked by Judge An-
drews ¥
Dr. Howard said, that one of the
greatest stumbling stones was the
common idea that " bees work for
nothing and board themselves."
Dr. Marshall thought that if the
masses could be taught that honey is
purely a wholesome and health-giving
diet, while the fine, extravagantly
high-priced syrups of to-day are a
chemical compound, contaminated
with glucose, which is daily under-
mining the health of the people ; that
the demand for pure honey would so
exceed the supply, that many more
persons capable of cultivating bees,
would be induced to fall into our
ranks.
Judge Andrews thought that the
greatest drawback to the growth of
this great source of wealth, health
and pleasure, is the fear of the sting;
tliat if the people could be taught that
by the judicious use of the " smoker "
the caiise for this palsying horror can
be banished forever, that thousands of
the brightest sons and daughters of
Adam, that are now out in the cold
world, would be brought happily into
our fold.
Mr. W. T. Pryor, of Farmersville,
wished to know the proper time to
transfer bees from box hives. Mr.
W. R. Graham, of Greenville, an-
swered, " Whenever you find them in
box hives."
Dr. Howard said, " Bro. Graham,
you handle that subject most admir-
ably."
Dr. Marshall said that during fruit-
bloom was the time usually chosen,
and he thought there were many good
reasons for it.
The president appointed W. K.
Marshall, G. K. Cooper and T. C.
Goodner committee on resolutions,
and W. R. Howard, H. Pearce and E.
M. Wise committee on apiarian sup-
plies and exhibits.
Adjourned till 9 o'clock, second day.
MORNING SESSION— SECOND DAY.
Dr. Marshall read an essay on " Ex-
tracted honey."
[Will send essay on when I get a
transcript. — Sec]
H. VVelch asked, " When bees
gather pollen are they likely gather-
ing honey ?"
Dr. Howard responded that many
plants yield pollen when there is no
lionev to be gathered ; not being se-
creted by the flowers, at such times
the bees gather pollen alone.
H. Pearceasked, " Is a superabund-
ance of pollen in a hive, in the spring,
detrimental to bees i"'
Judge Andrews replied, that there
is no such thing as superabundance of
pollen, in the South.
Judge Goodner asked, " Do any
benefits accrue from natural swarm-
ing that cannot be secured by artifi-
cial swarming or dividing y"
Dr. Marshall said, that he had in-
creased successfully by dividing, but
that when the production of lioney is
the object, natural swarming is pref-
erable ; division is often attended
with losses that ordinary foresight
would not anticipate.
Judge Andrews said, that there
were thrift and vigor attending nat-
ural swarming that could not be had
in dividing; a new swarm does a land-
office business ; artificial swarms never
get ready for our harvest, the horse-
mint ; they do not have just such a
point in the North.
Mr. A. R. White, of Dallas county,
inquired, " Can horsemint be culti-
vated here with profit V
Dr. Howard said, that it could be
cultivated with the greatest ease, but,
thought it would hardly pay in this
country to do more than scatter the
seed on waste land.
W. R. Graham gave some interest-
ing experiments in planting horse-
mint for honey.
Judge Goodner asked, whether set-
tlement and cultivation of our prai-
ries tend to decrease our honey re-
sources V
The discussion here took a wide
range with some difference of opin-
ion, but the prevailing opinion was,
that our volunteer resources are de-
286
TUK AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
creased by reducing our prairies to
cultivation.
Convention adjourned till 2 o'clock
p. m.
SECOND DAY— AFTERNOON SESSION
The secretary read an essay from
Dr. J. P. II. Brown, of Augusta, Ga.,
on " Marketing honey."
Dr. Howard read bis essay on
" Honey plants in Northern Texas."
Judge Audrevi's read an essay on
the " Bee-moth," which excited con-
siderable attention and discussion,
and also some feeling.
Dr. Howard read las essay on the
" Queen bee — her nature and habits."
Judge Andrews, being called out,
stated how, by accident, a few years
ago, he made the discovery which led
to the fact mentioned in Dr. Howard's
essay that, " The queen must become
tranqualized with the bees instead of
the bees with the queen," and that
the workers will receive a dozen
queens as readily as one ; in other
words, if we cage a number of queens
in one colony at the same time, we
may liberate any one of them as
though she were the only one there,
the reigning queen being present up
to the time of the liberation.
The election of officers for the next
year resulted in tlie election of W. H.
Andrews, of McKinney, President ;
W. K. Marshall, of Marshall, Vice-
President ; W. R. Howard, of King-
ston. Secretary ; E. M. Wise, of Wax-
ahachie, Treasurer.
W. H. Andrews was elected to rep-
resent the Texas association in the
convention of the North American
Bee-Keepers' Society at Toronto, Can-
ada, next October.
Tne committee on exhibits reported
a large number of all kinds of bee-
keepers' supplies, honey and bees.
■Besolutions were passed, thanking
Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Georgia, and
Mr. B. F. Carroll, of Dresden, Texas,
for their essays; and to Judge An-
drews and the citizens of McKinney,
for hospitality, etc.
After which the convention ad-
journed to meet in McKinnev, Collin
county, on Thursday, April 24, 1SS4.
W. R. HowAKD, (Sec.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Standard Langstroth Frame.
G. 31. ALVES.
Mr. Heddon admits (page 224), that
the majority of hive makers, and
(page 272), that the largest of them
makefile Langstroth frame 17^8 inches
long, but at the same time denies
(page 272), that the majority of Langs-
troth frames in use is of that length.
Now in view of these facts, we must
conclude tliat Mr. Heddon is driven
to the position, that bee-keepers make
their own iiives and frames, and that
those made by our manufactories do
not represent tliose used by our bee-
keepers. Is such a position tenable V
Mr. Heddon in substance makes
this declaration— tliat even though the
large majority of bee-keepers use a
frame 175g inches and call it the
standard Langstroth, that thougli the
largest manufactories and the greatest
number of them make that size and
call it the standard Langstrotli — tliat
though our best authorities, the edi-
tors of our bee periodicals, and even
Mr. Langstroth himself, declare tliis
size to be the standard Langstroth —
tliat thougli all of these be facts, still
they have no weight in deciding the
question.
Certainly, if there are any meanings
to words, tliey must be those attached
to them by the sovereignty of popular
and authoritative usage.
Mr. Heddon objects to the fact of
a frame n^g inches in length, taking
eight standard one-pound sections,
being used as an argument for that
length as the standard.
He surely should not object to this
length because it will do so, as by
reason of this fact, it will suit a large
number who prefer to take their honey
in broad frames— a fact which was
doubtless the chief reason for the
change to \T% inches as the standard.
Mr. Heddon says Mr. Langstroth
wrote a book in which he gave 17?8,
and until he writes another and gives
17^8, he will insist on the former. Yet
he admits Mr. Langstroth has since
given his preference for tlie latter in
a prominent periodical. Does Mr.
Heddon hold that it is necessary to
write a book in order to maintain or
establish a preference ? '
By reference to Mr. Langstroth's
work (page 331 of last edition), it will
be seen that he "prefers" a given
size hive, and adds: "Mr. Quinby
prefers to make my frames longerand
deeper." It will thus be seen in his
book that he was not particular as to
the precise and exact shape, but in
general, undoubtedly thought best of
frames or hives that approximated
his ; and hence when a frame was af-
terwards submitted to him '4 of an
inch longer, and which would afford
advantages not given by his, he cheer-
fully and unhesitatingly gave it his
preference.
If Mr. Heddon will call his frame
the old Langstroth, or the twenty-
years-ago Langstroth, or the obsolete
Langstroth, we will acquiesce, buc we
cannot submit to its being called the
present Langstroth, or the standard
Langstrotli.
We maintain that the standard
Langstroth is I4 inch longer. That
it is so taken and accepted by Mr.
Langstroth ; by the editors of the
prominent bee papers ; by the large
majority of bee-keepers, and by the
largest inanufacturies, and the great-
est number of them. We also main-
tain that the addition of the I4' of an
inch is a decided advantage, as it sub-
serves an important use that the
obsolete frame does not.
I am unable to see that I can make
our case any stronger than I have
done in this and my previous article,
and submit the subject to the candid
and informed readers of the Bee
Journal. In dropping the subject,
I wish to say to Mr. Heddon, that I
am always interested in and instructed
by his articles, and regret to lind him
" off " on so important a subject as
the " Standard Langstroth Frame."
Henderson, Ky., May 31, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Weather in Illinois.
s. a. shuck.
Mr. Doolittle says (May 17), " It
freezes nearly every night," and Mr.
Heddon .says (May 22), " It snows yet,
but still it is not winter."
Although we are situated much
south of Messrs. Heddon and Doolit-
tle, we have but little if any better
weather than they have. On the
morning of the 22(1, we had a very
heavy frost, and codsiderable ice.
Corn, potatoes, and, in fact, every-
thing green showed the effects of
Jack Frost ; and this is not all, the
weather continues cloudy, wet and
cool ; on the 27th it was partly clear,
but cool ; on the 28th it rained all day ;
on the 29th it was mostly clear ; tem-
perature 70^. It was a pleasant day.
To-day it rained hard from 5:30 a. m.
to 1 p. m.
Mr. Heddon says, " Bees were never
so weak and poor in stores, at this
date, in my apiary." He will please
remember the reply he gave my re-
port, last fall. As I judge, from his
present report, that his bees are in a
very similar condition to that of mine
a year ago ; however, I sympathize
with him, and it is most discouraging,
indeed, to have all our bees in such a
deplorable condition just at the time
when we want them in the best con-
dition.
My bees are as honeyless as they
were a year ago to-day, but they are
very strong in numbers. I shall feed
some 30 pounds of sugar this evening.
White clover is blooming sufficiently
to support the bees, if tliey could get
out. The prospects from white clover
and basswood are equally as good, if
not better, than at this time in 1882.
Red clover, which, on account of
being winter-killed, did not bloom in
the forepart of last season, promises
finely at present. Our bees have al-
ways worked on the first crop.
Bryant, 111., May 30, 1883.
For tbe Ajnertcan Bee JoumaL
Southern vs. Northern-Bred Queens.
A. B. WEED.
The subject of Southern vs. North-
ern-bred queens, which is just now
receiving the attention, is an impor-
tant one, or, at least, it will become
so if there is shown to be foundation
for controversy. It is commonly held
that an animal succeeds best in the
exercise of its powers, if kept in the
locality where it was bred, because it
is combated by no adverse climatic
influence. This theory seems to be a
very reasonable one, but it would be
well to look at such facts as we may
have which bear on the case.
In late numbers of the Bee Jour-
nal, we have had reports of some
Southern-bred queens which com-
in the North. These latter state-
pared unfavorably with those reared
ments can hardly be said to prove
anything, as the queens in question
died before their lirst winter in their
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
287
new home, and so were not put to the
test of cold weather. Their untimely
failing must have been caused by
sometliing else than climatic influ-
ence. I have Ivuown queens bred in
the North to do tlie same. On the
otiier hand, I have had queens from
Georgia which were unexceptionable
in every respect.
The charge of inability to stand our
severe winters, must apply with equal
force to queens coming from Italy ;
while for other reasons I prefer home-
bred queens, 1 believe that tliis com-
plaint has never been made of im-
ported ones.
If it is a fact that Southern-bred
queens are inferior to those reared in
the North, the result will be an injury
to the business of Southern breeders,
and a loss to Northern apiarists who
wish to buy early queens.
I cannot speak of the Bee Journal
except in praise; the avidity with it
seizes new subjects, and the ability
with which it discussed them, makes
it invaluable to those who would
keep up with the times.
Detroit, Mich., May 21, 1S83.
For fhe American B,;e JournaL
Bee-Keepiug in Canada.
JAMBS SHANNON.
I have been interested in bee-cul-
ture for a number of years, but like
many others, was content with the
old box-hive and the old methods, and
the result was a limited supply of
honey for home consumption, and
sometimes a little to spare. But
about three years ago my attention
was accidentally called to the sientitic
methods of bee-culture, and I at once
became an enthusiast in the business,
and went to work in good earnest to
learn the principles of this pleasing
occupation. While studying, I have
been practicing, thus demonstrating
the advantages or difficulties of differ-
ent methods. After reading the
standard works on bee-culture, I sub-
scribed for the Bee Journal, which
has been a welcome visitor every
week since.
I have wintered 7 colonies, 6 of
which are in excellent condition, but
one has dwindled badly. The weather
here has been very cold and back-
ward since the winter protection was
removed. I think they should have
remained in winter quarters until
now. It seems to me that double-
walled hives are almost a necessity to
provide against this lingering cold in
the spring, which so often prevails
here ; until this date, and even after,
cold waves that greatly retard opera-
tions in the hive unless they have al-
most winter protection. I am experi-
menting in this matter. I have been
greatly interested in the discussions
about the coming bee. Surely, we
should be as wise as the old iiatriarch
who cared not whether his cattle
were ring streaked, speckled or spot-
ted ; and, if we can bring out the
good points by careful breeding, none
need care about color or bands. I am
trying to unite two valuable traits in
my bees ; one part are superior honey-
gatherers ; the others, having a slight
dash of Cyprian blood, have shown
remarkable powers of building up.
The only difficulty I have is the near-
ness of other bees.
I have sown 12 pounds of Bokhara
clover, this spring, and intend trying
other plants, believing pasturage to
be a necessity. We have, however,
good natural pasturage consisting of
white clover, abundance of raspber-
ries, and some basswood and golden-
rod, and other plants upon which the
the bees work vigorously.
There is a growing interest in bee-
culture here, and a good demand for
colonies. I hope to report progress,
from time to time, with the result of
my experiments.
VVolverton, Out., May 15, 1883.
If'or the American Bee Joamal.
How I Get Bees into the Sections.
W. H. BALCH.
Years ago it used to be a hard job,
sometimes, with some colonies of
bees, even when all seemed propitious;
while others, no stronger in numbers,
were working with a will in sections,
these would lay around for several
days. Now, as soon as I get the hive
tilled with brood, I begin to open or
ventilate the hives as fast as the bees
will bear it and not chill the brood ; I
open the entrances a little each day,
turn back the quilt, a little at a time,
and soon. When the honey begins to
come in, put on the sections, close all
ventilation and the entrances as small
as not to hinder them working. The
liive is not cooled so much but that
they have some bees to spare, and
these will immediately go into the
sections and begin work. Have one
or more sections fliled with natural
comb, or foundation that was drawn
out the previous year, and if you do
not care for very much increase, watch
the sections, and as soon as the hrst
are hlled, take them off and replace
with empty ones ; as the bees increase,
give more ventilation. In this way I
have prevented one-third of my bees,
in a good honey season, from swarm-
ing; and many that did swarm,
swarmed but once, and those that did
not swarm, averaged a little over 300
pounds per colony, of honey in the
comb.
Oran, N. Y., May 24, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
How to Make Out Reports.
W. H. STEWART.
There seems to be a general desire
expressed by leading bee-keepers to
collect and publish full and reliable
statistics on bees and honey. Bee-
keepers can never know their relative
standing with other producing classes
until they can obtain such statistics.
To us it seems impossible to get a full
and correct statement of our condi-
tion, products and prospects in any
other way than to first get a full and
correct report from each individual
engaged in the business.
To do this, under the present condi-
tion of affairs, is no small matter. If
each bee-keeper was taking a bee
paper, and was able and ready to make
out a full and correct report each
year, then a committee could, by com-
paring those papers, approximate very
nearly to the truth. But, unfortu-
nately there are many bee-keepers
who do in)t take a bee paper, or even
take the trouble to borrow one to
read ; therefore, they cannot be ex-
pected to report ; tience, it would
have to be the business of some other
person to pump a report from such
men, and report for them.
It appears to be useless to depend
upon assessors to gather these statis-
tics, from the fact that in some States
no account is taken of bees in the as-
sessment. Again, if assessors and
town boards sliould undertake to col-
lect and report the full and correct
condition of bee-culture in their re-
spective towns, not one in one hun-
dred of such officers know anything of
bee-culture, and, consequently, could
neither frame, ask or answer an im-
portant question on the subject.
There is yet another impediment in
the way of getting even a correct re-
port from those that do take and read
bee literature. Many get a good crop
of honey, and seem to be so overjoyed
that they rush into print with the re-
port, not stopping to ascertain at the
year's end, whether or not bee-keep-
ing has paid, all things considered.
Others get discouraged when the year
is, perliaps, half-passed, and report
their discouragements, and then, may
be, we hear no more from them.
Others seem to be ambitious to ex-
cel in making outward show, and
they double up as many bees as can
be made to work together, and then
take all their stores, and leave the
bees to perisli for the sake of report-
ing big yields from one colony, and,
perhaps, a fair, aggregate report would
show that the same man is losing
money on his bees, all things consid-
ered. Others report good and honest
as far as they go, but their reports not
being full, are of but little value.
Allow me to give some examples of
reports, and my reasons for thinking
that such reports are in the end
worthless. First, let me say that
what I write on bee-cultute, is only
calculated for this northern latitude.
Even in this region of long, cold win-
ters, almost any one can manage bees
safely and prolitably through the sum-
mer seasons, but then comes the win-
ters, during which the law of natural
selection proves that the only road
to successful bee-keeping is a well-
arranged and closely-followed system
deduced from reason, observation and
experience.
To be useful, a report should em-
brace an experience for at least one
whole year; not only so, but that year
should begin and end at such dates,
that we could learn from it what ef-
fect such and such management
through the spring, summer and fall
had on the bees during the winter,
and the manner they were wintered.
I believe that all well-posted bee-
keepers are agreed that if we begin in
the spring with two colonies of bees
288
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
in equal condition, and from one take
all the early honey, leaving only the
late, unripe and inferior honey for
winter stores, and give the other well-
ripened and capped basswood or clover
honey for winter food, the condition
of the two colonies, in the spring,
would be far different, whether out-
door or cellar wintering were tried.
But to the reports. In the Bee
Journal, page 59, Mr. H. Gripe re-
ports as follows, under date Jan. 18,
1883 : " Last spring I had 4 colonies
of Italian bees (two strong and two
very weak), they increased to 10
strong colonies, by natural swarming.
The increase all came from 2 colo-
nies, and I took 120 pounds of comb
honey from them. I could have taken
a quantity of extracted, but I had no
extractor, so I thought I would keep
it for spring feeding. After the honey
season was over, I sold 2 colonies and
bought 16 Italians and hybrids in
Simplicity hives. * * *
I packed 10 in sawdust and 6 in chaff ;
the other 8 I put in the cellar. They
are all alive (Jan. 18). but I cannot
tell how they will come out. * *
We have had a solid winter since
Nov. 23."
Now, in giving tlie above report,
we wish to cast no slir, or find any
fault with Mr. C, but we want all to
see how reports could be made of
lasting good. He says on Jan. 18,
" all are alive, but I do not know how
they will come out." If this report
had been held until next June, he
could have told us how they came
out ; but as it is, we will not be likely
to ever know how they came out, and
even if he tells us next spring, then
we must find this report and compare
it with the spring report (which course
is not as yet being pursued, that I
know of) ; and even if we compare the
two reports, this one, at least, does
not tell whether the 2 Italian colonies
that gave 6 swarms were the two that
he sold, or whether they are packed in
sawdust, or in chaff, or in the cellar,
or whether the cellar is under his
dwelling, where the light is often car-
ried, or whether the cellar is made in
a sand-bank expressly for bee-winter-
ing, and how ventilated, wliat kind of
hives the first 4 colonies were in, what
kind of hives he put the 6 swarms in,
and whether the 6 were out or in-
doors. Will Mr. 0. please report in
this month and finish out what he has
begun in the above partial report.
In another report by Mr. D. II. Hop-
kins, the same page, gives us to under-
stand about how he managed his bees
last summer, and that on Jan. 9, they
were all very quiet in the cellar, with
no dead bees on the floor, but that
there were more than a bushel of dead
bees on the floor the year before at
the same date.
Now, if Mr. H. had told us how he
managed his bees through the sum-
mer of 1881, then we might, perhaps,
figure out the reason why bees, in the
same hives and same cellar (we infer
that they were the same) should win-
ter so "differently in two different
winters. The management through
the summer, and mortality the fol-
lowing winter, should have been given
in a report by itself ; and in the spring
the summer management and winter-
ing that followed should be given,
then the two reports could be com-
pared, and the results deduced there-
from.
In the report of the New Jersey and
Eastern Convention, on page 10 of the
Bee JouiiNAL, it will be noticed by
Mr. King's remarks, that it was the
next thing to impossible to get any re-
liable statistics on bee culture. Again,
on page 772 of the Bee Journal for
1882, in the remarks by the editor of
Bee-Keepers'' Magazine, he says that
no reliance whatever could be placed
on certain statistics, that he had
found erainating from the Depart-
ment at Washington ; and in his clos-
ing remarks, urges the necessity of
some plan which shall give accurately
the facts, and so enable beginners to
enter on the business understand-
ingly. I am of the opinion that it
would be a good plan for our editors
to furnish their patrons with printed
blank reports about May 1, request-
ing the bee-keepers to fill out by an-
swering the following questions, or a
similar list of questions could be ar-
ranged by the editors counseling to-
gether :
1. How many colonies on May 1,
1883 ?
2. What strain of bees ?
3. In what condition 'i
4. In what kind of hives ?
5. What is your locality ?
6. How did you manage them
through the month of May ?
7. How through June 'i
8. How through July ?
9. How through August V
10. How through September y
11. How through October ?'
12. How did you prepare them for
winter in November, and what kind
of stores, and how much surplus
through the season V
13. How did they appear to do
through each winter months 'i
14. If in cellar or clamps, on what
date did you set them on summer
stands in the spring of 1884?
1.5. How did they do from the time
set out until May 1, 1884 ?
It seems to us that a tolerable good
and reliable system of management
could be deduced from a few years'
report as above, but that one-half or
one-third of the reports made at ran-
dom, will result in very little good.
Orion, Wis.
For the American Bee Journal.
Essentials of a Standard Frame.
J. W. rORTER.
Replying to Dr. E. B. Southwick's
letter, on page 263, as an advocate of
the Langstroth frame, I would state
the reasons why very many have
adopted it, above all other frames :
1. It affords a very much larger sur-
face on top, than any deep frame. The
largest surface for comb honey on top
is the main point, for many of us have
no success in side-storing. It favors
the internal economy of the hive, in-
asmuch as bees can reach their stores
sooner by climbing a less distance, in
the many thousands of loads daily
carried in.
2. The same superiority is claimed
for extracting from the second story,
over deep frames.
3. It disturbs the bees far less, to
draw up from a hive the frames filled
with honey or brood, nine inches
deep, than twelve inches deep.
4. If queen-cells are formed, they
are less liable to accidents.
5. In case of a slight deviation from
the perpendicular in setting the hive,
there is less danger of the combs be-
ing fastened to the sides.
So much has the first points been
esteemed, that many ciforts have
been made to carry it still further
and make the frames less deep, but it
appears that the standard Langstroth
frame is a sort of happy-medium be-
tween the two extremes of shallow
and deep frames.
That it sufticiently meets the re-
quirements for concentrating the
cluster in winter and spring is clear,
judging by the great success of the
army of bee-keepers who use it. It
will be admitted by most of the apiar-
ists, I doubt not, that the square
frame, " American " or " Gallup," has
advantages for winter-clustering, but
we claim not enough to compensate
for the reduced superficies on the top
of the brood.
Where are the returns from such
that can equal the reports we have
from those using the Langstroth
frame V Mr. Doolittle comes the near-
est to it, but I forget the dimensions
of his frame. But he has been greatly
surpassed, as the records show. While
it is my practice to confine frequently
to eight Langstroth frames, for comb
honey, I wish the space for ten frames
above, and have it oy inserting dum-
mies below, on each side. Even then
I have to tier up, in " the season,"
the honey racks. Having used both
kinds, I have given such reasons as
my own experience suggests.
Charlottsville, Va., May 24, 1883.
BOOK CLOBBDiG LIST.
We will supply the Amerlean Bee .fonrnal
one year, and any of the folIowinB BoobB, at the
prices quoted in the last column of dRures. The
first column gives the retrular price of both. All
postafEe prepaid.
Prici of both. Olub
The Weetily Bee Journal, t2 00. .
and Cool£'s Manual, 7th edilion(in cloth) 3 35. , 3 76
Cook's Manual. (In paper covers) 300.. 2 50
Bees and Honey (T.Q.Newman icloth 2 75. . 2 50
Bees and Honey (paper covers) 2 50.. 2 25
Binder for Weekly Bee Journal 27.i.. 2 60
Apiary Register for ITO colonies .... 3 50. . 3 00
Apiary Register for aw colonies .... 4 00. . 3 50
Dzierzon'sNew BeeBook(cloth).... 4 00.. 3 50
Dzierzon's New Book (paper covers) 3 50. . 3 00
Quinby'sNew Bee-Keeping [3 50.. 3 25
Langstroths Standard Work 4 OO 3 75
Root's A B C of Bee Culture (cloth) 3 25. . 3 00
Alley's Queen Rearing 3 23.. 3 00
Scribner'B Lumber and Log Book 2 35. . 2 25
Kisher's Grain Tables 2 40. . 2 25
Moore's Universal As-istant 4 50.. 4 25
Honey as Food & Medicine, TiOCopies 4.0O. . 3 75
HoneyasFoodAMedlcine.lOO.Coples 6 00. . 5 50
Blessed Bees 3 75.. 2 50
King's Text Book 3 00.. 2 75
The Monthly Bee tlanrnal and any of the
above, f l less than the figures in the last column.
THE AMERICAJSI BEE JOURNAL.
289
tSIItat and maxu.
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Letting Out Bees on Shares.
1. When bees are let out on shares,
what are the conditions of the con-
tract i
2. Who furnishes the new hives nec-
essary for the increase ?
3. Does the rentA furnish all ap-
pliances for preparing the honey for
market, or for only his share 'i
4. For what length of time are they
generally let out for V
Mr. Heddon will confer a favor by
answering the above through the
" What and IIow " department of the
Bee Journal. As a rule, the bees
wintered well in this county (Clinton).
llEKBEUT R. Thomas.
Clarksville, O.
Answers.— The "Bees on Shares"
question, is one that I have studied
considerably. In answering the above,
I do so with a prejudice in favor of
the laborer vs. the capitalist, a princi-
ple herein involved, though on ever
so small a scale. Here are two facts :
1. Bees are to some considerable ex-
tent a risky property ; their life and
the amount of their stores being an
unknown quantity. One should have
a larger per cent, of income from such
property, by three or four fold, than
from a good, safe real estate mortgage.
2. On the other hand, the laborer
should have an average income in
advance of the " going wages." All
this can be realized from the manipu-
lation of bees, provided the bees are
in proper hi>'es, in a good location,
and the work done by a faithful and
learned man, and directed by experi-
ence and tact.
I will lay down the following terms
as those which seem to me the nearest
to being just, and the best adapted to
both parties.
Tlie one owning the bees shall
furnish the place to establish the
apiary. He shall furnish all the fix-
tures in ever respect. The laborer
shall furnish himself nothing more.
The lazleBt tramp can turn and mend,
And be a man " for a' that."
The capitalist furnishes bees, apiary,
tools, new hives for increase, comb
foundation for surplus and brood de-
partments, in full sheets ; sections,
shipping crates and everything, in-
cluding his riper experience (which,
it is supposable, he possesses). He
shall have the diction of the general
plan of management, while the renter
does all the work, and is dictator of
the detail manipulation. The division
shall be as follows : Each party shall
have one-half of tlie surplus honey,
and when it is sold, each one shall pay
one-half of the cost of sections, ship-
ping crates and surplus comb founda-
tion that is sold with that season's
crop. The capitalist shall have dic-
tion over the whole crop, merely divid-
ing the money for the same, unless
the laborer give security for the pay-
ment of his half of the sections,
foundation and crates, when the honey
may be divided, and each sell his own
as he chooses. The bees should be
managed for securing the greatest
amount of surplus possible, and dis-
couragedfrom swarming, all that such
management tends to do, but when
they do swarm, they are to be hived
and managed as Hre the old colonies.
The increase belongs to the apiary,
always ; and any system that gives a
share of the increase to the laborer,
will defeat itself, and prove in the end
damaging to both parties. The old
system of half the honey and half the
increase, and the lessee or laborer
furnish everything, is illy adopted to
modern apiculture, and would give
the capitalist " the lion's share." Of
course the surplus from the increase
is divided equally, the same as that
from the old colonies. All the reasons
for settling on the above terms as the
nearest just and best, all around, are
too many for the room I wish tO' oc-
cupy now.
about % at the sides, and }i^o%aX
the bottom.
2. I fasten my foundation to the
top bar, and on to the wires woven
vertically, eight in each Langstroth
frame. I think you have had success
with sections, but needed wires in the
brood frames,
3. As far as the passage of the bees
is concerned, I would not care for any
run-way at the sides, only at the bot-
tom, but I do not get as straight
combs when the piece of foundation
is fastened to the sides of the sections.
4. I have never had any chilled
brood that I remember of. I think it
will turn brownish a few hours after
chilling.
5. 1 do not approve, as a general
thing, of such exchanging at all ; but
where I do it, I shake off all the ad-
hering bees and put in only brood
about ready to emerge from the cells.
Sometimes very young bees will kill a
strange queen, and that, too, after
much precaution.
Foundation in Frames and Sections.
1. How full should frames and sec-
tions be filled witli foundation y
2. Should the foundation in frames
be fastened only at the top V I have
been in the habit of fastening it in
frames and sections only at the top,
and leaving % to % inch space at the
sides and bottom.
3. Would it do to fill the sections so
full of foundation that bees could not
pass through '{
4. How soon, after the brood has
been chilled, can it be detected by an
amateur, and how 'i
•5. In taking frames of brood from
strong colonies to build up weak ones,
should the adhering bees be shaken
off, or could they be safely put in,
bees and all, by smoking or confusing
the weak colonies ?
Bees in this vicinty are doing well.
A neighbor has had one swarm come
off already, and reports other colonies
liable to cast swarms soon . Prospects
are good for an abundant honey flow
from white clover. J. M. Bubtch.
Morrison, 111., May 23, 1883.
Answers.— 1. In filling the brood
frames I leave a space of Ja to 34 inch
at the ends, and about % at the bot-
tom. In one-pound sections I leave
''':::^'
m^x
Bloom Promises Well and Fruit is Safe.
Here, in Belmont county, O., we
have escaped the late terrible weather,
with the exception of a few light
frosts and 3 or 4 days of cool, cloudy,
wet weather, which was pretty trying
on the bees. The white clover and
locust bloom promise well, and the
fruit is still safe, as far as I have
noticed. R. M. Denham.
St. Olairsville, O., May 24, 1883. ,
Bee and Honey Show in Kentucky.
After along silence as a correspond-
ent to the Bee Journal, I again pen
a few lines. Our prospects for white
clover honey was never better. Bees
were storing honey and breeding
comb up to May 19, when we had a
big rain storm from the northwest,
turning cold after tlie rain, with a
severe blow for 48 hours. It was a
cold blast, making us shiver with
cold, and our bees could not get out,
even for water. My apiary is in the
best condition possible, and with one
of Pelham's foundation machines,
we are making beautiful foundation.
We have the very finest of Italian
bees, and the clover is very nice. Bees
are beginning to build comb and store
honey. Mr. Craycraft, of Salem, Ind.,
has my bees in charge, and we shall
run them for both comb and ex-
tracted honey. Mr. Craycraft is well
posted in scientific bee-culture, and is
working my beesin a very satisfactory
manner. Our State Society meets in
Louisville next fall, and we want to
make as fine a display of bees, honey
and bee-fixtures as possible. We hope
290
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
honey producers and manufacturers
of supplies (who will take an interest
in the show) will write us what they
desire to exhibit, so that we can se-
cure space iu the Industrial Exposi-
tion, whicli opens Aug. 1 and closes
Nov. 1. As secretary of Kentucky
State Bee-Keepers' Association, I
will do all 1 can to make the exiiibit
a success. Every bee-keeper in Ken-
tucky ouglit to have something on ex-
hibition, and bee-keepers and manu-
facturers in other States are invited
to help us. N. P. Allen.
Smith's Grove, Ky., May 23, 1883.
Cyprians, Motherwort, etc.
I have 53 colonies of bees ; one be-
ing a Cyprian, which gives the most
honey, and are as gentle as any other
bee. I have not been stung by them
yet, and I have had them nearly a
year. A friend of mine says, " Give
me Cyprians after this;" some say
that Cyprians are hard to manage, but
I cannot see it. Motherwort grows
very easily. I have some of it, atid
will plant it all the time, as it blooms
always ; as fast as the old stock dies
down, younger ones take its place,
and I think it worth planting. It can
be planted any place, or along the
fences. G. E. Sonnemann.
New Iberia, La., May 25, 1883.
Fruit Trees Blooming.
My bees have wintered very well.
I only had 49 colonies in the fall,
when put in the cellar ; I lost two, by
being queenless. We have had a cold
spring, and I have had to feed some.
Apple blossoms are just out ; the first
ones opened yesterday, and if it keeps
warm, they will strengthen up pretty
fast. D. S. McCallum.
Big Creek, N. Y., May 26, 1883.
Bees in Fine Condition.
Our bees are in fine condition. The
white clover is very thrifty, and with
good weather will be apt to yield
well. F. A. Snell.
Milledgeville, 111., May 27, Ism.
Prospects Favorable in California.
Our propects are very favorable.
vve have fine late rains, and the bees
are booming. K. Strathearn.
Scenega, Cal., May 20, 1883.
(Jone to the South .
As frost, ic§ and cold winds had
been tlie order of the day, up to May
15, 1 made up my mind to come South
at once, and on the 17th inst., I char-
tered a car to Tullahoma, Tenn., and
loaded on 67 colonies of my bees with
household goods and started them
South. On the 22d inst., with my
family, I left Indiana ; when we left,
it was snowing and cold. We arrived
here on the evening of the 23d, and
found it pleasant and warm weather.
My bees came through in splendid
condition. I. R. Good.
Tullahoma, Tenn., May 26, 1883.
Prospects Flattering.
The bees are booming and prospects
flattering. W. H. Stout.
Pine Grove, Pa., May 28. 1883.
Destroying the Queeu-Cells.
No doubt many have read in the
books that when bees are making
preparations to swarm, because of
unfavorable weather or other causes,
the cells will be at once destroyed.
This has not always been the case
witli my bees. I found by experience,
that sometimes (though not always)
the young queens are allowed to
hatch ; and when such is the case, the
first queen that emerges will destroy
the remaing cells, and in a majority
of cases, kill the old queen too. As
this generally happens when our
queens are needed the most, I think
it is poor policy to let any capped cells
remain in a colony when the condi-
tions for swarming are not favorable.
Although when the bees wish to
supersede their queen, the young
queen will seldom kill her mother ;
but in swarming, this is not the case ;
at least such has been my experience
H. J. SCHROCK.
Goshen, Ind., May 29, 1883.
Correction .
In my letter on page 261, the printer,
in mistaking the word rather in my
manuscript for "either," and leaving
out a word altogether in another sen-
tence, spoils both. Allow me, there-
fore, to give the two sentences here
as they were written in my manu-
script, italicising the two words left
out : " But it would be rather disin-
genuous to say that one colony of bees
aid all this, without giving any ex-
planations. * * * *
Now, please bear in mind, I do not
wish to impeach the honesty or sin-
cerity of a single correspondent."
Allen Prinqle.
Selby, Ont., May 25, 1883.
Swarmed in a Hurry.
I wintered 20 colonies in Langstroth
chaff hives. They wintered well, and
came out very strong. Henry Alley
reccommends raising up the hives, a
foot or more from the ground, so that
they will not get snowed under. My
experience is, that bees will do better
if they are under a snow bank, then
they would if they were elevated and
exposed to the wind and cold. My
bees were covered with snow, or
nearly so, from the early part of the
winter until early in March, then I
shoveled out their entrances, and they
had a splendid fiight, and showed little
signs of dysentery. I gave them a
thorough examination about April 10,
and found from 2 to 4 frames of honey
that had not been touched in each
hive (I gave them 7 Langstroth
frames to start on). On the 26th of
this month I lost a large swarm of
bees, and as it was a little out of their
common way of doing business. I will
describe it. The queen was a hybrid,
and very prolific. I had taken 4
frames of capped brood from it, to
build up nuclei, but the hive was full
of bees. I examined the hive the day
before the swarm issued, and found
several queen-cells started, 3 or 4 con-
taining eggs, but no hatched eggs or
larvae ; so 1 felt sure the bees would not
swarm in 7 or 8 days, so I left home
at 8 a. m.; the swarm came out at
8:20 ; I returned at 9:15 a. m., and met
the swarm a few rods from home, on
their flight to the woods. There was
no one to hive them, or I would not
have lost them. I examined the hive,
after they left, and found no eggs
hatched yet, and I do not know how
to account for their hurry. Can any
reader of the Bee Journal explain
it y J. A. MURPHEY.
Sterling Station, N. Y., May 26, 1883.
Dysentery.
I have a colonji of bees in my apiary
that seem to me to suffer from dys-
entery, or rather from the fact of
being unable to discharge their feces.
The hive is surrounded daily, on the
ground, with a quivering mass of ani-
mated bees, but unable to walk. In
the morning they are all dead, and
the process is repeated. Their bodies
are distended and filled with a large
amount of yellow matter. The col-
ony is appa<'ently in fair condition.
What is the cause and the remedy ?
F. C. Gastinger.
Ada, O., May 31, 1883.
[It is evidently a case of dysentery.
It might have been caused by poor
honey, or something of that nature.
As the summer is now upon us, fine
weather and new honey will remedy
it all. If they are not gathering
honey, give them some good white
clover or basswood honey ; or if you
have none of that, some sugar syrup,
made as indicated on page 283.— Ed.]
Report for 3 Tears.
I have kept bees for about 16 years ;
all of the time, except the last 3 years,
being in Ontario. During all that
time I never exceeded more than 25
colonies and 200 pounds of comb
honey, once or twice, and thought my-
self lucky at that. I moved here
(Michigan) in March, 1880, bringing
with me 2 colonies with dollar queens.
I moved them 28 miles from the rail-
road here on a lumber wagon ; still
they increased by natural swarming
to 10 good colonies, and gave some
surplus comb honey. I wintered
them on the summer stands, and all
came out strong in the spring of 1881 ;
and during that summer they in-
creased to 25, and produced 700 pounds
of comb honey. Again they were
wintered on the summer stands, with
the loss of 2, wliich I think were
queenless, which left me 23 in the
spring of 1882. During that summer
they increased to 63, besides 7 that
left for the woods, and gave me 2,200
pounds of surplus comb honey. I
again wintered them on the summer
stands, and now May 22, they are re-
duced to 50 colonies ; the past winter,
and especially this spring, has been
very hard on bees ; several of my
neighbors have lost heavily. I use
the Fisher deep-framed hive, and fill
the walls with sawdust. Bees do well
here; there seems to be a constant
flow of honey from early spring till
frost. Wm. Shier.
Marlette, Mich., May 22, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
291
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
■We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Honey as Food and Metlicine.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— W e have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
I®" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
1^ The Central Kansas Bee-Keep-
ers' Association will meet at Manhat-
tan, Kansas, on June 30, 1883.
Thos. Bassler, Sec.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
^" On page 261,33d line from top
of first column, instead of " follow-
ing," iBAd^" preceding seasons."
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for 12.75, or the
Monthly Bee Joiunal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, .50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Sample Copies of theAMERiCAN Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one Intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
OFFICE OF AMKKICAN BKK JOURNAL, (
Monday, 10 a. m., June 4, 1882. (
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Qnotatlona of Cnnh Bnrers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY~The nominal price of extracted 1b 7c.
for (lark and Oc. for lis:hl— here. The supply Ib
abundant and Bales are alow.
BEBSWAX-None in tlie market.
Al. H. Newman, y2;i W. MadisoD St.
CINCINNATI.
HONET.— The nfarket for extracted honey is
lively, and the demand exceeds the arrivals. Onr
slock Is small and we are in dancer of having sold
out every day. We pay Ttaioc. for good honey on
arrival, the latter price for choice clover. There
is a small demand for comb honey, and prices
nominal.
BEES WAX.— Arrivals of beeswax are plentiful.
We pay 35c. for a good article on arrival.
CHA9. F. MUTH.
Qaotatlons of Commission Merchants.
CHICAGO.
HONEY.— I sold, of the comb honev crop of 18«2.
up to the first of JanuHry, l-'^N;i. nearly rjo.OdO lbs;
since January 1st to April 1st. sales have been slow,
and vet 70,(khi pounds have been diflpoaed of.
There is, perhaps, a few tons of dark and buck-
wheat comb honey on this market that will not be
consumed before the new crop comes into market.
There has been 3 pounds of comb honey crop of
IBH-J offered in this market, to one of the crop of
IS.'ll.
Extracted honey has afrgregated in sales 140,000
pounds. There is, perhaps, a good deal to carry
over, vet on the market. Prices since the t3rst of
December, 1Hs2. have gradually declined until the
present date. At this late hour, holders are anxious
to sell: hence prices vary very much.
BKBSWA,X-3.'i&3(;c.
R. A. BDHNETT. 1(51 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— Stocks and the demand are both light.
More or less difficulty would be experienced in
filling a large order for a straight lot.
While comb, 14@17c.; dark to good, ll@13c.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8!^@9^c.: dark and
candied, 5@7Hc.
BEESWAX- Wholesale. 27(a2Sc.
STEARNS & SMITH. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Bull; light jobbing sales only. Comb
at lli<<i)14c. — Strained and extracted at 7®7Jio.
BEESWAX- Sold lightly at 32&34C.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO., 1 17 N. Main Street,
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Stocks of honey are running low with
us, l-lb. sections are all sold and there is a very
light inquiry for such: would probably sell at
18<a20c. 2-lb.sectionB are not in demand, and no
sales to quote, asking 17®18c. Extracted no sale
at!)® IOC.
BEESWAX— Not offering.
A. C. Kendel. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY- Our market is fairly active. We quote:
H lb. sections at 3UC.; I lb. sections, 220250.; 2 lb.
sections, 20®22c, Extracted, 10c. per lb. Good
lots of extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone: we have none
to quote.
CROCKER & Blake. 57 Chatham Street.
1^" Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them — one-cent stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
^"Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
292
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smokers need wtde shields. Bingham's
have them, and springs that do not rust and break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 Inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for SI. 75. Address,
BINOHAU & H£THEBINOT0N,
Abronia Mich.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& Hetlierington, Dear Sirs: — I am
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother" with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker " did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y.. Aug. 15, 1882.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor".. (wide shield)— smn.flretube, $2.00
The Conqueror (wide shield)— 3 in.firetube, 1.75
Large (wide shield)— 2^ in. fire lube, l.r,o
Extra (wideshield)— 2 in.tiretuue, 1.25
Plain (nar. shield)— 2 In.lJretube, l.i»)
Little Wonder, .(nar. shield)- I?:iin.flretube, .6=1
Bingham & Hetheringtun Uncapping Knife. . LI5
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
Friends, If you are In any way Interested In
BEES OR HONEY
We will with pleasure send you a sample copy ef
the Monthly Gleanliies In Bee-Culture,
with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve-
ments in Hives, IIoneF Extractor*, Comb
Foundiitlon, Section Honey Boxes, all books
and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee
Culture. Nothing Putented. Simply send your ad-
dress written plainly, to
Ctf A. I. ROOT. Medina. O.
HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTH
For t lie manufacture of
BEE-KEEI»EKS' SUPPLIES.
Dunham and Root Foiindadon a specialty.
Italian Queens and Bees from March to November.
jySend fur my Illustrated Catalogue.
•iCtf PAUr. r,. VIAL.r.ON. Bayou Goula, La.
The Bee^Keepers' Guide,
OR, MANUAL OF THE APIARY.
9,000 SOLP IN SIX YEARS.
lOth Thouflund *Juat Out.
More than 50 paces, and more than 50 flne illus-
trations added. The whole work has been tlmr-
ouphly revised, and contains the very latest in re-
apect to bee-keeping. It is certainly the fullest
and most scieittiflc work treatini: of bees in the
World. Prlcf, by Mull. aSLa.**.
Jjlberal dlaconnt to dealers and to clubs.
A. J. C001£.
l7Ctf Author and Publisher, Jiansing, Mich.
HOLY LAND QUEENS.
Untested, ready about June if. SlnKle Queen,
In this month, $l.i.'5 : six or more, $l.ixj eacd ; no
tested Queens, this month.
I. R. eOOI»,TULLAHOMA,CoffeeCo..TENH.
23A4W
1883.
1883.
VOU GET VALUE RECEIVED!
QUEENS,BEES AND SUPPLIES
If you want EARI^Y (|UEENS from the
best improved Benulne stock for business; or if
you want Imported Italian Queens or bees, In full
colonies or nuclei, with tested or untested queens;
If you want Dunham or Vandervort como founda-
tion, made from pure beeswax; or if you want
hives or apiarian supplieBof any kind, send for my
new catalogue. It tells you about introducing
queens, new " Races of Bees," etc. Cash paid for
clean beeswai. Address,
J. P. H. BRO^>FN.
5BDl5t Aufzusta. Qeorfiria.
1883. JOSEPH D. EN AS, 1883.
(Sunny Side Apiary,)
Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Colonies, Nuclei,
E.XTRACTORS, COMB FOUNDATION, &c
19D6m Address, Sunny Side Apiary, NAPA. CAL.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
Boffersvllle, Genesee County, Allch.,
is now receiving Italian Queens from the South
(for particulars see advertisement in the Bee
Journal of April l>^). and can send them
by return mall at the following prices: Before
June 1st, untested queens will be 1^1. 5o each : dur-
ing June, single queen $1.25, or six for |ti.(Hj ; after
July 1st. single queen $l.fK). six for $->.5(i, twelve
for $in.tM.i. Tested queens (reared last season in
the home apiary), before June 1st, f3."o each ;
during June. *2.rj0 each ; after July 1st, $2.00 each.
Safe arrival guaranteed. Make money orders
payable at Flint. Mich. i7eow tf
SECTIONS.
We have just put in several new machines and
also a larger engine in our factory, consequently
we are in better shape to All orders than ever for
Sections, Shipping Crates, etc., etc. We make a
specialty of our
"BOSS" ONE-PIECE SECTIONS,
Patented June 2><th, issi.
We can make the "Boss" One-Piece Sections
any size or width desired. Send for Price List.
We make the Half-Pound Section any
size desired.
J AS. FORNCKOOK <fe CO.
iBCtf Watertown Jeff. Co. Wis., Jan. ], 1883.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Iroquois Strain. Four Yards.
^orrespondece cheerfully answered Prices reasonabl
W. H. BUSSEY, 131 Lake Street. ChicafO-
2BCIy
E.T. LEWIS & CO., Toledo, Ohio,
Manufacturers of the U. 8. STANDARD Honey
Extractor (new improvements), and all other
Apiarian Supplies. Send for circular. 17A oBtf
f883.
1883.
ITALIAN QUEENS.
I am now booking orders for
queens. I cull ray queens as they
hatch, is the reason my custom-
ers were so welt pleased last year.
Send me your address on a
postal, and get circular.
Six Queens fnr fr>.i»().
a. X. WILSON.
Mortonsville, Woodford Co., Ky.
cBCtf
PURE ITALIAN BEES AND QUEENS,
Tested and untested Queens, nuclei in Langs-
troth si/e frames, full colonies, queens by the
half dozen, bees by the pound. Send for prices
and particulars. A. B. MILLER & SON,
I 44Atf Wakarusa. Elkhart Co.. Ind.
QUEENS!
During June and July, I shall be prepared to
furnish the CHOICEST OK QUEENS, both tested
and untested, from two different stralDs. l. From
my new strain, viz: a cross between the Brown,
German, and dark leather-colored Italian. 2. Pure
Italians reared from Imported mothers. With my
hives of all worker combs, using drone comb
where I desire it only, isolated from other apiaries,
I have the best of opportunities to control the
mating of my Queens. I rear yueens under the
swarming impulse only, and upon the true plan of
getting the best and most vigorous stock. All
orders filled in turi^ and it is useless to hurry us.
PRICES :
Tested Queens (all selected) each % a.oo
Untested before July I, each 1.50
Uuntested after July l, each i.oo
These are bottom prices in any quantity. Send
for descriptive Catalogue to
JAM£S HJEDSON, Dowa^ac, Mich.
1^ I cannot supply any more COMB
FOUNDATION during 1883; my stock
is exhausted. .^
Muth's Honey Extractor,
Square Glass Honey Jars, Tin Bucbets,
LangstToth Bee Hives, Honey Sections, etc.
Apply to C. F. MTTXH,
976 and 978 Central Ave., CINCINNATI, O.
|^"Send 10c. for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers.
@@ ENGKAVINGtS.
THE HORSE,
BY B. J. KENDALL, M. D.
A TKEATISE giving an Index of diseases,
and the symptoms ; cause and treatment of each, a
table giving all the principal drugs used for the
horse, with the ordinary dose, effects and antidote
when a poison ; a table with an engraving of the
horse's teeth at different ages, with rules for telling
the age of the horse ; a valuable col lection of re-
cipes, and much valuable information,
l*rlce 35 cent*.— Sent on receipt of price, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
92.5 West Madison Street. CHICAGO. ILL.
^W BB ^Bk ^ week made at home by the in-
wn jr Sn^ dustrious. Best business now be-
wL m ^m fore thepublic. Capital notneeded
^k A m We wilt start you. Men, women,
MJB I JM boys and girls wanted everywhere
^1^ H HB to work for us. Now is the time.
' You can work in spare time, or give
your whole time to the business. No (»ther busi-
ness will pay you nearly as well. N_» one can fail
to make enormous pav, by enaatring at once.
Costly outfit and terms free. Money made fast,
easily and honorably. Address True & Co.,
Augusta, Maine. 8Aly
V.__-^;~t_ liiB" atue-waiis. < to in sqi
1^^^^^^ the pound. Circular and sa
jfS^^v^a J. VAN DEUSEN & i
fc^S2£^*i Sole Manufa
FLAT- BOTTOM
COMB FOUNDATION,
high side-walls. 4 to 16 square feet tC
1 samples frea
; SONS,
3 Manufacturers,
Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., N. Y,
Given'sFoundationPress.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT affirms that the PRESS
is SUPERIOR for makingComb Foundation either
in Wired Frames or for SECTIONS, and insures
straight and perfect combs, when drawn out by
the bees. Send for Circular and samples.
B. S. eiVEX «fe CO..
lABtf HOOPESTON, ILL.
CXXB AP ! CXZB AF !
LANGSTKOTH HIVES!
SIMPI^ICITY HIV£S!
All kinds of hives and surplus comb foundation,
etc., etc. Having superior advantages for the
manufacturing of hives and of procuring lumber
low, I can furnish very low rates.
Send for descriptive circular.
A. I>. BEN HAM.
lOAtf Olivet, Mtoti.
ESTABLISHED ^(^^
IN 1861
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 13, 1883.
No. 24.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor.
EuropeanHoney & Waxlmportation.
Some time ago we noticed an item
in an English paper that, at a sale in
Lisbon, Portugal, sixty tons of beeswax
had been sold. This shows what an
extensive sale and use it lias in
Europe.
The Beutscher Bienenfreund for May
contains a table showing the amount
of honey and beeswax received at
Hamburg from foreign countries dur-
ing 1881 and 1882. The amount of
honey was as follows, from
1881. 1882.
Havana lbs -d.^O.OOO .52.5,000
Mexico " 1,100.000 835,000
Chili and Peru. " 1,320,000 1,105,000
California " 48,000 —
Domingo " 450,000 270,000
Total, 3,468,000 2,735,000
Of beeswax the amounts received
were as follows, from
1881. 1882.
Chili lbs 90,000 .54,000
Venezuela " 14.5,000 63,000
Angola " 14,000 —
Madagascar " 48,000 33,000
West Indies " 38,500 12,000
Total, 335,.500 1 62,000
Honey is extensively used in Europe
in the manufacture of honey wine,
iiietheglin and cakes; for preserving
fruit, and preparing medicine, as well
as for table use, tor which it is more
generally used than in America.
One firm (Messrs. Field & Co.), in
Paris, use ten tons of American bees-
wax per month m making candles for
Catholic altars. The religious pa-
geantry of Roman Catholic countries
owe much of its spendorand influence
to its altar-candles, eacli the tribute
of a thousand flowers, collected by
millions of bees, leading the thoughts
back, perchance, to the sweet and
pure origin.
Its other uses are very numerous
and important. The New York Grocer
enumerates the following :
Its property of preserving tissues
and preventing mold or mildew was
well known to the ancients, who use
serecioth for embalming, and wax for
encaustic painting, as in the wall pic-
tures of Pompeii, wax candles and
tapers play an important part in the
processions and ceremonies of the
Roman Catholic church. Wax is used
by manufacturers of glazed, ornamen-
tal wall papers, and on paper collars
and cuffs for polishing the surfaces.
It is used in varnishes and paints, and
for the " stuffing" of wood which is
to be polished, as pianos, coach work.
Hue furniture and parquette floors.
Electrotypers and plasterers use wax
in forming their molds. Wax is an
important ingredient in preparations
for covering surfaces of xiolished iron
and steel to prevent rust. Combined
with tallow, it forms the coating for
canvass and cordage to prevent mil-
dew, as in sails, awnings, etc. Arti-
ficial flowers consume much wax, and,
despite the introduction of paraftine,
ceresin and mineral wax, its use ap-
pears to be extending. One of the
oldest of its applications is in the
laundry, and in polishing wood-work.
Bees and Fruit.
A correspondent in the Prairie
Farmer remarks as follows on this sub-
ject, giving the results of some ex-
periments. " The much-discussed
question whether bees injure fruit
,was attempted to be solved by a com-
mittee of the Warsaw Horticultural
Society. The work was begun, but
finally neglected and never finished.
How much and what was shown is
the purpose of this paper:"
A committee of three was appointed
in the summer of 1881, of which the
writer was one— and on July 9th of
that year, in conjunction wilii a noted
bee expert, they began their experi-
ments, with early peaches. Their
first experiment was as follows :
They took three peaches of equal
ripeness— two of them with the skin
slightly punctured, by insect or bird,
and one width the skin entirely sound
and unbroken. The punctures in the
skin of the two were small, say about
the size of a pin-head. These tliree
peaches were carefully handled, and
were taken and placed in a hive with
a strong swarm of bees.
Eesult.— The next day, which was
Saturday, and just 24 hours after-
wards, the hive was opened and the
peaches examined. The two punc-
tured ones were found to be partly
eaten by the bees, while the one with
unbroken skin remained whole as at
first. They were all replaced again
in the hive. On Monday, at the same
hour— which was 48 hours from the
last examination, and 72 hours since
the peaches had been taken from the
tree— they were again examined.
This time the two were nearly con-
sumed, and the one was considerably
eaten.
The query here presented itself to
the committee : Did the bees begin
on the third peach while its skin was
yet intact, or did they wait till it, by
its decay, became broken V That
single experiment could not decide
that important point. At the period
of the first examination, that peach
was still whole and seemingly sound,
but as two more days intervened be-
fore it was examined the second time,
it is quite possible that it may have
decayed so far as to open the skin be-
fore the bees began their work on it.
It is aflirmed by bee physiologists that
the bees have no teeth or other in-
strument by which they could per-
forate the skin of a sound ripe peach.
And they stoutly maintain that bees
do not originate the trouble, but only
follow after some other depredator.
This single exjierimentof the Warsaw
committee, though not conclusive,
goes far to prove that this theory of
the bee men is the correct one.
Kumerous other experiments and
examinations were made subesquently
by individual members of the commit-
tee, in regard to peaches; but none
worth reporting in reference to other
fruits.
In one case, five peaches were desig-
nated as they hung on the tree. One
of them was nearly eaten up by the
bees, one about half eaten, two others
less so, and with no sign of decay
about any of them. The fifth was en-
tirely whole, with the exception of
one little round puncture the size of a
pin's head ; and another the size of a
grain of rye. These were both located
at the ripest and softest side of the
294
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
fruit. No evidence of rot was visible.
Tlie origin of ttiose punctures was un-
known, but as at the time of the selec-
tion the bees were busy on the whole
five, it was only a question of time—
an hour or two— till they would all be
consumed.
It may be mentioned, that in these
experiments the big black ants were
generally observed on the trees ; and
it has been suggested that they may
be the depredators which make the
original punctures, and open the way
for the bees.
These experiments, however imper-
fect and unsatisfactory they may be
regarded, taken in connection with
otlier known facts, have convinced
the writer thus far in the matter of
the main question : That bees do not
eat ripe peaches that are, if not to say
absolutely sound, at least marketable.
Future experiments, it is hoped,
will be made by that committee, as
well as others, as to their depreda-
tions on other fruits.
What the Weather Will Be.
Prof. Bcerner, of Vevay, Ind., trans-
lates for the Indiana Farmer the fol-
lowing from the Latin, showing
observations gathered from the most
reliable sources in England, embrac-
ing years from 1677 to 1799, being 122.
as follows :
1. When the vernal equinox is not
preceded or followed by the usual
equinoctial storms, the succeeding
summer will be dry at least live times
in six.
2. If easterly storms occur on the
19th, 20th or 21st of May, the ensuing
summer will likewise be dry; the same
characteristic applies to storms, from
whatever direction, on the 25th, 26th
or 27th of March, viz., a dry summer
will follow.
3. When storms happen from or
between tlie 17th and 23d of March,
having directions from the west south-
west, the succeeding summer will be
wet five times out of six. In England,
when both winter and spring are dry,
they are always cold, but when these
two seasons are wet, they are usually
warm : on the contrary, dry summers
and autumns are most always hot,
and wet summers cold ; hence, if the
humidity of any special season be de-
termined, an approximately correct
idea may be formed what the prevail-
ing temperature will be.
4. A wet autumn, succeeded by a
mild winter, is generally followed by
a dry and cold spring, which will be
unfavorable to the growth of vegeta-
tion.
5. A wet summer is almost always
succeeded by a severe cold winter,
because the terrestrial heat has been
carried off by evaporation ; it has also
been observed that wet summers pro-
mote great proticiency on the white
thorn, so that an unusual fruitfulness
of the shrubs is considered a presage
of an intensely cold winter.
6. A severely cold winter is also in-
dicated by the early departure in the
autumn of cranes and other migratory
birds, because these birds never leave
for a southern climate until the cold
has commenced in the higher north-
ern regions.
7. When the month of September is
showery, it seldom rains during the
coming month of May, and, the con-
trary, should September pass without
showers, the following May will be
rainy and wet.
8. When, in summer and autumn,
the preponderating wind is from the
southwest, or when the temperature
is unusually low, profuse raiti may
certainly be expected at the end of the
season.
9. Tempestous storms and other vio-
lent commotions of the clouds, produce
a crisis in the atmosphere, which is
followed by a succession of several
months of fine or boisterous weather,
of whatever the incoming change
may be.
10. A mild and rainy winter is al-
ways followed by a profitless summer.
11. When rainy weather prevails
during a moon, the change succeeding
will be fair weather for several days,
after which rain will again set in ; but
when fair weather prevails during the
moon, and the succeeding change be
rain, fair weather will again return
after the fourth or fifth day of the
moon, and continue as before.
12. The most decided indication for
fair weather, is the apparently great
elevation of the celestial concave, and
an evident disposition of the clouds to
dissolve and vanish away.
Keystone Convention.
The "Seed Time and Harvest"
gives the following report of the above
named Convention :
We had the pleasure of attending
a meeting of the Keystone Bee-Keep-
ers' Association at Scranton, a few
days ago. This is the only society of
the kind in Xortheastern Pennsylva-
nia, and much interest was manifested
by those present. The society num-
bers some tifty members, owniugfrom
six to two hundred colonies of bees.
The questions discussed were : The
Production of Surplus Honey, Winter-
ing Bees, and Rearing Queens. Mr.
J. Vandervort. of Laceyville, Pa.,
the inventor of the Vandervort
Foundation Machine, was present,
and exhibited some of the finest sheets
of foundation we ever saw. All present
agreed that a much larger yield of
surplus honey could be secured by the
use of foundation, than without it. It
was generally agreed by those who
had tried it, that the foundation for
the lower frames or brood cliamber,
should be secured by fastening with
fine wire drawn through the frames
several times from top to bottom.
These wires stiffened the frames and
kept them from sagging, a fault which
is quite common in unwired frames,
and results in the breaking down of
combs in hot weather. For the section
boxes, small triangular pieces of thin
foundation were recommended.
Different methods of wintering were
described by the members present,
and, as most of them had lost more or
less bees, it was agreed that no per-
fect method had been discovered yet.
Mr. George C. Green, of Factoryville,
who had lost a very small percentage
ror the past four years, advocated the
use of the chafiE hive, as also did
several others. There appeared to be
no professional queen breeders pres-
ent, but a few chapters from Mr.
Alley's new book on Queen Rearing
were read, and proved to be very in-
structive.
It was decided to make a Society
Exhibit at the next Lackawanna
County Fair, and we presume that
some fine specimens of the work of
the industrous little Insects, will be
exhibited.
Prizes for Honey.
Messrs. H. K. & F. B. Thurber
& Co., have issued the following Cir-
cular to bee-keepers :
First-class, uniform, well -packed
honey, always sells quicker and for
more money than honey of irregular
grades, and it is, therefore, important
for both dealers and producers to liave
honey marketed in the most desirable
form. To interest producers, and in-
duce them to attain this result, we
have decided to offer the following
prizes :
For One-Pound Sections.— For the
best average crop of white honey, put
up in one-pound sections, one first
prize, consisting of a set of Appleton's
Encyclopedia, 17 volumes ; value,
$85.00. For the second best, one sec-
ond prize, consisting of a complete
set of Chambers' Encyclopedia, 10
volumes ; value, $30 00.
For Two-Pound Sections. — For the
best average crop of wliite honey, put
up in two-pound sections, one first
prize, consisting of a set of Appleton's
Encyclopedia. For the second best,
one second prize, consisting of a com-
plete set of Chambers' Encyclopedia.
The requirement will be a uniform
grade of white honey, well fitted
around sides of sections, neatly capped
over, glass thoroughly glued to sec-
tions, and packed in clean, smooth,
neat crates, as well as sections.
Where parties do not send us their
crop, judgment will be rendered from
a sample of five (5) crates, accompa-
nied by an afiidavit of the producers
that it represents the fair average of
his crop, and for these we will pay the
New York market price for this grade
of honey. The judges are to be the
editor of the New York Bee and
Poultry Magazine, the secretary of the
Northeastern Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tit)n, Mr. P. H. Elwood, of Starkville,
N. Y., Mr. C. G. Dickinson, of South
Oxford, N. Y., Mr. W. L.Tennant,of
Schoharie. N. Y., and Mr. McCaul,
who has charge of our honey depart-
ment. This competition is to be open
to any bee-keeper in the United States
at Canada, and is to take place Octo-
ber 18, 19, and 20, 18S3.
t^ The Central Kansas Bee-Keep-
ers' Association will meet at Manhat-
tan, Kansas, on June 30, 1883.
Thos. Bassler, Sec.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
295
A WeU " Timed" Mark of Respect.
Mr. C. N. Abbott, who nine years
ago started the British Bee Jouinml,
was, in January, succeeded by the
Rev. Herbert R. Peel, as previously
stated in this paper. It is with pleas-
ure that we record the fact that the
bee-keepers of Great Britain have
presented hiui with a substantial
" souvenir," showing that they are not
unmindful of his labors In behalf of
progressive and scientific apiculture.
The British Bee Journal informs us
that " the testimonial took the form
of a handsome black marble dining
room clock, designed after the style
of the temple at the foot of the
Acropolis at Athens, with bronze has
relief figures representingpriests sacri-
ficing to Minerva. Affixed to it was
an inscription-plate stating that the
clock had been presented to Mr. Ab-
bott from a few well wishers and
friends, as a token of their apprecia-
tion of the services rendered to bee-
keeping by his establishment and edi-
torship, for upwards of nine years, of
the British Bee Journal. Also a
framed Illuminated Address on vel-
lum, with the names of the subscrib-
ers to the fund arranged in alphabeti-
cal order."
The Rev. Herbert R. Peel, his suc-
cessor, in the editorial chair, made
the presentation with the following
remarks :
"He had been informed that this
clock was called the 'Acropolis' clock,
and the Arcropolis was not very far
distant from Mount Hymettus. Mil-
ton is his 'Paradise Regained' says :
'There flowery hill Hymettus, with the sound
Of bees' industrious mummur oft invites
To studious musing.'
And he had been led to some
musings in connection with the classic
temple just referred to. Eighteen
centuries ago there stood under the
shadow of the Acropolis, a man striv-
ing to convert a city to the Christian
faith. This man had to contest
against a great mass of ignorance and
superstition ; and it had struck him
that Mr. Abbott stood out, to some
extent, as a similar example of a man
working liard and single-handed to
enlighten the ignorant and combat
superstition. Their zealous friend had
undertaken to teach the whole British
nation on the subject of bee-keeping
when he started the Journal. At the
commencement of this task he was
alone, as St. Paul had been. He had
a number of difficulties to contend
against, mostly those of apathy and
want of sympathy. Even after 6,000
copies of the Journal had been sown
broad-cast over the length and breadtli
of England, and .5,000 circulars dis-
tributed, only 200 subscribers came
forward to assist. This result was
quite enough to make any one despair.
However, Mr. Abbott did not yield to
the adverse wave, but fought on un-
flinchingly, and, after a considerable
time, had the satisfaction of seeing
his endeavors rewarded by the forma-
tion of the British Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation, and the establishment of
metropolitan shows, which have been
held, with one exception (in 1877), in
London annually, for several years
past."
"Mr. Abbott said that he felt some-
what embarrassed by the exceedingly
kind and flattering remarks of Mr.
Peel. All that gentleman had said of
his early experience in regard to the
cause they all felt so much interested
in, came back on his mind with double
force. There were difficulties, but
having put his hand to the work, he
determined to overcome them, feeling
sure that in a good cause, with truth
for his guide and honesty for his in-
tention, he was sure of at length win-
ning the support of the better class of
bee-keepers in the country.
"In selecting a clock for him, they
could not have chosen anything more
suitable for a presentation. He looked
upon a clock as he looked upon an
honest man, because if it be a good
clock, it always shows a face that one
is pleased to look on, that is, a face
that alwavs tells the truth. This
beautiful "time piece would be his
future companion, and whenever he
looked on it, his memory would recall
the excellent friends that he had made
by a consistent course of conduct
which he had always maintained in
the British Bee Journal.
"There was not a single motion in
the clock, but what was measured,
from the second to the minute, from
the minute to the hour, and from the
hour to the day ; and there was not in
the British Bee Journal a single mark
that flowed from his fingers, from the
letter to the word, and the word to
the sentence, but what was also meas-
ured, and measured by himself in the
hope that it would be understood and
appreciated as being strictly true, and
written for the honest purpose of
benefitting his fellow creatures.
"A clock, however, sometimes gets
wrong, owing to its machinery being
out of joint ; so also he feared there
must have occasionally been some
little things out of joint in his con-
duct of the British Bee Journal, of
which no one could be more sorry
than himself. He was proud to see so
many friends around, to welcome him
on the present occasion, because he
felt assured of their sympathy and
acquiesence in the honor which had
been done him that day. He could
but express his heartfelt gratitude for
their extreme kindness, which would
always live in his memory."
In commenting on this, the Bee and
Poultri/ Magazine, of New York, says
that it " shows American bee-keepers
how greatly the Europeans excel us
in their courtesy and kindly wishes
to those in the same profession. We
hope the day is not far distant when
American bee-keepers may feel to-
ward each other the same generous,
hearty good will." These are our
sentiments exactly. Nothing is so
disagreeable and disheartening, as the
jealousy and strife persistently in-
dulged in by a few bee-keepers and
conventions in this country, trying to
antagonistically array the East and
the West. Such should learn a lesson
from the above, and hereafter strive
only for harmony, unity and fraternity.
Southern Exposition at Louisville.
This Exposition, which commences
Aug. 1, promises to be of the greatest
importance to the South. Bee-keep-
ers should avail themselves of the
opportunity to have a grand Bee and
Honey Show there. Mr. Elias Thom-
asson, who lives at 101.5 H Avenue,
Louisville, Ky., writes us as follows,
on the subject :
Louisville is a city of 150,000 in-
habitants, but it has no depot for bee-
keepers' supplies. We would wel-
come a good man here, to meet the
wants of Kentucky and the whole
South, to supply everything needed
for the trade. He will meet a hearty
welcome.
Doubtless you have learned, by the
newspapers, of our proposed Exposi-
tion to commence the 1st of August
next, to last 100 days. The building,
covering 13 acres, is already far ad-
vanced, and will be ready to receive
goods, the 1.5th of .luly next, for exhi-
bition. Two New York City bands
get $3.5,000 for their services, and also
a $10,000 organ has been bought for
the occasion.
No man has made application for an
exhibit of apiarian supplies. Who
will come V Send to me and 1 will
forward the blanks necessary to make
application, by return mail. There is
no charge for exhibiting honey ; any
quantity of it; but I think $25 will be
charged if manufactured articles are
offered for sale, but that is not yet
positive, as the superintendent could
not give me an answer on his own re-
sponsibility.
Our people are expecting 1,000,000
of strangers to visit the Exposition,
and, I will add, 1,000 men, who keep
bees, in some sort of hives, will be
here. What a chancel Who will
take itV I am on crutches, but my
heart is very full.
^ The Bee-Keepers' Exchange has
again changed hands. Messrs. Col-
grove & UUery are now the publish-
ers.
And a change has been made In
the proprietorsliip of the Magazine. It
is now published by King & Aspin-
wall.
The American Bee Jouknal gives
friendly greetings to the new pub-
lishers all around.
296
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Kdr the American Bee JoumaL
Ventilation of Bee Cellars,
S. CORNEIL.
Mr. Allen Pringle's article, on page
167 of the Bee Jouunal, pretty fully
meets the requirements of " a rousing
article on how to ventilate a damp
cellar." He says it is scarcely practi-
cable to put in a sub-earth pipe after
the cellar is built, but I found no dif-
ticulty whatever. We just carried the
excavation up to the cellar wall, and
then broke a hole through for the
pipe. After the stones were again
ijuilt in, and the earth replaced, all
was close. If possible, sub-earth pipes
should be laid as much as 5 feet below
the surface, because it is said that at
that depth the thermometer ceases to
show the daily fluctuations of tem-
perature. The temperature is prob-
ably nearly .50^, which is said to be
the uniform temperature of springs of
water after running forj some dis-
tance under ground. It will be read-
ily seen how much easier a uniform
temperature can be maintained in a
cellar, the walls of which are sur-
rounded by soil, a little below 50^, than
in a room above ground whose walls
are exposed to strong winds and the
temperature constantly varying.
Mr. L. C. Root, who winters from
100 to 200 colonies with uniform suc-
cess, takes the supply of fresh air
from a warm room above. To do this
successfully there should be a strong
exhaust current from the cellar to the
stove pipes or chimnies above, and
the only opening forj the ingress of
air should be through the floor, as far
as possible from the point of egress.
The ventilation of repositories not
connected with artificial heat is often
very faulty. Air has weight, and it
requires force to lift or move it out of
an apartment in order tliat pure air
may take its place. Perfect ventila-
tion is never automatic. I think if
the particulars regarding Mr. Doolit-
tle's new wintering cellar, for in-
stance (see page 741 Bke Journal
for 1882), were submitted to a com-
petent engineer for an opinion, he
would be likely to say that under
some circumstances the current would
move in the desired direction, under
other circumstances there would be
nocurrfiitat all, and again, that the
current might flow in the opposite
direction from that desired. I have
long held the opinion that Mr. Doolit-
tle's bees were either killed or half
poisoned by their own breath, in his
old "mud hut." The idea has been
recently thrown out that while bees
are in their semi-torpid state, it is bet-
ter thiil the surrounding air should be
foul, because they will not live so fast,
and will come out younger in the
spring. I think this "i)osition is un-
tenable. It is true the respiration is
lower while they are apparently dor-
mant, but if supplied with pure air.
they will make the fewer respirations
per minute. They, at all times, con-
sume some food, and for the purpose
of combustion some oxygen is re-
quired. If the air only contains a re-
duced proportion of tliis, they will be
obliged to breathe faster to get the
necessary quantity, like the traveler
who said he had to drink a great deal
of water in order to get a little tea,
only in tlie case of the bees, the extra
q^uantityof foul air re-breathed is posi-
tively injurious. In regard to supply-
ing bees with pure air, it is like what
the squaw said about the whisky on
being remonstrated with for having
taken a little too much. Her reply
was that a little too much is just
enough. So with the bees, we need
not be afraid to give them, if possible,
a little too much pure air. The want
of an exhaust current in such cellars
as Mr. Doolittle's, may be very simply
remedied by placing a large lamp in
the pipe leading to the outer air.
Some of the best engineers recommend
using lamps or gas jets, as a make-
shift, to ventilate small apartments,
and I see by the report of the Board
of Health for Ontario, that such an
arrangement is used successfully for
ventilating a part of the General Hos-
pital at Toronto. Those who may de-
sire to get all the details will find
them in Gouge on Ventilation, pub-
lished by D. Van Nostrand, N. Y.
My observations on the condition of
the air in my cellar during the past
winter, have led me to the conclusion
that if we are to have the dampness
as well as the temperature under our
control, the sub-earth pipe must be of
a material which is impervious to
moisture. The pipe bringing air into
my cellar is of pine plank, having a
cross section of 36 square inches, and
running 140 feet through a wet soil.
I found that the air, as it entered the
cellar, was excessively moist when it
should have been comparatively dry,
on account of the increase of tempera-
ture as it passed through the pipe.
The relative humidity was generally
from 90- to 95^, but sometimes the air
was completely saturated as it en-
tered the cellar. For instance, on the
Sth of March, when the air outside
was 2- above zero, the air entered the
cellar at 30^, and was fully saturated
with vapor. N"ow, air at 2^ is capable
of containing nearly six-tenths of a
grain of vapor per cubic foot when
saturated, but the air outside was not
saturated, and consequently contained
less than that quantity. Saturated
air at 36 contains about 2>2 grains of
vapor per cubic foot. Therefore, in
passing through 140 feet of wooden
pipe, tlie air must have acquired at
least 2 grains of vapor per cubic foot.
Again, on the 8th of April, the air
outside was wai'mer than that in the
cellar, but the nights were still cold.
In the evening, as the temperature
was falling, I watched till the ther-
mometer outside and in the mouth of
the pipe in the cellar, showed exactly
the same temperature, 42^. The rel-
ative humidity should also have been
the same, but there was a difference
of 23^, the relative humidity outside
being 67'-', and that of the air as it en-
tered the cellar 90°.
My conclusion is that for sub-earth
ventilation, we require vitrified sewer
pipe securely cemented at the joints.
In this way only can we have damp-
ness under control and exclude foul
gasses. It is possible that with such
a pipe the air might be found to be
too dry. The exact degree of humid-
ity at which bees can be kept in a
cellar for six months in the best health
has, I believe, yet to be determined,
but until we have more information
on the point, I think it will be safest
to aim at about the average relative
humidity of summer ; in Ontario this
is 74-' of moisture out of a possible 100^.
Your readers may desire to know
how my bees wintered in such a moist
atmosphere. I am pleased to be able
to report that they did pretty well.
On the 3d of November last, I put in
65 colonies, and on the 16th of April,
I carried out 64 alive. One had
starved, three were weak, and another
has since been found to be queenless.
There was not a square foot of moldy
comb in the whole lot. There was a
little spotting in some of the hives,
but so little that it need not be taken
into account. When they were set
out, the discharges were not copious,
nor yellow and watery, but small and
dark colored. I had no swarming-out
or other troubles, although they were
set out promiscuously between seven
and nine o'clock in the morning.
Possibly some one will say that this
experience is rather against the
theory I have been advocating, that a
damp atmosphere is one of the main
causes of dysentery, but wait a little;
the above is only a partial statement
of the facts. Evaporation will take
place in an atmosphere having a rela-
tive humidity of 90- or 95°, provided
the air in contact with the evaporat-
ing surface is constantly changed.
The wash will dry in such an atmos-
phere it there is a wind. My bees
were in very moist air, but they had
very good ventilatiDii, and had the
means of keeping as warm as they
required to be. My cellar is small,
the cubical contents being only 660
feet, or when the hives are in, say 500
cubic feet of air. There are two ex-
haust pipes connected with stove pipes
above, changing the air very fre-
quently. Two colonies of bees in
closed-end Quinby frames were placed
side by side separated by a thin ve-
neer of wood, and these were tiered
up three in height.. The frames were
raised 2 inches above the bottom
boards, and one side of this space
was left open. The hives were cov-
ered with thick quilts of sheep's wool
over a " Hill's device." A peep under
these quilts at any time would find
the bees quiet, dry, snug and cosy.
On account of the heat being so well
conflned by the quilts and of the heat
from the adjoining cluster, many of
the colonies clustered out in the open
space between the bottom board and
the frames, the greater part of the
winter; some of them for 120 days.
Some bee-keepers would probably call
this " high pressure " as to the tem-
perature of the air in the cellar, but it
was not, for a thermometer placed
midway between the floor and ceiling,
averaged about 40^. Early in the
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
297
winter, in a few liives, tlie dead bees
began to drop from between the combs
to sucli an extent tliat soon the lieaps
reached to tlie frames, and these
heaps of dead bees were removed two
or three limes. If the frames had not
been raised, the ventilation of the
hives would have been effectually
stopped. The bees dying thus were
not distended, and showed no signs
of dysentery. I increased from .39 to
65 after the 1st of August, last season.
Possibly some of my bees were pre-
maturely old. I fed 1,02.5 pounds of
loaf sugar last fall, and did not dis-
criminate against combs containing
pollen. I thiifc my past winter's ex-
perince shows that bees may, with
very good ventilation, be wintered in
a very moist atmosphere, and that
they may be so " clotlied " as to clus-
ter out in an atmosphere at 40^. 1 at-
tribute my success to extremely good
ventilation. I lost extensively in the
same cellar during a previous winter
through want of ventilation. I may
give the particulars at a future time.
Lindsay, Ont.. May 12, 1883.
Errata— In the 12th line from the top ot the
second column, puce 2ixi, there should be ji minus
slpn before 'S^. The want of it mnltes an error of
16''. Then the fliiures 54-f and Jljii, a little further
on, are made a thousand times too ^reat by the
omission of a del itoal point before the tlrstrj, in
the drst case, and tlio snhslitution of a comma for
a decimal point, bctwot'ti the Qr-t'2 and the 1, in
the second case. There are other typographical
errors of minor importance. S. C.
Read before the Western Maine Convention.
Bee Pasturage in Maine.
DR. J. A. MORTON.
I do not know much of this shrub
•which is referred to by Mr. Alley in
his lately published " Bee-Keepers'
Handy Book," unless it is our com-
mon white alder, found growing wild
so plentifully on low lands. If it is,
yon are all familiar with it. It is a
clean little tree, bearing an abund-
ance of bright red berries, of a swfeet-
ish, bitter taste. I do not know about
its nower, but think you had better
take observation of it this season, and
govern yourself in regard to it, as it
proves itself pleasant to the bees. It
would make a good hedge row.
The basswood, or American linden,
is the most important honey-yielding
tree in the whole State. It is well
known to all bee men, and I only
call attention to it, for the purpose of
urging you to stop cutting it for tim-
ber at any price. Let something else
take its place in the lumber yard, and
keep it growing for the bees ; also
propagate it by setting out trees in
low places, and along the numerous
little streams in pastures, and along
streets and roadsides and by fences,
and even in woods where the growth
is scattering, or the ground is cum-
bered by dwarfed spruces or other
evergreens. Where nothing but trees
can grow there set the basswood. The
locust mingled with it or in close
loxmity. on woody pastures, on the
more barren ridges and sandy knolls,
will grow quite fast, and soon bear
flowers and become valuable for
timber.
In the last part of the honey season
the wild bloom is quite plenty and
useful. Fireweed on the meadows
and river banks ; and goldenrod on
the dry, worn out sandy plains, in
lields and pastures where nothing else
will grow, are quite good honey plants
and help out the bees nicely— still I
am not very partial to them, for no
stock eats them, and they are only
useful for their honey, and the syrup
from granulated sugar is as good if
not better for wintering, but in this
matter let every man suit himself.
The wild aster and frostweed are tlie
last honey plants of the year, if we
accept sweet clover and motherwort,
which last from the first flowering till
the severest frosts kill them down.
Motherwort, catnip and some few
others are good weeds to sow in waste
places not tit for other flowers, but
they should be sown in considerable
quantities to be of any benefit. A
little patch of these plants are an in-
.jury because the bees are quite fond
of them, and are diverted from a
larger extent of other flowers not so
pleasant to them but yielding much
more honey, and more profitable to
the bee master.
To those different trees, shrubs and
plants, you can add such as you find
by experience good for the purposes
intended. Buckwheat is a good grain
for feeding, and generally pays for
cultivation in its yield, but is quite
uncertain for honey. To some it will
be profitable to raise, to others it may
not. Try it. if you like.
I wish now, having mentioned in
detail the leading honey plants of our
State, to give a rational, easy and
economical method of renovating any
of these exhausted and worn out
lands to which I have called attention,
which will enhance their value year
by year, and at the same time give
you a fair percentage on the invest-
ment by an immediate return in the
increased production of lioney. If
you are the fortunate or unfortunate,
Just as you may please to think it,
owner of such property, not worth the
trouble of repairing the fences every
spring, for what it will produce
through the summer, and, perhaps,
turned out to common, go and " sur-
vey the landscape o'er " and decide
that you will do something for the
cause of agriculture and apiculture,
for they go hand in hand in this en-
terprise.
If you have several pastures take
the one nearest to the bees, first. If
quite small, and you can possibly do
so, exclude all stock from it for a year
at least:. If it is large and you cannot
lose the use of the whole of it for the
season, partition off a part of it by
fencing in more or less, but as much
as you can ; and by using the loose
rocks for this piu'pose, you gain two
points, you have a substantial fence
and get rid of the rocks. It pays to
snug up rocks in pastures as well as in
fields. Should there not be rocks
which can be easily handled in suf-
ficient quantities to complete this
fence, finish it with the scattering
spruces, firs, and other stunted ever-
greens within the enlosed part, whicli
are only a damage, as they only poison
the laiid for grass. Stumps and logs
can be used for this purpose also.
Now go over it and cut every stunted
evergreen from them — for nothing
will grow under the shadow of such
trees— dig up root and branch, run-
ning junipers, sweet ferns, hard
hacks, brakes and all ; removing
stumps if convenient, and either pile
up in small heaps to burn ; or what
is better, leave them to decay on the
groundj for a cord of rich rubbish left
to rot, fertilizes ten times as much as
its ashes after being burned. Should
there be scattering red or rock maples,
elms, willows or other trees produc-
ing nectar bearing flowers, especially
basswood or locusts, by all means let
them stand, and if they are not in
sutticient quantity, draw on the woods
or other sources for enough to fill the
complement. Or, if the soil is suit-
able, and sheep are to occupy the
land, it would be a more excellent
plan to set native grown apple trees
of the hardy winter varieties, and in
a few years, by a little extra pains,
you will have a nice young orchard.
None of these trees need be set in a
regular line or order, but single or in
clumps in very rocky spots or places
where the grass will not grow or is in-
accessible to the stock. Of course, be-
fore setting these trees the land must
be plowed, if it can be done even
poorly, and smoothed off, with some
dressing, the more the better, such as
stable manure or muck, or ashes, or
even plaster will help it some, but be
as generous as you can, and you will
never regret it.
Having got the land all ready for
the seed, be liberal with that also, for
you can well afford it, and, if you wish
to make the bees happy, sow from
5 to 10 pounds of sweet clover to the
acre, or its equivalent of White Dutch
or Alsike. I should prefer to have
them sown separately, but you may
like to mix them— do as you please
about this. To ttiese clovers you may
add the seeds of good pasture grasses,
if you wish to favor the stock which
is to occupy the pasture, rather than
the bees; but remember one thing,
herds grass is not good for this pur-
pose, the cattle soon kill it out.
Now, perhaps, some will say it is
too late to do all this when there is
scarcely time to set in the regular
crops. That is all true ; but try to get
in an acre or two of sweet clover, or
White Dutch, or Alsike, and make the
bees happy, and you can leave the
balance of the pasture to work on by
odd jobs through the whole season,
and, by fall, you will be all ready to
sow the seed, or at least by early
spring. But in that case the cattle
must be kept out next year instead of
this. All I have said of the small
pastures will apply equally to the
large, whether mostly clear of woods
or partly in forest growth ; but let the
forest be divided off from the cleared
portion as much as it can be, for
woods are not good pastures, except-
ing basswood tor bees, the grasses
and tender plants will not grow there,
particularly is this true of evergreen
woods. All worn-out pastures, old
orchards and mowing fields, may be
treated in the manner above indicated
with variations to suit each particular
case, only be free with the manure
298
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
cai t, and do not draw on the bank till
line or two years' interest has accrued,
and do not let tlie cattle in during
spring and fall. Perhaps some may
wish to try buckwheat in order to get
immediate returns for their outlay,
and because they can sow it later in
the season than clover. There is no
objection to this, if they plow it under
after the bees have worked it, or let
lay on the gromid aud decay. But
the latter plan is liable to the danger
of the ripened grain re-seeding the
ground ;ind coming up next year and
clioking the clover out. This will not
pay. If turned under, the ground
must be smoothed off and well seeded
with the clover, and will need a little
fiue dressing, ashes, plaster or phos-
pliate as a starter.
But some will say : " This is alto-
gether too expensive ; no man can
afford to go over his pastures in tliis
way; it would cost a fortune." I
think no man can afford to let his
pastures go on as they have for the
last oO or 100 years. As the man said
in the storm at sea, " something has
got to be done." One great disadvan-
tage of the pre.sent condition of pas-
tures is this : There is no fence be-
tween forests and cleared land, or
what is usually denominated cleared
land, and the stock drop most of their
mainu-e in these woods or along the
little streams in out of the way places,
and it is lost for fertilizing purposes.
If these fences were put up, they
would be kept in the best grazing, and
leave the dressing where it would do
the most good. The growing forest
would not be fed down, and the
suioother places would be enriched,
and, perhaps, by a little attention in
keeping down shrubs and weeds, the
forage would be sweet and tender.
But there is a cheaper method,
though it is not so thorough, and I
(hiubt whether it would be much
cheaper in the end. That is, to go
over tlie pasture by odd jobs, and with
a heavy, rough harrow, tear up the
knolls or shave tliem off with a plow,
throwing the turf bottom up over
some rocky hollow, tear up any roots,
St umps or spots of moss ; rake up the
leaves, cut stunted trees close to the
around, scatter the seed and fertilizer,
aud as you go on so. it will be done as
far as you go. This will give you a
chance, durius the year, to do a great
deal, but the cattle will injure it if it
is in the open pasture, and they are
let in there. Still another method is
to fence off half, or a part of the field,
and let the cattle have that and fence
in a corresponding breadth of some
pasture most convenient and appro-
Ijriate. and work it for crops, allowing
a liberal supply of manure. If not too
far from the house, build cheap hog
pens, and put half a dozen shoats in a
small yard connected with it— plant
beets, sow peas, turnips and some
fodder corn, and feed tliem in the yard
supplying them plentifully with leaves
tor a nest, and muck if it can be got.
This will give you more dressing riglit
'Ml the ground, and save hauling so
sii far. Or a flock of sheep can take
the place of hogs if thought best,
but whatever stock is put there it
must be fed extra besides what is
grown upon the land. Many advise
putting sheep into a run-down pas-
ture to fetch it up, there is surely
some conceivable argument in favor
of this, that is the supposition they
will forage on the woods and leave
their droppings on the cleared parts,
which is contrary to the facts. 1
think they will be more likely to re-
verse thething— feed down what little
grass they can find in the green places
and clefts of the rocks early in the
morning, and return to the woods to
digest and discharge it. Any man
who puts a flock of sheep into such a
pasture, will be convinced in a few
years of the truth of the adage from
nothing, nothing comes, and find him-
self in position of the boy who went
whaling. At the end of three years
the captain settled thus with him :
" O's an 0, and 2's a 2 ; not a cent com-
ing to you.
I will ask you to closely observe
through the season, in regard to the
various plants and trees named to
you, as to their time of flowering, the
preference of the bees for them, the
amount of honey and its quality, so far
as you can, from the different species,
and carefully note all down that you
may correct any misstatements I have
made, and have a more accurate
knowledge in the future. This plan
will tend to make us all more observ-
ing and more successful in our fasci-
nating employment. Above all let
us keep one fixed rule constantly in
mind, never to be so selfish as to hide
any light we may have. Let us con-
sta'ntly seek more light and knowl-
edge, and be as ready to impart it to
our bee-keeping brothers, as we are to
ask it of them. The most humble
member of our fraternity may, by
honest endeavor, become the most
useful or us all, a bright and shining
light in the firmament of the apiarists.
That we all strive earnestly, honestly,
and unselfishly in this cause is my
earnest wish.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Frost Bitten Bees.
W. H. SHIRLEY.
A queer heading for an article on
bees I hear some one saying. Wait !
let me explain a little. Stimulative
feeding in the spring to induce rapid
breeding, is, I believe, advocated in
all bee books and by many writers.
That idea cost me quite a little item,
in the way of dead brood, 5 years ago.
The same thing occuring again this
morning (on a smaller scale— one hive
only), put me in mind of old times.
I always winter the bees out of
doors, with chaff protection ; I have
found it the best, so far. I unpack
them generally from April 20 to May
10. I have unpacked only 14 this year.
At the time of this writing, 4 years
ago, we unpacked them earlv. Bees
were in good condition, except that
quite a number lacked stores. Here
was a chance to try stimulative feed-
ng. As the w'eather was warm
.about 50- most of the time), things
moved oil nicely ; and brood-rearing
increased rapidly. We were having I
visions of early swarms, and liad al-
ready divided 5 colonies (dividing for
increase, and I have quarreled since
that time too). But, alas! the mer-
cury dropped down to freezing; and
2 or ,S frosts followed. The bees had
to contract their cluster in order to
keep warm. All around them were
patches of dead brood ; enough to
double their numbers.
Stimulative feeding, and I had a
quarrel then and there, and never
made up, until this spring. Our new
way of wintering gives a chance to
examine the bees often, with little
trouble. We could fe»d them when
the mercury was down to freezing,
with ease, and thought we would try
stimulative feeding again. Success
crowned our second trial, except the
one colony spoken of above. On the
ISth, we commenced to unpack, as the
weather was promising ; on the 21st
the mercury went down to tlie freez-
ing point again, and the old story of
dead brood in one hive, prompted us
to write our little experience in stim-
ulative spring feeding.
The bees in the one colony becom-
ing discouraged, killed their queen,
thinking, perhaps, that a young queen
would bring warm weather and a
" honej; shower."
I am in favor of stimulative feeding
now, but I want protection from sud-
den changes in the weather.
Glenwood, Mich., May 22, 1883.
Mahoning Valley, 0., Convention.
The quarterly meeting of the Ma-
honing Valley Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion was held at Berlin, May 28.
The attendance was good, the dis-
play of apiarian appliances first-class,
and the basket picnic dinner was en-
joyed by all.
The forenoon session was called to
order by the president, Mr. Laundus
Carson. The minutes of last meet-
ing were approved. The chair ap-
pointed the following committee on
apiarian fixtures on exhibition : Mr.
Page, Mr. Hall and Mr. H. A. Simons.
One of the most interesting features
was the question box.
" Is it possible for an Italian queen
to fertilize by a black drone? Mr.
Carson said, " I believe that all the
different breeds of bees will mix more
or less."
" What is the cause of my queens
getting balled at the entrance of the
hive y I lost several this spring ; I
found them dead on the floor of the
hive." Mr. Simons thonghtit a weak
colony, virtually starved out. Mr.
Carson said, " I got some queens of
Mr. -Heddon. and lost some of them
by getting balled. By a close" exami-
nation I found them with insufticient
food." Mr. Hall said, " It only hap-
pens in weak colonies where they
have more brood then they can sup-
port."
" What is the cause of spring dwind-
ling y" Mr. Carson said, " the Italian
bees are more venturesome in cold
weather, and perish by cold." Mr.
Simon said. '• the black bees, with me,
are more venturesome than the Ital-
ians."
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
299
" Will h.uulling bees in the spring
niateriiilly injure them V" It was
thought to be a matter of how rough
they were handled.
"Will bees swarm in the spring if
they have plenty of honey ?" It was
thought they would when the liives
became full of young bees.
Mr. Simon said, " he thought one
cause of dwindling was a lack of
young bees to take the place of the old
ones in the spring, and would advise
breeding as late as possible in the
fall. I winter out of doors. I use as
young queens as possible for late fall
lireeding. After the bloom is gone, I
feed melted sugar in the hives. This
spring 1 noticed a dwindling of my
bees ; the cause being the lack of
young bees."
Mr. Kinney said, ■' I have had
queens whiolilaid eggs and tlie work-
ers destroyed them. What is the
cause y
" Are Italian bees longer lived than
the black bees V" Mr. Carson said,
" I do not know. It is a fact that the
black bees are short lived in the
spring."
" What sized frames would you ad-
vise to get the most lioney from, long
or short frames V" There was a dif-
ference of opinion. Mr. Simon used
the long frame, and thinks it prefer-
able. 'Mr. Carson uses the Union
frame, and is well pleased with it.
" The best way to preserve empty
combs'?" Mr. Carson said, " I clean
out my hives and hang them in such
a way"that mice cannot get at tliem."
Mr. Simon said, " I keep mine in
my liive. under a shed, when it is
cool." Mr. Carson said, " if worms
get into them, fumigate with brim-
stone, not too strong."
" Will the drones produced by fer-
tile workers on virgin queens perform
the office of drones V" Mr. Simon
said " I prefer young queens fertilized
by a good drone.
" How is the best way to get rid of
fertile worker bees ?" Mr. said,
"I unite them with a good strong
nucleus. Mr. Simon said, " I take the
liives that have fertile workers and
shake them on the ground, and the
fertile workers never crawl back."
" Will it pay to put on sections for
the bees to draw out foundations for
apple bloom V" Mr. Hall said, "yes."
Mr. Winnery thought that if the body
of the hives is full of honev it would
pay.
'■ Which is the most profitable to
produce, comb or extracted honey?"
Mr. Carson said, "extracted."
"Do you prefer drones from the
parent colony for a cross V" I think
it would be preferable.
" A queen from a pure Italian
mother, that meets with a black
drone, what will her drones be ?" Mr.
Page said, "tliey are his best work-
ers, and are, as a general thing, less
quarrelsome." Mr. Hall says, " I
wish to breed from the best, let tlie
breed be what it may. I should cross
with those drones whose record is
good."
" Do bees ever swarm on apple
bloom ?" Mr. W. said, " I have
known of such instances, but do not
think it advisable." Mr. H. said, "I
would build up weak colonies by giv-
ing tliem a few sections of brood."
Committee report : We lind placed
on exhilaition tlie following : Mr.
Eadler, a novice extractor, also a new
hive which attracted considerable at-
tention. Mr. George King, a Sim-
plicity hive. Mr. L. Carson, a Union
iiive, a combination of several.
The matter of where and when to
hold our next meeting came up for
action. It was the inianiraous voice
of the meeting to hold our meetings
at different points in the Mahoning
Valley.
Adjourned to meet at Newton Falls
on the third Saturday of August, 1883.
E. W. TUBNER, Sec.
For the American Bee JournaL
Shall Separators be Used ?
F. I. SAGE.
I noticed by the Bee Journal
(page 263) that Mr. T. E. Turner con-
fesses that he is becoming "so in-
sane " as to dispense with the use of
separators. I consider it pretty good
evidence that he has become insane
on this subject, and as he admits it,
we will take it for granted that such
is a fact. But, really, I hope he v»ill
not induce New York State bee-keep-
ers to adopt this plan of securing sur-
plus honey. The bee-keepers of New
Tork have the reputation of securing
their comb honey in the very best
shape for market, and all use separa-
tors, except, perhaps, a few who are
away behind the times. Of the 50 tons
of York State comb honey I have hand-
led during the past season, not a sin-
gle lot have I bought except where
separators have been used ; nor would
I buy any such, unless at a discount.
Every pound of honey I buy must be
secured by the use of separators, and
every section must be glassed, except
the small amount of one-pound sec-
tions I use — those should not be
glassed.
Mr. Turner says glassing sections
are too expensive to the producer ;
this remark will make some of our
York State producers " smile." I al-
ways supposed this glassing was the
most profitable part of bee-keeping ;
to be sure, it is some work to glass
sections enough to nse up one or two
tons of glass, but I guess the bee-
keeper works many hours for less pay
then he gets for glassing his honey.
We know it is nonsense to say it does
not pay the producer to glass his
honey, but whether it does pay or not,
our more-advanced bee-keepers, those
that get their honey in the most de-
sirable shape and secure the highest
price, know it must be glassed for our
Eastern trade. I have had Michigan,
Illinois and Missouri honey, which
was secured without the use of sep-
arators, and hence, could not be
glassed, but I want no more of it.
Although the quality was all right,
the style of putting it up was not sat-
isfactory to the consumer, the mer-
chant, or the honey dealer. I could
go on, and lengthen out this article,
by giving various reasons why this is
so, with our Eastern trade, but take
it for granted that New York State
bee-keepers are too shrewd, and too
far advanced in their profession, ta
dispense with the use of separators
and glass, in order to secure their
honey in the most remarkable antl
profitable shape.
WethersHeld, Conn., May 28, 1883.
Read before Central Michigan Convention.
Cellar vs. the Chaff Hive-
J. T. MATTHEWS.
Among the many ways of winter^
ing bees, which are adopted generally
by the people of this country, but two
are wortliy of notice. These are
" cellar wintering," and "chaff hive
wintering," the other, leaving the bees
out of doors, to " come through " as
best they may, is not worthy of men-
tion, for the simple reason that it does
not pay.
We have then a single hand-to-hand
combat— cellar vs. chaff hive. The
question we are trying to decide is,
" How to winter bees the cheapest,
and have them come out healthy and
ready for work in the spring."
"Things seen are mightier than things
heard." I can do no better than to
give a retrospective view of some
things brought to my notice within
the past year, at the College apiary.
On the 5th of last October, we com-
pleted our preparation of the bees for-
winter. We had 17 colonies of Syr-
ians put up for winter as described
by Prof. A. J. Cook, each colony oc-
cupying 8 combs of honey, or about 1
cubic foot of space; each colony had
about 30 pounds of honey, and from
all hives, except one, pollen was care-
fully excluded, in looking them over.
All hives alike had a sack, made for
the purpose, filled with very dry saw-
dust over them, to absorb moisture
from the hive and to assist in keeping
out the cold in the fall and spring.
Four were chaff hives to be left out of
doors through the winter, and these,
in addition to the sacks before re-
ferred to, had sacks extending so as
to fill the entire space between the
division-board and the end of the
hive, thus surrounding the bees on
all sides by cushions of chaff. The
bottoms were protected by keeping
the snow banked under them. Our
chaff hives were complete.
On the 14th of November, all the
hives were carefully weighed, and the
weight of each set opposite to its re-
spective number. On the same day,
ten of our commoii hives {i.e. single-
walled hives holding 18 frames) and
three chaff hives were carefully re-
moved to the cellar. The object of
chaff hives in the cellar was to test
chaff hives on an equal footing with
single-walled liives, to see the effect
upon "spring dwindling." The tem-
perature of the cellar, for the winter,
ranged from 38= to 42= F. Of the
temperature outside you can judge for
yourself; suffice it to say it was very
cold.
On the 5th of April we returned to
our old friends, after an absence of
142 days, and find them as familiar
as ever. To complete our expert-
300
I'HE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
tnent, we commenced by weighing the
outdoor chaff hives (four in nuinber),
and found an aggregate loss of 08
pounds, or an average loss of H^i
i)ounds to the colony. One colony
was dead, and, as one standing by re-
marked, they died •' in the midst of
plenty," for they were dead, clustered
■on frames at one end of the hive, and
the honey was gone from those
frames, but the frames at the other
Bnd of tlie hive had plenty of honey.
The theory is tliat they became so
cold that they could not change their
cluster, and they froze to deatli.
The 13 colonies came from the cel-
lar with a loss of but 56 pounds, or an
average of 4'^^ pounds to the colony.
The greatest amount of loss, in any
colony in normal conditions, in the
cellar, was 6 pounds, and the least
amount, 1 pound.
One colony, which was put up for
the cellar with the usual amount (30
pounds) of honey, was found dead,
and their honey entirely gone, the
Weight showing a loss of only 10
pounds. We cannot account for "this,
except to say that they must have
been robbed last fall, after giving
them their winter supply of honey,
before removing them to "the cellar in
November.
The colony in which the pollen was
left had very badly dwindled. Their
queen being dead, they were united
with another colony. Tlie colonies
wintered in the cellar, with two ex-
ceptions, (the one containing pollen
and the one supposed to have been
robbed in October), show very little
loss in numbers, by the dead bees
found in the hives. In fact, in look-
ing them over, we Hud many of them
apparently as strong as they were last
October, while those wintered in
chaff hives out of doors (judging from
the same source of information) are
very weak indeed.
On,examining the bees, a few days
after removing them for the cellar
(April 7), we hhd eggs in nearly everv
hive, showing that they are in first-
class condition, and will have a full
force ready for work when the flowers
come ; and we think from the general
appearance of the bees, that (leaving
out the two principal points in favor
of cellar wintering : namely, safety
and amount of honey consumed dur-
ing the winter) the bees which have
been wintered in the cellar, are in
better condition to go to work this
spring, than tliose wintered in chaff
hives.
We often hear the objection raised
to cellars that they leave the bees in
poor condition to stand the changes
of spring, but we candidly believe
that the fault is rather to be found
with the condition of the cellar or the
method of treatment in the spring,
than with the method of preparing
for wintering.
We would conclude then by saying
that cellar wintering seems to us to be,
at least, the most economic way to
winter bees. We believe it, for three
reasons : First, it is safer ; secondly,
it saves honey ; and third, it leaves
the bees in better condition in the
spring.
Michigan Agricultural College.
For the American 15ee JuumaU
Old and New Rhymes.
EUGENE SECOK.
A swarm of bees in May. is worth a ton of hay.
A swarm of bees in June, is worth a silver spoon.
A swarm of bees in July, is'nt worth a tiy.
That's the way the rhyme ran, in
the days of our "boyhood, among the
hills of eastern New York. These old
sayings, like some of the weatlier-wise
prophecies of a later period, may be of
more value in the region where they
originated, than when transplanted
into this continental prairie soil. At
least I thought so, the otiier day, when
the first swarm of bees issued in May.
A ton of hay is worth, in this land
of plenty, about S2.50, while an early
swarm of bees ought to yield as much
profit as a cow worth S30. The latter
part of the '• saw " is as far from the
truth as the first. A swarm in July
will often fill its hive in 2 weeks, and
store a large surplus for its proprietor.
August swarms, which did not elicit
even a passing notice from the ancient
rhymer, will make a hive feel like a
chunk of lead when you attempt to
move it in the fall. I think in some
cases a September swarm might gather
honey enough to winter on.
We need a revised edition of those
old "sayings," to meet tlie new con-
ditions of things— at least here in
Iowa. If I could grind out rhymes,
I would attempt the work myself. I
would make it read something like
this :
A swarm of bees In May is a "hip, hip, hooraa!"—
iin lowal.
A swarm of bees in June, is in the same tune,—
(in lowal.
A swarm of bees in July,] you nced'nt be afraid to
try,— (in Iowa).
An August swarm, as the weather is warm,
Is all O. K.— don't fool it away,— (in Iowa).
A swarm of bees in September is rare.
But even that can be saved with care,- (in Iowa).
AVarm weather has been slow in
coming this spring. Only on a very
tew days has the thermometer indica-
ted above 60-'. There has been no
frost to damage fruit in this part of
the State. Everything is coming along
■finely, except corn, wtiich was planted
late. We have had an abundance of
fruit bloom, and white clover is just
beginning to blossom. We anticipate
a prosperous year.
I'orest City, Iowa, June 2, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal-
Italian and. Hybrid Bees.
J. O. SHEARMAN.
On page 2.36, of the Bee Journal,
I notice Mr. Hutchinson's question in
regard to best hybrids, etc. That re-
minds me of some of my own experi-
ence, which, I think, it would worth
while to make known, at this time, as
it may throw a little more light on the
subject under inquiry. Some may in-
cline to ridicule " Heddon's hybrids "
as being no better than all others, but
there certainly is a great difference in
hybrid bees.
When I lirst started in keeping bees
as a business, I used to wonder at so
many people (and those wtio seemed
to be posted, too) wlio spoke and
wrote about the black bees being so
much crosser than Italians, while I
had large brown bees (called blacks)
that were so quiet and easily handled
that I opened the hives without
smoker or protection of any sort, and
when I got mv first Italians, I found
they were quicker in their movements,
and more liable to sting upon sliglit
provocation than those I had before.
These brown bees were excellent
breeders and workers also. 1 in-
creased one colony to five, and had a
fair surplus too, from four of them.
But two years ago this spring I
found out the difference between
brown and black bees. We all have
in mind that severe winter and spring.
I lost over 60 colonies, and to help fill
up my empty combs, soon enough to
be able to obtain some surplus, I
bought 20 colonies (19 of them tjlacks),
and they u-ere black too, black as an
old boot, and as cross as a setting hen.
I left them at a neighbor's, IJ^ miles
away from home, so as not to mix
with my Italians. I then Italianized
what I did not tradeoff. 1' ears pre-
viously I had tried different strains of
Italians, mostly light ones, but they
would swarm when I tried to crowd
them into the honey boxes, while my
old brown bees would fill a set of
boxes, then notify me they wanted
more room, and take what I gave
them in a contented sort of a way,
and " stick to their knitting." Well,
in looking over the papers one spring,
I noticed that Heddon had been Ital-
ianized, so I sent to him for a colony
of dark Italians, requesting him to
send me one of the old queens he had
received from Mr. Oatman.if he had
them booked, and I believe he sent it,
for though she did her work com-
pletely that season, she played out the
next ; but not until she had supplied
me with a race of bees that excelled
anything I had yet tried, for they
would go up freely into the boxes and
did generally fill all, or nearly all the
room I gave them, before swarming,
unless crowded in the brood-cham-
ber. And, I could put off swarming
by giving more room in the body of
the hive, at the same time giving
more surplus room, in the same way I
had previously practiced with my
brown bees.
Kow, I come to the hybrid point of
the matter. I crossed some of the
young queens with the drones of the
brown bees, and they produced such
good bees for work, that I have never
got rid of them all yet. Some of the
best of those dark Italians survived
the hard winter of two years ago, and
I was able to run part of them through
last season even, without swarming
at all, with a good surplus, and they
were always strong in bees.
My hobby has been, and is, to run
for surplus, without much increase,
to avoid the impression that these
bees would not breed fast enough for
profit. I will state that I had one of
them (two years ago) fill two sets of
brood comb, at the same time keeping
both well supplied with brood ; but I
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
301
consider that bad practice, as a queen
soon wears out with such manage-
ment.
In this connection (though off of tlie
subject) I will say that I am con-
vinced I have had a queen do good
business through a whole season when
she was 5 years old.
Last year (1882) I had several colo-
nies of those first-class hybrids (Ital-
ian queens fertilized by brown drones),
and they fairly took the lead of any-
thing I had, for surplus, and breed-
ing at the same time. They had 11
brood frames, 8x20 inches, and 75
pounds of surplus room in the height
of the season, and all full of bees and
work.
Kew Richmond, Mich.
*<i^hat and Boiiu
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Use of a Honey Board.
Mr. Heddon : in tiering up cases, in
your hive, do you use a honey board
between the first and second cases V
Please answer in the Bee Journal.
R. M. Denham.
St. Clairsville, O.
Answer.— We do not. There is no
need of any there. Between the brood
frames and first case is the place
where bracing and consequent daub-
ing occurs.
Honey Register.
Mr. Heddon : please explain how
to use your honey register.
Ireneus M. Foote.
Creston, Iowa.
Answer.— The following represents
our surplus honey register, and it
saves us more than $25 worth of time
annually.
29 30 31 1 2 3 4 Renewed.
28 5
27 6
26 7
25 * 8 3-4 * 1-4
24 9
23 10
22 11
21 12
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 1-2
The dial plan was taken from the
Root queen register. We drive a pin
into each of the stars just over the
tapering part, or about }>i inch. Use
the cheap, soft, No. 2 pins, which cost
5 cents per paper ; they are better
than the higher priced pins. To
drive them straight, we use a little
square block, with a crease cut square
across it, which the pin lays in wiiile
being driven. Now, bend the pinto
a right angle, and a dial is formed.
We use two styles of paper, one of
thin white writing, which we paste
on the north back corner of the su-
per, and one of manila straw-colored
tag board, which we tack on. I use
and prefer the paste plan. Now, sup-
pose you put on a case or super, either
for comb or extracting. If you do so
on June 2, put the left hand pin at
"2," the right hand at " R," in the
word " Renewed." Now, if you look
at this super to see how business is
developing, and find no commence-
ment made on June 6, set the left
pin at " 6," and the right one at " D."
" R " and " D " both denote an empty
super, but " R," that it has not been
examined since put on ; " D," that it
has one or more times.
On the " 12 " you find it M ^"11 ; P"t
the left pin at " 12 " and right one at
" M-" If ^3 Ijetween " U " and "J^,"
and thus for any proportion your eye
tells you is correct, from just started
to nearly finished. With our tiering
up system, we use one on every case,
and you see we can tell just how mat-
ters stand, and just where an hour's
work is needed at once.
We need no month dial, as he whose
memory is a month " off," should not
try to manage an apiary. We know
just how practical and useful these
registers are, by how we chafe when
we come to one that we made the error
of not tagging with the register.
Our style of arranging the figures
in the dial is much better than Mr.
Root's ; the square form with all the
figures upright, shows off at a glance
a long way off.
lost but one colony since they were
set out, and that was deserted when I
was away. Bees are in line condition,
for quite a large number of them are
preparing to swarm, and, if the
weather should be favorable for a
week, general swarming may be
looked for. There is every prospect
for a large crop of lioney, in this lo-
cality, to those that have bees ; for the
fields are covered with clover, which
will begin to bloom about the middle
of this month. I5asswood is budding
as full as I ever saw it, and, with fa-
vorable weather, bees must have a
lively time. It has been exceedingly
wet ever since the snow disappeared
in this locality, until the last 4 days,
which have been warm and pleasant.
Ira Barber.
De Kalb June, N. Y., June 4, 1883.
Cheering News from Kentucky.
Our Convention on the 2d inst., was
a grand success — a tine turn-out of
practical bee men. Our white clover
harvest is immense, and the largest
crop of honey will be gathered in Ken-
tucky that we ever harvested ; the
clover fields look as white as snow,
and bee men are worked down, and
are in clover. N. F. Allen.
Smith's Grove, Ky., June 4, 1883.
Bees and the White Clover.
We have rather abad season for our
pets; cold and raining some now.
Near me, we have a great crop of
white clover, but hardly a bee have I
seen on it. Dr. N. P. Allen says, in
the last Bee Journal, that the bees
are working on white clover in his
neighborhood. 1 walked through a
large field of beautiful clover, and I
saw only two or three bees on it. We
have fields literally white with it ; and
near us hundreds of acres of it. I
have had only one swarm as yet, and
that went back to the parent hive.
G. W. ASHBY.
Valley Station, Ky., June 3, 1883.
Texas Honey Crop.
The honey crop in this district
promises badly. So far, there is little
or none coming in, and colonies are
dwindling very much. I have been
feeding rhine, and am doing so now ;
and, instead of dividing, it becomes a
question of uniting weak colonies.
With no honey coming in, queens stop
laying, and colonies are fast getting
in such a condition that, if there was
to come a honey flow, the bees could
not fairly gather it. Last year there
was a good crop ; this year appears to
be an " off year." R. J. Kendall.
Austin, Texas, June 3, 1883.
Honey Prospect in New York.
Up to this date bees have had a
cold, windy spring; and where they
were not in good condition wlien set
out, they have " gone up." I have
Cross Bees.
Why are my Italian bees so very
cross this spring ? One colony gave a
swarm on the 9th of this month, which
went back to the old stand without
clustering. The weather set in cold
and rainy, and they did not come out
again until the 17th, They clustered
on a little willow, close to the ground,
so that I could not saw it off. I set
the liive close up to the cluster, and
took a turkey wing and commenced
to brush them on the alighting board.
I had only made one stroke of the
brush, when about a quart went into
the liive, and about two quarts into
my face and hair. You may judge
the result ; as many stun" me as could
gef a chance. A neighbor of mine
had been wantiug for several days to
see the bees swarm, as it was a new
thing to him. He was standing close
by—they made a dive for him, and
gave him a fearful stinging ; he had a
little dog with him, and the bees gave
them both a fight. My neighbor ran
away and the dog followed ; both were
covered with bees. He ran into a
milk house, and so did the dog. Such
a fight I never witnessed before. The
302
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
few I got in front of the hive induced
the balance to go in all right. I was
waiting for them to quiet down, so as
to move the hive where I wanted it to
remain. All at once they came rusli-
iug out and went back to their old
stand again. It commenced to rain
that evening, and kept cold until
Sunday ; about noon the sun came out
and out came the bees ; they soon
clustered on the bottom of a little
apple tree, down close to the ground,
with a good many on the ground and
in the grass. I took a dipper and my
turkey wing and commenced business
again, but was prepared for them that
time. I made a veil and had it on,
and a pair of gloves. So I got them
all in, without receiving a sting, but
I should have got a great many, ex-
cept for the protection. They have
been in the hive 3 davs without a fly.
The weather has been cold and rainy
ever since; only stopping a little
while at night to get a good start for
the next day. I would have had 4 or 5
swarms this month, if the weather
had been favorable. I have fed the
new swarm to-day ; they keep up a
constant roar, as though all was right.
I have heard a queen piping in the
old hive ever since the swarm came
out, but only hear one. Is that anv
indication of swarming soon again?
I am a beginner in the business, and
want to learn all I can. I have read
Quinby's and Cook's Manuals, and,
with the aid of the Bee Journal, I
think I can get through.
R. A. Ros.SER.
Nelsouville, O., May 23, 1SS3.
[We expect the bees were hybrids,
notwithstanding you call them Ital-
ians. Several have reported similar
results when hiving hybrids under
certain conditions. You should have
had a good smoker at hand, and, by
its use, saved such a calamity as the
one you have described above. The
unpropitious weather which had kept
them prisoners so long, with no chance
to be gathering honey, had doubtless
made them angry, and ready to fight
at the least provocation. Some bees
seriously object to being brushed even
with a turkey wing, and, when they
are thus excited, will show their anger
by acting just as your bees have
done.
The piping of the queen, which you
mention, indicates that a "second
swarm" is determined upon. Upon
this decision, the bees prevent the
first queen that issues from killing the
rest, and place a strong guard over
their cells, and when she comes with
murderous intent, she is repulsed by
the bees. This offends her majesty
who utters these shrill notes of anger.
If this piping is not heard within a few
days after the first swarm issues, it is
because the queen has no rivals, and
swarming may be said to be over with
that colony for the season.— Ed.]
Bees Near a Roadway.
Please answer the following ques-
tions through the Bee .Journal :
1. Will the law compel me to move
hives of bees that are standing near a
line fence.
2. Will the law compel me to pay
damages, if ray bees sting horses that
are driven on the opposite side of the
fence.
I have had my bees where they now
stand for the past 13 years, and with-
out any trouble. But, this year, a
drive-way has been made close to the
fence, for the purpose of getting to a
back lot. The fence is a tight board
fence between 6 and 7 feet high.
Neighbors also use this drive-way to
work land on another farm. I am
doing all that I can to control the
bees, having moved some of the
Grossest from near the fence a dis-
tance of two miles.
Jas. B. TujnJER.
Warren's Corners, N. Y.
[Not being a judge, the law points
we cannot pass upon, but if we owned
the bees, and had any land elsewhere,
they would be moved as soon as pos-
sible, so as not to have them annoyed
and " worked up " all the time by
passing teams, horses that are .sweat-
ing, etc. — Ed.]
Fully Appreciated.
The Weekly Bee Journal is, to
me, worth all the other bee papers put
together ; may you, Mr. Editor, live
to see its full worth appreciated, not
only at home here, but in thousands
of foreign homes where the •' busy
bee " is kept, and where every flower
is fanned by its silvery wings.
D. W. Fletcher.
Lansingville, N. Y., May 21, 1883.
Experience of My Friend and I.
Perhaps the readers of the Bee
Journal would like to hear some-
thing of a friend of mine, living in
the same house, who being fond of bee-
culture, in the old country, continued
in the new world to keep bees ; not so
much to make a trade of it, as to ren-
der his pastime pleasant. Accord-
ingly the Bee Journal never comes
into his hands without being perused
with great interest, from the begin-
ning to the end. He tells me, that he
received much information from it,
especially about feeding and winter-
ing. Last winter, making use of the
hints given in the Bee Journal, he
succeeded in wintering his bees with
but an insignificant loss of one weak
colony, which he received too late in
the fall to make a trial in feeding.
The bees then clustered all on one
side, leaving the other frame yet con-
taining honey enough untouched, and
finally died.
1. Why did the bees all gather on
one side, and not move to the combs
filled with honey V
My friend covered the hives, in the
beginning of winter, partly with
straw mats, and partly with blankets ;
around them he constructed a wall of
chaff, a few inches in width. The
hives, having straw mats kept dry ;
theothersnot, foroutof the inlet often
water was flowing. I concluded that
the moisture inside was absorbed by
the straw mats, but not by the blan-
kets. On the 19th of May, in one of
the hives, there was much noise, and
many of the bees clustered all in one
pile outside of the hive. Now, I
thought, they would swarm. My
friend laughed first at me, but in the
end he prepared a hive for any event-
uality. Yet the cold weather from
the 20th to the 23d checked them.
We had a north wind storm and rain,
with snow, and it was very cold ; fires
was started in the stoves once more.
2. Do bees really sometimes swarm
in the end of May ?
A Bingham smoker gave full satis-
faction to my friend, who was over-
joyed with it and the Bingham &
Hetherington honey knife. Our bees
are very " gentle and good-natured ;"
they never sting me, though I watch
them closely in their busy movements.
Once, my friend was in danger. One
swarm of bees, which he had received
from a neighbor, and wliich were not
attended to properly, was to be trans-
ferred into a new hive. But the
frames were all connected by combs,
which the bees had constructed, mak-
ing the replacing diflicult. My friend,
nevertheless, was determined to sep-
arate them. In cutting the connected
combs asunder, he destroyed some
brood ; then there was humming
about the ears. Hence, my friend re-
ceived a few stings. Not so I. As
we could not use the smoker— there
was straw, etc., near— we smoked to-
bacco, and this so much, as to make
us quite dizzy. Alas 1 never shall we
do that again ; we shall certainly use
the Bingham smoker. Frank.
Seneca Co., O., May 23, 1883.
[1. The bees clustered on one side in
order to utilize the heat of the cluster;
then, as they were few in numbers, it
became too cold for them to go to the
honey, and hence starved, with
" plenty " close to them, but out of
their reach.
2. Yes ; if the weather is propitious,
and they are strong in numbers. — Ed.]
The " Big Damp," by the Floods.
We have had some very valuable
yet unprofitable experience during
the late " big damp " in the Ohio Val-
ley, by the washing away of almost
all the bees in the neighborhood. Sev-
eral boxes and hives were caught dur-
ing the flood, though quite cold
weather, with bees clustered at the
edges of comb out of the water, wet
and chilled, but with little care they
were saved. One man saved 2 out of
8 colonies, after they had been float-
ing in the water four days. Another
saved 8 out of 18, after floating six
days, and only kept from floating
away entirely by houses and high
fences surrounding them ; some were
right side up, some bottom up, and
others on their sides ; yet almost all
these are now in good condition, hav-
ing built up rapidly on our abundant
early spring fruit-bloom. Some of
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
303
tliem I have transferred for the par-
ties to get rid of ttie badly soiled
combs, the ceils of which were well
Hlled with mud and sand. My bees
were saved 1)V first placing them on
tlie roof of the bee house, which sub-
sequently floated away, but not until
after 1 had transferred my bees to tlie
roof of my office, where 1 saved them
all, in good condition. All colonies
taken from the water were more or
less damaged, by depletion in num-
bers, and soiling of combs. Bees in
Southern Ohio, above high water
mark, and those kept out of the water,
are in excellent condition. They win-
tered well, coming through, well
stocked in bees and capped brood,
and have built up fast during the
spring, on early fruit bloom, which
was very abundant. Now we have a
most flattering prospect of white
clover blossoms, scattered with un-
sparing liand by a wise, over-ruling
Providence. Our honey harvest, this
year, cannot be other than excellent.
I look for my Bee Journal as for
my breakfast, with a keen appetite.
R. A. MOLLTNEAUX.
New Richmond, O., June 1, 1883.
Peculiar Season for Bees.
The past month has been the worst
May I have ever known for bees, and
as a consequence, bees are in poor
condition. Mine are in fully as bad
shape, if not worse, than they were
last year at this time, and vegetation
is at least a week later than then ;
and we thought last year was as bad
as a season could be. The season will
have to be a very peculiar one from
this time on, to allow us to obtain an
average crop of honey.
O. O POPPLETON.
Williamstown, Iowa, June 1, 1883.
Cold and Backward Season.
The season is very cold and back-
ward here. We had another frost
last night. Fruit is much injured.
Fruit and early forest bloom have
amounted to almost nothing for the
bees, on account of continual cold and
rain. Feeding is now the rule, in my
apiary, to ward off starvation, though
the hives contained very ample stores
in the fall. The colonies, however,
are nearly all very strong ; most of
them having clustered outside. Have
already had 4 swarms. Winter and
spring loss is less than 10 per cent.
The season is about two weeks late.
H. D. BURKELL.
Bangor, Mich., June 1, 1883.
^p^ecial notices.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
W e wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to iiew
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We liave put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen, 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good prolit.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 .50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
" Bees and Honey," for Beginners.
The majority of those who buy bees
of me, depend upon me to get them a
reference book. " liees and Honey "
more nearly '" Alls the bill " than any
work I know of, especially for those
who buy ihat they may supply their
own family with honey, and not to
make a business of it. It combines
cheiipness, quality and quantity in the
right proportions. To one who has
purchased several colonies, 1 usually
have donated a copy of it.
Lincoln, Neb. \i. M. Hawley.
BeePasturageaJiecessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in flne cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
^f Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them— o?ic-ce«t stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
t^ Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the \Veekly ; or for the Monthly, .50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Sample Copies of theAMEKiCAN Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire t(> interview,
by sending the names to this office.
292
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smokers need wide shields. Bingham's
have them, and springs that do notrust and breali,
and bellows that sparlis and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for SI. 75. Address.
BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON,
Abronia Mich.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& Hetherington, Dear Sirs :— 1 am
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother " with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker " did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1882.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor". . (wide shield)— 3}^ in. Are tube, f 2.00
The Conqueror (wide shield)— 3 in.flretube, 1.75
Large (wide shield )—2H in. Are tube, 1.50
Extra (wideshield)— 2 In.flretube, 1.25
Plain (nar. shield)- 2 in.flretube, !.«)
Little Wonder, .(nar. shield)— l^iin.flretube, .65
Bingham & Hetherington LTncapping Knife. . 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich.. June 1, 1883.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee m gold,
we send for 1* cts. each, or $8 per 100.
i^"Do not let your numbers of the
IJee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are verv valuable for reference.
i^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one ?ie«t) subscription
with your own 'i Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one jiew sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having tlie satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office OF AMEKICAN BEB JOURNAL. {
Monday, 10 a. m., June 11, 1K82. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Qnotutlons or Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted Is 7c.
for dark and 9c. for light— here. The supply is
abundant and sales are slow.
BEBSWAX-None in the market.
Al. H. Newman. a23 W. Madison St.
CINCINNATL
HONEY.— The market for extracted honey is
lively, and the demand exceeds the arrivals. Our
stock is small and we are in danger of having sold
out every day. We pay 7@lnc. for good honey on
arrival, the latter price for choice clover. There
is a small demand for comb honey, and prices
nominal.
BEESWAX.— Arrivals of beeswax are plentiful.
We pay 3oc. for a good article on arrival.
CHAS. F. MUTH.
Qnotatlons or CommlsMlon Merchants.
NEW rORK.
HONEY.— Best clover In 1-lb. sections (no glass)
22(§i23c. ; in 2-lb. sections (glassed) I8(§i20c. Fair
quality. I and 2-lb. sections. 17(fl.l8c Extracted,
white, in small barrels. lO(<tllXc. ; buckwheat, 8(*9c.
BEESWAX.— Is more plentiful. Prime yellow
sells at 37J«a38>sc.
H. K. & F. B. THnRBKR & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY.— Prices declining. Holders are anxious
to sell, and the prices vary very much.
BEKSWAX-35rd,3(ic.
R. A. Burnett. 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— Stocks and the demand are both light.
More or less difficulty would be experienced in
fllling a large firder f<ir a straight lot.
White comb. I4<3*l7c.: dark lo good, u@13c.; ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8^c5J9^c. ; dark and
candied, 5@7V^c.
BBESWAX-Wholesale, 27®28c.
Stearns & smith. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY.— Strained salable at 7®7Hc; comb sold
in a jobbing wav only— old 10(§) 14c, and new I5c.
BEESWAX.-Sold mainly at 33@34c-latter for
prime.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO.. 117 N. Main Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONE Y.— There is a moderate sale for bestwhite
1-lb. sections at 18c, occasionally 19c, but2 lbs. are
not called for. Extracted is no sale at all.
BEBSWAX-Not offering.
A. C. Kendkl, 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
H lb. sections at 3UC.: 1 lb. sections, 22@25c. ; 2 1b.
sections, 2n(«22c. Extracted. 10c. per lb. Good
lots ot extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESAVAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
Crocker & Blakk. 57 Chatham Street.
TXJST OXJT!
New circular and price of Bees and (Queens.
Also, STENCILS for bee-keepers' use.
JOS. M. BROOKS,
13C6t Columbus, Ind.
NOTICE.
■\Ve have just campleteci the largest and best lot
of S-nofcers ever manufactured. Prices by Mail :
2 inch. . . .Double Blast 1 1 .50
2 '* ....Single " 1.00
2% " ....Double " 1.75
3J^ " ...SinKle " 2.00
Special Inducements to those who buy to sell
again.
THE BEST BEE BOOK
•■Of allthebooksonbee-keeping.QUlNBY'SNEW
BEE-KEEPING stands pre enjinentiv at the head,
in my opinion." Sincerely Yours.
April 11, 188;1. G. M. Dooi.ittle.
Sent by Ulnll, Pniit-pald, tor Wl.aO.
L. C. KOOT & BRO., Mohawk, N, Y,
19Atf _
DUNHAM COMB FOUNDATION.
Twenty-tJve Ib.i. or less, 55io. per lb.; over 25 lbs. 52c
per lb. E.\tni thin :ind briuht i Ht sq. ft. to the lb.)
5HC. Wax Worked tor H'c. per pound.
24A5t F. W. H«»I.MKS, Coopersville. Mich.
HOLY LAND QUEENS.
Untested, ready :ib"iit .luue in. Single yueen.
in this month. 1=1. J5 : »ix or more, *i.o<_t each; no
tested Queens, this month.
I. K. GOOBtTULLAllOMA.CoffeeCo..TENN.
23A4W
BEES and HONEY,
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor of the Weekly Bee Journal.
925 'Went Madison Street, Chicago, 111.
It contains l(>0 profusely illustrated pages, is
"fully up with the times" in all the improvements
and inventions in this rapidly developing pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everything that can
aid in the successful management of the Honey
Bee, and at the same time produce the most honey
in its best and most attractive condition.
Appreciative Notices.
A neat and abundantly Illustrated hand-book ot
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. Y.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times Its cost.— Citizen, Pulaski, Tenn. ■
Conttilns all the information needed to make
bee-culture successful.— Eagle, Union City, Ind.
Just such a work as should be In the bands of
every beginner with bees.— News, Keithsburg, III.
Valuable for all who are Interested In the care
and management of bees.— Dem., Allegan, Mich.
Engravings are fine. Gotten up in the best style^
and Is cheap at the price.— Farmer, Cleveland, O.
It comprises all that is necessary for successful
bee-culture, save experience and good judgment.
—Daily Republican, Utica, N. Y.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping &
success.— Col. Valley and Farm.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner^
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even though they be not directly interested in th&
care of bees.— Sentinel. Rome, N. Y.
It is a valuable and practical book, and contains.
a complete resume of the natural history of thft
little busy bee. as well as of all that one needs to-
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of information in regard to
bee-culture. He who would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted in all the improvements In
his line. We advise all interested to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times. San Bernardino. Cal.
It embraces every subject that will interest the
beginner. It describes all the newest discoveriefi'
in the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive-
form. It isembellished with beautiful engravings,,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for tne'
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far--
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound in cloth, 7S cents; in papei-
covers, 50 cento, postpaid.
THOACAS O. NEIVMAAT,
925 W. Madison St.. Chicago, III.
$4.00 $4,00
One Huiulred Colonies Bees.
As our store busine.ss demands ail our time, we-
have decided V.i close out our apiary at S4.00
per colony. Will extract most of our honey, and
commence shipping about the istof August. Beea
in my double wall hive, size of frame, I4xi2, with
side and tO|> storage for 75 pounds of honey, also 2.^
3-comb nuclei double wall, takes hive frame, at
|;2.C)o each. Orders booked and tilled in rotation.
Send by Registered letter.
24Alt Address. J. E. MOORE, BYRON.N.Y.
E.T. LEWIS & CO., Toledo, Ohio,
Manufacturers of the U. S. STANDARD Honey
Extractor (new improvements), .and all othei'^
Apiarian Supplies. Send for circular. 17A 5Btf
BEE
■ KEKI'ERS. before ordering your
APIARIAN-SUPPLIES
send for our large illustrated cata-
logue, sent free to any address.
E. Kretcbtuer, Cobnrvt loiva,.
.^*.
Jfi) (^ OLDEST BEE PAPER
1 AMERICA
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 20, 1883.
No. 25.
1 mm
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editok anli Proprietor,
The Standard Langstroth Frame.
Mr. M. M. Brtldridge, St. Charles,
111., sends us the following for publi
cation in the Bkb Journal :
It has been sliown on several occa-
sions, by the very best of evidence,
that the correct length, outside meas-
ure, of the "standard Langstroth
frame," is n%, and not 17% inches.
The evidence is the 3d revised edition
of Mr. Lanestroth's book ; and, I will
now add, all sKbsequent editions of said
book. As an attempt has been made
by some to show that Mr. L. * has
stated somewhere, in print, that the
•• standard Langstroth frame " is \7%
inches long, outside measure, 1 will
at present simply deny the truth of
such an assertion. And, while I am
on this subject, I may as well also
deny that Mr. L. has given, "in a
protninent periodical," any reasons ('/)
for changing the outside length of
the standard Langstroth frame from
17% to 17^8 inches. Now, if any one
thinks otherwise, please come right
along witli the proof.
. In an editorial note on page 272, we
stated that " Mr. Langstroth had pub-
licly given his sanction to the frame
17% inches long."' And, on page 2.51,
Mr. Alves states that" Mr. Langstroth
himself has approved the change to
17% inches.
As these statements can be so easily
sustained, and to save any labored
arguments, we will here give the
proof :
In the Bee Journal for December,
1878, page 427, we published an article
written by Mr. Baldridge on this sub-
ject, in which he says :
" The outside length of the [Langs-
troth] frame is 17% inches, instead of
17% inches, as given by Messrs. New-
man and Root. This is an important
mistake, as it destroys the inter-
changeableness of the frames."
Desiring to have Mr. Langstroth
decide the point, we sent him an ad-
vanced proof sheet of the article, for
his decision. His answer was un-
equivocal, and as follows :
•' Mr. Baldridge is in error in sup-
posing that such slight variations as
he notices, destroy the iuterchangea-
bleness of the frames. Considering
the accuracy which may be obtained
in making the frames stiff and per-
fectly square, I prefer ilte measurements
of Messrs. Newman and Boot."
As before stated, we said "Mr.
Langstroth has given his sanction to
the frame 17% inches long;" and Mr.
Alves asserted that " Mr. L. had him-
self approved the change." If the
quotation given does not " sanction "
and "approve" the change, we do
not know what language Mr. Langs-
troth could have used to have approved
and sanctioned it !
Mr. Langstroth's attention was called
to the change of )4 inch in the length
of his frame, from the ligures given in
his book, and he promptly endorsed
the change, and wrote for publication
in the American Bee Journal : " I
prefer " it.
The arguments against the change,
and Mr. Baldridge's assertion that it
was " an important mistake," because
" it destroys the interchangeableness
of the frames," were also submitted
to Mr. Langstroth, and he immediately
wrote the reply for publication in the
Bee Journal (vol. 14, page 427),
" Mr. Baldridge is in error !"
If this emphatic language of " the
author of the book" and " inventor of
the frame " does not settle the point —
then it cannot be settled ; and to
further discuss the matter is but a
farce '
The last edition of Mr. Langstroth's
book (the fourth) was published about
2.5 years ago ; since then, some have
thought that a modilication of 3-4 of an
inch in the length of his frame was to
be desired, and Mr. L. has publicly
endorsed that change. Now, there-
fore, to ignore this, his latest decision,
made in 'the light of the ever-living
present, and to persistently appeal to a
book (be it one ever so valuable) a
quarter of a century old, and there-
fore, " behind the times," not even
hinting at many of the grandest inven-
tions and improvements inaugurated
during the past 2.5 years, is unpro-
gressive ! Such a course is something
akin to that of going back to the
" dark ages of the past," to define the
courses and size of the planets, while
ignoring the discoveries of more recent
astromomers, made in the light of the
present progressive age !
Salt for the Apiary.
The Orange Bulletin has the follow-
ing advice about the generous use of
salt in the apiary :
Use salt freely about your hives.
Sprinkle a little water with plenty of
salt outside, and in the hives, when
the bees are troubled with ants. Good
salty brine is of much value in destroy-
ing moth eggs about hives. Rock salt
is good to make brine of, to prevent
foul brood, which sometimes destroy
whole apiaries, and is to be much
dreaded by the apiarist. It is better
to use an ounce of preventive than a
pound of cure. Use small troughs for
the brine.
Backwardness. — Complaints are now
quite numerous about persons not re-
ceiving hives, sections and queens
after ordering them of many of our
most reliable dealers and breeders.
The backward spring weather has pre-
vented queen rearing, and isasufficient
excuse for not receiving queens. And
the backwardness of bee-keepers in
notordering hives and sections earlier,
is the cau.se of much inconvenience to
them and others. Many rush in orders
for such at the same time (some even
by telegraph), till the capacity of all
supply dealers is exceeded. This
should teach a valuable lesson for
another season — to get such things
early — in time to prevent the possi-
bility of waiting for them.
306
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bees, Fruit and Flowers in Virginia.
In the Winchester, Va., Times, we
notice the following concerning Vir-
ginia's bee-master, Mr. E. C. Jordan :
"We have received some very tine
strawberries from Mr. E. C. Jordan,
the proprietor of Jordan's White Sul-
phur Springs. He regrets that his
mammoth variety is not yet ripe, but
if they are any larger than tlie tine
ones he sent us, strawberries can no
longer be classed among the small
fruits. 'In the course of a few days,'
he writes us, 'we will have them by
the bushel. Come out and see us, our
bees, tlowers, and strawberries.'
Thank you, sir, ' if we know our-
selves, and we tliink we do,' we will
be there to see the place so well-
known for its beauty, and to partake
of its equally famous hospitality."
The editor of the Bee Jouknal
would be delighted to spend a short
time at the "White Sulphur Springs,"
this summer, for recreation, but we
fear he cannot be spared from his
"desk" and everlasting round of
duties. Nothing would give him
greater pleasure than to accept of Mr.
Jordan's many pressing invitations to
spend some time among the
Bees and berries.
Plums and cherries;
Birds and bowers,
Fragrant flowers ;
In the sunny.
Vale of honey:
With birds that sing,
At Sulphur Sprina -
In '■ Old Vlrginny !"
When we we retire from the tripod,
Mr. Jordan may expect us to settle
down in that locality— to enjoy "old
age" with the birds, bees and flowers
of the sunny South— that is the iieiglit
of our ambition.
Humble-Bees and the Clover.
Prof. C. H. Fernald has written the
following article for the Maine Farmer
on the "Humble or Bumble-bees,
their habits and uses," which will be
of much interest to many of our read-
ers. The fertilization of flowers, both
by these bees as well as by the Ajjis
Melijica, or honey bees, and other
insects, is a subject of considerable
interest to farmers as well as to bee-
keepers. Prof. Fernald remarks as
follows :
" The Humble-bees, or Bumblebees
as they are sometimes called, are
among the largest and most showy of
our Maine Hpinenoptera, and are ex-
tremely useful to the farmers for the
work they do in cross fertilizing red
clover. It is well know tliat the
flower tube of this plant is so long
that few insects have a sutticient
length of tongue to reach the nectar
in the nectary, and, therefore, it is not
often frequented by honey bees and
otiier nectar-loving Hymenopterous
insects. We are, therefore, greatly
indebted to the Humble-bees, for
their visits to tlie clover, their great
hairy bodies become more or less
powdered with the pollen, and when
they visit other clover heads their
flowers are fertilized by the pollen
which the Humble-bees have brought
from the flowers previously visited.
It has been claimed, and witliout
doubt correctly, that unless cross fer-
tilization is effected in some way, the
clover will run out. Darwin covered
100 flower heads of red clover with a
net to keep the insects from them,
and not a single seed was developed,
but from 100 heads on plants grovving
outside, which were visited by bees,
there were obtained 2,720 seeds. Ex-
periments, of a similar character
have been repeatedly performed both
in Europe and in ttiis country, and
with like results. In all my observa-
tions I have scarcely ever seen any
other insects visiting red clover than
Humble-bees.
These insects are pretty generally
distributed over the world, being
found in both North and South Amer-
ica, in Europe, Asia and Africa, but
not in Australia and New Zealand.
It is in northern latitudes that they
thrive best, and they even occur in
the most northern regions to wliich
man has penetrated.
In Australia there are no native in-
sects adapted to the cross fertiliza-
tion of red clover, and it has been at-
tempted to introduce Humble-bees
into that country for this purpose,
but with what results I have not yet
learned.
There are four different kinds in a
colony of Humble-bees, the large fe-
males or queens, the small females,
the workers and the males. Only the
queen lives over the winter, and she
hibernates either in the nest or under
fallen leaves, or in some protected
place. When the warm days of
spring come, these large females, or
queens, may be seen flying from place
to place, crawling in andoUt of places,
around and umler stumps and stones,
hunting for some place in which to
make their nests.
When one of -these queens linds a
suitable place, as a deserted nest of a
field mouse, or some hole under a
stone or stump, she at once collects a
small amount of pollen, which she
mixes with honey, making a more or
less sticky mass which she sticks into
the pollen basket on the outside of
the hind leg, and in which it is carried
to the nest. As soon as a small mass
of this food is collected, the queen
deposits several eggs in it without or-
der, and without even constructing
any cells, but she continues the work
of collecting pollen and laying eggs
until the first brood emerges. As
soon as the eggs hatch, the young be-
gin to eat of the mass of food which
surrounds them, thus enlarging their
cavity gradually until thay reach
their full growth as larvse, when they
spin a silken wall around themselves,
lining the cavity which they have ex-
cavated in the pollen mass. The old
bees close up these cells with a thin
layer of wax, and the young trans-
form into pupae, and in due time
change into the perfect stage and cut
their way out, wlien they are ready to
assume their duties as workers, small
females, males, or queens, according
to their individual formation.
In the spring and early summer,
only the large females are to be seen
abroad on the wing, but the first
brood consisting of workers only, as
soon as they emerge, at once take
upon themselves the work of the
nests and the collecting of poUen and
honey, while the queens remain in tlie
nests. After this time, only small
bees are to be seen visiting the flowers,
and these are the workers.
As the queen continues prolific,
mote workers are added, and the nest
is rapidly enlarged. About midsum-
mer, eggs are laid which produce both
small females and males. It is sup-
posed that they pair near the end of
the season, and as a result, these
small females lay eggs from which
the queens are developed. It has been
proved that all the eggs laid after the
first of September, produce the hirge
females or queens, and as the males
are still in the nest, the queens are
impregnated in the air after the man-
ner of the honey bee. On the ap-
proach of cold weather all the Hum-
ble-bees die except the queens, of
which there are now several in each
nest. These queens hibernate during
the winter, and in spring they revive
to repeat another cycle as described.
Twelve different species of Hum-
ble bees belonging to the genus Bom-
bus, are known to inhabit New Eng-
land, and of these I have taken five
in Orono.
I am not aware that these insects
are in any way injurious, but from
the above showing they are of im-
mense value in cross fertilizing plants,
and should be protected. Mowing
machines and horse rakes destroy
their nests when run through them,
but this should be avoided when pos-
sible.
It is true that they sting upon
severe provocation, as when one at-
tempts to destroy their nests, but who
wouldn't fight for their own homes
and firesides '?
Jiauieless.— It is surprising that any
one should be so careless as to forget
to give their name when sending
money in a letter. We have a bundle
of such letters in this office (each one
containsmoney for books or Journals),
and, as they have no name signed, it
is impossible to fill the orders or com-
municate with the writers. When we
have some clue, either by post mark
or post ofiice address given, we usually
find out by writing there either to
some subscriber, or to the post master
—but with these in this bundle we
have no clue, and must wait until the
writers shall give us their names and
addresses. To all we would say— be
careful to sign your names, and give
your Post-Office, County and State.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
307
Bees in Africa and the Kafirs.
The bees of Africa, especially of
the Southern portion, near the Cape
of Good Hope, are as much more
vicious than the Cyprian bees, as the
Cyprians are Grosser than tlie Italians,
if we may credit the testimony of a
c(jrrespondent of the London Nature,
who relates the experience of himself
and his two servants (one a Kafir and
the otiier a colored Malay), which he
describes as follows :
I keep two apiaries at a considerable
distance from each other, to one "of
which my gardner, a colored Malay,
attends, and to the other a Kafir la-
borer. At first they were generally
stung when passing too near the en-
trance of a hive, but now they pass
and repass with impunity. They work
with the bees more frequently than I
do, and yet when either of tliem assists
me in his own api;iry, he receives
more stings than I do. This I ascribe
to the gardner's using snuff in his
mouth very freely, and to the Kafir's
very pronounced odor.
To test the recognition of the beea,
I once requested the Malay and tlie
Kafir to change clothes with each
other, and wear thick veils over their
heads and faces. They did so, and
assisted ine first in the apiaries to
which they were respectively in the
habit of iitLending, with the result
that they received no stings, but when
either began to work with the bees in
the apiary he usually did not attend
to, he was so stung about the hands
that he had to beat a hasty retreat,
while I remaiiied uninjured, although
not veiled. The two men are almost
of the same size and build, so that if
the bees had any power of general
recognition, they would probably (as
some of the other servants did) have
mistaken the one for the other. lean,
therefore, only account for the con-
duct of the bees by the unpleasant,
and to them strange, odor. At my re-
quest the gardner discontinued the
use of snuff in his mouth for some
time, and during that time he was not
stung more than I was, while working
with the bees ; but if the Kafir stands
before the entrance of an unaccus-
tomed hive, he is remorselessly stung.
I may add that Cape bees are very
much more vicious than European
ones seem to be, and that, if not skill-
fully handled, they will unmercifully
sting their most familiar friends. On
one occasion, a bunch of carrots was
left near the gardner's apiary, which
so enraged the bees that they stung
him and everyone else they came
across, and very nearly stinig a cow to
death at a distance of about a hundred
yards from the apiary ; and on another
occasion a horse, still wet with swe.-it,
trespassed too near a hive, with the
result that the whole apiary was in
uproar, and some of my children and
servants were stung, the chief victim
being a Malay girl, who used to apply
quantities of scented pomatum to her
nair, and who was severely stung on
the head.
Mr. Romanes continues his narra-
tion thus :
" Again, many instances might be
quoted, such as that given by Guer-
ingius, who allowed a species of wasp,
native to Natal, to build in the door-
posts of his house, and who observed
that, although he often interfered
with the nest, he was only once stung,
and this by a young wasp ; while no
Kafir could venture to approach the
door, much less pass through it."
It does not appear whether any white
stranger was ever stung, and the only
inference that could be reasonably
drawn from the conduct of the wasps,
is, that they disliked the odor of Kafirs,
which, as is well-known, is peculiarly
disagreeable. If a particular Kafir had
been in the habit of passing through
the door, the wasps would probably
have become accustomed to his scent,
in the same way as a colony of bees,
upon the testimony of Sir John Lub-
bock, became accustomed to the scent
of eau-de-cologne repeatedly dropped
at the entrance of their hive.
queen. Tlie combs of honey and brood
can be given to small colonies.
Keep the Bees at Work.
There is at present every indication
that the honey harvest this year will
be very large. Honey - producing
plants, trees and shrubs are full of
liquid sweetness, and with fair weather
the crop will be an exceedingly large
one. Mrs. L. Harrison in the Prairie
Farmer remarks as follows on this and
other important subjects :
No one can now tell what the har-
vest will be, but there is a great
growth of white clover, and if the
clerk of nature's laboratory works in
our favor, we shall secure an abundant
harvest, for the workers are many and
the fields white. But the watchmen
must be faithful and see that every
tenant pays his rent ; no " loafing "
must be allowed, and " hanging out "
stopped instanter. Some bees will
wax fat, and loaf for weeks, getting
ready to swarm, if allowed to do so.
There is no need of waxing fat, when
they are to be supplied with founda-
tion for their combs.
There sliould at all times be plenty
of surplus room, not too much, but
enough to accommodate all the bees.
Sometimes bees hang out because
there is too little ventilation, or they
are too warm. They should be cooled
by shading, given more air and surpUis
room. If all these fail, smoke them
in, and if they cluster out again, pour
honey on them, stir them up with a
spoon, and then run for life, for they
will be on the rampage. As a last
resort, prepare a hive with frames of
comb or foundation, and lift off the
surplus boxes on to it, remove the
hive and place the prepared hive
where the old one stood. AH the bees
returning from the fields enter this,
and the bees on the combs brushed
in front of this, together with the
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMERICAN BEE JOLTHNAL. {
Monday, 10 a. m., June 18, 1882. (
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotations or Cush Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted is 7c.
for dark and He. for linhi— liere. The supply is
abundant and sales are slow.
BEESWAX— None in the market.
AL. H. Newman, h23 W. Madison St.
CIN<;1NNAT1.
HONE v.— The market for extracted honey is
lively, and tlie demand exceeds the arrivals. Our
stock is small and we are in danger of having sold
out every day. We pay 7ij^l0c. for good honey on
arrival, the latter price for choice clover. There
is a small demand for comb honey, and prices
nominal.
BEESWAX.— Arrivals of beeswax are plentiful.
We pay 35c. for a good article on arrival.
ChAS. F. MOTH.
<{uotall«tiiit on'omrolHslon Herchunta.
NEW YORK.
HONEY.— Best clover in I-lb. sections (no glass)
22(flj23c. : in 2-lb. sections (glassed) 18(S*20c. Fair
quality. 1 and li-lb. sections, 17Sil8c Extracted,
white, in small barrels, loigil IXc; buckwheat, 8(^9c.
BEESWAX.- Is more plentiful. Prime yellow
H. K. & P. B. Thurber & Co.
CHII'AQO.
HONE Y.— Prices declining. Holders are anxious
to sell, and the prices vary very much.
BEESWAX— 3.=i(Si36c.
R. A. Burnett, 161 South Water St.
SAN FKANCISCO.
HONEY-Stocks and the demand are both light.
More or less difficulty would be experienced in
filling a large order for a straight lot.
White comb, 14(!ol7c,: dark to go d,ll@l3c.i ex-
tracted, choice to extra white, 8^@9^c. ; dark and
candied, 5®7>^c.
BEBSWAX-Wholesale, 27.328c.
Stearns i smith. i'iS Front Street.
ST. i.OUIS.
HONEY.— Strained salable at 7@7Hc; comb sold
in a lobbing wav only— old 10(3il4c, and new 15c.
BEESWAX.- Sold mainly at 33(!«34c— latter for
CLEVELAND.
HONEY.— There is amoderalesalefor best white
1-lb. sections at I8c, occasionally 19c, but 2 lbs. are
not called for. Extracted Is no sale at all.
BEESWA.X- Not offering.
A. C. Kendel, 1 1.5 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY- Our market is fairly active. We quote:
i^ lb. sections at 3I1C.: 1 lb. sections, 22(6:250.; 2 1b.
sections, 2ii(a22c. Extracted, inc. per lb. Good
lots ot extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX-Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
Crocker & Blake, s" Chatham Street.
1^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything fiw publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
Dublication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
308
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tlie American Bvje Journal.
At What Age Do Bees Gather Honey ?
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
The above heading may be tlKnight
by some to be of little interest, but as
it has much to do with the surplus
honey we get, I thought a few words
on the subject would not be ainiss.
Many seem to suppose that the bee is
capable of going to the (ields to gather
honey as soon as hatched, or in three
or four days at least, but some facts
prove that I liey do not do so. Bees
may be forced to go to the fields for
pollen and honey at the age of 5 or 6
days old, but when the colony is in a
normal condition, as it always should
be to store honey to the best advan-
tage, the bee is 16 days old before it
gathers honey. If we take combs of
bees just hatching, and place them in
a hive without any bees, as is fre-
quently done to introduce a vahiable
queen, we will see young bees not
over 5 or 6 days old go to the fields,
losing compelled to do so for water,
pollen, etc., because there is none of
older age to go ; but this does not
. prove that bees of that age usually do
so any more than the experiment of
feeding 20 pounds of honey to bees
confined to the hive before one pound
of wax was produced, proves that it
always takes 20 pounds of honey to
produce one pound of comb. I have
conducted .two experiments since I
kept bees, to ascertain the age at
which bees gather the first honey,
and as each proved the same. I be-
lieve 16 days to be the time when the
bee brings her first load of honey,
when the colony is in a normal condi-
tion.
The experiment which I tried was
this : A black queen was removed
from a colony, and an Italian queen
introduced in her place about the
middle of June. The date was
marked on the hive, and as the 21st
day thereafter arrived, a careful
watch was kept to see when the first
Italian bee hatched. When the first
Italian had emerged from the cell, a
careful watch was again kept of tlie
hive to see when the first Italian took
its flight. This happened about 2 p.
m., on the eighth day after the first
Italian was found hatched, when a
few came out for a play spell, but in
an hour all had returned, and none but
black bees were seen going to and
from the hive. As the days passed
on the numbers increased at each
Elaj^ spell (about 2 o'clock), but none
aving the Italian markings were
seen, except at these play spells, till
the 16tli day after the first Italian
hatched. At this time a few came in
with pollen and honey, commencing
to work at about 10 a. m. After this,
the number of Italian honey gatherers
increased while the number of blacks
decreased, until on the 4.5th day after
the last black bee was hatched, when
not a black bee was to be found in or
about the hive. If the above is cor-
rect, and I believe it is, it will be seen
that the eggs, for our honey gatherers,
must be laid by the queen 37 days be-
fore our main honey harvest, if we
would get the best results from our
bees; as it takes 21 days from the
time the egg is laid to the time the
bee emerges from the cell, and this
added to the 16 makes the 37 days.
The above is applicable to any por-
tion of tlie country, where a certain
fiora produces the "larger portion of
the honey crop. To be sure, the bees
from the time they are three days old,
help to perform the labors in the hive,
such as building comb, feeding the
larvae, evaporating nectar, etc., hence
are of much value toward securing
the crop of honey, if we have plenty
of bees besides, over 16 days old, but
otherwise all hatching after the middle
of the honey harvest are of little use.
Another thing 1 ascertained by
these experiments, which was that
the bees which gather the honey are
not the ones which deposit it in the
cells. I was reading in a bee paper,
not long ago, how the loaded bees
from the field carried their honey
easily to the top of a four story hive.
This was used as an argument in
favor of placing the empty combs on
top of the full ones, instead of raising
up the second or third story and plac-
ing them between full combs, on the
tiering up plan. As far as the loaded
bees are concerned, it makes no dif-
ference, as will be seen when I state
that on the loth day after the first
Italian hatched, when none but black
bees were going in and out at the en-
trance, 1 found by taking off the
cover and examining the sections,
that scarce a black bee was in them,
but all were Italians, which were at
work there, building comb and de-
positing honey. After this I used an
observatory hive containing but one
comb. In this I also had black bees
as field bees, and young Italians for
the inside work. By watching the
entrance through the glass, I could
see the loaded bees come in, and when
one came on the side next to me, I
could easily see what it did with the
load of honey. The bee would pass
along on the comb till it came to a
young bee, when it would put out its
tongue toward the young bee. If this
bee had no load, it would take the
honey, but if it had, our field bee must
try again till one was found that
could take the load, when it was given
up to it. The field bee then rested a
little while, when it would go for
another load. Thus it will be seen
that any entrance leading direct to
the surplus arrangement, as was
formerly made in the Langstroth
hive, is of no use, but, on the contrary,
a positive damage, as in cool nights
it causes the bees to leave the boxes,
from allowing too much cold air to
enter them. To secure the best re-
sults, it is necessary to be fully ac-
quainted with all of these minor
points of interest about the bees, so
that we may combine them all, and
bring them all to bear on that which
will produce us the most honey.
Borodino, N. Y.
Country Gentlenan.
Using a Standard Frame.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
One can now scarcely pick up a bee
paper without finding an article with
the above heading, and, although all
the writers do not agree as to which
frame should be taken as the standard,
they do agree as to the desirability of
all bee-keepers using a frame of the
same size. The traffic in bees is be-
coming quite large, and with so many
different-sized frames as there are
now in use, the purchaser of bees fre-
quently not only has to perform the
disagreeable fast of transferring them,
in order that they may be in hives
like his own, but the discarded hives
and frames are seldom of any value,
except for kindling wood. Were some
frame adopted as the standard, and
used by all bee-keepers, the supply
business would be greatly simplified
and made more profitable, both to the
manufacturers and the consumers.
Hives, frames, etc., could be manu-
factured in large quantities, and, at a
corresponding lower price, and the
delays caused by having to wait while
some odd sizes are being manufac-
tured, would be entirely avoided. Ex-
periments, especially those in regard
to wintering bees, would be more con-
clusive and satisfactory, were all
frames of the same size, as success or
failure could not be attributed to the
difference in the size or shape of the
frames used.
As the majority of bee-keepers use
the Langstroth frame, it is not to be
wondered at, that nearly all writers
upon this subject, advocate the adopt-
ion of the Langstroth frame as the
standard. I have always used the
American frame, which is about 12
inches square, and I have nearly 100
hives, yet I shall, this season, com-
mence using the Langstroth frame,
and another season shall discard the
American frame entirely. If I cannot
sell the hives and combs to some one
who uses that style of hives, I shall
transfer the best of the combs, melt
the remainder into beeswax, and have
the wax manufactured into comb
foundation. I will knock the hives to
pieces, and use what I can in making
Langstrotli hives. Heretofore I have
reared queens and extracted honey,
and for these purposes 1 regard the
American frame as good as any.
Now, I shall give the production of
comb honey a trial, and, for this Ijusi-
ness, I am convinced that a shallow
frame is preferrable. Since the Langs-
troth is a shallow frame, and is used
by a majority of bee-keepers, I shall
adopt it.
It has been manjr times asserted
that the Langstroth frame is too shal-
low for wintering bees successfully in
our cold, northern climate. It is as-
serted that in order to pass the winter
safely, bees should cluster beneath
their stores— as the heat arising from
the cluster keeps the honey warm and
in proper condition to be used. It
should be remembered that when the
warm air arising from a cluster of
bees strikes against the covering over
the frames, the heat spreads out in a
THE AMERICAIT BEE JOURNAL.
309
lateral direction ail over the upper
portion of the hive, and that bees in
search of food, in cold weatlier, move
in a lateral direction between the
combs just as readily as they do in an
upward direction, and much more
readily between combs than they will
pass from comb to comb. If any one
thinks differently, let him, near the
close of tlie honey season, raise tlie
baclt end of his Langstroth hive until
the hive stands at an angle of 65 ',
when by the time that cold weather
comes, the bees will practically be in a
tall hive witlr their stores above them.
Two years ago, just after the close of
a very disastrous winter for bees, the
editor of the American Bee Jourt
NAL requested his readers to send in
reports of how their bees were pre-
pared for winter — whether tliey were
wintered in tlie cellars, or out-of-
doors ; the kind of hives used, etc , —
and liow the bees wintered. From
these reports a statistical table was
prepared, and one of the facts brought
out, was that bees vs'intered witli the
least loss in Langstroth hive'i. Among
other remarks the editor made the
following :
"Those who have contended that
that the Langstroth hive is too shal-
low for winteriijg, will be surprised to
learn that the figures compare very
favorably for it. Thus the percentage
of losses in all kinds of frame hives is
46; exclusive of the Langstroth hive
It is 51, leaving only 43 for the Langs-
troth, being 8 per cent, in its favor.
Again, this report records the results
of wintering in -521,830 hives ; 211,732
of which were in box hives, leaving
309,598 for all kinds of frame hives.
Of the latter, 195,957 areLangstrotli—
i. e., shallow frames— and 113,561 of
all others combined. We really think
these figures settle the matter of ' the
coming frame.' Had the deep frames
been shown to have the advantage,
the Bee Journal would have been
ready to advocate their universal
adoption, for it has no desire to favor
any but the most successful methods,
hives or implements."
The reason that a shallow frame is
better adapted to the production of
comb honey, is that the capacity for
top-storing is so increased, tliat the
troublesome and vexatiousside-storing
is avoided, and the honey boxes are
brought near the center of the brood
nest, which induces the bees to enter
more readily. Now, as a shallow
frame is best for obtaining comb
honey, and equally as good as any for
extracted honey, and, as the Langs-
troth is a shallow frame, and is cer-
tainly as good a frame as any upon
which to winter bees, and Is now
largely in the majority, I shall adopt
it and do all that I can towards making
it the standard fra»e.
There is some dispute as to the ex-
act dimensions of the Langstroth
frame, but tlie majority of the frames
in use are 9}i inches deep and 17^8
inches long. The largest manufact-
urers of hives, and the greatest num-
ber of them, have adopted this size, as
have the editors of all of the principal
bee periodicals. In Mr. Langstroth's
book published 20 years ago. the
length of the frames was given as
\7% instead of \7%, but the introduc-
tion, several years ago, of the one-
pound section, which is i}4^'^H inches
square, eight of which just till a
Langstroth frame when made 17,^8
inches in length, outside measure-
ment, is a good reason for making
them of that length, and Mr. Langs-
troth, long ago, publicly indorsed tlie
change to 17^-8.
Rogersville, Mich.
For the American Bee Journal
Size of Frame— Bees for Business.
.lAlLES HEDDON.
In reply to Mr. Alves, let me say :
1. Tlie large majority of frame hives
used in this country «,re "made' by
the users.
2. Mr. Langstroth has never, to my
knowledge, pronounced 17^8 the stan-
dard, and if his fiat will make a stan-
dard at any time, I will write to him
and possibly induce him to call it
nysx9%.
3. I did not object to the mongrel
being well adapted to taking the oiie-
pound sections. I only objected to
that fact being used as an argument
in its favor, asserting that the true
standard size 17% would do the same,
and that the two-story broad frame
system was fast falling into disrepute.
4. I maintain that when a man lays
down a system in a book, and gives
dimensions of all the parts of his hive
connected with that system, together
with good and valid reasons for such
measurements, spreads that book far
and wide, which results in thousands
copying after his directions, that such
established standard is not to be al-
tered by wrenching from him his as-
sent to a fractional change that can
serve no purpose for the better, only
annoying bee-keepers with the dis-
astrous results of odd sizes of hives
and frames.
5. What Mr. L. says on page 331,
has reference solely to princiisles with-
in the realm of the adaptability of
the hive to the instincts of the bees,
and not to the convenience of bee
masters. 1 am not willing to cover
the fame of this greatest of apicul-
tural inventors with the veil of ignor-
ance that would be thrown over him
to suppose that he saw no inconven-
ience in the size of 40 and 9 different
forms and sizes of hives and frames.
lie wished to impress the minds of
the ignorant, that his inventions and
patents did cover frames of various
sizes.
6. I am in the habit of calling
things by their right names, and will
call the 17% Langstroth the "obso-
lete " Langstroth frame when it be-
comes so. Please do not count the
chickens until the eggs hatch.
On one point Mr. Alves and I agree,
and that is that we both fajl to see
that he makes his case any stronger
than he did in his tirst attempt. I
thank Mr. A. for his enlogestic words
in his closing i):vratrraph, and hope
my views on this subject may in the
end serve to strengthen his former
good opinions.
QUALITIES IN BEES.
In reply to the published questions
of Mr. Ilutehiusou, 1 little thought of
arousing my old antagonist, Mr.
Demaree. It seems to me that Mr.
D., in his article on page 284, merely
repeats the arguments of his former
article. This effort strikes the ear
like a wail from the tomb of Gui-
teau : "Not guilty."
Bee-keepers are turning attention
to the new system of breeding bees
for their qualities, regardless of color
or the number of tlieir rings. Mr.
Hutchinson sees the point; Mr. Alley
says, " that's so ;" neighbor Shirley,
a breeder of close observation, feels
almost out of patience with me that I •
slKuild have erroneously inferred that
he places any special value upon " the
gold rings;" he says that he "has
been through the mill," and is a tirm
believer in bees for business ; quali-
ties which are not necessarily insep-
arable from any special number of
bands. Such old and excellent breed-
ers as E. A. Thomas, are advertising
a strain tested for qualities ; and my
orders for hybrid queens bid fair to
go beyond my ability to supply. And
right or wrong, the decision of bee-
keepers of to-day is. " Give us bees
tested for qualities." It is no wonder
that Mr. Demaree considers it higk
time to " protest against the pre.sent
tendency " of breeding for qualities,
viewing the matter as lie does.
I hardly thought after the late edi-
torial scolding, that Mr. D. would
again try to blacken the character of
those who honestly differ from him,
by using such a term as " mercenary
tendency." Such statements, as well
as the whole article, seem to me en-
tirely uncalled for ; and as before
stated, I had no idea of again calling
out the unchangeable opinions of Mr.
Demaree.
" t had supposed the shattered string
Would prove, by now, a silent thing;
But. touch it liphtly as ye will.
It drives a mournful echo, still."
Now, let US look at the mistakes in
Mr. D.'s argument. The mule argu-
ment, to begin with. Let me quote
from that comic philosopher. Josh
Billings. He says: "The mule is half
horse and half donkey, and then comes
a full stop ; nature evidently having
discovered her mistake." Again, " I
have known the mule to behave tirst
rate all the week for the sake of get- •
ting a good fair crack at the driver
Saturday night." Again," The best
way to make a mule stay in pasture,
is to turn him into an adjoining lot,
and let him jump out." This animal
ranks as he does because of his un-
changeableness. Let us have no mule
bees.
I take it that Mr. Demaree, in his
experience with hybrids, has never
gone beyond the first cross, or if so,
merely in a hap-hazard way. The
after-crosses judiciously directed by a
skilled master, is where we develop as
well as retain nianv superior traits of
the character of both races, at the
same time doing away with vicious
qualities. Three of my present stu-
dents are bee-keepers of some years
exi)erience with Italians. I propose
they be consulted upon the points
310
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
just referred to, as found in my
apiary.
Mr. Demaree believes that every
honorable breeder should be able to
give a description sufficiently compre-
hensive to enable any one to identify
his bees, and distinguish them from
every race or strain of bees. Mr. D.
uses the word " strain," can he,
roaming the fields, distinguish bees
from his apiary, from those of other
strains of the same race 'i I can do
this with mine.
Mr. D. thinks I sliould give a des-
cription of my bees. I did so, and it
was so plainly given, and so well de-
fined a de.scription that he held it
up to ridicule, and sought to make
fun of the terms " long-bodied," and
" leather-colored ;" forms and colors
well known to modern bee-keepers.
Kow he has the audacity to come for-
ward with bees of " plumage," "white
silver bands ;" ''slender in form," and
" second-band conspicuously broad,"
and " generally wearing but little
plumage," but that little of a " light
silver rather than a golden hue."
" Form slender, inclining towards
orange banded." Why, if we had not
known that Mr. D. was a lawyer, and
were we inclined to look upon every
new and novel movement as a " mer-
cen.iry " dodge, I should be induced
to believe that Mr. Demaree was
about to advertise " Queens for Sale !"
The Legislature of Kentucky is now
working on conservative ground.
Kentucky always did think that her
stock had readied the end of perfec-
tion ; and consistent with that view,
demands '' purity of her stock." But
will Kentucky and its able lawyer
please to remember that their short-
horns and blooded horses were not
handed down to us from on high, but
were produced by the efforts of some
one who said : "Let us have better
horses and better cows ; let us cross
this one with that one ; let us breed
for qualities." Some Legislatures al-
lowed men to bring forth the setter
from the spaniel, the pointer from the
setter and hound. This was not the
Legislature of Kentucky.
Nature has done for the mule what
Kentucky would do for all stock, and
the uuile stands in the stoclc world
just wliere Kentucky will in ttie api-
cultural world, if she passes any such
laws regarding bee-breeding, as Mr.
.D. alludes to in his "aforesaid"
article.
Dowagiac, Mich., June 8, 1883.
[As both disputants have now had
another " round," let the subject rest.
Neither party can be convinced, and
no good can come of a mere wordy
war ; so "give us a rest."— Ed.]
IS" The bee-keepers of Fulton and
adjoining counties, are requested to
meet at the Commercial House, in
Astoria, Fulton, Co., 111., on Satur-
day, June 30, at 2 p. m.. for the pur-
pose of organizing the Fulton County
Bee- Keepers Association. By order.
Committee.
Rural New Yorker.
ftueen-Rearing— A Review.
PROF. A. J. COOK.
For some time it has been known
that this work was in process of prep-
aration, and from the long and suc-
cessful experience of the author as a
queen breeder — an experience cover-
ing more than a score of years — the
work has been eagerly looked for bv
all those engaged in "breeding bees.
Nor will its study disappoint these
ardent expectations. The following
is only a brief synopsis of some of the
most noteworthy points :
Mr. Alley believes that the same
rules of breeding apply in the rearing
of bees that should govern in higher
animals. Thus he urges stoutly the
most careful selection of the queen
and drones. He keeps his selected
queen iu a small hive, so that he can
get eggs at once upon adding a frame
of bright empty comb. Corahs that
have contained one or two broods are
to be preferred.
The queen-cells should only be
formed in very strong colonies. Such
are drummed from their hives and
kept queenless in an empty tiive, in a
cellar for ten hours. This fits them
better, as Mr. A. thinks, for feeding
the queeus. To procure queen cells,
Mr. Alley cuts the strips of comb
which are filled with eggs, so narrow
as to contain only one i-ow of entire
cells and two rows of half cells each.
On one side, the eggs in each alternate
cell of the row of uncut cells are des-
troyed by the use of a common match.
By "dipping the opposite face of this
strip into melted wax and resin
mixed, the comb is fastened to a
frame of comb and given to the bees,
which have been ten hours queenless.
No other brood is given them that is
uncapped, and so they form beautiful
cells, in a regular row, equally spaced,
and as the eggs were all laid at a
known date, it is known precisely just
when the queens will come forth. He
never permits more than ten cells to
be formed in a single colony. The
bees are made queenless in the morn-
ing and given the eggs at night. ]\Ir.
A., in letting the bees escape from the
hive where they have been shut in, to
enter the new hive where the queen
cells are to be formed, which now rests
on the old stand, prevents the drones
from leaving, if they are undesirable,
and so gets rid of the inferior drones.
If the bees cannot gather, they are
fed one i)int of syrup or honey twice
a day. The cells are cut out on the
eighth day from hatchinj^, or the
eleventh from the laying ot the egg.
The cells are put into a queen-nur-
sery like that described years ago by
Dr. Jewell Davis. A single colony
can care tor 100 of such cells. A colony
is kept purposely for it.
Mr. Alley condemns the lamp nur-
sery, though he confesses he never
used it. He says it is unnatural. The
same argument would condemn his
whole method. He has improved upon
nature. Some of our best queen
breeders, like Viallon, Hutchinson
and Hayhurst, use tlie lamp nursery
and think it excellent. He says if
we feed young queens in a queen
nursery, they will remain there safely
several weeks. But what of Ber-
lepsch's theory that a queen unmated
for three weeks is ruined V
Mr. Alley introduces the queens as
virgins. But the old colony or nucleus
must have been queenless three days.
He uses tobacco to smoke them, and
thinks this is a sine qua non. He also
advises dropping a virgin queen into
honey and then into the hive. He
sometimes introduces these virgins by
use of a cage, stopping the entrance—
a half inch hole an inch long — with
the " Good candy." The bees eat the
candy, liberate the queen and accept
her.
Mr. Alley never uses a colony twice
ill succession to form cells. After
they are used once, he gives them the
uncapped brood and queen of another
colony which is to be used, and con-
siders them ready again in four weeks.
Thus queens are always reared from
eggs ; tew are reared in each colony ;
these have all the attention, and " are
almost sure to be superior queens."
The nucleus or colony receiving a vir-
gin queen should not be near the col-
ony which is forming cells at the
time, or the young queen, as she re-
turns from mating, will enter the hive
and destroy all the ceHs. If a queen
is " balled " as she returns from mat-
ing, it is a very sure sign of the pres-
ence of fertile workers.
Mr. Alley's instruction as to intro-
ducing virgin queens is very valuable,
if the method will work in other
hands. In this case the colony, or
nucleus, must h-ave been queenless
three days. Not so with a cell. This
he says (our experience hardly sus-
tains iiim) may be introduced safely
immediately upon the removal of the
queen.
The cell need not be fastened in a
comb, but held by slight pressure be-
tween two adjacent combs. Late
queens will ofteii fail to fly unless fed
a little euch day. Mr. Alley is surely
right, in saying that queens mate
only once. He tliinks a queen is al-
most sure to be purely mated if there
aro no impure bees within half a mile.
I wish we were sure of this.
Caged queens. Mr. Alley says, will
not be so fed by the bees, and these
must be fed in the cage. Judge An-
drews, of Texas, says they will always
be fed. Bees in a nucleus, unless fed,
will frequently swarm out. Mr. Alley
secures his selected drones in this
wise : He places empty drone combs
in the midst of the brood nest of his
best colony. As soon as eggs are laid
in the cells, he gives these combs to
queenless colonies. Good queens lay
regularly in cells, and cut the caps
from the queen cells as they come
forth smoothly. aij»d do not leave a
ragged edge. He makes the strange
assertion, that Italians are not a dis-
tinct race, and, further, states that
they are poor nurses. M. Alley quotes
wrongly, I think, from our books. I
think all advise getting eggs of a
known date. It is stated that worker
bees never destroy a queen cell. In
handling queen cells, they must never
be over-heated. They will stand cold
better, but ought never to be chilled.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
311
Mr. Alley thinks it is dangerous to
ship a queen right froiu active laying
— she may be ruined. It is much safer
to «ige her a few days lirst. Cheap
queens are vehemently condemned.
Mr. Alley adds to the usual rules in
respect to robbing, that we ought not
to feed honey but syrup. The honey
odor incites to robbing. It is stated
that by giving a colony brood, and a
queen cell, fertile workers may be dis-
posed of. Mr. Alley advises, none
too strongly, to displace impotent
qneens. He remarks as wisely that
most queens become unprofitable after
two years. I am also glad to see that
the value of spring feeding, which I
have so often demonstrated in our
College apiary, is fully recognized. It
is no exaggeration, I think, when he
states that at least ten days are thus
saved. The greatest error, I think, is
made in reference to wintering. He
favors out-door wintering; says we
must have a double-walled hive, 25
jjounds of honey and a February
hght. But, how often we get no Feb-
ruary flight. With a proper cellar
we may Keep the bees in the hives
safely from Nov. 1 till April 1.
Mr. Alley thinks that although the
laws of parthenogenesis are certainly
true in respect to the production of
drones ; yet the fact that queens are
pure, he "thinks not a guaranty that
their drone progeny will be. His
only reason given is that it is not true
of birds. From very close and long
observation, I believe that it is true of
bees.
Lansing, Mich.
)r the American Bee JoumaL
Honey from Corn— A Reply.
W. H. STEWAKT.
On page 8-5, Feb. 7, 1 tind a criti-
cism by the Rev. M. Mahin, D. D., on
my article as published in the Bee
Journal of Jan. 24, 1S83.
The science of bee-culture (if it may
properly be called a science) is yet in
its infancy, and its growth must be
step by step, as new discoveries are
made. No new discoveries, mean no
development of truth. A statement
supported by facts is scientific. A
denial without proof is just the oppo-
site. He who attempts to set up a
negative case by mere denial, unsup-
ported by proof, lands himself in in-
consistency.
I do not hold that my work is ex-
empt from trial at the bar of reason,
observation and experience. Nay, I
court criticism. It leads to investi-
gation, and investigation evolves
truth. The art of bee-culture is not
confined within the walls of limita-
tion. It has had a beginning, but it
can have no ending.
The sons of men that come and ko.
Each have a special work to do;
These works just suited to their time
And place, are steps by which we climb.
One forward step ; one higher stand.
How wide, how vast the tields expand ;
Where suns of men may ply anew,
Their hand and brain some work to do.
Criticism should be conducted seri-
ously, having but one object in view,
viz. : truth, but Mr. Mahin says that
my work is too absurd to be treated
seriously. Let us see. Do bees wound
nowers V In A B C of Bee-Culture,
pagel()8, Mr. Root tells us that he dis-
covered how the bees got so covered
with pollen while working on the
wild touch-me-not, and on page 169
he says : " A year or two after this
I took a friend'of mine to the spot to
show liim my wonderful discovery,
but lo ! and behold ! the sharp witted
Italians had taken the short cut to
the honey by biting through the spur
and inserting their tongues without
the laborious operation of crowding
down into the flowers."
Mr. Mahin chides me for not giving
proof that bees wound blossoms.
Here is proof that bees are able, and
that they did in this case, bite holes
through the flower and got at the
honey mechanically from the outside.
In my article I stated that " if bees
would have honey they must Hnd
where the plant had by accident or
otherwise been wounded, or it must
hunt out some tender point and in-
flict the wound as best it could." I
do not hold that bees must, like men,
chop holes in the trunks of maple
trees to get the sap, but I do know
that after men haye thus set the sap
leaking, the bees gather it. But in
regard to bees hunting out some ten-
der points to inflict the wound itself.
The tenderest portion of the blossom
is as much a portion of the plant as is
the trunk.
Now, in regard to the corn honey,
Mr. Mahin says that " corn honey is a
myth." When I quoted Mr. Morris,
in regard to corn honey, I did not give
his statement verbatim, as it was
lengthy. I will now give the state-
ment of Mr. Morris from Oleanings,
of December, 1882 : " Sometime in
August * * * when white
clover was about played out, the bees
took a spurt, and for several d^ys we
failed to And what they were working
on; heartsease andgoldenrod were not
in bloom. My wife called my atten-
tion to it Hrst. She had followed the
line of bees, and found the corn Held
swarming with bees. At first you
would suppose a swarm was going
over, and wonder where they were.
StanjJ still a moment, however, and
you will see a bee come from under
the base of a corn leaf, then one from
between the stem of an ear and the
stalk, then some from way down by
the roots, and by that time you will
begin to see where they are getting
the honey, not from the silk, not from
tlie blossom, but from the stalk, at
the base of every leaf at each joint,
and on every stalk, and on every hill.
We obtained 500 pounds of extracted,
same of box, of this same corn honey,
and you will see by the sample it is
nice. Bees worked on the corn about
two weeks. Field corn begins to yield
honey about as the kernel begins to
form, and continues until the kernel
is well formed. At least it did here
this year I think it always yields
honey, some every year, but you can-
not always tell what is going to yield
honey. H. M. Mokris."
At the close of the above letter
from Mr. Morris, Mr. A. I. Root re-
marks : " Many thanks friend M. for
your valuable contribution to our
stock of facts, and also for the sample
of honey. The corn honey will rank
with the best we have, both in color
and flavor I would strongly in-
dorse the point you make, friend M.,
about the honey coming from unex-
pected sources. We little know now
where the honey we may get next .sea-
son will come from, while the honey
comes from so many hitherto un-
known sources, and there is such a
broad lield of knowledge yet unex-
plored."
Mr. Morris says in the Bee Jour-
nal, page 145 : " Mr. Stewart quotes
me from Gleanings a little wrong. I
said : I think bees gather some honey
each year from corn. His statement
is that my bees gather large quanti-
ties of corn honey each year. 1 know
that they did this year. Corn honey
has such a peculiar quality that if one
ever gets a yield, he will be apt to
know it if he ever gets another, and
I am quite sure I have had corn honey
before."
Mr. Mahin says that " if Mr. Morris
ever saw bees sucking at the joints of
cornstalks the corn was infested
with chinch bugs, or some species of
plant lice." Mr. Morris and his wife
would most likely have noticed chinch
bugs if they had been on the corn in
such numbers as to produce the effect
that he reports.
Mr. Mahin says, " that he has
watched bees by the half hour gather-
ing honey from clover, etc." If he
has, and has read a corresponding
amount of modern literature on bee-
culture, he must know that honey
gathered after plant lice is of an in-
ferior quality. Mr. Morris and Mr.
Root both testify that the above men-
tioned corn honey was a fine article.
And yet, again, Mr. Mahinsays, "that
if bees can work on corn, as we be-
lieve they can, they would break the
skin of grapes, and we would have to
acknowledge that we were liable to
the grape growers for the damage to
their crops, which we have claimed
was done by birds and wasps, etc."
Mr. Mahin has based liis hyper-
criticism on a misconception. Did I
not show that our choice fruits, etc.,
all came by cutting, pruning and up-
rooting of the plants, and also that
white clover thrived best where it
was most severely pruned 'f He should
know that plants and fruit are subject
to a law of growth, and they may be
wounded to a certain extent without
producing any perceptible injury.
Growth is continually laying off old
conditions and building on new,
changing acid to nectar, healing
wounds, supplying waste, increasing
dimensions, changing form, etc., and
yet the health of the plant remains.
If Mr. Mahin will experiment one-
half an hour in June and July, he will
find that fruit may be pricked with a
fine needle through the skin, (if done
carefully), and the fruit remain
healthy.
Orion, Wis., May 4, 1883.
t^ The Central Kansas Bee-Keep-
ers' Association will meet at Manhat-
tan, Kansas, on June 30, 1883.
Thos. Bassler, Sec.
312
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
White Clover Bloom.
The boom is here on white clover.
The ground is literally covered with
bloom. The bees are busy from morn-
ing till night. The battle opened th'is
day week, and the hives are now full
of honey, and the bees are working in
the boxes. It is the tinest flow I ever
saw. I. H. SHI3IEK.
Hillsboro, III, June 7, 1883.
Good Prospeet for Honey in New York.
My 30 colonies wintered without
loss, but I lost 2 by spring dwindling.
They are now in good condition for
the honey liarvest. for which the
prospect is good.
Charlie W. Bradish.
Glendale, N. Y., June 10, 1883.
Discussion on tlie Best Frame.
I have had some letters concerning
my article on i>age 2B3 ; they speak of
it as a challenge to discuss the frame
subject. I ask all to read the article
once more. Generally discussion
soon merges into contention ; and
then long articles are written on both
sides, to show that what one asserted
is ture or false, when, whether true or
false, is of no consequence ; for in-
stance, of what use is it to know if
they have got the Langstroth frame }4
inch too large, to a sensible man tliat
uses a sensible frame. J. W. Porter's
style, on page 288, is what we want.
E. B. SOUTHWICK.
Mendon. Mich., June 8, 1883.
Not at all Discouraged.
I put 112 colonies of bees in the
cellar last fall, and took out 108, all in
good condition. The spring has been
cold and windy. The bees consumed
more honey this spring, than during
all the winter. I never lose any bees
unless I was to blame for not liaving
them in proper condition for winter.
I can manage 300 colonies alone, with
some cheap help to make hives and
boxes, and to assist in swarming
time. Chas. Follett. '
Osage, Iowa, June 8, 1883.
May 2-5, and lasting from 4 to 5 weeks,
during which time it is entirely cov-
ered with bees. The leaves are al-
most hid by (lowers. F. A. Bohl.
Summum, 111., June 4, 1883.
[It is mock orange (FhikuUlphus
coronari(i) ; an exotic shrub, very com-
monly cultivated.— T. J. Burrill.]
Mock Orange for Honey.
Bees, in tliis vicinity, are swarming,
very lively. I have had 9 swarms ;
one colony having given 3 swarms,
viz.: May 26, June 1, and June 4.
Another one, an Italian, has swarmed
twice. My bees Inive stored no honey
in the surplus boxes yet, but I expect
to receive some soon, as the Alsike,
wliite clover and locust ai'e in bloom.
The ants are very troublesome, mak-
ing their nests in the upper story,
around the surplus boxes, and run-
ning into the lower story when I open
the hives, irritating the bees so that
it is impossible to work with them.
Basswood, which commences to bloom
about July l,is very full of bloom,
this year. I enclose a flower and
leaf for name. It is an ornamental
shrub commencing to bloom about
Swarminjr and Storing Honey in Ark.
I started the spring with 30 colo-
nies ; and have already taken over
2,000 pounds of pxtracted and 60
pounds of comb honey. Had it not
been for the recent cold weather and
the last few days of rain, I should
have done much better 1 have an
increase of 1.5 good strong swarms. I
would nc* be without the Bee Jour-
nal for any price. I shall work a
large number of oolonies. another
season. R.J.Adams.
Lakeport, Ark., June -5, 1883.
Good Outlook for Honey.
1 put into winter quarters 4.5 good
strong colonies, and 44 came out. My
bees are in tine condition, and are
booming, giving from one to Ave
swarms every day. My section boxes
are almost ready to take off. White
clover is abundant, and the outlook is
good. Wm. Taylor.
Sinclair, 111., June 11, 1883.
Long, Cold Spring Weather.
We have had a long, cold winter ;
and even since the spring quarter has
appeared, we have had only sometimes
a day which we rejoice to see. as a
summer day. but the day following,
and for several days, the old cold
gloom again. One day in May, .it
commenced to rain, then turned to
snow, and snowed the whole after-
noon ; however, at present, and for
some days past, it appears like settled
summer weather, and plum trees are
in full bloom. There is an abund-
ance of dandelion bloom, apple trees
also are coming in nicely, and I hope
we shall have a good season yet.
Edward Moore.
Barrie, Ont., June 5, 1883.
National Convention.
Providence permitting, I shall go
to the National Convention at Toronto,
if the time is made to suit. For my
own part, and 1 believe the majority
of Southern bee-keepers, would prefer
the last of September, as the most
suitable time for holding the meeting,
or not later than the 10th of October.
The reason I prefer September is,
there are more opportunities then of-
fered for the purchase of " excursion
tickets " to the North. I hope the
committee of arrangements will select
the time at as early a day as possible,
so as to give bee-keepers ample time
to effect all necessary arrangeements
to go. J. "P. H. Brown.
Augusta, Ga., June 7, 1883.
Too Mnch Rain.
We have had rain. rain, rain, for
the past two weeks, till everything is
flooded with water. It became warm
about May 2-5, but since then it has
been so wet that the bees could do
little or nothing. I am feeding my
bees to keep them from starving.
White clover promises well, and with
good weather I hope the bees will
soon get a living. My best colony
gave a swarm on the 9th. owing to
extra care, as I wished to get queen-
cells produced by natural swarming
as early as possible for queen-rearing.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., June 12, 1883.
Wonderful Honey Plant.
The winter before last I procured
a small package of sweet clover (meli-
Jot) seed, and sowed about 6 square
rods in March, 1882, for a test. It
grew last year, and sent its roots well
in the ground. The past spring it
shot up from the roots quite early,
and. although from the lirst week in
April to the present time, a good rain
has not fallen on it, it put on a wond-
erful growth, and much of it is 6 feet
high. It began to bloom about the
middle of May, and is now a perfect
mass of flowers, swarming with bees.
I do not know how long it will last,
but it certainly is one of the finest
honey plants I ever saw. I think an
acre of it would supply a large apiary.
It is certainly worth trying in Texas,
as it seems to resist the effects of dry
weather so well. The spring has not
been a favorable one for bees ; but
little swarming; doing well now, how-
ever. W. P. Hancock.
Salado, Texas, June 7, 1883.
Perpetual Bloom.
On April 1, 1883, I sold off what
bees I had in Southern Nebraska, and
I made up my mind to find a milder
climate for myself, and also a place
that my bees would not have to re-
main housed for from 5 to 6 months
in the year. Here, near Trankeyone,
we are locating an apiary of 200 colo-
nies, some of which have, at tliis
writing, 70 pounds of as fine honey as
I have ever saw. The honey flow has
every appearance of being good for 6
to 7 weeks yet. This is a land of al-
most perpetual bloom, as I am told
by the oldest inhabitants, the climate
being so mild that it scarcely ever
freezes, and at the same time never
becomes extremely hot ; it is rarely
above 70^ Fahr. All kinds of fruit
grow to perfection here. Apple, pear,
peach, apricot, plum, cherry, grapes,
oranges, lemons, prunes, figs and al-
monds, and small fruits, such as cur-
rants, raspberries, blackberries, etc.
The wheat and barley crop promises
a big yield. Trankeyone is a signal
station on the coast range, in Southern
California. Joseph Sayler.
Santa Barbara Co., Cal.. June 1.1883.
Bees Doing Lively Work.
We have had a very cold, wet spring
here ; but, in spite of the cold and wet,
my bees are doing finely. I had the
largest natural swarm, to-day, that I
ever saw. I could hardly get them
into a one-story simplicity hive. They
have been storing lioney from the
willow. Basswood will not bloom till
late ; the bees of this locality are
nearly all black. Chas. Harrold.
Onawa, Iowa, June 3, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
313
Sweet Clover.
I enclose a part of a plant ; will you
give the name, and also please Ift me
know if it is a honey plant y Bees
seem to like it very well. It comes
early in the spring, and grows about
3% or 4 feet high, when the bloom
comes. A great many limbs or
sprouts come from the same root. It
blooms the second year from seed.
L. R. Williams.
Paris, Texas, May 28, 1883.
[It is riielilotus alba, or sweet clover,
and is an excellent houey plant. — Ed.]
Bees ill Louisiana.
Bees, in this locality, are doing
poorly, owing to the late spring and
cold rains. Most of us have finished
dividing, and are now waiting for a
little sunshine, so that we may com-
mence extracting. In this parish are
about 2,500 colonies of bees, wliich
are contained in about 15 different
"apiaries ; all of whicii are run exclu-
sively for extracted honey. Of course,
scattered all through the country, are
a few hives of bees, kept by the farm-
ers' wives for their own use ; tliese I
did not count. I should like to know
whether it is infringing on a patent to
repair a patented article when it is
broken '? Please tell us something
about Florida, Colorado and New
Mexico through the columns of your
valuable paper, for we Louisianians
are tired of being flooded every spring,
and are thinking seriously of emi-
grating en masse. T. M. Hines.
Point Coupee, La., June 4, 1884.
[Of course you can repair, or do any-
thing you like with a patented arti-
cle, after you have purchased it, ex-
cept to make others like it. Our cor-
respondent will find considerable in
the Bee Jouknal about the locali-
ties named, especially in relation to
their adaptability for progressive bee-
keeping.—Ed.]'
Magniflceiit Flow of Honey.
My bees have gone crazy on the
honey question. I never saw such a
flow of honey before.
Joseph E. Shavek.
North River, Va., June 8, 1883.
Basswood Promises Well.
Please find enclosed a leaf that I
would like to know the name of, and
its importance as a honey producer.
I only know of a little of it along the
roadside, and it is alive with bees
from morning till night ; blooming at
the time it does, between fruit tree
bloom and basswood, it might be val-
uable for bees if it has no objection-
able qualities to over-balance the good.
My bees are strong ; have been start-
ing queen-cells, but a scarcity of
honey and unfavorable weather caused
them to destroy tlie cells. There is
very little white clover here, and I
expect I will have to feed some be-
tween now and basswood bloom,
which promises to be good. Almost
every one seems to be giving their
preferences in regard to a standard
frame, and all seem perfectly willing
to adopt a standard, provided they
adopt their preference. I think a
compromise between a deep and shal-
low frame would be the best to unite
on. I tliink it would be easier to
unite, if the advocates of both deep
and shaUow frames would give a
little, and 1 would endorse the frame
recommended by Mr. P. P. N. E.
Pellissier, on page 240, 10 inches deep
by 15 inches long, inside measure. I
am not using that size, but would be
willing to adopt it. L. G. Purvis.
Oregon, Mo., May 28, 1883.
[The leaf is not recognized. It is
hard to determine plants from the leaf
alone. Send part of the stem and es-
pecially tlie flower.— Ed.]
Excellent Prospects for Honey.
I put into winter quarters 46 colo-
nies, and 43 came out in fair condi-
tion ; but I have lost, up to date, 5
more, leaving 38 now, all but 5 are
ready to go into sections. I had hard
work to keep them up, but I am sat-
isfied to have them in this condition,
after such a severe spring. 1 expect;
a good honey yield ; white clover has
commenced to yield honey, and there
is as good a stand of it as I have ever
seen. Our bees did not get enough,
up to date, to keep breeding;! had
to feed them largely, but hope now it
is all right. I will report my experi-
ments on wintering before fail.
A. WiCHERTS.
Mattison. 111.. June 8, 1883.
Mountain Maple for Houey.
Will yon please name, in the Bee
Journal, the enclosed plant. It
grows on a tree something like the
maple, and the roaring of the bees
upon it to-day, attracted my atten-
tion. Fruit bloom is just done, and
and if this is a good honey plant, as
the working of the bees seems to in-
dicate, it may be made to fill an im-
portant gap ii\ the honey flow. I
could not find another tree like the
one from which I picked these leaves
and flower. James MgNeill.
Hudson, N. Y., May 29, 1883.
[This is the mountain maple (Acer
spicatum), a small native tree, widely
dispersed through the heavily- wooded
portions of the United States and
Canada.— T. J. Burrill.]
Backwardness of the Season.
The cold and backward spring has
been ])retty hard on the weak colo-
nies of bees in this section, but strong
colonies are booming. Geo. C. Green,
of Factoryville, 1% miles from here,
had a large swarm about two weeks
ago. He winters his bees in chaff
hives; has some 30 colonies, and lost
none. I have 8 colonies in plain Sim-
plicity hives ; 6 of them I packed with
chaff cushions, and the other 2 I left
to tliemselves, as they were weak
ones, and 1 thought it was not worth
while to bother with them. Did they
live through the long cold winter V
Yes sir ; and came out just as well as
the rest, having quite as large a pro-
portion of their number ready for
business as the others had. Why
"this was thus," I cannot say unless,
as the old gentleman remarked at the
convention the other day, " It was
just their contrary way." I wish you,
Mr. Editor, would stir up those who
advertise queens to sell, etc., to be a
little more prompt in filling orders, or
say plainly that they cannot imme-
diately do as they advertise. Some-
times those who call themselves
'■ square men," get a bad reputation
by not being prompt. I ordered some
queens some two weeks ago from a
breeder who wrote me that he could
send them on five days notice, but not
a queen is here yet, although a letter
w'ill reach liim in less than two days.
I ordered more, from another breeder
in the South, who claims, in his cir-
cular, to be able to fill orders in April,
but not a queen do I get. In his ac-
knowledgement of my order, he said
it was cold there, and he was afraid
they would die in the mails. That
was three weeks ago. The mercury
now stands at 8.5^ to 88° in the shade,
and he is only two days and half away.
Are they all alike V I think not ; but,
from the little dealings I have had
with some of them, I fear a majority
belong to the three-handed army; that
is, they have a right hand, a left
hand, and a little behind-hand.
" Connoisseur."
La Plume, Pa., June 5, 1883.
[The weather, this spring, has been
such, not only in the North, but also
in the South, that queens could not
be reared and fertilized, much less
shipped to fill orders. Our corres-
pondent should remember that the
circulars were gotten out in Uie win-
ter, and no one could then foresee the
terribly backwardness of the spring.
Beeders calculated on the usual
weather, but have been treated to
some very unusual, this spring. All
must exercise patience, eat a little
more honey, and keep sweet-tem-
pered.—Ed.]
Toads — A Dangerous Bee Trap.
A few evenings since I went out to
my apiary, and in front of the en-
trance to one hive I discovered a large
toad. I watched him a few moments,
and saw him catch bees as they ven-
tured out on the alighting board. The
toad would twist bis month and turn
from one side to another after swal-
lowing a bee. I caught the toad and
made an investigation. First cutting
off his head, I examined the inside of
the mouth, w^here was found several
stingers in the jaw and roots of the
tongue, where the bees had stung
him when lie closed his mouth upon
them. I then opened the body and
pressed upon the stomach, when nine
nice Italian bees came out, lifeless.
Others remained in the stomach,
enough, I think, to have made the
number 18 or 20. In answer to the
question, " Will toads catch bees ?"
I can certainly answer, they will.
W. A. Shewman.
Randolph, N. Y., June 9, 1883.
814
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Brin^in^ in the (ioldeii Nectar.
I think I can say that I am " out of
the woods " for this season, and will
report, success. I put into winter
quarters 68 colonies, and never had
them do better, until 1 gave them a
flight late in February. I put them
on their summer stands, in the first
days of April, when I had lost 2 colo-
nies. There was ten times as many
dead bees on the cellar floor, on the
first day of April, as there was on the
first of March. I should like to have
a reason for this, as they were kept as
nearly as possible in the same condi-
tion througli March as though the
three preceding months. I have lost
3 colonies by dwindling, since the
first of April, leaving (53 colonies in
good condition ; some of them very
strong, hanging out, and giving
strong indications of swarming. Mr.
Layer, of Gilman, reports a fine
swarm on the 23d of May. White
clover is beginning to bloom, and for
the last two days, they are working
lively, bringing in the golden nectar,
and their busy hum, to me, is sweet
music. The more I am with the pets,
the better I understand their lan-
guage, for a language they have, most
certainly, and it is well to understand
and heed their words, or they may
use something sharper.
Reuben Havens.
Onarga, 111., June 4, 1883.
at and ^axu.
ANSWERS BY
James Eeddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
^° Will my friends please send their
questions to the Editor of the Jour-
nal, and not to me ; they will be an-
swered just as promptly. I now have
a short-hand reporter who can take
down my answers as fast as I can
think them, which enables me to
"talk back" with great satifaction,
so send along your questions, but to
Mr. Newman and not to me, please.
Queen Rearing.
Will Mr. Heddon give us his opin-
ion of Mr. Alley's book, "New Method
of Queen Rearing ?" 1 have seen the
same method of obtaining queen-cells
practiced three years ago, in a large
apiary, in a neighboring county.
C. W. Green.
New Orleans, La., June 7, 1883.
Answer. — I regret very much that
I am unable to give my opinion upon
Mr. Alley's " New Method of Queen-
Rearing." Mr. Alley kindly sent me
a copy, asking for my opinion, but I
have been too busy to read it. I must
fill my engagements and answer busi-
ness letters, and this takes all of my
time, and overtaxes me ut that. I
did read Mr. House's chapter on
■' Comb honey production," and also
Mr. Locke's on the " Races of bees,"
therein contained. I disagree en-
tirely with the tenets of both these
chapters.
Drum Box and After-Swarms.
I would like to have Mr. Heddon
answer these questions :
1. How does he prevent after-
swarming V
2. Explain his drum box ; is it in
any wise dlfierent from a common
box made to fit the top of the box hive
he is transferring V
3. I have had s swarms from 3 colo-
nies already. Bees have been storing
surplus since April 1.
Geo. E. Lytle.
Flat Bayou. Ark., May 28, 1883.
Answers.— 1 . We very rarely have
any attempt at after-swarming. If
such are cast, we hive the after-
swarm in a hive of comb foundation,
and put it by the side of the old box.
When the 21 days have passed, we then
drive the bees in the old box into the
hive with the after-swarm, and, at
the same time, all three can be put
together if you were driving on the
non-increasing plan.
2. My drum box is simply a box of
about the size of the hive to be drum-
med, but I think it would be an im-
provement, one I thought of 7 or 8
years ago, but have never made, to
have a drum box contain numerous
thin light division-boards, to enable
the bees to readily ascend from all
parts of the old hive.
Antiquated Management.
Will Mr. Heddon kitidly answer the
following questions through the
American Bee Journal, for a
friend :
1. If a man is doing all his own
work, can he manage more bees for
comb honey production, or for ex-
tracted honey ?
2. Which way can he produce the
greatest number of pounds, by using
sections or extracting 'i
3. Can comb lioney be shipped safely
to market in the Langstroth frame,
and would it find ready sale 'i
4. Would there be any market for
comb honey in 10 or 20 pound boxes,
such as were used 20 or 25 years ago V
5. I write this for the benefit of a \
friend. The questions being fully !
settled in my mind, and he being will-
ing to abide by your answer.
G. C. Vaugiit.
Greenville, Miss.
Answers.— 1. We must understand
that less colonies are required to
gather the honey of a given area,
when they are working for extracted
honey than when working for comb
honey. With proper fixUires in both
cases, there is not much difference, if
any, in the amount of labor required.
2. If he is getting extracted honey
for sauce, and takes out a ripe article,
he will get but little more extracted
then comb honey, provided he thor-
oughly understands the lavv* govern-
ing the production of comb honey.
3. To this question I answer No.
The smaller the frame or sections
honey is put up in, the safer it will be
during transit. The full-sized Langs-
troth frame would be unsafe, besides
there are hundreds of other objections
against using it. It would not find
ready sale in packages of that size.
4. Occasionally some odd genius
might demand it in that shape, but as
a rule there would be no market for
it. The honey would have to sell at
several cents per pound lower.
.5. I hardly thought any reader of
the American Bee Journal would
be apt to ask such questions. The
small sections are not only more sal-
able at the present time, but the
most transportable packages, and the
most economical, labor and prices
both considered.
Fertile Workers, etc.
The season is from two to three
weeks late here, but we escaped the
snow storm of May 21, that was so
destructive through Ohio and further
South. We also have had but little
frost, and fruit propects are good for
apples and cherries, and all kinds of
small fruit ; clover has wintered well,
and has an enormous growth for this
date ; wheat promises to be above the
average through this section.
1 . How soon, after a colony becomes
queenless, will fertile workers make
their appearance V
2. Cannot queens be induced to lay
to their utmost capacity in a single
season, and thus become worthless
after, by removing and replacing
combs ; the queen being in a strong
colony y
3. What objection would there be to
crossing the Holy Land bees with the
pure Italians ? Are they as irritable
as other hybrid bees V
S. J. YOUNGMAN.
Cato, Mich., June 7, 1883.
Answers.—]. There is no definite
time. I have known them to appear
in a few days after becoming queen-
less ; at other times, several weeks
after.
2. I have found that queens can be
stimulated to lay such an amount of
eggs in one or two seasons that they
seem to have exhausted their fertility.
3. The main objection to crossing
the Holy Land bees with Italians, is
that they have not the valuable quali-
ties possessed by the Italians, which
every comb honey producer so
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
315
much needs, but the brown Germans
have, and this is why the very best
honey-gatherers can be procured by
judicious crossings of leather-colored
Italian and brown German bees.
There is no need of losing any amia-
bility in such crossing: as the one last
referred to. It is the sitnplest and
easiest thing in tlie world to iiR-r"ase it.
The Holy Land bees have two
traits of character, which must for-
ever keep them from the apiaries of
wise honey-producers. First, they
are terribly irascible ; secondly, they
do not ripen their honey properly be-
fore sealing it, which causes it to
press against the capping and ooze
out. I have never had them in my
apiary, I am happy to affirm ; but
good reliable parties, who have tested
them thoroughly, furnish me proof of
the above statements.
The brown German bee excells any
bee in the v^orld, in the much desir-
able point of building white comb,
and doing it readily and rapidly ; also
in ascending to the upper story early
in the season, and in not crowding
the brood-chamber with honey. These
valuable traits no wise honey pro-
ducer will ignore. Another valuable
point about them is, they are not
nearly as much inclined to swarm as
the yellow races of bees.
Transferring.
I have been transferring bees from
American hives into others, but have
not yet finished. Would you advise
me to tinish now V Please answer
through the Bee Journal and
oblige. Silas Kemington.
Lowell, Mich.
Answer.— We practice transferring
either on the old system or the new,
all through the season, when conven-
ient, and see no reason why you
should not finish the job at ence.
Separators with Broad Frames.
Several correspondents have asked
me if I considered it advisable to use
separators with broad frames. I will
reply that I do. When I run 34 broad
frame supers, I tried omitting the
separators. I find that while the
"case" seems not to need separators to
get reasonably straight combs, the
broad frames are almost a total fail-
ure without them.
Bees are just beginning to swarm
and store in cases here. The pros-
pects are qood. " After clouds, sun-
shine." We are now transferring
.iHveral colonies on the new plan,
which the students think "the boss."
J>pecial IJottces.
Examine the Date, following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper ; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
15, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending ns a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy or
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity .—W e have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
^^ Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them — one-cent stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
1^" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to 7iew
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 50 cents ;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
Sample Copies of theAMERicAN Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
To Europe and Return for 30 Cents.
If you eau't afford to pay $22 for one of
W. 11. Brearley's round trip excursion
tickets "From Detroit to tlie Sea," with
which you could leave Detroit . I une 27th,
July llth or July 25tli, for a 2,200 mile
pleasiue tour to the White Mts. aud Sea
Shore, the "next" best thing would be to
send ten 3 cent stamps to W. H. Brearley,
of the Detroit (Mich.) "Eveuius News,"
for a copy of his new C8-page Olustratt'd
excursion guide book, it also ccjiitaiiis
particulars of :! clieaii excursions "From
Detroit across the Sea to Liverjjool. Tlie
book is graphic in its descriptions, and
affords for tlurty cents an excellent substi-
tute tor an excursion to Eiu'ope, with the
advantage that calm weather anil exemption
from sea sic-kucss may be relied upon. One
(if tiiese guide liooks has been rccelve(l at
the oliice of tliis paper, where it may be
examuied by any one interested.
316
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Liirge Smokers neeii wide shields. Blnsham's
have them, and springs that do not rust anil break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 Inch stove, and sx7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for SI. 'J 3. Address,
BINGHAM & HETHEEINGTON,
Abronia Mich.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& HetheriiiRton, Dear Sirs :— 1 am
now selling your .Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. (t. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Cou«niered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother " with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker" did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y.. Aug. 15, 1882.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor".. I wide shield)— 3!.^ in. Are tube, $2.aJ
The Conqueror(wide shield)— 3 in.flretube, 1.75
Large (wirteshleld)—2mn. Are tube, l..)0
Extra ...(wideabield)— -' in.flretube, 1.125
Plain ' . .(nar. shield)-2 in. Bretube, l.UD
UttleWonder. .mar. shield )-lM in. are tube, .65
Bingham & Hetherington Uncapping Knife.. 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, aiuUlie absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883.
BEES and HONEY,
OB THE
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor of the TTeeWl/ Bee Journal.
»%S West Madtson Street, Chlcuco, III.
Ribbon Badses, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per KX).
i^- Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
It contains l*iO profusely illustrated pages, is
"fully up with the times" in all the improvements
and inventions in this rapidly developing pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everything that can
aid in the successful management of the Honey
Bee, and at the same time produce the most honey
in its best and most attractive condition.
Appreclutlve Notices.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. V.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times Its cost.— Citizen, Pulaski, Tenn.
Contains nil the information needed to make
hee-culture successful.- Eagle. Union City, Ind.
Just such a work as should be in the hands of
every beginner with bees.— News, Kelthsburg, 111.
Valuable for all who are interested in the care
and management of bees.-Dem., Allegan, Mich.
Engravings are fine. Gotten up in the best style,
and is cheap at the price.- Farmer, Cleveland, O.
It comprises all that is necessary for successful
hee-culture, save experience and good judgment.
-Daily Republican, Utica, N. Y.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping a
success.— Col. Valley and Farm.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable Information for al I readers,
even though they be not directly interested in the
care of bees.— Sentinel, Rome, N. Y.
It is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the
little busy bee, as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of information in regard to
bee-culture. He who would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted in all the improvements in
his line We advise all interested to get a copy of
this book.-Daily Times, San Bernardino, Cal.
It embraces every subject that will interest the
beginner. It describes all the newest discoveries
In the art by which the production of delicious and
health-civina honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive
form. It is embellished with beautiful engravlnas,
and is the most perfeot work of the kmd, for the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— !• ar-
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound in cloth, T5 centa ; in paper
covers. oO cent", postpaid.
THOMAS G. NBWMAN,
st'o W. Madison St., Chicago, 111.
bIesure
To send a postal nard for our Illustrated ratalogue
of Apiarian Supplies before purchasing elsewhere.
Ucontainslllustrationsanddescnptionsot every-
thing new :ind valuable needed in an apiay. at the
lowest prices. Italian ,3ueens and Bees. Parties
intei.i.ingto purchase bees in lots of liKMonies or
more are invited to correspond
J. C. SAYI^ES,
oiDlJtBS ' Hartford, Wis^
1883.
ITALIAN AND HOLY LAND
QUEENS!
The Handsomest Queens for BUSINESS
the World Produces.
BUSINESS, BEAUTY and Wintering
(Jualities t'oinbined.
We CHALLENGE the WORLD to EQUAL them.
Every Queen WARRANTED perfect, and reared
under the swarming impul.-<e. Tested Queens ot
either race, each $2.i«J ; wUh"Handy Book, ' »2.50.
Queens warranted as good as tested and 'Handy
Book," H-2.2r,. Special rates by the quantity.
Send for our 32-page Circular. 22Att
HENRY Al,l,EX, WENHAM, MASS.
4 H. P. Horizontal Single Beturn-Flue
Portable Engine and Boiler
Mounted on skids, engine on top of holler : cyl.
4VoXK ; complete with Pump, Heater, Safety Valve.
Steam-Euage. Brass Oil Cups and Lubricator 30
inch Band Wheel. Can change engine to run either
way ; also, stroke of Pump, to pump last or slow ;
also, speed of engine. This rljj is in good order-
sound and strong ; would make a good rig for light
work Win deliver on board cars lor $]2;j.0ii. At
this price It must be taken soon. On receipt of »25
I will send it CO. D. if desired. Reason for selling,
I have bargained tor a larger one.
B. G. ^VEBSTEK, Blaine, Boone Co., 111.
TO ADVERTISE
OVER THE WHOLE COUNTRY
WITH A SMAI.!. I.IST.
Advertisers desiring to reach every section of the
country, without investing a very large amount of
money, will and the following agood listol papers:
Price per line.,
BOSTON, MASS.. Journal JX*^"!'!^* J?
Buoiuii, congregationlist Weekly 2a
American Cultivator.Weekly 30
Youlh'aCompanion. , Weekly 20O
NEWYOiaiCITVSjui^.^.... ............. .weekly 50
Tribune Weekly 100
Christian Advocate. .Weekly 60
Harper's 'Weekly Weekly 150
Observer Weekly SO
Witness Weekly i5
Philadelphia,Pa.. Times .";:;:^^S1; i
hNCINNATI.O. .Times^.^^..... ".."" W-^^ |
Commercial-Gazette. Weekly M
TOLEDO, OHIO.. Blade S'^®,''!^ S
SSCAGO, ILL..,InterOcean .Weekly T5
Tribune S'"=N^ 1
ST LOUIS, MO... Republican S*"^? ^ ts
° Globe-Democrat Week y 50
San Francisco,ral.Chronicle 'S®S J g
T'ORONTO.ONT.. Globe Weekly .a
Price per line In all the papers SI-* *'
Ten lines, one time, costs S144 70.
1883.
VOU GET VALUE RECHIVED !
i^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
KAL to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one ■ne^v subscription
with vour own V Our premium, "Bees, «_«^ . ...« »..nni ii-n
^^l£r^rti^;^»iroinw;Xi^t^l QUEENS, BEES AND SUPPLIES
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bek .Jouiinal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
Kogrersvllle, Oenesee €ouiity, Mich.,
Makes a specialty of rearing dark, leather-colored
ITAliIAlV QUEENS. Untested Queens, » 1. 00
each, or six for f,'..50; twelve for »lu.li(i. Tested
Queens, t2.0O each. Safe arrival guaranteed. Make
money orders payable at Flint. Mich. '^..Dtt
If you want EAKC-IT QUEENS fnim the
best improved (teiuilne stock for business: or if
you want Iniporiert Italian Queens or bees, m lull
colonies or nuclei, with tested or untested queens;
if you want Dunham or Vandervort comb lounda-
tlon, made from pure beeswax; or it you want
hives or apiarian supplies of any kind, send tor my
new cataf.gue. It tells you about introducing
queens, new " Races of Bees," etc. t ash paid for
clean beeswax. Address
A DEFINITE OFFER.
For S140 net cash we will insert lO lines, agate
space, one time, in all the iibove 2(1 ^'^'^'^f'tu^^S^t
one insertion, without further cbarg,. of the same
adveitisement in 3.-.0 country weeklies, with a
guaranteed circulation of more than i75^K«icopies.
For »7a we will insert S lines once, or 3 lines for
SSSO. Catalogue of the weeklies sent on applica-
'"if the advertisement is already appearing in any
of the above papers, we will substitute others of
similar circulation and value. Address,
OEO. P. ROWELL & CO.,
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING BUKBAn,
111 SPRUCE STREET, NEW YORK.
5BDl.it
J. P. H. BKOWSr.
Augusta, Georgia.
1883.
1883. JOSEPH D. EN AS,
iSiiuny Side Apiiiry.)
Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Colonies, Nuclei,
EXTRACTOR.S, COMB FOUNDATION, ic
uiDGm Address, Sunny Side Apiary, NAPA, CAL.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPEB'S ADVISER,
The BuiTlsH BEE JOURNAL is published month-
ly, and contains the best practical infomiation tor
the time being, showing what to d.., and when and
how to do it. Kev. H. K. PEEL, tdltor.
We send the WeeUlv .A-.mekic-\.n BeeJocunal
and tlieBriM'shBif JoiriM^both for »3.iai a year.
DUNHAM COMB FOUNDATION.
Twenty-live lbs. or less, 55c. per lb. ; over 2.5 lbs. 52c
per lb Extra thin and bright (lo sq. tt. to the lb.)
,58c. Wax worked for inc. per pound.
24A.5t F. MV. HOLMES, Coopersville, Mich.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., JUNE 27, 1883.
No. 26.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Puoprietor,
Mourning Turned to Joy.
Only a few weeks ago the bee-keep-
ers indnlsed in a mournful song, now
that song has turned to joy, as maybe
seen by looking over the letters in
this issue of tlie Bee Journal. The
present indications are that the honey
harvest of this year will be exceed-
ingly bountiful. Now is the time to
give every moment to the bees, and
see that everything is in order, and
that all manipulations are attended to
promptly. It will pay well to do so.
The Indiana Farmer remarks as fol-
lows :
The heart of tlie bee-keepei- is glad
in the land. Colonies that have cast
a swarm will require looking after at
frequent intervals to see that the
young queen is not lost on her bridal
trip. Do not neglect them, then, af-
ter slie gets lost. With no eggs from
which to rear a queen, the colony
dwindles away. All sections should
be removed from the hives just as
soon as they are capped over, thus
preserving the pearly whiteness of the
capping. If left standing on the hives,
the bees soon soil the combs by travel-
ing over them. Honey thus early
removed is not thoroughly ripened,
and should be placed in a warm place.
It is not necessary to wait until every
cell is capped over, for the bees will
continue to find a place for a cell or
two long after the section is sufficiently
full to be removed.
1^ By the Canadian Farmer we
leai;n that tlie National Bee-Keepers'
Convention has been appointed to be
held at Toronto, Canada, during the
third week of September— probably
on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,
Sept. 18 to 20; but so far we have had
no official notice of it, and, therefore,
presume that it is not yet fully de-
termined upon.
King-Birds as Bee Enemies.
Mr. Wm. M. Slater, writes thus:
"Mk. Editor.— The following arti-
ticle I noticed in the Pittsbugh Stock-
man, please investigate and report in
the Bee Journ.\l : "
It is a remarkable fact that all the
experts on bee-culture have over-
looked the prime laws of all the
trouble, and that is by simply letting
the king-bird have his way while he
makes a perfect fraud of all the Yan-
kee bee appliances, and even the Ohio
bee journal itself. On Monday, May
1, my colony was attacked by seven
kingbirds, and J went to shooting
them, but did not succeed in getting
all in until Wednesday evening, and
in that short time they had got very
nearly one-half of my bees, and in
desecting them I found nothing else
but bees. Their formation is the
same as a duck ; they have no craw,
and everything they swallow passes
direct to the gizzard, consequently
requiring double the amount of food
of common birds. You can see him
all day, purched on fence stakes,
stumps or mullon stalks, waiting for
the industrious bee, and if it gets
within any reasonable distance of
him, it is gone. I have seen him dart
up in the air nearly 100 feet and catch
a heavy laden bee going home. I
have seen him dart from his perch
and catch four bees and return to his
perch, when he would most ingeni-
ously put his bill down to the perch
and then take hi.s long middle toe and
hold them fast while he would pick
off the head and shoulders and throw
them away, and swallovv the bottle
ends, and in ten seconds of time he is
ready for another haul.
1 am paying the boys 10 cents apiece
for all they fetch me, dead or alive.
Every bee-keeper knows that bees
are divided into two squads, and for
convenience we will name one the
field hands, and tlie otlier the colony
hands. Now let the king-birds pick
off the field hands, and then the col-
ony hands have got nothing to do,
and they go to playing ; then we call
them idle, lazy bees, and are doing no
good, and never for one moment
think of the kingbird being the prime
cause of all the trouble. J. R. A.
The Stockman has been imposed
upon. The king-bird has been re-
peatedly denounced by the Bee Jour-
nal as a murderous thief, and a
" shot-gun " is very generally used to
wake up the ideas of that " bird,"
when he visits apiaries, on his destruc-
tive mission. Mr. A. is simply trying
to play '■ smart," in papers that know
nothing of bee-culture, and are there-
fore unable to detect his false accusa-
tions against the bee papers.
Wonderful Instinct in Bees.
Many interesting accounts have
been written of the wonderful, in-
stincts of honey bees, some, in fact,
which would almost tend to prove
that they possessed reasoning facul-
ties. Au Australian bee-keeper con-
tributes to the Queenslander the fol-
lowing interesting incident, illustra-
tive of their sagacity :
A neighbor of mine who keeps bees
in bar-frame hives, had robbed them
of some of their surplus stores, but
noticing a few days afterwards the
honey running from the entrance to
the hive, and the bees clogged with it,
he raised the top to ascertain the
cause, when he found the bees in so
woful a plight that he knew not what
to do, and was quite disheartened.
He mentioned the matter to me, and
I went to his assistance. I found the
hive in a dreadful state ; the frames
were very large, and the weight of
honey proportionally great ; the combs
had fallen down, and the lioney been
set free. Thousands of bees were
suffocated and smeared with the
honey, and it was a work of some dif-
ficulty to set matters right. On the
floor of the hive, and floating in the
escaped honey, were dozens of white
grubs, which had evidently been
torcibly drawn from the cells by the
bees, and the reason they sacriliced
their progeny appears to be ihat,
finding themselves overwhelmed with
the d-isaster that had fallen upon
them, and having filled every avail-
able crevice with the over-flowed
honey, they had found it necessary to
empty the cells of the young brood in
order to find space to store the balance
until the wreck could be repaired.
There was reason, certainly, for what
they did, and the fact has not, per-
haps, been noticed before, because
the people who kept bees fiu' observa-
tory purposes, would never have al-
lowed such a calamity to happen to
them.
318
fHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
What is the Langstroth Hive?
Our attention lias been called par-
ticularly to the above question by the
following argument by Mr. G. M.
Doolittle, Borodino, N. Y., against
the adoption of a " standard size of
frame" for America. At first he
starts off as an eloquent advocate of
the Langstroth frame, taking broad
grounds, including " nearly all the
frames in use in the United States "
in the term " Langstroth frames."
Then, gradually, forgetting his elo-
quent beginning, he narrows his views
down to the idea tliat only those
whose dimensions are n% or ITf^xltig
should, in fact, be called "Langstroth
frames." But we will not forestall his
arguments. Here they are :
There seems to be much written,
of late, regarding the Langstroth
frame, and 1 see there is a tendency
on the part of those writing on this
subject, to classify all frames that are
not 175.^x918 as other than the Langs-
troth frame. Now I claim that nearly
all (if not quite) of the frames in use
in the United States, to-day, are
Langstroth frames, to all intents and
purposes, and I would here say that
whether I use a frame 10 inche.";
square, or one 9x13, all lionor is due
Mr Langstroth for giving us a prac-
tical frame that each can adopt to suit
their climate or fancy.
Because 1 adopt the form used by
E Gallup, it does not make it any the
less a Langstroth frame. Mr. Gallup
told us, years ago, in the good old
American Bee Jouhnal, that he
considered the frame he used the
Langstroth -frame, but that he had
varied the dimensions of it so as to
suit Elislia Gallup and the cold
climate of Wisconsin and Iowa.
That Mr. Langstroth himself con-
sidered all frames in use embodying
his principle, as the Langstroth frame,
is proven where he says, " Mr. Quinby
prefers to make my frames longer and
deeper." Hence it is no more than
right that we give Mr. Langstroth the
credit of the frame, no matter how
far from the original we may have
varied the dimensions.
Then again, I notice that some are
disposed to try to compel all to use
the standard Langstroth frame. This,
1 think, can never be done, and I see
no necessity for it, unless it is to favor
tlie supply dealers. If the supply
dealer cannot live at the supply busi-
ness as it is, perhaps it would be well
for him to try apiculture in a more
practical way, by getting his " bread
and butter " from the honey he is
able to produce.
Wliy I do not believe that the ii%x-
9% inch frame can ever become a
standard, is because we will not all
give up our views and notions regard-
ing our frames, to adopt the views
cherished by others. We see by the
last few numbers of the Bee Jouk-
NAL that there is no prospect of Mr.
Heddon and Mr. Alves even reconcil-
ing the difference of H of an inch, and
if two, who are so near a standard,
will not make an alteration of I4 inch
for tlie sake of a standard frame, how
can it be expected that those using a
frame as shallow as the Bingham, or
as large as the Quinby, can ever be
brought to unite on one frame ?
When I first began bee-keeping, I
started with the Langstroth frame as
given in his book, but after three
years, I adopted the Gallup, and am
better pleased with it to-day than I
was when I first adopted it, for the
reason that, after handling various
frames, I am confident that I can
make more money from my bees,
taking all things into consideration,
than I could by the use of any other
style of the Langstroth frame. How-
ever, I once said, and so say now,
that had I 30 colonies of bees in hives
containing any of the frames now be-
fore the public, which are practical, I
would not go through the operation
of changing all fixtures, for the differ-
ence it would make as regards pro-
ducing honey for market.
Most of the frames now in use are
practically good enough for the pro-
duction of honey, and were all men
half as enthusiastic over qualifying
themselves to be first-class, practical
managers of an apiary, as some are
over a standard frame, our production
of honey in the United States would
be doubled; no matter what frame
was used.
As I said befoi-e, I prefer the Gal-
lup size of the Langstroth frame, but
I wish it understood that I believe
the manager lias more to do with the
securing of a good crop of honey than
has tlie style of frame.
Again, I notice that nearly all who
advocate a standard frame, are men
claiming to use a frame 17% or 17%x-
d'-g. Now, if these are valid reasons
wliy I should adopt a frame 175^x9i^,
I have failed to see them, and it
rather looks as if these men who are
clamerous for that frame, are not
satisfied with it, or else have some
selfisli point in view.
Once more, Mr. Porter tells us, on
page 2S8, that one reason why we
should adopt the Langstroth frame is,
that the returns are greater than from
other styles ; and winds up by saying
that " Doolittle comes the nearest to
it, but I forget the dimensions of his
frame. But he has been greatly sur-
passed." Who byV Lots using the
Langstrotli frame. Admitted ; but
who surpassed the lots? L. C. Root
with the Quinby frame. Does this
help Mr. Porter any? Then, Mr.
Pond says (not in the Bee Journal),
in trying to sustain the merits of the
n-'gzf>^s frame, that Doolittle winters
bees poorly, while a certain man using
the Quinby frame winters every time.
Again, I ask does this help the Langs-
troth frame any V Where does A. I.
Root and J. Ileddon stand regarding
successful wintering as a plea for your
lauded style of frame. Another
thing, let me just whisper, if I am
correctly informed, that persons said
to have wintered bees with his Quinby
frame every time, has brought more
bees in the spring (since I kept bees)
to replace his loss than Doolittle ever
owned.
Just .one more point and I have
done. A. I. Root often tells us, in
Gleanings, that there are more Langs-
troth hives and frames in use than of
all othe;rs put together (I saw a report
of a convention not long ago, where
but two used that frame out of 13 of
our largest bee-keepers, which did not
look as if Mr. Root's assertion would
stand the proof), but for the sake of
argument I will admit that there are.
Now, I ask Mr. Root, in all candor,
liow came such a state of affairs to be
brought about V Was it not because
he had machinery all rigged to turn
out the Langstrotli hive, and then
told all,' through Oleanings, that all
ordering the Langstroth hive and fix-
tures for it, would get " the regular
goods " at once, while if they wished
odd sizes their orders must be delayed
till the others were filled. And did
he not tell all the beginners that they
should fall into (that) line ? Now, if
Prof. Cook had edited Gleanings, and
been as strenuous for the Gallup
frame as Mr. Root has been for the
Langstroth frame, and L. C. Root
had been editor of the Bee Journal,
and was pleading for the Quinby
frame, would the Langstroth frame
been in the ascendency V I trow not !
I am willing that any one in the
world should use a frame n%x9}i, if
they so desire, but I do like to see the
advocates of such a frame come out
square and honest before the world,
and let the people know the whole
truth regarding what caused the state
of affairs, which now exist.
Borodino, N. Y., June 11, 1S83.
Mr. Doolittle is quite unfortunate
in the latter part of his argument.
At first, he claimed that " nearly all
(if not quite) of the frames in use in
the United States, to-day, are Langs-
troth frames, to all intents and pur-
poses"—the principle and not the
size, being the distinctive feature of
this deservedly-popular frame.
Then towards the close he chides
Mr. A. I. Root for claiming "that
there are more Langstroth hives and
frames in use than of all others put
together," notwithstanding that Mr.
Doolittle had made a more sweeping
assertion even than that, in the first
paragraph of his argument.
This shows that Mr. Doolittle is
not quite clear about what the dis-
tinctive feature of the Langstroth
frame is ! or, perhaps, he became so
heu-ilderecl by the magnitude of his own
argument, that he lost his balance,
and tumbled to the other side of the
question.
His assertion is doubtless true as
given in the first paragraph— but, this
admitted, proves also that Mr. A. I.
Root is correct in his assertion, which
Mr. Doolittle chides him for making !
There is no escaping this conclusion I
Prof. A. J. Cook also takes the
same view of the matter. In his
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
319
Manual he eulogizes the Langstroth
hive and frame, and then adds :
" Though I prefer and use the size of
frame first used, I believe, by Mr.
Gallup, still I me the Langstroth hive."
Mr. M. Quinby also entertained the
same ideas. In Quinby's New Bee-
Keeping, page 97, Mr. L. C. Root, its
author, says : " In tlie previous re-
vision of this work, in 1865, Mr,
Quinby fully recognized the merits of
Mr. Langstroth's invention, and des-
cribed the modified form of his hive."
This modified form was called the
"Quinby," Prof. Gook's "varied
size " of it, is called the "Gallup;"
Mr. King's variation was named the
" American," and other modifications
bear names by whicli to designate
the varied size of the Langstroth
frame and liive. Hence, Mr. Doolit-
tle was particuhirly correct in his first
paragrapl), in stating that "nearly
all the frames in use in the United
States to-day are Langstroth frames."
As to the desirability of having the
sizes in use as few as possible, there
can be no two opinions. With the
sizes used by Quinby, A. I. Root,
King, Gallup, etc., there certainly are
enough for all climates, and the prac-
tice of varying the sizes of any of
these, just a little, to suit a notion, is
very reprehensible. Tlie variations
made by Mr. A. I. Root, from ITSg to
175^ we regard as an exception, be-
cause it was done to accommodate
the use of the one-pound sections In
cases in the brood-chamber, inter-
changeably witii brood frames. If
all cannot unite on one size, all can
unite in agreeing to use one of the
standard sizes before enumerated.
Another point made by Mr. Doolit-
tle is quite correct — more depends on
the management than on the size of
the frame used. This we have so
often argued and asserted, that it is
not now necessary to do more than to
endorse most unreservedly Mr. Doo-
little's statement.
We grant tliat, for convenience, the
size nSgxDJs is usually called the
Langstroth to distinguish its si::e—
but when we indulge in an article on
the movable irame principle, they are
all to be included in the same class.
Hence, it is clear that even it (as
Mr. Doolittle agrees) Prof. Cook had
been editor of Qleanings, and Mr. L.
C. Root had occupied tlie editorial
chair of the Bee JouRNAi^.even then,
the deduction made by Mr. Doolittle
is tol(dl)/ umcnrnmted, viz. : that the
Langstroth frame would not have
been in the ascendency ! Prof. Cook
and Mr. L. C. Root both claim to use
the Langstroth frame in a modified
form, and hence they would have ad-
vocated its use— and it would " have
been in the ascendency," even though
the size may have been a little varied,
one way or the other I
The Order of the Honey Bee.
In an interesting notice on French
orders of Chivalry, past and present,
a writer in the Journal des Dehats men-
tions, among many other extinct Or-
ders, the " Order of tlie Honey Bee,"
and gives the following very interest-
ing scrap of its curious history :
The last named has a curious his-
tory. The medal of the order had on
one side a hive with the motto,
" Picolasi, ma fa pur gravi le ferite,"
(Small, no doubt; but it inflicts a
sliarp wound), while upon tlie reverse
were the head of the Duchess du
Maine aud tlie following inscription
in capital letters, " Anne Marie
Louise, Barrone de Sceaux, derec-
terice perpetuille de 1. Ordre de la
Mouche-e-Miel ;" underneath, " Se-
ceanx, 11 Juin, 1701."
This was the date of the foundation
of the order by ttie Duchess du Maine,
a grand daugliter of the famous Priuce
du Conde, whose husband purchased
the Cbateux de Seceaux in 1700. The
duchess, who was very fond of amuse-
ments and ceremonial, made Seceaux
the rendezvous of the most brilliant
wits of tlie day, and in 170.3, she insti-
tuted the order of chivalry, to which
the youth of both sexes .were eligible.
The members of tlie order were ex-
pected to appear at the entertain-
ments given at Seceaux, the men
wearing a tight fitting costume of
clotli of gold sprinkled with silver
bees, and a bead-dress made to imi-
tate a hive, while the costumes of the
ladies consisted of a dress of green
satin embroidered with silver bees, a
mantel of cloth of gold, and a dia-
dem formed of emerald bees. The
oath of fidelity which had to be taken
by each new member was as follows :
"I swear, by the bees of Mount Ilyme-
tus, fidelity and obedience to the per-
petual mistress of the order, to wear
all my life long the medal of the bee,
and to comply to the statutes of the
said order. If I am found false to my
oath, may the honey turn to venom,
the wax to tallow, the flowers to
nettles and may hornets and wasps
sting my face."
After her husband's death, the
duchess did not name any fresh
members; but when conversing with
Fontenelle, who, together with Vol-
taire, Marivaux, and other wits of the
time, used to visit herat Seceaux, she
expressed her regret that he had not
been among her earlier friends, as she
would have liked to -have conferred
her order upon him.
Fontenelle remarked that he would
have been ill at ease with a hive on
his head, as it must have been very
much in the way of the chevalier and
of the flower about which he was flirt-
ing. To which the duchess rejoined,
"Not so much as you may imagine;
for surely the flowers bend down to
the kiss of the bees."
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMEKICAN BEK .lOrKNAL. }
Monday, 10 a. m.. June 20, 1882. S
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
Quotations ofCnoh Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The nominal price of extracted is 7c.
for darit and tie. for liKlit— here. The supply is
abundant and sales are slow.
BEI^SWA.X— None in tiie market.
AL. H. NEWMAN. 9-ja W. Madison St.
CINCINNATI.
HONE v.— The marltet for extracted honey la
lively, and the demand exceeds the arrivals. Our
stoclt is small and we are in danper of having sold
out every day. We pay TC'i-loc. for good honey on
arrival, the latter price for choice clover. There
is a small demand for comb honey, and prices
nominal.
BEESWAX.— Arrivals of beeswax are plentiful.
We pay 35c. for a good article on arrival.
Chas. F. Muth.
Qnotailons of CommlsNlon Merchants.
NEW YORK.
HONE Y.— Best clover in I-lb. sections (no glass)
22W23C.; in 2-lb. sections (glassed) I8{3i20c. Fair
quality. 1 and 2-lb. sections, i7(3!l8c Extracted,
white, in sm.-i 1 1 barrels, loffi) 1 1 Xc. ; buckwheat, 8^9c.
BEESWAX.— Is more plentiful. Prime yellow
sells at 37H(a3Ki4c.
H. K. & F. B. ThDIIBER & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY.— Prices declining. Holders are an.xiou8
to sell, and the prices vary very much.
BEESWAX-3.ii.>3i;c.
B. A. BL'HNETT. 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY.— Nearly 30(> cases new, mostly extrac-
ted, arrived per Southern steamer on Monday.
June l.'i. Sales of part of the same in a wholesale
way were made at i:c. Retail transfers were made
at a little higher figure. Quotations for comb are
nominal. There is a little choice new comb offer-
ing, but DO sales reported. One buyer offered 12^c.
for six cases, but insisted on being allowed about
3 lbs. extra tare. White comb, new crop, 12]^®\6c.
Extracted, choice new, iM^VAc.
BEES WAX- Wholesale. 27i«28c.
Stearns a, smith. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONE Y— Strained salable at nVoi»7!*c; combsoM
in a jobliing wav only— old I0@l4c, and new 15c.
BEESWAX.— Sold mainly at 33 cents— latter for
CnKVELAND.
HONE Y.— There is a moderate sale for best white
1-ib. sections at 18c, occasionally liic, but 2 Iba. are
not called for. E.xtracted is no sale at all.
BEKSWAX-Not offering.
A. C. Kendel. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We nuote:
M lb. sections at 30C.: 1 lb. sections, 22(rt25c.; 2 1b.
sections. 20f!i22c. Extracted. Hie. per lb. Good
lots oi extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to iiuote.
Crocker & Blake. 57 Chatham Street.
,^ The bee-keepers of Fulton and
adjoining counties, are requested to
meet at the Commercial House, in
Astoria, Fulton, Co., III., on Satur-
day, June 30, at 2 p. m., for the pur-
pose of organizing tlie Fulton County
Bee-Keepers Association. By order,
Committee.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, includinglhe production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
820
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee Journal.
Separators or no Separators.
L. C. WHITING.
Can we dispense with them ? This
question must be answered by each
Dee-keeper for himself. If he lias
only a few colonies, and expects to
sell his lioney to his neiglibois, he
may get more honey with less labor
without separators ; but when he has
to go into the market and compete
witli others, the straisrht combs and
well cleaned sections, well crated, will
sell first at a remunerative price.
I experimented with a few colonies
last season, and out of 700 pounds
stored without separators, at least
100 pounds was so bulged that it
could not be crated, and much of the
balance liad to be worked in with
that stored with separators.
To get rid of this 100 pound^ cost
me more time tlian live times the
amount of straight combs.
Some of our merchants bought a
lot of honey in the cap, just as the
bees stored it without separators.
They did not know how to get it out ;
they pulled the tops of some off in
doing so. Many sections were at-
tached more or less to others, and
honey was on every thing. The bees
soon found it out, and made it lively
for a time. The result was that they
did not care for honey, especially in
that shape.
One ot our best bee-keepers, a few
days since, said if had only honey put
up in that shape to compete with, he
should be sure of his success.
The way that suits me the best is,
to put on a part of the sections at
first witliout any separators. After
the bees have these well started,
divide them, putting a part in each
row of sections, and put in the separa-
tors. This induces the bees to work
in each row of sections. I also change
partly filled sections, bees and all, to
other colonies, if they are slow in en-
tering the sections. If the How of
honey continues, they are almost sure
to work in the sections and leave the
room below for brood. One of my
neighbors, who has great success in
getting a large yield of honey in sec-
tions, does not use the extractors, but
changes the brood combs, putting
those filled witli honey in the centre
of the hive, and the uncapped brood
to the outside, and changing it back
to the centre wlieu it is ready to
hatch, always keeping open brood in
the outside combs.
He certainly has strong colonies,
and secures a large yield of honey.
Success in all these manipulations de-
pends largely on the good iudgment
ot the bee-keeper. " The right thing
at the right time," is what is wanted.
The queen, during the How of honey,
should have no more brood combs than
she can keep full of brood and eggs.
East Saginaw, Mich., May 26, 1883.
ror the American Bee JoumaL
Fastening Comb Foundation.
J. S. DUNCAN.
After trying many of the various
methods of fastening comb founda-
tion in sections, that has been des-
cribed in the Bee Journal, they be-
ing slow and tedious, and not suituig
me, I have constructed a fastener
that has worked witli perfect satis-
faction, and will try and describe it so
that others can make one.
It is constructed as follows : A
board about 7x12, with holes mortised
near the centre, 3 inches apart; two
standards are tenoned to fit these
mortises, and wedged tightly. The
front or presser standard is 3 inches
high ; the lever standard 2 inches
high. These standards are dovetailed
on top, and have holes bored for
joints of levers; two levers are fitted
to these dovetails and fastened with
bolts ; one lever 9 inches long, and a
hole 2 inches from one end ; one lever
•5 inches long, and a hole in the cen-
tre, and a tenon on one end to take
the presser, the long lever lifted to
the short staiulard and applied under
the end of the short lever; a rubber
band or spring, from the board to the
Comb Foundation Fastener.
short lever, brings it back to place,
when the pressure is removed. The
presser is 3x4 inches (or any size to
suit the section used), with a hole
mortised near one side, and fastened
on tenon, with a pin, and so fitted that
when a two-inch section is under the
presser and gnaged against the stan-
dard, the presser will strike about ;s
on the section, or so that the founda-
tion will hang in the centre of the
section when inverted. The bottom
of the presser being rounded so as not
to cut the foundation, and made of
soft wood to hold moisture. In using
grooved sections, place the founda-
tion just over the groove; press
slightly, to make it stick; slide under
the presser, till the section strikes
the standard ; i)ress on the lever and
the job is done. I prefer sections not
grooved ; in using them, make a
foundation gauge with two pieces of
sections ; one projecting over the
other, and tacked to a board ; slide
the section under the projection, and
lay on the foundation to the guage.
This press is very convenient, as it
requires no clamps or screws to
fasten it to the table, as the pressure
is applied at both ends at the same
time. With this machine you can
fasten foundation just as fast as you
can handle the sections. Tlie foun-
dation sticks best when it is firm
enough to handle good, and is not
soft ; keep the presser well wet with
soap water or honey, and you can
fasten .50 starters without any stick-
ing. Apiece of tin, with the edges
folded up, and several folds of cloth
in it, makes a good pad for wetting
the pre.sser.
Browning. Mo., June 12, 1883.
Read at the Maine Bee-Keepera' Association.
Spring Management of Bees.
H. li. CIIAP3IAN.
In presenting this [laper, I shall en-
deavor to give only an outline of the
subject, for, if I should go into all the
points and particulars, it would take
too much time ; besides I do not feel
capable.
In a well managed apiary, spring
management will include 3 months-
April May and June. If bees are
properly cared for in the fall, they will
need but little attention before April.
Examine all your bees the first warm
day in April, to see if they have suflic-
ient stores. I would notadvise having
much honey in the center at this time
of the year, as the queen will be
crowded for room. The tw'o middle
combs should be empty, or nearly so,
and if the bees go into winter quarters
as strong as they should, such will be
the case. If any colonies are found
sliort in stores, give them a comb of
honey saved the fall before, or sugar.
Take away all unnecessary combs,
confining the bees on as few as they
can cover. Make the entrance small ;
many leave it open the whole width ;
this is wrong. What would you think
of a nuui who insisted on having a
door half the width of his house and
twice as high as his head, and open
all the titne V Bees must be kept
warm during the chilly weather of
spring. Examiiie your locality to see
when the flowers blossom that pro-
duce an abundance of honey, then
have every colony in the best working
condition possible ; to accomplish this,
feeding should be resorted to.
Outdoor feeding is preferable if you
are not troubled with other people's
bees, but if you are, then feed in the
hive. Maple syrup has proved excel-
lent for out-door feeding, as it does
not stimulate robbing. To start them
to work on it, put a little honey on
the feeder, and it will make you laugh
to see the little fellows carry it off.
Keep the feeders full ; the bees will
not carry off more than they want. If
you wish to feed in the hive, place
two strips three-eighths thick upon the
feeder : in this cover, insert a tube
made of wood— place the feeder across
the ends of the frames, then lay on
your quilt and chaff, and it is ready
for use. I do not like sugar candy
for feed, as the bees will tear down
and carry out a large part of it.
When the combs become well filled
with brood, they should be spread
and an empty comb inserted, taking
care not to spread too fast. Every
colony should have a good laying
queen. C2uinby said, "The introduc-
tion of a mature fertile queen to a
colony two weeks sooner than when
they swarm naturally, is an advantage
sutiicient to pay for the extra trouble.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
321
The time gained in breeding, is equi-
valent to a swarm." If such is the
case, it will pay well to buy queens.
When the brood chamber is well hlled
with brood, and the young bees begin
to hatch rapidly, put on one tier of
boxes.
I think a few pounds of sugar syrup
fed at night after the boxes are placed
on, will give much aid in starting
them in. The swarming season de-
mands the close and prolonged atten-
tion of the bee-keeper, hives, boxes,
frames, and feed should all be ready.
The new hives containing comb or
comb foundation, should be placed
upon the stands where they are to
remain through the summer, if natural
swarming is followed. Do not give
your new swarms too many frames of
foundation or combs; the best results
will be obtained with live or six
frames. If honey Is coming in well,
Eut on one tier of boxes within 12
ours after swarming ; when these are
three-quarters full, raise them up,
putting under another set.
If you have a colony rounding off
the corners of the combs before the
boxes are plump full, they think they
have done enough, and the best way
to keep them at work is to make an
artificial swarm from tliem. It re-
quires a very clear mind to keep the
bees prolitably at work all of the
time.
For the Americiin Bee Journal.
Management of Bees in the Spring.
ALLEN PRINGLE.
. The past winter and spring has been
the hardest season on bees, in this
latitude, 1 have ever witnessed. Upon
making diligent inquiry within an
area of many miles in the eastern
counties of Ontario, I 11 nd that of the
bees wintered outside without protec-
tion, almost all are dead ; of those
protected outside, two-thirds are
dead ; and of those wintered in bee-
houses and cellars, on an average,
one -half.
To those who wintered their bees
properly indoors, the spring has been
much worse, and more fatal than the
winter. It has been exceedingly un-
favorable up to about the lirst of
June. Iruleed, some of mine are still
protected with extra warm stuffed
guilts. The fruit bloom was only at
its height two or three days agcf (8th) ;
is fully two weeks behind other
years, and almost everything else
proportionally backward. The corn
was only planted, in this locality, the
past week, and the potatoes are yet
to plant.
My own bees were taken out of
winter quarters about the first of
April, in very good condition ; all
alive. I have since lost two colonies
by dysentery or " spring dwindling,"
and two, whose queens were acci-
dentally lost just after being put out.
But I certainly would have lost two-
thirds of my stock of bees had I not
stirred my wits to circumvent the
most unpropitious weather, and fight
against most adverse circumstances.
When old bees are set out in the
spring, and begin to exercise ton the
wing, their pilgrimage in this world
is exceedingly short ; and unless you
can, in spite of the frowning and un-
friendly elements, promptly induce
the breeding of young bees to take
the place of the old ones, your hives
soon become still— not the stillness of
snug winter quarters, but the stillness
of death.
Now, according to my experience,
the best way to accomplish this pur-
pose— to induce sufficient breeding to
preserve the colony— is this : Keep
them warm from the time you set
them out ; and after their cleansing
fiight, the very first day warm enough
to open the hives, examine them,
thoroughly clean out the dead bees,
etc., atid diminish their room accord-
ing to their strength, crowding very
weak ones up on two or even one
frame, and others into three, four or
more frames, according to strength.
The next thing to be done is to keep
them warm, by extra quilts on top,
and keeping the entrances closed, ex-
cept when it is warm enough for the
bees to come out. The next thing is
to feed them a little honey, or good
syrup, every day, in the evening; and,
whether there is natural pollen to he
had outside or not, give them the
artificial article inside thehive, in the
shape of cakes rich in nitrogen and
soaked in honey. This regime with
other little matters which the com-
mon-sense of every experienced bee-
keeper may suggest, will carry the
bees through adverse spring seasons
if anything will.
One or two other important matters
occur to me which I will also men-
tion : Sometimes, even after the bees
have had a cleansing flight, if the
weather is such that they cannot get
out for many consecutive days (as
happened two or three times this
spring), they will become badly af-
flicted with the dysentery. In such
cases, I give them a little carbolic
acid in their honey, or in their cakes,
with uniformly good results. The
other point occurring to me is this :
After you begin the stimulation of
feeding in the spring, tlie old bees are
mucli more apt to venture out in un
suitable weather ; and in high cold
winds they are lost, and never get
back. It is, therefore, expedient to
be on the look out, and shut them in
during such weather. In many cases
it would be better to carry the bees
back to the cellar or other winter
quarters, after they have had their
flight, then to entice them outside by
feeding, only to be lost.
The intelligent apiarist must use
his own judgment and govern himself
accordingly ; and, above all things, lie
must watch his bees and not neglect
them. As you are passing that way,
it may be to other work, take a look
at your bees, for you may see some-
thing wrong— something needing your
attention. In bee-keeping, as in other
things, "eternal vigilance" is the
price of success.
The prospects here for an abundant
honey harvest are excellent ; indeed,
almost unprecedented, so far as we
can recollect. Clover of all kinds
has come out this spring in a better
condition than I ever saw it before ;
and the fruit bloom is proverbially
exuberant. The trouble is, however,
that bees generally are not yet strong
enough to take advantage of the
abundant fruit bloom. It will take
to near the end of this month to get
them thoroughly built ui>. Mean-
while, during the interval between
the fruit bloom and white clover, I
would suggest to the inexperienced
bee-keeper the wisdom of feeding his
bees a little every day, to keep up the
strengthening process now going on.
Selby, Ontario, June 11, 1883.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
The Rearing of ftueens.
E. A. THOMAS.
Having received several inquiries
regarding my method of rearing
queens, I will" now give a description
of it. The groinid work of my method
is doubtless familiar to the reader,
and I shall, therefore, give more at- .
tention to the smaller points which
many consider of but little conse-
quence, but which I consider all im-
portant, and to which I attribute much
of my success in queen-rearing.
I commence operations by hanging
in a clean comb into the colony which
I wish to breed from ; this colony
must be strong and vigorous. Having
several breeding queens, I use the
strongest one first. Several days
previous to hanging in the comb, I
begin feeding the colony and continue
to do so until I obtain the eggs. I
crovi'd the brood nest together as
much as possible, removing all empty "
combs, so that the queen must lay in
the comb prepared, if she lays at all.
In this way I get a frame filled with
eggs in a very short space of time, the
advantage of which will appear further
on. At the same time that I hang in
the empty comb into the first colony,
I deprive another strong one of its
queen, at tlie same time commencing
stimulative feeding, and by the time
the eggs are ready, they are in the
best possible cnnditiou for building^
cells. I then deprive this colony of
all unsealed brood. Taking the comb
of eggs, I cut (jut stri|)S, aboutan inch
wide, from top to bottoui. leaving two
inches of comb between ; these I fit
into other empty frames of comb, fit-
ting them in diagonally, cutting out
about an inch of comb under each
piece. These frames I hang in the
center of the hive prepared to receive
them, and continue feeding them as
before. When it is time for the cells
to be sealed over, I examine the combs,
and all cells that are just started and ,
not se.iled over, I cut off ; and it is to
this fact that I attribute much of my
success. All the eggs being laid at
very near the same time, 1 can tell
just when the cells ought to be sealed
over, if started from the egg when it
first hatches.
After this time, all unsealed cells
must have been started late from lar-
va;, and therefore are destroyed. This
is how I get my cells started from the
egg when it first hatches.
322
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
The reader cannot fail to appreciate
the fact that, placing a comb of eggs
in a colony, will not insure all tlie
cells started from the egg or young
larviB, as bees will continue to start
cells until the larvie gets too large to
develop into queens ; but liy knowing
when the lirst cells ought to be sealed
over, and destroying all after-cells, we
are sure of obtaining what we desire,
viz : queens reared from larvse, fed,
from the time they hatch from the
egg. upon tlie royal jelly.
I let the cells remain in the colony
where they were reared until nearly
ready to hatch, and here is the advan-
tage of having the eggs laid at nearly
the same time, as itenables me to tell,
within a few hours, when the cells will
hatch. When nearly ready to hatch,
I cut them out carefully and insert in
the nuclei, cutting out enough comb
with each cell to be sure and not press
the cell in any way. Nuclei will very
rarely destroy cells when just ready to
hatch, even if put in soon after their
queens are taken from them, and I
am seldom troubled with loss of queens
., in this way.
As soon as each queen hatches, I
hunt her up and examine her care-
fully, to see that she is all right. If
there is anything about her "that is
not perfect, her head gets between my
thumb and finger. I save only the
perfect ones, as I want no others.
Now how do I mate ray queens ? I
will tell you. I select early in the
season a number of colonies which
produce the best drones, and keep
them continually stimulated by feed-
ing, and give them all the drone comb
they will use. These colonies will.
therefore, rear an immense number of
drones, and by keeping the drones in
the other hives cut off, I reduce the
danger of mating with poor drones to
a minimum.
To some, my method of queen rear-
ing may seem laborious, with too much
attention given to small matters, but
it takes labor, time and attention to
small matters, to rear good queens.
Another important element to suc-
cess, is care and skill in selection. I
aim, in selecting, to combine all the
characteristics of a good strain of bees,
breeding from beautiful, prolitic
mothers, and rearing drones from the
most hardy and industrious colonies.
Such a queen, mating with such a
drone, cannot fail to produce fine offr
spring. And by continual selection
from each generation, I am all the
time raising my bees to a highei-
standard of excellence.
Coleraine, Mass.
For the American Bee Journal.
Preparing for Winter.
L. R. JACKSON.
Successful wintering of bees, in the
North, is one of the most important
subjects with bee-keepers. This, 1
think, is any easy thing to do. if we
commence in time to prepare for the
coming winter. 1 have always com-
menced in June to prepare for winter,
and have always been successful in
my S years experience, having never
been troubled with "spring dwind-
ling " but one year, and'that was when
I fed the bees with rye flour early in
the spring.
Honey contains sugar in two forms :
Cane sugar and grape sugar. Clover
honey contains more cane sugar than
fall honey, and is more easily and
more thoroughly digested than "grajie
sugar, or fall "honey, and should be
used for winter stores.
Our bees now have honey enough to
winter them, with all the increase we
shall have, and, as soon as it is well
ripened, we will put away 2,000 pounds
for winter. Then we can take honey
with no fear of our bees starving next
winter.
I have never known as good a pros-
pect for a large crop of honey as we
liave this year, or known bees in a
better condition for gathering it than
they are now. Nearly all our bees
are working on 20 Langstroth frames,
and are crowding the queen, in spite
of all we can do, unless we extract
the honey before it is ripe, which it
will not pay to do.
We have rain about three days in
the week, yet it does not seem to stop
the flow of" honey as it usually does.
I had prepared to run the bees for in-
crease until I saw what the harvest
was going to be, when I changed ray
plans, and it has crowded me with
work, so that I have had to hire extra
help, and work from 4 a. m. until 8 p.
m. to keep up with the bees.
I have given a few hints for winter-
ing, which can be understood by any
who wish to profit by them, arid in
September I will give my plans for
packing.
Urmeyville, Ind., June 11, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Honey Plants of Louisiana.
J. A. SMYTHE.
I see by a late copy of the Bee
Journal, that apiculturists, in gen-
eral, have the blues ; in this section
we are all trying to excell each other
in blueness. The spring was very
late, and was followed by cold rains.
Most of us made our increase dur-
ing March and April, while the willow
and oak trees were in bloom ; since
then, bees have not gathered enough
to support themselves. Our bees all
have to cross a lake a mile wide, to a
willow bank, for their principal sup-
ply of honey ; the contrary winds and
cold rains have caused thousands of
them to fall into the water to rise no
more. As June. July and August are
our great honey mouths, and as no
one has taken honey yet, most of us
have lost all hope" o"f making more
then expenses. One of my neighbors,
who has nearly 400 hives, has spent
S500 upon them, this year, in improve-
ments ; he does not even expect to
make expenses.
For the benelit of Northern readers,
I give a list of our best honey plants
with date of commencing and end of
bloom. It i^the result of two years
observation, and is n;eiierally accepted
in this section. Plum, apple and
peach, from Feb. 1 to 27. Willow,
Feb. 1 to April 10. Oak. March 1-5 to
April 1. Orange and China trees
commence blooming Marcli ISand last
two or three weeks. Clover and dew-
berries bloom in March, but cannot
be depended upon. Bees seldom ob-
tain much honey from fruit trees,
owing to the cold" rains. The willow
and oak are our stand-bys. Orange
trees are rather scarce ; China only
yields honey early in the morning.
For the summer months we have
corn, elder, sweet bay, crape myrtle
and clover, besides countless vines and
swamp plants whicli produce more or
less honey. Corn, elder and clover
are our best honey plants ; bees work-
ing upon them allday long ; sweet bay
only produces honey after a rain ;
crape myrtle give large quantities
some years, while in others it is per-
fectly barren.
I have seldom seen bees upon cot-
ton, although Prof. A. .1. Cook classes
it among honey-producing plants.
During the swarming season, our
bees (Italians) seldom wait for cap-
ped queen-cells before swarming ;
sometimes swarming without leaving
even a sign of a qeen-cell.
Hermitage, La., -June 11, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Wood Separators.
F. M. REEDS.
I have been waiting for some one
to give his experience with Dr. Besse's
wood separators, but as none have
reported their success or failure with
them, I thought I would write a few
lines concerning my own failure. I
had for sometime, before noticing his
article, been reflecting in regard to
wooden separators, and, in fact, had
sawed out some by hand, which, by
the way, is a very particular job, if
sawed as thin as should be ; but as
soon as I saw his article, I thought I
had struck a bonanza, for chea)) sep-
arators ; so I sent an order for 350,
which were received all riarht and in
due time. But with me, they have
proved a complete failure ; they hav-
ing been cut out of green elm, like all
elm lumber, warp and twist as soon
put in between the boxes, in such a
manner as to render their use impos-
sible ; and while I do not doubt that
the Doctor is still, and has been all
the time, honest in his effort to sup-
ply the long-needed cheap separator,
I have no doubt, in my own mind,
that he has made a sad failure; as
tliey are cut out of elm timber. The
boards were nicely cut, and would, no
doubt, have made flne separators had
they been cut of timber which would
not warn, and if some one will get
them up as nicrly as those I received,
of some kind of "lumber that will not
warp, I will try some more, for I be-
lieve the day is not far distant when
they will be the only separator used.
I am now cutting some by hand
from pine lumber, which does not
warp.
I see a great many notions in re-
gard to deep and shallow frames. Now,
I have used two kinds or two widths
of combs, 7 and S inches, with hives
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
323
19J^xl5 inches, usiiis 10 fi-ames to the
hive, and I prefer the 7 inch frame,
and am cuttincf all my cmiibs to that
width. I find they are easier to
handle, contain an abundance of sur-
face for brood-rearing, with plenty of
honey for wintering, and it gives, [
thinlf, superior advantages in honey
gathering.
The season has been very cold and
backward here, up to June; since
then, we have had too much rainy
weather. White clover is abundant,
and bees are doing well, when they
can, they work strongly and store
some surplus, but are not swarming.
Hinesborough, 111., June 11, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Antidote for Bee Stings, etc.
E. H. THURSTON, M. D.
The sting of the honey bee malies
cowards of many brave, strong men.
Were it not for this, the army of bee-
keepers would liave many new re-
cruits each year. The bees, though
small compared with man, but few
are willing to meet in combat.
There has been some inquiries for
an antidote for the poison of stings.
Some bee-keepers laugh at the idea
of an antidote, while others make
very earnest inquiries for it. I have
been experimenting with various arti-
cles, and have found, 1 think, a true
antidote. It may not be new to many,
but I feel contideiit, all who are af-
fected by the poison, will appreciate its
value. It is carbonate of amonia. It
should be powdered and kept in a
tightly-corked bottle. I always carry
a small phial of it in my pocket,
which I use in my practice. When I
receive a sting, I wet the surface over
the sting, and apply a small amount
of it. The pain is relieved imme-
diately, and it never swells.
I was called a few days ago to see a
child, about 3 years old, who, in child-
ish play, put a stick into the entrance
of a strong colony of bees. They
stung him very badly on the liead,
face and neck ; there were not less
then 100 stings. I had him bathed
with a strong solution of carbonate of
amonia, and gave him a solution of
some of it inwardly. The next day
one could not tell that the little fel-
low had been stung at all.
Did you, Mr. Editor ever hear of
roast chicken as bee feed ? We have
a box-hive bee-keeper, in this county,
who says that every winter he cool^s
a chicken and puts it in Ids hives for
the bees to feed on ; that they eat it
all up clean, not leaving anything but
clean bones. This is new to me.
Bees are just beginning to work on
white clover. May was a hard month
on them. The cold, snow and rain
prevented them from- building up, but
they are now doing well.
Hagerstown, Ind., June 9, 1883.
[Yes ; we have heard of such before ;
some cook eggs and puts in the hives ;
others give them whisky — but all these
notions belong to the superstitions of
the past, with that of " telling the
bees of a death in the family," and
refusing to sell them, because it is
imluck!/ to do so, etc. — Ed.]
Read before the Te.xiia Convention.
A Few Thoughts on Marketing.
DR. J. p. H. BROWN.
That there is a pleasure associated
with the production of an article,
whether it be a thing of beauty or
something that administers to our
health or happiness, cannot be denied.
The amateur tiorist goes into ecstacy
as he watches some" rare flower bud
and unfold its petals and display its
gorgeous tints. The fruit culturist
glories in the production of a s|>eci-
men of some rare apple, pear, peach,
grape or berry; while the apiculturist
prides himself in his bees and in the
production of tons of honey. lie
loves to see the product of liis little
pets. ]5ut aside from the mere pleas-
ure of production, there is probably a
greater pleasure to know that we can
dispose of the product for dollars and
cents, and be thereby rewarded for
our labor.
True, the production of honey is
much easier than it is to finda market
for it, still I am satisfied from my own
experience and from the experience
of others, that markets can often be
made where before there were com-
paratively none. As a general thing,
the nearer home the market is. the
better it is for the producer. High
freights and commissions are pretty
certain to eat up the profits. There
is not a town nor village in the South
where a trade in honey cannot be
established if the proper means are
taken to introduce it. There can be
no excellence without labor and exer-
tion, and there can be no honey mar-
ket without the right kind of efforts.
Up to witiiin a few years past, our
Southern honey went to market in the
worst possible condition— mashed and
messed along with pollen, dead bees
and juicy larvpe, in old buckets and
tubs, presenting everything but an
inviting appearance to the purchaser.
Such stuff, instead of inviting the
buyer, has a tendency to engender
disgust. But with our modern appli-
ances for obtaining honey, there is no
longer an excuse for any such bad-
conditioned honey to come on the
market. It has been pretty well set-
tled by the largest honey producers
of our country, that honey put up in
small packages sells the most readily,
particularly at home markets. Com-
pactness, neatness and attractiveness
are essentials to be observed on the
part of the producer. Many persons
who may at first buy a small package,
will soon return and want a larger.
When we cannot sell our honey
directly to the consumer, then we
have to send it to the middle-man or
commission merchant. And right
here it should be remembered that
not one grocery merchant in fifty
knows how to handle honey. The ex-
pert salesman, like the expert pro-
ducer, must have a natural fitness for
the position. When a merchant is
willing to undertake it, and displays
the necessary tact and ability to
introduce the commodity to his custo-
mers, the bee-keepers of the neighbor-
hood should sustain him; because
there would be a likelihood of his
better being able to keep up the price
and exteiKl the sales, then if it was
put in the hands of half dozen
groceryraen of the town to sell at all
sorts of prices, and to be offered in
all sorts of shapes.
Although honey was one of the first
articles of sweetening tliat man knew
anything about, and the exclusive
article for thousands of years, still at
the present day the majority of people
know comparatively nothing of its
properties, and the multitudinous
uses to which it can be applied. The
people should know of its remedial
qualities ; they should know that it is
pure, and the syrup that God prepares
in the laboratory of the flower, and
that it would be far better to use it in
their families to the exclusion of the
adulterated and glucosed syrups that
breed disease and death. Bee-keep-
ers' wives should go to the conven-
tions, associations and fairs and dis-
play their honey-cakes and their
tioney preserved fruits. This would
attract attention, and give honey a
prominent place in the culinary art.
If bee-keepers were to distribute
pamphlets calculated to educate the
people upon these questions, great good
would result in the increased con-
sumption of honey ; and I know of
nothing better for this object then a
little book entitled : " Honey as
Food and Aledicine," published by
Thomas G. Newman, of the Ameri-
can Bee Journal, Chicago, 111.
When it becomes necessary to ship
honey long distances it had always
better be extracted, well cured before
barreling, put up clean, and the bar-
rels shouid be secured against leak-
ing. It is very annoying to a honey
merchant to find a consignment of
honey come in a leaking condition —
the car floor covered with it, and a
stream of it running across the depot
— all owing to the carelessness of the
shipper. If bee-keepers desire good
markets and good prices for their
honey, they must encourage concert
of action among themselves, be faith-
ful and vigilant, and offer their pro-
duct in the neatest, most attractive
and secure manner.
Augusta, Ga.
Local Convention Directory.
issa. Time and Place oj Meeting.
June 30.— Fulton County Iowa, at Astoria, Iowa.
June yC'.— Central Kansas, at Manhattan, Kas.
Thos. Uassler, Sec.
Aug. 29.— Iowa Central, atWinterset FairGrounds,
Z. G. Cooley. See. Pro tern.
Sept. 12-14.— Tri-State, at Toledo. Ohio.
Dr. A. B. Mason, Sec, WaKon Works, O.
Oct. 9, 10.— Northern Mich, at Sheridan, Mich.
O. R. Goodno, Sec, Carson City. Mich.
Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at Chicaco, ni.
ThomasG. Newman. Seo,
Oct.— Northern Ohio, at Norfalk, O.
S. F. Newman, Seo,
Dec. 5Hi, Michigan State, at Flint.
U. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich,
tW In order to have this table complete, Seore^
taries are requested to forward full particulars
time and place of future meetinus.— KD.
324
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
at uud |toi\).
ANSWERS BY
James Ecddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
1^ Several liave asked questions
upon the following topics, which I
hereby endeavor to answer :
Introducing Queens.
I practice two methods. If I have
a very choice one, and wish to talie
very little risk, I operate as follows :
1 kill the reigning queen, and put the
new one to be introduced into a wire
cage between the combs, and atfer
24 hours I open the hive, and if I see
the bees " balling " the cage (that is,
2 and 3 deep upon it, savagely trying
to force an entrance), I close the liive
for 24 hours more, and so on till I see
the bees crawling over the cage iu an
unirritated manner, then I pull the
stopper to the cage, the open end
placed close to the entrance, and with
smoker in hand, smoke the queen in,
and smoke the bees, by puffing right
in after her.
If the queen is of only ordinary
value, I smoke her right in without
any of the previous caging. I have
had almost uniform success with the
latter method, what little I have used
it. Two points of caution are in or-
der. Never introduce any workers
with the queen— just the queen alone.
Never open or otherwise disturb the
colony under live days from the date
of introduction.
Using Comb FoiiiKlntioii.
In using comb foundation I al-
ways use it in full sheets above and
below. Any person who has ever
used a Parker foundation fastener,
will never mention melted wax or any
thing of the sort. Next to the Parker
fastener is a good strong putty knife.
Beeswax at a temperature of about
100^ can be mashed on to smooth
wood much firmer than it can be
melted on.
Good comb foundation, to use in
brood frames and sections, is worth to
the user §2 or §3 per pound. As
guides and starters it is worth more
than $5 per pound, which, if granted,
shows how much they lose who fail
to use it in full sheets, and how much
tnore they lose wlio do not use it at all.
One word of caution here too.
Never fail to use foundation, full
size, in sections resting upon a liive
that has all worker combs below. If
you do, and thus give the bees a
chance to build drone comb in the
sections (one that they will surely
improve), there being no chance for
drone brood below, you will be almost
sure to be annoyed with it there.
Capping Honey, Ants, Feeding, etc.
1. Please tell me what I can do to
make my bees cap their comb V They
are dravvn out. until they are all out
of shape and joined to the separators.
What can I do to make them cap it V
2. Will salt, to keep off ants, injure
the bees at all y
3. Shall I feed any now, in New
England States '? I am a beginner,
so please answer questions which
seem simple to others, but not to me.
Helen L. Richards.
Longwood, Mass., .June 15, 18S3.
1. Never having seen such a case,
where all was normal, I can hardly
tell you how to proceed. I think if I
knew all the conditions, I could advise
what to do.
2. No ; it will not injure bees ; and,
I fear, not keep off the ants eitlier.
3. I would advise you not to feed
except at times when stores are needed
to prevent starvation. Such can hardly
be the case with you, after the date of
your question.
Wliere is the Old (Jueeu J
On April 10, 1883, my Italian colony
No. 1 swarmed, and I hived the
swarm in hive No. 2. Colony No. 1
has swarmed twice since ; I put them
in hives No. 3 and 4, as they came off.
Now, colony No. 2 has swarmed twice
also, which"! put in hives No. 5 and
(3 as they came off'. What I wish to
know (as I am an ABC scholar),
where is my old queen y As she is
very prolihc, I wish to rear queens
from her to Italianize my blacks
with, as I think it probable that the
young queens became fertilized by
my black or hybrid drones. Colonies
No. 3, 4 and o will, from present indi-
cations, swarm in a few days. The
gentleman whom I bpught my hive of
Italians No. 1 from, last year, had
only 2 colonies, in the spring of 1882,
which were in patent hives, and they
were glued up so that the bees were
allowed to swarm as they thought
best. They began swarming in April,
and continued, they and their in-
crease, until Aug. 15, at which time
they had increased to 27. Seven of
them went to the woods. This is no
hear-say or exaggerated bee tale, but
is a positive fact, and I would say
(lest some one should think tliis a
cheap advertisement), that the gentle-
man or myself either have no bees to
sell, nor do we rearqueens to sell, but
we wish to keep our stock for rearing
as near their present condition as pos-
sible. I have several colonies of
blacks and liybrids that have not
swarmed this year. Some I divided,
but I prefer to let them swarm them-
selves, unless I had a gnod Italian
queen to give them. I found 4 colo-
nies of bees in trees lately, one of
which was yellow bees, and the most
peaceable colony I ever handled, and
the queen was the largest insect I
ever saw in the shape of a honey bee.
Almost all the trees I cut, were very
rich in honey.
Mr. Ileddon's answer to my 4th
question in the Bee .Journal of May
23, is not exactly correct, for the bees
liad plenty of room inside, for some of
the colonies were new swarms that
had been hived but a few days ; nor
was it hot weather that caused the
bees to lay out, for, on the contrary,
it was moderately cool. Try again ;
I confess I cannot tell.
Wehaveplenty of rain; wheat andoat
harvest is almost over, and we are
expecting a continued honey harvest,
from the buckwheat, as well as the
wild flowers, which are kept bloom-
ing by the bountiful seasons,
D. F. Marks.
South Bosque, Texas, June 11, 1883.
Your queen went with your first
swarm from No. 1 to No. 2. When
colony No. 2 swarmed the first time,
your old queen went into No 5, where
she now is, if no mishap has occurred.
My answer to your 4th question, which
I have just re-read, is the best I can
give, unless perhaps I were on the
ground and looked more closely into
details.
Why is This J
I have a first swarm of Italian bees
with a fine 2-year-old queen, came off
the middle of May ; her young brood
that she is hatching, is as black as
any black bees I ever saw. They
were as fine looking Italians, when I
hived them, as I ever saw, I know it
was a first swarm, for in 9 days I got
a second swarm from the same hive.
How do you account for it ?
Frank A. Eaton.
Bluffton, Iowa.
By some "hook or crook," either in
hiving or otherwise, your "2-year-old"
Italian queen got displaced by a black
one, and this black one can hardly be
the daughter of the "2-year-old," or
some "bands" would show upon her
workers.
A Diseased Colony.
I have a colony of bees in my apiary
that are sufferiiig from some cause
which I am unable to help. Young
bees, unable to lly, crawl out of the
hive and die ; their bodies are dis-
tended and apparently filled with
honey. My bees are working well on
white clover, and liave been tor a
week ; still there is no change in this
colony. What is the cause, and what
the remedy ? W, 1). Simonds,
Augusta, Mich., June 12, 1883,
Having never had a case of the
kind mentioned, from all I can imag-
ine, by the symptoms given, I am
unable to say what the trouble is.
Were the case mine and I had confl-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
325 •
dence that the trouble was more than
temporary, which you seem to liave,
I would fall back to my favorite
remedy, namely, destroy the queen
and re-queen them from one of my
very best colonies— best for qualities.
Magnificent Honey Harvest.
We are in the midst of a magnifi-
cent honey liarvest. Bees are just
booming, and everybody who has
bees are happy. Isaac Sharp.
Waveland, Ind., June 20, 1SS3.
Bloom Lute, but Welcome.
I do not complain of the weather.
Providence controls that; if man
controlled it, it probably would not be
as good as it is. My bees, that I had
packed in sawdust,' came through all
right, except one brown German col-
ony, which was queenless. They
were strong in bees, and I sent to
South Carolina for a queen ; she ar-
rived on May -5 ; I introduced her on
the 6th, and in U days, when I opened
the hive, slie had 7 combs tilled with
brood and eggs, and now the young
Italians are Hying, when the sun
shines. Of ray bees in my summer
and winter house, those on the South
side, came out strong ; tliose on the
North side are weak, and 2 colonies
swarmed out. White clover is bloom-
ing in abundance ; the lields and road-
sides look white. It is late, but
welcoQie. I.N. Becker.
Oakfield Centre, June 14, 1S83.
White Clover Xever Better.
Bees have done well during the past
two weeks ; they are storing surplus
honey very fast, and swarming still
faster. Some of my neighbors, who
work " on the old fogy plan," have a
great deal of trou))le with swarming.
One man had four swarms from one
colony in a month. The great trouble
is, they wait until fall before putting
on surplus arrangements, and as we
have such an abundance of clover
bloom, this season, the bees want
room. Tlie white clover crop was
never better. Emil Nebel.
High Ilili, Mo., June 15, 1883.
Honey from Black Walnut Trees.
The prospect for a crop of honey in
Lucas County, Iowa, is better then an
average, at this season of the year.
Bees never wintered better. I had
drones flying on March 12, and had to
give 12 colonies their upper story on
April 27, to prevent swarming. I
took off 200 pounds of buckeye and
crab-apple honey. The bees never
commenced killing the drones until
June 1 ; and then but few. White
clover is now plenty, and I have com-
menced to extract again. Everything
that has bloomed this spring has fur-
nished an abundance of nectar. I
never knew before that black walnut
furnished honey ; the bees worked on
it equal to linden, and I extracted
some 50 pounds of walnut honey ; it
is dark and strong, and hardly lit to
eat ; the bees left the clover for the
walnut. We have had lots of rain
and some cold spells, but that " silver
lining" is seen, and we shall have
another big honev crop in Iowa, this
year ; it is so wet that the smartweed
has possession of corn fields, and
smartweed never fails. Last year I
had to feed the bees until July 1 ; this
year bees swarmed on May 1, and
have kept it up ever since. I have 5
from], all natural swarms ; the after
swarms I divided, to save the young
queens ; 1 swarm had 3 queens. Lin-
den promises well, and my bees are
strong. We cannot help getting a big
crop of* honey, as soon as the linden
blooms. White clover was never as
good, but there was too much rain tor
clover. Wji. Malone.
Oakley, Iowa, June 18, 1883.
Average Crop of Clover Honey.
Since I wrote last, we had floods of
rain ; our honey crop is cut short ;
white clover is about done, but we
have already secured better than an
average crop of nice clover honey. I
hope some of our Northern bee-keep-
ers will exhibit honey, bees, and sup-
plies, at tlie Louisville exposition.
We have secured space, and will ex-
hibit. It will be opened the first week
in September. N. P. Allen.
Smith's Grove, Ky., June 21, 1883.
Bees Transferring Eggs.
The fact that bees sometimes move
eggs for queen-cells has been thor-
oughly tested and positively proved
in my apiary this spring. On the 23d
of May I removed the queen and one
frame of brood from a colony, and
inserted a frame of foiuidation. On
one side of the new frame was a nail
wliich projected about an inch. On
the head of tliis nail was built a large
line queen-cell which contained an
egg. In a few days it was hatched
and capped over. On the third ex-
amination it was, as all may know,
much to my regret, accidentally
bruised. Although I have believed
for a long time that bees will some-
times move the eggs or larva\ yet I
have never before seen it so plainly
illustrated. T. A. IIongas.
Henderson, Iowa, June 14, 1883.
Honey Harvest Prospect Never Better.
The prospect for a good honey crop
in this vicinity, was never better. The
cool weather about the 21st of May,
did us no harm, though fires and thick
clothing were not uncomfortable for
two or three days. I commenced the
season with 89 colonies; and during
April and May I had 30 swarms. I
look for a big swarming spree in a
few days, as the hives are well-stocked
with bees and brood, and I notice a
few have queen-cells started. I have
already taken 600 pounds of comb
honey and 410 gallons of extracted,
and will take out about 2 pounds (or
90 gallons) more next week. From
the crossest colony of hybrids I ever
saw, I took, yesterday, i}.^ gallons of
extracted honey. The hybrids have
given me more honey to tlie hive,
than the pure Italians. As honey
gatherers they far exceed the pure
Italians; but they are crosser even
than the blacks. I have a colony of
blacks I would not exchange for the
best Italians I ever saw ; they are
very gentle, and are good workers.
Last season they gave me 184 pounds
of fine comb honey, in one-pound sec-
tions, which I sold for 20 cents per
pound, S33.12. 1 use the Langstroth
frame so far as length and depth goes ;
in the upjier story, for extracting, I
use 8 frames 1?8 inches wide, which,
after 5 years of trying other kinds and
sizes, I find to give the best results.
I extract often. Chas. H. Kincade.
Sterling, Ark., June 16, 1883.
Bee-Keeping in Utah.
Since I wrote you last Thos. W.
Lee and myself have been down to
Grantsville to organize a branch as-
sociation of the Territorial Bee-Keep-
ers' Association. Grantsville is sit-
uated on the west side of the Tooele
Valley, and boasts of the tirst bee-
keepers in the county, but for all that,
Tooele city is a little ahead of them in
bee-culture ; for out of 17 bee-keepers,
they have only one extractor ; most of
them getting comb honey without the
section boxes. The swarming season
IS now in full blast, with myself it is
aboutover. John Dunn.
Tooele City, Utah, June 14, 1883.
Everything is Booming.
Our bees are tiring their big guns.
They wintered well. There never
was such a line prospect for white
clover; bees are filling up the sections
finely. Our rains are just right, and
poplar is just blooming; linden will
bloom this month, and soon after
comes the sweet clover. Our honey
crop is very good, and everything is
booming. C. S. Newsom.
Athens, O., June 13, 1883.
Rain, Rain, Rain.
The bees in this part of the country
are having a hard time, on account of
the excessive rain. Hives are full of
bees and brood, and a great deal of
w'hite clover is in bloom, but we have
rain nearly every day, and streams
are high most of the time. Our honey
crop was an entire failure last year,
owing to continuous rains during
clover bloom, and our hopes of a
honey crop, this season, grows less,
day by day. Clover is the main de-
pendence in our locality, and there is
not an ounce stored in surplus boxes
yet. W.J.Davis.
Youngsville, Pa., June 20, 1883.
Bees Strong in Numbers.
Bees in this neighborhood are doing
finely, considering the cold wet spring
we had. They are not storing any
surplus honey yet, but are increasing
in numbers amazingly. The hives
are all crowded full of bees, and there
has been several line large natural
swarms already. We expect a good
harvest of honey. J. M. Ross.
Tecumseh, Neb., June 15, 1883.
* 326
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Well Done.
On page 300, Mr. J. O. Sherman
gives a candid, clear report of what
he lias done by crossing bees, and
what stock he used to do it with.
Mr. S. is recognized by those who
know him at all, tn be a man of scien-
tilic turn of mind, as well as nn-
doubted integrity. lie did just what
I have been doing for several years
past, and any one who does thus', will
become another witness to the living
truth. May I be so impertinent as to
ask Mr. F. I. Sage to give us the
names of the Michigan bee-keepers
whose honey he has handled, and the
amount handled from each person
named. Such statistics might throw
much light on the separator question ;
at least, as far as Michigan producers
are concerned. James IIeddon.
Dowagiac, Mich., June 15, 1SS3.
Profusion of Basswood Bloom Expected.
We have a few colonies that have
stored 32 pounds of comb honey from
apple blossoms. Bees are in tine con-
dition. Alsike clover, white clover,
and raspberries are in full bloom, but
it is too rainy and cold. Basswood
gives evidence of great profusion of
bloom. Please tell us, through tlie
Bee -Journal, if you have had any
experience with the honey ))lant
known by the name of det lira alni folia
or white alder. I see it recommended
by some bee-keepers, but would like
your opinion of its merits.
A. W. OSBURN.
Water Valley, N. Y., June 18, 1883.
[Personally, we have not. It blos-
soms from July to September, when
there are are few other flowers. The
honey from it is " about white, thick,
and of tine flavor." It will grow in
any soil, and is perfectly hardy ; but
it does best in a moist, rich loam.
Several have reported, in the Bee
Journal, its excellent qualities for
honey.— Ed.]
Letter from Whitley County, Ind.
I am a beginner in the new method
of bee-keeping (with movable frames),
though having some experience in the
old way with box hives. Last fall I
purchased a colony of Italians of a
neighbor in a Qui'nby hive. I kept
them out during the winter, protected
■with chaff matting in the upper story
and wraped with strips of carpeting
on the outside ; they wintered splend-
idly, and came out all right this
spring, casting a large swarm on the
1.5th, which was hived in a Quinby
hive, and are doing well so far. We
have a great abundance of white
clover in bloom now. and the " little
busy bee improves each shining hour,
from early dawn to dewy eve,"' on its
fragrant bloom. We have another
plant here that I have not noticed
anything mentioned by any corres-
pondent of the Bee Journal as a
honey-producer ; it is known here as
ground ivy, the botanical name I do
not know. It is a trailer, and grows
from 7 to 10 inches high ; blossoms
about the middle of ^lav, and con-
tinues for a long while in bloom ; and,
at the present writing, its vines are
full of blue blossoms, on which the
bees literally swarm from morning
till night, almost forsaking all other
blossoms ; it grows spontaneously,
and we farmers have considered it a
great nuisance, on account of its
tenacity of life, spreading through our
meadows and yards, almost taking
possession ; but if it is a great honey
plant, we, who keep bees, will be able
to tolerate its pre.sence on account of
its honey secretions, if it possesses
them. Please say if it is known to
you as a valuable honey plant. We
have also here in northern Indiana, a
great amount of the linden and bass-
wood, which bloom here about the
middle of July. Our spring has been
wet and cold, and bees have had a
hard time, but the last few days have
brought us warm, if not sultry
weather, and now they are getting
ready for business. A bee-keepers'
convention or association has been
formed in Whitley county, and its
members meet once a moiith to dis-
cuss apiarian subjects. Among its
members who have given it much
attention. I will mention the names
of Levi Mosher, H. H. Lawrence,
Wm. Kelsy, and Joseph Sumners ;
the last named is. perhaps, the best
posted, in reading and experience, of
any man in the county ; he has about
80 colonies of the Italian, and uses
extensively the improved Quinby
hive, and thinks it the best for all
purposes ; the only objection being
the depth of the brood-chamber for
convenient handling. W. II. W.
[Ground ivy has many excellent
qualities. It will grow almost any-
where, and under the most adverse
circumstances. It is a proverbial
bloomer, and yields excellent honey
in abundance. — Ed]
Bee-Culture in Nebraska.
Bee-culture is fast becoming one of
the leading industries in this State,
and all we need is correct knowledge
to make a grand success of it, having
all the other requisites all ready fur-
nished by nature. John IIammitt.
Wahoo, Xeb., June 15, 1883.
Heavy White Clover Bloom.
We are having a heavy crop of
white clover, but bees have had but
little good of it yet. Out of the last
78 days it has rained, more or less, 41
days ; some days all day, and all night
too. I have had no swarms yet, out of
79 colonies. By feeding, I have kept
my bees in good condition, and hope
to have some honey yet.
S. L. Vail.
Coal Creek, Iowa, June 19, 1883.
The Season in Scotland.
The vveather has been very severe
all winter, and the spring has been
exceedingly cold and bitter, so that
our bees, throughout the whole coun-
try, are in a very backward state.
As far as the season has gone there is
no great prospect of us having a good
harvest. We are busy preparing for
our annual show, which takes place
at the end of July, in Inverness, in
the North of Scotland, a good dis-
tance past " Perth." I will send you
one or two schedules, and will be very
glad if you or any friends could send
any exhibits to it.
John D. Hutchinson.
Glasgow. Scotland. May 31, 1883.
Rearing Pure (Jueens.
I have 4 colonies of hybrid bees (a
cross between the black and Italian)
in moveable frame hives, into one of
which I introduced an Italian queen
about a month ago, and the young
Italians are now beginning to be seen
at work. I should like to Italianize
the other 3 colonies, but do not know
how to go about it, owing to the fact
that black drones are found in all 4
hives. Will you please inform me in
the Weekly Journal, when and how
I can manage so as to rear queens and
have them fertilized by Italian drones,
and greatly oblige ? J. F. C.
Xew Orleans, La., June 16, 1883.
[It cannot be done with any degree
of certainty. The oidy way will be to
obtain fertilized queens.— Ed.]
Work I Have Accomplished Alone.
As all the reports I see published
are rather discouraging, as regards
the honey crop, I will give my report
for this season, so far. My bees
started off vi-ell in tlie spring, and
carried in the tirst pollen on Jan. 28.
I had my flrst swarms on JSIarch 2.
Linden commenced to bloom on May
15 ; then wild China and horsemint;
and now elder is blooming. I com-
menced extracting on June 4. I have
now extracted 5.-500 pounds, and have
1,000 pounds of honey in one-pound
sections, and I did all the work my-
self, except the winding up of my
buckets and drawing the" honey from
a large tank into small vessels, which
my better-half did for me. I started
with 125 colonies ; and extracting and
attending to the swarms, kept me
stepping about iiretty lively. I have
reports from all the principal parts of
our State, and nearly all are feeding
their bees. My lioney is pronounced
by all as equal to white clover honey,
and weighs a little over 12 pounds to
the gallon. J. W. Eckjian.
Richmond, Texas, June 18, 1883.
Too Much Wet Weather.
Bees are doing splendidly this
spring, considering the kind of
weather we have had. White clover
has been in bloom since the latter part
of May, and the flelds are white with
it, but the bees do not get more than
three days in a week in which they
can work. When it is not raining, it
is so cloudy and cold that the bees
cannot get out ; they have not been
out now for three days. I 'extracted
about 75 pounds of honey, and liave
some of them working in sections.
Last year I got no surplus before
Aug. 1 ; that is our regular time for
surplus. I could not consent to do
without the Bee Journal, or miss
one number. Richard Gunsell.
Baden, Mo., June 18, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
327
Fuel for Smokers.
Some writer in the American Uee
Journal ouce said lie had found out
a good use for old almanacs, by sat-
urating the leaves in a strong solution
of salt-peter, then dry and use with
cotton rags in the smokers. I have
always been troubled about fuel for
smokers till I tried this. Take two
pieces of print paper, about the size
of almanac leaves, prepared as above,
which should be rolled with the cot-
ton rags and ignited and put in the
smoker. This will make a good, en-
during and constant smoke. The
salt-peter is a good disinfectant, and
is a positive benefit through its use.
Try it, brother bee-keep'ers, and re-
port. 1). HiGBEE.
I lAvoca, Iowa, June 16, 1883.
How Bees Wintered In Wisconsin.
I have traveled over four towns,
and have made a careful inquiry of
every bee-keeper I have met, and I
am now satisfied that the losses dur-
ing the last six months amount to not
less than one-third, nor more than
one-half of all the bees in this county.
The losses are about equal to the
losses of two years ago. As to the
causes, it is very diflicultto determine
exactly. A long, cold winter, followed
by a cold spring, is the ttrst thought ;
but that some have wintered their
bees without loss while others have
lost all, proves that there are other
causes than the cold. I have lost
more bees during the past winter,
than in all my life before, and I have
kept bees for ten years. I have lost
60 out of 120 colonies. I left 5 colo-
nies out ; 3 well packed in chaff hives,
and 2 with no protection. All died.
The balance were stored in three
cellars. Cellar No. 1 was very cold ;
everything froze solid ; and three-
fourths of the bees died. Cellar No.
2, under my house, was dry; tempera-
ture from 34° to 40^; generally about36^.
Bees suffered badly, but were much
better than in No. 1, In botli these
cellars, both upward and downward
ventilation was given freely. Of 90
colonies put in these two cellars, 1
have 48 left. Cellar No. 3, under
another house, contained 26 colonies ;
22 of them are alive ; 20 of them are
strong and about to commence swarm-
ing. These were given little or no
upward ventilation. Were put in the
cellar before freezing. 1 shall venti-
late my cellars to keep the air purer,
and make them a little warmer the
next cold winter, and, if possible, use
ice to keep the temperature down dur-
ing a winter thaw. F. Wilcox.
Mauston, Wis., June 18, 1883.
^^jeciaX Jloticcs.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less tlianone
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2.5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for'
f 5, or less, can be obtained for .5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Piling in tlie Honey.
I have 90 colonies doing well, and
piling in the honey ; I hnd the Bee
Jouknal of great benefit in their
management. J. McConnbll.
Clay Village, Ky., June 14, 1883.
Fine Flow of Honey.
We are having a fine flow of honey
now in this part of our State from
white clover. Dr. J. Cooperider.
Taylorsville, Ind., June 18, 1883.
Honey as Food and Medicine.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
A new edition, revised and enlarged,
the new pages being devoted to new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cookingin which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price of them low
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 6
cents, postpaid; per dozen,. 50 cents;
per hundred, $4.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
1^ Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them— one-cenJ stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
I®" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.0u per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
Sample Copies of theAMERjCAN Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
^" We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
328
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smokers need wide shields. BiOKbam's
have them, and springs that donotrust anil brealt,
and bellows that sparlis and smolio do not enter.
TheOonqueriirhasall improvements made to date,
anda:ix7inch stove, and ryx7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for )S1.T5. Address.
BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON,
Abronia Mich.
All Excelling. — Messrs. HiiiKham
& Iletherington. Dear Sirs:— 1 aiu
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother " with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker " did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of JJiugham.
G. M. DOOLITTLB.
Bororiino, N. Y.. Aug. 15, 1882.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor". . (wide shield)— SW in. Are tube, t2.nn
The Conqueror (wide shield)— 3 in. tire tube, l.T.s
Large (wide shield)— 214 in. tire tube. 1..50
Extra (wideshield)- 2 in.Hretul»e, 1.25
Plain (nar. shield)— 2 in.flretube, l.(K)
liittle Wonder. .{nar. shield)— iJi-iin. Ore tuiie, .6t
Bingham & Hetherineton Uncapping Knife.. 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
ageraeut. and the absence of complaiu-
iug ones, we tender to our thirty-live
thousand patrons our best wislies.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1S83.
1^ We have received a photographic
view of " Rose Hill Apiary," Belle-
ville, 111., " with the compliments of
E. T. Flanagan, proprietor." It pre-
sents a nice view, and hangs on our
office wall.
^"Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1882 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
i^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at leust one new subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one new sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
1^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
Dublication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
^ The Centrr.l Kansas Bee-Keep-
ers' Association will meet at Manhat-
tan, Kansas, on June 30, 1883.
Tnos. Bassler, Sec.
Advertiseineiits intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
t^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
TO ADVERTISE
OVER THE WHOLE COUNTRY
^'ITH A SMAI.!. I,IST.
Advertisers desiring to reach every section of the
country, without investing a very large amount of
money, will and the following ugood listot papers:
Price per line.
BOSTON, MASS. .Journal Weekly* 15
Congreeatiunlist Weekly 25
American Cultivator.Weelilv 30
Youth's Companion.. Weekly 20O
NEWYOKKCITYSun Weekly 50
Times Weekly 50
Tribune Weekly 100
Christian Advocate. .Weekly 50
Harper's Weekly Weekly 150
Observer Weekly 30
Witness Weekly 75
Philadelphia. Pa. .Times Weekly 25
Press Weekly 25
BALTlMORE.Md. American Weekly 20
LOU IS VILLE.Ky. Courier-Journal Weekly (10
CINCINNATI, O.. Times Weekly 50
Enquirer AVeekly 75
Commercial-Gazette.Weekly 0.j
TOLEDO, OHIO.. Blade Weekly 50
CHICAGO, ILL... Inter Ocean Weekly 75
News Weekly 40
Tribune Weekly 25
ST.LOUIS, MO. ..Republican Weekly 50
Globe- Democrat Weekly 50
San Franciscn.Cal. Chronicle Weekly 37
TORONTO, ONT.. Globe Weekly 25
Price per line in all the papers Sil4 47
Ten lines, one time, costs S144 TO.
A. BEFIXITE OFFEK.
For ISI140 net cash we will insert lO lines, iigate
space, one time, in all the above 2G papers, and (7irf
one insertion, without further charge, of tlie same
advertisement in :srtO country weeklies, with a
guatanteed circulation of more than 175.ikio copies.
For l/^ia we will insert ii lines once, or 3 lines for
iUiuO. Catalogue of thf weeklies sent on applica-
tion.
If the advert vsenient is already appearing in any
of the above papers, we will substitute others of
similar circulation and value. Address,
OEO. P. HOWELL & CO.,
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING BUREAU,
10 SPRUCE STREET, NEW YORK.
25A4t
1883.. NOTICE. 1883.
No more bees for mile in nucleus orfull cokmies,
or pound**. VVe are about up with orders for
Queens. AVe will be able to sendQueeiia by return
mail after July 1.
T. S. HALL,
2(!A2t KIRBVS CREEK, Jackson Co., Al^A.
ITALIAN AND HOLY LAND
QUEENS!
The Handsomest ftueens for EtJSINESS
the World Produces,
BUSINESS, BEAUTY and Wintering
(Jnalitios Coiiibiiied.
We CHALLENGE the WORLD to EQUAL them.
Every Queen WARRANTED perfect, and reared
under the swarminn impulse. Tested Queens of
either race, each *2.imi ; with "Handy Book." il^'2.50.
Queens wurrantcd a^ Kood as tested and "Handy
Book," $J.Li.".. Speclul rittei by the quantity.
Send tor our :iJ-page Circular. 22Atf
IIEXnX Ar.L,EY, WENHAM, MASS.
BEES and HONEY,
Management of an Apiary for Fleasnre
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor o.f the Weekly Bee Journal.
925 TPest MadlHon Street. Chlcavo* Hi*
It contains 100 profusely illustrated pages, la
"fully up with the times" in all the improvements
and inrentions in this rapidly developing pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everything that can
aid in the successful management of the Honey
Bee. and at the same time produce the most honoy
in its best and most attractive condition.
Apprecliitlve Notices.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. V.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen, Pulaski, Tenn.
Contains all the information needed to make
bee-culture successful.— Eagle, Union ('ity, Ind.
Just such a work as shoxild be in the hands of
every beginner with bees.— News, Keithsburg, III.
Valuable for all who are interested in the care
and management of bees.— Dem., Aliegan, Mich,
Engravings are fine. Gotten up in the best style,
and is cheap at the price.— Farmer, Cleveland, O.
It comprises all that is necessary for successful
bee-culture, save experience and good judgment.
—Daily Republican, Utica, N. Y.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping a
success.— Col. Valley and Farm.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable informatitin for all readers,
even though they be not directly interested in the
care of bees.— Sentinel, Rome, N. Y.
It is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the
Utile busy bee, as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of information in regard to
bee-culture. He whu would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted in all the improvements in
his line. We advise all interested to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times. San Bernardino. Cal.
It embraces every subject that will interest the
beginner. It describes all tlip newest discoveries
in the art by which the production of delicitmsand
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive
form. It is embellished with beautiful engravings,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound in cloth, tS cents; in paper
covers, SO cents, postpaid.
THOMAS O. NETVMAX,
9J5 W. Madison St., Chicago, 111.
ELECTROTYPES
Of Engravings used in the Bee Journal for sale at
2fi cents per square inch— no single cut sold for less
thanf.(ic. THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
925 West Madison Street ChlcnKo. III.
rpTTTC T> 4 T>T7T> maybe found on file
I 11 lo X Ax -TjiV at Geo. P. Rowell &
Co.'s Newspaper Advertising Bureau (10 Spruce
St.), where advertising contracts may be made for
it in NEW YORK..
(W ^ OLDEST BEE PAPERK^y
-^^ 'N AMERICA -•i^'-
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., JULY 4, 1883.
No. 27.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
What to do with the Honey.
The honey crop, this year, will be
simply immense. Mr. F. L. Dough-
erty, in the Indiana Farmer, says :
"From daylight, to dark, yes, away
after darlc, too, honey is coming at a
fearful rate." And this state of
things is corroborated by hundreds of
letters from all over the American
Continent. Not only is this so in
America, but we hear that it is also
true of England. The British Bee
Journal for June 1.5, says : "A month's
uninterrupted tine weather hasamptly
repaid those who were careful to get
there stocks in order for the drst
honey glut, which, from reports that
have come to us, has been a very
heavy one. We hear of the extrac-
tor being at work and supers being
tilled with marvelous rapidity."
As the crop will be an exceedingly
large one— the question at the head of
this article is very pertinent. The
markets of the large cities will be
glutted— and, unless bee-keepers come
to the rescue, by creating a home
market, the prices will be run down
very low, and sales, at the,same time,
will be exceedingly slow.
Every bee-keeper must take the
matter in hand, and create a home
market for his honey, by putting it
up in attractive shape, both comb
and extracted, to entice the lovers of
pure sweets, making many more con-
sumers. By the aid of small packages
of comb honey, in one and two-pound
sections, and small pails of extracted
honey, containing from 1 to 10 pounds,
an immense amount can be sold in
every town on the American Conti-
nent, if the right methods are em-
ployed for creating a market.
We know of no better plan than to
spread information on the uses for
honey, its healthfulness and medi-
cinal qualities, among the people in
every town adjacent to your apiary.
We have given this matter much
serious thought, and have concluded,
in order to assist honey consumption,
in the present emerg^iicy, to revise
and condense our pamphlet on
" Honey, as Food and Medicine " to
16 pages, so that it may be scattered
like autumn leaves throughout the
length and breadth of the country at
a small cost to bee-keepers, and thus
CREATE a market for our honey.
Twenty thousand copies have already
been sold, and we will have another
edition of 10,000 copies printed by the
time this paper is in the hands of its
patrons, ready for immediate work.
They will be printed in English and
German, and may be had in either
language as may be desired, or some
of the German may be put in an order
for 100 or more, if requested. On the
first page we will print a card, free of
cost (when 100 or more are ordered),
something like this :
PEESENTED BY JOHN SHORT,
Swaneetown, Qa.
Producer of Comb and Extracted Honey.
Orders by Postal Card promptly tilled.
These pamphlets will retail at 5
cents each, or 50 cents per dozen. 100
copies (with Card printed free of cost)
3 cents each ; 500 copies at 2}i cents
each, or 1,000 copies at 2 cents each by
mail postpaid. If these pamphlets
are properly distributed, they will
become salesmen through whose in-
fluence every pound of honey that is
produced, v^'ill lind a ready and re-
munerative sale, and will prevent a
Jioney glut in our large cities, as well
as make both producer and consumer
happy. Hundreds of bee men have
already tried this plan, and found it
to "work like a charm." If twenty
thousand of these silent " salesmen "
have already wrought wonders in
creating a market for honey, what will
a million of such faithful " workers "
accomplish in the " hive of nature?"
Just try it, and astonish yourselves
with the results!
The Rev. L. L. Langstroth.
Again, after a lapse of nearly two
years, we have received the following
note from the greatest American bee-
master, the Eev. L. L. Langstroth :
The Weekly Bee Journal is reg-
ularly received, and abounds in matter
both interesting and valuable to every
bee-keeper. After being laid aside
from the use of my pen for almost two
years, I am able again to take interest
ill bee matters, and hope to send you
an article shortly. I am trying to
induce a neighbor to send you a cor-
respondence between himself and one
of the glucose manufacturers. He
wrote for terms of grape sugar for
feeding bees this last spring, and the
glucose was sent instead, as a good
thing to mix with honey ! With sin-
cere thanks for your many acts of
kindness, I remain, as ever, very truly
your friend. L. L. Langstroth.
Oxford, Ohio, June 28, 1883.
The whole apicultural world will be
glad to learn that this veteran is
again able to use his pen, and will
read his articles with the greatest
avidity. We do not think he intended
his private note to us, for the public
eye, but knowing how great is the
desire still to hear from our common
friend, we take the liberty of pub-
lishing it. If strength of mind and
body are still retained, our readers
will doubtless hear from him as
opportunities may present themselves.
New Music— We have received two
new pieces of music from the author
Mr. W. Chitty, St. Jolins' School,
Pewsy, Wilts, England. They are
new and popular Marches, and very
pretty. Mr. Chitty is one of our
English subscribers, and is very en-
thusiastic on bee matters. He will
send these Marches, to any address
for 25 cents each.
330
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Honey and Bee Shows.
The season for these shows is ap-
proaching, and, as they do more in
educating the people concerning tlie
uses of honey and its consumption
than almost anything else, we liope
that bee-keepers throughout ttiecoiui-
try will take special interest in them,
and make an exhibit at every Fair
open to them, which will be alike
creditable to them and the Fairs whose
managers show a desire to foster the
honey exhibits.
Last fall, Mr. C. H. Lake made an
exhibit atthe Virginia State Fairthat
was tlie. qrcat attraction, and aided much
which was sent to this office by Mr.
Lake last fall, and is now in our office
album. The lirst person shown on
the right is Mr. Lake, the manager of
the apiary, the others being some
friend and assistants.
