nDDDDDDnDDDDaaDnnnnnDDDaaDaDDDDD ^eiist UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LIBRARY D D D D D D DDaDDDDnnnnnDDnanDDDDDDnaaDnaaDa LIBRARY THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ESTABLISHED BY SAMUEL WAGNEE. EDITED BY ■v;r. IF". cnL..A.:EtK:E AND THOMAS G. NEWMAN, Manager. VOLUME X.-.1874. CHICAGO, ILL., AND CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA : THE AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY. 1874. e INDEX TO CORRESPONDENTS. Adair, D. L.— 9, 83, 133. Argus— 29, 99, 109, 183. Alford, L. F.— 32, 238. Ashcomb, Wm.— 25. Alley, H.— 126. Avis— 147. Ab- be, E. P.— 148. Argo, R. M.— 177. Arter, Joshua— 193. Atkinson, John— 196. Ander- son, J.— 233. Allen, N. F.—2M. A., E.— 2.50. Arnold, A. H.— 250. Bornemann, W.— 3. Brown, J. P. H. — 4. Burbank.D.— 42. Balch, A. C— 24. Buch- ananan, John, A.— 25. Barfoot, John, — 47, 168. Boyd, W. S.— 70, 270. Brooks, J. M.— 71. Bolin, J.— 76, 118. Badgerow, A.— 118. Burnt, Child— 118. B.. W. A.— 142. Ben- ton, F.— 159, 172, 243. Ballard, O. L.— 168. Burdick, L.— 168. Baynard, J. W.— 171. Bird, W. W.— 180. Burch, H. A.— 205, 2.53. Baker, Dr.— 217. Badders, 0.-219. Bur- gess, G. T.— 228. Bledsoe, J. R.— 228. Bene- dict, A.— 231. Bechly, F.— 2.32. Bourgeois, Dr.— 2.34. Bidwell, H. E.—M3. Bosshard, H.— 245. Brokaw, D.— 245. Black, S. H.— S45. Buchanan, R. D.— 2.52. Butler, J.— 270. Cook, Prof. A. J.— .33, 92. 116, 137, 139, 162. Campbell, Mr.— 24. Condit, Mrs. V. C— 25. Carpenter, N. M.— 46. Coble, Eli— 47. Cor- nelius, T. J.— 70. Curry, H. E.— 70, 118. Corbin, G. E.— 71. Cameron, N.— 80. C, N. M.— 132. Claussen, H.— 142. Cristie, J. H.— 168. Cramer, J. W.— 207. Colborn, P. J.— 228. Carson, L.— 231. Curry, R.L.— 251. Doolittle, G. M.— 14, 126, 1.58. Dadant, C. P.— 15. Dzierzon,— 23. Davis, W. J.— 25, 32. Decker, Dr. E. G.— 24. Davis, J. L.— 46. Dadant, Ch.— ,..■- ,.. .one, I fc- ,!^iit colored') II v/On on the : .vt me, in " \ >'. act of laying. As ^s my eye ca'i*<,'nt sight of her, I con- ' .ded at once that she was a usurper, and had dis])laceil my old. familiar queen (six- teen months old, with one wing clipped ). But on looking on the other side of the card of comb. I found my old queen, occu- pied with her usual pastime of laying, and looking as though she was per: home. I caged the would-be usur gave her to a colony from which ] ken a queen. My queen with the i . wing seems to be as prolific as eve far as I can see, shows no signs o ished vigor. This case, while it e es no rule, ])roves that it is pos two laying queens to be in one hi^ same time peaceably perform ii functions,.- \ V '>. J.P. H. I Augusta, CvA,. Prof. Gerstocker, of, Berlin, Prm "The Egyptian bee is nearly a thir ' than the common bee. The abd' sembles that of the Italian Init the is yellow, the downy hairs of the thorax art whitish." THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. The Honey Extractor. AN ADDRKSS BY A. I. ROOT, OV MKUINA. OHIO. HEFORE TilK MICHIGAN BEE-KEKP- EUS" A.^SOCFATION. Jfi: President, Ladies and CTentlemen — \Vc have been requested to address you on the ••Honey Extractor, its use and bcnotits," but i)efore so doing would re- nuirk. that should Ave here repeat much tiial has been gone over betbre, we hope to be excused on tlie ground that much repetition seem» to be necessary to induce bee-ke(*per« to give the credit that is due to thislimplement of the apiarj'. Aboijt the year 1856, we, as- an experi- ment, moved a small colony from its stand in the month of June, and placed in its stead a 'hive containing only empty combs with a caged fertile queen. On releasing the qiieen. fbrty-eight hours afterward, we wei-e so astonished at the appearance of things that we weighed the hive, bees and all, and to and that it had gained in the in- terval, thi 'ty pounds. The question at once arose whether they would not go on increasing at the rate of fifteen pounds per 'lay, for some days to come, were the}^ furnished with facilities in the shape of empty combs as fast as they Avere filled, for none of our other col- onies, though equalh^ strong, had made any such increase in the same time. Shortly afterward, E. Van Slyke, in the Bee-keepers' Gazette, solved the problem for us by his notice of the German Centi'ifugal ^lachiue, and soon we had hastily extem- porized a rude tin can with revolving- frame inside, made of iron wire and hair- cloth. A brief trial of this rude machine, in a half finished state. epiiAinced us that combs cojajd be made emjjty in a twink- ling anrf without injury, and befojre the season closed we had half a ton of nice honey [lat, up in quart ghiss jars, neatly labelled, aad these sold rapidly for a time at one loILar each. w .\tter cold weather came on, the honey of coarse, candied, and our beautiful honey that had been so much admired for its "transpareiKy^ and purit}', presented more the api^earance of Jars of lard than any- thing else, and in spite of the fair reputa- tion that we had always borne, there be- gan to be considerable -'talk" that we had manufactured tlie honev. and our bees didn't gather so much, for it was •• actually turning back to sugar." However, the honey all went somewhei-e before another season, and we ii\dulged through the Win- ter in "bright visions," and before •'fruit blossoms " we had purchased one pound jai's to hold a ton, and labels in two colors for all sources we could think of li-om which our bees might gather honej', so as to be all ready tor the coming harvest. By the way, we have just l)een hxjking over our unused labels and find thost- jn-int- ed for Fruit blossoms. Locust blossoms. Alsike Clover, (we had all of an eightli of an acre,) Buckwheat, and Autumn wild- flowers nearly all remain on hand. White clover and basswood being the principal well defined sources. Well our jars to hold a ton were soon filled, and we need not tell here how we borrowed all the wash boilers in the neigh- borhood, and washing day did come, and onr bottles didn't come ; but it was all made " lovety " and we sold nearly three tons of honey in the one and two pound bottles. But cold weather came again, and again it looked like lard and wouldn't sell, and, "more too," in the candying process it pushed the corks out of the bot- tles, and some of the boxes had been left "wi-ong side up," and the labels were spoiled on those that weren't wrong side up, and as a last resort we ])oured or tried to pour the honey out those little bottles into barrels, and they had to be warmed, and if we hurried them to get through the " muss " they broke, and now we don't put our honey into glass jars until they are ordered in that "shape. We use nothing STnaller than quart fruit jars, and never try to hold honey with corks, but use those jars that have secure fastenings equal to all emergencies; those with glass covers and a metal clamp, called the Haines Fruit Jar, we like best. Again, during a very rapid 3'ield of hon- ey, combs are sometimes filled betbre the honey has had time to ripen, and some that we bottled in that state came so near fermenting that it gave extracted honey rather a bad reputation, and justly so, for we were astonished at the contents of some of our own when picked out at ran- dom and brought to the table. At first the idea was quite romantic of bottling the " nectai* " fresh from the floAvers the same daA- it Avas crathered. Imt even our 6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. favorite White Clover under such circum- stances had a decidedly green taste, and, unless evaporated by setting the jars in an oven until the honey attained the de- sired consistency, would most assuredly encourage a preference for old-fashioned comb honey. Honey when extracted from sealed combs, or at a time when the bees jnst be- gin to seal it, we think, however, is in no respect different from, or inferior to comb honey, and we think most people will, af- ter a time decide that wax is not particu- larl}^ desirable as an article of food. Instructions for the use of the extractor we think are hardly needed now, for "Young America " very soon finds a way to get out the honey after he once gets an idea of the modus operandi. Uncapping the combs, it is true, once seemed a formidable task, but just hand your honey knife (it must be very thin, very sharp, and of the finest steel), to some one of our liright, keen, go-ahead feminine friends, tell hei* what is to be done and after a little practice her knife will glide under the caps and roll them off in a sheet (no hot water is needed) at a rate that will convince any " lord of crea- tion " that at least n part of bee culture is women's work. Also in using the extractor, many have l>een led to think the operation a laborious task because their machines were heavy and cumbrous, with gearing like a fanning mill, and even yet we'find it hard work to convince many that it is a great waste of strength and time to whirl a can, honey and all, at the speed necessary for the hon- ey to fly out, when only the comb itself needs whirling. It is for this reason that we so strongly urge that every apiarist should have but one sized frames in his apiary, and have his extractor made to fit them and 7io oth- ers ; for to make a frame of wire cloth with the necessary supports and braces largei- than the comb we use, to bo con- stantly brought up to the proper speed and quickly sto])ped, simply because the manufacturer Avas obliged to make his rnacliines large that they might fit all frames, it seems to us, is very poor econ- omy. "^riie smallest frame generally in use is the (Jallup frame, eleven and one-fourth inches square, and the largest is the (^uin- by, twelve by eighteen and one-half inches. Now to revolve the jionderous frame ne- cessary to receive the latter in extracting combs of the former size would be a con- stant waste of strength ; yet there is no objection to using the large frame and large extractor, for with all large frames work is pushed more rapidly to compen- sate for an increase of power being de- manded. Also with the small extractor the small frames could be handled and extracted with much greater rapidity. An extractor made expressly for the Langstroth frames may be matle veiy light and work very easy, for if placed longest way \\]> and down, the wire cloth may come within five inches of the shaft, and its length may just as well be two inches less than the length of the frame, for the attachment of the comb to the wood is ample support. Now as the Langstroth frame is but ten and one-eighth inches broad, we cannot afford to make the extractor frame more than ten inches, and nine and one-half inches would be better economy for a very light I'unning extractor ; but this could not be used for the Gallup frame, unless increased to eleven and one-half inches or more. Then comes the American frame, twelve by twelve inches, or old style, twelve b}' sixteen inches, and perhaps we might as well use a Quinby extractor for all of the American frames, even at the exjiense of whirling some superfluous met^ als below the comb. Strips of folded tin seem to combine more of the qualities of strength and light- ness than any other material we know of for making the inside framework to an extractor, and a tin tube makes all the shaft that can be needed. We would al- ways have both top and bottom bearings of tempered steel, and, to conclude, we know of no better winter amusement for the bee-keeper than to see how nice an ex- tractor (i. e., light, strong, and easy run- ning) he can make, or at least can make with the assistance of his tinner, and we would advise ever}' bee keeper to get on friendly terms with his neighboring tin- smith by all means, for they are destined, it seems to us, to be our greatest allies. As to the '"use and benefits" of the ex- ti-actor, really it seems to us that our friends need no remarks on this head. We 1 have learned to build up colonies, rear I THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. queens, increase the number of ouv stocks artificially, and we feel like addinir, how to winter successfully, and with certainty also, but wc should feel lost to attempt any of these without the extractor, most esi)e- ciall}' the latter. Before the advent of the extractor, even with movable con\bs, the progress in the interior of the hive was mostly g-uesswork, and only viewed at rare i'ntei'vals and with the feeling that it Avas an intrusion. Now we watch the progress of honey storing and comb building, even to seeing every comb that is built and whether it be worker comb, strait, etc. ; our queens ■ are seen, their fertility noted, progress of i)rood rearing, amount of pollen on hand, what becomes of it, etc. Swarming is ki'pt under almost entirely by its use, and the disorderly work that follows almost always where natural swarming is allowed, is avoided. Last and not least, without the use of the extractor we should be almost power- less to avert the consequences of Bee Mal- ady in wintering. By removing natural .■stores entirely, and suppljang them with food of knoivn and invariable quality, we are no farther depending on the chance that may perhaps have provided whole- some food for Winter. For The American Bee Journal. How to Feed and Winter Bees. Messrs. Editors : In response to many inquiries in regard to keeping and winter- ing bees, please give the following an in- sertion in the American Bee Journal if found worthy. To each quart of sugar add one pint of hut water, heat to the boiling point and skim ; or to every three pounds of sugar add two pounds of hot water, stir, heat, and skim as before directed. As soon as cool enough it is readj" for the bees. For feeding in the Spring, Summer or early in the Fall, a common grade of good sugar does very well ; but for late Fall or Winter feeding, use, the most refined grades. Feeding for Winter should be done during warm weather, soon after the tirst killing frosts and as fast as the bees can store away the syi-up, and until the brood combs have been well filled. Mo- lasses, sorghum, or the poorest grade of sugar should never be used. Good sugar is the cheapest, and is also health}' for the hees. Honey from other hives often proves fatal to them while confined to their hives. When bees are fed late in the Fall, or dur- ing continued cold weather, place their hive at an o])en window in a room kept constantly warm, Avhere the bees can crawl back into the hive after flying. Kci^p the room warm until they have stored, evaporated^ and sealed over enough syrup to last them until Spring. With the Universal Hive, as patented Aug. 26, 1873, I accomplish the same thing with- out letting the bees out, by placing a screen in front of the hive, securing a space for the bees to fly in. A frame of empty comb filled with syrup, poured in- to the cells from a suitable hight, may al- so be placed between the screen and the end of the hive, which, being exposed to the light and the open air, will cause the bees to remove the syrup to the interior. By this means the bees may be kept in a parlour, or an}' other suitable, warm room while being fed, and at any season of the year. When feeding bees in the Spring, or any other time, care should be taken not to give them much more syrup than they will consume in preparing food for the young. In judicious feeding lies one of the great secrets of success. Plenty of flour also should be given to the bees as early and late in the Spring as they will use it. It may be protected from robber bees by means of the screen arranged as already pointed out. In the sunshine is the most favorable place for the flour, which may also be made of different kinds of grain. A cool, still, dry, and perfectly dark place, with thorough ventilation to the hive, is the most favorable place and condition in which to winter bees. They should be kept as quiet and free from disturbance as possi- ble. To prevent the accumulation and retention of dampness or water, the hive must be well ventilated, and should also be so arranged and protected that the bees can economize their animal heat to the best advantage. Proper conditions will ever secure success in wintering bees. The required conditions may be enumerated as follows : 1st. A productive queen, with bees enough to rear brood. 2d. Suitable combs stored with wholesome food. 3d. A pure atmosphere of a suitable tempera- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. turo, about 40° or 50° above zero «jeing the best. 4th. No disturbances of any kind, with a proper exclusion of Ught — ■ total darkness and stillness being the best for keeping the bees quietly confined to their hives. A good method of out-door wintering is to set up and tie a shock of corn stalks around the hive, enough to break the winds and keep the hive dry, at the same time packing plenty of hay or straw around and over the frames, after properly ventilating and protecting the bees from the mice, and also securing the bees a small and suitable passage to and from the external atmosphere. The straw and fodder will absorb the moisture col- lecting around the bees, conveying it to the external atmosphere and also more fully protect them by confining their ani- mal heat. I hope the foregoing may enable some of my fellow bee-keepers to be more suc- cessful in feeding and wintering their bees tlian heretofore. A. T. Wright. Chicago, III, Dec. 1, 1873. For The American Bee Jourual. Adam Grrimm's Bee-feeder and Smoker. In the December Journal, Mrs. Lucinda W. Harrison wants to know Avhy I did not describe Mr. Grrimm's bee-feeder and smok- er. I thought I would leave that for Mr. Ct. to do, but as he has not done so, I will do it now. Ladies are said to have a live- ly imagination, so. Mrs. H., please try and imagine this description. Bee-feeder, — a tin can tour and one fourth inches in diameter, and four inches high; a hole in the center of the end, one and one half inches in diameter, covered with perforated tin, soldered on ; a small hole near the edge of the same end, on which is soldered a screw cap, the same as on kerosene cans, with the rim of the cap cut down so as not to project over five eights of an inch from the can. A rim is soldered on to the end of the can, tln-ce fourths of an inch wide, so tbat wlioi the can is turned wiih the hole doAvnwards, there will be room for the bees to come u]) under it, and eat honey, syruj), or water through tlu' perforated tin. Fill the can with a tunnel thi-ough the screw cap, turn the cap on tight, and with a quick motion tuni tlie can bottom up over the bees, when the atmospheric pressure will keep the liquid from running out, except at first, when a teaspoon-full or so will drop, which the bees will take care of The hive should be as near level as possible. Sometimes when the bees do not care for the food, or the weather is too cool, drojjs of moisture will gather on the can, and form a draft for the syrup, which will act the same as a half dozen bees, and the feeder will leak a little. The can must be perfectly air-tight. I give mine a couple of coats of paint, outside, which keeps them from rusting. Smoker, — a tin tube, one and one-fourth by six inches, ends covered with perfora- ted tin, pressed inwards ; two mouth pie- ces fitting over the ends of the tube, re- movable, and tapering to a point, with a knob on each to hold between the teeth like the stem of a pipe. To use it, fill one of the mouth pieces with tobacco (I sup- pose fine rotten wood would do), light it. and crowd it on to the table, then blow through the other mouth-piece, and there is your smoke. For those who nse the weed, it is very handy, for it can be held between the teeth, through a hole in the vail, and the smoke directed to different places, while both hands are at liberty to handle frames, etc. But for those" who do not use tobacco, and certainly ladies, I think a piece of rotten wood is fiar preferable. A little cup with handle and perforated tin bottom, is a nice thing to lay the wood in. when the smoke can be blown down through it, and Jio danger from fire when it is set down. If Mrs. H. does not understand the description of the feeder, I will send her a sample by express for twenty-five cents, and her tinman can make them from it. ^Y. M. Kellogg. Oneida, III, Dec. 10, 1873. Honey may be kept in perfect purity for years by boiling the strained or ex- tracted article, then skim it carefully, and seal it up air tight, as fruit is canned, then kcc]-) it in a cool, dark place. As a su])ply for the Winter, a strong- stock should, on the first of November, contain at least one pound of honey for every thousand bees ; and a weak stock should then have a pound and a half for evorv thousand bees. — Hoffman. THE AMERICA^^ BEE JOURNAL. THE WINGS OP THE BEE. Physiologically Considered as Organs of " Flight and of Special Sensation. The foUowiui;- paper avjis vctul before the Bee-keeper.s' Convention, by Gen. Adair : To the novice the wings of a bee appear as a dry membrane or tissue of skin,stretch- ed over a frame-work of as equally dry and lifeless ribs of hard, elastic, horny matter. He does not suspect that they have other than to enable the bees to fly, or that their loss or destruction does other injur}" than to disable them from flight. It is a com- mon practice even among well informed apiarians to cut oft" the wings ol' the queen to prevent her going oft' with a swarm. A better acquaintance with the structure and uses of the wings would show that any such mutilation must be injurious. Bees do not breathe through the mouth, neither do they have lungs, like the high- er animals. Respiration is ' carried on throup-h an intricate ramification of minute tubes called trachea, having their outlets or mouths as pores (called spiracles or stigmata) in the sidesof their bodies, under and behind their wings. Through these breathing pores the air is led by those delicate tubes to every part of the body, even to the tips of their wings. Bees have no heart as higher animals have. A tube, or as it is called, a " dorsal vessel," lying just beneath the middle line of the back, and extending from the head to the tip of the abdomen, performs that ofiice. The blood is received into this tiibe, and, as bees have no veins proper, it es- capes from all jDarts of the tube and tra- verses the bod}' in currents, bathing all the organs, even to the extremities of the wings. The nervous system of bees consists of a cord, or rather a double cord, commenc- ing in a knot in the head, which is their so-called brain ; from thence it extends throughout the whole length of the body under all the internal organs, resting on the "floor" of the body-walls. On' this cord, at intervals, there ai'e swellings (ganglia) from which fine filaments are sent out, which are special nerves for the various organs to which they lead ; one branch passing to the wings is distributed through all parts of them. The horny frame upon which the fine meml)raue of the wings is stretched, is all of it coniposed of hollow tubes of a hard substance called chitine (the same sub- stance that constitutes the hard ])art of the organs and the crust of all insects). Those tubes are double, being one tube inside ol another. The inner ones are extensions of the trachea through which the air circulates in breathing ; between which and the other is a space through which the blood circulates, and is brought in contact with the air through the thin walls of the air tubes, just as the air and blood are brought together in the human lungs, and M^ith the same eftect. Thus we see that the wings, besides be- ing organs of flight, are in reality lungs. The blood in the wings, however, is not confined to those tubes, but circulates like the sap in the leaves of plants to all parts of them, and, it is likely, is thus also aerated. The nervous filaments we have also seen pass to the wings. They follow these tubes, and all the fine venations, and ter- minate in every part of the wings in what are called nerve filaments (papilla?), which in all animals are, vehicles through which all sensations are perceived ; so that we may infer that the wings of bees, besides giving the power of flying and acting as lungs, are also organs of sensation of some kind. All parts of the human body have these nerve filaments on the surface, through which the sense of touch is exer- cised. The eye has them so modified that they give us sight. On the tongue they give us taste ; in the nose, smell, and in the ear, hearing — in each case modified to give dift'erent perceptions. For what purpose the wings of bees are so supplied has not been determined. We would of course conclude that the wina;s were not oro-ans of sight or taste. In all the investigations of naturalists none of them have been able to locate the organ of smell, although the belief is that it is the most poAverful of all their senses and the most necessary to them in search- ing for hone}'. By means of it, it is sup- posed that they recognize each other and distinguish between their tellows and strangers to the colony. Some have sug- gested the antennae as the organs of smell, but as they appear to be poorly adapted to perform such an oflSco, it is just about 10 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. as likely that they smell with them as that they see with them, which some have sup- posed thej' did. Invisible and subtle parti- cles emanating from odoi'ous bodies (often so fine that they elude all attempts to de- tect them by any other means), coming- in contact with the olfactory nerve -fibers, produce the sense of smell. These atoms are mixed with and float in the air, and in order to collect them a considerable volume of air must be made to pass over the surface — a thing which the wings cer- tainly accomplish in an eminent degree. It is highly probable that the sense of smell is lodged in the wings. The sense of hearing in bees has never been located by naturalists, although that office has by some been attributed to the antennae also. Is it not more probable that the wings exercise it ? The impress- ion of sound is produced on the organs of hearing in all animals by vibrations of elastic bodies (commonly the air). A deli- cate, thin membrane stretched across what is called the drum of the ear, receives the impression, and communicates it by means of an intricate arrangement of parts to the auditory nerve-fibers, ov papilla;. What appendage of the bee would be more suit- ed to receive such impressions than the thin, stiff membranes composing the wings ? But it is not intended in this article to discuss these questions. I only throw them out as suggestions. Whether the wings are the organs of smell or hearing, or not, does not materially affect the jioint I wished to make, /. c, that the clipping of a queen's wings is an injury to her. We have seen that they perform the office of lungs, and that a queen with clipped wings is in the same condition that a man would be with part of his lungs gone. Those who have seen human beings in that condition need not be told how use- less they are for the active duties of life. An insect like the bee, with a differently distributed vitality, may not be injured to the same extent, but that it is injurious no one certainly can doubt; and if by the mutilarioii, the sense of smell is destroyed, and the queen rendered deaf, her useiul- ness would certainly be imjiaired. In the act of fl3ing the bee makes an- other use of the trachea}. At the moment of elevating its wings it may be seen to increase in size suddenly, which is the ef- fect of drawing in through the spiracles a quantit}^ of air, which is distributed over the whole bod}', thus rendering it of less specific gravity ; the air being further ex- panded by the warmth of the body acts like the heated air of a balloon, and en- ables the insect to rise easily and sustain a long flight, even when loaded with honey and pollen. In the act of alighting it ex- pels the air with which it has been inflated, and falls suddenly to the alighting' board of the hive. If the landing place is nar- row and elevated, and it misses reaching it, the bee will be sure to fall helplessly to the ground, and can only rise again bj^ inflating its body. Bees with larger bod- ies than our honey-bee, the large bumble- bees have at the base of the abdomen, in addition to the ordinary air-vessels, two large sacs, called a«r vesicles, which are supposed to be used alone for inflation in fljnng, and some other insects have in the heavier parts of their bodies similar sacs. For the American Bee Journal. Italian Bees.— Their Worthlessness. We give below, an extract from the dis- cussion that took place at the meeting of the Bee-keejiers' Association, of OberHess, in July last, by which it will be seen that there are some in Grermany as well as this country, who have no faith in the Italian race of Bees. The question before the Association for discussion was : What practical results have thus far been obtained by the intro- duction of the Heath bee as compared with that of the other imported races — Carnolian and Italian ? Herr Don-, of Mettenheim, said: Gents, Since 1857 I have interested myself in im- ported races of bees, especially the Italian. I was their warm defender, and protected and guarded them as pet children, and thus became possessed of fine, pure colo- nies, and also some crosses in the first and second' degree. But when I seek to find out what has been the practical result from 1857 to the present, what return I have had for my trouble, outlay of money, etc., in the introduction of different races of bees, I am forced to acknowledge that all the foreign races combined are not worth an iota. I will not include the list by foul-brood which was introduced int(.> my apiary through' these importations. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 11 J, Ibr luy ]»art lost 500 g-uilders through the foul brood introduced by the Italiims, and on these grounds I wurn all my Asso- ciation friends. I must hence decidedly oppose any further importations. Inestiniable damage has been done to our neighborhood by the introduction of the Italian race. I could mention whole apiaries, containing upwards of forty stocks of movable comb hives, that were Italianized and have gone to total ruin. In 1868 I owned 100 movable comb hives ; three fourths of which had pure Italian queens, and the other fourth were half- breeds. From that time on I began to Germanize m}' stocks, and from 100 have come down to 40 Italian stocks; and so perhaps it may be with other members of the Association. I could show you with statistics how great the loss has been to our Association alone. • You would be amazed, and from this basis advise against every introduction of foreign races. The Heath bee does not suit us, because it swarms too much, when it should be gathering honey. I have in my imme- diate neighborhood, a beginner, a man of good judgment, who, persuaded b}^ the praises of Graven horst, procured 22 stocks of heather-bees. These cost, when they reached Alsbiem, somewhat over 500 guil- ders. He built a house. To-day they are standing there Avithout a half ounce of hone}' ; they swarmed, however, in abund- ance. Thus are failures produced, and upon these grounds I hold it to be my duty to so work, that our Associations will take this matter decisively in hand. Since 1868 I would not endure any Ital- ian blood in my apiary. I have half-breeds who do very well. Last year I allowed myself to be again jiersuaded and engaged 4 ver}' choice queens, and this spring three of them were proved to have foul brood. The entire stands were destroyed. This again cost me a fine sum of money. It would be far otherwise, if we would more closely watch our native bees, and from year to year note what stock distinguishes itself beyond the others, and make these the standards from which to rear our queens,and I believe we would improve our race of bees without costing us so much monc}'. President. It might, perhaps, be inter- esting should Mr. Dorr explain how the foul brood irot into his hives, Avhether it was imported with the Italian bees, or whether from a peculiar character of the Italian bee, which Avould in our climate produce foul brood. Ilerr Dorr. From 1857 to 1863, as Sec- retary of this Association, I received from Dzierzon Italian Queens. The Associa- tion of the Palaterate received from me Queens. Yet not in one instance did foal brood appear. In 1863 after the meeting at Hanover occurred the discussion as to the difference between the queens raised by Dzierzon, and those imj^orted. In the spring of 1863 I received my tirst queens from Mora, and the following Fall foul brood made its appearance. At the time I ascribed the appearance of foul brood to a peculiar circumstance. A friend of mine had some Italian queens in a triple hive. He desired me to put it in order. I agreed to do it, and had the hives brought to my apiar3^ I then purchased some honey from the honey dealers, for feeding, and I believed that the foul brood was caused by this honey. But it so hap- pened that others, who in 1863 and 1864 received queens were as unfortunate as myselfl Last year I tried some from Uhle, but with the same result — foul brood. Prof. Baest. At what time did foul brood appear most abundant ? Mr. Dorr. I have not yet concluded. From the hundred, yes, hundreds of queens, I have certain information of, I am con- vinced that the queens reared in May, June, and July are not foul-broody ; while on the other hand, those raised in the Au- tumn months, and those raised in Canton Tessin and sent out by the farmers, are nine-tenths of them foul-broody. Of the former, hardly one fourth show themselves foul-broody. Hence let the importing of strange races of bees alone. If we had spent for the aid of natural bee-keeping in the Grand Dutchy of Hesse, the amount of money expended for importing foreign bees, bee-keeping here would be in a very different stage. President. Judging from the remarks of Mr. Dorr, it appears that foul brood is imported with the Italians, and not a pe- culiarity of that race. Mr. Dorr. I have one more remark to make. I have, for example, often in Fall, in order to quickly accomplish my work, smoked the bees with a puff-ball, and in the evening I opened the hive and placed 12 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. all the combs over the stultified beefe. This Fall I watched the operation carefully. Every swarm so treated became foul- broody. I do not know of a single excep- tion, which I could say did not become foul-brood3^ Did I cage the queen, foul brood did not make its appearance so readil}-. On a former occasion in order to introduce foreign queens, I stupified them with the smoke of a puff-ball, the most of them be- came foul brood}^. To another I gave a queen, and it also became fbul-brood3^ I yesterday destroyed it, bees and hive. I can knowingly tell you of two incidents, where a queen was taken from a hive in- fected with foul-brood and put in a queen- cage, so that not a particle of foul-brood was present, and yet after a time it made its appearance. Dzierzon himself is unable to explain this. Mr. Secretary Gros von Arnsburg. It appears to me that Mr. Dorr admits that lialian queens reared in the months of May, June, and July are free from foul brood, while those reared in September produce foul brood. Why not rear our queens in those months? President. That is a very natural in- ference, but we must remember that queens reared in the Fall months are much cheap- er, so that the largest number are sold at that period, while those sold in Spring- cost double, yes, three times as much. Mr. Gross. But sooner than obtain foul brood, I would willingly pay a larger sum of money. President. What 3'ou say is very ra- tional, but one comes in conflict with his purse. I think this question has been suf- ficiently discussed. Should I in a few words give you my practical experience, it would be, that crosses obtained by the union of a pure Italian queen with a com- mon drone, or a queen of the Heath bees impregnated I)}" an Italian drone, are the best bees I have in m}^ apiar}", and I in- vite all Avho wish to be convinced of this to visit ra}^ apiary We have been too long breeding in and in, and this phlegmatic German blood needs quicken- ing. This is just what is done in improv- ing our breeds of cattle, and why should we not adopt the same measures with our bees? I cannot entii-ely agree with Mr. J)orr. Pastor Weber. Mr. Dorr told us that he began Italianizing in 1857. He has been breeding queens, then, for 10 years, and only lately has he become satisfied with his bees — and now they are all cross- es. If one procures queens in 100 or 1000 different ways, there will be no more of tbe pure German race. In Rheinish Hesse this freshening of the blood has been car- ried on to a great extent. There is, there, no pure race, but everywhere are traces of foreia'n blood. For the American Bee Joiirmil. The North American Bee Keepers' Association. The Third Annual Session of this As- sociation was held in the city of Louisville during the first week in December. In the absence of the President, Vice President Hamlin, of Tennessee, took the chair and called the meeting to order, Gen. Adair acting as Secretary. Owing to the inclement weather, and the sickness of some of the members, the attendance was not so large as could be wished, but the sessions were full of inter- est. The first morning was devoted to an informal meeting, and tbe afternoon to a free social conference. Letters were read from absent n\embers. Several practical questions were discussed : viz.. The size of brood laid b}^ a prolific qileen ; The cause of foul brood ; Why queens sometimes de- sert the hive, etc. The propriety of clipping the wings of queens was talked over at length, disclos- ing quite a difference of opinion on this subject. The proper kind of food for bees was also discussed, after which the meet- ing adjourned until 7 p. m. In the evening the respective value of the various honey plants was considered, and the Alsike clover was highly recom- mended. The subject of introducing queens Avas also discussed, and the j^ropriety of ex- tracting honey freel}' commented upon. The members were largely in favor of ex- tracted honey, as it leaves the comb intact, and ready to be refilled at once with hon- ey, there bj" saving to the bees more than half their labor. It is also claimed that it is better for the table, having been pre- pared for assimilation by the stock. It is assertetl tliat the only thing which renders THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 13 honey injurious to invalids, is the indiges- tible comb that is taken with it. MORNING SESSION. The Convention met at half-past 9 o'clock this morning Mr. Plamlin in the chair. General Adair stated that it was pro- ]>osed to hold a Centennial Exjiosition in Philadelphia, and moved that a committee of three be appointed to correspond with the managers, and see what arrangements could be made for having the bee interests represented. The resolution was adopted, and subsequent!}' the chair appointed a committee, and authorized them to appoint sub-committees in such states as they should deem proper. The Society then proceeded to the ELECTION OF OFFICERS. Seth Hoagland, of Pennsylvania, and Dr. F. B. Hamlin, of Tennessee, were placed in nomination for President, and a ballot was taken, resulting in the election of Mr. Hoagland by one ma-jority. For Recording Secretary, Abner Pope, and for Corresponding Secretary, General Adair, were elected without opposition, as was also J. S. Hill, of Mt. Healthy, O., as Treasurer. The following Vice-Presidents were then elected : New York — J. E. Hetherington, Cherry Valley. Pennsylvania — A. J. Hooker. Kansas — L. J. Dallas. Baldwin Cit}*. Michigan — A. J. Cook, Lansing. Minnesota — J. W. Hosmer, Janesville. Utah— W. D. Roberts, Provo City. New Jersey— E. J. Peck, Linded. Wisconsin — A. H. Hart, Appleton. District of Columbia — Hugh Cameron, Washington. Ontario — J. C. Thorn, Garafraxa. Georgia — R. Peters, Atlanta. Texas — J. W. Dunn, Corpus Christi, Arkansas — G. B. Peters, Council Bend. Maine— Mrs. A. C. Hatch, Houston. Connecticut— W. H. Kirk, West Che- shire. Louisiana — T. J. Bert, Mansfield. Alabama — Miss Fanny L. Morris, Shel- by Springs. Massac^husetts — E. N. Dyer, Amherst. West Virginia — A. Chapman, New Cum- berland. Nebraska — W. Young, Plattsmouth. Tennessee— T. B. Hamlin, Edgefield Junction. Florida — Mrs. C. Atkinson, Lcesburg. Ohio — Aaron Benedict, Bennington. Kentucky—Major T. J. .Key, Anchorage. Indiana — A. T. Wright, Kokoma. Illinois — J. L. Lucas, Peoria. Iowa — Mrs. E. S. Tup])er, J)es Moines. Colorado — T. J. Dorr, Colorado -Hprings. The subject of wintering bees was then discussed ; The moth and its troubles were also talked over, but it was claimed that with good hives and Italian bees, there was no danger to be apprehended from this quarter. Adjourned until 2 p. u. AFTERNOON SESSION. An interesting letter was read from the former Secretary, Mr. King, after which remedies for stings were considered. Colp water and wet cloths changed as often as necessary, or the compound tincture of Lobelia, were pronounced very effectual remedies. Mr Winder, however recom- mended sulphate of zinc dissolved in water, and Mr. Murray, supercarbonate of soda, used in the same wa}' as an outward ap- plication . The Corres})onding Secretary then read a letter from Dr. Phillips, which was placed on file. On a motion the Doctor was elect- ed as an honorary member of the Societ3\ The full ) wing resolutions were adopted : Resolyed, That the thanks of this society be teuclered. the city of Louisville for kindness and hospitality shown to the Association at this time. Resolved, That the Treasurer pay to D. L. Adair, Cor- responding Secretary, $6, amount expended by him for envelopes and postage in distributing the proceedings of last year's transactions, out of the first funds in the treas- ury not otherwise appropriated. Resolved. That the thanks of this society be tendered to the Louisville Courieh-Joubnal, Commehcial, and Ledoer. for their correct report of our proceedings. Resolved, That the thanks of this society be tendered to the trustees of the Public Library Hall, for their fine hall and their kind attention to us, and the Treasurer pay to the same. -t^W for the two days' use of their hall, if the Treasurf r cannot get it for reduced rates. Whereas, We have not funds in Treasury to meet cur- rent expenses : Resolved, That each member present pay one dollar additional, which shall be credited to them as oue year's payment in advance as members of this society. Resolved. That our Corresponding Secretary be allow- ed SIO for making out the transactions of this meeting, outOf any fund not appropriated otherwise ; $5,00 also ap- propriated for Dr. Hamlin, money spent for postage, &c,. in arranging for this meeting, ResolVed. Tliat as Mrs. E. S. Tupper is the only pub- lisher who is here, the society request her to prepare a synopsis of the reports of this meeting and i)ublish them in the December number of the National Bee JorR.VAL, and send a copy to each member who has paid the annual fee. and also toOther Bee publications and agricultural journals, and that the Secretary make an otticial report in pamphlet form as soon as he has funds to do it and that the Secretary be paid a reasonable sum for performing the above services. The question was asked, "Is artificial swarmino- as o;ood or better than natural 14 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Bwarming?" Adair moved that the Soci- ety answer the question in the affirmative, and o-ave substantial reasons therefor. An able paper was then read on the wings of the bee, which will be found en- tire in the present number of the Journal. The meeting then adjourned to meet at Pittsburg, Pa., the second Wednesday in November, 1874. For the American Bee Journal Doolittie's Article. Dear Journal: In the July number, page 7, we gave yon under the above heading our experience with bees up to April 28th. We propose now to let the readers of the Journal know what we have done since; and by the way, Mr. Editor, if more of your contributors would give their practical experience with bees instead of disputing so much with each other, and about hives, we think it would be of more benefit to be- ginrers as well as more edifying to expe- rienced bee-keepers. The cold Aveatner which began April 17th, continued until May 1st, and upon examining we found that our bees had decreased one-half in number to each hive. We united the weakest swarms so that we had but twenty-nine to begin the season with, one of which lost its queen shortly after. On May Ist, we did not have a hive that con- tained a quart of bees, and not a hive that had ten square inches of brood. The majority of them occupied from two to four ranges of comb and had no brood at all. The first pollen gathered was on April 30th, which was very small pillets indeed, and that from skunk's cabbage. Bees began to rear brood again May 2nd, and raised sparingly until May 14th, when it became cold again and remained so un- til the ?Oth, at which time the larvae was all destroj'ed again. May 21st, the hard maple threw oiit its thousands of blos- soms and the bees, what w(U"e left of them, began in earnest to prepare for the sum- mer; before that time we had spread the brood twice a week by putting empty frames or frames of honey in the center, and on the 30th, we never had so much bi-ood according to the number of bees in our hives, five hundred bees covering five thousand of brood easily, and from the 12th to the 18th of June we had mul- tiplied their number by ten and were once more in a ver}" prosperous condition. June 15, white and red clover began to bloom, and that Avith locust blossoms fur- nished our bees with an abundant supply of honey. June, 19. our first swarm came, Basswood commenced blossoming July 16 and lasted until August 2nd, which was the end of the honey season with us. We have at the present time fifty-four colonies in good condition for wintering, and four nuclei, so it will be seen that we have doubled our number counting the nuclei. We have sold surplus honey to the amount of 2350 pounds, 635 pounds of which was extracted and which we sold for fourteen cents per pound, the remainder was in two pound boxes which brought us twenty- seven cents per pound. On the whole we are satisfied with our season's work. We ])ropose wintering the same as last year with the exception that we shall leave the straw out of our safes until spring for the reason that our bees were kept too Avarm during the Avinter. Keep hi\^es banked Avith snoAv out of sight, and ha\'e all lower A^entilation nearly or entirely closed with one of Novice's quilts o\'er the frames, Avell tucked doAvn at the sides, and we will bid adieu to cellar wintering, as we believe bees can be Avintered in no better Avay. No lugging or lifting nor any mix- ing in the spring, but just a little pleasant exercise of sweeping the snow as it falls around the hives, and if it should come warm enough for them to fly, shoA^el it away in front and Avhat a nice fly they Avill haA'e. If it does not come quite Avarm enough they Avili keep quiet, as the snow keeps them at an e\^en temperature, so there is no loss of bees from getting chilled in the snoAv cA^ery time the mercur}' rises to forty in the shade. G. M. DOOLITTLB. Boradino, N. T., Dec. 6. 1873. Italian bees are said to guard their hives against the moth-miller much better than the common black bees, and for this reason their combs are seldom injured by the moth. The Alsike clover is equal if not superior to buckwheat as a honey plant, Avhile the honey produced from it is fully equal to that made from white clover. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 15 Do Bees Make Honey? Do the bees simply <;-ather the juice or secretion of the flowers and deposit it in the hive unchanged, does it undergo a change in their stomach, or is honey a secretion of the bees resembling that of milk in mammals? This (pK'stion was asked me lately by- a reader of the Dollar Monthly. With your permission I will describe my views on this question, subject to the criticism of older heads. When the bee visits the flowers it sucks the nectar with its jn'oboscis and swallows it. Thf^ honey passes into what entomol- ogists call the proventriculas, or first stomach, commonh' called "honey sac." If a part of this hone}" is needed for the nourishment of the insect, it passes into the ventriculus, or true stomach, in which it is digested. When the honey-sac is full the bee returns to the hive, unloads him- self by throwing the honej^ into the cells and again starts for the field. It is, therefore, cpiite plain that honey is not a secretion. Now, is honey changed in any way by passing in and out of the honey-sac of the bee? That is the question. It has been found by chemical analysis that the nectar of the flowers is cane sugar and that the honey harvested b}" the bees from those flowers is grape sugar. This discovery would be suflicient to prove that the honey gathered by the bees under- goes a certain change in the honey-sac. On the othor hand, W. W. Stoddard said, in a back number of U. B. J., that the hone}' when in the honey-sac conies in contact with an acid, that proved to be identical with formic acid. He says: '• This it is which doubtless causes the pe- culiar tingling sensation at the back of the throat when much honey has been swal- lowed." Later we find in the Apicultore of Milan a definite account of the existence of se- creting glands communicating with honey sac, and containing a saliva of a strong, peculiar odor that passes b}^ means of con- traction into the honey-sac. These three glands were discovered by Prof. Von Siebold, the well known Ger- man entomologist. He claims the honor of having described them the first, as they had always been thought by others to be respiratory organs. If the above discoveries arc real and well understood, we shall have to conclude that honey does undergo a certain change in the stomach of the bee, and, therefore, cannot be made artificially. It dees not exist in a natural state outside of the hive. The change efi'ected in the nectar of flowers by the stomach of the bee is not very great, however. The bee gives it a peculiar taste, but it cannot add anything to its quality or diminish it in any way. Before I close, permit me to thaidc Mr. M. Quinby for his article on wintering, in the December number. I also wish to tell friend Kretchner that we agree per- fectly together. Bees will not work as well in side boxes as in top boxes, although they ivill work in side boxes if they have no top boxes. But give them their choice and see what they Avill do. D. P. Dadant. Hamilton, 111, Bee. 15, 1873. Shaking Bees. James Heddon at the Michigan Bee Keepers' Meeting, said, " I find that shak- ing deep combs to get off the bees, irritates them. Is there a remedy?" There are several, a couple of which I will give. First, Use more care in subdu- ing bees in long, deep, or large hives. It is generally best to manage hives of bees, extracting honey, making swarms, &c. during a yield of honey, and before it is sealed with wax, that all the bees may fill their sacs with honey ; which thc}^ will do, if there is enough uncapped, and they are disturbed properly. If the honey is not in a condition, or of suflficient quantity, food may be given, to subdue the most vicious stock. The best brush is one or more grape or plantain leaves rolled loose- ly, sometimes the end trimmed. Weeds, grass, broom, feathers, or brushes may be used ; and if the articles are scarce, or on- ly one at hand, dip occasionalh' in water to wash off the odor which enrages badly managed bees. Second, Use the old fashioned, native, or black bees with your deep frames, that drop off the comb like shot off a shingle, at the least handling. The stock is get- ting scarce. It can probably be obtained of our former President, as they are his pets. St. Charles, 111. J. M. Marvin. 16 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ^mi|wan |)q JflUinal CHICAGO, ILL., JANUARY, 1874. Business Notice. The public are hereby informed that the proprietorship and management of the American Bee Journal have been trans- ferred to the American PubHshing Com- pany, of Chicago, the undersigned retaining henceforward only an editorial connection therewith. By this arrangement additional security is given for the permanence, effec- tive conduct and progressive improvement of this journal, inasmuch as the company into whose hands it has passed possess un- usual facilities for carrying it on. They are already publishing The Illustrated Journal, with which has recently been incorporated The Chicago Graphic and Illustrated Amer- ican, the announcement of which will be found in the advertising department of this number. They are also issuing other works of art. Having a corps of engravers connected with their establishment, they will be able from time to time to illustrate the pages of the Journal, a desideratum long felt by its proprietors and friends. The new publish- ers are determined to spare neither cost nor pains in making this periodical worthy of the patronage of the bee-keepers of North America. The experience of a year in the business and editorial conduct of the Amer- ican Bee Journal has convinced the under- signed that the apiculturists of this country need and are prepared to sustain a well-man- aged organ and exponent of their important industry. It has also convinced him that in order to the complete success of the Jour- nal, it is absolutely necessary that more capital, business ability and energy should be connected with it. These are now se- cured, and the new arrangement is announced in the fullest confidence that the results will be most satisfactory to all concerned. W. F. Clarke. The Outlook for Bee-keeping. Bee-keeping has come to take a high rank among the productive industries of the world. For want of statistics, which have never yet been faithfully collected, and which it is very difficult to get with any ac- curacy, only general terms can be em- ployed in speaking of its condition and progress. A national census throws but lit- tle light on this subject, for census commis- sioners do not usually enquire about live- stock so insignificant as bees, and what information they get is drawn out of the people by questions. They have a printed catechism, which does not embrace the in- quiries, "Any hives of bees?" "How ma- ny ?' ' and hence the most profitable kind of live-stock in proportion to cost and value, finds no place in the record. Very much the same is true of the honey product of this and other countries. It is very imperfectly represented by figures, and is only found in commercial reports that are devoted to market prices. We are consequently quite in the dark as to the important items of consumption and demand. But amid all this vagueness of knowledge about apiculture and honey, there are some things that stand out distinctly enough. One is the universality and abundance of honey. Everywhere in innermost hearts of myriad flowers, the Creator has garnered up stores of liquid sweet, which wait for collection and appropriation. Another thing we are perfectly sure of, viz., that this teeming and superabundant sweetness can only be made available through the good offices of the bee. Whether the floral sweet is reall}' honey as it lies treasured in the flower, or whether it undergoes a chemical change in the body of the bee, whereby common saccharine matter is transformed into honey, we need not now stop to enquire ; but it is absolutely certain that if man is to have honey, the bee must collect and store it for liim. F^very schoolboy knows how to get at the drop of sweetness that lies hid in a head of red THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 17 clover, but there is no way of doing it on a large scale except by bringing the "little busy bee" into our service. We know, moreover, that the proportion of honey actually gathered and made available for human use, is very small compared with what might be got, if there were gatherers enough to do it. Further, it is quite cer- tain, that there is no danger of the market being glutted with honey. It has never been abundant enough to cause a decline in the price, except as there has been doubt as to genuineness of quality. The best box honey never goes begging for purchasers, and the same would be true of extracted honey, but for a prejudice growing out of doubt as to its purity. Finally, we know that bee-keeping, though subject to fluctua- tion is no more so than most other sublunary things. Even the wheat crop sometimes fails, or when it does not fail, the demand slackens, and the price is low. In every line of business there is more or less of un- certainty, risk, and liability to sustain loss. This is no more true of bee-keeping than of other pursuits, and, therefore, it may fairly take rank among the safe and regular occu- pations of mankind. So much being settled in regard to the present condition of bee-keeping, let us glance at its future. It is now reduced to a science, which, though in its infancy, has its main principles ascertained and fixed. It is also an art, whose essential manipula- tions have been reduced to a system. Only those will succeed in it who master the principles of the science, and learn the viod- tis operandi of the art. It is passing out of the hands of unscientific and unskilled peo- ple, who are convinced that it is an unprofit- able business, and better hands are taking hold of it. Our best bee-keepers make api- culture pay, and some of them are quickly amassing snug little fortunes out of the in- dustry of the bee. As a higher class of bee- keepers get possession of the field, and apicul- ture ac([uires its true status among the indus- tries of the world, many will be attracted to the pursuit, who, instead of rushing into it with ig- norance and ardor as their only qualifications will first lay the foundation of success by thoroughly learning their business. We look for the springing up of a new genera- tion of advanced bee-keepers — bee-keepers who will be free from prejudice against book- learning about rural matters, and who will believe in movable-comb hives, Italian bees, and honey extractors. The disasters of the last two years, which have fallen most hea- vily upon the ignorant class of bee-keepers, have had the effect of discouraging these, and leaving only those in the field of api- culture, who have science enough to account for failure, and faith enough to try again, and keep trying until they achieve success. We believe, too, that the age of empiri- cism in bee-keeping is passing away. Im- postures feed and live on ignorance. Worth- less patents and clap-trap appendages, are thrown away so soon as the noviciate of bee-keeping is passed. What apiarian of any experience has not plenty of old lum- ber in the shape of abandoned hives and rejected "fixings?" We know now that with the movable frame, air-space, and the requisite room, bees will store honey in any sort of receptacle, and that the bee-keeper may suit his own taste and convenience in the matter of hives. Moth-traps, non- swarmers, and the endless little variations about frames and hives which have been made excuses for getting patents, are fast coming to be estimated at their real worth- lessness. An eager demand for trustworthy inform- ation and teaching on this subject, will manifest itself on every hand, and we shall soon have a race of studious, pains-taking, successful bee-keepers, whose influence will allure multitudes to this fascinating pursuit, and these in their turn will draw others into the apicultural ranks. So important and growing an interest niust ha\'e due representation in the press, 18 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. and will find it in such apiarian periodicals as make it their aim to advance apiculture, irrespective of all merely selfish interests. At the head of all these stands the American Bee Journal, and therefore all the auguries of success for intelligent bee-keeping are omens of prosperity for it. In this confi- dence it was removed to this city a year ago, and during a season of depression among bee-keepers, pushed with all the energy cir- cumstances admitted. In this confidence, it is now laid hold of by the American Pub- lishing Co., under whose auspices it enters on the year 1874 with every prospect of a growing circulation, and widening useful- ness. Knowing, as we do so well, the firm faith our most intelligent bee-keepers have in their business, and the high esteem in which they hold the American Bee Journal as the best exponent and organ of their special interests, we count most confidently on their continued co-operation. Their success is ours, and our success is theirs. In this community of interests and fellowship of labour for the general good, they have our best wishes, and we are certain that we have theirs. As we work on dilligently and hopefully, do we not hear merry voices ring- ing out the cheering refrain : "There's a good time coining, boys. Wait a little longer." Hints to Correspondents. Perhaps there is no way in which the sci- ence of bee-keeping can be better advanced than by comparing the experience of prac- tical men. One fact is worth a dozen theo- ries. Therefore we are grateful to our friends for giving their thoughts and the result of their efforts to the Journal. But it must be borne in mind that our space is not equal to our good wishes in this matter, therefore it will be necessary for our friends to condense their thoughts as much as possible. Try and give us the " concentrated extract " of your experience in Bee Culture. We will publish nearly all if possible, but if we have to cut and prune sometimes a little closely, please bear in mind that our space can only be filled, therefore we are sometimes obliged to publish only extracts, instead of whole let- ters. Another thing we would suggest is, that our correspondents avoid as far as pos- sible, all personalities. These are hardly calculated to produce harmonious feelings in our families, and certainly not essential to the science of Apiculture. Annual Meeting of the North American Bee-Keepers' Society. Elsewhere in this number will be found a report of the above meeting, held at Louis- ville, Ky. The editor of this journal fully intended to have been present, alike in the interest of the Journal and in the discharge of his duty as President of the Society. His intention was frustrated by the death of his father-in-law. The sad event took place too near the time of the meeting to arrange for the attendance of any other representa- tive of the Journal. It is hoped, however, that the report of the proceedings will be found accurate and satisfactory, and that this explanation of his non-attendance will be accepted by all concerned. I To Those Interested in Bee Culture. At the sixth annual convention of the Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association, it was decided to hold a special meeting at Kalamazoo, to commence Wednes- day, May 6ih, 1874. It is especially desired that all members be present, and, in behalf of the Association, we urge every bee-keeper in Michigan to attend. A cordial invitation is also extended to all persons inter- ested in the science of bee-culture, whether residing in this or other States. Surely much good may be derived from a comparison of experiences next Spring, and from the able papers that will then be presented. Timely notice will be given of all further arrange- ments. Address communications or inquiries con- cerning the subject to Frank Benton, Sec'y Mich. Bee -Keepers' Association. Shelby, Oceana Co., Mich. " Instead of complaining that the rose has thorns, I congratulate myself that the thorn is surmounted by roses." THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 19 Sundry Items. Introducing Queens. — Having more ex- perience in introducing queens as recom- mended by me in October Journal, I would advise not to release hxtc in the season, especially in cool weather. Packing Hives for Winter. — I have packed some hives to winter on summer stands, as follows : Of stuff inch wide by quarter inch thick, I cut off lengths so as to make frame, four pieces for a frame, the outside dimensions of which are same as the side walls and top of brood chamber. These skeletons were covered with coffee sacking, and when ready to pack, I removed the wooden sidewalls and top of brood chamber altogether, replacing with those just de- scribed, and then filled in all around and on top with straw. I am confident this will avoid all moisture, and be much warmer — the two most essential points to be gained, for successful out door wintering. Now if any who chance to read these lines, have bees in single walls to winter on summer stands, having done nothing hy way of protection, I would say, Try a few hives as follows : Make a frame and cover it with sacking as above described, that will fit snugly inside of cap, fill cap with straw and press the frame down upon it, having put the side to which the sacking is fastened to frame next to the straw. Remove the honey- board, and replace the cap on hive. Now set the hive one side, and place on the stand a dry goods box, several inches larger all round than the hive, with the open side facing the same way as the front of the hive. Fill in the back side of the box with straw, and set the hive in the box, and fill in both sides with straw. If your bees dont come out in Spring in better condition, on less honey eo?isiinied, tell us all about it in the Journal. This brings us to consider Novice's allu- sion to us in November Journal, on " Out- door wintering," in regard to which he has heretofore expressed himself, as follows : "We should give them no protection whatev- er, unless it be from the wind ; but should endeavour to have them receive all the sun possible." One of Novice's correspondents writes, "that in this climate, out door, with- out protection is very unsafe," to which Novice adds, " We have been obliged to come to the same conclusion in regard to out-door wintering." What conclusion, Novice ? Why, that out-door wintering, without protection, is very unsafe. That is plain enough without "pursuing our read- ing any farther," as we do not think the statement about the sunshine alters the meaning of the above at all. In giving our views we have always con- fined ourself to the subject in hand, viz., "Wintering on Summer Stand," and not as Novice generally does, shift it to "Winter- ing in Special Depositories." In the report of the Kansas State Bee- keepers' Association, we find the following assertions by Mr. Meador : In speaking of the queen he says, "After impregnation all the eggs produce females, and that the male bees were generally produced by eggs from the worker bee, fed for the purpose." That we have fertile "workers," I sup- pose every queen breeder has found out to his detriment ; but the above assertions in regard to the same are at variance with all our reading or experience. I for one, and methinks a whole brigade of Journal read- ers join in, would like his "proofs for the faith that is in him." I removed a queen from a hive in May, from which drones were flying, and as I wanted drones froin the queen that succeed- ed the one removed, I placed drone comb in the middle of the hive, which was filled with eggs, and cells sealed long before any worker progeny of the new queen hatched. So if that drone comb was filled with eggs by a fertile Avorker, it must have been one bred from the old queen, consequently there could be no variation in drones hatching from that brood, and those in the hive when the old queen was removed. There was, however 2. great difference in the markings, showing a different strain altogether. J. E. Moore. Rochester, Pa., Nov. 28, 1873. " Moon's Bee World," is the name of a new periodical published at Rome, Ga. — We wish the new magazine all success and may the South soon become ' ' a land flowing with milk and honey." Fruit may be preserved with honey by putting the fruit first in the can, then pour- ing honey over it, and seal air tight; when the honey is poured from the fruit it will have the flavor and appearance of jelly, making a delicious dessert. 