In this tent he had a large display
of bees and hives, as well as a quan-
tity of honey, both comb and extrac-
ted. A correspondent remarks as
follows concerning this exhibit : "'He
took the premium on a lot of button-
bush lioney that was the whitest I
ever saw. He also showed the three
races of bees, and one imported Ital-
ian queen tliat breeds bees with the
white bands like the so-called albinos ;
append two extracts from the Rich-
mond dailies of last November. They
are as follows :
The exhibit of the Sunny Side Api-
ary, of Baltimore, deserves more than
what the newspapers have said about
it. Mr. U. II. Lake is the manager,
and was very busy yesterday showing
the workings of his new hives, which
are considered by bee-keepers to be
the best made. Mr. Lake exhibited
Cyprian, Holy Land or Syrian, and
the two species of Italian bees. From
one colony '2i0 pounds of honey was
obtained in six weeks.— Dcuij/ Whig.
One of the attractions at the Fair
is tlie exhibition of Mr. Charles H.
Lake, manager of the Sunny Side
Apiary at Baltimore, Md. This gen-
LUit ' n.<
llul I
jiiiiiiiiiaBaaiiia
BEE TENT OF C. H. LAKE'S APIARIAN EXHIBIT AT BALTIMORE, MD.
in bringing honey and bees to the pub-
lic notice. Concerning this exhibit
the following from the secretary of
the Fair will speak for itself :
I cannot avoid thanking you for the
extremely interesting exhibit you
made of bees and everything relating
thereto, which I believe has done more
to excite interest in and to cause an
appreciation of tliat department of
produce and industry among our peo-
ple, than all presentations and exhi-
bitions heretofore made at oiu' fairs.
Geo. W. Mayo, Sec,
Virginia State Agricultural Sodet;/.
This bee tent is shown by the en-
graving on this page, a photograph of
so it showed that the albinos are not
an American race."
Mr. \V. A. Hammond and Mr. J. \V.
Porter also exhibited honey and bees.
It was generally admitted that the
interest shown in theapiarian exhibits
was very great, and that the exhibits
themselves we^e far ahead of any that
had ever before been made there.
This shows what can be done at
every Fair in the country if the bee-
keepers will make the necessary
exhibits.
In order to show how the daily
papers view these exhibits, we will
tleman has a large tent, under which
he shows a case of over two hundred
pounds of honey made from one hive ;
has several colonies ot Italian bees,
one of Cyjjrian bees, and also other
foreign bees. Every appliance used
in this business is shown by Mr. Lake,
lie is running seven hundred hives
this season. — iJaibj Dispatch.
While on this subject we would in-
cidentally remark that a matter of
much impcntance, is the making out
of a good Prize List, to attract exhib-
itors. The smallness of such have
heretofore been a great hindrance to
apiculture. We are pleased to see a
very marked improvement in this
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
331
matter of late, and have no doubt but
these evils will, in time, correct them-
selves, especially if bee men will call
the attention of the Fair managers to
the matter.
Theexhibition to be held at Toronto,
Ontario, from Sept. 11 to 23, 18S3, will
be an important one for Canadian
bee-keepers, and the directors have
issued the following Prize List for
Honey and Apiarian Supplies, open to
all bee-keepers :
I8t. 2nd. 3d.
3
3 U
Largest and best display of extracte*
honey ?10 fis $3
Largest and best display comb honey, 10 5 3
Largest and best asBortment of differ-
ent kinds of extracted honey, not
less than 2 lbs. of each variety 5 8 2
Beat assortment of comb honey in sec-
tions, not less than 20 lbs 3 2 1
Best style and shape of section, or sec-
tions of comb honey
Best beeswax, not less than lu lbs... .
Best mode of marketing extracted
honey
Best mode of marketing comb honey..
Best comb foundation for brood
chamber
Best comb foundation for section or
honey boxes
Best and most scientific mode of win-
tering out-doors in any bind of hive.
Best hoyse for wintering bees, and of
most use for apiarian purposes in
summer— workintj mudel to be on
ground, represented by a scale of
not less than one inch to the foot. . .
Best mode of securing the largest
yield of box lionev from si single hive
Best mode of securing the hirtiest yield
of extracted honey from a single hive
Best form of Hive
Best winter and summer hive
Best stand to place under hives for
ordinary use
Best wax extractor
Best honey extractor for general use.
Best style o' comb-basket for extract-
ing from pieces of comb
Best arrangements for uncapping.....
Best bee smoker
Best honey knife
Best bee tents
Best bee veil
Best hat where the veil is not used. . . .
Best queen nursery 3 2 —
Best labels for extracted honey 3 2 —
Best labels for comb honey 3 2 —
Best style and assortment of tin for
holding extracted honey Bronze Md'l
Best section frame for bodv of hive.. . 2 1 —
Best section crate for top story and
systeoi of manipulating '>- i —
Beat System of manipulating section
in section frames
Best machinery for nailing frames. . . .
Best exhibit of curiosities 3 2 —
Best collection of honey plants 3 2 —
Best system of transferring, illustrated 3 2 —
Best and largest display of apiarian
supplies ui n —
Best and most practical and new in-
vention for the apiarist 3 2 —
Best exhibit of bees and new nices of
bees 5 3 —
Open only to B«»e-K.eeper» who have not
had OTei* 2i» colonies daring the
Heiisou or 1983.
1
$50
Beet 10 lbs. of clover honey (extracted ) $2
Best 10 pounes of basswood honev
(extracted ) ' . 2
Best 10 lbs. of Canadian thistle honey
(extracted) 2
Best 10 lbs. of golden rod honey
(extracted ) 2
Best 10 pounds of bone et honey
(extracted) 2
Best 10 lbs. of Aster Honey (extracted) 2
Best 10 lbs. of any other fall-fiower
honey (extracted ) 2
Best 10 lbs. of comb honey in sections. 2
The Canadian Farmer remarks as
follows concerning the National Con-
vention to be held there at the same
time: ''The Annual Convention of
the Bee - Keepers' Association of
America, will be held at Toronto
during the second week of this Exhi-
bition, at which bee-keepers from all
parts of Canada and the United States
will be present. This show and the
convention, with the lectures to be
delivered in connection therewith, will
be of special interest to all engaged in
this now important industry." Those
who can, should make arrangements
to attend both the Convention and
Bee and Honey Show.
Later.— Just as the Journal is
ready for the press, we have received
a few lines from President D. A. Jones
saying that the Convention will be held
on Sept. 18, 19 and 20, 1883, at Toronto.
Further particulars hereafter.
The Glenwood Apiary.— We have
received from Mr. \V. H. Shirley a
nice view of his apiary at Glenwood,
Mich., and have placed it in our office
album. Mr. Shirley describes it as
follows :
By this mail I send you a small
picture of your humble servant, and
part of my apiary, as it looked, June
16,1883. The small building in the
centre of the apiary is a house fixed to
take colonies in, to handle, in time of
robbing. I also use it for taking off
honey in the fall (getting the bees out
of it). The larger building shown is
the house apiary Mr. Heddon built
and kept bees in two years, 1 believe.
I use it as a work shop, supply room,
etc. The picture shows about four-
iifths of my bees. Perhaps you will
think it worthy of a place in your
museum. White clover is yielding
first rate here now. W. H. S.
Care of Comb Honey. — Relative to
this important matter, the Indiana
Fanner gives these timely hints :
If you have not got the time to sort
out the sections and brush off the
bees, set the sections or boxes in a
clean barrel or box, and spread a white
cloth over the top. The bee* will
leave the honey and crawl up to the
cloth. Turn it over at intervals and
let the bees out. Keep the honey
removed in a warm place, and keep a
lookout for worms. If the honey
shows signs of being worked, fumi-
gate the infected sections with sul-
phur. Too much will turn the combs
green.
''The Poulterer's Guide, for treat-
ing diseases of poultry, with symp-
toms and remedies for their treat-
ment," is the title of a new pamphlet
of 24 pages, by C. J. Ward, editor of
the Poultry Journal, Chicago, 111. This
is very valuable for those who keep
poultry, and the small price at which
it is published (15 cents), as well as
the name of its author, will cause it
to have a large sale. It covers all the
diseases in poultry, and prescribes
reliable remedies. We can furnish it
to those who may desire it.
A Swarm of Bees.
B hopeful, B cheerful, B happy, B kind,
B busy i)f Body, B modest of mind,
B eai nc^-t, B truthliil. li Arm and B fair.
Of all Aliss B llavior B sure atid B ware.
B think ere vou stumble of what may B fall ;
B truthful to yourself and B faithful to all.
B brave to B ware of the sins that B set ;
B sure that no sin will another B yet,
B watchful, B ready, B open. B Irank,
B manly to all men whate'er their rank.
B just and B f^eneroua, B liunest, B wise,
B mindful of lime, and B certain it flies.
B prudent. B liberal, of <jrderbP fond.
B uy less than you need H fore Buying B yond,
B careful, But yet B the tlrst to B stow,
B temperate. B steadfast- to antrer B slow,
B thoughtful, B thankful, whate'er may B tide,
B justful, B. joyful. B cleanly B side.
B pleasant, B patient, B fervent to all,
B best if you can, But B humble withal,
B pr<impt an<l B dutiful, still be polite ;
B reverent, B quiet, B sure and B right ;
B calm, B retiring, B ne'er led astray.
B grateful. B cautious of those whu B tray,
B tender. B loving, Bgood and B nign —
B loved Shalt thou B, and all else B thine.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICEOF AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, (
Monday, 10 a. m., July 2, 1883. J
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
tliiotutlons of Cash Buyers.
CHICAGO.
HOi^EY— The nominal price of extracted is 7c.
for dark and 9c. for light— here. The supply is
abundant and sales are slow.
BEESWAX— None in the market.
AL. H. Newman, y^y W. Madison St.
CINriNNATl.
HONEY.— The market for extracted honey is
lively.'and the demand exceeds the arrivals. Oiir
stock is small and we are in danger of having sold
out every day. We pay 7(l(iiuc. for good honey on
arrival, the latter price for choice clover. There
is a small demand for comb honey, and prices
nominal.
BEESWAX.— Arrivals of beeswax are plentiful.
We pay 'S',c. tor a good article on nrrivai.
CHAS. F. MUTH.
Qnotatlona orCommisHlon Merchants.
NEW YORK.
HONEY.— Best clover in l-lb. sections (no glaas)
22®23c.; in 'J-lb. sections (glassed) 18@2()c. Fair
quality. 1 and 2-lb. sections, I7@18c Extracted,
white, insmull barrels, locyjiij^c; buckwheat, 8@9c.
BEESWAX.— Is more plentiful. Prime yellow
6ell8at37^®38>6c.
H. K. & F. B. ThprbER & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONE Y.— The demand for extracted is good, and
the market hare of all unfermented honey. Prices
range from 8c. to lOc. Comb remains lifeless and
will until the new crop comes, or until Augnst.
Sales of comb are being made at 8c. to 15c.
BEESWAX— ;35(5:i6c.
B. A. BUKNETT, Ifil South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY.— Nearly :i(JO cases new, mostly extrac-
ted, arrived per Southern steamer on Monday,
June Uj. Sales of part of the same in a wholesale
way were made at *^c. Retail transfers were made
at a little higher figure. Quotations for comb are
nominal. There is a little choice new comb offer-
ing, but no sales reported. One buyer offered IiiJ^c.
for six cases, but insisted on being allowed about
3 lbs. extra tare. White comb, new crop, 12^6@15c.
Extracted, choice new, 0@7Hc.
BEESWAX— Wholesale, ■JTfii-.iSc.
Stearns & Smith. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY.— Very little call. Occasionally barrels
of strained and extracted s(dd at a'^c to 7*4, but
nothing worthy of mention done In comb. New
quotable at i4c, and old nominally less.
BEESWAX.— Easier, at 3J(^i33c.— one lot sold at
iJyMiC. . W. T. Anderson & Co.. km N. 3d street.
OLEVEL,AND.
HONEY.— There is a moderate sale for best white
l-lb. sections at I8c, occasionally i:ic, but -2 lbs. are
not called for. Extracted has no sale at all.
BBESWAX-Not offering.
A. c. Kendek. I i.s Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
1-^ lb. sections at 30c. : i lb. sections, 22((*2.')C.; 2 1b.
sections, 2(K<i22c. Extracted, loc. per lb. Good
lots oi extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
CROCKER & Blake. 5" Chatham Street.
332
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee Journal.
Drones with First Swarms.
G. JI. DOOLITTLE.
As spring jirrives, and the hive be-
comes populous with bees, their in-
stinct leads them to obey the divine
commiind, "to multiply and replenish
the earth." To this end they com-
mence preparations for swarming,
the lirst of which is the depositing of
drone eggs in the drone cells by the
queen.
Soon after this, the embryo queen
cells are started, and if the secretion
of nectar is good, the queen deposits
eggs in these as soon as the popula-
tion is sufficiently increased to war-
rant a division of their numbers. The
eggs are not usually deposited in the
queen-cells till the drones are hatched
quite plentifully. When the time
comes for swarming, which is as a
rule when the first queen cell is cap-
ped, the bees rush out en masses in-
cluding the old queen, and one-eighth
or more of the drones. Many seem to
suppose that no drones go with the
first swarm having the old queen,
claiming it is unnecessary, and for
this reason it is said that " the drones
remain in the hive to fertilize the
young queens."
As there is plenty of drones hatching
at this time, there is no need of all of
them remaining, which are hatched,
as it will still be seven days before
the lirst young queen leaves her cell,
and then from 5 to 8 days before she
takes her " wedding flight;" making
12 to 15 days, during which time one-
half of the drones which were in the
cells at the time the swarm issued will
have hatched. I am well aware that
a far greater number of drones go
with a swarm having an unfertile
queen than with a swarm having an
old fertile one, for a greater necessity
for them exists ; still, the old queen is
always liable to accident, which might
occur soon after a few eggs were de-
posited in the worker cells, being
built by the bees ; in such a case they
could rear a queen, but no drones ;
hence, if none went with them, their
young queen would prove of no value.
Nature is very provident in all her
ways, and the instinct of the bees
leads them to prepare for any case of
emergency.
We would conclude that where
there were plenty of drones in neigh-
boring hives, that there was no need
of every swarm having drones, but
the bee uses no reason, and thus
rears as many drones in a yard con-
taining 500 hives, as if the hive were
isolated 100 miles from any other. I
have had two swarms this season,
and, although, few drones have been
reared this year on account of cold
and wet weather, still each swarm
contained a score or more of drones.
Borodino, N. Y.
Prairie Farmer.
Apiary Talks— Hoarded Honey.
MRS. L. HAUKISON.
Millions of heads of white clover
and millions of drops of rain. A large
amount of honey has been secreted
and stored during the few hours of
sunshine intervening between show-
ers. Hives areovertiowing with bees,
honey and brood ; j ust the exact con-
dition for storing surplus, should the
weather be favorable. The wet
weather will prolong the bloom, if it
does have to " waste its sweetness on
the desert air," and insure good fall
pasturage. \Vheuever the sun shines
out hot, a vigilant eye should be kept
on the apiary, lest the bees swarm
and decamp for the woods. Bees
mean business when they swarm, and
will not wait for hives to be made, or
to go to town and buy.
Old hives that are to be used should
be thoroughly cleansed, and free from
offensive odors. Bees become very
warm during the excitement of
swarming, and if put into a close hot
hive, and left in the sun, will invari-
ably seek more comfortable quarters.
We once had a very large colony de-
sert the hive the day after swarming,
and leave for the woods, because the
sun was shining very hot upon them,
and they were crowded, we having
neglected to put on surplus boxes.
As a rule, with few if any exceptions,
bees cluster before leaving. If they
have issued and returned to the same
hive again several times, thev may
take a final departure without cluster-
ing ; or if they dislike their hive they
will take wing and leave. Bees that
have been clustered for days, on the
outside of their hives, are more apt
to leave then others. They should be
kept at work, and not allowed to lie
idle and study up mischief. Plenty
of room should be provided inside of
the hive for them to cluster in, and if
a sudden flow of honey occurs, it will
be improved.
Our surplus boxes are made by fast-
ening, seven " prize boxes " together
with little strips of wood, and glazing
the ends. Three of these cover an
eight-frame Langstroth hive. In re-
moving some filled boxes from the
hive lately, the thought occurred to
me to try the late Adam Grimm's plan
of getting the bees out. We have a
little hive in which we have an im-
ported queen. It has two frames
about 4 inches square. We put a
newly hatched queen into it, and set
it into a large box, and then placed
the honey boxes alongside of it, and
covered it up to prevent robbing. The
old bees returned to their hive through
a knot-hole in the box, and the young
ones crawled into the small hive with
the young queen. When the bees
were all out of the surplus boxes the
little hive was full of young bees, and
were a regular organized colony, and
put on airs like one. In this way no
young bees were lost, as is sometimes
the case.
When a swarm issues it goes forth
with haversacks loaded, carrying three
days' rations. If from any cause the
honey flow is interrupted, either by
long continued wet weather or drouth,
the colony must perish, as it has no
old stores to resort to in an emergency.
Bees, as a rule, or with a few excep-
tions, never desert uncapped brood,
and many apiarists practice giving all
new swarms a frame, so that ihey will
remain. If, from any mishap, they
lose their queen, they have the means
at hand to raise another. This frame
also contains honey, which is some
help to the bee family just commenc-
ing housekeeping. If a frame of
honey is also given them, their preser-
vation will be insured.
Peoria, III.
For the American Bee Journal.
Cost of Changing Frames and Hives.
W. H. STEWART.
Several writers for the Bee Jouk-
NAL seem intent on having bee keep-
ers, throughout the land, all adopt the
same comb frame. This means the
use of the same hive. The use of the
same frame and hive means throwing
away all other hives and frames now
in use, and the destruction of many
nice combs, except the one kind that
is to be adopted. Every sensible bee-
keeper knows that such a move, if
carried out, would result in the sacri-
fice of at least one-half of all the
property now invested in the bee
business.
Not only the discarded hives, frames
and combs would be lost, but extrac-
tors made for the use of the Ameri-
can or the Gallup frame would be of
no use for the Langstroth, and that
made for the Langstroth would be of
no use for the others. All the wide
frames for holding sections on the
American and Gallup, also those
made to use crossvvise of the Langs-
troth, above and below, would be-
come kindling-wood if none but the
long Langstroth is to be adopted.
To me it would appear just as rea-
sonable to require that all bee-keepers
should look alike in the face, weigh
the same number of pounds and
ounces, wear the same size of boots,
and to have the same climate and
other surroundings, as to require that
all should adopt the same hive, frame
and extractor. It is a well-known
fact that men differ just as widely in
opinion as in appearance, size and
shape.
Natural law so dictates that men
ever have, and ever will, not only
differ in opinion as much as in appear-
ance, but that men as nearly alike
mentally and physically as they could
possibly be matched, if placed in dif-
ferent climates and having different
surroundings, would behave widely
different. Men are creatures of habit
and influence. Men that have become
accustomed to chop with a single-
bladed ax are slow to learn to use one
with a double bit. Men that have
learned to use the right-handed plow
would feel very awkward in attempt-
ing to use one that turned the land in
the opposite direction. Men that have
practiced the use of the American
frame and hive, would have to learn
many new motions and manceuvers
THE AMERICA!? BEE JOURNAL.
333
to become experts with the Langs-
stroth or Quiuby frauie.
Again, those that have learned to
five their bees the best advantages in
oth summer and winter with one
shaped hive, would have to experi-
ment for years before they would be
able to do the same with another hive
and frame, differing so widely as do
the Gallup and Quinby.
And yet again, men are seldom
willing to sacrilice all the stock that
they nave carefully invested in a
business. Even if an economical bee-
keeper should become satisfied that
he could do somewhat better with a
different hive if he has a hundred or
more colonies in hives that work rea-
sonably well, he will not hurry him-
self to make an entire change.
Another objection to this i)roposed
constitutional amendment is, that
many bee-keepers choose to winter
part or all their bees on the summer
stands ; and in this locality that way
of wintering, and the use of tlie
Langstroth hive and frame, would
mean the loss of the bees. Even the
chaff hive, with the Langstroth frame
is a failure as an out-door winter hive
in this part of the Northwest.
And yet again, many experienced,
careful and thorough bee-keepers And
practical advantages in the use of one
form of frame and hive that they fail
to tind in the use of any other, and
they would not consent to forego those
advantages on any consideration.
Please let me ask those who are
advocating the adoption of the Langs-
troth frame as the standard, suppose
it were put to vote, as to what frame
we should all adopt, and a majority
should cast their vote for the A,meri-
can frame, would you forego your
choice, discard the Langstroth and
adopt the American 'i Tell us. please,
how you feel about that part of the
universal suffrage business.
Orion, Wis.
Haldimand, Out., Couveution.
The Haldimand Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation met at Cheapside on June
16, pursuant to adjournment. Mem-
bers present: E. DeCevv, President ;
Messrs. Jas. Armstrong, Robt. Buck-
ley, William Jack, William Kindree,
Andrew Vanderburg, A. Gloyd,
Henry Smith, P. Mehlenbacher, E.
Gee, D. Byers, Mansel McCollom,
Wm. Harrison, R. W. Beam, Robt.
Anguish, D. Rose, Dr. Harrison, Jas.
Caldwell, and E. C. Campbell.
The minutes of previous meeting
were read and adopted.
The first questions discussed were :
" How to successfully winter bees,
and to prevent spring dwindling."
The president gave his experience ; he
had 15 colonies in the winter, and had
lost them all. He attributed his loss
to two causes— extracting too late,
and not feeding enough back, and
spring dwindling. He packed his
bees in straw.
Mr. Smith packed bis bees in chaff,
and did not lose any.
. Mr. Jack fed some of his colonies
m the fall, and packed them in dry
sawdust, and brought them through
all right. Those not packed died dur-
ing the winter.
Mr. Armstrong thought that with
proper protection, plenty of stores,
and young bees, there would be little
or no loss in winter. He packed his
bees in sawdust, and left them in the
packing until about the 10th of May,
and lost only 4, one of which was
queenless.
Mr. Vanderburg wintered his bees
in double-walled hives, well packed,
and gave them plenty of stores so as
to keep up late breeding, and brought
them through successfully. He did
not lose any.
Mr. Buckley thought the great
secret of wintering successfully was
in having plenty ot young bees. He
put 38 colonies in the cellar in the fall,
took out 33 in the spring, had lost all
but 8 in April and May, by spring
dwindling.
The sectetary gave his plan of
wintering, and an account of a visit
to the apiaries of D. A. Jones, of
Beeton, his method of wintering, and
how to prevent spring dwindling. Mr.
Jones uses a bee-house with walls two
feet thick, packed with sawdust and
ventilated by pipes running under
ground. His plan of preventing
spring dwindling is to leave the bees
in the bee-house until there was plenty
of pollen for the bees to work on, and
closing the hives on cold or windy
days after being set out.
Messrs. Gloyd, Kindree, Byers and
Beam gave their views, mainly the
same as given by others.
Dr. Harrison gave an amusing ac-
count of his first attempt at winter-
ing bees. He bought 2 colonies at
Holterman'.'s sale late in October, and
when he and Mrs. Harrison examined
them, a few days afterwards, found
that they had not half a pound of
honey between them. He carried
them into the house, put them into
an empty room, darkened the win-
dows, and fed them, all winter, with
a thin syrup, by means of an inverted
fruit jar. On warm days, he opened
the window so that they could have a
fly, and they came through all right,
and he has them yet.
Mr. Rose, an old bee-keeper, gave
his experience in wintering bees in
different wavs, and succeeded best
with the old box hive.
Which are the best race of bees V
Mr. Kindree thought hyl)rids were
better honey gatherers than either
blacks or Italians.
Mr. Buckley thought there was as
much difference between Italians and
blacks as there is between thorough-
bred and grade cattle. The Italians
were far ahead of the blacks, and
gave instances in proof of his view.
Mr. Armstrong also liked the Ital-
ians, and thought they were superior
in many respects.
Mr. Rose liked the Italians because
they were so gentle and easy to
handle, but did not know whether
they were better workers or not.
The secretary spoke in favor of the
Holy Land bees, saying they were
splendid workers, and not fialf so
cross as they got credit for.
The following resolutions were
passed :
Resolved, That application be made
to the various agricultural societies
for space and prizes on honey and
apiarian supplies, at the fall shows.
Resolved, That the next meeting of
the Association be held on Saturday,
22d of September, at Cayuga, at 1
o'clock. E. C. Campbell, Sec.
Frankford Herald.
Preparing for Emergencies.
JOHN SHALLCROSS.
The young bee-keeper has, no
doubt, learned by this time that there
is a wide difference between theory
and practice. That while the one is
importantand instructive, the other is
full of value, as a means to success.
An occasional mishap keeps the be-
ginner upon tlie alert, and teaches
him to make the best use of his re-
sources.
He has expected abundant stores in
his section boxes, while the bees have
insisted upon filling the brood combs.
He has tried to Italianize his colonies,
but his most expensive queens have
been rejected and destroyed. He has
intended to prevent natural swarming,
but the perverse insects have taken
wing in spite of him. Other disap-
pointments hedge up his way until,
in his discouragement, he concludes
that bee-keeping is not all romance.
It is a wise and wholesome instruc-
tor. It is to the amateur the begin-
ning of wisdom. It sets him think-
ing. He begins to ask questions, and
to read up on the subjects of his
failure. He realizes the cause of his
mistakes, and learns how to prevent
a recurrence of them. He begins to
believe he is traveling a safer path,
and knowledge comes in proportion
to his faith. It is probably the case,
while expecting much, he has pre-
pared for nothing. New hives were
needed for the increase of his stock
when none were readv. The boom of
the honey harvest came when no sec-
tion boxes were prepared, and the
manufacturers were too busy to fill
an order withoutgreatdelay. t'rames
were needed for newly captured
swarms, but had been forgotten until
too late. When foundation, would
have been most advantagnous to the
busy workers, none had been secured.
He writes in his note book •' too
slow; bees, like time and tide, will not
wait." Forewarned, he determines
to be forearmed ; there is great hope
for him now. Tlie result of his think-
ing will be that he must be always
systematically ready.
For every colwiy that a young bee-
keeper has he will require at least
three fully equipped extra hives ready
for use at a moment's notice. Thus,
no contingency of swarming, dividing
or creating nuclei will catch him un-
awares, lie should have a light box
or basket of proper dimensions, to
take swarms from the branches upon
which they may cluster. He should
have a good smoker to subdue obsti-
nate colonies. Also, an overplus of
broad frames and section boxes with
separators and starters, in case of
unexpected yields of honey. He
334
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
should be properly supplied with both
brood foundation and thin white
foundation for starters in sections.
lie will also need a box of apiarian
tools containing hatchet, hammer,
chisel, cutting nippers, pliers, two or
three sizes of awls, small saw, strong
pocket knife, some eight- penny (inish-
ing nails, small wire nails of three or
four sizes, the largest, say tliree-quar-
ters of an inch ; some twine, and such
other things as, in the course of prac-
tice, will be gathered together.
Thus equipped, with everything in
its place, he will be prepared for any
emergency. The first experience will
teach him, if watchful, how, where
and from what, honey is gathered.
He will soon learn to distinguish, both
by appearance and taste, that which
is gathered from early fruit blossoms,
white clover, linden, later flowers or
buckwheat. With this knowledge,
the second season will show the value
of an extractor, by which honey can
be taken as it is gathered, and each
kind and quality can be kept separ-
ately. He will gradually learn that
bee-keeping is not play, uor, upon a
moderate scale, is it labor. It can be
pleasure or profitable recreation, but
it requires readiness, system and vigi-
lance— excellent qualities even for
persons who are not bee-keepers.
Philadelphia, Pa.
For the American Bee Journal.
Preparing for Winter.
L. B. JACKSON.
Successful wintering of bees, in the
North, is one of the most important
subjects with bee-keepers. This, I
think, is any easy thing to do, if we
commence in time to prepare for the
coming winter. I have always com-
menced in June to prepare for winter,
and have always been successful in
my 8 years experience, having never
been troubled with " spring dwind-
ling " but one year, and that was when
I fed the bees with rye Hour early in
the spring.
Honey contains sugar in two forms :
Cane sugar and grape sugar. Clover
honey contains more cane sugar than
fall honey, and is more easily and
more thoroughly digested than "grape
sugar, or fall honey, and should be
used for winter stores.
Our bees now have honey enough to
winter them, with all the increase we
shall have, and, as soon as it is well
ripened, we will put away 2,000 pounds
for winter. Then we can take honey
with no fear of our bees starving next
winter.
I have never known as good a pros-
pect for a large crop of honey as we
have this year, or known bees in a
better condition for gathering it than
they are now. Nearly all our bees
are working on 20 Langstroth frames,
and are crowding the queen, in spite
of all we can do, unless we extract
the honey before it is ripe, which it
will not pay to do.
We have rain about three days in
the week, yet it does not seem to stop
the flow of lioney as it usually does.
I had prepared to run the bees for in-
crease until I saw what the harvest
was going to be, when I changed ray
plans, and it has crowded me with
work, so that I have had to hire extra
help, and work from 4 a. ra. until 8 p.
m. to keep up with the bees.
I have given a few hints for winter-
ing, whic'li can be understood by any
who wish to profit by them, and in
September I will give my plans for-
packing.
Urmeyville, Ind., June 11, 1883.
[By an accident, after the type of
last week's paper was " on the press,"
a part of the above article was
"smashed," and could not be read;
we therefore give it another insertion,
so that those, in whose papers it could
not be read last week, now have it
with that "smash up" restored. — Ed.]
Planter's Journal.
Extracted vs. Comb Honey.
O. M. BLANTON.
In almost every bee-keepers' asso-
ciation the question arises : " Which
is the most profitable, extracted or
comb honey V" Beyond a doubt, in
my mind, extracted honey, especially
in the South where the honey in the
latter part of the season is dark and
of a strong flavor.
1. The yield is from two to three
times as much, and the same comb
can be used again and again for the
bees to fill, thereby enabling them to
gather honey and lose but little time
in the secretion of wax to build comb,
as only a little is required tor repair-
ing and capping it.
2. Swarming is more easily con-
trolled, as you can extract the honey
from all the combs if necessary,
which conduces more to keep the bees
to their work than anything else.
3. The frames and apparatus re-
quired for extracted honey are more
simple, and admit of more ease and
rapidity of manipulation, thereby en-
abling the bee-keeper to handle and
manage almost twice as many colonies.
4. The apparatus is far less expen-
sive, as you are able to dispense with
honey-boards, glassed section boxes
and frames ; the latter you lose in
shipping.
5. The loss of comb foundation and
comb, which is invaluable, especially
when you are aware that the combs
can be filled often, as much as fifty
times before they are too old for the
bees to use.
6. You can make more early ship-
ments of extracted honey. In fact,
I of ten begin to extract by the 1st of
April, and have never taken off comb
honey before the month of June, and
but little until July.
7. Packages for extracted honey
cost far less, as you can put it in bar-
rels of 45 to 50 gallons, that do not
cost more than $2; where comb honey
requires cases nicely finished with
glass, and demand great care in pack-
ing and handling in transit to market.
In addition the freight charges are so
much less for barrels.
Bees are loth to work in small sec-
tion frames, and often when they
have partly finished capping the
combs in the section boxes, the large
frames in the brood-chamber are
filled so much with honey that the
queen has no place to lay, and the
bees must swarm. If you extract
from the brood-chamber, the chances
are tliat the bees will (ill the cells with
honey before they commence work
again in the sections.
There is this objection raised to
extracting, that there is too much
pollen left in the cells to become old
and unfit for food. Such is neces-
sarily the result of working for honey
instead of great increase of swarms.
Any thouglitful apiculturist will al-
ways reserve a certain number of
colonies for increase.
As to the objection that colonies are
robbed so close in extracting, tliat the
bees are left without honey to winter
on is too ridiculous, as none but he
who is careless will fail to provide
sufficient honey for the winter, and
see that it is placed in the brood-
chamber. No bee-keeper should fail
to handle and closely inspect the
combs in the brood-chamber.
Those who advocate comb honey
for profit, in the South, have a poor
conception of progressive and profit-
able bee-keeping. Comb honey is a
fancy article that fluctuates greatly
in price (from 10 to 25 cents), whilst
the extracted is a staple article of
commerce, and brings promptly in
the market from 7 to 10 cents per
pound.
For profit, extracted honey far sur-
passes that in the comb, and a bee-
keeper who understands his business,
and extracts as rapidly as it is gath-
ered by the industrious insects, is on
a fair road to fortune, especially if he
uses the 20 frame one-story Langstroth
hive.
Greenville, Miss.
For tne American Bee Joomal.
Florida for Honey Production.
W. S. HART.
Within the past two years there has
developed a great interest among
Northern bee-keepers in regard to
Florida as a honey-producing State.
Having had considerable to do with
exciting that interest, by writing up
our apiarian resources for Nortliern
papers, a large portion of those who
visit the State either write to me or
call upon me, and I find that the im-
pression seems to prevail that my
immediate neighborhood is the best
and almost the only honey-producing
section of this State. The conse-
quence is, that bee-keepers are crowd-
ing in here to such an extent, that I
honestly believe that unless there is
a check put to it, the pasturage will
be over-stocked within twelve months
so as to greatly reduce the profits of
the business. "So far as my interests
go, I am glad to see the country fill
up with bee-keepers, or any other
good citizens, and I have labored for
years to accomplish that object, but,
to the man whose only income is from
THE AMERICAI^ BEE JOURNAL.
335
his apiary, this is a matter of serious
eonsitleration.
I know it lias been claimed that it
was almost impossible to over-stock
this " Bee Belt," as it has been called,
and as it has been stated to extend
from Port Orange on the Halifax
river, li5 miles south ti) O.ik Hill on
Mosquito Lagoon, it certainly does
seem as though there was room for a
good many yet. But instead of li5
miles, the section spoken of is really
but about IS or 19 miles. Then comes
a break in the black mangrove, of
some miles, and the next good loca-
tion for an apiary, with a view to the
mangrove pasturage, is some distance
down the Indian river. That the
black mangrove is our best honey-
producing tree, is beyond a doulit,
but that there are plenty of locations
in the State, far away from any man-
grove, in which bee keeping can be
made more proli table than it usually
Is in the North, is also beyond a doubt,
in my mind at least.
Until all the coH.stand Salt River of
south Florida, where the black man-
grove grows, is taken up and occupied
by practical apiarists, I would recom-
mend that section, but as I find the
black mangrove sections are more
limited then 1 formerly supposed, I
will say a word for other pasturage.
Our hammock lands are rich loamy
spots of from one to several thousand
acres eacli, scattered about over the
State. This land is covered by a
heavy growth of cabbage palmetto,
basswood, hickory, oaks, prickly ash,
necked wood, youpon, white maple,
bays, etc., etc., all of which have a
greater or less value as honey
producers. These hammocks are
surrounded by pine woods or savan-
nahs. In the former are to be found
the saw palmetto, gallberry and other
good honey-producers, and in the
savannahs are the willows, for early
pasturage, and later, a perfect sea of
wild suntlower, fora late crop, besides
innumerable small flowers.
If with all these resources to draw
from, a few colonies of bees cannot
do well, when properly cared for, near
almost any of these hammocks, I am
certainly greatly mistaken, but if that
were the case, then, with our climate
exempting us from all wintering
troubles, and giving us nearly the
whole year to work our bees in, with
cheap living, cheap transportation,
and other advantages too numerous
to mention, I see no reason why a per-
son cannot locate in the pine woods in
sections where there is naturally but
very little honey produced, and there
plant just what he wants his honey
from, in such a way as to give a con-
tinuous flow nearly the whole of the
year. I believe this will be done be-
fore many years, for, if it will pay to
plant for honey in the North, it seems
to me it will pay better here. I am
now trying sweet clover, Simpson
honey plant, and spider plant; the
seeds of which were kindly sent to
me by a gentleman in Cincinnati.
Now, in reference to O. H. Lake's
article in the Bee Jouunal, April 25,
page 213, 1 will say, as he got his in-
formation from correspondence alone,
he has naturally fallen into some
errors which, as I feel sure that Mr.
Lake would wish it, and as it might,
aS it stands, mislead parties coming to
this State, I take the liberty of cor-
recting and commenting upon as fol-
lows :
1. The length of the " Bee Belt " is
some 18 or 19 n)iles instead of 12.5.
2. There is quite a tract of black
mangrove at Indian River narrows,
and more or less all along the river,
although in many places the red man-
grove i)redotninates. On many por-
tions of the river the black variety is
too scarce to be of much value for
honey.
3. Mr. Ol.son is quoted as saying it
is " impossible to over-stock the conn
try." Now, if the countnj means the
" Bee Belt," there certainly must be
a mistake some where, for this section
of Florida can be very easily over-stocked,
and Mr. Olson knows it, and, being a
strictly honest man, he would not
intentionally make any statement that
would convey the idea that the above
quotation does, or at any rate, not
since he got well posted as to the re-
sources of this country. While the
mangrove is in bloom, it seems almost
impossible to get bees enough to
gather it all, but bring enough bees
here to gather one-half of it, and bee-
keeping would be reduced to a poorly
paying business. Much less theii
■' 90 per cent." of our season's crop is
mangrove honey.
4. The cabbage palmetto produced
much less honey last season then
usual, but considerable pollen was
gathered from it. This may have
something to do with the diversity of
opinion in regard to its value.
5. Our prospects for Hrst-class
transportation by the middle of sum-
mer, is now very good. A railroad
and the coast canal are both within a
short distance of the Halifax river,
and will soon be through to it.
6. Messrs. Alderman and Roberts,
of VVewahitchka, Fla., have reported
350 colonies, which, I think, must be
the largest apiary in the State.
7. Mr. Chas. F. Muth has praised
our honey without stint, and has gone
to great pains to put it before the
public. In reply to a note and some
samples of our honey sent by him to
Rev. L. L. Langstroth, the latter
wrote as follows :
Oxford, Nov. 16, 1882.
Friend Muth : — I have delayed
giving you my opinion of that Florida
palmetto honey until I could get the
verdict of others besides myself as to
its merits. Its color is unexception-
able, and its flavor very pleasant. I
am not sure but that tlie majority of
consumers will consider it equal, if
not superior to white clover honey.
Our Southern friends are to be con-
gratulated on being able to supply our
market with such a choice article.
L. L. Langstroth.
Any one that would ask for a better
endorsement than that, would be alto-
gether too particular. It will sell my
honey in any market of the world at
top prices. 1 feel that the thanks of
all Florida bee-keepers are due Mr.
Muth for his kindly interest and ef-
forts on our behalf, as by them our
honey now has a market proportionate
to its quality, while formerly commis-
sion houses would take advantage of
the old phrase, and when honey was
quoted U and 12 cents per pound, they
would make returns thus : " Gallons
Southern strained honey at 80 or 85 cts.
per gallon;" and this in spite of all
we might say about " quality " or
" extracting."
8. If Mr. Olson stated in his letter
to Mr. Lake that he "made (i swarms
from one colony this season, and took
from the old colony 440 pounds of ex-
tracted honey," he certainly wrote
what he did not intend to. He meant
to have said that he took 440 pounds
from the old colony and its increase.
Now, as I know Mr. Olson to be an
upright and honorable man, and I be-
lieve Mr. Lake to be the same, and
that only good was meant by hia
letter, I want it understood that the
foregoing is not intended to reflect on
the honesty of either party in the
least, but that the discrepancies arise
through Mr. Lake's not getting the
exact ideas intended by the writers,
or some carelessness on the part ot
the writer, perhaps. Such misunder-
standings are very common, Mr.
Lake's letter is interesting, and I can
endorse all it says, with the exception
of the above mentioned errors, which
only serve to bring out more facts.
There is still plenty of room for prac-
tical bee-keepers in this State, if they
will only look up the locations.
New Smyrra, Fla., May 14, 1883.
Read before the Texas Convention.
Enemies to Honey Bees in Texas,
B. F. CARROLL.
In choosing the above for a subject,
it was in hopes that I might bring
something before you that would be
of interest to the bee-keepers of our
noble Lone Star State, and I will,
mostly, conhne myself to what I have
seen in my apiary since I began the
cultivation of the honey-bee, on mod-
ern principles, in 1869 ; at which time
I was using the old " log and box
gum."
My first notice was the destruction
of several colonies by the moth. It
was my custom to knock off the tops
of the log or box gums and cut the
honey out until I reached the brood
nest,"^and often the honey would run
out at the bottom, and as anything
sweet will draw the moths, in large
numbers, tliey would flock around the
hives about nightfall, and tind plenty
of bits of comb cut down by the bees
in which to deposit their eggs, which
would so demoralize the colony that
they invariably fell a prey to the rav-
ages of this insect.
I luckily saw the advertisement of
H. A. King & Bro., of Nevada, Ohio,
in some agricultural paper in 1868,
offering hives, etc., for sale. I ordered
13 American hives, and in 1809 I had
them full of bees, and but little
trouble did I have from them, until I
introduced the Italian, Holy Land
and Cyprian bees, and especially the
latter in 18S0. I have not seen a sin-
gle colony infested by these dirty-
336
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
looking worms, ami I no longer con-
sider the bee-moth an enemy, but
really an advantaM, for they are
rapidly driving box-Tiive men into our
ranks or out of the business, and the
little black bee, like poor "Lo," is
westward going.
The next enemy to which I would
call your attention, is the Asilus Tex-
anus (Misounensis Ryley) or the Texas
bee-killer, which 1 Hnd more destruc-
tive, and in larger numbers, than any
bee-killer I have seen. The Asilus
Texanus is a two-winged fly of the
predacious family Asiladce, and takes
the bees in his long front set of legs
and leisurely sucks all the juices from
the bee. His legs being so long that
the bee cannot get at his body while
in captivity, but I have frequently
seen my "Cyprians" capture, ball
and kill these insects in its attempt-
to take a bee from the front of tlie
hive. I find these insects more numer-
ous in dry, hot years like 1S81. That
summer I killed over 100 in an hour,
and every Hy had a bee. They not
only attack tlie bees about the apiary,
but I have seen their nefarious work
in the horsemint tields.
You will And this insect described
as beneficial to the agriculturist in
the " Eeport of the Commissioner of
Agriculture for 1879, plate XI, figure
o.
There is another bee -killer, or rather
a large fly that is tolerated by the
bees, to hang around, not knowing
that these innocent-looking creatures
will let fall a tiny egg upon their body
that will hatch into a devouring grub,
which bores into the body of the bee,
Where it lives on its vitals, which it
soon destroys. Ttiis fly, I think, is
described by Prof. A. J. Cook, ex-
president of the N. A. B. K. Associa-
tion, as the Tachina fly, and is also
described as beneficial to the agricul-
turist (see Report of Commissioner of
Agriculture for 1H79, plate XIV.,
figure 2). I hope this last named in-
sect may stay in the cotton fields
where it belongs, for if it should visit
our apiaries, in large numbers, we
would have to " hang our harps on
the willow trees " and give up our
lovely pursuit.
The mosquito hawk, LibeUida (see
same Agricultural Report above men-
tioned), is another great enemy to our
pets, and last September and October
were present every evening, in alarm-
ing numbers, ready for a feast on the
heavily laden bees as they came in.
These insects can be driven off and
killed in large numbers with long
switches and whips, and is fun for the
juveniles. They lay their eggs in
ponds of water, by a peculiar dipping
motion, where the young larvse feed
on their insects.
The next enemy we will notice is
the Mantis Religioso, i')r more com-
monly called " Devil's horse." These
formidable insect eaters are of sucli
vast advantage to our orchards and
vineyards, that I am in favor that we
overlook his occasional meal on our
pets
A very small bronze-colored fly, and
I think it is the same fly that lays the
eggs on the locust, that destroys so
many of them, has made its appear-
ance in my apiary, and I have seen it
on the body of the bee, and from the
antics cut by the bee, I fear it, too, is
of the Tachina family, and that the
eggs will produce grubs in the bee.
I have given you a few of the most
formidable insect enemies to the
honey-bee, that has come under my
notice, and I will mention a few
others of a different species. The
English sparrow, mocking bird, and
the martin of the feathered tribe I
have caught eating bees, and particu-
larly tlie mocking bird. I have
watched these birds take a dozen bees
or more before they are satisfied ; they
are very fond of drones, audit may be
possible the largest amount of bees
they eat are drones.
Toads, ants and spiders kill a few
bees, l)ut these are so easily dispersed
that they can hardly be classed as
enemies. I never kill a toad, but
carry him to the garden where his
presence is of greater importance
then in the apiary.
For the destruction of the large red
ants I use cyanide of potasium (poison)
5 ounces to 5 gallons of water ; for
small ants, salt and wood ashes.
And lastly comes the greatest
enemy of ail, and let us give him tlie
dignified name of Bonus Homo et Nobis
Amicus, his work is sure, and always
leaves this epitaph behind : " Here
rests, cut off from useful labor, a col-
ony of industrious bees, basely mur-
dered by its ignorant and ungrateful
owner."
" Ab, see. where robbed and murdered in that pit,
Lies the still heavins hive ! at evening snatched,
Beneath the cloud of jniilt-concealing night.
And fixed o'er sulphur ! while, not dreaming ill,
The happy people, in their wa.\en cells,
Sat tending public cares.
Sudden, the dark, oppressive steam ascends,
And, used to milder scents, the tender race,
By thousands, tumble from their honied dome
Into a gulf of blue sulphurous flame."
Killing Dees for their honey was
unknown in the days of Aristotle,
\^arro, Columella and Pliny, and
must have originated in tlie dark
ages, wlien the human family had lost
in apiarian pursuits, as well as in other
things, the skill of former ages. We
are told that the old cultivators took
only wliat their bees could spare, kill-
ing no colonies, except such as were
diseased.
I am happy to see that this in-
human and cruel practice is fast
giving away, and wherever bee papers
and movable frame hives make their
appearance, this practice ceases im-
mediately. The spread of apistical
knowledge is a sure remedy to the
dreaded enemy last named. 1 feel
proud that the'Texas State Bee-Keep-
ers' Association is doing a noble work
in the advancement of apiculture in
Texas ; a State that is soon destined
to lead all the rest of her sister States
in this branch of rural economy.
Patent-liive venders, that swarmed
througii our State a few years ago,
liave ceased to put in an appearance.
Bee periodicals, assisted by a score of!
agricultural papers, have educated
the people. Let the good work go on
until our land and country shall flow
with " milk and honey."
Dresden, Texas.
Wihixi ixml Moxxf,
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Bowagiac, Mich.
Rearing Queens.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following questions ■
1. Can pure queens be reared from
eggs layed by a hybrid mother ? If
not, what kind of queens would those
three-banded workers liave given.
2. When a queen fails, does she fail
at once, or gradually ? I have had
queens that were good layers until,
all at once, they would quit and lay
no more.
3. What has been your experience
\v\\X\ queens reared naturally or arti-
ficially— are those cells reared under
the swarming influence any better
than those reared artificially V
4. I have several queens which are
three-fourths Italians, or more, would
you advise rearing queens from these,
to get the best honey gatherers ?
Goshen, Ind. H. J. Schrock.
Answeks.— 1. The Italian race has
physiological and mental markings
peculiar to itself. When crossed with
another race of different traits and
markings, the offspring of that cross-
ing, by the second law of evolution,
inherit variedly more or less of the
characteristics of either or both races.
A bee, whether a worker or queen,
can possess three golden bands, and
yet be a hybrid, but no bees with less
than three bands, are called pure
Italian. An egg laid by a hybrid
queen, while it might hatch a three-
banded worker, should not be expected
to produce a queen or worker truer
to the traits of character peculiar to
that race than the egg in an adjoining
cell which might produce a bee of but
one band.
2. Queens usually give out, seem-
ingly, all at once ; at least so suddenly
that it seems so to the bee-master.
3. I have never made any thorough
and pointed experiments upon this
subject, nor do I believe any other
bee-keeper lias. Tliis I will say, I
have gathered a feeling from observa-
tion and experience, as I have trav-
eled up the hill of apiculture, that
queens reared under the swarming
impulse are better than those not so
reared. I find that if I go to a colony
of any kind or size, at any time, and
remove the queen, they rear no such
queens as the same colony will when
they do it of their own accord, with
the queen in the hive. The cells do
not look as good. I also know that
since I have been producing queens
under the swarming impulse only, ray
,THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
33T
bees are much better thau before. Of
course I have been breeding more
closely for qualities ; at the same time
my prejudices, whether right or
wrong, allow me to start no queen
cells other than by the will of the bees.
4. If your hybrids are crosses be-
tween the larger brown German bee
and longer-bodied leather-colored Ital-
ian, crosses produced in company
with your Judgment, and you desire
a strain of bees for qualities, I should,
by all means, breed from your queens;
otherwise not.
White Clover Rich in Necf ar.
The lioney boom has struck us here
since the rain stopped, four days ago,
and, if the weather continues favor-
able, the conditions are very promis-
ing for a large yield of honey. White
clover is very abundant and rich in
nectar, and, what bees are left, are
doing finely. I had 43 small colonies
left, out of 63 last fall. Many have
lost all. Basswood will probably not
bloom before July 20.
W. H. S. Grout.
Kennedy, Jf. Y., June 25, 1883.
Report of the Biiclshorn Apiary.
In November, 1882, I packed 30
colonies in my bee cellar ; all came
out in splendid condition, with only a
loss of two queens. I began this sea-
son witli 38 colonies ; they commenced
swarming June 16, and there are 1 or
2 swarms every day ; they are carrying
in honey at a great rate, and have
filled some half-pound sections nearly
ready for the market. My bees are
very busy on red and black raspber-
ries. The white and Alsike clovers
are out in full bloom, and basswood
is budding full. F. A. Gibson.
Racine, Wis., June 23, 1883.
Importance of Universal Frame.
I see in the Bee Journal, a sub-
ject is being discussed by bee men
that has interested me from my first
experience in bee-keeping (as a pleas-
ure more than profit) ; that subject is
the " Standard frame." Now, it is
very natural, when this subject is
brought up, for each one to say : My
frame is good enough for me ; but if
we would stop to consider, I think all
would admit it to be a priceless boon to
the bee-keepers of this country, could
such a system be inaugurated. Sup-
pose I wish to sell a few hives of bees,
my frames are 12x12. B. would like
to buy, and would pay a good price,
but he uses the Langstroth frame,
and could not afford to pay mucli for
them, as he would have to transfer
them, so both have lost a profitable
sale in not having the same size of
frame. I have wished to get a frame
of drone brood from a dealer, but as
he did not state the size of his frames,
I wrote him to learn this, and found
he used the Gallup, so I was again
disappointed, and he lost a sale. I
think the " coming bee " would be
sooner attained, for the "crossing"
could be better accomplished. But as
I am not much of a bee man, and
much less a newspaper one, I will
leave it for others, more competent ;
hoping the union may soon be effected,
for I am looking for the pleasant day
to arrive when I can leave the "throb-
bing mighty engine " and be with and
hear the happy hum of the " blessed
bees." A. P. Lanterman.
Pullman, 111., June 26, 1883.
Bnffalo Clover.
I enclose two clover heads, which
please give the name of in the Bee
Journal. It grows on rich soil, has
a coarse foliage, and the bees work on
it splendidly. One head is full size —
the other is j'ust coming to bloom.
W. M ALONE.
Oakley, Iowa, June 18, 1883.
[It is Buffalo clover or Trifoliuni re-
jiexum. This plant is much more
common in the Southern States of the
Union, being quite rare in the North
from New York westward. It is an
annual, or sometimes biennial plant
of vigorous habit, and undoubtedly a
good honey producer. The flowers
are larger than those of the common
red clover, but shorter, so that the
uectar is accessible to the hive bee,
whose visits materially aid the fertili-
zation of the seeds. The heads are
are especially distinguished from
those of red clover by the pedicels or
little stalks upon which the florets are
raised.— T. J. Burrill, Champaign,
111.]
Storing Honey from White Clover.
Bees are doing well here, at pres-
ent ; they are storing honey from
white clover, which is plenty. I have
one colony working in 72 one-pound
sections. My bees came through the
winter and spring in good condition,
considering the cold winter and late
spring. Alfred Gander.
Adrian, Mich., June 25, 1883.
Honey Prospects Good.
Wind and rain appear to be the or-
der of things in these parts ; at least
so much so tiiat bees cannot work half
the time. Bees wintered well, and
are now in fine condition, but have
not swarmed much yet, on account of
its being so cold and wet. We never
before saw the like of white clover,
and it put in an appearance a week
earlier than last season. If the
weather gets favorable, tlie while
clover honey crop will be immense.
Bee-keepers are feeling good over the
prospects, and are laying in heavy for
supplies, for the prospects are good
for the largest honey crop ever gath-
ered in these parts. A. W Fisk.
Bushnell, 111., June 18, 1SS3.
Bees Doing Well.
Bees are doing very well here this
year. There is any quantity of white
clover, although we are liaving rather
too much rain. I began with one
colony in the spring of 1882. I now
have 9, hybrids and Italians. I am
using a side-storing hive, but I see
from the Bee Journal that most of
the bee-keepers prefer other kinds.
J. C. Tanner.
Huntington, W. Va., June 25, 1883.
Bees so Busy as to Forget to Swarm.
This is a most beautiful morning.
My bees are booming ; they are gath-
ering honey so fast that they forget
to swarm. I have only had about 20
swarms from 200 colonies, although I
have prevented swarming as much as
I reasonably conld. A. Snyder.
Clarksville, N. Y., June 24, 1883.
My Last Year's Work.
I commenced the spring of 1882
with 10 colonies; increased to 24 ; had
1,030 pounds of honey, in one-pound
sections ; and sold it at 18 cents per
pound. I packed 10 colonies in saw-
dust, and 14 I wintered in a cellar. I
lost one packed, and 7 that were win-
tered in the cellar, all by spring
dwindling. I have had, to date, 6
swarms. The weather has been un-
favorable, until within a few days ;
but bees are wqrking nicely now, on
white clover. Wji. Penney.
Shiloh, Mich., June 21, 1883.
The Bee Moth.
Please publish in the Bee Journal
the essay given by Judge Andrews,
at the Texas Convention, and oblige
many subscribers.
John H. Christie.
Dyersburg, Tenn.. June 21, 1883.
[We will do so, with pleasure, if the
Judge will kindly send it for publica-
tion.—Ed.]
My Spring Report.
My report from Jan. 1 up to date, is
as follows : On Jan. 1 I had 90 colo-
nies ; I sold 30, leaving 60 to begin
with. I had 10 good swarms early in
April, and the hives are all full ot
bees. I increased them to 99 colonies.
I have had to feed these, to keep them
alive until the horsemint flow began :
it is now here, and nearly gone, and
not one pound of honey have I had
yet, but I think I will get my bees all
built up strong before the flow is gone,
which will be 10 days yet. If 1 only
had plenty of bees I could get a little
surplus, but bees liave dwindled badly.
Some brood chilled during the frosty
weather, in the latter part of May.
There is not one stalk of mint, this
year, where 20,000 stood last year. I
have about I4 acre of catnip, which I
planted in rows and cultivated ; if I
had 10 acres, I could not be found
now with blasted hopes. A few hills
of sweet clover 5 feet high are covered
with bloom and bees too. The Cali-
fornia pepper tree is also in bloom.
We could have perpetual bloom here
for 6 months, and often 9 months.
There is a field of mint, of 30 acres,
338
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
some 4 miles off, as thick us wheat,
and i feet high. This field was
plowed last fall, and on account of the
cold wet spi-ing, followed by 8 weeks
of drouth, it could not be planted.
Mr. W. K. Melton, who lives 400 yards
from that Held, has 100 colonies of
bees that are simply booming, so you
see it pays to plant for honeij, wet or
dry. I can go to the woods and hunt
wild bees for the wax and bees, for a
pastime; and when the old, tried,
true and trusty friend, the Bee Jour-
nal makes its weekly visit, I have
time to read all, even the letters about
cellars and chaff and all other such
fixings that " we 'uns, down here."
know nothing about practically. It
makes me feel glad to hear such good
news from Kentucky, "Bee-keepers
all worked down," "Honey flow
enormous." My time next, brother,
you see. B. F. Carroll.
Dresden, Texas, June 18, 18S3.
Bees (Jathering Honey.
We have now had nearly a month
since it became warm, and during this
time there has been but three days
that it has not rained at some time
during the 24 hours, and many of the
days it has " rained all day." On the
night of the 18th, 3?4 inches of water
fell upon a level, and this, with the
ground already soaked, caused our
streams to rise up to high watermark.
But little corn and potatoes have been
hoed, and the tields are nearly as
green as meadows. Plenty of white
clover is in bloom, but it is" of no use
to the bees, which I am feeding to
keep them from starving.
Later.— We have had 4 days of
good weather now, and the bees are
getting a living, and storing a little in
the body of the hive.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., June 2«, 1883.
Generous Honey Season.
The honey season here was never
better. The flow Is generous, and
the quality is most excellent. The
swarming impulse has been simply
rampant. My apiary has sent out
bees with the energy of a Vesuvius
for three weeks past.
G. W. Dejiaree.
Christiansburg, Ky., June 22, 1883.
Bee-Keeping in Maine. |
The bee business is increasing very
fast in this part of the State ; new
land clover, and acres and acres of
lire weed furnish abundance of honey
of superior quality, bringing the
highest price in the market. The
only drawback that we have had in
the past year, is the hives that we
have had to use. Being so far from
any of the manufactories of bee im-
plements, we have had to use any-
thing we could get for a hive, now we
are better prepared, as a manufactory
has started near us. This is a help to
us here, and will greatly improve the
business. I am not prepared to furnish
much in regard to the statistics of
bees or honey, but I will hereafter
gather what I can and send you. It
is a good thing to hear a little news
from every one having bees, as we do
not all get experience alike, and we
ought to give ours to others.
O. B. Keene.
Fort Fairfield, Maine, June 16, 1883.
Rain, Bain.
It " rained 40 days and nights." I
would like to know if there is any
account as to whether Noah fed his
bees on granulated or grape sugar, to
preserve them through that spell of
wet weather ? J. G. Whitten.
Genoa, N. Y., June 26, 1883.
[We give it up.— Ed.]
High Aspirations.
.Several of my bees have selected
the highest tree in my yard to alight
upon, when swarming, out of the
reach of a 26 foot ladder. Why they
should select such a high point, I do
not know. Two of them liave selected
the same limb, about 40 feet from the
ground, but prematurely, as " their
mother did not knoff they were out."
I was obliged to let them hang until
they found that their mother was not
out, then they returned home, if not
sadder, perhaps wiser ; so, I may liave
another chance at them. Why is it
that one of mv colonies seem to be
full of the Old Nick. I cannot touch
them with a 10 foot pole, as a dozen
will start for me at the same time V
It is one that was partly robbed last
fall, and was attacked this spring
again; but witli judicious care and
good feeding, I brought them through,
and even now they do not appreciate
my good intentions. I was obliged to
use the "Conqueror," that little engine
of smoke, upon them ; which brought
them to terms. What would the
apiarist do to-day without the smoker,
at this advanced age of apiculture V
John Gochenour.
Freeport, 111., June 25, 1883.
[Eobblng has been the cause, no
doubt, of angering them. The smoker,
judiciously used, will conquer them,
however. — Ed.]
out of the second story, tiirew out the
honey, and gave them foundation,
and in three days they had all filled
again and swarmed. We are getting
1,000 two-pound sections of comb
honey each week, and every 8 days.
1,200 pounds of extracted honey. We
only run 40 hives for extracted, the
balance for comb honey. We find it
very difficult to run for comb and ex-
tracted honey in one apiary ; so, next
year, we intend to start another apiary
of 300 hives for extracted honey only,
with all improvements, such as evap-
orating tanks, etc. We intend, of
course, to retain our present apiaries
for comb honey, as there is a good
market for No. 1 comb honey, and we
put up a first-class article. Can you
inform us if there is any machine
which makes a No. 1 article of section
box foundation and brood chamber
foundation, both being made on the
same machine V We think there can
be a machine to make both by having
two sets of rollers. If we do not
have any set back, we shall have a
full crop, and the bees will store honey
up to October. Bray & Seacord.
Warthan, Cal., June 15, 1883.
[We think both kinds can be made
on the Vandervort mill, and, perhaps,
on them all, by having the sheets of
wax thinner. Will some one having
experience please reply to this.— Ed.]
Bees Worliing in the Second Story.
After selling some bees, I have 23
colonies left. I have not had a swarm
yet, but 1 have nearly all working in
the second story, for extracted honey.
They have done well for about a week.
We have had a cold, wet spring, and
it is raining yet, about every other
day. It is too wet to do anything on
the ground. White and Alsike
clovers look well, and are now in full
bloom. My bees are in a better con-
dition than I ever had them. I lost
about 1 out of 6, this winter and
spring. I put my bees in the cellar
late in the fall, and took them out on
March 13. I have given up uniting
bees in the spring ; I think it is a
failure to do so. I have an imported
queen, but I do not sell queens.
E. S. IIlLDBMANN.
Ashippun, Wis., June 23, 1883.
Straight Combs, etc.
I have one colony of bees which
have the frames and combs all con-
nected together, will some reader of
the Bee Journal inform me how to
get them apart. It is a Langstroth
hive. I also wish to know how to get
my bees to build their combs straight.
J. Hurst.
Minooka, 111., June 21, 1883.
A Lively Rushing Season.
Our swarming season is just over,
and we are not sorry, as we have not
hardly had time to breath, working
day and night ; the bees began to
swarm on April 1, and continued up
to June 10. We have more than
doubled our stock, while doing our
best to prevent swarming. The Ital-
ian queens we got from the Bee
Journal apiary, two years ago, are
good workers, and right on the
swarm. We have had them fill a 2-
story hive in a week without the aid
of foundation, being 80 pounds of
honey in all. We took the comb all
White and Alsike Clover.
Never was such a sea of bloom
known here before. White clover
commenced blooming May 11, and it
looks as if it was not at its best yet.
We have a rain storm every few days,
and it has done great damage, es-
pecially in creeks and river-bottom
lands. It has killed nearly all the
growing corn, and it looks as if it
might continue to rain yet, for some
weeks. The "blessed bees" make
good use of every fair hour of day-
light, gathering the sweets and
swarming. My 51 colonies are boom-
ing. I have had 60 swarms, up to
date, and I am extracting and taking
off comb honey, to give them room.
My swarms all return to the old stand,
as I have clipped all my queens' wings.
I do not think the clipping of my
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
339
queens' wings has caused any of their
offsprings to be lazy, crazy, invalids
or cripples. My Ilolv Land Italians
beat all yet. B. M. Osborn.
Kane,"lll., June 25, 1883.
Texas Reports a Poor Season.
This is the worst season the bee-
keepers of Central Texas have ever
experienced. From my 40 colonies I
have saved G, and got" 50 pounds of
honey, with no liopes of anything
further this season. But we do not
give up the ship, and will organize a
county association on the first Satur-
day in July, and have everything fully
equipped for 1884. E. P. Massby.
Waco, Texas, June 26, 1883.
§pcciaX Notices.
<s
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time and Place oS Meetins-
Auk. 29.— Iowa Central, atWinterset FairGrounda.
Z. G. Cooley. Sec. Pro tern.
Sept. 12-14.— Trl-State, at Toledo, Ohio.
Dr. A. B. MaBOD, Sec, Wagon Works, O.
Oct. 9, 10.— Northern Mich, at Sheridan, Mich.
O. R. Goodno, Sec. Carson City, Mich.
Oct. 17, 18,— Northwestern, at CbicaKO, Ul.
ThoraasG. Newman, Sec.
Oct.— Northern Ohio, at Norfalk. O.
S. F. Newman, Sec.
Dec. 5-6, Michiean State, at Flint.
H. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
ly" In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetings.— Ed.
A Card to Kentucky Apiarists.
The Kentucky State Bee-Keepers'
Association will meet, at the great
Exposition building in Louisville,
about the first of September next, the
precise time will be made public soon.
We want to make that meeting a re-
spectable and useful one. In order to
help forward the enterprise each pro-
pretor of all modern apiaries in the
State, is earnestly requested to address
me a letter at Cliristiansburg, Ky.,
stating the number of colonies em-
ployed in liis apiary, what race or
strain of bees, whether he produces
comb or extracted honey, or both, at
what price does his honey sell, in
what market he disposes of it, whether
he has suceeded in building up a
home market, what race or type of
bees has given the best results, what
per cent, of net profit does his apiary
pay on the capital invested, and any
other matter pertaining to the busi-
ness which may be of interest to bee-
keepers and the public generally.
G. W. Demaree,
Pres. Ky. State Bee-Keepers' Asshi.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper ; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
f 5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
fir The Marshall county Bee-Keep-
ers' Association will meet at the
Court House in Marshalltown, Iowa,
at 10:30 a. m. and 1 p. m. Subject for
discussion: " Summer care." Our last
meeting was one of interest to all
present. All parties interested in the
busy bee in Marshall and adjoining
counties, are invited.
J. W. Sanders, Sec.
Le Grand, Iowa.
[We suppose this meeting is to be
held next Saturday, July 7, but the
secretary forgot toname the day .—Ed.]
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smokers need wide shields. Bingham's
have them, and springs that do not rust anil break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for 1S1.'J5. Address,
BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON,
Abronia Mich.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& Hetherington, Dear Sirs: — 1 am
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tolher " with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker " did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1882.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $C, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Kegister for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. — W e have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices:
The "Doctor", .{wide shield)— 3?^ in. Are tube, $2.00
The Conqueror (wide shield)— 3 in.flretube, 1.75
Large ( wide shield )—2^^ in. fire tube, 1.50
Extra (wide shield)— 2 in.flretube, 1.25
Plain (nar. shield)— 2 in.flretube, 1.00
Little AVonder..(nar. shield)— 18:( in.flretube, .65
Bingham & Hetherington Uncapping Knife. . 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883.
Sample Copies of the American Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
igg" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
^" When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
Dublicatiou it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
340
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
"The Bavarian Apiary."
During a recent tour through Carniola, AuFtria, I
made special arranKements wiiereby I now receive
regular shipments of
CHOICE CARNIOLAN QUEENS.
Carniolan bees are lar^e. strong, and. to my eye,
handsome -iieing liRht-Kray in color. They are the
most peaceable bees I have ever handled, and even
becinnersin bee culture will tlnd no difficulty in
manipulatinK thera without smoke, and without
protection to face or hands. The Queens I send
out are of the highest quality- large and prolific.
I have also speciiil contracts whereby I am sup-
plied with
EXTRA FINE ITALIANS,
reared in those Alpine regions where I have found
the bees to be the most vigorous and prolific. The
workers of these Queens are as finely marked as
any Italians in exi-tence.
One queen in .lune or July, each $4.50
After August 1st, each 4.o0
Five queees in June or July, each 4.05
After August 1 St. each 3.60
Ten queens in June or July, each 3.60
After August 1st, each 3.30
Freight prepaid to New York city. Queens which
do not reach the purchaser alive, if immediately
returned by letter, will be replaced.
FRANK BENTON,
_27C2t Georgenstr4, MUNICH, GERMANY.
The American Apiculturist
Is a first-class :i-j-paee Monthly, devoted to bee-
keepers and their interests, edited and publislii;d
by a practicaf bee-keeper. Its list f contributors
is composed of the most scientific and i>ractical
apiarists in the country. It is endorsed by our
leading bee-masters everywhere.
The July number will contain the description and
history of the BAY STATE API ART. from
wliich has eminated Alley** new methiid of
(|ucen Rearlii({:, as given in the "Handy Book,"
together with an excellent portrait of Mr. Alley
and his apiary.
Those wishing to secure this number will please
Bend their subscription for three months. Sample
copies sent free. Do not fail to read t»ur unparalled
offers to subscribers.
Subscription Price : Iffl.OO per year, payable
In advance ; sent on trial '.-i ninnths for 35 cents ; 6
months lor 60 cents. Address.
SILAS M. lOCKE, Editor and Fablisher,
SALEM, MASS.
1863. 16S3.
VOU GET VALUE RECEIVED I
QUEENS,BEES AND SUPPLIES
If you want EARLY <|UEENS from the
best improved gfeiiuliie stock for business; or if
you want Imported Italian Queens or bees, in full
colonies or nuclei, with tested or untested queens;
if you want Dunham or Vandervort como tounda-
tion. made from pure beeswax; or if you want
hives or apiarian supplies of any kind, send for my
new catalogue. It tells you about introducing
queens, new " Races of Bees," etc. Ca«h paid for
clean beeswax. Address,
a. p. H. RROTTX.
5BDl5t Augusta. Georgia.
The Bee^Keepers' Guide,
OR, MANUAL OF THE APIARY.
9,000 SOLD IN SIX YEARS,
lOth Thousand tluftt Out.
More than 50 pages, and more than 50 fine illus-
trations added. The whole work has been thor-
oughly revised, and contains the v«'ry latest in re-
spect to bee-keeping. It is certainly the fullest
and most scientific work treating of bees in the
World. Price, by Mall, $1.2.5.
IjiWeral diecoaut to dealers and te clubs.
A. J. COOK,
i7Ctf Author and Publisher. Ijansing, Mich.
1883. JOSEPH D. ENAS, 1883.
(Sunny t^lde Apiary,)
Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Colonies, Nuclei,
EXTRACTOK8, COMB FOUNDATION, &c
lODHm Address. Sunny SldeApiary, NAPA, CAli.
TXJST OXJTI
New circular and price of Bees and Queens.
Aiso, STENCiLS for bee-keepers' use.
JOS. M. BROOKS.
13C6t Columbus. Ind.
SECTIONS.
CZIB
We have just put in several new machines and
also a larger engine in our factory, consequently
we are in better shape to fill orders than ever for
Sections, Shipping Crates, etc., etc. We make a
specialty of our
"BOSS" ONE-PiEGE SECTIONS,
Patented June 28th, ISHI.
We can make the "Boss" (>ne-Hiece Sections
any size or width desired. Send tor Price List.
We make the Half-Pound Section any
size desired.
fTAS. FORNCROOK A CO.
iBCtf Waterlown Jefl'. Co. Wis.. Jan. 1. 1883.
TO ADVERTISE
OVER THE WHOLE COUNTRY
WITH A SMALL. I^ISX.
Advertisers desiring to reach every section of the
country, without investing a very large amount of
money, will find the following agood iistof papers:
Price per line.
BOSTON. MASS. .Journal Weekly* 15
t'ongregationlist Weekly 25
American Cultivator. Weekly 30
Youth's Companion.. Weekly 200
NEWYOHK CITY Sun Weekly 50
Times Weekly 50
Tribune Weekly 100
Christian Advocate. .Weekly 50
Harper's Weekly Weekly 150
Observer Weekly 30
Witness Weekly 75
Philadelphia. Pa. .Times Weekly 2.")
Press Weekly 25
BALTIMORE.Md. American Weekly 20
LOUIS VILLE.Ky.Courier-Journal Weekly 00
CINCINNATI, O.. Times Weekly 50
Enquirer Weekly 75
Commercial-Gazette. Weekly 05
TOLEDO. OHIO. .Blade Weekly 50
CHICAGO. ILL. . -Inter Ocean Weekly 75
News Weekly 40
Tribune Weekly 25
ST.LOUIS, MO... Republican Weekly 50
Globe- Democrat Weekly 51)
SanFrancisco.Cal.Chronicie Weekly 37
TORONTO, ONT.. Globe Weekly 25
Price per line in all the papers Sil4: 4:7
Ten lines, one time, costs S144 TO.
A DEFIXITE OFFER.
ForSil40 net cash we will insert lO lines, agate
space, one time, in all the above 2f) papers, and give
one insertion, without further charge, of the same
advertisement in S^O country weeklies, with a
guaranteed circulation of more than IVS.iKWcopies.
For !ft'75 we will insert 5 lines once, or 3 lines for
ItK.'SO. Catalogue of tht* weeklies sent on applica-
tion.
If the advertisement is already appearing in any
of the above papers, we wili substitute others of
similar clrcul-'^tion and value. Address,
GEO. p. HOWELL & CO.,
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING BUREAU.
10 SPRUCE STREET. NEW YORK.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Iroquois Strain. Four Yards.
.^orrespnndece cheerfully answered Prices reasonabl-
W. H. BUSSEY. 131 Lake Street, Chicago.
2BCIy
W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
Rog^erHvllle. Genesee County, Mich..
Makes a specialtv of rearing dark, leather-colored
ITAHAK UVTJEENS. Untested Queens. $ I. <xt
each, or six for jS-.'io; twelve for $io.(h_i. Tested
Queens. *i;.or) each. Safe arrival guaranteed. Make
money orders payable at Flint, Mich. 2r>Dtf
BE SURE
To send a postal curd for our Illustrated Catalogue
of Apiarian Supplies before purchasing elsewhere.
It contH ins Illustrations and descriptions of every-
thing newiind valuable needed in an apiay. at the
lowest prices. Italian Queens and Bees. Parties
intending to purchase bees in lots of 10 Colonies or
more are invited to correspf)nd.
J. C. SAYI-ES,
5iDl5tB5 Hartford. Wis.
ITALIAN AND HOLY LAND
QUEENS!
The Handsomest Queens for BUSINESS
the World Produces.
BUSINESS, BEAUTY and Wintering
Qualities t'oinbined.
We CHALLENGE the WORLD to EQUAL them.
Every Queen WARRANTED perfect, and reared
under the swarming impulse. Tested Queens of
either race, each t'l.w ; with "Handy Bonk," »2.50.
Queens warranted a» good as tested and "Handy
Uook," |2.'2.5. Special ratea \*y the quantity.
Send for our 32-page Circular. 22Atf
HENRY A1.E.EX, WENHAM, MASS.
FARM, HERD and HOME.
A First-Class Monthly
of 24 pages, devoted to AGUK'ULTUHE, HORTI-
CULTURE, STOCK RAISING and kindred
interests. Published at
ndianapolis, Ind., by BROWN & ABROMET.
Terms, $1.00 a Year, in Advance.
Send for it and give it a trial. 18C4t
QUEENS!
Scientific Breeding Tells.
If you want the best and most beautiful Queens,
try our strains which we have obtained by lung and
skillful breeding. Orders tilled promptly and satis-
faction guaranteed. Send fur circular and testi-
monials. E. A. THOMAS A: CO.,
ISCtf Coleraine. Kraukiin eo, Mass,
Friends, if you are In any wuv interested in
BEES OR HONEY
We will with pleasure seed you a sample copy of
tbe Alonthly Oleaningrs in I&ee-Culture*
with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve-
ments in Hives* Honey E3:trac*torii, Comb
Foundat:on, Section Honey Boxes, all books
and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee
Culture. Nothing PaUnied. Simply send your ad-
dress written plainly, to
Ctf A. I. ROOT. Medina. O.
HONEY.:
wish it distinctly understood
that I will not accept shipments
of HONE V unless bought by me
by previous correspondence.
A. H. NEWMAN, 923 W. Madison, St., Chicago.
HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTH
For tne manufacture of
BEE-KEEPEBS* SUPPr.IES.
Dunham and Root Foiinda.tlon a specialty.
Italian Queens and Bees from March to November.
J^~Send for my Illustrated Catalogue.
.'^Ctf PATTX. r.. "VIAL1.0N, Bayou Goula, La.
1883.
1883.
ITALIAN QUEENS.
I am now booking orders for
queens. I cull my queens as they
hatch, is the reason my custom-
ers were so well pleased last year.
Send me your address on a
postal, and get circular.
Six Queens f..r (;5.0(i.
J. T. WILSON,
Mortonsvllle. "Woodford Co., Ky.
eBCtf
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The British Bee Journal is published month-
Iv, and contains the best practical informntion for
tne time being, showing what to do, and when and
how to do it. Kev. H. K. PEEI... Editor.
We send the Weekly American Bee Journal
and the Britisli Bee Journal hoth for *3.uo a year.
BEES
Send to Chicago. III., for sample of
AMERICAN BEE JOITRNAI.
Monthly, SJ a year. Weekly.sa.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., JULY 11, 1883.
No. 28.
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Adulteration of Sweets by Glucose—
"They Make Money Out of it."
The manufacturers of that vile
trash, glucose, are ever on the alert to
find new excuses for adulteration.
They now assert that pure honey when
analized is found to contain " 76 per
cent, of pure glucose," and then fool-
ishly advise the addition, perhaps, of
76 per cent, more of their impure trash
to it, so tliat some one dishonest
enough to take their advice, should
"make money out of it."
Failing any longer to make it profit-
able for the " mixers, " in the large
cities, to continue their vile trade,
they now desire to enlist bee-keepers
to dishonestly feed it to the bees to
store it, so that it may be sold for
honey, and encourage them to do it,
because they can "make money out
of it."
What do they care if it does poison
millions of bees while carrying and
depositing it in their combs V
Why should they have any com-
punctions of conscience about its
effect upon millions of human beings,
wearing out their stomachs, entailing
disease and death, if thev can " make
money out of it ?"
The one result, " making money
out of it," is the excuse as well as the
reward for dishonesty.
The following communication from
the able pen of tlie Rev. L. L. Langs-
troth on this subject, will be read with
more than ordinary interest :
My friend Mr. D. A. McCord wish-
ing to test the value of grape sugar, as
a bee-feed, wrote to a glucose manu-
factory asking their prices. This reply
came :
Feb. 21, 1883.
Dear Sir :— Yours of the 13th to
hand. We will quote you glucose at
4J^ cts. per hundred lbs,— in 100 pound
kegs. You will find it tine food for
producing honey, as pure honey anal-
izes 76 per cent, pure glucose.
Yours Respectfully,
The Grape Sugar Co.
Mr. McCord wrote again, stating
that he wanted grape sugar for a
spring bee-feed, and not glucose, and
received the following :
Feb. 26, 1883.
Dear Sir :— Yours of the 24th re-
ceived, and shall have attention. We
think if you will try it, you will find
that you can produce lioney very fast,
and of fine quality. They feed it very
largely in California, and make money
out of it. Would like to hear from
you after you try it.
Yours Truly,
The Grape Sugar Co.
Following this letter came glucose
instead of the grape sugar ordered.
It was about as thick as good honey,
and almost as clear as water. As tlie
bees stuck fast to it and died, no use
was made of it as a bee-feed. Its
taste was sweetish and decidedly
bitter. No name was given in the
above letters but that of the Company,
called after the place where their
establishment is located.
Prof. Marsh, of the Miami Univer-
sity Training School, furnishes the
following analysis of that glucose :
Oxford, O., July 5, 1883.
Dear Sik :— I have tested the sam-
ple of glucose syrup which you handed
me for analysis, and find that it con-
tains large quantities of sulphuric acid
and sulphate of lime. The sample of
pure honey was found to have a
slightly acid reaction.
Very Respectfully,
B. F. Marsh.
L. L. Langstroth, Oxford, O.
Lime and free sulphxiric acid ! no won-
der it has a bitterish taste. In order
" to see what would come of it," Mrs.
McCord used it in the making of some
gingerbread. The product was poor
stuff indeed— not having the ordinary
sweetness of corn bread. It puffed up
remarkably — a Ihnig easily accounted
for wiien the analysis showed how rich
the glucose was in sulphui'lc acid.
Syrups, etc., increased in volume by
glucose mixtures, are no more to be
commended than this expanded gin-
gerbread.
" Pure honey analizes 76 per cent,
pure glucose." One would think that
if honey was so largely glucose, it
would be scarcely necessary to add
more to it ! It has never yet been
made to appear that glucose as pure
as that contained in honey or fruits
can be cheaply produced. If the time
shall ever come when it can be, it
would still be a fraud to use what has
so low a sweetening power (only about
one-third that of cane sugar), for
adulterating molasses, maple syiup,
sugars, candies, etc.
A friend of mine was told by the
captain of a boat on which lie was
travelling, that he carried many bar-
rels South to be used in adulterating
their sweets.
Another friend informs me that he
saw 40 barrels of glucose at one rail-
road station, all of which was to be
used in adulterating maple syrup 1
Mr. Chas. F. Muth, of Cincinnati,
O., perhaps the largest dealer in
boney in the West, and who has done
so much, both by precept and exam-
ple, to discourage the sale of adultera-
ted honey, has had glucose recom-
mended to him by laree dealers in it,
as a good thing to mix with boney, so
as to " make m<mey out of it." At
one time he said to me, that in his
opinion, most of the so-called maple
syrup in the Cincinnati market waa
largely glucosed.
It is only within a short time that
any quotations of glucose or grape
sugar could be found in the grocei's
papers. Will any advocate for their
use, let the world know for what legi-
timate purposes the vast amounts
made of them are used ? Dare any
one connected with the making of
glucose, tell the public in plain words
exactly for what purposes they are
actually used V I fear not.
Confident assertions are not wanting^
to show that only a pure and harmless
article is made, and, you might
imagine, that its makers are deeply
grieved that this good creature of Goa
is ever used by bad men for shameful
adulterations. They would be ever so
glad to put a stop to said doings if
they could. Believe tliis, who can V
I do not know that hitherto any
proof has been given to the public,
that some, at least, who manufacture
glucose and grape sugar, are acting
the part of tempters, and even going
so far as to suggest to those who wish
to purchase tliein for a legitimate ex-
periment, how money is to be made
342
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
by adulterating honey with their
wares,— "There is money to be made
out of it." Does not such a way of
doing business strongly suggest the
crooked methods of those who deal in
counterfeit money V
Business,in any proper sense of that
word, means transactions between
parties, where both buyer and seller
are benefitted by the deal. Tried by
this standard, adulterators of the
great commodities of life, will not
seem to rise much if any above the
level of gamblers, counterfeiters and
cheats. , ^ ^
You will notice, Mr. Editor, that I
do not give to the public the name—
nor does Mr. McCord authorize you to
give it— of the company with which
he was in correspondence, for we do
believe that this company is a sinner
above all others who make the same
Eroducts. The original letters are
erein sent to you, so that in the
mouth of at least three witnesses
their genuineness may be established.
Oxford, O., July 3, 1883.
The " original " letters sent to us by
:^r. Langstroth, have been scrutinized
and returned to him. They are cor-
rectly printed at the beginning of the
above article. Just think of the vil-
liany of asserting that " they feed it
largely in California," to deceive bee
men in Ohio, and get them to engage
in the nefarious business of adultera-
tion!
No matter if the large trade in Cali-
fornia honey is ruined by the circula-
tion of this false report, so long as
" they [the glucose manufacturers]
make money out of it."
It is high time that stringent laws
were enacted and rigidly enforced
against this hydra-headed monster
adulterator !
Going Soiith.^The Planters' Journal
remarks as follows about bee-keepers
emigrating to the South :
Large numbers of Northern bee-
keepers are seeking the flowery faelds
of the South, where the bees find
ample natural foraging ground, live
all winter without being housed, and
in various other respects prove more
profitable to their owners. There is
no earthly doubt but that the South is
destined, and that at no distant day,
to become the greatest honey produc-
ing and honey exporting country on
the globe. We hope soon to see a
regular Southward exodus of men and
women engaged in this industry,
from the North and Northwest.
A Few Pointers.
Honey Shower.— John B. Drake, of
Kappa, 111., extracted in two days,
recently, 600 pounds of honey from 12
colonies of bees. A pretty good ex-
ample of the " honey shower " now
existing all through the Northwest.
Keep all the buckets right-side-up, to
catch it.
The Orange Bulletin contains the
following under the caption of
" Things about bees worth knowing :"
The mother queen leads the first
swarm of the season, and the second
as well as the third swarms, are led
off by the young virgin queens.
Not one swarm in a hundred will go
direct from the old hive to the woods
if led by a prolific queen, but will
settle near by, before taking their
farewell leave of the old home.
It is always best to have your hives
ready for taking care of your bees as
soon as settled, if you allow them to
swarm in the old pod-auger style. Al-
ways do your swarming in the proper
manner and at the proper time, which
would save many would-be runaway
swarms if left to follow their own
inclinations. Artificially swarm your
bees.
It is a well known fact that bees
never visit two or more distinct classes
of flowers on the same trip, but al-
ways procure a full load of pollen or
honey of which ever kind they com-
mence on first, and return to their
hive or home to unload before making
a change.
Bees are very useful in the fertiliza-
tion of flowers, seeds and plants, as
well as being very necessary in the
proper maturing of all classes of
fruit, especially apples, peaches, pears
and plums ; also many other valuable
and useful fruits of which we have
not time or space to enumerate.
Watch with care and you will learn
many valuable lessons from your
bees through the various departments
of life.
Queens are produced from the com-
mon eggs that would have hatched
worker bees if left in the common
brood-cells and fed the usual food of
honey and farina; but having been
provided with a royal cell and also
royal paste, as food on which they are
bountifully provided, it transforms
them into a royal queen, who is to be
the mother of the future increase of the
hive, or swarms.
Bee-Keepers' Picnic— The Indiana
Farmer gives the following as a par-
tial report of a bee-keepers' picnic in
that State :
The bee-keepers of Hendricks and
Boone counties held a joint society
meeting at the residence of Dr. J. H.
O'Rear, at Lizton, June 23. The gath-
ering was really a bee-keepers' picnic,
and was well attended, bespeaking
success to the Societies. Every sub-
ject of interest to bee-keepers of the
present time was thoroughly dis-
cussed ; the members showing a
knowledge of the subject which can
only be acquired by careful study and
diligent inquiry. A committee of
members from both Societies was ap-
pointed to arrange a second joint
meeting of the Societies at some
place in Boone county during July or
August. Too much cannot be urged
in the furtherance of meetings of this
kind. The plan has been followed
by the many horticultural societies
throughout the State, making them
very successful and interesting to all
concerned.
OBITUARY.— We are sorry to an-
nounce that Death has entered into
the circle of publishers of bee papers,
and snatched, as its victim, Mr. Theo-
dore Houck, late publisher of the
Bee-Keepers' Exchange, Canajoharie,
N. Y., who died at Denver, Col., on
Saturday, June 16, 1883, at the age of
26I4 years. His death was quite sud-
den. The Exchange gives the following
particulars :
We are reminded, in the death of
Mr. H.. of the fraility of this life. Up
to the first of last January Mr. H. was
a perfectly healthy man, having passed
an examination just prior to that for
a life insurance. On the 2d of Janu-
ary, Mr. H. attended the meeting of
the Eastern New York Bee-Keepers'
Association, held at Albany. He put
up at a hotel that night, and was as-
signed a room and bed that had not
been used for some time ; the conse-
quence was that he took a severe cold
which settled on his lungs and hurried
him to his grave with quick consump-
tion. Mr. Houck was a thorough bee
man, beginning when a boy, and con-
tinuing until his health gave out and
death came. He loved the bees, and
was never happier than when among
them. His public career was short,
about 18 months ago he purchased the
supplv business and Bee-Keepers' Ex-
change from Mr. J. H. Nellis, and con-
ducted them up to within a few weeks
of his death, his failing health com-
pelling him to place them into other
hands. He leaves a widow bowed
down with grief, having in one short
year buried her husband and little
boy, their only child.
,,The Bee Journal condoles with
the stricken family in their affliction,
and sincerely hopes that Mr. H. had,
in life, provided for his family by ob-
taining the insurance policy men-
tioned by the Exchange in the above
paragraph.
Lessons of Industry.— An exchange
remarks as follows :
The bae has long been a type of the
industrious worker, but there are few
people who know how much labor
the sweet hoard of the hive repre-
sents. Each head of clover contains
about 60 distinct flower tubes, each of
which contains a portion of sugar not
exceeding the five-hundredth part of
a grain. Tlie proboscis of the bee
must, therefore, be inserted into 500
clover tubes before one grain of sugar
can be obtained. There are 7,000
grains in a pound, and as honey cou-
tains three-fourths of its weight of
dry sugar, each pound of honey rep-
resents 2,500,000 clover tubes sucked
by bees.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
343
Bee Statistics in Oermany,
Mr. C. A. Stoepel translates the fol-
lowing on this subject from the
Deutclier Bienenfreund, for the Bee-
Keepers'' Exchange :
The census in Prussia, Germany, of
1883, shows a decrease in the number
of colonies of bees kept since 1873.
The whole number of colonies kept in
1873 was 1,461,055, and in 1883 are kept
1,232,231 only, a decrease of 228,824.
Mr. Suppea, a notorious bee-keeper,
feels quite disappointed over these
figures. He thiuKS that bee-keeping
cannot be a paying business to many
bee-keepers, or that the bee-keepers
must have lost heavily during the last
terrible winters.
He says that these figures are a
scorn and sneer in the face of all the
work done by the different bee-keep-
ers' societies, and all methods set forth
in many manuals on bee-keeping
toward the advancement of apicul-
ture. Probably these figures are a
judgment on all tlie new-fangled bee-
houses and foreign bees, or the result
from low duty on foreign bees.
C. .1. H. Gravenhorst thinks as a
reason why bee-keeping has not been
successful with many is, that there is
no law protecting bees from the many
dangers they are exposed. Lawsuits
over the keeping of bees increase from
day to day. Birds, although their
benefitting the public, is sometimes
very doubtful, enjoy such a protection,
why cannot bees enjoy such a protec-
tion, as well as birds do ?
At present there is a project of such
a law, appended with 16,000 names of
bee-keepers before the Reichstag,
urging the same to be adopted as a
law.
Why Bees Work on Sunday.— An
exchange gives the following very
silly story as a reason :
We have just been interrogated by
one of our students who asks the
question : Why do bees work on Sun-
day V To which we answer : In the
beginning, God created all things
perfect, and to the honey bee he gave
an unusually keen accuteness of smell
which enables them to become great
foragers. And seeing that the red
clover was a grand honey-producing
plant, he also saw that the honey-bee
was likely to outstrip all other insects
in storing -up large quantities of
honey, especially so if allowed to
work the red clover; and to prevent
which he gave the hive bee its choice
either to work on the Sabbath and let
the red clover alone, or to work on
the clover and rest on tlie Sabbath,
the honey-bee preferred to work on
the Sabbath and let the red clover
alone, ilence, the reason the common
bees of this country leave the red
clover for the humble, or what we
commonly call the bumble-bee, to
work on. And thus the honey-bee
is permitted to work on the Sabbath ;
while we, as his created beings, in His
own likeness, are commanded to re-
member the Sabbath day and keep it
holy.
Foul Brood.— Mr. E. W. Felton, of
Hastings, Minn., has sent us a sample
of what he thinks is the foul brood,
with the following letter dated July 2 :
I send a comb of foul brood, which
I have had in my apiary for the last
four seasons. The second season I
undertook to eradicate it, and com-
menced Aug. 7, giving the bees clean
hives and foundation, and scalded
honey ; but it was so late that they
did not build up strong enough to
winter without doubling up, which
reduced them from 30 to 10, and the
disease still remained with them.
They increased from 10 to 16 last sea-
son, and gathered 800 pounds of comb
honey and 200 pounds of extracted.
I brimstoned them last fall, boiled the
hives, burned everything else, and
bought 30 colonies "last spring ; they
are in the midst of white clover, and
storing honey very fast, and no signs
of foul brood yet. I let one of my
neighbors have a few colonies last
season, three miles from my place,
they are doing well, and have no foul
brood now. I would like to know if
they ever get rid of it without any
help. Will some bee-keeperSjWho have
it in their apiary, give their experi-
ence with it y
Having had no experience with foul
brood, we do not feel competent to
give any advice or opinion. It is
committed to the flames at once. We
do not like it around, and hope our
friends will not send us any more
samples of it.
1^ We have received a large
pamphlet of 50 pages on the Honey
Plants of Italy, enumerating them,
giving their time of blooming, quali-
ties for honey, etc. It is written by
Dr. L. Savastano, and published at
Napoli, Italy.
Imported Queens.- The Lexington,
Ky., Transcript, remarks as follows
about an importation of bees just
arrived at that city :
Messrs. Mucci and Frank Storm, of
our city, brought into our office on
yesterday, some bees that they had
.lust imported from Italy. They had
come by express in a neat little hive,
with honey in it. They cannot speak
a word of English, but they sting in
the American language. The impor-
tation was solely for the sake of the
queens that were in each little hive,
and the few common bees sent along
with them were simply as a retinue
for their royal highnesses ; the queens,
like royalty, queerly preferring to
starve to death rather than do any
menial service for their own suste-
nance.
The queens are easily distinguish-
able by the practiced eye. A single
queen bee imported to this city once
cost Dr. Dillard ?30, beside a trip to
Ohio to bring it here. Bees are im-
ported here from Germany, Cypress,
Palestine and Italy. Those from
Italy are the best workes, and are
gentler than others.
A Sample— By George.— The Fre-
mont, Mich., IniUcatm- says :
'" The compliments of the season,'
was the inscription attached to a
choice piece of honey from the apiary
of Geo. E. Hilton, yesterday. George
now has 43 colonies of bees, making
his prospects for honey ' simply im-
mense.' "
That is the correct way ; Mr. Hilton
has hit the nail on the head. Now, fol-
low this up with some instructions
about " Honey as food," and all the
honey will be sold as fast as produced.
1^" Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMEKICAN BEB JOtTRNAL, [
Monday, 1(> a. m„ July 9, 1883. t
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONE Y— Extract, honey has commenced to come
In freely, and a larKe crop Is reported from all quar-
ters. The demand is very bood. and keeps pace
with the arrivals. For choice extracted honey I
Eay 7t&lOc ; the latter price for choice clover. I
ave received several nice lots of.comb honey, for
whicn we paid iswiecon arrival.
BEESWAX.— Arrivals of beeswax are plentlf uL
We pay 3:ic. for a good article on arrival.
CHA8. F. MUTH.
NEW YORK.
HONEY.— Best clover In 1-lb. sections (no glass)
20®21c.; in LJ-lb. sections (Klaased) 18@200. Fair
quality, 1 and 2-lb. sections, 16v^l7c Extracted,
white, in small barrels, n)<gJl I c. ; buckwheat, 8@8i<fc.
BEESWAX.— Is more plentiful. Prime yellow
sells at 3(3^c.
H. K. & F. B. Thdrbeb & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY.— The demand for extracted is Bood. and
the market bare of all unfermented honey. Prices
range from rtc. to inc. Comb remains lifeless and
will until the new crop comes, or until August.
Sales of comb are being made at 8c. to 150.
BKKSWAX-30<«35C.
B. A. BdrNETT. 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY.— New extracted is arriving freely— sell-
ing for 7 and 8 eta. New comb coming forward
slowly ; extra white, Ific.
BEESWAX.- No beeswax in the market.
STEARNS & SMITH. 4:23 Front Street.
ST. LOOIS.
HONEY— Some new comb jobbing at 14c. butold
do. nominal. Only a few barreNnf extracted and
strained sold within quotations— i;'^'<u7'.flc.
BEESWAX.- Sold irregularly from 32@34o—
mainly at 32(^33c.
W. T. Anderson & Co.. I04 N. 3d street.
CLEVBLiAND.
HONEY.— There is a moderate sale for best white
I-lb. sections at 18c. occasionally l9c, but 2 lbs. are
not called for. Extracted has no sale at all.
BKBSWAX-Not offering.
A. C. EBNDEI,. US Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONE Y— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
H lb. sections at 30C.: 1 lb. sections, 'JiO^Sc; 2 1b.
sections, 2(Xrtj22c. Extracted. lOc. per lb. Good
lots of extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
CROCKER & Blake. 57 Chatham Street.
344
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the Ameiinan Bee Journal.
Making or Forming Nuclei.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Every bee-keeper who expects to be
up with the times, and make the most
from his bees, should have on hand,
at this season of the year, several
laying queens, held in reserve to sup-
ply any colony needing a queen at a
moment's notice; especially where any
method of increase other than natural
swarming is adopted, reserve queens
should be kept on liand to be given to
the queenless part of the divided
colony.
In order to keep these reserve
queens, it is necessary that we have a
nucleus or small swarm of bees in
which to rear them, from the time the
queen-cells are ready to be taken
from the colony producing cells, till
the queen is fertilized and ready to
become the mother of a colony.
Many ways have been given for
making a nucleus of bees, most of
which prove to be a failure, and re-
sult in loss with the inexperienced.
The one most commonly given in our
books and bee journals is to go to any
colony which can spare them, and
take a frame of hatching brood and
one of honey, together with all the
bees thereon (being careful not to get
the old queen), <ind place them in a
hive where you wish the nucleus to
stand ; thus forming a minature col-
ony of bees. The hive is to be con-
tracted to the requirements of the
nucleus, and in 24 hours a nearly
mature queen cell is to be given. This
looks very pretty on paper, but when
we come to put it in practice, it is
found that in nine cases ont of ten, so
many of the bees will return that our
nucleus is practically good for noth-
ing, and often results in the chilling
of all the brood in the frame, if the
weather is cold. The other day, while
in conversation with a bee-keeper
having several years' experience, more
than the writer of this article, he re-
marked that his nuclei had " gone
back on him," and when asked how
he made them, he gave the above
Elan. I remarked that it was strange
ow young a bee would return to the
oW liive under sucli circumstances,
when he said there was scarce a hun-
dred bees left in his nucleus where he
had put a quart or more.
If the above plan fails in the hands
of a bee-keeper having 16 years or
more of experience, how can it be
expected that the novice will succeed
with ity Several years ago, after
repeatedly failing with the above
plan, I had occasion to set a frame of
bees and brood, on which was the
queen, into an empty hive, and to my
surprise nearly all the bees staid
where 1 placed them. In a few days
I returned the queen, and as the bees
had become established in their new
location, while the queen was with
them, a good nucleus was the result.
Thus I learned how I could form a
nucleus which could be depended upon
every time. Another thing I ascer-
tained, that a colony having queen-
cells considered such cells the same
as a queen, and by taking a frame of
brood which had a nearly mature
queen-cell upon it, together with one
of honey, bees and all, from such a
colony, a nucleus could be formed so
that nearly all the bees would stay
where placed. Thus to make several
nuclei, all I had to do was to count
the queen-cells in the hive about the
time they were sealed, then go to the
other hives and take frames of hatcli-
ing brood (brushing off all the bees),
till I had as many as I had queen-
cells, and place them in the hive
having the cells. Two days before
the queens were to hatch, cut out the
cells and fix one in each frame of
brood, and the next day make the
nuclei by taking the frames to their
several hives, giving each a frame of
honey. In this way I rarely, if ever,
had a nuclei " go back on me," and
have so framed the most of my nuclei
till the present season. This season I
have adopted a new plan which
pleases me so well I will give it to the
readers of the Bee Journal, so they
can share in my pleasure. Seeing a
note in some convention report, of
how a party had a queen nursery made
so he could hang a frame of queen-
cells in it, and then hang the nursery
in a full colony of bees in the place of
a frame of brood, I jotted down in my
reference book (see former article on
" How to use our bee journals "), un-
der the appropriate date, " Try form-
ing nuclei in that way," givitig page
and bee journal where it was to be
found.
When the time arrived I made a
cage of wire cloth, which would
hang in the hive, and large enough so
that one frame would hang inside
of the cage. I now got a frame of
hatching brood, brushed all the bees
off from it, hung it in a hive having
a full colony oi bees, and left it six
days, when I had the cage pretty well
filled with bees, and more hatching
all the while, I now took it to a hive
where I wished a nucleus to stand,
took the frame out of the cage, placed
a frame of honey by the side of it in the
hive, placed the cage in empty side of
the hive, so the bees which adhered to
it could get with the rest on the
combs, and I had a nucleus so formed
that none of the bees could go back,
for they had never had a flight. I
was also independent of the weather,
for a nucleus could be thus formed
during quite cool days and nights.
Another thing which pleased me
still more : The next time I tried I
inserted in the frame of brood, before
placing it in tlie cage, a queen-cell
nearly ready to hatch. As this queen-
cell hatched in a day or so, I had a queen
5 days old in my cage when I took it to
my nucleus hive. In a day or two
she took her wedding flight, and I
had a laying queen 5 days after I
formed my nucleus, thus making a
great gain of time. I have written
this in a hurry, and if all is not suf-
ficently plain, I will describe it
further. All will readily see the ad-
vantage of the plan.
Borodino, N. Y.
For the American Bee JoumaU
A Few Wrinkles From
J. O. SHEARMAN.
On page 302, it is stated that the
queen " utters shrill notes of anger."
Allow me to state how it is done ;
perhaps it is not generally known.
The queen makes the noise termed
" piping" with her wings. I have re-
peatedly seen them do it, and shown
it to other bee-keepers. The motion
is much the same as that of a cricket
when chirping (so called). I did not
suppose any bee had a voice, in fact,
how could they shout so loud with
their proboscis V Because — elephants
do V But elephants have to shout
through their trunk or keep still, as
they have no wings to vibrate.
Wrinkle 2. As so much is said
about introducing, I will say that I
always liberate a clioice queen as late
in the evening as I can see to do it,
unless the conditions are all favora-
ble. A queen can be quietly dropped
into a prepared colony with hardly
any risk, if put in so late that the bees
cannot see to fly, and so quietly as
not to stir them up. I used to do it
by a round wire cage, with a plug at
each end, and a string tied to each
plug, and then ends of string brought
out from under the quilt-cover, then
leave the wood cover off the hive and
pull the strings gently till something
(the plug) separated. It would be
done so quietly and late that " no one
knew it but me." Another point is,
the queen will not crawl out of the
hive in the dark, as sometimes hap-
pens in mid-day. The queen is to
blame for nearly one-third of the fail-
ures in introducing, provided, of
course, the colony has no queen cells.
Now honey is coming with a rush,
and it may be done almost any way,
and the quicker the better, to save
time.
Wrinkle 3. Can a queen breed two
kinds of drones at the same time V or
would it be called an indication that
there might be two queens in a hive,
to see drones like pure Italians, and
pure blacks, living together by the
hundreds V How is that Mr. Ileddon?
Please answer through the Weekly.
To explain my case— I have a very
strong colony, put up last year for ex-
tracting, with a full set of drone
combs in the second story. I had one
of those dark Italian queens, impurely
mated ; the colony did not swarm last
year. I ran all the season for extrac-
ted honey, and did well ; then, in the
fall, being very busy, I was caught by
the snow before all my bees were
packed for winter, and, as we had
much weather last fall that was too
bad for brushing bees off the combs,
this big one was among those un-
packed, and therefore was carried into
the cellar with the rest. It weighed
over 100 lbs., possibly 150 or more.
They wintered tip-top— wentto breed-
ing early, and kept it up, as they had
plenty of backing. They tilled the
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
345
brood chamber, then went for the
drone combs, and filled them all but
two (or else emptied them, whicli V)
any way, they weighed much less.
Then I interfered, as we had a little
spell of mild weather (this was about
fruit bloom time). I took away all
the drone combs, put them in a hive,
gave them one that had a little brood
in (worker brood), and a ripe queen
cell, and started in for a drone swarm
as an experiment. The queen came
out all right, but took longer to ferti-
lize than usual and did not lay much,
but this may have been owing to the
bad spells of weather we had at that
time. Then I gave them a frame of
brood, but, as they did not flourish,
last week I took away all the drone
combs, put the queen in a new hive on
the old stand, moved the drone swarm
away, and killed 1670 by count, besides
what few I would waylay by cuffing
one and kicking another when down.
About half or more were the yellowest
drones I ever saw, and the restasnear
like black drones as I know how to
make them Now, did one queen fur-
nish the brood for all those drones, or
have helpV or did they merely run out
of stripes for them V Mind, the drones
are not all dead yet, only thinned out
some, and it was not a very good day
for drones either.
How many drones will a swarm
have? Owing to circumstances y The
Text books say 200 to 300.
I once put a drone comb in an Ital-
ian colony, to raise some on purpose,
and when I had done with them, I
killed 1900.
Wrinkle 4. Noticing Mr. Ileddon's
indicator on page 301, also so ranch
talk last winter about little slates,
moves me to mention my method of
keeping track of what is going on,
which I call signals. I use two or
three little sticks to tell most of what
I want to know in regard to the con-
dition of my bees in the working sea-
son, i'or instance : 1st division, a
stick laid on the front part of a hive
has reference to the bees, while on the
back part refers to honey or surplus
itrrangements.
2nd. A stick laid lengthwise, or
with the frames means all right, or in
working order, or it has been attended
to ; while if it is laid diagonally, indi-
cates something doubtful, or in statu
quo for the present only, but will need
to be looked at again some time.
3d. Anything laid crosswise, maybe
it needs something done, while two
sticks laid crossing each other show-
that part of the hive needs looking
after urgently, etc.
The larger the object in case of an
urgent signal, the more urgent is the
call. It will be seen that much can be
said with a little movement of one
stick or two, and you could easily see
them as far as you can get a fair view
of the cover to the hive. If I have a
signal to show that something needs
to be done with any hive, I can trust
to my memory for the rest, and so
keep posted as to the needs and con-
dition of my bees (100 colonies or
more), without writing much, and it is
quicker.
The most I write down is the pedi-
gree of queens (and that by number).
and anything in regard to nuclei in
rearing queens, etc., though most of
that can be shown by a stick. I use
entrance blocks mostly.
On page 300 the sense was perverted
by putting a period at profit, where
there should be no pause (4th line
from the bottom of the page).
New Richmond, Mich.
Prairie Farmer.
Hiving Bees— Clipping Bees' Wings.
MRS. L. HAKRISON.
A lady called on me yesterday who
had caught a runaway swarm of bees
and hived them in a nail-keg. They
had been in it four days and she had
procured a Langstroth hive, and
wanted to put them in it. A friend,
" wlio knew all about bees," told her
to jar them down in front of it. Ilad
she done so, their nice white tender
comb, that tliey had built, would
have broken, and might have killed
the queen in falling. A better way
would be to alarm the bees with
smoke, invert the keg, and place
another over it, and rap on it with a
stick. The bees will crawl up into the
empty keg, and cluster in about 20
minutes. The bees are then out of
the way, and the comb could be taken
out, and fastened into frames with
little splints. While this Is being
done, the driven swarm should be
placed where the old one stood so that
the bees returning from the fields will
unite with them. A warm part of
the day should be chosen to do the
work, as many bees will then be ab-
sent in the fields and out of the way.
As soon as the comb is transferred to
the frames, it should be put into the
hive, and placed where the keg stood,
and the bees jarred out in front of it.
If the bees do not incline to enter it,
they should be driven with smoke.
If h(mey is abundant, they will soon
be at work repairing the damage,
and bringing in honey as tliough
nothing had happened. An expert
transfers without driving, but a
novice had better have them out of
the way.
Bees are full of antics this season ;
they ascertain what time their neigh-
bors are going to Jlit, and join com-
pany. They are not always in good
humor, and when one colony clusters
on a limb, they fight another joining
them. It is only a pleasant pastime
to hive one colony clustered alone, but
when several unite, it is a pande-
monium. If the queens can be
caught and caged, order may be re-
stored, but this can be seldom done,
as it is no easy task to discover a
queen among so many thousands
moving constantly. If these united
colonies are hived together, only one
queen will be retained ; the others
will be destroyed. Sometimes they
will issue again, and cluster separ-
ately, to the delight of their owner,
but oftener enter other hives, raise
the mischief generally, and many will
be destroyed.
This week one of these erratic colo-
nies issued, after being hived a couple
of days. We saw them, and fortu-
nately caught her majesty before she
took wing, and pinned her to a comb
in a tin cover with a wire gauze top,
where she is now, much to my satis-
faction. A comb of unsealed brood
was also given this colony to nurse
and rear, so that they may forget
their foolishness, stay at home, rear
children, and mind the house. As
soon as this colony missed their
queen, they returned in search of her,
entered the hive, and finding her, set
up a joyful hum.
Many apiarists practice clipping the
queen's wing, so that wtien the colony
issues they will return, as she cannot
accompany them. When they swarm
she crawls out, and can be picked up,
placed in a new hive, and it the old
one is removed, and the new one put
in its place, the bees return, enter it,
and, finding their queen, remain. It
can now be removed to the stand it is
to occupy, and the old one restored to
its former place. Some persons,
ignorant of the habits of the honey-
bee, clip unfertile queens ; this ruins
them, as they cannot fly out to meet
the drone.
The first swarm is accompanied by
the old queen— which is fertile— all
queens,
• bridal
after swarms have unfertile
and if they are lost on their
tour," the colony will dwindle away,
unless supplied with another, or the
means to raise one, as there are no
eggs in the hive. The loss of the
queen may be known at first by their
mournful hum, running out and in of
the hive, and touching the antennse
of their fellows. In a day or so they
appear listless and idle, but if a queen,
or a queen-cell, eggs or larvce are
given them, all be activity and life.
Peoria, 111.
For the American Bee Journal.
A Review and a Reply.
JAMES HEDDON.
I am much in sympathy with the
individualism expressed in Mr. W. H.
Stewart's article on the standard
frame, on page 332 of the current
volume.
As one of the advocates of the
standard frame, I want to say that I
favor the adoption of a standard, as
near as possible and practical. I be-
lieve the Langstroth frame to be the
best in use, all things considered. I
maybe in error; however that may
be, I am forced to express my honest
opinion, if I express any. Now, I
would not make a law to compel any
man to change one hive. That would
be wrong. I will, however, urge all
who are beginning, or who can change
without too much sacrifice, to do so.
Just suppose for the sake of the argu-
ment, that the Langstroth frame is as
good as any, and no better. The time
has already arrived when it will pay
to change quite a number of hives, or
if you liave 10 or 20 American hives,
to adopt the Langstroth hive for all
future increase, and close out the
Americans as time and circumstances
make it practical. I should do this if
I had .50 of them on hand ; yes, even
100. Now if I thought the American
346
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
hive the best, enough best to pay for
my paying extra iirices for irregular
supplies, 1 would use it ir I was the
only man that did, and all the world
clammored against me. I honor him
who has the grandeur to entertain
convictions of his own, and the
bravery to announce them on all
proper occasions. I am the last one
who wishes to force him to sacrifice
his manhood by renouncing liis con-
victions, either by the finger of scorn
or withdrawal of patronage. I like
Mr. Stewart's spirit, but I fear he has
over-estimated the call to join the
standard frame army.
A CORRECTION.
In reply to Mr. Schrock, on page 336,1
wish to correct an error made by you,
or I, Mr. Editor, and that is : " If I go
to a colony of any kind or size, at any
time, and remove the queen, they
cotisiruct no such queen celh as the
same colony will when they do it of
their own accord, with the queen in
the hive." The italics shows the
change. I presume, in my hurry, I
made the mistake.
The pending "honey glut," that
which I have so long expected, it
seems, is well-nigh upon us. It is
with much interest that I await and
watch the results which this state of
things will have upon the tweedle-dee
element of our pursuit.
Dowagiac, Mich., July 4, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal,
The Best Size for Brood Frames.
DR. G. L. TINKER.
All things considered, what is the
best size for brood frames V We are
told time and again that the standard
Langstroth frame is. It is argued
chiefly that it is the best, because so
many use it. As practical, valid rea-
sons do not appear to be forth com-
ing why it is the best, we are inclined
to the belief that much of the high-
sounding praise bestowed upon it is
either vague or intended for buncombe.
The truth is, that so many bee-
keepers use the Langstroth frame
because it was the size recommended
by the Rev. Langstroth, and first
introduced under his patent. Thou-
sands of his original hives were dis-
seminated over the country before
any other size of movable frame hives
were extensively known. And many
continue to use his frame not because
it is thought to have special advan-
tages over any other size, but out of
respect to one of the most noted bee-
keepers of this country, past or
present, which is a reason of some
merit. Again, it has had extensive
and systematic advertising, and it is
due, unquestionably, to the above
causes that it is more widely and ex-
tensively disseminated in this country
than any other size of frame.
It is well known that the adoption
of the Langstroth frame in Europe
has made no great headway. If it
had the singular merit of being the
best frame for any and all purposes of
bee-keepers, as is claimed so con-
fidently, we can well think that our
European friends would not be slow
to adopt it as a standard.
THE SHALLOW FRAME.
What were the inducements that
led the Rev. Langstroth to adopt a
shallow frame ? It will be remem-
bered that there was a time when it
was thought that a honey-board hav-
ing auger holes through it for the
bees to pass up into two or more large
boxes, was the right thing. Very
well, it did not take so good an ob-
server as the Rev. Langstroth very
long to ascertain that even black bees
would not travel more than half a
mile through shallow chambers and
auger holes in order to get into the
boxes and expect them to store sur-
plus to advantage. He, therefore,
made the shallow frame, and set the
boxes down as near to the brood as
possible. And he found that a frame
about 9 inches deep gave the best re-
sults. As to this one point, I do not
believe there is a bee-keeper in the
country who will dispute the correct-
ness of his finding where a honey-
board is used, and this principle will
hold true in any case where the shal-
low chamber above the brood frames
is allowed, honey-board or no honey-
board.
So ray first argument against the
Langstroth frame is to score one for
it. Is not that fair ? But an un-
prejudiced consideration of the points
that go to make the best frame de-
mands it. My objection, therefore, to
the standard Langstroth frame is in
the length, and I opine that the sole
reason that it was made so long was
to accommodate just two more 6-
pound boxes at the rear of the hive,
as the modern system of tiering up
section boxes was as yet unthought
of, and without which sufficient sur-
plus capacity on the top of the hive
could not be had. There is, however,
just one advantage m the length, but
this is slight, and more than counter-
balanced by a number of serious dis-
advantages.
BEST WINTER FRAME.
It will be remembered that in the
spring of 1881, after the hard winter,
conceiving that there might be some
very great advantage in the size of
brood frames, either in depth or
length, or both, for safe wintering,
the writer undertook a searching
investigation to that end, and col-
lected much valuable information on
the subject. This investigation de-
veloped the fact that there are two
points of advantage in the size of
frames for wintering; an advantage
in the length as well as in the depth ;
that the advantages of the American
and Gallup size of frames in depth
over the Langstroth frame were offset
by the greater length of the latter.
Consequently the result in wintering
on these frames, other things being
equal, was about the same.
As a matter of fact, the Shuck and
Quinby size of frames are the best to
winter bees upon, and both of these
are longer and deeper than the Langs-
troth. The reason that the editor of
the Bee Journal was able to give
a better showing for the Langstroth
frame in his general report than I
gave in mine on the result of winter-
ing 10,000 colonies of bees in the
northern States, whs due to the fact
stated by Mr. Geo. W. Baker, in the
June number of the American Bee-
Keeper, viz. : " The report being
taken from all over the United
States." That is accounted for as
follows : There are probably ten
Langstroth hives in the South to one
of all other kinds of movable frame
hives. As bees winter the best in the
South, it can be readily seen how re-
ports from Virginia, West Virginia,
Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas
should materially alter the footings of
the reports made here at the Nortli, if
included with them. Recognizing
early this liability to error, it was
stated expressly in my report that it
was from the northern States only,
and the result, as is well known, was
a showing against the Langstroth
frame, squarely and honestly made,
and which, in my opinion, approxi-
mated the result here at the North
very closely.
The difference between our reports
not being very great, caused me to
give little attention to it at the time
for a reason given in my report (see
page 180, Bee Journ.vl for 1881 ), viz. :
" As to the best winter hive, the
tables do not show such a great dif-
ference between the standard hives
as between the different modes of
wintering." My conchision was, that
the difference in the size of frames,
as far as wintering is concerned (es-
pecially in protected hives), is not
worth contending about.
I have been thus explicit in the re-
view of that investigation, to set at
rest, if possible, the idea of so many
bee-keepers that the shape of the
brood frame is any considerable factor
of the problem of successful winter-
ing. Hence, in footing up the points
of the best frame, I shall not take
into consideration the fact that a long
and deep frame is a little the best to
winter bees upon, since, if properly
protected and ventilated, bees will
winter about as well in one kind of
hive as another, and if I remember
aright, the editor of the Bee Jour-
nal has expressed himself to about
the same effect.
The points that can be sustained
against the standard Langstroth
frame are as follows :
1. It is a great disadvantage over a
shorter frame in building up weak
colonies in the early spring, since the
bees will cluster in the front end of
the hive, leaving the whole back end
vacant, so that the heat of the colony
cannot be pconomized by a division-
board.
2. The top-bar is 5 inches longer
than necessary to set on a rack con-
taining 28 one-pound or 21 two-pound
sections. I use racks of these sizes
on 9 Gallup frames with fair success,
and the top-bar of the frame is only
13 inches long.
3. It cannot well be made so that
the top-bar will not sag in the centre.
Nor can it be wired by any process
that I have seen, so as to hold the top-
bars true and in line with each other.
The result is, that in producing comb
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
347
honey the top-bars are always more
or less waxed up, and are troublesome
to clean off so as to get the frames out
of the hive. With me this has been
the most serious objection.
4. The small sections cannot be
used to advantage on a long sagging
frame. There are those who will
likely be pleased to learn this, but let
me say right here, that there is a
future for the half-pound section that
will astonish some of tlie slow-going
wise-acres.
5. It is, for many persons, too heavy
to handle with ease and rapidity.
6. The bees do not, as a rule, build
so straight and perfect combs iu a
large frame as a small one.
Tlie above will, it is hoped, be
enough to satisfy tliose wlio have been
going into ecstasies over the Langs-
troth frame, that it is not a perfect
frame, nor yet the veri/ best. I have
the Gallup frame in u.se in the most of
my hives, but am free to admit that it
is about 2 inches too short for an ex-
clusive top-storing hive. It, however,
gives satisfaction, is easily handled,
and the combs are generally built
true, while the top-bar is seldom
found sagged when made of only5-lb
inch stuff one inch wide.
I find that the top-bar of the frame
may be 15 inches long, and not sag to
give trouble, while it will afford
ample room on the top for any kind of
section. My judgment, therefore, is
that a frame 9x13 inches inside meas-
ure, or thereabouts, is about right for
all practical purposes, and if ten of
them are used iu a hive, it combines
more favorable points than any other
size of frame.
New Philadelphia, O.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Adopting a Standard Frame.
A. J. SCHKOCK.
As this subject is again being dis-
cussed, let us consider what size
would give the best satisfaction. 1 .
In regard to changing those already
in use. 2. In making new ones. As
most of the frames now in use are the
Langstroth frame, we should adopt a
frame similar to ttiat. Some have
preferred a frame 10x15 inches, inside
measure. I object to this size, be-
cause those frames that are shallower
than 10 inches, could not be used to
advantage. 3. The same dies could
not be used in making foundation,
etc. The only objection I have to the
Langstroth frame is that it is too long,
and! am inclined to think a frame
several inches shorter would give
better satisfaction. For this reason I
think we should adopt a frame 9i^xl5
inches, inside measure. As this size
is just 2 inches sliorter than the
Langstroth frame, that frame and
hive could be used simply by cutting
off 2 inches from one end. The one-
pound sections could be used, if need
be, or three one-pound sections and 2
half-pound sections could be used end
to end. Six sections 4Mx5 inches will
till a broad frame, while 8 414x4^4
inches are required to fill the Langs-
troth frame. A section 4i^x5 inches
is a more convenient size than any
smaller size. They will hold a little
over a pound, and when well-filled,
IM pounds. If a customer asks for
about 1 pound of honey, he will get
a little more; thus increasing the
amount sold, or they can be made to
hold just 1 pound by making the sec-
tions narrower. It has also several
advantages over the Langstroth
frame ; being 2 inches shorter, it is
not as liable to sag; not as many
wires are required when wiring the
frames. It needs no centre brace to
prevent sagging. As 10 Langstroth
frames are too many for one hive, 10
frames O'gxlo would' be just enough.
But as each one has a mind of his
own, I fear our talk will not amount
to much, but if once adopted, it would
certainly be a great convenience.
Goshen, Ind., June 25, 1883.
Putnam County, Ind., Convention.
Mr. F. L. Dougherty gives the fol-
lowing report of this meeting in the
Indiana Farmer :
We had the pleasure of meeting
with the Putnam County Bee-Keep-
ers' Association at their regular
monthly meeting, on the third Satur-
day in June.
The meeting was called to order by
President A. O. White, of Greencas-
tle. After some preliminary work
pertaining to the regular rules of the
Society, the secretary, Mr. W. B.
Mann, of Fillmore, read a lengthy
article, which was calculated to bring
on a general discussion of the many
interesting points connected with the
bee-keeping interest. He dwelt at
some length on the mortality of bees,
claiming as a whole, bees were no
more liable to disease or death than
anything else which the farmer might
attempt to grow in connection with
the mixed farming so extensively
practiced at the present day. While
as he said the past two or three sea-
sons had been below the average in
honey production in the central
part of Indiana, the yield for the
present season, to those who had not
forsaken the business, would be suf-
ficiently large to cover the entire loss
of the tliree past seasons. The supe-
riority of Italian bees over the black
was also claimed, and the reasons
why. Breeding from the best colonies,
clipping the wings of the queen, its
advantages and disadvantages, etc.
Pending the discussion of the several
questions the Society adjourned for
the noon hour. At the call after
dinner, the meeting was opened vigor-
ously in the form of a question box,
covering almost the entire ground,
the morning questions included, all
being disposed of in the regular order,
calling out the different experiences
of the members of the Society. The
almost extinct black native bees still
had friends in the Society. One thing
we noticed, and to which we should
like to call the special attention of
the members of the Society ; the lack
of uniformity in hives. This is one
of the most important subjects to
which the Society can give its atten-
tion. Not the Langstroth hive, be-
cause we think it the best now made,
but to a perfect hive of some form,
and then all exactly alike. There
were members present who did not
know what form of hive they were
using. Did not know the exact size
of the frame. Could not tell what
size of section would best fit the hive,
etc. All of whicli should be under-
stood at the start, to be able to take
advantage of the instinct of tlie bees,
to realize the best results.
For fbe American Bee Journals
Controlling Drone Production-
JAMES F. WOOD.
Doubtless many readers of the Beb
Journal believe that if their hives
were all worker combs, they could
have drones reared just where they
desired, by giving the colonies drone
comb. This, however, is a mistake,
at least I never saw a strong colony
but would rear drones ; either they
would tear down worker comb, and
in its place substitute drone comb, or
rear drones in worker cells, or around
the edge of the comb. I first dis-
covered this fact last season. Fifteen
colonies of hybrids were brought into
a yard of Italians, in which queen-
rearing was carried on extensively; as
these colonies had their combs all
built on wired foundation, of course I
thouglit no drones would be reared.
True, none were reared until the
hives became crowded with bees,
when drones were then tucked in
throughout the hive, and it became
necessary to cut off their heads every
few days. As we did this, we noticed
more capped drones each successive
time, until they so increased that five
or six hundred were in each hive.
This is exactly our experience this
season with upwards of 50 colonies,
built on wired foundation, with the
exception that we let the drones
hatch. If any think I am in error, I
invite them to examine some of their
strongest colonies, or a colony that
has just cast a swarm, and they will
not long be in doubt. Of course I
mean one that had no drone comb in
the spring.
Hoosick, N. Y., June 27, 1883.
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time and Place oj Meeting.
Auk. 20.— Iowa Central. atWinterset Fair Grounds,
Z. G. Cooley. Sec. Pro tern.
Sept. 12-14.— TrI-State, at Toledo, Ohio.
Dr. A. B. Mason, Sec, Wagon Worlts, O.
Oct. 9, 10.— Northern Mich, at Sheridan, Mich.
O. R. Goodno, Sec. Carson City. Mich.
Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at Chlcaso. III.
Thomas G. Newman, Sec.
Oct.-Northern Ohio, at Norfalk, O.
S. F. Newman, Sec.
Dec. 5-6, MichiKan State, at Flint.
U. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
Pf In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetings.— KD,
(^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
348
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
at :xm\ |ioivr.
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Midi
Building Comb in Wired Frames.
In the Kansas Bee-Kecper for June,
some one says I am mistaken in re-
gard to tlie impracticability of wiring
frames for bees to build new combs
in, without the use of foundation. He
says the force of circumstances caused
him to try it, and it worked perfectly,
the bees building the combs centrally
in the frames with the wires in the
septum. This settles the matter with
him, of course. I do not remember of
having read any one else's experience
in the matter. My own experience,
that which prompted my answer, is
this : On several occasions the foun-
dation has fallen down through neg-
lect of properly securing it, when we
-were putting it on by hand. Not dis-
covering the accident, the bees went
on to build their combs, and, notwith-
standing the combs were built between
other sheets of foundation which re-
mained in tact, in no instance did they
build the comb with the septum on
the wires, but the wire usually run
right through the cells, and had to be
withdrawn. Tliis is all I know about
the matter. Further experiments will
be required to settle the matter in my
mind, and probably in the minds of
bee-keepers generally.
What Ailed the Bees ?
I send you by this mail pieces of
comb taken from two colonies which
have two or three cards affected each.
I wish you to answer through the Bee
Journal what aiis them, and what is
the best plan to pursue with them.
The cells of these cards are tilled with
honey as fast as empty, instead of
•eggs; and upon opening them, some
cells will be empty or the contents
dried down. F. A. Burrill.
Cuba, N. Y., June 29, 1883.
The comb is received. My experi-
ence with foul brood is limited to
cautiously looking at, and smelling of
one comb brougnt to our Michigan
State Convention, at Battle Creek. I
have always been so much afraid of
it, however, that I have taken pains
to " read up " that I might detect it
at once, if it ever occurred in my
apiary. I have burned your comb
and box. To the best of my judgment,
I feel sure that there is no foul brood
of any type about your comb. I think
the cause of the phenomenon you men-
tion, is a temporary one, caused by
some change in the conditions of your
hive. It looks more like " chilling."
I could not decide satisfactorily to
myself, unless I could have more light
regarding all the conditions, and per-
haps not then. If it continues, with
no seeming cause — to change the
queen would be my advice.
Fastening Wired Foundation.
Having been unsuccessful in fasten-
ing the wired foundation in frames,
please give, in the Bee Journal, the
best method of fastening it.
Racine, Wis. F. A. Gibson.
Answer.— Nearly all feel the neces-
sity of some device to hold tlie foun-
dation true in the centre of the frame,
to a certinity, and I think I am safe
in saying that all of the devices
known to the public at present, none
equals the use of tinned wire, woven
through the frames. Proceed as fol-
lows : When your frame material is
out, and before nailed up, punch
holes (centrally) through the top and
bottom bars about 2 inches apart, and
have the outside holes not further
from the end bar than }{ or ^i of an
inch. For hand pressing, as I am
now describing, use No. 30 tinned
wire. Now sew the frame, beginning
in the middle and sewing each way
with each end. To fasten the ends I
use a small tack, or the nails that
nail the bottom bar may be left a
little out. Be careful not to bow the
bottom bar by drawing the wire too
tight. Diagonal wires may be put on,
but I do not use them, as I find no
need for them. To use them, fasten
one end to the nail head, and then
go down through the first hole, and
through the one nearest the centre of
the other bar, then up through the
other centre hole, and fasten this end
the same as the first. Now the frame
is wired. Next make a lap-board
larger each way than your frame is
the longest way. Now cut from J^
inch lumber a board that is }4 inch
smaller each way than the inside
measure of your frame. Nail this
board securely to the Ji lap-board,
and let the grains run cross-ways of
each other. This will prevent warp-
ing. With a sponge or rag wet the
thin board or form. Have already
cut, some sheets of foundation Vg less
in size than your frame measures in-
side. Turn up about 3-16 of one edge,
and (have the wax sheet warm) with a
stiff, broad putty knife, or chisel, mash
the turned-up portion to the top-bar
(which should not be rough), so that
.the sheet will hang centrally in the
frame. We have a rest fixed for the
frame, on our work bench, to hold it
while we do the ma.=hing. Next lay
the frame and foundation (foundation
down) on the lap-board and over the
form, and while the sheet is plastic.
Stroke the wires with the edge
point of your jack knife with a draw-
ing motion, and while this little cut
will do the foundation no harm, if
struck every Jj inch or so, the wire
will be thus embeded into the centre
of the foundation in a practical man-
ner, and very quickly too, and so that
it will stay, holding the sheet in per-
fect position while the bees make it
into comb, which they do Given
foundation in about 24 to 48 hours.
There is no objection to these wires
at all. Honey, pollen and brood do as
well in the wired cells as any.
Is It not Contradi<;tory 1
Will Mr. Heddon please tell us what
he means by saying, on page 314, of
the Bee Journal, that " less colo-
nies are required to gather the honey
of a given area, when they are work-
ing for extracted honey than when
working for comb honey?" In the next
paragraph he says : " He can get but
little more extracted then comb
honey." Here is a seeming inconsis-
tency. Why should it require a much
less number of colonies to a given area
for extracted than for comb, if a
colony can gather only a " little more "
extracted then comb honey?
Jos. G. Steer.
Barnesville, O., June 2-5, 1883.
Answer. — What I meant by saying
that less bees were required to gather
a field when running for extracted
honey rather than for comb honey, I
will explain as follows : When run-
ning for comb honey, a considerable
number of bees are kept at home in
building comb, capping over, and
ripening the honey to an extent be-
yond that which bee-keepers gen-
erally allow the honey to be ripened
and capped when running for ex-
tracted honey. Another thing, you
will notice most bee-keepers get
nearly twice as many pounds of ex-
tracted as of comb honey, though
this state of things ought not to be,
still it IS, as a rule, and I made my
answer somewhat fitting to things as
they are. Of course we weigh it up,
sections, foundation and all, with our
pounds of comb honey. Now, the
difference iu the number of bees re-
quired to exhaust a field, by one run-
ning for extracted honey, would
depend entirely upon the skill of the
producer. At all events you will see
there must be a difference any way.
When bee-keepers learn to estimate
.THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
349
this business in the light of how many
fields they had better occupy, and
how much capital and labor it will
require to exhaust the Held, instead of
how much surplus honey a colony of
bees can gather, we shall be getting
down to business and to the solid
facts of apiculture.
man bee, entirely free from this
little black blood, and straight
leather-colored Italians.
Syrian Bees Crossed with Italians.
Please explain more fully what has
already been explained (perliaps plain
enough for some), but 1 do not fully
understand it. On page 314, of the
Weekly Bee Journal, of the piesent
year, there is a question asked, "What
objection would there be to crossing
the Holy Land bees with the pure
Italians, etc.?" The answer is, " They
have not the valuable qualities pos-
sessed by the Italians," but the brown
Germans have. I tliink I have read
that wliat is commonly called the
black bee, is a German bee (of course
they are a brown bee). Am I right
in that y Is that the bee you mean i*
Do you consider the leather-colored
Italians better than the bright ones,
and the crossing you speak of better
still, best of all '{ Edward Mooke.
Barrie, Out., June 27, 1883.
Answer.— My answer regarding
crossing Syrian with Italian bees, is
not worded just as I meant to have
it. I think it should read : " They
have not the valuable qualities not
possessed by the Italians, and which
the honey-producer so much needs,
but which the brown Germans have."
The idea I meant to carry was this :
that the excellent qualification pos-
sessed in such an exalted degree by
the brown German bees, namely,
rapid and perfect comb building, and
white capping of the honey, is not, if
I am properly informed, possessed by
the Syrians. I have demonstrated
that hybrids produced by crossing
Germans and Italians may be as
amiable as any bees in the world,
but I doubt if such can be realized
by crossing the Italian and Syrians.
Kegarding tlie two varieties of German
bees, let it be understood, the brown
bee is by far the most common, and is
the bee possessed to a greater or less
extent by those who keep " black
bees." The little black bee is smaller
and a more shiney black, and is a
poor honey gatherer, exceedingly
irascible, and when crossed with the
Italian, especially the bright yellow
Italian, gives us the naughty hybrid.
Many black-bee apiaries (most, in
fact) are made up of bees which seem
to be a mixture of the brown and
black Germans. Those who propose
to breed crosses between the Ital-
ians and Germans, should see to it
that they start with the brown Ger-
siki^€^^^
%URi^E
0m>Q
Discouraging Weatlier In New York.
Wlien I last wrote we had been
having three days of fair weather, so
the bees were getting a little more
honey than they consumed. We had
one more tine day, then it commenced
to rain again, and it has now rained
three days. Farmers are nearly dis-
couraged. The ground had got dry
enough the four fair days, so they
had just begun to cultivate their
crops, and now it is soaked and water
stands on the driest ground. Clover
is likely to pass by without giving any
surplus honey. G. M. Doolittle.
Borodino, N. Y., June 28, 1883.
An Insect— Leaf Cntter.
I enclose an insect, which I found
working in great numbers with my
bees, upon the Mammoth Russian
Suullower. Upon examination under
a common microscope, I found all of
the main points visible on a bee, but
on a coarser scale ; the head, wings
and legs seemed to be out of all pro-
portion to the rest of the body. They
possess stings which they know how
to use. I watched several of them for
some lime, but only saw them gather-
ing pollen, which they did in a similar
manner to the bee. Please inform me
through the Bee Journal. 1. Their
name. 2. IIow and where they build
their nests. 3. Whether they store
away honey or not. Bees are doing
very poorly. M. T. IIewes.
False River, La., June 17, 1883.
[The pretty little bee is a leaf cutter,
Megachile hrevis. Unlike the hive bee
and several other species, this one
does not live in colonies, but each
female makes and provides for her
own nest. The latter is made of bits
of leaves cut in circular shape, and
wonderously regular and workman-
like. The nest is placed in some
sheltered position, under balconies of
houses, rails of fences, limbs of trees,
etc. Xo honey is stored, the larvae
being fed on pollen. Set some of the
young folks to watching the curious
operations and interesting habits of
this busy worker. Look for circular
cuts from leaves, especially of rose
bushes.— T. J, Burrill, Champaign,
lU.l
Honey Gathering in Connecticut.
My 90 colonies and 40 nuclei keep
me busy. The first swarms here were
on May 18, about 10 days earlier than
usual. White and red clover bloom is
abundant ; I never before saw so
much. Bees are working strongly on
both. There is a heavy basswood
and sumac budding. Honey is com-
ing in rapidly. The losses of the past
winter are more than repaired, and
swarms are issuing daily. Many of
the early swarms are casting swarms
and working in boxes too.
TJ T r TT TJ" F I-i W V
Washington Depot,Ct., June 30,1883.
Rolling in the Honey.
Times have changed greatly since
the 19th. We have had no rain for 12
days. My bees are just rolling in the
honey, and in spite of all the sections
one can pile on, they will swarm.
S. L. Vail.
Coal Creek, Iowa, June 30, 1883.
Honey Crop a Failure in Texas.
Our honey crop, so far, is a failure.
I have had bees in such condition as
to surplus but once in 4 years. It will
not make half a crop this season.
Horsemint is in bloom, and there is
plenty of it, but tlie weather has been
so unfavorable that the flowers secreted
no nectar. Every hive is full of bees,
but we have no swarms (not over 5 per
cent.) and no honey.
Wm. R. Howard.
Kingston, Tex., June 29, 1883.
A Bee Killer— and a Flower.
I enclose an insect upon which I
should be glad to have you give me
some information. I find a great
many of them, late in the evening, in
my apiary, and have just discovered
that they catch bees. This insect, as
you see, has one in its mouth, partly
eaten, and it held another in its claws,
when I killed it. I also send you a
bunch of flowers, with a twig from a
bush that grows in my yard. The
bees swarm on it all day. My bees
have not swarmed much, but they
have gathered a great deal of honey,
filling up the combs every two or
three days since April 15. It is all
that I can do to take the honey from
them. All the bee-keepers in this
vicinity report a bountiful harvest.
W. G. McLendon.
Lake Village, Ark., June 20, 1883.
[The bee-killer is what is very com-
monly called a dragon fly, sometimes
darning needle, mosquito hawk or
snake feeder. The scientific name is
Eschna heros. This is by no means
the first time the large insect has been
known to catch bees, though they
more often capture other, and es-
pecially smaller prey. They are ap-
propriately called mosquito hawks.
In the larval or young condition the
wingless, strange looking things are
called water tigers. They live in the
water and catch living prey in their
powerful sharp-pointed jaws, which
they can thrust out, by a peculiar
appendage, with the rapidity and
effectiveness of a steel trap. They
live about a year in the water, then
transform into the winged insect
35U
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
and continue their predaceous habits
in the air. Probably they do no very
serious damage to the bee colonies,
yet in special cases the loss might be
considerable. I do not know any
elTective preventive.
The shrub is known to botanists as
Myginda latifolia, a native of our
Southern States. I am not acquainted
with any common name, neither do I
know anything of its nectar-produc-
ing value — probably not great. — T. J.
BtTRKiLL, Champaign, 111.]
White Clover Thicker than Ever.
I had 7 colonies of bees in the
spring 1 mc^t of them in common
hives ; but reading the Bee Journal
induced me to transfer 5 of them to
frame hives. I liave been successful,
and have now 15 colonies. The white
clover is thicker than ever known
here. Henry Erbrodt.
La Harpe, 111., June 29, 1883.
Sot Snow, but Clover.
The whole earth hereabouts is white
with bloom, and our bees are fairly
bursting with their loads of honey, as
they return from the helds ; and such
honey, so thick, it almost stands
alone, and the combs are as " white
as the driven snow." I saw Prof.
Hibbard at his South Bend apiary,
the other day, with honey fairly drip-
ping from ills garments, and a glow
of gladness all over his face. Tell
Mr. fleddon to roll up his sleeves,
and Mr. Doolittle to take off his over-
coat. Tell all the boys to get out their
honey pots, for this is the great honey
year of the century. Let the horse-
mint State, and the Pacific Slope take
back seats, and the Buckeye State
will come to the front, for it is " our
turn to be sweet."' This sounds, I
know, a good deal like buncombe, but
it is nevertheless solid gold, for we are
just reveling in it.
J. W. Bayard.
Athens, O., June 28 18&S.
Magnificent Clover Bloom.
It has been a very showery season,
80 far. We have a magnificent bloom
of clover, but bees scarcely gathering
a living, to date. At present it is
clear, with northwest winds, which
looks favorable for honey fiow.
II S See
Geneva, Pa., June 30. 1883.
My Visit to Arkansas.
I returned from Arkansas one week
ago, and found my bees working
nicely on white clover and the last of
red raspberries. My wife had man-
aged them very nicely ; to avoid
swarming she had tiered them up, and
to-day the upper stories are full, and
for the first time in my life, I have
raised the second story and placed
another under it. I have plenty of
dry combs for the purpose. The honey
in the upper stories is too thin to ex-
tract. While in Arkansas I met Dr.
W. W. Hijjolite, of De V^all's Bluff
(the first wide-awake bee man I met
in the State). He is very genial, but
for tihe last year or two has had too
much to do to give his personal at-
tention to the Lees; he has a son,
Walter H., who is looking after the
bees. I am quite taken up with tlie
country round about De Vails Bluff,
so much, so, that I think of going
there to live, if all goes well. Wnen
I left them, on June 17, their bees had
all done swarming, and they liad com-
menced taking oU capped honey.
They have no fears of winter ; their
greatest difficulty is to keep swarming
down to what tliey can handle. I have
had my first swarm to-day ; others
will issue to-morrow, if the weather
will permit. Mr. Ross has had 2.5 or
30 new colonies. Tiering up has pre-
vented ours. O. R. GooDNO.
Carson City, Mich., July 1, 1883.
Honey Very Thick.
The honey season is very satisfac-
tory here. The quality of the honey
is the finest that one could imagine-
so thick that it " piles " when running
from the extractors. The comb honey
in sections is exquisite in every re-
spect. G. W. Demareb.
Christiansburg, Ky., June 29, 1883.
Recovered from Spring Dwindling.
My bees have been affected with
spring dwindling, and have recovered
very slowly ; they are just beginning
to swarm, while some are storing
little honey. White clover is very
abundant now. The spring has been
too cold. T. X. Marquis.
Woodland, 111., June 30, 1883.
Honey from Dog Fennel.
Mr. Xewman, is the honey from
dog fennel poisonous V I am aware
that the seed will kill ducks; and it
is reported to kill chickens. The
honey from it is very bitter, disgust-
ingly so, and if you like fun at otliers'
expense, just coax them to taste some
of the honey. One dose is sufficient.
Two years ago, by using two extrac-
tors, I got two 5-gallon cans of the
bitter honey, thinking to feed it to
bees, if necessary, but had no occasion
to, as they did not need it. The fol-
lowing season, in ftuit time, in looking
over honey for putting up fruit with,
and tasting the honey, there was not
the slightest taste of bitterness, and
honey oeing scarce, one of my custo-
mers insisted on taking a can of it,
though at a reduced price. He after-
wards spoke of it as being all used up,
and found nothing unpleasant about
it. We used the balance in preserv-
ing our fruit. It was dark, but that
really was no objection for home use.
The fruit turned out well ; some kept
over a year, and was as good as any.
No one could tell that it came from
dog fennel. Of course there must
have been other honey with it. Since
then I have cut the dog fennel. The
buckeye is in bloom, and has been
now for some time. Why I wish to
know about the flower being poison-
ous, is this : I find, during tlie last
few days, young bees coming out of
the hives to die ; they do not appear
to be cleaned off, and are just
hatched. On opening the hives I find
unsealed honey, so they do not seem
to be short of stores (there is plenty
sealed). The queen seems all right,
and laying. The Tione, or bear bush,
is just coming in bloom, and it may
be that the honey from this does not
agree with the young bees. The bees
work very lively on it. The honey
from it has a tart taste. I only
noticed a few of the hives in that
condition ; the rest ot them are in a
normal condition. I iiave no disease
among my bees. All the colonies are
strong. I have increased from 23 in
the spring to 70. All have honey
enough to go through the season with.
Comb honey will amount to but little
with me. AH I get is extracted from
the brood apartment, to give the
queen room, and keep down swarm-
ing. I depended on natural swarming
this season, but see no advantage
over dividing at the proper time ; no
swarms got away. Some young
queens swarmed out, with full colo-
nies. The honey crop is short, owing
to continued cold rains and long
spells of northerly winds, which driea
up the late bloom or stopped the secre-
tion of honey. J. D. Enas.
Napa, Cal., June 2.5, 1883.
[We have never seen any honey
from dog fennel, that we are aware
of, and, therefore, do not know
whether it is poisonous or not. If
any have had honey from it, they wiU
please report.— Ed.]
A King Bird's Meal.
I send you a box by mail contain-
ing the contents taken from a king
bird's crop, which I shot to-day.
Please give it a microscopic examina-
tion, and see if you find worker bees
or drones. I shot two, to-day, and by
examining their crops, I have about
concluded that they catch nothing but
drones. Bees in this locality are in
fine condition, and are storing surplus
honey quite rapidly.
W. W. Sherwik.
Warsaw, N. Y., July 4, 1883.
[We have examined the poor bird's
meal, and find nothing but drones in
it.— Ed.]
Presistent Swarming.
Bees are on a big boom here. I
have taken something over 5,000
pounds of honey, up to date, from 97
colonies to start with. For 12 days,
when swarming was the rage, I had
not a single brood frame or comb not
in use, and Mr. Muth could not sup-
ply me. I was having from 6 to 12
swarms a day, and my bees in two
apiaries, 1 'I miles apart; had all the
old queens' wings clipped. I had a
black woman at the largest apiary
who would catch and cage the queens
when ttie swarms came out, and lay
the cage in the portico, or in front of
the hive, as many of my hives are
somewhat like Mr. Heddon's, without
porticos. I added sections, supers,
cut out queen cells, distributed the
bees around (a quart to one hive, a
wash pan full to another) until I got
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
351
everything full. I kept some queens
caged, just lying in the portico for a
week. I am a queens' wing " clipper,"
henceforth. 1 formerly said I did not
let my bees swarm. 1 now take it all
back. Several nucleus colonies
swarmed. I had to stuff them full of
bees by dividing up my colonies, and
they started other cells, and when
the queen hatched in the cell I gave
them, out they came, and in some
cases, leave with a swarm, when the
old mother had to stay at home. The
bees are swarming now, and I must
see about it. E. Drane.
Emenence, Ky., June 27, 1883.
Bees are Doing Well Here.
There are four times as much white
clover, this year, as there has ever
been in this part of the country.
Hugh McCormick.
Pellsville, 111., July 5, 1883.
Best Season for Many Years.
Bees are doing well here, this sea-
son. It is the best season that we
have had for many years. There are
not a great many bees in this county.
Comb honey sells readily at 20 cents
per pound. I am running my bees
tor comb honey, this season.
Joseph E. Shaver— 15.
North Eiver, Va., June 29, 1883.
Too Rainy.
It has been too rainy for bees ; for
the last two days they are doing well,
but I am afraid of more rain shortly.
I have but 8,000 pounds of extracted
honey up to date. I have about 600
colonies, 500 in good condition.
L. LiNDSLY.
Waterloo, La., July 2, 1883.
The National Convention.
The National Bee - Keepers' As-
sociation, will hold its Annual Con-
vention in the City Hall and Council
Chamber in the city of Toronto, on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
the 18th, 19th and 20th days of Sep-
tember, during the second week of
Canada's Great Fair. All the rail-
roads in Canada will issue tickets
during this week, good to return, up
to Saturday night 22d, at single fare
for the round trip. Special excursion
rates will be arranged from various
parts of the United States, of which
due notice will be given. Those who
intend being present may be kept
posted on the latest excursion rates,
etc., by addresssng me, and also that
I may arrange hotel accommodation.
Private lodgings will, if possible, be
secured for those who desire it, and
every effort will be made to make
everybody comfortable. A grand
meeting is anticipated.
D. A. Jones, President.
1^ The bee-keepers of Haut Coun-
ty, Texas, will meet at Dr. Wm. R.
Howard's apiary, on the 19th of July,
for the purpose of permanently or-
ganizing a County Association.
Wm. R. Howard.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this otlice get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. — We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 50 cents ;
per hundred, $3.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
How to Advertise Judiciously.
This is what Robert Bonner, the
New York publisher, and one of the
most extensive advertisers in the
country, has to say on the very in-
teresting subject of advertising. Its
application is general enough to cover
the entire field :
" One of the points of good advertis-
ing, is to address the same people over
and over again. For instance : Sup-
pose you were introduced, with about
500 others, to the President, the
chances are that the President would
not remember you. But if you had
an opportunity of seeing him again,
and said, ' Mr. President, I am Charles
Wolsey, ef Brooklyn ; Senator So-and-
so did" me the honor of introducing
me to you,' and you did this two or
three times, you would be sure to be
remembered. In the same way an
advertisement presented once is for-
gotten, while one presented over and
over again makes an impression."
Tlie Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 150
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
i^" Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them — one-cent stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
352
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smohers need wide sblelds. Bingtaam'B
taave them, and springs tbat do not rust and break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improTements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and ."ix? Inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for S>1. 7 5. Address,
BINGHAM & HETHEEINGTON,
Abronla Mich.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& Hetherington, Dear Sirs: — 1 am
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother " with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have — but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker " did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1882.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paiti, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor". . (wide shield)— 3>i in. Are tube, J2.00
The Conqueror(wide shield)— 3 In.flretube, l.?."!
Larpe (wide shield)- 2!^in. Are tube, L.'iO
Extra (wideshleld)— 2 in.Iiretut'e, 1/25
Plain (nar. ahleldi— 12 in.flretube, l.oo
l,lttle Wonder. .(nar. shield)— iS^in.flretuue, .6?>
Bingham & Uetherington Uncapping Knife. . 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich,, June 1, 1883.
Sample ("opies of theAMERiCAN Bee
JoxjKNAL will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one Intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
^" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
^' When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
Queens! Queens! Queens!
We are now prepared to send you by return mail
the handsomest and best Queens, bred from our
best honey-patherlnK strains of ITALIANS and
ALBINOS. Purity and safe arrival guaranteed.
Tested queens each t S-fX)
Warranted queens, each 1.00
'• " per ^ doz... 5.50
per 1 doz... lO.oO
Untested " each 90
perj^doz.... 5.00
perl doz.... 9.00
If you want (Queens for BUSINESS, send ub an
order. We are breedinji from an entirely new strain
this season, which bids fair to outstrip anything we
have ever had before for honey. Address,
WM. W. CAKY & SON, Coleraine. Mass,
The Oldest Queen Breeders In America..
YANDERYORT FOUJiDATION
no square feet or lolbs. for fT.iKt. In strips 5x1 5
to 30 inches lonp. Less Ih .n Hi lbs., 74 cts. per lb.
Cutanysize. H. W «AKRETT,
COEVMAN'S HOLLOW, Albany Co., N. V.
DUNHAM COMB FOUNDATION.
Twenty-flve lbs. or less, Ttf^r. per lb.; over 2riIb8.5L;c
per lb. Extra thin and bright ( lu sq. ft. to the lb.)
58c. Wax worked Inr mc. per pound.
24A5t F. W. liol^M£Sl, Cuopersville, Mich.
HONEY.:
i wish it distinctly under.stood
that 1 will not accept shipments
of ilONEV unless bought by me
by previous correspondence.
A. H. NEWMAN. 923 W. Madison. St.. Chicago.
TO ADVERTISE
OVER THE WHOLE COUNTRY
IVIXH A SMALL. LISX.
Advertisers desiring to reach every section of the
country, without investing a very large amount of
money, will find the following a good hstuf papers:
Price per line.
BOSTON, MASS. .Journal Weekly* 15
Congregation list Weekly 25
American Cultivator.Weekly 'AQ
Youth'sCompanion. .Weekly 20U
NEW YORK CITY Sun Weekly 50
Times Weekly 50
Tribune Weekly 100
Christian Advocate. .Weekly 50
Harper's Weekly Weekly 150
Ob^erver Weekly 30
Witness AVeekiy 75
Philadelphia. Pa.. Times Weekly 25
Press Weekly 25
BALTlMURE.Md. American Weekly 20
H'UISVILLE.Ky-Courier-Journal Weekly tiO
CINCINN ATI. O.. Times Weekly 50
Enquirer Weekly 75
('ommercial-Gazette. Weekly to
TOLEDO. OHIO.. Blade Weekly 50
CHICAGO. ILL... Inter Ocean Weekly 75
News Weekly 40
Tribune Weekly 25
ST. LOUIS, MO... Republican Weekly UO
Glube- Democrat Weekly 5U
San Francisco, Cal. Chronicle Weekly 87
TORONTO. ONT.. Globe Weekly 25
Price per line in all the papers SI 4 47
Ten lines, one time, costs SI 44 70.
A DEFINITE OFFER.
For S140 net cash we will insert lO lines, agate
space, one time, in all the above M papers, and give
one insertion, vrithnut furttier chargp. of the same
advertisement in H.'iO country weeklies, with a
pua-anteed circuiatinn of morethan 175.iKKicopies.
For JS>^& wf will insert S lines once, or 3 lines for
a>50. Catalogue of thp weeklies sent on applica-
tion.
If the advertisement is already appearing in any
of the above papers, we will substitute others of
similar circulation and value. Address.
GEO. p. KOWELL & CO.,
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISINU BUREAU,
10 SPRUCE STREET, NEW YORK.
25A4t
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND B£E-E££P£R S ABVISEB.
The BitiTisH BtcE JuuuNAi, is published month-
ly, and contains the best pnicticul information for
the time being, showing wliHt to do, and when and
how to do it. Rev. H. K PEKl... I-Ulltor.
We send the Weekly a-meuican Bke Juuknal
and UiB British Bee Journal.holh for|3.uO a year.
BEES and HONEY,
OR THK
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor of the Weekly Bee Journal.
OSS Welt MadUon Street. Chicago, 111.
It contains 160 profusely illustrated pages, la
"fully up with the times" in all the improvements
and inventions in this rapidly developing pursuit.
and presents the apiarist with everything thai can
aid In the successful management of the Honey
Bee, and at the same time produce the most honey
in its best and most attractive condition.
A^ppreclatlve Notices.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. Y.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen. Pulaski, Tenn.
Contains all the information needed to make
bee-culture successful.— Eagle, Union City. Ind.
Just such a work as should be in the bands of
every beginner with bees.— News, Keithsburg. 111.
Valuable for all who are Interested in the care
and management of bees.— I>em.. Allegan, Mich.
Engravings are fine. Gotten up in the best style,
and is cheap at the price.— Farmer Cleveland, o.
Carefully prepared for beginners.— Farmers'
Cabinet, Amherst, N. H.
Avery valuable work to those engaged in bee-
raising.— News, Prairie City. Iowa.
We advise all who keep bees to send for this ex-
cellent work.— Journal. Louisiana, Mo.
Carefully prepared, and of vast Importance to
bee-raisers.- Indianian. Clinton. Ind.
New and valuable, and embellished with 101^
beautiful engravings.— Democrat, Salem, lad.
Much practical useful information. In a cheap
form.— Daily Standard. New Bedford. Mass.
The most perfect work for the price everyet pro-
duced onthesubjectof bee-culture.— Anti-Monop-
olist. Lebanon, Mo.
A manual, containing all the newest discoveries-
in the management of these little workers.- Plain
Dealer, St. Lawrence. N. Y.
Full of practical Instruction, that no one who
contemplates keeping bees can do without. -far-
mers'Journal, Louisville. Ky.
It comprises all that is necessary for successful
bee-culture, save experience and good judgment.
—Daily Republican, Utica, N. V.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping a
Buccess-—Col. Valley and Farm.
Written in an Interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,.
even though they be not directly interested In the
care of bees.— Sentinel. Rome. N. Y.
It embraces every subject that can Interest the
beginner in bee-culture. The engravings perfectly
illustrate the text.— Farm and Fireside, Spring-
field. O.
Embraces every subject of interest in the apiary,,
giving very thorough details of the man.igement
and manipulations necessary to make bee- keeping
a success.- Farm. Longmont, Colo.
It Is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume ui the natural history of the
little busy bee, aa well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of Information In regard to
bee-culture, lie wh' would keep abreast of the^
times must keep posted in all the improvements Id
his line We advise all interented to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times. San Bernardino. Cal.
Describes all the newest discoveries In the art,
by which the production of delicious and health-
giving tioney is obtained, aswell as bow to prepare
it for the market in the most atti active shape.—
Signal, Napoleon, O.
It embraces every subject thai will Interest the
beginner. It describes all th-- newest discoveries
In the art by which t tie production oi delicious and
health-giviny honey ts obtained, as well as how to
prepare It for the market in the mtitit attractive
form. It is embellished with beautiful engravings,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound in cloth, TS cents ; in paper
covers. SO c«>nts* postpaid.
THOMAS O. KETVAfAN,
925 W. Madison St., Chicago, 111.
A X^lbernl Discoant to Dealers by
the Dozenor Hundred.
.^.
£)' (^ OLDEST BEE PAPER^ - ^■^ "
IN AMERICA
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., JULY 18, 1883.
No. 29.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editoh and Proprietor,
Bee-Keepers' Week !
This sounds rather new and some-
what novel. Perhaps it is not yet set
down in the Calendar, to be observed
as a feast, but it is to be observed at
the great Southern Exposition at
Louisville, Ky., as we see by the
Louisville Courier -Journal of July 8, a
copy of which has been sent to us by
Mr. W. Hamilton, of that city, with
this paragraph marked :
While every day during the E.xposi-
tion, from Aug. 1 until the closing,
will be full of the most interesting
features, certain days have been set
apart for special attractions, which
will be of direct interest to a large
number of people. The programme
on the opening day will be very elab-
orate ; business throughout ihe city
will be suspended during the day, and
the Exposition will be opened by the
President of the United States. On
Tuesday, Aug. 2S, begins a week to
be known as Bee-Keepers' Week and
Horticultural Week. Prizes will be
awarded, and arrangements have
been made by the Kentucky Bee As-
sociation to have many hives of many
kinds of bees within the grounds.
The Kentucky apiarists are evi-
dently at work in the right direction,
and we would encourage them by
every means in our power to make
thorough work of it. It will be re-
membered that President Demaree
issued a card to bee-keepers, which
we published on page 339 of the Bee
JouKNAL for July 4, and we would
here call especial attention to it.
Every bee-keeper within a reason-
able distance of the Exposition,
whether in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio,
Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas or Ten-
nessee, sliould see to it that there is a
grand display of bees and honey, and
everything to be made of honey, and
that the "Bee-Keepers' Week" may be
made notorious by the magnitude of
its exhibit. There will be plenty of
honey. This is " a year of plenty,"
the like of which has not been known
for a very long time 1 Let the display
then be commensurate with the honey
harvest, and it will advertise the
honey crop far and wide, and cause a
corresponding demand for the sweet
product.
When that 180 tons of comb honey
was sent to England, and was dis-
played like a huge mountain at the
"British Agricultural Fair," with the
words " AMERICAN HONEY "
painted in large letters on canvas at
its top, with American flags arranged
in graceful folds on each of its sides,
the people of that " beautiful garden
spot," opened their eyes and gazed
with admiration ! The result was that
ton after ton of it was quickly sold,
and it graced the tables of Her
Majesty, Queen Victoria, and aristoc-
racy and nobility vied with each other
in appropriating its sweetness, being
captivated by its beauty and the mag-
nitude of its display. It is safe to
assert that now the demand for honey
in Great Britain is ten fold greater
than ever it was before that display
was made, and year by year this de-
mand increases. Why may not this
teach us a lesson V for the Bee and
Honey shows of Europe now lead us,
both in their magnitude and educa-
tional results.
The year 1883 will long be remem-
bered as America's Great Honey
Year, let it also be recorded as the
year of its Grand Honey Shows— the
Year of Jubilee for the thousands
who are being poisoned by the glucose
frauds and adulterated sweets.
Let the " Bee-Keepers' Week " in-
augurate a new era— when " Feasts "
may be spread at hundreds of Fairs,
all over the country, inviting all man-
kind to come and partake of God-
given sweets, distilled in Nature's
own laboratory, and gathered under
heaven's smiles by the "blessed bees,"
both for man's sustenance as food,
and for its health-giving properties
as medicines.
Let the invitation be given to all-
Let the apiarist and exhibitor say.
Come ! Let him that heareth say.
Come ! and whosoever will, let him
Come, and partake of the Honey
Feast — it will create a sweet disposi-
tion, and produce a bright intellect !
The Balsams as Honey Producers. .
Dr. L. Knorr, Savanna, Ga., has
sent us a copy of the Rhode Island
Wochenblatt of June 16, in which it is
stated that in Germany they are very
enthusiastic about a new honey-pro-
ducer— the giant balsam— and that it
is being cultivated extensively near
Berlin for the bees to work on. The
balsams of America yield honey, but
we do not think they are as good
honey-producers as many others. Mr.
A. A. Fradenburg stated at the Na-
tional Convention held in Cincinnati,
Ohio, in 1889, that he had cultivated
them for that purpose, and they
yielded honey well.
The balsam poplar, and the variety
known as "balm of gilead" yield
propolis also, in good quantities.
Labors of the Bee.— As a sample of
the labors of the bee in gathering
honey, an exchange remarks as fol-
low^s :
The bee has long been a type of the
industrious worker, but there are few
people who know how much labor the
sweet hoard of the hive represents.
Eacli head of clover contains about 60
distinct flower tubes, each of which
contains a portion ■ of sugar not ex-
ceeding the five-hundreth part of a
grain. The proboscis of the bee must,
therefore, be inserted into 500 clover
tubes before one grain of sugar can
be obtained. There are 7,000 grains
in a pound, and, as honey contains
three-fourths of its weight of dry
sugar, each pound of honey represents
2,500,000 clover tubes sucked by bees.
354
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bee and Honey Show in London.
The London Journal of Horticulture,
speaking of the annual exhibition of
the Bee-Keepers' Association, to be
held July 5 to 9, 1883, says :
The date of the show has been fixed
nearly a month earlier than usual, in
order to give those who are staying in
London for the season an opportunity
of visiting this interesting and in-
structive exhibition ; no better date
could have been selected. The present
season has been one of the best on
record for the production of early
honey, the warm sunshine of the past
few weeks tending to the secretion of
honey, and large quantities have been
gathered by the bees from the fruit
blossoms, earlv clover, and other
sources. Unusually large entries
have been made in the honey classes,
and the present exhibition will fully
illustrate the advantages to be de-
rived from keeping bees in an intelli-
gent and humane manner.
The old-fashioned bee-keeper who
lets his bees look after themselves
until the months of August or Sep-
tember, and then "takes 'em up,"
consigning the industrious bees to
the brimstone pit, will look on with
wonder and astonishment at the great
display of comb honey in one and two-
pound sections, and extracted honey
in neatly labelled glass jars, the whole
of which has been secured by the
third week in June, or even earlier in
some districts. The exhibition will
contain an interesting collection of
bees confined in observatory hives.
No bees will be at large ; the most
timid may, therefore, visit the show
in perfect safety. No pains have
been spared by the committee to make
the proceedings of a thoroughly in-
teresting character. Practical in-
struction in the art of bee-keeping
will be given at intervals on each
day, the modern methods of manag-
ing bees during the spring, summer,
and winter months being fully ex-
plained by the most advanced bee-
masters. Special addresses will be
given by Frank E. Cheshire, Esq., on
Saturday, July 7, on "Structure of
the bee in relation to fertilization,'
and on Monday, July 9, on " Bees as
hybridizers and fruit-producers, or
the dependence of orchard crops upon
bees." These addresses will be given
at 4 p. m. each day.
Swarms Selecting a Location.
^- The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters goes into effect on
October 1 . Three cent postage stamps
will then be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either ojie-cenf,
or else five or ten-cent postage stamps.
Do not send coins in any letter.
^- Do not let your numbers of the
Bese Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
In proof that the bees do select a
place in advance, by sending out
" scouts," Mr. Geo. Yeomans, Shed-
field, England, gives the following in
the British Bee Journal :
In an outhouse, hid under trees and
amidst other buildings, I had a few
days ago put a number of old straw
skeps, one of which contained old
comb. Seeing the bees visiting this
house, I put the old hive witli the
comb near the window, and on the
next day, June 8, a swarm took pos-
session of it.
1^- The Grange Bulletin s&y a: "One
of our patrons has taken 220 pounds of
nice extracted honey from 6 colonies
of bees in one day; and still they
have all their combs returned and are
refilling them with a fresli supply."
This is only a small straw— but
"straws show which way the wind
blows."
I®" The White County, Arkansas
Fair will be held at Judsonia, Oct.
10 to 12, 1883, as we are informed by
Mr. C. M. Forbes, the secretary. We
hope that a good exhibition of honey
will be made by the bee-keepers of
that section.
Rough on Vermont.
We have sung the praises of old
Vermont for many a year, but this
rather disheartens us. Editor Cheever
of the New England Farmer, has just
been buying " pure Vermont maple
sugar," and finds it to be chiefly
glucose. We did not suppose that
Chicago influences had extended so
far and so rapidly. We have known
Vermont farmers who put a false 2
inch birch plank bottom inside their
butter tubs ; one who accidently let
drop a 2 pound brook cobblestone into
the firkin as the butter was being
packed ; of one whose " artful wicked"
hired man put water in the milk can
before starting for the cheese factory ;
of one whose " hired girl " carelessly
turned over the salt box upon the
butter worker ; of another who forgot
and skimmed the milk before sending
it to the factory ; but that the old State
of Ethan Allan, Brigham Young, W.
Pitt Kellogg and Stephen A. Doug-
lass should put glucose into its sugar
is too much for us. If Vermont
maple sugar is to be diluted at home,
the world is about done for. Ver-
monters, shame on you. — Farmers''
Beview.
Sample Copies of theAMEKiCAN Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one Intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
The National Convention.
The National Bee - Keepers' As-
sociation, will hold its Annual Con-
vention in the City Hall and Council
Chamber in the city of Toronto, on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
the 18th, 19tli and 20th days of Sep-
tember, during the second week of
Canada's Great Fair. All the rail-
roads in Canada will issue tickets
during this week, good to return, up
to Saturday night 22d, at single fare
for the round trip. Special excursion
rates will be arranged from various
parts of the United States, of which
due notice will be given. Thosd who
intend being present may be kept
posted on the latest excursion rates,
etc., by addresssng me, and also that
I may arrange hotel accommodation.
Private lodgings will, if possible, be
secured for tliose who desire it, and
every effort will be made to make
everybody comfortable. A grand
meeting is anticipated.
D. A. Jones, President.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office of American Bkk journal, {
Monday, 10 a. m.. July 16, 1883. >
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— Extract, boney has commenced to come
In freely, and a large crop is reported from all quar-
ters. The demand is very good, and keeps pace
with the arrivals. For choice extracted honey I
Eay 7(3*10c ; the latter price for choice clover. 1
ave received several nice lots of comb honey, for
whicn we palil 15(^160 on arrival.
BKKSW AX.— Arrivals of beeswax are plentiful.
We pay 32c. for a good article on arrival.
Chab. F. MnTH.
NBW rORK.
HONEY.— Best clover In I -lb. sections (no glass)
20®2lc.; in -J-lb. sections (glassed) l8i.«)-JUc. Fair
quality, I and 2-lb. sections, I6<3l7c Extracted,
white, in small barrels. lOcsJl I c; buckwheat, 8ia>8><c,
BEESWAX.- Is more plentiful. Prime yellow
sells at jeiic.
H. K. 4 F. B. THOKBEH 4 Oo.
CHICAGO.
HONEY.- The demand for extracted Is good, and
the market bare of all unfermented honey. Prices
range from 8c. to loc. Comb remains lifeless and
will until the new crop comes, or until August.
Sales of comb are being made at dc. to 15c.
BEESWAX— 30A35C.
K. A. BtJBNKTT, 161 South Water St.
SAN FKANCISCO.
HONEY.— New extracted Is arriving freely— sell-
ing for 7 and 8 cts. New comb coming forward
slowly : extra white, 16c.
BEESWAX.- No beeswax In the market.
Stiarnb & SMITH, OS Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY- Some new comb Jobbing at 14c, butold
do. nominal. Only a few barrels of extracted and
strained sold within quotations— 6!,fi'4i7'iic.
BKBSWAX — Sold irregularly from 32@34o—
mainly at 32<$33c.
W. T. ANDiRSON i. CO.. 104 N. 3d street.
CLEVELAND.
HONE Y.— There is a moderate sale for best white
1-lb. sections at l8c, occasionally 19c, but 2 lbs. are
not called for. Extracted has no sale at all.
BEESWAX- Not offering.
A. C. Kkndkl. 115 Ontario Street
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market Is fairly active. W« quote:
H lb. sections at 30c. ; I lb. sections, 22(*25a: 21b.
sections, 20iai22c. Extracted, loc. per lb. Good
lots of extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone: we have none
to quote.
CROCKBR & BLAKE, 57 Chatham Stteet.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
355
For the Amertcnn Bee Journal
A Word of Explanation.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
By No. 26, of Bee Journal, which
is just at hand, 1 see that the editor
thinks I got things a little mixed
when I wrote on the " Langstroth
frame." I plead guilty to being a
poor penman, and, perhaps, was
rather unhappy in my expressions,
which, together witli some errors of
the typo, does make the article found
on page 318, read somewhat curiously.
However, 1 think the careful reader
will see by the last paragraph, taken
in connection willi the explanation
regarding frames in the forepart of
the article, what was meant. Per-
haps I sliould have said a frame 11,14-
xliy every time when 1 used the
words "Gallup frame," and a frame
Mf'gX'Jii when I spoke of what A. 1.
Boot calls the " standard Langstroth
frame," but I feared using so many
figures would tend to confuse, and so
fell into a worse blunder, perhaps, by
using the vernacular of nearly all
who write on the subject. In short, I
wished to say just this : That nearly
all the frames in use in America to-
day were Langstroth frames, and that
I wished to express my gratitude to
L. L. Ijangstroth for giving us a
practical frame ; that from the pres-
ent outlook I did not believe it possi-
ble to make any one frame a standard,
no matter how desirable, and that
nearly all the frames now before the
public were practically good enough ;
that it was particularly noticeable that
those desiring a standard frame were
using a frame 17^^x91^, while those
using frames of other dimensions
were satislied to let others use what-
ever frame they desired. Again,
that because Doolittle, using a frame
11.14x11,1.4, had been surpassed as to
yields of honey by "lots" using the
175^x91.^ frame, wliile L. C. Root,
using a frame lyijixll, had surpassed
the "lots," did not help Mr. Porter
any in concluding that a frame ITfgX-
91^8 was the best of any, and that it
should be adopted by "all ; that be-
cause Doolittle, using a frame 11, 14X-
11,14, winters bees poorly, while a
certain man, using a frame igi-jxll,
winters his bees every time, does not
help Mr. Pond's assertion that a frame
]75gx9i.g is the best for wintering.
Lastly, that the pushing of a frame
17?^x9U by A. I. Root, in Oleaninas,
and the preference shown by tne
editor of the Bee Journal for said
size of frame, was what had caused it
to be used more largely than all others
(if such was the case), rather than
that it was more meritorious than
other forms of the Langstroth frames;
that had Prof. Cook edited Gleanings,
and L. C. Root the Bee Journal,
and been as strenuous for their re-
spective size of frames as had A. I.
Root for what he terms the Langs-
troth (17%x9i/8), we should have seen
a different state of affairs.
In conclusion, that I was "willing
that eren/ one (not " any one," as the
typo has'it) should use a frame t7^x-
9ie if they so desire, but I would like
the advocates of such a frame to
let the people know the whole truth
regarding what caused the .state of
affairs which now exist.
Borodino, N. Y.
[Of course, we well knew what Mr.
D. meant, but in a friendly way called
attention to his unfortunate manner
of expressing it. Now it is quite
explicit.— Ed.]
For the American Bee JoumaL
Southwestern Iowa Convention.
The Southwestern Iowa Bee-Keep-
ers' Association, met at McPherin
Bros, law office, Olarinda, Iowa, June
21. 1S83. A number of members were
present. Prof. J. L. Strong was in
the chair.
Mr. E. Kretchmer gave a short ad-
dress, and exhibited the following im-
plements : Simplicity hive honey
knife and smoker.
Mr. Strong exhibited comb founda-
tion and Bingham smoker.
Many questions were then pro-
pounded and answered, after which
an election for officers was held, which
resulted as follows : President, J. L.
Strong ; Secretary, R. C. Aiken ; and
8 new members were enrolled.
It was voted to hold the next meet-
ing at Red Oak, Iowa, on May 29, on
the fair grounds— that being the sec-
ond day of the fair.
Each member was requested to take
such apiarian implements as he may
have, and place them on exhibition at
the fair. R. C. Aiken, Sec.
J. L. Strong, Pres.
American Apiculturist.
Honey Bees and Horticulture.
PROF. A. J. COOK.
" If some of our fruit-growers were
to write upon this subject, they would
place as the title — Bees versus Horti-
culture. Some of our ablest entomo-
logists are persuaded that bees do not
always play the role of friends to the
pomologist.
What I am to say of bees would
apply equally well, in some cases, to
many other sweet-loving insects, as
the wild bees, the wasps, and many of
the dipterous, or two-winged flies ;
only as early in the season other in-
sects are rare, while the honey bees,
though less numerous than they are
later in the season, are comparatively
abundant, even early in the spring
months.
My first proposition is, that plants
only secrete nectar that they may
attract insects. And why this need
of insect visits V It is that they may
serve as "marriage priests" in the
work of fertilizing the plants. As is
well known, many plants, like the
willows and the chestnuts, are dice-
eious. The male element, the pollen.
and the female element, the ovules,
are on different plants, and so the
plants are absolutely dependent upon
insects for fertilization. The pollen
attracts the insects to the staminate
flowers, while the nectar entices them
to visit the pistillate bloom. Some
varieties of the strawberries are so
nearly dicecious that this luscious
fruit, of which good old Isaac Walton
wrote, " Doubtless God might have
made a better fruit than the straw-
berry, but doubtless God never did,"
would in case of some varieties be
barren except for the kindly minis-
trations of insects. Other plants are
monoecious — that is, stamens and
pistils are on the same flower, but the
structural peculiarities are such that
unless insects were wooed by the
coveted nectar, fertilization would be
impossible. Many of the plants with
irregular flowers, like the Orchids, as
Darwin has so admirably shown, are
thus entirely dependent upon insects
to effect fructification. In many of
these plants the structural modifica-
tions, which insure fertilization con-
sequent upon the visits of insects, are
wonderfully interesting. These have
been dwelt upon at length by Darwin,
Gray, Beal and others, and I will for-
bear to discuss them further.
But many of our flowers, which are
so arranged that the pollen falls easily
upon the Sigma, like the clovers,
squashes, and fruit blossoms, fail of
full fruitage unless, forsooth, some
insect bear the pollen of one (lower to
the pistil of another. As has been
repeatedly demo)istrated. if our fruit
bloom or that of any of our cucurbi-
taceoua plants be screened from in-
sects the yield of seed and fruit will
be but very partial. Prof. Beal and
our students have tried some very
interesting experiments of this kind
with the red clover. All of the plants
under observation were covered with
gauze that the conditions might be
uniform. Bumble bees were placed
under the screens of half of these
plants. The insects commenced at
once to visit and sip nectar from the
clover blossoms. In the fall the seeds
of all tlie plants were counted, and
those from the plants visited by the
bumble bees were to those gathered
from the plants which were shielded
from all insect visits, as 236 : 5. Thus
we see why the first crop of red clover
is barren of seed, while the second
crop, which comes of bloom visited
freely by bumble bees, whose long
tongues can reach down to the nectar
at the bottom of the long flower
tubes, is prolific of seed. This fact
led to the importation of bumble bees
from England to New Zealand and
Australia two years since. There
were no bumble bees in Australia
and adjacent islands, and the red
clover was found impotent to produce
seed. When we have introduced
Apis-dorsata into our American api-
aries, or when we have developed
Apis-Americana, with a tongue like
that of Bombus, seven-sixteenths of
an inch long, then we shall be able to
raise seed from the first crop of red
clover, as the honey bees, unlike the
bumble bees, will be numerous
enough early in the season to perform
356
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
the necessary fertilization. Alsike
clover, a hybrid between the white
and the red, has shorter flower tubes,
which makes it a favorite with our
honey bees, and so it gives a full crop
of seed from the early blossoms.
T^An all these cases we have proof that
Nature objects to close inter-breed-
ing ; and thus, through her laws, the
nectar-secreting organs liave been
evolved, that insects might do the
work of cross-fertilization. As in the
case of animals, the bi-sexual or dioe-
cious plants have been evolved from
the hermaphroditic as a higher type ;
each sex being independent, more
vital force can be expended on tlie
sexual elements, and so the individual
is the gainer.
It is sometimes contended by farm-
ers that the visits of bees are detri-
mental to their crops. I have heard
farmers say that they had known bees
to destroy entirely their crop of buck-
wheat by injuring the blossoms.
There is no basis of fact for this
statement or opinion. Usually bees
visit buckwheat bloom freely. If for
any reason the seed fail, as from
climatic condition and influence, it
occasionally will, the bees are charged
with the damage, though their whole
work, as shown above, has been bene-
ficial, and that only.
It is true, as I have personally ob-
served, that species of our carpenter
bees (Xi/locopa) do pierce the flower
tubes of the wild bergamont, and
some of our cultivated flowers, with
similar long corolla tubes, that they
may gain access to the otherwise in-
accessible nectar; the tubes once
pierced and our honey bees avail
themselves of the opportunity to
secure some of the nectar. I liave
watched long and carefully, but never
saw the honey bee making the inci-
sions. As I have never heard of any
one else who has seen them, I feel
free to say that it is entirely unlikely
that they are ever thus engaged.
My last proposition is, that though
bees, in the dearth of nectar secre-
tion, will sip the juices from crushed
grapes and other similar fruits, they
rarely ever, I think never, do so un-
less Nature, some other insect, or
some higher animal, has flrst broken
the skin. I have given to bees
crushed grapes from which they
would eagerly sip the juices, while
other sound grapes on the same stem
— even those like the Delaware, with
tenderest skin, which were made to
replace the bruised ones — were left
entirely undisturbed. 1 have even
shut bees up in an empty hive with
grapes, which latter were safe, even
though surrounded by so many hungry
mouths. I have tried even a more
crucial test, and have stopped the en-
trance of the hive with grapes, and
yet the grapes were uninjured.
In most cases where bees disturb
grapes, some bird or was|) has opened
the door to such mischief by pre-
viously piercing the skin. Occason-
ally there is a year when an entire
vineyard seems "to be sucked dry by
bees in a few hours. In such cases
the fruit is always very ripe, the
weather very hot, and the atmosphere
very damp ; when it i.'» altogether
probable that the juice oozes from
tine natural pores, and so lures the
bees on to this Bacchanalian feast. I
have never had an opportunity to
prove this to be true, but from num-
erous reports I think it the solution of
those dreaded onslaughts which have
so often brouht down severe denuncia-
tions upon the bees, and as bitter
curses upon their owners.
Lansing, Mich.
For the American Bee Journal.
Essentials of the Coming Hive.
W. H. STEWART.
What to us appears to-day to be
true, may to-morrow prove to be un-
true. The assemblage of what we
now consider to be general principles,
deduced from experiment and obser-
vation on the subject of bee-culture,
may, by some, be considered entitled
to the name of pure science. No
science is pure, however, unless based
upon self-evident truths, as is the
science of mathematics. I sometimes
question whether the art of bee-
culture has become sufficiently un-
derstood to be properly called a science.
If we say that two and two equal
four, or that four pecks equal one
bushel, we speak self-evident truths,
backed up by pure mathematical
science ; but if we ask how many
cubic inches are contained in a Wis-
consin or New York bee hive, we And
that no scientific or positive answer
can be given. The reason that no
answer can be given is, that no one
hag as yet been able to demonstrate
practically that any one hive in use
embodies all the advantages that are
found in all the hives of various
forms and sizes that are now or have
been in use. Even if a hive could be
showm to embody all the good points
that are found in the many others,
there is no certainty that it would not
be found wanting in some respects.
The truth is that not a State in the
Union has a hive that gives universal
and full satisfaction to all bee-keepers
in that State. A hive adequate to
every demand of both bees and bee-
keepers, every day of the year, and
every year, would possess in itself
self-evidence that it was constructed
on pure scientific principles. When
we get that kind of a hive, then every
bee-keeper will be as well satisfied of
its perfection as they now are that
2 and 2 equal 4, from the fact that
that very application of the principle
will demonstrate its truthfulness.
The Langstroth hive being shallow,
the supers are nearer to the centre of
the cluster of bees, and tluis many
conclude that the bees can be induced
to work in the supers earlier in the
season than in taller hives. Let us
admit that this be true, and that we
have thus gained one imjiortant point.
We find on the other hand that the
queen is much more apt to extend the
breeding into the super than where
tall brood chambers are used. Also,
that very little honey can be stored
above the cluster for wintering, and
this latter objection alone renders it
altogether unfit for out-door winter-
ing.
If bees are in a tall and reasonably
narrow hive, then nearly, or all their
winter stores are found in the upper
part of the hive, and during a long
cold spell, the bees can easily, and do
naturally move glowly upward to the
top of the cluster to meet the warmer
air, and are ever coming in connection
with the lower portion of their stores,
and can obtain plenty of food without
being compelled to make any un-
natural or hazardous movement. In
low broad hives the stores must
unavoidably be at the sides of the
cluster, and when we have such a
winter as the past, when for 50 to 100
days that bees could not leave the
cluster, either downward or in a
laterly direction without Ijeing chilled
to death, they consume what is imme-
diately above them, and then perish
with hunger with plenty of food
within a few inches of them on all
sides.
It is my opinion that the main rea-
son why bees wintered better in the
old straw hive is, that on account of
its peculiar pyramidal form, the most
and best of the stores were in the
upper part of the hive, and also, the
hive being contracted on all sides
alike, the warmer air was confled to
the same point, and the bees could
easily move about in the midst of
plenty.
If a chaff hive could be invented
that would embody this point, and
the advantages for supers and mov-
abls combs iu the brood-chamber, as
found in the Langstroth, then we
might, with propriety, talk about
wintering on the summer stands ; but
broad, shallow brood-chambers with
movable combs, either in chaff or
straw, will ever fail as an out-door
winter hive. Tall, narrow hives like
the American, give bees a chance to
store honey above the cluster to a
greater extent than other frame hives
in use ; but the open spaces between
the combs at the ends allows the
warm air to escape laterally, and be-
come disipated throughout the hive,
thus reducing the temperature in and
immediately about the cluster. They
are also unsafe for wintering on sum-
mer stands.
Again, many bee-keepers are of the
opinion that the hive should be con-
tracted in early spring, and are ex-
perimenting with various division-
boards for that purpose. And then
again, all the frame hives of which I
have any knowledge are, in the
months of June and July, found too
small to give a proliflc queen ample
room for brooding. During the two
last seasons, I have found hybrid
queens using 18 and 20 combs, and
each comb 12x12 inches.
Many are now talking of using per-
forated separators over the brood-
chamber to confine the queen to the
lower combs for the purpose of keep-
ing the surplus free from brood. This
proposition proves that the hives thus
provided is considered to be incapable
of satisfying the queen in the lower
department in the height of the
brooding season. And yet again, if
it shoula finally be found most con-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
357
venient and profitable to winter in-
doors, it is in such case most conven-
ient to set the liives on top of each
other, thus building up a wall of hives
around the room, and at the same
time it is often desirable to have the
hive so constructed that we could
handle any one, in providing for them
without disturbing others imme-
diately connected with the one being
handled.
What shall we do ¥ Shall we have
a hive that embodies all desirable
points, or will we plod along losing in
winter what we can save in summer 'i
Do not say that it cannot be done, but
let each one strive to develop at least
one good point. It seems that if other
creatures can have a home that is
adequate to all their wants, why not
the honey bee ?
A perfect hive must embody many
good points, and we cannot expect to
accomplish all in one day, or year
perhaps, but we may proximate, and
in doing so let us ever bear in mind
that the following points must not be
over-looked :
1. The brood-chamber must be
easily adjusted to the size of the col-
ony and wants of the queen at all
seasons of the year.
2. It must be so that winter stores
will be mostly in the upper portion of
the hive, and above the cluster.
3. There must be ample top surface
in summer for supers.
4. It should be adapted to out-door
wintering if possible.
r 5. It should be constructed so that
the bees can be handled at any time
of the year.
6. Let the hive be not too compli-
cated or expensive, but cheap, simple
and compact.
Let each give their best thoughts
through the American Bee Jour-
nal, and let the only strife be for the
perfection of the coming hive, and
ultimate success of bee-culture.
Orion, Wis.
For the American Bee JouroaL
The Standard Frame.
W. H. HARMER.
I am much obliged to Mr. Hutchin-
son for his article on page 308 ; I am
glad to hear of anybody adopting the
Langstroth hive, and also to Mr.
Heddon for his, on the next page.
The want of a standard frame I am
sure is' felt by every busy honey-
producer. I used to think the same
as Mr. Hutchinson in rega\-d to the
necessity of the frame holding eight
4J:Cx4ia sections, but I have got over
that. 1 believe the Langstroth frame to
be long enough, and that broad frames
for sections will soon be a thing of the
past. I think Mr. Hutchinson would
say so too, if he ever used the Heddon
section rack. It seems to me there is
unnecessary wood and work about
the broad frame system, and it is not
nearly so easy to manipulate, as the
rack above mentioned. We must
come down to a point where there is
only the necessary handling, if we
want to turn those silver-lined clouds
to a golden hue.
I have used a deeper and shorter
frame before I took to the Langs-
troth ; and to take a deeper one now
would make me feel as if I was going
backwards. I will here quote two
lines out of " Langstrotli on the
Honey-bee," page 330 : " The deeper
the frame the more difficult it is to
make them hang true on the rabbets,
and the greater the difficulty of hand-
ling them without crushing the bees
or breaking the combs."
Let every beginner make a note of
this, for it is one of the points on
which successful bee-culture rest, and
one that troubled me ever since 1 saw
the first movable frame, until the joy-
ous news came of the wiring process ;
whoever the inventor is, he will al-
ways have my heart-felt thanks.
It stands to reason that we ought
not to play leap-frog with our frames
of bees and brood, if we have not got
perfectly straight combs. I can tol-
erate no others in my apiary, and to
get them so, they must be wired.
But to return to the subject, I think
there is room in the Langstroth liive
for a frame two-eighths of an inch
longer if any one wished to produce
comb honey in that way. I should
like to say a good deal more on the
subject, but I am a very slow writer,
besides I do not wish to take up too
much valuable space. I think Mr.
Hurst will find a very good answer,
in the above, to his question in the
last number of the Bee Journal.
Manistee, Mich., July 6, 1883.
For tbe Americui Bee Journal.
Do Queens Not Mate More than Once?
S. HINMAN.
Is it regarded as an established fact
that queen bees mate with the drones
only once'y Prof. A. J. Cook says, on
page 310 of the Bee Journal, that
Mr. Alley is surely right in saying that
queens mate only once. My experience
with queens leads me to think that
there are exceptions to the rule.
In 1880, 1 commenced to Italianize
my apiary by purchasing an Italian
queen from D. A. Jones. I introduced
her successfully to a queenless colony
of black bees on July 7 ; on Aug. 27, I
succeeded in introducing a young
queen, reared from the brood of the
Jones queen in another colony of
black bees. This hive I looked into
very often, in order to see how the
daughter of the Jones queen was
coming on. In due time, the eggs,
larvae and sealed brood made their
appearance in the hive. On Sept. 24,
as 1 looked into the hive, I saw most
unmistakable signs on the queen of
having mated with a drone that very
day. At the same time there were
eggs and brood in all stages, and
sealed brood on the same frame with
the queen. I think there can be no
doubt about its being the same queen
that I introduced on Aug. 27, as there
was no unfertilized Italian queen in
my yard, that could have usurped her
place in the hive, and outside of my
yard there was not an Italian colony
within five miles of my place.
Dundonald, Ont.
Prairie Farmer.
Extracting Honey from tne Combs.
MRS. L. HARRISON.
Many more pounds of honey can be
secured by the free use of an extractor
than if comb honey is the object.
Especially is this true when there is
only now and then a good day. An
extractor is a desideratum in every
apiary, although we prefer to produce
comb honey. Many colonies that
would not produce a pound of comb
honey would yield considerable ex-
tracted.
There has been considerable dis-
cussion among bee-keepers as to the
proper time when honey should be
" swung." Some claim that it should
be sealed, and well ripened, while
others aver that it saves time and
honev to extract before sealing, and
that the honey is just as good, pro-
vided it is kept in a hot, dry atmos-
phere until it has evaporated to the
proper consistency. A prominent
apiarist of this State, who runs his
bees for extracted honey only, tiers up
his hives until the season closes before
extracting.
This extracting business is not al-
ways smooth sailing. A lady once
told the writer that a neighboring bee-
keeper brought his machine to their
house and extracted their honey.
When he was through, everything m
the house was sticky ; the kitchen
floor was covered with wax and pro-
polis, and the bees cross as hornets ;
when the honey was brought in, they
"came also." The key-holes in the
doors had to be stopped, and when
the bees found they could not enter,
they hung in a big cluster from the
door-knobs. She emphatically de-
clared that she had enough of it to last
her her lifetime. "Why, if I picked
up the dish rag there were bees on it,
and I got stung, or if I touched the
handle of the dipper or the broom, it
was the same thing. Whew ! But
the funniest part of it was when my
old man drew on his books in the
morning the day after extracting. He
is always complaining of the rheuma-
tism, and being so stiff that he can
hardly move ; but when his foot went
down into that boot, he jumped clear
over a chair with a yell like an 'Injun.'
You see the bees had clustered inside,
near the top, and, as he pulled it on,
he brushed them down into it^ and, as
they got pinched, they stung lively."
The extracting should be done in a
building by itself, or in a tent inacces-
sible to the bees. The building should
have a revolving window, so that the
bees inside could be turned outside.
The tools necessary are uncapping
knives, an extractor, and an uncap-
ping can. This can has a wire strainer
part way down, and is a great con-
venience, for the honey drains through
into the can below, which is drawn
off through a gate. Some bee-keepers
have a box with folding covers, which
has two handles or shafts, before and
behind, so that it can be borne by two
persons in carrying in the honey to be
extracted. This box is filled with
empty comb and carried to a hive,
when the bees are driven from the
358
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
combs with smoke from a bellows
smoker, and the remainder brushed
off with a feather, or asparagus tops,
as they are taken out, and their places
filled with empty comb. Others have
a similar box for carrying combs,
fitted on to a wheelbarrow, and those
who extract on a small scale have a
tin bucket with a cover, suitable for
carrying 5 Langstroth frames.
A very sharp knife is necessary to
remove the cappings so that the comb
may be marred as little as possible.
Honey can be extracted from combs
containing brood, but it is seldom
done. If the brood is uncapped, the
machine has to be turned gently, or
it will be thrown out. We do not
want " grub juice "in our honey, so
we let these combs alone. It is not
necessary to strain the honey unless
the operator desires it, though we al-
ways do, as all bits of comb rise to the
top.
When white clover honey is extrac-
ted neatly and kept by itself, it is one
of the purest sweets known. It is one
of the best known remedies for coughs
and colds— a boon for consumption
and persons of weak digestion. When
Mrs. L. L. Langstroth was thought to
be dying with consumption, she com-
menced taking pure honey, a teaspoon-
ful at a time, as often as possible.
She recovered and lived 10 years, dying
of some other disease. •' Eat thou
honey, because it is good."
Peoria, 111.
For the American Bee Jouixql.
Bee-Moth, its Depredations.
THOMAS BALCOlVrB.
There seems to be a considerable
amount unsettled in regard to the
theory of the bee-moth. I have no-
ticed more than once many conflicting
theories ; notwithstanding the " so-
called " pest, is but a small enemy to
the advanced apiarist, yet it is as well
that something more definite should
be arrived at. I tind that a vast num-
ber entertain the idea that the moth
must enter the hive and deposit its
eggs over the combs to propagate its
species. Others think the moth lays
its eggs on and around the alighting
board ; and many, with myself, think
that the bees unconsciously carry the
eggs into the hive, while gathering
the pollen from the various plants.
I find much difference of opinion
as to what the moth or worm wholly
subsists on. Dr. Ho<vard, in the
Texas Bee-Keepers' Convention, said
that the so-called bee-moth subsisted
" wholly " upon honey comb, as con-
structed by the bees ; that comb
foundation made from pure wax was
not attacked; that comb constructed
from such, was only infested for the
sake of the additional comb ; he said
that Judge Andrews called his atten-
tion to this a year ago, in a remark
that the moth larvae cannot subsist
upon pure beeswax.
Now, I certainly beg to differ from
these gentlemen's views upon the
subject ; for I am fully convinced
that the moth and its worm do subsist
on substances other than beeswax.
I have noticed that the moth seems
more plentiful in the fall of the year,
particularly if it has been wet and
sultry weather. It does not seem
feasible that this super-abundance of
the moth could have had their begin-
ning inside of a bee hive, and wholly
upon " honey comb." I think (and
Dr. Howard's statements partly bear
me out) that the moth eggs are not
only deposited in the cells with the
pollen, but the eggs are " worked up "
by the bees in manipulating the wax
for cell building. That is the reason
why the natural comb is more infested
by them.
I presume Judge Andrews had ref-
erence to pure beeswax that had been
" melted down." when stating that
the moth liirva; could not subsist on
pure beeswax. But I have more than
once found that, to a limited extent,
the moth grub will even subsist on
pure melted wax. I think the small
square I have sent you, Mr. Editor,
for examination, is as pure as wax
can be, yet you see it is partly eaten
up. I have had dark (melted) wax
badly eaten when kept with pieces
of old comb, and neglected.
Mr. M. D. Davis, at the same con-
vention, asked if these worms could
subsist upon bee bread. My experi-
ence has been that the worms mostly
originate in the pollen. I tind after
consuming the pollen, they then at-
tack the wax. The piece of comb
that I have sent for examination was
drawn out. last year, from moulded
foundation ; a few bees were reared
on one side, as you perceive. This
year I put the comb into a hive and
the bees commenced putting in pollen
where the brood had been ; but, hav-
ing to double up some, I took out the
comb and put it with some others, in
an empty hive, to experiment with,
and the result is that in a few days
the worms have hatched out in that
freshly-deposited pollen, and they are
subsisting " wholly " upon that, but
will commence on the comb whenever
the pollen is consumed.
Whether the worms, when in hives,
attack the bee larvas, I cannot posi-
tively say, but I believe that they will
even" subsist and thrive on a diet
partly of bee larvte. For, last year, I
unfortunately had to make some ex-
Eeriments that were rather costly. I
ad let fall into a shapeless mass two
frames of solid brood (excepting a
little honey and pollen) ; they had just
been drawn out on moulded founda-
tion. I, therefore, put them into a
clean coal-oil can, securely tieing
cloths over the top, so that no small
insects, much less a bee moth, could
enter, but in a few days I could detect
the worm, and watched their gradual
progress, but in less than two months
it was one mass of moth worms and
webs.
Now, in the first place, the combs
were quite new and had their first
" batch " of brood ; they came from
the centre of a strong colony of Ital-
ians, where I know that neither moth
worm or anything else would be tol-
erated, but all was entirely eaten up,
and I know, without a doubt, that no
moth ever touched those combs.
Therefore, I have long ago been
forced to believe that comb and bees
are seldom distroyed by the moth
itself entering the hive ; but that the
eggs are deposited in the honey and
pollen-producing plants and flowers,
and are carried in by the bees them-
selves.
Furthermore. I fully believe that
the moth will thrive and multiply on
substances and in places other than
the wax, and the home of the honey-
bee. I hope for the benefit of those
that are in such dread of the moth
worm, that my brother bee-keepers
will not let this subject drop, for I
think it quite essential tnat we should
have a thorough knowledge of the
enemies of the honey-bee, as well as
of the industrious little fellows them-
selves.
Luling, Texas.
[The cake of wax and piece of
comb mentioned by Mr. Balcomb bear
unmistakable evidence of being pure
wax, and yet it is infested with the
moth and partly eaten up. — Ed.]
Read before the Texae Convention.
Different Kaces of Honey Sees.
W. K. MARSHALL.
The modern improvements in the
management of the honey-bee has led
to the inquiry whether the bee itself
cannot be improved. Hence, we have
been looking after an improved or
superior race of bees.
Everv species of the honey-bee may
probably be embraced in two general
classes : the yellow and the black bee.
The different varieties are probably
crosses of these two races. It is gen-
erally supposed that there are two
varieties of the black bee ; a vicious
little fellow, but a good worker, and a
large light-colored bee. I have never
bean able to see the reason for this
distinction, and have thought that
the difference was owing to the man-
agement and other circumstances. I
have foiuul that the larger lighter-
.colored bee produced the most honey,
even before aided with the modern
improvements. I think the black
bees are all of the same race, and not
much difference in their temper or
honey-producing qualities.
The yellow bee appears to be a dis-
tinct species, both from its marking
and temperament. It probably origi-
nated in Egypt, and spread from
there to the Holy Land. The Egyp-
tian, and bees from all the surround-
ing regions, are so nearly the same in
markings and temperament as to
point to them as the same race;
climate and method of management
have made the difference in their
habits <and appearance. The Italian
bee I consider an importation from
the bee of Palestine. Their markings
are nearly alike ; their habits and
temperment are the result of climate
and management. Of all the differ-
ent races of bees, already subjected to
our improved modes of management,.
I consider the Italian the most desir-
able. I have found the Holy Land
and Cyprian bees prolific and good
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
359
workers, but cross, easily disturbed,
nervous and hard to manage. For
practical purposes, at least for the
present, I would not advise an exten-
sive cultivation of them. The light-
colored Italians, with three yellow
bands, clearly marked, are certainly
the purer stock. The dark-colored
Italians with the yellow bands nar-
rower and not so clearly marked,
undoubtedly have been tinctured
with the black blood. This probably
comes from contact with the German
bee. The cjuestion whether this taint
of black blood has not produced a
superior bee for practical purposes is
still an open question. My experience
with the dark-colored Italian bees,
gave me a very high opinion of their
merits. I had a dark-colored im-
ported queen, whose progeny were
the most docile and the best workers
lever had. They were certainly not
pure, for while they generally were
all marked with the three bands,
occasionally there was among them a
sport, pointing look to the black
blood. Undoubtedly tlie light-colored
clearly-marked three-banded Italians
are the pure stock, and the ones we
should breed from. If a tincture of
black blood is desirable, it can easily
be obtained.
As to the question which is the best
bee for practical purposes, I answer,
so far as has yet been demonstrated,
the Italian. They may probably be
improved, and "the coming bee " may
not yet be developed. Lmdoubtedly
the bee, to some extent at least, is
subject to the same laws which gov-
ern tlie whole animal world. By
selecting the higher grades, and
breeding up, we may reach a degree
of perfection not yet obtained.
I would recommend the light-col-
ored bee to breed from, until "the
coming bee " has arrived, and when a
greater degree of perfection has been
reached, we can then take the liigher
grade and keep it up to the degree of
perfection already obtained.
As tlie question is. Which will pay
best, this or that, and all thinijs con-
sidered y I can make tlie Italian pay
best. I select it in preference to any
already in the field. Nor have I yet
seen any improvements which very
materially beats the original Italian.
I think I iiave seen homebred queens
which fully equaled any of the im-
ported, but I have never seen any
mingling: of blood, thence I am very
much disposed to stick to tlie pure
Italian, unadulterated.
Marshall, Texas.
For tli« American Bee JounuU.
Securing Straight Combs.
C. HARROLD.
In answer to the inquiry of J. Hurst,
on page 338 of the Bee Journal, I
would say: Take a long-bladed knife
and pass it down between two of the
outside combs, as best you can, re-
moving one comb ; tliis gives you
room. Now if the next frame lias a
comb partially extending across 3 or 4
others, gently pass the knife between
the comb and bottom bars, then along
up the end, to the top bars, then back
to the second frame again, holding the
comb up with the hand ; now press
the comb straight, and if it is too long
for the frame, pass the knife through
the comb, leaving it long enough for
the frame ; press it in the frame, and
fasten it to the top bar by pressing it
with the thumb. If the comb contains
honey, cut out the ill-shaped end and
extract it ; then place it in the frame
as before described. The knife should
be wet in clean soap-suds directly be-
fore using each time, and so continue
until the combs are all straight.
First plumb your hive (it does no
harm to pitch them a little to the
front, so that the bees may drag out
the cappings while at work). If foun-
dation is not used, you can take small
bits of comb, and wax them to the top
bar with tlie thumb, 3 or 4 bits on
every frame. Whenever the bees
commence building their combs
crooked, straighten them and change
the frames, so that the bees are com-
pelled to build it straight. You can
probably turn the frame, end for end.
with less work, and it may answer all
purposes. I think, if you turn your
frames every 3 or 4 days, you will have
no trouble.
Onawa, Iowa.
Translated from Blenenfreund by A. R. Kohnke.
Dzierzon's Theory of Wintering Bees.
N. N.
At last Dr. Dzierzon has written an
extensive article in defence of his
theory that " bees during their winter
rest could not be housed too warm,
and if it were po.ssible, they would be
much better off in a temperature
ranging from 7.5 to 95 degrees F., than
anything below that."
All bee-keepers are agreed that suc-
cess in wintering is the foundation of
success in bee-keeping, and a further
discussion of this question would ad-
vance the interest in bee-keeping
largely, by showing that well and
warmly-protected bees should winter
better, and also to show the fallacy
of those bee-keepers who, contrary to
this theory, have found it more ad-
vantageous to their bees and them-
selves to give them less protective
and more ventilation. *
It may be quite interesting to hear
of the experience of a bee-keeper from
the North (58 lat.) who casts his vote
in favor of "cold" wintering (little
Protection), and why the reasons Dr.
izierzon advances to support his
theory, have not been acceptable
to him. A "cold" wintering would
certainly show its disadvantages, if it
were such, in a cold climate, much
colder than Germany. The writer of
this article has now for 4 years win-
tered his bees with little protection
from cold (which last winter lasted
(i}4 months), and never lost a single
colony. No dysentery, no moldy
combs, few dead bees, and the excre-
ments and other dirt on the bottom
board as dry as powder. Most, or at
least very many of the bee-keeperg, in
Germany follow the teaching of their
master, and, according to his theory,
have their bees well housed and pro-
tected. In spite of this I noticed :
1. Poor wintering in Germany and
other countries during hard winters.
2. Continual complaints about poor
wintering, in bee papers.
3. The complaint that colonies in
frame hives winter much poorer than
those in box hives, gums, or straw
hives, contrary to Krasicki's assertion
of the opposite being the fact.
4. That even Dr. Dzierzon and Ber-
lepsch corroborated them as being'
disadvantages of the frame hive.
5. That the writer of this article ha»
had the very best of success by adopt-
ing the opposite course.
6. That the bees in the Northern
and Eastern part of Russia, being con-
tined 8 months to their hives winter
very successfully.
7. Hubert's opinion, that " though
we owe Berlepsch very much, his win-
tering theory has caused bee-keepers-
great losses," especially by two of his
doctrines, that 1st, bees n^ed very lit-
tle air during wintering, and 2nd,
should " be most carefully guarded
against ventilation."
And finally, 8th, on seeing bees win-
tered in his neighborhood by a lady-
bee-keeper, after the old style, in
gums standing in the garden in a very
exposed position and expressing hi»
surprise about it, she smilingly re-
plied : " These animals are notafraid
of any cold." The wallsof these gums
are no thicker than 1}4 inches. She
only once lost one colony on account
of cold, because the walls of the gum
were very thin. It has also been ob-
served tliat bees packed or housed al-
ways winter poorly, and the knowing
ones never protect them in this coun-
Dr. Dzierzon uses repeatedly the
expression : " A bee is no ice bear
(white bear)." Certainly not; lor
within the Arctic zone we find no
bees; a single bee is a helpless, deli-
cate creature. But a colony of bees
is like a bear, and where a bear win-
ters, there a colony of bees will.
This is proven many times over, but
it requires a strong colony, and only
strong colonies should be considered
in discussing theory of wintering.
Weak colonies are diseased colonies,
and must necessarily be treated as a
patient, wrapped up well in cotton,
and belong more appropriately to
apistical pathology than in the winter-
ing question.
It seems to me that Dr. Dzierzon
reasons in a question, requiring prac-
tical experience, from assumed but
not proven facts. This reasoning
from such has led him into error, as
is proven by the experience of many
other bee-keepers, whose observation
corroborate the contrary of his asser-
tions. The writer has wintered his-
bees successfully without any protec-
tion, with two openings in the hive ;
one at the bottom and another half
way up the hive, and that in a tem-
perature of from 30^ to 40*3 below zero,
and the bees having wholly been con-
fined to their hives in different years
for 6, 7 and 8 months. It would be
an easy matter for any bee-keeper to-
try to winter a colony in a tempera-
ture of say 70° or 80° by putting an
360
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
observation hive in a window in his
room, where the temperature does
not fall below the heat required by
Dr. Dzierzon. It would be interest-
ing to know his verdict in this ques-
tion ; by such decisive experiments
the science of bee-keeping would gain
largely.
liemark by tlie Translator. — I ob-
tained, this spring, a colony of bees
from a frame in an old rotten box-
hive ; as it had no legs, whicli were,
perhaps, rotten some years ago, it
was propped up and nailed to two
posts, about one foot from the ground ;
the bottom board was entirely gone,
exposing the combs to view. On top
were two open inch holes not at all
covered ; it had always wintered well :
had stood there for many years, and
swarmed occasionally, but never had
it given any sun)lus honey. On trans-
ferring it to a Langstroth hive, 1 found
plenty of bees and brood and two
capped queen-cells.
For tbe American Bee JoumaL
Wintering Bees.
JAMES HEDDON.
As an excuse for coming forward
again with this old, old subject, I will
say that it is not yet exhausted.
Loss in wintering is considered by
many the arch enemy of the bee-
keeper, lam just one year late or
behind the time I expected with this
article. In the fall of 1881, I pre-
pared a large number of colonies in
very many different ways, wishing to
somewhat test the effects of differ-
ent conditions upon the main cause
of loss in wintering, namely dysen-
tery. The open winter following,
which gave the bees a chance to void
every two or three weeks, which we
all know to be a prevention or cure or
both to the malady, prevented my
experiments from teaching one any
thing upon the subject.
Last fall I repeated my previous
experimental pacKing for winter, and
as you know, was favored by a winter
long enough, and strong enough to
satisfy the most entusiastic truth
seeker. As I have much else to say,
I will not go into a detailed descrip-
tion of my modes of wintering. I will
give you my own deductions in as
short a space as possible.
These experiments verified my
former opinion that cold and confine-
ment is not the main cause of dysen-
tery. I do not remember the time
when my bees were confined longer
or subjected to longer extended low
temperature than last winter. There
has' not been a time since I kept bees,
except one winter when I had 33 col-
onies, that dysentery has not shown
itself among the bees to a greater or
less extent. One year I lost 60 colonies
out of 73, another 45 out of 48, another
year near two-thirds, another about
three-fourths, and once or twice one-
half. Once (with the 33 colonies
above referred to) all came through
in perfect order. If cold and confine-
ment were the cause of dysentery
(dysentery being the well known cause
of our winter losses) of my 350 colo-
nies put into winter quarters last fall
according to the above experience, I
should not have had 5 colonies left
alive. As it was I lost a little over
150 colones out of 350. Many colonies
came through in perfect condition.
My favorite experiment was made
with 50 colonies, 45 of ^hich came
through in good condition with the
exception of 3 or 4 which, had fertile
workers, being overlooked during my
absence in the fall, caused by severe
poisoning from breathing the odor
of bees at that time of year. My own
experiments are not alone in proving
that cold and confinement are not the
cause of dysentery, but only one of
the necessary conditions ; as a tem-
perature above the freezing point is a
necessary condition for yellow fever,
though heat is not the cause of it. On
eige 218, of the current volume, Mr.
. L. Herrick, of Vermont, says that
Mr. McKay wishes to know if any
one can beat 130 days without a rtight,
and says he can. Says his bees had
been confined 159 days, and the whole
21 colonies answered the roll call, all
seeming in perfect condition on April
15.
Many reports like this can be found
to back up my opinion. I have dem-
onstrated to my own satisfaction that
upward ventilation, downward venti-
lation, dry atmosphere, damp atmos-
phere, and many minor conditions
only act for or against the great cause
in a mild degree, and then much
according to the condition of the bees.
I am now perfectly satisfied, though I
admit there is still room to be mis-
taken, that the cause of dysentery lies
in the food eaten by the bees, and I
firmly believe that what is known as
" Heddon's pollen theory," giveB the
correct solution to the subject.
I will quote the following from a
private letter from that able apiarist
and careful student of nature, Mr. A.
R. Kohnke, of YoungStown, O. :
" There are only two substances in the
hive for the bees to eat, namely honey
and pollen. We know lioney is a pure
carbon sweet, at least practically so,
and if eaten in small quantities by
bees, is converted into carbonic acid
and water, hence leaves no residue.
But pollen contains a much larger per
cent, of undigestible matter which
has to be voided as feces; it must,
therefore, be the pollen. That is
what you say. It is pollen first and
last. Now hold on ; not so fast.
During the winter the bees have
nothing to do but to sit still and
breathe, not breed. To breed, they
need and must have pollen ; but to
breathe they need not. 1 want to
know why they should eat pollen
when they do not need it. An an-
swer, a correct answer will bring us
to a true and correct starting point.
Could you bring about such a condi-
tion with bees as would force them to
eat honey when they want pollen, or
pollen when they want honey V Will
bees of their own choice eat the one
when they are in need of the other V
You may. perhaps, say you do not
know, but I I'ather think you do.
Bees are not yet enough civilized to
accept substitutes ot one for the
other, " and make it do." They do
not. They will not touch your pollen
if they have honey or some other pure
hydro carbon sweet within reach. If
they have not, they eat not only the
honey but the pollen also, of which a
large part is covered with honey, and
then the accumulation of feces begins.
If at this stage the weather permits a
rtight, they will improve the chance
and then move around to honey, and
no dysentery will be visible, if not it
is there."
It seems that this letter of Mr.
Kohnke's is meant by him as a partial
controversy with me, while the facts
are, it precisely substantiates my
favorite opinions and claims. I have
said all along that bees unhesitatingly
prefer honey if the quality is good,
but do not eat pollen except when
they are out of normal condition, by
the honey being all eaten out of their
immediate cluster, and the weather
too disastrously cold for the bees to
move. Or when breeding begins, I
think the bees, in handling the pollen,
swallow more or less of it, for some
way or other breeding and dysentery
keep company to a great extent.
Very many bee-keepers, who are
now observing and experimenting
somewhat regarding the pollen theory,
are writing me that they believe it a
correct one. Among them, Mr. Wal-
ter Harmer, of Manistee, Mich.,
writes as follows: "Two colonies
came through all right; the only one
that had dysentery, had an excess of
pollen, and began to breed the earliest.
Xow, I wish to quote from a gentle-
man who has experimented, perhaps,
more than any other living man upon
this question", namely, the consump-
tion of pollen as connected with dys-
entery. I refer to Dr. A. B. Mason, of
Wagon Works, Ohio. In a letter un-
der date of March 20, last, he writes
as follows :
" I've just been leAding the Exchange
for February, and I notice Mr. Ten-
nant's remarks on your pollen theory ;
he does not believe that pollen alone
is the cause of dysentery, etc. ; I had
to laugh. A good many illustrations
popped into my head, and the first
that occurred was, that 1 would be
laughed at too if I was to say that,
when a man is hung for murder, the
rope around his neck was not not the
cause of his death— his getting his
neck into the rope is the cause of
death ; so of course, pollen is not the
cause, it is ' cold weather without
purifying flights.' I wonder what do
bees want 'purifying flights' for, if
they do not eat impure food ? I like
to read occasionally what Mr. Cheshire
says on page 277, of theBEK Journal
for June, 1879.
" As I wrote you, once before, I
have wintered for 4 years without
pollen, and without loss, but this win-
ter I am experimenting, not for choice
but necessity, and I am going to pay
for it, too. Being partially paralyzed
in my wrists, for several weeks last
fall, I was unable to prepare all my
colonies for winter without pollen. I
put 77 colonies in the cellar (where
I have wintered them 2 years without
loss), last Nov. 18, in a pile, 13 hives
long and 6 hives high, without any re-
gard to their condition, only putting
.THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
361
the heaviest in stores at the bottom,
having previously marked every one
with pollen, and its location in the
hive. Now for the result, so far. The
colonies with pollen nearly all have
dysentery, and those having the most
pollen in the cluster, have it the worst.
Perhaps you will say, how do you
know this ? Well, last week we had
two days, nice and warm, and I took
most of the colonies with dysentery
out for examination and a flight, and
found as above stated. All were clean
inside, aside from dead bees ; no
daubed combs. I shall lose from
' spring dwindling.' You go lOto 1 on
the pollen theory (it is no longer the-
ory with me), but 1 can beat you on
that, for I say 100 to 1, and more too,
in practice. You notice that nearly
all who give directions for wintering
say, ' plenty of good honey, or sugar
surup;' why don't they say, ' and pol-
len,' if it IS a good thing to have in
winter. Some of my dysenteric colo-
nies have eaten the lioney and left the
pollen, and show but slight signs of
dysentery."
From all of the above, I form the
following conclusions :
1. Dysentery is the cause of our
winter losses, to which all other losses
are " as water unto wine."
2. The consumption of bee bread,
or perhaps floating pollen in the
honey, during the period in which the
bees cannot void the residue neces-
sarily accumulating from it, is the
cause of dysentery.
It now only remains to devise some
off-hand practical method, not a com-
plicated and cumberous one, or one
which subjects one to stings or rob-
bing, with which to put up bees, in
such shape for winter as will avoid
the conditions which are productive
of dysentery.
These points I am working at, and
when it is all accomplished, it will be
time to aimounce our success, and
the " what and how " of it, when I
have made such success positive and
permanent.
Dowagiac, Mich.
Gleanings In Bee-Culture.
Observations on Several Topics.
L. L, LANGSTROXn.
On page .55 of my work, you will
see that I noticed in 1852 (as I see
from my journal, and not 1854), drones
reared under the same circumstances,
so frequently referred to by some of
your contributors. If the spermatic
filaments of the drone remain some-
time upon the surface of the egg, it is
«asy to conceive that the bees can
remove them before they get into the
micropyle of the egg, and hence
drones instead of workers.
I wish to make some suggestions
for the improvement of your standard
chaft hive. You will remember, that
years a ago you asked for some prac-
tical way by which the frames could
be insertedin the top story so that it
would not be necessary to remove
them all in order to get access to
those below. I think that this can be
done, not only without injury to the
main features of your hive, but with
an increase of storage room above for
frames or sections, besides other ad-
vantages.
Let me begin by saying that the
doubling the case of the upper story
is not only unnecessary for the pro-
tection of the bees below, but a posi-
tive injury to them, in the winterat
least, by making that upper story like
a damp cellar, and preventing it from
drying out as it always does when
made of a single thickness. This is
one reason why the chaff cushions in
your hive are so often damp, when in
those I have made, they are compara-
tively dry. Let your top story be
made of single thickness, and you not
only get rid of this evil, but have
much more storage room, either for
frames or sections. Not only so, but
you gain just the room which you
need for easy instead of cramped
access to the lower story. There is
good room for your arms, for want of
which, even when there are no frames
to remove from the upper story, I
always dislike to manipulate with
your hives, especially if there is much
work to be done.
Suppose, now, that you have all the
room which would be gained by a
single thickness of the walls of that
story. I will show you how to ar-
range that space for frames, by a
simple plan which I used very suc-
cessfully more than 15 years ago. My
upper stories were made of only %-
inch stuff, and were strengthened by
four posts, screwed one into each
corner. These posts did not come up
level with the sides of the cover, but
were kept just enough below to allow
frames to rest upon them (a, o), a
little below the frames which sit from
front to rear in the upper story (6, 6,
6). To sustain these frames, thin
rails of hard wood, about 3 inches
wide, with upper edges beveled to a
sharp edge, were fastened up against
the corner posts. The dotted lines
represent these rails. You will see
that the spacedn front and rear of the
upper frames was utilized for holding
storing frames, which also prevented
the bees from building combs between
the upper set of frames and the front
and rear walls of the upper case of
the top story. In the hives I used, in
order not to use frames resting on the
corners, of a difllerent size from the
standard Langstroth frame, the lower
story was made to hold 13 frames, in
a brood-chamber 18i^xl8J3, instead of
\ii}ix\i}'a ; but there will be no need
of your chaff hives holding more than
10 below. By using smaller frames
than the standard Langstroth, or
dummies instead of frames, any
standard Langstroth hive might be
made on this plan.
If you wish to get access to any
frame below you need only remove
one or two above, moving some of the
others nearer together, and there is
nothing to prevent you from lifting
out the lower frame, the rails on
which the upper ones rest being no
hindrance at all.
In this way you avoid all the heavy
lifting, and other trouble incidental
to the plan of the old two-storied
hive, when you desire to get access to
the lower story. If you still, for any
reason, desire to have the upper
walls of your chaff hive double, you
can avail yourself of this plan, by
making the air space very narrow ;
but in my opinion the hive is much
better if single thickness above.
There was a time when I would
have tried to patent this plan ; but
while I neither question tlie absolute
right of any inventor to patent any
original patentable device, nor the
absolute wrong of parties who know-
ingly infringe upon valjd patents, as
a matter of plain busiiiess common
sense, I would advise ^against patent-
ing devices which can so easily be
appropriated by others, as almost
every thing connected with bee-cul-
ture must necessarily be. Where the
manufacturing of any patented arti-
cle requires costly buildings and
machinery, and heavy capital, men
will think long and often before they
attempt to infringe upon it; for in
their costly plant they give ample
guarantees to those who will defend
their rights. On the contrary, if a
man could invent the most useful
article that human brains ever devised,
but which could be easily and cheaply
made by almost any one ; in order to
reap any substantial beneflt from his
patent, he must expect, as the rule,
to engage in almost endless litigation,
and to spend one fortune in trying to
make another. I hope that you will
make at least one chaff hive on the
plan I have suggested, and put it to
the test of actual use in your apiary.
Last year, in this place, at this
time, the weather was most propitious,
and the Belds and roadsides white
with clover ; but it had no percepti-
ble fragrance, and the bees in my
neighbors' apiaries had to be fed to
be kept from starvation ! This year,
notwithstanding the frequent and
drenching rains, our houses are sweet
with the smell of clover ; and in tlie
intervals when they can work, the
bees are accumulating stores at a
great rate.
Oxford, O., June, 1883.
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Tivit and Plact oS Meeting.
Auk. 29.— Iowa Central, atWinterset FairGroundB.
Z. G. Cooley. See. Pro tern.
Sept. 12-14.— TrI-State, at Toledo, Ohio.
Dr. A. B. Mason, See., Wa«on Works, O.
Oct. 9, 10.— Northern Mich, at Sheridan, Mich.
O. R. Goodno, Sec, Carson City, Mich.
Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at OhlcaKO, III.
Thomas G. Newman, Sec.
Oct.— Northern Ohio, at Norfalk, O.
S. F. Newman, Sec.
Dec. 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint.
H. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
ly In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetinsts.— ED.
362
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
l^hat wntl gl^oxir.
ANSWERS BT
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich
Comb Production.
Will Mr. Jas. Heddon please tell us
if it will pay to feed extracted honey,
costing 10 or 11 cents per pound to
get comb, to sell at 20 cents? Our
honey season is over till fall : if this
plan will pay, I can keep my bees at
work during honey dearth.
D. W. Bbllemet.
Vienna, 111., July 8, 1883.
Answer.— A few say that it will.
Very many say they have found that
it will not, and have paid for the les-
son. If you will try it this season, I
will venture to say you will be found
among those who fail to make it prac-
tical. I have not believed it practical,
hence, have not tried the experiment.
Triiusferriug.
In answer to Silas R., on Transferr-
ing, on page 315, Mr. Heddon savs :
"We practice transferring either' on
the old system or the new." Please
give us both systems in the next num-
ber of the Journal, and oblige several
suliscribers who wish to know for our
own beneht. Give us light on this
subject. D. F. Marrs.
South Bosque, Tex., June 27, 1883.
Answer.— I will have an article on
Transferring next week, in which I
will give and compare both systems.
What is the Cause of It J
Please answer these questions in
" What and How " department :
1. When a virgin queen leads a
swarm, does she mate with the drone
while swarming ?
2. What is the cause of bees, where
they are on the outside front of hive,
having a back-and-forth motion,
heads downward, mandibles against
the hive, like as if they were rubbing
them against the hive V
3. When I open a hive and am lift-
ing out frames, on some frames sev-
eral bees will besin to shake them-
selves like as if they were trying to
shake loose from their legs— what is
the cause 'i J. A. P. Fancher- 34.
Fancliers' Mills, Tenn., July 9, 1883.
Answers.— 1. Xo ; such is not the
rule, though I do not know that such
might not happen under some condi-
tions. As a rule, the age of the queen
forbids.
2. I once found out the cause of this
see-saw movement, but have forgotten
it, and who told me, as it is not radi-
cally connected with our success or
failure.
3. I have been told that this shaking
motion is to remove particles of pollen
that still adhere to the legs, but I
have always been too busy with the
dollar and cent points of the business,
to stop and carefully look into these
unimportant matters. They are of
most importance to the apicultural
entomologist, and I presume Prof.
Cook can answer these questions
easily and satisfactorally.
Horsemint a Failure.
Our main honey plant, the horse-
mint, failed to yield honey this year,
on the account of droutli. Last year
it beat anything I ever saw ; my bees
filled their liives in 3 weeks; it
bloomed about 8 weeks, yielding all
the time. I have to feed some of my
bees now, to keep up breeding. For
the fall plant, we have the smart
weed ; I notice thousands of it spring-
ing up all around the lakes, and it
never fails to yield honey. I will now
name some of tlie Texas honey plants:
First, fruit bloom, tlien willow, you-
pon, rattan, persimmon, hoarhound,
horsemint, wild ivy, elder, dog fennel,
wild sage, smart weed, native cotton,
and a hundred other different varieties
which yield more or less. Please tell
me how to make winter feed, and how
much it will take to winter a colony.
W. S. Douglass.
Lexington, Tex., June 28, 1883.
[For feeding in fall for winter stores,
3 pounds of coffee A sugar and one
pint of boiling water, simmer five
minutes. Feed this inside the hive
with a division board feeder, or in a
tin can with a coarse cloth tied over
it, and inverted on the frames. For
fall feeding, estimate the amount re-
quired, and give it as fast as the bees
can store it in the combs. For winter
feeding, use four parts coffee A sugar
and one part water ; simmer till it be-
comes quite hard on being cooled,
mould into frames of one inch thick-
ness, and lay it on top of the frames,
using sticks underneath one-half inch
square ; or mould it in brood frames,
tie hemp twine around to hold it in
place, and put it in the center of the
brood chamber. Each colony should'
have 30 pounds of good honey for win-
ter stores, in the North, but in Texas,
it needs much less. — Ed.]
Lots of Houey.
I have just arrived home from
San Antonio, Texas. Bees are doing
nothing there at present ; the weather
is so very dry. Will return there
again in the fall. Bees are doing
finely here, swarming right along,
laying up lots of honey.
A. C. Bailey.
Brooklyn, Iowa, July 9, 1883.
Bees Doing First Rate.
I am building a new bee house 16x20
and 16 feet high. I am going more
extensive in the bee business. Bees
are doing first rate. The linden has
not commenced to bloom yet, in my
locality. 1 had a small swarm queen-
less, on the first of June. I gave it
two queen-cells; one of the queens
hatched, got fertilized and laid eggs
in worker comb in three days ; all
this time the other queen was not
allowed to hatch, and the eighth day
after the first queen hatched, they
swarmed. Reese Powell.
Mineral Point, Wis., July 10, 1883.
Sourwood Honey.
This season I have been trying Prof .
A. J. Cook's plan for the prevention
of increase, by putting swarms into
colonies that had swarmed a few days
previously, giving supers filled with
foundation, after destroying all queen
cells, and they invari;ibly swarmed
again in from 10 to 13 days, but now
they have stopped since July 5. Sour-
wood began to bloom on June 26, and
is now booming ; the iioney is very
thin— clear as crystal, and. when fully
ripened and thick (which takes till
about Sept. 1), it is, to my taste, the
finest honey of any. It has the most
delicate tlavor, never cloying the ap-
petite like some honey does. After
ripening in the hive, it turns to a pale
yellow and is very thick. The sour-
wood will continue in blossom till the
last of J nly . Bees do not gather houey
as rapidly from it as they do from
poplar, biit the sourwood holds its own
longer, and we get more surplus from
sourwood, when the season is favora-
ble, the bees being always strong when
it is in blossom. Our ridges here are
covered with it, not exclusively, but
mixed among the oaks and other
trees. J. A. P. Fancher.
Fancher's Mills, Tenn., July 9, 1883.
Mistaken Economy.
With all respect to ilr. Doolittle, I
would say that he gave, sometime
ago, what looked well on paper, and
I thought I had '• struck ile" when I
read it, which was to save foundation
by hiving bees on empty frames for a
few davs. then to add foundation. I
have tried it, and found it mistaken
economy, if foundation can be had.
I have proved that bees often swarm
without being able to produce much
wax for 48 hours. Some of my bees
did good work at once on foundation,
by raising the cell walls without being
idle or producing wax at the ex-
pense of honey. If bees hang out a
few days and prepare for swarming,
they will give much better results on
empty frames. Next, when I saw my
stock' of foundation costing §50, I be-
gan to wonder if it would pay. I used
half sheets, to see if I could not sell
some foundation. I guess not, for
about 12 in the dozen were filled out
with drone comb below the half
sheets, especially if put in before
swarming. No more half sheets on
these premises. To get strong, well
puffed out combs, keep the extractor
away until all are well drawn. I let
my bees swarm naturally, and put
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
363
them on full sheets of un-wlred foun-
dation (sometimes a pail full of bees),
and have yet to see the first sheet to
fall when put on as you recommend.
This is the wettest summer known in
this part, but we have a large crop of
clover and thistles, also, I think, about
5,000 basswood blossoms to one last
year ; they may not be out till July
20. I am surprised at so much being
said on wintering bees, and of those
having cellars, giving reports as soon
as they are carried out. How bees
pull through the spring, after being
•cellared ; this is the grand point. I
kept my outside boxes on many colo-
nies until June, and still had losses
in the spring. But my neighbor has
only a handful in one hive, out of 27
kept in a good cellar. They had not
even started egg-laying when set out,
and could not stand the spring dwind-
ling, while mine will be doubled in a
few days, by natural swarming, if we
get a honey shower equal to the ap-
pearance of basswood. Your pamph-
lets on '• Honey, as Food and Medi-
cine," ought to be scattered lively.
I think bee-keepers would consult
their own interest to use them.
Charles Mitchell.
Molesworth, Ont., July 9, 1883.
Droue Cells.
On page 347 Mr. Wood speaks of
drone brood on worker foundation.
I have never had but a tri.-le of that
work, but now the bees are changing
worker to drone cells in a few small
places on some of our combs. We
must, in justice, admit that all worker
foundation will not entirely control
the " where and v/hen " of drone pro-
duction ; but with me it does it the
tirst year, and controls more than
nine-tenths of it ever after.
Dowagiac,Mich. James Heddon.
Honey a Failure in Alabama.
Last season was an entire failure,
and the present one bids fair to be
partly so. Poplar did not yield its
usual quantity of honey this year, and
it was nearly all used up in rearing
ferood, and putting the bees in good
strength for work. About the 20th of
June the linden commenced to open
its bloom, but yielded very little honey
until the last 10 days. We have not,
as yet, taken off an average of 5 lbs. of
honey per colony, while other years
we would have taken 40 lbs. We may
get a yield of late honey.
Nelson Perkins.
Princeton, Ala., July 10, 1883.
Basswood Honey Next.
Bees are doing fairly this season,
though they are slacking up now.
Basswood will be in blossom in about
a week, and then I am in hopes they
will go ahead again. Last year there
was no honey to speak of here, and a
large proportion of the bees starved
to death. A. C. Balch.
Kalamazoo, Mich., July 7, 1883.
Finest Honey Eyer Seen.
Bees are booming here. Some of
my first swarms have swarmed three
times. I never saw such a bloom of
white clover, and the honey is the
finest I ever saw. Bees are very
numerous here now, and the ques-
tion is, what will be the result if this
honey flow shall continue V Italian
bees for me, every time.
J. G. Norton.
Macomb, 111., July 11, 1883.
Large Crop or Honey.
Those who have attended to their
bees in southern Ohio, have had a
large crop of honey this year.
J. S. Hoffman.
Madisonville, Ohio, July 10, 1883.
Honey Without Separators.
Mr. L. C. Whiting says, on page
320, present volume, that he had 700
pounds of honey stored in sections
without the use of separators, and 100
pounds of the honey was so bulged
that it could not be crated. Will Mr.
Whiting please explain whether the
sections were 2 inches instead of \%
inches wide ; also, were the sections
placed in broad frames or in crate or
rack V Geo. H. Denman.
Pittsford, Mich., July 7, 1883.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 50 cents ;
per hundred, $3.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Au Excellent Market.
My bees were very weak in the
spring, but now are strong, and are
bringuig in the honey fast, when it
does not rain ; It has rained a part of
the day almost every day for 2 or 3
weeks. 1 have about 50 colonies, and
they are swarming some, and getting
ie;idy for the linden, which will come
here about July 25. I sell all the
white honey I can get by the 100
pounds in bulk, for 15 cents per pound.
This is as good a market as I want.
A. Griffes.
Mount Bridges, Ont., July 9, 1883.
J>:)j^cial Notices.
li^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
t^ Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
nnnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them— cme-cenf stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy or
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Examine the Bate following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impre^ upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
364
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smokers need wide ahlelde. Bingham's
have them, and Bprlngs that do not rust and break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for 81.75. Address.
BINGHAM & HETHEEIMOTON,
Abronia Mich.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& Hetherington, Dear Sirs :— 1 am
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smoljers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Conquered.
AH summer long it has been "which
and tother " with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker " did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1882.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers w-ill be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor". . (wide shield)— 31^ in. Are tube, t2.oa
The Conqueror (wide shield I— 3 in.hretube, 1.75
Large (wide 6hleld)-2'<. in. Are tube, l.so
Extra (wldeshield)— 2 in.tiretulie, 1.25
Plain (nar. shield*— 2 in.firetube, l.'K)
I-lttieWonder. .(nar. shield)- iMin.liretulje, .e.-i
Bingham & Hetherington UncappinR Knife. . 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
BiNonAH & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
WANTED— 2,0(Xl lbs. of Exlracted Honey
at once ; clover or basswood. Please stale
lowest price. "Cash with the order." Address,
J. KITTHERFOKS,
29A2t 104 K. B'erry Street, BUFFALO, N. T.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
Boffersvllle, Gentraee Coniity, MIrh.,
Makes a speclRltv of rf arlnp dark, lenther-colorod
ITAr.lAN QtJEEXS. Untested Queens, fl.oi
each, or six for fi.fin; twelve fur f iii.(xi. Tested
Queens, ti2.00 each. Safe arrival Riiaranteed. Make
money orders payable at Flint. Mich. 25Dtf
BE SURE
To send a postal card for our Illustrated Catalogue
of Apiarian Supplies bef ore purcbaaing elsewhere.
It containBlMustratlons and descriptions of every-
thing nevF and valuable needed in an apiay, at the
lowest prices. Italian Queens and Bees. Parties
interiGing to purchase bees in lotsof lOOolonles or
more are invited to correspond.
<T. C. 8ATI>E»,
5iDlritB5 Hartford, Wis.
THE FLORAL INSTRUCTOR.
Twenty-eight octavo panes, monthly. Fifty
Cent* per year. Valuable Premluma to every
•ubsoriber. Sumplea Fr^e.
Address, SPAl^BINO <fe M*Gir,r..
29A6t AINSWORTH, IOWA.
Queens! Queens! Queens!
We are now prepared to send you by return mail
the handsomest and best Queens, bred from our
best honey-patherinK strains of ITALIANS and
ALBINOS. Purity and safe arrival guaranteed.
Tested queens, each $ 2.00
Warranted queens each 1.00
" " per 14 doz... 5..50
per 1 doz... lo.oo
Untested " each 90
" per^doz.... 5.00
perl doz.... 9.00
If you want Queens for BUSINESS, send us an
order. We are breeding from an entirely new strain
this season, which bids fair tooutslrlpanything we
have ever had before for honey. Address,
WM. W. CARY & SON, Coleraine. Mass.
Th« Oldest Queen Breeders In America.
TO ADVERTISE
OVER THE WHOLE COUNTRY
TV^ITH A SMALL LIST.
Advertisers desiring to reach every section of the
country, without investing a very large amount of
money, will And tlie following a good listoT papers:
Price per line.
BOSTON. MASS. .Journal Weekly* 15
Congregationlist Weekly 25
American Cultivator. Weekly 30
Youth's Companion. .Weekly 2 OU
NEWYORKCITYSun Weekly 50
Times Weekly 50
Tribune Weekly 100
Christian Advocate. .Weekly 50
Harper's Weekly Weekly 150
Observer Weekly 30
Witness Weekly 75
Philadelphia, Pa. .Times Weekly 25
Press Weekly 25
BALTIMORE, Md.AmerlcaH Weekly 20
L<>UISVILLE,Ky.Courier-Journal Week ly m
CINCINNATI, O. .Times Weekly 50
Enquirer Weekly 75
t'ommerciai-Gazelte. Weekly 65
TOLEDO, OHIO.. Blade Weekly 50
CHICAGO, ILL. . .Inter Ocean AVeekly 75
News Weekly 40
Tribune Weekly 25
ST. LOUIS. MO. . .Republican Weekly 50
Globe- Democrat Weekly 50
San Francisco,ral. Chronicle Weekly 37
TORONTO, ONT. .Globe Weekly 25
Price per line in all the papers R14 4*3'
Ten lines, one time, costs S144 TO.
A DEFINITE OFFEK.
For 914rO net cash we will insert lO lines, agate
space, one time, in all the above lit; papers, and (fire
one insertion, wiihout further charge, of the same
advertisement in SnO country weeklies, with a
guaranteed circulation of more than 175,'«x)copiea.
For 3S76 we will insert 5 lines once, or S lines for
9oO. Catalogae of the weeklies sent on applica-
tion.
If the advertlseD7ent is already appearing in any
of the above papers, we will substitute others of
similar circulation and value. Address,
GEO. p. ROWELL & CO.,
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING BUREAU,
10 SPRUCE STREET, NEW YORK.
25A4t
18S3. 1883.
YOU GET VALUE RECEIVED '.
QUEENS,BEES AND SUPPLIES
If you want EARLT QUEENS from the
best improved genuine stock for business; or if
you want Imported Italian Queens or bees, in full
colonies or nuclei, with tested or untested queens;
If you want Dunham or Vandervort ciimo founda-
tion, made from pnre beeswax; or if you want
hives or apiarian supplies of any kind, send for my
new catalogue. It tells you about introducing
queens, new " Races of Bees," etc. Cash paid for
clean beeswax. Address,
J. P. H. BKOTTX.
5BDl5t Augusta, Georgia.
1883. JOSEPH D. ENAS, 1883.
iftunny Side Apiary,)
Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Colonies, Nuclei,
EXTRACTORS, COMB FOUNDATION. &c
I9D6m AddresB, Sunny Side Apiary, NAPA, CAX,.
s
EXD P08TAI. fnr my 20.paRe Price Llat t
Italian. Cyprinn and Holy L.an<1 Beva.
Queen*, Nuclei and Apiarian Supplies.
H. H. BKOWN.
29D2t eBlt Light »t., Columbia Co., Pa.
BEES and HONEY,
Uanagement of an Apiary for Fleasnre
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor ef the Weekly Bee Journal.
99S "West Madlawn Street. Chlcu«o, ItU
It contains KJO profusely illustrated pages, la
"fully up with the times" in all the improvements
and inventions in this rapidly developing pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everything that can
aid in the successful management of the Honey
Bee, and at the same time produce the most honey
in its beat and most attractive condition.
Appreciative Notices.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. Y.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen, Pulaski, Tenn.
Contains all the Information needed to make
bee-culture successful.— Eagle. Union City, Ind.
Just" such a work as should be in the hands of
every beginner with bees.— News, Kelthsburg, 111.
Valuable for all who are interested tn the care
and management of bees.— Dem., Allegan, Mich.
Engravings are fine. Gotten up in the best stylOr
and is cheap at the price.— Farmer, Cleveland, O.
Carefully prepared for beginners.— Farmers*'
Cabinet, Amherst, N. H.
A very valuable work to those engaged in hee-
raistng.— News, Prairie City, Iowa.
We advise all who keep bees to send for this ex-
cellent work.— Journal. Louisiana, Mo.
Carefully prepared, and of vast importance to
bee-raisers.— Indianian. Clinton, Ind.
New and valuable, and embellished with 109
beautiful engravings.— Democrat, Salem, Ind.
Much practical useful information, in a cheap
form.— Daily Standard, New Bedford, Mass.
The most perfect work for the price eVer yet pro-
duced on thesubjectof bee-culture.— Anti-Monop-
olist. Lebanon, Mo.
A manual, containing all the newest discoveries
in the management of these little workers.— Plain
Dealer. St. Lawrence, N. Y.
Full of practical instruction, that no one who
contemplates keeping bees can do without.— Far-
mers' Journal, Louisville, Ky.
It comprises all that is necessary for successful
bee-culture, save experience and good judgment.
—Daily Republican, Utica, N. V.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-beeping a
success.— Col. Valley and Farm.
Written In an Interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even tln>ugh they be not directly interested in the
care of bees.— Sentinel. Rome, N. Y.
It embraces every subject that can interest the
beginner in bee-culture. The engravings perfectly
illustrate the text.— Farm and Fireside. Sprlng-
fleld, O.
Embraces every subject cif interest in the apiary,
giving very thorough details of the management
and manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping
a success.— Farm. Longmont, Colo.
It is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the
little busy bee. as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of Information in regard to
bee-culture. He whn would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted in allthe improvements In
his line. We advise all interested to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times, San Bernardino, Cal.
Describes all the newest discoveries in the art^
by which the production of delicious and health-
giving honey is obtained, aswell as how to prepare
it for the market in the most attractive shape.—
Signal, Napoleon, O.
It embraces every subject that will Interest the
beginner. It describes all the newest discoveries
in the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive-
form. It is embellished with beautiful engravings,
and Is the most perfect work of the kind, for the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer. Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound In cloth, "Jfi centa ; in paper
covers, SO cent*, postpaid.
THOMAS G. N£TVMAN,
925 W. Madison St, Chicago, lU.
A r.lberal Dlaconnt to Bealera hy
the Dozenor Hundred.
.^.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., JULY 25, 1883.
No. 30.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Rectangular vs. Square Frames.
In this issue of tlie Bee Journal,
will be found two articles on the ad-
vantages and disadvantages of square
and rectangular frames. The former
finds an able advocate in Dr. E. B.
Southwick, of Mendon, Mich., while
the latter obtains competent support
by the pen of Mr. G. W. Demaree, of
Christiansburg, Ky. This is a good
way of ascertaining the strong as well
as tlie weak points of each shape of
frame; and, in order to bring out the
full arguments on each side, we shall
allow one more article to each advo-
cate, and then the matter will be left
for the readers to decide, individually,
as to which is the best frame for all
purposes.
We do not intend to take any hand
in the argument, at this time, for these
two gentlemen are quite equal to the
task, and will do justice to the subject.
But a few remarks of Dr. Southwick,
on page 369, bearing on the editor of
the Bee Jouunal, demands atten-
tion. The Doctor remarks as follows :
" I think that the editor of the Bee
Journal is as unfortunate as Mr.
Doolittle, when he tries to excuse Mr.
A. I. Root for such assertions, but I
suppose he wanted to keep up the
reputation of the editors fortrulli and
veracity. I really believe that not
one-fourth of those that use movable
frames, use what is to-day considered
the J^angstroth frame, and that num-
ber is silently growing less in pro-
portion."
The point in controversy is the
statement said to have been made by
Mr. A. I. Root, that " more Langs-
troth frames are used than all others
put together." We certainly did not
intend to offer any excuse for Mr.
Root, or any one else who might make
a statement similar to the above, for
its correctiiess is certainly its fortifica-
tion. Two years ago. just after the
close of a very disastrous winter for
bees, the editor of the American
Bee Journal requested its readers
to send in reports of how their bees
were prepared for winter — whether
they were wintered in the cellars, or
out-of-doors ; the kind of hives used,
etc. From these reports a statistical
table was prepared, and one of the
facts brought out, was that " more
shallow frame hives (Langstroths)
were in use than all others put to-
gether."' Among other remarks we
then made the following :
"■ Those who liave contended that
the Langstroth hive is too shallow for
wintering, will be surprised to learn
that the figures compare very favor-
ably for it. Tlius the percentage of
losses in all kinds of frame hives is
46; exclusive of the Langstroth hive
it is .51, leaving only 53 for the Langs-
troth, being 8 per cent, in its favor.
Again, this report records the results
of wintering in 521,330 hives; 211.782
of which were in box hives, leaving
309.598 for all kinds of frame hives.
Of the latter, 195,957 are Langstroth—
i.e., shallow frames— and n3..56t of all
others combined. We really think
these figures settle the matter of ■ the
coming frame.' Had the deep frames
been snown to have the advantage,
the Bee Journal would have been
ready to advocate their \iniversal
adoption, for it has no desire to favor
any but the most successful methods,
hives or implements."
According to the statistics then
obtained of 521,330 hives, only three-
fifths were in frame hives, and, of
these, two-thirds were in the shallow
frame or Langstroth hives. In other
words— so far as any information has
been obtained— more Langstroth (or
shallow) frames are used than all
others put together ! !
Now, so far as our trying to " keep
up the reputation of the editors for
truth and veracity '" is concerned — we
accept the situation. Editors make
mistakes as well as other mortals ;
none are perfect ; but it is pleasant to
think well of others' opinions- to feel
that they have a " reputation for truth
and veracity." We do not endorse
the opinions of Mr. Root, Dr. South-
wick, "or any other man," unless they
commend themselves to our judg-
ment ! But we hope never to indulge
in uncharitable words or feelings
against any one for a frank statement
or opinion, and, hence, we shall ex'-
ercise this generosity towards Dr.
Southwick, when he states that " not
}4 of those that use movable frames,
use what is to-day considered the
Langstroth frame, and that number
is silently growing less!" The Doc-
tor's statement is so far from the
facts, as settled by the only statistics
available, that we have here an ex-
cellent opportunity to let ''charity
cover a multitude " of errors ! The
remark about Mr. Root's judging
from the orders he receives for regu-
lar sizes of frames and materials, is
exceedingly thin. If there were so
many who use the square frame, some
one would surely start a " factory "
and supply the demand, as Mr. Root,
and others, have done for the shallow
frames.
The Doctor is, naturally, jolly and
companionable, and we cannot think
he means one-half of all that his lan-
guage might imply— at least we
choose to take that view of it, — while
we imagine that we discover the same
"twinkle of fun " in his eye that he
discovered in Jiis good wife's, as she
removed the stings from his face, and
soothed his burning temples, with
her loving hands.
1^ We acknowledge the reception
of a season Ticket to the Southern Ex-
position, to be held at Louisville, Ky.,
during the month of August, and also
a pressing invitation to attend the
Kentucky State Bee-Keepers" Conven-
tion, and though it is very ditlicult for
us to leave the office, we intend, if
possible, to be there at least for one
or two days.
36G
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
The Rev. Dr. John Dzierzon.
Mr. C. J. H. Gravenhoist, a celebra-
ted German writer, has given the
following sketch of the life of the
greatest living German bee-master,
the Rev. Dr. John Dzierzon, in the
Bee and Poultry JIagazine :
The subject of this sketch was born
on the 11th of January, ISll, at Lob-
kowitz, in Silesia. Prussia, v,'here his
father was a farmer. Dzierzon s
father was an apiculturist, and it can
be rightly said : Parson Dzierzon ob-
tained his love for bees in the milk of
his mother. Even in his boyhood,
bees fettered his soul. From 1822 to
1833, he studied in Breslau. In 1834
he took the office of the chaplain at
Schalkowitz. In 18.35 he was ca led as
a Catholic priest to Carlsniarkt, in
Silesia, where he worked in blessed
activity until the summer of 1869.
Since that time he has retired from
his clerical duties in order to devote
Uimself thereafter entirely to his bees.
He immediately founded an apiary in
the garden of the parsonage at Carls-
markt. The number of hives here
soon grew too large, and then he
erected additional apiaries in the
neighboring village, so that he soon
had 12 apiaries, occupied by 400 to ■500
hives, and they called him " the Duke
of Bees, of Calsraarkt."
In February. 1853, he introduced the
Italian bee. He succeeded in propa-
gating this race pure, and to diftuse it
Sver all lands. At first he reared bees
in ordinary hives. He invented the
really most perfect habitation for bees,
the hive with movable combs. After
many attempts, Dzierzon built a hive
not so long and higher, to make up for
It, with a fixed top and floor, and a
door at the side. Now he could easily
take out and put in again the combs
built in chambers; the hive with
movable frame work was discovered.
and as long as bees are reared the
name of Dzierzon must and will re-
main, in honor of this discovery.
By means of tlie hive with movable
frame work, tlie bee became a domes-
tic animal in the full sense of the
■word. Dzierzon became, by means ot
his hive, unlimited master of his col-
onies, for it allowed him an insight
into the inmost portion of the lite ot
bees, and, gifted by God, with a re-
markable understanding, and with an
unusual and keen observation and
power of combination,- he very soon
perceived the wonderful life and mo-
tion of the bee hive.
Dr. Dzierzon set up a new and true
theory of bees, which endured the fiery
ordeal of practice and science, and in
a short time became the healthy and
solid foundation of a care of bees
rational and comformable to nature.
With the help of the Italian bees, the
gifted master succeeded in silencing
the last doubters of his theory, or m
making them defenders of the same.
His theory is briefly this : There are
in a normal colony of bees, 3 kinds ot
creatures, queen, drones, and workers.
The queen is the only perfect female
in a colony ; is impregnated only once
in her life ; and lays the eggs for ail
the forms of bees. She impregnates
the eggs in the very laying, or else
does not impregnate them at all. In
the first case, queens and workers are
hatched from them, in the other case,
drones. These, the males, are virgin-
born, i. e., they are hatched from eggs
that the queen lays unimpregnated,
which she allows to pass contact with
the drone sperm from her receptacu-
lum seminis. The workers, that are
hatched from impregnated eggs, are
imperfectly developed female beings,
which, in spite of these imperfectly
developed organs, which admit of no
fertilization by a drone, still under
certain circumstances, can lay eggs.
from which, without exception, drones
only are hatched. The parthenogene-
sis is the doctrine of the virgin-born
in the bee hive.
Dzierzon 's name has penetrated to
all parts of the' earth, and he is every
where acknowledged a great master,
as is shown by the great number of
domestic and foreign diplomas.
Since 1848, Galsmarkt has become
the goal of pilgrimages of bee-keep-
ers. What Dr. Dzierzon has accomp-
lished for the cause of apiculture, can
be learned from his books ; but only
Dr. Dzierzon himself can set the ex-
ample of how we must love and inves-
tigate the bees. In no way has he
done more for bee-culture than in
this, that he had formed scholars, in
whom his apicultural spirit, the spirit
of observation and investigation, has
been roused. His life remains sacred
to his scholars and friends.
The National Convention.
The National Bee - Keepers' As-
sociation, will hold its Annual Con-
vention in the City Hall and Council
Chamber in the city of Toronto, on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
the 18th, 19th and 20th days of Sep-
tember, during the second week of
Canada's Great Fair. All the rail-
roads in Canada will issue tickets
during this week, good to return, up
to Saturday night 22d, at single fare
for the round trip. Special excursion
rates will be arranged from various
parts of the United States, of which
due notice will be given. Those who
intend being present may be kept
posted on the latest excursion rates,
etc., by addresssng me, and also that
I may arrange hotel accommodation.
Private lodgings will, if possible, be
secured for those who desire it, and
every effort will be made to make
everybody comfortable. A grand
meeting is anticipated.
D. A. Jones, President.
Kentucky Bee and Honey Show.
The Kentucky State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its annual meet-
ing in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 29 and 30,
at the Southern Exposition building.
We hope to have a large attendance of
the bee-keepers of the State, and also
of other States, both North and South,
as the convention will be in session
during the week of the Honey and
Bee Exhibit. And premiums amount-
ing to S60 are offered by the commis-
sioners of agriculture of Kentucky,
for Kentucky honey, and $40 by the
Exposition, for the finest Italian bees
in Observatory hives. The premium
on bees is open to the world, and we
hope to see a fine display.
The Bee-Keepers' Convention and
Honey and Bee Show will be held in
the same week of tlie great exhibi-
tion of fruit, for which over 82,000 in
cash premiums will be paid.
We extend a cordial invitation to
all bee-keepers' societies, to editors
of bee publications, to honey-pro-
ducers, and queen breeders, and all
who are interested in apiculture, to
be with us. We hope to have the
father of modern bee-keeping with us,
the Rev. L. L. Laugstroth, to whom
a cordial invitation has been given.
Reduced fair on all railroads, both
North and South, will be offered to
all who attend the Great Southern
Exposition. It will doubtless be the
grandest exposition ever held in the
United States, in magnitude, and
nearly equal to the Centennial.
N. P. Allen, Sec.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMEKICAN BEE JOURNAL. )
Monday, 10 a. m., July 23, 1883. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONE V— Extracted honey commences to come
in freely, and a JarKe crop 13 reported from all quar-
ters. The demand is very eood, and keeps pace
witli the arrivals. For choice e.^ctracted honey 1
pay 7(3)loe ; the latter price for choice clover. I
nave received several nice lots of comb honey, for
whicn we paid 15@16c on arrival.
BEESWAX.— Arrivals of beeswax are plentiful.
We pay 32c. for a Rood article on arrival.
Chas. F. MnTH.
NEW rOBK.
HONE Y.— Best clover in 1-lb. sections (no glass)
20@21c.; in 2-lb. sections (Rlassedl 18®20c. Fair
quality. 1 and 2-lb. sections, 16@17c Extracted,
white, in small barrels, lit^ lie: buckwheat, «(3H^>^c.
BKESWAX.— Is more plentiful. Prime yellow
sella at 36Hc. „ _ „
H. K. & F. B. THURBER & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONBY-New crop of comb honey is being of-
fered, and some safes of it have been made at
lH<<ilHcin I and I-^i frames. The receipts of ex-
tracted are liberal, and there Is a t'ood deal of
complaint about unripe honey; consumers holding
off. Market, u<.^l'ic tor white. Very little dark
left, and some Inquiry for it.
BEESWAX— 3Uia3.ic.
R. A. Burnett. I6I South Water St.
SAN FKANCISCO.
HONEY.— New extracted is arriving freely— sell-
ing for 7 and 8 cts. New comb coming forward
slowly ; extra white, liic.
BEESWAX.- No beeswax In the market.
STEARNS & SMITH. 4^3 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONE Y— Some new comb jobbing at 14c, but old
do. nominal. Only a few barrels of extracted and
strained sold within quotations— 6>ft'.<s,7^c.
BKBSWA.\ — Sold irregularly from 32@34c—
mainly at 32((*33c.
W. T. AjiUERSOS & Co.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONE Y— New honey has begun to come forward
and witb it a demand has sprung up. New white
1-lb. sections sell lafiJ'ic : 2-lbs. more slow 17i«1.mc.
Old 1-lb. white, 18@l9c: old 2-lb., i.5t*I6c. Extrac-
ted has sold better lately, and all old stocks have
been sold out at sigiOc.
BEESWAX— Not otferlng.
A. C. KENDEL. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONE Y— Our market is fairly active. We -i uoie :
W lb. sections at 30c.; 1 lb. sections, 22(a;25c.; -Mb.
secUons, 2o»22c. Extracted. l"c. per lb. Good
lots of extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
CROCKER & BLAKE, 57 Chatham Street.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
367
For the American Bee Journal.
Transferring— The Old vs. the New.
JAMES HEDDON.
By transferring,! mean permanently
changing colonies from box or un-
suitable hives, to better hives of
other dimensions. Full and explicit
directions for manipulating the old
method have been so repeatedly given
that it seems quite unnecessary to go
over the ground here. We have been
told all about how to cut open the
box hive ; how to cut out the combs ;
to brush off the bees ; lay the combs
of brood and honey down on to a
board covered with woolen cloth ; lay
the frames onto the combs; cut the
combs snugly inside the frame ; slip
the frame snugly over the comb ; tie
a string around the same, or tack on
some sticks or clamp on some clamps,
etc., etc., etc., and wiien the frames
are filled. " hive the colony and the
work is done."
The objections to such a plan are
these : The different devices for
fastening comb do not succeed in
holding It in place at all times, es-
pecially if put in, in pieces. If not
put in in pieces, the ordinary box hive
and moet worthless frame hives con-
tain scarcely comb enough to fill three
frames, and piece work forever after
looks, and is bungling. More or less
brood is destroyed ; honey is leaked
and daubed about. A colony thus
transferred is not worth as much to
me by several dollars as one trans-
ferred by the new method.
The old method of cutting out
combs and fitting into frames, is
entirely obsolete here. With our
modern advantages such a course is
far inferior to the one I am now going
to describe. First, let me saytliati
considered it a great error to hive a
swarm of bees upon other than
straight all worker combs, or full
sheets of comb foundation, securely
stayed, which will be these combs in
48 hours.
When we are buying bees we prefer
combs naturally built in empty
frames, to those that are transferred.
Again, we very much prefer combs
drawn from full sheets of foundation
to either. No matter how nice the
combs may be in the hive I transfer
from, I proceed as fellows :
About swarming time I take one of
my Langstroth hives, containing
eight Given pressed wired frames of
foundation, and with smoker in
hand, 1 approach the hive to be trans-
ferred. First, I drive the old queen
and a majority of the bees into my
hiving box. I then remove the old
hive a few feet backward, reversing
the entrance, placing the new one in
its place and run in the forced swarm.
In two days I find eight new straight
combs with every cell worker, and
containing a good start of brood.
Twenty-one days after the transfer,
I drive the old hive clean of all its
bees, uniting them with the former
drive, and put on the boxes, if they
are not already on. If there is any
nectar in the flowers, the colony will
show you box honey. About the
queens : I usually kill the forced
queen as the bees run in.
I run them together as I would one
colony in two parts. Now to the old
beeless hive ; of course there is no
brood left, unless a little drone brood,
and we have before us some combs
for wax, for more foundation, and
some first-class kindling wood.
If you have no method by which
you can use a full hive of frames, of
full sheets of foundation, running a
full swarm into them at once, by all
means procure it without delay.
But if any one has a mania for cut-
ting up combs, and fitting them into
frames, by method given above, does
not prohibitthem using all the straight
worker comb the old hive contains,
after first extracting the honey from
them. Should any one wish to in-
crease Ills colonies at the same time
they transfer, the following deviations
from the above are only necessary.
Eun the second drive into another
hive of full frames of foundation, and
use the old hive as before.
Now, that we liave got foundation
perfected, so tliat the bees will draw
the lines or side walls to full breeding
depth, in from two to three days, why
fuss with the old comb from the old
hive '?
Having once experienced the above
method, I shall never go back to the
old one. All of you know what a
nuisance a few odd sized hives are in
the apiary, also some who have just
started, wish they had adopted some
other style of hive. The above
method of transferring, will, in my
judgment, get all such out of their
trouble.
The cost of foundation, and new
hives, is fully made up by the better
combs, and you have the change to
better style of hive, thrown into the
bargain. I liave ttioroughly tested the
results of the plan herein" described,
and am speaking from experience.
My metliod of fastening securely
full sheets of foundation, is by mak-
ing it in wired frames with the Given
press. Those wlio have but very few
colonies and consequently caiyiot yet
afford a press, can wire their frames
and hand press on ready made comb
foundation.
Dowagiac, Mich.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
Bee Items from Australia.
A. VERGE.
In the expectation that some reader
of the Bee Journal may be able to
advance a reason, I ask the question,
why do bees worry and throw out
their hatching brood ? I began the
season of 188'2 with 11 colonies, in
Langstroth hives, and, not desiring
increase, I attempted to prevent it by
removing frames of brood to less vig-
orous colonies, and cutting out queen
cells ; but the bees appeared dissatis-
fied with such arrangements, and did
no work in the sections. They con-
tinued tlie process of queen cell build-
ing, and whenever a colony became
populous enough to work in the sec-
tions, then also occurred afresh a
desire to swarm. However, I contin-
ued to cut out cells, and remove
brood, till the season had advanced so
far that it was very certain swarming
must be over for the year.
From January 1st to the end of Feb-
ruary, showers of rain fell almost
every day, and during all that time
and afterwards they employed them-
selves with worrying and throwing
out the hatching brood. To such an
extent was the destruction carried on,
that I had to unite colonies, and now
I have only tliree which were left
strong enough to store sutticient sup-
plies for the winter. The dead bees
cover the ground below each hive ; in
some cases over a space nearly 1.5
inches square, and in the middle to
the depth of an inch— the odor from
them being quite disagreeable at a
distance of several feet.
At first I thought it might have been
brought about by my having checked
their desire to swarm, but I noticed
that the bees in each of the four com-
mon box hives in another part of my
yard, were engaged in the same way.
Then I concluded that, owing to the
rainy weather, the store of lioney
which they could collect was insuffi-
cient to supply the wants of so much
young brood, and that they took this
course as the surest way of checking
the drain upon it. But, as there were
thousands of acres of white clover im-
mediately around, and any quantity
of flowers from forest trees, with no
other colonies within 3 miles to share
the supply, I find it difficult to believe
that so few colonies should have been
unable to collect sufficient for them-
selves.
In order to increase the honey re-
sources of this place, I have introduced
several bee plants. Besides a few
rows of white sage and liorsemint, I
have a small plot of catnip and sweet
clover, the produce of seed supplied in
January last by Mr. A. H. Newman.
These are growing mostluxurantly on
river-bottom land, while some that I
tried on hill-land with a stiff clay sub-
soil, at a depth of 12 inches, did not
thrive at all ; in fact, in spite of con-
tinual waterings, there are not now to
be seen more than half a dozen
wretched plants, about 3 inches high,
out of a plot of 12 feet square. I think
it pretty certain that in this region,
sweet clover will require the same
depth of soil as does lucerne {alfalfa).
Of course it would grow on a poorer
soil, but it could not produce much
stalk or flowers. My trial, however,
was somewhat severe, because in a
soil not deeper than 12 indies, and
under our summer sky, no sufficient
moisture, in spite of frequent surface
watering, could be present below the
top for the nourishment of the plant
while tender. Probably if planted on
the same kind of land in the fall, it
would gather strength enough before
the following summer to withstand a
long period of dry weather.
368
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
I shall have other opportunities, I
hope, of reporting upon it ; in the
meantime 1 shall plant it upon bottom
land, and though in such soil it grows
so rapidly as to justify a little appre-
hension that it may really merit tlie
appellation of " weed" bestowed upon
it by some bee men, yet 1 think it can
hardly become such a nuisance as are
the worthless weeds which annually
overrun these lands, and from which
it seems to me, tliere springs at inter-
vals of time, new varieties of vegeta-
ble pests never seen in previous years.
New S. Wales, Australia, June 8, '83.
Kor the Amerlciin Bee JoumaL
The Best Size of Frame-
E. B. SOUTHWICK.
Mk. Editor : As I miderstand tliat
my proposal concerning a " standard
frame " has been accepted, I will pro-
ceed to fulfill on my part. As a
preliminary, I will give the difference
in reliability between theory and ex-
perience.
Theory founded by correct reason-
ing from scientiflc or known facts,
always works the same under the
same circumstances, while experience
only shows what has been done once,
not knowing what may be the real
cause, but is no sure guide to what
may be done again. For example :
One year I learned by experience
that I could break up a laying worker
by dividing the colony and giving
each part, a ripe queen-cell. The next
year I learned, by experience, that I
could not do it. We find, especially
in bee-keeping, that we learn many
things by long experience, that we
learn afterwards are incorrect. Ex-
perience shows us consequences with-
out causes, while properly formed
theories show us the bottom facts. In
forming my theory of frames, I in-
tended to use such facts as are well
known to every bee-keeper.
Concerning frames and what they
are called, 1 will say I think that
Langstroth's inventions included all
frames that were made separate
from the hive and separate from each
other, and consequently movable. So
to Langstroth belongs tlie honor of
inventing the movable-frame, what-
ever size it may have, but when he
put out his book, he made a certain
size his frame, others made a certain
size their frame, so they came to be
called each size after the man who
first used or chose them, thus Langs-
troth's frame, Gallup's frame, etc.,
while they are really all the Langs-
troth frame. In this article I shall
only consider the square frame in
comparison with the long and sliallow
one, without regard to size.
The first object of bee-keepers and
bee-keeping is to rear bees fast, and
fill the hive with bees, at the proper
time, in the quickest time possible ;
the second, is to get the most honey,
and in the best marketable shape, and
third, to comfortably and successfully
winter them.
It is a well-known fact that the
largest amount of matter can be pro-
tected by the least amount exposed
on the surface, in a perfect sphere.
The bees are philosophers enough to
know this, for, when there is no ob-
struction in the way, and they desire
to protect themselves from outside
exposure, they assume that form, and
in the centre of that sphere they com-
mence to build their comb, and there
they commence rearing their brood,
and from this centre they extend
their comb-building and brood-rear-
ing in every direction, keeping up the
same spherical form, as nearly as
possible, depositing tlieir honey and
pollen close outside the brood nest,
where it will be convenient to feed ;
and when it is fed out and more eggs
are deposited, more honey and pollen
is deposited outside of them. And so
it goes on, until the capacity of the
queen is reached.
Now, if we place obstructions any
where, so as to prevent their working
in this spherical form, we retard
their progress, by crowding them in
some othor direction, and thus expos-
ing a greater amount to the surface,
and obliging them to retain more bees
at home to keep up the extra heat and
do the extra work that they would
have to do, in cleaning and waxing up
the extra surface they would have.
All this extra retention and work is
brought in when their best effort
should be put forth to rear brood and
fill their hive with bees. Need I say
that a square frame, and just enough
to make a cubic space, is the best?
Cannot any person with half an eye
see that no frame with right angles
can be as good as the square frame.
Now, for the second object : The
bees in the square frames have their
room filled with brood, but they have
some room in the corners of the
frames to put in honey and pollen for
the brood, and as that is over some
part of this sphere, it is always warm,
the wax is easily manipulated, the
comb is quickly made and filled, and
they are ready to go into the sections
with honev alone, for they have de-
posited pollen below for the brood.
In the shallow frames the bees have
been crowded out of their natural
sphere at a loss, as I have shown, of
heat, labor and brood, and the honey
and pollen tliey now bring in has to
be stored at the ends of the frames,
for the brood goes to the top, and as
it is much cooler out there, it will
keep more bees from the field or other
work in this part, to keep up the heat
so as to enable them to work the wax
and make comb, and their work must
go on much slower than in the square
frame, and if kept witliout the sec-
tions until filled up, they will be found
to be much behind those in the square
frame.
But we will put on the sections.
The bees from the long frames go in
with a rush, frequently deserting the
ends of their combs ; and as they find
a chance to restore the equilibrium of
their sphere, they go to work with a
will, making coinbs in the sections,
filling them with honey and pollen,
and tlie queen entering into the spirit
of the rest, walks up their and deposits
her eggs, thus spoiling many sections
of fine honey. I have heard shallow-
frame men say that queens did not
bother them that way, but when I
hear one of them inquire of another
how he keeps the queen out of the
sections, and find thousands of those
zinc bee strainers — I do not know
what else to call them — advertised
and sold, I conclude the queen does
go up ; and if she is kept down by
that zinc honey-board, it does not
prevent the bees from depositing pol-
len in the sections which is nearly as
bad as brood. When the sections are
put on the square frames, the bees
go into them as they require the
room, and as they have room near the
brood for the pollen, they seldom de-
posit any in the sections.
It is claimed for the shallow frame
hive that it is better for comb honey.
Let us see, I have shown that there is
not as much heat accumulated in the
shallow frame, and that they require
more. The square frame would have
much more heat to spare, and, conse-
quently, would warm more room than
the shallow frames ; and on our tier-
ing-up principle, I have never found
any trouble in getting bees to go up,
if it is only warm. Considering all
the facts in the matter, I can but con-
clude that a proper arrangement over
the square frame hive is better than
an equally good arrangement over a
shallow frame hive ; besides, the sec-
tions over the square frame, if the
arrangement below is right, are sel-
dom visited by the queen, or any
deposits of pollen are found in them.
The last object is to winter the bees
successfully. The same reasons why
the square frame is best for brood-
rearing are equally good for winter-
ing. The power to economize heat,
and a chance to go into a natural
spherical position, is all a frame can
do toward wintering, and as the
square frame does that, and the shal-
low frame does not, the square one
must be the best for wintering. I
will notice a few of the reasons given
for using the long, shallow frame :
" Bees occupy the sections sooner."
That is so ; but I think I have shown
that to be a fault, for the work done
early in the sections ought to be done
below, that the sections filled by pre-
maturely entering them, and many
more, are spoiled by brood and pollen.
" Bees have less distance to go to
get to the sections." Let us see ;
take a frame 12 inches square, and
you have 24 inches by the frame to
the farther section on it, then cut the
frame horizontally in the middle, and
place the top half, back of the lower,
and you have 30 inches, by the frame,
to get to the back section. How is
that for distance 'i
" The Langstroth frame is the most
economical." Every one knows that
it takes less material to go round a
square, with equal sides, than one
with unequal sides, both containing
the same number of square inches.
'• A majority of men that keep bees
use it." This, in itself, would be no
reason, if it were true (we all know
that all our improvements have started
with a minority), but I am satisfied
that it is as false as I have shown the
other reasons to be, for I have taken
much pains to inform myself, when-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
369
ever I have met bee men, whether in
convention or elsewhere, and I liave
come to the conclusion (mind t do
not state this to be a fact, as our
Langstroth frame men have what
thev have said about it ; and let me
here say that wlien a man makes a
statement for a fact, which he does
not Ifnow to be a fact, I consider it
but little better than though he knew
it was false) that not one-eighth of
the bee-keepers of the United States
and Canada use Langstroth 's frames,
and when I say Langstroth's frame,
I mean both of those sizes, that }^
inch of which has taken up so mucU
room in the Bee Jouknal.
I think the editor of the Bee Jour-
nal is as unfortunate as Mr. Doolit-
tle, when he tries to excuse Mr. A. I.
Eoot for such assertions, but I sup-
pose he wanted to keep up the repu-
tation of the editors for truth and
veracity. I really believe that not
one-fourth of those that use movable
frames, use what is today considered
the Langstroth frame, and that num-
ber is silently growing less in pro-
portion.
Occasionally we find a man chang-
ing to that side, probably because he
thinks lie is getting on the popular
side. Mr. A. 1. Root boasts that he
has obliged some one to adopt the
Langstroth hive, not because it is the
best iiive, but because he cannot get
supplies for the best one.
The many letters I have received
asking for samples of my hive, some
from men who have the Langstroth
hive, and my observation generally
convinces me that the "blow" is
over, and the swells are becoming
gradually less, and the undertow will
eventually carry the Langstroth hive
all out to sea.
I would not wish to convey the idea
that these men wish to misrepresent
or state anything not true, for I think
they believe all they state, and the
reasons are these : They make and
keep on hand the supplies for the
Langstroth frame and hives, and say
" if you want any other you must wait
until we can make them." The re-
sult is, that those who use others than
the Langstroth frame supplies, either
make their own, as I do, or send else-
where for them, and the very few
orders that A. I. Root gets out of the
vast amount used, not of the Langs-
troth frame class, causes him to say,
" More Langstroth frames are used
than all others put together." Judging
probably from the orders he gets, I
presume that it is from them he
judges, for I have about concluded
that he sometimes thinks that him-
self and customers are iill there is left
of bee men. Considering his opinion
was formed as above (and I can ex-
cuse him in no other way), it proves
to me that the Langstroth frame is in
a very small minority of the whole.
" They are so easy to manipulate."
Now, I will digress a little, and give
some comparative experience in the
manipulation. Having a large colony
in a Langstroth hive, I concluded they
must have some honey to spare, so 1
took my tools and went out to inves-
tigate. I removed the cover and
cloth from the top, and smoked them
plentifully with my big smoker,
which is not of the simple or sim-
plicity kind, such as Mr. Root hires
debased men with to quit debasing
and try to be somebody, but one, that
after using the biggest Clark's I could
find for a year, the village tinner and
myself made one just to my liking.
I then attempted to raise a frame of
sections. I pried it one way and then
the other ; then tried to pry up and
pried off the top bar. I placed it
back, and then pried each frame sep-
arately as far as I could, from the
centre one, and I crowded that one
way and the other, until I thought I
had it loose. By this time the bees
had begun to come up. I gave them
a good smoking and then took hold of
the frame with both hands near the
ends, and pulled steady. But it did
not come, I pulled a little harder and
thought it came a little ; I tried again,
it appeared fast, jerked a little on
each end, wiggled it side wise, and by
wiggling, twisting, jerking and pull-
ing, 1 succeeded in raising it up, so
that I could see there was some very
nice honey in the sections. This
gave me new courage, and I went at it
with renewed strength. Just at this
time an investigating bee struck me
on the nose. I looked for my smoker.
It was sending forth a stream of
smoke sufficient to engulf the whole
colony in five seconds if I could have
directed it ; but I could not. Botli
hands were engaged, and if I let go
I would lose all I liad gained. But I
was not to be beaten out by one bee,
so I wiped him off on my arm and
continued the jerking, but as the bees
came out thicker and faster, and all
appeared to come directly for my
face, and sting immediately on ar-
rival, my thoughts were soon turned,
not ■' oil peace," but " war to the
knife," until I subdued the bees. I
dropped the frame, it went down with
a thub ; I seized the smoker and gave
them such a charge as sent all back
to the hive or somewhere else, that
were not busy on my face trying to
pull out their stingers. I covered up
the hive and left for the house. I did
not swear, but I said " Oh, my," fre-
quently ; and when I got into the
sitting room, and threw myself into
the big chair, I uttered an " Oh, my,"
which gave all that heard it to under-
stand that I was not the happiest man
on earth.
My wife came in, with a tear of
sympathy in one eye and a twinkle of
fun in the other, and commenced to
do what the bees, in their hurried de-
parture, neglected — to take out their
stingers. She got out all that she
could find, bathed my face with
ammonia.and advised me to go and lie
down. Well, I have long since
learned that it is sometimes better to
take my wife's advice (but I never
own it). So I laid down and there
considered the great pleasure and
ease in manipulating bees in the
Langstrotii hive, and after concluding
that if I could find a man fool enough
to invest .5 cents in such a hive with
at least 50 pounds of honey, I would
dispose of that colony. The pain de-
creasing as the swelling increased, I
soon went to sleep. Oh ! blessed state
of unconsciousness. When called to
supper. I was enabled by rubbing,
pricking and piuicliing lo get one eye
open so as to find my way to the sup-
per table ; and I sat down a perfect
laughing stock for the whole family,
which amount to only ten when no
outsiders are present. Well, I got
over it ; but not so with the bees, for
I called to my aid some of that stufE
the good old minister used to use to
make us boys good, " fire and brim-
stone," and with it silenced the bees,
took away the honey, and with an axe,
made kindling wood of the hive.
Again, I started for the apiary,
took my tools, and this time went by
the way of my wife's flower garden.
She was there pruning some, and en-
joying their beauty and fragrance.
She asked me to go in, but no, I was
in a hurry going to work at the bees,
and oljserved, I thought there was
too much time spent already with
fiowers. Yet I lingered until she
picked me a small bunch of sweet
scented roses and tied them together
with some striped grass, and as she
handed them to me said, "Now hurry
along or you will spend too much
time with the flowers." I took them,
took a sniff at them and passed on,
feeling a little rebuked, but said
nothing.
As 1 passed along, I took up a stool
that I use when a little lazy, while
over-hauling a colony. I went to one
that I thought had some honey to
spare, sat down on my stool at the
back of the hive, took another sniff
at my flowers and laid them down on
a hive to my right, removed the cover
and cloth from tlie one before me,
blew a little smoke into the top, just
enough to inform the bees that I was
there, then removed the back end
board of the upper or section-honey
department of the hive. The first
frame of sections was not all capped,
so I took it out and put it on the
grass. The next I noticed was filled
and nicely capped. I also saw that
they had Duilt comb from the lower
side of the section frame to the upper
bar of the brood frame. I took my
long knife, that I use in uncapping,
and cut it loose, close to the section-
frame, then with my left hand took
the frame back and out, and with the
thumb nail of my right hand, pushed
off the separators (these are the sep-
arators that Root and Miller told me
would not stay. Well, if I used the
Langstroth hive, I should want them
spiked on, and the section frames
bolted together, but I do not). I put
the frame down on the ground, to let
the bees fly off, and in the same way
proceeded to take off four more
frames, which were all that were
capped over. I then cleaned off the
comb the bees had built between the
brood frames and sections, put in five
new frames with new sections con-
taining white clover comb, that I had
made to order by the bees last fall for
starters, and the same separators that
were on the others, then the first
frame and end board, the cloth and
top, and all was right again.
I then took each frame of honey
that I had taken off, brushed off
what few bees remained on them,
370
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
and placed them in a box near by, for
that purpose. I then took my seat
again at the rear of the hive, took out
the end board of the breeding apart-
ment, took out a quantity of brood
combs, cutting them loose with the
knife at the sides, and found them
nearly all filled with brood; so much
so that the queen had little or no
room to lay. This would not do.
They would swarm and thus stop the
surplus honey gathering. Sol selected
thrfe combs with brood and bees,
examining them closely, to see that
the queen was not on them, put them
to one side, and filled the space they
occupied with new frames of founda-
tion, made on the Given press and
nicely wired in, not with wires from
upper corners to centre of bottom bar
crossing the upright ones as in Langs-
troth frame, but with upright ones
alone.
All were taken out and put back
with one hand, holding the smoker in
the other, ready to give any bee that
showed fight a puff. Well, they were
put in, and the hive closed, by putting
in the end board. I then took the
three extra frames of brood and bees
in one hand, and the smoker in the
other, and w'ent to a hive where I had
put in half a dozen similar frames
before, put them in and gave them all
a good smoking, and then went back
to my stool, took up my bunch of
roses, and as I sat there noticing the
different speed with which bees leave
and return to the hive, and sniffing at
my roses, the supper bell rang, so I
gathered up my tools and started for
the house as happy as a president.
One thing more and I have done —
persuading all to use one size frame
and the benefit of the same. I would
as soon undertake to unite all re-
ligions under one creed as to unite bee
men in using one size of frame ; and
anything so very improbable, it is
folly to undertake. It would be some
benefit to the dealers in supplies and
bees, but very little to the honey-pro-
ducer. For instance : A man hij,s
more colonies in the fall than He
wants. He, perhaps, could sell them
if his frames were right for S6, but it
is seldom he can. If he killed his
bees, his hive would be worth S2, the
combs $l,and the honey that would
go with them, when extracted, at
least S4 more ; so he would really lose
$1 in selling. But right here some
tender-hearted brother or sister will
raise their hand in horror at killing
the bees. Is it worse to kill them
than to let them die through neglect
or ignorance V I will relate a little
circumstance to illustrate. As I was
killing some bees I did not want, a
very good man was present. He told
me it was all wrong ; that after they
had worked for me all summer, then
to kill them, it was wicked, and the
sin of it would come up against me
hereafter. I said nothing, but waited
my turn. A few months after, I was
at his house. He was butchering a
cow. I asked him how old the cow
was. He replied that she was 17
years, and that she had been the best
cow he ever saw ; that she had fur-
nished his family milk and butter for
15 years— my time liad come. Says I,
deacon, will you, after a cow has
helped you support your family for 15
years, now kill her and eat her up. It
IS awful ; it is wicked, and it will come
up against you hereafter. He said he
would have to give in to my " right of
might, for self-preservation."
Mendon, Mich.
For the American Bee Journal.
Square vs. Shallow or Deep Frames.
G. W. DEMAREE.
The movable frame is not a "fix-
ture " in the sense that the apiary
house, and the hive or tenament of
the bees, are fixtures. The movable
frame is simply an implement em-
ployed in the hive or tenement to
manipulate the inmates of tlie hive,
and to aid in the production of honey.
Viewing the matter from this stand-
point, there is no great probability
that any one particular form or size of
frame will ever be accepted as a
" standard frame " by the great mass
of bee-keepers scattered all over the
American continent, so varied in
climate, as well as in other respects
bearing on the occupation of bee-
keeping. The facts show that there
is an unlimited number of sites of the
movable frame in use, yet there are
but two " forms " of this greatest of
all the implements of the apiary, viz. :
the Langstroth shallow frame and the
square or deep frame. The issue to
be described in this controversy is,
which of these two " forms " is best
adapted for all purposes in the culture
of the honey bee, and in the produc-
tion of comb and extracted honey.
I unhesitatingly take the grounds
that the Langstroth or shallow frame
carries with it more good " points,"
and is, therefore, better adapted for
all purposes as an implement in api-
culture than any frame yet invented.
I regret that in presenting the evi-
dence in behalf of the Langstroth or
shallow frame, it does not go before
an impartial jury as a whole. Some
have already made up their decision,
while others are moved by self-inter-
est and prejudice, nevertheless there
are many fair-minded apiarists who
can appreciate facts and arguments,
and to such I appeal. In the first
place the size and sliape of the frame
used will necessarily govern the form
and size of the domicile in which the
bees must reside and carry on their
handy work. I regard this as matter
of much importance. The Langs-
troth or shallow frame is adapted to a
hive with alow, broad brood-chamber,
which gives a broad and firm base or
foundation to the hive, such a hive
sits firmly on its stand, is less liable
to be over-turned or shaken by high
winds, is less easily jarred, admits of
two or more stories without becoming
top tall and slender in proportion to
its base, as is necessarily the case
when a square deep frame is used.
Such a hive looks better ; proportion
is always pleasing to the eye, and is
better for all purposes for the reasons
given than the tall, slender, bee-gum-
ish looking hive which must be con-
struced to accommodate the'square or
deep.
MECHANICAL CONSTUCTION.
The Langstroth frame being shal-
low, is more easily made square and
free from wind than a deeper frame
is. A little " winding " in the frame
does not effect its position in the hive
as is the case with a deep danggling
frame. The hive itself being shallow,
will vary less by slight mechanical in-
accuracy, and if the old-fashioned
porticos are left off, as I would advise
in all cases, the hive is the most sim-
ple in mechanical construction.
THE BEE HIVE AS A DOMICILE AND
WORK SHOP.
The bee hive answers the two-fold
purpose to its inmates, for a residence
and a factory or work shop. The
Langstroth frame as an imi)lement of
manipulation for the convenience of
the bee master, and to put the inter-
nal working of the hive under his
control, admits of a structure best
calculated for these purposes. Its
broad base admits of free circulation
of fresh air ; every part of the lower
floor is handy and convenient to the
work going on above. The stories of
the hive being low, less distance must
be traveled to reach the highest part
of them. The honey bee is the most
sensitive of all creatures to the
slightest jar, and no form of hive
protects them so well from this an-
noyance as the Langstroth hive with
its broad base and low stories. For
this reason the combs are less liable
to be fastened together With cross
ties of wax, and propolized at every
point.
A low brood-chamber, if the cover
to the hive is double with an air space
between, as they should always be in
winter and summer, is less effected
by the heat of the summer sun than
a tall one is. I have never seen a
single comb that had been injured by
the heat of the sun in a Langstroth
hive, while I have seen, in transferring
from tall box hives, many outside
combs that had been melted down by
the sun's heat. A low brood-chamber
is best adapted to the "tiering up"
svstem of manipulation of bees tor
the best results. No one will deny
that the Langstroth or shallow frame
is best adapted for this purpose. Some
apiarists tier up the Langstroth hive
to three stories or more to accommo-
date large colonies.
Now, let us take a practical look at
the two " forms " of hives which must
be used to accommodate the two
" forms " of frames.
The Langstroth hive, if tiered up
to three stories, is 2OXI6I4 inches on
the stand, if made of 1 inch boards,
and 30 inches high if we allow 10
inches for each story. Of course I do
not pretend to speak accurately here
as to measurement. It will be seen
that the Langstroth hive, even when
three stories high, is quite well pro-
portioned as a building. Now, let us
look on the other picture. A hive
made to accommodate the square
frame in ordinary use, is about 14
inches square at the base, and if
tiered up three stories high, will be at
THE AMERICAISI BEE JOURNAL.
371
least 3 fe?t in hight. Of course such
a hive is out of all proportion. Some
may not wish to " tier up," but many
of us do, and it is a question of " all
purposes " we are discussing, and
adaptability to the " tiering up " sys-
tem is an important point in the " all
purposes."
EAST AND RAPID MANIPULATION
is a matter of the greatest impor-
tance in a large apiary. Every skill-
ful manipulator of "bees who has
experience with the two forms of
frames in use, can appreciate the
Langstroth or shallow frame for ease
and rapid handling. A shallow frame
is quicker removed from its position
in the hive than a deeper one is. Tlie
operator can see better what he is
doing to the shallow brood depart-
ment. Tlie bees are less liable to be
crushed or injured when manipulating
the frames, and hence less liable to
become irritated by rough handling.
The queen is now readily found in a
shallow brood nest ; in fact it is not
unfrequently the case that the opera-
tor can tell just where the queen is
by the movement of the bees when he
first turns back the quilt.
A hive made to accommodate a long
and shallow frame, like the Langs-
troth frame, successfully, gives a
larger surface at the top of the brood
nest for storing comb lioney, and
right at the point where bees do their
best work.
A shallow frame, when used for
extracting, is sooner sealed by the
bees w|j^n full of honey, i.e., the bees
will sem a given number of square
inches sooner in a shallow long frame
than they will or can on a deeper one.
It will be admitted that bees invaria-
bly commence to seal the honey at
the top of the frames. There must be
good reasons for this, and I judge the
reason is, that evaporation goes on
more rapidly at this point, and hence
the lioney is ready to seal sooner at
the top of the apartment. So great
are the advantages to be gained by
the use of a shallow frame for ex-
tracting honey — for the reason given
above — I have been induced to use a
large number of frames just half the
depth of the Langstroth frame, and
of the same length, and these are
used in tiers in the upper story, and
so manipulated that the full ones are
kept in the top tiers where they are
sealed with the greatest dispatch. So
good has been the results of this
system of management in my apiary
that I feel justifiable in the digression,
if I have digressed. So strong a point
do I consider the above in favor of a
shallow frame for extracting pur-
poses, that I believe no number of
__ good points in a deeper frame can
' out-weigh it.
ADAPTABILITY FOR WINTERING BEES.
In my estimation too much has been
conceded by the admirers of the
Langstroth form of movable frame to
the claims of those who advocate the
use of a square or deep frame as best
adapted for wintering purposes. I
take the grounds that no form of
frame yet invented is so well adapted
to safe wintering of bees as the
Langstroth form of frame is. It
needs no philosophy to make it com-
prehensible that a room witli a low
ceiling is more easily and cheaply
heated than one with a" higher ceiling.
The brood department of the Langs-
troth hive has this important advan-
tage over a deeper one. The instinct
of the bees lead them to store their
honey at the highest point in the
hive ; they do this because nature has
taught them that it is the best place
for its prepervation, as well as the
safest place from their enemies.
iSTow, in a deep brood nest, if the
combs are well filled with sealed
stores, the bees must cluster on the
sealed honey at the top of the frames,
or they must dwell below the warmest
part of the chamber until tliey eat
their way up to the top, and if any of
the stores are left below them in their
upward march, the chances are against
their ever returning for it during cold
weather, if the supply should be ex-
hausted above. When bees are win-
tered on the Langstroth frame, the
cluster moves in a horizontal direction
with the spaces between the combs,
and pass the entire winter in the most
congenial part of the hive. Bees
winter better in a shallow brood nest
than they do in a deeper one, simply
because their stores are located in the
warmest part of the hive, and in a
room with a low ceiling, which is al-
ways warmer than a room with a high
ceiling.
CONCLUSION.
I wish to conclude by saying that I
have given my reasons for preferring
a shallow frame, gleaned from per-
sonal experience with both forms of
frames in use. The "movable frame"
is as much an '' implement " in api-
culture as tlie plow or pitch fork are
implements in agriculture, and, hence,
each apiarist should act just as every
intelligent farmer acts, viz. : use that
which is best adapted to his branch of
the business to his locality, etc.,
always guided by the light of his
experience.
Christiansburg, Ky.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
Do dueens Mate More than Once ?
I. p. WILSON, D. D. S.
The above question I supposed to be
settled beyond dispute, and I was a
little surprised at Mr. Ilinman's arti-
cle on page 357 of the Bee Journal,
claiming that cjueens do sometimes
mate a second time.
That Mr. H. is mistaken about his
queen mating with a drone after the
first fertilization, I think there can be
no doubt.
I will relate an incident that oc-
curred in my own apiary, a month or
two ago. which will show how easily
one may be deceived, as Mr. H.
doubtless has been.
I opened one of my best colonies,
for the purpose of removing the queen
to another colony. I found, on the
second frame, that I removed a beau-
tiful young queen, evidently about 3
or 4 days old. I felt greatly disap-
pointed, as my choicest queen had
been in this hive. I said to myself,
" they have superseded her; what can
it mean V" To determine how long
she had been missing, I proceeded to
examine the comb, and found, to my
surprise, that eggs and larv.e were
abundant. The old queen was still on
duty, and I found her depositing eggs,
here and there, as she quietly moved
along over the comb. She was too
busy to notice me or the rival queen.
There was only one queen cell in the
hive, and that was the one from wliich
the young queen had hatched. Why
they reared thisyoungqueen,andwhy
the old queen did not object to the
procedure is, to me, unaccountable.
I removed the old queen to another
colony, and left the young queen to
take her place. A few day later, she
mated. I saw her leave the hive, and
in 22 minutes she returned with the
unmistakable evidence of having made
a successful " bridal trip." Now sup-
pose I had not discovered tliis virgin
queen when I did, but had opened the
hive the day she mated, found the evi-
dence of her just having mated, found
also the eggs and the larvse, and had
not discovered the old queen, I might
possibly have been deceived as Mr.
Hinmau doubtless was.
Burlington, Iowa, July 18, 1883.
For the American Bee Journnl-
Few Items from the Pacific Coast.
J. D. enas.
Since 1 wrote about the young bees-
dying, or rather going away from the
hives wingless, etc., we had a honey
spurt, and the hives are getting filled.
Bees preferred to fill the combs with
honey instead of having them filled
with eggs. Whether sections were
on or not, they would fill the combs
in the lower story to the detriment of
the queen. I think they must have
gnawed the young bees out, as they
were not completed, wings not half
formed ; some were more perfect than
others. No matter how often the
bees were placed on the bottom board,
they would go away from the hive.
If they were put in at the top, they
would soon be at the entrance. On
one hive I had Root sections at the
sides, not commenced on, two empty
combs for eggs, the balance filled with
brood and stores, but they preferred
to fill the empty combs with honey,
instead of letting the queen fill them
with eggs, and would not go into the
side sections, though they all had
starters. I removed the side sections
and gave more empty combs, and
they are satisfied for the present.
There are no more young bees
crawling.
I saw a laying worker in the act of
laying, to-day. I have a young queen
in a hive that should have young bees
hatching, but she is backward. To-
day, on looking for her. I saw a
worker, with its head in a cell, sip-
ping honey, and from it came an egg
just like as tliough it came froui a
queen. I watched it until the egg
dropped on to the comb. I caught
and caged her before she could es-
372
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
cape. 'She is a laying worker. I
looked and saw no more. I think
there are probably more, and that they
have bothered the queen inherduties.
The queen looks glassy, and very
much the color of old robber bees.
I shall send tlie bee to Prof. Cook,
with an insect that I caught killing
bees. I have seen a second of the
kind, but had nothing to save it with,
and I would not like to put my hands
to it. It is a regularly savage and
blood-thirsty insect. I have it in
alcohol. I caught it between the bur-
lap covers, over the frames. It has
very quick motions, and always faces
the music on guard. I jumped for
the bee, and it let its jaws into the
bee's abdomen, and held it clear up
in the air, and was walking oS with
it, when I stopped it. There must be
more of them.
Queen-rearing has not been profit-
able this season, owing to losing
many after being hatched, and even
after laying. On opening hives to
pick out a choice queen for a cus-
tomer, the young bees would look all
right, but the queen would be missing.
The hive and colony would seem all
right, though sometimes there would
be no eggs, but cells. I handle bees
carefully, not to kill bees nor queen
in moving frames, etc. It was not for
want of room, nor on account of
swarming, as I had but a few swarms
in the air. Before June, I could not
always open a hive when I should,
and the bees would destroy the cells.
Our honey crop will not be large
this season. Many have had no swarms
nor surplus, while some have taken 60
lbs. each from some few hives. The
most I have taken, so far, from any
one hive is about 75 lbs., most of it
extracted. My bees increased from
23 to 72 ; have sold at different times,
and now have 90 of 10 frames each,
all strong and in good condition to
stand the season of drouth, which will
soon be on us in this vicinity. We
had two days 102- in the shade. One
day I thought all of mv bees would
swarm at once, but I raised the front,
and in a short time the bees were all
in their hives.
Napa, Oal., Julv 4, 1SS3.
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
®° In reply to several inquiries,
let me say, that valuable queens
should never be introduced to colonies
having long been queenless. They
should be introduced in introducing
cages, which we make by wrapping
wire cloth around a stick one-half by
seven-eights of an inch, and usually
make them 4 inches long, with a plug
in each end. and in such a manner
that no wire points come inside the
cage.
Diseased Bees.
I have got a colony of bees that I do
not understand ; they are bloated up
so, and some of them get black ; they
lay around the entrance of the hive
and die off very fast. I tried Mr.
Hicks' cure for the disease, liut it did
them no good. They are Italian bees.
I changed hives with them ; the combs
are clean and they liave lots of brood.
James Gardine.
Ashland. Neb., July 16, 1SS3.
Answer. — I would have to see more
of the phenomena you mention to
give a satisfactory answer.
The colony may be robbing, and
becoming demoralized, and so daubed
with honey as to turn jet black. I am
rather of the opinion that is the cause
of the trouble. Follow up and see if
you can find where they are at work.
Getting Straight Combs.
You say I will be "as successful as
any one in getting straight combs if I
manage properly." Please e.xplain
your method. W. ij. Dresser.
Hillsdale. Mich.
Answer.— I think that my success
in getting combs built in sections so
straightly that no separators are
needed, is the result of the following
conditions :
1. I use full size pieces of founda-
tion, and such foundation as bees
draw out readily, rather than build
on to, perhaps beginning on one side
and getting away ahead of the other.
2. I put these pieces into the centre
of the section with that invaluable
little implement known as Parker's
comb foundation fastener, and it
stays where I put it.
3. I place the hive plumb from side
to side, and thus the foundation hangs
true in the section.
4. I place all my hives declining
toward the front.
5. The combs in my sections run
parallel with those in the brood-
chamber.
6. The narrow pieces of the sections
are that width that the bee passages
are ?3 instead of y^ inch, as is com-
monly used. This point is otherwise
very advantageous.
7. The slats of my honey board are
so arranged over the spaces between
the top bars of the frames of the
brood - chamber tliat bits of comb
built up from said top bars cannot
prejudice the bees in regared to crook-
ing or side bulging the combs in the
sections above.
8. Tlie more of the brown German
blood your bees possess, the quicker,
whiter and straighter will they build
comb.
Drones Tariously Marked.
On page 344, Bee Journal, Mr. J.
O. Shearman asks me to answer the fol-
lowing : " Can a queen breed two
kinds of drones at the same time V
Or would it be called an indication
that there might be two queens in a
hive to see drones like pure Italians
and pure blacks living together by
the hundreds ':'" I do not know just
what to credit to the word '' kinds."
Often drones go into neighboring
liives and habit them the rest of their
peaceful life-time. Then we see two
kinds in a hive ; but we often see the
same " kind " of drones variedly
marked, and I think such variations
are much more radical among the
drones of cross-breeding than among
the workers. Many times I have
seen drones that showed scarcely any
yellow, side by side with brothers that
were very yellow. Cross-breed bees
are much more regular in action
than in color.
Completing the Sections, etc.
Will you please answer the follow-
ing through the " What and How "
department of the Bee Journal :
1. What per cent, of the whole
number of sections used in your
apiaries, during an average season, do
tlie bees naturally complete 'f
2. Is the attempt to force the com-
pletion of boxes profitable 'i
3. What method do you use to
accomplish that end when thought
desirable V
4. What disposition do you make of
sections partially filled ?
Franklin P. Stiles.
Haverhill, Mass., July 13, 1883.
Answers. — Let me say that the
foregoing questions, I believe, are
asked by a practical honey-producer
of clear understanding.
1. As we never, at any time, allow
our bees to become crowded for room,
in the least, we have about one-
third of the whole number of sections
used during the season not sufficiently
completed for market, when the sea-
son closes in September. We know
that a different system of manage-
ment would complete nine-tenths of
them, but under such a system that
nine-tenths would weigh no more
pounds than our two-thirds.
2. I think it is generally understood
that the attempt to force the comple-
tion of boxes has not been made a
success, in the light of profit and
loss.
3. We have never tried it.
4. When we remove our sections in
the fall, we sort them over, and those
not sufficiently capped to be readily
merchantable, we uncap all the cells
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
373
that may be sealed ; place them in a
broad frame made for the purpose ;
hang them in the extractor, and
throw out the honey, putting tlie sec-
tions of drawn comb bacli into the
case, and put tliem away for next
year's use.
In the fall, after extracting sections
when recasing the sections of empty
combs (as we use no separators), the
combs are not always perfect in the
frames ; when we find one side a
little fuller than the other, we put the
two full sides together, and the hollow-
ing sides together. No matter if the
full sides of the combs should touch
each other, when the bees begin
operations the following season, they
will cut right through, building out
the other sides equally, and the occa-
sional crooked ones are thus made
straight.
In reply to several inquires received
of late, allow me to append the fol-
lowing :
1. How to get the sections out of
Heddon's cases.
This troul)led us very much the first
few days after using the case, but
now we can remove the sections from
our cases two or three times as fast
as from any other arrangement. We
invert the cases, four inches and a
half above our honey table, the end
pieces of the case just touching the
rests made for the purpose. Now we
have a solid wooden block scant 4
inches square and 12 inches long.
This will readily slip through each
department containing 7 sections.
We hollow out one side of the block
so that it will not bear any on the
sections, except at the corners (the
same object can be added to a block,
by tacking on two little beveled
strips). Lay this block across one
row of sections, bring the palms of
the hands down solidly and squarely
on top of the block, one at each end ;
and the sections, block and all, will
drop right through. (For a little
handle, a shingle nail driven in will
answer the purpose, in the middle of
the upper side of the block, with
which to draw it up.) Now you can
slide the sections out from under the
cases. This can be done in much less
time than you have been reading this.
In emptying cases we usually drive
all four rows of sections out, and then
set the case aside. The honey will
not break by the sections dropping
this four inches, as they sort of slide
out of their position, not having half
an inch to fall.
Two Queens in One Hive.
Last evening I saw what I have
long wanted to see. I examined a
hive, where I had introduced a young
laying queen, some 3 weeks ngo. On
the lirst comb I removed, I found my
queen all right. On removing another
comb, by the side of the first one
taken out, what should meet my eyes
but another laying queen. Now, I
know two queens can do duty in one
hive. I removed one of them to
another colony that was queenless.
W. H, Shiuley.
Glenwood, Mich., July 19, 1883.
Large Honey Crop.
Our honey crop is very large and of
the finest quality. We are having a
great excess of rain. We cannot
tliresh our wheat (it is so wet,) and we
fear it will be damaged in the shock.
N. P. Allen.
Smith's Grove, Ky., July 17, 18S3.
Illinois as a Honey-Prodiicing State.
I believe that we are largely creators
of circumstances. As time rolls on
we are drifted hither and thither,
often by circumstances over which we
have no control. A number of years
ago I became infatuated with apicul-
ture, and the longer I engaged in the
business, the better 1 liked it. Keiths-
burg, 111., where I was located, was
one of the very best points for an
apiary in the country ; and when my
favorite occupation promised to pan
out big, 1 felt that I was enlisted for
life in the sweet work. Unfortunately
for my hopes and desires, I became
sorely afflicted, and while all last sea-
son I worked hard in my apiary, there
was not an hour that I did not suffer
pain ; and when the spring of 1883
opened, I became so completely afflic-
ted that I was driven from the field of
apiculture into the uncertain pursuit
of health. In my wanderings I pulled
up at this beautiful little city of four
thousand inhabitants, where 1 studied
the profession of medicine 20 years
ago. My healtli is much improved,
and I have reason for believing that I
shall entirely recover. But I have no
bees, and although I have enquired
earnestly for a scientific apiarist in
these parts, I have found none. There
are a few box-hive and log-gum fogies,
and I found one bright light in the bee
world, who insisted that the drones
laid all the eggs. There is a young
gentleman about 3 miles from the city
who is learning scientific apiculture,
and will make a success of it, I think,
for he is both intelligent and indus-
trious. I do not know whether I
shall stay here next season or oot, but
if I recover my health entirely, Isliall
have an apiary wherever I may locate.
I am inclined to believe that Illinois
is as good a State for honey produc-
tion as there is in the Union. I shall
work, wherever I may be, to extend
the circulation of the Amekican Bee
JouKNAL, for it will kill fogyism
wherever it goe.s, and clean the cob-
webs of superstition from the brains
of all who read it. The Journal
comes to my new address regularly,
and I read it with the enthusiasm that
a boy does his first primer.
J. R. Baker.
Warsaw, Ind., July 17, 1883.
Honey from Alfalfa.
In regard to California honey gran-
ulating, all the honey I have put up
(some 19 tons) wouldcandy by Novem-
ber or December, and some of the best
became candied in warm weather. In
giving a list of the principal honey-
producing plants, in Cook's Manual,
no mention is made of alfalfa, which
is our main source of honey here.
Last year 8,000 out of the 9,465 lbs. of
honey which I put up, was from
alfalfa. Since May 27, 1 have extrac-
ted 7,100 lbs. of alfalfa honey ; and it
is first-class honey too. P. Loucks.
Kingsbury, Cal., July 9, 1883.
[Alfalfa has often been mentioned
as a honey producer. In the Bee
Journal for July 19, 1882, page 456,
this paragraph occurrs :
Alfalfa yields a good quality of
honey, and is in bloom every month in
tlie year ; it will grow without irriga-
tion in any kind of soil, amongst
stones, on such land as cannot be cul-
tivated. Scatter the seed plentifully
during the winter months, so that the
winter rains may settle it into the
soil and give moisture enough to
cause it to germinate ; keep sheep off
the ground so planted, and let the
alfalfa get a start, and nothing but
gophers can eradicate it. Most per-
sons think that alfalfa must have
plenty of water at all seasons of the
year in order to grow, but for bee
pasture good results may be had from
it without other moisture than that
obtained from rain.
Of course it is an oversight of Prof.
Cook's not mentioning it in his Man-
ual ; he will, no doubt, include it in
the next edition.— Ed.]
The Honey Harvest.
Every one keeping bees think that
the harvest of honey will be good in
this locality. There has been some
quite severe losses since the gathering
of last year's crop ; but the bees that
stood the storms are doing a fair busi-
ness at present, although we have had
it pretty wet, and it continues to be
so, with the heaviest of showers, and
as much of the dreadful cyclone as
one would wish to see, having due re-
spect for his house, bee hives, etc.
Yet we have some very warm days
between these great storms, and no
cold days that would be considered
wholly lost to the honey bee. It is my
opinion that the bees are doing well
on the clovers, and in 2 or 3 weeks
buckwheat will be in. then they will
be " the busy bees " in earnest. It is
the great event always with us in this
country. John Morris.
Manston, Wis., July 13, 18S3.
374
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Honey Tree of India.
In December I was in Aiistraliaand
saw a tree, a native of India, in bloom.
Wherever I saw the trees they were
covered with bees. I believe it to be
the best honey tree I ever saw in any
country. 1 liave just returned from
there and found the seed nearly ripe.
I have made arrangements to gather
seed. It is an evergreen, branches
thick from the ground, grows a beau-
tiful sugar leaf shape, although only
a few years introduced into tlie coun-
try ; I saw some nearly 80 feet high.
I think it is a hardy tree and will live
in your climate, and think it would be
a valuable addition for bee and honey
culture in America. I have lived
many years in the United States.
Edward Parsons.
Auckland, N., Z., June 19, 1S83.
[The tree belongs to the linden
family [Tiliiuxm,) so is a near relative
of the most noted honey tree of our
woods, the linden or bassvvood. It is,
however, highly improbable that the
tree can be grown in the United
States; if so, assuredly only well
South. The family is really a large
one, but nearly all belong to the tropics,
only represented in our country by
one species.
Is it not evidence of botanical rela-
tionship which amounts to something
when natives of opposite sides of the
world, and in wholly different climates,
thus possess similar properties V Last
year a specimen of stercuUa, intro-
duced into the Sonthern States, was
received for name, its lioney qualities
also being observed as excellent. Our
linden is tlie nearest botanical rela-
tion of this tree too, and therefore the
same remark auplies.— T. J. Burrill,
Champaign, 111.]
Bees in New York.
It is still wet here, and bees are
getting httle more than a living. We
had a few days during which a little
gain was made in the brood combs,
but no work has been done in sec-
tions. I am glad to hear of good
yields in other parts of the United
States. Basswood will be in bloom
in about a' week, when I hope for
better times. G. M. Doolittle
Borodino, N. Y., July 12, 1883.
Bees Hanging Out,
Why do some of our bees lie out so
much y They fill the portico day and
night. We have taken the honey and
given them more sections.
^ . „ ^ J. L. Harris.
Griftin, Ind., July 17, 1883.
[They probably find it too warm in
the hive for the numerous family, or
there is nothing to gather. Give them
a little ventilation by placing a small
piece of wood under the cover, and
they will go to work all right, if tliere
is anything to do.— Ed.]
Bees ill Arkansas.
I wintered 125 colonies in 1, 2 and
3 story hives without loss. They
never breed much before the middle
of February. On the last of March I
united them down to 100 colonies.
March 1.5 brings us plenty of bloom,
but our bees never gathered much
honey, on account of cold weather.
On April 1, the weather turned warm
and dry, and a honey flow came from
willows, clover and poplar. On May
1, every hive was solid with brood and
honey. I extracted from 2 story
hives, from 40 to 60 pounds ; on May
20, we had a cold rain ; on the 21st the
thermometer, at day break, was at 35'J
above zero ; frost was reported in low
land, but no damage was done. On
the 24th, our bees went to work again.
On May 28, 1 extracted again about
40 pounds, from the 2-story hives.
Now I could extract again, 40 to 50
pounds, from the second stories. Bees
are working well now on sumac, and
horsemint begins to bloom. For the
last two seasons we have had no con-
sumers among the bees; every nuclei
has been built up to a strong colony
and given a surplus. This year there
has not been much swarming. Ex-
tracted honey sells from 8 to 10 cents
per pound ; comb honey 12 cents. I
cannot make a large and full report.
I had a crop planted, and I could not
obtain the necessary help, but next
year I shall become a specialist with
bees. I send you a specimen of what
is called here horsemint. It blooms
from July 1 until frost, and grows all
over this State. It is same mint as
in Texas, please name it.
FRA>fK TniAVILLE.
Forest City, Ark., July 3, 1883.
[It is the horsemint (3Ionarda). and
yields an excellent quality of honey.
It is the principal honey-producer of
Texas.— Ed.]
Clover Honey Harvest Over Now.
The clover honey harvest is over
now, and a busy one it was. We had
good weather, with the exception of
five days last week, which were too
hot. and killed the last clover that
would have kept the bees at work a
little longer. But when I look at my
honey, I am well satisfied for this
year. I commenced with 23 colonies ;
devoted 3 for experiments, and, of
course, the result was, not much sur-
plus from them. I devoted 7 for comb
honey; the result was about 250
pounds, in one-pound sections, an
average of 36 pounds ; not a very good
result. Swarming is the cause; could
I control it, I could do much better.
From one Cyprian colony, devoted to
comb honey, I obtained 5 swarms,
but only about 12 one-pound sections
filled nicely, and the honey in the
brood department was well used up.
From one colony that did not swarm.
I got 66 pounds in one-pound sections;
that is the best I ever did with one
colony devoted to comb honey. Give
me the cross of Italian and German
bees for all purposes. From the 13
colonies devoted for extracted honey,
I took 85 gallons, and can easily get 15
gallons more, to make it 100 gallons ;
but to do this I must take up the in-
crease, for 25 colonies is about all I
can keep here, in the city limits. But
here 1 run against B. F. Carroll, on
page 336 of the Weekly Bee Journal.
What does he call one who kills bees ?
He may say advertise and sell your
queens. But I think after purchasing
cages and paying postage, there would
be very little left for my work. I
might unite the bees, and board them
until October, when they may die a
natural death, from old age. Is it not
strange that those sbmdard frame
advocates have not stated the great-
est score against the Langstroth
frame, namely standing the frame on
end, when extracting ?
Louis HOFSTATTER.
Louisville, Ky., July 13, 1883.
Bees Reveled in Clover.
Basswood is just coming into bloom.
Bees have done well on white clover,
considering their condition in April
and May. I have now 282 colonies,
and 18 more to hear from. I could
not run an apiary of that size without
clipping queen's wings. I have taken
70 pounds of fine honey from one hive
of Italians, and think they have about
20 pounds more. I am extracting all
clover honey, and marking the barrels
so as to avoid mixing. I do not think
it a suitable pursuit for an invalid to
follow. Wji. Lossmo.
Hokah,Minn., July 13, 1883.
Houey from Dog Fennel.
Mr. Enas, of Napa, Cal., asks if
honey from dog fennel is poisonous V
We get a good de^l of honey here
from wild camomile, which resembles
the dog fennel of Tennessee, which is
very bitter, but not poisonous. It
loses the bitter taste, to some extent,
but not entirely, after several months
keeping. E. P. Massey.
Waco, Texas, July 13, 1883.
Bees in Alabama.
We have had a perfect drouth al-
most eversince April 1. Until the last
10 days, bees have scarcely gathered
enough honey to keep up brood-rear-
ing. But now the sourwood is just
in, and it brought honey with it ; bees
are booming, and the honey is very
white. Some ask when we can rear
the best queens? We can rear just
as good queens in one month as
another, from April to September,
provided our rules are carried out,
viz. : plenty of pollen, plenty of honey,
and plenty of bees. This has been
one of tlie coldest and most backward
seasons we ever experienced. We
had frost in May. If there are any
bee-keepers who wish to move South,
there is room enough among our
mountains ; thousands of pounds of
honey are wasting for the, want of
bees to bring it in. T. S. Hall.
Kirby's Creek, Ala., July 2, 1883.
Basswood Opening.
Bees have done very well up to the
present week ; this week has been too
cool and wet. Basswood is just
opening. J. I. Parent.
Charlton, N. Y., July 14, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
375
Comb Foundation.
Mr. Editor :— I send you by this
mail samples of foundation made on
the Given press, in answer to Messrs.
Bray & Seacord, of Warthan, Cal., on
page 338 of the Bee Journal. For
thin foundation the only difference is
the sheets are thinner ; the work is
the same after being sheeted. There
is no change in machinery from heavy
foundation to thin foundation. It
works thick and thin simultaneously.
Bees here are just waiting for some-
thing to turn up ; just making a living.
Thus far, the honey harvest in north-
ern Texas might be represented
numerically as follows: 000 pounds;
if we have no change, two more
naughts may be added, making it
00.000 pounds, surplus honey for 1883.
We hope our Kentucky friends will
remember us kindly at their coming
convention. I am happy to greet
America's greatest bee-master, Rev.
L. L. Langstroth, again. He is our
father in bee-literature.
\Vm. R. Howard.
Kingston, Texas, July 10, 1883.
[The samples are received ; both the
thick and thin foundation have very
thin bases to the cells, and as both
were made on the same mill, this
full answers the query of Messrs. Bray
& Seacord.— Ed.]
^:pccii\l polices.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when -sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
|5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
■\Ve wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more net«
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 50 cents ;
per hundred, $3.00. On orders of 100
or more, we print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Honey from Bine Thistles.
Our prospects for a good crop of
honey were never better. The spring
was late, but since settled weather
came, the bees have built up rapidly.
Swarming is in full blast. On Friday
of last week, one of our box-hive-bee-
men had 8 swarms in one bunch. He
hived the first swarm that came off on
that day ; seven others came out and
clustered on the hive in which the
first had been hived, thus making 8
swarms together. They were divided
and put in 3 or 4 boxes. Have not
heard how they were doing. My bees
are storing honey rapidly from blue
thistle. This honey is very white
and of fine flavor.
T W^ C A TJ.T'T'' R.
Pleasant Dale, W. Va., July 11, 1883.
1^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
frofia items of business.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Dog Fennel Honey.
Last year I had some very late
swarms that mthered a great deal of
honey from dog fennel. The honey
is unfit for use, having a bitter.taste ;
one dose was enough for me. Two
colonies had nothing but dog fennel
honey to winter on, and came throush
as strong as any. Bees will not
gather honey from dog fennel when
there is anything else to work upon,
though it blooms from June until
October. There is an immense
quantity of it in tliis country, making
the fields look perfectly yellow.
W. S. Douglass.
Lexington, Texas, July 16, 1883.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with |(>, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
^" Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them — one-cent stamps ;
if not, any denoiSination of postage
stamps will do.
Died.— My little son, Wm. R. How-
ard, died of congestion, after a short
and painful illness, on the 3d inst.
Aged 3 years, 8 months and 26 days.
Wm. R. Howard.
Kingston, Texas, July 12, 1883.
1^" When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and wheu the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
bvit on separate pieces of paper.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
^" Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 188:5 be lost. The
best way to preserve tliem is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send tor 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
376
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smokere need wide shields. Bingham'B
have them, and sprlnes that do not rust ami break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror hasall improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for JSl. 75. Address,
BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON,
Abronia Mich.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& Hetherington, Dear Sirs :— I am
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas. May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother" with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker " did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M, DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1882.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor", .(wide shield)— 3!^ in. Are tube, $2.no
The Conqueror (wide shield)— 3 in.flretube, 1.7.5
Large ( wide shield )—i;!-i In. Are tube, 1.50
Extra (wide shield t—D in.tlre tul'e, 1.25
Plain (nar. shield)- 2 in.flretube, l.lHi
Little Wonder.. (n:tr. shield)- l-^iin.flretube, .fi.T
Bingham & Hetherington Uncapping Knife.. 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
BiNGHAJi & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883,
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
^" We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
^" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply tfie Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for !}-2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1,75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wiapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When j'ou send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks tliereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
■^"May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in clotli, for one new sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
The New York and Lake City Mining
Company.
A prominent engineer, who is well
acquainted with Mines in all parts of
Colorado, was recently invited to ex-
amine the property of this Company.
He gave it as his opinion, and he is
perfectly disinterested, that the pro-
perty is the richest he had ever seen,
and is worth $5,000,000,— ^du.
HOLY LAND QUEENS
BY RETTTKN MAII..
Untested, single (.)ueen, fl.oii; « for $.5.50; or 12 for
$10.00. Warranted Queens 25 cents more, each.
I. ^l- G-OOID,
30A2t SBIt TTJI^liAHOMA, XESTSf.
Queens! Queens! Queens!
We are dow prepared to send you by return mail
the handsomest and best Queens, bred from our
best honey-patherinK strains of ITALIANS and
ALBINOS. Purity and safe arrival guaranteed.
Tested queens, each $ 2,no
Warranted queens, each \MO
per ^ doz... 5.5<J
perl doz... 10.00
Untested " each 90
perKdoz 5.00
perl doz 9.00
If you want Queens for BUSINESS, send us an
order. We are breeding from an entirely new strain
this season, which bids fair to outstrip anything we
have ever had before for hi)ney. Address,
WM. ^X. CARV & SON, Coleraine. Mass.
The Oldest Queen Breeders In America.
BEES and HONEY,
Management of an Apiary for Fleasore
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor of the Weekly Bee Journal.
935 \^est ftfadlBon Street, Chtca«o, III.
It contains lOO profusely illustrated pages, le
*' fully up with the times" in all the improvements
and inventions in this rapidly developinR pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everything that can
aid in the^ successful management of the Honey
Bee, and at the same time produce the most honey
in its best and most attractive condition.
rpTTTC T> \ T>T?T> °i«^ t'** found on file
1X1 iO X Ax iM\ at (ieo. P. Rowell &
Co.'s Newspaper Advertising Bureau (lo Spruce
St.), where advertising contracts may be made for
it in NEW YORK.
Appreeliitlve Notices.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. Y,
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen. Pulaski, Tenn.
Contains all the information needed to make
bee-culture successful.— Eagle, Union City, Ind.
Just such a work as should be in the hands of
every beginner with bees.— News, Keithsburg, II].
Valuable for all who are Interested in the care
and management of bees.— Dem.. Allegan, Mich.
Engravings are Une. Gotten up in the best style,
and is cheap at the price.- Farmer. Cleveland, O.
Carefully prepared fc»r beginners.— Farmerb*
Cabinet, Amherst. N. H.
A very valuable work to those engaged In bee-
raising.- News. Prairie City, Iowa.
We advise all who keep bees to send for this ex-
cellent work.— Journal, Louisiana. Mo.
Carefully prepared, and of vast importance to
bee-raisers.- Indianian, Clinton. Ind.
New and valuable, and embellished with 109
beautiful engravings.— Democrat. Salem, Ind.
Much practical useful information, in a cheap
form.— Daily Standard. New Bedford, Mass.
The most perfect work for the price ever yet pro-
duced on the subject of bee-culture.— Anti-Monop-
olist. Lebanon. Mo.
A manual, containing all the newest discoveries
in the management of these little workers.— Plain
Dealer. St. Lawrence. N. Y.
Full of practical instruction, that no one who
contemplates keeping bees can do without. -Far-
mers" Journal. Louisville, Ky.
It comprises all that is necessary for successful
bee-culture, save experience and good Judgment.
—Daily Republican. Utica, N. V.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping a
success-- Col. Valley and Farm.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even though they be not directly interested In the
care of bees.— Sentinel. Rome. N. Y.
It embraces every subject that can interest the
beginner in bee-cu Iture. The engravings perfectly
illustrate the text.— Farm and Fireside. Spring-
field, O.
Embraces every subject of interest in the apiary,
giving very thorough details <»f the management
and manipulations necessary to make bee-keeniug
a success.- Farm. Longmont, Colo.
It is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the
Utile busy bee. as well as of all that ona needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of information In regard to
bee-culture. He who would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted in all the improvements In
his line. We advise all interested to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times, San Bernardino, Cal.
Describes all the newest discoveries in the art,
by which the production of delicious and health-
giving honey is obtained, aswell as how to prepare
it for the market in the most attractive shape.—
Signal. Napoleon. O.
It embraces every subject that will interest the
beginner. It describes all the newest discoveries
In the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive
form. It is embellished with beautiful engravings,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer. Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound in cloth. 75 cents; in paper
covers. SO cents, postpaid.
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
925 W. Madison St.. Chicago, 111.
A Llbernt UlNcount to Se&lers by
the Dozen or Hundred.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., AUGUST 1, 1883.
No. 31.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Detecting Glucose Adulterations.
We have received from the Rev. L.
L. Langstroth, the following letter
concerning the recent discovery of
the new phase of the glucose abomi-
nation :
Oxford, O., July 20, 1883.
Friend Newman :— I enclose you
what I hope will prove a good way of
detecting glucose adulterations. I
have the promise of some glucosed
maple sugar bought in the open mar-
ket, which will be soon tested. We
propose to move all along upon the
enemies' lines. I am aware that these
exposures must, for a time, to a cer-
tain extent, injure the honey trade;
but they are necessary, and in the end
will help it. If bee-keepers kept
silence, where would these frauds
stop ? The good old Ameuican Bee
Journal has done mucli honest work
in this matter. IIow long will it
take to excite a State or the whole
country if a President, or even a Sen-
ator or Governor is to be elected, so
that vast sums can be raised for
election expenses, and yet the people
rest almost passive upon the immense
frauds of adulterators, who are often
destroying health and even life ! It
is hard to move us in this matter, but
the steam of a righteous indignation
is making, and its power will be felt.
Please correct the only important
error of the press in my last com-
munication. 1 said, "for we do not
believe that this company is a sinner
above all others," etc., and the types
made me say, " we do believe," etc.
Mr. McCord and myself do not wish
to make personal attacks upon any
one, or to single out any one concern.
If any of the many glucose manu-
factories feel agrieved by our ex-
posure, it conuot lie helped." Again, I
challenge them, or any of their ad-
vocates, to name for what legitimate
purposes the immense quantities of
glucose products are used. I ask
them if they dare to say to what uses
they are actually put. We wish " the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth."
L. L. Langstroth.
The letter referred to by Mr. Langs-
troth, with the method of testing
honey, syrups, etc., by Prof. B. F.
Marsh, of the Miami University
Training School, is as follows :
Oxford, O., July 18, 18S3.
Dear Sir :— In answer to your re-
quest that I should indicate some easy
method by means of which impurities
in glucose, syrups, etc.. could be de-
tected, I submit the following.
The impurities most common in
manufactured glucose are calcic sul-
phate, known as sulphate of lime, and
sulphuric acid. Calcic sulphate is in-
soluble in alcohol. If, therefore, a
drop of glucose containing any of the
above salt be thoroughly mixed by
shaking in a glass vessel with four or
five tablespoonsfuls of strong alcohol,
a white precipitate of calcic sulphate
will appear and make the solution
milky. The above test is generally
all that is necessary to detect the
presence of the sulphate of lime. It
may be necessary, sometimes, to add
a drop or two of sulphuric acid to the
solution before the precipitate will
appear.
For the detection of sulphnrie acid,
a drop or two of the suspected glucose
is to be placed in a glass vessel and
dissolved in two or three tablespoon-
fuls of water. Add a few drops of
chloride of barium to the solution,
when, if sulphuric acid is present in
considerable quantity, a white precip-
itate will appear and make the solu-
tion milky. This test will generally
be all that is necessary to inmcate the
presence of sulphuric acid in glucose.
When the acid is present only in mi-
nute quantities, it will be necessary to
add to the solution of glucose and
water, a drop or two of dilute chlor-
hydric or muriatic acid before adding
the chloride of barium. In making
the tests, rain water should be used.
It is hardly necessary for me to add
that pure honey contains no lime or
sidphuric acid. There is, however, in
all pure honey, a slight trace of formic
acid which is secreted by the bee ; but
this acid will not interfere with the
tests which are indicated above.
With great respect, I am.
Yours Truly, 15. F. Marsh.
Rev. L. L. LANGSTROTii,Oxford,0.
It will be remembered that the
glucose manufacturers wrote to Mr.
McCord that " tliey feed it [glOfcose]
very largely in California, and make
money out of it." Mr. Wm.Muth-
Rasmussen has sent us the following
very emphatic denial of the accusa-
tion :
Mr. Editor :— I have just read
Mr. Langstroth's article with your
comments on page 341, AiiERiCAN
Bee Journal.
Allow me to say, that during my 14
years' experience in the bee business
in California, I iiave never seen
glucose, nor have I among my large
number of bee-keeping acquaintances
found any who ever had. I know of
bee-keepers, who in seasons of drouth
bought honey in San Francisco to feed
to their bees to save them from star-
vation. They paid 7 cents and freight*
for honey which they had sold the
previous year for 5 cents. Others
bought grapes at the vineyards and
hauled load after load to the moun-
tain apiaries to save the bees. I
never heard of grape sugar being
used for that purpose, though it is not
impossible. But the assertion, that
'• they feed it (glucose) very largely
in California, and make money out of
it," I shall not hesitate to pronounce
in the meaning it is intended to con-
vey, as an umnitigated lie.
I doubt that glucose or grape sugar
either can be found in this State out-
side of San Francisco. I believe it is
used there by packing firms, as it is
but a short time since I saw in one of
the stores here a small can of honey
which had been there for 6 years, and
was still liquid. The "honey" was
rather dark, of inferior flavor, and
thinner than good honey ought to be,
still it was labeled " Orange Blossom
Honey," " Warranted Pure." Two
bare-faced lies on each can. Every
one fainiliiir with southern California
knows that bees never get orange-
blossom honey to amount to anything.
The orchards are too far from the
apiaries, and the orange tree blooms
in the winter and early spring, when
bees never fly far in search of food.
The price of honey in California is
governed by the price in tlie eastern
States, deducting freight, commission
and other incidental expenses. Any
one can, tlierefore, by looking at the
quotations in the bee papers see that
a man is not liable to grow rich by the
bee business here You cannot, Mr.
Editor, more than I regret that
another drawback should be added to
the often precarious living of the
378
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
California bee-keeper, by the false
assertions of this " Grape Sugar Co."
I enclose a clipping from the Pacific
Rural Press, March 24, 1883, by which
you will see that a new sweetening
compound lias been invented, and is
going to be used to adulterate glucose
with. Can you, or any of our scien-
tific bee-keepers, tell us anything
further about this "benzoic sulphide y"
Wji. Muth-Rasjiussen.
Independence, Cal., July 19, 1883.
The following is the new compound
for adulterating glucose, mentioned by
Mr, Muth-Rasmussen :
A New Swebt Compound.— C.
Fahlberg, in a paper read before the
Franklin Institute, Jan. 17, furnishes
some interesting particulars in rela-
tion to his discovery of a certain sweet
compound in the hydrocarbon of the
coal tar group. lie describes the
sweetness as being very intense. As
soon as he made the discovery, he pro-
ceeded at once to determine whether
it was poisonous to take it in larger
quantities or not. At Hrst a cat and
then a dog were subjected to experi-
ment, but they remaining alive and
apparently not in the slightest degree
affected by it, the discoverer decided
to take several grammes of it himself.
The result was not the slightest incon-
venietice experienced from it. A
chemical test of the urine, made the
next morning, showed that almost the
«ntire quantity taken could be thus
recovered. .
The compound obtained, and which
contained the sweet principle, forms
salts with any carbonate of the alka-
lies, alkaline, eartlis or metals and
all of which taste sweet. It is, how-
ever, not an acid, but belongs to a
class of bodies to which the name
"Sulphines" has been given ; the com-
pound in question being benzoic sulph-
ide. It is very readily soluble in alco-
hol, more so than in cold water, in
which it only dissolves readily when
it is hot. The discoverer says: "I
am making the attempt now to pre-
pare it in larger quantities, and by
cheaper methods, and have no doubt
that it will find extensive use in med-
icine and for techinal purposes. One
experiment made was to sweeten glu-
cose, whicli, as you all know, tastes
only faintly sweet, and the result was
a complete success. As soon as I
shall have found the method by which
to prepare it on a manufacturing
scale, I shall come before you again,
and as I trust and hope, with larger
samples than now, ready to give an-
swer to all questions in regard to its
price, application, etc."
This " benzoic sulphide " is new to
us, and, if its career is to be anything
like its twin-fraud— glucose— it were
better if it should be consigned to
eternal oblivion.
^"Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
Bee and Honey Show at Toledo, 0.
The Tri-State Fair (Ohio, Michigan
and Indiana) will be held at Toledo,
O., Sept. 10 to IS, 1883. The follow-
ing is the list of premiums in the
Apiary Department, of which Dr. A.
B. Mason, of Wagon Works, O., is the
superintendent :
I8t. 2(1.
Preni. Prem.
Display comb honey in most
marketable shape, product
of one apiary in 1883 $10 $o
Display extracted honey in
most marketable shape,
product of one apiary in
1883 10 .5
Display extracted honey in
most marketable shape, by
a lady, product of her own
apiary in 1883 •') 3
Display comb honey in most
marketable shape, by a
lady, product of her own
apiary in 1883 5 3
Comb honey in most mark-
etable shape, not less than
20 lbs., quality to govern. 4 2
Extracted honey in most
marketable shape, not less
than 20 lbs., quality to
govern 4 2
Crate or case comb honey,
not less than 20 lbs., m
best shape for shipping
and retailing 4 2
Colony bees 5 3
" Italian bees 5 3
" Syrian bees 5 3
Colonies of bees must be the prog-
eny of one queen, and exhibited in
such shape as to be readily seen on
two sides. Purity of race, docility,
size of bees, and numerical strength
to be considered.
Display of queens, put up in
such shape as to be reaaily
seen by visitors ; blacks
not to compete 3 2
Greatest variety of queens
put up as in display of
queens 3 2
Queens and colonies cannot com-
pete for more than one premium.
Bee hive for all purposes in
the apiary, may be repre-
sented by a model not less
than half size 3 2
Bee hive, glass 2 1
Wax extractor 2 1
Honey extractor 2 1
Foundation mill ft 3
Foundation press 5 3
Beeswax, not less than 10 lbs 2 1
Comb foundation for brood-
chamber, not less than 5
lbs 2 1
Comb foundation for surplus
honey, not less than 3 lbs. 2 1
Comb foundation machine
making tlie best founda-
tion for brood -chamber on
thegrounds 8 4
One piece sections, not less
than 60 1 50c
Dovetailed sections, not less
then .50 1 oOc
Packages with labels for re-
tailing extracted honey. . . 1 50c
Bee smoker 1 60c
Honey knife 1 oOc
Package for shipping ex-
tracted honey in bulk .... 1 oOc
Machine for making holes
in frames for wiring 2 1
Machine for wiring frames. 2 1
Display apiarian supplies. . . 3 1
Quinces preserved with
honey 2 1
Peaches preserved with
honey 2 1
Apples preserved with honey 2 1
Pears preserved with honey 2 1
Largest and best collection
of bee literature 2 1
Largest and best display of
honey bearing plants, prop-
erly named and labeled. . . 10 5
Queen cage, such as is ad-
milted to the mails by the
postal laws 1 0
Honey vinegar, not less than
one gallon 2 1
Honey cake, with recipe for
making 4 2
Bee and Honey Show.— The twenty-
third St. Louis Fair opens Monday,
Oct. 1, and closes Saturday, Oct. 6,
1883, and offers premiums, $50,000.
The following are the premiums for
Bees and Honey :
Best display of Italian bees $20
" displav of black native
bees....' 20
Best imported queen 10
" display of comb honey
25 lbs Dip.and 10
Best crate of honey in comb L.S. Med.
" bee hive for all purposes Dip.
" honey extractor Dip.
" wax extractor Dip.
" bee smoker Dip.
" lioney knife Dip.
" bee veil or face protec-
tor Dip.
Best display of apiarian im-
plements 1st Dip. & $25
2d L. S. Med.
The secretary writes us as follows :
" We make no charge for entry or
space, and will allow the sale of pro-
ducts, provided a neat display is
made, and stock is replenished, during
the entire week. We contemplate
allotting a building exclusively to this
department."
1^ Mr. J. F. Tearman, of Lincoln,
111., has sent us a copy of the Premium
List of the Fair to be held at Lincoln,
111., on Aug. 27 to 31 . The following
are premiums for" bees and honey "—
just three ; no more and no less— the
whole amount of premiums being but
just $18. Let us hope that heretofore
they have offered none, and that this
is their first effort :
m. 2d.
Bee hive containing colony
of bees $5 00 $2 50
Display of apiarian supplies 5 00 2 50
Five pounds of honey in
comb 2 00 1 00
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
:i79
Bee and Honey Exhibition.
There will be held, at the Southern
Exposition, August 28 to September
1, under the direction of the Agri-
cultural Comnaittee, an exhibition of
Dees and honey, when the following
premiums will be awarded :
1. For best exhibit of Italian beea In obser-
vatory bive
First I 25 00
Second 15 00
2. For best .'tO to I'K) pounds of comb honey
produced in Kentucky in best shape
for retail trade or for family use
First 20 00
Second 10 00
3. For 50 to 100 pounds of extracted honey
produced in Kentucky in bevt shape
for retail trade or for family use
First 20 0<i
Second - 10 00
Note. — The premiums No. 2 and
No. 3 above are offered by the State
of Kentucky through Hon. Chas. E.
Bowman, Commissioner of Agri-
culture, and are contined to the pro-
ducts of Kentucky.
RULES OF THE EXHIBITION.
1. The exhibition will be in charge
of the Superintendent of the Agri-
cultural department.
2. Bees in observatory hives must
be so conlined that they shall not have
exit in the Exposition building.
.S. Table room for the exhibits will
be provided by the Superintendent.
4. Articles for exhibition sent by
express must be directed to the South-
ern Exposition, marked " Bee Exhi-
bition," and charges must be prepaid.
5. Exhibitors will be admitted free
on August 28 and 29.
6. All exhibits must be entered and
placed upon the tables by 1 o'clock
p. m., August 28, at which time judges
will award the premiums.
7. Judges will be appointed by the
Agricultural Committee.
8. Tlie premiums will be paid in
cash.
The National Convention.
The National Bee - Keepers' As-
sociation, will hold its Annual Con-
vention in the City Hall and Council
Chamber in the city of Toronto, on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
the 18th, Ktth and 20tli days of Sep-
tember, during the second week of
Canada's Great Fair. All the rail-
roads in Canada will issue tickets
during this week, good to return, up
to Saturday night 22d, at single fare
for the round trip. Special excursion
rates will be arranged from various
parts of the United States, of wliich
due notice will be given. Those who
intend being present may be kept
posted on the latest excursion rates,
etc., by addresssng me, and also tliat
I may arrange hotel accommodation.
Private lodgings will, if possible, be
secured for those who desire it, and
every effort will be made to make
everybody comfortable. A grand
meeting is anticipated.
D. A. Jones, President.
The Honey Flow.
Mrs. L. Harrison, in the Prairie
Farmer, makes this statement of the
case :
The flow of nectar from white
clover still continues, and judging
from recent rains, it appears as
though there would be no interim be-
tween its bloom and fall flowers.
Some bee-keepers of this State report
" honey dripping from their gar-
ments," and this is literally true of
those who extract. The flow of
honey, this season, has not been con-
tinuous, but off and on, resulting in
the rearing of multitudes of bees.
When swarming has been controlled
to the extent of keeping all hives full
to overflowing with bees, satisfactory
results in honey will be obtained.
^" Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
Dio Lewis' Monthly is tlie title of a
new serial, the first number of which
is on our desk. It is a handsome
magazine printed in clear type, and
is devoted to health and hygene. It
is published by Clark Bros., 08 Bible
House, New York, at $2.50 a year.
The editor remarks as follows :
It is conceded that the cloud over-
hanging this wonderful land is the
doubtful health of its people. With
good digestion and good nerves we
can more than realize the world's
brightest hopes. The aim of this
magazine is to popularize sanitary
science. We shall strive to make the
subject of the health of our bodies as
simple and interesting as a story.
1^" The pamphlet, " Honey, as
Food and Medicine," is in such de-
mand, that we find it necessary to
print them in still larger quantities,
and can, therefore, still further re-
duce tlie price, as noted on page 387.
Let them be scattered like " autumn
leaves," and the result, we feel sure,
will fully reward honey-producers for
both the labor and the small expense.
St. Joseph, Mo., Honey Show.— We
notice by the St. Josepli Gazette that
Mr. D. G. Parker is again appointed
superintendent of the apiarian de-
partment of the St. Joseph Exposi-
tion. We hope it will be a grand
success.
^- East spring Mr. D. C. Talbot
described his " Comb Foundation
Fastener " in the Bee Journal, and
afterwards advertised it for sale.
Now we have two complaints from
V^arties tliat have sent for, but, so far,
have not received it. We have writ-
ten him twice about the matter, and
getting no reply, we fear there is
something wrong, and now publicly
ask for an explanation.
Postage on Queens to Canada. — On
any package of merchandise sent to
Canada,of 8 ounces or less, the postage
is 10 cents. Queens, therefore, cannot
be sent for less than 10 cents each.
Canadians ordering queens from the
United States, should add 10 cents
for each queen, if they are to be sent
by mail, for that extra 10 cents will
usually eat up all the prolits on queen
bees, if they are reared as they should
be.
1^" The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters goes into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will then be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent,
or else Ave or ten-cent postage stamps.
Do not send coins in any letter.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFPICK OP AMKKICAN BEB JOURNAL. j
Monday, lo a. m., July yo, 1883. J
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
IIONEV— Extracted honey commences to come
in f peelv, and a large crop is reported from all quar-
ters. The demand ia very Kood. and beeps pace
with the arrivals. For choice extracted honey I
Eay 7(*loc: the latter price for choice clover. I
ave received several nice lots of comb honey, for
whicn we paid 15W!16c on arrival.
BBK8VVAX.— Arrivals of beeswax are plentiful.
We pay 32c. for a good article on arrival.
Chas. F. MnTH.
NEW YORK.
HONEY.— Best clover in 1-lb. sections {no Rlass)
20*3210.; in 2-lb. sections (Klassed) 18(§)2uc. Fair
quality, 1 and 2-lb. sections. 16ai7c Extracted,
white, in small barrels. lix« I Ic; buckwheat, HcjsHMo.
BEESWAX.— Is more plentiful. Prime yellow
sells at 36^c. _ _ „ „
H. K. & F. B. ThPRHKR & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY- New crop of comb honey is being of-
fered, and some sales of It have been made at
IBOIKcin 1 and IH frames. The receipts of ex-
tracted are liberal, and there is a good deal or
complaint about unripe honey : consumers holding
ocr. Market, H(fljiuc for white. Very little dark
left, and some inquiry for it.
BKESWAX-3l«a/35c,
B. A. BDRNETT, 161 South Water 8t.
BAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY.— New extracted is arriving freely— sell-
ing for 7 and H cts. New comb coming forward
slowly : extra white. Hie.
BEESWAX.— No beeswax in the market.
STEARNS & Smith. 423 Front street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONBY.-Consilerablenewarrivine. and selling
in lots at IH'vT/ic for extracted in cans: uaiso
for comb. Old and all poorer offerings neglected
and nominal. ^ ,
BEE.SWA.X.-Easv, but sold mainly at 'Jlt-a.^Oc.
W. T. Andkhson & CO., 104 N. 3d street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY -There is a very good demand for new
white honev at l.sr.>2oc. for 1 lb. sectbms; 2 lb. new
17(^lHc.: old, l.'i'rt;lrtc. No extracted has been re-
ceived, and none seems wanteu in our market.
BB ES W A -X - 320350.
A. C, KBNDBL. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HO.SE Y— Our market is fairly active. We quote:
H lb. sections at 30C.: 1 lb. sections. 22(^:i5c.: 2 1b.
sections. 2m«22c. Extracted, loc. per lb. Good
loTs ot extracted are wanted in kegs or barrels.
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone: we have none
to quote.
CROCKER & Blakg. 5T Cbatbam Street.
880
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Fur the Amerlcun Bee Journal.
That "Long Idea" Hive.
G. M. noOLlTTLE.
On page 223, A. W. R. asks why I
do not adopt and practice the method
used in getting tlie 506 pounds of ex-
tracted lioney spoken of on page llo.
Ten or more years agoD. L. Adair, of
Kentucky, was quite a prominent bee-
keeper and writer for the bee papers.
He used and advocated a long liive to
be used on the principle of spreading
the frames out horizontally instead of
tiering one hive above the other,
claiming that, thereby, a colony of
bees could be kept in a normal condi-
tion, and wliile in said condition no
swarming would be the result. This
hive lie termed the " long idea" hive.
Being always ready to test all the
" new ideas," I made two hives four
feet long, during the winter of 1873,
but did not put them in use until the
summer of 1877. One of these 1
worked for extracted honey, as given
on page 11.5. and the other for comb
honey, on Mr. Adair's plan.
The one worked for comb honey
swarmed, and after repeated trials to
keep them at work in the 4-foot hive,
I let them 'lave their own way wlien
they had swarmed for tlie fifth time,
and hived them in an empty hive.
The one worked for extracted honey
did splendidly, but anotlier worked
on the "tiering up" plan did nearly as
■well, and by practical knowledge I
learned that I could work a two or
three story hive much more easily
than I could this long one. To take
the frames out, the person's back must
be bent just enough to make it the
l|ardest kind of work, and the bees
which were shaken off the combs
would crawl all over the sides and
top of the hive in such numbers as to
make it almost impossible to close it
again. With the two story hive the
bees could be shaken on top of the
frames in the lower hive, when they
would crowd below until the hive was
closed, and tlie operator could stand
erect while at work attheliive. But
the worst thing about it was that I
lost both colonies during the next
winter, after fixing them in good
shape for winter, as I considered. I
have tried the hives since with no
better success, so have torn them to
pieces and made others of them.
A. \V. R. fiuther wants to know
" what became of the 70,000 workers
in winter." As tlie honey season
drew to a close, or about the first of
August, the queen ceased to lay in
all but about six of the central
frames, so that by the first of Novem-
ber the hive contained no more bees
tlian others having only nine frames
during the season. The worker bee
lives but about 4.5 days during the
summer months, hence it comes to
pass, as soon as the queen ceases her
extra proliticness, that the workers
rapidly diminish, till but an ordinary
colony exists for winter. He tliat
over-rules all things made the honey
bees so that as summw approaches
their instinct leads tliem to usher a
host of bees into existence to gather
the honey about to be secreted, and
as tills passes by, the same instinct
leads them to piepare for winter, by
decreasing their numbers. In this,
as well as in many other things, we
see how perfect was the work of the
Creator.
Borodino, N. Y.
Mlchlifun Farmer.
Selecting Location Before Swarming.
rilOF. A. J. COOK.
I send you this interesting letter of
Mr. F. E. Delano's, one of our grad-
uates, and a farmer at Oxford, Mich.
A case almost identical is reported
from England. This seems to prove
that scouts are sent out before swarm-
ing to pre-empt the future home, and
that clustering just after the swarm
issues, is not to give time to look up a
home, but more probably to give the
queen, which has not tried her wings
for months — probably years — a brief
rest after tlie short flight, from hive
to cluster, before the longer one is
commenced.
OxFOKD, June 24. 1883.
To Prof. A. J. Cook.
As you are now interested in im-
parting what is known about the
" little busy bee " to those who are
still nervous about shaking hands
with them, and still more so about
having them tenants of the same
house. I will tell you of an interest-
ing occurrence that has taken place
here, and in which a swarm of bees
are especially interesfed. We are en-
gaged in rebuilding a part of our
house ; the upright has not been torn
down, and on the side where we are
putting up the new part the joists run
througli the wall. There happened to
be some holes next to the ends of two
or three. Friday afternoon it was
very warm ; for a long time I had
noticed that there were bees around
the house, and had made some casual
remarks concerning them, but paid
no attention otherwise to their cim-
tinual hmn. Finally we looked
around, and found that to all appear-
ances a swarm of bees had gone into
the house under the chamber Hoor.
As a swarm of bees make considerable
noise when tliey fly, and as we had
heard no unusual or increased amount
of humming, we concluded that they
must have come when we were at
dinner. Again, we could hardly
credit that conclusion, for it was halt-
past three before we had heard a bee
at all. That night all we could do
was to make conjectures concerning
their arrival. The mystery was sat-
isfactorily explained about 9 o'clock
Saturday morning. About half-past
eight we noticed that there was not a
bee around, so did not know but that
they had left. Well, they had, but
not for good, for about nine the
swarm really came, and this time
they made noise enough. It was a
big swarm, too. Now, for the con-
clusion : The bees that came Friday
were either a scouting party sent in
advance, or else they came to clean
out and make ready,' which, I do not
know ; but think probably the place
had been selected before, and that
this regiment had been sent on to
make ready for the swarm, for they
were very busy until nijjlit. Then
Saturday morning the regiment went
back and piloted the swarm to the
new found home.
Whether the swarm came direct
here from the hive or not, I do not
know. • There are bees kept three-
quarters of a mile south of here. I
shall go and see if a swarm left there
Saturday morning.
This is positive proof in this case,
and I suppose it is so in all, or most
at least, that the place is selected be-
fore the swarm go to it. I have been
minute in my description because the
circumstance was interesting, and I
never remember of reading or hear-
ing anything positive in regard to the
matter before.
Fred E. Delano.
For tlie American Bee JoumaL
The Traffic in Queens.
JAMES HEDDON.
Some 20 years ago a new race of
bees was introduced to American
apiarists. This race was called Ital-
ian. They were plainly and distinctly
marked physically, and possessed also
distinct traits of character. Some of
their characteristics were, when com-
pared with our old-time tried Ger-
mans, found to be superior, and some
inferior. The common voice of the
majority of apiarists pronounced
them best, all points considered. Then
came a demand for these bees. It
was found that they readily lived and
mingled with our Germans, and that
to put an Italian queen in the place
of a German queen, would change
the whole colony in a few weeks.
Then there came a demand for
queens.
The rearing of queens to fill that
demand was the next effect. The
breeder began to select colonies of
pure Italians to breed from, and as
lie had more than one pure colony,
lie began to look about for some way
to decide which colony he should use.
There is not on record a case where a
cent was thrown up, " heads or tails,"
to settle on the colony to select eggs
or cells from. Quicker than a flash
the master's good sense said, " this
one gathers the most honey, and be-
haves the best, and, of course, I shall
use it." Then and there a new sys-
tem of breeding was born. "Spon-
taneous generation." Breeding for
qualities began, never to cease as
long as man and bees remain in
iiartnership in the production of
iioney. Years rolled on, and no one
thought of improving any race of
bees except the Italian.
Quite often controversies came uf
as to which race was, " taken all in
all," the best. Then the go»d and
bad qualities of both were ably shown
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
381
up. When looking at this picture,
thoughtful bee keepers carefully
weighed the good and bad points, and
struck a b;iTance; some said "the
Germans are the best," more said
" the Italians are best." Acquisitive
honey-producers said, " Why can't we
combine tlie good qualities of both
races ?" determined breeders said,
" We can and we will," and now.
queens bred for qualities, and not for
the purity of any race, are pouring
tlirougli tlie mails like streams
tlirough a desert.
At last, in s|)ite of all mistaken and
interested opposition, the time has
come when the leading honey-pro-
ducers of this country can use and
sell tlie same stock— the bees of their
choice. I have private means of
accurately estimating the popular
public sentiment of to-day regarding
this subject; also its growth during
the last few years. I predict a glo-
rious future for the development of
'■ ^lp(s-^4»icn'cfnia." At last, in the
traffic of queens, the breeder finds
honesty and interest together.
Before I close I wish to say a few
words regarding what kind of queens
are best for purchasers to buy. If
one is so well satistied that he has his
eye on the strain of bees he is going
to possess, I know of no way better
than to buy untested queens and put
one at the head of each colony. I
did tliis with 40 colonies in lS7l,and
paid $2 each ; but if, on the other
hand, the purchaser wishes to test the
strain before changing to it, or tor
any reason sees fit to rear his own
queens, he should by all means order
one. or as many more as he can afford,
of tested queens. They will prove
much the cheapest in the end, as
■every breeder very well knows. The
idea of purcliasing one untested queen
to test a strain by, is preposterous in
itself. I am of the opinion that the
more tested and less untested queens
are purchased, the faster we shall
march toward that coming bee. No
man should ever breed from an un-
tested colony.
Dowagiac, Mich., July 16, 1883.
For tlje American Bee JoumaL
Combs Built in Wired Frames.
T. A. HOUGAS.
In regard to the impraclicability of
wiring frames exce|)t for foundation,
is fully settled in my niitid. I should
not do so, as I consider it but a waste
of lime and money. This spring I
expeiimented on this in two ways.
1. I placed wired frames, and frames
with full sheets of foundation alter-
nately.
2. With nothing but wired frames
in the hive.
In the former they built the combs
from top to bottom of the frames in
strips, not averaging over IJ.3 inches
wide. The wire was preciselv in the
centre of the C(unb in each and every
■case. They did not seem to want to
unite these combs (there was two or
three of these combs in each frame),
so as to make the frame solid, but
would leave large openings in them.
In the latter they seemed to be
bewildered. Some combs tlipy built
properly, while with others the wires
seemed to be in the way. In one
case they built exactly at right angles
witli the frames. In one case a line
of drone cells was built on either side
the wire the full length of tlie comb.
in another instance I wired a frame
and lilled it with foundation just half
way down from the top-bar. They
drew out the half sheet and a full
sheet on the outside of a division-
board before they completed the half-
lilled frame.
After thus experimenting, I have
concluded that it would be utterly
useless, if not more than useless to
wire a frame unless you lill it with
foundation. I agree with Mr. Iled-
don, that it is impractical.
Henderson, Iowa, July 16, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Experiences of a Novice.
BY A NOVICE.
This article is headed thus, so that
old bee-keepers may skip over it. It
is written by a novice for novices.
I bought a colony of bees late in
the spring; a strong colony. The
hive was called a Langstroth, or I
should not have bought the bees. Not
liking the old unpainted hive, I sold
it to the man who sold me the bees.
After a fortnight, according to agree-
ment, I attempted to transfer the bees
to a new Langstroth hive, when I
found the bar of the frames half an
inch too long to set in my hive. 1,
however, succeeded by putting one
end of the bar in its proper place, and
allowing the other end to rest on the
top of the brood-chamber.
.The combs were very thick and
irregular, and were half full of honey.
After a while the hive became too
full of bees, and not being able to
secure an experienced hand to divide
them, I placed a new hive about 8
feet from the full colony, and then
exchanged their places. Took tvi'o
thick-combed frames of bees from the
full colony and put them into the new
witli a frame of foundation on each
side, and a division-board. I could
not lind the old queen, so I chose a
frame with a queen-cell, and left in
the other hive a queen-cell.
In a few weeks the old colony
seemed again to be in need of being
divided. I had replaced foundation
frames where I had taken the frames
of bees. These had cells, and were
covered with bees. This time I
secured the services of an experienced
bee-keeper. He took the full hive
about '2^i rods away, and put the new
hive where the old one had stood, and
put with it two frames of bees, and a
frame of foundation on each side;
but he could lind no queen. The next
day not more than 200 bees remained
In the new hive, the rest returned, I
think, to the old one, so now I propo.se
to put the two new colonies together.
VVIieu the last division was made, I
found the honey all gone, and com-
menced feeding tliern, near the en-
trance, with syrup from granulated
sugar, but the flies took half of it.
On inquiry I found a better way was
to soak a slice of corn bread in the
syrup and put it on the frames under
the cloth and cap. Yesterday, I tiied
the plan, and with such benevolent
intentions I thought I need not take
the veil nor smoker, but I carelessly
irritated the bees, and three of them
felt called upon to teach me to be
more gentle. I had, before this time,
put into my vest pocket a vial of
carbonic ammonia, and was now
anxious to try its virtues. I did so,
but this morning I have a very large
fat hand. I am now ready" to try
another prescription. The veil and
smoker soon set things all right.
By the way, 1 had prepared 40
sheets of paper with nitre, and rolled
up with one sheet some cotton rags
and wood, put it into the smoker and
lit it with a match, but being in a
hurry my match fell down upon the
rest of the paper, which I threw upon
the ground to stamp out the tire, but
did not succeed. I have since pre-
pared more, and thank Mr. lligbee
for his information in the Weekly
Bee JouiiNAL. These experiments
have taught me several things :
1. Always treat the honey bee gently
and respectfully.
2. Always use a smoker and veil
when handling bees.
3. Prepare the smoker as recom-
mended by D. lligbee.
4. Never depend on powdered car-
bonic ammonia.
Steele City.
For the Amerlcau Boe JournaL
Bees in "Washington Territory.
• C. THEILMANN.
I have just come home a trip from
Medical Lake, Washington Territory,
the great bathing resort of Spokane
county, where hundreds of people
have restored their health by the
waters of Medical Lake, of which lam
one that was cured of many years'
billiousness.
Traveling considerably in the Ter-
ritory, I have only found bees in the
vicinity of Walla Walla. They seem
to do siilendidlv, and are gathering a
good deal of honey there, but the
bee-keepers do not manage them very
well. I only saw one (an Iowa man)
that had some kind of movable frames
in his hives, though very poorly gotten
up. All the rest tliat 1 saw, had their
bees in box hives, and did not know
how to get any honey, unless they
brimstoned the"bees in the fall.
Walla Walla vallev seems to be well
adopted for bee-keeping,asthey hardly
ever lose any colonies in winter, for
the winters are generally very mild.
I purcliased 2 colonies, the only two
the man had whicli would not offer to
sting in handlins;. and transferred
them 150 miles North, to the lake
above mentioned , and are the lirsl bees
that have ever lieeu taken North of
Snake river; they are gray-looking
bees, different from the rest I saw
around Walla Walla, but I saw such
bees last year while traveling through
Arizona. How those gray bees reached
382
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Walla Walla I cannot ascertain ; all 1
know is tliat t liey do not offer to sting,
for all tliat, they have stings as well
as other bees. I would like to get
some information about tlie gray Ari-
zona bees, through tiie Bee JouuNAL,
about their liabits, etc.
My bees here are doing well. White
clover has been better than ever here-
tofore, and Ijasswood has just com-
menced to bloom a day or so ago, and
promises a large yield.
I have just received a letter from my
sou, written lOdays after 1 left Medical
Lake, sayiiu; that these gentle bees
are doing nicely, ile is liviug at tlie
Lal<e and is attending to them.
Theilmanton, Minn., July 19, 1883.
[Will some one in the Territories
please reply to the above ? Are they
not the same grey bees that are found
in the Soutli V— Ed.]
Fur the American Bee JournaL
Bee Notes from Mississippi.
O. F. BLEDSOE.
My bees are doing well this season,
and are profitable in pecuniary re-
turns, thougii I cannot yet obtain
results to compare witli those of some
Northern bee-keepers. I am, how-
ever, encouraged in the business. I
am satistied that in this locality, and
almost anywhere in tlie Soutti, there is
each year ample honey (low to make
bee-culture prolitable. Tliegreat prob-
lem with me is the best method for
controlling the swarming fever.
It is difficult here to keep bees at
the poinfe, in strength, at wliicli they
will make comb and seal comb honey,
and yet not swarm. My plan is to
shade, ventilate, remove all drone
comb, to provide ample room to clus-
ter and build coiub at the sides, con-
fining the brood nest by division
boards, and to remove ail sections
from the top as soon as sealed over.
I clip one wing of every queen. If a
swarm issues and I do not desire to
put it in a new hive, 1 let it return and
remove the queen, or return her to the
hive caged. On the seventh day after
swarmuig, I open the hive and cut
out all queen cells. Nearly all tlie
brood will by this time be sealed over,
but lest tlie bees will take some of the
youngest unsealed larvie and try to
make a queen, I select five of the
youngest queen cells and put them
back directly over the brood nest in
the place of a section box, whicli has
been taken out for the purpose. After
two days more, I remove all these
queen cells and let out the queen, or,
if the queen has been taken from
them, remove all the cells but one.
Under these circumstances, the bees
are compelled to stay and go to work,
and, if ample room is given, will not
often swaiui again, especially if they
have a young queen from a cell left to
them. As fast as new comb is made
in the frames at the sides, it is cutout
while still white and pure, the honey
extracted, and the comb used in sec-
tion boxes.
I can get much more, and more
beautiful comb in this way, than if 1
put section boxes at the sides in the
brood frames. The bees are quicker
to go to work in common frames with
good starters or foiindalLon ; more
bees can get to work, and, the build-
ing-clusters being more continuous,
they make more rapid progress.
The frame I have adopted is a short-
ened Langstroth frame, that fits ex-
actly in the Langstroth hive when
turned round, and the entrance put in
one of the sides ; dimensions of the
frame, lo^gxgi^. A broad frame of
these dimensions will hold exactly six
4^4x414 sections. Nine of these frames
in brood nest takeOOit'a square inches
of comb, the Doolittle standard for
brood nest being 1,000 square inches
of comb. If those who use Langs-
troth hives should use tliese short
frames for awhile, they would not in-
sist on a frame ITf-gXli'a as the best
for a standard. The Langstroth
frame is certainly of the proper depth
to obtain the best results in comb
honey, but for many reasons it is too
long; and, among others that it does
not admit of the proper arrangements
for the side-building of comb, and
this is certainly the correct principle
in the production of comb honey.
Grenada, Miss., July 24, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Honey Crop Not a Large One.
.1. L. GRAY.
Please allow me to protest against
the almost universal practice of
writers in bee papers (especially those
who have kept bees only for a short
time) of exaggerating the bee busi-
ness in general, and the present crop
of honey in particular. This gives
honey dealers the impression that the
markets are about to be Hooded with
the largest crop of honey ever known.
The bee papers are full of glowing
accounts of the wonderful yields in
certain parts of the country, while
those that are getting light yields, or
none at all, do not report ; the dealers
only seeing one side of the report,
take it for granted that they can
safely cut the prices, and are not slow
to do so.
The crop of honey in this part of
the country is away below an average,
so far this season ; some of the most
successful apiarists not having secured
any surplus as yet, and clover and
basswood are nearly over.
Mr. James Ileddon has, for years,
manfully fought against this and
kindred wrongs ; he has stood unaided,
and almost alone, against the practice
of many who coax, yes, almost i)ull
everybody into a business already
crowded ; he has been called selfish,
because after he had been to a great
expense, and had devoted the best
years of his life to make a success of
what these same outsiders had
laughed at. He protested against
trying to persuade everybody — in-
valids, cripples, and lazy good-for-
nothings to step in and overstock a
pasture lie has by all means the best
right to.
1 know how this works, for I have
had a practical illustration with one
of the kind who thinks that the more
swarms he gets the more successful
he is. It is not selfish for a person to
look first to his own Interests, and
secondly to mankind in general.
What would we think of a doctor,
lawyer or merchant who would con-
tinually try to convince others that
his was the best paying business, and
want everybody to open a store or
office and take part of his trade or
practice from him. I would think
liim" short of wit," but I suppose
others might say he was selfish, if he
did not do this.
Lee Centre, 111., July 2o, 1883.
[We give place to the above at once,
so that the " protest " may have its
full weight. It is, of course, useless
to think of deceiving any shrewd
business men, either by " talking up "
or " talking down " the size of the
honey crop. The quantity, be it
either large or small, offered for sale,
decides the matter and makes the
" exact truth " known.
The Bee Journal has, on every
every occasion, discouraged the idea
that the business of keeping bees was
fit for the lazy, invalids, etc., and does
not believe in tempting any one to
keep bees— but any selfish policy will
in the end defeat itself. — Ed.]
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Bee-Keeping in Canada.
EDWARD MOORE.
Last fall I put 3 hives of bees into a
box, packed with sawdust, but not
packed as 1 would like, my means
being very limited, and, at the proper
time for packing, I was working, and
could not attend to the bees. In the
spring, when I opened the box, one
colony was dead, and tl.e other two
very weak in numbers. The first
opportunity 1 had, I united them, and
the first flight they had. I saw they
had the dysentery Ijadly , but I allowed
them a few fliglits. They were lively
and active, and soon overcame that.
Later I searched 2 or 3 times for the
queen, but could see none; seeing
hybrid queens advertised for sale,!
thought I could do no better, so I sent
for one, and received it all right.
Taking the netting off the little hole
of the queen's cage, 1 plugged it up
with beeswax, and laid it on the top
of the frames ; sometime after, ou
looking, I saw the wax was gone, so
was the queen. I closed up the hive.
(It was oil the I4tli of June I received
the queen.) As they were so weak iri
the spring, I expected no sy\'ann this
summer, but on July 3, they swarmed,
and by appearances would more than
fill ffc gallon measure; so tliere must
have been a queen, for had the queen
1 put on the frames been received at
once, and begun to lay immediately,
the earliest hatched could not have
been before the 5th ; besides the
queen was a hybrid. To-day, July 12,
I had a second swarm, considerably
THE AMERICAJM BEE JOURNAL.
383
smaller than the first, but enough to
build up well before the tall.
Soon after warm weather set in,
we had, and continue to have, con-
siderable rain, so much so that a
great deal of tlie cultivated land is
like a marsh, and we have rain the
greater part of the time, both day and
night. There is an abundance of
clover bloom, but the bees can get out
but little, and, I suppose, that if they
could, there would be but little nectar
to gather, but we must hope tor
better things before long.
We have had a few warm dry days,
and the subjects of tiiis correspond-
ence are as busy as bees. July 12,
was warm and cloudy, still not by any
means entirely overcast. Toward
evening it darkened down, began to
thunder, with heavy rain again, and
is a critical time yet, I fear, for lioney
gathering.
On Saturday 14th, I had another
small swarm. I think of acting as
near a.s I can up to the instructions of
Prof. Cook with respect to rearing a
queen or two, to have readv if needed.
Barrie, Ont., July 14, 1S8:J.
For the American Bee Journal.
A Word to Iowa Bee-Keepers.
O. CLUTE.
By invitation of the Executive
Committee,! attended the annual win-
ter meeting of the Iowa Agricultural
Society, last January, in Des Moines,
and gave a lecture on " Modern bee-
keeping." The audience was large,
and seemed much interested in the
subject.
1 was requested also to attend a
business meeting of the Executive
Committee, and to make a statement
as to the importance and prospects of
the bee-keeping industry, and of the
help the Agricultural Society could
give in fostering and developing it.
1 found the committee to be composed
of courteous gentlemen, who were
quite willing to do anything reason-
able. They asked me to make out a
list of premiums to be offered at the
State Fair, this fall. It seemed un-
wise for our infant industry to make
too large a demand at lirst, so I made
out a modest and yet honorable list,
and submitted it. They adopted it
at once. 1 can see now that it is by
no means perfect, yet it will do for a
beginning. If the parties interested
in bee-keeping will come out in force,
and make a good exhibit, we can have
a better list of premiums another
year. The premiums offered for this
year are as follows :
CLASS NO. 128.
Bees, Bee Products andBee-Keeping Imple-
ments.
I8t. 2d.
_ Prem. Prem.
Best bees in observatory
hives $3 00 $2 00
Best and largest display of
different races of bees. . . 5 00 2 00
Best comb honey, white
clover 5 00 2 00
Best comb lioney, linden. . 5 00 2 00
Best comb honey, fall
flowers -) 00 2 00
Best and largest display of
comb honey 10 00 5 00
Best extracted honey, white
clover .5 00 2 00
Best extracted honey. linden 5 00 2 00
Best extracted honey, fall
flowers ; 5 00 2 00
Best and largest display of
ex tractedt honey 10 00 5 00
Best hive for suiuuier 2 00 1 00
Best hive for out-door win-
tering 2 00 1 00
Best honey extractor 1 00
Best bee smoker 50
Best and largest display of
bee keeping implements 5 00 2 00
Best comb foundation for
brood combs 2 00 100
Best comb foundation for
surplus comb honey 2 00 1 00
Best display of honey plants 3 00 2 00
Note.— The award of the judge or
committee on bee products will be on
a scale of 20 points of perfection, as
follows: Color 5; quality (taste) 5;
neatness of packages 5 ; and general
advantage to purchasers, including
facility for handling, .5.
I have examined somewhat care-
fully the premium lists of many of
the State Agricultural Societies, and
there is, I think, but one that offers a
better list of premiums to bee-keepers.
In most cases the premiums are so
insignificant as to repel any bee-
keeper who respects his calling. The
bee-keepers of Iowa should respond
to this generous treatment from our
Society by coining out to the State
Fair in large numbers, and exhibit-
ing their products. Let us show to
the State the beauty, the excellence,
and the importance of our jiroducts.
While this word is addressed es-
pecially to the bee-keepers of Iowa, it
must not be forgotten that our noble
State throws its gates open to all.
Competition in all departments is
open to the world. All bee-keepers
living outside of Iowa will be cor-
dially welcome to the Fair, and their
exhibits will be on a par with those
from Iowa. It is hoped that many
bee-keepers from adjacent States will
come and help us.
Iowa is most excellently adapted to
the protluction of honey" Undoubt-
edly this industry will rapidly develop
in importance. If all the newspapcs
in Iowa will print this article, they
will assist in furthering a new busi-
ness which will soon assume large
proportions, and will benefit every
section of the State.
Iowa City, Iowa, July 25, 1883.
I^" We have organized a bee keep-
ers' associotion at Waco, Texas,
known as the " State Central Bee-
Keepers' Association. Please give
notice in the Bee JouiiNAL.
J. W. GuYTON, iiec.
Waco, Texas, July 21, 1883.
Wihixi and Botu,
t^ The summer meeting of the
Cortland. N. V., Union Bee Keeper's
Association, will be held at Cortland,
N. Y., on Tuesilay, Aug. 14, 18S3.
M. C. Hean, Sec
ANSWERS BV
James Beddon, Dowagiac, Mich,
Tiering up fhe Sections.
Will Mr. James Heddon please an-
swer through the Beb Journal the
following questions :
1. What is the cause of bees mak-
ing drone brood in the sections or
boxes above the brood-chamber, on
the old colonies, before swarming V
2. Is there any arrangement for
putting on tiers of sections, more
than one high, so that you can see
when the sections are full, without
raising up frames V
3. IIow many tiers high do you
think right for a very strong colony ?
James Siioktt.
Oak Centre, Wis., July 19, 1883.
Answeks.— 1. Bees are more de-
sirous of producing drones just before
swarming, as they at that time antici-
pate their immediate use. Drone or
store comb has large sized cells, and
they are quite apt to build this kind
of comb in surplus sections where full
pieces of foundation are not used ;
more especially if there is little drone
comb in the brood chamber, which
would surely be the case if full sheets
of foundation were used there,
2. We use a case of ourown peculiar
style, which takes one tier of sections.
We use this three and sometimes four
tiers, or cases, high. To examine the
case we remove the cover, and then
one case after another, looking into
their tops and bottoms. We find this
much simpler and easier than any
methods, using glass.
3. Answered above.
Italian Bees Turned Black.
What is the cause of my bees
changing from Italian to black 'i Last
April, I bought a colony of Italian
bees. About the first of June I be-
gan to see a few black bees in the
colony. To-day. July 16, you cannot
see an Italian bee, or one "that looks
like one. The colony has not swarmed
yet. I keep a small apiary of bees,
mostly black ; they are doing splen-
didly. I am more than pleased with
the Bee Journal. A. P. Chapin.
Feiiton, Mich., July 16, 1883.
Answer. — In reply to your ques-
tion, I would say that your queen died
in the spring. The colony by some
means or other became possessed of
another. It would seem as though
your new queen would produce hybrid
bees containing some yellow bands,
provided they had reared her from the
one deceased, which you bought. It
may be barely possible that a black
384
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
•queen entered the hive, and became
the reigning queen. I can hardly ac-
count for so sudden and radical a
change, in any other way.
Heditnn Hack.
I see in the last number of the Bee
JouiiNAL. page 857, that Mr. \V. II.
Harmer likes the Heddon section
rack, and thinks the broad frames
■will soon be a thing of the past.
Wliat kind of section rack does Mr.
Heddon use V Does he use the Langs-
troth hivey Is Mr. Heddon s rack
suitable for both one and two-pound
sections y Please answer in the Bee
JOUUNAL. h. FATZINGEK.
JanesviUe, Wis., July 2J, ls83.
Answeu. — In answer to the above
question, I will refer Mr. F. to page
■659 of the Bee Journal for 1882.
The case represented is for one-
pound sections, and the same plan is
equally well adapted for sections of
other sizes.
Transferring Bees from a Box.
Will it be advisable to take a swarm
of bees out of a store box and put them
in a liive at this time V The bees
swarmed on June 9, and have built
the box half full. Please let me know
if I can do it and not disturb the bees.
Geo. U. Randenbush.
Answer.— It is better for tlie inex-
perienced to do their transferring in
the latter part of May or fore part of
June. The harder and stiffer the
combs, the better. Stili, if properly
done, there is no chance of failure in
transferring your bees at liiis time of
the year, and new swarms at that,
upon the plan given in last week's
Bee Journal, page 367.
Moving Bees.
Living in a village, my bees annoy
the grocers, and also people in their
houses, when flowers fail. Is there
any remedy but to move them out of
town, if so what ? If moved, how far
must I take tliem, not to suffer loss
of bees, by removal? Will Mr.
Heddon please answer in the Weekly
Bee Journal. J. E. Fuller.
Homer, N. Y., July 23, 1883.
Answer. — I am not one of those
■who believe so little in tlie rights of
apiarists and so much in the rights
of others as some bee-keepers do; but
leaving the opposing rights out of the
■question, I believe it would well pay
you to move your bees out of town,
and that is the only practical remedy.
I can move my whole apiary at any
time of year from one rod to ten
miles or over, witliout any loss result-
ing. Twice I have moved my whole
stock about ten rods, once three-
quarters of a mile, ami all went well.
1 will, in the near future, in an article
in this paper, tell you how I proceed.
Driving Bees.
I have watched the bees for my
fatlier 27 years ago, sometimes as late
as August, for swarms. I have since
learned that the heat of ttie season
has more to do witli their clusterinii
on the outside of the hive than a
propensity of swarming, especially so
late in the season. Ab(Mit 15 years
ago I bought my tirst coli>ny of bees.
I was a reader of the American Bee
Journal for a few years, when
printed in Washington, I). C. When I
learned that it had become a weekly
journal, I subscribed for it again, and
1 expect to take it as long as I have
one colony of bees. With one or two
exception's, I never wrote a line for it
or any other bee paper. As a goodly
numljer of our pi'ofessed bee-keepers
give us their best ideas and new dis-
coveries, I thought I would write a
few lines and let the bee fraternity
discuss what I believe to be entirely
new, at least I never saw a line on the
subject. I would like to apply to a
practical use a discovery I made. It
is this: I succeeded in making a
number of swarms to come out of the
parent colonies like a natural swarm
does. 1 have done it as late in the
day as 4 o'clock. By applying my
process thev swarm and cluster as any
natural swarm does. I would like
Mr. Heddon to consider this, and give
the readers of the Bee Journal the
advantages that could be derived
from it. I now have 78 colonies —
spring count 25. Most of them in
the surplus boxes. I use side and
top surplus arrangement. I am not
experienced in extracting, but will
try it this week. I use a frame 11x12.
which, I think, is 1 or 2 inches too
deep. I believe a frame 9 inches deep
by 12 long about the right size. I
wintered on the summer stands last
winter, and lost 60 colonies. I blame
myself (as I believe all who lose
heavily ought to) for losing so many,
because I did not give them the proper
winter protection. Allow me, in this
connection, to ask whether there is
among your many readers a person
who has ever driven a swarm of bees
as mentioned in this item.
J. II. ROEUUCK.
Burton City, Ohio, July 14, 1883.
Answer. — Any cheap and practi-
cal method by which a colony can be
made to cast a swarm at will, would
be of great value to the frateriuty.
In answer to your last question, I
will say that several bee-keepers have
reported causing their bees to swarm
by inserting a queen-cell in the hive.
This result, however, is only a possi-
ble one, and cannot be relied upon
with any degree of certainty, and,
un<loubtedly,is entirely impracticable.
As far as the size of your frame is
concerned, I agree with you that it is
too deep, and will say that could I
now inaugurate an universal frame. I
would, for one or two quite important
reasons, make it not over seven inches
deep, which is two inches shallower.
and I would have it a little longer
than the Langstroth frame. But ex-
perience in thousands of cases, and
in hundreds of apiaries, has demon-
strated beyond all doubt, that there is
less importance regarding the size of
frame as adapted to breeding, win-
tering and surplus honey-storing than
that we have one and the same size
frame, in general use. I am always
ready and anxious to put to the test
all new methods which bid fair to
prove valuable adjuncts to the science
of apiculture. I would like to know
of your method.
Keeping the Colonies Strong,
The basswood has never yielded
more honey in one season than this.
My hives are 12x22 inches, and 13
inches deep, inside measure. About
12 frames 11 inches square lill a hive.
On top of this I put a hive made for
wide fr.unes, holding 8 one-pound sec-
tions. I keep my colonies very strong,
so that they will fill sections rapidly,
l^erhaps you would like to know how
I keep them so strong. Some time
before the basswood bloomed, the bees
were gaining in stores from white
clover ; I examined some of the strong-
est, and foi:nd about 6 or 7 queen cells
started. I destroyed all I could find
in each hive, thinking this would pre-
vent them from swarming for awhile;
but they built other cells immediately.
Then the basswood commenced to
bloom and they wanted to swarm ; I
let about a gallon of bees go out with
the queen. I then shut the hive up
until the swarming fever was over; 1
kept destroying all the queen cells in
tlie old hive, except one, until the
brood was too old to produce queens.
The amount of bees which went with
the queen was hardly missed from the
old colony. The swarm which was
hived I strengthen witli hatching
brood, when the rush of honey-gather-
ing is over. A part of my hives have
just one story, or at least without the
sections to extract from, and, after
doing so, I keep some of the whitest
comb which has no brood it it, take
out full sections and lill empty ones
with this comb, and put in the place
of the full ones.
WiCKLIFFE Fl.SnER.
Ilamler. O., July 26. 1883.
Sever Saw the Like Before.
My 27 colonies in the spring have
given 2.700 lbs. of extracted and some
eond) honey, besides increasing toi 65
colonies and some nuclei. Basswood
is now in full bloom. I never saw the
like in the 18 years I have been in
Minnesota.
H. II. ROSEDROCK.
Owatonna, Minn., July 25, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
385
'Queen Laying in the Sections.
My spring yield of honey is over.
I took out the last on the hitter part
of June. Tlie amount from my 60
•colonies is 3,000 pounds of extracted
honey. I will probably get lialf as
much more in the fall. Is there any
way to restrain the bees from making
brood in the upper story '{ My bees
seem to have a particular fancy for
tiiat this season. Please tell meiibout
the Bokhara clover, whether or not it
is verj desirable as a honey plant.
M. M. Lindsay.
Fulton, Tenn., July Ii4, 1882.
[Some use what is called queen ex-
cluders—sheets of zinc with holes
large enough to admit the workers,
but through which the queen cannot
pass. Bokhara is the imported sweet
clover, and is an excellent honey-
producer. — Ed.]
Best Honey Harvest for Years.
We have had the best honey harvest
here for years. The bees are just
booming. It is in fact the best we
ever had. II. C. White.
Madison, Ind., July 17, 1888.
Troubles of a Beginner.
The Hood of last winter left me
with but 3 colonies of bees. They
each swarmed about the middle of
June; in 7 days I listened for the
piping of the queen, and heard it in
one of the hives, but not in the others.
A swarm followed, and tiie piping
went on until 4 swarms came off. In
one hive, that night, the piping was
as loud as ever, but no swarm fol-
lowed, nor have I heard any piping
since. The night after, the fourth
swarm came out, but tliere was no
piping or swarming in tlie others.
Tliey put surplus in the upper story
(box hives). My dilliculty was this,
in hiving a swarm tliat came off on
June 10, the cluster was low, on a
grape vine. I set a Langstrolh hive
on the ground and shook the bees
•down, but they clustered on the hive
in front, and refused to enter. I
brushed them down, and repeatedly
clianged thehive, took out some of tlie
frames, but to no purpose ; tliere they
staid all niglit, and got the benefit of
a drenching shower. On the morning
of the )7th, I sent for a neighbor of
greater experience, not liking to lose
the bees (a very large swarm). He
put in the frames, also put on the
boxes, and went to work with smoker
and stick, working faithfully in the
rain for an hour, and litterally drove
them in. I carried them to the stand
and had no further trouble. But, on
the 9th iiist., I took off the boxes and
found a very few boxes of nice clover
honey, the rest were lilled with brood
in all stages, young bees, sealed and
unsealed brood, and cells with eggs
just deposited. Cells that from tlieir
color Seemed to have been used be-
fore, and from which I am convinced
young l)ees had come very lately.
After taking tlie combs out, 1 wjitched
them for an hour or two, and was re-
warded by seeing bee after bee biting
off the cap and emerging from their
cells. I do not knovv' whether I could
have saved any of this brood, by
placing the combs under a box hive,
or whether I was all wrong in putting
on the boxes at the start, and as the
bees must have entered ihe boxes when
hived (only 21 days intervening). Have
I probably lost the queen, and how
am I to know ? We are having a
famous honey season ; white clover
covers the land, and bees work pro-
digiouslv. Tnos. Martin.
Coal Valley, 111., July 10, 1883.
[Had you given the swarm sheets
of foundation in the brood-chamber,
they would not have gone up to the
surplus arrangement to build comb,
and use it for brood-rearing. If no
comb foundation was given thesv^arm
when hived, or old combs, tlie surplus
arrangement should not have been
put on. If the queen was "lost,"
where did the brood come from V— Ed.]
White Houey Harvest Short.
Basswood, which is very abundant
in our vicinity, has just gone out of
bloom. From some cause, there was
not one blossom to many thousands
last year, when the weather was favor-
able but a part of the time, so the
yield has been very light from it, this
year. White clover has never
bloomed so abundantly with us, as it
has this season ; but the weather has
been too cold and wet to give us much
from that source, consequently our
white honey harvest will be very
short. White clover is still in bRiom,
and we may get a small amount from
it yet. VVe have extracted 2,000
pounds, and have taken 400 pounds
of comb honey, and still have in the
hives enough to make the former 2,.500,
and the latter 500 or 600 pounds, from
100 colonies, in splendid condition.
Last season we got nearly twice the
amount from Ml colonies. We would
like to inquire of those having had
experience with Alsike clover, if
cattle pastured upon it are as liable
to become bloated as upon red clover.
If the Alsike is free from this objec-
tion, it can be largely introduced
among the farmers, and will be a
great benefit to bee-keepers.
A. J. Hatfield & Son.
New Carlisle, Ind., July 24, 1883.
How I Build Up My Colonies.
, My bees are just booming, and have
been most of tlie time since white clo-
ver came in, some 4 or 5 weeks ago,
and it looks now as if it would last
well for 2 or 3 vv'eeks yet. From our
present prospects, we will get as good
a yield as we did lastseasoii. I began
the spring with 11 colonies, all in fair
condition except one wliicli proved to
bequeenless; but I kept it going by
giving it brood from other colonies,
until a new queen was reared, so now
it IS one of my best. I have bees in
23 hives, but do not count all true col-
onies until the queen is laying. I
make my increase by dividing on the
nuclei plan, wliich 1 like best, for it
leaves llie main colonies strong for
making new comb, rearing brood, and
storing surplus honey. I usually get
nice comb built (when I do Lot have
foundation), by putting in 2 or 8 empty
frames at a time, near the center of
each colony, one frame in a.place. By
this plan I build up my young colonies
gradually, without drawing much on
tlie old ones. Here I will state how I
prepare brood sections for the Langs-
troth hive, so that they hold either
natural comb or comb foundation,
without sagging or breaking out when
handling the combs, either in the ex-
tractor or otiierwise. I take good
broom wire and .stretch it tightly x
across the middle of the section. To
do this, I make a hole in the end
pieces, put the wire through, fasten
one end, and draw it tightly and
fasten it, before cutting the wire.
Fasten the ends bv bending over
and twisting around the wire,
and I find the bees nearly always build
the comb with the wire in the center,
with perfect cells on each side. I
tilled several sections prepared this
way last season, with foundation, and
itall proved a success witliout trouble.
After fastening at the top, lightly
press the wire into the sheet of foun-
dation, and the liees will draw it out
alike on both sides. In sections fixed
in this way, you will always find that
the comb is strong and wiil stay to its
place. I have had them in use several
years. From my 11 colonies about two
weeks ago, I extracted 200 lbs. of fine
white clover honey, and I can take
about the same now. and about 100
Ibp. of fine comb honey in two-pound
sections. J. W. Sanders.
Le Grand, Iowa, July 20, 1883.
Abundance of Rain.
Rain still reigns in this neighbor-
hood. We have liad rain nearly every
day ttiis month, until about a week
ago, when it ended with the heaviest
storm of the season, overflowing the
banks of tlie river, and caused great
destruction and loss of life and pro-
perty in the parts of this city lying
low. One bee-keeper in this city'had
to carry his bees upon the top of his
house ; another saved only one colony
out of his whole yard, being more for-
tunate than some others who lost
every colony. 1 am hai)py to say mine
are doing very well, and I am satisfied
they will pay me a very good interest
on my investment. 13asswood has
started to bloom, and clover is still in
blossom ; so if we liave two or three
weeks of dry weather now, we will be
all right until fall flowers appear.
W. II. Weston.
London, Ont.. July 20, 1883.
Giant Ladies' Slipper as a Honey Plant.
I see that the German word, " Rie-
sen Balsamine " was translated wrong
on page 355. It should have been the
Giant Ladies' tilipper.
L. Knouu, M. D.
Savannah, Ga.. July 22, 1883.
[If any of our readers know of this
plant yielding honey in America, we
should be pleased to hear from them
on the subject.— Ed.]
386
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Excessive Swarming.
It has been out of the question to
keep bees from swarming. The
weatlier has been too wet and cold,
all through the white clover season ;
with only enough of sunshine to give
the bees a chance to swarm ; swarm
they would, and swarm they did.
Pasturage has been good all the
spring and summer, so far, but the
weather has been so bad that they
could not gather the crop, wliicli has
been most abundant, if it could have
been saved. Basswood opened the
15th, and would have given us a
large surplus, had the weather been
favorable ; bees are very strong, and
would do well if they could.
A. \V. OSBURN.
Water Valley, N. Y., July 23, 1883.
Sweet Clover, etc.
I enclose samples of honey plants.
Please give me the name of plant No.
1, and also state whether it is honey-
producing. My bees have not found
it yet, as it grows by the kitchen door,
and they never come about the house.
Is No. 2 the famous MoUie O'Large's
honey plant, that we read so much
about y Is smartweed and heart's-
ease the same plant V Please answer
lu the Bee Journal.
Mus. J. N. Heater.
Columbus, Neb., July 2, 1888.
[Number 1 is sweet clover (Mdilotus
officinalis], a well-known honey plant,
and for its large and long continued
nectar-product, very justly esteemed
by apiarists. Another species much
like the present one, has white
flowers, while these are yellow. Both
are natives of Europe, but are now
widely disseminated throughout our
country, and spontaneously (as would
appear) spring up about the yards,
roadsides and waste places anywhere.
They are biennial plants, flowering
or not the first year, according to the
earliness, vigor, etc., of the seedling,
and the length of the season, but
springing up from the root the second
year, and making rapid and large
growth with an abundance of flowers,
each of which is richly filled with
honey of excellent quality. The
plants are very hardy, and in most
places propagate themselves sufti-
ciently to keep up the supply. The
first part of the generic name, 3Iel,
means honey ; so conspicuous, this
substance seemed to be to Tournefort,
the French botanist, as he examined
and named the plant.
Now comes another side to the
story. Only last week an appeal came
from Livinston County, 111., for in-
formation as to how to exterminate
this sweet clover from the roadsides,
the officer in charge finding it a verit-
able nuisance as a weed. Neither
is this the first request of the kind
that has come to your correspond-
ent from the region of country
southwest from Chicago, within a
radius of a hundred miles. Cattle do
not commonly eat the plant, and no
enemies among the insect tribe appear
to follow it. The long, hard stems,
with open foliage, make a poor sub-
stitute for many better plants which
are crowded out in the special locali-
ties where this clover iirominently
thrives. This again opens up a very
interesting, and in many ways, im-
portant question, much too intricate
and involved, however, to be entered
upon here, except as a simple state-
ment— the question of the peculiar
grovvth of certain plants in certain
regions.
We used to have an idea that plants
succeeded best in their native coun-
try, or at any rate in places most
nearly resembling in soil, climate, etc.,
the original home of the species, but
this is by no means the fact. Our
worst weeds are such from their
vigor and abundant reproductive
powers, but nearly aft these worst
ones are importations from abroad,
largely from across the ocean. On the
other hand, some American plants,
not specially obnoxious at home, are
the pests of the fields, gardens, etc.,
of pther countries. Our evening
primrose is well-nigh an occupant of
the whole land area of the temperate
zones, sometimes scattered and
scarcely noticeable, sometimes pesti-
ferous as a weed. The same fact may
be noted in regard to the plant growth
in different parts of our country. In
central Illinois Canada thistles do not
thrive, no seed at all is produced.
Those pests of the eastern pastures
and meadows, " hard-hack " and
" white weed," are rarely seen in the
West, and if introduced, more rarely
maintain their unenviable reputation.
Any one may multiply these exam-
ples, but it is not so easy to answer
why such peculiarities exist. With-
out attempting it here in any way,
attention is called to the importance
of proper knowledge in this respect,
when introducing or harboring plants
strange to the vicinity. A pest may
be kept out or readily exterminated
perhaps at first, which, after a time,
becomes a continual nuisance in spite
of efforts at eradication. The bee
men are blamed in the locality re-
ferred to for the existence there of
sweet clover, whether justly or not is
another matter.
Number 2 belongs to the mustard
family, and seems to be a Dentaria.
The specimen is not sufficiently de-
veloped to permit accurate determi-
nation.
The plants usually called smart-
weed and heart's-ease are not the
same species, though similar in ap-
pearance, and belong to the same
botanical genus (Polygonum,). The
former — there are several of them —
have a sharp or peppery taste, the
latter is quite free from this property,
and contains a gland mucilage not
found in the other. When, however,
beekeepers speak of the product
from " smartweed " the non-acrid
species of Pohjfjonum are meant, for
these are by far the best honey
plants.— T. J. BuRRiLL, Champaign,
111.
Width of Sections.
In reply to G. II. Denman {see page
363), I w'ould say that my sections
were a sixteenth less than two inches
wide, and in racks holding 21 sections.
L. C. Whiting.
East Saginaw, Mich., July 20, 1883.
Gibson Co., (Tenn.) Association.
Too much rain this season for a
good flow of honey. The crop is al-
most a failure, in this section. I will
get some more yet, but in all that I
get from the spring harvest will be
about 1,500 p<Mnids of comb honey.
My bees are bringing in pollen rap-
idly now, and rearing bees for the
fall crop, and with favorable weather
we may expect a good fall crop of
honey. Bee-keepers are getting
somewhat more interested in bees, in
this countjy, than before ; and have
organized the "Gibson County Bee-
Keepers' Association,'' a report of
which you will get next week. The
Bee Journal comes regularly, and
is a welcome visitor to Honey Hill
apiary. J. W. Howell.
Kenton, Tenn., July 17, 1883.
Poor Honey Prospect in New York.
We had a hard fight to get our bees
through the cold spring, and many
colonies fell by the way. Since then
an almost continual rain blighted our
good prospects for a large yield of
honey. We had a good show of white
clover, but heavy rains prevented the
bees from gathering mucli honey from
it. Basswood h:.is helped bees to fill
the brood-chambers some, but gave
only a little surplus honey. The re-
sult is. there is but very little surplus
honey in this section, up to this date.
We may get some fall honey.
R. Bacon.
Verona, N. Y., July 24, 1883.
Basswood Come and (Jone.
Basswood began to bloom 10 days
ago, and it is now gone. Sumac is m
its prime, and will last for 3 weeks
yet. I have had about 50 pounds of
surplus so far, on an average, per
colon>, and more is nearly ready to
take away. H. L. Jeffrey.
Washington Depot,Ct., July 23,1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
387
Special Notices.
Examine tbe Bate following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2.5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for .5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Eecipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$15. 00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
{giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— W e have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
I®" Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them — one-cent stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $<i, we
will send Cooks Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, <iuinby 's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows ihe
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
^"May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one ««i« subscription
with your own V Our premium," Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one ?ie?« sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two tor the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smokers need wide Btalelds. Bingham's
have them, and springs that do not rust hhii break,
and bellows that sparlis and smoke do not enter.
TheOunquerurhasall impruvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for Sil.TS. Address,
BINGHAM & HETHEBINOTON,
Abronla Mich.
The Very Best.
The Bingham "Conqueror" smoker
is the very best thing 1 have tried in
that line. M. M. Lindsay.
Fulton, Tenn., July 24, 18S3.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& Iletherington, Dear Sirs :— I am
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tolher " with me and the Cyprian
colony of bees I have— but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker" did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1882.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor".. ( wide 8hleli1)—3is In. Are tube. |2.no
The CODqueror (wide shield)— 3 in.tlretube, 1.75
LarKe (wide shield )-2H in. are tube. L.'jO
Extra (wide shield)— 13 in. Hre tulie. 1.25
Plain (nar. shield)--' in.tlretube, l.(X>
lilttle Wonder., (nar. shield)— 11I4 in. tire tube, .65
Bingham & Hetherington UncappinK Knife.. 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883.
The New York and Lake City Mining
Company.
A prominent engineer, who is well
acquainted with Mines in all parts of
Colorado, was recently invited to ex-
amine the property of this Company.
He gave it as his opinion, and he is
perfectly disinterested, that the pro-
perty is the richest he had ever seen,
and is worth $5,000,000.— ^dt;.
Advertisers' Opinion.
The queen bu.siness is ncshing, and
we think the Bee Journal deserves
much credit as an advertising medium.
E. A. Thomas & Co.
Coleraine, Mass., July 18, 1883.
Advertisements intended for the Bek
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
388
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
The Bee-Keepers' Guide,
OR, MANUAL OF THE APIARY.
9,000 SOLD IN'SIX YEARS.
lOth ThouNuud J uHt Out.
More than r>n paaei*, and more than sn fine lllua-
tratiuns udded. The whole work has been tbur-
ouEhly revised, and cuntuins the vt-ry Uitest tn re-
spect to bee-keeplnK- It is certiiinly the fullest
and most scientitlc work troatinjf of bees in the
World. Prlc*-, by Mall. AfilSo.
l,lberal discount to dealer)* and to clubs.
A. «I. COOK^.
iVCtf Author and PubUsher. Lansing, Mich.
TTJST OXJTl
New Circular and price of Bees and Queens.
Also, STKNCILS for bee-beepers' use.
tlOS. AS. BKUOKS,
13C6t Columbus, Ind.
Farm, herd and HOME.
A First-Class Monthly
of 24 pages, devoled to AGRICULTUKE, HORTI-
CULTURE. STOt'li RAISING and kindred
interests. PubllBhedat
ndianapolis, Ind. , by BROWN & ABBOMET.
Terms, $1.00 a Year, iu Advance.
Send for it and give it a trial. 18C4t
SECTIONS.
We have just put In several new machines and
also a larger enuine in our factory, consequently
we are In better shiipe to fill orders than ever for
Sections. Shipping ('rates, etc., etc. We make a
specialty of our
"BOSS" ONE-PIECE SECTIONS,
Patented June L'Mth. issi.
We can make the " Boss" One- Piece Sections
any size or width desired. Send tor Price List.
^Ve make the Halt-Pound Section uiiy
size desired.
JAS. FOKNCKOOKdbCO.
iBCtf Watertown Jeff. Co. Wis., Jan. 1. 1883.
Friends, if you are in any way interested In
BEES OR HONEY
We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of
the Monthly Oleaulntps In Bee-Cn»ture,
with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve-
ments in Hives, Honey Extractors, Comb
FoundHtkou, Section Honey Boxes. all books
and Journals, and everything pertaininK to Bee
Culture. Xnthing Patented. Simply send your ad-
dress written plainly, to _
Ctf »- " ^ J j^QOT, Medina. O.
HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTH
For tne manufacture of
BEE-ItEKPEKS' SVPPHES.
Dunham and Root Foundation a specialty.
Italian Queens and Bees from March to November.
|3?~SenQ for my Illustrated Catalo^tue.
.'iCtf PAUL L. VI ALLON, Bayou Goula, La.
1883. JOSEPH D. ENAS, 1883.
Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Colonies, Nuclei,
EXTRACTORS, COMB FOUNDATION, &C
i9D6m Address, Sunny Side Apiary, NAPA, CAL.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Iroquois Strain. Four Yards.
^orre-^pondefp ciieerfuMy nn^wured Prices reasonabl'
W. H. BUSSEY, 131 Lalce Street, Chiea«o.
2BUly
HOLY LAND QUEENS
BY RETURN MAII..
Untested, single Queen, f I.Ui; n forf.).50;or 12 for
|10.(_Kj. Warranted Queens 25 cents more, each.
I. IR- G-OOHD,
30A2t 8Blt TUI.I.AeOMA, TENN.
Cheap ! Cheaper !! Cheapest !!!
300 COLONIES OF BEES
for sale, in movable frame hives. Also, Queens,
Nuclei, Bees by the pound. Hives, Hecti<in8, Smok-
ers, Seeds for Honey Plants, and evei ything a live
bee-keeper needs. Send f<jr circular and price list
to FLANAGAN A ILLIKSKL
Box 819, Belleville. St. Clair co.. III.
(Proprietors of Rose Hill, Cahokia, Falling SprinRS
and Lake Apiaries. l ABiy
1883. 1883.
YOU GET VALUE RECEIVED !
(]UEENS,BEES AND SUPPLIES
If you want EAKLY UUEENS from the
best improved (ceniiine Htock for business; or if
you want Imported ItHllan Vu'eens or bees, in full
colonies or nuclei, with tested or untested uut'ens;
if you want Dunbam or Vundervnrt conio founda-
tion, made from pure beeswax; or if you want
hives or apiarian svipr'liesof any kind, send for my
new CMtal Kue. It tt-lls you about introduclnK
queens, new " Races of Bees," etc. Cash paid for
clean beeswax. Address,
a. P. H. BKOWN,
SBDI5t AuKUSta. Georgia.
SEND POSTAL f^r my lio-pase Price List f
Itallati. Cyprian and H"ly Lan ^ Bees.
Oneens, Nuclei and Aplnrino Supplies.
H. H. BKOWN.
29D2t HBlt Light *-t .Columbia Co.. Pa.
Golden Italians Again!
One Golden Italian Queen, warran-
ted purely mated, *i.jo. one pure-
ly mated and tested, *ii.iio. One
pure Queen, not warranted, fl.iti.
All the atmve Queens are of the
tlnest stuck in the ctiuntiy. I s<.ild
over :iiMi lawt seii'*"o. and had but
one complaint. Full coNmies ready
to divide, for Slii.do ; safe arrival euaranteed
17Atf L. tl. UlEHL, BUTLEK, IND.
PRIZE IJUEENS.
Tested Prize Queen, In a 12-
frame nucleus, sis 17, each, f4 (X>
Same in nuceus, 4 fra., hx.s, 4 oO
Tested Prize Queen, by mall, A CH]
PrizeQueen, warranted pure-
ly fertilized 2 W
Queen, not standard size — 1 ttt^>
FullC >lony, H frames, Prize
Queen ^ <^^
Before June li.'i. add fi each.
Cash Orders tilled in rotation.
Address E. L, BKIOOS,
lAly Wilton Junction. Iowa.
FRANCES DUNHAH,
Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of
THE DUNHAM
FOUNDATION MACHINE
Patented Aug. 23d, 1881.
Your machines are undoubtedly the very best \vt
existence for iieavy foundation.
Chahles Dauant & Sox, Ilamllton, III.
Nov. 24th, 1882.
And the following from the President of the
North American Bee-Keepers' Association;
I am quite positive that your Foundation Mills
are ahead of anything yet invented.
D A. JONES, Beeton, Ont., Canada.
Jan. 29th, 1883.
I send you samples of Foundation which I am.
manufacturing on one of vour machines, in sheetfr
•txi8, which measure llM feet to the pound. I
think it superior to any samples of thin founda-
tion I have seen. J. G. WHITTEN,
Aug. 14th, 1882. Genoa, N. Y.
Send for description and testimonials to
8ABtf
FRAKCES D17XHAM,
DB PEBE, WI8.
1883.
1883.
ITALIAN QUEENS.
I am now bonkine orders for
queens. I cull my queens as they
hatch, is the reason my custom-
ers were so well pleased last year.
Send me your address on a
postal, and get circular.
Six Queens f r fr>.(Ni.
J. T. WILSON,
Mortonsville, Woodford Co., Ky.
bBCtf
ITALIAN BEES FOR SALE CHEAP.
On account of ill health. I offer for sale 12<i colo-
nies of Italian Bees in Slmphcitv hives, and
Euaranteed strong and tn uriod condition. Price,
»5each. a AS. TII-LMAN. ALBION. N.Y.
3lAlt ^^__^__- -
W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
Kogersvllle. ©enesee County, M leh..
Makes a SpeolaUv of rearins tine ITALIAN
QUEENS. All Queens bred from im|.'>rted queens,
and from the purest and best home-bred Queens,
and the fflls built in full rolonies. No black bees
In the vicinity. Customers can huve either llpht
or dark Queens. Orders Hlled Proniplly. 8 n^le
queen $i.ik.i: six queens for %bs*)\ twelve or more,
75 cents each. Tested queens, *! r»o each. Safe
arrival g» ar»nteed. Make Money Orders payable
at FLINT. MICH.
BEES and HONEY,
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
EtHtor of the Weekly Bee Jomnial.
&85 "West Madison Street, Chlcaso, Ill»
It contains ifiO profusely illustrated pa^es. Is
'* fully up with the times" in all the Improvement*
and Inventions in this rapidly developinK pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everythinji that can
aid in the successful manapement of the Honey
Bee, and at the same time produce the most honey-
in its best and most attractlre condition.
It embraces every subject that will Interest the
be^rinner. It describes all the newest discoveries'
tn the art by which tbe production of delicious and
healtb-tfivine linney is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for I lie market in the most attractive
form. It Isembellished with beautiful enKravlngs,.
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for the-
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound in cloth, 75 centa t In paper
covers, 50 centn, postpaid.
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
92o W. Madison St, Chicago, IIU
A Liberal Discount to Dealers
the Vezenor Haudred.
■^.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., ATJQUST 8, 1883.
No. 32.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
EDITOB and PKOPHIETOn,
The Hive and Frame Controversy.
The Bee Journal for July 25, con-
tained an article by Dr. E. B. Soutli-
w'ick, setting forth the advantages of
square frame hives, and one from Mr.
G.W. Deraaree, giving tlie arguments
in favor of rectangular frames.
It was not the intention of the edi-
tor of the Bee Jouunal to take any
part in the aryument, and had he not
been singled out for a personal thrust
by Dr. Southwick, no word of comment
would have been made.
Our remarks on page 365 were Sooth-
ing and courteous, but even kind
words seem to have irritated him.
After giving positive proof of the
correctness of Mr. Root's assertion
that " more shallow- frame [Langs-
troth] liives were in use than all others
put together," we remarked as follows:
We do not endcse the opinions of
Mr. Root, Dr. Southwick, "or any
other nmn," unless they commend
themselves to our judgment ! Butwe
hope never to indulge in uncharitable
words or feelings against any one for
a frank statement or opinion, and,
hence, we shall exercise this generosity
towards Dr. Southwick, when he
states that " not 14 of thsse that use
movable frames, use what is to-day
considered the Laugstroth frame, and
that number is silently growing less !"
The Doctor's statement is so far from
the facts, as settled by the only statis-
tics available, that we have here an
excellent opportunity to let -'charity
cover a multitude "of errors !
The above was intended to pacify,
but it evidently had the opposite ef-
fect ; at least we should think so, by
the following from Dr. Southwick :
Mr. Editor :— On page 369, of the
Bee Journal, I notice an error that
puts me in a rather odd position, in
the last column near the bottom. It
reads thus : " Containing white clover
comb, made to order by my bees, last
fall." Who ever heard of white clover
in the fall ? The word clover should
be drone, to make sense.
I see in your editorial that you
allow one more article from each on
the subject ; thanks for your gener-
osity, but that was not in my proposal,
as 1 consider these long discussions
which appear in the Bee Journal,
the greatest bore the readers have to
endure. I, therefore, made my propo-
sition so as to avoid anything like a
discussion. Mr. Demaree can take
the advantage of your generosity if
he chooses, but I respectfully decline.
I did not expect that you would at-
tempt to prejudice the reader against
me and my article, before they had a
chance to read it, by trying to show
that what I said I believed (not
stated as you have it) was not the
fact, and indicate to them tliat I did
not believe what I wrote ; that it was
for fun, etc. I did hope to get two
articles before the readers of the Bke
JouRNAL.setting forth the qualities of
the two frames without any editorial
influence accompanying them, but
your criticism on Doolittle's article^
and now on mine, convince me tliat I
cannot. Mr. Demaree is fully com-
petent for his side of the question,
and the Langstroth frame men cer-
tainly will not suffer from my incom-
petency, and if the two articles could
iiave gone out untrameled, an im-
partial decision might have been
arrived at by some.
As I have done with the frame
question, you will, no doubt, allow
me a little space to reply to your edi-
torial, and let me first state that I
mean every word thafcl say, and just
what I say.
If I understand you correctly, you
endorse Mr. Root's statement, by
speaking of its correctness being
settled, etc., and, as your proof, you
bring forward statistics, and state
they were gotten from reports of the
readers of the Bee Journal. In or-
der to get at the reliability of statis-
tics, we must go lo the source from
which they were obtained ; you say,
from the readers of the Bee Journal;
now, as the Bee Journal has ad-
vocated, and always recommended
the use of the Langstroth frame, is
it not reasonable to conclude that a
much larger number in proportion
would be of that faith than where
some other, or none at all, were rec-
ommended V Again, what portion of
the bee-keepers read the Bee Jour-
nal'i* If one in twenty took it, I
think the number of your subscrib-
ers would be increased ; but we will
say one in ten read it, and now what
portion of its readers made a report ?
I think it you count your subscribers,
and then your reports, you will find
that the reports would have to be in-
creased four or five times before it
would equal the other, but we will
admit that one-half report, and which
one-half is thaty I think it much
more likely that the one-half that has
advised with you, and obey you in
using the Langstroth frame, would
be the tirst to report ; while such as
myself and many others would con-
sider the utter impossibility of getting
anytliing reliable from it, would pay
no attention to it. Now, as we "admit
one-tenth of the bee-keepers read the
Bee Journal, and one-half of them
reported (I think I have been very
generous in so doing), we have one-
twentieth that reported, and as nearly
one-half of them use the box hive,
we have a little more than one-
fortieth of the bee-keepers to use for
statistics, and those are tiiey that you
have brought up and educated in the
theory that the Langstroth frame is
the " ne plus ultra " of all frames, and
as you hnd a majority of these use
the Langstroth frame, you declare
that there is a majority in the whole
United States. As well might Brig-
ham Young have declared that there
were more Mormons than all other
religions put together, just because
there were in Utah !
I think I discover a twinkle of fun
behind those glasses, and an expres-
sion on your face that says : "Ain't
I soft-soaping the Doctor good, with
my statistics !" Oh my; what statis-
tics 1
In the last column you say you will
"exercise generosity." Now, Mr.
Editor, just hold on ; keep your gen-
erosity until you can quote my article
as it is. If you made that quotsition,
thinking what you did, it is down-
right meanness, after what I had •
written a few lines before. I hope
the readers will take the article and
not the quotation. You say that
" my statement is so far from facts."
Now, if I have made a statement that
is not a fact, I am a liar, and I do not
want it covered up with chairity— tliat
fertilizer of hypocrisy and rascality !
That licenser of villainy, and all kinds
of meanness ! That which covers up
a man's sins that he may commit
more I No, do not cover up my
errors with charity. You hint that
390
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
they are many— expose them to the
world, tliat others seeing may avoid
them, and I, knowing them, may im-
prove by such knowledge. You say
my excuse for A. 1. Root " is exceed-
ingly thin." Well, it is the thickest
I coiild find, and if that does not ex-
cuse him, I do not know what will.
But it does not begin to be as thin as
your statistics !
Now, as I understand you to convey
the idea to your readers, it is about
thus: "The Doctor's statements are
far from the facts; his errors are
multitudinous; but he is jolly fellow
and we won't mention them ; he does
not believe half he writes !" Why do
you throw out these hints? Do you
think you readers are fools, and can-
not understand as well as you V Now,
I defy you, or any one else, to show
that one statement that I have made
in that article is not in accordance
•with facts. What I state to be facts
are, with me, known facts ; and what
I believe are not known facts to me,
for if they were known facts, they
would be no longer subjects of belief,
but of actual knowledge. I explained
this in my article, 1 thought, so plain
that " a wayfaring man, though a fool,
need not err therein." I do not thmk
I ought to blame you, for it appears
to be a second nature for Langstroth
men to state what they think, as
actual facts ; but when :you lug me
into triat association, I assure you
that it hurts, for if "Jolly" I have
some regard for the truth of what 1
say.
Now I will give the reasons for be-
lieving what I said I believed, and as
vou think so much of statistics, I will
give some in that form. There are
in this vicinity, 36 bee-keepers that I
know of; and I think there are none
that I do not know, and these all use
frame hives; there is not a box-hive
among tliem. Out of this number 3
claim to use the Langstroth hive ; one
of these has increased the height of
his hive so as to use a frame 12 inches
deep ; another has made his frames
to go crosswise of the hive; the
other is a man that knows but little
about bee-keeping, and gets another
man to take care of them, and that
man condemns the Langstroth hive
every time he has anything to do with
"* Now the statistics : 36 bee men, 3
Langstroth hive men, 33 that use
hives taking tlie square frames, 2 of
the Langstroth hive men have changed
their frames from the long and shal-
low to the short and deep frame, so
these 2 will have to be reckoned on
the side of the square frame, wliich
will make our statistics toot up thus :
35 square frame men, 1 shallow frame
man 36 in all. These statistics, I
claim are much more reliable than
yours, for they come from a more
enlightened set of men, as shown by
their having no old box hives ; while
almost half of the community from
which you get your information are
back in the heathen darkness and
ignorance of the old box hive and
Again, I read a report a short time
ago of a convention, and 1 think there
were about 30 present, and only 2 used
the Langstroth frame, but say there
were 24 present and 3 used the Langs-
troth frame, their statistics would
show only }i using the Langstroth
frame, which is only half of what 1
had it. Now, do not these statistics
" settle it" that the Langstroth frame
is a small minority, and that minority
is gradually growing less V and the
neglect of the square frame neighbor,
who cares for the Langstroth frame ;
many bees would soon drive the last
one out to sea.
Another reason is, I think, many of
our oldest, most experienced, most
scientific, and most successful bee
men who use and recommend the
square frame, say but little about it ;
bul; I have frequently noticed that the
greatest noise generally comes from
the biggest fools. I mi^ht add many
more reasons for my belief, but I do
not wish to occupy the space, nor
have I the time at present.
Mr. Demaree will please accept my
thanks for the candor he has exhibited
in his article. He has written me
that he is satistied that he "■ holds
the fort." I wrote him there was but
little danger that he would not hold
it, when he has so strong a corps of
editors to guard it ; but I advised him
to withdraw while his laurels were
fresh, lest the people " arise in their
might," demolish the fort,destroy him
and his guard, and tread his laurels
in the mud. Now, hoping that what
has been said may not disturb our
former friendship, I remain yours
truly, E. B. Southwick.
It is useless to attempt a discussion
of any subject, when a mild and kind-
ly-worded argument calls out such a
fierce reply as the foregoing. Such harsh
words as liar, fools, downright mean-
ness, hypocrsiy, rascality, villiany,
etc., are not calculated to induce an
impartial decision of any question !
The discussion of tlie comparative
merits of the ■' square and rectangular
frame hives " will, therefore, cease,
for the present, in the Bee Journal,
with the exception of one article from
Mr. Demaree (if he should desire to
reply) as promised, two weeks ago,
and one from the Bev. L. L. Langs-
troth, which he is now preparing, by
request. Our "correspondents will
please " take due notice, and govern
themselves accordingly."
When it can be discussed impassion-
ately will be time enough to resume—
until then, let us take up some other
questions, from a review of which
some good may result.
The National Convention.
1^" The summer meeting of the
Cortland, N. Y., Union Bee-Keeper's
Association, will be held at Cortland,
N. y., on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 1883.
M. C. Bean, Sec.
The National Bee - Keepers' As-
sociation, will hold its Annual Con-
vention in the City Ilall and Council
Chamber in the city of Toronto, on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
the 18th, 19th and 20th days of Sep-
tember, during the second week of
Canada's Great Fair. All the rail-
roads in Canada will issue tickets
during this week, good to return, up
to Saturday night 22d, at single fare
for the round trip. Special excursion
rates will be arranged from various
parts of the United States, of which
due notice will be given. Those who
intend being present may be kept
posted on the latest excursion rates,
etc., by addresssng me, and also that
I may arrange hotel accommodation.
Private lodgings will, if possible, be
secured for those who desire it, and
every effort will be made to make
everybody comfortable. A grand
meeting is anticipated.
D. A. Jones, President.
f^ Mr. E. T. Flanagan informs us
that at the St. Louis Fair, the privi-
lege has been granted of selling honey
on the grounds, during the exhibition,
to all bee-keepers that make a first-
class exhibit and keep their exhibits
intact. This will aid honey con-
sumption very much, and should pre-
vail at all fairs.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
Bee Journal and a colored Poster,
to aid in getting up a club. The
Premiums we ofEer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of 8 subscribers
to the Monthly Bee Journal, or 4
we will present Dzierzon's Rational
Bee-Keeping, price $2.00.
1^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
Postage 'on Queens to Canada.— On
any package of merchandise sent to
Canada,of 8 ounces or less, the postage
is 10 cents. Queens, therefore, cannot
be sent for less than 10 cents each.
Canadians ordering queens from the
United States, should add 10 cents
for each queen, if they are to be sent
by mail, for that extra 10 cents will
usually eat up all the profits on queen
bees, if they are reared as they should
be. _
1^ The pamphlet, " Honey, as
Food and Medicine," is in such de-
mand, that we find it necessary to
print them in still larger quantities,
and can, therefore, still further re-
duce the price, as noted on page 399.
Let them be scattered like " autumn
leaves," and the result, we feel sure,
will fully reward honey-producers for
both the labor and the small expense.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
391
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time and Place oj MetUng.
Aug. 11.— Cortland, N. Y. Unicm, at Cortliind, N. V
M. C. Bean, Sec.
AuH. 29.-S. W. Iowa, at Red Oak, Iowa.
K. C. Alkln, Sec,
AuR. 29.— Iowa Central, atWinterset Fair Grounds,
Z. G, Cooley, Sec. Pro tern.
Aug. 29, 30.— Ky. State, at Louisville. Ky.
Dr. N. P. Allen, Sec, Smith's Grove, Ky,
Sept. 12-14.— Trl-State, at Toledo, Ohio.
Dr. A. B. Mason, Sec, Wagon Works, O,
Sept. 18-2<:i.— North Americanrat Toronto, Ont.
A. 1. Root, Sec, Medina, O.
Oct. 9, 10.— Northern Mich, at Sheridan. Mich.
O. R. Goodno, Sec, Carson City, Mich.
Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at Chicago, III,
Thomas G. Newman, Sec.
Oct.— Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, O.
S. F. Newman, Sec,
Dec, 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint.
H. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
ty In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetings.— Ed.
From Deep to Shallow Frames.
Mr. J. B. Mason, of Mecliauics'
Falls, Maine, gives the following rea-
sons, in the Home Farm, for changing
from the deep to the shallow frame :
My prejudices have for a long time
led me to favor a deep frame, and so
strong were they that I would not
^ive the standard Laugstroth frame a
tair trial. This prejudice arose, 1
suppose, from accepting the theories
of the opponents of the Langstroth
frame, which theories seemed so plaus-
ible that I was led to acce|)t them
without proof, and adopt them as
being absolutely correct. I suffered a
large per cent, of loss with tlie deeper
frames, but this I laid to various
causes and any, as it proved, but the
right one. At last, after seeing so
many accounts from various sources
of the success that disinterested bee-
keepers met with in using the stand-
ard Langstroth, I was led to try it,
and as a matter of fact it proved a
success with me. Now I claim to be
honest in the matter of apiculture,
and as I am not interested pecuni-
arily in the success of the Langstroth
or any other frame, consequently I
cannot be accused of self-interest in
adopting it for myself or advising its
use by others. I have in the last two
years transferred over 50 colonies
from the deep frames to the standard
Langstroth, and paclced away the old
hives which are worthless to me, and
as James Heddon said, two years ago,
I think I liave saved money by so
doing, and to show how the tendency
is for the Langstroth frame, I will say
that out of over 70 orders in the State
of Maine for bees, all but 4 were for
the Langstrotli frame.
Again, I have not as yet attained
that profound knowledge of apicul-
ture which would lead me to think
that I know it all, and that no one
can teach me anything ; neither am I
ashamed to admit errors, when by
study and observation I find my pre-
vious opinions, deep-seated tliough
they are, to be incorrect. I had a
deep battle with myself before I was
willing to admit, to myself even, that
the Langstroth frame would and did
winter better than deeper ones, but
the results in my own apiary, and not
only in mine, but in apiaries generally
throughout this State, forced me to
change my mind, and having so
changed, in justice to those who had
been taught differently by me, caused
me to give my new views to the pub-
lic. So far from being changeable in
matters of bee-culture, I have here-
tofore clung to my pre-conceived ideas
with great tenacity, and have been
led to change them only by proof of
tlie most solid character. He who
sticks to his opinions does well, but
he who changes when he is fully
proved in error does better, and 1
trust to always stand among those
who are ready to give up an opinion
when proved to be wrong.
Having stated my position and the
reason that led me to change my
views in regard to the relative merits
of deep and shallow frames, I will
say, that while all open-top, movable,
sectional, hanging frames are Langs-
troth, and were fully covered by his
patent, the term " L." frame, for con-
venience sake, was given to tlie par-
ticular form, that Mr. Langstroth ad-
vised ; while those of different form
were called after their originators.
Alley's Shipping Cage Food.— Mr.
Henry Alley, of Wenham, Mass., has
sent us a black queen and some bees
in a cage supplied witli his new kind
of food. They came in excellent con-
dition, and we returned them to him
to see how they stand the journey of
2,000 miles. The food is soft, but
does not run, and there is not the
slightest chance for its " daubing the
mails," and it does not have the dis-
agreeable feature of crumbling and
rattling about the cage. The bees
ate it with the greatest avidity, and
with apparent relish. We hope it
will prove to " just the thing " we
have long been wanting for use in
shipping cages.
1^ The Fremont, Mich., Indicator
says : " Gleorge Hilton says you can
take your dish to his apiary and get
pure extracted honey for a sliilling a
pound. This is almost as cheap as
the adulterated syrups of commerce,
and a great deal better for the child-
ren." That is the way to say it. It
gives health ; not disease like the vile
syrups ! and yet costs no more than
the adulterated trash I
1^ The Rev. \V. F. Clark, who
went to AVinnepeg, last summer, is
about te return to the States, and
possibly may locate in Chicago, as an
attache of the agricultural press here.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, {
Monday, 10 a. m., Aug. 6, 1883. >
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEV— The honey harvest in this neighbor-
hood is over, and was very satisfactory every
where. Largo crops were oroduced in my Imme-
diate neighborhood of bulk extracted and comb
honey, and our Kentucky neighbors seem to belong
to that favored class of mortals with whom there
is no such wf»rd as failure. While we hud very poor
seasons for '1 years in succession, they harvested
medium to good crops every time, and this season
eclipses all previous ones with them, in quantity.
Their quality cannot be excelled. We have bad
very large arrivals, and, our commission houses
being well supplied, the market Is overstocked at
the present.
Tliere was almost no demand for the last 3 or 4
weeks for our small packages— 1 iind 2 lb. jars. We
sell for table use, and there is a very slow demand
for such qualities as are used in barrels for manu-
facturing purooses. Honey being pushed on the
market in sucn quantities, Is sold at all prices, and
our friends have the best show in the world for
running prices down to a point from which they
may be hard to recover.
Our prices, of late, for extracted honey, have
been *r(3i9c. on arrival, and for choice comb honey
14fa)16c.
BBKSWA.X- Hasbeenin fair supply, and sold at
30®32c. for good, on arrival. Chas. F. Muth,
NEW YORK,
HONEY— We take pleasure in quoting the fol-
lowing prices on honey, obtainable in our market :
Fancy will tec lover, 1 lb. sections (no glass) 2()®2Ic;
fancy white clover, 2 lb. sections (glassed) 18(S20c:
fair white clover, 1 and 2 lb. sections (glassed) lii@
17c.: fancy buckwheat, 1 lb. sections (no glass)
15c.: fancy buckwheat, 2 lb. sections (glassed) l3(a
14c.; ordinary buckwheat, 1 and 1 lb. sections
(glassed) ll(ii)13c.; extracted clover honey In kega
or barrels 9<" IOC. ; extracted buckwheat honey in
kegs or barrels 7'^(d.sc.
BEESWAX— Prime vellow beeswax 31@33c.
H. k. & F. B. ThUUBER & CO.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— New crop of comb honey Is being of-
fered, and some sales of It have been made at
](i(ti)l.sc in 1 and l**! frames. The receipts of ex-
tracted are liberal, and there la a good deal of
complaint about unripe honey; consumersholdlng
off. Market, ;)(.i)li)c for white. Very little dark
left, and some Inquiry for It.
BEESWAX-30(!i35C.
H. A. Bdhnett, 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY- Gloomy accounts continue to be re-
ceived from the Southern coast counties regarding
the honey crop. In the region of Tulare there is
a good yield. Some Tulare comb, crossed and
mixed, was placed at l.'-t'.'jc., and extracted of the
crop of IMSl sold at 7i^c. White to extra white
comb 16(§;20c.: dark to good KKjiiiav^c: extracted,
choice to extra white 7iSi9c. ; dark and candled
e]4@-.
BBBSWA.X -Wholesale, 27(5l2Sc.
Steabnb & Smith, 423 Front Street.
ST. LODIS.
HONBY-New, In liberal offering, but little sold
in quantities— held higher: e.xtracted or strained
at 7'^''tfi'i>c., and comb at lf<c. Lots in fancy pack-
ajjes bring more In a small way, while old and
inferior sells leas.
BKBSWA.\— Inactive and easy, nt 27''^28n.
W. T. ANDERSON & Co.. 104 N. 3d street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— There Is a very good demand for new
white honey at l^^*fl■20c. for I lb. sections; 2 lb. new
l7(<Dl)Hc.; old. 15'<(.l6c. No extracted has been re-
ceived, and none seems wanteu in our market.
BBESWA.'C-32®35c.
A. C. Kendel, 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— We are now just commencing anew
season, and the prospect is very bright. We are
receiving letters from all over the country report-
ing an abundant supply, tiur principal New Eng-
land supply comes from .1. E. Crane, who writes us
that his estimate, made 4 weeks ago. was a safe
one. Jind tliat instead of from ir,,()Oo to 2(l,t)oo lbs.,
he will have Iroiu 25,(»)l) to ;i(),i«)o one lb. combs;
the finest he ever saw. He will make us his tlrst
shipment this week. We had a shipment of 8 cases
of one lb. combs from J. A. Green, of Dayton, III.,
the first we iuive bad. About 4, imk) lbs. of orange
blossom extracted hone^ from Alderman & Rob-
erts, uf lola. West Florida, and sold at 9c.
We quote our market prices, as follows : White
clover, one lb. combs 20(*^22e ; white clover, 2 ID.
combs lS(ai2<)c.; extracted from 9(§*loc,
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
Crocker & Blake, 57 Chatham Street.
392
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee JoumaL
The Naughty Hybrid.
JAMBS IIEDDON.
I will venture to say, had it not
been for the sharp and business end
of bees, there would have been more
failures in our business than we can
now boast of, which is no small num-
ber. Almost everybody would keep
some bees, " just a few for their own
use," were it not fi)r their poisonous
little javlins. This is an established
and well-known law in human nature.
This same law applies forcibly to the
" naughty hybrid."
Had it not been for the fact that
hybrids, crosses between the German
and Italian bees, were far more irasci-
ble than either of the races from
■which they sprung, these bees would
long ago have been the bee of present
apiculture. Now it seems a little
peculiar that a tolerably good-natured
German bee, and a better-behaved
Italian should produce offspring
meaner than either race ; but such is
■well known to have been a fact. I
have told you several times before,
that I had crosses between the brown
German and leather-colored Italian,
that were as well, or better behaved,
and I think 1 may well say " better "
than any other bees 1 liave ever seen.
In this short article I wish to point
out the reason for tliese two different
conditions of affairs, and how I ex-
changed one for the other. I began
my crossings as I have said before,
from not only I lie best honey gather-
ing strains of each race, but likewise
the best behaved, viz. : the leather-
colored Italians, and the larger brown,
or gray variety of Germans. I took,
and still take the ground, that the
German bee is much better-iiatured
than the Italians. The reverse of this
has been supposed to be the case by
bee-keepers who have used both, and
from the quite reasonable reason that
they have received more slings from
handling German bees.
Now let us see if such results come
about because the Germans have the
meanest disposition. Bees seldom
craw'l on the hand.s to sting. We re-
ceive almost entirely all of our stings
(except where bees are pinched, in
■which case all bees sting alike) from
bees that take wing while being
handled when opening hives, etc.
Now one marked difference between
Germans and Italians is that German
bees tly into the air, and roll and
tumble oft' the combs, falling into the
air, and then taking; wing very much
more than do Italians. Considering
the number they put into the air, we
do not receive half as many stings
from Germans as from Italians,
though at the sam« time we may re-
ceive as many or more. Evidences of
the innate mean disposition of the
Italian bee are numerous. Their ob-
stinancy in heeding the admonitions
of the smoker, on being driven from
one point to another, when hiving or
forcing swarms ; their readiness to all
tip up their abdomen and stick out
their stings when the hive is opened
during cool weather and many others.
Now, if this more irascible Italian
bee is crossed with Germans, and the
offspring inherit the mean, surly dis-
position of the Italians, at the same
time the loose footed, and very ready
tendency to take wing of the Ger-
mans, their product will be nearly
as mean as Cyprians or Syrians are
reported to be, and you have the old-
fashioned " naughty hybrid." But
on the other hand, if in our crossings
we carefully foster that valuable pro-
pensity of tlie Italian of crawling
about the combs, keeping themselves
quiet and evenly distributed over
tnem while being handled, in the
point of gentleness you gain vihatever
your bees inherit of the really more
amiable disposition of the Germans.
Upon tliis plan I have worked, and in
this way I have produced the strain
of bees I now possess — one which sur-
prises visitors and students when
they see hybrids more gentle than
any other bees they are used to
handling.
Whenever any of tlie disposition to
fly into the air or tumble off combs
crops out among our stock, we make
haste to weed it out, replacing it with
the best in the apiary. All the above
points are simple, and I think well
known facts and deductions.
Dowagiac, Mich., July 26, 1883.
Howard, Secretary, Kingston ; D. W.
Yeager, Treasurer, Kingston.
The constitution and by-laws of the
State, with the necessary changes,
were adopted.
The organization shall be known as
the Hunt County (Texas) Bee-Keeji-
ers' Association, and shall hold its
meetings semi-annually.
Several important subjects were
discussed with interest to all present,
and a general good time prevailed.
Dr. Howard exhibited all kinds of
improved appliances used in modern
bee-keeping, as well as line Italian
bees, which were remarkable for the
gentle and quiet manner in which
they moved about upon the combs,
when handled without smoke or pro-
tection.
A general expression of thanks was
tendered Mrs. Howard for her kind
hospitality in entertaining her guests,
and to the Doctor for his efforts to
make the meeting pleasant.
The Convention adjourned to meet
on Thursday, Oct. 2.5, 1883.
Wm. R. Howard, Sec.
For the American Bee Journal.
Hunt Co., Texas, Convention.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Use of Broad Frames, etc.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
Pursuant to a call published by the
leading bee-keepers in Hunt County,
Texas, a convention was held at Dr.
Wm. R. Howard's residence, on the
19th day of July, 1SS3, for the purpose
of effecting a permanent organization.
I. II. Ilightower was called to the
chair, and D. W. Yeager \yas chosen
secretary pro tern.
The object of the convention was
explained by the cliairman, and a few
timely remarks on the importance of
thus associating ourselves together
were made by several persons.
The convention went into perma-
nent organization with the following
named members :
Wm. R. Graham, Rev. C. A. Rus-
sell, Greenville; Rev. I. H. High-
tower, Rev. D. W. Yeager, L. J.
Green, J. E. Spoonemore, Wm. M.
Matthews, Jasper McCuUough, R. N.
Guest, Rev. W. H.Fitz.J. W. Farmer,
J. H.Maxwell. Wm. T. Hodges, Dr.
Wm. R. Howard, Kingston ; Wm. E.
Lowry, White Rock ; S. E. Smith,
Leonard, Fannin County. Lady mem-
bers: Mrs. W. R. (Traham, "Green-
ville; Mrs. S. E.Smith, Mrs. J. H.
Manlove, Leonard ; Mrs. Wm. R.
Howard, Kingston.
The organization then proceeded
to the election of officers with the
following result :
William R. Graham, President,
Greenville ; I. H. Ilightower, Vice-
President, Kingston ; William R.
Please allow me to thank Mr. W.
H. Ilarraer for his article on page 3.57.
I now see that my article copied from
the Coimiry Gentleman, might give the
impression that I advocated the use
of broad frames for holding sections.
Such is not the case, and, if obliged to
use them, I should give up the pro-
duction of comb hoiiey. It was that
very " Heddon section rack," or
rather case, that converted me to a
comb-honey man. " Eight sections in
a broad frame," is an argument often
used in favor of frames IT^g inches
loifg, and at present it has weight,
but it will " grow smaller by degrees
and beautifully less." I have used
broad frames "just a little," just
enough to know what they will do.
They will give the bees too much sur-
plus room at once ; they will allow the
bees to linish the lower tier of sec-
tions first, and then "tramp" over
them while hlling the upper tier; they
will bother the bee-keeper when try-
ing to reverse the sections. Why, I
can take the whole 28 sections from
the Heddon case while somebody else
is getting out the Hrst section from a
broad frame ! Broad frames may
hang on quite a while, but they are
doomed. Separators ditto. When
the Heddon case and sections 1?i
inches wide, tilled with foundation,
are used, separators are entirely use-
less.
Just a few words more in regard to
the standard Langstroth frame.
Webster defines the word standard as
"that which is established by au-
thority." If ;Mr. Langstroth is not
authority upon this subject, who is V
If he cannot change the standai'd,
who can ? We all know that stan-
dards can be changed. France
changed her standard of weights and
measures to the metric system ; our
school boards often change the stan-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
393
dard of the text books, and Mr.
Langstroth lias changed his standard
frame. It has been intimated tliat
" somebody else " changed tlie size of
the frame, and then Mr. Langstroth's
sanction was " wrenched " from him.
If my memory serves me right, when
Mr. A. I. Hoot began making the
Langstrotli frame, lie sent to Mr.
Langstroth for a frame, and tliis
frame was used as a pattern. Not
much " wrencliing " there. But it is
immaterial as to what weretlie causes
that induced Mr. Langstroth to make
the change.
But the practical question in regard
to this matter is, which is and will be
in the majority V Wliere tlie U%
frames are already in the majority,
and the largest manufactories, and
the most of them, the editors of the
principal bee papers, and Mr. Langs-
troth himself, have adopted this size,
what else can we expect than that it
will remain in the majority.
Rogersville, Mich.
For the American Bee JoumaL
The Standard Langstroth Frame.
M. M. HALDHIDGE.
There is not a particle of " proof "
in the two colnnin editorial, on page
305 of the Bee .Journal, that the
" standard " Laujistroth frame— the
only point at issue— is ITfg inches
long, outside measure, nor anything
of value, when pmperly interpreted,
to show why Mr. Langstroth should
prefer a frame }4 inch longer than
the standard.
In the December Bee Journai. for
1878, page 427, appears an article from
ray pen showing that a mistake had
been made by some in making the
frame 17:^8 instead of 17*8 inches
long, nutsule measure, and calling it
the standard l>angstroth. Appended
to that article are remarks, credited
to Mr. Langstroth, wljich do not deny
the correctness of my position,
namely, that the standard Langstroth
frame should be 17^8 inches long, out-
side measure, but simply that Mr.-L.,
at that date, preferred a frame I4'
inch longer ! J5ut what Mr. L. pre-
ferred, at that time, was foreign to
the point at issue, as was fully ex-
plained by me in an article on the
same topic, on page 163, April Bee
Journal for 1879, to which the
reader is referred for details. As Mr.
L. has never responded to that article,
I have a right to assume that he be-
came satistied that he did not fully
underhand my position when he re-
plied, as is clainjed, to my previous
article.
Now, let me examine the " reasons
(?)" credited to Mr. Langstroth, why
lie prefers a frame "^ '"ch longer than
the standard : "Considering the ac-
curacy which may be obtained in
making the frames stiff and perfectly
square, I jirefer the Hoot and New-
• man measurements."
Now, if any one can explain how
the Langstroth frame can be made
"stiff and perfectly square" with less
trouble, or greater "accuracy," by
making it simply >4 inch longer than
the standard, he can do more than I
or any one else whom I have talked
with on this subject I If it be true
that a longer and larger frame can be
made stifler and squarer, and with
less difficulty, than a shorter and
smaller one, and that, for such " rea-
sons (V) " simply, we should adopt the
longer and larger frame for the stan-
dard, then why not adopt the size and
shape of the Langstroth frame pre-
ferred by Mr. QuinbyV But this is
also foreign to the subject— the text
being, What are tlie correct dimen-
sions of the standard Langstroth
frame V and not what anybody "pre-
fers," nor what shall we adopt as the
standard.
On page 163, April Bee Jouunal
for 1879, the " Ed." appended some
remarks to my reply to Mr. Langs-
troth, from which I now quote :
"Many will vary the size of the
frame from y inch to 2 inches just to
suit a notion, which should never be
done. Nothing is more annoying
than to have frames vary just enough
to be useless for interchanging." I
can endorse every word in that
citation.
I am satisfied that the frame n%
inches long, now known to some as
the "Root and Newman frame," was
never made that length " to suit a
notion," nor for any valid reasons
whatever, nor for the purpose of ob-
taining any advantages over the
standard Langstroth, but simply be-
cause it was copied after a blunder
in the making of the standard frame,
the blunder having Hrst been made
by old man Blunderer himself ! The
pretense that the length was changed
from 17^8 to 17^8 inches so as to fit the
one-pnund section is sheer nonsense, as
Mr. Root made the blundered frame
several years before a one-pound box
was even thought of — in fact, the
blunder was made more than ten
years ago !
Mr. Langstroth is credited with
saying that " Mr. Baldridge is in
error." But in what respect V In re-
gard to the correct length of the
standard Ijangstroth frame V ]5y no
means. 15ut simply "in error" that
y inbh in the length of the frame
destroys its " interchangeableness."
Now, is that true V As the inside
length of the box that holds the 1733
inch frames is IS'ii inches long (see
page 381 of Mr. L.'s book), this would
leave a space of only 14 inch between
the ends of the \1% inch frames and
the box. Now, is that sufficient space
for a good practical hive V It may be
for some, but it wont do for me. And
if the frame, as well as the hive, are
each made }4 inch too long, the pro-
jections of the top-piece will also be
3.4 inch too long, and these must be
cut off before such frames can be used
in a box, properly made, to hold the
n% inch frames. So it will be seen
that the proper " interchangeable-
ness" of the frames is very disagree-
able to say the least.
The 3il revised edition of Mr.
Langstroth's book is dated March,
1859, over 24 years ago. But since
that date there have been several
editions published, and, I i)resuuie.
one or more have been issued since
Mr. L. is credited with what appears
on page 427 in December Bee Jour-
nal for 1878. In the 3d revised edi-
tion, and iu every edition of that
revised edition that I have examined,
full and explicit directions are given
for making what has become known
as the " standard " Langstroth frame
and hive, and I am not aware that
any change has been given therein by
foot note, or otherwise, in the length
of the frames from 17% to 17% inches,
nor in the dimensions of tlie boards
that enter into the construction of the
box that holds the frames. It is true
that the book is " stereotyped," but
that is no excuse for not calling atten-
tion to the change in the length of the
frame and the liive by foot note, or
otherwise, if Mr. Langstroth thought
such change was really to be desired.
Now, when a writer of iiiHuence, like
Mr. L., "prefers " a change, and es-
pecially one of so much importance
as a change iu the dimensions of a
" standard " frame and hive for bee-
keepers, he should not only give at
least one or more valid reasons, in
case he attempts to give any, for
making such a change, but he, or his
publishers, should likewise give
jiroper notice of such change in his
only authorized work on bees, so that
the purchasers of the book will not be
misled by its teachings. Either this
should be done or else the sale of the
book should be discouraged by the
advocates of the " blundered " frame,
which, perhaps, should iienceforth be
designated as the Root and Newman
" progressive " frame !
St. Charles, III.
[" Mr. Baldridge is in error " in
"presuming" that there have been
"one or more" revised editions of
Mr. Laugstroth'sbook published since
the item from him was printed in the
Bee Journal for 1878, page 427. No
revision has been made since March,
1859. At our request Mr. Langstroth
is preparing an article on this subject
for the Bee Joubna-l, and one, we
hope, that will forever settle this un-
profitable controversy.— Ed.]
For the American Bee JoumaL
A Few Conundrums on Bees.
A. E. foster.
Wliv is honey like liberty ? Because
eternal vigilance is the price thereof.
Why is the bee business like a iioor
man's purse 'r' Because there is no
money in it; or to suit everybody,
Why is a well kept apiary like an old
cheese 'r' Because there are millions
in it.
Why are bees, during the honey
season, like clowns "t' Because they
are pleasant aii<l agreeable, doing
their managers all the good they can.
Why are bees like merchants ? Be-
cause they have stores and "cell"
honey.
Why are beesseekingamong llowers
like young fellows going to see their
394
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
sweethearts V Because they are seek-
ing their honeys.
Why are bees like the English na-
tion V Because they are loyal to their
Queen.
Why are bees like old topers ? Be-
cause they sometimes carry intoxicat-
ing beverages to their homes and
drink themselves to death. (This
thought is produced by the cider mill.)
Why is an occasional colony of bees
like some government offices 'i Be-
cause they are filled with drones.
Why are bees like good sailors?
Because they alvi^ays know their lati-
tude and longitude.
Why are bees like rich young swells
who visit our watering places ? Be-
cause they fly around all summer
spending an active life, then loaf in
winter.
Why do not bees believe in God V
Because they obey not his laws ; they
murder, steal and break the Sabbath.
Covington, Ky.
For the American Bee Jouraal.
Kindness to Bees.
W. n. SHIRLEY.
Kindness to bees produces kind
bees to a great extent. When we had
from 6 to 18 colonies, we could call
them " little pets," " nice little bees,"
etc.. and take an hour to do a little
work witii them, where, now, ten
minutes must suffice. Then our bees
were good-natured enough.
In breeding, especially, we were
gentle in handling them at that time.
In tlie fall of 1881, just before the
surplus honey was removed from tlie
hives, in our apiary, some one, for
sport or mischief, tried one night to
take a little honey, but the bees made
it too hot for them, and they only
succeeded in partly removing the
sections, and left the hive so covered
up that we did not notice it until the
time came for removing the honey
from all of the hives. I came to this
hive, as to all others, and removed the
cover, but I took " leg bail " for shel-
ter. After they quieted down again,
I approached more carefully, and suc-
ceeded in taking oft" the honey witli
but few stings.
Next year, 1882, we reared two
queens from that colony, to see if
tliat cross feeling was hereditary. It
E roved to be, in that case, as I know
y the feelings of the past.
Now, our first point in breeding is
to handle the breeding colonies care-
fully, especially wtien rearing queens,
giving our first choice to tlie ''bread
and butter" colonies, regardless of
color.
1 had started out to stiow where
my humble stand-point was, on the
strain of bees that suited me, but I
have just received the prescription
for strained bees from Dr. E. B.
Sotithwick, Mendon, Mich., and as he
gives us permission to have it pulj-
lislied. I will give place for the Doc-
tor's letter, as he has done it up in
much better shape ; only adding first,
that our fancy strain is about ,^4 brown
German and >4 dark leather-colored
Italian, as my experience leads me to
think that black bees have % of the
" bread and butter" qualities.
2. I select young queens to breed
from that are "from 1 to 2 years old, as
a rule,.with exceptions.
3. I do not like old combs to rear
bees in, as I have seen combs old
enough to dwarf the bees, that were
hatched in tliem. If a good deal of
age in combs will make smaller bees,
will not a little help do the same
thing ?
4. Before God gave the honey bee
the command to gather honey from
flowers, perhaps they lived on manna,
buckwheat flour, maize, etc. I guess
now almost any bee will gather tlie
honey if God will furnish the shower.
I for one will take my cliances on it.
Dr. South wick's letter is as follows :
The Careful Breeding of Bees.
E. B. SOUTHWICK.
Concerning the different strains of
bees— the coming bee, the yellow, the
leather-colored, the blacks, or this
man's peculiar kind, or that man's
extra bred, I never have expressed an
opinion. There are so many writing
on that subject, that there appears to
be scarcely room for one who is as
contrary as I am in everything ; but
my ideas and opinions are always free
when I have time to give them.
It is my opinion that men, animals
and insects (the bee included), are
just what they are, through the force
of circumstances ; that is, a family of
man and its decendeuts can be brought
to a high state of intelligence or size
and strengtii, by circumstances, or
they may be brought down to idiots
or pigmys by circumstances. So it
is with everything that has life, either
animal or vegetable.
The Italian bee, when brought to
this country, had peculiarities that
the blacks had not ; they were more
docile and easier handled, and some
other things that they were noted for,
and puffed very highly, and sold at
high prices, and the breeders and
dealers gave them every chance to
improve in the very qualities they
were noted for, and the purchaser
fave them the same extra chance,
'or instance, all the visitors were
taken to see the new bees — the hive
slowly approached, the cover carefully
removed, the nice little fellows exhib-
ited and carefully shown, witli their
beautiful yellow rings and their mild
disposition. But the blacks are ap-
proached in a hurry, the hive jerked
open, the smoke puffed in, the frames
jerked apart, and everything done in
a rough manner, for they are nothing
but cross blacks, — not thinking that
that is just what makes tliein cross.
The same can be said of all other
bees, that I have said of the Italians
and blacks. 1 do not wish to be un-
derstood that the foreign bee has no
qualities superior to tlie blacks. I
tliink they have, and I think the
blacks have qualities superior to the
Italians. I think that if either kind
are taken, and in every respect given
the best chance, they will become the
best bees. In proof of that I will cite
a case : When the Holstein cattle
were first imported, a man bought a
two-year-old heifer ; his neighbor had
a common one of the same age ; they
both came in at the same time. The
neiglibor thought he would see what
he could do with his, so he fed his
stock plentifully with the best milk-
producing articles he could get, which
so increased the power of their milk-
secreting organs, that the third gene-
ration beat the Holstein in milk and
price.
But, of the particular strain, differ-
ent men have, some one color, some
another, and each contending that his
or her yiarticular color is the best.
To explain all. I will give you my
opinion of Mr. Heddou's strain. He
bought some black bees that were
large and great honey-gatherers. The
question is, how came they such ?
My opinion is, that their race had, at
some previous time, been located in
a place where there was a continual
flow of honey during the entire sum-
mer, and, as they had continual work
to do, they acquired the tiabitof steady
industry, and, as they were continu-
ally at work, their size, strength and
ability to gather honey increased also,
until they would outdo all others not
under as favorable circumstances.
Had they been light-yellow Italians,
they woiild have been just as good
and no better. His crossing with the
Italians, I should care but little about.
Others having extra strains of bees
may have those that have been im-
proved by some peculiar circumstance,
and are really better than the com-
mon bee.
Bees that have good qualities that
are the resultof long-continuedusage,
are worth more, as it takes as long to
breed out a good quality, as it does to
breed it in, and they will retain these
good points as long as circumstances
will permit.
You will perceive that in bees I
have no respect to color or nationality;
my bees are mostly Italians, but I
have some blacks, and I would not
,wish to part with them, for I am alit-
'tle more certain to find comb honey
with them, and I can make a little
better exhibit of nice white comb
honey from them than the Italians.
Perhaps you would like to know
what I think on the condition that
will insure an improvement in any
kind of bees. Well, I believe that a
locality where there is an even and
plentiful flow of honey from pussy
willows in sprinsr, until frost kills the
goldenrod and hearts-ease in the fall,
is the best. This, witli even weather
and light winds, I think, would insure
improvement, without any orosses ;
and did I wish to buy bees and knew
of such a locality, and of bees that had
been bred in-and-in there, for the last
10 years. I would buy, with my eyes
closed to color or pedigree.
You may ask if I think importation
has done any good to the business ?
I will say that I think it has much,
and the importers are worthy of much
credit for what they have done. Did.
not the introduction of the Holstein
heifer intothatneighborhood improve
the milking qualities of the cows
there ?
Mendon, Mich.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
395
For the American Bee Journal.
To. Michigan Bee-Keepers.
PROF. A. J. COOK.
We Michigan bee-keepers are un-
foitunate this year, as the Toronto
meeting of the North American Asso-
ciation and our State Fair come at the
same time. The American Associa-
tion oilers great inducements. It is
the first meeting held in Canada, and
everything will be done to make it a
grand success. The hope and pros-
pect of having our great and vener-
able Mr. Langstroth with us will
give this occasion a rare prestige. I
near of delegates coming from Flor-
ida, Texas, and many from the States
nearer by. Who will want to miss it '{
Our State Agricultural Society have
done everything we have asked to
make our State exhibition a glory to
us and to the State, so we have extra
inducements to remain at home.
Some, of course, must do the one, and
some the other. Now I wish to
appeal most earnestly for all to do the
one or the other. I would ask with
equal emphasis that oiu' Michigan
bee-keepers send to me quite accurate
reports of the season's harvest, that
I may carry up to Toronto a report
that will do Alicliigan credit. The
vice-president in each State should
receive full reports from the various
apiarists.
Let me then urge all bee-keepers in
every State to pay most earnest heed
to these two valuable points. See
that your own State Fair is grand in
its honey exhibit, and that your vice-
president goes up to the North Ameri-
can meeting with a hat full of valua-
ble statistics. In both these ways,
apiculture will be greatly advanced.
Lansing, Mich., July liS, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumoL
Size of Standard Langstroth Frame,
w. p. T.
I have been looking on at the con-
trovesy on this question, and being
somewhat interested in it, I have not
failed to form my own opinion on the
matter. It is true that my first
knowledge of bee-keeping was re-
ceived from the perusal of " The Hive
and Honey Bee," which you will, per-
haps, say " rs something akin to going
back to the dark ages of the past."
There appears to be something defi-
nite and positive in the assertions
and quotations of Messrs. Baldridge
and Heddon, whereas there are doubt-
ful and inaccurate statements on the
otaer side ; thus " the last edition of
Mr.Langstroth's book (the fourth) was
published about 2-5 years ago ;" on
reference, however, I find that the
thml edition was published in 1863.
In commencing I tried to make ray
hives from Mr. Langstroth 's descrip-
tion, but in 1869, I sent to Messrs.
Langstroth & Son for a pattern. This,
when received, I found to be some-
whar different from the hive de-
scribed, the back and front were of
1% inch stuff, which admitted of
deeper rabbets for frame ends. Thin
strips of hard wood were put in for the
frames to rest on, and instead of the
large triangular top-bar, a small piece
was worked out of the top-bar for
comb guide. In fact, it might be
said to be " the improved Langstroth
hive." But with all these clianges
the dimension of the hive ISig, and
the outside dimensions of the frame
17?8 were preserved. With this
model I went to work and made hives
and frames, and it was not until some
years later, when I got a supply of
frames from a dealer, which were
made up and used without measur-
ing, that I discovered that the bees
would almost invariably stick these
last named frames fast, and that
they were I4 inch larger than those
received directly from Mr. Langs-
troth. I look upon it that the 4I4X4I4
section had nothing to do with the
maker, being of much more recent
introduction, and again, the frame as
sent out by its inventor, was only \&%
inside (vide third edition, page 372).
I have now a lot of the M^^ frames
on hand, which I will not make up,
finding that it does as stated by Mr.
Baldridge, " destroy the intercliange-
ahleness," and if any one doubts it,
let him try to use a 'il% inch frame
in 18^8 inch hive, for I do not see that
it has been asserted that Mr. Langs-
troth has sanctioned a change in the
size of the hive.
Ontario, Canada, June 25, 1883.
[The only thing worth commenting
upon in the above communication,
is the mistake made by W. P. T.
about tlie third edition of Mr. Langs-
troth's book being published in 1863.
If he will take the trouble to look at
page viii. of the " Preface," he will
see that Mr. Langstroth's Preface to
his last edition is dated " March 1859 !"
The date on the title page is the date
when a fresli supply was printed from
the old plates. It is therefore not an
"inaccurate statement" to say that
" the last edition of Mr. Langstroth's
book, (the fourth) was published about
25 years ago"— the full 2-5 years being
up next March. — Ed.]
For the American Bee Journal.
Side Storing Sections a Failure.
J. CBAYCRAFT.
The controversy between Dr. South-
wick and Mr. Demaree is very inter-
esting, and each can and will be sus-
tained by the voices of many bee-
keepers. I take sides with the shal-
low frame for this latitude, but not so
long as the standard Langstroth ;
greatly preferring a frame of the same
depth, 9%xVSl4^ as being far better
for the prodiiction of comb honey and
building u|), in the spring ; tlie space
being more compact, requiring a less
number of bees to keep a given space
the proper degree of temperature, at a
time wlien all the working bees are
needed in the fields ; and for success-
ful and economical queen-rearing, it
is far ahead of the standard Langs-
troth. I think the Doctor's digres-
sion, on page 369, fits the experience
of many bee-keepers that use the
broad section frame. I have tried
both to my sorrow and loss, this sea-
son, here in the apiary of Dr. Allen.
I find it almost impossible to get bees
to work above in a 10-frame Langs-
troth hive, until you have sections
drawn out in the broad frame below,
on either side of the brood, first re-
moving three frames, and then you
will find pollen, and sometime eggs
and brood, in them, when you remove
them above, and by the time you have
had all this work done, and the three
frames replaced, and the bees at work,
you will have lost the best part of the
season (at least here, where clover is
our crop). I do not think I could
ever make a success in the produc-
tion of comb honey, in the broad
hanging frames for sections. I have
removed all of them from my hives,
and will pile them up as relics of the
dark ages, in bee-keeping.
I hope many of the readers of the
Bee Jouknal will take the advan-
tages offered on page 366, to attend
the Kentucky State Bee-Keepers'
Convention to be held at the Exposi-
tion building in Louisville, Ky., Aug.
29 and 30, and also avail themselves
of the opportunity of exhibiting their
bees there. This will be a grand
opportunity for queen breeders to
show their stock. The secretary. Dr.
N. P. Allen, Smith's Grove, Ky., ex- .
tends a cordial invitation to all bee-
keepers to come and be with us, and
help to make this a grand show of
our little industrious friends.
The honey season is about over
here, with the exception of some of
our finest colonies, that are still
building comb and storing honey in
sections from the red clover, of which
there is an abundance here. I wish
our bees were only all " red clover'
bees ;" they are " the coming bee."
Smith's Grove, Ky., July 30, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Changing a Standard.
S. GOODRICH.
The question of a standard frame
has been agitated through the columns
of the Bee Journal for sometime,
and each advocate of a standard
frame would, no doubt, be very glad
to have the fraternity adoi)t a stan-
dard frame, provided "it should be his
particular "pet frame,'' but how
many would be willing to make a
cliange. Take the class of men who
have several hundred colonies, or
even 50 colonies, it would be attended
witli considerable expense ; then if
the " standard " should happen to be
a larger or longer frame than the one
they were using, the real expense
would be greater than to the party
that is now using a larger or longer
frame than what would be decided as
a standard. In the former case the
lumber in the hives might be a total
loss, where, in the latter, much of it
could be worked over.
396
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
I imagine there are but few of us
who would feel that we could stand
the expense and trouble of changing,
and should a standard be adopted just
after a poor honey season, then to
have this expense stare us in the
face, I doubt whether there are many
of us that would be zealous enough in
the cause to make any change, but
let us look at the otiier side of the
picture. Apiculture is but in its in-
fancy in this country. Every practi-
cal apiarist can see at a glance the
advantages to be derived from the
use of a standard frame, both to
themselves and the fraternity in gen-
eral, to manufactories, supply dealers,
and all who want a dollar's worth of
fixtures.
I would suggest that this matter be
brought up before the coTivention at
Chicago, this fall. Let there be a
committee appointed to hear the
arguments in favor of each frame, by
its friends, and select one as a stan-
dard. Let this decision be tinal. Let
every member of the society work for
this frame to bring it into general use.
It is natural for every man to tliink
he has the best frame, and has his
reasons forthinkingthusly. Let such
put in an appearance at the conven-
tion in Chicago, this fall, and satisfy
this committee that he has the best
frame, all points taken into considera-
tion, and he will, undoubtedly, have
the tionor of introducing tlie " stan-
dard frame of America."
1, for one, hope that some of the
leading apiarists of the country will
take up and push this matter of a
" standard frame " to a tinal settle-
ment, and d<i it before tlie country is
filled with all sizes and descriptions
of frames.
Urbana, 111.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Theory Reviewed by Practice.
G. M. ALVES.
Dr. E. B. Southwick gives us an
article on " the best size of frame."
At tiie outset the Doctor tells us that
he prefers tlieory to experience, and
in justice to him we must admit that
he maintains his preference through-
out.
Indeed, it matters not with the
Doctor that statistics show tliat bees
winter as well in the Laugstroth hive
as in others.
It matters not that statistics show
that there are more Laugstroth hives
in use than all otherhives combined.
It matters not that the great ma-
jority of our hive makers turn out
almost exclusively the Laugstroth
hive.
It matters not that tliere are
scarcely over two or three hive mak-
ers in the West who make a square
frame hive.
It matters not that tlie Doctor is
told that the queen enters the sections
only when she is blocked below, and
that experience shows the Laugstroth
to be as free of this trouble as other
hives.
It matters not what statistics are
offered. The Doctor's theory " hath
a stomach for them all." His f/icon/
shatters the statistics and annihilates
the facts in a twinkling.
Many of us have been wont to ad-
mire the slow and steady accumula-
tion of the world's knowledge ; and
to gaze with interest upon facts got-
ten by toil, as they go to help make
up the world's progress. A progress
rising slowly but surely upon the
indestructible basis of facts — but in
the presence of the Doctor, I suppose
we should do so no more.
When I first glanced over the Doc-
tor's article, some old lines ran in my
head, and as they are quite apropos
to the Doctor's very peculiar ioeas, I
know I will be pardoned for quoting
them.
Philosopher.—" Dost thou know the
thing of theory '?"
Herdsman. — " Nay, good sir, I know
not the word, but this truly I do know
— I saw it with my own eyes."
Philos. — '■ Out, common fellow !
cans't thou persuade the learned by
thy vulgar seeing V"
Henderson, Ky., July 25, 1S83.
For the American Bee JournaL
Pollen, Breeding in Winter, etc.
A. K. KOHNKB.
When I wrote to Mr. Ileddon my
observations o)i this subject, I was
under the impression that he still held
that bacteria ill honey or pollen causeil
dysentery, which theory I could not
bring into harmony with observed
facts. Mr. Ileddon and myself have
discussed this subject personally quite
often ; in some points we agree,'and
in others we do not. As Mr. Heddon
quotes only part of my letter, I will
take the liberty to add the remainder
of my conclusion, to which I have
come by observed facts, not by already
finished experiments, hence can be
called a theory only.
For a simile I will draw on the one
given by Dr. A. K. Masim, as quoted
by Mr. Heddon. A man is hung
until he is dead. A bee eats pollen
until it is dead. Is there a man alive
who will ask no questions after
having observed the man's hanging
and dying, or the bee's eating and
dying V Man wants to know the
whys and wherefores which consti-
tute the largest part of the progress
in scie)ice, as well as everything else.
And now for the first question after
having seen the dead man or bee.
Nobody would ask, why did the man
die, or why did the bee die ; but why
was the man hung, and vihy did the bee
ent pollen '?
Tliese are pertinent questions, and
the ones the answer to which will
enhance our knowledge on the sub-
ject. An answer to the first question
would be, the man committed mur-
der, ;uid with reference to bees, they
had niithiug else to eat, just where
they had clustered.
To be wholly informed wath refer-
ence to the dead man, we would, per-
haps, ask many more questions, such
as, why did he commit the murder ; he
may have done it out of revenge, or
to rob, or to hide a crime, by killing
the witness, etc. To prevent his
hanging, it would not be practicable
to conliscate the ropes, nor would it
be practicable for an extensive apiar-
ist to conliscate tlie pollen. That
may be done with a few colonies, but
when the number runs up to a hun-
dred or more it will be found to be a
little too much of a job to examine all
the frames and take away those con-
taining pollen, with, perhaps, a large
part of the honey. I am convinced
that bees will not eat pollen if they
have hydro-carbon sweets in the form
of honey or sugar candy.
Another reason for this untimely
consumption of pollen, is breeding,
which is caused by their being housed
or covered too warm. A translated
article froai a German paper seems to
point in that direction ; if bees have
plenty of honey or candy they do not
freeze to death so easily as some are
inclined to believe they do. and I
think, by what I have seen, that this
housing and packing business is
largely overdone. They do not pack
bees in Sweden or Kussia ; not much,
but leave tliem enough lioney to last
them from 6 to S months. Hence,
dysentery is chargeable not to the
presence'of pollen, but to the absence
of proper food, or such other causes
as will induce the bees to untimely
breeding, of which I have named one,
viz. : packing or housing too warm.
Still there are other causes having the
same effect ; for instance, frequent
disturbance. Also too much open or
poor honey may cause the same dis-
ease. In each case the apiarist should
strive to avoid the remotest cause,
not the direct ; that being the safest
way to act.
I intended to make some more ex-
periments next winter before touch-
ing this suijject in a paper, but since
Mr. Ileddon cited my observations to
substantiate his theory, I thought
best to give all I think I know about
it, and have the bee-keeping fraternity
combine in making further experi-
ments and observations.
Youngstown, Ohio, July, 1S83.
For the American Bee Journal.
Winter and Summer Frame.
J. E. VAN ETTEN.
I have been very much interested in
the discussion carried on in the Bee
Journal as to which is the best
frame, the shallow or the square
frame. The subject has been very
ably handled, and the comparative
merits and demerits of each very
clearly pointed out. Two points, I
think, have been established :
1. That the shallow frames are best
in summer, because from them the
bees more readily enter the sections
above.
2. That the square frames are best
in winter, because they better enable
tlie bees to cluster in a spherical form
and retain tlieir heat.
Granting both these propositions to
be sound, then why could not a frame
be made to answer both purposes by
changing its position V Take, for
instance, a Quinby standing frame
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
397
which is about 9x17. In its usual posi-
tion it is a shallow frame, and as such
well adapted to summer use ; placed
on its end it would give every ad-
vantage of tlie square frame for win-
ter use, and I hnd, upon trial, that
the same case will cover the frames
in these different positions. Will not
some of tlie abler writers for the Bee
Journal express their views upon
this point?
Kingston, N. Y., July 27, 1883.
t(llUat and goxu.
ANSWERS By
James ffeddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Gettiug Pollen Out of Frames.
Is there any way of getting the
pollen out of the combs 'i
Wliilby, Ont. Ira Orvis.
Answer.— So far as I know, no
practical method of getting poUeu out
of combs, has yet been discovered.
Ripening Honey, etc.
Please answer the following through
the Bee Journal :
1. Intending to buy several colonies
of bees of a neighbor, % mile distant,
how shall I move them to my place, at
this season, withont losing any ?
2. Can extracted basswood honey,
which is a little green, be kept from
souring in a barrel, and if so, how ?
3. How shall I clip queens' wings?
I find it a difficult task to clip them
with scissors. W. Fisher.
Haulier, Ohio.
Answers.— 1. Twice I liave moved
tny whole apiary about 10 to 15 rods,
and once ?4 of a mile. Select a cool,
rainy day, when bees are not flying.
Close up the hive and give them
thorough ventilation above. I give
the whole top of the hive a covering
with wire cloth or mosquito bar, and,
if the bees are any way strong, I place
the mosquito bar over a rim, over this
open top, several inches in height.
Smoke the bees thoroughly — move
them to the new stand, and let them
seta few hours, and, if tlie weather is
cool, say 10 to 20 hours, until they
quiet down, sprinkling them several
times with water during that time.
Let them out to fly just at sun down.
Smoke, and rap upon the hive before
you open it. Place a small board up
in front of the entrance of each hive,
so that each bee must come out cau-
tiously or bump its nose, which will
cause it to mark its new location. No
other bees should be left in tlie yard
from which you make your removal,
and the old yard should be cleared and
cleaned up from anything in the line
of bee fixtures, and made to look as
different as possible. If a few should
return, they will cluster somewhere
about the old location, and can be
easily brought back. If there are col-
onies left after yon take yours away,
I would advise you not to move them
until winter.
2. I have never extracted honey so
thin as to have it sour. Thin honey
should be kept in one gallon crocks,
having their tops exposed to the air.
I am not siwe that I know of anything
just exactly adapted to your case, but
perhapsa little salyclic acid dissolved
in the smallest amount of hot water
possible to dissolve it, and stirred into
the honey, would prevent souring.
3. Afier stating that I am opposed
to clipping queens' wings for any pur-
pose whatever, I will say tliat the best
method I know of is to tangle them
up in a small mosquito bar sack, or
any sack made of similar material,
the meshes of which are just small
enough to prevent the queen passing
through. As soon as she becomes
tangled up her wings will stick through
the meshes. Any sharp scissors are
the best thing to clip them with.
stiEPIif^MmQM
W(j^%i^^Mi^^tm~'
state Convention for Iowa.
Bees have done well here this sea-
son. White clover is now over, and
we have a good crop of white honey.
I would like to say a few words to tlie
Iowa bee-keepers in regard to calling
a State convention on or about the
time of the State Fair at Des Moines.
The Iowa State Agricultural Society
offer $106.50 in premiums to the bee-
keepers of Iowa. Now let us have a
State convention organized this fall.
What say you, Iowa bee-keepers,
speak out and let us know what you
all think about it through the ISee
Journal. D. S. Burhank.
Grundy Centre, Iowa, July 30, 1883.
Uoo«l Honey Crop and Increase.
Since I have adopted the chaff-
packing in winter, 1 have never lost
a colony, and I have no trouble with
the moth, nor with disease that some
speak of. Neither have I had any
spring dwindling, to amount to any
thing. La=.t year I had 140 colonies,
from which I obtained about 8,000
pounds of nice honey; a large propor-
tion of wliich I extracted. I sold it
all, readily, at l.") cents per pound.
This year I have realized from my 140
colonies, about 350 swarms, which I
have doubled up to about 160, which
now makes abiiut 350 colonies of bees
in good condition. My doubling up
process, I find, works well, for with
two or three swarms to a hive, I could
tier up, with section cases, three or
four high, and as a result, I have on
many of my new colonies from 48 to
96 pounds of beautiful white clover
honey ; and up to this date I shall re-
ceive about 7,000 or 8,000 pounds, of
as nice honey as ever went into the
market, for which I shall realize,
probably, from 10 to 15 cents per
pound, and if there comes a fall sup-
ply of honey, I shall realize about as
much more. But we are in a honey
drouth now, and there is no telling
how long it will continue.
Wm. a. Dusten.
Bees in Texas.
My bees are doing well. I extracted
last week, and found my bees rich for
llie time. On examination, to-day, I
Hnd that I can take another IjOOO
pounds of honey in ten days. The
strange part of this story is, that my
neighbors, with black bees, get no
honey. One man with 30 colonies of
black bees, living a mile distant,
has no lioney, and he did not have a
swarm this spring ; and for miles
around, there has not been a swarm
among the native black bees; every
one complaining of a bad year for
bees. I had 20 colonies in the spring,
and had 20 swarms. My bees are all
pure Italians, bred for their honey-
gathering qualities. I think the above
comparison is good evidence in favor
of Italian bees, in Texas. I believe
that my method of managing bees
will, in time, to a certain extent, im-
prove them, as the winters here are
so mild, no bees would die from cold,
only by starvation ; so, in the fall, I
dispense with colonies that did not
prove valuable during the honey sea-
son, by killing the queens and uniting
the bees with others and saving the
combs for swarms, the next spring.
Tlianks to you for the article on
" Sweet clover for the South," in the
Bee Journal last year. Your sug-
gestion caused me to give it a trial.
It is not old enough to bloom yet, but
I see tliat it is a success without a
dout)t. 1 shall plant several acres of
it this fall. 1»R. J. R. Reeve.
Martiusburgh, Texas, July 24. 1883.
Bee Pasturage.
1. Would it not be an excellent plan
to turn a drove of pigs into the clover
pasture, letting them subsist wholly
on sweet clover until July, after
which it c:i« grow for the bees to
utilize V
2. Would it be well to mix seven-
top turnip seed with buckwheat be-
fore sowing for the bees ?
F. M. Cheney.
[1. It would.
2. Yes, for the •' turnip seed " would
come up in the fall, and in the follow-
ing spring yield nice bloom for the
bees. They get both honey and
pollen from it.— Ed.)
Honey is of the Best (jnaUty.
This has been the best year for
honey I have ever seen, and the honey
is of best quality. G. A. de Lono.
Key West, Fla., July 20, 1883.
398
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Honey Crop in Mississippi.
Since my last report we have had an
unusual amount of rain, which has
been quite a drawback to the bee-
keeper. There was one advantase
therefrom, viz. : tlie white clover con
tinued to bloom, and every day that
the bees could work was taken advan-
tage of by them. Now we have the
swamp woodbine (cow-ilch) in full
bloom ; also the button or elbow bush
(cephalantlms occidentalis), and last not
least, the Indian corn yields a most
delicious honey. All that is needed
now is sunshine. I have now taken
off over 11,U0U pounds.
O. M. Blanton.
Greenville, Miss.
H©w to Keep Fire in a Smolter.
I have been plagued for some years
with an 1% inch smoker. I have had
a great deal of diflicultv in making
it burn and hold a tire. I think 1
have overcome the trouble, the knowl-
edge of which may be of use to others
using a small bellows. I made a
solution of saltpetre, mixing a heap-
ing tablespoonful of saltpetre with
about a pint of water. In this I sat-
urate the rags or wrapping paper, and
when dried, I find that they burn en-
tirely up, giving a strong and pro-
longed smoke. It might be, that by
using a stronger solution of saltpetre,
porus or half-decayed oakwood could
be used to advantage, but I have not
tried it yet. Thos. P. Bonfield.
Kankakee, 111., July 30, 1883.
Stock Peas for Honey.
For the benefit of bee-keepers who
live in the sourwood country of
Tennessee, and where there is a gap
between sourwood and other honey
yielding blossoms (sucli as heart's-
ease and rough sumac), I will say that
stock peas, the whip-poor-will variety,
will just nil the gap, if planted on
May 15, and they will continue to
yield honey for 2 months. The bees
worked on peas, last year, from day-
light till dark. I saw them working
on peas until it was so dark that I had
tostoop down very low to see them.
It is just 2 months from the time of
planting till they blossom.
J. A. P. Pancher.
rancher's Mills, Teun., July 27, 1883.
Industry of Bee-Keepers.
Be up early in the morning ; be
up late at night ; be here ; be
there ; be on the watch. " Eternal
vigilance " some one gave as the
watch word of bee-keeping, and a
truer one never was given.
" Ko manual labor about bee-
keeping," some man remarked the
other day, " Well, I would like to
have one of those easy laborers start
in with me in the moriiing, and I will
guarantee that the pillow will feel
good to his head at night, hiving from
10 to 18 swarms per day."
To keep up with a heavy honey
flow, witli other work, will keep one
good able-bodied man on the jump 15
hours out of the 24. And now, what
is the outlook for pay for all this
work y The question with me is. How
cheap can I produce honey to sell, and
keep my family. If we only had a
strain of bees that could raise pota-
toes, wheat, corn, sugar, wool, etc.,
etc , then we would be independent.
I think honey will come down to bed-
rock prices before long. If it does
not, let us bee-keepers, who are in the
business now, try and get every per-
son we can to embark in this great
non-laboring money-making pursuit.
Mr. Bingham once said to me : "A
bee-keeper wants to live two lives;
one to learn the business, and one to
learn to make anything in the way of
this world's goods," audi think he
had it about right. W. H. Shirley.
Glenwood, Mich., July 19, 1883.
A "Boss Colony."
I have one colony from which I
have extracted 1-13 pounds of white
clover honey, and I expect to get
enough more to make it 175 pounds
or more, before buckwheat blooms.
We have no basswood here, of any
account. G. H. Knickerbocker.
Pine Plains, N. Y., July 2.5, 1883.
Strained vs. Extracted Honey.
Bee-keepers in this section are very
despondent ; the honey crop is not
more than a third of what it should
have been. One of my neighbors, who
has 600 colonies in three apiaries, has
taken only 12,000 pounds of extracted
honey ; at the commencement of the
season he was contident of taking
140,000 pounds; but as it is almost
time to stop extracting, he will not
obtain much more. From 185 colo-
nies I have taken 9,600 pounds in-
stead of 30,000 pounds as I expected.
Please inform me. by means of the
Bee Journal, the difference be-
t\neen strained and extracted honey.
Our honey is always classed as strained
honey ; as it does not sell for as much
as extracted, we are inclined to object.
I hope we have had the last article on
the standard frame ; to me it is very
dry and uninteresting reading, and as
they will never agree, I cannot see
much use in arguing the matter any
longer. M. T. Hkwes.
New Rhodes, La., July 30, 1883.
[Extracted honey is obtained by the
frames being uncapped and placed
into a basket or frame holder, which
being attached to a single rod is
placed into a large can and revolved—
the centrifugal force throwing out the
honey from the combs, which runs
down the sides of the can and is
drawn off and placed in jars or some
other desirable receptacle. Extracted
honey is the pure liquid — minus the
comb.
" Strained honey " is another thing
— the result of hanging up combs,
used in the breeding apartment of
the hive, and pieces of comb contain-
ing bee-bread, dead bees, etc., and
catching what passes through the
cloth— that is strained honey, and is
quite different from the pure virgin
honey, extracted as before described,
still having the flavor of the bloom
from which it came.
The strained honey known to com-
merce, is the adulterated— that which
will not granulate. Consumers help
to impose upon themselves by the
false idea that pure honey will not
granulate. They desire ungranulated
honey, and dealers will attempt to
supply the demand. Almost all pure
honey will granulate when exposed
for some time to light and cold. The
granulated state is one evidence of
purity. Much of the jar honey here-
tofore sold in the markets, and rec-
ommended not to granulate, is a very
inferior article, composed largely of
glucose.— Ed.]
AI)oiit Drones.
I have reason to believe that many
bee-keepers allow the accumulation
of too many useless drones, thereby
lessening the paying qualities of an
apiary. I have been in yards that
seemed to be alive with the hum of
big, fat, lazy drones, whereas we may
as well have had those eggs deposited
in worker cells. When I look at a
drone, I think it takes a good deal of
honey to keep it, and that honey
comes out of my pocket. Permit just
as little drone comb in the apiary as
possible, and use the knife to cut off
the heads of drones when capped
over. Only a few drones, from choice
queens, are necessary, and these are
all that it pays to "keep. In going
through your bees, watcti (as a hawk
does a chicken) for the signs of the
moth worm, and when found follow
these signs at the point of the knife,
and when the destructive enemy is
found, exterminate without mercy.
A. E. Foster.
Covington, Ky., July 30, 1883.
Working on Basswood.
It is rainy, cold and wet here still,
but between the showers and when it
is warm enough, the bees work at a
tremendous rate on the basswood,
which is now on its " last legs." Some
of my colonies have completed 30 two-
pound sections from that source,
during the past 10 days, while others
have 40 combs nearly sealed, for ex-
tracting. Basswood beats the world
for honey. G. M. Doolittle.
Borodino, N. Y., July 30, 1883.
The Usual Dearth of Honey Xow.
Bees are doing nothing here now,
but it is the usual slack between bass-
wood and sumac, and the late liow,
which usually begins about Aug. 10
or 15. The prospects look favorable
for a good yield of late honey. My
bees increased from 18 to 33, and I
have taken about 600 pounds of early
honey, and about 30 pounds of comb.
There are no practical bee men here
in my neighborhood ; all get comb
honey in box hives, and consequently
have no surplus yet. L. G. Travis.
Oregon, Mo., July 30, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
399
A Begrinner's Experience.
In May, 1882, I bought 2 colonies of
bees ; one Italian and one brown.
Last year my Italian colony increased
to 5. I wintered them all safely. My
brown colony increased to 3 by natural
swarming, and they wintered all
right. 1 wintered the 5 in a tight
house, built for tlie purpose, and the
3 were wintered on the summer
stands, by placing them in a tight
store-box, a little larger than each
hive ; the front of the box I left partly
open, so that they could fly }\'henever
they desired. When spring came
they were strong and ready for busi-
ness, and so were my yellow bees, ex-
cept one colony that swarmed on Aug.
5. They were very weak, though 1
had fed them all winter, whenever
the weather would admit, but they
soon recruited up and gave 2 as good
swarms as I ever had. My 5 Italian
colonies have now increased to 24, in
good condition, and ray brown bees
have increased from 3 to 11, making
35 in all, from 2 colonies, since a
year from last May, when I got about
49 pounds of comb honey ; this year I
have taken 150 pounds of comb honey.
Up to the 1st of this month I did not
extract any. as I had no extractor. I
had one Italian swarm go to the
woods, and 3 others that I hived lost
their queens and went back to the old
stand and remained.
R. A. RossEK.
i^elsonville, Ohio, July 29, 1883.
Texas Honey Crop a Failure.
The Texas honey crop for this year
maybe set down now as a failure.
The bees may gather enough to keep
them in " rations " till the end of the
summer, but I doubt whether they
will get sufficient to winter on. I
have already began to feed to stimu-
late them to make decent colonies for
autumn, and I expect to keep on,
more or less, till they get their full
winter supply. We can expect no
more honey of any importance this
year. The leading bee man of tliis
neighborhood has already fed some
600 pounds of old honey to his bees,
some 36 colonies, and reports of feed-
ing are heard all around. This is my
first year as a bee-keeper, and it is a
tough initiation into the mysteries of
the craft. But nil desperandum, and
better luck next time.
R. J. Kendall.
Austin, Texas, July 27, 1883.
Cyprian Bees Ahead.
I have done well this summer. I
started in the spring with 29 colonies,
in good condition. They were win-
tered without loss. We now have 56
colonies. This country is " flowing
with milk and lioney," on account of
tlie immense yield of clover pasture,
both for cows and bees. The wet
weather is now bringing on the sec-
ond crop of clover. I still like the
Cyprian bees best, and believe they
are " the coming bee." My Cyprians
are at work before the Italians, and
are working on red clover to-day.
I). R. RosEBUouon.
Casey, 111., July 26, 1883.
Special Notices.
<^
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post oflice or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts lessthan one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
f 5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wisli to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$15.00- On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Bee Pastnrage a Necessity. — We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
1^" Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them— one-cent stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $G, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For fonr subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Qiiinby's New Bee-Keeping.
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
■ >»• ■
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
i^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own '/ Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one neiv sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides liaving the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
400
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Saiokers need wide shields. BiDKtiam'B
have them, and sprlnifs that do notrust and break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 Inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for SI. 75. Address.
BINGHAM & HETHEEINOTON,
Abronia Mich.
The Very Best.
The Bingham "Conqueror" smoker
is the very best thing 1 have tried in
that line. M. M. Lindsay.
Fulton, Tenn., July 24, 1883.
All Excelling. — Messrs. Bingham
& Hetherington, Dear Sirs : — I am
now selling your Smokers almost ex-
clusively. You are excelling your-
selves in smokers all the time.
Respectfully, J. G. Taylor.
Austin, Texas, May 10, 1883.
Cyprians Conquered.
All summer long it has been " which
and tother " with me and tlie Cyprian
colony of bees I have — but at last I
am "boss." Bingham's " Conqueror
Smoker " did it. If you want lots of
smoke just at the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1882.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor"., (wide shield)— 3mn. Are tube. J2.00
The Conqueror (wide shield)— 3 in.flretube, 1.7.S
LarKe (wideshiekl)- ".^Hln. Are tube, 1.50
Extra (wldeshteld^u in.Ijretube. 1.25
Plain (nar. sliieldi— 2 in.flretube, l.tKi
Little Wonder, mar. shield)— liiln.tiretube, .65
Bingham & Hetherington Uncapping Knife.. 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Y'ours,
Bingham & IlExnEKiNGTON.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883.
Special Sotice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bek Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
®" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
Sample Copies of theAMERiCAN Bke
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bek Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-pnid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
1^ The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters goes into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will then be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer eitlier one-cent,
or else live or ten-cent postage stamps.
Do not send coins in any letter.
^" Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
whicli are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
BOND & PEARCH,
(ESTABLISHEU 1860.)
163 S. Water Street, CHICAGO,
COMMISSION MERCHANTS,
Make a Specialty in HONEY.
Consijjnments solicited. "Will make liberal advan-
ces on shioments. fW~ Refer to Hide itnd Leather
National Bank. 32A4t TBtf
BEF8 FOR SALE .-](«) colonies of Bees In
Modeet fruniea (size I ixii'L^i, niuai ly Hybrids.
Also 1:^0 Modest Hives citniplete. Price, fa.ifi.
A. E. WUOI>WARI>,
GKOOM'S CORNKHS. Saratutia Co.. N. Y.
PRIZE PENS.
Tested Prize Queen, in a 2-
frame nucleus, ;txi 7, each, f4 (iTi
Same in nucleus, 4 fra., 8x8, 4 <Mi
Tested Prize Queen, by mall, 3 Cmj
PrizeQueen. warranted pure-
ly fertilized 2 CK)
Queen, not standard size 1 00
h nil C jlony, 8 frames, Prize
Queen 8 oo
BeforeJune 25, add *l each.
Cash Orders tilled in rotation.
Address E. r.. BGIOOS,
lAly Wilton Junction. Iowa.
Yandervort Com!) Fdn. Mills,
Send fur Kuiuple. A; ICednced Prlce-Ll.t.
32ABtf J. VANDERVOKT, Lacyville, Pa.
©S ENGKAVINdS
THE HORSE,
BY B. J. KENDALL, M. D.
A TREATISE (rtvlnK an index of diseases,
and the symptoms ; cause and treatment of each, a
table (rtvinn all the principal druKs used for the
horse, with the ordinary dose, effects and antidote
when a poison ; a table with an enKravins of the
horse's teeth at dltferent anes. with rules for telling
the age of the horse ; a valuable collection of re-
cipes, and much valuable Information,
Price 85 cent*.— Sent on receipt of price, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
«2.-. West Madison Street. CHU'AQO, ILL.
BEES and HONEY,
OR THE
Management of an Apiary for Fleasare
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor oj the Wetkly Bee Jowmal,
985 Watt Madlaon Street, Ctatcu«o, III.
Mrs. J. F. Upton gives the follow-
ing notice of this book in the Bath,
Maine, Sentinel :
A guide to the management of the
apiary for profit and pleasure, by
Thomas G. Newman. This work is
designed to initiate beginners in bee-
keeping in all the secrets of success-
ful bee-culture. Beginning with the
different races of bees, the author
takes his readers along step by step,
carefully explaining the different
kinds of bees, illustrating each kind
with the eggs and brood, explaining
the terms used, the production of wax
and comb, and the work done by
these wonderful insects. The estab-
lishment of an apiary is next con-
sidered ; the best location, time to
commence, how many colonies to be-
gin with, what kind of bees to §et,
how to care for a tirst colony, keeping
bees on shares, changing the location,
all of which it is indispensable for a
beginner to know. It is also impor-
tant to know which kind of hive is
the best, how to procure the best comb
honey, how to procure it for market,
how it should be marketed, what to
do with candied comb honey, and how
to extract honey. The scientific man-
agement of an apiary is then entered
into, and illustrations of all the nec-
essary applicances introduced. There,
is a chapter devoted to the honey ex-
tractor and its use, and another to
comb foundation and its use. The
various honey-producing plants and
trees are named and illustrated.
Various methods for exhibiting bees
and honey at county and state fairs
are described. The best and safest
plans for wintering bees are discussed,
tlie book closing with some general
advice to beginners. The author says
of his book on Bees and Honey, " it
was not designed to supersede or sup-
plant any of the valuable works on
apiculture already published, but to
supply a want for aclieap work for the
beginners." We most cordially rec-
ommend this work not only to begin-
ners, who will find it invaluable, but
to all who are not already familiar
with the lives and movements of
these industrious and intelligent
little workers. The information to be
gained as to their habits, manner of
breeding. Intelligence, energy and
wonderful instincts, by reading this
book alone, is enough to make one
regard the bee with admiration and
amazement.
PRICE—Bound In cloth. t5 centi* t in paper
covers. 50 cent., postpaid.
THCOMAS O. KEWMA.JI,
Sl-'S W. Madison St.. Chicago. 111.
A r.lberul Dl.coant to 1>ealer«
tne Iknzenur Hundred.
¥
(^ OLDEST BEE PAPER^
IN AMERICA
^m^^&.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., AUGUST 15, 1883.
No. 33.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
A Few Seasonable Hints.
The usual dearth of honey in Au-
gust set in a few days earlier than
usual, and caused a stoppage of
the honey flow in many localities-
strong colonies have been gathering
barely enougli to supply the daily
wants— and others have been living
on their stores already collected.
Sweet clover, catnip, mustard, etc.,
have been in bloom, but only yield
sparingly of honey as yet— tlie weather
has been too cool to allow the nectar
to be abundant in them. In some
cases, through carelessness in opening
hives, robbing has been induced. In
other localities but little cessation has
been observed in the honey flow. Mr.
Dougherty thus describes the matter
in the Indiana Fanner:
It is encouraging to know that we
have escaped the drouth which usually
occurs during the latter part of July
and first of August, while, of course,
the bees ceased to gather a surplus,
they have secured suflicient to keep
them breeding right along. This en-
ables the weak colonies to grow in
fine condition, and putting the small
after-swarms in fair condition to take
advantage of the fall flow of honey,
which, in most localities, promises to
be exceptionally good, while in others
insures a good supply of winter stores.
Weak colonies or nuclei can be
built up very fast now. If you have
empty comb or foundation to give
them, they will build up rapidly on a
moderate yield. Good colonies can
spare a frame of brood and honey
every few days which, if given to
nuclei, will build them up very fast.
And just now is the time to begin to
prepare tor winter. See that all colo-
nies have good laying queens, and
that the queen has room to lay. If
you have more colonies than you want
double up the weak ones, making one
good one, selecting, of course, the
fullest and best frames, for the one
hive.
The honey market is developing—
and there is some call for honey, but
it is too early yet for a very extended
sale. We hope that bee men will see
to it that the local markets are well
worked up, and then there will be no
fear of overstocking the large markets,
and thus running the prices down.
A beekeeper, who called at our
oflice last week, reported having
worked up a nice trade in a city near
by, and he confidently expected to sell
not only his own crop in that way,
but also the crops of all his neighbor-
ing bee-keepers. The pamphlets on
" Honey as Food," that he had dis-
tributed to those he interviewed, had
made mucli inquiry and consequent
sale of honey. That is the way to do
it— work up the local trade, and see
that the surrounding towns are fully
supplied.
®° Mr. W. Chitty, organist at
Pewsy, Wiltshire, England, has sent
us a copy of his newly-arranged music
for the " Te Deum Landamus." It
is partly founded on an air from
Mendelssohn, and chiefly composed
by Mr. Chitty, who will send it by
mail for 12 cents, to any address. It
is an excellent piece of music.
1^ The new two-cent postage
stamp is to be of a metallic red color,
with a vignette of Washington. It
will supersede the present three-cent
stamp on the 1st of October.
1^ The pamphlet" Honey, as Food
and Medicine "is an excellent thing
to give away at Fairs, where a good
exhibit is made. A thousand copies
will sell almost a fabulous quantity of
honey, if judiciously given— say jfjyem
to every one who buys a package of honev
Try it.
1^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
Trial Trip-25 Cents.
As the season for Fairs has arrived,
and wishing to be able to reach S6.veral
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Uee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal t/iree ?noH«/w
0)1 trial, for 25 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with $1.25) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
1^ It is unwise to rush the honey
into the market as soon as it is gath-
ered, for it will cause a temporary glut
in the market, and run the prices
down. As soon as the fruit season is
over, it will sell more readily.
1^ Speaking of the usual August
dearth in honey, an exchange remarks
as follows :
There is, during August, a notable
scarcity of honey flowers. This dearth
commences sometimes in July. When
this absence of bloom occurs, the bees
are idle, and with this comes a conse-
quent indolence of the queen.
It is desirable to provide artificial
pasturage. By proper planting, we
may have nectar-secreting bloom all
the season, and there will be no need
of supplemental feeding. The Syrian
bees seem to breed on all the same
whether there are flowers or not It
IS probable that in the desert regions
of Syria, natural selection has pro-
duced this race, well fortified against
those famous famines which, of old
sent the patriarch to Egypt for bread
and corn.
402
fHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time and Place oj Meetint.
Ami. 14.-CortlHnd, N. Y. Union, »t Cortland, N. Y
M. C. Bean, Sec.
Auli. 29.-S. W. Iowa, at Ked Oak^Iowa.^^^_^ ^^^
AUK. 29.-Iowa centra,. am^nter,et^Fair^Gronnd».
Aiii? •^\ so —Kv. State, at Louisville. Ky.
Aug. -J, JJi. jivj; ^^^^^ ^^^ amith's Grove. Ky.
Sept 4 -N. W. Iowa & S. W. Wis., at RIdot, III.
aeiu. ■». jonatbau Stewart, 8eo.
aant l-'-14—Tri-State, at Toledo, Ohio.
Sept. 1- ^.^ ^fg Mason, Sec, Wagon Works, O,
Sent 18-20.-North American, at Toronto. Ont.
aept. lo ^". ^ I Root, Sec, Medina, O.
Oct. 9, lO.-Northern Mich, at iiherldan Mich
OR. Goodno, Sec. Carson Ulty, Mich.
Oct. 17, 18.-Northwestei-n,j5t Cn^ca^go^Ul.^^ g^^
Oct.-Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, 0^^^^^_^ ^^^_
Deo 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint.
ueo. o-o, miv. ^ j^ Cutting. Sec, Clinton. Mich.
B?" In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetings.-KD.
Posey County, Ind,, Honey Show.
The twenty-fifth annual fair of the
Posey County Agricultural Society,
to be held at New Harmony, Ind., on
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday, Sept. 11, 12, 13 and 14, 1883.
The premiums for bees and honey are
as follows :
Stand of Italian bees $2 00 $1 00
Stand of native bees 1 00 50
Imported or Italian bred
queen .- • J, "0 5U
20 pounds of honey,in comb 2 00 1 00
20 pounds honey, extracted 2 00 1 00
5 pounds beeswax 1 00 so
Beehive ■■ ■ 1 ^ ^0
Display of apiary imple-
ments j-
Foundation for brood-
chamber 1 00 50
Display of comb and ex-
traded honey 2 00 1 00
5 pounds honey in comb. . . 1 00 50
5 pounds of honey, strained 1 00 50
Each exhibitor to arrange and
take care of his own exhibit.
We understand that Mr. J. M.
Hyne, of Stewartsville, Ind., will
make an exhibit, and sve hope others
will do so, and that the display will
be very sweet and enticing.
^- The new Postal Note will be
obtainable in a few days at the Post-
offices all over the country. Then
any sum from one cent to Ave dollars
can be sent in a letter, by obtaining a
Postal Note, costing only 3 cents.
After October 1, small sums can be
easily sent to this office for 5 cents (3
cents for the Postal Note and 2 cents
postage on the letter), and there will
be no need of sending postage stamps
in letters, which often get »till stuck
together by the damp weather, or
being handled while perspiring.
Mailing Uneens to Canada,
It has been the practice, for some-
time, for breeders to send quetiis by
mail to Canada, and usually they are
never heard from after, on account of
their being unmailable. A breeder
suggested, a few weeks ago, that the
rate of 10 cents on samples of mer-
chandise should be paid on queens,
and to satisfy him we made a state-
ment in the Bee Journal to that
effect. Now, we have an official
letter from Joseph H. Blackfan, Esq.,
superintendent of foreign mails, on
the matter. It was written in reply
to a question from Mr. J. Rutherford,
of Buffalo, N. Y., relative to sending
queens by mail to Canada. Mr. Ruth-
erford placed the letter on our desk,
for the information of breeders gen-
erf«lly. It is as follows :
Washington, D. C, July 17, 1883.—
Sir: In reply to your letter of the
14th inst., relative to the refusal of
the postmaster of Buffalo, N. Y., to
receive, for mailing, a package con-
taining queen bees addressed to Can-
ada. I have to inform you that the
transmission of articles of merchan-
dise by mail between the United
States and Canada is limited, by the
postal arrangement in force between
the two countries, to bona fide trade
patterns or samples (specimens) not ex-
ceeding 8 ounces in weight ; and that
articles of merchandise, such as
queen bees, sent for sale, in execution
of an order, or as gifts, are not bona
fide samples, and are not transmissi-
ble by mail from one country to the
other.
If queen bees have been forwarded
by mail between this country and
Canada, except as bona fide trade sam-
ples, they have been so forwarded
either througli inadvertence, or in
disregard and violation of the postal
arrangement referred to.
I am, very respectfully, your obei-
dent servant,
Joseph H. Blackfan.
Supt. of Foreign Mails.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
Bee Journal and a colored Poster,
to aid in getting up a club. The
Premiums we offer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of 8 subscribers
to the Monthly Bee Journal, or 4
Weekly, we will present Dzierzon's
Rational Bee-Keeping, price $2.00.
Houey Wanted ! ! —That sounds well.
Two weeks ago an advertiser wanted
some tons of extracted honey. This
week an advertisement may be seen
on page 412, calling for tons of comb
honey. It can easily be obtained, and
the honey this season is magnilicent.
That is universally conceded.
Dividing Colonies.
The Indiana Farmer remarks as
follows on judiciously dividing colo-
nies, and the effect of such dividing on
honey gathering :
Artificial swarming or dividing is
much preferable to that of natural
swarming, when rightly understood ;
but by those who will not stop to
think or learn the laws of instinct by
which the bees are governed it cannot
be successful. Only yesterday we
were called upon to hear the griev-
ances of a brother bee-keeper, who
had lost almost the entire honey crop
of this season, by his manner of
dividing. The first principle, the key
to success, is in keeping the old bees
and the old queen in the new hive.
That is where the work is to be done,
and where the working bees and
queen should be put. In making
divisions not more than one frame
of brood should be taken from the
old hive ; then move the old hive to
the new location, leaving the new
hive on the old stand, thus throwing
all the working bees in the new hive
where the work is to be done. The
few bees left, and those hatching, will
be able to do all the work necessary
in the old hive until the advent of the
new queen. Our friend mentioned
above took exactly the opposite plan,
and the old hives with all old bees
commenced throwing off swarms as
fast as the young queens hatched.
Nebraska Bee and Honey Show.
I desire to call the attention of the
members of the Nebraska State Bee-
Keepers' Association, and all others
engaged in apiculture, to the liberal
premiums offered by the Nebraska
State Agricultural Society in Class
VII., entitled " Bees, honey and
apiarian goods," and especially the
premium of $25 offered for the best
colony of bees. The test of colonies
will be net gain, and will be weighed
and sealed Aug. 28, and weighed
again Sept. 11. Each colony must be
the progeny of the queen and colony
on trial. All shipments -in this de-
partment can be made to the Hon. B.
E. B. Kennedy, superintendent of
Class VII.; and the bees should be on
the ground on or before Aug. 27. All
other articles may be entered, up to
noon of Sept. 10.
M. L. Trester,
Sec. N. B. K. Association.
Greenwood, Neb. J
1^ The pamphlet, "Honey, as
Food and Medicine," is in such de-
mand, that we find it necessary to
print them in still larger quantities,
and can, therefore, still further re-
duce the price, as noted on page 411.
Let them be scattered like " autumn
leaves," and the result, we feel sure,
will fully reward honey-producers for
both the labor and the small expense.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
403
Bees and Honey at Louisville.
Under this heading Mrs. L. Harri-
son, of Peoria, HI., makes the follow-
ing pertinent remarks :
It is comforting to know that in
some parts of this coinitry at leas>t, if
not in Illinois, the production of
honey is worthy of a place among
other industries. During 1881 and
1882, acing as viee-presiclentr of the
North American Bee-Keepers' So-
ciety for this State, we interviewed
the Board, requesting a building, or a
separate apartment, for the honey
exhibit, also that special premiums
be allowed. The prominent bee-
keepers of this State, with one excep-
tion, responded liberally to the
application for special premiums, as
did also the editor of the American
Bee Journal, and those of other
States. The request was denied, but
a mollifying ointment given instead,
by more than doubling the premiums
ever before offered for this exhibit.
As the present incumbent is a man
endowed with a vote, greater things
were expected ; but in looking over
the catalogue for the coming fair, it
is apparent that the old ground is
maintained, but no more territory is
acquired. The great Southern Expo-
sition at Louisville, Ky., (as we see
by the Louisville Courier Journal of
July 8), apprecicates the importance
of honey production. It says: "While
ever day during the Exposition, from
Aug. 1, until the closing, will be full
of the most interesting features, cer-
tain days have been set apart for
special "attractions, which will be of
direct interest to a large number of
people. The programme, on the
opening day, will be very elaborate.
Business throughout the city will be
suspended, and the Exposition will
be opened by the President of the
United States. On Tuesday, Aug.
28, begins a week known as ' Bee-
Keepers' and Horticulturists' week.'
Prizes will be awarded, and arrange-
ments have been made by the Ken-
tucky Bee Association to have many
hives of many kinds of bees within
the grounds." Horticulture and api-
culture are Columbia's twins, united
by inseparable ties, the severance of
which would result in the death of
both. Then let the devotees of each
worship at the same shrine, regardless
on the one hand of the grub in the
core, as well as the sting in the narra-
tive of the other.
We were rather astonished when
Mr. J. Rutherford, of Buffalo, N. Y.,
called on us last week, and said he
had started for the Louisville Expo-
sition to make an exhibit of honey,
but owing to having received the fol-
lowing letter, he had concluded not to
go. The letter was in reply to an
application for space, and is from the
general manager, and reads as follows:
J. RuTHEUFOKD, EsQ.— Zlear Sir:
We cannot accept your exhibit unless
you pay $25 and lo per cent, of the
gross proceeds. J. M. WRionT.
Gen. Manaqer.
The Basswood or Linden.
The following parody, says the B. K.
Magazine, was read at a national con-
vention at Cleveland, Ohio, about ten
years ago. The wonderful yields of
honey from basswood (linden) taken
for three successive years by J. W.
Hosmer, Esq., of Janesville, Minn.,
has made his fame as a bee-master
proverbial, and the recital of the facts
by Mr. Hosmer himself, •so worked
upon the poetic feelings of Mr. Whit-
ford, that he at once transformed a
sublime poem, recounting the results
of the conflict of mighty armies at war
into that of a more numerous host
busily engaged in pursuing the arts of
peace :
On Linden when the sun was low
(All ready were the combs of snow)
The bees began a feat to show,
Of honey salhering rapidly.
'Twas noon— and yet the July sun
Was half b<e-clouded by the run,
That streamed to show what can be d ne
From Mr. Hosmer's apiary.
With tiny trumpets fast arrayed.
Each stinger sheathed her battle-blade.
Nor laggard natives long delayed,
But joined the merry revelry.
Then shook old heads with wonder riven.
As past the bees their teams were driven.
For swiftly through the light of heaven.
Fair flashed the bright Ligurians.
And wider yet their fame shall grow,
On Linden's sweets in combs of snow,
And greater yet siiali be the^how
Of honey gathered rapidly.
Well, Hosmer saw a splendid sight,
As forth he went to weigh that night.
Commanding John, his man, to light
The darliness of his apiary.
The gain that day, per single hive
Was two pounds less than flfty-tive;
No wonder, then, bee-keepers thrive
Who understand their befs isness.
The interest deepens. On, ye brave.
Whose worlc and glory 'tis to save
Our friends, the bees, from cruel grave
Beneath a sulphurous canopy.
Ah! few shall fail, and many meet
Success like this authentic feat.
When every flower beneath our feet
Shall feed some dainty epicure.
The National Convention.
The National Bee - Keepers' As-
sociation, will hold its Annual Con-
vention in the City Hall and Council
Cliainber in the city of Toronto, on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
the 18tli, 19th and 20th days of Sep-
tember, during the second week of
Canada's Great Fair. All the rail-
roads in Canada will issue tickets
during this week, good to return, up
to Saturday night 22d, at single fare
for the round trip. Special excursion
rates villi be arranged from various
parts of the United States, of which
due notice will be given. Those who
intend being present may be kept
posted on the latest excursion rates, i
etc., by addresssng me, and also that
I may arrange hotel accommodation.
Private lodgings will, if possible, be
secured for those who desire it, and
every effort will be made to make
everybody comfortable. A grand
meeting is anticipated.
D. A. Jones, President.
Honey and Beeswax Market,
OFFICE OF AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. t
Monday, 1" a. m.. Aug. 13, ^►"3. !
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour : •
CINCINNATI. .
HONBY— The honey harvest in this neighbor-
hood is over, and was very satisfactory every
wliere. Large crops were uruduced in my imme-
diate neighborhood of bulk extracted and comb
honey, and our Kentucky neighbors seem to belong
to that favored class of mortals with wiiiim there
is no such word as failure. While we had very poor
seasons for 5 years in succession, they harvt^sted
medium lo go,>d crops every time, and this season
eclipses all previous ones with theiu. in quantity.
Their quality cannot be excelled. We have had
very large arrivals, and. our commission houses
being well supplied, the market is overstocked at
tlie present.
There was almost no demand for the last 3 or 4
weeks for our small packages— 1 and 2 lb. jars. We
sell for tsble use, and there is a very slow deiiiand
for such qualities as are used in barrels for manu-
facturing purposes. Honey being pushed on the
market in such quantities, is sold at all prices, and
our friends have the best show in the world for
running prices down to a point from which they
may be hard to recover.
Our prices, of late, for extracted honey, have
been 7(«,ttc. on arrival, and for choice comb honey
I-t(«il(lc.
RKKSWAX-Hasbeen in fair supply, and sold at
30&32C. for good, on arrival. CHA8. F. M UTH.
NEW VORK.
HONEV— We take pleasure in quoting the fol-
lowing prices on honey, obtainable in our market ;
Fancy white clover, 1 lb. sections (no glass) 2(i(^!'.21c:
fancy white clover, 2 lb. sections (glassed) IHdluoc;
fair white clover. 1 and 2 lb. sections igliissed) ie(^
I7c.: fancy buckwheat, 1 lb. sections (no glass)
15c.: fancy buckwheat. 2 lb sections (glassed) 13®
14c.: ordinary buckwheat, 1 and 1 lb. sections
(glassed) iKrtJlsc: extracted clover honey in kegs
or barrels 0(<i IOC. : extracted buckwheat honey in
kegs or barrels 7^j(i!jHc.
BKBSWAX-Prlme vellow beeswax Slffl.isc.
H. k. & F. B. Thltrbku 4 CO.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— There has been a marked Increase In
sales this week of comb honey. New crop, prime
1 lb. frames (pure white) have sold at 20c. when In
fancy cases, in a small way: good many sales at
iHC. for some grade 14 to 2 lb. frames (or prize
package* when well-filled and white, 16(flil7c.: not
quite so well tilled, 15c.
Extracted is still slow, but late receipts have
been riper, and there is more inquiry; 9.'i.I0c, for
cholceclover: dark and buckwheat, 7(§iHc.
BEESWAX— 3ii(S-3.^>c. for prime lo pure yellow.
B. A. Bdrnett. nil South Water St.
BAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— Gloomy Accounts continue to be re-
ceived from the Southern coast counties regarding
the honey crop. In the region of Tulare there It
a good yield. Some Tubire comb, crossed and
mixed, was placed at 13)i>c., and extracted of the
crop of l«Hi sold at 7Hc. White to extra white
comb 16(«2(ic.: dark to good lfi&i3Hc.: extracted,
choice to extra white 7<ftiic.': dark and candied
6}t(S,—.
BBBSWA.X-Whoiesalc, 27(5l28c.
Stearns & smith. 4:j3 Pront street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONBY— New, in liberal offering, but little sold
in quantities-held higiier: extracted or strained
at 7^r<t8»i>c., and comb at iHc. Lots in fancy pack-
ages bring more in a small way, while old and
inferior sells less.
BBKSWA.X— Inactive and easy. at27(328c.
W. T. ANDERSON 4 Co.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLEVELAND.
IIDNEV— New honey contituies In good demand
at IHi't'ltto. for choice 1 lb. sections, and such are
reanily placed as fast as received: 2 lbs. not so ac-
tive, at ll>(«(lHc. Sec-ml quality sells I4(aiI7c. Ex-
tracted not in demand,
BBBSWA.X— None in Market.
A. c. KENDEL. 1 15 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
We quote our market prices, as follows : White
clover, tine II). combs 2O((022c : white clover, 2 lb.
combs IM^.'j'ic: extracted t'roiu H'ditle.
HI':i<)S\VA.\ -Our supply Is gi)ne: we have none
to quote.
CKOCKEH & Bi.AKK, 57 Chatham Street.
404
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee Journal.
Miscellaneous Experiments.
FRANK R. ROE.
1. Some aie in doubt as to whether
a swarm of bees will issue from a
hive and go off without settling ; but
they undoubtedly will, sometimes,
and that, too, oftener than some esti-
tuate, as it has been placed at not
more than one in every hundred. For
several years past, we have had a
swarm or two (out of no more than
2o or .SO) to " try it," and they suc-
ceeded pretty well this season, as we
had a large swarm to come out, and I
saw them issue ; I watched for the
queen, but did not get her, and they
started off immediately. I succeeded
in cutting off about one-third of
them bv throwing part of a " potato
patch " at them, but the rest seemed
determined to go, and I was just as
determined to see where they were
going; so I followed after them two
miles, over fences, through flax, oats,
barley, corn, woods, logs and brush,
and had to ford a river besides, and
then did not get them, but 1 found
out that they did not intend. to just go
a little ways, and then settle before
going to their new home. The en-
trance to the hive they came from is
% of an inch wide by 8 inches long.
Ttiey had a pure Italian laying queen
with them. Oh, yes I I must tell how
long it took me to go the four miles-
two there antl two back — it took just
three-quarters of an hour. The rea-
son I came back in such a hurry was,
I had left a swarm hanging on a limb
in the bee-yard, and the bees I had
cut off from the swarm that went to
the woods, settled with. them. I had
only been back about a minute when
they began to come off the cluster.
I grabbed a basket, rushed up the
ladder, which had been placed tliere
before ; shook what few remaining
bees tliere were in it, then poured
them in the hive they came from, and
by throwing water at the remainder,
while they were low, and clubs after
they had got out of the reach of water,
we succeeded in settling them again.
Moral.— When a swarm tries to go
off, it does not pay to give up until
the last minute.
2. 1 had a queen to hatch, after
which the cap to the cell sprung back,
the bees tlieu sealed it up and
swarmed. There was no other cell,
and no larvaj in the hive.
3. After a queen had hatched from
another cell, a worker bee was sealed
up in it, and I had anothercase where
a colony was buildingcellsand sealed
a worker up in one. Why did not
those workers gnaw out, the same as
a queen V They were both dead when
I found them. If I had not peeped
into the hist inenlioned cell, I would
have inserted it in ii nuclei, and
waited for a queen to hatch.
4. When I am in doubt as to
whether a cell is good, or do not
know when it will liatch, I open it on
the side with a sharp knife and look
in, then seal it up again, and if a good
job is done, the occupant will never
know the difference, but a good job
must be done, or the bees will tear
the cell down. It can be done by
warming a knife blade and running
it over the place. I have taken
queens out into my hands three or
tour days before their time to hatch,
and then put them back and sealed
them up, and they hatched as if they
had never been disturbed.
5. I had two swarms issue at once
and settle together, and as they settled
on the body of a tree, I smoked them
into a nail-keg and tied burlap over
the top, so that I could bring them
down. As dinner was ready, I set
them in the shade, and when I came
back, you may just guess the tempera-
ture was " up " in that nail-keg. The
most of them sought refuge in the
bottom, without tinding it. When I
'poured them out they were wet all
over with honey, and the honey also
ran out of the keg in a stream. They
had taken it from the hive before
swarming, and when they began to
get too hot, they disgorged it. There
was scarcely any of them dead when
I opened the keg, but they nearly all
died soon after.
6. The reason why some swarms will
sting, and others will not while
swarming, is this : If the hive from
which they issue is well tilled with
honey, they will Hll themselves before
coming out, and a bee, gorged with
honey, will not sting from choice;
while upon the other hand, if there is
scarcely any honey in the hive when
they swarm, they will not be filled,
and are in perfect trim for stinging.
Joidan, Ind., July 2-5, 1883.
Read before the Te.xas Association.
Comb or Extracted Honey.
W. K. MARSHALL.
The question whether comb or ex-
tracted honey will pay best, is one
that is attracting the attention of
bee-keepers. To decide this question
we must take all the surrounding
circumstances into consideration. It
is admitted that comb honey will sell
higher than extracted. In a locality
convenient to market, where the
honey would not have to be trans-
ported any distance, or handled often,
it might be doubtful which would pay
best. It is admitted that bees will
gather more extracted honey than
comb; with comb foundation, how-
ever, the amount would not vary so
much. Say that a colony would pro-
duce 100 pounds of comb honey, and
that it would bring 20 cents per
pound, making §20, it would require
the same colony to produce 200 pounds
at 10 cents to bring the same amount.
The expense in producing the comb
honey is greater than that of ex-
tracted. The sections and cases in
which to pack it, would cost say 2
ci'iits jier pound. The difficulty in
transporting comb honey any distance
to market, is so great that for those
at a distance from market it amounts
almost to a prohibition. I have never
been able to transport comb honey
any distance without having it broken
and injured, so as materially effect
the sale. I believe the only way to
market comb honey safely is to go
with it, and handle it yourself. Taking
into consideration the additional ex-
pense of produoiug comb honey, and
the difficulty of getting it to market,
I am convinced tliat our true policy
is to work for extracted honey. There
may be exceptions to this rule ; there
may be localities where there is a de-
mand for comb honey, and not much
for extracted honey. The demand
for extracted honey has been largely
oil the increase, and there has been
more and more demand for it every
year. I believe ihe demand for it
will very soon be unlimited. The ease
and comparative cheapness of send-
ing it to market, and the fact that a
colony will produce decidedly more
honey, all combine to point us to ex-
tracted honey as our principal produc-
tion. We can, for the present, And
a market for all we will produce near
home. Extracted honey, at present
prices, will pay. Anything like a
good colony ought to produce 100
pounds, which, at present prices,
would be $10. This, after deducting
all expenses, ought to clear $5. This
is a moderate calculation, and I think
could be realized with anything like
good management.
Marshall, Texas.
For the American Bee JuumaL
Italian and Hybrid Bees, etc.
S. A. SHUCK.
I have found bees in the timber in
Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and
Illinois. Seven years ago last April,
I purchased my first colony of bees
for the purpose of studying and prac-
ticing modern apicujture. Tliey were
the so-called brown bees, in box
hives. My first young queen mated
with a hybrid drone, giving me bees
that, one in every 25 or 50 showed the
so-called second yellow band. Since
then, I have had hybrids of every
grade, from black and brown queens
to Italian queens. I have owned
black, brown and Italian bees, that
at certain times in the season I could,
without ditficulty, handle without
smoke, while many of the same bees,
at other times, were intolerably vicious
when disturbed. I have to-day, in
my iipiary, Italian bees, or those
showing all the necessary markings
in color, and that, too. without the
window or " stufiSng " tests ; that
with honey coming in, as it is, in
abundance, can be called amiable and
well behaved, but under destitute
circumstances, it is almost out of the
question to handle them without pro-
tection. I have others, Italians, that
in all weather that is fit to handle
bees at all, and from the point of
starvation to honey in the greatest
abundance, can be handled without
smoke or protection.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
405
In 1881, 1 had as fine hybrid bees
as could have been found anywhere.
They were excellent honey-gatherers
and comb builders, produced in the
same way that the " celebrated red
clover strain," mentioned in the Bee
JouKNAL not long since, was pro-
duced, by crossing the large Italians
with the brown bees ; that is, I guess,
they came in this way, as they were
the Italian queens, producing very
large hybrid bees that were gentle
and " boss " workers when there was
plenty of white clover and basswood.
The stripes on tliem were very dark,
and much smaller tlum "kittens,"
and they did not have very long hair
on their " hind legs,"' and when the
extremely hot and dry weather set
in, they " sat " in (their hives) ; while
our Italians that did not appear to do
near so well during clover and bass-
wood, went far and near visiting
every nook and corner in search or
tlie scanty bloom ; maintained their
stores and gained a moderate supply
for winter. These hybrids consumed
their stores in brood-rearing, and for
winter supplies had plenty of bees
and empty combs. Tliis was not all,
shortly after the bloom failed, two of
those hybrids swarmed, another two
balled and killed their queens, but
tire Italians "toiled leisurely on."
In 1880, a friend and I purchased a
selected imported queen, that I have
mentioned before in the Bee Jour-
nal. She was one of the most pro-
litic queens I have ever seen, but her
bees, which were gentle and excellent
workers, spent nearly all their ener-
gies in the early part of the season,
in brood-rearing. They were the
most excessive builders of drone
comb I ever saw, and while other
queens in my apiary refused to lay
drone eggs until their hives were
crowded with bees, this queen would
occupy every available cell.
For these reasons I discarded the
imported stock. Besides the qualities
of the imported stock, the bees were
small and the drones very dark. I
made the discovery in June, 1881,
that I was losing ground by breeding
from imported stock, and during the
remainder of the season I disposed of
all the daughters of the imported
queen but three. During July and
August, 1881, 1 reared several queens
from the best home-bred stock I had,
for the express purpo.se of producing
my drones in 1882. In the spring of
1882, drone combs were excluded
from the few colonies of hybrids and
imported stock, and supplied in
abundance to tliose from which we
wanted drones. Our queens of 1882
were all reared from four home-bred
queens. About 10 per cent, of our
queens mismated. Tlie hybrids were
all destroyed last fall. Two queens
were superseded late in the fail, and
the young queens both mismated, one
of which was destroyed this spring,
so that, to-day, in 56 colonies, we
have but one hybrid queen.
For two reasons I have given the
above short history of my efforts in
breeding for good bees.
1. To give the reader some knowl-
edge of my experience with bees.
2. That a comparison of ray experi-
ence with that of those whose ex-
perience appears from time to time
in the Bee Journal, and who are
advocating hybrid bees may be had.
It is not my intention in this com-
munication to discuss the merits or
demerits in a definite way of either
hybrids of Italians, but I wish to drop
a few hints tliat may tend to encour-
age apiarists to think solidly for
themselves, and not allow others to
tliink too much for them; and to do
tliis in a practical way, I will in-
troduce a question here. If such a
happy hybrid cross can be " hit upon "
so easily as some of our bee-keeping
friends are contending for, why is it
that, with Italian bees in this coun-
try for more than 25 years, our most
prominent beeders have never made
the discovery i And, again, if such
hybrids are so easily produced, why is
it that younger apiarists like myself
and hundreds of others wlio are read-
ers of the Bee Journal, cannot pro-
duce the same results, especially when
we have the instructions how it is
done repeated over and over again,
to us y
Tliese hybrids have been represented
as the " celebrated red-clover strain,"
and " the coming iiee;" yet the re-
ports in honey from those having this
"celebrated" stock are no greater
than the reports of novices. Italian
bees from my apiary, numbering 100
colonies or more, have worked on
red clover every season since I pur-
chased them. I have not had time
yet this season to visit the fields, but
some of my neighbors told me yester-
day that the yellow bees were work-
ing on the red clover " thickly."
Hybrids from our bees, as would be
expected, work largely on red clover,
and I do not see why hybrids from
any other good strain of Italians
should not work on it.
One tiling about red clover, but
few apiarists seem to have realized,
and that is its failure to secrete nec-
tar. Our bees have worked on it
best when the weather is warm both
day and night, and making the most
thrifty growth. Cool nights stop the
secretion of its nectar, and there are
but few plants that fail as quickly in
dry hot weather aT red clover.
Bryant, 111., June 18, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
The Humidity Question.
s. corneil.
The relation of the humidity of the
atmosphere to the mortality of bees
in winter, is referred to by the writer
of " Bee Notes " in the American Ag-
riculturist for January and February
last, and quotations thereform appear
on page 68 of the present volume of
the Bee Journal. After very fairly
summarizing some points in an arti-
cle of mine on page 728 af the Bee
Journal for 1882, he says :
"The writer then asserts that in
those winters most remarkable for
bee mortality, the air has been very
moist. We have the data whereby
this can be determined, as in this
place the condition of the atmosphere
as to moisture has been recorded daily
for 19 years. We will compare the
figures with the loss of bees, and give
itto the readers of the American Agri-
culturist mY^hvyvAxy. If this be true,
it shows well why sub-earth ventila-
tion has been so successful, as by that
method the air is kept from getting
moist. The appearance of the bees
that die of dysentery is also favorable
to this view. They look dropsical,
and seem fairly oozing with liquid
excreta."
In his " Notes " for February, he
says: "An examination of the con-
dition of the atmosphere, as to the
point of saturation, shows that there
13 not the least evidence in favor of
the idea that excessive moisture was
in any single case the cause of the
great losses of bees. It also appears
that in all the seasons of bad winter-
ing, severe cold was experienced. It
is further shown that when the cold
occurred early in the winter, the mor-
tality commenced at an early period.
If late, the bees did not appear dis-
eased till near the end of the winter."
I find no fault with the criticism,
but the records examined must have
been very different from those of the
Signal Service in connection with the
War Department at Washington.
The Chief Signal Service Otiicer of
the United States Army has, at the
expense of a great deal of trouble
and labor, very courteously supplied
me with data from which I have com-
piled the accompanying table, an ex-
amination of which will show that at
most points the humidity, as well as
the cold in the winter of 1880-1, was ex-
cessive. The temperature for each
mouth of that winter has been com-
pared with the monthly average at
each station since it was established,
and so with regard to the relative
humidity. In the columns for tem-
perature the tigiires preceded by the
minus sign indicate that the tempera-
ture was so many degrees colder tlian
the average. Those having the plus
sign signify the reverse. In the col-
umns for humidity, the figures pre-
ceded by the plus sign indicate that
the moisture was so much in excess
of the average, dry air being repre-
sented by 0, and the point of satura-
tion by 100. Those having the minus
sign show th;^.t the air was so much
drier than the average.
The way in which cold and mois-
ture affect bees injuriously in winter,
I conceive to be somewhat as follows.
But tirst let me say that I tliink it is
fully established tliat the tempera-
ture of a cluster of bees is not con-
stant, like that of mammalia and
birds, but varies, through a consider-
able range, with the temperature of
the surrounding air, yet never falling
as low, as in some of the lower orders
of the cold-blooded animals, without
producing death. It is also estab-
lished that bees do not hybernate per-
fectly, but are at all times more or less
active ;uh1 consume food, and that
this activity and consumption of food
are increased by severe cold. Since
severe cold reduces the temperature
of the bees, the air permeating the
cluster will also have a lower tempera-
ture, and will, in consequence, have
406
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
TABLE — Showing tlie average Temperature and Relative Humidity during the Winter
Months, also the Monthly difference from the average, and the total difference for the winter months
at the respective Stations durmg the winter of 1880-81.
c o
NAME
OF
STATION.
O h ^
=:? =
<
Deg.
Denver, Col.... '32. 5 51.
NewLonclon,Ct;31 .571 .
Bismarck, Dak. !l4. 180.
Dead wood , Dak 26 . 2 63 .
Pembina, Dak.i 6.4 91
Yankton, Dak. 122.2 67.
Cairo, 111 J40.8 72.
Champaign, 111. 130.8 69
Chicago, Ill....'30.0-"
Ind'napolis,Ind 34.4
DesMoines, Ioa:28.0
Dubuque, Iowa26.5
Keokuk, Iowa. '31.1
DodgeCity,Kasl33.9
LeavenVth,Ks*32.9
Eastport,Me... 24.2
Portland, Me .. 28.0
Boston, Mass . . 29.7
Spr'field, Mass. 130.0
Detroit, Mich.. 28.4
Escanal(a,Michll9.2
GrHaven,Mich28.3
Marquett, Michi21.2
Pr.Huron,Michl26.2
Dulutli, Minn.. 118.1
Mooreird,Minn|10.7
St. Paul, Minn. 20.6 72
FAssimb.Mont 20.9:60
F.Benton,Mouti20.9 68
DECEMBER,
1880.
2- to
as
Deg.
- 0.
- 3.
-10.
- 4.
- 3.
.3!— 6.
.4— 5.
8 — 7
7i— 5.
6— 8
0-4
6-7
ol 4
el— 6
5-4
ffi !:0
S^UARY,
H >
o
+ 8.0
0.2'
+ 5.4'
4.8
+ 3.1
1.6
0.7
4.8
— 3.
— 1.6
0+ 1.2
rt.Keogh,Mont
Helena,N,Mont
N.Platte, Neb. .
Omaha, Neb. . .
Albany, N.Y..
Buflfalo, N. Y . .
New York.N. Y
Oswego, N.Y. .
Cincinnati, O. .
Cleveland, O...
Columbus, O. . .
Erie, Pa
Philadelpha.Pa
Pittsburg, Pa. .
Newport, R. I..
Burlington, Vt.
La Crosse, Wis.
Madison, Wis.
20.968.
24.4!64.
27.864.
27.7,70.
27.269.
27.7,77.
32.9i75.
28.872.
38.2 67.
30.076.
34.6170,
31.0 77,
34.8
33.8
33.3
24.6
24.1170
25.7i73
— 0
— 2
— 4
4
5
3
4
— 3
5
4
Milwaukee, WiS|25. 5
Cheyenne, Wy. 28.7
Toronto, Can ..125.2
77.8
— 1
2
— 7
— 0.7
+ 1.3
+ 1.5
+ ~ "
— 4.8
+ 9.0
— o
—13
—12
— 7
—13
— 7
— 6
— 3
— 6
— 5
— 4
— 5
— 6
— 7
— 7
— 5
— 5
— 4
— 4
— 6
— 7
— 5
+ 0
— 4
Deg.
- 1
- 4
- 8
- 7.
- 5
-10.
- 7.
- 4.
- 6.
-» 6.
FEBRUARY,
1881.
d; to
6g
Deg.
0+ 7.3— 3.:
&— 2.9+ 0
6:+ 8.6— 3
«a
£s
Sa
7+13.9
- 0.7
+
+ 5.
0.
4+ 6.
— 7.2
6
7
3
0— 1.0
9+8,5
,6+ 7.2,
4+ 7.9
4!— 18
3
3
0
0
4
3.61
- 1.7!
+ 1.7
-- 1.4
-- 0.6
-- 2.6
4!-- 2.5
.8— 1.8
.7-1- 3.7
.5— 0.8
.2+ 0.6'
.51^ 1.3,
3+ 5.01
7
7
- 6
- 2
- 1
- 4
- 5
- 7
- 8
- 6
- 7
- 6
- 7
- 4
- 7
- 5
- 3
-11
- 5
- 7
-10
- 3
- 6
- 4
- 5
- 4
- 6
- 7
- 5
- 4
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 8
- 9
- 5
- 1
- 6
2 +
3
4.4
0.5
3 11—
6.3 —
0.6 —
0.3
3.7
— 2.5+12.
+ 2.'
— 7,
2.5
— 1.8
+ 0.3
— 3.0
— 3.2
— 5.2
— 3.7
+ 0.6
+ 4.2
— 1.7
— 1.4
81— 1.7
3+ 2.1
2—13.7
4— 0.1
6+ 4.8
MARCH,
I88I.
Eg
ta 0
O
C »-
fflis
^ CD
£2
da
5
+ 1
+ 2
0
1
0
4
3
5
3
2
5
,7
,5'
,3l
.7-0
.9+1
.1I+ 4
.Oj+
.9 +
:St
■5 +
.31+
■7 —
•7 +
■3 +
0,+
-5.5-
+
+
-2.6 +
Deg.
— 1.
+ 1-7|
+ 1.5
2— 1.3
0+ 5.2
— 7.31 +
2.5 —
4.2'
3^3
3.8
7.0
3.3
4.5
2.5
4.0
+ 4.3
+ 5.1
+ 1.9
+ 1.1
+ 0.9
+ 1.0
— 0.9
— 0.4
— 1.4
+ 3.0
— 0.3
+ 3.11— 0
+ 7-4i— 1
+ 9.8+ 0
+ 3.8:— 10
0.9+ 2
1.0— 3
1.8;- 1
1.3— 1
WINTER OF
1881.
03 S -
o,ti»
OJ 0) C
CH >2,
|£
Deg.
7—1.7
5—1.8
0—5.2
— 3.8
+
7 +
9+13
2+10
2.1
+ 2.7
+ 1.2
+ 5.5
— 0.1
+ 4.1
— 0.5
— 2.1
+ 4.6
'^l-
+ 0.2
- 1.3;-
+ 2.0I-
+ 3
1
-- 3
o
2
5
4
1
.0
.1
.1
.3
.91+13.3
.9 + 4.5
.61- 4.
.2|— 1.8
7;— 8.2
7I+ 3.9
3
0
+ 2
5
2,
3
5,
3
3,
4
2
8,
•2+4
8+0
5+3
•1+1
0+ 4
•7+ 3
.2+5
.3+2
.8!+ 4
1.4 + 0,
5.4 + 3
— 5
+ 1
-- 7,
--12
--11
— 2
— 4
— 3
+ 3
1
— 2.4
+ 0.8
— 2.3
— 2.7
— 4.0
— 2.2
— 1.2
— 1.8
+ 0.5
+ 2.1
— 1.9
— 5.1
— 1.3
+ 0.3
+ 0.9
+ 4.
+n
6,
+8.
+0.
+5-
+7.
0.
K
+0.
—5.2—1.
■5.8!+2,
■7.2 -1-3.
+1.
+0
—3.8
—0.3
—7.8
—4.6
—5.7
■Z<o
€a
5
—6.2
—5.7
—6.1
—6.0
+0.5
+1.0
—1.8
—2.7
—3.2
—3.8
—3.6
—4.2
—4.1
—2.8
—3.2
—3.4
—4.5
—0.8
—3.9
—3.4
—5.8
—8.8
0.0
—4.7
—2.9
—2.7
—3.6
—4.9
—5.8
—4.6
—3.8
—3.4
—2.7
2 2
—5^5
—7,
—3.6
—0.3
—3.2
— 1.
— 0.!
+0.!
o
+^
+4.
+1-
+0.
— 0.
+5.
—9.
+0.
+6.
+2.
+5.
-0,
+7.
+7.
+!•
+!■
+2,
+3,
+0.
+5
--3
--3
__2
--2,
--2
--0
--4
-1
+1
+4
+3
less capacity for evaporating the water
from the bees, and may be incapable of
taking up the larger quantity produced in
consequence of the low temperature, unless
the air is undergoing constant change by
proper ventilation. This evil will be very
seriously increased, if the external air is
already overloaded with vapor, for the
more humid the air the less its capacity for
absorbing more water. But a moist exter-
nal air increases the trouble in another
way. We all know that the cold of a damp
day is more felt than that of a colder dry
one, because the humid air, being a better
conductor, the heat of the body is carried
otf more rapidly, and so with regard to the
bees. A damp external atmosphere tends
to reduce their temperature still lower, and
aggravates the evil first mentioned.
If these views are correct, the losses in
1880-81, in some parts of the country (the
eastern part of the State of Maine for
instance), should not have been niiicli
greater than usual, because there the table
shows the temperature and humidity were
about normal. Dr. Tinker collected more
information regarding the
losses of bees and the attend-
ant circumstances that sea-
son than any other ])rivate
bee-keeper. "Probably his re-
ports would show the locali-
ties in which the losses were
least, and those in which tliey
vs'ere greatest. It would be
interesting to know if a com-
parison of his reports with
the table will show that the
localities in which the losses
were heaviest correspond
with those in which the hu-
midity was greatest. If the
reports collected by the editor
of the Bee Jouiinal were
classified, as to the humidity
of different localities, I dare
say they would throw light on
this branch of the subject.
In connection with the fore-
going table, I invite attention
to the statement that " in
winters, when the cold oc-
curred early, the mortality
commenced at an early peri-
od ; if late, the bees did not
appear diseased till near the
end of the winter." In this
part of the country it was
just the reverse in 1880-81,
and I would almost venture
to say that the reports will
show that such was the case
generally. The table shows
that the cold was most intense
in December and January,
and that it moderated in
February and March ; but
that, as it did so, the humid-
ity increased to excess in the
two latter months. On the
6th of March, I had 4 colo-
nies dead, out of 44 packed
in chaff, on Mr. Townley's
plan. Before the swarming
season came around, I had
only 13 good ones and 6 nu-
clei left. The report of Mr.
Geo. Garlick (page 158, Bee
Journal for 1881), whose
apiary is located about 50
miles east of this place, very
fairly shows how the bees
died in this part of Canada.
On Feb. 1, he had 137 alive,
out of 140, on their summer
stands, some being packed in
sawdust. On March 1, he
had 88 alive ; on the 6tli, 62 ;
on the 15th, 55; on the 1st
of April, 42 ; on the lOtli, 12,
and on the 6th of May, only
7 were left of the whole lot.
From an inspection of the
table one would think it
should not be much of a trick
to winter bees in some locali-
ties, the neighborhood of
Cincinnati for example. The
ventilation and protection
sufficient for hives in that
locality would be quite inade-
quate for the climate of Port
Huron or Toronto ; the aver-
age winter temperature at
these points being about 13*^
colder, and the average rela-
tive humidity beuigover80°,
while at Cincinnati it is less
than 68-J.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
40 T
Many otlier interesting points might
be considered, Ijut I trust the tuble
will assist the readers of the Bee
Journal to form opinions for them-
selves, as to the two most important
elements of the climate in which they
have to winter their bees, and whether
they are most injured by severe cold
or by cold and excessive moisture
combined ; the former being present
in the early part of the winter of 1880-
81, and the latter occurring towards
its close. *
Lindsay, Ont., June 22, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Two ftueens in a Hive.
W. H. SHIRLEY.
There seems to be quite a number
of reports of two queens in one hive,
this season. I have instanced two
queens where the bees were supersed-
ing a queen. In tlie following letter
which I have received from J. O.
Shearman, he mentions having two
queens in a hive :
Our bees seem to not be doing much
since the nights turned cool, though
button willow is just opening, it does
not seem to yield much. 1 guess it
is because the water is so high yet, as
to flood it. Bees go to it a little, and
then run on red clover the rest of the
time. 1 had a case of two queens in
a hive. I saw them both on the 2d of
August, on one conil), and not excited
at all, and did not seem to notice each
other. 1 had clipped the old queen's
wing, to avoid swarming, and I guess
I slashed her pretty severely, as 1 did
it with my Knife, not Waving the
scissors handy. I think they under-
took to supersede her, as I found
queen-cells cut up on other combs, or
she might have swarmed and then
crawled back. She appeared to be
" slimmed up,'' as we used to call it,
same as for swarming. The young
queen was the largest and brightest
colored. What was the cause of your
two queens in a hive 'r* Do you
know V I left both of mine in, to see
how they made out, as they both
seemed quiet. How would it do to
answer m the Bee Journal the
cause of yours V If you do, you might
send this in too. I look for a fall run
of honey yet, as feed of all sorts is
fresli, though the ground is fast get-
ting dry. J . O. Shearman.
New Richmond, Mich.
The case in tlie Bee Journal, page
373. was of a different kind. I had
introduced a young queen, after kill-
ing the old one in the hive. Quite a
number of young queens get lost on
their bridal trip, from nuclei, on an
average say 10' per cent, of them.
Now, I think it was one of these
queens that dropped down by this
hive, where I liad introduced one
some days before, and was received
by the bees allriglit.
I have found three young queens
balled in front of the hives, this sea-
son, and in swarming time I fre-
quently (ind one and two young
queens that the swarm had caught
when on the wing.
Glenwood, Mich., Aug. 8, 1883.
for tbe American Bee Jouru^ii-
Instinct Compared with Eeason.
W. H. STEWART.
Volumes on volumes liave been
written concerning the organization,
powers and doings of the honey-bee
without in any way exhausting tlie
subject. The lield is unbounded, and
ever fruitful. The song of the grove,
the aroma of the flowers, and the in-
dustry of tlie bee, have ever been
favorite themes with the poet. Dull
indeed must be that class of persons
who experience no pleasing and in-
spiring emotions, who are able to
read lui new and useful lessons from
the many facts of pleasing interest
that shine out like so many golden
threads, so beautifully woven, all
througli and through the warp and
woof of plant and insect life, and
more especially that of bees and
flowers. How wonderful each new
phenomona manifested on every hand
as we contemplate the ample field —
in the co-relation and inseparable
interblending of the vegetable and
animal kingdoms ; their mutual de-
pendence on each other for the power
of reproduction, etc. The new born
honey-bee, inexperienced and inde-
pendent of all instruction, reads on
the iiage of instinct the truth that it
is altogether dependent up(m veget-
able fruitfuhiess for the only food
that can sustain its life.
Tlie iilant also, through all its
manifold changes from earliest
germination in spring-time, feels the
delicate touch of the vibrating chord
of inter-dependence ; and guided by
the same law that gave birth and
direction to instinct, unfolds its form,
ever taking on new and more complex
conditions, slowly, yet surely, con-
centrating: its own best life-juices in
the forming of the pure nectar to be
negotiated with the yet unborn honey
bee for a precious morsel of fertiliz-
ing pollen.
As we muse, blending our life with
these truths, our soul drinks at the
fountain of harmony that vibrates
along this aeolian chord that whispers
instinct to the little speck of animate
life at its one end, and law to the un-
folding plant at the other.
Could we draw aside the mystic
curtain that seems to divide between
the human and insect planes of life,
we should, perhaps, learn that the
common Creator had in no way been
partial in the bestowal of blessings on
his creatures. We would be likely to
discover that where one power had
been witheld, another, of more vital
importance to the individual, had been
given.
Man may boast of his reasoning
powers, anil claim to be the " lord or
creation," and to be the rightful pos-
sessor of the summit plane of ani-
mated life. How few who engage in
mechanics or commerce become suc-
cessful masters even after the labor
and experience of many years ; yet
the little honey-bee emerges from its
cradle a master mechanic, able also to
move off in the right direction to do
its part in obtaining a livelihood for
itself and its fellows.
Not only so, but the bee may right-
fully claim a more striking superiority
over man. At its birth the bee is
endowed with the power to step upon
the plane of equality with its fellows;
to hold and enjoy every right that can
in any way enhance the happiness of
itself and the colony ; able and willing,
from birth to old age, to do its part in
the support of a regularly-organized
government, that administers all
needful rights to all concerned. A
government that gives full satisfac-
tion through thousands of generations
without the necessity of tlie repeal or
modilication of a single rule or law.
Sliould not reason hide its blushing
face when it remembers that after
thousands of generations of men have
labored to discover and frame a gov-
ernment that would give satisfation
to all its members, they have failed
to make one rule, or enact one law
against which some one or more of
their fellows would not rebel.
" Raise reason o'er instinct as you can,
in this 'tis Go'l directs : in that 'tis man."
Could bees impart their knowledge
by the use of human language, woiild
we not do well to sit in quiet silence
and learn wisdom as spoken from an
instinctive standpoint'!' It has been
said that " actions speak louder than
words ;" be this as it may, " one truth
is clear." The careful observer may
^lean many Hue and important lessons-
from the works, habits and unfoldings-
of the lower forms of life.
O, for the power to penetrate.
Or lift the mystic veil.
And scan each creature's full estate
As each their mission All.
Granite, stratum, or Terdant plane-
Insects, beasts, birds, man-
Trace aioHK the unbrolten chain—
My mission In the plan.
To best Improve what me is lent,
Nor covet what's witheld ;
Act well my part and be content,
In life's most fruitful field.
Orion, Wis., Aug. 2, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Ohio State Bee-Keepers' Convention-
The Ohio State Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will hold a convention during:
State Fair week, commencing on
Tuesday evening. The following pro-
gramme has been arranged :
Tuesday Evening, Sept. 4.— 1 . Greet-
ings and organization. 2. Annual re-
port of Secretary and Treasurer. 3.
Election of officers. 4. Annual ad-
dress of the President. 5. General
discussion of topics presented by
members present.
Wednesday Evening, Sept. 5.— 1.
Address by S. D. Riegel on improve-
ment in bee-culture as deduced from
the season's operations, followed by
discussion on the same. 2. Question
drawer and discussion on topics pre-
sented.
Thursday Evening, Sept. 6.— 1. Ad-
dress or general talk by Vice-Presi-
dent Aaron Benedict, on the rearing
and management of queens, followed
by discussions of the same. 2. Ques-
tion drawer and discussion of topics
presented.
Conference meetings of bee-keepers
and those interested will also be held
408
THE AMERICAN BEE JOliRi^AL.
each afternoon at 1 o'clock in Apiar-
ian Hall, on Fair grounds.
The place of meeting of the conven-
tion to be deciited at tinae of the Fair,
probably in the upper room of Apiar-
ian Hall.
Everybody who is at all interested
in bees is invited to meet with the
Association, and all who can bring
articles for exhibition, as efforts are
being made to render this department
a grand success.
The State Board of Agriculture
has furnished the bee-keepers a sep-
arate hall for their exhibits at tlie
State Fair, with an upper room in
which to hold meetings. Ample
room will be furnished tor all exhibits.
Dr. H. Besse, Pres.
D. Spear, Sec.
Aaron Benedict, SupH. Apiary Hall.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Marketing, and Price of Honey.
JAMES HEDDON.
As our editor has told us in a late
iiumberof the Bee Journal, "sup-
ply and demand " is the great cause
<jf fluctuations in prices of all com-
modities, yet sometimes immediate
ups and downs in prices are caused
by sentiments flowing across the
minds of producers; sometimes al-
most creating a panic in prices.
It is my opinion, at this time, that
bee-keepers over the country generally
have too much of an idea that our
present crop is going to be enormous,
and sell at a low figure. 1 got fright-
ened myself, and put ilOO pounds of
•comb honey on our market in the
shape of an out and out sale, 2 cents
lower than I need to have done.
There is $4 charged up to scare.
There is a considerable quantity of
honey produced about here this sea-
son, notwithstanding the fact that we
have not an average crop, because of
the improvements in methods and
fixtures. The crop coming in rather
late, a good many country producers
held off from putting honey on this
market from the fact that so much
was produced here in my apiaries.
The merchants have held up the old-
time prices, which, from all indica-
tions, will carry through the year.
Notwithstanding I have been very
busy with many other duties besides
marketing honey, duties that most
other producers do not have, I have
thought it a duty, and have taken
upon myself the burden of manufac-
turing honey stands. These I made
with sloping shelves for jars of ex-
tracted honey, and case in top with
glass front, and back door for comb
honey. I have introduced, and am
keeping supplied one of these in each
■of the principle groceries in our little
city. By this means I hope to market
3 times as much honey at home as I
did last year, even at the same price.
Two things make honey sell rapidly.
First, putting up and keeping it in
attractive shape and place ; and sec-
ond, reducing the price. Between
the two I believe that the first is the
best card for the producer, and is far
less expensive. Let all honev pro-
ducers do this as far as possible. Let
them also be in no great haste to mar-
ket the crop. Honey sells best in cool
weather, and is by no means a perish-
able article, and even grows of better
quality if properly kept.
While there may be honey enough
to glut the market of a mouth, it is
my opinion that there is not enough
to overstock the markets of the year.
All we need is to act as a body^ and
put our honey into market along as
demanded, at a reasonable price, in-
stead of panic-stricken like, rushing
it all in at once to catch what we be-
lieve to be the highest price, which
will almost surely turn out to be the
lowest price for us.
The best guide I can think of to be
governed by as to when to put honey
on the market, is to market it only
when it seems to be called for at rea-
sonable prices. This, of cmirse, is
owing to quality of honey and loca-
tion. I will give you my own indi-
vidual standard. \V'e live in a pretty
good honey-producing locality. We
raise more honey than can be con-
sumed at home. Some of it must be
shipped to the great cities of this and
other countries.
When I realize 18 cents per pound
(it then sells at 20 cents retail) for a
nice article of comb honey in one-
pound sections, or 2-5 cents per pound
in half-pound sections, and 15 and 20
cents per pound for colored fall honey
in one and half-pound sections, and
12^2 and iO cents per pound for ex-
trated, early and late, I am ready to
supply such demand, not otherwise.
just a word regarding half-pound
sections. I intend, when the season
is closed, to give the benetit of the
experiments my class and myself have
made regarding half-pound sections.
How we like them, how the bees like
them, and how my customers like
them ; also regarding honey boards,
cases, uroad frames, and various other
things. But will say just here that
the half-pound sections seem to be a
great favorite in the markets around
about our little country towns.
Dowagiac, Mich., Aug. 8, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Excellencies of the German Bee.
a. w. osburn.
While the praise of the different
races of bees, the Italians, the Holy
Lauds, Cyprians and others is being
sounded far and wide ; and while the
best talent of our country is being
engaged to bring more prominently
before the public the superior quali-
ties of the above named races, there
are but few that have the boldness to
come forward and advocate the good
traits of character of the German bee
(not the black). I know that one who
lias the indepeudence to advocate the
good qualities of the German race of
bees, must expect to call down upon
his head the scorn, the disaprobation
and disgust of the great mass of bee-
keepers of to-d!iy.
Let us go carefully over the ground
and see if the German bees liave not
some traits, that the honorable bee-
keeper is bound to respect. In the
tirst place they excel as comb build-
ers ; they excel as rapid workers to
draw out foundation ; they excel as
pioneers to strike out from the brood-
chamber (and out of the queen's way)
to store their honey ; the queens thus
having no honey to bother them, can
lill their combs from top to bottom,
and from end to end ; they excel
in keeping their hives full of workers
to gather the crop ; all other condi-
tions being favorable, they excel as
non-swarmers, when you give them
plenty of room.
While I would not wish to be un-
derstood that I think the German bee
possesses all the good traits to be
desired in "the coming bee," yet I
would wish them to have credit for
what good there is in them ; and that
their good qualities shall not be
ignored when looking around for
material to make up that long-looked-
for Apis- Americana. I am satisfied,
from my own experience, that the
crossing of the different races makes
better business-l)ees than either bred
pure. It is our intention to try the
experiment of mixing the best strains
of Italians, Germans and Holy Lands
together, and see what the coming
bee from these three races will be. I
have no fear of the result; there is
not one of the three but what have
excelent qualities, but the tine point
is to combine them all in one.
I am aware that some of our most
successful apiarists are prejudiced
against the German and Holy Land
bees, but let them dispute the good
traits I have mentioned in the Ger-
mans, if they can, or the prolilicness,
tleetness of wing, and ambition of the
Holy Lands. For me to advocate
the good qualities of the Italians
would be for nie to take up your val-
uable room for nothing, for they are
too long and favorably known ; but
for me to say that they possess all the
requisites of what we will wish " the
coining bee " to possess, would be as
foolish as the other.
Water Valley, N. Y.
For the American Bee Journal.
Finding the Queen.
F. M. chkney.
My method of finding the queen in
populous colonies of black bees is as
follows : Early in the morning, I go
to the colony containing the queen I
wish to supersede, and divide it, plac-
ing half the combs and bees into an
empty hive. In a few minutes one
of the hives will show queenlessness
by the bees running over the front of
the hive. I place this hive on the
stand, and take the other, which con-
tains the queen, several rods away.
Near night this hive will be so thinned
of bees that the queen can be easily
found, and after olitained, the bees
can be returned. I concluded one
swarm was queenless, but by dividing
I found it was not, and captured the
queen which had ceased to lay, al-
tnoiigh she was only one year old, and
had been prolific previous to this.
South Sutton, N. H., Aug. 1, 1883.
.THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
409
tSllxat and IJoxu.
ANSWERS By
James Heddon, Doivagiac, Mich.
Getting Bees Out of the Cases.
Will Mr. Heddon please tell us liow
lie gets the bees from the cases when
lie takes them from the hive V
Samuel Fish.
Milan, O., July 31, 1883.
Answer.— Our method of getting
bees out of sections is as follows :
Xow, you will remember our sections
all have open tops, and the opening is
% of an inch wide. When we uncover
the case before removing, we blow
the smoke between the sections, by
passing the nozle of the smoker across
each row, as we press the bellows.
Four repetitions of it, in rapid suc-
cession, starts nearly every bee down-
ward. Inclined to fill himself with
honey, and there being none uncap-
ped above, he immediately starts be-
low. We now blow with our mouth
a lively cool blast across the ranges,
the same as we did with the smoker.
This drives them more than smoke,
after being smoked. Now, as you
lift your case, there should not be
more than 40 to 100 bees left in it.
Next we remove the case to our 6 foot
square summer house ; the upper half
of which is wire cloth all around, and
two of its sides are doors. In this
house we pile up the cases qrosswise
to each other. The bees immediately
go on to the screen, which screen is
double, and prevents the feeding of
outside robbers through the net work.
Now you can remove the cases to the
honey house free from bees. Throw
open the doors and the bees return to
their hives. In place of such a screen
liouse, a revolving window, or similar
device in any room, may be used.
Comb Fuiindatiou for Surplus Honey.
Mil. IlEonoN :— In the Bee Jour-
nal of July 25, replying to W. B.
Dresser, of Michigan, you say : " I
use full size pieces of foundaLion,"etc.
You were referring to section lioxes.
Do folks generally eat comb honey
made on comb foundation 'i Somehow
1 was under the impression that it is
not very clean or wholesome, and was
only intende'l for brood and extracted
honey. I tliink I should bile it with
my eyes shut, and not smack my lips
much. But then, it may be I am
prejudiced just a little, and not in tlie
spirit of advanced and enlightened
bee-cultnre. I use foiiiulation, but
in the brood-chamber, with a very
small bit in the honey boxes for a
Starter, not enough, you know, to
hurt; and may be you will say, not
enough to do any good, either. Please
say something about this article
(foundation) as to its purity as food,
etc. W. P. Hancock.
Salado, Texas, July 30, 1883.
Answer.— My rule in selling any
commodity to my brother man, is the
one laid down by that great and
loving reformer, Christ. " Do unto
others as ye would that they should
do unto you." Almost all will admit
that it is our duty to do so ; but all do
not see the fact that we likewise owe
a duty to ourselves, and it is a second
duty, to stop right there, in very
many instances.
For three years, and at a time be-
fore manufacturers were making a
very delicate foundation for surplus
combs, or, at least, before I obtained
any, I used full sheets of foundation
in an my sections. No person in this
county, except myself, knew there
was such a thing as comb foundation.
I sold this honey in my home market
readily, and only one person during
that three years ever made a remark
regarding it, that came to my ears.
Getting hold of an unfortunate piece,
one man observed : " That honey I
got of you seemed to have too tough a
comb." Large numbers spoke the
praises of my comb honey. So much
for the effect upon the trade.
Now, in regard to the healthfulness
of wax. So far as I can learn, noth-
ing is more wholesome to take into
the stomach than honey comb. Being
perfectly indigestible by the human
stomach, no effort is made to digest
it. In eating warm biscuit, the par-
ticles of comb intermingle all through
the dough in such a manner as to give
the gastric juice of the stomach a
better chance to do its work. Parti-
cles of wax are smooth, not harsh
or irritating to the stomach or intes-
tines, and the chemical effects are
said to be slightly stimulating.
Now, as regards cleanliness of the
foundation. Of course to persons
who do not know what they are eat-
ing, if there are no ill effects, no harm
is done. To those who do, and who
are prejudiced against it, as Mr..H.
may be, allow me to say, let us reason
together. Trusting that the reader
knows chemically of what .impurities
consist, we will pass by, asserting
that high degrees of heat destroy all
impurities. The degree of heat which
is brought to bear, when rendering
wax, destroys all impurities that may
be lurking about the combs melted.
I consider that when properly ren-
dered , beeswax is as pure and whole-
some for chewing gum as any nugget
found upon the spruce tree.
Since I have been making comb
foundation, and receiving students,
I have had a large number of assist-
ants in the wax room,and I have never
had one but was more or less of the
time chewing scraps of wax. Neither
have I ever had one, who has been
with the honey, from the cake of bees-
wax to the delicate white combs upon
the table, who spleened against the
use of comb foundation for surplus
honey. What is good enough for me
is good enough for my customers.
What is not good enough for me, is
not good enough for my customers.
Kentucky Bee and Honey Show.
The Kentucky State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its annual meet-
ing in Louisville. Ky., Aug. 29 and 30,
at the Southern Exposition building.
We hope to have a large attendance of
the bee-keepers of the State, and also
of other States, both North and South,
as the convention will be in session
during the week of the Honey and
Bee Exhibit. And premiums amount-
ing to $60 are offered by the commis-
sioners of agriculture of Kentucky,
for Kentucky honey, and $40 by the
Exposition, for the tinest Italian bees
in Observatory hives. The premium
on bees is open to the world, and we
liope to see a fine display.
The Bee-Keepers' Convention and
Honey and Bee Show will be held in
the same week of the great exhibi-
tion of fruit, for which over $2,000 in
cash premiums will be paid.
We extend a cordial invitation to
all bee-keepers' societies, to editors
of bee publications, to honey-pro-
ducers, and queen breeders, and all
who are interested in apiculture, to
be with us. We hope to have the
father of modern bee-keeping with us,
the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, to whom
a cordial invitation has been given.
Reduced fair on all railroads, both
North and South, will be offered to
all who attend the Great Southern
Exposition. It will doubtless be the
grandest exposition ever held in the
United States, in magnitude, and
nearly equal to the Centennial.
N. P. Allen, Sec.
1^ The Northwestern Iowa, and
Southwestern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers'
Association, will hold its next meet-
ing on Sept. 4, 1883, at John Swan-
zey's, 2 miles South of Ridot, Stephen-
son County, 111. There vv'ill be facilities
to take persons from the station to
Mr. Swauzey's.
Jonathan Stewart, Sec.
^" Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
410
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Boes Feet Disabled.
I send eight worker bees (taken
from as many liives) witli clogs of
something on their feet. Is it from
some blossoms they are working on ?
I have kept bees now for ten years,
but never saw the like before. The
bees are carrying these all out of the
hives. I tind the most of these clog-
footed bees in the colonies that are
working the strongest. Bees have
not done much since white clover
bloom, until to-day, when they are
working very brisk through the mid-
dle of the day. Please let me know
through the Bee Journal what it is
on the bees' feet. Will it amount to
enough to reduce the colonies V If
so, what is the remedy 'i I liad an
immense run on clover.
E. J. SCOFIBLD.
Hanover, Wis., Aug. 6, 1883.
Enclosed find foot, leg and some-
thing else. Two of my colonies of
bees are affected, as you will see, by
the foot and leg, as it is the foot and
leg of a bee. Please examine and tell,
in the Bee Journal, what it is and
the remedy. Dr. J. Cooperider.
Taylorsville, Ind.. July 31, 1883.
[The objects attached to the feet of
the bees, are the pollen masses of
milkweed [Asdepias). The bees visit
the flowers for the nectar which is
abundant, but the arrangement of the
parts of the blossom is such that they
cannot gain access to the sweet fluid
without coming in contact with a
sticky substance at tlie end of these
pollen masses, which are thus pulled
out and carried from dower to flower.
There is no cure except the destruc-
tion of the plants. — T. J. Bukrill.]
Not Half a Crop of Honey.
My brother and I represent 400 col-
onies of bees, which have been hand-
led scientifically for comb honey, in
the best section of this State. The
beginning of the honey flow was
grand, but the sudden cut off ten days
ago, has made it a certainty that not
a half crop will be taken.
E. A. Morgan.
Columbus, Wis., Aug. 2, 1883. '
Cyprians for Honey Oatheriug.
Up to noon, to-day, I liave,this sea-
son, taken 308 lbs. of pure wliite honey
from one colony of Cyprians ; the
honey is remarkably fine, clear and
heavy. For the lastfive days, partic-
ularly noted, the daily yield lias been
from 10 to 12 lbs., and I reasonably
expect 400 to 500 lbs. of white honey,
this season, from this colony. The
queen is not yet a year old ; she has
had no help from any other of my 85
colonies in the same yard or from any
other source ; every bee of the colouy
that has aided in producing this 308
pounds, lias been hatched from her
eggs, and. besides, I have made 7 nu-
clei from her. and her young queens
appear equally promising. Basswood
bloom has been good, but is getting
Viast its best now. White clover has
been abundant. This locality has had
a good honey harvest, notwithstand-
ing the heavy rains and cool weather.
There are about 500 colonies of bees
kept within the area of half a square
mile, and large apiaries within a few
miles, are all prospering this season.
Geo. M. Lawrence.
Warsaw, N. Y., Aug. 7, 18S3.
Bees in Georgia.
My bees are doing better than they
have in several years. Up to June 1,
they did not do much but swarm, but
during the month of June they stored
honey fast, and then it set in dry, and
they did not do much for a while ; but
at this writing they are making the
air sing with their delightful hum,
and I am encouraged with tlie pros-
pect, and am going to begin extract-
ing in a few days. I have 76 colonies
in fine condition : some of them have
no room for brood rearing, and I must
give them room. There is no other
person with the movable frame hive
in this section but myself ; they say
they cannot have luck with bees, but
if they would take the Bee Journal
a few years, and use some pluck, they
would have luci-. I delight in work-
ing with bees, and am always glad to
see the Journal come. Success to it.
H. M. Williams, M. D.
Bowdon, Ga., Aug. 1, 1883.
Bee and Honey Show.
Our Inter-State Fair opens at St.
Joseph, Mo., Sept. 5, 18S3. We expect
a large attendance of bee-keepers, and
we shall try to make it a good bee and
honey show. I wish to say, through
the Bee Journal, that all bee-keep-
ers, of any State, are invited to assist
us in making a good display of honey,
bees, queens, and bee-keepers' tools.
Those who cannot come may send
articles to me, and they will be ex-
hibited. Our Fair will be good place
to advertize bee-keepers' goods, (by
exhibiting), as bee-keeping is on Ihe
increase. I shall not show anything
in this department, for premiums,
(being superintendent), but expect to
exhibit at otiier Fairs, and I am will-
ing to exhibit all books, papers, and
other light articles, for others, if re-
quested to do so, free of charge. Our
bees have swarmed a great deal, and
gathered some nice honey. We are
having plenty of rain, and look for a
good tall crop. D. G. Parker.
St. Joseph, Mo., Aug. 2, 1883.
A Word about Transferring.
Three or four years ago I had occa-
sion to transfer 4 or 5 colonies of bees
from box to frame hives, and not
liking cutting up brood combs and
fitting them in frames (having tried
it once). I placed tlie box hives on the
top of the frame hives, full of comb,
orfull of sheets of foundation. This
can be done with any shape of a box.
as I nailed strips or thin pieces of
boards on or under the uncovered
parts, making it bee-tight, except the
entrance to the lower hive. This
forces the bees to jiass through their
new home. Xow, if you do your part
riglit, you will bedeliglitedto see how
soon the transferring will commence :
they will begin to occupy it for all
purposes, store room, dining room,
bed room, excepting a parlor, which
is out of date with my bees (I bought
some of them from James Ileddon).
In a few days (say a week) I lift the
box hive off and examine the lower
hive ; if they are well started, and
you find the queen there, remove the
box to a new stand only a few feet
away, if you wish to unite the second
drive with the first. For uniting
keep moving the hives nearer to-
gether, a few inches each day, so
that they will be close together by the
appointed time, which will be 21 days,
in this case, when your old combs,
will be ready to extract from and melt
up, after driving out the bees. Mr.
Heddon has given other particulars
to be observed in transferring so
thoroughly that I take much pleasure
in referring any one interested in
transferingbees,to his article on page
367. W. Harmer.
Manistee, Mich., Aug. 3, 18s3.
Poor Dry Season in Texas.
We are having a pretty dry season
just now. Bees are working on cot-
ton bloom and scattering wild flowers.
I had 3 colonies to start with in the
spring ; have 8 now, all in good con-
dition. I have not taken much honey
this season. M. C. Granberry.
Austin, Texas, Aug. 6, 1883.
Unprecedented Honey Crop.
The honey flow, here has been un-
precedented and unlocked for. My
best colony has given over 600 pounds
of honey, up to date — over 100 pounds
being comb honey, and I expect to
get upwards of 700 pounds from it.
The colony spoken of, carried in from
20 to 28 pounds of honey per day for
nearly a week. I think there are up-
wards of 100,000 bees in the hive ; it
is a two-story one. E. F. Smith.
Smyrna, N. Y., Aug. 7, 1883.
Jio Honey (Jlut, this Year.
It is interesting to read the items
in regard to tlie honey production of
the country. I liave fully come to the
conclusion that we have not, and their
will not be a honey glut this season.
Some bee men in the best part of the
honey flow hawked their honey
around at a shilling a pound. They
should not be in haste. This section
won't glut the honey market. I think
that I live in a great honey-producing
State, and white clover was bountiful,
and is our greatest and best honey-
producing plant. Basswood came and
went without giving us a smell.
Buckwheat is splendid, averaging 4
feet high, and gives a perfect sea of
bloom, but producing little honey. I
say, do not be in haste.
John Gochenour.
Freeport, 111., Aug. 6, 1883.
[The way to keep up prices, is to
supply the n^arket only as fast as it is
needed.— Ed.]
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
411
Sweet Clover Honey.
Bees doing well, but not as well as
H. W. Garrett's, of Coeyman's Hol-
low, N. Y. I was there yesterday,
and Mr. Garrett took me throueh his
apiary to show to me his box honey,
which was very fine, and from 30 to
60 pounds on almost every hive, ready
to come off. It was enough to make
any bee man wish for acres and acres
of sweet clover, that being what they
have obtained so much honey from.
No bee-keeper can afford to be with-
out sweet clover. My opinion is that
bee-keepers will have to cultivate
honey-producing plants if they expect
to make the business pay.
Clarksville, N. Y., July' 25, 1883. "
Not Half a Crop of Honey Here.
We have had, so far, not half a
crop of honey ; not one-half of my
bees have swarmed, which showed
that honey was no* plenty. My 50
colonies hardly making a living for
the last two weeks ; if it should con-
tinue a few weeks longer, I sliall
have to give them back the surplus,
to save them. There was no honey
from basswood this year.
H. T. Hartman.
Freeport, 111., Aug. 4, 1883.
Hoary VerTain.
I send you two blossoms and two
leaves of a plant that grows here in
Eastures and low ground. Bumble
ees and honey bees work on it from
morning until night. Is it a good
honey plant, and what is its name
(common name V) Bees have done
very well so far, and we think there
will be a good flow of fall honey if we
have some more rain.
J. r. Sellers.
Reynolds, 111., July 24, 1883.
[The plant is the Hoary Vervain,
or Verbena stricta. We have several
wild verbenas which, though in ap-
pearance very unlike the popular cul-
tivated flower of that name, are,
botanically, closely allied, and are all
good honey producers.— T. J. Bur-
kill.]
Poor Crop of White Houey.
The white honey crop in this sec-
tion, the season for which is just
closed, is light, and the prospect for
a crop of dark honey is poor, the
weather is so wet and cold. How-
ever, we shall have a large bloom, and
if it should clear off warm, in a few
days, I shall get some honey.
Edwin Thew.
Saranac, N. Y., Aug. 5, 1883.
Italians Working on Red Clorer.
We have had a heavy honey dew on
the yellow willow since tlie 2d inst.
The white clover and catnip bloom
was immense. Bees are doing pretty
well. I saw quite a large number of
Italian bees working very busy on
red clover this morning. I have both
hybrids and Italians.
S. i). MCKINLET,M.D.
Melrose, Iowa, Aug. 7, 1883.
Special gloticcs.
Examine tlie Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this oflice get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
|5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the4)amphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$15-00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity, —We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
I8^ Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them— one-cent stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook"s Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For Hve subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
^"May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one 7iew sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
412
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Lar^e Smokers need wide shtelds. Bingbain's
have them, una sprlntzs that do not rust and breiih,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
anda3x7innh stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for SI. 75. Address.
BINGHAM & HETHEEINGTON,
Abronia Mich.
CYPRIANS CON-
QPERKD. — All sum-
mer lonK it has been
"which and totlier"
with me and the Cyp-
rian colony of bees I
have -butat lust 1 »m
'■ bt>ss. " Binnham s
•'Conqueror Smoker '
did it. If yciu wHiit
lots of smnke just it
tlie riKht time. iZfi i
C'lnquerur Smoker f
Bin^ihum.
G. M. DOOLITTLE
Borodino. N. '^
Aug. 15. 18Hi.
ExCELMNG All —
Messrs. Bin^'hiim &■
Hetherington. Dear
Sirs:— I am nt)w sell
in B your Smitkers al-
most excluslvel v
Y 'lu are excelling
yourselves In smuk
ers all the rime.
•""Tg't^vVor Patented, 1878
Austin, Texas, May 10. 1N'?3.
The OrlElnal
BINGHAM
Bee Smoker
The Very Best.— The Bincham "Conqueror"
Smoker Is the very best thing I have tried in that
line. M. M. Lindsay.
Fulton, Tenn., July 24, 1883.
During tbe following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor". . ( wide shield)— aH in. fire tube, fS.nC)
The Conqueror (wide shield) — 3 In.flretube, l.T^
Large (wideshield)- 2^in. Are tube, l.-'io
Extra (wldeeliteld)— :! In. tire tuhe, 1.125
Plain...* (nar. shieldi— 12 In.flretube, J.ih'
Llttlevv'onder. .(nar. shield)— 1?| in. flretuije, .Ht
BinKhum & Hetherington Uncapping Knife. . 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to oiir thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 18S3.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
^r Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
Sample (Jopies of the American Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this ollice.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-pnid, for 75 cents, for
the \Veekly, or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
^" AVe carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this oflice by
Saturday of the previous week.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per KXI.
GOHBHONET WANTED.
We are prepared tu purchase liirjie lots of Fancy
COMB HONE V in 1 and 2 lb. sectioi s, or Harbison
frames, for which we will pay an advance nf 5 ete
Ser pound ovpr New Vork prices. CASH OK
>fc:r.lVERT' in sound condition in London;
the price of extrar-ted honey will be paid for all
broken combs. This is an excellent opportunity
for bee-keepers wishini? to visit Europe, ('orre-
spondence solicited. W. M. HOOE *fe CO.,
The Apiary, Leconfleld, Rd. N.,
33Atf LONDON. BNaLAND.
JOB PRINTING.
HONEY LABELS
A SPECIALTY.
SE:isriD 'S'o:r fuxce: list.
GEO. M. GRAY,
33ABlt MEDINA, OHIO.
ITALIAN BEES AND QTTEENS.-One
Queen, not tested, f l.a.); tested, *2.W). Bees,
one colony, tT.'ni; five colonies or more, f6.50 each.
S. A. 8H1TCK,
33D2t BRVANT. Fulton Co., ILL.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
RoKersvIlle, Geuesee County, Mich.,
Makes a Specialty of rearing tine ITALIAN
QUEENS. All Queens bred frt>ui imported queens,
and from the pureist and best home-bred Queens,
and the cells built in full colonies. No black bees
in the vicinity. Customers can have either light
or dark Queens. Orders tilled Pi-omptly. Single
queen $i.(n.); six queens for frt.oo; twelve or more,
75 cents each. Tested queens, $\.50 each. Safe
arrival guaranteed. "All Queens sent out are
reared by himself." Make Money Orders payable
at FLINT, MICH. aiDtf
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISES.
The BUITISH Bee Journ.-H, is published month-
ly, and contains the best practical inforniHtion for
tne lime being, sliowinw what to do, and when and
how to do it. Be%'. II. R. PEEL. Editor.
We send tlie Weekly A.mekk'an Bee J^hthn'al
and Uie lintisti BteJourrml. Utih tor$3.oo a year.
BEFS FOR SALE.— 1(K) colonies of Bees in
Modest frames (size 11X12!.^), most I v Hybrids.
Also 1:20 Modest Hives complete. Price, $3.<.t0.
A. E. WOODWARD.
32A6t GROOM'S CORNERS, Saratoga Co., N. V.
BEES and HONEY,
Management of an Apiary for Fleaanre
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor of the Weekly Bee JourrulL
9S5 treat Madison Street, Chlcafo, III.
Mrs. J. F. Upton gives the follow-
ing notice of this book in the Bath,
Maine, Sentinel :
A guide to the management of the
apiary for profit and pleasure, by
Thomas G. Newman. This work is
designed to initiate beginners in bee-
keeping in all the secrets of success-
ful bee-culture. Beginning with the
different races of bees, the author
takes his readers along step by step,
carefully explaining the different
kinds of bees, illustrating each kind
with the eggs and brood, explaining
tlie terms used, the production of wax
and comb, and the work done by
these wonderful insects. The estab-
lishment of an apiary is next con-
sidered ; the best location, time to
commence, how many colonies to be-
gin with, what kind of bees to get,
how to care for a lirst colony, keeping
bees on shares, changing the location,
all of which it is indispensable for a
beginner to know. It is also impor-
tant to know which kind of hive is
the best, how to procure the best comb
honey, how to procure it for market,
how it should be marketed, what to
do with candied comb honey, and how
to extract honey. The scientific man-
agement of an apiary is then entered
into, and illustrations of all the nec-
essary applicances introduced. There
is a chapter devoted to the honey ex-
tractor and its use, and another to
comb foundation and its use. The
various honey-producing plants and
trees are named and illustrated.
Various methods for exhibiting bees
and honey at county and state fairs
are described. The best and safest
plans for wintering bees are discussed,
the book closing with some general
advice to beginners. The author says
of his book on Bees and Honey, " it
was not designed to supersede or sup-
plant any of the valuable works on
apiculture already published, but to
supply a want for a cheap work for the
beginners." We most cordially rec-
ommend this work not only to begin-
ners, wlio will find it invaluable, but
to all who are not already familiar
with the lives and movements of
these industrious and intelligent
little workers. The information to be
gained as to their habits, manner of
breeding, intelligence, energy and
wonderful instincts, by reading this
book alone, is enough to make one
regard the bee with admiration and
amazement.
PRICE— Bound in cloth, 7S cents ; in paper
covers. SO cents, postpaid.
THOMAS e. NEWMAN,
9'25 W. Madison St.. Chicago. 111.
A Liberal Discount to Dealers hy
the Dozen or M undred.
.^.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., AUGUST 22, 1883.
No. 34.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Canada Thistles for Honey.
Dr. J. C. Thorn, of Streetsville,
Ontario, has written to the Canadian
Farmer, wondering why the Canada
thistles should not be ipentioned in
the newest bee books among the
honey-producers. It has often been
mentioned in the Bee Journal as
such, but as it is an objectionable
pest, and should not be encouraged,
even if it is a good honey-producer.
The Doctor says :
I can only account for the omission
of any notice in these works of a very
important source of honey in Canada
by the supposition that it is rare in
in the United States. As the States of
Michigan and Kew York are our
immediate neighbors, 1 am at a loss
to understand why it has not yet
crossed the borders and taken the
oath of allegiance, it being essentially
aggressive, migratory and tenacious
in its characteristics. It is now
naturalized over the large extent of
country, extending from Quebec to
Sarnia. Its flowering season extends
from the latter end of June to the
same time in August. It may be
fairly relied upon for a continuous
flow of honey. It ranks, in my esti-
mation, scarcely second to clover and
basswood.
During the season of 1882, when all
other sources of honey seemed to fail
in this region (even clover and bass-
wood), the thistle came to the rescue
of 100 starving colonies in my apiary,
and in the space of 1.5 days they had
accumulated from that source alone
sufficient winter stores. The present
season, with an abundant flow from
clover, and a partial one from bass-
wood, the thistle has as usual made
its delicious aroma perceptible in the
extractor, making glad the hearts of
bee-keepers. The honey from this
source is rather thinner than that
from clover, clear, not inclined to
granulate, of a delicious flavor and
aroma, only to be recognized by those
who have passed through tields of
ripening grain purple with thistle
heads nodding to the breeze.
Beeswax.— Concerning the boiling
of beeswax and preparing it for the
market, an exchange remarks as
follows :
It is found that the larger the cakes
of wax are the better it keeps, and
the higher price it brings. Also, that
the more gently it has been boiled, the
better it likewise is ; for too hasty
boiling renders it hard, and this in-
creases the difficulty in bleaching it.
The Premium List of the Maine
State Agricultural Society is received.
It shows premiums amounting to $60
on bees and honey. Any one inter-
ested can get a premium list by
sending to Mr. A. L. Dennison, Sec,
Portland, Maine ; or to Mr. Horace B.
Cony, Augusta, Maine, who writes us
as follows : " While our premiums
are small compared with other States,
still it issomething,andif bee-keepers
will attend and exhibit, we can do
better hereafter. This is our first
attempt, so we could not expect
much."
Ontario Convention.
The third annual general meeting
of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion will meet in the City Hall
Toronto, on Tuesday, the 20th day of
September next, during the second
week of the Industrial Exhibition.
As the North American Bee Keepers'
Covention meets at the same time and
place, it has been arranged that the
two bodies hold joint meetings in
discussing matters pertaining to our
common interests, as the leadmg bee-
keepers of America are to be present.
This will, undoubtedly, be the most
interesting meeting of apiarists ever
assembled in Canada. The venerable
Mr. Langstroth and all the prominent
bee-men of the United States are ex-
pected to be present. A profitable
time is anticipated, and a good turn-
out requested. The convention will
last three days. A meeting for the
purely business work of our associa-
tion will be held sometime during the
convention, of which due notice will
be given. R. McKnight,
Fres. Ontario Bee Association.
Preparing Bees for Winter.
In the American Agriculturist for
September, Prof. Cook writes thus :
The apiarist should prepare his bees
for winter as soon as the frost makes
all farther gathering of honey im-
possible. Examination will show
whether there is sufficient honey
stored to winter the bees. If the
frames, just as they are taken from
the hives, containing bees, honey and
comb, weigh 30 pounds in the aggre-
gate, then the^jp is enough honey. If
not, good thick honey, or thick syrup,
made by dissolving granulated sugar,
should be fed at once, so that all cells
may be capped over before the cold
days of October check the labors of
the hive. It is best that the honey
be so abundant in the frames that we
need not give the bees all the frames
used in summer. It is better to use
not more than 7 or 8 Gallup or Ameri-
can frames, and not more than 5 or 6
Langstroth frames These are con-
fined by division-boards. It is best
to carefully exclude pollen. Frames
of pollen are set aside, to be returned
when breeding is resumed the suc-
ceeding spring.
The bees may easily change the
position of the cluster in the cold days
of winter, and it is desirable to cut
small holes the size of a thimble
through the combs, an inch or two
above the centre. Cover above the
bees with sacks of dry sawdust, which
should be long enough to reach over
the division-boards and to the bottom
of the hive. These protect the bees
from the extremes of heat and cold,
and promote bealthfulness. Thus
prepared, the bees to be wintered in
chaff hives on their summer stands,
will need no further care until the
succeeding April. If the bees are
placed in the cellar, they need not be
touched again until just before winter
comes, when they are to be taken in.
W Mr. E. F. Smith, Smyrna, N
Y., writes: "I should have been
more explicit about my report. The
colony, and its increase, have given
761 pounds to date. My apiary report
will soon be forthcoming, and will
show more than an average of 200
pounds per colony.
414
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Another Bee Paper Dead.
It is but a year ago that we cbroni-
cled the death of the Bee-Keepers'' In-
structor, which died for the want of
sufficient support; now the Bee-
Keepers' Exchange has died from the
same cause. Tlie Bee and Poultry
Magazine of New York City will fill
out the unexpired subscriptions, and
thus none of its subscribers will suffer
pecuniary loss. Mr. T. O. Peet, the
late editor of the Exchange, in the Bee
and Poultry Magazine for August,says:
We remember writing, when the
Instructor collapsed, that it was, per-
haps, a victim to the law of the
" survival of the fittest," and made
our braes that the Exchange stUl
lived. We did not think then that
ere a year had elapsed we should be
writing the obituary of the " -Bx-
c/iauge," but so it is, and it corrobor-
ates the fact that we know very little
of the future, and should be very
careful how we talk and presume
upon it.
and join in the bonds of unity the
bee-keepers of the entire country, and
thus aid the advancement of apicul-
ture every where — for unity is
strength ; division is death.
Good.— The Fremont. Mich., Indica-
tor, of Aug. 9, says :
George Hilton has taken 1,833
pounds of suriAis honey up to Aug.
4, from his 3.5 colonies of bees, spring
count, ile says, judging from the
amount now on hand, that they will
double the amount before the season
closes. His apiary now contains 58
colonies.
On Aug. 11, Mr. Hilton wrote us as
follows: "I have to-day taken 383
pounds more of as fine comb honey
as I ever saw, making 2,216 pounds
up to date. Bees are still doing some-
thing on white clover. Our fall fiow
has not commenced yet."
Trial Trip-25 Cents.
"One comes and another goes."
During the past year two bee papers
have ceased to exist, but still the
number remains the same as then,
for two more have been born during
that time— the Apiarist in Maine, and
the Apiculturist in Massachusetts.
For some years there has been a
mania for starting bee papers, which
live but a few months or years, and
then *e for want of support. Which
one is next to succumb, we know not,
but we expect " the survival of the
fittest."
The two that have lately died were
selected to receive the support of the
"co-operatives;" whether this was
" the last straw that broke the camel's
back," we do not know, but certain it
is that they gave up the ghost in rapid
succession. We learn that the co-
operatives are casting around to
make another selection for their or-
gan-but it will be wisdom for the
papers so approached to beware, and
profit by the fate of those tliat have
preceded them as organs of discon-
tent. Bee-keepers generally have no
relish for such elements of discord,
and will surely stamp their disappro-
bation by withdrawing their support
from papers that encourage discord
and malevolence.
It will be far better not only for
their personal comfort, but also for
the public good— if these men will
cease their efforts to set the bee-
keepers of the East and West at
variance, and unite heartily in every
good work to extend the usefulness
of the bee periodicals now existing.
As the season for Fairs has arrived,
and wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal three months
on trial, for 25 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with SI. 25) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
Bee'Convetion at Toledo, 0.
The next annual meeting of the
Tri-State Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held en the 12, 13 and U of
next Sept., during the week of the
Tri-State Fair at Toledo, Ohio. It is
customary to say that Messrs. So and
So, " and other prominent bee men
will be i*-esent," etc., etc. Well, we
have quite a number of " prominent ,
bee men " (prominent at home) in this
region, and they know how to raise
the bees, get the honey, cure foul
brood, and winter the bees too ; but if
Mr. Heddon is well enough to be at
the meeting and the fair, we will
pump him on wintering, and Mr.
Math on foul brood, and Novice, if
here, on general principles, and the
the editor of the Bee Journal to
fill in where the rest lack. We do
not expect to have any long essays or
speeches. It being the week of the
fair, we expect the great attraction
for bee-keepers will be the Bee and
Honey Show, and such bee-keepers
and their friends as desire to stay
several davs can bring their " eat-
ables" and blankets with them, and
camp on the fair grounds. One or
more tents will be provided for such
as make application to me a few days
before the fair, at a cost that will pay
for the use. of the tents, but we hope
to be able to borrow tents and so save
expense.
A premium is offered for the foun-
dation machine making the best foun-
dation for the brood-chamber on the
grounds, and two mills have already
arrived for that purpose, and the
makers of three other machines have
promised to be here if possible.
A premium list with entry blank
rules and regulations, railroad fares,
and freight rates, etc., will be sent
free to all applicants.
Dr. a. B. Mason.
Wagon Works, Ohio.
1^ The Mendota Union Fair will
be held at Mendota, 111., Sept. 3, 4, 5,
6, 7 and Sth, 1883. In the department
for the apiary we notice the following
premiums, Mr. H. W. Wixom being
Superintendent :
Best and ereatest display of honey. ...... .15 $3
BestBamiileof honey, not leaa than 5 lbs. 3 2
Best awariD of bees ■ -• 3 -
Best bee hive for all purposes, combined.^ l
Best display of bees.hives and surp. honey. Diploma
Committee— M. S. Tinker, Mendo-
ta ; Andrew Winters, Mendota ; Jos.
Lewis, Arlington.
^- Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
1^ The new two-cent postage
stamp is to be of a metallic red color,
with a vignette of Washington. It
will supersede the present three-cent
stamp on the 1st of October.
Fall Catalogues.— We have received
Catalogues of Strawberry Plants, etc.,
for the autumn of 1883, from B. H.
Haines, Moorestown, N. J., and Ell-
wanger & Barry, liochester, N. Y.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
Bee Journal and a colored Poster,
to aid in getting up a club. The
Premiums we offer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of 8 subscribers
to the Jlonthly Bee Journal, or 4
Weekly, we will present Dzierzon's
Rational Bee-Keeping, price $2.00.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
415
A Clergyman's Success with Bees.
The Iowa City Eepuhlican has a
long article concerning the apiary
and management of the Rev. O.
Clute, in that city, from which we
extract the following :
Our townsman, Rev. O. Clute, has
for several years made bee-keeping a
recreation. Many gentlemen get re-
laxation and amusement with the
horse, the gun, or the lishing-rod. Mr.
Clute gets it among his bees. And in
his case the pleasure brings profit also,
for he makes bee-keeping a financial
success. ,
A year ago he began the season
with no colonies of bees, 80 in his
apiary, and 30 in charge of Mr. Ed.
1 ouiikin on College Hill. The spring
and early summer, last year, were
most unfavorable for bees. The
weather was cold and the rain was
excessive, but by daily feeding he
kept his bees rearing large quantities
of brood, so that they were very strong
in bees. After the middle of June
the weather became favorable, and
the wliite clover bloomed in great
profusion. The constant rains of
spring and early summer had satur-
ated the ground so that the clover re-
mained in bloom a long time. It
yielded honey well ;"and the linden or
basswood also yielded well. From
these two sources an excellent harvest
was secured.
In favorable seasons there Is a good
flow of honey here from the fall
flowers, including asters, golden-rod,
ligwort, boneset, sunflowers, Spanish-
needle, heart's-ease, and some others.
In this locality heart's-ease is found
in large quantities. Last tall it
seemed especially abundant. The
Irost held off until late, so that the
season was long. The clover, the
linden, and the fall flowers combined,
gave a splendid honey yield. When
the season was over, the crop from the
no colonies was found to be a little
over 17,000 pounds, an average of 1.54
pounds per colony, spring count. In
addition to this yield of honey, the
stock of bees was nearly doubled.
A part of this excellent success was
due to the good management given by
Mr. Ed. Younkin to the 30 colonies
in his care. From these he obtained
more than 6,000 pounds of honey, a
little more than 200 pounds per colony.
He doubled the stock of bees also.
Mr. Younkin had for his share one-
half of the honey and one-half of the
increase of bees, which gave him a
very good return for his summer's
work.
Mr. Clute manages his apiary
mainly for extracted honey, which he
thinks is more protTtable in this
locality than comb honey. Not nearly
so many pounds of comb honey can be
obtained per hive, and it is more dif-
ficult to store it after taken from the
hives, to prepare it for market, and to
send it to market in good condition.
The extracted honey is simply
thrown out of the combs, run from
the extractor directly into nice kegs
or barrels, bunged up, rolled into the
store room, and gives no further
trouble. When time for marketing
comes, it can be weighed, loaded on a
dray, sent totlie railroad station, and
go thence around the world with no
loss for broken combs and mussed
honey.
Within a few years the production
of extracted honey and the demand
for it have assumed large proportions.
It can never supersede comb lioney,
for the latter has excellence and
beauty which will always be in de-
mand. But the demand for extracted
honey will, in a few years,' be im-
mensely greater than it is now. Peo-
ple are learning that it is a delicious,
healthful, and cheap article of food,
and are beginning to use it in place of
the inferior and unhealthy syrups
with which the market has of late
years been flooded.
Visit to a Scientific Apiary.
The Bloomington Pantagraioh of the
9th inst., contains the following ac-
count of a visit to Mr. H. W. Funk's
apiary :
A party of bee-keepers, about 15 in
number, "left Bloomington about 8:30
a. m. yesterday for a visit to the
apiary of II. W. Funk, 9 miles north-
west of Bloomington. Arriving about
10 o'clock, they met a cordial recep-
tion from Mr. and Mrs. Funk and
their two daughters. The apiary con-
sists of about 140 colonies of Italian
bees. These are placed on a level
plat of ground some 60 or 80 feet
square, completely covered with saw-
dust, and as clean as a house floor.
Not a sprig of grass is allowed to
grow on the plat. The hives are all
painted white and set in straight rows
running north and south, each row
covered with an awning high enough
for a person to stand under it. Mr.
Funk opened hive after hive, showing
beautiful Italian queens. Some of
them he values as high as f 20. A
visit to his honey-house was the next
in order, where the visitors saw some
6,000 or 7,000 pounds of nice honey,
mostly comb honey in sections aiid
extracted, in packages of from small
sizes to barrels of 5o0 pounds; also a
foundation pres.s, large quantities of
wax and every appliance required for
an extensive apiary. They then
visited the vineyard, about two acres,
with a great variety of grapes, the
vines looking splendidly, but some of
the grapes blighted. Dinner was now
announced. And such a dinner ! The
reporter will not attempt to describe
it, but the company will bear him out
in .saying that there was nothing lack-
ing in the substantials and delicacies
of the season. The company then ad-
journed to the parlor and had a bee-
keepers' meeting, at the close of
which a committee was appointed to
draft resolutions of thanks to the
members of the family for tlieir hos-
pitality. But we must not omit the
visit to the flower garden, wliere the
guests saw an immense variety of
flowers and a great variety of honey-
producing plants. The last thing was
sampling Mr. Funk's wine, but the
reporter not being a good judge in
such matters, will not attempt a com-
Elete description. The visitors finally
ade adieu to the family, with pleas-
ant recollections.
^° Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them— o«e-cent stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMERICAN BEB JOURNAL, (
Monday. 10 b. m., Aug. 20, 18«3. f
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
Our prices, of late, for extracted honey, have
been 7@9c. on arrival, and for choice comb honey
Hffillfic.
BR ESWAX-Haa been in fair supply, and sold at
30®32c. for Kood, on arrival. Ohas. F. Mdth.
NEW VORK.
HONEV— We talte pleasure in quotlnn the fol-
lowing prices on honey, obtainable in our market :
Fancy white clover, 1 lb. sections (no glass) 20@21c;
fancy white clover, 2 lb. sections (glassed) 18(g)20c:
fair white clover, 1 and 2 lb. sections (glassed) I(3@
17c.: fancy buckwheat, 1 lb. sections (no glass)
15c.: fancy buckwheat, 2 lb. sections (glassed) 13(^
Mc. ; ordinary buckwiieat, 1 and 1 lb. sections
(glassed! il(<))13c.: extracted clover honey in kegs
or barrels ()'('; IOC. : extracted buckwheat honey in
kegs or i^arrels 7^'<iiMc.
BISESWAX-Prlme yellow beeswax 3!ia33c.
H. k, & F. B. THDRBElt & Co.
CHICAGO,
HONEY"— There has been a marked increase in
sales this week of comb honey. New crop, prime
1 lb. frames (pure while) have sold at 20c. when in
fancy cases, in a small way; good many sales at
ISC. for some grade 1^10 2 10. frames (or prize
package) when well-fllled and white, l(i;(*17c.: not
quite so well tilled, 1.5c,
Extracted is still slow, but late receipts have
been riper, and there is more inquiry^ 9'iluc. for
choiceclover; dark and buckwheat, 7[<«Hc.
BEESWAX— 3o{i(35c. for prime to pure yellow.
R. A. Burnett, ihi South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY- A dry North wind in May made our
honey crop short in tiie Southern counties, and ^
of a crop is a full estimate for (California. Not
much arriving, and the small amount coming for-
ward is mostly medium quality. For extra white,
eitlier comb or extracted, the market is firm. White
to extra white comb 1I5'"j20c.: dark to good 10^'13^:
extracted, choice to extra white 7(s.yc: dark and
candied (>i^(($— :
BEESWAX— Wholesale 27(3280.
Stearns & Sjiiith, 423 Front Street.
ST. I.OUIS.
HONEY— New. in libera) ofTering, but little ^-old
in quantities— held higher: extracted or strained
at 7vi:<',H^c., and comb at IBc. Lots in fanfy pack-
ages bring more in a small way, while old and
inferior sells leas.
BKESWAX— Inactive and easy, at 27(a2fic.
W. T. ANDERSON i Co.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY'— New honey continues in good demand
at lHirt)l:tc. for choice l lb. sections, and such are
reariily placed as fast as received: 2 lbs. not so nc-
tive, at liKiilMc. Secnnd quality sells 1-I(ijil7c. Ex-
tractetl not in demanil,
BKESWAX— None in Market.
A. C. Kendel, 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— We have had a shipment the past week
from J. E. Crane, and a good sized shipment from
J. v. Caldwell, of Cambridge, 111., whose honey we,
had last year.
We quote our market prices, as follows : White
clover, one lb. combs 2(Ktti22c ; white clover, 2 lb,
combs IH(.«20C,; extracted, Oft^iuc.
BEESWAX— Our supply Is gone: we have none
to quote.
Crocker & Blake, 57 Chatham Street.
416
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee JoumaL
My method of Introducing Queens-
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
By referring to page 344, the reader
will see how I made my nuclei by
placing a frame of hatching brood in
a wire cloth cage, so made that it
would hang in a hive like a frame.
After the cage had been left in tlie
hive 5 or 6 days it was found well
filled with young bees, whicti would
always stay when put. Then by
E lacing a queen-cell nearly ready to
atch in the cage at the same .time,
with the frame of hatching brood, this
nucleus would have a queen 4 or 5
days old when the nucleus was formed.
This was as far as 1 had got at that
time, but the next trial proved that 1
had not yet found out all the good
points of my cage. About this time
I made.a queen nursery according to
the description given in Alley's book,
and had therein several young queens
three days old. By tiie way, the Alley
nursery is tlie nicest of anything
of the kind 1 ever saw, and is well
worth several times the cost of the
book to any one who desires to rear
from 50 to 100 queens. As soon as
your cells are sealed, they can be
placed in the nursery, and the queens
kept until you wish to use them, by
simply placing the nursery in any
hive having sufficient bees in it to
keep up the desired warmth.
But to return : At this time, as I
placed frames of hatching brood in
my cages, I let one of those young
queens three days old run into the
cage. In G days the frames and cages
were taken out of the hive in which
they were placed, and put in hives
where I wished my nucleus to stand,
by withdrawing the frame from the
cage and hanging it in the hive. This
was done near sunset, so but few bees
would take wing, for I find tliat if
done in the middle of the day, one-
half or more of the bees will tly while
the frame is being lifted from the
cage, they are so anxious to get at
liberty. "This causes them to take
their markings at other places besides
the entrance, which makes quite a
confusion before they lind their way
into the hive through the entrance.
The next day all these queens went
on their bridal trip, and in two days
more were laying. Thus I had a lay-
ing queen in each nucleus in three
days after forming them.
Soon after this I received a choice
queen from a distance, which I did
not want to lose, so I went and got a
frame of hatching brood, put it in
one of the cages, turned my queen
and her attendants into the cage,
hung it in. a hive, and left it for five
days. Upon getting it at that time,
I found the cage well crowded with
bees, and the cells, wherever the bees
had hatched, were filled with eggs. I
now placed a hive where I wanted it
to stand, put the frame, bees, and all
in it, together with a frajpe of honey,
and drew up the division-board. In
three days I gave it another frame of
hatching brood, and in a week two
more, when I had a colony readv for
anything in a short time after. Here
at least we have one plan by which
any queen can be safely introduced at
any time when there is brood in the
hive ; and tlie beauty of it is, that the
merest novice can do it and know no
failure. Repetitions of the above
have been equally successful, so I
know whereof I affirm.
Borodino, N. Y.
For the American Bee Journal.
Dysentery, its Cause and Cure.
A. L. KEAE.
No satisfactory explanation has been
given by any one on tlie much-
discussed question of bee dysentery.
Theories are advanced and experi-
ments explode the same, and each year
brings with spring the report of great
mortality among bees ; and yet if we
deduce from this and that theory we
may learn, we trust soon, the cause
and cure of tlie disease.
In addition to what has been said, I
will give my experience, this spring,
with dysentery in making up a nucleus
in the latter part of May, from which
something may be learned on the
subject.
Being in a hurry on making up nu-
clei, to save some valuable queen
cells, I put 2 frames of brood, with the
usual amount of bees, into a hive from
which I had in March taken a queen-
less colony of bees, which spotted the
hive, showing unmistakable signs of
dysentery. The combs were all taken
out in March, but the usual refuse
was left in the hive. I closed the bees
in the hive, as usual, in making up
nuclei, until dusk, when I opened it
and found that the bees had spotted
the hive, the same as the bees did in
March. The next morning the bodies
of the bees were swollen, and the bees
were in a stupor. I then proceeded to
cleanse the hive, and found the refuse
to be verv offensive. After the hive
was cleaned out, the bees soon com-
menced to move about more briskly,
and a normal condition was soon as-
sumed.
From the above, and numerous
other experiments, I am of the opinion
that the greatest trouble lies in the
refuse on the bottom-board of the
hives. We are asked why it is that
two hives exactly alike should be dif-
ferently affected, under the same
treatment ? It is certainly easily ex-
plained ; one colony may so cluster
that the refuse may fall in a part of
the hive that is poorly ventilated, and
therefore become very poisonous by
the damp accumulation of the same ;
the other may drop the same in a dry
part of the liive, and produce no bad
results. And again, any one who will
take the trouble to observe, that col-
onies with pollen in excess, after win-
tering, will lind the refuse having a
bad smell, being worse than in case of
less pollen, hence the refuse assumes
a more offensive form, if it is wet. I
am of the opinion that if we could
cleanse the bottom-board without dis-
turbing the bees, during the winter,
we would not have any cause for dys-
entery, or so manage the bees that the
refuse would be dry, the same result
would be attained.
For some years past I have not had
dysentery in my apiary, and this
spring only in a very limited way,
having carried all of my bees through
(92 colonies) in sawdust hives, made
porous, so as to be as dry as possible
and yet warm. I made my hives from
plasterer's laths (no patent) and cover-
ed the bees over with sawdust. Bees
have done but very moderately here,
this spring. We had too much rain.
It rained 26 days in June ; that is, it
rained some time in every 24 hours,
for 26 days, during the month.
Pana, ill., Aug. 8, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Many Fertile Workers in a Hive.
B. F. CARROLL,.
In reading the questions and an-
swers in the " What and How" de-
partment of the Bee Journ,\l, I see
some one wants to know why there are
such a variety in drones in a colony
of a mismated pure Italian queen. I
do not remember Mr. Heddon's re-
ply, but I am satisfied I have found
out the " why " long since, and I now
have a colony of pure Cyprians that
have a very fine young queen in it,
and there are not less than 100 laying
workers in there, too, .and had been
there a long time before I gave them
a queen cell. I have seen 20 or more
workers laying as regularly as if they
were laying queens, but it takes them
a little longer to perform the opera-
tion. I have seen tliem, after laying
an egg in a drone cell, try to turn
around in the cell, and often they
would bend back their wings against
their head. Now, what 1 want to say
is this : 1 have long claimed that any
bees (workers) are capable of laying
eggs, and I earnestly believe a goodly
portion of the drones in all hives are
from the eggs of workers. The idea
advanced by some that a fertile
vi'orker is a bee raised near queen
cells, and received a portion of royal
jelly cannot be true, for in the above
mentioned colony, I believe over 1,000
bees were laying eggs ; queen cells
started would have 10 and as high as
16 eggs; drone cells would have 3 to
10 ; worker cells the same. I have
watched this colony for an hour at a
time, and the bees would lay while I
held the comb in my hands, and would
pay but little attention to me. I
would open the hive several times
per day, using no smoker, raise a
comb and hold it up before my face
and the bees would always be busy
laying eggs, attending to tlie young
larvse, and would seem too busy to
notice me. I have seen this before,
and have introduced laying queens to
these fertile worker colonies, and I
am satisfied that the bees would con-
tinue to lay drone eggs while the
queen would be busy laying worker
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
417
eggs, and this is why I came to doubt
the"Dzierzon drone theory." That
is, "a pure queen mismated will pro-
duce pure drones;" it may be true,
but the colony containing this queen
will not have all pure drones, if any.
I wish Mr. Heddon, or some able
bee master, could have had this col-
ony to have made observations from,
for the benettt of us more illiterate
bee-keepers. It seemed from the
color of the bees that appeared to do
the most of the laying, that they were
bees not over three weeks old. I
could not find one of those old, shiny,
black-tail fellows at the egg business.
Our honey flow that promised us a
good thing about the middle of July
from the cotton bloom, is over on
account of drouth ; not a particle of
rain have we had since June 12 until
to-day, when we had a good rain ; the
thermometer averages from 96° to 104°
in the shade. The cotton plant, and
every other green plant, had about
petered out.
Dresden, Texas, Aug. 6, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
A Report for One Year.
W. H. STEWAKT.
I will now try to give a report of
my bee-keeping for one year, begin-
ning May 1, 1882, and ending Mayl,
1883. As I liave never before given
a report in the Bee Journal, it may,
perhaps, be proper to preface this one
with a mere hint as to the reason why
my bees were all very weak in the
spring of 1882.
I have always wintered my bees on
the summer stands, until the last two
winters. In the fall of 1880 I had 85
colonies in first-class condition. In
the spring of 1881,1 had but 14 left
alive. I ran them through the sum-
mer for increase, and increased to 4.5,
but they were all quite light and weak
when I put them in the cellar. This
explains why they were weak in the
spring of 1882. As the weather was
wet and cold in the spring of 1882, 1
was compelled to feed them regularly,
and give them extra attention up to
June 10.
I use a very simple hive, one that
I would not like to exchange for any
of the so-called standards. It is just
a plain box of inch boards ; top and
bottom both movable ; box 17x17 out-
side, and 13^^ deep. I use 10 frames
12x12 inside measure ; end-bars %x%,
and 12 inches long (these end-bars ad-
mit of strong nailing) ; top-bars ^xfl
inches ; bottom bars %x}4 inches ;
the bottom bars being narrow, allow
dead bees to fall down between the
combs without cloying the spaces.
The grooves on which 1 hang the
frames are % deep ; this gives %
passage over the frames, both summer
and winter. The space between the
end bars of the frames and the sides
of the hive is^^ inches; this allows
the handling of such deep frames with
perfect ease and without danger of
crushing the bees, and I have never
found comb built between the frames
and the side of the hive. The space be-
tween the bottom bars of the frames
and the bottom board is % inches,
which gives ample room for dead bees
to be carried along on the bottom,
towards the entrance, without cloy-
ing under the frames.
1 use no division boards. I consider
them worse than useless. I never
give the bees but two combs more
than they can cover, and I always
chose to keep weak colonies in the
back part of the hive. I find that
they will build towards the entrance
much more readily than they will
build back. I hang the frames with
the sides towards the entrance. Cold
winds do not drive in between the
combs as bad as when the ends of the
combs are towards the entrance.
My way of feeding is to go after
dark and lift off the top board; lift
out the empty comb on the back side
of the cluster and pour into it thin
syrup, or honey thinned up with thin
flour starch. I give only enough to
last one or two days. I then hang
the comb in again, put the cover
carefully on, and pass on to the next
hive. This work may be done after
dark without smoke, as the bees will
not leave the combs when they cannot
well see to get home again. A lan-
tern may be used if it is not held too
near the bees. Robbers are more apt
to make trouble if fresh feed is placed
on the side of the cluster nearest the
entrance of the hive.
I found on June 10, 1882, fresh
clover honey in these feed combs, and
from that time we had rather a good
honey season. We extracted 1,000
pounds of white clover honey up to
July 14; then came basswood bloom,
and we extracted 2,000 pounds ; then
we took of buckwheat and other late
honey 1,000 pounds; making 4,000
pounds in all.
I use the hives 2 stories high during
honey season, and in the last week of
August, the upper stories were nearly
full of capped honey, and the lower
stories were full of brood. I then
divided the bees, making two colo-
nies of each one ; giving each colony
(as near as I could) one-half of the
brood that was below, and of the
capped honey that was above.
The queenless colony had to rear
a new queen, and it only gathered
about what they consumed during
the balance of the season. I put them
in the cellar on Nov. 16, after dark. I
do not use the bottom boards of my
hives in the cellar. The top boards
are made 17x17, the same width of the
hive, and do not project over. I nail
a cleat on each end to prevent warp-
ing. This cleat is 3 inches wide, and
sets up edgewise, and is on top of the
cover. I lay down some loose boards
on the bottom of the cellar, and then
lay a top board on the loose boards.
When these top boards are thus
arranged all around the cellar, I set
the hives on top of them, and then
another tier on the top board cleats
of this first row, and so build them up
4 or 5 hives deep. You will under-
stand that each hive thus arranged
has a bottom ventilation 3 inches
deep and 15 inches wide, both front
and rear of the hive, which, all
counted, makes 90 square inches of
bottom ventilation. How is that
compared with i4 inch blocks, Mr.
Doolittle y
I give not a particle of upward ven-
tilation. No quilts, no chaff, no
enameled cloth, or any such flumeries,
but just the naked smooth hive board,
and it is nicely made to fit close. I
calculate for the vapor from the
breathing of the bees to condense on
the top board and keep a constant
supply of water for the bees. I can
at any time go into the cellar (and I
go about once a week) with a tallow
candle (a lamp gives too strong a
light) and look under each hive and
up among the combs, and see the
bees as bright and lively as in sum-
mer. I can use a wing, or even my
hand, and reach clear across under
each hive, and brush off all the dead
bees that have fallen from the frames
of one liive down on top of the next
one below it without making any jar
or disturbing the bees in the least.
I kept 85 colonies through this last
hard winter in a cellar just large
enough to contain them by building
them 4 deep on each side, and 5 deep
at the back end ; and, in the spring,
there was not more than 3 quarts of
dead bees on the cellar bottom, and no
dead bees or mold at all among the
combs. All came out of the cellar
Marah 10 (after dark) in flrst-class
condition (except 2 nucleus that
starved), and have done splendidly up
to the present date.
On May 1, at the expiration of the
year for which I am now reporting, .
the bees were in better condition than
in the middle of June, 1882. My bees
are Italians, hybrids and blacks,
about an equal number of each kind,
and I must say that the hybrids are
by far the best workers ; the blacks
the best breeders; the Italians the
best to keep out moths, and I think
that one kind is just as good on a
sting as the other, but I use no veil
for either. The only great advantage
that I am able to see in keeping the
Italians is to get the hybrids.
How sweet this Maj morning, Iruit trees all In
bloom.
Prophetic of summer, and a harvest to come.
All nature is crowned with her fl.iral bouquet.
O'er flowing with nectar, this bright morn in May.
But what of the nectar, and what of the bloom?
What "f the sheen of the May morning sun?
And what of the spring time: no harvest could
come.
Of unfertilized flowers to gladden our home.
Then liie away bees, sweet treasures bring home,
Gi», scatter the pollen, o'er pet -I and bloom,
Go, make sure of the promise of a harvest to come,
O, grand is the lesson we learn in thy bum.
Orion, Wis., May 20. 1883.
Frankford, Pa., Herald.
Robbing— Words of Caution-
JOHN SnALLCROSS.
Young bee-keepers will, in their
early experience, be freauently re-
quired to call a halt, while they inquire
into the nature or remedy tor some
existing trouble. A few days ago
there came a sudden cessation of the
honey supply. The dry weather, the
hot sun and the advanced season, had
deprived the white clover bloom of its
nectar-.secreting properties. The lin-
den blossoms had yielded to the en-
418
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
croacliinents of the incipient fruit.
The ho 'yhocli and the sunflower had
not vet ent their cards of invitation
to the insect world, and the bees, in
consequence, lounged idly in front of
their hives waiting for something to
turn up. Such a condition of ailairs
is always a season of anxious watch-
fulness to the apiarist, for
"Satan finds some mischief still
For iule hands to do."
And, when he has that kind of an
enterprise in contemplation, the bee
is an active and pliant instrumentality
in his hands. Suddenly, in a certain
locality in our neighborhood, the bees
were in commotion. Something un-
usual had taken place. The strong
colonies were raiding the weak ones
and robbing their stores. Each colony
seemed to be testing the courage of
the neighboring colony, until every
thing was in indiscribable commotion.
What could have started this tumultV
The cause was soon ascertained.
A young man, utterly ignorant of
the first principles of bee-keeping, had
witnessed the transfer of a colony a
few weeks previous, by an experienced
manipulator. He had seen him cut
away the superabundant honey and
hand it over for family use, while the
empty comb and the young brood
were carefully fastened in the frames,
and placed in the new hive for the use
of the bees. The colony soon repaired
4lamages, built additional combs, and
the young man, supposing that he
knew just how to get the profits out
of that hive, proceeded to take the
honey by cutting out the well-filled
cells, throwing away the brood and
empty comb as worthless, and leaving
the yard well smeared with the spilled
sweets. The bees were left to get
back to the hive as best they could,
and to prepare, as he supposed, for a
similar onslaught a few weeks hence.
In place of so doing, they swarmed in
disgust, from their ruined home,
clustered under the porch of the house,
and indulged their stinging propensi-
ties with uncomfortable prodigality,
until the practical man was sent for
who, amid many unorthodox thoughts,
subdued and re-hived them. In the
mean time, the warm sun had carried
the odor of the spilled honey into the
air, and attracted tlie bees from
several squares around. There was a
grand carnival over this free lunch,
and the revelry kept up until the last
platter of the feast had been licked
clean. The sudden failure of this
bonanza left the bees wild with ex-
citement. They were ready for any
thing but honest labor, and into mis-
chief they went, by robbing their more
helpless neighbors. For a few days
the bee-keepers were kept busy in cor-
recting the trouble. Wire screens
had to be placed over the entrances to
the weak colonies, and the hives
moved to other stands. Entrances to
still stronger colonies had to be partly
closed to enable the bees better to de-
fend their treasures, which they did
with good effect. Feeders were
brought into requisition for the nuclei
and marauders, who lingered late
around ihe wire screens, were thor-
oughly syringed with cold water.
These remedies, actively adminis-
tered, put a stop to the mischief, until
some ignorant or careless fellow shall
treat the bees to another unearned
feast.
In this, there is a valuable lesson
for the beginner. While the fields are
yielding their stores of honey, bees
will give strict attention to business,
but when nothing is to be gathered,
they are easily led into temptation.
When once they have fairly entered
upon a system of thieving, it is almost
impossible to control them until many
of the weak colonies have been hope-
lessly ruined. In working about tlie
hives, in the times of scarcity, the
young apiarist, and the old ones as
well, should be provided with sponge
and water to instantly wash up every
drop of honey which may be spilled.
Pieces of comb should be carefully
picked up and carried away, and every
thing be kept scrupulously clean.
Hives should be opened as little as
possible, and only toward evening,
when the bees have gathered to their
respective hives. Careful watchful-
ness should be observed to detect the
first indications of stealing,and prompt
means should be introduced to stop it.
Feeding in the open air, in times of
scarcity, or, in fact, at any time, is an
exceedingly reprehensible practice, as
it is sure, sooner or later, to lead to
trouble. Remember, that bee-keeping
requires the earnest application of
well-matured common sens*.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Successful Honey Production.
J. M. SHUCK.
The main object for which bees are
kept is to obtain honey. " Bee-keep-
ing for protit," as that great gardener
and florist, Peter Hinderson, would
say. Why do we desire a standard
frame ? Is it so that we may produce
more honey ? Or, is it that we may
produce more bees, and, therefore,
more honey 'i To the trial, bee-keep-
ers ; the proof of the pudding is in the
eating, not in theories as to whether
that pudding is round, square, shal-
low, deep, tiered-up or stored at the
sides.
Honey is the word that sweetens all
the rest. Who has it, and who sells
it, and who has the profits V Is it a
lawyer, a doctor, a clerk, a writer of
beautiful books, a teller of delightful
stories, a lecturer, an editor, or a
plain untitled producer of honey — a
bee-keeper ?
What hive does he use? What
frame is provided to hold the combs
for his myriads of workers ? How
many of these master producers do
you know who annually make a large
average production of honey ? Ask
them what frame they use in their
bee yards. Do not ask, how they
winter the bees, or whether they store
at the sides or top, or underneath,
but how much honey V Do not ask if
he ever wrote a book, or contributes
weekly or monthly to the papers, but
how much honey V Ask if he is in
the business, and has been for years ;
if he does no other business, and pro-
vides well for his family, and do not
forget to ask how much honey.
Get the data, figure the result, make
your hives, and he happy. We will
never see a standard frame. We do
not want it ; the individuality of the
bee-keeper crops out in his work
oftener and larger, and he is happier
in it, than any one else in any other
calling. He would not be happy with
a frame like everybody else. He
would have it different, and if in no
other way he would paint it red. Let
him alone.
Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. &, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Sweet Clover in Danger ! ! !
M. M. BALDRIDGE.
"A little learning is a dangerous
thing." This is exemplified by the
following item which recently ap-
peared in a paper of very limited cir-
culation published in this city :
" From all around us come com-
plaints of the sweet clover which fills
the highways and makes of itself an
unmitigated nuisance. In the streets
of St. Charles, and out upon the
country roads, and in all the waste
places, it grows heavy and rank,
choking out grass and becoming an
unsightly, tangled masSj through
which it is almost impossible to push
one's way. But for the travel along
the roads, even the wagon tracks
would be choked full ! To be sure it
makes fine food for bees, but there are
plenty of honey-producing sources
without it, and it is a mistaken idea
to consider it a necessary part of our
vegetation. Let the great nuisance
be in some way abated."
The above makes a tip-top text for
a lengthy and interesting article, but
at present I willsimply say that sweet
clover, inasmuch as it '^ makes fine
food for bees,''^ may as well occupy
"highways" and "waste places," as
the worthless and " unsiglitly " may-
weed ! One way to abate the " great "
and "unmitigated nuisance" would
be to kill off the birds that feed upon
and scatter the seed ! Another way
would be to stop the wagons and
carrages from traveling the sides of
the roads, in muddy weather, thereby
picking up the seeds upon their
wheels and distributing it for miles
along the highway ! I might suggest
other ways to abate the " great nui-
sance," but at present the above must
suffice.