20 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Foi' the American Bee Journal. A New Repository for Bees. Mr. Editor: Of the great number who suffered from the loss of bees last Winter I am one. I lost all I had, forty-two stocks, leaving a large amount of honey. And now after sifting the matter down to a fine thing, I have concluded the cause was in a measure carelessness, in not protecting the bees and giving them sufficient ventilation. The Winter set in about Nov. 12th, 1872, and continued until about the last of March, 1873, ^00 cold all that time for bees to be out, except one or two days in February, then but few made their appearance. The consequence was that the frost accumulated in the hive, and then a moderate day would come to melt the frost and make it run down over the combs and thin the honey, which caused dysentery. Nearly all in this section lost all the bees they had; the disease paid no respect to the pattern of hive but entered all alike. Last Spring I procured two very weak stocks of black bees from a neighbor, the best that I could do here. I also procured a medium stock (five frames) of Italians from W. J. Davis, of Youngsville, Pa; this stock contained a beautiful queen, and as prolific a queen as I ever saw. In order to make a cross I procured a very beautiful queen from Mr. D. A. Pike, of Smithsburg, Md., and introduced her into one of the black stocks, then after a sufficient length of time formed nucleus, raised queens, which mated with Mr. Davis' stock of drones. No drone brood was allowed to hatch in the black stocks for six weeks after the Italian queens were introduced. I have increased to eleven good stocks with abundant stores for a long Winter, and the nicest, most robust and the best workers that I ever saw. The loss of last Winter is a dear lesson to most bee- keepers— it has proved so to me at least. I have built a repository, which I think is complete, as follows: I selected a dry spot which slopes a little to the north, then graded it to the south twelve feet, and ten feet the other way; then set two posts at north end, wide enough apart for a door, then four feet south two other posts, same distance apart, and eight feet farther south two posts, same distance, then pinned perlines on to]) of the i)osts, same as a barn, put stays across the top to keep the posts from leaning in to- ward each other, posts four feet high from the floor; then set up two-inch plank of sufficient length to meet at the top, same as rafters, with one end on the ground, thus making a roof eight feet wide; then plank- ing up the ends, all but the door four feet high and thirty inches wide, then planked up the remaining four feet perpendicular and out to the first two posts, then horizon- tal over the top, and then covered the whole over with dirt from twelve to fifteen inches deep, leaving another door at the north end, forming a hall, can open the first door, pass in and shut it, and open the next, this lets no light in nor sudden change of air. Have ventilated at the bot- tom with two inch pipe and at the top with six inch stove-pipe; put a roof of boards above the dirt, and kept a stove and fire in it about four weeks before putting in the bees. Have only the out-side door shut, it is warm enough up to this date. The bees are perfectly quiet with all the holes open in the honey-board. They were put in on the 13th of November. The weather has not been warm enough to fly since had they been out. M. Wilson. Meredith, Pa., Nov. 28, 1873. Hints to Ladies. Much has been said and done in relation to "Woman's Rights," but amid all the speeches, conventions and resolutions of the last few years, the most siiccessful women have been those who have quietly gone to work, winning their own wa}' to prosperity. All the conventions this side of the gar- den of Eden will not help woman into a position of comparative independence un- less she tries to help herself Rosa Bon- heur did not ask Congress to make her an artist — nature gave her the ability and she wrought out her own problems with patience and earnestness. Harriet Ilosmer sought no aid from conventions and by-laws when she began her life work, and Florence Nightingale did not care to vote before she went into the Crimea. But all women are not artists or sculptors. Their gifts vary as much as those of the other sex, and indeed like many of them, some of us seem to have received none at all, that is no bright par- tieuhir talent, which, if cultivated, will l)ring wealth and fame. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 21 To Imiulreds tuul thousands of brave hearted women the serious question comes home "What can we do for a livino-." The endless round of domestic hil)or brings little or no reward, while the ranks of teachers and seamstresses are filled to overflowing-. There are clerkships to be sure, anil many of them are ably filled by lailies ; but side by side with them, are stalwart men who ireary themselves with handling ribbons and laces, Avhile the soil waits for tilling and the harvest fov rea- pers. In many de]>artments of life man gets sadly '-out of his sphere" by intrud- ing upon women's legitimate domain. But we cannot straighten the world's machin- ery, though it sometimes gets badly out of gear, neither can we force the drones into their proper places. It therefore be- hooves us to find fields of labor where there is room enough and to spare, and perhaps the most tempting of these is the science ot Apicuhiturt'. Woman is particularly fitted for the handling of bees. Her perceptions are cptick. her touch is delicate and her in- stincts are seldom at fault. Many of us can find time amid domestic cares to culti- vate a few flowers and we do not feel that the time thus spent is wasted, even though it brings no financial reward. But the care of a few colonies of bees would re- quire no more time than the same number of flower beds and the pursuit is even more fascinating ; there is more pleasure in seeing the little workers build without a compass their geometrical cells than in watching the uufoldings of bud and blos- som. The work is lighter and cleaner than Horticulture, besides jnelding sub- stantial returns. And however happil}^ a woman may be situated in life there is a pleasure and independence derived from the iise of money which she has earned that can be found in no other way. Then if she wishes to make her husband a holi- day present, she can do so without feeling that it came from his own pocket. Many a worn out teacher and tired house-wife may find among their bees rest, health and a new interest in life. To women in feeljle health bee-keeping ofters man}' advan- tages. Let them be hers and let her take care of them, and she will feel an interest in the little creatures that can be awak- ened in no other way. Every pleasant day will find her more than once beside the hivos, and llii' fresh air and glad sun- shine with the aid of light em])loyment will give her a strong hold u[)on life. It opens a new world in natural history which proves to be one of absorbing intei-- est. It has been demonstrated that some of the most successful Apiarians in the country are ladies. Says Mrs. E. S. Tapper: "In the sum- mer of 1863 I had but two pure Italian stocks to commence with. One of these stored one htoidred and ten pounds of honey besides giving three swarms. The other gave two swarms and stored ninety-six ])ounds of honey. All of the 3'oung sAvarms filled their hives and some of them stored honey in boxes. In the summer of 1864 I averaged from nine Italian colonies one Imndrertand eigliteen pounds each." A gentleman writes from Odell, III., that " Wife has managed the bees at home this summer. She had twelve swarms to start with, some of them very weak. Sold one hundred and thirty dollars worth of surplus bees and two hundred and fifty pounds of honey, which was doing pretty well, considering the poor season and the first attem]>t." Yet we will venture the assertion that this lady did not neglect her other duties or enjoy life anj- the less on account of the time spent in caring for her bees. Ladies here is health, happiness and financial success for you-. Do not say that you do not understand the business, that you cannot learn, that you are afraid of failures, &e. One year's subscription to the American Bee Journal will give you a whole volume of advice from the best practical Apiarians in the country. It requires but little capital to begin with, hence the risk is very small and success is almost certain. Try the experiment next summer, and let us hear of your suc- cess in the fall through the columns of the Journal. ' Mrs. H. V. Keed. Central Iowa Bee-Keepers' Association. The next annual meeting of the Central Iowa Bee- Keepers' Association will be held at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jan. 21, 1874, and hold two or three days. It is expected that the usual reductions will be made in railroad and hotel fare. A. B. Mason, Sec'y, Waterloo, Iowa. A large natural swarm of bees carries with it four or five pounds of honey when leaving. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Translated for the American Bee Journal. Early and Full-developed Queens. Whoever has, even superficially, exam- ined the internal arrangements of the hive, can see readily how differently the ■development of the stock takes place un- der varying circumstances. You may have .seen a swarm fill in three days an ordinary .sized hive, while it would take, with other .swarms, three years to accomplish the same. Hanneman tells us that in Brazil young- swarms after one month send out new .swarms, while under other circumstances such a young swarm would not think of swarming under a year. As with the development of the whole hive, so it is in resemblance, if not in proportion, with the develoj)ment of each individual under various circumstances and at different pe- riods of the year. How marked the dif- ference, we may see in the varying lengths of the life of the worker bee at different periods of the year. Of those bred in April •or May, not one will be living six weeks afterward ; or at least very few ; while those born shortl}^ before lived to hoary old age. Those hatched in August or September, appear six months afterwards, in Spring, as young and active as though just one day old. Such is the effect ot the constant and incessant labor during the ,Summer,and the protracted rest in Winter. Should we observe the queen, the most perfectly developed of all the bees, upon whom depends the development, populous- ness and profitableness of the hive, we would see that her activity differs great- 13^ at different portions of the year. Nor- mall}' her activitj' with us ceases entirely during the last three months of the year. Only in swarms which breed a queen late in the season, or which are for a long time queenless do we find any brood in the fall and winter months, Avhich is owing to the fact that the bees have a desire for it, •owing to their long queenlessuess ; having on hand in their cells a store of brood-food. This untimely ])reeding, especiall}^ if it extends into the Winter, works to their injury, and is as undesirable as the, in oth- er hives, too early and extensive breeding in Spring for fear of the cold. Also to- wards the close of the honey harvest, an earlier shrinking of the quantities of brood would bo advantaireous. On Ihe other hand, in the early months immediately preceding the honey harvest, in April, May, and June, the bee keeper desires to stimulate breeding to the ut- most, and prevent any possible interrup- tion. The more brood the hive now pos- sesses, the more workers it will have to gather the harvest. At the first start young swarms are very industrious, but this gradual^ diminishes, owing to inevit- able loss of workers, without any supply being furnished until three weeks later when the young brood begins to hatch out, and renew the life of the swarm. From a strong colony we can gradually remove great masses of bees, without any injury- to its strength, either as regards its flight or building capacity ; but should the queen dej)art, either by natural or artifi- cial swarming, or by any other means, all building will at once cease, and how sadly the swarm falls gradually behind hand in its working capacities, all bee keepers well know. The brood supply will disapjsear in a few weeks, in which time several strong swarms might have been reared, and per- haps at the height of the honey harvest, the hive will be almost empty of bees and will have no surplus for its winter support, if it even lives that long. Here becomes apparent the advantages of the movable comb hives and a rational system of bee- keeping. Here these dangers of queen- lessuess are so diminished as to be ren- dered almost harmless. The swarm can be readily su])plied with brood from time to time, and more readily supjjlied with qneen. While in other hives, eleven to thirteen days will elapse before a young queen will be hatched out, I can now remove a laying que.en, and usually in two days after have a young queen hatched, which in eight daj'S Avill begin to lay. From April, as soon as drone-brood is to be seen, I seek constantly to have a supply of queen-cells on hand. I utilize the queen as soon as hatched ; generally, howevei', use the queen-cells just before the queens hatch. ITo remove a fertile queen, and introduce a young one, or insert a queen-cell, will often miscarry. One must adopt many maneuvers to reach his object. To an unqueened stock, in the meantime, I give a comb of brood from another stock or nucleus, upon which are found (|ueen-cells some days old, and give THE AMERICAN HEK .TOUENAL. 23 to these latter an already hatched queen, or a queen-cell. It is not to be feared that these latter will destroy the cells, es- pecially if they are young and were given to the hive with the bees on them. The swarm will at once protect the cells and commence to complete them, and will thereby be favorably inclined on the follow- ing day to accept an older queen-cell or perhaps a recently hatched queen, and the comb containing the cells may be given to another recently unqueened swarm. By mixing the bees of two swarms, ei- ther by interchanging combs, or by shak- ing the bees from them, a swarm may be prepared for accepting a young queen. Al- so a stupefying of the bees, with the smoke of a puff-ball, perfumery, etc., serves well. When one has not a surplus of young queens, it is well to confine them in a cage until the bees become acquainted with her. This introduction, however, is only com- plete when the young queen becomes fertile, which is sometimes very slow. The impreg- nating of young queens depends much on the weather, since it requires bright, pleas- ant weather with a temperature of upwards 77° F. in the shade. Here the bee-keeper can aid somewhat, that the young queen may become earlier capable of being im- pregnated, earlier capable of making her wedding flight, and, consequently, earlier capable of laying. That young queens will make their wedding flight at a certain specific time, as Herr Collen claims to have discov- ered, is opposed by theory and practice. Fourteen days in March will not advance a queen as far as seven days in May. The queen of an after swarm will b'e lay- ing before the queen of another stock, of like age, will hardly be thinking of making her wedding trip, perhaps not yet ruler of the hive. There is very good ground for this. To attain the capability of being im- pregnated the internal organs must be more developed, which require the building up of the muscles and nitrogenous nourishment. Such food the bees alone prepare when in full, active life, when building and brooding is going on. It is true that in after swarms there is no breeding going on, but there is great activity in building, and for this pur- pose a higher temperature is maintained; this stimulates in the young queen an earlier development, earlier flight and earlier lay- ing. In the mother stock, however, there is neither breeding nor building going on, no full active life rules the hive, hence the young (jueen remaining behind, in general, developes herself much more slowly. Many keepers of movable comb hives, or basket hives, cut away some portion of the comb near the entrance, in order by the filling of the vacancy, to test whether the hive was queenless or not. And by so doing they obtain, without thinking of it, an ear- lier impregnation of their queen, the- in- creased activity in building bringing this about. In movable comb hives the activity of the bees is aroused and the development of the queen is hastened by placing in the hive a comb of young unsealed brood, or, if he does not wish to destroy fine empty combs, let him separate the combs and in- sert between them, near the fly hole, empty frames with simply foundations. Again, by feeding in the evening, and from time to time sprinkling with thinned honey, will the early and full development of the queen be not a little hastened. Yesterday, August 8, a hot, oppressive day, I entered my Apiary about three P. M. Hardly any bees were flying, since this one week of oppressive heat had parched all vegetation. Only the drones, where any were yet present, were hotly pursued. Their number becoming daily less, I sprinkled all my nuclei, con- taining young queens, with diluted honey. It was hardly a minute before I saw a young queen with her cluster of bees leave the hive; on opening the hive a quarter of an hour later, I found the plain signs of her copulation. Without the aid given by this sprinkling of thinned honey the queen would not have come out; and had the weather changed, days, yes weeks, might have elapsed before another favorable opportunity would have presented itself. Moreover, the periods at which the im- pregnated queens begin to lay differ widely. Often in two days after copulation she has full laying powers, but with as thin a body as an unimpregnated queen. And then noth- ing is so stimulating as comb of young brood. The bees having then to prepare food for the brood, the queen will also be abundantly furnished with it, and thus be- gins to lay so much earlier. In this is also the advantage that in looking for the queen you will find her on the brood comb, and then one can readily see whether she is wanting in any particular. DZIERZON. Carlsiiiark, Aug. g, iSyj. 24 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Voices from Among the Hives. A. C. Balch, Kalamazoo, Mich., writes: — I have put all my bees into the cellar for the winter, and have no fears of losing them, as I have no faith in dysentery or bad honey. I believe with Cromwell — ' Put your faith in Providence and keep your powder dry.' — Have good hives, the tighter the belter, and give very little ventilation. Put them in a good, warm, dark and dry cellar, with enough to eat, and they will come out all right; at least mine always have. I never give any top ventilation, andibut small bottom, and thus have no circulation of air through the hive. Joseph B. Rapp, Owensville, O., writes: — Some of us beginners would like to have communications from A. Grimm, M. Quinby, Capt. Hetherington and other Apiarians, describing in detail their methods of managing apiaries. From what little knowedge I have been able to pick up about bees, I think that Mr. Faulkners, of Vevay, Ind., has the best way of man- aging bees for profit. Colonies in this country are almost all weak in numbers, and will necessarily have to be protected to winter surely. W. J. McKee, Cedar Falls, Iowa, writes:^! consider the Journal indispensable to every bee- keeper. A. Grey, Reiley, Ohio, writes: — What few bees were alive last Spring have done fine this season, both in honey and in mcrease of stock. I do not fear the dysentery this Winter, as the honey is of the best ([uality and the stocks are in good condition for Win- ter. Success to the Journal and all of its readers. W. M. Kellogg, Oneida, Ills., writes of Bee- stings and "Novice," as follows: — "Friend Argus thinks the lips the worst place on which to have a loving bee salute a person. Just let him get a good deep one on the inside of the nostril, as I have had twice, and he will own up that he had rather try the kiss on the lips, or take one on the tip end of the nose ker slap, with the bee coming like a ball from a rifle. As for me, I had rather be excused from any of them. Friend Chapman, I agree with you in regard to the abuse heaped upon "Novice," and I too enter my protest against having any such articles appear in the Journal. And as to his opposition to patent hives, I think if a little more of it were done, bee-keepers in general would be the gainers. I bought the Right ? of an Eastern hive, and it would have been a hundred dol- lars in my pocket had I never seen said hive; and now we all have the right to make as many of them as we (doiiH) want. E. LiSTON, Virgil City, Missouri, reports as follows: My bees are all in good order for wintering, and are on their summer stands. Winter is open and the bees fly every few days. In this section of the country bees made us no surplus the past season on account of dry weather, and I fear many black bees in old box hives will starve to death before bloom comes next ^-um- mer. Successful Apiarians in this section are very scarce,^ because they have not the energy, industry and care that the calling requires. J. F. Love, Cornersville, Tenn., writes: — Our bees are in the very best condition possible for wintering, and this has been a good season for honey in this part of the State. I do not expect to lose a single stock; our bees can fly every ten or fifteen days through the Winter- generally; we keep them on the summer stand. I saved every full stock and all nuclei last Winter on the summer stands and with no sign of disease of any kind.^ Dr. E. G. Decker, Fort Fairfield, JNIaine, says: — Being an Apiarian, I do not know how to get along without the Journal. Bees did well here the past season; my thirty hives paid me ten dollars apiece, besides increasing to seventy-five full stocks. My surplus was all boxes, price here, twenty cents, gross weight. I take no particular pains with them as I have a large country practice to attend to. Winter in the cellar, keep them in from November 25 th to April loth or 20th. I hope to see the Journal semi- monthly before long. J. Harper, Mason, Mich., writes that bees have done v.'ell in his locality for the last three seasons and that the last year has been the best of all. He also mentions a fatal disease which has attacked his bees. Having found a goodly number dead, he inquired into the cause and found a maggot or crab, about the size of a horse-fly maggot, only they are wider between the eyes and very black. He states that he has put some of these in glass vials, and thinks they will hatch in the Spring; they are now in cocoon state. Some explanation is asked for from any one who lias had^any practical experience in that direction. P. J. Talbot, Viola, Iowa, says : — I deprecate all complicated hives, not because they are patented, but because they are very injurious to lieginners — experi- enced apiarians will not use them. . . . The frames should be high enough from the bottom of the hive to allow it to be easily cleaned out witli a small scraper and slip board at the laottom and rear of the hive. That should be attended to often if the weather will permit. Mr. Campiskll ol Tennessee, writes : — Three years ago I began with two stocks in box hives, one of which I transferred to the Langstroth hive, and the other to the Buckeye. Those in the Langstroth liive did well and increased rapidly, but the moths took charge of the other, and the bees refused to stay in it. I put them in three times, and the last time they THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 25 came out they took to the woods with a "whiz." I had no surpUis honey this season. It has been a very poor vear for honey in this locality. S. ). Freeborn, Ithaca, Wis., says : There is very lillle done in this section in scientific liee-keeping, Init thanks to the JOURNAL, we hS\iG to do a little in that line another Summer. What few bees there were left did very well in gathering honey last Summer. It was mostly collected from Ijuckwheat, and was thick- er than usual. Wm. Muth Rasmussen, of El Monte, Los .\ngelos Co., Cal., writes : Last August a small number of bee-keepers of this county formed the Bee-keepers' Association of Los Angelos County. We do not yet count many members, but hope before long to have most of the bee-keepers of the county join us, and new members are coming in at each meeting. A committee appointed for the purpose, reported at the last meeting 31 17 hives of bees in the comity, and probably more which they had not been able to find. The yield of honey from these hives for the last season was estimated at 160,000 pounds. Thos. H. Hunter, Zanesville, Ohio, says : — This has been a poor season for gathering honey in this lo- cality. From seven colonies I had only about a hun- dred pounds of box honey. John Middleworth, Byron, Mich., writes : — The last two Wintei's will long be remembered by the bee- ksepers in this vicinity. I lost in 1871, forty-three stocks out of forty -six, and in 1872, lost thirty-three out of thirty-six. There was only one stock besides mine wintered, making only four in the township. I now have nine colonies, and hope for better success. Wxi. ASHCOME, Ligonier, Pa., writes : — Bees have done better here the last season, than they have for the past twenty years. I never had them in a better condition than now. I keep them on their summer stands, using the one story Langstroth hive. In the Fall I pack between the outside and the glass \\ith dry leaves, and since doing this have had no moldy comb. J. A. Foulston, of Farley, Iowa, says : — I had ten swarms last Spring in very poor condition. I Ital- ianized all but two, and increased them to fifteen colonies, and took three hundred pounds of honey with the extractor. James Scott, Epworth, Iowa, reportsas follows :— I went into winter quarters in 1872 with thirty-six stands : lost one in the cellar by starvation with plen- ty of honey in the hive. It was a two story hive, and I had neglected to remove the upper story. I lost seven in all, in the Spring sold two, leaving twenty- six, most of them in poor condition ; but I obtained 1900 pounds of extracted honey and increased my -stock to thirty-six. Mrs; V. C. Condit, of Howard Springs, Tenn. states : — Bees did poorly here until llie ist. of July, on account of wet weatlier. After tliat they did very well ; but we liad no increase. W. J. Davis, Voungsville, Pa., says : — I prize the American Bee Journal very highly, and consider it worth more than all the other Bee magazines combined. J.'VMES M. I,AY, of Madison, Wis., writes : — In re- lation to thC' bee plant, Mona7-do Punctata, I think it grows best when sown in the Fall or in the Spring before the snow goes off. I sowed some last May that did not come up, but expect so see it next Spring. Lost all our bees last Winter : bought one swarm last Spring, and it increased to fourteen, besides giving 190 pounds of honey. John A. Buchanan, of Wintersville, Ohio, writes as follows : — Our experience in this locality is, that our gains are doubled by the use of the Extractor and more than doubled by reading and practicing upon the many valuable suggestions found in the columns of The American Bee Journal. H. Root, Otisco Valley, N. Y., states :— Out oi ninety-nine swarms last year, only thirty-three sur- vived, and most of them in a very weak condition. I increased them to only forty-one, my object being honey, and they gave me 1800 pounds of nice honey, which I sold. in New York for thirty -six cents a pound. This was done by the black bee in the Langstrotli hive. If any have done better,, let us hear from them through the Journal. You may consider me a subscriber for life. J. T. Watkins, of Sparta, Ind., asks several que>- tions, which he will find fully answered in this numlier and the next. Anna Saunders, ofWoodville, Miss., writes that there are very few bees in that locality, but that the few are prosperous, there being no bee disease in that vicinity. She says farther : — I enclose you a few .seeds of the Sage tree, which is as large as the medi- um sized Larch, and when in bloom is alive with bees. Will take pleasure in sending the seed to any one. In reply to her questions about the sale of queens, apiarian supplies, etc., we would refer her to our ad- vertising columns. We shall lake pleasure in testing the seeds sent. A. B. Mason, of Waterloo, Iowa, called on us a few days ago. Mr. M. reports that Italian bees did not do well in his section of Iowa, on account of the severe drought in the early part of the season. Mr. Lee, of Pecatonica, 111., brought to our market 1400 pounds of comb honey in December. It was very choice indeed. We did not learn to whom it was sold. His bees were very successful during last sea- son. He commenced the season with forty colonies, and now has over one hundred, and has sold over 3000 pounds, coml) and extracted. 26 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Mr. James J. H. Gbbgobt of Marblehead, Mass., aims to supply one great want, which many a good farmer, when too late. has felt to his keen sorrow: Garden seeds that know how to come up, and when the crop is gathered prove to be just the kind the label said they were. Mr. Gregory is one of the few seedsmeu in the United States who grows a large portion of the seed he sells, and begets out a live Catalogue, as would be expected of the original introducer of th"e Hubbard Squash. His advertisement will be found in this number. His Illustrated Catalogue will be sent free to applicants. Micliigan Bee-Keepers' Convention. The following report of the proceedings of that body is just received from the Secretary. He makes an apology for the delay upon the ground that he has been ^getting married, and, therefore, had no time to attend to matters of minor importance. We accept his excuse as being perfectly valid: Grand Rapids, Mich., Sep. 17, 1873. 7:30 P.M. — The sixth annual convention of the Michigan Bee -Keepers Association met, pursuant to notice, in the Court-House, at Grand Rapids, Vice- President A. C. Balch, of Kalamazoo, in the chair. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. A number of those announced for papers not being present, the Secretary proposed that extemporaneous remaks upon some subject of present interest to bee- keepers be made. The subject of Hives was decided upon. The point contended was for the most part the relative merits of (jne and two story hives. Mr. H. A. Burch, of South Haven, claimed that in his experience the hive with a single story had proved the most successful. Mr. James Heddon, of Dowagiac, defended hives of two or more stories. He piled his hives one upon another to the hight of two or three stories, and said by changing the frames from one part to another part of the sections, he had induced the queen to go into all parts of the hive and deposite her eggs, thus filling every part with brood. Mr. Tomlinson, of Allegan, used a hive of one story, and very shallow frames, only six inches in width. He had, during the Summer just passed, in- creased his swarms from five to twenty in number, and had taken four hundred pounds of box -honey. The meeting was rather informal, and considerable digression from the main subject \\'as indulged m. Adjourned until to-morrow 9 A. M. THURSDAY MORNING SESSION. The President still being absent, the chair was fdled by Vice-President Balch. The order of business was announced to be the consideration of Artificial Swarming and the Honey Extractor. The subject of artificial swarming was discussed and the various methods stated by Messrs. A. C. Balch, C. I. Balch, Heddon, Everard and Porter. The Secretary then read an interesting paper by A. I. Root, of Medina, Ohio, upon "The Honey Ex- tractor, its Uses and Benefits." After the experience of some of the members pres- ent with the Honey Extractor was given, the meeting adjourned till evening. THURSDAY EVENING SESSION. The meeting was called to order by the President, T. E. Bingham, of Allegan, who had arrived during the day. To the great satisfaction of all present. Prof. A. J. Cook, of Lansing, formerly Secretary of the Associa- tion, put in an appearance at the opening of the meeting. The topic for the evening, as announced at the pre- vious meeting, was the all important subject of Win- tering Bees. ^ Upon this subject Prof. Cook had prepared a some- what lengthy, able and scientific paper, which he read to the convention. The paper drew out a most hearty vote of thanks to Prof. Cook. Some remarks were made, and the experience of members stated on the subject under consideration. Mr. A. C. Balch stated that according to his experi- ence very little ventilation was needed in Winter, and gave his jreason for such a position. He stated that with much ventilation there was a constant escape of heat, and that the temperature inside the hive would he more variable. After a very interesting evening, the meeting ad- journed until to-morrow morning at eight o'clock. FRIDAY MORNING SESSION. Meeting called to order by President Bingham. Minutes of last meeting read and approved. The convention then proceeded to transact miscellaneous business. Motion made and carried that the Society hold a special meeting at Kalamazoo, the first Wednesday in May of 1S74. Motion made and carried to empower the special meeting at Kalamazoo to appoint the time and place of holding the next annual meeting. The election of officers was then proceeded with, the following being the result: President, A. C. Balch, Kalamazoo; Vice-President, H. A. Burch, South Ha- ven; Secretary, Frank Benton, Shelby, Oceana Co; Treasurer, T. F. Bingham, Allegan. Motion made and carried that the retiring President and Secretary receive a vote of thanks from the So- ciety for the faithful manner in which they have per- formed their respective duties. A resolution was then introduced relative to amend- ing the constitution so that instead of the former num- ber of oft~icers, there should be in addition a Vice- President for each of the several counties of the State, so far as represented in the Association. Adopted. The convention proceeded to appoint Vice-Presidents for all the counties represented in the Society. The meeting then adjourned until the first Wednes- day in May, 1874. J. W. PoRTER, Sec'y Mich. Bee-Keepers' Association. T. F. Bingham, President. To Bee-Keepers. The North Eastern Bee-Keepers' Association wil 1 hold its fourth annual meeting at the Butterfield House, Utica, N. Y., on the 4th. and 5th. of February, 1874. Questions of importance will be discussed. Bee- keepers are most urgently recjuesled to attend and take part in the proceedings. In union there is strength. Please respond. ' J. H. Nellis, Stvy. M. QuiNBY, Pres. The National Bee yoiirnal, Mrs. E. S. Tupper, Publisher, has recently been improved in its appear- ance by the addition of a neat cover. The Journal is well executed, and promises to be a success in the hands of the present Publisher. American Bee Journal DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. X. CHICAGO, FEBRUARY, 1874. No. 2. Cers' Conven- tiou, by Prof. A. .1. Cook, of the Agri- cultural College. Tiansing, Mieh. Mr. Presidknt : — I think I hazard nothing in the remark that no manual labor pursuit yields as great a per cent, on the eapitiU invested as apiculture. During the season just past — in no wise an extraordinary one as to the honey harvest — my Bees have netted me over 833 per colony, about 200 per cent, on their value. Add to this the fact that 1 started with only one Italian colony, and have Italianized ni}' whole apiaiy, and you are enabled to. see that the protits of Bee-keeping are by no means inconsiderable. And this is not an iso- lated case. It is to be hoped that all of you are subscribers to that most ex- cellent periodical, the American Bee Journal, of Chicago. In that you have read of Adam Grinim, of Wisconsin, with his several apiaries and immense returns, which are often fairly start- ling ; of A. I. Root, of Ohio, vi^ho is do- ing Avonders not only in obtaining pro- digious returns of honey, but in foster- ing apiarian pursuits. Yet I would not assert that this bright picture of profit — and I might aver of real pleasure, as w^ell — has not its shadows. The agriculturist has his droughts, the pomologist his dreaded blasts of AVinter, the merchant his eras of depreciated stock, so also the bitter is mingled with the sweet in the apiar- ist's cup, and how many apiarists all through our country, since the bitter experience of the past two Winters, have little of the swefet in their expres- sion as you speak to them of Bee-keep- ing. They too can speak of the Winter of their discontent. Let us therefore analyze closely the dangers in the way of successful Winter- ing of Bees, in the light of their history and habits, and see if we ma}' not at least hope to avoid in future the stumb- ling block w'hicl) has so essayed to over- throw us in the successful prosecution of our fiivorite business. That Bees will endure very severe cold is certain ; that they are ever so frozen as to be thus destroyed needs proof I knew a colony of Bees to win- ter Avell during the terrible cold Winter of 1871-2 in a hive with an unsealed crevice, and resting on the summer stand. Now all animals while hiber- nating take no food nor exercise, hence there is little destruction of tissue, and little exertion. Now it is not probable that, could we keep our Bees during all the months of Winter at an even tem- perature— at about the freezing point, or a little above — they would, if nor- mal and healthy. Winter w-ell, and con- sume scarcely any lood at all. Does not this explain the not uncommon phe- nomonon of strong colonies wintering on three or four pounds of honey? Now, if the above proposition can not be disapproved, is not one of our chief desiderata in Avintering to secure such conditions as will insure even tempera- ture ? With the best management there Avill doubtless be more or less food consumed during Winter ; hence good food is in- dispensable. By good food I mean good thick honey gathered from the flowers^ and all capped over, or else coffee A sugar fed by the middle of September, or so early as to be all capped over be- fore Winter and rest comes on. Again, during the early Spring breeding must commence. This only follows upon warmth, activity and food-taking. Thus w^e need not only good honey to serve as food for the mature insect, but there must also be an ample supply of pollen or Bee bread, that the larva) or imma- ture Bees may receive proper food. Hence we conclude that our second desideratum, in successful wintering, is to have the stores wdiich are designed for Winter consumption, of the best quality, and also a sufficient amount of Bee bread that the eai"ly Spring brood may not lack nourishment. Again, it is a truth well understood by all physiologists that the greater the animal's activity, the more rapid the destruction of tissue, and unless the tis- sues can have periods of rest, they wull soon become powerless to perform their allotted function, and hence death must result. Suppose w^e should labor con- stantlv. taking no rest, how soon w'ould 34 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. "we succumb, becoming victims of unre- mitted toil. Would we keep our mus- cles in good condition we must give them stated intervals of rest. Thus we understand the phenomenon of sleep, which is only a generalization of that necessity which causes the woodman to lower his axe, being an imperative re- quisite to the recuperation of a tired body, a body so exhausted that the nerve as well as muscular system needs to rest. Now, in the light of the above, can we wonder that the " busy Bee" ever active to obtain the most from a not over long harvest — or in quest of that which is not, so busy that the apiary not only swarms with life by day, but sends forth the full, joj^ous note of in- dustry all the hours of the long night through, should present a longevity so brief. Is it not beautiful, and does it not merit our gratitude — this fact that the little Bee becomes a willing martyr to the love of storing ? Because of this unrivaled activity, the worker Bee lives only from two to three months. Now, suppose the queen ceases laying the last of August, as she is quite sure to do, if old or poor, especially if the Bees are gathering no stores. By the time Winter sets in the Bees will all be old, and in the Spring the few that have sur- vived will endure but few flights, so that colonies — as was the case with so many in our State during the past sea- son— will Winter through, only to suc- cumb to the more genial spring days, giving no signs of dysenter}^, nor yet of starvation. Bo again, it is probable that to in- sure certain success in wintering, we must see to it that breeding continues well into the Fall, that every hive shall have brood in October. Mr, Hosmer, of Minnesota, was the first, as far as I know, who gave this explanation, and reason certainly sus- tains the view, unless forsooth, the Bees that are old in Fall, revive by the long Winter's rest, renewing their youth. So we see, to uniform temperature in Win- ter, and sufficient and the right kind of stores, it is well to add the advice sug- gested by the above, to so manage as to have the brood reared in our apiaries 8ate in the Fall. Our last theory as to disastrous win- tering is an entirely visionary one ; Epidemic — a very convenient explana- tion for we seem to give a reason, yet when we analyze it, it is no reason, nor are we usually able to give a reason when we decide thus. A few 3'ears ago the chinch bugs, which for a long time had been very numerous and destructive in Illinois suddenly disappeared. Dr. Shimer, a distinguished entomologist, at once pro- nounced it epidemic. Later experience demonstrated that excessive rains ban- ished them. That exceeding dampness is, happily, very destructive to the chinch bug. So too the silk worm epidemic in France,yet the thorough and most praise- worth}^ researches of Pasteur, brought to light the real cause of febrine, and consequently the cure was made known and silk-culture saved from utter ex- termination. So too in Bee diseases, I fully believe that the maladies M^hich have been so disastrous the past two Winters come, as any one ma}" prove, within the easy range of our understanding, and escape. Should I be mistaken, or should a more intricate trouble appear among us, we need not even then despond, for the ex- perience of the past bids us rest firm in the hope that with careful study, ma- king use of the appliances which science brings to our aicl, we shall be able to explain and conquer the most compli- cated disease. Now having the theory of safe win- tering before us, which, as we have seen, combines even temperature a little above freezing point, good and sufficient stores, and late Fall brood, let us exam- ine and see if there be any experiments or experience that will sustain this theory. The past Winter I buried my Bees in snow, making them the nucleus of a snow bank from the last of November till the 1st of March. The result was, they preserved an almost death-like si- lence, consumed very little honey, and in theSpi'ing there was not in any hive a sufficient quantity of dead Bees to fill a small tea cup. In fact, I never saw colonies appear brighter, or do better than they did. It has long been the opinion of observing Boe-keepers, found- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 35 ■ed on experience, that oven Winters, with steady, continuous cold, are far less disastrous than clian<;eal)lo ones where there are many ])eriods of warm -weather. Again, those who have celhirs, or special depositories where they arc cn- oibled to keep the temperature uniform, Jiave alwaj's been the most successful. This also explains the — what some would Ciill absurd theories of Gen. D. L. Adair, of Kentucky, and Mr. Balsch, of our own State, that Bees require no ■ventihUion to ensure safe wintering. If in an even temperature, never rising iihove 35° F., the Bees are so dormant that they really do need very little air. To prove this I froze up the opening of •one of my snow-bound hives, last Winter — the entrance of all of them were ■deeply covered with snow — so that it was hermetically sealed, and yet, I never had a colony Winter better. There was not a tablespoonful of dead Bees on the bottom of the hive in the Spring. This at least tends to prove that Bees,if kept from getting too -warm, will need not only very little food, but .also very little air. That it is not from cold Winters that the Bee-keeper need iiave apprehension, but from periods of «iufficient heat to arouse the Bees from their torpor. We next speak of the kind of honey. In the Fall of 1871-2,1 placed twelve col- onies of Bees *iu a dry, dark and quiet ■cellar at theAgricultural College, where I had for yeai"S kept Bees from the last •of November till the last of March, without any loss. The previous Autumn had been, as you will remember, un- precedentedly dry. There were scarce any floM^ers in bloom, yet the Bees were verj^ active gathering stores, even to the very verge of Winter. In October I prepared the colonies as usual for the cellar. Found much thin, unsealed honey. Supposing that it would thicken and be capped over in a few days, I took special pains to leave it in the hive, taking out all the nicely capped honey which they had stored early in the sea- son. I did not sell all of this nice honey, but kept a'little of it over. Having placed the Bees in the cellar at the approach of cold weather, the last of November, not dreaming that any bit of harm could come to my pets, 1 left the college, not returning till the last of January. Imagine my Hur])rise upon visiting my Bees, at finding that the usual and supposed quiet had given way to a terrible uproar. Upon exam- ination I found over half the colonies dead, and the five that were still alive were in a sore condition, indeed. I se- lected one colony, in no wise better than the others, on which to experiment. I assure you, faith added not a whit to my success. I took my fresh, good honey and placed it in the hive, taking out all that was tainted or besmeared. My surprise was equal to that of the prophet, for those "dry bones" did live, and that colony netted us about $80 the next Summer. I need hardly say that the other colonies all died, though I gave them all the opportunity to drop their foeces. The honey proved to be still thin and uncapped and very un- pleasant to the taste — in fact, fairly sickening. The odor of the diseased colonies, caused no doubt by their ex- cessive discharges, was also very nause- ating. I now think that the real source of the honey was in the insect secretions — though I did not think of it then. The dry Fall was very favorable to in- sect life. Our beach trees were fairly covered with a plant louse — (^Pemphigus imbricator, Fitch.) Other nectar secret- ing plant lice were very abundant. On the Tulip trees were hosts of large bark lice — a species of Lecanium, w^hich also secreted a sweet substance — we may call this honey dew. I think louse se- cretion a more fitting cognomen. Now, as the Bees were seen constantly swarm- ing in these trees, is it not more than probable that this was the source of the bad honey, and the cause of the terrible Bee malady of the Winter of 1871-2? I visited and examined a good many apia- ries around Lansing and Owosso, some of which had escaped, while most had met this fatality, and it seemed to me that both of these conditions could be easily accounted for on this theory of poor honey, we only having to consider locality and management. As many of you know, Mr. Hosnier, a very, intelligent and successful apiarist, of Minnesota, accounted for the terrible 36 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. fatality of the Winter of 1871-2 by tlie absence ofFall bi*ood in the hive. Now, while I was sure that this was not the correct explanation in the vicinity of Lansing, as I never knew my Bees to have more late Fall brood than during that Autumn, yet I thought that it might account for loss in some localities where the extreme drought precluded any late bloom, and where there were perhaps no nectar-secreting insects ; es- pecially as it was not difficult to find localities where Bees had died without appearance of dysentery. So during the Summer of 1872, I removed the queens from two colonies, preventing the rearing of brood from August till late Fall. In all other respects these colonies were treated the same as the remaining colonies of my apiary. All the colonies wintered well, with no ap- l^earance of dysentery, but these two died off so rapidly after setting them on the summer stands, that in a very few days my apiary numbered two less col- onies. Those which had brood October Ist the preceding Autumn, not only came through the Winter, but have done exceedingly well during the past Summer. Hence, so far as this experi- ment goes, it proves that successful wintering demands that we should keep our Bees breeding well into the Fall. I quite believe that neglect in this par- ticular was the direful spring of last Winter's woes — especially about Lan- sing. Do you ask then, how would I pre- pare my Bees for Winter? I most cheer- fully answer : 1st. I would arrange to protect them against warm winter weather, by so guarding them that they would not feel it. This ma}' be done by preparing a thick, double-walled special depository, by placing them in a cool, dark, quiet and dry cellar, which is beyond the in- fluence of changeable weather; or, if it is preferred to leave them on their sum- mer stands, by either making them the center of a huge snow bank, in which case caution must be taken to so arrange that water from molting snow can iwt run into the hives. (The wind-break of the apiary might be so constructed that nature would bank up the snow for us, by placing our screen a little tO' the west of colonies which we Avish to protect) ; or, by putting the hives near together, we could place boards about them, and pack in with saw-dust, straw or shavings, and thus protect them from the changes of Winter. Yet^ if we are not sure to keep them cool and quiet^ we must be careful not to stop up the entrances to the hives. To secure good Winter stores we may either follow Mr. A. I. Root's sugges- tion, extracting the honey and feeding a syrup made of coffee A sugar,, a safe and economical method^ as the honey is- worth enough more than the sugar tO' more than ^my for the ti*ouble ; or, we may take pains tliat they have none other than honey gatliei*ed from flow- ers and all capped over as soon as the buckwheat harvest is past. I should prefer, too, that they have a good quantity of Bee-bread, that there may be no hindrance to earl}^ Spring breed- ing. Again, I would have none but very fertile queens, and be sure to have brood in October, even th-ough in ex- treme cases I might have to feed to se- cure it. I should have some ern^pty comb in the center of the hive, and should pre- fer to have at least thirty pounds of honey in each hive, though if rightly managed, I should expect, my Bees to- consume but a small part of it. Having made use of the above pre- cautions during the past Winter, not only with my own Bees and those of the college, but also by suggestions se- curing the same in a neighboring apiary, wintering in all of the three cases was attended bj' the very happiest success, while so far as I know there was not another colony of Bees Wintered in the whole localit}'. Now, Mr. President, I would not be- too positive that I have got to the core of this subject of wintering Bees, for it behooves us all to be veiy slow to ex- press 0]iinion!^ adverse to those enter- tained by such cautious, candid men, as Mr. Quinby and A. I. Root, and even more slow to generalize iji matters com- plicated by life, Avhere very many ex- periments are ever necessary to render us certain as to results. Yet T feel con- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 37 lident that the above suggestions have experimental foundation sufficient to merit a hearing, and I as fully believe that if heeded they will very matei-iall}^ change the ('om])lexion of aj)iai'ian pursuits in our State. For the American Bee Journal. 'What KiUed the Bees." The answer given to this question by Mr. Quinbj', in the December number •of the Journal, is — -^cold." He says : ^' I have made diligent inquiry, and studied cause and efi'ect with the best of my ability, and uow^ repeat my con- viction that cold is the cause of the failure to winter, dysentery being an dntervexiing linlv." Again : "I know of nothing to jDroduce dysentery, except >cold weather.^' And again : "No doubt other causes destroy lives sometimes, but I have yet to find the first case where a large number, with suflficient honey, was lost, and cold not at the bottom." Mr. Quinby, as well as Mrs. Tupper, "to whose views on this subject he refers as coinciding with his, is deservedly Jiigh authority on aj^icultural questions. His long experience, close observations, .and unquestioned candor, entitle his opinions to great consideration. But, at the wish .any, who have a large supply for sale tliat have appeared in "The Illustrated Journal." Should any subscriber wish to discontinue taking our Journal, he should address a let- ter to the Manager, and enclose the amount due, and it will then cease to visit liim. Any other course is dishonorable. Newly Paten'I'ed Hives. — Three Bee Hives have lately boon i)atented. Wm. S. Hough, Canada; Leonidas Adams, Mason City^ Ills.; and Leander J. Diehl, Butler, Ind. are the patentees. After February 1, 1874, we shall mail a Printed Receipt to every one sending money to this office. Those who do not get sucli Receipt by return mail, should notify us, that we may ascertain the cause of delay. To new subscribers, we will send the American Bee Journal for three months for 25 cents, on trial. Now is the time to send in hundreds of such trial subscribers. Who wants to TRY IT? Any one having paid $2.00 for the Amer- ican Bee Journal for 1874, and desiring to obtain the "Illustrated Journal," for 1874, and our magnificent Fruit Chromo, may send us $1.50 more and obtain them. We shall, hereafter, publisli a Honey Mar- ket Report each month, so that Bee-keepers will know how honey is selling, not only in Chicago, but in St. Louis, Cincinnati, San Francisco, and New York. We shall do our utmost to make the Journal in all respects an organ for Bee-keepers throughout the Un- ion. We shall take pains to ascertain who is responsible, so that none shall be wronged out of their dues. The " Home Grange " is published at St. Louis in the interest of farmers. It contains also profitable miscellaneous reading for the fireside. It is issued monthly, at the low price of $1.50 a year. Wilson's Herald of Health is issued month- ly by the Southern Publishing Co., of Atlanta, Ga. Besides being a periodical devoted to the science of health, it has a department of Agriculture and Domestic Economy. It is the only popular work of the kind- published south of New York. Its terms are $2.00 a year. Eight cents is now the fee for registered letters — instead of fifteen cents, as hereto- fore. Let all register, who cannot obtain a money order, bnt let none register who can. Those who are owing for advertisements for the past year are requested to send the money to this office without delay, as we are closing up the old books. 50 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Single Copies of the American Bee Jour- nal are wortli 30 cents eacli. Not one letter in ten thousand is lost by mail, if rightly directed. Additional names to a club already formed may be sent at any time at the same club rate. Upon the wrapper of every copy of the Jour- nal, will be found the date at which subscrip- tions expire. Subscribers wishing to chau.ge their post- offlce address, should mention their old ad- dress, as well as the one to which they wish it changed. Journals are forwarded until an explicit order is received by the publishers for the discontinuance, and until payment of all ar- rearages is made as required by law. When a subscriber sends money in pay- ment for the American Bee Journal, he should state to what time he thinks' it pays, so that we can compare it with our books, and thus prevent mistakes. Persons writing to this office should either write their name, Post-office, County and State plainly, or else cut oft" the label from the wrapper of their paper and enclose it. Every subscriber is requested to look at the date after his name on the wrapper label of this Number of the American Bee Jour- nal, and if it is not correct send a postal card to this office, and tell us and we will make it right at 07ice. The postage on this paper is only twelve cents a year, if paid quarterly or yearly in advance at the post-office where received. We prepay postage to Canada, and require twelve cents extra, except when Canada money is sent. We have received four chromos from H. A. King, of New York, which he ofters as premiums to subscribers for his Bee Maga- zine and National Agriculturist. They are: The Flowers of Paradise, The Cross, a Landscape Scene on the Rhine, and a Revo- lutionary Scene. The chromos are very fine indeed, and will satisfy all who get them. They are large and well executed. THE MILLENARIA.N. The MiLLENARiAN advocates the personal retui-n of Christ to our earlh, his literal reign over Israel and the nations, the resurrection of the holy dead at the commencement of the Millenium, and their reiyn with Christ during the Millenial day and beyond. It also advocates the necessity of a life of trust and obedience in order to a partiiiiiatioii in that kingdom which shall stand forever. The literal fultlllment of Proph- ecy, and the signs which foreshadow the nearness and certainty of His coming who is the Desire of Nations are also 8i)ecially examined. Tekms: $1.00 per yi^ar, in advance. Single Cojjies 10 cents. Address all orders to, II. V. Keed, No. 37. Tribune Building, Chicago. Advertisements for The American Bee. Journal must reach the office by the 35th. of the month, in order to insure insertion in. the succeeding number. NEW ADVERTISEMENTS. NOTICE TO ALL ! CITJTS and descriptions of a New Honey Extractor, ' made entirely difl'erent, and warranted superior to all will appear in March Number of the American Bee Journal. Our 24 page Illustrated Circular and Apiarian-supply Price List for 1874 is now ready, with: the Xew Hoiiey E.\traetor. It will be forward- ed to any address on receipt of a three cent stamp. Address, J. W. WINDER, Importer and Breeder of Italian Queen Bees. feb74ml 132 Fourth st. Cincinnati, O. RAPE AND RAPP. WE herewith tender our thanks to Bee-Keepers for past favors, and are again ready to furnish Rape and Rapp, at 35 cents per pound. Three pounds sow an acre. Shall have a pamphlet ready by March 1st. treating on its culture, with other interesting mat- ter, which will be sent free, to those ordering 3 B)8; To all others, 10 cents. Address, feb74m4 KRUSCHKE BROS., Berlin, Wis. SALE OF 400 COLONIES OF ITALIAN HONEY BEES Having accepted the office of cashier of the Far- mers and Merchants Bank of Jeti'erson, lately or- ganized in this place. I will be unable to care for all the 850 Stocks of Honey Bees I have now on hand. I will therefore Sell 400 of Them. These Bees are all pure Italians, and will be sold at the following prices : Single colonies, or in small numbers $13.00 Ten to Twenty colonies, per colony, 12.00 Twenty, or more " "■ 11.50 These Bees will be delivered free of charge at the express station in Jefferson, and safe arrival at the nearest express station of the purchaser guaranteed. Each of these stocks is in an eight frame Lang- stroth movable comb hive, in good condition, and with honey enough to last them to May 15, or longer. TERMisi : Cash in advance. ADAM GRIMM, feb74m3 JeHerson, Wis. 1865—1874. THE HONEY HOUSE C. O. PERRINE, Corner|Lake and Market Sts., CHICAGO. Be not deceived by imitations ^ American Bee Journal DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol.. X. CHICAGO, MARCH, 1374. No. 3. Central Iowa Bee-Keepers' Association. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jan. 21, 1«74. The tliii-d annual meeting of tliis associa- tion, was called to order l>y D. W. Thayer, of Vinton, its President, and the following officers Averc elected by ballot: D. W. Thayer, Vinton, President. D. E. Blakeslee, Anamosa, 1st Vice-Presi- 'dent. Thos. Hare, Marion, '2nd Vice-President. J. M. May, Cedar Rapids, Secretary and Treasurer. W. H. Furman, Cedar Rapids, Asst. Secre- tary. On motion of J.M.]\Iay, the following res- olution was unanimously adopted: Resolved, that the thanks of this Associa- tion are hereby tendered to Dr. A. B. Mason, -of Waterloo, for his interest in its prosperity, and for his faithfulness as its Secretary ; also that we learn with deep and sincere regret of his loss by tire, and tender to him our sym- pathy; also, that this resolution be recorded •in the minutes of this Association and a <;opy sent to Dr. Mason. The President appointed Messrs. 'Blakeslee, Furman, and Newcomb, to prepare subjects for discussion during the sessions of this meet- ing. During the absence of the Committee, Dr. J. Oren of Laporte city, raised the question as to the condition the hive of bees is left in when the honey extractor has been used. Mr. Furman stated that he had used the ex- tractor three years and found it advantageous — could make more profit from honey extract- ed from the comb than by box honey, though sold at less price per lb., and when properly used, the brood-comb was unimpaired and the stock of bi'es would lie quite as vigorous as those when the extractor was not used. Dr. Oren thought when the extractor was used the best honey was thrown from the comb, and as the bees had only lately made poor honey, he thought tliat was one cause of the losses of bees in 187;j. Dr. Blakeslee and Mr. Hunt expressed the ■opinion that it made no difference whether or not the extractor was used. Mr. Hare claimed that the loss of bees iu 1872 and 1873 was due to the very cold win- ter, and unfavorable spring. Mr. Hunt recommended a "clamp" as the means of securing the safety of bees. In answer to an inquiry, the President ex- plained that a clanq) means an excavation in the ground about 8 or 10 feet square, across the top of which is placed timbers. On the timbers hives are placed in a pyramid form with a space, like a chimney, in the center for ventilation, communicating from the ex- cavation, to the air at the top of the pyramid. On this pyramid, poles, scantling or boards are placed in a roof form, and on this a coat- ing of straw 4 to 6 inches, and on the straw about 8 inches of earth is placed to make a roof. The President gave his experience of win- tering bees in cellars well ventilated. He spoke also of his uniform success in the use of the extractor. Dr. Oren qualified his previous remarks on the extractor, by saying that he was not whol- ly opposed to it, though he did not use it. Convention adjourned until 9 o'clock the following day. SECOND DAT. The President in the chair. The Secretary read a letter from Mrs. Tupper of the Nation- al Bee Journal stating that she would be un- able to lecture before the Convention as an- nounced, on account of a failure of the trains to make connection. Her communication contained the suggestion that the Central and State Societies consolidate, also an invitation to the Association to hold its next meeting at Des Moines. Ordered placed on file for fur- ther consideration. The business committee reported the fol- lowing questions for discussion : 1. What are the benefits of the honey ex- tractor in the apiary V 2. What is the test of pure honey '? 3. What benefits are derived from feeding bees in autumn '? 4. Is the Italian superior to the native or common bee 1 5. What is the best method of dividing swarms witli a view to increasing the stocks ? and is it desirable to divide them ':* 52 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 6. Will upward ventilation in the cellar or room where bees are wintered prevent damp- ness and disease V 7. AVhat is tlie best forage for bees '? The fimt of these questions had been quite thoroughly discussed in tlie absence of tlie committee— but in addition, Dr. Blakeslee stat- ed it as his opinion that if properly used the product of the apiary would be doubled, and agreed with Mr. Thurman that honey could be afforded at less price than box honey and yet the aggregate pro tit would be greater. Mr. llare stated that some purchasers thought it was a spurious article because separated from the comb by a new and novel process, and the public mind needs to be disabused on this point. Further discussion showed a large preponderance of opinion in favor of the ex- tractor when properl}' used. The second question was briefly discussed. Dr. ®ren said that a chemical test was the true one, while the Presicfent, Mr. Thurman, Mr. Hare and others believed that the experience of most persons would enable them to deter- mine the matter, especially when considering the fact that the globules of the pure article were unlike the spurious. The pure would keep longer and not become candied, and the taste would also indicate the difference. By bringing pure honey to a boiling heat and al- lowing it to cool gradually, it may be kept years in a liquid state without injury. On the tldrd question the oi)inion was quite general that the swarms should be allowed a liberal supply of pure honey, and small, late and weak stocks should be fed in the autumn or incorporated with strong swarms. The fourth question was warmly discussed. Dr. Oren said he could not respect the Italian bee as lie once did, and yet he liked them very well. Mes.srs. Thurman, Hunt, Good- hue, Hare, Pierce, Thomas, Tangman, New- comb, Porter, of Illinois, and others, were generally agreed in their praise of the Italian bee. On the fifth question each had his own pe- culiar method for dividing and hi\'ing swarms, all agreeing that the honey-bee, of whatever nativity, knew how to sting. The Hix'th question elicited a full discussion as it involved the vital points in relation to the great loss of bees in the winter of 1873-;i, and in the spring following — many losing their entire stocks, and others nearly all. The cellar, the clamp, burying them, allow- ing them to remain on the stands as in the summer and (covering them with lilankets, were severally considered. Tlie concurrent opinion was, however, that in any case, a dry, pure atmosphere and a Avarmth or tempera- ture of ;]() to 50 degrees and uniform as near as practicable, should be maintained to se- cure safety and freedom from disease. Freez- ing and dampness should never be; allowed. The severity of tlie winter of 18T2-;5, followed by a backward, wet s])ring made very indif- ferent forage for those that survived the win- ter, and want of experience in giving proper care, contributed to superinduce disease and the heavy or total losses. Still, those who- observed the most approved care and caution hitherto used by the apiarian, suttered heavy losses, indicating that much is to be learned, and that thorough search into the cause of the disaster should be made, and remedies sought; also, that special encouragements, legislative or otherwise, should be atforded those who, in the face of discouragements, dilligently pursue a research that promises so much wealth to the State. The seventh question was considered at some length. Linn and Alsike clover were highly appreciated. Mr. Hare, also Mr. Fur- man, said they had raised this clover for bee pasturage and were much pleased with it. It should be sown early, on well prepared ground — even on snow if the land had been thoroughly prepared in the preceding fall, arid a hay crop, as well as honey, would be the result. Great care should be observed in selecting seed, lest sorrel (a bane to the farmer) should be mixed with it. Convention adjourned until the following day, at !)i o'clock. TIITUi) DAY. Convention called to order by the President. The question whether or not bees were taxa- ble property was raised by Mr. Goodhue and discussed generally by the members of the Convention, when the Secretary offered as a. means of solving the question the following MEMORIAL. To the General Assembly of the State of low*, in Senate and House of Representatives- assembled : Your petitioners, citizens of the State of Iowa, respectfully call your attention to the following considerations : — First, That Iowa has, until 1878, been deemed one of the best bee raising and honey producing States in the Union — its trees and flowers furnishing, in the language of apiarians, abundance of bee pasturage. Second, That in the winter of 1873-0, and in the spring following, about five-mxths of the swarms of bees in the State perished by disease. Third, that many per- sons have become discouraged, and have abandoned, or propose to abandon, the busi- ness, preferring to do so tliai> to be taxed on so precarious ;i business. Fourth, That the native riches, in honey, of the tree and flowei' blossoms referred to, will remain undevelojied and valueless, unless the gathering and util- izing of this dormant wealth is in some way fostered and encouraged ; and as the State may advance its material interests by encour- aging those now engaged in apiculture and inducing others to do so, and as no injury can arise to the State or its revenues, but ex- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 53 actly the rcverso, wo ask for the eniictnu'iit of -a hnv t'xenipthiii; from laxiition, iiiul from levy and sale on cxi'dition, honey-bei's and their iM-oducts until the year IHSU. And your petitioners as in duty bound, will ever pray. The above memorial was unanimously adopted as the jietition of the Convention, jind was ordered to be signed by the Presi- •dcnt and Seeretary, and forwarded to Senator Kephart of Linn C'ounly, with a recjuest that lie will aid in proeurinu" tiie passaije of the law prayed for. On motion, eitizens, associations and socie- ties similar to our own, favorable to the ob- ject, are requested to join us iu our efforts to procure the enactment of the law desired. After the customary vote of thanks avus passed, the Convention adjourned to meet on the third AVeduesday in January 1875, at Cedar Rapids. I). W. TiiAYKK, Pre,s. -J. M. May, Si'c\i/. For the American Bee .lournal. Our Afflictions. Not always is the bee-keeper's path •strewn with clover-blossoms — " Roses. C^'ula ! you mean roses," in- terposes Nellie, looking over my shoul- der with a critic's eye. No, indeed ! What bee-keeper, worthy of the name, would exchange clover-blos- -soms for roses ? Moreover, the phrase is more truly descriptive, besides being considerably less shop-worn." Not ahvays is the bee-keepers' path •strewn with clover-blossoms, nor alwa^^s to his eager lips may the honeyed 'draught of success — " Which is his mead ! '" queries Nellie. Putting down my pen. with mild se- verity I speak: "My dear, if you have any sensible suggestions to offer" — A succession of brisk, snapping sounds accompanied by an odor as of burning coffee, creates a iliversion whif-h enables Nellie to make a not altogether inglori- ous retreat to the kitchen. Resuming m}' pen with an unhappy consciousness of l)eing unable to begin exactly whei-e i left off, I spend some moments in peri)lexity, niblpling at the end of the holder. I become aware, at length, that it will be necessar}' to take an entirely fresh start * ' * * * ;;: * Do my readers — any of them — re- .meraber our •• maiden '" swai-m, of last July? We thought its story told; but alas! there is a sequel. ■• Happy is the nation that lias no hist(»i-y," says a wise old proverb: and no less t i-ue is it of a colony. From the time that our "maiden'" swarm — No. 7 by name — decided to ac- cept the situation and make the best of it, they had furnished no occasion for criticism. Their ten fi-ames were speed- ily filled Avith fauUlessl}' regular combs, whereof but a ti-ifling amount was drone comb. In some shallow frames above, they likewise put goodly beginnings of worker comb, for which next season will find use. On the l(3th of October, when I made for them winter passages and removed surplus hone}', my only anxiety was lest there were too many bees for prof- itable wintering. At this time there was a little capped brood, but neither eggs nor larva'. The day being some- what cool, and unnecessary exposure an evil, I made no search for the queen, and did not see her. The bees were unusualh' cross, and, in subduing them, I used a little tobacco — something I had never done before. (Be assured, however, that it was not used in masculine style. ) Whether this had, or had not, any connection with what followed. I cannot tell. Toward night of this day, an unusual commotion was noticed at No. 7. There was running to and fro at the eittrance, and htirrying hither and yon, as viewed through the observation-glass. Apply- ing my hand to the glass, I found an unwonted degree of heat. We agreed, Nellie and I, that it was curious ! We agreed, too, that we were unable to solve the m^-stery, and also to wait calmly, and without much anxiety, for the excitement to subside. A latent fear, however, awoke me early next morning, and impelled me to go forth to make rencAved investiga- tions betbre breakfast. It was a cool, frosty morning. To my surprise, the observation-glass was still warm, and the bees were still excited. While I pondered, I noticed at the entrance a dead body of unusual appearance, and bending nearer, I saw, to my unspeak- able horror, that it had no wings! that it was a queen — even my poor Rebecca! 54 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. *^ (The experienced bee-keeper, who has lost whole colonies, or mayhap, an en- tire apiary, by disease, or frost, or fire, will bo kind enough to conceal the smile he may not be wholly able to re- press. To lose the queen to one's strong- est colony, so late in the season, was misfortune enough for a beginner. But this queen was peculiarly dear to me, as being the oldest queen of my own rearing,and the onlj- queen whose wings I had heartlessly clipped.) When sufReiontly recovered to do so, I picked up the little body and vainly tried to warm it to life with my breath. Then, having carefully but hopelessly, deposited it in a warm place, I obeyed a summons to breakfast, and seated myself to pour the cofliee, with what was meant for a calm and tranquil de- meanor. " Are you sick. Cyula ? " inquired Tiichard. " Oh no ! " I responded, with a ghast- ly smile, and a sudden but nerveless attack upon a large potatoe. " Shan't I make you some toast, Cy- ula?" anxiously inquired Nellie, a few moments later. " Oh no, I believe I am not very hun- gry this morning." "But wouldn't you like a cup of tea ? " persisted Nellie. " No, — your coffee is delicious, Nel- lie," hastil}' raising my cup. " I believe that you had not tasted it ! " she exclaimed, half indignantly. "It is one -half, at least, cold coffee warmed over ! " Conscious guilt prevented other reply than an apologetic smile. A little after, Nellie's hand stole across under the corner of the table, and gave my dress a sj^mpathctic twitch. As I looked up, "What is it?" her eyes asked. " Nothing — that is — after breakfast 1 will tell you," I responded in an un- dertone ; and then, having replenished the empty cups, I escaped to the next room, whither Nellie soon followed me: her breakfast, spite of my good inten- tions, having been almost as effectually spoiled as my own. An hour afterward — vai'ious plans having been diseussc EL Mi ^ a 1^ s* .o .=-' a > .M w p f> ^ ?H fro a X a a C ^ I f^ llUls-i !*• t3 r'2 Mft » r- re o " J OKI; rz^ C. ;;• ST* " ~ '^ -—^ td 5.»H 1? _ '^ o gats -"c <^- 2 B a c • '^"^^ o O- 95 C0CCii00;0-I;SOl8-3 . ii *i O -^ te S^ W '>; SrC^ in it. The bees become restless: fatigued l)y their ex- ertions, they eat too nmch, and they die of dysentery. But there was neither bee-malad}-, nor bad hone}-. In the fii'st case, there was too much cold ; in the second, thei-e was unevai)orated hone}' not fit to win- ter bees, unless they can go out some- times to eni])ty their intestines; and pi'obably too much warmth foi- them to remain as quiet as it ii^ necessary for their health in winter. Cn. I)AnANT. Hamilton, 111. For the American Bee .lournul. Do Bees Injure Fruit ? Mr. Editor; Last fall I wrote an article, under the above heading, to the New York Tribune, in which I stated my observations, and censured that wise (?) Professor Eiley for his bee-de- When the temperature 1 stroying recipes and advice. But they did not see fit to publish it. Perhaps Prof. Eiley know^s all about bees; so did Agassiz, and yet we know- he was in error, when speaking about s-u^arming, comb-building, etc. Had Prof. Eiley made close observa- tion, he would have found that bees do not puncture fruit, and would have had no occasion tojjublish his ignorance, by giving his cobalt recipe. He would have been all jilive in the spring, had ! have benefited mankind a great deal Mr. Hester given them the chance of emptying thcii- intestines once or twice in the course of their long confinement. In the winter of 1870, Mr. Hester put ten stocks of bees in his cellar, and they Avintered in fine condition. In the same ■cellar, in 1871, forty-three colonies out -of sixty perished. This winter, tAventy- scA'en colonies, put in the same cellar, ill January appeared A^ery healthy. Nowhere can a bee-malady be proA-ed by such facts. Certainly the unevapo- rated honey, which the bees of 1871 had to eat. was one of the causes of the death of the forty-three colonies ; but the w.irmth of the cellar Avas A'cr}' apt to help in the bad result. A cellar which, with ten or twent}* colonies, is of a more had he taken a dose of the mix- ture himself, for I think avc can spare such professors better than the bees he has caused to be killed. This fall I- took a bunch of Delaware grapes (the most tender variety we have here), and put it on a hive, direct- ly over the bees, and watched proceed- ings ; but not a single berry was opened ; then I broke a fcAV berries, upon which they Avent immediately to Avork, suck- ing them dry, thus shoAving that some- thing l)esides bees does the mischief Now, if bees Avere so destructive to fruit as some tr}* to make out, how is it that so many are kept in Germany, France and Italy, where fruit, especial- ly grapes, is so extensively raised suitable temperature for the Avintering | They knoAv that bees are beneficial to 64 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. fruit culture, and bee-keeping is encour- aged instead of persecuted. In Italy there is a law regulating the size of hives and frames. If the bees destroyed fruit, there would have been, in those countries, laws enacted long- ago to prevent their being kept. And, further, if bees destroyed grapes, would they not do so every year, and not some years^only, as several writers state in Re- port of Agriculture tor 1671 ? It may be said that bees do not woi'k on the same flowers ^every jenv (linden and buck- wheat, for instance), but that is because they secrete no honey, but grapes al- ways contain juice. But no matter how foolish and groundless a theory is, it will have some supporters. II. O. Kruschke. Berlin, Wis. For the American Boc Journal. Notes on Wintering. So many different and conflicting the- ories have been advanced regarding this branch of our science, that I feel it must be approached with caution. The reason for this caution should be apparent to each of us who may care to instnuct our brother bee-keepers on the sn'MTJeQt before us. And why? That which will suit us in Pennsylvania ma}^ be greatly at variance with both the practice and interest of those residing in Iowa or Minnesota, or even those in Tennessee or Kentucky. The effect of the climate, the amount of honey gath- ered in the fall from natural sources in the various localities, and many other things should be taken into considera- tion if we attempt to solve the problem of the "successful wintering of bees." I doubt not but that in the higher latitudes, a carefully constructed win- tering house should be the prominent object of the bee-keeper; and even with us, it nuiy prove an important auxilia- jy, but after many years of careful observation and experiment, I have con- cluded that he who will lead us to suc- cess by giving us a complete system of out-door wintering will be considered our greatest benefactor. With this ob- ject carefully in view, 1 have made the most of my experiments in relation to this matter. .\ few of them, with vour permission, I will give to your readers. On the 17th day of November, I pre- pared my hives for winter (it should have been two weeks earlier), having previously cut winter passages in all the combs. I use the Langstroth hive al- most exclusively — the double hive. I packed at sides with either dry leaves or old rags, and the caps with clean straw. I removed the honey boards from nearly all the hives, and in their place I put a box frame of ])roper size, made of plastering lath, and covei'ed with burlaps or common bagging. This frame I filled with clean straw, left about one inch ventilation in front for* the flight of the bees, and left the back ventilator in the cap open. Permit me here to say, that for wintering purposes I prefer the single hive, made of one and one-half inch stuff, to the double hive. On examining stocks packed as des- cribed, I find at our lowest temperatui*e ' (eighteen degrees) this winter, that the bees remained at the top of the frames among their stores. I have tried vari- ous coverings for the frames, cotton and woolen quilts, heavy paper, dry leaves, corn-cobs, etc., etc., but find nothing equal to the box frame filled with straw, except, perhaps the corn-cobs ; these appear to Ije the best absorbents of moisture, and at the same time afford the most complete ventilation of the hive. These are the only preparations I have made this winter, with the excep- tion of the fact that I have covered every hive with light boards to protect them from rain and snow. This I also do in the heat of summer to protect them from the sun. As I hope to give you further note* on this subject, I will close this already too lonor communication. "B '' Beaver, Pa. For the American Bee Journal, What Gallup has Seen. We have seen a stock of bees win- tered under the following cii'Cumstance+H; They were in an old fashioned straw hive ; confined in the hive, and set on some loose boards directly over the fire- place in a log dwelling-house, where THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. «)5 there was a fire kept day and uight. In this ease the}- bred all winter, and liad no dysentery. Again, we have seen bees wintered, both in Canada and AVis- consin, in the Weeks hive, suspended two feet from the ground, with no |)ro- teetion from winds or weather, and the bottom-boai'd suspended to the bottom of the hive, with one inch space all around the bottom of the hive. On this plan, also, tlie bees did well and had no dysentery'. We have seen hives set on top of a stum]), raised on inch blocks from the bottom-board, exposed to wind and weather with the thermome- ter forty degrees below zero at times during the winter, and no dysentery. We have .seen bees in box hives, with a two inch hole in the top, the hive set on top of a stum]) ex])Osed to Avind and weather, two inch hole ]H"otected from i"ain and snow, bottom closed u]) tight, and no dysentery. These Avere all single cased, or single boarded, hives, and, strange to relate, all wintered on their own stores — no coffee sugar or sugar syrup. It would seem that the Almighty, according to some theories, made a grand mistake in not making bees so that they could make their own sugar syrup, if honey was not intended for them. We have seen twenty-five stocks wintered in a dry, warm I'oom in the cellar, with cement floor, and ke])t so warm that they bred all winter. These Avere box hives, turned bottom uj), with bottom -boards removed ; and no dysen- tery. We might go on enumerating cases like the above. If we understand Mr. Hosmer, his small stocks breed all winter and come out strong in the sjjring, etc. It has been remarked, that extra smart bee- keepers cannot sto]) to theorize ; but we must be allowed to theorize, for it was by comjiarison, or theorizing, that we gained our present knowledge in the business. Our theory is, that bees kej^t perfectly dry, as in the above cases, discharge the excremental jDortions of their food in small and perfectly dr}- pellets, or, in other words, all moisture is entirely evaj^orated from the excre- ment while in the abdomen of the bee, and then their discharge takes jilace in the hive, and lies on or in the bottom of the hive without any detriment to the colony whatever. Such colonies, in the above condition, do not show any .s])ecks on the snow in their first flight. Their abdomens nev- er show any distention or enlargement from the retention of excrement. Of course, old bees die of old age in the hive, but they are all ])erfectly dried up, no mistake about them whatever.. But in a damp cellar, if our bees breed, we always have to set them out occa- sionally, for the 5'oung, or ])ollen con- sumers, to have a ])urifying flight. E. Gallup. Orchard, Iowa. For tlie American Bee Journal . The Use of the Extractor. In my article on "How to Feed and Winter Bees," in the January number, there are several mistakes. In the first sentence the word keeping should be feeding. I did not mean to say that honey from other hives often jjroves fatal to the bees, but that honey from other sources often does, when the bees have been long confined to their hives. Nor did I mean to say that bees should never be fed much more syruj) than they would consume in preparing food for their young, but that when feeding exjH'essly for the ]3urpose of propagating bees, care should be taken not to give them much more syrup than they would consume in preparing food for the young larva\ and for construct- ing combs for the brood when necessary. When there are more bees in the hive than are necessary for rearing all the brood the queen is capable of producing, they may be fed more, if suitable room is given them in which to store surplus honey, so as to prevent them from fill- ing uj) the brood combs with syruj) instead of brood. I would also say that when there is found to be more honey in the brood combs in the spring than is necessary for the colony in rearing brood, it should be removed with the extractor, leaving honey only in the uj^per part of each comb. A good way of converting this surplus honey into combs and brood, is to insert an empty comb-frame in the central part of the brood nest as early «6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. nud as often as the bees can properly occup3" and fill them without danger of chilling the brood, or checking its de- velopment. By this method, with a strong colony of bees and proper care, brood and combs will be produced rap- ridly in the spring, particularly during fruit blossoming. By this means, the colony may be made very populous, kept from SAvarming, and the largest ])Ossible amount of honey secured from the hive. If honey in the comb is pre- ferred, then at the close of the main honey season feed the bees the extract- ■ed honey, or good sugar sja-uy), giving them all they will use while being fed. A. T. Wright. Kokomo, Ind. For the American Bee Journal. Review of the January Number. Whilst reading the article on " Feed- ing Bees," page 7, I notice that the ■writer recommends the "most refined grades " of sugar. Now in this I beg leave to differ with him for the folio w- ang reasons : In past years we have fed nearl^MxU the various grades of sugar i)i the market, watching the result closely, and find that the "most refined grades," such as coffee A, loaf-sugar and crushed, are too much inclined to crystalize in the comb-cells and on the -vessel M'herein the syrup is used, and not one of the grades named seemed to be an}' better than coffee C, which, in fact, is better for bees, because less in- clined to crystalize ; it also costs less, is more readily dissolved, and readily taken by the bees. The various grades 'Of brown sugar should not be fed, as the syrup is more liable to ferment. The writer further says : " Molasses or sor- ghum should never be used." I see no objection to the bee-keeper using them, but I have so far failed to induce my bees to use them in an}^ shape. Not too much can be said in favor and on the manner of spring feeding to stimulate breeding; many overdo the thing and have the brood-cells stored with syrup. Another portion of bee- Iceepers underrate the value of sup- plying their bees with meal or flour, and many of our western bee-keepers express their willingness to supply meal, did not our high winds blow it away. Again the want of water in the hives, when cold days prevent the bees from getting it. causes a check in breed- ing, and very frequently the young worm, just hatching, perishes because the nursing bees cannot obtain the ne- cessary water to prepare the food foi- the larvfe. To obviate this we have ex- perimented for years to produce a feed- er that will enable us to furnish bees in their hives, with syru]), water, or meal, until we have at last succeeded in per- fecting it. On page 8, we find a desci-iption of "Adam Grimm's Bee-feeder." As that article might lead some of its readers into trouble, it may not be amiss to state that the feeder was patented May 6, 1873; the perforated screw cap, and projecting rim foi'ming specific features in said patent. If the patent was all owned by myself the "trouble " above named would not be very serious ; but over one-half of it has passed into other hands. As a contrasting item on " The Wings of Bees," page 9, I would say that I have an imported Italian queen bee that has had both of her wings clipped close to her body as a special mark, and this for /ye seasons ; and last year she was one of the most prolific queens in my yard. If she lives another year she will do well as a specimen without lungs. But what is the use of lungs or their equivalent, if bees can live without air, as Mr. Adair stated some years since ? Cobui-g, lOAVa. E. KllETCHiMER. Care of Honey Bees in Winter. Many successful apiarians contend that there is no better way. to winter honey bees, than to allow the hive to remain isolated in the yard where the}' have been kept during the summer and autumn; and they point to their success in many years past for reliable evidence to cori'oborate the correctness of their assertion. The fact that honey bees have been kept satisfactorily in the fore- going manner, does not prove that such a practice can be recommended as the best under all circumstances; for hun- dreds of apiarians have attempted to THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL (>7 keep theii" bees without proper pi-otec- tion dnriiiii; the winter, juul have lost iiearl_y every slvip". There is one fact in which all intellii'-ent bee-keepei-s will ii«:^ree, which is, that a colony of bees will pass the winter best when the hive is kept in a location wliere the tempera- ture will not be rapidly affected by the rapid transitions from warm to very cold, and vice irrsa. Cue thing in par- ticular should be guarded against, which is this: No hive should be ))Iaced where it will be exposed even for a single hour to the rays of the sun. When a hive stands in the sunshine for i\ few hours, the walls will be warmed up, the little workei-s will be eidivened and the pleasant outlook will invite thousands of them to spread their wings and tly away to the fields. But, before ihey have flown a hundi-ed yards, they are frequently chilled to such an extent that they drop to the ground and perish, as they cannot i-ecover sufficient strength to return to their homes. This teaches the eminent importance of guarding eveiy hive from the fury of fierce winds and also from the cheerful sunshine. When the hive is in an iso- lated place it needs a cover to turn the rain and snow, and boards, rails or brush placed on every side to obscure the light of the sun and to break the force of a cold wind. So long as the bees are kept in the shade, well pi-otected, w^hero they can discover little or no light, the tem- perature of the interior of the hive will be "more uniform, and only a limited number will escape from the hives and ])erish.— A^. r. Herald. Ventilation. Bees require houey in winter to keep up nnimal heat — the carbon of the honey is burn- ed in the body of the bee as coal burns in a stove. If the hive is too cokl, the bees will be found to flap their wings in the chister and thus increase their lieat as man does by clap- ping his hands in cokl weather. This requires just so much more expenditure of honey as food. Dr. Carpenter, speaking of an experi- ment, says a bumble bee was found to pro- duce one-third of a cubic inch of carbonic acid in the course of a single liour, during which its whole body was in a state of agita- tion, from the excitement consequent upon its capture, and yet, during the whole twenty-four liours of the succeeding day, which it passed in a state of eomiiarative rest, tlie quantity of carbonic acid geiicraled bv it was absolutely less. From tlic.se consiilerations, it is manifest tliat unnecessary loss of heat is exactly ecpiiva lent to unnecessary loss of honey ; tlie walls of the liive, therefore, should be as non-con- ducting as possitde, and in ordei- to make these tlie most non-conducting, they should be kept dry. Ventilation is a nu)st important means of keeping the walls dry. This will be seen if we consider the fact that heated air has a much greater capacity to absorb vai)or than cold air, and that the v^q)or thus absorbed rises. Now if there be an escape for this vaj)- or at the top of the hive, the air heated inside the hive by the bees will pass olT charged with moisture, and thus leave the inside dry. And the admission of air at the bottom Avill bring cool air, which whim heated by the bees will absorb the moisture and pass it off at the toj), and thus by a circulation keep the inside dry, and warmer than if this moisture were retain- ed.— Live Stock Journal, Letter from Miss Anna Saunders. Mr. Editor: I have just reached home after an absence of several weeks and find many letters applying for seed of the sage tree, and information con- cerning it. I am sending the seed to all applicants, but will answer most of the questions through the Bee Journal, as they seem to be of general interest. This tree was grown from a cutting and commenced blooming about the second year. T liave never known it to be cut down, or injured by cold weather, as many of our tropical plants are ; so, I think that with careful culti- vation during its early years, it may adapt itself to your climate. I do not know whether it is honej" or pollen, or both, that the bees get from its blos- soms. It commenced blooming about the 1st of last July. Peaches, plums, &c., are in bloom now (Feb. 9), and my bees are exceedingly busy. They are carrying in loads of pollen, and, I suppose, honej^, but 1 have not examinecl the hives to see, fearing the little baby bees would be chilled. The mercury has been 62° the greater part of to-day. Will some wise bee-keeper tell us what is the low- est temperature at w^hich it is safe to open hives out of doors? Woodville, Miss. 68 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. W. F. CLARKE, Editor. CHICAGO, MARCH, 1874. Italian Bees. Joseph Barlow of Blackheatb, Out., asks: — "What is your opmiou of the Italian bees? Are they more profitable than the common or black bees ? Some say they are and some say they are not. I have the common bees, but if the Italians are better, I should like to get them." The unanimous opinion of all bee-keepers competent to judge, is that the Italians are vastly superior, in several important respects, to the common or black bees. t. They are better honey-gatherers. This is the main excellence to secure in bees. We keep them for the stores they will collect, and our profits come from the excess of what they treasure up after supplying their own wants. What percentage more of honey they will gather, over and above the average of what the black bees will do, has never been ascertained, but it has been sufficiently de- monstrated, that they are more active and energetic workers, that they will go out on foraging expeditions during weather which confines black bees to the hive, and that they will gather honey from sources not accessible to the black bee. 2. They are more quiet and peaceable. This is a very important point, inasmuch as it is essential to the best success in bee-keeping, that the bees should be freely handled. Art- ificial swarming, change of queens, extract- ing honey, putting on and taking ofl:" boxes, and a variety of other occupations, necessitate access to the interior of the hive, and render it desirable to have bees to deal with, that do not easily become irritated and infuriated. It is frankly admitted that the Italians, when once made angry, are worse to contend with than the common bees, but there is no need to enrage them, and they are not easily pro- voked. When a hive is opened, the common bees incline to rush out ])ell-mcll, while the Italians cling to the comb, and remain quiet. With care, an Italian stock can be handled as well without smoke, as common bees with it. The utmost gentleness is requisite at all timc« in doing anything among ])ees, and if this is practised, it is remarkable how amiable the Italians will behave. Occasionally things will happen calculated to try the temper of most peaceably inclined bees, just as the gentlest of human beings will sometimes be exposed to provocation. Jkit, under ordinary circum- stances, the Italians will be found much more pacific than the common bees. 'S. They are less liable to be infested with the moth. For some reason or other, the black bees more readily succumb to this in- sect pest, than the Italians. Possibly it is be- cause of the untiring energy and resolute de- termination of the Italians. The moth is a stealthy, insidious enemy, burrowing in secret, and worming itself into possession of the sheets of comb, but an Italian colony of aver- age strength, will hunt them out and prevent their making headway. Many bee-keepers who, when they kept the common bees, were greatly pestered with the moth, testify that on substituting the Italians, this annoyance came to an end. 4. They are more handsome. It would be foolish to sacrifice more substantial quali- ties for mere beauty, but, other things being- equal, it is natural and proper to prefer that which is beautiful to that which is plain and homely. The Italian bee is a more genteeland shapely insect than the common bee, while its golden-banded jacket looks very attractive, whether glittering in tlie sun, or covering the sheets of comb. The queens of this breed are often very beautiful. Just as our best breeds of horses, cattle, sheep, swine and poultry are better looking than the common varieties, and please the eye more, while their nobler qualities commend themselves to the judgment, so it i.s^ with the Italian as compared with the com- mon bee. For these reasons, we certainly advise our correspondent to get the Italians. As a change- of breeding stock only, they are worth the trifling outlay necessary to obtain them. There has naturally been very close breeding "in-and-in," as it is termed, among bees, and analogy suggests that this cannot fail to be THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 6? ui', Orchard, Iowa, writes: — "Bees are wintering finely thus far. My bees are on their summer stands. They had a splendid flight yesterday. Those in the cellar are in excellent condition. No danger of bee dis- ease in a mild winter, unless tliey have very bad management." A. I. Root, 3Iedina, ()., Writes: — "In re- ply to the lady's ([uery, on page 47 of the last JouKNAi-,, I would say, we have never found the honey that seemed to disagree with the bees when confined to their Jiiees by winter Lceather, deleterious to the human family at all; on the contrary, it is oftentimes the very best table honey. I never intended to con- vey the idea that the honey was poisonous, only that it seemed to disagree with the bees some seasons; and that sugar-sprup was uui- forndy healthy for them. We never get bad tasting honey here, but a friend sent us a sam- ple from a distance, saying it would kill bees at any season. It tastes like poor sorghum syrup. We have never had any experience with such honey, but have had bees die badly in March, w hen fed on very nice, sealed clov- er honey." " Novice." W. F. Staxdki'kk, Dry Grove, Miss, writes: — " Bees are doing well. Three or four combs of hatching brood, and a few drone cells are observable." W. S. Boyd, Bethany, O., Writes:—"! have been engaged in the bee business for three years, and when last spring opened, 1 had only one hive with bees in it, but had invested $!»2. 1 bought three hives for $8.75, antl now 1 hav(! seven, and have sold near on(; hundred pounds of honey. With the idd of your paper, and the knowledge 1 have gained (which 1 consider worth more than 1 have spent for the bees), 1 intend this spring to buy all the 1 ces 1 can get at a reasonable figure; and by the use of the extractor, to liave something to report to you next fall de- cidedly in comnii'udation of the bee business." Tnos. I. CoKNEi-rus, Ludlow, Ky., writes: — " All the bees in this part of the country are doing finely this winter. We have had no dysentery, and none in prospect." D. I. Wells, Boliver, Tenn., writes: — " My bees have inci-eased quite rapidly. I started last spring with four black stocks, which in- creased to ten, and three Italian, which in- creased to twelve, and one went to the woods. One Italian stock, purchased of Dr. Hamlin the spring before, sent out a swarm on the 11th, another on the 13th, and another on the 22nd of April, some of which sent out one or two swarms, but no surjdus honey. Is there any remedy for such behavior V I sup- pose my bees are all in good condition, as they are Hying ^ery freely every warm day, which occurs in our locality every week or two during the winter." H. E. CuKHY, Walnut Hills, Cincinnati, writes: — " Bees in this neighborhood are do^ ing well. To-day (Jan. 21), the thermometer rose to seventy-four degrees in the sun, and of course our bees had a good fiy — the second this year. The previous one was on Jan. 4. My bees never looked so Avell at this time of the year, and I have no doubt we will begin the season Avith every encouragement. Last spring I tried an experiment, at least it was such to me, although the same thing is done in Germany. I found, on examining what was left of my apiary, one hive very weak. I w ill not pretend to say how many were left, but it was a sorry sight. I first made a box six or eight inches deeper than a one story Langstroth hive, and after putting six inches of manure in the bottom, I set my weak hive in, and then packed the sides and back with the same, so that it was surrounded w ith ma- nure, excei)t the front. I then put a blanket and mat on the top, and then left it undis- turbed. In a few days, on looking into the hive, I was surprised to find what a number of eggs the queen had laid. The decomposing manure generated such a heat, that she did not have to confine herself to just such space as she had bees to cover. In a few weeks it was my strongest hive, and gave me the lar- gest return of any stock I had. 1 took two hundred pounds extracted white clover honey from it, besides a swarm artificially, and, on November l(i, they had at least twenty-three pounds to winter on. Although it will not do to jumi» at conclusions too suddenly, more esix'cially in bee-culture, I am convinced that those who have Aveak stocks, in the spring, Avill find the above a great help Avith but little trouble. Of course enough of bee-bread and honey, and upAvard ventilation nuist be given, otherAvise the combs Avill mould." H. Nesijit, Cynthiana, Ky., Avrites: — " Last Avinter 1 lost sixty-seven out of seventy colo- nics, and the three left Avcre mere handful?. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. I bought six small black colonies in June, and now i have tAvtMity-six in good condition, all Italiani/cd. They are now carrying in two gallons of tlour daily. Bees are wintering as well as I ever saw them. I have abandoned the bee-house and winter my bees out of doors." D. D. Pai-mkh, Eliza, 111., writes:—" The seven diseased hives which 1 had, are now (Feb. 7) all dead, and fifteen more are dis- eased. I have seventy-eight left; the most of lliem look well." JospuMi ^I. Bkooks, C'olumbu.s, Ind., writes: — "My seventeen colonies of bees are in the cellar, wintering on sugar syrup exclusively. All arc in the best condition, so far." G. E. CoiiiJiN, St. Johns, Mich., writes: — " By actual measurement, I find that fifteen worker lirood-cells made by black bees, span liiree inches; while fourteen worker brood- cells made by Italian bees, span the same dis- tance. That is, nine sciuare inches of surface of brood-comb made by black bees, contain two hundred and twenty-live cells; whereas, the same surface of brood-comb made by Italian bees, contains only one hundred and ninety -six cells. Does not this difference in the size of tlie cells indicate a corresponding difference in the size of the bees ? I believe the usual process of Italianizing supplies the ([ueen with the combs of black bees only. Is it, therefore, possible to rear full-sized and perfect Italian progeny in those cells ? If so, what sized cells will they, in their turn, build ? AVill soiue one of experience answer these questions ? " Edgar McNitt, Centre Village,' O., writes: — " My bees have done very well the past sea- son. I am able to report an average of about fifty pounds of honey to the hive. One hive, furnished with empty combs, gave me three swarms and eighty pounds of honey. In- cluding the increase in swarms, my uett profit for the season was one hundred and twenty- five per cent. Last year I wintered two swarms, one on sealed, the other on unsealed honey, and both came through in good con- dition. I had a swarm of lialf -bloods that died while I was trying to Italianize them. There were no signs of dysentery. To ascer- tain that tlie honey had nothing to do with their death, I procured a starved swarm, and i put it in the depopulated hive without clean- j ing it out in the least, and the bees flourished j as well as any of mj^ other swarms." Jonas Scholi,, Lyons Station, Ind., writes: — "I am somewhat in doubt as to the best way of doubling colonies. In the past two years there has not been very good success in this region in the method of taking full frames from a hive to be doubled, and filling out with empty ones. It seems to cut the hive in two. Tlie ([ueen often will not cross the empty space, but remains on one side of the hive. On the opposite sid(; tlic combs will be filled with honey as fast as tiie brood liatches, wliile tlie new comb built on that side, will most likely be all drone comb. As a strong colony, with a prolific (pieen, when placed in an empty hive, builds comb rapidly, if the yield of honey is good, may we not conclude that when comb is to be built for all the in- crease, the best plan is to divide the bees on- ly, not the comb ? Bearing in mind that in this locality very little comb is built bcifore May 15, and after June 2~>, will sonu^ practic- al bee-keeper give us the benefit of his knowl- edge on this subject V Bees are wintering finely here." B. G. FoRBUSu, Algona, Iowa, writes: — " I am but a novice in bee-culture. One year ago next April, I purchased twenty stands of bees. During the earlj^ summer of last year, I increased to forty stands, by artificial' swarming. I am surrounded with basswood, but there was a total deaith in its bloom. About the first week in July, I was surprised with the sudden filling up of every available cell of my hives witii a very thin, washy, ac- rid honey, which proved to be sumac honey. I was nonplussed, and wrote to Mr. Gallup in regard to it. He advised me to extract it, and keep it for feeding purposes. 1 had no sooner begun to follow this advice, when, to my surprise, it was evaporated to a fair con- sistency, and after six months I find it much less acrid, and good for table use. The months of August and September were gay with golden-rod and many other wild flowers. My hives were soon tilled with honey of the best quality, and the hives were literally stuffed with bees and brood. In view of what Prof. Cook says about late brood, I tremble, for there was no speck of brood in my hives after the loth of September. But I carried my hives into winter quarters full of honey, and populous with bees. I put thirty-two stand» in the cellar, with from three to six inches of air-space under the combs, and heavy, white ducking over the frames according to Mrs. Tupper's plan. They are in good condition. I took out about three hundred pounds of surplus honey. Nine "New Idea" hive* w^ere left on summer stands, banked up with snow, a la Gallup. From this, my first year'a experience, I prefer a four thousand inch hive." ' John Wahl, Greenfield, 111., writes: — " Last season I went into winter quarters with forty-one hives, coming out in the spring with twenty-six. I liad only four swarms winter on the summer stands. I. use the Langstroth hives, of thirteen frames. The last four sea- sons have been so dry that we have had no flowers out of which to make honey, and so, whatever the breed of bees or the kind of hive used, our failure has been unavoidable." THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ck hn^mm\ THOMAS G. NEWMAN, Manager. RATES OF ADVEBTISING. SOLID NONPAUEIL MEASURE. First insertion, per line f0.20 Each subsequent insertion, per line 15 One square, 10 lines or less, first insertion 2.00 Editorial Notices, solid Nonpareil, per line 30 Next i)age to Business Department and second and last page of cover, double rates. A deduotion of 20 per cent, made on advertise ments inserted three months. 30 per cent, for sis' months, and .50 per cent, for one year. Twelve lines of solid Nonpareil occupy one inch. One column contains 06 lines of solid Nonpareil. Bills of regular Advertisers payable quarterly, if in- serted three months or more. If inserted for less than three mouths, payable monthly. Transient ad- vertisements, cash in advance. We adhere strictly to our printed rates. Address all communications and remittances ta the Manager. Not one letter in ten thou.sand is lost bj» mail, if rightly directed. Single Copies of the American Bee Jour- nal are worth 20 cents each. Additional names to a club already formed may be sent at any time at the same club rate. Newly Patented Hive. — John W. Walk- er, of Nashville, Tenn., lias obtained a patent on his new hive. Upon the wrapper of every copy of the Journal will be found the date at which sub- scriptions expire. Any numbers that fail to reach subscribers by fault of mail, we are at all times ready to send, on application, free of charge. Subscribers wishing to change their post- office address, should mention their old ad- dress, as Avell as the one to which they wish it changed. S^^ We Avant several copies of No. 1, Vol. 2, of the Americ.vn Bee Journal, and will pay 50 cents eacli for them. Who will «end us some ? Journals are forwarded until an explicit order is received by the publishers for the ■discontinuance, and until payment of all ar- rearages is made as required by law. When a subscriber sends 'money in pay- ment for the American Bee Jouunal, he should state to what time he thinks it pays, so that we can compare it with our books, and thus prevent mistakes. Every subscriber is requested to look at the date after his name on tlie Avrappcr label of this Number of the American Bee Jour- nal, and if it is not correct send a postal card to this otHce, and tell us and we will make it right at once. Honey Markets. CHICAGO. — Choice wliite comb honey, 2'S @;^0c; fair to good, 24@28c. Extracted, choice white, 14@ 16c ; fair to good, 10@12c; strained, 8(ft)10c. CINCINNATI.— Quotations from Clias. F. Muth, 97C Central Ave. Comb honey, 15@35c, according to the con- dition of the honey and the size of the box or frame. Extracted choice white clover honey, IGc. ^y %. Choice extracted lionev, 10@18c. V It.. ST. LOUIS.— Quotations from W. (4. Smith, 419 North Main st. Choice white comb, 25@29c; fair to good, lG@22c. Extracted choice white clover, 16 @t8c. Choice basswood honey, 14@16c; fair to good, extracted, 8@12c; strained, 6@10c. NEW YORK.— Quotations from E. A. Walker, lof) Oakland St., Greeupoint L. I. The sale of lioney is dull here, and a large quantity is noAv upon the market. The prices rule as follows: White honey in small glass boxes, 25c ; dark 15@20c. Strained honey, 8@12c. Cu- ban honey, .fl.OO ^ gal. St. Domingo, and Mexican, 90@95 "^ gal. SAN FRANCISCO. — Quotations from Stearns and Smith, 423 Front St. Choice mountain honey, in comb, 22^@25c; common, 17@20c; strained, 10@12c, in 5 gal- lon cans. Valley honey, in comb, 12@17c; strained, 8@10c. Eight cents is now the fee for registered let- ters— instead of fifteen cents, as heretofore. Let all register, Avho cannot obtain a money order, but let none register who can. Persons writing to this office should either write their name, Post-office, County and State plainly, or else cut otf the label from the wrapper of their paper and enclose it. The postage on this paper is only twelve cents a year, if paid (juarterly or yearly in advance at the post-otiice where received. We prepay postage to Canada, and require twelve cents extra. Publishers needing cuts or engravings, will do well to address the Manager of the Amer- ican Publishing Company, who have a large supply for sale that have appeared in " The Illustrated Journal." Should any subscriber wish to discontinue taking our Journal, he should address a let- ter to the Manager, and enclose the amount due, and it will then cease to visit liim. Any other course is dishonorable. Any one having paid $2.00 for the Ami<:r- ican Bee Journal for 1874, and desiring to obtain the " Illustrated Journal," for 1874, and our magnificent Fruit Chromo, may send us $1.50 more, and obtain them. American Bee Journal DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. X. CHICAGO, APRIL, 1874. No. 4. Correspondents should write only on one side of the sheet. Their best thouuhts and practical ideas are always welcome ; no matter how rough, we will cheer- fully "fix them up." For the American Bee Journal. The Bee Disease. The question, What caused the loss of so many bees, durhig the two or three last winters, seems to be attracting more atten- tion, at the present time, than anything t'lse connected Avith bee culture. And there is probably no other point upon which there is such a diversity of opinion, or upon the proper solution of which, so much depends. That there has been some general cause for the losses which bee-keepers have sustained throughout the Northern States, is too palpable to admit of successful contradic- tion; but that there has been any cause operating that cannot, with proper care, be remedied by the apiarian, I do not believe. Neither do I believe with some of our apiarians, that the loss was caused by an epidemic; nor with others, that it was the result of the bees eating from honey. I believe that it was caused, mainly, by cold, and disease engendered by the same. That there was dysentery, I freely admit, for I saw the most convincing proofs of that, among some of my neighbor's bees that died, but in every case it was wliere bees were wintered on the summer stand, or placed in cold depositories — no better, if as good, as the summer stand. I will mention a few of the many cases that came under my observation last winter : J. W. Hulet, living about one-half mile south, put his bees, consisting of eight swarms, in a cold shed, filled in with sawdust, four inches thick at the ends and one side, the other side being inch boards. He lost six of the eight swarms by dysentery. Lewis Skeels, living a short distance south-west, wintered his bees on their summer stand, and lost all he had, by the same disease. I put eighty-eight swarms in my bee-house, which is frost proof. Three of the eighty- eight swarms were made up of bees taken out of my nucleus hives, at the end of the queen-rearing season. One of the three was queenless, being put in the house as an experiment, and the other two had young queens that had not layed any eggs, so far as I knew, when put into the house. I lost these three, probably from old age of the bees, as those taken from the nucleus hives w^ere nearly all reared during the summer months, and two of my regular swarms by starvation, and that with from fifteen to twenty pounds of honey in their hives, the bees having clustered at one side of the hive, their stores being at the other; and one swarm from some unknown cause. The rest came through in good order. There was little or no appearance of dysentery, the combs of those that died being clean and bright, except where the cluster of dead bees had slightly caused them to mould. Now, if it was bad honey that killed my neighbor's bees, by giving them the dysen- tery, why did mine not have it V Their honey could difter l)ut little from what mine had, since they were kept so close together. ]\Ir. E. L. Arnold, living five miles north, wintered his bees, consisting of twenty swarms, in his cellar, and did not lose any, while his neighbors lost from one-fourth to one-half of all they had. Mr. J. K. Miller left his bees on their summer stands until some time in January, and up to that date lost seven out of thirty- eight, and a number of the rest were so weak, he thought they could not live until spring. He then put the rest of them in his cellar, and only lost one swarm after they were carried in, and in that he thinks the bees were nearly all dead before they were put into the cellar. It has been asserted that bees carefully housed, had suffered about as much as those wintered on their summer stands. There may liave been such cases, in some localities, but there has certainly been none in this section. I fear that extracting the honey and feed- ing syrup, in order to prevent the dysentery, will kill more bees than it will save, owing 76 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. to the feeding not being attended to early enough to give tlie bees time to seal up their stores before cold weather. In most cases, perhaps, there will be no necessity for de- ferring the feeding until it is too late, but where it is desired to extract the honey that is gathered late in tlie fall, before feeding, I fear in a fall like that of 1873, where the cold sets in earlier than usual, some of our most careful bee-keepers will sometimes be caught before they are through with feeding. In cases of that kind, I should certainly prefer sealed honey to unsealed syrup. Too frequent disturbance of bees, after they are housed, is often, I think, a prolific cause of loss. Tlie injunction to " see them often " is right to the point, so long as they can fly out, but when they are housed, my advice would be to let them "severely alone. " We should see that they have plenty of stores, and that those stores are in the right place, before they are put into winter quar- ters. Also, that the room in whicli they are wintered, be dark and warm, and the temp- erature as even as possible. I notice the bees are the most quiet in my bee-house, when the thermometer stands at about forty degrees. If it went much below that, I should want it, as Mr. Quinby says, to go enough above to make that the average. With these things attended to, we shall have but little cause to fear the ravages of the bee disease. At least, according to my expe- rience. James BoLm. West Lodi, O. For the American Bee Journal. Do Bees Destroy Fruit? The following letter by Mr. Kruschke and comments of Prof. Riley we publish from the Neio York Tribune, at the request of both parties. Barring the personal feeling, which is too common among controversialists, the articles will be found interesting. Many complaints have been made that bees destroy fruit. Being a bee-keeper, I consider it also my duty to be a bee defen- der. Various theories are indulged in. Some assert that bees prevent the fruit from set- ting; others maintain that bees puncture the fruit when ripe. A correspondent of 'The Tribune, in the fore part of summer, com- plained that bees destroyed his peaches, and not knowing what to do, asked for advice through your columns, whereupon the learned and wise (V) Prof. Riley took it upon himself to give a recipe, with which to poison the bees, and lu; also stated that by such man- agement he had known one-half of an apiary to give out. lie would have benefitted man- kind a great deal more, had he taken a dose of the mixture himself. Does Prof. Riley not know that his bee-destroying recipe has gone before the world, among people some of whom are still more ignorant than himself ? Does it not trouble his conscience, to be the destroyer of the most admirable, busiest, and most profitable insect created ? And all be- cause some ignoramuses imagine the bees de- stroy their fruit without any facts for evi- dence. In the Report of AgHculture for 1871, some state that bees had destroyed their grapes, which led me to take close observa- tion. Accordingly, I took a bunch of Dela- ware grapes (the tenderest I could get) and put them on the hive, directly over the bees, and watched proceedings, but not a single berry was punctured; then I broke a few of the berries, upon which they immediately went to work and sucked them dry — thus, showing that something beside bees must open the grapes, or any other fruit, before they can touch it. Perhaps it is in the growth, or in the weather, or the work of some other insect, but don't lay it to the in- nocent bee. How is it tliat we don't hear of such complaints in Germany, France, and Italy, where fruit, especially grapes, are raised so extensively, and bees kept in great numbers V If the bees were so destructive to> fruit, would they not have enacted laws long ago, to prevent their being kept? Such ia not the case ; on the contrary, bee-keeping ]&■ encouraged. In Italy there is a law regulat- ing the size of hives and frames. If these prejudiced complainants would only investigate a little closer, they would see how ridiculous their condemnations ap- pear to a close observer. Practical bee- keepers of America are unanimous in their answer to this question. They declare bees, do not injure fruit of any kind. Many of them are extensively engaged in fruit culture, and they say bees help in impregnating blossoms, by bringing the pollen of the male: and female blossoms in contact. Finally, I would say to those complainants. Procure and diligently read one or all the bee periodi- cals published in this country, and thoroughly post themselves on bee culture, and not de- pend entirely on their own investigations, which is not sutRcient, for even Agassiz. makes blunders in the bee line. — [H. 0. Kruschke, Green Lake Co., Wis., in N. Y. THbune, Dec. 31, '78.] COMMENTS KY l>ROF. CHARLES. V. RILEY. In the article which Mr. Kruschke attempta to criticise, I stated that I expected to have most bee-keepers down on me, and his pro- test is but one of several which, while they charge ri\e with all sorts of ignorance and crime, only betray the ignorance of their authors, and utterly fail to disprove tlie facts THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 77 T htivc stated. AH Kiicii pix)tests that I have soon, so far, arc markod by passion, bias, and personality, rather than dispassionate argu- ment or pi'osentation of facts. Mr. K's isohited e.\perinient is interesting, .«o far as it goes; but " Oiiic swallow don't make a summer,^' and one experiment can- not negative accumulated evidence. All the hubbub in the world, from prejudiced bee- keepers, cannot change facts that have been witnessed by hundreds of others, as well as myself. Bee-keepers may do their best to shear the fact of its importancio, but all the most winning sophistry will not annihilate it. They may observe and cover it with the drift of adverse opinion, but, like the bowlder, it will remain unchanged by the superincum- bent deposit, and stand forth boldly, long after the evanescent and incoherent sur- roundings have beeu washed away by the stream of truth. I am as contident that bees at times cut the skin of tender fruit, as I am that they cut their comb or the caps of their cells; and as Mr. K. docs not seem to have much confidence in the reliability of my own observations, I will say that he will not only find proof of the direct injury which bees do fruit in the reports of the Department of Ag- riculture, but in the reports of the difterent State Horticultural Societies, and in the col- \imns of industrial journals. To the last assertion made by Mr. K., I was myself a successful bee-keeper for over three years ; and not one bee-keeper of large experience and reputation, has undertaken to controvert the facts I have stated. On the contrary, Mr. L. T. Waite, of St. Louis, Mo., and Mr. L. C. Francis, of Springlield, 111., "well-known as successful and intelligent apiarians, have both admitted the truth of Tvhat I wrote; and "Ella," the bee-corres- pondent of The Chicago Tribune^ whom I know to have large experience, in a recent discussion of the question, says: "What- ever our opinions may be, they must at least yield to stubborn facts, and, in case ■such facts, are presented to a court of justice, there can be little doubt that the bees will be convicted. " A whole volume might be filled with evidence in sup- port of my position, from reliable observers; but, not to waste more time, let me say to Mr. K., as to another article in Tfie, Rural Neic-Torker [in answer to another corres- pondent of the Journal, viz : Chas. D. Hib- bard, who also has something to say against "this saiuent Prof. Riley"— C. V.'li.], that " in advising extreme measures in an extreme case, I by no means make general war upon bees : for I have too long communed with these busy little insects, not to have an ad- miration for them as great, at leastj as that professed by some of their more noisy champions. "If, in exceptional seasons, when no flowers otter their coveted sweets, these bee-keepers who have largo ai)iaries, witli fruit-growers for neighbors, would proi)erly feed their bees, said neighbor would have little cause to complain. " Mr. L. B. Ilogue, of ]>elmont Co., Ohio, in The Tribune of July 2;3d, last, suggests as a remedy for the dilHculties which fruit-growers experience from the bees of negligent and cari'less neighbors, that, in- stead of fly poison or the planting of Asclep- ias, a few acres of catnip [Nepeta) be planted for bee-food — an excellent suggestion, pro- viding it is made to the bee proprietor, and not to the fruit-grower; for the latter must not bo expected to take care of the former's property. REPLY BY MR. KRUSCHIvE. Since the above was in type we have received the following reply from Mr. Kruschke : In reply to Prof. Riley, Mr. Editor, 1 would remark that he says that he expects bee-keepers will be down on him. AVell, I would like to know how many horticulturists have thanked him. Not only bee-keepers are down on him, but all peace and justice loving persons must criticise him, for any such course as he ad- vises would bring enmity and discord among neighbors, even if bees were guilty of punct- uring fruit. It would be no more just to kill bees than it would be to kill cattle if they break into another man's enclosure. He compares my isolated experiment with " one swallow," etc.; but the Prof, has not even a single " swallow " to otter in his argu- ment, and says one experiment cannot nega- tive accumulated evidence. But I say a sin- gle demonstrated fact is worth more than volumes of theory to the contrary ; and theory is all the evidence he has to otter. When Galileo, by the means of his telescope, dem- onstrated to the world that the earth moves around the sun, his single iso^a^frZ experiment upset all the volumes of theory accumulated on that subject. When Columbus sailed westward, and found land beyond the waters, his demonstration negatived all theory to the contrary. So I, with a single experiment, overthrow all presumptive evidence to the contrary. For I have not, and do not presume the Prof. has, heai'd of or seen a like experiment prov- ing the contrary. He calls my experiment isolated. I would like to know on Avliat the Prof, bases his ro/ifdence concerning the fruit-destroying propensities of bees V Seeing bees on fruit is not proof that they puncture it. The question to be answered is simply this : Has he seen bees in the act of cutting the skin of the fruit V If he cannot ansvver affirmatively, all his gushing about a bowld- 78 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. cr, truth, etc., amounts [to nothing, for it may prove a volcano. It is not neces- sary for me to consult horticulturists, or hor- ticultural works, for they can oft'er no posi- tive evidence, and I shall accept no one's ij)se dixit. The same is true of those bee-keepers he refers me to — they merely admit it as pos- sible, but I can give him the names of ten bee-keepers who deny the charge, to his one who admits it, but I should consider neither evidence, unless they have tested it as T did. The advice given by Mr. Hogue, of Ohio, in the New York Tribune cannot be praised too highly, while his (Riley's) cannot be too severely condemned. The former will give equally satisfactory results whether practiced by a horticulturist or a bee-keeper, for cat- nip will grow with as little trouble as milk- weed. His experience and experiments with bees must have been with a view of destroy- ing them, since he knows so well how to do so ; but he says he loves them and does not make open war upon them. AVell, no; it cannot be called warfare, but a cowardly assas.nnation, criminal in its nature. I shall continue my observations every fall, and at times when there is little or no bee forage, and if I find that bees cut the skin of i grapes I shall acknowledge it. But shall not then indorse bee-destroying recipes and catnip culture. More might be said, but this is al- ready loo long. 11. O. Krusciike. not be long till the dish is filled with drowned bees, but in a little while bees and dish will be cleaned ofl" perfectly dry, the bees none the worse for their sweet bath. C. C. MrLLEii. Marengo, Ills. For the American Bee Journal. : A Cheap and Good Feeder. ! It is an infringement on Novice's. We use i a good many of the ordinary self-sealing tin i fruit cans, and each year my wife discards | some that have been used and become a little rusty. Then with a punch of any kind, or an ordinary jack-knife, I make a num))er of j holes in the lid or cover of the can, fill the [ can with honey or syrup, put on the cover, i invert, and place over a hole in the honey [ board. The honey will not run out only as ' the bees eat it out. As these cans are thrown away, the only cost is punching the holes in ! the cover. These cans hold three or four pounds of honej'', and cost, when new, from six to twelve cents. Mr. (Irimm lold me his improved Novice-feeder cost twenty-fiAc cents each. If the ])rice were the same, I think I would prefer his. ANOTHEK. When feeding a very small quantity for stimulating purposes, when the weather is warm enough for the bees to remain at or near the entrance, 1 use ordinary sauce dishes. Put in two or three table spoon- fuls of diluted honey, set the dish at the entranc;e, and if tlic bees do not immediately attack it, tap on the liive. Of course it will Index to Back Volumes. As a matter of reference I have always kept an index of back volumes at the front page of my latest volume of the American Bee Journai., so that by reference to it, I might find any important item in any of the various volumes. I find it almost indispen- sable in my search. I send you a portion of the items found in the letters H and I. H. Vol. Page. Hiving Swarms. ------ i. 256 Hybridizing Bees. ----- j. 231 Hives, Pai)er. -------- iv. 2:30 Honey Sulistitute. ----- iy. 8!