While attending the Bee-Keepers'
Convention in Chicago, last fall, I
was under the impression that the
legislature of Illinois had passed an
act making it a penal offense to sow
the seed of sweet clover, or to allow
the \)lant to grow upon one's premises;
that it was regarded and stigmatized
as a noxious and dangerous weed,
being classed with castor beans and
Canada thistles ! Being thus im-
pressed, I thought it my duty to call
special attention to the matter to the
Convention, whereupon L. H. Scud-
der and the writer were appointed a
committee to examine the special acts
of the legislature to ascertain whether
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
419
that impression was correct or other-
wise. After considerable time spent,
as directed, the writer is pleased to
report tliat he has not yet been able
to find any mention whatever of sweet
clover as a noxious or pernicious
weed, and imagines that the enemies
to this wonderful honey plant would
have their hands full to make it ap-
pear, upon a proper investigation,
that it really belongs to such a bad
family. To conclude, it may be well
for those interested in the growth and
culture of sweet clover to keep a close
watch of our legislators, pending their
sessions at Springfield, that some one
does not slip through an act that may
give us more or less trouble in the
future, for its enemies are already
upon the war-path I
St. Charles, 111.
For the American Bee Juumal.
My Experiments in Wintering Bees.
H. S. HACKMAN.
The weather is once more warm,
and the bees are again working on
sweet clover, and also some are still
at work on white clover. Bees com-
menced working on white clover on
June 5, this season, and until then
there was no honey laid up. The sea-
son was cool, with the exception of a
few hot days ; but bees have done
well until the latter part of July,
when it turned cool again for 10 or 12
days, but it has now become warm
and dry, so that the bees are in good
humor and gathering honey.
I started with 105 colonies on June
15, 1883 ; I had but a few natural
swarms ; I divided a few, and have
now about 140 colonies. I have taken
from 70 colonies 2,500 pounds of comb
honey, and 180 gallons of extracted
honey, all white clover. The balance,
35 colonies, have not yet filled their
cases. So far, my Holy Lands, Ital-
ians and Cyprians are not doing much
in storing surplus comb honey ; it is
the hybrids that are doing the busi-
ness.
This has been, with me, a very busy
season. I never knew that less than
500 colonies could keep me busy, but
I found my mistake. I began winter
with 230 colonies of bees packed in oak
leaves, on their summer stands. Bees
are in rows, east and west, 2 feet from
centre to centre, and packed on the
north side and between only ; the
south, fronting the sun, areopen. The
caps were nearly all filled with honey,
except the one-story hives,and all were
packed to the top, except that the
one-story hives were packed over the
top and all.
Now for the result : 125 colonies in
one-story hives all died but 23 colo-
nies; 105 in two-story hives were all
alive but 5, although from the middle
of April until the middle of June, I
lost 18 more, mostly in two-story
hives. What killed my bees in the
one-story hives V and what saved
them in the two-story hives V My
hives are 12 inches deep, and 14x14
inches wide, and long entrance (^5^x4
inches). By two-story, I mean two
brood-chambers on top of one another,
Where I had two-story, both upper
and lower entrances were open all the
winter. In most cases the bees were
clustered in the upper story ; and I
imagine the air space for the foul air
to settle to, and the two entrances to
circulate through and carry off the
foul air, is what saved my bees.
The above conditions, as far as
packing is concerned, was not always
the same in the bees that lived. In
at least one-third of the colonies, the
surplus racks were left on ; some
empty, some partly filled, some with a
flat cap, and cover the same as the
one-story hives ; so the upward venti-
lation was about the same in all cases,
single or double story hives.
Much has been said and written on
the wintering of bees ; and what I
have read, and what little experience
I have had, I must say I am still lost
for want of certainty, hoping, how-
ever, that the last winter's experience
is worth something to me.
I was much pleased with Mr. South-
wick's article on the best style of
frame and hive. I think my success
in wintering in the two-story hive,
coincides with his ideas. Reason
teaches us that bees can protect and
reach their property and stores much
better in a tall than a flat hive of the
same capacity.
Peru, 111., Aug. 12, 1883.
For the Ametican B«;e JournaL
Bees Removing Eggs.
DR. A. DREVAB.
Dear Editor : — By the same mail
that this will go by I send you an
empty queen-cell, from which a very
beautiful Italian queen hatched yes-
terday. My reason for sending it is,
that it proves that bees do sometimes
remove the egg from one cell to
another. The eggs, which it was
intended to raise queens from, were
taken from a hive containing a beau-
tiful queen which I got from Henry
Alley, and placed according to his
method in a hive from which all brood
and eggs had been removed. Twenty
eggs only were given in alternate cells,
cut down to }4 inch in depth. You
will perceive by the peculiar broad and
deep neck to this cell, that the bees
added quite a quantity of wax to the
strip of comb before commencing to
build the cell proper. The cell is very
large, and the queen which emerged
from it, is also very large, though not
larger than others which 1 have reared
from the same mother.
I keep bees only on a small scale, to
supply our'own household with a pure
sweet, and I believe honey is the only
pure sweet which we can now get.
Ttie public, as well as the bee-kee|)ers,
owe you a debt of gratitude for the
stand you have taken against that
fearful fraud, glucose, which has al-
ready sent many a man to his grave.
Although we are only a very small
family (three), we manage to get
away with about 500 pounds of honey
in the year. We use it three times a
day at the table, besides preserving
apples, peaches and grapes with it.
What we do not want to use, we sell
in quart glass cans at 15 cents per
pound, and at that price I have found
ready sale for all we have to spare.
Another thing I wish to remark :
It has often been said in the bee books
and journals that it does not pay the
small bee-keeper to make his own
foundation. There I quite differ, as
I think nothing relating to the man-
agement of my bees has paid me bet-
ter than the Pelham foundation mill.
The great advantage of owning a
mill is to have the foundation fresh,
and when one wants it ; that is im-
possible when trusting to dealers.
Our honey season here has been a
good one, the yield from locust was
immense; the white clover came in
before the locust was done, and there
are still a few flowers of it. The bees
are now working on the Alsike, and I
have noticed more bees on the red
clover, this year, than ever before.
Annapolis, Md., Aug. 10, 1883.
The queen cell is as described, and
the comb foundation good, for that
made by plates.— Ed.]
Translated from the Bienen Zeitung.
A ftueen with Crippled Wings
Impregnated.
rev. dr. dzieezon.
"Is it not a contradiction or a re-
traction of your opinion, when you
formerly made the assertion that a
young queen could only be impregna-
ted in the air, and consequently must
be able to fly, and now to speak of the
possibility of the fertilization of a
queen which had left the cell with
crippled wings 'i"'
This thought might naturally occur
to people, and such a remark be made
in reading the heading of this article.
In explanation of this apparent con-
tradiction, I will relate to you my ex-
perience with a young queen last
summer. In one of my queen-breed-
ing boxes, a beautiful and strong
Italian queen was hatched, which, on
account of one of its left wings being
considerably shorter than the corre-
sponding right wing, was unable, in
spite of all exertions, to rise up into
the air, and immediately fell to the
ground in an apparently perpendicu-
lar direction. I should not have hesi-
tated to destroy her at once, if I had
had anotlier queen or a royal cell at
my disposal ; but this not being the
case, I allowed her to remain in the
hive. Two days later I examined the
colony again, and tried the queen
once more, thinking she might, in the
meantime, have gained strengtii, and
perhaps be able to fly ; but the result
was the same. The queen was, and
evidently would remain, incapable of
keeping on the wing. It then occurred
to me that I might be able to restore
the power of the flight to the queen by
shortening the longer wing a little, in
order to establish symmetry and the
equilibrium.
This enabled tlie queen to keep on
the wing for a short time, after which
she again fell to the ground. But
when I had cliptjed the wing still
more, and made it almost like the
420
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
other, the queen was able, though evi-
dently with very great exertion, to fly
some distance in a horizontal direction
until she had reacbed the hive, in
front of which the experiments were
made. I allowed her to enter, placing
against the hive a shutter reaching
to the entrance, and I waited to see
what the result would be.
About noon on one of the following
days, I noticed some excitement
among the bees of a neighboring col-
ony, and when I looked for the cause,
I discovered the queen I had operated
upon imprisoned by the bees, but for-
tunately she was unhurt. There can
be no doubt she had been for her wed-
ding trip, and on her return had
missed the entrance of her own hive
again, and a few days after she began
to lay eggs, and proved to be normally
fertile. Whether she had been im-
pregnated on the occasion referred to,
or during a subsequent excursion, it
is, of course, impossible, for me to say.
Woidd it not, after this, be possible
to restore to a queen hatched with
crippled wings, the power of flight by
leugtliening the shorter wing? Es-
pecially where the latter is very short
indeed, instead of shortening the
longer wing V
A solution of this problem does not
appear to me impossible, and 1 would
suggest, that a wing of another queen
should be fixed by means of a well-
adhereing and quickly-drying glue or
cement, to the stump of the crippled
wing, which, of course, should not be
too short.
The experiment might be worth
trying by bee-keepers who are pos-
sessed of some very beautiful and
strong Italian or Cyprian queens,
which are unable to fly. I should be
glad if bee-masters who consider
themselves capable of performing such
delicate operations, would attempt the
experiment, and give us their ex-
perience, although very problemati-
cal, are incomparably greater than the
reported impregnation of a young
queen in a glass globe, or a cask with
a hole at the top.
Kalsmarkt, Germany.
^tiioTm^i,
When and How to Feed tlie Bees.
Extracted honey sells here, for
home consumption, at 15 cents per
Eound, and granulated sugar can be
ought for 10 cents per pound, and
the Western bee-keepers say that
sugar is better to winter bees on than
honey. I mean to extract all the
honey from the brood-chamber and
feed sugar syrup. Which is the best
time to extract and feed the sugar ?
The honey harvest winds up the last
week in August, with the exception
of some goldenrod and celandine;
the latter has a bitter taste, and
sometimes sour, which, we think, is
bad honey to winter bees on. Would
it be the right time to feed up the
first week in September? That
month here is a mild one, but the
nights are cool. About how much
.sugar to a 7-frarae Langstroth hive,
full of bees ? What is the best way
to feed, and how long to do the feed-
ing V Please answer the above ques-
tions in the Bee Journal.
Henry Tilley.
Castle Hill, Maine, Aug. 4, 18S3.
[As soon as the honey harvest is
over, you can safely feed sugar syrup
for winter stores. In the evening is
the best time (except when it is too
cold for the bees to be out), so that it
will all be taken away by the bees be-
fore the next day, for if it be exposed
in the day time, robbing will be the
result ; on account of the absence of
honey flora, the bees will eagerly
search for any substitute, and become
crazy over it. The bees will be better
satisfied to have their winter stores
capped before cold weather comes.
For how to prepare the feed, see page
422.— Ed.]
Giant Hyssop and Milk Weed,
I wintered safely 15 colonies and
nuclei together in sawdust packing,
and lost 3 by spring dwindling. 1 had
7 effective colonies to extract from at
the beginning of the season ; alto-
gether 12 run for honey. I obtained
673 lbs. of extracted and about 50 lbs.
of comb honey. My largest yield of
honey from one colony was 226 lbs.,
and enough left for wintering. They
are hybrids. We have had a remark-
ably good season, although old fogy-
ism did not get much honey, on
account of two much swarming and
bad management. I have two honey
plants for you to name. No. 1, with
pink flower, blooms from the 1st of
July, and is still blooming some; bees
work well on it, and considerable of it
is in our section of country, but, as to
quality and quantity of honey, I know
nothing. No. 2 is a rare thing here,
but bees love to work on it wonder-
fully well ; the time of blooming is
about the same as the above specimen.
The bloom is about gone.
E. M. CosrBS.
Memphis, Ind., Aug. 1, 1883.
[No. 1, is Giant Hyssop (Lojihanthus
iwpetoides), one of the Mint family,
all of which have nectar of good qual-
ity. No. 2, Milk Weed {^sctepi'as pur-
puTciscens), allied to the milk weed,
which kills bees by the sticky pollen
masses.— T. J. BurKill.]
Short Honey Crop.
The past spring was one of unusual
cold, rain and wind, and I do not
think that white clover ever promised
better, but, after the first week's flow,
it gradually slackened up. Mr. Doo-
little says that the linden was on its
last legs ; it had no legs here to get
upon. I have not, at this time, one-
half as much honey from 32 colonies,
spring count, as 1 had at this date
last year from 22 colonies, spring
count. We have been suffering
badly for the want of rain, but lass
week we were favored with a beauti-
ful rain, though not half as much as
we needed. Should everything be
most favorable, our corn' crop will
only be a partial one, which will be
the fourth successive light crop in
this vicinity. Our hay crop is good ;
oats, good, and rye, fair. I doubt if
there are 200 acres of wheat in two
townships here ; what little there
was, was good. It is probable that I
get more consolation out of a small
corn crop than any of my neighbors,
as I burn cobs in the smoker, and do
not have to split them. Mr. Doolittle
gives his method of forming a nuclei ;
and also tells of some one who has
trouble with his. I will, at some
future time, give the plan which I
have practiced this summer with per-
fect success. E. F. Cassell.
Illinois City, 111., Aug. 13, 1883.
Wood Sage.
Please give the name of the en-
closed bloom and leaf, and state its
merits as a honey plant. I never
noticed it here until this season ;
there are lots of it in the low lands.
It commenced to bloom July 10, and
is 4 feet high. The bees pay strict
attention to it all day long.
Kane, 111. R. M. Osborn.
[American Germander, or Wood
Sage (Teucrium Canad^nse). This is a
very common plant in low, wet
grounds, occurring throughout the
Northern portions of the United
States. It is another member of the
Mint family, and, like its relatives,
produces an abundance of excellent
honey.— T. J. Burrill.]
Legion of ({iieens iu a Hive.
I see by the Bee Journal of July
25, that Mr. Shirley found two queens
in one hive. I am 13 on my slate. I
have practiced returning the most of
my swarms after the first issue, but
before doing so I would " go through "
the hive and remove all of the queen-
cells in this hive. I took out 12 nice
yellow queens, and left one to manage
the affairs of the family. Can any
one of the bee fraternity tell the cause
of such a freak of bee nature ? What
does Mr. Heddon think ?
H. B. Hammon.
Bristol ville, Ohio, Aug. 1, 1883.
A Bug — Water Boiitman.
I send you a bug ; please report its
name. W. Thoughten.
Martinsville, III.
[The large bug is called by entomo-
logists Belastoma grandis, and some-
times is known by the common name
of " water boatman." It lives in the
water, feeding on living prey, but also
flies through the air in search of other
streams, ponds, etc., or to find com-
pany. It has a stout, sharp beak,
capable of inflicting severe wounds. —
T. J. Burrill.]
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
421
My Experience with Sweet CloTer.
I sowed it with Alsike and mam-
moth clover ; tliey all bloomed this
season ; in the same range is timothy
and blue grass. Calves, hogs and
sheep (my stock rams) were allowed
to run on it, and the hogs were fed.
The mammoth and Alsike were eaten
down close to the groimd, while the
sweet clover is from 4 to 6 feet high ;
nothing eating it. In case of the ad-
vise given to Mr. F. M. Cheney, to
feed it down with pigs, it might be a
benefit to bees, but it would be death
to pigs. My stock eat rag and hog
weeds in preference. I shall not sow
any more of it, and will destroy what
I have, if I can. I regard it as a weed
useless only for bees, and a positive
damage to the farmer and stock
grower. J.A.Johnston.
Green Hill, Ind., Aug. 11, 1883.
[Your experience is very different
to hundreds of others, who give the
very opposite, as their experience.
But we give all sides to every ques-
tion, and all may strike a balance for
themselves. — Ed.T
Bees on a Strike.
Since the 27th day of last month
the bees through this section have
been on a strike, so to speak, when
white clover gave out. It has been so
very dry that other flowers have
failed to yield nectar. Melilot clover
is doing but little, and smartweed is,
this year, a failure. Buckwheat is
but little sown, so we may calculate
but a small yield of honey for the
balance of the season. Our corn, for
this season, will scarcely produce naif
a crop, and fruit of all kinds is almost
an entire failure. H. W. Wixom.
Mendota, 111., Aug. 14, 1883.
That Glucose Slander on Bee Men.
It is but justice to the bee men of
the world, that I add ray testimony to
that of Mr. Wm. Muth-Rasmussen,
of California (page 377), against the
foul slander up6n the bee men of
California, "that they feed glucose
very largely, and make money out of
it." Such a statement has not a
particle of truth to back it. I spent
six years in California, and did noth-
ing else but care for bees and produce
honey. In that time I have seen both
sides of the bee business ; I have
seen the time when honey flowed as
it flows in no other country ; then I
have seen many more seasons when
there was scarcely any honey, and we
had to feed the bees to keep them
from starving, but we did not feed
glucose ; we did the same as Mr.
Kasmussen ; bought honey at a much
larger figure than we had sold it for,
and fed it to the bees. Such a base
fabrication has its origin in the cor-
rupt brain of the glucose manufac-
turer, and has no other foundation for
truth than the satisfying of an un-
principled desire to steal the good
name that pure honey has gained, by
palming oft their foul stuff upon the
inexperienced ; thereby making money
for themselves, but aiming a deadly
blow at the honest and hard-working
honey-producer. Mr. Editor, " tire
not " in the good work you- are en-
gaged ; in nor give the enemy any
quarter until the popular verdict of
an outraged people shall place the heel
of disapprobation upon the head of this
venemous reptile, glucose.
A. W. OSBURN.
Water Valley, N. Y., Aug. 3, 1883.
Little Increase and Surplus.
My bees (41 colonies) have not
boomed any yet. I have had but lit-
tle increase and very little surplus. I
am out of the reach of basswood, and
cannot make the seed grow. Sweet
clover has also twice failed to grow
for me, but I shall try again.
M. E. Darby.
Dexter, Iowa, Aug. 13, 1883.
Honey Crop of New York.
Do not condemn the New York
honey crop until you hear from more
of us. The weather has been rather
too wet, but bees here have done
pretty well between showers. After
rather a moderate yield from clover,
basswood came in bloom, on July 19,
and was very sweet for 18 days. From
40 weak colonies I have taken 3,000
pounds of very choice capped honey,
with the extractor. Although I use
a frame 11x13, 1 think Mr. Demaree
is ahead in the frame argument.
\V. H. S. Gkout.
Kennedy, N. Y., Aug., 18, 1883.
No Honey.
The honey season here has been the
poorest I have ever known. No
honey wave or honey shower came
this way. Honey dew has made its
appearance again this season in
abundance. II. R. Boardjian.
East Townsend, O., Aug. 13, 1883.
What the Bees Gathered in 30 Days.
The following is what an average
colony of bees gathered from white
clover, by weight, without swarming,
on full frames of wired foundation,
in 30 days : June 15, 1 lb. ; IB, 2 lbs. ;
17, 4 lbs. ; 18, 5 lbs. ; 19, nothing ; 20, 3
lbs. ; 21, 2 lbs. ; 22, 3 lbs. ; 23, 1 lb. ; 24,
1 lb. ; 25, nothing ; 26, nothing ; 27, 1
lb.; 28, 8 lbs.; 29, 9 lbs.; 30,5 lbs.;
July 1, 6 lbs. ; 2, 3 lbs. ; 3, 1 lb. ; 4, 2
lbs. ; 5, 5 lbs. ; 6, 3 lbs. ; 7, nothing ; 8,
4 1bs. ;9, lOlbs. ; 10,1 lb.; 11, 4 lbs. ;
12, 3 lbs. ; 13. 1 lb. ; 14, nothing ; 15, 1
lb. ; total, 84 lbs. The above shows that
not every day do the bees gather honey.
In the heighth of the season, I only
took on an average of 25 pounds from
40 colonies, to date, mostly in ^^ inch
sections,or7 to the foot. I use the Hed-
don case, and my honey is built in
as good shape as when I used wide
frames and tin separators, and I can
empty a case of 28 sections in less
time than it required to take out the
8 sections in one wide frame. I would
almost as soon think of going back
from a movable frame hive to the old
box hive, as to go back from a case
to wide frames and separators ; they
are relics of the past.
J. J. HUItLBERT.
Lyndon, 111., Aug. 5, 1883.
Horse Mint.
Enclosed I send a specimen of
a plant that grows on old, worn-out,
sandy land, and blooms in July. It
yields considerable honey of fine qual-
ity. What is it V F. Wilcox.
Mauston, Wis., Aug. 3, 1883.
[Horse Mint [Monarda Bradburiana).
There are three other species of Horse
Mint, all of which are good honey
plants. — T. J. BuRRiLL.]
Vervain, Red Clover, etc.
Bees are doing well here this sum-
mer. There has been no honey drouth
here at all. The fall flowers are com-
ing in. Our bees are working very
strongly on a plant which I have never
seen mentioned in any publication I
have ever read. This is the blue ver-
vain (or vervine). I never saw them
work on any thing any stronger, un-
less it is bass\yood. It seems to rival
the spider plant, for they work on it
all day, and I have seen a dozen on a
single plant, and as quick as one bee
leaves, another comes, and thus they
keep at it all day. It grows in rich,
moist land (not wet), along the creek
bottoms. There are about 4 acres in
this patch, and there are millions of
bees on it. I would like to know if
this has been recognized before as a
honey plant V Will Italian bees gather
honey from red clover i* Or, will any
strain of Italians or hybrids gather
enough to depend on it for a crop of
surplus honey ? If any of them will
do this, they will be the "coming bee"
for this section, regardless of all else,
for from June until September there
is plenty of red clover.
An Amateur.
Wayne Co., Ind., Aug. 14, 1883.
[Vervain has often been mentioned
as an excellent honey producer. See
pages 537, .540, and 569 of the Bee
Journal, for last year. Occasionally
bees gather honey from the red clo-
ver, but it cannot be "depended upon
for a crop of surplus honey" — not by
any means. — Ed.] '
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time and PLace oj Meeting.
Auk. 29.— S. W. Iowa, «t Red Oak, Iowa.
K. C. Alkin.Seo.
AuE 29.— Iowa Central. atWinterset FairGrounds.
Z. G. Cooley. Sec. Pro tern.
Aug. 29, 30.— Ky. State, at Louisville, Ky.
Dr. N. P. Allen, Sec, Smith's Grove, Ky.
Sept. 4.-N. W. 111., & S. W. Wis., at RIdot, III.
Jonatlian Stewart, Sec.
Sept. 12-14.— Trl-State. at Toledo, Ohio.
Dr. A. B. Mason, Sec, Wagon Works, O.
Sept. 18-20.— North American, at Toronto, Out.
A. 1. Root, Sec, Medina, O.
Oct. 9, 10.— Northern Mich, at Sheridan. Mich.
O. B. Goodno, Sec, Carson City, Mich.
Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at Chicago. III.
Thomas G. Newman, Sec.
Oct.— Northern Ohio, at Norwali(. O.
S. F. Newman, Sec.
Deo. 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint.
H. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
tS^ In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetingB.— KD.
422
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,.
Wmx<i\ mill novo.
ANSWERS BV
James Hcddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Feeding, Winter Passages, etc.
Please answer the following ques-
tions in the Bke Journal, :
1. With Italian bees is it necessary
to feed at the close of the honey sea-
son to keep up brood-rearing V
2. How do you prepare winter food
from sugar ?
3. Do you make winter passages
through the comb 'i
4. Do your bees, after swarming,
fill the brood-chamber so that you
have to extract to give the new queen
room ; or do you cut the queen-cells
and introduce a new laying queen as
soon as they swarm V Is not the latter
the best method ?
5. Do your hives front the south in
winter as in summer V
6. Is it necessary to have a bottom
ventilation ? F. M. Cheney.
South Sutton, N. H.
Answers. — 1. No ; nor with any
other bees in this locality. Late breed-
ing is not valued by me as by some.
2. By boiling 10 pounds of sugar
with 3 or 4 pounds of water (according
to how warm the weather is when I
feed), and adding one teaspoonful of
cream of tartiir, dissolved in water.
3. Ko, never ; but over them with a
bow.
4. After swarming the bees store
more in the brood combs (as the pupae
hatches out) than before, but as soon
as the new queen begins to lay this
honey will go into more bees, and the
boxes above at a great rate. JVb, sir, I
do not extract to give the queens
room, nor cut queen-cells. I have
learned better, and that, with proper
fixtures and management, there is no
necessity for so doing.
5. My hives front the east all the
year around.
6. Only at the entrance, so far as I
know.
Uniting Colonies.
I would like some information from
Mr. lleddon. I have about 50 colo-
nies of bees, and do not care about
keeping so many, and as the country
here is pretty well supplied, I could
not get over S5 or $6, and as they are
all in new Laugstroth hives, and have
ten frames of comb, I think 1 might
make more by doubling them up,
putting two colonies together and ex-
tracting from one. Our fall flowers
are just beginning to bloom, and in a
few days I expect my bees to be hard
at work. When will be the best time
for doubling them up? At present
they are full of brood. Do you think
it best to do it before they commence
to work on the fall crop, or after it
has been harvested? Bees have not
made any surplus here since the first
part of J une. We had a honey flow
only about three weeks, which was
very good, while it lasted, for those
who were prepared for it.
A Novice.
Posey Co., Ind., Aug. 6, 1883.
Answer.— If you can get five or
six dollars per colony for your bees
in the fall, after the honey harvest is
over, my advice would be run them as
they are, getting all the surplus you
can from your 50 colonies, and then
sell one-half. If you want 25 colonies
next spring, had you not better keep
the whole fifty, for fear part might
die ? Then if they should, you would
have your new Langstroth hives,
combs, etc, without making or buy-
ing these supplies for the coming year.
I would much object to doubling
them up for winter, after your fall
harvest ; for such colonies are more
apt to have dysentery where there is
no chance for them to void. Such
doubling acts are a great auxilliary
to the cause of dysentery in my apiary.
But to double them before the fall
harvest, is not so bad an idea. In
case of such uniting, you can destroy
all your poorest, and keep all your
best queens. I would do the doubling
and uniting at the commencement of
the honey flow, not before, as Mr.
Langstroth has told us all these oper-
ations with bees, work more success-
fully during a honey flow, than during
a dearth.
Kentucky Bee and Honey Show.
The Kentucky State Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its annual meet-
ing in Louisville, Ky., Aug. 29 and 30,
at the Southern Exposition building.
We hope to have a large attendance of
the bee-keepers of the State, and also
of other States, both North and South,
as the convention will be in session
during the week of the Honey and
Bee Exhibit. And premiums amount-
ing to $60 are offered by the commis-
sioners of agriculture of Kentucky,
for Kentucky honey, and $40 by the
Exposition, for the finest Italian bees
in Observatory hives. The premium
on bees is open to the world, and we
hope to see a fine display.
The Bee-Keepers' Convention and
Honey and Bee Show will be held in
the same week of the great exhibi-
tion of fruit, for which over $2,000 in
cash premiums will be paid.
We extend a cordial invitation to
all bee-keepers' societies, to editors
of bee publications, to honey-pro-
ducers, and queen breeders, and all
who are interested in apiculture, to
be with us. We hope to have the
father of modern bee-keeping with us,
the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, to whom
a cordial invitation has been given.
Reduced fair on all railroads, botti
North and South, will be offered to
all who attend the Great Southern
Exposition. It will doubtless be the
grandest exposition ever held in the
United States, in magnitude, and
nearly equal to the Centennial.
N. P. Allen, Sec.
Notice to Iowa Bee-Keepers.
Quite a large number of bee-keep-
ers in our State have expressed a de-
sire for the formation of a State
Association. A consultation with
others has resulted in the decision not
to attempt to hold a meeting during
the coming State Fair, but if thought
best to hold one during the time of
the meeting of the State Agricultural
Society at Des Moines next January.
All bee-keepers who may be present
at the Fair are earnestly requested to
report to the Rev. O. Clute, at the
Apiarian Exhibit, on or before 1 p.
m. of Tuesday, the 4th day of Sep-
tember, 1883, who will give them
notice of a meeting for consultation,
and also for the selection of a com-
mittee of arrangements if one is
deemed necessary.
O. O. POPPLETON,
Vice-Pres. N. A. B. K. Society.
Williamstown, Iowa, Aug. 10, 1883.
Nebraska Bee and Honey Show.
I desire to call the attention of the
members of the Nebraska State Bee-
Keepers' Association, and all others
engaged in apiculture, to the liberal
premiums offered by the Nebraska
State Agricultural Society in Class
VII., entitled " Bees, honey and
apiarian goods," and especially the
premium of $25 offered for the best
colony of bees. The test of colonies
will be net gain, and will be weighed
and sealed Aug. 28, and weighed
again Sept. 11. Each colony must be
the progeny of the queen and colony
on trial. All shipments in this de-
partment can be made to the Hon. B.
E. B. Kennedy, superintendent of
Class VII.; and the bees should be on
the ground on or before Aug. 27. All
other articles may be entered, up to
noon of Sept. 10.
M. L. Trester,
Sec. N. B. K. Association.
Greenwood, Neb.
1^" The Northwestern Illinois, and
Southwestern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers'
Association, will hold its next meet-
ing on Sept. 4, 1883, at John Swan-
zey's, 2 miles South of Ridot, Stephen-
son County, 111. There will be facilities
to take persons from the station to
Mr. Swanzey's.
Jonathan Stewart, Sec.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
423
f p^ccial Notices.
<^
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$15.00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook"s Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for montlis or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
BEES and HONEY,
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor of the Weekly Bee Journal.
985 West MadUoa Street, Chlcaaro, III.
1^° We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
i^'May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at hast one new subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one new sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
Mrs. J. F. Upton gives the follow-
ing notice of this book in the Bath,
Maine, Sentinel :
A guide to the management of the
apiary for profit and pleasure, by
Thomas G. Newman. This work is
designed to initiate beginners in bee-
keeping in all the secrets of success-
ful bee-culture. Beginning with the
different races of bees, the author
takes his readers along step by step,
carefully explaining the different
kinds of bees, illustrating each kind
with the eggs and brood, explaining
the terms used, the production of wax
and comb, and the work done by
these wonderful insects. The estab-
lishment of an apiary is next con-
sidered ; the best location, time to
commence, how many colonies to be-
gin with, what kind of bees to get,
how to care for a first colony, keeping
bees on shares, changing the location,
all of which it is indispensable for a
beginner to know. It is also impor-
tant to know which kind of hive is
the best, how to procure the best comb
honey, how to procure it for market,
how it should be marketed, what to
do with candied comb honey, and howj
to extract honey. The scientific man-
agement of an apiary is then entered
into, and illustrations of all the nec-
essary applicances introduced. There
is a chapter devoted to the honey ex-
tractor and its use, and another to
comb foundation and its use. The
various honey-producing plants and
trees are named and illustrated.
Various methods for exhibiting bees
and honey at county and state fairs
are described. The best and safest
plans for wintering bees are discussed,
the book closing with some general
advice to beginners. The author sajjs
of his book on Bees and Honey, " it
was not designed to supersede or sup-
plant any of the valuable works on
apiculture already published, but to
supply a want for a cheap work for the
beginners." We most cordially rec-
ommend this work not only to begin-
ners, who will find it invaluable, but
to all who are not already familiar
with the lives and movements of
tliese industrious and intelligent
little workers. The information to be
gained as to their habits, manner of
breeding, intelligence, energy and
wonderful instincts, by reading this
book alone, is enough to make one
regard the bee with admiration and
amazement.
PRICE— Bound In cloth, tS cents ; In paper
covers, CO cent«, postpaid.
THOMAS G. NE-WMAN,
925 W. Madison St., Chicago, 111.
A I.lberal Dlsconnt to Dealers by
the Dozeuor Hundred.
424
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smokers need wide etatelds. Bingham's
hare them, and springe that do not rust and break,
and bellows that eparkn and smoke do not enter.
The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
anda3i71nch stove, and 5x7 Inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for SI. 75. Address,
BINGHAM & HETHEBINOXON,
Abronia Mtch.
CYPRIANS CON-
QTTKBEn. — All sum-
mer long It has been
"which and tother"
with me and the Cyp-
rian colony of bees I
have -but at last 1 nm
'" boss. " Bingham's
"Conqueror Smoker"
did It. If you want
lots of smoke just at
the right time, get a
Conqueror Smoker of
Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino, N. Y.,
Aug. 15. 188 J.
KxcELLiNG All.—
Messrs. Bingham &
Hetherington. Dear
Sirs:— lam now sell-
ing your Smokers al-
most exclusively.
You are excelting
yourselves in smok-
ers all the time.
''TaTAkoR, Patented, 1878.
Austin, Texas, May 10. 1883.
The Orlclnal
BINGHAM
Bee Smoker
The Vert Best.— The Blneham "Conqneror"
Smoker Is the very best thing 1 have tried In that
line. M.M.Lindsay.
Fulton, Tenn., July 24, 1883.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paia, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices:
The "Doctor"., (wide shield)— 3Hi In. Are tube, $2.00
The Conqueror (wide shield)— 3 in.flretube, 1.75
Large ( wide shield )—2^ in. Are tube. l.-^iO
Extra (wideshield)— 2 In.flretuhe, 1.25
Plain (nar. shield)- 2 In.flretube, l.'Mi
Little Wonder, .(nar. shield)— iMin.llretube, .S5
Bingham & Hetherington Uncapping Knife. . 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & Hetherington.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883.
^" The pamphlet" Honey, as Food
and Medicine " is an excellent thing
to give away at Fairs, where a good
exhibit is made. A thousand copies
will sell almost a fabulous quantity of
honey, if judiciously given — any given
to every one loho buys a package of honey.
Try it.
^" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
Sample Copies of the American Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in flue cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
^' The pamphlet, " Honey, as
Food and Medicine," is in such de-
mand, that we find it necessary to
print them in still larger quantities,
and can, therefore, still further re-
duce the price, as noted on page 285.
Let them be scattered like " autumn
leaves," and the result, we feel sure,
will fully reward honey-producers for
both the labor and the small expense.
(^ Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference
tS" The new Postal Note will be
obtainable in a few days at the Post-
offices all over the country. Then
any sum from one cent to five dollars
can be sent in a letter, by obtaining a
Postal Note, costing only 3 cents.
After October 1, small sums can be
easily sent to this office for 5 cents (3
cents for the Postal Note and 2 cents
postage on the letter), and there will
be no need of sending postage stamps
in letters, which often get all stuck
together by the damp weather, or
being handled while perspiring.
The Wayerley Novels.— T. B. Peter-
son & Brothers, 806 Chesnut Street,
Philadelphia, Ir*a., have just com-
menced the publication of a new and
cheap edition of " The Waverley Nov-
els," by Sir Walter Scott, which will
be completed in Twenty-six Weekly
Volumes, each volume being a novel
complete in itself, and one volume will
be issued every Saturday until the
whole are published. Each book will
make a large octavo volume, have on
it an Illustrated Cover, and will be
sold at the low price of Fifteen Cents
a volume, or Three Dollars will pay
for the full and complete set of
Twenty-six volumes.
40 TONS
Of COMB HONEY wanted ; York State preferred.
Say how much of eacb grade you will probably
have, size of section, how soon It can be in ship-
ping order (the whole or part of it), lowest cash
price, and address F. I. SAG E. Wethersfleld, Conn.
BEES
Send to Chicago. III., for sample of
AMERICAN BEEiIOUR.VAJL
Monthly, SI a year. Weekly.sa.
The Bee-Keeper's Guide;
OB,
MANUAL OF THE APIARY,
By A. J. COOK,
Of Lansing, ProfessoT of Entomolon in the
State Ai^ricultaral College of Michigan.
8SO Pasea ; 133 Tine Illu»lratloiu.
TbU Is a new edition of Hrof. Cook's Manual of
the Apiary, enlarged and elesantly illustrated.
The first edition of a.OUO copies was exhausted Id
about IS months — a sale unprecedeRted In th©
annals of bee-oulture. This new work bus beeo
produced with great care, patient study and per-
sistent research. It comprises a full delineatiOQ
of the anatomy and physiology of the honey bee.
Illustrated with many costly wood engravinca —
the products of the Honay Bee ; the nices ol bees;
fulldesccrjptions of honey -producing plants .trees,
shrubs, etc., splendidly Illustrated— and last,thougb
not least, detailed instructions for the varioua
manipulations necessary in the apiary.
This work Is a masterly production, and one that
no bee-keeper, however limited his means, can
aflord to do without. It is fully "up with the times"
on every conceivable subject that can interest the
apiarist. It is not only instructive, but intensely
interesting and thoroughly practical.
Head the JoUmvimj opinions of the Book;
All agree that it is the work of a master and of
real Vii.lui:.—L'ApicuUure, Paris.
I think Cook's Mitnuui is me best of our Ameri-
can works.— Lewis T. Cumv.
It appears to ha' e cut the ground from under
futme book-makers.- i}n(iv./i Bre J&urnaL
Prof. Cook's vnluabie Muntial has been my con-
stjini goule ill my i'peratiuiis and successful mao-
agememof the upiuiy.— J. P. West.
I have derived more practical knowledge from
Prof. Cook's Now Mjinual ot the Apiary than trum
any other book.— E. H. Wynkuop.
This book Is just what everyone Interested Id
bees ought to have, and which, no one who oof inns
It, will ever reuret having puicnased.-iMit/i. Far.
To nil who wish to engage 'n bee culture, a
manual is a necessity. Piuf. Cook's Manual is an
extiausttive work,^i/f raid, Monticello, 111.
With Cook's Manual I am more than pleased. Jt
l8 fu.lf up with the nines in every particular. The
ricbtft rewaid awaits iia author.— A. E. Wenzel-
My success has been so great as to almost aston-
ish myselt. iin.I ntu('h ot it m due to ihe clear, dia-
inteiested iniurujatuvn coiitaiiied in Cook's Man-
ual.-VVm. Van A.\TWEHi>. M. D
It is the latest book on the bee, and treats of both
the bee and liivos, with their iiupiementa. It is of
value to all bec-ruisers.- K y. Ltve Stock Record.
It is a credit to the author as well the publisher.
I have never yet met ^\itha work, either French
or toreiMn, which 1 like so much.— L'Abbe JJU
BOIS, editor of the BuLetin D' Afuculteur^ France.
It not only gives the natural history of these in-
dustrious iusecta, but also a thorough, praciical,
and clearly expressed sei ics of directfons for their
management; also a boumiritt descri[>tion ot hi'ney
producing' ptanis, and an extended account oi the
enemies of bees.— X»t»i(/cr(jr, I'uiuski, Js'. Y.
We have perused with great pleasure this vndt
meciunot the bee-keep»?r. It is replete with the
best intonuation on everything belonging to api-
culture, 'i'o al taking an intere?t in this suhject,
we say. Obtain this valuaDle work, read it careiuily
and practice aa advised.— J, oncu/tun^e, Quebec.
This book is pronounced by tbe press and leading
bee-men to be the most ct.>nipleie and praetieal
treatise on bee-culture in Kuropeor America; a
BCientiilc work on nnui<-rn bee management that
every experienced bee man will welcome, and it is
essenliaf to every amateur In bee-culture. It is
hanasomely printed, iRMtiv hound, and is a credil
to the Yi eau—Wicitern A\jricuUuruit.
This work is undoubtedly the most coTiplete
manual tor the Instrmtioii of iKiC-keepers whieh
biisever t-een publislitHl. It gives a full e.Tplana-
tion regarding tbe mieand management of the
apiary, 'ftiere is no suhject relating to the culture
of bees lefr unioucheil. aiul in the compilation of
the work Prof. Cook has bad the advantniie of all
the previous knowiede ot apiitriats, which he uses
admirably to prom«.)te and make popular this most
Intevestiugof alloccupaiions.- .4»iertcan Inventor.
■ toj
Prick— Bouod in cloth, S1.S5 ; In paper cover,
8>1.00 by mall prepaid. Published by .
TnOMAS G. METTMAN.
West Madison Street, CHICAGO, ti.i^
<1».
VOL, XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., AUGUST 29, 1883.
No. 35.
:^^^^^A^Bi^j^-^'^^
PubUshed every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Creating Local Markets for Honey.
The California Orocer makes some
comments on the suggestions we
made sometime ago about scattering
information about the uses of honey,
and its value both as food and medi-
cine, and while thoroughly endorsing
the plan, it remarks as follows :
If it be acknowledged that an
adoption of this means will be at all
■effective, why not make it generally
so V If the suggestion of the Bee
Journal is worthy of adoption at all,
it is worthy of being adopted to the
fullest extent, as it is one of those
propositions the remunerative quality
of which is in exact ratio with the
amount of energy and enterprise ex-
pended upon It. The information,
published in an economical form,
flhould accompany every sale, whether
to wholesaler or retailer, in order that
when the goods reach the consumer's
market, the retailer might be enabled
to send this information broadcast
among his patrons to induce the pur-
■chase of this delicious household
luxury.
^" The Indiana State Fair com-
mences .Sept. 24, and promises to
«xcel all former ones. Bee-keepers
should see to it that there is a large
display of honey, both comb and
extracted.
^- Mr. W. F. Clarke, Guelph.
Ont., will attend the North American
Bee- Keepers' Convention at Toronto,
next month, and represent the Bee
Journal as well as make a report of
the proceedings.
^' To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine "Jo every one who
buys a package of honey at Fairs, will
sell almost a fabulous quantity of it.
Caledonian Apiarian Society.
Mr. John D. Hutchinson, of Glas-
gow, Scotland, has sent us a short
report of the Bee and Honey Show of
Scotland, from which we extract as
follows :
Tlie tenth show of this society was
held in a tent inside the showyard of
the Highland Society. For various
reasons it was not expected that the
show would be a large one. The
weather had been very much against
the bees. Nearly all the exhibitors
are from the southern portion of the
country, and the existence of the
society was only made known to some
north-country persons yesterday,
when they were told that bees were
actually being shown. As a whole,
the show, though small, was worth a
visit. Among the most successful of
the competitors is Mr. Angus Cam-
eron, of Blair Athole, the winner of
the Queen's Prize at the Wimbledon
Rifle meetings in 1866 and 1869.
Considering the difficulties we have
had to contend with this year, our
sliow has been very successful both
flnancially and otherwise. The bee-
keepers are now getting their colonies
removed to the " Heather," so with
good weather {such as we have at
present), I have no doubt but that we
shall have a good harvest of heather
honey. There has been little or no
honey as yet, owing to the bad
weather we have had. Everything
connected with bee-keeping has been
very quiet for sometime past.
Preserve the "Wax.
Mrs. L. Harrison gives the follow-
ing advice in the Prairie Farmer :
All hives containing honey, in which
bees have died, should be fastened up
securely so that no bees can enter,
for if they are permitted to carry it
off as soon as it is all gone they will
try the strength of all weak colonies
and many will be destroyed. We
prefer to brusli off the bees from
combs and store them in a room, in-
stead of fastening them in hives
where they have no ventilation, as
they become damp and moldy, and
the pollen sours. We put our combs
into clean hives and pile them one
upon another in the honey house,
where they are secure from bees, and
will remain dry. It is not necessary
to pick out dead bees from combs for,
the bees will do it, and work cheaper
than we can if one comb at a time is
given to a strong colony. Comb is a
bee-keeper's stock in trade ; better
than money in the bank ; and should
be preserved, for while be^s are
building a pound of it they will store
20 pounds of honey. All bits of re-
fuse comb should be made into wax,
as it is very scarce at present, brings
a good price, and is in demand for
foundation.
Bee Tent for Fall Work.
The American Aqriculturist remarks
thus about the use of a bee tent for
manipulating bees in the fall :
As is well known, bees become
irritable if handled after gathering
ceases in the autumn. To take out
extra combs, extract the uncapped
honey, and prepare for winter as
directed above, is often the most
dreaded work of the season. The
bees seem cross at the failure to ob-
tain labor, and cannot endure dis-
turbance. By using a bee tent, made
of wire gauze or mosquito netting,
and large enough to set over the hive
and operator, all this danger and
trouble is avoided. The bees are
apparently frightened into good be-
havior, and are as amiable as though
in the midst of the honey harvest.
The bee tent also prevents robbing,
which is quite likely to be induced if
we work with the bees when they are
irritable from enforced idleness.
^ The Keithsburg, 111., News is
growing eloquent over the fact that
the grape sugar refineries are gather-
ing up old bones, rags, etc., to make
its villainous stuff from. It says :
Smith's team has been hauling
bones from the slaughter houses and
putting them in cars for a Burling-
ton market. These bones are u.sed in
the sugar refinery. Just think ! bones
in your sugar ! the nasty, stinking
bones. Honey, fresh from the
•' blessed bees " is the only pure sweet.
The bees are now working on the
sand mint. They have pretty much
left the corn tassels. The sand mint
will last till fall, and makes most
excellent honey. Thank goodness
there is plenty of sand mint here in
the bottom. More than can be util-
ized by the numerous colonies kept
by our several apiarists.
426
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Apis Melliflca in Java and Ceylon.
The followiug article concerning
the bees taken to Ceylon and the is-
land of Java, by Mr. Frank Benton,
was written tor the Biemnzeitunq, by
Mr. A. Schroder, of Trieste, Austria,
and translated by Mr. A. Neighbour,
of London, England, for the Journal
of Hofticulture, and it will be read with
interest by the bee-keepers of America:
The gentleman in charge of the
Imperial (ierm n Consulate of iiaia-
via, who has lor years pasl been kind
enough to keep lue mlormed of all
that Lakes place iu the island of Java
as regards bee-keepiug, sent me re-
ceull> a cutting from a native paper
which contains some notices of the
bees introduced lulo Java by my
friend Mr. i" . Benton. Thinking that
any inlormation on the acclimatiza-
tion 01 bees in Java may be of interest
80 tar as the history of bee-keeping is
concerned, 1 have translaied the
article referred to, of which the fol-
lowing is an extract :
'• Au American bee-keeper, Mr. F.
Benton, who visited Java in order to
study Apis dorsaia, and, if possible,
to introduce this bee into Cyprus, and
theuce into Kurope and America,
brought 9 colonies of bees with him, 7
being from Cyprus and i; from Fales-
tine. -New h"ives were procured iu
order to try once more to acclimatize
bees in Java after the Hist attempt to
introduce the i^uropean bee, which
was made in IbTs. had proved a fail-
ure. The trial was made at Tjikeu-
meuh under the direction of Mr.
Messink.
•• The bees were placed in the
Botanical Gardens under the superin-
tendence of Mr. Benton, who looked
after them personally tor ii days.
When he left,! queens had commenced
to lay eggs, and the other colonies,
incluuiug their queens, were in tol-
erauiy good condition considering the
long voyage they had made. During
the hrst tortuiglit alter their arrival
the bees were ted with sugar dissolved
iu water. After this time the workers
from four hives began to Uy out and
returned laden with honey. The
queens continued depositing eggs for
about the three months alter their
arrival in Java. After that, egg
laying diminished, and at last tne
bees quite ceased to leave the hive.
■■'ine number of worker bees be-
came smaller and smaller, and hnally
some of the colonies dwindled down
BO much that only the queen and a
tew worker bees were lelt. With a
great deal of trouble one colony was
kept alive till the end of the year.
But wlieu the western monsoon set in
iu lasl, the population of this colony
also uwiudled away, and the workers
flew out no longer, probably on ac-
count of the dampness of the atmos-
phere.
" it is to be regretted that the sec-
ond attempt to acclimatize the bee in
Java has also turned out a failure, in
spite of all the precautions that had
been taken to make the experiment
a success.' The loss of all the colo-
nies was probably caused by the
worker bees not finding sufficient food
during the hot season, the conse-
quence being tliat the queens did not
receive the proper amount of food,
and, therefore, discontinued laying
eggs.
■' The experiment to domesticate
tlie East Indian bee (Njiroean) has
given a better result than a previous
attempt in 1877 and 1878. For the
last eight months tliere have been
two colonies of these bees in Tjik-
eumeuh with very large populations.
The bees fly out and collect a great
deal of honey. Eggs are deposited
regularly, and without interruption.
The honey of tliis bee is generally
considered inferior in flavor, while
the wax is said to be of excellent
quality.
" A swarm given off by one of tlie
colonies a short time ago has been
secured, but it was no easy task. In
Europe a swarm generally settles on
a branch of a tree near the apiary,
from which it is easy to remove the
bees ; but the Indian bees fly high up
into the air, and do not settle till
some time after.*"
Mr. Benton's attempt to acclima-
tize Apis mellifica in Java has un
fortunately proved a failure, and I
fear there is but little prospect of this
bee becoming domesticated there,
although I consider it quite possible
if the bees, after tlieir arrival in Java,
are made to rear young queens, be-
cause the vitality of tlie imported
queens becomes impaired during the
long voyage. It would be necessary
in that case to increase the popula-
tion of the colonies and their stores
quickly by feeding.
In Ceylon the bees that were im-
ported by Mr. Benton have been more
successful than those in Batavia.
During the rainy season from May
till September, the colonies were sup-
plied with food, but in the remaining
months of the year the bees collected
sufficient honey from the flowering
palm trees and other tropical plants
for their own wants, and had even
some to spare for their master. One
colony swarmed three times, but, un-
fortunalely, during the absence of
the bee-keeper, the bees had been left
in charge of the servants, who neg-
lected to attend to them, so that all
the three swarms flew away and
settled in the jungles, where they
probably perished during the rainy
season. ,
For the last few years, experiments
have been made to acclimatize the
Vanilla in Ceylon, but only by arti-
hcial fertilization was it found pos-
sible to get these phints to produce
mature fruit. The Tropical Agricul-
turist calls special attention io the
numerous visits of Apis melliflca to
the Vanilla blossoms, and adds that
the owjier of the plantation has for
this reason entirely discontinued the
fertilization of the Vanilla flowers by
artihcial means. In case the culti-
"* It may be assumed that Apis indlca Is the bee
referretl to above. 'I'he IndiKenr.us Apie indica of
.?avK was dearrii ed by l-mreille ("Annutesdu
Muaeuiii d' H 1st, Nat.. ' v.. p. 17o, No. 4) as Apis
Peionii. Itifthardlyto be supposed tbat expcri-
njents should have been m ido to domesticate the
small East Indian bee. Apis floreB.-EjJlTOK."
vation of Vanilla in Ceylon should
prove successful, the importation of
Apis melliflca will have largely aided
to bring about this result, and it
would be quite worth while for this
purpose alone to keep bees in Ceylon,
even if they had to be supplied with
food during the rainy season.
^ Prof. A. J. Cook, who each
summer during several years has
worked in the Michigan Agricultural
College apiary, with a class of from 20
to 40 students, all entirely unused to
bees, says he has found no proof of
the statement that bees know their
master, and are more likely to sting a
stranger. — Exchange.
Bee Convetion at Toledo, 0.
The next annual meeting of the
Tri- State Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held ©n the 12, 13 and 14 of
next Sept., during the week of the
Tri-State Fair at Toledo, Ohio. It is
customary to say that Messrs. So and
So, " and other prominent bee men
will be present," etc., etc. Well, we
have quite a number of " prominent
bee men " (prominent at home) in this
region, and they know how to raise
the bees, get the honey, cure foul
brood, and winter the bees too ; but if
Mr. Heddon is well enough to be at
the meeting and the fair, we will
pump him on wintering, and Mr.
Muth on foul brood, and Novice, if
here, on general principles, and the
the editor of the Bee Journal to
fill in where the rest lack. We do
not expect to have any long essays or
speeches. It being the week of the
fair, we expect the great attraction
for bee-keepers will be the Bee and
Honey Show, and such bee-keepers
and their friends as desire to stay
several d<»vs can bring their " eat-
ables" and blankets with them, and
camp on the fair grounds. One or
more tents will be provided for such
as make application to me a few days
before the fair, at a cost that will pay
for the use of the tents, but we hope
to be able to borrow tents and so save
expense.
A premium is offered for the foun-
dation machine making the best foun-
dation for the brood-chamber on the
grounds, and two mills have already
arrived for that purpose, and the
makers of three other machines have
promised to be here if possible.
A premium list with entry blank
rules and regulations, railroad fares,
and freight rates, etc., will be sent
free to all applicants.
Dk. a. B. Mason.
Wagon AVorks, Ohio.
1^" The Northwestern Illinois, and
Southwestern Wisconsin Bee Keepers'
Association, will hold its next meet-
ing on Sept. 4, 1883. at John Swan-
zey's, 2 miles South of Ridot, Stephen-
son County, III. There will be facilities
to take persons from the station to
Mr. Swanzey's.
Jonathan Stewakt, tSec.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
427
Local Convention Directory.
1883. rime and Place oS Meeting.
Sept. 4— Ohio State, at Columbus, O.
D. Spear, Sec.
Sept. 4.— N. W. III., AS. W. Wia.. at Ridot, 111.
Jonathan Stewart, Sec.
Sept. 12.— Eastern Indiana, at Richmond, Ind.
M. G. Reynolds. Sec. Williamsburg, Ind.
Sept. 12-14.— Tri-State, at Toledo, Ohio,
Dr. A. B. Mason, Sec, WaKon Works, O.
Sept. 18-20.— North American, at Toronto, Ont.
A. I. Root, Sec, Medina, O.
Oct. 9, 10.— Northern Mich, at Sheridan. Mich.
O. R. Goodno, Sec. Carson City, Mich.
Oct. 10.— Cass County, at LoKansport, Ind.
De Witt Brown. Sec.
Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at Chioago, III.
Thomas Q. Newman, Sec.
Oct.— Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, O.
S. F. Newman, See.
Dec. 5-6, MichlKan State, at Flint.
U. D. CuttinK. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
^" In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future nieetiues.— Ed.
Honey Flora— White Sage-
The California Rural Press contains
the following description of this great
honey-pioducer, the white sage :
Not only is California famous for
its specimens of vegetable growth of
huge proportions, but also for some
of much less imposing appearances.
Among the latter tliere is no plant
that has made this State more re-
nowned than has the white or honey
sage of southern California. Hardly
ten years ago it was looked upon as a
useless shrub, scarcely fit for sheep to
browse upon. Since then the honey
bee has made it famous. When it
became known that honey flowed
from the flowers of this plant, as it
was never known to do in old Greece,
and of a quality far superior, thou-
sands of colonies of bees were located
in the sage region. During ourfavor-
able years these bees g.ithered the
honey from the flowers about them in
such large quantities that many an
ocean craft was weighted down with
the nectar.
To all parts of the world has this
delicious article been sent, and every-
where it has secured for the place
from whence it came praises that no
other honey had ever received. Be-
sides the good words this State has
obtained by its excellent honey, the
people have received thou,sands of
dollars whicli would never have en-
tered the State if the nectar was
wasted on the desert air, or if the
plant in question did not exist in our
midst.
It belongs to the genus Audiberatia,
of the order Labiatce, to which also
the garden and other sages belon^^.
These plants are of great value as
bee pasturage, as they are of easy
growth, will thrive on drier soil than
will most other honey-secreting plants,
and their season of efflorescence con-
tinues many weeks. The writer has
cultivated the white sage in Alameda
county, near Berkeley, and as a re-
sult he finds that it thrives remark-
ably, growing luxuriously on culti-
vated soil, and producing an abund-
ance of bloom. It is a plant of which
every apiarist should disseminate the
seeds as much as possible, so that in
the course of a lew years, large
patches of tlie plants may be found in
tlie hills and valleys in various parts
of the State. By doing tliis, such a
thing as a short honey crop will
liaidly ever be known.
The Rev. J. C. Nevin, of Los Ange-
les county, in writing of the sages
lately, says : '• Tliere are at le-^st a
dozen specimens of Audiberatia on the
coast included under tlie popular
names of ' white ' and 'black' sage.
The ' white ^ Audiberatia Pohjszachya)
differs very much in the form of in-
florescence from all the others, and
fromtliatof the genuine sage. Its
whole appearance makes it a rather
striking plant, and when once known,
to be easily recognized any where.
Its range extends from Santa Barbara
to San Diego. All lovers of the
beautiful white honey gathered from
its flowers ought to know and regard
it with feelings of gratitude.
' Ball,' ' button,' or ' black ' sage is
undoubtedly a common name for
several distinct species. Their gen-
eral habit is much the same, whilst
ordinarily the specific distinctions
may not be so obvious. The whole
appearance is more nearly like the
true sage than is the ' white ' above
mentioned. Of the number, A. Stach-
y aides, A. Palmeri and A. Clevelandi
are very closely allied and most difli-
cult to distinguisli. A. Stachyoides
ranges from the Contra Costa moun-
tains soutliward, while A. Palmeri
■AnA A. Clevdandi are confined to the
southern part of the State. Just
what precise form prevails around
Los Angeles has not as yet been
definitely settled ; but it is mostly
near to, if not identical with A. Palm-
eri. the typical form of which is found
in San Diego county."
Notice to Iowa Bee-Keepers.
Quite a large number of bee-keep-
ers in our State have expressed a de-
sire for the formation of a State
Association. A consultation with
others has resulted in the decision not
to attempt to hold a meeting during
the coming State Fair, but if thouglit
best to liold one during the time of
tlie meeting of the State Agricultural
Society at Des Moines next January.
All bee-keepers who may be present
at the Fair are earnestly requested to
report to the Rev. O. Clute, at the
Apiarian Exhibit, on or before 1 p.
m. of Tuesday, the 4th day of Sep-
tember, 188,S, who will give them
notice of a meeting for consultation,
and also for the selection of a com-
mittee of arrangements if one is
deemed necessary.
O. O. POPPI.ETON,
Vice-Pres. N. A. B. K. Society.
Williamstown, Iowa, Aug. 10, 1883.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
Bee Journal, and a colored Poster,
to aid in getting up a club. The
Premiums we offer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of 8 subscribers
to tlie Monthly Bee Journal, or 4
Weekly, we will present Dzierzon's
Rational Bee-Keeping, price $2.00.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Offick op amekican bee .iournal. \
Monday, 1" ». m., Aug. 20, 1883. i
The following are the latest quota-
lions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONBT- The demand for extracted honey Is
exceedingly dull: for comb honey, only fair: arri-
vals are plentiful. Stocks are lartze In the hands
of corn merchants and others. Our own supply la
larger than ever. and. for the present, we cannot
compete with commission merchants. We may
have to offer lower tigures. Our prices so far were 1&
9c for extracted, and I4@l6c. for comb honey on
arrival.
BRBSWAX -Arrivals of beeswax are good at
2S@28c., and the demand is fair.
Chas. F. Mdth.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— We take pleasure in quoting the fol-
lowing prices on honev. obtainable in our market :
Fancy white clover, 1 lb. sections (net glass) ■JOfSiilc:
fancy white clover, 2 lb. sections (glassed) 1.4(i520c:
fair white clover. 1 and 2 lb. secti<ins (glassed) l(i(a
t7c. : fancy buckwheat, 1 lb. sections (no glass)
I5c.; fancy buckwheat. 2 lb sections (glassed) 13(3
14c.: ordinary buckwheat, 1 and I lb. sections
fglassed) iKaiilc: extracted clover honey In kegs
or barrels Oi5iloc; extracted buckwheat honey in
kegs or barrels 7^{i!)8c.
BEESWAX— Prime yellow beeswax 31®.13c.
H. K. & P. B. THURBER * Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— There has been a marked increase in
sales this week of comb honey. New crop, prime
1 lb. frames (pure white) have sold at 20c. when in
fancy cases, in a small w:iv: good many sales at
Isc. for some grade l^ to 2 lb. frames (Or prize
package) when well-fllled and white, 16(g:l7c.; not
quite so well tilled. I.'ic.
Extracted is still slow, but late receipts have
been riper, and there is more inquiry: 94lOc. for
cholceclnver: dark and buckwheat. 7(2).Sc.
BKESWA-X— .SiKas.'tc. for prime to pure yellow.
■ K. A. BURNETT. 161 South Water 8t.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— A dry North wind in May made our
bnnev crop short in the Southern counties, and ]^
of a crop is a lull estimate for California. Not
much arriving, and the smatl amount coming for-
ward is mostly niediuiu quality. For extra while,
eitli^r comb or extracted, the market is firm. White
to extra white comb li('«i20c.: darktogood 10'ai3>i:
extracted, choice to extra white 7(S9c; dark and
candied (i'-^(fl) — ;
BEESWAX— Wholesale 27(^2Rc.
Stearns * smith, ia Front Street,
ST. nODIS.
HONE V— In better demand, but readily obtnina-
blo at quotations; oITerinL's plentiful— largest of
strained and ex'racted. We quote new at ii!«(5)7ii
for strained or extracted, and 14c. for comb. Job-
bing sales of choice, in fancy packages, more. Old
or inferior, nominal.
BEBSWA.X -Easy, with sales at 2(?c.
W. T. Anderson & Co.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— New honey continties in good demand
at IS'SU'C. for choice 1 lb. sections, and such are
readily placed as fast as received: 2 lbs. not so ac-
tive, at 16(<illHc. Second quality sells 14(j5l7c. Ex-
tracted not in demand.
BEESWAX— None in Market.
A. c. KENDEi.. 11.5 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— We have had ashipmentthe past week
from J. E. Crane, and a good sized shipment from
.1. V. Caldwell, of Cambridge. III., whose honey wo
had last year.
We quote our market prices, as follows : White
clover, one lb. combs 2O((022c : wlilte clover, 2 lb.
combs 1,^(^200.: extracted. 9f5I()c.
BEESWAX— Our supply Is gone; we have none
to quote.
CROCKER & Blake, 57 Chatham Street.
428
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tlie American Bee JonrnaL
A Visit to a School of Apiculture.
WM. r. CLARKE.
After ii residence of over teu months
in a country destitute of bees, it was a
pleasure wliicli only a bee-keeper can
understand to find myself in a large
apiary once more, like Mr. Heddon's,
listening to the old familiar hum. and
watching the varied movements of the
busy little honey-gatherers. At this
time (Aug. 13), there is a cessation of
the liquid flow, the fall flowers not
having yet come into bloom. Here
and there a few heads of late white
clover could be seen, which the bees
were eager to rifle. The asters too,
showed some blossoms ; the boneset
looked white, and the goldenrod yel-
low with promise^ while the melilot
was plainly on the wane. Bee pasture
was indeed scant, so thirt it was a
good opportunity for judging the dis-
position of the "cross hybrids." I
must give them the credit of being as
pp;ieeablv-inclined as any bees I ever
saw in like circumstances. Here, in
an apiary of about 300 hives, with
honey scarce, and queen-rearing oper-
ations going on extensively, I saw no
signs of robbery or fighting, and did
not detect a single angry buzz. The
most exemplary order and quietness
reigned supreme. There seemed to
be no Satan on the scene, to " find
some mischief still, for idle " bees " to
do."
My chief interest in visiting Mr.
Heddon at this time was to investi-
gate the condition and prospects of
Ills school of apiculture. As the
fHther of this scheme, I felt naturally
anxious to know how it was working.
It has not been carried out as ex-
tensively as I had anticipated and
hoped, owing mainly to a practical
difficulty not fully foreseen at the
outset. To run an apiary for profit
requires constant supervision, and
enough help to do the work efliciently
—no more, no less. This is hardly
compatible with having an infinite
number of pupils to instruct in the
principles and manipulations of bee-
keeping. When applications began
to pour in upon Mr. Heddon, in re-
sponse to his advertised readiness to
take a limited number of students,
this ditticulty loomed up, and he saw
no solution of it for the present sea-
son, but in taking only so many as he
could use to advantage in carrying on
his own apiary. Hence he selected
from about 20 applicants, 4 young
men, whose replies to a string of
questions appeared to single them out
as especially promising. Some in-
stinct, unerring as that of the bee in
its choice of flowers, must have
uided the selection of these pupils,
'or a likelier quartette could hardly
have been formed. They are, Fred
S. Carrier, Benzie Co., Mich. ; Wm.
Stolley, Grand Island, Neb.; F. S.
I
Williams, Susquehanna, Penn. ; and
W. Hickox, Cleveland, O. Three of
the four are bee-keepers of two or
three years' standing, and the fourth,
though less experienced in bee-keep-
ing, is specially helpful to Mr. Heddon,
and his companions, in consequence
of being a skillful short-hand writer.
We had a session of the school,
which was more like a miniature bee
convention, in the evening of the day
I spent with Mr. Heddon, at which I
obtained ample evidence of the
thoroughness with which these young
men are being instructed, and the
usefulness of such a plan of teaching.
The students were unanimous and
warm in their testimony to the good
they are deriving, and the ready part
they took in the discussion of various
intricate bee matters, bore out their
testimony, and proved that these
young men are being trained to un-
derstand practical apiculture most
thoroughly. The best feature in the
case, to my mind, is the fact that they
are " enthused " with their business.
A man must have the enthusiasm of
his calling, to achieve the best success
in it, and the teacher who cannot
create this, is a failure.
The practical difliculty I have in-
dicated is precisely that which besets
agricultural colleges. Many farmers
demand that these institutions should
be self-supporting, which they cannot
be, even though a portion of the time
is given to manual labor. Principles
must be taught, and what work is
done will be more or less unskilled.
A school of agriculture or apiculture
must be subject to these two draw-
backs. You cannot take raw youths,
instruct them in the theory and prac-
tice of farming or bee-keeping, and
run a farm or an apiary as a source of
profit at one and the same time. It
would be a poor factory that was
manned wholly by apprentices.
There are, and I suppose always
will be, two classes of bee-keepers,
the amateurs and professionals ; those
who keep bees for pleasure from
scientific interest, and those who keep
them as a source of profit, and a
means of livelihood. I am but an
amateur, and doubt my ability to take
an apiary and manage it so as to
make it very profitable, though I
know the theory and manipulations
pretty well. Before going into api-
culture as a business, I should want
to spend a season with a practical
bee-keeper like Mr. Heddon. The
honey market of the world must be
supplied by those who keep bees for
profit, and know how to make money
at it. How are the practical bee-
keepers to be raised up V Shall we
leave the thing to chance, and let
men grope their way through laby-
rinths of failure, into the paradise of
success, or find ways and means to
train them for the business V If bee-
keeping is to take its proper place
among the industries of the world, it
would seem to be necessary to provide
an education for it.
Such an education must comprise,
first, a knowledge of the principles of
bee-culture ; and second, the business
management of an apiary. The first
could be given in a school of apicul-
ture with a few bee hives to experi-
ment with. I do not see how the sec-
ond could be so easily and quickly
imparted as by a season's work under
an accomplished bee-keeper. It is
one thing to be able to handle bees,
it is another and a vastly different
thing to manage them so as to make
them pay. Mr. Heddon says that if
he could have spent a season early in
his career with such apiarist as the
late Adam Grimm, it would have
saved him years of blundering and
discouragement. No doubt many
have blundered along until they have
become despairing, who might have
been put on the highroad to success
at once by an experienced teacher.
Those who are only anxious to make
money by selling apiarian fixtures,
will not care how many blunder into
hopeless discouragement, but all who
wish to see bee-keeping exalted into a
regular profession or business, wilt
desiderate some plan by which api-
cultural capacity can be developed
into success.
Mr. Heddon's pupils are of the
opinion that it would pay any young
man who intends to make bee-keep-
ing a life-work, to attend a school of
apiculture where only a few hives are
kept for experiment, but they con-
sider themselves highly fortunate in
being drilled into the management of
a large apiary, conducted with a view
to dollars and cents. Any number of
young men could be taught elemen-
tary principles and manipulations in
a school. Only so many as are re-
quired to do the work well, can be
drilled in a practical apiary. Mr.
Heddon has restricted himself, the
present season, to that number. The
results are, that the apiary is well
" tended," everything about it is in
" apple-pie order," the students are
well satisfied, and so is their teacher.
The only regret is that, apparently
all this cannot be accomplished on a
larger scale.
Chicago, 111., Aug. 15, 1883.
Pralrte Farmer.
Eees Clustering Outside.
MES. L. HARRISON.
A lady asks why her bees swarmed
seven times and returned to the same
hive 'f She says : " I saw the queen
fly away with the swarm and return
twice, so I know she can fly. The
bees cluster on the outside of the
hive and do not appear to work much.
What makes them act so ?"
We do not know wliy they did so,
but if a little discipline had been
applied at the right time, it would
have remedied the evil. Had the old
hive been removed and a new one
substituted, the colony would have
entered it on their return, and then it
could have been placed on a new
stand and the old one replaced. Yet
queens are sometimes contrary, and
this one might have left the new hive
and returned again to the old one
followed by her subjects. We have
sometimes lifted off the surplus boxes
from a colony acting in this manner,
and removed all the brood frames.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
429
brushing off the bees. We extracted
the honey from such frames as con-
tained it, and those that had brood
were given to nuclei. Frames con-
taining empty comb were given the
bees, tlie surplus boxes replaced, and
they were soon working with energy.
If no empty comb or foundation are
at hand, frames can be given them.
It is very poor economy to have bees
clustered on the outside of the hive
during a flow of honey, and they
should be induced to go to work. An
extractor has tlie reputation of cur-
ing laziness in bees most effectually,
when it is rightly anplied.
We have just now been reading in
the Bee Journal, how a swarm of
bees that clustered on the outside of
a hive, built comb in a box placed
near them. We once read of a jug
being found in the fall full of honey,
that liad been thrown carelessly down
near the entrance to a hive.
The nights have been quite cool for
some time, and though the sun is hot
during the day, the air is cool. Poor
corn and lioiiey weather. To-day
(Aug. 3) the thermometer marked
about 60^ at 8 in the morning. There
is enough honey gatliered daily to
keep the queens laying, which will
insure plenty of workers for fall
bloom. Surplus boxes should be in
readiness, for if the weather is pro-
pitious a Hood of honey like that of
last year may soon visit us. The
rainy weather of the forepart of the
season was conducive to the growth
of fall (lowers.
Peoria, 111.
Kead at the New Jersey and Eastern Convention.
Wintering Bees in Clamps.
C. J. ROBINSON.
The old problem— successful method
of wintering bees— is still a mooted
question, and we are justified in dis-
cussing the subject from eacli other's
standpoint of observation, take the
differing ideal modes and shake them
together in a bag, then dump and
mark the one that comes out first for
" the coming " method. Let us have
anything that tends to promote pro-
gress.
My experience with bees began
while a youth, and dates farther back,
perhaps, than any other American
bee-keeper now living.
Winters in this climate have ever
proved a serious drawback to success
in the business. Were I omniscient
in knowledge, I could not devise a
method of wintering that would be
exempt from death casualties incident
to the vicissitudes of a northern
climate. Situated in a cold region,
we must accept of the conditions, and
try again and again if we fail of suc-
cess. As yet we are ignorant of the
insect nature and natural history of
the honey bee. Indeed, who can an-
swer definitely three per cent, of the
questions that naturally arise in the
experience of beginners in bee-cul-
ture V One inquiry would be, " What
mode of wintering bees is a success
without casualties incident to boreal
winters V" Such question, however.
is as absurd as would be the inquiry,
" How can we rear the cliildren to
have all arrive at adult age V"
Many contrivers of hives claim that
their "invention" contravenes all
danger from cold, and renders nuga-
tory the ungenial winter. Yet the
bills of mortality and loss continue
about the same.
The grand difficulty in the premises
lies in our acquaintance with the
faculty of the bee, and the science
pertaining thereto. We fancy that
bees are dependent for their well-
being on the same agencies and like
uses of those factors as ourselves. A
moment's reflection can scarcely fail
to make such supposition an obvious
error. It is well known that bees are
so constituted that tliey have the
faculty of remaining torpid (chilled)
during several days, and then from
genial warmth, revive again. More-
over, the normal condition of bees
while reposing in confinement caused
by a low temperature, is a semi-dor-
mant state in which there is scarcely
any animate action, and very little
consumption of vital air (oxygen) and
carbonaceous matter (food), nor much
waste of tissue. Hence the preach-
ing about " pure air," unless bees be
in a state of activity, is all bosh ; no
matter from whence it emanates.
The more inanimate bees remain,
the less oxygen and food they require,
and the less consequent waste of
tissue and vitality (wearing out) dur-
ing a given period — during winter.
Tlierefore, the conditions that afford
bees the most perfect tranquil repose
through winter is the most advanta-
geous. Bees in a torpescent state
repose safely in a dead-air chamber,
in which there is no oxygenated at-
mosphere to excite vitality. They
must consume oxygen, however, have
pure air to respire when not in a
quiescent state. The stupid reason-
ing that honey bees require " pure
air " and " ventilation " through the
winter's reign is as fallacious as would
be a theory set up tliat " sleepers,"
the bear and the marmot, require
fresh air for respiration during their
dormant state. In studying the sub-
ject of safe wintering, we should bear
in mind that the normal condition of
bees is not at all times the same, but
that they are in some respects like
the animal sleepers and unlike other
animals. It is well known that bees,
wliile clustered in a circulating at-
mosphere, do not repose quietly in a
temperature considerably below the
freezing point. The colder it is, the
greater the action — consumption of
oxygen and food— to generate warmth
needed to sustain life. It is the
" happy mean "—near the freezing
degree of temperature that affords
tlie desideratum — quiescent state. A
variation of a few degrees either
above or below freezing, changes the
circumstances of condition very ma-
terially. It would be the same with
" sleepers." If, during the vi'inter,
the condition of bees be such that
tliey consume large quantities of
food, they thus live fast and grow old
from the required expenditure of
vitality and tissue, consequent on the
taxation of generating warmth, or
active occupations in or both in or
out of the hive ; that is, they run their
allotted race sooner, a sequence that
is one of the factors of " spring
dwindling."
It is obvious from the view pre-
sented in the foregoing that the suc-
cessful mode of wintering is attained
ouly, if at all, by the bees reposing in
"an atmosphere but slightly charged
with oxygen, and the temperature as
indicated. This end is best attained
by means of " clamps " so-called, for
winter quarters.
My experience with clamps extends
over a period of a quarter of a cen-
tury. I derived my knowledge of the
clamp method first from Rev. L. L.
Langstroth's manual. Mr. L. got
the plan from a German (indirectly,
I believe) who practices wintering
bees in clamps— burying hives in
about the same way potatoes are kept
in " holes."
In my first experience with clamps
I missed the mark — the end I now
have in view for success. Through
my ignorance, a failure on the part of
" mother nature," I fancied that my
repository for bees must be ventilated
else respiration would cease, followed
with death. I discovered that in such
supposition I was in error. I con-
structed my clamps at first with air-
tubes at the bottom of the clamps,
and placed a chimney ventilator in
the top, so as to provide fresh air
circulating through the interior of
the clami). Such arrangement de-
feated the valuable points gained
by a different arrangement which ex-
cludes the external atmosphere and
provides a partial vacuum surround-
ing the hives. My first clamps, and
such as was described in said manual,
are substantially the same sort of re-
pository as cellars.
My mode of constructing clamps is
quite simple in arrangement. I first
dig a pit in mellow earth some 20
inches deep, in the form I purpose
packing or placing my hives to bury.
Then nearly fill the pit with dry straw,
thrown in loosely, place strips across
the pit, on which place the hives.
Now start walls made of boards, so as
to provide a dead-air space all about
the hives. The walls need not be
nicely made, a skeleton frame work
that will keep a coat of dry staw a
little distance from the hives is all
that is rqiiired. The vacant space in
the clamp should be about equal to
one half the space occupied by the
hives. All of the earth on the bottom
of the clamp should be covered with
straw, so as to prevent moisture from
getting within tlie hives. A covering
of earth should be put over all in the
way potatoes are covered in what is
called "i)otato holes." When the
hives are deposited over the pit where
they are to remain, I arrange for ven-
tilating, that is. do not close entirely
the entrance at the bottom, and have
on top a " burlap," or something that
allows rarilied moist air to permeate
upwards. 1 put a tube in the top of
the clamp, and let it remain open
until the bees within become quite
dormant, and cold winter sets in,
then close the ventilator until spring-
like weather, wlien it may be opened.
430
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
It is known that bees buried under
snow will winter safely, providing
there is a vacant space within the
bive, or surrounding it externally.
Depositing bees in clamps should be
as late as it can be delayed before
freezing of the ground prevents the
undertaking.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
The School of Experiments.
W. H. STEWART.
Bee-culture is a trade. Many en-
gage in the business, but only a few
sracceed and become masters ; such
persons are possessed of an enterpris-
ing spirit. They not only love the
arts mechanical, but they delight in
Oie arts line. They are not always
asleep when their eyes are shut. They
are often found performing one job
mechanically with their hands, and at
the same time engaged mentally solv-
ing some knotty problem— exploring
new and untried fields of usefulness.
Such persons are full of new plans
and projects. They are never satis-
fied with the present state of things.
Their mental feelers are ever reaching
outward and onward, and coming in
contact with blessings that never
have been, but are to be enjoyed.
Such persons never have time to be
lazy. They have no time or disposi-
tion to write letters for a department
of " Blasted Hopes." No difference
•whether they occupy a higher or
lower step in the ladder of progress ;
either is to them but a temporary
position from which they are ever
climbing to the next higher.
','. From their standpoint the world is
full of beauty ; every cloud has a
silver lining ; every shadowy vale is
spanned by a beautiful bow of promise.
To them the word demand means a
corresponding supply. To them, bad
luck in bee-keeping means improper
management. If they get a line crop
of honey this year they are thankful,
but notsatislied. They will strive to
do better next year. It is to this
Class of bee-keepers that we are in
debt for the present improved hive ;
for the present strains of bees; the
improved modes of wintering bees ;
the improved methods and tixtures
for feeding bees ; artificial swarming;
preveiuing natural swarming; pre-
venting drones ; rearing queens ; sup-
E lying witluirtiticial combs; prevent-
ig the ravages of the moth ; success-
ful handling of bees without Hre and
brimstone, and without being stung
to death.
To this same class of bee-keepers
we must continue to look for answers
to the many questions not yet an-
swered. To them we must look for
ways and means by and through
which the many present and future
demands are to be supplied. Obstacles
have ever and ever will contend for
the way that leads towards the prom-
ised land of success. Another class
of persons undertake bee-keeping
because they are fond of honey ; or,
perhaps, they hope to realize large
profits from a small amount of capital
or labor that they think to invest in
the business. They admire the beau-
tiful honey that the masters have put
in the market, but they fail to discern
the close practical application of the
finely-spun theories, the never-tiring
energy, the non-surrendering enter-
prise that has been most potent, and
is so indispensible to successful bee-
keeping. They are slow to pay their
money for bee papers, or take the
time to read one ; no patience to lie
awake two or three hours in the still-
ness of night in mental labor, devis-
ing ways and means by and through
which they may realize a large crop
of fine honey.
His grandfather kept bees in hollow
gums, and bees in the natural state
live in old hollow trees, and it is {to
him) all nonsense to attempt an im-
provement on nature's ways and
means. He believes that the world is
as flat as a pan-cake, and after about
two or three turns of the crank, he
finds that he has had bad luck in bee-
keeping, and his bees are as flat as a
pan-cake, too.
The above mentioned classes of
bee-keepers are the two extremes,
viz. : the most successful, and the
most unsuccessful.
There is another class of bee-keepers
which we will call the conservatives.
They are the middle men (not women).
We do not know of a female bee-
keeper who is not of a progressive
nature. This conservative class of
men are often ready to invest in bee-
keeping, and sometimes are easily
persuaded to use hives and other
fixtures that the advanced bee-keepers
have long ago laid aside ; or he may,
and often does, start out with the
latest improvements. He learns to
use those things, perhaps, tolerably
well, and is perfectly satisfied. He
thinks that the art of bee-keeping
has been worked up to a science ; that
the whole truth is told ; that those
who propose to give any new light on
the subject are fanatical crazy heads,
and unworthy of his attention. Let
well enough alone, is his watchword.
We admit that he is right to a certain
extent, for we have all learned that it
is better to go slow in making great
changes without first counseling with
that tried and trusty teacher— ex-
perience. Yet there are those that
have learned many items in the school
of experience, and as they meet with
partial failures, they are able to recall
all those lessons, and arrange them in
regular order, and then spell out along
the line a supply for each demand;
and yet these conservatives are ready
to condemn (without fair trial) each
newly discovered truth.
When it became desirable to save
honey combs for repeated use, then
the progressive mind gave tlie ex-
tractor, the value of which it is hard
to over-estimate. Yet, ever ready at
his post, the conservative bee-keeper,
and also the conservative honey con-
sumer raised all sorts of baseless
objections to its use. It is only be-
cause of the potency of truth and
usefulness that the extractor is to-d.iy
in general use. Again, when fonib
foundation was introduced many who
thouglit that they knew about all that
there was of bee-keeping, expressed
an opinion that it would never come
into general use. Many very know-
ing ones dubbed it fish-bone in the
honey. Yet because of its worth and
usefulness it has come into general
favor, even with the conservative
bee-keeper.
Now comes a condition upon the
beekeepers the world over that is
creating considerable alarm. They
have learned to save all their bees-
wax, work it over into comb founda-
tion and give it back to the bees,
thereby saving them the time and
labor of producing their own wax.
Thus a perpetual consumption and
non-production of beeswax has cul-
minated in a wax famine. Now the
question is, what shall we do for wax,
and this is the most important item
in all progressive bee-keeping. How
can we successfully winter bees and
prevent spring dwindling are ques-
tions that threaten to baffle the wis-
dom of the closest observers ; but if
these two diflSculties should be over-
come, the spare combs and surplus
wax will be diminished in proportion,
to our success in preserving the bees.
However, the wax must be had, and
will be forthcoming in due time, but
Conservatism in vain may try.
Exhausted tlelds for fresb supply;
New-born thouKhts must lead the van.
To fields as yet untried by man.
Banish all fear, fraternal friend.
Bee-culture has not found its end:
Although from Kiddy heights you peer.
Trembling lest the end be near.
Let us try what covert fields
Of art and enterprise can yield.
The astute brain and cunninK hand.
Meet, then embrace, each demand.
Orion, Wis.
Rural New Forker.
Bee Hives Made of Paper.
CLARK D. KNAPP.
Those who have been the most in-
terested in the keeping of bees, have
for years been trying to invent a hive
that would be equally well adapted to
the cold of our winters and to the
heat of midsummers. I saw in the
Bural a short time ago an article upon
the subject of bee-hives, which was
illustrated, but the writer did not
touch upon the question of a summer
and winter home for the bees. Many a
winter hive has been invented, but, as
a general thing, apiarists have given
no thought to the comfort of the bees
in the long, hot summer days, except
by boring a few holes in the hive for
ventilation.
I have always thought that the hot
rays of tlie sun in June, July and
August were unhealtliful for the bees
in the hive, the heat blistering clear
through the wood and making the
inner part of the hive so hot that the
industrious little fellows cannot work
with any degree of comfort. Then,
in addiiion to tlie sun's heat, there is
the animal heat of the bees I What a
liot place must the interior of the
hive be for so much industry !
Now I am opposed to placing the
hives in the shade. The bees need
the sunshine upon the outside, but
not upon the inside of the hive. They
are early risers. They are up, dressed,
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
431
have breakfast and are at work early
when the nmrnin^ smi glistens upon
the ilew drops in tront of tlieir man-
sion. In the State -of New York the
bee has no time to wait for the sun to
warm the damp air beneatli the thick
branches of some moist, moss covered
apple tree. Therefore, I put my bees
iu what I choose to call my summer-
and-winter hive, then set them out in
God's sunshine to enjoy themselves as
they work.
I make my hive with an inner and
an outer wall. These walls are one
inch apart. Ijefore I put the top on
I take paper — old newspaper, in fact
any kind of paper — and stuff the
space between those walls full, pound-
ing it down as hard as [ can without
bulging the boards that form the
inner and outer walls. I have two
half-inch top ventilators, and in the
summer I give a good ventilation
from the bottom. That is all the
secret there is to my summer-and-
winter bee hive. It can be made in
any shape and after any pattern. You
can have any style of frame, or it can
be made without frame.
Now, reader you ask why use
paper '{ Is not sawdust or straw just
as good y I use paper because it is a
non-conductor of heat. It is one of
the best non-conductors of heat
known. Now it stands to reason,
that if paper will keep the heat of the
sun out of the hive in the summer
time, it will keep the heat of the liees
in the hive in winter. And that is
just what the bee men have been
looking for for years. Try it, brother
Dee men, and I believe that you will
well satisfied with the experiment.
For the American Bee JouraaL
Bees, Flowers, Honey and Music-
G. W. DEIIAUEE.
The Union Kentucky Bee-Keepers'
Society has just held one of those
delightful social meetings which its
members and others have so much
enjoyed in the past. This time the
meeting was held at the apiarv of W.
T. Stewart, located on ttie princely
estate of Mr. M. B. Moody, four miles
north of Eminence, in Henry county.
On the morning of the 14th inst., I
boarded the accommodation train and
was landed at the flourishing town of
Eminence, at an early hour, where I
was met by Dr. Ed. Drane and James
Draiie, the latter an uncle of the
Doctor, and although an aged man,
he runs a tine farm, and also a tine
apiary of Italian bees on it, who took
me in their "rig" and drove rapidly
to the place of rendezvous. I shall
not soon forget the warm and cordial
reception with which we met at the
good graces of Mr. Stewart and lady,
and Mr. Moody and family. Every
breeze seemed to waft the glad words
"welcome, welcome."
After the company had well gath-
ered. President Drane called the
meeting to order, and there, under
the shade of the trees near the a|)iary,
many interesting subjects pertaining
to the business of bee-keeping were
warmly but pleasantly discussed.
The present season has been one of
unprecedented "swarming, "and hence
this subject was thoroughly venti-
lated. Most, if not all of the mem-
bers of our association have had all
their " theories " pertaining to the
"controlling of swarming" knocked
into " pie " the present season, and
hence they were humble enough to be
instructetl by each other's e.xperience.
After a pleasant bee talk, Mr.
Moody invited the convention to ad-
journ to the grove, which surrounds
his statelv family residence, where
we found a table loaded with all the
good things that the blue grass re-
gions can give. The ladies have
levied a strong and lasting contribu-
tion on our gratitude for the bounti-
ful and gracefid manner in which
they catered to the wants of the
" inner man." After dinner was over
the company gathered in the capacious
parlors wliere they were regaled by
the Misses Moody's with as line
music, instrumental and vocal, as was
ever heard outside of the professional
circU'. What is more appropriate
th in bees, flowers, honey and music ?
The company retired to the apiary
and resumed the "bee talk," when
Mr. Moody came forward, and in a
jocular way said, that he wanted to
test the members of the society as to
whether they had any ideas of " old
bee-culture," that he had a " bee
tree " down in the woods, and he
would order the "boys" (the farm
hands) to cut it down. Some of the
company were right in for the sport,
but others demurred, saying that they
had no inclination to handle bees
"laying around loose." Mr. Moody
withdrew the motion, being too
magnanimous to insist on anything
without universal concurrence. The
tree was left standing.
W. T. Stewart read a letter from
W. W. Williamson, Lexington, Ky.,
discussing the propriety of our bee-
keepers attending the convention at
Toronto, and proposing an excursion
trip of many Kentucky apiarists.
After drafting suitable resolutions,
tendering the thanks of the society to
Mr. Stewart for his Hne display of
bees and honey, and to Mr. Moody
and family for hospitalities, the con-
vention adjourned ; after which the
members lingered for sometime as
though enchanted by the splendor of
Mr. Stewart's finely fitted-up apiary.
If there is a finer apiary in the South
than Mr. Stewart's, I have no knowl-
edge of its whereabouts. Mr. Stewart
is an artist and painter, and this ad-
vantage has enabled him to make the
finest display of painted hives.
Nearly all his hives differ in color,
and are tastily trimmed with appro-
priate shading.
To set off the apiary to the best
advantage for the occasion, Mr.
Stewart had prepared a large glass
show case in which was a " stack " of
beautiful section honey in the form of
a pyramid, the cap piece of which was
a " wee bit" of a section of about 34
pound. On top of the case were
some Muth honey jars filled with ex-
tracted honey.
This case occupied a conspicuous
place in the lawn just in front of the
center group of the apiary, and was
admired by all who saw it, because of
the delicious contents within. The
bees no less admired the white pyra-
mid, and might be seen poised on the
wing gazing through the glass with
covet in their eyes.
A novel and pleasing feature about
Mr. Stewart's apiary is that instead
of numbering his hives with figures
in the usual way, his hives are named
after some of the prominent bee-
keepers. In the middle of the centre
group is T. (4. Newman, Editor of the
American Bee Journal. This is a
large chaff hive, splendidly painted,
and the " lettering " is beautifully and
artistically executed. On the left of
this central figure, and composing
apart of the group, may be seen L. L.
Langstroth, Dr. Dzierzon, Charles
Dadant, E. Secor, G. W. Demaree,
Lucy Harrison, G. L. Viallon, James
Heddon, W. M. Kellogg, Ira Barber,
B. Wilkin, H. Alley, A. I. Root, G.
W. Ashby and O. M. Blanton. On
the right of the central figure are W.
R. Howard, W. F. Clarke, Mrs.
Luper, C. II. Lake. H. R. tSoardman,
C. C. Miller. L. C. Root, J. H. Morton,
H. Roop, E. B. Southwick, E. E.
Hasty, G. W. Knight, J. M. Hicks,
D. A'. Pike, F. Benton, R. M. Argo.
O. O. Poppleton, and C. N. Abbott.
Immediately in front of the center
group stands a fancy little tall cottage
hive, neatly trimmed with light
brown, this is Prof. A. J. Cook. On
its right stands E. Drane, D. A.
Jones, N. P. Allen, G. M. Doolittle,
L. Johnson and Frances Dunham.
When the work of "lettering" is
finished there will be 180 bee-keepers
and writers on bee-culture in one
apiary— a pretty good force you will
admit. Stretching away down the
line towards the honey house, are G,
M. Alves, J. B. Baker, T. Balcomb.
M. M. Baldridge, A. Benedict. O. F.
Bledsoe, E. L. Briggs, J. P. H.
Brown. T. J. Burrill, W. H. Bussey,
J. V. Caldwell, B. F. Carroll. F. B.
Cheshire, R. Corbitt, C. II. Dibbern,
L. J. Diel. F. L. Doughertv, J. Cray-
craft, J. W. Bagley, J. D." Evans, E.
T, Flanagan, G. Grimm, H. S. Hack-
man, W. S. Hart, G. W. House, H.
L. Jeffery,E. C. Jordan, A.R. Kohnke,
C. F. Koch. J. E. Lay, J. Lee, M.
Mahin, J. B. Mason, A. F. Moon, R.
M. Osborn, E. Parmley, J. L. Peden,
A. Pettegrew, J. E. Pleasants, Mrs.
A. M. Sanders, G. L. Tinker, Delia F.
Torre, O. M. Townsend, T. L. Von-
Dorn, W. W. Williamson. Wm. M.
Rogers, S. M. Locke, J. M. Brooks,
Mrs. L. C. Axtell, E. M. Ilayhnrst,
James H. Reed, Wm. P. Kanyler,
John T. Connley, C. H. Dean, and
others whose names I failed to get.
Of course Mr. Stewart keeps a
record of what results he gets from
his colonies ; without the least idea of
his methods, I should presume that
it would run somewhat after this
fashion : D. A. Jones, 1SS8, 400 lbs.
of extracted; queen, best Italian
stock. James Heddon, queen " mis-
mated," must be superseded. G. W.
Demaree, too many "stripes" entirely.
Well, now, to be serious, Mr. S.
claims to have taken about 400 pounds
from the colony in the hive of D. A.
432
THE AMERICAISI BEE JOURNAL.
Jones. This, with us, is considered
an extraordinary large yield from
one colony, as we depend alone on
wtiite clover for surplus.
Members reported their bees in
good condition, enough honey coming
HI each morning to keep up breeding,
wliich will keep the workers in good
trim for the fall harvest, if we are
blessed with a How of nectar.
Christiansburg, Ky.
so that bees may store sufficient
honey above the brood nest for their
winter's consumption.
Ohio State Bee-Keepers' Convention.
Lewiston Journal.
Where do Bees Cluster in Winter.
w. M. r.
I have had occasion to inspect
nearly 50 hives where bees have died
during the past winter and spring, in
this and adjoining towns. I have
also observed the nature and habits
of the honey bee for the last 30 years,
and hence 1 may be allowed to speak
somewhat authoritatively on the
above subject. In nine-tenths of
those colonies which died the past
winter, I have found them clustering
close together at the top of the frames,
with honey at one or both ends of the
hive. I refer to bees wintered on the
summer stands, with chaff protection
above and around them. In a few
instances I have found some honey at
the lower part of the frames, and the
reason is obvious. I would inform
Mr. Churchill, that bees do not clus-
ter, in late fall at the top of the hive,
unless the colony is quite large and
fills the whole space of the frame ;
but, on the contrary, where they
reared their brood, ' on fhe empty
comb of the brood nest, let it be where
it will, but usually in the centre of
the hive below and between the cap-
ped honey. Usually when the brood
comes out late in autumn, there is
stored some honey below the brood
nest, if there has been no place to
store it elsewhere ; when it is stored
below and they have clustered where
the brood was last reared, instead of
going down to eat it, they invariably
crawl upward, until the top is reached.
When tlie hive is shallow, or the col-
ony fills the frame, they will cross
over the frames towards one end, if it
is warm enough in the hive for them
to do so, but if it is too cold, then they
remain and starve. Sometimes they
traverse to one end, but woe to ttem,
they cannot live to return to the other
end on account of the frost, or frigid
temperature within. But, says one,
the heat generated by the bees, as-
cends, strikes the top of the hive,
spreads out horizontally, warms the
honey at the ends, and thus invites
the bees to follow in this direction.
Why, friends, how far do you suppose
heat of the bees extends horizontally,
when it is so cold in the hives as to
freeze the slightest vapor— when the
temperature outside of the one inch
board hive is 25'^ below zero? Not
much heat outside the immediate
bodies of bees, surely, unless it be
directly above the space of a bee's
probosis. Hence, we must devise
some plan to keep the interior of the
hive in an even temperature of 4.5'^
through the winter, or build our hives
The Ohio State Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will hold a convention during
State Fair week, at Columbus, O.,
commencing on Tuesday evening.
The following programme has been
arranged :
Tuesday Evening,Sept.4.— 1. Greet-
ings and organization. 2, Annual re-
port of Secretary and Treasurer. 3.
Election of officers. 4. Annual ad-
dress of the President. 5. General
discussion of topics presented by
members present.
Wednesday Evening, Sept. 5.— 1.
Address by S. D. Riegel on improve-
ment in bee-culture as deduced from
the season's operations, followed by
discussion on the same. 2. Question
drawer and discussion on topics pre-
sented.
Thursday Evening, Sept. 6.— 1. Ad-
dress or general talk by Vice-Presi-
dent Aaron Benedict, on the rearing
and management of queens, followed
by discussions of the same. 2. Ques-
tion drawer and discussion of topics
presented.
Conference meetings of bee-keepers
and those interested will also be held
each atternoon at 1 o'clock in Apiar-
ian Hall, on Fair grounds.
The place of meeting of the conven-
tion to be decided at time of the Fair,
probably in the upper room of Apiar-
ian Hall.
Everybody who is at all interested
in bees is invited to meet with the
Association, and all who can bring
articles for exhibition, as efforts are
being made to render tiiis department
a grand success.
The State Board of Agriculture
has furnished the bee-keepers a sep-
arate hall for their exhibits at the
State Fair, with an upper room in
which to hold meetings. Ample room
will be furnished for all exhibits.
Dr. H. Besse, Pres.
D. Spear, Sec.
Aaron Benedict,
Supt. Apiary Hall.
To the Bee-Keepers of California.
State, but unless I get satisfactory
reports from the principle honey-
producing counties (San Diego, Los
Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura,
and Santa Barbara), and within the
specitied time, I shall send nothing
to the convention. The former an-
nual reports, as well as that of Dr.
Miller, who, in respimse to a call for
statistics, received only five answers
from this State, where there is said to
be bOO bee-keepers, have been a mere
farce, unsatisfactory to those who
undertook the work, and of no prac-
tical information to anvbody else, and
I have no desire to make a repetition
in that line. Our object is not to
present figures that will astonish the
world, but to obtain facts, such as
they are, that we may get a clearer
insight into the true status of the bee-
business at the present day. I can
see no good reason for withholding
the truth, be it flattering or not, and
I hope that each individual bee-
keeper will aid the secretaries in their
work, by giving or forwarding to
them the desired information.
WM. MUTH-RaS3IUSSEN,
Vice-Pres.for CaUfornia N.A.B.K.S.
Independence, Inyo Co., Cal.
The National Convention has been
appointed to be held at Toronto on
Sept. 18, 19 and 20. I now call upon
the secretaries of the various county
associations of this State, and for
counties having no association, on
any enterprising bee-keeper who will
undertake the work, to collect and
make out reports for their respective
localities of the number of bee-keep-
ers, number of colonies in the spring
and on hand, and amount of comb,
extracted and strained honey, and of
beeswax taken, or estimated to be
taken during the season, and to for-
ward them to me liy the 6lh of Sep-
tember. Send no individual reports
except from counties having no asso-
ciation and but few scattered apiaries.
I hope to hear from all parts of the
Ontario Convention.
The third annual general meeting
of the Ontario Bee- Keepers' Associa-
tion will meet in the City Hall,
Toronto, on Tuesday, the 20th day of
September next, during the second
week of the Industrial Exhibition.
As the North American Bee-Keepers'
Covention meets at the same time and
place, it has been arranged that the
two bodies hold joint meetings in
discussing matters pertaining to our
common interests, as the leading bee-
keepers of America are to be present.
This will, undoubtedly, be the most
interesting meeting of apiarists ever
assembled in Canada. The venerable
Mr. Langstroth antl all the prominent
bee-men of the United States are ex-
pected to be present. A profitable
time is anticipated, and a good turn-
out requested. The convention will
last three days. A meeting for the
purely business work of our associa-
tion will be held sometime during the
convention, of which due notice will
be given.
R. McKnight,
Pres. Ontario Bee Association.
^- The S. W. Iowa Bee-Keepers'
Association will meet at Red Oak,
Iowa, Aug. 29. Members of the
society are requested to bring their
apiarian implements and put them on
exhibition at the fair. Our society is
in a flourishing condition, having a
membership of 64, and more being
added to our number at every meet-
ing. Auxiliary associations are being
formed in all our counties, and south-
western Iowa will soon be one of the
foremost sections of our country in
apiculture. In our report will be
given the number of co'onies owned
in the society, produce, etc
W. J. Oliver, Sec.
L. E. Mercer, Pres.
,THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
433
To Bee-Keepers of North America-
As one of the oldest of your num-
ber, 1 desire respectfully to remind
you that the Toronto Convention will
afford us all an opportunity of paying
a well-earned tribute to tlie memory
of our honored dead— Samuel Wagner,
Moses Quinby, Adam Grimm. Richard
Colviu and others, who did so much to
elevate American apiculture to its
present high position.
L. L. Langstroth.
Oxford, Ohio, Aug. 23, 1883.
1^" The Cass County Bee-Keepers'
Association, organized on the 15th of
August, will meet on the 10th of
October, 1883, in Logansport, Ind.
All persons interested in bees and
honey are respectfully invited to
come. De Witt 13rown, iiec.
Wihixt and gloiu;
ANSWERS B?
James Hcddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Curious Freak of Bees.
I desire Mr. Hetldon to reply to this:
One of my colonies of bees cast off
a swarm in the middle of July, and
in order to prevent the second, I cut
out all their queen-cells (they were
hybrids) and grafted in a cell from an
Italian colony, and when cutting out
the queen-cells from this hybrid col-
ony, one cell dropped down unnoticed
to the bottom of the hive, and in a
few days it swarmed again with the
young Italian queen, and, on examin-
ing the old hive, I found this queen-
cell on the bottom, took it out and
cut it open, and to my surprise I
found a dead worker bee in it, and an
old one at that. The mystery to me
iS; Why did the bees seal that cell
with that dead worker bee in it and
then svifarm. I gave this colony a
laying queen, so everything is all
right. A. RiCKBNBACHER.
Gahanna, Ohio, Aug. 15, 1883.
Answer.— I have never had a case
like the one above referred to. I do
not know as we have any precedent of
the kind. I do know that it is one of
the traits peculiar to the Italians,
especially the golden variety, to cast
swarms leaving no cells behind. Such
acts are exceptional, of course. Some-
times we find worker combs in queen-
cells, but they were hatched and
grown in the cell, .evidently intended
by the bees for a queen. Are you
sure the bees sealed up this old dead
worker before or immediately after
the swarming V But, no matter at
which time they did it, their reasons
for so doing can be hardly more than
guessed at by any of us.
Rolling in the Buckwheat Honey,
Last spring we purchased of Mr.
Doolittle an Italian business-queen.
We reared about 40 queens from her.
These young queens were mated in
our yard by German drones, and at
this date these hybrid bees are just
rolling in the buckwheat honey. The
weather is all we could wish, and
every indication now points to a most
bountiful fall harvest.
A. W. OSBURN.
Water Valley, N. Y., Aug. 17, 1883.
Why so Much Extracted Honey.
As there is so much difference in
the price of extracted and comb
honey, why not produce more comb
and less extracted ? Will we not get
as much honey in the aggregate to
use lower stories exclusively for brood
and winter stores, and use the sec-
tion boxes on top of brood frames for
surplus honey ? I am inexperienced,
but expect to " grow up," with the
start I have, to considerable of an
apiary, and am anxious to know why
so much extrated honey.
K. A. W.
East Liberty, Ohio, Aug. 15, 1883.
[Both comb and extracted honey
will be in demand, and all can pro-
duce which ever they desire, or have
the convenience for doing. The ex-
tracted honey is used for manufactur-
ing purposes, as well as for table use,
instead of syrups, fruit, etc. Both
kinds are necessary. Side storing in
the brood chamber is priicticed by
many, but the tendency is towards
favoring top storing exclusively .—Ed.]
Large Fall Crop Expected.
I have not obtained any honey
since the white clover I extracted in
June. The bees have been getting
enough honey to keep the queens
laying all through the summer. They
are now working on buckwheat, and
the wheat fields are full of bees,
working on the ragweed, which is
covered with blossoms. The weather
has been very dry since the middle of
July, but we had a nice rain last
week, and another to-day. I expect a
big flow of honey between this and
and the middle of September.
R. GUINSELL.
Baden, Mo., Aug. 22, 1883.
Cleome.
Enclosed please find a plant that
grows wild hereabouts. The bees
work on it, beginning at daylight. I
can, at this moment, see drops of
honey in it. Can you name it V
John R. Ckaio.
Beatrice, Neb., Aug. 21, 1883.
[It is Cleome, or the Rocky Moun-
tain bee plant— an excellent honey-
producer. — Ed.]
Wintering Bees in Texas.
Bees have done well in this vicinity
since spring opened. Box hive meit
lost heavily during the latter uiirt of
winter. I put 36 up last fall, 4 of
which were weak in stores and bees v
to those I gave plenty of honey, by
placing full boxes on top of frames,-
which was soon taken out by robber
bees, and the weak colonies were left
to starve, which they soon did. I
have concluded never to try to winter
a weak colony again. I also bought
9 weak colonies in January, which I
tried to save by feeding, and suc-
ceeded in saving 5 of them. I com-
menced the spring with 36 colonies, 6-
of which were very weak; they have-
increased to 69 by natural swarm ing^
and I hived back and doubled about
20 swarms, and lost 15 or 20 more.
They swarmed incessantly from the'
first of April to the 12of July. There-
was a good honey flow from the 20tli
of June to the 8th of August; since-
which time robbing has been '* the
order of the day." I have been
watching the Bee Journal closely
to find a plan by which this robbing-
could be prevented, but have never
seen anything that gives satisfaction.
It bothers and perplexes me worse
than anything I have found in bee-
keeping. My bees are mostly blacks ;•
I have never seen an Italian robbing,
and have never seen a colony of Ital-
ians robbed by other bees. I think I
shall Italianize them, next spring, for
this quality alone. I have taken, up
to date, about 2,000 pounds of comtc
honey, and everything is favorable
for a good fall crop.
B. L. Clements.
Queen City, Texas, Aug. 20, 1883.
Poorest Honey Crop CTcr Known.
This has been the poorest summer
for bees ever known in Sanilac
County, Mich. I commenced with 42
colonies ; increased by natural swarm-
ing to 77 ; we had rain and cold up tO"
Aug. 10. White clover was plenty
everywhere. Since the August 10,they
have been working on sweet clover,
still they get but little honey in the-
boxes. Some of my neighbors have-
not taken off' one box yet. I still hope-
for the best. Josepu Lee.
Farmers, Mich.
Honey Barometer.
I have been wondering if there is
interest enough in the country to give-
short weekly reports from three or
four districts in every State, saying
what the state of the honey flow is,
weather, how bees are working,
blooms, etc. In this way we coulo
have a barometer all over the coun-
try. The idea adopted in the British
Bee Jmmnl is what I mean iu
"Echoes from the Hives." If this-
thing was arranged for now syste-
matically, it might be worked next
year. Another thing, could not sec-
tions of States establish honey depots
in the nearest cities, receive the
honey of the members and grade it,
and so help to keep up the price.
R. F. Kendall.
Austin, Texas, Aug. 20, 1883.
434
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
August Dwindling.
Who of the bee-keeping fraternity
have had an experience of au August
dwindling V Herein southern Ulster
county, in eastern New York, on the
afternoon of Aug. 16, bees in large
numbers lay around my yard unable
to reach their hives from being
chilled, ea«h laden with honey or
pollen. But it so happenefl to be
warm the next day, and they most all
revived, though had it rained the
following night, which it threatened,
they would all have perislied.
D. A. Martin.
Plattekill, N. Y., Aug. 20, 1883.
Oyer 600 lbs. from One Colony.
On page 398, Bee Jouenal, Mr.
Knickerbocker states that his " boss
colony " has already gathered J45
pounds, with the prospect of getting
175 pounds. My "boss colony" (a
full blooded Italian) has alreaciy
gathered 340 pounds ; but my "bosser"
one (a7i Aniericanus) has already gath-
ered 603 pounds, with the prospect of
50 or 100 more. This has been
a good year for honey here. The
honey flow has been very regular for
three months, but is slacking up some
now. Our main source of honey is
Alfalfa. J. F. Flory.
Lemore, Cal., Aug. 16, 1883.
Collecting Sweet Clover Seed.
Bees are doing well here this sea-
son. Be kind enough to state in the
Weekly BEBjouuKALthebest method
of collecting seed from tl»e bokharaor
Bweet clover. J. C. Thom.
Streetsville, Ont., Aug. 16, 1883.
Will you please inform me through
the Weekly Bee .Journal how the
seed of the melilot is secured from the
stalk, and what it is worth by the
quantity V W. M. IIeilig.
Lutherville, Md., Aug. 23, 1883.
[Its price is regulated by the " sup-
ply and demand " in the localities
where it is to be sold. To secure it,
mow, thresh and screen it, as you
would other grain. — Ed.]
Honey-Producing Plants.
We are expecting a (ine display of
honey-producing plants and insects
injurious to bees, at the Tri-State
Bee-Keepers'Association meeting and
Fair. It is prepared by a student of
the Michigan University. I am not
positive it will be here, but expect it.
Prof. Cook has written me in regard
to it. The Professor has also given
me a invitation to act as chief judge
at.the Fair at Detroit, and I expect to
" obey orders." A. B. Mason.
Wagon AVorks, O., Aug. 24, 1883.
"Nothing but Leaves."
In my communication on page 419,
where it is said that the caps were
nearly all lilled with " lioiiey," it
should have read nearly all tilled with
leaves. The weather is again cool
duringthe nights, and honey is coming
in slowly. H. S. Hackman.
Peru, 111., Aug. 24, 1883.
Honey Yield iu Ontario.
Beine desirous of having my bees
store surplus honey in the second
story of my hives, I determined to re-
move a couple of sections ftom the
brood-chamber to the upper story,
and, in doing so, I was obliged to cut
some of the sections apart where they
had worked together, and consider-
able honey ran down to the bottom of
the hives, making a condition unsat-
isfactory to the bees. What are the
probable results of such removals V
My hives had a strong force of work-
ing bees, with the bottom full of
honey, and most of the section combs
worked together. I had the second
story of my hives tilled with sections
of comb foundation, and yet the bees
would not work on the second story.
I made this division only three days
since, and I now find them working
all right with the exception of one
hive, on the front of which a large
number of bees cluster. This I at-
tribute to the imsettled condition of
the bees, caused by cutting the combs,
whereby the honey flowed to the bot-
tom of the hive, causing confusion in
their working. The yield of honey
in this part of Ontario, this season,
so f;ir, is far above the average, and
bee-keepers anticipate very large re-
sults, and well they may, when comb
honey, broken up, sells at 1.5 cents
per pound, and one-pound boxes of
honey retail at 2-5 cents per pound;
white extracted honey is sold at 13
cents per pound wholesale, and retails
at 1-5 cents per pound. Our bees are
principally Cypruins and Italians; very
few black bees are to be found, and
those who have them are classed
among the old fogies. J. H. Peck.
Trenton, Out., Aug. 20, 1883.
[The removal of unfinished sections
to the upper story is frequently done
to induce the bees to work up there,
and there will be no trouble to get the
bees to clean up the honey ; in fact
that is, of itself, an inducement for
them to store it above.— Ed.]
Report for the Season.
I commenced the season with 57
colonies; some of them were by no
means strong. They brought in the
first pollen on April 2 ; one month
later than usual. My first swarm
issued May 18 ; ten days earlier than
last year. It commenced to rain
April 30, and continued about five
days out of every week, more or less,
up to June 22, when it ceased. White
clover commenced to bloom the latter
part of May ; the bees made good use
of the time between showers, and at
this date the pasture fields are white
with bloom. Our favorite linden
commenced to bloom the first of July,
and lasted for 25 days; it gives a
bountiful harvest of fine honey. I
sell it readily at ray home market,
extracted at 10 cents ; comb at 15
cents per pound. One-pound sections
are a new thing here ; a few days ago
I put a crate of one-pound sections of
beautiful white comb honey in the
store ; as it was the first they had ever
seen, it was admired by many. Bees
have swarmed too much here this
year. Many wild swarms passed over;
one went in the gable end of a dwell-
ing house, at a knot hole in the
weather boarding, and they are still
working lively. H. Clark.
Palmyra, Iowa, Aug. 1, 1883.
Home Markets for Honey.
I said, many years ago, that all the
honey produced in the state of New
York could be consumed in the State,
without taking any of it to our largest
cities. This may seem a broad asser-
tion, but let bee-keepers commence,
as I did 20 years ago, to dispose of
their honey, and I think that they will
be convinced that their country and
village will consume nearly all of it.
The very same families that a few
years ago bought but a few pounds,
will now take as many dollar's worth;
aud for the past few years I have had
more orders by far than I could fill.
Another thing, you are not only crea-
ting a home market which will increase
aa years roll by, but you get the cash ;
but if it be consigned to the best com-
mission men, time must elapse before
you get the pay, sav nothing of break-
ing and many otlier contingencies.
One word of caution : be careful not
to try to sell honey of an inferior class
for first-class; sell it for just what it is.
I never have any trouble to sell it all.
Oran, N. Y. W. P. B.
Queen's Stings, the Clovers, etc.
Two weeks ago, a Holy Land queen
stung my wife on the middle finger,
while she was daubing her with honey,
to return her to hive No. 19, from
which she had just emerged with a
swarm ; and, one day last week, my
daughter was assisting me, and while
she was preparing to kill a Holy Land
virgin queen in hive No. 3, she was
stung on the middle finger. My wife
and daughter are my main helpers in
the apiary, and they have handled
hundreds of queens, and were never
stung by one before. The stings were
painful ; both queens retained their
stingers and are now doing splendidly.
My 5 acres of buckwheat are iu full
bloom, and the bees are on it from
daybreak till noon, and are on the
sweet and red clovers all day. The
bees are not now working on the
white clover, but very little. The fig-
wort and catnip are blooming, and
dotted thick witli bees from early un-
til late. My Black-Italians (hybrids)
do not work on red clover. My Syrio-
Italians draw the nectar from the red
clover bloom, easily and quickly. The
queens all had a vacation some three
weeks back, but now they are at the
front, booming. The honey is the
finest I ever saw. The prospects are
yet splendid in favor of a fall honey
harvest. We have had no rain now
for ten days, and to-day it is 94° at 1
p.m.; wind northwest. I keep my
51 colonies all equal and full of bees ;
when one gets so full that they cannot
be smoked in, to stay and work, I find
the weakest hive, and, late in the
evening, I shovel them up and take
them to that hive and smoke them in.
Kane, 111. R. M. Osbobn.
THE AMERICA]^ BEE JOURNAL.
435
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on tlie Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or registe'r the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
TS'e wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specilic,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$1500. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows ihe
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Oar Freminms for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, tor tltf Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary liegister for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping.
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
BEES and HONEY.
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor oS the Wefkl]i llee Journals
935 'Went Madlaon Street, ChlcuKO. III.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
BUSINESS CHANGE.-I wish to an-
nounce a change in my business. You ai'e
aware of the death of my oldest son, which
occurred in May last. He had been quite
a help to me. After his healtli Vv'as im
paired, he went to tlie country, and 1 liad
become accustomed to miss his assistance
m the business; but he had taken upon
himself the care of tlie farm. VVlieu 1
found tliat there was no remedy for his un-
fortunate disease, my mind was made up
to reduce my business. Aly grocery and
seed trade was unusually heavy the past
spring and summer, while my honey trade
kept growing steadily. When tlie rush for
supplies was added, I was crowded more
than was pleasant. I could take no time
to write a postal card, unless it was impera-
tively necessary. On Monday last 1 rened
my store, etc., to a couple of young busi-
ness men, and sold them my stock of
groceries. I may be found, hereafter, in
mv honey store, on the comer lot opposite
the old store. I'ure Honey and Bee keep-
ers' Supplies, Seeds and i'ure Baking
Powder, will hereafter be my Imsiness.
Chas. F. Mutu.
Cincinnati, O., Aug. 23, 1883.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preiserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They caiuiot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Mrs. J. F. Upton gives the follow-
ing notice of this book in the Buth,
Maine, ISentinel :
A guide to the management of the
apiary for profit and pleasure, by
Thomas G. Newman. This work is
designed to initiate beginners in bee-
keeping in all the secrets of success-
ful bee-culture. Beginning witli tbe
different races of bees, the author
takes his readers along step by step,
carefully explaining the different
kinds of bees, illustrating each kind
with the eggs and brood, explaining
the terms used, the production of wax
and comb, and the work done by
these wonderful insects. The estab-
lishment of an apiary is next con-
sidered ; the best location, time to
commence, how many colonies to be-
gin with, what kind of bees to get,
how to care for a first colony, keeping
bees on shares, changing the location,
all of which it is indispensable for a
beginner to know. It is also impor-
tant to know which kind of hive is
the best, how to procure the best comb
honey, how to procure it for market,
how it should be marketed, wh»t to
do with candied comb honey, and how
to extract honey. The scientific man-
agement of an apiary is then entered
into, and illustrations of all tlie nec-
essary applicances introduced. There
is a chapter devoted to the honey ex-
tractor and its use, and another to
comb foundation and its use. The
various honey-producing plants and
trees are named and illustrated.
Various methods for exhibiting bees
and honey at county and state fairs
are described. The best and safest
plans for wintering bees are discussed,
the book closing with some general
advice to beginners. The author says
of his book on Bees and Honey, "it
was not designed to supersede or sup-
plant any of the valuable works on
apiculture already published, but to
supply a want for aclieap work for the
beginners." We most cordially rec-
ommend this work not only to begin-
ners, who will tin.d it invaluable, liut
to all who are not already familiar
with the lives and movenieits of
these industrious and intelligent
little workers. The information to be
eaine<l as to their habits, manner of
breeding, intelligence, energy and
wonderful instincts, by reading this
book alone, is enough to make one
regard the bee with aduiiratiou and
amazement.
PRICE— Bound In cloth, 75 cental In paper
covers, 50 centii, postpaid.
THOMAS O. NEWMAN,
925 W. Madison St., OhloaKO, Ul.
A l..lberal UlMcuuitt to Ikenlera by
the l>ozeuor lluudred.
436
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
iingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smokers need wide shields. Bingham's
Laiave them, and sprlnKs that donotrust and break,
and bellows tbat sparkB and smoke do not enter.
-The Conqueror has all improvements made to date,
.And a 3x7 Inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
j)08t-pald for Sl.7o. Address.
BINOHAM & HETHEBINGTON,
Abronla Mich.
Cyprians Con-
AiUKKED. — All sum-
mer long it has been
'•which and tuther"
-with me and the Cyp-
:rtan colony of beea I
have— but at last I nm
•■ boss. " Bingham's
"Conqueror Smoker"
.did it. If you want
lots of smoke juat at
-the right time, get a
^OHt^ueror Smoker of
Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Borodino. N. Y.,
,AuK. 15. 1882.
Excelling all.—
Messrs. Bingham &
Hetherington. Dear
-.Sirs:— lam now sell-
■ing your Smokers al-
most exclusively.
-You are excelling
yourselves in smok-
ers all the time.
Resj-ectfuily.^^^ Patented, 1878.
Austin, Texas, May 10. 1833.
The Orlclnal
BINOHAU
Bee Smoker
The Very best.— The Bineham "Conqueror"
3moker is the very best thing I have trle'1 in that
line. M. M. LINDSAV.
Fulton, Tenn., July 24, 1883.
During the following three months,
•Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per maH, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
■The "Doctor", .(wide shield)— 3^ in. fire tube, $2.00
-The Conqueror (wide shield)— 3 in.liretube, 1.75
I.arKe (wide shield ) -2"^ in. flro tube, 1 .."iO
'^xtra (wideshield)- 2 in.flretube, 1.25
■Piain.^ (nar. shieldt- 2 in.flretube, l.lKl
iLittle Wonder, .(nar. shield)— 1»^ in. Are tube, .65
iBingbam & Hetherington Uncapping Knife. . 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
;agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
Tthousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & HETHERfNOTON.
' Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883.
1^ Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
lUnnecessarily. Always send postage
-stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get tliem — one-cent stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
1^ The new two - cent postage
:Stamp is to be of a metallic red color,
•with a vignette of Washington. It
^•ill supersede the present three-cent
^tamp on the 1st of October.
Sample Copies of theAMERicAN Bee
Journal will be sent free to nny per-
:3on. Any one intending to get up a
,£lub can have sample copies sent to
ihe persons they desire to interview,
^y sending the names to this office.
Trial Trip-25 Cents.
As the season for Fairs has arrived,
and wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal three months
on trial, for 25 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us live trial
subscriptions (with Sl.2-5) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 2.5, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
Books at Fairs.— Those who make
an exhibit at Fairs will find that an
assortment of Books and Pamphlets
would sell and leave them a profit for
handling. We will send such, postage
prepaid,' at 2.5 per cent, discount; or
if the purchaser pays express charges,
we will supply any of our own publica-
tions at 40 per cent, discount.
^" The new Postal Note will be
obtainable in a few days at the Post-
offices all over the country. Then
any sum from one cent to five dollars
can be sent in a letter, by obtaining a
Postal Note, costing only 3 cents.
After October 1, small sums can be
easily sent to this oftice for 5 cents (3
cents for the Postal Note and 2 cents
postage on the letter), and there will
be no need of sending postage stamps
in letters, which often get all stuck
togettier by the damp weather, or
being handled while perspiring.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
i^" A Queen and a book on Queen-
Rearing for $2. See Henry Alley's
liberal offer in his new advertise-
ment.— Adv.
^"Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
The Bee-Keeper's Guide;
OB,
MANUAL OF THE APIARY,
By A. J. COOK,
Of Lansing, Projesaor of Entomolotjy in the
State Agricultural College of MicMgazL
3SO Pases ; 133 Fine lUustrutlons.
This lea new edition of Prof. Cook's Manual of
the Apiary, enlarged and elegantly ttlustruted.
The first edition of a.OUO copies was exhausted In
about 18 months — a aale unprecedented In the
annals of bee-culture. This new work, has been
produced with great care, patient study and per-
sistent research. It comprises a full delineation
of the anatomy and physloloey of the honey bee,
Illustrated witb many costly wood enaravinKs —
the products of the Honey Bee ; the races ot bees-,
full deaccnptiona of honey-producing plants.lrees,
shrubs, etc. .splendidly Illustrated— and last,thouRh
not least, detailed inatructions fur the various
manipulations necessary in the apiary.
ThlB work Is a masterly production, and one that
no bee-keeper, however limited his means, can
afford to do without. It is fully "up with the times"
on every conceivable subject that can Interest the
apiarist. It is not only instructive, but intensely
interesting and thoroughly practical.
Head the follmving opmiona of the Book ;
All apree that it Is the work of a master and of
real vu.\\xe.—h'Apicull lire, Paris.
I think Coo''"s Manual is tne best of our Amert-
cau works.— Lewis t. Coluv.
It appears to have cut the ground from under
fuiure book-makers.- /in(i,--/i Bee Journal.
Prof. Cook's valuable M;mual has been my con-
stnni tinide in my operations and successful man-
aKemeutof the upiuiy.— J. P. WEST.
I have derived more practical knowledge from
Prof. Cook's New Manual ot the Apiary than from
any other book.— E. Id. VVVNKOOP.
Q'his book is just what everyone Interested In
bees ought to have, and which, no one who ootaina
It, will ever regret huviny puicnased.— A/tc/i. Far.
To all who wish to engage 'n bee-culture, a
manual is a nece-sity. Piot. Cook's M;iuuul is an
exhaustive work.- iifraM. MonticeJlo, 111,
With Cook's Manual I am more than pleased. It
Is fu.ly up with the ciiues in every particular. The
richest rew;ud awaits its author.— A. E. Wenzel.
My success has been so preat as to almost aston-
ish mysell. and itiuoIi of it is due lo the clear, dis-
interested lulorujniinn contained in Cook's Man-
ual.-VVM. Van ANTVVEiti'. Al. U
It is the latest bonk on the bee, and treats of both
the bee and l.ive.s, with their implements. It is of
value to all bee-raisers.— A' y. Lire Stock Record.
It is a credit to the author as well the publisher
I have never yet met with a work, either French
i)r liireiun. winch I like so much.— L'ABBE lit'
Boiti, editor ot the Jiut.etin D' Atnculteur, France.
It not only gives the natural history of these In-
d:ibtrious insect,^ but aiyo a thorough, practiCHi,
and clearly expressed series of directions for their
management; al^oa hotanicjil description ot honey
producing plants, and an e.xtended account of the
enemies of bees.— i>(;Huc?'ar, Pulaski. N. Y.
We have perused with great pleasure this vndA
niecuTii of tiie bee-keeper. It is leplete with the
beat information on everytliing belonying to api-
eulture. I'o al taking an inrere-t in ihis subject,
we say, obtain this valuable work, rpad it carefully
and practice as advised.— ^IffrituituriAf, Quebec
This book is pronounced by the press and leading
bee-meu to be the most complete aj3d practical
trearise on bee-culture in fciin'openr America; a
scientilic work on nioiV-rn bee management thai
every experienced bee ii>;in will welct-me, and it is
essential to every utnaieur in bee-culture. It is
banuNomely prmted, neiuly hfumd and is a credU
to the Weal.— WtiyUrtiAijricul^uriiit.
This work (3 undoubtedly the most complete
manual tor the inatruction ot bee-Ueepers whieh
has ever been publi>hed. It j^ives a tull explana-
tion regiiriiing the care and nianaj^-ement of the
apiary There is no suiiject relating to the culture
of bees lelt untoixheii. and in the compilation of
the work Prof. Cook has had the advantage of all
the previous knowiede ol apiarists, which he uses
admirably to promote and make popular this most
interesting of alloccupiHinus.—Antencaji Inventor.
tot
PRiCfi— Bound In cloth, SI. 35 ; in paper cover,
SPl.OO by mail prepaid. Published by
THOMAS G. NEWMAKv
W M, Madison Street, CHICAGO. ll^U
.■«1>.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., SEPTEMBER 5, 1883.
No. 36.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editok and Pbophibtok,
W The Editor of the Bee Jour-
nal was prevented from attending
the Kentucky State Convention, last
week, by an attack of nervous pros-
tration. His pliysician prescribes
rest from brain labors as much as pos-
sible, for a few weeks, in order to effect
a complete restoration.
i^ The Rev. L. L. Langstroth has
been invited to attend the North-
western Bee-Keepers' Convention to
be held at Chicago, Oct. 17 and 18, and
accepts in the following language :
" About the invitation to attend the
Convention at Chicago, and your very
kind invitation to me to share your
hospitalities, friend Newman, allow
me to say, I accept both with great
pleasure, and if nothing unforeseen
should prevent, 1 will be glad to make
the personal acquaintance of the
Northwestern bee-keepers.
L. L. Langstroth."
1^ Conventions and Bee and
Honey Shows are now the order of
the day, and every bee-keeper should
arrange to attend these helps to our
pursuit, and thus aid in every way
possible the advancement of the art.
By looking over the columns of the
Bee Journal the times and places of
such meetings can be ascertained, and
arrangements made ahead, so that all
may attend them.
^" The new two cent rate of, pos
tage for letters goes into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will then be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent,
or else Ave or ten-cent postage stamps.
Do not send coins in any letter.
Honey Yield in Wisconsin.
The following items are from the
Milwaukee Sentinel of last week :
Mr. Crain, the owner of a large
number of bees at Tyron, in Dunn
county, reports an extraordinary yield
of honey this season, owing to the
unlimited stretches of clover fields.
The apiarists of Eau Galla, Waubeck,
in that county, are also highly grati-
fied with the results of the season.
James Nipe, at Spring Prairie, says
his bees have stored over 10,000 pounds
of honey so far this season. It has
been a very good year for white
honey, as clover was in blossom much
longer than usual.
E, A. Morgan, of Columbus, shipped
1 ,000 pounds of honey to Eau Claire
last week, his third shipment to that
point, this season. The price received
was 20 cents a pound.
T. L. Wolfenden, of Lake Geneva,
recently sold 6,000 pounds of honey to
a Cincinnati firm.
1^ Excursion tickets from Cin-
cinnati to Niagara Falls, good until
Oct. 28, can be bought for $15. Ex-
cursion tickets from any part of the
South or Southwest to the Louisville
Southern Exposition can be had, or
from Louisiville or Cincinnati Expo-
sition. In this way, if in no other,
Toronto, which is only 30 miles from
Niagara Falls, may be reached
cheaply.
^" The Summer and Fall Cata-
logue of E. P. Roe, Newburgh, N. Y.,
is received. It consists of 20 pages,
and describes small fruit plants and
grape vines.
1^ We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
(^ To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one who
buys a package of honey at Fairs, will
sell almost a fabulous quantity of it.
Bee-Eeeping in Arkansas.
The Little Rock, Ark., Gazette con-
tains the following :
Apiculture or bee raising has be-
come a great business in Devall's
Bluff, and Dr. W. W. Ilipolite, who
is accredited with being the pioneer
apiculturist in the State, carries it on
extensively. Not the Doctor exactly,
but by his son, Walter H. The Doc-
tor supervises matters, however, and
there are few who are better versed
in the natural history of the bee than
he. He has 58 colonies, or as they are
sometimes called, hives, and although
the season does not close until No-
vember, he has gathered 3,000 pounds
of honey, a great part of which he
sends to Little Rock and Hot Springs.
The Doctor intends to send some flne
specimens of honey in the comb and
extracted honey to the Louisville Ex-
position. A. W. Sory, another api-
culturist, has gathered 5,000 pounds
this season, and carries on an exten-
sive business. It has been stated by
good authority that Arkansas honey
stands second to none, and that the
State is one of the best locations in
the Union for successful operations in
apiculture.
1^ A fight recently occurred in
Virginia City between a cat and a
hive of bees, in which the bees got
decidedly the best of it. The cat's
attention was attracted by the bees,
and thinking them some new kind of
game, dabbed viciously at them as
they passed in and out of the hive.
At last, one day the bees got angry
and poured out of the hive by the
hundred, and darted for the fur of
tabby. Thecal rolled herself into a
ball, and bit, sputtered, and clawed
with all her might, but with no effect,
■as the bees kept stinging as diligently
as ever. After a time she was taken
away, and was a week recovering
from the effects of the stings. She
cannot be persuaded to go near the
hive any more.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
Bee Journal aud a (colored Poster,
to aid in getting up a club. The
Premiums we offer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of s subscribers
to the Monthly Bee Journal, or 4
Weekly, we will present Dzierzon's
Rational Bee-Keeping. price $2.00.
438
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Immense Yield of Honey.
The Clienango, N. Y., IHbune of
Aug. 18, contains the following con-
cerning an immense yield of honey in
the apiary of Mr. F. E. Smith, of
Chenango, N. Y. :
One of the grandest sights we ever
beheld in connection with a display
of bees and honey has been witnessed
by large numbers of people who have
lately visited Sunny bide apiary,
located in this village, and owned by
E. F. Smith.
On the first of May last, Mr. Smith
commenced the season with 30 colo-
nies of bees, mostly Italians and
Cyprians, in improved Langstroth
frames adapted to winter chaff-pack-
ing hives, having lost 7 during the
winter and early spring.
The early maple and apple blossoms
placed the colonies in fair condition,
and the first swarm (Italians) issued
May 26, in the midst of apple bloom.
White clover was abundant, and
commenced blooming about the lOlh
ot June, but owing to excessive rains
very little nectar was secreted during
that month, and consequently the
bees did very little up to July 10.
After that lime they commenced to
boom, and upon the opening of bass-
wood blossoms (about July 21), they
fairly outdid themselves, and from
that time onward until Aug. 10, with
very little interruption, honey seemed
to rain down. Many of the colonies
being so numerous as to bring in
upwards of 20 pounds in one day.
A record was kept of 2 colonies
which we give below. For conven-
ience we will number them 1 and 2.
For further convenience we will name
the parent colony of No. 1, " B," the
first swarm " A," and the two frame
nucleus " C." All being the outcome
of No. 1 colony without any outside
help except that frames of foundation
were supplied fast as needed.
Hecord of colony No. 1, and its increase.
ABC
June, capped honey lbs. 28 8
" extracted honey 4
July], capped honey 26
"' 18, extracted honey.. 30
" " capped honey 16
" 25, extracted honey. . 49 31
" 27, " " .. 47 30
" " capped honey 19
" 30, " " .... 6 12
" " extracted honey. . 53 42
Aug. 2, extracted honey. . . 54 38
'• 3, Ciipped honey 16
" 6, extracted honey... 66 43
•' 9, '• "... 58 42
" capped honey 8
" 13, extracted honey.. 30 15
Total '. lbs.437 269 55
Summary No. 1, "A," 437; sum-
mary No. 1, " B," 209 ; summary No.
1. " C," 55 ; total No. 1 and increase,
■ " C " has also 28 one-pound boxes
nearly tilled, and Mr. S. expects to
get at least 50 pounds of fall honey
each from "A" and " B." If he
succeeds, this will bring the amount
from the one colony and increase up
to nearly 900 pounds. Of the above
139 pounds is comb honey in one-
pound boxes, the remainder, 622
pounds, extracted. Reckoning comb
honey at 20 cents per pound, and ex-
tracted at 15 cents, the result is as
follows :
622 pounds of extracted honey, at
15 cents, $93.30 ; 139 pounds of comb
honey, at 20 cents, $27.80 ; add for
20^^ pounds of comb honey, at 20 cents,
" C." $4.10 ; add for 1 pound of wax,
30 cents ; 1 new swarm of bees, $8 ; 1
nucleus swarm of bees, $7 ; total
profits No. 1 colony and increase to
date, $U0.50.
-Record of No. 2 colony alon^.
June, capped honey lbs. 30
" extracted " 33
July 18 " " 20
" " capped" 32
" 25 extracted honey 55
"28 " " 53
"31 " " 51
" " capped " 18
Aug. 3, extracted " 49
" 7 " " 51
" 9 " " 42
" 13 " " '.".".'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. 24
" 14 " " from extra
frames below except brood-nest
of eight frames 34
Total lbs.492
Here we have a grand total of over
twelve hundred and fifty pounds of
lioney worth over tuco hundred dollars,
from two colonies of bees in the
spring.
One colony, which we will call No.
3. has given no honey or increase.
This colony was queenless on the first
of June, with only a handful of bees.
A queen-cell, and a small patch of
brood and eggs were added from
another colony, and they are now
strong, well alimg in the boxes, and
will give a good showing.
Consequently, what honey has been
taken off, was taken from 29 colonies,
spring count. No ho}iey was ex-
tracted from the brood cbauiber.
Over 6,000 pounds of honey has been
taken to dale, and there is over 700
one-pound section boxes on the hives
well along, and Mr. S. believes he will
get one thousand pounds more this sea-
son. This is priibably the largest
honey yield on record, being that over
20 per cent, of the above is comb
honey in one-pound section boxes.
Sunny Side apiary can be seen by
calling on the proprietor, who is
tliorouglily conversant with the busi-
ness, and takes pride in sliowing liis
tons ot honey. We have spent some
time, and have taken coi}siderable
pains to get at these figures, and can
vouch for all we have said. Incredi-
ble as the above report may seem to
some, who know little of bees and
their industry, it is true, nevertheless,
and can also be substantiated by Rev.
A. Eastman, of this village, wlio has
been in attendance at Sunny Side
apiary during the honey season; and
by many of our citizens who have
made frequent visits there. People
come many miles to see this wonder-
ful apiary and get the honey.
Many old bee-keepers who are now
using the box hive of the Pilgrim
fathers, are taking notes on the stand-
ard Langstroth movable frame out-
door wintering, chaff-packing hive
now used by Mr. S., and also of his
superior strains of Italian and Cyprian
bees for future reference.
In the meantime we congratulate
friend Smith on having obtained what
is probably the greatest honey yield
on record from 29 colonies of bees,
spring count. He now has 66 colonies
in prime condition.
Notice to Iowa Bee-Keepers-
Quite a large number of bee-keep-
ers in our State have expressed a de-
sire for the formation of a State
Association. A consultation with
others has resulted in the decision not
to attempt to hold a meeting during
the coming State Fair, but if thought
best to hold one during the time of
the meeting of the .State Agricultural
Society at Des Moines next January.
All bee-keepers who may be present
at the Fair are earnestly requested to
report to the Rev. O. Clute, at the
Apiarian Exhibit, on or before 1 p.
m. of Tuesday, the 4th day of Sep-
tember, 1883, who will give them
notice of a meeting for consultation,
and also for the selection of a com-
mittee of arrangements if one is
deemed necessary.
O. O. POPPLETON,
Vice-Pres. N. A. B. K. Society.
Williamstown, Iowa, Aug. 10, 1883.
Reduced Fare to Toronto Convention
President D. A. Jones, under date
of Beeton, Aug. 25, 1883, writes us as
follows :
I have received a letter, of which
the enclosure is a copy, from Mr.
Ilill, Manger of the Toronto Indus-
trial Exiiibition, which is tlie outcome
of an application which I made to
liim to secure reduced rates for bee-
keepers in the State of Michigan. As
it would receive publicity through
your JouHNAL, perliaps you will be
kind enough to give it insertion.
There are single fare rates for the
whole week of our convention.
D. A. Jones.
Beeton, Aug. 25, 1883.
II. J.Hill. Esq.— Bear Sir: Re-
plying to yours of the 15th inst., I
would say tiiat we do not wish to ad-
vertise any reduction from regular
rates, but if there are any on our line
who apply to you, and you will refer
the applicatioii to rue, 1 will furnish
them wilh certificates on which they
can obtain tickets to Port Huron or
Detroit, and return atexcnrsion rates.
Yours truly, D. Edwards.
(gf " A tired bee." says Sir John
Lubbock, "hums on E, and, there-
fore, vibrates its wings only 380 times
in a second.'' A brisk little bee hum-
ming on A will, on the other hand,
increase its vibration to 440 per
second.
. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
439
Local Convention Directory.
!883. Time and Place o) M««Mn».
Sept. 4.— Ohio State, Ht Columbus, o.
D. Spear, Sec.
Sept. 4.-N. W. III., & S. W. Wis., at KIdot, 111.
J*nattian Stewart, Sec,
Sept. lli.—EaBtern Iniliana, at Richmond, Ind.
M. G. Reynolds, Sec, Williamsburg, Ind.
Sept. 12-14.— Trl-State, at Toledo, Ohio,
Dr. A. B. Mason, Sec, Wanon Worlia, O.
Sept, 18-20,— North American, at Toronto, Ont.
A. 1. Root, Sec, Medina, O.
Oct, 9, 10.— Northern Mich, at Sheridan, Mich,
O, R. Goodno, Sec, Carson (Mtr, Mich.
Oct. 10.— Cass County, at LoKansoort. Ind.
De Witt Brown, Sec.
Oct. 17, 18,— Northwestern, at ChlcaBO, til.
Thomas G. Newman. Sec.
Oct.— Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, O.
S, K. Newman, Sec,
Dec, 5-fi, Mlchiean State, at Flint.
U. D. CuttinK. Sec, Clinton. Mich.
vv In order to have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars oi
time and place of future meetinKs.— ED.
Robber Bees and Robbing.
Dr. W. G. Phelps, D. D. S., gives
the following in the Practical Farmer
on the above subject :
One of tlie most annoying features
of bee-keeping, at this season of the
year particularly, is that arising from
the presence of robber bees. These
are in no respect a distinct race of
bees, as some erroneously suppose
Iroiii their peculiar black glossy ap-
pearance and active movements.
They are simply bees with perverted
theivish tendencies. In times when
tbe bee pasturage is scarce they be-
come very troublesome, and much
damage and commotion may be caused
in an a|)iary by their persistent attacks
on weak hives.
Robber bees may be found in all
apiaries, but more particularly in the
one whose owner is careless in leav-
ing honey exposed, or daubing sweets
about. The propensity to rob seems
to gradually develop itself in some
bees, and even in whole colonies fre-
quently until leaving the pursuit of
honest, hard working honey gather-
ers, they develop a perfect mania for
preying upon the gathering of other
bees. No longer satisfied to gather it
in minute particles " from every open-
ing flower," they seek it after a
wholesale style, from the well-filled
hives of their neighbors. Thus they
may be found sneaking about the en-
trance of other hives, endeavoring to
slyly gain an admittance. If success-
ful in passing the guards and loading
up, they will soon return and bring
their comrades, until at last with
tierce onslaught and overpowering
numbers they take forcible possession,
seize upon, and transfer the stores
tlierein to their own hive. The taste
once formed, without diligent care, a
whole apiary may be demoralized.
As a preventive, where the clover
and basswood honey flow is over, it is
best to close up the entrances of the
hives, particularly the weaker ones,
so that but one bee can gain entrance
at a time. Thus each hive can be
better defended by its owners. In
case of robbing having begun, it is
well to stand a broad board close up
before the entrance around which the
robbers shall have to pass ere getting
in. If they still persist, close the en-
trance entirely for a half hour and
dash water upon the robbers that
gather at the entrance. It may be,
if they still attack it, that the hive
will have to be moved to a new stand,
or into a cool dark cellar until after
sundown, and then taken back. By
sprinkling flour on the backs of the
robber bees, their hive can readily be
ascertained, and I have frequently
interrupted and broken up their
naughty tricks by giving them a good
smoking with the bellows smoker,
which frightens them into remaining
at home. To get ahead of robber
bees when once started, the owner
must be up by time In the morning,
and closely watch them till after dark.
Their propensity to squeeze into the
smallest crevices after forbidden
sweets (which gives them their glossy
black appearance), requires a watch-
ful eye to be kept upon them and a
careful closing of hives and handling
of sweets in their vicinity.
Western Bee-Eeepers' Association.
The ttrst annual meeting of the
Western Hee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Independence, Mo.,
Sept. 20 and 21, 18.s:i. The association
being situated in the centre of one of
the best honey-producing sections of
the country, and easy of access from
all parts of the country, it is desirous
that as many bee-keepers as can pos-
sibly attend will meet with us, and
help to make it as interesting and en-
joyable as circumstances will permit.
In connection with the general busi-
ness of such meetings, the members
of tlie association have made arrange-
ments for a Bee and Honey Fair, free
to the world. The following prem-
iums are offered. Members of the as-
sociation will not compete for prem-
iums offered by itself.
By the Association.
Best display of honey (comb and
extracted) not less than 20 lbs.
of each, in marketable shape. $2.5 00
Best 25 lbs. of comb honey 10 00
" " " extracted " 10 00
Best queen, with her bees 10 00
Best display of apiarian imple-
ments, including all the prin-
ciple fixtures used in the
apiary 15 00
Special Premiums free to all.
By the business men of Independ-
ence: Best .50 lbs. of comb honey in
the best marketable shape, $-50.00.
By tbe Sentinel: Best package of
comb honey not over 2 lbs., one year's
subscription.
Judges not members of the associa-
tion : All articles for display or
premiums must be entered on the
first day of the meeting.
Parties from a distance, who may
wish, can consign their goods to either
of the members of the committee.
The members of the association will
do their very best to provide enter-
tainment for all persons who inajr
visit us, J. D, Meadok,
L. \V. Baldwin,
0. M. Ckandall,
James A, Jones,
P. Baldwin.
Committee.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OP AMBKICAN BEB JorHNAL, {
Monday, 1" a. m., Sept. 3. 18^:l. t
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONE T— The demand for extracted honey is
exceedinsriy dull; for comb honey, only fair: arri-
vals are plentiful. St<tcka are hirire in the hiiuds
of corn merchants and others, tlur own supply i»
larger than ever, and. for the present, we cannot
compete with commission merchants. We may
have to offer lower tlKures. Our prices so far were 7^
9c. for extracted, and 14(aJ16c. for comb honey on
arrival.
BWE3WAX -Arrivals of beeswax are good at
26(s2.sc., and the demand is fair,
Chas. F. MrTu.
NEW YORK.
HONEV— We take pleasure in quoting the fol-
lowing prices on honey, obtainable in our market :
Fancy white clover. 1 lb. sections (no glass) 20@21o;
fancy white clover, 2 lb. sections (glassed) ia(t§20c:
fair white clover, l and 2 lb. sections (glassed) l(i®
ITc; fancy buckwheat, 1 lb. secflons (no glass)
15c: fancy buckwheat. 2 lb. sections (gla.-^sed) i'M4
14c.: ordinary buckwheat. 1 :ind 1 lb. section*
(glassed) il(ai3c.; e.\tracted clover honey in keg«
or barrels 9((^ inc.; extracted buckwheat honey Id
kegs or barrels 7*^(^)80.
BEESWAX— Prime yellow beeswax :jl(a3:tc
H. K. & F. B. Tm-ltBEK <t CO.
CHICAGO.
HONET-Sales are restricted to the present
needsof dealers, nearly all of them expect lower
fleures, and are refusing to buy, unless large con-
cessions from present prices are given them. I lb.
sections woli-ailed. IHc: m and 2 lb. sections, 16®
17c. None but white is being taken. What Is of-
fered of last year's crop is unsalable at over 5(960.
per pound. Extracted, 7(^10c
BBBSWAX-30(a:).->c. for prime to pure yellow.
R. A. BCTHNETT, l«l South Water SU
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY- Receipts were comparatively large the
past week, mostly of medium qualities, for which
the market is not flrni. Transfers are largely of a
jobbing character. White to extra white comb, li»
(4200 : dark to good, UKoSiaXc: extracted, choica
to extra white, T^faiH'^c. ; dark and candied, «bi®—
BBBSWA.X -Wholesale, 27(512HC.
STEARNS & SMITH, 4^3 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Quiet sale. New comb !4(ai5e.: fancy
small packages higher; strained and extracted 7»
7J^c.
BBESWAX-Easy, at 24'a2,'',c. for cho'ce.
W.T. ANOEHSON i Co., i"4 N. M Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— New honey continues in good demand
at iXfSilHc, for choice I lb. sections, and such ar»
readily placed as fast as received : 2 lbs. not so ac-
tive, at IHfajiHc, Sec. md quality sella 14^17c. Hl-
tracted not in demanH.
BEBSWAX-None In Market.
A. C. Kknuei., 1 15 Ontario Street.
B(^)STON.
HONEY— We have had a shipment the past week
from J. B Crane, and a good sized shipment from
.1. V. Caldwell, of Cambridge, III., whose honey we
had last year. i»-i.i.,.
We quote our market prices, as follows : While
clover, one lb, combs 20i3l22c ; white clover, 2 lb.
combs 18raj2ne.: extracted, ;(,®10c.
BBESWAX-Our supply is gone; we have none
oquo «|jjjp^j.„ jj BLAKE. ,57 Chatham Street,
tW According to the American Newspaphu
Catai.iiOUE of Edwin Alden & Bro., Cincinnati,
Ohio, Jnstpubllshed, contiilnlngoversoo pages, the
total number of Newspapers and Magazines pub-
ll-hed in the United States and Canada Is 13,1H«
(showing an Incroase over last year of l,o2«), lo-
till in the Urilteii Slates, IJ.IT'J; Cnoadus, l,i«>7.
Published as follows: Dallies. 1,227: Trl-Weeklleu.
7l;Seml-Weeklles, 151; Wceklles.!),:i55: Bl- Week-
lies, 23; Semi-Monthlle.s. 237; Monthlies. 1,324; Bl-
Monthlles, 12,
440
THE AMERICAi^ BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee Journal
Excessive Humidity in Winter.
DU. a. L. TINKEIl.
Mr. S. Cornell, on page 405, of the
Bee Journal, gives a highly in-
teresting table on the comparative
temperature and humidity of the
winter of 1880-81 with the winters of]
other years. The record is complete
from 50 stations in the northern and
western States, and in a large nnmber
extends over a period of i:! years.
For these records he is indebted to
our Chief Signal Service Oflicer at
Washington, to whom bee-keepers
generally are under obligations for
the time and labor of preparing them.
The table indicates beyond perad-
venture that severe and protracted
cold conjoined with an unusual humid
state of the atmosphere were the
chief cause.s of the great bee mortality
of the late hard winter.
It so happened that throughout the
greater part of the eastern States, in-
cluding New .Jersey and Maryland,
that the rate of the mortality was
much less than at points farther west.
In the State of Maine, as indicated by
the table, the cold was not below that
of average winters, while the humidity
was somewhat less. Mr. Plummer, of
Augusta, wrote : " We have not had
much snow, which all left about the
Istof March." After stating that in
his vicinity there were lost only 3 out
of 119 colonies, he added: "I think
that thi i is a good report for a locality
so far north-" And such was the
tenor of nearly all the reports from
the New England States. Mr. Alley
reporting: "Bees never wintered
better in this vicinity." There was
not the usual snow fall in the eastern
States, but the middle States, and the
great West were deluged with snow
from the 1st of December, 1880, to the
15th of April, 1881. So long as the
snow did not melt to any great ex-
tent, the bees did not appear to suffer.
When February came in the tem-
perature began to moderate and the
snow to melt. The atmosphere be-
came damp, and contniued unusually
damp all through Marcli in all of
those sections where there had been
heavy snow falls. Now came the
struggle for existence to the bees.
February witnessed a frightfnl mor-
tality, but in March it became appall-
ing. Whole apiaries were swept out
of existence, and when at last sum-
mer came, less than half of all the
bees in the northern States remained
alive.
The table of Mr. Cornell indicates
what might have been suspected, viz. :
that when so great a fall of snow
occurs, extending over a great part of
tiie country, we are certain to have a
very damp atmosphere during the
early spring, and, consequently, an
unfavorable condition for bees. It
indicates, moreover, what the great
majority of bee-keepers have long
felt, but have been unable to prove,
viz. : that in winter excessive damp-
ness in the hive, or in the atmosphere
outside, is the mosi dangerous thing
that can menace a colony of bees.
For it appears that cold alone is not
injurious to bees, nor is protracted
confinement under favorable condi-
tions. Nor yet is their normal food
(honey and pollen) injurious, if the
quality is good. These facts, at the
present time, are indisputable. If
then, dysentery be the disorder from
which so many colonies of bees suc-
cumb in winter, we are forced to the
conclusion that dampness is the prin-
cipal cause of it.
THE POLLEN THEORY.
It is Mr. James Heddon, I believe,
who has the distinguished honor of
being the author of this theory which
occupied to a great extent the columns
of the Bee Jouknal not long since.
The agricultural press took up the
refrain as if the majority of bee-
keepers acquiesced in the strange
doctrine, until the general reader has
been led to believe that a food pro-
vided bv nature for the bees is a
deadly thing for them to eat in winter.
Mr. Heddon also holds parentage to
the " bacteria theory," on which he
was " ten to one " for a long time.
Well, now, if he had only just stuck
to this, his first ideal offspring, he
would to-day have been standing
upon solid ground, as to the probable
cause of many cases of bee dv.sentery
that have occurred in isolated apiaries
or in apiaries in certain limited por-
tions of the country.
Now, that the germ theory of dis-
ease is quite generally accepted by the
most learned men of tlie times, it
seems probable ttiat a specific mi-
crophyte may gain entrance to the
bodies of the bees by means of their
food, or in some other manner, and
cause dysentery. But no germ theory
can be made to account for the mor-
tality of bees in tiie winter and spring
of 1881. If that winter had been
mild, with little snow fall, and there
had been great mortality, such a
theory might be entertained. But
neither can the pollen theory be made
to so accounts
As stated once before in the col-
umns of the Bee Journal, I am
unable to see how the eating of pollen
in winter can be a cause of dysentery
in any of its forms. If it were
claimed that the eating of aphide
honev was a cause of some cases, the
hypothesis would have at least the
merit of reasonableness. But to as-
sume that pollen, a normal food, may
cause it, is quite unintelligible.
My belief is, that bees in a normal
condition eat pollen all winter, not to
any great extent it is true, because
much nitrogenous food is not re-
quired in a comparatively inactive
condition. If bees can be wintered,
as they often are, without a flight for
five or six months, and come out
healthy, I think it must be just as
difficult for others to see how pollen
may cause the disease.
In the early spring of 1881,1 had
two hybrid colonies that had failed to
gather as much honey the previous
fall as my Italian colonies, and about
the 1st of March, they became short.
They were discovered in time to save
both from starvation by the great
number of bees that were observed
crawling slowly out of their hives as
if very sick. Although quite cold, I
opened both hives and found that they
had no honey, and that they
had eaten nearly all their pollen up
also, as judged by the marks of their
mandibles on the little pollen left. I
put unsealed honey over each, and
the apparently sick and dying soon
revived. About four weeks after-
wards they were able to take a flight.
They had been gorged with pollen,
but had not a sign of dysentery. Ii
the consuming of much pollen was a
cause, why did not these bees get it V
But instances of this kind have been
numerous.
It appears that Mr. Heddon thinks
that because some colonies prepared
for winter with no stores but cane
sugar syrup, .seem to winter better
than other colonies having natural
stores, the pollen theory is demon-
strated. I would inquire, why not
think the honey to be the cause in-
stead of the pollen ? Both being the
normal food of the bees. If a child
should take cholera infantum and die,
who had taken no nourishment but
milk and bread of good quality, both
being normal food, would I be justi-
fied in assuming that it was the bread
or the milk that caused the disease,
or neither ? I think I hear a common
answer, neither. And so with the
causation of bee-dysentery, it is
neither the honey or the pollen, if of
ordinary good quality.
If it can be proved (which I very
much doubt) that bees will winter
better on cane sugar syrup than upon
their natural stores, it would demon-
strate only this, that they are able to
hold out longer against adverse con-
ditions upon the former food than the
latter, not that either kind of food in
any case can be acause. For instance,
a man insufliciently protected and
exposed to the intense cold of the
Arctic regions will survive longer on
a diet of tallow or animal fat than a
diet of sugar, yet both of these agents,
and honey also, are hydro-carbons.
But cane sugar contains a larger per-
centage of neat producing elements
than grape sugar, which is the chief
constitutent of honey, and animal
fat contains a larger per cent, than
cane sugar. It would, therefore, ap-
pear that if cane sugar syrup is a
better diet for bees in winter than
honey, that animal fat (if the bees
could be made to subsist upon it)
would be better than either.
It may be assumed that my com-
parisons are not parallel, that bees in
a state of confinement pass no feces.
But my own observation, and that of
many other reliable observers is. that
they do, so that the question of liquid
or solid food can signify nothing for
or against the theory. The mere fact
that pollen contains more particles
that cannot be digested than honey, is
no evidence that the indigestible par-
ticles in the intestines of the bees
mav cause dysentery. Are not the
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
441
intestines of the bees, as well as of all
animals, made to carry o£E these same
particles '( if bees pass, in conline-
ment, under favorable conditions,
their feces regularly as there is every
evidence that they do, from the time
they are put into winter quarters
whether they may have llights or not,
judging from the amount of the ex-
crement that may be raked from the
bottom board of a hive every few days
during tho winter, in what manner
are we to conclude that the indigest-
able particles are capable of causing
disease 'i
Now the fact is just this, bees hold
an intermediate place between warm
and cold blooded animals. They are
more or less active, and develop heat
at all times. There is, therefore, al-
ways tissue waste, and as a part of
the excrement of all animals is made
up of this tissue waste, it cannot mat-
ter what the bees may subsist upon,
there will be formed excrement, and I
contend that this excrement is passed
regularly by them throughout the
winter, and the passage is only inter-
fered with by unfavorable conditions
to the life of the bees.
But if there is tissue waste in win-
ter, there is also a necessity for nitro-
genous food, and so I believe, as be-
fore stated, that bees eat a little pollen
all winter,andthat that little is just as
necessary for their well-being to eat
as is honey. I. therefore, stand for
the wise and intelligent provision in
nature of honey and pollen for the
bees, and hold that they constitute the
best food it is possible for them to
have under all circumstances, and 1
re-assert that it is no more probable
that pollen should be a cause of dysen-
tery than that honey should be, and
that it is impossible for any one to
comprehend how either can be, as-
suming that both in any case are of
good quality.
I had supposed that Mr. Ileddou
had abandoned the pollen theory, but
from a recent article in the Bkk
Journal it appears that he still ad-
heres to the old flame. The above is,
therefore, very respectfully submitted,
for there is no one, perhaps, more de-
serving than Mr. H. for the zealous
and persistent effort to unfathom the
mysteries that have heretofore sur-
rounded the causes of bee dysentery
in winter.
New Philadelphia, O.
For the American Beo JoumaL
Bees Injured by Heat.
M. BRAY.
I think that the bees with deformed
©r crippled wings, that Mr. J. D.
Enas speaks of, on page 371, must
have been caused by over-heating.
On July 8, 1882, the thermometer
went up to 108° in the shade, in this
Elace. This day ruined all of the
rood in my apiary.
The young bees were very much
dwarfed in size, with only rudimen-
tary wings, and would leave the hive
much as Mr. Enas describes their
leaving. The queens stopped laying
for some two or three weeks ; the
bees, being mostly field hands, during
this time Hooded the brood-chamber
with honey. When the queens com-
menced laying, it was only a small
patch of eggs at lirst, and increased
slowly, as in early spring. We have
had some extreme heat during the
present season; the mercury going as
high as IKP. By raising the hives
from the bottom boards, and keeping
them well shaded, I have escaped in-
jury to the brood from heat; but the
old bees have been injured by heat
wnile clustering on the outside, for
soon the shiny or hairless bees put
in an appearance, in quite large num-
bers. There had been no robbing
among my bees for the season, and I
claim that this smooth appearance
was caused by heat.
These hairless bees are short lived,
about two weeks, and the most of
them lie dead in front of the hives.
A neighbor of mine has had brood
ruined and old bees scalded in the
same hives, and now some colonies
are very weak. I hear persons say
that all "of this talk about wintering
in the North amounts to nothing to
us in California ; this is a land of per-
petual bloom; but I think a little
protection from cold in winter, and
protection frotii heat in summer,
would not be amiss.
I am now devising a double-walled
hive to secure my bees both from heat
and cold. To-day, as I write, the
mercury stands at 104°. The bees
have come through with a light har-
vest, but the bees are in good condi-
tion.
New Almaden, Cal., Aug. 18, 1883.
Heud belore the Maine State Association.
Breeding the Best ftueens.
I. U. MASON.
In no department of animal life is
it so easy to make rapid progress to-
wards perfection iu breeding, than
with the honey bee. With our stock
generally, it requires a series of years
to add such qualities as are deemed
desirable, or to get rid of those we
wish to eradicate. This, of course, is
owing to the fact that conception and
uterine growth is a slow process,
when compared with reproduction in
the insect class. With the bee, sev-
eral generations can be produced in
the same time that would he required
to bring forth a single specimen
among the mammals.
Knowing these facts, and imder-
standing as we all may, that 16 days
only is required to produce a queen
from the egg, and only 25 to 30 to
have it fertilized and ready to rejiro-
duce itself, it will be seen that the
possibilities in the matter of perfect-
ing our colonies, are incalculable.
While in the past considerable atten-
tion has been given to matters of
queen breeding, the chief attempts
have been to work for color ; why it is
1 know not, that a bright yellow color
has been considered the type of beauty
in the Italian bee, or why a rich, dark
brown has not been accepted as the
stvle. But such has been the fact.
and the aim of queen breeders has
been to produce handsome bees, often-
times at the sacrifice of those other
qualities which alone can make them
a source of profit. In a state of na-
ture such is not the case; as a rule,
the strongest and hardiest become
the fathers and mothers, while lb
weaker must necessarily go to the
wall. The result is invariably, tliat
all animals reared in a wild state, are
as nearly perfect as it is possible to
have them, while it remains with man
to produce inferior specimens from
superior stock. In the breeding of
cattle and stock generally, the rule
now is to strive to improve.
We first ascertain or determine
what particular points we desire to
maintain and perpetuate, and to bend
our best energies to the work. Al-
ready we have made vast jirogress in
this direction. As an evidence, I can
point to the vast size of our Short-
horns, the milk, butter and cheese
qualities of our Jerseys, and horses
for speed, while ten years ago a mile
in three minutes for a horse to travel
was considered fast. We now think
we are getting a slow rate of speed
imless we can drive that distance in
2:25 or less. The time has come,
however, when beauty of color alone
in our bees is a matter of secondary
importance. Bee-keepers are de-
manding something more ; they have
found out that beauty alone will not
secure them a big crop of honey, and
as but few keep an apiary for experi-
ment only, they desire, regardless of
color, such stock as will guarantee
them a good surplus crop, not that
they object to beauty, but unless they
can obtain it in connection with those
other qualities which make their bees
fairly remunerative, they decidedly
prefer to take color as itcomes, rather
than to please the fancy at the ex-
pense of the pocket. How, then,
shall we lear such queens as will
prove the Uiost remunerative, and
which perpetuate those qualities that
will give us bees for business? In
the first place, then, we must select
for the queen mother such as give us
hardy, long-lived, industrious, strong
winged and peaceable bees. If such
a colony is of the right color for style,
so much the better.
A queen reared from the egg of
such a colony, must necessarily prove
a good one, liiid if she becomes ferti-
lized by a drone from another such a
colony of different strain, we have so
far done all that is necessary to im-
prove in the rightdirection. Keeping
the above points in view, and breed-
ing only from strong colonies, we wiU
get the best queens possible. If we
wish to rear queens, however, at a
time when no honey is being gath-
ered from the fields, we must feed
our bees liberally while cell building
is going forward, as there is no doubt
that better queens are reared while
the bees are getting stores plentifully,
either frimi the Held at large, or from
the feeder at home. I do not think it
makes any difference whether queens
are reared umler the swarming im-
pulse or not, as regards their value,
piovided we supply artificially and in
plenty the stoi'es which they naturally
442
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
gather for themselves. In fact, I am
rather of theoi>inioii, tliat if we keep
close watch and force our bees to use
eggs rather than larvie three or four
days old, as they are apt to do when
under the swarming impulse, we shall
get a stock of queens superior to many
that remain in the hive after a swarm
has Issued.
By careful attention to details, and
by taking as much care in the selec-
tion of the drone mother as of the
queen mother, and always selecting
strong colonies of business bees from
which to procure both queen and
fertilizing drones, working for beauty
as far as is practicable, yet making
that point alone a secondary one, we
can soon produce a strain of bees, that
are not only capable of bringing us in
a handsome amount of profit, but also
as beautiful in color as we may desire,
amil so peaceable in disposition as to
be handled without danger of their
stings. All this will cause trouble
and care on the part of the breeder,
and as a rnle, in order to bring breed-
ing to absolute perfection, it must be
made a specialty ; the ordinary bee-
keeper cannot rear perfect queens
and give that time to a honey apiary
as will be found necessary to give the
best results. Let us look forward
then to the good time coming {and it
is sure to come) when our bees will be
as near perfection as are our horses
and cattle.
In this article, I have not attempted
to give any directions for rearing
queens, as they can be found by any
one in the various manuals and jour-
nals of the day, but have endeavored
briefly to point out the necessary re-
quirements to make our colonies as
perfect as it is possible to liave them,
and as the colony depends wholly
upon tlie queen, and the drone she
mates with, all that we require is to
select both male and female parents,
from such colonies as possess the most
desirable qualities, and by following
this plan out in detail, we shall soon
be able to accomplish our vmrpose.
and that, too, with positiveness and
certainty, and in ati exceedingly short
period of time. We have the patience
to work for a series of years to im-
prove our cattle, why not have the
patience then for a few months to
bring this about with our bees, es-
pecially when we know that we shall
attain success eventually y
Pniirie Kurmer.
Bees in Poetry.
S. V. COLK.
Of the little folks of nature the
bees are among the most interesting.
Tliey shine not only in the field of
flowers, but in the field of letters.
Tiiey supply the husbandman with
food, and the poet with simile and
metaphor. This was especially true
of the ancient poets. The Milse, in
coming hither from the (JoUlen Age
of Saturn, started like the linden in
Tennyson's " Ampliion,"
with all iier bees behind ber.
If we ask what has made the bees
so interesting, we lind, among other
causes, that they are creatures with
whom order seems to be the first law.
The sluggard may go to tlie ant for
lessons in the art of perseverance,
but his edutatiou is not complete
until he has graduated from the bee
in the science of method, economy,
and the duties of a good citizen.
A bee makes wise plans, and works
for the common weal of his nation;
and whatsoever he findeth to do he
doeth with his might. Even when he
uses his sting, he puts his whole soul
into it, for he is soldier as well as
citizen. This double character has
led the poets to compare the bee
community to a State, in which every
member has his special duty; but in
this comparison the bees "nave the
advantage. Our systems are the
imperfect development of ages,
whereas the bees received theirs per-
fect in the beginning; so that Virgil
says they pass their lives beneath
"unchangeable laws." Shakespeare
calls them
Creatures that by a rule in nuture teacli
The art of order to a peopled ItiDgdom.
Virgil has sung of the bees in fuller
strains tlian any other poet, and has
interwoven fact, theory, legend in a
most charming manner. The fourth
book of the Georics, the most perfect
of his poems, is devoted to this
theme. Here occurs the story of the
shepherd Aristieus, who lost his bees
and complained to his goddess-mother
" in her chamber in the river-deptli."
She directs him to Proteus, the seer
from whom he learns the secret of
replenishing his hives.
In Virgil the bees are minified
types of humanity, just as the gods
are magnifie.d ones ; and they go
about their business, therefore, after
the manner of men :
Some .seeli supply of food
And by agreement labor in the fields;
Some in tbelr narrow homes do lay the tear
Of the narcissus and tbo pluey »rum
From barii of trees, to be their hive's foundations.
The contrast between the aged and
sedate bees, and their more vigorous
companions is very curious :
The aped Kuard towns, and build the combs
And moid the curious houses: 'tis their charge.
But late at night the youuKer ones return
Winpr-weary home, tljeir less thicl£-smeared with
thyme.
One observes that the Latin poet
does not forget in his figures to bring
the bee-commonwealth under Roman
laws and customs. In another place
he speaks of their "setting out on
their airy march, and pulling up the
standards of the camp." Indeed, the
Roman bees are soldierly in bearing,
though not more so, perhaps, than
their English relatives. As, in
Shakespeare, some,
lAke soldiers armed in tlieir stinKS,
Make boot upon the summer'.-* velvet buds,
so the Virgil,
Some stand like sentinels before the gates.
At times the whole nation is roused
by an unfriendly challenge. Then it
is they show themselves true Romans.
Their hearls "throb with the spirit
of war," says Virgil. A sound is
heard " that mimics the fitful blasts
of trumpets." The excited bees
" flash their wings," " whet the points
of their beaks," throng around the
chief's pavilion, and— muo6t7e dictu ! —
" with loud shouts defy the enemy !"
Then comes the conflict, in which
The leaders, midmost of the battle lines.
Conspicuous for their wind's, exlilblt how
A mighty soul worits In a narrow breast.
The analogy between bees and men
is seldom carried more dangerously
near the verge of the ridiculous than
when a bee dies and the survivors
bear out the lifeless corpse.
And form the mournful funeral train.
Time has somewhat dimmed the
picture, but with its suggestion of the
busts of dead ancestors and other by-
gone accompaniments of a funeral, it
must have been somewhat vivid in its
day.
Bees, along with ants, birds, leaves,
and hailstones, furnished the ancient
poets with convenient similes where
numbers were involved. Homer com-
pares the Greeks gathering for battle
to "swarms of closely-thronging bees,
always issuing in fresh numbers from
the hollow rock." ^Eneas, looking
down on Carthage from a distance,
saw the people at work on the new
buildings like so many bees in sum-
mer. And Milton, whose mind was
filled with classic forms, makes Satan's
minions swarm to the council at Pan-
demonium
As Bees
In springtime, when tlie sun with 'raurus rides.
Tour forth their popolous youth about the hive
In clusters.
In American poetrv, Emerson's
" Humble-bee " and Whittier's "Tell-
ing the Bees " are unlike anything
the ancient Muse produced, and also
differ widely from each other, both in
style and sentiment. The former
contains the thoughts which arise in
the mind of a philosopher as he
calmly contemplates the
Sailor of the atmosphere
making his tiny voyages from flower
to flower ; while tlie latter is a simple
and very effective appeal to the affec-
tions. Mr. Whittier's poem is founded
on the curious custom, introduced
from England and said to have pre-
vailed to some extent in the rural dis-
tricts of our own country, of inform-
ing tlie bees, in the event of a death
in the family, and draping the hives
in black. This was supposed to be
necessary to prevent the bees from
flying away in search of a new home :
Under the garden wall,
Forward and back.
Went drearily sinning tlie chore-girl small.
Draping each hive with a shred of black.
*•
And the song she was singing ever since
In my ear sounds on :
" Stay at home, pretty bees, fly not hence!
Mistress Mary is dead and gone!"
As good order is so strikingly exhib-
ited in the government of the bees, for
the bees, and by the bees, it seems ap-
propriate that in Egyptian hierogly-
phics the bee should represent royalty,
and, in latter times, become the
symbol of the French Empire. In
France the royal mantle and standard
THE AMEBIC A2i BEE JOURNAL.
443
were thickly sown with golden bees,
and in the tomb of Ohilderic, in 1053,
there were discovered 300 bees made
from the same precious metal.
For the American Bee Jourcai.
Another Dual ftueen Wrinkle.
J. O. SHEARMAN.
1 have about come to the conclusion
in my own mind that the usual cause
for two queeu-ed-ness is an intent to
supersede the old queen. And tliis is
why : I had a queeu in a full colony
which had never gone out with a
swarm (and this is her third season).
She always kept her hive well stocked
with bees which did well on surplus,
and was, therefore, a favorite. 1
looked into the brood-chamber in
basswood time (forepart), and found
queen-cells capped, so 1 set the boys
to watch for the swarm that I expected
must come the next day or so, but the
rain continued to come, with 2 or 3
cooler days, and tlie swarm did not
come out. They still crowded the
surplus chamber, so JList about the
last part of the basswood flow I looked
in the brood-chamber for the reason,
as I wanted her queen-cells. I found
a queen-cell hatched naturally, also
plenty of eggs and brood and the
queen. Thinking they had torn down
tne rest of the queen-cells, and, per-
haps, made away with tlie new candi-
date, I took the queen out with one
comb of brood and bees, and made up
a nucleus for the present, as it was a
busy time. Then in a few days gave
her another comb or two with bees,
and noticed soon after that she filled
them pretty fairly with eggs.
Now, to the point; on the 10th or
11th day after taking out the old
queen, 1 went to the old hive after
my queen-cells, and found plenty of
eggs and brood in all stages. Think-
ing, perhaps, that the old queen had
gone back {as it was only 10 feet
away), I went to her hive and found
her doing well enough, for a nucleus,
indicating that the old colony (No. 56)
had two queens at the time 1 took the
old one away.
Then I had an after-swarm of
hybrids sitting near by for this pur-
pose, so I doubled them up with the
old queen, and gave another comb of
brood in the back part of the brood-
chamber. A few days after this, I
looked in to see if all was well, and
found queen-cells, and the hybrids in
the back part of the hive were build-
ing drone comb in a frame that was
only partly filled at the time of doub-
ling up.
Censuring the hybrids for murder-
ing my S3 queen, I looked through the
hive to make sure of the case, and
found her in the forepart of the hive
among her own bees, and looking
rather "slimmed up," as she was also
at the time 1 took her out of No. .56
(there had been two days of rather
cool weather again). Also I found 4
or 5 queen-cells on a comb that she
had occupied. The hive was well
stocked with bees at this time, on 8
frames, enough for breeding but not
for surplus.
Now I thought I had her where she
could furnish queen-cells, so I shut
them up for six days, and then went
for my queen-cells again, and found,
instead, a young queen going around
among them, and all the queen-cells
destroyed.
Fearing for my $3 queen again, I
hunted her up in the very front of the
hive, and doing a good business for
this season of the year, and fairly
fatted up to a good sized queen again.
She had increased the size of her
brood-nest 2 or 3 full combs, and ap-
peared to be able to fill the hive in
another week.
The young queen appeared to be
unfertile, at least to me, as I believe
I can tell by their personal appear-
ance, if fertile or not. So I put her in
a nucleus to keep till I see how she
might "pan out." These are some of
my play things. This brings these
experiments up to date. Next, if they
undertake to supersede old No. 56
queen again, I will see if I can set up
a queen-cell establishment with her;
take away the cells and put them on
the back to try it again, and then see
if these queens are as good as others.
New Richmond, Mich., Aug.25,1883.
For the American Boe Journar.
The Honey Season in New York.
JAMES MCNEILL.
The honey flow thus far in this sec-
tion has been only fair. It opened
well in the beginning with an abund-
ant harvest from fruit bloom, which
induced early swarming.
The mucii - wanted white clover
bloomed prof usely, but the, bees did
not get much more than a growing
living from it. In fact, my observa-
tion during the four years that I have
kept bees, leads me to hold white clo-
ver in less esteem than any other im-
portant honey plant. I have usually
been able to count 25 bees on raspber-
ries, during the same time that I have
been able to find three sipping the
nectar from a field of white clover.
You can find bees roaring on rasp-
berries from " early morn till dewy
eve," and a passing shower drives
them home, only to return again as
soon as it is over. But it is only oc-
casionally that I have been able to
hear the genuine hum of industry
from a field of white clover. They do
not take possession of the clover field
as they do of the raspberries.
The scattering English linden and
basswood trees of this section bloomed
abundantly, and gave the bees a tine
feast. It was from this source that I
obtained most of my surplus.
I hoped much from sweet clover, as
I have never seen a better stand nor a
more abundant bloom. But directly
after basswood bloom, a period of cool
weather set in, which I think must
have interfered with the secretion of
the nectar. The nights were exceed-
ingly cool for the season, and some
mornings were actually chilly, still
the clover was alive with bees during
the day, and they stored some surplus.
But a first-class case of robbing could
be developed any day ^y a little care-
lessness in exposing honey.
With the advent of August a dry
spell set in, and it looked as if our
usual fall drouth was upon us. Hap-
pily this has been postponed by
a copious rain on ttie night of the 18th.
Although buckwheat has been in
bloom for two weeks, my bees did not
settle down to actual business on this
fragrant plant till the 17th. On the
morning of that day it seemed as if
a ship-load of honey had arrived in
port, and my bees were given the con-
tract of unloading it, with a forfeit-
ure, if the task was not performed
witliin a given time.
Can you explain why bees start up
so suddenly to work on a plant which
has been in bloom for many days ? ,
The late rain will, I think, insure a
good fall crop, as we will probably
have a fine, warm fall to otfset the
cool, wet summer. Two years ago I
took half of my crop after tlie middle
of August. If I do the same thisyear
I will have no reason to complain,
although I cannot boast of such yields
as are reported from some sections of
this State.
I do not know but that I shall have
to take back, in a measure, ray strict-
ures on white clover. The grounds of
my apiary are sown to wliite clover,
which I have kept closely cut with a
lawn-mower till lately. They are now
white with bloom. I have just been
out to take a look at my busy workers,
and the way that they are flitting
from flower to flower over my clover
lawn, leads me to earnestly wish that
I had 100 acres like it. I would then
be in clover as well as the bees.
Hudson, N. Y., Aug. 20th, 18S3.
[Cold weather retards the nectar,
and when it does get a chance, it
bursts out and has the same effect as
though a ship load of honey had ar-
rived, as is mentioned above. We
well knew you would cliange your es-
timate of white clover; it is one of the
best of honey producers. — Ed.]
Maine Bee-Keepers' Association.
The regular quarterly meeting of
the Maine Bee-Keepers' Association
was held in Augusta, on Thursday
and Friday, Aug. 9 and 10. Although
it came in a somewhat unfavorable
time for a large attendance, farmers
being just in the midst of the grain
harvest, yet a goodly number were
present at all the sessions, and the
discussions were animated and inter-
e.sting.
The meeting was called to order at
10 a. m. by the president of the asso-
ciation, Mr. F. O. Addition, who
presided throughout the meeting, to
great acceptance. The forenoon was
chiefly taken up with business of a
routine nature, and with brief dis-
cussions upon a few practical points
which came up. At the opening of
the afternoon session, a paper was
read by Mr. J. B. Mason.of Mechanics
Falls, on the subject of queen-rearing.
The remainder of the afternoon was
444
THE AMERICAISl BEE JOURNAL.
taken up with a general discussion of
that and allied subjects.
At the close of the afternoon ses-
sion the members, their friends, and
a few iuvited guests, by invitation of
the editor of the Home Farm, visited
Ills lionie and bee-yard, examined his
apiary of G or 8 colonies, had a practi-
cal bee convention then and there,
and were entertained at a little in-
formal lawn " spread," whicli it is
hoped proved as enjoyable to them as
it was gratifying to him and his. Tlie
evening was pleasant, and passed off
too quickly
In the forenoon of the second day,
a paper was read by Mr. John lley-
nolds, of Clinton, on " Climatic in-
fluence in bee management," partic-
ularly in regard to ttie spring care of
bees, followed by a brief essay from
the pen of Mr. O. L. Sawyer, of
Gardiner, on tlie occasion of the losses
of bees during tlie past winter — a dis-
cussion upon the two papers occupy-
ing the forenoon
At the opening of the afternoon
session, the report of the committee
appointed to award the preferences
on articles exhibited, was lirst pre-
sented. Following the presentation
of this report there was a discussion
in regard to establishing the price of
honey, and uniting in its sale, and
W. lioyt, F. O. Addition and J. B.
Mason were appointed a committee
to correspond with producers and
buyers in regard to the advisability of
such a course. The next session of
the association will be held at Lewis-
ton on the second Thursday of Feb-
ruary next, and J. B. Mason, L. F.
Abbott, of the Lewiston JourwU. and
Dr. J. A. Morton, of Bethel, were ap-
pointed a committee to make arrange-
ments for the SAme.—Home Farm.
The yield of Judge Harrinian's (80
colonies) and Mr. Robert Adams (80
colonies) exceeded, at that date, iiOO
pounds per colony. In November we
expect to organize the Mississppl and
Arkansas Bee-Keepers' Association.
Greenville, Miss., Aug. 23, 18S3.
F"or the American lice Journal.
A Starter Machine.
GEO. E. LYTLE.
I send a drawing of a Starter Ma-
chine, which is the invention of a
bee-keeper near here (D. A. Sailor).
There is an awakening interest in
bee-keeping here, but there are, as
yet, very tew bees kept in anything
but box hives, yet we have a good lo-
cation. There is plenty of room for
enlightened bee-keepers here. Our
honev season commences very early —
the last of Januai-y and February. We
have no trouble in wintering our bees
if they have stores in plenty, so as not
to starve.
Figure 1 shows a top view of the
machine, which consists of a board, A,
Figure 1.
Bee-Eeeping in Mississippi.
O. M. BLANTON.
are nailed to the underside of the
board. A, with a hole at I. A peg is
put through these holes, and also
through the hole, P, in the post, F,
which is between the two blocks in
Fig. 3. Let the head of the post, F,
when the board. A, is level, be just
half the width of the section above the
top of the board. Let the two wire
springs, one of which is shown at Q,
be just 14 or 3-16 below the top of the
post, F. These should have the point
iu a hole in the post, so they can sink
in ; as the section is pressed up against
the post, they catch the starter and
guage tlie depth that is marked into
the wood.
The section is placed around the
post, F, and the starter dropped
against the wire springs with the
right hand, brings the lever E, against
the block, C, which will mash the sec-
tion against the post, and squeeze the
starter to the section ; then with the
left arm or elbow, shove the end of
the board. A, down, which shoves the
section up, mashes the starter well
into the wood of the section, and bends
the starter down right all ready for
the hive. This is by far the best ma-
chine in use to my idea, as you can do
faster and better work with it than
any of the others.
I forgot to state that the head of the
post, F, is covered with a piece of tin
to prevent the wax from sticking to
the post, instead of the section.
Flat Bayou, Ark.
Ontario Convention.
I
After an excellent honey flow of
two months, the dry season has well
set in, and bees are slowing up in
gathering honey. I have taken off,
up to date, over 2,200 pounds of honey
from 201 colonies. The apiiiries of
Washington County, Miss., and Chicot
County. Ark., have yielded remark-
ably well up to date. Mr. G. C.
Vaught and myself visited the bee-
keepers of Chicot and Washington
counties, last week, and found bee-
keeping on the boom ; many making
preparations for a large increase of
their colonies another year. There
were only nine bee-keepers working
with movable frame hives, last year,
in these two counties, and now there
are more than 30. We visited the
apiaries of Messrs. McLendon, Walter
Davis, Victor and Theodore Johnson,
Robert Adams, Judge Ilarriman, and
Messrs. Irving & McSiiee, and were
much gratified at their progress and
success. All work for extracted
honey. On account of sickness we
failed to call on Mr. Kinckead. We
were informed that his apiary was in
fine condition. He and Mr. McLen-
don both have their own foundation
machines, and supply their neighbors.
10 inches wide by about 20 long. This
has two pieces, B B, tacked on, which
are G14 inches apart. Inside C, is a
block, 1 inch thick and i}4 wide, by
any convenient length, say 4 or 5
inches, to which is tacked two strips,
O
3
The third annual general meeting
of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion will meet in the City Hall,
Toronto, on Tuesday, the 20th day of
September next, during the second
week of the Industrial Exhibition.
As the North American Bee-Keepers'
Covention meets at the same time and
place, it has been arranged that the
two bodies hold joint meetings in
discussing matters pertaining to our
common interests, as the leading bee-
keepers of America are to be present.
This will, undoubtedly, be the most
interesting meeting of apiarists ever
assembled in Canada. The venerable
Mr. Laiigstroth and all the prominent
bee-men of the United States are ex-
pected to be present. A proUtable
time is anticipated, and a good turn-
out requested. The convention will
last three days. A meeting for the
purely business work of our associa-
tion will be held sometime during the
convention, of which due notice will
be given.
R. McKnight,
Pres. Ontario Bee Associatimi.
D D, 1 inch wide and 1 inch thick by
10 long, which just slip between the
strips, B B. E is a lever pinned to
the board at H,which pulls the block,
C, down against the post, F, which
comes through a hole morticed in the
board, A. Fgure 2 shows the post, F,
with a }4 inch hole at P, and a board,
R, nailed to the bottom for the ma-
chine to stand on. Figure 3 shows
the shape of one of two blocks which
1^ The Cass County Bee-Keepers'
Association, organized on the 1.5th of
August, will meet on the 10th of
October, 1883, in Logaiisport, Ind.
All persons interested in bees and
honey are respectfully invited to
come. De Witt Brown, Sec.
i^- Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
445
Well Satisfied with the Haryest.
The season is over, and I am well
pleased with it. I extracted from
about 80 colonies of bees, and realized
about five tons of honey. A new dis-
covery has been made in this valley,
by a well-known bee-keeper named
Hugo Sontag, who had about 300
colonies of bees in his apiary, in the
last part of May. He found a queen
with four yellow stripes on her ab-
domen, and the wings are scarlet.
This queen he put into a colony of
bees, which swarmed twice this sea-
son, and he realized 17.5 pounds of
extracted honey from it. Mr. Sontag
desires to have these queens in his
whole apiary. He thinks they are
more prolitable than the Italians.
A. CORSEN.
Cucamonga, Cal., Aug. 22, 1883.
Verbenas.
Please tell me through the columns
of tlie bee-keepers' standard friend,
the Bee Journal, the name of the
enclosed bloom, and its merits as a
honey plant. I never saw but very
little of it here, before this season,
and at this date it is thick on the road
sides and pastures, and green vacant
lands. It commenced to bloom about
the 10th of July; there are three colors
of bloom : blue, purple, and nearly
white, and is about 2 to 3 feet high,
and looks as though it might bloom
till frost. It seems to be a favorite
with the bees. They work on it from
early morn till late sun down. My
bees are in white, red and sweet clo-
ver up to their eyes now, early and
late, and a 5-acre sheet of silver hull
buckwheat bloom to breakfast on
every morning at day break. We have
a good harvest yet. R. M. Osborn.
Kane, 111., Aug. 11, 1883.
[This is one of the four quite com-
mon vervains {Verbena hastata). It
doubtless has been plenty in certain
places in the neighborhood before,
but escaped observation. It is a very
good honey plant.— T. J. Burrill.]
My Houey S.ilesnien.
The Madison County Fair Associa-
tion (held at Ilichmond, Ky.,) did not
offer any premiums on bees or honey.
I made a display of Italian bees,
about .500 po\inds of honey, hives,
sections, smokers, knives,' Given
foundation press, extractor, etc., and
distributed 100 pamphlets on " Honey
as Food and Medicine." My display
attracted considerable attention, for
it was something new to most of the
people. I think I attained my ob-
ject, viz. : To create an interest in
bee-culture, and I am sure the 100
pamphlets on " Honey as Food and
Medicine," which I distributed, will
sell a great quantity of honey.
C. D. MiZB.
Cleveland, Ky., Aug. 26, 1883.
Too Dry for Buckwheat.
The season here has been rather
behind the average for honey, as the
weather was poor in the best honey
season. Bees are getting a comfort-
able living now, and enough to cap
up unfinished work. Goldenrod is
just beginning to show, and they may
get something from that, if there
should come a shower and warmer
weather soon. There is some buck-
wheiit in bloom, but it is too dry now
for buckwheat to yield much.
J. O. Shearman.
New Richmond, Mich., Aug. 25, 1883.
Tropical Honey Tree.
I send bloom and foliage from a
branch broken off an ornamental tree
20 to 25 feet high, in one of the south-
ern cities of this State, by a neigh-
bor who is an admirer of and has a
number of fine Italian bees, who was
attracted to it by the hum of the bees
that were around and upon it, gather-
ing the honey. He says that it is the
most wonderful attraction for bees
that he ever saw ; that a plate of honey
out ni an apiaiy in the month of Au-
gust would not produce a greater
excitement. The property on which
the tree stood was occupied by a ten-
ant, who could not give any informa-
tion about it, only th.it it is a great
attraction for bees. Will you please
give us the name and nativity of the
tree, and oblige.
C. C. Richardson.
Tipton, Ind., Aug. 9, 1883.
[The tree is one of the numerous
species of Aralia, natives of Tropical
America, allied to the well-known
Hercules club, {Aralia spinosa).
Nothing is known of the species as
honey producers, but from the struc-
ture of the flowers, one would be led
to suppose they might be very attrac-
tive to bees.— T. J. Buhrill.]
lutroducing: a Queen in Au!>:ust.
The following may encourage some-
body. I ordered an early queen in
May ; she arrived in August during a
rain storm, when I did not want her.
I took two frames of brood, etc. with
bees adhering and put them in a
small hive, smoked them and stopped
them in. The next day 1 put the
Italian queen in her cage, at the en-
trance of the hive, and the day after
that I turned her in, smoked them,
and shut them up for two days. They
accepted her. R. B. Dranb.
Edenton, N. C, Aug. 23, 1883.
Smart- Weed Honey.
The flow from smart-weed com-
menced 10 days ago here, and is im-
meme. There is only 4 or 5 acres of
it, and about 200 colonies of bees
working on it. Each colony will gather
as much from the 4 or 5 acres, as they
would from 100 acres. I firmly believe
if there was 400 colonies here, each
would gather just as much as if there
were but one. If bees were as strong
in numbers at this time of the year as
they are at the time horsemint blooms,
they would gather just as much
honey ; yet there are 50 acres of horse-
mint where there is one of smart-
weed. It seems that every time the
horsemint fails here, the smart-weed
takes its place. In 1870 the horsemint
failed, and there was an immense flow
from smart - weed, some colonies
gathering a surplus. In 1881 the horse-
mint yielded very little honey, and
the smart-weed yielded plenty for
w'inter supplies. Last year the horse-
mint flow was immense, and we got
none from smart-weed.
W. S. Douglass.
Lexington, Tex., Aug. 20, 1883.
How is This Z
2,825 pounds of honey from 28 colO'
nies, spring count, and the fall honey
yet to be gathered. I have increased
to 55. I and my better-half extracted
900 pounds in one day. I have sold
about 1,400 pounds already ; the bass-
wood trees were in bloom 21 days.
Some colonies gave 160 pounds. I
will send a full report this fall. My
honey is No. 1 basswood.
Fayette Lee.
Cakato, Minn,, Aug. 26, 1883.
Bee Balm.
Please give me the botanical name
of the enclosed. It is some kind of
mint on which bees work quite exten-
sively, but I do not know its botanical
name. J. E. Van Etten.
Kingston, N. Y., Aug. 10, 1883.
[This beautiful plant is often known
by the name of " Bee-Balm," or " Os-
wego Tea" (JUbnante diihjma). It is
a native of the portions of the United
States north of about 41° latitude, or
from New England, northern Illinois,
northward. It is closely allied to the
more common "Horse -Mint," (Mon-
arda fistulosa). The plant might be
cultivated without trouble, but in na-
ture it prefers moist grounds— T. J^
BURRILL.]
Honey Season in Texas a Failure.
The honey season is over in Texas,
and is nearly a complete failuie. Un-
less we have rain soon to start up fall
flowers, we will have to feed heavily,
the coming winter. VVe hope for a
mild winter, and, if it comes that way,
we are all right, and will be all
ready for a boom in 1884.
E. P. Massey.
Waco, Texas, Aug, 28, 1883.
Making: a Local Market.
My bees for five weeks have done
no good ; they are at work now like
little heroes. I do not look for much
fall honey, as it is dry, and there is
not a large crop of flowers. I have
sold all of my white clover honey at
167s and 20 cents per pound, and could
have sold as much more, if I had it.
I live in a village, and sold all of my
honey at home. Bee men must talk
it up at home. I go to a family and
try to sell them honey, and if I cannot
sell them but one pound, I sell it, and
446
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
will not be a week before tbey want
wo pounds. I think boney, if man-
aged riglitly^ will be readily sold at
paying prices. D. 11. Hosebkouoh.
Casey, 111., Aug. ^7, 1883.
Spiked Loose-Strife Plant.
I send a box of flowers which I
would like you to name in the Bee
Journal. It appears to be an ex-
cellent honey plant. It grows in our
marshes and low lands, and grows
from 6 to 8 feet high. I find the bees
working on it all day long. I found
fiome growing in the centre of a large
Eatch of sweet clover, and as many
ees working on it as the sweet clover.
It commences to bloom in June, and
continues to blooai until frost.
Wm. K. Lawson.
Cold Spring, N. Y.
[This is the spiked loose-strife
(Lythrum salicaria). It is an excellent
honey plant, and worthy of cultiva-
tion for this purpose, as well as for
its beauty. The arrangements for
cross fertilization by bees are most
curious and wonderful. — T. J. Bur-
kill, Champaign, 111.]
€>ood Season for Honey and Increase.
Notwithstanding the very severe
winter, and unusually backward and
wet spring, we have had a very good
summer, both for honey and increase,
in this part of Ontario. Some bees
here swarmed as late as the 16th of
August, and we extracted until the
20th ; then robbing commenced, and
we stopped extracting, with most of
the hives full of honey. I commenced
the honey season with 29 colonies,
and will have about 3,500 pounds of
extracted honey, when it is all taken
off, and increased to about 60 colonies,
by natural swarming; and then up to
about SO, by taking down top stories.
I have not seen any drones killed yet.
We had our first frost last night.
Bees are working strongly on golden-
rod now. W. G. Russell.
Millwood, Ont., Aug. 29, 1883.
it, I hope some day to indulge myself
in the luxury of bee-keeping. I shall
not be able to attend the meeting of
bee-keepers in Toronto in September
next, but I trust our friends from the
United States will be generously en-
tertained by their bee friends in
Ontano. 1 shall be much disap-
pointed if the meeting is not of the
most pleasing character.
Lewis VValbbidge,
Chief Justice of Manitoba.
Winnipeg P. O., Aug. 16, 1883.
[This plant produces little or no
honey. The species is not confidently
recognized, but it belongs to the
great sunflower family (composite),
however unlike a sunflower its ap-
pearance. Its nearest relative, known
to me, is the gi-eat ragweed (Ambrosia
tnfida), not uncommonly found almost
everywhere along water courses and
in rich, low grounds. The amount of
pollen produced by this Manitoba
plant is prodigious, and it was doubt-
less this that attracted the insects.
The flowers are, when taken singly,
very inconspicuous. — T. J. Buurill,
Champaign, 111.]
a hole in the end of a stick three or
more feet long. On the wire hoop
sew a bag-shaped net of mosquito-
netting, or some similar stuff. Let
the bag be about 12 to 15 inches deep.
With this one may soon learn to
catch these desperadoes, swinging the
net in one hand.— T. J. Burrill,
Champaign, 111.
Mlhiit and Itoiu.
AN3WKR3 Br
JSnnitoba Bee Plant.
I send you part of a plant which
grows here wild, in the streets, and
attains from 3 to 4 feet in height. It
branches out very largely. If this be
a bee plant, it may be of service to
bee-keepers, as it will fill up the time
between basswood failing and the
autumn flowers. If it should be de-
sirable as a honey-producing plant,
the seed can be had in any quantity.
It is a vigorous grower. It seems
filled with insects, either sucking trie
honey or the juice of the i)lant itself.
White clover grows here well, and the
prairies are a regular bed of wild
flowers. Bees are not kei)t here yet,
but I think ought to thrive well.
Trees here are very scarce, except
along river banks, but the land will
produce anything, being very rich
and productive. Wheat, at present,
is the great staple. I am at present
so situated that 1 cannot indulge in
my favorite hobby, but I take an in-
terest in it, and from the mere love of
Robber Flies.
Enclosed find two insects which I
would like you to give me the name
of through the Bee Journal, to-
gether with any other information of
them you may have. I will give the
heaviest and largest as No. 1, which
I find to be very destructive to bees,
killing them all day long, and it seems
that it only kills bees when return-
ing with their load. 1 have killed as
many as five in one day, among my
bees.
No. 2, the sharpest, bills a great
many, but not as many as the other.
The cause may be it does not take so
much to do it.
Bees have done very well in this
country, considering the most of them
are in box hives and hollow logs. A
neighbor and myself are all that keep
bees in movable comb hives, and we
began this season, and some of the
old bee-keepers tell us we will do no
good, as this country will not produce
Ihjd honey, but we have many honey-
producing plants and shrubs.
Br. S. L. Yotiiek.
Brush, Tenn., Aug. 4, 1883.
[They are both species of robber
flies. No. 1 is the one often called the
bee killer ( Trupanea apivora). One of
these insects, watched during one
day, was known to have killed 141
bees. As the juices only of the prey
are sucked, the number may not ap-
pear so surprising, supposing the
purpose of catching the bees is for
food.
No. 2 is another species of the same
family (^si'tes.scncew^), and has similar
habits. Make a hoop of wire bent so
as to form a circle 9 inches across
I with the two ends so bent as to enter
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Bees with Hairy Feet.
Enclosed I send you several dead
Holy Lind and Italian bees. Please
examine them and tell me what you
know of bees having such feathery or
hairy toes, and did you ever see such
bees before V 1 have thousands of
them in all my crosses with the Holy
Lands, Italians and blacks. They are
good workers. I want to know if
they have longer tongues than the
original or not V They are very docile
and gentle. We have had a fine rain
for the past 4S hours, 4 inches of water
fell, and white clover is blooming
again. My bees have taken a fresh
fever to swarm. I had one swarm to-
day, and all of mv hives are full of
bees and honey. "The sun shines very
hot, 90° in the shadfe at noon to-day.
R. M. OSBORN.
Kane, 111., Aug. 26, 1883.
Answer.— The bees enclosed in
your letter were so mashed that one
could discern only that they once
bees. None of the peculiarities you
mention were distinguishable.
li^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one iieto subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one neio sut>-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. — W e have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
anv address for 10 cents.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
447
<^:|jecial gloticcs.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper ; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Ppstage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2.5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$6, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$15.00- On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling liim to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good proflt.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
■week.
Trial Trip— 25 Cents.
As the season for Fairs has arrived,
and wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal i/iree montlis
on trial, for 2.5 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us live trial
subscriptions (with $1.2.5) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey; for a club of 1.5, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 60
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
1^ Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them — one-cent stamps ;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
Special Notice. — We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in line cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
BEES and HONEY,
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor ef the Weekly Bee Journal.
ass -fVent Madlnon Street, Chlcaso, III.
Mrs. J. F. Upton gives the follow-
ing notice of this book in the Bath,
Maine, Sentinel:
A guide to the management of the
apiary for profit and pleasure, by
Thomas G. Newman. This work is
designed to initiate beginners in bee-
keeping in all the secrets of success-
ful bee-culture. Beginning with the
different races of bees, tue author
takes his readers along step by step,
carefully explaining the different
kinds of bees, illustrating each kind
with the eggs and brood, explaining
the terms used, the production of wax
and comb, and the work done by
these wonderful insects. The estab-
lishment of an apiary is next con-
sidered ; the best location, time to
commence, how many colonies to be-
gin with, what kind of bees to get,
how to care for a first colony, keeping
bees on shares, changing the location,
all of which it is indispensable for a
beginner to know. It is also impor-
tant to know which kind of hive is
the best, how toprocure the best comb
honey, how to procure it for market,
how it should be marketed, what to
do with candied comb honey, and how
to extract honey. The scientific man-
agement of an apiary is then entered
into, and illustrations of all the nec-
essary applicances introduced. There
is a chapter devoted to tlie honey ex-
tractor and its use, and another to
comb foundation and its use. The
various honey-producing plants and
trees are named and illustrated.
Various methods for exhibiting bees
and honey at county and state fairs
are described. The best and snfest
plans for wintering bees ;ire discussed,
the book closing with some general
advice to beginners. The author says
of his book on Bees and Honey, "it
was not designed to supersede or sup-
plant any of the valuable works on
apiculture already published, but to|
supply a want for a cheap work for the
beginners." We most cordially rec-
ommend this work not only to iiegin-
ners. who will find it invaluable, but
to all who are not already familiar
with the lives and movenieits of
these industrious and intellisent
little workers. The iMlormntion to be
gained as to their habits, manner of
breeiliug, intelligence, energy and
wonderful instincts, by reading this
book alone, is enough to make one
regard the bee with admiration and
amazement.
PRICE— Bound In cloth, ta cent»i In paper
covers, SOc**ntB, postpiitd.
THOMAS G. KfWMAN,
9-25 W. Madison St., Cblcago, 111.
A. I.lberal Ulscount to Denlera by
tbe l>ozenor Hundred.
448
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Large Smubers need wtde shields. BinKtiam's
tiave them. andBprlnKS that do Dot rust and break,
and bellows that apurbs and smoke du not enter.
The Conqueror has all iinprovements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and 5x7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for ^l.Q'u. Address.
BII7GHAM & HETHEBINOTON,
Abronla Mich.
(CYPRIANS <"ON-
^ijaEBED. — All sum-
mer long it has been
"which and tother"
with me and the Cyp-
rian colony of bees I
have -butat last I Hm
" boss. " BlnffhamN
"Conqueror Snioker
did it. If you want
lota of smoke juat ut
the riRht time. Ker a
Conqueror Smokei t
Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTLh
Borodino. N. ^
Aug. 15, 18Sli.
EXCKLMNG A LI
Messrs. Bingham &
Hetherington. Dear
■Sirs:— I am now sell
ing your Smokers al
most exclusivel v
You are excelluiK
yourselves in amuk
ers all the time.
RespeotfuUy.^^_^ Patented. 1878.
Austin, Texas. May ID. 188:t
The OrlKlnal
BINGHAM
Bee Smoker
The VERY Best.— The Blnirhani '■ t^onqueror"
simoker ts the very best thing I have tried in that
jine. M. M.LiNnsAV.
Fulton. Tenn.. July 24, 1883.
During the following tbree nioiitlis,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
•paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor", .(wide shiel<i)-:iVt In. flretulje, f.'.tx)
The Conquerortwide shield)— 3 In.tlretube. i.t.t
Large (wide shield)— 2"^ in. tire lu be. 1 ,r>n
Extra (wldoshieldi- 2 in.llretube. 1.25
Plain.-^^ (nar. shield)— 2 in.flretube, l.(KJ
L,lttle Wonder, .(nar. shield)— iJiin. Are tube, .65
Bingham & Hetheriogton Uncauping Knife. . 1.15
With thanks for letters of eneoiir-
agement, and the absence of complain-
ing ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Respectfully Yours,
Bingham & IlEXHERrNQTON.
Abronia, Mich., .June 1, 1883.
Our Fremiams for Clnbs.
Books at Fairs.— Those who make
an exhibit at Fairs will find that an
assortment of Books and Pamphlets
would sell and leave them a profit for
handling. We will send such, postage
prepaid, at 25 per cent, discount; or
if the purchaser pays express charges,
we will supply any of our own publica-
tions at 40 per cent, discount.
Emerson Binders— made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
JouENAL as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
i^"Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
NOTICE.
We have just completed the largest and l>HSt lot
of Smokers ever manufactured. Prices by Mall :
2 Inch.... Double Blast ti.'Ji
•2 " Bingle *' l.*»»'
*.>^ " ....Double •' 1.7.-.
3)a •• ... Single *' 2.00
Special inducements to those who buy to sell
again.
THE BEST BEE BOOK
"Of al 1 the books on bee-keeplng.QUINB V 'S NK W
BEE-KEEPINGstandspre-enitnentlT at the head,
in my opinion." Sincerely Vours.
April II, 1883. Q. M. Dool.lTTLE.
Sent by Mall, Poat-psUd. for Sl.SO.
L. C. BOOT & BBO., Hohawk, If, Y,
19Atf
Don't Fail to Read This !
Only Que impure Queen Out of 050
Sent Out this Year !
The Queen received f rf>ra you Is the finest one I
ever saw. She is remarkably proliflc, producing
fine large workers, each bearing the tbree bands of
gold. W. U. Wkston, London, Ont.
1 have 3 or 4 bee books, but yours goes ahead of
all the others. Wm.Flickingkr, Doylestown.O.
Book (bound in cloth) and Tested Queen sent for
S2.00 during September only.
Tested Queen %l 50
Handy Book 1 25
HENRY ALLEY,
36A2t Essex Co. WENU AM. MASS.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
SosersTlUe, Genekee County, M Icli.,
Makes a Specialty of rearing tine ITALIAN
QUEENS. All Queens bred from imported queens,
and from the purest and be.'*t home-bred Queens,
and the cells built in full colonies. No black bees
in the vicinity. Cusitomers can have either light
or dark Queens. Orders tilled Promptly. Single
queen Sl.ou; six queens for f5.00; twelve or more,
75 cents each. Tested queens, ♦Lot' each. Safe
arrival guaranteed. "All Queens sent out are
reared by himself." Make Money Orders payable
atFLlNT, MICH. SlDtf
Any one sending us a club of two
' .subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $G, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four suliseribers, with S8, we
■will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For flye subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's ABC of Bee Culture, or an
^xtra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
ihe same amount of money.
REST!
not, life is sweepinK by. ro and
dare before you die. something
mighty and sublinje, leave be-
hind to conquer time." fii'i a
week in your own town. f5uut-
tit free. No risk. Everything
new. Capital not required. We
will furnish you everything. Many are muking
fortunes. Ladies make aa much as men, and boys
and girls make great pay. Header, if you want
business at which you can make great pay all the
time, write for particulars to U. Hallktt & (;o
Portland. Maine. HAly
Golden Italians Again!
One Golden Italian Queen, warran-
ted purely mated, *i.-'>n. One pure-
ly mated and tested. $:^.;'»o. Ctne
pure Queen, not warranted, fl.fni.
All the above Queens are of the
ttnest stock In the country. I sold
over3'X)last season, and had but
one complaint. Fullcolonlesready
to divide, for f lu.oo ; safe arrival guaranteed.
17Atf r.. J. 1>I£:H1«. BUT1.BK, IND.
GOHB HONEY WANTED.
We are prepared to purchase large lots of Fancy
COMB HONE V in I and :; lb. soctloi.B, or Harbison
frames, for which we will pay an advance of .> cts
Ser pound ovpr New York prices. CASH ON
IKl^lVKKY in sound condition in l^ondon;
the pi*lce of extracted honey will be paid for all
broken combs. This is an excellent opportunity
for bee-keepers wlahlna to visit Europe. Corre-
spondence solicited. IV. M. HOOK A CO.,
The Apiary, Leoonfleld, lid. N..
3:iAtf l.ONDON, BNOIMND.
BINQHAM SMOKERS.
I ciin Hell tlie above 8mokera at
MANUI''A<'TURKU8' TKICES, by
mall or express, at wholesale or re-
tall. All the latest improvements,
including THE CONQUEROR, and
THE DOCTOR.
Send for my 3*2-page Illustrated
Catalogue of Bee-Keepers' Sup-
plies of every description.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 W. Madison, CHICAGO, IliL.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The Bkitibh Bee .Iouknal is published month-
Iv, and contains the best practical information for
tne lime being, showing what to df», and when and
how to do it. Rev. n. R. PEEI^. Editor.
We send the Weekly American Bee Juctrnal
and t\ie British Bee JouTiiaLhoth for $3.(.>0 a year.
The Bee-'Keepers' Guide,
OK, MANUAL OF THE APIABY.
9,000 SOLD IN SIX YEARS.
lOtb ThoUHund Jn«t Ont.
More than 50 pattes, and more than 50 fine Illus-
trations added. The whole work has been thor-
oughly revised, and contains the very latest In re-
spect to bee-keeping. It is certainly the fullest
and most scientific work treating of bees In the
World. PrSe**, by Mall, Sl.SfS.
Liberal dlveonnt to tleitlers and to clubs.
A. J. COOK.,
l7Ctf Author and Publisher. Jjanetng, Mich.
Friends, if you are In any way interested In
BEES OR HONEY
We will with pleasure send you a sample copy ef
the Monthly Gleanlnva In Bee-Culture,
with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve-
ments in Hives, Honey Extractors, Comb
Foiindnt(on,Seetlon Honey Uoxes,all books
and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee
Culture. .Wothfnp PaUnted. blmply send your ad-
dress written plainly, to
Ctf A. I. ROOT, Medina. O.
HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTH
Kor the manulacture of
HEE-KEEPERS* SUPPI^IES.
Ounhum and Root Foundation a specialty.
Italian Queens and Bees from March to November.
iaf"8end for my Illustruted Catalogue,
-•sctf PAUI* I*. VIALI-OX, Bayou Goula, Ijl
I TAIWAN BEES AND QUEENS.-One
Queen, not tested, $1.00; tested, $2.00. Bees,
one colony, $7.00; Ave colonies or more, $8.50 each.
H, A. SHXTCR,
33D2t BRYANT. Fulton Co., ILL.
THIS PAPER aT^iro/nfoSS.,"'!
Co.'s Newspaper Advertising Bureau (10 8prac«
Bt.), where advertising contractu may be made f wr
it in SKW TOBK..
.^».
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., SEPTEMBER 12, 1883.
No. 37.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor an3> Proprietor,
^- The Editor of the Bee Jour-
nal being unable to attend the Na-
tional Convention, it will be repre-
sented by the Rev. W. F. Clarke, of
Guelph, Ont., who is duly authorized
to take subscriptions and orders for
any of our publications.
^" Mr. James Heddon has been on
a tour up imto Northern Michigan, in
order to recruit his healtli, and the
Dowagiac lYrjies contains a long letter
from him concerning his trip, which
is interesting and humorous.
®" We have received a catalogue
of " Holland Bulbs and Plants for fall
planting," from Hiram Sibley & Co.,
Rochester, N. Y., and Chicago, 111.
It is nicely gotten up and beautifully
illustrated.
^^ The firm name of Crocker &
Blake, under wliich E. E. Blake and
F. L. Ripley have transacted business
for the past ten years at Boston,
Mass., is changed to Blake & Ripley.
This is the honey firm of Boston.
1^ "The New Zealand and Austra-
lian Bee Journal "is the title of a new
bee periodical published at Aukland,
New Zealand. It is well edited by a
progressive bee - master, and should
receive a hearty support by the bee
men of Oceanica. It is edited and
published by Mr. H. H. Hayr, Month-
ly, at 6s. a year, and contains 12 pages
and a c*ver.
^Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
Reduced Fares to Toronto.
We have received from President
D. A. Jones, the Programme of the
Toronto Exhibition, and Mr. Jones
writes us tliat he has had Thursday,
Sept. 20, set apart as " American
Visitor's Day," in honor of our Ameri-
can visitors.
We have had several inquiries
about excursion rates from Chicago
to Toronto, as mentioned by Mr.
Jones in Gleanings, as follows :
Announce return tickets at single
fares on all railroads'in Canada from
the 17th to the 22d of September; 1%
fares for excursion tickets from the
10th to tlie 22d of September. lam
airanging hotel accommod;itions.
Urge every one who possibly can get
here, to come. There will be special
excursions from many points in the
United States very clieap, to the Falls
and Toronto. I hear of one from
Kentucky, Cincinnati, Pennsylvania,
New York, Chicago, etc., but cannot
get particulars yet.
We have made inquiries at the
Grand Trunk Railway oflBces in Chi-
cago, and they know nothing of it.
We can get the regular Excursion
Return Tickets from Chicago to To-
ronto for $20, but none both ways for
one fare, as Mr. Jones mentions.
Regular excursion tickets from Cin-
cinnati to Niagara Falls, good until
Oct. 28, can be bought for $1,5. Ex-
cursion tickets from any part of the
South or Soutliwest to the Louisville
Southern Exposition can be had, or
from Louisiville to Cinciimati Expo-
sition. In this way, if in no other,
Toronto, which is only 30 miles from
Niagara Falls, may be reached
cheaply.
President D. A. Jones, under date
of Beeton, Aug. 25, 1883, writes us as
follows :
I have received a letter, of which
the enclosure is a copy, from Mr
Hill, Manger of the Toronto Indus-
trial Exhit)ition, which is the outcome
of an application which I made to
him to secure reduced rates for bee-
keepers in the Stale of Michigan. As
it would receive publicity through
your Journal, perhaps you will be
kind enough to give it insertion
There are single fare rates for the
whole week of our convention.
B. A. Jones.
Tr r Tx BJSeton, Aug. 2.5, 1883.
U. J.Hill, Esq.— ^ear Sir: Re-
plyuig to yours of the 15th inst., I
would say that we do not wish to ad-
vertise any reduction from regular
rates, but if there are any on our line
who apply to you, and you will refer
the application to me, I will furnish
them with certificates on which they
can obtain tickets to Port Huron or
Detroit, and return atexcnrsion rates.
Yours truly, D. Edwards.
We have written to Mr. Jones to try
to get an order on the Chicago Oftice
of the tJrand Trunk Railway to sell us
as many tickets as are needed at the
rate for one way for the round trip,
and it will pay those who go to either
write to us, or call at this office en-
route.
&• The new Postal Notes are now
obtainable, and should be sent in let-
ters for all small sums. Each of the
6,500 money-order offices have been
supplied with books containing the
Postal Notes. New York received 20
books, and the other offices from that
number to one book. Each book con-
tains 500 notes. In addition, each office
has been furnished with a plyer punch
and blanks, to be used in the business.
A uniform fee of 3 cents is charged
for each note, payable at the office of
issue. The oflice at which the note is
made payable mu,=t be selected by the
sender, and the note is payable at that
office only. Each note is made payable
to the bearer, and in this respect the
note is of the nature of a legal tender.
It is no more safe than it is to send
postage stamps or bank bills in letters.
Absolute safety can be had only when
regular money orders are obtained.
There is now no excuse for sending
postage stamps for small sums, except
at offices too small to issue the Postal
Notes or Money Orders. Be sure to
get these Postal Notes drawn on the
Madison St. Statioji, Chicago, III.
450
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Hunting Bees in the Woods.
Mr. C. Norris, of Traverse City,
Mich., writes as follows :
Being a reader of your valuable
paper, the Weekly Bee Journal, I
am very anxious, and desire that
some of your readers who have had
successful experience in hunting wild
honey bees, would give their experi-
ence in detail ; what kind of feed to
bait them on, and take the bees from
their tree and bring them home suc-
scessfully, and the best bait te use
that bees will come to and carry off
when the flowers are giving a flow of
nectar, and oblige one wishing to learn
to capture wild honey bees.
Mr. r. M. Johnson gives his experi-
ence in hunting bees as follows :
You require a small box, which can
be made of any kind of wood. The
box is of a slanting shape, and should
be made according to the following
dimensions: Bottom 4x6 inches;
sides, 4 inches at one end beveled
down to 1% inches at the other ; end
pieces, one, 4x4 inches, the other IM
deep by 4 inches long. The top should
be a separate piece, and made as fol-
lows : Width, 4 inches, whole length
12 inches ; cutting down 4 inches on
end for handle, and inserting a glass
3x1 inches, flush with the underside
at the other end, as near the end as
convenient.
The box should contam a piece of
honey comb about IM inches in
thickness, which should be scented
with bee bait (the directions for mak-
ing this are given below), covering
tlie bottom of the box. Taking the
box in the left hand, and the cover in
the right, and approaching the bee
while at work on the flower or shub,
you insert the box under the bee, and
quickly putting the cover on the top
(in such a manner that the light can
shine in), you have the bee secure in
the box ; then put the box on a stake 3
or 4 feet high, taking care not jar the
box more than necessary. Then
shove the cover down so as to shut
out the light from the glass, when the
bee will sco to work on tlie honey,
which can be ascertained by holding
the ear to the box, as it will cease its
" humming " as soon as it commences
on the comb. Then the cover can be
taken off and the bee will remain on
the honey. Then take a position
where you can have an unobstructed
view of tlie box and its surroundings,
and wait for the bee to come out,
which it will do in from one to three
minutes, and commence circling in
the air, gradually enlarging the circles
until it flnds its latitude, at which it
will immediately start in a direct line
for its home, and here care must be
taken to accurately mark the direc-
tion it goes. You must now wait for
a short time, wlien the bee will return
and re-enter the box, which it will
repeat as long as the box remains. If
the tree should be near by the other
bees will accompany it on its second
or third return ; if at a great distance
it will take a longer period for the
bees to " double up."
If you have gotten 15 or 20 bees at
work on the line you can safely take
the box to a point as far distant, in
the course the bee has taken, as you
choose, being careful not to pass
where the bee is likely to tree, as they
will not follow the other way. Now,
open the box again, and if you are on
the line the bees will And it in a very
few minutes. If they do not you will
know that you are off the line, or have
passed the tree, and should move
your box to a point that you know is
on the line. This is to be repeated
until you run the bee to its tree.
If you have but a few bees it will be
necessary to shut them in the box
and move them in this manner from
30 to 60 rods at a time, then open your
box and wait for them to go and re-
turn. This is to be repeated until
you have found the tree.
Cross lining is important. If any-
thing should prevent you from follow-
ing the bee in adirect line from where
you first start it, you can move the
box a distance to the right or left and
start it again, by which means you
can center the bee on some prominent
object, whereby you can invariably
locate the tree within a radius of 5 or
6 rods.
Half an ounce of tincture of annis
mixed with a half dozen drops of oil
of organum, to bskeptin an air-tight-
bottle.
Instead of using honey in your box,
put a quantity of granulated sugar in
a bottle and dissolve it with cold
water until it becomes a thick syrup,
and fill the comb in the box with this
liquid, which is better than the real
honey.
Ontario Convention.
The third annual general meeting
of the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion will meet in the City Hall,
Toronto, on Tuesday, the 20th day of
SeptenAer next, during the second
week of the Industrial Exhibition.
As the North American Bee-Keepers"
Covention meets at the same time and
place, it has been arranged that the
two bodies hold joint meetings in
discussing matters pertaining to our
common interests, as the leading bee-
keepers of America are to be present.
This will, undoubtedly, be the most
interesting meeting of apiarists ever
assembled in Canada. The venerable
Mr. Langstrotli and all the prominent
bee-men of the United States are ex-
pected to be present. A profitable
time is anticipated, and a good turn-
out requested. The convention will
last three days. A meeting for the
purely business work of our associa-
tion will be held sometime during tlie
convention, of which due notice will
be given.
R. Mcknight,
Pres. Ontario Bee Association.
The Curse of Adulteration.
1^" The Cass County Bee-Keepers'
Association, organized on the 1.5th of
August, will meet on the 10th of
October, 18S3, in Logansport, Ind.
All persons interested in bees and
honey are respectfully invited to
come. De Witt Brown, <Sec.
The Prairie Farmer discusses the
subject of food adulteration in the
following strain, and indicates the
remedy :
In Great Britain the laws are strin-
gent and more rigidly enforced than
elsewhere, but still it is admitted to
be a great evil even in the " United
Kingdom." In Germany the extent
to which adulteration of food, and
almost everything which enters into
commerce is carried, is appalling.
The most of the wines brought from
Germany are villainous imitations of
pure articles, loaded with drugs and
unfit to be taken into the stomach.
\Ve do not know what we drink, nor
hardly what we eat, nor can a physi-
cian predict with any certainty the
effect of his prescriptions on ac-
count of their adulteration. Com-
munity at large is in a measure to
blame in this matter; indifference on
the part of the public enables those
who engage in these nefarious opera-
tions to ply their vocations with im-
punity. The laws on the statute books
against the adulteration of articles of
food and drink are, therefore, almost
a dead letter. Unless complaint is
made, the public authorities take no
notice of these things, and no private
citizen cares to take it upon himself
to make complaints of the manufac-
ture or sale of such articles, and thus
the disreputable business goes on
in every direction. There is scarcely
an article of food, except fresh veget-
ables and fruits, that is free from
adulteration. Seemingly many per-
sons engaged in these pursuits have
deluded themselves into believing
that such tampering with food has
become legitimate, from the fact that
the great public permits itself to be
imposed upon with impunity. Never-
theless, the whole business is neither
legitimate nor honest. It is a species
of fraud that ought not to be toler-
ated. Articles are sold for what they
are not. and very often they contain
deleterious and poisonous substances
that should never enter the human
stomach.
We might fill our columns with
analyses made by chemists in this
country and Europe, of adulterated
articles now sold as human food, em-
bracing nearly everything in use for
that purpose, but it is unnecessary.
Suffice it that flour, butter, lard, sugar,
coffee, tea, spices, canned fruits, and
other leading articles of diet are
especial objects of the adulterators'
arts.
Who will point out the remedy for
this gigantic evil V We would call
the attention of the State Board of
Ileallh to it in Illinois. Perhaps
there are cases of the use of poisonous
ingredients in some of these fraudu-
lent imitations or adulterations of
food, which would bring those who
are producing them within the pur-
view of that body's authority, and
lead to a few wliolesome examples of
condign punisbiuent for infractions of
the law in such cases made and
provided.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
451
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time ond Place of MeeUng.
Sept. 12.— Eastern Indiana, at Ricbmond, Ind.
M. G. Reynolds, Sec Williamsburg, Ind.
Sept. 12-14.— Trl-State, at Toledo, Ohio.
Dr. A. B. Mason, Sec, Wagon Works, O.
Sept. 18-20.— North American, at Toronto, Ont.
A. 1. Root, Sec, Medina, O.
Sept. 20.— Ontario, at Toronto, Ont.
K. McKnight, Pres.
Sept. 20-21.— Western, at Independence, Mo.
Sept. 26.— Tuscarawas Val.. at Newcomerstown, O.
Herbert Uenman, Sec Coshocton, O.
Oct. 6.— Marshall Co., at Marshalltown, Iowa.
J. W. Sanders, Sec, Le Grand, Iowa.
Oct. 9, lO.-Northern Mich, at Sheridan. Mich.
O. R. Gooduo. Sec, Carson City, Mich.
Oct. 10.— Caas County, at LoRansport, Ind.
De Witt Brown, Sec.
Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at Chicago, III.
Thomas G. Newman, Sec.
Oct.- Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, O.
S. F. Newman, Sec.
Nov. 3.— Mahoning Valley, at Newter Falls. O.
li. Carson, Sec.
Dec. 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint.
H. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
tdr In order to have this table complete, Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetings.— ED.
The National Convention.
Bee & Honey Show at Lexington, Ky.
Messrs. Williamson & Bro. made
an excellent display at the Lexington
Fair, and were highly coinplimeuted
on every side. The following notices
were in the Lexington papers :
Mr. Russell White, of Maysville, a
prominent young bee-keeper, who
attended our Fair Wednesday, said
he never saw such a beautiful display
of honey before, as the display made
by Messrs, Williamson & Bro., of this
City. Mr. White had just returned
from the great Southern Exposition
at Louisville, and saw several honey
displays there, and all combined were
nothing compared with the display he
saw at our Fair.
The display of honey by the Messrs.
Williamson, was the tinest and most
cofnplete on exhibition, and shows
the excellent taste of our enterprising
townsmen, whose 7 colonies of bees in
this oily alone, gathered 1,800 pounds
of this beautiful honey.
Mr. White said if the Messrs. Will-
iamson had taken their display to
Louisville, they would beyond doubt,
carried off the premium, which was
$50 ; but they preferred to remain at
home and carry off the blue ribbon. —
Evening News.
The first display that struck our
attention upon entering the Hall
building was Williamson & Bro.'s
display of honey of all descriptions in
and out of comb, some dark-colored
and rich, and some as clear as an
octagonal diamond. Mr. Williamson
was awarded the premium unani-
mously, and a beautiful silver medal
hung from the top jars within the
casing.— Gazette.
Williamson & Bro. made one of the
largest collections and handsomest
displays of honey ever seen at the
Fair. — Transcript.
The National Bee- Keepers' Associa-
tion, will hold its Annual Convention
in the City Hall and Council Chamber
in the city of Toronto, on Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday, the 18th,
19th and 20th days of September,
during the second week of Canada's
Great Fair. All the railroads in Can-
ada will issue tickets during this week,
good to return, up to Saturday night
22d, at single fare for the round trip.
Special excursion rates will be ar-
ranged from various parts of the
United States, of which due notice will
be given. Those who intend being
present may be kept posted on the
latest excursion rates, etc., by address-
ing me, and also that I may arrange
hotel accommodation. Private lodg-
ings will, if possible, be secured for
those who desire it, and every effort
will be made to make everybody com-
fortable. A grand meeting is antici-
pated. D. A. Jones, President.
^^ The quarterly meeting of the
Marshall County Bee- Keepers' Asso-
ciation, will be held at the Court
House, in Marshalltown, Iowa, on
Saturday, Oct. 6, at 10.30 A. M. Sub-
ject for discussion, " Fall and Winter
Care." All interested, in this and
adjoining counties, are invited, for
we hope to have a good meeting, and
one of beiieht to all.
.J. W. Sanders, Sec.
Le Grand, Iowa.
t^ The next regular meeting of
tlie Mahoning Valley Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held at Newton
Falls, O., on the first Saturday of
November, 18S3. L. Carson, Pres.
E. W. TuuNEK, Sec.
The "Bad Boy" Abroad.— We have
just received from the publishers a
book with the above title, giving the
humorous experiences of a Bad Boy
in Europe. It will drive the " blues "
miles away, and is warranted to create
laughter in the hearts of those who
never laughed before. It is hand-
somely illustrated and bound. Price,
paper cover, 2.5 cents ; bound in cloth,
60 cents, and it will be sent to any
address, post-paid, upon receipt of
the price, by J. S. Ogilvie & Co., pub-
lishers, 31 Rose street. New York.
1^" A Watertown{N. Y.) man, who
has kept an account of the weather,
claims that it invariably repeats it-
self, and gives the following as the
result of his observations, viz. : All
years ending in 9, 0 or 1 are extremely
dry ; those ending in 2, 3. 4, 5 or 6 are
extremely wet; those ending in 7 or 8
are ordinarily well balanced ; those
ending in 6 have extremely cold win-
ters ; those ending in 2 have an early
spring ; those ending in 1 have a late
spring ; those ending in 3 and 4 are
subject to great floods.
^" The Rev. L. L. Langstroth has
been invited to attend the North-
western Bee-Keepers' Convention to
be held at Chicago, Oct. 17 and 18, and
accepts in the following language :
" About the invitation to attend the
Convention at Chicago, and your very
kind invitation to me to share your
hospitalities, friend Newman, allow
me to say, I accept both with great
pleasure, and if nothing unforeseen
should prevent, I will be glad to make
the personal acquaintance of the
Northwestern bee-keepers.
L. L. Langstroth."
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMERICAN BKK JOITRNAL, (
Monday*, m ». m., Sept. 10, I883. t
The following are the latest quota-'
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CIN('INNATI.
HONBY— The demand for extracted honey is
exceedingly dull; for comb honey, only fair; arri-
vals are plentiful. Stocks are large in the hands
of corn merchants and others. Onr own supply is
larger thiin ever, and, for the present, we cannot
compete with commission merchants. We may
have to offer lower tlgures. Our prices so far were 7®
9c. for extracted, and 14(gil6c. for comb honey on
arrival.
BKESWAX -Arrivals of beeswax are good at
25(S2Sc and the demand is fair.
Chas. F. Mdth.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— White clover and basswood in I and 2
lb. sections, 18c. Dark and second quality, 14c,:
extracted white clover in kegs and barrets, lie;
dark, 80.
BEESWAX- Prime yellow, 30@3lc.
H. K. & F. B. ThORBER & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Comb honey has been bought with
more freedom this week and ijrices of last week
have been fully sust:iined. The cool weather has
started up the usual fall trade, and activity is the
order of the hour. In selecting out the best con-
signments (with the excentiofi of one round lot
taken by merchants from Dakota Territory), our
demand is chiefly locM I. Extracted honey lias not
been sought for to any extent, yet there is an im-
provement over last wi ek in the annMint sold.
Comb honey, extra white l lb. sections, lrti\; comb
honey, extra white IH to 2 lb. sections, l.ifMil7c
BEESWAX- Steady and quiet, at 2o(s3:.c., as to
B. A. BDRNETT, 161 South Water St.
SAN ICKANCI8C0.
HONEY— There is a moderate supply of comb
and extracted of common quality, but offerings of
extra choice comb are very light. The sales being
elTected are within range of unchanged figures.
White to extra white comb, 16@2oc. ; dark to good,
10<3il3)^c.; extracted, choice to extra white. 7>i@
8J^C. ; dark and candied. li^(S)—
BEESWAX -Wholesale. 27®28c.
STEARNS & Smith. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONBY— Quiet sale. New comb UffllSC; fanor
small packages higher; strained and extracted 7®
7>sc.
BBESWAX-Easy, at 24(a25c. for choice.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONBY— New honey continues in good demand
at IH'niUic. for choice 1 lb. sections, and such are
readily placed as fast as received; 2 lbs. not so ao-
tive. at li,(SJt>^c. Secniul quality sells I4@I7c. Ex-
tracted not in domanil.
BBESWAX-None In Market.
A. c. KKNDKii, IK'S Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— We quote our market at 18(3j20c. for
1 lb. white clover; iHtiaitJc. for 2 lb. white clover.
Extracted is in good supply, and selling from
9@inc.
BEESWAX— Our supply la gone; we have none
to quote.
Blake & Ripi.et, 57 Chatham Street.
452
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
^^Hg
For tile American Bee Journal
Non-Excellencies of the German Bee.
T. A. HOUGAS.
Mr. Oabiirn is correct in saying, on
page 4U8, " there are few that have
the boldness to come forward and ad-
vocate the good traits of character of
the German bee"' (not the blacks).
His next sentence is, " I know that
one who has the independence to ad-
vocate the good qualities of the Ger-
man race ot bees, must expect to call
down upon his hiad the scorn, the
disapprobation and disgust of the
great mass of bee-keepers of today."
VVIiile we are notdisposed to " scorn "
or " disapprove " any one for their
views on any subject, yet we beg to
disagree quite frequently. In this
case we must disagree upon the good
(V) qualities of the German race of
bees.
" In the first place they excel as
comb builders." While we must ad-
mit the truthfulness of this statement
in a large degree, yet it is not strictly
true, all points considered. For an in-
stance, take a colony of German bees
and place them in an empty hive ; let
them till it with comb, brood and
honey ; then take a colony of Italian
bees, place them in a similar condi-
tion. As soon as botli are full of
comb, brood and honey, place them
in the August sun, and see which
combs are the tirst to give^ away. I
have seen hives that were tilled by
the German bees, standing side by
side of those tilled by tlie Italians,
and the contents of the former were
all melted down, while the latter
stood it all right.
'•They excel as rapid workers to
draw out foundation ;" perhaps they
do; but I can see no difference.
" They excel as pioneers to strike
out from the broud-chamber (and out
of the queen's way) to store their
honey ;" yes, and they excel in
striking straight out for you, when
you lift a frame out of the hive.
" They excel in keeping their hives
full of workers to gather the crop;"
this has never jiroved true, in tlie
least, under my observation.
" AH other conditions being favor-
able, they excel as non-swarmers,
when you give them plenty of room."
" All other conditions being favor-
able." 'Tis well said ; they need
favorable conditions.
" When you give them plenty of
room." Again, well said ; who would
not excel under such circumstances?
In the above mentioned article
there is nothing told but the good ( i*)
qualities of the German bee, but he
does not stop to tell that 100 German
bees to every one Italian bee will take
wing while handling. Mr. O. forgot
to tell tliat an Italian bee will live and
grow fat on Howers that a German
bee would starve to death on. Per-
haps he does not rise early enough in
the morning to see that the Italians
are at work from one-half to three-
quarters of an hour earlier in the
morning, and as much later in the
evening than the German race. It
seems to me tliat this would make
considerable difference in a whole
season's work. All are too familiar
with the bee motli to need any notice.
If Mr. O. tries tlie cross he speaks of,
I would advise him to lay in a supply
of bee veils, gloves and smokers for
mutual safety.
Henderson, Iowa, Aug. 27, 1883.
Rural New Yorker.
The Outlook in Apiculture-
PROF. A. J. COOK.
In the way of g.owth and real pro-
gress, bee-keepingcompares well with
other manual labor pursuits. It is
capable of proof that in the past ten
years the number of bee-keepeis, the
product in honey, and the cash value
of the proceeds of the apiaries in the
country have more than doubled.
The apiarian apparatus, an'd the
methods of manipulation have also,
in many respects, been entirely revo-
lutionized. The last decade knew
nothing of extracting, as practised to-
day ; nothing of our exquisite sections
for comb honey, nothing of the val-
uable comb foundation. The asso-
ciations devoted to apiculture number
more in single States to-day than they
did in the entire country ten years
ago. We have nine periodicals" ably
conducted, one of which is a weekly.
There are four or live excellent books
which are selling by thousands. And
our agricultural associations, instead
of offering a few cents, or, perhaps, a
dollar as a premium for honey, and
sandwiching the honey in between
syrup and sugar, now give most liberal
premiums, and in some cases furnish
a separate building for the exhibition
of honey bees and the varied appara-
tus belonging to the apiary.
This growth is not the result of
over-praise, as some assert. True, as
with all pursuits, success finds a
seady tongue, while failure hides its
head. Still it is true that as many
who enter this Held thoroughly pre-
pared by study and practice, reach
the goal of their aims as in any other
business or profession. From" one to
two thousand dollars are enough capi-
tal to invest in the business. This
capital, rightly managed, is sure to
give a return of from 100 to 1.50 per
cent. One person can care for 100
colonies of bees, and not work hard
for more than three months of the
year ; while with a competent assist-
ant for three months in the year he
can care for double the number. I
think few apiarists of skill and ex-
perience would agree to sell the aver-
age product of each colony for $15.
We see then, that in the small amount
of capital invested and the proceeds
from the well managed apiary, api
culture takes high rank.
It is true that with a large apiary,
the labor for May, June and July, and
possibly for August and Sejitember,
is really arduous ; but when it is re-
membered that there are many ladies
that successfully manage and care for
quite 1-irge apiaries, we cannot doubt
but that with wise management the
labor may be reduced, so as not to be
a grievous burden. Some of the
ablest apiarists in our country are
quite delicate women, who undertook
apiculture to brace up declining
health. In it they f(nind health,
money and pleasure, surely a worthy
trio.
Many declaim against apiculture as
an avocation. Only the specialist,
say they, should keep bees. This
would take from our ranks Dzierzon,
Langstroth and many others of our
first apiarists. One of our graduates
who by profession is a preacher, wrote
me a year ago that the proceeds of his
bees exceeded his salary. Last year
his honey brought even more ; and
this spring he sold SI, 1.50 worth of
bees, and liad 80 colonies remaining.
Another graduate has a farm and also
keeps bees. I asked him a few days
since why he did not sell his bees, as
he was speaking of too much work.
" I had better sell my farm," he said,
" as my bees pay the "best."
Apropos of the above, it is said,
that if one wishes to learn bee-keep-
ing, he had better go to some large
apiarist and let the college alone.
Reason and statistics argue otherwise.
Culture, or a well trained mind, wins
in every race. Bee-keeping demands
good judgment and trained observa-
tion. The college course tends to
develop both. Many of our graduates
are now keeping bees, and all with
marked success. Four of these have
a national reputation, and two are
known in all bee-keeping countries.
For the American Bee -ToumaL
The Black Sage of California.
A. W.OSBURN.
On page 427, of the Bee Journal,,
is an article taken from the California
Rural Press, on " Honey Flora— White
Sage." The writer cannot be as well
posted about the honey-producing
plants of California as he might be,
or he would not have failed to give
the black or button sage credit for
what is justly its due. The two sages
(white and black) stand in about the
same relation to one another that the
white clover and basswood do to one
another. The nice white comb honey
that goes on the market is called
white clover honey, while in all locali-
ties where basswood is plenty, I do
not think there is one ounce of white
clover to every 10 pounds of bass-
wood honey. So in California with
the two kinds of sage, bees will not
work on white sage on a range where
the black sage grows. The latter
yields honey in a much larger quant-
ity than the former, and of a much
finer quality, and yields all day, from
daylight till dark ; and I doubt if in
the whole world better honey can be
produced than comes from the black
or button sage ; clear as a crystal ; al-
most white, with a good body, and in
llavor it is impossible to get anything
finer.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
453
The white sage yields honey in the
forenoon, but not much in the after-
noon. It is thin when compared to
that whicli comes from the bhick, and
in color and flavor it does not rank in
the same class with the former at all.
I know whereof I speak. I have
seen the two grow on the same bee
range, very many times, but not on
the same ground. For the habits of
the two plants are as unlike as need
be. The black sage chooses the sides
of mountains and foot hills. It can
hardly, if ever, be found on flat land,
but the highest peaks of the coast
range of mountains in California,
seldom get too- high for the black
sage to tluive and do well, and this is
one of the best evidences of its superi-
ority as a honey plant. It is a long
and well-established fact, that the
best honey producing plants grow on
the highest land. The white sage is
a lover of the bottom lands of the
canyons, along the banks of streams,
very rarely getting 200 yards from
high water mark. It throws up a
number of stalks from the root every
spring, that bloom the same season,
and then die. It does not resemble
a bush or shrub, but has the appear-
ance of ii weed. It is a most profuse
bloomer,— while the black sage is a
bush, a shrub, with hard solid wood,
hence the substantial foundation for
the best honey in the world to come
from. When there is plenty of rain
the black sage blooms for six or eight
weeks, yielding honey like but very
few plants do yield, aud of a quality
that is XXX.
Water Valley, N. Y.
For tlie American Beo JoumaL
The Season in Southeastern N. Y-
HOWARD T. BUSH.
About Aug. 1, it became very dry,
and we have had no rain to speak of
since ; we have cold nights, so cold
that bees cannot work until 8 a.m.;
they work while the dew is on, and
then lie still the rest of the day. We
have had two frosts this week ; the
bees just about make a living. I shall
not get a pound of buckwheat honey ;
goldenrod is coming in bloom, but if
it stays dry, I shall get no honey from
that source, so I think that my honey
harvest is over for this season. I
used two-pound, one-pound and half-
pound sections. I sell two-pound and
one-pound sections for 15 and 20 cents
per pound, and half-pounds for 25
cents a pound, in my home market;
and I get 10 cents for extracted. I
have sold all of my half-pound sec-
tions but a few that I want to exhibit
at our county fair, on the first of
October. I mail a few bees from my
apiary. I want to know what kind
of bees they are. Are they the brown
German or black beesV Tlie queens
are very large, about one-third larger
than Italian queens.
Monticello, N. Y., Aug. 31, 1883.
[They are of the brown German
race.— Ed.]
I began the season with 41 colo-
nies, spring count ; it was very cold
and wet all the spring. Apple bloom
came the last of May. My bees gath-
ered some honey from it, and
about that time I transferred 23 colo-
nies, and I fed them the waste honey
that I obtained from those that I stim-
ulated to brood-rearing. I worked
them on Mr. Uoolittle's plan, and
when my honey harvest came, on
June 6, my bees were very strong, but
it was cold and wet. Raspberry
bloomed on June 6, and my first
swarm came out on the 9th, and I be-
gan to extract on the loth ; and from
then until the first of July, I took off
1,000 pounds of honey (700 pounds of
comb and 300 pounds of extracted).
White clover came in bloom about
June 10, but it was so very wet that
the bees did not work on it. In the
last week in June, sumac came, and I
never saw such abloom. The weather
became clear, and I never saw bees
gather honey so fast. On July 4, my
bees began to kill the drones, and in
one week you could not see a single
drone. On July 15, basswood bloomed,
but there is not enough here for bees
to make any more than a living, and
hardly that, so my bees have been
idle from July 20 until about two
week ago ; then buckwheat bloomed.
Read before the Maine Convention.
Profitable Pasturage for Bees.
ISAAC F. PLXJMMER.
By request of one of the members
of this association, I have taken up
this subject to give you a few
thoughts on my experience and ob-
servation in regard to planting and
cultivating flowers, trees, shrubs, etc.,
for artificial pasturage for bees.
I have not had great experience in
this line, but I have had enough to
know that to a certain extent it pays
to plant for bees, and when we are
planting fruit trees and small fruits,
we should remember we shall some
day reap a rich harvest of honey as
well as a harvest of golden fruit, and
thus reap two profits to pay for our
labor. I believe, and have always
thought that orcharding and the cul-
ture of small fruits should go haudjn
hand with bee-keeping for the reason
of the honey which fruit trees will
produce when they are in bloom. So
let us greatly extend our orchards,
and in a few years we shall see our
bees getting more honey, and that we
are getting more and better bee pas-
turage in our State.
There are but few farmers and bee-
keepers in our State who have not
more or less waste pieces of land
around fence corners, roadsides and
side hills ; and what better purpose
can such pieces of land be put to than
by sowing them to sweet clover,
which is one of the greatest honey-
producing plants we have in this
country, and how much better such
pieces of land would look to the eye
and at the same time have the bees
gathering honey, the sweetest of all
sweets from the flowers that such
places will jirodiice by a little of our
time and care spent in such a noble
purpose. Who says it will not pay V
I for one say it will pay.
Another great honey-producing
plant, and one that will hold in bloom
from July to the first of September or
October, is a plant called •' borage."
It has a blue flower, and is a very
attractive flower for either field or
garden culture, but it needs a deep
rich soil in order to grow to perfec-
tion. I sowed some in my garden
last spring. It came up well, made a
very fine and rapid growth and
bloomed finely. It was just remark-
able to see how bees worked on it. Its
flowers kept dropping and kept blos-
soming until the dry weather dried it
all up, and I know it would have kept
in bloom a number of weeks longer
if it tiad not been for the drouth. I
like to see the bees work so well on
this plant, that I shall sow a lot
another season, if nothing prevents.
Of the other honey-producing plants
that are highly recommended, somei*
of which I know by experience are
very good for bees, and will pay to
cultivate on a small scale. To go with
bee forage may be mentioned the
following : Catnip, motherwort,
boneset, flgwort, spider plant, mig-
nonette, Chinese mustard, cleome,
golden honey plant, etc. I think if
we give this branch of our business
the same attention we give to other
branches of bee culture, we soon will
see our bees gathering more honey,
and if we get more honey we shall "et
more money out of our bees. Now
let us try and see what we can do to
advance bee-culture in our State, and
if we can do so by planting for our
bees, let us do it ; and if we can do so
by improving our hives and honey
boxes, let us do so by all means, and
I know by improving our bees and
breeding them up to higher standard
of excellence, and at the same time
give them plenty of liowers from
which to gather honey, that we must
be successful in bee culture in this
State and in all other States. I will
bring this to a close by saying to
Maine bee-keepers, plant largely of
honey producing plants, and you will
not be sorry for your time, pains and
the pleasures it vvill give you, aud the
land that you will use for this purpose
will be well improved.
For the American Bee Journal.
Bee-Keepers' Week at the Southern
Exposition.
G. W. DEMAREE.
The Southern Exposition Company
is composed of wealthy business men
who, of course, know nothing of bee-
culture. It was hardly to be expected
that they would bestow special favors
upon bee-keepers ; hence, it became
necessary to apply to the Agricultural
department of our State for accommo-
dations. The same course was pur-
sued by the Horticultural Societies,
and nobly did that department re-
spond to our wishes. Prof. Todd,
chief manager of the Agricultural
deiiartmeut of the State of Kentucky,
is a man of broad views, and so inter-
ested was he in our new (?) enterprise
that he gave us special favors and
attention. Had we known before
454
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
hand that our enterprise would have
been so lightly favored by the mana-
gers of the Exposition, and so highly
appreciated by the public, we would
have gone prepared to surprise the
'• natives." As it was, our honey and
bee show was a credit to Kentucky
apiarists.
The table erected for our accommo-
dation stood in a conspicuous place ;
was about 5 feet wide, and covered
with snow white cloth, and was ex-
tended in length as needed. Much of
the honey was displayed in fancy
shape, but the greater part of it was
plain, neat, and attractive, and beyond
question was admired most of all.
People are used to gaudily labeled tin
cans, and beautifully colored confec-
tions, and have learned to know that
the fancy outside gives no guaranty
^ of the purity of the article within. It
* seemed to me that the tin cans of all
sizes were a failure,especially the very
small sizes. These were covered with
exaggerations in the form of labels.
It was amusing to hear the remarks
made by persons in the mighty
crowds that gathered about the tables
to see the Honey and Bee Show.
" Them little tin cans look too much
like salve boxes." " O ! ain't that
charming honey in those square glass
jars." "Those tall glass goblets are
beautiful." "Look at that comb
honey ; wonder if the bees made it in
them cases." " La, if they havu't got
bees making honey right in the Ex-
position." " Wonder what them bees
are making lioney out of." "That's
the queen is it? Well, now, where is
the king V" " Won't they improve on
honey before they are done experi-
menting?" This last remark was
directed to mc, and I answered : No,
God makes pure honey, and the bees
gather it from his ocean of flowers.
Man makes glucose and calls it honey,
and poisons his fellows for a few
paltry dollars. These are the facts in
a nut-shell.
Kentucky apiarists will not soon
forget " Bee-Keepers' Week " at the
great Southern Exposition. I would
like to mention the names of the dis-
tinguished bee-keepers from many
parts of the United States, who
"hunted me up " to grasp my hand,
during bee-keepers' week, but I could
not do it without forgetting some
whose memory is henceforth dear to
me. I will be pardoned, howeveij for
mentioning the name of W. S. Hart,
of New Smyrna, Ela., because he
came from the uttermost parts of the
Union to visit us. Mr. Hart proposes
to be at the Toronto Convention be-
fore he returns home. I am sure that
all who meet him will not only find
him a master in apiculture, but a most
congenial friend and gentleman. The
sessions of the Kentucky State Society
were well attended, and the proceed-
ings very entertaining. The assem-
bly of bee-keepers was at no time
very large, owing to the many things
to attract at the Exposition, and from
the further fact that many of the
members of the society had to look
after their honey and bees on exhibi-
tion. Still, Dr. Allen was heard to
remark that it was the " best meet-
ing ever held by the society."
I believe I learned something dur-
ing " bee-keepers' week " about pre-
paring honey for the market. I
believe it a mistake to put flashy
labels on small honey packages. It is
too suggestive of the trashy goods so
commonly seen in family groceries.
These extravagancies have liad their
day, and people are getting tired of
being cheated by outside appearances.
The trade will have much more con-
fidence in a plain label that gives the
name of the article and the name and
address of the producer.
At the honey show the competition
for the first prize on comb honey was
doubtless very sharp. I cannot see
how it could have been' otherwise, as
so many fine combs so nearly alike
were in the display. There was more
difference, tiowever, in the extracted.
Extracted honey may be extra good,
good, common and "indifferent, just
in proportion to the good manage-
ment of the apiarist.
During the latter part of last June
a neighbor of mine informed me that
the "yellow uees " were working
thick on his red clover. I visited the
field and found my bees working
busily on the red clover. Bees were
gathering rapidly from the white
clover at the same time. This led me
to observe closely, and I believe that
nine out of ten of the bees which were
visiting the red clover were of the
lightest strain of bees in my apiary.
I thought but little about the matter
at the time, as I had never got more
than 20 pounds at two different times,
heretofore, that I knew to be red
clover honey, and this was in the
comb, and gathered from the second
crop of clover, and late in the season.
In the former case the work was done
on the red clover, in the best of the
white clover harvest, and on the first
crop of red clover bloom.
A short time after this I extracted
some SIX or eight hundred pounds of
the whitest and thickest honey I ever
drew from the extractor. When I
saw it was extra white, thick honey, I
kept it by itself. From this lot" of
honey I made up my exhibit of ex-
tracted honey, and it took the first
prize at ttie Exposition. Mr. Muth,
of Cincinnati, sampled this honey,
and expressed ins belief that it was
too white for white clover honey, and
gave it as his opinion that it was red
clover honey. I am able to identify
at least 6 colonies that produced more
or less of this remarkably white, thick
lioney. Although I have seen my
bees working on red clover once in
awhile, I have heretofore had but
little faith in "red clover bees," and
I yet suspect that the seasons must be
extra good so as to fill the deep tubes
of the clover blossoms pretty well
with nectar in order that any bees
yet imported to this country can reach
it sutliciently to obtain surplus honey.
Nevertheless these colonies will re-
ceive extra care forfuture experiment.
The Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Society
has set on foot a scheme— if success-
ful— which will be of much impor-
tance to those who contemplate
making honey production a specialty.
A committee has been appointed
whose duty it will be to collect infor-
mation as to the unoccupied fields
suitable to the production of honey in
our State, and about everything re-
lating to the adaptability of the State
to tlie bee business. The work will
be published in pamphlet form by the
society. It is hoped that such a work
will be of the greatest benefit to those
persons seeking locations for apiaries.
The work of the bee-keepers' socle-
ties of our country has heretofore
been too circumscribed in character.
Their proper sphere is too benefit
mankind, and in order to do this they
must not only be progressive but
aggressive in their work. Commit-
tees appointed by societies generally
do nothing, simply because nothing is
expected of them. The fault is with
the society. The committee selected
for this work is composed of Dr. N.
P. Allen, of Smith's Grove, Ky. ; W.
C. Pelham, of Maysville, Ky. ; John
T. Connley, of Napoleon, Ky., to
which the president of the society
was added. With the untiring energy
of Dr. Allen at its head, this commit-
tee will discharge its duties faithfully.
We have quite a drouth here now,
and the prospects for a fall run are not
at all flattering at this writing. At
the honey show at the Southern Ex-
position, Mr. A. C. Cunningham, of
Salvisa, Ky., took first prize on comb
honey, and N. P. Allen, of Smith's
Grove, Ky., second prize. Your
humble servant won first prize on ex-
tracted, and N. P. Allen the second.
Christiansburg, Ky.
For the American Bee Journal,
How to Clean Wax.
F. L. DRESSER.
The great demand for comb foun-
dation, and consequent consumption
of wax in its manufacture, has so
destituted the market that the bee-
keeper now finds little trouble in
realizing twice the price for his wax
that he did a year or two ago. And
the prospect is, that unless beeswax
is imported to this country in consid-
erable quantities, the price will rise
still higher, and bee-keepers may,
ere long, consider the question of
running some colonies for wax as a
prime object. But with the present
prices and amount obtainable, the
care of wax is a question of dollar
and cents to those who wish to make
bee-keeping pay. With many this is
considered "the woman's job," and
given no further thought by them :
while the women dread this annual
job as much as we do the semi-annual
house cleaning. Indeed, I think that
I should prefer to blister my hands
pounding an old dusty carpet than to
burn them raw pounding hot wax
through an old coffee sack. I know
that I would rather eat my dinner
spread on a barrel in the woodshed
than to have my clothing and un-
covered extremities smeared with
such immovable stuff. Yet, with a
little expense and proper manage-
ment, no one need be made uncom-
fortable, and the overburdened
farmer's wife may be released of the
detested duty.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
455
In the first place the bee-keeper
should have a box handy into which
to throw his old comb ; that which
is free from cocoons should be kept
separate from the rest. If the millers
commence their depredations, a little
burning sulphur will disturb their
feast and make you master.
Next a Swiss wax extractor should
be provided (see engraving). For
Swiss Wax Extractor.
the sake of some who, perhaps, have
not seen one of these instruments, I
will attempt a brief description. It
consists of a can divided a few inches
from the bottom by a tin perforated
with large holes near the cireumfer-
ance, and inclining from all directions
toward a snout which protrudes from
one side on a level with tlie tin.
Above this hang.s a basket m»de of
perforated tin, so placed as to hang
entirely within the holes punched in
the dividing tin. The melting wax
will then fall upon the tin and escape
by the snout, and not leak through
into the water tank below. Connect
a tube from the outside with the
water tank to enable you to refill the
tank without removing the extractor
from the stove. Cover the snout witli
a tight-fitting jacket open to the in-
side. This will prevent tlie wax from
hardening in the snout, and save
much trouble. Make a tight-fltting
cover for the whole, and the thing is
finished.
You will then want two or three
Moulding cans, such as the figure
below.
Moulding Can.
^ is a frustum shaped can encased
in the cylindrical can, b,-cis a tube
for filling 6 witli water, and ti,a faucet,
is for emptying the can ; c and d con-
nect only with the outer vessel. Thus
equipped, you are prepared for busi-
ness. Select a day in the fall, after
the bees are prepared for winter, and
you have plenty of time. Drive the
women out of the kitchen, and make
it as comfortable for yourself as pos-
sible. Then prepare your extractor
by filling the water tank with water,
and the wax basket with comb.
Place a moulding can under the
snout, allowing the wax to fall into it,
at the same time having b filled with
boiling hot water. VVlien the can is
full remove it, substituting another.
Allow the wax to stand 4 or 5 min-
utes, then draw off the hot water and
fill with cold water. As often as the
water around the wax gets warm, re-
place it with that which is cold. The
larger your extractor, and the more
moulding cans you have the faster
you can manipulate. When the cake
is hard dump it out, and the can is
ready to use again. The dirt will
Ijave settled to the bottom of the
cake you have just taken; tliis you
must cut off together with a generous
slice of wax, so as to be sure you get
it all. You can run the refuse over
again and get the wax from that.
The cakes are now in a convenient
form for shipment, and should be
sold in the early spring to some supply
dealer. You can continue to get dirt
from the wax as many times as you
will run it through, but by running
it through once it will all be prime
yellow. Pure beeswax is pure white,
and the slightest color is the sign of
the presence of foreign matter ; hence,
if all the foreign matter be withdrawn
the wax will be white. I have a
further addition to the extractor by
which I can prove my statement. A
cake of the dirtiest, blackest wax that
I ever saw was made white by this
instrument, and it was not exposed to
the sun nor any bleaching substance
for a moment. But most of us are
satisfied to luive our wax all yellow
and in convenient cakes, and this is
the easiest method that 1 know, or of
which I have ever heard.
Hillsdale, Mich., Sept. 1. 1883.
Putnam County, Ind. Convention.
The Putnam County Bee-Keepers'
Association met Saturday, Aug. 18,
at Greencastle. The attendance was
not large, but it was enthusiastic.
After the necessary business had been
attended to, the different members
reported the condition of their bees,
and their prospects.
Mr. Tenant, of Greencastle, said
that two years ago he started with
but one colony. Since that time he
had sold over $100 worth of bees and
honey, and had six stands left in
strong condition, two of them with
upper story full of honey. Mr.
Homan, of iJussell township, reported
tliat his bees had done well, consider-
ing the wet weather in blooming time.
He had taken 675 pounds of noney,
and increased to 2(i colonies. He
stated tliat there were large numbers
of bees in the woods. Mr. O'Neal
stated that his bees were strong, and
since honey harvest had been carrying
honey from upper stories to brood-
chambers. He had caught a stray
swarm of bees, apparently full Ital-
ians. The president said he was more
certain than ever that bees were
profitable property, if properly hand-
led. His bees had done well. He
had sold several stands and quite a lot
of honey. The secretary remarked
that he had taken some 800 or 900
pounds of honey, and had increased
from 20 to 50 strong colonies with but
9 natural swarms. Had sold all hia
honey at from 20 to 35 cents. Others
reported similar success. W Mason
gave an account of a visit to the
apiary of W. Smith, of Johnson
county, and stated that Mr. S. had
sold $500 worth of honey, and had 65
colonies of bees in cliaff packed hives,
Mr. S. told him his bees yielded a
better income than his 160 acres of
good farm land.
Our society meets the third Satur-
day of each month, the next meeting
being Sept. 22. — Indiana Farmer.
Tot tne American Bee Joumalo
Bees in Shenandoah Valley, Va.
A. R. KOHNKE.
Having gone there, with the object
of finding a better locality for bee-
keeping than I have about Youngs-
town, O., I tliought I would give to
the bee-keeping public what I have
seen and learned with reference to
our pursuit.
Following the most urgent invita-
tion of Mr. Jordan, of White Sulphur
Springs, I went there the last week in
July. Arriving at the Springs, which
I made my headquarters, I received
a most cordial welcome by Mr. E. C.
Jordan, the proprietor. This gentle-
man has some 53 colonies of bees in
Langstroth hives ; but owing to hia
time and attention being required to
look after the welfare and comfort of
liis guests, his bees are rather neg-
lected. There are two springs on this
place, a sulphur and an iron spring.
1 have met people wlio were broken
down in lieaUh,not being able to obtain
relief by any medical treatment, who
bad been almost entirely cured within
a few months at these springs, which,
if it proves anything, proves that that
particular place is most conducive to
health. Space does not permit me to
describe that locality in detail, but
Mr. Jordan will furnislivery willingly
any information in regard to it.
As to the bees, their main honey
source is blue thistle, which, to judge
by what I have seen, must be one of
the best, if not the best honey plant
this country produces. The honey
from it, if not better, is surely equal
to white clover ; it being of the same
color and consistency as the latter,
but of a milder taste. Besides blue
thistle, locust grows there in great
abundance, as also the different kinds
of berries, especially blackberries.
But where blue thistle abounds white
clover is scarce and vice versa.
One day Mr. Jordan and myself
drove down to Berryville, about nine
miles from the Springs, to visit some
bee-keepers there. One of them, Mr.
Diehl, who has been quite sick, hence
not able to attend to his bees properly,
has an apiary of about 200 colonies,
blacks, Italians and Albinos. Ilia
crop was about 5,000 pounds of comb
honey. Another gentleman, in tlie
same town, had 90, blacks, hybrida
and Italians, and Mr. Showers, also
456
THE AMERICA]^ BEE JOURNAL.
t)f the same place, has about 40. Most
of the surplus arrangement had been
taken off the hives, in consequence of
the honey season having closed, with
B, faint hope of obtaining some from
iron weed, wliich is said to yield
honey some years.
Some other day I went to Winches-
ter, it being about five miles from the
Springs, to see the following bee-
keepers : Mr. Brown, Mr. Slagle and
Mr. Gibbens ; found none of the gen-
tlemen at home on account of a pic-
nic excursion, but had access to the
largest apiary, kept by Mr. Gibbens,
who makes a business of it. I was
shown around by Mr. Gibbens' son, a
very accommodating young gentle-
man. Mr. Gibbens works his bees in
a very progressive manner. He has
used this year, for the first time, the
one-pound one-piece sections, using
comb foundation starters of a trian-
gular shape, one corner of which
nearly touches the bottom of the sec-
tion. The idea struck me, that comb
foundation used in this shape, might
keep the bees from building little bits
of comb in between, as they have a
better chance of clustering than
■where full sheets are furnished ; be-
sides that it would be a saving of
foundation to the extent of one-half.
I may give right here some more of
my experience in my own apiary, and
what I have seen in others.
The fact that bees need large
quantities of honey to produce a small
q^nantity of wax, has led to the inven-
tion of comb foundation machines and
the use of comb foundation in brood-
chambers as well as for comb honey.
In order to save the honey. This may
be best to some extent, when honey is
tiot very abundant, but I rather ques-
tion the expediency to give full sheets
of comb foundation in sections for
this reason : 1 have noticed that,
■when honey is coming in slowly, the
bees will draw out heavy walled comb
foundation a little ; biit when it is
■coming in fast, they do not touch that
heavy wall, but build new comb on
the foundation given. I used the
heavy-walled foundation made on a
tJiven press, and the light-walled
made on a Vandervort machine. The
light-walled was always drawn out,
so that the comb foundation could
not be noticed when cutting the comb,
but with the other Tuore or less " fish-
bone " was left, very often the whole
of it. Besides this, I found after the
comb was finished, the bees had wax
to spare, putting it here and there in
little lumps in some empty corner,
hut especially on the glass at the ends
'or sides of the sections. For the use
of full sheets of comb foundation in
the brood-chamber, there are other
^nd more important reasons than the
saving of honey and wax in its con-
struction, which I need notenumerate
here, as they are too well known ; but
lor sections, I think we can use less
to our advantage, using such as can
be made on a Vandervort machine
only, as far as 1 know.
Now back to Mr. Gibbens' again.
He also had taken most of his sections
off the hives, leaving only a small
part of those not yet finished, in hopes
of obtiiining some honey from iron
weed. On the whole, I think by what
I have observed, that the Shenandoah
Valley is a very good bee country,
but, perhaps, no more so than many
other localities where more fruit trees
are cultivated, which are in great
deficiency where I have been.
Youngstown, Ohio, August, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Honey Crop, Marketing, etc.
B. T. DAVENPORT.
I have been much interested in read-
ing the columns of your valuable paper
this season, and especially the reports
in regard to the present and prospec-
tive indications for honey. I like
the idea suggested by Mr. Kendall, in
last week's Bee Journal, of having
a barometer, or honey signal- service,
a good one, providing We are careful
not to exaggerate our reports, nor make
out reports tor the whole season at
perhaps the very opening of clover,
which, if the weather should be pro-
pitious, and the bloom as good as it
was this season, are apt to be very
flattering. It is well to be hopeful at
all times, which, as far as I am ac-
quainted, 1 believe is a peculiarity
that bee-keepers have, but in our pub-
lic reports, we want the facts, and
opinions should be given as such only.
We too frequently see an otherwise
excellent report or letter with no date
given, or if a honey report, the kind
not mentioned, whether comb or ex-
tracted ; such articles I mark down
about .50 per cent. This was the cold-
est morning of the season — mercury
41°, but saw no frost. Bees have done
fairly here, but too much wet and cool
weather for a real good yield of honey.
The most of our surplus was gathered
during the latter part of June and
first half of July from white clover;
basswood bloomed considerable, but
we obtained no honey from it; it
rained nearly all the time it was in
bloom, and were the heaviest rains
known for years, doing considera|)le
damage to hay that was cut, both in
the stack and field. I have been work-
ing two apiaries this season, 5^4 miles
apart. I began with 90 and now have
136 colonies, and have taken off 4,200
lbs. of honey in IJ^ lb. sections, all
white, and think there is enough on
the hives of mixed honey to make out
about 6,000 lbs. This is probably one
of the best locations for honey in the
state. I found a drone in my Carley
apiary (the one away from home),
with one very red eye; I saw him
twice, while looking through the hive.
Auroraville, Wis., Sept. 5, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Bee-Keeping in Utah.
JOHN DUNN.
Bees have not had the attention
they should have this year. Some
never use an extractor. One bee man
told me, the other day, that he had
not used one, although he has 6 colo-
nies and is among the oldest hands at
the bnsiness ; but after I had shown
him what I had done with 2 colonies,
he said he would get an extractor;
but it was like the boy, as I told him,
who bought a penny purse to put a
half penny in ; it was too late now, to
get much benefit from the extractor.
Quite a feeling has been made
against the use of the extractor,
tlirougli the remarks of our assessor,
who said that foul brood was caused
by extractors, and where they were
used, foul brood was sure to exist. I
talked with him on this subject, and
asked him for his proof. Why, said
he, I have read it in a book ; but when
questioned in what book, he said he
could not tell where, so I told him to
come and I would show him, where
larvfe was pulled out, that the bees
would put it back, when put in the
hive ; but I would not advise any one
to extract from sections that had much
brood in them.
I have extracted about 50 gallons of
honey from 10 colonies up to date —
increased to 20 this season, and if I
had got my sections full of comb, I
could have done better. I have used
a good deal of foundation.
We should have a good flow of
honey ; almost every one has an or-
chard, and own their own house and
garden lot, and since the new fence
law was passed, almost every one has
a patch of clover and lucern, and in
the spring, if you take a walk out in
the country, you will see the wild
flowers, and in the fall, they shine
with splendor.
I think that many would keep bees
if they were not so fond of stinging,
but it is the only thing they have to
defend themselves with, and it is a
wise provision, for, if it was not so,
the poor bees would be abused many
times just for fancy. 1 found spear
mint a good thing to rub over the
hands ; they do not like the smell. I
did intend to have 1,000 lbs. of extrac-
ted honey this season, and I do not
know yet but I may get it. Bees work
now on clover, squash, lucern and
other plants, and are doing splendidly,
so far as I have found out in this
county.
Tooele City, Utah, Aug. 15, 1883.
For the American B«e JournaL
Cyprian and Syrian Bees.
B. F. CARROLL,.
The anathamas hurled against the
Cyprian bees by many who have not
thoroughly tested them will cause
many apiarists to dispose of their
Cyprians before they find out their
good qualities.
It is true that the Cyprian bee is a
little warlike if not thoroughly un-
derstood. I have handled these bees
for three years, and I find them su-
perior to the Italians in every respect.
First, they are more prolific, and
hence have their hives always full of
bees, and when you have the bees,
you can have the honey if there is any
to be had.
Secondly, they defend their hives
better ; it being almost impossible for
a strong colony of Cyprians to be
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
457
over-powered and robbed by other
bees.
Thirdly, when the extractor is used
they are far superior to the Italians
by being so easily shaken and brushed
from the combs.
Fourthly, they tty faster and further
for stores, and have a longer tongue
than Italians or blacks, and they
work well on the cotton, and this
feature alone ought to bring them
into favor with the bee-keepers of the
South ; and
Lastly, tlie sun never gets too hot
for them ; I have seen theui this year,
when the thermometer was at 104'^ F.
in the shade, wt)rking riglit along, as
if it was spring-like weather, and my
3 colonies of Italians and one black
colony were not even showing a de-
sire to do anything but l>riiig in a
little water, and very little of tliat.
I have one of G. M. Doolittle's best
Italian colonies. The bees are perfect
beauties, and as gentle as pet chick-
ens, and I have a host of Cyprian
colonies just as gentle, and I handle
without smoke or gloves.
I have about 25 colonies of Holy
Land bees, and as this is my first year
to give these a thorough test, I am
satisfied they are almost identical
with the Cyprians, and their temper
is not quite so high strung. There is
no doubt they will stand the test. I
see some grand reports coming in
from these bees from different parts
of our broad domain, and it is only a
question of time when these bees will
be the favorites with Americau bee-
keepers.
Dresden, Texas, Sept. 1, 1883.
Prairie Farmer.
Apiary Talks— Seasonable Hints.
MRS. L. HARRISON.
It is well to observe closely during
the honey season, and ascertain from
what source the supply is obtained.
Where 1 am " rusticating," in Con-
necticut, near the sea-shore (Aug,
21 ), boneset or motherwort, goldenrod,
and a species of wild touch-me-not are
in bloom, and bees are apparently
doing well. For several days it has
been showery, and the sun comes ont
very hot, and the nights are warm,
insuring the right condition for the
secretion of nectar. Where the early
potatoes were raised. Polygonum wiil
soon be blooming. The sweet clovers
(melilot) of the white and yellow va-
rieties, are now ripening their seed,
and it should be gathered and scat-
tered in waste places. 1 saw, lately,
the yellow variety which is some-
times called Bokhara clover, growing
around the edge of a salt meadow and
on rocky ledges. Though it is not a
bad weed, it will hold its own when it
has gained a foothold.
In most Western and Northern
localities, the three or four weeks
preceding frost bring on flowers
which often afford the very best pas-
turage of the year. During tliis late
honey flow, encouragement should be
given to the rearing of brood, so that
there may be plenty of young bees to
go into winter quarters. Sometimes
the brood-nest is almost filled with
honey, and the queen cannot find a
cell in which to lay ; a part of the
combs should be extracted and re-
turned. Sometimes tliis fails to in-
sure brood-rearing, as we have found
such combs in a few days (during a
big flow) to have every cell glistening
with honey. We lose our bees the
coming winter, " charm we ever so
wisely," but we will stand a much
greater chance of preserving them if
we look well to them now. Some
colonies, although prosperous the past
season, have queens whose usefulness
has departed, and who are decrepit
with old age, and should be super-
seded with a young vigorous one,
able to withstand wintry blasts. All
after-swarms have young queens, and
if they are too small to winter, they
might be wintered with an old stock,
by first removing the old queen
Colonies that are found to be queen-
less, or have done laying queens,
should have queens given them or
united.
Many people complain of moths
destroying their bees, when they only
moved in when the house was empty,
from defect or loss of queen.
l^hat and Baxxj.
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Bees Italliiig their Queen.
Will .James Heddon please inform
me why mv bees balled a virgin queen
about "12 days old ; also, why they
balled a dollar queen, which I intro-
duced about 6 weeks ago, and was
laying nicely ever since, and was lay-
ing when they balled her V They
started queen-cells at the same hive.
I took her out and put her in a nucleus,
and she was laying the next day.
'Richard Grinsell.
Baden, Mo., Aug., 27, 1883.
Answer.— Bees ball strange queens
and queens that for any cause (and
some causes are as yet unknown) they
are jealous of. Why they should
have been entertaining a " sidewise "
feeling toward your 12-days old virgin
queen, I do not know enough about
the minor circumstances to tell. Per-
haps because she was aiming at be-
coming a wrinkled, cross old maid.
Workers are quite often suspicious
of introduced fertile queens for many
days after they begin to lay, and often
pounce upon and kill them upon the
least provocation, such as opening
the hive, when if they had been left
undisturbed, they would have acted
like dutiful children. I should think
a week time enough to lay aside all
this jealousy. I have found that to
suffice as a rule. I have had colonies
ball their queens on opening the hive;
queens that were mothers to every
bee in the hive. I have never known
a case of the kind, but what the col-
ony was in some way sliglitly out of
perfectly normal condition ; a little
spring sickness, or clipped queen, or
something of the sort.
Wide Frames.
In a recent number of your Jour-
nal Mr. Heddon says the wide frames
are being superseded. Will he be
kind enough to tell us by what, with
details sutiicient to enable a man of
ordinary understanding (not a me-
chanic) to make them for trial.
RUSTICUS.
Answer.— The broad frames are,
with many of our leading and recog-
nized most intelligent apiarists, being
laid aside for the case system. I
cannot, in this space, fully describe
the case that 1 use and prefer, but
I will say that the broad frame supers
differ from tlie cases, inasmuch as
that the cases, instead of taking
frames at all, receive the sections be-
tween partitions, without the use of
frames or separators. I will refer you
to cut Fig. 1, Sec. D, page 659, Bee
Journal for 1882.
OUR L
The Fall Crop.
Bees are storing honey a few hours
in the middle of the day. The hearts-
ease and goldenrod bloom is abundant,
but the weather is too dry, and the
nights too cool, for a large flow of
honey. A good rain and warm weather
would give us a heavy flow. The honey
crop in Ih^s part of the State is not a
heavy one, although in a few localities,
where strict attention has been given,
a fair crop will be secured.
Reuben Havens.
Onarga, 111., Sept. 4, 1883.
Horse Balm Honey.
Enclosed find a plant for name. I
have exhausted my botanical resources
without being able to name it. Bees
work on it freely, and it undoubtedly
yields a large amount of honey. 1
have a suspicion that the honey is
bitter. The plant grows in rich
woods. It is not very abundant.
M. Mahin.
New Castle, Ind., Aug. 28, 1883.
[The plant is the widely dissemina-
ted Horse Balm [Collinsonia Canadeti-
sis). It is hardly possible that the
honey is bitter. The plant belongs to
one of the most important families
(iabictto) of honey producers, and is
itself pleasantly aromatic— T. J. B.]
458
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bees Working on the Spanish Needle.
In the spring of 1883, I bad 40 colo-
nies of bees, all Italians but 3. I
did not get any clover honey, but got
about 600 pounds of linden honey,
and increased to 72 colonies. I have
not obtained any honey since Aug. 1,
though the bees are doing well now,
on Spanish needle and buckwheat.
VVm. T. Scott.
Mill Grove, Mo., Sept. 4, 1883.
Sand Wasps.
I send you a hornet tliat I saw with
a fly in its fore feet. I never saw one
like it before. Please say what it is,
through the Bee Journal.
J. M. HiBBARD, Jr.
Athens, Ohio, Aug. 10, 1883.
[The large insect found holding in
its forefeet a bee, is one of the sand
wasps [Pompilidtx), which store their
nests with insects, to be used as food
by the young. Usually a single
species of insect or spider is selected
by each kind of wasp, but I am not
aware that this or any other wasp
stores its nest exclusively with honey
bees. The most remarkable thing
about their method of hunting is that
the wasp stings the prey in a particu-
lar nerve centre, in such manner that
the captured insect 'is rendered en-
tirely helpless, but is not killed. In
this condition it is packed with others
in a hole dug in the ground, accom-
panied by several eggs of the wasp.
When these eggs hatch the young find
in the stung insects food still perfectly
fresh, because alive, but entirely at
their mercy.
Along with the above, in the box,
was a dog-day cicada (Cicada canicu-
lau's]. It is much like the 17-year
"locust," but appears every year. It
is quite harmless, except that it bores
twigs of trees to deposit its eggs ; as
soon as hatched the larvae enter the
ground and live on the roots of
plants.— T. J. BuKRiLL, Champaign,
111.]
12 with boxes on that have some sec-
tions completed, 2 that have the
entire 12 two-pound sections nearly
full. I have some colonies that have
not swarmed this season. I have a
record of 3, 4, 5, 6 and even 7 swarms
from one colony. The one giving 6.
its first swarm cast three, one of
which went into another hive and was
killed ; but I saved two, making an
increase of 8 from that colony. I had
combs for all increase. J. E. Cady.
Medford, Minn., Aug. 31, 1883.
Bee-Keeping' in Minnesota.
As I am sending for 100 copies of
" Honey as Food and Medicine," I
will report something of what my
bees are doing, and it is a big report
for Minnesota, but not in the least
over-drawn. My account shows 317
pails of honey. These pails will hold
from 15 to 18 pounds each, making in
all about 4,755 pounds of extracted,
and I have besides 1,624 pounds of
beautiful comb honey. This amounts
to 6,379 pounds without taking into
account the strainings from the un-
capped, which would avenige a pail-
ful a day. I began the season with
32 strong colonies, and kept them
warm and well fed during the spring.
I now have 90 splendid colonies, 40 of
which were not looked through during
or since bass wood bloom. There are
Syrphus Files, etc.
Enclosed find three flies and a bee.
1. I found the flies hovering around
the hives, evidently persuaded in their
own minds tliat, if they had their
rights, they ought to live there. The
bees did hot appear to mind them
much. What are they V
2. Of what race is the bee enclosed ?
I am often puzzled about these
stripes. How many stripes has this
bee ? My bees should be Italians,
but I see every once in a while ttie
15th amendment to the constitution
there. R. J. Kendall.
Austin, Texas, Aug. 26, 1883.
[The insects are the prettily-banded,
useful Syrphus flies, whose larvpe prey
upon plant lice. They do the bees no
harm.— T. J. B.
After a bee is dead and " mashed
up " in a letter, it is hard to tell much
about it. If it had " stripes " they
are not discernible now. — Ed.]
Borage as a Good Honey Plant.
You may put down borage as an
extra good honey plant. It commences
to bloom in June and keeps up till the
hard frosts. My bees have worked at
it unceasingly since basswood harvest
closed, and are still at it. Last year
it was green until the end of October.
It is very hardyj and is a perfect weed
when it once gets into a garden.
C. W. Young.
Stratford, Ont.. Sept. 6, 1883.
A Worker in a (Jiieen-Cell.
The Journal is a welcome visitor
to our home every week, and while
perusing its columns, last night, I
found an experience somewhat like
one I had not long since. I have ref-
erence to a " Curious Freak of Bees,"
by A. Rickenbacher, on page 433 of
the Bee Journal. A few days ago
I had a nice lot of queen-cells that I
thought would hatch in a day or two.
I lifted them out In the sunshine to
see how nearly ready they were to
hatch, and to rny surprise several had
already emerged from the cells, and
were walking around on the comb.
I cut out all the cells that were not
uncapped, and when I had put one in
each hive or nucleus that I had pre-
pared, there was one left. I cut it
open, and found in it a worker bee in
tlie prime of life. I think that worker
bee crawled into the cell just when
the queen gut out ; tlie cap not being
cut cleai- off, sprung shut, and the
bees sealed it. "A. R. Nisbet.
Dobyville, Ark., Sept. 1,1883.
Honey Already Candied.
I send you a sample of my honey.
It has all candied or turned to sugar.
VVill you please tell me, in the Bee '
Journal, why it candied so, and can
I winter my bees on it y I started last
spring with one colony of bees ; the
bees swarmed three times, and the
four colonies have gathered about 300
lbs. of honey in the boxes, and body
of the hive, and it is all candied or
turned to sugar. Will the bees win-
ter on a syrup made by melting up
the outside combs, adding a little
water and skinmiing off the wax ?
Other bee-keepers living near here,
are complaining of their honey candy-
ing, like mine. E. Hamilton.
Centre Conway, N. H., Sept. 4, 1888.
[Some honey will " candy " much
more readily tlian that gathered from
other kinds of bloom. Linden honey
candies very quickly after being re-
moved from the hives. You do not
say what it was gathered from, but it
is evidently caused by the peculiar
flowers from which it came. You can
use it for wintering, either as it is, or
by making it into a syrup, as you sug-
gest.—Ed.]
Good Honey Harvest in Maine.
Bees have done uncommonly well
in Maine, this year. I have one
swarm that came out in June that has
gathered 135 pounds of honey, mostly
in one-pound sections. I am 77 years
old. LuciAN French.
Dexter, Maine, Aug. 30, 1883.
Queens with Scarlet Wings.
I discovered a new kind of queen
(to me) in tlie last part of May. I
took the same queen and inserted it
in a colony of bees, and the colony
swarmed twice, and I received 175
pounds of honey from each. I think
that these queens are more profitable
than Italian queens. I think that I
will transform my whole apiary with
these bees ; the queens have three
yellow stripes, and their wings are
scarlet. Please give me some infor-
mation about the same.
Prof. H ugo Sontag.
Cucamongo, Cal., Aug. 31, 1883.
[It is evidently another " case of
sporting," many of wtich have here-
tofore been reported in the Bee
Journal. The regulation " bands"
show them to be Italians. — Ed.]
A Short Crop.
The crop of honey from this section
is very short. Basswood was a failure.
A colony weighing 6^4 lbs. of bees,
gathered but 15 lbs. during basswood
bloom. The fall crop, so extraordinary
last season in the flow, is about as
extraordinary the other way, this sea-
son. "In a good season every bean-
pole sweats honey, but in a bad one,
no flower secrets any ;" so said our
German friends across the water; and
the two seasons have made the demon-
stration here. Jesse Oren.
La Porte City, Iowa, Sept 5, 1883.
J
THE AMERICAJ^ BEE JOURNAL.
459
Western Bee-Keepers' Association.
The first annual meeting of the
Western Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held at Independence, Mo.,
Sept. 20 and 21, 1883. The association
being situated in the centre of one of
the best honey-producing sections of
the country, and easy of access from
all parts of the country, it is desirous
that as many bee-keepers as can pos-
sibly attend will meet with us, and
help to make it as interesting and en-
joyable as circumstances will permit.
In connection with the general busi-
ness of such meetings, the members
of the association have made arrange-
ments for a Bee and Honey Fair, free
to the world. Tlie following prem-
iums are offered. Members of the as-
sociation will not compete for prem-
iums offered by itself.
Bv the Association.
Best display of honey (comb and
extracted ) not less than 20 lbs.
of each, in marketable shape. $25 00
Best 25 lbs. of comb honey 10 00
" " " extracted " 10 00
Best queen, with her bees 10 00
Best display of apiarian imple- .
ments, including all the prin-
ciple fixtures used in the
apiary 15 00
Special Premiums free to all.
By the business men of Independ-
ence : Best 50 lbs. of comb honey in
the best marketable shape, $.i0.00.
By the Sentinel: Best package of
comb honey not over 2 lbs., one year's
subscription.
Judges not members of the associa-
tion : All articles for display or
jjremiums must be entered on the
first day of the meeting.
Parties from a distance, who may
wish, can consign their goods to either
of the members of the committee.
The members of the association will
do their very best to provide enter-
tainment for all persons who may
visit us. J. D. Meadok,
L. W. Baldwin,
C. M. Ckandall,
James A. Jones,
P. Baldwin.
Committee.
1^ The next meeting of the Tus-
carawas Valley Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held at Newcomers-
town, Ohio, on Wednesday, Sept. 26,
commencing at 10a. m. All interested
are cordially invited to come and
bring anytliiiig for exhibition that
will interest bee-keepers.
J. A. Bl'Ckiew, Pres.
Claiks, Ohio.
Herbert Denman, Sec.
Coshocton, Ohio.
Bee Pasturage a »cessit).— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illiistiHled with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
^p^tcial Notices.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this oflice get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$15.00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits. — We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for montlis or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Trial Trip— 25 Cents.
As the season for Fairs has arrived,
and wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal iftree months
on trial, for 25 cejits. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with $1.25) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
1^ Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always send postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them— orie-ceni stamps;
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for $2.75, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As this offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
460
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bingham Smoker Corner.
Lar^e Smokers need wide sbleldB. Bingham's
have them, and sprlnns that do not rust and break,
and bellows that sparks and smoke do not enter.
The Conquerorhaa all improvements made to date,
and a 3x7 inch stove, and r.x.7 inch bellows. Sent
post-paid for 9>1.'75. Address,
BINGHAM & HETHERINGTON,
Abronia Mich.
CYPRIANB rON-
QUKRED. — All BUra-
mer long it has been
"which and tother"
with me and the Cyp-
rian colony of bees I
have -but Ht last 1 »ra
" boss. " Bingham's
"Conqueror Smoker"
did it. If you want
lots of smoke just »t
the right time, get ti
Conqueror Smoker of
Bingham.
G. M. DOOLITTI.E.
Borodino, N. Y..
Aug. 15. 1882.
EXCELLING All.—
Messrs. Binghiim &
Hetherington. Dear
Sirs:— I am now sell-
ing your Smokers al-
most exclusively.
Vou are excelling
yourselves in smok-
ers all the time.
Respectfully,
J. G. Tayluh,
Austin, Texas, May 10. Iftft3,
The Orlsrlnal
BINGHAM
Bee Smoker
Patented, 1878.
The Very Best.— The BinEbam "Conqueror"
Smoker is the very be»t thing 1 have trie«1 in that
line. M.M.Lindsay.
Fulton. Tenn., July 24, 1883.
During the following three months,
Bingham Smokers will be sent post-
paid, per mail, on receipt of the fol-
lowing prices :
The "Doctor".. ( wide shieUl)—3H in. Are tube. $-2.(Xi
The Conqueror (wide Bliield)— 3 in. fire tube. 1.7.5
Large (wide shield)— 2H in. Are tube. I. .50
Extra (wideshieldl— 2 in.flretulie. 1.25
Plain (nar. shield)— 2 in.tiretube, l.DU
Little Wonder, .(nar. shield)— lljin.Hretube, .65
Bingham & Hetherington Uncapping Knife. . 1.15
With thanks for letters of encour-
agement, and the absence of complain-
iBg ones, we tender to our thirty-five
thousand patrons our best wishes.
Very Eespectfnlly Yours,
Bingham & HETHERrNGTON.
Abronia, Mich., June 1, 1883.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Books at Fairs.— Those who make
an exhibit at Fairs will find that an
assortment of Books and Pamphlets
would sell and leave them a profit for
handling. We will send such, postage
prepaid, at 25 per cent, discount; or
if the purchaser pays express charges,
we will supply any of our own publica-
tions at 40 per cent, discount.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Any one setiding us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $(>, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's IJinder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for UIO colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's Kew 15ee-Keeping.
Boot's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bke Jouii-
NAL for one year.
To get any of the above preuiiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
BEES and HONEY,
Management of an Apiary for Pleasure
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor of the Weekly Hec Journal.
9fdS 'West M:adlBon Street, Chicago, 111.
It contains 160 profusely Illustrated pages. IB
" fully up with the times" in all the improvements
and inventions in this rapidly developing pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everythiuK that can
aid In the successful management of the Honey
Bee. and at the same time produce the most honey
in its best and moat attractive condition.
^" The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters goes into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will then be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent^
or else five or ten-cent postage stamps.
Do not send coins in any letter.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
Bee Journal and a colored Poster,
to aid in getting up a club. The
Premiums we offer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of 8 subscribers
to the Monthly Bee Journal, or 4
Weekly, we will present Dzierzon's
Rational Bee-Keeping, price $2.00.
1^" Do not letyour numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference
1^ We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
1^ To give away a copy of *' Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one who
buys a package of honey at Fairs, will
sell almost a fabulous quantity of it.
t^ Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association prinleti in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
37Aiy
SELLIXn OUT all the Black Qut'ens by mail
2r.c. envh: with I lb. bee?*, bv express, Sl.OO.
Hybrid Queen by insiil, -inc.; with 1 lb. bees by ex-
press, *i -jr.. ItHlian Queen, fi.im bv mail.
E. 8 HILDEMANN. Ashippun, Dodge Co., Wis.
Appreciutlve Xotlces.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book ot
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. Y.
Its chapter on marlteting honey is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen. Pulaski, Tenn.
Contttins all the Information needed to make
bee-culture successful.— Eagle, Union City, Ind.
Just such a work as should be in the hands ot
every beginner with bees.— News, Keithsburg, III.
Valuable for all who are interested in the care
and management of bees.— Dem., Allegan, Mich.
Engravings are ttne. Gotten up in the best style^
and is cheap at the price.— Farmer. Cleveland, O.
Carefully prepared for beginners.— Farmers*
Cabinet, Amherst, N. H.
A very valuable work to those engaged in bee-
raising.— News, Prairie City, Iowa.
We advise all who keep bees to send for this ex-
cellent work.— Journal, Louisiana, Mo.
Carefully prepared, and of vast importance to
bee-raisers.- Indianian, Clinton, Ind.
New and valuable, and embellished with 109
beautiful engravings. —Democrat, Salem, Ind.
Much, practical useful information, In a cheap
form.— Daily Standard, New Bedford, Mass.
The most perfect work for the price ever yet pro-
duced onthesubjectof bee-culture.— Anti-Monop-
olist, Lebanon, Mo.
A manual, containing all the newest discoveries
In the management of tht^se little workers.- Plain
Dealer. St. Lawrence, N. Y.
Full of practical instruction, that no one who
contemplates keeping bees can do without.-Far-
mers' Journal, Louisville, Ky.
It comprises all that is necessary for successful
bee-culture, save experience and good judgment.
—Daily Republican, Utica, N. Y.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping a
success.- Col. Valley and Farm.
Written in an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even thuugh they be not directly interested In the
care of bees.— Sentinel, Rome, N. Y.
It embraces every subject that can interest the
beginner in bee-culture. The engravings perfectly
illustrate the text.— Farm and Fireside, Sprtng-
tield,0.
Embraces every subjectof interest in the apiary,
giving very thoroupb details of the management
and manipulations necessary to make bee-lieeplng
a success.— Farm. Longmont, Colo.
It is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the
Utile busy bee, as well as of all that one needs to
know in their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of information in regard to
bee-culture. He wh<> would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted In all the improvements In
his line. We advise all intere-^'ted to get a copy of
this book.— Daily Times, San Bernurdmo, Cal.
Describes all the newest discoveries in the art,
by which the production of delicious and health-
giving honey is obtained, as well as how to prepare
it f nr ilie market in the most attractive shape.—
Signal, Napoleon, O.
It embraces every subject that will interest the
beginner. It describes all th.* newest discoveries
In the art by whieli the production ot dehciousand
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the must attractive
form. It Isembellished with beautiful engravings,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound in cloth, TS cents; in paper
covers. HO cenl«» postpaid.
XaoMAS G. NE'WMAN,
9^5 W. Madison St.. Chicago, 111.
A. lilberal l>lttconiit to Dealer* by
the l>ozenor Hundred.
ESTABLISHED ^l
N 1861
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., SEPTEMBER 19, 1883.
No. 38.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
EDtTOK AND Proprietor,
Bee and Honey Show at Toledo, 0.
As we proini.seda year ago to attend
the above Exhibition, and our health
improving some, we concluded to go
—the "change," and meeting with
companions and friends, with a sub-
sequent visit of a few days to friends
in Ohio, inviting us to brave the
journey.
At Toledo we met a host of friends,
among whom were Dr. A. B. Mason,
Mr. C. F. Muth, Hon. I. N. Cotton,
Messrs. Aaron Benedict, H. H. Over-
meyer, C. H. Christiancy, P. H. Puhl,
Dr. H. Besse, A. Gander, A. I. Boot,
H. B. Harrington, £. E. Hasty, J.
Forncrook, and J. F. Hart, of Florida,
and a host of others whose names we
cannot now recall from Ohio, Indiana,
Michigan and five other States.
, The Fair was good, and the exhibit
of bees, honey, wax and apiarian
supplies all that could be wished.
The Convention of bee men was
enthusiastic and interesting. As the
secretary will give a report of these
sessions, we will not forestall that
report, but will simply state that a
more enthusiastic set of men we have
seldom met. »
Altogether, the Bee and Honey
Show of the Tri-State Fair will be an
" educator" of the people of the sur-
rounding country, which will tell on
the consumption of honey, for a long
time to come, and greatly aid in the
development of the honey market.
®" Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference
Baltimore Bee and Honey Show.
In the Baltimore ISun of Sept. 7, we
notice the following concerning the
honey exhibit at the Fair at Balti-
more, Md. :
One of the most attractive exhibits
at the Fair is the apiary, in charge of
Mr. Charles H. Lake, proprietor of
the Sunny -Side apiary, on Green-
mount avenue. Mr. Lake has on ex-
hibition a lot of fine Italian bees in
glass cases or frames, showing the
bees at work and the movements of
the queen bees, which attract much
attention. He has also on exhibition
a hive of bees which were allowed the
free use of the grounds, and the own-
er handles them with all the freedom
of pet canaries. He has receptacles
for honey in the shape of hearts,
shields and stars, and has trained the
bees to till them so as to make novel
ornaments for the table.
The Commercial Advertiser remarks
as follows :
The apiary, in charge of Mr. Chas.
H. Lake, had many visitors, however,
in spite of the bees flviiig about. The
ingenious idea of making the cells for
the bees was illustrated there. Sheets
of wax were passed between two roll-
ers, and came out with the cells al-
ready designed. The bees were all of
the Italian variety. In one hive the
swarm was free. The glass cases of
another were placed upon seperate
stands, and all the processes in the
life-history of the bee could be seen.
The queen, easily recognized from her
large size, was industriously deposit-
ing eggs in some of the cells ; working
bees were preparing other cells for
eggs. Some of the young bees, having
passed from the larvfe state, were
gradually working their way out of
the cells in which they had been im-
prisoned, fed in the meanwhile by the
workers. From one hive of the bees
245 pounds of honey have been ob-
tained in a single season.
This is the way to aid the sale and
consumption of honey. There Is
nothing like attractive exhibits to call
attention to the honey.
®" To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one rvho
buys a package of honey at Fairs, will
sell almost a fabulous quantity of it.
Honey-Producing Plants.
Prof. A. J. Cook, in the Btmd New
YorJcer, when advocating the advan-
tages to be derived from planting for
honey bloom, says:
There is probably no subject in
which the bee-keepers of to-day should
take a deeper interest than this one
Honey plants are capricious, and only
give up the precious nectar at such
times as dame nature's mood is agree-
able to them. Let it be too wet, too
dry, or too cold, and the flowers yield
not one drop of the coveted sweets.
We see then, that a constant success-
ion of honey plants, from the time of
the opening of the willows and maples
in April, till the frost licks up the last
homed secretion from the asters and
the golden rods, will not only yield
greater profits every year, but often
such a succession is absolutely essen-
tial to any success.
1^" The Illinois State Fair will be
held in Chicago Sept. 24 to 29. Indi-
cations are that this year's Fair will
eclipse all preceding ones. Almost
all the railroads will bring passengers
at 1}^ rates. We hope there will be a
large Bee and Honey Show there.
1^ It is a fact that glucose will kill
bees if you attempt to winter them
upon It, either in liquid form mixed
with honey, or sugar syrup, or in the
form of candy.—Planiers' Journal.
1^ The Editor of the Bbe Jour-
nal being unable to attend the Na-
tional Convention, it will be repre-
sented by the Rev. W. F. Clarke, of
Guelph, Ont., who is duly authorized
to take subscriptions and orders for
any of our publications.
^" An English paper says that
"Mr. Firth, a Radical member of
Parliament, is the largest bee-master
in England. He is the owner of from
80,000 to 100,000 bees." As that is
only about two good colonies, we ex-
pect there is a "huge joke" some-
where about that ambiguous an-
nouncement.
462
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Essentials in Wintering Bees.
Some time sirfce we noticed tlie
fact that J. B. LaMontague, Esq., of
Quebec, had published a book in
French, on Bee-Keeping. The fol-
lowing is a translation of what he has
to say on wintering bees :
If there be an important subject
full of interest to the bee-keeper, it
certainly is that of wintering. We
have seen whole apiaries, and the
best prospects disappear in a single
rigorous winter.
It concerns us then to consider this
question attentively, and to adopt
some method which may diminish if
not to cause wholly to disappear the
numerous losses, to which we are sub-
ject every year. The bee-keeper who
succeeds in wintering must keep none
but strong colonies, and a good colony
in the fall should havtj at least four
frames literally covered with bees. I
do not mean that you should destroy
weak colonies, for that is a ruinous
position as 1 have elsewhere shown.
The latter have not enough young
bees, and consume relatively more
honey than strong colonies. Are also
wintered with difficulty, and when
they survive are liable to be robbed
in the spring. It is well to unite weak
colonies in the autumn, if not before
done. As to populous colonies which
have not sufficient honey (which may
happen from drouth), the bee-keeper
should, before taking them in, feed
them by means of a bee-feeder.
Schuch's bee-feeder is a simple little
trough in compartments 12 inches
long, and is adapted to the opening
so as to permit the access of bees from
within and exclude them from with-
out. You can use waste honey,
maple sugar, or syrup made from
sugar, but not molasses. Sugar of
the country, v/hich is soft, sown and
placed in empty frames, will answer
the same purpose, but be on your
guard, and do not feed them with
inferior sugar, such as glucose or corn
sugar.
Each colony ought to have from 25
to 30 pounds of sound honey, that is
to say, capped over, the combs of
which the cells are not closed over in
the fall contain unsound honey, un-
favorable for wintering— these should
be emptied with an extractor, and re-
placed by combs tirmly capped over.
All the colonies should be taken into
the cellar in the month of November,
or by the beginning of December, at
the latest, if the season be mild, wliich
cellar should be dry and perfectly
dark ; keep up a temperature from 46°
to SO^" Fah. Dry and dark cellars are
those in general use in the houses of
thefarmeis, and are in general very
favorable to the wintering of colonies.
It is also necessary to create an air
current at the top of the hives by
means of openings, or of absorbents,
which may draw off the excess of
moisture without at the same time,
causing a current of air which would
prove fatal to the bees. Bees emit
during the winter an enormous
quantity of watery vapor, which, if it
do not find an outlet, penetrates the
honey, renders it acid, and causes
tliat fatal disease, dysentery — 6 or 8
inches of straw placed directly upon
the comb frames are a sufficient ab-
sorbent, or you can obtain the same
result with sawdust. Some cry out
against the ventilation of hives, re-
lying upon the fact that they always
winter with success without giv-
ing ventilation to their hives. It
is possible that they then succeed in a
cellar exceedingly dry , and where there
is not the least moisture, but such
conditions are seldom met with, and
we affirm that ventilation is an essen-
tial thing to successful wintering. If
you have no cellar, you can winter
your colonies in a cool and dark room
where there is a temperature from 40°
to 50° Fah., but you must then give
greater ventilation to the hives. You
should not confine the bees in their
hives by closing the openings by
means of wire cloth, unless you win-
ter them in the house. One would at
first sight be led to believe that bees
would be more at ease in a warm,
than in a cool place, but the fact is
otherwise, and one will lose many
more by a high temperature than in
a low one. 1 have already had proof
of that fact. Thus it is necessary as
far as possible to winter your colonies
in cellars, combining the conditions
before mentioned. It is better to put
you hives in winter quarters early
than late, in a dry time than in a wet,
and when they are placed disturb
them the least possible.
Overstocking a Locality.
Mr. G. W. Neihardt writes as fol-
lows to the Bee- Keepers' Ouide on
this subject :
Much has been written by eminent
bee-keepers on the subject of over-
stocking any locality with bees, some
holding that any place capable of sus-
taining a few colonies, is also capable
of supplying a large number; others
claiming tliat a field is capable of fur-
nishing only a sufficiency for a definite
and limited number. I am not able
definitely to settle this question to my
entire satisfaction, yet I must confess
tliat my inability to secure such un-
precedent yields of honey in " poor "
seasons as that secured by Mr. Doo-
little and others, forces me to conclude
location has much to do with the pro-
tits arising from the keeping of bees.
A locality where only one or two
honey-producing plants are the sole
reliance for surplus, would certainly
be an unsafe one in which to attempt
to raise honey as a money-making
business. White clover, which is the
main reliance in many sections, is
liable to be "winter-killed," or the
drouth to cut it short, or wet weather
to wash the nectar out of it. Fruit
bloom is seldom so abundant as to
furnish more than an aid to breeding,
while the autumn flowers are very un-
certain, and likely to be cut off by
early frosts.
Cool weather very frequently pre-
vents the storing of much honey in
supers from late pasturage. It is,
therefore, of the highest importance
to those desiring to engage in bee-
culture for profit, to look well to the
honey supply in the place they locate.
The more diversified and abundant
the honey-producing plants, the better
the location. Where, however, several
of these are to be definitely depended
on, the rest may be supplied by culti-
vating such plants as produce honey
in abundance.
It should not be a matter of doubt
to apiarists, whether it pays to culti-
vate any plant for honey alone. Ex-
periments should be made, and that
subject settled definitely. If half the
time and talent that is now expen-
ded inexperimenting with hives, bees,
and manipulations of bees, were ex-
pended in the production of honey-
producing plants, there would be less
complaint of dysentery, hard winters
and unprofitable seasons. The honey
supply should not be made a matter of
luck any more than the other matters
pertaining to bees, only so far as it
should be beyond the bee-keepers'
control to furnish it. Any locality al-
most could be made a good one.
Whether, however, sufficiently so as
to make it repay all the cost, experi-
ence alone can tell.
®" The next meeting of the Tus-
carawas Valley Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held at Newcomers-
town, Ohio, on Wednesday, Sept. 26,
commencing at 10a. m. All interested
are cordially invited to come and
bring anything for exhibition that
will interest bee-keepers.
J. A. BucKLEW, Pres.
Clarks, Ohio.
Herbert Denman, Sec.
Coshocton, Ohio.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity . — W e have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid t»
any address for 10 cents.
1^ The quarterly meeting of the
Marshall County Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation, will be held at the Court
House, in Marshalltown, Iowa, on
Saturday, Oct. 6, at 10.30 A. M. Sub-
ject for discussion, " Fall and Winter
Care." All interested, in this and
adjoining counties, are invited, for
we hope to have a good meeting, and
one of benefit to all.
J. W. Sanders, Sec.
Le Grand, Iowa.
l^" Look not mournfully into the
past— it comes not back again ; wisely
improve the present, it is thine ; go
forth to meet the shadowy future
without fear, and with a manly heart.
— Longfellow.
^S" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
463
Fertile Workers-
We extract the following from the
Indiana Farmer on the cause and cure
for these pests :
Bees should never be allowed to go
any length of time without a queen,
or without eggs or brood from which
to raise one in case their queen gets
lost while on her bridal trip. Colonies
that have been queenless for any
length of time are very apt to contain
fertile workers. The evidence that
these pests are present, will be found
in tlie promiscuous manner in which
the eggs are scattered around in the
comb, sometimes one, but oftener
three or four in each cell. The bees
will cap the brood over, but the cap-
Eings will be convex as other drone
rood is. They will even build queen
cells over the brood, but the eggs will
produce only drones. There is no way
of distinguishing these fertile workers
from any of the others, unless you
should see them in the act of laying,
and should you destroy one or two
there is likely to be a half dozen
others left in the hive. A colony con-
taining fertile workers will neither
accept a queen if given them, nor
raise one for themselves if brood is
given them for that purpose. It is
generally better to double up a colony
in this condition with one containing
a fertile queen. If the frames be
taken some distance from the hive,
and all the bees be shaken off on the
ground, the most of them will go back
to the old stand, leaving the fertile
workers on the ground, when if a
frame of brood is given them they
will raise a queen. A better plan is
to crowd the bees on as few frames as
possible on one side of the hive, and
close up with a division board. On
the opposite side of the board hang
two or three frames of brood and bees
from another colonv, and a queen if
you have one. They will soon dis-
cover ihe better condition of things
on the other side, and quickly unite
with them.
Plan and Foresight of Bees.
Prof. A. J. Cook, of the Michigan
Agricultural College, has this .in a
late number of the New York Tribune
on the above topic :
The phenomenon of bees swarming
is well understood. Most of the
worker bees rush out of the hive
sometime between 8 a. m. and 4 p m
—usually from 10 a. m. to 12 m —
circle about in the air for some time,
apparently waiting for the queen,
which seldom leaves the hive till the
bees are well out, and then all alight
in a dense cluster on some bush, tree
or other support. If the queen refuses
to leave the hive to join the bees, or
If from defective wings she is unable
to joni them, they soon break ranks
and return to the hive. After a space
varying from half an hour to two
hours— I have known swarms to re-
mam clustered all night— the bees
take wmg and fly rapidly in a straight
line to the new home. This is cer-
tain, as bees have often been followed
in a bee-line to the adopted home.