> Honey Boards. ------- i. .57 Honey Extractor. - - vol. iv. 144, vi. 208. Honey Extractor, How to Make. - vi. 278 Honey Extractor, "Novice's." - iv. .58 Honey BoxeSjto Make Bees Leave, iv. 212 Honey Boards. Tallow for. - - iv. '?A Honey, to secure a large Yield. - vi. •> Honey Boards, Corn-cobs for. - iii. (> Honey Bee, Anti(iuity of. - - - vii. 26 Honey Dew, Analysis of. - - - viii. 17 Honey Artllieial. "Dzierzon." - viii. 84 Honey Boards, Cloth for. - - viii. 87 Honey as a Medicine, vol. viii. pp. 07, 101,210 Honey Ditterent (lualities of. - - viii. 103 Honey, to Keep. ------ viii. ICMr Honey Quilts. ------- viii. 118- Honey Plant. " Rape." - - - viii. 2.51 Hives, "Novice's.' ----- yiii. 50 Hives, Roofing for " Adair." - viii. 250 Honey Boards, '■ Alley.' - - - viii. 174 I. Introducing Queens, vol. i. ISC, vol. iii. I), iv. !(>■ Introducing Queens, (Ijangstroth). vi. 100> Introducing Queens, (Dzierzon). vi. 272 Introducing Queens, ((irinuu). vol. iii. .57 Introducing Queens, (Kohler). - iv. 21 Introducing (^hieens. (Alley). - - vii. 150 Introducing (Queens. (Dadaut). - vii. 'W> Introducing (Queens, Virgin. I vol. viii. 2()ti, viii 88- t Insects and Fruit. - - vol. iii. 22, iii. U>7 ! Improved Bee House. ----- v. 164 Italiaiii/.inn l!ox Hives, " Grimm." iii. \h^ llaliani/.ini; I'.lack Bees. - - - vii. 270 Italian vs. Black Bees, (Lang- strotli)- --------- viii. 28 Italians and Sweetened Water. - viii. 1.50 Kepeated observations show that the secre- tion of honey is powerfully influenced by tlic electricity of the atmosphere : and bees never labor more actively than dur- ing Inimid, sultry weather, ov when a thunder storm is a])iu'o:;c]iiiej,. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAI.. 79 For the American Bee Journal. The Bee Disease in Western New York. As my experience with the bee disease (so called by many good aiiiariuns) has been of a character not to make its repetition desira- ble, I i)roposi' to jiive a lew facts connected therewith, hoping that some of your corres- \ pondents will correct me if I have arrived at a wrong conclusion. Our apiary is located on the western slope of the Genesee, about seven miles west of the river, in a line not far from one mile uorth of west from the village of Geneseo. Al- though during cold nights the mercury in the therniomeler sinks several degrees lower on the tlats than on the uplands, yet, owing to protection of these flats from winds, in the middle of clear, calm days, the temperature at times was of sufficient warmth to admit of bees flying, whereas at the distance above mentioned they had no opportunity to leave their hives from late in the fall till the latter part of winter, consequently when the op- portunity did come what had not been frozen out were in an emaciated condition and hard- ly able to regain the hive after once leaving it. Thus reduced in numbers, they were una- ble to recruit, and consequently, they gradual- ly dwindled away, leaving the hive well stored with pollen, comb and honey. Out of an apiary of over sixty colonies in the spring of 1873 we had but one swarm left. Our neighbors fared no better, for through- out the length and breadth of this elevation of country — bordering both sides of the val- ley— from Ontario to Pennsylvania, (a part of the fairest and most fertile section of Western New York,) the same scene of dis- aster and desolation to a greater or less ex- tent prevailed, and bee-keeping received a blow from the eftects of which it will require some years to recover. Piles of empty hives stood where was once flourishing apiaries, and the busy hum of millions of industrious work- ers was hushed, and silence reigned supreme. From the facts above stated I am led to be- lieve that the great loss of bees throughout the country was by protracted cold weather without any favorable opportunities for purifying flights. In the valley proper, the loss was not above the usual average as they had several chances to fly, and consequently came through strong and healthy, but as you traveled east or west from the river, the ele- vation gradually increasing, the greater would become the loss, till you arrived at what raigth be termed the dead line. Another circumstance which serves to con- firm me in the opinion that there was no epi- demic, is that I took some b'-f^s with frames of comb left by bees which had died from the disease the winter before, to a person in Avon, who hived into them new swarms, which came out in the spring in fine condition, strong, healthy, and without any sign of dis- ease. I again have all my hives and combs refilled with bees and never had them do bet- ter than they have done the past season. I will close by saying that if re-using liives- and ttouibs from which bees died out the season before, will not spread and propagate disease could there have been any epidemic connected therewith ? When with due care we can count on wintering our bees with as small a percentage of loss as on other live stock, then will bee-keeping be established upon a surer basis, whereas, of late hundreds- of dollars have been invested in the business, from which there has not been received any adequate returns. C. R. Isiiam. Peoria, Wj^oming Co., N. Y. Berlepsch on the Culture of Rape. In order to make the inti'oductioii- aiid culture of rape successful I have gathered testimonials in regard to its value as a farm crop, and honey plant, from the rape growers in Wisconsin. I have also written to Mr. Berlepsch, and received the reply which is given below. Since it is the most important report,, and testimonial from such high author- ity concerning a honey plant, over given in the American Bee Joirnal. I thought it of sufficient interest to pub- lish. It will surely be found interesting, and will encourage the culture of rape, which, I am quite certain, can be made a success, here in America, as in Ger- many. Berlin, Wis. II. O. Ivruschke. Munich. Bavaria. Feb. 8th, 1874. Deak Bee Fkieni):— Your appreciated letter of Jan. 19th. is at Jiand In reply to your question. I would say, that I can an- swer you with certainty. During the years— between 1841 and 18.58 — that I was a practical agriculturist, I cultivated rape (see pamphlet) to a large extent, and can,, in consequence thereof, and from knowledge otherwise gained, testify most assuredly, that in all Geniiany there is "no itlant yielding more honey than rape. I know of instances, occur- ing in my i>wn experience, where a very popul- ous colony of bees, during the tinic; rai)e was iu blossom, gained a weight of twenty pounds and over in one day. On tlie tenth of ^lay 184<5 there was near me a sixty-live acre lield hi blossom. The weather was'excellent, and my strongest colony, which I placed on a jilatforin scale, gained that day over twenty-one pounds in weight. I know only of one other plant that can be c(mii)ared with rajie as a honey-yielding plant, and that is esparcet. It is i>rol)al)ly the best fodder- yielding i^lant for cattle and slice]). It flouri.shes on the pt)orest soil, if only not wet. and from ten SlO THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. to fifteen years without re-sowiug, and yields •enormous (luantities of fodder. ('oncernluu' tlie value of rape as a farm crop, I can sa,\' it is \ery great, often yielding a net inciiuie of .-^:!i i)er acre. The soil however must be rich and well tilled. August, Baron vox Berlepsch. P'or the American Bee Journal. California for Bees. Mil. Editor. — -I see in the February num- ber of the Journal an inquiry if this part of the world is good for bees, and in answer would say that I believe it is the best in the "world, both as to quality of honey, quantity and healthiness of bees. In support of my assertion will give my reasons for making ■them. In the winter of 1871-3 I bought eight stands of bees in box hives, transferred tliem into the American Iua-c, and in May I divided each hive, making sixteen. I put them on a little place I put up at the foot of the moun- tain, as I was then suffering from a cough, caused from a wound receiveo through the lung at the battle of Shiloli. I thought I would rusticate a few years, if I lived ; but when the warm weather came on I felt so much better, I left the bees and ranch and went to town, leaving my bees in charge of a jieighbor who lived a half mile away, I in- structed him to put on extra boxes, and did not return until the last of Jul)-, when I found them all full. I took out all the honey I could, without disturbing brood nests, and fitted up a lot of extra boxes, and melted out the honey in the sun, as I then had no ex- tractor, and left my bees again in the care of the neighbor, and did not return till the last of November, when I found all full again, and 1 went through the same process of pruning, and took the honey to market, and found I had 3,500 lbs. of good white honey, which I sold for 13 and I'S cents per lb. I remained on the ranch that winter; and in the spring transferred all my bees to the Langstroth hive, and divided, so that I com- menced the season with thirty-four swarms, and increased to fifty, and by using an ex- tractor and remaining with the bees through the summer and giving them the attention I could, which was but very little on account of ill heilth, I got 7,000 lbs. of extracted lioney of a very superior quality. I got from ■one swarm that came out in May, 403 lbs. of honey in comb, and left it in fall with twenty- two frames full of honey and brood. I would like to make arrangements with some firm in the East to ship my honey to in the barrel, and have them bottle it and put it on the market for me. I am satisfied that the poorest honey we have will compare with your best basswood. Honey Avas very dull sale here last 'year. J. \V. Montoomerv. San Bernardino, Cal. For the American Bee Journal. Feeding Bees. While I thank Mr. Marvin very much for his proffered instruction, allow me to say that our kind reporter made a mistake in report- ing me to have said, "is there a remedy" for irritating bees, while shaking them from deep combs. I have no deep combs, and never expect to have. I would much rather use the Bingham depth of five inches, than fourteen. I have all pure Italian bees (thirty-three colonies), and having no blacks to contend with, had thought of propagating queens for the market, but now am determined to pur- chase twenty or forty colonies of black bees for next season's operations, and practically test the superiority of the Italians (if they have any) over the blacks, — all tilings con- sidered. Shall allow no increase from either ; shall keep all in the same yard ; give all equal chances. I hold (with Mr. Dadant) that sugar is not honey, until it goes into the honey sack and becomes acidized. Hence bees should not be wintered on sugar poured into the combs, but on sugar Jioney made by feeding in the fall. My experience leads me to say, that all kinds of out-door wintering is good, that will give the bees plenty of oxygenized air of a temperature not lower than thirty-five degrees Falirenhcit. Have not heard of any such, however. If Mrs. Harrison will take a two-ciuart fruit jar, and punch about seventy-five holes the size of a pin, through the cover, and then after filling the jar, screw on the cover, and insert through a hole in the honey-board, or cover, she will have a twenty-five cent feeder that will feed as little as she pleases, and will feed in autumn, enough for wintering in seventy-two hours, or three such on a hive, will feed the same in twenty-four hours. You can see at all times, just how liusiness progresses. Have used tlie Grimm feeder with perforated tin, instead of wire, screen. For spring feeding, punch only ten holes. I have only inch holes in my covers, so T make a hole just the size of the jar top, through a board (ixOx^, and place this over the inch hole and insert the jar, which will not blow over, and leave a half inch space between the hive cover, and perforated jar cover. The same may be put over a slot in the honey- board. I used twenty-four such, to feed winter stores to sixteen colonies, the jiast fall. I believe (after much experience) that making hives double wall, is throwing away money." They are not as durable as single wall hives, and in no way any better. Have tried hundreds of each, side by side, and the above is our experience. Dowagiac, Mich. ,I.\mes IIkddon. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 81 For (lie American Bee Jouniiil. Letter from Kansas. THE I'KOrKK MAN. A few clays ago I received a letter from ]Mr. A. Chapman, of New Cuniberlaiul, West Virfi'inia. lie speaks of a mau that met me with a lot of queeus on my way home from Kelly's island. Then he asks me " who the l^roper man is to write to, to get queens from there, and whether 1 think the queens raised there are pure." He then goes on to say that •''he thought Mr. the proper man, and ordered a lot of queens of him, which, how- ever, he regarded as impure, and he feels very much aggrieved." All of which ques- tions we are unable to answer, because we •are not the " proper mau, " and have never been to Kelly's island, nor received any OTHEK THINGS. At the late meeting of the North American Bee-Keepers' Society I read a paper on the Wings of Bees, showing that thej'^ must be important organs aside from their mechanical use as organs of flight; in fact that they are a part of the pulmonary system, and that any injury to the wings must affect the strength and value of the queens. Mr. Root, in his " Gleanings," without publishing the paper at all, says I say that " bees breathe through their wings," leaving it to be under- stood that I state that they compose the entire lungs, when any one who will read the paper will see that I take no such position. I wrote to Mr. R. an explanation of his er- ror and suggested to him that it would be fairer for him to publish the paper so that the readers might judge for themselves. He publishes a part of my letter, only. He still refuses to publish the paper, for which he gives the following reason in his February number. He says: " We declined publishing the paper then, and do now, on the ground that very few peo- ple indeed are capable of deciding what is truth and what is error in the micros'^opic world," and he goes so fur as to take to task 84 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, the Rural Neio Yorker aucl other papers, for publislimg it, because, as he states it, " mau- kind are so prone to take up and disseminate error," etc. Now it seems to me tliat Mr. R. is assuming a censorship over the press that is not called for, and is assuming a dogmatic position that he would condemn in others. It has been but a few mouths since in criti- cising me and the " whole popular science world," as he called it, he very learnedly quoted a Latin maxim, '■'magna est Veritas et jv'evalebit" which might be paraphrased, and if not more original, be equally truthful, " magna est vardtas et in'evalet" for self -suf- ficiency must prevail to an alarming extent with any one who pronounces " very few people capable of deciding what is truth," etc., and believes that " mankind are so prone to take up and disseminate error," etc., and relies on his own infallibility as one of the "few capable" of dictating what people should read. Are the " people " who read the bee journ- als and the rural press in need of such censor- ship ? I had come to the conclusion that bee- keepers as a class had more than an average •of intelligence, even in a country like ours, where the government is based on the intelli- gence of the people as a whole, and where the freedom of the press is based on the the- ory that falsehood and error can do no harm where free speech and an unshackled press have full license to combat them, for as Mr. R. says, " Truth is mighty and will prevail." Mr. Root makes a quotation from " Carpen- ter on the Microscope" confirming the des- cription I give of the wings, except he says, "This circulation [he is speaking of the blood and not of the nervous or pulmonic system of the wings], may be seen readily in the wings of bees young and growing, .... those organs especially whicli are peculiar to the perfect insect being then in a state of rapid growth and having then a vigorous cir- culation of blood through them; but this ^movement soon ceases and the wings dry uj)." The last italics are Mr. Root's. I might reply to this in the language of Mr. Root by calling it "sheer folly" or "twaddle" or some of the hard names he so freely applies to all that differ with him, but I cannot be- lieve that Carpenter is a fool, (I believe folly is defined to be " the acts of a fool,") or that it is " idle silly talk," which a "tattler" is guilty of, for he would likely be surprised at the use that Mr. Root made of his language, so contrary to the observations of every other eminent naturalist. In the larva state the bee is composed of thirteen segments, eleven of these have each two spiracles or breathing holes, one on each side of the body. As it approaches the pupa state these spiracles are gradually obliterated and grow up, so that all of those on the seg- ments that finally form the abdomen disap- pear, and those on the thorax are alone left. As the bee approaches the pupa state there appear on the thorax over four of the ante- rior spiracles little pad-like projections which are the wings doubled up in wads, which may be seen through the pellicle that envelopes the pupa at that time. This skin sloughs oft" in the semi-pupa stage and releases the wads, and it is at this time that Carpenter says that the " circulation may be readily seen,'" as then the wings are but a pulpy mass and so translucent that there is no difficulty in ob- serving the circulating ftuid, for the circula- tion is " then vigorous " to promote their de- velopement and " rapid growth." " But this movement soon ceases and the wings dry up." Of course they do, for the limp, pulpy mass assumes a difterent consistency and de- velopes the complicated elements of the wings, and there is no longer any necessity for an excess of moisture in the wings. The circulation is thence hid from sight inside of the horny tubes and under the covering of minute hair-like xtapillcB that cover the wings. And this is all that Carpenter means to say. One other statement of Mr. Root deserves a little notice. He says: " So far as eminent naturalists and ento- mologists are concerned, we have only to say it will be the worse for them, if they endorse the paper in question, and its winding up es- pecially." Now as friend R. is the oiily naturalist among the many who have read the paper who does not endorse it, the " whole popular science world " must be in a bad fix. Icim't tell how he intends to punish them, but I sup- pose he will publish them in the " Humbug and Swindle " department of his Oleanings. Would not it be a sad spectacle ? But what is the winding up of this paper that he con- demns as "specially" outrageous? The last par- agraph is the statement of a fact that has been settled among uaturalists f or a longtime: i. e. that the bee inftates its body with air when about to fty, so as to decrease its specific gravi- ty, and assist it in flying This is not only appli- ed to insects, but ornithologists state that birds do the same thing, even filling the hollow barrels of their feathers and quills with heat- ed air or gas. In this fact lies a very strong reason why the wings of insects should per- form the office of lungs, for when the body is inflated there are valves at the openings of the spiracles that close and retain the ilir, just as in holding the breath, so at the very time that free respiration is most needed, it is impeded most, unless the wings perform the oflicc of pulmonary organs; for the blood always flows more actively to the members of the animal body that are most in exerci.se. The great difficulty with ]\Ir. R., and all of the unscientihi;, is that they overlook the fact that nature accomplishes the same cud by very opposite and diverse means. Because THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 85 man and the higher animals have certain parts of their structure specialized as lungs, they infer that every thing tliat breathes must liave like organs, and that the functions can- not be exercised by any other. The special breathing apparatus of worms consists of sim- ple tilaments placed on tlie head, and they do not take air into the body at all, and in addi- tion to these tilauients, the whole surface of tlie body serves as lungs, so that if a worm be cut in two both i)arts will live, and become independent animals. St. George ISIivarts, in Nature for Decem- ber, 187;j, p. 108, says our skin is by no means popularly credited with the great im- portance really due it. " Only the skin ! " is an exclamation not unfrequeutly heard, and wonder is very often felt when death super- venes after a burn which has injured but a comparatively small surface of the body. Yet our skin is really one of our most import- ant organs, and is able to supplement, and to a very slight extent to replace, the respective actions of the kidneys, tlie liver, and the lungs. [See Huxley's Elementary Physiology, Lesson v., §19.) The same authority tells us that, " In the frog we have this cutaneous activity devel- oped in a much higher degree. . . . Its res- piratory action is both constant and import- ant. This has been experimentally demon- strated by the detection of the carbonic acid given out in water, over the head of which a bladder had been so tightly tied as to pre- vent the possibility of the escape of any exhalation from the lungs. The fact of cutaneous respiration has also been proven by the experiment of confining frogs in cages under water for more than two months and a half, and by the cutting out of the lungs, the creature continuing to live for forty days. Indeed, it is now certain that the skin is so important an agent in the frog's breathing that the lungs do not suffice for the mainte- nance of life without its aid." The only argument that Mr. Root uses against the theory is, that practical experi- ence disproves it, and he gives instances where queens have been prolific afterwards and lived a long time. Mr. I. L. Davis, of Mich- igan, appears in your February number with an instance of the same sort. But I can not admit that the instances cited by either have any weight, from the fact that the hives in which the bees were kept re(iuired no great vigor in the (jueens to keep up the population and to swarm, and the fact that such queens lived from three to six years proves nothing, for it is not contended that it will take their lives. My experience is that queens with mutilated wings most generally live longer than those with perfect wings, just as you see many unhealthy men that exert them- selves but little, outlive the more robust and vigorous, not so careful of their vital force. It is now conclusively demonstrated that the conditions under wliich we have been keeping our bees liave restilcted the queens, and tliat in jiroperly constructed hives, with management adapted to their nature and in- stincts, the fecundity of the queen is incredi- ble. Some two years ago I published a small book drawing the attention of apiarians to what has become known as the " New Idea Theory." It has been much ridiculed by Mr. Root and others, but that lias not pre- vented its successful use all over the country. I will not go into the details of the theory here, as this article is already of a tedious length. At the late meeting of the North American Bee-Keepers' Society, when the subject of artificial swarming was under con- sideration, I gave a statement of the main points of it. In the synopsis of the proceed- ings as published, it is too much abreviated to give a fair understanding of it. I there- fore send you an extract from the full report, giving the whole of it, and as it will answer many questions continually asked me, and at the same time show Mr. Root and Mr. Davis, why I do not consider their reported instances as tests of the wing theory, request you to publish it in full. If you have not room for it in the same number with this, give it in your next, if you please. D. L. Adair. Hawesville, Ky. For the American Bee Journal. Murdering Bees. Under this heading the February number of the American Bee Journal copies an ar- ticle from the British Bee Journal, in which an English bee-keeper relates that the bees of one of his straw hives destroyed each other, and says that the murdered bees are of a smaller size. The editor of the British Bee Journal, in answer says, that he has experi- enced the same with his bees and that he thinks it is on account of their small size that these bees are murdered. I have seen sometimes a similar accident in my apiary, several years ago; and I searched for the real cause. Having mova- ble combs, I have not been long in ascertain- ing it. The bees killed were very young, and the murderers were the oldest. These old bees were not killing their sisters to rid the hive of them, but the young were starved by the famished gatherers, which could find nothing in the fields and nothing in the hive to appease their hunger. I have ascertained that the newly hatched bees consume more honey in the first fort- night of their life, than they have consumed from the egg to their last transformation. Tne newly born bee is very small ; after two days it is very big, even bigger than the old HH THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. workers, and for fifteen days it eats plenty of honey and bee-bread, to perfect and harden its organs. During that time it remains in tlie hive and nurses the larvse. When the crop of honey fails, and when there is nothing to eat in the hive, the old bees seem irritated to see these young bees so fat, so well filled with the product of their work, and they force them to give back the honey that they have in their stomachs. The poor young bees are pinched and tortured until their stomachs are empty. Then they run into every corner of the hive to escape from their tormentors, which, still famished, do not leave them till they are starved to death. Then the poor young bees, which were so fat, in well provisioned hive, have their abdomens shortened and curved inside. When they are in such a state, it is impossi- ble to restore them to health. I have tried it in vain. When I have encountered similar accidents, I had seen the provisions of the colony several days before, and it seemed that they were sutficieut for the brood; but the brood after hatching, ate so much that the bees were starving, and the young were sucked dry by the old. For five or six years I have never seen such a case; for I take the greatest care to see that my bees have enough honey for their young. In the ease alluded to, the correspondent of the British Bee Journal says, that the massacre took place at intervals of one week or ten days, especially on Sunday. Some ultra Christian will probably think that these bees were killed because they had worked on the holy day. But the naturalist will, no doubt, think with me that the massacre hap- pened on the day when nothing was found in the fields by the bees ; and as our mother nature does not know the seventh day, the lack of honey in the fiowers must come from some natural and not miraculous cause. When a similar accident arrives, the surest and quickest way to stop the massacre, is to give the colony one or two good combs of honey. No doubt a few of the bees, too much famished, will perish; but the murder- ing will be stopped instantly, and the colony saved. Ch. Dadant. Hamilton, 111. Destroying Millers. — Mr. Philipson, an extensive bee-keeper of Genesee county, Michigan, says: "In the even- ing, plaee a shallow dish tillecl with thin tar in front of the hives, with a small lamp so placed in the center of tlie dish as to bring the light near the tar. The millers being attracted by the light dive for it and go into the tar. In a short time all the millers in the vicinit}' of the apiarj' will be caught." Artificial and Non-Swarminff. The "New Idea" Theory and One Story Hives. AN EXTRACT FROM THE UNPUBLISHED TRANSACTIONS OP THE NORTH AMERICAN REE-KEEPERS' SOCIETY, AT LOUISVILLE, DECEMBER, 1873. The question under consideration was, "Is artificial swarming as good or better than natni-al swarming?'' D. L. Adair. — Moved that the Society answer in the affirmative. Winder. — Why? We should give some reason for such an answer. Adair. — Because natural swarming is always the result of disorganization, and a colony of bees in a properly con- structed hive, properly managed will not swarm, while it admits of extensive multiplication of stocks, by artificial means, without materially injuring the old colon}"; and as long as such a hive is so managed no drones will l)e pro- duced, and all the comb built will be worker comb, and no attempt will be made to build queen cells. A. J. Murra}' of Tennessee. — Did not think that giving the bees room \vould prevent swarming. While in the Con- federate army he assisted in cutting a bee tree in which he found two colonies in one hollow, the only division between them was 'the direction of the comb; and in another cavity in the same tree there Avas a iiew swarm that had taken up its quarters, which he sup])osed had swarmed from one of the others ; yet there was plenty of unoccupied room in the large hollo\v. Adair. — Still the queen may have been crowded for room. Murray. — Knew of another colony that passed through a ventilator tube in a house, into a large room, where they located themselves and the}' swarmed. They certainly were not crowded. Adair. — The extent of room, however great, will not prevent swarming, unless other conditions are present. It is the circumscribing of the brood nest that produces disorganization, and whenever the queen produces more eggs than she has room in the brood nest to de2)osit the proper balance of the hive is destroy- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 87 cd, and it will result in the disorgauizii tiou that produces s\varinini>-. In the 8])riBg, when the queen is laying but little^ the brood nest is small. The <3ueeu begins at a given point to lay; first occupying a s))ot of about one and one-half inches in diameter on each side of one sheet of comb; then taking into her circuit a point opi)Osite on each side of the two adjoining sheets. Around this centre she continues to lay, gradu- ally enlarging the nest for twenty-one da3's. At" the end of that time the ^•oung bees produced from the first eggs laid begin to emerge from the cells and she returns to the centre to begin her circuit anew, tilling each cell as it is va- oatetL Around this brood nest the bees fill the cells with bee-bread and outside of that honey. ( Bees never deposit bee-bread away from the neighborhood of brood.) Thus a bi-ood nest is formed and if nothing obstructs it, will extend equally on all sides of the point at which the queen began to la}', and as the cells around it are filled with food, when she again reaches the circumfer- ence she finds her limits restricted. By this time, honey is coming in freely and she is stimulated to ])roduce more eggs than she has cells to receive them ; the perfect balance of the hive is destroyed and preparations for swarming is the result, and even though the colony were located on the ceiling of this large halL, they would swarm just as certain- ly, for the queen Avould be as much crowded as if she were in a small hive. To questions asked, he said that the remedy for this was to have a hive so constructed that it will admit of push- ing apart the frames, in the middle of the brqod nest and inserting empty sheets of comb, if early in the season, but if the bees were in a condition to make wax rapidly, then empty frames were best, as the bees would fill them with comb as fast as lieeded by the queen. It is important that the insert- ed frames, whether empty or with comb, should be placed in the middle of the brood nest, and not to one side, as the queen w^ill thereby be induced to occupy them solidl}' with eggs, and while she is doing that, the bees emerging from the cells in the comb forming the old nest will be giving more rooin, and greater fecundity will be the result; when, if the frames are inserted to one side, she will be slow to occuj)}- it, and before she can do so it will be filled with bee bread and honey. When the queen has thus, at iiitei-- vals, been given all the room she can occup3', and all compactly together, it is not probable that any further care will be necessary to prevent swarming dur- ing the honey season, provided, there is enough room in the same chamber to fui-nish room for the work of all the bees she can produce. Room given in boxes or top or side apartments will do no good, for the bees will not work in them freely, and whenever the brood chamber is filled to tlji> ends, the bees will double back on the brood nest, and, as they find empty cells in it, will pack them with pollen and honey, and in a little while the brood nest will be re- duced m size so that the queen will be again crowded, and the swarming im- pulse brought on from the disorganiza- tion so produced. The hive should be of one story, and long enough to be certain that it will aftbrd sufficient room for the work of the enormous colony of bees that will soon result from such management. B3' careful estimate he had found in a single colony, so managed 170,000 bees. In it there was no drone comb con- structed during the season, and not a drone was reared in it ; and, although drone comb was placed in the brood nest, the queen did not lay in it, but the bees filled it with honey. An ordinary hive with a broad cham- ber of 2,000 cubic inches capacity will not accomodate exceeding 20,000 bees with working room. Whenever it much exceeds that number a swarm is cast, regardless of the amount of room there is in the top or side apartments. For while there might be room for stor- ing honey, the nursing bees and wax producers would be crowded into the brood chamber, and however large the brood, nest may have been at first, it will soon be filled with stores, particu- larly bee-bread, and swarming is bound to result. Even if the bees clo work in the boxes and the wax-workers and honey gatherers are drawn out of the brood chamber, it leaves the hive in ss THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. scarcely a better fix, for the nursing bees are left to crowd it, and the pollen gatherers will not store the bee-bread away from the brood nest, but near to the larvfe to be fed ; and as they will gather more than can be used in rear- ing the limited brood that can be hatch- ed in so small a space, the comb soon becomes j)acked full of it. The bees will remove the honey from the cells in the brood chamber to make room for it, and the bee-keeper will be j^leased that his boxes are being so rapidl}^ filled. But the bees swarm. Not a bee is left in the boxes. They are taken off", full of honey perhaps. He looks into his brood chamber, and what does he find? Somewhere he finds a few patches of brood mixed in with cells full of bee- bread, and perhaps the greater part of the comb stuffed full of bee-bread, — there is bee-bread everywhere, enough to feed a hundred thousand larvtie, in- stead of the few thousand that they have left cradles for. The melipult will not extract it, and perhaps it is left in during winter, excluding the weak colony from the cells, and they have to live as best they can between the cold sheets of pollen, or more likely entirely die out before spring, from cold and starvation. This j^icture is not overdrawn, for every experienced bee-keeper has seen hives in that condition, without being aware of the fact that it w^as the fault of the hives, and not of the bees. A Member. — What is the shape and size of the hives you use. Adair. — The hive should be long, and as wide as the length of the frames. — The frames to set in it crosswise. If the frames are large the hive need not be so long. The entrance should be at only one end. This is inqjortant. But there should be two holes, three-eighths of an inch by three inches, and about five inches apart. The brood nest should be in the middle of the hive, and in no event should the bees be allowed to fill the hive, so as to reach either end, for as soon as they do, they will double back the honey and crowd the brood nest. Murray. — Will a queen that lays so abundantly live long? Will she not soon become exhausted ? Adair. — She will not live long. At the end of the second season she will likel}^ be worthless. The ovaries of the queen have the germs of a certain num- ber of eggs in them, and, when they are laid, no more can be produced, and she should be superseded whenever she be- gins to decline in fertility, for when she begins to fail, preparations will invaria- bl_y be made for swarming. Murray. — What do you gain then if it shortens the life of the queen? Adair. — You gain a great deal. A hive so managed produces as much in one year as, under the swarming sys- tem, it might produce in four or five^ and it is but little trouble to have young queens to supply the places of the old ones. A Member. — In Avhat shape do you get your surplus honey; in the comb or extracted. Adair. — Some of both ; but coml) hon- e}' is the most pi'ofitable, and the bees will make more dollars' worth of it, in most seasons, but he would not be with- out the melipult, as it could hardly be dispensed with. A Member. — How do you get your brood nest in the middle of the hive ? Will the bees locate it there? Adair. — The bees will locate it as near to the entrance as they can. In the hive he uses, the frames are closed at top, bottom and sides. He can hook together any number of them, closing the ends with glass in the summer, so that the hives can be easily examined. In winter, he closes them with straw or shuck mats. He hooks together, at first, enough to accomodate the bees- with room for a few days, and until the brood nest is established. When the bees fill them too near either end, he adds more on the ends to give room for the workers and in the centre to enlarge the brootl nest, and afterwards, as oftea as demanded, so that the queen never Avants for room, nor the workers for space to biiild comb and store all the honey they can gather. A Member. — How long is your hive? Adair. — At first he thought that a hive three feet long would be sufficient, but found it too small. He then made them four feet long, holding thirty-two frames ten by thirteen inches inside. — THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 89' This is large oiiough, when the extract- or is used or the comb honey is talcen out often, but he hiul used them twice that size and had the bees to occupy all of the frames but five or six. Five feet long, with frames of that size, will do if attended to, but they must bo larger if the honey is left in them. A Member.— If 3^our bees don't swarm how do you increase them ? Adair. — lie made artilical swarms, and could increase his bees faster than from smaller hives, as the material was so abundant; foi" a nucleus, or even a good swarm, could be taken out without reducing the colon}^ to the dimensions of the strongest colon}- you can have in a hive of ordinary size, and without materially checking its jDroductiveness. He generally formed a nucleus of two or three sheets of brood, one or two of empty comb and one or two entirely empty. He hooked them togethei', set them in the cellar or a dark room for three or four days, then set them out, and as soon as they raised a queen built them up by adding brood as near ma- turity as he could get. The surplus queen cells were used in forwarding others. He had made as high as eight artificial swarms out of one hive, at one time, giving each a queen cell. With the addition of a little brood about the time the queen becomes fertile, thc}^ soon become strong colonies. Of course in such instances the parent colony was reduced to a small size, and was naate- rially checked in productiveness, and it took them some time to recover. For the American Bee Journal. That Patent Bee-Peeder. The jSIarch number of the Journal is just received, aud of course is devoured at once. Friend Kretchmer, on page sixty-six, refers to my article on " Mr. Adam Grimm's Bee-Feeder, " aud says the feeder was pat- ented May 6, '73, aud speaks about the per- forated screw cap. The cap is not perforated in Mr. Grimms' feeder, as friend K. will see if he looks the article over. I certainly should not have given a description of it for all to use, had I known it was patented. 3Ir. Grimm uses a good many of them in his apiaries, aud told me I could make and use as many of them as 1 chose, for the feeder was one of his own (jetting up, and ivas not patented, and would not be by Mm. Any one was free to use it. He certainly did Jiot know any one had a similar feeder, or that it was covered by a patent. Will Mr. Grimm please notice tins, and explain the matter to us ? I see in tlie advertisements, Mr. K. has liis feeder described as using "water, syrup, houey, or meal, and ventilates the hive at pleasure." A diU'erent feeder altogether, from ours, which is not calculated for feed- ing meal, and is no ventilation whatever, to the hive. We have had a mild winter, for bees in this part of the country, so far. A part in houses, packed in straw, of about a foot on all sides, with cloth quilts on, summer en- trance open, with wire cloth tacked over them. One lot were shut up just one hund- red days, and came out strong, bright and clean, with few dead bees. AVhile some that were wintered on their summer stands, lost a large share of their bees. Some writers speak about banking their hives in snow. That might de in ISIinnesota, but not in Illi- nois, for we only have a few inches, gener- ally, and that is liable to disappear in a few days. W. M. Kellogg. Oneida, Ills. For the American Bee Journal.. Plants For Bee Forage. Mr. Editor : — It would be an interesting item of information which every correspond- ent could communicate through your col- umns, if from all localities, they would give your readers an account, if only in a very few words, of the 2}lants, with dates of begin- ning and ending of flowering season, which serve for bee forage in their neighborhoods. It would be interesting to note the quality of the honey made from difierent flowers. Many plants, whose flowers furnish either pollen or honey, are overlooked because either the flowers are inconspicuous, or do not constitute a very important element in bee-forage. Often are some of the earliest flowers, particularly of trees overlooked, be- cause the spare honey is not obtained from them, although they are among the most essential to success. Furnishing early forage, they give the nourishment which is needed to get all things ready for the real honey-gath- ering we are more immediately interested in. Many a locality produces no spare honey, or very little, just because no good, early forage is at hand. In other places, as soon as bees, can fly abroad in spring, they can obtain all tliey need to stimulate them to build up the colony to a good working condition. I re- peat it, every contributor can give at least one item of interest, if he tells us, in order, what bees gather stores from in his region, from first to last. Lockland, Ohio. John Hussey. :'90 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ck dr, ^^miftiai||pti| ^iJtmial W. F. CLARKE, Editor. Bee-Stings. One of the most formidable hindrances to the extension of bee-lieepiug, is the fear of being stung. If you suggest to any one well situated for the purpose, the advisability of starting an apiary, most likely the objection Tvill at once be made, that the wicked little creatures are so mischievous with their stings, that there is no desire to have anything to do with them. The impression many people seem to have, is that the chief mission of the bee is not so much to store honey, as to sting all and sundry. Bee-keeping will always be confined to a select few, until popular mistakes are corrected, and more light is dif- fused in regard to this aflair of stinging. As a matter of fact, bee-stings are " like .angels' visits, few and far between." It is -only now and then that any one is punished thus, even in localities wliere large numbers »of bees are kept. When it is considered that ■ordinary colonies contain twenty or thirty thousand bees, and that the population of, say forty hives, is about one million, it must he evident that stinging is a rare and excep- tional thing, and so far from its being the ■chief business and constant aim of these in- sects, it is very seldom resorted to. "Were it •otherwise, and as too many unreflecting per- sons think; were bees as apt to sting as mus- >quitoes are, it would be absolutely impossi- ble to keep an apiary. All creatures have means of defence fur- nished them adapted to the repulsion of those ■enemies by which they are likely to be as- sailed. Self-preservation is the first law of nature. Man is the chief enemy of the bee. Though this busy little worker is intended to -do important service for the human race, it must have protection against the very beings whose interests it i,s meant to serve. If bees were as harmless as flies, no honey would be stored for mankind. Their operations would constantly l)e interfered with. Every school- boy and little child would so "meddle and muddle," tliat the order, discipline, industry and usefulness of the hive would be destroy- ed. The sting is therefore a beneficent pro- vision of nature, without which the bee could not accomplish its mission or fulfill its destiny. Some exceedingly scientific apiarians, indulge the dream of being able some day, to breed out the sting, or at any rate, the disposition to use it. Whether this dream will ever be realized, is a very doubtful matter, and wheth- er its realization would, on the whole, tend to advance the interests of bee-keeping, is perhaps even more doubtful. Some people afi"ect to despise a bee-sting. We do not. A bee-sting is no joke under any circumstances, and under some circumstances, it is a very serious and painful aftair, as we can testify from personal experience. In parts of the human body, where there are important blood-vessels and main lines of nerves, near the surface, causing the poison to act quickly and spread rapidly, a sting is sometimes dreadful, especially if inflicted at a time when the virus injected is more than usually powerful. For it is well known by experienced bee-keepers, that the poison is more virulent at some times than it is at others. We were once stung in the central point of the upper lip. The poison took im- mediate eft'ect, and spread with astonishing rapidity, upward to the head and downward to the throat and stomach. The pain was- excruciating. Sickness, burning fever and various alarming symptoms quickly resulted. It was three or four days before the ett'ect of that one sting passed off. There have been cases in which a single bee-sting has caused death. It is therefore no sign of wisdom to ridicule the matter, but rather to estimate the thing as it really is, and endeavor to guard against it. Intelligent acquaintance with the habits of the bee, and the use of proper precautionary and remedial measures, will either prevent stinging altogether, or will secure immunity from any serious and fatal consequences. In the first place, it should be distinctly understood, that when bees are out foraging, they are too intent on their work to sting, unless they are interfered with, fought at, crushed, or made fast in some way. If hu- man beings would mind their own business as dilligently as the bees do, it would be well THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 91 for them. Quarrels and disagreetiicnts would seldom occur. It is perfect folly to start with aft'right at the presence of a bee. The music of their industrious hum, as they fly from flower to flower, loading themselves with honey, should no more awaken fear than the noise of a loom, a spinning-jenny, or machin- ery of any kind. If you meddle with the works, you may be hurt, and the same is true of the workers. But let them alone, and you are safe enough in both cases. Nor is there unusually any danger in quietly watching bees as they issue from and return to their hive. The stupid practice of hurrying about and striking at any bee that may happen to come near, is a sure way of exciting anger and provoking the infliction of a sting. Quiet movements, avoidance of all striking, standing stock-still, with the head slightly hung down, if the bees exhibit any signs of excitement and auger, will secure exemption from all harm. Even if pursued by enraged bees, gliding into a thicket of bushes, and remaining there a few seconds, will be found a sure means of escape. The utmost liberties may be taken, and the most delicate operations performed among bees, with due care and precaution. As they are excessively nervous and irritable crea- tures, nothing should be done in a hurry. All sudden jars and rude movements must be avoided. They must be dealt with most gently and tenderly. Any kindof smoke is an eft'ectual means of subduing and quieting them. It will prevent their becoming excited, and reduce them to composure even after ex- citement has commenced from any cause. Bee-keepers who smoke tobacco, a -e accus- tomed to employ the fumes of their favorite weed for this purpose, and it accomplishes it very effectually. But it produces a stupi- fyiug and irritating eft'ect afterwards. Smoke from chips, saw dust, cotton rags, or even paper, will answer as well. The most con- venient source of smoke is a bit of dry-rotted, hard wood, or "punk" as it is sometimes called. It burns without flame, will keep alight until the whole is consumed, may be laid close at hand, and readily used whenever wanted. When there is a necessity for open- ing a hive, it is well to blow two or three pufts of smoke in at the entrance; within five minutes or so, it will have taken eflect. Then with slow and cautious movements, the hive may be opened. Usually a quiet, con- tented hum, will show that the inmates are peaceable. But if there is excitement and more or less rush hurridly out, a few addi- tional pufls of smoke will reduce them to submission, so that it will be safe to proceed. Care should be taken not to crush or kill any of the bees. The slaughter of a single one will sometimes enrage a colony, previously quite docile. But should such an accident occur, a fresh dose of smoke will restore order. Smoke is thought to have two eftects. First, it creates a slight panic among the bees, leading them to fill themselves with honey, and in this condition they are no more dis- posed to sting than an Englishman is to quar- rel just after eating a good dinner. There is a sense of fulness, contentment and satisfac- tion. Secondly, it neutralizes the poison- odor. Anger causes bees to elevate their tails, and a tiny drop of poison will ooze out, the odor of which rouses the war spirit . The same eft'ect is produced when a bee is killed. Smoke counteracts this odor, and so induces quiet. There is a third effect of smoke which may be brought about, though it is not good policy to have recourse to it, because it leaves them cross and irritable. A strong dose of tobacco, or puft'-ball smoke, will absolutely stupefy them, so that they will drop from the combs, and lie harmless and helpless at the bottom of the hive, until restored to their senses by fresh air. Bees employ a substance called propolis to fasten frames and fill up crevices in the hive. In hot weather this is quite soft and waxy, but in cool weather, it becomes hard and brittle like glue. In opening a hive and tak- ing out frames, the propolis is of course dis- turbed, and when it is hard, this cannot be done witliout some jarring. To avoid this as much as possible, it is advisable to use a form of hive and style of frame that can only be glued very little; and also to open the hive and operate upon it in the middle of the day, and when the weather is warm. We advise bee-keepers, and especially be- ginners, to use a veil and gloves. They give confidence, induce calmness, and guard 92 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. against accident. A veil may be readily made of net or thin gauze, and the best gloves we know of, are the cheap harvesting ones made of sheep-skin to protect the hands from thistles. Various remedies are used to antidote bee- stings. Any alkalie application is good. Common washing soda and blue-bags, are generally at hand, and may therefore be recom- mended. A drop of honey, a little garden soil, spirits of hartshorn, alchohol, and tinct- ure of iodine, are among the external appli- cations advocated. In severe cases, a dose of whiskey or brandy is said to be good. A wet sheet pack is also recommended. But we have discarded every other application since becoming acquainted with a German remedy lately introduced. A drop or two will remove all trace and effect of a sting in a very few minutes. It costs but a trifle per bottle, and a single bottle will last a bee- keeper for a lifetime. ®h^ §^ § (E of §tt §ufx\\^. CONDUCTED BY PROF. A. J. COOK. ARTICLE I. Of course I have wondered why the wise managers of the dear oIq Bee Journal, chose me from all the fraternity to conduct this department. I suppose the answer would be suggested by the oft repeated assertion of school directors: "Any one can teach our school, they are all beginners." But, slyly, they are fooled, for our best educators think that those just commencing need the wisest instructors. So all will see that there is one joke connected with this department, however dry it may be in the main. BEGINNERS. Who are thay, who should be eager to lend me their ears each month, whom I am to lead understandingly into the ways of pleasantness, and the paths of rich pecuniary reward V All, I answer, whether in country or town, who have si)ace for one or more bee-hives, who are not now keeping bees, and who desire either more money or more pleasure, and who can give a few minutes weekly to jileasure and to prolit. Kspec.ially farmers, who need something to supplement, their regular busi- ness, and add to the length of their purse. 1 am a teacher, yet last year, by spending not more than an hour a week, from May to Octo- ber, and even that only when I needed the rest and recreation, my three colonies of bees netted me over $100.00, and all may do this, if they will but inform themselves, and work intelligently. That able bee-keeper, Mr. E. Rood, so long the genial President of our State Society, used to say no one should keep bees, who could not make a neat hive. I have heard others say no one should become a bee-keeper who did not enjoy being among bees. But I would say: Let all keep bees, who have a taste for the wonderful in nature, which they wish to gratify, or a desire to " in- flate their individual currency," which may thus be done with perfect safety. But, say the eager ones, how are we to com- mence ? Just what I am about to explain to those who will attend. And more, I will war- rant success to all who will heed and obey. First, as a preface to your beginning, sub- scribe for the American Bee Journal, and purchase either Langstroth on the Honey Bee, or Quinby's Mysteries of Bee-keeping. The first to be carefully read, the second to be ! studied and kept ever close at hand for refer- ence. HOW TO get the bees. A beginner should be satisfied to begin with about two colonies. If you can find some one who has bees in movable comb hives, that suit you, for sale, by all means take them. If the hives do not suit, it will be cheaper to get those in box-hives, as in either case, you would wish to transfer them into a suitable hive. But you ask. What is a suitable hive? It must have movable frames, and then the more simple the better. Discard all doors, drawers, traps etc., which only involve ex- pense, and are worse than useless. I prefer a square frame, say a foot each way, as per- mitting the most compact arrangement for wintering, and as less apt to be severed from its full comb, when handled or placed in the extractor. Those who know nothing of hives could not do better than send to A. I. Root (Novice) for a two story Gallui) hive for a sam- ple, and be sure to get the tin corners for the frames. His bent tins on which the frames are to rest, you can, as you make a hive, re- place by a narrow strip of heavy tin, which you can easily tack on. This is cheaper, and I think just as good. Also replace the old honey board by Novice's quilt or a piece of old carj^et or heavy cloth which will do as well. I am thus particular about hives, as very much dei)ends on a correct start in tliis direction. now TO select the colonies. Go to the Apiary on a warm day, note those hives from which the bees rush out as though they were jxicked, and from such select your two colonies; for the beginner especially, should have none but strong vigorous colonies. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 93 Your colonies homo, (it will be well to place them where they are to remain for the sum- mer, on separate stands four or five inches from the ground, a board standing ofl' a foot or more from tlie entrance to the ground, facing tlie east, and set under a tree or bush, tliat they may be shaded from the sun during the heat of tlic day,) you had better feed them every day or two, a little syrup made citlier from brown or maple sugar. This will stim- ulate to a rai)id production of brood, the great desideratum at this season. A cheap, easy way to feed, is to take an old oyster can, melt both ends out, then tie a piece of factory over one end for a bottom. If you liave a movable comb hive, cut a llap, by cutting on three sides, out of your quilt or carpet, just the size of the can, turn this back, and set the can on and turn in the syrup. The bees will sip up the tluid as it oozes tlirough the factory. This is covered by the upper story of the hive, or the same that covers the boxes in summer. The can may be as easily placed on the holes in the top of a box hive and protected by the same box that covers the honey boxes in the season of gathering. This feeding had better be continued sparingly till the fruit trees are in full bloom, and even afterward, if there are several successive days too cold for the bees to fly, or if there are no flowers to gather from. . But you ask, How^ am I to get the bees into my new hive '? As soon as the bees are busy gathering honey, select a bright warm day, and when the sun is well up, and the bees all at work, don your bee hat and gloves, for every beginner should protect himself, and with a burning piece of rotten wood or roll of cotton cloth, blow some smoke into the en- trance of the hive, keep doing this for five min- utes, then invert the hive and place a liox, previously prepared, at least of the capacity of a half bushel, and which just fits the hive, on top of it, wrap a cloth about the lines of junc- tion, so that no bee can possibly get out, then rap on the lower hive with some small sticks for twenty or thirty minutes, paying no heed to the many bees constantly returning from the field; at the end of this time, take ofi'the upper box very carefully set it on the old stand, and so raise it up that the " uots" can go in. Take the old hive, with the few still remain- ing bees, and carry it to some close room. Dotf hat and gloves, for these bees will not sting unless pinched, and with hammer and axe pry the old hive carefully apart, striving not to break the comb. With a long knife cut out the cards of comb, entire if possible. Take each as it is cut out, place it on several thicknesses of thick cloth, which rest on a board say two feet square, which in turn rests on a barrel. Place a frame on the comb, and cut the comb so that it will just fit in the frame. Place the comb in tlie frame and fast- en in by winding with two small wires or strings. Do so till all the comb is neatly and carefully fitted into the frames. Be very careful not to injure th(! lirood. Carry the hive, with its frames all in place, and quilt on toj), liack to tlie stand, set it on a l)oard, with the front raised, say a half of an inch, place a wide board in front, and taking the box (you now liave the veil or hat and gloves on,) shake all the bees on to the board close up to the hive. They will soon take posses- sion, and feel entirely at home, and show tlieii- appreciation of their new home, by going speedily to work. In three or four days they will have fastened in the combs, and you can, protected and armed with smoke, proceed to take oft' the strings or wires. In all your handling of your bees be careful not to make a quick motion, nor jar the bees. If afraid, remember you are well protected and forget that you have any nerves. Do all this and keep studying your book, and in the next I will instruct you further. ^u^isiti0U!!Si and §^u^tvn\si» CONDUCTED BY CH. DADANT. INTRODUCING QUEENS. "What is the best mode, for a beginner, to introduce an Italian queen ? " J. E. B., Nauvoo, Ills. As soon as the Italian queen is received, hunt for the black queen and take her out. Then put the Italian queen in a cage made with a piece of wnre-cloth, about eight meshes to the inch, four inches square, and rolled in the shape of a tube. Both ends are stopped with a bit of corn cob. The cage is put horizontally between two brood combs, one inch or so under the top bar, and as much as possible against sealed honey, which should be scratched a little, so that the queen can feed herself, if the bees don't take this care. The next day, remove the cage, and replace one of the hoppers with a bit of sealed honey. Put the cage back in the same place, and shut the hive, acting very quickly. The bees Avill suck the running honey, and cut the damaged cells. Some of them will cut at the cage and will caress the queen, who will go out very quickly and be well received. The theory of introduction is fixed upon this fact, that if the bees are unaware of the call of their queen, they will construct no queen cells, and will more easily accept a strange queen, than if they had com- menced their preparations to take a queen; and in the second place, if the colony is (luiet, without robbers, and the queen her- self ([uiet, too, she will not be considered as a strange bee. 94 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. As it is necessary to avoid robbing, when you open the hive the second day, if you have been annoyed by robbers, while hunting for the bhick queen, it is safer to wait until even- ing, when the bees are all at home. Yet the operation is more easily performed at mid- day, and the robbers are little to be feared, if you act quickly, although quietly. "I see in the American Bee Journal, that Mr. Furman, and several other bee-keepers, at the meeting of the Iowa Central Association, have said that pure honey would not become candied. My expense is altogether difterent ; I have quite pure honey entirely granulated. Can you give me your experience on the sub- ject?" J. M. A., St. Louis, Mo. The honey from rape, granulates very quickly. I have seen, in Italy, such honey, gathered in April, granulated in the combs in August. The honey from clover, melilot, lucern, sainfoin, linden and buckwheat, granulates also, although not so fast as the rape honey; while the honey jdelded by sev- eral trees does not granulate. I have seen kouey as good and as liquid, after tAvo years, as if it was newly gathered. It was acacia or locust honey. Therefore, the granulating of honey does not indicate its want of purity; on the con- trary, in France, where the best quality of honey comes from sainfoin, the thorough and even granulating is considered the best test of purity. For the American Bee Journal. Simple Bee Feeder. A very simple, and at the same time effect- ual, feeder may be extemporized by filling a glass vessel (a tumbler or a fruit jar is best) with honey or syrup, placing a saucer upon it and quickly inverting them. This allows the bees to take the food from the entire cir- cumference of the vessel without their becom- ing daubed with the liquid, which may be made thick or thin as desired. Any number required may be quickly and inexpensively obtained in the dining room of any family. By using glass vessels the bee-keeper may tell at a glance how fast the food is being taken, and which need refilling. Of course they must be placed on the top of the hives or frames and securely covered to prevent rob- bing. Many feeders are based upon this same principle of atmosplieric pressure, but none are more effectual, simple or inexpensive. Dr. D. R. Porter. Manhasset, Lonp; Island. Swammerdani found nearly four thousand cells built, in six days, by a new swarm con- .sisting of less than six thousand bees. Voices from Among the Hives. CiT. Dad ANT, Hamilton, Ills., writes:— "Bees are wintering finely. " •losKPir A. Hakt. Craig, Ind., writes:—" Bees are wintering better here, than for many years- past. " A. F. Hakt, Apyleton, Wis., writes :— " Bee* seem to be wintering here very well, although we have had a long winter. " H. 0. Kruschke, Berlin, Wis., writes : — " The Journal improves with every issue. It has got into the right hands at last. " D. S. McCallum, Hornellsville, N. Y., writes : — "I have about eighty swarms of bees, and they have wintered finely." R. R. Murphy, Fulton. Ills., writes : — " Bees have wintered well in this part of the country, and the prospect is more encourageiiig for bee- keepers, than for several years past. The white clover has not winter-killed the past winter, as it did the two previous ones. " Dr. Jared p. Kirtland, East Eockport, writes :— " As I am over eighty years of age, and have ceased to cultivate bees, I wish to be con- sidered on the list of retired apiculturists, like my friend Mr. Langstroth. I began the pursuit in the siunmer of ISIO, and witli the exception of a very few years, have continued it till very recently. " J. A. Maxfield, Saxon, Ills., writes :— "Bees have wintered well, with me. I lost twenty-one swarms last winter and spring, leaving me three swarms. I increased them to six, and have wintered in the cellar for four winters. The first winter and this they win- tered well. My cellar is under the kitchen, and was built on purpose for wintering bees. There are not fifteen swarms of bees within three miles of me. My bees are all black. " D. H. Keller, Duncan Falls. Ills., writes : — " Last winter, I lost a few hives by placing them too close to the damp stone wall in our cellar, where they became wet and diseased. This winter. I put other hives in the same place, placed cottee sacks over them, leaving the tops otf. and they did not become eveii damp. So it would be well to note, that after all, ventilation is what saved them this winter, and no ventilation killed them last winter. My cellar is a very dry one. I tried an experiment as follows : I set a strong hive in the middle of the cellar, covered it with a l)lanket, closed the hive below, and then put the lid tightly on the blanket. In about a week I examined, and found that the lid was covered witli large drops of water, and the blanket was becoming wet. I then removed the lid, leaving nothing but the blanket on top. All went right from that time. I set them out about the nuddh^ of February, and they are now (March M) all alive. I have^ forty-nine stanils." P. D. Jones, Mt. Morris. N. Y., writes :— " I wish to make an inquiry in regard to extracting honey in the sprin in straw hives, and think them superior on many accounts for both winter and sinnmer. Fully nine-tenths of all the bees in this section of country frreeding for iiearlv three months later in the summer and fall thaii heretofore, and went into winter (luarters with a goodly number of young, strong and healthy bees, and I hope tlicre will be less freezing- this winter and less kiss next s])ring. I increas- ed my four stocks to twehf, got considerable extracted honey, mainly from heartsease and buckwheat, and it is that kind of lioney tliey are wintering on now— the same that gave them- the dysentery two years ago." Skymoitr Ritggi-es, Saratoga, N. Y., writes: — " The bee business in this section, is in a very backward condition, with few exceptions. Many use box hives, without a chance to putoit boxes, unless put on the outside of the Jiives. They leave their bees on the summer stands- through the winter. I have noticed this winter,, some bee-keep<'rs had hives without bottoms, set upon four one-inch blocks, protected from west winds only. I don't see how bees can stand such an airin»-. I could not winter bees: that way, unless the hives were large, filled with comb, and colonies very popidous in the- fall. The fact is, most bee-keepers around here know nothing of modern bee-keeping. I informed one man not long since, that he ought to have Quinby's or Langstroth's book, and the Ameiucax Bee .lorKNAi.. ' Oh,' he says, 'they want money for their books, I can get along without them.' The same afterwards, said the drones laid all the eggs. Last fall I set box hives in the cellar; January 2M set the bees out at 12 o'clock, it was warm and still, 58^ in shade, at 2 p. m. it was cloudy, and a furious wind arose. ^lany bees were blown away, as; they were flying (juite briskly. The next day I set the box liives back into the cellar. They have not shown any signs of dysentery, whether- in the cellar or out, up to this date (March 10). Mr. Perrj', the only ])erson here, besides my- self, that uses movable comb hives, had 1,400 lbs. honey in glass boxes last year. He has 8f> colonies, winters in cellars, but never saw Quinby's or Langstroth's bookor the Journal. It has been a favorable winter for bees so far."' E. S. Fowi.EK. Bartlett, O., whites:—" There are no bees kept in Ibis part of the country (save what few I kee])) in movable frame hives, except as the farmers keep them the old fash- ioned way. We have never had bee cholera or dysentery as an epidemic except the winter of "(i8 and '69. It was not an unusually ';old winter with us, while the winter of "72 and '7:! was the coldest for ten years or more without any dys- entery; hence the cold weather theory don't suit my experience. I have always been able to produce dysentery by leaving a colony queenless for two months, before the time they ([uit breeding in the fall. — Old bees not winter- ing as well for me as young ones, at least I am not able to give another reason for the difler- enee. I have no reason for doubting nor any experience to confirm the opinion that the honey gathered some seasons is not healthy for the bees. Perhajis difFerent caus(^s ojierate in promoting anug. Such hives have an un- deniable advantage over the two-story hives, for the extratitor, but it certainly was not Mr. A's reason for recommending them thus. We at first doubted their giving an equal amount of honey, but should they give more, as he claims tlusy will, we cer- tainly owe him a vote of thanks for his labors in turning the attention of apiarists in that direction. The testimony from those using them is strongly -in favor of them, instead of the two-slorv hives, if we make some few exceptions, although re- ports seem to equally favor side entrances, in place of only one at the end, as Adair in- sists on. In regard to the "queen's Avings " busi- ness, we are perfectly satisfied to leave the matter with our readers as it is. Adair has opened and closed the subject, and we have had " our say " in the interim, which we have no wish to change or modify since his last. 