Others have been followed for along
distance, always in a right line, when
the chase had to be abandoned. Two
interesting questions arise : Why do
bees cluster 'i and How do they know
of the home toward which they al-
ways take a bee-line ?
It has been argued that bees cluster
that scouts may go in quest of the
prospective home. It is also more
than probable that the queen,
whose organs of flight— muscles and
wings which she moves— have long
been inactive, possibly for more than
a year, may need this rest after her
brief flight from the hive, before th%
longer one, which may reach a dis-
tance of miles. This view is strength-
ened by the not imcommon occurrence
of bees resting midway on their flight
after flying a mile or more toward the
new home. I tiave known several
cases where bees have thus clustered
apparently for the queen to rest, after
flying a mile or more. This home
must have been sought out either
before the bees left the hive to swarm,
or else while the bees were clustered.
A few cases are given by European
bee-keepers where a few bees have
been observed about a house or tree,
going in and out of some small aper-
ture, then leaving. The next day, or
possibly the next day but one, a full
swarm would take possession of the
pre-empted quarters.
One of our graduates, Mr. F. E.
Delano, a farmer of Oxford, Mich.,
writes me that last Friday, while en-
gaged in tearing down a portion of his
house preparatory to rebuilding, he
noticed, about 3 p. m., bees flying
in and out of some holes under
the chamber floor. He supposed a
swarm had taken possession, but was
puzzled to know when they could have
come without being heard or seen.
The next morning early no bees were
to be seen. About 9 a. m. a large
swarm came and at once entered the
same openings where the bees made
ingress and egress the previous after-
noon. This seems clearly to prove
that scouts do, sometimes at least, go
out to seek and prepare the new home
before the bees swarm, and strength-
ens the probability that clustering is
not to give time for this prospecting,
but the rather to fit the queen for the
l9ng journey, which from her func-
tion and habits we must consider her
illy-fitted to take.
Fall Feeding for Bees.
A correspondent of the Home Jour-
nal details his method as follows :
^^ The Rev. L. L. Langstroth has
been invited to attend the North-
western Bee-Keepers' Convention to
be held at Chicago, Oct. 17 and 18, and
accepts in tiie following language :
" About the invitation to attend the
Convention at Chicago, and your very
kind invitation to me to share your
hospitalities, friend Newman, allow
me to say, I accept both with great
pleasure, and if nothing unforeseen
should prevent, 1 will be glad to make
the personal acquaintance of the
Northwestern bee-keepers.
L. L. Langstroth."
Each colony should be examined,
and, if out of stores, they should be
fed about a pint of sweetened water
every other day. This should be
given them in the upper story of the
hive, where other bees cannot get at
it, or there will be danger of exciting
• robbery. This light feeding should
be kept up to the latter part of Sep-
tember, and then the colony should
be provided with their winter stores.
I have found that about 15 pounds of
a good article of " A " sugar is sufli-
cient to carry an ordinary colony
through till the warm days of spring.
There are many ways to feed sugar
to bees, but I have adopted the fol-
lowing plan : Some kind of a feeder
is necessary (and there are many
kinds in use), and it should be cheap
and simple. For handy and rapid
feeding tliere is nothing better than a
quart fruit jar and a grooved board.
Cut a board 6 or 8 inches square, and
with a pair of compasses^ strike a
circle in its center about 4 inches in
diameter, and cut a trench a quarter
of an inch deep, similar to an old-
fashioned cider platform press, and
then cut grooves out to the circular
trench, and the feeder is ready. The
whole thing can be completed with a
pocket-knife in a few minutes. To
prepare the sugar for feeding, fill the
jar full of sugar, then pour on warm
water till the jar is full of syrup ;
have the sugar well dissolved by stir-
ring it. Now put a piece of oil-cloth,
or a piece of drilling will answer, on
the mouth of the jar, and invert the
jar and board altogether, and then
slide the cloth out from under the
mouth of the jar, and you have the
feed in the best possible shape to be
taken by the bees. I usually feed at
the entrance of the hive, placing the
feeders in position just after dark in
the evening, and removing them
early the next morning. At the start
a little syrup should be strewn from
the bees to the feeder, to start them,
after which they will rush into the
feeder like pigs into a swill pail.
Keep up the feeding regularly till they
are provided with suflicient winter
stores. If the nights are cool, place
the feeder in the upper stories of the
hives. Some people seeta to think
that it is a risky thing to feed $2
worth of sugar to a colony of bees.
But if they give 100 per cent, profit,
how then ?
m" The Central Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association holds its fall
meeting at Lansing, in the State
Capitol building, on Tuesday, Sept.
25, 1883, at 9 a. m. All interested in
anything pertaining to bee-culture are
invited to attend and bring anything
that will be of interest to the bee
fraternity. E. N. Wood, Sec.
North Lansing, Mich.
I®" Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
464
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the Amerlcfin Bee Journal.
Wintering— The Humidity Question,
JAMES HEDDON.
After reading Dr. Tinker's " Hu-
midity " article on page 440, current
voluuie, I am somevvdat at a loss to
know why he so carelessly passed by
the fact that so many instances are
recorded where bees come out of
special repositories perfectly drenclied
with dampness, and the combs covered
with blue mold, but with the bees
perfectly healthy, and no signs of
dysentery I Then, again, cases like
my own, where 48 colonies put into a
very dry cellar began to die in less
than three weeks with dysentery in
its worst form with the hives and
combs all dry and entirely free from
mold.
Bees about here have wintered
best in the dampest winters, for these
winters were the warmest ones, and
the cold and confinement which are
the great aggrevations to the cause,
were not with us in any great degree.
No, the " Humidity " theory is a com-
plete misfit for very many known in-
stances. Mr. Arad Balch, of Kala-
mazoo, claimed that all upward venti-
lation was death, that dampness was
good for bees, and all the while he
made these claims, he wintered his
bees with tlie greatest success, with
everything moldy and damp ; while
■we " dry " fellows lost ours by scores
of colonies.
The Doctor's reasoning regarding
the natural food and instinct of the
bees does not hold good. Sugar
syrup is not their natural food, but
honey is ; but the unnatural food is
here the best. I liave to thank the
Doctor for his kind words regarding
the object of my researches and re-
ports concerning the cause and pre-
vention of this trouble, and for calling
the attention of bee-keepers to the
fact that I am to have the " honors "
of fathering the " pollen theory."
I wish to call attention to one more
fact, which is, that the bacteria theory
is much the same thing. My first
proposition was that the cause of
dysentery was "an over amount of
animal or vegetable matter in the
food." (I use the words "vegetable
matter'" not in the same sense that
honey is vegetable.) I did not know
whether bacteria was vegetable or
animal, but rather thought it was the
latter, vihile later developments prove
that it is vegetable. Be that as it
may, tlie two theories are very closely
related, and Prof. Cook, wlio should
be one of our very closest guessers
upon this subject, yet fails to see so
much fallacy in the pollen theory as
our friend who sets his sections down
flat on the brood frames.
To my own ear the Doctor's article
savors of that knowledge of chemistry
that his profession usually under-
stands, but in his application of the
same to the cause of dysentery is
wliere I disagree with him.
The Doctor tliinks pollen, because
a " normal food," would not produce
dysentery. What is normal is natural.
Nature, with her infinite arms, eni-
biaces all that there is. Death is as
natural as life. Instinct is erring in
all animated nature. No animal lias
instinct sufficiently unerring to make
it always a success. The bee has an
instinct to guard against the moth
that nature so kindly furnished for
its benefit ; still moths do destroy
feeble colonies often, and sometimes
strong ones. With all the Doctor's
instinct and reason combined, to-
gether with his experience and mem-
ory, I dare say disease will get him
Tjefore old age.
It seems quite peculiar that the
Doctor's instance ot experiment with
the pollen theory should be kind
enough to kill that and the hybrid
theory all at one fire. This is what
sportsmen calla" double-shot.'' Well,
if it turns out that Dr. Mason's three
years' experiments, which have con-
vinced him that pollen eating in con-
finement is the cause of dysentery,
and that the hundreds of producers
who have had tlieir hybrids lead all
other colonies for surplus honey
should be true, then we shall be forced
to think that in some way Dr. Tinker
is as badly mistaken regarding his
pollen experiment as he is regarding
setting sections flat down on the
brood frames, and that his hybrids
were either catch hybrids, or that his
parent colonies were not of the right
sort to produce the hybrid so much
sought after about these days. After
all, have we not theorized enough,
and is it not now a question of practi-
cal experiment ?
During the coming winter we shall
make the pollen theory a special mat-
ter ot experiment, and give it the
best test upon the largest scale we
have ever heard of. The moment we
find we are wrong, if such be the case,
we shall get right off from that hobby
horse and caution all to keep away
from it as they would from the heels
of a mule ; and. Doctor, if we find you
on our bacteria horse, we shall claim
him, if he seems to have any
strength, by right of priority, we shall
order you to dismount at once and
stride your " sections on the brood
frame " pelter, one that we feel sure
will never "get there."
Dowagiac, Mich.
GleanloKB.
Standard Langstroth Hive & Frame.
L. L. LANGSTROTH.
Before inventing my movable
frames I used bars, in a hive with
movable top and bottom, by which
the bars could be worked to much
better advantage than by side-open-
ing doors. My latest style of bar
hives were 18^ by ISJg by 6 inches
deep, all in tlie clear. At that time
(1851) honey, to bring the best price,
iiad to be in combs built in neat
glassed boxes, and this shape of the
hive gave an unusually large surface
tor such supers. The walls of these
hives were double glass, to give the
dead air space, which protected the
bees against extremes of heat or cold,
and sudden changes of teniperature.
Tliat fractional Jg, which has puzzled
so many, gave room for two strips of
wood, each one inch wide by l-16th
tliick, against whicli the double glass
could be fastened with glazier's
points. One pane of glass, 18 by 12, a
common commercial size, covild be
easily cut so as to answer for one side.
My movable frame hives were first
made in the spring of 1S.52, in the city
of Philadelphia— some six months be-
fore the patent, which was applied
for in January, was issued. These
hives were 1418 inches from front to
rear, and ISig from side to side.
Early in 1853 my hives were made in
Greenfield, Mass., and the first edi-
tion of my book on the " Hive and
Honey Bee " was published in May of
that year. The present size of hives,
18J^ from front to rear, 14i^ from
side to side, and 10 inches deep,
was then adopted. The dimensions,
ISV^ from front rear, and 10 inches
deep, have never been changed ; but
that from side to side may vary ac-
cording to the number of frames,
some preferring 8, some 10, and some
even more. I am correctly quoted as
having said, in the American Bee
Journal, in reply to an inquiry,
"Considering tlie accuracy which may
be obtained in making the frames
stiff and perfectly square, I prefer the
Root and Newman measurements."
What I meant was, that frames could
be made so stiff and square as to
allow of their being U of an inch
longer than the old standard size, and
that the f4 inch (instead of Jg) still
left between the uprights of the
frames and the front and rear walls of
the hive, gave all the room needed for
their proper manipulation, it never
occurred to me that any one could
possibly suppose that I meant my
frames could be improved in square-
ness or stiffness by making them only
,y of an inch longer ! I then thought
tliat it was quite a desirable point to
gain this hi incli, as in ten frames it
gave an increase of comb surface
enough for rearing over 1,100 bees.
As such large operators as Heddon,
Root and Baldridge, insist that % of
an inch space between uprights of
frames and hive is the least that can
be safely allowed ; and as hives are
not unfrequently made, even by good
workmen, which vary a little from the
true dimensions, and furtlier. as some
kinds ot lumber are badly affected by
variations in the weather, I am now
of opinion that % is better than ^4.
Considering the frequency and se-
verity of my attacks of head troubles,
which not only prevent me from tak-
ing any interest in bee matters, but
which render any thought upon such
subjects both painful and dangerous,
it will not seem surprising that it is
only within a few weeks that I have
learned that the change in the size of
the standard Langstroth frame was
made to carry with it a change in the
si~e of the standard Langstroth hive !
I have no recollection of ever having
read the article to which Mr. Bald-
ridge thinks I ought to have re-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
465
sponded, until I saw his reference to
it in the Bee Journal of Aug. 8, or
I should before this not only have
corrected his misunderstanding of the
reason I gave for preferring that extra
1-4 inch, but should have expressed
my deep regret that tlie size of the
standard Langstroth hive had been
changed ; not that slight changes in
frame and hive are of any special
importance, except as they interfere
to any extent with the cardinal prin-
ciple, that any Langstroth frame
ought to lit in every Langstroth hive.
Even after I ceased to use the double
glass walls, the fractional % was re-
tained to prevent confusion by depart-
ing even to so small an extent from
the size so widely disseminated.
It is, however, very easy to exag-
gerate the inconveniences which have
resulted from these slight variations.
One will contend that the standard
Langstroth frame cannot be used in
the Root and Newman Langstroth
hive, and many will actually prefer
that size of hive for them, as giving
more room for the safe and rapid
handling of frames. If both hives
and frames are very carefully made, I
find no trouble in using the Itoot and
Newman frame in the standard
Langstroth hive. The great length
of the top- bar of the Langstroth frame
enables me, after removing one frame
from the hive, to take out the others
with great ease, thus :
When the frame (1) is lifted out,
the end (C) of frame (2) is draicn to-
ward the operator, without any lifting
imtil the angle is large enough to re-
move it without danger of hitting the
sides of the hive ; so in replacing it
the end (2) is first put on the rabbet,
and (C) can tlien be moved readily to
its place. The long leverage of the
Langstroth frames greatly favors such
manipulations. I would say here,
that a variation of only ig from front
to rear, if it is on the side of making
the hive smaller (say only 18 inches),
is, for divers reasons, a much more
serious matter than the extra hi inch;
for in such hives it is well-nigh im-
possible to have any free manipula-
tion of the longer frames. I am using
in my own apiary the Root size of
frame in the standard Langstroth
hive, and find no trouble at all in
doing so. I would even prefer, with
hives and frames made as accurately
as they should be, y inch space,
manipulating in the manner above
described, to 14 inch, if the frames
had to be squarely lifted out.
The conclusion of the whole matter
seems to me to be this : The stan-
dard Langstroth hive is IS^-^ inches
from front to rear, and 10 inches deep,
all in the clear, and the standard
Langstroth frame is 17^8, and not
ITJii ; and I advise all who make new
hives, if they can do so without too
much loss, not to vary at all from
these measurements. I certainly
have no right to demand that the
parties who are using the extra M
inch, both for hive and frame, should
return to the old standard ; but I hope
that, instead of calling their hives the
standard Langstroth hives, they will
call them tlie Root Langstroth hives,
as Mr. Root first used the extra I4
inch. I presume that Messrs. Root
and Newman, and other hive makers,
if not willing to return to the stan-
dard Langstroth, will have no objec-
tions to filling orders for Simplicity,
chaff, or other styles of hives of the
Langstroth standard size.
Intending in another article to give
in detail my reasons for adopting my
standard size of frame, I will close by
saying that I no more claim perfec-
tion for it now than I did in 1853,
when in the full gush of enthusiasm
over an invention which I hoped
would revolutionize practical bee-
keeping.
Oxford, Ohio, August, 1883.
[As we promised that the discussion
of the hive question should stop with
the articles of Mr. Langstroth, we
refrain from making any comments.
We are satisfied that a universal
standard frame is an impossibility in
America, and, therefore, it is useless
to discuss the matter any further.
Let all adopt such as they prefer— Ed.]
For the American Bee JourniL
A Help in Handling Brood Frames.
G. A. DEADMAN.
Those who have either used, or
read of Jones' brood frames, are
probably aware that on account of
their peculiar construction they can
be handled very rapidly, with little
danger of killing bees. This peculiar
construction is principally in the bot-
tom bar, which is simply a narrow
strip of wood about J^ by % inch, and
being placed edgewise, is made to
pass through a groove made at the
bottom of each of the side pieces of
the frame, and projecting behind
them about }4 of an inch, or just suf-
ficient to allow it to be placed easily
in the hive. The corners are then
brought to a point. It certainly has
its advantages, as it is only by care-
lessness on the part of the operator
that any bee is injured when mani-
pulating them. Another advantage
is, that ic always hangs square in the
hive, and, therefore, equi-distant from
either side. There is one objection
that I find in its use, although I have
never inquired of the originator to
know whether he has experienced the
same trouble. The difliculty with me
is this : Theframe, when in position,
brings the bottom bar about }4 inch
from the bottom of the hive, and as
the bar itself is about J^ inch, the
bees are compelled to cease building
comb one inch from the bottom board,
or else build past this narrow strip.
This latter alternative they very fre-
quently adopt, and are sure to do so
if the frame does not hang straight
with the full sheet of foundation.
I presume some will say that there
is no reason why it should not hang
perfectly straight, but with a deep
frame, % inch is very little from the
true, and yet sufficient to encourage
the bees to build cells at least on one
side of the comb, or rather comb with
cells on one side. And worst of all,
when using full sheets of foundation
of worker cells, the bees will take ad-
vantage of the situation and complete
it with drone comb, the very worst
place they could do so, as far as hand-
ling the frames are concerned. Now,
the plan I adopt, and possibly tliere
are several otliers doing the same,
is this : I have the bottom bar the
same width as the side pieces of the
frame, as is customary with the ma-
jority of frames made, and then I
procure from the hardware store %
inch brass window blind staples,
costing 1.5 cents for half a pound, and
sufficient for at least 500 frames. I
drive one of these in each side of the
frame opposite the bottom bar, and
allow them to project 34 of an inch,
or not more than 516. By using
these I cannot see but that all the ad-
vantages of that part of the Jones
frame can be had without any of the
objections as mentioned above, and
as you will see the cost is compara-
tively nothing.
Brussels, Ont.
Country Gentleman.
Fall Notes About Bee-Keeping.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
The hurrying season is over, but
there yet remains much work to be
done. Comb honey should be stored
in a dry, well-ventilated, and rather
warm room, in order that it maybe-
come thoroughly ripened, and the
honey in any unsealed cells become so
thickened by evaporation that it will
remain in the cells even though they
should be turned upside down. Neat,
smooth shipping crates should be
made of some ligiit-colored wood, and
at least one side of the crate should
have a slip of glass to show the honey.
Although the crates should be neatly
made, vet they should be so cheap
that they can be given away with the
honey. All propolis, or gum, should
be carefully scraped from the sections.
All honey should be graded, and that
containing even a little dark honey
sliould be placed in the second grade,
otherwise the wliole lot is liable to be
classed as second grade. If extracted
honey is to be sold in small pails, now
is the time to put it into them, as
after it has candied it is a slow, dis-
agreeable task to put it into pails.
Many bee-keepers err in putting
their honey upon the market too early
in the season, and at too low a price.
After reading a few encouraging re-
ports in the bee papers, they fear that
there will be a glut in the honey
market, and in tlieir efforts to secure
the highest price by rushing their
honey into the market before there is
a demand for it, they often get the
lowest price, and help to spoil the
market for others. Until the fruit
season closes the demand for honey is
light, and bee-keepers should govern
themselves accordingly. The honey
should be well graded, put up in the
most attractive packages possible.
466
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
well taken care of, and placed upon
the market when there is a demand
at a remunerative price, and not be-
fore. There is one other point ; before
honey is shipped away to a large city,
the home market should be well sup-
plied. Supply the home market first j
and if tliere is any leftover, there will
be time to sell it at some distant mar-
ket. One who has never tried it will
be surprised at the quantity of honey
that can be sold in a home market,
especially when an energetic man
goes at it in the right manner. Each
grocer should be furnished with a
neat stand for extracted honey ; also
a case, with glass front, for comb
honey ; and unless sold outriglit to
the grocer, he should be instructed
to sell the honey at a certain price.
As I rear queens, I do not have a
great deal of honey. I have at pres-
ent taken off about 3,000 pounds, but
have not sold more than 100 pounds.
I have been too busy to even get it
crated, or to put the extracted into
pails, but there is time enough yet for
that, as October is the best month in
which to sell honey. Before selling
my honey, I sliall probably exhibit it,
together with numerous other bee-
keeping articles, at the State Fair at
Detroit.
For some reason, some colonies at
this season of the year are found
queenless. Perhaps the large number
of eggs laid during the busy season is
so great a tax upon the vitality of old
queens that they die, and then the
young queen that the bees afterwards
rear is lost in mating. Of all the
methods that I have tried for intro-
ducing queens that have been long
out of the hive, I have found none
better than the following :
Make a cage of wire cloth by rolling
a pieces or 4 inches square around a
round stick ?^ of an inch in diameter.
One edge of the cloth should be un-
raveled a few wires, and the long ends
of tlie wires tlius left sticking out can
be thrust through the meshes of the
opposite edge, then bent over or
" clinched." The cage when linished
is limply a wire cloth tube 4 inches
long and % of an inch in diameter.
One end can be closed by jiineliing it
together. The cage in wliicli the
queen has been shipped, should be
opened in a close room before a win-
dow, the queen alone caught and
placed in the wire cloth cage, and the
cage closed by squeezing tlie end to-
gether. Then by moving the frames
slightly ajiart the cage can be slipped
down between two of them and held
in place by pressing the combs against
it. For fear the bees might neglect
to feed the queen it is better that the
cage be placed against sealed honey.
In from 24 to 48 hours it is usually
safe to liberate the queen. The dis-
position of the bees towards tlie queen
is the only guide as to when it is safe
to release her. It they are " balling "
the cage — clinging to "it like burdocks
— they would kill the queen ; if they
are walking about over the cage in
their usual unconcerned manner, they
will usually accept the queen, and the
cage can be opened by pressing one
end in the opposite direction from
that by which it was closed. After
opening the cage the hive should be
closed at once, and not opened or the
bees disturbed again for 5 or 6 days.
Opening the hives before the queen
has entirely recovered from her cap-
tivity, and been completely accepted
as sovereign of the hive often leads to
her destruction.
Colonies that are to be united should
be united now. Remove the least
desirable queen, and in two days take
the combs containing the brood of
both colonies and put them together
with the adhering bees, in one hive,
and place it upon the stand occupied
by the colony having the queen.
At this season of the year robber
bees are often troublesome ; hence
caution should be used, and no temp-
tations, in the shape of exposed sweets
or queenless or weak colonies, should
be placed in their way. When robbing
is once started, it is difticult of control.
Once more I would urge ii|)on bee-
keepers the importance of experiment-
ing in regard to wintering. Extract
the honey from a few colonies, and
feed them a syrup made from granu-
lated sugar, in the proportion of one
quart of hot water to 4 pounds of
sugar. The syrup should be fed dur-
ing the latter "part of September.
Rogersville, Mich.
For tlie American Bee JournaL
Appearances Are Often Deceptive.
W. H. STEWART.
A truth, often apparent to the ob-
serving bee-keeper, is, " we know not
what a day may bring fortli." If we
could have known that the cold, wet
spring of 1882 was a true index to the
latter part of the season, we would
have concluded that it were better to
let the bees go, and get out of the
business, as best we could ; but we
have all learned that there are " ups "
as well as " downs" in life. Thus it
is, that, during tlie storm " hope sees
a star," as I have stated in my report
for 1882. The season of 1882, after
June 10, was very good, and we made
the bees pay tolerably well.
The spring of 1883 (in Wisconsin)
was more promising ; we had to feed
but little, iiees obtained plenty of
pollen and nearly as much honey as
they needed, up to June 8, and then
came white clover bloom, and we took
about 2,.500 lbs. of white clover sur-
plus. In the spring of 1882 we did not
get .50 lbs. of surplus white clover
honey.
July 13 (tliis season) basswood began
to open its bloom, with which it was lit-
erally loaded. Reports were made
from" many parts of the country, giving
great honey yields, and. as the organ
of hope is ever flattering us, by pre-
senting the brightest and most pleas-
ing side of every question, how natural
it was for us all to conclude that the
land was sown to " (low with milk and
honey " (or at least with honey).
But how about the "immense crop?"
When basswood began to bloom, dark
clouds, somewhat larger than a man's
hand, made their appearance, and
thunder and lightning, rain and wind
was the order of both day and night '
during basswood bloom. Our bees
only had half a day of favorable
weather for gathering basswood honey.
On July 12, we had run all our sur-
plus combs through the extractor, and
had our sleeves rolled up, ready to
take about 6,000 lbs. of basswood
honey in, "out of the wet;" but we
failed, and the wet came out ahead.
July 20. we opened our hives to look
for a little basswood honey ; we did
not expect much, but we found scarce
anything in the supers, except mad,
ugly bees.
Now, two weeks later, nothing seems
to be going on with the bees, except
trying to force their way into every
door and window, to get at the honey
that is being handled, and doing their
best to to rob each other of stores.
Again the great thunder storm has
brought chilling winds and stormy in-
dications of frost. If this state of
things continues, we will have to feed
most of our white clover honey back,
for winter stores.
Orion, Wis., Aug. 4, 1883.
For the Amertcan Bee Journal.
A New Bee Enemy.
PROF. A. J. COOK.
The figure we here present ij of a
curious bee-killer received from J.D.
Enas, Napa, Cal. Mr. Enas says it
goes into the hives and destroys the
bees.
This strange animal is related to
the spiders, and more nearly to that
group of the spiders containing the
Bee-Kilkr.
scorpion and grand-father-gray-beard.
The name of the family is Solpulgidse,
and they are unique in the possession
of very curious jaws. These have
two toothed fingers, the lower one of
which is movable. On the front mar-
gin of the head, which seems small
when compared with the enormous
jaws, are the small rounded eyes. The
jaws move side-wise, while the
toothed lingers move up and down.
There are eight legs as with all
spiders, though the anterior ones
have no claws.
Tlie sitecies sent by Mr. Enas is
possibly Datames Californicus, Simon,
though this one does not quite agree
with the description given by the late
Mr. Putnam in his most admirable
monograph of the Solpulgidfe of
America. It is nearly one inch (23
TO m) long. The head is brown, with
THE AMERICA^} BEE JOURNAL.
467
a light stripe in the centre. The re-
mainder of the dorsal surface is lead
color. The eyes are black, whiie the
jaws and legs are light. The fingers
and their teeth are brown, tipped with
black. The femurs and tibia are
brownish. At the base of each pos-
terior leg are flue small scales. The
specimen I have is a female. The re-
productive slit is on the under side of
the first abdominal segment ; the anal
one on the last.
Mr. Enas has seen several of these
animals killing his bees, and I hope
soon to have from him more speci-
mens. -
It is a very interesting group of
animals, and it is a sad loss to science
that Mr. Putnam did not live to com-
plete the admirable work in the study
of these animals, which his schorlarly
and thoroughly scientific habits fitted
him so well to perform.
The figure shows the jaws with their
toothed fingers, a posterior leg, and
the animal with the jaws turned a
little to one side, so as to show the
teeth of the fingers.
Lansing, Mich., Sept. 11, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Robbing, Fertile Workers, etc.
JOHN GOCHENOUK.
I would say for the benefit of Mr.
B. L. Clements, on page 433, that I
have successfully prevented my bees
from robbing by inverting, or rather
turning the entrance blocks end for
end, so as to form an entrance 3 inches
long and an inch wide, or less, accord-
ing to the desperation of the robbers.
By placing a small block on top, it
makes a gauntlet that no robber can
safely run, as they will be caught by
the sehtinels before they get half way
into the hive. Mr. Clements gives
Italians more credit for honesty than
I can ; when they find a hive unable
to protect itself, they are like rats,
and quarrel among themselves. I
would be pleased to have some one
explain why fertile workers get pos-
session of the hive, and the best way
to get rid of them. Are they consid-
ered hybrids because their product
are all drones V I have heard it
argued by a man that claims that he
has been in the bee business for 12
years, that the fertile worker is a
female drone ; which seems very un-
reasonable. I would be under obli-
gations to any who will answer the
above questions fully ; I would like to
hear from more than one, as, perhaps,
there are different views and theories
upon the question.
Freeport, 111., Sept. 5, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Iowa State Fair Exhibit.
EUGENE SECOR.
At the Iowa State Fair, just closed,
the finest display of honey and imple-
ments pertaining to the apiary was
made which we have seen at any ex-
hibition in the State.
The bee and honey department —
assigned to one wing of Vegetable
Hall — was under the supervision of
Rev. O. Clute, of Iowa City, author of
"Blessed Bees." It was a pleasure
to witness his enthusiasm, and the
willingness and courtesy with which
he answered all queries, whether
pertinent or not. The eager crowd
kept up such a running fire of ques-
tions that he was obliged to talk all
the time, or dodge the crowd and re-
tire to his tent for a few moments
rest, I was on the ground three dif-
ferent days, and I saw no cessation in
the interest taken in this department.
Mr. Clute made a very attractive
display of extracted honey— of which
he makes a specialty— and of bee
literature and apiarian implements,
hives and bees. J. J. Kiser, of Des
Moines, also made a good exhibit, in-
cluding comb honey. A Fairfield
apiary— we do not now recall the
owner's name— took first premium for
the largest and finest display of comb
honey m section boxes.
A meeting was held at Mr. Clnte's
tent one evening during the Fair,
and H State Association was formed.
Mr. Clute'was elected President. We
may, therefore, expect to see even a
finer exhibition another year.
Forest City, Iowa, Sept. 8, 1883.
Crop Report.
The honey season for this part of
the State is past. Bees have gath-
ered nothing since the bassvvood
honey harvest. The weather is very
cold both night and day, and the
stores for winter are becoming less.
Bees did well for such a cold and wet
season. I had 24 colonies, spring
count ; increased to 55, and extracted
4,300 pounds of honey from basswood ;
some colonies gathering 25 or 30
pounds a day. B. D. Scott.
Ovid Centre, N. Y., Sept. 9, 1883.
Heavy Frost.
Last night there was a heavy frost,
which, I presume, put an end to the
fall flowers in this part of the coun-
try. My bees have been on duty
about half of the time in the last two
weeks. There are several good buck-
wheat patches near my apiary, but
last night put an end to progress
in that line of business. As soon as
my bees began to fly this morning,
the Italians commenced war on
some of my hybrids. The fight lasted
about one hour, and the Itahans drew
off in good order. There were several
hundred killed and wounded. I did
not take time to count them, as they
were very saucy. They gave me to
understand that I was not needed in
the fight. A few of my late swarms
I shall have to feed. When is the
best time and the best way y Please
answer in the Bee Jouunal — some
one that is experienced in the busi-
ness. I get the Bee Journal regu-
larly, and could hardly do without it,
as it is just what every beginner
wants. I was up to Columbus, last
week, and found a nice display of
honey and bees. Found Henry Drum,
of Adelphi, on hand with all the im-
provements of apiculture.
R. A. ROSSER.
Nelsonville, Ohio, Sept. 9, 1883.
The Seasou's Work.
I have just got through taking off
the surplus. My apiary consists of 32
colonies ; 20 young and 12 last year's
qiieens. I wintered 23 colonies in
trie cellar ; they all came out alive ; I
lost 4 queens in the latter part of
April. I have had 2,700 pounds of
extracted honey ; it is nearly all sold
at 8 cents" per pound, cash ; and about
112 pounds of comb in two-pound sec-
tions ; this brings 14 cents per pound
in trade. This beat me out of 300
pounds, if not more, of extracted
honey. I shall not try for any more.
My greatest trouble is in introducing
young queens, this fall. I had to
make new colonies for this. I only
find fault with the Cyprians ; they will
not accept a queen, if there is an old
bee in the hive, and in 24 hours you
will find drone eggs in several combs.
This is a hot game for a novice to get
over. I have them all right now, and
do not fear the winter, whether it be
cold or not. I will not have over 50
colonies to attend to next spring ; I
had 200 this spring, but this was too
much for me to attend to.
John H. Guenther.
Theresa, Wis., Sept. 7, 1883.
Bees in Marshall County, Iowa.
Our grand prospect for a large
honey yield suddenly came to a close
early in August ; since then our bees
have only gathered enough to keep up
a good stock of brood ; so now our
colonies are generally strong and in
good condition for a Septemoer har-
vest, it we have one, and so far they
are making a good start, if lively work
is any sign. I think a shower fol-
lowed by a few warm days and we
would be all right for winter stores.
If we do not get it we will have some
feeding to do. Some of the best
honey harvests I have ever seen have
been in the first half of September,
therefore, I still live in hopes and
shall until frost comes. I met with a
number of bee-keepers at our County
Fair, and all said they got none, or
but little surplus during August.
All thought it was almost too cold. It
seems that good corn weather makes
good bee weather. There was a
small show of honey at the Fair. S,
W. Keeler took the first premium on
comb honey, and the writer got it on
extracted honey. The president of
the Fair promised us a special depart-
ment for a bee and honey show next
year, if the bee-keepers of the county
would meet with the Agricultural
Society at the annual meeting in Jan-
uary, and help make out a programme.
I hope all bee-keepers of Marshall
County, Iowa, who are interested,
will respond. J. W. Sanders.
Le Grand, Iowa, Sept. 6, 1883.
468
THE AMERICAN BEE JOJRNAL.
Gaura as a Honey Producer.
I enclose a sprig of a flower that
grows wild along the roadside. I
wisli you would give, in the Bee
Journal, a scientific description of
it, and what honey qualities it pos-
sesses.
John Gochenour.
i'reeport, 111., Sept. 1, 1883.
[This is a rather common plant,
known to the botanist as Gaura bien-
nis. The only common name is that
of the genus, or first word in italics. It
is biennial. The first year the long
leaves spread out from a center after
the fashion of a turnip ; the second
year a branched stem 4 feet high ap-
pears, bearing small flowers and close
rows of seed vessels. The pollen is
stuck together loosely by cob-webby
hairs or threads. Bees are sometimes
bothered to free themselves from these
masses, though there is not nearly the
dough that there is in the milk- weeds
in this respect. The plant produces
some honey.— T. J. B.]
An Amateur's Tribulations.
In July I sent to Mr. James Hed-
don for an Italian queen, which I
received Aug. 2. I placed her in an
improved Langstroth hive with 4
frames of empty comb, and 6 frames
of foundation. I then reversed a box
hive and drove the bees (not very suc-
cessfully I fear) into thenive with the
new queen, and placed it on the
stand from which I had taken the box
hive. I placed the old hive to one
side, and awaited events. The next
day 1 found but few bees in the
Langstroth hive, and a few or none
in the old hive, but a box hive next to
the Langstroth was and is overflowing
with bees. I then removed the new
hive to another part of the yard, bored
some holes in the bee board, and put
a hive with a late swarm on the top
and stopped the entrance, thus forc-
ing the bees to pass down and
through the Langstroth hive, and
commenced feeding. The next day
my wife took the old box hive to the
lower end of the yard, turned it on its
side, and broke out some of the combs
which were very black and old. I
concluded to extract the wax from
the comb in this hive, as it appeared
to be strong and heavy, and went to
work breaking out the combs, a piece
at a time, Hnding a few bees among
the combs. As I "ot nearer the top,
I found more and more bees, when,
as I got to one of the upper corners, I
found a score or more of bees, and
away flew ray Italian queen ; she
sailed off majestically, but gottaugted
in some spider web on a neighboring
fence. I then procured a glass tumb-
ler, but on returning my queen had
freed herself and disappeared ; she
came back, however, in a few min-
utes, to the hive, and I secured her ;
fortunately I had Mr. lleddon's queen
cage, and put her in, and set the cage
in the portico of the before-mentioned
Langstroth hive. The cage was soon
covered with bees ; in the evening,
just at dark, I opened the cage and
drove her into the hive ; this (inal act
of the drama, occurred some ten days
ago. Last Sunday, on returning from
a professional call, at or near noon,
my attention was called to the hum-
ming of bees in a maple tree in the
yard, near the bee hives. I looked up
and found a cluster of a pint or a little
more about 18 feet from the ground.
After trying with pail and basket in
vain, I broke off the branch ; they
clustered close by on another limb. I
broke that off, and they circled
around for a short time, then followed
the bush, which was laying close by
the hive, and clustered on it. I shook
them off, and they settled on the top
of the hive. I tried to drive them in
with a Bingham smoker, when they
again took wing ; this time they went
about 60 yards, and settled in the top
of a box elder. I got a ladder, went
up, sawed off the top and threw it
down, but they held fast. I then cut
off the twig with the cluster, laid it
on the frames, put on the bee board,
and there they are. Two things in-
terested me : They never offered to
sting, and they are Italians. I never
worked with bees so good-natured,
not an angry hum from one of them.
Where did they come from V There
are no Italians in our neighborhood.
The Heddon queen is the flrst. Can
they be from her ? This does not
seem possible, nor do I think there are
Italians near enough to have fur-
nished this swarm.
Thos. Martin.
Coal Valley, 111., August, 1883.
[To be sure of answering your tribu-
lations correctly, one would need to
be at the scene of action. I will ven-
ture to suggest, however, that your
flrst mistake was in not blanketing
the box hive to be forced, a few days
before driving it, when the blanket
could be changed to your Langstroth
hive, making that and the driven box
look alike, which in your case they did
not, which made them go to the other
box near by, that looked like their
former home.
In introducing a valuable queen, do
not accompany the job with other un-
certain manipulations. Are we to
understand that the late swarm you
put on the Langstroth hive containing
our queen, had a queen of their own V
Whether they did or not, the proceed-
ing was all wrong and risky to the
newly - introduced queen. A little
farther on, it seems your new queen
is in the old box hive ; this 1 do not
understand. How you came by the
Italian bees is another mystery. Un-
doubtedly a small swarm came to you
that you found in the tree. Swarms
sometimes travel scores of miles.
No, it is not possible that those bees
came from the queen I sent you. —
James Heddon.]
Honey Crop in Nebraska.
The honey production of this season
has been very light, our best colonies
not gathering to exceed 50 to 7-5 lbs. of
surplus. Trices are somewhat above
the average. Comb honey is selling
for 25 cts. per lb., and extracted for 16
cts. F. E. Benedict.
Eeynolds, Neb., Sept 11, 1883.
^^Iiat and paw.
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Bees in a Garret.
My uncle has a house with a ver-
andah some 7 feet wide, attached to a
two-story house lathed and plastered
underside, thus forming the ceiling.
The rafters, which project up at a
suitable angle against the house, form
a roof covered with tin. Of course a
little garret is formed between the
rafters and the ceiling. A swarm of
bees has been discovered which
found an entrance by a crack in the
cornice, a piece of the moulding hav-
ing become loosened. The presump-
tion is, that the bees have the whole
space of the garret which they can
occupy as they choose. The question
now is, by what means, if any, these
intelligent little insects can be per-
suaded to abandon their present
domicile and enter a hive,so that their
labor may be utilized. At present we
we can see no way of collecting rent
from the occupants of the dwelling.
Please be kind enough to answer in
the Weekly Bee Journal.
Helen L. Johnson.
Middle Haddam, Ct., Sept. 7, 1883.
Answer. — As it would require a
skillful operator to take the bees,
combs, etc., from the garret, and cost
in repairing the same and all, more
than to buy a colony, why not just
let them remain where they are?
They may swarm, and then hive them
and keep the garret colony for a stock
hive. This is how I should manage
them, and the novelty and oppor-
tunity for "the folks" to exercise
their marvelousness regarding the
immense stores that " may be in the
garret," is worth something, is it not ?
If they must come out, tear open the
verandah and smoke the bees, cutting
out their combs one by one, brush the
bees into a hive, transfer any of the
combs to the frames of the hive that
are large and straight enough, stop
up the verandah and place the hive
on the ground just below, to be moved
after the bees are all quiet. All the
the minutia of the work depends
upou the condition of the place where
it is to be done, and cannot be directed
here.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
469
Bees Cleaning Combs.
What is the best method of having
bees clean the comb, after the lioney
has been extracted V
H. A. Whittlesey.
Newington, Vt., Aug. 27, 1883.
Answer. — If you have a good ex-
tractor, no siicli cleaning is necessary.
But the best way I know of, is to put
the combs into a super, or upper
story, and place this over a strong col-
ony just at night if in times of a honey
dearth, and in 4 to 12 hours the combs
will be all clean, and the super can be
removed iu the usual way.
Beautiful Honey.
Our Boston, neighboring city and
home markets, are yearly lilled with
the most beautiful honey. The combs
are snowy white, in perfectly clean,
white poplar sections, filled to the
corners and completely sealed. With
the above I am obliged to compete
in producing comb honey. My
sources of honey are mainly willow,
fruit-bloom, locust, raspberries, bass-
wood and goldenrod. My bees are
Italians. Quantity and quality of
extracted honey, per colony. Is above
the average. Not so with comb
honey except, perhaps, in point of
flavor. Now, then, if it is manage-
ment that forms the most important
part in producing such beautiful white
comb honey, what are the details or
the fundamental law govening the
same ?
If fixtures, what influence do they
exert on both quantity and appear-
ance ¥
If location, how can I best utilize,
or if needed, improve the one occu-
pied y
If bees, must I discard my clean,
sprightly, courageous Italians, and
notwithstanding the protest within,
endure the raothy, lazy blacks ¥
If Mr. Heddon will please answer
the above questions through the
"What and How " columns of the
Bee Journal, he will greatly oblige
L. H. Shevenell.
Haverhill, Mass., Sept. 7, 1883.
Answer.— My advise to you is, just
make the raising of extracted honey
a specialty, and adhere to tlie bees
that you prefer. I know of locations
where to raise choice white comb
honey is very much more difficult
than in other places only 10 miles dis-
tant, with everything else except the
resource for nectar the same. It is
plain to be seen that time and the
Yankee will make the production of
comb and extracted honey equally
profitable, and a choice as to which
we will produce should depend upon
the fitness of our field and ourselves.
If you are going to raise extracted
honey for sauce, consult Dadant's
little 15 cent book upon the subject.
If for mechanical purposes, then a
different management is advisable.
Believing as 1 do that your flora is the
main obstacle, I will not answer your
questions until I may know that you
are bound to go for comb honey,
which I may find out by your next
communication.
Preparing Bees for Winter.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following queries iu the Bee Jour-
nal in regard to box hives, as there
are several around here who liave a
few colonies of bees in box hives :
1. In case there was not honey
enough in the hive for winter, what
would be the best food, and the best
way to feed them ¥
2. How would you advise preparing
them for winter, and wliat is.the best
material to pack them with ¥
3. Would it be a good plan;to make
a box a few inches larger, each way,
than the hive, and set the hive in it,
and pack chaff around It ¥
J. S. Barb.
Bristolville, Ohio, Sept. 3, 1883.
Answer. — 1. If I had such bees in
box hives, I should be tempted to take
them up, considering the honey they
now have, and combs for wax, rather
than to feed them more dollar's worth,
and then risk their coming through in
a condition to make them worth what
they will cost you.
2. Properly prepared, pure cane
sugar syrup (if it can be got pure,
which my investigations throw a
great shadow of doubt upon) or honey
is good food, and if the box hives have
no openings above, they might be in-
verted and a feeder placed on the
open top (previously bottom) and all
removed in the morning, before the
bees fly, and fixed at night after they
cease flying. Feeding in a successful
manner, and properly preparing the
food, is one of the fine arts of bee-
keeping, and if we are to learn it
properly and with certainty, we need
to see it demonstrated. There are so
many twists and turns to be made —
according to the condition of the
apiary, the bees to be fed, and the
weather. A good feeder is an abso-
lute necessity.
1. Do bees gather pollen from white
and Alsike clovers ¥ I have seen
them at different times working on
those clovers, and at the same time
they had pollen on their legs.
2. Are queens that leave the hive
with second or " after swarms," mated
with the drone before leaving the
hive with the swarm ¥
3. How old are queens before they
leave ttie hive to mate with the drone
or with second or after swarms ¥
Bristolville, O. J. S. Barb.
Answer. — 1. As near as my limited
time has allowed me to discover, I
think white and alsike clover yield
pollen in such quantities thatourbees
do sometimes gather from it, here,
but usually it affords too much honey
to tempt them to gather its pollen.
2. No, the queen mates with the
drones usually, about 3 to 5 days after
the swarm is hived, with all after-
swarms.
3. After-swarms often issue a few
liours after the hatching of the young
queen, or queens, that accompany
them.
Dzierzon Theory, etc.
I am a subscriber of the Weekly
American Bee Journal, Gleanings,
Exchange, and Bee and Poultry Maga-
zine. 1 am also owner and reader of
all the books written on the science
of apiculture, both in America and
Europe. Have had several yeara
practice in bee-keeping in the West
Indies, and was originally taught by
father Dzierzon 's " Rational Bee-
Keeping " many years ago ; but still
I find there is something yet wanted
which neither practice nor theory will
ever solve, namely : the proof positive
that an uuimpregnated egg laid by a
queen bee can, or does produce a
drone. This, tome, seems uunatural,
for this reason : an uuimpregnated egg
will and must always remain an uu-
impregnated egg, and could never pro-
duce a bee that is capable of impreg-
nating, as from nothing nothing must
remain ; the greater part of this world
thinks that "nothing" really exists,
and will try witli strong arguments
to prove it ; but the very fact of its
being "nothing" would not make it
something, therefore would be " no-
where," and then, pray, where is " no
where ;" just fancy for a moment any
thing in existence without length,
breadth, width, depth or thickness,
this would be " nothing," but this is^
not within the grasp of human imag-
ination; therefore, as I have said,
" nothitig " does not really exist, con-
sequently under this head an uuim-
pregnated egg of a queen bee cannot,
in my opinion, produce a drone bee.
I am afraid that we do not as yet
really understand the principle func-
tions of her nature, although that baa
nothing particularly to do with the
dollars and cents part of the bee
business ; although if we knew these
particular functions mote accurately,
we might be able to breed up to a
standard of perfection : however, as I
like your style of explanations, and
your reasonable answers given to all
questions put, would you oblige me by
answering a few through the Weekly
Bee Journal :
1. Are those queen-cells built over
drone eggs iu a queenless colony sup-
posed to become the drones that im-
pregnate the queen ¥ I have had
them in tliis apiary on tlie same sheet
of brood that had real queen- ceUa
built over worker eggs at one and the
same time. They are easily known
by tlieir smooth surfaces, and the
drone conili on which they are built.
2. Why do the bees provide such
royal drones (which they must be as
they are fed on royal jelly, and pro-
470
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
vided with very expensive cells) when
they must know (through tlie use of
their live senses) that other legitimate
queen-cells are built at the same
time ? I have had them hatch in this
apiary, and the colony has become
very prosperous and strong. I have
also seen some torn down as is done
even to the bona fide cells. When
they hatch before her majesty they
get the chance of existence, but if
she hatches first, some of them staud
a poor chance, and are generally torn
down, but not always.
3. If impregnation takes place up
into the open air, who, when, where
and how have they witnessed it V I
think, all things considered, the im-
Firegnation question must be going on
rora the moment the queen has suf-
ficient age for the purpose, or even
directly after birth inside of the hive,
and the queen takes a trip out for an
airing before going properly to work
in laying. I do not believe in fertile
workers, but I do believe in a drone-
laying queen, and I am afraid that
they are such as are called fertile
workers.
4. Is the queen impregnated " once
for all," which lasts her life time, or
does she renew the process each time
of natural swarming, or is the busi-
ness carried on constantly in the hive V
I think the latter is much more rea-
sonable to believe.
5. How can it be possible that so
small a sack of the seminal fluid can
prove sufficient for impregnating so
many thousands and thousands of
eggs laid by her during her life time,
if even but of short duration V This,
I think, must be constantly renewed
in the hive by the drones, for the safe
and prosperous keeping of the family
or colony.
I must beg pardon for occupying
your precious time in reading this ;
but I hope you will excuse me as I
am a very great enthusiast in the
science of apiculture, and have, there-
fore, applied to your better knowledge
and practice on the subject. I am al-
ways on the look-out for your articles
in the bee papers, and have thought
often of asking you the question :
Why do you not write a standard
work on apiculture, embodying all of
your own experience in practice up to
the present time and style of work-
ing y Such a work would be worth
its weight in gold. I for my part
would willingly pay $5 for a copy.
Try and get up such a one, and let it
be in Mr. Langstroth's style, but up
to the times in every respect. I hear
of Prof. Cook's new book, and have
sent for one. but I think you have
proven to the fraternity that you
" have got there." I am very sorry
to hear of your winter losses, but trust
you will make it up again soon.
Please encourage the bee reading
public with something good every
time.
I am a Dane, so please, excuse my
English writing and explanations ;
but as a practiciu man, I presume you
will understand me.
I have now working 80 colonies of
the common brown oee. They have
been transferred from Palm-logs into
the Van Deuzen-Nellis improved (by
me to suit this climate) Simplicity
hives, and are doing pretty well, con-
sidering the bad season we have had
this year. I am just through with
this lot, and I am going to increase
with .50 more colonies just brought in
Palm-logs. I am doing all in my
power to introduce apiculture scien-
tiBcally here, and feel so happy to
hear constantly of its progress in the
United States and Europe.
Lorenzo J. de Sobotker.
Santo Domingo, West Indies.
Answer.— 1. Prof. Cook is a much
better personage to answer your ques-
tions than I am, and as you say, truly
these things have less to do with
our dollar and cent success, and I
commenced very poor in the busi-
ness, having to make dollars and
cents out of it, or go hungry to bed.
I have paid most of my attention to
the practical part of apiculture. As
I understand the Dzierzon theory,
drones are always hatched from un-
impregnated eggs, whether laid by an
impregnated or unimpregnated queen,
and that the drones hatched from
eggs laid by an unimpregnated queen,
whether in queen or drone cells, are
in every way a perfect male bee, pos-
sessing all the functions of the same.
If what we have supposed to be fertile
workers were unimpregnated queens,
they certainly resemble a worker bee,
and may as well be called fertile
workers as queens.
2. I think this is the first time I
ever heard of " royal drones," and
was of the opinion that when drones
or workers hatched from queen-cells,
it was only another of the mistakes
which proves the failure of bee
instinct.
3. I know of one reputable man who
says he saw a queen surrounded by a
whole bundle of droues fall to the
earth. This man knew nothing of
the modern impregnation theory.
Never read a bee journal or book.
Twice I have seen a' queen return to
a nucleus with what I took to be evi-
dent signs of recent impregnation.
4. If queens are impregnated on the
wing only, then we know one impreg-
nation lasts for life.
5. So wonderful are things in na-
ture, when seen by the telescope or
microscope, looking into the far-off
in either direction, that I am not pre-
pared to say that what might look to
the naked eye as a small particle
might not be divided up into thou-
sands and thousands of particles, each
efiicient in its nature.
All the above has less interest to
me than other themes connected with
modern apiculture. Very many have
asked me the same question, why I
do not write a standard work on api-
culture, or publish a bee journal. Let
me here make my reply. I do not
consider myself capable of doing
either, and doing it well. I might
associate myself with some one and
get out a respectable journal, but I
have been far enough behind the
scenes to fully realize that he who
publishes a good journal, is giving his
life to his patrons, something that I
am too selfish to exchange for honors
or money.
Regarding a book on apiculture, in
my judgment no one man in the
United States has or can write a book
to meet the present demands of pro-
gressive bee - keepers. Once that
could be and was done by Mr.
Laagstroth, but to - day the de-
mands are beyond the power of any
one person to supply. I consider
Prof. Cook's book worth more than
its price, for its treatise on botany
and entomology, but in my judgment
he should have stopped there, naming
his book " The Entomology and Bot-
any of Apiculture." •
Our " winter losses " are among the
forgotten, as we now have 300 colo-
nies in good condition, and believe for
the first time during our 16 years ex-
perience that we are about to master
the wintering problem.
Thanking you for your eulogistic
words, I will say that I am continually
making new determinations to make
my contributions more pleasant and
profitable to the reader. Your good
letter needs no excuses.
Leather-Colored Italians.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following questions in the Bee Jour-
nal :
1. Are the leather-colored Italian
queens of a distinct race, or is the
dark color caused by a cross from
other strains of bees V
2. Will a colony of bees accept a
queen that has fertile workers V
3. Will a fertile worker lay eggs ifi
worker comb V
4. How do you manage a colony
that has a fertile worker, to get rid of
them ?
5. Which is the best, natural base
foundation or flat bottom V
6. Where can I get the Parker foun-
dation fastener ?
Harvard T. Bush.
Monticello, N. Y., Aug. 31, 1883.
Answers. — 1. The leather-colored
variety of the Italian race may be
thus dark colored from crossing with
the German race far in the past in
their native home, Italy. I do not
know how that may or may not be.
I do not think any one knows. This
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
471
type of bee is brought from Italy, and
all have three bands, and duplicate
themselves generation after genera-
tion. If they are not the original
Italian bee, they are certainly a fixed
strain, and according to most of our
leading honey-producers, the most
desirable fixed strain or race of bees
known.
2. Sometimes they will, but the un-
certainty is too great to risk the life
of a valuable queen by attempting
such introduction.
3. Fertile workers lay eggs in
worker combs, and when capped over
the cappings project outwards.
4. In getting rid of fertile workei s,
we sometimes try the introduction of
some valueless (jueen, which, if we
succeed in introducing, we afterwards
easily supersede by a good one. It is
also advisable to introduce a sheet of
brood in all stages at the same time.
Many times besides all this, we take
all the bees clean from the hive, carry
them off 10 to 40 rods and scatter
them around on the leaves or grass,
that is if the hive has been queenless
long enough that the bees all know
the way home. The fertile worker is
apt to never return, or at least we
have no more trouble from her.
5. Our experiments have prejudiced
us against the flat-bottom foundation.
My impression is that most of our
experienced bee-keepers prefer the
natural base, though some still adhere
to the flat-bottom.
6. Of almost any supply dealer ,and I
wish here to say that in my judgment
the Parker fastener is yet the best
device known for fastening foundation
into sections.
How to Tell a Fertile Worker, .
Will Mr. Heddou please explain the
best way to tell a fertile worker, and
also the best way to get rid of them,
through "AVhat and How" in the
Bee Journal. a. H. Groin.
Elgin, 111.
Answer.— I know no way to dis-
tinguish a fertile worker from other
workers, unless you catch them in the
act of laying, which is very seldom
done. " The best way to get rid of
them," see reply to Mr. Bush, and I
may also add that it helps to
change stands of the fertile worker
colony and a good one in normal con-
dition. I would advise this latter aid,
however, only when honey was flow-
ing plentifully.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this oflice get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
|5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post oflice, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, .1)2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$15.00- On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits. — We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows ihe
date to which your subscription is
paid. AVlien you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to tiie end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Trial Trip-25 Cents.
As the season for Fairs has arrived,
and wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal t/weemonto
on trial, for 25 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fislier's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with $1.25) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
1^ Do not send coins in a letter. It
is dangerous and increases the postage
unnecessarily. Always sen^ postage
stamps, for fractions of a dollar, and,
if you can get them — one-cent stamps ;'
if not, any denomination of postage
stamps will do.
Special Notice.— We will, hereafter,
supply the Weekly Bee Journal
for one year, and the seventh edition
of Prof. Cook's Manual of the Apiary,
bound in fine cloth, for $2.76, or the
Monthly Bee Journal, and the Manual
in cloth for $1.75. As tliis offer will
soon be withdrawn, those who desire
it should send for the book at once.
472
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Honey and Beeswax Market
Our Premiums for Clubs.
OFFICE OP AMERICAN BBE JOtTRNAL, )
Monday, 10 a. m., Sept. 17, 1883. !
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demiind for extracted honey is
exceedinulv dull : for comb honey, only fair; arri-
Tals are plentiful. Stocks are larye in the hands
of corn merchants and others. Our own supply is
larger than ever. and. for the present, we cannot
compete witli commission merchants. We may
have to differ lower tijrures. Our prices so far were 7i&
9c. for extracted, and 14(ail6c. for comb honey on
arrival.
BEESWAX -Arrivals of beeswax are good at
25@28c., and the demand is fair.
CHA8. F. MtTTH.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and '2
lb. sections, 18c. Dark and second quality, 14c.:
extracted white clover in kegs and barrels, lie;
dark, 8c.
BEESWAX— Prime yellow, 3n(S31c.
H. K. & i". B. Thcrber & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Comb honey has been bought with
more freedom this week, and prices of last week
have been fully sustained. The cool weather has
started up the usual fall trade, and activity is the
order of the hour. In selecting out the best con-
signments (with the exception of one round lot
taken by merchants from Dakota Territory), our
demand is chiefly local. Extracted honey has ni:)t
been sought for to any extent, yet there is an im-
provement over last w, ek in the amount sold.
Comb honey, extra white 1 lb. sections, l8c.; comb
honey, extra white l*^ to 2 lb. sections, l.'i^lTc.
BEESWAX— Steady and quiet, at 25@33c., as to
color, etc.
B. A. Burnett, 161 South Water St.
BAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— There is a moderate supply of comb
and extracted of common quality, but offerings of
extra choice comb are very light. The sales being
effected are within range of unchanged figures
White to extra white comb, Hj(*i;oc.: dark to good.
10^13>^c.; extracted, choice to extra white, 7>i@
8^c. ; dark and candied, ti^ii—
BEESWAX -Wholesale. 27®28c,
Btsarnb & SMITH. 423 Front Street.
BT. LOUIS.
HONEY— Some little inquiry for choice comb,
from grocers, at 14<slfic. in fancy packages, but
little or no demand otherwise. Offerings are lib-
era! of strained and extracted, and dull at 6J^(a,7c.
Old and dark comb nominally cheap.
BEESWAX— Was selling at 25(s26c.
W, T. Anderson * Co.. 104 N. 3d Street,
CLEVELAND.
HONEY-Comesvery slowly and sells as fast as
it comes at 18@I9c. for best white In 1 lb. sections,
and I7<9l8c. for2 lb. sections. Second quality is
very slow. E.xtracted usually sells very slowly in
our market; as yet, no extracted has been received.
BEBSWAX-None in Market.
A. C. KENDEl,, n.^ Ontario Street,
BOSTON.
HONEY- We quote our market at 18®20c. for
1 lb. white clover; 18(i^luc. for 2 lb. white clover.
Extracted is In good supply, and selling from
9@10c.
BEESWAX- Our supply Is gone; we hare none
to quote.
Blake & Riplet, s7 Chatham Street.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly.
with $4, will be entitled to a copy or
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Kegister for .50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Books at Fairs. — Those who make
an exhibit at Fairs will find that an
assortment of Books and Pamphlets
would sell and leave them a profit for
handling. We will send such, postage
prepaid, at 2-5 per cent, discount; or
if the purchaser pays express charges,
we will supply any of our own publica-
tions at 40 per cent, discount.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
^i"May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with vour own V Our premium, " Bees
and Soney," in cloth, for one «€U) sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
1^" The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters goes into effect on
October 1 . Three cent postage stamps
will then be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent,
or else five or ten-cent postage stamps.
Do not send coins in any letter.
BEES and HONEY,
Management of an Apiary for Fleasare
and Profit ; by
THOMAS C. NEWMAN.
Editor of the Weekly Bee Journal.
91SS 'Went Madison Street, Chicago, III.
It contains 160 profusely illustrated pases, la
" fully up with the times" in all the improvements
and inyentions in this rapidly developing pursuit,
and presents the apiarist with everything that can
aid in the successful management of the Honey
Bee, and at the same time produce the most honey
in its best and most attractive condition.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
Bee Journal and a colored Poster,
to aid In getting up a club. The
Premiums we offer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of 8 subscribers
to the Monthly Bee Journal, or 4
Weekly, we will present Dzierzon's
Rational Bee-Keeping, price S2.00.
Sample Copies of the American Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
Appreciative Notices.
A neat and abundantly illustrated hand-book of
apiculture.— American Agriculturist, N. Y.
Its chapter on marketing honey is worth many
times its cost.— Citizen, Pulastti, Tenn.
Contains all the information needed to make
bee-cuiture successful.— Eagle, Union City, Ind.
Just such a work as should oe in the hands of
every beginner with bees.— News, Keithsburg, 111.
Valuable for all who are interested in the care
and management of bees.— Dem.*. Allegan, Mich.
Engravings are fine. Gotten up in the best style,
and is cheap at the price.— Farmer. Cleveland, O.
Carefully prepared for beginners.- Farmers*
Cabinet, Amherst, N. H.
A very valuable work to those engaged in bee-
raising.— News, Prairie i;iiy. Iowa.
We advise all who keep bees to send for this ex-
cellent work.— Journal. Louisiana, Mo.
Carefully prepared, and of vast importance to
bee-raisers.— Indianian, Clinton, Ind.
New and valuable, and embellished with 109
beautiful engravings.- Democrat, Salem, Ind.
Much practical useful information, in a cheap
form.— Daily Standard, New Bedford. Mass.
The most perfect work for the price ever yet pro-
duced on the subject of bee-culture.— Anti-Monop-
olist, Lebanon, Mo.
A manual, containing all the newest dlscoverleB
in the management of these little workers.- Plain
Dealer, St. Lawrence. N. Y.
Full of practical instruction, that no one wh»
contemplates keeping bees can do wlthout.--Far-
mers' Journal, Louisville, Ky.
It comprises all that is necessary for successful
bee-culture, save experience and good judgment.
—Daily Republican, Uticu, N. V.
Gives minute details for the management and
manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping a
success.— Col. Valley and Farm.
Written In an interesting and attractive manner,
and contains valuable information for all readers,
even though they be not directly interested in the
care of bees.— Sentinel. Rome. N. Y.
It embraces every subject that can interest the
beginner in bee-culture. The engravings perfectly
illustrate the text.— Farm and Fireside, Spring-
fleld, O.
Embraces every subject of interest In the apiary,
giving very thorough details of the management
and manipulations necessary to make bee-keeping
a success.— Farm. Longmont, Colo.
It Is a valuable and practical book, and contains
a complete resume of the natural history of the
little busy bee, as well as of all that one needs to
know In their care and management.— Chicago
Herald.
Contains a vast fund of information in regard to
bee-culture. He who would keep abreast of the
times must keep posted in all the improvements In
his line. We advise all interested to gel a copy of
this book.— Daily Times. San Bernardino, Cal.
Describes all the newest discoveries in the art,
by which the production of delicious and health-
giving honey is obtained, aswell as how to prepare
It for the market in the most attractive shape.—
Signal. Napoleon, O.
It embraces every subject that will interest the
beginner. It describes all the newest dlscoverieB
In the art by which the production of delicious and
health-giving honey is obtained, as well as how to
prepare it for the market in the most attractive
form. It is embellished with beautiful engravings,
and is the most perfect work of the kind, for the
price, that has ever come under our notice.— Far-
mer, Lancaster, Pa.
PRICE— Bound In cloth, TS cents | in paper
covers, 50 centHi postpaid.
TMOMAS G. NEWMASr,
925 W. Madison St., Chicago, 111.
A I^lberal Discount to Dealers by
the Dozen or Hundred.
.<!».
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., SEPTEMBER 26, 1883.
No. 39.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor.
The North American Bee -Keepers'
Association.
The representative of the Bee
Journal, Mr. W. F. Clarke, furnishes
the following report of the proceed-
ings of the Convention :
The Association met in the City
Hall, Toronto, Ont., on Tuesday,
Sept. 18, at 10 a. m., the President, D.
A. Jones, in the chair.
There was a large attendance for
the initial meeting, but as the Secre-
tary, Mr. A. I. Root, had not yet
arrived, routine business was de-
ferred, and reports were invited from
various parts of the Continent, which
were listened to with much interest.
[These Reports, together with the ad-
dress of the President and some other
papers and discussions in detail, will
be given in our next issue.— Ed.]
This meeting of the Association had
some peculiar features :
1. It was held for the first time in
the history of tlie Association on
Canadian soil. From the outset this
body has been international and conti-
nental, and comprised both countries.
Canadian bee-keepers have been de-
lighted to have this meeting on their
side of the lines, and the feeling man-
ifested all round was very cordial.
The term "brother" was so uniformly
employed, that one might easily have
imagined that the gathering was an
Ecclesiastical rather than an apicul-
tural one, but for the topics discussed.
2. The almost total absence of
papers specially prepared for the con-
vention. In the past there have prob-
ably been too many papers ; this time
there were too few. A little more
heavy ballast would probably have
steadied the ship, which sometimes
appeared in danger of keeling over
with exuberance. The discussions
were occasionally rather superficial for
want of being opened by a thorough
treatment ot important topics. Most
of the " vexed questions " among bee-
keepers got the go-by, and the meet-
ing had more the character of a happy
reunion, than of a debating society.
Many points of interest to advanced
bee-keepers failed to come up, and
scarcely any strong diversities of
opinion presented themselves. Two
or three papers from men who have
strong convictions on certain topics,
would have at least made more variety.
3. There was no committee on busi-
ness, or indeed on anything. How
the convention was run, or whether it
ran alone, deponent sayeth not. A
prominent member asked on the third
day, "who is running this thing?"
but though he spoke out loud in meet-
ing, there was no reply. It will prob-
ably remain an unexplored and unex-
plained mystery to most of tlie mem-
bers, how the machine was guided.
To all appearance, it went like a
balloon, and was influenced by unseen,
aerial currents, but at any rate, if it
were so, the aeronauts' had a very
pleasant voyage, and got down to solid
ground safely. All present were
unanimous in declaring that they had
"a good time."
4. Last, but not least, there was
the presence of the Nestor of modern
bee-keeping. Rev. L. L. Langstroth,
the state of whose health has not ad-
mitted of his attendance at such a
meeting since 1870. His friends all
over the Continent of North America,
and elsewhere, will be glad to learn
that he declares himself to be better
in health than he has been for twenty
years. He spoke with great force and
effect, several times proving himself,
" the old man eloquent." His presence
added a great charm to the meeting,
as well it might, and did much to give
it that character of a happy reunion
to which allusion has already been
made.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
A large number convened in the
afternoon, when it was thought ad-
visable to discuss miscellaneous ques-
tions, pending the arrival of the
Secretary, and other expected mem-
bers of the Association. The first
asked was the most desirable thick-
ness of comb foundation for section
boxes. Prof. Cook, Dr. Miller,
Messrs. Vandervoort, Taylor, Jones,
and several others gave their views,
v?hich were pretty unanimous as to
about 7 square feet per pound being
the most desirable size. " What is
'the cause of fertile workers being de-
veloped V" was next discussed, and
some difference of opinion made it
lively. Prof. Cook thought the desire
for eggs in the absence of a queen,
stimulated the laying propensity in
the workers. Dr. Brown was of the
opinion that food had much to do with
the matter, and read a brief paper
giving his observations concerning
fertile workers for two or three years
past, confirmatory of that opinion.
President Jones said, he had seen
abundant proof in his apiary, that
feeding had nothing whatever to do
with developing the laying instinct in
workers. After a free interchange of
opinions, the subject was dropped,
whereupon the question of bee forage
was introduced. This created much
interest, many of the members pres-
ent giving their observation and ex-
perience in relation to honey-produc-
ing plants. The general feeling
seemed to be that this matter was one
of great practical importance, to
which bee-keepers must give more
attention hereafter. The nexf: ques-
tion propounded was, " What precau-
tions are necessary to prevent young
queens mistaking their hives on re-
turning from their bridal tour?" Dr.
Andrews would set his hives at vary-
ing angles. President Jones thought
no precautions were necessary pro-
vided tlie hives were not too close to
each other. They should be fully 6
feet apart. One member suggested
the use of a narrow board in front of
hives, from which young queens
might issue. " What is the most de-
sirable width for section boxes ?"
was the next question. Mr. Pettit
said, the best comb honey at the
Toronto Exhibition was in sections
about an inch and a half in width.
474
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
The President and a number of the
members of the Northeastern Bee-
Keepers having entered the meeting,
they were introduced by the Presi-
dent, and asked to participate freely
in the discussions. The subject of
sections was then resumed, and took
a widel latitude, including the ques-
tion of separators, the comparative
advantage of half-pound and one-
pound sections, and the demands of
the market. Mr. Muth went strongly
against the half-pound sections, which
he thought were ridiculously small.
Speaking as a dealer, there was no
demand for any thing so small. Prof.
Cook rather mildly defended the half-
pound section, and referred to Mr.
Heddon's experience with it, and
especially to his doing without sep-
arators. Dr. Miller had been experi-
menting with the half-pound sections
without separators, but had been
troubled with irregularity of building
to an extent that interfered with
packing. Mr. Pringle thought it ad-
visable to have sections of different
sizes to meet the varied demands of
the marke«. Several others took part
in the discussion, and the weight of
opinion was evidently on the side of
one and two-pound sections.
At this stage of the meeting, Mr.
A. I. Boot arrived, and a resolution
■was adopted arranging for a visit to
the Exhibition early to-morrow morn-
ing, when the meeting adjourned
until 7:30 p. m., to give opportunity
for the enrollment of members and
payment of annual subscriptions.
EVENING SESSION.
The Association resumed business
about 8 p. m., witha greatly increased
attendance. Prof. Cook, at the re-
quest of President Jones, exhibited
and explained the use of a brush
devised by T. J. Cook, of New Point,
Ind., for brushing bees off combs.
Tlie Professor prefaced his remarks
by stating that the inventor of this
brush was no relation of his, and that
he had no interest in the matter, ex-
cept to call the attention of bee-
keepers to what was a much better
device than a goose feather, bunch of
grass, or asparagus, for brushing off
bees. Three samples had been sent
to the Convention, and were on the
table for inspection. Having used
the brush with much satisfaction, he
was pleased to recommend it to other
bee-keepers. Dr. Miller and Mr.
Corneil joined in the recommendation.
The discussion of questions was then
resumed by considering the best
method of getting the bees out of sec-
tion boxes, at the close of the honey
season. Dr. Miller's plan was to raise
the section case a little, lay a cloth
between it and the hive, leaving one
corner open so that the bees can go
down into the body of tlie hive dur-
ing the night, which they will do if
the cover is left off the hive. Then
remove the section case in the early
morning. Mr. Bacon practiced taking
the sections into a room and leaving
the window open, so that the bees
could return to their hive.
The subject of curing or evaporat-
ing extracted honey was next taken
up. Mr. Poppleton, on being called
upon said, he lived in a dry climate
where no particular means were
needed, but farther South precautions
must be taken or honey would become
sour. He was of opinion that the sun
was the best evaporating agent, when
it was necessary to do any thing with
that object in view. Mr. Corneil was
of opinion that the first point to settle
was whether the honey needed evap-
oration. If it did, he, too, was of the
opinion that the sun was the best
agent for doing it. Mr. A. I. Koot
gave a very full account of his experi-
ence with different qualities and
varying thickness of honey. Mr.
McKnight confirmed Mr. Root's testi-
mony, and said that a lot of honey
stored in a tank had become so watery
on top that some of his family sus-
pected that honey had been stolen,
and water added. He knew better,
as some of the honey had been gath-
ered in a rainy time. A number of
testimonies were given, all going to
show the impolicy of putting unripe
honey on the market. This topic
branched out into a discussion of
candied honey, the best means of
re-liquefying it, and a variety of other
details. A question was now raised
which excited a lively expression of
opinion, and illustrated the maxim
that " doctors differ." It was, "If 1
have 100 colonies, spring count, and
wish to increase to 150, shall I do best
to make the increase before the honey
harvest, during the honey harvest, or
at the close of the honey harvest V
Prof. Cook replied, " Before, if pos-
sible ; if not, afterwards ; during,
never." Dr. Miller said, " During,
always," and there was a running fire
of opinions pro and con, which, at last,
settled down to a good discussion on
the point. Mr. Poppleton apparently
carrying the day by contending that
increase should be carried on from
early spring, right along, and be com-
pleted Dy the end of the honey harvest.
The subject of tiering up sections was
next discussed, whether it should be
done under or on top. Strange to say,
both methods had its advocates. Mr.
Hall, the largest producer of comb
honey in Ontario, puts the empty
sections on top. Dr. Millei had come
to the same view. At this juncture,
Mr. Heddon was greatly needed, but
was not forthcoming.
The comparative advantage of one
and two story hives for extracting
honey was then brought up by a ques-
tion. In the course of the discussion,
speakers branched out into a general
statement of experience with hives,
and a mixing up of extracted and
comb productions in a somewhat con-
fusing manner. The question which
is the best material for spreading in
front of bee hives led to a variety of
opinions. Some one said, " Mr.
Root recommends sawdust." Mr. R.
replied, " I once did, but I do not now.
I hnd the best material to be a foun-
dation of cinder, and a thin coating
of the whitest sand on top." Presi-
dent Jones recommended leached
ashes. A member said it created too
rank a growth of grass and weeds.
Another member suggested salt.
At this stage. Dr. Miller offered a
resolution that the editors of bee
periodicals be requested to encourage
correspondents to append to their
signatures a statement of the number
or colonies owned by them in the
spring, and the number owned at the
time of wintering. The resolution
v/as hurriedly put and declared car-
ried without opportunity of discus-
sion.
The President then informed the
meeting that Rev. L. L. Langstroth
had arrived, was at the Queen's
Hotel, and would join the party to-
morrow morning for the Exiiibition
grounds. The meeting then ad-
journed.
SECOND DAY.
Pursuant to resolution adopted yes-
terday, the members of the Associa-
tion took steamer for the Exhibition
grounds, about three miles from the
city, to see, first of all, the Honey
Show, and then anv other objects of
interest which had special attractions
forthem. It may be observed that a
great Industrial Exhibition lasting
two weeks is now in progress, and the
Honey Show is one of its Departments.
It is held in a building about 40x120,
which is entirely devoted to this pur-
pose, and is filled from end to end with
the finest display of honey ever col-
lected on this Continent. A little
detail will give some idea of the scene.
D. A. Jones, of Beeton, has, of course,
the largest exhibit. At one end of
the building, he has a pyramid of
cans, ranging from two ounces to five
pounds in capacity, the whole forming
a little mountain of honey, 41 feet 6
inches in length by 14 feet in breadth,
and towering far above the heads of
visitors. In the centre of the build-
ing a cone of smaller circumference,
but rising to a greater height, is simi-
larly" constructed. Above this pyra-
mid floats a variety of flags, and above
all the porcelain globe of a powerful
electric light spreads at night the
brightness of noonday over the whole
interior of the building. Great boxes
of honey are piled against the wall,
and over them, and on the floor are 80
barrels in all of the luscious liquid.
In all, Mr. Jones has about 50,000
Sounds of honey in the building. Mr.
[all of Woodstock, Out., is the next
largest exhibitor, and shows an im-
posing array of white combs rising
far upwards, and varied every 2 feet
by buttresses of extracted honey in
gaily labelled cans, extending far
along one side of the building. Mr.
Hall has on display about 9,000 pounds
of honey in the comb, and about
13,000 extracted. Martin Emizh, of
Holbiook, Oxford county, takes the
palm for the nicest exhibit of comb
honey. It is remarkably uniform and
well filled out in the comb. Much
admiration was expressed of this ex-
hibit, which comprised about 4,000
pounds. Mr. Ramer, of Cedar Grove,
Mr. Goodyear, of Woodstock. G. B.
Jones, of Brantford, W. C. VVells, of
Philipstown, Ont., Messrs. Granger &
Duke, of Deer Park, and others con-
tribute to make up the fine display,
which here presents itself to the eyes
of the visitors.
To many, a far more interesting
and attractive object than the honey
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
475
show, was presented in the person of
the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, who held
a sort of extempore levee In the
building, and went through a some-
what fatiguing ordeal in the way of
shaking hands with the multitude of
bee keepers and others who were in-
troduced to him by President Jones
and Wra. F. Clarke. It became nec-
essary after awhile to withdraw the
venerable apiarist from tlie scene
that he might rest somewhat, and be
in tune for the public meeting.
Meantime, a general reunion of bee-
keepers went on in and around the
extensive exhibition building. Few
seemed to feel much interest in the
otlier departments to be found on the
grounds, and there was aoiple proof
of the correctness of a remark made
by Mr. Langstroth, that of all classes
he had met with none were so en-
thusiastic in the line of their calling
as bee-keepers.
The convention was broken up into
a multitude of little conventions, and
all seemed to enjoy tlie opportunity of
social intercourse presented. Atten-
tion was iu)t confined to the interior
of the building, but extended to a
survey of the bee hives, colonies of
different races of bees, and the large
variety of bee requisites to be found
adjacent out-of-doors. To attempt a
specification of all the numerous arti-
cles on exhibition would extend this
report to a length that would be un-
suitable, and should anything be
undesignedly omiited, the inventor
or owner would feel himself slighted.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The Association resumed in the
Cily Hall. Miscellaneous questions
were the first order of business.
Dr. Thom asked if any one had ex-
perienced evil effects to the eye-sight
from the use bee-veils. This led to a
general discussion on the best ma-
terial for bee-veils ; several declaring
in favor of black, and some in favor
of white gauze. A few spoke in ap-
proval of wire netting, wnile others
urged objections against it. A. I.
Root said he had experimented, and
used many endeavors to obtain a wire
cloth that would have all the advan-
tages of wire cloth, without any of
its disadvantages, but had not suc-
ceeded. On the whole, he would
recommend bee-keepers not to use
veils unless obliged to do so. Mr.
Cornell did not think veils did any
particular injury to the eye-sight,
otherwise ladies would not wear them
so extensively. President Jones re-
commended the use of the finest
Brussels lace. Mr. Bowers thought
the veil might be made of any cheap
suitable material, with a window of
the very best silk bobbinet.
Mr. C. W. Young brought up the
subject of collecting statistics. He
suggested that the local press should
be more generally utilized for the
purpose of conveying information
about apiculture. A general discus-
sion on the importance and yet diffi-
Ity of obtaining statistics ensued.
President Clarke, of the Northeastern
Association, said they had found it
impossible to get statistics even from
prominent men, in any year, when
they happened to be unsuccessful. For
that reason the Northeastern Asso-
ciation had discontinued the publica-
tion of its reports.
The question of the proper width
of sections was then resumed, and
talked over at some length, but noth-
ing particularly new was elicited.
At this juncture. Rev. L. L. Lang-
stroth entered the convention, was
received with a rising expression of
welcome by the members, and con-
ducted by the President to the Mayor's
chair, as a token of respect, amid
loud and prolonged cheers.
The President's address was then
delivered. It consisted mainly of
welcoming words in regard to the
tneeting of the Association, together
with a brief resume of the noney
season just past. Prof. Cook, Messrs.
Bacon, A. I. Root, Pierce, and Dr.
Miller made responses, gratefully
appreciating the welcome which had
been accorded to the Americans, and
the pleasure it had given them to
visitj Toronto, and attend this con-
vention. By special request of Presi-
dent Jones, Mr. Langsti'oth addressed
the meeting. He gave an interesting
account of the way he was led into
bee-keeping, and of his early mis-
takes and difficulties ; related the
manner in which he had been led to
invent the movable frame, and the
circumstances connected with its gen-
eral adoption ; and stated a number
of interesting facts bearing on the
history and progress of bee-keeping.
At the close of Mr. Langstroth's ad-
dress, the Association proceeded to
elect officers.
On motion of Prof. Cook, Eev. L.
L. Langstroth was chosen President.
The motioa was carried by a standing
vote. L. C. Root, of New York, was
appointed First Vice-President ; Dr.
C. C. Miller, of Illinois, Secretary, and
C. F. Muth, of Ohio, was re-appointed
Treasurer. A list of Vice-Presidents
for the several States and Provinces
was also made up.
The question of the next place of
meeting was then taken up. Presi-
dent Clarke, of the Northeastern
Bee-Keepers' Association, on behalf
of New York, invited the members to
Rochester next year. Dr. Miller con-
veyed the request of the Northwes-
tern Bee-Keepers' Association to
appoint the next annual meeting at
Chicago. On motion of Prof. Cook,
Rochester was chosen as the next
place of meeting. The date was left
to be fixed by the executive com-
mittee.
EVENING SESSION.
Business resumed, Vice-President
Cook in the Chair. The discussion of
miscellaneous questions was made the
first order of the evening. Two en-
qui) ies concerning foul brood were
laid on the table.
" Is it advisable to clip the wings of
queen bees V" was next asked. A
lively discussion arose, proving the
liouse to be considerably divided on
the point. One member announced
himself " a clipper." Another said
he might be a clip, but he was not a
clipper. The reasons for and against
were pretty fully stated.
" At what age should a queen be
superseded ':"' was the next question.
Mr. Hall thought no age could be
fixed. Bees were like human beings,
some were young when they were
old, and others were old when they
were young. Queens should be
watched, and superseded when not
working satisfactorily. Mr. Lang-
stroth would not fix any unvarying
time, but he had found two seasons,
on an average, the term of a queen's
greatest prolificacy. After that, they
would show signs of failure. It was
a remarkable feature in the Italians,
that they were quick to notice signs
of failure in a queen, and took early
measures to supersede her. That
alone was sufficient to recommend
them.
The best method of feeding in the
fall was next considered. Mr. Jones,
on being called up, advised the use of
the best granulated sugar, in the pro-
portion or two pounds of sugar to one
of water. The discussion soon
branclied off so as to take in the topic
of feeders. Mr. Langstrotli and others
discouraged the use of fancy feeders.
Mr. Jones tilts the front of the hive a
little, and pours the syrup on to the
bottom board, from which the bees
take it up very ouickly. Mr. Locke
suggested that all bee-keepers could
not tilt their hives, and hence, some
kind of a feeder became necessary.
He recommended the use of a Mason
fruit jar furnished with a tin cover
perforated with a number of holes.
Filled with syrup and inverted, this
made a good feeder.
The treatment of wax then occupied
the attention of the meeting. Boiled
down, the discussion amounted to
this : that great pains ought to be
taken to purify wax ; that to secure
this it was necessary to keep wax in a
melted condition for several hours,
long enough indeed to allow all sedi-
ment to settle to the bottom. A. I.
Root said he had worked up 12 or 14
tons of wax this season, and pursued
substantially this plan. He made
three qualities of foundation. Wax
from the top of the tanks was used
for section foundation, being the
whitest ; the second and third quali-
ties being darker, were sold at less
price for brood comb foundation.
At the instance of Prof. Cook, it
was decided that the rest of the even-
ing be given to Rev. L. L. Langstroth
for a talk on old bee books. This was
very interesting. Beginning with
Aristotle, Virgil, Columella, and
Pliny, on each of whose knowledge of
bees remarks were made. The speaker
came down to books that appeared in
the days of the Stuarts and the Com-
monwealth, the former entitled " The
Monarchy of Bees," and the latter,
" The Reformed Commonwealth of
Bees ;" indicating the different politi-
cal circumstances of the times in
which they were written. Some ex-
tracts were given from these books,
and Mr. Langstroth expressed the
hope that he might yet be able to pub-
lish a work embodying these and
other observations on old bee books,
which would show modern bee-keep-
ers that ancient apiarists knew a
great deal more about bees than they
476
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
usually got credit for. Even the ad-
vanced bee-keepers of to-day might
learn much from tliem.
At adjournment, it was decided
that the convention should close with
to-oiorrow afternoon's session.
THIRD DAY.
The Association met at 9 A. M.,
Vice-President Cook in the chair.
About 100 members were present at
the opening of the morning session.
Discussion of questions was resumed,
the tirst being, "What is the best way
of preserving surplus combs from the
ravages of the moth V"
Judge Andrews thought there was
no time when there were not eggs of
the bee-moth in comb. Heat would
develop them. The combs should be
carefully kept in some cool place.
Dr. Brown found it necessary in the
warm climate of Georgia, to have a
comb repository, which he kept fumi-
gated with sulphur.
Mr. Jones places his frames about
an inch or an inch and a half apart,
and if allowed to hang all winter, ex-
posed to frost, there will be no trouble
from the moth. He recommended
that the joists of the honey-house
overhead, be set just the riglit width
to hang the frames on rabbits, tacked
to the lower edge of the joists.
Prof. Cook summed up that the
moth would never trouble combs
while sufficiently covered with bees ;
not so protected, the moth will cer-
tainly be developed ; hence strong
colonies were the best antidote to this
insect. Comb should not be left lying
loose around tlie apiary, but should be
stored out of reacli of the moth miller,
and kept in a cool place.
The right teuiperature at which to
winter bees was the next question
considered.
Prof. Cook would say from 40 to 45
degrees.
Dr. Miller called attention to the
varying markings of thermometers,
which rendered it undesirable to Hx
very exactly the degree of tempera-
ture to be maintained. He would ad-
vise watching the bees, and keeping
them in that temperature in which
they preserved perfect quietude.
Mr. Jones used to think 40° was
about the right temperature, after-
wards he thought it should be 43° to
4.5°; but he had come to the conclusion
that it was better the temperature
should go higher than 45° than under
40°, especially during the latter part
of the winter. He had frequently had
his houses go above 50°; in one case,
accidentally, a hou.se went up as high
as 70° without any ill effects. More
harm comes of letting the tempera-
ture go too low, than too high.
The general subject of wintering
bees was then taken up.
A. I. Root was not going into the
subject at length, but wished to men-
tion a case in which the bees had been
given access to water by means of a
sponge, with good results.
Prof. Cook had followed that exam-
ple of giving the bees a drink, but
every colony so treated had turned out
unsatisfactorily.
Mr. Jones did not believe in keeping
hotel in a bee-house. He had never
had any trouble with his bees being
too dry. Excess of moisture had often
troubled him. While speaking of win-
tering, he would strongly recommend
the use of a bee- house with hollow
walls, of a foot or more in thickness,
filled in with sawdust or some similar
material. If you have 100 colonies,
and were sure they would winter
safely out-doors, you may calculate
that it will cost $1.00 per colony, or
SlOO more to winter out-doors than in-
doors ; it therefore pays to have a
house. Instead of packing hives, he
would pack the house the hives are
stored in.
A running fire of questions was here
opened on Mr. Jones in regard to
various particulars relative to his
method of wintering. The discussion
gradually drifted off into the subject
of ventilation, on which a great vari-
ety of opinions was expressed.
Dr. Miller frankly confessed that
even yet he knew nothing definite
about wintering. Circumstances and
conditions differ so greatly, that what
succeeds one season, fails another.
A member spoke of the unsatisfac-
tory use of enamelled cloth in winter.
A. I. Root said it was a mistake to
suppose that the cloth was to be used
in all seasons. In winter he used bur-
lap, a coarse species of bagging, which
the bees could look through if they
wanted to. He also used woven slats.
He thought either of these with a
packing of forest leaves on top, such
as Mr. Dadant uses, make a good win-
ter covering.
Mr. McKnight had tried various
packing materials, but found nothing
so good as the ground cork, in which
grapes are packed when shipped from
France. He found no difficulty in
getting all he wanted from the grocers
in his town.
A number of members gave their
views of packing for winter, and vari-
ous materials were suggested for the
purpose.
At this juncture, A. R. Boswell
Esq., Mayor of Toronto, entered the
meeting, and was received with warm
cheering. A vote of thanks was then
enthusiastically passed, expressing the
gratitude of the Association to the
Mayor and City Council for the use of
the City Hall free of cost for these
meetings.
The Mayor replied, cordially wel-
coming the Association to Toronto,
especially those members who have
come across the border. He referred
to the grand honey display, and the
rapid progress bee - keeping was
making, and wished the Association
the greatest prosperity.
On motion of D. A. Jones, seconded
by Dr. C. C. Miller, it was Resolved
unanimously, That in the opinion of
this meeting, the time has fully come
for a recognition of the claims of bee-
culture by its being taught in all the
agricultural colleges throughout the
continent of North America.
In connection with this \esolution,
a paper was, at the call of thn
meeting, read by Wm. F. Clarke. It
was the only paper specially prepared
for the Convention, yet presented.
An interesting episode then took
place in the form of an address, from
the Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association,
to Rev. L. L. Langstroth, accompa-
nied with a purse containing $56 as a
trifling token of esteem.
Mr. Langstroth replied in a feeling
manner, and referred at some length
to the manner in which his motives
had been misunderstood many times,
and to his earnest wish to promote by
all honest means, the interests of api-
culture.
Vice-President Cook expressed the
great pleasure it had given him to at-
tend this Convention, and to witness
the harmony and good feeling which
had prevailed. lie was especially
gratified at the presence of Mr. Langs-
troth, and the manifestations of grate-
ful respect to him on all hands. In
view of the many auspicious circum-
stances which had characterized this
meeting, he proposed that all should
join in singing the Doxology. This
was done very heartily, after which
Rev. L. L. Langstroth pronounced
the Benediction.
As a number of the members were
about leaving, there was much cordial
hand-shaking at the close of this ses-
sion.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The Association resumed at 2 P. M.,
Dr. Miller in the chair. There was
still a large attendance , though a num-
ber had left for home.
The first subject taken up was that
of frames.
Mr. Hart complained that many of
the frames he had obtained from the
North were too slender, sagged too
much, and sometimes liroke.
Dr. Miller expressed surprise at this,
and said he had experienced no such
trouble.
Mr. Langstroth described a frame
with triangular corner supports for
the top- bar. He thought this could
be made stronger than any other.
Mr. Muth said he preferred the frame
he now used, which had a heavy top-
bar, the whole underside of which was
beveled.
Someother members expressed their
views on the frame question, but all
agreed that it was desirable to have
sufficient strength in the top-bar to
stiffen the whole.
The question, what were the best
barrels for shipping honey 'i* was dis-
cussed.
Mr. Muth said a great deal of honey
was lost by being put into improper
barrels. They were often too weak
and slender. Second-hand barrels were
often used, and there was constant
loss when this was done. Honey was
lieavy, and needed a strong package ;
he preferred cypress. Oak made good
barrels when well coopered, but badly
made, they were the worst of all for
leaking.
Mr. Jones agreed with Mr. Muth,
but thought white-ash preferable to
oak. He had been greatly troubled to
get thoroughly-tight barrels.
Mr. Poppleton liad found some sec-
ond-hand barrels answer very well.
A resolution was introduced by Mr.
Pettit, seconded by Mr. Muth, pledg-
ing the Association to do all in its
power to remove the public prejudice
against granulated honey. Consider-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
477
able discussion arose on this resolu-
tion, which, at first, merely expressed
the idea that granulated honey was
" natural and good." Some wished
to affirm that pure honey would al-
ways granulate. Others objected that
it would not always granulate. Mr.
Jones challenged any one to produce
pure honev tliat would not granulate.
Mr. Muthhad kept California honey a
long time, even three or four years
before it granulated, but it did so at
length. He had seen honey mixed
with glucose that granulated to a cer-
tain extent. Mr. Jones said the pure
honey would granulate, and the glu-
cose float on top. He admitted that
there was a difference in the grain ;
some was coarse, and some flne.
After much tinkering at the resolu-
tion, it was finally adopted in the fol-
lowing form :
Resolved, That we as individuals and
as an association do all in our power
bv precept and by practice to con-
vince the public that granulated
honey is natural, wholesome and de-
sirable, and that granulation is a fine
test of its purity.
Mr. Jones was requested to give an
account of his method of introducing
queens by tlie use of chloroform,
which he did, and then a general dis-
cussion of queen introducing sprung
up. Mr. Langstroth narrated in an
interesting manner some of his early
experiments in queen introduction.
Among others, he tried the experi-
ment of making a whisky syrup which
he fed to the bees and the queen.
They acted very much as drunken
people do, but when sober, would not
not accept the queen.
Mr. Jones stated that the reception
of a queen depends on her own be-
havior. If she is frightened, nervous,
and uneasy, the bees will ball and dis-
patch her, but if she is quiet and con-
tented, there is no trouble. The main
thing, therefore, is to devise a plan by
which the queen will be led to act in
a natural manner. Mr. Langstroth
and Judge Andrews confirmed this
view.
After some further talk on the sub-
ject of queens. Dr. Brown remarked,
that one and another seemed to be
dropping out of the meeting, and it
■was desirable that there should be a
general hand-shaking all round. He
therefore moved, seconded by C. F.
Muth, that the Association do now
adjourn, to meet in Rochester, N. Y.,
a year hence. The motion was car-
ried, and the convention declared ad-
journed, sine die.
^' The bee-keeper who expects to
keep up with the times, must make
up his mind to push things, and not
allow himself to be drawn along by
circumstances. In order to push, one
must think and plan ahead of the
work to come, and have all Miings in
readiness, so tliat there may be no
delay in doing the work at the right
time. — Indiana Farmer.
^' To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one who
buys a package of honey at Fairs, will
sell almost a fabulous quantity of it.
Bee and Honey Show at Toronto.
From the Toronto Globe we extract
the following article concerning the
Bee and Honey Show and Convention :
Among the varied attractions of the
Toronto Exhibition the present year,
prominence may very properly be
given to the annual meeting of the
abovenamedsociety,which is to beheld
in the City Hall and Council Chamber
on the 18th, 19th and 20th instants.
As this is the lirst time this important
organization has met on Canadian
soil, the occasion was one of special
interest to the bee-keepers of this
countrv, and it is well that they should
be made familiar with the origin,
history, work, and aims of the society
in question. It was formed at Indian-
apolis, Ind., December 21, 1870. As
its name imports, it is international
and continental in character. It was
originally designed to be a national
society. Out Canada was represented
at the initial meeting in the person of
Rev. W. F. Clarke, of Guelph, who
was and is, not only a prominent ag-
riculturist, but an enthusiastic bee-
keeper. At that gentleman's sug-
gestion and request, the society was
expanded in scope, so as to take in the
Dominion along with the Bepublic.
Though this is the first time the soci-
ety has met in Canada, this country
has had its fair share of honorable
recognition by it. During the thirteen
years of its existence, Canada has
been thrice represented in its presi-
dency, twice by Mr. W. F. Clarke,
and once by Mr. D. A. Jones, who
now worthily fills the office, and to
whose influence the selection of Tor-
onto as the place of meeting for 1883,
is to be mainly attributed.
The first president of this society
was the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, who
may, without invidiousness, be styled
the father of modern bee-keeping.
His book on the " Honey Bee," and
his invention of the movable frame
hive, may be said to have revolution-
ized bee-keeping. Prior to these being
presented to the public, bees were
kept in a haphazard way. But little
was known of the nature and habits
of this little insect beyond the facts
embodied in the well-known juvenile
hymn, beginning,
"How doth the little busy bee."
The Interior economy of that wonder-
ful miniature world— a bee hive— was
well nigh unknown. Everything in-
side the hive was " fixed fast in fate,"
and inaccessible to any but its honey-
gathering population. The movable
frame was indeed a revolution in bee-
keeping. It enabled the apiarist to
control the operations of the indus-
trious little workers, and paved the
way for the extractor, queen-breed-
ing, and various other improvements,
which have combined to make bee-
keeping, as now carried on, one of the
wonders of the age we live in. Mr.
Langstroth still lives to witness the
marvelous progress of the pursuit for
which he has done so much ; and
though in poor health, and bending
under the weight of years, intends
being present at the approaching
meeting. There are few who are
aware of the great services this re-
markable man has rendered to api-
culture, who will not feel that the
opportunity of seeing and hearing the
Nestor of modern bee-keeping, will
be of itself sufficient inducement to
secure their attendance and ample re-
ward for it.
Mr. Langstroth was fitly succeeded
in the Presidency of the Society by
the late Moses Quinby, whose work
on the "Mysteries of Bee-Keeping"
ably seconded the teachings of its
predecessor, and whose labors in the
advancement of this industry were
hardly second to those of Mr. Lang-
stroth. Mr. Langstroth was only able
to spare moments of leisure from the
duties of a higher calling. These he
faithfully devoted to the advancement
of his favorite secular pursuit, and
few men can point to such a record as
his, resulting from masterly and dili-
gent use of leisure. But Mr. Quinby
devoted his whole time and attention
to bee-keeping, and was one of the
first, if not the very first, to exalt this
pursuit into a business. Encouraged
by his example, and guided by his
teachings, others concentrated their
energies on this industry until it be-
came as much a distinct and special
avocation as any other. Botli Mr.
Langstroth and Mr. Quinby labored
for the advancement of apiculture
with a most unselfish zeal, and while
others were incessantlv plying the
public with patented fixtures, gener-
ously gave the fruits of their thought
and toil to the wdrld at large. They
might both have become rich had
they secured to themselves, as they
might have justly done, royalties on
their discoveries and inventions, but
they toiled in self-forgetfulness, and
apiculture owes them a debt of grati-
tude which, it is safe to say, never
can be repaid.
It would be too long a detail to
enumerate what the North American
Bee-Keepers' Society has done toward
the advancement of tlie industry for
whose development it has worked.
But this much must in all justice be
said for it : that it has brought to-
gether the leading bee keepers of the
Continent in yearly conclave, and
their comparison of notes has been of
incalculable advantage to themselves
and to the apicultural public in gen-
eral Among other benefits that have
resulted from this, the field of apicul-
ture has been cleared of a vast num-
ber of impositions and shams, and
bee-keeping has been exalted to a
compacted science and an established
industry.
The American Beb Journal,
published at Chicago, 111., is, without
question, the leading apicultural jour-
nal of the world. Its existence to-day
is due to the North American Bee-
Keepers' Society, established in 1861,
by Samuel Wagner, a name of high
renown in the annals of American
apiculture. It was on the lamented
death of that gentleman, in February,
1872, in eminent danger of extinction.
At the next annual meeting of the
Society, the future of this important
periodical was an anxious topic of
discussion. The then President of
478
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
the Society, Rev. W. F. Clarke was
urged to take the enterprise in hand,
and encouraged by the pledged co-
operation of leading members of the
Society, did so. The Journal was
removed from Washington, D. C, its
former place of publication, to Chi-
cago, and the foundation laid of its
subsequent prosperity. Mr. Clarke
gave it his personal supervision for a
year, when it passed into the hands of
Mr. Thomas G. Newman, who has
guided its destinies ever since, and
under whose able management it has
become the most potent literary
agency for the promotion of bee-keep-
ing at present in existence. If the
Society had accomplished nothing
more for apiculture than the preser-
vation of this invaluable periodical, it
would deserve to live and prosper.
The great lights of North American
bee-keeping are expected at the ap-
proaching aimual meeting. It is con-
ceded that this Continent now leads
the world in apicultural progress.
The apiarists of all other countries
dip their flags to North America, and
Canada enjoys the proud boast of
having produced the foremost of en-
terprising and successful bee-keepers
in the person of Mr. D. A. Junes.
Among other distinguished apicul-
turists who intend to be present on
the approaching occasion, special
mention may very properly be made
of Prof. A. J. Cook, whose " Manual
of the Apiary" is now generally ac-
cepted as the standard work on bee-
keeping. Mr. Cook is an accomplished
entomologist, of which science lie is
professor in the Michigan Agricul-
tural College, and in the course of his
teaching makes a specialty of scien-
tific and practical bee-keeping. He
manages an experimental apiary at
the college, and in this branch of
study has a class of 40 students the
present year. Did space permit other
high authorities in bee-keeping might
be named, whose presence will give
interest and importance to the meet-
ing about to be held.
It is to be hoped that all Canadian
bee-keepers wlio can possibly attend
the expected apicultural parliament
will make a point of being there.
Such a gathering cannot fail to give
a great impetus to a large and rapidly
growing rural industry. As a busi-
ness bee-keeping is only in its infancy.
There are vast possibilities about it
yet to be developed. Without exag-
geration or figure of speech— " there
are millions in it." Our own Mr.
Jones and other Canadian bee-keep-
ers have shown us what can be done
in this line of things. Bee-keeping
offers an inviting field as a business,
and as an adjunct to general farming
is well worthy of receiving far wider
attention. When it is considered that
the income of every farm throughout
the country might easily be augmented
at least a hundred dollars a year, by
keeping a few hives of bees, it will at
once be seen what an immense in-
crease of national wealth might be
obtained were the flowers that now
"waste their sweetness" duly util-
ized by a force of honey- gatherers
large enough to collect the revenue
they are so willing to yield, when
swift-winged foragers " present their
little bills " for liquidation.
Bonner, the Seottisli Bee-Master.
Mr. Wm. Raitt, of Blairgowrie,
Scotland, gives the following in the
London Journal of Horticulture, con-
cerning his fellow countryman, the
noted Caledonian bee-master :
Bonner's name is so much more
widely known than his works on bee-
keeping, that I doubt not many read-
ers of our Journal will be glad of a
few notes culled from his rare book.
Bonner was the twelfth child of a
handloom weaver, of Coldingham, in
Berwickshire, and seems to have re-
ceived a fair education. He followed
his father's occupation, and became
the author of a work called '• Practi-
cal Warping Made Easy." His father
was an enthusiastic bee-keeper, own-
ing as many as a dozen colonies at a
time, and in good seasons made as
much money by his bees, as nearly
purchased oatmeal sufficient to serve
his numerous family for a whole year.
He purchased with a single season's
wax a large q_uarto Bible {an expen-
sive article in those days), " which
served as a family book ever after,"
and Ills home was always supplied
with honey and mead. The old man
worked at his loom till within a few
days of his death, in the 86th year of
his age.
James, our author, was thus a born
bee-master, and so great was his in-
terest in bees that he, about the year
1765, travelled all the way to London
to get a chance of conversing with the
famous Wildman. The latter hap-
pened at the time to be in France, so
Bonner had to return without seeing
him, but he solaced himself by the
possession of a rich haul of bee books,
picked up on London bookstalls. He
tells us he bought every book on bees
that he could find. After this, and
under the impulse of fresh discoveries
day by day, he became so absorbed in
his studies and experiments, that
during the honey season he hardly
took any sleep for whole weeks to-
gether. At last, in 1789, he published
his first book, a "Treatise on the Man-
agement of Bees," which was well
received. In succeeding years he made
so many discoveries and improve-
ments, that he resolved to embody all
he knew in the larger work by which
he is better known, " A New Plan for
Speedily Increasing the Number of
Hives in Scotland," etc. This work
was issued by subscription in 179'i,
and was directly under the patronage
of the " lords and gentlemen " of the
Highland Society, the then represen-
tative of the great Agricultural Soci-
ety of the present day, at whose shows
the bee tent is a regular attraction.
As affording a fair contrast between
the best principles of beekeeping in
the last century and those of the
present day, I note a few of the more
prominent of Bonner's ideas :
Honeydew. — He speaks of it as an
exudation of the saccharine juices of
plants, which, in some cases it un-
doubtedly is, but he seems to have no
idea that the bulk of it is the excretion
of aphides.
Crude and Perfect Honey. — He de-
cidedly differs from Mr. Pettigrew in
this matter, having satisfied himself
that the nectar as gathered from the
flowers is true honey, afterwards
thickening only from tne evaporation
of its watery particles. I had an illus-
tration only yesterday of one way in
which bees get rid of the superfluous
water in the sweets they gather.
Over a large feeding trough where I
was supplying my bees with sweet-
ened water, I could see in the sun-
light that almost every bee that rose
with its load, ejected a spray of water.
So rapidly did the water find its way
from the honey sac to the excretory
organs of the bee, that the moment it
rose it was enabled to get rid, I should
suppose, of half the weight of its bur-
den in the form of water. I have also
noticed this in the case of bees re-
turning from the fields during the
honey season.
Pollen and Wax. — Although humor-
ing the prevailing notion that the bees
gathered wax and carried it home on
their legs, by culling loads of pollen
and loads of wax. Bonner argues very
sensibly his opinion, that wax is an
exudation from the body of the bee,
as milk from the cow, silk from the
spider and silkworm, or wax from the
human ear.
" Smotheratinn " by Brimstone. — This
he utterly condemns as " a barbarous
practice" to be ever deprecated.
Who would have supposed that such a
practice could have continued to the
present day ?
Northwestern Convention.
The Northwestern Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its fourth annual
convention at Owsley's Hall, N. W.
corner Roby and West Madison Sts.,
Chicago, 111., on Wednesday and
Thursday, October 17 and IS, 1883,
commencing at 10 a. ra. on Wednes-
day and holding five sessions.
The Rev. L. L. Langstroth (the
father of American apicluture) has
promised to be present, and many of
the most prominent apiarists of the
Northwest will be there and aid in
the deliberations and discussions.
This meeting will be held during
the last week of the Inter-State In-
dustrial Exposition, and reduced
railroad fares may be had on nearly
all the railroads. A cordial invitation
is extended to bee-keepers every
where to attend this annual reunion.
Meals may be obtained at the Res-
taurant near the Hall at 2.5 cts. each.
Beds may be secured at the Gault
House for $1, or at other Hotels at
regular rates.
Thos. G. Newman, Sec.
C. C. MiLLEK, Pres.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
479
For the American Bee Journal.
Filling Empty Combs with Syrup.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
I have employed three different
ways in filling empty combs with
sugar syrup, either ot which is prac-
tical in accordance with the number
to be filled. The object in fiUing
combs, is the feeding of the bees in
the most desirable manner, when they
need feeding. That combs well filled
with honey or syrup, ready to be
placed in the liive when needed, is the
best way to feed bees, for any and all
purposes, I think will be conceded by
all. For stimulating purposes I gen-
erally set such fllled combs one at a
time in the centre of the brood-nest,
as the bees can cover them, and the
queen can fill them with eggs.
If it is thought that the bees are
stimulated to a greater degree when
they have to carry the syrup or honey
as they do from a feeder, the filled
combs can be placed at the outside of
the brood-nest as far from the bees as
the hive will admit of ; but after try-
ing all ways, I prefer the first given.
For winter feeding, the combs should
be fllled as full as possible, and enough
placed in the hive at one time for the
wants of the bees during the time
they remain inactive. Syrup, for
simulative feeding should be made by
placing two pounds of confectioner's
A sugar, or the same amount of gran-
ulated sugar in a tin vessel and pour-
ing one pound of boiling water upon
it, stirring till the sugar is dissolved.
For winter stores I use 5 pounds of
sugar to two pounds of water. Place
it upon the stove until it boils, then
skim. When cool, it is ready for the
combs. I formerly used a little vine-
gar or cream tartar in the syrup to
prevent crystalization, but latterly 1
have not, and do not see but it works
just as well.
With this explanation we are ready
to proceed as to how to fill the combs.
If but few are to be filled, say 20 to 40,
all that is needed is an extractor can,
wash boiler, or any deep tin dish, in
which to lay the combs, and a large
tea or coffee-pot. Fix some sticks, or
some arrangement to keep the combs
2 or 3 inches up from the bottom of
the tin vessel, upon wliich the combs
are to be laid. Now from your tea-
pot filled with the syrup, pour a small
stream into the cells ot the comb,
holding the tea-pot a foot or more
above the comb, so the falling syrup
will force the air out of the cells so
they will be filled. Pass the stream
over the combs until all, or nearly all
the cells are filled on one side, when
the comb is to be turned over and the
other side filled in the same way.
VVhen filled hang the coKbs in your
tin comb bucket (or some convenient
tin thing which can be found about
the house) a little while to drain.
when it is ready to be used in any
spot or place the same as a frame of
honey. In filling the comb the sides
of the can will keep the syrup from
spattering about the room, and what is
caught therein can be turned into the
tea-pot again, so that no loss will
occur.
When 100 or more combs are to be
fllled, I use a watering-pot instead of
the tea-pot, upon the nozzle of which
is fixed a tin " rose," which slips on
to the nozzle the same as does that
used in spraying plants, but instead
of being like the " rose " used for
plants, which throws the several
streams out and from the pot, this
" rose " is fixed so that the under side
of it is a level flat piece of tin about
2 inches sauare, punched full of holes,
while all the rest of it is soldered up
tight. Have it beveled so that it will
stand just level when y<iur watering-
pot is inclined enough to pour a stream
when fllled one-half full of syrup, and
you have it just right. Now place
your empty comb in your can as be-
fore, flll your watering-pot with
syrup and pour away. Instead of
filling but one cell at a time, as was
done with the tea-pot, this will fill a
space of comb 2 inches square as
quickly as the other did one or two
cells, and where no very large amount
or wholesale feeding is to he done, I
prefer it to any other method of filling
the combs with syrup.
If I have a large amount of feeding
to do, as I did in June, 1878, when
nearly my whole yard was in a starv-
ing condition, then either of the
above plans would be too slow to be
profitable. When such wholesale
feeding is to be done, I proceed in this
way : An extractor can is placed
upon a bench about 3 feet high, and
into this the syrup is poured. Pre-
vious to this I have procured a tin
dish made like a baking tin the exact
size of my frame, the bottom of which
is punched full of holes about 1-16 of
an inch in diameter, said holes being
about }4 inch apart each way. These
holes should be punched from the
inside of the dish, as should those in
the " rose " spoken of before, so that
the syrup will fall from each hole in a
separate stream. Place this dish full
of holes under the faucet to the can
containing the syrup. Immediately
under the dish place another can if
you have it (if not a wash tub will
answer), and you are ready for
business.
If you wish to make the best time
possible, have an assistant to hand
you the empty combs and take the
fllled ones; roll up your sleeves and
hold the combs near the bottom of the
can, or low enough down so the air
will be forced out of the cells by the
falling syrup ; turn the faucet so the
required amount of syrup will be in
the dish all the time, and you can flll
the combs as fast as the assistant can
hand them to you and take those fllled
away. VVhen fllling a large lot of
combs, it is very handy to have a
special rack fixed close by your can,
upon which to hang your combs to
drain. By placing under it several
large sheets of tin set on an inclined
plain, all the drip is run back into the
can again. In this way all syrup is
used up without waste, and if careful
no daubing of anything except the
utensils necessary to be used need
occur.
By the above plan no expensive
feeders are to be bought or made, no
room in an already crowded shop has
to be taken to store such feeders, and
the best of it all is the feed is placed
in the combs just where the bees de-
sire it.
P. S. I am asked what is the proper
space between the bottom bar of the
frames and the bottom board of ttie
hive. I prefer % of an inch, but
others prefer more. Anywhere from
% to % of an inch would be the de-
cision of many of our best apiarists.
Borodino, N. Y., Sept. 14, 1883.
Read at tbe M»lne Convention.
The Coming Bee.
WM. HOYT.
In considering the above subject it
will be well to look at the object for
which bees are kept. A few claim,
that they keep bees, for the pleasure
that they derive from them, but the
majority of bee-keepers look to the
profits that may be derived from the
sale of honey, wax and bees. Now
the bees that will collect the most
honey, or produce the most bees, are
what we are looking for.
How are we to obtain the desired
result? By judicious crossing of
different strains and races, and se-
lecting those that give the best satis-
faction to breed from. [-a The bee-
keeper has the 'advantage over stock
breeders, in not having to wait years
to obtain any desired point, for even
in our short summers, three or more
generations can be reared in a single
season. Every bee-keeper who has
had one-half dozen or more colonies
has noticed a great diflerence in the
amount of honey obtained from colo-
nies that to all outward appearances
were about the same in the spring, as
they had the same field in which to
work, of course the difference was in
the bees. Now, if honey is our object,
let us rear our queens from those that
produce the most honey, and we shall
not have to wait long before we shall
see a decided increase in our yearly
average per colony.
As near as I can learn, bee-keepers
through this State, take one year with
another.do not average over 2-5 pounds
of honey per colony.
Are you satisfied with this ¥ After
four years experience with the yellow
bees, I have become satisfied that
they are better honey gatherers than
the blacks. I do not wish to be un-
derstood that every colony showing
yellow bands will gather more honey
than the blacks, but that they will
average better. Perhaps a word in
regard to the different qualities
shown by the different races of bees
may help to determine some one in
their course of action in the future.
The Italians are very prolific, in-
dustrious, beautiful and amiable, and
will gather honey in times of scarcity
when the blacks are idle, but prob-
480
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
ably owing to the laat named quality,
are more liable to suffer from dysen-
tery and spring dwindling than the
blacks.
From my own experience, and what
I can learn from others, I have no
doubt that the Cyprians are the best
honey gatherers known ; one colony
in Texas gathering over 800 pounds of
honey. They are remarkably prolific,
and are the most beautiful bees with
which I am acquainted. As to their
disposition, authorities differ so much
that it is liard telling anything by
what we read about them". JVIy ex-
perience with them in this respect is
about as follows : While they are
gathering honey from any source, or
being fed, I can handle them with
ease, and much taster than any other
bees, and with less stings ; owing to
the ease with which ttiey can be
shaken from the combs, they are the
best to extract from, but after the
honey season is over let them alone,
and at any time during the season it
will not do to show any fear.
My experience with Holy Land bees
is somewhat limited. I believe their
principal claim is in being more pro-
lific than any other race, and are as
amiable as the Italians. In my opin-
ion the coming bee must possess the
energy and hardiness of the Cyprian,
and docility of the Italian, combined
with the prolific qualities of the Holy
Land bees.
I am not prepared at the present
time to mark out any particular course
for the bee-keeper to pursue, but be
not content with an average of 25
pounds of surplus honey per colony,
when some of our best give 100 pounds
or more The work of improving the
present bee, is not destined to be the
work of one person. The queen
breeder will endeavor to produce
whatever quality his customers call
for; if they are satisfied with and call
for rings and bands, the queen breeder
will produce them if the purchaser
demands good honey gatherers in
preference to color, they will be forth-
coming.
The old style of bee-keeping had
one advantage over the present
method, as it gave full scope to that
natural law, " the survival of the
fittest," as all colonies that had not
succeeded in gathering a winter's
supply of stores were either consigned
to the brimstone pit or left to starve,
while under the present management,
colonies that are short of stores are
fed, and every queen kept alive if
possible ; whether they possess any
good qualities or not, thus often keep-
ing alive queens that in the end may
prove a positive injury to their owner.
In my opinion a queen should not
be tolerated in an apiary unless her
progeny are possessed of the follow-
ing qualities :
Pirst. — Good honey gatherers.
Second.— Hardy to winter.
Third.— Easy to handle.
Fourth. — Yellow bands.
There is much more that I would
like to say upon this subject, but as I
have already taken up too much of
your valuable time, I will only say,
do not be satisfied unless your bees
are good honey gatherers, hardy to
winter, easy to handle, and possessed
of yellow bands — thus hastening the
arrival of the Coming Bee.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Wintering on Summer Stands.
J. B. POND, JK.
To those who desire to follow the
strict rule of nature, it must seem
conclusive that our bees should be
wintered on their summer stands. It
may be argued that domesticated bees
are not in a state of nature, but that
argument carries little weight, as the
only change made in causing them to
subserve to the best interest of man,
is that of furnishing them with a
better and more comfortable home for
themselves, and one that is more con-
venient to manipulate by its owner.
As a matter of fact, bees are not
domesticated, as are the ordinary
domesticated farm animals. They are
never tamed ; trueby selectionwemay
rid them of bad qualities to a certain
extent, and to a certain extent im-
prove them, but till we can fully con-
trol the matter of fertilization, the
work of improvement will not be
complete, however satisfactory may
be our approximate results. In the
matter of wintering, if we assume
correctly, that our bees should be
wintered safely on summer stands,
the question will at once arise, " how
can this be done V" If done at all, it
must necessarily be done in accord-
ance with natural laws ; and when we
ascertain fully and completely just
what those natural laws require, in
order to accomplish this end, then the
problem is solved, and the question
correctly answered. Of course it can-
not be expected that every colony in
an apiary will be wintered success-
fully. Death is the great leveller,
and all animate things must bow sub-
missively to the reaper's stroke ; the
point is to reduce winter losses to a
minimum.
In order to ascertain a remedy for
disease, the first thing is to make a
correct diagnosis ; so with our bees,
if we wish to learn how to prepare
them, so they will pass safely through
a long period of wintry weather, we
must first learn what it is that des-
troys them, when no measures are
taken for their safety. In some cases
bees die of starvation, and that, too,
when plenty of honey is contained in
the frames, and in all probability this
is iM nine cases out of ten the cause of
loss. If a sufficient amount of honey
is not given to support them, when
the colonies are left to the tender
mercies of an inclement winter, we
must expect to lose them ; for that
reason it is assumed, as every one now
leaves sufficient stores in the hive to
support the colony, that the cause of
loss is the inability of the bees to
reach the honey furnished them. I
have been so successful in wintering,
that for 16 years I have not lost a
colony on standard Langstroth frames
on summer stands. This I do not
consider luck, but the result of fol-
lowing the natural laws which govern
the honey-bee, when in a state of con-
finement, owing to severe wintry
weather.
My method of preparation assures
the placing of stores in the hive, in
such position that the bees can at all
times and under all circumstances
have access to them'; also in so pack-
ing the colony that all excess of mois-
ture will imperceptibly pass oS from
the hive, and not be allowed to re-
main and cause death, by embracing
the cluster in its icy fold, when unable
to generate a sufficient amount of
heat to prevent it from freezing. I do
not believe that any ordinary colony
is destroyed by cold ; I have seen a
colony exposed in a box hive without
any bottom board, for ten days with
the themometer standing from 5° to
14° below zero, without injury, which
is proof sufficient to me of the cor-
rectness of my belief. What then
does destroy the colony ? My answer
is excess of moisture allowed to re-
main in the hive, which is condensed
to ice, owing to the inability of the
colony to generate heat sufficient to
counteract it, or else inability of the
cluster to pass from one comb to
anotljer after having used up the
stores within its reach. If I am cor-
rect— and who can prove that I am
not ? — the remedy is plain and simple.
I have assumed, and still assume, that
much depends upon the form of
frame that is used, and claim with a
large degree of pertinacity that the
standard Langstroth is the correct
form ; this, however, is a matter of
opinion which I claim the right to
hold, and which I do hold only after
many experiments with it, side by
side with other and deeper frames.
However much may depend upon the
form of frame, the other conditions
mentioned are essential, and I fully
believe that any one who accepts and
makes use of them in preparing for
winter, will meet with the minimum
of loss.
Poxboro, Mass., Sept. 7, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Iowa Bee-Keepers' Association.
At a meeting of the bee-keepers of
Iowa, held on the State Fair grounds
at Des Moines, on Wednesday even-
ing, Sept. 6, after a full and free dis-
cussion of the bee business and its
interests, it was voted to organize a
State Association. Rev. O. Clute, of
Iowa City, was elected president, and
L. E. Cardell, of Malcom, secretary,
and M. Sorrick, of Des Moines, treas-
urer for the ensuing year. The presi-
dent, secretary and treasurer, together
with Mr. O. O. Poppleton were ap-
pointed an executive committee. It
was decided to hold a meeting of the
association on the State Fair grounds
next year, on Wednesday of the Fair
week.
The project of having the society's
headquarters in a tent owned by the
society on the Fair grounds, was
talked over. It was thought that in
such a tent meetines could be held
every evening during Fair week, and
Eapers could be read, and discussions
eld on points of interest. It was
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
481
suggested that if bee-keepers would
come to tlie Fair prepared to camp on
the grounds near the headquarters,
we could have a bee-keepers' colony
for the week, which would be pleas-
ant socially, and profitable in arous-
ing interest in bee-keeping, and dif-
fusing a knowledge of the subject.
President Olute and his two older
sons, and two of his students in bee-
keeping, were so encamped this year,
and found it a delightful and inex-
pensive method of spending the week.
All persons present were requested to
talk with bee-keepers in tlieir vicinity
and secure their names as members.
A vote of thanks was tendered to
Eev. O. Clute for the hospitality of his
tent for the meeting.
L. E. Cakdell, Sec.
Malcom, Iowa, Sept. 7, 1883.
For tbe American Bee JournaJ.
Careful Experiments with Queens.
H. L. JEFFKEY,
Ever since 1876 I have been trying
to solve tlie problem and test a prob-
able cause and remedy for the reason
that good queens taken from a hive
and snipped never give their receiver
as good results as their shipper had
received or reported. My attention
was most strongly directed in this
course, in the spring of 1877, by the
receiving of two queens from one of
the best breeders. Both queens were
shipped the same day ; one by mail,
in a cage, the other in a 4-frame nu-
cleus by express. Both taken from
very strong colonies ; the shipper
said they had 7 American frames full
of brood (it was the first week in May),
and were of the previous season's
rearing. I introduced the one com-
ing by mail, to a strong black colony,
and built up the other. The one re-
ceived by mail did scarcely anything ;
the other 1 increased up to 6 with the
help of a black colony, whose queen
I killed on receipt of the nucleus,
fiving the black bees brood from the
talian queen, as her combs had eggs
and larvai in, when they came, and 1
fave all the brood combs from tlie
lack colony to the Italian queen,
dividing the Italian colony when the
cells were 24 hours from hatching.
The queen, by mail, was introduced
to a very strong black colony, and
given, as I then thought, an extra
food chance, but she did not prove to
e good for a 3-frame nucleus, and I
had to help her colony from the other,
all summer, and helped them for
winter and some more the next
spring. The next summer she did
some better, but she never kept up
with the nucleus queen. I, of course,
said the mail was the cause. By
thorough and numerous experiments,
I now say it was not caused by being
sent by mail, but by not being prop-
erly conditioned before being shipped,
and by being put into a very strong
colony when she was received.
Now I will tell you how I proved it
against the two causes, and not
against the cause of being carried in
the mail. An accidental occurrence.
where I was going to take off a queen
to introduce, but finally sent her by
mail, opened a gap in the mystery. I
took the queen and 2 or 3 frames of
bees out of the hive and set them in
a nucleus. She stood so, nearly a
week (when in her own hive she had
9 Langstroth frames of brood, well
filled), there being mostly young bees
in the nucleus. She was sparingly
fed, and consequently laid sparingly,
and, of course, was in the best pos-
sible shipping condition, as was after-
wards proved. This was the last of
June, 1878. She was sent on a three-
days journey, by mail, and was put
into a two-frame nucleus, made by
taking a frame of hatching brood
each from two hives, and was built
up to a strong dolony, in the same
way as the nucleus was made, as fast
as she wanted room, and by the first
of August, she again had 9 frames of
brood of her own.
Several other queens, equally good,
were caged, from strong colonies, and
mailed at the same time, but they
proved poor things. Why was this
one as good as ever, and the others
worthless V I thought over it and
asked a few who had received queens
to try to help me solve the mystery,
but with no satisfaction. I then re-
solved to try some experiments to
know why. For this purpose, 8 pro-
lific queens were selected ; 4 of them
were put into nucleus hives; the
other 4 were left as they were ; in 5 or
6 days the whole 8 were caged, but
marked 4 A and 4 B ; all were tied in
a bunch and thrown into the stage ;
if the package was in the way, it was
kicked out of the way. In two days
the package was opened, the bees fed
and examined, again done up and
subjected to two days more of kicking
and throwing around ; in no way was
any pains taken to handle them care-
fully, but some to the opposite. After
six days of sueh usage, as rough as
could be given in the mail bag, 2 A
queens and 2 B queens were given to
strong colonies; the 4 remaining ones
were given to nuclei, composed of 2
frames of hatching bees ; the two
queens given to the nuclei, in the
course of a month, appeared to be as
prolific as ever ; the two queens given
to full colonies did not clo as well as
before. The two taken from the
strong colonies and then introduced
into nuclei were doing fairly, but dii
not recover their former fertility that
season, and the two remaining queens,
not conditioned and introduced into
strong colonies, were never more
than half as good as they were before
the experiment. This made link No.
1 in both ends of the chain— proper
condition to ship and proper care to
recover the journey.
The above experiment was tried
during tlie heighth of the season of
1879. In 1880, three more experiments
were tried, one in the spring, one in
the honey flow, and one in the fall :
the result showed by both careful ana
ropgh handling, that the shipping by
mail or the rough handling, that the
way prepared for shipping,and the way
dealt with after receiving, made the
most difference. Over 60 different
queens were used, some just com-
mencing to lay ; but the most of them
were one year old.
I tried several experiments in 1881,
by shipping two queens to the same
person, when receiving an order for
one tested queen ; requesting a report
of how they were for being prolific,
condition the tested queen and send
the other that had been laying 2 or 3
weeks right from the hive to the mail
bag.
The result has always shown that a
queen which has been shipped is in a
convalescent state, and if put into a
situation to be copiously fed on her
receival,is forced into prolificness, and
like a convalescent person who is
forced to hard work, of course has
recovery retarded for a time, if not
wholly prevented ; and when valuable
queens are received, they should be
handled with care, and, as a rule,
should not be used for breeders im-
mediately, if the best results are
expected.
VVashington Depot, Conn.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Mahoning Valley, B. K. Convention.
The August session of the Mahon-
ing Valley Bee-Keepers' Association
was held in Grange Hall, Newton
Falls, on Saturday, the ISth. The
day was all that the most sanguine
could wish for. A large number
were present ; a number of bee-keep-
ers from abroad. A large display of
honey was on exhibition, showing a
creditable advancement.
At U o'clock President Carson
called the meeting to order.
The minutes of the last meeting
were approved.
The Chair then appointed the fol-
lowing committee on exhibits : C. G.
Beardsley, William King and Warren
Pierce.
There was some preliminary busi-
ness which occupied the attention of
the meeting for a short time, then
adjournment to dinner, as usual.
Sociability and an excellent dinner
were important features of the short
noon recess ; after this had been dis-
cussed, and the committee had made
their examination of honey on exhi-
bition, our president called the after-
noon session to order, and announced
the questions in question box now in
order :
" How many colonies can be prop-
erly kept in one locality V" Mr. Streeter
thought it impossible, at present, to
overstock a locality, so few were en-
gaged in the business. Mr. Page said
it was a matter of business capacity
in the one that engaged in it ; 5 colo-
nies of bees would overstock some,
while a hundred would not be too
many for others.
'•Is white clover the most profuse
in honey V" Mr. Oviatt thought that
white clover produced most of the
honey gathered by the bees. Mr.
Simon thought that basswood was the
most profuse in honey, at least in his
section of country.
" Is honey ripe before it is capped ?"
Mr. Oviatt said, he had observed that
the longer honey remained in the hive
the riper it gets ; atmospheric influ-
482
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
ences change the condition of the
honey in a measure.
" Vvhy is it that Syrian bees do not
cap their honey as soon as Italians V"
Mr. Simon thought it was the lield
bees that capped the lioney. Mr.
Moore said, it was the yousg bees
under ten days old.
" How far will bees travel to gather
honey V" Mr. Page said, he had
known his Italians to go 2)^ miles.
•' How shall we keep our empty
combs over winter?" Mr. Simon
said, after a few cool nights in late
fall, store them in a loft of a house or
barn, so that mice will not get at
them. Mr. Carson said, he left his in
the liives and placed them in a cool
dry place, and kept the mice from
them .
"What would you do with combs
that are moldy '?" Mr. Page said, he
put a few frames at a time into a
strong colony, and let them clean
them.
"Which is the best, old or new
foundation to put in frames ?" Mr.
Carson said, that his bees work on
foundation a year old, as well as new.
Mr. Page preferred new. Mr. Streeter
preferred the new. Mr. Hubbare, of
Kew York, has a Given press he puts
the wire and foundation in at the
same time. Mr. Pierce said, he had
used some of this kind of frames and
liked them very much.
" Can we rear as good queens arti-
ficially as by natural means V" Mr.
Pierce preferred a queen reared by
the natural means. It was generally
concurred in by all.
" Has any one had any trouble from
killing ants on the hives, and does the
odor from the dead insect irritate the
bees V" Mr. Oviatt had not noticed
any inconvenience. Mr. Pierce said,
he had been troubled a great deal by
ants. Mr. Carson said, sprinkle salt
around your hives.
Mr. S. Oviatt placed on exhibition
one can of extracted and live one-
pound sections. Mr. C. B. Page one
can and two cups of extracted honey,
also two cages of Italian bees. Mr.
L. Carson one can of honey.
The executive committee then an-
nounced that the next meeting of the
association will be held at Newton
Falls on the first Saturday of No-
vember.
The Chair then appointed the fol-
lowing essayists for our next meeting:
C. P. Page and II. A. Simon.
Adjourned to meet the lirst Satur-
day in November, at Newton Falls, O.
E. W. Turner, iScc.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Posey County, Ind., Honey Show.
J. M. HYNE.
Our Fair closed yesterday. The dis-
play of bees, honey and implements
was very good. I took the tirst pre-
mium on the best Italian bees, also on
the best Italian queen. 1 obtained
eleven dollar's worth of premiums,
and sold some implements, bees, and
300 lbs. of honey. Our show had a
good effect. We have awakened up
the bee interest beyond my expecta-
tion, and I think next season I shall
be able to show a good report from
Posey county. I think the only way
to get reliable statistics, is to work up
each county, say one man take charge
of each county ; if he does not wish to
travel all over it himself, let him ap-
point one man in each township ;
surely there is one in each township
that will take enough interest to see
every man and get his report. Then
we can have a report that will be reli-
able. I am willing to canvass this
county. I have talked with men of
some of the townships that are willing
to help in the good work. The report
I have taken is as follows : 42 bee-
keepers, 602 colonies last fall, 518 last
spring, 1,0-5.5 now, 5,3.55 lbs. of comb
honey, 4,800 lbs. of extracted honey ;
total, 10,155 lbs. The above report
shows a poor season ; at this time last
season, bees were doing well. If it
had rained in time, bees would have
done well this season, as we had a fine
prospect, but everything is drying up
now, and I expect to hear of a great
many box and gum hive men going
out of the business, as their bees are
already swarming out. My bees are
in good condition for winter.
Stewartsville, Ind., Sept. 15, 1883.
Do Not Slaughter your Crop.
Fruit is scarce. The drought and
frosts will make butter high, and
honey is only a partial crop, in very
many places, after all of the flatter-
ing promises held out in the early
part of the season, and now let us
look for and get prices that will en-
able us to pay the high figures that
we must for other products that we
do not produce and must have. Here
the crop is only about one-half of an
average of early honey, and the late
crop being a total failure, we can
boast of only one-third of a crop for
1883. It is of excellent quality, how-
ever, and it' we get a fair price (which
we shall try hard to do), we will live,
and live to hope for better results for
1884. James Heddon.
Dowagiac, Mich., Sept. 12, 1883.
White Clover Yield.
Bees in frame hives have done very
well around here this season. White
clover was very abundant and yielded
the finest honey I ever saw. We have
no basswood around here, but have to
depend on clover alone for surplus
honey. VVe get no surplus from fall
bloom. Bees in box hives did very
poor, having swarmed too much. I
am using the Quinby closed end
frame hive, and I am well satisfied
with it; have not lost any during
the winters. I think I can winter
them every time by packing with chaff
or fine cut straw. Comb honey is sell-
ing for 18 to 20 cts.; extracted, 12i^cts.,
home market. Green R. Shires.
Adamsville, Ohio, Sept. 9, 1883.
100 Lbs. to the Colony.
On page 444 of the Weekly Bee
Journal for Sept. 5, you give me the
credit in my communication of ex-
tracting 2,200 lbs. of honey, instead of
22,000 lbs. 110 lbs. to the colony is
small enough when Messrs. Harriman
& Adams' yield was over 200 lbs.
Please correct the error.
O. M. Blanton.
Greenville, Miss., Sept. 8, 1883.
[The omission of the cypher was an
oversight of the printer, but makes a
vast difference. — Ed.]
Frozen Honey.
On the nights of the 8th and 9th of
this month, there was frost enough
here to kill most every green thing.
Corn was cut very bad, and the farm-
ers are busy cutting it up. One man
told me, the other day, that his corn
stubble was just alive with bees.
Another said his hands felt as though
he had honey daubed all over them
after cutting corn. I shall watch and
see how much of that kind of sweet
they get ; perhaps not enough to be
of value to them for wintering. What
I have seen of that kind of honey,
is thick and has a good taste. No
fall crop here yet to speak of, and
the prospect is slim now of our getting
any to speak of. W. H. Shirley.
Glenwood, Mich., Sept. 12, 1883.
Filling Empty Combs with Syrup.
In the Bee Journal, Mr. Doolittle
speaks of tilling empty combs with
honey or sugar syrup for stimulative
feeding.
1. How is it to be done V
2. What is the proper space between
the bottom bar of the frames and the
bottom board of the hive V
Will Mr. Doolittle please answer
through the Bee Journal "i"
T. C. GiDDINGS.
Aspen, Colo., Sept 1, 1883.
[Replies to the above queries, may
be found in Mr. Doolittle's article on
page 497.— Ed.]
Curious Freak of Bees.
In reply to Mr. Heddon's question,
on page 433, I would say that it was
the next day after they had swarmed
that I looked, and from all appear-
ances the cell was capped before they
swarmed. A. Rickenbacher.
Gahanna, Ohio, Sept. 3, 1883.
A Large Yield.
We have had the best honey season
ever known in this part of the State,
to my knowledge. Clover and bass-
wood, were in bloom longer than usual.
From 5 colonies, spring count, I took
900 pounds of comb noney, and an
increase of 13 ; did not take a pound
from the brood-chambers, wliich are
full of honey; will extract some when
I put them in winter quarters, to
make sure to leave them enough until
next spring. The fall flowers yield
but little nectar, because it is too dry.
I have one swarm that I hived June
3, from which I took 180 pounds of
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
483
comb honey. How Is that for this
part of Indiana ?
John W. Stukwold.
Haymond, Ind.,Sept. 14, 1883.
Is Smoke Injurious to Bees ?
I have recently bought and had in
use a "Conqueror " bee smoker, and I
am very much pleased with the power
it gives me over my bees, and by its
other qualities ; but what I should
lilcetoknow from some of your cor-
respondents who have doubtless had
more experience, is whether the very
pungent smoke from the use of sound
wood has no deleterious effect on the
delicate larviB and eggs of the bees.
Please will some of your correspond-
ents, or Messrs. Doolittle and Hed-
don give their experience in the
columns of your valuable Journal.
John Maktin.
London, England. Sept. 8, 1883.
[Will Messrs. Doolittle, Heddon,
and others please give a brief reply to
the above question, as requested by
Mr. Martin V— Ed.]
W&ihixi and Mow,
&^
ANSWERS BJ
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
llsike CIoTer Hay.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following questions through the Bee
Journal :
How does Alsike clover compare
with red clover in the following par-
ticulars : For hay, for pasture, for
fertilizing the ground, and will it pay
to raise it here, where red clover does
very well, but is a little Inclined to
freeze out in winter, not taking into
consideration the bee pasturage V
G. \V. Williams.
Economy, Ind., Sept. 12, 1883.
Answer.— Alsike clover makes bet-
ter hay than red clover, it being more
tender and finer. Stock prefer it
either in hay or pasture. As a ferti-
lizer, I do not consider it equal to red
clover. Chemistry tells us that red
clover takes the largest proportion
from the atmosphere and less from
the earth, making it the best fertilizer
of any we have. This may be called
stealing from your neighbors. My
own opinion is, that there are few
places in the United States where it
will pay to supplant red with Alsike
clover, if bee pasturage is not to be
considered.
^° The Cass County Bee-Keepers'
Association, organized on the 15th of
August, will meet on the 10th of
October, 1883, in Logansport, Ind.
All persons interested in bees and
honey are respectfully invited to
come. Db Witt Bkown, A'ec.
O" The Bee-Keepers' Association
of Central Illinois will hold its next
meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 10
a. m., at 205 South Main street, city of
Bloomington. All interested, in this
and adjoining counties, are invited
to attend. J. L. Wolcott, Pre,s.
James Poindexter, /Sec.
«g" The Union Kentucky Bee-
Keepers' Society will hold their fall
meeting in Petry's Hall, in Shelby-
ville, Ky., on Thursday, the 4th day
of October, 1883. All bee-keepers,
and the public generally, are invited
to be present.
G. W. Demaree, /Sec.
Christiansburg, Ky.
^" The next regular meeting of
the Mahoning Valley Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held at Newton
Falls, O., on the first Saturday of
November, 1883. L. Carson, Fres.
E. W. Turner, /Sec.
^* The quarterly meeting of the
Marshall County Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation, will be held at the Court
House, in Marshalltown, Iowa, on
Saturday, Oct. 6, at 10.30 A. M. Sub-
ject for discussion, " Fall and Winter
Care." All interested, in this and
adjoining counties, are invited, for
we hope to have a good meeting, and
one of benefit to all.
J. W. Sanders, /Sec.
Le Grand, Iowa.
^" Please announce that the Iowa
Central Association, will meet at Win-
terset, Iowa, Nov. 2, 1883.
Z. G. CooLEY, iSec. 'pro tern.
1^ The Wentworth, Ont., Bee-
Keepers' Association, will hold their
next meeting in the Secretary's office,
on the Central Fair Grounds, Hamil-
ton, on Wednesday, the 3d of October,
commencing at 1 p. m. All interested
in bees and honey, are requested to
attend.
Alex. Kobertson, Sec, Carlisle.
The Apiary Register.
All who Intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
^^j^ctal glotices.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Kecipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price siill lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$15.00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
484
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
■with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Qiiinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Books at Fairs.— Those who make
an exhibit at Fairs will find that an
assortment of Books and Pamphlets
would sell and leave them a profit for
handling. We will send such, postage
prepaid, at 2.5 per cent, discount; or
if the purchaser pays express charges,
we will supply any of our own publica-
tions at 40 per cent, discount.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 7.5 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
^" The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters goes into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will then be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent,
or else five or ten-cent postage stamps,
or a Postal Note. Do not send coins
in any letter.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
Bee Journal aud a colored Poster,
to aid in getting up a club. The
Premiums we offer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of 8 subscribers
to the Monthly Bee Journal, or 4
Weekly, we will present Dzierzon's
Rational Bee-Keeping, price $2.00.
OFFICE OF AMKKicAN Beb Journal, j
Monday, 10 a. m., Sept. 24, 18X3. (
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demand for extracted honey is
exceedinuly dull; for comb honey, only fair; arri-
vals are plentiful. Stocfes are iarne in the hands
of corn merchants and others. Our own supply is
larger than ever, and. for the present, we cannot
compete witb commission merchants. We may
have to offer lower 11 tzures. Our prices so far were 7<*
yc. for extracted, and 14^16c. for comb honey on
arrival.
BEESWAX-Arrivals of beeswax are good at
25@2.sc., and the demand is fair.
CHAS. F. MtJTH.
NEW rORK.
HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2
lb. sections. 18c. Dark and second quality, I4c.;
extracted white clover in kegs and barrels, lie;
dfLrb He
BEESWAX— Prime yellow, 30a31c.
H. K. & F. B. TBDRBKR & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Comb honey has been bought with
more freedom this week, and prices of last week
have been fully sustained. The cool weather lias
started up the usual fall trade, and activity is the
order of the hour. In selecting out the best con-
signments (with the exception of one round lot
taken by merchants from Dakota Territory), our
demand is chiefly local. Extracted honey has not
been sought for to any extent, yet there is an im-
grovement over last w, ek in the amount sold,
omb honey, extra white 1 lb. sections, 18c. : comb
honey, exira white IMj to 2 lb. sections, 15®17c.
BEESWAX— Steady and quiet, at 25®35c., as to
color, etc.
R. A. Bdrnktt. 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— There is a moderate supply of comb
and extracted of common quality, but olferings of
extra choice comb are very light. The sales being
effected are within range of unchanged figures.
W bite to extra white comb, 16@20c. ; dark to good.
li3@13Xc.; extracted, choice to extra white, 7H@
8^c. ; dark and candied, R4@—
BEESWAX-Wbolesale. 27®28c.
Stearns & smith, 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY— Some little inquiry for choice comb,
from grocers, at 14(ftlfic. in fancy packages, but
little or no demand otherwise. Offerings are lib-
eral of strained and extracted, and dull at 6^^@7c.
Old and dark comb nominally cheap.
BBBSWAX-Was selling at 25@26c.
W. T. ANDERSON ,t CO.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY- Comesvery slowly and sells as fast as
it comes at 18(giioc. for best white in l lb. sections,
and 17f3)lHc. for 2 lb. sections. Second quality is
very slow. Extracted usually sells very slowly in
our market: as yet, no extracted has been received.
BEESWAX— None in Market.
A. C. Kendel. 1 15 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— We quote our market at 18@20c. for
1 lb. white clover: 18(a,l9c. for 2 lb. white clover.
Extracted is in good supply, and selling from
9® IOC
BEESWAX— Our supply is gone; we have none
to quote.
BLAKE & Ripley, 57 Chatham Street.
Sample Copies of the American Bee
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
Trial Trip— 25 Cents.
As the season for Fairs has arrived,
and wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal Jfcree months
on trial, for 25 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with $1.25) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. — We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
1^ We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we wUl
cheerfully send anothei', if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
er Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
^" Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
FOK 9A J.E— Very cheap, 23 coloniesof BEES.
17 colonies in Simplicity hives, and 6 colonies
In Champion hive. All In good order for winter.
T. W. THOMSON,
39/Vlt MT. VERNON. IND.
BINGHAM SMOKERS.
I can sell the above Smokers at
MANUFACn'UKERS' PKICES. by
mail or express, at wholesale or re-
tail. All tne latest Improvementa,
incliidine THR CONQUEROR, and
THE DOCTOR.
Send for my 32-paKe Illustrated
Catalogue of Bee-Keepers' Sup-
plies of every description.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 W. Madison. CHICAGO. ILL.
Don't Fail to Read Tliis !
Only One Impure Queen Out of 950
Sent Out this Year!
The Queen received from you is the finest one I
ever saw. She is remarkably prolific. producinR
tine larne workers, each bearing the three bands of
gold. VV. H. Weston, London, Ont.
I have 3 or 4 bee books, but yours goes ahead of
all the others. W.M. KncKiNGER.DoyIestown,0.
Book (bound in rioth) and Tested Queensentfor
S3.00 durinti September only.
Tested Queen fl 50
Handy Book 125
HENRY ALLEY,
36A2t Essex Co.
WENHAM.MASS.
(0 K OLDEST BEE PAPER
-'^ IN AMERICA
■<t>.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., OCTOBER 3, 1883.
No. 40.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Abuse is Not Argument.
Mr. Hamet, the publisher of VApi-
culteur, in Paris, is opposed to movable
frame hives. Fifteen years ago he
wrote that the main quality of such
hives was to be pulled to pieces like a
pack of puppets. The honey extractor
was, to him, a useless toy. He has
continued since to fight against every
new idea or improvement, and when
we were in Paris, he ridiculed every
thing in progressive apiculture which
we use in America.
Mr. Hamet asserts that foul brood
is generated hy the use of frame hives.
Mr. Chas. Dadant, of Hamilton, 111.,
who has for years been writing for the
European bee papers, has taken the
ground that foul brood was propagated
by contagion.
Last spring Mr. Bertrand, editor of
D''Apiculteur, published a lithograph
of Mr. Dadant, and was censured by
Mr. Hamet for so doing ; at the same
time Mr. D. was assailed in the most
vindictive manner. In the VApiculteur
for August, Mr. Hamet renews the
attack, more ferocious than ever,
without the least provocation or ex-
cuse.
We exceedingly regret to see that
Mr. Hamet has seen fit to use mali-
cious personal abuse instead of argu-
ment. He also asserts that Mr. Dadant
has been published as a humbug and
swindler in Gleanings, and calls him
anything but a gentleman.
Mr. Root justly denies that he had
ever thought of publishing Mr. Dadant
as a swindler. To us who have known
Mr. Dadant for 10 to 20 years as one of
the most gentlemanly, honest and pro-
gressive apiarists of America, these
insults are very annoying and perfectly
unjustifiable.
It is a very poor way for any one to
resort to malignity instead of using
argument, but the use of such is more
detrimental to the calumniator, than
to the person maligned.
We should have taken no notice of
this, were it not that Mr. Hamet as-
sails him as a representative American
apiculturist, and of no reputation for
honesty, at home or abroad. How
much better it would be to
Let all our words be full of truth,
Let kindly feelings reign ;
Do good to all, and let our smiles
Leave blessings In their train.
1^" Mr. A. J. King, editor of the
Bee and Poultry Magazine, is going on
a trip to Cuba this month— we presume
for the benefit of his health. The Bee
Journal wishes him a pleasant jour-
ney and a safe return.
1^ Several frosts have already
occurred in many parts of the country,
killing some of the fall bloom, but in
other parts, the bees are reported to
be at work quite vigorously.
1^ At the Fair just held in Madi-
son, Ind., Mr. H. C. White carried off
all the premiums except one (which
was the second premium on display
of honey, and was awarded to Mr. S.
D. Mclntyre). Mr. White displayed
comb and extracted honey, bees,
hives, extractors and supplies for the
apiary. We congratulate him on his
success.
Alsike CloTer. — The Indiana Fai-mer
says that Mr. Alonzo Tyner, near
Greenfield, Ind., grew several acres
the present season in the same field
with red clover, and said that the bees
worked on it incessantly, and it was
in its prime after basswood was over.
Upon later introducing the stock into
the field, the Alsike clover was eaten
to the ground before they would touch
the red clover.
Honey at the Iowa State Fair.
The Iowa Homestead has the follow-
ing item concerning the honey ex-
hibit at the Fair :
The Bee Department was a very
attractive feature of the great Fair.
Rev. O. Clute, of Iowa City, and J. J.
Kizer, of Polk county, who are among
the most intelligent and successful
bee-keepers of the West, drew great
crowds of people around them during
the entire Fair, as they patiently and
cheerfully explained the interesting
processes of bee-keeping and honey
producing. No feature of the Fair
attracted more attention or awakened
more interest.
1^ The total value of the exhibits
in the bee department of the Michigan
State Fair was placed at $1,088.50,
and the amount of the premiums
awarded was $189. The building de-
voted to bees and honey, at the recent
Fair, was well filled with everything
of interest to bee-keepers. The exhi-
bition of " supplies " was large, and
attracted considerable attention from
many who were not interested in api-
culture. The " Bee-Keepers' Hall "
was specially built for the purpose,
and was a great attraction.
1^" We have just received from the
publishers a copy of the Album
Writer's Friend, containing nearly
three hundred selections suitable for
writing in Autograph Albums. Those
of our readers who have been invited
to inscribe their sentiments in a
friend's Album, will find this little
volume a valuable help. It contains
6-t pages, and will be sent by mail,
post paid, on receipt of 1.5 cents, by J.
S. Ogilvie & Co., Publishers, No. 31
Rose Street, New York.
t^ The next regular meeting of
the Mahoning Valley Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held at Newton
Falls, O., on the first Saturday of
November, 1883. L. Carson, Pres.
E. W. Turner, Sec.
486
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
North American Bee Convention.
KEFORTS OF VICE-PRESIDENTS.
The first report was from Dr. Miller,
of Illinois. The season in that State.
he said, was unfavorable. Even when
white clover came, the bees lacked
energy to go out and gather honey.
Those who had fed bees during the
winter did very well. The flow of
honey from clover closed up earlier
than usual, and since then they had
none. About three-quarters of a crop
had been obtained.
Dr. J. P. H. Brown, of Augusta,
Ga., gave a fairly favorable report.
The last report of the Commissioner
of Agriculture in this State showed a
product of only 27 pounds per colony.
The horsemint, on which they de-
pended largely, yielded not a single
drop of honey, so far as he knew. A
succession of heavy frosts in April
had killed the bloom. The honey in
Georgia generally was of amber color,
and, for some reason which he did not
quite understand, it was a few shades
fighter this year than usual.
Judge Andrews, of Texas, stated
that in North Texas the crop was
very light, not more than 10 pounds
per colony, but the honey was of very
superior quality. It was obtained
chiefly from rattan and honey locust,
which came into bloom early in May.
During the horsemint season (that
plant yielded little or nothing) there
was the most intense excitement
among the bees if the hives were
opened, or any attempt made to take
the honey. In middle Texas there
had been on the whole a good flow— a
finer crop he had never seen. In West
Texas the country had been settled
for only three or four years, and few
bees were kept.
Mr. O. O. Poppleton reported for
Iowa. The yield of white clover
honey in that State was heavy, but
since that, there had been nothing.
This was the worst season for robbers
he had ever known.
Mr. Hart, of Florida, gave a very
interesting report of bee matters in
his State. The yield was an average
one, but was from rather different re-
sources than usual. Some of the bees
swarmed as early as the 16th of Feb-
ruary. In March came a drought,
and the honey flow ceased almost en-
tirely. In May the bees began to
gather from the palmetto, bay and
mullberry, but the crop from the last-
named was very small. The bees
took in the coast counties, took large
quantities from the black mangrove
which grows along the shore, and the
roots of which are covered at high
Prof. Cook, of Michigan, reported
that so far as he could learn, Michi-
gan had got only half a crop. About
50 or 60 pounds per colony would be a
fair average, of which one-third was
comb honey. The season in the early
part of the year was very rainy and
very cold, but notwithstanding this
the bees were very busy.
Mr. Jones— Have you many Cana-
dian thistles V
Prof. Cook— I am glad to say we
have very few. There was a droughty
fall, and it seemed there could be no
more honey, but still the bees worked
hard, and now, even though the frost
had come upon them, the honey con-
tinued to come in.
Mr. W. C. Pelhara, of Kentucky, re-
ported on behalf of his State. The
yield, he said, was much above the
average in the white clover region,
but in the mountainous region ot the
State, it was rather above the average.
Mr. Porter, of Colorado, reported
about an average yield, notwithstand-
ing that the spring was unfavorable.
About a hundred pounds to the colony
would be about the figure. A letter
was read from J. L. Peabody, of Col-
orada, reporting only half a crop.
They had snow in June, and frost in
July and August. The Rocky Moun-
tain bee plant had come along well in
the dry, sandy soil, and the bees got a
good harvest from it.
Mr. C. F. Muth, of Ohio, reported
f nllv an average crop, partly from the
lociist, but mainly from the white
clover. About 130 pounds per colony
would be an average. After clover
was over, the bees produced no more,
in fact, they lost stores. His own
bees had not stores enough to winter
on, but in the few bright days after
the recent frost, they had resumed
work. He was sorry to say that
honey had been forced upon the mar-
ket in Cincinnati. He had been of-
fered the best clover honey at 8 cents,
or 8J^ cents apound. He had advised
the bee-keepers to hold their stocks
until the prices got better.
Mr. McKnight, of Owen Sound,
President of the Ontario Bee- Keep-
ers' Association, was called upon to
report for Ontario. He cordially wel-
comed the representatives from a dis-
tance. The Ontario Association had
been in existence only three years.
He explained the system used by the
Association in securing statistics,
which was, to send to members of the
Association slips with questions re-
garding the mortality of bees, in-
crease, crop, etc. This year 48 out of
84 members reported. These reports
showed a total yield of 211,772 pounds,
an average of 106 pounds per colony.
The average yield for the three years
was 66 pounds per colony. The sea-
son this year was a strange one, the
spring was backward, but on the other
hand, the fall continued three weeks
longer, making up for that to some
extent. The principal sources of sup-
ply were the white clover, basswood,
and Canada thistles. Among ad-
vanced bee-keepers there was very
little out-side wintering.
Mr. Vandervort, of Pennsylvania,
said he always found it hard to get re-
ports. When there was a bad season
bee-keepers were too busy to report.
The early spring was favorable, but
later, the season was wet and pre-
vented the bees from working. There
was only a half crop of honey, but a
fair average of increase.
James D. Long, of Granby, supplied
the report from Quebec. There had
been a yield of fully 100 pounds per
colony.
Rev. W. F. Clarke reported for
Manitoba. Before doing so, he de-
sired, as perhaps the only one from
Canada who had been present at the
foundation of the Association, to ex-
press the pleasure it gave him to
welcome the delegates to Canadian
soil. He had learned since leaving
that a few colonies of bees had been
kept in the old settlement of St. Boni-
face, but had not known anything of
them while there. He had seen only
one bee while there, a stray Italian
who had come from California in a
box of fruit. The old friend of the
Association, Mr. Wallbridge, was now
Chief Justice of Manitoba, and resi-
dent in Winnipeg, He had had sev-
eral " conventions " with the Chief
Justice, and in company with him
had examined the flora of thecountry.
He had never seen such a magnificent
yield of white clover, and was sure the
bees would do well on it. Chief Jus-
tice Wallbridge was strongly of opin-
ion that the steadiness of the climate
would be favorable to wintering bees,
and he intended to enter upon the
practical work of bee-keeping.
president's address.
At the request of President Jones,
Mr. McKnight, of Owen Sound, Presi-
dent of the Ontario Association, read
the President's address, as follows :
It affords me genuine pleasure to
meet with you all in this our usual
annual gathering— pleasure for more
reasons than one. I am pleased to
meet with our American friends, who
have honored Canada, and honored
Toronto by choosing this as the place
of meeting of the National Associa-
tion. True, it is a " National " Asso-
ciation, but the representation from
Canada is usually so small, we had
scarcely the right to expect, much less
enjoy, the pleasure of having Canada
chosen as the place of meeting. I am
pleased, because our own Canadian
Association has turned out in such
force to welcome our American
brethren.
I am also pleased and proud to
have, what has always seemed to me
one of the things I most desired, and
I am sure I only speak the mind and
express the feelings of all our Cana-
dian brethren, when I say that they
have long wished for a chance to
welcome to Canada's shores the
" Father of Bee-keepers," the great
" Huber of America," our venerable
friend and brother. Rev. L. L. Lang-
stroth.
Last winter was an unusually severe
one to bee-keepers, but it was severe
(with few exceptions) only to those
who did not take the proper precau-
tions in preparing for winter, at least
so it has been with Canadian bee-
keepers. I venture the assertion that
much more care will be taken this
fall to prepare for the coming winter.
The spring came upon us unusually
cold and wet, and this state of affairs
was prolonged until nearly the first of
June. Had the season opened as the
majority of seasons do, many colonies
would liave escaped and come through
all safe, though then very weak, but
the cold and backward season com-
pleted the work which the careless
bee-keeper began, and these colonies
became victims of •' spring dwind-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
487
ling." When the season came upon
us, the majority were not ready to
reap the harvest. The dow at first
was only sufficient to supply material
for a genuine " swarming fever," and
I opine that many allowed too great
a number of swarms. Only last
week I received a report from one
bee-keeper who had one colony in the
spring, but who has no less than 15 —
an increase of 14. While the other
honey-bearing sources supplied a fair
proportion of the flow, still, to Cana-
dian thistles, Canadians are indebted
for the great majority of the crop of
1883. Bokhara clover has also done
well, and I am of the opinion that it
will become one of the future staple
honey plants of the country.
On the whole, our beloved pursuit
is in a most prosperous and happy
condition. During the past season
giant strides have been made in api-
culture, both in the improved method
of manipulation, and in the advanced
ideas with regard to placing the pro-
ducts of the hive in a pleasing and
salable shape before the people.
We may ascribe the success and
advancement so obtained, in part, to
the able manner in which all the sub-
jects which tend to this advancement
are handled by able and energetic
writers in the many journals which
the public have the benefit of perus-
ing at a small cost, and which are
constantly disseminating useful
knowledge on matters interesting to
bee-keepers. Conventions, such as
this, have much to do with its ad-
vancement, as it is at these meetings
that we learn from each other what
each one of us has been doing during
the past year, and by thoroughly dis-
cussing the various thoughts and ex-
periences which are advanced, we are
enabled thereby to arrive at correct
conclusions regarding many ques-
tions which have held doubtful promi-
nence in our mind until substantiated
by like experiences from others.
Honey shows are likewise a great
item in giving apiculture a helping
impetus. I feel that it is the duty of
every bee-keeper to take his entire
crop to these places, whether the
prizes are large or not, and when once
the bee-keepers make the " Honey
Department " one of the leading at-
tractions of the Fair, the Agricultural
and other societies will not long lie
dormant in the matter, but each will
vie with the other in trying to see
which will have the greatest attrac-
tions in our department.
I cannot close without mentioning
the honored dead— of such men as
Wagner, Quinby, Colvin, Grimm, and
a host of others who have gone before
us, and who have done so much for
us. I must also refer regretfully to
the death of one of our number in the
person of Theodore Houck, who has
since we last met together departed
this life.
It will soon be the duty of this
Association to select another of their
number to till the position which I
have so poorly occupied during the
East year, and I feel that they will
ave little difficulty in selecting some
one who will do the honors of the
Eosition much more efficiently than I
ave been able to perform them.
Before closing I must again thank
our American friends for their pres-
ence in Canada. I feel that this ses-
sion will prove one of exceeding
benefit to us all in reaping a harvest
rich in valuable information, and I
trust that it may long be remembered
as such.
WHO SHOULD KEEP BEES V
The following is the address of the
Kev. W. F. Clarke on the above
subject :
" Everybody," was once the current
answer. I have given it myself be-
fore now. Ten years ago, in my prize
poem on "The Honey Bee," I pictured
"Each household of an apiary possessed."
It was the general idea then, that in
a proper condition of society, a bee-
hive out-of-doors would be considered
as much a part of a well-regulated
domestic establishment as a sewing
machine in-doors. But we have got
bravely over that, and many other
crude notions that prevailed, even
among bee-keepers themselves, ten
years ago, and the time has now fully
come for insisting upon it that only
those should keep bees who are prop-
erly qualified to do so. That same
law of division of labor which forbids
every man being his own shoemaker,
tailor, or blacksmith, prohibits every
man from being his own honey-pro-
ducer. Among the numerous topics
of present and practical interest in the
realm of apiculture, this deserves a
prominent place, and it is especially
fitting that it should come up at a
gathering like the present. Every
one of our annual meetings is followed
by less or more abortive attempts at
bee-keeping on the part of some who
have attended and become inoculated
with a desire to keep bees. There is
always considerable enthusiasm
awakened at these meetings^ and it
would be discreditable to us if there
were not. Enthusiasm is contagious,
and it is no wonder that people who
know nothing of bee-keeping catch
the infection,and go away determined,
hit or miss, to start an apiary. It is
more often a miss than a hit, and thus
we become undesignedly the means of
seducing our fellow-beings into dis-
appointment. As a preventive of
this, or at any rate as a check upon it,
there should be some words spoken in
plain English on these occasions in
reply to the question, "Who should
keep bees."
There is another reason why it is
as well to discuss this question here
and now. It is about the only good
opportunity we have of doing so. It
is not a congenial topic for the bee
journals, many of which are, more or
less, mixed up with the supply busi-
ness. Of course the more people who
start bee-keeping, the greater will be
the sale of supplies. We cannot
blame those who are in this business
for wanting to make all the money
they honestly can at it. It is not the
most remunerative business in the
world, there are too many in it, and
the competition is too keen for it to be
very lucrative. So it is natural those
who are in it should want to sell as
many hives and " bee flxins " as they
can. It is not their interest, perhaps
it is not their duty to discourage
beginners. But we have met, not as
supply dealers, or with any personal
or selfish ends in view. This is a
grand apicultural parliament con-
vened in the interest of bee-culture,
and it is a part of our duty to do what
we can to obviate whatever tends on
the whole to the injury of bee-keep-
ing. All will agree that it is not de-
sirable for people to undertake what
is sure to end in failure. Those who
start at bee-keeping and make a
botch of it are very apt to decry the
whole thing as a humbug, a delusion,
and a snare. No doubt the interests
of bee-keeping, as a whole, have suf-
fered from the maledictions of sore-
heads, who, if they had been wise,
would have never touched a bee hive,
except to throw it aside.
Bee-keeping maybe justly regarded
as having attained the status of a
profession, or a business. In any
correct view of it, it requires special
natural qualifications, and a thorough
education. The natural qualifications
are not of much account without an
education, obtained somehow or other,
and the education is a downright im-
possibility without the natural quali-
fications.
I feel myself somewhat at a loss in
giving a categorical answer to the
question I have taken as a text. It
reminds me of the discussions there
used to be, and are still, as to what
constitutes a call to the ministry ?
Volumes have been written on that
subject, and I think it would be easy
to write a volume on the question,
" Who should keep bees y" without,
perhaps, throwing much more light
on the subject than has been done by
some treatises on the other theme.
Nevertheless there is such a thing as
a call to the ministry, and there is
also such a thing as a call to bee-
keeping. Many have hit their heads
against a pulpit in the mistaken idea
that they have been called to be
preachers, and just so many have
blundered into bee-keeping, under the
delusion that they had a call in that
direction. Something will be gained
if we can impress people with the
conviction that it is not wise to fol-
low mere impulse. There is less dan-
ger of their Dlundering if we can get
them seriously to ponder the inquiry,
" Am I cut out for a bee-keeper V"
In a general way it may be safely
said that in order to succeed in this
business or profession there must be
an aptitude for it. What that is it
may be difficult to state in detail, but
I am fast coming to think that the
true bee-keeper, like the true poet, is
born, not made. The great Huber is
an example in point. To use a theo-
logical plirase, he was predestinated
to be a bee-keeper, and not even the
loss of sight could prevent the fulfil-
ment of his mission. His devoted
wife and trusty man-servant were
eyes to the blind apiarist, and with
their help he took the foremost place
among historical bee-keepers. A de-
gree of that enthusiasm which in-
488
THE AMERICAISl BEE JOURNAL.
spired Huber must influence all who
aspire to rank among his disciples.
No man succeeds very much in any
line of things which does not stir him
with lively interest. But this alone is
not enough. The true bee-keeper
must have keen perceptions, and be
at once of an observant and reflective
turn of mind. He must be a modern
Job for patience, and a modern Bruce
for perseverance. No matter what
his natural aptitudes may be, he will
make serious mistakes at first, and
needs to learn thatj as Napoleon was
wont to say, " He is not the best gen-
eral who makes no mistakes, but he
who repairs them as quickly and as
thoroughly as possible." He must not
be irrascible, for in that quality the
bees are more than a match for the
most irrascible of mortals. He must
have perfect self-control, for if a man
cannot control himself, he may rest
assured that he cannot control the
denizens of the bee-hive. He must
be sanguine and hopeful, for he will
see many dark days. His motto must
be:—
"Never give up ; it is wiser and better.
Always to hope tuan once to despair."
He must have a mind for details, and
regard nothing as trivial that has to
do with the welfare of a colony or an
apiary. " Unconsidered trifles " have
often led to important discoveries,
and astonishing results, and the man
who is naturally prone to be negligent
of apparently little things must either
conquer that habit or come to the con-
clusion that he is not adapted to shine
as a bee-keeper.
Lastly, at the risk of being laughed
at by certain apiarists who can take
bees to bed with them and sleep un-
disturbed, I shall venture to specify,
a certain indifference to stings, which
is characteristic of a few of the hu-
man family. There is no denying the
fact that some people are higiily sen-
sative to the virus of the bee, while
on others it has little or no effect.
Some curious experiences have been
had in this line, of which truly in-
telligent bee-keepers will take note.
It has been a favorite idea with many
that when you become accustomed to
being stung by bees, you cease to
mind it. I was of that opinion at one
time myself. I had become hardened
to the thing until I did not mind a
bee-sting more than a pin-prick. But
on a luckless day I got a sting from a
furious Italian just on the middle tip
of my upper lip, which resulted in
several hours' intense agony and a
week's sickness. Ever since then, a
sting in any part of the body results
in a renewal of those painful effects.
The virus at once flies to the head,
and causes the greatest distress. I
am aware that in thus speaking I
issue my own death warrant, as a bee-
keeper, but I am at the same time
stating facts which " nobody can
deny." I am precluded from keeping
bees except on a small scale, as an
amateur, from purely scientific in-
terest, and with the use of precautions
in the way of gloves and veil, such as
thicker-skinned and more hardened
bee-keepers despise. But I lay it
down as a maxim that unfortunate
people who are keenly sensitive to the
effects of stinging, had better give
bee-keeping, as a business, " a good
letting alone."
In addition to the natural aptitude
which has been imperfectly sketched,
an education in bee-keeping must be
obtained. It matters little how this
is done, provided it be thorough. Let
no one rush into bee-keeping imper-
fectly equipped with knowledge on
the subject. It is positively ridiculous
to see how some people act in regard
to this matter. They seem to suppose
that they have only to get a few
colonies of bees and they are com-
pletely set up in the business. Their
next step is to invent a hive or some
wonderful improvement that is to
eclipse everything in the market.
After a little spluttering and flourish-
ing they give up in disgust what they
ought never to have attempted.
It is no doubt possible for a tyro in
bee-keeping to become self-educated
in a sense. With the invaluable bee
books and excellent bee journals that
are available, the theory can easily
be mastered. Then comes the practi-
cal part, and " aye, there's the rub."
To manage bees with an eye to profit
from honey production, is an attain-
ment far beyond mere theory, how-
ever correct. I do not think this can
be gained in any other way so quickly
or so well as for the beginner to ap-
prentice himself to some good practi-
cal bee-keeper, and happy is he who
has the opportunity of so doing. I
am inclined to believe that our best
bee-keepers will have to start schools
of apiculture, as indeed some have
already done. It may be so arranged
as to be an advantage to them as well
as to tlieir pupils. Besides these
private schools, apiculture should be
taught both in theory and practice in
agricultural colleges. The Michigan
Agricultual College has set a good ex-
ample in this respect, which ought to
be followed by every similar institu-
tion on the continent of North Amer-
ica. Bee-keeping has now reached
such proportions that it ought not to
be ignored at those educational es-
tablishments which are devoted to
the development of rural industries.
As a source of national revenue it
takes rank with general farming,
stock raising, dairying, and similar
out-door pursuits. As a science, bee-
keeping covers a large field of re-
search, and as an art, requires instruc-
tion quite as extensive as some other
rural industries. This meeting will
only be acting in harmony with its
design and legitimate functions in
making a strong deliverance on this
subject. Bee-keeping has quite long
enough been left to chance and hap-
hazard. It becomes those who are
familiar with its wants and possibili-
ties to exalt it to a proper position be-
side other occupations, and to demand
for it suitable educational facilities.
What I have said is intended to be
introductory to an earnest and thor-
ough discussion of the whole matter,
and if it secures this my object wiU be
secured.
Northwestern ConTention.
The Northwestern Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its fourth annual
convention at Owsley's Hall, N. W.
corner Roby and West Madison Sts.,
Chicago, 111., on Wednesday and
Thursday, October 17 and 18, 1883,
commencing at 10 a. m. on Wednes-
day and holding five sessions.
The Rev. L. L. Langstroth (the
father of American apicluture) has
promised to be present, and many of
the most prominent apiarists of the
Northwest will be there and aid in
the deliberations and discussions.
This meeting will be held during
the last week of the Inter-State In-
dustrial Exposition, and reduced
railroad fares may be had on nearly
all the railroads. A cordial invitation
is extended to bee-keepers every
where to attend this annual reunion.
Meals may be obtained at the Res-
taurant near the Hall at 25 cts. each.
Beds may be secured at the Gault
House for $1, or at other Hotels at
regular rates.
Thos. G. Newman, Sec.
C. C. Miller, Pres.
i^" The sixth annual meeting of
the Northern Michigan Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held at Stone's
Opera Hall, Sheridan, Montcalm
county, Mich., on Tuesday and Wed-
nesday, Oct. 9 and 10, to open at 10 a.
m. of the first day. Evening sessions
will be held, which will be interest-
ing. At our last meeting it was re-
quested that all interested in apicul-
ture attend, and all who would, and
could, furnish for exhibition apiarian
supplies in the way of hives, extrac-
tors, implements used in the apiary,
honey, honey-producing plants, and
anything that would be interesting to
a bee-keeper. Ample arrangements
liave been made to entertain all who
will come. Let us have a general
turn out, and see what we can learn
one of the other. It will be a dull
scholar who cannot profit by such a
gathering. Peel assured we shall
have an interesting time.
Geo. W. Stanton, Pres.
O. R. GooDNO, -Sec.
AdTertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this ofiice by
Saturday of the previous week.
®° The Iowa Central Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its regular
annual meeting on Friday, Nov. 2,
1883, at the Court House, in Winter-
set, Madison county, Iowa. All bee-
keepers are cordially invited to attend,
and let us have one of the best meet-
ings we have ever held in the State.
J. E. Pryor, Sec.
Arbor Hill, Iowa.
i®" Please announce that the Iowa
Central Association, will meet at Win-
terset, Iowa, Nov. 2, 1883.
Z. G. COOLEY, Sec. pro tern.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
489
Bee Battles and Robbing-
Mr. A. Pettigrew gives the follow-
ing on the above subject in the Lon-
don Journal of Horticulture :
Thieving scouts and skirmishing
parties are common in all apiaries,
and hard-fought battles are occa-
sionally seen there, and plunder is the
object. Robbing bees are watchful
and crafty in attempting to enter
hives not their own, and experienced
bee-masters know them by their con-
duct. In watching for an opportu-
nity to enter hives unobserved, they
fly differently from bees engaged at
honest work, and may be seen "stand-
ing on wing " in front of and close to
the doors of hives they wish to enter,
and if their attempts to enter be not
resisted and thwarted they speedily
accomplish their aims and carry home
the honey. As soon as they gain
access to it they convey to their own
community the idea that a hive has
been entered and honey may be had.
The way in which the intelligence is
conveyed is beyond our knowledge ;
all we here notice is the fact. The
thieves of London know what " a
cracked shell" means (a house broken
into), and bees know what is meant
by a hive undefended ; and with mar-
vellous rapidity the unresisting bees
lose all their treasures.
Fortunately robbers are generally
prevented from entering hives on
their first attempt to do so. It may
safely be asserted that in every hun-
dred attempts to enter hives for
plunder, ninety-nine are failures.
When hives are weak their doors are
often not well guarded, and robbers
enter, and sometimes the robbers kill
the whole of the small force of de-
fenders. Strong hives, during a glut
of honey, are sometimes off their
guard, and let their hives be invaded,
and if the robber bees are permitted
to go in and out without hindrance
for a short time they, generally speak-
ing, take all the honey. Successful
robberies of strong hives are not com-
mon. The robbers are generally dis-
covered before they have done much
harm — before tbey have lost the smell
of strangers and foreigners, and when
the discovery is made the bees of the
invaded hive muster in strength to
resist the invasion and make a de-
termined stand against it. As some
of the robbers have tasted the honey
and carried off some booty, they are
determined to have more, and are
difficult to beat back. In their ef-
forts to ejiter, the attacking force
seems to increase in numbers and
energy, and while hundreds of them
are hurled back and off the flight-
boards, hundreds more take their
places, and courageously and per-
sistently continue the attempt to take
the place by storm. A well-fought
bee battle is most interesting. If the
door of the hive be rather small, and
the robbers successfully resisted for a
while (none allowed to enter), they
give up the contest and retreat.
When a hive is attacked by robbers
all the bee master can do is to con-
tract the door, and thus make it more
easy for the bees to defend it. If he
sees the robbers are resisted and re-
pelled, he may know that they are so
tar unsuccessful, and if he find that
robbers have gained access to a hive
and are engaged in carrying off its
honey without resistance, he should
know that it can be saved by removal
only to a distance of a mile or two for
a time. If the robbing bees belong to
the same apiary as those that are
being robbed, the suggested manoe-
uvre of Quinby may be tried. His
plan is simply to exchange the posi-
tions of the hives by puttmg the rob-
bers on the stand of the hive they
steal from, and vice versa, and thus
confound the robbers. My opinion
is, that bees are too clever to be out-
witted by this. Our plan is to remove
one of the hives to a distance of one
or two miles.
Honey and Bee Show at Hancock,
Co., Indiana, Fair.
The Indiana Farmer gives the fol-
lowing report of the above :
As per-previous notice the regular
monthly meeting of the Hancock
County Bee-Keepers' Society, in con-
nection with brother bee-keepers
from adjoining counties was turned
into a regular fair for the benefit of
all interested. There was a good dis-
play of all the appliances necessary to
modern bee-culture, besides a good
showing of the products of the apiary
for the present season.
The President of the society, Mr.
Alonzo Tyner, exhibited an extractor,
hive, section boxes, frames of wired
foundation fully drawn out, a nice lot
of honey, botli comb and extracted,
also a jar of preserves made with
honey, which were very fine.
Dr. S. S. Boots showed a hive, ex-
tracted honey, and vinegar made from
honey.
J. W. Jones brought in one of the
old style of hives, also a chaff hive
made by W. T. Falkoner, of James-
town, N. Y ., and a sample of founda-
tion from J. Van Dusen & Sons, of
Sprout Brook, N. Y.
J. T. Cofiin exhibited a fine lot of
honey in several shapes best suited to
the trade.
The best showing was made by Mr.
N. D. Coffin, who had on exhibition
honey, both comb and extracted,
vinegar, wired foundation in the sev-
eral stages of being drawn out, and
all the necessary tools for use in the
apiary, besides a complete selection of
all the producing plants native to this
part of the country.
Mr. Geo. Cole, of Shelby county,
showed some very nice queens in cages.
Tlie regular meeting of the county
society was opened and closed in a
very short time to give all present a
chance to talk and examine into the
merits and conveniences of the arti-
cles on exhibition. The meeting was
a very enjoyable gathering of bee-
keepers, and all seemed pleased at the
result.
H^ The fall meeting of the Kew
Jersey and Eastern Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held in the city of
New York, at the Cooper Union, on
Wednesday, Nov. 7, 1883.
J. Hasbrouck, Sec.
Bound Brook, N. J.
1^ The Bee-Keepers' Association
of Central Illinois will hold its next
meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 10
a. m., at 205 South Main street, city of
Bloomington. All interested, in this
and adjoining counties, are invited
to attend.
J. L. WOLCOTT, Pres.
Jasies Poindexter, Sec.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee m gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
OFFICE OF AMERICAN BKE JOUBNAL, )
Monday, 10 a. m., Oct. 1 , 18S3. S
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demand for extracted honey iB
exceedlDKly dull ; for comb honey, only fair: arri-
vals are plentiful. Stocks are large In the hands
of corn merchants and others. Our own supply is
larger than ever, and. for the present, we cannot
compete with commission merchants. We may
have to offer lower figures. Our prices so far were 7®
9c. for e.vtracted, and 14<§tl6c. for comb honey on
arrival.
BKESWAX-Arrivals of beeswax are good at
25@28c., and the demand is fair.
CHAS. F. M0TH.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2
lb. sections, 18c. Darli and second quality, 14c.:
extracted white clover in kegs and barrels, lie;
dark, sc.
BEBSWAX-Prlme yellow, 30®;ilc.
H. K. & F. B. THDRBER & C«.
CHICAGO.
HONEY- Comb honey has sold freely for the
past two weeks, and stocks are at present low. 1 lb.
sectionsof white comb are bringing l«c. ; il4 U> 2
lb. sections of same quality, I6(»17c.; variousslzed
sections of white comb, L.=.<s)16c. Extracted honey
is selling faster, and prices are ranging from 8@10
cts. per pound, according to body and flavor.
BEBSWA."C- Yellow, 32i333c.; dark, 25c.! me-
dium, 30c. „
R. A. BtJRNETT, 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONE Y— There Is a fair jobbing trade. Offerings
are not large. Choice qualities command extreme
figures While to extra wblle comb, I6(gj20c.; dark
to good, io«i*i3Hc.: Extracted, choice to extra
white. HidittHc. : dark and candied, 6^^7>^c.
BEESWAX— Wholesale, 27<ai28c.
STEARNS & SMITH, ii'i Front street.
ST. L0DI8.
HONEY — Quiet. Salable at appended figures,
but generally held higher. Strained and extracted
at 6'4f«.7c.; comb at 14c.
BilESWAX- Ready salable at 2Ge. for prime.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO.. 104 N. 3d Street,
CLBTELANO.
HONE Y— Comes very slowly and sells as fast afl
It comes at 18@i9c. for best white in I lb. sections,
and 17®l8c. for 2 lb. sections. Second quality is
very slow. Extracted usually sells very slowly In
our market; as yet, no extracted has been received.
BEESWAX- None in Market.
A. C. KENDEL, 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— We quote our market at is@20c. for
1 lb. white clover; 18®19c. for 2 lb. white clover.
Extracted is in good supply, and selling from
9®10c.
BEESWAX— Our supply IB gone! we have none
to quote.
BLAKE & RIPLEY, 57 Chatham Street.
490
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tlie American Bue JournaL
The Development of the Standard
Langstroth Hive and Frame.
L. L. LANGSTROTH.
This form of hive was the result of
many experiments. In the spring of
1852, as early as the weather would
allow the bees to be shaken from the
combs of my bar hives, {IS^xisyi and
only 6 inches deep) uprights and bot-
toms were nailed to these bars, so
that in a few minutes they became
movable frame hives. In the latitude
of Philadelphia, at least, I never
knew good colonies to increase faster,
if as fast, than in such shallow hives.*
Not to speak of hives 13x13, xl3
whose cubic contents were about the
same with the standard Langstroth,
and of other discarded sizes, I made,
in 1854, hives 12x12x36, with frames
now called " Gallup frames." The
surplus honey was taken in boxes or
frames in the rear of the main breed-
ing apartment. They had movable
tops as well as movable sides. The
side doors, being chamfered on their
edges, in opposite directions, could
always be easily opened, and being
suspended like frames, by top bars
upon the frame rabbets, the size of
the hive could be changed at will.
Two such hives were placed, Dizerzon
fashion, side by side — with entrances
in different directions — crosswise on
these, two more were placed simi-
larly, and the pile continued, in the
same fashion, as high as could be
conveniently reached for manipula-
tion— the whole colony having a
common movable roof. Although my
judgment was against such an ar-
rangement, I could not rest satisfied
until I had given this system a fair
trial, and proved, by actual experi-
ence, that the necessary manipula-
tions were so tedious, as greatly to
out-weigh the advantages promised
by such a compact arrangement.
However it may be with our uerman
friends; with us, economy of time is of
vastly more importance than economy
of space. I, therefore, took down the
stack, and used the hives as top as
well as side openers, until I left New
England. I also used frames even
larger than the Quinby size, but
found them objectionable, because
of theweightof the combs when full
of honey.
These facts are sufficient to sliow,
that tlie standard Langstroth hive
was not tlie result of mere theoretical
notions, or of traditional prejudices,
nor did it come, by what some would
call, a chance " happy go lucky " hit.
Born out of many experiences, it was
deliberately adopted, with tlie knowl-
edge that at that time the great
majority of our best bee-keepers did
* BinKham, Marvin
about six inches deep.
and others prefer hives
not approve of such " low flat things."
So deep was my conviction that its
shape was better than the approved
forms, that I could not consent to
recommend any other.t
Although the chief reasons for the
shallow form have been often given,
it may be well, in this connection,
very briefly to repeat them. Those
who wish to see the subject more
fully discussed, are referred especially
to the old volumes of the American
Bee Journal, where they will find
the merits and demerits of the stan-
dard Langstroth hive very thoroughly
canvassed. J
My tenacious adherence to the
Langstroth form, led some to im-
agine, that perhaps in some way or
other, the validity of my patent might
depend on this shape. This reminds
me of a once noted writer on bees,
who while warning persons against
infringing upon his patent (although
he had never taken out any patent),
closes thus : " Even an external im-
itation of my hive will not be suffered
to pass with impunity I"
The broad and low shape which I
introduced, in addition to giving the
much-desired top surface for surplus
honey receptacles, has the following
advantages :
1. It IS obviously much better
adapted to the use of upper stories,
than taller hives. It seems more
natural to bees to place their stores
over their central brood-nest, than any
where else. When extracting un-
sealed honey, I kept neither honey
board nor any thing else over the tops
of the frames to interfere with hand-
ling the frames, as soon as the roof
over them was removed. A glance at
the tops of the frames was enough,
with Italian bees, to show if extract-
ing was needed, for they would begin
to extend their comb-building up-
wards, even if they had plenty of
room for tliis work on empty side
frames. Now. why should bees at-
tempt the difficult work of upward
comb building, against the law of
gravity, by which their suspended
combs are kept in a perpendicular
position, while they have ample side
room for building them in the natural
way ? Why, I say, do they act thus,
unless it is most in accordance with
their instincts to place their stores
above their brood-nest ?
If honey, to have its choicest flavor,
ought not to be extracted — as the
Dadants and other of our leading
apiarians assert|| — before it has been
t In latitudes where bees can be either safely
wintered In the open air, or In proper in-door de-
positories, a still shallower form of hive may,
perhaps, be found preferable.
t Of all editors whom I ever known Mr. Samuel
Watfner was the most judicial, In his attitude on
all matters pertaining to bee-culture. Fair play
was to him a precious jewel Indeed.
II I use the word apiarian both as adjective and
substantive, without the authority of Webster or
Worcester, because it sounds much better than
apiculturlst, and is repeatedly so used by Dr.
Edward Beaen in his wt>rk on the honey-bee—
than whom there is no writer on bee-culture who
is higher authority auiong English-speaking
people.
capped, and If when all bee-work is
most pressing, more colonies can be
taken care of by piling hive upon hive,
filled with empty combs— to be
emptied when more leisure comes —
then the advantages of shallow hives
are easy to be seen.
2. If we do not make the number of
frames so small, that to get the re-
quisite comb surface, they must be too
heavy for easy handling, then for
cheapness and other obvious reasons,
the fewer frames the better. For
this reason, if there were no others,
frames of the Gallup size seem to me
objectionable.
3. Long and shallow frames are
more convenient for most of our
necessary manipulations.
(o.) In handling them the arms
take a natural and easy, instead of a
cramped position.
(6.) With such frames the eye com-
mands the whole surface of a comb,
in searching for the queen, etc., with-
out that uncomfortable craning of
the neck which deep frames compel.
(c.) As has been already explained,
there is less danger of hurting bees in
removing or replacing the shallow
frames.
(d.) Less motion, and of course less
time, is needed to take out or put
back such frames.
(e.) It is very much easier to make
such frames hang true, then deep
ones. If their hives had gla^ on
their backs, many who use deep
frames would be surprised to see how
much " out of true " they often are.
Whatever may be the case with bee-
keepers, in a small way only, those
who are manipulating for hours to-
gether, in large apiaries, and to whom
in the press of work, time saved
means more money, than in any other
season of the year, will find the above
reasons for giving the preference to
the long and shallow frame, worthy of
careful consideration. They are sub-
mitted, however, in no spirit of
dogmatism, and I am far from claim-
ing that the standard Langstroth is
demonstrably the best under all condi-
tions, and for all parts of our widely
extended country. The time will
probably never come, when uni-
formity will be as much insisted on as
in the standard weights and meas-
ures of the same country. If by a
simple volition, I could, without
pecuniary loss to any one, or violence
to any one's feelings or prejudices,
change every movable comb hive in
America, into the standard Lang-
stroth size, I would will no such
change. Let the Dadants, Hether-
ingtons, and others, have'full scope
for testing on the largest scale their
different forms, only let there be, as
far as possible, uniformity in each style,
so that any purchaser will know pre-
cisely wliat size, under a given name
of hive, he is getting. I am sure that
Mr. Root, and others, will be willing,
when requested, to make hives of the
standard Langstroth size — and if Mr.
Root will call his size of frame the
Simplicity Langstroth frame, there will
in the future be plain sailing, at least
before all who use the shallow Lang-
stroth frame.
Oxford, Ohio, September, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
491
Read at the Maine State Convention.
How to MakeBee-Eeeping Profitable
ISAAC HUTCHINGS.
To make bee-keeping profitable we
should keep the best strains of Ital-
ian bees in preference to the black
or German bees. Some of the new
races of bees may prove equal or
superior to the Italians, but they
have not been sufficiently tested to
warrant a change. The dollar queen
traffic, if rightly managed, will be a
blessing to the intelligent apiarists,
as it will open a market for the small
and inferior queens that might other-
wise find their way into the class of
tested queens. I believe that bees
winter better and build up quicker in
the spring where they are well packed
with chaif or dry sawdust on their
summer stands, than they do when
wintered in a cellar. Spring dwind-
ling, I believe in most cases, is a re-
sult of cellar wintering. Those who
winter in a cellar use a single-walled
hive, and when they put them out in
the spring the sun will warm them
so that many will tly out when
the air is so cold that they be-
come chilled and never return.
If we have a few days of warm
weather, and they have all the
brood that they can care for, one cold
night will drive the bees into a cluster
and leave the brood to die. The bee
hive needs protection from the rays
of the sun, and the cold storms and
winds of early spring, as much as it
does in the winter months when there
is no brood to chill. We should en-
courage breeding early in the spring,
remembering that it is the early bees
that store the surplus honey.
The old box hive is a thing of the
past with all progressive bee-keepers.
A movable comb hive is indispensa-
ble to profitable bee-keeping. As
soon as the weather will admit in the
spring, we should examine each col-
ony so that we may know if they are
in need of any of our aid. No. 1 may
have lost their queen ; No, 2 may be
short of stores ; No. 3 may be weak
in numbers and need a frame of ripe
brood. It would be very difficult to
ascertain the wants of a colony in a
box hive without movable comb
frames. I should be very sorry to
have a colony die for want of food or
care after they had survived our cold
winter.
If our bees are well wintered and
well cared for in the spring, they will
be ready to divide or swarm before
the white clover honey harvest. If
we divide it should be done at least
ten days before the honey flow com-
mences, and the honey sections
should be put on soon after, so that
the bees may get settled down to
business in season to give us good
returns. In dividing, leave each
colony as strong as it will do, and not
induce swarming.
Comb honey should be put up in
neat and attractive packages, and we
should not destroy tlie market by
forcing too early sales. Some sold
their honey for 20 cents per pound
last August, and if they kept it until
October it would have sold quick for
25 cents per pound. To make bee-
keeping profitable we must have a
love for the business, and if we do
not love the business end of the bee,
we should learn not to fear it. We
must become acquainted with the
natural laws governing the honey
bees. A "Manual of tlie Apiary"
will be found in the library of every
progressive bee-keeper. We have
made great improvements in bee-
culture within the last decade, and
many more are needed and are con-
tinually being made, and unless we
subscribe for and read a good live
bee journal, we shall be left behind.
I frequently find a single article in
my bee journal that is worth more to
me than the price of a year's sub-
scription.
Nothing is better calculated to mis-
lead us than the idea that bee-culture
has acquired perfection, and that we
know it all. It is true that Ameri-
cans lead the world in this art, but it
is in its infancy, and who can tell
what the coming bee will be like ¥
We should keep a register of the
apiary, so that at a mere glance we
can ascertain the age, race, strain
and quality of the queen of any col-
ony, determine the character of her
progeny, the amount of honey stored
and the increase. By having a his-
tory of each colony before us, we can
avoid many mistakes that will occur,
if we depend upon a treacherous
memory. We should have every-
thing needed in the apiary on hand
and ready for use at the commence-
ment of the season, and we should
give our bees all needful care, and
supply their wants at the proper time.
There should be no putting off until
to-morrow what should be done to-
day.
For the American Bee Journal.
Freaks of Queens, Observed by Me.
KOBEET CORBETT.
I would like to mention, through
the Bee Journal, the freaks of
queens that have come under my ob-
servation.
In July, 1882, I opened a hive to
introduce a queen in the old way, in
a wire cage on the face of the comb ;
in the opperation she got away, and
flew out of my sight. Three days
later I opened the hive to put m
another, and there, to my surprise, I
found my queen at her daily work,
depositing eggs as majestically as if
she had been there for months.
A swarm came out of a hive on the
18th inst., that I had re-queened last
August ; the queen was very prolfic,
keeping the hive well filled with
brood ; ten days after hiving, I opened
the hive to see how she prospered,
and to my astonishment not an egg
was to be seen ; now, how is this, I
would ask, that she is not laying, if
the old queen leads the swarm '?
Fifteen days ago I had some nu-
cleus hives, with virgin queens, for
fertilization, and when about .5 or 6
days old, we had 2 or 3 very windy
days, from the 25th to the 28th ; at the
cessation of the wind, I examined my
nuclei, and found 1 had lost 2, and on
the first of September I had a hive
(No. 22) that threw out a swarm ; 3 or
4 days later I examined hive No. 22,
to take out the queen-cells and give it
a laying queen. Frame after frame
was lifted out, and there was not a
queen-cell nor the appearance of one
in the hive, but a nice yellow queen
was there ; how is this, did not one of
my lost queens find her way in there,
and, being protected by workers,
therefore forced a swarm V that is all
the wav that I can account for it.
On Friday of last week, I was
called upon to help Mr. E. Kimble to
extract some honey, with the assist-
ance of Mr. Solomon Whitney, and
during the opperation of manipula-
tion, in one colony that had swarmed
a week previous, several queen-cells
appeared, as the queen left them, but
one that was not open, being larger
than usual, our curiosity led us to
open, and what did we find, but two
queens in one cell ; one was quite as
large as usual, while the other was
not quite so large, but of fair size ;
other cells being hatched first, the
bees had pierced this one, therefore
they were dead ; is that not some-
thing new to the bee men of the age V
Manhattan, Kansas, Sept. 10, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Michigan State Fair, Bee and Honey
Show-
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
The interesting, magnificent, un-
approachable Bee and Honey Show of
the Michigan State Fair, which closed
yesterday, was a brilliant success in
the highest sense of the word. Such
a large and interesting show has
never before been made at a State
Fair, and one gentleman who has
visited the bee and honey shows of
Europe, pronounced it finer and
larger than those of the old country.
Very much of the success of the
show is due to Mr. H. D. Cutting,
who has labored for years to have the
Agricultural Society recognize bee-
keeping as an industry, and at last it
has been recognized — the officers are
very much interested, and will do al-
most anything in reason that we may
ask of them.
To go on and describe, in detail, all
the exhibits, would take too much
space, hence I will speak in a general
way.
H. D. Cutting, of Clinton, Mich.,
showed the largest exhibit of im-
plements and bee-keeping literature.
He had over 60 varieties of imple-
ments, and 50 specimen copies of
periodicals and publications.
E. T. Lewis & Co., Toledo, Ohio,
exhibited implements, and received
first premiums on honey extractors
and wax extractor. They also exhib-
ited a mammoth smoker, 2 feet in
height. There was a wiiistle in its
mouth, and an organ at the back of
the bellows, and was warranted to
play six tunes. The instructions on
the back were : " Take me out to see
your hybriWs." Many was the laugh
raised by this smoker.
492
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
James Fry, Leslie, Mich., made a
display of fancy cases filled with comb
honey, one colony of bees, and a
pyramid of wax.
August Koeppen, Flint, Mich., had
on exiiibitlon a mammoth extractor
capable of receiving six combs, or, if
only three combs were used, an auto-
matic arrangement can be brought
into requisition, and the combs turned
by a simple touch of the finger. He
also had a hive, the walls and bottom
board of which were stuffed with tow.
C. M. Weed, of the Agricultural
College, Lansing, Mich., made a
magnificent display of honey-produc-
ing plants pressed and mounted.
There were more than 50 varieties,
and so weW was the work done that
the natural colors were entirely pre-
served.
W. O. Burk, Crystal, Mich., had on
exhibition a complicated hive called
the " queen home winter protector,"
and, strange as it may seem, it re-
ceived the first premium.
The exhibit that had the most
" shine " and " show " and glitter "
was that made by M. H. Hunt, Belle
Branch, Mich. This exhibit occupied
one-fourth of the building, and con-
sisted of hives, extractors, comb
foundation machine, and other apiar-
ian implements. His honey was put
up in almost every conceivable shape,
in glass jars, glass pails, glass bottles,
tin pails, tin cans, all labeled with
showy labels, and arranged in rows
and piled in pyramids ; one pyramid,
arranged upon a large stand of circu-
lar shelves, was especially fine. The
comb was built in fancy sections of
wood, glass and mica; some with
openings in the centre for placing
bouquets. His three pyramids of wax
were molded in very fancy shapes,
and surmounted with flowers. He
also had 2 colonies of bees out-of-
doors.
Your humble servant ( W. Z. Hutch-
inson) also occupied one-fourth of the
building, and made the largest and
finest display of comb honey, which
was piled up in the shape of a pyra-
mid until it actually reached the roof.
The base of the pyramid was 20 feet.
He also received the first premiums
on the specimen of 10 pounds or
more of comb honey ; this specimen
being arranged under a glass case,
which was lettered in gilt letters,
" Gilt Edge Honey." He also exhib-
ited 3 colonies of bees in an observa-
tory hive, so arranged that visitors
could place their noses right against
the glass, and this part of the exhibit
was surrounded by a crowd from
morning till night. His pyramid of
wax was surmounted by an old-fash-
ioned straw hive formed of wax. It
received the firstpremium. Hisexhibit
of pressed honey-producing plants
were bound in an Emerson binder,
and placed where the crowd could ex-
amine it, and I guess he will have to
make a new collection. He received
premiums to the amount of about $80.
Mr. Hunt's premiums " figured up "
to somewhere between $50 and $60 ;
Mr. Cutting's to $33 ; other exhibitors
received from $2 to $8.
The city papers gave up excellent
notices, and spoke of it as a " new
and novel feature." The Governor
gave us a call, and was introduced to
the exhibitors. The public said,
" Why, this is the most interesting
thing I have seen."
Rogersville, Mich., Sept. 23, 1883,
Grange Bulletin.
Beeswax and its Production.
J. M. HICKS.
Wax is a vegetable product deriv-
ing its origin from the saccarine prin-
ciples existing abundantly in the
products of nature. It is found upon
the surface of the leaves of many
trees in the form of varnish, and
possessing all the qualities of bees-
wax. The wax bearing myrtle (My-
rieau Ceriferi) a shrub which grows
abundantly in Louisiana and other
parts of the United States, produces
wax in large quantities ; and there
are also in many parts of the East and
West India Islands shrubs that pro-
duce wax in great abundance. The
myrtle bears a small berry, of which
wax forms its outer coating, and
when exposed to a flame burns with
an agreeable aromatic odor.
Dr. Darwin supposes that the de-
sign of the waxen varnish which
covers the flowers is " to glaze over
the fecundating dust of the anthers
and prevent its premature explosion
from excess of moisture, and ascribes
to an unseasonable diffusion of anther
dust, the failure of orchard and corn
crops in summers of extreme humid-
ity. The quantity of wax found in
this form is small compared with that
which is produced by the honey bee,
and also of inferior quality. When
pure it is of a whitish color and des-
titute of taste, with scarcely any
smell ; it grows brown and even black
with age. After manipulation it has
an aromatic smell, which, however,
disappears on exposure to the atmos-
phere. The dust of flowers, called
pollen or farina, was long supposed to
be the element of wax, and it is a
curious instance of the tardy pro-
gress of the knowledge of natural
history, that though the mode in
which wax is produced by the bees
was ascertained beyond all doubt by
Huber over 60 years ago, this fact is
yet but little known, and farina con-
tinues to have the credit of being
what is called " crude wax." Buffon
was of this opinion, and, in an edition
of his work published as late as 1821,
no notice is taken of the recent dis-
coveries on the subject, which prove
his opinions to be erroneous. Reau-
mer was inclined to believe that pollen,
by receiving some peculiar elabora-
tion from the bees, was converted, in
the stomach, to real wax, and dis-
gorged under the appearance of paste.
Later observers, however, denied
that wax was disgorged by the mouth;
they affirmed tliat it exuded from the
rings of the abdomen in the form of
small scales, and that pollen was used
for very different purposes. That
this last mentioned substance is not
the prime constitutent of wax, was a
conclusion drawn by repeated and
accurate observations by our most
celebrated apiarjsts.
It has been observed, for instance,
that pollen is carried into the hives in
great abundance, that were already
filled with comb; that it is often of
various shades, while new combs are
always of pure white ; that new
swarms for a few days carry in
no pollen, although their first work
to be done after being hived, is
the building of new combs,
which progresses with unremitting
rapidity ; and while it has been stated
that 100 pounds of pollen have been
carried into a hive during one season,
the whole weight of the comb in the
hive, when separated from the honey
and farina,weighs something less than
2 pounds.
Huber lodged a young swarm in a
straw hive, furnished them with
honey and water, and after five days
confinement he perceived that they
had consumed the whole of their pro-
visions, and had constructed several
combs of beautiful wax. These combs
were removed and more honey given
them, and the result was the same.
This removal was made five times
successfully, and on each occasion
being supplied exclusively with honey,
they produced new comb, thus put-
ting it beyond dispute that this sub-
stance effected the secretion of wax
in the body of the bee.
And, further, to ascertain whether
the saccarine principle was the real
source of wax, he supplied the captive
bees with sugar in the form of syrup,
and the result was still the same, wax
was produced, and that in a shorter
and in greater abundance than from
honey, as the reverse of this experi-
ment would prove whether pollen had
the same property, instead of supply-
ing the bees with honey or sugar, he
fed them only on fruit or farina.
They were kept captives eight days
under a glass bell, with comb having
only farina in the cells ; yet they
neither made wax nor were there any
scales of wax on their abdomen, as
was the case when honey and sugar
were used.
It is but justice to the Scotch bee
master, Bonner, to remark that
amidst the errors that prevailed on
this subject during his day, he had a
strong impression of the real source
of wax and the manner of its secre-
tion. In this, as in other parts of bee
science, his natural aciiteness and
shrewdness of observation led him to
the very verge of some of the most
important of those facts in the natural
history of bees which we owe to the
more scientific researches of Huber.
" I have sometimes," says he, " been
inclined to think that wax might be
an excrescent exudation, or produc-
tion from the abdomen of the bee,
and that the queen can lay eggs
whenever she pleases ; so, if required,
the worker bees can produce wax
from the substance of their own
bodies."
If this conjecture be right, it will
follow of course that all the food
which a bee takes contributes to the
formation of wax in the same man-
ner as all the food a cow eats contri-
butes to the nourishment of her body
and the production of milk ; (bees
consume much more honey or sugar
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
493
when wax is required,) or to adopt a
nearer simile from tlie insect tribe, as
all the lood a spider takes contributes
not only to the nourishment of the
animal, but to the production of the
substance of the web from its body.
Numberless other analogies in na-
ture might be cited in proof of the
probability of this theory. The silk,
for instance, produced from the body
of the silkworm, is a substance as
different from that of the animal it-
self, or the mulberry leaf it feeds
upon, as wax is from that of the body
of the bee, or of the honey or flower
she sucks. And the exudations in the
human ear which goes bv the name
of wax, is certainly as different from
the substance of the body which pro-
duces it, as either the one or trie
other.
Upon the- whole, until we meet with
a more probable theory supported by
facts, we must give it as our humble
opinion that wax is produced only in
one way, and in all cases upon the
abdomen of the bee in very minute
scales, and that wax cannot be pro-
duced unless the bee feeds upon honey
or sugar, or what honey and sugar is
produced from, and that bees do not
produce wax continually, but only at
such times as comb is needed in the
storing up of honey. At such times
bees consume a much greater amount
of food than when there is no need of
comb.
We here desire to give the analysis
of beeswax, but time and space will
not permit, trusting as we do, that
some of our readers at least will be-
come more or less interested in the
science of apiculture, and still extend
their research by procuring more
elaborate works on the subject, and
in this way which, if possible, become
more interested in this, one of the
most beautiful sciences.
For the American Bee Journal.
Wintering— the Pollen Theory.
PR. G. L. TINKER.
Evidently, Mr. Heddon, judging
from his reply to my article, does not
have a very clear idea of what the
" humidity theory " is. Mr. S. Cor-
nell, on page 728 of tlie Bee Journal
of 1882, gave the first well-defined
views on this subject, and to this
article Mr. H. is respectfully referred.
Other articles on the subject will be
found in the present volume on pages
7, 16.5 and 199.
Heat is a very important element
in the successful wintering of bees,
and it is one, moreover, that 'my gen-
erous opponent has apparently lost
sight of completely. He gives several
examples that are grimly supposed to
annihilate the humidity theory The
first is, where bees have been taken
from cellars, " drenched with damp-
ness" but in good health. In the
same connection, Mr. Balch is quoted
assaying " that ail upward ventilation
was death, that dampness was good
for bees, and that he wintered with
great success." All of which may be
true, and yet fully accounted for by
the humidity theory. For it seems
that it does not matter how damp the
hive may be, or the air outside, if
there is good ventilation, and the
conditions are such that the normal
heat of the duster can be maintained,
no harm can arise from the presence
of dampness or moldy combs. Mr.
Corneil, nor myself, would undertake
to contend that dampness is injurious
to a colony of bees except under con-
ditions in'which the heat of the clus-
ter could not be maintained, owing to
the presence of unusual cold and
dampness. The theory is " that cold
and dampness are the primary causes
of bee dysentery." Mr. Balch named
conditions that would tend strongly
to retain the heat of the colony, a
vital point upon which he was justly
very emphatic. And again, his bees
had undoubtedly good lower ventila-
tion.
But Mr. H. finds a "misfit" for the
theory in the fact that he lost 48 colo-
nies all in a few weeks after placing
them in a very "dry cellar." And
vet he would undertake to dismount
ine if I should get on his bacteria
hobby (that is, it there should be
found " any strength" in it),and claim
it as his own! I am not sure but Mr.
H. has got this double hobby horse
for a sly purpose — if one gets lame he
can "get on to'ther," and when that
one gets lame he can get back again !
Verily, if there was a show for his
bacteria hobby any where, it would be
in just such a case as the losing of 48
colonies all within a few weeks after
going Into winter quarters. But the
humidity theory will account for the
loss, if there was insuflScient ventila-
lation. I fear that there are yet many
bee-keepers who are still undecided
that bees need a great amount of
winter ventilation.
0 no, Mr. H., do not think that any
one will try to get the honor of father-
ing the pollen theory away from you.
You have a sure thing on that. But
I am at a great loss to understand how
"the bacteria theory is much the same
thing." I can readily understand
how a circus performer can ride two
horses at once, but did not know be-
fore that we had a bee-keeper wlio
could perform this interesting eques-
trian feat. Your logic on this point
is too profound for me.
Now it was just possible that I was
" mistaken " in regard to those hy-
brids. All hybrids liave queer habits.
They may have got up some dark
night, walked out, evacuated, and re-
turned without my knowing it. Cer-
tainly, Mr. H., but I was not mis-
taken in regard to my way of ajusting
sections. It is true that I have de-
layed my report on the use of small
sections so long that it is not surpris-
ing that you should have thought my
experiments a failure. I promised to
to make the idea advanced last winter
a success, and it is accomplished quite
beyond my expectations. In this
place, I will simply thank Mr. H. for
his derisive allusion to " the man who
sets his sections down on the brood
frames " with the suggestion that he
has stumbled upon a Doomerang that
will recoil soon enough.
1 am glad to learn that Mr. Heddon
will test the pollen theory on a large
scale the coming winter. He will
find, however, that no little narrow
hive like his, can be made to winter
bees successfully on the summer
stand without more "fixing" than
can ever be made to pay. Not only
this, but his hive has not enough sur-
face on the top, nor enough space in
the cases, as illustrated a year ago,
for safe wintering. The surplus de-
partment of a hive on the summer
stand in winter should contain not
less than 4,000 cubic Inches of space.
I am, therefore, not surprised that
Mr. Heddon has poor success in win-
tering. He would succeed better with
the standard Langstroth hive.
In conclusion, I would like to ask
by what slip of the pen Mr. H. came
to predict that " disease will get me
before old age." Of course, that must
be a " mistake," or else, " In wonder-
ing mazes last," my friend has turned
Prophet !
New Philadelphia, Ohio.
Penobscot County, Me-, Convention.
The Penobscot County, Me., Bee-
Keepers' Association met according
to adjournment at Burrell Hall,
Corinna, Sept. 6, at 10 a. m., with
President Judkins in the chair. There
was a fair attendance of members.
After the usual business of the asso-
ciation was attended to, the subject
of the relations which the county
associations should hold to the State
associations was brought up, and all
were united that some action should
be taken by the State Association to
bring us all into working order, as
one society, and the following resolu-
tion was offered and accepted :
Resolved, That the Maine Bee- Keep-
ers' Association needs, and should
have the support of every county as-
sociation in the State ; and that the
Penobscot County Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation extend to it, its most loyal
support.
The afternoon session was opened
by a spirited discussion of the follow-
ing questions: 1, How to control
swarming ; 2. Is it advisable to clip
queens' wings; 3. How to feed in
the spring, is it advisable V 4. How
to make bees swarm ; 6. The differ-
ent races of bees, their qualities com-
pared ; 6. The best method of Ital-
ianizing ; 7. The best method of
wintering, the proper temperature for
cellars. These and other questions
kept the time well occupied until
night, and a good interest was shown.
The general opinion was that the day
had been well spent. Thirteen mem-
bers signed the roll book, showing
that old Penobscot has not forgotten
that she has had the honor of insti-
tuting the first bee-keepers' associa-
tion in the State— the Maine Bee-
Keepers' Association being formed
there— and that she means to be
ahead as a county association. The
next meeting will be held at East
Corinth, Thursday, Nov. 1, at 10 a.
m.— Borne Farm.
^" Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
494
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tbe American Bee JoumaL
The Xorth western Convention-
JAMES HEDDON.
Some way or other I have got the
the idea into my head that the above
named convention is going to lead all
other bee associations in the world.
Why ? First, because, as Mr. Clarke
so ably puts it, " it is conceded that
this continent now leads the world in
apicultural progress;" secondly, no
where is this progress " on such
swift-winged pinions as in the West.
Especially is this true of that portion
of the West easily accessible to that
great centre of commerce and science,
— Chicago.
The rates during this meeting are
about one-third the usual, on nearly
all railroads. No equally good meet-
ing can be gotten up with so little
enort and cost as a Northwestern.
Father Langstroth is to be at our next
Oct. 17 and 18 meeting. Let us greet
the faces of hundreds of the " get
there " honey-producers of the coun-
try, from East, West, North and
South, and let us see if we cannot all
go away feeling and knowing that we
have not only had a good time, made
the acquaintance of the veteran
Huber of apiculture, but we have
learned points regardmg this calling
that will many times pay us for the
cost and trouble of the attendance,
and leave us the fun and frolic more
clear gain.
I imagine I hear the response now
echoing all over the country, " Yes,
we'll be dar, suah as your boun."
Dowagiac, Mich., Sept. 27, 1883.
imixat and gloxu.
ANSWERS av
James ffeddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Uniting Colonies of Bees.
Will Mr. Heddon please give his
method of uniting bees, in the Weekly
Bee Journal V W. V. Webster.
Quaker City, O., Sept. 12, 1883.
Answer. — If I have colonies to
•unite, I pick out such combs and such
number of them as I wish to put the
newly -made colony on, for winter,
and then shake the bees all into a box
together; then empty them in front of
the hive, and let them all run in to-
gether, removing all but my choice in
the queens, and caging her between
the combs, as in any case of introduc-
ing, and liberate her in the same way.
I very seldom have any fighting, and
if you wish to prevent that, you might
take the extra precaution of sprinkling
the bees with slightly- sweetened
water, scented a little with pepper-
mint, or some other pleasant odor.
Put in but little of the scent, and do
not let outside bees get a taste of your
sweetened liquid, and thus induce rob-
bing. If the colonies united stood
some distance apart, you might set the
newly-formed colony in a cellar for a
few days, and then lean a board in
front of the entrance when you set
them out to fly, just before sun set.
Of course, tact is needed to get the
minutia of the work done, so as to be
perfectly adapted to the surrounding
conditions.
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time and Place of Meeting.
Oct 3.— Wentworth, Ont., at HamiUon, Ont.
Alex. Robertson. Sec, Carlisle.
Oct. 4.— Union Kentucky, at ShellyTille. Ky.
G. W. Demaree, Sec, Chrlstiansburg, Ky.
Oct. 6.— Marshall Co.. at Marsballtown, Iowa.
J. W. Sanders, Sec, Le Grand. Iowa.
Oct. 9, 10.— Northern MlcbiKan, at Skerldan, Mich.
O. R. Goodno, Sec.
Oct. 9, 10.— Northern Mich, at Sheridan, Mich.
O. R. Goodno. Sec. Carson City, Mich.
Oct. 10.— Central Illinois, at BlooralnKton, 111.
James Poindexter, Sec.
Oct. 10.— Cass County, at LoRansport, Ind.
L>e Witt Brown, Sec
Oct. 17, 18.— Northwestern, at ChicaKO. Hi.
Thomas G. Newman, Sec.
Oct.— Northern Ohio, at Norwalk, O.
S. F. Newman, Sec.
Nov. 2.— Iowa Central, at Winterset. Iowa.
J. E. Pryor, Sec, Arbor Hiil, Iowa.
Nov. 3.— Mahoning Valley, at Newter Falls. O.
L. Carson, Sec
Not. 7.— New Jersey and Eastern, at New York.
J. Hasbrouck Sec, Bound Brook, N. Y.
Dec. 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint.
H. D. Cutting. Sec, Clinton, Mich.
tr In order to have this tabie complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars or
time and place of future meetings.- Ed.
The Fall Crop of Honey.
The bee-keepers have been some-
what encouraged for a better collec-
tion of winter stores than it promised
the morning of the frost. The weather
has been warm and pleasant most of
the time, and our pets have worked
pretty well. The frost did not seem
to hurt fall bloom very much, so we
still hope we will not have much fall
feeding to do ; this we will all know,
if we will examine when the honey
flow is over. I met the vice-president
of the Michigan State Society yester-
day, in Marsballtown. I find him
good in a talk about bees. We would
like to have some good men at our
next meeting, Oct. 6; if any of them
are out this way, or even feel like
coming on purpose ; we are expecting
a good turn out, for many have ex-
pressed a desire to be there then.
The bee-keepers' interest is growing
very fast in this part of our State.
The demand for honey, both comb
and extracted, is on its increase. Our
people are getting afraid of glucose
adulterations. J. W. .Sanders.
Le Grand, Iowa, Sept. 27, 1883.
A Good Paying Crop of Honey.
The weather is very cool and ex-
tremely dry. We have had scarcely
any rain since June 15. Our bees
have plenty of honey, but no brood ;
in fact, less brood than 1 ever saw at
this time of the year. The goldenrod
is in full bloom, but yields no honey ;
but why should a Kentuckian com-
plain, after such a clover harvest as
we have had ? Besides, experience
teaches us that the weekly visits of
the good old American Bee Jour-
nal will brighten the prospects, and
give new vigor to those who have to
record " blasted hopes." I commenced
the season with 75 colonies ; and have
increased to 130, mostly by natural
swarming. I have taken 7,600 pounds
of choice honey, of which 400 pounds
were in the comb; the balance was
extracted. I have sold, in our home
market, the extracted honey, at 123^
cents per pound ; and the comb honey
at 16^3 cents. Early in tiie season I
sold 12 barrels of extracted honey at
10 cents per pound. The demand for
honey is good ; and I have sold all I
have taken, and know that bee-keep-
ing pays. ,
John T. Connlet.
Napoleon, Ky.. Sept. 26, 1883.
Worker Bees in Queen-Cells.
On page 433 of the Bee Journal,
A. Ilickenbacher mentions a "Curious
Freak of Bees," and Mr. Heddon's
answer is : "I have never had a case
like the one above referred to. I do
not know as we have any precedent of
the kind." 1 am quite surprised that
Mr. Heddon and others have not
noticed that workers very often get
sealed up in old queen-cells. I have
known for several years, that workers
very often crawl into the queen-cells
after the queens hatch, and some-
times get sealed up. A little obser-
vation on the part of apiarists during
the following season, will reveal the
fact that more than one worker in 50
hives will get sealed up in queen-ceUs.
R. S. Becktell.
Three Oaks, Mich.
White Cake Made with Honey.
Dear Editor.— As requested I
send you the recipe for the cake made
with honey on which I took the first
prize at the Tri-State Fair at Toledo,
last month :
One-half teacup of butter, three cups
of flour, one-and-a-half cups of honey,
one-half cup of sweet milk, one-halt
teaspoonful of soda, one of cream of
tartar, and the whites of three eggs.
Delaware, O. May Besse.
Frost Killed All the Flowers.
The honey crop in this part of the
country is almost an entire failure.
Since the middle of July the bees have
hardly held their own ; I fear the late
swarms will have to be fed, to give
them enough stores to winter on.
Last night we had a frost that wiped
out all the flowers, so that this year
will foot up rather short.
H. J. SCOLES.
Knoxville, Iowa, Sept. 26, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
495
The " Scarlet Wing" Story.
I am quite astonished to rend in
No. 36, of the Bee Journal, a ridic-
ulous story from a correspondent
about my having a queen with four
hands and scarlet wings. Although
I hardly believe that any intelligent
apiarist has believed it, I wish you
would publish my formal denial.
H. SONTAG.
Cucamonga, Cal., Sept. 13, 1883.
Parched Ground in Louisiana.
We have had no rain for about one
month and a half, until to-day when
"we had a good one. The bees were
really discouraged at the drough.
There was hardly any honey secreted,
the soil split and left the roots ot
many plants bare to the heat of the
scorching sun, which ended their
honey secreting. Snake root, golden-
rod, smart-weed and boneset are
opening fast, and the bees are boom-
ing with full force to get all of the
nectar they can.
G. E. SONNEMANN.
New Iberia, La., Sept. 16, 1883.
Intelligent Work.
Bees have done passably well here
this season, though it has been very
dry, except in August. My 14 colo-
nies increased to 32, and I have about
600 pounds of comb honey, which I
am selling at 18 cents per pound. This
is a large per cent, over my neighbors,
and is the result of reading the Bee
Journal and the use of comb foun-
dation. I hope it will long continue
its weekly visits, and directed by its
present editor, that its mission may
be a successful one. B. H. Holt.
Adel, Iowa, Sept. 19, 1883.
6,000 lbs. of Houei from 30 Colonies.
I have now 70 colonies of bees ; in-
creased from 30 in the spring; have
taken 6,000 pounds of honey, mostly
extracted, and of an excellent quality;
it is all basswood and clover honey.
I wintered my bees, last winter, in an
out-door cellar, built for the purpose,
and lost none in wintering, but lost 4
by spring dwindling. My bees were
in the cellar nearly 5 months. I have
Italian bees, and think them far bet-
ter, in every respect, than the native
bees. A. C. Sanford.
Ono, Wis., Sept. 10, 1883.
(^ The Cass County Bee-Keepers'
Association, organized on the 15th of
August, will meet on the 10th of
October, 1883, in Logansport, Ind.
All persons interested in bees and
honey are respectfully invited to
come. De Witt Brown, 6'ec.
^' The quarterly meeting of the
Marshall County Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation, will be held at the Court
House, in Marshalltown, Iowa, on
Saturday, Oct. 6, at 10.30 A. M. Sub-
ject for discussion, " Fall and Winter
Care." All interested, in this and
adjoining counties, are invited, for
we hope to have a good meeting, and
one of bene (it to all.
J. W. Sanders, /Sec.,LeGrand, Iowa.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
.subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this ofiice get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
f 5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every oufi
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more rieto
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$15.00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within t\ "o weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Trial Trip— 25 Cents.
As the season for Fairs has arrived,
and wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal till Dec. 31,
on trial, for 25 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with $1.25) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7tli edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 60 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.- We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid t©
any address for 10 cents.
^" When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
1^" To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one who
buys a package of honey at Fairs, will
sell almost a fabulous quantity of it.
496
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Our Fremiuins for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Emerson Binders— made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or tor the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Books at Fairs. — Those who make
an exhibit at Fairs will find that an
assortment of Books and Pamphlets
would sell and leave them a profit for
handling. We will send such, postage
prepaid, at 25 per cent, discount; or
if the purchaser pays express charges,
we will supply any of our own publica-
tions at 40 per cent, discount.
1^" The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters went into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will now be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent,
or else Ave or ten-cent postage stamps,
or a Postal Note. Bo not send coins
in any letter.
WT. B. Peterson & Brothers. 306 Chestnut St..
Philadelphia. Pji., publish this day, "The Bkide
OF LAMMEKMOOH," being the second volume of
their new and cheap edition of "The Waveklev
Novels." BY SiK Walteh Scott, which will be
completed in Twenty-six Weeitly Volumes, each
volume beinfj a novel complete in itself, and one
volume will be issued every Saturday until the
whole are published. Eai;^ book will make a lartje
octavo volume, uniform with "Ivanhoe," and
"The Bride of Lammermoor," have on it an Illus-
trated Ctiver, and will be sold at the low price of
Fifteen Cents a volume, or Three Dollars will pay
for the full and complete set of Twentv-six vol-
umes, and coplesof any of the novels, or complete
sets of the edition will be sent to any one, post-
paid, at these rates.
SECTIONS.
nzizi^H
We have just put in several new machines and
also a larger engine in our factory, consequently
we are In better shape to fill orders than ever for
Sections, Shipping Crates, etc., etc. We make a
specialty of our
"BOSS" ONE-PIECE SECTIONS,
Patented June 28th, 1881.
We can make the "Boss" One- Piece Sections
any size or width desired. Send tor Price List.
IVe make the Half-Found Section any
size desired.
«r AS. FOKXCROOK <b CO.
IBCtf Watertown Jeff. Co. Wis.. Jan. 1. 1883.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Iroquois Strain. Four Yards,
P«rrespondeot* cheerfully answered Prices roasonabi'
W. H. BUSSEY. 131 Lake Street. Chicago.
2BCly
Choice Queens!
I am now up with my orders,
and can send Q17£EN8 by
RETURN MAIL.
lam now culling them down to
the very best.
J, T. WILSON,
Mortonavllle, "Woodford Co.,
6BCtf
Ky.
Friends, If you are in any way interested In
BEES OR HONEY
We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of
the Monthly GleaninK* In Bee-Culture*
with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve-
ments in lllveft. Honey Extractors, Comb
Foundation, Section Honey Boxes, all books
and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee
Culture. Nnthing Patented. Simply send your ad-
dress written plainly, to
Ctf A. I. ROOT. Medina. O.
BARNES' PATENT
Foot Power Machinery
CIIiCULAR AND
SCROLL SAWS,
Hand. Circular Rip Saws for
general heavy and light rip-
ping. Lathes, &c. These ma-
chines are especially adapted
t'lHlveMaklner. ItwlMpay
fvery bee-keeper to send for
11 r 48-page Illustrated Cata-
jgue.
W. F. & JOHN BARNES,
No. 2017 Main street.
Rockford. Winnebago Co.. 111.
HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTH
For ine manufacture of
BEE-KEEPEKS' SXTPPI-IES.
Dunham uiid Root Foundation a specialty,
Italian Queens and Bees f mm March to November.
I»"Send fur my IMustruted Catalogue.
JiCtf PAtrr. L. VIAIitON, Bayou Goula. La.
Sweet Clover
AND OTHER SEEDS.
Having a large stock of the new crop of Sweet
Clover Seed, I can all orders at 30c. per pound
*4 per peck, orllSl.'; per bushel.
Also, all other SEEDS for HONEY PLANTS.
ALFEED H. NEWMAN,
923 West MadisonStreet, Chicago, III.
QO Colonies Italian Bees For Sale; ».? per colony.
O^ JULIUS FOSUH, Elmore, Ottawa Co, Ohio.
FRANCES DUNHAM,
Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of
THE DUNHAM
FOUNDATION MACHINE
Patented Aug. 23d, 1881.
Your machines are undoubtedly the very best in
existence for heavy foundation.
Charles Dadant & Son, Hamilton, III.
Nov. :i-ltu, iSti-2.
And the following from the President of the
North American Bee-Keepers' Association:
I am quite positive that your Foundation Mills
are ahead of anything yet Invented.
D. A. JONES, Beeton, Ont., Canada,
Jan. 29th, 1883.
I send you samples of Foundation which I am
manufacturing on one of vourmachines, in sheets
lixlH, which measure 11*4 feet to the pound. I
think it superior to any samples of thin founda-
tion I have seen. J. G. Whitten,
Aug. 14th. 1882. Genoa, N. Y.
Send for description and testimonials to
FRANCES nUXHAM.
8Ctf DE PERB, WI3.
One 4-Horse-Pewer
ENGINE AND BOILER,
And One 6 -Horse -Power
Portable Engine and Boiler,
FOK SALE CHEAP. Description, Prices
and Cuts, sent on application.
Address, O. H. TOWNSEND.
35D3t KALAMAZOO, MICH.
1883. JOSEPH D. ENAS, 1883.
(Sunny Side Apliiry,)
Pure Italian Queens. Bees, Ctilonles, Nuclei,
EXTRACTORS, CO.VIB FOUNDATION, 4c
I9D6m Address, SunnySldeApiary,NAPA,CAl,.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND B£E-E:£EPER*S ADVISER.
The British Bee Jourxal is published month-
ly, and contains ihe best practical information for
tne time being, showing what to do, and when and
how to do it. Rev. H. K. PEEL, Editor.
We send the Weekly American Bee Journal
and the British Bee JoumaU both for $3.00 a year.
The Bee^Keepers' Guide,
OK, MANUAL OF THE APIAKY.
9,000 SOLD IN SIX YEARS.
lOth Thousand cTuttt Out.
More than 50 paaes, and more than 50 fine Illus-
trations added. The whole work has been thor-
oughly revised, and contains the very latest In re-
spect to bee-keeping. It is certainly the fullest
and moat scientitic work treating of bees in the
World. Price, by Mull. l$1.2o.
Liberal discount to fleulem and to clubs.
A. fT. COOK.,
17Ctf Author and Publisher, Lansing, Mich.
.<!».
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., OCTOBER 10 1883.
No. 41.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor.
1^ Next week the annual re-union
of bee-keepers will be held in Chicago.
The present indications are that it
will be most interesting and largest
gathering ever held in the Northwest.
Many of the prominent apiarists in
this region have already indicated
their intention of being present, and
we think ihat no one who can possibly
attend, should be absent. The Kev.
L. L. Langstroth writes us that his
health and energy is a surprise to
himself as well as his friends, and he
fully intends to be present. The
invitation is cordial and universal —
COME.
Honey Harvest in Scotland.
1^ Mr. M. L. Trester, Secretary of
the Nebraska State Association, has
sent out blanks to be tilled up by the
bee-keepers of that State, giving the
statistics necessary to the proper es-
timate of tlie honey crop in that State.
This is commendable, and should be
followed by similar efforts in all the
States. Will the secretaries please
take the liint ?
From a letter just received from
Mr. J. D. Hutchison, of Glasgow,
Scotland, we glean the following con-
cerning the honey harvest of that
country. There, as well as in Amer-
ica, the early frosts and cold and wet
weater have ruined the fall crop of
honey. Mr. II. says :
From the accounts which have been
received from various parts of Scot-
land, it appears that the honey harvest
is to be an almost entire failure. Ow-
ing to the late spring, bees had to be
fed to preveut their starving. Al-
though they bred well and swarmed
numerously, the wet and cold weather
that prevailed during almost the whole
summer hindered the storing of
honey. Afterajbad summer there is
generally the prospect that in autumn
the heather will aid in making up the
deficiency, but this year, unfortu-
nately, this hope will not be realized,
as the heather yields little or nothing.
Bee industry is now becoming more
generally cultivated, and in average
years is highly productive. The
weather has been very broken for
sometime past, so the most of bee-
keepers have taken home their bees
from the heather, and are preparing
them for the ensuing winter.
The New Postal Laws-
1^° The trial between exhibitors
making comb foundation at the Tri-
State Fair, was quite an attraction.
We met Messrs. Vandervort and Pel-
ham for the tirst time, and were well
pleased with them and their machines.
The Given press also did excellent
work, and was admired by all who
saw it. Dr. Besse had a good exhibit
of honey and supplies, and added
largely to the interest of the show.
E. T. Lewis & Co.'s exhibit was large
and varied, and the faithful services
of Mr. Puhl, in showing the different
articles to visitors, made it very at-
tractive to bee men.
1^ Concerning the bee and honey
exhibits at the St. Louis Fair, Messrs.
Flanagan & Illinski, of Belleville, 111.,
writes as follows :
The show of bees and lioney at the
St. Louis Fair was superior to that of
last year, being much more extensive
and in better order, and more ex-
hibitors taking part. Wm. Little, of
;Marissa, 111., had 1st and 2d premium
(§20) for the best display of Italian
bees. Mr. E. Armstrong, of Jersey-
ville, 111., obtained 1st premium on
the best crate of honey, and his dis-
play certainly deserved it. Your
humble servants got the 1st premium
for the best display of apiarian im-
plemehts. Three years ago not one
hive or bee or crate of honey were ex-
hibited, but this year there was a dis-
play that was attractive to all visitors
to the Fair. Your ''Honey as Food
and Medicine " went like hot-cakes.
The management have our thanks for
the privilege of selling honey during
the Fair ; a privilege not accorded
heretofore.
As many are in doubt about the
new regulations of the Post 09ice
Department, and to save trouble to
our subscribed, we will recapitulate
them :
The postage on letters is 2 cents for
each half-ounce or fraction thereof.
The old two and three-cent stamps
now in use will continue valid, and
must be accepted in payment of pos-
tage whenever offered in appropriate
amounts.
Postage to foreign countries remain
unchanged, with the exception of
Canada. A letter goes to Canada for
two-cents ; but Canadians have to pay
three-cents for a letter to the United
States as formerly.
The drop-letter rate of postage re-
mains the same— that is, two-cents
per half-ounce or fraction thereof, at
free-delivery offices, and one-cent at
all other offices ; and no changes are
made in the rates of postage on sec-
ond, third and fourth-class matter.
An item has been going the rounds
of the papers, to the effect tiiat a late
order of the Postmaster General pro-
vides that no package, parcel or letter
will be forwarded upon which the
postage has not been fully paid. This
is erroneous, as no such an order has
been issued. Letters weighing over
one-half ounce, on which one full rate
has been paid, will be forwarded, and
the balance collected on delivery. If
a letter contains a one or two-cent
stamp, or no stamp at all, it will be
returned to the sender if he is known,
and otherwise the person to whom it
is addressed will be notified, and upon
receipt of the postage the letter will
be forwarded.
t^ Mr. A. Benedict had at the Tri-
StateFair an observatory hive with
some of tlie most beautiful bees we ever
saw — well marked and of a uniform
and large size— the result of 20 years
of careful breeding.
498
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Treatment and Cure of Foul Brood,
The London Journal of Horticulture
contains the following on the above
subject :
A correspondent, some time ago,
sought information on this subject.
So far as I know no more valuable
hints and instructions have appeared
than in the columns of the Journal,
and especially I would direct atten-
tion to what has been written by
Messrs. Cheshire and Cowan. From
these writings I will cite. Mr. Clies-
hire observes — •' AVhen foul brood
breaks out it attacks grubs only, and
for a fortnight or so no actual differ-
ence is effected, but as it spreads pop-
ulation is reduced from two causes :
Toung bees do not all hatch out,
some die prematnroly, and the •dor
generally diffusing itself takes all
heart and energy out of the workers ;
the brood-nest gets by degrees choked,
and the laying energy of the queen is
thus repressed. The general effect is
the gradual weakening of the colony
it is true, but all can see that time is
required for the destroyer to accom-
plish Ills purpose, and despite his sad
work making havoc within, the bees
mav appear to be in the full swing of
unhindered progress until the disease
has a firm hold of every comb.
■• Tlie curability of foul brood is the
next point upon which I wish to in-
sist. AVhile we feel sure that the
doctor can do us no good, we will not
take his medicine, and while bee-
keepers believe that foul brood must
run its course and work out devasta-
tion and ruin nothing will be done to
arrest it, I assert its curability be-
cause I have again and again cured it,
and in this position I am pleased to
be able to reier to ene of the most
prominent, certainly one of the most
scientific and successful apiarists of
our day— T. W. Cowan, Esq., cliair-
man of the committee of the British
Bee-Keepers" Association, whose ex-
perience in the treatment of this
malady has been great, but not greater
than it has been successful, Mr.
Cowan, in reply to a request that he
would permit a publication of his
methods, has favored me with a
lengthened letter, in which he says,
• I am quite, I think, of your opinion
as regards foul brood, that is to be
cured if attacked in earnest. You
know I had it in my apiary, and it
was a source of great trouble to me,
but I stamped it out with salicylic
acid. My proceeding was to excise
any very bad places, and when I found
cells affected here and there I merely
uncapped them and sprayed the combs
witli the solution of which I send you
the recipe, I found generally in mild
cases one application was sufHcient,
but in more severe ones two or three
doses produced a complete cure, I
found that if the cells were uncapped
before they were punctured and
spraved with tlie solution, injecting a
larger quantity into the affected cell
so as to eject the viscid mass, there
was no fear of the disease appearing
again. In this state the viscid fluid
in the cell is of a light brown, and is
not permeated witli spores to such an
extent as when it is allowed to remain
until it becomes highly colored, and
the covering much depressed. I doubt
very much if in this stage it is very
contagious. I have no doubt the
acid acts on the spores and destroys
their vitality. So far so good. Now
as regards the honey that is in the
hive, and which is supposed to con-
tain the spores (although I must say
I have never been able to detect any
by the microscope), how are we to in-
sure their being destroyed ? Simply
by uncapping it and feeding the bees
on syrup containing the acid, which
they will store with -the uncapped
honey, or uncap it and give it a good
spraying with the acid solution. I
have done both, but cannot say if it
was really required ; but as I think
prevention is bettei' than cure, and as
it is not much trouble, there can be
no harm done.
'• 'All my hives are scalded, and so is
everything that has had anytliing to
do with the hive, and afterwards
everything is washed over with the
solution, I believe the germs of the
disease are carried in the air, and we
can feel safe ; I, therefore, always put
acid in all the food I prepare. I ex-
amined six of my hives, and all were
healthy but one, and that I thought
was also healthy. It was an early
swarm. This year I had thrown off a
swarm and a cast, and had given me
six small one-pound sections nicely
filled, I looked on the ten frames
and found no queen and no brood.
There was one cell covered, but not
punctured, but I at once recognized
as a foul-broody one. Xow the hive
had not been queenless very long, as
about ten days ago I saw the queen ;
and, although, she was not laying,
there was a small quantity of brood
hatching out, and all did hatch out
except this one cell ; it was uncapped
and injected with the solution, and
the other combs and bees sprayed with
it, I have no doubt it will prevent
its spreading in the future, as I shall
not hesitate in using these combs in
uniting if I require them.
" ' I have examined six hives to-day,
fearing to find foul brood, but have
not detected a single cell in any of
the other hives. Xow, how did this
appear? It seems to me probable
that it was brought there by some of
the bees from outside, or a spore
might have been lurking in some of
the corners of the hive and had es-
caped the solution. This proves to
me that it is impossible to tell when
it may break out in an apiary ; and as
we know from experience that sali-
cylic acid destroys the spores, I think
it not only beneficial but important
that a certain quantity of this acid
should be in all tne food given to the
bees. Two years ago I tried feeding
the bees on syrup containing a strong
dose of acid without spraying the
combs, and I found that the disease
gave way to this treatment ; but I
find the other plan, that of uncapping
and spaying, the most rapid. I do not
mean to say if a hive is neglected, so
that all the brood is rotten, it can be
cured ; but if taken in time, as every
apiarist would do, it has been and
can be cured. Thos. Wm. Cowax.
The table of recipes Mr. Cowan
encloses will explain themselves.
Salicylic acid solution for mixing
with syrup for feeding bees, painting
over hives, and spraying combs, etc,
for the prevention of foul brood.
Water 4 pints.
Salicylic acid 1 oz.
Soda borax 1 oz.
Spring and summer food for bees : —
White lump sugar 10 lbs.
Water 7 pints.
Vinegar 1 oz.
Salicylic acid solution 1 oz.
Salt 3^oz.
Boil for a few minutes.
Autumn and winter food for bees : —
White lump sugar 10 lbs.
AVater 5 pints.
Vinegar 1 oz.
Salicylic acid solution 1 oz.
Salt }^ oz.
Boil for a few minutes.
Northwestern Convention.
The Northwestern Bee-Keepers'
Association will hold its fourth annual
convention at Owsley's Hall, N. W.
corner Roby and West Madison Sts.,
Chicago, 111., on Wednesday and
Thursday, October 17 and 18, 1883,
commencing at 10 a. m. on Wednes-
day and holding five sessions.
Tlie Rev. L. L. "Langstroth (the
father of American apicluture) has
promised to be present, and many of
the most prominent apiarists of the
Northwest will be there and aid in
the deliberations and discussions.
This meeting will be held during
the last week of the Inter-State In-
dustrial Exposition, and reduced
railroad fares may be had on nearly
all the railroads. A cordial invitation
is extended to bee-keepers every
where to attend this annual reunion.
Meals may be obtained at the Res-
taurant near the Hall at 2.5 cts. each.
Beds may be secured at the Gault
House for SI, or at other Hotels at
regular rates.
Thos. G. Newsman, iSec.
C. C. Miller, Pres.
1^ " Take me out to see your
hybrids." was the label on a mam-
moth smoker exhibited at the Tri-
State Fair by Messrs. E. T. Lewis &
Co., Toledo, Ohio, It was about 2
feet high, and proportionate other-
wise, with a whistle and an organ, to
make music as operated. It caused
many an audible smile among the bee
men who examined it.
^" Please announce that the Iowa
Central Association, will meet at Win-
terset, Iowa, Nov, 2, 188.3.
Z. G. CooLEY, Sec. pro tern.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
499
Bees in a Religious Meeting.
A correspondent of Farmers^ Home
Journal, in the following letter, tells
how a congregation was warmed and
sinners made active, lately, in Ken-
tucky, by a swarm of bees :
" You may have read the story of
Sut. Lovingood's dad in a hornet's
nest, but that affair was not a circum-
stance to what took place at the
Methodist church in Lafayette, Ky.,
on last Sunday. Your correspondent
was not present, and feels glad that
he was not, but has the facts from a
reliable gentleman who experienced
the quickening power from the busi-
ness end of a bee, which he thinks
would rival the eloquence of Beecher
or Spurgeon in stirring up a sleepy
congregation.
" Rev. J. W. Bigham, the good
pastor and eloquent preacher, occu-
pied the pulpit. Whether or not he
needed any assistance in warming up
his congregation, as preachers like to
do, just before conference meeting,
he got it, in the form of a swarm of
angry bees. The atmosphere seemed
alive with the insects. They poured
into the house by wholesale, precipi-
tating a revival. Sleeping members
were aroused from their slumbers to
a shouting pitch, before the preacher
reached the point in his sermon where
the shouting should come in, and the
sermon was cut short. The spirit (or
rather the bee) soon pervaded the en-
tire congregation, and the ladies also
were quickened to a sense of the
awakening, losing all care for their
bangs and curls. Never did wor-
shipers assume a more humble at-
titude. All who could, crawled un-
der the pews, while those made ex-
cessively warm by an inspiring touch
from the sweet singers, continued in
the more lively exercise. Real solid
joy, however, did not take possession
of the congregation until the doors
and windows were all closed, and the
regular battle of bee-killing was over.
The bees were finally stopped out of
the house, when they commenced on
the horses and men out doors. A
number of horses broke loose and ran
away. Mr. John AV. Davidson had a
fine buggy torn to pieces by his horse
trying to escape from the bees. A
pair of tine bay horses, belonging to
Mr. Ed. Moses, standing to the breast
yoke with loose traces, and hitched
with very strong halters, were liter-
ally stung to death ; one of the horses
died on the spot in less than two
hours. Several horses were stung so
badly that they could not move from
the place when cut loose, ^lessrs.
Jolin Covington, Ed. Moses and
others were badly stung in trying to
rescue their Imrses.
"Brother Bigham closed the ser-
vices by announcing that there would
be a meeting next Sunday at the
usual hour, provided the bees should
settle. The ladies, however, had to
remain in, with closed doors, until a
bolt of musquito goods was procured
for veils. One Uuly concluded she
could run the blockade— she was not
afraid of bees any way ; but she had
never come in contact with a swarm
of missionary bees, and never knew
how beautifully she could perform,
until she met these red-hot ministers.
The National Convention.
Mr. C. F. Muth has sent us the
names of the members attending the
North American Bee-Keepers' Society
at Toronto last month. They are as
follows, and 101 in number :
Canada.— W. F. Clarke, F. Mal-
comb. Rev. F. Allen, S. T. Pettitt,
.John Myers, S. C. :McNeil. .James D.
Long, S. Cornell, R. McKnight, R.
Harper, Mr. and Mrs. Robert H.
Myers, J. B. Hall, J. E. Schantz, .John
Baxter, Mrs. Vim. Bryce, Rev. AVm.
Blain, A. 04. AVillows, H. A. Russell.
W. Ellis, A. Crichton, H. Dobson, C,
D. Corbin, A. D. Allen, S. Wood, O.
Snyder, A. Grove, E. Mullholland, A.
Douglas, O. B. Jones. W. H. Morri-
son, I. P. Blakeley, W. Nixon, H.
Lipsett, Rev. J. R. Black. J. Ander-
son, Mr. and Mrs. S. G. Holly, W. C.
Wells, AVm. Buglass, A. E. Gilpin,
Chas. T. B. Jones, W. G. Russells,
Mrs. W. G. Russells, Miss Edith Rus-
sells, Jacob Spence,Mrs. Jacob Spence.
In all, 47.
New Yokk.— W. E. Clark, D.
Baker, J. C. Newman, T. Pierce, G.
W. House, J. E. Stanley, G. W. Stan-
ley R. Baker. D. A. Panueston, Mr.
arid Mrs. E. B. Ross, W. Y. Bosworth,
.Jr.. H. F. Gates, W. H. S. Grout, H.
S. Elkins, F. L. Smith, W. T. Fal-
coner, L. Whitford, C. Humphrey,
M. L. Spencer, S.L. Sleeper, L. Corey,
E. C. Hubbard, J. H. Umplebv, Mr.
and Mrs. W. L. Coggshall, W. E.
Moulton, Ira C. Nicholi, Mr. and Mrs.
C. Favill. In all. 30.
Ohio.- (\ F. Muth, A. I. Root, G.
W. Freeman. F. Whiteside, Dr. H.
Besse, Miss May Besse. In all. 6.
Michigan.— Prof. A. J. Cook. Dr.
C. E. Rulisou, R. S. "Taylor, Wm.
Moorhouse, W. Harmer. In all, .5.
Texas.— Judge Andrews.
Kentucky.— AV, C. Pelham.
Georgia.— Dr. and Mrs. J. P.^H.
Brown.
COLOK.\DO.— W. L. Porter.
Florida.— W. S. Hart.
Massachusetts.— S. M. Locke.
North Carolina.— G. E. Boggs.
Iowa. — Mr.and Mrs.O.O.Poppleton.
Illinois.— Dr. C. C. Miller.
Pennsylvania.— C. J. Haight, J.
McGonnell.
The life members, having paid $10
each for such membership, are D. A.
Jones and Thos. G. Newman.
There are several honorary members
of the Society, and among them the
Rev. L. L. Langstroth. The names
of the others may be gleaned from
former reports.
In iHSO-sl, the list of members con-
tained 105 names.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
1^" Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
OFFICE OF AMKKICAN BKB JOURNAL, >
Monday. 10 a. m., Oct. 8, 1883. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— Our prices are 7@9c. fore.-ttracted.and
HffOlfic. for comb honey on arrival.
BEESWAX -Arrivals of beeswax are good at
25{s2sc., and the demand is fair.
CHAS. F. Muth.
NEW YORK.
HONEY—White clover and basswood In 1 and 2
!b. sections, 17^21c. Dark and second quality,
14(§.15c. ; extracted white clover in kegs and bar-
rels, 9((ilOc.; dark, 8c.
BEESWAX-Prlme yellow, 27®29c.
H. K. & F. B. ThDRBEH & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Comb honey has sold freely for the
past two weeks, and slocks are at present low, lib.
sections of white conib are bringing iHc; IH to 2
lb, sections of same quality. UJ(ij>17c. ; various sized
sections of white corah, l-?tg»li5c. Extracted honey
from 8(0,10 cts, per pound, according to body and
flavor,
BEESWAX- Yellow. 32a33c,; dark, 25c,; me-
dium, 30c,
R, A, BURNETT. 161 South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONE Y— There is a fair Jobbing trade. Offerings
are not large. Choice qualities command extreme
figures. White to extra white comb, Itiigi^oc.: dark
to good, ln(<ui:}i^c.; Extracted, choice to extra
white, H(i(i9^e. : dark and candied, 6^@73tfc,
BEBSWA.X-Wholesale, 27@2Sc,
STEARNS s SMITH, 423 Front Street.
ST, LODI8.
HONEY — Quiet. Salahle at appended figures,
but generally held higher. Strained and extracted
at 6M'«"c, : comb at 14c,
BEESWAX— Ready salable at25®2Sc. for prime.
W. T. ANDERSON & Co,. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONE Y— Comes very slowly and sells as fast as
it comes at 18(ail9c, for best white in 1 lb, sections,
and 17(f918c, for 2 lb, sections. Second quality is
very slow. Extracted usually sells very slowly in
our market.
BEESWAX-None in Market,
A, c, Kendel, 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— We quote our market at 18@20c. for
1 lb. white clover; 18®20c, for 2 lb, white clover.
Extracted, Hf7$\i>c.
BEESWAX— We have none to quote,
BLAKE Si RIPLEY, 57 Chatham Street,
KANSAS CITY. MO.
HONEY— A large part of the local crop in this
section has been marketed, though considerable
remains yet in the hands of producers. Very little
California honey in this market this season, except
extracted, which IS in fair supply at loi/olic. for
choice new, and SViSilnc, for dark or candled.
Choice bright comb 2 lb, sections, 18«j^l9c.: 1 lb.
secti'>ns, iy@2oc. Demand is fair for the better
grades,
JEROME TWICHELL, .^3fi Delaware Street.
1^ Tne next regular meeting of
the Mahoning Valley Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held at Newton
Falls, O., on the first Saturday of
November, 1S.S3. L. Carson, Pres.
E. W. Turner, ^'ec.
1^ The Bee-Keepers' Association
of Central Illinois will hold its next
meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 10
a. m., at i20.5 South Main street, city of
Blooniington. All interested, in this
and adjoining counties, are invited
to attend.
J. L. WoLCOTT, Pres.
James Poindexter, Sec. '
500
THE AMEPvICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee Joumat,
The New Races of Bees.
G. JI. DOOLITTLE.
About a year ago I gave my opinion
resaidiiig tlie Cyprian and Syrian
bees, stating tliat I sliould not "have
anything more to do with the Cyprian
on account of its vindictive disposi-
« tion. and although not favorably im-
pressed witli the Syrian, I should give
them a more thorough trial during
the season of 1883. To this end I pro-
cured queens of the Syrian or Holy
Land race of three different breeders
during the fall of 1882, so I could have
full colonies of those bees in time for
tliF honey harvest.
The result of this season's vyork
wiih them proved the same as that of
1882, which is, that for this locality
the Holy Land bees are practically
good for nothing as honey gatherers.
With a locality where there was a
steady flow of honey the case might
be different, but here we get little or
no honey until basswood, and these
bees seem to think that a large flow
of honey should mean lots of brood,
so at brood-rearing they go, the result
of which is, nearly all tlie honey they
gather is used up rearing an extraor-
dinary amount of brood, which hatch
so late in the season that the bees
from said brood are too late to gather
honey, hence become consumers of
the little honey already in the hive.
Therefore, when fall arrives, we have
a hive overflowing with bees, with
little or no honey, and scarcely a
pound of surplus to recompense the
owner. All are aware of my views
regarding the secret of honey-produc-
ing, lying in, getting the bees Justin
the right time for the honey harvest
(neither too early or too late),that being
of more moment than any one other
thing pertaining to honey producing.
That the Syrian bees cannot be thus
managed in this locality is the reason
of my saying they are practically good
for nothing. Then they liave another
exceedingly bad feature, which is,
that before the young queens are
fertilized in the present hive, which
has cast a swarm, fertile workers
spring up. and the result is a queen-
less colouy,unless great pains are taken
to introduce a laying queen. This,
with me, as I allow natural swarming,
would be a very serious drawback,
but might be got along with it they
were enough better honey-gatherers
to warrant an extra outlay of time in
looking after tlie young queens.
However, as in all respects, unless it
is in wintering, they are inferior to
the Italians. I felt warranted in
doing away with them entirely, and
to-day hud's my yard without a Holy
Land bee in it.
After deciding a year ago that I
would have nothing more to do with
the Cyprians, I thouglit,. perluips. I
had been a little hasty, as I had up to
ttis time but one queen of that race
in my yard. Asa whole, I was pleased
with them, except their great disposi-
tion to sting whenever the hive was
opened. AVhen spring opened I found
that my Cyprian colony had wintered
the best of any colony I liad except
the old Holy Land colony, and hear-
ing so many favorable reports of the
Cyprians. 1 concluded to give them a
further trial. Consequently I pi-o-
cured a queen of B. F. Carroll and E.
T. Flanagan, as they seemed to pre-
fer them to any other bees. These,
with my old one. made 3 colonies,
and as far as getting the bees in the
fleld in time for the harvest, I am
well pleased with them ; as in fact I
am with all other points about them
except the " stinging point."
If I could call the queen I had from
Mr. Flanagan pure, I should think
there was some prospect of getting
peaceable Cyprians, but she evidently
is not pure, for her queen progeny is
of a mixed multitude, being all the
way from jet black to as golden yel-
low as I ever saw an Italian queen,
while the daughters of the Corroll
queen, and from my old colony, are
nearly duplicates of the mother. The
bees from the Carroll queen are the
worst to sting of any bees I ever saw,
and I thought the original colony was
bad enough. Mr. Carroll says, in a
late number of the Bee .Journal,
that he has Cyprian bees whicli he
can handle without smoke, veil or
gloves, but he does not tell us whether
he considers them pure or not ;
neither does he tell us how many colo-
nies he has of the stamp produced by
the queen I got of him.
Xow. Mr. C., in all candor, and de-
siring information, I ask how you
manage such bees as the queen you
sent me produces.^ That you knew
they would sting is proven by your
saying when you sent her, that if she
proved too •• tirey." I could send her
back. Perhaps 1 may do so in the
spring, when even the Cyprians can
be handled quite comfortably, but I
would not open that hive to-day to
get that queen for all the queens of
like stamp there is in the world.
Mr. T. S. Bull, a large bee-keeper of
Valparaiso, Ind., called on me not
long ago, and I told him of these bees.
As he wished to see them, I took off
the cover to the hive and raised the
quilt a little, smoking them all the
while, but for all that a cloud of an-
gry bees rose in the air, crawling into
our pockets, under veils, and where
ever they could get, all the time sing-
ing such a sweet tune, like an angry
bee can when he gets in your hair.
They seem to care nothing for smoke,
and how any one can manage them
for extracted honey, is more than 1
can understand. I worked them for
comb honey, and to say that I was
glad when I had the sections off that
hive does not half express it. In
shaking the sections to rid them of
bees, nearly all the bees vvould take
wing and come for me like so many
angry hornets; and, although I care
little for stings. I confess that my
flesh fairly crawled at the sound of a
quart or more of angry bees hissing
about my bee-veil, and occasionally
stinging through pants and shirt.
Xow, if any one can tell how I can
manage these Cyprian bees from the
lime the honey harvest commences
until winter, I shall be glad to keep a
part of Cyprians in my apiary, but if
they cannot. I shall have to bid them
adieu, for their stinging qualities
more than over-balance all their good
traits.
Borodino, X. Y.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Winter Ventilation and Protection.
DK. G. L. TINKER.
The experience of bee-keepers ap-
pears to be widely different on the
proper size of the entrance of a hive
in out- door wintering. One will tell
you to make it not larger than % by 4
inches ; another % by 8 inches ; and
still others recommend % by the
width of the hive inside. My own
recommendation for a full colony is
to make the entrance 3| by 8 inches.
To keep out mice, set the hive on a
stand made as follows : Make a box
4 inches deep, just the size of the bot-
tom of the hive, out of heavy boards
4 inches wide. If the side boards are
5 inches wide, the bottom can be
nailed inside into rabbets made in
the lower edge of the front and rear
pieces. The stand looks better if the
bottom is nailed inside. Lastly, nail
four pieces 3 inches wide by a foot
long to the front and rear corners.
These pieces should be planed smooth,
and all ought to be painted. Now set
the stand on four bricks let into the
soil on a level, and Hll quite full of
dry sawdust. Sit on the hive and
move about until it tits firmly. There
is very little danger from mice to a
colony on such a stand, and besides,
it is far more convenient for the bee-
keeper. Xo sawdust or other material
need be put around the hive to keep
down weeds, for the weeds will grow
anyway, unless the sawdust is often
removed. The scythe is the best
thing to keep down the weeds and
grass. The stand also keeps the hive
up from the ground, so that there is
less danger from dampness. Again,
a lot of hives set on these stands pre-
sents a very neat appearance. Here-
tofore I have had my hives set near
the ground upon bricks, and I find
that there are many disadvantages in
having them set so low down.
My reason for so large an entrance
is, that bees require a large amount
of fresh air in winter, and the most
natural point for the air to reach
them is through the entrance. There
is nothing more certain than that a
very small entrance, % by 4 inches, is
too small for tiie bees either in winter
or summer. The proper size of en-
trance for a strong colony in summer,
according to my mind, is ?^ by 13
inches. When the bees are breeding
in the spring, and the nights are cool,
then the entrance should be small,
but at no other time of the year.
AVilli a large entrance, there should
be a very small amount of upward
ventilation allowed, and that through
not less than 7 inches of chaff gently
pressed down. Some fine chaff like
THE AMERICA]^ BEE JOURNAL.
501
timothy is tlie best. It is thought
that the cracks where the cover fits
to the hive will let out sufficient air,
unless very tight, but no large open-
ings should be allowed in the cover.
If put in loosely, the wet chaff on the
surface, over the cluster, can be re-
placed with dry, three or four times
during the winter; otherwise it will
be liable to get moldy and create a
bad odor. I do not, on this account,
recommend a chaff cushion over the
bees, because it would become quite
foul before spring, unless more air
was allowed to pass in and out of tlie
cover than would be advisable. The
point is, to allow no more upward
ventilation than is necessary to per-
mit the dampness coming from the
bees to arise to the surface of the
chaff. I should say, that if the chaff
over the cluster was, after a time,
found dry, that the ventilation through
the cover was too free. For, in my
opinion, the only benefit to be de-
rived from upward ventilation is in
allowing the dampness to pass up-
ward at the same time that the heat
of the bees is effectually retained,
which it can be if there are no large
openings in the cover.
The spaces between the frames
should be covered with a cloth, a
clean \yoolen cloth preferred. Sticks
about % of an inch square should be
placed crosswise of the frames to hold
the cloth up so that the bees can pass
over the tops of the frames. But I
think that the bee-keepers will find
to their cost that any device to hold
the cloth up from the frames, so as to
leave a large space, is a bad thing.
However, a large space above the
chaff is quite necessary.
Again, with so large an entrance it
is necessary to leave a board against
the front of the hive to keep out sun-
shine and wind. Or an alighting
board 8 inches wide may have pro-
jecting arms 2 inches wide nailed to
each end and fastened to the sides of
the hive by two nails or wooden pins
on each side, which can be taken out
and the board lifted up and fastened
to the body of the hive, so as to keep
out sunshine and wind. This is a de-
vice that all bee-keepers will appre-
ciate, and it is free for all to use. It
will be attached to my new hive which
I shall shortly introduce to bee-
keepers.
In out-door wintering, all sides of
the hive should be protected by 3 or
4 inches of sawdust or chaff, or the
combs should all be taken out but five,
and these should have passage ways
cut through them and wooden tubes
inserted. If this is not done the bees
will often close up the openings made
before winter sets in. Put a division
board each side of the five combs, and
fill the spaces between them and the
sides of the hive with loose cliaff. It
will be found cheaper to do this than
to make chaff cnsliions for the pur-
pose. This latter method of protec
tion is not easily carried out excpt
in shallow hives, but it is believed to
be cheaper than to use an outside
case for a hive to be filled in with
packing. The five combs should be
spaced one-half inch apart, and con-
tain not less than 5 lbs. of honey each
Bees can be wintered in ordinary
winters by various metho<ls, but the
great question with bee-keepers is,
not what plans of ventilation and
protection sometimes succeed, but
what plan will secure the jnost
"favorable conditions" so that the
bees may be able to resist the vicissi-
tudes of a very hard winter as well as
a mild one, if it should happen to
come. It is thought that the methods
here given will secure these "condi-
tions " as far as it is possible to afford
them in out-door wintering. But I
would place more stress upon the
mode of ventilation and the manage-
ment given than upon the amount of
protection. Yet it would not do to
abandon all protection, even if it
could be done without loss, for the
protection afforded will ampily repay
the time and labor taken to give it, in
the saving of stores to the colony. It
may be added, that the preparation of
a hive of bees on the summer stand
for winter requires as much, or more
labor to do it as it should be done
than to carry hives into cellars. Yet
there is no doubt, in my mind, that
out-door wintering will give the best
results, unless at points far North,
where the cellar or bee-house is
preferable.
New Philadelphia, Ohio.
For the American Bee Journal.
How I Winter My Bees.
n. R. BOARDMAN.
Judging from the numerous arti-
cles in the bee papers upon the sub-
ject of wintering our bees, one would
justly conclude that we ought to be
able to surmount all of the difficulties
that have heretofore existed, but from
the numerous inquiries I have re-
ceived of late upon that subject, it is
evident that with the average bee-
keeper, wintering is attended with
much uncertainty, and disastrous
losses are not uncommon even with
those who have had many years of
experience.
In view of these facts, I shall not
attempt to tell you how to winter
your bees, but will describe as well as
I can how I winter mine, and in doing
so, I am aware that I shall run
against the pet theories of many very
substantial bee masters.
The bee house in which I winter my
bees will first claim a brief notice.
The building is double-walled, packed
with seasoned sawdust 12 inches
thick, with sawdust also on the floor
over-head, making it frost proof. It
is divided into two or more rooms,
one of which is used for an ante-
room between the bee room and the
outside, and also through which the
air must pass before reaching the
bees, and thus modifying it a la sub-
earth ventilation.
' The house I have used longest has
three rooms, two in which to store
the bees with the anteroom between.
This room also contains a stove used
for raising the temperature, expelling
the moisture, and facilitating venti-
lation whenever occasion requires.
A scuttle opens into the chamber
from the ante-room. The chamber is
ventilated by a window in each gable,
all of which may be opened or closed
at i)leasure.
The ground floor is cemented upon
a layer of pounded stone, and is as
firm as a rock, thus preventing any
disturbance by jaring.
The windows are small, and
provided with shutters inside by which
the rooms can be made perfectly dark.
The doors are also double.
The hive I use is a deep 8-frame
hive, flat, movable cover on top, open
bottoms, % inoh bee space on top of
the frames under the cover.
I prefer that bees breed as late as
possible,aiid go into winter with plenty
of young bees,a good queen,and plenty
of sealed stores gathered in the fore-
part of the season. I disturb them as
little as possible late in the season,
after they are disposed to become
dormant.
I set them into the bee house as
near Nov. 15 as the weather will per-
mit,and let them remain until April 15,
if favorable conditions can be main-
tained. I choose a cool, not a cold
still day, having previously prepared
the rooms by covering the floor with
seasoned sawdust, then having let-
tered and numbered the hives with a
piece of white chalk, so as to render
mistakes impossible in setting them
out on the same stands again. I take
each hive up from the bottom-board
or stand, and carry them into the bee
house, and set tliem upon stringers
previously placed there to receive
them, so that when so placed the air
has free access beneath the hives
which are bottomless.
Having placed one row around the
outside, I lay stringers on the top of
these upon which I set another row
of hives, and so on as high as I can
convenientlv set them. I use 2x4
inch stringers on the bottom, and one
inch on top of the hives. A ther-
mometer is hung in each room, and a
careful record kept of the temperature
in the rooms and also outside, visiting
the rooms at least once each day for
that purpose, noting also anything I
may think important.
The hives are only ventilated at the
bottom. The rooms are kept well
ventilated, and at a temperature aver-
aging near 45'^ somewhat below in the
forepart of the winter, and above in
the latter part. After being set in,
the bees remain very quiet until
sometime in February, unless dis-
turbed by an unusual warm spell.
Sometime in February there will be
a noticeable increased activity, and
the thermometer will indicate a
higher temperature. This is an in-
dication that brood rearing has com-
menced. If the weather continues
warm for a long time, and the bees
become very uneasy, I sometimes set
them out at this season for a flight,
but consider it of no benefit if the
temperature can be kept under con-
trol, which I endeavor to accomplish
by opening the outside doors at night
and close them in tlie day time.
I have observed that when the tem-
perature is quite low for a consider-
able time, after brood-rearing has
commenced, that a bad condition is
502
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
almost sure to follow, and dysentery
and spring dwindling is often the re-
sult. Therefore, I am careful at this
time to see that the temperature con-
tinues favorable for the brood, and
the result is a hive full of bees when
setting out in tlie spring, and a con-
siderable portion of tliem young.
If the temperature is inclined to
continue too low, 1 resort to artiticial
heat, and from several years experi-
ence, I am satislied that there is no
means of ventilation equal to it, and
with judicial use I think it will
always be attended with good results.
AVhen the (lowers of spring come
and the bees can lind employment
gathering pollen and honey, I feel
that the time has come to set them
out. Then on a warm pleasant day I
set them each out upon the stand
from whence tiiey were taken in the
fall, and the warmer and pleasanter
the weather the liner will be the con-
dition of the bees. But if the weather
is cold and dauip. wlien thev are set
out, a bad condition will be induced
however perfectly they may have been
wintered.
East Townsend, O., Sept. 2-1, 1883.
For the American Bee Journat.
The Problem of Wintering Bees.
.JAJIK^^ IIKDDON.
We have been told by some of our
brothers in apiculture, that •' cold "
was tlie cause of dysentery in bees.
When their "cold" tlieory was
shaken up, a little of it had to go into
partnership with " coutinement "' to
make it stand up, and with a more
thorough shaking they botli fell to the
ground. The same is true of the
"conlineuient " theory put into com-
pany with "cold." Oiu' friend, Dr.
Tinker, struck out on the " humidity"
or " dampness " theory, and one
shaking lias caused this to stagger up
against llie "cold," and if we con-
tinue tlie agitation, will they not
tumble hand-in-hand 'f
Now, Mr. Balch's cellar, from
whence came the damp and moldy
hives all free from dysentery, was
kept at a lower temperature than
mine; so dry that sack salt would
hardly sliow moisture, as several bee-
keepers oljserved, and from whence
came -15 out of 48 colonies dead with
dysentery in its worst form, some of
them dying witliin tliree weeks after
being placed in there. Mr. Balch's
hives were all damp and moldy in side,
and neitiier the hives or the cellar
had what bee-keepers at large con-
sider sufficient ventilation to keep the
air decently pure.
It seems that Dr. Tinker has a
double team too, and while he calls
the t)acteria and pollen theories my
double hobby-lioi'se team, he has one
of the bacteria and humidity.
Well, there is no sin in honestly
trying t({ get at the bottom of this
great question, each one in his own
way ; and while I resi)ect the Doctor
for his el'foits, I lind that his team is
woudert'ully niismated, that is, that
the biicteriaand liuniidity theory have
no relation to each other, and do not
look as much alike as a black Xorman
and a lemon-colored mustang, and
worst of all, the Doctor seems to
think it is quite likely that this radi-
cal, and ever tlie same effect, dysen-
tery, has two very unlike causes.
This, I do not believe for one mo-
ment. I cannot. In the case of my
48 colonies. 1 had them ventilated
some above radically, some in a me-
dium degree, and some but little,
many not at all ; some in hives 13
cubic inches, and some 13 square and
17 deep, and 9 in the Doctor's 10-frame
Langstroth. Every one of which
died among the first. The very tirst
one being one of these 10-frame Lang-
stroth hives with medium upward
ventilation, and containing an Ital-
ian queen, for which I paid Adam
C4rimm S8.
Xow, I do not believe that the shape
of the liive, method of ventilation, or
the queen of Mr. (irimmhad anything
to do in causing it. and in this dry
cellar, where the mercury never went
below the freezing point, and hardly
below 44- F., neither or both com-
bined could have produced it. Time
after time have not only I, but scores
of others had their apiaries terribly
reduced by this malady, where neither
cold nor dampness were present, nor
Mr. Doolittle's long confinement. No;
too many of us know that these
theories are fallacious. Now, give
your bees pure, properly prepared, re-
fined cane sugar syrup in combs con-
taining no bee bread, in such shape
that they can reach it readily at all
times, and then, if the disease mows
down our colonies, as it has been
doing, I will agree to run for presi-
dent of an indignation society, which
meets semi-occasionally to expatiate
upon our universal ignorance. I have
before shown how nearly alike is the
pollen and bacteria theories. When
producers get the sticky and doubly
interesting habit of setting their sec-
tions down on the brood frames, I will
make every effort possible to see that
Dr. Tinker, of New Philadelphia, the
introducer of the golden-honey plant,
has the great credit that will certainly
be due him.
Now, it is my turn to get into the
quagmire of not comprehending how
lots of top surface and surplus case
room can work favorably to the safe
wintering of bees, especially as so
many bee-keepers have declared
against the 10-frame Langstrotli hive
for this very reason, and further, be-
cause most of us still persist in re-
moving our surplus cases at the end
of the surplus season, and substituting
in its place a box whose top surface
room is more than 6.000 cubic inches,
and yet the bees will get the dysentery
and die. Nearly every year since I
adopted the 8- frame Langstroth hive,
I have been cursed with some 10-
frame hives, and strange to say, they
have fallen behind the average of my
apiary, in wintering safely.
My opinion is this, bees are more
inclined to let alone the nitrogenous
food, bee bread, and use only the
oxygenized food, honey, when they
have the best of facilities to get at
their stores at will. If the Doctor can
tell us how bees can more readily get
access to the adequate amount of food
required to winter them, said food
being distributed through ten combs
instead of eight, then 1 will not only
feel under obligations to him, but will
go back and impoverish Mr. George
and Katie Grimm, by showing them
that their parent's bank stock accu-
mulated from the use of bees in 8-
frame hives is all a myth, because it
is noiv clearly sliovvn that said hives
will not winter bees (though Adam
beat all the bee-keepers of tliis coun-
try in safely wintering large numbers
of colonies in his), nor are they well
suited to surplus storing, though tons
are annually coming from their tops,
and the change from the 10 to the 8-
frame hive is as sure as the trial is
made.
I believe I ventured to predict that
more than likely disease would catch
the Doctor before old age overtook
him and soothed him to sleep. I
would rather it would be otherwise
with all who live, but, alas, it is only
the very rare exception. 1 do not ask,
nor expect the readers to place any
more confidence in my theories and
statistics regarding this wintering
problem than they do in my "amaz-
ing " little prophecy.
"There la a history in nil men's lives.
Fignrintr the nitture of the times diseased ;
The which ubserveii, a man may prophesy.
With a near aim, of the main chance of things.
As yet not come to life, which in their seeds.
And wealt beginnings. He untrea"ured."
Dowagiac, Mich., Oct. 3, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Introducing ftueens.
J. E. POND, JK.
From my own experiments, I am
led to believe that queens may be in-
troduced safely with far less trouble
than is usually taken in the operation.
If the conditions are right, queens
may be allowed to run into hives
without taking any precautions what-
ever, and will be accepted at once ;
unless the conditions are right, queens
will not be accepted, no matter what
precautions are taken.
AVe all well know that it is a great
injury to a colony to be without a lay-
ing queen for several days, and if this
can be avoided, very substantial gains
will be made in the amount of the
honey crop. Ttiat there is no abso-
lutely safe method of introducing
queens as yet discovered, is true ; it is
also true that it is very difficult to
determine w^heu the conditions are
such that a queen will be accepted.
In my experiments I have taken all
these matters into consideration, and
find that the occasional loss of a
queen, made by introducing her at
once when the old one is removed, is
more, far more than counter-balanced
Ijy the gain in not allowing the colony
to remain qiieenless an hoiu\ I have
particular reference to the time when
honey is being gathered freely, as that
is the time when the loss of a queen
is severely felt. In introducing a
queen. I now adopt no precautions
whatever, except in early spring and
fall, but simply remove the old queen,
and allow the new one to run into the
entrance.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
508
My theory is this : Before removing
the old queen, I give the colony a few
puffs of sinolie to quiet them. The
bees at once fill themselves with
honey, and are as amiable as one
coukl wisli ; the bees coming in from
the tiekis are tilled with honey also,
and the foragers besides are so occu-
pied with their honey gathering pro-
pensities that they take no notice of
what is going on inside the hives, and
as the comb ouilders and nurses are
all very young, they do not molest the
new queen, even if' they do take any
notice of her. i\Iy theory mav not be
correct, but the fact is that I do not
lose one queen in 10 by introducing in
this manner.
"When no honey is being gathered,
queens cannot be introduced safely in
this way. The old bees remain in th"
hive, and are terribly vexed at not
being able to gather stores, conse-
quently are ready to vent their spite
upon any thing that crosses their path.
I nave, however, in several instances,
introduced queens successfully in late
fall, by tlie metliod advised by Mr.
Simmins in the Bntish Bee Journal,
viz. : removing the old queen, and at
once placing tlie new one upon the
same place on the comb the old one
was taken from. I am of the opinion
that the actions of the new queen
have, to a great extent, a bearing upon
the matter of whether she is well re-
ceived or not; if she is scared and
runs from tlie bees, or shows any
symptoms of terror, she will be
pounced upon at once; otherwise she
will hardly be noticed. My reason for
allowing queens to run in at the en-
trance, as mentioned above, is that I
think they are not as apt to show
signs of fear, or by any acts of theirs
cause the bees to see that they are
strangers.
Perhaps I may be considered as
decidedly heretical, but I have never
been fully satisfied that colonies have
any scent peculiar to themselves, by
wliich they are enabled to distinguish
visitors from members of ttieir own
colony. The idea has always seemed
to me as somewhat fanciful ; more
particularly when I see that robbers
are recognized before they touch the
alighting board, and by their actions
rather than by anything peculiar
about them. I have often seen senti-
nel bees " go for " robbers, when they
were nearly a foot from the entrance ;
and I have seen them oftentimes
pounce ui)ou a bee at the entrance,
and linding it showed no signs of
fear, allow it to go peaceably in when
one that did show signs oi fear (as
robbers always do when pounced
upon), was ruthless destroyed. This
question of peculiar scent is a matter
of opinion with me ; but is it any
more than a matter of opinion with
others V If there is anv evidence of
the fact, if it is a fact, "I hope yet to
see it, and until I do, shall hold to my
present belief.
Foxboro, Mass., Sept. 28, 1883.
1^" We carefully mail the Bee
JouKNAL to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send anothei, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
Western Bee-Keepers' Convention.
The Western Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation met at Independence, Mo.,
Sept. 20 and 21. The attendance was
good, better tlian at any of the pre-
vious meetings of the association,
and the first day's session was spent
most pleasantly.
The morning passed in arranging
the displays of bees, honey, extrac-
tors, hives and fixtures, and in a gen-
eral social manner. At noon, those
in attendance, were treated to an ex-
cellent repast by the ladies of the
association. After dinner the tables
were cleared and the association was
called to order by its president, Mr.
.Jas. A. Nelson, Mr. P. Baldwin acting
as secretary pro tern. The reading of
the minutes was deferred until next
day.
Xo preliminary remarks were made,
and the association proceeded to the
business in hand. The committee on
subscriptions to a premium by the
citizens reported an amount of $50
subscribed for the best 50 pounds of
honey. The committee on premiums
offered by the association reported as
follows with names of exhibitors :
(Uass A— Best display of comb and
extracted honey, 20 pounds each, $25 ;
W.C.Haraldsou and Jonathan George.
Class B— Best 25 pounds of comb
honey, $10; W. C. Ilaroldson, .lona-
than George and Miss R. A. Baldwin.
Class C— Best 25 pounds of extracted
honev. $10 ; J. T. Sale, AVillie Bald-
win, W. C. Ilaroldson and Jonathan
George.
Class D.— Best queen with her bees,
$10; W. C. Ilaroldson and J. II. Fink.
Class E.— Best display of bee fix-
tures. Seoville & xVnderson, Colum-
bus, Kansas.
Those contending for special prem-
ium of $50 on exhibit of 50 pounds of
honey, are L. W. Baldwin, Jas. Jones
and P. Baldwin.
Class G.— Best package of comb
honey, one year's subscription to the
Independence Sentinel, Wmie Baldwin.
The report of the committee was
followed by the election of oflicers for
the ensuing year, as follows : Presi-
dent, II. Seoville, Columbus, Kansas ;
Vice-President, G. W. Young, Lex-
ington, Mo. ; Secretary, C. M. Gran-
dall. city ; Treasurer, P. Baldwin, city.
No further business was transacted
at the afternoon session.
Quite a number of the citizens
joined the members in making the
day's meeting a success. Among
those present from other places were,
Messrs. J. T. Sales, Jas. Jones and
their ladies, of the country ; Mr. John
Long, of South Missouri : Mr. Jas. A.
Nelson, of Wyandotte, Kas ; Messrs.
G. W. Young and C. F. Lane, of
Lexington ; Messrs. Seoville and An-
derson, of Columbus, Kas., and also
Miss Millie Seoville, of Columbus,
Kas.. who is a guest of Capt. Jas. D.
Meador's family.
Tlie second and last day's session
of the annual meetiug of the AVestern
Bee-Keepers' Association was even
more productive of discussion and
general interest than the first day.
The attendance was larger, and, all
in all, the association may be con-
gratulated upon its success at this the
second meeting since its organization.
The premiums were ample for the
meeting, but with the present rate of
increase in interest and and endeavors
for success will necessarily be larger
at the next meeting. More visitors
were present yesterday.
On Thursday evening, at 8 o'clock,
the associaticm met for discussion
with President Seoville in the chair.
The evening, which was very satis-
factorily spent, was opened by adopt-
ing a resolution, offered by Capt. Jas.
D. Meador, to present a crate of the
premium honey to the Journal. This
was followed by voting a half crate of
the premium honey to the Independ-
ence iSentinel, and also to the Inde-
pendence Proqress.
The President appointed Mr. P.
Baldwin committee on statistics. Dr.
G. W. Young occupied some little
time in addressing the meeting. He
was followed by President Seoville
with his experience in bee-culture.
Raising queens from worker eggs, and
his method of swarming bees were the
topics. To swarm bees he advised
the taking of a small nucleus from
each hive and strengthening from the
stronger colonies from time to time.
The subject, " What causes comb
honey to sweat and run," was dis-
cussed by Messrs. P. and L. W. Bald-
win, J. i). Meador, G. W. Young II.
Seoville and C. M. Crandall. The
conclusion was that it was caused by
the bees sealing the honey before it
was properly ripened.
Mr. P. Baldwin propounded the
question, "AVhat does the worker bee
do with the honey when first brought
into the hiveV" The answering of
the question was not fully arrived at,
and the discussion was rather ani-
mated and engaged in by all the
members. The best method of mark-
eting honey was freely discussed by
Messrs. Baldwin, Meador, Jones and
Young, and was postponed for further
discussion until next day.
Friday morning was occupied in a
social way. The members took pains
to explain all the fixtures and in ex-
hibiting the fine display of honey to
the many visitors who called during
the day. At 1 o'clock dinner was
served as on the previous day, and
those in attendance were highly
pleased at tlie efforts of the ladies who
prepared the repast.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
President Seoville called the meet-
ing to order shortly before 2 o'clock,
and called for reading of the minutes
of the previous meeting, which had
been deferred. They were read and
adopted.
The report of the judge who had
awarded the premiums was called for,
and read as follows, Mr. Jerome
Twitchell, of Kansas City, oflBciating
as judge :
Class A— Best display of comb and
extracted honey, to \V. C. Ilaroldson,
Buckner, Mo.; premium, $25.
Class B— Best 25 lbs. of comb honey,
to Miss Rosina A. Baldwin, Indepen-
dence ; $10.
504
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Class C— Best 25 lbs. of extracted
honey, to \V. C. Haroldson, Buckiier ;
$10.
Class D— Best queen and bees, J. H.
Fink, Independence; $10.
Class E— Best display of bee fix-
tures, Scoville & Anderson , Columbus,
Kas.; $15.
Class F— Special premium No. 1, by
merchants of Independence, best 50
lbs. of honey, to Jas. A. Jones, Buck-
ner ; premium, $50.
Class G— Special i)remium Xo. 2,
one year's subscription to the Inde-
pendence ISentinel, Willie Baldwin.
The discussion of the best methods
of shipping and marketing honey, fol-
lowed the awarding of the premiums.
It was engaged in by Mr. Jerome
Twitchell, of Kansas City, who spoke
at length, and was quite interesting,
although he, as well as the others, was
uncertain as to the best methods.
Mr. Phidel Baldwin, of the commit-
tee on statistics, reported as follows.
The Table will explain itself :
NAMKS.
•
U a
z;
a
©_•
OS
d
oa
00 O
la
o
'2000
3U00
■466
200
2000
'8750
°g
II
m
160
600
65
300
500
SOO
1500
•1750
i
40
175
3
10
12
57
135
175
54
20
85
20
125
58
125
18
1112
SO
475
y
20
16
85
150
230
64
54
110
Younp&ljane
J. H. Fink
100
"f,
C M Crandall
25
Scoville & Anderson
L W Baldwin . ..
'kn
300 [ ■.mil
25
'.wVi
30110
12(K1
1200
15(10
iimi
1000
000
19355
111(1
46
:« 600
150 i 4S1X
84: 23110
165! 85U0
30 400
1759 38550
5(1
15
■)(!
Phidel Baldwin
25
Total
261
Jas. A. Nelson, Wyandott, Kas.,
and Scoville & Anderson, Columbus,
Kas., reported that they were princi-
pally in the queen rearing business.
On motion, the President appointed
Messrs. Phidel, L. W. Baldwin and
Jas. H. Jones a committee on market-
ing of honey.
At 4 o'clock the second annual meet-
ing of the ^Vestern Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation adjourned, to meet at a
semi-annual meeting on the last
Thursday in April, 1S84.
C. M. Crandall, Sec.
H. Scoville, Pres.
there is less risk in wintering in chaff
hives than in the cellar.
Prof. Cook thought the entrance to
the hive should be nearly closed, at
this time of the year, so as to keep the
brood from chilling. He also said that
a great many of our best bee-keepers
are using finer packing, such as timo-
thy, chaff, and very fine sawdust; he
did not want oil-cloth over his bees at
any time ; he also said that in cellar
wintering the bees ought not to be
taken out before April 5, and, in pre-
paring them for winter, he would take
away all the pollen he could.
J. M. Harper thought it time now
to prepare for winter.
A. Gregory thought it too early, as
there would be danger in not leaving
honey enough.
Superintendent I. N. Smith, and
Secretary B. B. Baker, of the Central
Michigan Agricultural Society, were
present, and stated that suitable ar-
rangements had been made for an
exhibit of bees, honey and apiarian
supplies at the coming Fair.
Prof. Cook recommended an appli-
cation of ammonia or sal soda for bee
stings.
O. Wilson endorsed the ammonia
remedy.
On the question of profit, Mr. Hil-
bert thought bees as profitable as any
investment he could make.
"W. B. Stone & Co., had a fine dis-
play of hives, extractors, smokers,
and comb foundation, and stated that
they had sold during the season, 150,000
of the all-in-one-piece sections, and
about 700 of the Baker hives.
The next meeting of the Associa-
tion will be held at the same place in
Lansing, April is, 1884.
E. N. Wood, Sec.
Lansing, Mich.
colony, and no increase ; Mrs. R. 2
colonies, and no increase ; Mr. G. 2.'5
colonies, increased to 25; Mr. W. 3
colonies, and no increase; spring
count, 59 ; increase, 4. >Somd of them
are almost persuaded to take the Bee
Journal and adopt the Langstroth
hive.
Morgan, Texas, Sept. 27, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Bee-Keeping in Bucks County, Pa.
J. E.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Central Michigan Convention.
The Central Michigan bee keepers
held a meeting in the Pioneer room,
in the State Capitol building, on Sept.
25; about 20 members were present.
President xVsh worth occupied the
chair. S. Hilbert, of Lansing, was
made a member.
In discussing the best methods of
wintering, J. M. Harper, who had
looked upon the celler, as the best
plan, confessed to a change of mind.
He found it difBcult to secure proper
ventilation in the cellar, and would
winter a part of his bees in chaff hives;
he believed, upon the whole, that
For the American Bee JoumaL
Experiments in Introducing ftueens.
A. M. HOGLE.
I bought 2 colonies of black bees to .
manipulate while learning my first
lessons in bee-keeping, transferred
them to Langstroth hives in May,
1883, which were the first movable
frame hives that I ever saw. In June
I tried to Italianize them ; 48 hours
after I put the first Italian queen
in the hive, I let her out of the cage,
and the natives balled her ; I re-caged
the queen, but in 24 hours more they
had cut under and killed her. The
second Italian queen arrived dead ;
for the third, I selected 5 frames of
hatching brood (brushed the old bees
off), put them in a new Langstroth
hive with my fine queen, and the ants
destroyed the queen and colony. The
fourth and last (aueen came in a 3-
frame nucleus colony. I have 8 fine
queens from her, and 3 queens from
my 2 blacks, which make me 1 Ital-
ian, 8 hybrids, and 5 black colonies,
making 14 colonies in all; increased
only 11. My box hive and log gum
neighbors have done well. Mr. B.
had 4 colonies, increased to 5 ; Mr. R.
1 colony, and no increase; Col. B. 2-5
colonies, increased to 26 ; Mr. M. 1
I enclose a flower and stem of a
weed that grows in our fields at this
time of the year, and has several
shoots. Yesterday I counted 16 Ital-
ian bees working on a bunch at the
same time, and the humming of the
bees among the flowers of that weed,
sounds like it does in May. "What is
its name ? Does it produce honey
abundantly, and of what quality ? as
the bees seem to work on it from early
morning until late in the evening.
Bees in this section of the country,
as far as I have heard, have done well
for the season. The forepart was
very wet. the latter part very dry.
Surplus comb honey has been taken
abundantly, and retails at 25 cents
readily ; but no extracting is done in
this neighborhood, where box hives
are mostly used ; some have reported
an average of 50 pounds to the hive.
I cannot report, this season, anything
on my apiary, as I have transferred
my bees from old hives to movable
frames, and introduced bees from the
apiary of D. A. Pike, of Smithsburg,
Md.. and I think they are the best and
gentlest bees to handle, and are as
good honey-gatherers I ever saw dur-
ing my 25 ye^rs of keeping bees. I
procured over 30 pounds from one
hive, from May 1, 1883, to June 1,
1883, after turning them upside down.
These last two months being so dry,
the bees do not seem to store any
surplus from fall flowers, but seem to
have plenty of sealed honey in the
body of the hive, and take what they
gather at present for brood-rearing,
as there seems to be more for this
month than I have seen in several
years, for the same month.
The Italians have not been clear of
drones this season ; they are flying
every day, while the blacks disap-
peared in July.
Fallsington, Pa.
[It is an aster; it yields honey
abundantly, and of fine quality.— Ed.]
For the American Bee JoiumaL
Desiccated Foul Brood.
H. L. JEFFREY.
I send, by mail, a sample of that
species of foul brood that I have tried
so hard for the past five years to ob-
tain some information about, from
other bee-keepers, without any result.
The larvse turns yellowish bro\\Ti,
and then dries up aiid leaves a dirty
sediment in the cells. Jly attention
was called to it on Monday, Aug. 3.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
505
It is not usually noticed till the col-
ony has all dvvindleil down. The
queen keeps laying in the combs
nearly as well as usual, but the third
or fourtli lot of brood does not ma-
ture as much as the preceding ones,
and if a comb is talien from the hive
and given to healthy colony, every
comb will be more or less affected
with it iu two or tliree mouths, and it
wijl spread all througli the apiary iu
one or two seasons, according to the
number of colonies. The infection
seems to stay in the hives unless they
are thoroughly washed inside with
salt and vinegar. In 18S0 and 1881 I
saw 25 colonies in one yard ruined by
it. I have known of its ravages since
1878, in different parts of this State.
I never have had but three or four
hives troubled with it, and those were
in an isolated apiary for the purpose
of experimenting, but it lias shown
itself in several apiaries where there
has been a large amount of bare-
headed brood, during the previous
season.
I have been as far as 35 miles, by
request, to examine colonies that I
have found it in, and found it the
cause of the colonies being depleted
to a serious extent. I am sure it is as
much to be dreaded as the malignant
foul brood, because it is not as easily
detected in its tirst stages, and for that
reason it easily and surely gets the
upper hands of the novice, and its
ravages get a good foot hold.
Please to examine the specimen as
closely as possible, and call the atten-
tion of the best informed apiarists to
the subject. I am ready to give all
the information I possess on the sub-
ject, and would like the opinion of
others. Perhaps if the specimen was
examined by some competent apiar-
ists, it would be more thoroughly in-
vestigated.
Washington Depot, Ct.
[We have had no experience with
foul brood in any form, but will try to
get the opinion of those who have, at
the Convention here next week. — Ed.]
For the American Bee JournaL
Bees Injured by Heat, etc-
J. D. ENAS.
Under the heading of " Bees Injured
by heat," Mr. M. Bragg seems to
think that my bees suffered from not
being properly shaded. Most of my
hives are not shaded, though I am not
opposed to shade for hives ; I have
planted some trees for that purpose,
and have used the live oak for shade,
but do not observe any difference in
the result. When bees cluster at the
entrance, I lind out the reason at once,
and attend to it.
My hives are the Muth-Langstroth,
with false ends, for the frames in the
second story, which gives an air space
at the ends of frames, and prevents
the combs from melting, and the over-
heating of the brood. It is a longtime
since I had any combs to melt from
heat. I use a piece of burlap on the
top of the frames, which absorbs
moisture, and keeps the top of the
hive cool in warm days. I also raise
the top and also the hive from the
bottom board, if needed.
On the last of December, 1882, we
had a down-East snow storm; snow
was six inches deep on a level, with
frost in the evening. Previous to that
our season was warm, and fruit buds
were nearly in bloom. One could see
the pink lining to the cherry buds.
Many of our fall and winter flowers
were in bloom ; even blue sage, which
was killed by the snow and subse-
quent frost. The snow did not last
48 hours. The Manzanita, which was
in full bloom, was cut short. Fruit
buds that were about to burst were
checked, and none too soon, for every
thing would have been killed. All
tender plants were killed to the
ground ; even the live oaks shed their
leaves, some entirely, which is un-
usual, and which I have not seen be-
fore, during a residence of more than
31 years in this State.
Jn February again, during a warm
spell, the Sage bloomed, to be again
caught by frost, which checked the
rearing of brood. Having plenty of
combs of sealed honey, I uncapped it
and gave it when it was most needed.
We had a good many cool and sudden
showers until May, when the bees
were booming again, though the
weather was very bad for queen rear-
ing most of the spring, as it seemed
to rain just when one expected a lot
of queen cells to hatch, or a lot of
young queens to be fertilized.
Early in .June we had north winds
whichdried up vegetation, injured
the bloom and young fruit, and put
another check on the honey flow, and
the effect was felt the balance of the
season throughout the State.
Our climate is not the same as at
Mr. Bragg's place, which is probably
100 miles, or so, further south. The
highest marked by the thermometer
was 102^, and that for one day only.
That was the only time that the bees
left the combs; but by raising the
hive from the bottom board, they
soon went inside. I used the entrance
of the whole width of the front of the
hive. I am of the same opinion as
Mr. Bragg, that a double-walled hive
will suit this climate. I think the
dead-air space an improvement, to
guard against over-heating.
Queens stopped laying from -1 to 6
weeks, but are building up, at the
present. I had to feed 100 pounds of
sugar. They are doing better now,
and prospering. The frost stopped
the supply of pollen.
At the time my bees were getting
reduced, they did not seem to be
bringing in pollen, and by feeding
them honey liquefied, I induced rob-
Ijing more than I cared for (although
I had a bee tent). After using all
means to stop robbing without suc-
cess, I made a lower story to the hive,
only m inches high, well ventilated
with double-wire cloth over the ven-
tilators, with a trap for entrance, so
tliat the bees could go in, but not get
out. I set the hive on that, and closed
all the openings except the entrance.
I had a hole one-half way up, in
front of the hive, and closed with a
plug. When the robbers were very
thick at tlie entrance, I opened the
upper hole, and they would stream in,
in a solid body; when most were in,
I closed the hole. In this way I got a
strong colony. I then placed an
empty hive on the stand, and removed
the hive with bees, shaded ttiera for
several days, and put them on their
stands after dark. The next morning
they were ready to defend what they
had before robbed. I think the other
hives were more than the loser. This
is the worst season I have seen since
1877.
Xapa, Cal., Sept. 17, 1888.
For the American Bee Journal,
Ohio Convention.
The Ohio Bee-Keepers' Association
held a meeting at Columbus, O., from
Sept. 3d to 7th inclusive, during the
Ohio State Fair, at which time several
questions of importance were dis-
cussed, among which was the subject
of Queen Bearing and Managementi
by A. Benedict, of Benington, O.
Also by S. D. Riegel, of Adelphi,0.,
on Bearing Queens from Larvae,
Rearing Queens in Small Nuclei,
and Putting Queens with Swarms at
Swarming Time, etc.
A question was asked and not satis-
factorily answered. Will a Colony
Swarm without Drones V
ilany other questions of importance
were discussed.
An interesting lecture was deliver ed
by Dr. Besse, of Delaware, O.
I must not close this report without
thanking the Ohio State Board of
Agriculture for the Interest they have
taken in the advancement of bee-cuU
ture, by the liberal premiums paid,
and suitable buildings provided for
the display of honey and all kinds of
bee appliances, of which there was a
very good display by Dr. Besse, S. D.
Eiegel, A. 15euedict, Mr, Drum and
many others.
The meeting adjourned to meet
some time duringthe winter, of which
due notice will be given.
C. M. Kingsbury, Sec.
1^ The fall meeting of the New
Jersey and Eastern Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held in the city of
New York, at the Cooper Union, on
Wednesday, Nov. 7, 1883.
J. Hasbkouck, Sec.
Bound Brook, N. J.
1^ The Lorain County Bee-Keep-
ers' Association will meet at Oberlin,
Ohio, on the last Tuesday in October,
30th. O. J. Terrell, -Sec.
Advertisements intended for the Beh
Journal must reach this oflice by
Saturday of the previous week.
i^Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them iu. They
are very valuable for reference.
506
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Wihiii and ^oxo.
ANSWERS By
James EeMon, Dowagiac, Mich.
t^ It I understand correctly, this
department is not expected to occupy
very much of each number of the
Weekly. It is, in my judgment, in-
tended to be filled with these ques-
tions, that are of such a nature that
. Short answers may be full and com-
prehensive. There is an old adage
that makes the following new one
true. A moment may ask questions
that hours cannot answer. For in-
stance, "A Friend's"' first question is
exactly adapted to the department.
His second will do.
Mr. Tongue's, in my opinion, is out
of place here. It would take a long
and comprehensive article for me to
reply to it satisfactorally to Mr. T.,
and then some one else would call it
all moonshine.
None but the author should
dictate the subject for articles. Arti-
cles to be of most value, should have
Borne inspiration about them. Inspir-
ation (excelerated circulation), will
not bear dictation.
How is this, Mr. Editor, am I not
correct V You made this department,
and had it all before my eyes, in print,
before I dreamed of such a thing.
J. H.
[Mr. Heddon is quite correct. The
department was intended for terse
replies, of general interest, and not
for a special description of articles,
used by Mr. Heddon, or for captious
questions regarding any of his " hob-
bies," for every man has more or less
of them.— Ed.]
Spaces Between Tiers of Sections.
Will Mr Heddon please answer?
1. How much space do yon allow be-
tween the tiers of sectiens in your
case V
2. About what per cent, of your sec-
tions can you get straight enough to
glass y
A Friend.
Answers.— 1. Scant % of an Inch.
2. "Without separators, we can get
5-6 of our sections straight enough to
glass, if we glass them on the outside
of the wide pieces, a la Moore ; but if
on the outside of the narrow pieces,
and within the'wide side pieces, then
only a small portion, and were I bound
to glass my sections in this style
(prize), I should use separators.
How to Successfully Winter Bees,
Will Mr. Heddon please tell how to
winter bees successfully in the "What
and How." It will be a favor thank-
fully received. Please give modus
operandi in detail. L. N. Tongue.
Hillsborough, Wis., Sept. 22, 1883.
Answer.— While I appreciate the
fact that Mr. Tongue values my
knowledge of the wintering problem,
I wish to say that the best I can do for
him now, is to refer him to my illus-
trated article in one of the October
numbers of the Weekly for 1WS2. I
am now making some extensive ex-
periments in wintering, but of these
cannot report much yet.
Sections and Cases.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following question in the Bee Jour-
nal :
1. Is your section 2 inches wide or
1?4 inches V
2. How is the Heddon section case
made i*
3. Can the section be glassed as
easily as if separators were used V
J. F. Sellers.
Reynolds, 111., Sept. 11, 1883.
Ans WER.— 1 . We are this year exper-
imenting with sections l}4, l?i and 2
inches wide ; they please us just in
proportion to their width — preference
being for the narrowest.
2. Our case is a shallow box, with
open top and bottom, i^i high, of the
length and breadth of the hive they
are to be used on, with partitions and
a tin strip on the bottom to support
the sections. The minutia is out of
place here, and you should not attempt
to make any number without a sam-
ple.
3. The sections cannot be glassed as
readily as those built between separa-
tors.
StlJCT/OXMROM
"nuR'tEvuEnmox-
Best Honey Season for Tears.
We have not had time to take off
all our honey yet. There are at least
2.000 pounds yet in the hives. "We
have had the best season for honey
that we have had for some years. Bees
are now working briskly. Our bees
will be in splendid condition for win-
ter quarters-
S. Valentine & Son.
Hagerstown, Md., Sept. 28, 1883.
Fall Honey in Texas.
We have had a very good rain down
here, and grass has started up. The
bees are doing very little, working on
scattering wild flowers.
M. C. Graneerry.
Austin. Texas, Sept. 30, 1883.
Good (Qualities in Bees.
On page 480. I noticed the following
list of qualities which should be
sought in bees : 1. Good honey gath-
erers. 2. Ilard^ to winter. 3. Easy
to handle. 4. Yellow bands. Please
tell us of what value is the fourth re-
quisite to these perfect bees. It
seems to us that to the three first
qualities should be added, good comb
builders, and the instinct to protect
themselves from robbers, moths, etc.
There may be many other valuable
qualities, such as proliflcness, but we
can see no possible use of " yellow
bands," Had the writer said " iron
bands." we might have thought he
wanted them to keep the over-loaded
bees from bursting. If these " yellow
bands " are something of that kind,
we hope tlie phenomenon will be ex-
plained. .John King.
Fowler. Ohio, Sept. 28, 1883.
[The remarks about "iron bands"
are. of course, simply "irony " — noth-
ing more.
Yellow bands merely add to the
beauty of the bees ; and, though this
is always a welcome feature, the
qualities named above, for comb
building, proliflcness, etc., are more
essential. — Ed.]
Those Large Yields.
Please ask. through the Bee Jour-
nal, of those giving large yields from
one colony, to give a description of
their hive, the surplus honej;. kind of
bees, if doubled in the spring, how
much, whether fed or not, if fed, when
and how much ; also the treatment
from Xov. 1, 1882, to the time of their
report. T. J. Tiffany.
Brooklyn, Pa., Sept. SO, 1883.
Asters as Honey Plants.
I send a sample of one of our honey
plants, and would like for Prof. Cook
to give us the name of it through the
Bee Journal. It generally grows
about 4 feet high, and sometimes 6
feet. It has been in bloom ever since
Sept. 1, but it is about out now. The
bees have worked on it splendidly,
and stored a nice lot of honey, putting
them in fine condition foi' winter.
A. E. XlSBET.
Dobyville, Ark., Sept. 29, 1883.
[It is one of the innumerable asters,
which are among our most excellent
honey plants. The honey is also of
excellent quality. — A. J. CooK.j
Satisfied witli Honey Crop.
I have just taken off the last honey
of the season, and put my bees into
winter quarters by putting a large
chaff cushion in my chaff hives, as I
remove my crates." It may seem a
little early, but ray experience is, that
it does not hurt them to have plenty
of time to arrange for their " long
winter nap." I found an unusual
amount of brood and honey in the
brood-chamber, for the time of year.
Our fall honey was cut short by the
drouth and early frosts, but my sea-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
507
son's report is as follows, and I am
satisfied : Spring count, 35 colonies ;
in winter quarters, 57 colonies ; coiub
honey, 2,008 lbs. ; extracted lioney,
1,114 lbs.; total, 3,122 lbs. I hope to
be able to attend the Chicago Conven-
tion.
Geo. E. Hiltok.
Fremont, Mich., Oct. 3, 1883.
Fall Honey from the Asters.
Please lind enclosed a Mower that is
just in full bloom now. It has been in
bloom for about ten days ; the frost
does not seem to injure it. Bees are
working on it very lively, and they
are storing honey in good style yet.
Please give it a name through your
welcome Bkk Journal.
D. B. Bko'vvn.
Des Moines, Iowa, Sept. 27, 1883.
[It is one of the asters— all are ex-
cellent honey producers. — Ed.]
Bee and Honey Exhibit.
We had quite a nice honey exhibit
at the Portage County Fair. Jilr.
Page, of Streetsborougli, and Mr.
Converse, of Ravenna, were the ex-
hibitors. Mr. Page had a tent made
of wire screen covering his bees. Mr.
Converse took out the side of his hive
and put in glass, so that they could
see the bees. He took the prize for
a hive ; also, on the best colony of
bees ; also on some honey.
B. Harding.
Kent, Ohio, Oct. 1, 1883.
Bee Killer.
I send a specimen of fly caught
with a bee in its forceps. They are
exceedingly swift on the wing, and
cannot be kept sight of more than a
couple of rods away. Are they the
" bee killers " spoken of in the Bee
Journal y
.Jas. Poindexter.
Bloomington, 111.
[Yes ; it is the Asilus Missouriensis,
or bee killer. — Ed.]
t^ The sixth annual meeting of
the Northern Michigan Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held at Stone's
Opera Hall, Sheridan, Montcalm
county, Mich., on Tuesday and Wed-
nesday, Oct. 9 and 10, to open at JO a.
m. of the first day. Evening sessions
will be held, which will be interest-
ing. At our last meeting it was re-
quested tliat all interested in apicul-
ture attend, and all who would, and
could, furnish for exhibition apiarian
supplies in the way of hives, extrac-
tors, implements used in the apiary,
honey, honey-producing plants, and
anything that would be interesting to
a bee-keeper. Ample arrangements
have been made to entertain all who
will come. Let us have a general
turn out, and see what we can learn
one of the other. It will be a dull
scholar wlio cannot profit by such a
gathering. Feel assured we shall
have an interesting time.
Geo. W . Stanton, Pres.
O. R. Goodno, tSec.
Special ^aticcs.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this ottice get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
W e wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if tlaey live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more neio
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$15.00- On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits. — We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date > to which your subscription is
paid. When you send ns money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within tv.'o weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Trial Trip-25 Cents.
As the season for Fairs has arrived,
and wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer metliods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal till Dec. 31,
on trial, for 25 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who wdll send us five trial
subscriptions (with $1.25) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Beea
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a,
little exertion.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic iij
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Bee Pastu rage a Necessity. — We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid te
any address for 10 cents.
(^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart vvithout interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and wlien the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may botli be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
1^ To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to eve-ry one who
buys a package of honey at Fairs, will
sell almost a fabulous quantity of it.
508
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
Subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
^ith $4, will be entitled to a copy ot
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
Will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
Will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Qinnby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's ABC of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
tor the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and houey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new ]0 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-pnid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Books at Fairs.— Those who make
an exhibit at Fairs will find that an
assortment of Books and Pamphlets
Would sell and leave them a protit for
handling. We will send such, postage
prepaid, at 25 per cent, discount; or
if the purchaser pays express charges,
we will supply any of our own publica-
tions at 40 per cent, discount.
I®" May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own V Our premium," Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one ?iew sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $S per 100.
^" The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters went into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will now be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent,
or else live or ten-cent postage stamps,
or a Postal Note. Do not send coins
In any letter.
CHOICE ITALIAN (jUEENS !
Breed for BUSINESS and Beauty !
Daughters of proliflc and flne-colored mothers.
pro'Jucine large and beautilul drones and workers,
Tested Queens, selected with care, each f2 00
Untested " choice in color and size, each, 1 00
Nucleus of S-Langs. frames and tested Queen 4 oO
Additional frames, each 50
If you want the BEST, send your orders for
QiieeuB unti Bees to
JAMES E. WHITE,
iBtf KNGLBWOOD, CookCo.,ILL.
BOND & PEARCH,
I ESTABLISHED ISfiO.)
163 South Water St., CHICAGO,
GOMMISSiON MERCHANTS
Make a Specialty in HO'EY.
Consignments snlicited. Will make liberal ad-
vances on shipments. Refer to Hide and Leather
National Bank. lOBtf
Sweet Clover
AND OTHER SEEDS.
Ilavinsz a large stock of the new crop of Sweet
Clover Seed, I can fill orders at 30c. per pound
94: per peck, or JSlii per bushel.
Also, all other SEEDS for HONEY PLANTS.
ALFRED K. NEWMAN,
923 West Madison Street, ('hicneo. 111.
'^■.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
15ee Journal and a colored Poster,
to aid in getting up a club. The
Premiums we offer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of 8 subscribers
to the Monthly Bee Journal, or 4
Weekly, we will present Dzierzon's
Bational Bee-Keeping, price S2.00.
!l^:fA'iJ:t.W;]i|i|
BARNES' PATENT
Foot Power Machinery
CIRCULAR AND
SCROLL SAWS.
Hand, Circular Rip Saws for
general heavy and litiht rip-
piDK, Lathes, &c. These ma-
chines are especially adapted
to Hive Maklnir. I twill pay
every bee-keeper to send for
our 48-page Illustrated Cata-
logue.
W. F. & JOHN BARNES,
No. 2017 Main street,
Rockford, Winnebago Co., 111.
KEGS AND PAILS
FOR EXTRACTED HONEY.
These KEGS are deslsmed to answer the popular
demand for honey in small packages, and when
compared with large barrels holding from 30(i to
stMi lbs. each, they are fully as cheap and often
cheaper. They need no waxing, but should simply
be thoroughly scalded with boiling water before
used. The leakage so often occurring in the large
hard-wood barrels can be entirely prevented by
using this size of packages. Considering the cost
and trouble of waxing, the loss of honey by leak-
age, and the ease with which these Kegs can be
handled and shipped, with an actual saving In
Original cost, it is apparent to all that tbey are the
beat. Prices:
5 gallon Kegs, holding a trifle over 50 lbs 40c
10 " " " " '• 1001b9....60c
18 " " " '* " 190 lbs.... 800
When 25 or more kegs are ordered at one time, a
discount of 10 per cent, given on the above prices.
These new kegs are designed and manufactured
with special re'erence to luy experience and sug-
gestions from those who have used the dsh, lard
and syrup kegs of last season. The staves are
Norway Pine; the heads are Oak; and the hoops
are Hickory, and, as will be noticed by the accom-
panying illustrations, they are well bound. If the
heads are painted, I will guarantee these kegs not
to leak. It is not essential to paint them, but I
believe it will pay to do so.
THE BRITISH IJEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The BHiTisH Bee Journal is published month-
ly, and contains the best practical information tor
the time being, showing what to do, and when und
how to do it. Kev. H. K. PJEEI.., KtlUor.
We send the Weekly American Bkk .Iothnal
and tlieiJri(is)i Bef hmrnai^hoxM for t^i.' '.' a year.
These PAILS have a full cover and are excellent
for selling honev in a home market, and after the
honey is candied, thev can be shlpoed an vwhere.
All sizes, except thesiuallest.havea bailor handle,
and when emptied by the consumer will be found
useful in every hnuseh.ild.
A^^iirted tramples of the four sizes put inside ot
one another as a nest, price. .^>n cts. by express.
The following are the prices in quantities :
Perdoz. PerlOO.
Gallon, holding 10 lbs. of honey. . .*1.80. . .»12.00
Half Gal., " 5 "
ijuart, " 2!-^ " "
Pint, " iM "
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 West Madison Street, CHICAGO. ILL.
1.50..
9.00
1.20..
7.00
.75...
4.00
BEES
Send to Chicago. 111., for sample of
AMEKICAX BEEJOURXAI.
' Monthly, »1 a year. Weekly, «S.
'IM 1 T C T) i 1)17 t> may be found on file
I 11 lo X Al tjiV at Geo. P. Kowell 4
(o.'s Newspaper Advertising Bureau (lu Spruce
<\. ), where advertising contracts may be made for
it in XEW YORK.
.<8».
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., OCTOBER 17, 1883.
No. 42.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
EDITOR AND Proprietor,
Honey Producing Plants.
Speaking of the apiarian exhibit of
the Micliigan State Fair, the Country
Gentleman says :
One of the most interesting features
of the exhibition, was a collection of
honey-producing plnnts, pressed and
mounted by C. M. Weed, a student at
the Agricultural College. vSo well
•was the work done that the natural
colors of the flowers were perfectly
preserved. There were more than 50
specimens.
We have purchased the whole col-
lection, and have them bound in a
volume and placed in the Bee Jour-
nal Museum, for the convenience of
visitors.
8^ We have received a copy of a
new Bee Book, in German, by C. J.
II. Gravenhorst, of Germany. It is
published at 5 marks ($1.25), by C. A.
Schwetschke & Son, Biaunschweig,
Germany, and contains 2.50 large oc-
tavo illustrated pages. Mr. Graven-
horst is one of the most progressive
of German apiarists, and his articles
have been published in the Asierican
Bee Journal from time to time, on
all the most interesting topics of the
day.
Honey at the Indiana State Fair.
Alley's New Feeder. — We have re-
ceived one of these new bee feeders,
and placed in the Museum. It is new,
novel, and thoroughly practical.
®" Our honey-producers who have
an eye ujion a European market for
honey, will be pleased to learn that
several late shipments of comb honey
from tliis country to Europe has re-
sulted successfully.
The Indiana Farmer has the follow-
ing concerning the honey exhibit at
the recent State Fair :
While the honey show at the State
Fair was creditable to those who made
the exhibit, nevertheless, it was a dis-
grace to the bee-keepers of Indiana ;
especially so after the bounteous
yield of the past season. Several
parties had written us to the effect
that they would make a display of
apiarian products, but failed at the
eleventh hour. Yet it may be taken
as a sign of encouragement that we
were not permitted to walkaway with
the entire list of premiums.
Mr. A. Cox, of White Lick, Ind., did
himself credit, securing first premium
on comb honey in the most market-
able shape, also on best display of
honey from one iipiaiy, and second
premium on retail packages of ex-
tracted honey.
Mrs. Cox carried off the red ribbon
for the best honey cake, wliile visiting
bee-keepers carried off the cake ; we
can testify, from personal knowledge,
that it was very eatable.
J. Hutchinson, of Worthington,
Ind., showed some nice honey, the
shape, however, being objectionable
on account of the size of the boxes.
In the ladies' department, Mrs.
Brown, of this city, secured the first
on comb honey, and Mrs. Ilobbins
second on extracted.
I®" The Northwestern Farmer says
that Mr. II. K. Beecham, of Acme,
Mich., commenced the season with 40
colonies of bees, increased to 57, and
took from them 4,000 pounds of honey,
700 pounds of which was comb honey.
One colony gave 170 pounds of well
ripened extracted honey, and another
70 pounds of comb honey.
«^ Honey that will not candy is to
my mind very dangerous for winter
stores, as my experience proves. If
your combs are filled vi'ith honey from
honey dew, it will pay to extract it all
and feed sugar syrup. As the extrac-
ted honey can be fed in the late spring
and summer months for brood-rearing
with impunity, there will be no loss
of honey. — Indiana Fanner.
Died, at Augusta, Wis., Oct. 4, 1883,
after a long and lingering illne.ss,
Lovina, wife of Dr. Ij. C. Spencer,
aged .50 years. A life-long earnest
Chistian, a devoted wife and mother ;
■' her end was peace."
The above notice is sent us for the
Bee Journal. Mrs. Spencer was for
several years a successful and pro-
gressive apiarist, and many who at-
tended the National Convention in
Cliicago, in 1879, as well as several
other meetings, and formed her ac-
quaintance, will receive the intelli-
gence with profound sorrow, and wiU
join us in condolence with Dr. Spencer
in his sad bereavement.
1^" The Chicago Western Rural has
been enlarged to nearly double its
former size. This improvement in
the Rural which evidently places it at
the head of any other paper of its
kind in this or any other country, is
only indicative of the rapid develop-
ment of our agricultural and live
stock interests.
1^ T. J). Peterson & Brothers,
Philadelphia, Pa„ publish this day
"Guy Mannering," being the Third
Volunie of their new and cheap edi-
tion of " TiiE Waverley Novels,"
BY Sir W'alter Scott, which will be
completed in Twenty-six Weekly Vof-
umes, each volunie being a novel
complete in itself, and one volume
will be issued every Saturday until
the whole are published. Price 15 cts.
New Catalogues.— We have received
the following : Catalogue for 1883-84
of Pleasant Valley Niirseries of John
S. Collins, Moorestovvn. N. J.
D. A. Jones, Beeton, Out., Circular
and l^rice List containing a revised
essay on the wintering of bees.
Annual Catalogue of the State Ag-
ricultural College of Michigan, at
Lansing.
Price List of the Fruit-Land Nur-
sery of T. J. Ward, St. Mary's, Vigo
County, Ind.
510
XHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bee-Keeping on this Continent.
In the Toronto Qlobe for Sept. 28,
we notice the following editorial arti-
cle on the recent North American
Bee-Keepers' Convention in that city:
At the recent meeting there were
representatives from the extreme
points of the " sumiv South " and the
•'frozen North." Florida and Mani-
toba were in conclave over the ques-
tion of honey- prod iictidii. In the
bounty of nature, all over this broad
continent there flows, in greater or
less profusion, the luscious nectar of
flowers, which only awaits the labors
of the "busy bee," to be utilized for
the service of man. Although South-
ern bee-keepers have some advanta-
ges over their Northern brethren,
especially in the matter of wintering
bees, yet, strange to say, in the honey
yield the North excels the South. As
though Providence would infuse extra
sweetness into the lot of those who
are subjected to the rigors of our
northern winters, it is in these higher
latitudes that the largest crops of
honey are taken, and Canada, though
pictured by many in more southern
climes as a region of snow and ice, is
the banner country of the world as to
the production of honey.
One has only to survey such an ex-
hibit of honev as was presented at the
Toronto Industrial Exhibition, to
realize the possibilities of bee-culture
in this and other countries. Tlie dis-
play which has been made comprised
about $30,000 wortli of honey. If every
county throughout Canada were made
to yieid say $10,000 worth of honey
annually, it is easy to see that an ad-
dition of one or two milliou dollars
would thus be made to the national
revenue. This is an exceedingly
modest and moderate calculation, be-
cause there is hardly a county in the
Dominion that is not capable of yield-
ing ten limes that amount of honey.
It would appear from the statements
made at the recent Convention, that
what is needed in order to harvest the
vast honey crop which is going to
waste year after year in this and in
other countries, is a sufficient number
of properly qualitied bee-keepers.
Bee-keeping is like other occupations,
aptitude and education are essential
to success in it. Persons unfamiliar
with bee-keeping, will doubtless have
been astonished on reading the re-
ported proceedings of the recent Con-
vention, to find how many details
enter into the business, and what a
large amount of skill is needed in or-
der to its successful prosecution.
The necessity of a thorough educa-
tion in bee-culture of tliose naturally
adaped to it was a prominent point
brought out at the recent convention,
and the best way and means of secur-
ing it were thoroughly discussed. As
the outcome of these discussions it
was resolved that the time has fully
come for the claims of bee-culture to
be recognized by its being taught in
all the agricultural colleges through-
out North America. The Michigan
Agricultural College is the only one
in the United States that has a profes-
sor of apiculture. Prof. Cook, who
ably lills tliat office, was present at
the meeting wliich has just closed,
and added greatly to the interest of
the occasion. lie has, the present
year, a class of 40 students, and were
every other agricultural college on tlie
North American Continent to follow
the example set by Michigan, a large
amy of bee-keepers would be in train-
ing for this important rural industry.
It may be stated that instruction in
apiculture w'as contemplated by the
founders of the Ontario Agricultural
College in the original plan of tliat
institution. It was provided in the
programme of study that " there
should be a bird and bee department,"
and without doubt it might be made
a very valuable and useful one. The
Ontario Bee-Keepers' Association, it
is understood, intend to urge this
matter on tlie attention of the Gov-
ernment, and wo trust it may be
found practicable to comply with
their wish, and thus make our Agri-
cultural College in this, .as it is in
most other respects, the peer of the
one in the adjacent State of Michigan.
To the Bee-Keepers of Kentucky.
We are requested to publish the fol-
lowing Circular, a copy of which Dr.
N. P. Allen will send to any one who
will till out the blanks and return to
him :
We were appointed a oommittee by
the Kentucky Bee-Keepers Associa-
tion, which met at Louisville, August
29 and 30, to collect information in
regard to bee-culture and honey pro-
duction in Kentucky, the ultimate
object being the development of the
honey resources of the State, and the
best location for apiaries. — N. P.
Allen, W. C. Pelham, J. T. Conley.
Every bee-keeper is requested by
the Conimittee to fill out the following
blanks, and forward the same to me
at Smith's Grove, Ky.
N . P. Allen, Chaii-man Coin.
Kind of Hives used and kind of
Bees
No. of Colonies
No. of Swarms
No. lbs. Comb Honey
No. lbs. Extracted Honey
Price Comb Honey sold
Price Extracted Honey Sold
When Marketed
Give name of Flowers from which
Crop of honey is gathered
Fruit blossoms
Black Locust
Poplar
White Clover
Red Clover
Linden
Smart Weed
Golden Rod
Aster
Other Sources
Remarks
Beginning of honey flow
Length of honey flow
Remarks
Signature
Address.
Seasonable Hints.
Prof. A. J. Cook gives the following
on feeding and preparing bees for
winter, in the Bural New Yorker of
last week :
The bees should now be prepared at
once for winter. If not already done,
we should see to it at once that every
colony has at least 30 lbs. of capped
stores. If to secure tliis we need to
feed, it is just as well to feed granula-
ted sugar syrup as to feed honey. If
feeding is necessary, let it be done at
once, so that the bees may get it
capped over before it is too cold to do
it. I have found by actual experi-
ment tliat bees do better when the
pollen is mostly excluded from the
hives, and so would advise that frames
containing much pollen be left out of
the hive. They will be very valuable
if returned when breedingcomniences
next spring.
Let all see, too, that only as many
frames are left in the hive as the bees
will cover. Use a division-board, or
two division-boards, so as to make
the chamber for the bees only large
enough to contain these frames. All
these frames should be covered by a
piece of factory *',loth, and this by an
ample sack of chaff or dry sawdust,
which may come well down over the
division- boards. It may be thought
that repetition in these matters is the
order of the day ; but it is called for,
as neglect in these points is the rock
on which many— and some of them
our ablest bee-keepers — split.
In working with our bees at this
season, after gathering is over, we
can hardly fail to observe two things-
first, the propensity of the bees to
rob ; and secondly, the even greater
tendency to sting. To prevent rob-
bing, we should liandle the bees no
more than is absolutely necessary ;
we should leave no honey where they
can get at It, and if we see that any
colony is being robbed, we should
close the entrance so that only one or
two bees can pass at a time. The last
precaution is also wise, as during the
cold nights of October less heat will
escape.
Newspapers in America.
1^" For seven years past Edwin
Alden & Bro., Cincinnati, Ohio, have
issued annually their Ammcaii News-
paper Catalogue, but never duplicated
it.
To secure accuracy and reliability
they have corresponded directly and
through agents with every accessible
Editor, Publisher and Post-master in
the United States and Canadas.
The number of newspapers and
magazines published in the United
States and the Canadas as herein cata-
logued is 13,273 (an increase over the
number last year of 1,115). Total, in
the United States, 12,607 ; in the Can-
adas, 666.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
511
For the American Bee Journal.
Sending ftueens by Mail.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Having had considerable experience
this season in sending queens by mail,
as I have sent ont several hundred
without loss (with a single exception,
and that being chargable to an accident
occurring before the queen left my
place), I thought perhaps the readers
of the Bee .Journai, might be inter-
ested In a description of the cages
used, and the mode of making the
food for the bees during tiie journey.
The cage is a block of soft wood,
either pine or basswood, three inches
long by two wide by IJ4' thick ; 5-16 of
an inch from one end is bored a '}£
inch hole, going nearly through the
block the iJ-inch way, and 5-16 of an
incli from the other end is bored a 13>3
incli hole, going nearly through the
block the \}i way, which brings the
two holes within 1-16 of an inch of
eaciL otiier. By having the holes run
through tlie block from two different
sides, the block has more strength
than it otherwise would, and it also
gives room tor nearly double the teed
in the J^ inch hole, which could be got
in a hole running the same way as the
IJ2 inch hole does.
Into the JJy! inch hole is poured melt-
ed beeswax, so as to coat the wood
with wax, and thus prevent the
moisture being absorbed from the
candy. After being waxed, a % inch
hole is cut so as to join the two auger
holes, for a passage-way for the bees
to their food, which is to be placed in
the ^ inch hole. After the food is
in the hole, a cork made of iiiiie %
inch in diameter by }4 thick. fv;i by a
punch which can be purchas d .a any
gun store, is driven in, afitr being
previously dipped in melted wax.
Thus we have, as it were, a minature
barrel, full of food, and the bees are
admitted thereto through the bung
hole. The wax -coating allows no
moisture to escape, and the form of
the hole and the way the bees are ad-
milted, keeps the food in place, so
that it cannot possibly get loose and
kill the bees. Over the' It^a inch hole
is placed a 1>8 inch square piece of
wire cloth, wliicli is nailed down after
the queen and bees are in. Next, a
piece of a section honey box, 3 inches
long, by 2 wide, by 3-16 thick (having
for ventilation a j4 inch hole bored in
it so as to come directly over the 1%
inch hole), is nailed over the side of
the Ijlock having the wire cloth on it,
and we have oui- cage completed.
The candy is very easily made, and
will keep moist and in good condition
in the above described cage, forayear
at least. Take about 2 lbs. of pulver-
ized sugar, which can be obtained at
any grocery story, and put it into an
ordinary tin pan ; make a little hollow
in the sugar and put therein 3 table-
spooutuls of good, clover or basswood
honey. Now mix with the spoon till
it gets quite thick, when tlie spoon is
laid aside and the batter is kneaded,
as a woman would knead dough for
bread. This kne;iding is kept up till
you can roll the candy in your bands,
as boys roll snowballs. When it is so
hard that it will retain its round shape
when placed on a flat surface, except
to flatten somewhat on the underside,
it is ready for use.
To put it in the hole in the cage, get
a stick ?/8 in diameter, and pound it in
(keeping your finger over the feed
hole), till the barrel is full, lacking ^s
inch. Now drive in your waxed pine
cork, and you have it secure. In
driving in the cork, I generally use a
clamp on the cage to prevent the split-
ting of it, as the wax on the cork and
that on the hole makes it go in rather
snug, as it should do.
With this food and the cages above
described, I have sent queens safely
to Texas, California and Oregon, as
well as to nearly all the other states
in the United States. The postage
required is but 2 cents.
Sometime last February, Mr. Cam-
eron, of Scotland, wrote me to send
him one of my best queens by mail, if
1 was willing to try the experiment,
sometime during the summer. I re-
plied that I would do so, although I
had little faith that I could get a
queen to him by mail alive. Accord-
ingly, on Aug. i, I made a cage twice
as long as the one described above,
of a block 2 inches square. Instead of
using a ?4 inch feed hole as in the
above cage, I used two 1 inch in diam-
eter (one at each end) and bored two
1}4 inch holes in the center so they
cut together, which gave a larger bee
apartment. This cage gave room for
nearly four times as much candy as
the other, so I placed with the queen
2.5 worker bees as attendants, instead
of 10, as I usually do in the other
cages. I
The bees and queen were placed in
the cage at 11 a. m., Aug. 1, and the
cage placed, wire cloth down, on two
ijj strips, being thus left till the next
morning, so iluit the queen could rid
herself of eag^^. tnd the workers clean
out the cage of anything therein
which tliey may dislike.
In selecting bees to send with a
queen, 1 take those as near to 6 or 8
il,iys uld as I can, and catch them as
ttiev are tilling themselves with honey,
waiting till they have their honey sacs
nearly full. Having tried bees of
various ages together with those whicli
liave not filled themselves with honey,
I find that such bees give the best
result.
But to return : At 6 a. m., Aug. 2,
I nailed the cover over the face of the
cage, wrapped it up in strong manilla
paper, except the two % holes (one
over each of the IJ.^ incli holes), tied
it up with good strong twine, and tied
thereto a tag bearing the address. As
queens are not supposed to go in the
foreign mails, I took the precaution to
register the package, so as to be sure it
should be forwarded after it left the
confines of the U. S. At 7 a. m., her
majesty started for her home in the
old world. On the evening of Sept. 4,
I received the following letter :
Blair Athole, Scotland, Aug. 18,
1883.— "Y(ui have done it, my friend;
you have done it ! Shortly after 8, on
the morning of the IBih inst., I re-
ceived the package containing the
queen bee. You may be sure I very
quickly peered inside, and as quickly
had the satisfaction of seeing probably
the first ' live queen that ever crossed
the Atlantic' I delayed as little as
possible before I opened the cage or
royal palace, for such it seemed to be
— clean, sweet, and in perfect order.
On opening, I found the queen in
splendid trim, and so was her attend-
ant bees. Two only of the bees were
dead. Tlie candy was not half eaten,
and it had kept its place in the cage.
No spots of dysentery ; in short,
everything was first-class. This morn-
ing, while I held the frame in my
hand, I saw her depositeggs. Success
to her. With kindest regards and
many thanks for sending her majesty,
I am yours, etc.,
Angus Cameron."
I have given the above with the
hope that the plan may be so improved
upon, and our postal laws so arranged,
that the time will not be far distant
when we can receive queens from
Italy through the mails, and thus save
the heavy expense now attending the
importation of queens from that and
other foreign countries. I firmly be-
lieve that queens can be so put up that
they will stand a month's journey in
the mails, and perhaps longer.
For 3 years past I have sent many
queens to Canada by mail, and since
the first year I have had no more
trouble with their going safely, than
in the U. S. I see by a late Bee
.Journal that the Supe'rintendent of
the Foreign Mails gives notice that
it is not lawful to send queens by mail
to Canada. This could have been
known by any person having access
to tlic Postal Guide, without appealing
to the Superintendent. The Postal
(iiiide distinctly states that samples
niih/ of merchandise are mailed at 10
ceiits postage for every 8 oz., or less;
ii.-iice the sending of merchandise of
every kind to Canada, by mail, is
Illegal.
llowever, all are aware that custom
often has more weight upon the
minds of the people than does certain
laws. For instance, we have a law
against working on the Sabbath, yet
liow many go into the field and labor
regardless of the law. So of our laws
against adulteration, we can say to
our sorrow that customs are stronger
than the law. In the time of slavery,
custom said the law allowing the mas-
ter to capture the slave, when he had
escaped, was not a righte(Mis law, and
many a bold man helped the slave to
escape. So it seems to have become a
custom with the most of the post-
masters in the United States and
Canada to look upon queens as mail-
able between the two countries.
The first vear I mailed queens to
Caui^la, I los't several by their being
held by po.stmasters in Canada.
Finally, Mr. Williams, of Nixon, Out.,
wrote 'me if I would put on the cage,
" Queen bee for the improvement of
stock," that there would be no trouble
regarding their safe delivery. Since
512
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
then I have done as he advised, and
have not lost a queen in a siugle in-
stance ; althougli this was evidence
plain to every postmaster that the
package contained merchandise in-
stead of samples. I have always,
however, stamped every package with
10 cents worth of stamps, althous^h
most of our Canadian friends forget
to add that to the price of the queen.
As the queen trafliic is assuming
large proportions between the two
countries, I would suggest that a bet-
ter way than the above would be for
some of the bee-keepers of either
country having intluence with the
Postotlice departments to see if a law
cannot be obtained allowing queens
to pass in the mails between the two
countries, thereby avoiding the "very
appearance of evil.
Borodino, N. Y.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Convention.
The Kentucky bee-keepers met in
convention Aug. 29, at Louisville, Ky.
The meeting was called to order by
President Demaree. Calling tlie roll
and reading tiie minutes of the last
meeting were dispensed with.
President Demaree, Chairman of
Committee on "Fertilization and
queens in confinement,'' reported lliat
nothing had been accomplished, and,
on motion, report was received and
committee discharged.
The following new members were
enrolled : J. L. Smith, Horse Cave,
Ky.;Wm. C. Pelham, Mavsville ; J.
L. Wilson, Mortinsville ; Dr. W. M.
Rogers, Shelbyville ; C. H. Dean, Jett;
C. W. Buck, Midway ; W. L. Stewart,
Eminence ; J. T. Conly, Kapoleon ;
L. P. Moberly, Hardin County; John
Craycraft, Smith's Grove ; W. P. Gib-
son, Sherman ; C. D. Mizze, Cleve-
land, Fayette County ; B. A. Barlow,
Richmond; W. S. Vandyke, Orr, An-
derson County ; G. W. Jenkins, New
Liberty ; G. W. Ashley ,Valley Station.
On motion tlie following persons
present from other States were made
honorary members : W. S. Hart, New
Smyrna, Fla. ; C. F. Muth, Cincinnati;
W. E. Preston, Iowa City, Iowa ; R.
Grindel. Biulen, Mo. ; W. C. Henly,
Knoxville, Tenn. ; AV. C. Kemp, In-
diana ; H. C. White, Madison, Ind.;
Miss Emma Sharpe. Waverly, Ind ;
J. Sharpe, AV'averly, Ind. ; C. B. JMer-
kin, Eddyville, Ind. ; W. Cheney, Ed-
dyville, Ind. ; Mrs. Aug. Knoefel,
New Albany, Ind. ; E. Rockenback,
New Albany, Ind. ; ^NlasterFred Cray-
craft, Salem, Ind. ; JSIrs. E. Rocken-
back, New Albany, Ind.
Reports from members and visitors
were called tor.
Allen & Craycraft, .56 colonies in the
spring ; 40 were run for comb honey
and gave 3,000 lbs. in one and two-
pound sections; 10 were run for ex-
tracted, and stored 1,200 lbs.; about
1,000 comb yet to be taken; increase
26 colonies.
W. Cook, 26 colonies, 1,200 lbs. comb
honey ; increHse 31 colonies.
G. 'W. Ashley, 36 colonies ; 2,000 lbs.
comb honey ; 600 lbs. extracted ; 34
increase.
J. L. Smith, 6 colonies ; 4.50 lbs. of
comb honey ; no increase.
W. II. Howlett, 75 colonies ; comb
honey, .500 lbs. ; extracted, 7,000 lbs. ;
320 lbs. largest yield from one colony ;
increase, 55 colonies.
Dr. A. W. Kaye ; 5 colonies ; 500
lbs. comb honey ; increase 11.
Dr. L. E. Brown, 14 colonies; 1,000
lbs. comb honey ; increase 36 colonies.
J. T. Wilson, 80 colonies devoted to
queen rearing ; had sold $1,007 worth ;
800 lbs. honey.
W. C. Pelham, 65 colonies ; 12,000
lbs. extracted honey.
C. II. Dean, 12 colonies; 1,400 lbs.
honey ; increase 32 colonies.
S. W. Buck, 21 colonies; 2,406 lbs.
honey ; increase 14.
J. F. Conly, 75 colonies; 500 lbs.
comb honey,aiid 5,500 extracted honey;
increase 55 ; sold S800 worth of honey.
W. C. Cunningham, 31 colonies;
comb, 200 Iba. ; exlractod, 4,000 lbs.
W. L. Stewart, 60 colonies; 4,000
lbs. comb honey ; 650 lbs. extracted;
increase 66 colonies.
L. P. Moberly, 53 colonies ; 1,800 lbs.
comb ; 200 lbs. extracted honey ; in-
crease 29.
Rev. L. Johnson, 42 colonies ; comb
800 lbs. ; extracted 500 lbs. ; increase 40.
G.W. Demaree, 49 colonies; 4,000
lbs. comb and extracted honey ; in-
crease 30; 6 colonies gave 600 lbs. of
extracted honey.
Report of Visiting Bee-Keepers. —
W. S. Hart, New Smyrna, Fla., 76
colonies ; 10,000 lbs. extracted honey ;
increase 88; said iiis neighbor had 176
colonies; increase 200 colonies; took
18,000 lbs. extracted and 500 lbs. comb
honey ; said tlie black mangrove was
the best honey-producing flower they
had ; said palmetto gave large yields
of honey in May ; swarming com-
menced in February, and the best
honey flow was in May : they shipped
honey to Boston, New York and Cin-
cinnati ; the native bees were large,
brown bees, very gentle and easy to
handle ; the average profit was $15 to
$20 to the colony.
AV. C. Ilenly, Knoxville, Tenn., re-
ported large crops of honey in that
State. Mr. Kemp, Orleans, Ind., 17
colonies ; 1,200 lbs. of comb honev, 300
lbs. extracted ; increase 6 ; W. C.
Preston, Iowa City, Iowa, 37 colonies ;
2,000 pounds of extracted honey.
On motion the following committee
were appointed to report questions for
discussion at afternoon session : Dr.
Wm. M. Rogers, W. T. Stewart and
J. Craycraft.
President Demaree then delivered
his annual address, which was well
received.
On motion of Dr. Brown, the con-
vention adjourned till 2 p. m.
EVKNIXG SKS;:!ION.
The convention was called to order
at 2 p. m. Committee on questions
for discussion reported the following :
1. Spring management of bees.
2. Methods of preventing natural
swarming.
3. The character and practical uses
of comb foundation.
4. What are the best and cheapest
packages for marketing honey in bulk?
5. Can benefit be derived from the
new races of bees V
On motion, report of committee re-
ceived and committee discharged.
On motion the election of officers
for the ensuing year was held with
result as follows : G. W. Demaree,
President ; J. Craycraft, Vice-Presi-
dent ; N. P. Allen, Secretary ; I. B.
Nail, Treasurer.
Vice-Presidents. — E. Drane, Shelby
county; J. L. Smith, Hart county;
Wm. Cook, Warren county ; G. W.
Ashley, Jefferson county.
Theconvention then discussed the
following questions :
1. Spring management of bees, dis-
cussed by C. II. Dean, C. F. Muth, G.
W. Demaree, AV. C. Preston, and C.
W. Buck.
2. Methods of preventing natural
swarm ing,discnssed by G.AA^. Demaree,
C. F. Muth, and N. P. Allen.
Conclusion.— That swarming could
be prevented by giving the queen
plenty of room to deposit eggs, and
the workers plenty of room to deposit
honey. Mr. Dean gave his method
of preventing swarming.
Mr. Cook said he pinched off the
head of the queen, and returned the
swarms, and gave them a good smok-
ing.
3. The character and practical use
of comb foundation. AV. C. Pelham
said 5 feet to the pound was most de-
sirable for brood comb.
President Demaree said bees did
not build on the wall of the cell, but
drew it out, and that the cells ought
not to be so deep that the bees could
not reach the bottom, as the base of
the cell would be too thick.
Mr. Muth illustrated how to arrange
wire in foundation, and said it should
not touch ends or bottoms of frames
by l{ inch.
"Dr. Kaye said, when foundation
sagged and was crooked, he put a
board on the comb, pressing it down
level with frame, first cutting founda-
tion loose from frame, and always got
straight comb.
G. W. Demaree and M. Buck had
tried it, but did not like it.
Dr. Allen said foundation should be
absolutely pure beeswax with no mix-
ture of parafline or other wax.
^Ir. Pelliam cautioned bee keepers
against using paraffine in tlie smallest
quantity in beeswax for foundation.
Adjourned to meet at 7 p. m.
EVEXIMG SESSION.
AV'hat are the cheapest and best
packages for marketing extracted
honey in bulk V
Mr. Muth said, he preferred cypress,
or any soft wood for barrels ; pre-
ferred barrels and half-barrels, or
smaller ; said 90 out of 100 oak barrels
would leak; can afford to pay more
for soft wood barrels ; can buy cypress
barrels in flat for $1.65 at the factory ;
said he desired four wire nails in the
bungs to secure them from being re-
moved ; in smiill packages, sellS one
pound better than two pounds ; is not
in favor of fancy or gaudy labels for
cans or buckets.' Mr. Hart prefers 40
gallon barrels, soft wood.
Dr. Allen said, oak barrels, no mat-
ter how well seasoned, would shrink
after being filled with honey, and the
hoops should be driven up from time
to time.
THE AMERICA]^ EEE JOURNAL.
513
Can benefit be derived from the new
races of bees V Dr. Allen said, he did
not think we werebeneiitted so far by
the new rnces.
G. W. DpniMree said, he donbted if
there was a pure race of bees in the
world, and could not see at present
that we were beiietitted by the new
races introduced, but thought the
time might come wlien a more valua-
ble race would be developed.
On motion, the President appointed
the following committee to prepare
questions for discussion at the next
annual meeting: C. II. Dean, Wm.
Cook and W. T. Stewart.
Adjourned to meet at 9 a. m.
Aug. 30.— Convention mat at 9 a. m.
The following commitlee was ap-
pointed to collect information as to
the conditions of bee-culture in Ken-
tucky, and to the adaptability of the
State to lioney-production, giving the
sources from which honey is gatliered
in the State in different localities :
N. P. Allen, W. C. Peiham, and J. L.
Con ley.
The committee to draw upon the
treasury of the society for stationery
and printing circulars.
On resolutions : Dr. Kaye, J. T.
Conley, and J. T. Wilson.
On exhibits: C. F. iluth, W. S.
Hart, and A. C. Cunningham.
On motion, it was decided when
this convention adjourns it should
adjourn to meet at Eminence, Ky.,
the time to be li.xed by the executive
committee. ^^^^
Resolutions vierej^^^^ by the
comm^^HUMjdMH^^^PMfuiking the
Tagers ofth^[^T"sition for cour-
tesies and the liberal preuiiums ; the
press, for notices ; and requesting the
papers of the State to publisli the pro-
ceedings.
The committee on exhibits of honey
and bee-keepers' nteusils reported
about 20 exhibits, which made a very
attractive show.
N. P. Allen, Sec.
For the American Eeo Journiil.
Pasturage for Bees.
A. K. IvOHNKE.
Having experitnented quite exten-
sively with honey-producing plants
this summer, I will contribute my
mite toward improving bee pasturage.
I must join with Mr. .J. F. Plummer
in pronouncing borage Tliic plant 2Xir
excellence. Bees will leave everything
else if they have that. The iioney is
as light as white clover honey, but of
better taste and liavor. Next year I
intend to sow several acres with this
plant. If sown three weeks before
white clover comes into bloom, it will
be at its best when that plant begins
to fail. I sowed some as late as .July
1, after which a drought set in, in
consequence of which it was very
slow in coming up. But it is bloom-
ing now, and the heavy frosts we
liave had this month have not injured
it in the least ; the bees improving
every shining lionr on it, especially
the Italians. The latter will be out
working even when quite cool ; the
blacks would not.
Oil mignonette they worked, very
little ; last year, not at all. Last year,
and the year before, I sowed some
sweet clover, but it never came up ;
but I have seen the roadsides in Vir-
ginia covered with it, but no bees
working on it, though there was no
other plant in bloom, except, perhaps,
red clover, which is very extensively
cultivated ; but no bees did I see on
that either.
Then I received also some 20 differ-
ent kinds of seeds from Switzerland,
among which were a few kernels of
the giant balsam (not giant lady slip-
per, as some one wants to have it, as
it is not related to the lady slipper
family or species). I am sorry to say,
the seed did not come up, as also
many other kinds did not make their
appearance. Some proved to be bi-
ennials, not tliiwering the lirst year ;
among those which bloomed, i)liaselia
was visited the most. All the others
the bees treated with indifference.
But one other thing, I have noticed
that bee-pasturage improves where
bees are kept ; perhaps on account of
a more extensive fertilization of the
plants by bees, causing a more abund-
ant seeding.
Yonuerslown, Ohio.
Tor the American Bee Journal.
Doubling up for Winter.
MRS. E. H. MASON.
As this is the season fordoubling-up
colonies, I will give my method, for
the beneht of the bees, as it prevents
lighting :
Take a canvas or honey cloth a lit-
tle larger than will cover the frames ;
cut out a piece in the center 4 or 5
inches square, take a piece of wire
net, place it over the opening and wax
it down good and strong around the
edges, then cut anolheropeningin the
side of the honey cloth an inch sq\iare ;
lay over that a strip of canvas, leaving
the end long enougli to hang on the
outside of and between the hive and
top box ; wax that slightly over the
inch opening, yet so tiiat it can be
readily drawn off ; take your new
cloth and go to the hive that you wish
to give the swarm to, lift out a frame
of brood with eggs and larva, brush
the adhering bees back into the hive,
spread on your prepared cloth, lay on
the cushion and cover tip till needeii,
then take an open box or hive, that
will lit snugly to your prepared hive ;
hang in your frame of brood, carry it
to the hive you wish to break up, lift
that to one side, or a few feet away,
set your box on the same honey board,
and cover with a thick cloth ;'lift out
a frame of bees and roll the cloth
back, and iu-ush them into the box
and cover up quickly, to keep out rob-
bers. The rest of the frames may be
brushed off in front on the alighting
lioard, leading to the entrance, which
must be contracted to keep strangers
from running in. Always have your
honey box close by you so as to hang
the honey frames hi, and cover the
canvas down closely as fast as you
hang tlie honey in, that the odor may
not escape and attract robbers. Pick
up the old hive and jar or brush the
adhering bees in front of the box, and
carry the old hive quickly away — put
away the honey box, sprinkle a few
tansy leaves in front of the box, and
set lip a shingle in front and leave
theui until in the cool of the evening,
then take the top and cushion off of
the bee hive, lift your box of bees as
gently as possible from the honey
board, and carry them steadily to the
hive and set them close down to the
honey cloth. If the hives do not fit
closely, wind a strip of cloth two or
three times around the crevice, or
cork it up. Let them stand that way
for two or three days, so that they
will forget the old stand, then slide
out the strip of cloth from the inch
opening, in the dusk of the evening,
and leave the bees to mix themselves.
At any time after a day or so, lift off
the box, take out the frame of ad-
hering Isees and set it back into the
hive where it belongs; spread on a
tight honey cloth and cushion, and
cover up for winter. Shake the rest
of the bees that adhere to the box in
front of the hive. Those who will try
this method will lind their colonie.s
doubled up "just too lovely for any-
thing." I have not told you how I
catch and cage the queen, for I never
double up a swarm that lias a queen.
My bees have done splendidly. I
have 83 colonies, all strong and health-
ful, line workers, gentle and good
natured. I have attended and man-
aged all these bees entirely alone, and
by myself.
"Viucennes, Ind.
For the American Bee Journal,
Bees & Honey atWestern, Out , Fair.
W. H. V^ESTON.
The exhibition of honey in connec-
tion with our Western Fair, which
has just been held here, was remark-
ably good this year, being the largest
ever shown in this city, amounting to
about 10,000 pounds, in all shapes and
sizes, from the half-pound section of
comb and the 5 cent can of extracted,
to the large crate of one-pound sec-
tions ready for shipment, and the
largest size can of extracted, for the
same purpose.
I will just give a short account of
the exhibits as they appeared in tlie
hall appointed for the display of this
healthful and toothsome article of
food.
Mr. .Jos. Aches makes a very good
show of honev, both comb and ex-
tracted ; also a cage of Holy Lands,
which were admired by the many
visitors who were anxious to know
more about bees.
Dr. Nugent shows the largest
amount of honey in the building, and
makes quite a <lis|)lav. He says that
he has taken 10,000 iiounds from ISO
colonies, mostof whicti was extracted.
AVe now come to the most tasty
display of both comb and extracted
honev'iu the Fair, and if there liad
been. a prize, I have lu) doubt Mr.
David ('halmers.of .Miissplburg, Out.,
woiilil have taken it. He had bee
books, knives, smokers, etc., all of
514
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
wliicli he had for sale, and to all ap-
pearances had quite a trade.
Wr. John Rudd, of this city, made
quite a nice display, as did also Mr.
II. II. Smith, of tliis county, and one
or more others.
I might just remark that consider-
ing the auiouut of money given In
prizes, the bee-keepers of this section
have done extra well this year ; the
total amount given in prizes is $11.
The directois still stick to the prize
list, which tliey adopted eleven years
ago, but vvliich will be considerably
larger next year I hope.
London, Out., Oct. 5, 1883.
For tlie American Bee JoumaL
Bee & Honey Show at St. Joseph, Mo.
The display of bees and the various
pruducts and appliances of the apiary
at the Inter State Exposition, which
has jast closed, has been a most satis-
factory one, and shows that the in-
terest in bee-culture is fast gaining
ground in this part of the West. The
display at last year's Exposition was
very encouraging, and the impetus
given to this industry by the interest
manifested then, showed itself plainly
this fall. The exliibit was fully 300
per cent, better than it has ever'been
before, and that is saying a great
deal. It is beginning to be plainly
seen that as a honey-producing coun-
try, this has many advantages, and
apiaries are scattered here and there
in close proximity.
Our Exposition manager. President
>i. K. W. Ilartwig, and Secretary C.
¥. Ernst, are deserving of great jiraise
for the very liberal and excellent ar-
rangemenis offered exhibitors to dis-
play every thing pertaining to " bees
and honey " to the very best advan-
tage. They evidently appreciate the
growing interest this valuable indus-
try is developing throughout out
entire country.
The apiarian department was under
the charge of Mr. D. G. Parker, who
acted as superintendent, and was to
be found at his post night and day.
He resides about seven miles south of
this city, where he has SO colonies of
bees, and is provided with all the
modern apiary appliances. He has
made the subject of bee-cuture a
study for more than eight years, and
while well-versed in the art, is an en-
thusiastic admirer of fine bees and
honey. He also has quite a large
class of amateur bee-keepers that are
progressing finely under his teach-
ings Mr. Parker had several colonies
of bees, also a large amount of mag-
niticent honey on exhibition, but
being superintendent of the depart-
ment, did not make any entries. The
exhibition embraced nearly 3,000 lbs.
of honey and 20 colonies of bees, also
queens in wire cage, nuclei in obseva-
tory hive, in which the bees could be
plainly seen at work aboii^ the comb.
These are all familiar to bee-keepers,
but to those not initiated in the art.
they call forth expressions of great
surprise and delight, and show that
the spirit of progress is abroad in the
land.
Among the prominent exhibitors,
were Mr. J. L. Smith, Lawson,Mo.;
Mr. Ernst Shuman, Breckenridge,
Mo. ; Miss Pateet, St. Joseph, Mo.;
Mr. J.B. Stancliff, Brookfield, Mo.;
Mr. J. Madinges, St. Joseph. Mo. ;
Mrs. Rov, King Hill, Mo. ; Mr. D. A.
Pike, Siiiithburg, Md. ; Mr. II. Sco-
viUe, Columbus, Kans. ; Mr. E. F.
Gordon, St. Joseph, ilo. Mr. Scoville's
exhibit was a very interesting one.
consisting of a bee library and apiary
appliances of every description used
in modern bee keeping, including 30
varieties of seeds of honey-produing
plants, also sample copies of 18 bee
periodicals from all parts of the
world. Large crowds visited this
department during the entire week,
and Mr. Parker was indefatigable in
explaining everything to the specta-
tors.
The premium's were awarded as
follows : Rest display of bee-keep-
ers' tools, implements and tixtures,
best bee feeder, best honey knife,
best bee smoker, best comb founda-
tion, best bee veil, wax extractor,
largest assortment of honey-produc-
ing plants, and best display of Ital-
ian queen bees, to Scoville & Ander-
son.
Best and largest display of honey in
comb, E. Shuman, Breckenridge Mo.,
2d premium, J. B. Stancliff, Brook-
field, Mo.
Best and largest display of extracted
honey, J. L. Smith, Lawson, Mo.
Best colony of bees in hive, includ-
ing handling and subjugation, E. F.
Gordon, St. .Joseph, Mo.
Best foundation machine, Ernst
Shuman, Breckenridge, Mo.
Best honey extractor, also best dis-
play of honey. Miss Pateet, St. Joseph,
Mo.
Best and largest display of comb
honey, J. L. Smith, of Lawson, Mo.
Best display of Italian bees, E.
Shuman, Breckenridge, Mo.
The brilliant success of this exhi-
bition v.ill undoubtedly add many
new recruits to this pleasant, inter-
esting and profitable industry. II.
St. Joseph, Mo., Sept. 29, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Section Hacks Again.
T. E, TURNER.
It is a little out of season for an
article upon surplus arrangements, as
the season for surplus honey in most
localities has closed, but my surplus
time was all occupied looking after
bees, honey, and other things, when
an article on section racks would have
been most appropriate. But it is
never too late to " do a good act."
I have no ax to grind, and I trust
your readers will bear in mind that I
am not a supply manufacturer and
dealer, and have no personal interest
in any particular rack, but that I have
an interest in whatever will be for the
advancement of apiculture.
Inquiries have been made in the
Bee Journal of Mr Ileddon, about
his r.ick, how he gets tlie sections
out of it, and how iie can tell when
they are full '^ Now. if we look at it.
a rectangular box, the right size to
hold a certain number of sections,
with a bottom board to place on top
of tlie hive with % inch space under it
over the brood frames, and the same
space oil top under the sections, we
will not think it strange that the ordi-
nary bee-keeper should ask such
questions.
Some years ago I was ready to ask
tlie same questions of a Wisconsin
apiarist, manufacturer and dealer in
bee keepers' supplies, about a similar
rack, biit the portable -sided rack with
glass views put a stop to such in-
quiries.
An ingenious fellow can master the
situation and meet the necessities of
the case by a process of underpinning
the racks inverted, and knocking the
sections down and out, but others set
about to improve the rack itself with
portable sides, so the sections could
be removed with ease without any
knocking and jarring, and with glass
in the sides so the sections could be
seen when full without removing the
honey board.
Kow, I need not ask any one how to
remove the sections and how to tell
when they are full ; but can look
through the glass and see into the
sections without disturbing the bees,
and take away the racks from three
or four sets of sections per minute, if
desired, and leave them on the table
ready for casing. This is three or
four times as tast as Mr. Heddon
claims li^an remove them from his
rack by^Bj^toost ingenious under-
pinning iffl^^^^mi^^own process.
Then his rack^BPI^Pffit? too much
space between the bottom of the sec-
tions and the brood-chamber, Jg inch
under the honey board, and % inch
above it, and f^ inch for it (liouey
board), will make ly inches between.
It is universally admitted that the
nearer the sections are to the brood-
chamber, the quicker the bees will
occupy them, and hence the more
honey they will put in them.
Then in tiering up there is % inch
between each set of sections when
there should be none at all. The r.icks
should be no deeper than the sections,
414 inches, and then one tier will set
right on another, leaving no space be-
tween tiers, and but % inch space over
the brood frames under the honey
board.
The sections should stand on a
honey board with slats the same dis-
tance apart as the bee-passages be-
tween them, which will protect thera
from propolis and any waxing in the
top or bottom. Experience has
taught that bees will wax the bottom
and tops of sections more or less when
they are exposed, and I believe bee-
nature under the same conditions is
the same the world over. This would
be a great improvement in the way of
keeping the sections clean, and would
be far in advance of the old broad
frame system.
The broad frames for holding sec-
tions with its inconveniences is fast
giving place to the new racks, just as
fast as bee-keepers are becoming en-
lightened in the best modes of hold-
ing sections in place 011 top of the
hive. Tliestatiouery-sided rack with-
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
515
out glass is inconvenient if only a part
of the sections are full and to be re-
moved, for a whole tier must be taken
out to get one full section out, or run
the risk of breaking the capping in
shoving it by another one.
The portable-sided rack has all the
advantages of tiering up and of re-
moving sections by the rack, instead
of one at a time, that the stationery-
sided rack has ; and then it has the
advantage of removing apart of the
surplus honey, one or more sections,
without disturbing the others, if de-
sired, in case of a shortening up of
the honey How, or danger of coloring
up of the combs. Separators can be
used in the one as well as the other,
but I regard them as worse than use-
less in either. The glass to view the
sections to tell when they are ready to
remove from tlie hive, I regard as a
very convenient arrangement, but the
rack may be made either with or with-
out glass, to suit the taste, in that re-
spect ; but the portable-sides in a rack
I regard as very necessary and im-
portant. The portable-sided rack
certainly has aJl llie advantages of any
othei' kind of a rack, andnone of their
dmalvantages as far as my knowledge
extends on section holders.
Sussex, Wis.
For the American Jiee Journal.
My Fourth Annual Eeport.
ICUOENE BECOK.
1 belong to the amateur list. I keep
bees because I like to ; in fact, because
I cannot help it, and not merely for
the dollars and cents it brings me. I
belong to that number who believe in
occupying their leisure moments in
a prolituble industry, rather than with
fast horses, dog and gun, billiards or
base ball. Hence I have drifted into
those delightful employments of culti-
vating fruits and keeping bees as a
recreation, and as a means of fiu-nish-
ing the family those luxuries which
money cannot always buy in the mar-
kets of a small inland town. My love
for the fascinating art, made practical
by the immortal Langstroth, increases
with my years, and some day I may
make it my specialty.
Tlie past four years have been ex-
ceptional in many respects. A great
deal of cool and wet weather during
the summers, and at least two very
trying winters, have militated against
the highest achievements in the
apiary. The season just closed has
been very cool. There has been frost
about every month, and only a short
time when the niglits were warm
enough for the bees to venture far
froui the brood nest; comb-building
in surplus boxes was, therefore, slow.
Frost came and killed the llovvers
about two weeks earlier than usual,
and cut short the best honey How of
the season. "White clover bloomed
freely, but gave hardly any surplus.
Basswood appeared to be plentiful
and full of nectar, but as it rained
ne:aiy all the time it was in bloom, we
obtained no honey from it. Sumac
has again this year proved to be one of
the best honey i)lant3 among our mid-
summer blossoms. Some section boxes
lilled with this kind of honey, present
a wonderfully clear and beautiful ap-
pearance. Tlie fall llowers were plen-
tiful and yielded generously until the
freeze, Sept. S.
I began the season with 14 colonies,
all in hne condition except one. They
increased by natural swarming to 26.
I devoted three colonies and their in-
crease to extracted honey from upper
stories, and the remainder to comb
honey in 134 1'^- boxes. They began
swarming in May and kept at it at in-
tervals till late in August. All but
the tirst swarins were returned. The
first surplus removed (box) June 29.
I kept a strict account with each col-
ony, as well as every important fact
in "its history, by means of a card on
the top of each hive.
Total number lbs. comb honey, 758 ;
extracted, 4i0 ; total, 1,208 lbs. Great-
est amount of extracted from one
colony and its increase, 151 lbs Least
amount of comb honey from one col-
ony, 2," lbs. Cjreatest amount of comb
honey from one colony, 114?^ lbs.
Average, comb and extracted, per
colony, spring count, 86 2-7. This is
not as well as I expected to do, nor as
well as I should have done, had the
season been a little more propitious ;
but, as none of my neighbor bee-keep-
ers liave done as well, I ought to feel
somewhat reconciled.
I shall never be satisfied until I can
make my colonies average a hundred
pounds or over, of comb honey. I be-
lieve such possibilities are in the bus-
iness, and if I can only reduce that
possibility to a certainty, you may
then write me among the happy mor-
tals who " giet there.'"
Forest City, Iowa, Oct. 1, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Drone-Laying Worker Bees-
GUST. MAKHARD.
Having noticed some articles in the
Bee .Jouh'NALon drone-laying work-
ers, I tlioiighl I would send you my
experience with them during the 30
years of my handling bees.
The lirst case was a strong black
colony, which ha<l been deprived of its
queen to force them to construct royal
cells for use in the apiary. The col-
ony constructed seven line cells, six
of wliich were taken out and but one
left them. The young queen was lost
in her bridal excursion, when they
were furnished with another royal
cell. The queen was again lost. The
weather here in Oregon is very
changeable, and unfavorable for
queen rearing a greater part of the
year.
Fresh brood was then given to the
colony, as there were no royal cells
just then. But the bees had, in the
mean time, accepted of a drone-laying
worker as queen, and did not con-
struct any royal cells. I then gave
them a good laying queen, but found
her gone the next day, when I gave
up the colony as unredeemable, after
I bad taken them into a room before
closed windows, and had made them
all travel, to see if I could not dis-
cover any suspicious looking worker
among them, in which I failed.
In the mean time summer has
passed, and it happened that a small
colony of bees, with a laying queen,
which had left its hive in despair,
came to settle on an apple tree in my
garden, which I hived for to experi-
ment with them on my despaired-of
colony, with tlie drone-layiug worker.
The colony belonged to a neighbor of
mine, who was a real genius of a bee
man, a great experimenter, and very
neglectful man, who tried to rear
queens of drone brood, experimenting
with his colonies until he had not a
decent colony left, and who either
would not shut his hives at all or
would cover them but partly. But
the bees did belong to aiKither man,
and it is not a costly thing to experi-
ment with another man's property in
a trifling way.
I united the small colony with the
afflicted colony, sliiit the hive up, after
smoking them well, and let them
alone for an hour. After re-opening
the entrance of the hive, about .50
dead workers were pushed out. Next
day I found the queen alive, and the
colony thenceforth went on all right.
I have had several cases since, and
have saved every colony by taking a
frame of brood with the queen and
bees thereon and setting the same in
a new hive. Then remove the hive
vi'ith the drone-laying worker, and
set the new hive in its place. Then
take the combs of the affected hive
out, shake and brush all the bees
therefrom, before the entrance of the
new hive, to make them enter. After
this is done, either put the emptied
combs in the hive also, or exchange
them for combs out of another hive,
which latter way is by far the better.
The bees with the queen on the
frame are by no means in a fighting
spirit, and the bees of the drone-lay-
ing worker colony become dispirited
by taking their combs .-ind making
them enter a new hive with new
combs. The workers on the frame
with their queen will defend their
queen until better counsels prevail,
and the drone-laying worker is de-
throned.
The exchange of combs is also the
safest way to introduce a new queen
in another colony, and it can be done
within an liour's time without fear
that the bees will destroy her upon
introduction, or any time thereafter,
when the bee-keeper may wish to
open and inspect the hive. If the bees
are forced to accept of strange combs
and brood, they are just as ready to
accept of a strange queen as soon a
they have become convinced that th
loss of their queen and her brood i
irrepairable. This will be within an
hour's time, at the farthest. I once
received from California a Cyprian
queen unexpectedly. She arrived late
in the afternoon, and I had no colony
ready for her reception. I went to a
hybrid Italian colony, found and re-
moved their queen, took all their
comb containing brood, and ex-
changed them for others out of
another hive. Half an hour later I
introduced the Cyprian queen in a
black cage with the hole filled with
516
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
honey in the comb. I found the
(jueen next day all right ou the combs.
Portland, Oregon, Oct. 1, 1883.
Bees and Honey at the Maine Fair.
This is the first time for seven years
that a full line of bees, honey and bee
implements has been on exhibition at
the Maine State Fair, and it was very
successful. Mr. Jerrard's exhibit was
among the best. By an ingenious
contrivance the packages containing
a hundred weight or so, are placed
upon springs, thus insuring safe
transportation with ordinary care in
handling. Two colonies of bees from
Mr. Jerrard's apiary confined in ob-
servation hives, form an interesting
exhibit. The farming of this class
and awarding premiums for bees and
apiarian supplies, is a new feature of
the State society, and, as the entries
and exhibits in this line shows, struck
the bee men in the right spot. The
exhibits in this class are quite nu-
merous, and comprise a large collec-
tion of hives and fixtures that, to the
practical bee man, has much interest.
Mr. E. P. Churchill, of North Au-
burn, makes a good exhibit of his
chaff hives, division boards and bee
fixtures. lie also makes a good exhibit
of honey put up in various tempting
formSj a bee tent of simple construc-
tion, by which one can manipulate
bees to exhibit, transfer, etc., without
fear of robbing by predatory bees.
His exhibits also comprise a colony of
bees in observation hives.
Piscataquis' veteran bee-keeper, Mr.
Lucian French, of Sangerville, makes
a large and interesting exhibit of tools
for the apiary, and honey and wax.
Among the curiosities, was Mr.
French's foundation machine, where-
by the comb is started for the bees,
and taking hold where the machine
leaves off, the bees find the labor
greatly curtailed in getting the sum-
mer stores. Mr. French gave a prac-
tical illustration of the working of
the machine, showing how sheets of
wax were parsed through and came
out with the cells perfectly formed.
Mr. French makes a tempting dis-
play of comb and extracted honey in
jars and in 1 lb. sections.
Next to Mr. French's is Mr. Rey-
nold's exhibit. Mr. Reynold lives in
Clinton, and handles Ids bees with
great skill. His exhibit shows to fine
advantage, his honey being put up in
nice shape in one to three pound jars,
and nicely labeled; also comb honey
In sections temptingly white and nice.
Mr. .J. B. Mason, of Mechanic Falls,
makes a large exhibit of tools and
fixtures used by bee-keepers. Mr.
Mason is .one of the most intelligent
bee-culturists in tlie State. Among
the curiosities of Mr. Mason's exhibit
is a collection of bee literature com-
prising old and modern works. The
collection comprises 14 bound volumes
and some 20 pamphlets. Another
original idea is the life of the bee from
the egg to the mature insect, larvae
preserved in alcohol in its various
stages of growth, comprising 19 per-
iods, that being the daily changes in
life in coming to maturity.
Mr. Mason makes a good display of
honey put up in various forms. A
number of Italian queens are shown
in cages, also an observatory hive in
which the bees are seen as living in
the hives. — Maine Farmer.
For the American Bee Joamal.
Home Markets for Honey.
DK. J. R. BAKEB.
I notice in the Bee Journal that
the Editor, Prof. Cook, James Iled-
don, etc., urge upon bee-keepers to
create home markets for honey. At
Keithsburg, 111., where I had the most
of my experience as an apiarist, there
was an excellent home market estab-
lished, largely by Mr. .Martin Wirt,
who, for a number of years, was en-
gaged in scientific apiculture in that
locality. I found no trouble to dis-
pose of two and even three thousand
pounds of comb honey a year, at from
1.5 to 20 cents per pound, in the
Keithsburg market ; and the village
only contains about 1,200 inhabitants.
When I came to this city, this
spring, broken down in health and
purse, I was unable to engage in api-
culture at all, but having a brother
here who is engaged in the grocery
trade, I persuaded him to handle
honey. We found a gentleman about
8 miles in the country, who was
raising comb honey in good shape,
and we engaged to take all he could
raise during the season at 17 cents per
pound. We made mention in the
daily paper of the city, that we had
nice comb honey for sale, and people
soon callecL to make purchases ; and
in a short time we were selling quite
fast. Every one who called to see our
honey was delighted with its fine ap-
pearance. We had it all nicely ar-
ranged in a large handsome show
case, and had the show case setting
on tlie end of a counter near the en-
trance door,
After other grocers learned how
eagerly people bought our honey at 20
cents a pound, they would hail our
honey man whenever he came to the
city, and want to buy honey of him ;
but he told them that they were too
late, as he had engaged it all to our
house.
Good honey, nicely put up, will sell
well anywhere, but the good old-
fashioned way of cutting out of the
brood-chamber honey, pollen and
brood, and casting tiie whole mess
into a pot, jar or pan and taking the
stuff to market, was not well calcu-
lated to get up a boom in the honey
trade.
A farmer brought a dish-pan of this
kind of medley to us this summer,
and I asked him how much he wanted
a pound for it, and his price was the
modest sum of 15 cents per pound. I
told the vender of much filth and
little honey, that I would not take the
stuff as a gift, and he went away
feeling hurt over my ignorance as a.
judge of honey. This gentleman told
me that he had much better " luck "
in log gums than in '• patent" hives.
Mr. Ileddon was exactly right in
his brief article a few weeks since, in
urging honey producers to not sell
their honey at a sacrifice. There is
no use for apiarists to become alarmed
at the prospect or rumor of a big
honey crop, and .sell at a sacrifice.
The better plan, I take it, is too keep
cool and be governed by soberness.
Last summer, every few days the
grocers, who handled the most of my
honey, would say to me that honey
was so very jjlenhful that I wimld
have to sell at smaller figures. When
I W'Ould ask them where they got
their informatimi, they were com-
pelled to tell me that some farmer or
farmers told them so. I knew that
neither the farmers nor the grocers
took any bee journal, and had no
means of knowing anything about the
honey trade or prospects throughout
the country.
These scares in the local markets
are gotten up through the ignorance
of persons who keep a few bees, and
who think that if their bees swarm
much, and they have a starch box or
two filling with honey, that they are
doing -'splendid." With this mag-
iiilicent (V) bonanza right under their
noses they will make haste to
offer the grocers large lots of honey
at from 10 to 12 cents a pound, and
the grocers in their innocent ignor-
ance hasten to collapse the scientific
honey raiser with their ox-load of in-
formation.
Last season I was selling honey to a
lady for her own use at 20 cents a
pound. She told me one day that she
liad engaged honey of Mr. S. at 1.5
cents a "pound. I asked her how
much, and she said any quantity that
she might want. I told her that when
she got through using jNIr. S.'s 15 cent
honey to let me know and I would
then "sell her some for twenty cents
per pound.
Time rolled on, and she called on
me for honey. I asked her how much
she got from Mr. S., " Not a pound,"
she replied. I told her I knew it just
as well before she told uie as I did
after, and she wanted to know how I
knew. "Easy enough," I said, and
then I told her that Mr. S. started in
the spring with 5 colonies, and that
they had swarmed so mucli that he
then had 30 colonies, and in his ignor-
ance he based his large prospects on
the number of colonies he possessed ;
but that all scientific apiarists kn^w
that it was impossible to have such a
heavy increase and a large crop of
honey the same season. That the bees
of Mr. S. had kept themselves so
weakened by their excessive swarm-
ing, that they could not possibly
gatlier surplus honey.
This case is simply one given to
illustrate how silly it is for honey
raisers to become alarmed over the
ignorant grape-vine rumurs about the
tremendous honey yield in the coun-
try, based on the statements of log-
gum, box hive and starch-box bee-
keepers.
Do not give your honey away my
friends, nor sell it at ruinous prices,
tor a careful review of the reports of
honey raised througiiout the country
leads" me to the conclusion that the
crop, this season, is rather light.
Warsaw, Ind.. Oct. 3. 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
517
What aitd Sjloiu.
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Can Pollen be Utilize(f ?
Can the pollen or " bee bread " so
called, which is found in such quanti-
ties in combs, at this season of the
year, be utilized V I could get a good
deal from neighbors who adhere to
the old style of " taking up " bees, and
thought if it could be used in the early
spring, when wanted, it would be
worth something. Beginneu.
Answer. — I consider this pollen
you mention, of no use to you. If
your bees need early stimulating
(which we used to think was the case
here, but on which we have changed
our opinion), [believe it is generally
conceded by liee masters, and plainly
shown by the .n'tions of the bees, that
rye or graham ilour, is of much more
value than old. iii\tural pollen.
Uniting Colonies in tlie Fall.
Will Mr. Ileddon please answer the
following question :
I Wish to dispose of a part of my
bees, as I think this place is over-
stocked. The demand is so small,
and the prices so low, that I think the
honey and the empty combs will be
worth more to me than I can get per
colony. I want to know if it will be
safe to unite the colonies, and thus
save the bees, and at the same time
reduce my numbers. If so, wlien is
the best time to do it V My colonies
are strong, and the hives are well-
lilled with honey.
J. B. Stanclift.
BrookQeld, Mo., Sept. 29, 1883.
Answer. — My own opinion is, that
such uniting will damage you ; that
the single colony is worth more to go
into winter quarters with, than the
proposed "doubled-up" ones. Often
the results of such doubling, prove
less merciful to the bees, than a
sponge of chloroform. Where bees
are to be destroyed, I advise the fol-
lowing :
" Take up "' the colony at that time
when they cease to gatlier more than
they consume. About 21 days before
tbat time arrives (as near as you can
guess), remove the queen. This stops
the breeding and the gathering of
pollen to a great extent, thus giving
you less bees and bee-bread, and more
honey at the time of reducing your
numbers.
Some object to the killing of bees,
but some of these persons encourage
the killing of cows and calves by daily
consuming large proportions of beef
and veal.
Laying aside the question of "cruelty
to animals," there are many advanta-
ges in this " taking- up " plan :
1. By so doing, you raise the stand-
ard of your colony rapidly, by destroy-
ing the inferior queens.
2. It saves the purchase of many
supplies.
3. It tends to prevent opposition in
your tield and market.
If you reduce your number of colo-
nies to just what you need the follow-
ing spring, yo.u should be pretty sure
of safely carrying that number through
the winter.
Did tlie Bees Have the Dysentery J
I began the season with about 25
colonies; bought a few more and in-
creased to 60. My crop is about 2,-500
pounds, mostly comb. From % to ^i
is smartweed honey ; the balance is
from the Spanish needle ; all is of
good quality, and thick ; benig all
gathered in dry weather. No surplus
was gathered until the last of August.
Will some one please tell me how they
extract Spanish needle honey V It is
always so thick and tenacious that I
cannot remove it clean from the
combs. In winter I can almost stack
it up without pails or barrels. Smart-
weed is easily managed in the ex-
tractor. I have been holding the entire
crop at 15 cents per pound, against a
12J^ retail market. Yesterday morn-
ing"! took some racks and sections
into ttie honey house from hives when
it was so cool that no bees were fly-
ing, but some adhered to the boxes,
and at noon were flying to the door
and daubing things like bees having
the dysentery. Was it the chill char-
acter of the honey, or something else
that caused it V I have only the two
kinds of honey mixed, to winter on,
and pollen is not abundant.
R. 0. AiKiN.
Shamhaugh, Iowa, Oct. 4, 1883.
Answer.— The cause of bee dysen-
tery, of which a colored and partially
soiled evacuation, may be called
among the tirst conditions, is as yet
in dispute. Some of our experienced
brethren would pronounce chilled
honey the cause. For my own part,
I do not see how a liquid can be
changed to a solid, especially of the
character of the particles contained
in this feces, by a sudden '' chilling."
I do, however, see how a short con-
tinement will cause young pollen-
eatiTig bees to void a feces well-filled
with particles of partially-digested
pollen. While it may prove true that
pollen-eating is the cause of dysen-
tery, in every case it may turn out a
fact, that under most favorable con-
ditions bees crtii consume bee-bread
during confinement, and yet remain
healthy. I rather doubt the last prop-
osition, however. la the case yon
mention, tliere is no cause for appre-
hension, as there is no intestinal in-
flammation, or at least none that will
shorten the life of the workers. This
we know by experience.
Mississippi Valley for Bees.
This has been a poor season for bees.
We have only }^ of a crop of honey,
and very little increase. In the early
part of the season it was too cold and
windy, and, after July 1, it was so dry
that bees could get no nectar from
clover. lam tliinkingof moving down
on the Mississippi valley. i)o you
think that there would be many bees
drowned crossing over to the islands
to get honey 'i There is plenty of
honey to be gathered there this fall.
I send you a plant for name.
J. F. Sellers.
Reynolds, 111,, Oct. 8, 18H3.
[The plant is an aster, and excellent
for honey.
The Mississippi valley yields excel-
lent fall flowers, and some bee-keep-
ers move their bees to the bottom
lands, in the fall, to utilize it. If the
bees have to fly across the water to
pasture, there is danger of loss in high
winds, etc., but we think th:it loss
would be trifling.— Ed.]
Report of the Biielihorn Apiary for '83.
I commenced the spring with S3
colonies — have increased to 78 by
natural swarming. I have obtained
2,-500 lbs. of comb honey, 4,000 lbs. of
extracted, and 50 lbs. of wax. The
comb honey is all sold in the home
market, and averaged 17 cts. per lb.,
and the extracted at 14 cts.. by the
lielp of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine." My "boss" col-
ony gave me 300 lbs. of corab and 400-
lbs. of extracted honey. This colony
gave three swarms, and the first col-
ony swarmed once, making in all five
swarms, all in good condition and well
sui)plied for winter. I winter in a
bee cellar under my bee house.
r. A. tilBfjON.
Racine, Wis., Oct. 8, 1883.
The Results of the Honey Season.
I commenced the season with 12
fair colonies, increased to 65, and
have taken 800 pounds of extracted
honey. Twelve colonies in the spring,
at $10 per colony, were worth $120;
1 paid for 7 (pieens, fouiulation, etc.,
$65; total, $185. I have now 65 colo-
nies on hand, with an average of 30
pounds each ; at $6 per colony, these
at $6 each, amount to $3!)5 ; 800 pounds
of honey at 15 cents per pound, $120 ;
10 queens sold at $1 each, $10; total,
518
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
$525. This leaves a balance of $340
in my favor. A eood share of the
honey has already been sold at 15
cents per pound. I also have several
dozen fruit cans on hand as well as
1000 sections and crates for tlie same.
Also 20 pounds of foundation which I
do not give myself credit for, which I
can use next season. It has been a
poor season for tioney. It commenced
to rain about May 15, and rained 21
days in .June, and nearly all the time
until .July, whe]i the weatlier turned
too dry. and tliere was no rain for «
weelcs. Frost killed all buckwheat
and corn here. S. -J. Youngman.
Cato, Mich., Sept. 28, 1883.
©oneset or Thoroughwort.
It is the first day of October, and
the bees are tumbling over one
anotlie»into the hive, as though they
had not laid up winter supplies, and
they liave not ; but a few more days
like the last four, with the tempera-
ture from 85^ to 92^ at mid-day, they
can feel that they will be able to live
high, and even entertain a little.
Please name the enclosed weed. The
bloom has a delicious aroma, and
furnishes a pretty, light honey, but
seems to have a curious, if not deadly
effect on the bees. "While at neigh-
bor Daniels', a couple of days since,
we noticed bees dead on the bloom,
and under it on the ground ; others
had fallen off and were crawling
away as though over-powered in some
way, and others on the bloom too far
gone from the effects produced there-
by to be able or disposed to sting
while handling them. What is just
as curious is, that the same bloom
apparently has no effect on my bees,
they working the day long as lively as
crickets, ^o'.v. can it lie only a tem-
porary imlniaiing effect it has V or is
it poisonous iu its ellects ?
W. T. Maddox.
Alexandria, La., Oct. I. 1883.
[The plant is of the euvatorium
family (boneset or thorouglivvort), and
is rich with golden nectar. The tea
made from it is used as an emetic, and
probably that accounts for the tem-
porary weak condition of the bees,
especially if they work on it soon after
a rain.— Ed.]
Bees Gathered Nothing after June.
The season of 1883 lias come to a
close, and, althougli, I do not call it a
poor one, it is by no means a glowing
one, for this part of the State. Bees
(>id little or nothing until .June 10,
and then the flow, wliich was very
great, lasted only .30 days, and our
freat expectations were blasted,
rom July 1 until Aug. 15, there was
no honey to be had, and war among
the blacks began, and the loss was
great. Some of my neighbors, owning
black bees, have not received 15 lbs.
per colony, spring count ; not getting
any surplus after the .June liovv. My
bees being all Italians, have done
fairly ; the average being 100 lbs. per
colony, spring count. I say spring
count, for tlie flow stopped witti the
swarming fever in June. My best
colonies gave IfiS lbs. of surplus per
colony, and ttie poorest 40 11)S. I pre-
fer Italian bees and Langslroth hives.
J. G. Norton.
Macomb, 111., Oct. 4, 1883.
Poor Season iu Texas.
I send an insect I captured in the
act of carrying off one of my bees. I
have noticed several this season ; they
pounce on a bee while resting on a
shrub, plant or tree, and fly off with
it. Please name it in the J3ee Jour-
nal. This has been a very poor sea-
son in this locality; no surplus, except
sufficient to winter on. Bee-keeping
has cloudy as well as bright sides,
but to the experienced bee-keeper a
dull season this year indicates a
bright one next year. The monthly
visits of the Bee Journal are a
source of pleasure to me.
And though I am here, on the Texas frontier.
With my bees and my Journal on b.ind;
I hear from them all, both great and small
Bee-keepers, over the land.
May the Bweet honey bee.ai I our hearts full of glee,
Our minds with sweet prospects store;
Let biciierings cease, and knowledge incre ise.
By the aid of the Journals lore.
Annie Sutcliffe.
Weatherford, Texas.
[The insect is the bee killer called
Asilus Missouriensis, which has often
been described in tlie Bee Journal
of late.— Ed. 1
Not a Good Locality for Bees.
I had 8 colonies of bees to commence
in the spring, 5 strong and 3 weak
ones. They gave me about 30 lbs. of
honey in all, and I made two new
swarms from the five strong ones. It
took the other three all summer to fix
themselves for winter. White clover
yielded no honey here; it lias not for
the last 3 years, at least. I think this
is a very jioor place for bees. Two of
my neighbors that live in the timber,
3 and 4 miles from here, say they got
a l)ig crop. 1 have 10 colonies uiiw to
try to winter. That is all the good I
can get out of them, and I generally
loose oue-lialf before spring.
Hugh Williams.
Kacine, Wis., Oct. 6, 18So.
Another Aster.
Enclosed you will find a stock with
Uowers, on which the l)ees are work-
ing from morning until night. Please
name it. J. W. Sturwold.
Ilaymond, Ind„ Oct. 5, 1883.
[It is an aster— its value is shown by
the preference of the bees for it.— Ed.]
100 lbs. of Honey to the Colony.
My bees wintered all right. I began
the spring with 7 colonies— increased
to 18. I have taken .'335 lbs. of extrac-
ted honey, and 375 lbs. of comb honey.
My bees are mostly hybrids. I have
one colony of Syrian bees. I do not
know how I like them yet. I use the
Simplicity liive, holding 10 frames. I
use the 1 lb. sections and winter my
bees on from 4 to 0 frames, with chaff
division boards at the sides, and then
set the hives in cases, holding from
one to three hives, and fill all around
with chaff. Prepared in this way
they will winter with but little loss.
B. W. Peck.
Kichmond Centre, O., Oct. 2, 1883.
Unseasonable Weather in Mass.
The weather has been unusual un-
seasonable for over a month. It
caused a loss to me of over 200 queens.
I now have 50 fine ones that I will
destroy in a few days, as they will not
mate this fall. Up to Aug. 1, the
weather was splendid for queen rear-
ing ; since that date it has been the
worst I ever knew.
Henry Alley.
Wenham, Mass., Oct. G, 1883.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICKOF AMERICAN BEE JOUR.NAL. (
Monday, l"a. m., Oct. 15, 1883.)
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— Our prices are 7(3)9c. for extracted, and
14(<il6c. for comb honey on arrival.
BKESWAX -Arrivals of beeswax are good at
25^:^c., and the demand is fair.
, CHAS. F. MtlTH.
NEW yORK.
HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2
lb. sections, l((y.:ilc. Dark and second quality,
14@15c.: extracted white clover in kegs and bar-
rels, 9aioc.: dark, 8c.
BEESWAX- Prime vellow, 27®29c.
H. k. & F. B. THDBBER i CO.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— Comb honey has sold freely for the
past two weeks, and stocks are at present low. 1 lb.
sections of white comb are bringing inc.; l^ to 2
lb. sections of same quality, UifiJJlTc.: varionsstzed
sections of white comb, l",(g)l6c. Extracted honey
from 8(^10 cts. per pound, according to body and
flavor.
BEESWAX- Yellow, 32S330.! dark, 25c.; me-
dium, 30C.
R. A. BrRNETT. 161 South Water 8t.
BAN FBANCISCO.
HONEY— There is a fair jobbing trade. Offerings
are not large. Choic* qualities command extreme
figures. White to extra white comb, ](3i^2nc. ; dark
to good, 10(*13^c.; Extracted, choice to e.\tra
white, 8Cfli9>^c. : dark and candied. t^^&lUc.
BEBSWAX-Wholesale, 27«jsc.
STSARNS & SailTa. *.., l-^ront Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY- Quiet. Salable at appended flgiires,
but generally held higher. Strained and extracted
at 6Vi'.^7c.: cnib at 14c. .
BEESWAX -Ready salable at2o®26c. for prime.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONEY— Comes very slowly and sells as fast aa
it comes at 18(iiii9c. for best white in l ib. sections,
and 17@18c. for 2 ib. sections. Second qualify is
very slow. Extracted usually sells very slowly in
our market.
BEBSWAX-None in Market.
A. C. KENDKL. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY- We quote our market at is®20c. for
1 Ib. white clover; 18(§i2uc. for 2 lb. white clover.
Extracted, 8® I Oc.
BEESWAX-Wa have none to quote.
Blaee & KIPLEY, 57 Chatham Street.
KANSAS CITY. MO.
HONEY— A large part of the local crop in this
section has been marketed, though considerable
remains yet in the hands of prot^ucers. Very little
California honey in this market this season, except
extracted, which is in fair supply at 10@!lc. for
choice new. and 8^'._,'iri loc. for ilark or candied.
Choice bright comb 2 Ib. sections, 18(.>jl9c.; 1 lb.
sections, l9(t>.20c. Demand is fair for the better
grades.
Jerome Twichell. 536 Delaware Street.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
519
^:|jccial Jloticcs.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of" this
paper ; it indicates the end* of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post oflice or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts le'fes than one
dollar. J^oeal checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
J5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still loicer,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00, or 1,000 for
$1500. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt pf each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within tv.o weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Trial Trip, until Dec 31.— 25 cents.
Wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Hee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal till Dec. 31,
on trial, for 25 cehts. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with $1.25); for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages! fl 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— W e have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for 10 cents.
t^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
I8^ To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one who
buys a package of honey at Fairs, will
sell almost a fabulous quantity of it.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy of
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $(!, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder tor the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's ABC of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
Itet, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or tor the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Books at Fairs.- Those who make
an exhibit at Fairs will find that an
assortment of Books and Pamphlets
would sell and leave them a profit for
handling. We will send such, postage
prepaid, at 25 per cent, discount; or
if the purchaser pays express charges,
we will supply any of our own publica-
tions at 40 per cent, discount.
i^ The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters went into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will now be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent,
or else five or ten-cent postage stamps,
or a Postal Note. Do not send coins
in any letter.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
Bee Journal and a colored Poster,
to aid in getting up a club. The
Premiums we offer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of S subscribers
to the Monthly Bee Journal, or 4
Weekly, we will present Dzierzon's
Rational Bee-Keeping, price $2.00.
520
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Northwestern Convention.
The Northwestern Bee-Keepers'
Association will liold its fourth annual
convention at Owsley's Hall, N. W.
corner lloby and West Madison 8ts.,
Chicago, 111., on Wednesday and
Thursday, October 17 and 18, 1883,
commencing at 10 a. m. on Wednes-
day and holding five sessions.
The Eev. L. L. Langstroth (the
father of American apiculture) has
promised to be present, and many of
the most prominent apiarists of the
Northwest will be there and aid in
the deliberations and discussions.
This meeting will be held during
the last week of the Inter-State In-
dustrial Exposition, and reduced
railroad fares may be had on nearly
all the railroads. A cordial invitation
is extended to bee-keepers every
where to attend this annual reunion.
Meals may be obtained at the Res-
taurant near the Hall at 25 cts. each.
Beds may be secured at the Gault
House for SI, or at other Hotels at
regular rates.
Tnos. G. Newman, Sec.
C. C. MiLLEK, Pres.
^" Please announce that the Iowa
Central Association, will meet at Win-
terset, Iowa, Nov. 2, 1883.
Z. G. CoOLEY, Sec. pi-o Urn.
i^° The fall meeting of the New
Jersey and Eastern Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held in the city*of
New York, at the Cooper Union, on
Wednesday, Nov. 7, 1883.
J. IlASBKOUCK, Sec.
Bound Brook, N. J.
^" The Lorain County Bee-Keep-
ers' Association will meet at Oberlin,
Ohio, on the last Tuesday in October,
.SOth. . O. J. Terrell, Sec.
li^ Tne next regular meeting of
tlie Mahoning Valley Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held at Newton
Falls, O., on the first Saturday of
November, 1883. L. Carson, Pres.
E. W. Turner, Sec.
^" We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
^"Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to j)reserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
i^May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own V Our premium," Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one new sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besidesjliaving the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
FOR SALE — WishinK to enter into other blia-
iness. I offer for sale my stock of selpct Italian
Bees, at a very reaHoniitile tigure. Tiiese bees were
selected to rear queens from, and are of the very
best quality. Also a number of blark and hybrid
bees for sale. ADIN A. SMITH,
ST. JOHNSVILLE, Mont. Co., N. V.
ITALIAN BEES AND QUEENS.
Send for Price List to
». B. BROTVX, DES MOINES, IOWA.
4:2Ant
One 4-Horse-I*QTi'er
ENGINE ANDIBOILER.
And (.)ne 6 -Horse -Power
Portable Engine and Boiler,
FOR 8AI.K CHEAP. Description, Prices
and Cuts, sent on application.
Address, O. H. TOWBTSEND,
35D3t KALAMAZOO, MICH.
1883. JOSEPH D. ENAS, 1883.
(Sunny Side Apiary,)
Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Colonies, Nuclei,
BXTKACTORS, COMB FOUNDATION, &c
19D6m Address, Sunny Side Apiary, NAPA, CAL.
BINGHAM SMOKERS.
I can sell the above Smokers at
5IANUFACTUREU8' I'KU'ES. by
mail or express, at wholesale or re-
tail. All the latest inipruvemente,
includine THE CONQUEROR, and
THE DOCTOR.
Send for iny 32-pase Illustrated
Catalog"ue of Bee-Keepers' Sup-
plies of every description.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 W. Madison. CHICAGO, ILL.
Sweet Clover
AND OTHER SEEDS.
HavinK a LARGE stock of SWEET CLOVER
SEE1>. I can fill orders at Sac. per pound
Si3.e5 per peck, or !S12 per bushel.
Also, all other SEEDS for HONEY PLANTS,
ALFRED H, NEWMAN,
923 West Madison Street, ChlcaBO, 111.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The BuiTlsH Bee Jot'KKAL is NOW published
SEMI-MONTHLY, at Seven Shillings, per annum,
and contains the best practical information for
the time being, showing wliat to do, and when and
how to do it. Kev. H. R. FEEL., Editor.
We send the Weelily A.merican Bee Journal
and the Brtlish BeeJournal, both for f 3.i)o a year.
BARNES' PATENT
Foot Power Machinery
CIRCULAR AND
SCROLL SAWS.
Iland, Circular Rip Saws for
eeneral heavy and light rip-
ping. Lathes. &c. These ma-
chines are especially adapted
to Illve Mitkinie. Itwillpay
, every bee-keeper to send for
I our 4H-page Illustrated Cata-
' lo^'ue.
W. F. & JOHN BARNES,
No. 2017 Main street.
Rockford. Winnebano Co.. 111.
KEGS AND PAILS
FOR EXTRACTED HONEY.
These KEGS are desismed to answer the popular
demand for honey in small packages, and when
compared with large barrels holding from .SOo to
5(.KMbs. each, they are fully as cheap and often
cheaper, 'i'hey need no waxing, but should siraply
be thoroughly scalded with boiling water before
used. The leakage so often occurring in the large
hard-wood barrels can be entirely prevented by
using this size of packages. Considering the cost
and trouble of vayng, the loss of honey by leak-
age, and the ease with which these Kegs can be
handled and shipped, with an actual saving in
original cost, it is apparent to all that they are the
best. Prices:
5 gallon Kegfl.holding a trifle over 50 lbs 40c
10 " " . ** " '• io(.nb8....60c
is " " " *' " I901ba....80c
When 25 or more kegs are ordered at one time, a
discount of 10 per cent, given on the above prices.
These new kegs are designed and manufactured
with special re erence to my experience and sug-
gestions from those who have used the fish, lard
and syrup kegs of last season. The staves are
Norway Fine; the heads are i>ak; and the hoops
are Hickory, and, as will be noticed by the accom-
panying illustrations, they are well bound. If the
heads are painted, I will guarantee these kegs not
to leak. It is not essential to paint thera. but I
believe It will pay to do so.
These PATLS have a full cover and areexcellent
for selling honey in a home market, and after the
honey is candied, they can be shipped anywhere.
All sizes, except the snjallest. have a bail or handle,
and when emptied by the consumer will be found
useful in every household.
Assorted samples of the four sizes put inside of
one another as a nest, price. 50 cts. by express.
The following are the prices in quantities :
Per doz. Per 100.
Gallon, holding lo lbs. of honey. ..*l.80.. .$12.00
HaifGal., " 5 " " ... 1.50... 9.00
Quart. " 2^" *' ... L20... 7.0<D
Pint. " IM " " ... .75... 4.00
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 West Madison Street. CHICAGO. ILL.
BEES
Send to Chicajzo. III., for sample of
AMERICAIV BEE JOI7RW.AI.
Monthly, » i a year. Weekly, »a.
'PTTTC T> A T>T?T> maybe found on flle
1 11 iO rJxrrjlX at Oeo. p. Kowell &
Oo.'s Newspaper Advertising Bureau (10 Spruce
St.), where advertisinK contracts may be made for
It in NEW YOKK.
n^jV'
ffieeMg §«e Journal,
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF THE PRODUCERS OF HONEY.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., OCTOBER 24, 1883.
No. 43.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
The Northwestern Convention.
The annual re-union of bee-keepers
in this city, which lias just closed, was
one of the most enthusiastic gather-
ings ever held in America. The pres-
ence of the Rev. L.L.Langstroth, tlie
father of American apiculture, made
it the more interesting to many who
had never before seen that grand in-
tellectual giant. We cannot better
express the character of the Conven-
tion than to quote the following from
the secretary's report of one of the
speeches of Mr. Langstroth, when he
saidt "I believe that this Conven-
tion represents the largest number of
large, practical and successful honey
producers of any Convention that I
have ever visited."
The language of all who attended
the meeting was : " It is good to be
here." There was no stiffness or re-
serve; no pet theories to propagate,
nor personal antagonism to parade-
only " a feast of reason and a flow of
soul"— which was enjoyable, as well as
highly instructive.
When Mr. Langstroth was invited
to speak of " tlie honored dead, he
grew eloquent, and for half an hour
he paid a tribute of love and esteem
to those who were his co-laborers
while introducing the movable-frame
principle to the American bee-keep-
ers, which will never be forgotten by
those who lieard him !
The secretary's report of this may
be found on page 527. The daily
papers of Chicago had reporters pres-
ent, and the following is what the
Inter-Ocean of the next morning gave
to its readers, on the subject :
Mr. Langstroth made a few remarks
on the subject of hives, combs, and
other honey appliances. lie said that
they gave him too much credit for
what he had done for the business,
lie spoke of other inventors, among
them Major Ilruschka, who invented
the extractor, and what a help he was
to the bee-keeper ; also of the way he
had invented the present movable-
comb hive, Oct. 31, 1851.
He referred to the honored dead
who had done much for the bee-keep-
ers of this country. Samuel Wagner,
founder of the American Bee Jour-
nal in 18C1, had translated several
foreign works which proved of vast
help to the bee-keepers.
Moses Quinby, of Mohawk, N. Y.,
who had done so much to instruct and
help others.
Adam Grimm, of Jeilerson, Wis.,
who was the great German bee-keeper.
Eichard Colvin, of Cleveland, Ohio,
a man who had practically demon-
strated the advantage of movable
frames.
R. C. Otis, of Kenosha, Wis., who
had worked hard to demonstrate the
success of the movable frame hive.
Mr. Geo. Grimm arose and thanked
the Rev. Mr. Langstroth for the elo-
quent remarks he had made on his
(Mr. Grimm's) father.
A rising vote of thanks was exten-
ded to the venerable minister. Amid
the utmost, feeling the vote was
passed unanimously.
President Miller, after putting that
vote, attempted to make some re-
marks, but lie was too much overcome
by his feelings to do more than to
assure Air. Langstroth, that the proof
that bee-keepers were conscious that
they "owed him a larger debt of
gratitude than they could ever pay,"
was evidenced by the rising vote of
the entire Convention, and the tears
which welled up into the eyes of nearly
every one present.
Mr. Langstroth thanked the Con-
vention for their manifestation of love
and sympathy not only for himself,
but also for his co-laborers who had
passed away.
The number of members for this
year is 97, showing a steady increase,
year after year. Quite a number of
ladies were present, and appeared to
enjoy the meeting as much as the
men, and when the time came for ad-
journment, it was so diflicult for bee
men to say " Good by," that they con-
sumed a full hour in "social talk"
and "parting words."
The next meeting, in October, 1884,
will be looked forward to about as a
child looks and longs for the holidays ;
and we have every reason to expect
that meeting to be even a greater suc-
cess than the present one. Chicago is
the great centre of the West, and it
is exceedingly easy to come to a meet-
ing of this kind fr«m all the sur-
rounding States.
Home Market.— Mr. T. S. Bull seems
to know how to sell honey at home.
We And the following item in the
Vidette, at Valparaiso, lud. It is an
excellent way to advertise honey :
Mr. T. S. Bull, the honey man, has
put in an elegant glass case filled with
honey in Mr. Dillingham's grocery
store on Main street. Mr. Bull's
honey is a household word in every
family in our city, and its excellence
is well known. Drop in Dillingham's
and look at the case.
^" In the matter of paging the Bee
Journal cover, our readers will
notice that we shall be obliged here-
after to page the entire paper through,
consecutively. The following item
from a Washington despatch will ex-
plain it. We have been notified by
the Post-Office Department that if we
continue to page the cover separately,
we shall have to pay four times the
amount of postage :
The Post-Offlce Department insists
that periodicals shall be numbered
and paged consecutively, and the law
is being enforced in this city, all mat-
ter not so numbered being classed
as third class and charged at the rate
of eight cents per pound.
1^ We regret to learn that Mr. E.
F. Cassell, of Illinois City, 111., was
recently killed by attempting to get on
the cars at JNIuscatine, Iowa.
1^ We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
524
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Honey Crop of niinois.
We have received the ofHcial Circu-
lar No. 104, from the Crop Reports
returned to ttie Department of Agri-
culture Aug. 1, 18S3. From it we learn
that the colonies of bees reported for
1881, were 86,633; for 1882 they num-
bered 131,633. The number of pounds
of honey produced in 1881 were 618,947 ;
in 1882, it had increased to 2,791,301,
or over four times as much as in 1881,
while the number of colonies had not
even doubled. We shall look with
interest to the official statistics for
1883.
The statistics, by counties, for 1882,
are as follows :
COUNTIES.
Number
of
Colonies.
Adams 1,385
Ale.xander 260
Bond 624
Boone 454
Brown 794
Bureau 2,308
Calhoun 485
Carroll 273
Cass 990
Champaign 2,975
Christian 2,773
Clarlc 1,486
Clav
Clinton 1,204
Coles 1 ,438
Cook 170
Crawford 1 ,516
Cumberland 1,408
DeKalb 580
DeWitt 752
Douglas 1,461
Du Page 87
Edgar 1,914
Edwards 701
Effingham 1,683
Fayette 1.651
Ford 715
Franklin 124
Fulton 3,009
Gallatin 500
Greene 1,262
Grundy 894
Hamilton 949
Hancock 2,492
Hardin 349
Henderson 880
Henry 2,027
Iroquois 2,767
Jackson 946
Jasper 1,566
Jefferson 1,665
Jersey 551
JoDaviess 219
Johnson 842
Kane 618
Kankakee 1,323
Kendall 514
Knox 2,050
Lake
LaSalle 2,278
Lawrence 1.405
Lee
Livingston 2,256
Logan 2,84.5
Macon 2,168
Macoupin 1,919
Madison 1,024
Pounds
of
Honey.
24,704
1,960
8,420
11,623
12,460
59,813
5,720
5,695
16,680
57,745
103,262
18,728
14,259
42,029
4,420
15,070
17,784
22,420
30,8.50
49,503
1,785
30.220
6,839
22,420
33,239
16,213
1,580
71,461
5,600
23,694
27,832
20,174
53.301
690
27.143
56,681
65.306
6,764
21,674
19,879
12,581
7,650
4,544
14,614
28,400
18,695
70,667
85,891
22,755
58,732
74,673
4S,.591
46,263
19,240
Marion 3,736 23,011
jSIarshall
Mason
Massac 282 2,242
McDonough 1 ,913 47.528
McHenry 725 2:^,809
McLean 3,987 142,165
Menard 1,205 3,573
Mercer 1,705 54,330
Monroe 208
Montgomery 2,292 61,116
Morgan
Moultrie 1,32,5 26,012
Ogle 741 21,349
Peoria 1,.504 48,723
Perry 376 4,548
Piatt 1,.522 36,110
Pike 1,249 18,483
Pope 412 1,925
Pulaski 7.32 5,451
Putnam 713 27,685
Randolph 846 9,042
Richland 1,244 10,403
Rock Island 880 16,032
Saline 1,070 6,4.54
Sangamon 3,689 71,193
Schuyler 1,488 18,424
Scott 395 9,080
Shelby 3,604 57,914
Stark 711 25,185
St. Clair 1,874 30,750
Stephenson 1,146 35,718
Tazewell 1,461 31,721
Union 1,165 10,201
Vermilion 2,564 43,934
Wabash 812 12,208
Warren 2,123 109,707
Washington 1,180 13,447
AVayne 2,675 42,793
White 2,119 11,304
Whiteside 2,931 61 ,590
Will 915 20,959
Williamson 989 7,275
Winnebago 592 22,163
AVoodlord 1,004 17,.308
Total 131,633 2,791 ,301
Foul Brood Investigations.
Prof. T. J. Burrill, of Champaign,
111., proposes to make a thorough ex-
amination of the subject of foul brood,
its cause and cure, and requests us to
make the following announcement :
I am prepared to make some such
study, and in the first place would like
numerous specimens from different
apiaries and localities to ascertain
whether the same organisms are to be
found in all or not. A small piece of
the infected comb, together with any
information as to the nature and vir-
ulence of the disease will be a con-
tribution to the investigation. After
finding what is the probable parasite,
this must be separated and cultivated
in a state of purity, and then try the
effect on healthy brood. Doubtless
this cannot be fully accomplished be-
fore sometime next year, but a be-
ginning may be made now. I wish
you would insert a note in the Bee
Journal, asking for specimens and
information as to the nature and vir-
ulence of the disease, to be sent by
mail to me at Champaign, 111. A half
dozen or so infected cells will suffice,
and any small wood or tin box may be
used. I have no bees, hence do not
fear the infection. T. J. Burrill. I
I®" By the Canadian Farmer we
learn that Mr. G. B. Jones' apiarian
supply factory has been entirely
burned up. The Bee Journal ex-
tends its sympathy.
1^ We regret to learn of the death
of Mr. J. Oatman, of Dundee, 111.,
which occurred early in this month.
He was the senior of the late firm of
J. Oatman & Sons, well known to our
readers. The sons now carry on the-
business from vhich the father retired
some time ago.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office op American Bee Journal, >
Monday, 10 ». m., Oct. 22, 1888. 1
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demand for honey is extremely-
slow, and our commission houses are too well sup-
plied to expect anything else. Prices rule low.
Manufacturers complain of slow business. Ex-
tracted honey brings 7@yc. on arrival. I hare
bought for less. Combhoneyin good order, 12@]5.
BEESWAX— Good yellow beeswax brings 27@28
cts. ; offerings few.
CHAS. P. MtlTH.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— White clover and basawood in 1 and 2-
lb. sections, 17(<i21c. Dark and second quality,-
14'fljl5c. : extracted white clover in itegs and bar-
rels. 9@10c.; dark. 8c.
BEESWAX— Prime yellow, 27®29c.
H. K. & F. B. THUHBEH & Co.
OHICASO.
HONEY- -Comb honey has sold freely for the
past two weeks, and stocks are at present low. \ lb.
sections of white comb are brin^ging ISc; IH to 2
lb. sections of same quality, Ii3yjl7c.; varioussized
sections of white comb, 15®16c. Extracted honey
from8<<^lo cts. per pound, according to body and
flavor.
BEESWAX— Yellow, 326330.; dark. 2uc.! me-
dium, 300. ^ ^
R. A. Burnett, 161 South Water Bt,
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— There is a fairjobbing trade. OfiFerlnga
are not large. Choice qualities command extreme
tigures. White to extra white comb. lH(rti2nc. ; dark
to good, lOoilsMc; Extracted, choice to extra
white, 8w9]^c. : dark and candied, 6H@7Kc.
BEESWAX— Wholesale, 27®28c.
Stearns it smith. 423 Front Street,
ST. LOUIS.
HONEY — Quiet. Salable at appended flguree,
but generally held higher. Strained and extracted
at 6Mta Tc. ; cnmb at 14c.
BEESWAX— Salable at 27c. for choice.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONE Y— Comes very slowly and sells as Vast as
It comes at 18(5 l9c. for best white in I lb. sections,
and 17<5il8c. for 2 lb. sections. Second quality is-
very slow. Extracted usually sella very slowly in
our market.
BEESWAX— None in Market.
A. C. KENDEL, 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— We quote our market at 18@20c. for
1 lb. white clover; 18(ft20c. for 2 lb. white clover-
Extracted, 8@10c.
BEESWAX— AVe have none to quote.
BLAKE & Ripley, 57 Chatham Streei.
KANSAS CITY, MO,
HONEY— Market is quite active for choice comb,
and readily taken at 17(yjl8c.. not much distinction
being made between 1 and 2 lb. sections. Dark and
Irregular shaped combs. Ifi(<4l8c. Extracted slow
and prices hardly sustained. Choice, in bulk, 9®
9Hc. ; dark and dirty, 71*80.
JKBOiis TwiCHBLL, 536 Delaware Street,
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
525
northwestern Bee-Keepers' Society.
The Northwestern Bee - Keepers'
Society metatOvvsley's Hall, Chicago,
111., on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 10 a.
m., President C. 0. Miller in the
Chair.
Secretary T. G. Newman read the
minutes of the last meeting, which
were approved. He also read the
Treasurer's report, which was ac-
cepted and approved. On motion,
the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, who was
present, was made an honorary life
member.
The following members then paid
their dues:
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
T. L. Von Dorn, Omaha, Neb.
Dr. J. Oren. La Porte, City, Iowa.
T. S. Bull, Valparaiso, Ind.
H. D. Burrell, Bangor, Mich.
F. Wilcox, Mauston, AVis.
H. O. Morris, Tiskilwa, 111.
A. S. Haskins, Lawrence, Mich.
Eobert Cissna, Hageman, lud.
•C. L. Sweet, Glenwood, 111.
James Kuhles, Howard, 111.
E. Whittlesey, Pecatonica, 111.
. W. D. Angell, Odell, 111.
J. M. Ilyne, Stewartsville, Ind.
P. Morningstar, Wakarusa, Ind.
H. W. Lee, Pecatonica, 111.
F. II. Hannah, Hinsdale, 111.
H. Newhaus, Burlington, Wis.
G. B. Lewis, Watertown, Wis.
A. B. Miller, Wakarusa, Ind.
B. J. Miller, Nappanee, Ind.
Mark Davis, Lisle, 111.
E. S. Hovey, Swanton, Iowa.
J. E. Hunter, Wyoming, Iowa.
Xenophon Caverno, Lombard, 111.
A. Wecherts, Mattison, 111.
Hugo VoUand, Mattison, Til.
John Hodgson, Jr., Penaukee, Wis.
F. A. Snell, Milledgevili:-. 111.
J. S. Hooton, New Carii.sle, Ind.
G. H. Shirley, Richmond, 111.
D. S. McKinstry, Grant Park, 111.
T. F. Bingham, Abronia, Mich.
Otis J. tfaudy, Churubusco, Ind.
J. Scott, Oelwein, Iowa.
' Wm. Burns, Buchanan, Mich.
S. M. Slade, Elgin, 111.
James Forncrook, Watertown, Wis.
P. E. Marstou, Beloit, Wis.
Wm. Camm, Murrayville, 111.
E. LucaSj Kirkland, 111.
Chas. Vail, Michigan City, Ind.
T. D. Ward,Lawton, Mich.
Wm. Blake, Buchanan, Mich.
J. Marvin, St. Charles, 111.
Geo. Thompson, Geneva, 111.
S. E. Gernon, Waukesha, Wis.
T. G. Newman, Chicago, III.
Dr. C. C. Miller, Maieugo. 111.
M. L. Trester, Lincoln, Neb.
E. T. Flanagan, Belleville, III.
W. Z. Hutchinson, Rogersville, Mich.
Emil J. Baxter, Nauvoo, 111.
Capt. J. E. White, Eiiglewood, 111.
Geo. BischofE, Burlington, Iowa.
J. S. Harris, Wheeler, lud.
W. T. F. Petty, Pittslield, 111.
W. A. Carmack, Marengo, 111.
F. W. S. Brawley, Chicago, 111.
M. M. Baldridge, St. Charles, III.
Richard Hyde, Alderly, Wis.
P. J. England, Fancy Prairie, 111.
.lohn A. Jensen, Channahon, 111.
A. T. Wright, Kokoiuo, Ind.
S. N. Black, Clayton, III.
A. Wicherts. Mattison, 111.
R. G. Ardrey, Oakdale, 111.
R. Johnson, Valparaiso, Ind.
Hugo Valland, MatUson, 111.
D. Ryther, Somonauk, 111.
E. F. Seafer, Chesterton, Ind.
Geo. Grimm, .lefferson. Wis.
J. C. Giould, Paw Paw, ^Nlich.
D. G. AVebster, Blaine, 111.
A. II. Sherman, Bethel, Mich.
Frank McNay, Mauston, Wis.
L. H. Scudder, New Boston, 111.
E. J. Oatman, Dundee, 111.
L. C. Wemple, Rogers Park, 111.
J. A. Green, Dayton, III.
Dr. J. A. Walker, Mason City, 111.
P. P. Nelson, Manteno, III.
A. AV. Kistenbroker, Oak Park, HI.
LADY JIEMBERS.
Mrs. p. J. England, Fancy Prairie,
111.
Miss M. Hall, Sweet AA- ater. III.
Mrs. Dr. Miller, Marengo, 111.
Miss Emma AVilson, Marengo, 111.
Miss S. Shibley, Richmond, 111.
Mrs. L. Harrison, Peoria, III.
Mrs. AA^hite, Englewood, 111.
Mrs. Bischoff, Burlington, Iowa.
Mary A. Davis, Lisle, III.
Miss Jennie Ilayner.M. D.,Cliicago.
Mrs. A. C. Starkweather, AVilming-
ton. 111.
Mrs. F. AVilcox, Mauston, Wis.
Mrs. E. H. AAMiitney, Chicago.
Mrs. J. Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
President Miller started the ball to
rolling by reading from the question
box, " AA'hat kind of bees are best V"
Geo. Thompson, Geneva, 111.,
thought that the Syrians, in their
purity, undesirable, but considered
a judicious cross between them and
the Italians an excellent bee. Syrians
are very prolitic, breed up quickly,
and, hence, are very desirable in
localities where the main honey har-
vest comes eirly in the season.
T. F. Biii'4iiam: You speak of a
judicious cross, will you please tell
us what vnu mean?
Geo. Thompson : Oae-third Syrian,
thf- remainder Italian.
Rev. L. L. Langstroth : I have
uoLiced that the Italians stop breed-
ing early in the season. Mr. D. A.
Jones told me that he preferred a
cross between the Italians and Syrians.
James Heddon : If you were going
into bee-keeping again, is it your
opinion, Mr. Langstroth, that you
would have a pure variety or a cross ?
Rev. L. L. Langstroth : It is my
opinion that I should prefer a cross.
F. AVilcox : I cannot get the Ital-
ians into boxes so readily as I can the
blacks.
James Heddon : I have never had
a Syrian or Cyprian queen in or near
my apiary, and, until we can get bet-
ter reports from them than we have,
I never shall. I see no advantage in
very early or late breeding. My bees
do not die any more in winters when
they cease breeding early in the sea-
son. Neither do I consider extra pro-
liQcness of the queen anything of
which to boast. Large colonies of
young bees, in the fall, winter no bet-
ter ; sometimes not so well.
AA'^m. Camm : I prefer pure Ital-
ians. The Syrians do not proi)erly
ripen and seal the honey, and in no
manner do they show a superiority
over the Italians. Have tried crossing
them with the Italians. A Syrian
queen mated with a black drone pro-
duces a more amiable bee than au
Italian queen mated with a Syrian
drone, but I never saw a gentle Syrian
with any system of management.
E. J. Baxter: AVith me the Cyp-
rians have no advantages over the
Italians, while they are very viscious,
even after the hive is closed, they will
follow a long distance to sting. I pre-
fer pure Italians. I have tried blacks,
but do not like them. I like to have
bees breed late in the season, but
think extra proliticuess of no account.
James Marvin : I prefer the Italians.
James Heddon : If there is a mem-
ber present who has gentle Syrians or
Cyprians, I should be glad to hear
from him.
J. A. Green : I have Syrians bred
from a queen obtained from A. I.
Root, and they are gentle.
James Heddon : There is one dif-
ficulty in deciding this question, and
that is, all breeders are not honest.
And then all bee-keepers cannot dis-
tinguish one variety of bees from
another. For instance, in 1881, a noted
breeder sent me a Syrian queen, and
wished me to send him in return a
queen of my strain of bees. Now, I
did not want the queen in my yard,
and I hardly knew what to tell the
breeder, but I finally decjded, for the
benefit of the fraternity, to lay aside
my conscientious scruples. AVhat did
I do y AA^ell, I will tell you. I took
the Syrian queen and put her into one
of rav shipping cages and returned
her, together with a long letter, asking
the breeder to give my strain of bees
a careful trial, and see if they did not
compare favorably in marking, in-
dustry, general character, etc., with
other bees. He reported a care-
ful examination, and never once
suspected they came from him.
If I were producing extracted
honey, and nothing else, I should be
satisfied with the dark, leather-col-
ored Italians, but for the production
of comb honey I prefer a cross be-
tween this variety and the brown
German bee.
J. A. Green : I see no difference in
the appearance of Italians and Syrians,
but the Syrian queen that I had was
one of Mr. Boot's selected tested
queens.
J. C. Gould : Mv experience has
been that pure Syrians are not so
irritable as a cross between Italians
and blacks. Queens in Italian colo-
nies are more readily found.
James Heddon : 1 have no trouble
in finding queens in my hybrid colo-
nies.
T. F. Bingham: The purer my
Italians are, the least liable are they
to swarm. My hybrids swarm most.
James Iledclon : The same colony
does not behave the same, nor store
honey with the same industry each
season ; why is it V
526
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
F. Wilcox : It may be because they
are not strong enough at the proper
time.
James Ileddon : That is not the
point ; colonies are exactly alike, so
near as we can discover, and yet one
colony yields an excellent surplus,
another none ; why is it ?
C. C. Miller : It may be caused by
a difference in the age of the queen.
James Ileddon : I think not ; bees
supersede their queen when she be-
comes too old. In regard to varieties,
I tried the " golden " Italians, but
did not like them so well as the
blacks. I tried the dark Italians, and
liked them better than either, but I
prefer a cross between the dark Ital-
ians and the blacks. I do not want
the bees to be too black. Most of the
black bees throughout the country are
the brown Gerriian variety.
The following question was handed
in for discussion, by Mrs. L. Harri-
son : "Is it the opinion of this Con-
vention, that legislation is necessary
to protect bee-keepers against the
ravages of foul brood i"'
T. L. Von Dorn remarked that he
did not think it necessary, as an in-
dictment could be easily obtained be-
fore any grand jury against any one
■who persisted in keeping such a loath-
some disease about his premises.
Dr. S. M. Slade said that it was a
disease most-dreaded, and protection
should be given against its spreading.
T. G. Newman remarked that spec-
ial legislation was very often inoper-
ative, and remained a dead letter on
the Statute books, but safe guards
should be thrown around bee-keepers
against this malady. It was a crime
to keep such a loathsome disease in
an apiary, especially if there were any
likelihood of selling bees, to endanger
its spreading. He believed that it
was the safest way to destroy all such
colonies, and thus root out the evil.
On motion, tlie meeting adjourned
to meet at 2 p. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.'
Met at 2 p. m. Dr. Miller in the
Chair. The first question brought up
was that of queen-rearing, which soon
branched off, taking a wide range ;
for instance, James Marvin said that
he had clipped the queens wings this
season, had never done so before, and
would never do so again.
E. J. Oatman : We cannot afford
to tolerate poor stock ; we must have
the best. Old queens do not furnish
the best bees. I destroy queens be-
fore they become too old.
James Heddon : If the offspring of
young queens is the best, we want it,
for it requires just as much honey to
rear a lazy bee as to rear a smart
one.
Dr. Miller : How do bees know
■when to supersede a queen V Is it
because she lays a fewer number of
eggs, or how is it 't How do the bees
know when to supersede ?
Wm. Camm : I had a queen that
did good service five years, and I pre-
sume that she might yet be doing so,
if she had not been smothered in a
snow bank.
S. M. Slade : I always allow my
bees to swarm, and have arrived at
the conclusion that there is more in
the operator than in the queen.
Rev. L. L. Langstroth : Bees do
not, I think, supersede their queens
simply because the queen does not
lay enough eggs to suit them. I once
put an old queen in several different
colonies, and they all tried to super-
sede her. I then placed her in a
nucleus, and that also tried to super-
sede her. I would like to ask if any
one has noticed that black bees are
less liable than Italians to supersede
their queens. I have found it so.
They seem to have more affection for
their queen ; they are fairly distracted
when she is removed. Italians are
much more apt to supersede their
queens. I luive also noticed that the
superseding queen is an excellent one.
Wm. Camm : I had two supersed-
ing queens, this season, and they were
very prolific.
Rev. li. L. Langstroth : We can
tell the age of queens by their color.
A young queen is bright-colored and
fresh looking, more so the first year
than ever afterwards. We cannot
look at a queen and say, to a certainty,
that she is of a certain age, but we
can make a pretty close guess.
R. A. Burnett, a commission mer-
chant of Chicago, was next intro-
duced, and, to questions, replied in
substance as follows : One-pound
sections sell the best. I have handled
a few one-half pound sections, but I
am of the opinion that if they must
be sold at a very much higher price
than the one-pound sections, it will
not be advisable to use them. Have
handled glassed sections, but they
are very unsalable. A section that
weighs a fraction le^s than a pound
is better than one that over-runs in
weight, as we are always asked to
" throw in " the extra ounces, while
to throw off a few cents because the
section is under weight, always cre-
ates a feeling of satisfaction. A thin
comb of honey is more salable than a
thick one weighing the same, as the
larger surface of comb makes the
amount of honey appear larger. Dark
honey is more salable in the extracted
form ; in fact, it should never be put
upon the market in combs. Here the
discussion branched off into adulter-
ation of honey.
R. A. Burnett : I have kept it be-
fore the public that I sold only pure
honey, and my sales have increased.
I tell my customers that when they
get honey in the original packages,
they can be almost certain of getting
pure honey, and it is in that shape
that I try to sell it.
James Ileddon: I think it impos-
sible for producers to profitably adul-
terate honey.
E. Baxter: I do think itcan be done.
James Ileddon : Will you please
tell us, Mr. Baxter, how much you
get for your extracted honey V
E. Baxter : Eight or nine cents.
James Heddon : How much did it
cost you to produce it '?
E. "Baxter : Perhaps 10 per cent, of
its selling price.
James Heddon : Do you think,
Mr. Baxter, that you could afford to
adulterate, with glucose, honey that
cost you only 2 cents a pound ?
There was too much of a laugh to
clearly hear Mr. Baxter's reply.
S. M. Black : Adulterated honey is
easily discovered.
E. Baxter : I am well acquainted
with the properties of glucose, and
the injuries that it causes ; its effects
are slow. I thiuk, in time, that it
will be so made that it will be whole-
son] e.
T. G. Newman : For a long time it
has been impossible to sell honey here
in Chicago, because of its adultera-
tion years ago. AVe have fought glu-
cose as a deadly enemy, and at last
we have it under our foot ; let us keep
it there. I believe it a sin to have it
go out to the world that bee-keepers
can or will adulterate their honey.
The name of a bee - keeper when
placed upon a package of honey,
should be a synonym for purity— a
guaranty for tlie straight and pure ar-
ticle. No glucose should ever be
tolerated in or around his apiary, for
it would destroy confidence to be in
possession of the vile trash for any
purpose.
Rev. L. L. Langstroth referred to
Mr. C. F. Muth, and the large busi-
ness that he had built up by being
strictly honest, and dealing in pure
honey. One man says that glucose
can be made pure ; perhaps it can, but
it is not done, unless some one writes
for a sample to analyze, or something
of that kind, when a sample is es-
pecially prepared and sent to him. ■
.James Ileddon : Heat effects glu-
cose and honey in a different manner.
Heat a glass of pure honey, and at
the same time one containing honey
of suspected purity, and if glucose is
present, the ropy, stringy, gluey ap-
pearance of that containing the glu-
cose will be easily seen.
-J. L. Harris : My experience is that
customers can tell the difference be-
tween adulterated and pure honey.
That is, after using adulterated honey,
they soon tire of it and want no more.
Wm. Camm : I agree with Mr.
Newman, but we cannot afford to
ignore facts. I am happy to be able
to say that it is a fact that every bee-
keeper is opposed to adulteration.
M. L. Trester : Many purchasers
of honey store it in a damp place,
where it will absorb water and will
sour, and then they say that it is
adulterated. The label should ex-
plaip this matter. Honey appears to
much better advantage when stored
in flint instead of ordinary glass ves-
sels. Producers should establish a
reputation in their home market. No
stranger can come into my market
and sell honey.
At this point the convention was
favored with some music and the
singing of some " bee songs," such as
" Charley the Bees are Swarming,"
etc., by Mr. and Mrs. F. Edgecombe,
of Chicago, Prof. Coffin presiding at
the organ.
A vote of thanks to Prof. CotHn and
Mr. and Mrs. Edgecombe was unani-
mously passed for the musical enter-
tainment.
Then followed the election of officers
which resulted as follows : President,
Dr. C. C. Miller, Marengo, 111. ; Vice-
President. Mrs. L. Harrison, Peoria,
THE AMERICAI^ BEE JOURNAL.
527
111.; Secretary, W. Z. Hutchinson,
Rogersville, Mich.; Treasurer, T. G.
Newman, Chiciigo, 111.
Upon motion of T. G. Xewman, it
was decided tliat, at future elections,
to save time, the Secretary should
furnish printed ballots, with blanks
left for names of persons to be elected,
and so arranged that all the officers
could be elected at one ballot.
The meeting then adjourned to
meet at 7 p. m.
EVENING SESSION.
The first subject discussed was
that of " Over-stocl£ing a Locality."
The greater part of the time set
apart for tliis discussion was taken
up in listening to reports from mem-
bers regarding the number of colonies
that they pastured upon certain tracts
of land. Dr. Miller tinally asked liow
many members present tiad kept
more bees in one locality than could
be kept with proht. Ten members
stood up. The discussion that fol-
lowed brought out the idea that, as a
general thing, an apiary should not
contain more than 125 or 150 colonies,
and the Held should be clear three
miles in each direction.
I)r. Miller : When our locality be-
comes over-stocked, what shall we
do V Sliall we sell some of our bees V
Shall we plant for honey, or what
shall we do V
r. Wilcox : Plant Alsike clover.
A Member : Upon what soil do
plants furnish tlie most honey V
L. H. Scudder : One plant in my
locality does best upon light sandy
soil.
A Member : What plant will it pay
to cultivate for honey alone V
Geo. Thompson : Sweet clover.
J. A. Green : In my locality, sweet
clover grows upon the river banks,
where there is little else except pure
sand.
Wm. Camm : I prefer figwort.
Sweet clover will not grow upon every
soil. I tried some upon clay, and it
did not grow. I have sowed sweet
clover in the spring ; it made a line
start, but the drouth killed it. Sowed
some in the fall witli better success.
By enriching the ground, I have made
sweet clover blossom. I consider it
an advantage to cut it in .June.
James Ileddon : There is one kind
of soil in wliich sweet clover will grow
every time, and that is gravel.
James Marvin : My neighbor, M.
M. Baldridge, had, in one season, 75
acres of Alsike clover, and from it my
bees gathered a large crop of very
superior honey.
James Ileddon : Is there any one
present whose income has been in-
creased by planting for honey alone V
Dr. Miller : My bees fairly revel
upon my hgwort, but I cannot be cer-
tain that it has paid me ; because bees
work upon blossoms, is no proof that
it i>ay3 to raise them.
Wm. Camm : After liarvesting a
crop of oats, I have plowed the (ield
and sowed it to buckwheat, from
which I have obtained a crop of honey
more than sufficient to pay the ex-
pense.
S. N. Black : And I have sowed
buckv/heat in a corn field, after it was
cultivated the last time, and received
from it enough honey to make it pay.
T. L. Von Dorn : I have a neigh-
bor who has had large crops of honey
from rape.
James Ileddon : I have a student
from Nebraska, and he says that his
father regards matrimony vine as a
great honey producer.
T. L. Von Dorn : I agree with this
gentleman.
The meeting adjourned to meet at
9 a. m.
MORNING SESSION.
The Convention met at 9 a. m. ac-
cording to adjournment. President
Miller announced for discussion •' Sur-
plus receptacles.'-
As the subject seemed a little slow
in starting. President Miller said :
Who raises extracted honey V Up
with your hands. Now, who raises
comb comb y Two-thirds of the
members made a specialty of comb
honey.
Dr. Miller : Now, who uses sep-
arators? To the surprise of some, it
was found, upon voting, tliat three-
fourths of the members could get
along without separators.
Mrs. L. Harrison : If we sell at
home, there is no necessity of using
separators, but if we have to crate
and ship our honey, it is a different
thing. I have my honey stored in
boxes.
W. Z. Ilutcliinson : In regard to
crating and shippinghoney built with-
out separators, please allow me to say
that I, this season, raised 2,600 pounds
of comb honey without separators,
crated every pound, shipped it by
freight to the State Pair at Detroit,
shipped it back by freight, and carried
it 12 miles in a lumber wagon to our
County Fair witliout the loss or break-
age of a single comb.
As Dr. Oren came in at this point,
the President thought it best to re-
sume the subject of pasturage, in or-
der that Dr. Oren might tell more
about a honey plant of the helianlhus
order, which he had on exhibition.
It blossomed in September, and con-
tinued in bloom until cold weather,
while the amount of honey gathered
from it was very great.
Geo. Grimm : I have had consid-
erable experience with the same
plant. It grows along the river bank,
and we often haul our bees 30 or 40
miles in order that they may work
upon this plant.
Wm. Camm: I have had experi-
ence with this plant, and lind it valua-
ble. I have tried Dr. Tinker's golden
honey plant, and with me it is worth-
less.
The question of surplus receptacles
was again taken up.
.Tames Ileddon : No one considers
sections cratable unless the combs do
not touch, but the thicker the combs,
provided that they do not touch, the
better, for the reason that thick combs
are not so easily broken out. Honey
raised without separators is thicker,
and better fastened to the wood
around the sides. I want no sections
with closed tops, but those with open
top-bars clear across. With closed
top-bars the bees have no guide, and
do not know where to have the edge
of the comb. With open top-bars they
do have a guide. AVhere the open-
ings in tlie top and bottom bars do
not extend clear across, those little
projecting corners are liable, in crat-
ing honey or taking it from the crate,
to gouge into the sides of the neigh-
boring coinbs. To get straight combs
the sections should be lilled with
Given foundation, the hives should
stand level, except slightly raised at
the back. Bees having a dash of
German blood are a great help in
getting straight combs. To get sec-
tions holding half-pounds, I reduce
them in width and thickness. Half-
pountf sections ship better, because
they are smaller. One of my custo-
mers found the half-pound sections
very salable; other sizes were a drug
as long as they lasted ; the same was
not always true. I have tried wide
frames, and the case method upon a
large scale, and I expect to burn up
the wide frames, and use the cases
exclusively.
F. Wilcox : In some colonies I can
get straight combs, in others not.
Strong colonies build straight combs,
weak ones are not so apt to.
Dr. Miller : Too thin foundation
sometimes causes crooked combs.
Foundation made upon a press is less
liable to warp or bend than that made
upon a roller mill. I do not like the
Van Deusen foundation ; it is too
thin, and curls too much. I wish to
make a point, that the kind of foun-
dation made has much to do with the
success of crating sections.
Rev. L. L. Langstroth : I believe
that this Convention represents the
largest number of large, practical,
successful honey producers of any
Convention that I have ever visited.
Mr. Langstroth here gave a long and
interesting account of how the inven-
tion of the movable comb hive was
brought about, and then spoke with
much feeling of
THE HONORED DEAD.
Mr. Samuel Wagner was first men-
tioned. He told how Mr. Wagner had
taken him by the hand aiul helped
him. How fair, square and liberal he
was. His library was full of bee-
keeping w'orks, and free access was
given to all who wished to read them.
Moses Quinby and Mr. Langstroth
published their works at about the
same time, and it was a great source
of pleasure to know tliat they so
nearly agreed. Mr. Quinby had
learned how to make money at bee-
keeping, even when using box hives.
Mr. Quinby had told Mr. Langstroth
that the happiest moment of his
(Quinby 's) life was when he read to
bis family, from Mr. Langstroth's
work, couimendatory words in regard
to himself.
Adam Grimm had done very much
for bee-keeping, had shown that a
fortune might be amassed in the busi-
ness. Mr. Grimm had once visited
Mr. Langstroth, and his greeting was:
■■ Hail, great American bee-keeper 1"
Kichard Colvin had spent thousands
of dollars in helping forward bee-
culture.
K. C. Otis had, perhaps, been the
most instrumental of anyone in dis-
528
THE AMBRICAlf BEE JOURNAL.
seminatiiig movable combs through-
out the country. Had it not been for
him, movable comb hives might now
be but little known. He v^as a kind-
liearted man, and would leave every-
thing else and care for his old mother.
At the close of Mr. Langstrotti's ad-
dress, Mr. Geo. Grimm, Adam
Grimm's son, arose and thanked him
for the eloquent words spoken of his
father, and moved that a vote of
thanks be given Mr. Langstrotli for
]iis loving words in regard to those
who were dead and gone, which was
nnaniraously carried, while heartfelt
tears welled up in many eyes.
While a statistical table (wlrtch ap-
pears elsewhere) was being prepared,
^Ir. Langstrotli exhibited to the mem-
bers a bottle of alcohol containing a
drone and two workers of Apis-Dor-
sata, which had been given him by
Mr. D. A. .Jones. While the workers
were larger thaii our queens, the
drone was not larger than our drones,
and ;Mr. Langstrotli expressed a hope
that it might be possible that a cross
might be obtained by the mating of
ail Apis-Dorsata drone with one of
our queens.
After the statistical table had been
prepared, the Convention adjourned
to meet at 1:30 p. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Meeting called to order at 1:30 p. m
President ^Miller in the chair. The
subject first taken up was "Foul
brood."
Dr. Miller said, that the disease
could be discovered by the odor, and
by the appearance of the dead brood.
There were three remedies. First,
cremation ; secondly, the starvation
plan, and thirdly, the use of salicylic
acid.
Mr. Marvin and others advocated
total destruction as the only sure
remedy, and all agreed that great care
was necessary that the disease might
not spread.
The subject of ""Wintering" was
then taken up.
J. E. Hunter : I put my bees in the
cellar when steady cold weather
comes, and winter without loss. I
take them out when it becomes so
warm that I cannot keep the bees
quiet. I have both upper and lower
ventilation, and aim to keep the tem-
perature at 4.5^.
Dr. Miller: Thermometers vary;
bee-keepers should look out for this.
E.J.Baxter: I wintered 110 colo-
nies, last winter, out-of-doors without
loss. jMy hives are not shallow. I
always try to have good, strong colo-
nies, and plenty of good honey for
stores. I leave in only eight combs,
filling up the empty space with dry
leaves, spreading a mat over the top
of the frames.
E;. 3. Oatman : I shall winter 600
colonies out-of-doors, and 11 in the
cellar. I put those 11 in the cellar be-
cause they are in shallow hives. I
prefer out-door wintering with the
hives protected by chaff; and I do
not unpack them until all danger
from cold: is over. I prefer confec-
tioners' A sugar to all other stores for
wintering. We are not always cer-
tain that the liouey is pure ; it may be
BEES AND HONEY FOR 1883.
COLONIES.
HONEY C
Extr'td
JROP-lbs
Comb.
HONEY I
Extr'td
JNSOLD.
NAME AND ADDRESS.
Sprng
Fall.
Comb.
Dr. C. C. .Miller, Marengo, 111. .
172
251
11,000
9,000
.JamesHeddon, DowagiacMich
130
300
4,666
4,000
4,000
3,.500
Geo. Grimm, .Jefferson, Wis. . .
350
500
400
7..5OO
700
J, M. Marvin. St. Charles, 111. . .
120
300
6,000
5.000
2,000
Oatman Uros., J)undee, 111
408
611
27,000
10,000
L. H. Scudder, New Boston, 111
6.5
170
, 6,000
5,200
W.Z. Hutchinson, Rogers', Mich.
75
100
2,666
2.600
500
T.S.Bull & Sons,Valparaiso,Ind
140
200
10,000
500
7,000
366
T. L. VonDorn, Omaha, Neb. .
33
37
4.50
2,000
300
E. Lucas. Kirklaud, III
85
130
1,000
5,000
Mrs. L. Harrison, Peoria, 111.. .
47
112
1,000
5,000
5,000
.Jos.Ivuhles Howard 111
10
16
32
31
240
700
173
700
Dr. S. M. Slade, Elgin, 111
350
Wm. Camm, Murrayville,Ill. . .
50
100
1,500
1..500
1,666
1,000
Wm. Burrows
70
62
140
125
566
3, .500
4,.500
1,500
Wm. Blake, Buchanan, Mich.. .
1,200
Rev.L. L. Langstroth,Oxford, O
L.A. Secrest
3
14
200
16
20
150
20
60
Wm. A. Carmack, Marengo, 111
3
7
5
100
II. D. Burrell, Bangor, Mich. . .
118
148
200
4,000
100
500
Philip I^. Nelson, MantenOj 111.
34
52
500
1,800
200
340
Richard Hyde, Alderly, Wis. . .
85
125
10,000
2,.500
2,500
Geo. Bischoff, Burlington, Iowa
26
60
600
400
366
100
Frank McNay, Mauston, Wis. .
78
140
1,.500
4,000
1,000
1,-500
.J. C. Gould, Paw Paw, Mich. . .
9
23
1,200
J. J. Hulbert.
35
20
70
34
300
1,900
7.50
100
P. J. England,Fancy Prairie, III
S. E. Vanneter
35
80
68
130
500
1,700
800
6,200
i',666
400
S. E. Gernou, Waukesha, Wis.
3,000
J. Hodgson, Jr., Pewaukee, Wis
C. Schrier, Peotone, 111
28
76
800
2 000
29
108
48
145
2.50
2,000
2,000
2.000
"" 666
500
J. E. Hunter, Wyoming, Iowa.
500
Jas. Forncrook,Watertown,Wis
6
21
200
200
Robert Cisna, Ilageman. Ind. . .
54
98
900
600
100
S. N. Black, Clayton, 111
24
60
1.800
300
C. W. McKown, Gilson, 111
80
120
4,000
3,100
300
John A. Jensen, Channahon,Ill
64
104
9,800
4,666
F. II. Hannah, Hinsdale, 111 . . .
]2
28
366
66
C. L. Sweet, Glen wood, 111
90
135
L.566
300
500
200
Chas. Anderson
43
48
91
95
4,090
800
2,000
700
J. M. Ilyne, Stewartsville, Ind.
100
G. H. Shibley, Richmond. 111. . .
100
190
1,000
5,000
400
3,500
D. S.McKinstry,GrantPark,Ill
24
42
1,0511
1,200
900
800
E. F. Schaper
45
26
100
62
1,800
100
200
900
500
75
50
L. C. Wemple, Rogers Park, 111.
500
M. L. Trester, Lincoln, Neb. . .
78
135
5.300
300
2.600
200
T. D. Ward, Lawton, Mich. . . .
34
65
600
1,200
300
800
J. L. Harris, AVheeler, Ind
26
80
1,-500
Jolm Hoover. New Boston, 111.
55
100
300
3.000
366
3,000
R. Johnson, Valparaiso, Ind. . .
22
47
2.000
400
400
A. Wicherts, Mattison, 111
38
80
1,000
1,000
300
400
W. T. F. Petty, Plttstield, 111. .
37
105
3.000
1,500
D. G. Webster, Blaine, 111
140
190
50
.5,.566
5,666
Jacob Ebersole
54
8
76
20
766
1,500
50
X. Caverno, I^ombard, 111
266
A. P. Lanterman, Chicago
4
7
200
20
H. W. Lee, Pecatonica, 111
180
200
1..500
3. .500
i.666
500
E. Whittlesey, Pecatonica, 111 .
50
70
500
2,000
200
1,000
J. S. Ilooton, New Carlisle, Ind
20
30
700
300
500
E. S. Hovey, Swanton, Iowa. ..
35
55
1,050
1.600
300
Dr. Jesse Oren, LaPorte Clowa
140
167
2,700
4.-500
266
1,000
F. A. Snell, Milledgeville, 111 . .
90
115
2.700
1 .600
200
200
James A. Green, Dayton, 111. . .
137
175
6,500
2.-500
5,000
1,-500
H. Newhaus, Burlington, Wis.
25
103
2,674
1.349
2,674
949
Albert Potter, Eureka, Wis
43
93
2.-500
2,500
Otis J. Gaudy, Churubusco,Ind
55
80
100
5.000
i66
1.500
Dr. J. A.Walker, MasonCity,Ill
45
72
2.000
1,000
H. O. Morris, Tiskilwa, 111
42
68
1,600
1,6-50
300
550
R. G. Ardrey, Oakdale, III
35
56
1,.500
300
700
200
W. D. Angell,Odell, 111
17
>^1
800
600
A. S. Ilaskins, Lawrence, ]\Iich
11
*33
200
500
1-50
400
Emil J. Baxter. Nauvoo, 111...
123
185
22,000
1,000
21,000
800
F. AVilcox, Mauston, Wis
85
125
300
4,100
300
2.500
Mrs. A. C. Starkweather
50
80
400
1.000
. 800
T. F.I>ingliam, Abronia, Mich.
60
92
5,000
3j566
Total,
4,877
7,970
138,529
178,112
65,359
78,899
-THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
529
gathered from cider mills or some-
thing of that sort. The syrup should
be made in the proportion of live
■quarts of water to twenty pounds of
sugar, and it is better that it be fed
In time to be sealed over before cold
■weather. I began feeding Sept. 11.
I would commence feeding as soon as
the honey flow is over. I would not
feed iu winter unless as a last resort
to prevent starvation.
Wm. Camm : I never lost a colony
that went into winter quarters in
proper condition. I never extract
honey from the brood -chamber. I do
not want any sugar ; think honey good
•enough. I do not care for pollen ;
give the bees room enough to store
plenty of honey, and they are all right.
Dr. Oven : AV^hat would be the re-
sult of coutining bees to a diet of
pollen ?
E. J. Baxter: Mr. Dadant has
never tried to avoid pollen, and has
always had good success.
S. M. Slade : During three or four
years I wintered my bees without loss
in a cellar, but one year 3 or 4 colo-
nies became restless and ate up all
their stores and died of starvation.
At last their came a winter in which
my bees and those of my neighbors
died. It followed a season in which
we had no surplus honey.
Dr. Oren : I had a weak colony of
blacks that had no queen in August.
When I put them in winter quarters
there was not more than a pint of
bees, but I gave them an Italian
queen. In the spring all the black
bees were gone, and in their places
■were Italians ; plenty of them. They
wintered well.
E. J. Oatman : I think that pollen
is at the bottom of much of our win-
ter troubles. One reason for feeding
sugar is to cover the pollen, so that
the bees cannot get at it.
James Heddon : All our losses are
nothing compared to that caused by
dysentery. Kow, what causes dysen-
tery V Does any body know ? Has
laying a little stick over the frames
got anything to do with itV Has
turning back the quilt one-eightfi of
an inch at the back of the hive any-
thing to do with it V lias a little chaff
here, and a little chaff there anything
to do with itV lias ventilatioii any-
thing to do with it y Do not bees die
out-of-doors and in the cellar, when
they are ventilated and when they are
not ventilated, when they are kept
dry and wlien they are kept in a
damp cellar, and do not tliey live
sometimes under just these same cir-
cumstances? Confinement is not the
primary cause of dysentery, neither is
cold, nor coufiuement. Xow, what is
it ? It is my opinion that the trouble
is in the food. Pollen is what causes
the trouble. Grains of pollen are
often floating in the honey. Pollen is
a needed food in building up tissue, as
in rearing brood or repairing the waste
tissue when bees are laboring in the
field, but it is not needed when bees
are quietly clustered in the hive dur-
ing the winter. A heat producing
food is then needed, and for this pur-
Eose pure cane sugar is better than
oney. It is also more completely
digested, leaving a smaller amount of
residue. This pollen theory is the
only one that will tit all cases. A
man puts his bees in the cellar, or in
a clamp, and leaves them there five
or six months, and they come out in
fine condition ; the confinement did
not bring on the dysentery did itV
The nexc winter, with even a less
amount of contjneraeut, they may all
die. Dampness does not cause dys-
entery ; if it does, why did it not kill
that man's bees who kept them in so
damp a cellar that the hives were
dripping with moisture, and a large
number of combs blue witli mold?
If cold causes dysentery, why is it
that bees often winter best in a long,
steady, cold winter where the mer-
cury often goes down below zero, and
stays down a long time. Cold, damp-
ness, and confinement may be aggra-
vating, but they are not primary
causes. Pure cane sugar is the
remedy for their troubles.
E. J. Baxter : I have quieted rest-
less colonies by giving ttiem more
ventilation.
Rev. L. L. Langstroth : I cannot
think that the Creator would make
things so antagonistic to each other.
The instinct of the bee teaches it to
gather, store and eat pollen ; hence,
it should be healthful. Cold does not
always cause dysentery. I have
known bees winter successfully, iu
a severe winter, when the hives were
raised from the bottom-board, and iu
some instances where the bottom-
board had fallen off entirely. I liave
had persons experiment by hanging
up a colony, combs and all, of course,
i)ut without; any liive, in large boxes,
or in a smoke house, and, although
the winter was severe, they wintered
perfectly.
James Heddon : I would say to
fattier Langstroth, that I do not claim
that tlie bee will eat pollen, during the
winter, from instinct, but they are
sometimes compelled to eat it.
The next topic of discussion was
" Comb foundation."
E. J. Oatman : I prefer the Given
to all others. Think 7 square feet to
the pound about right.
James Heddon : I prefer the Given
foundation ; for sections I would have
it about 8 feet to the pound. For put-
ting foundation in brood frames, the
Given has no competitor.
E. J. Baxter: That Mr. Dadant
has, the past season, made 45,000
pounds of Dunham foundation, is
something in its favor.
Geo. Grimm : I have laid aside the
Dunham mill for the Given press. I
prefer the Given foundation both for
surplus and for brood combs. The
base of the cells are always thin,
even in a heavy sheet of foundation,
and as it is the base only that receives
the pressure, the side walls are soft.
Dr. Miller : I like the Given foun-
dation best, but I have noticed that it
is not always of uniform tliickness,
some parts of the same sheet being
thicker than others.
James Heddon : The base is so
very thin in the Given, tliat any dif-
ference is more perceptible.
T. F. Bingham : As the bees are
obliged to add some wax in order to
tinisu the comb, what material differ-
ence does it make if some parts are
a trifle thicker than others ? I think
that the excessive pressure of some
mills makes the foundation too hard ;
and the bees are thus liable to thin
the base if it needs it.
The next subject was "Fastening
Foundation in Sections."
E. J. Baxter : I fasten it in by
pressing it in with a knife.
Dr. Miller : I prefer the Clark fast-
ener.
F. Wilcox: I never tried the Parker
fastener — use the Clark. In removing
the section, I pull out one corner first,
which answers the same purpose as
the sliding-back movement of the
Parker. I fasten foundation in the
brood frames with a putty knife.
Dr. i\Iiller : I do not twist the sec-
tion in removing it from the Clark
fastener, and the starters do not fall
out.
James Heddon : No other fastener
except the Parker has that sliding-
back movement, and, without that, I
consider no fastener as perfect.
Geo. Grimm : I fasten mine with
melted wax and a brush ; I keep the
wax at the proper temperature by
means of a lamp.
Upon the subject of " Purifying
Wax," Mr. Black said : Melt it with
large quantities of water ; let it cool
slowly while upon the water, and all
impurities will settle to the bottom.
The question was asked : Is it
profitable to prevent after-swarming?
F. Wilcox : Yes.
My. Black : It depends upon cir-
cumstances. Second swarms are often
the best ; especially is this so if they
come during a good flow of honey,
when they can build up quickly. The
succeeding year they are the very best
of colonies.
James Heddon : Some, to prevent
after swarming, cut out tlie queen-
cells. I object to this. There is
something in nature that hatches the
best queen first. Now, I will tell you
how I manage second swarns. I hive
them upon frames of wired founda-
tion, and place the hive containing
them by the side of the old colony. As
soon as the queen is fertilized and
laying, I shake the whole swarm down
in front of the old hive, and put away
the drawn-out foundation for future
use. All the bees being the offspring
of one queen, they do not quarrel. I
have tried uniting" bees ; some seasons
they did not quarrel, others they did.
Geo. Grimm : I hive an after
swarm, and place it by the side of the
old colony, and then a"t evening shake
it down in-front of the old hive.
James Heddon : Yes, I have tried
that plan, but the next day out came
the swarm again.
"Prevention of robbing and unit-
ing bees."
Rev. L. L. Langstroth : If it is in
order, I should like to tell how Mr. I).
A. Jones manages robber bees. He
has found tliat one dry bee can con-
quer a large number of wet ones ;
hence, when there is any fear that
robbers may over-power a colony, he
piles hay in front of the entrance,
then wets some hay and puts over
this, and the result is, that the rob-
bers become wet and are easily over-
530
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
powered. Mr. Langstroth had also
successfully united colonies that
were inclined to quarrel after he tried
to unite them, and it was done by
wetting with sweetened water, tl)e
colony that was at home. The in-
truding colony had no desire to light.
The Convention adjourned to meet
again in Chicago upon the Wednes-
day and Thursday of the last week of
the Exposition, when heid.in 18S4.
W. Z. Hutchinson, Sec.
For tile American Bee JoumaJ.
Worker Bees in ftueea-Cells, etc.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
On page 433, 1 see that Mr. lleddon
is puzzled by that " Curious freak of
bees," given by JSIr. Rickeubacher.
Mr. 11. says that, while cutting out
queen-cellsi one of them fell to the
bottom-board unnoticed, and in it lie
afterward found an old dead worker
bee. As he says he did not notice it
at the time it fell to the bottom-
board, I take it for granted that it did
not fall there, but that the bees built
it there, for I have frequently found
queen-cells built by the bees in all
sorts of places in the hive, some of
which was more strange than a queen-
cell on the bottom-board to the hive.
Mr. R. further states that, at the
time he cut out the queen-cells lie
grafted in a cell from an Italian col-
ony, the queen from which went out
with a swarm a few days afterwards.
He then asks why the bees sealed the
cell with the dead worker in it, and
then swarmed. Here again I take it
for granted that the queen-cell with
the dead worker in it had nothing to
do with the swarming of the bees, for
a swarm of bees know whether a
queen-cell contains an embryo queen
which is alive o'r not, just as well be-
fore it is opened as Mr. R. knew what
was in the cell after he had opened
it. I have seen this verified in many
instances, when queen-cells have been
chilled so as to kill the young queen.
The way the worker came in the
cell was this : As soon as the young
queen emerged from the cell, the
worker went in to partake of a royal
jelly diet, as bees always will do.
While the bees were in the cell, the
cap to the same was pushed shut by
some of the bees, when it was fastened
there, thus securing the unfortunate
worker a prisoner, after which she
died ; hence was found dead. Many of
such cases havecome under my notice.
Now, why did tlie bees swarm with
the Italian queen ? Probably from
one or two reasons, the most likely of
which is that this queen from the "cell
on the bottom -board hatched about
the same time that the Italian queen
did (from the cell inserted). Of course
one must be killed, and the bees saw
fit to keep the Italian and kill the
Other. The Italian queen became old
enough to take her wedding flight,
and the bees (a swarm) went out with
her, which is no uncommon occur-
rence, by any means. The other rea-
son would be, I hat tliis queen from
the cell on the bottom -board hatched
and was killed as before, while, in
some out-of-the-way place, was a
queen-cell not so "nearly mature,
wliich escaped the notice of Mr. R.
As this cell came to maturity later,
tiie bees swarmed after the few days,
under the same conditions as a second
or third swarm issues, and both
queens went with the swarm, as is
often noticeable, especially with third
swarms, as the parent colony is often
left queenless by all the young queens
going out with a third swarm. In
any event there can be no question
but what a queen had hatched from
the cell in wliich the dead worker was
found.
IS SMOKE INJURIOUS TO BEES?
On page 483, 1 am asked " Whether
the very pungent smoke from the use
of sound wood in bee smokers has no
deleterious effect on the delicate larviB
and eggs of the bees." I have smoked
a patch of eggs and larvse thoroughly,
and marked the same by sticking wire
nails around it, but have never found
any of the brood removed by the bees,
but all were sealed over and came out
perfect bees ; hence I conclude that
smoke from any kind of wood is not
deleterious to the bees or the brood.
CHILLED BKOOD.
Not so with unsealed brood when it
is exposed to a temperature which is
below 55^ to 60^ F., for I have often
marked patches of brood as above,
from whicli the bees had withdrawn
when the frames were handled in a
low temperature, and I have invari-
ably found that the bees removed all
such brood as was exposed, even for
a few moments at a time, outside of
the hive. In the spring of the year,
when the weather is generally cool,
and the bees are few, considerable
loss is likely to occur in this way,
unless the operator is very careful.
Especially is a cold wind liable to in-
jure the brood, for the cold air is
forced into the cells at such a time,
while if the day was still, the few bees
which were onthe comb might protect
it for a short space of time. In a still
day, no harm will result, as long as
the bees keep spread out evenly over
the brood ; but as soon as tliey begin
to draw together, thus leaving apart
of the brood exposed, you may know
that you will lose much if you proceed
with your operations. At such times
it is best not to open the hives, but if
such is necessary to be done, and the
hive is full of frames of comb, I select
such as has no brood in it, setting it
outside of the hive. This will give
room to manipulate the others easily,
and by being as expeditious as pos-
sible, I rarely get any brood chilled,
since I have "found out how to guard
against it. In early spring, brood is
of much value, and he who can so
work his bees here at the North, so as
to get the greatest amount of brood
during the month of May, will be the
most certain of success.
Borodino, N. Y.
Rural New Yorker.
A New Bee Enemy.
rUOK. A. .J. COOK.
It has long been known to chicken
fanciers that our poultry often suffer
serious injury from a small mite. I
have seen these little pests, red with
the internal juices, so thickly clus-
tered on boards, etc., in the poultry
house, tliat to grasp the board meant
death by crushing to thousands of
these inlinitesinial pests.
It has long been known that other
mites attacked others of our domestic
animals, like the cow, the horse, the
sheep, etc. Other mites attack sugar,
flour and cheese. The little red spider
—also a mite— so thrives in a dry at-
mosphere that house plants are often
destroyed by its blighting attacks. I
have known the tidy housewife to be
seriously annoyed by mites which had
come from birils that had nested just
above her window. The little vital
specks fairly swarmed on the window
panes. Other mites take up their
abodes between tlie bases of the
human lingers, while others still
smaller inhabit the face pimples even
of the graceful belle.
That insects are often preyed upon
and destroyed by mites is a well
known fact. Newport described a
mite which he found on the larvae of
a wild bee ; but that our honey bee is
A New Bee Enemy— from life.
attacked and even destroyed by these
little living particles is recent and
most unwelcome news.
During the past spring a lady bee-
keeper of Connecticut discovered
these mites in her hives while investi-
gating to learn tlie cause of their
rapid depletion. She had noticed that
the colonies were greatly reduced in
number of bees, and upon close obser-
vation she found that the diseased or
failing colonies were covered with
these mites. The strong and proser-
ous colonies were exempt from the
annoyance. 8o small are these little
pests that a score could take posses-
sion of a single bee, and not be near
neighbors either. Mrs. S. feels cer-
tain that she found the same kind of
mites on the church window where
she resides. Upon request she sent
me some of these latter which were
lost in the mails. The lady states
that the bees roll and scratch in their
vain attempts to rid themselves of
these annoying stick-tights, and
finally, worried but, either fall to the
bottom of the hive or go forth to die
outside.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
531
Mites are not true insects, but are
the most deRiacled of spiders. The
sub-chiss Arachnida are at onee rec-
ognized by tlieir eight legs. The or-
der of mites (Accariiia) wliich in-
cludes the wood tick, cattle tick, etc.,
and mites, are quickly told from the
higher orders— true spiders and scor-
pions—by theirrounded bodies, which
appear like mere sacks, with little ap-
pearance of segmentation and their
small, obscure heads. The mites
alone of all the Arachnida, pass
through a marked metamorphosis.
Thus the young mite has only six-
legs, while tlie mature form has eight.
The bee-mite is very small, hardly
more than Hve m. m. (1-50 of an incli)
long. The female is slightly larger
than the male, and somewhat trans-
parent. The color is bhick, though
the legs and more transparent areas
of the females appear yellowish. As
will be seen by the figure, which shows
the form and structure very accu-
rately, the anterior legs are the long-
est. All the legs are flve-jointed,
slightly hairy, and each tipped with
two hooks or claws. Each of the
moutli organs is tipped with a tuft of
fine hairs.
The eggs which show tnrough the
body, as seen in ttie drawing, are
mere specks of a red color, and from
the fact that there are several sizes in
the gavid females, indicating separate
crops, it is probable that these females
are not creatures of a day, but possess
quite a longevity. Tlie mites were
sent me in a bottle, and when they
arrived there were very numerous
eggs and several of the yotmg six-
legged mites occupying the vial with
the more mature forms
REMEDIES.
The fact that what would be poison
to the mite would probably be death
to tlie bees, makes this question of
remedy quite a difficult one. I can
only suggest wliat Mrs. Squire has
tried — frequent changing of the bees
from one hive to another, after which
the hive can be freed from the mites
by scalding. The trouble with this
cure is the rapid increase of these
Liliputian pests, and the fact that
many would adhere to the bees, and
so be carried along with them, and so
escape the hot- water bath. Or course,
the more frequent the transfer, the
more thorough the remedy.
IMPORTANT SUGGESTION.
I would suggest placing pieces of
fresh meat, greased paper, etc., in the
hives in hopes to attract the pests,
which when massed on these decoys
could easily be killed. If thought
bestj the traps could be screened by
placing them in a box made of tine
wire gauze so that the bees could not
reach tliem. In such screens I should
try placing paste- board smeared with
a thin coat of thick syrup, to see if
the mites had a sugar tooth to lure
them to destruction. On such a sticky
surface it would be well to sprinkle
flour, sugar, etc. If we can find in
this manner some substance that will
attract these little destroyers, and
call them off of the bees, the battle is
won.
Lansing, Mich.
si£^ms^Mm
WS^'Se tiiffiR^WP
The Michigan Convention.
Dear Mji. Editor :— May lask you
to call special attention to our next
annual meeting to be held in Flint,
Dec. 6 and 7, of the Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association. We expect to
have by far the best nieetinfj ever held
in the State. It is expected that the
Rev. L. L. Langstroth will be present.
To see and hear him will pay any one
for the trouble and expense incident
to the journey. We also expect D. A.
.Jones, A. I. Root, C. F. Muth, and
hope to have C. C. Miller and T. G.
Newman. From wliat I hear, Michi-
gan bee-keepers are to be out in force.
Hotel rates are to be $1.00 a day. Far-
ther particulars as to programme, will
be given soon. We expect to get re-
duced rates on the railroads. To aid
in this, and that I may know how
many certilicates on railroads to ask
for, will every one in this or other
States who expect to come, drop me a
card at once to that effect V
A. .1. Cook, President.
Lansing, Mich., Oct. 15, 1883.
The colony at Mr. Lincoln's should!
be burned at once, hive and all. Other
colonies in the neighborhood should
be examined, and if the disease shows
itself, it will be most wise to burn all
such colonies. It may be best in a
large apiary to try to cure by the
salicylic acid method, as explained in
my book, or by the starvation plan ;
but with but a few afflicted colonies,
a man owes it to himself, and surely
to his neighbors, to burn at once. I
have given such advice to several suf-
ferers this summer, and all who have
tried it seem to have succeeded well.
This stampingout process should be
prompt, for let the " foul brood " once
get into the trees in the woods (and
what is to hinder), and it will be like
Banquo's ghost, " it will not down."
Foul brood seems to have a wide
range. Within a week I have received
a sample of it from Louisiana, where
it is creating sad havoc— A. J. Cook.]
Foul Brood.
Prof. Cook, Sir: Hearing of the
case of foul brood in Mr. Rider's
apiary, at Howell, Mich., I gave an
account of it at tlie Northern Michi-
gan Bee - Keepers' Convention, re-
cently held at Sheridan. Another man
present gave an account of a case
thought to be foul brood near Grun-
ville, where the man had destroyed
them. He also thought that there
was a disease of the brood at a Mr.
Lincoln's, near the same place. I
being appointed one of a committee,
I will try and tell you what I found, j
went to Mr. Lincoln's accompanied by
Hiram Rossman, a friend of II. M( on.
We found a colony of bees in an old
style of hive, badly diseased. Brood-
rearing was in progress to quite an
extent, but nearly all of the capped
brood was dead, and in most all of
them was a dark, ropy substance, and
very offensive in smell. I will mail
vou a sample of the same. Mr. Ross-
inan told me that in 1876, 17 years ago
in the spring, that he and Mr. Moon,
while transferring a colony from a
box hive for a Mr. Taylor, that they
came across wliat Mr. iloon said was
a case of foul brood ; there was a large
amount of brood, and it was a mass of
corruption, and the smell was bad.
jSIr. Rossman says the two cases are
identical. Please send this with your
answer to tlie Bee Journal, and
oblige many bee-keeping friends.
S. J. YOUNGMAN.
Cato, Mich., Oct. 13, 1883.
[The sample sent is plainly " faul
brood." The characteristic odor, the
concave cappings,the central puncture
to the cap, and the decaying brood,
which, when drown out, is brown and
stringy, all indicate but too plainly
that the full destroyer is at hand.
The Cure of Foul Brood.
How about foul brood, and who is
bothered with it among their bees ?
If any there be that have thus been
troubled, we suggest that a doctor be
sent for at once. But not that doctor
who had it in his own apiary for ten
years, tusseling and testing in his way
many remedies, and linally made a
failure. (This happened in Cincin-
nati, Ohio.) How does this sound
coming as it did from a bee-keeper
who thus reported last fall at a North
American Bee-Keepers' meeting ?
[Editor Bee Journal : — Above
please find a slip from the Orange
Bulletin, of Sept. 20, which please re-
produce. It sounds so mucli like a
slur that it requires a reply. You
know I have never charged a cent for
giving my experience to otiiers.
We all know that the greatest ig-
norami are the most apt to exagger-
ate and to belittle others. There are
such folks among bee-keepers, but I
do not wish to put Mr. Hicks in that
class ; will rather take it for granted
that he meant a goo<l-natured joke,
yet his joke needs a reply, and I will
give it as follows :
I will put fifty dollars against his ten
that he will not cure a colony of bees
infected with the malignant foul
brood unless he uses my remedy,
giving him his own time for the work,
lie can select a place within 20 miles
of Cincinnati with some reliable man;
I furnish the infected colony. I don't
think that I have a case of malignant
foul brood in my apiary, but I know
where to get it. Furthermore, I will
put Ave dollars against one, that Mr.
Hicks cannot prove ever to have seen
532
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
a colony of bees infected with ttie
malignant foul brood.— C. F. Muth.]
[In the above quotation from the
Grange Bulletin, the question is asked,
" How about foul brood V and who is
bothered with it'r"' The Bee Jour-
nal would like to know who is batli-
ered with it. Let those who are
troubled with it speak out. We hear
that there are several, and the fact
that so many are inquiring, shows
that there is danger about this dread-
ful disease spreading. Prof. Cook is
right in saying that " the stamping-
out process should be prompt." Its
existence will be known, and no one
can afford to cover up the facts, if
they have it In any form. To sell dis-
eased bees is nothing less than a crime,
and is recognized as such by the laws
of several States, notably in Michi-
gan, we believe. Prompt remedies
must be used, and we fear the mUy
sure remedy is the entire destruction
of the diseased colonies.— Ed.]
A Specialist's Report.
I hope any brother bee-keeper will
not think that because no communica-
tion from me has appeared in the
Bee Journal for nearly a year that
I am one of the disheartened, who.
after their enthusiasm has cooled,
loose all interest, for I am not encour-
aged by the past season, but, quitting
everything else, have thrown myself
wholly on bee-keeping for a living.
The season was not so good as it was
a year ago, as the season did not last
so long, but I closed it with 3,OU0 lbs.,
half extracted, and 100 colonies of
bees. I need not report in detail, but
close by wishing for all interested, as
much good fortune as I have been
favored with. Wm. Camm.
\ Murrayville, 111., Oct. 16, 1883.
Tiering up— A Correction.
In the report of the ^Torth American
Bee-Keepers' Convention, published
in the Bee Journal, I am made to
say that I champion the practice of
putting empty sections above the full
ones in. tiering up, or at least to sec-
ond Mr. Hall in it. AVhat I did say,
was that I put empty ones under th.-;
full ones. This I have practiced
throughout the entire season. It is, I
think, the common practice, and very
advantageous. Toward the last part
of the honey flow. Iiowever. if empty
sections are still put under, the bees
commence on them immediately, and
the bee-keeper has tlie annoyance of
a lot of partly-filled sections on liand.
In many cases they are not needed at
all, as the bees only gather enough
honey to finish up the sections already
on. I have been so much annoyed by
this, that I had made up my mind
that hereafter I would put empty sec-
tions imder, until I thought likely
that the flow would soon cease, then
I put a tier of empty sections on top,
where the bees would be rather slow
to commence work, unless actually
crowded for room. Mr. J. B. Hall,
being just so much more wide awake
than I, has been practicing on this
plan, and so stated in the Convention,
and I said that I intended to practice
it in the future, especially after his
recommendation. But I think no one
present could easily have understood
that either of us recommended the
general practice of putting empty sec-
tions above full ones. By the way, I
wish we could oftener see communi-
cations from JMr. Hall. I know it
would be profitable. I shall not soon
forget a very pleasant interview I had
with him at Toronto, as he explained
to me, in his jovial and gentlemanly
manner, his various fixtures and
plans. He very strongly impressed
me as a master high up in our calling.
C. C. Miller.
Marengo, 111.
[Mr. Hall has also sent us a correc-
tion of this report by our reporter.
But as the above covers the whole
ground, perhaps it is not necessary to
publish both now. — Ed.J
LoHsewort Gerardia for Honey.
I send a small portion of the top of
a plant I found while bee-hunting.
It is new to me, as I never saw any-
thing of the kind in this vicinity. I
found it in a small clearing, on a high
stoney ridge, that, until the past win-
ter, had been covered with a heavy
growth of oak timber. It was grow-
ing single and in small clumps from
6 to 18 inches high ; and notwithstand-
ing the severe drouth that has been
raging for the past six weeks (and is
still raging), its foliage and bloom
was remarkibly fresh and vigorous.
I found no honey-bees on its blos-
soms, but mason, tailor and humble-
bees very plentifully. Its blossoms
emit a very agreeable fragrance, and
if they yield nectar acceptable to the
honey-bee, its abundant bloom, its
season of bloom, and apparent perfect
immunity from the effects of drouths,
must constitute it a valuable late
honey plant. Please give its name iu
the Bee Journal.
JAS. F. Latham.
Cumberland, Me., Sept. 17, 1883.
[Prof. T. J. Burrill says : "This is
Gerarelia pedicularia, or the Lousewort
Gerardia. There are, in eastern North
America, 10 species of Gerardia, all
having quite showy flowers. iMauy
attempts have been made to cultivate
them, with failure in every instance,
though the seeds readily germinated
and the young plants apparently made
a good start. Finally the secret was
discovered in the fact that they are
r*ot parasites, securing more or less
of their food substance from the roots
of trees. The nectar is no doubt good
enough, but from what has just now
been said, this plant can hardly be
depended upon as a honev producer."
-Ed.]
Catching Issuing Swarms.
I am amused at Frank R. Roe's
method of catching and hiving issu-
ing swarms, as noted on page 287 of
the Bee Journal. Just think of his
running four miles in three-fourths of
an hour, sweating like a running
horse in fly time, over fences, through
flax, oats, barley, corn, woods, logs
and brush, and fording a river to get
nothing but a well-heated system, say
nothing about the value of his time,
the torn clothes, and worn-out boot
leather. Now, in this part of the
county, we take a different course.
If we desire to work to in the field we
trust the children (whose time is of
no great value) to attend the swarm-
ing ; on the other hand, if we attend
the swarming ourselves, we will have
some other employment about our
apiary, such as arranging our honey
racks, sections, hives, or extracting
etc., etc., and when our ear tells us
that a swarm is issuing, we go and
adjust a catcher, and then return to
our work, leaving the issuing swarm
to take care of itself. They soon
cluster, and never heat as Mr. Eoe's
did. in his nail keg. We have perfect
control, our bees do not get angry,
and we put them in a hive when we
get ready. J. AV. Bailey.
Ripon, Wis., Oct. 15, 1883.
Sweet Clover.
Is sweet clover classed with noxious
weeds in Illinois ? Can it be sown in
highways, with impunity to the sower?
Alfred Mottay.
Ottawa, 111., Oct. 15, 1883.
[It is not classed with noxious
weeds, and can be sown anywhere
with impunity that one may sow any
other ordinary weed. — Ed.]
Bees Ready for the Cellar.
ily 51 colonies of bees are now
ready for the cellar at short notice,
but I had to do considerable feeding
to get them in good condition for
winter. I commenced in the spring
with 30 colonies, most of them in good
condition ; I took 1.3o0 pounds of comb
honey and 100 pounds of extracted.
There were 300 pounds of unfinished
honey, which I fed back to the bees,
and 125 pounds of granulated sugar,
which left me 1,0.50 pounds of nice
salable comb honey, and 100 pounds
of extracted, which I sold in our
home market at 15 cents per pound,
and had plenty of orders for more.
Last year I only had half as many
bees, spring count, and got 900 pounds
more honey and more iricrease. My
best colony gave 85 pounds of surplus,
this year, and no increase. Last year
my best colony gave 235 pounds and
one swarm. So we liardly had half a
crop of honey here in northern Illi-
nois. I use full sheets of comb foun-
dation for increase, and good starters
for surplus honey.
II. T. HART3IAN.
Freeport, 111., Oct. 15, 1883.
!^ The Northwestern Bee-Keepers'
Society will meet in La Crosse, Wis.,
Friday, Nov. 16, in the City Hall.
E. Markle, Pres.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
533
f :pjcciaX '^oikts.
^
Esaiiiine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper ; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
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letter. Postage stamps of any kind
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American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00 ; or 1000 for
$15.00- On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits. — We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within tv,o weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Trial Trip, until Dec 31.— 25 cents.
Wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will 3end
the Weekly Bee Journal till Dec. 31,
on trial, for 25 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with $L25) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for ten cents.
1^" When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
1^ To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one who
buys a package of honey at Fairs, will
sell almost a fabulous quantity of it.
Any one sending us a club of tw»
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy or
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
Forflye subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 20O
colonies, Quinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
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To get any of the above premiums
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double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a-
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bia:
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid , for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Books at Fairs. — Those who make
an exhibit at Fairs will find that an
assortment &f Books and Pamphlets
would sell and leave them a profit for
handling. We will send such, postage
prepaid, at 25 per cent, discount ; or
if the purchaser pays express charges,
we^ will supply any of our own publica-
tions at 40 per cent, discount.
i^ The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters went into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will now be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent,
or else five or ten-cent postage stamps,
or a Postal Note. Do not send coins
in any letter.
Fairs.— To any one exhibiting at
Fairs, we will send samples of the
Bee Journal and a colored Poster,
to aid in getting up a club. The
Premiums we offer will pay them for
so doing. For a club of 8 subscribers
to the Monthly Bee Journal, or 4
Weekly, we will present Dzierzon's
Rational Bee-Keeping. price $2.00.
534
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Convention Notices.
1^" The Nortliera Michigiiii Bee-
Keepers' Association will be held at
Alma, Mich., tlie second Tuesday and
Wednesday of October, 1S84.
r. A. Palmer, Sec.
McBride, Mich.
i^° Tlie fall meeting of the North-
ern Ohio Bee-Keepers' Association
will be held in the City Council room
at Norwalk, Ohio, on Thursday, Oct.
2.5, 1883, commencing at 10 a. m. A
full attendance is requested.
S. F. Newjian, Sec.
^ Please announce that the Iowa
■Central Association, will meet at Wiu-
terset, Iowa, Nov. 2, 1883.
Z. G. CooLEY, Sec. pro tern.
1^ The fall meeting of the New
Jersey and Eastern Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held in the city of
New York, at the Cooper Union, on
Wednesday, Nov. 7, 1883.
J. Hasbrouck, Sec.
Bound Brook, N. J.
^" The Lorain County Bee-Keep-
ers' Association will meet at Oberlin,
Ohio, on the last Tuesday in October,
30th. O. J. Terrell, Sec.
1^ Tne next regular meeting of
the Mahoning Valley Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held at Newton
Palls, O., on the Brst Saturday of
November, 1883. L. Carson, Pres.
E. W. Turner, Sec.
Adyertisements Intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
^"Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
■Are very valuable for reference.
ITALIAN BEES AND QUEENS.
Send for Price List to
I). B. BROWJf, DBS MOINES, IOWA.
42Ant
1^ May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
rsend on at least oiw neio subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one new sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
BINGHAM SMOKERS.
I can sell the above SmokerB at
MANUFACTURERS' PHICKS. by
niiiil or expre38, at wholesale or re-
tail. All the latest improvements,
includine THE CONQUEROR, and
TilE DOCTOR.
Send for my :i2-page Illustrated
CatuloRue of Bee-Keepers' 8up-
plieyof every description.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
fl:;3 W. Madison. CHICAGO, ILL.
Sweet Clover
AND OTHER SEEDS.
Having a LARGE stork of SWEET CLOVER
SE£I>. I can flII orders at 2oc. per pound
V3.S5 per peck, or !tf>lS per bushel.
Also, all other SEEDS for HONEY PLANTS,
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 West MadisoD Street, Chicago, 111.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The BRITISH Bkk Journal is NOW published
SEMI-MONTHLY, at Seven ShlllinBs, per annum,
and contains the best practical information for
the time being, showing what to do, and when and
how to do it. Kev. H. K. PEEI>, £dItor.
We send the Weekly American Bee Journal
and t\ie BritUh Bee Journal. both for$3.(H^ a year.
FL.^T- BOTTOM
COMB FOUNDATION,
^■^__ja. high side-walls, 4 to 16 square feet tc
Ij^^^^^S' the pound. Circalar and samples free.
|;^-^2^^v^| J, VAN DEUSEN & SONS.
"'"** " S^'le Manufacturers,
Sprout. Brook, Mont. Co., N. ?.
Vandervort Gomb Fdn. Mills,
Send tot* Samples Az Reduced Prlce-!L<lst.
32ABtf J. VANDERVORT, Lacyville, Pa.
Bingham Smoker.
Please bear in mind that our
patents cover all the bellows bee
smokers that will burn sound wood.
Bingham k Hetherington,
ABRONIA. MICH.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
d^ BBS MS^ A. week made at home by the in-
ffn S[ HjB dustrious. Best business now be-
^L m ^S fore thepublic. Tapital not needed
^^ m ff We will start you. Men. women,
■[■ I a boys and girls wanted everywhere
^jm I fiSB to work fur us. Now is the time.
* You can work insparetime.orgive
your whole time to the busioess. No other busi-
ness will pay you nearly as well. Nj one can fall
to muke enormous pav, by eneaging at once.
Costly outfit and terms free. Money made fast,
easily and honorably. Address Tbpk & Co.,
A ugusta, Matne. 8A i y
BARNES' PATENT
Foot Power Machinery
CIKCULAK AND
SCROLL SAWS,
Hand, Circular Rip Saws for
izeneral heavy and light rip-
ping. Lathes, &c. These ma-
chines are especially adapted
to Hive Maklnir. It will pay
every bee-keeper to send for
our 48-page Illustrated Cata-
logue.
W. F. & JOHN BARNES.
No. 2017 Main street,
Rockford, Winnebago Co., 111.
KEGS AND PAILS
FOR EXTRACTED HONEY.
These KEGS are designed to answer the popular
demand for honey in small packages, and when
compared with large barrels holding from soo to
5UO lbs. each, they are fully as cheap and often
cheaper. They need no waxing, but should simply
be tlioroughly scalded with boiling water before
used. The leakage so often occurring in the large
hard-wood barrels can be entirely prevented by
using this size of packages. (.Considering the cost
and trouble of waxing, the loss of honey by leak-
age, and the ease with which these Kegs can be
handled and shipped, with an actual saving in
Original cost, It is apparent to all that they are the
best. Prices:
5gal1on Kegs, holding a trifle over 50 lbs 40c
10 " '^ " " " lU) lbs. ...60c
lbs..
190 lbs.,
.60c
..80c
When 25 or more kegs are ordered at one time, a
discount of 10 per cent, given on the above prices.
These new kega are designed and manufactured
with special reierence to my experience and sug-
gestions from those who have used the fish, lard
and syrup kegs of last season. The staves are
Norway Pine; the heads are Uak; and the hoops
are Hickory, and, as wil I be noticed by the accom-
panying illustrations, they are well bound. If the
heads are painted, I will guarantee these kegs not
to leak. It is not essential to paint them, but I
believe it will pay to do so.
These PAILS have a full cover and areexcellent
for selling honey in :i home market, and after the
honey is candied, they can be shipped anywhere.
All sizes, except tlie smallest, have u bail or handle,
and when emptied by the consumer will be found
useful in every household.
Assorted samples of the four sizes put inside of
one another as a nest, price. 50 cts. by express.
The following are the prices in quantities :
Perdoz. Per 100.
Gallon, holding 10 lbs. of honey... *1.80. ..*12.00
HalfGal., " 5 " " ... 1.50... 9.00
Quart. " 12^'* " ... 1.20... 7.00
Pint, " \H " " ••■ -75... 4.00
ALFRED H, NEWMAN,
923 West Madison Street. CHICAGO. ILL.
BEES
Send to Chicago, III., for sample of
AMKKICAIV BECJOITRNAl,
Monthly,*! a year. Weekly, »a.
T'TJTO "D A T>T?T> maybe found on file
lllio X Al rjlX at Geo. P, Howell &
Co. '8 Newspaper AdverltsinK Bureau (10 Spruce
St.), wbere advertising^ contracts may be made for
It In MEW TfOKK..
C^J^'
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF THE PRODUCERS OF HONEY.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., OCTOBER 31, 1883.
No. 44.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Home Markets for Houey.— It is en-
coiuaging to know that our advice
about making home markets has been
so generally followed. In the Secre-
tary's report of the Northern Michi-
gan Convention, on page 543, this
language occurs : " Much more lioney
has been sold in our home markets
than in previous years ; nearly every
one had found ready sale for all that
had been produced." Yes; and by
working the markets up there will be
no trouble in selling ten times the
amount that is now being produced.
Let the good work go on.
i^ Vice-President W. Z. Hutchin-
son reports the following arrange-
ments : " The Michigan State Con-
vention meets at the City Hall in
Flint at 10 a. m., on Dec. .5, and con-
tinues in session two days. The Presi-
dent and Secretary may be found at
the Dayton Hotel; excellent board
can be obtained for $1.00 per day."
Suddenly Killed.— Mr. Henry Alley
writes as follows: Mr. E. F. Cassell,
of Illinois City, 111., a prominent and
enthusiastic bee-keeper, was killed
Oct. 6, while attempting to board a
moving train of cars, Mr. Cassell
has been one of my best customers for
the past 10 years, and I regret his sud-
den, sad, and untimely death.
1^ The feeder sent to our Museum
by Mr. Alley, which we noticed on
page 509, should have been called the
" Locke Perfection Bee Feeder." Mr.
Alley did not mention this at the
time, and we innocently called it
the '• Alley's Feeder."
Drones from Worker Larva;.— In the
report of the Northern Michigan Con-
vention, in this JouKNAL. on page
542, Messrs. Youngman and Trussell
state that their bees have "reared
drones and queens from worker eggs
and larvse." That queens can be
reared, at will, from worker eggs and
larvaj, is true, because both are fe-
males, but that drones, being males,
may also be reared at the will of the
bees, from worker eggs and larvae,
will be very generally disbelieved.
Messrs. Youngman and Trussell
should make further experiments,
and report at the next meeting of the
society,for, if we catch their meaning,
their theory invalidates all the known
facts in relation to the development
of drones. But, perhaps, we do not
get their idea, and hope to hear from
them in the Bee Journal concerning
the matter. Careful investigation
may reconcile it.
Surplus Honey Racks.— The Rev.
A. Salisbury, of Camargo, 111., sent
one of his honey racks to be examined
at the Convention, and then to be
placed in our- Museum— all of which
has been done. He describes it as
follows :
As I cannot be present at the North-
western Convention of Bee-Keepers, I
send one of my honey racks and a set
of sections, showing my method of
storing comb lioney, and the ease with
which the bees have access to all
parts of the lioney chamber. My rack
is only the top story of the hive. I
am not apprised that any one uses the
same rack in the same way, except
bee-keepers here who have adopted
it this season. If you think it will
throw any light on progressive bee-
keeping, please show it to the friends
at the Convention, after which place
it with your collections of improve-
ments. A. Salisbury.
Camargo, 111., Oct. 13, 1883.
1^ It must be understood that,
should an advertiser desire to cancel
an unexpired contract, he can do so
only by paying regular rates for the
number of insertions his advertise-
ment has had.
Hilton's Apiary.— Mr. Geo. E. Hil-
ton, Fremont, Mich., has sent us a
view of his apiary, intended to be ex-
hibited at the late Convention, bui it
did not come till after it closed. It is
placed in our office album. He de-
scribes it as follows :
" As my business matters are as-
suming a shape that I shall not be
able to consistently attend the Con-
vention and see you all, as I should
dearly love to, and had expected to I
mail you an 8x10 photograph of my
home and the portion of my apiary
that IS not hidden by the house and
trees. You will recognize me near
the tront row of hives ; the person in
the rear is a friend, and the parties in
front of the dwelling, are my brother
and his family, who are doing all they
can to make home pleasant for me
since the death of my dear wife, last
May.
^° Mr. Moses Bailey, Winterset,
Iowa, writes thus of our book " Bees
and Honey," after he had read it : "I
have perused your book entitled 'Bees
and Honey; or the Management of
an apiary for pleasure and profit,' and
I (ind it to be ' just splendid.' Thanks
for sending it to me." A cloth bound
copy will be presented to any one
sending one neio subscriber for the
Weekly for 1S84, or two new subscri-
bers for the Monthly for 1884.
W Another Bee Paper is dead— the
Illustrated Bienen Zeitung, published
in German at Zurich, Switzerland.
After struggling for 19 months for an
existence, it succumed to the inevita-
ble.
^ Mr. J. S. Barb, Bristolville, O.,
sends us a plant for name. It is
cleome— an excellent honey-producing
plant.
1^ To all new subscribers for the
Weekly Bee .Journal who send us
$2.00 for 1884, we will send the re-
mainder of this year free, from the
time the subscription is received. So,
the sooner they subscribe, the more
numbers they will get free.
540
fHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
The Use of Honey as Food.
Dr. W. G. Plielps, in the Practical
Farmer, gives tlie following on the
use of honey, both as food and medi-
cine :
In the minds of many persons there
exists a prejudice against the ordinary
use of honey as food. We hear it
sometimes asserted that honey is an
unwholesome sweet inducing cohc,
dyspepsia and various other disorders
of the system. Such assertions are
groundless. Honey in its purity is a
God-given sweet, and, in its proper
use is conducive to health and
strength. Indulged in immoderately,
and only then at rare intervals, it may,
likemaiiy other excellent articles ot
food provoke an attack of colic or in-
digestion. Used however frequently
and in connection with other food, it
has a tendency to produce pure blood
and give tone to the human system.
Like all other sweets, it has also a
tendency to fatten, and its use is said
by medical writers to improve the
beauty of the complexion. Sir John
More, as early as 1707, was aware of
the medicinal and beneficial effects of
honey as a food, for he speaks as tol-
" The bee helpeth to cure all of your
diseases, and is the best little friend a
man has in the world. Honey is of
subtle parts, and therefore doth pierce
as oil, and easily passeth the parts of
the body It openeth obstructions and
cleaneth the heart, and lights of those
humors that fall from tlie^ head ; it
uureeth the foulness ot the body,
cureth phlegmatic matter and sharp-
eueth the stomach ; it purgeth also
those things that hurt the clearness of
the eve breedeth good blood, stirreth
uu the natural heat, and prolongeth
life It keepeth all tilings uncorrupt
that are put into it, and is a sovereign
medieant-both for outward and in-
ward maladies, etc."
Experience with the use of honey m
my own family,! believe,,fully verifies
Sir John-s' excellent opinion ot this
delicious substance. The question
has been asked me by several of your
readers: "Is not the comb taken
into the stomach injurious V I think
T can safely answer, no 1 In otnei
articles of food we often take into the
. stomach similar, i'wligest.ble substan-
ces without injury, and otte i with
benefit. Who, for instance, takes the
trouble to seeci every gi'aPXiL' indl'
or qtjine every cherry i* These mdi-
gestible .articles pass through the
Bodv without ill the least injuring it.
So with wax, as eaten in moderation
in comb honey. The uses to which
honev can be put in cooking .and m
medicine, indicate it as ot prime im-
portance in the economy of life. Used
Instead of sugar for preserving rasp-
berries and other fruits, I know of
not ling its equal, as to many such
compounds ii imparts a peculiarly
delicious flavor. For sore throats,
ulcers of the mouth, and manv other
diseases honey forms a valuable rem-
rAv To tlie rare individual f..r whom
the temperate use of honey may pro-
duce functional disorders, I would say
try heating honey before using it, and 1
see if all such trouble is not remedied.
Honey can really no longer be consid-
ered one of the mere luxuries of lite.
For the poor, it has become a cheap
and wholesome substitute for the too
frequently impure butter. Millions of
pounds are to-dav consumed by rich
and poor alike, when 10 or 15 years
since, but a few thousands were used.
The severe stab which the manufac-
turer of the miserable glucose has re-
ceived is due to a great extent to the
production of extracted honey. This
being the pure article, and produced,
even at a profit, for 10 cents per
pound, has virtually gained the mas-
tery in competition with t)ie above
falsely so named " cheap sweet." Eat
pure honey therefore, so that you may
grow strong and handsome, fat and
jolly, and— best of all— healthy and
wise.
Honey Crop in Saginaw Co., Mich.
A correspondent in the Saginaw
Co., Mich., Eveninq News of last
Thursday, contains the following con-
cerning the honey crop of that sec-
tion, and as that is the home of Dr. L.
C. Whiting, Ileatherington & Welling-
ton and Mr. James Ure, it will inter-
est our readers to know how the
" sweet work " proigresses there :
I have made inquiries of bee-keep-
ers, and made a careful estimate of
the yield of honey in Saginaw County,
and" find that tliis year's product is
but one-fourth of what it was last
year. The season opened with prom-
ising prospect, bees increased rapidly
in numbers and swarmed about the
close of the white clover blossom.
The new swarms have gathered no
honey, and must be fed, or they will
starve, during the winter. Some bee-
keepers have already bought honey
and sugar in equal parts and fed their
bees for winter.
It has been a question with some
whether it would be economy to shake
the bees out of the combs and save
what stores they have, or buy S3
worth of feed for each colony, to feed
them, and run the risk of losing them
after all, during the winter. All col-
onies are light in bees, whether they
have stores or not, but this is espec-
ially the case with those with little or
no honey. This is usually an unfa-
vorable condition for a cold winter.
The best that can now be done is to
see that they have plenty of stores,
and are packed so as to keep out the
cold, or placed in a cellar that does
not freeze.
^° Mr. J. D. Enas writes that the
name given in his communication on
page 505 of the Bee Journal for
Oct. 10, as " Mr. M. Bragg," should
be Mr. M. Bray. Of course it was an
oversight of the printer.
^5" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
^- We have received a copy of the
Swine Breeders" iSIanual, or how to
breed and manage improved swine,
published by P. M. Springer, Spring-
field, 111., at 25 cents. The Swine
Breeders' Manual presents the subject
in some of its details in a plain, brief
way. Even those who have never kept
any other than common hogs, may find
in it much that will aid them to secure
better results than are usually reali-
zed in the rearing of ordinary stock,
and which may lead them to a trial for
themselves of improved swine.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OPPICB OF AMEKICAN BKB JOCTBNAL. }
Monday, 10 ». m., Oct. 29, 1883. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEV— The demand for honey is eitremcly
slow, and our commission houses are too well sup-
plied to expect anything else. Prices rule low.
Manufacturers complain of slow business. Ex-
tracted honey brinKS -®ac. on arrival I hare
bought for less. Comb honey In good order, 12@15.
BEESWAX— Good yellow beeswax brings nUM
ct».;otrerlngsfew. CHA9. F. MOTH.
NEW TORE.
HONET— White clover and basswood In I and 2
lb. sections, 17w'21c. Dark and second quality,
uaisc; extracted white clover In kegs and bar-
rels, aoioc: dark, Sc. „,^.,„„
BEESWAX— Prime yellow, 27®29c.
"•^ H. K. &F. B. THUBBEB*C».
CHICAGO.
HONEY-The demand forhoney is good. Choice
1 lb sections ot white comb, well fllled, brings 189
■'oc • IW to 2 lb. sections, ItiOlSc. No demand for
dark comb honey. Extracted honey is bringing 8
®loc. per pound, according to body, color and
"^BBESWAX-Prime yellow, 33c ; medUim,28®30.
K. A. BPK.VETT. 161 South Water Bl.
BAN FRANCiaCO.
HONBY-There is a fair jobbing trade. Offerings
are not large. Choice qualities command extreme
figures. White to extra white comb lfi™20c. ; dark
to good, imimc: Extracted, choice to extra
white 8(ivaHc.; dark and candled, cjkicavXc.
BEBSWAX-Wiiolesale, 27(a2HC. a..„,
BTEABN8 S SMITH. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONBY-Chotce in better demand, but un-
changed. Sales chlehyin a small way. We quote
strataeS and extracted at 6^..s.7c. Comb at 12X®
uic • choice, in fancv packages, higher.
BBBSVVAX-Kendil%ala..leat2«427forchoice.
W.T. ANDERSON 4 CO.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLBVBLAND.
HONEY-Comes very slowly and sells as fast as
lt"onies at IRMUlc. for best white In 1 lb. sections,
and ™^jlHc. for 2 lb. sections. Second quality Is
?ery slow. Extracted usually sells very slowly In
our market.
BBESWAX-No^ne^in Market.^ Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONE Y-We quote extracted honey at W®uc..
with agood demand. We have sold easily four
Sies n"s much extracted as we ever did before.
nwicsw AX— AVe haye none to quote.
"™ b15ke A KIPLEY. 57 Chatham Street.
KANSAS CITY, MO.
HONKY-Market continues active, anif eve^-
thiiiB in the way of comb honey is taken up on
irnval at naiHc. for choice 1 and 2 lb. 'ectfons.
Kxtractcd honey Is In light demand, though some
good site, were made last week at a concession
«M®'iic 1 latter price for strictly choice honey In
llSion square tin cans with screw top, which Is a
rtBstrftble ahHPe for this market.
desiraD^e^snm « Twichbll. 536 Delaware Street.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
541
For tlie American Bee JournaL
My Report for 1883.
G. M. DOOUTTLE.
By turning to page 218, of the pres-
ent volume of the Bee JournaLj the
reader will there find in what condition
my bees were on May 2 of this year.
About this time the weather began to
warm up, and new flowers to produce
pollen, so that brood soon began to be
reared quite abundantly. About May
25, apple blossoms opened ; but, as it
rained the most of the time, little
honey was obtained, so that most of
the brood was reared from old honey
still left in the hive. White clover
bloomed very profusely, but as it was
cold and wet all the while, the bees
did not get a li^'^ng, and, to keep them
in good conditi<;in to gather honey
when it came, I fed them from 2U0 to
300 pounds of old honey, which I had
on hand. Whitewood, sumac and
wild mustard came and went, but
yielded no honey, and, although there
was a merry hum in the locust trees
while in bloom, when it did not rain,
still scarcely enough honey was ob-
tained to keep up brood-rearing, even
while the trees were white witri blos-
soms. It was rain, rain all the while,
till every one longed for a few days of
dry w'eather.
On July It), the basswood blossoms
opened, and, although, it still rained
nearly every day, yet between the
showers the bees worked as I never
saw bees work before. While the
blossoms to most other flowers are so
formed as to catch the rain when it
falls, and thus dilute the nectar in
them, or wash it all away, the bass-
wood blossom stands like an inverted
dish, causing the rain drops to glide
off witliout touching the nectar, thus
allowing this flower to afford the bee
an opportimity to secure the coveted
sweet, even in a rainy time. To this
peculiarity of the basswood flowers I
owe most of my lionev crop, for it
rained nearly every day while the'
basswood was in bloom.
On .July 2.3, it became cold, so that
for three days scarcely a bee left the
hives, and the bee yard was nearly as
silent as in winter. About noon on
the 27th, it warmed up enough so that
the bees again went to woi-k, and for
the next week they labored assiduously
when it did not rain. At this time
the bloom was gone near the apiary,
but on the hills, some si.x miles dis-
tant, it was still in its prime. As no
long rainy spell had made a " gap "
in tlie flowers, the bees followed up,
as the flowers receded, till this dis-
tance was reached, while a long rain
of three days would have allowed the
bloom to have failed at a point two
miles or so from home, for a mile or
so in width, over which the liees would
not have passed to find the flowers
which were in bloom beyond. Thus
fortunate, the bees still labored five
or six days on the hill tops which
helped them to finish up many sec-
tions which would otherwise have
been left unfinished.
Many claim that bees do not work
so far from home, or if they do, it is
of little or no advantage, but I could
see but little if any difference as to
the gain made at this time, when
compared with the week previous.
But, to return, with Aug. 13, the
supply on the hills seemed to fail, and
when I opened the hive on the 14th,
I soon saw that the honey harvest was
over, as robber* began to appear. For
the sixth time, in succession, buck-
wheat failed to give any honey, and
the season of 18SS passed without a
single pound of surplus except from
basswood.
By loss in wintering, as given on
page 2tS, and sale of bees and early
queens, my stock was reduced to 5.5
colonies, 40 of which were fairly good
and the remaining 15 were from weak
to very weak. I decided to work the
40 good ones for honey, and the 15
weak ones were to be devoted to
queen-rearing. By footing up the re-
sult, I find that the 40 worked for
honey, gave a surplus in comb honey
of 2^388 pounds, and of extractecl
honey 1,922 pounds, making 4,310
pounds in all, or \01% pounds, as the
average yield per colony, spring count.
Aly comb honey was sold at 16 cents
per pound, delivered at our nearest
railroad station to a buyer for the
Boston market, and my extracted is
selling readily at 10 cents. By adding
the sales of bees and queens to the
product of the honey, and deducting
expenses, I find I have $1,021.30 left
as the net proceeds from the bees.
As I have 80 colonies of bees at the
time of the writing, in as good condi-
tion as were the 80 a year ago, this
gives me a salary of SI ,021 .30 for
caring for 80 colonies of bees one year,
during which there was no honey
yield, except from basswood.
I am frequently asked why I do not
keep more bees, and why I do not at-
tend conventions, etc. I wish here
to reply to all, that I have a beloved
father who is entirely helpless, from
" creeping palsy," who depends upon
me (an only son) to lift and care for
him. So long as he lives my duty is
plainly at home, which reason is suf-
ficient excuse tor a small number of
bees kept, and a close confinement at
home.
Borodino, N. Y.
For the American Bee Journal.
Northern Michigan Convention.
The Xorthern Michigan Bee-Keep-
ers' Association met at Sheridan,
]Mich., at 10 a. m. Called to order by
the President t4eo. W. Stanton. The
proceedings of tlie last meeting were
read and approved. The roll of mem-
bers was called, and a fair number
found to be present. The meeting
adjourned until 1 p. in.
At 1 p. m. the meeting was called
to order by the President. The Secre-
tary's and Treasurer's reports were
read and approved. The enrollment
of members was then made, which
numbered 29.
The reports of the standing com-
mittees were then in order. The First
Vice-President, F. A. Palmer, re-
ported his success in bee-keeping as
follows : In 1880, I bought 2 colonies,
and, in Itlay, I brought them home,
and that season doubled them in niun-
ber and took 135 pounds of honey, .35
of which was comb, and the lialance
extracted. I wintered them in Roop's
winter hive, packed in sawdust, suc-
cessfully. In 1881, 1 increased to 12
colonies, and took 775 pounds of
honey, mostly extracted, which I sold
for $99.27. I" wintered again success-
fully as before, on the summer stands,
and' in 18.82, I increased to 30 colonies,
and took out one ton of honey, 100
pounds of which was comb, and the
balance extracted. In the fall, owing
to a pressure of oflTicial duties, I neg-
lected to prepare my bees for winter,
and lost all but one colony ; I have
increased to two, this summer, and
shall buy more in the spring.''
Our Fifth Vice-President, Miss F.
A. Bellamy, of Ionia, makes the fol-
lowing report : "I received notice
from our Secretary, as I was one of
the ofllcers, that I should make a re-
port of my work this season. This is
my third year in the apiary. I con-
sider myself a novice. I have learned
much, but I think I have very much
more yet to learn. We began this
spring with 13 colonies ; now we have
40 strong colonies in good condition
for winter, and have secured 2,4.50
pounds of honey, besides what our
family have used on the table ; that I
have no account of. We have some
neighbors that keep a few colonies,
but with a few exceptions they are
doing but very little with them. I
have solicited their attendance at this
meeting."
No other Vice-Presidents being
present, we listened to the President's
address, giving an account of his
summer's w(n-k in the bee yard. Not
meeting with the best success, he did
not care to have it appear in print,
lie has 48 colonies, mostly strong; 8
or 10 may need help ; his bees were
not yet prepared for winter.
The following subjects were then
discussed : " The cause and disposal
of fertile workers;" and "The in-
troduction of fertile queens to colo-
nies that have just swarmed." Thirty-
six bee-keepers were then present.
The subject of "Foul Brood" was
brought up, and enlisted a lively in-
terest, as two or more cases were re-
ported as existing in the county, hav-
ing been brought here from Ilowell,
JNIich. ; the facts of vyhich were well
known to Mr. S. J. Youngman, of
Lake View, and W. W. Trussel, of
Colby. A committee of three were
appointed to investigate the same,
and if it be found that foul brood ex-
isted ill our county, to take the neces-
sary steps to 'destroy the same. The
Pre'sident appointed the following
members as a committee : S. J.
Youngman, Lake View ; W. W. Trus-
sel, Colby ; 11. M. Hoop. Carson (Mty.
The subject of "Comb Foundation "
was then taken u)), and the different
makes and (jiialities discussed ; each
giving their preference to some par-
542
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
ticular make, Imt the general impres-
sion was : that made on the Dunham
machine by Dadant. was as good as
any made. No one favored the use of
old foundation carried over from the
previous year, but would advise it
being melted and made over. Some
(experiments made by Mrs. A. M.
Sanders, during the past season,
showed great advantage in favor of
foundation made by Dadant & Son.
Many thought much of the difference
was owing to the material used as a
lubricator in its manufacture ; others
in the manufact>u-e of the wax ;
wlietlier it lie rendered with a wax
extractor bv the process of steam, or
the old way of the wash boiler and
rag process. Mr. AV. O. Burk being
present, who is engaged in the manu-
facture of foundation, says he has
seen no wax that was burned that was
gotten out with the wax extractor.
The subject of " Robber Bees " was
discussed, as to tlie process of pre-
venting and bi-eaking up robbery.
Many devices were given.
" The care of eijipty combs " was
then taken up. No device was given
that had been successful except by
making a large box or cupboard,
closely" made, and by placing the
combs therein and fumigating with
sulphiu'.
"The process of rearing queens"
was then taken up. Mrs. A. M. San-
ders practices Doolittle's plan. Much
favor was shown for the plan as given
by Mr. J. H. Roliertson, and the read-
ing of this plan was called for. and
the Secretary read the same, as given
last >ear, from the minutes of the last
convention.
S. J. Youngman gave us his plan of
removing the (pieen and all unsealed
brood, aiid after twelve hours he took
a card of drone comb and cut it on a
circle, then selecting the larvse from a
colonv from which he wished to rear
queeils, taking a strip of the same
and cutting off the cells one-half or
two-thirds their length, and with wax
or glue fasten it on the under edge of
the comb, cut on a circle, and with a
match or quill remove every other
one of the young larvoe, leaving suffi-
cient room "to cut the queen-cells from
the combs when ready to hatch, and
placiiig them in a nuclei. In this way
lie has increased from 12 colonies to
do, tlie present season, and extracted
8(X) pounds of honey ; 8 colonies went
to the woods, and he lias sold 12
queens.
bi" Drone brood, how disposed of,''
was then discussed, and it was unani-
mously approved that it should be
well pruned out with a knife, leaving
a reasonable amount in each hive, anil
in black or hybrid colonies their own
brood should Ite all removed and
other substituted from more desirable
colonies.
"The different methods of feed-
ing '' was then discussed. No new
way being devised, many of the old
ways being satisfactory ; but all agreed
that fall feeding should be done early
to prevent too late brood-rearing. If
feeding must be done, let it be done
as earlv as possible.
W. W. Trussell says he has had a
colony that had no drone eggs or
drones, and the queen was destroyed,
and the bees reared drones and queens
from worker eggs.
Mr. Youngman says he has had
queens, drones and worker cells all
from the same larvse ; they were all
capped, but he does not know what
hatched from them.
During the above session upwards
of (JO persons were present. Adjourned
to 7 p. m.
The evening session was called at 7
p. m.. with all the officers present.
The first subject taken up was the
" Best method of increase." There
was a diversity of opihion, but much
favor was shown toward the plan
given by Mr. Youngman, of starting
early a nucleus with one or two
frames of brood, and adding otliers as
fast as the bees can care for them, by
taking one or two frames from strong
colonies when they could spare them,
shaking the bees off at the old hive.
Messrs. Wood. Benham and others
favored artificial swarming.
A. L. Entricon had wintered drones
and had queens fertilized very early,
at a time when he thinks no other
drones were in the yard ; the queen
was reared in the colony in which the
drones were.
■' The use of old combs ; how long
to be used." All admit that very old
combs Avill produce smaller bees, but
no one was able to tell whether those
bees would ever attain full size after
hatching. ^Nlr. Youngman would not
discard old combs, if perfect, for 10 or
15 years use.
Mr. Goodno approves of their use as
long as perfect, as they are much bet-
ter "to ship bees in. No time could be
agreed upon as to when to discard
them.
The subject of " Bee pasturage "
was then discussed. Much was said
in favor of Alsike clover, the seed of
which was furnished free by some of
the members to their neighbors, who
would sow it ; also buckwheat in the
same way, botli of which could not be
too highly spoken of. Other valuable
bee plants were spoken of, which were
of value besides for bees. Among
them the English mustard and teasel.
The Secretarv had placed upon ex-
hibition seeds of the Kocky Mciuutain
bee plant, borage, English mustard,
sweet clover and flgwort, which he
f reel v distributed among the members,
lie was favorably impressed with the
cultivation of all of them, placing
them in waste places where now rag-
weed and dog-fennel occupy the
ground. The cultivation of honey
plants seems more necessary in older
countries. The choice for a bee loca-
tion is surely where it is just being
cleared up, where raspberries, boneset,
flreweed. asters, goldenrod, Spanish
needle and the many wild flowers have
not been subdued.
Adjourned luitil 9 a. m.
A\'ednesdav, Oct. 10, at 9 a. m., the
convention was called to order by
President Geo. W. Stanton.
" The use of the telephone in the
bee-yard" was discussed, and much
valuable information was given by F.
A. Palmer, of McBride's, who made
the discovery as to its use two years
ago. and communicated the facts to
A. I. Root, who now sells the instru-
ments.
Marketing honey was a topic of
much interest, and showed that much
more honey had been sold in our home
markets than in previous years ;
nearly every one had found ready sale
for all they" had produced.
The ladies present gave details of
the use they had made of honey in
preserving fruits, especially black-
berries, and much preferred it to
sugar. Some of their neighbors hav-
ing bought honey in preference to
sugar, considering it cheaper. The
greater part of the honey produced
by those present being extracted, and
the price varying from 10 cents to 14
cents at their doors, and when placed
in the stores for sale, had been put in
jellv cups, one pint, one quart, and
'two (piart fruit jars ; and where it was
to be retailed, Mr. L. S. Benham, of
Alma, had had calls for it put up in
large sizied jugs, letting it candy in
the jugs, and when it reached its
place of destination, it could be placed
in a pan of hot water on the stove to
liquefy, and make it convenient to
retail.
Mr. Palmer preferred Japan pails
holding -50 pounds.
Mr. " Yoiuigman was favorable to
canvassing the eountv, and if neces-
sary sell ill small quantities, and after-
wards make larger sales in conse-
quence, and when they would not at
first buy, leave a sam'ple, and in that
way make new customers.
The Secretary thinks, no doubt, that
we would receive ample reward for
the expense of buying the pamplilet
on " Honey as Food and Medicine,"
in lots of "500 or 1,000, and distribute
them fully, while canvassing, as Mr.
Youngman suggests.
Mr. Benham said his experience
was very unsatisfactory, in shipping
honey in tin cans without coopering
or crating.
The comb honey reported by mem-
bers present had all been sold at from
15 to 25 cents per pound. A short dis-
tance showing a wide variation in
prices in lioth extracted and comb
honey, which is hoped will be regu-
lated" in a few years to that of a uni-
form price.
The subject of "Wintering" was
the all-absorbing topic, and there was
no one present but had something to
say. All of the old plans and theories
were revived, and verbal reports made
of past experiences : many of which
were sad, but still hopeful to secure
the patent for wintering bees. Many
favoralile reports were given on ex-
periments tried last year in burying
them in trenches under ground.
Others were inclined to try Mr. Den-
nison's plan, who places them in cel-
lars, removing the bottom-board and
setting the hives on scantlings so that
dead bees can di-op away from the
bottom of the hives and frames. ISIr.
Dennison has been very successful in
wintering in that way. The subject
was thoroughly discussed, and no one
could go awav" without gaining some
new ideas, aii"d all will be left to figure
out its solution. '
The officers for the ensuing year
were elected as follows : President,
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
543
S. J. Yoiingman, of Lake View ; Sec-
retary and Treasurer, F. A. Palmer,
of M'cBride's. 1st Vice-President, L.
S. Benliam, of Alma ; 2d Vice-Presi-
dent, Edward Hunt, of Sheridan ; 3d
Vice-President, L. L. Bissell, of Lake
View ; 4th Vice-President, Mrs. A.
M. Sanders, of Slieridan ; oth Vice-
President, J. IL Robertson, of
Pewamo.
The next annual convention will be
held at Alma, Gratiot Comity, Mich.,
on the 2d Tuesday and Wednesday of
October, 1S84.
Adjourned until 1 p. m.
The Secretary suggested that a
semi-annual convention be held, dur-
ing the working season, at some bee-
beeper's apiary^ accessible by all, that
we may get practical ideas,'aud that
the same be made a basket picnic, and
all have a good time. The suggestion
was approved, and the President, Sec-
retary, Treasurer, and 1st Vice-Presi-
dent were made a committee to name
the time and issue the call 'for the
basket picnic convention. Miss F. A.
Bellamy made the request that the
fatlieri'ng be held at her liome near
onia, which was cheerfully agreed to.
There being a little time before the
trains were due, the subject of hives
and frames was discussed, there being
722 colonies represented by member's
present, of which 539 were square or
deep frames, and 183 Langstroth
frames. It showed a preference for
the square or deep frame. Mrs. A.
M. Sanders could say nothing against
the Langstrutli franie, though she had
both the shallow and the square
frames, but considered the square
frame the most convenient to handle.
Bees wintered well, and possibly bet-
ter in the shallow frame than in the
square, last winter. Mr. Goodno's
experience had been aliout the same ;
like all other discussions upon this
subject, all did not agree.
There was placed upon exhibition
at this convention an improved winter
bee hive for the shallow frame, by
Wm. O. Burk, of Crystal, which at-
tracted much attention, and met with
favor. He also had a simple though
convenient device for fastening foun-
dation in sections of his own make.
The Secretary also placed upon the
table the eighth edition of Prof. Cook's
Manual, Thos. G. Newman's " Apiary
Register " for 200 colonies, a supply
of Weekly and Monthly Bee Jouk-
ISTALS, and general catalogues of liter-
ature for the apiary, which was freely
distrilnited. Others placed copies of
A. I. Root's A B C of Bee-Culture.
Quinby"s New Bee-Keeping bv L. C.
Root, A. J. King's Text Book, and
some fine comb honey by E. S. Collins,
of Cedar Lake. This feature of the
convention was interesting and in-
structive, but it is hoped a'larger ex-
hiljit will be shown at our next con-
vention.
The list of colonies with size of
frames were as follows : L. L. Bissell,
Lake View, 23 colonies in Langstrutli
frames ; F. A. Palmer, ^IcBride's, 2
colonies in 10x10 frames ; S. J. Young-
man, Lake View. 6o colonies in Lang-
stroth frames ; F. O. Johnson, Chaii-
wich. 32 colonies in 9x10 frames ; A.L.
Entricon, Westville, 30 colonies in
10x12^ frames ; N.Kendall, McBride's
13 colonies in 10x10 frames ; E. E.
Thayer, 4 colonies in 10x12 frames ;
n. Peck, Saranac, 12 colonies in llx-
113-4 frames ; Geo. W. Stanton, Sheri-
dan, 48 colonies in 10x12 frames ; O.
R. Goodno, Carson City, 46 colonies in
10x10 frames, and Hi colonies in Lang-
stroth frames ; Mrs. A. M. Sanders,
Sheridan, 20 colonies in Langstroth
frames, and 44 colonies in 10x12 frames;
Mrs. Francis Miller, Sheridan, C colo-
nies in 10x12 frames ; Miss F. A. Bel-
lamy, lona, 40 colonies in Langstroth
frames ; Wm. O. Burk, Crystal, 3 col-
onies in Langstroth frames and 16
colonies in 10x10 frames ; Mrs. A.
Bradley, Sheridan, 7 colonies in 10x12
frames ; W. M. Penny, Shilo, 39 colo-
nies in 91^x10 frames ; E. S. Collins,
Cedar Lake. 12 colonies in 10x10
frames; O. F. Mason, Crystal, 12 col-
onies in 10x10 frames ; J. W. Mitchell,
Carson City , 3 colonies in 10x10 frames,
and 16 colonies in Langstroth frames ;
W. W. Trussell, Colby, 33 colonies in
10x10 frames ; V. Hallett, Colby, 12
colonies in 10x10 frames ; M. Foster,
Sheridan, 6 colonies in 10x10 frames ;
L. S. Benham, Alma, 81 colonies in
10x10 frames ; Clias. Cross, Carson
City, 63 colonies in 10x10 frames ; D.
A. McLean, Stanton, 6 colonies in 10-
xlO frames ; Mrs. G. L. Lean, Sheri-
dan, 12 colonies in 10x12 frames.
Total, -539 in square or deep frames,
and 183 in Langstroth frames.
A vote of thanks was tendered to
Mr. Stone for the gratuitous use of his
hall ; also a vote of thanks to Geo W.
Stanton, E. Hunt, Mrs. A. M. Sanders,
E. E. Thayer, and others, for gener-
ous hospitulity.
A vote of thanks was extended to
the retiring Secretary for his service
for the past six years, and for the in-
terest he has always manifested in
the welfare of the association. Ad-
journed. Ol'HIR R. GOODNO.
Betiring ib'ec.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Labeling Packages of Honey.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
Of late quite a number have tried
to out-do somebody else in getting up
showy honey labels. Such enterprise
is commendable, but tlie honey label
has not yet been invented. I fear the
inventors are working in the wrong
direction. Take a clean, smooth,
white section box, fill it with snowy-
white tempting comb honey. There ;
does that need a fancy label V Will a
showy label add to its' beauty V Will
it not rather deti'act V Is a beautiful
woman more beautiful when over-
dressed with gaudy attire V Does a
rich, ripe strawberry need a strip of
colored paper wrapped around it before
it is fit for market V If not, then why
desecrate the virgin purity of our
white combs of honey by pasting
around them gaudy hibels V All, yes,
says one, but these labels hide the
propolis, mildewed sei^tions, and un-
sightly holes left by the bees at the
corners. Very true, but would it not
be better to use smooth, white, well-
seasoned sections, pursue such a
method of management that the sec-
tions will be well filled, scrape off all
propolis, and then the lioney would
be V)eautiful in its simplicity.
Hundreds of people, upon seeing
my exhibit of comb honey at the
State Fair, exclaimed : " Tliat is the
finest lot of honey that I ever saw !"'
Tliat the honey was nice, is a fact,
but there was an added attention of
which, perhaps, no one tliought, and
that is, the honey was stored in
smooth, white sections, crated in
crates made from smooth, white
lumber, and the reflection of the light
from the smooth white surface of the
surrounding wood, gave to the honey
an added whiteness. There was an
entire absence of labels, and. as the
cases were piled up, tier ujion tier, in
the form of a pyramid, the exhibition
was grand and beautiful in its sim-
plicity.
Pure, white comb honey cannot be
adorned, but if any producer desires
to have consumers know whose honey
they are eating, and hopes thereby to
gain fame and sell much honey, let
iiim use a small, neat, unobtrusive
rubber stamp bearing his name and
address, and stamp each section before
]3utting it upon tlie hive.
How about extracted honey V Well,
if it is put in glass, and kept in a
liquid state, what is the first thing
that a would-be purchaser does ? He
holds the package up to the light and
exclaims: "'Ah, how fine!" That
is, he does if the package is not co-\--
ered with a gaudy label, if so, how-
can he V A neat, attractive, but small
label is the liest for glass packages.
When lioney is put up in tin. there is
some excuse for adornment by the
way of labels, but even then I do not
approve of highly colored, flaming
labels ; they give to the honey a tin-
can, bar-soap, groceryfied appearance.
Let the packers of fish, fruit, and
vegetables adorn their wares with
gaudy " chromos " if they please, but
the product of the apiary requires
nothing of the kind. It is beautiful
in itself. " Beauty unadorned is most
adorned."
Rogersville, Mich.
For the American Bee JoumaL
ftueen Cages, Introducing, etc.
W. DEJIAUEK.
While reading Mr. Doolittle's article
on page 511, Weekly Bee .Journal.
concefning " sending queens by mail,''
it occurred to me that those persons
who have received queens from my
apiary, tlirough the mails, in the past
season, and have read Mr. Doolittle's
description of the cage used by him,
will be puzzled to know which has
stolen ■■ tother's thunder." Mr. D. or
myself. Tlie cage described by Mr.
J)', is •' point blank '" the same in
ever\' substantial feature as the one
I ha've used for sending (lueens by
mail for more than a year past. In
September, 1882, 1 sent a queen and
her suite of l)pes to Rev. E. h. Briggs,
of Iowa, and he returned the cage to
me witli a iiueen and liev escort fi'ora
his apiary without replenishing t!ie
544
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
food in the cage, as I luulerstood it
from him, ami l)oth qiu'ens ami bees
were found in tlie vei-y best eomlition
when leaching the " end of their
journeys.
I. at first, used a tin tube in the
form of a miniature barrel, which
was filled with the soft candy and in-
serted in the transverse hole in the
cage, and the " bimg hole "" in the tin
barrel was brought in line with the
opening between the queen's apart-
ment and the transverse food apart-
ment. My idea for using the tin bar-
rel was to prevent the soft wood block
friim aliscirbing tlie moisture of the
candy, and tn exclude the air as much
as possible from the same.
After testing this method of pro-
visioning the cage to my own satis-
faction, iinding it far superior to the
old plan of boring one or two sliallow
holes in the top of the block, leaving
the fciod exposed to the air, I conceived
the idea of waxing the transverse hole
and thus secure all the advantages of
the tin tulie without its extra expense
and troid^le.
I wax the food apartment of the
cages by means of a " swab," which
nearly tills the hole. This is dipped
in hot wax and inserted into the hole
and passed closely to every part, thus
filling completely the pores of the
wood. After tlie candy is passed
into the hole, the latter is corked
tightly with a common bottle cork,
which is cut off, smooth with the
block.
A few words about soft candy for
provisioning queen cages will riot be
considered improper here. Doubtless
some will remendier that several
years ago I experimented considerably
with a candy made by mixing pow-
dered sugar "with a thiii paste made of
hot water and flour ; my idea was that
the paste would give adhesiveness to
the mixture, and the " rawness " of
the sugar would give the moisture.
This candy proving to be seriously
defective, though lietter than boiled
candy. I commenced experimenting
with candying honey. A good article
of white clover, as i:horoug;hly granu-
lated as I could get it. was enclosed in
a thin cloth bag and washed in cold
water until most of the glucose sub-
stance was separated from the mass,
after which the residue was tempered
with granulated sugar until it was
quite firm and stiff. I found this a
success in every respect. I used this
mixture liefore I ever heard of Mr.
Giiod"s mixture of unprepared honey
and pow<lered sugar, and for long con-
finement, I believe it has no equal as
a ca^e food to this day.
AVTiy did I not give "it to the public ?
Well, because I have " went off half
cocked "' so often in the past, that I
liave learned " great prudence," eh !
But to return to the cage subject. I
believe it an injury to a queen to
startle her liy povmding on the cage
with the hammer, in the process of
finishing it, after the queen is put into
it. Bees are quite susceptil)le of
being alarmed, and a " big scare " is
doubtless very detrimental to them.
On several "occasions I have seen
symptoms of dysentery in bees, that
could be traced to no other cause than
from the effects of a '• big scare."'
Therefore, I handle the cages which
contain queens gently at the start, till
the queen and her escort get over the
first excitement consequent on their
captivity. The cage should be en-
tirely completed, ready for the mail
bag, excepting the paper and twine,
bef<ire the queen is hurried into it.
This is easily done by having a little
side door to the cage" through which
the (jueen and bees will crawl very
readily if the cage is held in such a
position as to bring the entrance or
door at the lowest part of the cage,
and show the light aliove. The door
can l)e closed by means of any simple
device. But as 1 use this cage in
preference to any other as an intro-
ducing cage, I employ for a shutter to
the entrance, a little tin slide, which,
when in an erect position, projects a
half inch or more above the bottom of
the cage when the wire cloth side is
down : this tin slide is kept bent down
flat with the bottom, so as to be out
of the way excepting when the cage
is employed to introduce the queen, in
which case the tin projection is made
to stand erect as first described.
To introduce a queen by means of
this cage, the cage is placed, wire
cloth down, on the frames in the usual
way, so as to be between the quilt
and tops of the frames ; a small in-
cision in the (piilt permits the tin
slide to " stick up "' through the quilt,
thus arranged the hive is closed.
The following day I open the hive,
using care not to jar it, turn back the
quilt until I can see what the bees are
doing about the cage, if they are
" bailing " the cage. I close up the
hive and let them vent their spleen on
wood and wire until in a better mood.
In this way I take a peep at them once
or twice a day until I find the bees
moving calmly about the cage just as
others may be seen moving "about the
tops of the frames. When this condi-
tion of things is present, I close up
the hive, feeling perfectly satisfied
that all will go well.
Any time, after giving the bees a
little time to become quiet, I open the
hive with all the care possible, place
my thumb on the cage to hold it firmly,
arid with the other liand draw out the
slide and close up the hive.
After trying every feasible method
which has been suggested by writers
on the subject of introducing queens,
I am glad to go back to the method
above" described, wliich I have tested
thoroughly for tiiree or four years past.
It would l)e interesting reading were
I to point out the serious defe'cts in
nine-tenths of the methods employed
to introduce queens, but I have "not
the space to do it here.
Notwithstanding the severe drought
which cut off nearly all our fall llnw-
ers, my bees got some honey from
goldenrod, an unusual occurrence in
my location, and liut little from hydro-
piper, from whence our main" fall
supply generally comes. My bees are
in surprisingly good condition for win-
ter. Up to this writing, Oct. HO. we
ha\'e had no frost to injure the tender-
est plants, and bountiful rains during
the last four weeks, has given us grass
enough to winter all our farm animals
if the winter should be an open one.
Christiansburg. Ky. '
For the American Bee JoumaL
Eight Frame Hive for Comb Honey.
GEORGE GRIMM.
I am slightly exercised at the idea
that this controversy will eventually
" impovish " me. and prove that which
I have long accepted as a fact, to be
but a " myth." Now, James, please
don't ! Remember how, two years
ago, I listened so attentively to your
eulogies on natiu'e, etc, and how earn-
estly I helped you to destroy the last
\estige of that chicken-pie we had for
dinnei' ! But if you must, W'ell, then —
but hold ! I have got something to
tell first : There is nothing in the
whole American Bee Journal that
interests me mt>re than discussions on
the wintering problem ; and though I
would not for the world come between
the cross-fire of two such sharp-
shooters as ^Ir. Ileddon and Dr.
Tinker, yet I like to stand beliind the
fence and see the fun.
Yesterday I got out my old volumes
of bee journals to see how much pro-
gress we have made in the last few
years, and this is what I found in the
American Bee Oazette under date of
April 15, 1866 : " How to winter bees
l)est in a cold climate, is one of the
questions that has never Ijeen decided
and probably never will be, as differ-
ent apiarians have different methods
of wintering them ; but a few princi-
ples can be laid down that all will ad-
mit to be correct, as follows :
1. To keep them in an even temper-
ature, cool, but not cold enough to
cause the dampness of hives to congeal
to frost.
2. To keep them as quiet as possi-
ble, and if placed in a room or winter
bee house, to be in complete darkness.
3. To afford them a free ventilation
of pure air under all circumstances."
Will some one please answer how
much more we have learned since
then !
In searching through those old vol-
umes, I found on a piece of old yellow
paper, an article from my father's
pen. which apparently has never been
published, and as it bears somewhat
upon this wintering question, and on
the y and 10-frame Langstroth hive, I
will copy it verbatim :
Jefferson, Wis., April, 1870.
" Langstroth vs. Square Hives.
—I use three kinds of movable comb
hives in my apiary. One is the com-
mon one-story Laiigstrotli hive, 10x14-
xl8 with 10 frames ; the second is lOx-
12x18 with 8 frames ; the third is llj^-
xl3}^xl6 with 9 frames. I have used
these hives for the last four years, but
got up only hives of the second and
third kind the last three seasons. I
put my surplus honey boxes mostly
directly on top of the frames, and let
most of my hives swarm naturally.
Now, for the result ; From No. "l,
swarms came averaging not as often
as from No. 2 and No. 8. and I got, so
far. but little surplus honey. The col-
onies in those hives, however, are
usually very strong and heavy in the
fall. From No. 2 (the 8-frame hive) I
get more swarms than from No. 1,
and nearly all my surplus honey.
From No. 3 I get uiore swarms than
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
545
from either of the two other kinds,
but had not a single pound of surplus
honey last season from (Hi good colo-
nies, and about i5 had not swarmed.
The colonies in those hives are usually
very strong and heavy in the fall.
Bees in those three dinerent kinds of
hives winter well if wintered in the
cellar, better than in common box
hives, all of which had more or less
moldy combs this spring. All things
considered, I prefer hive Xo. 2, and so
much am I convinced of its superi-
ority, that I made 300 of them last
winter, and am now making o(iO more;
while I make but 30 hives of No. 3
this season."
One line is here skipped, then comes
the following without date, but ap-
parentlv written soon after :
"From Nov. 9 to 12, last, fall, I
stored away my 305 colonies of bees in
my home apiary into the cellar and
they remained there till the 20th of
March, when I commenced taking
them out. I finished on the 31st ; only
3 of the 30.5 colonies had died, .and
they had been over-looked last simi-
mer, having been queenless ever since
swarming. Of the 362, only 3 appeared
to be queenless.
This is the best success I ever had
in wintering bees. The bees in my
outside apiaries are yet in their win-
ter quarters. A. Grimm.
Let me add^ that if,, as Mr. Heddon
claims my father was very successful
in winte'riug bees, and I have not a
doubt on that point, then it is an es-
tablished fact that lie was siiccessful
ichile using the 8-frame TMngstroth hive ;
because at the time when he kept the
" large numbers of colonies" he had
discarded nearly all oth^r styles ex-
cept the S-franie Langstroth.
Jefferson, Wis., Oct. 12, 1883.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
The Trial of the Small Sections.
DK. G. L. TINKER.
After much delay, I am able to make
a report on the use of the small sec-
tions. We had so much cold and wet
weather in June and July, followed
by a severe drouth in August, that
the amount of surplus honey is below
the average in this locality. In con-
sidering the experiments here given,
these facts should be taken into ac-
count.
The small section, 3J^x3%xl%, was
used on 1-t colonies on an improved
plan, the principle involved being,
continuous passage ways and contin-
uous combs. The plan proved to be a
complete success, and might have
been tested upon one hive as well as
on the 14. I also found that the use
of sections without separators could
be made, with a little care in the man-
agement, entirely satisfactory. But
the use of separators with a small
section will be found unprofitable on
account of the extra labor and expense
involved.
When it was seen that the lialf-
pound section without separators
would be a success, one colony (a new
swarm) was tried on the same plan
with a section of larger size, i%x-i%\-
1}4. Twelve of these were nicely
capped over, and tlieir weight found
to average about 14 ounces, or not far
from the average weight of the 4I4X-
4>4x2 section used with separators.
•The plan worked as well witli this
size as with the smaller. Other sizes
larger were made, as samples, but
they looked to be so much like a frame
that the smaller size was adopted.
With this size of section operated on
my new surplus arrangement, it is
believed that the utmost capacity of
comb honey production by a colony of
bees can be easily attained. But even
with the smaller'size of section, oper-
ated on the new plan, it is thought
that considerably more honey can be
obtained than by any other" plan of
section arrangement now in use, and
with less labor and less trouble!
The tests were as follows : On
seven hives the small section was
tried with wood separators sawed ex-
ceedingly smooth out of white poplar.
The bees entered the sections readily
enough, but not to cluster and begin
comb building for several days, and
then the progress was slow. In each
case the honey was principally stored
in the body ot the hive to the exclu-
sion of brood, or the colony swarmed.
That the separators were an olistruc-
tion was plainly evident. The largest
yield was only 40 pounds, wiiich
amount was about 15 pounds above
the average production of the 200 colo-
nies in town. The average weight of
the sections was 7 ounces.
On seven hives, the small sections
were used without separators. Three
were old colonies and four were
swarms. Two of the former were
good colonies, but no stronger than a
dozen others. The other one was a
nucleus last fall, and the sections were
not put on until late. Neither of the
three swarmed. One gave 72 pounds
and 5 ounces, one 51 pounds and 2
ounces, and the nucleus nearly 25
pounds. The new swarms yielded
from 10 to 15 pounds each. Founda-
tkm was only used for starters, aver-
aging about one inch wide. The
average weight of the sections was 8
ounces, and they were pronounced
tlie handsomest sections that were
ever sold in our market, commanding
a ready sale at 25 cents per pound.
Four colonies were worked upon two
pound sections, which were all nearly
filled witli clean white comb made last
year. Each colony was worked to the
best possible advantage on the old
plan. Three were worked with sec-
tion racks and one with section cases,
side and top st<iring. The best colony
gave 53 pounds and 10 ounces, one 44
pound and 6 ounces, one 30 pounds
and 10 ounces, and tlie other swarmed.
Five colonies were worked on the
old plan on one-pound sections {i}ix-
414x2). These, like the two-pound
sections, were nearly filled with comb
made last year. Four swarmed, and
the other gave 40 poimds.
The largest other yield of coml)
honey was in an apiary near by, of 85
colonies on Simplicity "frames. These
had been strongly stimulated in the
spring, while mine were fed only
about 2 pounds of honey each. The
best colony gave 00 pounds in two-
pound sections, each being filled with
Given foundaticm. But this colony
contained one of Mr. Doolittle's fine
i|ueens, and my own apiary is mostly
stocked witli this strain of'bees.
The average yield of the five best
colonies in town, worked on the old
plan, was only 48 pounds. The aver-
age yield of the two best, worked on
the hew plan, in the small sections,
was 02 pounds, or about one-third
more, while the advantages of neai'ly
all new comb and full sections of fomi-
datioii were against them.
I am aware that the tests were not
on a grand scale, but were carefully
conducted ; and when it is said that
one-third more comb honey can be
produced on the new plan thiin by any
of the old methods, I might be ""■ mis-
taken " as our friend Heddon would
say; yet the advantages, in a com-
mon sense view, are clearly on the
side of continuous passage ways and
continuous combs.
It was thought before-hand that the
small sections without separators
would be fastened all together with
bulged and crooked combs, and when
separated, would make a " mess."
But there was not one comli out of
several hundred that was fastened to
the adjoining section, and not one but
could be readily crated. The greater
number were as fine and regular as if
separators had been used. They were
also plump and well-filled out, while
many, where the separators were
used, were only partly filled. On
each hive, the bees went into the
sections early and began work. There
was no delay. The next day after the
sections were put on, the bees were
found clustered in them. The differ-
ence between separators and no sep-
arators was very marked. It was
found that any of the sections coulp
be readily taken from the racks ana
replaced. They were also very free
from propolis, so that they could be
rapidly handled and put into a crate
for the market at once. I could take
off 36 sections (the number used on
each rack), shake off the bees and
have them all in a crate within 10
minutes. Where the separators were
used, it took not less than a half hour
to get the sections off from one rack
and nearly the same time to clean off
the propolis.
My experience is, that separators
are not only expensive and tedious to
handle, but they are always a positive
hinderance to the bees, in the large
sections as well as the small ones, and
that not nearly so much surplus can
be obtained with them as without.
Mr. Bledsoe is certainly right when
he says: "The bees are quicker to
go to work in common frames with
good starters of foundation; more
bees can get to work, and the clusters
being more continuous, they make
more rapid progress." (See page 382
of the Bee Journal). Now, this is
the principle that I have brought into
successful operation by the use of
thin sections, continuous passage
ways and no separators. On the hive
that gave the largest surplus, the
racks of sections were tiered up four
high, and the result, practically, waa
546
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
hine combs, 27 inches high, by an
average of 13 inches wide.
The queen did not trouble, in any
of the hives, by going into the sections.
Tliere is, in fact, no reuson whatever
why bee-keepers should not abandon
the use of the shallow chamber, so
commonly provided above the brood
frames. Without it, there is a cer-
tainty that bees will work to better
advantage. Indeed, it seems plain
enough that bees will yield more
surplus where they can go straight
up and down in continuous passage
ways, than where they are obliged to
turn at a right angle, ou every trip
into the sections, because of the shal-
low chamber, to say nothing about
the (iO cubic inches of space that must
be filled with bees to no purpose.
With the new surplus arrangement,
no bits of wax are built any where to
bother the bee-keeper, and very little
Eropolis comparatively is used in the
ive; probably because there are no
places that need to be waxed up.
After removing the surplus fixtures.
Which can be quickly done at any
time without killing a bee or making
the colony angry, the brood frames
can then be lifted out at once. Thus,
a hive having tliree or four racks of
sections upon it, can be taken apart
and put together again in a few min-
utes, with the least possible disturb-
ance to the bees ; and, in tiering up,
the colony works right along as if
nothing bad happened.
Many of my double- walled hives
have been made over, so as to accom-
modate the improved section rack;
and it can be, doubtless, applied to
most kinds of hives now in use by
making a few changes.
New Philadelphia, O.
Utah Convention.
The Territorial Bee-Keepers' As-
sociation convened at the City Hall,
on the 6th inst., at 7 o'clock p. m.
President A. M. Musser called the
meeting to order.
ilr. T. W. Lee, secretary of the
Branch Bee Association of Toole city,
reported 26 bee-keepers, 107 colonies
of bees in the spring ; increased to 228,
and had taken 1,017 pounds of honey.
At wholesale prices (15 cts.) this
amounted to $1,052,55. Grantsville,
same county, was, by order of last
spring's convention, organized into a
branch association by Mr. T. W. Lee,
and reports 97 colonies of bees, and
2,672 pounds of honey, with 15 bee-
keepers.
Mr. George Hilliard, bee inspector
Of Cache county, reports that in 18S3
about one-half of tlieir bees perished
with the hard winter. Xatural swarm-
ing had increased them to 160, and
they are in a good, healthy condition.
About 25 colonies had fled to the
mountains, by reason of natural
swarming. They have experienced
one of their best seasons for honey
^this year.
Bishop Bills, of South Jordan, re-
ports that he began tliis spring with
28 colonies, and increased to 43 ; had
taken 5,.500 pounds of extracted honey.
Bold for 15c. per lb., amounted to SS25.
E. Stevenson has 50 colonies in good
condition ; has built a bee house and
sheds with a view of an increase of 100
colonies, and 8,000 or 10,000 pounds of
honey next year.
Parowan, Iron county, was organ-
ized recently by the last named gen-
tleman, into a branch bee association,
with Wm. ISIarsden as President, Wm.
Ilolyoake, first Vice-President, Thos.
Yardley, second Vice-President, and
Bishop Stone and D. Dalley as Secre-
taries.
Vice-President Yardley began bee-
keeping 3 years ago, with 3 colonies
of bees, and now has 48, and has sold
24 colonies ; last year he took 3,370 lbs.
of honey, and 4,000 lbs. this year.
I send the above report of the Ter-
ritorial Bee-Keepers' Conveiition,trom
the Salt Lake Herald.
Our bees have done nothing but
stay in the liives ; the past three weeks
has been so stormy that the bees have
been compelled to stay at liome. You
will see from the report that Tooele
has done a little, but they could have
done more, I might say double, for
the cause, but the principal bee men
are engaged in other pursuits, and are
generally engaged just in the time
that they should devote to the bees. I
know it has been so with myself. We
have now to prepare our bees for the
winter. I hope that they will come
out as good as they did this spring,
and if honey will do it, I have plenty
of it in the hives, although it has suf-
fered during the past few weeks.
.John Dunn.
Tooele City, Utah, Oct. 17, 1883.
For tlie American Bee Journal.
Bees Prepared for Winter.
L. J. DIEHL.
I now have my bees all prepared
for the winter, 185 colonies, all in good
condition. The season has been a
prosperous one with me. I now have
nearly two tons of fine honey on hand,
in 1 and 2 lb. boxes. My bees are all
healthy and strong. I have, as usual,
prepared my bees to winter on the
summer stands. The way I prepared
them is given in previous numbers of
the Bee Journ.\l, but I will say this,
that so much fuss and fiurry about
preparing bees for out-door wintering
is, to my mind, all bosh. The essential
points are these : Have just enough
bees ; and 25 or 30 lbs. of good honey ;
and keep them dry and quieted during
the winter months. This is where
the trouble commences. There are so
many theories and different plans to
accomplish the one important matter.
Keep the bees dry. In my practice
with bees, this is one of the easiest
duties. I prepare my bees early in
the season, say just after the honey
harvest closes ; by uniting small colo-
nies, taking out honey from those
that have too much, and giving to
those that have not enough ; put on
quilts, etc., early in the season, and
then the bees will properly cluster,
before the damp weather sets in, in
the fall. Since I have adopted tliis
plan of protection and my method of
packing, I liave little or no loss in
wintering. I look for considerable
damp, rainy weather this winter, and
I would caution all who wish to win-
ter the bees successfully, to prepare
the roofing so as to prevent dampness
from excessive rain and snow, and if
properly blanketed or packed inside
the brood chamber, there will be but
little loss of bees during this winter.
I will report my success in the spring.
I am not afraid, as to the results, for
I have wintered at least 7 or 8 years in
this way, with but small loss.
Butler, Ind., Oct. 25, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
A Little of my Experience
w. II. young.
I keep bees for pleasure and profit,
and I discover that enthusiasm in
apiculture is getting the better of me,
consequently, I never expect, in this
life, to be without beautiful bees, and
the indispensable weekly edition of
the American Bee .Journal.
I purchased 3 colonies of natives in
1876 ; Italianized in 1879, by queens
obtained of D. A. Pike, Smithsburg,
Md., to whom we are indebted as the
originator of the beautiful albino bee.
I wintered 18 colonies of Italians
and albinos, and increased them, dur-
ing the past season, to 30 ; I have
about 6S0 pounds of surplus, in two-
pound sections, and have a ready
home market at 15 cents per pound.
My standard of excellence for bees,
is docility, industry, prolificness and
beauty (golden bands).
AVhen I hefir a queen-breeder say,
■' I do not care for bands, but breed
business bees," I decide immediately
that I want none of that stock ; they
are liybrids, and the beautiful Ital-
ians are deteriorating in such hands.
The absurd and inconsistent idea that
the Italian bee, in all its purity, will
not gather as much honey under the
same circumstances as dark-colored
bees (hybrids), is all bosh.
A good deal is said about the adul-
teration of honey, which is right and
proper, but we should not lose sight
of the fact, that the Italian bee has
been adulterated with ugliness, ill-
nature and crossness. With all the
importations of different races, and
the frequent crossings of the same
with the pure Italian, nothing better
has been produced. I am not quietly
grinding my own axe, for I am not
breeding queens for sale.
On the first of last June, one of my
best Italian colonies swarmed ; in due
time a fine-looking young queen was
hatched and laying. As the colony
took kindly to the boxes, I did not dis-
turb them' until 21 days ; when I ex-
amined, to see how she had mated, I
was surprised to find no brood, but
plenty of eggs, and my queen appar-
ently all right. I examined weekly,
and found the same condition of
things. On Aug. 21. 1 destroyed her,
as she was worthless. In all the bee
literature at my command, I have not
read of a like circumstance.
I build, for my own use, a side and
top storing hive, and believe them to
be the best for comb honey. I prefer
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
547
a two-pound section box, and use a
section rack witli a strip of glass set
in the side, consequently I need not
disturb the bees to find out when the
sections are ready to come off. I have
tried both tin and wood for separa-
tors, and hereafter will use only tin.
AVith wood, the bees build too many
braces to the separator, and when it
is removed, the capping is too fre-
quently mutilated, and the sections
made unsalable.
Myersville, Md., Oct. 22, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Wintering Bees— Preparations.
ALLEN PRINGLE.
One of the readers of the Bee Jour-
nal sends me the following questions
for answer :
1 . The cellar in which I must winter
my bees is damp. How would you
prepare them for their winter quar-
ters ?
2. Should the bees be confined on
what combs will contain stores
enough for winter, or should they
occupy the whole hive, as in summer V
In preparing bees for winter quar-
ters, whether for the cellar or otlier
place, the preparations should begin
early in September, or very soon after
the honey fails. Those with insuffi-
cient stores for winter, should be fed
either honey or good syrup from No.
1 granulated sugar — about one pound
of pure soft water to two pounds of
sugar, brought to a boil. This should
be fed during warm weather, wlieu
the bees may be able to properly cap
it over. The entrances ought now to
be so diminished in size that only one
bee can pass at a time, especially in
colonies which are not surely strong.
Among the majority of our leading
bee-keepers, the practice, I believe,
prevails of uniting all weak colonies
for winter. On this point I differ
from tliem. I hardly ever unite for
wintering. I simply crowd the weaker
colonies up into small quarters in
their hives, give them plenty of stores,
keep them warm, and they generally
come through just as well as the
stronger colonies. Of course I admit
it would be foolish to attempt to
winter weak colonies outside, without
thorough protection ; but I cannot see
the wisdom or economy of taking two
weak colonies, each with a good
queen, destroying one of the queens
if you have no use for her, and uniting
them to get them safely through the
winter when you can get l)oth safely
through, queens and all, without
uniting them, that is. if you have a
proper place to put them in. From
the small nucleus occupying but one
or two frames up to the strong colony
covering a dozen frames, all will win-
ter about equally well under proper
conditions. Other things being equal,
it is better to have two good prolific
queens in the spring than one. Of
course, wtien such colonies are put
out in the spring, the proper condi-
tions of space in hive, temperature,
etc., must be supplied ; and I would
by no means advise the inexperienced
beekeeper to engage in wintering
weak colonies. But the skillful apiar-
ist who understands his business can
safely carry the weak colonies through,
and 1 think such an one makes a mis-
take in uniting, unless he is short of
queens, or wishes to weed out inferior
ones, or has an unsuitable place to
winter in.
After supplying all colonies with
ample stores, or rather before doing
so. if practicable, I go through the
whole of them and diminish their
quarters. I take out all light frames,
and by the use of the division-board,
crowd every colony up into close
quarters, at the same time adding to
ttie stores of the weak from such of
the stronger ones as can spare. I cut
a small hole about tlie size of a dime
through the centre, or a little above
the centre, of each frame to give the
bees a free winter passage. This pre-
caution is not so necessary when tlie
bees are wintered in a uniform tem-
perature of say 4.5-' F. ; but when tliey
are wintered outside, or in a compara-
tively low temperature, it is abso-
lutely indispensable, or the colony
may starve with plenty of stores in
the hive, the bees benumbed with
the cold, not being able to get at the
honey. If the division-board fits
closely to the sides of the hive, with
only a narrow passage at tlie bottom,
a small hole should be put through
the centre of it, so that, should the
bottom pass.age become stopped, or
nearly so, witli dead bees, etc., the
bees that manage to get through at
the bottom may be able to get back.
Having thus given every colony
sufficient stores for winter, crowded
them up into the proper space in each
hive, bored tlie division-board, re-
moved the frames with superfluous
pollen (for it is this, no doubt, which
has much to do with the dysentery),
and cut a passage way through the
combs, the bees should be disturbed
as little as possible during the last
few weeks before they are put into
winter quarters. Feeding them a
little every evening to coax them into
late breeding, will hardly constitute
a " disturbance." At any rate they
seem to relish that kind of disturb-
ance. As to the proper time for put-
ting them into the cellar, that must
be governed by the weather and other
circumstances.
And now, having prepared the bees
for the cellar, doubtless the cellar it-
self needs a good deal of preparation.
Mr. M., who sends the inquiries, says
tlie cellar is damp. Most cellars un-
ventilated are damp, except in hot,
dry weather. If he means that his
cellar is wet, he ought at once to set
about draining It. if practicable. Tlien
let him partition off the portion of the
cellar the bees are to occupy, which
should be the warmestportion,or that
directly under the kitchen stove. Get
a tinsmith to make a pipe some .5 or 6
inches in diameter, or the same size
as the pipe of the kitchen stove. I^et
this pipe pass up from the bee de-
partment of the cellar, through the
kitchen floor, immediately behind the
stove, wliere it will be out of the way,
and enter the stove pipe by means of
a "T," just above the stove. There
should be a damper in the cellar pipe
just near where it enters tlie stove
pipe, so that the draft may be turned
on and off at pleasure. I have had
this device in use some 10 or 12 years,
and it is the very best method to se-
cure thorough upward ventilation, I
have ever seen. For the ingress of
fresh air from without, the subterra-
nean passage is undoubtedly the best,
especially if the air is carried a suffic-
ient distance to have it warmed during
its passage through tlie underground
pipe, which, of course, ought to be
below the frost. Provision must,
however, be made for the introductioa
of fresh air into the cellar in some
way, whether by the under-ground
pipe or otherwise.
In placing tlie colonies in their
quarters, the lower tin ought to be at
least 11.2 or 2 feet from the ground or
cellar floor, and the summer entrances
sliould be left yvide open. All top fix-
tures should be taken off until the
frames are exposed. Then place a
thin piece of cotton, large enough to
completely cover the top of the hive,
and hang over the edges over the
frames, with some device under it and
on top of the frames, to keep it up an
inch or so, in order that the bees may
pass freely under it. If the cellar is
to be kept at a temperature of about
4.5-' to •50-', this will be sufficient pro-
tection on top, for colonies of average
strength. If the temperature is only
40' or under, each colony must have
in addition to the covering mentioned,
a sawdust quilt 3 or 4 inches thick.
These quilts may be made of any thin
porous material, and filled in with dry
pine sawdust, or wool, if you can af-
ford it. No matter what the temper-
ature of the cellar may be, it is well
to have these quilts on hand for weak
colonies, which require more artificial
heat, also for changes of weather,
which may affect the temperature of
tlie cellar, and for spring use outside.
Shelby, Ont.
Bees for;Boys. — A farmer friend has
60 colonies of bees, a fine flock of light
Brahma fowls, and a farm of 120 acres.
He has two sons, aged 13 and 16 years
respectively, and the elder boy has
entire charge of the bees, of which he
is very fond. He runs his sections,
extracts the honey, introduces queens,
divides his bees, and rears queens
with a skill which many a veteran
might envy. He is already well known
in the city, three and a half miles dis-
tant, for his honey, and talks about
bees, and quotes authorities in the
most intelligent manner. All his
honey is sold in one grocery store, and
though he has had a good yield this
season, and has reaped a fine profit, he
cannot fully supply the demand at the
store. — American Agriculturist for No-
vember.
1^" Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of pape
from items of business.
548
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
l^hat atxd Boiu.
ANSWERS By
James Eeddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Me. Editor.— Will you allow me to
say to my friends that I can no longer
keep up my private correspondence,
and sliall be forced to leave unan-
swered all communications except
private letters relating to business,
and questions regarding bee-culture
to be answered through the question
department or " What and IIow."
These questions must be sent to the
Editor, and not to me. This an-
nouncement is a necesssity ; I am
sorry it is such. Jasies Heddon.
Honey for Winter use.
AVill you please answer this in the
Bee Journal : AVill it be well to
put full frames of honey in the cen-
tre of hives before putting tliem away
for winter ? H. J. Xorthrup.
Lansingburg, N. Y., Oct. 18, 1883.
Answer.— I have known of excel-
lent success by so doing ; put in combs
as free from bee-bread as possible ;
give them a little more space between
combs than used during summer.
Preventing Granulation.
Please answer in the Weekly Bee
Journal : What amount of tartaric
acid IS required to keep sugar syrup
from granulating (also honey) and
whether the acid has a tendency to
cause dysentery ? also, is the Pelham
foundation as good as the natural
base { Sylvester Marshall.
Pratts, Fork, O., Oct. 17, 18S3.
Answer.— There is some difference
in sugars, regarding their tendency
to crystalize. I have never had any
brand or grade that would crystalize
if a lump of tartaric acid the size of a
small hickory nut (say round and %
diameter) was used for every 10
pounds of sugar. The amount of
water used (that is, the thinness the
syrup is to be when done) also makes
a difference. That amount of acid is
adapted to 5 pounds of water with 10
pounds of granulated orconfectioners'
A sugar. The granulated sugar, has
the greater tendency to crystalize, but
is preferred here. Confectioners tell
us that boiling tends to boil the grain
out of the sugar. Syrup that shows a
strong tendency to grai n before passed
through the bodies of the bees, shows
no such tendency afterwards, which
is caused by the addition of formic
acid secreted and given to the syrup
by the body of the bee, while she
holds it in her sack. Regarding the
acid causing dysentery, I know that
it does not, and some of our most
experienced apiarists have thought
that it was a preventive. How that
may be, I know not. Kegarding the
Pelham foundation, our experiments
the past season (which will be reported
soon) showed tliat the Pelham foun-
dation is in no way objectionable on
account of the shape of the base. It
is a good foundation.
Clouds and Sunshine.
I have gotten over my despondency
of last April, when it seemed that my
pets would all go under, but enough
survived to give honey to revive my
drooping spirits. I continued to read
the Bee Journal, and its timely
hints has brought me through this
season's work, and I am largely the
gainer. I think, in the preparation for
the next year's work. From 36 colo-
nies, some quite weak, and several
made no piolit at all. I now have 85,
an increase of 49; purchased 15 iii box
hives, and transferred them, making
100 colonies. I made 9 colonies, in
partnership, in another apiary, so now
I have 109 colonies in tolerably good
condition. I expect to double some
up, so as to have from 90 to 100, to put
into winter quarters. I have taken a
little over 2,000 pounds of honev, 1,400
pounds of extracted, and 600 and over
of comb. I sold all the comb, and
about 1 ,100 pounds of extracted at V2)4
cents per pound, unless they took 100
pounds, then at 11 cents. I have a
growing trade in honey. I shall pur-
chase some white clover comb honey,
to keep up my trade. I can retail to
families in Louisville, rfsadily.
G. AV. ASHBY.
Valley Station, Ky., Oct. 19, 1883.
My Report for Six Years.
This is my bee-keeping and honey
report for 6 years. I liave taken the
Bee Journal 4 years, and shall, as
long as I keep bees. ;My bees are pure
Italians, and my hives are the Sim-
plicity with brood frames, to hold 8
sections. I winter on suminerstands,
packed in fours, in sawdust :
Col. In SpriDR. Fall. Sold. Died. Comb. Extrac.
1878 13 3
1879 2 9
1880 9 31 1 900 100
1881 30 54 1,800 700
1882 54 80 12 4,500 1,000
1883 68 100 4,000 1,400
L. D. Ormsry.
Pierpont, Ohio, Oct. 24, 1883.
Well Done.
My bees did well this season. I ob-
tained 75,000 pounds from 60 colonies,
spring count. J. II. Kennedy.
Little York, X. Y., Oct. 24, 188:^.
Postage to Canada.
G. M. Doolittle, in the last column
on page 511 of the Bee Journal,
says: "Samples of merchandise are
mailed at 10 cents postage for every
8 ounces or less." I would like to
know his authority. lie says the Pos-
tal Guide says so. If it does, I cannot
find it. On page 712, Official Postal
Guide for 1883 (Sec. 511), it says :
" ^Mailable matter of fourth class em-
braces ' samples of merchandise,' and
postage thereon is one cent for each
ounce." etc. If he has any later in-
formation I would like to know it.
J. L. Anderson, P. M.
Lawrence, 111., Oct. 23, 1883.
[Our correspondent is informed that
Mr. Doolittle was speaking of the pos-
tage on queens to Canada.
The citation on page 712, is referring
to samples of merchandise sent to
any part of the United States— not to
Canada ! If he will turn to page 823
of the Postal Guide, volume for 1883,
he will, under the heading of " Can-
ada," in the department treating of
Foreign Mails, see the following:
" The weight of each package is lim-
ited to eight ounces, and the postage
charge is 10 cents per package, pre-
payment compulsory."
This is unmistakably plain, and we
note it here, so that there may be no
excuse for any one attempting to send
merchandise to Canada, of greater
weight than eight ounces, except
books, and the postage on each pack-
age is 10 cents ; no matter if it weighs
only one-half an ounce. — Ed.]
Section Rack.
AVould Mr. Turner be good enough
to give a fuller description of the sec-
tion rack used by liim, than is given
in his article on page 514 of the Bee
Journal. I do not see how glassing
the last section of a row will enable
one to judge as to the completion of
the remainder, as the comb founda-
tion in it would obstruct the view of
the interior sections. I presume we
shall hear from Mr. Heddon as to Mr.
Turner's strictness in i-eference to
the construction of the rack used by
him. I am an anxious inquirer as to
the best rack for adoption.
J. C. Thom.
Streetsville. Out., Oct. 13, 1883.
Honey Harvest.
This summer has not been a good
one for bees, in this section of Iowa.
Last year I received 4-50 pounds from
9 colonies, and increased to 14 colo-
nies ; and this year to 27 colonies,
strict count. I got the enormous
amount of 300 pounds. I extracted
250 pounds, and took off 50 pounds in
one and two-pound sections. I like
the Bee Journal ; could not get
along without it. Its instructions are
very valuable to me. I hope for a
better summer for bees next year.
S."J. McKenney.
Burlington, Iowa, Oct. 16, 1883.
tm
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
549
^:|jecial gloticcs.
Examine the Bate following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a banli draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
Vi e wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more neiv
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00 ; or 1000 for
$1500. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
{giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within tv.o weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to tlie end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Trial Trip, until Dec 31.-25 cents.
Wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal till Dec. 31,
oil tnal, for 25 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with $1.25) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, sliould get a
copy and commence to use it.
For .50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies 220 pages 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. — We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for ten cents.
1^° When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, xmless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
t^ To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one toho
buys a package of honey at Fairs, will
sell almost a fabulous quantity of it.
Our Premiums for Clubs.
Any one sending us a club of two
subscribers for 1 year, for the Weekly,
with $4, will be entitled to a copy or
Bees and Honey, in cloth, postpaid.
For three subscribers, with $6, we
will send Cook's Manual, in paper,
Emerson's Binder for the Weekly, or
Apiary Register for 50 colonies.
For four subscribers, with $8, we
will send Cook's Manual in cloth, or
Apiary Register for 100 colonies.
For five subscribers, with $10, we
will send the Apiary Register for 200
colonies, Qiiinby's New Bee-Keeping,
Root's A B C of Bee Culture, or an
extra copy of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for one year.
To get any of the above premiums
for the Monthly Bee Journal send
double the number of subscribers, and
the same amount of money.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or tor the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
Books at Fairs.— Those who make
an exhibit at Fairs will find that an
assortment of Books and Pamphlets
would sell and leave them a profit for
handling. We will send such, postage
prepaid, at 25 per cent, discount; or
if the purchaser pays express charges,
we will supply any of our own publica-
tions at 40 per cent, discount.
^° The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters went into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will now be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent,
or else five or ten-cent postage stamps,
or a Postal Note. Do not send coins
in any letter.
^" We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send anothef, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
550
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Convention Notices.
^" Please announce that the Iowa
Central Association, will meet at VVin-
terset, Iowa, Nov. 2, 1883.
Z. G. COOLEY, Sec. pro tern.
t^ The fall meeting of the New
Jersey and Eastern Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held in the city of
New York, at the Cooper Union, on
Wednesday, Nov. 7, 1883.
J. Hasbrouck, Sec.
Bound Brook, N. J.
1^ The Lorain County 15ee-Keep-
ers' Association will meet at Oljerliu,
Ohio, on the last Tuesday in October,
30th. O. J. Tereell, Sec.
1^" Tne next regular meeting of
the Mahoning Valley Bee-Keepers'
Association will be held at Newton
Falls, O., on the lirst Saturday of
November, 1883. L. Carson, Pres.
E. W. Turner, Sec.
1^ The Northwestern Bee-Keepers'
Society will meet in La Crosse. AV'is.,
Friday, Nov. 16, in the City Hall.
E. Markle, Pres.
The Mlcliigan Conveution.
Dear Mr. Editor :— ilay I ask you
to call special attention to our next
annual meeting to be held in Flint,
Dec. 6 and 7, of the Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association. We expect to
have bv far the best meeting ever held
in the State. It is expected that the
Rev. L. L. Langstroth will be present.
To see and hear him will pay any one
for the trouble and expense incident
to the journey. We also expect D. A.
Jones, A. I. Root, C. F. Muth. and
hope to have C. C. Miller and T. G.
Newman. From what I hear, Michi-
gan bee-keepers are to be out in force.
Hotel rates are to be $L00 a day. Fur-
ther particulars as to programme, will
loe given soon. We expect to get re-
duced rates on the railroads. To aid
in tills, and that I may know how
many certilicates on railroads to ask
for, will every one in this or other
States who expect to come, drop me a
card at once to that effect V
A. .J. Cook, President.
Lansing, Mich., Oct. 15, 1883.
Book Notices.
i^"May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one jieio sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
1^ Copp's U. S. Salary List and
Civil Service Rules. Our many
readers will welcome the solid infor-
mation contained in the 160 pages of
this recently-issued book. It is pre-
pared by Henry N. Copp, a lawyer of
Washington, D. C. All the Govern-
ment salaries are given from Presi-
dent Arthur's S50,OUO to Post-masters
with $.500, officials of the Treasury,
Interior, AVar and Navy Departments,
Custom Houses, Post-offices, and
fully 20.000 Federal offices arranged
by .States and Territories. Specimen
examination questions for admittance
to the Civil Service throughout the
country are added. The price of the
book is only 35 cents. Politicians
alone have heretofore held this knowl-
edge. The people now have a chance
to learn into whose pockets their
money goes, and how the Nation's
income is expended.
1^ The enterprising publishers of
Dr. Foote's Health Monthly have
this fall, by the liberality of their
premium offers, out-done all their
previous generosity. The list to select
from includes useful articles, standard
books, and scientiHc literature, such
as one usually expects to pay well for,
but here they are thrown in with a
year's subscription to the most pop-
ular and widely greeted Health
Monthly at only 50 cents a year.
Try it before you buy it by sending
for a free sample copy and illustrated
premium list, to the Murray Hill Pub-
lishing Co., 129 E. 28th St.,"N. Y. City.
Advertisements intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this office by
Saturday of the previous week.
l^"Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
One Dollar per Copy.
The first and second editions of the HANDT
BOOK comprised li.iKXi copies. We have a few
books lelt which we will mail to any address, if
called for soon, for $1.'ki percipy. The Book con-
Uiins 211'. pane — is printed in clear. larKe type on
best paper, and is neatly bound in cloth. We huve
not put the book tn the hands of deHlers, as we
chose to sell it to our customers with other goods,
which we sell at prices very near tlie cist to man-
ufacture them. To those who paid fl.ii.> for the
book, we will, on receipt of 3iie. in stamps, mail one
of Locke's Perfection Bee- Feeders. Handy Bnok
and Feeder, by mail, J^i.riU. Send the money atnjy
risk. Do not pay loc. to register it. Prospectus
and special circulars describing three new and
useful articles for the apiary, sent to any address.
Make Postal Notes and Money Orders payable on
Salem, Mass.. P. O.
HENRY ALLEY,
44D2t M^ENHAM, MASS.
ITALIAN BEES AND QUEENS.
Send for Price List to
B. B. BR01VN, DES MOINES, IOWA.
42Allt ^
BINGHAM SMOKERS.
lean sell the above Smokers at
MANUFACTUUERS' PKICES, by
mail or express, at wholesale ur re-
tail. All the latest improvements,
includini: THE CONyUEROK. and
THE D()rT(.>R.
Send tor my :i2-pape Illustrated
Catalotrue of Bee-Keepers' Sup-
plies of every description.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 W. Madison, CHICAGO. ILL.
ANEW^HIVE
Arranged for continuous passage ways and con-
tinuous combs, so that greater ease and r.nptdily in
the handliuK of strtions is gained, also a laryer
production of comb honey. Although patented, a
legal right to makeand use will be aecnrdt^d to any
one purchasing a sample hive, the right onlv to
manufacture to sell or convey to others being
with -held. A stand, alighting board, entrance
blocks, two division boards, ten brood frames, sj.
1 lb. sections and the improved section fixtures, all
packed in the hive. Price of first hive, including
the above paits and a special circular (»n the mode
of management. :f7.(Hi. A tine Photo sent for 8
two-cent stamps. Orders filled in turn.
Reference : Exchange Bank. New Philadelphia.
Address, DR. O. I.. TINKER,
■HAtf NEW PHILADELPHIA. O.
Sweet Clover
AND OTHER SEEDS.
Having a LARGE stock of SWEET CLOVER
SEKD, I can flII orders at 2Sc. per pound
W3.85 per peck, or *13 per bushel.
Also, all other SEEDS for HONEY PLANTS,
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 West Madison Street, Chicago, UL
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The British Bee JouHXAL is NOW published
SEMI-MONTHLV. at Seven Shillings, per annum,
and contains the best practical information for
the time being, showing what to do. and when and
how to do it. Rev. H. R. PEEIL., Editor.
We send the Weekly American Bee Journal
and the British Bee Journal, both for $3.W a year.
:M:/:ViJ:t.iaMVii|il
FLAT ■ BOTTOM
COMB FOUNDATION.
high side-walls, < to lii square feet M
the pound. Circular and samples frea
J. va:< deusrn & SONS.
Sole Manufacturers,
Sprout Brook, Mont. Co^ N. T*
Vandervort Comb Fdn. Mills,
Send lor Su-iu|»Ie« A: Reduced I'rice-Llst.
32ABtf J. VANDERVORT, Lacyville, Pa.
cyj^'
tt Jotrrnal,
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF THE PRODUCERS OF HOiNEY.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., NOVEMBER 7, 1883.
No. 45.
The Effect of Frost on Foul Brood.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Ripen the Honey.
We have just had a jar of honey
brought to us to see if it was pure.
Tlie owner being fully satisfied that it
liad been " doctored " with glucose.
AVe examined it and found that it had
fermented, and the top of it was all a
" ropy mass." A case of sour honey.
Another correspondent has sent us
a sample, and asks us to analyze it,
because he thinks it is adulterated.
We are not a chemist, and cannot af-
ford to hire these specimens analyzed
"just for the fun of the thing." It
would cost from $10 to $2-5 to do so,
every time.
One of our exchanges very truthfully
remarks that " the nectar gathered
from the flowers cannot be called
honey nntil the evaporation and ripen-
ing process has so far gone on that the
bees have commenced capping it over.
If it be extracted before it is capped
by the bees, as some apiarists recom-
mefid, on account of the quantity be-
ing thereby greatly augmented, then
it should be ripened before it is placed
in tight packages or shipped, or it is
liable to ferment and sour. The bee-
beepers of California find it necessary
to extract the honey as fast as it is
gathered, but they thoroughly ripen it
after gathering."
Mr. Heddon uses crocks, piled over
one anotlier, with small sticks between
them, allowing the air to pass freely
over the honey, and to ripen it. These
occupy but little space, and prevents
the very disagreeable matter of honey
souring, after it has been extracted.
It is the duty of the producer to see
that his honey is ripened properly. No
excuse is sufficient for neglecting this
important matter.
Prof. A. J. Cook says in the New
York Tribune, that " experience has
proved that it is impossible to destroy
germs of foul brood by freezing. Ob-
sarvation among the lower life forms,
as well as research with organic tis-
sues and licjuids, prepares us for the
answer. ]Many of the lower organ-
isms, which are speedily destroyed by
great heat, will simply remain fimc-
tionally inactive when subjected to
cold. Yet their vitality is simply
held in abeyance, not destroyed, for
upon the return of heat comes func-
tional activity and all tlie phenomena
which attend life. The same thing is
noted in experiments with organic
liquids. Gastric or pancreatic diges-
tion will proceed as well in a test tube
as in the stomacli of intestines, if the
requisite conditions of heat, digestive
liquids, etc., are present. Subject the
material to a boiling temperature, and
digestion is not only stopped, but the
digestive liquid is forever impotent.
Cold, on the other hand, while it stops
digestion does not impair the gastric
or pancreatic juice. With the return
of the proper heat, digestion at once
begins again. Thus we see that pro-
toplasm or organic cells will endure
cold which only stays action, whUe
heat utterly destroys."
&" We have received the drawings
of Dr. G. L. Tinker's new hive and
comb honey arrangement. As it is
designed for the sections to sit parallel
with the brood frames, he secures
continuous passage ways, and to the
bees what appears to be continuous
combs. This is, of course, secured by
using thin sections without separators.
These large-faced thin sections have
been approved by honey dealers,and are
more enticing to consumers.
Nonsensical Stories. — Sensational
stories about bees and honey are quite
frequently seen in the papers. Some-
where in the rocks (says one) may be
found " a large lake filled with honey !"
In the South " they say " that bees
will store no honey because they have
discovered that there is no need of
winter stores where Nature requires
no winter ! A lot of such foolish
stories are being peddled around by the
local papers. This reminds us of an
item we saw some time ago in the
Farmers^ Beview, of which the follow-
ing is a paragraph :
When anything sensational gets
into the papers, how it does go 1 I
presume that niany readers of the
Farmers'' Review read the story about
artificial eggs, but I doubt it any of
them saw any of the eggs. Closely
following the eggs story, was the
highly flavored one of artificial comb
honey— combs molded from paraffine,
filled with scented glucose and the
combs sealed over tmtli a hot iron ! We
shall have artificial strawberries yet !
AVhere, and how. such absurd stories
originate, it is often impossible to say.
About a year ago, an item in regard to
managing bees bj; electricity, went the
rounds, and now it goes around again.
1^ See how the subject of " pro-
ducing pasturage for bees" progresses!
From an agricidtural exchange we
clip the following advice : " If honey
is the principal desideratum in plant-
ing, then harrow in sweet clover this
fall, and as you will derive but little if
any honey from it next season, in early
spring harrow in some mammoth mig-
nonette on the same soil, which will
bloom in June, and astonish you with
the excelleuce of its honey."
1^ When in earnest is is quite sur-
prising what a man can do. Dr. B. F.
Hamilton, a well-known physician and
surgeon of Henderson County, Illi-
nois, has sent us 27 new subscribers.
If all those who have a little leisure
whould do as much in proportion to
the busy Doctor, what a " boom " we
should have ! The Doctor has re-
ceived as premiums quite a number of
excellent bee books. Those who want
to add to their libraries, will now be
able to do it, for a few hours work in
getting subscribers for the Bee Jour-
nal. Who will try ?
Later.— Mr. D. G. Parker, one of
the wide-awake bee men of Missouri,
has sent us 89 new subscribers. They
are rolling in at about a hundred a
day. All those who are thus devoting
a little time to the matter, have oiu-
thanks as well as the premiums. See
a new List of Premiums on another
page.
556
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
More Experiments.
The Canadian J'armer says more ex-
periments are called for in connection
with the pursuit of bee-iceeping, and
then remarks on the subject thus :
\fter all the numerous important
improvements realized in bee culture,
still the more advanced investigators
seem disposed to proceed, under the
impression of not having yet fully ap-
prehended all the conditions and ele-
ments of attainable success. While
the many experimental failures seem
to almost suggest doubt as to the
desirableness or prudence of proceed-
ing in this direction, yet it may be
asked, how else can we reasonably
liope to attain to the knowledge essen-
tial toward placing our beloved bee-
keeping as to result above a peradven-,
ture y
In fact, sometimes from even a
grievous failure much may be gained
in discovery of what may have been
the mistake causing the disaster. We
•would be loth to admit that most of
the worst cases of failure and " blasted
hopes" might not have turned out
under other conditions very differ-
ently. ^ .
Surely there are for instance certain
laws and conditions of safety in win-
tering which, if only well enough
known andpossible to fulfil, we might
■with ample confidence, count on the
number to be brought through all
right. Now facing winter, must we
look wintering in the face.
However, it does look rather humil-
iating to admit that with all tlie skill
and experience here employed hither-
to, yet so many of us are earnestly
asking one another (and feeling need
to ask), "how are you deciding to
■winter y" Now this is just what we
are driving at. We do well to more
fully and freely than ever inform each
other, and every time give the why
and the wherefore. Whatever may be
the seeming confusion and conflict of
theories, still we are evep so on the
hopeful way in the search for the
better. Thus as we cautiously pro-
ceed, keenly watch results, and can-
didly admit errors, may we all become
■wiser and more successful.
_ Jr. Miller will feel flattered by
the announcement in an agricultural
paper that at the Chicago Convention
he led off the discussion on "foul
breeds," claiming that the most effec-
tual remedy as well as the "most
heroic, being total destruction." Oh!
doctor, " liow could you so cruel be ?"
This mixture of "foul breeds "and
heroism is truly refreshing 1 ! but it
shows about the amount of intelli-
gence possessed by the average agri-
cultural writers when they "dabble
in bee lore."
^- The Northwestern Bee-Keepers'
Society will meet in La Crosse, Wis.,
Friday, Nov. 16, in the City Hall.
E. Makkle, Pres.
Oleomargarine Must Go.
The National Farmer and Stockman
has this to say about that fraud oleo-
margarine :
The Georgia Legislature has taken
the initiative in forcing oleomargarine
out of the market. That body has
passed a bill which requires all manu-
facturers of the vile stuff to plainly
label their product; all dealers to
notify customers when it is offered
them ; and all hotels, restaurants and
other places of public enterlainment,
where it is used, to put the notice on
their bills of fare and post the sign in
their dining-rooms, " tliis house uses
oleomargarine." We sincerely trust
that all of the legi.'latures in the
States of the Union will adopt such a
measure as Georgia has, and If our
readers in the various States will visit
their members of the legislature and
insist on them offering such a bill and
their supporting it with their best
efforts, it then will be brought into
prominent notice, which will stir the
legislatures to speedily pass it or some
other law equally as effective in abol-
ishing it from all markets in America.
Just so ; the frauds must go ! But
let the acts of legislature also include
that greater fraud — glucose. Let it
strike a death-blow on all the adulter-
ations of the age, and their name is
legion. It is high time that the adul-
terators were driven to the wall.
The Michigan Coiireution.
Dear Me. Editor :— May I ask you
to call special attention to our next
annual meeting to be held in Flint,
Dec. .5 and 6, of the Michigan Befe-
Keepers' Association. We expect to
have by far the best meeting ever held
in the State. It is expected that the
Rev. L. L. Langstroth will be present.
To see and hear him will pay any one
for the trouble and expense incident
to the journey. We also expect D. A.
Jones, A. I. Boot, C. F. Muth, and
hope to have C. C. Miller and T. G.
Newman. From what I hear, Michi-
gan bee-keepers are to be out in force.
Hotel rates are to be $1,00 a day. Fur-
ther particulars as to programme, will
be given soon. W'e expect to get re-
duced rates on the railroads. To aid
in this, and that I may know how
many certificates on railroads to ask
for, will every one in this or other
States who expect to come, drop me a
card at once to that effect V
A. J. Cook, President.
Lansing, Mich., Oct. 15, 1883.
P. S.— I got the date of the above
Cenvention wrong, in the notice of
last week. The date should be Dec.
5 and 6. A. J. Cook.
^" We carefully mail the Bee
JouBNAL to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send anothef, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office of Amekican Bee Journal, {
Monday, lo a. m., Nov. 5, 1HR3. (
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demand for honey is extremely
slow, and our coniniission houses are too well sup-
plied to expect nnythiiiK else. Prices rule low.
Mnnufaclurers complain <:if slow business. Ex-
tracted honey brings 7(.»/HC. on arrival. I have
bought for less. C<)mb honey in Rood order, 12^15.
BEESWAX— (iood yellow beeswax brings 27@28
cts. ; offerings few.
CHAS. F. MtTTH.
NEW VOKK.
HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2
lb. sections, 17(i5.2lc. Dark and second quality,
14fai.')c.: extracted white clover in kegs and bar-
rels, 9® inc. ; dark. He.
BEESWAX— Prime yellow, 27(a'29c.
H. K. & F. B THCBBER 4 Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The demand for honey is good. Choice
1 lb. sections of white comb, well tilled, brings 18@
Hoc: 1)-^ to 2 lb. sections, lti(*i8c. No demand for
dark comb honey. Extracted honey is bringing 8
(giloc. per pound, according to bojy. color and
finvor.
BEESWAX- Primeyellow, 33C.1 medium, 28@30.
R. A. BUKNKTT, 161 South Water SI.
8AN FKANCISCO.
HONEY— Market is well stocked with ordinary
qualities. Inquiry for the same is not active. For
fancy comb it is an easy matter to secure custom.
AVhi'.e to extra white comb, J6(iiii8c.; dark to good,
12(*l4c. : extracted, choice to extra while, "HtaSH;
dark and candied. 6V^(gi7c.
BEES WAX- Wholesale, 27®28c.
Bteauns & SMITH, 423 Front Street.
ST. l.ODIS.
HONEY— Choice in better demand, but un-
changed. Sales chiefly in a small way. We quote
strained and extracted at 6^4'rt.7c. Comb at 14®
inc.: choice, in fancy packages, higher.
BEES W AX— Readily salable at 2im21 for choice.
W. T. ANDEKSo.N 4 Co.. 1U4 N. 3d street.
CLEVELAND.
HONE Y— Choice honey is in excellent demand
now. Every lot received thus far in good order,
has been sold on arrival; best 1 lb. sections bring-
ing 18c. quickly, occasionally Ulc: 2 lb., 17c. with
an occasional sale at 18. Second quality and brok-
en lots are very hard to sell. Extracted honey not
in demand.
BBESWAX-28C.
A. C. KendeL. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONBY-We quote extracted honey at in®llc.,
with a good demand. We have sold easily four
limes as much extracted as we ever did before.
BEESWAX— We have none to quote.
Blake & Riplev, 57 Chatham Street.
KANSAS CITY, MO.
HONE Y— No change to note since last week's re-
port. All sbipments seem to be taken up as fast
as received at Uit^sinc. for comb, and 7@9c. for ex-
tracted in 5 gallon square tin cans.
JEROME TwicHELL, 536 Delaware Street.
®" It would be a great convenience
to us, if those sending us Postal Notes
or Money Orders, would get the issu-
ing Post-master to make them pay-
able at the " Madison Street Station,
Chicago, HI.," instead of simply
" Cliicago." If they are draw^l on
Chicago, they go to the general office,
and -we have to make a trip of six
miles to get tliem cashed ; when if
they are drawn on the Sation as above,
it is only a few steps from our office.
When sending us money, if you will
please remember this, you will much
oblige the publisher.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
557
For the American Bee Journal.
Humidity, Cold, Confinement and
Pollen— their Relation to Wintering.
S. COKNBIL.
Ill replying to some of Mr. Heddon's
observations on tlie above matters, I
shall be as brief as possible.
On page 464 of the present volume
of the Bee Journal, ilr. Heddon
states that bees have often been taken
out of special repositories perfectly
drenched with dampness, and the
combs covered with blue mold, but
with the bees perfectly healthy. I
doubt the correctness of the latter part
of the statement. I think Mr. S. P.
Newman is right when he says," If the
. hive becomes damp and the combs
moldy the colony cannot be healthy."
Mr. Heddon frequently refers to an
occasion when Mr. Balch'g bees were
taken out as described above, The
probability is .that they were removed
just in time to save them by giving
tliem an opportunity to dry out, in dry
air. Mr. Balch is "represented as be-
lieving that moisture is good for bees
and that ventilation is death. In the
winter of lSSO-1, owing to steady coW
and consequent co)!ji»e»nejit they had no
chance to gecdried out all winter, and,
in consequence, he had lost 149 out of
1.50. Mr. Heddon states that Mr.
Balch's damp cellar, where the bees
did not die, was colder than his own
dry one where 4-5 out of 48 did die.
Had he given us the accurate temper-
ature and humidity of both cellars,
the facts would have been of some
value. As it is, he proves nothing.
He states that the dampest winters
were the warmest ones. The records
of the Signal Service show that the
winters of 1874-5 and 1880-1 were both
the coldest and dampest of any during
the last decade. They were also the
most disastrous to bee-keepers, in
wintering. He says that "cold " and
" continement " as causes of dysentery
have both fallen to the ground, and
that when he lias shaken up the
" humidity " theory a little more, it
will tumble with them. Will it, in-
deed? We shall see. "Humidity,"
" cold " and " continement " as factors
in wintering bees are based on facts
in physical science, ascertained and
established long before Mr. Heddon
or myself appeared on the scene, and
will remain unshaken long after we
have passed away and are forgotten.
On page 391 of the Bee Journal
for 18S2, Mr. Heddon correctly shows
how the water produced by the assimi-
lation of food taken in winter is elimi-
nated by the bees, except that he
attributes it all to transpiration, when
in reality the greater part of it escapes
by exhalation. This is the Hrst fact,
and I remark in passing, that just
there Mr. Heddon was at the very
verge of discovering the root of the
whole matter. One step more and he
had it. The step which he did not
take is my second fact, viz : that in
a saturated atmosphere of the same
temperature as the bee, there can be
no evaporation, consequently no ex-
cretion of moisture, either by trans-
spiration or exhalation. This is where
humidity comes in as a factor. A lit-
tle bit of tlieorv deduced from this
fact and from what is known regard-
ing other animals, is that since the
bees cannot eliminate the water pro-
duced by the consumption of food,
they will be in an abnormal condition,
and we have Mr. Heddon as authority
for saying that it is when bees are
" out of liormal condition " that they
eat pollen to excess, (if they ever do
so).
The third fact is, if the temperature
of the colony be say 88, and the humid-
ity 80, out of a possible 100, a sudden
drop in the temperature of 7 degrees
will cause saturation of the air and
condensation of vapor in the hive, and
the air will remain saturated at the
new temperature as long as the condi-
tions continue unaltered. This is
where cold comes in as a factor.
Dr. Wetherill, of the Smithsonian
Institution at Washington, says :
" The rapidity of the evaporation of
the body depends principally upon the
low relative humidity of the air
at a high temperature and upon the
maintenance of this condition in the
neighborhood of the body by the action'
of currents of air. In an atmosphere
saturated with moisture the evapora-
tion would be reduced to a minimum
and would be practically nothing in
such air having the same temperature
as the body. Although we may bear
with impunity these extremes for a
short period, a pemstence in such con-
ditions would be fraught with danger."
In the same way bees may bear such
conditions for a short time without
apparent injury, but when they come
to be confined for several months with-
out a chance to get dried out, it is not
surprising that they have to succumb.
This is where confinement comes in as
a factor.
When ventilation is imperfect there
is undoubtedly another factor in the
case, namely, carbonic acid gas, but
owing to the difficulty in detecting it,
ordinary observers cannot know much
about its proportion in the air. A
superabundance of it acts in about the
same way, in preventing the escape
of carbonic acid, as aqueous vapor
does the escape of water from the
body of the bee. Here is what Kuss,
a German author, says on tlie matter :
" If an animal be shut up in a conHned
space, and a sufficient quantity of oxy-
gen be admitted while the carbonic
acid produced by respiration is allow-
ed to accumulate, the animal will die
as soon as the proportion of this gas be-
comes toogreat. Not that carbonic acid
is poisonous, only that the excess of
this gas, or its toogreat pressure in the
air, hinders the egress of that which
is in the blood ; the blood is then pre-
vented from collecting the gas evolv-
ed from the combustion of the tissues,
and the respiration of the latter be-
comes impeded." Want of oxygen
also probably plays a part, but if we
bear in mind that "the essential point
of good ventilation is constant change
of air," and make our arrangements
accordingly, we need have no fears as
to the supply of oxygen. The degree
of humidity is taken by the most care-
ful writers on ventilation to be a cor-
rect measure of the purity or the air
of an apartment. This can readily be
determined by the careful use of a
hygrometer, which anyone of ordinary
intelligence can soon learn to use with
sufficient accuracy.
Pollen. — One miglit reasonably
expect that after discussing this ques-
tion for nearly three years, its advo-
cates would surely have shown beyond
doubt that bees sick with dysentery
have consumed excessive quantities
of pollen. There is plenty of asser-
tion but nothing approaching a proof of
the fact. But suppose bees do at times
eat unusually large quantities of pol-
len, the next enquiry is, why do they
sometimes eat too much and at other
times none or only enough for good
health ? Mr. Heddon's answer is that
they eat it either because they do not
like their li(iuid stores, or, on account
of the pollen floating in the honey,
consuming it is unavoidable; or else
they are confined by cold till the
honey within reach is consumed and
they must eat it or starve. Ttiis the-
ory will not cover the facts of ordinary
observation, as I shall presently show.
Then, too, it should be shown that
excessive eating of pollen causes dys-
entery. If it were agreed on all hands
that the " dry feces " theory is a mis-
take, and that bees discharge their
feces only in a liquid state, it might
be considered as giving a certain dis-
tance in that direction. But I think,
notwithstanding Prof. Cook's investi-
gation of the matter, there is a pretty
general belief, amongst bee-keepers,
that bees do void their feces in a dry
state, when in perfect health, while in
winter quarters.
In the following case, pollen as the
primary cause of the loss is entirely
out of the question, and yet it is only
one out of hundreds of similar cases
occuring all over the country every
winter. , , ,„
In the fall of 1879 I purchased 10
colonies, in box hives, from a Mr.
Webster, residing some seven miles
out of town. I brought them home
in the latter part of October, and
after sitting in my garden a few days,
during which they Hew, they were
stored in my cellar with about twenty
other colonies of my own. Mr. Web-
ster had in all 42 colonies, and my 10
were about equal to the remaining .32.
He advised me when placing them in
the cellar to raise the hives an inch or
so above the bottom board and to pull
out one of the plugs of rags which
stopped the holes in the top, stating
that he had always done so and suc-
ceeded well. I had read a very inter-
esting and instructive essay on " In-
sect Respiration and Bee Culture," in
which everything seemed so plain and
reasonable that when the writer said,
before winding up, "our bees will
need scarcely any air, and hence no
ventilation, either upper or lower," I
adopted that as my ci-eed on ventila-
tion of hives and held to it for several
years. Another writer, too, advised
558
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
that the heat of the bees be confined,
consequently I set ray box hives on
tlie bottom boards in the cellar as
they stood in the yard, without any
ventilation, except a small three-cor-
nered notch, for a flyhole, in the edge
of the hive. Mr. Webster's cellar was
an ordinary one for household pur-
poses, but roomy and frost-proof.
Mine should have been tlie better of
the two because I had an exhaust pipe
and a short sub-earth pipe for fresh
air.
Now for the result : In the spring,
8 of my 10 colonies in box liives were
dead, and the remaining 2 died before
the 1st of June. The bees vpere a wet
moldy mass ; the combs daubed with
discharges and dripping with wet, and
the honey, of which there was plenty,
thin and soured. My other 20 colonies
in the same cellar covered with a
quilt, and in hives having 2 sides of
straw, wintered well, as my bees had
done in the same cellar for several
years before. Mr. Webster's 32 colo-
nies came out every one in good con-
dition. Now what was the cause of
the diilerence in the results 'i It
could hardly be in the honey, for even if
colonies in the same yard do sometimes
gather from different sources, it is
extremely improbable that I should
happen to get only those having bad
honey, and that Mr. Webster should
get all the others. For the same rea-
son it will not be contended that I got
all those having pollen in the middle
of the hive or floating pollen in the
honey. They were not selected on
this basis, for the pollen theory had
not then being "guessed," and the
bees had as good access to their stores
in the one case as in the other. The
true explanation is that my bees were
killed by their own breath, while Mr.
Webster's, having similar conditions
in every respect, except as to ventila-
tion, kept dry and came out in good
order.
In the " Bee-Keepers' Instructor "
for April, 1882, Mr. Heddon says:
" When I see a colony of bees that
have nothing to eat but pure sweet
cane syrup, of proper consistency,
have the dysentery, I will of necessity
change my mind, and honestly say so,
publicly, at once." A few days ago I
asked him to put a colony on combs of
best cane sugar syrup without a grain
of pollen and place it in a hive covered
outside with pitch, bottom, sides and
top, the joints to be made air-tight,
the fly-hole to be reduced to half an
inch by one quarter or three-eighths,
and sealed after the bees had cluster-
ed ; the hive to be placed in a cellar so
that the bees could not get into dry
air till next spring. If he follows
those directions I think he will have
a case of dysentery without pollen. I
also asked him to supply several colo-
nies with combs discarded from others
on account of having too much pollen,
but containing also plenty of honey.
Tlit'se hives were to have the entrance
open full size and the back end of the
frame exposed, leaving an opening
across them as large as the entrance,
the same as is done with such good
success by Mr. Geo. Grimm. Ijut for
fear the old bees should die and stop
the circulation, I asked him to bore
two auger holes, one at each end of
the frames, two-thirds of the way up.
The hives were to be placed in a cellar
having a steady temperature of from
44^' to 50° and a relative humidity of
from 55 to 75 ; and about the latter
two conditions there was to be no
guesswork, but accurate determina-
tion by proper instruments. If I were
running an insurance company I
would insure bees put up in that way
to live for a premium of 5 per cent,
and have a margin for profit.
Lindsay, Out., Oct. 14th, 1883.
For the American Beo Journal.
Section-Storing Cases-
JA3IES HEDDON.
Ere some of the less experienced be
led, what seems to me, astray, I will
comment upon Mr. Turner's article
on page 514 of the current volume.
Since I have kept bees, I have made
and tested as many as a dozen differ-
ent devices for holding sections on
the hives and to their sides, and gen-
erally made these tests upon quite an
extensive scale.
I am well aware that no one system
of surplusage embraces all the good
points, but of all the most impractical
and objectionable ones, two mem-
tioned by Mr. Turner are the worst,
viz. : " glassed " and " movable side "
cases. Movable sides render a case
not only more expensive, but imprac-
ticable and less durable. A movable-
sided case was on exhibition at our
late rousing Northwestern Conven-
tion. Of course there were no divisions
in the case, such would not be adapted
to the movable side. The dependence
was upon clamping the sections, to
prevent their falling through, and as
long as there is any variation in the
shrink and swell of "wood, this method
of supporting sections will ever be
dangerous and impracticable, and
used only by inexperienced bee-keep-
ers. Such a case is weak, and incapa-
ble of enduring some of the most
important manipulations.
" Glass " is one of the most objec-
tionable materials that can be placed
next to bees. They sorely neglect
those combs that are next to glass.
It may be true that the novice may
learn more by looking through a glass
at the outside of the outside comb of
a range of 6 or 8 than he can by look-
ing between the ranges of all the
combs (both at their topsand bottoms)
of a properly-constructed case, but
the experienced producer will discover
the condition of all the sections in a
case in less than half the time con-
sumed in peeking through glass at
their sides, and with four times as
great accuracy.
I can remove any one section up
out of my case as quickly aa any mov-
able-sided case gentleman can do the
same job. Admitting that any one of
my sections require more time for re-
moval than does his, after his side is
removed, yet the fact that this remov-
ing and re-adjusting of said side re-
quires time, it leaves the speed of the
removal of any one section in favor
of the solid case.
Now, as regards the total emptying
of all the sections in a case, the
" knock down " process will discount
the movable-side plan. I can empty
a case in less time than Mr. Turner
can open and re-adjust the side of his
case, I think. We can more than
doubly discount the time required to
take the same number from broad
fraaies, and all who have ever seen
the case manipulated here, agree that
no system admits of the rapid and
easy removal that we enjoy with the
case.
Mr. Turner's statement that the
sections should rest flat on the slats
of the honey board, and flat on each
other, is certainly laughable, and
brought out a hearty laugh from three
or four of our large honey producers
who read it in the Journal office at
the time of the Northwestern Conven-
tion.
Certainly, Mr. Turner never had a
large apiary to attend to. The idea
of the practical and ready manipula-
tion of tiers of sectionSj that set flat
down upon each other, is something
that I cannot conceive that any prac-
tical producer can entertain. Now,
as regards any advantage of any such
a bee-smashing arrangement, there
is none whatever. Bees will not put
as much glue upon the face of a sec-
tion that is % from any other surface,
as they will squirt in between two
pieces that do not fit each other per-
fectly tight, which is the case with all
sections that lie together.
Regarding these spaces interfering
with the work in the surplus recep-
tacles, we find they do nothing of the
kind ; nearly every year we have had
a portion of our bees without honey
boards, thus leaving off the thickness
of the board and one bee space, and
no one can detect any difference in
our surplus success, between the two
methods.
Mr. Turner's mention of shoving
one section past another, thus " run-
ning the risk of breaking the capping,"
proves that he does not understand
our system ; that he does not know
that we use % spaces between the
tops and bottoms of our sections ; that
with our foundation and method of
using the same, we get our combs
nearly as straight as with separators ;
that when we push out our sections,
we push them six at a time, which
makes the entire row, leaving no
chance for breaking the cappings,
were the combs ever so crookedly
built. I am willing to leave the mat-
ter now to the coming practice of
honey producers ; the same offer I
made regarding the Dean case, two
years ago.
Dowagiac, Mich., Oct. 25, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Central Illinois Convention.
The Central Illinois J5ee-Keepers'
Association met at Bloomington, 111.,
Oct. 10. President Wolcott in the
Chair.
On motion of Mr. Vandervort. a re-
port from each member is requested
to be made, and returned by Dec. 10 ;
blank reports to be sent by Secretary
to members.
THE AMERICAI^ BEE JOURNAL.
559
The first subject called for discus-
sion, was " Wintering."
The President said that the most
important matter is in the preparation
of bees, in the fall, for winter. They
should be let alone, and not disturbed.
Sometimes he shoveled snow around
the hives.
Mr. Vandervort wintered his bees
on the summer stands with straw in
the caps, holes in the honey boards,
and the hives let down close to the
bottom boards, lie had one experi-
ence in wintering bees in the cellar.
The hives and combs came out, in the
spring, wet and moldy, and the bees
in bad condition. lie did not want
any more cellar wintering.
Mr. Cox used cloth over two strips,
placed across the frames, with chaff
packing at the sides, and was success-
Mr. Butler put about one-half of
his bees in the cellar, and left the rest
on the summer stands two years ago ;
and in the spring those from the cellar
were moldy, and in very unsatisfac-
tory condition. Those outside were
in much better condition. Last win-
ter he packed 27 colonies in chaff, on
the summer stands, and they all came
through nicely.
Geo. Poindexter was decidedly in
favor of cellar wintering ; he thought
the two essential points to success
were : " Put the bees in a frost proof
repository, and give plenty of upward
ventilation to allow the dampness to
escape from the bees.'' Last winter
he lost 3 colonies out of 200 so win-
tered.
Mr. Cox found the moisture escaped
much better with 4 inches of chaff,
than twice that depth over the bees.
President Wolcott used V4 inches
of sifted coal ashes over the bees with
satisfactory results.
It was asked which was preferable-
passages over the frames or holes
through the combs ? The opinions
differed according to each one's ex-
perience.
" On Marketing Honey," Jas. Poin-
dexter thought tliat honey put up in
two-pound packages could be pro-
duced at less figures, and suit regular
honey consumers as well as smaller
packages. Sections of two-pounds
each, holding 1,000 pounds of honey,
cost but little more than half as much
as one-pound size to hold the same
amount; less sizes required much
more handling, both for the producer
and retailer. That the cost of produc-
tion in small and fancy packages
would have the tendency to keep
honey regarded as a luxury, while in
larger and cheaper packages, it would
tend to make it a staple article, and
bring it into more general use.
Mr. Cox had trouble in disposing of
honey in larger packages than one-
pound.
Jas. Poindexter thought that de-
pended on the way grocerymen were
educated by bee-keepers.
Mr. Fell asked if honey in combs,
placed on the top of the cloth, would
be removed by the bees for winter
use V Answered : If the weather is
warm, they would.
" Do bees mark their location from
the color, or the surroundings V" Mr.
Jordon transferred bees from an un-
painted box to a white hive. .In shak-
ing the bees in front of the new hive
on the old stand, they were loth to
enter, until a piece of tlie old hive was
placed in front and against the new
hive, when they entered readily, which
he thought indicated they were at-
tracted more by color than the hives
on either'side of the new one.
Jas. Poindexter said that a part of
the hives that he had taken from the
cellar in the spring were closed ; after
the other hives were placed out, and
the entrance open, in a few minutes
the bees, in considerable numbers,
were noticed hovering around the
closed hives, 25 feet away, which
occupied the same relative position to
the trees as the one fresh put out ;
some of these hives were of different
colors. There were closed hives of
the same color on either side, much
nearer to the hive newly set out. He
thought that bees marked the sur-
roundings more than the color.
Mr. Funk noticed that swarms
sometimes entered the wrong hive
when returning, entering a hive simi-
larly located to the one from which
they issued ; he was of the opinion
that the relative position of the hive
was marked more than the color ; all
his hives are painted white.
" Which is preferable for honey,
black, hybrid or Italian bees?" An-
swered by Messrs. Funk and Keeran
in favor of hybrids.
Adjourned to the second W^ednesday
in January, 1884, when the regular
aimual meeting of the association in
Bloomington will be held.
Jas. Poindexter, Sec.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Wintering— the Pollen Theory.
DR. G. L. TINlvER.
Since Mr. Heddon has given us to
understand that he has no "confi-
dence " either in his twin theories or
his little prophecy, there is little for
me to say in reply to his last article.
It is to be remembered, however, that
Mr. H. is a man of undoubted liberal
views — one who is ever ready to aban-
don anything that will not comport
with the evident facts of nature ; so
we find him saying, almost mechan-
ically, in " What and How :" " While
it may prove true that pollen-eating
may be the cause of dysentery, in
every case it may turn out a fact
that under most favorable conditions
bees ca?i consume bee-bread during
confinement and yet remain healthy."
The uprootingof cherished views finds
expression only in a lingering doubt
oti the last proposition. This is en-
couraging. The pollen theory must
go!
Mr. Heddon intimates that I believe
the " bacteria theory " will account
for some of the cases of dysentery.
No; I have simply suggested it as a
more plausible one than the pollen
theory, and so applied it to the loss of
the 48 colonies alluded to. A very
reasonable hypothesis in the few iso-
lated cases that now and then occur
is to be found in the use of aphide
honey. However, no one has been
able to give positive evidence that any
kind of nectar or sweet that the bees
naturally collect, such as cider, the
juices of various fruits, &c., may
cause dysentery. Of the unnatural
agents, it is well known that chemical
glucose will kill bees if wintered upon
it, probably by a poisonous action.
Thus, we have gone over the proba-
ble and improbable causes of bee-
dysentery, and the preponderance of
evidence rests with the humidity the-
ory ; or in other words, that dampness
in the hive, conjoined with a low tem-
perature, is the probable cause. This
is no new statement of the theory, as
Mr. H. would infer. It was assumed
from the first that dampness and cold
were co-operative causes ; not by in-
ducing an inflammatory state of the in-
testines, or even perhaps an irritation,
but by causing an interference with
the exhalations of the bees through
the act of respiration, resulting in an
accumulation of liquid in the intes-
tines that under more favorable con-
ditions would have escaped by
the breath in the form of aqueous
vapor.
The remaining question between
Mr. Ileddon and myself is in regard to
the proper size of the brood and sur-
plus department of the hive in
winter. His experience that 8 Lang-
stroth frames are safer to winter
upon than 10, is no doubt correct.
But I consider that to leave even 8
frames in the hive would be unsafe in
a very hard winter. Better by far to
reduce the number to 4 or 5. My
choice of the standard L. hive in
preference to a very narrow one was
with this view; since, by placing a div-
ision board each side of the 4 or 5
frames, there is room left to put
at least 3 inches of loose chaff on each
side, and in the cap to place a large
cushion. But with Mr. Ileddon's hive
there is not room for sutticient pack-
ing dose up to the bees. This want of
space Mr. H. would make up by a
cumbrous outside case holding 6,000
cubic inches. Beyond question if a
colony in an 8 frame hive were put in
such a case it would be far less safe
than inthestandard L. hive, prepared
as above, with no outside case at all.
I believe that with a long, shallow
frame there is no real necessity for
double casing of the hive at the ends
of the frames; hence, my statement
that so much " fixing" would not pay.
No reference was made, or even
thought of, to Mr. Ileddon's hive iu
the production ot comb honey. That
would have been too great a diversion
to appear under the heading of these
articles.
As for out-of-door wintering in an 8
frame hive, doubtless Mr. Grimm
would have no better success than Mr.
Heddon has had. The latter, therefore,
gets credit for making the best possi-
ble use of a hive unsuited to success-
ful wintering on the summer stand.
In an article on page 7 of the Bee
Journal, present volume, I stated
that Mr. Ileddon's method of winter-
ing was " very doubtful " as compared
with the others given, and, in a letter
to Mr. Doolittle about the same time,
predicted that lie would meet with
560
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
heavy loss if the winter continued at
all severe. Yet our friend had just
assured ns that he could now winter
bees as safely and surely as horses,
cows and other farm stock could be
wintered.
New Philadelphia. O.
Read at the Somerset County, Me., Association.
Swarming vs. Dividing for Comb
Honey.
ISAAC HUTCHINS.
If we allow bees to swarm they will
cast their first swarm at or about the
commencement of the honey season,
and in about twelve days we may ex-
pect the second swarm and in four
clays more the third — I think this is
the average time of swarming ; there-
fore it is sixteen days from the time
the old queen leaves the hive with the
first swarm until the third swarm
issues. Then the young queen will
commence to lay in about ten days
more, making twenty-six days that no
eggs have been deposited in the old
hive and twenty-six days tliat no bees
will hatch. Each of the three swarms
have taken a large portion of the old
field bees so that the old colony will be
deficient in worker bees during all the
time from the going forth of the first
swarm until they raise them from the
young queen, which v/ill be at least
fifty-five days. Fifty-five days being
the extreme length of our honey sea-
son, excepting the fruit and fall flow-
ers, the old colony will do well if it
stores honey enough to carry it
through the winter.
The first swarm commences house-
keeping under more favorable condi-
tions, nearly all of the worker bees
are old enough to go into the field to
gather honey, and they have a laying
queen which will occupy the brood
chamber, and they will readily go into
the surplus boxes to store their lioney;
but as it will be nearly thirty-five days
before the young worker bees will
hatch and be old enough to take their
places in the field, nearly one-half of
the worker force will die before the
young will take tlieir place, so this
colony will not do as well as it would
if it had a few sheets of brood in all
stages when they first commenced, so
as to keep their numbers good all
through the best part of the honey
flow.
The second swarm issues about
twelve days later, and the young
queen will not commence laying until
the second week. They will hatch no
worker bees before the basswood
honey harvest is over, and nearly two-
thirds of the worker bees will die be-
fore the young bees come forth to take
their place ; and as more than one
week will pass before the queen will
occupy the brood combs, the bees will
commence to store honey in them and
they will not readily go into the boxes
afterwards, and our experience is—
usually no surplus honey from second
swarms.
The third swarm will be very much
smaller than the others, and uidess we
nave an extra honey season it will
have to be fed if we winter it. There-
fore, if we allow our bees to swarm as
they please,we shall get surplus honey
from only the first swarm, and not so
much from that as we should if we
kept them strong in numbers all
through the honey season.
How shall we prevent our bees rrom
swarming and keep all our colonies
strong to store surplus honey ?
I answer by dividing in such a man-
ner as to have each new colony as
strong as possible and keep them from
swarming, giving each a portion of the
brood and a laying queen, being sure
to give them room enough, and each
division will be as good as the first
swarm. Then they will have the ad-
vantage of having bees continually
hatching, so there will be no dwind-
ling during the honey harvest and we
may expect better results from each
division than from the first swarm,
thereby giving us double the amount
of surplus honey with only one-half
of the increase.
Wellington, Me.
For the American Bee Journal.
Northwestern Bee-Keepers' Society-
A. R. KOHNKE.
The knowledge conveyed in the re-
port of the meeting of this society is
well worth a year's subscription to the
Bee Journal to any bee-keeper.
Speaking of races and strains of
bees, there seems to be a preference
for crosses, especially to overcome the
aversion of the Italians to go into sec-
tions. I tliink there is a difference in
this trait of character between colonies
of pure Italians. Since sucli differ-
ences exist, may not this aversion be
bred out and still preserve purity of
race V
The prolificness of queen and the
industry of colony do not necessarily
go together. I have an Italian colony
the queen of which is very prolific,
having kept the hive and 48 sections
full of bees ever since .June 10th. The
proceeds from that colony at the end
of the season were 9 pounds of comb
honey, and of extracted, about as
much from unfinished sections; and
on examination before putting them
up for winter, I did not find more than
9 pounds of honey in the brood cham-
ber. The bees look like what Mr.
Heddon calls the "Golden Italians."
The Germans have done better for
me, (for comb honey).
The fact that bees try to supersede
not only old queens but very prolific
ones also, has led some bee-keepers in
Germany to suppose that extraordi-
nary prolificness may be a reason for
bees to supersede the queen.
Bee-keepers should try to profit by
Mr. Burnett's experience in regard to
the size of sections. Sections in which
the sealed comb is or cannot be much
thicker than sealed comb in the brood
chamber, would perhaps be more read-
ily taken to by the Italians, while those
two inches wide may seem to them out
of all proportion in comparison to their
lower apartment.
"Jane, take this honey down cel-
lar," said a lady to her servant girl,
after I had sold her a crate of nice
clover honey. Of course, I stopped
them right there, giving some sound
advice as to where to keep that honey.
Dysentery.— If Mr. Ileddon had
omitted one word in his reply to the
Rev, L, L. Langstroth when he savs :
" but they are sometimes compelled to
eat it," (pollen,) he would have given
the sole and only reason for bees dy-
ing with it. Drop the word "some-
times" and you have the whole thing
in a nutshell. AVhenever a large
amount of pollen is covered with
honey or sugar syrup, bees clustering
on that will get the dysentery, if they
cannot readily leave that, when they
get to the pollen, " which is at the
bottom," as Mr. Oatinan expresses
himself; but I think this latter gen-
tleman is mistaken if he tliinks cover-
ing pollen with honey or sugar syrup
will prevent the malady. Bees will
not cluster on dry pollen because they
cannot live on it, but should it be cov-
ered, they will. Result, dysentery ;
unless mild weather permits them to
move.
As to the new bee enemy, described
by Prof. Cook, I would suggest treat-
ing the affected colony to a good dose of
tobacco smoke — not enough to stupefy,
and after ten minutes or so, transfer
them to a clean hive and scald the one
they were in. It may be necessary to
repeat the treatment after a week or
ten days.
Youngstown, Ohio, Oct. 30, 1883.
Fnr the American Bee JoumaL
Equalization of Colonies of Bees-
J. E. POND, JR.
I presume that every intelligent
bee-keeper that gives his own time to
the care of his apiary, has noticed that
of a dozen colonies, all apparently in
like good condition, 1 or 2 will give
exceedingly good results comparative-
ly, while the balance will hai-dly come
up to mediocrity in the amount of
surplus obtained from them ; and I
myself have noticed one thing fur-
ther, (which I presume is not excep-
tional,) that, of a dozen colonies, the
1 or 2 that gave the best results last
year, would be this year among the
majority from which a poor yield is
gained. This has been my experience
for years. At first I concluded it
must be owing to superior strains in
the superior colonies, and endeavored
to remedy it by making such changes
as would — theoretically, at least —
equalize the matter, but when, the
next season, I found the best colony
of the previous year showing a decid-
etily poor state of affairs, I concluded
that something besides poor stock was
the cause of the trouble. My aim in
my own apiary is, not to raise 1 or 2
colonies which would store an excep-
tional amount of surplus, but to put
my whole apiary into a condition such
that each colony would give a fair
amount of gain, and the average
would be nearly equal in each colony
also. This I have found it impossible
as yet to do; no matter how careful I
am in choosing queens, or how much
attention I pay to equalizing the con-
dition of my stock, the result in the
THE AMERICAIT BEE JOURNAL.
561
tall inevitably is that 1 or 2 have far
exceeded the others in the amount of
honey gathered. I have studied the
matter to some considerable extent,
but have not as yet fully solved the
problem of why this is so ; still I have
formed an opinion in regard to the
matter and will venture to give it,
hoping that it may not be looked upon
as the chimera of a visionary, or the
vagary of a disordered intellect, but
instead will create enough interest in
the matter to start an amicable dis-
cussion in regard to it.
My idea is tliat each colony chooses
a foraging ground, wliich may vary
from year to year, and consequently
the amount of stores gathered will
vary also, depending upon the amount
of honey-producing flowers growing
thereon. It is supposed that a radius
of three miles from an apiary com-
prises the ground usually covered by
its bees. I conclude that while all
this territory may be, and pDobably is,
covered by a large apiary, tlie individ-
ual colonics that compose such apiary
have their own favorite localities,
which may change somewhat, but
which will be visited so long as any
amount (no matter how small,) of
honey is found; and that this locality is
not abandoned so long as any honey
can be gathered therefrom.
If my reasoning is not correct, it
certainly is possibly so. and ^until
someone gives better, I snail stick to
my opinion. The remedy, if any there
is, and I admit that a remedy is al-
most impracticable, is to plant honey-
producing flowers in every direction
from an apiary, as a means of aiding
nature to counteract her own sterilty.
With a small apiary it will make little
difference, but with a large one it will,
I think, make enough to be fairly ap-
preciable. At any rate some good
will result from efforts made in this
direction, the difficulty being to per-
form the labor in a manner such as
will bring about the best results.
Who will give the subject some atten-
tion, and the readers of the Bee Jour-
nal their views upon it y
SHALL WE HYBRIDIZE OUR BEES?
Mr. Ileddon claims to have made
such progress in crossing his bees
as to have obtained a new strain, with
characteristics so fixed that they are
invariably reproduced, and that from
the strain so obtained, to gain the
best results. Hybrids have always
been considered valuable as honey
gatherers, their exceeding fero-
ciousness being the principle objec-
tion brought against them. I myself
have made some attempts in this
direction, but I admit I have most
signally failed, and that too where my
own bees are the only ones within
probable flight-range of any apiary ;
some five miles being the nearest dis-
tance at which any bees are kept. I
have crossed the black drone with an
Italian queen and "vice, versa" but
have never been able to fix any qual-
ities save crossness. Stripes of all
kinds, from 3 to none, and of all
shades of color have been found, but
nothing have I been able to produce
in the matter of equalizing either
color or number of bands. I am a
lover of beauty in everything, but do
not carry it in my apiary to the extent
of sacrificing other qualities to the
maintenance of beauty alone.
I liave had Italians for 17 years, and
more, and have found them far supe-
rior to the blacks, and as a rule, far
superior to any hybrids. I have occa-
sionally found a hybrid queen whose
workers were the best of workers, but
have not been able to fix those quali-
ties so desirable to retain, but have
been able to do so to my satisfaction
with the Italians. I do not say it is
impossible so to do, but it does seem
difficult to create a new strain (using
tlie term strain for all it implies,)
from hybrids (the Italians are now
admitted, I believe to be hybrids, us-
ing the term hybrid to mean a cross,)
when it has taken so many years to
make them what they are.
I have no doubt Mr. Ileddon has
produced excellent bees, but will they
stand the test, as do the Italians, of,
being kept alone for a term of years?
That question as yet remains to be
answered, and my advice to beginners
(the old ones can take care of them-
selves,) is to go slow in the matter of
running after new things. The Ital-
ians have been fully tested, and stand
the test too; their record is made, and
it is a good one ; so I say be careful in
selection; take nothing upon credit in
making a start, and as you become
older in the business and gain in ex-
perience, you will be better able to
judge of the value of making experi-
ments in new fields and with untried
instruments. I do not wish to be un-
derstood as detracting from the value
of Mr. Heddon's new strain, far from
it ; he is a bee-keeper of experience
and honesty, but I do wish to deter
any beginner from leaving the old
beaten track until he fully knows the
new paths and can safely follow them.
Foxboro, Mass., Oct. 26, 1883.
Rend at t,he Maine Convention.
Mortality of Bees— Winter & Spring.
WM. MCLAUGHLIN, M. D.
Adversity and losses often teach us
more important lessons and produce
greater range of thought than pros-
perity and gain. So the usual mortal-
ity of bees during the winter and
spring may be an incentive for us to
make further investigations, learn
more important facts, and yet dis-
cover some means to avert or prevent
this fearful drawback on bee-keeping
in our State. And when we consider
what enormous losses have been sus-
tained, year after year, it behooves
every one who has any interest in the
success of apiculture to " help, aid and
assist " all those means and measures
designed to bring about so desired a
result. It is no part of wise men to say
that our present attainments are suf-
licient, that we know all about bee-
keeping or that we should settle down
on a standard frame for all sections
and climates, but rather by experi-
mentation and practical research try
to discover other and belter methods
of carrying our bees through our
severe and long winters and springs.
I took considerable pains last spring
to canvass at least one town, the town
of Harmony, in order to accurately
estimate the death rate of bees and
the causes that led thereto. And I
believe when we know the particular
cause we may apply the treatment or
prenventive measures, and thus attain
our desired results. There were 1&
bee-keepers in this town the past year
and the whole number of colonies put
into winter quarters was 80. Three
colonies were in the Torrey hives, 10
were in box hives and the rest were
in the Gallup hives or some modifica-
tion of it. A very few were wintered
in cellars, some in house chambers,
while the most of them were left on
the summer stands. Those left out
doors were protected by an outside
hive or house with a 6 inch space filled
with chaff and a chaff cushion over
the frames. Now out of the 80 that
bid fair to winter, only 50 came
tlirough alive, making the loss by
death 37Ja per cent., a fearful loss
indeed ! Upon careful examination I
found those that died in cellars starv-
ed to death with no honey in the hive,
which showed that they would have
lived if there had been food enough in
the hives ; while 20 colonies died on
the summer stands in Gallup hives
and protected with chaff and outside
hives, and honey in one or both ends
of the hives. Twenty colonies died of
starvation with a plenty of honey in
the .hives.
Honey'to the right of thetu.