'Twere no more than justice, how- ever, to say that we did publish Mr. A's letter in full, every icord contained in it, yet he accuses us of publishing only a part. If we thought that any one besides Adair, understood that we were intending to take upon our shoulders the task of punishing " Eminent Naturalist " we might reply to that. Agassiz's lecture on the honey-bee might have passed uncontradicted twenty years ago, but in the present stage of bee-culture it was only the "worse for him " his per- sisting in his absurd teachings. How many of our readers have questioned with them- selves whether he might not have committed great errors in other matters as well as bees, and as that would be out of our domain should we not hesitate before accepting his teachings as truth when we were not pre- pared to discriminate ? 'Twould be a huge joke indeed to think of giving the task of " root"-ing out all the error in the " popu- lar science world," to let alone the task of punishing them for their folly, to Your old friend, Medina, O. " Novice." For the American Bee JournaL Out-Door Wintering. "Novice" says on page 41, February number : Quite a large number of our bee- keepers, with Mr. Gallup among them, con- tend strongly for out-door wintering." I must here make an explanation. I do not advocate wintering small standard stocks in ordinary standard hives on the summer stands, by any means ; but large powerful stocks such as I now raise and such as I want for profit, I believe it would be rather difficult for the most of people to winter in a cellar. Then again such large hives are unwieldy to carry in and out. I have them so heavy that they are all that two men can lift, let alone carry about etc., I have stocks that liave as many bees in them as four ordinary standard, strong stocks, or six common stocks. Every person ought to know that such stocks would be difficult to keep cool enough in a cellar. I have been led to experiment in the direction of large hives by seeing bees in a room or small house fixed on i)urpose. We have seen at diftVrent times extraordinarily numerous and strong stocks in sucii cases, and it occured THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 101 to us that with the extractor and movable combs, we might make this avaihible ; and thus far we have not been disappointed in tlie results. If we have strong, powerful »*toeks there is always warmth enough to properly evaporate tlie honey ; whereas in small standard stocks it is frequently the case that the honey is not properly evapo- rated and especially is this apt to be the case in cool, wet seasons. In the large hives there is no tendency to stop breeding at every cessation of honey gathering, for a few days at a time, as there is in common or small standard hives. Novice will probably say, as he has said before that we are trying to befog or puzzle the novices in bee-keeping. But let him consider that others besides Gallup and Adair are trying thosf experiments and Arriving at like conclusions. We are aware that a hive of four times the capacity of tlie ordinary standard, or two thousand cub- ic inches, looks large, and we are perfectly willing to admit that it is large. But what will you do about it ; tliat is the question. If I mistake not, 'Sir. llosmer says, that in the past season he has made some for ex- periment, of fifteen thousand cubic inches. I know of no law to prevent, and so we will have to let him go on as he sees fit. But Mr. Hosmer says that he has been rais- ing or keeping his best or most prolific queens. Now that is just what I contend — - that I cannot atlbrd to sell a queen for one dollar that I can build up a stock from that will occupy a hive of six or eight thousand cubic inches. My impression is that Nov- ice's Hives and Queens are both cheap at one dollar each ; and my hives and queens may be cheap at five dollars each. Who knows. Let every one decide for himself. I have sold queens at fifty cents each, but they were only fifty-cent queens, and I never claimed that they were anything else. The bees are wintering splendidly in this vicinity. E. C4allvp. Orchard, Iowa. For the American Bee Journal. Criticisms Examined. A friend having called my attention to the last number of Gleanings, I borrowed the pai)er, and found that " Novice " quoted from my circular to shew that a calculated jield of one or two hundred pounds of box honey, or two or three hundred pounds of 'ork 7'r(/»H;ic had not seen lit to publish a siniihir article. Hut since that, I Imd tliat it was ])uV)lislu'(l ill the 'VrU)\inc of Dec. ;>1. It had escaped iiiv notice, and hence 1 thought it had not been published. I herein apolo- gize to all concerned." THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 103 Apiary for May. This month the hiboi-s of the bee- keeper will beg-in in earnest, populous colonies will begin to prepare for swarniiiiiji; towards the last of the month, and where artiticial swarming is not resorted to, they should be kept constantly under the eye of the bee- keeper, in order that the}^ may be hived, and not be permitted to escape to the forest. AVheu the swarm has been shaken down in front of the hive the bee-keeper should sprinkle them with cold water, (especial)}" if the weather be (piite warm), and all the bees should be brushed up to the en- trance of the hive and driven in, after which the hive should be moved with- out delay to the stand it is to occupy, as, if it is left where the swarm is hived until night, the bees will have marked the location, and many will visit the spot the next day and perish, for on leaving the hive after beinir moved to a new stand the bees do not view and mark surrounding objects, having done this the day previous where they w^ere hived and left till nightfall. As a natural consequence many must be lost, not hjiving mark- ed the last location of their hive. It will still be highly necessary to see that the colonies are not destitute, tor it often happens that the weather is so cold and wet. whilst the fruit trees are in bloom, that they are not able to collect honey sufficient to last them until white clover blooms. This will often be the case at the North ; in the Southern States it Avill of course be otherwise. At the South bees may be expected to store a surplus of honey for their owner, and swarming will be quite brisk. A close lookoul; should be kept after the moth, as many colonies will still be unable to cover all their combs, and are liable to be destroj-ed by these ravagers. If wren houses are put up, so as to induce these little birds to build close to the apiary, they will catch many moth millers. It is stated by pretty good authority, that ducks are exceed- ingly fond of moth millers, and that they will catch many of them if per- mitted to take up quarters about the bee hives. If, however, the bee hives are kept in the kitchen garden, where cabbage plants are growing, it may puzzle the bee-keeper somewhat to hire his ducks not to eat them along with the moth miller. It will be well enough for the bee- keepei- to select his ground this month, ill which to sow a patch of buckwheat, for the special benefit of his bees. When the time of the season arrives for sowing it, the farmer who keejis bees can also afford to make preparations to sow Alsike clover seed another season, as the seed will not be likeU' to cost as much as at present. This variety of clover is not only superior for bee forage, but is also excellent for hay, being inferior to no other variety cultivated in this country, but is said by many to be superior to our best red clover, giving a larger 3'ield of both seed and hay. Care should of coui'se be taken in the selection of parties to purchase seed from, as it is not alwaj'S pure. I have seen some that was simply common white clover seed and green besides, so much so that it would not gro w. — Scientific Farmer. For the American Bee .Tournal. A Visit to Adam Grimm. He isn't gri?n at all. A round faced, clean shaven German, of medium stature, perhaps tifty years old ; very earnest, and witlial pleasant in manner, impressing you at once as athorouglily candid, honest man. Slow to adopt new ideas, his careful con- servatism will, no doubt, sometimes appear to the more volatile Yankee as old fogy stubbornness. On a very hot day last summer, just at the beginning of the bass-wood harvest, I went to one of his apiaries, and found some eighty hives under a little cluster of lindens, in the centre of which sat his daughter Maggie, pretty well covered up with a huge sun-bonnet (Katie is married — the one who did the big day's work extracting). Very shortly Mr. CTrimm put in an appearance on his round of visits to his different apiaries, for he had in all some seven or eight hun- dred colonies. For a bee veil he has what looks for all the world like a Dutch night- cap made of heavy sheeting, having the face covered with a wire cloth, in the cen- tre of which is a round hole, through which passes streams of toliacco smoke and words of wisdom. He occupied himself princi- pally that afternoon in putting on boxes, taking olf the honey board entirely, and 104 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. putting the boxes directly on the frame. The boxes did not quite cover the frame, leaving a space of an inch or so at the back end, and then he blocked up the back end of the cap or cover so as to allow free up- ward ventilation. Bee-keepers take a note of this, as Mr. Grimm considers it a xtrorifj point, making a decided amount of differ- ence in the amount of honey stored. In the spring he had fed several barrels of ex- tracted honey, and considered himself largely the gainer by it. Mr. Grimm thinks he can do better with boxes than to depend upon the extractor. Certainly, with his large number of hives, it would be a difficult thing to keep the honey extracted. He does not get so large a yield per hive as many others, but having so many hives his aggregate yield is, I be- lieve, larger than that of any other. The question of extractor versus boxes, perhaps, depends upon the number of colonies kept. If I had Novice's number, I certainly should use the extractor— if Mr. Grimm's, I should be inclined to boxes. After all, is not the important question, how to get the most money from one's whole stock of bees rather than to get the largest yield per hive V If so, I think Mr. Grimm is entitled to the palm. He showed me, on a previous visit, accounts of one year's work, yielding him ten thousand dollars. His own belief is that his success is due mainly to the superior breed of bees he has. As is pretty well known, he prefers the smaller dark Italians. I mentioned to him that I had kept my bees the previous winter in a cellar with tight cement bottom, and they had come out very mouldy. He re- plied that he had been obliged to abandon the nice cellar with cement bottom that he had built a year or two previous, and be- lieved a cellar for bees should not have cement bottom. Recently Mr. M. M. Baldridge mentioned to me one or two cases in which bees had kept unusually well in cellars with open cisterns in them. Perhaps the water ab- sorbed the impurities of the air, and the earth bottom of a cellar may act in some- what the same way. Mr. Grimm thinks highly of Novice's bee-feeder, but doesn't like his quilt. He uses for a honey board a plain pine board, an inch thick, with a hole (inch hole, I think) for the bees to pass through to feed. Instead of feet as Novice; has under his feeder, he has a close rim of tin which supports the feeder and prevents the escape of heat. Mr. Grimm has lately commenced the banking business, but thinks he can make more money bee-ing, so he will continue in both departments. As I took no notes of my visit but depend entirely on my memory, I may possibly not represent everything exactly straight, but I should not be so veri/ sorry if I did tell a few lies about Mr. Grimm, if thereby I could get him to give a correct version with his own pen in the Amekican Bee Journal. Although a very busi/ man, I don't be- lieve he is so seltisli as to deny us the benefit of his experience if he really thought it was wanted. What little business I have had with him has been most satisfactory, and if I were buying bees or queens I would rather not see them, but trust to his selec- tion. If having all the bees one can take care of, a pleasant wife and family, and a comfortable home, can make one happy, Mr. Grimm ought to be happy. B. LUNDERER. For the American Bee Journal. California as a Bee Location. Mn. Editor : — The enclosed letter will explain itself. If you think it is not too lengthy to publish in the American Bee Journal, it would be interesting to many readers, as it has been to me — especially those seeking good " bee " locations. Cynthiana, Ky. H. Nesbit. H. Nesbit, Dear Sir : — I hasten to answer your letter, which was received a few days ago. Most of the honey shipped from here is strained by the heat of the sun, by put- ting it on perforated iron plates in a boat- formed, glass covered reservoir, from which it runs into the "tank." The wax melts after most of the honey lias run out, goes through the plates, and when cold is re- moved from the strainer. Three years ago I got a honey-extractor, and since then several other bee-keepers have commenced using it. A few only put honey up in the comb — mostly in two pound cans. It is difficult to ship comb- lioney in frames to San Francisco, owing to the many changes it has to go through : from apiary to railroad, from there to a lighter, then to a steamer, and finally to a wagon, before it is received at the stora This will, however, be remedied, when wc in a few years, get a railroad through to San Francisco. This, as well as the adjoining counties of San Bernardino and San Diego, is a very good locality for bee-keeping. As we have no snow except on top of the mountains, and very little frost, in many places none at all, we leave the bees on tiieir summer stands without any protection, and the bees are flying every day except when it is cloudy or rains, which, alas ! does not hap- pen as often as we desire. There is no time during the year when there are not some flowers to work on. The last four or five years have been very dry, owing to a scarcity of rain in the winter. It is a mira- cle if it rains here between May and No- THE AMERICAN' BEE JOURNAL. 105 vL-mber. Consequently the bees have swarmed very little, and the only safe mode of increase is by artifit-ial swarming. This winter, however, we liave had more rain than of late, and everybody expects a robably reply "yes"; for there seems to he some truth in each statement. 1 think many have come to the conclusion, after perusing the various reports, that if we keep our bees in future in a place where the temperature will average forty to forty- five degrees, and wliere the dampness will not accumulate, and where the bees will be kept dark and qui<'t, there is but little danger of loosing them by dysentery. The loss of our bees, winter before last was thc^ cause T Inn'e no doubt of loo cold winter quarters. We kept our bees last winter in a clamp made similar to one de- scribed in the Amkkk an Bep: Joitrnai., Vol. ix, No. 3, page :!8, by Chas. D. Ilib- bard. We, however, made some improve- ments by packmg one foot of straw against the ground walls, and also on the bottom. We turned the bottom boards of hives up- side down and set the hives on the four inch cleats that are nailed on the bottom of the bottom boards, thus giving them four inches open space on two sides for ventila- tion. We put them two deep and covered them with tAvo feet of straw. The cover- ing of the clamp consisted of one foot of straw upon which we threw about one foot of dirt. !Ne.\t time however, we will put on even more to make sure. We put in sixty-one colonies, in a room eleven by si.xteen feet, centre of roof ten feet from 'bottom. Could put in about twice as many. In this nest of straw as it w-ere, they kept up a temperature ranging from thirty-five to fifty degrees — forty-fiAc being about the average. They came out etiected a little with dysentery ; those that set in the uitper tier were generally less efi'ected than those on the bottom ; and as some of the frames were a little mouldy, we came to the conclusion that there was too much damp- ness. Three were found dead, four have since died. The death of a couple might be laid to the fact that they were but few in numbers, and these were mostly old bees. If there be any truth in the young bee theory, the more we know about it, the bet- ter. Another fact came to my notice that might assist in verifying the young bee theory, it is this ; — I made three stands in August, two were supplied with capped queen cells, the other had an old queen, these are all living though they were weak in numbers in the fall, but as I fed them well with sugar syrup, they kept on breed- ing longer than others not fed, neither were they badly effected with dysentery. Make it then a rule to give bees the con- ditions above named, viz: warmtli, dryness, plenty of ventilation, feed them nil in the fall, keep them in perfect darkness, disturb them as little as possible, and I think dysen- tery, or " that bee disease," will be extinct. Berlin, Wis. J, D, Ki'.usciikk. For the AnnTifan lU'O Journal. Apiculture in Kansas. Mr. PjDitor : — This winter has not been a very favorable one on bees in this State. Ithas been a winter, like all its predecessors, jH'culiar in many respects. The thermome- ter in this vicinity has never once been beloAv 7,ero during the winter months just past. There has been a vast amount of freezing and thawing, with protracted spells of weather during which the air was in a very humid condition. In noticing my bees lately, I saw more signs of mouldy combs than any preceding winter. Such is es- l)ecially the case Avith those wintered on their summer stands. Why combs become so very mouldy in some hives while in others the combs are perfectly bright, where all probabilities would lead one to suspect a like result, has always been to me a little mysterious ; but the ventila- tion, quantity and age of bees, and quantity of comb in the hive, are conditions which if properly understood would solve the problem to a great extent, no doubt. The Legislature of this State passed an act approved March Gth, 1873, relating to the collection of statistics of the industries of the State by assessors. Apicultural statistics w^ere collected under the following heads, viz.: "Number of stands of bees, native and Italian, to be stated separately, kind of hives used, number of pounds of honey produced, and the source from wiiich the greatest yield of honey is gath- ered." The secretary of our State Board of Agriculture in his report for the year 1873 — which was laid before the Legislature a short time before its adjournment — gives the following, which is the aggregate synopsis taken from the statistics relating to bee culture, and which were taken for the first day of March, 1873 :— Number of stands of native bees, 13,345 " Italian " 1,640 " "pounds" honey, 135,384 " wax, 3,686 The secretary also reports the following : " According to the census returns of 1860, the number of pounds of wax returned was 1,181 ; in 1870, 2,208 ; in 1873, 3,686. The number of pounds of honey returned in 1860 was 16,944 ; in 1870, 110,827 ; in 1873, 135,384. In 1873, 14,885 colonies of bees are reported, 13,345 of which are na- tive Allen County reports ' sun- flowers and Aveeds and flow^ers generally ' to be the best source of honey in that county. Tw^elve counties report buckwheat ; three counties report linden. Linden, sumac, white elder and smart-weed, appear in most of the reports Buckwheat, clover and basswood, are reported as giving the gi'eatest yield of honey." Perhaps the report by counties as given 112 THE AMERICAl^ BEE JOURNAI-. Ijy the secretary would give the reader some idea of wliere the best portions of the State for bee-keeping are found, but we have not deemed tliis of sufficient importance to the general reader to copy it from the report. M. A. O'Neil. Black Jack, Kan. For the American Bee Journal. My Experience. Mr. Adair, in his article on the wings of bees, holds out the idea that to cut a queen's wing is like taking away part of a man's lungs. I will give you my experience dur ing the last year with stocks of bees with queens' wings clipped — some a little oft", some half ofl', and some more than half off, just as it would happen in giving a clip as they would run on the comb. I moved twenty-four of my best stocks to a large poplar grove {Uriodendron tulipi- fera) on the 17th day of last May. They were in two-story Langstroth hives, twenty frames, ten by seventeen inches, and by June 5th they were crowded and began to swarm. By the 13th I had to take 1263 pounds of honey from them with the ma- chine, except 101 pounds that was in boxes. I was careful to remove all queen cells, but in about eight days they were swarming again, sending out enormous swarms, so that on the 24th I had to take 1440 pounds more honey with the machine. By this time I never had stocks so strong in num- bers. Now if clipped queens do that way I say '■'■ clipp em "every time — Gen. Adair to the contrary notwithstanding — for had not these queens' wings been clipped, I per- haps would have lost half of tlie bees, for on the day before I went to take the last honey there were eight swarms out. The owner of the lot where the bees were, knew nothing about taking care of bees. I had them so arranged that the queens could crawl back into the hives so of course the swarms would go back themselves. Now if any one knows of queens being injured by clipping let us hear from them. I then moved those bees to a linwood gi'ove on the 20th (except two stocks that were so crowded that they smothered on the way). The weather set in very wet and linwood bloom was worth but little, so that I only got 850 pounds of honey from that source. Eight of the best of the twenty- four hives had on tliree boxes each (tliat would hold about sixteen pounds each) from May 17 until June 13, and only had 101 pounds of honey, while the other six- teen hives gave 1102 pounds of honey, be- ing 09 pounds each, while the others only gave 20 pounds in tlie comb, eacli, making a diftcrence of only 49 i)ounds each in favor of sluny honey. I have now one hundred and twenty-two stocks in the bee-house. I gave them in the fall about 1100 pounds of "A" coffee sugar, made into syrup by putting one pound of water to two pounds ©f sugar and let it boil a few minutes, and feed so that the bees and honey in each hive wouM weigh about twenty pounds, my bee-house is an upper story, inside sixteen by eighteeoi feet, eight feet high, double walls filled with saw-dust, the temperature has not been below thirty-nine degrees Fahrenheit this, winter. In tlie last twenty-three days I have swept up eighteen pounds of dead bees — please tell me what is the matter. The summer entrance of the hives are open, upper story oft", and the cover laid on the lower story. The hives are piled three to four hives high, in four rows, with room to walk in front of each row. The temper- ature has been up to fifty-five degrees, two or three times for perhaps a little over a day at a time, it generally stands at about forty-four degrees. The room is perfect- ly dark with ventilator eighteen by eighteen, inches regulated at will. I enter the room through a trap door in the floor. On April 15th my bees were reduced to ninety-two in number and several very weak. In the last ten days I have fed my bees two hundred and eight pounds of "A"" coffee sugar, and if this cold Aveather con- tinues ten days longer, I will have to repeat the dose, which goes to show that the weight of the bees and honey in the fall should be more than twenty pounds for some winters. That has always been enough with me, heretofore. Last spring I had bees in forty -four hives, which gave altogether a little over 4,000 pounds of honey. I have sold 3,600 pounds of it, at an average of twenty -three cents per pound. The balance we have used, except about 200 pounds of bass-wood honey, that was gathered in very wet w^eather, and has soured a little. This I will feed to a few hives when the weather gets warm, and observe the ettect it will produce on them. P. W. McFatrid(5E. Carthage, lud. The instinct of bees in the construction of their cells has always been an object of wonder to those who are capable of appre- ciating it. Every cell has straight lines and sharp corners ; but never does any cell pre- sent its sharp corner to its neighbor's cell — a soft even side to every neighbor's side. Each fit to each, firm to support, and yet soft in the contact. No interstices are left where filth might accumulate to annoy and defile. Thus let man meet man as they tread the crowded path of life. Always a side to your neighbor that is soft and strong. No sharp corner of selfishness that will pierce your brother. — Arnot. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 113 ttttdtmilW^ ^lattnial W. F. CLARKE, Editor. CHICAGO, MAY, 1874. Clipping the Wings of Queens. For sonu' years past it has been custom- ary witli the best ai)iarians to clip the wings of queen bees as a precaution against swarm- ing. At the annual meeting of the North American Bee-keepers' Society, held at Louisville, Ky., in December last, doubts as to the propriety of this course were rais- ed by Gen. D. L. Adair, one of the best apiculturists, both as to theory and practice on the continent. In a paper on the wings of the bee, it was contended that various important functions, breathing included, were performed by these organs, and it was argued that they could not be mutila- ted without injury. This paper having appeared in the reports of the Louisville meeting published in this and other journals, has naturally led to the matter being pretty freely debated among bee-keepers, "Novice" in his "Gleanings," has pronounced strongly against Gen. Adair's views, but failed to do him the justice of publishing the paper itself. Our last issue contained a very able reply from Gen. Adair, to "Novice's" criticisms. — The subject has also received attention in other quarters. At the annual meeting of the North-East- ern Bee-Keepers' Association, which met in Utica, N. Y., during the first week in Feb- ruary, this subject was very fully discussed and a number of the most experienced bee- keepers gave it as their decided opinion, that clipping a queen's wings does not in- jure her capacity for usefulness. Secretary Nellis had practised clipping five or six years, and observed no bad results. At the present time, he had more than forty queens with wings cut off, and considered them as servicable as others. Captain Hetherington, we believe the largest bee- keeper on this continent, also practised clipping. He sometimes had three and four hundred clipped at once. Mr. Doolit- tle liad done more tlian all the rest, for he liad tested the capacity of a queen who not only had her wings but also a hind leg clip- ped off, and yet did effective duty for four years. The general .weight of testimony was decidedly in favor of clipping. Mr. Quinby however, who proposed the ques- tion for discussion, was very reticent in regard to it, expressing no detinite opinion, but merely testifying that he had known a case in which a swarm went out with a young queen, leaving the clipped queen in the hive. Other speakers incidentally admitted that clipped queens were apt to be superseded, the bees evidently regarding them as deformed or crippled. We have never tried this practice, and are therefore liable to be considered incom- petent to say anything against it. But we can at least be permitted to state why we have never tried it. One reason has been, tliat we object, on principle, to the unneces- sary mutilation of the creatures domestica- ted by man. Docking horses' tails, clip- ping terriers' ears, ringing pigs' noses, pick- ing the feathers off live geese, cutting off the combs of game cocks, and the like, are all of a piece with clipping the wings of queen bees. Another reason for our avoid- ance of the practice has been, that we are unable to see how it can be kept up without injury. If it is a wise and necessary thing to do, then it must be done to successive generations of queen bees. Now, though no serious evil may result from its being done once in a while, it must entail weak- ness if done continually. A woman, here and there, may, by accident, loose an arm without perceptible detriment to the race :, but if every bride were deprived of an arm on or before her marriage, we are of opinion that the mutilation would tell disas- trously upon coming generations of human beings. If General Adair should prove to be right, and the important functions he suggests are in reality performed by the queen's wing, then assuredly serious injuries must result from the mutilation. Moreover, we are opposed to all unneces- sary meddling and fussing with bees. There is a wise management and supervision of the busy little workers, wliich is man's part 114 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. in the production of honey, but beyond this it is impertinent interference and annoyance to disturb their wise economies. The swarming instinct may be checked, regula- ted, and watched over, but we do not be- lieve it can ever be annihilated, or if it can be, it will be at the cost of such a change in the disposition of the bee, as will greatly lessen its value to man as a gatherer and ■storer of honey. Finally, we believe the All-wise Creator made no mistake in giving the queen-bee wings, and that it is, on the whole, best she should be permitted to retain them. One •of the speakers at Utica said he began the clipping business by clipping off one of the four wings. Then the queen went with the swarm. So he took to clipping off " every wing entirely." Another said, " Queens ■cannot do anything with their wings but go through the air. Their business is in the hive ; wings are of no use there." It is as- tonishing to see with what cool presumption some people constitute themselves advisers extraordinary to Infinite Wisdom, and pro- ceed to carry out improvements in the Cre- ator's plans. The queen-bee had wings when the Lord God surveyed his finished works, and pronounced them good. An inspection of them now would not result in the denial of wings to the royal insect, or in any other improvement whatsoever, see- ing that all the Divine works are, like their glorious Maker, perfect. The Creator's fiat as of more weight by far than the creature's fancy, and we are content, in our bee-keep- ing management, to conform to all the Di- vinely-established laws of bec-lifc, instead of trying to change, or even presuming to suspend them. Why don't Farmers keep Bees ? Mr. Quinby, of St. Johnsville, N. Y., a high authority on everything pertaining to bee-keeping, discussed the above (juestion in a paper read before the North-Eastern Bee-keepers' Association at its recent annual meeting, lie assigns four reasons for the neglect of bee-keeping on the part of farm- ers. 1st. They don't know how. 2nd. They doubt if it will pay. -Jrd. They have had such poor success in wintering bees. 4th. They are afraid of being stung. To these reasons, quite suflicient in them- selves to account for the fact that very few farmers keep bees, we would add another — namelj^ want of enterprise. There is a quality for which successful men of busi- ness are noted which is very scarce among farmers, and which we call "enterprise." It leads to the trial of new and improved methods ; to the making of ventures here and there on the principle, "Nothing ven- ture, nothing win ;" to an intelligent scru- tiny of things generally ; and to energetic action in any direction that seems to promise adequate reward for dilligent effort. For some cause or other, this quality is lacking in the great majority of farmers. Were it not so, there would be more manur- ing and better tillage of laud ; fewer bars and more gates ; some display of taste about rural homes ; a general adoption of improved stock ; carefully kept farm ac- counts ; and many other things that are as rarely found around country homesteads as hives of bees. Enterprise is the result of education, and of that sharpening of wits which comes with the association of minds and the fric- tion of ideas in the social and business con- tracts of life. Agricultural colleges for farmers' sons, and for any who contemplate rural industry ; the circulation of agricul- tural periodicals and books ; more visiting and travel on the part of farmers and their families ; the establishment and energetic working of farmers' clubs ; and such like means, will tend to cure an evil whose pres- ence is indicated all around us in bad farm- ing, woe-begone looking homes, tumble- down fences, ill-bred stock, absence of gardens, and last, but not least, neglect of bee-keeping. THE ILM STRATED JOI'RIV AI.. As a spcciiiicn of tyimgraphy this magazine is deserving of all Hie jiraisf' that has been b('sto\V(Ml upon it by the Press of the country. All the engravings are, without exception, of a high (h'grcc of uierit. both as resju'cis the subiect and the cxcciition. The literary de- jiartment is well sustained. The number i.s filled with interesting reading of permanent value. A volume of this beautiful journal will be a source of pleasinc to every posse.ss- or of it. I'ublislied by the American Publish- ing Company, Kooni'^T, Tribune Building, Chicago, for onlj' $'2,.')0 a year. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 115 QwM&TiQ^^ !i^x^ ^jsrmrmm&. CONDUCTED J5Y Cil. DADANT. QUESTION. In Vol. ix. \o. 5, jiatic lod, of tlic Amkiucan Bkk .JoiKNAi, in an iirticlc from V. V. I), that no qiu'cn can o(H'U|)y more than 8(),(HH) to .S5,(X)0 inches of brood at one time. .J. IJ. K. Aberville. Pa. A.NSWKK. There is a Utpsus pliuiHrov typographical error, it is not so.ooo Indies, but SO.UOO cells of brood. l^rESTIONS. 1st. I have four swarms. One 1 want to transfer to a Langstroth hive, 1 would lilce to know how to transfer them. '2nd. (iive me sonu; reci])es for bee stings, and tell nie where I can prociu'e bee gloves and a good smoker. Mrs. W. M. p]lyria, O. AXSWKUS. The best time for transferiug bees is April and May. ('hoose a warm day ; send some puffs of smoke in the hive to be transferred and remove it, putting a decoy hive in its place, carry the hive a few yards from the apiary, invert it and put upon it a box or empty hive, as nearly as possible of the same width, wrap them up with a cotton cloth to prevent the bees foom running outside, while drumming the bees in the empty box. The drunuuing is done with two sticks of wood and should last from fifteen to twenty minutes. It is not necessary to drum all the time, but at intervals. When only a few bees remain in the combs, remove the box, in which the swarm has ascended, and put it in place of the decoy hive. The bees that are hovering aboiit will enter it. Take care not to shake or jar it, for the bees would fall on the gi'ound. Bring the hive, deprived of its bees, in a room ; with a long knife loosen the combs from the sides of the box, and pry off one side with chisel and hammer. If there are sticks across it, remove or cut them. You should have prepared beforehand some No. 10 wire, cut in pieces half an inch longer than the height of the frames, in which you intend to transfer. The wires are bent at right angles, three-eighths of an inch from both ends. With an awl bore a small hole in the edge of the upper part of the frame, three or four inches from the end ; then, with a light hammer diive in the end of one of the wires ; the opposite end is driven In the lower part of the frame ; put two or three wires at equal distances. Then lay the frame upon the table, with wires under. You sever the first comb from the hive ; cut it off the exact measure ; put it, or part of it, in the frame, so as to fill it, you fasten two or three wires to hold the coml)s in place, where they will remain straight and firm. To fix the small bits of combs, put across- the wires some stiff straw or dry weeds to make a kind of grate which will hold the combs firmly. Take care to have the comb in the sanu? way that they were in the hive. Do not put drone comb in the frames, and when you ])ut the frames in the hive be careful to put all the brood combs together. The vacant space in the hive should be filled with empty frames, or better, with worker combs fastened in frames, if you can get some. The proper place for drone comb is in the surplus box if you have an extractor. Do not put the frames in the hive as soon as the combs are fastened in them, but put theuk somewhere to drain ; for the less running honey you have in the hive the less will be the danger of robbers. When all tlu> frames are placed, shut up the hive and bring it on the stand where the transferred hive stood. Re- move carefully the box containing the bees,^ put the frame hive in its place, spread a cloth in front of it, and shake the bees on this- cloth. As soon as they have nearly all en- tered, contract the entrance to help the bees in repelling the robbers. Six or eight days after you should visit all the frames, one after another, and remove the wires with a knife. Some bee-keepers in transferring use twine, some employ sticks of wood. I have tried both, but I find wire greatly superior. Do not be alarmed at the immensity of the work, but try it and you will succeed. The transferring is the work best adapted to familiarize tlie beginner with the bees and the building of comb. 2. Several recipes are given to remove the pain and prevent the swelling of bee stings. As both these effect very capriciously,^ sometimes the pain and swelling being im- mense, while at other times they are a mere nothing, all the remedies applied have in turn won and lost the reputation of being good for bee stings, while the truth is that not one is altogether effectual. The small drop of venom being deposited under the skin, no drug ap- plied on the skin can penetrate deep enough to neutralize it. Yet when one fears that the subsequent effects will prove fatal, the appli- cation of compresses soaked in cold water are to be resorted to in order to remove the subse- quent inflamnuition. It is also an obvious fact that the human body can get used to the venom of bees, and that the more you are stung the less will be the pain and swelling of the sting. But as this last remedy is not very pleasing, I advise the beginners to avoid the sting as much as possible, and they can obtain this result in learning to handle bees. First. Use a veil of black material put upo» a round hat with a large rim, a common 116 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. laborer's summer hat is very good for that purpose. Tlie veil passed around the rim has a rubber string whicli ties it against the neck. Second. Use smoke to prevent the anger of the bees. P'or a smoker nothing is better than a small lump of white rotten wood per- fectly dry, or a roll of linen or cotton rags interspersed with some sprigs of dry grass. I have seen in Italy ivnd in France several kinds of bellows and smokers ; one which seemed to me very easy to manage was a tube of tin a little more than an inch in diameter and about eight inches long. This tube was filled with a roll of linen or cotton rags which burned slowly. To extinguish it the cotton roll was drawn inside of the tube and the tube was driven in the ground. If bees are unusually cross, go before the entrance of the hive and send in two or three puffs of smoke ; remove the cover of the hive, raise carefully the honey board, sending some smoke inside the hive. Remove the honey board, send a little smoke between the combs, and your bees will be in good disposition for the time of your operation. As soon as you see some bees running to and fro on the tops of the frames, quiet them with a little smoke. Remember that the handling of bees is more easy between ten in the morning and three in the afternoon— in a clear than in a cloudy day —in spring and summer than in fall, and with Italians, pure Italians, than with black, gTay or hybrid bees. As to gloves, I cannot advise their use, for they are inconvenient. It is better to leave them alone, and to learn to handle bees. QUESTION. I prefer artificial swarming. How should I start the nuclei ? ANSWEIl. It is impossible to answer your question. That will depend on the force of your colonies and the season. Here in Hamilton, Hancock Co., we start the first nuclei in May, but some years we have to defer it till the first of June. QUESTION. Are the bees, placed on a lawn, disturbed by the noise of a mower close to their hives, and will the moving of their stands to mow the grass have a bad effect ? C. E. S. Buffalo, N. Y. ANSWKK. The noise of the mower will not effect the bees if it does not strike their hive. But the man would be exposed to their stings. To remove the bees at every mowing would be a big job if the colonies are numerous ; and unless closed up before removing the hives the bees would he greatly disturbed. I advise to close up the hive before sunrise, and to mow innnediately, so as to keep the bees closed as litth^ as i)ossible, taking care to open the entrances befon^ the heat wf itke dav. To Beginners in Apiculture. BY PROF. A. J. COOK. ARTICLE II. During the coming month —from the last of April to the last of May — our little models of industry and thrift will need but little care and but little attention, though they had best receive a great deal of the latter. How often we hear something like the following from our lady friends : "How I wish the same luck would bless me that attends Mrs. M. in the care of house-plants ; " and as often we feel like saying : Undoubtedly it would, my dear madam, did you love them as well and care for them as assiduously. It is loving care, not luck, that keeps the noxious dust-particles and scale-insects from the houses, and makes the ruinous attempts of the little aphis and wee spider futile. So, too, with our bees. He who loves to watch, closely observe, aye, and tenderly fondle, will be the one whom " luck " will bless. So I say commence at once those frequent attentions which will acquaint you with the wondrous life-history of your little help-meets, make you to understand their needs, and so culti- vate a reciprocal acquaintance that your closest scrutiny, so far from disquieting them, will be rewarded by the discovery of all their usual operations. The wax se- creters will yield their palets, the little cell architects will rear their marvellous struct- ures, the labor-worn gatherers will empty their stomachs, the staid old queen continue her egg-laying, and the old drones — those bummers of the hive — will stare at you. And all this before your very eyes. If you wish the best success, you must open the hives and make very frequent examinations, and thus very soon you and the bees will be- come mutually fearless, and you can abandon the sooner those cumbrous appendages, your bee gloves. But in all this, strive never to jar the bees, nor make a quick motion. WITHIN THE HIVE. Now, on the warm, pleasant days — you will open the hives on no other — what will you expect to see as you peer into the se- crets of the hive's interior ? First, if you have followed instructions, you will find almost every card of comb literally covered with bees ; and if you examine closely enough, you nuiy see the old queen herself. You will know iier by her very long body, looking as though it needed a prop. Trouble not at its length, for from the queen's abdomen are to come those millions of eggs, the very germs of the apiarist's suc- cess— not now, but in a few weeks. You will also sec the fat, corpulent drones, shorter than the queen, but larger than either (picen or workers. Don't grumble at the plump, lazy gentry, for, unlike their THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 117 ■prototypes among us, they have their use an the economy of iJieir society. You next examine the comb. You dis- •cover tliat some cells are much larger than others. In these the drones are reared, while in the smaller cells the queen only places worker eggs, from which only workers will develop. Bending closely to the comb, in your eagerness to see all, you behold the long, cylindrical, slightly curved •eggs, fastened to the very bottom of the smaller cells, for so early — in April — no drone eggs are to be seen. At the to}^ of the cards of comb you note considerable •capped honey, and so sharp has become your observation that you even observe that the caps are light colored, and slightly <;oucave. Lower down on the cards you «ee patches of small cells capped over, but the caps are darker and convex. While looking at one of these cells, you behold with utter astonishment the emergence of a young bee all fresh and wrinkled. This, then, is the brood, and you are in raptures to see the large amount of it, and lisp something about the profit of early stimula- tive feeding. Along the last of May, perhaps not till June, though the experience has been mine ■even the first week in May, you behold 'drone brood, in the large cells of course, and here the caps are not only convex, but •even project, so that drone brood is a marked feature of the hive. Happy are you if you find very little of this. If there is much, cut it out and cast it away, for more than a very few drones are worse than useless. Now you must watch very closely, for soon there will be built from the face or edge of the comb great queen cells looking like wax thimbles. Now let your sharpened observation have its perfect work. Note which of your colonies is strongest in bees and brood, and cut all drone brood and queen cells from the other hives. Here is your opportunity to select in breeding bees. TO REAR QUEENS. Now watch for queen cells in your best colony, and so soon as you see them, with a creamy looking substance at the bottom, or at the risk of the bees swarming you can wait for them to be capped over, take one good one on each of four frames, or if this is not possible, cut out of the comb con- taining the cell a wedge-shaped piece, widest above, and place in an opening cut in other combs, being very careful not to press or injure the cell. And thus with four frames each containing a capped queen cell you can proceed. Now if you have a hive with frames a foot square, that will take twelve, divide the hive into four separate apartments, entirely close, by in- serting division boards, and cover each apartment with a separate quilt. Place this on a bottom board so cut that the bees can pass out of and into each apartment from dillerent sides of the hive — to the end apartments from the ends, to the middle from the sides. Now take the frames with the queen cells, also well covered with bees, but in no case containing the (jueen, and place one in each apartment, (to to the other hives and lake four frames with nmcli brood and some honey, and also (covered with bees. Put one of these into each of the apartments. The old bees will return to the old hives, while the young bees will not quarrel, and will be sufficient in num- bers to cover and care for the brood. Thus in about sixteen days you will probably have four good queens, and will be prepared for artificial swarming, which I will de- scribe in good time. Of course you will insert empty frames in the old hives, four in each, and destroy all the queen cells ex- cept the four you used. With the added room the old colonies will not probably build more queen cells. If they do build more, destroy them. Be very careful that the bees in your nu- cleus hives cannot pass from one apartment to another under the quilts, else the first queen hatched will destroy all the others. If before cutting out the queen cells the bees should swarm, you can hive them in another hive — which of course you have all ready — by shaking or brushing them into a box or basket, and emptying them on a board in front of the hive. In all such cases put at least one comb of brood in the new hive, for then they will scarce ever go oft', but in this particular case it would be better to take from their old hive four frames containing the least brood, also four frames from the other hive containing brood — though in this case shake off all the bees — and give them to the new colony with four empty frames, and make the four nuclei in the old hive. The convenient form for nuclei is another recommendation in favor of the Gallup frame. Thus well started in queen raising, we will read the old Journal, study our book, and by all means not forget to look very often at the bees, and wait for further instruction. S. R. Peck, Newport, Ky., writes :— •' The April number of the American Bee Jour- sal contains an Editorial on the subject of hee-stings and their remedies, and concludes thus : " But we have discarded every other application since beconiing acquainted with a Oerman remedy lately introduced. A drop or two will remove all trace and effect of a sting in a very few minutes. It costs but a trifle per bottle, and a single bottle will last a bee-keeper for a life-time." Please inform us in the May number of the American Bee Journal where, and of whom, the remedy can be obtained, and oblige a subscriber." 118 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Voices from among the Hives. W. M. Steeia', California, Mo., writes : — " The black bees around here have all died during the past winter, except live colonies. I shall Italianize mine as soon as the weather will permit." MiJS. EiiLicN 8. TiippER, Des Moines. Iowa, writes :— '"My bees have wintered well. They liave come out of the cellar in splendid condi- tion. There will be a small fortune in bee- keeping this year." W. S. Irish, Norton Centre, Ohio, writes : — "The AMEKif'AN Bee Joltknal is a wel- come visitor, and I wait anxiously for eacli number. Long may it prosper and continue in its good work." Abkam Baixjerow, Georgina, Canada, writes ; — "My bees are in splendid condition. I wintered them in the cellar under my dwelling-house. There was one hundred swarms, and 1 lost only two. I placed them on their summer stands March 18th. Last season I had about two tons of box honey." H. W. S. writes : — •' I think it would be well to call the attention of bee cultivators who also raise grapes and other fruit to tire charge made by many that bees depredate on fruit, and to reijuest them all to notice particidarly the coming sunnner to ascertain the truth or falsehood of the charge. It would also be well to notice whether bees do any service in fi'uctifying blossoms of fruit or vegetables. If many observers woiUd publish the result of their observations it would be of great benefit. Fruit-raisers who have no bees are threaten- ing to jmison the bees, whicli they can easily do, and it will be very useful to convince them that the bees are their friends and not their enemies." Samuel Porter, West Ogden, Mich., writes : — " I have been engaged in practical bee-keeping for the last two years. In the spring of 1872 I transferred six swarms into th( the movable frame hive. I increased them to nineteen, and lost nine in the winter of 1873. I then bought three, which raised my number to thirteen. I increased the thirteen to twenty-seven last summer, and got two liundred pounds of smpLus box honey. I think that is not so very bad for a beginner. Bees wintered well and are in sjilciidKi condi- tion at this time. I am now feeding mine on corn and wheat Hour mixed. They seem very fond of it. Take from two to three pounds per day." Ciias. F. Mutii, Cincinnati, O., writes : — " Bees wintered well everywhere apparently. It is, therefore, no wonder that mine have done so well under their straw mats. At an examination on the first of March I t'ourul them all (thirty-foiu- stands) in first rate con- dition. Only one (one of the strongest hives at that) had lost its queen, and had to be miit- ed with another. Twenty-nine stands had two sheets with brood. One hive luwl brood in three sheets ; two in one sheet ; and one hive had fresh laid eggs only. A few days ago I found a ([ueen crawling on the roof. ■^1 he hive she had come out of had two sluH'ts with brooil. It was not very strong, but would pass for spring. The (pieen die(l, and the bees had also to be united with another swarm, 'i'o sum the matter up— I do not be- lieve that another lofdf thirty-four hives of bees in our jtart of the country Wintcri'd better than mine did, whether they were wintered in-doors or not, or wlietlier" they had sugar syrup for winter stores or honev!" n. E. CiiKRY, Cincinnati, writes :—" Vege- tation is very forward. A week's fine weather- will bring everything out in leaf. Bees that went into winter quarters in any kind of con- dition have come tnrough with ffi/iiKj colors. I have heard of but few losses, aiid those were no fault of the bees. We ai-e expecting the apples to bloom the middle of Ai)ril, and then our honey season commences. If the weather is favorable, there will bt; considera- ble honey gathered from the fruit blossoms. All ^^'e neeii is the honey, and for that we have only to wait." D. M. Hale, Lima Centre, Wis., writes : — " I.coumienced the winter of 1S7'2-:] with 14 stocks of black bees and 2 of Italians. Tliey came out all right in the spring. 1 did not lose any through the winter, out as soon as I stood them on their sunnner stands the black bees commenced swarming out and leaving their hives. I exanuned them, but saw no reason why they should, as they had plenty of honey. I changed them to eleven (Kidder) hives. "But it did no good. They would swarm two or three together, till I had only six left, and some of them were very weak. My two Italian swarms went to work well. I increased my six to twenty-two, and Italian- ized them all. I kept them in the cellar un- der my kitchen last winter, and they have come out strong this spring, and do not show any signs of leaving the hive. They have gone to work with a vim, and every pleasant day they make the air ring with the"ir music.'* A BuitNT Child from (Jeorgia, writes :— I have been perusing the Amp:ricax Bp;e Journal of the last year, and like it so nuich tluit I want to continue it, and send herein the needful. I did not like the recrimination which was so rife, and am glad to see it lessened. Another objection I have is the space occupied l)y the business routine of the meetings of societies. It is not of interest to nine out of ten to read who is president or secretary of this or that society. Let us have more honey and less condj. But the article by Dzierzoii — page 220 of the .January number —is worth the full vearly subscription. In the March number, "Why don't farmers keep bees ? " I will in part answer. Because they see some trying to do so, first swindled by i» patent hive veildt-r out of foiu' times the worth of tlie article ; then buying a swarm of Italian bees, and fiiuling the (jiieon but two thirds the size of tht^ representations of her on letter backs, and havmg her killed in a day or so by her followers, aiul thus losing enough to buy honey for years." James Bolin, West Lodi, ()., writes : — "Where the bees were properly cared for, they have wintered welt, but where their owiu'rs trusted to " luck " in wintering, the loss, in sonu' cases, has been (piite severe, amounting, in one case that came to my knowledge, to four out of five, and in another to the entire stock. I put one hundred colo- nies in my l)ee-house Nov. IHtli, and took them out ftlarch 2nd, andfouiul them all right, but had the uusfortune to lose one colony by starvation, with ])lentv of honey in the hiv*!. during (he scvert' ro\(l wcatlu'r that occured the second week in March. The bees had clustered at the south side of the hive, wliiclj stood facing east, and the honey beinj^ at the north sid(^ the cold wind prevented their reaching it, so they perished. I have nuide the loss all right again, however, bv jintting the bees from a l)ee tree 1 I'ouud in tin' woods in th(^ hive witli tiie cond)s and honey left l)y the swarm that perished. Bees are working on rye Hour, with a rush, wlieuevcrit is warm enough for them to be out of tlu'ir hives." THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 119 M.D.I)., Newburgh. N.V., writes :— " I liave a little to relate in tlie bee line, liaviiiij just eoiniueneed the business by purciuising three hives of eonnium bees, one of thcin without any honey, as I soon diseoveretl. Of course they had to be fed or starve. 1 determined to feed candv. liast fall a eandy store in tliis eity was ovt>rruu with honey-bees, so completely were they starved out here. 1 asked them what kind of candy they worked on, they showed me some made in harscaUed vanilla chocolate candy, that is candy made very soft and tlavoi'cd witli vanilhi and covered witii choco- late to kec]) it toj;cther. The bees woidd take every bit of the inside out and leave nothing but a mcr(> shell of chocohite. I bought some and fed it to the ln'cs. they seemed verv fond of it, I also put some in sugar syrup and they were ixMtecfly crazy for it. It a])])ears to me to be just thethingwith plain syrup making it taste almost as good as honey. Would not vanilla be a good thing to i)erfume the hive, to give them'all one smell wlu'U uniting them etc., etc '.' Has any one tried it '? I want a bee feeder, and getting an idea from one of your corresiKJudents about a tin can with end" melted otf, 1 am going to make one a little dilferent. I will describe it thus : Tin can. ends otf, over this tie factory muslin (outside), letting it down inside to near bot- tom, placed over the hole on top of the box. Then fill nearly full of syrup. But you may say it will run "out too fast. Well, that can be easily obviated, put clean tine sand into the bottom, with syrup sufHcient to regulate the flow, then you have a feeder, and a perfect filter also, costing less than two cents. J. P. MooKE, Binghampton, N. Y., writes : — "I commenced the season of 1873 with seventeen stocks of bees, having lost four in the spring and sold one. Ten were in fair condition by the 20th of ^Nlay ; the other seven were much reduced, but by taking brood from the strong ones, I was able to build up five of the weak ones by the time honey com- menced to yield. The other two I run for increase and sui-plus queens, and was able by feeding and using my four hives of empty comb to increase the two to eight full stocks and five half stocks or nuclei. Two of the nuclei died in the winter, and the other three are very weak (I prefer full stocks for winter), and raised ten surplus (pieens. The fifteen that the boxes were put on, were run entirely for box honey, without increase, as we have things so arranged now that when we get a hive filled with brood, in time to put on boxes, we can have them put all then- surplus in boxes, if the (jueen is prolific, without at- tempting to swarm, and without the trouble of handling the brood. The product of the fifteen stands thus : — By returns from honey shipped, 1864 lbs. at an average ot about 27%c., ?t;498.32 Honey sold at home, 120 ll)s. {w Ifiq., .$19.20 Honey reserved for home use, .50 lbs. .tiiS.OO Total .«.52.5..52 Or an average of about 1:5.5 lbs. (.'!i!35.00) per hive. Two of my neighbors hav(^ done (luite a,s well, and perhaps better. Their avm-age ha,s not been c^uite as high on surjilus, l)ut they have more nicrease. Bees have wintered very nicely in this section, but the weather is quite cold now, and snow is on the ground." W.M. HouTZ, Milton Cc^itre, O., writes :— "My losses are heavy this spring. I say this spring, because I lost no bees until after the 4th (if March. .Since that date I have lost thirteen swarms, and am sure of losing more. because the weather is so cold that they can- not increase any. and the clusters are so small that they will not live long enough to raise any brood. Out of thirty swarms put in winter ((Uarters 1 think 1 will probably have ten left. Ilow is that for imiirovcd hives ? I \isited a bee-kee|ier that used nothing but a l)ox about twelve inches sius l)ox that sut loosely on to]>. and laid on a thickness of brown paper, and then laid boards tight on that, and he saved every one. I was sur])rised to see that he lost noiu\ whihi I lost heavily. Yet I am more enthusiastic than ever this season. 1 am determined to make it a success in wilder. We can all raise bees and get honey in the summer-time to our satisfaction, but winter— or ought I to say long-continued cold springs ?— is the great and imiiortoiit ques- tion. Well, if I had worked last fall to the ideas that I had in view at that time, 1 would have been a good many stocks better olT, but it got too cold before I commenced, conse- (luently I could not handle the bees as I knew tliey should be.'' Francis M. Woodland, Fairfield, HI., writes : — "Last spring and early summer the rains w^ere so constant that the flowers se- creted no honey, or at least the bees could gather none in this part of south-eastern Illi- nois. In consequence, the drones were killed off. and the bees swarmed out to leave the few drops of honey in their hives to the hatching brood. Tliey then turned their at- tention to the grocery stores, and bushels of them were destroyed in the windows before they could be relieved by feeding. On the first of June they were weaker than at any time in the winter, and were all poor, besides, with no brood. The black bees did not re- cover, but the Italians soon rallied, and be- came so strong by August that they poured out in large swarms to such an extent that I had my hands full for more than two weeks. Then the .Spanish needle bloomed and — I will only say that I believe Gallup and Hosmer both. Spanish needle bloom lasts ten to twelve days ; does not yield as much as Liu, but is of a better (luality, of the color of bright gold, and very thick" My bees are now in fine condition, with brood and stores, and peach buds are just opening. And now I wish to know if any one has a similar experience, as I do not remember to have seen anything written on the subject. It is this : when a fertile worker was " running a hive " and a card of brood and eggs were given them, I have never succeeded in ])rocuring queen cells on that card at the time. But always, upon the introduction of a second card with eggs and brood, (pieen cells were at once started on it. Qiicn/: Were tlie old bees of the hive too old. and the young bees from the first card foo i/oinu/, to start ([ueim cells be- fore the eggs weic too old ? And did the bees hatched from the first card start the cells on the second ? Who will answer ?" Abnek ,]. Pope writes: — "At the last meeting of the N. A. 1>. K. ,S.. the following resolution was adoi)ted : •Ilesolved, That the Secretary make an ollicial report, in pamphlet form, of the proceedings of our annual meet- ings, as soon as he has the funds to do so.' All that desire to become members and have the proceedings, should send immediately their names and postoftice address, and the annual memberslnp fee of sl.OO, to Abner J. Pope, Sec'y, ITO Park Avt'iuie. Indianaiiolis. Ind. ' 120 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ^nti|wat|^t4^mtn|«I THOMAS G. NEWMAN, Manager. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. Single siiljseriber, oue y^ar, $2.00 Two subscribers, sent at the same time, 3..50 Three subscribers, .sent at the same time 5.00 Six subscribers, sent at the same time 9.00 Ten subscribers, sent at the same time, 14.(X) Twenty subscribers, sent at the same time 25.00 Send a postage stamp for a sample copy. RATES OF ADVERTISING. SOLID N'ONI'AUIEL MEASURE. First insertion, per line $ .2(1 Each subsequent insertion, per line ■. 1.5 One stiuare, 10 lines or less, first insertion 2.00 Next page to Business Department and fourth and last page of cover, double rates. Twelve lines of solid Nonpariel occuppv one inch. One column contains !)fj lines of solid Nonpariel. Bills of regular Advertising payable quarterly, if inserted three months or more. If inserted for less than three months, payable monthly. Transient advertisements, cash in advance. We'adhere strict- ly to our ]ii-iut('d rates. Address all communications and remittances to the Manager. Honey Markets. Not one letter in ten thousand is lost 1)\- mail if rightly directed. Single ':opies of the Ameeicax Bee .Jox^];- NAr> are worth 30 cents each. Additional names to a club already formed may be sent at any time at the same club rate. Upon the wrapper of every copy of the JouKNAE will be found the date at which subscriptions expire. Any numbers that fail to reach subscribers by fault of mail, we are at all times ready to send, on application, free of charge. Subscribers wishing to change their post- office address, should mention their old ad- dress, as well as the one to which thev wish it changed. JoLHNAi-s are forwarded until an explicit order is received by the publishers for the discontinuance, and until payment of all ar- rearages is made as re(iuirea by law. Persons writing to this office should either write their Name, Post-office, County and State plainly, or else cut off the laltel from the wrapi)er of their paper and enclose it. The postage on this pai)er is only twelve cents a year, if paid quarterly or yearly in advance at tiie post-office where received. We prei)ay postage to Caiuxda, and re(piire twelve cents e.\tra. When a subscriber sends money in pay- ment tor the .\mki;i('A\ Bkio .Jorr.xAi,, he should state to wiiat time he thinks it pays, so that we can compare it with our books, and thus prevent mistakes. BiM)i.\(i. — We have been re(iuest('(I to get sets l)ouud for some of oiu- suDscribers, and have made arrauginnents to get the nine Vols, bound in three vols, for $4A){), or the sauu' in four vols, for .•;?.").<»(». Those who wish to avail themselves of the.se liberal terms must send their nuiuiters by express to the Man- ager. CHICAGO.— Choice white comb honey, 28 @30c ; fair to good, 'i4@28c. Extracted, choice white, 14@16c ; fair to good, 10@l3c ; strained, 8@10c. CINCINNATI.— Quotations from Chas. F. Muth, 97() Central Ave. Comb honey. l.5@3.5c. according to the con- dition of the honey and the size of the box or frame. Extracted choice white clover honey, ItJc. ~i^ It). ST. LOUIS.— Quotations from W. G. Smith 410 Nortli ^lain st. The Honey marked is improving. A No. 1. box honey is scarce, and can bt^ sold at good tigures. The spring is late and the bees are still con- fined to the hives. I have heard of very little mortality in the bees in Missouri, so far. — Connuon strained honey will sell well here now and at good figures. We (luote : Choice white comb, '2.^@29p ; fair to good, l^@35c ; common, 17(« 3()c ; strained, 10@13c, in .5 gal- lon cans. Valley honey, in comb, 13@17c ; strained, SC/llU^ . We want several copies of No. 1, Vol. 3, of the AMEiiif'AN Bee .Joi uxae, and will pay .'lO cents each for them. Who will send us some ? Every subscriber is reqiu^sted to look at the datealt'.'r his name on the wrapper label of this Ninnhcr of the Amekuan Bee Jouk- N.M,, and if it is not correct send a postal card to this office, and tell us and we will nuike it right s it has been tried on wet soil. Yet I believe that it can succeed in some parts of the United States. Esparcette,or sainfoin,()f Burgundy, {Hedis- artvrn onobrychls) like a calcareous soil ; its flower is a rose and pretty. It is very good for hay, as its French name indicates : sain- foin, healthy hay, and is unsurpassed for honey, as to quality and (juantity. There is in France a great quantity of plants pertaining to the same family {the le- guminous) which for the greater part would prove a good acquisition for this country. I can name : — the carnation clover, or farouch. (trifoUum incariwtuin) which can be sowed in March to be cropped in JiUy or August, or sowed in June for September. A very good plant for hay and honey. The Lucern {medicugo sativa) varieties : media, falcata, etc. The lucern gives three to six crops yearly for six or eight years, in France, its flowers are deep violet and give very good honey. The lucern lupulina {med. lupulina) an- nual with yellow flowers ; good for hay and honey. The lotus corniculatres— good for wet soils. The gesses (lathyrus) varieties : sativus, hirsuties, cicera, prutensis, etc. The vesces {vicin) varieties : sativa, cien- nis, cracca, this last so pretty that it is called in France vescc elegante. The ers ervillia {ervuia ervllUa) The Lentil (ervxim lens) All these plants belonging to the same family are good for honey, and are cultivated for hay ; the last named is commonly eaten by the French people ; it is with its seeds that the French house-keepers make the puree de lentUles. I think it is impossible to find the seeds of the above iilants on this side of the Atlantic. If any bee-keeper wants to try one or many of them, I will be glad to get them from France for them, without charging anything for my work. I am aciiuainted with several French bee-keepers wlio will cheerfully take the trouble of buying and sending the seeds desired. 5th. I know of no honey yielding ])lant good for hedging in this country. In describing the " smoker" on page 131 of our last issue, the printer made Mr. Cut- ler's name Isaiah instead of Josiah, and it ought to have stated that had but just commenced the 84th year of his age. 126 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, For the American Bee Journal. Italian Queens— Cost of Raising. In the Feb. issue, M. Davis writes on this subject, and puts the cost at a reasonable sum — taking his climate into consideration.. Being the first person to reduce the price of Italian Queens from $20.00 to $2.50 each, let me say that I have never made any money at that price. In this part of the country, we are not sure of getting a fair honey crop ofteuer than three out of five years, and have often sent out as mauy as 900 queens in a season. A Ohio man, who advertises to sell Queens at $1.00, is honest enough to say that he does not warrant them pure, as he has so many black bees in his locality — neither will he warrant safe arrival. I will not at- . tempt to raise queens at less than $3.50 each ; if my bees would store one-half a? much honey, as this $1.00 queeu-bee-man claims that his bees will store for him. Adam Grimm says that good queens can- not be raised for $2.00, even in the best of localities. Some think Mr. Quinby correct about the bee disease, and some do not. My op- inion is that the cause is poor quality of food gathered by the bees in the fall pre- vious. Last season the quality' was never better here, and my bees seem to be doing well on summer stands, and we have had only three weeks of very cold weather. Next season I intend to build a bee-depository on the plan of Mr. T. C. Ware, of Towauda, Ills. Will Mr. W. give his plan to the readers of the American Bee Journal ? We consider it the best one yet, as it re- quires but little labor and expense. H. Alley. Wenham, Mass. For the American Bee Journal. Doolittle's Article. Our last article carried us to Dec. 6. About that time the snow all disappeared from our hives. The mercury stood at 57 in the shade, but it was windy. Our bees had not had a chance to fly since Oct. 23, and they did fly some, in spite of the wind, although nearly all that went out never re- turned. Dec. 16, bees had a nice fly with the mercury at 45 in the shade. We had very mild weather from Dec. 6 to Jan. 4. Jan. 4, the mercury stood at 63 in the shade, and our bees flew to their hearts content. Jan. 22 it was very mild, until Jan. 30, when it became cold, and on the night of Feb. 1, the mercury stood at 18 below zero, which is as cold as we very often get here, and 3 degrees colder than any time during the winter of 1872-3. March 2nd and 3rd were splendid days for bees, and we had a chance to examine nearly all of them ; we found our 54 colonies and 4 nuclei, all in good condition, with the ex- ception of one colony and one necleus, which had decreased in numbers so they occupy but three rows of comb. We found brood in all we examined from four square inches of comb, with eggs and forage in the cells, up to 200 square inches, with brood in all stages, and plenty of young workers. The winter on the whole has been a very mild one, with but little snow. We have never known the mercury to sink to zero, unless we had snow enough to bank at least to the height of the broad chamber of the hive. As mild as the winter has been, we have kept them banked out of sight nearlj' half of the time. We put straw in the caps to our hives march 20, to set them to breeding rapidly. It makes them so much warmer. We tried two, during the winter, with caps packed with straw, but when we came to bank them with snow, they became so warm and uneasy, we had to take it out again. We keep entrances closed as tight as we can make them, except when the bees can fly, and take no trouble to have any crooks or holes in the cap; neither do we fear their smothering. G. H. DOOLITTLE. Bowdens, N. Y. Bee Notes and Queries. " What is the Best Hive?" — asks a cor- respondent. Probably there are not a half- dozen bee-keepers in the country who would unite in recommending the same hive as "the best." Asters as Bee Plants. — A correspondent writes: — "lam satisfied the common As- ter is an excellent honc'y-produciug plant. A friend of mine, an experienced bee-keep- er, recommended it to me, and my experi- ence with it two seasons confirms the recom- mendation." To keep Moth out of a Hive. — An Illinois lady says, "A teacupful of Italian bees will keep all the moth out of a hive. You need not buy a hive which runs to a point at the bottom so that the moths will roll out; an Italian swarm of bees are a perfect protec- tion against moth." Remedy for Bee-Stinys. — A bee-keeper says: — " I have made one discovery — that a preparation or Ledum palustre (Labrador Tea) honui'opathically prepared, is a sover- eign remedy for bee-stings." But he does not tell us hoic to prepare it. Samuel Porter, West Ogden, Michigan writes : — " The May number suites that 1 tool< ;2(i() i)()uml.s of surjllu-s honey from my hives It sliould have been 1"2U0 pounds." THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ]27 Novice. Deak oi,d American Bee Jouknal : — We iire riglit glad to sec your pleasant face so early in the month, and also to find that your liumble servant is still remembered oc- casionally on its ])a!ies. Toll Argus that "old Syrupy" has got his hat and coat on now, for in fact this 2!)tli day of April has been about as cold as any day in January. The ground is frozen, and snow has been on it ifor two days, yet we are happy to add our Ucenty-Hco colonies stood it without any further diminution of their numbers. If he did call us "old Syrupy," we thank him for his remark that Truth might be found somewhere betwixt Mr. Quinby and our own "hobby," although the "meeting" seems unlikely just now for some time to come, from the tone of Q's letter. We are so used to being taken to task, that we think we have become almost har- dened, i. e., in such uway that we can take a "big crack" right square on the top of the head, and look up pleasantly after it, instead of feeling about for something with which to give our opponent a "harder crack " back again, as we have done by far too often^ and thus keep up controversy. We are perfectly willing to leave the matter to the judgment of our readers, and will abide by their decision after having sub- mitted enough from Mr. Q's circular to show just what he does claim for his hive. He says : "In consequence of the advantage which this hive enables us to take of the labors of the bees, by preventing their swarming, etc., it is safe in a good season to calculate on an average of one or two hundred pounds of box honey, or two or three hundred when the combs are emptied with a machine — which will sell for more in one season than the price of colony." The only question is, whether Mr. Q. is justified in offering Ids hive for sale to novices with so high an estimate, and more especially using the words," on an averaged Mr. Q. did make us a present of the hive, and he has our sincere thanks for the same, for we presume he then supposed it would prove profitable in our locality also, but the fact would not deter us an instant from giving our honest opinion of the merits or demerits of anything prominently before the people. With Mr. Quinby's full consent and ap- proval,— and it must be given more pleas- antly than in his article alluded to, we will undertake the task of giving full directions, with illustrations, on these pages, for mak- ing a perfect fac simile of his hive for four dollars. After that, if no one can be found to do it, we will make them singly or by the quantity for that price, or 25 per cent. less, packed ready to nail, everything furnished. The sample we are to model from, shall be some one that he has sold before this appears in ]irint. Mr. Van Deusen did also send us a small bee-feeder, but we wrote him at once (thanking him), and telling him Me Iiad been using the same tiling for some time, and that we were sure a patent would not "hold" on the simple idea of covering any utensil with perforated tin, to be used in- verted, as a bee-feeder. This was some time ago, but long before that the same device had been described many times, (and is now) in the earlier volumes of this very American Bee Jocknal. Instead of using fruit jars and oyster cans, with many holes punched in them, wa- suggested using a whole "teakettle," because it would hold from twenty-five to thirty pounds,— or enough for winter, at once. E. Kretchmer, on page sixty-six, March number, mentions the same thing again, as being patented, and so far as his caution is concerned, we would respectfully invite him to try the "strength "of such a patent on ourselves to commence with, before trying to con- vince the public tliat the very useful and simple device is not free property to every one. If this appears hard on Mr. K., we would say by way of apology, that he is an old offender, and has led many good people to question whether they had a right to make and use such simple^feeders. Mr. C. C. Van Deusen, Sprout Brook, New York, has ram a patent on a very sim- ple device, for filling these feeders, and as they are sold at a fair price, "right" in- cluded, it may be many times best to pur- chase them of him. We feel sure he will agree with what we have said in this matter. We respect our patent laws, and would up- hold them when they are not made a pre- text for the now almost obsolete " right "- selling swindle. On the contrary, we think quite favor- ably of Gallup's strong stocks for out-door wintering, and agreed with him in thinking they perhaps would not do so well in-doors. Had he and Adair explained in a few sim- ple words that their " New' Idea " was "a long, one-story hive, with lots of bees in it," we should have had no trouble in getting at it. Some way, there always seems to be more of a temptation to "hit back," when Gallup gives one a " clip," than any one else. Why do so many keep tilting at Notice's dollar queens and hives? We only pro- posed that it would be a benefit all around for any one to sell any queen before she was tested, for fl.OO. Would such queens be in any way inferior in fertility? Very many excellent breeders now offer untested queens for $1.(J0, and their customer stands an equal chance of getting the very best. Selling queens known to be poor, for fl.OO each, wou'd 128 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. be an act of dishouosty, and would sooner or later bring its own reward. Please do at least give us the credit of disinterestedness in this matter, for we feel sure the business will pass along more briskly if queens are sold as soon as fertile, at a low price, and the accommodation will be on both sides. When the possessor of a queen has tested her himself, he is satisfied, and lie is rarely otherwise. Many are the beekeepei-s who would feel that the business paid tolerably well, were it not for the unceasing demands and con- tinued outgoes; if we have shown any, how they could lessen expenses and still be just as well off, we shall have fulfilled our pur- pose in writing. If in our zeal we have now and then gone to extremes, please ex- cuse it on the ground that it was only what might be expected from your old friend Novice. P. S. — When we get each one of our twenty-two colonies built "out" so that they fill a ten-foot hive, we suppose the queens will be worth ten dollars each, and were it not for spoiling their wings, we might cut them up in ten square slices at a dollar each. Speaking of wings, reminds me that we have read of ants biting off the wings of the mother ant as soon as she was fertilized, for some reason best known to themselves. Can't some one tell us more about it, and are the ants to be censured for going contrary to nature ? For the American Bee Journal. Do Bees Injure Fruit? W. F. Clark : — Dear Sir : — In the March number of the A3ierioa2^ Bee Jouknal, (p. 63) Mr. A. O. Kruschke, of Berlin, Wis., accused the iV. Y. Tribune of not publishing an article on the above-men- tioned subject, in reply to and in censure of " that wise (?) Prof. Riley." To show that the accusation was unjust, I mailed the correspondence of the Tribune, which you have kindly published in your April num- ber (pp. 76, 77). Permit me to say further, in reply to Mr. K's remarks, that I have no personal feeling in this matter, and I can well attbrd to leave it to your readers to decide, from which side comes the person- ality. For while the charges of crime and presumption, the taunts of sapieucy and "wisdom," and cowardice might well arouse some feeling of the kind, I have en- deavored to avoid such. My object is to state the truth, and my opinions are based not on a single experiment, but on repeated observation. Mr. K. may stigmatize them as presumption, but others will show more consideration and less egotism. Mr. K. may consider it liis " duty to be a bee-de- fender," but I know no other duty as a nat- uralist, than to state my convictions as to the truth; and herein lies my "crime." I have seen bees cut into fruit, and there is no imagination about it. The wisdom of my recommendation to the horticulturist who in extreme cases suffers from bee- injury, may be questioned; but none but prejudiced persons will dotibt my statement of fact, and call my opinion based thereon presumption. Facts so often witnessed in the vineyard are not overthrown by a sin- gle adverse experiment. We have laws to protect us from the inroads of cattle left roaming at large, and if in exceptional times when the ordinary food of the commons is short or entirely lacking, our neighbor does not take proper care of his four-legged stock, but allows it to depredate on crops, legal redress is at command. But under similar exceptional circumstances, we have no legal protection from his six-legged stock. Finally, I hope Mr. K. will, as he prom- ises, continue his experiments; and as they may not all turn out like his first, he may yet learn to cultivate a due degree of mod- esty in the use of unpleasant and personal epithets; for truth will in the end " shame the devil." Inline 15, p. 77, " observe " should read "obscure." Yours, etc., C. V. Riley. For the American Bee Journal. Bee-Keeping in the South. We of the South, the native home of the bee, know but little yet of his management as practiced by our Northern neighbors; and, in fact, the results produced by some, as at least claimed, are perfectly astound- ing to us. Some, however, pretend to ac- count for it by saying that bees know their necessities, and prepare for them according- ly; that in cold climates they lay up greater stores than in warm ones, and that on the peninsula of Florida, where there is no frost, they lay up no stores at all. This theory I believe to be nothing more than theory, and that upon trial will be proved to be wholly without a foundation in truth. We have none but the native bees here, yet, and I wish to learn to manage them more successfully before making any furth- er investments. I saw the first movable comb hive last year. Transferred two col- onies on the 25th of July. One was de- stroyed by moths ; the other did well They arc now working vigorously, and, if not prevented, will throw out a swarm in a few days. I have watched bees more closely the past winter than ever before, and I do not think there were ten days in succession at any time during cold weather that they could not rty out; and by the 14th of Feb. they were in full blast, gathering honey and pollen from a thousand fiowers. This must THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 129 appear strange to you in the North, who are compelled to keep the poor fellows buried in cellars half their lives, in order that they should live the other half. I do not know what particular flower here gives the greatest yield, but I guess the bees know, and I suppose the supply is ample. Where the tlowers are so numerous and so buried as they are here, there can be no ex- cuse for idle bees, if there are any such. I can see no reason why the business should not be more protitablc here than farther north, if managed with the same care and skill. " .1. B. Mitchell. Hawkinsville, Ga. For the American Bee .Journal. Bee-ology in Kentucky. I will give the readers of the Ameiucan Bee Journal a sketch of Kentucky Bee- ology as practised hereabouts. There is l)ut one scientific bee man in this part of the country. I allude to R. M. Argo, of Lowell. The farmer, the mechanic, the merchant, indeed all hands here, keep — or rather, "keep at" — a few stocks of bees, but pay little or no attention to them. If one or two stocks, say out of ten or a dozen, happen to do pretty well, the owner will say he had "good luck," if not, "bad luck." Kentucky until the last two or three years was, perhaps, as good a State for bees and honey as any. Our principal dependence for honey here is upon the white clover and liasswood, or rather, as aKentuckian would say, " Linn." In 1872 we had a short crop of both, last season scarcely any of either ; conse- quently our bees did no good whatever. Out of a dozen good, strong hives I did not get over twenty-five pounds of cap honey. I imported the first Italian bees brought to the State. In the year 1861 I purchased two queens, one of Rev. L. L. Langstroth, and the other of Mr. K. P. Kidder of Bur- lington, Vt., I received the one from Mr. L. all right, and with the aid furnished by his instructions had but little difficulty in get- ting her safely introduced into a stock of common black bees. When I received the one I ordered of Mr. Kidder, the comb in the box had been broken down and the queen crippled. I introduced her, but she soon died. I informed Mr. Kidder, but he would not replace her. I watched the progress of the other with much interest, and in about lifteen days saw her progeny begin to come forth. As no one in the county had ever seen an Ital- ian bee it was (juite a curiosity, and many persons came expressly to see it. I after- wards ordered some queens from Mr. L. for some friends, but owing to the great quantity of full-blooded black bees in the county it was impossible to keep them pure, and until Mr. Argo, of Lowell, went into the business, some years afterwards, and purchased all the black bees in reach of his apiary it was impossible to raise anything like pure queens. Finnell. Kirksville, Ky. For the American Bee Journal. Pleasant Remarks. On page 41 " Novice " intimates that we have hard feelings toward him, because on page 143, Vol. ix. we resented his imputa- tion that we sought to advertise our sim- plified Simplicity Hive and frame in the pages of the .Iournal. We are certainly pleased to learn that he was only indulging in one of his pleasantries. We are frank to say that the aforesaid "pleasantry" touched our sensitiveness, and we wrote the answer on the spur of the moment, and when it appeared in print we were sorry. If Novice feels hurt, let him consider the hard raps he has given others who have feelings as well as he. Those free criti- cisms have produced wounds that mere explanations will never heal. We rejoice to see a difterent tone in the writings of some of our bee men, and in the conduct of our Bee Journals. Instead of being conducted for selfish interests, and utterly ignoring each other's existence, there has arisen a brotherly feeling and a dis- position to lend a helping hand. We ob- serve that since the birth of Oleanings, Novice has come down to a milder way of expressing himself than formerly. We are happy to see it, and if we have written any- thing not in accordance with kindly feel- ings we crave pardon. We will accept "pleasantry" as an explanation, and trust Novice will treasure up nothing against us for our hasty remarks. Hartford, N. Y. Scientific. For the American Bee Journal, Bees' Breathing. "In your April number, page 84, second column lower half, Mr. Adair makes some assertions which have often been made by others, but which appear to me so foolish that I cannot help noticing them. He says: "The last paragraph is the statement of a fact that has been settled among naturalists for a long time, i. e. that the bee inflates its body with air when about to fly, so as to decrease its specific gravity when flying. This is not only applicable to insects, but ornithologists state that birds do the same thing, even filling the hollow barrels of their feathers and quills with heated air or gas." Now I want Mr. Adair to explain. I will grant for the sake of argument only 130 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. that the bees' body has hollows in it, not filled with anything but air or if he chooiies not even air, and also that birds have hol- low bones and feathers. This latter is not peculiar to birds. Animals have hollow bones where great strength is not needed and because nature does not put material where it is of no use. Now if these hollows in bees or birds have no air in them before they fly, how can they make them lighter by putting air into them. That would make them heavier. If these hollows have air in them, that air is at about the same temperature as their bodies. If they could make it warmer it would be no lighter un- less they could expel some of it and thus make a partial vacuum. But they cannot make it warmer and therefore cannot expel it. They might press more air in but that would make their bodies heavier. — In short, bees or birds have no power to make their bodies lighter or heavier at will. I think Mr. Adair cannot properly call his supposi- tion a settled fact. W. For the American Bee Journal. The Extractor versus Honey Boxes. A great many experienced apiarians are advocating the exclusive use of the extract- or for obtaining surplus honey, speaking of boxes (with them) as things of the past and looking upon those who use them as inclin- ed to " old fogyism." In this age of the 19th century, progress and improvement are the watchwords ; are we not then a little too much inclined to go after things of the "new idea" order — throwing up our hats every time we hear of anything in bee-culture which strikes us as being a deviation from the old path — running our apiaries upon windmill princi- ples— talking about barrels and hogsheads of honey to be secured the coming season in spite of drouth or storm, when in fact our stocks are daily diminishing in num- bers, and it is only by exercising the great- est vigilance that we can prevent the native blacks from running out our pet Italians. That the extractor is an indispensable article in a well managed apiary, probably all acquainted with its working will admit; but that beautiful comb honey is to be supplanted by the extracted article will only take place when the eye hath lost its admiration for beauty, a-nd fancy and style have nothing to do with the sale of this staple luxury. So long as the idea of crushed bees and other imiHirities is connected with the sight of strained honey, just so long will that put up in fancy boxes continue to com- mand the higher price. Were all honey raisers the coming season to run their ajnaries exclusively for extract- ed honey, and the season be as good as was ' the past, I fear our markets would be glut- ted and the crop find, at wholesale, a price but little above that of ordinary strained. Tlie low price at which it was quoted the past fall and winter in the principal places ' of consumption throughout the country I think will bear me out in making this pre- I diction. While honey in glass boxes in New York was quoted at from 30 to 35 cents a pound, wholesale ; extracted and strained was only put down at from 12 to 15 cents a pound. To be sure we sometimes get a better price for it when put up in jars, but how are we to keep it from hardening ? In the lan- guage of D. W. Quinby, commission mer- chant, handling large quantities of honey, and brother to M. Quinby, "it soon candies, looks like lard and don't sell." I have a doubt as to whether these advocates of the slinger theory believe they obtain as nice an article by using the extractor, as that stored away, evaporated and sealed by the bees themselves. Has it the luscious richness to the taste ? I have heard good judges of honey say it has not. For example, take from the box a flake of white comb honey built just the right size to fit a small plate, and it is of itself an ornament even to the table of the rich and will tempt the palate of an epicure. Slice that comb up into small squares to be passed to each individual, and can anything in the shape of liquid honey excel, or even compare with that which drains into the bottom of the dish from the severed cells- clear as water from the limpid spring — aromatic as the flowers from whicli it was culled — tempting to both eye and taste and pure as ever are the unadulterated pro- ductions from natures laboratory. The symmetrical beauty in the structure of the comb, each tiny cell a perfect hexa- gon and solving a mathematical problem in Euclid, furnishes a subject for conversa- tion, and all are ready to praise the indus- try of the little bee endowed with such wonderful instinpt. No wonder the old poets sang to its praise ; for the product of its labors furnished an article of export from the islands of the Mediterranean to an extent beyond anything we hear of in these modern times of imported queens and honey slingers. I do not make these comparisons in a fault-finding spirit, but merely to look the subject square in the face without ignoring what others have done before us. For the past few winters bee-keepers have had a serious difficulty to contend with and I fear the advantage gained in building up swarms by the use of the movable-comb frame is more than offset by disastrous losses in wintering, and a close canvas would probably show that in the United Stales there is not more than THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 181 one bee-keeper where there were ten several years ago, and is not this loss often greatly endangered by tlie too free use of the ex- tractor, often leaving hives in a starving condition at the close of a good season ? Some of our largest raisers and shippers of box honey are among those who do not report their experience through the bee journals. A few years since Capt. J. R. Ilethering- ton of Cherry Valley, in tins State, sent to New York market 2."), 000 pounds of box honey " as reported" of his own raising. The same fall Baldwin Bros., of Sandusky, N. Y., shipped to the same market 10,000 pounds, mostly from their own apiaries, although at the same time extensively en- gaged in raising Italian queens for sale. . I w^as informed by a commission mer- chant that a firm in Steuben Co., made one shipment of 5 tons. Besides these large quantities there were a great many smaller lots varying from 500 to 5,000 pounds yielding to the producer an income of no mean significance. The same course has been pursued every fall since, except per- haps not on quite so extensive a scale. Could the managers of these apiaries be induced to give their experience through the columns of the bee journals, what an amount of testimony would be given in favor of using boxes, besides adding a large amount of practical information to their columns already so replete with use- ful knowledge. It inatters not how large may be the crop if we have our surplus in suitable shaped, four-sided glass boxes, it will find quick sale at good remunerative prices without return or loss of barrel, as box honey in this shape sells at gross weight without any question, the boxes often paying 100 per cent, above cost of manufacture. We are well aware that glass weighs heavy, yet consumers want it in this shape and are willing to pay a fancy price for a fancy article, and in this case it pays better to let them have their own way, and not be quarelling about tare on old wooden boxes. The season for 1874 is now at hand, and as many apiaries will be run almost exclusively either for box or extracted surplus, I hope at its close those of us whose lives are spared will have the benefit of a good many favorable reports pro and con ; yet with many others I am loath to believe that fancy box honey will ever be supplanted by the extracted article. C. R. ISIIAM. Peoria, Wyoming Co., N. Y. For the American Bee Journal. Report from my Apiary. On making an cixamination of my sixty odd stocks last August, I found all excei)t about ten, on the verge of starvation. I immediately commenced feeding, and in the early part of September united so many as to reduce my stocks to fifty, and then fed my bees over three barrels granulated sugar. Wintered on their summer stands without the loss of a single one. Found one this spring, queenless, which I united with a weak one. My bees now, are in splendid condition; good brood in all, and ])lenty of stores. On returning home from church on yes- terday, and after getting my dinner, I walked out in my Ijee yard, and the first thing that attracted my attention, was a swarm just issuing, this one being the first of the season. Was not expecting a swarm so soon. I have to report the loss of hund- reds of colonies in our county last winter. The cause wns nothing more nor less than starvation. The old idea of luck in bee- keeping has with me entirely exploded. 1 am buying plenty of nice, empty worker comb at twenty -five cents per pound. The season so far has been very unpropitious for the honey -gatherers. The " oldest in- habitant" says we have had more rain this spring than was ever known before. The rains are followed by cold and cloudy days. The main honey crop here is gathered from wdiite clover, which is said to be (this spring) unusually good. As last season here was the poorest ever known, I am in hopes this will be the best know^nfor years. Will. Wilson. Bardstown, Ky., April 27, 1874. When a hive of bees is kept in a state of alarm by the tormenting ingenuity of mis- chievous boys, the time in which they would be ranging over the fields in search of honey and pollen, will be lost in defend- ing their premises. For the American Bee Journal. Queen Clipping. The extent to which this practice is now being carried, is to my mind, truly alarm- ing ; bids fair to endanger the very exist- ance of the Italian race of bees, and thus, if persisted in, break up bee culture as a pursuit. I do not stop to enquire how far Gen. Adair may be right or wrong in his scienti- fic theories, or his opponents in opposing them ; but am firmly convinced that to maim anything, impairs its efficiency. There are a few considerations which seem to me conclusive arguments against this practice. 1st. Those from analogy. We look for stout offspring from stout parents ; weak from weak. We are told that fish found in the Mammoth, and other caves are blind, having been shut out from the light for generations, — showing that the proper ex- ercise of the muscles, nerves, and othei" 132 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. organs of the eye is necessary to preserve the sight. Should we clip the fins of these fish for a like number of generations, would not the muscles whidh propel the lius, wholly or partially perish from lack of proper exercise, and thus produce either a finless race or one with puny fins. Con- fine the arm in a sling from childhood to manhood, and thus suspend the exercise of the propelling muscles of the arm, and what is the result ? a shrunken and useless limb ; on the other hand, for the same length of time, wield the blacksmith's sledge with the same arm, and^OAVcrfully developed muscles are the result. We are told that a race of bob-tailed dogs has been produced by the s,uccessive severence of the dorsal extremity. We know the turkejs, and other do\nes- tic fowls, as well as animals, have by domestication been dwarfed in their powers of locomotion by the no longer vigorous exercise of those muscles which speed their movements ; and their progeny are like- wise feeble in the muscles of propulsion. Thousands of analogies might be adduced to show that -'like begets like " but these would seem to suffice. In all the cases of impaired locomotion the propelling muscles have been idle for generations, and thus weakened. The progeny of the succeeding generation partakes of the weakness in this respect of the preceding. If bees should excel in any one thing, it should be in their powers of flight. Now clip the wing or wings of- the queens or mother bees, and keep up this clipping for generations, thus stopping in the line of descent the healthful exerciser of the wing muscles, must it not inevitably result, if not in a wingless, at least in a race with impair- ed wings. Long before they became wing less the operations of the hive would cease. 3ud. I believe the workers re^rd a clip- ped mother with suspicion, and at times supersede her, or else she dies more readily from this cause. Three out q| five of my clipped queens died last sea^ii^ two of which I found dead in front of tlMr hives ; whilst out of thirteen undipped queens, I lost not one that I know of. 3rd. Clipping does not always prevent the queen from trying to lead the swarm, in which case she falls and may perish. 4th. It is inconsistent with the spirit of the age, which is to improve both animals and plants rather than to deteriorate. Clip- ping cannot improve or produce a more perfect insect. Some writer even advocates clipping one leg. If the queen has any use for wings and legs, that use is impaired by this practice ; and is it not wiser and safer to' pursue that course which to say the least cannot injure, in preference to that which may, and let her wings and legs alone V Decherd, Tcnn. E. D. Sankokd. For the American Bee Journal, Natural and Artificial Pood. Among the many peculiar conceits of mankind, there is none perhaps more com- mon than that of investigating one's own ideas with a greiy deal of importance ; even though the same ideas, or supposed dis- coveries have been common to others long before and not emblazoned as anything at all wonderful or astonishing. An Ohio bee-keeper having been led from some cause or other to feed sugar to bees with seeming good results, straightway proclaims the fact to the world, as a great discovery of his own, when the truth is that it had often been done before, and without very greatly agitating the bee world. Doubtless bees can be wintered on sugar syrup, if properly prepared ; but that it is in any way superior to the food which nature has taught the honey bee to gather for its own use, I am very far from believ- ing. Man may often by scientific knowledge concentrate, intensify, or direct nature's forces to certain ends and objects, but when he attempts to substitute one of her provisions for another, he very rarely improves ubou the original. While I disbelieve in the superiority of sugar as food for bees, still less do I believe in its prophylactic properties. At its first sug- gestion as a remedy for or preventive of so called dysentery in bees, I am incredu- lous for the foregoing reasons, and the results of many experiments of eminent apiarians as well as my own, has tendered to dissipate entirely the idea of its sanitary qualities. Perhaps an item of my own experience, bearing upon this question might not prove uninteresting. In August 1872, after basswood had ceased to yield honey — which is the last we get here of any consequence — I found that my bees' stores were insuflicient to winter upon ; consequently I fed to some 25 stocks, U barrels of A coffee sugar made into syrup. It was fed during the hot days the last of August, so the bees could put it in good shape for winter ; and in order to thoroughly test the properties claimed for it, I fed a few late swarms, which had made considerable comb, but little honey, sufficient sugar syrup to last till spring'. In order to show that the syrup was well prepared, I would say that I can show any amount of it to day in the combs of the hives, out of which the bees died, that is not grained at all, but is of good consistency and in fine condition for bees. About the 1st of January following, my bees connnenced dicing of dysentery, and THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 133 the first to die were some of those fed ou all sugar syrup, and before the 1st of May every cue fed with sugar, was dead. I do uot wisli to be understood as saying that tliose fed with sugar sutlVrcd particu- larly worse than those not fed at all — for the mortality was very great among all — but that it "had no effect in preventing disease, nor has it in any other cases that came under my observation. It may uot be out of place to say that my bees were wintered on their summer stands, in movable-frame, double-cased hives, and nicely quilted on top. I went carefully through my apiary and placed (after feed- ing was done) empty combs in the centre of the hives, and the honey or sugar each side of them. The great mortality of bees for the past two winters is a fruitful subject for discus- sion ; as yet, but little light has been thrown upon the matter, although I have full faith that it may and will be finally understood. I will not attempt at this time to give any theory of my own upon the most vexed question, but may at some future time give some facts of my own experience bearing upon the subject. N. M. C. Ellington. For the American Bee Journal. My Experience in Bee-Keeping. I have kept bees, more or less, for the past four years. During this time my ex- perience has been of a varied character. Tlirough the summer season my bees have done well, and amply rewarded me for my labor and trouble. But my high hopes and bright anticipations were destined to be blasted by the loss iu wintering. In the winter of 1870, seven swarms came through all right on summer st;iuds. I bought two in the spring of 1871 ; took four on shares, increased, and commenced the winter with twenty-three swarms on sum- mer stands. Tliey all died, and the spring of '72 found me without a bee, — but not discouraged. I concluded to stick to the old motto, "If you don't at first succeed, try, try again," and "what other folks can do, why with patience may not I ? " In July I again ventured to invest, and bought four young swarms, also one swarm of Italians. As they were late colo- nies, they did increase, and I again attemp- ted to winter these five swarms ou summer stands, with but light protection. I was again doomed to disappointment and loss. The spring of '73 found my bees all dead, witii plenty of honey in their hives, which showed they were not starved to death. I now made up my mind not to try out-door wintering again. I was determined not to give up if it took my " bottom dollar." In April I bought ten colonies of hybrids, six of which died before the first of May. Then, besides, one colony of i>ure Italians, bought of E. Gallup, in June, proved to be very prolific, I Italianized and increased artificially to nineteen swarms. Took from them 300 lbs. honey, twenty-five of which were comb honey, and the remainder "ex- tracted." Did not get my extractor till late in the season. Sold both comb and extracted honey for 25 cts. per ft., and could have sold 1,000 lbs. more if I had had it. The extracted was taken in preference to comb. I prepared my bees for winter, by taking the covers off and raising the honey-boards, to give ventilation, and set- ting them in the cellar, about two feet from the ground. All except two had an abund- ance of natural food. The temperature ranged from 32 to 40 degs., usually 35 deg. They are iu fine condition, except two, which we have fed on candy. E. A. Sheldon. Independence, Iowa. For the American Bee Journal. Grallup's Ne"w Idea Hive and its Advantages. Some one has asked for a description of the New Idea Hive, as I use it. For an ex- periment, I have used my standard frame. But if I was going to commence anew, I sliould make the frame wider, for reasons which I will not now attempt to give. I make the hive four feet long (inside meas- ure) twelve inches deep, and fourteen inches wide. This hive holds thirty-two worker combs. I double case the sides, leaving one-fourth inch dead air space be- tween outer and inner case. The object of double walls is, if bees cluster against the wall, it is warm; while if they cluster against a single wall in extreme cold weather, the consequence is chilled bees and dysentery. I use three honey boards, or the Bickf ord quilt will answer, just as any one fancies. I use a four-inch chamber, spread cloth over the frames for winter, and fill in witli two or three inches of sawdust. Now place the roof over all, make winter passages through the centre of all the combs, but the two front ones, close the rear entrance and you are ready for winter. I make entrances in each end just alike nearly aci'oss the end at the bottom, and regulate with entrance blocks ; and a little above the centre I have an inch hole in each end. With a full stock, and in hot weath- er, both ends are open. The inch hole in summer, while the bees are gathering honey rapidly, allows the moisture to pass off which is evaporated; and we never have a puddle of water for the bees to pass through early in the morning; and in winter, provid- ing the hive gets buried in snow, the bees 134 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAI.. will never smother, — sven if the lower en- trance should become fastened up with ice. You will see that the combs run cross- ways of the entrance in this hive. The ad- vantage of this hive is, bees winter per- fectly, and with as little consumption of honey in proportion to the number of bees, as they do in a cellar or special repository. They never fly out in winter, providing we have the cluster four combs from the en- trance, unless the weather is warm enough for them to take a flight without loss. We never have to shade the entrance as we do other hives, with combs running from front to rear to prevent the bees from flying in winter. It is a perfect nonswarmer, pro- viding we take their honey from them and do not allow them to restrict the queen from breeding. We can raise more bees in this form of hive with less manipulation, than any other form we ever saw, and it always takes bees to gather honey, with us. j.vlr. L/angstroth, in a private letter, says, " The improvement in hives is as great an advancemeiit in bee cultiore, as the invention of the movable comb or extractor.'''' Again, providing we place a large swarm in this hive, all the comb is built worker- comb, and if we take out a comb and in- sert an empty frame, it is flUed with worker- comb every time with us, and this is an item of no mean value. Mr. Adair has been ridiculed for advancing such ideas, and 1 may be also. But there are people that wish to advance in bee culture, and tnere is no harm in giving our ideas to such, i have fully tested the hive, and am so well satisfied that I shall make more of them. i have a stock that now occupies twenty- six combs, with bees. I wintered one small late swarm in the hive last winter, for an experiment, and I never wintered with bet- ter satisfaction in the cellar, and my strong stocks wintered splendidly, and every one Knows that the winter of 1873 was severe enough as a test, to satisfy ^^ the most fastidious. in this hive we have no use for a divis- ion Doard. Understand that what I call a strong swarm would be two swarms put together from ordinary 3,000 cubic inch hives. We have ascertained to our own satisfaction, that one good queen without any care whatever, will .occupy over 4,000 cubic inches of comb in the ordinary man- ner with brood, in this form of hive. We use the extracted or cell-comb honey in the frame. In this climate we can extract all tlie honey made up to the middle of August, with perfect safety. In such a hive, and witli the Italians, and good, common sense, we have a permanent institution. iS^o cold, chilling, dampness, or imperfectly evaporated honey, causes dysentery. We liave no dysentery in this hive, providing we use good, common sense. The Italians will renew their queens almost invariably, and with my management there is no feed- ing to be done at any time. They are self- supporting. They breed later in the fall and earlier in the spring; consequently are always strong in numbers, and with us strong stocks are the sheet anchor to suc- cessful bee-keeping. The past season was the poorest that I have seen since I came West. I sold my stock down to fifteen all in large twin and New Idea hives. From seven I increased up to thirty-six, and from the other eight I took 800 lbs. surplus. Now I am not the only person that has beeii testing this hive. But I have had it tested in Michigan and other parts of this State, and think I am not mistaken if I do claim that every person will like the hive, or that every one will succeed. But I claim that what I have done, others can learn to do. This morn- ing, with the thermometer 20 degs. below zero (Feb. 24, 1874) by listening at the front of my twin hives, the bees are making a loud, roaring noise, showing conclusively that they have to consume honey largely to keep up the warmth. But listen in front of the long hive, and we only hear a gentle buzz or hum, and in moderate weather we can hear nothing, unless we jar the hive, showing just as conclusively that the con- sumption of honey is but a trifle in com- parison. Now I have used two-story hives, and could use them again, but I know that a two-story hive is not adapted to wintering on the summer stands ; neither can we raise anywhere near the same amount of brood that we can in the horizontal hive and con- tinuous chamber. The diflerence is so marked when we take the season through, that any person must be terribly prejudiced that cannot see it. The hive will cost more than one dollar, and it will be worth more. E. Gallup. For the American Bee Journal. Top and Side Surplus Boxes. A question in which some are interested is : " Are top or side surplus honey boxes best?" When a new swarm enters an empty hive and commences work, they commence at the top of their hive. For this there is a very obvious reason. The form of their todies and the nature and form of their comb, makes this the most convenient way to operate. From the top they can hang in clusters and work upon the comb and build down half way to the bottom of the hive be- fore the top is fully completed. If top sur- plus boxes are used when first placed in the hive, they will probably enter them first. If it is a small colony it will be some time be- fore coml) will be prepared for the deposit THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 135 of eggs in the body of the hive, and brood will be raised in some of the boxes, injuring the surplus honey. If the breeding apart- ment is as high as the boxes, the boxes on the sides, may be enttn-ed by a part of the swarm, at the same time with tlie commence- ment in the breeding apartment without danger of brood in the boxes. If the swarm is a large one, from 50 to 100 lbs of surplus honey may be expected the tirst season. The side and top boxes both may be placed on as soon as the weather becomes warm enough, that no delay may be caused to the breeding. " Which are best for surplus f This question sometimes receives an an- swer according to tlie interest or prejudices of the writer. If a man uses top boxes only, in his operations ; he probably thinks and pronounces them best. If one has used only side boxes, he probably is decidedly in favor of side boxes. I have thoroughly tried both. I have had 24 side boxes upon a hive and no top boxes. I have had 18 side boxes and 9 top boxes upon a hive at the same time. I have been unable to discover any important advantage of one over the other, as to time of commencement or success in using them. Those upon the top have some advantage from the warmth arising from the body of the hive. The side boxes may have the ad- vantage of ease of access and proximity to the entrance to the hive. I have made it a rule to place guide comb in my boxes to encourage early commence- ment in them. In the top boxes, the en- trance is through the bottom, and the guide comb is attached to the top. My side boxes have glass on the outer and inner end of the box. Inside glass is from one-half to one inch narrower than the height of the box, leaving an entrance of one-half to one inch wide between the glass and the top of the box. I attach guide comb to the top of the box so as to come even with the glass, of about one inch square. I remove the mov- able partition having the sheet of comb in the breeding apartment entirely uncovered. I then set the nine side boxes on each side; three on the bottom of the hive with the inner end of the box, one-half inch from the comb in the breeding apartment ; bring- ing the guide comb so near that the bees can pass to it as readily as from one sheet of comb to the other in the hive. I then place the nine top boxes upon the top of the hive and the side boxes. With boxes thus prepared and arranged ; the nine boxes were as readily entered and occupied and fitted as those on the top. I think the important points are; have your boxes on early; place them in intimate connection with the hive, with small pieces of guide comb to encour- age early commencement in storing suiplus. To attach the guide comb, when construct- ing the boxes, I prepare 10 or 13 more or less ready to receive the top, I lay the top bottom upwards, cut as many pieces of guide comb as are required; I take a lighted candle in my left hand with pieces of guide comb in reach, heat the edge of the pieces in the candle and then press tiiem to the top board; and when cool nail the top board ia its place. It is some gratification after- wards to see the bees engaged in filling them all up. J,\srER Hazen. Woodstock, Vt. For the American Bee Journal. Machine-Extracted Honey. Since the introduction of the honey pump, bee-keeping has become quite a source of income to the intelligent bee- keeper, and machine-extracted honey bids fair to end the demand for comb honey. The public are very easily convinced of the superiority of the machine-extracted honey, however persistently the people in general stick to old customs. The most these Thomases need in order to be convinced, is to be shown the mode of extracting. The production of machine-extracted honey is of so much more profit to the bee-keeper than the production of comb honey, that it is w^orth while to take the trouble to convince the ignorant that the former is the best and purest honey of the two. Every respectable bee-keeper soon gets a good patronage among his neighbors, but the quantities of honey we produce are so large that it requires a little extra exer- tion to dispose of them. Our best honey should be put in glass jars, in small quanti- ties, and every store in the neighborhood should be supplied with "pure machine extracted honey." It should be put up about like canned fruit, in boxes and jars — properly marked with the name of the producer. I adopted some years ago, the square jars holding 1 and 2 lbs. honey, and find them to work admirably. I put a dozen jars in a box, and find a ready sale at the following prices : 1 gross (12 boxes) Itb jars honey @ 1 " 2ft " 1 doz. (1 box) Itt. " Ifti jar $42.00 82.00 4.1)0 7.50 .40 .75 1.00 a good lib honey 2ft " 1 " 3ft " For 1 ft jars, especially, I found wholesale trade, wliile the retail trade in my store was about alike in 1, 2, and 3 ft jars. I wish to add that 9!) out of every 100 of my customers buy my machine- extracted honey in preference to the choicest comb honey. I have bottled and sold, since last season, more than 10,000 lbs of honey, I sold it, not with the aid of an 136 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. agent, but as customers would call for it at the stoi-e. Having bought respectable lots from cliflferent parties, I had some experience in the diflerent ways of putting up. This is what I wish to speak about for the benefit of all concerned. We are all apprentices yet, and may be profited by a liberal ex- change of ideag. Crystalization spoils the ready sale of honey, although we all know that pure honey will crystalize. Some kinds will do so quicker than others. Linden honey for instance has, in my experience, crystalized when white clover honey has shown no signs of it, and some white clover honey has crystalized while other white clover honey has kept perfectly clear. I have now on a shelf a dozen or more of 31b jars of my own honey, which show not the lo:ist signs of crystalization, while I have bought no honey of anybody since Novemlier, or end of October but was crystalized. My own honey is very clear, of a rich golden color, and thicker than the thickest syrup. That part of my honey which formed into crystalization, did not expand in the jars but rather contracted, like lard, after having cooled off. And when brought to its fluid state again, by putting the jars in hot water it retained the same substantial thickness. Not so with any other honey I had bought. I had filled several barrels of honey in half gal- lon fruit jars, to prevent it from candying in the barrels. The jars had tin covers slipped over the mouths. After crystaliza tion had taken place, I found the covers as if on icebergs, sticking one or two inches above the jars, honey running down the shelves, several jars burst in the lower tiers where the covers could not give, and more jars would have burst but for my partly emptying them in time. One and two pound jars, being corked and tinfoiled, had the corks driven out etc. Nothing of that sort happened with my own honey. What was the reason? I had been particular to leave my honey standing for a day or two after extracting, in tin buckets made for the purpose — stone jars, when buckets did not holdout etc., when I had a good chance of having it skimmed perfectly. I think it essential to not leave a particle of wax in the honey Ijefore we put it away for safe keeping, Avhether in barrels or jars, as that particle of wax may form tlie nucleus for the crystalization of the honey. I used to ])cat all of my honey, but found the honey would get dark whenever the fire was too Btrong. Next season I shall have a receiver made of tin to hold HOU or CU(» lbs, when I .shall have a better chance to let the honey stand a few days after extracting, then skim the top perfectly and draw from below the pure article. The last out of the receiver may be heated over a slow fire if necessaiy. I should never be satisfied with the honey running through a strainer from the pump into the barrel which was then to be cork- ed up. Here I would ask : Has the honey too, something like animal heat, which should evaporate before the honey is put up in tight vessels V I have heard of pure honey souring in jars or barrels, and I see it stated by prominent bee-keepers that uncapped or fresh collected honey is too thin and watery to extract, etc. Now I may say there is no thicker honey than mine, and I never had any sour. May not this hasty shutting up be the cause of all this trouble ? I have never let the bees cap any honey when I could help it, have pumped every week or whenever the cells were filled. This saved time and labor to both parties, and I have not yet seen my honey excelled. During last month a customer ordered a gross of honey and asked me to exchange two boxes, which had crystalized. They would have been sold long ago, he said, if the honey had not been candied. Accord- ingly we opened our boxes to dissolve the honey by setting the jars in hot water, (no need to uncork them, but they have to be relabeled) before delivery. The last four boxes in one row had stood there ever since the last honey harvest, it was my own honey and not a jar had crystalized, while all the rest of the jars had crystalized per- fectly, most of them with corks driven up a little, as far as the lid would admit. To sum up the matter I would say : Honey should stand sometime after extract- ing— to cool oft', (?) and be skimmed perfect- Ijr and freed from all other substances (run- ning through a strainer is not sufficient) before it is put up in air-tight vessels. Some bee-keepers have the bad practice of sticking a piece of comb honey in a jar of nice machine extracted honey. This may look nice in the eyes of the ignorant, but it does not look well in the eyes of those knowing better, and it is no more the pure honey, it contains also a piece of wax with those impurities which always will adhere to the comb. Besides it does not take a piece of comb to convince con- sumers that the honey is pure. Pure honey recommends itself. Hives not only require a proper handling of the bees but also a proper handling of the product to make bee-keeping a success. Cincinnati, O. Chas. F. Muth. If bees are not allowed to possess any- thing analogous to reason, the regard for their queen, and the watchful care of their young, must result from some pleasurable sensations derived from them. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 137 For tne American Bee Journal. Shall we Clip our Queen's Wings ? Gen. Adair, to wliom I thiuk we are much iudebted for his " New Idea Hive," holds that the air tubes, which help to form the veins of wings, are important aids- in respiration; hence, clipping the wings, clogs respiration, and renders the queen imbecile. Again, accidental "peculiarities are inher- itable; should we then crop our queen's wings, at the risk of creating a race of wingless queens? First, as to the facts : — Surely, neither structure nor a false phys- iology, can hope to refute the well-grounded facts gleaned from experience. The real proof of the pudding is still in the eating; and who of us, that are experienced bee- keepers, have not demonstrated that wing- clipped queens are, in every way, the equals of those with " undamaged respira- tion." An Italian queen, with clipped wings, procured from ]\Ir. Langstroth, and three years of age, netted me $40.00 during the season of 1873. Half of my queens had wings clipped, and they were fully the peers of the others. All these netted me over $30.00. Now, friend Adair, is not that pretty well? I believe the experience of nearly all, will refute your theory. Now for the theory : — To be sure, there are tracheae iu all the wings, whose cer- tain function is to convey air to arterialize or oxygenate the blood which is to nourish the wings; but after the wings are once fully formed, they need no further nourishment, unless broken down by use. The queen, after her marriage flight, has no further use for her wings in a well-kept apiary ; so they need little or no nourishment, blood or air : iu fact, are eflete appendages, and may as well — yes better — be cut off. In both the white ants (neuropterous), and common ants (hymeuopterous), the economy of the colony, and also the nature and functions of the individuals, are very similar to the same among bees; and in their case the workers bite oil' the queen's wings, to pre- ^■ent swarming. Yet these queens are very fertile, and apparently very healthy. Can we doubt that nature would have provided for the despoliation of the queen-bee's wings, except that, in nature, swarming was a necessity, and demanded perfect or- gans for flight ? Domestication changes ati'airs, and thus should change manage- ment. No ! Air and trachett are only needed to insure growth and nutrition of the part (tlie part gone), the air and tubes are no more needed. As well declaim against amputation of a limb, because it would cut off the supply of blood. I believe the two cases are strictly analogous. But would not the deformity become a permanent inheritance ? It has not, witli ants;uor in higher animals lias cropping the ears, branding or cutting ofl' the tails, for untold generations, given us cause to fear any danger : and this too, with organs of far greater vitality. Because some tailless cat, in some distant clime, is re-ported to have brought forth tailless kittens, breed- ers have made very much of a principle, which every dog experience proves to be exceptional. Congenital deformities, to be sure, are apt to be transmitted, but the same is not true of deformities acquired after Ijirth. The editor of this journal, compares this practice to the obsolete practice of docking horses' tails. The cases are no ways simi- lar, I think. This is painless, and benefi- cial; the other, cruel, useless, and shocking to morality and good taste. Again, God would not have made wings for the queen, etc : — Surely, our friend, the editor, did not ofter this as a serious argu- ment. This argument would strip us of our clothing, take the shoes from our horses, and render the males of nearly all our domestic animals much less useful and tractable. Domestication makes changes desirable; and man has been given a mind capable of suggesting improvements upon nature; else why our houses, barns, or even our im- proved hives ? It is strange that Dr. Packard should have added his commendation to this theory. He must have supposed that prac- tice or experience demanded it. Yet this is not the first mistake, or hasty conclu- sion, from men of rare scientific acquire- ments. Else why did Prof. Riley give credence to the error, refuted by anatomy, and contrary to all experience, and correct observation, that bees eat into grapes, when, forsooth, they only lap up what is rapid!}' going to waste, through the mis- chief caused by the stronger jaws of wasps, or frugivorous birds ? A. J. Cook. Agricultural College, Lansing, Mich., May 9th., 1874. For the American Bee Journal Extraordinary Swarming in March. On the 11th. of Feb., the day being warm and suitable, 1 carried my hives out of the cave and let them have a purifying flight. The day following being cool, they were returned to the cave and left there until the 17th of March when they were carried out and placed on their summer stands. The day was suitable, being warm and calm, and in a short time the air was alive with them. Before we had finished their removal and while carrying others out, I noticed a great many bees about a certain hive, and remarked to my son, who 138" THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. was assisting me, that there was aa extra strong colony. We placed the last one on its bench about 2 o'clock p. m., and I must confess I felt much gratified that all the colonies were alive and in a condition to do well ; for my experience the two winters before, had been attended with such a loss that I felt quite a relief when the last hive was out and each one contain- ed a colony of living bees. (For during the winter of 1871-72 and spring following I lost 26 colonies. And in the winter of 1872-73 and spring following I lost 93, leaving 23 to start out with in poor condi- tion. They all died with dysentery.) About 3 o'clock p. m. the supposed strong colony was found to be swarming out and the bees lighting on several hives around, rush- ed in but soon came out again, joined by the inmates, and such a swarming mania was a new thing to me. The air Avas full of bees from all the hives and it appeared as if most of those loo were siezed with the same excitement and joined the big crowd. After going through the regular course of swarming they settled in two clusters several rods apart, and each one contained enough bees to make ten or a dozen fair colonies at this season of the year. Well, here was a damper, and as I stood and looked at those two huge piles of bees, the pleasant visions of swarms in June, and honey too, — Oh, my, how quick thej^ vanish- ed ! And this unlooked for "matter of fact " in its huge proportions hung before me, and the question was : How can I save these bees 'i The sun was within an hour of setting, the wind had come in from a cool quarter, and soon the bees would be much chilled. One queen seen on the ground was used to make a colony with ; then hastily passing round among the hives, the weakest were selected and an ordinary sized swarm of bees given it, until they were all disposed of. The weather becoming too cool to meddle with them, they had to be left for some time. As soon as it became warm enough, I began transferring the colonies, to clean hives, and helping the destitute as well as I could. I find I have lost 26 out of 81, with quite a number of feeble colonies to build up. The greatest loss sustained was by the de- population of the hives from the bees in the air at the time of joining the swarming party and leaving the numbers in the hives so small that they perished during the cold spell that followed. I have kept bees for over 35 years, and have on some occasions had colonies in the spring, destitute of stores, come oft" and attempt to enter another hive but all these except the first one that came oft" left stores and brood. My hives are placed on benches in rows and about 8 feet apart. If this should come under the notice of Messrs. Quinby, Grimm, Gallup, or any other apiarian of extensive experience, and they perceive wherein I have erred, I shall feel mucli obliged if they will point it out to me. Atlanta, 111. L. James. An Enterprising Settler in Nebraska. The Loioell (Nebraska) Register prints the record of an enterprising settler. Mr. M. S. Budlong settled on the edge of Franklin Co., Nebraska, bordering on Kearney Co., in March, 1872. When he arrived on his home- stead, with his two sons, he had two spans of horses, but only eleven dollars in money. At the beginning of 1874 he had 100 acres of land under cultivation ; an orchard containing .500 young apple trees, 100 pear trees, and loO cherry trees, and a vineyard of .500 gi-ape vines. Mr. Budlong is now about to plant 200 apple trees, 200 peach trees, and 500 addi- tional grape-vines. The homestead is in .Southern Nebraska, and on the level ])rairie ; and no man, who has the spirit of Mr. Budlong need fear to settle where there are no trees to shade his roof-tree from the sun. If he plants as Mr. Budlong has done, in five years his orchard will be coming into bearing ; and, if he has made a wind brake of Cottonwood, he will have ample fuel for his stoves. Certainly, eleven dollars in cash is not ade- quate for the needs of the ordinary settler, though there are numerous instances in Neb- raska of men starting in this way upon no- thing, as it were, and in a few years working themselves into positions of comfort. — Sucli men are brave and enterprising ; but a capital of $.500, at least, is a good thing upoji which to start. The larger the capital — given skill, enterprise, courage and industry, without which money is of little moment — and the greater the gain. There is abundant room and ample scope in Nebraska for men like Mr. Budlong, For the American Bee Jouriu;!. Rape and what to do with it, etc. Many readers of the Ameiucax Bp:e Jour- nal enquire of us where they can find a market for rape near them, in case they sow some ? In our pamphlet we state that the proprietors of the Fond du Lac Oil Works will establish an agent wherever a car load of rape can be bought, so you can have a market right at your door. But if that amount can- not be had, the s(!ed may be sent to them in grain bags. Or it may bo fed to stock ; there can hardly be anything better for sheep, it is, of course, nuich richer than oil cake ; there- fore only a very small quantity should be THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 139 given at a time. It could be mixed with ground feed, we cannot say in what propor- tion as we have not tried it. It would thus make very rich and lieaUhy food for cattle and horses. Our thanks are due to frieiul Dadant for the light thrown on the grape and bee sub- ject. Fortunately for me it lights up my side only, while it leaves Mr. lliley in the dark ; it will afford him a sort of magic lantern view, where, in order to see the object, one nmst be in the dark. Hope the advice given by II. W. S. will be fcfllowed by those who care to know the facts. It is certainly important to know whether bees are guilty or not. And by fruit and bee cultivators taking close observations, we shall know for a certainty, leaving no room for doubt. In some parts of the coun- try bee-haters are crying aloud for laws for- bidding bee keeping ; asserting that they are a nuisance, and that they destroy fruit, and raise the deuce generally. And if bee-keep- ers do not remonstrate they will tinally suc- ceed in making such laws. We as bee-keepers should stand by the bees and their keepers, if these charges can be proven to be'false. H. O. Kritschke. To Beginners in Apiculture. BY PROP. A. J. COOK. In the article of last month was given the method of queen rearing. Perchance aye, very like, the beginners first effort will be fruitless. Or instead of four queens he may succeed but partial Ij'. obtaining but one, two, or three. In this case, or even if his first attempt be an entire success, he had better repeat the operation and be siu-e that the first year's experience has made him an adept at queen rearing. Any time that we desire queen cells, we have but to remove a queen from the colony — always from our most esteemed colony — and queen cells will be im- mediately built, and very soon filled. Not only beginners, but every bee-keeper should always have a good number of extra queens during the honey season. The reason for this will appear in the sequel. TO IXCKEASE OUR COLONIES. It is not in the province of these articles to show that artificial division of colonies is superior, hence preferable to natural swarm- ing. But all experienced bee-keepers know this to be the case. Convenience, as well as the best success, demands that the beginner should practice artitical swarming. The apiarist may make two colonies from one, or what will be better for our beginner, be con- tent with an increase of one colony at a time. Take vour rotten-wood and smoke both the old colonies very thoroughly, and also one of the nuclei, which has hatched out a queen.— The queen shoiUd have been hatched 7 or 8 days, that you nuiy be sure that she has met a drone and been fertilized.— Place after the thorough smoking, the nucleus frames, (lueen, bees and all into a separate hive, then take o or 4 frames, bees and all, from each of the old hives, being very sure not to include the (pieen, as such a mistake would involve the loss of a queen and a check in the oi)era- tions of the old hive, and that too at a season, when inactivity is attended with serious loss. Put these frames in the new hive with the two frames taken from the nucleus. Now fill in all three hives with empty frames. — These may be put between full frames so as to insure straight comb building, or as I pre- fer all at one end, so as not to separate brood, in which case the apiarist must see that the comb is built true to the frame. Now place your nucleus hive say,onefoot to one side, and place your new colony so that the entrance shall be^very near where that of the nucleus was. By moving a few inches each day the hive can soon be placed where desire may dictate. The old bees taken from the old hives will return, while the young ones, the bees from the nucleus, and the rapidly hatch- ing brood will soon make a strong colony. The free use of smoke will prevent fighting which would seldom ensue without it, as the new hive through mixing of bees, together with the great number of young bees, will almost always change anger into surprise. Now as the bees grow in strength, the col- onies may gi'ow^ in nvnnber by a repetition of the above process. By thus making new col- onies from several, all the colonies are kept strong as they do not feel the loss of the few bees, few frames, and comparatively small amount of brood. I now have hives (May 9th) with ten frames of brood— frames one foot square. They could easily spare -S or 4 frames. The great point in successful bee- keeping is to always keep the colony strong, as this fortifies against nearly all the ills in bee-keeping. Another point equally import- ant already hinted at is to suffer no pause in the labor of the hive during the honey sea- son. See to it that no hive is (pieenless even for a day. As the warmth and bloom draw on see to it that your bees have plenty of room. If the queen has no room to deposit eggs from the fact that all the cells in the breeding depart- ment are full of honey, buy an extractor and extract it. If the workers need more room for storing, put on boxes or put some frames in your upper story. If both queen and workers have plenty of room and are shaded from the hot sun. I think the bees wiW never hang idly from the outside of the hive. 140 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ci ^mii^xm{§ts\ ^mn\^l W. F. CLARKE, Editor. CHICAGO, JUNE, 1874. ' What is Honey? Gen. D. L. Adair is reported to have said at the North American Bee-Keepers' Con- vention : " Strictly speaking, there is no distinct substance that can be called honey. The bees gather from flowers, from the diff'erent sweets known as honey dews, and from the saccharine juice of fruits and plants, substances that consist chiefly of sugar in some forms, mixed with other secretions and essential oils, and store it in the comb cells, and it is called honey. It necessarily varies widely, depending on the source from which it is derived. All honey is sugar containing vegetable substances in solution with it. Sugar in all three of its forms is, in a general sense, the sweet prin- ciple of plants, fruits and trees. Cane- sugar, fruit-sugar and what is known as grape-sugar, vary but slightly in their con- stituent elements, and can be chemically converted into each other. They dift'er only in the proportion of hydrogen and oxygen, or the element of water. Bees will gather and store up anything that sugar in any of its forms are mixed with, so as to give a decided sweet taste ; and while it may be true that in the process of gather- ing and transferring to the hive, no chem- ical change takes place, they mechanically change its taste by its absorbing the scent peculiar to the hive, and often change its consistency by a process of evaporations of any excess of water." Gen. Adair is a very scientific and suc- cessful apiarian, and we can usually en- dorse his views to the full. But he is oc- casionally hyper-philosophical, and pushes science too far. It may be qui^e true that sugar is the basis of all sweets, honey in- cluded, but it is convenient, to say the least to have distinctive terms for the var- ious saccharine substances, though the one luscious principle pervades them all. Only confusion of ideas can come to the popular mind, by forcing too much philosophical accuracy into common modes of speech. Thus, we call one form of sweet, molasses; another, syrup; and still a third, honey. What is the good of arguing that there is no distinct substance that can be called molasses ? It is the popular and commer- cial name of a liquid sweet obtained from the West Indies, having a peculiar flavor, and capable of being distilled into rum. Yet we all know that its main constituent 's sugar, or the saccharine principle. So of honey. It is a liquid sweet, gathered from a thousand flowers, acted on in some pecu- liar way by the honey-gatherers, and poss- essing a flavor and properties peculiar to itself. But mankind were pretty well aware, before Gen. Adair delivered his phil- osophical disquisition, that honey was mainly composed of sugar. There is a question as yet unsettled among scientific bee-keepers, to which Gen. Adair seems to give the go-by altogether. He says, "It may be true that in the pro- cess of gathering and transferring to the hive, no chemical change takes place " in the sugary stores collected by the bees. On the other hand, it may be true, as many suppose, that a chemical change does take place, and that the formic acid in the body of the bee so acts on the gathered sweet as to transform it essentially. There may be more than an influence mechanically ex- erted by the odor of the hive. Each hive is generally considered to have its peculiar scent, and hence in joining swarms or in- troducing new queens, it is good policy to introduce smoke or some perfume to con- found the bees for a time, until the new colonists or newly-introduced queen come to smell like the rest. But honey, if gath- ered from the same flower, is all alike, no matter in what hive it is stored. At any rate, human senses cannot detect any difter- ence. It is therefore quite as probable that the change is chemical, as that it is merely mechanical. On the whole, we are in- clined to think that the great majority of people will persist in believing that there is such a thing as honey. If they should come to a ditt'erent opinion, and conclude that it is mere sugar, "only that and noth- ing more," we fear it will spoil bee-keep- ing, and that it will no longer be possible THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 141 to obtain twice or three times as much as for common sugar. " Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." Successful Wintering. To the Editor o/ American Bep: Journal. Sir : — I notice an item in your valuable paper, as follows : — "He may be regarded as a master in bee culture, who knows how to winter his stoclv in a healthy con- dition, with the least loss of bees, the smallest consumption of stores, and with the combs unsoiled." Well, then, I am a master in bee culture, for I have succeeded in all of the above particulars, combs nice and bright, bees all alive, and my strongest stocks have not consumed more than 15 lbs. apiece. I will tell you how I proceed. I study the "Bee- Keeper's Guide," use the " Thomas " hive, have built a bee-house according to the "Guide," only I make the walls 18 inches thick, tilled with oat straw well packed in, have two doors, one to open inside and the other out, and put newspapers between these two doors. Through the winter I open the bottom ventilator when the weather is warm, and close it again when the weather grows cold. I prepare my hives for winter by remov- ing the honey board, and place on a frame of inch stulf covered with wire cloth, then till the cap with wheat straw, by turning it over, and filling it in nicely, so that it will not fall out when placed on the hive. I leave the bottom ventilator of the hive open. My bees are always healthy on natural stores, and I think it too bad to ex- tract all their honey and winter them on sugar syrup. Yesterday my bees were working lively on meal prepared of two parts of buckwheat flour, one of wheat rtour, with a little sorts and bran mixed in. — I am, etc., Il.A MlCHENER. Low Banks, April 14th, 1874. [We congratulate our correspondent on his attainment of the degree of M. B. C. — " Master in Bee Culture." His plan of wintering is undoubtedly a good one, though we should fear, without a large amount of ventilation, the bees would be too warm in an ice-proof house, with the hive cover stuffed full of chaff. Growing experience, however, inclines us to the opinion that bees are oftener hurt by get- ting chilled than by being kept over-warm. To judge by the small amount of honey consumed, we .should be inclined to think Mr. Michener has hit the happy mean between the two extremes of heat and cold. We should like to know if his house is regulated by the use of a thermometer, and if so, at what degree of temperature he keeps it. We should also like to know if the past winter is the only one during which his bees have been treated in the manner described, or if he has had several years' experience of the method. We are acquainted with numerous bee-keepers, whose experience has been very variable in wintering their bees in a similar way. We believe that this was the case with Mr. Thomas himself, whose plan, as described in the " Guide," Mr. Michener has substan- tially followed. We can testify that it has been ours. " One swallow does not make a summer," nor does one sea.son's success in wintering a lot of bees constitute an apiarian a " Master in bee culture." What is wanted is a definite method, which has only to be followed to secure uniform and certain success. So far as we know, no such method has yet been demonstrated.] Back Volumes. Complete sets of back volumes are scarce. But few can be procured at any price. We have a set, consisting of the nine volumes (complete), which we offer for sale, either bound or unbound, for a reasonable sum. Many of the numbers we have paid fifty cents each for, to complete them. We have several single volumes (complete) which we will send postpaid for f 2.00 each. Several volumes, which lack only a single number ot being complete, we will send post- paid for .'S1..50 each. Vol. 1, we can supply in cloth boards, post- paid, for .ffl.2.5. Bound in paper covers, $1.00, postage 10 cents. This volume is worth five times its price to any intelligent bee-keeper. It contains a full elucidation of scientific bee- keeping, including the best statement extant of the celebrated Dzierzon theory. These articles run through eight numbers, and are from the pen of the Baron of Berlepsch. '^W' Beginners in bee-culture, who desire to read up in the literature of bee-keeping, are earnestly advised to obtain these back volumes. Many of our best apiarians say they would not sell tlieir back volumes of the American Bee Journat> for ten times the sum they cost, if they could not replace them. They are exceedingly valuable alike to begin- ners and more advanced apiarians. 142 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Voices from among the Hives. Archibald Smith, Roswell, Ga., writes: — "The season lirrc, altliough mild, has been so %vet since January, that bees have hardlj' got a living; notwithstanding the fruit bloom was very abundant." John Daavson, Pontiac, Mich., writes:— " This has been a poor spring for bees. They wintered well enough till March, but there have been many days that were just warm enough for bees to fly and get lost. I have known bees to gather pollen from the gray willows, on the 7th and 8th of March; but it was April 30th, this year, before any wer(^ taken in, and we have had frosty nights and cold, bleak days ever since. The buds on fruit trees have hardly begun to swell yet." W. A. B., Bridgeport, Ct., writes:— "The best thing I have ever tried for ee-stings, is to first pull out the sting, and then take a small tube, the end of a liollow key for in- stance, and fi]uily press round the sting for a short time. The reasons for its action, I think, are two : first, it jiresses out the poison ; second, it bruises the flesh so as to partly stop its spreading. It must be done very quick to do any good. I have tried it, and "a good many other remedies, and this has done the best." H. W. WixoM, Mendota, Ills., writes:— " The past winter has been easy on bees, l)ut the spring has been very rough. I have lost nearly one-third of mine since the middle of March. There lias been so much high and cold wind it seemed to i^revent them from breeding, and the old bees ai-e thinning out very fast. Those that are left will be' very weak. The case is about the same generally throughout this section of country. It is now raining and cool, and it is hard to tell what the final result will be." Henky Claussen, Mishicott, Wis., writes: — " My bees have wintered well. I ]Hit them into the cellar Nov. 5, seventy-one in number, and carried forty-two of them out April 2, and the rest April S. I lost only one hive, because they had nothing more to eat. Three colonies lost their queens. One was an old queen, but the other two were raised last sinimier. My bees are all in good condition, although the weather has been cold almost all the time since I took them out. On A]iril 20 we had a snow storm; the snow was lying about a foot deep, and a good deal of it is lying on the ground yet (April If)). Some of my colonies have brood in four, and some in five frames. I hope for a good season." E. A. Sheldon, Independence, Iowa, writes: — "My nineteen stands of bees that I put in cellar "on Nov. 18, w(>re taken out April 17, all alive and in si)lendid condition, save two that died for want of bees enough to keep up natural heat. They had plenty of natural stores. The seventeen that are left are working at a rapid rate, bringing in both honey and pollen, although no fruit trees are in blossom yet. They have gathered from the willow, mostly, of which we have an abund- ance here. I wintered in a dry cellar, with caps off, board raised, and front entrance open full size. The thermometer ranged from 32degs. to 40 degs., generally from 34 degs. to 38 degs. Occasionally I raised it to 50 degs. by artificial heat. They were quiet all winter, and had no disease or mouldy combs, are now about one-half full of brood. I use the Oalhii> frame hive. I have used other sizes, but like this best." Wm. Morris, Sidney, Iowa, writes:— "The past winter has been a long one with us, but rather mild, and bees seem to have consumed more honey than usual. The spring is very backward, and now (April 20th) the ground is covered with snow. We have had two days since the elm came out in bloom, that the bees gathered pollen. With that exception, they have been unable to get any forage, ex- cept flowers fed them. I am trying to keep bees, and hitherto have had reasonable suc- cess, up to within the last two weeks. Since that time, the conceit has gone from me, I went into winter quarters, with twenty-seven colonies. They were in the Champion hive, part of them in the size containing eight frames, and part ten. In the fall I removed to the cellar twelve colonies, part in the large, and part in the small hives. In February, those in the cellar were all in good condition, but those on their summer stands were more or less aifected with the dysentery. On ex- amination I found every small hive affected, but no signs of dysentery in a single in- stance ambng the large ones. A few warm days seemed to set all right, and I was pleased at having come through the winter without hfsing a colony, but my rejoicing was of short duration. About two weeks ago the ^^'eatlu'r was pleasant, and the bees flying, when to my suri)rise four colonies left their hives. AVe succeeded in settling one, but the other three went " where the woodbine twin- eth." I examined the deserted hives, and found all nice and clean, and plenty of honey- brood and eggs. It is a mystery to me what caused it. At first I feared that it was caused by having previously examined them to see if all was right, but my neighbors sufl:'ered loss in the same manner. They had a large colony in a hive, which came out and settled on a tree. They knocked tiie hive to pieces and transferred the cond) with what honey they could save, to a movable comb hive, and then hived the bees in it. They went to work immediately, as if nothing had happened. The remaining honey in the hive weighed 40 lbs. So neither disturbance nor want of honey could be the real cause. Now what I desire to know is: Are large hives less liable to be affected with dyseiitery, than small ones ? And what is the cause of bees leav- ing their hives, stores and brood, as ours have done ? Can some of your nmnerous corres- pondents give the desired information ? " D. D. Palmer, Eliza, 111., wTites :— Wish- ing to in-ocure a basket-full of new chips, I left New Boston at 4 p. m. April l(i, in a covered buggy drawn by the iron horse and reached Keokuk at 9 : 1.5 p. m., crossed the Mississipj)i on the iron bridge, and on awaking next morning I found myself at Hamilton, III., and within about two miles (bee-line) of Ch. Dadant and Son. According to directions I followed up the creek, occasionally stop})ing to view nature's works, which in this place is grand and )ucturesque, till I came to a town composed of bee-hives of various colors and arranged in rows under the shade of a natxu'al grove. At the upjier end of Main Street and near to the above mentioned town is the resi- dence of the i)roprietor ; to which I hastened my stei>s and found myself in time for break- fast. BtM's and bee-keepers was the topic of conversation during which I was shown photographs of a few apiaries and of many euuuent bee men of Eurojie and America, besides an endless nuudx'r of circulars of bees and hives. Every letter and circular receiv(Ml finds its appropriate place for pre- servation. I have formerlv thought, when reading an TUJi AMi^ilUUAJN ±JEE JOUKJNAL. 143 article translated from soin(» foreign bee jour- nal that, we sliould be vt-ry thankful to l)a- daut and others for that tedious task ; hut Hndin<^ that C. P. Dadant can take a French or Italian journal and translate in Enf^lish as fast as we usually read, 1 have concluded to give him credit i'or his ability instead of a tedious task. C. V. Dadant announces that it is warm enough to open hives ; we arm our- selves with hee hats, made by attaching bobouette to a straw nat and at the lower end is a piece of elastic which fits around the neck, a shallow box witli a handle in the middle and divided into suitable apartments in which is carried the different articles need- ed in the apiary. A number of hives are to be fixed for shii>- ping and now for the rnodus operatidL Each hive is examined to see if pure and if strong enough to fill the order. To secure the frames an ingenious bent wire is used at the bottom, it hcing one of Ch. Dadant's inventions, next the frames are properly spaced and nailed witli brads, then the honey— board is nailed and cover etc. I saw several queens and they were very uniform in size and color. They are well "located for shipping facilities, but the honey resources are not plenty when com- iiared with Sweet Home. In all things they have system and order. The hives are all numbered behind and to each is nailed a tin black-board holder, the black-board being about 3x4 inches, having upon the corner of one side the number of the hive and upon the opjiosite side a liquid-slating on which is written with pencil the condition of the hive, age of queen etc., the writing is turned in- ward to prevent being erased, when empty the black side is turned outward. The nuni- bered side can be inverted or changed in various ways to mean as many different con- ditions. 1 said that his liives were numbered, the nuclei for raising <|ueens were numbered by letters of the alphabet. Tliey use the wax comb-guide described in (Jleanings page 13, vol. 2. Also the divisible frame, i. e. dividing a full sized frame into e(iual halves for the nuclei — see Ch. Dadant's description on page 39 of Gleanings vol. 2. They believe bees should have'salt, and for that purpose they have a stand in the apiary on which they invert a small-mouthed jar, having previously filled it with strong brine and covered with muslin which is tied around the neck. Is salt necessary or beneficial ? Of what use d(^ bees make of it ? Why do they prefer water that is salty ? C. P. Dadant used a slate pencil for his black-board writing, it suggested the idea to me that a slate would be better than a board, I accordingly procured me eight school slates for 70 centSj which I cut in 64 pieces about 23^x3 inches each of which is large enough. On one side I have put the number of hive and on the opposite I put the record and condi- tion of the hive. While talking with W. T. Kirk of Muscatine, Iowa, about the above he said : " Why not drill a hole in the slates and hang on a nail "? If slates could be pro- cured without frames they would not cost, labor and all, over one cent each, which is less than the black-board, and so far I think much better to write on. With a rule and slate pencil I laid off the slate and then I sharpened one end of a file with which I cut it on opposite sides and tlicn broke as glaziers do. And with a brace and the above file I drilled the holes, slate is soft and easily cut. I forgot to mention in its place that Dadant uses the " quilt " or rather a very heavy mus- lin, they dip the edges in bees-wax to prevent the bees cutting, then the original honey- board is placed on top to hold it down. J. M. Simmons, M. D., Lauderdale, Mis.s., writes :— "I Ixmgiit 4 box hives, and one of King's .$10 cdose-toj) hives and transferred my bees and combs to them. King has the idea in some respects if he would cut the fi-am(>s to %, leave off his supers and make the hives longc^r and deeper. Ijast fall having r(!ad so nuich by Novice about wintering I nnluced my 10 stocks to 6, but I think the 10 would have wintered better aiul now 1 would have 10 stocks instead of 6. Last fall I sent to K. M. Argo for two Italian queens ami he sent me some fine-looking ones, but no directions about nuiking queen cages, so I lost one in introducing them. After my loss I introduced one of the old queens and they must have killed her, as I found the hive queenless when I examined it in January. I commenced this year with six hives but having to unite the queenless one and letting one starve I reduced my stock to four. In wintering my stocks last fall I did not kill any of the (pieens, and the first warm spell this year, two swarms came out of two of the united hives and went back. I ex- amined the hives and found a dead (jueen in each and many bees dead in the hives and outside. Well, I supposed just then that I was minus two queens and many bees from disease, but I found upon examining the frames two very fine large queens and they are to-day the finest queens I have, and have the largest stocks. These swarms remained in those hives all the winter and as soon as the weather moder- ated they took a notion to separate but find- ing it rather too cold outside, they returned and were killed. In March I was examining one of my hives and found them killiug their queen, superseding her, for they had started a queen cell. I cut it out and "gave them a frame of eggs and brood from my Italian stock and now have two fine Italian (lueens and two stocks instead of one, but I am afraid they met common drones instead of Italian as I had some of both. I have tried to keep the common drones out of my hives by killing and uncapping. I want " to Italianize all stocks this year. I find there are two kinds of native South- ern bees in this section, one a little black bee, cross and spiteful, stinging every thing that comes near, the other a large yellow bee as large as the Italian and very much like them in their disposition and habits. l)ut they have none of the Italian marks, tliey must l)e a cross of the Italian, for my (lueen's are as large or larger than the Italians, but much darker. I never use smoke unless I want to unite them, and not always then. I have dispensed with supers and converted my two-story hives into single story hives 34 in. long holding 31 or 33 fraines 13x9 in. inside measure. INIy bees have (luit sugar since they got natural supplies, unless it is cool or raining, then they work on it. I don't think handling bees often injures them, if the weather is pleasant, for inine don't stop working unless I disturb them a good deal, and 1 think some- times that opening the hives is a benefit and starts them out when if left alone they would do nothing. I am trying a small patch of Alsike clover to see if it will do for our hot climate. Buck- wheat does well here, tried it here last year and bees worked on it freely. This has 6een a bad season for bees but tliey have com- menced gathering lioney. The great trouble with us is insects, and want of frame hives, most all use the box and gum hives and call the queen the king bee, and say it is wrong to sell oees but you can steal them and all is 'O.K.'" 144 THE AMEKICAJN BKK JOURNAL. .-4 1 ttt^f kart ^4 J gal. SAN FRANCISCO. — Quotations frcm Sterns and Smith, 423 Front st. Choice mountain honey, in comb, 22>^@2oo ; common, 17@20c ; strained, 10@12c, in 5 gal- lon cans. Valley honey, in comb, 12@17c ; strained, 8@10c. B^° New Club Rates. °^a The American Bee Journal will be sent one year with Novice's Gleanings, for - - - $2.25 The Scientific Farmer, for - - 2.50 The National Bee Journal, for 3.00 The Bee Keepers' Magazine, for 3.00 A Ciioicp: of Six Volumes for $5.— Hav- ing a few back volumes complete, and some lacking only one or two numbers each, we will give the purchaser the choice of six of such volumes for $5.00, until they are disposed of. As only a tew can be supplied, those who wish to avail themselves of this oifer, should send for them at once. m^" We want several copies of No. 1, Vol, 2, of the American Bee Journal, and will pay 50 cents each for them. The postage on this paper is only twelve cents a year, if paid quarterly or yearly in advance at the post-office where received. We prei)ay postage to Canada, and re([uire twelve cents extra. If you paste anything on a Postal Card, when you send to this office, we have to pay six cents postage on it. The law de- mands that there shall be nothing attaciied to it in any way, without paying double letter postage. Send stami) for a sample copy of The Sci- entific Farmer, an illustrated monthly for the Farm and Fireside. It will be sent from now to tlu' end of the year 1874, with the American Bkk Journal one year for $2.50, or with the elioiee of Chromos— the Fruit Piece, or the new and lovely household gem, " Just One," for $2.75. American Bee Journal DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. X. CHICAGO, JULY, 1874. No. 7. 4ut her in a cage, leaving her until the next day in the hiv(! where she hatched. 1 then made a new colony, and placed a frame of ))rood and adhering bees, with a queen ready to hatch from this hive ; 1 then re- leased my queen in the hive where she hatched. In a few hours queen No. 2. was out and was well received. I intended to catch her before she destroyed her rivals, but was too late. I obtained four queens in this way, from one new colony. I have never succeeded in cutting out a queen cell and giving it to a queenless one. I wish the fathers in apiculture would stop grinding their axes for a little while and give us their modus operandi. Peoria, 111. Mrs. L. 1I.\ki{is()X. For tlie American Hee .Journal. How to make Artificial Swarms. Those wlio have movable comb frame hives will find it to their interest to arti- ficially swarm their bees. There are many ways by which this can be done, and of all the different modes, 1 have found tlui fol- lowing to be the most satisfactory in my experience ; I will first go to stock No. 1 and take away one-half of the combs, taking about one-half of the brood and one-half of the honey, putting in their place empty frames. Do not put two empty frames togethei', but l)etween frames of comb, so that the bees will build Ihe new comb straight. I brush the bees all ofi' of those frames of comb etc;., and take a new hive and place them in it, with alternate empty frames as above stated, for same reason. Now I go to stock No. 2, b(!tween eltjven and twelve o'clock, and remove to anotlier part of the apiary, always selecting a strong stock, and put the new-nuid(! hive in its place, and you will be surprised at tlu- number of work bees that will go ill and take possession of this new luve ; and finding they have no (jueen, will soon commence making ([ueen cells. Mut 1 generally, nine or ten months prior to this time, have set my best and choicest etjlDny to raising queen cells ; so that I now save ten days by going to that colony and cut- ting out a queen cell and inserting it in this new made stock, which I do from four to< six hours after I let the workers in as above stated. In this way the apiarian can keep his stocks strong all the time and increase them remarkably fast ; and should any stock from any cause become weak or need strengthening, you can give it a comb of brood and all the bees that cling to the comb, from a strong colony ; but you must be careful not to take the queen with them ; better shake the bees from the comb unless you know that the queen is not on it. J. M. Dorr. Fertile American Bee .Journal. The Bees and Grapes. One word about bees eating grapes. The past three Falls have been dry with us. 1 have two fine vines on the south side of my house within 20 feet of my bees. Not a grape did they touch. In my garden not 40 feet my bees, I have several vines. Two years ago I caught the yellow birds eating the grapes. They would alight on a stem and pick a hole in every grape ; then the bees took the balance. I put up some rags ' and scared the birds away. I had no more trouble with the bees. Those on my house they did not touch: I had 171 stands of '• bees. I have watched them closely, and I ' don't believe a bee ever molested a grape until they had been opened by birds or something else. A man is to be pitied that : would recommend poison for bees, or \ would kill the little songsters for a few grapes that they kept the worms from them ! all summer. I never write for publications '\ as it would tax the editor too much to put i it in shape. F. Searles. Hadley, 111. Not a bit of it. Give us your best ' thoughts and we will always be glad to put j them in shape. Every practical bee-keeper \ is invited to write. We want variety, and i our bee-men are invited to send us every- j thing of interest. — Euitoh. *P'or the Anuricau Bee .lournol. Sundry Notes. I Spring ha.s been so lagging that our pets j have not done as well, up to this time, as I is usual ; and what was quite remarkable , the ("herry, apple, pear, horse-chestnut, sugar i maple, lilac, and currant were in bloom at '. the same time, and of course stimulated ' breeding greatly, although a fortnight later than last year. I attempted to raise a few queens as early as the first Aveek of May, but the bees- would not respond. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 14!) There is no pleasure in the apiary, next to a lieuUhy condition, equal to that of SPKING iSEsSSION. Kalamazoo, Mich., May 6, 1874. Pursuant to a call for special session of this association, a goodly number of bee- keepers assembled at the Corporation Hall, in this city, to-day. Convention called to order at two o'clock P. M. In the absence of the secretary — Frank Benton — II. A. Burch was elected secretary pro tern. After the usual reading of minutes of previous meeting and the transaction of business relative to the financial atfairs of the Asso- ciation, the programme for the meeting was taken up. Papers were presented and read as follows : Standards of Excellence in Bee-Culture, by Herbert A. Burch ; in which the writer took occasion to demonstrate the necessity, and urge the adoption of " standards of excellence " by which veiy efficient aid might be rendered the apicultural frater- nity. Transferring, and Hurplus Honey, by C. I. Balch ; delineating a simple and safe plan for beginners in apiculture. Artifrial Swarminc/, by T. F. Bingham ; a novel method, having much to recom- mend it. Low Hives, by Julius Tomlinson ; in which the writer portrayed the advantages of shallow frames. Wintering, by Prof. A. J. Cook ; setting forth in brief and concise form, the essen- tials of success in wintering bees. The discussion of the topics embraced in the foregoing essays, though somewhat desultory, possessed much interest, being instructive withal ; a brief epitome of which, we give as follows. T. F. Bingham. — Can we rely upon ob- taining drones from young queens ? C. I. Balch. — Yes, in abundance. A. C. Balch. — I have no difficulty in inducing young queens to fill all the drone comb I give them. Am troubled with superabundance, rather than paucity of numbers. Henry King. — Is it safe to open hives in cold weather ? T. F. Bingham. — Yes at any time when the bees will not freeze. Though the books caution against chilling brood, ac- tual experience has demonstrated that this danger is wholly imaginary. The more hives are opened, the belter for the bees. H. King. — Can we not ascertain the presence or absence of the queens, without the trouble of closely examining each hive, separately V T. F. Bingham. — There is no more neces- sity of opening hives to ascertain queenless- ness, than there is of employing a micros- cope for that purpose. Place your ear close to the hive and tap it sufficiently hard to wake the bees ; if the response is ener- getic and ceases almost instantaneously, they have a queen ; but if the response; is languid and dies out slowly, they :;re queenless. I have found this rule so inv; r iabaly correct, that I never oi)en liives to ascertain queenlessness, even if examining hundreds, and never make mistakes. Julius Tomlinson.— I have fully tested Mr. Bingham's plan, and have found it simple and perfectly reliable. Mr. Evarts. — Are there outside indica- tions of a queen's presence in the hive ? T. F. Bingham. — If immature young bees are seen in front of a hive, it is satis factory evidence of the presence of a queen . Queens, like some persons, are erratic in their movements, eluding the most careful search ; and to ascertain to a certainty the presence of "her majesty" without examining the combs, is a great saving ol' time in managing a large apiary. Mr. Evarts. — Will queenless stocks gather pollen ? Pres. A. C. Balch. — Not to any extent. T. F. Bingham.— They will in the fall. C. I. Balch. — Yes, if they have drone layers. James Heddon. — Queenless colonies are easily distinguished by the diminutive pel- lets of pollen that the bees gather in spring. Dr. Southard. — Has any one experienced difficulty in regard to queens dying the present spring V T. F. Bingham. — I have lost a great many, and had it not been for reserve queens which I wintered, should not have had a swarm left to-day. Have lost 160 stocks as it is. Two years ago, when I lost heavily, the queens died from over work ; but the present spring, there has been but very little brood to be found even in the strongest colonies. Pres. Balch.— Will Mr. Bingham tell us the cause of his loss in wintering ? T. F. Bingham. — Special interposition of Divine Providence through the hand of man. C. I. Balch related instances of queens deserting their hives. One queen that per sisteutly refused to stay at home, deported herself as " becometh " a queen, when given to a queenless colony. Albert CanifF. — Why this loss of queens ? My own theory is that the old bees die and the hive becomes depopulated ; they swarm out. T. F. Bingham. — My queens died ui their hives. I experience little or no diffi culty in wintering bees ; but how to "spring " them ; that's the question. Pres. Balch. — My bees have become very much reduced in numbers, by the bees getting lost while " out a foraging," on chilly spring days. 152 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. James Heddoa. — I can only account for the loss of bees by desertion, on the ground that they become dissatisfied and seek to better their fortunes, the same as people do by "going West." J. P. Everard agreed with Pres. Balch relative to the cause of the weak condition of bees the present spring. A. Caniff. — Why will one swarm with only a pint of bees stick to their home, and prosper, while another with two quarts swarm out and die? James Heddon. — Some bees, like human beings, can stand more grief than others. C. I. Balch. — When my bees were first placed on their summer stands they were in good condition, though having but little brood. A cold, stormy spell of weather soon followed, which materially injured them. Returned them to the cellar soon after, and had they been left out two weeks longer all would have been ruined. When replaced on summer stands in April, a dozen stocks did not have as much brood as one should have had, when first taken out in the previous February. After some further discussion of the why's and wherefore's of losses sustained in wintering, the subject of hives was tak- en up and discussed at considerable length. From the brief synopsis given below, it will be seen that a wide diversity of views were held and expressed on this " knotty question " of what is best in a bee-hive. J. R. Everard favored the size and shape of the "New Idea" frame. The advan- tages which will accrue from this style, will, in my opinion, render it the coming frame of the future. James Heddon. — I cannot agree with the ideas advanced by Prof. Cook, relative to the square frame. The long frame recom- mended some years ago by Quiuby is pref- erable, especially for wintering. C. I. Balch. — If we expect to succeed in making apicultural pursuits a success, we must use a frame that will give us a com- pact brood nest. This will greatly aug- ment our success in wintering. Several years ago I constructed several hives hold- ing ten frames in the usual manner, with a stationary division board in the rear. — Back of this was a space for holding two c;ombs, a one-inch hole giving bees access to them from main apartment. In winter, left it open and have never lost a swarm in them. James Heddon. — In my county, there is but one hive that has been continuously occupietl by bees during the past seven years. This was an old box hive, that had remained on summer stand every winter, having abundance of ventilation. In trans- ferring it in April, obtained 250 pounds of Jioney, and bees enougli for two good Kwarms. 1 found drones In iibuudance. Though this additional evidence in favor of large combs. Sec. Burch. — What were the dimensions of the hive ? James Heddon. — Three feet square, and thirty inches deep. Mr. Evarts. — I have experienced diffi- culty in obtaining box honey on large hives. What is the remedy '? James Heddon. — To get the most honey you must have it stored in close proximity to the brood. C. I. Balch. — I have had 210 pounds of honey stored by a swarm in a large hive. It was comb honey obtained in small frames. I get more than twice the amount of surplus honey in large hives than I do in small ones, while the bees in the latter are verj' apt to come up missing in the winter. J. P. Everard. — Difference of locality influences the result. We should not loose sight of this. James Heddon. — Cause and ettect follow each other. Can Me 'not ascertain the cause V Pres. Balch. — When bees are wintered on summer stands, I find old box hives, full of cross sticks, do the best. Ease of access to all parts of the hive, and little ventilation are thus secured. The space around movable-frames is a great detri- ment in winter and early spring. If we could dispense with it entirely, so much the better. A. S. Haskins. — Which is the best loca- tion for surplus honey, heavy timbered land or " openings?" H. A. Kuapp. — I prefer a location which was originally an unbroken forest. C. I. Balch. — Much depends on the season. One season timbered land may be the best, and the next vice versa. White clover is very uncertain in its yield of nectar. Adjourned till eight o'clock p. m. EVENING SESSION. The convention was called to order promptly at eight o'clock. President Balch in the chair. The subject of discussion for the evening was announced by the chair to be " Winterihg Bees,'' in its broad- pst sense. Pres. Balch read an able paper oA "Ventilation" and the relation it sus- tains to the loss in wintering bees. The discussion was opened by James Heddon. — Ventilation is an im- portant feature of successful wintering. Wintering oG stocks in a special repository that woufd hold 150. Gave ample upward ventilation. When the temperature was 10 degrees below zero outside, it was 84 degress im the repository. Bees are more quiet with a higher temperature. In order to attain the best results, keep the tempera- ture at 45 degrees or above. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 153 H. A. Kuapj) wintered in a cellar several | years without ventilation, and lost heavily. The past two winters had taken oil' honey boards, tilled the cups with straw, and liad i jiood success. Pres. Balcii. — Did you winter in a house cellar ? H. A. Knapp. — I did. Pres. Balch. — That at'counts for the loss. H. A. Knajip- — I think not. The t^vo past winters I had the bees directly under a living room — never had better success. My cellar is very dry. James Heddon. — It seems from reports that bees have wintered well with and without ventilation, and vice versa. One tiling is certain : long continued coufine- >uent and severe cold weather produce dis- astrous results. H. A. Knapp. — Ventilation should be _iven so as to avoid direct currents of air lirough the brood nest. T. F. Bingham. — Xotwitlistanding this learned discussson on ventilation, success depends altogether (!) on luck. The secretary read a paper entitled a ''New Method' of Wintering" by H. E. Bidwell, detailing the success attending experiments made with a view of attaining complete and uniform success in wintering bees. This method gives promise of being a simple and efficient safeguard against loss In '• Winter Bee-Keeping." T. F. Bingham. — Mr. Bidwell's plan is certainly unique ; and if it shall prove what is now hoped for it, will be one of the greatest achievements of modern api- culture. I am convinced that one-day's fly with the mercur}^ at 45 degrees is only an aggravation. Not until the bees had flown uhree or four days in succession with the temperature at 6(t degrees, w^as dysentery checked in my own apiary. It is a disease, just as much as typhoid fever. Cold may aggravate the disease, but does not cause it. An afiected swarm will communicate the disease to those around it, either by contagion or the uneasiness caused by ex- citement. Gave lower ventilation — none above. Think the last immaterial. Bees must fly at least once a month, commenc- ing in December. James Heddon. — I tried Mr. Bidwell's plan ; success limited. C. I. Balch.— When I learned of the " Bidw^ell method " I decided to test it at once. Did so and failed. I then visited Mr. Bidwell and found it a complete suc- cess with him. Jly own failure was own- ing to non-compliance with the requisite conditions. T. F. Bingham. — Much has been said in reference to dysentery being caused by honey. Close observation convinces me that, while honey may aggravate the dis- ease, it is never the prime cause. "Novice " has lauded sugar syrup to the skies, assert- ing that it will winter bees without loss. Had he not better demonstrate that Jie can do this, before making such sweeping assertions. Jas. Ileddon. — I wintered in a .special repository. Sugared one half ; all winter- ed equally well. Those left out-of-doors in 1872 all died before those inside had any disease. Dr. Southard. — Have fried many plans, and lost in nearly all. Wintered in cellar the past winter. Bees went into winter- quarters very strong. Combs moulded badl}', but lost only one swarm when set out ; lost very many since. Honey was of a better quality than the year before, but lost more bees. C. I. Balch. — Have had more candied honey the present spring than ever before, and have lost more bees also. T. F. Bingham. — I used artificial heat in my building the past winter, and think it indispensable. Had no dampness — no cold — and not a mouldy comb. Every comb is bright and clean — the bees leaving the hives to die. Think 35 degrees the right temperature. High temperature and breed- ing go together. Science may aid us, but after all we must trust to luck (?) and Pro- vidence for results. What are moth-proof store-combs worth, provided they can be made? James Heddon. — Double value ; that is, if natural combs are worth $6 per hive of ten combs, artifical ones would be worth |12. I would willingly make that difter- euce. T. F. Bingham. — If ^sve can procure drone comb for wintering, w^e can avoid all disease. Bees gormandize pollen and rear brood, which is the cause of dysentery. James Heddon. — -In feeding sugar syrup last fall found little or no brood — abund- ance of pollen. Deprived a portion of natural stores and pollen, substituting the sugar. All wintered equally well, and all .breed alike this spring. Had all young, vigorous, Italian queens. T. F. Bingham. — We continually hear of i the wonderful workings of the bee : its skill in science, and proficiency in archi- ■ tecture ; the hexagonal cell, etc. The truth is, bees build the hexagonal cell be- cause they could not do otherwise ; were compelled to this in order to perpetuate their own species. Pres. Balch. — So far as my own experi- ence goes, all insects work by instinct, not science. In wintering, I experience more difficulty in spring, the warm days enticing them away from home in search of food — than in cold weatlier of winter. After further discussion, the subject of time and place for the next annual meeting was taken up. Many were opposed to 154 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. having it in connection with the State Fair — too much outside attraction to make tlie meetings a success. Later in the season, when the bee-keepers could command more leisure, was deemed preferable. The con- vention finally adjourned to meet in Kala- mazoo, on the third Wednesday of Decem- ber next. H. A. BuRCH, Sec. pro. tern. We give below statistics, as far as ascer- tained, of what our bee-keepers did last season. We think the showing not alto- gether unfavorable, even when compared with that of the National Society. It will doubtless be observed that the " bee-dis- ease" has not subsided altogether "out West." Name.'? OF Membeks I-?,?? >., .+j '^O A. C. Balch.... T. F. Biugham.. H.A. Burch C. I. Balch B. Bennett James Heddon. , Mr. Ward A. J. Daniels . .. C. J. Daniels . . . A. S. Haskins... W. B. Kroiuer.. F. E. Fowler Mr. Bvarts Mr. Dicer Mr. Wilcox Mr. Lominsou . . H. A. Knapp. . .. A. Canitf Dr. Southard . . . H. King I How iWinfr'd O C3 11 38 Mr. Hudson . . J. P. Everard . J. Toralinson . H. E. Bidwell. lOOi 300| Box., i Cellar 60001 '• ..iHouse 2100, " ..; Cellar 1000 1 Est 4200 " 175i " 300 400 500 ,460 7000 Box.. Oat doorj House . .1 Cellar .. Out door iCellar Box. .lOut door Ext ..j Cellar .. Box.. iOut door Box&[ Ext. ICellar .. Cellar & out-door Cellar .. Box. Ext . . ' " .. j Out door Box.. I Cellar .. 34 15 60 36 6 6 1 10 7 0 2 14 11 14 14 29 29 34 24 5 154 For the American Bee Journal. Novice. Dear Bee Journal : Were we to set about picking all the flaws in friend Adair's writings and works that we could, as though we had a case to work up, and bound to show all his weak points, etc., we presume we might keep up an animated controversy all summer. Some would ap- plaud and say, " now you've got him. Nov- ice, he can't get around that," and perhaps an equal number would say, " Adair is too much for him, he had better twist out of it as he has a way of doing, etc., etc. ; " and perhaps a few might profess a particular sympathy Avith each ones side when writing them, and this latter class are productive of the most mischief perhaps of all. One I'lass would becoiiic more and more settled in their convictions that Novice was the aggressor, and the other vice versa; and no real good would come of it all, any more than will perhaps from further arguments at present in regard to " Queen's wings." Perhaps Mr. Adair is 'right, and that we have not done him justice. If so, we beg his pardon and will endeavor to submit with better grace when we see reason to con- clude he is right all through Progressive Bee Culture. In place of arguing as to what is on the inside page of the cover, wt- would ask those who have the curiosity, to read it and form their own opinion. If we misrepresented, we beg pardon, for we did not intend to, and cannot see now that we did, in substance. Although Mr. A. has taken extracts here and there from our w^ritings, and held them up in a way that makes one look ridiculous, and in a few places does us gross injustice, we cannot really think it best to censure him so much, for this is a common method of attack in controversies. Again, several things appear badly against us because all the facts are not known ; one of them is in regard to the Peabody Extractor. Were we to tell just how we came to recommend it publicly w^e should di'ag another person forward into a controversy perhaps, so we prefer to let the blame rest on us. With the rapid strides bee-culture has made, it has many times been hard to decide what is best, and we really must confess on looking back that Mr. Adair has some reasons for his charge respecting what we have advised. Will he and some others remember that our opinion was continually asked and is yet, on many difficult points, and we could do no better than to answer them to the best of our honest convictions. If he ever had any such foolish belief that we are "capable of the job of regulating the whole bee world," we certainly are cured of it now. Reports of losses of whole apiaries come to us from all quarters, and under seemingly almost all circumstances, and we honestly haven't a word of advice to ofl'er. If friends Adair and Gallup, would tell us how many colonies they had in the fall, and how manj' they have now, — May 29th, — we might form an opinion as to how much aid we might hope to expect from adopting their long hives and mammoth colonies. So far as we can learn, stocks made purposely of double strength in the fall, have fared but little better. Although as we have said, failures are reported when everytiiing seemed most favorable. On the other hand. Apiaries located but a short distance away, have wintered as usual under even unfavorable conditions. Dys- entery seems to have had little or nothing to do witli it this spring, but the trouble seems to have been simply a dwindling THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 155 Mway of the bees, until none sire left to care for tlie brood. We Imve never yet found a case that reported unfavorably in regard to sugar for wintering when the full facts were brought out, umess it be the one on pages 132 and 138, and we would be much obliged to the writer of that article for his full address. It is well known, we believe, that our reverses have been given just as faithfully to the public, (perhaps more,) as our suc- cesses and we cau hardly consider it fair to make an enumeration of the former only, as Mr. Adair has done, sending eggs by mail, for instance ; — this we were induced to do by accepting the statements of some whom we considered trustworthy, before we had had an opportunity of verifying the matter ourselves. However we offered to refund all money sent us for eggs, as soon as we discovered it to be a failure. And by the way here comes some- thing queer. Mr. Adair, among the rest, wrote us f or'eggs, saying his stock of Italians had got reduced or failed, or something of the sort, and at the convention he states that a number of queen cells were started on the inserted con^h and all of thern pro- duced queens.'''' This was the only instance we know of when a single queen was reared when the eggs went out of our immediate neighbor- hood, or so far that they could not be in- serted in a hive the same day. Why should Mr. Adair class it as "vagaries," if he suc- ceeded so well, in fact far beyond everyone else y Since we have got your ear friend A. please tell us where the "Annals" is that ' your advertisement keeps saying was out in Dec. 1873. We are not yet convinced that queens on an average can use more than 20 combs, when we are, we will make hives longer. You wouldn't have a body believe a thing before they thought it was so, would you? We dont wish to appear to doubt what you and Mr. Gallup say about the capability of your queens, but those we are acquainted \ with frequently' fail to occupy ten Langstroth frames. Shall we accept it as a fact that the very idea, of occupying a "New Idea" hive tills their little selves with the bound- less ambition of being able to fill every cell with eggs in 24 or more frames ? In soberness, the bees we have known, and the ones we get letters about, do not deport themselves near up to accounts we get from Quinby, Hazeu, Gallup nor Adair — begging their pardon if they object to being thus put into a " four horse team," — and we have seen them tried in 18 or 20 frames spread out horizontally for several years past too. But we do get by far too I many accounts of " blasted hopes," to de- cide that bee-keeping at the present time ••oukl even be considered a safe business for anyone to embark in largely. Our ofler to make the Quinby liive 2^i per cent less, ready to nail, sliould read 25 cents less, ready to nail. We beg pardon, Mr. Editor, if we are writing rather dolefully, but we have no facility for invoking merry words when prospects do not seen\ to warrant them. At present we have only 10 ([ueens, anc scarcely bees enough with them, for 3 good colonies. Unless Mr. Adair objects, on the ground that we have not earned the title, we would prefer to keep on as your old friend, Novice. P. S. It is no more than justice to our- selves to add that we made the remark over a year ago, that if atf much honey could be secured in a hive of double width, as with the two story one we had belter adopt it simply to avoid the laborious operation of lifting ofl' an upper story in extracting. A trial of such hives in diflfer- ent localities, it seems, would demonstrate that full as much honey can be secured thus. Now the Langstroth frame was planned with an idea of a two-story hive, or at least for surplus boxes on top. Should we abandon them and spread the 20 frames out horizontally, we would have a hive much more difficult to handle than one wuth narrower and deeper frame; also, it would be difficult to make a cover for such a hive with a single board which can be done readily with a frame not exceeding 14 inches in depth. Mr Langstroth suggests such a frame (see page 38 Oleanings) Avith no thought of Adair's " New Idea," and in deciding on the dimensions of a frame to be used solely for the extractor we had no idea of copying the above more than in adopting the frame which he had named the Adair frame in our classification of frames. This frame being about midway in length and depth between the extremes as Mr. Gallup partly states it, it would seem, that there would be a greater probability of its being adopted as a standard. Our reason for turning the frame crosswise is that, in using such hives in our Hexagonal Apiary they must almost of a necessity be turned so as to stand close up to the grape vine trellises, or they would obstruct our walks. We prefer the entrance in one or both ends, because in using a division board it can be adjusted without interfering with the entrances. In recommending our Standard hive to our friends we do it with no expectation of realizing any such great advantages as the advocates of the "New Idea" claim, over the two story hive. If it answeres just as well we shall be pleased, because it lessens the labor of extracting ; if it shall do all that Adair claims for it under all circumstances, we will most cheerfully record him the full credit of horizontal hives over two story. 