Honey to the left of them,
Honey by side of them,
But none above them.
Suffered and hungered,
Died tliere unnumbered,
Some one had blundered;
'rlieir'8 not to make reply,
Thelr'a not to reason why,
Their'B but to do and die,
A BCore of awarm8 in eighty.
The treatment or preventive meas-
ures, it seems to me, are self evident.
We must either winter in cellars or so
construct our liives that they may
winter safely on summer stands. If
we could liave the temperature in the
hive above the freezing point all the
time, and have a plenty of sealed
stores, we should not lose our bees to
any material extent ; but so long as
we cannot expect to do that, it is nec-
essary to ward off all the cold we can.
But this packing is inconvenient, and
results are so uncertain that they will
die unless we adopt the natural means
which the bees would claim if they
were able to speak. We all know that
bees cluster on the approach of win-
ter beneath their winter's store in the
middle of the hive, and when the air
within is too cold for them to go side-
ways, they naturally approach the
upper partof the cluster, tor the lieat
of their bodies and breathing keeps
their combs immediately above them
in a condition for their occupation.
They cannot go across or sideways for
it may be frosty and contrary to their
nature when the air is cold ami chilly.
Now if we can so construct a hive
or frame that shall give depth of
honey above the cluster, we shall have
an additional assurance that our bees
will not starve in winter or perish
with cold. And further we must pro-
tect our colonies to such an extent
that the temperature within the hive
may not fall below the freezing point.
562
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tbe American Bee JoumaL
My Experience with Foul Brood.
R. C. nOLSIES.
lu July. 1S82. the flow of honey he-
iiig good". I noticed that the bees of
one of niv colonies were idle and list-
less while the other colonies were at
work. I had only to take off the cap
of the hive, and 'lift out a frame, to
find both by the odor and appearance
a case of "foul brood." The concave
brood caps, with perforations, the dead
brood, dark-colored and ropy, and bad
^mell. all being present. I had read
so much about it. that my heart grew
sick within me. and I felt as I once
did. after working half an honr in en-
deavoring to land a two-pound trout.
and finding that it was only a "sucker.""
I put the frame back and left the
bees uutil near dusk. I then set a
box beside the hive, and after smok-
ing the bees pretty thoroughly .brushed
them off the frarnes into the" box. put-
ting on a cover (in which was a hole
about 6 inches square, covered with
wire cloth), and fastened it on. I
then set the box away in a dark stall
in my barn, and let it "stand fi-om 36 to
40 hours. I then took a clean hive,
put it on the same stand, put in it
frames of foundation, and emptied
the bees out of the box into it. I put
on a feeder containing some granu-
lated sugar svrup with a little salicylic
acid mixed with it. The colony drew
out the foundation, stored nearly
enough honey to take tliem through
the winter, and I had no more " foul
brood "" there.
I then proceeded to examine my
other colonies, of which I had 20 in
all. I found 6 other colonies infected
with the disease, i only slightly, and 2
seriously. I determined to try some
experiments, and having read your
valuable Jourx.\l for a "year or two.
and kept the numbers o"n file, also
owning A. I. Roots " Bee-Keeping.""
Cook's Manual. King. Quinby and
I>angstroth books. I had quite a library
to draw from. I took the worst case
left, and phiced a clean hive on the
stand, in which were new frames with
foundation, and brushed the bees im-
mediately from the infected combs on
to the foundation, and put on a feeder
with syrup and salicylic acid as before.
The colony also built out the founda-
tion, stored enough honey for winter,
and has showed no signs of the dis-
ease since.
The other -5 colcuiies not being as
seriously affected. I determined to try
and save the combs if I could. I pro-
cured a solution of salicylic acid, ac-
cording to the recipe given. I think bv
C. F. Muth. also by A. I. Root, and 'a
sprayer, and sprayed the combs and
bees" thoroughly every week, and some-
times oftener. until I thought the dis-
ease eradicated. It certainly decreased,
and seemed to disappear. " On looking
over my bees in October. I found that
it was not eradicated, and in one hive
it was quite bad.
I brimstoned the liees in that hive,
and buried the combs, as I also did
those of the first two colonies mem-
tioned. The other -i colonies were in
brick hives, with a cement lining in-
ry
them. I sent to L. C. Root & Bro. for
some emptv combs, having none my-
self, and "transferred the combs to
some new frames, took the bees out of
each hive, washed out the hives, every
crevice and corner with salicylic acid,
filled the comlis as well as I could
with svrup. and brushed the bees on
to them. I have never seen any " foul
brood "" since.
As it is now a vear since I saw the
last of it. I feel tliat I eradicated the
disease from my apiary with the loss
of onlv one colony. I did not burn or
destiw a hive. "I waslied them out
thoroughly with the acid, let them dry
in the sun", and have since used some
of them. The query with me was.
where did the disease" come from, as it
is said only to proceed from some other
diseased colonv.
I kept verv quiet about it, only my
wife and oldest son knowing ot the
trouble. I have several neighbors who
keep bees. one. only a few rods
distant, who has a colony in a cup-
board, or large box in the attic of his
shop. About the first of May last. I
asked him hcnv his bees were doing.
He rephed that they died out in the
winter. I asked him if he had re-
moved the combs, and he replied that
he had not. I suggested to him that
he had better do so soon, or the moths
would destroy it all. .
A week or two later I asked him
again if he had removed the comb, to
which he replied that he had, that a
few of the outside combs were nice,
and had nice honey in them, but that
the inside ones were all rotten, and
stunk so that it most made him sick
taking them out. I then guessed I
knew where my " foul brood "' came
from.
The yield of white clover and bass-
wood honey here, this year, was bet-
ter than for the three previous years,
but of fall honey not enough to safely
winter on, and" I have been feeding
several colonies.
West "Winsted, Ct.
For the American Bee Journal.
How about that Foul Brood 1
J. M. HICKS.
I see on page o.31 of the excellent
Bee Journal, a short note taken
the apiary department of the Ameri-
can Grange Bidkiin. of September 20;
and which it seems lias been the cause
of Mr. C. F. Muth asking tlie Bee
Journal to reproduce it. and says,
"it lo«ks so much like a slur," &c,;
and then by way of reply he offers to
stake S-50 against SIO of Mr. Hicks'
money that I (Hicks.) cannot cure
foul brood witliout using what lie
calls his remedy. &c. ; and still to
make the matter more showy. Mr.
Muth offers to wager S5 against SI of
Hicks' money that he (Hicks.) cannot
pi-ove ever to have seen a colony of
bees affected with malignant foul
brood. Xow, Mr. Editor, let me say
if I were so inclined, or ever had been
a gambler, I might very easily relieve
the gentleman of his S->5; but having
been reared under different inlluences.
I must decline Mr. Muth's special
proposition. But if Mr. Muth has
really taken umbrage at that note,
and thinks that I intended it as a slur
on him or any otlier member of the
the Xorth American Bee-Keepers'
Society, I am sorry, as it was not so
intended, but merely a question asked
and reference made to the long and
labored reports by certain members
of the convention on foul brood, and
after all no definite conclusion arrived
at, except a banter by 2 or oj of the
members to stake SoO as a fund for
the benefit of Mr, Langstroth in case
the cure was, or was not, affected in
1 or 2 different ways, as mentioned by
C. F. Muth and 1). A. Jones, each of
whom had a pet theory of their own,
of which I need not mention now.
I thought so little of either process
as mentioned by the gentlemen ; es-
pecially so when it was to be tested on
a wager of SoO and to be the special
fund of an old and honored bee-keep-
er as well as a minister of the gospel.
So far as I am concerned, and as be-
ing weighed in the balance with any
man who desires to judge my capacity
and ability of knowing what foul
brood is and curing the same, I shall
only say I was quite well acquainted
with the disease in 1S70, and lost sev-
eral colonies of bees at that time, until
I stopped its ravages and further
spread among my Dees, which has
been over 13 ago; to-day I have no
signs of tlie dreaded epidemic diseases
known to bees.
Further, here let me say that I
stated (when I had an opportunity so
to do.) at the Xorth American Bee-
Keepers' Convention, in 1882, that an
ounce of preventation was better than
a pound of cure, and gave my plan of
same ; and that, too, without favor or
reward, and have never charged a
cent for giving the knowlede of same
to any who so desire it. Further, let
me say, so far as Mr. Muth's plan and
use of salicylic is concerned, it is no
new thing, and has been known for
many years as a remedy, only as a
failure, for foul brood. I claim no
special honors for using rock salt as a
preventive, which I know it to be
from many years of experience, and
trust it may do much in preventing
such a loathsome disease as foul
brood from spreading.
I am well aware that I do not know
it all yet, nor do I make such preten-
sions, but hope to be able to guide my
little pets, the bees, safely through,
and reap my reward accordingly.
Battle Ground, Ind., :N'ov. 1, 1883.
(^■May we ask you, dear reader, to
speak a good word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one neio subscription
with your own ";' Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one neto sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides you'r own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
563
WihiiX iXniX Boxu.
ANSWERS BY
James Eeddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Putting Bees in the Cellar.
At about what time should bees be
put into tlie cellar V
Monroe, Wis. N. Stainingek.
^\.NSWER.— At that time when you
think the season is going to give them
no more chance to fly. We usually
wait until snow comes apparently to
stay, and we do not fear to carry any
amount of snow into our cellar.
siki^4S^^imM
if"S#'
No Surplus from Fall Flowers.
Bees have done very well in this
section of country, "except in fall
honey ; the bees have not stored any
surplus this fall.
JosiAH Eastbuen.
Fallsington, Pa., Oct. 28, 1883.
How was it Done 1
In the Bee Journal for Oct. 31, J.
H. Kennedy, Little York, N. Y.,
states that liis crop is 75,000 lbs. from
60 colonies, spring count, but he does
not state the increase. I commenced
the season with that number (60) ; in-
creased by aid of empty combs to 141,
and took 14, .5.59 lbs., which might, by
close extracting, have been made
20,000, possibly. Now, an average of
1,2.'50 lbs. is something that I am not
quite prepared for, without knowing
how it is done ! Will Mr. Kennedy
instruct a novice through the Bee
Journal ? J. C. Tnoai.
Streetsville, Ont., Xov. 1, 1883.
My Best and Poorest Colonies.
The following is my report for 1883
of my best and poorest colony : Best
colony, No. 9, cyprian, gave of comb
honey, in one-pound sections, 282 lbs ;
extracted honey, 48 lbs. ; in hives, 157;
total, 487 lbs. Increased to 5 colonies.
Poorest colony, No. 11, Italian, gave
of comb honey, in one-pound sections,
80 lbs. ; extracted honey, 25 lbs. ;
in hives, 105 lbs. ; total, 2i0 lbs. In-
creased to 3 colonies.
Fkitt's Cottage Hiv:e Apiary.
Niles, Mich., Oct. 29, 1883.
My Season's Work.
My report for this season is, spring
coiuit, 8 colonies ; 2 were qneenless,
and had to rear their own queens, by
giving them eggs. I increased by
artifleial swarming to 27 good colonies.
I reared many of my own queens ; but
had some sent me from Ilenry Alley,
James Ileddon and A. I. Root. I ob-
tained 717 lbs. of honey (693 lbs. of ex-
tracted and 24 lbs. of comb honey). I
have on hand 35 frames of good sealed
clover honey for spring reeding, if
they need it, and each colony has from
S5 to 30 lbs. of good honey to go into
winter quarters with. I sold 2 colo-
nies (hybrids) for $}0. I am going to
winter my bees in three different
ways. I am leaving some on their
summer stands, in double-walled
hives, packed with paper and saw-
dust ; some in a repository, and some
in clamps. I am using the standard
Langstroth frame. I used the Ameri-
can frame before, but I like the
Langstroth the best for handling and
for winter use. Wm. Seitz.
Hustisford, AVis., Oct. 27, 1883.
How I Started to Keep Bees.
I have long contemplated writing a
short note for the Bee Journ.\l, ex-
pressing in a feeble way my indebted-
ness to the Editor and his able corres-
pondents,for much instruction, benefit
and pleasure. It was by the merest
accident I became an apiarist, and by
chance a reader, yea, a student of the
Bee Journal. A swarm of bees
settled near my place. I took them
in very handsomely. In a few days
an agent for a moth-patented hive
came along, explained its excellence,
as an agent knows so well how to do,
especially to one who had not been
enlightened upon the hive, by reading
the Bee Journal. I then thought it
the hive; took the bait. SIO worth, for
a farm right. And, again, by chance,
I, this spring, became the possessor of
an apiary of 30 colonies — a bold step, I
hear you say ; true, it was. However,
by studying ; by simply devouring the
Bee Journal and the Manual, I have
been equal to the emergency. When
I met rocks, shoals and quicksands, I
immediately turned to my file of Bee
Journals, and there found the
needed light. I got my bees all moved
by the last of January. On the first
day of February they were on the
wing, bringing in pollen— there, I will
leave for the present.
Jno. a. Esiison.
Mission Valley, Texas, Oct. 12, 1883.
Pollen or No Pollen.
In Bruce, Ontario, the past season
was, upon the whole, favorable for
bees. The early part of the spring
was very backward ; cold and wet con-
tinued very long, so the white clover
began to appear only about June 20,
but it then became very abundant and
healthy, and was followed by the
basswood blossoms which were very
plentiful.
I see that lively discussion regard-
ing pollen or no pollen in wintering
bees is still going on. The non-pol-
len theory seems to me to be contrary
to nature. Bees, in spite of our theo-
ries gather it wherever and whenever
they can, and with very great care and
skill, store it up for future use. This
is taught by a law which man cannot
ignore. We know also that they need
pollen earlier in the season than they
can gather it in the fields. Bees shut
up for five months will be of little
value the following season if for want
of pollen they are prevented from
breeding till they are placed on their
summer stands.
The success of the bee-keeper in
northern climes depends very much
in having liis hives full of young bees
when placed on their summer stands ;
but tills cannot easily be got if pollen
is excluded from their winter stores.
I say, then, let the bees have their
pollen which they have so indus-
triously gathered and stored under
their honey. But let tliem have plenty
of ripe honey with their pollen, or
good syrup, which will do just as well;
then they will not injure themselves
by eating pollen, but will use it only
when they need it. The want of
liquid food drives them to the pollen,
and too much of it will sicken and
destroy them. J. Anderson.
Tiverton, Out,, Oct. 27, 1883.
Kansas Bee and Honey Show.
Mr. Newman : As I have not seen
anything from anyone about it, I will
say that they had a very nice Bee and
Honey Show at Hiawatha. Brown Co.,
Kansas, Fair. The officers were well
pleased with the display and said they
would encourage that department
more another year. I. W. Margrave
had a nice display of comb and ex-
tracted lioney, bees, queens, hives, &c.
John Witschy had some nice honey
and queens ; the writer had 2 colonies
of bees and honey, wtiich was most
all spoiled by the express agent; also,
an extra fine queen was shown by D.
A. Pike, Smithburg, Maryland. The
premiums were on comb and extract
honey, best hive and tools for apiary,
J. W. Margrave, Hiawatha, Kansas ;
best queen, D. A. Pike, Smithburg,
Md. ; best colony of bees, D. O. Park-
er, St. Joseph, Mo. D. G. Parker.
St. Joseph, Mo., Oct. 30, 1883.
Questions for Mr. Doolittle.
I wish to ask Mr. Doolittle what
style of frame, how placed, what size,
1 or 2 stories, would he adopt if start-
ing anew into bee-keeping, for ex-
tracted and comb honey V
C. M. Molksworth.
Building Comb Upwards.
I am an amateur bee-keeper. Two
years ago I started with one colony of
Italian bees and an observation hive.
I have been very much interested in
the working of the bees, and have
watched them closely this spring. I
took off my observation hive, which
was full from last year, and gave
them room to work. I noticed that,
contrary to what I expected, they did
not commence to build from the top
downward, but built the comb up-
wards from the bottom. They seemed
to pay no attention to the frames and
built it diagonally across the hive.
What I want to know is, if filling a
hive in that manner is of frequent
occurrence V Although they built
comb upwards they did well. I have
now 10 colonies and have all I can
attend to. Edgar L. Gross.
Springfield, 111., Oct. 28, 1882.
[Bees do sometimes build their combs
in this manner, but not often. — Ed.]
564
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Alsike Clover.
I have raised alsike clover for five
years in succession, and I find it to be
one of tlie best honey phmts, wliile it
lasts, that I can raise ; bees will work
on it by the side of white clover. I
have been to old pasture fields tliat
were lined with white clover and
would scarcely Hud a bee, and then go
back to the alsike and found it booni-
iner with bees. Besides, it makes the
best pasture and better hay than red
clover. It does not get as dusty as
red clover hay, and rain does not pile
it as soon. A. B. Miller.
Wakarusa, Ind.
Sowing Mignonette Seed.
Will the Bee Journal please ask
Prof. Beal to answer the following
questions through the Bee Journal
in regard to mignonette :
1. Which does Prof. Beal consider
the best for bees, reseda odorata,
rese odorata grandiflora, ameliorata,
Parson's new white and new hybrid
spiral V
2. Can i)iignonette be sown in drills
in the fall V
3. How much should mignonette be
sown in drills to one acre V
4. How wide apart should the rows
bey
5. How wide apart should mig-
nonette be planted in drills ?
6. How often sliould mignonette be
sown V
7. Will mignonette, after sown, re-
main permanently ?
A SUBSCRIBEB.
Indianapolis, Ind., Oct. 14, 1883.
In reply to the above queries, I give
the following answers :
1. They are all very good. I should
sow for the main crop the most com-
mon kind, and sow small plats of the
newer kinds, and in this way ascer-
tain which is the best.
2. No.
3. I should sow at least one seed to
every inch in the drill.
4. About 9 inches.
5. Thinned to 4 inches.
6. In March (in hot-beds) and in
May.
7. No. W. J. Beal.
Lansing, Mich., Oct. 29, 1883.
Not a Good Season.
The season for 1SS3 has come to a
close, and I can by no means call it a
good one. My 30 colonies of bees win-
tered without loss, although in May
and June it was cold and rained most
of the time. When clover was in
bloom it rained some most every day,
and very little honey was gathered
from basswood. In September we had
two hard frosts that killed all of the
fall bloom, so I had to feed one-half
barrel of A sugar.
AVhen the honey season began I had
25 strong colonies and 3 weak ones ;
they increased to 02 strong ones, and
I have taken 1,182 pounds of comb
honey in prize boxes, and the most of
it is sold for 18 and 20 cents per pound.
I have them all packed, sides and
top, with fine oat straw, and will put
them into the cellar some time next
month. Charlie W. Bradish.
Glendale, N. Y.. Oct. 29, 1883.
Moving Hives for Winter Packing.
I have my hives scattered all over
the yard, about 6 feet apart; will it
do to move them all in one row, about
6 inches apart, so that I can cover
them, except the front, which I wish
to face to the east ? Some tell me
that if I move them, the bees, when
taking a flight, will return totlie place
their hive stood before moving, and
will perish. I wish your opinion.
John W. Stukwold.
Haymond, Ind., Oct. 26, 1883.
Thickness of Sections.
I have heretofore predicted that
wide frames and separators for sec-
tions would, in the near future, be
discarded by our best honey-producers.
If we take the Chicago Convention
for an example, three-fourths of the
members present producing their
honey without separators, we may ex-
pect to see the time soon, wlien they
will be discarded. I get straight
combs with closed-top sections, and
straighter combs with small starters
than with whole sheets, Mr. James
Heddon to the contrary notwithstand-
ing. In regard to the proper thick-
ness of sections, without separators,
for combs, say from 4 to 5 inches
square, I would suggest 1 Jg inches ; is
this too thick or too thin ? As we will
soon have our bees packed away for
winter, and will be preparing for
another year's crop, can we not have
some discussion on the above su'oject
from those of experience, such as
James Heddon, C4. M. Doolittle, W.
Z. Hutchinson. C. C. Miller and others.
There are many who are undecided as
to how they will secure their honey
another year, and views from those of
experience would certainly prove very
beneficial. The experience of R. A.
Burnett shows that thin combs of the
same weight sell better than thick
ones. Is the queen more liable to
enter the boxes and deposit eggs in
thin combs than thick ones 'i AVill
not the combs be built straighter
when thin than when thick 'i Who
will explain first, and benefit those to
whom it may concern ?
A. J. Fisher.
East Liverpool, O., Oct. 27, 1883.
Chaff Hives Wintered in the Cellar.
Mr. J. T. ^Matthews, in an article
entitled "Cellar vs. Chaff Hives." read
before the Central Michigan Conven-
tion and published in the present vol-
ume of the Journal, page 299, reports
having placed "3 chall hives in the cel-
lar " to test them on an equal footing
with single-walled hives, to see the
effect on " spring dwindling." As
there is no further mention made of
them in the article, and as there are
several points besides "spring dwind-
ling " to be taken into account in the
adoption of a method of winter pro-
tection, will :Mr. :Matthews kindly in-
form the readers of the Bee Journal
how many pounds those colonies in
chaff hives decreased in weight while
in the cellar; also tlieir condition
when removed and at the begimiing
of the honey season.
Franklin P. Stiles.
Haverhill, Mass., Oct. 26, 1883.
Make a Note of it.
Bees have done very well for the
kind of season ; they average about 55
pounds of honey to the colony ; in-
crease, SO per cent. They go into
winter quarters in this unusual condi-
tion ; no fall honey ; no fall bees ; no
fall pollen— all old bees, with pure
clover honey. Xow, please remember
what the result of the wintering will
be, and make a note in your calendar
of philosophical beedom. I speak
only for my own locality.
E McNiTT.
Harlem, Ohio, Oct. 26, 1883.
Open Letter to Mr. F. L. Dresser.
Dear Sir.— On page 4.54 of the
Ajierican Bee Journal, is an arti-
cle under your signature, headed
" How to Clean Wax." After giving
us your method of using the Swiss
extractor for that, piu'pose, vou state
in the latter part of the article that
you have a further addition to the ex-
tractor, by which you can render the
wax white as originally made by the
bees. Your article, as far as it went,
was very good. Now% please state
how this instrument is made, and how
you use it, and then your article will
be much better, and your bee brothers
will find it doubly interesting.
L. Jajees.
Atlanta, 111.. Nov. 1, 1883.
One-third of a Crop of Honey.
So far as I have been able to learn,
bee men in this vicinity have had a
small yield of honey,' this season.
Perhaps one-third of an average crop ;
all. or nearly all of wliich will find a
home market. A fair number of
swarms was secured, and nearly all
colonies are in good condition for the
coming winter. L. Jasies.
Atlanta, 111., Nov. 1, 1883.
Sook Notices.
i^There is no better companion for
man than a good wife, but next comes
a good book, and if it is instructive as
well as entertaining, the time in read-
ing it is well spent. Dr. Foote's
" Plain Home Talk and Medical Com-
mon Sense" is held in high esteem by
the judges of good literature, and all
classes of readers praise its clear style,
enjoy its variety and profit by its in-
struction. Thousands have bought it
and more have borrowed it. but every
family should have one of its own
now that the price is only SI. 50, and it
can be had by mail, prepaid, from the
Murray Hill Publishing Co., 129 E.
2Sth St., N. Y. City.
igr Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations S2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
565
^:pecial Notices.
Examine the Date following your
name on tlie wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
"VVe wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more neio
"Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents;
per hundred, )t!2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00 ; or 1000 for
$15.00- On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits. — We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within tv,o weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Our New List of Premiums.
Getting up Clubs for 1884.
To increase the number of readers
of the Bee Journal, we believe, will
aid progressive bee-culture and help
to elevate the pursuit. We, therefore,
offer the following premiums for
getting up clubs :
While no subscription to the Bee
Journal will be taken for less than
the regular advertised prices (viz. :
Weekly, $2.00; Montlily, $1.00),— any
one getting up a club of two copies,
or more, may select from " Our Book
List " anything therein named, to
the amount of 15 cents for every dollar
they send direct to this office, to pay them
for the trouble of getting up the club ;
and these books will besent, postpaid,
to any address desired.
For a club of 3 Weekly or 6 Monthly
and $6.00, we will make an additional
present of a Pocket Dictionary, bound
in cloth, containing 320 pages.
For a club of 5 Weekly or 10
Monthly, (or a mixed club of both,)
with $10, we will, in addition to the
15 per cent, present a copy of the
American "Popular" Dictionary,
comprising every word in the English
language that enters into speech or
writing ; it contains 32,000 words and
phrases,670 illustrations and 512 pages;
it is nicely bound in cloth, and will be
sent by mail, postpaid, to any address
desired.
For a club of $20,-10 Weekly, or its
equivalent, we will present, besides the
15 per cent, a tested Italian queen.
Announcements for larger clubs
will be made hereafter.
Subscriptions for two or more years
for one person, will count the same
as each year for a different person.
1^" When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
Trial Trip, until Dec 31.-25 cents.
Wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old- fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the follow-
ing very liberal offer: We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal till Dec. 31,
on trial, for 25 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with $1.25) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 15, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. — VV e have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for ten cents.
i^ The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters went into effect on
October 1. Three cent postage stamps
will now be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either one-cent,
or else five or ten-cent postage stamps,
or a Postal Note. Do not send coins
in any letter.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
566
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
g^diicvtiscmcnts.
ITALIAN BEES AND QUEENS.
s
42A1I
Send for Price List to
B. BKO\¥N, DBS MOINES, IOWA.
L.IFE IN8UKAIHCE THAT ISTSUKES.
THB MUTUAL RBSERVB FUND
LIFE ASSOCIATION!
SS I^lbertT St., ST.W YORK,
and 113 Adiima St., CHICAOO.
BDWABD B. IIARPEB, Prrsidmt.
THE Centkal TuiST Company, of New York,
Trustfe iij thf Rfsfrve Fund.
O. I>. Bali>win. President Fourth Nat'l Bank,
N. y.. Auditor of Death Cttiim Account.
MEMBERSHIP NUMBER, 16,000.
Total Business. Seventy Mlllionsof Dollars.
$100,000 to the Credit of the Reserve Fund.
Reserve Fund— Selected Risks-Grnded Rates—
An open Ledner— A Trust Company as Trustee.
jy ARents wanted in Illinois.
Address, «T. H. KNOX, Gen'l Agt.,
46D3t 113 ADAMS ST., CHICAGO.
FLAT - BOTTOM
COMB FOUITOATION,
high side-walls, 4 to Ifi square feet tc
tho pound. Circular and aamples free
J. VAN DEUSEN & SONS,
Sole Munufacturers,
Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., N. Y.
A NEW HIVE
Arranged for continuous passage ways and con-
tinuous ccimtis, 8u that greater ease and rapidity in
the handlinK of sections is gained, also a larger
pro'^uetion (if comb honev. Although p«tenttd. a
legal right to makeand use will he acccirdetl to any
one purchasing a sample hive, the right only in
manufacture to sell or convey to others being
with -held. A stand, aligbtins board, entrance
blocks, two division boards, ten brood frames, yj
1 lb. sections and the improved section flxturea. all
packed in the bive. Price of ttrst hive, including
the atiove paits and a special circular un the mode
of management, »7.oo. A tine Photo sent for fs
two-cent stamps. Orders filled in turn.
Reference : Exchange Bank, New Philadelphia.
Address. BK. G. I-. TINREK.
44Atf NEW PHILADELPHIA. O.
BARNES' PATENT
Foot Power Machinery
CIUCULAR AND
SCROLL SAWS.
'Hand. Circular Rip Saws for
general heavv and light rip-
ping, Lathes, &c. These ma-
chines are especially adapted
to Hive Mnb-Sntc. Itwillpay
every bee-keeper to send for
our 48-page Illustrated Cata-
'''^ V F. & JOHN BARNES.
No. JoiT Main street.
Rnekfnrd. WinnebaK*^ Co., III.
Honey! Honey!! Frnit!!!
Twenty nice black Tartiirian CHERRY' TREKS,
by express, for $1.1X1. These are a feet— ovei and
under: can send 20 small ones by mall, post-paid,
lor*MX:i. CHAS. K1KGS1.EY,
45A2t GREBNEVILLE, Greene Co., TBNN,
PATENT FOR SALE.
The undersigned intend to sell the patent on his
Honey-Comb Uncapplmc Machine - a new
invention. Ftpr further information, apply to
JOHN BOURUMEYER,
45Alt FOND DU LAC. WIS.
SECTIONS.
^E^31Z^
We have just put in several new machines and
also a larger engine In our factory, consequently
we are In better shape to fill orders than ever for
Sections, Shipping Crates, etc., etc. We make a
specialty of our
"BOSS" ONE-PIECE SECTIONS,
Patented June 2Sth. ihhi.
We can make the " Boss" One- Piece Sections
any size or width desired. Send tor Price List.
yVe make the Halt-Poiind Section any
size desired.
,JA9. FORNCROOK. a^ CO.
iBCtf Watertown Jeff. Co. Wis.. Jan. I, 1883.
P^.
roquois Strain.
HOCKA
Four Yards.
^orrespnndeoe cheerfully answ«red Prices ruasonabl-
(V. H. EUSSEY. 131 Lake Street, ChicaEO.
2BCly
Sweet Glover
AND OTHER SEEDS.
Having a LARGE stork of SWEET CLOVER
SEEft. I can till orders at aSc. per pound
»S.8.'> per peck, or J»13 per bushel.
Also, ail other SEEDS for HONEY PLANTS.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 West Madison Street. Chicago, 111.
Yandervorl Coml) Fdn. Mills,
Send Tor SampleH «%! Reduced Prlee-l..l8t.
3JABtf J. VANDERVORT, Lacyville, Pa.
CHOICE ITALIAN (jUEENS !
Breed for BUSINESS and Beauty!
Daughters of prolific and fine-colored mothers,
producing large and beautiful drones and workers.
Tested yiueens, selected with care, each $2 w
Untested " choice in color and size, each, i no
Nucleus of 2-Langs. Irames and tested Queen 4 50
Additional frames, each 50
If you want the BEST, send your orders for
Queens and Beea to
JAMES E. WHITE,
9Btf ENQLB WOOD, Cook Co., ILL.
Choice Queens!
I am now up with my orders,
and can send QUEENS by
RETURN MAIL.
I am now culling them down to
the very best.
J, T. WILSON,
Mortonsville, Woodford Co., Ky.
BBCtf
FRANCES DUNHAM,
Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of
THE DUNHAM
FOUNDATION MACHINE
Patented Aug. 23d. 1881.
Vour machines are undoubtedly the very best in
existence for heavy foundation.
CHARLES Dadant & SON, Hamilton, III.
Nov. 24th, 1882.
And the following from the President of the
North American Bee-Keepers' Association:
I am quite positive that your Foundation Mills
are ahead of anything yet invented.
D. A. JONES, Beeton, Ont., Canada,
Jan. 29th, 1883.
I send you samples of Foundation which I am
manufacturing on one of your machines, in sheets
!'xlH, which measure liM feet to the pound. I
think it superior to any samples of thin founda-
tion I have seen. J. G. Written.
Aug. 14th, 1882. Genoa, N. Y.
Send for description and testimonials to
FRANCES I>UNHA]lf,
8Ctf DE PERE, WIS.
Friends, if you are in any way interested in
BEES OR HONEY
We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of
the Monthly GleanlnKS In Bee-Culture»
with a descriptive price-list of the latest improve-
ments in IllVft*. Honey Extractor*, Comb
Foundiitlon, Section Honey Boxes, all books
and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee
Culture. :^oi}xin(3 PaXtnUd. Simply send your ad-
dress written piuijUj/, to
Ctf A. I. ROOT, Medina, O.
The Bee-Keepers' Guide,
OK, MANUAL OF THE APIAKY.
I0,000 SOLD IN SIX YEARS.
11th Thousand JuhI Out.
More than 50 pages, and more than 50 fine Illus-
trations added. The whole work has been thor-
oughly revised, and contains the very latest in re-
spect to bee-keeping. It is certainly the fullest
and most scientific work treating of bees in the
World. Prlc*^, by Malt, itfil.Sa.
Liberal dlBCOunt to dealers and to clubs.
A. fj. COOI£.
l7Ctf Author and Publisher, Lansing, Mich.
HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTH
For trie manufacture of
BEE-REErERS' SUPPLIES.
Dunham and Root Foiindallon a specialty.
Italian Queens and Bees from March to November.
^"Send for my Illustrated Catalogue.
5Ctf PAUL L. VI ALLON, Bayou Goula, La.
1883; JOSEPH dTeNAS, 1883.
(Sunny Side Apiary.)
Pure Italian Queens, Bees, Colonies, Nuclei,
EXTRACTOUS, COMB FOUNDATION, &c
19D6in Address, Sunny Side Apiary. NAPA, CAXi.
<sify-
tt Jflwrnal,
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF THE PRODUCERS OF HONEY.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., NOVEMBER 14, 1883.
No. 46.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Mr. Gravenhorst's New Bee Book.
Mr. G. has kindly sent us a copy of
his new book, entitled : " Der Prak-
tische Imker," (The Practical Apiar-
ist) of which w€ will give a short
review.
On page 11, a cut represents the hive
he uses. It is made of straw, after the
fashion of the straw skepof the " days
of yore," but its shape is such as to
admit of the use of frames ; all being
of the same size. The base of the
hive has a rectangular shape, but the
upper part or cover has a cylindrical
form, and is perfectly tight. This
makes it necessary to have the upper
part of the frames of a round form,
and they are accessible only after hav-
ing the hive turned " upside down."
To keep the fratues in position, the
upper part of the same catches in
notches, in a bar fastened in the crown
of the hive, while the projecting
shanks, having holes, are fastened to
the hive with iron pins or wire nails.
The hive has two or three entrance
holes, the main one being in the lower
half, and the others in the upper lialf
of the hive, being about equally dis-
tributed on one side of the hive.
As the large hives take 15 framas,
of nearly the same size as a Lang-
stroth, it enables the apiarist, by the
aid of division-boards, to winter two
or three small colonies in one hive.
Mr. G. claims for his liive certainty
of wintering without loss and rapidity
of handling the bees.
The hive is especially adapted for
extracting ; surplus honey is obtained
l)y side storing. Though sections may
be put into the large frames, as shown
on page 170, but leaving, of course,
empty corners on account of the
round shape of the large frame. Un-
questionably the bees will winter well
in this hive, but we doubt whether the
yield obtained by side-storing will be
as large as by top-storing.
The engraving, intended to a Lang-
stroth hive, is quite inaccurate, for it
conveys the idea that the top-bar of
the frames is an inch or more below
the upper edge of the hive, when it is,
in fact, only % of an inch below ; and
as shown in the hive, the top-bars
seem to be closed, which is not the
case. Otherwise, the cuts and general
make-up of the Ijook are a credit to
the publishers, C. A. Schwetschke &
Son, Braunschweig, Germany.
One very important chapter is
omitted, viz. : the one on honey plants;
to provide pasturage in case of failure
at certain seasons, the apiarist is ad-
vised to practice migratory bee-keep-
ing. In fact, this is practiced to a
very large extent in Germany, gen-
erally with success, especially if the
distance is not very great, so as to
permit occasional visits. In this case,
they consider over-stocking out of the
question, for upward of a thousand
colonies are sometimes placed in one
range.
In the chapter on stimulative feed-
ing, in spring, l)esides the flour of
wheat, rye, oats and peas, a diet of
milk and eggs is advised. The use of
the latter diet requires the hand of a
master, in preparation and feeding ;
withal, the book shows the hand of
an experienced master.
The entomological part is written
in a very concise and comprehensive
manner, describing and illustrating
only such parts and their functions as
are absolutely necessary for an apiarist
to know in order to understand the
economy of a colony of bees. The
illustrations on page 70 and 71 are ex-
cellent, and give a better idea of the
abdomen of a queen and the relative
position of its parts in the body, than
many pages of description.
Two remedies are given to cure foul
brood ; one by the aid of salicylic acid
dissolved in alcohol, and the other by
the use of carbolic acid. Whether or
not the author has tried this remedy,
he does not say, but if we remember
correctly, Prof. Butlerow's attempts
to use it have not been very satis-
factory ; because of the disagreeable
penetrating odor, the bees would leave
the hive within live to ten minutes
after the disinfectant had been used ;
and much less than one per cent,
mixed with their food was sufficient
to poison them ; but the methods em-
ployed may make all the difference.
We shall take the liberty to occa-
sionally give extracts of such chapters
as may prove interesting to our readers,
and would ^recommend our German-
speaking apiarists to procure a copy,
as the book contains many valuable
hints not only to beginners, but to the
experienced also.
^"We have received 3 numbers of a
new French bee paper called Le Con-
servatexir des Abeilles, edited by Mons.
A. Fournier, and published at 27 rue
Vandamme, Paris, at 3J^ francs (75
cents,) a year. It represents the more
progressive of French apiarists.
i^ We have received a copy of the
Dairy and Farm Journal, published
monthly at West Liberty, Iowa, and
notice that the Rev. £. L. Briggs is
one of the associate editors.
i^And now comes Mr. P. Brickey.of
Kentucky, with a club of 28 7jew sub-
scribers, besides quite a number of
smaller clubs. Our new premiums for
clubs (found on another page,) are
attracting considerable attention; and
as the time is now at hand for getting
up clubs, we hope to send out hun-
dreds of premiums to enrich the
libraries of our friends.
^i"We have received No. 1 of a new
German bee paper— the Deutsche lllus-
trierte Bienenzeitung — edited by C. J.
H. Gravenliorst, Braunschweig, Ger-
many, and published monthly at $1 a
year. It contains 16 pages, and is the
best printed bee paper in Europe.
572
THE AMERICAIT BEE JOURNAL.
The Honey Crop of 1883.
Last June the outlook was very eu-
couraging to the honey-producer, but
alas, for human anticipations, from
the 1st of July, and in some localities
from the last week in June, there has
been but little honey gathered, with
a very few exceptional localities. The
fall crop has been exceedingly light,
and many are obliged to feed the bees
for winter stores. Dr. W. G. Phelps,
of Galena, Md., in tlie Practical Far-
mer, gives the following as the results
of the honey harvest for ISS:^, in his
locality :
At the beginning of the present sea-
son (i. e. of the honey iiow.) the re-
ports from all over tlie country to the
various bee papers were as follows:
" Bees bringing in honey very rapidly.
" Splendid yield of lioney from white
clover." '^"The promise of a tremen-
dous iioney harvest," etc. Tlie out-
look was very promising, it must be
admitted, but" the results as we glance
at the harvest throughout the entire
country have fallen far short of ex-
pectations. At the critical period
when the delicate white clover bloom
was opening to the persuasive in-
fluences of the cheering rays from
" Old Sol," thus it was that many a
bee-keeper's heart was saddened by a
succession of cold and dismal rains.
To one not acquaii>ted intimately
with the effect of atmospheric changes
over the secretions of honey m flow-
ers this may seem a trifling matter.
Bee-keepers though, know too well,
and oftimes to their sorrow, the dire-
ful consequences of such. Be the
bloom ever so fair and brilliant, it
takes certain conditions of tlie weath-
er to enable the flower to secrete
honey in abundance. W ith occasional
showers, plenty of sunshine, warm
nights, and southerly biee/.es the
apiarist's heart will be gladdened by a
generous flow of honey. It contrary
conditions prevail, the reverse will
certainly be the case To some c<m-
siderable extent the '' contrary condi-
tions " have prevailed in many parts
of the United States the past siimmer
and the enormous yield predicted at
the start will not be realized. This
is a fact to be borne in mind by those
fortunate enough to have good honey
iS salable shape. Be in no hurry o
rush it into the market at rumour y
low prices. The demand.will probably
exceed the supply later m the season,
Ind you may regret a premature sale
at only moderate figures.
In some sections where bee-keepers,
^vithan eye to results, have eucour-
aeed the growth and perhaps planted
tuch crops, vines and trees as produce
honey, the results have been favorable
to a good yield, notsvithstandmg the
vSiprlpitous weather. Personall>^ I
have found over an acre ot red rasp-
hen v vines upon my place, a great
advantage to my bees. The honey
fmn the raspberry bloom exc-eecls in
flavor and appearance even the t ai
tened white clover honey. My acie
oT^ore of sweet clover and alsike will
neS year •• come in pat for liee-yias-
turage, even after the white clover is
gone. My bees, this year, have averaged
over 4.5 pounds per colony, with which
result, considering the nature of the
season, I have every reason to be sat-
isfied. Moreover, they are well pro-
vided with ample stores for their ow-n
use— a fact that is calculated to make
the bee-keeper feel peaceful about the
region of the heart. If asked " Does
l,ee-keeping pay V" I should answer,
in the light even of this year's experi-
ence, (wliich may be termed only ordi-
nary,) '' yes, 100 per cent, on the m-
vestmenl."
Beeswax, that " Wiley" Story, etc.
Tlie following is taken from the
Indiana Farmer, and concerns bee-
keepers generally :
Editors Indiana Farmer -.—The
following is taken from the Indiana-
polis Journal of Oct. 17 :
" Do you know where I can get
some beeswax "i"' inquired a wholesale
druggist of the reporter. The Journal
man didn't know. "It's mighty
scarce, continued the druggist. I
want genuine wax, suitable for phar-
maceutical purposes. Honey is plenty
and cheap, never was cheaper than
now. Honey men now pour out the
mellifluous product and put back the
comb. Then there's a practice of
making artificial comb out of P»ra-
ftine, which is growing in favor. This
saves the bees the labor of making
comb, and they put in all their time
making honev- They don't have to
go out' and rckm around, hunting up
flowers, either, as the practice now is
to feed them on glucose. As the
yield of wax is light, there are a num-
ber of sophistications. Japan wax is
the chief of these. It is white m
color, and a vegetable product."
The question is, does the Journal
man know anytliing worth speaking
of ? How much do you think this
item helps genuine bee-keeping? I
wisli you would try and enlighten the
reporter a little. F- R-
Tlie Journal man is not so much to
blame, for he has seen this same in-
formation going the rounds of the
press, in some form or another, for the
past two years. Prof. Wiley originated
it as a " scientific pleasantry."' It has
proved anything but pleasant to bee-
keepers. However, it seems very
strange that a wholesale druggist
should be led into the same error. The
paiatthie - comb - filled - with - glucose-
story has done the bee-keepers a vast
amomit of injury. But the immense
amount of honey beuig consumed each
year is a fair indication that the peo-
ple at large are becoming pretty well
posted in the matter.
^ Make all Postal Money Orders
and Postal Notes payable at the
Madison St. Station. Chicago, 111.
Are the Bees Prepared for 'Winter!—
The Indiana Farmer remarks as fol-
lows about the necessity of seeing to
the matter at once :
It is to be hoped that all of our bee-
keeping friends have their bees nice-
ly prepared for the winter before this,
but if any yet remain uncared for, let
them be attended to at once. At least
see that they have plenty of stores.
Xlie indications are that the winter
will be an open one, and if such is to
be the case, colonies with plenty of
stores will stand a fair chance of
coming through safely, thoueh other-
wise neglected. In many localities
the fall drouth cut the honey crop
short, leaving many colonies short of
stores. Such must be fed or they will
surely perish. We would deem it
much more humane to brimstone such
colonies, than to allow them to die of
slow starvation; besides, the honey
saved from one, might save the lite
of another, if given before the weather
becomes too cold.
1^ Mr. Jerome Twitchell, of Kansas
City, Mo., has worked faithfully for
severa years in the interests of the
honey trade, and has created a market
for that health-giving article, in sec-
tions where it has scarcely been
known as a merchantable commodity
before. By his untiring efforts he
has built up a trade in honey that
agregated, last season, some 75,000
pounds. His sales, for the present
season, already foot up quite large,
though he says he has been unable to
get as much comb honey as he wants,
and he says that he is now largely
behind his orders.
He has been netting his shippers 16
cents to 17 cents per pound for choice
comb honey in one and two-pound
sections, and making his returns in
a very few days after receipt. We
note that his weekly market reports
show a better demand and better
prices than any other Western mar-
ket.
The cashier of the Citizens' N ational
Bank recommends Mr. Twitchell as a
thoroughly-reliable, straight-forward
and honorable business man. We
know that he takes great interest in
the honey business, and we are as-
sured that any shipments made to
him, or business confided to his care,
will receive prompt and careful atten-
tion, and meet with quick returns.
AVe take pleasure in encouraging
such enterprise as Mr. Twitchell has
shown. The producer is compelled
to look to some good business-man to
market his products profitably for
him, and we think that Mr. Jerome
Twitchell, of Kansas City, Mo., will
fill the bill.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
573
For tlie American Bee JouroaL
Heddon's Report for 1883.
JAMES HEDDON.
As nearly all of the readers of the
IJee Journal know, I have run my
apiary more largely to experiments
than ever before. To the greater
benefit of my class of student- ap-
prentices, and to settle in my own
mind some unsettled questions, I
have, in fact, made my whole apiary
one of experiment upon several differ-
ent mooted questions. Beginning
with 133 colonies and ending the sea-
son with 298, 1 have made most of
these experiments upon a scale large
enough to avoid falling into errors in
forming conclusions. The cost in cap-
ital and labor, chargeable properly to
this experimenting, would reach into
the hundreds of dollars ; yet I feel
paid for that outlay, and if the follow-
mg report of my conclusions proves of
value to the readers of the Bee Jour-
nal, I give it cheerfully, and shall
feel that I am receiving an additional
payment.
My "long term" class, or those who
came to stay the 5 months, number
4 men, H of whom had already had
3 or more years' experience with bees
and modern fixtures before coming
here. This class being picked from
many applicants, I need not say that
all were highly capable of making
experiments and forming correct
conclusions. To avoid any prejudice
that might rest with me, gathered
from results of former less extensive
experiments, I placed this department
in the hands of the class, and the fol-
lowing is their unanimous decision, if
I have made no mistake :
The best manufactures of comb
foundation for brood and surplus are :
1st, Given ; 2nd, Pelham ; 3rd, Da-
dant's Dunham ; 4th, other Dunham ;
5th, Root. Late experiments with the
honey, show the Given superior in
regard to the delicacy of the combs in
surplus honey. Just here 1 will add,
that justice to all, demands that I say,
to my own mind, the experiments
with comb foundation among the bees
was not on a scale large enough to
make the decision certain, but the
reports given at the Northwestern
Convention by Messrs. Oatman,
Grimm and others, force me to the
conclusion that we are correct in
regard to the superior qualities pos-
sessed by the Given foundation.
Hives. — We are unanimously oppos-
ed to double walled or chaff hives,
and in favor of wired frames filled
wi h foundation ; also in filling sec-
tions completely with it.
Old vs. New Foundation.— We
find that bees work new foundation
far more readily than that a year old.
Bees. — We consider the proper
crosses of the leather-colored Italians
and brown Germans to be the best
bees for honey production.
Sbparator.s. — We prefer tin to
wood, as being best and cheapest in
the end. We prefer the non-separa-
tored case to the broad frame and
separator system. I will here men-
tion that, for the sake of a comprehen-
sive experiment, we made 300 one-
story broad-frame supers (all admitted
them to greatly excel the two-story
broad-frame super, possessing advan-
tages that no other style of surplus
receptacle does,) and used them with
3.50 of our cases, yet, all in all, we pre-
fer the cases and the non-use of any
separators.
Surplusage.— We prefer the top of
the hive, and consider it the only
place where it is best to place surplus
receptacles. We find the tiering-up
system to work admirably, and prefer
it to all others.
Sections.— We greatly prefer all
dove-tailed sections to any other.
Honey Boards.— After giving this
matter a radical and careful test, we
find that the bees pass into the supers
and cases through the skeleton honey
board and double-spaces as readily as
where no honey board is used ; the
sections coming within bee-space of
the brood frames. We favor the
honey board as greatly assisting in
the easy manipulation of the cases.
IIalf-Pound Sections.— We find
that we can get as many or more pounds
of honey stored in half-pound as in
pound sections, used either with or
without separators. Our experience is
that the bees finish them up faster
than the largei; sizes.
Regarding this system of teaching
apiculture, we believe it to be the best
extant, viz : to learn, by practice, the
ways and means of practical and suc-
cessful bee-keepers.
In this locality we have not had an
average honey season for 3 or 4 years
past ; the one just passed being the
poorest of them all. I do not remember
ever witnessing so cold a summer and
fall. Not only this, but at one time of
year the rain badly over-did the busi-
ness, while our fall crop was a total
failure on account of drouth. Could
I have had tlie season mapped out to
me in advance, I would have proph-
esied— " no honey."
Notwithstanding all, bee-keepers in
this section have some, and by im-
provements in methods of manipula-
tion, we have a crop as good as any of
the 3 years past. Our crop report may
be found in round numbers on page
528 of the current volume, and it is
just that we here add that the fall
shortage made room for the fall-feed-
ing of 2,000 pounds of sugar, leaving
our credit from the 133 colonies rather
a large and healthy increase and about
2,000 pounds of extracted and 4,000
Eounds of comb honey, about one-
alf in one, and the other half in half-
pound sections. We expect to use
only h^lf-pound sections the coming
season, except the finishing up of the
pounds now on hand and partly com-
pleted.
Our experiments in wintering,
which will be made upon an extensive
scale and radically tested, are of
course still before us and must be left
to the decision of my class of 1884 and
myself to report June 1, 1884, when a
full description of the tests and results
will be given through the Bee Jour-
nal.
The season's experiments have not
reversed any of my conclusions, but
one test has very much modified one
of my decisions, which I take pleasure
in frankly stating to the reader. We
find that separators retard the work
in the sections but little, and I now
see where my assistant and myself
miscalculated when experimenting
with separators some 4, 5 and 6 years
ago. We used a row of six 6x6x2 sec-
tions, with tin separators between
each section, and glass at the outside.
Like Mr. Turner, we then thought the
glassing method a good one. Well, as
most of you know, bees are slow to
finish off honey next to glass, and
when a tin separator stands on the
one side and a pane of glass on the
other, the foundation between them
is often deserted and hardly touched,
when many of the inner combs are
nearly completed; you plainly see the
difference between the sight that pre-
sented itself when we peeKed through
the glasses of the non-separatored
and the separatored sections. The
glass was more at fault than the sep-
arators, though we learn by this, as
well as by other experiments, that sep-
arators can in no case be any advan-
tage to work in sections, and in most
instances a disadvantage of greater or
less amount, according to the other
conditions surrounding the apiary,
hives and bees.
Advanced apiarists have tested and
discarded glass in all forms as con-
nected with the storing of surplus
honey, and, I predict, never to return.
" History repeats itself," and no less
so in apicultural appliances; and long
after false and abortive methods have
been proven so and laid on the shelves
of oblivion by advanced bee-keepers,
some of the less experienced, ignoring
all that has gone before, dig open the
grave and resurrect some of these old
errors and ask us to use glass and the
complicated, expensive and worse
than useless outer cases, that necessa-
rily goes with it, to shut off the day-
light. To throw aside the Langstroth
space above the frame, that invented
and patented claim, which above any
other gave us apiculture as a business,
deserves the highest condemnation.
Dowagiac, Mich , Nov. 1, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Losses of Bees in Winter.
JAMES POINDEXTER.
History and time often bring to
light facts which scientific investiga-
tion fails to reach. What do the
records of the losses of bees for the
last ten years show V First, that the
mortality has been greater or less ac-
cording to the cold or warmth of
climate in which they were situated;
and secondly, that the losses have
been much greater during cold win-
ters than in moderate ones.
Commencing with the winter of 1872
and 1873, a very cold one, great mor-
tality of bees was reported ; next, 1874-
574
THE AMERICAJS BEE JOURNAL.
75, a similar winter as to temperature,
with similar reports of losses ; and we
might go on and select the cold win-
ters by referring to the Asieuican
Bee Journal and noting when the
losses of bees occured.
It has been urged that the excessive
humidity of the atmosphere during
cold winters was the cause of the
losses ; if so, then why are there ex-
ceptions of those who invariably win-
ter their bees witliout loss, or nearly
so ? Would not the natural damp-
ness affect all the colonies alike V
While we admit that dampness has
much to do in disastrous wintering of
bees, we regard cold as being the root
of the trouble; by preventing the
moisture which emanates from the
bees from escaping outside the hive.
Pollen has been mentioned as the
cause of losses of bees in winter. If
it was, why do some colonies of bees
winter successfully, without remov-
ing a frame on account of the pollen
in it, in preparing them for winter ?
We pronounce cold the prime cause of
the general losses of bees in winter.
Is it not a fact that those who winter
bees most successfully keep them
warm, either by cellar, packing, or
otherwise ? Has their been substan-
tial evidence offered to prove that cold
was not the cause of bee mortality in
winter '?
Bloomington, 111., Oct. 15, 1S83.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Pollen Theory and Dysentery.
N. M. CAKPENTEK.
From a rational point of view, the
theory that pollen is the cause of dys-
entery is entirely unreasonable ; it is
inconsistent with the laws of nature.
It Is well known tliat animal instinct
leads to those habits which result in
the perpetuation of existence, and
when man interferes to divert any
animals from their natural instincts,
the usual result is to weaken the
power of self-perpetuation, and the
honey bee is no exception to this rule.
If it were not for " the good of the
bee " to gather and store pollen in the
hive, they would not do it. The inter-
ference of man with the natural habits
of any animal ner-er results in an in-
crease of their power to live. In every
department of animal life it seems to
be the primary object of nature to
give just those instincts, which if not
interfered with, will most surely
secure and perpetuate animal exist-
ence. The idea that the honey bees
makes the eggregious mistake of put-
ting into their hives just the thing to
destroy themselves, is not only a great
absurdiity, but contrary to all natural
law.
Now it is too often the case that
when one fancies that he has develop-
ed an important theory, every seeming
fact which may be made to support
that theory is quickly seized upon,
while those having an adverse bearing
are ignored. In the earlier years of
bee-keeping, what bee-keeper has fail-
ed to find, when " taking up " an old
colony in a box hive, a most disgusts
Ing abundance of pollen; and it is
well known that if such hives were let
alone, they were likely to winter well
and throw out an early and bouncing
swarm. It is a significant fact that
some of those who are the most ardent
advocates of this non-pollen theory
are not remarkable for tlieir success-
ful wintering. With my views of the
question, I have not hesitated to test
tlie matter in my own practice ; and
perhaps it would not be out of place
to relate a little of my own experience.
Last fall for some reason the broad
frames of my hives had the greatest
amount of pollen that I have ever
seen in a 20 years' experience in bee-
keeping. The frames were about one-
third full of well-capped honey, and
the space below the capped honey, in
a large majority of the frames, was
from one-half to two-thirds filled with
pollen. The size of my frame is 10x13,
and in preparing my bees for winter,
I gave them only .5 of these frames.
I removed no frames on account of
the pollen they contained, consequent-
ly most of the colonies in my 76 hives
were clustered directly upon the pol-
len. Now, if this pollen theory was
correct, I ought to have expected to
see my hives pretty well daubed in the
spring ; but tlie consequence was that
only 5 out of the 76 had dysentery at
all, and only 1 of those had it badly ;
and it is well known that there was a
very gi-eat tendency to the development
of the so-called dysentery all over the
country last winter, "This is, of
course, only one fact; but it bears
pretty directly upon the question. I
have others of the same nature but
will not detail them at this time.
Now, with my views of the ques-
tion, and with tliese facts in view, I
do not take any stock in the theory
that pollen is the cause of the so-call-
ed dysentery, which in a majority of
cases, is no dysentery at all, but sim-
ply a diarrhoea; and I am perfectly
willing that Mr. IIeddon,or anyone
else, should have all the honor there
is in fathering this most unreasonable,
and I think, unsupportable theory.
Ellington, N. Y.
For the American Bee JonmaL
The New Races of Bees.
B. F. CAKKOLL.
As Mr. Doolittle can enjoy a good
thing when he gets it, and can shake
his sides in a good hearty laugh at the
expense of the ignorant, I want to tell
him how much fun I had with a col-
ony of Cyprian bees, presided over by
a sister of the queen he has.
Last spring I had a young man to
help me divide some bees, and this
Cyprian colony was one. Putting on
a good veil and a pair of heavy gloves,
he thought he was proof; so he
shouldered a Bingham "conqueror"
smoker, filled with cotton seed that
emitted a cloud of smoke, forgetting
there was a small hole in his hat. I
had got fairly to work when I saw the
young mail was ready to stampede; see-
ing a host of angry bees crawling into
that hole, I encouraged the young man
to stand Arm, but they not only found
the hole but were using their darts
freely on the young man's head ; down
went the smoker and off goes the
young man to the house with a train
of bees after him. I enjoyed this
finely, for not a single bee paid any
attention to me. I worked on with-
out smoke rmtil I had finished the
division.
The queen I let Mr. Doolittle have
was from a fine imported queen from
D. A. Jones, and was mated by drones
from the old A. I. Root Cyprian queen.
As these were the only drones in my
yard, and as Mr. D. wanted a pure
Cyprian, I sent him one of four queens
reared in the fall of 18S2 (November,)
from this D. A. Jones' queen— all 4
were about equal, so far as temper
is concerned. From the Doolittle
reared I queen 20 queens ; 10 of these
are now in my yard, and these are as
gentle as Mr. D.'s or any other Italians.
I liave another imported Cyprian
that has a somewhat better temper.
I now have only 3 colonies of Italians,
over 80 colonies of pure Cyprians, and
shall keep in my own home apiary
none but Cyprians. I opened the
colony several times from which Mr.
D. got his queen, without smoke, and
brushed the bees off the combs to cut
ont the queen cells, and did not get a
sting ! I use but little smoke in hand-
ling my bees, and I think if Mr. D.
would use little or no smoke, he wiU
get along better. I can send him an-
other queen that I think is pure, tliat
is of the gentle kind, but think daugh-
ters and grand-daugliters from his
" Carroll " queen will be an improve-
ment every time. I know these bees
to be superior to the Italians, and
want no others. My wife assisted me
to extract from all, in July and Aug-
ust, without gloves or veil, and did not
receive a single sting until we came to
the colony of Italians.
As before stated, Texas is the home
of the Cyprian bee ; they may not do
for New York. Syrian bees are, with
us, considered good— better than Ital-
ians ; being a hardier race, they stand
our windy springs better. I have
tried these bees two years and can say
that they are good for Texas. It will
not do to handle these bees (cyprians,)
in damp or cold weather. I have
opened and carefully examined nearly
all of my hives to-day and yesterday,
and not an angry bee did I see. 1 would
rather be stung by a bee than to be
bitten by a flea. Tlie latter swells
my flesh and hurts for hours ; a bee
stmg seldom swells, and in 2 minutes
afterward I do not know it. Hang
on, Mr. D. ; try them one more year.
Dresden, Texas, Oct. 17, 1883.
ror the American Bee Journal.
One Thing Lacking.
DK. W. Q. PHBLrS.
The '■ make-up " of the average
periodic bee literature lacks one con-
spicuous and importaut feature— sim-
plicity. Of the editorial matter we
have little fault to find, but the aver-
age contributor seems to delight either
in combatting some real or imaginary
opponent with ponderous words and
scientific phrases or to air histheoreti-
THE AMERICA!^ BEE JOURNAL.
575
eal knowledge with a lot of high-
sounding — bosh. Editors, as I take it,
aim to publish bee papers that shall be
acceptable to the beginner, as well
as to the average reader. Who con-
stitutes the average reader 'i Is he a
scientist ¥ Is he a professional man ¥
No ; the average readers are plain
common sense farmers, artisans and
laborers. In saying this I say nothing
disparagingly of them, for though own-
ing a professional title, I am proud to
class myself among the average
readers. What do we want, therefore,
as we look eagerly over the pages of
the different publications V Do we
" hanker " after a " set-to " between
Mr. Find-fault and Mr. Cross-grain
about the infinitesimal portion of an
inch which the yellow bands should be
apart on the golden Italians i* Are we
"almost dying "to know whether a
specific microphyte is an existing fea-
ture of modern hives V I trow not.
If, therefore, the average reader is
not;what shall we say of the beginner i*
I have seen able practical bee-keep-
ers turn with disgust from the tire-
some argumentative articles that too
frequently grace ( V) the pages of cer-
tain bee papers. Not tliat they failed
to imderstand them, but that they
desired more practical matter. When
first entering the ranks, some 12 years
since, I well remember how eagerly
and thankfully I perused such plain
and common sense articles as occa-
sionally greet our eye in the columns
of the bee papers. Stripped of useless
technicalities and scientiffc terms,
they seemed as oases in the desert of
matter served up as bee literature.
We need more just such practical talk,
that will actually teach the beginners
and still prove acc_eptable to those
farther advanced. This Is not to be
understood as a plea for simple
"childish twaddle" in bee papers;
but what we do want is tlie cultiva-
tion in writers of that happy faculty
of writing wisely, yet in plain every-
day .language, so that a man, though
a beginner, may not err therein. I
believe in this that I only emphasize
the voice of many readers, and that if
the above suggestions were acted
upon, several well conducted bee
papers would become doubly inter-
esting. "A word to the wise is suf-
ficient.
Galena, Md., Oct. 10, 1883.
Kor the American Bee JoumaL
Discussion, a Valuable Means of
Arriving at Truth.
J. E. POND, JR.
Discussions on matters of interest
and importance are considered valua-
ble in most questions where differ-
ences of opinion arise, and. as a rule,
are conducted amicably and in accord-
ance with logical and parlimentary
rules. In matters connected with
apiculture, more than in any others,
it would seem that such discussions
might be carried on, but I am sorry to
see that such is not tlie case. There
always have been and always will be,
I presume, differences of opinion ex-
isting on theoretical matters, and the
only way I know whereby truth can
be evolved and correct notions estab-
lished, is by full, fair, free, amicable
and impartial discussion. Opinions
are of more or less value, depending
upon the amount of practical experi-
ence behind them and the mental
calibre of the experimenter.
Bee-keeping as a science can be only
learned by study and experiment, and
as a valuable aid to the study, come
the various reports we find in the Bee
Journal from different localities
throughout the country. Reports
alone of what is done simply,— the
amount of honey gathered and the
number of colonies kept — amount to
but little as an aid ; what is desired is
to know the process by which this or
that result is brought about, the style
of hive, form of frame, &c, Kight
here, however, is where we " run
against a snag." If one gives a report
claiming the results are owing to a
certain frame, or if an argument is
made showing up the valuable qual-
iti(": of the frame, the next issue of
the B.,1-; .Journal is full of articles
whicli iiistead of being argumenta-
tive, seem written for the sole purpose
of venting spite ; and why V Simply
because the frame praised does not
meet the approbation of the writers.
The idea some seem to carry is that
certain frames ought not to be used,
no matter how good results are ob-
tained from them. One writer informs
us that a certain frame will not win-
ter bees safely ; and when he is in-
formed that bees are wintered safely
in them, he says I don't care if they
are, they ought not to, be ; and I once
tried to open a hive containing those
frames and got stung, while I did not
get stung at all in opening a hive
containing frames of different style.
So goes the battle. I don't know why
it is that bee-keepers cannot discuss
a question of apiculture fairly ; I sim-
ply know they do not.
I am sorry that such is the case, as
beginners sliould know what is the
best, and the only way to determine
that, is to take the statistics and as-
certain from them. The discussion
does not end with frames, either; else
the matter would not be as bad as it
is. No matter what question comes
up, there are found plenty to oppose ;
and that too with a vehemence worthy
of a better cause. Suppose a beginner
wishes to know the best plan of win-
tering y He naturally looks over a
file of the Bee .Journal to ascertain
the advice given therein, supposing
very naturally that he will learn some-
thing of value to him ; but does he ?
The poor fellow finds one giving
advice in a certain direction ; another
opposing it at a terrible rate. One
advising upward ventilation, another
claiming that directly at variance with
natural laws, etc., till at last he sits
down in despair, saying : " I don't see
as it makes any difference ; all are
wrong and all are right. But what
shall 1 do to save my bees V "
There are matters connected with
V)ee culture on which there is no dis-
pute ; there are other matters which
are disputed, and which should be dis-
cussed in order that the truth may be
discovered. These are matters of real
importance, and should be discussed
freely and fully. There are still other
matters in dispute (and these seem to
be the ones on which the most venom
is displayed,) which are simply mat-
ters of opinion, and are of little value,
as one way is fully as valuable as
another, the question being more one
of convenience than of practical
utility. These latter questions need
no particular discussion or explana-
tion. One man can best operate with
one style of extractor because he is
most used to it ; another prefers a cer-
tain style or form of section-case, or
wide frame, because he can manipu-
late it more easily than another ; and
really it will make but little difference
to the beginner which style he does
use, but when it comes to the question
of what frame shall I use, or what
plan shall I adopt for wintering, it
strikes me that there is still room for
argument. There is a best style of
frame, and there is a best plan for
wintering. Now let us discuss the
mal^ter with all fairness and in an
amicable manner, and try to get at the
truth, if possible; drop prejudice and
opinion, as opinion simply. If you
have any arguments, present them,
and give others the same privilege,
and at last we shall ascertain more
nearly the truth than by any other
means I know of.
Foxboro, Mass., Oct. 31, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Essentials of the Coming Hive.
A. WEBSTER.
I have felt a lively interest in the
improvement of bee-hives ever since
I have kept bees, which is over 25
years. There are many natural laws
that have an important bearing on
bee-hive construction, but inventors
are apt to give undue prominence to
one or more points, which are made
much of, to the neglect of others
which are, perhaps, or equal or even
greater importance. Nearly all who
have written on " the coming hive,"
"astandavd hive," "standard frames,"
etc., seem to take it for granted that
some one of the hives or frames now
in common use should be adopted as
such.
I think that advanced bee-keepers
in the latter part of the 19th century
sliould do better than that ; and look
for a liive constructed on a new and
scientific plan, and a new system of
manipulation and management, that
by its adaptation to the natural in-
stincts of bees and the requirements
of bee-keepers, shall commend itself
to enlightened ininds, and not need the
formal endorsement of conventions
and societies. Those who do not ap-
preciate applied science will, of
course, be free to keep bees on
Adam's, Samson's, or any other plan
they may choose. Of the improve-
ments of the past, movable comb
frames must be retained, l)ut of an
entirely different construction from
those liow in common use ; and shoiUd
be fixed, and reversible as well as
movable. Extracted honey has become
a staple article, and its production
must be provided for.
576
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Section boxes for comb honey are so
convenient and popular, tliat the best
possible system of usins^ them should
be adopted ; and be of a sufficient
number of different sizes to meet the
requirements of all — for home use and
market— which should be of such pro-
portionate dimensions as to be usable
m the same hive without change or
alteration of liives.
Comb foundation of pure wax iu
botli brood and surplus departments
are too valuable to be neglected, and
interwoven wires to hold it lirmly in
place in the center of frames for brood
and extracting, are too useful to be
rejected until something better is
provided.
D Cushions or packing of chaff, saw-
dust, moss or other porous std)stances,
or confined air, may be used to econo-
mize heat in cold seasons and climates,
and occupy space on the top and on all
sides of the brood chamber, used for
surplus storage in the honey season,
or gained by reducing the size of the
brood department to correspond tg the
contracted size of the cluster of bees
in winter and spring.
I will here summarize some of the
essential points as follows : It must
be perfectly adapted to either large or
small colonies of bees, at all seasons
and in all climates. To secure this the
brood department must be deep and
capable of any required amount of
contraction or expansion, on all sides
alike, by removing or adding comb
frames. It must supply abundant
room for surplus storage as closely as
possible to the brood combs, with free
continuous passages. It must be
equally adapted to comb or extracted
honey"; using sections or frames for
surplus, as may be reciuired, without
change or alteration of parts. It must
be easy to manipulate for all purposes,
with the least possible danger of hurt-
ing or angering the bees. It must be
of simple construction, rejecting all
unnecessary parts and complications,
such as "entrance blocks, second
stories, division boards, separators,
honey boards, cases, clamps, racks,
crowders, etc. There are several
minor points that I will not stop to
enumerate, but all are in harmony
with the above.
I am looking for the " coming hive."
and shall continue to do so until it
appears. To show that looking with
me is not idle watching and waiting
to see what others are iloing, I may be
allowed to state that I have at several
different times devised, constructed
and tested hives that embodied my
best ideas at the time, and now have
hives in use that seem to be right in
plan, and only require to be perfected
in the details.
South Northfield, Vt.
For the American Bee JournaL
Shall we Clip our Queens' "Wings?
W. H. STEWART.
It may, perhaps, be thought by some
that enough has already been written
on the subject of the coming bee, but
when we consider that the question of
financial success or failure m bee cul-
ture must eventually turn on this one
point, we realize that we cannot in-
vestigate the matter too closely.
Wliat is the coming bee V It cannot
be the common brown bee ; the im-
portation of the Italian, and other
races of queens in such vast numbers
has fixed the fate of the old brown
bee. W]\i\t is left of the pure brown
blood must soon be superseded by the
various mixed breeds, and soon will
only be known in history.
We are of the opinion that it will
not be the pure Italian, from the fact
that the 'new broom" has become
somewhat old and fails to "sweep
clean." The fever for bright yellow
stripes is fast cooling dbwn, and
honey producing bee-keepers are be-
ginning to leani that a cross between
the different races gives better workers
and more honey. Some (jueen breed-
ers are already awake on this import-
ant point, and are putting into the
market queens that are bred for pay-
ing (pudities rather than fancy colors ;
and there can be no doubt but the
coming bee will be much superior to
any that we now have, if we manage
wisely.
It will be well, however, for us all
to be mindful that after all the most
careful and judicious crossings have
been made, we may, by other improper
management, defeat the very purpose
for which we are laboring. If the
bees were left to manage their own
affairs, in their own natural way, then
the law of natural selection would
dictate that none l)ut the fittest would
survive ; and that " survival of the
fittest " means " improvement of the
stock." That improvement would be
slow, yet it would be sm-e— all the
same. "The most prolific queens would
produce the most voung swarms, and
the best winged drones would meet
the most queens ; and also, the best
workers, would produce more combs
and store more honey for breeding
and winter supplies. But when we
take control of them and dictate what
shall be their conditions and sur-
rovmdings, then it is better that we go
a little slow and careful, lest we in
our eagerness to advance our own
present interest or convenience, do a
great injury to the bees ; for when
bees are injured, then it is that api-
culture suffers at a corresponding rate.
Longevity is a most desirable qual-
itv in the coining bee, and anything
tliat shortens up "the working days of
the bee is all the while sapping the
very foundation of bee-keeping. It is
well understood that our present bees
live from September until April or
;May following, and be it understood
that it is during these cold months
that bees in the northern climate are
subject to disease consequent to cold
and confinement ; and yet while strug-
gling against these unfavorable con-
ditions, they are found living tJ or
even 8 montlis, yet in June and July,
and a part of Slay and August, they
only live about a weeks. Now, why is
this great difference in the longevity
of bees during the different seasons
of the year V it cannot be that proper
exercise in the open air is what
shortens up their life in summer, for
we know that when they are diseased
in winter a good fly in the open air
restores health ana (juietude. This
fact alone is ample proof that out-
door exercise is not what shortens up
the life of the bee in summer. One
writer has expressed his belief that
bees in summer work themselves to
death. I cannot agree that this can
be true from tlie fact that natural law
dictates that all animals live by their
own efforts ; and we find them pros-
perous just in proportion as they are
able to surmount obstacles and over-
come difficulties that they encounter.
Labor promotes health, but indolence
weakens it.
Each creature is endowed with fac-
ulties or members, the functions of
which are adapted to the performance
of the work ot procuring a livelihood,
and it any one or more of these mem-
bers are by accident or otherwise dis-
abled, then the creature labors to a
disadvantage, and its life is shortened
just in proportion to that disability
or inability to procure a livelihood.
A proper exercise of any one or more
of these members increases their
strength and dimensions, but inac-
tivity renders them weak and dwarf-
ed ; and long continued disuse reduces
them to mere rudimentary conditions.
While the above is true, it is
equally true that over-work or exces-
sive strain would injure any member
of the bee or any other animal. I
hold that incompetent wings and
wing power is the chief cause of the
sliortness of the summer life of the
bee. The first indications that such
bees are failing in summer, is the torn
and ragged condition of their wings.
It would appear reasonable to any
rational man that if one bee having
perfect wings, and another having its
wings torn and ragged were at the
same locality and a long distance from
home, each equally loaded and having
to face an opposing wind, there
would be a survival of the fittest, while
the other would perish.
We have no proof that the general
health of the worker bee, at the age of
.5 or 6 weeks in summer, is more im-
paired than that of the bee of the
same age, in inactive life, in fall or
winter ; or that the former would die
any yoimger in summer, if it could
have perfect wings, than would the
latter in confinement. It is true that
the former is exposed to birds and
storms, but it is equally true that the
latter suffers equally as much from
confinement and its attendant results.
Let us consider for a moment what
we are doing with our bees. Some
are expending thousands of dollars
and years of valuable time in breeding
up bees that show the greatest num-
ber of and most brilliant stripes.
Others are striving to produce large
bodies; others trying to produce
tongues long enough to work on red
clover ; others trying to produce a red
clover having shallow tubes to fit the
tongue of the bee ; others (more prac-
tical) are working for the production
of bees that manifest the greatest
honey-gathering qualities. All seem
to be hopeful that they will attain to
those desirable ends. .
Now please allow me to ask : What
would we think of a man that would
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
577
advertise that he was trying to raise
a superior stock of yellow queens and
using black queens and black drones
for starters V What of another who
was striving for the development of
long tongues, and all the while de-
priving the mother-queens of their
tongues V What of another that was
woiTcing for large bodies, and all the
while using the smallest queens for
breeding stock V We would pronounce
them all crazy, or at least most woe-
fully inconsistent. Are not many bee-
keepers (and some who claim to be
teachers,) virtually acting just as in-
consistent V All will agree with me
that a bee may have bands, (or stripes,)
color, long tongue, large body, and
ever-so-much energy, and yet with fee-
ble wings, or no wings, all these fac-
ulties or qualities would be unavailing.
I have thus led the readers along this
pathway, over which I felt assured
they would willingly accompany me,
until we have arrived at our present
stand-point. See how hard we are
trying to improve our stock, and then
what next do we do V Why, we just
allow our young queens 5, or perhaps
1-3, minutes to" meet the drone, and
then cut off her wing, or wings, and
never allow her to fly again. We thus
throw her flying members into disuse,
and as I have shown, continued disuse
renders a member or faculty rudimen-
tary.
Again, all will agree with me that
a mother can by no possible means
transmit tliat which she doee not pos-
sess; and furthermore, that the off-
spring cannot inherit that faculty or
quality which the parent was unable
to transmit. If it be asked : How
then can the stock be improved 'i I
would answer : An individual, after
birth, may, by proper management,
have its members or faculties devel-
oped to a higher and better condition,
and that improvement may be trans-
mitted to its offspring. The improve-
ment of the race can also be made, to
a certain extent, by the crossing of
the diflereut breeds. If a faculty or
member of the individual becomes
weak by disuse, then that condition
of weakness may be transmitted to
the offspring. Disease may be trans-
mitted from parent to offspring ;
weakness is only another name for
disease.
I would ask bee-keepers a question,
which they will please answer through
the Bek Jouknal. In view of the
above tru'hs, which queen do yon
think would tiansmit to her offspring
Hie greatest amount of wing power i
The one that is deprived of her wings,
and those members all through her
life being in a dormant state, or the
one that is allowed to retain her wings
and compelled to fly as often as cir-
cumstances would justify V
If I were offering queens for sale,
as superior stock, I would compel the
brood mothers to fly often, even if I
had to toss them up to give them a
Orion, Wis., Sept. 14, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Comb Honey without Separators.
Alfred Gale and Wife.
We will here give our experience in
producing comb honey, with and with-
out separtors. We got our first one-
pound sections in August, 1880, and
used separators ; about one-half of the
combs were more or less fastened to
them, and we had to put all that
touched the separators back into the
hive to be finished up without separa-
tors. We tried a few racks the next
summer without separators ; there
was at least »ne-fourth of them which
we could not crate. Tliese we sold at
home. This season we had 1,200
pounds of marketable honey, and 200
pounds not finished up, which we kept
for home use ; and of all this there
was not 20 pounds which we could not
crate.
Now for the way we did it. We
take thin comb foundation, cut in a
triangular shape, large enough to go
the length of the groove in the sec-
tion, and kept watch of them after
they were ou the hive to see that none
of them bulged into the others. If
there were, we cut it oft evenly, and
put it next to one with a smooth face.
The hollow one, if some of it was
capped, we cut the caps off, and put it
next to a smooth one, and the bees
filled it up nicely. We have sold all
our honey ; at home we could get only
1.5 cents per pound.
We took the first honey off on July
10th, and sent a few sample crates to a
merchant on South Water street, Chi-
cago, on the 1.5th ; and for this we got
22 cents per pound, and from that to
17 cents, the lowest. We sent 10 crates
per week. Just when it was nearly
all gone, he wrote to us to send 30
crates per week, as he had places to
sell it. We put our honey in twelve-
pound crates, having a label on each
section ; the crates were neatly made,
with glass in front, and wedged tight
on the back. We had no honey dam-
aged in shipping. Jf we had 3 tons
more we could have sold it all " like
hot cakes."
Shelby, Ind., Oct. 18, 1883.
1^ The Northwestern Bee-Keepers'
Society will meet in La Crosse, Wis.,
Friday, Nov. 16, in the City Hail.
E. Markle, Pres.
For the American Bee Journal.
The Cause of Fertile Workers.
J. B. MASON.
What apiarist of any note is there
who has not been troubled with fertile
workers V and which of them can give
an absolutely correct solution of their
cause V Many theories have been ad-
vanced, from time to time, in regard
to them, none of which, I apprehend,
satisfied their author any more than
those who read them. Why, again, is
the term "fertile" applied to these
egg-laying pests? A "drone-laying
queen " is called unfertile, then, why
call a "laying worker" fertile when
we know it is impossible for it to be-
come fertilized? I trust the term
" fertile " will be dropped entirely, and
the correct terra, viz. : ''laying worker"
will hereafter be use<l m its stead.
Had the bee-keepers in tlie past, and
more especially those who assume to
be teachers, been more careful in their
choice of terms and statements of re-
sults, the science of apiculture would
be far in advance of what it now is 1
It behoves us, then, to use great care
in making statements, and avoid the
use of ambiguous or double-meaning
terms.
The old explanation of the cause of
laying workers, or, at least the way in
which they derived the power to be-
come such, was that they were reared
in the immediate vicinity of queen-
cells, and partook of a portion of the
royal jellv, in those cells ; this idea or
e.xplanation is now fully exploded, and
bee-keepers to-day are striviu"; to find
a correct solution of the problem. It
has lieen stated that they are only
found in a colony that had long been
queenless ; that only one exists in the
hive at at time ; that one is reverenced
as is a queen when present ; that col-
onies containing these " laying work-
ers " cannot be induced to accept a
queen ; and many other curious, not to
say ridiculous statements have been
made in regard to them, none of which
are susceptible of proof, and many of
which show themselves on the face, to
be errors.
I have given some attention to this
matter during the last three or four
years, and while I have not discovered
the real cause of the presence of laying
workers in a colony, I have ascertained
that they are present, and actually
sometimes deposited eggs in the cells
when a fertile prolific queen is in the
hive. This I have seen several times.
I have also seen several " workers "
laying in the same hive, at the same
tirne, with no attention bemg paid to
them by the bees.
If the organs of the laying worker
from some cause are partially devel-
oped, we should expect to see some
change in their form by which they
could easilv be discovered, but such is
not the case ; the only way in which
they can be found, is by seeing them
in the very act of depositing eggs.
This I have seen many times, and
have found no difference in the ap-
pearance of those laying, from any
other worker. I have found laying
workers in a hive that had not been
queenless over twelve days ; this lay-
ing worker being nianv days, and
doubtless weeks old. This last fact
does away entirely with the royal-
jelly-eating theory, and is prima facie
evidence that any worker has the
power, under certain circumstances,
to lay drone-producing eggs.
Queens have been reared at a time
when no drones occupied the hives,
but ere long drones have been found,
and the tiueeii has been fertilized by
them ; at least no other solution could
be given of their fertilization, except
that they were fertilized by these
drones, and no solution could be given
of the existence of these doiies, except
that they came from the eggs of a
laving worker.
In tlie matter of introducing a f ertil*
laying queen to colonies that contain
" laying workers," I regard it just as
safe as in introducing to a colony that
has just had its queen removed ; aye,
and even safer, as a rule. It is true,
578
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
that exceptional cases may occur,
where a colony having laying workers
may refuse to accept of a queen, or
even a cell ; but, does not the same
occur at times with colonies that have
just had their queens removed V
We must go slow in matters con-
nected with oee-culture ; avast field is
open before us from which to glean
facts and gain information, and he
will prove the most apt scholar who
throws prejudice and preconceived
notions aside and accepts facts as he
sees them. It is very jilcasaiit to start
a theory^ and then endeavor to bend
facts to it, but the better way, and the
only one by which truth will be dis-
covered and error rooted out, is to
fonn a theory from well-established
facts.
If it is true that some of the new
races of bees are particularly prolific
with " laying workers," a grand
chance now oners itself to make some
valuable discoveries in regard to them.
Let us all take hold of the work and
do " our level best " to find out the
truth.
Mechanic Falls, Maine, Oct. 3, 1883.
the limb and secure honey in this way,
but we should not think this practic-
able.
A few days since a gentleman called
to inquire how to feed a oolony of
bees in a nail keg. lie said that " he
had put a box of feed on top, bored a
hole, and he could not get them up."
We told him to put several spoonfulls
of syrup down tlie hole at night, so as
not to attract the robbers, and put a
little from the hole to the feed and
they would soon find it, and continue
doing so and they would come regular-
ly to be fed, like chickens.
Peoria, 111.
^Hlxat mxtl Jioix).
Prairie Farmer.
How to Secure a Runaway Colony.
MBS. L. HARBISON.
ANSWERS BY
A farmer lately called my attention
to a runaway colony of bees that had
taken up their abode in a hollow limb
of a large maple tree. lie said that
his adjoining neighbor had recently
cut down a valuable tree to obtain
honey from a swarm located in it and
only obtained about two quarts. This
sacrilege certainly did not pay ; it
takes time to grow trees ; moreover
honey all mashed with bee-bread,
deadbees, rotten wood, dirt and leaves,
is poor pay for the labor expended,
say nothing of the value of the tree.
The limb that contained the colony
our attention was directed to, was
low, and consequently of little value,
and might have been cut off without
damaging the tree. If we were going
to direct its removal, we should have
all apertures leading to the colony
securely closed, so as not to be annoy-
ed by angry bees. With this end m
view, muslin might be wrapped
around and tied securely in place, all
protruding limbs and sound wood
sawed oft, care being taken, mean-
while, not to interfere with their nest.
The limb containing the colony should
be secured with ropes so that it could be
lowered gently, when it is sawed off.
To secure the best results from a
colony obtained in this way, set them
up where they would be seen when
they swarmed, and put the issue into
movable frame hives ; when they were
through swarming, the log might be
split open and the comb and remain-
ing bees transferred to a hive, or the
limb kept for its yearly swarms and as
an object of interest. The fall flow of
honey in this locality has been a fail-
ure, and if the colony entered the tree
late in the season, they have little
honey and it would be a pity to de-
stroy them for it. The owner of the
tree thought he might put boxes on to
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Qneries on Hires and Sections.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following :
1. Are your hives for 8 frames'and
12 inches wide ?
2. If you were starting anew would
you not turn your frames cross-wise ?
If not, why V
3. Would it not pay to winter on
less frames and shorter ones ? My
colonies that could not get inside of
two-stories in summer, are now clus-
tered in one-third of one-story. This
looks bad.
4. Do you prefer a two-story hive
for extracting, and how deep should
the frames be ?
5. Would the Langstroth frame not
be much better for nursing bees in
spring, rearing queens and extracting,
if the frames ran cross-wise i* I would
not give 2.5 cents per colony to get my
bees insured to winter well, but would
give much more to know how to pre-
vent spring dwindling.
6. AVouId you not prefer perforated
metal for a honey board 'i If not,
why V
7. Is the unwired Given foundation
as strong as the Dunham when of the
same thickness V
8. Will you please tell the best way
to mitre the edges of the hives to pre-
vent the wet from warping when
tiering-up. Chables Mitchell.
Molesworth, Ont.
Answers.— 1. Our hives are for 8
standard Langstroth frames, and are
\\)4 inches in width, inside measure,
in the clear.
2. By no means ; for many reasons.
The main ones being that the bees can
get at their honey much more readily
during the winter than when the
frames run crosswise. That with the
entrance in the end of the hive we can
incline it so as to keep out water and
pour in feed, and assist the bees in
house cleaning. I prefer to have my
bee entrance across the ends of all the
frames. The long frames are not only
the most economical in construction,
but in their manipulation.
3. No ; but it might pay to winter
on less frames and longer ones. We
are, the coming winter, making ex-
periments upon wintering on differ-
ent numbers of frames. I should have
no fears of the small clusters, they can
be wintered as certainly as any, by
proper management. They need bet-
ter protection from the cold, and see
that they are clustered in that part of
the hive where honey is the most
plentiful and bee-bread the scarcest.
4. For my use, all brood-chamber
frames should be standard Langstroth.
The frames for the extracting super,
I would make the same size, if I was
producing honey for manufacturing
purposes ; but if for sweet sauce,
I would make them about one-half the
depth, working the supers on the tier-
ing-up system, as laid down by Chas.
Dadant in his invaluable little work
on extracted honey. After two thor-
ough trials, of 32 colonies the first
time and 50 colonies the second time,
each run two or three years on the
horizontal system, I very much prefer
the story system of producing ex-
tracted honey.
5. In the matter of queen-rearing, I
think the crosswise frames have some
slight advantages. For breeding bees
rapidly, I prefer the standard. It is
my opinion that no bees ever " spring
dwindled" that could rightfully be
called well-wintered.
6. I do not know whether I would
or not ; am quite sure I would not for
comb honey ; for extracted, I should
prefer it, if I was sure there was no
serious drawbacks connected with it.
In August we procured four metal
honey-boards, and put them to the
best test the number and opportunity
aflorded. We have arrived at some
mistaken conclusions in the past, and
felt that we wanted more time and
more of the honey-boards to satisfy us
in regard to that matter.
7. Not quite, I think; as the side
walls of the Given are not as high,
and much softer, having less pressure,
though they contain more wax, but
the base being thinner is somewhat
weaker. We have not been able to
make practical use of full sheets of
any foundation in brood frames vrith-
out the use of wires.
8. For the purpose of shade, we use
a board 2x3 feet over each hive. This
is generally on the hives during the
entire surplus season, but not always,
though we use no beveled edges, and
have serious objections to them, or any
THE AMERICAIT BEE JOURNAL.
579
other device that prevents the lateral
motion in adjusting stories. We have
never had the water go inside our
hives.
Late Breeding, etc.
Does Mr. Heddon allow his bees to
fly at all times, or close the entrance
when the temperature is so low as to
prevent many from getting back to
the hive 'i AVhy does he object to late
breeding ? W. L. Gagj:.
Kane City, Pa., Nov. 5, 1883.
Answer.— I never imprison my
bees at any season of the year, except
when moving them. Healthy bees, if
undisturbed, are in no danger of de-
pleting their numbers by flying from
the hives wlien the weather is too cool
for them to return. I am not afraid
of late breeding when caused by nat-
ural gathering and proper tempera-
ture, but fall stimulated-breeding in
order to produce bees that can gather
no honey during that season, simply
to winter them, I object to, on the
ground that young bees are no better,
if as good, to winter healthfully than
old ones, because they are more likely
to eat bee-bread during confinement
and become sick with dysentery. In
late fall and early spring it costs a bee
to rear a new one, besides cost of feed
and labor. Finally, past experience
and observation has taught us that
bees winter no better after falls of late
breeding than when they ceased early.
No. 2 is Scutularia nodosa, the scull-
cap or Simpson's honey plant, every
where noted for its great yield of
honey.— T. J. Burrill.]
Hedge Hyssop, etc.
I send by to-day's mail 2 plants
for names. The 1st, No. 1, is a plant
having 1 or 2 stalks from the ground
up, one of which produces numerous
pods, sueli as I send. The stalk is
square and has grown this season to a
heiglith of 3 or 4 feet. It was planted
under the impression that it was
Simpson honey plant.
No. 2 is, I suppose, the true Simp-
son honey plant, or carpenter's
sq^uare, so often described. Botli grow
wild, and from their appearance I
should judge them to be good honey
plants.
I have 10 acres sown in alsike clover,
which, if mown at the proper time,
will come in after white clover. The
yield from the latter during the past
season was immense, and of excellent
quality. The drought has cut every-
thing short since the 1st of July,
N. H. Rowland.
Keene, Ky., Nov. 17th, 1883.
[No. 1 is Laphanthus nepetoides, or
Hedge Hyssop, a tall growing peren-
nial plant belonging to the mint fam-
ily, and a good honey-producer.
The Hodgson Rack.
Allow me to say to Mr. J. C. Thorn
and others, that my time is so fully
occupied, professionally and other-
wise, that I cannot give a fuller de-
scription of the section rack I use,
until I get my bees into winter
quarters. The cut in the Bee Jour-
nal of Feb. 14, page 96, may give
some additional information, though
there are no boards marked E E E, as
in description there. The "Simplic-
ity, " or Hodgson rack, is the one I
have been using for 3 or 4 years past.
I think a cut of the different pieces
separately, with an explanation there-
of, would be all that would be neces-
sary to a correct understanding of this
rack, after what was said in my last
article in the Bee Journal, page 514.
I believe Mr. J. C. Thom will find that
when the section next the glass is
ready to remove, that all the rest are
ready also, almost invariably.
T. E. Turner.
Sussex, Wis., Nov. 2, 1883.
Bee Hawks.
I send three specimens of the in-
sect genus. For the want of a better
name, I, in my nomenclature, call
them " bee hawks." I do so from
their manner of a taking in my bees.
I have watched them closely, and
noted the precision and fatality of
their dart for the alighting board.
They will poise themselves upon a
twig, near the hive, just as our blue
rifle-tail hawk does, ere he makes a
dart for his prey. This is the only
enemy I have found in my apiary.
John A. Emison.
Mission Valley, Texas.
[This is one of the bee robber-flies,
belonging to the genus Asilus, but it
is not either of the two species more
commonly observed at such depreda-
tions, neither do I know of any ac-
count of bee-killing;by this species.—
T. J. Burrill.
From Northern Alabama.
Almost 2 seasons have passed since
I wrote to the Bee Journal, saying
that bees were as rich as I ever saw
them at that time. That was from
tulip or whitewood, (generally called
" poplar " here.) The weather turned
cold, and continued so until June 10,
when the warm weather set in and
continued until July 4, and then we
had a rainy season until September 15,
and then cool weather followed again.
I knew the consequences very well,
during the coming winter, ol*^ " our
little fellows' famine." They consum-
ed a considerable quantity of honey
during the cold and cool spell, from
April 11 until June 10, being nearly 2
months. Nearly three-fourths of the
bees were lost by starvation, last win-
ter and spring. I lost about 40 per
cent, of mine for the want of food in
due time ; I was sick in the winter.
and family troubles prevented me from
feeding them. I saved only 12 of them.
The spring was cool until May 1, then
we had a warm spell for 2 weeks, when
it became cold again until June 1,
when it became warm again. That-
was favorable for the linden, which
gave a good flow of honey, which, when
sealed, looks almost like cream. The
bees built a good supply of honey-
comb last year, and it was valuable
this summer. My 12 colonies stored
3G0 pounds of linden honey ; I could
have had half as much more if the
hives had been uniform in size. I sold
my honey at from 10 to 12^ cents per
pound. Our local demand for honey
is not as good as it was 15 years ago ;
but I get as much now from linden as
I then got from honey dew. We have
not had a honey-dew flow since 1877 ;_
and but 1 from poplar and 3 flows from
linden. The fall weeds bloom all
through September ; when this month
is warm, they collect a great quantity
from them. They do tolerably when
the weather is warm, for the cool
weather arrests the flow of honey from
the plants. John M. Ryan.
Apple Grove, Ala.
More Asters.
I send three plants on which the
bees work nearly all the time they are
in bloom, which is from 3 to 4 weeks.
Please give the common and botanical
names in the Bee Journal.
Bunker Hill, 111. Geo. Drew.
[These are all asters, whose value as
honey plants is widely recognized.
They are, however, autumnal bloom-
ers only, hence cannot afford the bee
pasturage that some others do. They
are seldom cultivated for this purpose,
and in a wild state, only grow where
they are undisturbed from year to
year, as along the fence rows or in
open grounds not closely pastured.
No. 1 is Aster Imvis
No.-2 is Aster ericoides.
No. 3 is also an aster.
T. J. Burrill.]
Details of My yield of Honey.
I see on page 506 a request from T.
J. Tiffany for a detailed report of the
big yields. To answer his question in
full would take too much space, but I
will say that I obtained an average of
265 pounds of extracted honey from
10 colonies in 1882, and 150 pounds
average from 20 colonies this season,
and I am satisfied that the sequel was
in feeding. I use the two-story Lang-
stroth hive, 20 frames, for extracted
honey. In 1882 I fed sugar, 2 pounds
to 1 gallon of water. In 1883 I fed
honey, raising a frame from the lower
story, uncapping it, Iianging it in the
upper story, and putting on empty
combs in the centre of the brood nest. ■
If there is no honey in the lower story
I uncap a comb that I have for that
purpose, and hang it in the top story
and turn down one corner of the
blanket to let the bees pass up to it.
Wm. Malonb.
Oakley, Iowa, Oct. 15, 1883.
580
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
A. Curiens Freak.
In the German Bee Journal, of Nord-
liiigen. No. 19, volume 39, I read the
incredible but true fact that a Mr.
Anton Kremer, school director and
bee master in Schroda, Germany, saw
on July 20th, at 3 o'clock p. m., on an
open space of ground, a drone which
was dragged along by a worker bee.
In going near to examine the pair, he
found that they were closely hung to-
gether, a drone and a worker hee ; that
the drone was dead and had its geni-
tal organs fastened in the vagina of
the worker, so tliat by gentle pulling
they could not be separated. He
placed the pair in alcohol, but the
worker was strong, and it required
several dippings under before it was
dead ; then on recommendation f)f the
editor of that journal, Mr. Kremer
personally delivered the pair to the
Kev. Pastor Schonfeld, the greatest
scientific and practical bee-keeper in
Germany, to investigate, and he sends
word to the above paper that "'the bee
which hangs together with the drone is
not a small qveen, but a real worker-
bee."
The bees are of the common Ger-
man race. The above paper will pub-
lish the result of the investigation as
soon as it is accomplished. Rev.
Schonfeld is in possession of a very
great microscope, which the bee-keep-
ers in Germany bought by subscrip-
tion and placed in his hands.
Wm. F. Kanzler.
Fulda, Ind., Nov. 3, isas.
(ilood Enough.
My report is as follows : Fall of
1882, 71 colonies ; lost 6 in wintering,
lost 4 in spring, sold 1 ; balance, 60.
Fall of 1883, 11-5 ; comb honey, in sec-
tions, 2,300 pounds ; extracted hojiey,
4,200 pounds. The spring was wet and
cold ; clover commenced to yield honey
on June 3rd, and it was of good quality.
Swarming commenced June 5th, and
ended July 4tli. Fall crop rather
light. S. H. Moss.
Colchester, 111., Nov. 6th. 1883.
The Thickness of Sections.
I have just been reading on page 5i>4
what Mr. A. J. Fisher says about the
thickness of sections, and will give
my experience. Several years ago I
tried the wide frames, to hold 6 or 8
two-inch pound sections, with separa-
tors, but I soon found tliat they were
fcoo much bother and would not pay,
so I have been using a " case " with a
bottom in it, though I prefer a case
like Mr. Heddon uses. I also wanted
to use, during the past season, thinner
sections, so that the combs would be
built straighter. I have used 8,000
sections 4%x4%xl J^. I like them very
well, but hnd that they weigh, when
filled, 18 ounces. As I prefer 1}^
inches for the thickness of the sec-
tions, I would suggest that the size be
43^x4J^xl3^ for those who can use
them on their hives ; those who use
Langstroth hives are all right, with
the Heddon case of 7 sections to the
foot, 434x43^x15^, scant. If 13^ inches
is the proper thickness, the sections
might be made 43^x5x1!^ ; the Heddon
case would then hold 32 one-pound
sections, or the 8-frame Langstroth
hive. I find that foundation that is
made thin enough will sag and warp,
so I use guides 1}4 inches by the full
width of the sections. I do not con-
sider the Given foundation thin
enough to use full sheets in the sec-
tions ; it will not be as thin and nice
as natural comb. I fear it will by-
and-by be worth less in the market, if
people know it. R. S. Becktell.
Three Oaks, Mich.
(xoue to Florida.
I came to Florida via sailing vessel
from New York to this place, thence
to Palalka, Astor, Ft. Mason, Eutis,
Tavares, in Orange Co. Built a sail-
boat, came the entire length of the
Ocklawaha river to the mouth of tlie
St. John's, and then hack to this place.
I secured 80 acres in Marion Co., near
Orange Spring, the only place in the
interior that I found honey plentiful
and bees common and clieap, with
palmetto and other honey-producing
plants in alnnidance. Having traveled
by water about 400 miles, from the
head of Lake Dora to tlie ocean, camp-
ing out during the entire journey, I
have suffered less from the heat and
insects than at the north, with good
health since my arrival.
Jko. Y. Detwiler.
Jacksonville, Fla., Nov. 5, 1883.
My Report for 1883.
As I could not be present at the late
Northwestern Bee-Keepers' Conven-
tion, and add my report to the others,
I will do so now. I commenced tlie
honey season with 80 colonies, but few
of them being in an average condition.
I had about 3 weeks good flow from
white clover, none whatever from
basswood, and less than a week's good
yield from buckwheat and fall flowers.
The season, on the whole, was less
than an average. I now have 155 col-
onies in winter quarters ; I have taken
9,S00 pounds of honey, mostly extract-
ed ; about 3,000 pounds of it being on
hand. In addition to the above, I
have about 30(J pounds stored away in
frames for feeding next spring, if
needed. My honey has nearly all
been disposed of at wholesale, bring-
ing from 7J^ to 12 cents per pound,
net ; averaging fully 10 cents net. As
1 have been to no expense for new
hives or other supplies, it leaves nearly
all my income as profit. This makes
a fair show for the poorest season I
have had in 4 years.
O. O. POPPLETON.
Williamstown, Iowa, Nov. 2, 1883.
Large Oaks from Little Acorns.
I was much pleased to notice in the
Bee Journal of Nov. 7th, the item
concerning the good work Dr. B. F.
Hamilton, of Terre Haute, Henderson
Co., 111., had done for the Journal.
About one year and a half ago I had
business in the village of Terre Haute,
and met, for the tirst time, Dr. Ham-
ilton. At that time I discovered that
the doctor had an attack of " bee
fever," and for a favor which he did
me, I proposed to send him the 'Bee
Journal, free, for 5 or 6 months.
My proposition was cordially accepted,
and the Journal was sent on its
mission of love and usefulness. Short-
ly after I ordered the Journal sent
to the doctor, he wrote me telling me
how much pleasure he experienced in
perusing its well-tilled columns, and I
relt certain that the doctor was enlist-
ed for life in the good cause. I am
happy to learn of Dr. Hamilton's suc-
cess in securing subscribers to the old
reliable, and can only say to others,
" go and do likewise.'" There is my
1^, doctor, for a fraternal shake,
with the hope that one of the happiest
hom's of your life was when you be-
came a subscriber to the Bee Jour-
nal. J. R. Baker.
Warsaw, Indiana.
Bees in Good Condition for Winter.
I am preparing my bees for winter.
I have 31 colonies and the most of
them are in good condition. This has
been a very bad season for honey ; I
got plenty of increase, but only about
200 pounds of honey. Wm. Ashcom.
Ligonier. Pa., Nov. 6, 1883.
The Michigan Convention.
Dear Mr. Editor :— May I ask you
to call special attention to our next
annual meeting to be held in Flint,
Dec. 5 and 6, of the Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association. We expect to
have by far the best meeting ever held
in the State. It is expected that the
Rev. L. L. Langstrotli will be present.
To see and hear him will pay any one
for the trouble and expense incident
to the journey. We also expect D. A.
Jones, A. I. Root, C. F. Muth, and
hope to have C. C. Miller and T. G.
Newman. From what I hear, Michi-
gan bee-keepers are to be out in force.
Hotel rates are to be $1.00 a day. Fur-
ther particulars as to programme, will
be given soon. We expect to get re-
duced rates on the railroads. To aid
in this, and that I may know how
many certificates on railroads to ask
for, will every one in this or other
States who expect to come, drop me a
card at once to that effect 'f
A. J. Cook, President.
Lansing, Mich., Oct. 15, 1883.
P. S.— I got the date of the above
Convention wrong, in a previous no-
tice. The date should be Dec. 5 and
6. A. J. Cook.
It certainly seems reasonable that a
specialist who gives his constant at-
tention to chronic diseases, should ac-
quire a valuable experience and a
proficiency which should make his
opinion of especial value. Therefore,
those who have long suffered from ill
health, or merely felt themselves "out
of sorts," and have failed to get relief
from advice of home physicians,
should take advantage of the liberal
offer of free consultation and advice
made by Dr. E. B. Foote, of 120 Lex-
ington Ave., N. Y. City. A practice
of over thirty years, enables hira to
discover at once the nature of obscure
affections, and to offer suggestions for
cure or relief which are sure to be
plain and direct to the point.— Ado.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
581
<f p^jetial gloticcs.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you Iimvp paid your
subscription on the Bee Jul unal.
For safety, when sending money to
this oflSce get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2.5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$.5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00 ; or 1000 for
$15.00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Our New List of Premiums.
Getting up Clubs for 1884.
To increase the number of readers
of the Bee Journal, we believe, will
aid progressive bee-culture and help
to elevate the pursuit. We,therefore,
offer the following premiums for
getting up clubs :
While no subscription to the Bee
Journal will be taken for less than
the regular advertised prices (viz. :
Weekly, $2.00; Monthly, $1.00),— any
one getting up a club of two copies,
or more, may select from " Our Book
List " anything therein named, to
the amount of 1.5 cents for every dollar
they se7id direct to this ofiice, to pay them
for the trouble of getting up the club ;
and these books will be sent, postpaid,
to any address desired.
For a club of 3 Weekly or 6 Monthly
and $6.00, we will make an additional
present of a Pocket Dictionary, bound
in cloth, containing 320 pages.
For a club of .5 Weekly or 10
Monthly, (or a mixed club of both,)
with $10, we will, in addition to the
1.5 per cent, present a copy of the
American "PoruLAR" Dictionary,
comprising every word in the English
language that enters into speech or
writing ; it contains 32,000 words and
phrases,670 illustrations and 512 pages;
it is nicely bound in cloth, and will be
sent by mail, postpaid, to any address
desired.
For a club of $20,-10 Weekly, or its
equivalent, we will present, besides the
15 per cent, a tested Italian queen.
Announcements for larger clubs
will be made hereafter.
Subscriptions for two or more years
for one person, will count the same
as each year for a different person.
Trial Trip, until Dec 31.— 25 cents.
Wishing to be able to reach several
thousands of the old-fashioned bee-
men, and by the aid of the Bee
Journal to lift them up to higher
ground, adopting newer methods and
progressive ideas, we make the foUow-
jng very liberal offer : We will send
the Weekly Bee Journal till Dec. 31,
071 trial, for 2.5 cents. In order to pay
for getting up Clubs, we will give a
copy of Fisher's Grain Tables, or
Scribner's Lumber and Log Book, to
any one who will send us five trial
subscriptions (with $1.2.5) ; for a club
of ten we will give a cloth copy of Bees
and Honey ; for a club of 1.5, a cloth
copy of the 7th edition of Cook's Man-
ual of the Apiary ; for a club of 25, we
will present both the Manual and Bees
and Honey. If any one wants these
Books for nothing, here is on excel-
lent opportunity to get them for a
little exertion.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within two weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper- label. This
gives a statement of account evei-y
week.
1^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. —We have
just issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
any address for ten cents.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
1^" The new two cent rate of pos-
tage for letters went into effect on
October 1 . Three cent postage stamps
will now be but little used. For all
fractions of a dollar sent to us here-
after we should prefer either 07ie-cent,
or else five or ten-cent postage stamps,
or a Postal Note. Do not send coins
in any letter.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
582
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OrriCB OP AuEKiCAN Bee Journal, {
Monday. 10 ». m., Noy. 12, 1883. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demand for comb honey la fair
with a fair supply. Offerings of extracted honey
are plentiful, and there la a large supply on the
market. The demend la slower than last season,
but appears to be ImproylnR gradually. Choice
comb noney brings 12(3150.. andextracted7@9c.!on
Arrival.
BKBSWAX— Is of ready sale at 28(930 on arriyal.
CHAS. F. MCTH.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2
lb. sections. ]7(fli2Ic. Dark and second quality,
14<«l.'>c. : extracted white clover In kega and bar-
rels. 9Winc.; dark. 8c.
BBESWAX-Prlme yellow, 27(a29c.
H. K. & F. B. THDKBKB & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The demand for honey Is good. Choice
1 lb. sectiona of white comb, well fliled. brings 18(^
20c.; IH to 2 lb. sections, Ifi<a>i8c. No demand for
dark comb honey. Extracted honey la bringing 8
@loc. per pound, according to booy. color and
flavor.
BEESWAX- PrimeyellQw, 33c.; medium. 28@30.
K. A. BUKNETT. 161 South Water St.
BAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— Market la well stocked with ordinary
?ualitiea. Inquiry for the same Is not active. For
ancy comb It is an easy matter to secure custom.
While to extra white comb, 16@18c.; dark to good.
12^140.; extracted, choice to extra white, 7H's8H;
<lark and candied. H'^^Tc.
BEBSWAX-Wholesale. 27@28c.
8TBAHNH & SMITH. WS Front Street.
ST. LOOIS.
HONEY- Choice in better demand, bat un-
changed. Sales chiefly in a small way. We quote
strained and extracted at0ti(g.7c. Comb at 14(5316.
BKKSWAX-Readily salable at 26^1127 forchoice.
W.T. ANDKKflON A Co.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CUOVELAND.
HONEY— Choice honey is In excellent demand
now. Every lot receivetl thus far in good order,
has been sold on arrival; best I lb. sections bring-
ing IHc. quickly, occasionally I9C.: 2 lb.. I7C, with
an occasional sale at 18. Second quality and brok-
en lots are very bard to sell. Extracted honey not
in demand.
BEESWAX-28C.
A. C. Kendei.. II.'S Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY-We quote extracted honey at KHj^llc.
with a good demand. We have sold easily four
times as much extracted aa we ever did before.
BEESWAX— We have none to quote.
BLAKE & RIPLEY. 57 Chatham Street.
KANSAS CITY, MO.
HONEY— The demand for comb honey la still
largely in excess of receipts, and prices fully sus-
tained. Choice 1 and 2 lb. sections. l7i«iIHc. Some
excra fine lotjs have brought 19(a'2oc. On extracted
honey the market is well supplied, sales ranging
from 7(<it9c.. according to quality and condition.
JEROME TwiCHELL, 536 Delaware Street.
1^ It would be a great convenience
to US, if those sending us Postal Notes
or Money Orders, would get the issu-
ing Post-master to make them pay-
able at the " Madison Street Station,
Chicago, m.," instead of simply
•'Chicago." If they are drawn on
Chicago, they go to the general office,
and we have to make a trip of six
miles to get them cashed ; when if
they are drawn on the Sation as above,
it is only a few steps from our office.
When sending us money, if you will
please remember this, you will much
oblige the publisher.
Emerson Binders— made especially
for the Bek Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
1^ We need the numbers of the
Bee Journal for August, 1866, and
April, 1876. Any one having tlipm to
spare, are requested to send us a Pos-
tal Card. We will give 25 cents for
each. Do not send them without
writing, for we want only one of each ;
and, if we are not already supplied,
we will take them.
[^" It must' be understood that,
should an advertiser desire to cancel
an unexpired contract, he can do so
only by paying regular rates for the
number of insertions his advertise-
ment has had.
1^" When in earnest it is quite sur-
prising what a man can do. Dr. B. F.
Hamilton, a well-known physician and
surgeon of Henderson County, Illi-
nois, has sent us 27 new subscribers.
If all those who have a little leisure
would do as much in proportion to
the busy Doctor, what a " boom " we
should have ! The Doctor has re-
ceived as jnerniums quite a number of
excellent bee books. Those who want
to add to their libraries, will now be
able to do it, for a few hours work in
getting subscribers for the Bek Jour-
nal. Who will try V
Later. — Mr. D. G. Parker, one of
the wide-awake bee men of Missouri,
has sent us ,^59 new subscribers. They
are rolling in at about a hundred a
day. All those who are thus devoting
a little time to the matter, liave our
thanks as well as the premiums. See
a new List of Premiums on another
page.
Vandervort Com!) Fdn. Mills,
Send Tor Samplea A Seduced Prlce-I.l>t.
32ABtf J. VANDERVORT, Lacyville, Pa.
Sweet Glover
AND OTHER SEEDS.
Haring a LARGK stock of SWEKT CLOVER
SEKII, I can fill orders at £Sc. per pound
I13.S5 per peck, or SiaS per busbel.
Also, all other SEEDS for HONEY PLANTS,
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
023 West Madison Street. Chicago, III.
APIARY FOR SALE.
ErerythtriK complete; ST* Colonies In LaoKstroth
hives, well t-t'jr<?(t with honey, also new btves, sec-
ttonn. frames, foundiitlon. extractor, smoker, etc
Good locatinn ; abundant home mariiet for boneT'
from 51 a colonies. Siatica compe'ls me to sell
Address, A. H. IIOI,<;OMB.
46A4t Bit WINNEBAGO, ILL.
BEES,aUEENS
APIARIAN IMPLEMENTS,
SEND FOIt CiaCCTLAR TO
FI.A.JI \(lA.fl <lk IL,1,INSKI,
i.oek Box 99.5, BELLEVILLE. St. Clair Co. ILL.
lABly
SAMPLE SECTION RACKS.-In answer to many
inquiries, I will furnish fampies of trie septlon
rack I use for T.'iO. T. B. TURNER, Sussei, WU.
FOR SALE.— 200 colonlesof BEES in one and
two-story :i(^-frame Langstroth hlveH.
O. M. BLANTON and O. C. VAUGHT.
46A3t GREENVILLE. MISS.
BEESWAX
WANTED !
HIGHEST Market Price Paid.
Please state Quality and Quantity.
JAMES IIBDDOIT,
DOWAGIAC, MICH.
One Dollar per Copy.
The first and second editions of the HANDT
BOOK comprised 2,^^*0 copies. We have a few
bobks left which we will mail to any address, if
called for soon. forll.'X) per copy. The Book con-
tains I'lt! pHRe-— is printed In clear. large type on
best paper, and is neatly b(jund in cloth. We have
not put the book In tlie hands of dealers, as we
chose to sell it to our customers with other goods,
wbii'h we sell at prices very near the cost to man-
uf *cture tiiem. To those who paid *i.2.s for the
book, we will, on receipt of :i"c. in stamps, mail one
of Liicke's Perfection Bee-Keeders. Iiandy Book
and Feeder, by m;iil. ¥!..'>'). Send the money atmy
risk. Do nut pay luc to reBister it. Prospectus
and special circulars descrlbluK three new and
useful articles for the apiary, sent to any address.
Make Postal Notes and Money Orders payable on
Salem, Mass., P. O.
HENRY ALLEY.
44Dn 'WENHAH, MASS.
ANEW^HIVE
Arranged for continuous passage ways and con-
tinuous combs, so that greater ease and rapidity In
the handling of sections Is gained, also a larger
production of comb honey. Although patented, a
legal right to makeanduse will be accorded to any
one purchaslnKa sample hive, the right only to
manufacture to sell or convey to others bein^
with -held. A stand, alighting board, entrance
blocks, two division boards, ten brood frames, 32
1 lb. sections and the improved section tlxturee. all
packed in the hive. Price of tlrsl hive, including
the above parts and a special circular on the mode
of management, |7.(X». A fine Photo sent for 8
two-cent stamps. Orders tilled In turn.
Reference : Kxchange Bank. New Philadelphia.
Address, 1>R. O. I.. TINB.EK.
44Atf NEW PHILADELPHIA. O.
Boney! Honey!! Fruit!!!
Twenty nice black Tartarian CUKRRV TREKS,
byexpress. for tl.io. These are :t feet— over and
under; can send IM) small ones by mall, post-paid,
foril.iX). CBA8. KISreSI.KY,
45AJ>1 GKEENKVILLK. Greene Co., TKNN.
cyj^'
C^-
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OE THE PRODUCERS OF HONEY.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., NOVEMBER 21, 1883.
No. 47.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Phopriktor,
^' From a recent letter, we learn
that ]\Ir. Frank Benton, late of the
Michigan Agricultural College, but
now residhig at Munich, Germany,
intends to make another journey to
Cyprus, Syria, etc., for the purpose of
obtaining pure bees from tliose coun-
tries, for breeding purposes. He leaves
Munich in -January next, and intends
to return there in April, 1884.
^" We have received one of Mr. T.
J. Cook's new bee bruslies, intended
for brushing the bees ofi the combs,
which we have placed in our museum.
A letter just received from Mrs. Cook
states tliat Mr. Cook died on Monday,
Nov. 5, 1883, but giving no particulars.
The Bee Journal condoles with the
bereaved in tlieir affliction.
1^ The Florida Enterprise thinks
tliat the happiest set of men in the
vicinity of New Smyrna are apiarists,
and says : "Olaf Oleson has extracted
over 40 barrels of choice honey, and
was compelled to stop for want of
barrels, and is now gathering it in
neat one-pound sections. R. S. Sliel-
don comes next, while his neighbor.
Dr. Goodwin, has been busy building
up his apiary for the coming season.
Messrs. Rowly, Hart, Brown, Lewis,
and ottiers have no reason to com-
plain."
^° "Trichinae; their microscopy,
development, death, and tlie diagnosis
and treatment of Trichinosis," by W.
C. W. Glazier, M. D., assistant Sur-
geon, Marine Hospital Service. This
is the title of a pamphlet publisliedby
the Illustrated Medical Journal Co.,
a copy of which is on our desk.
Mr. King's Visit to Cuba.
The '"Bee and Poultry Magazine " for
November makes tlie announcement
that Mr. A. J. King, its editor, has
gone to Cuba for his health, and to
establish an apiary in the Island of
Cuba. The following is an editorial
on the subject in that papaf :
The steamer which carried Mr. King
southward, also carried on board 100
full colonies of Italian bees, and all
the parapliernalia of an apiary. There
was also on Ixiard tlie able apiarist —
Mr. Osburn — wlio is to take charge of
them on Cul)ian soil, and manage the
apiary for Mr. Casanova, who believes
firmly that it is a paying thing to keep
bees, and we agree witli him.
Mr. King is going to set out the
grounds for the apiary, and see that
every tiling is working as it should,
before he leaves the sunny land. He
will be gone two months or more, and
will return by way of the Southern
States, visiting soiiie of the principal
apiaries below tlie Dixie line.
The following is a letter from Mr.
King, since liis arrival, and will be in-
teresting to onr readers :
San Mignel, Oct. 23, 1883.
After quite a rough-and-tumble
journey, fraught witli much incon-
venience and full of incidents, which
I choose to relate at some future time;
we are here 20 miles southeast of Ha-
vanna, witli tlie bees, all of which
came safely with the loss of 4 colonies,
and these were lost since leaving
Havana.
This is truly a wonderful country,
and one which, to all appearances,
seems to enjoy one continuous honey
flow. The iiiimber (if flowering trees,
shrubs and plants are simply over-
whelming, and far beyond my powers
of classification. The soil is wonder-
fully fertile, and produces abundantly
froni year to year without manure.
The face of the' country is diversified
with hill and dell, and running streams
of pure spring water are plentiful.
The climate is lovely ; no fogs, no
frost — but one everlasting spring.
Flowers are continuous. Tlie palm,
orange, banana, lemon and many other
fruit trees producing largely cif both
honey and pollen. Fruits in all the
different stages of development, from
the flower to the rijie fruit, are contin-
uous throughout the year.
The inhabitants are, as a rule, rather
indolent ; as nature iiroduces, unaided,
all they need for eating and wearing
apparel. Rains of short duration are
frequent, so that everything looks
fresh and inviting at all times. Of
course there are disadvantages which
I will relate in future letters, when I
shall have had time to write up the
" ins and outs " of cuban bee-keeping.
A. J. KiNCi.
1^ Frank Leslie's Illustrated Week-
ly gave a full page engraving, on Aug.
26, of a Bee Farm in Brookfield, Conn.
This shows that the " sweet pursuit "
is rapidly coming into notice.
Count Robert of Paris.— T. B.
Peterson & Brothers, Pliiladelptiia,
publish this day, " Count Robert of
Paris," being the Fifth Volimie of their
new and cheap edition of " Tlie Wa-
verly Novels," by Sir Walter Scott.
1^" The Bee-Keepers'' Magazine is
after the first of next January to be
the title, and SI the price of the Maga-
zine, published by King & Aspinwall,
in New York. The Poultry part is
then to be dropped.
^' The Kansas Bee- Keeper is on
the first of January to be raised in
price to $1 a year.
Shipping' Receipts.— Mr. J. O. Todd,
of Richmond, Iowa, asks as follows :
" When you ship honey, or any freight
on the railroad, and the agent gives
you a receipt that they have received
your goods, do you hold the receipt or
send it to the party you sliipped the
goods to 'i* Answer , through the
Weekly Bee Journal." Of course
it should be sent to the consignee,
so that lie can obtain the honey of
the railroad company. Some Railroad
companies will not deliver goods until
the receipts are produced.
1^" We need the numbers of the
Bee Journal for August, 18(36, and
April, 1876. Any one having tliem to
spare, are requested to send us a Pos-
tal Card. We will give 2.5 cents for
eacli. Do not send them without
writing, for we want only one of eacti ;
and, if we are not already supplied,
we will take them.
588
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Honey as a Medicine.— Recipes,
The following recipes, in wliicli
honey is one of the principal ingredi-
ests, are translated from a recent
number of the Bienenvater aicsBohmen,
by Mr. A. K. Kohniie :
Constipation.— Honey, especially
the solid parts of the granulated, eaten
on bread, instead of butter, will liave
the desired effect. That part of honey
which does not granulate, possesses
this property in a much less degree.
A sauce made of prunes, boiled and
sweetened with honey, is an excellent
remedy.
In dangerous cases apply an injec
tive of milk and honey, having the
temperature of the blood, about 97° or
98° Fahr.
Suppressed Peespieation. (Tak-
ing cold. — Barley soup sweetened with
honey, drank before retiring; or oat-
meal soup with honey, drank warm.
Asthma. — Grated horse radish mix-
ed with honey ; one tablespoonfull
taken before going to bed.
Consumption.— Physical exercise,
especially horseback riding before
breakfast ; the body to be rubued thor-
oughly with a woolen cloth, night and
morning ; bedroom, an upper story,
with a window partly open day and
night; retiring and rising early ; main
diet to consist of farinaceous food and
vegetables ; for drinking, nothing bnt
milk and honey, mixed half and half,
either warm or cold.
Ceoup and Hoaeseness.— a gar-
gle made of sage tea, sweetened with
noney, or pills made of mustard flour
and honey.
Whooping Cough.— A decoction of
wheat bran mixed with milk and
honey, drank frequently, gives relief.
Worms. — Before breakfast lake a
tablespoonfull of honey, or a tea made
of peppermint sweetened with I3 to J^
its bulk of honey.
To Remove Fish Bones and simi-
lar hard objects which have become
lodged in the throat. — Make a large
Eill of wax, (as large as can possibly
e swallowed,) dip in honey and let
the patient swallow it.
To Cure a Burn oe Scald.— Cov-
er the the same instantly with honey,
keeping it so until the pain ceases.
^" From the Bienenvater aus Boeh-
men we learn that at the census taken
in 1880 in the Empire of Austria (ex-
clusive of Hungary), it was found that
926,312 colonies of bees were kept,
which produced 38,412 metric hundred
weights of honey and wax (about
7,682,400 lbs.) representing a value of
2,134,272 florins, or about $1,067,136.
There are IS large apicultural societies,
with a membership of 7,100— and 11
bee-papers are published. The exports
exceeds the imports by 4,300 metric
hundred weights of honey, and 800
metric hundred weights of wax.
Preventing Honey from Granulation.
Prof. J. W. Colcord, of the Ameri-
can Pharmaceutical Association, gives
the following on the above subject, in
the Scientific American :
Having for several years had con-
siderable trouble and loss in keeping
pure extracted honey, on account of
its tendency, in a short time (particu-
larly in warm weather), to crystalize,
I have been ready for any remedy that
was feasible. One lot that I purchased
in the comb and strained myself, soon
became almost worthless from this
cause. Some two months ago I had a
small lot that I found crystallized
when wanted for use, although I had
taken the precaution to cork tightly
and put in a cool place in the cellar.
It occurred to me to see what would
be the result from melting and adding
a small amount of glycerine. Placing
the bottle in a water bath, I soon bad
it melted, and added one ounce of
glycerine to about l}{ pounds of the
honey, setting it aside to cool. It has
shown no sign of re-crystallization as
yet, and I am just using the last of it.
I can see no objection to this on the
score of adulteration, or any harm
from its use. In making simple syrup,
I have occasionally found it crystal-
lized in tiie bottom of the bottle,
causing some trouble to remove, and
several times have found some chem-
ical change, which has caused an un-
pleasant odor, which I have not at all
times been able to obviate, although
using distilled water and the purest
sugar obtainable. I have not, as yet,
had an opportunity of trying the effect
of glycerine, but think it might prove
beueticial, and in no way objectiona-
ble. I have been accustomed to add
a small amount to my beef, iron and
wine for a long time, and find it pre-
vents scouring, and, in a large meas-
ure, percipitation.
The Michigan Convention.
Deae Mr. Editor :— May I ask you
to call special attention to our next
annual meeting to be held in Flint,
Dec. .5 and 6, of the Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association. We expect to
have by far the best meeting ever held
in the State. It is expected that the
Rev. L. L. Langstroth will be present.
To see and hear him will pay any one
for the trouble and expense incident
to the journey. We also expect D'. A.
Jones, A. I. Root, C. F. Muth, and
hope to have C. C. Miller and T. G.
Xewman. From what I hear, Michi-
gan bee-keepers are to be out in force.
Hotel rates are to be $1.00 a day. Fur-
ther particulars as to programme, will
be given soon. We expect to get re-
duced rates on the railroads. To aid
in this, and that I may know how
many certificates on railroads to ask
for, will every one in this or other
States who expect to come, drop me a
card at once to that effect V
A. J. Cook, President.
Lansing, Mich., Oct. 15, 1883.
We are sorry to say that we shall be
unable to attend.— Ed.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFFICE OF AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, ?
Monday, 10 ». m.. Not. 19. 1883. i
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The demand for comb honey is fair
with a fair supply. Offerings of extracted honey
are plentiful, and there is a large supply on the
market. The demend is slower than last season,
but appears to be improving gradually. Choice
comb honey brings r2@15c., and extracted 7((i«9c.lon
arrival.
BEESWAX— Is of ready sale at 28®30 on arrival.
CHAS. F. Muth.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2
lb. sections, 17fii;2lc. Dark and second quality,
14(air,G.; extracted white clover In kegs and bar-
rels, iltomc.; dark, 8c.
BEESWAX-Prime yellow, 27(?i29c.
B. K. & F. B. THDRBER & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The demand for honey is good. Choice
1 lb. sections of white comb, well Ulled, brings 18®
2nc.; 1^ to 2 lb. sections, I«@i8c. No demand for
dark comb honey. Extracted honey is bringing 8
@utc. per pound, according to bojy, color and
flavor.
BEESWAX— Primeyellow, 33c.; medium, ^SOSO.
R. A. BURNETT. Itil South Water St.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— Market is well stocked with ordinary
qualities. Inquiry for the same is not active. For
fancy comb it is an easy matter to secure custom.
While to extra white comb, ]6@l8c.: dark to good,
I2(<*'l4c. ; extracted, choice to extra white, 7H<»8>^;
dark and candied, 6^l37c.
BEBSWAX-Wholesale. 27@28c.
STEARNg & SMITH. 423 Front Street.
ST. 1,0 CIS.
HONEY— Choice in better demand, but un-
changed. Sales chiefly in a small way. We quote
stnilned and extracted at 6'4(607c. Comb at 14@16.
BBESWAX-Ueadily salauleat 26«27 for choice.
W. T. ANDERSO.V & Co., 104 N. 3d Street,
CLIBVBL.ANO.
HONE Y— Choice honey is in excellent demand
now. Every lot received thus far in good order,
has been sold on arrival; best 1 lb. sections bring-
ing inc. quickly, occasronalty 19c.; 2 lb.. 17c, with
an occasional sale at 18. Second quality and brok-
en lots are very hard to sell. Extracted honey not
in demand.
BBBSWAX-28C.
A. c. Kendel. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONE Y— We quote extracted honey at 10®nc.,
with a good demand. We have sold easily four
times as much evtracted as we ever did before.
BEESWA.\— We have none to quote.
Blakk & KiPLEV. 57 Chatham Street.
KANSAS CITY, MO.
HONEY— The demand for comb honey Is still
largely in excess of receipts, and prices fully sus-
tained. Choice 1 and 2 lb. sections, 17159 IHc. Some
extra line loLs have brought l!t©20c. On extracted
honey the market Is well supplied, sales ranging
frota 7(§i9c.. according to quality and condition.
Jerome twichell, 636 Delaware Street.
i^ It would be a great convenience
to us, if those sending us Postal Kotes
or Money Orders, would get the issu-
ing Post-master to make them pay-
able at the " Madison Street Station,
Chicago, m.," instead of simply
•'Chicago." If they are drawn on
Chicago, they go to the general office,
and we have to make a trip of six
miles to get them cashed ; but if they
are drawn on the Station as above,
it is only a few steps from our office.
When sending us money, if you will
please remember this, you will much
oblige the publisher.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
589
For the American Bee Journal.
How Far Apart Should Bees be Kept
to Insure Purity 1
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
If any of us have a particular strain
of bees we wish to perpetuate, the
question will naturally arise, IIow far
must I keep them from other bees, so
as to insure that the queens of tlie de-
sired strain sjiall not mate with the
drones of another kind of bees, thus
despoiling all our plans ?
That such thoughts are in the minds
of the apiarist, is proven l)y the ques-
tion often being asked, " How far will
a queen go from her hive to find a
mate," and other questions of similar
import. Keplying to such a question
as the above, I find this answer given
by one who should be authority.
" Queens are supposed to go a distance
of 114 to 2 miles if necessary ;" but as
he says, " are supposed," it is taken
for granted that the supposition is
based more upon what others think,
rather than upon any definite conclu-
sion arrived at by the writer. In this
case, however, there is nothing said as
to how far the drones may fly, and if
we allow the drones to fly as far as
the queens, a distance of from 3 to 4
miles would be the distance bees must
be kept apart to insure purity.
Another writer who is considered
authority on the subject of queen-
rearing, makes his views very plain
by say nig, " There are some who en-
tertain the idea that a race of bees
cannot be kept pure unless they are
kept isolated several miles from all
other races. I have tested tliis matter
carefully and pretty thoroughly dur-
ing the last 20 years, and have found
that one-half mile is as good as a much
greater distance.
He then goes on to state the length
of time the queen is gone from her
hive on her wedding trp, from which
I supposed he arrived at the above
conclusion. He gives this time as five
minutes, from which I conclude that
it is supposed that a queen cannot fly
over one mile in that time (J-^mile and
return), but as will be seen, nothing is
said of how far the drone may be able
to fly during that five minutes.
Regarding the flight of drones, he
says the " drones will sometimes fly a
mile or more, but the queens will not,"
but about how long it takes the drones
to fly that mile, nothiiig is said. But
what is to hinder those drones from
being that mile from home when the
queen gets at the end of her one-half
mile. As I see notliing to yirevent, it
looks as if the author would have to
admit that he drew his conclusions
blindly, and that he has also left a very
weak point in his argument.
Kow let us look at some facts, which
are always stronger than theories, or
anything based upon supposition.
Some 20 years ago my father planted
a piece of com on the top of a high
hill, and as the season was quite wet
during June and the forepart of July,
the weeds were quite rank in the corn
during the forepart of August. As
soon as through haying, we went into
this corii-fleld to cut the weeds. Every
afternoon from about half-past twelve
to three o'clock it would sound as if
there was a swarm of bees in the air,
and at first we looked often to see if
we could not see a swarm, but as none
was discovered, we concluded it must
be flies of some kind, which congre-
gated there to play. At this time
there were no bees nearer than two
miles from this hill, unless, pereliaiice,
a stray swarm might have been in a
piece of woodland not as far off.
Previous to this my father had kept
bees, and had often pointed out the
queen to me as a swarm was going
into the hive when he hived them, and
I knew a drone as well as a worker
bee.
One day I was sent to the corn-field
alone, and as it was a very warm day,
along about two o'clock, I got ex-
tremely tired (or, perhaps, lazy), and
so I lied down partially in the shade
of the corn to rest. As I remained
there, listening to the hum of the flies,
as I supposed, I thought I would try
to ascertain if I could see anything ;
so, shading my eyes by placing one
hand each side of them, and looking
steadily up into the clear sky ; after a
little I could see thousands "of living
creatures circling in all directions, so
swift that at times they looked like a
streak of black, shooting across the
sky. As I was looking at them, I saw
a dozen of these shooting objects give
chase after another, and soon over-
took it, when their flight was less
rapid. Circling around, they came
near the ground" and stopped on the
tassel of a stalk of corn, which stood
about a rod from where I lay. I got
up at once and proceeded to the stalk
of corn, but before I was half way to
it, one flew off, which looked to me
like a queen honey bee, and the other
fell to the ground. Upon picking it
up, I found it to be a dead drohe. Al-
though at that time I knew little
of bee lore, still I had solved the mys-
tery of the humming noise, no longer
believing it to be flies which made the
noise, but knowing it to be made by
the drones of the honey bee.
I now believe that this was a place
where the drones and queens congre-
gated, but the facts only show that
drones are numerous which fly two
miles from home, and from the next
fact which I give, I believe that there
were drones there from hives five or
more miles away.
When I first kept bees there were no
Italians nearer than five miles distant,
yet occasionally I found that some of
young queens would produce " now
and then " a yellow bee. My bees
were all black when I bought them,
and the Italians were introduced five
miles away, after I had bought the
blacks. The next season a man four
miles distant Italianized his whole
apiary, and the year following I found
nearly one-third of my young queens
producing from one-twelfth to one-
third of their bees with yellow bands.
Being pleased with the work done by
these hylirid bees, I introduced the
Italians into my apiary the next year,
which, of course, put a stop to my
observations, as to the distance queens
will mate.
From the above facts I am positive
that queens of one race will mate with
the drones of other races of bees, un-
less such are kept more than five miles
apart.
Nature has so ordered things that
the best results possible to be secured
are accomplislied by the instinct which
she prompts, and thus the queens
from one apiary are fertilized by
drones of a distant apiary, whicli se-
cures a cross that prevents in-and-in
breeding, and gives us a race of bees
capable of doing the best of work.
Tl»at it would be more to the queen-
breeders' interests if it were other-
wise, I am well aware ; but for the
honey-producer and for the perpetua-
tion of a hardy race of bees, the Crea-
tor has ordered things aright, in this
as well as other matters.
Borodino, N. Y.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Iowa Central Convention.
The Iowa Central Bee- Keepers' As-
sociation met at Winterset, Iowa, on
Nov. 2, at 10.30 a. m. There being but
few of the members in yet— adjourned
to 1 p. m., when the Convention was
called to order by the President, A. J.
Adkison.
The minutes of the last meeting
were read and approved. The roll of
members was called, and a fair num-
ber responded to their names.
The Secretary's and Treasurer's re-
ports were read and approved.
Then came the President's address
on Inprovements in Bee-Culture ; and
then the enrollment of members was
made, which now numbers 28.
The election of officers resulted in
the re-election of all, viz : A. J. Ad-
kinson. President; J. W. Graham,
Vice-President; J. E. Pryor, Secre-
tary, and Mrs. Mary Pryor, Treas-
urer.
The reports of the different mem-
bers were given. Although there was
not reported as large a honey yield as
last year, the bee-keepers of Central
Iowa have nothing to discourage them.
From 327 colonies, spring count, there
was an increase of 148, and these col-
onies produced 8,115 lbs. of extracted^
1,551 lbs. of comb honey, and 92 lbs. ot
beeswax.
The plan of wintering was discussed
to some extent.
Mr. Thils. Chantry, of Casey, Iowa,
being present, was called on to give
his plan of wintering in clamps, which
was very interesting to all present. He
has had very good success so far, win-
tering on this plan.
Motion was made that our next
meeting all bringtheir dinner baskets,
well-filled, and have a general good
time, socially.
Adjourned to meet at the Court
House in Winterset, on Friday, April
18, 1884.
J. E. Pryor, Sec.
590
THE AMERICAN BEE JOJRNAL.
For the American Bee Juurnal.
Pollen Theory, Bees in Winter, etc.
JAIEES HEDDON.
Ill reply to Mr. Pond, on page 560, I
will say that I never meant to claim,
when using the word " strain," that
I had a " fixed " race or strain of bees.
I do not think I have, and I will say
here to all, that I am constantly fixing
and trying to improve my stock, and
always expect to be doing so, whether
I use German blood with my dark
Italians, or the latter alone. For the
production of extracted honey, the
dark Italians are good enough, and,
all in all, perhaps are excelled by none,
but in the production of comb honey
I cannot think of parting with a mix-
ture of the German blood. There is
no need whatever of bringing in any
ill-temper by any such mixture, if
properly directed. I fully appreciate
Mr. Foiid's honest earnestness. I have
been right there myself.
I can see no propriety in carrying
the pollen discussion any farther. I
am, at present, preparing such tests
as will satisfy me perfectly in regard
to the correctness or incoiTectness of
the theory, and trust that my simple
reports, next May or June, will be all
the reader will care to hear from me
further upon the subject. Every one
can experiment for themselves.
Dr. Tinker opened an attack upon
this theory. I see nothing new in his
last article worthy of muc'ii argument
and space. As I am entitled to the
last word, I claim the right to correct
his mis-statements, etc. Regarding
my replies in " What and How," 1
confine my tone of answers more to
what I know than any theory, belief,
or hypothesis of mine which I may
argue strenuously in favor of. for the
sake of getting at the facts underlying
our winter disasters, while most
bee-keepers are still spending their
time telling how many laths they lay
over the frames, and which way tliey
are laid, etc., etc. Should the pollen
theory prove the correct one, I pre-
sume the Doctor will be sorry he lias
found out the truth, simply because it
was not his theory.
I have never fed glucose to bees,
but if I am rightly informed regarding
the results realized by those who have,
it has had no influence toward killing
bees by any poisonous action, but has
produced dysentery, and according to
my theory, glucose ranks as much
below honey as honey does below
sugar syrup, in point of its greater
proportion of nitrogen or vegetable
substance compared with its oxygen
or heat-producing powers.
Kegarding packing inside or out-
side of hives, I have tried both, several
times. Neither one prevents dysen-
tery, but the heavier out-side packing
giving much better protection, has
that much more tendency to prevent
and alleviate the disease, and saves
lugging about such useless loads all
summer.
Yes, I have said for years that I
believed that I could winter any one
colony of l)ees with as much certainty
as my cow, but cost and trouble being
greater than the risk, I have pref erreii
trying to find out the true cause of
dysentery, and then is the time to de-
vise cheap and practical methods of
wintering bees successfully with cer-
tainty.
I have read, re-read and studied
Mr. Corneil's last effort, and think
that lie deserves the greatest credit
for that article. I am of the opinion
that he is wrong, and that I am right,
and I am further of the opinion that
if I am wrong, he is certainly right. I
greatly rejoice in feeling that at last
we are coming to knowledge of some
value. After first admitting that by
observation and reading, we are con-
versant with many facts that seem to
coincide with Mr. Corneil's theory,
yet I wish to append a few that look
rather dark.
Now, first, regarding Mr. Balch's
bees, I think he will agree with me
that this dampness had been with
them for weeks, and that they showed
no signs of disease whatever, and from
what we know of getting bees out "just
in time to save them," we would say
these bees could have staid in another
month with, perhaps, no signs of dis-
ease whatever. I think Mr. Cornell
makes a weak point when he ignores
our ability to tell the difference be-
tween extremely damp and dry cellars
"without instruments." Knowing
the extreme dampness of Mr Balch's
cellar containing the perfectly healtliy
bees, I will venture to say," without
knowing, that the 140 colonies dying
out of 150 were better ventilated than
the healthy bees above referred to.
AVe are simply after facts, and through
them success. ISIr. Balcli, will you
not let us hear from you upon the
subject.
If I am mistaken in regard to the
humidity during our warm winters,
here is something I am not mistaken
about. AVliile bees are dying by
whole apiaries in this and other sec-
tions of the country, there were dotted
here and there individual colonies and
whole apiaries that wintered perfectly,
showing no signs of disease, without
any upward or excessive lower venti-
lation whatever. Does the " signal
service records " show that humidity
thus runs in streaks through apiaries
and districts 'r* The quality of and
bad position in which polleii may be
placed in hives, does vary in districts
and apiaries.
Mr. Cornell says. " that humidity,
cold and confinement, as factors in
wintering bees, are based on facts in
physical science ascertained and es-
tablished long before he and I ap-
peared on the scene." If he means
these are main causes, which he must,
does it not seem strange that we have
not yet learned to winter our bees ':*
Pollen as a factor in producing dysen-
tery, was not ascertained and estab-
lished before Mr. Cornell and I ap-
peared upon the scene, neither is it
yet, but I propose to agitate it till I
find out whether it is a factor or not,
and if it is, establish it ; if not, drop it
at once and continue the search
farther.
Regarding the moisture passing
from bees by transpiration and exhal-
ation, perhaps Mr. Cornell has justly
corrected me. I took my cue from the
writings of professed scientists, or,
perhaps, I may say older writers upon
the subject. However, this point
does not alter the correctness of either
theory, as far as I can discover.
When I said that bees " would not
eat pollen when in normal condition "
I meant that their instincts would
guide them to the proper food for the
season, provided they were not en-
vironed by opposing influences. To
illustrate one such influence : Bees
will eat the honey from over and
among bee-bread, and leave the nitro-
genous tissue-making food and pass
on to the more heat-producing food,
lioney, if too much influence lie not
brought to bear against such removal.
But let cold, intense and steady, sur-
round the cluster, tlius making such
removal painful or impossible, then,
when hunger begins to gnaw, a lesser
instinct gives way to a greater one,
and bee bread is eaten. This con-
sumption takes into the system mat-
ter that rapidly loads the intestines.
A strong instinct not to void in-doors,
causes the bees to hold this feces
until the return of warmth will per-
mit them to go out, and if it does not
come disease ensues.
I beUeve that honey contains veget-
able matter in such shape that if cold
forces consumption of greater quanti-
ties, and confinement prevents fre-
quent voiding that dysentery may re-
sult from its consumption alone.
Honey differs in that respect, and
glucose, no doubt, is worse tliau any
honey. Humidity plays the part of
conducting heat, and thus assists the
cold (so to speak) in intensifying its
effects.
The carbonic acid gas question, I
know but little about, but I have
known bees to winter so perfectly
crowded into little, poorly ventilated
apartments that I am of the opinion
that that question is our " gnat," and
that the " camel " is something else
entirely foreign to it. Does it not
seem strange that Mr. Corneil should
demand immediate experimental
proof that the pollen theory is correct,
when his theory, that is older than he
or I, should have been as yet of no
practical value to bee-keepers gen-
erally ¥
We now come to the case of the 10
colonies dying while the 32 left behind
all lived. If my pollen theory is cor-
rect, the agitation of moving these
bees just at that time started them to
breeding, which, according to my ob-
servation, would be productive of
dysentery, because it would rear a lot
of young bees late in the season,
which would be more inclined to con-
sume pollen, and repeat the fatal mis-
take of breeding out of season, and
would also consume stores that ought
not to be consumed. But some one
savs, " I moved my bees in the fall,
and they wintered ivell." Moving bees
does not always stimulate them to
breeding, but in some cases it does.
In regard to the excessive dampness
found in colonies having died of dys-
entery, it will be found, upon close
exam'ination, together with more ex-
tended observation, that the wet,
moldy condition is the effect of the
death, and not the cause.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
591
The excessive death rate which oc-
curred in my dry, well-ventilated iind
capacious cellar, as before narrated,
occurred alike with bees that had and
had not upward ventilation. The
atmosphere in this cellar, however,
■was so dry that no wet or moldy combs
were found in any of the hives, not
even those with the least ventilation.
Several hives of bees were tried upon
the plan of no upward, but excessive
lower ventilation ; every one of those
died ; the only one that came through
in perfect, or even good condition, of
the three survivors out of 4f), was one
summered at a distance, and brought
into the cellar in mid-winter. This
colony sat on a large box with three
others, in the same kind of hive, with
precisely the same kind of ventilation;
and while the other three died with
dysentery in its worst form, weeks be-
fore spring arrived, this colony came
out in perfect condition, with about
one-half dozen bees dead on the bot-
tom board. I cannot yet see how the
humidity theory can cover this ease,
and maiiy others well-known to the
readers and myself.
Have our readers not noticed that
dysentery and breeding are very apt
to keep company with each other ?
Does humidity, cold and continement,
" producing dysentery " and " moldy
€ombs," induce bees to breed in win-
ter V Is it not reasonable to suppose
that the handling and consumption of
pollen might induce breeeding, or that
a disposition to breed, necesitating
the manipulation of pollen, would be
productive of dysentery ?
Mr. Cornell slurs my use of the term
" guess." Is it not as modest to use
that term as to assert that his theory
of the production of dysentery is old
and well established, and yet we all
lose our bees with that disease when-
ever it rages in our locality V Should
he, or both of us, turn out to be mis-
taken, would it not be as well If he
had used the same expression V
Mr. CorneiFs request to put the bees
on combs of sugar, came too late, and
after my bees were all prepared for
winter, "but, fortunately, I have over
40 colonies prepared just in that way,
and if one of them have the dysentery
that will end the matter with me, and
I will cheerfully join Mr. Cornell in
•doing all I can to find the disease am-
bushed on the road he is following.
Last winter, with some i5 out of 50
liives, some 14 inches deep, I tried the
experiment of boring holes in the back
end, producing a circidation of air
across the bottom-board, placing the
hives above snow level. 1 succeeded
in getting the circulation, but it
seemed to make no difference regard-
ing disease — some had dysentery, and
some had not. For more than eight
years I experimented on no small
scale with different methods of venti-
lation, both in-doors and out, and
«ould never see that that was the cue
to the malady.
Dr. Southard, of Kalamazoo, a clear-
headed, close-observing, and quite ex-
tensive honey-producer, experimented
two or three years with out-door pack-
ing, between leaving the board cover
tight upon the hives, packing over this
with straw and chaff, and removing
the cover, in its stead using burlap
with the same packing over this.
There is quite a difference in the hu-
midity in the interior of shallow hives
where in the one case it has only loose
cloth and chaff to obstruct its egress,
and in the other an inch of wood, two
coats of paint, and bee-glue promis-
cuously distributed over its surface
and to seal the joints.
The Doctor is radically in favor of
the tightly sealed hives, and so uses
them. Two or three years before I
tried the same experiment during two
winters, and while colonies died both
ways, I fanced I preferred the up-
ward ventilation. Does it not look
as though these experiments on our
part missed tlie true cause altogether'?
I would be pleased to hear from the
Doctor on the subject. The ordinary
reasoner will see at a glance that
comparing one man's success with
another in a different field, must be
short-sighted or unfair. In this lo-
cality, bordering Indiana and the
marshy region, we have an excess of
bee bread m our hives nearly all the
year around, and especially in the
fall, from various fall weeds, and
dysentery rages in its worst form,
there having been but one season in
fifteen when our apiary was entirely
clear from it. This has given me a
good chance to study its nature,
though, after all, I may be mistaken.
Mr. Corneil's article, like its pred-
ecesssors, is prized by me, for whether
he has the true theory or not, I al-
ways feel as though I know some-
thing more of the laws govening
human health and proper ventilation
after reading them.
Dowagiac, Mich., Nov. 12, 18S.3.
K»ir the American liee JoumaL
The Cause of Swarms Absconding.
W. H. STEWART.
Under different circumstances, how
different is the behavior of honey
bees. At times, it would seem that
their knowledge was almost complete.
At other times, and under the most
favorable circumstances, it would
seem that they were void of even the
least degree of discretion.
For many years, many of the most
careful and and close-observing men
have studied their wants, habits and
mode of living ; and have prepared
for them almost every conceivable
form and size of hive, in some, of
which the bees find more and greater
advantages than they can find in any
hollow tree, or among the rocks ; yet
we often see them leaving a hive of
the moat approved style — turn fugi-
tives, and abscond for the woods or
caves in the rocks, where we often
find them laboring under the most
discouraging conditions.
Sometimes we notice that young
swarms of bees seem to gladly accept
of an old box or nail keg, and at other
times will, in a few hours after being
hived in one of our best hives, come
whirling out with a perfect rush, and
leave in spite of all that we give them.
Now, the question is, why do they
thus behave 'f
I will give a little of my experience
with bees, and in doing so, will give
one reason why bees thus behave— a
reason that I have never noticed in
bee books or papers.
I began to try to keep bees about 40
years ago, but many times I failed to
keep them. When we only knew how
to increase by natural swarming, and
using only the box hive, many times
two or more young swarms would
cluster together on the same limb of
a tree, and all would have to be hived
in the same box together. That, of
course, would fill an ordinary hive.
That style of hive usually had two, or
perhaps three cross- sticks through
near the center of the hive— not for
the purpose of supporting this heavy
mass of bees, but for a support of the
heavy combs that were to be built
from top to bottom of the box, which
were sometimes quite tall.
But hold ! here comes a fine young
Italian swarm rushing out of a Langs-
troth hive, in which they were hived
yesterday. Well, we went to stop
them, and thought we were smart
enough to do so ; I have detained
other swarms in days of yore, by get-
ting to them before the queen had got
out, and lifting the hive from the
bottom-board, and setting it down,
tight on the grass, and thus detaining
what remained in the hive, until those
that were out began to come back
pretty lively ; then I put the hive in
place again, and all would go well.
But this was a young queen with
wings not clipped, and she was out
before I got the hive closed (as above),
and away she went for the woods with
her half of the swarm, and I put the
half that I detained in their old origi-
nal home. They were hived on one
frame of young brood from their orig-
inal home, 4 frames of empty combs,
and enough more frames of foundation
to fill a one-story Langstroth hive,
new, clean, nice, shaded, and with
plenty of ventilation at the bottom !
Why did they leave V Had they a
plurality of queens ?
I was going to tell why young swarms
leave their new home, and, as I am
writing here on my porch and watch-
ing the bees at the same time (doing
double duty), out comes those crazy
bees— the first swarm that I havetlius
lost in the last 16 years. This is the
first swarm that has ever left a hive
that I had furnished with a full set of
combs of foundation, and I was about
to express an opinion that they would
not leave a hive thus furnished. I
never had one leave where all the
frames were filled with foundation,
but this had one brood comb.
Sometimes we think that we have
became masters of the situation, and
then some little circumstance turns up
that satisfies us that there are some
things that we have not yet learned.
But I have learned one reason why
young colonies leave their hive, and
i will tell it.
Some 16 years ago, on .Tuly 4, 1 stood
near a colony of young bees that I had
hived the day before. It was very hot
weather, and I was fearful that my
bees would leave. It was a very large
colony, and I had found that those
592
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
large colonies were much more apt to
leave a hive, than lighter colonies.
I had only been watching them
about 5 minutes, when down came a
mass of bees (about a quart), making
quite a thump on the bottom-board,
which was hung to the lower end of
the box hive with wire hooks, and
open % an inch all around, similar to
the Oliver lleynolds Vermont hive.
As the bees struck the bottom-board
they came rushing out, and I thought
they would leave ; but they soon went
back andbecamequiet. I stood watch-
ing about 10 minutes longer, wneii
down came the whole colony at once,
and out they went with a perfect rush,
and tliis time they left none behind
except the queen, whose wings were
clipped at tlie time that I hived them ;
she came hopping around on tlie edge
of the bottom- board. I caught her
and held her about 5 minutes, while
the swarm were gone, quite out of my
sight and hearing. I began to think
that they had another queen, and had
gone to the woods for sure ; but they
missed tlieir queen, and back they
came, and entered the hive again. I
gave them their queen, and then all
went well.
I began to study over the matter,
and came to the conclusion that it was
for the want of proper support, which
caused the bees to fall from the top of
the hive, and that the fall friglitened
them and made them leave. Only one
tier of bees could come in contact with
the top- board, and they must start the
first comb-building, and at the same
time, sustain the weight of the great
mass of bees that hung to them, and,
as it was very warm, the task was
more than they could endure ; and
when their strength was exhausted,
they let go, and all came down to-
gether.
I made up my mind that if bees had
ample support until they had plenty
of combs to hold to. they would stay
in almost any kind of hive.
I then got some green bushes,
stripped off the leaves and filled the
top half of the hive so full, that there
was no place but that the small twigs
came within 2 or 3 inches of each
other. I fastened the buts of the brush
to the sides of the hive with small
nails. 1 hived the next swarm in a
box thus rigged and all went well;
also, the next, and kept it up until I
had, in after years, thus hived over
300, and had no further trouble with
absconding swarms.
When foundation came into use, I
obtained a mill and began using frame
hives. I gave full sheets of founda-
tion, and, as I had no trouble witli
swarms leaving, I concluded that
foundation answered the same pur-
pose in supporting the cluster, that
the brush did.
Since I began writing this, I have
read a letter in the Gleanings for
August, by Mr.Doolittle, in which he
gives it as his opinion ; and also that
of Mr. Betsinger, that bees are more
apt to leave a hive having a card of
brood, than one having only founda-
tion.
Before I used the brush, I had for
20 years lost a majority of my heaviest
swarms by absconding, and now, if
the trouble is to come up again, it will
be rather a serious matter. Has any
one lost bees that were hived on a full
set of full slieets of foundation V Let
us hear from them.
Orion, Wis.
For tile American Bee JournaL
The!Improvement of Bees.
L. C. JOHNSON, M. D.
Previous to the introduction into
England of the Godolphin and Darley
Arabian horses, the breed of English
horses was as celebrated for its worth-
lessness as it has since become (by
judicious crossing and selecting) for
its splendid qualities.
By breeding from that "rand horse.
Eclipse, who never was ijeaten, and
whose power of speed seemed un-
limited, the English brought up their
sluggish breed to be a race of "racers."
By careful crossing, and selecting
frorii the hardy and strong, though
not large, Suffolk Pinich breed, they
have produced the monstrous draft
horses of London, which are the
wonder and admiration of lovers of
horses the world over.
By a long course of careful selecting
and crossing from the old domestic
cattle of Europe, whose best steers
weighed but little more than 1,000
pounds, cattle men now rear steers
weighing 3,000 pounds and more.
And what is true of horses and cattle,
is equally true of other kinds of do-
mestic stbck. The magnificent Cochins,
the beautiful Spanish, and the tender,
luscious Dorking, attest the success
of intelligent skill in the crossing and
select breeding of the barn-yard fowls.
Xo successful farmer could be in-
duced to feed for market the long-
legged, slim-nosed, slab-sided, elm-
peelers, formerly sold for hogs.
Turning to our fruits and vegeta-
bles, we find that high culture, with
careful selecting and crossing, has
produced marvelous results. From
the Solaneum lycoperseeum, common
wild tomato, we have developed the
magnifieen': garden tomato which is
so justly regarded as one of our very
finest fruits. Likewise tlie potato has
been brought up from a worthless
hard-woody tuber, to be a food- staple
for millions of Earth's people to almost
live upon. The strawberry, from a
berry no larger than the end of a
finger, has developed the monstrous
Sharpless, and many other varieties,
measuring six inches and more in cir-
cumference.
These results have been obtained,
not by opposing Nature's proeesses,but
by selecting and perpetuating her best
products. The very essence of im-
provement in either animals or plants,
is to develop the good points and
banish bad ones.
There is neither animal or plant
tliat offers greater facilities for this
tlian does the honey bee ; for, if we
have a single choice queen, we may,
in a few short weeks, have the entire
apiary to consist of her offspring. To
accouiplish this, we have only to de-
stroy queens whose bees possess bad
qualities, and substitute queens reared
from our better strains.
If we are to improve our bees, we
must first have clear conceptions of
the qualities to be desired, in our
ideal or perfect bee. Then, bearing
in mind tlie character and qualities of
the different races we have to begin
with, we are prepared to so manage
our apiaries as to produce a better
strain of bees than any we now possess.
The " ideal queen " should be large,
strong, active, and very prolific, as it
depends upon her to keep up a popu-
lation of from 40,000 to 70,000 insects,
whose average life is less than two
months during the working season.
A strong colony sliould have at least
60,000 bees, during the June and July
honey harvest, and, if their average
life is two montlis, the queen must
lay 1,000 'eggs per day to keep up the
strength of the colony, to say nothing
of the thousands that are to "be reared
for swarming.
The " ideal bee,"' that such a queen
should rear, must possess, in the
highest degree, the qualities of energy,
liardiness and gentleness. Energy
sufficient to induce it to gather and
store hoiiev, whenever and wherever
it is to be found. But some may ob-
ject, that if we g;et bees full of energy
and vim, they will pounce upon and
rob their wealier neighbors. I tell
you, nay ; for it is not the busy, ener-
getic colonies whose workers go to
the fields early and late, and wlio store
up for us 100 pounds and more of nice
comb honey who do the robbing. The
danger is from those colonies which
have thousands of idle bees, lying
around all day long. They, like idle
people, find some mischief still to do.
Hardiness is an essential quality for
this typical bee ; its life is a life of
labor ; joyous and happy it may he,
flitting ifrom flower to flower, sipping
nectar, " the food of the Gods," from
the beauteous cups of Nature's own
laboratory, yet the labor is severe and
constant," taxing the powers of the
insect to the utmost, during the honey
harvest. Bees, weighing liut 114
grains, often carry hoine to the hive
2 grains of honey, dropping almost ex-
hausted at the portal of home, only tcf
rest for a moment, then to hasten in,
unload and again go to the fields to
renew the burden.
Gentleness is a quality only neces-
sary for man's convenience ; it is true,
we can handle them in spite of their
crossness, but it is so much more
pleasant, and more conducive to a
serene frame of mind, to handle kind
and gentle bees. So much for our
"ideal bee." Let us now consider
some of the qualities possessed by the
different races of bees.
There are now, in this country, at
least five distinct races of our common
hive bee, the Syrian, Italian, black or
German, Egyptian and Cyprian. The
Syrian queens are wonderfully fertile.
1 "have known them to lay nearly 6,000
eggs in 24 hours ; on one occasion, I
placed a frame of foundation in a
Syrian colony, at 9 a. m., and at 5 p.
m. of the same day, I found the cells
drawn out, but no eggs ; at 2 p. m. of
the next day, I removed it and placed
it in a queenless nucleus, where it
was proven to contain no less than
5,.500 eggs, all deposited by one queen
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
593
in less than iil hours ! These queens
are exceedingly strong and liardy,
often being able to fly from the cell as
soon as they cut their way out, which
occurs in from 12 to 14 days, or from
2 to 4 days earlier than the Italian or
German bees.
Their bees come out of the cell in 17
days from the time the eggs are de-
posited in the cell, or 4 days earlier
than do Italians or Germans. This, I
think, to be due more to the abund-
ance of food furnished to the larvie,
tlian to any essential difference in
their natural time of development.
These bees give food in such abund-
ance to the larvje, as almost to cover
them, like the queen larvse is covered
and floated in the royal jelly, so pro-
digally supplied in the queen-cells.
The tiermans and Italians are poor
nurses, leaving the larvie to become
hungry, until at times they may be
seen with their necks stretched and
mouths gaping, mutely pleading for
more of the food which brings them
life.
The Syrian bees are possessed of
wonderful energy, working early and
late, flying far and wide in search of
stores ; they come rushing from the
hive, and are off like a flash to the
fields, returning heavily burdened
from the fields of toil, they hasten
past the thresliold of home as though
the fate of nations depended upon
their speed ; and this tremendous
activity is kept up all day long. This
race has the reputation of being more
cross than Italians. This, I tlunk, to
be due to their being more irritable on
the first opening of the hive, and to the
fact that they are more sensitive to
any jarring of their hives or frames
than are the Italians. The latter stick
closely to their combs after a jar,
which would send dozens of the Syrian
bees upon the war-path.
If proper care and gentleness is used
in opening the hive and handling the
frame, they are not, I think, any more
irascible than are the Italians. In
rearing queens, they will often build
from 30 to 50 cells upon a single frame
of brood. Their fighting qualities
abolish all danger of robbing, as they
not only seize an intruder before he
gets inside of the hive, but they will
often dart upon an intruder while a
foot or more from the entrance.
The Cyprians are very similar in
every respect to the Syrian bees, ex-
cept they are, possibly, a little more
irritable and nervous. They have the
same intense energy and combative-
ness. When once aroused, it is almost
impossible to subdue either of these
races by smoke. They are, I think,
longer-lived than the otlier races.
The Egyptians are quite similar in
appearance to the Italians, only they
are somewhat smaller and lighter-
colored. Their queens are wonderfully
fertile, "breeding all tlie year around,"
and, without very judicious manage-
ment, their owner will get all bees and
no honey.
The Italians are the beautiful golden
bees which revolutionized our bee-
keeping, and, by their gentleness and
docility, made scientific apiculture
pleasant and proHtable. Their queens
are more fertile than the Germans,
but less so than the Syrians. Tlie same
is true as to strength and hardiness,
they, in common with the Syrians and
Cyprians, being able to drag out and
fly off with the larva of the bee-moth,
which was formerly such a pest to bee-
keepers. As honey - gatherers, they
are almost equal to the Syrian and
Cyprian bees ; that is, a full colony of
Italians and a full colony of Syrians
or Cyprians would probably gather
nearly equal amounts of honey, but
the greater fertility of the Syrian
queens give them the • advantage by
enabling them to have a full hive at
the beginning of the honey harvest.
In gentleness, the Italians are un-
doubtedly ahead of any other race,
yet this gentleness has a limit, and
they may be aroused into a perfect
frenzy of ungovernable rage. If at-
tacked by robbers, they form a cordon
of guards about the entrance, which
effectually bars it.
As to the German or black bees, it
is difficult to name any one point in
which they excel tlie yellow races, and
yet there are men of no small expe-
rience in apiculture, who maintain
that they are equally as good as any
yellow race. It is claimed by their
friends that they are less apt to win-
ter-kill, and that they are better comb
builders and make finer -appearing
comb honey.
Now, as to the method of securing
the "ideal bee " from these different
races, I should recommend that a pure
Syrian queen be fertilized by a hybrid
drone from the Italian and German
races ; that is, the drone should be
from the egg of a queen whose mother
was a pure Italian, mated with a Ger-
man drone. This would produce a bee
one-half Syrian, one-fourth Italian,
and one-fourth German.
I would have this much of the Ger-
man blood, not because I think the
German superior or even equal to the
yellow races, but because I believe it
to be demonstrated fact, that, other
things being equal, this admixture of
the German blood greatly increases
the honey-gathering qualities of our
bees.
Another point of equal or even
greater importance than the race we
breed from, is the character of the
queen from whose brood we rear our
cjueens; she should beourvery clioicest
in every respect : size, beauty, fertil-
ity, strength and activity ; her bees
should be tested and proven to be
strong honey-gatherers, good comb-
builders, full size, and gentle, (the
color Is a matter of no importance,
tliough I must confess that, other
things being equal, I greatly prefer the
beautiful golden-banded fellows.)
The drones with which our queens
are to be mated, is a matter we cannot
absolutely control, unless we succeed
in getting queens fertilized in a closed
room, which I intend giving an exten-
sive experimental trial next summer;
without this, we can, by careful man-
agement, control it to a very large ex-
tent, unless we have neighbors within
a very few rods who have bad bees.
My plan is to select a choice queen
or queens such as I desire to breed
from, and very early in the spring to
place a section of drone comb in the
center of the brood chamber of their
colonies, (and I usually have no diffi-
culty in getting them filled with drone
eggs.) I then remove them and put
some sections in such colonies as I do
not want drones from. The bees in
this colony now care for the drone
larva;, and in due time the drones are
hatched and the sections removed.
The colony is thus supplied with the
right kind of drones, and are satisfied
without rearing drones from their own
queen. If they attempt to do so, their
drone larvai are removed, and more
drone brood given to them from a
selected queen. I thus have my apiary
supplied with selected drones, and
very rarely have I had a mismated
queen, although there are dozens of
black colonies within half a mile of my
apiary. I think if an apiary is properly
supplied with drones, a very large
majority of its young queens will find
their mates from the home yard.
In rearing queens, I place a strip of
foundation in a frame, and hang it in
the center of the colony containing the
queen I wish to breed from, and allow
it to remain until drawn out and par-
tially filled with eggs. In the mean
time I prepare a strong nucleus of four
frames of young Syrian bees, with
plenty of honey and pollen, but no un-
sealed brood. In the center of this
nucleus I place the frame of eggs from
my choice queen. I thus get the whole
attention of my nucleus concentrated
upon a comparatively few eggs, and the
queen larvie are kept abundantly sup-
plied with royal jelly, from their hatch-
ing and before, until they are capped
over. On the 11th day from the laying
of the egg. I remove the frame of
cells, without any bees, to a lamp nur-
sery, where, if I happen to be unable
to attend to the queens as fast as
hatched, they will live peaceably to-
gether for several hours. The young
queens are at once introduced to
queenless nuclei, previously prepared
for them, where they remain until
fertilized and ready for use. All the
small, sluggish and feeble queens are
destroyed, and I think I thus secure
the best possible results.
If this weeding- out process were
rigorously persisted in, other things
being equal, I think we would get
more uniform results from our colo-
nies, and not have one colony yielding
100 pounds or more of surplus, while
another by its side gives only 10
pounds, or even nothing ; in other
words, perfect, strong, active queens
should give us strong, active honey-
gatherers.
Finally, whatever race or races of
bees we keep, let us breed both our
queens and drones only from our very
best queens.
Fountain City, Ind.
^"Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
^5" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra.
594
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tbo American Bee JoumaL
Straight Combs without Separators.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
The width of the sections lias much
to do with getting straight even combs.
To get straight even combs in sections
2 inciies wide, separators are needed.
The nearer combs approacli to tlie
thickness that bees naturally build
them, the more perfect they will be.
Why are not separators needed be-
tween brood combs ? Instead of at-
tempting to answer, let producers
take a hint and make their sections
accordingly.
It is my opinion that 1^ inches is
about the best width for sections used
without separators : that is, to obtain
the straightest combs. The sections
that I used last season were 1 11-16
inches wide ; no separators were used,
yet every section was crated. Let no
one suppose, however, that every sec-
tion was perfectly true, and would lit
anywhere, as would sections built
with separators ; occasionally a comb
would be " plump " or " bulged." but,
of course, the adjoining ones would be
" thin " or concave ; hence, by the ex-
ercise of a little care, all was crated
without trouble. If a plump section
was found finished, and the adjoining
ones unfinished, the plump section
was removed and its place tilled with
a partly_ finished section, or a section
filled with foundation, and. in crating,
a lookout was kept* for " lean " sec-
tions ; by thus putting together the
thick and thin sections, there was no
ti-ouble. Xine-tenths of the sections
would fit anywhere, and truth com-
pelled me to"say that the " bulging "
was done by pure Italians. The sec-
tions filled by hybrids were like so
many " bricks," no crookedness, no
bulges, no bear combs, while the cap-
pings were of a snowy whiteness. So
marked was the difference in the
workmanship of the Italians and the
hybrids, that, after the cases of sec-
tions had been removed from the
hives, and stacked up, my brother or
myself could look them over and tell
which cases had been filled by hybrids
and which by Italians.
I use an fs-frame Lan^troth hive,
and the Ileddon case. The sections
stand parallel with the brood frames,
and I am careful to have the liives
stand perfectly level, except that they
are slightly raised at the back end. I
have tried putting a small piece of
foundation in each section as a
" starter," have filled the sections
partly full, and have filled the sections
entirely full, and I am decidedly in
favor of filling the sections full, leav-
ing J^ of an inch at each side of the
foundation, and }4 of an inch at the
bottom. When the section is filled
full of foundation, the cells are drawn
out full length next to the wood, and
the comb is well fastened in all around
the outside. Vteiug built out nearly
even with the edge of the wood ; while,
if the section isonly partly filled, the
cells decrease in depth as they ap-
proach the side of the section, and are
fastened with only a thin strip of bear
comb that is easily broken. The top
and bottom bars of sections sliould be
% of an inch narrower than the side
bars, instead of only M, as usually
made. This is a greater help in secur-
ing straight comljs without separators
than one would suppose. It seems to
induce the bees to leave a greater
space between the combs.
There is one other point. The bees
should be given the proper amount of
room, neither be crowded nor given
too much room. When too much
room is given, the bees are liable to
work first upon one side only, of some
of the foundation, and, as a result,
it warps and bends. By the way. Dr.
Miller, at the Northwestern Conven-
tion, said that he thought foundation
made upon a roller mill was more
liable to warp or curl than that made
upon a press, and I am inclined to
agree with liim. I used the Given
foundation, last year, and ask for
nothing better.
In regard to the queen being more
liable to lay in thin than thick combs,
I would say that there is a stay in the
growth of even the thickest comb
when the queen would be able to lay
in it, and if she enters the surplus de-
partment, she makes it her business
to be on hand with eggs just as fast
as the combs are drawn to the proper
depth, and it should be remembered
that she is capable of laying in a cell
that is not much more than Vg of an
inch in depth. It is my opinion that
the width of sections lias nothing to
do with inllueucing the queen in re-
gard to her entering the surplus re-
ceptacles.
i?o recapitulate : Have dark Italians
with a dash of the brown German
blood, use narrow sections, fill them
with Given foundation, have the hives
level, and keep the surplus depart-
ment full of bees.
Rogersville, Mich., Nov. 10, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
One of My Experiences.
C. THEILMAN.
they were all in the hive, the expected
fight had commenced ; tlieretore I re-
newed the same " shaking-oft " per-
formance, without better results ;
then I gave them a good spray in the
hive and let them be, as I had other
things to do. The next day t looked
for the Cyprians, but found the hive
empty with two pieces of worker comb
of the size of a hand ; one of them was
nearly filled with eggs, so I put a
swarm, that had just issued, into this
deserted hive. The new colony seemed
to be contented, as they were working
lively.
About eight days after hiving them,
I examined and found no brood, except
ill the piece above described, where
there were three queen cells and about
2.5 capped drone cells (enlarged worker
cells), and about 150 to 200 worker cells
nicely capped over. About two weeks
after, I looked into the hive again and
found the bropd all hatclied ; at least
the cells were empty and a young
queen had just commenced laying.
Now, I leave this case of experiment
to the readers of the Dee Journal to
judge, whether or not bees can, at
their will, rear either workers, drones
or queen bees from the eggs laid in
worker cells, for the possibility of
other eggs being deposited in this
piece of comb, other than from the
queen of the first swarm, is almost ex-
cluded.
The last swarm, of course, was
queenless, and therefore provided for
a queen and drones.
Thielmanton, Minn., Nov. 7, 1883.
On page 542 of the Bee Journal,
Messrs. Youngman and Trussell state
that their bees have reared drones and
queens from worker eggs and larvas,
upon which the editor remarks that
" it will be very generally disbelieved,
that bees can and will rear drones
from worker eggs." I have had this
summer (for the first time in 14 years
of bee-keeping), an experience which
I will give, and which satisfies my own
mind, that some theories do not always
prove correct.
One day in .July, I hived a large
swarm of pure Cyprians, but on the
next day I found that a good many of
the bees went back to the old hive,
wtiieh left the colony weaker that I
wished to have them ; so I concluded
to strengthen them with a second
swarm that came out on the next day,
knowing that the Cyprians would not
be willing to accept them, as I had
some sad experience before. On ac-
count of their being in the hive for 2
days, I used peppermint, giving them
a good spray after shaking them from
the frames in frontof the hi"e, uniting
the second swarm with them. Before
For the American Bee Journal.
Description of My Bee-Feeder.
DK. J. S. MC ALLISTER.
As there has been several descrip-
tions of bee-feeders published in the
Bee Journal of late, I thought I
would describe one of mine, which I
think is very practical, and one that
cau easily be made by all, especially
those who use the American or square
frame, with tight top-bars, or bars 1}^
inches wide. It can be made either
one-half the depth of the frame, or use
the whole frame, which I think is best,
and then let the bees build comb or
draw out foundation in the same, and
fill with honey for winter use, the
same as any other frame ; place it in
the center of the brood nest for winter,
and use it at any time a feeder is
needed. To make the frame and feeder
complete, nail a bottom-bar about one-
half way up the frame or a little more,
which is the same width at the end-
bar, which is generally made of Ji
stuff. Then take two top- bars and
shorten them a little, and nail one on
each side of the middle-bar, to form a
trough the length of the frame ; now
bore a hole (about one-half inch hole
will do), through the top-bar, and in
the hole place a hollow tin tube, long
enough to reach very near the bottom
of the trough, and your feeder is com-
plete. Very thin stuff for the sides
of the trough is the best, as it will not
take up as much room. I like it the
best of any device that I have ever
seen.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
595
By placing a funnel in the hollow
tube when filling the feeder, there is
no need of spilling a drop. It can be
made a ventilator or corked up, when
no ventilation is needed, by having
the tube run close to tlie bottom of the
feeder ; the bees will not pass through
it. There seems to be no need of any
float, and the bees will not till the
trough with comb.
I think I was the originator of what
is now known as the pepper- box feed-
er, and had some gentleman (I do not
remember liis name), take one to the
Vermont Bee- Keepers' Association,
about 15 years ago. I used it with a
rim that fit over wire gauze that had
been stamped to tit upon the rim, so
when used over a hole In tlie honey
board, the feeder could be removed
without letting out the bees, similar
to the Van Dusen feeder.
Allen Pringle's article on Wintering
Bees (page 547) gives many good ideas,
and I often wonder why so many rec-
ommend doubling-up in the fall, unless
they have too many bees or more
wealth tlian they know what to do
with, for I never tliink of destroying
a nice Italian queen, if I can find at
least four good, full frames of bees to
winter lier in.
I live in so much of a honey district,
that I hardly ever feed. I have in-
creased from IS to 40 this season, and
took about 2,000 lbs of honey. I shall
winter on the summer stands, as
usual.
Columbus, Neb., Xov. 9, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal,
The Best Bees, Winter Packing, etc.
E. P. CHURCHILL.
This has been one of the best honey
seasons here for years, though rather
wet and cold in the spring, yet with
proper care in early stimulative feed-
ing, I got my bees strong for apple
bloom, wliich they improved ; and, as
I am in an orchard section, they took
in a good quantity of nice honey.
One very important question (which
is often asked), is how to control
swarming ? I know of but two ways,
and that to only a certain extent ;
first, get away from Italians, and work
for extracted honey ; for when we ap-
ply the sections to the Italians, out
they go, even often witliout cells, and
when they once get on a swarming
rage, who can stop them V And when
we come to extract from Italians, they
cling to the combs so closely that it is
no small job to go through a number
of them. Does it not look as though
we had gone a little too much for
color? I think it has been over-done,
many times, though I would not com-
demn the yellow bees, for they have
some desirable points. They are so
gentle to handle, beautiful to look at,
and stay on the combs remarkably ;
'et, when we come to shake them over
he hive, what then V Instead of
dropping off (as some complain that
the blacks and hybrids do), they scat-
ter all around tlie hive, and will not
gather in half as fast as otliers.
It is claimed by some that they breed
later in the season tlian others, but I
^1
fail to see any difference in that re-
spect. Again, the honey capped by
them is not as nice as by others (even
it they.stay to cap it). So, why can any
one say they are so far ahead of others?
I have reared queens for my own
use from mv best liybrids, and until
I am more dissatisfied with them, I
shall uphold them for their good quali-
ties. The bees are easy to handle, and
when I give them a case of sections, I
am quite sure to know where to find
them.
I believe we are working to disad-
vantage by using such wide boxes,
and also too light foundation. If any
one doubts this, let him try a few
sheets of thin foundation in brood
frames, and see if they will not leave
it until tliey are obliged to use it or go
without, i have experimented con-
siderably in this matter, and shall use
thicker foundation for boxes, in the
future.
I shall also try a few cases with
sections only a little more than one
inch. I do not believe we know what
can be done, any more than Mr. Sco-
ville did, before he tried feeding bees
all winter, and reported that they
came through wonderfully well, for it
has been the old story that bees must
not be disturbed in winter. Who
knows but that the Italians have more
good reasoning powers than to think
of accepting tliose thin sheets of foun-
dation. This mav be the reason that
the other bees do the best in boxes.
I have been told by a large breeder
and dealer in bees, etc., that he paid
$8.00 for a queen, and, after testing
her, sold her and a good strong colony
for $9.00, and said they were the lazi-
est bees he ever saw, and the yellow-
I started with 11 colonies last spring;
took 200 lbs. of extracted honey, and
as much or more of comb honey, reared
.S4 queens, and now have .33 good colo-
nies. I have packed most of my bees
in a new manner, and will tell you how
it is. I slant a good shingle or board,
not more than 10 inches wide, in front
of the hive, so as to reach up about to
the upper story ; then I shake bedding
or meadow hay all up about the hive,
most in front ;" then I stand a few ever-
greens, not much taller than the hive,
about this ; then I tie the buts of two
long, slim sticks together, then take
these around the whole, and have the
tied cords come at one corner of the
hive, and then tie the tops together.
Now, I have a stay for the whole. I
tuck under more broughs, and hay
enough to make it perfectly dark, then
roll in a few clusters of hay about the
upper part, below the cover, and I feel
that I have one of the best packings
extent. No cold can get into the en-
trances ill windy weather, nor snow to
clog the entrance, nor is it so close as
to smother them. I open the entrance
about 3 inches.
I am using mostly leaves for packing
over the bees, and instead of a crooked
stick over the frames. I make a rack
of two pieces across the frames, one
inch from the ends of the hive, then I
nail strips on these, so as to hold up
the packing. The end strips are about
an inch high. These will not throw
the division boards out of place. I al-
low the one in at each end for room
to crowd down packing, as it is always
coldest at tlie ends, in a movable two-
story hive, but I use mostly two-story
chaff hives of my own make, and like
them best of all.
In this way of packing we can take
off the covers, feed the bees, etc., if we
wish, and it does away with the great
loss of bees by flying, for they are so
ct)ol that they do not know what the
weather is outside. I think it next to
a snow drift, only better, and the pack-
ing will hold some of that when it
comes. I do not say I know this to be
an improvement, but I certainly think
so.
North Auburn. Me., Nov. 5, 1883.
imixat and Boxu,
ANSWERS BY
James Heddon, Bowagiac, Mich.
W In reply to Mr. A. J. Fisher, on
page .564, 1 will say that after consid-
erable experimenting the past season,
we prefer our sections 1J| inches wide
to be used without separators, es-
pecially with the smaller-sized sec-
tions. No doubt half size starters or
pieces of foundation will guide them
in sections as straightly as pieces of
full-size, but no more so, if the full-
size pieces are properly adjusted. A
great reason for using full-size pieces
in sections, is to prevent the building
of drone comb there, in which the
queen is very apt to lay, if we have
none, or very little comb in the brood
chamber, which is the case now with
more progressive bee-keepers, who
are using full sheets of worker foun-
dation in all the brood frames. I do
not think there is much, it any more
danger of the queen breeding in thin
than in thicker sections, as she de-
posits her eggs at or previous to that
point in the growth of the comb, when
it is % thick. What prevents her
from occupying it, is the tendency on
the part or the bees to fill it with
honey as fast as built.
Yes; we find the thinner combs
built straighter.
Cellar Ventilation.
I intend to winter my bees in a
room partitioned off in the cellar, and
intend to have a 2}^ inch pipe to go
through the floor and connect with
the stove-pipe. Will Mr. ■ Heddon
please answer througli the " What and
IIow " department of the Bee Jour-
nal if it would be better to have a
branch from the main pipe in the
room, and have the main pipe go
within a foot of the floor, and the
other near the ceiling of the bee room,
596
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
so as to warm the air from the bottom
and top of the bee room V
Hamilton, Ont. A Subscriber.
Answer. — Your stove above your
cellar will not " warm " the air in any
part of your bee room at all. Should
that word warm not be draw ?
Changing it thus, I would say that I
would not use any branch to the main
pipe ; I would run the main pipe to
the bottom of the cellar, resting it up
on legs, 5 or 6 inches, and I would
prefer a pipe 5 or 6 inches in diameter.
Good Qualities ©f Cyprian Bees.
As they are often condemned for
stinging so readily, I will enumerate
their good qualities: 1. They never
volunteer an attack on anything. You
can pass the hive, and thev may alight
on you. but they do not sting, i. They
are superior honey-gatlierers. 3. Tliey
winter better than any others. AVHien
at the St. Louis fair, all thought them
"the coming bee." When thev are
pure, you can handle them with pleas-
ure by using a little smoke. This is
the second year that I have kept pure
Cyprians, and I think them ahead of
all others. I started the last season
with 26 colonies — increased to 53,
mostly by natural swarming. Though
there was no fall honey, they go into
winter quarters in good condition. On
Oct. 7, two swarms of bees came to
my apiary from a neighbor 4 miles
away, wlio kept them on the old-fogy
plan. I bived them and they are doing
well. What caused them to swarm V
Casey, 111. D. R. Kosebrough.
[They were evidently dissatisfied
with their surroundings, and, being
disgusted with their condition, they
concluded to seek other quarters.— Ed.]
Bees Buried in a Clamp.
My bees have done very well, this
season. I have 33 colonies in fair
condition. I am burying them in a
clamp. W. W. Trussel.
Colby, Mich., Nov. 12, 1883.
Wintering Bees in Northern Kentucliy.
The way I winter my bees, here in
northern Kentucky, has proved a per-
fect success every time, so far. I
simply make a slied long enough to
hold my bees, and about 6 feet wide,
three sides sided up as tightly as pos-
sible, leaving the side facing the
southeast open. I then place on the
ground about 3 feet of straw, then set
the bench on top of the straw, which
will sink down about level with the
top of the straw, in a short time ; I
then put on the hives, with tlie en-
trance facing the southeast. This
may not do in a colder part of the
country, but here in Kentucky it does
well, or at least it has done so with
me. I have 3 colonies as good Ital-
ians as I can get ; the rest in my
apiary are liylirids ; although I am
partial to the Italians, I must confess
that the hybrids are the best honey
gathers ; at least, mine are.
Adron B'IIymer.
Kenton Co., Ky., Nov. 11, 1883.
Special Premium.
Your correspondent H., in his re-
port of the St. Joseph Inter-State Ex-
position, omitted to mention the
special premium for the best 30 pounds
of comb honey on exhibition (J29.00),
which was awarded to me. I think
the report, as it stands, is hardly just
to me. The entry upon which i took
a second premium required quantity
as well as quality.
J. B. Stanclift.
Brookfleld, Mo., Nov. 7, 1883.
Too Large.
At our Fair a " Monarch " bee hive
was exhibited, but it is not a practical
hive at all. 1. It is too large to be
carried aroinid — and would require 2
men to move it at all. 2. It is too
large for one colony to keep up the re-
quired heat. 3. A man should be
made of iron to manage an ajiiary of
such. 4 The brood-chamber is large
enough for 2 colonies ; it has apart-
ments for extracted honey on top, and
at one side of the brood-chamber it
has 144 sections, quite enough for 2
hives. Beginners should be careful
not to use such a hive.
W. R. Stirling.
Fairfield, Out., Nov. 12, 1883.
Lath Hires.
^ly bees are all packed in sawdust
in hives, which neighbor Clow and I
use ; we make them of laths, and put
2 colonies in a hive. We use the
Gallup frame, and can extend the
hive, when the packing is removed
from the sides, making room for 13 or
14 frames. Wlien the honey season is
over, we take out the side frames, iind
put in tiie division boards, which are
made of laths, to make the hive porous;
that leaves the hive 12x14 inches in-
side. I leave 9 frames for winter, and
crowd the liees on to them. I tlien
put some % inch strips on the top of
the frames, and cover all with burlap,
then put sawdust on the top of the
whole hive, to the depth of about 3
inches. The hive is 2 feet high, to
receive surplus boxes. The space is
all open up to the roof, which is made
of shingles, which makes a good roof.
Bees did not do very well this season ;
we only had about half a crop. Two
of my colonies gave' 1.50 pounds of
comb honey in one-pound sections ;
the others did not do so well. One of
these qneens was a cross between the
Cyprian and Italian ; the other a cross
between the Cyprian and German or
brown bee. They are both tolerably
firey. Tlie one with the German
blood makes the whitest coml)s ; tlie
other has the most delicate and docile
bees. I have but 22 colonies. I might
have had more if had let them swarm.
I use racks holding 30 pound boxes in
each, which fills the top of the brood-
chamber. I have no trouble in know-
ing when sections are full, and no
trouble to speak of in taking them off.
D. C. McLeod.
Pana, 111., Nov. 14, 1883.
Honey Crop, Red- Headed Drones, etc.
My bees are hybrids from Syrian,
Italian and blacks. This year 1 com-
menced with 28 colonies ; increased to
•54, and extracted 2,800 pounds of
honey. The least, from my poorest
colony, being 30 pounds ; and "the most,
from my best, a pure Syrian colony,
was 160 pounds. This is the best I
have ever done, with any kind of bees.
The most serious drawback to the
Syrians, is that it takes about 10 days
before the young queen begins to lay.
The bees go into the sections with "a
will. Syrian queens need 2 more
brood frames than any others. I could
have had .5,000 pounds, this summer,
if I had extracted every 4 days ; I only
extracted 3 times in as many weeks.
During the basswood bloom, I took
900 pounds in one day, just what the
boxes held. I have 62 colonies in the
cellar in good condition. I have sold
my honey at home at an average of 11
cents per pound. I have a number of
colonies which had red-headed drones.
Where did they come from V I had 2
with white eyes. The queens are
from a pure Syrian colony, and have
half black and half red heads.
F'ayette Lee.
Cokato. Minn., Nov. 7, 1883.
fRed-headed drones, as well as grey-
headed ones, have been often men-
tioned. It is simply a freak of na-
ture.— Ed.]
The Independent.
The ablest religious and literary
newspaper published. One-quarter to
one-third larger, but the same price as
its contemporaries.
It has twenty-two distinct depart-
ments, all good, many of them of
superior excellence.
Its literary department, embracing
reviews, criticisms and notices of all
new books published, contains 10 or 12
columns weekly, and has no superior
in journalism.
During the next few months The
Independent will publish stories by
William D. Howells, author of "Their
Wedding .lourney," " A Modern In-
stance," etc. ; W. E. Norris, author
of "Matrimony," "No New Thing,"
etc. ; F. Marion Crawford, author of
" Mr. Isaacs," "Dr. Claudius." etc.;
J. S. of Dale, author of " (iuerndale";
Edward Everett Hale, author of "Ten
Times One is Ten," etc. ; Julia
Schayer, author of " Tiger Lily and
Other Stories " ; Rebecca Harding
Davis, Sarah Orne .Jewett, Fred. D.
Story, Kate Upson Clarke, and others.
Our readers who do not now subscribe
for it should read the advertisement
in another column, which gives sub-
scription rates in full. Every one
should at least send 30 cents for a
month's " Trial Trip," and make its
acquaintance. Address The Inde-
pendent, New York City.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
597
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00 ; or 1000 for
$15.00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, " Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense — enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Subscription Credits. — We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within tv,o weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Our New List of Premiums.
Getting up Clubs for 1884.
To increase the number of readers
of the Bee Journal, we believe, will
aid progressive bee-culture and help
to elevate the pursuit. We, therefore,
offer the following premiums for
getting up clubs :
While no subscription to the Bee
Journal will be taken for less than
the regular advertised prices (viz. :
Weekly, $2.00 ; Monthly, $1.00),— any
one getting up a club of two copies,
or more, may select from " Ouu Book
List " anything therein named, to
the amount of 15 cents for every dollar
they send direct to this office, to pay them
for the trouble of getting up the club ;
and these books will besent, postpaid,
to any address desired.
For a club of 3 Weekly or 6 Monthly
and $6.00, we will make an additional
present of a Pocket Dictionary, bound
in cloth, containing 320 pages.
For a club of 5 Weekly or 10
Monthly, (or a mixed club of both,)
with $10, we will, in addition to the
15 per cent, present a copy of the
AiNiERicAN "Popular" Dictionary,
comprising every word in the English
language that enters into speech or
writing; it contains 32,000 words and
phrases,670 illustrations and 512 pages;
it is nicely bound in cloth, and will be
sent by mail, postpaid, to any address
desired.
For a club of $20, for 10 Weeklies, or
an equivalent in Monthlies, we will
present, besides the 15 per cent, in
books, a tested Italian queen, by mail,
postpaid.
Announcements for larger clubs
will be made hereafter.
Subscriptions for two or more years
for one person, will count the same
as each year for a different person.
^F To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one who
buys a package of honey, will sell almost
any quantity of it.
1^ Have you ever thought how
much entertainment might be had at
home evenings, if you could only find
some way to use your chromo cards,
photographs, scrap pictures, etc., in a
magic lantern, instead of the old fa-
miliar stock of glass slides V It seems
almost like wishing for the impossible,
and yet a cheap instrument has been
invented for the purpose, called the
Polyopticon, and you can learn all
about it by enquiring of the Murray
Hill Publishing Co., 129 E. 28th St.,
New York City.
Hope for the Deaf.— In another col-
umn will be found an advertisement
with the above head. We have seen
the descriptive book coming from this
house, and judge from the testimonials
therein contained that it is a very suc-
cessful device to restore hearing. The
book is sent free. It will well repay a
perusal. Send for it.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. —We have
issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
anyaddress for ten cents.
THE AMERICAN
POPULAR DICTIONARY.
^'0.\TAININ(J
EVERY USEFUL WORD IN THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE,
With Ita Coriett SpelUne, Proper Pro-
Dunclutloii, itiitl Xi'ue MeaniDK.
ALSO, A VAST AMOUNT OF
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY INFORMATION
UPON
Science, Mythology, Biograpliy, A7nerican History.
Constituti07is, Laws, Gro^vth of Cities, Colleges,
Army and Navy, Rate of Mortality, Land
Titles, Insolvent and Assignment Laws, Debts, Rates
of Interest, and other Useful Knowledge,
BEING A PERFECT LIB KARV OF REFERENCE
IN ONE HANDY VOLUME.
&1Z pages ; Cloth ; Utlt ; IlluBtrated.
This Dictionary is our Premium for a
Club of 5 subscribers to tlie Weekly (or its
equivalent to tlie Monthly), in addition to
other Books selected from our Catalogue to
the amount of S1.50 ; all by mail, postpaid.
A POCKET DICTIONARY
Containing 330 pages, and over
25,000 Words, Rightly and Plainly Defined.
To make the pronunciation easily understood
every word is phonetically re-spelled, and the syl-
lables and accents made perfectly plain, so that no
one who consults this book can misa the proper
word to use, and giving it proper pronunciation.
This Dictionary is our Premium for
a Club of 3 subscribers to tlie Weekly (or its
equivalent to the Monthly), in .iddition to
other Books selected from oiu Catalogue to
the amount of $1.00 ; all by mail, postpaid.
598
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
1876. 0^lO""s7^1sr 1882.
The best arranged IllVK fur all purptises in
exietence. Took flrat premium at Si. Jjouis Fair
in 1882 and IK-^S over all competitors. Descriptive
Circular sent froe m all on applicatiim.
Address. EL VI IV AKMSTUONG,
Prop'r. of tbe Crown Bee Hivi' I'jictiirv and Apiary,
JEKSKYVILI-E, ILL.
APIARY FOR SALE.
Evervthine complete; 55 Colonies in LanKstroth
hives, well stored with honey, also new hives, sec-
tions, frames, foundation, extractor, smoker, etc.
Good location; abundant home market for honey
from 5no colonies. Siatica compe'ls ine to sell.
Address, A. U. UOLCOMB.
46A4t Bit WINNEBAGO. ILL.
-fo:r
BEES, aUEENS
APIARIANIMPLEJIENTS,
SEND FOIt CIRCULAR TO
F1.ANAOAN <<z IL,1,IXSKI,
Lock Box 995, BBLLEVIL LB, St. Clair Co. I LL.
lABly
BEESWAX
W^ ANTED !
HIGHEST Market Price Paid.
Please state Quality and Quantity.
JAMSS HSDDOIT,
DOWAGIAC, MICH.
A NEW HIVE
Arranged for continuous passage ways and con-
tinuous combs, so that greater ease and rapidity in
the handling of sections is gained, also a larger
firoduction of comb honey. Although patented, a
egal right to malieand use will be accorded to any
one purchasing a sample hive, the right only to
manufacture to sell or convey to others being
with - held. A stand, alighting board, entrance
blocks, two division hoards, ten brood frames, 32
1 lb. sections and the Improved section fixtures, all
packed in the hive. Price of first hive, including
the above parts and a special circular on the mode
of management, |;7.on. A tine Photo sent for a
two-cent stamps. Orders tilled in turn.
Reference ; Exchange Bank. New Philadelphia,
Address, DR. G. L. TINK.ER,
44Atf NEW PHILADELPHIA. O.
Honey! Honey!! Fruit!!!
Twenty nice black Tartarian CHERRi' TREES,
by express, for $ I. CM t. These are 3 feet— over and
under: can send 2u small ones by mail, post-paid
for 11.00. C'HAS. KISIOSI-EX,
45A2t GREBNBVILLB, Greene Co., TENN,
HOPE. °^ DEAF.
Pock*R Tntent Tnhulnr Cushinnrd Enr Driiins cnrf Dcafnoss in all stages. Recommended
by sciftitilic nun nf i:tnopc ■.\\u\ .\ nn-in a, W riic for ilhoifratetl drscriitfire bonk ami tcstinionials from
(loctors. Imljrrs. iiiiiii.-'In.s and pvoTiiini'iit iiirn anil wotih-ii w ho hav.- h.-cn nivrd, siriil who take pleasure
171 rccuininemiino them. Tlnv art- unNein while in use. conifoi lalile to w eai', and make a permanent
cure. Address.— WEST & iiO*, 7 Murray Sjt,, New- York, Agents for South and West.
The Bee Keepers' Handy Book
'Ji(> pages, bound in doth, by mail, post-paid, for
S^il.OO per copy. Send for prospectus and our
special Circulars describing three new and useful
articles for the apiary.
47Atf HENRTAr.L.EY.WENHAM.MASS.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPKE'S ADVISER.
The British BEE JouHNAi. is NOW published
SEMI-MONTHLY, lit Seven Shillinii.t, per annum,
and contains the best practical information tor
the time being, showing what to do, and when and
how to do it. Rev. H. K. P££L., Kditor.
We send the Weekly American Bee JoruNAL
and the British Bee Journal, both for I3.W a year.
1,IF£ INSXTRASICS THAT INSCKES.
THE MUTUAL RESERVE FUND
LIFE ASSOCIATION !
55 JLIberty $tt., NEW^ YORK,
and 113 Adums St., CHICAGO.
Edwakd B. Harpeh, President.
The CENTRAL Trust Company, of New York,
Trustee "/ the Resen^e Fund.
O. D. Baldwix. President Fourth Nat'l Bank,
N. Y., Auditor of Death Claim Account.
MEMBERSHIP NUMBER, 16,000.
Total Business. Seventy Millions of Dollars.
$100,000 to the Credit of the Reserve Fund.
Reserve Fund— Selected Risks-Gnnded Rates —
An open Ledger— A Trust Company as Trustee.
^" Agents wanted in Illinois.
Address, J. H. KKOX, Oen*l Agt..
45D3t 113 ADAMS ST., CHICAGO.
The Bee-Keepers' Gnide;
Or, MANUAI- OP THE APIARY.
ID, GOG SOLD SINCE 1876.
11th ThMusnnd Just Out !
10th Thousand Sold in Just Four Months !
More than .'So pages, and more than .">'> tine illus-
trations were added in the ><th edition. Ihe whole
work has been thoroughly revised, and contains tlie
very latest in respect to bee-lteeping. It is certainly
the fullest and most scientific wurk treating of
bees in the World. Price, by mall,*! 85. Liberal
discount to dealers and to clubs.
A. J. COOK.. Author and Publisher.
47DlOt 18C7t LANSING, MICH.
SPECIAL NOTICE!
"Will send you our SPECIAL Circulars deecrihing
three new and indispensable articles for the apiary.
All should have them.
HENRY ALLEY,
17Atf 'WENHAM, MASS.
FOR 8AI.E.-20fi colonies of BEES in one and
two-story i.Kl-frame LanKstroth hives.
O. M. BLANTON and O. C. VAUGUT,
46A3t GREENVILLE, MISS.
Sweet Glover
AND OTHER SEEDS.
Having a LARGE stock of SWEET CLOVER
SEEI>, I can UN orders at eSc, per pound
•3. as per peck, or »1!S per bushel.
Also, all other SEEDS for HONEY PLANTS.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 West Madison Street, Chicago, III.
To Every
TO THE
FIRE3I
Subscriber
PEOPLE'S
JOURNAL
Tlie TEOPLE'S FIRESIDE JOURNAL of New York.
now In ita SIXTH ykar, la determined to lead the race Ir
|ii-t;niiinii9. as It always lias done. In plvlnj; the best papei
fur the money. In order to get the paper into every liomt
.n the land, we give an luilucenient wlik-h canuot fail t(
iccumplish our object. We have decided to make th(
"ollowlng princely and magnificent offer to each and everj
f^jaik-r of tliis paper. It is the connnon practice oftht
cold and silver refiners of England and Switzerland tc
purchase from the pawnbrokers of their respective coun
tries all the gold and Bllver ■watches which have beet
Unredeemed, simply fur the sake of the gold and silvei
laacs. The works are then sold to a celebrated watct
firm who have made a specialty of this bnalness. The fim
places the works In the hands of BklUful workmen, whi
Ket tn work and put tliem In as gund cnntlltlon ai
ItnsBlble. These works cmbraro every variety of move
m'?nt, some of them being very fiiio and perfect time
keeper.s, all handsomely cased. We havk just purchasei
THK KNTiRR STOCK ('25,000) of a bankrnpt concern of th<
above described watches at less Xhan the first cost of th\
raw material.
Ok UECKIPT OFj2.50wewni Bend TnK rEOPr.E's Fire
sinB Journal for one year, and one of these wiitches
prepaid to anyaddre^B In the United States or Canada
W.\TCHE3 ANDFAFKH MAILED SAME PAY AS ORDIIR IS RE
CKiVED. These wiitchrn are iiotBun dials or solar watchee
but GKNDINE, GOOD TI.ME-KEKI'ING WATCHES, aild tllCJ
will only be supplied to subscribers to the Firesidi
Journal. Only one watch to each subscriber, anc
you must cut out this advortlsooen t and send It to us at
h voiiiher that you are entitled to the same. If you senc
&i} ceiiis extra, wa will send you a handsome chain an(
cliarm. We have thousands of testimonials, buthavi
no splice to print them. Our reliability is undoubted, ai
t'lo paper has been well and favorably kno^vn for sli
vears. ifyou are not ENTIRELY satisfied when you ge
the paper and watch, wo will return you the money
or >uu can send 50 cents, and have the balance collecte(
C. O. 1). if you choose, Ifyou will get n a 16 subscribers a
$2.GJ eai-li, all of whom will get the above watch, we wU
in addition send you n handsome GOLD watch for you)
trouble, either for lady or gent.
Our profit In this transaction la not going to come frort
this trade, as we lose money on It ; but when we get sub
•crlbera to our paper they like It so well they will alway;
take It. Send postal note. Address,
FZOFLE'S FIRESIDE JOUBITAL, Kc7 York
Vandervort Comb Fdn. Mills,
Seud for Suinples t.t: Seduced Prlce-l<l8t.
32ABtf J. VANDERVOET, Lacyville, Pa.
BINGHAM SMOKERS.
I can sell the above Smokers at
MANUFACTUKERS' PKICES. by
mail or express, at wholesale or re-
tail. All the latest improvements.
IncludinK THE CONQUEROR, and
THE DOCTOR.
Send for my 32-paRe Illustrated
Catalogue of Bee-Keepers' Sup-
plies of every description.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 W. Madison. CHICAGO. ILL.
SAMPLE SECTION RACK8.-In answer to many
Inquiries. I will furnish samples of the section
rack I use for 75c. T. K. TURNER, Sussex. Wla.
BEES
Send to Chicago, 111., for sample of
AMERICAN B£B JOITRNAI.
Monthly, SI a year. Weekly,»8.
(ajr-
u Jounml
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF THE PRODUCERS OF HONEY.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., NOVEMBER 28, 1883.
No. 48.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
Call Things by their Right Names.
For a long time we have contem-
plated writing an article on the above
subject, but deferred it, because of
the labor necessary to cover the entire
ground. Mr. F. L. Dougherty lately
gave the following, on this subject, in
the Indiana Fanner, wliich we quote as
an introduction to what we wish to
say. He says :
" Do not call a frame, a ' rack ' or a
'sash ;' call it a frame. Wlien filled
with comb, it may be called a comb.
A rack is a form which rests on the
hive, to hold sections. Sections are
for surplus comb honey. A hive is a
box or other receptacle for bees. A
hive full of bees is a colony. When a
colony is on tlie wing or clustered, it
is a swarm."
That is the whole thing in a nut-
shell; but to reform this extensive
abuse of language, we think will
require more tlian a passing remark.
The nomenclature of bee-keeping is
sadly out of harmony, and it needs a
thorough over-hauling to induce cor-
respondents to use proper terms, when
writing on bee topics. Quite often it
is very difficult to determine what
idea is meant to be conveyed, because
of this habit of calling things by their
lorong names.
Some writer astonishes us with the
remark that he "wintered" his
" stands in the cellar," and that " they
came out in bad shape." The "stands"
are the supports upon which the hives
rest, and as they may be left on the
places where the hives stood in the
summer, we cannot think that the
writer meant that they were taken
into the cellar at all, so we have to
imagine tliat he meant that his colo-
nies of bees were "wintered in the
cellar," though he does not say so !
He also says that his " stands "
'came out in had shape P' What!
Did the "stands" change their
shape y If the pieces of wood were
nailed in a rectangular form, did they
change, of their own accord, to a
square "shape '?" or, "WTiat was the
matter "?
Again, if we suppose that he meant
the " colonies of bees " when he said
"stands," we are "just as much at
sea " to determine what is meant by
their "coming out in bad shape!"
Did his bees change their shape?
Were they bees, when put in the cel-
lar, and were they of the shape of
mice, rabbits or birds, when taken
out ? As this cannot be what was
meant, we are called upon again to
imagine that he was speaking about
their condition. Now, all this con-
fusion would have been averted, if he
had simply said that his bees were
wintered in the cellar, and when taken
out were weak, diseased, or dead, as
the case might have been. Such lan-
guage would have conveyed an intelli-
gent idea, but to say that his "stands"
came out of the cellar in bad shape,
conveys no intelligent idea at all !
Another correspondent assures us
that " Mr. wintered in his cellar."
Did he ? Poor fellow ; what a pity
that he did not have a dwelling house
over that cellar in which to live
during the winter ! We admit that
there are thousands in crowded cities
who live, both in summer and win-
ter, in cellars, but, alas, " their days
are few and full of disease I" But our
correspondent evidently did not mean
to convey that idea at all— he only
meant to say that Mr. put his bees
in the cellar to winter them! Then,
why did he not say so, and convey an
intelligent idea ?
Another writer astonished us with
the assertion that four of his " hives
ran away to the woods !" It would
have been worth a tjip of several
miles to see hives running over fields,
fences, and perhaps rivers "to the
woods !" But he evidently meant to
say that four swarms came out of the
hives, and flew away to the woods.
That robs the matter of all obscurity !
Scores of similar nonsensical ex-
pressions are used to confuse the
reader. We have, for years, studious-
ly avoided using many of such ex-
pressions in the Bee Journal, by
coiTecting all manuscripts before
giving them into the hands of the
printers, and we already notice a very
marked improvement among our cor-
respondents, and to encourage fiu-ther
reform, we invite the attention of the
reader to the following explanations
of terms used in the pursuit of bee-
keeping :
Abnormal Swarm.— Bees leaving a
liive, from some unnatiu-al cause.
A Colony of Bees.— An organized body
of bees; and, when complete, having
a queen, a few hundreds of drones,
and many thousands of worker bees.
Improperly called a swarm, stock,
stand, hive, gum, skep, etc.
A Swarm of Bees.— Bees issuing from
the parent colony for the purpose of
increase.
After-Swarms.— Those issuing subse-
quent to the first swarm.
Alighting Board.- A board at the en-
trance, for the bees to alight on.
Apiarist. — An expert bee-keeper.
Apiary.— A place where bees are kept.
Apiary Register.— A book in which to
keep a record of both queens and
colonies.
Apiculture.— The pursuit of bee-
keeping.
Balling a Queen.— A cluster of bees
around a strange queen, trying to
sting her.
Bee Bread.— Pollen.
Bee Diarrhoea.— A disease of bees,
improperly called dysentery.
Bee Gum.— Part of a log which wild
bees have inhabited.
Bee Hive.— A box, with suitable fit-
tings, to hold a colony of bees. Im-
properly called a gum, skep, etc.
Bee House. — A house to hold several
colonies of bees.
Bee Moth. — A miller which preys upon
the combs.
604
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bee Pasturage. — Honey - producing
trees, plants or shrubs ; improperly
called artificial pasturage.
Beeswax.— A substance made by bees
for building comb.
Broad Frame.— A wide frame for
holding sections.
Brood.— Larvae in all stages.
Brood Combs.— Combs used for breed-
ing purposes.
Cases.— Wide frames to bold sections
for surplus honey.
Cells.— Hexagonal birth-place of bees
and depositories for honey.
Chaif Hives.— Double-walled boxes,
filled in with chaff, for bees, both in
summer and winter.
Cluster of Bees.— A festoon of bees
clinging to one another.
Comb Basket.— A basket to hold combs
in a honey extractor.
Comb Foundation.- Sheets of wax on
which the base of cells have been
imprinted by a machine, mill or
press. Improperly called artificial
comb.
Comb Guide.— Small pieces of comb
foundation, to guide the bees in
building combs in frames or sections.
Comb Honey.— Honey in tlie comb.
Cushion.— A bag filled with chaff or
something porous, to be placed over
or at the sides of the frames in cold
weather.
Cyprian Bees.— Bees from the Island
of Cyprus.
Dividing.— A method of increase by
dividing two or more colonies.
Division Board.— Used for contracting
the brood-chamber of the hive.
Drones.— Male bees.
Driving Bees.— Drumming on the out-
side of a box hive, to drive the bees
up into an empty box on top.
Entrance.— A passage way for the bees
to enter the hive.
Entrance Blocks.— Used for contract-
ing the entrance.
Extracted Honey.— Honey taken from
the combs by centrifugal force. Im-
properly called strained honey, which
was obiained by mashing up the
combs and straining through cloth.
Granulated Honey.— Honey formed
into grains. Improperly called can-
died and crystalized honey.
Hatching Brood.— That just emerging
from the cells.
Honey.— Nectar gathered by bees
from flowers.
Honey Board.— A board or slats used
over the frames, to support the sur-
plus receptacles.
Honey Extractor.— For extracting
honey from the combs by centri-
fugal force.
Honey Gate.— A faucet for drawing
honey from the extractor.
Honey House.— A place for storing
and extracting honey, etc.
Honey Knife.— Used for uncapping
the cells, before extracting.
House Apiary.— A building having
double-walls, in which to keep sev-
eral colonies of bees.
Hybrids.— A cross between two species
of bees.
Italian Bees.— Bees from Italy. Some-
times called Ligurian, because they
were imported from Liguria.
Introducing Queens. — Inserting a
strange queen in a colony.
Lamp Nursery.— Used in rearing
queens.
Larva and Pupa, (plirral, Lar^^se and
Fup8e).—Unsealed brood. The first
stage is the egg ; the second is the
larva; the third, the pupa; the
fourth, the imago, the last stage of
insect life.
Laying Workers. — Those workers that
lay eggs, which produce drones. —
Improperly called fertile workers.
Mandibles.— The bees' jaws.
Manipulation.— The handling of bees.
Metal Rabbets.— Strips of folded tin,
on which the frames rest.
Movable Frames.— Frames enclosing
the breeding combs, by which they
can be handled. Improperly called
sash, slats, etc.
Natural Swarm.— One that issues nat-
urally.
Nucleus, (plural, Nuclei).— The foun-
dation for a colony, with a queen or
eggs from which to rear one, and one
or more frames of bees and brood.
Nursing Bees.— Young bees whose
duty it is to care for the brood.
Observation Hive.— Having a side or
sides of glass, for observing the
work of bees.
Overstocking. — When there are more
bees in a locality than there is pas-
turage for their support.
Piping of the Queen.— Notes of anger
produced by a queen, who is pre-
vented from killing her rivals, by
the bees who intend to swarm.
Pollen.— The farina of fiowers, when
mixed with honey, the food of young
bees.
Pollen Baskets.— A cavity on the hind
legs of the workers in which to carry
pollen.
Propolis.— Bee glue, a resinous sub-
stance gathered from trees, etc.,
and used by the bees in cementing
and filling up cracks, etc., in hives.
Queen.— The mother of the colony.
Queen Cage.— A cage used in shipping
or introducing queens.
Queen Cells.— Large cells in which
queens are reared.
Queenlessness. — Colonies having no
queen.
Queen Rearing. — Rearing of queens.
Improperly called raising queens.
Quilt.— A cloth covering for frames.
Rendering AVax.— Melting combs, and
clarifying the wax.
Ripe Honey.— Honey that is ready to
be capped.
Robbing.— Bees stealing stores from
other colonies.
Royal Jelly.— Food of queen larvae.
Sections.— Small receptacles for sur-
plus honey in the comb.
Separators.— A strip of tin or wood,
placed between sections, to insure
straight combs.
Spring Dwindling.— Decimation of a
colony of bees in spring.
Starters.— Small pieces of foundation
or comb fastened to the top of sec-
tions, to induce the bees to work in
them.
Sting.— The bees' weapon of defense.
Drones have none.
Super.— A rack to hold sections on the
hive.
Syrian Bees. — Those from Syria or
Palestine. Improperly called "Holy
Lands."
Tested Queen.— One whose progeny,
when tested, is found to be pure.
Transferring.— A transfer of bees and
combs from one hive to another.
Um-ipe or Green Honey.— Honey ex-
tracted before being capped, and not
evaporated or ripened.
Untested Queens.— Those not tested
for purity. Sometimes improperly
called " dollar queens."
Virgin Queens.— Queens which have
not been fertilized.
Warranted Queens.— Not tested, but
guaranteed to be purely fertihzed.
Wax Extractor.— For rendering wax,
by the aid of steam.
Wedding Flight.— An excursion of a
virgiii queen to meet a drone.
Wide Frames,— Frames ;i inches wide,
to hold sections at the side of the
brood-chamber, or in the second
story.
Wild Bees.— Those in the woods or
rocks, etc.
Wind Breaks.— Hedges or fences to
break the force of the wind upon the
apiary.
Worker Eggs.— Eggs laid by a fertile
queen, which may, at the pleasure
of the bees, produce either workers
or queens.
Workers.— Undeveloped females, who
do the work of the hives. They are
improperly called " neuters."
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
G05
We hope that all wlio write for pub-
licatiou, or talk at Conventions, will
carefully consider this matter, and, in
future, call things by their right names.
It will save much embarrassment by
the " confusion of ideas," as well as
the annoyance of being misunder-
stood, when confounding terms. "A
word to the wise is sufficient."
Bees in Oregon.
The Northwestern Fai-vier d- Dairy-
7nan, of Portland, Oregon, gives the
following historic account of the in-
troduction of bees into Oregon :
Starnge as it may seem, there were
no wild bees to be found in Oregon,
and not even on the Pacific coast prior
to the introduction of tame ones here.
On careful inquiry, we learn from
some of the early pioneers that a man
named Buck, and at latest accounts
still living in California, made the first
successful importation of bees into
this country, lauding with several col-
onies in Portland during the summer
of I8.5.S. These bees were principally
purchased at the apiary of John I.
Wood, of Sullivan County, New York.
Mr. .Jas. Terwilliger, or South Port-
land, had the good fortune to receive
the first colony sold by Mr. Buck in
Oregon, paying $12-5 therefor. Mr.
Thos. Stephens bought the second one
sold, paying the same price. These
bees were brought to this coimtry by
way of the Isthmus route and San
Francisco, where, after a stoppage of
some considerable time, they were re-
shipped to their destination— Oregon.
:Mr. Gideon Tibbettg, of East Port-
land, is authority for the statement
that his son-in-law. Dr. D. S. Baker,
now of Walla Walla, purchased a col-
ony of bees in New 1 ork or Pennsyl-
vania, about the year 18.52, and started
with them for Oregon, coming by way
of Panama. On reaching San Fran-
cisco, the bees were found alive and
well. They were then re-shipped to
Portland, and came on the same
steamer in which Dr. Baker was him-
self a passenger. While on the way
hither from the Golden Gate, the bees
were robbed of their honey by thieving
sailors or passengers on board, and, on
the arrival of the vessel at this port,
were all found dead, having perished
through suffocation at the time of the
robbery, or succumbed to hunger af-
terwards.
In 18-58, Mr. Chas. Knowles brought
30 colonies of bees from California, on
the old steamer Columbia, and located
with them on the Tualatin Plains. In
a season or two his colonies increased
altogetlier to about 100, which he sold
for $125 each, and afterwards moved
to the lower Columbia river and made
a fresh start in the business.
Wlien bees were first introduced
into Oregon, they were objects of
much curiosity to the Indians, and to
many of the native young people
among the whites, and there were
many persons who traveled long dis-
tances to see them at work.
From a small beginning, a few years
ago, bee-culture has made great de-
velopments in this Northwest land,
and we hope, at no distant day. to see
it made one of the chief industries of
this State and Washington. To those
of our citizens who have given the
careful and intelligent attention de-
manded, bee-culture has always re-
turned handsome profits.
Be Courteous, even if you Cannot
Approve.
We are having considerable discus-
sion in the Bee .Journal now. This
is all right, if it is written kindly,
and without sarcasm. Discussion is
the royal road to progress and im-
provement, and should at all times be
encouraged. But unkind personali-
ties are never welcome, and only show
a lack of argument by the person
using them. We are more than
pleased with many controversial arti-
cles contained in several late numbers,
and hope the same kind words, but
strong arguments will characterize
those that are to follow. One of our
correspondents, in a privJite letter,
gives his views of the subject in the
following language, which we heartily
endorse :
" I trust that my opponents, if I
have any, will try and be courteous,
as while I am ready at any time to
give blow for blow, and sarcasm for
sarcasm, I much dislike so to do,for the
reason, that no good comes from it.
It may please some readers to find
articles, from time to time, where
some one vents spleen, but the ma-
jority of bee-keepers, if " wedded to
their idols," still are gentlemen, and
dislike fights where paper bullets are
used."
^5" Owing to the death of our Sec-
retary, Mr. T. Brookins, please an-
nounce in the Bee .Jourkal that the
annual meeting of the CharaplainVal-
ley Bee-Keepers' Association, will
meet in the parlors of the Addison
House, Middleburg, Yt., the second
Thursday in January, 1884.
J. E. Crane, Pres.
^' The editors of the American
Agriculturist claim that the November
number is not only superior to any
other issue of that periodical issuei
during its 43 years of existence, but is
far superior to any number of any
similar journal in "the world. They
certainly have presented an amount
and variety of matter which, consid-
ering the price of the periodical, is
remarkable.
^"Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
3ure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
Honey and Beeswax Market
OFFICE OF AMERICAN BEE .I<HJRNAL. {
Monday, 1" a. m.. Not. 25, I8«3. (
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The market is slow; arrivals exceed
the demand which, however, has Improved some.
There is a better demand for comb honey, and
supplies are short, which, no douht, is temporary,
as usual. Last year at about this time, comb honey
was at its highest, when our sanijuine friends very
naturally heid on, expecting more. However, large
supplies commenced to arrive, and prices Itept
eoing down steadily. Bee-keepers in general bent
their energies on the production of extracted
honey lai-t season, more than ever before. Wehad
a large croi>, and extracted has been dull so far.
not only because of the large supply, but because
manufacturers complain of dullness in their busi-
ness. Consequently, we have reason to believe
that the present slow market is temporary.
The present state of the honev market gives our
bee-keeping friends another chance for a disap-
pointment, to-wit; That of over-production of
comb honey another season. This is merely an
idea of my own, and our friends may take it for
what it is worth.
Extracted honey brings 7@9c. on arrival. Best
comb honey. 16^17c. in small sections.
BBESWAX— Is of ready sale at 28®30 on arrival.
CHAS. F. MCTTH.
NEW YORK.
HONEY— white clover and basswood In 1 and 2
lb. sections, 17®21c. Dark and second quality,
H^l.sc. ; extracted white clover in kegs and bar-
rels, aaioc; dark, 8c.
BEBSWAX-Prime vellow, 27®29c.
H. K. &F. B THURBERiCo.
CHICAQO.
HONEY— The market remains without change
from that of last week. Dealers and retailers buy
only enough to supply the demand for present use.
It is impossible to place lots, or entire shipments,
owing to the reluctance of dealers to buy in ad-
vence of Immediate wants. Prices obtained for
white comb in 1 lb. sections, 18@20c.: 1^ and 2 lb.,
l.scajisc, according to beauty of same. Extracted
honey, M(»lOc. per lb., according to color, body and
flavor.
BEESWAX— Yellow, 330,; medium, 28®30c.
B. A, BURNBTT, 161 South Water St.
SAN KBANCISCO.
HONEY— Market Is well stocked with ordinary
?ualities. Inquiry for the same is not active. Kor
ancy comb it is an easy matter to secure custom.
White to extra white comb, !6@IHc.: dark to good,
12@14c.: extracted, choice to extra white, 7^"i8^;
dark and candled, 6Vi)(*7c.
BBESWAX-Wholesale, 27O280.
Stsarnb & Smith. €i3 Front Street.
ST. LODIB.
HONEY— Choice comb in light supply— fair de-
mand and firm, at 15@17c,; dark, broken and poor-
ly handled, dull at less. Strained and extracted
steady at 6!,^(q)7!^c. ; choice In fancy packages more.
BEESWAX- Better, at 28c. for prime.
W. T. Anderson & Co.. lOt N. 3d street,
CLBVELAND.
HONE Y— Choice honey is in excellent demand
now. Every lot received thus far In good order,
has been sold on arrival; best 1 lb. sections bring-
ing 18c. quickly, occasionally lite: 2 lb., I7C, with
an occasional sale at 18. Second quality and brok-
en lots are very hard to sell. Extracted honey not
In demand.
BEESWAX-28C.
A. C. KEKBEL. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is very quieton honey. We
quote Ui('!;lHc. for iiest 2 lb. sections — lN<ai2uc. for
best white 1 lb., and lOc. for extracted.
BEESWAX -We have none to quote.
Blake & Riplev, r,7 Chatham Street.
KANSAS CITY, MO.
HONEY— Receipts of comb honey has been more
liberal for the past week, but the demand still
keeps everything that is of I air quality well cleaned
up. Choice I and 2 lb. sections are taken on ar-
rival at Isc; larger sections and dark honey 16®
17c. Sales of e-xtracted for the past week, about
4,()0n lbs,, mostly at m cts. The feeling for extracted
Is a little better, and I look for a tirraer market.
Jerome Twichell, 536 Delaware street.
AdTcrtisenients intended for the Bee
Journal must reach this oftice by
Saturday of the previous week.
606
THE AMERICA^^ BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee Journal.
Pollen— Now for the Facts.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
For the past three years much has
been said by the press and otherwise
about pollen as being the agent of, if
not the direct cause of our wintering
troubles with bees. Most writers on
the subject claiming that the eating
of pollen was the cause of dysentery,
for in order to become the cause, or an
agent of, the bee must eat the pollen,
as all will admit. In all of these dis-
cussions (which I have watched very
closely) about the matter, I have
failed to see any proof given that old
bees do eat pollen.
After carefully reading all Mr. Hed-
don (who has been the main agitator
of this question) has written on the
subject, I fail to find anything which
shows why he believes the theory he
advocates, unless it be on page 283 of
the Bee Journal for 1881, when he
says, " I have not found a dead col-
ony, where there was not plenty of
bee-bread, showing signs of late work
with it, or brood in all stages, and
Generally both, but nearly always
rood." But it will be noticed he
does not tell us what those signs
were, or whether he saw the signs in
the absence of brood.
On page 560, present volume of tlie
Bee Journal, Mr. Kohnke is very
positive about the matter, and says
regarding dysentery : '• If Mr. Heddon
had omitted one word in his reply to
Rev. L. L. Langstroth when he says,
'But they are sometimes compelled to
eat it ' (pollen), he would have given
the sole and only reason for bees dying
with it. Drop the word ' sometimes,'
and you have the whole thing in a nut
shell." Here, again, the reader will
notice that no proof is given to sup-
port the assertion.
Since Mr. Heddon"s article appeared
on page 283 of the Bee Journal for
1881, 1 have tried several experiments
to make old bees eat pollen when
there was no brood in the hive, all of
which have resulted in the starvation
of the bees without a bit of pollen
being consumed, as far as I could see.
The first experiment I tried was this :
I had acolony which had a queen which
produced bees of a bad disposition, so
much so that I did not care if they
died. From these I took away all
their honey as soon as they had ceased
brood rearing (which was about Oct.
12), and substituted frames of pollen
with little or no honey in them. The
resuft was that as soon as they had
consumed all the honey they had in
their sacks, when I shook them from
their combs of honey, and the little
there was in the combs given them,
they died. The pollen was carefully
marked, and the combs examined
every other day, as I wished to as-
certain the facts in the case. As long
as a cell containing a little honey
could be seen, the bees were as active
and lively as any bees, but soon
after there was no honey to be seen,
the bees became drowsy except in the
centre of the cluster. In a few days
those on the outside were apparently
dead, having most of them dropped to
the bottom Doard, or crawled into an
empty cell where such could be found
among the cells of pollen, while those
in the centre of the cluster were
sleepy as were those outside a few
days previous. At this time the
queen was still quite active with, per-
haps, a dozen bees near her, but the
most of the bees could hardly cling to
the combs, while every available cell
was filled with bees,too drowsy to back
out upon being touched.
The next examination found them
all apparently dead, but I succeeded in
bringing a tew to life by warming
them and giving some honey as soon
as they would "take it. During all
this process I could not discover that
a particle of pollen was eaten, al-
though I watched very closely. Many
interesting facts were brought out,
however, such as which bees suc-
cumbed first, that the queen was held
precious to the last, and that bees
could be brought to life after appar-
ently dead, etc., but it would be out
of place to dwell on them here.
Other experiments were tried " not
unto death," but all to no avail as re-
gards forcing the bees to eat pollen
without the presence of brood. This
fall I experimented, to see if it made
any difference whether the pollen was
covered with honey or not, giving a
colony frames having a little patch of
pollen covered with honey, all the
rest of the honey being extracted
from them. Although I held the bees
to the experiment till I starved % of
the colony, still none of the pollen
was eaten. In no case did I ever
know old bees to eat pollen except
where brood was being reared. If
pollen is used while brood is being
reared, and at no other time, then the
brood becomes the prime cause of
dysentery (if dysentery is thus pro-
duced) and the pollen secondary.
That old bees are kept from starving
during times of scarcity in spring and
summer by eating jiollen when there
is plenty of brood in the hive, I think
I have abmidant proof of, but in this
case the old bees do not partake of the
pollen, only as it is partially digested
in the stomach of the niu-se bees^and
formed into chyme, when it is fed to
the old or field bees the same as it is
fed to the larvje.
By placing frames of pollen in hives
containing iio honey at such times, I
have had the pollen rapidly consumed,
and the bees kept lively, while those
beside of them would eat up all their
brood and stai-ve as soon as the pollen
was gone, unless fed. It may be pos-
sible that as soon as brood-rearing
begins in the hive in the winter, that
the old bees are fed pollen in this
way, with plenty of honey in the hive,
but I have my doubts about it. But
if we admit this to be a fact, and that
dysentery can be thus produced, then,
as I said before, pollen can become
only secondary as to producing dys-
entery.
From all the facts brought out by
my experiments, I am convinced that
pollen eating is not the cause of dys-
entery, and here venture the assertioa
that old bees will not eat pollen ex-
c'ept as there is brood in the hive, and
shall hold to it until it can be proven
that they do.
Now, for the proof, gentlemen, and
if you- cannot furnish it, there is no
need of dwelling upon the subject.
We do not want any theories, or any
guesses about it. Simply tell us just
how you know that old bees eat pollen
when the hives contain no brood, and
if you prove they do, tell us also how
you know that by eating it, dysentery
IS produced. I wish to here thank
Mr. Cornell for his very clear and
able article on page .557. He there
gives us facts, which are of far greater
import to the bee fraternity than a
multitude of well-spun theories.
Borodino, N. Y., Nov. 13, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Packing Honey for Shipment.
JEROME TWITCHELL.
I have a great many letters from all
parts of the country asking how to
pack honey for shipment, and for the
benefit of all, I would like to make the
following suggestions through the
Bee Journal :
All honey-producers will, of course,
know that in packing the sections in
the case, they must be so arranged
that the combs will not touch each
other, nor touch the sides of the case,
and that they must be wedged in, so
that they are absolutely immovable
by the ordinary jar of handling the
cases.
I would recommend always the use
of the paper pan in the bottom of the
case, (heavy manilla paper folded at
the corners in the form of a pan). It
catches all drippings, and preserves
the cleanliness of the case. The cases
should be of clean new lumber, well
fastened together with a panel of
glass in one side any how, or even in
two sides would be all the better,
the glass serves the double purpose
of revealing the contents to the hand-
lers of it on the railroads, thereby
making them more careful, and also
affording the retail merchant a neat
and convenient package from which
to sell the honey.
Next, as to the size and shape of
the cases. These should be as nearly
uniform among all packers as possible,
and I would suggest as follows, viz. :
One-pound sections put 4 lengthwise
and 6 across in a one-story case, or
double in a two-story, making say
about 20 pounds in one and -tO in the
other. Two-pound sections, put 3
lengthwise and 4 across, making
either one or two stories, and about
20 and 40 pounds in a case.
Larger sections tlian 20 pounds I do
not recommend at all ; so I have noth-
ing to say about size of cases for them.
Secure the lids with small nails, and
not too many. There should always
be hand-holds in the ends of the cases
to insure the careful handling of
them. Mark the weights on the end of
THE AMERICA:^ EEE JOURNAL.
607
case ; never on top, as they become
blurred. The net weights are not es-
sential, but the weights of the cases
or tare must always be plainly given.
In marking for shipping use a very
small stencil or card. It the above
suggestions are adopted, comb honey
may be shipped any reasonable dis-
tance by freight vrith perfect safety,
and will Ijriiig better prices aiid
quicker reiunis than the usual slip-
snod cases in all sizes and shapes.
Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 17, 1883.
For the American Bee JourDaJ.
Marshall County, Iowa, Convention.
The Marshall County Bee-Keepers'
Association met at the Court House
in Marshalltowii, Iowa. Oct. fi. The
Vice-President. G. W. Keeler, in the
Chair. The minutes of the previous
meeting were read and approved. Mr.
C. A. Ilasken and Mr. il. M. Fuller
were received as members of the
society.
The subject for discussion, "Fall
and Winter Care.'' was then taken up.
Mr. Keeler stated that his bees are
wintered in a cellar, but he made no
fall preparation for them, more than
to put them in when it turns cold.
He puts one above another. So far he
was very successful in wintering.
Mr. liosken winters his bees in the
cellar, and preferred it to out-door
wintering.
J. AV. Sanders, being called for, said
that we should see that all were made
ready for the winter, in the latter
part of the honey season. This is
done by seeing that all have plenty of
young brood, late in the season, so as
to go into winter with plenty of young
bees. This can be done by placing
empty combs in the centre, if the
queen lacks room, owing to an over-
flow of honey, or by feeding, if there
is a lack of honey in the helds. He
thought that many colonies of bees
were lost in the latter part of tlie win-
ter and early in the spring for the
want of plenty of young bees late in
the season. For the life of a bee is
short when on the wing, and if it has
spent one-half or two-thirds of its life
in the field, it will naturally die before
another season comes in. Therefore, he
advised to have plenty of young bees to
tfike the place of the old, to prevent
what is called "spring dwindling."
Fix all up for winter after the honey
season is over by contracting the size
of the hive, with division-boards, so
that only enough combs remain to be
occupied by the bees. This will make
less space for them to keep warm. I
prefer two boards, one on each side.
The extra combs can be placed away
for use in the spring, as needed. If
any colonies are short of stores, add to
them by taking from those that has
plenty and some to spare. He prefers
a good quilt to a honey board, for a
quilt allows the escape of the moisture
and retains the heat of the bees. He
had seen hives with honey boards
damp and moldy, while in others,
close by them, the quilts were drv,
and the bees in prime condition. He
made quilts from old worn-out cloth-
ing or cai-pets, or anything that will
make a good warm quilt, the size of a
honey-board. After all are thus pre-
pared, let them remain until winter
liegins, then put them in the cellar,
leaving the entrances open full width ;
place tliem a foot or more above the
bottom of the cellar, with the back
end of the hive, 2 or 3 inches higher
than the front. Keep the cellar above
the freezing point, say about 40° to 4.5°
Falir., and give them plenty of fresh
air.
The following report was then
made : Mr. Ilasken had 15 colonies
in the fall of 1882, 13 in the spring of
1883, and has 82 now (sold 2), and 800
lbs. of surplus comb honey ; Mr. Fuller
had 5 colonies in the fall of 1882, 4 in
the spring of 1883, 12 now, and 100 lbs.
of surplus comb honey; Mr. Keeler
had 42 colonies in the fall of 1882, 37
in the spring of 1883, 62 now, 838 lbs.
of surplus comb honey and 2,880 lbs.
of extracted ; Mr. Sanders had 11 col-
odies in the fall of 1882,11 in the spring
of 1883, 25 now, 100 lbs. of surplus
comb honey, and 350 lbs. of extracted;
Mr. Brown had 2 colonies in the
spring of 1883, and has 10 now, and
100 lbs. of surplus comb honey.
The subject for discussion at the
next meeting, was " Promotion of
Bee-Keeping.'"
The Secretary stated that the Presi-
dent of the Marshall County Agricul-
tural Society requested all parties in-
terested in ,bee-culture to meet witli
the Society at their January meeting,
and assist" in making out a programme
for apiculture for the Fair of 1884.
The meeting then adjourned until
the first Saturday in January, 1884, at
the Court House' in Marshalltowii.
J. W. Sanders, Sec.
For the American Bee Journal.
Conditions of Wintering.
J. E. I'OND, JR.
The question of frames is one that
excites the ire, or arouses the sensi-
bilities of many to such an extent
that I propose to avoid it entirely in
this article, and confine myself wholly
to discussing the general conditions
in which a colony must be placed in
order to most safely withstand the
inclemencies of a northern winter. In
the first place I shall assume (and I
confidently assume without fear of
opposition) that the nearer our bees
can be kept to a state of absolute
quiet, the more successfully will they
be enabled to withstand, not only ex-
cessive cold but sudden changes of
temperature, both from warm to cold,
and t!ice versa.
To attain this state or condition of
things, has been the aim and object
of scientific apiarists for many years,
and in their efforts in this direction,
many experiments have been tried,
with more or less success, but in none
of which have such positive results
been achieved, as to absolutely war-
rant any one in asserting that' an ab-
solutely correct method has as yet
been discovered. In theorizing on
the subject, the various questions of
ventilation, moisture, excess of heat,
or want thereof, and various others
considered of more or less importance
have been discussed, but without as
yet deciding anything satisfactorily,
at least, the discussion still continues,
and the experiments show that with
all these points well fortified against,
and also without any regard to any of
them, bees live in some apiaries and
die in others, no matter how much
or how little care is taken in their
protection. That this is so, proves
conclusively that there is an error
somewhere in our calculations, and
that as yet we have not hit upon the
right idea. I may be as wild in my
opinions as any one, yet when I find
that no matter what the conditions
are, some apiaries are saved and some
lost. I am emboldened to give my
views publicity, and if nothing more
comes of it, than to start discussions
and experiments upon a new track. I
shall have accomplished some little
good, perhaps.
I am of the opinion that in our ef-
forts so far, we have been laboring
under the idea that bees need as much
oxygen for their siipport,as we do our-
selves, and our lack of success is
caused by the incorrectness of that
idea. As I stated in beginning, I be-
lieve that when we so prepare our
bees that they will remain in a passive
state, a state of nearly absolute quiet,
an almost-dormant state, during the
whole wijiter. No matter what
changes of temperature may take
place, then and then only shall we
overcome the chief obstacle that ex-
ists to successful wintering. The fact
tliat a hive of bees completely sub-
merged under a snow-bank, during a
long and changeable winter, will come
out all right in the spring, is one
strong proof in this direction.
This, I l:ielieve, is owing to the even-
ness of temperature which necessarily
prevails where the colony is com-
pletely submerged in so bad a conduc-
tor of heat as a snow-bank certainly
is. No heat can get in, and none can
get out ■ but it is not owing to this
alone, but to the fact that excess
of oxygen is kept out also. Snow is
sufficientlv porous to admit of the
passage of sufficient air to enable one
to live, still it will not allow of any
excess of air to pass through it.
Excess of oxygen will, as a matter
of course, excite human life, why not
our bees V Any exciting cause pro-
duces a bad effect on our bees, by
starting them up from that state of
quiet so absolutely necessary for their
preservation, at a time when they
cannot fly freely from the hive. Oxy-
gen must be an exciting cause to our
bees as well as to ourselves ; now is it
not a logical deduction, and one that
is presumably correct, that if we con-
tract the entrances to our hives, so as
to give our bees the least possible
quantity of oxygen necessary for their
support, we shall aid more largely in
keeping them quiet, tlian by giving
tham a larger, and as simie advise, as
large an entrance as the width of the
liive will allow V I ask the question
ill all honesty and sincerity, and de-
sire ail ecjually honest and sincere
answer.
Foxboro, Mass.. Nov. Ift. 1883.
608
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the Amerlcnn Bee Journal.
Ohio State Convention.
The Ohio iH^e-keepers will hold
their annual convention in t'olumhiis.
O., Jan. 14. 1.5 iind Hi, 1,SK4. All in-
terested in hee-culture are invited.
The following subjects will be dis-
cussed; " IIow to winter liees suc-
cessfully." "Are the new races of
bees a success V" " What can we do
to prevent adulteration of honey ?"
" How to create a home marlcet for
honey." " How manv colonies can lie
kept in one locality V^' " Can we do
without separators V" " Which are
best, deep or shallow frames ?" "What
shall we do with second swarms V"
"How many brood frames are neces-
sary in a hive V " Which is the most
salable section, one-half, one t)r two
pounds V" "Is it advisable for all
bee-keepers to adopt a standard size
of frame V" " What is the most de-
sirable width of sections ?"
The above questions will be dis-
cussed by eminent men, such as Rev.
L. L. Langstroth, Dr. Besse, S. D.
Riegel and others, and in addition to
the above. Prof. Lizenby, of the Ohio
University, will deliver a lecture on
" Honey-producing plants :" also Mrs.
Jennie Gulp will read an essay.
C. M. Kingsbury, Sec.
Hamilton, Ont, Convention.
The bee-keepers of Hamilton dis-
trict met in Convention at tlie Domin-
ion Hotel, on Saturday, Nov. 10.
Officers elected for the ensuing
year : W. J. Whitfield, Dundas, Presi-
dent ; R. L. Patterson, Lynden, Vice-
President; A. Robertson, Carlisle,
Secretary-Treasurer.
The discussion on the best means of
wintering bees on summer stands,
was well sustained. The plan re-
ceived with most favor was to permit
free circulation of air beneath the
hives^ provided the tops of the hives
are air-tight.
A question was raised as to the best
food for bees at the present time,
when the apiary held insufficient
stores. In reply, it was suggested to
feed comb filled with honev, and if
without that, to suspend frames in
the hives filled with sugar candy.
W. J. Wliitefield offered a prize of
one colony of bees for the best means
of wintering bees. The conditions of
the competition are : Entrance of 50
cents, to lie applied to a second and
third prize ; colonies to be entered at
date ; prize to be given to the one hav-
ing the largest percentage of numbers
entered in best working order. May
27, 1884. The prize winners will be
expected to make a statement in
writing, for publication, to the judges
of the mode of packing, character of
hive, size of frame, wdnter and spring
management. The parties getting
the bees to furnish Mr. Whitefield
vrith hives not later than June 10,
1884, and to remove them when noti-
fied. Competition confined to Went-
worth county. Messrs. Whitefield,
Patterson and Knowles were appoint-
ed a committee to meet the directors
of the Central Fair to arrange prize
list, etc., for next year.
A committee was appointed to ar-
range for matters for discussion at
the next meeting.
The Convention adjourned to meet
again, April 12, 1884.
For tlio Araerlcan Bee Journal.
Wintering Bees on Summer Stands.
J. F. LATHAM.
Wintering ! yes ; that is what we
all — veteran, novice, specialist and
amateur, are supposed to be thinking
about at present ; and admitting that
nothing new can be added to the
modus operandi pertaining thereto, I
will wave the plea of originality— that
not being the import of my caption —
and as vniat I write embodies my very
humble opinions concerning the re-
quisites of a successful wintering
preparation, I submit them for what
they are worth.
CONDITION OF THE BEES.
Bees should be healthy and embody
all the other requisites of good colo-
nies. We do not want bees that are
constitutionally predisposed to ail-
ments, that are liable to develop a
deranged secretion when subjected to
the aggravating changes atmospheric,
dietetic, etc., that they must neces-
sarily submit to, from the time they
cease outside activity in tlie fall until
they resume it again in the following
spring. As to quantity, I am not radi-
cal. If I do not have bees enough to
occupy six frames of comb, I can put
up with four. I have wintered colo-
nies from small late swarms, that
were not crowded on three frames as
successfully, and received as good re-
turns from" them the season following
as from others that were a hive-full,
all doing well, comparatively. The
latter extreme I would not advocate
as a status of strength ; accepting it
as a condition, allowable only, wnen
obliged to submit to a stress of cir-
cumstances. Large colonies lose
more bees in wintering, in proportion
to numbers, than quite small ones, if
the small ones are properly cared for.
Could I be allowed to decide the
strength (if my colonies for wintering,
those of medium size, covering about
six combs would be my standard for
selection. Such consume less stores,
proportionately than large ones, ex-
hale less moisture, are less liable to
create an abnormal condition during
confinement, and, conditions alike,
they will swarm as early and cast as
strong swarms ! Giant colonies, with
30 pounds of stores, " are not to be
frowned at," but when the same re-
sults can be accomplished by a min-
ium, with two-thirds of the stores,
and an extra five minute's care while
preparing it for winter, the advantage
to the bee-keepers seems to favor the
latter. I would not divide the maxi-
mum, nor " double down '" the mini-
mum.
THE HIVE.
The kind of hive suitable to winter
a colony of bees successfully, appears
to be of less decided importance than
is generally purported, but as the
movable-comb hive only is admissible
in bee talk. I will admit all kinds in
general, with their accompanying
sized frames, and venture the asser-
tion that no style of hive will alone
winter a colony of bees. One of my
colonies has passed the three preced-
ing winters in a box-hive in as good
condition, excepting the loss of more
bees, as those in the movable-comb
hives, I caring for both alike.
POSITION OF THE CLUSTEE.
As soon as possilile, after the bees
have done storing surplus, I com-
mence to prepare them for winter;
my first steps being to locate the clus-
ter at one end of the brood-chamber
on combs, }4 or % of the lower portion
of which is composed largely of empty
cells. I then prepare a passage for
the bees over or through the combs,
close up what space I deem necessary
with well-filled combs of capped
stores, ending, if required, with a
division-board. If the space left, after
removing empty combs, or those not
needed, is quite large, I fill it with
chaff. By the foregoing described ar-
rangement, the cluster is not liable
to get divided, and the bees can move
en masse in the direction of their
stores, as they are all above, or on one
side of them.
For food I supply new' capped honey,
or sugar syrup, fed during the month
of September, and as early in that
month as possible. After feeding, I
inform myself of the status of each
colony, by a thorough examination. I
then arrange everytliing inside of the
hive satisfactory, tuck the quilts
down snugly, or screw down the honey
boards, and let the bees propolize to
their satisfaction. During the re-
maining days in which the bees can
fly, I feed sugar candy over the brood-
chamber, or outside. This final feed-
ing I have found to operate admirably ;
it attracts no attention of robbers,
and supplies the bees with an excel-
lent food which they will consume in
lieu of their winter' stores, while they
are making their natural preparations,
after having their domicils disturbed
by over-haiuing in the fall, when there
is no nectar in the fields.
PACKING.
As soon as the severe frosty nights
give warning of winter's approaen, I
fill the caps of the hives with chaff
and straw, about % chaff and the re-
mainder straw, putting the chaff in
first. I then put a few handfulls of
straw on the quilts or honey-boards ;
put on the well-filled cap, aiid crowd
all down as closely as possible.
This done, I surround the hive with
a box having an opening in front.
With a passage for the bees, and al-
lowing them to become familiarized
with their surroundings, I next pack
chaff or straw around the backs and
ends of the hives, leaving the fronts
until steady cold weather demands
further care— when all is completed
by crowding the packing around the
w'hole hive, about a foot in thickness.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
G09
To give a passage for air from out-
side, I bore two or more oiie-iiich
auger holes in front of the box, and
higli enough to prevent strong gusts
from blowing directly into the en-
trance of the hive. A board closes
the entrance to the box and completes
the process.
« UPWAKD \'ENTILATION.
Unless the colony is above medium
size, I give no ventilation over the
brood-nest. If below the medium, I
place a folded paper over the quilt,
before crowding the cap down.
When the colony is a large one, occu-
pying eight of ten American or Gal-
lup frames, I roll the quilt back, the
distance of the space between coml)s,
or bore three one-inch holes through
the honey-board, at the end of the
brood-chamber, opposite from the
cluster, and cover the openings with a
single thickness of burlap. To fecili-
tate the escape of moisture from the
caps, I have a 3| inch auger hole in
each end. As the processes described
in the foregoing embody the •' seven
requisites "' of a safe wintering, I can-
not make a better conclusion than by
stating that, having tried them five
winters, I have not " found them
wanting."
Cumberland, Me., Nov. 12, 1883.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Different Varieties of Bees.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
The most exhaustive, and, to my
mind, the most impartial and best
article upon the comparative merits
of the Italian and German varieties
of bees, appeared in the April and
May numbers of Gleanings tor 1881.
It was from the pen of the Rev. L. L.
Langstroth. As many of the present
readers of the Bek "Jouknal prob-
ably have not seen the article in ques-
tion, I hope I may be pardoned for
quoting the decisions therein recorded:
1. When late forage is scarce, the
Italians stop breeding much earlier
than the blacks.
2. The Italians, unless stimulated
by judicious feeding, do not resume
breeding as early as ihe blacks.
3. The Italians are much more in-
clined to build drone comb than the
blacks.
4. The blacks are more ready than
the Italians to work in surplus honey
receptacles not closely connected with
the main hive.
.5. The comb honey made by the
blacks from light-colored supplies, is
usually more attractive than that
stored from the same sources by the
Italians.
6. With a queen of the current year,
the blacks will hardly ever sw^'arm,
while, long after the usual swarming
season, young Italian queens will
often lead off swarms.
7. Black bees are much more sensi-
bly affected by the loss of their queen
than the Italians.
8. In buildmg, an Italian colony
seldom begins as many combs as the
blacks, and, therefore, work them
more compactly, squaring them out,
as it were, as they proceed.
9. Black bees will readily build be-
tween guide frames, worker combs,
while it is very difficult to get any
satifactory result, in this line, from
Italians.
10. The Italians, both young and
old, adhere with much tenacity to
their combs when they are lifted from
the hive, while the blacks, more es-
pecially those newly hatched, tumble
off so readily as to annoy the operator
by crawling up his clothes, or expos-
ing themselves to be trodden upon.
11. When the hive is opened, the
Italian queen and workers are dis-
posed to remain quiet, and when they
are lifted out, the workers spread
themselves over the combs.
12. Under adverse circumstances,
the blacks are far more easily discour-
aged than the Italians.
13. The Italians, will, in some sea-
sons, from the second crop of red
clover, build new combs, and store
them with honey, when black colonies,
in the same apiary, are losing weight.
1-1. Italians suffer little, wlien com-
pared with the blacks, from the rav-
ages of the bee moth.
1.5. Italians are far less likely than
the blacks to rob or be robbed.
16. The Italians, by their superior
energy and greater length of proboscis,
will, on an average of seasons, gather
much larger stores of honey thiin the
blacks.
After each of the above propositions
Mr. Langstroth proceeded to enlarge,
illustrate, explain, and go into details
as only Mr. Langstroth can, and any
one who cares a fig about the matter
should send for the papers containing
the article.
It will be seen that each of the
above varieties possess superior quali-
ties not possessed by the other, and
that, upon a summing up, the Italians
come out ahead, and for the produc-
tion of extracted honey, they have no
superior. It will also be seen that, for
the production of comb honey, the
German variety has some character-
istics that cannot be successfully ig-
nored. Now, if we can have a strain
of bees possessing the good qualities
of both races, with the undesirable
traits left out, would it not be an up-
ward step ? Mr. Heddon asserts that
by a judicious crossing of these two
varieties, and a careful selection in
breeding, he has obtained such a
strain ; and so well satisfied am I of
the truthfulness of this assertion that
I commenced, the past season, to
stock my apiary with the " Ileddon
strain." I arrived at this conclusion
from an actual trial of the bees. I am
well aware that all over this broad
land there is a genuine and worthy
love for the Italians. I have felt this
love, and know what it is, and only
those who have " been there " know
with what reluctance and real " heart
aches " I give up the pure Italians,but
self-interest compels me to.
With the Syrians my experience has
been short and bitter— they are so
irritable. It will be rememliered that
at the Northwestern Convention, a
gathering that " represented the
largest number of large, practical,
successful honey-producers,'" that Mr.
Langstroth had ever seen, the in-
quiry was twice repeated Ijefore any
one could be found who had gi^ntle
Syrians, and then only one person was
found, and he only knew that he had
bought a selected, tested queen of a
reliable dealer ; the bees had the same
appearance as the Italians. Somebody
at the Northwestern Convention re-
marked that the Syrians had no good
qualities not possessed by the Italians,
while they had the unpleasant one of
extreme irritability. But their ad-
mirers tell us that, if we will handle
them properly, they will be gentle,
and I presume they tell the truth, but
who wishes to be obliged to approach
the hive upon tip-toe, very slowly re-
move the cover, then sit down and
wait for the bees to become accus-
tomed to admission of the light, and
then handle the frames so carefully
that there is not the least jar V I will
tell you who it is ; it is the man who
is not dependent upon bee-keeping
for his bread and butter, but not the
man who raises honey to support his
family, and to whom minutes, at some
times, may almost be dollars. I am
heartily sick of that old saw. " If you
will only handle them carefully, they
are all right." No doubt of it, but
we want bees that we do not have to
handle with care ; there are times
when rapid manipulation, and a little
thumping of frames, is absolutely
necessary. The next count against
the Syrians is, that they do not prop-
erly ripen and seal their honey. They
are something like the Egyptian bees,
whose honey sometimes looks very
much like honey which has " sweated"
from being kept in a damp place. I
am aware that this complaint against
them is not universal, but some of our
largest producers have discarded the
Syrians, and this point was one of the
principal ones that influenced them in
their decision. " Yes," says one, "but
what have you to say to their wonder-
ful prolificriess, you do not doubt that
do you V" No, I do not doubt it, but
I dislike it ; in my estimation it is a
fault, and a very undesirable one at
that. As some one said, at the last
meeting of the Michigan State Asso-
ciation, •' They will rear brood as long
as a drop of honey remains in the
hive." Is this a desirable quality?
Their propensity to rear large quanti-
ties of brood at all times, and to build
large numbers of queen-cells, just
suits the queen breeder and the bees-
by-the-pound man, but does it please
the honey-producers ? It is quality
of bees that suits them, not quantity.
As A. R. Kohnke says, on page 560,
" The proliflcness of queens and the
industry of colonies do not necessarily
go together." We prefer bees that
hll their hives with honey and then
stop breeding (if the honey flow stops),
to those that gather honey only to
rear more bees that these bees "may
gather more honey to rear more bees.
In other words, bees, not hqiiey, is the
great object aimed at by the Syrians ;
their philoprogenitiveness is greater
than their acquistiveness.
But, says another, " If they breed
late in the season, they go into winter
with a hive full of yoiingbees." True,
610
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
again, but tliis is an undesirable state
of affairs ; and if this article were not
already too long, I would demonstrate
the fact ; as it is, I will simply point
to the fact that the Syrians die in win-
ter just the same as other bees. But
I will accord to the Syrians one good
quality, and that is, tliey can be
shaken from the combs " like shot
from a shovel." To the gentleman of
leisure this may not be an advantage,
but to the man with aching back and
arms, who shakes off a barrel or more
of bees per day, this quality is quite
an object.
Rogersville, Mich., Nov. 12, 1883.
Correction. — lu my article on
page 591, third line from the bottom,
" A thin strip of hear comb" should
read: " A thin strip of brace comb."
The same mistake occurs in the 86th
line from the bottom. In the second
column, same page, 2oth line from the
top,"stay" should read stage. — W.Z.H.
Prairie Farmer.
Bee Fever, Selling Honey, etc.
MRS. L. HARRISON.
Bee-keepers, as a class, are very en-
thusiastic in their calling, and, as the
science is continually advancing in
the way of new discoveries and ap-
pliances, this tends to keep them so.
All students of the profession have to
be acclimated, as it were, for all be-
ginners, whether young or old, are
sure to be attacked by a malady known
to veterans as "bee -fever." Some
persons are subject to occasional re-
turns of it, during their natural life,
while others get entirely cured.
We love to call to mind our own ex-
perience with it. A minister, who
combined bee-culture with preaching,
seeing how badly we were affected,
kindly laid his hand on our shoulder,
saying, " Take care, take care. Sister
Harrison : you are getting the bee-
fever too bad." Poor soul, we have it
yet, and are likely to liave it as long
as we are an inhabitant of a land of
flowers and sunshine. Our partner in
the sweets and stings often remarks,
"If I ever get to heaven, I expect to
see you coming around with a bee-hat
on.'^
The best known remedies for this
fever, are losses by wintering, poor
honey seasons, and an unreliable mar-
ket. Losses by wintering have become
obsolete in the hands of a few skillful
bee-masters, and they reap returns,
even in a poor season, by an intelligent
use of the extractor whenever a flow
of nectar occurs for a day or two, and
yet they fail to obtain '• tip-top " prices
for the product.
Novelties in the way of labels are
the fashion now, its advocates claim-
ing that in order to sell honey, it must
be pleasing to the eye, look attractive,
and be adorned with bees, flowers,
and streamers gay. While it is true
that goods should be attractive to sell
well, there is a limit to adornment.
Bolts of muslin are adorned with
pretty litliographs of pearls, grapes,
etc., but what sensible house-wife ex-
amines these when slie is seeking a
good fabric for wear. She may say
they are pretty, but then she directs
her attention to the goods, holds it up
to the light, examines the threads
with a magnifying glass, and looks for
the name of the mills. If we were
wishing to purchase a package of
honey; to-day, in the market of Cincin-
nati, it would not be a novelty in the
way of a label that we sliould seek,
but the name upon it. C. F. Muth, or
that city, has sold more honey than
any person living, and it has not been
by his labels eitlier, but by putting
upon the market pure unadulterated
goods under their own name. Buck-
wheat honey is not sold as white clo-
ver, nor dog- fennel as linden. Mr.
Muth has so educated his producers
that they keep each kind separate and
intact, and that enables him to call
each by its Christian name. Where
to-day are the dealers who, a few years
ago, flooded the West with beautiful
glass packages of pure glucose, adult-
erated with a piece of comb honey
swimming in it, and labeled White
Clover in gold letters ? Are they to
be seen adorning the shelves of gro-
cerymen, with their gold-embossed
labels y Bee-keepers do not need a
monkey and hand-organ to attract at-
tention, but their name stamped upon
the white wood of the package of comb
honey, or upon the keg, can, or barrel
of extracted.
Honey that is shipped to cities is
produced almost entirely in one and
two pound packages, and shipped in
crates with glazed sides. We lately
saw one of these pretty crates in a
grocer's window, and thought "beauty
unadorned is adorned the most."
AVould it cater to the wants of the con-
sumer if the white wood of these
packages was covered with gayly tint-
ed paper ? Does he want to pay for it 'i
Some one must, for it will come out of
some person's pocket-book. These
crates should be graded, and the same
in the middle as shown next to the
glass, and have the producer's name
stamped on each one. A producer who
has a reputation to maintain, will not
be likely to put in the center of aerate
stamped packages that are black in
the center from being used as cradles
for a generation of bees, and then
filled in the fall with the juice from
apple and sorghum mills, and honey
from frosted buckwheat fields.
White clover honey has no superior,
and should be graded as such, but lin-
den, goldenrod, buckwheat, etc., are
produced and relished by many, and
should be graded and sold under their
own name. A home market is neces-
saryj in order to keep bees for profit,
and if the producer has none, he should
make one. Milk routes have a money
value, and are sold according to their
merits, and honey roirtes will have a
pecuniary value when they are better
understood.
We have noticed that when a family
eats honey at all, considerable is con-
sumed ; while another family cannot
be persuaded to buy a pound. Some
bee-keepers canvass their own neigh-
borhood, and leave a small package at
each house, and build up a trade in
this way. All undesirable lots can be
1 worked off at home and better prices
obtained for it, than by shipping to
distant cities.
Bee-keepers, as a class, have a mania
for shipping to large centers, and the
business has been injured in that way,
as honey is sold there for less than in
small towns. AV^e have known of
grocers in adjoining towns ordering
honey from here, when we knew of
producers near them that should have
supplied them, and saved transporta-
tion.
Peoria, Ills.
imitat and Baxu.
<r^''
ANSWERS Br
James Hcddoii, Dowagiac, Mich.
Feeding Bees in Winter, etc.
1. What is the best way to feed our
bees in winter, when we have them in
a cellar, and know they have not
enough to keep them through until
spring V Many that were late swarms
in this section, will be short of stores
wdiere tliey have not been replenished
from stronger colonies ; and, unless
fed some cluring the winter, many
colonies will starve. There was only
enough fall honey to keep up a good
brood.
2. Will the division-board feeder, as
described in Prof. Cook's work, do for
a winter feeder, or would it be best to
feed from cups, covered with cloth,
bottom upwards, and placed over ^he
frames'? Please state the best and
safest way, and oblige many, who
from necessity or neglect, have de-
ferred this great necessity until now.
J. W. Sanders.
Le Grand, Iowa, Nov. 16, 1883.
Answers.— 1. I have never yet been
able to feed bees in winter, or at any
time, when they could not fly for a
considerable length of time, to my
satisfaction.
2. I have never tried Prof. Cook's
feeder above referred to, but from my
experience with those working upon
the same principle, I should not dare
to depend upon it nor the cups covered
with cloth. A good feeder should
combine the following qualities : It
should not leak a di-op, whether the
bees desert it or not. It should not
daub the bees. It should not waste
heat, nor excite robbing. The
great trouble with all feeders, with
cloth attached, is that they do not
hold the feed, when from cold or any
other reason the bees abandon it for a
time, then daubing and robbing fol-
low. It is best to do all feeding nec-
essary before the bees cease flying,
but in your case I should use one of
the three feeders I have devised,
called a " Winter feeder." It differs
from the other two I use, inasmuch as
- ^
TfiH. A¥ERIGi^ BEE JOURNAL.
611
the opening is very large,and the feeder
very shallow. If the feed consists of
pure cane sugar syrup, the bees will
take it down to the combs in winter,
if in the cellar and the feeder covered
MoTiug Bees, etc.
Please answer the following ques-
tions through the Bee Journal :
1. Can I, without loss, put my bees
in a new yard (adjoining the old one)
in the spring, when I take them out of
the cellar, and what precautions will
have to be taken.
2. Can extracted honey be shipped
in barrels without waxing the same,
and if they are waxed, how much wax
will be required V M. E. Darby.
Dexter, Iowa, Nov. 10, 1«88.
Answers.— 1. Certainly you can,
and that, too, without any precaution,
nine times out of ten, though it will be
well to remove all land-marks from
the old apiary that you can conven-
iently, and place a board partially in
front of the hives, but so as not to
shade the entrances when you put
theni out for their first flight.
2. My experience in waxing barrels
is that the wax costs as much or more
than the barrel, and is not needed at
all. A good wooden-hooped pork bar-
rel, made tight by a good workman,
will hold honey nicely. Mrs. Spades,
the ex-lady honey dealer of Chicago
and New York, told me that she was
convinced that wooden-hooped barrels
would hold honey better than those
iron-bound. I, at once, changed to
the cheaper barrel, and found her
opinion correct in my case. Before
filling a barrel, I always see that the
hoops are driven tightly, and the
outside ones nailed ; the " outside " in
each group. Pour in a givllon of hot
water, and shake until it saturates
each part. Pour out, then weigh the
tare, and fill with honey, and weigh
and mark all on the head of the bar-
rel, and you are ready for an unex-
pected order.
®' A meeting of the beekeepers of
Des Moines Co., Iowa, will be held on
the second Tuesday in January, at 10
a. m., for the purpose of organizing a
county bee-kepers' association, at Mid-
dleton, Iowa, in R. C. Crawford's
Hall. John Nau, Frank Melcher,
A. M. Baldwin, W. R. Glandon,
Committee.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
Seed of an Aster.
I enclose a package of seed that I
obtained from a plant that is making
its appearance here. It grows from
one to three feet high, and blooms
from the middle of August until frost
kills it. The flowers are small ; the
outside being white and the centre
yellow. The flowers look very much
like the flowers of the May weed.
The plant is very hardy, increases
rapidly, and stands drouth better than
other honey plants, and appears to
stand next to sweet clover for secret-
ing nectar. Sow the seed almost any
place in the spring, and the plant will
be apt to take care of itself ; it is very
hardy and will not winter-kill.
M. Miller.
Scott Co., Iowa, Nov. 12, 1883.
[The plant is evidently an aster, but
from the seed alone, nothing very
certain can be said of it. Seed will be
sown and report made, if favorable,
next year.— T. J. Burrill.]
No Fall Honey.
We had an exceptionally bad season
in our immediate neighborhood. April
opened, promising fine weather, but
soon the cold set in, and in connec-
tion with raw winds, increased my
winter losses to about 80 per cent.
We had a very fine stand of white
clover, but the bees did not gather
any surplus until the latter part of
July, and then it lasted but a few
weeks. There was no fall honey. I
received about 70 pounds of mostly
extracted honey, per colony, spring
count ; but they are pretty well sup-
plied with stores of white clover and
Alsike honey. G. E. T. Kyber.
Green Bay, Wis., Nov. 19, 1883.
No Surplns Honey.
The season of 1883, for bees in this
section, has been a peculiar one. The
spring opened very favorably, but May
was so very wet and cold that the bees
could not gather enough for brood-
rearing. .June was somewhat more
f avoraole, then swarming commenced,
and, by the time that was over, the
drouth was here with cold nights ;
during August, on account of the cold
nights and dry weather, no buckwheat
honey of any account was stored, and
the early frost in September cut all
prospect for surplus out of the ques-
tion. I do not think there was one
pound of surplus, when last season
there were ten pounds. Bees are now
in winter quarters with honey enough,
but weak in bees, and we are havmg
a perfect blizzard here ; it is already
18*^ above zero, and the wind blowing
a perfect hurricane. Bees unprotected
will suffer from this cold snap. I got
but little surplus on accoimt of selling
nuclei, and using my bees for queen-
rearing. H. H. Brown.
Light istreet, Pa., Nov. 1.5, 1883.
Early Frost Cut off the Fall Bloom.
I commenced the season with 42
colonies ; ■'i were rather weak, and
owing to the cold wet spring, they
were all rather weak, when the white
clover came. I extracted 4,000 pounds
of extra fine honey ; and increased to
80. The frost came early and cut off
the fall honey. I sold one, and have
the rest in tlie cellar (all Italians).
John Dewar.
Tiverton, Ont., Nov. 17, 1883,
Cellar Wintering of Bees.
In the fall of 1882, my 23 colonies
were stored for winter, viz. : Seven
were packed in chaff on the summer
stands, and 16 were put in the cellar.
They wintered well, and had plenty
of honey left. I kept the cellar at a
temperature of 35^ to 45°. In one in-
stance the thermometer fell to 32°, on
which occasion the bees became very
restless. Thinking the weather would
continue cold for some time, I began
to warm the cellar, by putting a bucket
full of live coals on the cellar floor,
several times a day. I noticed a great;
deal of dampness, and after using the
coals, this dampness was removed,
and the bees became quiet again.
Before this was done, the moment the
bees heard a noise, when we entered
the cellar, they began to fly out and
stir up things lively. In regulating
the cellar, as above stated, I think
bees will winter every time. I have
60 colonies packed into the cellar this
winter. I began the spring of 1883
with 23 colonies ; increased to 70 ; ob-
tained 1,0.55 pounds of extracted, and
1,075 pounds of comb honey; in all
2,130 pounds ; and average of 93 pounds
per colony, spring count. My best
colony, Cyprian, yielded 212 pounds
of extracted honey. The fall season
was rather poor ; the bees did not do
much after July 15, on account of dry
weather. John Nebel.
High Hill, Mo., Nov. 19, 1883.
Foul Brood.
Several packages of discolored bee-
comb have been received in response
to request. All except one are found
to contain the same micro-organism.
The exceptional one I do not know
who sent ; but it came in a piece of
pine, and with a bored inch hole,
and outside made octagonal. A few
cells of the comb were wrapped in a
strip of muslin, and put into the place
provided in the piece of pine wood.
In this specimen nothing of a living
character has been ft)und. Another
specimen, sent in a stout paste-board
box about 2>4 by 3 inches, and labeled
" Cobalt " was accompanied by a letter
which I am sorrv to say has been mis-
placed without" reply. The indica-
tions are that in this latter there is
genuine foul brood. Should be
pleased to know again the corres-
liondent sending the specimen. So far
there is nothing to indicate a differ-
ence between so-called malignant and
mild types of the disease. Private re-
plies have been sent to most of the
receipts, but I here return many
thanks for the specimens sent.
T. J. Burrill.
Champaign, 111.. Nov. 17, 1883.
612
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Bee-Keepers Produce the Beeswax.
They are now the greatest consum-
ers of "tliis one of their own produc-
tion. In getting their wax to the
foundation mills and back home, does
it pay them to have the grocer, ped-
dler," commission merchant and gen-
eral dealer in wax, etc., each take a
' margin out of them ? Just tliink the
matter over, and form correct conclu-
sions. Jasies IIeddon.
Dowagiac, Mich., Nov. 17, 1883.
Poor Season for Bees.
This has been a poor season tax bees
here. We have had only a quarter of
a crop of honey, and very little in-
crease. It was so very dry that bees
could get no nectar. Enclosed I send
a plant on which bees work every
morning. What is it V G. Hill.jie.
Sohnlenburg, Tex., Nov. 17, 1883.
[It is figwort, or the Simpson honey
plant. — Ed.]
Strange Bees.
A negro man lately came to me and
asked me to buy a bee tree he had
foimd, near my "house. I bought tlie
tree for 50 cents, and went to cut it.
As bees had done so poorly, and had
so little honey, I thought the combs
would not break down, but every
comb broke down, being so full of
honey, and, to my astonishment, I
noticed they were a strange kind of
bees, being'larger than the common
bee, and having one and two yellow
bands around their bodies, and had
between 30 or 40 lbs. of honey ; nearly
twice as much as my home colonies
have. I put them in a clean hive, and
I am feeding the honey back to them
for winter. They must be splendid
honey-gatherers to get so much in
such a year as this. They were no
nearer the swamp than my bees. I
know that bees have gathered all
their honey from the swamp, this
year. W. S. Douglass.
Lexington, Tex., Nov. 10, 1883.
Explanation, and Report for 1883.
On page -548, of the present volume,
you will see that I obtained 75,000
pounds of honey from 60 colonies of
bees, spring count. That is a mis-
take, omit one cipher and you will
have the correct amount. That Dr.
J. C. Thorn, of Streetsville, Ont., on
page 563 of the present volume, did
not understand how that was done, is
no wonder. I can only say it was
done, by adding a cipher. I will give
my brief report for the season, just
passed. After coming through the
spring, by loss and selling, I found
myself the possessor of 60 colonies of
bees, most of which were in good con-
dition. By the last of May, some of
the hives were filled with bees to
overflowing, and ready to swarm. Not
being in favor of swarms on fruit
blossoms, I commenced to equalize
them by taking from the strong and
giving to the weak ; in this way I kept
back swarming until -June 15, wlien
out came four swarms, followed by
from one to five swarms a day, initil
June 28, when I made what swarms I
thought best by dividing. July 4
found me with 100 colonies, 90 of
which were given sections, and 10
prepared for extracted honey (4 new
and 6 old). The bees worked hard
on clover, but the nectar was very
thin) and they did not gain very fast.
On July 20, basswood blossomed, and
then the bees worked early and late,
rain or shine, for 24 days, when all
was over ; after which they hardly got
as much as they consumed. Sept. 1,
honey all taken". I find that I have
2,500 two-pound solid sections of
white honey, and 2,500 pounds of ex-
tracted, making a total of 7,-500 pounds
of honey from 60 colonies in the
spring. "This fall, I made by doubling
my nuclei, 6 more. So that now, in
all, I have 106 colonies in good condi-
tion, packed in chaff for winter.
J. H. Kennedy.
Little York, N. Y., Nov. 19, 1883.
My Report for 1883.
As I did not make a spring report,
perhaps it would not be out of place
now. The first of June found me
with .30 fair colonies, out of the 45 put
in the cellar on Nov. 20, 1882. The
second day of March was the only day
between Nov. 20 and April 5 that the
bees could fly. At that time every
colony I had was suffering badly from
dysentery, and a number of them were
dead. As the day was warm and
pleasant, I set them all out, and such
a mess ! In a few minutes the snow
was completely discolored, and you
could smell it 10 or 15 rods from the
yard. After an hour's flight, I began
feeding them sugar-syrup, whicn I
prepared and warmed by tipping up
the front of the hive and pouring it in
at the entrance, giving each colony 5
lbs. of syrup, which was all taken up
before I set them in, in the evening.
I saw no more of the disease during
the rest of the winter. I set them out
on April 5. Now for the results of
my season's work : I took 2,000 lbs.
of comb honey, in two-pound sections,
and 1,2-50 lbs. extracted ; all from the
Alsike clover and basswood. I in-
creased to 56. The honey is mostly
sold in my home market, at 15 and 20
cents per pound. My queens are all
bred from Mr. Doolittle's best strain.
Wsi. Beretsian.
Geneva. N. Y., Nov. 18, 1883.
My Surplus Arrangement.
I have been a reader of the Bee
Journal for one year, and think
every one that keeps bees should have
it, for it will more than pay. I see
that most of the bee men use a case
to hold sections. Some say I have
the case, and no doubt of it ; others
seem to doubt it considerably. I do
not use a case at aU, nor separators
either, and I have not had enough
crooked or bulged sections for table
use, this season. I do not say that I
have the best surplus arrangement in
existence, but one that is cheap, and
any one can test it for themselves. I
use a slot honey-board. Langstroth
hive, and one-pound sections. The
honey-board prevents the bees from
gluing the outside of the section, ex-
cept at the entrances. I place seven
sections in a row. I have glass cut
the size I use, 4i^x43^ ; I place one at
each end of the row ; then take a com-
mon rubber band or cord and stretch
it around a row of sections and glass,
and you have the arrangement com-
plete. I use four rows or 28 sections
tor one tier, and I tier them up 2, 3,
and 4 high, using 112 sections on a
hive at once, it needed. Bee men
from several counties have visited
my apiary this season, and iill like the
arrangement first rate, and went home
and tried it. One said, " It is the
nicest thing I have ever tried."
Another said, " I will never use
another case, as long as I keep bees."
Frank E. Thompson.
Tiskilwa, 111., Nov. 16. 1883.
From 8 to 20, and 500 lbs. Comb Honey.
I commenced the season with 8 col-
onies of black bees ; increased to 20,
and got .500 lbs. of comb honey in two-
pound sections ; for which I found
ready sale at from 15 to 18 cents per
pound, near home, and could have
disposed of much more at the same
price, if I had it to sell. I procured a
tested Italian qiieen from Henry
Alley ; introduced her early in July,
and Italianized one-half my colonies
later.iii the season. J. A. Black.
Pleasant Mound, ni., Nov. 19, 1883.
A Question for Mr. Stewart.
On page 576 of the Bee Journal,
is a very interesting article by Mr. W.
H. Stewart, entitled, " Shall we Clip
our Queens' Wings V" at the close of
which he says : " If I were offering
queens for sale as superior stock, I
would compel the brood mothers to
fly often, even if I had to toss them
up to give them a start." I wish to
ask him a question to illustrate the
matter in a different light. Suppose
that he had a brood mare from which
he wished to rear colts noted for
speed, would he consider it necessary
or advisable, during foal, that she be
driven at a high rate of speed, with a
view of transmitting that quality to
the offspring ? W. N. Howard.
Derby, Vt., Nov. 19, 1883.
The Michigan Convention.
Dear Mn. Editor :— May I ask you
to call special attention to our next
annual meeting to be held in Flint,
Dec. 5 and 6, of the Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association. We expect to
have by far the best meeting ever held
in the State. It is expected that the
Rev. L. L. Langstroth will be present.
To see and hear him will pay any one
for the trouble and expense incident
to the journey. We also expect D. A.
Jones, A. I. Boot, C. F. Muth. and
hope to have C. C. Miller and T. G.
Newman. From what I hear, Michi-
gan bee-keepers are to be out in force.
Hotel rates are to be $1.00 a day. Fur-
ther particulars as to programme, will
be given soon. We expect to get re-
duced rates on the railroads. To aid
in this, and that I may know how
many certificates on railroads to ask
for, will every .one in this or other
States who expect to come, drop me a
card at once to that effect V
A. J. Cook, Preside^U.
[Sorry we cannot attend.— Ed. |
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
613
^pf^cial gloticcs.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2.5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00 ; or 1000 for
$15-00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at honie, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Our ^ew List of Premiums.
Subscription Credits. — We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within tv o weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a statement of account every
week.
Getting up Clubs for 1884.
To increase the number of readers
of the Bee Journal, we believe, will
aid progressive bee-culture and help
to elevate the pursuit. We, therefore,
offer the following premiums for
getting up clubs :
While no subscription to the Bee
Journal will be taken for less than
the regular advertised prices (viz.:
Weekly, $;2.00; Monthly, $1.00),— any
one getting up a club of two copies,
or more, may select from " Our Book
List " anything therein named, to
the amount of 15 cents for every dollar
tliey send direct to this office, to pay them
for the trouble of getting up'. the club ;
and these books will be sent, postpaid,
to any address desired.
For a club of 3 Weekly or 6 Monthly
and $6.00, we will make an additional
present of a Pocket Dictionary, bound
in cloth, containing 320 pages.
For a club of 5 Weekly or 10
Monthly, (or a mixed club of both,)
with $10, we will, in addition to the
15 per cent, present a copy of the
American "Popular" Dictionary,
comprising every word in the English
language that enters into speech or
writing ; it contains 32,000 words and
phrases, 670 illustrations and 512pages;
it is nicely bound in cloth, and will be
sent by mail, postpaid, to any address
desired. .
For a club of $20, for 10 Weeklies, or
an equivalent in Monthlies, we will
present, besides the 15 per cent, in
books, a tested Italian queen, by mail,
postpaid.
Announcements for larger clubs
will be made hereafter.
Subscriptions tor two or more years
for one person, will count the same
as each year for a different person.
®° To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one who
buys a package of honey, will sell almost
any quantity of it.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. — We have
issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
anyaddress tor ten cents.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
A Chance for Fun.— The " latest
thing out " in the way of something
to afford home amusement for winter
evenings, or a side show for church
fairs, consists of a sort of Magic Lan-
tern that does not require pictures on
glass. The Polyopticon, as it is
called, because it will show up so
many different things, makes use of
ordinary newspaper pictures, family
photographs, chromo cards, home-
made sketches, etc., and thus affords
a new use for the collections of pretty
cards, which so many have been in-
dustriously making. Though pat-
ented, it can be made and sold at one-
fourth the price of a good Magic
Lantern.
Descriptive circulars can be ob-
tained of the Murray Hill Publishing
Co., 12f» East 2Sth St., New York City.
t^ It would be a great convenience
to us, if those sending us Postal Notes
or Money Orders, would get the issu-
ing Post-master to make them pay-
able at the " Madison Street Station,
Chicago, m.," instead of' simply
"Chicago." If they are drawn on
Chicago, they go to the general office,
and we have to make a trip of six
miles to get them cashed ; but if they
are drawn on the Station as above,
it is only a few steps from our office.
When sending us money, if you will
please remember this, you will much
oblige the publisher.
®" Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra
(^ We need the numbers of the
Bee Journal for August, 1866, and
April, 1876. Any one having them to
spare, are requested to send us a Pos-
tal Card. We will give 25 cents for
each. Do not send them without
writing, for we want only one of each ;
and, if we are not already supplied,
we will take them.
i^Speak a word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one new subscription-
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one new sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
^° It must be understood that,
should an advertiser desire to cancel
an unexpired oontract, he can do so
only by paying regular rales for the
number of insertions his advertise-
ment has had.
614
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
SPECIAL PREMIUM!
A NEW HIVE.
Arranged for continuous combs and couttnuous
passage-ways. Will bo found a pleasure to work
with, and can be easily nnd rapidly managed. For
comb honey it is without a rival, and as an inven-
tion, is second only in that of movable brood
frames.
Guaranteed to Give Satisfaction.
SEND FOE PRICE LIST AND CIRCULAS.
Address, DR. O. 1.. TINK.EK,
+4Atf NEW PHILADELPHIA. O.
DR. FOOTE'S
HAND BOOK OF HEALTH,
Hints and Ready Recipes.
Is the title of a very valuable boolc that gives a
great amount of information of the Utmost Im-
Eortance to Everybody, concerning their daily
abits of Eating. Drinking. Dressing, Sleeping,
Bathing. Working, etc.
It Coels only TWEXTY-FIVE CENTS.
and contains 38 pages, and Is seat by mall*
post-paid, on receipt of price. This Is just
the Book that every family should have.
IT TELLS ABOUT
Five Octaves, foiir sets of Reeds of two aud one-lialf octaves each, eight hand and two
knee stops, as follows :
diapason. mei^-ooia,
ceiTeste, echo UORN.
trebx^e fort, bass fokte»
vior.A.
DULCET.
KNEE SWE1.I*,
ORAND OROAN.
Height, 5 feet 11 inches; width, 4 feet 2 inches; depth, 3 feet; weight, boxed, 350 lbs.
This Organ is unexcelled for purity of tone, durability and beauty, and is fully war-
ranted for five years.
1^° This Organ will be shipped to the order of any person sending us a Club
of One Hundred Subscribers to the Weekly Bee Journal, accom-
panied by $200.00 Cash, or its equivalent of Monthly and Weekly
Subscriptions combined.
This liberal offer will remain open until June 1, 1KS4, and presents a fine
opportunity to energetic persons to secure a handsome Organ without cost.
Subscriptions and remittances may be sent in at any time, and will be
credited to this Premium, when so stated.
What to Eat.
How to Eat it.
Things to Do,
Things to Avoid,
Perils of Summer,
How to Breathe,
Overheating Houses,
Ventilation.
Influence of Plants,
Occupation for Invalids,
Superfluous Hair,
Restoring the Drowned,
Preventing Near-Sight-
edness.
Parasites of the Skin,
Bathing— Best way,
Ijungs ix Lung Diseases,
How to Avoid them.
Clothing— what to Wear,
How much to Wear,
Contagious Diseases,
How to Avoid them.
Exercise.
Care of Teeth.
After-Dinner Napa,
Headache, cause & cure,
Malarial Affections,
Croup— to Prevent.
Barnes' Combined Foot-Power Saw,
Gift Saw. 2 Mandrels. 2 Emery Wheels, 3 Cutter
Heads. Total cost. $52. (ki. I will sell at 4ii per
cent, discount. Also one Mandrel, for power. |.'i.
V. W. KEENEY,
48A2t SHIRLAND. ILL.
Vandervort Goml) Fdn. Mills,
Send for Sample. <fc Reduced Prlee-l.l«t.
32ABtf J. VANDEHVOET, Lacyville, Pa.
BINGHAM SMOKERS.
I can sell the above Smokers at
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tiiil. All the latest improvements,
including THE CONQUEROR, and
THE DOCTOR.
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ALFEED H. NEWMAN,
itL>;i W. Madison, CHICAGO, ILL.
SAMPLE SECTION RACKS. -In answer to many
inquiries. I will furnish samples of the section
I rack I use for 7-ic. T. E. TURNER. Sussex, Wis.
IT TELLS HOW TO CURE
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Corns, <^oughs. Cholera. Diarrhoea, Diphthera. Dys-
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Whooping Cough, Worms in Children.
It will Save Doctor Bills !
Price only 25 Cents. Sent by Mail, post-paid, by
THOMAS O. NE'WMAIV,
925 West Madison Street, CHICAGO, ILL.
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST.
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INDUSTRIAL PTTBLICATION CO.,
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csiy
Jourital,
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF THE PRODUCERS OF HONEY.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., DECEMBER 5, 1883.
No. 49,
PnbliMhed everj Werlnnsday. by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor anp Proprietor.
Northwestern Convention— Hints.
We liave received the following
letter from Mrs. L. Harrison, the
Vice-President of the Northwestern
Bee-Keepers' Society, offering a few
hints concerning tlie next Convention:
Dr. Newman. — Dear Sir: I feel as
though I was indebted to yon for the
pleasure and profit deri\ed from the
late Northwestern Convention, The
air of the hall, at one time during the
first day, became so impure that I was
obliged to leave the room, and I
thought, as I had seen Mr. Laiag-
strotli, I would take the first train for
home, and say nothing about it, as
I would only lie lauglieil at, and calletl
hystericy if I did. i^ou then opened
the windows, and relief came.
It miist be apparent to you, as well
as others, that after discussions have
been prolonged from an-hour-and-a-
half to two-hours, that the audience
becomes dull and lifeless, but if a re-
cess of 1.5 minutes occurs, and the
door is opened, which forms an ex-
cellent draught, the hall is cleared of
impure air ; and wlien business is
again resumed, all engage in it with a
keen zest. On the second day of the
Convention, the air was as pure in the
hall as it was out of doors.
Permit me to say to those who were
not in atttendance, that they missed
a rare treat, by not being there. All
present seemed to have come to get
and impart information, and a univer-
sal good-fellowshi[i prevailed. More
ladies were present than at any Bee
Convention I ever attended ; and it is
to be lioped that all those who were
not able to bring their wives and
daughters with them this year, will
keep a few more bees another season,
for the express purpose of paying
their expenses to the re-union of 1884.
When we are having blanks printed
—for to save time in' the election of
officers— would it not be well, to have
some printed for statistics '?
LuciNDA Harrison.
Peoria, 111.
The points made by Mrs. Harrison
are well taken. On the second day of
the Convention we liad one or two of
such recesses, and noticed their good
results. It will be well for the oHicers
of the many Conventions, whidi will
be held within the next few weeks, to
take the hint. A few minutes for
recreation and social conversation
among those present, in every hour
during the sessions,, will be iiroduc-
tive of more good than long and con-
tinuous sessions, without such a re-
cess.
We second the motion for Ijlanks to
be circulated in the meeting upon
which the statistics can be taken from
all in attendance. Several were not
present at the session when the sta-
tistics were taken at the last meeting
in Chicago, and they were not, there-
fore, included in the table. This sug-
gestion, if carried out, will enable the
Secretary to obtain all the statistical
information desired, from all those
who are in attendance.
Pure <ur is also an essential element
of a Convention — and we certainly
favor " upward ventilation " in a hall
when filled with a " swarm of bee-
keepers." Impure air affects us very
much in the same manner as it does
Mrs. Harrison, and many others. We
cannot endure it.
Small Sections for Honey.
Mr. F. L. Dougherty, intheJndiana
Farmer, gives his opinion of the one
and two pound sections thus :
That the larger sizes of sections for
comb honey must go, we think is no
longer a question of doubt. One pound
sections are selling to-day in the mar-
ket for 2 cents more per pound than
the larger sizes. In fact, the larger
sizes are a drug on the market, while
the one pounds, i}4^i^, find ready
sale at the 2 cents advance in price.
We have struggled hard against this
result, as we believed more honey
could be secured per colony with the
larger than with the smaller sections,
and, in the absence of the smaller
sizes, we have always disposed of the
larger ones very nicely, but one lot of
small sections would disturb the mar-
ket for many days at a time. The
laws of trade are invariable, and must
be conformed to.
Two Little Bee-Keepers Gone.
A letter from Mr. E. L. Freden-
burg, Fentonville, Mich., informs us
that his two little sons (Roy and
Freddie), were attacked by that dire-
ful disease, diphtheria, and both are
now numbered with the dead. The
Bee Journal sympathizes with the
bereaved jiarents, and offers its con-
dolence. Mr. Fredenburg, with a
heart full of grief, says :
"Oh ! dear editor, yon no doubt re-
ceived my card, infoiiuing you that I
was called home on account of the
sickness of ray family. When I left
home I kissed my little " Roy " for
the last time, for he was dead when I
arrived home again, and Freddie died
the next day. Both had that dread-
ful disease, diphtheria. Roy was two
years of age, and Freddie five. They
were always delighted to help their
" Papa " when I was working among
the bees, handing me different things
I may want. They would watch the
bees, going to and from the hives,
with the greatest enthusiasm. But
these two little lovers of the honey-
bee have gone to their rest, in Heaven,
forever. My heart is full of grief.
Please make a note of tliis in the Bee
Journal, so that my bee-keeping
friends my know of my sad loss."
It is not Dead, but Sleeping.— Not
having received acopy of the Illustrite
BienenZeitung, of Zurich, Switzerland,
since Jinie, we supposed it dead, and
so mentioned the matter on page 539.
Last week we received tbe September
number, and, just as we go to press,
we have the one for October.
1^" A correspondent asks if any one
may select a Binder for the Bee
.Journal, among the books given as
Premiums for getting subscribers we
reply, yes ; any book or binder we keep
for sale, may be selected by those who
get up clubs.
^^ The semi-annual meeting of the
Keystone Bee-Keepers' Association,
will be held at Scranton, Pa., on the
second Tuesday of December (llth).
Our present membership is 36.
(iioo. C. Green, Sec.
Factoryville, Pa., Nov. 23, 1883.
620
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time arid Place of Meeting.
Deo. 5-6, Michigan State, at Flint.
U. D. OuttiDK. Sec. Clinton, Mioli.
Jan 16, I7.-N.K. Ohio, and N.W.Pa., at Jeffer8on,0.
C. H. Coon, Sec, New Lyme, Ohio.
Deo. U.-Keystone, at Scranton, Pa.
Oeo. C. Green, Sec, Factoryvllle, Pa.
DeclO.— Lorain County, at Blyrta.O.
_ O. J. Terrell, Sec, N. Ridgeyille. O.
1884.
Jan. R.-De Moines Co., at Middleton, Iowa.
Jan.S.-Cortland Union, at Cortland, N. Y.
M. O. Bean, Sec, McGrawvllle, N. Y.
Jan. lO.-Champlaln Valley, at MlJIlebmi. \;M.^
Jan. 14, 15, 16.-Ohlo State, at Columbus, O.
C. M. Kingsbury, Sec
Jan. 15, 16.-N. W. Ills.. & S. W Wis. at KreePOrt
J. Stewart, Sec, Kock City, lil.
April 18.-lowa Central, at Winterset, Iowa.
J, K, rryor, bcc
Oct. 11,12. -Northern Mich., at Ataa, Mich.
F. A. Palmer, Sec, McBride, Mich.
|y Id order to have thi» table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars ol
time and place of future meetings-— KD.
Popular Ignorance about Bees.
Mr. S. 11. Clark, of Delavan, Wis.,
has sent us the following item from a
New York paper, which shows very
clearly tlie popular ignorance about
bees. It is headed :
AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.
Deckkrtown, Sussex County, N.
J. Aug. 4.— A great quantity of
honey is made in this and the adjoin-
inc counties. The principal producers
are Mr. T. L. Babcock, of Vernon,
this county, and Mr. Wisner Utter,
of Amity, Orange (lounty, N. 1 . ihe
production of honey, tins year, will
not be as large as was anticipated;
the season having been too wet. J. he
bees bad an early and good start m
the spring on apple, peach, pear and
cherry blossoms, and more recently
■worked on basswood and sumac.
During the past month they should
have been actively working on white
clover. The latter has been plentiful,
but the season has been so wet that
this flower has not yielded its usual
harvest of sweetness, and, as a conse-
quence, the bees of late have been
nearly idle, except in the work of
making wax-which is the employ-
ment of bees during idle seasons—and
the slight work which they have been
enabled to do on other flowers. . . .
A discovery which Mr. Babcock
claims to have made, is of great in-
terest. It is the cell, and not the egg,
that determines the sex of the bee.
This summer, wishing to stop the ex-
cessive swarming from one particular
hive he cut from the combs all the
queen-cells, leaving those for the
drones and neuters. Soon afterward
he discovered that the bees were con-
verting some of the neuter cells into
queen-cells, the egg that had been
previously laid in each for a neuter
remaining. He let the bees go ahead.
When the time came for hatching out
the eggs, he cut out the cells and they
hatched out queens while he was
watching them. Two days before
these queens were hatched out, he
heard the queens calling each other.
This is something that he had never
liefore noticed.
The idea of bees "making wax"
during " idle seasons !" Bee-keepers
will enjoy a hearty laugh at the folly
of Mr. B. and that newspaper re-
porter who was gulled by him !
The the best joke is tliat important
discovery ! ! It is truly wonderful,
and Mr. B. is entitled to a " leather
medal " for making it ! To use the
language of the reporter, Mr. B.
actually "discovered that the bees
were converting some of the neuter
cells into queen-cells ; the egg that had
been previously laid in each for a
neuter, remaining. He let the bees
go ahead, and when the time came
for hatching out the eggs, he cut out
the cells, and they hatched out queens,
while he was watching them." Had
Mr. B. troubled himself to read the
bee literature, he would known a great
deal more about the habits of bees,
and would have been saved the ludic-
rous position he now occupies, while
trying to palm himself ofl as a " dis-
coverer" of that which has b^n
known for ages ! and that, too, which
the merest novice is quite familiar
with.
Of course he made a discovery ; he
heard the queens calling each other "
—something " never before noticed !"
Such ignorance is inexcusable in this
Nineteenth Century, under its full
blaze of intelligence ! Had it been
written a thousand years ago, there
might have been some excuse for it,
but now there is nom.
Prof. Hasbrouck should send a
missionary down to that benighted
locality, in his State, to save the
wonderful " discoverer " from making
himself a laughing stock for a world !
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OrriCE OF AMERICAN BEE JonKNAL, (
Monday, 1" a. m.. Deo. 3, 1883. 1
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
^^ The annual meeting of the
Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held in Cortland, N.
Y., on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 1884.
M. C. Bean, Sec.
McGrawville, N. Y., Nov. 2,3, 1883.
1^ To all new subscribers for the
Weekly Bee .Iournal who send us
$2.00 for 1884, we will send the re-
mainder of this year free, from the
time the subscription is received. So,
the sooner they subscribe, the more
numbers they will get free.
1^ We regret to learn that Mr. Jer-
ome Twitchell, of Kansas City, Mo.,
was severely injured last Thursday by
a falling wall.
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The market is slow: arrivals exceed
the demand which, however, has Improved some.
There Is a better demand for comb honey, and
supplies are short, which, no doubt, la temporary,
aa usual. Last year at about this time, comb honey
was at ita hlKhest, when our sanguine friends very
naturally held on, expecting more. However, large
supplies commenced to arrive, and prices kept
aoinx down steadily. Bee-keepera in general bent
their enertties on the proriuction of e.\tracted
honey last aeilaon, more than ever before. We had
a large crop, and e.vtracted haa been dull so far,
not only because of the large supply, but because
manufacturers complain of dullneas in their busi-
ness. Consequently, we have reason lo believe
that the present alow market is temporary.
The present state of the honey market gives our
bee-keeping frlenda another chance lor a disap-
pointment, to-wlt: That of over-production ot
co[i!b honey another season. This is merely an
Idea o I my own, and our friends may take It tor
what It Is worth. d™=*
Kxtructed honey brings 7@9c. on arrival. Best
comb honey, 16817c. in small sections. .
BBBSWAX-Is of ready sale at 28<!930 on arrival.
CHAS. F. MUTH.
NEW YOKK.
HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2
lb sections, 17w21c. Dark and second quality,
14(B.l."ic.: extracted white clover in kega and bar-
rels, ot^inc.; dark, He
BKBSWAX-Prime yellow, J/fiiSac
H. K. i F. B THURBER&CO.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The market remains without change,
from that of last week. Dealers and retailers buy
only enough to supply the demand for preaentuse.
It is impossible to place lots, or entire shipments,
owing t.i the reluct.mce of dealers to buy In ad-
venes ot immediate wants. Prices obtained for
whiiecombin 1 lb. sections, l.sovioc; li^andall).,
15®18c according to beauty of same. Extracted
honey, SislOc. per lb., according to color, body and
BISESWAX- Yellow, 33c.; medium, 28®30c
R. A. B0RNETT, 161 South Water St.
KANSAS CITY, MO.
HONEY— Receipts of comb honey has been more
liberal for the past week, but the demand still
keepseverythingthatisoffalrquality well cleaned
up. Choice 1 and '2 lb. aectiona are taken on ar-
rival at IMc; larger sections and dark honey 1613
17c. Sales of extracted for the past week, about
4 000 lbs., mostly atScta. The feeling for extracted
is a little better, and 1 look for a firmer market.
JEKO.ME TwiCHELL, 536 Delaware Street.
SAN FHANCI8CO.
nONEY-There has been some attempts at ne-
Koti.ation in comb lioney on Eastern account this
week. The market for extracted is dull, and it is
doubtful if more than 7«c could be realized for
choice water white In a wholesale way. Wliite to
extra white comb, lefelKc; dark to good, USiMc,
extracted, choice to extra white, 7^(a8c.i dark ana
candle' I, Hi4(aj7c. ,...,,
BBBSWAX-Wholesale, 27VS30C.
STEARNS S 8.MITB. 423 Front Street.
ST. LOUIS.
HONBY-Cholce comb in light supply, fair de-
mand and Arm at l.scSino. per lb.; dark, broken and
poorly handled, dull at less. Strained and extrac-
ted steiKlv at«'i.(a7«c.; choice In fancy pkgs. more.
BEBSWAX-Saiableat^Sc for prime.
W. T. ANDERSON & CO.. liH N. 3d Street,
CL.BVB1,AND.
HONEY- Cholcehoney is in excellent demand
now Every lot received thus far in good order,
haa been sold on arrival; best 1 lb. aectlons bring-
ing IHC. quickly, occasionally 190.; J lb.. iTc.with
an occasional sale at 18. Second quality and brok-
en lots are very hard to sell. Extracted honey not
In demand.
BBBSWAX-28C. ^^.jjj^j.^ J, 5 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONE Y-Our market la very quiet on honey. We
quote l(;cjl8c. for beat 2 lb. sections-lBei20c. for
best white I lb., and luc for extracted.
BBBSWAX-We have none to quote.
BLAKE & RIPLEY, 57 Chatham Street,
^- Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
621
For the American Bee JoiirnBl,
Ventilation of Cellars.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
Before the ventilation of my cellar,
the air in it had a close disagreeable
odor, and if bees were placed therein,
the disagreeable odor was increased,
and especially so if the bees suffered
from dysentery. Two years ago I
made arrangements for a thorough
ventilation of the cellar, and since
then the air in it has been as pure and
sweet as it is in any part of the house.
Last winter 14 colonies of bees died
from dysentery, in the cellar, and yet,
upon entering the cellar, not the
slightest odor could be detected.
To remove tha impure air, a '2]4
inch pipe connected with the kitclien
stove pipe was extended down through
the floor to within 4 inches of the
cellar bottom. That part of the pipe
below the floor, and ?:j of that above,
was made of wood, the remainder oi^
iron. The pipe was furnished with a
damper, whicli could be opened or
closed at pleasure. When first start-
ing the tire, or if at any time it burned
low, and we wislied" to start it up
again, the damper was closed, which
increased the draft in through the
stove. At otlier times the damper re-
mained open, and the draft that other-
wise would have passed through the
stove, passed through tlie pipe ; and,
as there was less draft through the
stove, there was a saving of fuel. The
draft througli tlie pipe was often
strong enough to carry up light pieces
of paper when placed "under its mouth.
Please allow me to digress long
enough to say that the coal stove, in
my sitting-room, is furuislied with a
similar pipe, only larger, that extends
down to within li inclics of tlie sitting-
room floor. Wlieii this pijie is open it
ventilates the room by drawing the
cold air from the floor, and also effects
a saving in fuel. A neighbor, wlio
has a similar stove, but witliout the
ventilating arrangement, burns a ton
more coal during the winter.
To f urnisli the cellar with pureair,
the cellar drain was opened to a dis-
tance of about 70 feet, and 6-inch tile
substituted for the small size. At the
point of .iunction between the two
sizes of, tile, tliere was l)uilt up, with
brick, a sort of "well," which was
covered with a wooden ventila-
tor similar to those l)uilt upon barns.
When the outside temperature was
down to zero, the air blowing in
through the six-incli tile would be
warmed to above the freezing point.
While I consider the ventilation of
cellars and houses an excellent thing,
I very much doubt its very materially
.affecting the health of our bees. For
two years I have successfully wintered
bees In clamps, where there was no
ventilation except wliat came through
18 inches or 2 feet of earth. It is my
opinion that the primary cause of
dysentery is in the food.
Rogersville, Mich.
for tlie American Bee Journal.
New Jersey and Eastern Convention.
Reported by J. Hasbrouck, ISec.
The meeting was called to order at
11:80. Roll called. By vote, the Sec-
retary's reiiort was dispensed witli,
as it had been read by all present.
President Tliompson delivered his ad-
dress, lie reported that his daugh-
ter, who had manipulated his bees,
was greatly in favor of the Cyprian
and Syrian bees. She flnds them
much "gentler to handle, and more
easy to get off tlie combs. She can
manipulate at the rate of 10 colonies
of these races to 7 of the Italians.
Four Syrians yielded 247 lbs., 4 Cyp-
jians 297 lbs., and 4 Italians 142 lbs.
Mr. L. C. Root, who was present,
was elected an honorary member, and
invited to take part in the discussions
of the meeting.
Mrs. Thomas, of Tacony, Pa., was
received as delegate from "the Phila-
delphia Bee-Keepers' Association, and
was also elected an honorary member
of tlie Society.
The very interesting report from
the President's apiary was then dis-
cussed.
Mr. Cook said, he understood that
the new races were remarkable for
productiveness, and believed that
their chief advantage would be in
crossing them with our best Italians.
He had a Syrian queen, and intended
to try these" crosses.
Much interest was manifested, to
hear the opinions of Mr. Root, who
responded b>' saying that we li.v.d
claimed too much "for the Italian bee,
Imt yet, in his opinion, the Italian
still stands at the head of races. The
principal reason was, that tliey had
been improved in this country by
great (!are in breeding them. Ilis ex-
perience witli Cyprians had not been
good. Tliev lireed so late in the fall,
and hold drones so late, that they
used up too much honey uselessly.
The tendency to late breeding, in
bees, was good, but the Cyprians over-
did the business. He had no doubt
that the introduction of tliis new
blood, crossed with Italians, might re-
sult in improvement.
Mrs. Thomas was quite in sympa-
thy with the views of the last speaker.
Tliere was something good in each
race. She felt an attachment to the
black bee, but not for honey. She had
learned, in a visit to Mr. Alley, that
he considers tliem best as nurses for
queen-rearing. She thought the Ital-
ians, Cyprians and Syrians were very
similar. She liad seen the Italians in
their own homes, and slie had noticed
that they do mucli better in this
country. She reported that she had
taken an average of 100 lbs. to the
hive, the past season, and 1.'50 pounds
from each of 2 colonies. She thouglit
the honey industry in its infancy, and
thought that its importance ought to
be brought to the attention of the
public, particularly at fairs. She said
the managers of fairs needed to be in-
formed, so that they might know what
arrangements to make to insure
proper exhibitions of bees and honey.
She had been judge for a long time in
tlie Department of Industrial Insects
and their Products, such as honey-
bees and silk-worms, of the Pennsyl-
vania State Agricultural Society.
Everything has more attention given
to it than bees. To illustrate the
want of knowledge in the managers
of this industry, she said there was a
premium offered for the best honey
extracted in the presence of the com-
mittee.
The Secretary said that he was
much interested in the President's
report, and inucli surprised at it. He
had liad (piite extensive experience
with the two new races of bees, but
found that they could carry only
about half tlie load of honey of an
Italian ; that tlieir tongues were
shorter, and that they were exceed-
ingly unpleasant to handle on account
of their stinging ability. His queens
were imported ones, direct from Mr.
Jones. He believed that most of the
stock sold for Cyprian or Syrian bees,
were extensively crossed with Ital-
ians, and that they were gooil and de-
sirable in proportion to the Italian
blood in them.
Mr. Cunkey could substantiate the
statement tliat the Syrians were easy
to get oft' the combs, but they all went
into the air, and directly for your face.
Mr. Cook had exhibited bees at the
New Jersey State Fair at great trouble
and expense, and loss of bees, with
little competition, and without much
encouragement. He had come to the
conclusion that it was impracticable to
exhibit bees at fairs.
Mr. Tompkins said th.at if the busi-
ness were properly presented to the
managers of the State Fair, he had no
doubt but that the proper arrange-
ments would be made by them for ex-
liibits, that would be satisfactory and
advantageous. He had read of bees
being an annoyance, at a fair in Ohio,
to those who kept confectionery
staiuls. Provision ought to be made
by the exhibitors of bees to avoid
such things. The v>td)lic ought to be
instructed about the honey industry.
Statistics ought to be gathered, and
could be, and ought to be circulated
so as to give the industry its proper
influence.
Mrs. Thomas said it was perfectly
practicable to exhibit bees in the
midst of an exliibition, if the bees
were given an outlet through a long
tube, as she had seen it done, and it
formed the most interesting part of
the fair
The President said the greatest
dirticnlty in the way of proper encour-
ageinen't by the agricultural societies,
was that the business is not appre-
ciated by the public. Tlie managers
would provide for anything in which
the people were inUn-ested. The rea-
son that liorse-racing was the princi-
pal jiart of agricultural fairs, was be-
cause the public demanded them.
We must begin with tlie people ; we
must educate them.
Mr. C'ook moved that a committee
of three be appointed by the Chair, to
G22
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
draft a list of premiums and present
them to tlie managers of desirable
agricultural societies and endeavor to
get them incorporated into the cata-
logues of those societies Passed.
The meeting then adjourned, for
lunch, till 2 p. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Tlie following new members were
enrolled : P. F. Reiman, I'edrick-
town, N. J. ; C. AV. M. Burroughs,
Hillsboro, N. J. ; E. K. Dean, Amenia
Union, N. Y. ; W. B. Treadwell, Riv-
erdale, N. Y.
The following was then read by Mr.
J. II. M. Cook, of Caldwell, N. J., on
THE SPEING MANAGEMENT OF THE
APIARY.
I select the subject of spring man-
agement because I believe that this
is the season when our bees reqiure
the most careful attention, and that
our crop of honey will depend very
much on the skillful management of
the apiary at this season. I use the
term apiary because I think that a
large number of colonies can be man-
aged to better advantage than a few,
and if I can be the means of eliciting
your hearty discussion and severe
criticism, I will not have written in
vain. I will state that the object to
be obtained, and for which the meth-
ods described directed, is the produc-
tion of comb honey. I advance no
idea, but such as I have put to a prac-
tical test, and proven successful.
A\^e will suppose that our bees have
been wintered on their summer
stands, as is the usual practice in
New Jersey, and are in fait condition.
We cannot expect tliat they will all
be in equally good condition — at least,
I have never found tliem so. There
are numerous causes to create this
difference in our colonies, which we
cannot control ;is we would like, and
we must take facts as they fire. I
would make a general inspection of
the colonies, about the 20th of March,
or as soon as the weather is warm
enough to allow the bees to fly and I'e-
tiirn to their hives, without being
chilled, and ascertain their condition,
making a note of it for future refer-
ence. :md remove all drone comb, if
any lias Ijcen allowed to remain. If
any arc found short of stores, they
should be supplied. This can be done
by removing the empty combs, and
replacing theni with full ones, or
combs tilled with s;igar syrup. If any
are queenless, they must be supplied
with queens in soine manner, being
careful to I'eturu the chafi' or other
pac'king to keep out the cold wind.
I do not think much of upward \ en-
tilation at this season. If we are sure
that all have plenty of stores, we
need not visit them again until the
weather is settled and "warm enougli
to remove the packing, and otherwise
clean the hive, which we can generally
do about the middle of April. AVe are
then ready to commence the cam-
paign. The old adage of the plow-
man, "To make liasle slowly," is
equally aiiplicable to the bee-keeper,
as it is very injurious to expose our
bees to cold in early spring. We
should now examine each hive about
once a week, .spread the brood and
place a comb of uncapped honey in
the centre, which will cause the bees
to feed the queen, and induce her to
lay more eggs, and also give her an
opportunity to lay in the centre of the
brood-nest." Butthe spreading of the
brood must lie done with care and
judgment, as the brood will get
chilled, if the colony is not strong
with bees.
I would not advise spreading it if
there is not brood in four frames, and
then not to place in more than one
comi) in tlie centre. The stronger the
colony, the faster you can increase it.
" Ifnto him that hath shall be given.'"
By this means we will get our large
colonies strong enough to receive liie
surplus boxes in fruit-blossom time.
As the fruit-blossoms are beginning
to open, I would put the sections oh
all colonies that have the brood-cham-
ber three-fourtlis full of brood, and
well-fllled with bees. Place sections
only on top, using only those sections
tilled with comb remaining over from
last year, as we must not expect them
to biiild much comb thus early in the
season. If we feed a little just before
fruit blossoms, it will be w-ell, as the
queen will lay faster, and the bees will
fill the empty cells of the brood-cham-
ber, and be compelled to store all the
fruit-blossom honey in the sections.
I have, .in this way. secured 2-5
pounds per hive of choice fruit-blos-
som honey in sections. If the pros-
pect of fruit-bUissom honey is good,
it will, perhaps, pay to double up
some colonies which are too weak to
go into the sections. This I would do
by taking one frame each from several
strong colonies, and adding them to
the weaker ones, that we wish to
box, but. unless the prospect is good,
it will not pay as it weakens the
others very materially.
During the last of fruit blossoms,
we may expect our first swarms from
the stronger colonies, and I W'ould al-
low tiiem to swarm naturally at this
season, as I wish to secure all the
queen-cells fully matured as early as
possible, in order to form nuclei for
queens. When the early swarms is-
sue. I hive .them upon the old stand
on frames of foundation, or, which is
better, on combs, putting the surplus
sections from the old hive upon the
swarm, and removing the old colony,
and I divide the brood and remaining
l)ees into as many nuclei as possible,
giving each a (|ueen-cell and two
frames of brood, and place them
wliere we wish our increase to stand.
In this way I would manage all my
earl>- swarms until I have about as
maiiy nuclei as I expect increase of
colonies, and as there is generally a
scarcity of honey till white clover, it
is well to feed tlu' nuclei ; and I will
say here that I would not attempl to
increase to more than one-half the
number of old colonies, as we must
keep our colonies strong if we would
have l)ox honey. When I have about
enough nuclei formed, I continue to
hive upon the old stand, placing the
sections upon the new swarms as
before, but instead of forming nuclei,
I divide the brood among the stronger
of the weak colonies, and if I have
queens that are old and useless, I de-
stroy them and introduce my best
queen-cells. The addition of the
brood to the weaker colonies will pre-
pare them for boxing.
As soon as my old hives are all well-
tilled with brood, I would continue to
hive upon the old stand as before,
and divide the brood among the
nuclei, which, by this time, will have
young laying queens, and if we add
brood, we can build them up very
fast, and soon prepare them for box-
ing also, and from these young queens
and hives filled with brood, we may
expect a fine yield of honey.
As the clover season is just open-
ing, we should look over all hives
which have not swarmed, and swarm
all which have started queen-cells
with eggs in them preparatory to
swarming, putting on the sections,
and dividing the brood among the
nuclei.
After the fruit blossoms have past,
I would not put the sections on until
the colony had swarmed, or. at least,
until the clover season is well ad-
vanced, for if we keep the sections
oft, they will sw;u'm sooner, and I
like to get the swarming done up be-
fore the height of the clover season.
The Secretary asked Jlr, Cook if he
was reallt/ sure "that he had ever seen
a great advantage to a colony whose
brood was "spread" in the "spring,
over an ecpially good colonv having
plenty of honey, but which liad been
allowed to have its own way with
arranging its brood.
Mr.'Cook replied that he very de-
cidedly had. The Secretary said that
he could not be sure that he ever had,
although he had practiced the plan of
spreading brood. He had no doubt
that uncapping honey in the hive,
hastened the production of early
brood.
Mr. Root was desired to give his
opinion on this matter, and he said,
that although we were sometimes apt
to be too anxious to hasten bees in
the spring, everything must be done
that can be doiie judiciously to get
the colonies very strong by the time
tlie harvests comes on.
This was the most important part
of bee-keeping. He could winter bees
well enough. He did not ask to be
able to do it better, but it was a sub-
ject of most anxious inquiry to him,
how to get his bees strongest as soon
as he needed them. The hive must
be adapted to this purpose. He did
not "leave in all the combs, and the
hive must be able to be closed up
warmly to what was left.. Here was
the great imi)ortance of a correct size
and shape of frame. There was a
great disadvantage in the long shal-
low frame, now attempted to be
forced uimhi the bee-keeping public as
a standard. The frames must allow
the bees to arrange the brobd within
a spherical cluster.
The cause of the distinguished suc-
cess of Julius Hoffman, who was one
of the most aide bee-keepers in the
country, was largely due to his frame,
his division-boards, and his enameled
cloth spread tightly over the tops of
the frames. He uses a frame 11 or
12x14 inches, and eight of them in a
hive — a grand hive.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
623
A great disadvantage in tlie old
Langstroth liive was, the shallow %
inch air-chamber over the top of the
frames, allowing a circulation of air
over the tops of the frames. Bees
wintered better in box hives, and we
ought to make movaVile frame hives
resemble their good features as far as
possible. In the box hive every comb
makes a division-board, tightly fitting
at the sides and top, so as to allow no
circulation of air anmnd or over the
liees. To a question, asking if Mr.
Hoffman left the enameled cloth on
during winters, he answered that he
did. He wintered in a very peculiar
manner in a depository so warm that
the bees hung out over the outside of
the hive all the time.
He said, if Prof. Ilasbrouck had
asked him the same question he put
to Mr. Cook, he would have answered,
uiKjuestionably he had seen very
freat benefit from spreading the
rood. But it must be done with
treat care. If the bee-keeper could
now certainly just when he would
need the bees, there would be little
difficulty by manipulating the brood
to have "jus't what he wanted on time.
If one could see the pile of waxed
barrels which he had prepared for
buckwheat and fall honey, which
were still empty, he would have some
idea of the uncertainties of bee-keep-
ing. He said honey ought to be kept
in frames to feed in the spring. The
■capping should be broken, and then
the frames should be placed between
the brood.
There had been much talk about
cheap food for feeding bees. Bee-
keepers ought to step on the idea of
feeding glucose. The public would
get the impression that it was fed to
make honey. A good thing about it
was, that it does not pay to feed glu-
cose. It does not pay to feed honey
back, and he was glad it did not. He
next referred to the position of Mr.
(look's paper on natural swarming.
He said the box hive was years in ad-
vance of natural swarming, and if he
used the box hive, lie would not allow
Ills bees to swarm naturally. Much
was said about the extra eiiero;y of
natural swarms. This reason of this
was. that they had nothing else to do
but to store honey. If you accept the
motto, "give every liive a good prolific
queen," you kill natural swarming.
To a question by Mrs. Thomas, he
said, that honey just gathered con-
tained 70 per cent, of water, and that if
this was evaporated artificially, it was
exactly the same as honey evaporated
by the" bees in the hive, while the bees
w'ere saved much labor. That Mrs.
Cotton's feed undergoes no change in
the process of its being stored by the
bees. If the bees gather molasses,
they store molasses. If glucose, they
store glucose. It seemed a sad thing
to him. when the editor of a bee paper
of considerable influence said that by
feeding glucose you olitain honey — not
something like honey— it was honey."
Being asked to explain further
aViout his experience in the artificial
evaporation of honey, he said tliat
when Mr. Quinby first heard of cen-
trifugal force applied to honey combs,
he improvised an extractor imme-
diately, from parts of a fanning mill.
At first they had practiced extracting
from a small hive, and then letting it
stand till it was again filled, and the
honey capped. They next tried a
large hive with many combs, allowing
the bees to spread out the honey, over
a large surface, with but little in a
cell. They found that in that way
they obtained a decided increase of
honey. They next concluded that all
the bees did "to ripen the honey, was
to evaporate the water which they
noticed would be left hanging to th"e
cover of the hives in large drops.
The next step was to prepare an ar-
rangement by which the honey taken
from the hive as soon as gathered
could be spread out to the air, while
it was raised to a high temperature
by an oil stove, so that the bees would
be saved the great labor which was
wearing them out rapidly. He found
that he could thus secure a much
greater quantity of honey. His ma-
chine was much in construction like
the evaporators of maple syrup. He
keeps the water under it at 7.5^. He
runs it twice over the machine. He
has honey thus evaporated which has
been kept 2 years without candying.
Dr. Phin, editor of the Journal of
Microscopy, asked in what way honey
evaporated this way was less artificial
than maple syrup evaporated in an
evaporating pan 'i* Mr. Root replied,
that this honey was in no respect dif-
ferent from that ripened in the hive
by the bees. Prof. Cook had said
that the bees add an acid in ripening
the honey, but had finally admitted
that ripening was only a process of
evaporation of the water contained
in the honey. Although he had great
respect for the opinion of Dadant &
Son, yet he l)elieved that his honey
evaporated by his plan was not inferior
to any produced by their system.
Mr. Cook asked how he would pre-
vent swarming V He answered that
there was no trouble in preventing
natural swarms, when bees were run
for extracted honey. When taking
box honey, his aim is to have all the
increase of bees he can in the hives
without an increase of colonies, and
prevent the desire for swarming. He
accomplishes this by removing a card
of brood and supplying its place with
empty comb or foundation. A good
prolific queen, one not already ex-
hausted by laying, is a preventive of
swarming. jS^o system of practice in
taking box- honey" will prevent swarm-
ing. He was glad that Mr. Cook ad-
vised allowing natural swarming at
first to obtain queen-cells.
Mrs. Thomas, in speaking of the
paper, said she never put on surplus
boxes till the hive was filled with
honey. Swarming comes to bees as
blossoms to flowers. In contracting
brood-nest in tlie spring, she used
division-lioards of card-boards, cut by
machinery to fit the inside of the hive
closely.
Mr. 'Hutchinson said tliat allowance
must be made in adopting the prac-
tice of others, for the difi'erence of
locality, which was illustrated by the
fact that the canal near Mr. "Root
opened May 10, while the one near
himself opened on March 20.
The next paper was then read by
the Secretary, on
HANDLING BEES.
This 'term is significant of the dif-
ference between the old bee-keeping
and the new. formerly there was no
such thing as liandling bees while
alive, except to set them over the
brimstone pit, but with the introduc-
tion of movable combs, bees have
been •' handled " and " handled," and
often handled to-death. I think I am
safe in saying that " handling bees "
is, in itself, always a detriment to
them— more or less— and that a hive
of bees should never be opened unless
there be a positive necessity either to
learn' its condition, or to perform
some operation which, in its effect,
will benefit them more than the
handling will do them injury, or to
take away the surplus for which they
are kept." Moreover, handling bees
takes time and labor, and the bee-
keeper must economize these by
spending none which necessity does
not demand.
From considerations of this econ-
omy of labor, if for no other reason, I
woiild prefer natural swarming to any
system of artificial increase. I am
not a believer with Mr. House, in
his part of " Alley's Handy Book,"
that a bee-keeper must be able to tell
the condition of every colony from
the outside appearance. I must con-
fess that after a pretty extensive ex-
perience, my opinion passed in that
way would be about as valuable as my
estimate of the quantity of money in
a trunk, by looking at the cover.
While I believe a man must look
inside to see how it is with a colony,
yet any man who is cut out for a bee-
keeper must be able to tell by a rapid
examination in the spring, accurately
the condition of every colony then,
and what help each needs, and after-
wards by means of his record he must
be able to judge just when and what
kind of attention each colony will
again need, and, except for that, I
consider it necessary for their great-
est prosperity, that they be left abso-
lutely alone. It is a fo'rtunate era for
the bees of a beginner, when he gets
so many colonies, that lie is not able
" to go through them " every few days
for some imaginary purpose.
Admitting that it is necessary that
a colony of bees shoidd be over-hauled
sometimes, let us consider the whole-
some restrictions and limitations of
this operation. First, I should say
that bees ought not to be opened in
cold and disagreeable weather. I am
convinced that disturbance at such
times, is one cause of that most an-
noying of accidents to a colony, the
balling and killing of a queen by her
own subjects. Several years ago a
gentleman came to me one cold dis-
agreeable day in April to get me to go
and look at llis bees, which he wanted
to sell. He opened seven hives to
show them. In just a week we had
about agreed on the price, and I went
to look them over to see that they
were yet all right. Six out of the
seven colonies liad queen-cells which
they had just begun to cap, showing
that the queen had been killed on the
624
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
day of the previous examination.
Again, early last spring, a gentleman
called upon me on much the same
kind of a day to get a queen. I opened
colony after colony, at least five or
six, and every time found the bees
balling the queen. These are a couple
of a great many instances which I
could give, where I have found
queens called when the only explana-
tion I could give was disturbance in
bad weather. Mr. Doolittle has lately
said that in exposing brood in cold
weather, it is very easily* chilled, so
that the Itees remove it. I have never
observed the fact, but can readily be-
lieve that it is the case.
2. At times when bees are not get-
ting honey rapidly, they should not be
opened in the middle of the day,-
which is the time usually recorii-
mended by the books for working
with bees. As soon as the frames of
a colony are exposed at such times, a
number ot bees, industriously forag-
ing around to find honest work, are
attracted by the smell of honey. The
smoke of the operator helps them to
gain an entrance into the open hive,
and a taste of the coveted sweets, and
the mischief begins. Constantly in-
creasing crowds follow him around,
and force themselves recklessly into
every hive he opens, exciting the bees
with which he is working to fury in
stinging, and going themselves to al-
most certain death. The whole yard
is soon in an uproar, and a battle is
begun which continues, at least, for
the remainder of the day, and whose
victims lay in piles of thousands at
every entrance, and often include
queens as well as subjects. I suppose,
at such times, a movable tent is a
kind of protection against robbing,
but I regard it as an encumbrance
which is perfectly useless, if a little
care is observed to leave all necessary
manipulations to the proper times of
the day. The evening, I consider the
proper time, par excellence, for liand-
ling bees. They are strict believers
Ib the old adage, " Early to bed and
early to rise." When the sun is yet a
half-hour high they begin to knock
off work and gather quietly at home,
and it must be something extraordi-
nary which will tempt them away
much after this time, unless they are
educated to bad habits. Home seems
to have a soothing effect upon them
as well as upon the human species.
Now is the time to do with them what
is necessary to be done, and by lively
work, everything necessary in seasons
of robbing, even in a large apiary, and
even where queen-rearing is made an
extensive speciality, can easily be
done. Of course there would not be
time in a large apiary, for putting on
boxes and taking of surplus and ex-
tracting, but such work is done only
when honey is coming in, when one
can work at any time of day, without
danger from robbers.
It is surprising to one who has never
tried it, with what ease and success,
queens of all kinds, virgin as well as
fertile, can be smoked into the en-
trances of hives at twilight. Bees are
not on the lookout for strangers at
tliis time of day, and they are ready
to accept anything put into their
hives, especially as the smell of all is
made alike with a little smoke. I
have not caged a queen of anv kind
for the last two years, and I have
scarcely lost one in this time in in-
troducing, and I have not found it
necessary to use tobacco smoke either,
as Mr. Alley recommends.
Bees may also be handled in seasons
of robbers, early in the morning.
There are few times in the summer
when a little honey is not found early
in the morning, enough to take the
attention of the bees, and keep them
away from the bee-master long
enough for him to do what he cannot
find time to do in the evening.
3. All necessary handling of bees
must be done with the utmost rapid-
itv, and with Justas little disturbance
of the arrangements of the bees as
possible. To this end, all racks and
boxes should be easily adjusted, so
that in removing surplus, the bees
may be exposed as little, and for as
short a time, as possible. If a hive is
kept open for a long time, while com-
plicated gimcracks are torn apart and
fitted together again, robbing is apt to
be induced even in seasons of the best
honey flow, and the workers soon find
out that their attention is wanted at
home, to protect their stores, and to
re-establish the destroyed order of
the hive, even if the demoralization is
not commvniicated to all other colo-
nies, and a consequent serious loss of
honey is the result.
So any extensive mauling of a large
colony of bees for so little reason as,
perhaps, to find a hybrid queen to put
a pure one in its place, should be care-
fully avoided.
I have been in the habit, for a long
time, if any of my neighbors come to
me to get some bees, just to raise
honey for their own use, to recom-
mend them to keep them in a box
hive, and to " take them up " in the
fall, believing they will get more
honey in this way than if their bees
were maided over every little while,
as beginners are very apt to do. If
the above precautions in handling
bees come to be generally heeded, I
would begin to feel tliat the movable-
comb hive is a safe thing in the hands
of beginners, but not till then.
'Mr. Cook thought but few colonies
coidd 1)6 kept by one man. if all the
handling was to be done only in the
evening.
The secretary replied that when
honev was coming in, bees could be
handled easily at any time in the day,
but in a time" of honey dearth, there
should be need, even in a large apiary,
of no more handling that could be doiie
in the evening.
Mr. Root thought that an impression
might go abroad from the paper, that
would be undesirable. Tliere were
many now keeping bees in box hives,
who were afraid to have their bees
transferred, fearing injury to them,
and it wt)uld be unfortunate to have
them conlirmed, in such opinion. The
fact is, it is worth $1 to a colony to be
transferred. It would generally pay
to drive bees out of a hive, and wash
and scald it, and paint full the cracks,
sometimes, to get rid of the parasites
which were apt to trouble bees. He
had even known them to lurk in the
grain of the wood, so minute were
some of them.
Mr. Ilahman transfers and prevents
any trouble from robbing by closing
other hives.
Vvot. Kroeh had had great trouble
the past season in introducing queens.
He would like to hear Mr. Root's
opinion on the subject.
Mr. Root said he was the most suc-
cessful in introducing without a cage,
lie knew in an instant when a queen
would be killed, but could not tell
how. He thinks queens are killed, if
at all, the instant they touch the
combs. There is not much trouble if
bees are well-filled with honey. He
shakes the bees all out and then puts
the new queen with them, and lets
them run in.
Mr. Hutchinson said he introduces
queens by Mr. Moore's plan, with a
round cage. He places it between the
combs, with corks, for 36 hours. He
then takes the cork from one end and
closes it with paper covered with
honey. In a short time the bees eat
through the paper and liberate the
queen.
Mrs. Thomas objected to that
method l)eing called by the name of
Mr. Moore, or any other man. She
had used that method for 18 years, and
never heard it called by any one's
name. She never introduces queens
to full colonies.
Prof. Kroeh preferred to introduce
queens to brood, by putting the queen
on a frame of brood, and then putting
tliat frame into a wire-cloth box, and
then into the hive. After a few days,
when a quantity of brood was hatched
out with the queen, let them out to
the other bees. He had succeeded
once when he did not expect to, by
lifting a frame of bees with the queen
from a nucleus and putting it into the
middle of a queenless colony.
Mr. Cunkey had introduced a great
many queens, and had come to the con-
clusion that the less troulile taken to^
do it, the better. He always used the
Betsiiiger method, and was generally
successful.
Mr.Hahman had visited Mr. Root, at
Medina, Ohio, and had seen the man
who introduces queens there do it, as
if the bees had got educated to receive
strange queens.
Mr. Root said, he did not like any
method by which the bees liberated
the queen. He wanted to see how the
bees received her when they first had
access to her. He had never seen any
reason for thinking that it was danger-
ous to examine bees soon after a queen
was introduced.
Prof. Kroeh asked Mr. Root what
" balling " meant.
He aiiswered that there was some-
thing very mysterious about it. He
did iiot know the cause, but could
easily tell a queen which had lieen
balled. Tliey have a smooth, shining
appearance, and were worthless.
To a (piestion as to whether he ex-
tracted from the brood nest, he an-
swered, that he had no hesitation in
extracting from combs with unsealed
brood in them. He had seen brood
started from the bottom of the cells by
extracting, but he always found that
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
625
it was soon put into place again by
the bees. There was a loss sometimes
in extracting, as the bees were dis-
turbed, so that they did not go to the
fields for the remainder of the day,
while other colonies standing on the
scales were gaining 4 or 5 lbs. per
hour. •
The President said that his daughter
who managed his apiary, had devel-
oped a method of introducing queens
which was very satisfactory. She lifts
a frame of brood out of the hive and
puts the queen on it— puts it into a
nucleus box for a couple of days. She
then returns it to the rear of the hive
(whicli is a Simplicity) with the combs
running crosswise, and puts it behind
a division board which does not reach
quite to the bottom.
The Secretary said that he had only
alluded in his paper to introducing
queens. His method was this : At
twilight, after the bees had stopped
flying, he put the ([ueen on the alight-
ing board of the hive, and let her run
in ; at the same time smoking the
bees briskly. He had even introduced
virgin queens to full colonies, and
queens to colonies with fertile work-
ers, and he always put them in. with
perfect faith that they would be all
right, and had never lost one by that
method. He used to be enthusiastic
over the Betsinger cage, but the
" twilight " plan was much superior.
Mr. Root said he would be afraid to
risk it.
Mrs. Thomas asked if any one knew
of a successful method of out-door
wintering without chaff hives. This
fall she had boxes made to put over
her hives, and had packed them with
leaves, and she wished to have the
opinion of the Convention as to its
safety. She had got the idea from a
florist, who advised a similar method
for covering lialf-hardy plants. She
always laid over tlie frames of every
colony a stick of rock candy. She con-
sidered it of the greatest importr
ance.
President Thompson said that was
the method he always used for winter-
ing. He had permanent boxes around
each hive,which were packed with chaff
or a similar non-conductor, and then
covered by a single pitch roof. Tliere
was no cover to his hives. He found
the packing as useful in summer as in
winter.
The President then announced the
special committee to confer with the
managers of Fairs. Mr. J. II. M.
Cook, Mr. Hutchinson and Prof. Ilas-
brouck, to which was subsequently
added, by resolution, the President
himself.
The Treasurer was then directed,
by resolution, to have 120 postal cards
printed with the notice of the next
meeting, one to be sent by the Secre-
retary to each member.
It was resolved that the executive
committee prepare a programme of
the next meeting, at least a month
previous, and that this lie publisiied
with notices of the meeting.
A vote of thanks was extended to
the visiting delegates from the Phila-
delpliia Bee-Keepers' Association for
their attendance and participation in
this meeting, also to .Mr. L. C. Root
for valuable assistance in the discus-
sion. , ,, ,
It was then moved and adopted that
the Society hold its next meeting for
two days, on the second Wednesday
and Thursday of March next, to which
time the meeting was adjourned.
J. IlASBROUCK, Sec.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
I'll Never Mind what they Say,
J. M, HICKS.
I shall not worry or fret,
About what people think
Of my ways or my means—
of my food or my drink.
If I linow I am doinK
My best every day—
With the rlKht on my side,
I'll never mind what they say.
I'll lay out in the morning
Mv rttans for each hour.
And I'll never forget
That I )ld Tin)? is ii power.
This will I also remember,
AmonK truths old and new.
The w'orld is too busy
To think of me and of you.
Then I'il jrarner the minutes,
That make u|) the hours,
And in my piltrimaRe
ril plUL'k in tlie flowers;
Should Krumbiers assure me,
Mv course will not pay—
With my conscience at rest
I'll not mind what they say.
■rhen let me forpet, as I should,
The insensate throng,
'rhat jostles me daily
AVhile I'm marchinff alonK:
I'll press onward and upward,
I'll make no delay.
And though the people talk
I'll not mind what they say.
I shall tru!-t in His cause,
.And hope for tlie best,
Knowing, as 1 well do.
God is holy and just;
He gave us good laws
Which, if we understand,
We shall gather the sweets
He placed at our command.
Then we will guard and protect.
The good honey bee.
He so bountifully provided
For you and for me.
With the right on my side,
I'll n"t mind what they say.
But pluck in the flowers,
Ano make no delay.
Battle Ground, Ind.
For the American Bee Journal.
My Experience with Bees.
WM. H. WESTOK.
Last year, in my ignorance, I
bought what I supposed was a colony
of bees, but what I would now call a
two-frame nucleus. Of course they
did not live through the winter, al-
though I fed them plenty, I having
bought them late in the summer, and
being put into my hive, thej; had
nothing to start on ; so, last spring, I
had the hive with some empty comb
with which to start the year.
As we had such a late spring, I did
not buy any until May. I then bought
a colony of common bees in an old
hive, and transferred them on the 24th
into the hive I prefer, and which, I
think, is the best for this climate : I
refer to the D. A. Jones hive. We
then had cold, wet weather until the
latter part of June ; the bees gather-
ing but very little, only enough to
keep up breeding. Aboiit June 20, I
divided and introduced an Italian
queen to one of them. Shortly after
that we l:ad sjilendid weather for
gathering honey, and the bees ap-
peared to realize the fact, by working
to their fullest extent, and it being
my first year, I had not enough ex-
perience to know how much honey a
colony could gather, so I was not pre-
pared for such a flow. They filled the
hives full, and as I had not an ex-
tractor, I had to put in empty frames
to keep them going until I could hire
one. I had previously bought some
comb foundation with whicli I filled
the frames that I replaced the full
ones with ; so, of course, I was not so
badly off, after all.
About the latter part of July, one
of the colonies swarmed while I was
away from home. As soon as I ar-
rived, my wife informed me of the
fact, and'as it was my first attempt at
hiving a swarm, I have no doubt I
was very awkward about it, but I suc-
ceeded 'v^ery well, although I had never
seen any person do it. They had
swarmed on the trunk of a small shade
tree. At last I got them hived, but
not knowing whether I had secured
tlie queen, and wanting to be sure
about it, I gave them a frame or two
of brood from my Italian colony. In
a day or two I found out that the
queen was in the new hive all right,
and was laying first rate. So I will
winter H colonies. I think, as they are
ail strong and have plenty of stores to
winter them. I have taken out all the
frames, leaving five for each hive,
which will crowd them up pretty well.
I have packed the hive on the inside.
I secured from the one colony and its
increase over 100 lbs. of honey^ besides
some that we used in the house. The
most of it was extracted ; part in one-
pound sections, and the balance in
frames, which I will feed to tliem in
tlie spring. I think I have not done
so badlv, for my first vear, with the
small amount of time 1 had to spare.
London, Ont., Nov. 19, 1883.
Ohio State Convention.
The Ohio bee-keepers will hold
their annual convention in Columbus,
O., Jan. 14, 15 and 16, 1884. All in-
terested in bee-culture are invited.
The following subjects will be dis-
cussed ; " How to winter bees suc-
cessfully." "Are the new races of
bees a success y" " What can we do
to prevent adulteration of honey ?"
" How to create a home market for
honey." " How many colonies can be
kept in one locality V" " Can we do
without separators V" " Which are
best, deep or shallow frames V "What
shall we do with second swarms ?"
" How many brood frames are neces-
sary in a hive y" "Which is the most
salable section, one-half, one or two
pounds y" " Is it advisable for all
bee-keepers to adopt a standard size
of frame y" " What is the most de-
sirable width of sections y"
The above questions will be dis-
cussed by eminent men, such as Rev.
L. L. Langstioth, Dr. Besse, S. D.
Riegel and others, and in addition to
the above. Prof. Lizenby, of the Ohio
University, will deliver a lecture on
" Honey-producing plants :"also Mrs.
Jennie Culp will read an essay.
C. M. KiNGSBUKY, Sec.
626
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tbe American Bee Joui*nal.
Size and Style of Frame, etc.
O. M. DOOLITTLE.
On page 5(i3 of tbe Bee Journal,
I fliid these words : " I wish to ask
Mr. Doohttle what style of frame,
how placed, what sl/.e, one or two
stories, would he adopt if starting
anew into bee-keeping, for extracted
and comb honey V"" In answering the
above, I could simply give my pref-
erence as to frames, how used, etc.,
but as this would only prove to the
reader that Dooliltli' used such and
such frames and tiives, without rea-
sons for so doing, I prefer to tell why
I would and do adopt the style of
frame and hive I use botli for comb
and extracted honey. This being
done, the reader can compare my rea-
sons with those of others using dif-
ferent styles of frames and hives than
I do, and thus, after comparison, come
to a definite conchision as to what
they w'ill adopt. Mere assertions
never help any one to a correct de-
cision on any matter, but reasons are
always helpful.
When I first began bee-keeping, I
used the Langstroth frame, that being
17%x9!^. For the reason that my
father had been more successful,
years before, in producing comb honey
while using box hives, when he placed
his boxes at the sides of the hive in
connection with top boxes, I desired
to adopt the plan of both side and top
boxing in connection with frame
hives. That the above style of frame
would not admit of this plan of work-
ing to the best advantage, was one
reason why I dispensed with it and
adopted another. However, even
with the Langstroth frame, I was
more successful in producing honey
on the above plan than I was on the
tiering up plan, recommended by
many. Next I worked with the
American frame, which was at that
time (if I recollect aright) 12x14 inches,
as )ised about here. Tliis did not
prove better than the Langstroth
frame, for while the Langstroth hive
fave the largest returns from the top
oxes, the American gave tlie most at
the sides.
To avoid these to extremes, I next
tried the (iallup style of frame, which
is lOJ^xlO?^, inside measure. With
this I found the bees would work in
about equal proportions in both side
and top boxes, and by adopting the
single case system when section boxes
came into use. and raising the part
filled with sections (by the case) from
the sides, and placing tliem on the
top as fidl cases were removed, I
found I could get an average vield of
one-third more honey than \>y any
method I had heretofore used.
Then, again, I reduced the size of
the brood-chamber to 9i the size rec-
ommended by Mr. Gallup, thus getting
the brood in compact form, and close
to the sections on both sides and top.
The reason why the Langstroth frame
is best adapted to top boxing, is be-
cause the brood comes nearer to the
top than the sides, as a rule, and for
the reason that the brood is at the
sides when the American frame is
used, is why that is best adapted to
side storing. The using of so few
frames in the brood-chamber, that
they shall be literally filled with brood,
and then surrounding this brood with
sections, is one of the great secrets of
success as applied to comb honey, in
my opinion.
During the past season I worked
some hives with only 6 Gallup frames,
instead of 9 as formerly used, or 12 as
recommended l)y Mr. Gallup ; and met
with a success never before attained
by me in the production of comb
honey. If tliese colonies so worked,
prove e(iual to wintering, I shall
adopt the plan quite largely in the
future. Tliat the Gallup frame al-
lows of being successfully worked on
the above plan, and that the above
plan is the one looking toward the
greatest success, is my reason for us-
ing it, and the reason why I should
adopt it, if I were starting anew into
bee-keeping. Some will say that the
tiering up plan will dis"tance the
abovet as to labor required, by a long
ways. Admitted, but wOiich is con-
considered the better farmer, the man
who employs certain help to work 200
acres of laiid to secure a certain yield
therefrom, or the man who uses the
same help on 100 acres, and se-
cures as large, if not a larger amount
than does the other from his 200 acres.
The greatest number of colonies kept
should not be our ambition, biit the
largest yield possible from a given
number." As in the above, our 200-
acre farmer has double the capital
invested on which he is getting only
the same returns as the other with 100
acres, so if we secure the amount it
would take to keep 100 colonies of
bees for a vear as a surplus, where
only 50 are 'kept, we get the honey
from our field in shape of surplus in-
stead of feed for the bees, thus mak-
ing a gain in our favor. As it takes
at least fiO pounds of honey to keep
one colony of bees for one year, this
item is worth looking after.
But I have digressed. I am asked
how the frames are placed. I have
them run from front to rear of the
hive, or endwise to the entrance, for
where side l>oxes are used, the bees
would have to travel under or through
the boxes to get from the entrance to
the brood-chamber.
For comb honey I use a cap or
chamber to the hive S inches high, so
as to cover the top boxes, and also to
admit of chaff or sawdust packing for
winter. So far I have only spoken of
my preference for the Gallup frame as
regards comb honey. I have equally
good reasons for my adopting it for
tlie formation of nuclei, queen-rear-
ing, wintering, etc., etc., but time
and space forbid my giving them at
this time.
For extracting, I am as well pleased
with the Gallup frame as with any
other, and as I use it for comb honey,
of course I prefer it for extracting.
Were I working for extracted honey
exclusively, I should not consider its
advantages as great as I do for comb
honey. That it can hang in the ex-
tractor the same as in the hive, is one
reason for preferring it, and that the
Langstroth frame cannot so hang in
the extractor, is au objection to it, in
my opinion.
In extracting, I use two different
plans, one of which is to use the hive
two and three stories high, leaving
the combs undisturbed until tlie honey
season is over. The other is to place
combs in the side storing apartments
of my comb honey hive, and extract
from them as fast as filled, ripening
the honey in a warm room, in open-
mouthed vessels. Each plan has its
advantages and disadvantages. By
the former I get a splendid article of
honey with a little labor. By the
latter I get nearly double the quant-
ity, but it requires more labor, at a
time labor is of the greatest value,
and the quality of the honey is not
nearly as good. If this reply is not
satisfactory in all points to Mr. Moles-
worth, he will please call again, and
I will try and make it so.
Borodino, X. Y.
The Michigan Conventlen.
Dear Mk. Editor :— May I ask you
to call special attention to our next
annual meeting to be held in Flint,
Dec. 5 and 6, of the Michigan Bee-
Keepers' Association. We expect to
have by far the best meeting ever held
in the State. It is expected that the
Rev. L. L. Langstroth will be present.
To see and hear him will pay any one
for the trouble and expense incident
to the journey. We also expect D. A.
Jones, A. I. Root, C. F. Muth, and
hope to have C. C. Miller and T. G.
Kewman. From wliat I hear, Michi-
gan bee-keepers are to be out in force.
Hotel rates are to be $1.00 a day. Fur-
ther particulars as to programme, will
be given soon. We expect to get re-
duced rates on the railroads. To aid
in this, and that I may know how
many certificates on railroads to ask
for, will every one in this or other
States who expect to come, drop me a
card at once to that effect V
A. J. Cook, President.
[Sorry we cannot attend.— Ed.1
1^ The annual meeting of the
Lorain County Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion will be held in the Court House at
Elyria, Dec. 19, IHS^.
O. J. Terrell, Sec.
North Ridgeville, O.
1^" Owing to the death of our Sec-
retary, Mr. T. Brookius, please an-
nounce in the Bee Jouhnal that the
annual meeting of the Champlain Val-
ley Bee-Keepers' Association, will
meet in the parlors of the Addison
House, Middleburg, Vt., the second
Thursday in January, 1884.
J. E. Crane, Pres.
^" A meeting of the bee-keepers of
Des Moines Co.. Iowa, will be held on
th* second Tuesday in January, at 10
a. m., for the purpose of organizing a
county bee-kepers' association, at Mid-
dleton, Iowa, in R. C. Crawford's
Hall. John Xau, Frank Melceler,
A. M. Baldwin, W. R. Glandon,
Committee.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
627
^mitat and Moxo.
AN8WBR3 By
James Heddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Extracted Honey Production.
Mr. James Ileddon: Please describe
your ^a'-story box for extracted lioney,
in tlie Bke JouiiNAL. How wide in-
side, how big, etc.
2. Is it necessary to glue sections ?
3. Is glassed honey more preferable
than tin boxes for retailing extracted
honey in ?
4. Is there any danger of loaf or
granulated sugar being adulterated,
and is ttie former any better for winter
food for bees than the latter V
Sutton, N. H. r. M. Cheney.
Answers.— To produce extracted
honey for sweet sauce, it should be
well ripened, capped over before ex-
tracted, and I prefer to store it in 14
story frames, otherwise the same size
of the hive below, and upon the tier-
ing-up system.
2. Xot at all, if they are decently
made.
8. I have never seen honey on the
market in tin receptacles, where it
■could compete with that stored in
glass ; thougli tin is most advantage-
ous to the producer, consumers do not
like it. '
4. Sugar agents tell me that granu-
lated sugar has been adulterated with
grape sugar, but that there are re-
fineries that can be relied upon for
the pure article. I have little fears,
and see no difference between loaf and
granulated, though loaf is usually con-
sidered a little more refined.
Why use a Honey-Board %
Will ^Ir. Ileddon please answer,
through the Bee Journal, why he
uses the skeleton honey-board at' all '?
If the right bee space is observed be-
tween the brood frames and the bot-
tom of the case, is this second space
not worse than useless V
C H. Dibbern.
Milan, 111., Xov. 38, 18S3.
Answer.— The objections to the
use of my honey-board are three: cost,
manipulation, and storage when out
of use. The advantages are : there
are less bees in the way when ad-
justing and removing supers, less
opportunity for robbers to get in their
work at that time, the sections are
much cleaner and freer from bits of
comb, and when taken from the hive
are never dripping from broken cells
which have been built between them
and the brood frames. It makes the
queen less liable to go above to lay,
economizes wax, by preventing these
brace combs. When one case is
raised up and another one put under,
no braces are lifted with the under
sections, to be iinisbed out and at-
tached to tlie tops of those just put in
their place. This In-acing will not
take place between sections and each
other, but between the lower sections
and brood frames, if the honey-board
is not used ; hence, only one honey-
board is needed to each hive, and does
not have to be moved through all the
manipulations of the supers, only
when we work in tlie brood-chamber,
when it is as easily removed as a
cover.
The honey-board has 9 slats, with
% spaces between them ; the centre of
each slat comes directly over the
space between the Ijrood-frames be-
low, and the centre of each top-bar
below is directly under the slots of
the honey-board. The outer edges of
the honey-board are bee-space higher
than the top siirface of the slats
which forms the second space. You
see that the supers of sections fit the
hive perfectly without any honey-
board, and the same with. You also
see by what method we cut off this
building of brace combs, and at the
same time give perfect egress to the
heat, odor and bees.
After careful experiment of no
small dimensions, I can say that this
honey-board is no hindrance whatever
to the bees entering the sections.
With an upper set of combs for the
extractor, it is well-nigh a necessity,
and in either case worth many times
its cost and trouble.
Section Racks & Double- WaHed Hives.
I wish those who speak of their
honey racks, would describe them in
detail, or else advertise them for
sale, so that we could get them,
or at least a sample for trial. I would
also like to know which is the best
way to manage bees In the si)ring to
get the most comb lioney V Is it to
make them swarm early, and l)e ready
for white clover? or, to undertake to
stop them from swarming uirtil white
clover is over, which was the first of
July, this year, and tlieu divide them?
I have 8 colonies now, and I wish to
double them next year, it they winter
all right, which tliey will do on the
summer stands. I would like tokuow
if Mr. Heddon will tell us why he ob-
jects to double-walled hives, as we
contemplate making ours double,
more particularly to keep them cool
in summer than to keep them warm
in winter, as our winters are not very
cold, hardly ever below 10 degrees
above zero. S. M. IIicken.
Delaware City, Del., Nov. 26, 1&S3.
Answer.- How to manage bees in
spring to get the most comb honey.
though a short question, would demand
too long an article for this depart-
ment. I will write on that, some future
time. Regarding double-wall hives,
they can be no cooler, nor as cool in
summer, as single-wall hives, shaded
with a board. This is plainly seen
when once thought of.
M
njn
Bees Prepared for Winter.
Bees are in very good condition this
fall. One is almost lost to know what
to do, as everybody seems to have a
different way of vi'intering bees. In
Simplicity hives, I turn over the bot-
tom boards, fill with sawdust, give six
good frames of honey, a division-
board on each side, the upper story
full of chaff, build a sort of straw-
stack over the whole, and give them a
good " letting alone " till spring re-
turns. C. Weckesee.
Marshallville, O., Nov. 20, 1883.
Honey Crop in Mississippi.
I am moving my apiary of 800 colo-
nies 15 miles, and find it quite a job.
It has been a poor honey season here,
this year. 21,500 pounds from 172 col-
onies, spring count ; part comb and
part extracted. The worst that I have
ever had in this country.
G. C. Vaught.
Greenville, Miss., Nov. 16, 1883.
My Syrian Bees.
Heading, in the instructive article
on page 592 of the Bee Journal, by
L. C. Johnson,- entitled "The Im-
provement of Bees," whose experience
with the Syrian bees and queens is
so near like my own, I will give it to
the readers of the indispensable Bee
.Journal. On the 1st of July, 1SS3, 1
received a Syrian queen of Mr. Hen-
derson, of Tennessee. She was im-
mediately introduced into a very light
colony of Hybrids, by the smoking
method. I never saw bees multiply
so fast. As I did not wish to let them
swarm, upon the first appearance of
queen cells, I removed 4 full Langs-
troth frames of brood ; but this only
checked them for a few days. Soon
after, and while I was entertaining
company, I saw the Syrians in the air,
and, as they did not cluster soon
enougli to suit me, I took a pail of
water and threw some on them with a
cup as they they were circling in the
air, and they soon returned to the
liive. I then watched them for a
couple of liours, until I had time to
attend to them. I proceeded to divide
them, and found tivo frames with at
least 40 queen cells. I then cut out
the cells, and laid them down on the
cap of the hive ; before I had done I
saw one emerge from the cell and fly
out of sight, but it soon returned to
the place it started from. I soon
missed another, which was gone
628
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
several minutes. I then took the most
of the brood, with the old queen and
bees, and removed them several feet
from the old stand, depending on one
of the young queens, and returning
bees, to make a colony at the old
stand, but the old queen was bound to
go, and go she did with a swarm to
the woods, when no one sjiw them.
Those remaining built another batch
of queen cells, replaced their queen
and built up to a fair colony, without
help, except a little feeding, and I
think vfill be as likely to winter as
well as any I bave. I would say in
their praise, they are beautiful three-
banded bees, smaller than the Italian
and quicker in. their movements. I
have handled them many times with-
out smoke, and think them the gentlest
bees I have yet found ; I never was
stung by one yet. S. J. Youngman.
Cato, Mich., Nov. 25, 1883.
Irascible Cyprians.
I have 67 colonies of bees in good
condition. I have done well with
them during tlie past season, although
it could not be called a good honey
season in this section. I have the
Cyprian, Italian, German, and Syrian
bees. Deliver me from the Cyprians;
when disturbed, they tight everything
in reach of them. Last summer they
attacked a horse hitched to a fence a
hundred yards distant, and would
have killed it had I not been close by.
At another time they attacked a tree
standing close by ; they covered it by
thousands ; but 1 could not see that
the tree sustained much damage. I
find them very prolitic, and want to
swarm all the time, when they ought
to be laying up honey ; but I find the
hives all full of honey in the fall of
the year. In the spring I expect to
move my bees out into the country 3
miles from town, and half a mile from
any house or public road, and Italian-
ize my apiary as fast as possible. I
expect to devote my whole time to my
bees hereafter. I find that it pays, if
only attended to.
Nathan M. Woodman.
Bushnell, 111., Nov. 26, 1883.
Give a Frame of Brood to Swarms.
On page 592, Mr. W. II. Stewart
says: -'If any one has lost a swarm
of bees that were hived on full sheets
of foundation, let us hear from him."
I will answer to that call. Sometime
during the uionth of June, 1881, I
transferred a colony of black bees
from a box to a Langstroth hive on a
full set of full sheets of foundation,
and. as there were moths in the box
hive, I did not move any of the old
combs. As there was a good honey
flow at the time, I considered this the
same as a new swarm. The first time
I hived them they remained only 24
hours, when out they came and clus-
tered in a tree. I examined the hive
and found the foundation partly drawn
out, and the queen had deposited eggs
in it. I again hived them, and they
came out again in 24 hours. This time
I clipped the queen's wings and re-
turned them, and on the next day they
came out again, but, as the queen
could not fly, this time she fell in the
grass, and the bees came back and
clustered outside of the hive. I then
gave them a frame of brood, and all
went well. What then was the cause
of the bees absconding, if not for the
want of brood V In this case the foun-
dation did not keep them from leaving
the new hive, and they were only
quieted by giving them a frame of
brood.
J. G. NOKTON.
Macomb, 111., Nov. 28, 1883»
My Report for tills Year.
I had, in the fall of 1882, 27 colonies.
I wintered them all on the summer
stands, and had 27 last spring to begin
with. They increased to 47, by natural
swarming ; I sold 3 and have 44 now,
with plenty of white clover honey in
the hives to winter on, but I only got
an average of 27?| lbs. of honey to the
colony, spring count ; it was nearly all
white clover honey in 1 and 2 lb. sec-
tions, as nice as I ever saw. There
was a very heavy crop of white clover,
and it lasted longer than usual, but
while it was in bloom, the season was
so wet and cold that the bees were
kept in too much to make much head-
way, but when there did come a little
sunshine, they made use of it. When
the clover bloom was gone, the honey
season was over ; from that on until
frost, it was so dry that the bees
merely gathered enough for the time
being, so that they did not have to fall
back on their stores, and, as I did not
extract any, that accounts for my bees
having white clover honey to winter
on. I may be too much of " an old
fogy," but I do not believe in taking
the honey all away from them and
giving them something else to winter
on. Jacob Copeland.
Allendale, Ills., Nov. 22, 1883.
Damage by a Storm.
The storm at Peotone, 111., on Tues-
day night, Nov. 20, split in two my 60
feet barn, killing 5 cows, 3 calves, 2
sheep and one fat hog, besides blow-
ing over half a mile of board fence.
My best colony, and 48 colonies of bees
on the sun\mer stands, are all safe.
C. SCHRIER.
Peotone, 111., Nov. 30, 1883.
How I Winter my Bees.
I have SO colonies of bees in the cel-
lar and 3 outside. My frames are \;i}4
x9)^ inches outside and run crosswise;
13 frames to the tiive. When the
honey season is over, I make a box
12x1414 inside to hold S of mv frames
which I select for winter. This box
will sit inside the hive, making it a
complete summer and winter hive.
Those wintered in the cellar, have the
outside box left on thesummerstands,
except the bottoms. I put a % inch
stick under .each corner of the hives to
give air, or rather to keep them dry.
I have a cushion on top for out-doors.
I make the tops as tight as possible,
and till in around with flax-tow. My
cellar is not very dry, but is well ven-
tilated by a pipe connected with my
kitchen stove, and an air tube of 4-inch
tile running 20 feet underground. I
have wintered my bees in this way
without loss for 3 years. I put the
bees in on Nov. 13 and 14, and to-day
they are quiet with temperature at 42
to 4.5 degrees F. I have no fear of
losing any. With the three outside, I
am testing what the bees can stand
with open doors and closed tops on
deep frames. A. Wicherts.
Matteson, 111., Nov. 18, 1883.-
Prepared for Winter.
The work in the apiary is done once
more, and my bees are packed and
prepared again for the winter. Last
spring I commenced the season with
32 colonies. The spring was cold and
wet, and bees did not get enough to
carry on breeding, so they had to be
fed some. On June 10, white clover
bloomed, but yielded less than half a
crop of honey. Basswood opened on
July 15, and gave a very good yield of
honey, but there is very little of it
here. With the help of sweet clover,
I obtained 300 pounds of comb honey,
and 650 pounds of extracted. The
comb honey is sold for 20 cents a
pound, and the extracted for 12^ cts.
200 pounds of honey I set aside for
family use and feeding next spring.
Tlie bees increased to 52 colonies.
Bees are in good condition for winter.
Wm. Bolling.
Dunkirk. N. Y., Nov. 29, 1883.
Bee-Keeping in the Indian Territory.
Never hearing anything from this
country, I will write a few lines to let
the world know that we keep bees too,
but It has been a bad year for bees in
the Southern part of this Territory
and Texas. The spring was so cool
and backward that they swarmed but
little, and the balance of the season
was very poor for honey. I bought
several colonies, an extractor, and six
Italian queens ; made new hives and
transferred the bees. I use the Mitch-
ell hive, single story, for extracted
honey. They paid expenses, and I
realized a little on them. I will run
about 50 colonies for extracted honey
next year. I have a ready home mar-
ket at 15 cents for all my honey. We
had our first killing frost on the 14th
of this month, but it did not kill all of
the flowers. My Italians and hybrids
are gathering a little honey and pollen
to-day, from a little white blossom
that grows on the creeks, in the woods.
It is warm and pleasant to-day ; we
have had but two frosts this season.
G. P. Grinstead.
Oakland, Ind. Ter., Nov. 20, 188;^.
1^ The Northwestern Illinois and
Southwestern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers'
Association, will hold its annual meet-
ing in Temperance Hall, Freeport, 111.,
on Jan. 15 and 16, 1884.
J. Stewart, Sec.
Rock City, 111., Nov. 30, 188;!.
1^ The 5th annual Convention of
the Northeastern Ohio and North-
western Pennsylvania Bee -Keepers'
Association, will be held at Jefferson,
Ohio, Jan. 16 and 17, 1884. All are
cordially invited.
C. 11. Coon, Sec.
New Lyme, O., Nov. 26, 1883.
THE AMERICA!^ BEE JOURNAL.
629
^p^jetial Slotitjes.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscriptiou on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post ofHce or ex-
press money order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 2.5 cents at Chicago banks.
American Express money orders for
f 5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
"We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what tliey desire
for the money sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
^- Make all Postal Money Orders
Our New List of Premiums.
Getting up Clubs for 1884.
and Postal Notes payable at the
Madison St. Station, Chicago, 111.
Subscription Credits.— We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within tv.o weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to tiie end of the month
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a continual statement of account.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
another
We have now published
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more new)
Eecipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00 ; or 1000 for
$15. 00- On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
To increase the number of readers
of the Bee Journal, we believe, will
aid progressive bee-culture and help
to elevate the pursuit. We,therefore,
offer the following premiums for
getting up clubs :
While no subscription to the Bee
Journal will be taken for less than
the regular advertised prices (viz.:
Weekly, $2.00 ; Monthly, $1.00),— any
one getting up a club of two copies,
or more, may select from " Our Book
List " anything therein named, to
the amount of 15 cents for every dollar
tliey send direct to this office, to pay them
for the trouble of getting up the club ;
and these books will be sent, postpaid,
to any address de,sired.
For a club of 3 Weekly or 6 Monthly
and $6.00, we will make an additional
present of a Pocket Dictionary, bound
in cloth, containing 320 pages.
For a club of 5 Weekly or 10
Monthly, (or a mixed club of both,)
with $10, we will, in addition to the
15 per cent, present a copy of the
American "Popular" Dictionary,
comprising every word in the English
language that enters into speech or
writing ; it contains 32,000 words and
phrases, 670 illustrations and 512 pages;
it is nicely bound in cloth, and will be
sent by mail, postpaid, to any address
desired.
For a club of $20, for 10 Weeklies, or
an equivalent in Monthlies, we will
present, besides the 15 per cent, in
books, a tested Italian queen, by mail,
postpaid.
Subscriptions for two or more years
for one person, will count the same
as each year for a different person.
For a club of 100 Weekly (or its
equivalent in Monthlies), with $200,
we will send a Magnificent Organ
worth $150. See description on page
6U of the Weekly for Nov. 28, 1883.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
1^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity.— We have
issued a new pamphlet giving our
views ou this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
anyaddress for ten cents.
Emerson Binders— made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for75cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
t^ We carefully mail the Bee
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another. If notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
1^ Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
^" It must be understood that,
should an advertiser desire to cancel
an unexpired contract, he can do so
only by paying regular rates for the
number of insertions his advertise-
ment has had.
Sample Copies of the American Beb
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
(^ Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
630
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar>
ket, including the production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
i^Speak a word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one iieio subscription
with your own 'i Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," In cloth, for one new sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
i^° We need the numbers of the
Bee Journal for August, 1866, and
April, 1876. Anyone having thera to
spare, are requested to send us a Pos-
tal Card. We will give 25 cents for
each. Do not send them without
writing, for we want only one of each ;
and, if we are not already supplied,
we will take them.
Advertisers' Opinion.
The queen business is rushing, and
we think the Bee Journal deserves
much credit as an advertising medium.
E. A. Thomas & Co.
Coleraine, Mass., July 18, 1883.
giducrtisctncnts.
I.IFI: INSTKANCE THAT IKSVKES.
THE MUTUAL KBSERVE FUND
LIFE ASSOCIATION !
55 Liberty St.. NEW TORK,
aud 113 Ad»m*t St.. CHICAGO.
Edward B. Harper. President.
The Central Trtst Co.MPANT, of New York,
Trustee of the Resfri'c Fund.
O. D. Baldwin. President Fourth Nat'l Bank,
N. T., Auditor of Death Claim Accoui}t.
MEMBERSHIP NUMBER, 16,000.
Total Business. Seventy Millions of Dollars.
$100,000 to the Credit of the Reserve Fand.
Keaerve Fund— Selected Risks-Graded Rates—
An open Ledger— A Trust Company as Trustee.
IST" Agents wanted in Illinois.
Address, D. M. CALDWELL., Vice Prea.,
45D3t 113 ADAMS ST., CHICAGO.
BARNES' PATENT
Foot Power Machinery
CIRCULAR AND
SCROLL SAWS,
Hand. Circular Rip Sawa for
general heavy and tight rip-
ping. Lathes, &c. These ma-
chines are especially adapted
to Hive MaUlnic. Itwillpay
every bee-keeper to send for
our -iti-page Illustrated Cata-
logue.
W. F. & JOHN BARNES,
No. 2017 Main street,
Rockf ord. Winnebago Co., 111.
"BOSS" ONE-PIECE
SECTIONS.
I==|^l]^^LZ]
We have again increased ourcapacity formaking
the "BOSS" ONK-PIECK SECTION, and are now
ready to fill orders un short notice. Wo would ad-
vise our customers, and especially SUFl*t."l,'
SEALERS, tu
OB.IDSB. SliiHZ.'?,
And not Wait until the Rush Comes,
We will not manufacture Hives and Shipping
Crates tbis season, as we have fixed over all our
machinery for making the Oue-Piece Sections.
J. FORNCROOK & CO.
49Ctf Watertown, Wis., Dec. 1, 1883.
PLYMOUTH ROCKS
Iroquois Strain. Four Yards,
vorrespondeop cheerfully an-^wcred Prices ruasonabl'
W. H. BL'SSEY. 131 Laie Strett, ChieaBO.
2BUly
MANUFACTORY
FOR HIVES, SECTIONS, &c.
I am now prepared to supply dealers and con-
sumers with
Hives, Sections, Broad Frames, Shipping
Crates, etc.,
of all kinds. I make a specialty of LANGSTROTH
ANU MODEST HIVES. Correspondence with
supply dealers solicited. My Sections are all made
from Poplar. Address,
OEOROE XATtOK,
49A4t&ICtf 12Btf DUNDEE, Kane Co., ILL.
Choice Queens!
I am now up with my orders,
and can send QTTBBNS by
RETURN MAIL.
I am now culling them down to
the very best.
J. T. WILSON,
MortoDsville, Woodford Co., Kv.
6BCtf
Friends, if you are In any way interested In
BEES OR HONEY
We will with pleasure send you a sample copy of
the Monthly Oleanlnffs In Bee-Culture,
with a descriptive price-list uf the latest improve-
ments in UiveH, Honey £xtructor«, C'omU
Fouutlatiou, Section Hnney Boxes, all boubs
and journals, and everything pertaining to Bee
Culture. Nothing Patented. Simply send your ad-
dress written plainii/, to
Ctf A. I. ROOT. Medina. O.
HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTH
For the manufacture of
BEE-KEEPJSRS* 8XJPPLIE9.
Dunham and Root Foundation a specialty.
Italian Queens and Bees from March to November.
|^"Send fur my Illustrated Catalogue.
.'iCtf PAXII- 1-. VIAI-r.ON, Bayou Goula, La.
The Bee-Keepers' Guide;
Or, MASIXTAL OF XHB APIARX.
lO, coo SOLD SINCE 1876.
11th Thonsuud Just Out !
10th Thousand Sold in Just Four Months !
More than W pages, and mure than 5n fine illus-
trations were added in the ^th edition. I he whole
work has been tht)rouKhly revised, imd contains the
very latest In respect to bee-keeping. It is certainly
the fullest and mopt sclentidc work treating of
bees in the World. Price, by mail, »! 35. Liberal
discount to dealers and to clubs.
A. -I. COOK, Author and Publisher,
47Dl0t ]8C7t LANSING. MICH.
FRANCES DUNHAM.
Inventor and Sole Manuliicturer of
THE DUNHAM
FOUNDATION MACHINE
Patented Aug. 23d. 1881.
Your machines are undoubtedly the very best in
existence for heavy foundation.
Charles Dapant & Son, Hamilton, 111.
Nov. 24th, 1882.
And the following from the President of the
North American Bee-Keepers' Association:
I am quite positive that your Foundation Mills
are ahead of anything yet invented.
D. A. JONES, Beeton, Ont.. Canada.
Jan. 29th, 188.1.
I send you samples of Foundation which I am
manufacturing on one of vour machines, in sheets
9x18, which measure llM feet to the pound. I
think it superior to any samples of thin founda-
tion I have seen. J. G. Whitten.
Aug. 14th, 1882. Genoa, N. Y.
Send for description and testimonials to
FRAXC£>$ BTTIVHABI,
SCtf DE PERE. WIS.
-A. o:r.a.s:e3:i
By corresponding with us, you will see that we
mean about 15 per cent, off the regular prices on
Extractors, Smokers, etc. Also all other Bee Goods
very low if ordered soon.
O. 1¥. 8TANr.EX A, BRO.,
49Alt WYOMING. N. Y.
PATENTS
MUNN & CO., of the ScTEXTiFic American, con-
tinue to act as Solicitors for Patents. Cuveats, Trade
Marks, Copyrights, for the United States. Canada,
England, France, Germany, etc. Hand Book about
Parents sent free. Thirtv-seven years' experience.
Patents obtained throncnMUNN & CO. are noticed
In the Scientific American, the largest, best, and
most widely circulated scientiflc paper. J^.20ftyear,
Weekly. Splendid engravings and intprfstlng In-
formation. Specimen copy of the Scieiiiific Amer-
ican sent free. Address MUNN & CO.. SciENTlFlO
American Office, 201 Broadway, New York.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISEB.
The British Bee Journal is NOW published
SBMI-MONTHLV, at Seven Bhillines, per annum,
and contains the best practical information for
the time being. showinK what to do, and when and
how to do it. JBev. H. K. P£EL., Editor.
We send the Weeklj American Bee JomiNAL
and tiieBritUh Bee Journal, both tor $3.00 a year.
BINGHAM SMOKERS.
I can sell the above Smokers at
MANUFACTURERS' PKICES, by
mall or express, at wholesale or re-
tail. All tne latest improvements.
Including THE CONQUEROR, and
THE DOCTOR.
Send for my 32-page Illustrated
Catalogue of Bee-Keepers' Sup-
plies of every description.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
Q'23 W. Madison. CHICAGO, ILL.
C^"^'
ec Journal
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OE THE PRODUCERS OF HONEY.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., DECEMBER 12, 1883.
No. 50.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Puopuietor,
Prepare for the Fairs.
The article on page 643, by the Rev.
O. Clute, is very timely, for the usual
January meetings of the Executive
Committees of Fairs will soon be here.
Public manipulations with bees and
magnificent honey exhibits will soon
become the most attractive features
of State, County, and district Fairs.
There are good many reasons for in-
troducing such, but the chief one,
perhaps, is that those who produce
honey for the market may be induced
to present it in the most marketable
shape ; for the new methods and new
idpas of practical management must
take the place of the old and unde-
sirable ones.
We respectfully suggest to all who
have the management of fairs, that a
day be set apart during the season for
public manipulations and explanations
on this subject, and soon these indus-
trial days wili become as popular and
attractive to the public as are now
the " speed days " of horses, or the
" trial days " of reapers and plows.
Bee-keeping should rank one of the
foremost, if not the foremost, feature
at these great gatherings. The prem-
iums enumerated by Mr. Clute may
seem slightly extravagant, to persons
who have never seen bees and honey
ligiu-e to any considerable extent in
agricultural and mechanical exhibi-
tions and fairs, but to any reflecting
individual, who takes into considera-
tion tlie magnitude of the bee-keeping
interest at the present time, and the
Illimitable millions of poundsof honey
now "wasting its sweetness on the
desert air," from want of the proper
encouragement and development of
the industry, the figures will seem
modest indeed.
Sheep and Bee-Keeping.
An exchange gives the following
reasons why bees cannot thrive on
sheep pastiu'es, and insists upon bee-
keepers providing pasturage for bees :
It is easy to perceive why bees can-
not thrive well on a sheep pasture.
Sheep eat everything down very
closely, and leave nothing in the
shape of a fiower upon wliicli bees can
subsist. Tliere is no other reason for
the popular lielief tliat sheep and bees
will n(.)t tlu-ive together. The bees
will not hurt the sheep in any way,
but the sheep leave nothing for the
bees to pasture in ; that is the only
difficulty, and where other feeding
ground is provided for the bees than
the sheep pasture, sheep and bees
would thrive very well together.
Melilot clover and aromatic plants,
such as mints and catnip, are the
blossoms upon which bees seem to
find the most continuous supply dur-
ing the dryest months. Bee-keepers
should encourage the introduction of
such plants, as they can grow harm-
lessly along hedges and fences. It
may be thought that a few plants of
each kind cannot benefit the bees to
any extent. Certainly not. But a
few plants here and there will pro-
duce seed, and finally make waste
places become sources Of the most
delightful of sweets.
1^ Last Monday, " our pastoi," the
Rev. A. Goodfellow, came to our office
for a " call," a'nd with sparkling eyes,
said : ''Good morning, Bro. Newman ;
I'll give you a conundrum. Here is
the latest ; it is rather far-fetched, but
good." We remarked that we were
more of a punster than a diviner of
" conundrums," but that we could en-
joy "a good thing" at any time.
"Well," he said, " why is a bee - hive
like a diseased potato 'i*" Of course
we gave it up. He replied, " a bee-
hive is a bee-holder, is it not '?" We
a^ented, but intimated that we could
not see the point. He then added, "a
beholder is a spectator." True, we re-
plied. He continued, " and 'a specked
tater' is one that is diseased, is it not'i*"
We remarked that it was very far-
fetched, indeed. He smiled, bowed
himself out. and adiUd, "put that in
the Bee Journal ' and here it is.
We have received a copy of Mr. G.
M. Doolittle's Club List for 18»4, and
Circular of bees, queens, etc. It is a
very hondsome pamphlet, and is a
credit to him as well as Mr. Root, the
printer. His address is Borodino, N.
Y. On page 5 we notice the following
paragraph under the heading of " Re-
marks ":
Newspapers are now an actual
necessity, and the man who does not
take at least one or more papers, is
soon behind the times, and is also de-
priving himself of one of the greatest
blessings of life. In no other calling
in life is the knowledge gained from
reading, of more benefit than it is to
the bee-keeper. The bee-keeper who
cannot afford to take a bee paper, is
only penurious to his own injury, of
many times its cost ; therefore, I urge
all into whose hands this circular may
fall, to take at least one of the bee
papers, that you may gain knowledge
which will help you to work your bees
to the greatost profit. The Weekly
American Bee Journal is now an
established fact, and is taken by near-
ly all practical bee-keepers. Its weekly
visits are those which no bee-keeper
can afford to dispense with, for the
knowledge gained from one number is
often worth many times its cost. The
putting in practice of its teachings
(and that of the otiier bee papers), is
what helped me to secure $1021.,S0 net
profit from 60 colonies of bees during
the past poor season, when basswood
was the only tree or plant which yield-
ed honey. The American Beb Jour-
nal is published in an attractive form,
and it is hardly necessary for me to
say that I consider it at the head of
all the bee papers in the world.
Mr. D. has our thanks for so frankly
giving his opinion of the practical
value of the Bee Journal.
1^ Mr. George Grimm, of Jeffer-
son, Wis., has gone to Europe, and
will be absent several months. He is
the son of the world-renowned Adam
Grimm, who was one of the pioneers
of bee-keeping in America. He has
our best wishes for a pleasant voyage
and a safe return.
1^- The 28th annual i.ieeting of the
Illiuoif, State Horticultural Society
will be held in Maennerclior Hall,
Bloomington,Ill., Tuesd.iv, Dec. 18.
636
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,
Local Convention Directory.
1883. Time and Place o.t Meeiing.
Dec. 15.— Piatt County, at Monticello. Ills.
A, T. Pipher, Sec.
Dec. 19.— Lorain County, at Elyria, O.
O. J. Terrell. Sec, N. RidKeville, O.
1684.
Jan. 8,— DvJ Moines Co., at Middleton, Iowa.
Jan. 8.— Cortland Union, at Cortland, N. Y.
M. C. Bean, Sec, McGrawville, N. Y.
Jan. 9.— Central Illinois, at Blooraington, III.
Jas. Poindexter. Sec
Jan. 10.— Champlain Valley, at Mlddleburg. Vt.
J. E. Crane, Pres.
Jan. 14, 15, 16.— Ohio State, at Columbus, O.
(.'. M. Kingsbury, Sec
Jan. 15, in— N. W. Ills., & S. W. Wis., at Kreeport.
J. Stewart, Sec, Rock City, 111.
Jan. 16, 17.— N.E. Ohio, and N.W.Pa., at Jefferson.O.
C. H. Coon. Sec, New Lyme, Ohio.
April 18.— Iowa Central, at Winterset, Iowa.
J.E. Pryor, See.
Oct. 11. 12.— Northern Mich., at Alma. Mich.
F. A. Palmer. Sec, McBride, Mich.
|y In order tu have this table complete. Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetinRa.— Ed.
Wi\v<\\ and gloiu.
ANSWERS BY
James Eeddon, Dowagiac, Mich.
Cellar Wintering.
Will Mr. Heddon please answer the
following :
1. Will a pipe 6x4 inches be large
enough to ventilate a cellar contain-
ing 50 colonies Y
2. Would the above pipe be suffi-
cient unjoined to the stove-pipe, but
25 feet high ?
3. Do bees always hum more or less
when they are wintered in the cellar ?
C. W. Dayton.
Bradford, Iowa, Nov. 28, 1883.
Ajtswees. — I have never been
able to satisfactorily demonstrate that
ventilation pipes in cellars and double
houses did any good in wintering bees.
Perhaps they do ; though I have seen
cellarsfull nearly all die with venti-
lation pipes attached, and all alive to a
colony with no ventilation pipes, and
every thing in wet, moldy condition.
1. 6x4 inches would be large enough
for the interior of a pipe, either at-
tached to a stove-pipe, or I should
think if standing 25 feet high, though
I have never tried that.
2. Answered above. I would let the
bottom of the pipe extend down to
within 6 inches of the bottom of the
cellar.
3. I have known bees to winter well
where a good deal of humming was
kept up through their confinement. I
have known bees to keep almost per-
fectly still during the same time, and
they always winter well. I have
found that changing the degree of
temperature will change the tendency
to roar or hiun, but it will not prevent
or cure diarrhoea. Another thing. I
found that in some winters 10" lower
temperature kept the bees stiller
than the still temperature of the pre-
ceding winter, when the number of
colonies and hive ventilation was the
same. This is one more of the un-
accountables.
Frames Standing on tlie ends in Winter.
Will ;Mr. Ileddon please answer the
following question i Have you ever
wintered bees on the Langstroth frame
standing on the end in a case, packed
with chaff V If so, what were the re-
sults ? J. G. Norton.
Macomb, 111., Nov. 28, 1883.
Answer.— I have tipped Langs-
troth hives up iit various angles, from
a slight pitch to nearly standing on
end, but I have never seen any better
results by so doing. You need not be
afraid of any derangement by chang-'
ing the position of the combs. AVe
used to winter box hives upside down
with good results, and I have had the
queen breed in a comb lying horizon-
tal. If I considered it advantageous
to make any change at all, my idea
would be to give the hive a pitch a
little more than 45 degrees, and do so
just as soon as the surplus receptacles
are removed in the fall. This will
give the colony a chance to arrange
their stores to their notion, according
to the new position of the hive. In
the Kansas Bee-Keeper for March
1883, 1 gave my ideas of wintering in
shallow vs. tall hives.
1^ Much complaint was made last
season of the delay in getting " sup-
plies," which were ordered of the dif-
ferent " dealers " in the rush of the
season. Now, to avoid a repitition,
let all order early, and then if a delay
does occur, it will not make as much
difference to them as if the orders
were sent in just as the goods were
wanted for use.
i^For $2.75 we will supply the
Weekly Bee Journal one year, and
Dzierzon's Rational Bee-Keeping, in
paper covers; or in cloth for $3.00.
This is a rare chance to get the latest
book of that celebrated German bee-
master for a trifle. The price of the
book alone is $2.00.
1^ Owing to the death of our Sec-
retary, Mr. T. Brookins, please an-
nounce in the Bee Journal that the
annual meeting of the ChamplainVal-
ley Bee-Keepers' Association, will
meet in the parlors of the Addison
House, Mlddleburg, Vt., the second
Thursday in January, 1884.
J. E. Crane, Pres.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
Office of ambhican bee joctrnal, I
Mondnr, lu a. m.. Dec. 10. i883. 1
The following are the latest quota-
tions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
HONEY— The market is slow; arrivals exceed
the demand which, however, has improved some.
There is a better detuand for comb honey, and
supplies are short, which, no doubt, is temporary,
as usual. Last year at about this time, comb honey
was at its highest, when our sanguine friends very
naturally held on, expecting more. However, large
supplies commenced to arrive, and prices kept
going down steadily. Bee-keepers in general bent
their energies on the production of extracted
honey last season, more than ever before. We had
a large crop, and e.xtracted has been dull so far.
not only because of the large supply, but because
manufacturers complain of dullness in their busi-
ness. Consequently, we have reason to believe
that the Dresent slow market is temporary.
The present state of the honey market gives our
bee-keeping friends another chance for a disap-
pointment, to-wit; That of over-production of
comb honey another season. This is merely an
ideaof my own, and our friends may take it for
what it is worth.
Extracted honey brings 7@9c. on arrival Best
comb honey, iii(^17c. in small sections.
BEESWAX— Is of ready sale at 28@30 on arrival.
CHAS. F. MDTH.
NEW YORK.
HONE Y— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2
lb. sections, 17t"21c. Dark and second quality,
14&15C.: extracted white clover in kegs and bar-
rels, 9® inc. : dark. 8c.
BEESWAX- Prime vellow, 27ei2flc.
H. K. & F. B. ThdrbER & Co.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The market remains without change
from that of last week. Dealers and retailers buy
only enough to supply the demand for present use.
It is impossible to place lots, or entire shipments,
owing to the reluctance of dealers to buy in ad-
vence of immediate wants. Prices obtained for
white comb in 1 lb. sections, lS(ffl20c.; l^and^lb.,
lotoisc. according to beauty of same. Extracted
honey, 8(§.10c. per lb., according to color, body and
flavor.
BEESWAX— Yellow, 33c.; medium, 2S@30c.
R. A. BURNETT. 161 South Water Bt.
KANSAS CITY. MO.
HONEY— Receipts of comb honey has been more
liberal for the past week, but the demand still
keeps everything that is of fair quality well cleaned
up. Choice 1 and ■! lb. sections are taken on ar-
rival at I8c.; larger sections and dark honey 16(5^
17c. Sales of extracted for the past week, about
4,ti00 lbs., mostly at 8 cts. The feeling for extracted
is a little better, and I look for a firmer market.
JEROME TwiCHELl,, 536 Delaware Street.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— There has been some attempts at ne-
gotiation in comb honey on Eastern account this
week. The market for extracted is dull, and it is
doubtful if more than "%c. could be realized for
choice water white in a wholesale way. White to
e.xtra white comb, l(J@I8c. ; dark to good, 12@14c-:
e.xtracted, choice to extra white, 7^s®8c. ; dark and
candied, oi^ta>7c.
BEESWAX- Wholesale, 27!^(a3nc.
Stearns & Suith. 423 Front Street.
ST. LODIS.
HONEY— Choice comb in light supply, fair de-
mand and Arm at 15(§, I7c. per lb. ; dark, broken aad
poorly handled, dull at less. Strained and extrac-
ted steady at6H®7hc.: choice in fancy pkgs. more.
BEESWAX— Salable at isc. for prime.
W. T. ANPEHSON 4 Co.. 104 N. 3d Street.
CLEVELAND.
HONE Y— Honey continues in excellent demand,
as reported last; every lot of choice white comb
is taken up as fast as it comes at 18c. in quantity
for 1 lb. sections, and an occasional sale at 19; in
a very few instances only, "JOc. has been reached.
Broken lots and second quality is very slow sale.
For extracted there is no demand.
BEESWAX— Is eagerly inquired for at 28@300.,
but none to supply the demand.
A. C. EENDEL. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONEY— Our market is very quiet on honey. We
quote 16@I8c. for beat 2 lb. sections— 18&i20c. for
best white 1 lb., and 10c. for extracted.
BEESWAX— We have none to quote.
Blake & riplet, 57 Chatham Street.
^T Constitutions and By-Laws for
local Associations $2.00 per 100. The
name of the Association printed in the
blanks for 50 cents extra
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
637
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Readily Movable Hives.
JAStES HEDDON.
Much of value has lieeii said about
movable combs, and while nearly all
know of their worth, few give due
iroportance to readily movable hives.
First let me tell you something
about how my hive is made, and then
you can better form an idea of what
I mean by " readily movable hive."
The inside measure is 10 inches deep
by 113>^ wide by ISJ^ long, and takes
8 standard Langstroth frames. The
depth, 10 inches, we always make
101^ to allow for shrinkage, which
will take place in after years, even if
we use the most thoroughly seasoned
hmiber. The sides of the hive are J^,
the ends %, the bottom %, the cover
%. Prom these dimensions we do not
vary, and any hive that does vary
from them, I believe to be just that
much " off."
I fancy I have more good reasons
than I care to take space here to
enumerate for using these thicknesses
of lumber. Our bottom boards are
nailed permanently to the hive, and
this fact, and the thicknesses of the
lumber thus given, makes our hive
easily movable.
The foregoing describes the brood-
chamber, and the surplus department
consists of two to four cases, the sides
of which being % of an inch thick,
the partitions }4 inch, and each case
weighs only about 4 lbs. These and
the lioney-board make the hive com-
plete. The cases, when on, being
covered by the brood-chamber cover,
and each having a capacity for about
25 pounds of honey, they are used
upon the tiering-up plan, and not
more than three are usually used on
a hive at one time. We use no outer
case, because none is needed, and in
three or f oin- ways such a covering is
much worse than useless. The reader
will observe that my hive, whether
wither without the' surplus depart-
ment, is very light, and easily handled
compared with others.
Now, wiien one comes to manage
large apiaries, pushing business upon
that scale which necessitates dispatch,
he will find a hive possessing this
easily movable principle of more value
than one possessing all the advan-
tages derived from cumbersome hives.
Our methods of securing increase, de-
posing laying workers, preventing in-
crease or after swarms, and many
other manipulations which we liiid we
can accomplish mucli quicker and
better witli our peculiar metliods than
by any other we know of, demand the
use of a light, easily movable hive.
Such are not only almost a necessity
with the less muscular, but very
pleasing to all who carry on business
in a practical and profitable manner.
It is my opinion that this problem
of wintering, or cause of dysentery, is
soon to be understood, and it is further
my belief that when it is, the next im-
portant question will be, " now that I
know how to winter my bees with
certainty, how can I 'do this the
cheapest," and this will lead to cellar
wintering ; and here, again, comes in
the advantage of the readily mov-
able hive." About one-third of the
time I have spent speculating and ex-
perimenting in the line of apiculture,
has been spent in hives and fixtures
pertaining to them, once supposing
that, hidden in mysterious depths,
was an almost automatic hive. I long
since found out how mistaken was
that supposition, yet the thoughts
and experiments were not in vain, for
1 now enjoy a hive much nearer to it
than the oiie used in the past time re-
ferred to.
I am aware that no one liive em-
braces, or can embrace all, or nearly
all, the valuable features pertaining to
hives that oftentimes combine one
such feature. Such combination posi-
tively necessitates the omission of
two or tlni-e others equally valuable,
forcing us to make that more difficult
selection of the hive combining most
worth, in principles, all things con-
sidered. Before closing, I wish to
state what I believe to be leading
principles, which I have faith that the
future wisdom and practice of bee-
keepers yet to be, will bear me out in.
1. All hives should be easily and
readily movable.
2. The stories should move ofl: and
on to each other without the necessity
of the least upward or downward mo-
tion ; that is, no telescoping principle.
3. There should be no dead air
space or double covering over the sur-
plus room.
4. The sections should never rest on
each otlier or the brood frames.
With your permission, I will quote
from that portion of the specifications
of the Langstroth patent, relative to
the shallow chamber, or air space
above the frames or bars.
" The apertures or bee passages in
the honey board may be made "with-
out being liable to be closed by the
bees, as they so frequently are in
hives which have not this shallow air
space. It will Vie seen that the bees
can pass into this shallow chamber
from between all the ranges of comb,
and from the front and rear walls, d,
of the hive, and the sides (c, c, figs. 1,
2 and 3), of the frames without even
passing through the combs at all, and
.that they can pass from the shallow
chamber into any of the honey re-
ceptacles, without, as in other hives,
losing much time in the height of the
honey harvest by crowding through
populous combs or contracted pas-
sages.
"This shallow chamberj while it
greatly facilitates the storage of
honey in large receptacles, is specially
adapted to securing it in small ones,
which usually meet with the readiest
sale.
"1. Thebuilding of comb requires the
bees to maintain a high temperature,
and they work to the best advantage
when they can economize their ani-
mal heat,' but this they cannot do in
small receptacles, which communi-
cate with the hive through such aper-
tures as are usually made in its top;
such apertures not admitting freely
the heat and odor from the main col-
ony, and the bees in a small recepta-
cle being too few to keep up the re-
qinsite temperature. The shallow
chamber, however, like the part of a
room nearest the ceiling, is in the
storing season always full of the
warmest air of the hive— thus aiding
to keep the small receptacles full of
the same.
" If large openings or bee passages
are made in hives having no shallow
chamber, for the purpose of giving
a freer admission into small recepta-
cles, of the heat and odor of the hive^
the bees often connect the combs or
the surplus receptacles with those of
the mam hive, making it difficult to
remove the surplus honey in a proper
condition, and the queen being thus
able to travel over the combs into the
receptacles is much more liable to
enter them for breeding, than she is
where the interposition of the shallow
air space would require her to leave
the combs.
"•2. Bees always desire to work in
large numbers, so that they can easily
intercommunicate with each other,
and the common arrangement for in-
ducing them to work in small recepta-
cles, IS opposed to this instinct,
whereas the shallow chamber affords
a place of repose for multitudes of
bees engaged in secreting the wax to
be used in the surplus receptacles,
and as a succession of bees are thus
constantly ascending and descending,
they work in small receptacles witli
scarcely more isolation, and with al-
most as much rapidity as though they
were merely filling the upper part of
their main hive."
" This shallow chamber answers
other highly important purposes : (a)
It prevents the bees from cementing
the cover or honey board to the tops
of the frames or bars, thus enabling
it to be more easily removed when
access is wanted to the combs. (6) It
enables the cover to be put over the
frames or bars with much less danger
of crushing bees than if it rested di-
rectly on their tops, (c) It permits
the bees, when the cover is on, to pass
from comb to comb above the tops of
the frames or bars, (d) It aids to
keep a feeder in cool weather filled
with the warmest air of the hive, (e)
It gives a dead air space between the
combs and the cover, thus more etfec-
tually guardiu" the bees against ex-
tremes of heat and cold. (/) It en-
ables us to give the bees better pro-
tection against dampness in their
hives, as by leaving the apertures in
the cover open, in cold weather, there
is a much freer escape of moisture
than when the cover rests flat upon
the frames or bars."
Dowagiac, Mich., Nov. 27, 1883.
1^ The 5th annual Convention of
the Northeastern Ohio and North-
western Pennsylvania Bee -Keepers'
Association, will be held at Jefferson,
Ohio, .Jan. 16 and 17, 1884. All are
cordially invited.
C. II. Coon, Sec.
New Lyme, O., Nov. 26, 1883.
638
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For tlie American Bee JoumaL
Prevention of Swarming.
L. L. LANGSTKOTH.
Believing that it is right to hive
swarms wliich camiot be kept from
issuing on Sunday, let me make some
suggestions to those who, like myself,
wish on this day to have as little as
possible to do with bees.
1. By giving the material for start-
ing queen-cells on Saturday, there
will be no occasion to care for them
on' Sunday.
|i- 2. Use some proper device for con-
fining the ([ueens on Sunday, or any
other day wlien you do not wish them
to"lead out swarms. This is a point
to'which I have given much attention.
On page 174 of the third ediiion (1859)
of my work, I say, —
" As the qiieen cannot get through
an opening .5-32 of an inch nigh, wliich
will just pass a loaded worker, * if the
entrance to the hive be contracted to
this dimension, she will not lie able
to leave witli a swarm. This method
of; preventing swarming requires
great accuracy of measurement, for a
very trifling deviation from the di-
mensions given will either shut out
the loaded worker, or let out the
queen. These (adjusted) blocks, if
firmly fastened, will exclude mice
from the hive in winter. AVhen used
to prevent all swarming, it will be
necessary to adjust them a little after
sunrise and before sunset, to allow
the bees to carry out any drones that
have died.''
In my second edition (1858), page
202, referring to this device, I say :
" By this arrangement, all swarm-
ing on Sunday, or any other day when
the apiarian does not desire it, "may be
prevented."
Also, page 203,—
" It also may be found, on further
experiment, that the entrances to all
the spare honey-receptacles may be so
adjusted that the queens will never be
able to enter them for the purpose of
depositing eggs."
Also, page 202,—
" A very important use may be
made of blocks thus aiTanged, to get
rid of the drones. In that part of the
day when they are in full flight, ad-
just the blocks so that they cannot
enter. Toward dark, or early next
morning, they will be found spralwed
out upon the alighting-board, or hang-
ing ill clusters under the portico, and
may be given to chickens, which can
easily be taught to devour them. In
a few days nearly all the drones in
the apiary may be thus destroyed."
• Huber does not give the size necessary for con-
tlniiig a queen, but he spoke of a gi-ass tube ad-
justed so as to pass out a worker, and not a queen.
The snjallest queen 1 ever saw could not Eet
through my blocks. Althoufjh tlie workers are at
first slightly annoyed by them, they soon become
accostomed to tbein. as they do not confuse them
by presenting the entrance in a new place. The
ventilatiim not depending on this contracted en-
trance, abundance of air ran be given to the bees
when the blocks are adjusted so as to ccmflne the
queen. Ill-health f^>r the last two summers has
prevnted nie from giving this method of prevent-
ing swarming such a full trial that I can endorse
it. except fnr tempfirary purp(jses * * *
A THEOKV which may seem so plausible as almost
to amount to positive demonstration, may be en-
cumbered by sonio unforeseen difficulty, which
speedily convinces even the most sanguine that it
has no practical value.
Further experience showing that it
was often quite difficult to maintain
the .5-32 of an inch by depressions cut
in the entrance-regulating "blocks, I
fastened a few 5-32 strips with clinch-
ing nails between two pieces, each
141^ incli long (the length of the usual
entrance), the lower strip having two
bevels to facilitate the exit and en-
trance of the bees. A central hole,
governed by a cork, allowed dead
drones to be easily dragged out, or a
young queen to fly for mating. Still
the bees would worry from having to
crawl too far under such narrow di-
mensions. At last the 5-32 was cut in
a thin metal strip, and such a device
enabled me both to prevent my costly
imported queens from eloping, or nui-
iiing the risk of being destroyed by
stray queens.
On a recent visit to the large apiar-
ies of my friend, Mr. D. A. Jones, of
Beeton, Ontario, I saw all the points,
on which I had labored so long, car-
ried out in a much more satisfactory
manner by means or his perforated
zinc plates. His bee-guards, made of
these plates, allow the workers to pass
in the freest possible manner, while
the ventilation of the hive is not in
the least interfered with. The only
improvement in them which I can
suggest would be to punch out a cen-
tral hole, governed as in my device, by
a small cork. These can be adjusted
in a few moments, and Sunday swarm-
ing, or swarming on any day not con-
venient, be prevented without at all
worrying the bees. By them, all liad
or supernuous drones may lie quietly
destroyed, by shaking off the bees
from their combs, in front of their
hive, the queen, of course, being
properly rescued. Some may find
this the easiest way, more especially
with black bees, for finding a queen,
or of making it absolutely sure that
there is none in a colony to which we
wish to introduce a valuable queen.
Mr. Jones uses sheets of this perfor-
ated zinc to confine the queen to the
lower story of the hive, or to any de-
sired part of the brood-chamber, so
that she cannot enter the surplus
honey receptacles. These sheets also
prevent the bees from building small
combs between the upper and lower
sets of frames — a thing which has
often caused so much trouble in liives
where more than one story is used.
I see no reason why sections for
comb honey may not be set to the
best advantage' directly on these
sheets. Before giving up my apiary,
I found that small boxes were much
more readily filled by Italian bees,wheii
put directly on top of the frames : and
that, however admirably the shallow
chamber answered for black bees, the
Italians plainly wanted nothing to do
with it. Howmuch time and money
have been spent in trying to contro"l
the mating of our queens ! As far as
practical results are concerned, have
we advanced at all beyond the Kohle
process, given so many years ago in
the AjiiiiucAN Bee .Journal, by
which young queens and drones from
a selected colony were made to fly later
ill the day th.an the other drones V
May we not, by Mr. Jones' bee-"uards,
make a still closer approximation to
the mating of our queens with om-
best drones V If we are not liable to
be troubled by drones outside of our
owii apiaries, how easily we can shut
in those that we do not desire to breed
from ! or, if troubled by drones from
bees in the woods, or from colonies too
near us, we can confine our young
queens, and the drones of selected
colonies, until it is so late in the after-
noon that other drones have ceased to
fly ; then by pom-ing a little thin sugar
syrup into the proper colonies, we can
quickly tempt lioth queens and drones
to take wing with the excited work-
ers. As the power to control the
mating of our queens is fully as im-
portant as the control of the same
point in our domestic animals, I shall
never cease to believe that, sooner or
later, we shall obtain the desired re-
sult.
The care with which queens and
drones can be confined by the Jones
bee-guards, without at all lessening
the ventilation of the hive, and with
the minimum of interference with any
of the labors of the colony, promises
to open a wide field for many impor-
tant processes. It may now be pos-
sible, in the hands of careful breeders,
not only to keep different races or
bees pure in the same apiary, but to
build up permanently any desired
cross between the different races.
Few bee-keepers, who keep up vrttli
the modern improvements, are ignor-
ant of the great services of Mr. Jones,
in searching the world, at great ex-
pense, to procure the best bees. By
his great enterprise he has done more
than any one living, to make Ameri-
can bee-keeping known in the Old
World. We have been much slower,
however, to recognize how much he
has done for practical apiculture by
his many ingenious devices, and, most
of all, by the costly experiments and
machinery by which he secured for
us his perforated metal sheets.
Oxford, O., Nov., 1883.
1^ The Ohio bee-keepers will hold
their annual convention in Columbus,
O., Jan. 14, 15 and 16, 1884. All in-
terested in bee-culture are invited.
The following subjects will be dis-
cussed ; " How to winter bees suc-
cessfully.'" " Are the new races of
bees a success?" " What can we do
to prevent adulteration of honey ?"
" How to create a home market for
honey." " How many colonies can be
kept 'in one locality?" "Can we do
without separators ?" " Which are
best, deep or shallow frames ?" "AVliat
shall we do with second swarms V"
" How many brood frames are neces-
sary in a hive ?" •'Which is the most
salable section, one-half, one or two
pounds ?" " Is it advisable for all
liee-keepers to adopt a standard size
of frame ?" " What is the most de-
sirable width of sections ?"
The above questions will be dis-
cussed by eminent men, such as Rev.
L. L. Langstroth, Dr. Besse, S. D.
Eiegel and others, and in addition to
the above. Prof. Lizenliy, of the Ohio
University, will deliver a lecture on
" Honey-producing plants :'' also Mrs.
Jennie Gulp will read an essay.
C. M. KiNGSBURT, Sec.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
639
For the American Bee JoumaL
" The Pollen Theory "—Facts.
A. R. KOmSTKE.
Exactly what we want. Fact No. 1.
Colonies affected with the bee diar-
rhoea have always pollen in their
hives ; fact No. 2, colonies wintered
largely or exclusively on sugar syrup
escape the disease ; fact No. 3, void-
ings of the bees affected with the dis-
ease have the same color as pollen,
there being no other substance in the
hive having the same effect to color.
Now, for Mr. Doolittle's experi-
ments, as stated in No. 48, page 606.
Mr. D. has tried to force bees by
starvation to eat pollen, in which he
failed. This proves nothing but his
failure ; it does not prove that the
bees do not eat pollen, for we know
they do. Pollen is not, and cannot be
the primary cause ; certainly not. Pri-
mary causes are those which compel
the iaees to eat the pollen when they
ought not to ; viz. : out of season, tt
Mr. D. had furnished besides pollen
and little or no honey, those other
conditions necessary to produce the
disease, I dare say he would have
succeeded.
Now, I wish Mr. D. and such other
bee-keepers as are interested in it,
would experiment as to how to pro-
duce the disease, at will, whenever
they wish ; than we would arrive at
facts and try to avoid such conditions.
Like Mr. D., I have also tried to
force bees to eat pollen, just one week
later than Mr. D. ; viz. : Oct. 19, this
fall. I had some very old combs, full
of honey, which I did not want to use
Bext spring. I extracted the honey,
and found two-thirds of the frames
filled with pollen and covered with
honey. Quite a quantity of the
pollen being soaked through with
honey, was thrown out. Having
some colonies which are rather scant
in stores, I fed five of them of this
honey, on the above date, which I
chose, to avoid robbing, as it was too
cold for the bees to fly, as also the
20th and 21st. On the 22d the bees
had a chance to fly, and every colony
thus fed showed signs of bee diarrhcea.
At the same time other colonies, part
of which were fed with sugar syrup
and part with powdered sugar, made
into a dough with clover honey, were
not affected.
By all means let us have facts. I
have drawn conclusions from such as
have come imder my observations.
Of course, I . tu liable to err ; but, as
long as my co'iclusions are not proven
to be erroniotis, I think I am justified
to consider them correct.
To conclude, I will add, that I lost
2 colonies, last winter, by this disease
('?) which had not a particle of brood,
hut the honey was gone clean, and
part of the pollen eaten.
Youngstown, O., Nov. 31, 1883.
®" The annual meeting of the
Lorain County Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion will be held in the Court House at
Elyria, Dec. 19, 1883.
O. J. Terrell, Sec.
North Eidgeville, O.
For the American Bee Journal.
My Experience with Syrian Bees.
L. A. LOWMASTER.
I will give my experience with
Syrian bees, and as 1 do not rear
queens to sell, I have " no axe to
grind." When I first heard of the
Syrian bees. I was anxious to try
them, so I sent to Mr. Jones for two
queens, which I received in July,
1881, and as it was too late in the sea-
sou to test them thorougly, I con-
cluded to keep them until I was satis-
fied whether they were inferior or
superior to other races of bees.
In the fall of 1881 , wiien I prepared
them for winter, they were stronger
in numbers than the rest of my bees.
They stood the winter well, and in
the spring of 1882, they were more
populous than the Italians and Al-
binos ; so I thought that I would rear
a few queens for my own use, and I
succeeded jn rearing some very fine
queens, and as I did not put on any
boxes in 1882, 1 did not get any sur-
plus honey ; but when I prepared them
for winter in the fall of 1882, I found
nearly every colony had twice as much
honey as they needed to winter on,
having the brood-chamber full, with
the exception of two or three combs,
which was about half-full of brood.
The winter of 1882-83 was hard on
bees in this part of the country, but
my Syrians came through in good con-
dition ; they wintered better than the
rest of my bees, excepting the Cyp-
rians, which I had 1>4 miles from my
home apiary.
Nearly all of the rest of my bees
(Italians, Albinos and hybrids) were
weak, and in a deplorable condition,
so I had to take frames of hatching
brood from the Syrians to build up
weak colonies, and when the combs
were full pf brood, and the young
bees commenced to gnaw through, I
took them out and exchanged them
with the weak colonies the second
time.
After taking all the brood out twice,
it did not seem to affect them at all ;
and by the time white clover was in
bloom, they were stronger than the
Italians and Albinos, and they com-
menced to work in the sections two
weeks before the Italians (I did not
take any brood from the Italians).
The SyriaHS cast larger swarms, be-
sides gathering more surplus honey
than the Italians ever did for me.
The young colonies filled 8-frame
Langstroth liives, and stored more
honey in the sections than did the old
colonies of Italians and hybrids, while
the Albinos and hybrids only filled the
brood-chamber, and only gathered
enough lioney to winter on tliis fall.
When I prepared them for winter
they all had plenty of honey to carry
tliem through safely, and more.
I find the Syrians splendid honey-
gatherers ; they work early and late ;
they carry heavy loads of "honey, and
there are lots of them. And yet, some
say they are no good.
The Albino bees are not as good as
the Italians. I have had them on
trial for three or four years, and I
know whereof I speak. I never got
as much honey from them during all
this time as I did this year from one
colony of Syrians. I have " weighed
them'in the balance " and " they are
found wanting." They liad their day,
and must step down and out. I will
keep one or two colonies of them just
to look at.
One WTiter says that he would like
to see the man " that can tell the dif-
ference between the Italians, Syrians
and Cyprians." Now, if there is no
difference, why is he afraid to try
them, before lie says they are not as
good as his strain of bees ? If he will
come here, I will show him the dif-
ference between the Syrians, Italians
and Cyprians.
I find no difficulty in telling one
from the other, and even queens
fertilized by Cyprian drones, produce
bees which are readily known from
pure Syrians. The general color,
markings and movement of these
bees, say nothing of their working
qualities, are suflicieiit to enable one
to distinguish the races readily, but
there are also other points in which
they differ. Upon opening a hive of
Syrian bees, and using smoke, the
workers crawl about in a manner
somewhat like black bees, but soon
become quiet, if carefully handled.
The workers fly in a darting manner,
and alight quickly when near the de-
sired spot, or, perhaps, it cannot be
better expressed than to simply say
they flit from point to point, wliile
the Cyprians and Italians exhibit a
more moderate motion.
The Syrian bees present a decidedly
gray color, though the abdoman has
a ringed appearance. The ground
color is a grayish-black ; the body, be-
fore the fuzz is worn off, being very
light ; the gray-colored fuzz is very
thick on the thorax, and the latter half
on each segment of the abdomen, es-
pecially those after the yellow bands,
are thickly set with light-colored
fuzz, giving them a striking appear-
ance. The three yellow bands are
very prominent and yellow.
The shield between the wings is
not as prominent as with the Cyp-
rians, though still visible. The Syrian
drones are very fine, large and vigor-
ous, and have an exceedinly thick
coat of whitish and blue-tinged "fuzz"
over the greater part of the thorax,
especially on the sides, and a very
noticeable amount on the abdomen.
In proportion to their bodies, I think
their wings are somewhat larger than
those of tlie Italians or Cyprians.
The Syrian queens are wonderfully
prolific, laying an incredible number
of eggs in a season ; in fact, I would
not be surprised if a Syrian queen
would lay as many eggs in one season
as blacks or Italians'do in a life time.
The Syrian ciueens are very small
wlien not laying, and some "persons
think them ordinary looking ; but give
tliem plenty of bees and room, and
tliey get very large, and fill a frame
of comb with eggs so rapidly that you
would imagine it impossible for one
queen to deposit them so fast. One
Syrian queen can lay eggs enough in
21 days to make from 4 to 0 colonies
of bees, if they were all cared for and
640
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
hatched. This may seem surprising,
Vmt try it and be convinced.
The Syrian bees build less drone
comb than the blacks or Italians ;
they protect their stores against rob-
Viers with such determination that
they often catch the robber on the
wing, around tlie hive, and punish
them before they even get time to
alight ; in fact, tliey are robber proof.
Their bodies are more telescopic,
which enables them to cairy larger
loads of honey, and to contract their
bodies at other times to quite small
proportions.
They are swift on the wing, flying
so rapidly that only those heavily
laden with honey can be secured on
the bloom. No race of bees will fly
more rapidly, or further (when nec-
essary) in search of honey than will
the Syrians. They have been known
to fly G}4 miles to obtain pasturage.
I have seen my Syrians '2}4 miles from
my apiary ; how much further they
went I ani unable to say.
As honey gatherers, they are not
excelled, and both the Cyprians and
Syrians will make a greater effort to
obtain honey when there is a scarcity
than the other races, and are valuable
for comb honev. My Syrians work on
the firs' - '-of red' clover (large
heads) ■''^\ .^here was a plentiful
flow 01 ite clover honey ; and I
never saw bees thicker on buckwheat
than I saw the Syrians ou the red
clover this season.
Mr. Morris, who lives T.}4 miles
from my apiary, one day last summer
came to see my bees, aiid he told me
when he was cutting his red clover
for hay. his son remarked : " Father,
look at the bees working on the red
clover." !Mr. Morris said he got oft
the machine to see if they were his
bees, but they were not ; they were a
different race — his are black bees —
when I showed him my Syrians, he
said they were the bees" that he saw
working" ou his field of red clover, and
he said that was the first time he
ever saw bees working on red clover.
He is a man that can be relied on.
The Syrians winter better than the
Italians", come out better in the
spring, and do not dwindle so badly.
Everything considered, I regard ttie
Syrian bees as the most superior race
ever imported into this country, and
that, when they have been subjected
to the same careful selection and
breeding as have the Italians, they
will command more prominence
than have the Italians. I would most
emphatirally aflh'm that the Syrians
have a larger number of the necessary
(jualities than any other race or strain
of bees. I will admit that I am using
strong language, but my experience
with this race, regarding queen-breed-
ing, honey-gathering and wintering,
fully warrant me in making the state-
ment. These, with many other ex-
periences and facts connected with
the Syrians, fully support me in stat-
ing that in them' we have the founda-
tion on which to build Uie Apis-Av^eri-
cana. I am not prejudiced against any
race of Viees, and the above is an
honest description of the Syrians as I
see them.
Belle Vernon, O., Nov. 22, 1883.
For tbe American Bee Journal.
Shall we u^e Old Combs ?
C. H. DIBBERN.
It has been claimed from time im-
morial that pieces of combs are in-
valuable to the bee-keeper. I have
worked on this line myself for years,
but have come to the "conclusion that
it is valuable only for the wax it
contains to be made into foundation.
I usually extract all partly - filled
combs in the fall, and save them care-
fully to be used again the following
spring. After practicing this for
vears, I am satisfied it is poor policy.
However it may have been, before
the advent of foundation, I am satis-
fied that, like Mr. Heddon's plan of
transferring, it is all changed now.
During the past summer I used a
good many nice white combs in two-
pound sections, that had been built
the year before, and as tlie sections
were nice and new, thought I liad a
bonanza in getting these filled and
capped early. .Now, what was the re-
sult':* The "bees entered the sections
eagerly, and in less than two weeks a
good part were capped. By this time
1 was out of empty combs, and was
putting on sections" filled with founda-
tion. Now. I was beginning to think
of taking off some of the secxions that
had been filled with empty combs,
and what was my disgust aiid disap-
pointment in finding the bees uncap-
ping it again, and a good deal of it
with the caps all burst off. AVell, I
could only leave it, and soon com-
menced to take off the sections that
had been filled with foundation, that
were as line as I ever saw. I kept
taking oft' some of the sections that
were full of empty combs about all
summer, and most'of it went into No.
2 honey, while that built on founda-
tion, made at the same time, was ex-
tra nice.
The explanation is very simple.
When honey is coming in liberally,
the bees wil'l fill comb that is already
built too fast, and cap it over before
it is ripe and souring ensues. If the
bees are compelled to build the comb,
or draw out foundation, the cells are
filled so gradually that the honey will
keep by the time the cells are built
out. Every particle of comb should
be saved, and carefully melted up and
made into foundation. It may look
like sacriledge to melt up nice " white
comb, but it will pay.
Milan, 111.. Nov. 27, 1883.
Trenton, Ontario, Convention.
A meeting of bee-keepers in the
vicinitv of Trenton, Qnt., was held at
Trento'n on Oct. 16, 1SS3. P. V. L)emp-
sey was elected Chairman, and .J. II.
Peck Secretary. Constitution and by-
laws were ado"pted, and the following
were elected oflicers for the ensuing
year :
President, P. C. Dempsey ; Vice-
Presidents. W. C. Wells. C. \V. Post,
S. Powell, J. G. A. Wallace, H. G.
Stafford, Edward Caverly, Allen
Pringle, John Mitchell, R. A. Brook,
A. D. Allen. D. J. Hawley ; James II.
Peck, Secretary-Treasurer : H. F.
Whittier, Janitor.
THE BEST METHOD OF AVINTERING
BEES.
W. C. Wells winters his bees in a.
cellar under his siiop — has a sub-earth
ventilation by means of 4-inch tile
pipe — prefers' 6-inch tile. When he
prepares his hive for winter, takes
empty combs out of the hive and
crowds the remaining sections up
close, by means of division-boards.
Makes a frame the size of the top of
the hive, and about 2 inches deep,
tacks on cotton cloth, and fills with
sawdust, which allows the dampness
to pass oft', while it retains the animal
heat in the hive. Packs his colonies
about the middle of October, and puts
them into the cellar about the middle
of November. Keeps the tempera-
ture as near 45° Fahr., as possible.
W. C. Post winters his bees simi-
larly to the plan of Mr. Wells, but
ventilates by means of the cellar
windows.
S. Powell winters his bees in a cel-
lar with caps removed, and nothing
but a course piece of bagging pla<'ea
over the top of the hive — ventilates
his hives by means of a hole in the
back part of the hive, covered by fine
wire cloth.
H. G. Stafford winters his bees sim-
ilarly to Mr. AVells— has sub-earth
ventilation for his cellar, in which he
winters his bees.
J. G. A. WalUtfe wintered his bees,
last winter, in the stone basement of
a barn, and lost -58 out of 66 colonies ;
attributes his loss entirely to sour
honey.
P. C. Dempsey winters his bees in
bee cellars, specially built and venti-
lated for that purpose. His experi-
ence covers a period of thirty years.
Thinks the principal cause of failure
is bv not putting bees into good win-
ter ' quarters before hard freezing
weather.
D. J. Hawley winters bees in a good
cellar, without any special ventilation
except from the bottom of the hive.
Does not think ventilation from the
top of the hive advisable, as it is es-
sential to keep up the animal heat in
the hive. Rarifled air caused by ani-
mal heat will ascend to the top of the
nive, while all the foul gases will de-
scend to the bottom of the hive.
Hence, the necessity of bottom venti-
lation. Where a very large number
of colonies are kept in the same cellar,
teneral ventilation is necessary in ad-
ition to hive ventilation.
J. II. Peck wintered his bees suc-
cessfully from the instructions he re-
ceived from the Hon. Lewis Wall-
bridge (now Chief Justice of Mani-
toba), from whom he obtained his
bees. Had no ventilation, except
from the bottom of the hive. Thinks
if bees are put into an ordinary cellar,
with at least 30 pounds of libney to
each hive, and caps removed, and
cushions of sawdust or cotton batting
placed on top of the hives, and that
where not more than 10 or 12 colonies
are placed in the same cellar, that
cellar ventilation is not absolutely
necessary, but perhaps advisable. His
bees were housed, last year, 1-50 days,
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
641
or 5 months and 9 days. This is a
very long period to feed bees, but if
the temperature can be kept up and
bees have a good supply of pure
honey, the loss by this method of
wintering bees will be comparatively
small.
SUN AND SHADE FOR BEES.
W. C. Wells prefers apple trees as
shade for his bee hives in very hot
weather.
C. W. I'ost prefers fruit trees and
grape vines f(u- bee shade.
J. G. A. Wallace jireferred large
Missouri currant bushes as bee shade.
He had been very successful in tliat
way.
S. Powell preferred large board caps
placed on the top of the hive 6 or 8 in.
larger eacli way, than tlie top of the
hive. This afforded ample protection
against the rays of the sun, and pre-
vented the melting of honey hi the
sections.
INCREASE OF BEES IN THE SPRING.
W. C. Wells and C. W. Post agreed
that the best plan to get a large in-
crease of bees, was to spread the
brood frames by removing the division
boards and inserting empty cards of
combs as fast as the bees are able to
cover them. Care should be taken
not to spread the brood too fast, as a
cold night might chill the brood and
produce foul brood.
THE BEST TIME TO TRANSFER BEE.S.
J. G. A. Wallace prefers the spring
when apple trees are in blossom.
Messrs. JDempsey, Wells, Post, Haw-
ley and Powell all concured in the
view.
Question by Mr. J. H. Peck,—
" Which is the best hive for all pur-
poses, a one or two-story hive V" All
agreed that a two-story hive was best
for all purposes, for the following
reasons :
1. All surplus honey, as a rule, was
stored in the upper story and the
brood-chamber below.
2. The honev above is clearer and
free from brood, and can be extracted
without injury to the brood, and is
more accessible, the lower chamber
bemg left almost entirely for brood,
and comb honey is cleaner, as the
bees do not travel over it in passing
out of the hive.
COMB HONEY, WITH OR WITHOUT SEP-
ARATORS.
Mr. Wallace was of the opinion that
he could get more honey without
separators.
Mr. Hawley had tried both plans
during the past season, and obtained
as much comb honey with separators
as without. By the use of the sep-
arators his comb honey was in much
better condition for shipping in the
usual size crates than without sep-
arators; about one-eighth of the
comb boxes were bulged out with
honey, and could not be sent out in
the usual sized shipping crates.
THE BEST RACE OF BEES.
Mr. Post thought the Italians were
the best knid of bees, had destroyed
his Cyprian and Syrian queens in con-
sequence of their stinging propensi-
ties, and kept none but Itjilians.
Mr. Dempsey did not like Syrian
bees, they were such ferocious sting-
ers. Was better pleased with Italians
and Cyprians.
Mr. Hawley preferred a cross be-
tween the Cyprians and the Italians.
By this means the excellent working
qualities of both races were obtained
coupled with the proliflcness of the
Cyprians.
Mr. Stafford preferred the Italians
as a class of bees.
Mr. Peek got his bees as pure Cyp-
rians, but liad been informed that
they were Italians. They were pro-
lific, and good workers, fighting pro-
pensities pointed, but by the aid of a
" smoker " liad no trouble to manage
them.
INTRODUCING QUEENS.
Mr. Post makes a cage out of wire
netting, an inch and a half wide, 4
inches long, and % of an inch thick,
in which he placed a queen and about
one dozen working bees, and inserted
in the hive between two cards of
honey and leave them there for about
48 hours. If the bees are quiet, lib-
erate tlie queen, and if not quiet in
the hive, leave them for 24 hours
longer before letting into the hive.
Messrs. Wells and Wallace adopted
the same plan.
THE BEST HONEY PLANT.
All agreed that basswood . is the
best honey plant.
ARE BEES BENEFICIAL TO FLOWERS ?
Mr. Stafford stated that his or-
chard near his bees bore far more
fruit than any of his neighbors, the
past season.
Mr. Dempsey said that portion of
his orchard near his bees produced a
fair crop, while the more remote por-
tions bore no fruit worth speaking of.
All said that bees were beneficial to
flowers.
THE BEST PLACE' FOR TSf ARlvETING
HONEY.
It was agreed that Toronto and
Western Ontario afforded the best
market for honey, as the people of
the Province of Quebec did not con-
sume as much honey in proportion to
the popnlation as the people of
Ontario.
H. G. Stafford had an average of IflO
pounds of extracted honey from each
old colony, and an increase of 3
swarms from each old colony, this
being the largest yield reported.
The number of colonies represented
at the meeting was 1,003. The total
number of pounds was ."54.000, being a
fraction less than •>> pounds per col-
ony. It must be borne in mind that
average is based upon the count at
the close of the season, and most of
our bee-keepers are working to in-
crease their colonies of bees instead
of for suqjlus honey.
AV. C. Wells, seconded by II. G.
Stafford, moved that the next regular
meeting be held in the city of Belle-
ville during the month of February
next. Carried.
For the American Bee Journals
Pollen and Dysentery.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
Away back in Vol. I, of the Amehi-.
CAN Bee Journal, on page 2-53, ^
find the following " Analysis of tha
Excreta of Bees," by Donhoff.
1. " Remains of Pollen. I boiled tha
excrement in caustic potash lye-
slightly diluted. After filtering, I
washed the residuum in hot dilute
muriatic acid. AVhat was left after-
again filtering, could from its insolu-
bility, be only the remains of pollen.
It appeared," under the microscope,
like an indistiinct granular mass.
2. " Uric Acid. I immersed the ex-
crement in concentrated sulphurio
acid, in which uric acid remains un-
decomposed. After carefully decant-
ing the liquid from the resulting car-
bonaceous mass, I added water ; and
then washed the precipitated mattei'-
in water. I now added one drop of
liquor ammoniaci, and one drop of
muriatic acid. On heating, the mass,
assumed a purplish hue — tlie charac-.
teristic reaction of uric acid.
3. " Hippuric Acid. . I boiled some
excrement in caustic p l'.'''ie. After
■filtering, I added dilutu .., '^j c acid ;
and obtained a precipi*'' . 'which
proved to be composed ol uric and
liippuric acid.
" According to an approximative es-
timate, the excreta of bees consists of
about one-third uric and hippuric acid,
and the residue of indigestible por-
tions of pollen."
Now, dysentery or bee-cholera ia
simply an overloaded condition of the
intestinal canal, with no opportunity
of flying in the open air to discharge
feces ; and if this fecal matter is two-
thirds pollen, is it not a logical con-
clusion that the more pollen there is.
consumed, the sooner will the intes-
tines become overloaded 'f
Last winter I had colonies die with
dysentery, in its worst form, early in
January,' before a particle of brood
had been reared ; hence, it certainly
was not brood rearing that eausetl it ;,
and if the fecal matter discharged by
the bees is two-thirds pollen, those
colonies certainly consumed large
quantities of pollen at a time when no
brood was being reared. I also had
some colonies the same season that
wcn> given empty combs in the fall
containing no pollen, and were tlien
fed a syrup made from pure cane
sugar, aiid when the bees from these
colonies flew, they discharged so little
fecal matter that it was scarcely
noticeable, and some of them were
kept in the cellar, without a flight,
all winter. Thirty-two colonies were
buried in a clamp, the same season,
and all, except those having sugar
stores, suffered, and some died from
dysentery. When taken out in April,
no brood had yet been reared, but a
few colonies had fresh laid eggs.
Rogersville, Mich., Dec. 3, 1883.
1^ To give away a copy of " Honey
as Food and Medicine " to erertj one wfm
buys a package of honey, will sell almost
any quantity of it.
642
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
For the American Bee JoumaL
Sending ftueens by Mail.
FRANK BENTON.
The communication on tlie above
subject, on page 511 of the American
Bee Journal for Oct. 17, conveys
the idea that " the first live queen
that ever crossed the Atlantic " by
mail, was the one sent Aug. 2, by Mr.
G. M. Doolittle. The following is
verbatim from a letter in my posses-
sion. Xotice the date.
" Beeton, July 6,1883.— Mk.Frank
Benton, Munich, Germany.— Dear
Sir : We received a queen from you
in a mailing-cage. Most of the bees
Were dead. I think there must have
been at least double as manv bees as
could get food and water. 'The live
ones were in fine condition . . .Too
many bees are worse than not having
enough. I have instructed the boys
to send you a cage of bees, and you
can report
With kind regards to Mrs. Benton
and yourself. Yours very truly,
D. A. Jones."
The queen above referred to was an
Imported Syrian, mailed here durhig
the month of June. She had pre-
viously stood a long journey by mail,
having been prepared according to my
instructions in Beyrout, Syria, and
had come via Alexandi-ia and Trieste
to Munich, a distance of about 2,-500
miles, part of which is in a sub-tropi-
cal cUmate, very trying to bees in
confinement. About 30 workers were
sent with the queen ; an experience of
several years ni sending queens by
mail on sea-voyages of 2,000 to 3,000
miles having convinced me that more
than 20 workers give better results
than a smaller number.
The food was pure sugar candv.
Ihe water was in a tin bottle, having
a pm-hole, the latter made in the mid-
ale of solder to prevent its closing
With rust. The cage itself was a stri p
of pine .5>^ inches long, 1% wide, and
1/8 thick, containing three auger
holes 13-4 inches each in diameter, the
bottom of each being left about ig of
an inch thick. The middle hole.
Which contained the bees, had several
small air holes on each side. The
candy was in one end, and the water
Dottle 111 the other. A wire-cloth and
a card covered the open side.
This cage was illustrated in the
iSntish Bee Journal for July 18.S0, and
a comparison shows that Mr. Doolit-
tle s cage does not differ in any es-
sential point, though he did not
Choose to supply water, and used a
oifterent kind of food.
The queen I sent went from Bavaria
(after the long journey from the East)
to the western part of Canada, and
could not have been less than IG or 17
aays on the way. I had previously
sent queens by mail from Cvprus and
isyria to various parts of Europe,
some of which wcve even 1-t davs— the
tune Mr. Doolittle's was on the way
to Scotland— and since then I have a
good many letters from parties in the
LJnited States, telling me of the safe
^^ival of queens that had been IS. and
and others 19 days on the way by
mail ; one even that states a queen
which was 21 days on the way, " ar-
rived in fine condition, but two of the
workers dead."
Thus it is seen that, so far as is now
known, the first queen that ever
crossed the Atlantic by mail alive did
not come from America to the Old
World, but went from this side of the
water, westward. I have spent too
much time, and lost too many queens
in testing this matter to resign
quietly the claim of having sent out
the first queen that ever crossed the
Atlantic alive by mail, though Mr.
Doolittle and Mr. Cameron doubtless
supposed, at the time they wrote, that
theirs was resdly the first'.
Mmiich, Germany, Jfov. 8, 1883.
For the American Bee Journal.
Bee-Keeping in Cuba.
a. w. osburn.
As the sun was hiding itself behind
the far-off western horizon on the 18th
of last month, we dropped our anchor
in the snug little harbor at Havana,
and the staunch sea-craft, the steam-
ship Niagara was at rest. Night shut
down upon us, for the first time, in a
tropical country.
We left New York on the 13th with
100 colonies of bees, with a complete
outfit to begin bee-keeping in Cuba.
J. and P. Casanova furnishing the
capital for the outfit, myself to furnish
what assistance I, could to place the
enterprise on a working basis, and it
is to be the first apiary established on
this island, managed after the modern
American style.
Oiu' bees stood the voyage well,
although they were rolled and tumb-
led for five days and nights, and
many times had more than they
wanted of salt water, for they were
stored on the second deck, and when
the old ship could no longer stand
erect, she would lay over on her side
for a rest ; then the bees would be
compelled to take a bath whether
they wished it or not.
On the 20th we arrived at this
place, and were able to release our
bees. All were alive but 3 colonies ;
ill three days more, five empty hives
were placed with the three first, mak-
ing 8 colonies dead, and 02 alive to
start off in this land where flowers
are so plenty, where the sunshine is
perpetual, and where the withering
blight of drouth never comes, or Jack
Frost makes his appearanpe.
Although I have been here over a
mouth, I am not able to tell your
readers much about the honey flow,
only that from the moment the bees
were released, there has been no
dearth of honey, and, in fact, it would
seem there was too much honey, for
the bees are literary running the
queens out of the hives ; as fast as a
j'oung bee hatches, they fill the cell
with honey. I do not know that the
queens fully realize that in November
they are ex'pected to keep their hives
full of brood. But the bees are get-
ting sick of this kind of work, and are
superseding many of the queens.
The old Cubians tell us that this
honey flow begins the first of this
month, and lasts until February or
the first of March (only think of the
best honey flow coming in winter and
lasting ail winter). To you, in the
North, it will seem like a dream,
when you are huddling around your
hard co'al stoves to keep warm, and
your bees are either chaff-packed out-
doors, or stowed away in some under-
ground cellar to keep them from
freezing, you can hardly realize that
here in Cuba we have our bees under
sheds to protect them from the sun.
and every evidence points towards
success for the busy little workers.
I am not telling anything that in a
few months I shall have to take back.
There is one thing I will say, that
from what I have seen already, I
think the bee-keeper will never see
honey flow in Cuba as it flows in the
North and in California some times ;
but still it may. Since I have been
here, I think the bees have got the
most of the honey from the palm-tree,
and they tell us it is in bloom the
year around. But at this time they
say the " boss ■■ honey plant is open-
ing—that is what they call the bell-
flower. It yields honey (they say) in
great quantities, and of a rich and
delicious flavor. So far, the honey I
have tasted has been of fine quality,
but a little dark ; then, again, some of
it is white and clear, and to my taste
superior to white clover or basswood.
You probably know the prejudice
there is in the Northern markets
against the honey that has formerly
been shipped from this country, and
no wonder, they keep their bees in
hollow logs, and when they wish to
take surplus, they take long knives
(the log is open at either end) and cut
the honey out — honey, brood, pollen
and all — then the honey is squeezed
out, and the remainder made into wax.
You can easily imagine how the
honey looks, and what the flavor
would be under such treatment.
The native bee of Cuba is a Simon
pure black ; there is no German or
half-breed about them. But even
with the black bees, and their primi-
tive way of handling them, the time
was be'fore the war here in Cuba,
when they had lots of honey in this
primitive way, and it is reported that
in the lower end of the Island, one
man kept 20,000 colonies, and at the
commencement of the war, he sold
his bees for $200,000 in gold. I gave
you the above as it was repeated to
me, not vouching for its truth. But
it is not impossible, in a country
where you can breed bees at any time
of the year, and where there' is no
time that they do not get a good
living.
During the winter mouths, they
tell me, that it is not uncommon for
them to take 1-5 gallons of honey
(which would be about ISO pounds)
every lo days. They " rob "' them, and,
of course, "the bees have new comb
to build every time. If they do that,
Cuba is not 'so slow a honey coimtry,
and what might we expect when
managed in the movable frame hives,
and the extractor used to throw the
honey out.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
643
One word about the face of the
country ; 'tis simply beautiful, 'tis
grand beyond description, rolling and
undulating plains, with small brooks
and creeks wliose banks are thickly
studded over with tropical trees, chief
among them is the beautiful palm,
and the honey plant or tree. The
climate is all any one could wish.
This section, the Casanova estate, is
high and healthful. Yellow fever is
seldom if ever known here. In future
letters I will report progress as it is
developed.
San Miguel, de Jruco, Cuba, West
Indies, Nov. 25, 1883.
For tlie American Bee Journal
A Premium List for Bees and Honey.
O. CLUTB.
A good premium listfor bees, honey,
and bee-keeping implements, which,
with necessary local modifications,
would serve for state fairs, and other
large fairs, ought to be prepared by
some of our most experienced bee-
keepers. Such a list, carefully pre-
pared, would need only slight moditi-
caiions. for many years, and would
serve as a guide to the executive com-
mittees of many fairs.
Such a list would help much towards
the improvement of bee-keeping all
over the country. It would tend to the
discouragement of poor methods and
poor products, and to the encourage-
ment of good ones. In order to have
it of service for next year, such a list
ought to be prepared very soon, for
the executive committees of most of
the state fairs meet sometime in .Jan-
uary of each year, and then adopt the
premium list for the next fair.
I attended the meeting of the exe-
cutive committee of the Iowa State
Agricultural Society, at its winter
meeting in Des Moines, last .January,
and was courteously asked to prepare
a premium list. I did prepare one
which was adopted without change,
and served very well for the fair last
September. I am now requested to
Erepare a list for submission to the
oard at its meeting, about the mid-
dle of January, 1884. I sliould like to
make the list as acceptable as possible
to the majority of Iowa bee-keepers,
but I have no way of consulting with
them except through the columns of
the Bee Journal. I therefore ask
the Journal to publish the subjoined
list now, in order that it may be read
by enterprising bee-keepers in Iowa
and other states, in time for them to
send me their suggestions and criti-
cisms for its improvement.
All bee-keepers are invited to send
to me direct, or to Mr. Newman, for
Eublication in the Bee .Journal, if
e does not object, their thoughts
as to the best premium list. It would
be especially profitable if we could
hear from Bev. L. L. Langstroth, Mr.
W. Z. Hutchinson, Mr. O. O. Popple-
ton, Prof. Cook, Mr. Doolittle, and
other successful bee-keepers. This
list has been prepared on a basis of an
aggregate amount of if^OO for pre-
miums. I have put comb honey and
extracted honey on a par ; have classi-
fied honey into ''white clover," "lin-
den," and " fall flowers," and have
put them all on a par, because there
are some sections of the West where
the fall honey is tlie main crop.
In bees, I have offered the higtiest
premium on Italians; iiave put Syr-
ians and Cyprians on a par, and offered
premiums lialf as great ; have offered
nothing on blacks. No premiums are
offered in this list for the manipula-
tion of bees on the ground, because I
am not sure we can have a suitable
building. I wish, however, that some
of tlie friends wouldsuggest whatsuch
premiums ought to be.
I expect that some of the bee-keepers
will criticise my list pretty sharply.
Well, friends, pitch in and tear my list
all to pieces, on condition that you
suggest a better one. What I am after
is ttie best list. I am quite willing
that this list of mine shall be knocked
into splinters, if from its ruins can be
evolved the perfect list. So do not
spare your suggestions.
First Second
Prem. Prem.
Bestltarn.beesin observatory hive. $10 00 5 00
Best Cypr. becB in observatory hive. 5 00 12 50
Best Syrian (or hoiy hind) bees in
observatory hive 5 00 2 50
Best and lartzest display of different
races of bees 15 00 10 00
Best comb honey, white clover, not
less than 201bs 10 00 sJOO
Best comb honey, linden, not less
than201bs 10^00 5 00
Best comb honey, fall flowers, not
less than 120 lbs 10 00 5 00
Bestand largest display, combhoney 15 00 10 CK)
Best extracted honey, white clover,
not less than JOlbs 10 00 5 00
Best extracted honey, linden, not
less than 120 lbs 10 00 5 00
Best extracted honey, fall flowers,
not less than 20 lbs 10 00 5 00
Best and largest display of extracted
honey 15!00 10 00
Best collectionof honey plants, pre-
pared, mounted, and correctly
labeled 10 00 5 00
Best col lection honey pi ants growing
in pots and correctly labeled 10 00 5 00
Best comb foundation machine,
shown in operation 10 00 5 00
Best comb fdn. for brood combs 2 00 1 00
Best comb £dn. for surplus iioney... 2 00 100
Best honey extractor 3 00 I cm
Bestsmoker 1 00 50
Best bive for comb honey 2 00 100
Best hive for extracted honey 2 0(3 100
Best hive for out-door wintering 2 00 l uo
Best product, extracted honey, from
one colony of bees and its in-
crease for the year 10_00 5 00
Best product, comb honey, from one
colony t)f bees and its increase
fortheyear 10 00 5 00
Best method of obtaining comb
honey, shown by receptacles in
place on the hive 5 00 2 50
O. Clute,
Pres. Iowa Bee-Keepers' Ass'n.
Iowa City, Iowa, Dec. 5, 1883.
1^ There will be a meeting of the
members of the Piatt County Bee-
Keepers' Association, at the office of
the Secretary in ilontlcello. 111., on
Saturday, Dec. 15. 1883, at lU a. m.
A. T. Pipher, Sec.
^g" The Bee-Keepers' Association
of Cejitnil Illinois, will meet in Bloom-
ington, on Jan. 9. 1884. All are cor-
dially invited to attend.
Ja.s. Poindexter, Sec.
i^° Please give notice, through the
Bee Journal, that C. F. Muth, of
Cincinnati, and A. I. Root, of Me-
dina, will be at the Ohio Bee-Keepers'
Convention, which will be held in
Columbus, on Jan. 14, 15 and 16, and
join in the discussions of various sub-
jects interesting to bee-keepers.
C. M. Kingsbury, Sec.
1^ The annual meeting of the
Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held in Cortland, N.
Y., on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 1884.
M. C. Bean, Sec.
McGrawville, N. Y., Nov. 23, 1883.
1^ The Northwestern Illinois and
Southwestern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers'
Association, will hold its annual meet-
ing in Temperance Hall, Fieeport, 111.,
on Jan. 15 and 16, 1884.
J. Stevv'art, Sec.
Rock City, 111., Nov. 30, 1883.
OUR LEW
Syrian Bees, etc.
In a recent article, Mr. W. Z. Hutch-
inson said of these bees : " Their ad-
mirers tell us, if we use them jiroperly,
tiiey will be gentle.'' I extracted 900
lbs. of honey in one day from them,
and did not get a sting, and the only
smoker I used was a roll of cotton
rags. Can Mr. H. do better with
hyorid-Italians V They do ripen their
honey well ; if any one doubts it, I
will send him some honey to prove it.
I deny that they will " rear brood as
long as there is a drop of honey in the
hive." I weighed several of my hives
this fall, after they had stopped breed-
ing, and they had from 35 to 40 lbs. of
honey in them. Two years ago I had
an Italian colony that had cast a large
swarm, and was ready to swarm again.
The queens were piping. I opened
the hive to cut out the queen-cells ; I
smoked them some. They became so
irritated, that half of the colony were
after me. I threw down my tools and
ran for the woods. In doing so, I ran
against a tree and skinned my nose.
Talk about " irritable " bees ; the
Syrians are peaceable by the side of
such bees. We have no snow yet,
and it is warm and summer like.
Cokato. Minn. Fayette Lee.
My Report for 1883.
As I did not make a spring report,
perhaps it would not be out of place
now. The spring found me with 14
colonies, out of the 18 put in the cel-
lar on Nov. 15. 1882. Tliey all had
the dysentery, but when I took them
out of the cellar on April 15, 1883. In
the spring I traded for one ; that
made me 15 to start with. The spring
started favorably. On May 21 it
turned cold and wet. and so continued
till the last of June. I extracted
in June and July. June 19, 45 lbs. ;
June 20, 51 lbs. ; June 29, lOB lbs. ;
.July 7, 170 lbs. ; July 10, 100 lbs. ; .July
18, 122 lbs. ; July 19, 163 lbs. ; July 29,
51 lbs. ; Sept. 3, 123 lbs. ; making a
total of 937 lbs., and had 286 lbs. of
comb honey. They increased to .35,
and all are in gcsod condition. I put
them in the cellar on Nov. 20. I sold
all of my honey at home at 12 cents
tor extracted, and 17 cents to 20 cents
for comb. I have on hand about 200
lbs. of honey. Da^id K. Knoll.
Salamonia, Ind., Dec. 6, 1883.
644
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Fenl Brood.
By request of Wm. B. McCormick,
Unioiitown, Pa., I give the results
through the Bee Journal of an ex-
amination of a piece of comb honey
sent by him. He says that, last
spring," he noticed something which
he called chilled brood, in one or more
of his hives, but as the trouble
seemed to continue during the sum-
mer, lie concluded the ditiiculty was
due to foul brood. He says : " 1 lost,
last summer, about 20 colonies by it,
several just leaving their hives, comb,
honey and all, and going off, or trying
to get into some other hive. Nearly
all the bees in the county seem to be
more or less affected in the same way
from here, told me he lost every one
of his 70 colonies. An affected" col-
ony will not work, but lay around
idle, and will sometimes kill their
queen." Mr. McCormiek thinks only
the black bees are thus affected ; the
Italians not suffering. Xow, after
the closest investigation, I And noth-
ing of the micro-organism to which
we suppose foul brood is due. There
are, in the comb cells, both living and
dead larvae; but the dead ones look
altogether different from those killed
vsith the disease called foul brood ;
their original shape is more nearly
retained, the tluids of the body are
much more watery — not ropy when
pulled out— and the odor, though
somewhat disagreeable, is character-
istically dilferent. What the trouble is
I cannot say ; but foul brood is not
present in the sample received.
Champaign. 111. T. J. Burkill.
low shed facing the south, covered on
top, back and ends with dirt and sod.
I pack my hives close together with
some straw and chaff' over and behind
them. A\"hen cold weather sets in, I
put up a door in front of them, which
I can let down in front on days suit-
able for them to fly out. The" brown
Germau bees gave larger yields of
honey than the Italians. I use what
some" of our advanced apiarists call
rattle-traps; that is an outside cover
over my section racks, which I find a
great advantage in keeping the hot
sun from them ; they are also an ad-
vantage in cool nights. Oh, yes, I use
an incli strip of glass in each side of
my section-rack, which saves a great
A. M. iIewit,7omeT2m'i"les deal of time, peeking in at the top.
when I have them tiered up 2 and 3
sections deep. I have no trouble in
getting my honey sealed over next to
the glass. R. A. Calvin.
Hartford, Mich., Dec. 3, 1883.
with 11 colonies; I used 4 of them for
experiments and queen rearing. The
remaining seven were run for comb
honey, of which I obtained 560 lbs. ;
4.50 from white clover, a few pounds
from linden, and the rest fall honey
from various sources. I have sold $75
worth of bees and queens, and have 29
colonies remaining, as the result of
the years' increase. I had to feed
a few of my queen-rearing colonies ;
the rest had plenty of stores.
L. C. Johnson.
Fountain City, Ind., Dec. 3, 1883.
A Cold, Wet Season.
I commenced tlie honey season with
.50 colonies, but a good" many being
weak, as we had such a cold and wet
spring, they dwindled badly. I had a
good flow of honey from white clover,
but that was all. I think this was the
coldest and wetest summer I ever
knew. I now have 83 colonies in
winter quarters, in good condition. I
have taken 4,023 lbs. of extracted
honey, and 9.50 lbs. of comb honey,
and the bees have plenty to winter on.
II. J. Smith.
Burlington, Wis., Nov. 30, 1883.
Italians and Hybrids.
I commenced last spring's work
with 10 colonies of bees ; they in-
creased to 23, and I bought 8 extra
colonies this fall, which make a good
stock to start with next spring. Last
winter I wintered 2 colonies in a very
damp vapory cellar with the ther-
mometer averaging from 40^ to 4.5°
Fahr. I gave them lower ventilation
about 2 square inches in each hive ;
one colony was an Italian, and the
other a hybrid. The hybrids kept up
a continual hum all winter, but the
Italians remained as still as death.
When I thumped the hive they re-
sponded with a sharp hum ; then all
would be quiet in half a minute. But
the hybrids consumed about double
the honey that the Italians did, and
the colonies were about equal in num-
bers. The hybrids were in a Quiuby
hive, while the others wereiii a Lang-
stroth hive, and they both came out
healthy in the sprin'g. The only rea-
son I can give for the extra amount
of honey consumed by the hybrids is,
that they were not in as warm a hive
as the Italians, which was made of
inch lumber, while the Quinby hive
was made of half- inch lumber.
ChAULES iSTORRIS.
Traverse City, Mich., Nov. 28, 1883.
Ten Dollars a Colony net Profit.
I commenced the season with20col-
onies of black bees, increased to 57,
and obtained SI SO worth of comb and
extracted honey, besides selling 12col-
onies at $5 each. The receipts were :
Honey $180 00
Bees 60 00
Total 240 00
Expense for extractor $11 -50
Foundation 8 40
Lumber 20 00
Total 39 9&
Leaving a net profit of $200.
^\. ti. IlAYEN.
Pleasant Mound, 111., Dec. 3, 1883.
My Report for the Year.
On Nov. 20, 1882, 1 put into winter
quarters 16 colonies, in 10-frameLang-
stroth hives, except a weak one in a 6-
frame hive, which starved before
spring. Last April I bought 4 colo-
nies, 111 box hives, making 19 to start
this season with. I transferred the
four 21 days after the first swarm is-
sued. Honey from the apple bloom
was light, owing to the cold, wet
weather last spring. I got about half
a crop of honey "from white clover.
The basswood crop was heavy ; then
came a drouth, followed by an early
frost, which made our fall crop light.
I took a little over 2,000 pounds of
honey, this season (.525 being extracted
and 1,500 pounds in tlie comb), nearly
all in one-pound sections. My bees
increased to 50 colonies. I doubled
up some that were weak, and now
have 47 packed as last winter, in a
My Fayorite Feeder, etc.
The feeder I use is, essentially, a
broad frame with boards at the sides
extending to within an inch of the top,
with bottom and sides made water-
tight. The end pieces are of inch
boards ; the sides, bottom and top are
of one-half-inch plank undressed, and
just as left by the saw. I make the
joints water-tight by a layer of white
lead, spread in before nailing together.
The feeder is just the size and shape
of an ordinary broad frame, and holds
about one gallon of syrup. It hangs
in the hive just as an ordinary frame.
In it I place a float made one-half inch
smaller than the inside of the feeder ;
it is simply a section box strip,
trimmed, till it floats loosely in the
feeder. I till this, hang it in the hive,
and the feeding is done, with no
drowned bees, and not the slightest
danger of robbing. I began the season
held at
well at-
interest
Bee Meeting at Fayette, Iowa.
Our bee-keepers' meeting
Fayette, Iowa, was quite
tended, and considerable
manifested, and an organization ef-
fected. A. II. Loomis, of Clermont,
President; V. Whiting, of Wau-
coma, Vice-President; B. F. Little,
of Brush Creek, Secretary ; and H.
Randall, of Randalia. Treasurer. We
adopted a constitution and by-laws.
There were hives, honey, both comb
and extracted, extractors, foundation
machines, smokers, uncapping knives,
etc., etc., on exhibition ; all of which
attracted much attention, and elicited
considerable discussion. All in all,
we felt as though it was a most in-
teresting and profitable meeting, and
I think we have established it upon a
pretty sure foundation. Of course it
was but a beginning, and somewhat
crude, but we hope to improve with
age, and be enable sometime to call
in outsiders, practical apiarists, to
discuss the pros and ^ons with us, and
address the meeting on " The Blessed
Bees." Most of our bees hereabouts
go into winter quarters in a weak
condition. The long cold fall, with-
out any bee pasturage, leaves them in
a bad condition to hope for strong
colonies next spring.
A. H. Loomis.
Clermont, Iowa, Nov. 24, 1883.
More Honey than I Expected.
The weather has been beautiful for
the past few weeks, very much like
spring ; bees flying quite often, and
their humming sounds like the busy
time of the year. My honey crop was
over 1,000 lbs. instead of 600 lbs., for
which I am groportionately happy.
B. II. Holt.
Adel, Iowa, Dec. 6, 1883.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
645
^:|jcciixl ^oticjcs.
Examine the Date following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
month to which you have paid your
subscription on the Bee Journal.
For safety, when sending money to
this office get either a post office or ex-
press money, order, a bank draft on
New York or Chicago, or register the
letter. Postage stamps of any kind
may be sent for amounts less than one
dollar. Local checks are subject to a
discount of 25 cents at Chicago banks.
American E.xpress money orders for
$5, or less, can be obtained for 5 cents.
We wish to impress upon every one
the necessity of being very specific,
and carefully to state what they desire
for the mone^sent. Also, if they live
near one post office, and get their mail
at another, be sure to give us the ad-
dress we already have on our books.
^' Make all Postal Money Orders
and Postal Notes payable at the
Madison St. Station, Chicago, 111.
Subscription Credits. — We do not
acknowledge receipt of each subscrip-
tion by letter. The label on your
paper, or on the wrapper, shows the
date to which your subscription is
paid. When you send us money, if
the proper credit is not given you,
within tvo weeks thereafter, on your
label, notify us by postal card. Do
not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the mouth
indicated on the wrapper-label. This
gives a continual statement of account.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more jieui
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents ;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00 ; or 1000 for
$15.00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Our New List of Premiums.
Getting up Clubs for 1884.
To increase the number of readers
of the Bee Journal, we believe, will
aid progressive bee-culture and help
to elevate the pursuit. AVe,tlierefore,
offer the following premiums for
getting up clubs :
While no subscription to the Bee
Journal will be taken for less than
the regular advertised prices (viz. :
W^eekly, $2.00 ; Monthly, $1.00),— any
one getting up a club of two copies,
or more, may select from " Our Book
List " anything therein named, to
the amount of 15 cents for every dollar
they send direct to this office, to pay them
for the trouble of getting up the club ;
and these books will be sent, postpaid,
to any address desired.
For a club of 3 W^eekly or 6 Monthly
and $6.00, we will make an additional
present of a Pocket Dictionary, bound
in cloth, containing 320 pages.
For a club of 5 AVeekly or 10
Monthly, (or a mixed club of both,)
with $10, we will, in addition to the
15 per cent, present a copy of the
Asierican "Popular" Dictionary,
comprising every word in the English
language that enters into speech or
writing ; it contains 32,000 words and
phrases,670 illustrations and 512 pages;
it is nicely bound in cloth, and will be
sent by mail, postpaid, to any address
desired.
For a club of $20, for 10 Weeklies, or
an equivalent in Monthlies, we will
present, besides the 15 per cent, in
books, a tested Italian queen, by mail,
postpaid.
Subscriptions for two or more years
for one person, will count the same
as each year for a different person.
For a club of 100 Weekly (or its
equivalent in Monthlies), with $200,
we will send a Magnificent Organ
worth $150. See description on page
614 of the W^eekly for Nov. 28, 1883.
I®" Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal for 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
1^ It must be understood that,
should an advertiser desire to cancel
an unexpired contract, he can do so
only by paying regular rates for the
number of insertions his advertise-
ment has had.
The Apiary Register.
All who intend to be systematic in
their work in the apiary, should get a
copy and commence to use it.
For 50 colonies (120 pages) $1 00
" 100 colonies (220 pages) 1 50
" 200 colonies (420 pages) 2 00
The larger ones can be used for a
few colonies, give room for an increase
of numbers, and still keep the record
all together in one book, and are there-
fore the most desirable ones.
1^ When writing to this office on
business, our correspondents should
not write anything for publication on
the same sheet of paper, unless it can
be torn apart without interfering with
either portion of the letter. The edi-
torial and business departments are
separate and distinct, and when the
business is mixed up with items for
publication it often causes confusion.
They may both be sent in one envelope
but on separate pieces of paper.
Bee Pasturage a Necessity. — We have
issued a new pamphlet giving our
views on this important subject, with
suggestions what to plant, and when
and how. It is illustrated with 26 en-
gravings, and will be sent postpaid to
anyaddress for ten cents.
Emerson Binders — made especially
for the Bee Journal, are lettered in
gold on the back, and make a very
convenient way of preserving the Bee
Journal as fast as received. They
will be sent, post-paid, for 75 cents, for
the Weekly ; or for the Monthly, 50
cents. They cannot be sent by mail
to Canada.
(^ We carefully mail the Bkk
Journal to every subscriber, but
should any be lost in the mails we will
cheerfully send another, if notified
before all the edition is exhausted.
Sample Copies of theAMERiCAN Beb
Journal will be sent free to any per-
son. Any one intending to get up a
club can have sample copies sent to
the persons they desire to interview,
by sending the names to this office.
^g" Articles for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
from items of business.
Ribbon Badges, for bee-keepers, on
which are printed a large bee in gold,
we send for 10 cts. each, or $8 per 100.
646
THE AMERICAif BEE JOURNAL.
Preparation of Honey for the Mar-
ket, including tlie production and care
of both comb and extracted honey,
instructions on the exhibition of bees
and honey at Fairs, etc. This is a
new 10 cent pamphlet, of 32 pages.
i^Speali a word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least one mw subscription
with your own V Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one new sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Jouknal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
^ We need the numbers of the
Bee Journal for August, 1866, aud
April, 1876. Any one having them to
spare, are requested to send us a Pos-
tal Card. We will give 25 cents for
each. Do not send them without
writing, for we want only one of each ;
and, if we are not already supplied,
we will take them.
i^ A correspondent asks if any one
may select a Binder for the Bee
Journal, among the books given as
Premiums for getting subscribers we
reply, yes; any book or binder we keep
for sale, may be selected by those who
get up clubs.
^' To all new subscribers for the
Weekly Bee Journ.vl who send us
$2.00 for 1884, we will send the re-
mainder of this year free, from the
time the subscription is received. So,
the sooner they s\ibscribe, the more
numbers they will get free.
Advertisers' Opinion.
The queen business is msliing, and
we think the Bee Journal deserves
much credit as an advertising medium.
E. A. Thomas & Co.
Coleraine, Mass., July 18, 1883.
giducvtisctncuts.
BON D & PEARCH,
(ESTABLISHED 1860.)
163 South Water St. , CHICAGO,
COMMISSION MERCHANTS,
Make a Specially in HONEY.
ConsiRnmeats solicited. Will make liberal ad-
vances on shipments. Refer to Hide and Leather
National Bank. luBtf
HOPE "'DEAF.
Peck's Patent Tubular Cushioned Ear Drums euro Deafness in all stages. Recommended
by scJentitic men of Kiiroin' and AnmiiLii. Write fur illustrated cUsoriptive boofc and testimonials fr<tm
iloctor.s, judffi'.-^, niinistera ;mmI iironiinent men aud women who Iiave been cured, anti who take pleasure
in rccomint'iidiiit/ tJtcin. T]n'v are unseen while in use, comfortable to wear, and make a yenuanent
cure. Addn t.s.-M'K'iiT & C*0., 7 Murray St., New- York, Ageuts for Sontli and West.
STORY S CHMP,
Manufacturers and Wholesale Dealers in
PIANOS^'^ORGANS
Decker Bros.,
Haines Bros.,
Mathushelf,
Simpson & Co.,
Story & Camp.
Estey,
Story & Camp.
The largest exclusively
Piano and Organ house
on the Continent.
Agents Wanted.
Protection
gniaranteed.
Territory
given.
Catalogues free to any adcftess.
Write for our prices before buying else-
where.
STORY & CAMP,
88 & 190 State Street,
CHICAGO.
203 N. Fifth street,
ST. LOUIS.
The Aiuericaii Apiciilturist.
A MONTHLY JOUENAL,
Devott-d to l^cientific and Practical
BEE-KEEPING.
Edited by a practical bee-keeper, and published
in the broadeafc sense in the interests of the bee-
keeper. Its list of contributors consists of the
most practical, prominent and successful apicult-
urists in America.
Our January number will contain a fine likeness
of the
REV. L. L. LANGSTROTH,
and we will send that number Iree to all who will
send their addresses plainly written on a Postal
Card. Address,
SILAS M, LOCKE, Editor & Prop'r,
Sent for 3 mos. for 35 cts.: A tnos. 60 eta.
50A4t One year Sl.OO.
Is a 32-page, beautifully Illustrated Monthly Magazin
devoted to
POUI.TB7, FIQEOKS AND PET STOCB
It has the largest corps of practical breeders as editor
of any ioiinial of its class in Americ . and is
TfiE FINEST FOtlLISY JOTONAL IN THE WOELD.
Volume 12 begins January 1881. SUBSCRUTION:-
f 1.00 per year. Specimen Copy. 10 cents.
C. J. WAKD, Editor and Proprietor.
182 CLAEK ST., - CHICAGO
BIND TOUR JOURNALS
AND KEEP THEM
NEAT AND CLEAN.
BINGHAM SMOKERS.
I can sell the above Smokers at
MANUFACTURERS' PRICES, by
mail or express, at wholesale or re-
tail. All the latest improvements,
including THE CONQUEROR, and
THE DOCTOR.
Send for my 8i'-pafre Illustrated
Catalogue of Bee- Keepers' Sup-
plies of every description.
ALFRED H. NEWMAN,
923 W, Madison, CHICAGO, ILL.
BARNES' PATENT
Foot Power Machinery
CIRCULAR AND
SCROLL SAWS,
Hand. Circular Rip Saws for
t-'eneral heavy and light rip-
pinj:. Lathes. &c. These ma-
<(nnes are especially adapted
ti ■ Hive Muklnv- It will pay
ivMry bee-keeper to send for
48-pai:e Illustrated Cata-
JOHN BARNES,
street,
innebaeo Co., 111.
. i ■■■• -..-■ ytu^^ *
*kxJ No. 2017 Main
- ^--^ Uuckford. W
The Emerson Binder
IS THE NEATEST AND CHEAPEST.
Any one can use them. Directions in each Binder
For Monthly Bee Journal SOc.
For Weekly Bee Journal 75c.
Address, THOMAS G. NE'WMAN,
925 West Madison Street, Chicago, III.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The Bkitish BEE JoTKNAL is NOW published
SEMI-MONTHLY, at Seven Shillines, per annum»
and contains the best practical information for
the time beinsr. showing what to do, and when and
how to do it. Kev. H. K. PEEI... Editor.
We send the Weekly amekican Bee JournaIi
and the British Bee Joumahboih for la.OO a year.
DEVOTED TO SCIENTIFIC BEE-CULTURE AND HONEY PRODUCTION.
Vol. XIX.
Chicago, 111., December 26, 1883.
No. 52.
THE WEEKLY EDITION
i^" The contents of this number
being nicluded in the general indexes
to the volume, found on pages 675 to
678, we omit the usual index here.
'mm
PUBLISHED BY
THOMAS C. NEWMAN,
Kditou and Propkietor.
925 WEST MADISON ST„ CHICAGO, ILL.
Weekly, ««a a year ; Monthly, »!.
PREMIUM.— Any one sending one neic subscrip-
tion for the Weekly, or two for the Monthly, for
one year, besides their own subscription for a year
for the Weekly, will be entitled to a copy of " Bees
and Honey.'' bound in cloth.
tW The receipt for money sent us will be given
on the address label ofl every paper. If not given
In two weeks after sending the money, write us a
Postal card, for something must be wrong about it,
|y Any person sending a club of six, ts entitled
to an extra copy (like the club), sent to any address
desired. Sample copies furnished free.
ly Papers are stopped at the expiration of the
time paid for, unless requested to be continued.
FOREIGN POSTAOC;. £XTICA:
To Europe— Weekly, 5<i cents ; Monthly, 12 cents.
.To Australia -Weekly.*! ; Monthly, 24 cents.
George Neighbour & Sons, London, England, are
oar authorized agents for Europe.
Entered at the CJhicago P. O. a* Second Class Matter.
ADVERTISING RATES.
20 cents per line of space, each insertion,
For either the Weekly or M(mfhly Editions.
A tine of this type will contain about S words;
TWELVE lines will occupy ONE-INCH of space.
Transient Advertisements payable in advance.
Editorial Notices, 50 cents per line.
Advertisements may be inserted one. two or four
times a month, if so ordered, at ao cents per line,
of space, for each insertion.
Advertisements withdrawn before the expiration
of the contract, will becharKed the full rate for
the time the advertisement is Inserted.
THOMAS G. NEWMAN.
985 Went Madison Street.. Chicago, 111.
CLUBBLVG LIST FOR 1884.
1^ This Number ■will complete
the volume of the Weekly Bee Jour-
nal for 1883. We would respectfully
request all our present subscribers to
renew at once for 1884. i$y sending
on the subscriptions at once, it will
save us much extra labor in taking the
names from our mail list, which is
kept in type, and then replacing them
again in a week or two. It will also
prevent the loss of any copies of the
Journal, and be an advantage all
around. If any find it inconvenient
to send the $2.00 now, send us a postal
card requesting us to continue sending
italong, and then the remittance may
follow in a week or two afterwards.
Local Convention Directory.
1884. Time and place of Meeting.
Jan. 6.— Nebraska State, at Lincoln, Neb.
M.L. Trester, Sec.
Jan. S.— De Moines Co., at Middleton. Iowa.
Jan. 8.— Cortland Union, at Cortland, N. Y.
M. C. Bean, Sec, McGrawville, N. Y.
Jan. 8-10.— Eastern New York, at Albany, N. Y.
S. Vrooman, Fres.
Jan. 9.— Central Illinois, at Bloomington, III.
Jas. Poindexter, Sec.
Jan. 10.— Champlttin Valley, at Mlddleburg, Vt.
J. E. Crane, Pres.
Jan. 14, 15, 16.— Ohio State, at Columbus. O.
C. M. Kingsbury, Sec.
Jan. 15, IG.— Indiana State, at Indianapolis, Ind.
F. L. Dougherty. Sec.
Jan. 15, iG.- N.W.Illa..&S.W.Wis..atFreeport.
J. Stewart, Sec, Uuck City, 111.
Jan. 1(5, 17.— N.K. Ohio, and N. W.Pa.. at Jefferson,0.
C. H. Coon, Sec, New J*yme, Ohio.
Jan. 22-24.— Northeastern, at Syracuse, N. Y.
Geo. W. Uou»e, Sec, Fuyetteville. N. Y.
Jan 23.— S. E. Mich., at Adrian, Mich.
H. C. Markham, Sec.
April 18.— Iowa Central, at Winterset, Iowa.
J. E. Pryur. Sec.
Oct. 11, 12.— Northern Mich., at Alma, Mich.
F. A. Palmer, Sec, McBrlde, Mich.
Dec. 10, 11.— Michigan State, at Lansing.
H. D. Cutting, Sec, Clinton, Mich.
%W In order to have this table complete, Secre-
taries are requested to forward full particulars of
time and place of future meetings.— Ed.
We will supply the American Kee (Tonrnal
one year, and any of the following Books, at the
prices quoted in the last column of flKures. The
first column (fives the resrular price of both. AH
postaKO prepaid.
Price of both. OUtb
The Weekly Bee Journal, |2 00..
and Cook's Manual, 7th editiontin cloth) 3 25.. 3 76
Cook's Manu:il. (In pnper covers)... .3 09.. 2 M
Bees and Honey (T.G.NewmMnjcIoth 'i 75. . 2 5tf
Bees and Honey (paper covers) 2 50.. 2 25
Binder for Weeklv Bee Journal 2 75.. 2 SO
Apiary Kegister for 2O0 colonies 4 00. . 3 60
Dzierzon'a New Bee Book (cloth) 4 00.. 3 00
Dzierzon's New Book (paper covers) 3 50*. . 2 75
Quinby's New Bee-Keoping 3 50. . 3 2&
Langstroth'B Standard Work.... 4 00 . 3 75
Root's A B C of Bee Culture (cloth) 3 25. . 3 00
Alley's Queen Bearing 3 00.. 2 75
Scribner'8 Lumber and Log Book. ... 2 35. . 2 35
Fisher's Grain Tables 2 40.. 2 25
Moore's Universal Assistant 4 30.. 4 25
Honey as Food <S:Medlcine,100 Copies 6 00.. 5 50
Blessed Bees 2 75.. 2 50
King's Text Book 3 00. . 2 74
The Weekly Bee Journal one year and
and Gleanings inBee-Culture( A.I. Root) 3 00.. 2 75
Bee-Keepers' Magazine (A.J.King). 3 00. . 2 75
Bee-Keepers' Guide (A.G.Hill) 2 50.. 2 35
Kansas Bee-Kecper 3 00.. 2 75
The Apiculturist, (Silas M. Locke) . . 3 00. . 2 75
New Eng. Apiarian, (W.W.Merrill).. 2 75.. 2 50
British Bee Journal 3 75.. 3 00
The 8 above-named papers 9 00.. 7 25
The Menthly Bee «Journal and any of th«
above, *i less than the figures In the last column.
i^Speak a word for the Bee Jour-
nal to neighbors who keep bees, and
send on at least oiie new subscription
with your own ? Our premium, " Bees
and Honey," in cloth, for one 7iew sub-
scriber to the Weekly, or two for the
Monthly, besides your own subscrip-
tion to either edition, will pay you for
your trouble, besides having the satis-
faction of knowing that you have
aided the Bee Journal to a new
subscriber, and progressive apiculture
to another devotee.
1^ To give away a copy of '' Honey
as Food and Medicine " to every one who
buys a package of honey, will sell almost
any quantity of it.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
^Vxlucvtisenxiettts,
The AMEniCAN Bee Journal is the oldest Bee
Paper in America, and hut) a large ctrculatlon Id
every State, Territory and Province, among farm-
ers, mecbanics, profesBional and business men,
aDd Is. tberefore, the best advertising medium.
HONEY CROP!
Our crop beinK very larpe. we offer THIKTX
THOTJ8AMD POUNDS of extracted Honey
FOR SALE
atKBASONABLB PRICKS. We have both clover
and fall honey. Samples sent on receipt of stamps
to pay postage. The honey can be delivered in
any shape to suit purchasers.
Send 15c. for our24-page Pamphlet on Harvest-
inK, Handling and Marketing extracted honey.
CHAS. DADANT & SON,
SABly HAMILTON. Hancock Co., ILL.
1876. G:E10^77'1ST 1882.
The best arranged HIVE for all purposes in
existence. Took tlrst premium at St. Louis Kair
existence, iook nrsi preiuiuui nv ol. .juuio »oi.
in 1R82 and 1RS3 over all competitors. Descriptive
Circular sent free to all on Hiiplicsucm.
Address, ELVIN AKMSTKONG,
PrOD'r. of the Crown Bee Hive Factory and Apiary,
DADANT'SFOUNDATION
From JAMES UEDDON, .luly 27th, 1883.- Your
Foundation is certainly tlie nicest and best handled
of any I have seen on the market. It is the only
foundation true to sample I have ever received.
From James Heddok, Aug. lOth, 1883.— I will
contract for 2,noo pounds of foundation for next
season on the terms of your letter.
From A. H. NEWMAN, Aug. 24th, 1R83.— Book my
order for 5,000 pounds for spring delivery.
From C. F. MCTH, Sept. 6th, I8a3.-All of your
shipments of foundation during the season were
sold on the day of their arrival.
Dealers, send In your orders for next spring
while wax is cheaper, and save trouble andmoney.
CHAS. DADANT & SON,
SABly Hamilton. Hancock co.. 111.
MAMUFACTORY
FOR HIVES, SECTIONS, &c.
1 am now prepared to supply dealers and con-
sumers with
Hives, Sections, Broad Frames, Shipping
Crates, etc.,
all kinds. I make a specialty of I>AN(;STROTH
AND MODEST UIVBS. Correspondence with
supply dealers solicited. My Sections are all made
from Poplar. Address,
OEOROE TATLiOK,
49A4t&lCtf 12Btf DUNUBE, Kane Co., ILL.
BOOKS!
Sent by mail, on receipt of price, by
y25 West Madison Street. CHICAGO, ILL..
On doien or half-dozen lots of one kind.weallow
25 per cent, discount, and prepay postaRe. Special
rates, on larger quantities, given upon application.
Szlerxon** Rational Bee - Keeplns.— A
Tmnslation of the MaHterpiece of that most
celebrated German authority, by H. Dieck and S.
Stutterd, and edited, with Botes, by Charles N.
Abbott, Ez-editoT of the "British Bee Journal."
Dr. Dzierzon is one of the ereatest living authori-
ties on Bee Culture. To uim and the Baron of
Berlepsch we are indebted for much that is
Isnown of seientlHc bee culture. ConcernlnR this
book, i'rof. Cook says: "As the work of one of
the great mat-ters, the Langstroth of Germany, it
can butOnd a warm welcome on this side of the
Atlantic." Mr. A. I. Root says of it: "Old father
Dzierxon baa probably made greater strides in
scientific apiculture than any one man.. .For real
scientific value, it would well repay any bee-
keeper whose attention is at all inclined to scien-
tific research, to purchase a copy. Cloth, itfiSi.
Queen-RearlnflT, by Henry Alley.— A full
and detailed account of TWENTi'-THREE years*
experience in rearing queen bees. The cheapest,
easiest and best way to raise queens. Never
before published. Price, fltl.OO
Ilee-K.eeper*a Guide ; or, Cook'a Manual
of the Apiary. —This Manual is elegantly
illustrated and fully " up with the times " on every
subject of bee-culture. It is not onlr instructive,
but intensely interesting and thoroughly practical.
The book is a masterly production, and one that no
bee-keeper, however limited his means can afford
to do without. Cloth. »!.»«> x paper cover. »1.
Bees and Honey, or Management of an
Apiary for Pleasure and Profit, by Thomas G.
Newman.— Fourth Edition. "Fully up with the
times," including all the various improvements
and inventions. Chief among the new chapters
are : " Bee Pasturage a Necessity," " Management
of Bees and Honey at Fairs," "Marketing Honey,"
etc. It contains ifio pages, and is profusely illus-
trated. Price, bound In cloth, TSc; in paper
covers, SOc, postpaid.
Boney, as Feed and Medicine, by Thomas
G. Newman,— This pamphlet discourses upon the
Ancient History of Bees and Honey ; the nature,
quality, sources, and preparation of Honey fur the
Market ; Honey as food, giving recipes for making
Honey Cakes, Cookies, Puddings, Foam.Wines.etc;
and Honey as Medicine, with many useful Recipes.
It is Intended for consumers, and should be scat-
tered by thousands, creating a demand for honey
everywhere. Published in Knarlliih and Oertnun.
Price for either edition. 5c. ; per dozen, 50e.
Preparation of Boney for the Marhet,
includiuK the production and care of both comb
and extracted honey, and instructions on the ex-
hibition of bees and honey at Fairs, etc.. by T. G.
Newman. This is a chapter from " Bees and
Honey. ' Price lOc.
SwarmlnK.BlTldlngr and Feeding Bees.—
Hints to Beginners, by Thomas G. Newman. This
is a chapter from "Bees and Honey." Price, 5c.
Bee PasturiiBe a RTecesslty, by Thomas G.
Newman— Givinc advanced views on this impor-
tant subject, with suggestions what to plant, and
and when and how : i2ii engravings. This is a chap-
ter from " Bees and Honey." Price. lOc.
Bees In ^'^Inter, with instructions about
ChafT-Packing. Cellars and Bee Houses, by Thomas
G. Newman. This is a chapter from "Bees and
Honey." Price, 5c.
Food Adulteration j What we eat and should
not eat. This book should be In every family, and
ought to create a sentiment against adulteration of
food products, and demand a law to protect the
consumer aeainst the numerous health-destroying
adulterations otfered as food. 200 paces 5»c.
Scribner** I^uuiber und r.oar Book,— Most
complete b^ok of its kind published. Gives meas-
urement of all kinds of lumber, logs, and planks
by Doyle's Rule, cubical contents of square and
round timber, staves and heading bolt tables,
wages, rent, board capacity of cisterns, cordwood
tables, interests, etc. Standard book throughout
United States & Canada. Price ita c. postpaid.
Flsher'B Qrnlu Tables for Farmers, etc.
—192 pages, pocket form ; full of useful tables lor
casting up grain, produce, hay ; cost of pork, inter-
est; wages tables, wood measurer, ready reckoner,
plowing tables and more miscellaneous matter and
useful tables for farmers and others than any
similar book ever published. 40 cents.
Moore's Universal Assistant, and Com-
plete Mechanic, contains over l,<XKi.O(^*0 Indus-
dustrial Facts, (.Calculations, Procesaef , Trade Se-
crets, Legal Items. Business Forms, etc., of vast
utility to every Mechanic, Farmer and Business
Man. Gives '.ifMi.fXHj items for Gas, Steam. Civil
and Mining Engineers, Machinists, Millers. Black-
smiths. Founders. Miners, Metallurgists, Assayers,
Plumbers, Gas and SteRm Fitters, Bronzers, Glid-
ers, Metal and Wood Workers of every kind.
The work contains l.oifi pages. Is a veritable
Treasury of Useful Knowledge, and worth Its
weight in Bold to any Mechanic, Business Man, or
Farmer. Price, postage paid, WS.oO.
Kendall's Horse Book.. — No book could be
more useful to horse owners. It has 35 engravings
illustratiuK positions of sick horses, and treats all
diseases in a plain and comprehensive manner. It
has recipes, a table ot doses, and much valuable
horse Information £Mce »5c. for either the
English or German editions.
4|alnby*B New Bee-Keeplnff, by L. C. Root—
'i'l-e author treats the subject of bee-keeping so
that It cannot fail to interest all. Its style u plain
and forcible, making all Its readers realize that Its
author is master of thesubject.- itfl.fiO.
The Hive I TJse- Being a description of the
hive used by Q. M. Doollttle. Price, Sc.
Novice's ABC of Bee-Culta re, byA.I. Root
—This embraces "everything pertaining to the core
ot the honey-bee," and is valuable to beginners and
those more advanced. Cloth, SI. 85.
Klns's Bee-Keepers' Text-Book, by A. J.
King.- This edition is revised and brought down to
the present time. Cloth, VI. OO.
I^anflTstroth on the Hive and Honey Bee.
—This is a standard scientific work. Price, t$S.
Blessed Bees, by John Allen.- A romance of
bee-keeping, full of practical Information and
contagious enthusiasm. Cloth, fSc.
Foul Breod I its origin, development and cure.
By Albert R. Kohnke. Price, «5c.
Extracted Heney ; Harvestlnar, Hand)-
InK and Marketing'— A 24-page pamphlet, by
Ch. & C, P. Dadant, Kiving in detail the methods
and management adopted in their apiary. 15c.
Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers, byChas.
F. Muth ; 32 pages. It gives Mr, Muth's views on
the management of bees. Price, lOc.
Bzlerzon Theory ;— presents the fundamen-
tal principles of bee-culture, and turnlahes the
facts and arguments to demonstrate them. 15 c.
Aplury Refflsler, for SYSTEMATIC WORK
In the APIARV, The larger ones can be used
for a few colonies, give room for an increase of
numbers, and still keep the record all together in
one book. Prices : For .'>n colonies. $l.'Xi; for Hh>
colonies, $l.ou; for 2'X) colonies, t2.0(j.
geutschc ^ticchciv
Uebet S3icncnstld)t.
©Icnctt JRuUur, obev erfotgreic^e
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THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
925 West Madison at., CHICAGO, ILL.
u Journal,
DEVOTED TO THE INTERl^STS OF THE PRODUCERS OF HONEY.
VOL. XIX.
CHICAGO, ILL., DECEMBER 26, 1883.
No. 52.
Published every Wednesday, by
THOMAS G. NEWMAN,
Editor and Proprietor,
®" We point with pride to the
copious Indexes contained in this
paper. They will be of untold value
to those who bind the Journal, or
those who use Emerson Binders in
which to keep the volume.
1^ "Fifty-two dividends a year
from $2 invested." That is what
every one will receive who subscribes
for the AVeelcly Bee Journal.
®° The Rev. S. L. Stiver, of Bunker
Hill, Ills., asks: "Will pure honey
granulate ? and if so, is it as nutri-
tious and wholesome as the ungranu-
lated y" Yes ; nearly all pure honey
will granulate on the approach of cold
weather or before, and is not only as
nutritious, but it is preferred by many
for table use and medicinal purposes.
^" As the reading season has come
with the long winter evenings, it is
just the time to read the various books
on Bee-keeping. When renewing
your subscriptions will be a good time
to get a supply of such literature. See
^ oiu' club rate on Books with the Bee
yf Journal, on the first page of this
paper.
^g" We have received tlie Catalogue
and Price List of Mr. Elvin Arm-
strong, Jerseyville, 111., for 18S4. The
Crown bee hive and supplies generally.
The Volume for 1883 is Finished,
^" We can supply photographs of
Rev. L. L. Langstroth, the Baron of
Berlepsch, orDzierzon, at 25 cts. each.
^For $2.75 we will supply the
Weekly Bee Journal one year, and
Dzierzon's Rational Bee-Keeping, in
paper covers ; or in cloth for $3.00.
With this number of the Weekly
Bee Journal, the volume for 1SS3 is
complete I The work on it is done—
the volume closed— the year ended —
another " star " added to the galaxy
of the bright luminaries of its exist-
ence !
The success of the Weekly Bee
Journal during the past years of its
existence, has far exceeded the expec-
tations of its ptd)lisher, and shows
that the time had fully come when its
existence was a public necessity. Wlio
among progressive apiarists would
now consent for a moment to go back
again to a monthly V Echo asks.
Who ? and the echo reverberates the
only reply.
It is a source of much congratula-
tion to its friends, as well as its pub-
lisher, that it enjoys a reputation for
reliability and integrity, of which but
few of the publications of the world
can boast.
We are quite willing to submit to
the verdict of its ten thousand readers,
as to how well it has sustained the
promises made a year ago, that it
would " continue to lead in all the
qualities of our ever-advancing art,
and maintain its high position as the
most enterprising Bee Paper of the
World." The thousands who have
already volunteered their appreciation
during the year, and testified of its
practical value by their continued
pationage, and those who now are
showing their esteem by promptly
renewing their 'subscriptions for the
coming year (and with these substan-
tial approvals send words of encour-
agement) ; all stimulate us to further
dilligence in the prosecution of our
life work. Its record, character,
power and usefulness in the past, is
its guarantee for the future.
We have already engaged an army
of regular correspondents of the Bee
Journal for tlie year 1884, compris-
ing the best apicultural writers of
the present age, and many of tlie
most practical and successful apiarists
of the world.
As heretofore, the Bee Journal
will continue to be the medium for the
promulgation of the best thoughts of
the most advanced bee-keepers of|the
age— keeping abreast of the highest
progress, favoring the freest discus-
sion of all points of interest in api-
culture, advancing progressive ideas
and the newest practical conceptions
and improvements.
Amid all the rush of correspondence
at this season of the year, we will
pause a momentto wish all ourreaders
A MERRY CHRISTMAS,
AND
A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Honey Crop of France and America.
Mr. Jas. McKnight, of Capistrano,
Cal., writes us as follows :
A friend of mine, Mr. Louis Darti-
gues, of this place, asked me to guess
how many colonies of bees there were
in France. Of course I could not do
so. Judge of my astonishment when
he handed me the enclosed strip taken
from a French paper :
Colonies, 1,971 .3(i5; lioney, 9,948,642
kilos. ; wax, 2,845,749 kilos. ; value of
honey, 14,94.5,835 francs ; value of
wax, 8,762,299 francs ; total, 23,698,134
francs.
Translated to our figures it is about
as follows: Colonies, 1,971,3&5- honev
21,887,000 lbs.; wax, 6,260,600 lbs '
value of honey, $2,989,167 ; value of
wax, $1,750,460 ; total value, $4,749,627.
As we sometimes liear that the
United States is the largest honey-
producing country in the world, I
would like to know wliat tlie figures
of the last census gives, or how does
it compare with the above ?
The last census reports have not yet
been published, hut it is estimated
that there are in the United States and
the Dominion of Canada, about six
millions of colonies of bees, and the
honey crop is valued at about thirty
millions of dollars. Tlie wax product
is valued at about two millions of dol-
lars. Modern management produces
less wax than with the old style of
destroying the bees for the honey and
wax.
668
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
m^^
For ttie American Bee Journal
Michigan State Convention.
\V. Z. HUTCHINSON.
SECOND DAY.
The meeting was called to order at
9 a. m. by President Cook, and then
the Convention proceeded to discuss
the '• Selling of Iloney."
C. F. Muth said that he had induced
many manufacturers of tobacco, of
cakes and cookies, of pickles, as well
as packers of pork, to use honey m
place of other sweets. If we keep oir
honey pure, there will be no troidile
in disposhig of it. He exhibited some
excellent cookies or buns, in the man-
nfacture of whicli, honey was used.
A. D. Benham : A confectioner in
our town took my entire crop of 1,000
pounds of extracted honey to use in
making cookies. He also had samples
wliich were very much like tliose
brought by Mr. Muth.
B. Salisbury spoke of the benefits of
honey in pulmonary diseases.
Rev. L. L. Langstroth had a dear
friend that was apparently near
death's d(wr from consumption, who
■was restored to health by small but
frequent doses of honey. He con-
sidered basswood honey the best for
lung diseases.
" Is Bee-Keepiug Healthful ?" was
next discussed.
Dr. Mason said, no ; bee-keeping is
not healthful. My hands, at times
hang almost helpless from the eftects
of bee poison. Almost every fall I
am nearly disabled from the effects of
the poison. If I keep away from the
bees I am all right.
C. F. Muth: Get better-natured bees.
Dr. Mason : My bees are as good-
natured as most bees, but bees delight
in stinging me. While at Mr. Muth's
apiary I was stung three times, but
Mr. Muth knew nothing about it.
Rev. L. L. Langstroth : When I
commenced bee-keeping, a sting
caused much swelling, but in time
this trouble passed away. Several
years passed, during which I handled
no bees, and when I again attempted
it, I found myself more susceptible to
the poison than ever, but by continu-
ing to work with the bees, disregard-
ing the stings, my former indifference
returned.
D. A. .Jones : AVhenahive is opened
every frame should be moved along a
little, and the whole hive disturbed
before the first frame is lifted out,
this disorganizes the whole of the
bees, and starts them to eating honey,
and the danger from stings is lessened.
M. H. Hunt : Honey is an excellent
remedy, and is always handy.
Mr. Sheldon : Bee stings have cured
rheumatism for me.
Dr. Mason : Bee stings never helped
mv rheumatism.
D. A. Jones : I have cured rheuma-
tism and neuralgia, for the time being,
with bee stings, but the next day it
returned. Bv singing the hairs from
tlie l)ack of the hand and wrist, many
stings will be prevented. The bees
catch ttieir feet mthe liairs, if left on,
become irritated and sting.
Dr. llulison : Chloroform is an ex-
cellent remedy for stings.
Mr. Millard : I am afflicted with
eruptions and boils, caused by bee
poison.
Your humble servant (W. Z. H.)
had in his mind tlie case of Mr. James
Heddon, who suffers so much from
the effect of bee poison as to be al-
most entirely prevented from hand-
ling bees, but, as many others wanted
to talk, he said nothing.
" Exhibitions at the State Fair,"
was then discussed. Secretary Cut-
ting gave a detailed report of his
meeting the officers of the State Agri-
cultural Society, inducing them to in-
crease the premium list and put up a
building expressly for the apiarian
department. lie then read the follow-
ing upon tlie importance of making
exliibits at Fairs :
Exliibitions properly conducted are
educational institutions. I think it is
conceded that to create a demand for
anything is to bring it befi)re the pub
lie in some form where the masses can
be educated to its uses, and I know of
no place where anything can be
brought before the public, and its
uses explained, as well as at State
and County Fairs.
"Where can you place honey to reach
the eye of the consumer as well as at
large exhibitions ? Honey placed on
exliibition at fairs, is seen by thou-
sands every day ; and when put up
attractively, to please the eye, it
creates a demand.
How often the exhibitor liears this
remark : " I did not think of buying
honey when I came liere, but it looks
so nice that I must take some home."
If you put honey in a box, and put up
notices all around, saying that you
have honey for sale, and I dare say
you will not sell a box a day ; while
the exhibitor opposite, who has a
large exhibit, put up in an attractive
manner, will sell large quantities
every day.
You must be ready to explain
away all existing prejudice, for you
will find such every hour in the day,
that seems foolish to you, because you
have been educated to know better.
I well remember one little incident
that happened at our last State Fair.
A party of ladies came along, when
one asked the question : " AVhat is
that machine for? ^nd the answer
was, to make comb foundation for
the bees to work on— at tlie same
time showing them a fine specimen.
The lady turned to the party she was
witli, and exclaimed : " There, didn't
I tell you that honey was adulterated,
for here is the very machine to'make
the comb, and there is the machine to
fill it " (referring to an extractor). It
took no small arnount of talk to break
down the prejudice.
To the supply dealer exhibitions are
a fine thing. Bee-keepers know tliat
there will be placed on exhibition a
large collection of implements and
supplies of all kinds, and they go to
the fair to see what is new and what
they can learn, and if you have a good
line of supplies you will get many an
order that you would not have in any
other way.
Men get different ideas from what
they read and what they see. You
may describe an article, and the party
you wish to reach does not get your
idea of it, but the moment he " sees
tiie article " it is different ; he does
not hesitate to buy it. You must
bring your goods before the consumer
if you expect to dispose of them.
Another important feature that is
left out at our exhibitions, is lady
bee-keepers. A few lady bee-keeper's
would help exhibitions greatly. They
can arrange an exhibit much more
tastefully than men, and the lady
visitors will stop and talk witli lady
exhibitors much sooner than with
men. Any woman can exert a great
moral influence and render our exliibi-
tions much more attractive.
I would earnestly appeal to every
bee-keeper to come out next fall at
our State Fair and make a grand ex-
hibition. Do not hold back because
you have not much to show ; every
one helps. Last year one man came
with a single bee hive and received
the firist premium.
The Agricultural Society does not
want to see one man fill the building,
but it wants all to come. A building
will be provided large enough to ac-
commodate all. In no other way can
you make the sale of honey so great
as to make a fine exhibit at fairs all
over the land. So I will say again :
" Come one and all ; bring what you
can, and let ns show our Mother Coun-
try that we, too, can have a great bee
and honey show."
A. J. Cook : When I went to the
State Fair, the President did not wait
forme to come through the yard, but
came out to meet me, and said that
he was proud of the exhibit in the
apiarian department.
D. A. Jones said that lioney-shows
increased its sale wonderfully. Two
thousand two-ounce packages of honey
were sold at 5 cents each, at our fair.
These packages gave people a taste,
inducing the'm to buy larger packages.
One dealer bought them to give as
Christmas advertisement. Honey-
producers should not neglect this
great educator of the people.
M. H. Hunt : I sold all my honey at
the fair. Sir. Hutchinson sold some,
and might have sold all of it if he had
not held it above market price.
S. T. Pettit : Candied honey should
be exhibited at fairs. Most bee-keep-
ers exhibit their honey in the liquid
form ; purchasers carry it home in
that form, and when it crystalizes
they think something must be wrong,
and fear that it is adulterated.
To revise the State Fair premium
list, and urge its adoption by the offi-
cers of the Agricultural Society, the
following were appointed as a com-
mittee : H. D. Cutting, D. A. Jones,
Dr. Mason, Dr. Kazartee and C. F.
Muth.
The President's address was then
read Iiy Prof. Cook, and was enthusi-
astically received. It was as follows ;
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
669
THE OUTLOOK OF APICULTURE.
Brotlieib of tlie apiary, ladies and
gentlemen : —
The Constitution of our Association
makes it incumbent upon me to pre-
sent the annual address by virtue of
my office as President of the Society.
In casting about for a theme s\iitable
to this occasiori, I can find nothing I
deem more worthy than ■' The Out-
look of Apiculture."
Before commencing a survey of the
present status of our art, I pause for
a moment to speak of an event whicli
is of deepest interest to us all. Need
I .say I refer to the presence among
us of our honored and revered friend
and benefactor, whose invention alone
made possible the mighty progress of
our art; whose rare gift as an experi-
mentalist, scholarly attainments and
surpassing gift as a writer, gave to us
the greatest work ever written on
apiculture ; whose grand character,
transparent ingenuousness, ehild-like-
simplicity, and retiring modesty, teach
us so graphically what the Christ
spirit can do for man ; whose great
heart ever moved by the broadest
charity, made him to bless, even those
whose' curses he bitterly felt. To
know such an one, to look iipon him, to
grasp his hand, to hear his words of
wisdom, bringing to us the treasures
of a mind stored with the richest
truths, and of a heart, too great to feel
malice ; and so large that it reaches
out to aid even the" least of us, all of
this is an experience which we Michi-
gan bee-keepers appreciate to-day.
How greatly we are honored, we can-
not now find words to express ; but in
all our future we shall remember this
event, as realizing to us, a hope which
we had never expected to see fulfilled.
A few years ago the cynics of our
brotherhood told us that conventions
were the enemies of our art, that they
were worse than useless, and that to
stimulate the growth of apiculture
was to use the suicide's dagger. Now
it is rare indeed to find a man so nar-
row as to declaim against association.
While time has shown that with bee-
keeping, as with every other business,
increased supply brings a much greater
increase in demand, which is further
made potential for good, by bringing
the increased energy and intelligence
which numbers are sure to give. The
business that booms, is the one that
has among its patrons the talent, the
tact, the energy and the genius of the
country. Without conventions, we
could liot have inatigurated, and made
successful our splendid exhibitions,
which are sure to foster our art as few
otlier things can. Those States whose
conventions are ablest, and most fre-
<iuent, are ahead. It is always so,
with every art and at all times.
County and District societies should
send delegates to the State associa-
tion, and the State to tlie Inter-State
and National. Thus concerted action
will be made possible ; thus the
tliought and methods of the most pro-
gressive will become the propertv of
the many. To be sure, we have "our
excellent periodicals, but they are
only possible, as association inspirits
bee-keeping; and, good as it seems and
is to get the thoughts and methods of
our able apiarists through the press,
it is not like personal intercourse, and
word of mouth. Conventions are a
powerful educator. No single bee-
keeper becomes abler and better pre-
pared to do his work well, without
benefiting the whole fraternity.
We increase our art, only as success
shows it worthy. I may praise our
business with a voice that would do
honor to an auctioneer, yet that will
influence little unless my neighbors
see evidence that the almighty dollar
puts in an appearance. Those who are
energetic, willing to work, intelligent
and willing and eager to learn, observ-
ing, persevering and attentive to their
work, will rarely ever fail in apicul-
ture. Those who lack these qualities
will be left behind before they get far
enough to meet great loss ; so little
mischief is wrought even if some are
induced to adopt this business, and
because they lack the elements oif suc-
cess, fail. Usually they gain enough
added intelligence" to more than pay
for the time and capital expended.
Another falacy, as I think, which
some few of our apiarists are loudly
proclaiming, is that apiculture is only
for the specialist, ^\hy, gejitlenieii,
oiir brothers in horticulture and agri-
culture are free to admit that they
owe more, in the way of real progress
and advancement to amateurs than
to specialists. 1 know that apiculture
is no excejition. Our honored guest
was an amateur when he conferred
the greatest boon upon our art. Long.
Demaree, Clute, and a host of others
of our best bee-keepers, are amateurs.
I am free to say that three-fourths of
the honey product of our State is pro-
duced by men with whom apiculture
is only an avfication. I can name a
score of bee-keepers, whom I know
personally, who are farmers, lawyers,
doctors, who keep hundreds of colonies
of bees, and many of whom, not only
get large returns of honey, but winter
each and every year with entire suc-
cess. When our specialists are all
equally successful, then they may cry
hold I "enough ! with more justice.
Aji indication that the new recruits
in apiculture will exalt rather than
degrade the Viusiness, is seen in the
fact that many are calling for instruc-
tion in this line. Few studies at our
Agricultural College win more earnest
study and real enthusiasm than does
entomology, which embraces quite
thorough instruction in apiculture.
Last year we had a student from Eng-
land, and this year one from Texas,
who came especially for the bee-cul-
ture. The fact that Messrs. .Jones,
Ileddon and Clute have respectable
classes, shows that there is a call for
more knowledge. We can but wish
(iod-speed to all of these gentlemen in
their efforts. Special traniing is most
desirable to the would-be apiarist. To
be with such eflicient bee-keepers for
a season will give a vantage ground
that can hardly be appreciated till en-
joyed. The practical apiarist will be
more proficient if he has had the
science of entomology and physiology,
and other cognate studies, but if he
cannot because of age or circumstance
take so much time, let him by all
means study and work for a season
with some good apiarist. Such a course
will never be regretted.
The past season has shown that^we
can procure nearly as much honey in
small as larger sections. It would
also seem that with the proper ar-
rangement and care, we have no need
of separators. That there will ever
be call for sections smaller than ■l}4
Indies sipiare, sutticient to warrant
their adoption, at the added expense
in time and money which they de-
mand, I much doubt. I secured (]uite
an amount of honey the past season
in the small sections — halt-pound sec-
tions—but I found those who bought
it, thought these smaller sections in
no wise preferable to the common one-
poxmd section. It is reported that
Mr. Heddon is going to adopt the
smaller size exclusively another sea-
son. It may pay him to do so ; but
for the most of us, I think, we shall be
wise to adhere to the one and two-
pound sections.
Another question in which we all
take a deep interest, is the ''New
Bees." I have had no experience with
the Cyprian bees, b\it I think more
aTid more of the Syrian. I find no
houble to handle them, and take my
large class of students, new to the
business, right into the apiary. Tliese
80 or 40 students daily manipulate the
bees, doing everything that the bee-
keeper ever needs to do, and rarely
ever get stung. I find that the'comb
lioney of tlie Syrians is excellent, that
the bees go readily into the sections.
We did not get all our sections so that
they could be crated without the use
of the separators; but I am not sui-e
but that it was more our fault than
the fault i)f the bees. They are very
prolific, breeding even when there is
no nectar to gather, and they often
gather when other bees are idle. I
have this fall secured from Mr. Frank
Benton, a Carniolan queen, and shall
try crossing tfie Carniolans with the
Syrians. Perhaps we can thus secure
a strain with the amiability of the
Carniolan, and the business of the
Syrians.
Our exhibition the past autumn,
thanks to our able secretary. Messra.
Hutchinson, Hunt and others, was
very fine, and reflected great credit on
our Association and our State. These
shows can but do immense good. They
show what bee-keeping is, and develop
a market as nothing else can. I sug-
gest that we reappoint our committee,
and that we ask for still larger prem-
iums, a separate hall in a convenient
and accessible location, and that honey
in small packages be sold, all through
the fair. A neat little pail of honey
or comb section thus sold on the fair
ground, will influence the market all
over the State.
" Pasturage for Bees " is another
subject that may well receive oiu- at-
tention. Though it may not be a
demonstrated fact, there can be hard-
ly any question but it will pay to plant
for bees. Every bee-keeper should
scatter motlierwort, catnip, ligwort,
spiderwort, sweet clover, and Rocky
Mountain bee plant seed in all the
waste places about the apiary. These
are harmless plants to the farmer,
and, as their presence adds to the
670
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
wealth of the couiitiy, he is a bene-
factor who causes their introduction
and spread. They are more beautiful
inan May-weeil, neetles, or SQiart-
weed, and may well supersede these
cuioberers of the ground. It is well
worth while, too, lor our bee-keepers
to stimulate tlie growth of alsike clo-
ver. Let us sow itoLirselves, and fur-
nish it to our iieiglibors tluit they may
plant it. Let our bee-keepers see that
the ladies liave abundance of mignon-
ette in the garden ; and ever bear in
mind tiuit raspberries gives us a most
luscious fruit, which costs very little,
and more — furnishes the bees witti
nectar that equals that of the clovers
and bassvvood, when converted into
honey. To be sure, the raspberry,
white and alsike clover, and the tulip,
comes at about the same time. Yet,
who has not noticed that after the
clovers will utterly fail to attract the
bees, then the raspberry blossoms
will be ringing with the joyous lium of
our pets of the hive. I'lants, like in-
sects, are very susceptible to changes
in the weather, and vary in the degree,
which the weatlier elfects to modify
their functional activity. So success
will often vary exceedingly with the
greater or less number of honey plants,
even though all are in bloom at the
same time. In this connection, we
all sliould observe the plants in refer-
ence to the soil on which they grow.
I have found tliat while Rocky Moun-
tain bee plant and mignonette do well
on light sandy soil, figwortand spider
plant do very poorly. It is well to note
the natural soil of the plant, and if we
wish to change its habit, do it gradu-
ally, that the transition be not too vio-
lent. Figwort grows naturally on
rich, heavy, moist soils. To change
it at once to lightest land, is a very
abrupt transition.
Th,"re are few topics, at present, in
which we Michigan bee-keepers are
more interested than in that of " foul
brood." Probably there is no State in
the country in which this fell maladv
has gained so large a foot-hold, i
have received specimens from Lena-
wee, .Jackson, Livingston, Wayne,
"Washtenaw, and Montcalm counties.
Surely, it behooves us all to become
thoroughly conversant with this ter-
rible plague, that we may be ready to
grapple with it at its flrst appearance,
should it come among us. The fact
that it has jumped the past season
from the soi'ith to the north part of
the State, shows that we are all in
danger. As Mr. Muth, who is the
advocate of salicylic acid as a cure,
and Mr. Jones, who has faith in, and
practices the starvation method of
treatment, are to ])e with us, I will
only venture the remark that very
likely the rank and tile can do no bet-
ter than to keep a very close watcli,
and at the very first appearance, prac-
tice the e.xterraination method. Ex-
perts may cure. The novice will pos-
sibly save money and patience if he
stamps it out, at the outset, by crema-
tion or burial.
Michigan now has probably the most
active and influential State "organiza-
tion in the country. I think she has
the greatest number of local organi-
zations (she now has seven) of any
State. We need not wonder then that
the editor of one of our largest and
most influential bee papers, one of the
very best, in fact, in tlie world, states
that he has more subscribers inMiclii-
gan tlian in any other State. Possibly
we now have enough local organiza-
tions, though it would seem that
there might Ije room for another
West of Battle Creek, on the Central.
There are now three along the Central
railroad, two on a line with Lansing,
and two on the 1). & G. H. railroad.
Besides the one in the southwest, yet
to be, there will soon be need of one
still fiu'ther north.
It is certainly for our good, and the
general good of our craft, to keep these
associations alive and vigorous. As
a preventive of " foul brood," I would
rather have a wide-awake local so-
ciety, than all the other methods. It
would give the knowledge to diagnose
the evil, and would make known all
the remedies, and would give the wise
discretion in a choice and application
of them. Let ns see to it that these
associations are well sustained, and
are kept in close relation with this
our State society.
It is a little late to speak of winter-
ing, yet it is always an interesting
theme to the apiarist. I will only say
that I believe that he who cared well
for his bees last autumn, gave them
sufficient stores, and lias them in a
proper cellar, has little to fear. Sugar
may be better for winter — surely is
better than some honey. That it is
better than most honey, I do not be-
lieve. Pollen may not, usually will
not do any harm. Yet I do not hesi-
tate to say that it is safer to have it
omitted in provisioning our bees for
winter. This conclusion I came to
after a trial of several years. I could
theorize as to the cause, but consider
the fact more important.
I hope and trust that this will be one
of the most interesting and valuable
meetings we liave ever held. I hope
that in our selection of a place for our
next meeting, we will go where we are
wanted, that proper pains may be
taken to thoroughly advertise our
meeting, secure a hall, and arrange all
the necessary local details.
A. J. Cook.
The election of officers resulted as
foUows : President, W. Z. Hutchin-
son ; Vice-Presidents, R. L. Taylor,
•James Ileddon and B. Salisbury ;"Sec-
retary. H. D. Cutting; Treasurer, T.
M. Cobb.
]Mr. Langstrotli then remarked that
he had been so kindly received that
he felt some embarrassment in speak-
ing. He had made nothing by liis
invention, but he would rather have
the good will of his fellow-men than
to be the possessor of untold thou-
sands, made at the expense of others.
He spoke of his passionate love tor
insects in his boyhood, giving many
amusing illustrations. He had brought
flies back to life that were apparently
dead from drowning; had attempted
to start ant hills; and was piuiished
for wearing out the knees of his pants
in examining ant hills, etc. The read-
ing of Virgil only made him the more
cautious, and led liim to examine
tilings for himself. Had he possessed
books, it might have been the worse
for him, as he might not have inves-
tigated so closely He then gave a
history of the invention of the mov-
able frame hive, spoke of the honored
dead, of his sickness, etc.
At the close of I^Ir. Langstroth's
address, the building fairly rang witli
applause.
The following was then passed :
Resolved, That tlie editors of the sev-
eral bee periodicals, and writers on
apieultural subjects, be requested to
use tlie word Langs troth in reference
to this hive of every style of frame ;
to say, for instance,"" The Simplicity
Langstroth," and not the Langstroth.
■' iloney-Producing Plants ' were
discussed, and the outlook was quite
favorable.
Dr. Mason : Sweet clover is my
favorite honey-plant. There are acres
and acres of it in Toledo, even in the
busy streets, and one who has never
seen it, has but little idea how luxuri-
antly it grows. The wagon wheels
run against it, and scatter the seed.
A neighbor of mine obtained 1,000
pounds of surplus honey from sweet
clover, and it was gathered quite late
in the season.
T. F. Bingham : Sweet clover may
be very fragrant when in bloom, but
it is no ornament to the streets of a
city. Look, for instance, at the streets
of "Chicago.
I'rof. Cook : It is not an ornament
in the fall, but neither are other
noxious weeds that furnish no honey ;
if we must have weeds, let them fur-
nish honey.
The question was asked — " Do
queens mate more than once ?"
Dr. L. C. Whiting: I have watched
queens and seen them fly and return
with the evidence of having met the
thone. and in a few minutes fly and
mate again. I had one queen that
flew anct mated five times before com-
mencing to lay.
Rev. L. 1.1. J.,aiigstroth : I, too, have
seen the same thing, but have always
thought that such queens were not
really and fully fertilized until the
last time they flew.
The next subject was '"Wintering."
Mr. Gillett : I think that early prep-
arations for winter is important. I
lose the most bees among those that
are packed late in the season.
A. Keoppen : My hives are double-
walled, and lilled with tow. The bot-
tom-board is made in the same man-
ner.
R. L. Taylor : I have wintered my
bees successfully two winters, in the
cellar. They occupy a separate apart-
ment, and a furnace gives an abund-
ance of ventilation. The tempera-
ture is kept at about 40^. Those
heavily packed out-of-doors, suffer
from dampness. Strong colonies are
more apt to breed, and thus bring on
dysentery.
Prof. Cook winters bees success-
fully in a cellar where the water often
stands 8 inches deep.
Mr. Benham : I prefer cellar win-
tering ; but taking them out too early
in the spring is detrimental.
T. C. Pollock : I prefer cellar win-
tering. I leave the cellar open until
apples freeze near the door, then
THE . AMERICAI* BEE JOURNAL.
671
close it up. If the outside tempera-
ture rises, it will not much affect the
cellar if it is kept closed.
Mr. t;mij,'h : I winter my bees in
the cellar, and my losses are slight.
In the spring I set out one colony,
and when that begins to bring in
pollen, I put out the rest. My cellar
is ventilated by a pipe connected with
the stove-pipe.
D. A. Jones : As near as I can rec-
ollect, the consumption of honey, per
colony, in my cellar, is about 6 pounds.
Out of door's it requires 10 pounds
more. Carrying bees out for a flight,
always brings on dysentery. My
bees, confined six months, came out
all right. When bees are found clus-
tered tightly, all is well.
Dr. Mason : I agree with Mr. Jones
that, when bees are clustered tightly,
they are all right. I have wintered
bees successfully in different kinds
of celliirs, and I "do not care whether
the cellars are wet or dry. Bees that
die in the cellar do not have the right
kind of food ; and the less of any
food they consume the better.
Mr. Muth : I want my bees to have
from 20 to ,30 pounds of lioney for win-
ter, and I care not for pollen. I do
not think it causes dysentery.
Mr. Jones : The mice pulled the
covers from some of the colonies, in
one of my bee houses, and those colo-
nies wintered the best.
Prof. C'ook ; My experience has been
the opposite.
Rev. L. L. Langstrotli : Moving the
combs apart is a great help in winter-
ing. A warm covering, something
like a woolen blanket, is a good pro-
tection.
Adjourned till 1 :oO p. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The Convention was called at 1 :30
p. ni. President Hutchinson in the
Chair. The first topic brouglit up
was : " Comb Foundation."' The dis-
cussion was preceded by an exhibi-
tion of tlie Given press, and the man-
ufacture of foundation. The sheets
of wax had become so warm that sev-
eral had stuck together, and in mak-
ing up full sheets, several pieces were
put together.
Mr. Taylor : I use Babbitt's concen-
trated lye to keep the wax from stick-
ing to the dies. Wax works best in a
temperature of from 70'^ to 80". Lye
is not disagreeable to bees, as they
often come out and sip it up while I
am at work.
Prof. Cook : The foundation made
here last spring by Mr. Taylor, was
certainly very fine, but as some prefer
the Van Deusen fovuidation, and as
Mr. Van Deusen is here, we would
like to hear from him.
Mr. Van Deusen exhibited a large
sheet of foundation. He said that
many ol)jectedto it on account of its
hardness, but such should rememljer
tliat the heat of tlie hives soon softens
the wax. Others objected to the flat
bottoms, but he thought this no more
objectionable than tlie round cell of
the Dunham.
Prof. Cook : The Pelham will need
mention, especially as it is cheap.
C. P. Muth : I have tried the flat-
bottomed and that made by Chas.
Dadant, and I see no difference.
Question — " What kind of bees are
the most gentle ?"
D. A. Jones : Italians are the most
gentle ; but Syrians crossed with Ital-
ians are the' best honey-gatherers.
There is a difference in the Syrians —
from some localities they are gentle,
from others they are not. Those
from Mt. Lebanon are the best. I
prefer to mate Syrian queens with
Italian drones.
On " Finding Black Queens," D. A.
Jones said : Shake all the bees from
the combs into the hive, and set the
combs to one side, shake the bees to
one side of the hive, and as they start
to spread out, and set up their Ijuz-
zing, the queen will come to the top
and start out with those long strides
of hers, and she can easily be found.
The question was asked : " Is it
true that bees can be wintered on
from 6 to 10 lbs. of honey per colonvV"
D. A. Jones : Yes, it is true, but
they will consume large (quantities
after being placed upon their summer
stands.
Prof. Cook : We have wintered a
colony upon 3 pounds.
On motion of H. D. Cutting, W. J.
Baxter, ot Jauesville, was made an
honorary member.
Question — " Shall we influence peo-
ple to become bee-keepers 'r'" Some
.said yes; others, no. D. A. Jones
gave several reasons in the aftirma-
tive. Said that we could not produce
as much honey as we could sell.
Prof. Cook agreed with Mr. Jones.
On the " Prevention of Bee Stings,"
D. A. Jones said : I have found that
a person wearing black clothes is
more liable to lie stung. " Fuzzy "
clothing is the kind to wear if you
want to be stung. Something smooth
like duck, is the best to avoid stings.
The first thing a student is told to do,
is to singe the liair from his hands and
wrists. If you wear a veil you must
wear it constantly. If one operator
wears a veil, and another in the same
yard does not, the one without a veil
will receive more stings than he would
if the other did not wear one. A
straw hat with a wide slouching rim
is the best with which to avoid stings.
Adjourned till 7:30 p. m.
EVENING SE.SSION.
The meeting was called to order at
7:30 p. m., by President Hutchinson,
who remarked that Dr. Mason had a
comb on exhibition, one-fifth of which
was parafflne, and he knew that the
Doctor would like to talk about it.
Dr. Mason : I do not know that
there is mucli to say. I tried mixing
parafline with wax, and making the
mixture into foundation. Alternate
frames were filled with this kind ot
foundation, and the other frames with
pure wax foundation. The bees drew
them out and used them just alike. I
could see no difference. INIyself and
neighl)ors have used such foundation
for two years. Paraffine can be ob-
tained wliose melting point is about
like wax. The time is coming when
something must be substituted for
wax. I would use it for coml) honey
if certain that it was a fine article.
D. A. Jones : To detect paraffine or
tallow in wax, keep pure wax and the
suspected wax at the same tempera-
ture, gradually raising the tempera-
ture, and tliat containing the other
substances will melt first. I have
tried parafline, but could obtain no
satisfactory results.
J. Van Deusen : I have looked for a
substitute for wax. Thought cellu-
loid might answer, but found tliat it
cost $2 per pound. I found paraffine
that would stand a test of 140^. but
even that would not answer.
Dr. Mason : I have had parafline
that it became necessary to break
into small pieces in order to have it
melt as soon as wax.
J. Van Deusen : I presume it would
be possible t(j obtain parafline whose
melting point would be high enough
to answer when wires are used.
Dr. Whiting : I have used founda-
tion containing parafline, and it gave
me mucli trouble. Tlie wax made
from such combs might cause the pur-
chaser of it some trouble.
S. T. Pettit : We must soon have a
substitute for wax, why discourage
trying such things '/
D. A. Jones : I have tried almost
everything ; muslin covered with wax
was a failure. An expensive quality
of linen paper covered with wax has
been a success to a certain extent.
Figures, writing, or drawing can be
made upon the paper before coating it
with wax, and they will show after
the comb is drawn "and finished. The
trouble came in when the bees at-
tempted to thin the septum.
R. L. Taylor had tried mixing resin
with the wax, but it was a brilliant
failure. The bees neglected it for a
long time, and then built drone comb
over it.
The report of the committee on res-
olutions was passed unanimously. It
gave thanks to Rev. L. L. Langstrotli
and visitors from other States ; to the
proprietors of the hall ; the railroads
for reduced fares ; the local papers for
notices, etc.
The Convention adjourned to meet
at Lansing upon the second Wednes-
day after the first Tuesday in Decem-
ber, 1884.
For the American Bee Journal.
Straight Worker Combs without
Using Comb Foundation.
G. M. DOOLITTLE.
To have all our combs built true in
the frames, so that each comb is as
true as a board, is certainly worth
working for, to those who handle
their frames. If frames are not to be
handled, then a box hive is as good as
one with frames in it, for all practical
purposes. The object of frame hives
is to allow of a better control over the
inside of the hive than could be done
with box hives, and only as these
frames are movable, in the fullest
sense of the word, is this object se-
cured. We often see combs so bulged
or crookefl in the frames, that they
will not allow of their being exchanged
to different parts of the hive, or from
one hive to another; in which case the
hive containing them can scarcely be
called a movable comb hive.
To tell those wishing to know how
worker combs can be secured, built
672
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,
straight and true within the frames
without the aid of comb foundation,
is the object of tliis article. I expect
many will think it " mistaken econ-
omy " to try to get combs without
using foundation, but many cannot
afford to buy it, and a few, myself
among that number, believe that
combs can be built as cheaply as the
foundation can be purchased and got-
ten into combs. In a future article I
propose to discuss this matter regard-
ing the economy of comb foundation,
therefore I will say nothing further on
the subject here.
As a starting point toward straight
combs, I use a wax guide on the un-
der side of the top-bar of the frame,
which is secured by making a straight
edge of hard wood. 7-16 thick by 1
inch wide, and J4 inch shorter than the
inside of the top-bar of the frame.
This straight-edge is nailed to a wide
board, and the board so tixed that it
inclines enough for the melted wax,
(which is to be used to make the
guide) to run along the top-bar freely.
With a wet sponge, moisten the
straiglit-edge, lay the frame on the
wide board with the underside of the
top-bar pressed against the straight-
edge, when a little wax is turned from
a spoon into the upper end of the V
shaped trough (which is made by the
top-bar of the frame and the straight-
edge,) and allowed to run down the
whole length of it. Now lift the frame
and you have a nice wax guide for the
bees to start their comb on. By keep-
ing the straight-edge wet, the wax
will not slick to it, and by using a
lamp under the dish of wax, it can be
so regulated that the wax is kept at
the right temperature all the while.
In this way guides can be put on very
rapidly.
While I have found a guide of some
kind an absolute necessity (the above
being the best,) I have also found that
no guide can always be depended
upon, for bees are sometimes very ob-
stinate, and will leave the guide so as
to build crooked combs if they do net
go directly across the frames. Conse-
quently, it pays the apiarist to look at
each colony hived on empty frames
while they are buildhigcomb, as often
as once in 3 days. If any combs are
found going wrong, they can be bent
back in line very easily, and after the
hive is once filled, they are good for a
long time, as I never saw one that I
would discard on account of age.
The readers of the Bee Jouiinal
are aware that I prefer natural swarms,
and to best illustrate how I secure
combs such as I desire, I will give my
management of a swarm. As all my
queens have their wings clipped, the
swarm is hived by letting them re-
turn, previously movingtlie old colony
to a new location and setting the new
hive, containing the full number (9)
of frames, in its place. In two days I
open the hive, and usually find that
the bees have made a start in 5 frames.
These 5 frames are placed together at
one side of the hive, and a division
board is placed next to them. This
throws the full force on these frames,
and they will soon till them with
straight worker comb as a rule, es-
pecially if a few sections are placed
over them (as there always should be),
so that if any drone comb is built, it
can be done in the sections. This also
gets the bees at work in the sections
quicker than any way I know of. If
you get these .5 combs built straight,
you will have no trouble in getting the
rest so. as they can build them no
other way, if placed between two of
those already built. If every comb is
straight and all worker, such a colony
will be a profitable one. and if each
colony has such combs, all will be pro-
fitable.
No apiarist if he has not more than
8 or 4 colonies, should consider them
in proper working order until each
comb is a straigiit worker comb.
There is no need of having hives half
full of drone comb, and so crooked that
they cannot be handled. If we do
things at the right time and in a
proper manner, our bees will more
than pay us for all time spent on them.
Suppose that, instead of working
as above, we hive swarms without
paying any further attention to them.
Swarms issuing when honey is very
abundant, will build comb very rapid-
ly, filling their hive in s or 10 days, in
which case their combs will be apt to
be crooked, and at least ^3 drone or
store comb, which is good for nothing
for rearing workers the next season ;
but is an actual damage, as the drones
reared in them will consume a great
part of what the workers gather. Such
colonies will be unprofitable ones,
either for rearing bees or storing
honey, just so long as the comb is kept
in that condition.
In conclusion, I will say that I have
never used 10 lbs. of foundation in
brood frames since I have kept bees,
but have built my combs as above,
and until I am better satisfied that
comb foundation pays than I have been
from past experiments. I expect to so
build them in the future ; hence I am
not preaching what I do not practice.
All I have to recommend the above,
is the success I have attained with it.
and if any think that it is not " the
right way to work." they can pass this
article by, the same as if it liad not
been written. Still I should like to
have all the advocates of foundation
try one colony as above, by the side of
one hived on comb foundation (both
hived at the same time), both of which
are to be worked for comb honey.
Keep the honey each produces sepa-
rate, and add to the one building its
own coml), enough to cover the cost of
the foundation used by the other, and
see which comes out ahead.
Borodino, N. Y.
For the American Bee Journal.
Syrian Bees as Breeders.
W. Z. HUTCHINSON.
On page 648, Mr. Fayette Lee takes
exceptions to souie of my statements
in regard to Syrian bees. Please allow
me to explain. I do not judge of the
Syrians' viciousness solely from my
own experience, nor from Mr. Lee's,
or Mr. L. L. Lowmaster's, or Prof.
Hasbrouck's, or Prof. Cook's, or Mr.
Jones', or any other single individual
experience, but I look at the evidence
in the aggregate. When there are
more than 90 practical bee-keepers
gathered together, as tliere was last
October at Chicago, and only one of
that number has had gentle Syrians,
I consider the fact' signiticant. Mr.
D. A. .Jones himself admitted, at our
late State Convention, that the Ital-
ians were more gentle than the Syr-
ians, but said there was a difference
in the different strains of Syrians,
those from Mt. Lebanon being tl*e
most peaceable.
Mr. Jones is a queen breeder and a
producer of extracted honey, and pre-
fers a cross between the Italians and
Syrians, while I make the production
of comb lioney a specialty, and prefer
a cross between the Italians and Ger-
mans ; we both have good reasons for
our preferences.
In regard to their not properly ripen-
ing and sealing their honey, did I not
explicitly say, " I am aware that this
complaint against them is not univer-
sal; " but those who are interested in
this matter, should turn to the report
of the Northwestern Convention for
l.S(52. and read the testimony of E. .1.
Oatman, upon the point. This point
would not be so serious in workingfor
extracted honey.
Perhaps the statement that they
will '• rear brood so long as a drop of
honey remains in the hive," needs
qualifying to mean that they will dO'
so only in warm weather. I certainly
did not wish to convey the idea that
they would continue breeding after
cold weatlier had commenced, but
that they would breed from early
spring uiitil late in the fall, whether
honey was coining in or not.
I have no desire to tear down nor to
build up the reputation of any bees,
neither do I enter any controversy
upon any subject for the sole purpose
of defeating my adversary ; my only
object is to arrive at tlie truth, and. if
in so doing I am " beaten" in my ar-
gument, I shall feel grateful to my
opponent for pointing out my errors.
Kogersville, Mich., Dec. 15, 1S83.
For the American Bee Jonmal..
The Pollen Theory "-Facts.
J. M. SHUCK.
Having given the winter condition
of bees very close attention for ten
years last past, I wish to add to Mr.
kohnke"s article in No. .50 of the Bee,
Journal, the following facts :
1. I have observed that bees do at-
tempt to consume pollen during the
winter, when not rearing brood. Mr.
Doolittle will here arise to ask how I
know they do. I will answer by ask-
ing him how he knows his bees eat
lioney during the winter. I know
they eat pollen because it is gone from
the cells. I know they eat it, for it is
found in their excrement. I have
observed that they not only eat pollen
when driven to it, but that they at^
tempt to eat the wax. I have re-
peatedly seen combs thus mutilated.
2. I have seen queenless colonies
affected with diarrha?a where honey
was short and pollen present; these
could not have been rearing brood.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
G73
3. I have known queenless colonies,
and colonies with queens confined, on
granulated sugar syrup, within their
hives, out-of-doors for five months,
including the worst winter weather ;
then come out dry, bright, and no
sign of diarrhcea, and have seen them
do nearly as well on good honey.;
4. I have seen bees wintering on
ordinary honey stores after long con-
finement, void their excrement on the
combs witliin the hive, and pollute
them as we all know they do without
seeing them.
.5. I have seen bees wintering on
pure cane sugar stores after long con-
finement, void their excrement over
the combs without pollution, it being
thin and as clear as water ; I have
seen this day after day, and have
never observed any evil results from it.
Probably T. F. Bingham suggested
this pollen theory some S or 9 years
ago ; I think so, but cannot prove it.
I luiow that James Ileddon has
slashed right and left about this thing
tor some years, and lately G. M.
Doolittle calls for the facts. Lets
have tliem, and be done with it.
Des Moines, Iowa, Dec. 12, 1883.
Packed on Summer Stands.
Last spring I had 15 colonies of
bees. Tliree of them were queenless.
I doubled up 4 of tlie others, so that
1 had but 10 good working colonies.
The season was wet, cold, and unfa-
vorable for rearing and fertilizing
<iueens for my queenless colonies ; so
I ordered some queens from Ken-
tucky, but did not get them until
about the first of -July. I unpacked
my bees on April 25. One swarm came
out April 30 ; I hived it on 4 frames of
comb foundation, and it gave my 45
pounds of honey in two-pound boxes.
My bees produced 607 pounds of honey
in one and two-pound boxes, and 147
pounds of extracted honey, making
in all 7.54 pounds of clover honey.
August was so dry that I got no honey
after .July. My Viees increased Ijy
natural swarming to 27 polonies, which
I packed for winter on the summer
stands, each having 33 to 40 pounds of
good clover honey. Wm. Morse.
Kockford, 111., Dec. 15, 1883.
Bees Starve in the Midst of Plenty.
I would like to give an instance of
how easily bees may be starved with
plenty of honey near them. A friend
of mine had neglected to take the
honey boxes off his hives, until about
Dec. 1. While removing them, he
found where the bees in one hive had
taken up their winter quarters in the
surplus arrangement ; he undertook
to drive them below with smoke, but
as they did not go readily, he took the
honey out, and as there was an abund-
ance of stores below, he supposed they
would be all right. But what was his
rstonishment on opening the hive, a
few days later, to find the bees all
clustered in the box as natural as life,
but cold and stiff in death's embrace.
This was a strong colony, and came
through the cold winter of 1882-3 on
the summer stand, without any pro-
tection. I would say the mercury only
indicated UP below freezing.when the
bees starved. S. J. Youngman.
Cato, Mich., Dec. 15, 1883.
Wintered on Siigrar-Candy.
On Nov. 20, 1882, 1 put into the cel-
lar 23 colonies in Carey's improved
hives. I took them out on April 20,
1883, all in good condition, except one
which was queenless. which I put witli
two weak colonies ; that left me 22
colonies, spring count. The season
was cold and wet. I started queen-
rearing on June 1 , when tlie bees were
at work on raspberry and white clover.
I made 60 nuclei, and reared 100
queens. I sold 40 of the nuclei and 75
queens. I extracted 700 lbs. of white
clover honey, and had 300 lbs. of comb
honey. I have 42 colonies of Italians,
and 38 colonies of blacks, wliich I
bought this fall. These I put into
the cellar on Nov. 15 ; they were gen-
erally light, on account of early frost.
I gave each 10 lbs. of candy made from
granulated sugar and honey (25 lbs. of
sugar and 5 lbs. of honey), which
makes the best candy I have tried for
winter stores. I like it better than
honey. The bees do not come out
gorged, and have the dysentery in the
spring. I keep the cellar as near 45°
as possible, and have only one venti-
lator (a 6-inch stove pipe). Since I
tried this method of wintering, I have
lost but 8 colonies all told, in 5 years.
A. A. Byakd.
West Chesterfield,N.II., Dec.l7,18a3.
To Bee-Keepers of Iowa.
I want to call together all tlie bee-
keepers of tlie Cedar River A'alley and
surrounding territory that may be in-
terested in forming an organization in
the interest of modern bee-keeping,
and the production and marketing of
honey, to meet at Waterloo, Iowa,
Fell." 13 and 14, 1884. Do not wait
until tlie organization is formed, but
come along and help organize it. Help
us make tile start, for we need an or-
ganization of this kind in this vicin-
ity. Among the prominent bee-keep-
ers of this section, who are anxious to
form an association, I may mention
J. W. Spaulrting. of Charles City ;
John Bird and Chas. Tracy. of Nashua;
O. O. Poppleton, of Williamstown :
A. J. Norris and E. A. Starks, of
Cedar Falls ; J. M. and A. Bennett, of
Waterloo; L. L. Triem and Dr. Oren,
of La Porte ; Samuel August, David
Thayer and James Ralston, of Vin-
ton ; Robert Quinn, of Shellsburg;
Thos. B. Quinlan, of Cedar Rapiils ;
E. A. Sheldon and A. R. Blood, of In-
dependence; J. K. Oren and George
Black, of Brandon ; Wm. Hunt & Son,
of Centre Point. All the above
named are interested, and a great
many more not mentioned, no one of
wliom have less than 50, and from that
up to 300 colonies. We extend an in-
vitation to all outside of this territory,
who can, to meet with us. I have
mentioned Waterloo, so as to make it
central from all directions, and I will
send a notice to each of the county
paper^' along this valley, one or two
weeks before the time of the meeting,
and try and make arrangements with
the hotels for reduced rates during
our stay. Remember, bee-keepers,
" united we stand, divided we fall."
H. O. McElhany.
Brandon, Iowa, Dec. 15, 1883.
Wintering on the Summer Stands.
My report for 1S83, is— a light crop.
I commenced in the spring with 3.S
colonies— increased 66 per cent. I ob-
tained 2,1.50 lbs. of extracted honey,
and have some 300 lbs. left in the
surplus combs for spring stimulating.
They winter on summer stands, part
in 2-story liives with the top story filled
with oat-straw, and part in one stoiy
with no protection, except a (luilt and
5 thicknesses of paper spread on the
frames, with a tight-fitting cover. I
formerly wintered my bees in the cel-
lar, and prefer tlie ceHar for a cold
winter; but I prefer the summer stands-
for a warm winter. A. S. Edson.
Martinsville, Mo., Dec. 11, iHSj.
Fair Honey Harvest.
Bees have done well in this part of
the State, during the past season, es-
pecially the early part, which was very
good up to the first of July, when the
dry weather cut off the flow for the
season, so far as surplus was con-
cerned. The bees gatliered enough
honey to keep up brood rearinsr and
el'ioiigh for winter stores, with those
that took interest enough in the busi-
ness to take care of their late swarms
and return them to the parent colony.
But those that were hived in empty
hives did not gather enough, and they
will be numbered with the dead when
spring comes. My 34 colonies of bees
are in winter quarters in good condi-
tion, and with honey enough to last
until fruit bloom. Geo. Cole.
Freeport. Ind.,Dec. 18, 1883.
(iot only lialf a Crop.
As long as I keep bees I never want
to be without the 15eb Journal.
IJees did not do as well liere last sea-
son as the year before. I think I shall
get about half a crop, compared with
the season of 1882. I had 38, spring
count — increased 4 ; 42 this fall (I
worked against increase) ; all are well
supplied with honey now. I have sold
my comb honey at 16 cents mostly,
and extracted at 12t.< cents. My crop
will be about 2.000 lbs., of which I
still have hj on hand. My supplies
came so late that I have them all on
hand for next year; they were 2 months
coming, from the time I ordered them.
Weather is very pleasant here — more
like spring than winter, so far. Bees
were flying nearly every day. I have
3 colonies that I have taken from the
neighbors that were going to kill theui.
I have for several years took such,
and liave always wintered them as
well as any. I took 13 colonies last
fall ; doubled them down to 6 ; 1 gave
them frames from luy other colonies,
of sealed honey, and they are all right
for winter, just the same as any colony.
I use the Laiigstrotli hive and am well
satisfied with it. W. H.tiKAVES.
Duncan. 111.. Dec. 14, 18.8;^.
674
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Convention Notices.
The 15th annual convention of the
Northeastern Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion will be lield in the City Hall at
Syracuse. N. Y.. on tiie 22, i3 and 24
diiys of January 1884.
This will Ije the largest and most
interesting convention of bee-keepers
ever held in America. Many of the
most scientific apiarists in the coun-
try will take part in the discussions.
The programme is completed, and
comprises all tlie interesting topics of
the day. Tlie question box will be
opened each day, and tlie questions
answered. All are invited to send in
questions.
Implements and other articles of
interest for exhibition will be re-
ceived and properly arranged. It will
pay anv bee-keeper to go a thousand
miles to listen to tl* discussions. By
hearing and seeing, you will obtain
much more knowledge than by read-
ing. Five hundred liee-keepers will
be in attendance. Reduced rates of
board at hotels have been secured.
All are invited.
Geo. W. House, Sec.
W. E. Clakk. Pres.
^ The Ohio bee-keeiiers will hold
tlieir annual convention in Cohimbus,
O., Jan. 14. l.T and l(i, 1884. All in-
terested in bee-culture are invited.
The following subjects will be dis-
cussed ; " How to winter bees suc-
cessfully." " Are the new races of
bees a success?" " What can we do
to prevent adulteration of honey V"
" How to create a home market for
honey." " How many colonies can be
kept "in one locality ?" " Can we do
without separators ?" " Which are
best, deep or shallow frames V" "Wliat
shall we do with second swarms V"
" How many brood frames are neces-
sary in a hive V" " AVliich is the most
salable section, one-half, one or two
pounds V" " Is it advisable for all
bee-keepers to adopt a standard size
of frame V" " What is the most de-
sirable width of sections V"
The above questions will be dis-
cussed by eminent men, such as Rev.
L. L. Langstroth, Dr. Besse, S. D.
Biegel, C. F. Muth, A. I. Root.'of Me-
dina, and others, and in addition to
the above. Prof. Lizenby, of the Oliio
University, will deliver a lecture on
" Honey-producing plants :" also Mrs.
Jennie Gulp will read an essay.
C M. KiNGSBUBY, Sec.
^" Notice is liereby given that the
Nebraska vState Bee-Keepers" Associa-
tion will meet in annual session at
Lincoln, Neb., Wednesday, Jan. 9,
1884, at 2 p. m.. in the Y. M. C. A.
rooms on Tenth street, between Q.
and P., just east of the Government
Sqiiare.
We have the promise of some emi-
nent apiarists from other States to be
with us, and also expect to have one
of the largest displays of apiarian
supplies ever gathered together in
the State. Each person attending, is
re(iuested to bring something to ex-
hibit or show, to the edification of bee-
keepers and others. Past members
are earnestlv requested to renew their
membership, and all others are cor-
dially invited to come in with us.
The ladies having been well repre-
sented at our past meetings, we cer-
tainly expect a larger attendance this
session than ever before. All tliose
not attending will surely miss a good
time, for we expect the largest gath-
ering, and also the most enthusiastic
meeting of practical bee-keepers ever
held west of the Mississippi river.
We have succeeded in making very
satisfactory hotel arrangements. Two
dollar hotels have offered $1 rates.
All bee-keepers desiring to attend can
obtain certificates entitling them to
excursion rates over the B. & M. and
U. P. railroads by applying at any
time previous to Jan. 6, to M. L.
Trester, Secretary of Nebraska Bee-
Keepers' Association, (ireenwood.
Please apply immediately.
M. L. Tresteu, Sec.
T. L. Vak Dorn, Pres.
^° The Southeastern Michigan
Bee-Keepers' Convention will be held
at Adrian, Mich., in the Plymouth
Church Chapel, Jan. 2o, 18'84 ; morning,
afternoon and evening session.
H. D. Cutting, Pres.
H. C. Markiiam, Sec.
1^" The Eastern New Y'ork Bee-
Keepers Union, will bold an annual
Convention in the Agricultural Hall
at Albany. N. Y.. on Tuesday, Wed-
nesday arid Thursday, Jan. ;?, 8, 9 and
10, 18.84. We invite exhibition of
hives, extractors, implements for the
apiary, and all apiarian supplies. Time
will be given for exhibition and ex-
amination, and testimonials awarded.
There will be speeches and essays on
important topics from prominent
apiarists, and questions on interesting
subjects will be discussed. A general
invitation is extended to all interested
in apiculture. S. Vrooman, Pres.
1^ The Northwestern Illinois and
Southwestern Wisconsin Bee-Keepers'
Association, will hold its annual meet-
ing in Temperance Hall, Freeport, 111.,
on Jan. 15 and 16, 1884.
J. Stewart, Sec.
Rock City, 111., Nov. .30, 1883.
1^ The 5th annual Convention of
the Northeastern Ohio and North-
western Pennsylvania Bee -Keepers'
Association, will be held at JeSerson,
Ohio, Jan. 16 and 17, 1884. All are
cordially invited.
C. H. Coon, Sec.
New Lyme, O., Nov. 26, 1883.
1^ Owing to the death of our Sec-
retary, Mr. T. Brookins, please an-
nounce in the Bee Journal that the
annual meeting of the ChamplainVal-
ley Bee-Keepers' Association, will
meet in the parlors of the Addison
House, Middleburg, Vt., the second
Thursday in January, 1884.
J. E. CRAira;, Pres.
^' The Bee-Keepers' Association
of Central Illinois, will meet in Bloom-
ington, on Jan. 9, 1884. All are cor-
dially invited to attend.
Jas. Poindexteu, Sec.
1^ The annual meeting of the
Cortland Union Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation will be held in ('ortland, N.
Y., on Tuesday, Jan. 8. 18S4.
M. C. Bean. Sec.
^^ The annual meeting of the In-
diana bee-keepers will be held at
Indianapolis, .Tan. 15 and 16, in the
Agricultural rooms corner of Tennes-
see and market streets. A cordial in-
vitation is extended to all.
r. L. DOLTGHERTY, SeC.
^" A meeting of the bee-keepers of
Des Moines Co.. Iowa, will be held on
the second Tuesday in January, at 10
a. m., for the purpose of organizing a
■county bee-kepers' nssociation, at Mid-
dleton, Iowa, in R. C. Crawford's
Hall. John Nau, Frank Melcher,
A. M. Baldwin, W. R. Glandon,
Committee.
Honey and Beeswax Market.
OFPICK OP AMBRICAN BKE JOITRNAL. (
Monday, in a. m.. Dec. 24, r8>*3. f
The following are the latest quota-
lions for honey and beeswax received
up to this hour :
CINCINNATI.
Extracted honey brinpe "(gioc. on arrival Best
comb honey. Hj@l7c. in small sections.
BEE-iWAX— Is of ready sale at -jHOsn on arrival.
CHAS. F. MCTH.
NKW YORK.
HONEY— White clover and basswood in 1 and 2
lb. sections, 17®22c. Dark and second quality,
14r4iric. : extracted white clover in kcKS and bar-
rels. 9@!^10c.i dark. tifeSic.
BEESWAX— Prime yellow,27«529 c.
H.K. &F.BThubber&(0.
CHICAGO.
HONEY— The market remains without change
from that of Inst week. Dealers and retailers buy
only enough to supply the demand for present use.
It is impossilile to place lots, or entire shipments,
owing to the reluct.moe of dealers to buy in ad-
vence of immediate wants. Prices ulttaliied for
white comb in I lb. sections, 18*a.20c.: Ik and 2 llj.,
I5@l,^c, according to beauty of same. Extracted
honey. 8(ftlOc. per lb., according to color, body and
flavor.
BEESWAX— Yellow. :«c.; medium, 28<S.3(ie.
R. A. BnRNETT, IB I South Water St.
KANSAS CITY. MO.
HONEY— Market is active and receipts liberal
for comb honey, prices ruling from ISc. for choice
2 lb. sections, and sales of a few small lots of
choice 1 lb. sections at I9c. Extracted in fair de-
mand at ■'^@loc.. according to quality.
JEROME TWICHELL. .-tl4 Walnut Street.
SAN FRANCISCO.
HONEY— There is some local demand for extra
white comb and such conUi be placed at good fig-
ures, but there is an absence of inquiry for all
other descriptions. Fairc-.mbwas oflered at loc.
A sale of extracted of medium quality was made
at6c. White to extra white comb. l.'j@20c.: dark
to good. 9@nc ; extracted, choice to extra white.
7@7Hc. ; dark and candied, il(aJ—
BE BSWA.X- Wholesale, 27>i;(a30c.
STEARNS & SMITH. 423 Front Street.
8T. LOUIS.
HONEY-Comb met a fair local demand at loC.
to l,Sc. per lb. for choice; strained and extracted
dull at nL^f5i7c— in small cans and fancy pkgs. at loc
BEESWA.X— Firm, at 2f)Si.ioc.
W.T. ANPEKSON i Co.. liM N. 3d Street
CLBVBLAND.
HONEY- Honey continues in excellent demand,
as reported last: every lot of choice white comb
is taken up as fast as it comes at 18c. In quantity
fori Ih. sections, and an occasional sale at 19: in
a very few instances only, 2nc. has been reached.
Broken lots and second quality is very slow sale.
For extracted there is no demand.
BEESWAX— Is eagerly inquired for at i8@30c..
but none to supply the demand.
A. C. KEXDKL. 115 Ontario Street.
BOSTON.
HONE Y— Our market is very quiet on honey. We
quote lfi@lHc. for best 2 lb. sections— Is^aoc. for
best white 1 lb., and loc. for extracted.
BEESWAX— We have none to quote.
BLAKE & Ripley. 57 Chatham Street.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
675
GENERAL INDEX TO SUBJECTS FOR 1883.
Abnormal Swarming
Abscond DK swarnia 578,
Abuse is not arpumeut,
A candid request
A card to Kentucky bee-keep-
ers
A clerpyman's success
Ad ti Iters tion n curse 257,
Adulteration of Sweets by Glu-
cose
Advertising judiciously
A Few Pointers
After-Switrms— Prevention. a9.
206
591
485
60
339
415
4.'>()
12(i, 195
Age of beea
AlleyN Shipping Case Food....
American vh. German honey.. .
An insect -leaf cutter
Another Step in Advance 6,
Answering questinns
Apiary Talk;,— Hints 332,
Apia Dorsata 185,
Appearances often deceptive..
Apiary of I. II. Good
Apiary of G. K. Hilton
Apiaries destroyed 242,
Apis Meliflcji in Java & Ceylon
Are Bees Taxable in Iowa?. .42,
2lf:,2l7
Are Sections less than i lb. Pro-
fitable? 14rt, 169,
Artihcial honey— fraud
A Sample— by George
A Swarm of " B's "
Attractive Packages for Honey
At Whiit Age do Bees Gather
Honey 'f
August Dwindling
391
91
349
43
114
457
270
466
34
539
265
426
212
246
343
331
3ns
434
Backward Spring... 75. 267. 303,
305 313
Sasswood or Linden— a poem.. 403
Bee Be-ing Busy 36
Be courteous, if you cannot ap-
prove (V)^
Bee-Culture in the Knckies 67
Beedysentery notanewdisease 143
Bee feeders «0, H4. 157. 594. 644
Bee fever, selling honey, etc... 610
Bee houses 187
Bee Journal—
Appreciated.. ..Ill, 266, 302, 580
A suggestion 34
A text book 224
Binders a protection. .27.59,
76 Ill
Motto— push & progression. Ill
End of tlift v(jlume H67
Premium list .645
Source of profit to readers. Fl 38
Subscription credits 645
Beo-Keepers' Picnic 342
Bee Keepers' Week 353, 453
Bee-Keepirg as a Specialty 150
Bee- Keeping for Ijadies. .24,42,
ISO. 205,231 271
Bee-keeping in Ala 363. 374, 579
America 510
Africa 307
Arkansas 312,350, 374, 437
Australia 367
Bucks Co., Pa 5i_>4
California. .122, 135, 181,206,
231,254,209.312 371
Canada.. 99, 157, 159,193,261,
283,287 382
<'olorado 43
<'onnecticut 349
<'uba 587, 642
Dakota 121, 134
England 247
Egypt 79
Florida. .122, 137, 204, 213,
245.265,283 334
Georgia 170, 218, 281, 4lo
Illinois 286, 373, .524
India 271
Indiana 3211
Indian Territory fi28
Iowa 137,272, 4R7
Ireland 243
K ansas 1 W
Kentucky... 98, 111. 135, 273,
1281, 3U1 596
Ijnuisiana 217,313, 495
Maine i;i8, 229. 338, 458
Maryland 123
Massachusetts 51h
Minnesota 181, 458
Mississippi. .167, 237, 382,398,
444 517
Missouri 153
Nebraska 326
New York. .254. :i49, 374,386,
421 443 453
North Carolina.' .'."''.'..*.'.".".'.' 218
Oregon 605
Kussia 34
Scotland 326, 497
Shenandoah Valley 445
Tennessee 204. 205
Tbe South 3, 19,81, 135
Texas.. 1.55, 156.260.278,281.
339, 349, 397, 410, 433,
506
Utah 226,325,
Virginia 122, 210,
Vermnnt
Wisconsin
Bee HTKUATLniE-
Alley's Queen Rearing. .197,
Bacteria
Bees and Honey
Bee- Keepers' Exchange
Bee- Keepers' Guide
Blessed Bees 20,
California Apiculturiat
Dzierzon's Uatlonal Bee-
keeping im,
Gravenhorst'B New Book. . .
Honey as Food and Medi-
cine 172,
New England Apiarian
Swiss Bienen Zeitung
Bee-Paradise
Bee-Pastures of Mt. Shasta
Bee-Statistics in<Jermany
Bee-Tent for Fall Work
Bees and Fruit 34, 260,
Bees and Grapes
*• Bees& Honey" for Beginners
BeesA Honey in Ancient Times
Bees and the White Clover —
Bees as Fertilizers of Flowers
05.
518
456
306
354
327
310
210
400
414
246
402
79
619
157
258
343
425
293
109
400
233
,301
355
457
42
120
446
431
651
547
309
298
374
468
499
11
168
50-1
230
Bees balling their queen ....98,
Bees buried in snow
Bees eating their comba
Bees feet disabled 410,
Bees, flowers, honey and music
Bees flying in December
Bees for boys
Bees for business
Bees frost bitten
Bees banging out
Bees in a garret ,. ...
Bees in a reliwioua meeting
Bees in a snow drift
Bees in Florida vs. Iowa
Bees injured by heat 11, 441,
Bees in Nebraska 23,
Bees in hollow trees 2-7
Bees in Poetry 442
Bees near a roadway 302
Bees on a strike 421
Bees on shares 289
Bees pay better than stock 27
Bees removing eggs 54. 325, 419
Bees reveled in Clover 374
Bees saved a house 138
Bees starving in the midst of
plenty 673
Bees winter better than other
stock 42
Bees with arjirlet wings 458, 495
Beeswax production.... 75, 193,
413, 492. 572 612
Best bees. . . .74, 105, 133,201 ,236,
274, 5( 10 595
Beginners' experience. .98, 139,
1^9, 181.2115,217, 3SI, 385,399, 563
Best Honey aeuaon for years.. . 351
Best size for Brood Frames.346. 36R
Best winter Frame 346
Big damii by floods 302
Bonner.thc Scottish bee-master 478
Breeciing systematically — 243. 284
Brief but kind reply to Prof.
Cook 202
Bringing in golden nectar 3!4
Building comb 278,362,372, .5B3
Business change 4s
Caledonian Apiarian Society... 425
('all things by right names 603
Candied Honey in Combs 190
Capacitv of hives and frames,
86, .544 596
Carbnnie acid gaa question 69
Careful breeding of Bees 394
Careful experiments 481
<'are of Comb Honey 331
Cases, winter bees, etc 66<i
Catching awarms 532
Cellars vs. Summer Stands 110
Centralizing the honey market 26
Chaff Hives, Ventilation, etc..
80, 299 , 654
Chaff' packing eaten by stock. .. 121
Changing a standard 395
('hanging to other Hives. ...120 332
Cheap power for Saws 193
Chickens eating Drones 270
Chilled brood .5:^n
Clpariing cnnibs 413, 454, 469
Clipping Queen's wings 104,
273, 345 .576
Clouds of adversity departing.. 281
Clustering in winter 432
Clustering outside 428
Cold : cold 1 cold ! 278. 281
(V)llecting sweet clover seed... 434
Comb Foundation— Its use.. 79,
80.86 120,129,222,289.324,375. 4(X>
Corah Foundation fastening
159. 227, -41 320
Comb foundation making.. 169, 277
Comb or extracted honey... .40.
93, 186, 262, 276. 334, 348 404
Coming bee 259, 479
Conundrums on beea 393
CONVENTION'S-
Central Ills 116, 133,272, 558
Central Kans 80, 1 54
Central Mich 504
Colorado 175
Eastern Ind 6
Eastern Mich 8
Eastern N. Y 130
Fayette Co., Iowa 644
Gibaon Co.,Tenn 386
Haldimand. Ont 214, 333
Hamilton, Ont 6O8
Hunt Co., Texas 392
Indiana 70
Iowa 66, 99, 157, 397, 480, .589
Jasper Co., Mo 252
Kentucky 85, 512
Keystone 142, 294
Lorain Co., Ohio 81
Mahoning Valley, 0. 105.298, 481
Maine 1 32, 443
Marshall Co., Iowa 145,607
Maryland, Va., & W. Va 21
Michigan 531,
556, 0.56 668
Nebraska 85, 106, 167
New Jersey and Eastern. .9, 621
North American... 312, 449,
473,486 499
Northeastern Mich 132
Northeastern N. Y 178
Northe^lStern Ohio, and N.
W. Pa 143, 152
Northern Iowa 241, 254
Northern Mich 37, 541
Northern Otiio 8, 164, 274
Northwestern, of Chicago,
494,523,525. 560 619
Ohio 92, 407, 432, 505, 608
PenobscottCo.. Me 493
Philadelphia. Pa 271
Putnam Co.. Ind 347. 455
Saunders Co.. Neb 241
Scott Co., Iowa 39
Soutbeasteru Iowa 355
Texas 284
Toledo. Ohio 414, 426
Trenton, Ont <^o
Utah 546
Western Maine 188
Western Mich 263
Western Mo. . . . 194, 249, 439, 503
Western N. Y 253
Corn- what bees get from it. 85,
123 311
Creating local markets for
honey 329
Cross bees 301
Cuba-Mr. King's visit 587
Cnrious freaks of bees 433,
482 580
Cyprian ahd Syrian bees. .59,99,
278, 290, .340, 399, 4 1 0, 456. 596,
627, 628, 639, 643 672
Dampness vs. beea in winter
127 135
Death notices. ..2o5,342,375,509,
539 619
Deep and shallow frames.. .335, 346
Degenerate Lungstroth hives.. 266
Desiccated loul brood 504
Destroying queen cells 290
Developmentof the Langstroth
hive 490
Dictionary of technical terms
603 655
Different races of bees 129,
;i58 609
Discussion to get at the truth.. .575
Diseased bees. .26, 123, 156, 230,
.324 372
Distance between brood frames llO
Dividing for increase 402, 560
Do beea wound blossoms ? 85
Do bees need a winter fl'ght?.. 145
Do not slaughter the crop 402
Doolittle's hive and frame )!26
Dooliltle's report for 1883 541
Double-walled hives 87, R.59
Dr. Miller's report 222
Driving bees 3H4
I>rone production controlled... 347
Drones .303.372, 398
Drones from worker larv(e.539, 594
Dronea in winter 139
Drones with red heads 596
Dysentery.. 91,99. 123. 2iH). 416, 517
Dzierzon's theory of wintering
bees 359
Dzlerzon theory, etc 469
Rggs or larvfe -which ? 104
Electric alarm for apiary 126
Enemies op Bees 144. 335
AsiluB Missouriensis ,507
Bee Hawks 572
Bee Moth 337, 358
Dragon fly 349
Grand-father-grey-beard... 466
King birds 156,317, 350
Mice 134
Mites 530
Parasitic bees 265
Robber flies 446
Sand wasps 458
Toads 313
Water boatman 420
Essentials in wintering bees
462 607
Essentials of a hive 92, 356
Essentials (»f "the coming bee". 408
European honey and wax 293
Excellencies of fierman bees.. 408
Excellent prospects. .. .123, 2t)0. 325
Exhibitions at P"airs 668
Experienced students of api-
culture 214
Experiments 55,75,86, 135,
360 419
Extracted honey production
277,3.57,4.33 627
Eyes of the bee 1 16, 173
Feeding bees. .43,51,111,134,140,
162,211.420 463
Fertile workers 314, 463, 467,
471.515 577
Few wrinkles 344
Filling empty combs with syrup
479 482
Findini; the Queen 408
Flax culture 126
Flowers beautiful 69
Foundation with high side walls 120
Foul brctod....l50, 226. 2.52.343,
348, 498, 524, 526, 531, .555,
.562.611 643
FYacaea across the entrance 43
Frames for winter and summer 396
Frames standing on end in
winter
Frames— questions
Freaks of queen and bees.. 242,
Freezing foul brood 1 34,
Friendly law suit
From deep to shallaw frames..
Frost in bee house
Frozen honey —
Fruit and flowers in Virginia...
Fruit— do bees injure?
Fruit trees killed by frost
Fuel for smokers
Gathering statistics
(ietting hees out of cases... 372.
Getting beea to work in sections
Glassing tde sections
Glucose and grape sugar 98,
377 ".
Glucose factories collapse. . ,91,
Glucose slander on bee men...
Going South . .89, 1 2.3,258,290.342,
Grading, Crating and Shipping
Honey
Graven horst'a new book
Growing and satisfactory
Habits of bees in the South ....
Half-pound section craze
Hearing of bees
Heddon's report for 1883
Help in handling bees ..
Hint to Prof. Haabrouck
Hive and frame controversy. . .
Hive for comb honey
Hives and sRctions
Hives for all purposes
Hives for observation. . 1 13,188,
Hives made of paper
Hive 6u vears old
Hiving bees 324.
HONEY AND Bee Shows.. .635,
Canada 282, 477,
EnL'land
Germany
Illinois
Indiana 402, 482, 4H9,
Iowa 467,
Kansas
Kentucky..289, 295, 366,379,
4n;i, 409
Maine
Maryland 330,
Michigan 49,491,
Missouri 379,410,514,
Nebraska 109,402,
Ohio 176, 378,461,
Hfiney us a staple product
Honey barometer
Honey board, use of (>27.
Honey crop of France and
America
636
5fi3
491
1.50
J 49
391
100
482
306
34
182
327
4f)9
287
425
198
421
5«0
653
571
59
19
121
11
573
465
651
389
7«
578
240
217
430
204
345
643
513
354
3
414
509
485
563
422
516
461
668
596
422
507
433
301
676
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Honey evaporation :I05
Honey for winter use 548
Honey register 301
Honey harvest '25, '2i^, 27,
40, 4L'. 43. S7, ;H), ino. HI, V2\,
123, 137, \:i:K I4n, !»;;», i7iM!M,
205,26ri,27s. ;j(ii,;;|L\3l3.3l21,
325, 327, 3:^:!. :^:ix. ;( UK :ir'i '. .'ni2,
373, 382, :!s4. :!s,'i.;-{:i7. ;iit.s, :■{'.•;»,
408, 4 K ). 4 1 1 . 4 JO. 42 ) . A:a. 4:i4,
437, 44.',, 44(;, ■iCni, 4:>7. 4i;7.4.s:j,
494, 4ii5. 51 Hi, 517, 5 1 H, 54U, 5H3,
504,572, r)7tt. 5f^U, 5t>fi, 61 1,612,
fi27, 62H, (^44 673
Home market for honey. .27,42,
86. 177, 203, 321), 434,516,523,
533 610
Honey candied 45rt, 548, 558
Honey and beeswax in Rut^sia. 34
Honey Ant of Texas 222
Honev ua a medicine 94,588
Honey as food 494, 540
Honey feast 17
Honey fnr the children 283
Honev in the Rocks 35
Honey market in Eu{;land...78, 402
Honey plants <>f Fluriilii 87
Honev prospects. . i:;.">, 139, 170,
206. 221-;, 26:-.. 290. 32,-) 327
Honey producintr plants — 434, 509
Honey resources 54
Huney season in Sweden 159
Honey shower 342
Honey tree of India 374
Honev used by bnkers Ill
Honey vineRar 143, 182, 193
Honey wine 114
Honoring the dead 433, 527
How birds are deceived 79
How far apart should bees be
kept to insure purity ? 589
How to create a market for
honey m2, 445. 629
How to fortell the weather. 283, 294
How to keep tire in a smoker... 398
How to secure absconding
swarms 75.218. 628
How to make bees proHtable.. . 491
How to report. .107. 115. 121.134,
140. 142. 203. 231, 253 563
How to use bee papers 166
How to winter bees 96, 176,
230, 302 50!
Humble bees and the clover . . . 306
Humiditv.coldconllnementond
pollen 4t)5, 440. 4(;4, 557
Hunting bees in the woods 450
IMl never mind what they say. . 625
Importintr qu ens 237, 343
Improvement in bees 592
Inspectors of apiaries 190
Instinct compared with reason 407
Intelligent work pays 114, 495
International fair at Hamburg. 3
IntroducinK Que-ns 40, 191,
324, 410,44.1, .''.04, 506 543
Italian and (ierman bees 655
ItaUttns outstrijj black bees 59
Italians vs. the natives. .25,18fi,
292, .■«Vi.4i 14.452 644
Italians turned black (?) 383
Italians work on red clover 4n
Keepina honey in summer 195
Keep the bees at work 307
Killing tree worms 242
Kindness to bees 394
King birds and bees 156,317, 350
Labeling packages of honey...
Labtirs of the bee. . . .
Lamp nursery 180,
Ijangstroth, Rev. L. L
Late breeding.
Large yields— a review
Lath hives
I>eather-C"l(»red Italians
Legion of Queens inahlve
Lessons of industry
Letter from Switzerland
Light in bee repositories
Ijittle of my experience
Location for an apiary 129,
Losses of bees in winter
Long idea hives
54.-*
353
217
329
572
109
596
470
420
342
79
140
fi46
183
573
380
Mailing Queens to Canada. .402, 548
Milking iir forming nuclei 344
Making ready for the harvest.. 240
Management of hees. ..h, 75, 98,
nXi, 109. 170, 174,314 623
Marketing and prices for honey
17><. 323, 4< 18 445
Markets tor honey.. .35, 96, 363,
456 572
Markings of Syrian boea 59
Mason bees 98
Medicinal qualities of honey. 94,
99 r>88
Migratory bee-keeplns 89
Miscellaneous experiments 404, 556
Mr. Heddon as a specialist 18
Mistaken economy 362
Moldy ct>mbs 180
Mortality of bees in winter and
spring 561
Mourning turned to jov 317
Moving bees 77,181.225.384, oil
Moving bees In winter 115,
117,206 255
Moving hives for winter pack-
ing 564
My valentine 193
Need of a bee boom 264
Never lost a colony in winter. . 121
New Bee-Enemy 530, 666
New device for holdingsecttons 190
New Mexico celebration 247
New postal laws 497
New races of bees 500. 574
Nonsensical stories about bees .555
Not a good locality for bees. 42, 518
Notes for April I9H
Notes from Nauvoo Apiary 158
Observations on several topics. 361
Obtaining queen cells for nuclei I4I
Otlensive personalities 206
Old and new Rhymes 3iM.>
Old combs— use of 640
Old fogy bee-keepers.. ..59, 134,
236 254
Oldest Bee Association l
Oleomargarine 556
One Hundred lbs. to the colony. 482
One-piece section controversy
102. 127 1.37
Open letter to Mr. Dresser 564
Origin of noise in swarming time 50
Ormsby's report for 6 years 348
Our new N.itional chemist 269
Outlook in apiculiure 452, 669
Over production of honey 128
Over (i( wi I bs. from one colony. . . 434
Overstocking a locality 129, 462
Pasturage for Bees.. 33, 75,
94,99. 122, 132, 205, 256, 25H,
339, 363, 375, 397, 399, 4 1 1 ,427,
453. 459, 461, 462
Alfalfa
Alsike clover. ..223, 338, 483,
485
Aster 506, 507, 518, 579,
Balsam 97,
Basswood 313, 326, 363,374,
386.398
Black sage
Blue thistle
Bone' et or thoroughwort. . .
Borage 458.
Buckwheat 87,
B uffalo c ' over
Canada thi&tle
..69.99,
85,
...350,374.
Catnip
Cleome
Clovers... .
Corn
Dog fennel.
Elder
Eucalyptus
Figwort
Giant ladies' slipper
(liuaru
Hoary vervain 411,
Horse balm 445,
Horse mint 362,
Hyssop 420,
Kings' cure-all
Lousewort Gerardia
Maple
Matrimony vine 18O,
Mexican clover
Milk weed
Mignonette 119,
Mock orange
Mountain maple
Motherwort
Partridge pea
Phacelia
Raspberry 201, 228, 231,
Red clover I80,
Smartweed
Sourwood
Spanish needle 98,
Spiked loose-strife
Stock pea
Sweet clover. 42. 87, 127, 146,
3l2. 313, 386, 397,411,418,
434 532,
Tropical honey tree
Verbena
White clover.. 312, 325, 326,
337.338, 385
Willow
Worwl snge
Yellow sweet clover
Bee Pastures of Mt. Shasta.. ,
Compositas for honey
Honey plants of Florida
Honey plants of Louisiana.. .
Honey plants of Manitoba
Honey plants of Maine
Time of honey bloom 140,
Packed in chaff 11,87,
Packing— '"nothing but leaves"
59,434
Packing honey for shipment to
large markets
Paraffine and glucose story. .66,
Parasitic bees
Partridge I*ea for honey
Past and present
Paste for honev labels
Persistent swarming
Phacelia for honey
Piping of queen
Plan and foresight of bees
Planting for honey 33,
Pleasant visit to Dr. Allen
Poisoning troublesome bees...
Pollen or no pollen 159,169,
171, 195. 205, :i69. Til 7, 563, 639,
Pollen— now for facts
Pollen theory and dvsentery
1 39, 369. 493, 559. 574. 590, 639,
Pollen theory— facte
Poppleton'8 report for 1883
513
373
564
611
353
403
452
375
518
660
445
337
413
66<.)
433
434
311
375
204
191
177
385
468
421
4,57
421
572
99
532
204
660
26
420
564
312
313
290
235
278
239
421
445
362
4.-58
446
398
660
445
445
482
217
420
87
258
96
87
322
446
297
246
606
209
265
235
238
25
350
278
302
463
258
2.30
245
641
606
641
672
580
Popular Ignorance about bees. 620
Popular interest in bee-keeping 40
Postage on queens to Canada. . 379
Premium lists for shows 294,
635 643
Prepare for emergencies 333
Prepare for honey shows 635
Preparifig bees for winter.. 266.
322, 334, 4 1 3, 469, 546. 547 572
Preserve the wax 425
Pressing and mounting flowers
218 251
Preventingincrea9e....l20, 139, 638
Production of comb and ex-
tracted honey in one apiary 654
Protitable increase '- 120
Progressive bee-culture 153
Propolis 117
Pure and dollar queens 141
Putting foundation in sections. 241
Putting on the sections 270
Qualities in bees 309
Queen cages 225, .543
Queen leaving with swarm 264
Queenlessuess loo, 15R. 194
Queen rearing Ill, 182, 189,
1 99. 2 1 3 , 225, 228, 23( >, 239,242.
310,314. 321,326.336 526
Queen reserve system 133
Queen traffic 38o
Queen with crippled wings 419
Queens laying in sections 385
Queens mating more than once
357 371
Queens reared In the South. 1 13,
206. 213, 228. 230 286
Queens with scarlet wings 458
Readily movable hives
Reading works on bee-culture.
Rectangular vs. square frames
Red Raspberry for honey. 201,
Remarks on various matters. . .
Remedy for bee stings 138,
Reports for the season... 11, 25,
26. 27. 42. 43. 50, 68, 75. 76.86,
87. 99. UX). 101, 107, 108, 110,
111,119, 120.121, 122. 123,134.
135, 137, 138, 139, 152, 157,158,
1,59, 170. 171. 176. 180, 181.182,
19;'.. 194. 204. 205, 20(i, 2 10, 217.
2I,S. ■J:j{i,2:t7.-J42, 21M.2l:H,:i55,
291 \ ;(( 13! 312.' :i I x-A2r\ :^2t Oi3 ' ]
337, 338, 350. 3.'>l , H*:2.:!72.;i74.
3M5. 386, 398, 414,417,421 ,4:^3.
434, 438. 465, 467. 46H. 494,.=.i t6,
515, 532, 548. .563. 564. r^Hli.m 1 .
612, 625. 627, 628. 643.644.659.
Report from Bucknorn apiary
337
Rev. Dr. John Dzierzon
Returning swarms
Ripen the honey 397,
Robber bees and robbing.. .417,
439.467
Run for right race of bees
Salt around the hives
Samples of peculiar honey
Sawdust f'irwlnterpacking.l35,
140. 171. 201!
Seasonuble hints 4i. 119, 198,
27o, 2S:i. 312, 40', 457
Reason In England
Season in Scotland 326,
Section holder— new device....
Sections and separators. 73,117,
637
253
365
240.
Sending queens across the
ocean by mall 511,
Senses of bees
Separators 8, 57, 263, 299,
315. :(2n.M63
Separators made of zinc
Separators of wood 58,86,91,
117, 140, 147
Sheep and bee-keeping
Shipped his bees
Shipping crates 170,
Shipping honey to England
Shipping receipts
Short articles preferred
Side-storing sections a failure.
Simpson honey plant
Size of sections for honey.. 5, 8,
11,20, 24,36,42,52.72,74,75,
93.97,108.118.121, 125, 1.50.
1,54. 170. 18S,226.229.545.59.\
Size of the Langstroth hive.103,
116. 202, 309,395
Smart three- year old boy
Smoke not injurious to bees 487.
Spaces between tiers of sec-
tions 201,
Spring dwindling 1:11, 255,
Spring management 156, 158,
2 1 2, 22:1, 266. 320, .370, 385.622,
Square dealing
Standard frames 21. 55, 119.
1 44. 224. 25 1 . 252. 263. 272. 288,
30N, ;n2. :{37. 34.5. 347
Starter machine
Statistics 51 . 57. 59. 65, 75.
109. 122. 132.221
Stimulating bees In spring. 181.
186
Sting of the honey bee 78.
Stinging and dislike of bees....
Sting of the queen
Straight combs— how to get.338,
359 594,
517
336
97
555
489
104
510
247
497
190
Stt6
642
577
158
322
635
265
183
122
587
118
395
464
111
530
506
281
627
264
357
444
207
323
218
434
Straight worker comba without
using foundation 671
Strained bees 273
Strange bees 612
Stock Peas for honey 398
Strong colonies necessary 384
Strained vs. extracted honev.. 398
Students of apiculture. .89, 265, 430
Substitute fttr pollen 171, 225
Successful honey production.. 418
Suggestions to correspondents 57-4
Supers. . . .56. 87, 9.'j, 96. 120. 127.
144, 16.8. 169, 211.384,514,039,
548, 558, 572 612
Superseding queens 526
Swarming Incidents 258, 290,
33 1 , 3.32, 337 362
Swarms; drones going with. .75, 332
Swarms selecting a location
338, 354. 380
Sweet endowment 50
Syrian bees as breeders 672
SyrphussaiU 458
System in the apiary 116,
235, 284 398
Telephone for an apiary 60
The order of the honey bee 319
The Queen that did not come. . 54
Theory and Practice 653
Theory reviewed by practice. . . 396
Thickness of sections 189,
384,.5(U 580
Thirty degrees below zero 99
Thoughts on marketing 323
'"Three ring" fancy .252, 279
Tiering up sections 183, 207,
383 532
Tight top-bars for frames 182
Toads -a dangerous bee trap... 313
To bee-keepers of California,. . 432
To bee-keepers of Iowa 383,422,
427... 438, 673
To bee-keepers of Kentucky. . . 510
To bee-keepers of Michigan... 390
To bee-keepersof North Amer-
ica 433
Too much Borghum 122
Transferring bees 140, 169,
182. 203. 2 10, 227, 242, 266,315,
362, 367. 384 410
Transferring- the old vs. the
new way 367
Tropical honey tree 445
Two Queens In a hive. . . .86,373,
407 443
Trying ordeal for bees 107
Uniting colonies of bees 97, 260.
422.49-1. 513 517
Unpoetic bee-culture 243
Use of bee papers 92, 2i^
Ventilation for bees in winter
7, 154. 177. 199. 230. 296, 500,
595, .-.96 621
Ventilation of chatf hives 52
Verbenas for honey 445
Vervain, red clover, etc. 421
Vlak, to a school of apiculture.. 42H
VisR to a scientiflc apiary 415
Water boatman— a bug
Water for bees
Wax— how to cleanse... 413.456,
Wax— tests of purity
Well-timed mark of respect....
What became of his bees?
What harvest follows a severe
winter ?
Wlial is the Langstroth hive?..
What to do with the honey
What to feed bees
When and how to use sections.
When to take bees out of cel-
lars
Who are our best breeders
Who should keep bees? 36,
Why bees work on Sundays
Why I am a novict-
Why so much extracted honey
Wide frames .392,
"Wiley" bee story
Will they rear a queen?
Wintering bees in the South. . .
Wintering bees in Texas
Wintering in cellars H, 73,
76. 121, 12.3. 1.3H. 139, 230, 248,
5H:i,61I.628
Wintering in clamps — 1 19,177,
251.429
Wintering on sugar candy
Wintering on summer stands
111, 121.205.480 608,
Wintering preparations .. .145,
Wintering problem solved. .243,
Wintering queenless colonies..
Wintering. Ventilation and
dysenterv — .. .....15-8, 165.
Winter feeding of bees 422,
Winter management 118.
201, 205, 5oe!
Winter packing 96, 1.37. 180,
Winter repository
Winter severe and cruel
WIntjer temperature
Wired comb foundation — 84,
Wired frames 241 265. 348.
Wonderful Instincts of bees —
Wood Sage for honey
Workers in queen cells 458,
494
Worst kind of advice ..118. 151,
420
215
469
211
21*5
278
193
318
329
162
207
194
9
487
343
108
433
457
572
267
81
433
5il*5
673
673
360
5(V>
660^
174
6ia
532
241
93
101
141
348:
381
317
420
530
17&
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
677
INDEX TO CORRESPONDENTS.
Adams, Q. H., 42.
Adams, K. J., 123, 312.
Alkln, R. C, 355. 517.
Allen, N. P., 279, 290, HOI,
325, 373, 409, 422,510,513.
Alley, Henry, 103, 137, 518.
Allison, Mrs. C. J.. 110.
Alves, G. M., 251, 396.
Amateur, 421.
Anderson, J., .563.
Anderson, J. Lee, 149, 548.
Andrews, W. H., 281.
Armstrong. Elvin, 242.
Asbby, G. W., 27, 281,. 301,
,548.
Ashcom, Wm.. 204, 5HO.
AsseUine, G. N., 230.
Atwater, S. B., 57.
A. W. R., 223.
Bacon, R., 386.
Bailey, A. O., ,362.
Bailey, J. W., 532.
Baker, Dr. J. K., 74, 150,
373, 516, 580.
Baker, P., 659.
Baker, O. P., 204.
Baloh, A. C, 363.
Balch.W. H., 242, 287.
Balcomb, Tbos., 358.
BaldrldRe, M. M., 55, 72,
102, 116, 170, 203,305,393,
Baldwin, B.T.,76.
Baldwin. P., 58.
Barb. J. 8., 241, 469.
Barber, Ira. 254, 301.
Barclay, W. 8., 217.
Bassler, Thos., «o, 154.
Baxter. E. J.. 1.58.
Bayard, J. W., 350.
Beal. Prof., 564.
Beath, Joseph, 182, 193.
Becker, J. N., 171, 325.
Becktell, R. S., 494, 5,80.
Bestnner, 181.517.
Bellemy, D. W.,362.
Benedict, Aaron, 482, 497.
Benedict. F. C, .8, il7.
Benedict, F. K., 468.
Benham, John, 121,
Bennett, A. D.. 181.
Benton, Frank, 237, 642.
Berryman, W., 612.
Besse, Dr. H., ii.
Besse, May. 494.
B'Hyraer, A.. 596.
Bingham, T. F., .56, 204.
BInkley, M. M., 159.
Bishop, J.. 75.
Bissell. S. P., 226.
Black, J. A., 612.
Blackfan, Jos. H.,402.
Blanchard.M., 170, 183.
Blanton, O. M., 237, 334,
398, 444. 482.
Bledsoe. O. F., 167, 382.
Blow. T. B.. 75.
Boardman, H. R., 206, 421,
.501.
Bohl,F. A., 176.
Bolinger, P., 25.
Boiling. W.. 111,628.
Bonfleld. Thos. P., 398.
Bouteiller, F. P., 25.
Bowers, J. Luther, 21.
Bradiah, C. VV.,312, 564.
Bradford, Wm., 177.
Bray & Secord. 25, 338.
Bray, Moses, 441.
Brewer. Joel, 230.
Briggs, E. L., 243.
Bristol, S. 8., 138.
Brown, D. B., .507.
Brown. Dr. J. P. H., 60,
218,312.323.
Brown.H.H., 204, 611.
Brunduge, Wm. A., II.
Bfuten. J.T., 194, 252.
Buck, M. B., 79.
Bucklew. J. A., 459.
Buller. H. F.,59, 159.
Bump, Kdwin, 60. 139.
Burbank, D. 8., 156, 397.
Burden. O.E., 134.
Burnett, Harry G.,122, 204.
Burrell, H. D.. 135, 303.
Burrlll, A., 75, .348.
Burrill, T. J., 98, 99, 265,
278, 312, 337, 349, 350,374,
386, 410, 4 1 1 , 420, 445, 446,
457, 458, 468, 524, 579, 6 1 1 ,
644.
Burt, Chas., 181.
Burtch. J. M.. 289.
Bush, II. T., 453, 470.
Byard, A. A., 673.
Cadle, R., 138.
Cady, J. B., 458.
Caldwell, J. v., 8, 109, 278.
Calvin, K. A., 644.
Camm, Wm., 96, .532.
Campbell, B. C 333.
Canny. Thos.. 190.
Garden. L. K., 4,81.
Carpenter, N. M., 574.
Carpenter, O. H., 266.
Carter, J. W., 375.
Carroll. B. F., 134, 169. 335,
338,416,456,574.
CasselI.E. F.,42, 135,420.
Casson, A. C, 231.
Castello. G., 170.
Cates. H. M.. 659.
Chapin, A. P., 383.
Chapman.ll. B., 320.
Cheney, F. M., 397, 408,422,
Christie, jftl., 337.
Church.8. J., 26.
Churchill, B. P., 229, 230,
595.
Clark, H., 122, 182,434.
Clark, W. E.. 154.
Clarke, W. F., 428.
Clements, B. L... 43.3.
Clute, 0.,3,'<3,643.
Cole, Geo., 673.
Cole, 8. v., 442.
Colegrove & Beach, 138.
Coleman, W., 26.
Combs. E. M., 420.
Connley, J. T.. 98, 494.
Connoisseur, 313.
Cook, A. J., 49, 102, 149,
1.59, 211, 218, 235,246,271,
310, 355, 380, 395,413,452,
461, 463, 466, 506,510,530,
556, 612, 669.
Cooley, O. E., 54, 243.
Coon, C. H., 152.
Cooperidge, Dr. J. ,327, 410.
Copeland. J., 26, 628.
Corbett, R., 182,491.
Cornell. S., 69, 199,296,405,
.",57.
Corscott, John, 87.
Corsen, A., 445.
Courtney, W.. 27.
Covey, F. 8.. 40.
Cowan. T. W., 498.
Craig, Hiram, 25.
Craig, J R., 134,278,433.
Crandall, C. M.. 504.
Crane. E.C.,201.
Crawford, R, 42.
Craycra't. John, 230, 395.
Cripe, H., 59.
ii Dadant, Chas., 270.
•^ Damkohler, G..79.
Darby. M. B., 157, 421,611.
Dart, B., 39.
Davenport, B. T., 76, 456.
Davis. J. L., 194.
Davis. T. C, 80. 213.
Davis, W. J., 24.3. 325.
Davison, Miss L. E., 59.
Dayton. C. W.. 636.
Deadman, G. A., 465.
Dean. N. 8.. 195.
Deane, C. H., 140.
De Lono.G. A.. 397.
Demaree. 6. W., 9, 82, 104,
122, 22'., 278, 281,284,338,
350, 370, 431, 453, 543,655.
Denham, K. M., 117, 289,
301.
Denman.G. H., 363.
Densmore. L,.. 43, 97.
De Sobotker, L. J., 470.
Detwiler. Jno. Y., 580.
De Voe. A. J. ,283.
Dewar, John, 611.
Dlbbern, C. H.. 627, 640.
Diehl, L. J.. 218, 546.
DlerdorlT, D. M., 42.
Dittv, Wm.. 243.
Dcdge. U. B., 1.87,218.
Doulittle. G. M.. 52, 76, 80,
92, 104. 115. 137, 141, 150,
174, 186,242,248,260,278,
281. 308, 312, 318, 332, 338,
344, 349, 355. 374, 380, 398,
416, 47H, ,500, 511,530,541,
589,606,626.6,54,671.
Dorr, Dr. H. R., 75.
Doty. B., 59.
Dougherty, F. L., 258, 276,
.347.401,619.
Douglas, W. 8., 362, 375,
445,612.
Downs, R., 111.
Drane, B., 85, 351.
Drane, R. B., 44.5.
Dresser, R. Ij.. 454.
Dresser. W. B., 372.
Drevar. Dr. A., 419.
Drew, Geo.. 579.
Duflield, 8. W., 69.
Duncan, A. J., 230.
Dunbar, G. W., 231,267.
Duncan, J. 8., 320.
Dunn, Jno., 121, 226, 252,
325, 455, 546.
Dusten, W. A., 397.
Dzierzon, Rev. Dr. J., 366,
419.
Eastman, W. W.,!42, 134.
Eaton. P. A., 324.
Eokman. J. W., 156.
Bdson. A. S., 11,673,
Bdwards, D., 438, 449.
Edwards. H. D., 144.
Ellicott, T., 69, 177.
Bmigh, M., 205.
Bmison, J. A., 563, 579.
Emrick, L., 42.
Bnas, J. D., 254,1350, 371,
505.
Erbrodt. H., 350.
Ercanbrack, K., 99.
Everets, T. A. C, 254.
Ewlng, B. B., 140.
Fancher, J. A. P., 205, 207,
362, 398.
Faris, John, 122.
Farrell. W.. 170.
Fatsinger, L., 11, 3,84.
Felton.B. W., 3-1.3.
Pernald. Prof. C. H., 306.
Finch, F. H., .58, 100.
Fischer, V., 205.
Fish, 8., 409.
Fisher, A. J., 108, 564, 595.
Fisher, H. L., 86.
Pisher, W.. 3.84, 397.
Fisk, A. W.. 337.
Flanagan, B. T.. 217, 497.
Fletcher, A. P., 140.
Fletcher. D. W., 302.
Flick. H.H.,99.
Flory, J. P., 434.
Follett. C. 26, 43, 312.
Footo. A. E., 156.
Foote. I.M., 301.
Footer. Thos., 60.
Forncrook, J., 103.
Foster, A. E., 116,201,235,
393. 398.
Pradenburg, B. L., 157, 255,
619.
France, C. H., 205.
France. E., 25, 659.
France, J. M., 42.
Francis, W. H., 206.
Prank. 302.
Franklin. B.. 251.
Prazer, A., 279, 281.
Frazier. B, C., 59.
Frederick, R. L., 183.
Frederick. 8. C, 75.
French, Lucian, 458.
French, W. D., 190.
Freshour, Geo. D., 265.
Friend, 306.
Fritts' Apiary. 563.
Fuller. J, B.. 384.
Funk, H. W., 205, 241.
Furness, D., 195.
Gage. W. L., 579.
Gaither, B. H., 170.
Gale, A., 86. 577.
Gammon, H., 152.
Gander, A., 134,3.37.
Gardlne, J., 372.
Garlick. G., 193.
Gastinger, P. C 120, 290.
Gibson, F. A., 26. 86, 99,337,
348, 517.
Giddlnga, T. C, 482.
Given, A. H.. 195.
Gochenour, J., 338,410,467,
468.
Good, I. B., 290.
Goodno, O. R., 36, 350, 543.
Goodrich. 8.. 395.
Gosney. W. G., 12.3.
Gould, A. L.. 57.
Granberrv, M. C, 410, 506.
Graves. W. H„ 673.
Gray. J. 1,., 382.
Gray, L. W., 87.
Green. C. W., 314.
Green, 6. C., 143.
Green. W.T., 123.
(ireening. ('. F., 171.
Greenwood, T. C, 155.
Greiner Bros., 75, 107, 140.
Griffes, A., 363.
Grimm, Geo., 544.
Grinsell, R,, 139. 326, 433,
457.
Grinstead. G. P., 628.
Groin, A. H., 471.
Gross. B. L.. .563.
Grout, W. H. 8., 193, 337,
421.
Grove, F. A., 27.
Grove, H. M , 139.
Guenther, J. H., 467.
II., 514.
Hackman, H. 8., 1 1, 99, 1 10,
119,419,434.
Hall, J. B., 120.
Hall, T.S., 374.
Hambaugh. J. M.. 264.
Hamilton, E., 4,5,m.
Hamiltou, W.,278.
Hammitt, Jno., 326.
Hammon, H. B., 76, 205,
242, 420.
Hammond, H. H., 204.
Ilunce, H., 218.
Hancock, W. P., 183, 312,
409.
Harding, B., 517.
Harmer, W., 188, 352, 410.
Hirris, J. I... .374.
Harris, W. B., 206.
Harrison, Mrs. L.,6, 41, 43,
178, 235, 270, 283, 307, 332,
345, 357, 379, 41)3,425,428,
4.57,578,610,619,651.
Harrow, Chas., 312, 359.
Hart, H. T., 411, 532.
Hart. W. 8., 234.
Hasbrouck, J., 621.
Hastings. J. B., 170.
Hathaway. C. P., 157.
Hatfield, A. J., 120, 177,385.
Haucke. C, 25.
Havens, Reuben, 11,73,111,
314.457.
Hawley, G. M.. 303.
Hayen. W. G., rA4.
Head & Brown, 26.
Heald, W.. 27.
Heater. Mrs. J. N., 386.
Heddon. James, 5, 20, 27,
53, 73, 84. 87, 89, 95, 105,
114, 126, 140, 142,151,156,
169, 183, 188, 195,201,207,
224, 230, 236, 241,264,272,
277, 278, 281 , 289, 301, 309,
314, 324, 326, 336,345,348,
360, 362, 363, 367, 372, 380,
383, 392, 397, 409, 422, 433,
446, 457, 464, 468, 482,483,
494, 502, 506, 517, 548, 558,
563, 573, 578, ,590, 595, 610,
612,627,686,653.
Heillg, W. ,M.. 434.
Helphrev. B.,99.
Henwoo'd. W. R., 86.
H.'rrick, D. L,., 218.
Hewes. Mrs. M. T., 349,398.
Hibbard. J. M. Jr., 4.58.
Hicken. 8. M., 627.
Hicks, J. M., 91, 492, ,562,
625.
Higbee, D., 327,
Hilderman, B. S., 238.
Hiilje, G., 612.
Hilton, Geo. E.. 25.5, 506.
HInes, T. M., 313.
Hinsdale, J. W., 218.
Hintz. Aug. J.. 103, 122.
Hitt, H. W„ 1,37.
Hodgson. John. 96.
Hoffman. J. 8., 171,363.
Hofstatter, L., 374.
Houe. W. M..78.
Hogle, A. M.. 504.
Holly, 8. G., 111.
Holmes, R.C.,, 562
Holt, B. H..495,644.
Hopkins D. H., .59.
Houck. Theo., 132.
Hougas, T. A., 325, 381,452.
Hovey, E. S.. 138.278.
Howard, W. N., 612.
Howard, W. R., 286, 349,
375, 392.
Howell. J. W., 20.5, ,386.
Hoyt. W., 132, 479.
Hubbard. L., 110.
Hunter. J. B.. 139.
Huntley. F. A.. 252.
Hurlbert, J. J., 182, 207,
421.
Hurst, J., 338.
Hutchins, Isaac, 491, 560.
Hutchison, John D., 326,
425, 497.
Hutchinson.W.Z., 130, 143,
189, 199, 218, 225, 236, .308,
392, 465, 491 , 543, 594, 609,
621, 641, 653, 656, 668, 672.
Ide. J. B., 138.
Isham, C. K., 53, 117.
.Jackson. J. E., 156.
Jackson, L,. R,. 322, 334.
James. L., 107, 564.
Jardine. Jas., 230.
J. E., 5IV1.
Jeffrey, H. L.,2,40, 154,349,
386, 481,, 504.
Jennison, W. C, 119.
J. F. C , 326.
Jotanson, P. M., 4.50.
Johnson, H. R.,468.
Johnson, J, A., 421.
Johnson. L. C, 592, (i44.
Johnson, Ij.. 135.
Johnson, P. D., 206.
Johnson, T. 8., 121.
Jones, D. A.. 150, 366, :i90,
403,438,449,451.
Jones. G. B., 210, 283.
Jordan, E. C, 109, 157, 246.
J. R. A., 317.
J. W. B.. 173.
Kalley. D. 8., 110.
Kanzler, W. P., 580.
K. A. W., 433.
Kear, A. L.. 516.
Keene, O. B., 338.
Keene. R. W.. 223.
Kefmer. Jacob. 185.
Kelly, A. T., 122.
Kemp. Geo., 100.
Kendall. R. J.. 166, 218, 226,
301.399.433.4,58.
Kennedy, J. H., 26, 157,548,
612
Kennel, t'ay. 16.
Right. J. F., 171.
Kincade, C. H., 325.
King, A. J., 22, 587.
King, John, 50(i.
Kingsbury, C. M.. 505, 608.
625.
Kingsley. Mrs. C. M., 231.
Kinney. F. G.. 123.
Kinsel, T. P., 77.
Knickerb'>oker, G. H., 338.
Knoll, D. K.. 643.
Knopp. C. D., 4.30.
Knorr. Dr. L.. 385.
Kohnke. A. R., 59, 191,396,
455,513,560,639.
Kyber, G. B. T., 611.
take, C. H., 213. 461.
La Montague, J. B., 462.
Lampman, H., 168.
Langstroth, L. L., 305, 329,
33,5, 341, .361, .377,433,437,
451 . 463. 464, 490, 638.
Lanterman, A. P.. 337.
Larch, B.C. L., 158.
La Salle, E.. 43.
Latham, J. F., 118, 260, 532,
608.
Lawrence, G. M.. 410.
Lawson.W. R.. 446.
Lee. Fayette, 145. 212.2,55,
262,445, 596.643.
Lee. Joseph, 433.
Lewis, G. B., 111.
Lewis, M, H.. 123.
Lindsay, M. M.. 385.
Lindsly, L., 351.
Lisenby, J. M., 283.
Lohmann, C. J.. 177.
Loorais, A. H., 644.
Lossing. Wm.. 99, 374.
Loucks. P., 373.
Lowmaster, L. A., 87, 278,
639.
Lucas. I. J., 1 1.
Lytle, Geo. B., 314, 444.
Maddox. W. T., 518.
Mahin. Rev. M.. 85,159,
Malcolm. P., 139.
Malone, Wm., 75, 140,
337, 579.
Marrs. D. F., 252, 264,
362.
Marsh. B. P.. 341, 377.
Marsh, Geo. N., 75.
Marshall, Sylvester. 79,
Marshall, W. R., 278,
404.
Martin, D. A.. 434.
Martin, John, 483.
Martin, John H., 146.
Martin. Thos.. 385, 468.
Marquis. T. N., 3.50.
Mason, A. B., 27, .34,
414. 426, 434.
Mason. Jas. B., 21, 138,
39 1,441,, 577.
Mason, Mrs E.H.,205,
Massey, B. P., 170,339,
445.
Matthews, J. T., 299.
Mayo. G., 330.
McAlli"ler, Dr. J. S..
240, 594.
McCnIlum. D. S.. 290.
McConiiell. J., 327.
McCandllsh, J., 182.
Mccormick, H., 351.
Mccormick, W. B.,217
McElhany, II. O., 673.
McKenney, 8. J., 59,
231,548.
,457.
325,
324,
,548.
358.
176,
202,
513.
374,
G78
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
McKay, P.. 1«0.
McKinley. Dr. 8. D., 411.
MeKniBht. R., 413.
McKown. C. W., 43. 135.
Mcl.uuKblin. W.,561.
Mcljees. S., 229.
Mcliendun, W. G., L*?, 193.
2114, 34SI.
Mcl.eod, D. C, 596.
McNay, Frank, 121.
McNeill, James, 313, 443.
McNitt, B., 564.
Mead.C. B., 228.
Meader, John. 255.
Merifleld. J. W., 100.
Miller, A. B., 564.
Miller. C. C, 2, 20, 36, 76,
222, 530.
Miller, C. E., 25, 13V.
Miller, J. M. A., 40.
Miller, M., 611.
Miller, S. F., 97.
Mitchell, C, 99, 217. 267,
3«3,'57S.
Mitchell, H., 137.
Mize, C. D., 445.
Molesworth, C. M., 563.
MoIlyneau.'K. R. A., 303.
Moore. B., 27, 206, 217, 313,
349, 382.
Moore, J. P., 121.
Mo"re, O. E.. 140, 169.
MorKan, E. A., 230, 410.
Morris, H. M., 145.
Morris, John, 59, 86, 158,
373.
Morton, J. A., 87, 99, 297.
Moss, 8. H., 170, 580.
Mottaz, Alfred. 59, 246,532.
Mtjwbrav, W., 242.
Moyer, P., 86.
Muenter, Prof., 97.
Murhard, G., 515.
Murphy, J. A., 290.
Murphy, R. R., 170.
Muth, €. F., 435, 532.
Muth-Basmussen, W., 378,
432.
Kebel, Emtl, 32,5.
Nebel, John, fill.
Neihardt, Q. W., 462.
Neubert. C. F., 42.
Newcomb, E.. 156.
Newman, J. C. & Son, 23.
Newman, S. F., 26, 143, 165,
277.
Newsom, C. S., 325.
Nisbet. A. R., 458, 506.
N. N., 359.
Norfolk. W. J.. 157.
Norrls. A. J., 206.
NorriB, Chus., 103, 450, 644.
Northrup, H. J.. 96. 548.
Norton. J. G., 265, 363, 518,
628, 636.
Nutt, W. C, 111,203.
Novice, 381, 422, 660.
•
Oliver, W. J., 432.
Olney, G. B., 27.
Oren, Jesse, 89, 214, 216,
458.
Ormsbv, L. D., 26, 548.
Orvis, ira, 397.
Osborn. R. M., 159,339,420,
434, 445, 446.
Osburn, A. W., 135,206,326,
386. 408, 421, 433, 452, 642.
Osburn, R. J., 206.
Pammel. L. H., 96.
Parent, J. I., 374.
Parfrew. A. C, 205.
Parker, U. Q., 410, 563.
Parson, J. M., 26.
Parsons, Edward, 374.
Parsons, Mrs. M. L., 180,
255.
Peabody. J. L., 175.
I'earson. H., 127.
Pearson, W. IJ., 140.
Peck, B. W., 518.
Peck, J. H. 4,34, 641.
Peel, Rev. II. R., 290.
Peet. T. O . 414.
Pelham, W. c, 120.
Polissier, P. P. N. K., 239.
Penney, W., 337.
Perkins, Nelson, 99, 363.
Pettigrew, A., 247, 489.
Phelps. W. Q., 240, 439, 540,
572. 574.
Phillips, D. R., 180.
Phin, John, 655.
Pickup, E., 134, 158.
Pigg, T. J., 169.
Pitman, J. E., 230.
Pleasants, J. E., 122, 181,
190.
Plummer. Isaac F.. 24, 453.
Poindexler, Jas., 116, 134,
272, 507, r.r>!l, 573.
Pond, J. E.. Jr., 480, 502,
560, 575, 607.
Poppleton. O. O., 168, 303,
422. 427, 436, 580.
Porter, J. W., 66, 211, 288.
Potts, W. E., 181.
Powell, J. W., 230.
Powell, Reese, 362.
Prall.Thos., 123.
Pray, G. L., 139.
Pray, Miles S., 265.
Pringle, Allen, 167,261,290,
321,547.
Pryor, J. E., 205. 589.
Putnam, H. F., 205.
Purvis, L. G., 11, 206, 313.
Raltt, W., 478.
Randenbush, G. D., 384.
Raymond. J. N., 59.
Reardon, P., 169, 180.
Reeds, F. M., 322.
"Reeve, Dr. J. R,, 397.
Remington, S., 315.
Resch, P. F., 211.
Reynolds, John, 181.
Reynolds. M. G., 6, 137.
Rice, A., 2113.
Richards, H. J., 324.
Richardson, C. C. 445.
Rickenbacher, A., 433, 482.
Hidden, J. S.,242.
Rife, F. B.. 193, 236.
Ripley, F. L., 35.
Roberts, L. M., 180.
Roberts, Wm., 25, 140, 194.
Robertson, A., 282.
Robinson, C. J. ,429.
Roe, F. H., 404.
Roebuck, J. R., 384.
Rogers, G., 26.
Ronian, Jas., 123.
Rood.E., 1.
Hoop, H., 139.
Rosebrock, H. H., 384.
Rosebrough, D. R., 98, 217,
399, 446, 590.
Ross, J. M., 325.
Rosser. R. A., 302, 399, 467.
Rouse, G., 25.
Rowland, N. H., 122, 579
Rue, C. W., 109.
Russell, A., 170.
Russell, W. G., 446.
Rusiicus. 457.
Ryan, J. M., 579.
8., 36.
Bage. F. I., 148, 299.
Salisbury, Rev. A., 118,
539.
Salisbury, S. W., 250.
Sanders, J. W., 100, 137,
145, 228, 385, 451, 467.494,
607, 610.
Sanford, A.C., 495.
Sanford, E., 265.
S. A. O., 216.
Sawyer, O. L., 87.
Sayler, Joseph, 312.
Schrier, C. 628.
Schrock, H. J., 290,336,347.
Schroder. A., 426.
Scofleld, E. J., 103, 265,410,
660.
Scofleld, O. B., 157, 264.
Scoles. H. J., 100, 494.
Scott, W. T., 458.
Scoville, H., 504.
Scott, B. D., 467.
Scudder, L. H., 24, 127, 135.
Sears, J. W., 26.
Sears, Peter, 98.
Secor, E., 215, 259, 300,467.
515.
See, H. 8., 350.
Seitz, W., 563.
Sellers. J. F., 265, 411, 506,
517.
Shallcross, J,, 333, 417.
Shankland, E. R., 99, 651.
Shannon, J., 287.
Sharp, Isaac, 60, 266. 325.
Shaver. J. E., 313, 351.
Shearman, J. O., 300, 344,
443, 445.
Sheldon, J. H.. 26.
Sherwin, W. W., 350.
Shevenell, Ij. H., 469.
Shewman, W. A., 313.
Shier, Wm., 283, 290.
Shimer. I. H., 312.
Shires, G. R.. 482.
Shirley, W. H., 252, 273,279,
298, 373, 394, 398, 407, 482.
Shortt, J., 183, 383.
Shuck, J. M., 137, 418, 672.
Shuck, S. A., 205, 286, 404.
Simon, H. A.. 227.
Simonds. W. D., 324.
Slater, W. M., 317.
Smith. B. Z., 26.
Smith, B.F., 410.
Smith, H. J., 15S, 644.
Smith, J. T., 127.
Smith. M. C, 241.
Smith, Milo. 135, 138.
Smith, W. W.,98.
Smythe, J. A., 322.
Smyzer, W. D., 180, 277.
Snearlv, J, 8., 139.
Snell. F. A., 206.
Snyder. A., 337, 411.
Sonneman, G. E., 290, 495,
Sontag, H., 458, 495.
Sorrich. M., 64.
Southwick, B. B., 127, 137,
169. 202, 263, 312, 365, 368,
390, 3t^4.
Sowers, 8. p., 87,99.
Spear, D., 95, 408.
Spence, J., 141.
Sperry, M. M., 120.
Squier. W. S., 159.
Stalnlnger, N.. 563.
Stalhammer. T. G., 159.
Stancliff, J. B., 517, 596.
Stark, G. W., 11.
Steer, J. G.. 189, 348.
Stenger, J. J.. 139.
Stephens, J. H., 218.
Stevens, M. B., 27.
Stewart, J.. 242, 409.
Stewart, W. H., 54. 119,253,
287, 311, 332, 356,407,417,
430,406,576,591.
Stiles. F. p., 372, ,564.
Stirling, W. R., .596.
Stith, A. W., 186.
Stoepel, V. A., 343.
Stolley, Wm., 2.3, 660.
Stonebouse, M., 194.
Stout, W. H., 290.
Strathern, R., »90.
Strong, J. L., 4^1.
Sturwold, J. W., 157, 206,
483,518. 564.
Subscriber, 25, 43, 120,218,
564, 596.
Sutcliffe, A., 518.
Taintor, F. M., 266.
Talbot, D. C, 159.
Taaner, J. C, 337.
Taylor, Wm., 312.
Terrell, O. J., 81.
Thew, E.,411.
Thielmann, C, 1 16, 182,381,
594.
Thiavllle, F., 81, 144, 374.
Thorn, J. C, 122, 413, 434,
548,563.
Thomas, E. A., 321.
Thomas, 11. R., 289.
Thompsfjn, F. B., 612.
Thougnten. W., 420.
Thurlow, T., 79, 123.
Thurston, E. H., 43, 227,
323.
Tiffany. T. J., 506.
Tilley.H., 420.
Tilley. J. H., 267.
Tindall, N. B.,21.
Tinker. Q.l,., 7,36,52,72,118,
165, 17.5, 193, 273,278,346,
440, 462, 500, 545, .559.
Todd, Arthur, 11,27,50,97,
162.
Tongue. L. N., 506.
Torre, F. D., 86.
Train, H. v., 248, 279.
Travis, L. G., 398.
Trestor, M. L., 84, 107, 167,
402, 422, 497.
Triem. Peter S., 217.
Trussell, W. W., 596. (."
Tucker, J. J., 75.
Tumber, J. B., 302.
Turner, T. B., 144, 263, 514,
579<
Turner, E. W., 105,299,451.
482.
Turney, C. C, 241.
Twltchell, J., 572, 606.
%
Twitchell, P. F., 194, 248.
Vail, S. L., 42, 123,326,349.
Valentine, 8. & Son, 110,
120, 506.
Van Anglen, S., 153.
Vanculin, C.,226.
Van Etten, J. E., 118, 396.
445.
Van Zandt, Dr. J. L., 253.
Vanght, G. C, 314, 627.
Verge. A., 191, 367.
Viailon, P. L,., 123, 141.
Videto, D., .5,5, 143.
Vinson, W. M., 122.
Von Dorn, T. L., 109.
Walbrtdge. Hon. I,., 446.
Wales, E. W., 25, no.
Ward, H, J., 108, 238.
Watterson, D., 43.
Webb, A. B., 8, 286.
Webster, A., 575.
Webster, D. G., 87.
Webster, G. W., 265.
Webster, W. V.. 494.
Weckeser. C, 627.
Welch, L. E.,87.
Westlake. B. H., 42.
Weston, W. H., Ill, 266,
385,513, 625.
W.H. B.. 181, 190,240.
White, H. C, 385.
Whitetord, Lerov, 56.
Whiting, Dr. L. C, 43,320.
386.
Whitmer, D., 135. 255.
Whitten, J.G., 358.
Whittlesey, 11. A., 469.
W. U. W., 326.
Wicherts, A., 86, 313, 628.
Wilcox, F., 327, 421.
Will, W. H., 11.
Willcott, C. F., 267.
Williams, G. F., 115.
Williams, G. W., 483.
Williams, Hugh, 139, 518.
Williams, H. M., 282, 410.
Williams, J. R., 60.
Williams, L. R., 313,
Williams, R. P., 157.
Williamson, J. A., 140.
Wilson. Dr. I. P., 174, 371.
Wilson. J. T., III.
Winder, Mrs. A. B., 139.
Wlsmer, J. L., 111,243.
Wixom, H. W., 121, 421.
W. M. F., 432.
Wolcott, J. L., 180.
Wood, E. N., 212, 504.
Wood, Joseph, 42.
Wood, J. S.. 347.
Woodcock, B. F., 108.
Woodman, N. M..628.
Woodward, W. M., 87, 153.
W. P. B., 434.
W. P. T.. 395.
Wright, J. M., 403.
Wrignt, W. D., 147.
"ITeomans, Geo., 354.
Yoder, John, 87.
Yother, Dr. L. l,.,44e.
Young, C. W., 11, 458, 659.
Young, W. R., 169. 546.
Youngman, S. J., 87,98,227,
266, 315, 518, 531, 628, 673.
ZimmermaD,G.W.,265,659.
INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS.
Alsibp Clover in Bloom 223
Bee-KiUer of the scorpion tribe 4fifi
Beeswax MonlrtirifrCan 455
Bee Tent at Baltimore, Md 330
CannyV Device f*)r Sections 190
(-'omb Honey Hark yy
<'onjbs 33 Built bv Apis dorsata ,'.'.' is.t
OlatTam on Spacing Frames :jfil
Dr. WorralTs Observation Hive '. 11:1
Duncari'B Comb Foundation Fastener 320
byesof a Worker Bee (maenifled) iiB
Figwort— Simpson Honev Plant 177
flarmer'H Observat'on Hive ]j*8
Head of DnwR Beo ( niaunilied) -173
Head of WorkPr Bee (uiatznitied) 173
Hodgsun's Conib Honey Kack HG
Honey Rael* for Sections igh
Lytle's Starter Machine 444
Method of Renioviog Frames 46.5
Mites as Bee-EnemicB 530
One-pieceSectionsi 102
Prof. Cook's Observation Hive 113
R«ck for Surplus Honey 211
Sections in one and two pieces ... T2
Smith's Foundation Fastener for Sections 241
Sting of the Honey Bee 78
Subdivided Secti )n3 97
Swiss Beeswax Extractor 455
Wires used in Queen Hearing 142
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
679
^pfecial Notices.
Examine the Dale following your
name on the wrapper label of this
paper; it indicates the end of the
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the proper credit is not given you,
within tv.o weeks thereafter, on your
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not wait for months or years, and
then claim a mistake. The subscrip-
tion is paid to the end of the month
indicated on the wrappir-label. This
gives a continual statement of account.
Our New List of Premiums.
How to Create a Market for Honey.
We have now published another
edition of the pamphlet on "Honey as
Food and Medicine," with more »iew
Recipes for Honey Medicines, all kinds
of cooking in which honey is used, and
healthful and pleasant beverages.
We have put the price still lower,
to encourage bee-keepers to scatter
them far and wide. Single copy 5
cents, postpaid ; per dozen, 40 cents;
per hundred, $2.50. 500 will be sent
postpaid for $10.00 ; or 1000 for
$15.00. On orders of 100 or more,
we will print, if desired, on the
cover-page, "Presented by," etc.,
(giving the name and address of the
bee-keeper who scatters them). This
alone will pay him for all his trouble
and expense— enabling him to dispose
of his honey at home, at a good profit.
Try it, and you will be surprised.
Getting up Clubs for 1884.
To increase the number of readers
of the Bee Journal, we believe, will
aid progressive bee-culture and help
to elevate the pursuit. We, therefore,
offer the following premiums for
getting up clubs :
AVhile no subscription to the Bee
Journal will be taken for less than
the regular advertised prices (viz. :
Weekly, $2.00; Monthly, $1.00),— any
one getting up a club of two copies,
or more, may select from " Our Book
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the amount of 1.5centsfor every dollar
they send direct to this office, to pay them
for the trouble of getting up the club ;
and these books will be sent, postpaid,
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For a club of 3 Weekly or 6 Monthly
and $6.00, we will make an additional
present of a Pocket Dictionary, bound
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For a club of 5 Weekly or 10
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with $10, we will, in addition to the
1.5 per cent, present a copy of the
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language that enters into speech or
writing ; it contains 32,000 words and
phrases,670 illustrations and 512 pages;
it is nicely bound in cloth, and will be
sent by mail, postpaid, to any address
desired.
For a club of $20, for 10 Weeklies, or
an equivalent in Monthlies, we will
present, besides the 15 per cent, in
books, a tested Italian queen, by mail,
postpaid.
Subscriptions for two or more years
for one person, will count the same
as each year for a different person.
For a club of 100 W^eekly (or its
equivalent in Monthlies), with $200,
we will send a Magnificent Organ
worth $1.50. See description on page
614 of the Weekly for Nov. 28, 1883.
THE AMERICAN
POPULAR DICTIONARY.
CONTAINING
EVEEY USEFUL WORD IN THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE,
With Ita Csrrect Spelllun, Preper Pro-
nuucllitlon, ttnd True Meanlnif.
1^ Letters for publication must be
written on a separate piece of paper
frgm items of business.
1^" Do not let your numbers of the
Bee Journal foi 1883 be lost. The
best way to preserve them is to pro-
cure a binder and put them in. They
are very valuable for reference.
t^ A correspondent asks if any one
may select a Binder for the Bee
Journal, among the books given as
Premiums for getting subscribers we
reply, yes ; any book or binder we keep
for sale, may be selected by those who
get up clubs.
ALSO, A VAST AMOtTNT OF
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY INFORMATION
UPON
Science, Mythology, Jtiography. American HUUyry,
Coixstitutions, Laws, Qrowth of Cities, Colleges,
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Club of 5 subscribers to the Weekly (or its
equivalent to the Monthly), in addition to
other Books selected from our Catalogue to
the amount of 81.50 ; all by mail, postpaid.
A POCKET DIGTIONABY
Contai«iiig ft'M ijagfs, and over
25,000 Words, Kightly and Plainly Defined
To make the pronunciation easily understood
every word is phonetically re-epelled, and the syl-
lables and accems made perfectly plain, so that no
one who consults this book can miss the proper
word to use. and sivine it proper pronunciation.
This Dictionary is our Premium for
a Club of 3 subscribers to the Weekly (or its
equivalent to the Monthly), in addition to
other Books selected from our Catalogue to
the amount of $1.00 ; all by mail, postpaid.
A NEW HIVE.
Arranged for continuciua combs iiml continuous
passape-waya. Will lie founil a pleasure to work
with, and can be easily mid rapidly uianaKetl. Kor
comb honey it it* without u rival, and as an inven-
tion, is second only to that nt movable brood
frames.
Guaranteed to Give Satisfaction.
SEND FOR PEICE LIST AND CIRCULAR.
Address. DK. O. I.. TIMK.KK,
44Atf NEW PHILADELPHIA. O.
680
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL.
Given'sFoundationPress.
PTJBIJC SENTIMENT affirms that the PRESS
Is SUPEHIOR for mabinpcComb Foundation either
in Wired Frames or for SECTIONS, and Insures
straifiht and perfect combs, when drawn out by
the bees. Send for Circular and samples.
n. s. eivEN «fe CO.,
lABtf HOOPESTON, ILL.
Bingham Smoker,
Please bear in mind that our
patents cover all the bellows bee
smokers that will burn sound wood.
Bingham k Hetherington,
ABRONIA, MICH.
pifc Hg ^^ MO not, life is sweeping by, ko and
Ww r^ mm m dare before you die, somethinR
M B Wl- m^ H mighty and sublime, leave be-
BK 0" ^k ■ hind to conquer time." $06 a
!■ I Hb H week in your own t<^>wn. $.':sout-
■ m ^M %7 ■ fit free. No risk. Everything
new. Capital not required. We
win furnish you everythinR. Many are making
fortunes. Ladies make as much as men, and boys
and girls make great pay. Header, if you want
business at which you can make great pay all the
time, write for particulars to H. Hallbtt & Co
Portland, Maine. 8Aly
BEES,aUEENS
APIARIAN IMPLEMENTS,
SEND roil CIRCrLAB TO
t,ock Box 995, BELLEVILLE, St. Clair Co. ILL.
lABly
GOMBHOm WANTED.
We are prepared to purchase large lots of Fancy
COMB HONEY in 1 and 2 lb. sectiot.s.or Harbison
frames, for which we will pay an advance of :, cts
Ser pound over New Vork prices. CASH OK
►KLIVEKY in sound condition in 1-ondon;
the price of extracted honey will be paid for all
broken coraba. This is an excellent opportunity
for bee-keepers wishinir to visit Europe. Corre-
Bpondence solicited. W. M. HOOK «& CO.,
The Apiary, Ijeconfleld, Rd. N.,
33Atf LONDON, ENGLAND.
^W ungm jA A week made at home by the In-
Vn M J^A dustrions. Best business now be-
^L * ^M fore thepublic. Capitalnotneeded
j^ ■ Jw We will start you. Men, women,
■n ■ W boys and girls wanted everywhere
^m ■ BB to work for us. Now is the time.
' You can work in spare time, or give
your whole time to the business. No other busi-
ness will pay you nearly as well. No one can fail
to make enormous pav, by engaging at once.
Costly outfit and terms free. Money made fast,
easily and honorably. Address True & Co.,
Augusta, Maine. 8Aiy
STORY S CKMP,
Manufacturers and Wholesale Dealers in
PIANOS^'^ORGANS
Decker Bros.,
Haines Bros.,
SVlathushek,
Simpson & Co.,
Story & Camp.
Territory
given.
Estey,
Story & Camp.
The largest exclusively
Piano and Organ house
on the Continent.
Agents Wanted.
Protection
gTiaranteecL
Catalogues free to any address.
Write for our prices before buying else-
where.
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203 N. Fifth Street,
ST. LOUIS.
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST.
A Practical Journal for Amateurs.
Tells about work of all kinds tor Boys and Girls-
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Boat^. Athletic Sports, Experiments, Pets, Bees,
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The following Books are New, Xlioroufch.
Sellable and Cheap. They contain as much
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Practical Carpentry. By F. T. Hodgson.
Over 3(.Mi Illustrations. The best book on the
subject ever issued fl.oo
The Steel Sqnare and It^* TTseii. By F. T.
Hodgson. Over 75 Engravings. Shows how
the Square may be used for Solving almost
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Hand Saws; Their Use, Care, and Abuse.
How to Select and How to File Them for all
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With a Glossary of Terms. Numerous En-
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INDUSTRIAL PUBLICATION CO.,
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TlieBeeKeepers'HamlyBook
216 pages, bound in cloth, by mail, post-paid, for
JStl.OO per copy. Send for prospectus and our
special Circulars describing three new and useful
articles for the apiary.
47Atf HEBTRY jLt-LEY. WENHAM,MASS.
The American Apiciilturist.
A MONTHLY JOURNAL,
I>evot«-d to Scientific and Pi'actlcal
BEE-KEEPING.
Edited by a practical bee-keeper, and published
in the broadest sense in the interests of the bee-
keeper. Us list of contributors consists of the
most practical, prominent and successful apicult-
urists in America.
Our Janunry number will contain a fine likeness
of the
REV. L. L. LANtJSTROTH,
and we will send that number free to all who will
send their addresses plainly written on a Postal
Card. Address,
SILAS M. LOCKE, Editor & Prop'r,
Sent Tar 3 moM. for 3.'* ctR.: A mos. GO cts.
50A4t One year Kl.OO.
Muth's Honey Extractor,
Square Glass Honey Jars, Tin Buckets,
Langstroth Bee Hives, Honey SectionB, etc.
Apply to C P. MTJTH,
97fi and 978 Central Ave., CINCINNATI, O.
|»"Send IOC. for Practical Hints to Bee-Keepers.
people are always on the look-
out for chances to increuse
their earnings, and in time be-
come wealthy ; those who do
improve theiropportunities re-
main in poverty. We offer a
great chance to make money.
We want many men, women, boys and girls to
work for us right in their own localities. Any one
can do the work properly from the first start. The
business will pay more than ten times ordinary
wages. Expensive outflt furnished free. No one
who engages fails to make money rapidly. You
can devote your whole time to the work, or only
your spare moments. Full information and all
that is needed, sei^ree. Address Stinbon 4 Co.,
Portland, Maine.
bAly
PRIZE f EENS.
Tested Prize Queen, in a 2-
frame nucleus, 9x17, each, $4 00
Same in nucleus, 4 fra., HxS, 4 00
Tested Prize Queen, by mall, 3 00
PrizeQueen, warranted pure-
ly fertilized 2 00
Queen, not standard size — 100
FuliCijlony, 8 frames, Prize
Queen 8 00
Before June ::r., add fl each.
Cash Orders filled In rotation.
Address E. L. BKIOOS,
lAly Wilton Junction, Iowa.
Vandervort Comb Fdn. Mills,
Send for Samples <fc Reduced Prlce-LUt.
32ABtf J. VANDEKVOKT, Laoyville, Pa.
FLAT - BOTTOM
COMB FOUKBATION,
high side-walls, 4 to Ifi sqnare feet tc
tbe pound. Circular and samples freet
^:^^^^ J. VAN DEUSEN & SONS,
^^'i'j Sole Manufacturers,
Sprout Brook, Mont. Co^ N, y.
MILLS.IOmcH $ 15.00
:^- V/.C REI-H AM . ..f'l
^■MfA Y^V/L Lt.KK ^-^1
37Aly
THIS PAPER SVel'g^'K'o^^.r'l
Co.'s Newspaper Advertising Bureau (Ul Spruce
8t.), where advertisioK contracla may be made i»r
It In NEW "TOKK..
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