156 THE AMERICAN BEE j6URNAL. Do not our readers agree that we are excusable in feeling much hesitancy in .accepting Adair's reasoning? see page 129 Bee Breathing ; and shall we clip Queens Wings"? page 137. The former seemed to us to be only the reviving of an exploded theory so palpably erroneous as to| require no other notice than to simply call it "folly". Prof. Cook has our sincere thanks for coming forward at a most op- portune moment, and giving such support to our position, as could only be furnished by a skilled Entymologist. With pleasure we accept scientist's apology, and also thank him for his kind reproof. Bees as Architects and Mathema- ticians, Man is obliged to use all sorts of engines for measurement — angles, rules, plumb-lines —to produce his buildings and to guide his liand ; the bee executes his work immediate- ly from her mind, v/ithout instruments or tools of any kind. "She has successfully solved a problem in higher mathematics, which the discovery of the differential cal- culus, a century and a half ago, does not enable us to solve withuut the greatest difficulty." The inclination of the planes of the cell is always just so that, if the sur- faces on which she works are unequal, still the axis running through it is in the true direction, and the junction of the two axes forms the angle of 6U degrees as accuratel}^ us if there was none. The manner in which she adapts her work to the requirements of the moment and place is marvelous. In order to test their ingenuity, Huber glazed the interior of a hive, with the exception of certain bits of wood fastened on the sides. The bees can- not make their work adhere to 'glass, and they began to build horizontally from side to side ; he interposed other plates of glass in difterent directions, and they curved their combs in the strangest shapes, in order to make them reach their wooden supports. He says this proceeding denotes more than an instinct, as glass was not a substance against which bees could be warned by nature, and that they changed the direction of the work before reaching the glass, at the distance precisely suitable for making the necessary turns, enlarging the cells on the outer side greatly, and on the inner side diminishing tliein proportionately. As the different insects were working on the differ- ent sides, there must have been some means of communicating tlie proportion to be ob- served ; while the bottom being common to both sets of cells, the difficulty of thus regularly varying their dimensions must have been great indeed. — Scientific Ameri- can. For the American Bee Journal. The Bee Disease. \ For three years past I have remained somewhat silent in regard to the calamity among bees termed. Dysentery, learning what I could from the bee journals and other sources; so many conflicting opinions have been expressed that I should even now be left in the dark as to the cause, were it not for the dear-bought experience I have had during these three years. I will give a few facts and let others judge for themselves. In the spring of 1871 I took a quantity of bees to work on shares, the latter par; of the season was very drj' and no breed- ing of consequence was done. In the fali the man that owned the bees took his away. He sold some 20 swarms that I did not learn the fate of ; about 60 that he retained were put in a cellar in the bank. All but two or three swarms came through in good condition. I bad 110 swarms which I packed by the side of a tight board fence with straw betwixt, behind and above. Some 20 of the number were put into a cold cellar. All had the so-called Dysentery, and I lost 80 swarms before May. In the season of 1872 I increased up to 83 swarms, packed again as before in winter, not being satisfied but that was the best way yet to winter out of doors. In the spring of 1873, May 1st, I had lost 76 swarms, leaving 7, and 2 of which could be said to be in good condition ; the other 5 seemed to be demoralised, killing and superseding their queens. All had the dysentery but the two swarms above men- tioned, they were very strong. The. swarms were a part of 14 left on their summer stand in the Badger State hive to test the quality of the hive for wintering. My neighbors again wintered his well in the cellar. Not being entirely discouraged with my losses, I went at it again with a will. 1 bought some bees and Avorked some on shares, so that in the fall I had some 4-') swarms. Not daring to venture another Poland win- ter, I concluded to build a bee-house to put the pets in ; I built it double-walled of wood, 8 inches between filled with saw- dust, and the outside veneered with brick, nuvde double doors and ventilated with my bees in, the thermometer indicating fronv 35 to 40 degrees above zero. I think it would have been better if I had seen it up. to 50 as some of the very small swarms had the dysentery while all the strong ones did well, bred up and came out strong thi.-; spring ; some of the stocks that I worked on shares the owner took away the last of November. I ad\ iscd him to put them in a warm tilace but he had more contldeuce THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 157 in his owu judgment than in mine. I saw him the first of April, " Well, neigh- bor," said I, "how are the pets?" "All dead,'' he replied. " "Where did j'ou put tliem?" " I put them in the barn on the scaffold over the north door. They were being opened half a dozen times a day all winter. A very little hay was put over them." This was the very worst place he could put them, unless on top the barn ; well, I went to see them and sure enough they were all dead, while mine that stood by the side of his before dividing, were all alive. With the experience I have had, I have come to the conclusion that long continued I'old or dampness will produce the so-called dysentery. Weak swarms will suffer first even in the same room or out of doors. I would not say that some other causes might not produce a disease of a similar kind. I knew once some ten years ago that the bees died with a disease resembling the dysen- tery. The season before had been very wet, so much water in the honey collected that but little was capped over when cold weather came that winter. In the ensuing spring many bees died. We are now brought to May 23rd. Bees came out of winter quarters comparatively good, but the long, cold spring has carried away probably one-half the swarms that were in good condition the first of April. So you see we have the blues again. I am running about 35 swarms at home. Some are in the Excelsior Hive, some in the Bad- ger State Hive, and some in the High Pres- sure Hive, a combination of the two. It is so arranged that two single ones may be worked, — single at 2500 cubic inches, or combined may be made to hold five, ten or twelve thousand five hundred cubic inches. It may be worked with ten, twenty, thirty or forty frames. It may be worked two- story on Novice's plan, a long one-story on Adair's plan, with 40 six-inch boxes on Hazen's plan, with the twin hive plan of Gallup, or long boxes and little frames plan. I will report hereafter the success of each. A. H. Hart. Appletou, Wis. For tlje American Bee Journal. Do Bees Injure Fruit? I have noticed a controversy in the American Bee Journal in regard to bees destroving fruit in which statements were made, I am sorry to say, in language that the subject did not by any means call for. We may present facts and arguments with- out unkind words. I have been associated with bee culture half a century. Have kept bees and culti- vated fruit together for about twenty years ;ind will present a few facts. Langstroth says at page 85 of his excellent work on bees, " the jaws of the bee being adapted chiefly to the manipulation of wax, were too feeble to enable it readily to punctui-e the skin even of his most delicate grapes." This was for me conclusive, but to the facts : 1st. Three years ago Thomas Atkinson introduced the Queen Bee Hive with a slide at each side to form an air chamber to equalize the temperature of the hive. This slide was made of paper-board nailed to .-i wooden frame, and the bees cut it into holes, till pints of paper dust had to be re- moved, and the paper-board had at consid- erable cost to be changed and wooden pic- ture-backing put instead. This was th(; case with some hundreds of hives. 2nd. In transferring bees, to fix the comb into the frames, I tied the combs in with cotton cord, and the bees cut that ant'' pulled it out, many getting fastened in the string and dying ; they also cut out hemp twine in the same manner, and chair-seating cane is now used entirely. 3rd. Having 5 acres in grapes of many varieties, my daughter, in gathering Con- cords called my attention to the bees alighting on the fruit on the other side of the trellis and eating the grapes ; and both of the past seasons all of the family have watched the bees aligliting on perfect ber- ries, cut the skin and fill themselves with juice. It is so with the finer kinds of plums, pears and the thin skinned peaches. My loss in this manner has been quite considerable. I love the bees, love to keep them, do keep them, and just so with fruit, but the facts are true and it is only just that they should be known. Having had about 30 colonies the damage was considerable, but, then, bees are kept by my neighbors and they feast on the fruit as well as my own, and I would lose the fruit and not have any honey if I gave them up. Whether there are differences in climate or in the want of a full amount of bee for- age in St. Louis Co., Mo., it is at present hard to say. Nay, may not the instincts and habits of the bee develop, and as he finds fruit-juice more abundant and more easily obtained than the nectar of dowers, may he not prefer it ? As the season of all these fruits will soon be with us it will be a good opportunity to watch, make notes and report. Names could be given as witnesses but facts will convince much better. Kind tones are more taking and equally as im- pressive as harsh, unkind words and low slang or inuendoes. I feed my bees when they need it and never poison or brimstone them. Wn.LiAM Muir. Fox Creek, Mo. 158 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. For the American Bee Journal. Do Bees Injure Fruit? In the June number of the American Bee Journal, Prof. Riley tries to sustain his position, by affirming that lie has seen bees cutting into fruit. I have just read an article in the journal V Apicoltore of Milan, Italy, (May no.) that I translate, in answer to that bold assertion. " Being a lover of good wine, I manufac- ture mine with shrivelled grapes ; my crop amounts annually from 30 to 40 hectolitres* of such wine, worth an average 1 franc 75 centimes to the litre. -j- As my grapes are gathered, I spread them upon a mat of reed or straw, in a sunny place, in front of my apiary ; where they remaia to shrivel for about 15 days. For the first two or three days the mats lire covered with bees ; but I do not care, for I know that they do no damage ; having ascertained that they gather only the juice of the berries, rotten or damaged. As soon as the injured berries are sucked dry, the bees quit visiting the mats, for tbey cannot cut the skin of the berries. In iuy case I can say that, instead of damage, bhe bees help me greatly ; for they take ott' ontirely, from the bulk of my crops, the putrefied juices, which would give a bad bftste to my wine." Gactano Taxini. Coriano, Circ. di Rimini, February, 1874. I think that afj«r such testimony, the assertion of Prof. Riley is of little account. Hamilton, 111. Ch. Dadant. * An hectolitre is equal to 2o gallons, t Equal to $1.40 the gallon, that price is very high for Italy. For the American Bee Journal. Doolittle's Article. Our bees had but four days on which they could fly, from March 3rd to May 4th ; and by the 15th of April all brood rearing liad ceased in small and medium ^ocks, and pretty much so in large ones. On Marcti 18th the mercury rose to sixty degrees in the shade, and bees were seen at work qnite briskly on stumps of the sugar maple, but with the night it became cold and we had steady winter weather until April 15th, when they had a chance to fly again. On April IDth, 32nd, and 25th, snow fell to the depth of one foot, and lasted until May 3rd, during which time the mercury did not rise above 41 degrees, even in tlie middle of the day, and went down as low as 18 degrees. May Uth it came ofl' (luite warm, and the bees began to hatch the few eggs the queen had laid, and brought in the first pollen of .lay account, which was from elm and soft aaple. iSkunk's cabbage was in full )loom from March 20th to April 18, but it was so cold that the bees could not get to it. On the whole, we think it was the worst spring for bees we ever knew. May 4th the first day that we could really work at bees, we examined them and found some so weak that we thought it best to unite them. We did so, and now have 51, one of which proves to be queenless, so we shall call it but 50 stocks to commence the season with. Golden willow commenced to blossom May 20th, from which our bees frequently get from 5 to 7 lbs. of honey, but owing to the cold and rainy weather they could get nothing, and what was worse still, they killed nearly all the larvie : so little but sealed brood and eggs remain- ed. May 24tli it became warm again and our bees have done their level best ever since, and the hives are beginning to be quite well populated with bees. Apple trees blossomed May 29th and our strongest stocks made a gain of 12 lbs. of honey dur- ing the time they were in bloom. White clover was nearly all killed from freezing the past winter, so we do not anticipate much from that, but basswood hangs as full of buds as we ever saw it. We forgot to say we put one swarm in manure "a la Novice," and that died out-right some time during the cold weather of April. Our first drones were flying June 5th, which is nearly two weeks later than we ever knew them before. We have spread the brood once in six days, so we have our strongest stocks nearly full. What we mean by full, is brood in from 8 to 10 Gallup frames. By the way does not Gallup and Adair get oif some pretty big notes about the capacity of a queen for laying ? We have had queens from nearly every breeder in the United States and the best we ever had would not keep more than ten Gallui> frames full of brood, or about 900 square inches of comb, occupied with brood for two months in succession. We came to the conclusion that 800 square inches of comb would be about the average, so last year built our new hives to hold but nine frames instead of tw^elve. As the bees will have some honey and pollen in their combs the 9 frames give us about 800 square inches of brood, or 1380 cubic inches comb space. We place 42 boxes of 2 lbs. capa- city in this hive and expect to get all the honey the bees make in the boxes, but last year they storeil enough to winter on in the frames. Why does not Adair tell us how much honey he receives on an average in his apiary with those prolific queens and large hives'? Let us figure a little and see what is best. 800 square inches of comb would give 40,000 worker bees every 21 days or 1,905 every day, and as 45 days is the aver- age life of the bee in the working season we would get 85,(525 bees on the stage of THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 159 action at once. 21 old stocks of the above brood capacity worked by us in 1873, pro- duced on an average 80 lbs. of box honey, and 60 stocks worked by N. N. lietsinger, Marcellus Falls, N. Y., produced on an average 100 lbs. of box honey. Now as 4,000 cubic inches comb capacity (the amount Gallup and Adair say their prolific (queens will keep occupied with brood) is neai-ly three times the capacity of the hive used by B. and myself, they must get the enormous amount of 250,000 bees on the stage of action at once. This would be 5,700 bees daily or that amount of eggs for. the queen to lay everj^ 24 hours. As it is estimated that, by the use of the extractor one-third more honey can be obtained than with boxes, an apiary with such queens should produce on an average 320 lbs., to be equal to that produced by us or 400 lbs. to equal that produced by Betsinger. As c4allup's hives worked exclusively for ex- tracted honey produced in 1873 only 100 lbs. per colony (the same amount produced by Betsinger in boxes) and as it will take three times the honey to feed the brood in the large hive, we will leave the reader to tell which is best — one colony in a large hive to produce 100 lbs. of extracted honey, or three colonies in small hives with the same amount of brood to feed, to produce 300 lbs. of box honey. If friend Adair can give a better report than Gallup we would like to hear from him on the subject, as we want all the light we can get. G. M. DoolittijE. Borodino, N. Y. For the American Bee Journal. How to Introduce Queens. I write with a sincere desire to beneiit many a fellow bee-keeper, who, when the fine golden queen arrives will ask himself the perplexing question — "How shall I in- troduce her." I have been so uniformly successful since I adopted the following method that I unhesitatingly recommend it. It is certainly as safe, and I verily be- lieve much safer than the common practise of caging, and the advantages over that plan are too obvious to need mentioning. To illustrate — Have a new queen at hand, also two empty hives B and C, the latter should be nicely cleaned. Now open A and proceed to tind the queen you wish to supersede. This over, the work is soon over. I look over the frames, guess where she is and lift that frame out first. When satisfied she is not on it, place it in B, and try another. If not found on this, the (ihances are, if she is a black queen, that you will have to search the corners of the hive for they are shyer than the Italians. The queen dispatched, remove A and place '■ with its entrance near wliere that of A stood, but with positions reversed. Now replace the combs in C, first shaking ofl' the old bees. Tlie young ones will do no harm, and in ord(!r to confuse the bees still more, I cliange the positions of the frames where the combs will admit of it. These all in place, cover with the quilt, now roll up a corner at the back end, and slip her majesty in, roll back and put on the cover. Place a hiving-board in front ; put the two hives (if there are bees in both,) at the fool of this on their sides, and let the bees enter A gradually, like a natural swarm, thus introducing them to the queen, who by this time is less confused and feeling more at home than themselves. The bees all in, the hive should be turned so as to occupy the exact position that A did. No bees will be lost, and my experience has proven to me that all will be well. The regular order of business resumed at once, the same as if no change had occurred. Perhaps I ought to have said, that I usually have at hand some sweetened water scented with peppermint and sprinkle the combs slightly before putting on the quilt, and also the bees, before allowing them to enter, though I have occasionally omitted this precaution, and observed no diiference in the result. E. K. G. Appleton City, Mo. The Late Dr. T. B. Hamlin. It is a painful duty to announce the death of so prominent an apiculturist as Dr. T. B. Hamlin, — one who as a friend was so higli- ly esteemed by all who knew him. This sad event occurred at his residence, near Edgefield Junction, Tennessee, on the 24th of last May. Dr. Hamlin was born at Red Hook, on the Hudson River, N. Y., in June, 1810. At the age of sixteen he was left with no near relatives and but little education. His prominent position and financial success in life are wholly due to his own indomitable energy and perseverance combined with his uprightness of character. At about eighteen he was foreman of the largest watch-making establishment in Albany N. Y., and prob- ably the largest in the United States. After preparation in dentistry at Albany and while watchmaking in Lee, Mass., he commenced the practice of that profession in Virginia. While there he took an active part in the organization of the first dental association known in the world. He aftei-wards re- moved to Alabama and thence to Nashville, Tenn., where for twenty-five years he fol- lowed his profession with eminent success. More than forty years ago the young watchmaker of Albany, shortly after his marriage in Lee, Mass., where he had es- tablished in watch-making, commenced the keeping of bees. This last named occupu- l(i(l THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. tion was continued for many years there- niter in conuecliou with his profession as a dentist. In 18(il his health, which had failed early in life, became quite poor, and he gave up the practice of dentistry and repaired to the sea-coast at Newport, R. I. At the close of the war Dr. Hamlin returned to Tennessee and devoted his whole attention to bee cul- ture and the nursery business. The exten- sive business of the " Cumberland Nurseries" which he established in connection with 3Ir. B. B. Barnum — a practical nurseryman, was conducted mainly by the latter, while he devoted his attention almost wholly to the apiary. He was the first to introduce the Langstroth movable comb hive and the improved methods of bee culture in the South, and to engage in the importation and rearing of Italian bees, which he did extensively, and aided in their introduction throughout the United States. He assisted greatly in establishing the "Tennessee Api- arian Society " of which he was President, and also, the "National Bee-Keepers' Asso- ciation," being Vice President of the latter at the time of his death. His interest and enterprise in the promulgation of apiarian knowledge, especially in the South are worthy the highest encomiums. His own success in increasing his bees from a few colonies to over three huudi-ed and contin- ually getting large returns from them, furnishes a practical proof of the reliability of his teachings. His little work on bee culture has wrought a great change in the manner of keeping bees in many localities here. Dr. Hamlin's marked energy of character, his perseverance, his lofty aspirations after perfection and his kindness and afiection as a husband, a father, and a friend are well worthy of imitation. An upright, zealous member of the Church, a prominent leader in the Masonic fraternity, held in high ap- preciation by the members of his profession, and an enthusiastic master af apiculture, he is mourned by a large circle of friends and relatives, who alone are comforted by the knowledge that he so lived that " When the suininons came to join The innumerable caravan that moves To the mysterious realms, vi'here each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death. He went, not like the young slave, at night, Scourgefl to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust in God, he approached his grave i-.ike one that draws the drapery of his couch About liini. and lies down to pleasant dreams." Fr..\NK Benton. Edgefield Junction, Tenn. The bees do not deposit in the cells all the pollen they gather. Many of the pel- lets are taken from the gatherers as thej' return with laden tliighs, and are consumed, to qualify the worlcers for secreting wax or preparing food for tlie older larva*. Sundry Questions and Answers. CONDUCTED BY CH. DAD ANT. QUESTION. As you are in charge of the questions in tlie American Bee Jouknai., I would ask you to answer tlie following through tlie Journal I would like to import queens myself. To whom shall I send ? Are the queens sent through the mails or as freight ? and at what cost ? What proportion usually reaches this country in safety ? You could give much information to many readers on these ])0ints. Hartford, N. Y. J. H. Mahtix. For the last seven years I liave been trying to find an Italian bee-keeper able to send queens so packed as to reach this country alive. Since my return from Italy, I have received three invoices ; one containing '?>() queens : 38 were dead — only two were alive. What was the matter ? The Italian breeder had failed to comply with the simplest pre- cautions that I had indicated. In a subseciuent invoice all the queens were dead, for the same reasons. It is impossible to imagine lifiw queer are the ideas which can germinate in tlie minds of the Italian bee breeders. In an invoice of 1-1 queens, I found five that were put up in queen cages, very pretty queen cages indeed, with two or three workers, and all dead of course. In that invoice one (pieen alone was alive, after 2o days journey : it cost me more than f 50 in gold. In his second invoice the same man tried a second time his queen cages, in spite of my warning, and refused to replace the (pieens that died in them, and feared that it was im- possible to send queens here alive. Another l)ee-keeper sent me 1(5 queens, and put under tlie package, without my cogni- zance, three bottles of wine for sample. My correspondaiit at Havre informed me that they were seized by the French custom-house ofiicers, while I was liere going every day to the express ottice, and writing everywhere to know why my bees were so long to arrive at Hamilton. I wrote to the sender to replace thein, but he made his second invoice so un- willingly and so carelessly tliat very few (lueens arrived here alive. 1 could narrate many more of these costly experiments made by the Italian breeders, at niy expense. In my long experience I have received but two or three invoices whicli could give a beneficial result. Combs broken or loose in the boxes ; too many or too few bees ; too mucli or too little honey ; sponges witii sugar- ed water ; unsealed honey ; sealed brood instead of honey ; rougli handling ; boxes phuuui on their sides or in the vicinity of nox- ious matters in the steamers ; too long delay THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. IGl ill the voyage ; and moths. Ah ! yes, moths ! One day I received a package of Ki (lueens ; not one live l)ee in the IfJ boxes, bnt plenty of living and flying and creeping moths in every I)ox. llow good that sniclled ? Prof. Mona wrote to me, a few years ago, that, in Italy, it was impossible to send bees withont sending moths ; the winters are too nnld there to kill the moths. Never have I seen so many moths, at the same time, as in a well known and far famed apiary of Italy. In fact, I have received but one package witliout moths and that invoice was the last, received a few days ago, with 8 living queens. Eight living queens out of Ki, after 37 days journey. That was marvelous ; but the bees were so carefully packed ; the little atten- tions that I had prescribed had been so com- pletly observed, together with some others so intelligent and ingenious cares, that I have at once sent to that careful breeder an order for 10() queens, to be sent in six packages, from week to week. This man lives not far from the shores of the Adriatic Sea, in one of the best bee districts of Italy. He is a very care- ful and successful Apiarian. I could say, the first careful bee breeder that I have foiuid in Italy. Many bee-keepers, of this' country, after losing money in their importations, have given it np in disgust. But, in spite of the losses and disappointment, I have persever- ed ; surely there are some conditions which would insure success. Of course I had to learn these conditions, one after another, by examining tlie boxes on their arrival here ; the requisites of a successful joru-ney being determined, the most difficult to be found : a man who could com])ly with them without varying, to do better. The Importation of bees is like gambling, with its illusions and its deceptions. When the bees arrive, I feel the same sensations as a gambler at the lottery ; and too often the result is the same : loss, dead loss. But to- day I am sure to have turned the chances on my side ; if the man continues to prepare the bees as he has done for his first invoice, and I do not doubt it. (^UESTIOX. In your answer to H. A. Spraoupjs in the ,Iune Xo. of the Ameiucax Bek .Jouknal. you say that you know of no honey yielding plant, good for hedging, in this country. Will not the honey locust, (glcditschia trUvwnth- o.s) answer the purpose ? Edgak SA(iEi{. ANSAVEK. The honey locust would make a good hedge were not the cattle so fond of its leaves and young sprouts. 1 know a Frenchman who tried it, but had to protect his hed,ge against the teeth of his cows. QrESTION. I wish to know what color the ])ure bred Italian bees are ? I purchased a (lueen two years ago, about two-thirds of lier progeny are wliat I take to be pure, that is are not (piite as dark as the native bee, with three yellow bands around them ; the others are about tlie color of the native bee. I fear she is hybrid, will you iilease inform me U])on that point. ' W. F. Ferox:sok. AXSWEU. The pure Italian bees have three leather colored bands around the abdomen, /. c, the lirst small ring which is attached to the corslet, then the second and the third. This third ring is more or less bordered with black. When the bee is empty, the leather color disappears and the bee seems to have but two yellow rings. All the bees in a pure colony have the three rings visible, in the young bees as soon as they have taken their first meal ; in the old bees when they return from the fields, in the time of honey harvest, yometimes, even in Italy, there are a few black bees among the thousands of well marked, but it is not a mark of impurity. The color of bees is not always a sure test of purity. By selecting the yellowest (lueens, for several generations, there are produced bees with so much yellow and so thin black borders on the rings, that a slight dash of black blood cannot be detected in their pro- geny. It is on that account that some (pieen breeders do not like the impoi'ted Italian (lueens, the smallest stain of black being visible in their progeny, these breeders obtain from them a less number of seeming pure queens and consequently they claim that the Italian bees are injurious. Yet this false idea is fast disai)pearing, for I have received lately orders from breeders who three years ago complained of the Italian queens : and who now want dark colored bees, because they are more hardy and more fertile tlian the light colored. As for myself. I consider tlie color of the bees but a second test of purity. My first test being the demeanor of the bees, when the combs are taken out of the hive. The quieter, the purer are the bees. If the progeny of the queen that you receiv- ed two years ago was then such as you describe it, she was impure. It is more pro- bable that, after vou received her. she was replaced and that her daughter failed to mate with a pure drone. QUESTIOX. I am using the Langstroth hive — is it good".' I think if there is any better. I would like to know it. W. T. F. AXSWEK. The Langstroth hive is good, but I prefer the old Quinby (not the new) enlarged to 11 or I'i frames. I use two sizes of hives : C^uin- 162 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. by with from 11 to 16 frames 18 inches long by 11 inches deep ; and the American witli 16 frames 12 by 12 inches, with partition boards in both. Every year I find tliat there is more brood and more profit in the larger and shallow frame. If I was to begin anew, I would choose a hive with 11 frames 16 inches long by 12 high, inside ; or 16)^ by 13 outside. I give to the upper bar of the frames, % inch of thickness, to prevent warp- ing under the weight of honey. For winter the brood chamber is reduced by the partition boards to 8 frames, with a dead space on both sides. To Beginners in Apiculture. BY PROF. A. J. COOK. One beginner had a colony swarm last week, and though he hived them according to the rule already given, and although they seemed to take full possession, yet one thing was omitted — putting a comb of worker brood in the new hive, — and in about an hour all came out and left for a wood-land home. And thus was lost a splendid colony of Italians, worth at least $10. Another beginner,- — Mr. B. — was follow- ing directions, but as the queen cells were not yet capped, he thought to wait a little longer, and went to business as usual. About 9 o'clock a prime swarm issued from one of the two colonies. Mrs. B. who had never seen such a thing done, but had care- fully read directions, and talked them over with her husband, went bravely at work, followed directions exactly, aud the result is that Mr. B. now has three fine colonies instead of two. So let me repeat, that I may emphasise the advice, never hive a colony in case of natural swarming, — which will occasionally happen in the best regulated apiaries, — without putting into the hive some brood, even eggs will not do. There must be capped and uncapped brood, and the above experience makes the farther advice perti- nent to all beginners who are in the bonds of single bitterness, immediately procure a brave intelligent help-meet. Again our beginner should commence to start some more nuclei, for all the summer through, queens will be needed. If the season is good you may at least hope to in- crease from two to six, though if the .season is not extra (jood, you must not expect much honey with such increase. You also may need to replace poor queens. Be sure that all through the months of June and July, your bees have plenty of room, thus you will be more apt to get worker brood comb — that with small cells — and more than this, you will preclude that necessary idleness, which can never be <'onducivi' t(» the luippiness and well being of the "busy bee." Every hive should con- tain empty cells, and empty frames, that the gatherers may have room to store, the queens to lay eggs, and the comb-builders to form their beautiful white structures. A non-observance of this advice, and the workers will hang outside the hive, the palets of wax go to waste, and, the queen ceasing to lay eggs, the colony will become weak, unable to protect itself against robbers, and moths. We are now in the midst of the locust season, at the dawn of the white clover, and that regal season, — the bass-wood — will come very soon. So now, as seen, is the time to get our box honey, if we desire it. Simple boxes will do. They may be made from six to ten inches each way with glass on two sides and long narrow holes cut in the bottom, the top and other two sides of half inch pine, put these immedi- ately on the frames. During the hot weather be sure to have your bees shaded from the hot sun, not at morn, aud eve, but at noon-tide. I have known bees to honey outside the hive just because they could not endure the oven -like interior. The formation of a screen, by placing boards a little above the hives, worked like a charm. Idleness was at once banished, and the happy hum of returning industry, told of a rich harvest of prospec- tive sweets. One new beginner has already banished veil and bee-gloves. Another was too rash, and was fearfully stung. It is best to use a good degree of caution and smoke, aud re- tain at least the veil, till all show of nervousness is gone, and you have a perfect understanding with your pets. My friend, aud old pupil Mr. E. Benton, now in charge of the large Edgefield Junction Apiary, writes me that the late Dr. Hamlin — whose urbanity, candor, and Christian integrity were so pre-eminent that his decease makes a sad loss in our fraternity — never used smoke and did not believe in it. He further adds that the bees were very cross. In early spring and late summer and autumn, I believe that even the experienced Apiarists had better use smoke. If any find a queen missing before having extra queens, give the colony comb Avitli eggs from your best queen. In my next article I will give directions for introducing queens. Agricultural College, Lansing. It is a common practice to rub the inside of a hive with aromatic herbs, a solution of salt, or other substance, with a view of making the hive more acceptable to the ex- pected swarm. But the most experienced and observant bee-masters deem this alto- getlicr unnecessary, if not injurious. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. i(i:i For the American Bee Journal. Feeding Bees. I tind in our bee journiils consklerablo written upon tlie subject of feeding bees. I tliinlv it an object wortliy of considersition and ellort, to tind and pursue a system that will save the necessity of feeding at all. To secure this it is only necessary to adopt a hive in which we (-an eftectivcly control the swarming and limit the number of col- onies to the amount of honey produced by the accessible tield. The great body of farmers do not desire to, and will not make, bee-keeping a prin- t-ipal business. Wiiat they do in securing the honey produced in their fields must be done incidentally, other interests of the farm claim their principal attention. I presume few will be found among them to use movable comb hives, to raise Itiiliau queens ; or honey extractors to furnish ex- tracted honey for market. That must be done by experts in the business, whether they are farmers or not. For them the best hive will give about 3,500 cubic inches in the breeding and win- tering apartment ; and as much more in small frames or boxes, for storing surplus. With such an arrangement, the bees will be very likely to make a fair arrangement with the farmer, and gather the honey in his and other surrounding fields, at the halves. If the field is very good and the season fine, they give him two-thirds, requiring only one-third for consumption. My enquiry is whether it will not be better to give this room in the breeding apart- ment, and save the necessity of feeding at all. These thoughts have occured to me now on reading, P. W. McFartridge's experi- ence, in the May numlier of the American Bee Journal page 112 — he gives as the product of his apiary a little over 4,000 lbs. He tells us that he has fed 1,100 lbs. of A coffee sugar, and that 200 lbs. of the honey soured a little he reserves for feeding. This leaves 2,700 lbs. of honey. With 250 cubic inches ample room is given for storing a winter's supply for the bees, and feeding is unnecessary. There nmst, however, be another condi- tion implied to prevent danger, that is, that there are not too many colonies in the field. If there are more colonies in the field than can be supplied Avith winter stores, they must be fed or starve, even if each colony had a meetiug-houso to work in. I liid it ditficult to so express my ideas upon this subject as to be understood. 1. If an apiary is located in a field yield- ing 12,000 lbs. of honey, and each colony of bees for breeding and winter, will consume GO lbs. ; 200 colonies would consume it all. 2. One hundred colonies would consume 6,000 lbs. and give 6,000 lbs. in surplus. 3. Fifty colonies would consume 3,000 lbs. and give 9,000 lbs. in surplus. 4. If you put 300 colonies into the field there would be but an average of 40 lbs. to each colony for both breeding season and winter, and a great amount of A sugar or something else must be fed, or almost all of them starve to death. In the last vase a few of the strongest colonies might get an early start, and live throughout the winter. Possibly some of them give a little surjjlus ; but nine-tenths of them more or less would starve to death. Some of them would die so early that the moths, in their weakened state, would weave their webs. Some of them would wander over the combs defiling them. — Some would crawl or fiy out of the hive and die, and some would try robbing to make a living. Nobody knows what the matter is. Some lay it to the moths ; some to dysentery ; some to robbing ; and some to "don't know," while the whole truth is there are far too many bees. There might have been some cases where the bees left some honey in a part of their hive that was out of their reach in a cold spell, and it is even said, "Oh, no they did not starve to death, there was honey left. " In the case of 200 colonies having 60 lbs. each in the field, perhaps one quarter just go through the winter and only half perish. In the case of 100 colonies they would not give 00 lbs. each but some might give 100 lbs. and some 20 more or less. So in the case of 50 colonies, 180 lbs. each. As has sometimes been known they may range from 100 to nearly 300 lbs. What I would urge is that 100 colonies in the supposed field is better than 200. And 200 colonies is better than 300. Indeed the farmer had better have no bees than to have so many more than his field will supply. From 50 to 100 colonies is a full supply for the field ; 100 colonies would store half the production in surplus. While we are taught by some that "there is no danger of overstocking the field," I believe without one doubt that three- fourths of the ditticulties we encounter arise from over-stocking. Woodstock, Vt. Jasper Hazen. For the American Bee Journal. My Experience. It is some time since I have written for the AmeriCzVN Bee Journal, but during that time my experience has been worth gold. In 1872, I lost 43 hives by dysen- tery, and last year, I lost 15 hives from robbery. At the end of the year I bought a beautiful $2 queen from "Olley." This queen died last season in a strong hive, which started cells profusely I counted 1G4 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 52 cells ou a single frame. I Italianised my whole Apiary. I had carefully cut away all droue brood from the black bees and left my pure Italian drones to preserve the queen cells. As soon as one queen came out a black queen was killed and her body cast out. One day I had occasion to go to the blacksmith's, on my return home, I found my whole farm on fire ; in less than an hour everything was consumed except my bees, and an old potatoe cellar. I and my family took shelter in an improvised log hut for 14 days. Then I had prepared a new abode, and was prepared to put my bees in the cellar by Dec. 14th. They needed feeding all winter. Lost one, and had 31 left. Fed with colfee A sugar. On Feb. 1st, I examined and found all in good condition. On March 15th, I found one hive dead from dysentery, another queculess and a gallon of dead bees on the floor. As soon as the cleansing was done, I fed them warm honey, poured in the large drone cells on one side ; then that was set outside to cool, then laid it down on a news- paper, honey downwards and poured the other side full. Such frames contained from 4 to 0 lbs. Feeding was easy in that manner. I fed until the 5th of May. — April gave me one day that bees could fly. I have lost 6 swarms in all. I intend to run up my swarms this summer to power- ful colonies. I intend to experiment with the Gallup system. My frames are all 12x12, this is my standard. Joseph Dufpeler. Wegnoick, Wis. For the American Bee Journal. Spare the toads, but place your hives out of their reach, for they can soon destroy a strong colony if they can get near enough to the entrance to catch them, as they pass in or out. Watch the toads late in the evening and at niaht. Many people are fond of bees — indeed liave a passion for them ; but it is not enough to be fond of them, they must be skillfully taken care of, according to cer- tain rules, applicable in every case, but more particular in bad years. Mistaken care annoys them — niggardliness ruins them. — E.rchange. Hives, or the habitation in which the bees live, bleed and work, have been made of dificrent materials, and in difi'erent forms, according to the fancy of people of different ages and countries. Melissus, King of Crete, is said to be the first who ♦ invented and taught the use of bee jiives. — Bonner. Gallup on Artificial Queens. We have never, to our recollection, given the readers of the American Bee Journal our ideas in full on artificial queens. We have given them in Mr. Mitcliell's paper, and sent them in full to Mr. King ; Ijut he was afraid that his readers might learn something contrary to his teachings, there- fore did not publish it. In my opinion "Novice" and others have led many a beginner astray, by advocating that there was no difterence between artificially and naturally reared queens. Langstroth, Grimm, Adair, and the late Dr. Hamlin, and others, agreed with me in full . Quin- by says that thei'e is no difference and even went so far as to accuse me of never hav- ing had any practical experience in raising queens, etc. NoM' to the question. What are the con- ditions for natural queen raising? We have abundance of bees, consequent!}" warmth, we have abundance of food of the right kinds, and M'e have abundance of youiug or nursing bees to prepare that food properly for the queen larvae Now if the novice in the business will see that he has all those necessary conditions and eggs or larva; just hatched, whether in nuclei or standard hives, he or she will raise natural queens every time — nothing artificial about them. Ou the other hand, we will suppose we do as many queen breeders have done ; raise artifical queens about in this manner : Measure out a sufficient quantity of bees, place them in a nuclei hive, and give them comb, eggs and honey and no pollen. Confine t^em for 3 or 4 days before giving them their liberty, and in a majority of cases pay no attention to the age of the bees selected, but get mostly old bees, or those incapable of digesting or preparing the natural food for the larva?, etc. Queens raised under those circumstances are artifi- cial, or raised under circumstances contrary to nature. In such cases queens have hatch- ed out in nine days repeatedly, and in some instances they have been known to come out in eight days ; but we never have nine- day queens, if we make up our nuclei of young or nursing bees. For the novice in queen breeding must bear in mind that bees at a certain age are incapable of di- gesting pollen, and preparing the necessary food for larvjc. Now we will tell yuu how we raise queens. If in nuclei hives, we use three standard combs and always keep abundance of nursing bees, and if they do not gather pollen enough we suj^ply them with i)ollen from other liives, and we like to have them have quite a quantity of larv;^ on hand to feed, at the time of start- ing queen cells, so that they are preparing the necessary food in large (juautities, and THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 105 we raise natural aud prolific queens, every time, — there is nothing unnatural about them that \vc could ever discover. ]Sow, suppose, as soon as the young queen becomes fertile aud commences laying, we remove her and allow the bees to start queen cells from those eggs. There is no larv« to feed, as it is all sealed or hatched out, and the bees are well advanced as to age, or in other words there are but very few nursing bees, etc., we may succeed in raising a good ([ueen, and we may not. There is no certainty about it. Thousands of queens have been sold by queen breeders that have been superseded the first or ^ second season after being received. A good queen properly raised ought to be good for four seasons. Langstroth and Grimm know how to raise good queens, but they could not raise them for $\ each, consequently both have ([uit the business. We might liave explained our ideas long ago on this subject, but we should not then have drawn out so many ideas from others. In otlier words, we like to have those that have received their first stock of bees give us their instructions. It amuses us huge- Now " Novice," would it not have been just as well to have criticised Gallup on the queen question, after you knew what his ideas were, as to criticise before you knew V Give us a clip aud see what effect it will have. I like " Novice's " grit. He gives his in- structions to-day and contradicts them to- morrow, and thereby gets himself into •^ inextricable snarls, yet he never gives up, like our friend Price, who killed himself by trying to instruct others in what he did not know himself. F^or the- Anierican Bee Journal. My Mary Ann. My beautiful, beautiful, Mary Ann. — Yes ! that same old story over again. The crow whose chicks were white. Not so fast my friend ; not so fast : She is not my daughter, neither is she a blonde ; but a bronze colored queen. Well ; why such an ado over ]VIary Ann ; others have raised queens as good as she, and have made money too with bees, Avhich is more than you have done. Let me feel joyful over Mary Ann any how. I value money, from tlie enjoyment I can get from its use. AVhat if the coffee A does disappear mysteriously. You know "my dear," we have not had a doctor in our house professionally, since those bees arrived at the express office, so strangely. The doctor always said, exercise in the open air. How much good could I get, sweeping the side-walks with trailing skirts ? You do not wear trains. I know I don't ; but when a person talks to me of taking a walk for exercise, I think of the Yankee who wanted work, and a man told liim, lie would hire liim ; and set liiin to pounding on a log, witii the head of an axe. lie tried it awhile, but soon threw down his axe, exclaiming I can't dp this : I must see the chips fiy. You always scatter so. I thought you were talking about Mary Ann. You keep quiet now, while I tell of Mary Ann's wrongs. I have already been taught to respect the advice and opinion of the stronger sex ; so when Mr. Harrison recommended put- ting Mary Ann in the cellar, I silently ac- (juiesced. Put tliose five in the cellar, they will consume less there ; (I knew all the time coffee A had much to do with it). We tucked Mary Ann, and her compani- ons under their quilts, and carried them gently into our cozy little cellar. When old boreas raged without, how thankful I felt that these "fire pets" w'ere protected from his blasts. These bees flew on the 7th of Nov., aud we put them in the cellar on the 10th. We carried them out for a fly, on tlie 2nd of Dec, returning them as soon as quiet. Ou the 3rd of Jan., the thermometer being at 76, at 11 o'clock, carried them out for a fly. They all flew finely, but I did not like the appearance of ^he combs. On the 11th of Feb. carried bees out, finding them in a dismal state ; O, those bed clothes ; damp and disagreeable ; no more quilts for me. Some of the colonies had quarts of dead bees. Plenty of honey, with no appearance of dysentery. As the weather was very warm, I cleaned out the hives, and placed them on the east side of the house, protecting them on all side^, except the front, with straw. Made little sacks and filled them with straw, that just fitted into the porticos, so the wdnd could not blow them out. Every night, and ou cold and windy days, I protected the fronl-v in this way. • Every fine day some of these bees weDt a visiting, and forgot to come home. One by one they dwindled away, until May liJth 1 found I only had Mary Ann and a hand- ful of bees. I caged her and filled up the hive with frames of brood and bees, releas- ing her the next day, after sprinkling al'i thoroughly with sweetened water, scented with the essence of sweet anise ; she is now the adored mother of a thriving and pros- perous colony. I wintered successfully 11 colonies in the open air. Hereafter, I shall winter iu the open air, as th^ Dutchman says "shingled mit straw," every time. I put in the cap, a gunny sack filled with straw, raising the cover slightly for ventilation. Peoria, 111. Mrs. L. Harrison. 166 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. -i tn^wmiBqjftfttv W. F. CLARKE, Editor. CHICAGO. JULY. 1874. Theories and their Advocacy. It is during tlie working season that most of the theories of bee life are evolved from the apicultural mind. While the Iiees are busy building cells, the bee-keepers are busy building theories. There are minds that have a natural faculty for the construction of theories, even as bees have a natural faculty for cell-construction. Theories ought always to be the results of observation, and should be based on facts. But they are often like those pleasant stories we sometimes meet with, and which are headed, "founded on fact." This is generally fair notice that among what is strictly true, there will be interwoven a good deal that is purely imaginative. Im- agination is very well in its place, but it must be excluded from the realm of science. It is pleasing and useful in light literature, but considerable of a nuisance mixed in with the solid and sometimes prosaic affairs of real life. Not a few of the most important of human interests have sutfered from the tendency of mankind to spin theories out of cobwebs, and to go to the realm of investigation with their theories ready made. Most of the diificul- ties in theology have arisen out of precon- ceived theories, which their authors have sought to uphold, when framed, out of the Book. Bee-keeping has sutfered in the same way. People have gone to the hive to get evidence in support of a favorite theory, instead of going to it without any theory, to gather facts as the material out of which to manufacture theory. A certain member of the British Parliament was frank enough to confess that he trusted to his memory for wit, and to his imagination for facts. Not a few draw on the imagina- tion for facts, who have not self-knowledge enough to be aware of it, nor candour enough to own up about it. Theories require the utmost deliberation and care in construction, and, like Italian queens, are not worth much until well tested. When a theory is adopted on what are considered suflicient grounds, it should be advocated with modesty and forbearance. Haste in forming a theory is usually fol- lowed b}' dogmatism in contending for it. A man who is patient in constructing a theory, will be patient in urging it upon the acceptance of others. Slow in espous- ing it himself, he will not be surprised to find many who are slow as himself, if not slower. Impatience to get credit and honor from those to whom a theory is an nounced, not unfrequently betrays theorists into unseemly behaviour. Some espou'se theories as they do matrimonal partners, and afterwards illustrate the proverb about marrying in haste, and repenting at leisure. Theories, if well-founded, will bear the test of criticism, and the sensitiviness of many to a dissenting word, argues no great amount of confidence in their own views. What is based on fact, can nevei- be overthrown. It is like tlie " tall cliff " immortalized by a great poet : — "Though round its base the rolling clouds arc Eternal sunshine settles on its head." [spread. We commend these general, and as we think, timely remarks, on "theories and their advocacy." to all and sundry who write for the American Bee Jouknai,. Bees and Grapes. It has often been insinuated by the ignorant that bees injure fruit ; and some time ago, a benighted little village in New England undertook to expel all bees from its limits because of their supposed depre- dations. An American naturalist of some note, not very long since brought this accusation against the bees, and recom- mended fruit-growers to protect themselves against these industrious insects by the use of certain recipes that would attract anil destroy them. But the great majority of fruit-growers are too keenly alive to their own interests to take any steps toward the suppression of bees or bee-keeping. It is pretty certain that by collecting and distrilmting the pollen of plants, the bees THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ig; accomplish fructification in many cases where otlicrwisc it would not take place. There is no conclusive evidence to sustain the suspicion of their injuring fruit. C!h. Dadant, who is now settled in Illinois, but wlio for many years kept bees near the hills of Burgundy, says in a recent number of the Amkuican Bkk Jovknal, It is well established that lices are unable to cut the skin of grapes. In order to ascertain the fact, the most juicy and sugared grapes, pears, sweet cherries, plums, apricots, etc., were put inside the hives ; neAi^er have the bees attacked them if they wei'e not previously scratched. The experiment was repeatedly made ; it was discovered also that the first cutting was made by a kind of wasp, or hj birds, or caused by tlie rain falling when the fruit was ripe. A Wisconsin bee keeper also writing to our journal says, "Last fall I took a bunch of Delaware grapes (the most tender variety we have here,) and put it on a hive, directl}^ over the bees, and watched proceedings ; but not a single berry was opened ; then I broke a few berries, upon which they went immediately to work, sacking them dry, thus showing that some- tliing besides bees does the mischief." Fhe idea is entertained by many intelli- gent bee-keepers, that where the bees have been suspected, with any air of probability, of doing injury to grapes, the skin of the fruit must first have been punctured bj' some other insect, thus afford- ing the bees access to the pulp. On this point a correspondant of the Rural New Yorker, writing from Mai-cellus, N. Y., says : — " There is much complaint made in the papers of bees eating grapes in ditifer- ent localities, which 1 doubt not is true ; but I wish some scientific man would give a close examination, even with a magnify- ing glass, and see whether some insect has not been gnawing the skin in the night ; for we know that the corn worm comes at night, eats oti' the blade, and the snail eats holes in the young tobacco leaf and is not seen in the day time ; and there may be insects flying in the night, like the light- ning bug, that gnaw the grapes. Now% in this section almost every house has a grape vine, and there are bees ke])t in many places all over town and this village ; and I have kept bees and grapes over ;}() years, but have never heard the first complaint. I wish there could be some close examina- tion made." Back Volumes. Coiuiilete sets of back vohnues are scarce. But few can be procured at any price. We have a set, consisting of the nine volumes (complete), which we offer for sale, eitlier bound or unbound, for a reasonable sum. Many of the numbers we have paid fifty cent'< each for. to complete them. We have several single volumes (complete) which we will send postpaid for |!2.00 eaeh. Several volumes, which lack only a single number ot being complete, we will send post- paid for .lyl.oO each. Vol. 1, we can supply in cloth boards, post- paid, for f 1.25. Bound in paper covers, SLOO, postage 10 cents. This volume is worth five times its price to any intelligent bee-keeper. It contains a full elucidation of scientific bee- keeping, including the best statement extant of the celebrated Dzierzon theory. These articles run through eight numbers, and are from the pen of the Baron of Berlepsch. JI:^" Beginners in bee-culture, who desire to read up in the literature of bee-keeping, are earnestly advised to obtain these back volumes. Many of our best apiarians say they would not sell tlieir back volumes of the American Bee Jouexat> for ten times the sum they cost, if they could not replace them. They are exceedingly valuable alike to begin- ners and more advanced apiarians. A Choice of Six Volumes p^ok jSo.— Hav- ing a few back volumes complete, and some lacking only one or two numbers each, we will give the purchaser the choice of six of such volumes for SS.OO. until tliey are disposed of. As only a few can be supplied, those who wisli to avail themselves of this offer, should send for them at once. B^" We want several copies of No. 1, Vol. 2, of the Amekioan Bee Journae, and will pay 50 cents each for them. The postage on this paper is only twelve cents a year, if paid quarterly or yearly in advance at the post-office where received. We prepay postage to Canada, and require twelve cents extra. When a subscriber sends money in pay- ment for the American Bee Jouuxae, he should state to what time he thinks it jiays, so that we can compare it with our books, and thus ])revent mistakes. 168 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Voices from among the Hives. O. L. Bam-akd, of Maloiie. N. Y., writes : — " Most of tlu; hee-keepers in tliis vicinity have lost a large proportion of tlieir colonies since setting tlieni ont this spring ; but bj' feeding mine a little they have increased in numbers, altiiough they luwe not swarmetl out as yet." Wm. Pekry, (Sh., Lynnville, Tenn.. writes: — " Our honey harvest has been very tight the present season. There has not been much increase in stocks. The very wet spring, followed by a drought of some five weeks, has proved quite unfavorable for honey gathering."' E. Gallup, Orchard, Iowa, writes :— "The bees are swar))iing and doing finely. The spring" was cold and backward, which makes them late in swarming, but the flowers all produce honey this season. They are now to work on Alsike and white clover. The bass- wood or linn is going to blossom v(uy pro- fusely ; so look out for honey." .J. H. Ckistie, Dyersburg, Tenn., writes : — " My bees are doing well. The winter was mild, and the spring opened early, but cold and wet. Bees could gather nothing to make honey of, and many starved to death. All were put back at least a month. The poplar is our best honey food, and it is in bloom now. We have besides this, holly, maple, elm, and black gum. My bees are all of the black kind. I inteuil to Italianize them soon." John Barfoot, Wellsville, Mo, writes : — '• So far this has been a good bee season. Honey dew connnenced here May 22nd and it has continued up to this time, with the excep- tion of two days while it rained. We have also had our usual supply of bee pasture from flowers. We are in the midst of swarming. The Messrs. Baldwins, since their advent here, have infused new life into bee-keeping. Hives have increased 5 pounds in a single day here lately. L. BuRDiCK, Galesburg, Mich., writes : — "Ovu' bees wintered very well last winter. But a great many were lost during the month of April, who tiew out anil died ap])arently without disease, the (pieens living till about the last. They laid some eggs but did not hatch, for the want of bees to take care of them. The bees might have died with old age. Any information on this subject would be thaidv •" Novice." did not seem to derive much benefit from the process. The manure was put aroniul the hive up to the honey board on three sides, and the front was protected by straw and a board placed in front of it. The prospect for surplus honey is poor, owing to the long con- tinued dry weather. Frank Searles, Hadley, Hi., writes : — ■' I wintered I2ii swarms and lost but one. I have only lost 8 swarms in the last three years. The weather for the past ten days has been very unfavorable— clouds, rain, and wind. The fields are white with clover, and my hives are full of bees. All they want now is fine weather. Swarms that I did not think gootl eiu)ugh to sell 1.5 days ago are now in first-class condition. They have done finely on the locust trees, for the past few days." C. II. English, Sullivan, Mo., writes:— " We have a good bee range here. The natural timber is very good. Sugar trees, soft maple, walnut, gum, and linn are among the l)est. They also make honey from a vine called •• poison vine," wild grapes, etc. 1 intend hedging my farm with a kind of liaw - thorn, resend)ling sugar haws. It l)looms in .June. Bees are very fond of it ; and it makes a good hedge, and the berries are good for hogs. Red raspberry is the best honey plant. Its leaves are dripping with hont^y dew. My hives are full of honey, some in boxes. I have had several swarms. I use black bees. Some day I will give you my experience." M. QxjiNBV, St. .Johnsville, N. Y., wi'ites : — " When I first read on page 106, tiie heading ' A new smoker " I thought • a contrivance for smoking bees " had reference to the way smoke was applied. Instead of a new way of applying smoke, it seems that only the material that he recommends to make it of is new. He concludes by saying ; ' You can blow th(» smoke where you want it, it leaves no bad effect on the bees." Are we to infer from this that some kinds of smoke do leave a 'bad effect ?' If so, I would like to enquire what kiiul does it, and in what way it does it. All bee-keepers ought to be interested, as our success in bee managenuMit depends on the judicious use of smoke. If any kind is detrimental, it is important that I know it, as I am just now reconnnending an indiscrimi- nate use of what is most convenient, and am unabh^ to detect any difference. When ' corn silk rolled in paper' is most convenient. I would advise using it. How to apply smoke conveniently, and effectually, without blow- ing the breath away, has been a long study with me. Any one that has a convenient method would confer a favor on the bee- keejiing comnmnity. by making it public." \V. M. Kkllocuj, Oneida. HI, writes: — "Bees arc doing finely al iircscut. tilling their THE AMERICAJ^ BEE JOURNAL. uyj hives with l)('(>s and honey ; I have had to use the extractor to keep them from crowding tlie queens out of doors. Stoclvs in small hives are preparinjj: to swarm, raising ([ueens, drones, etc., while those with movahle divi- sion boards, where we can give them i)lenty of empty comb, seem to be t'ontent with rais- ing lots of brood and lugging in the honey for us to sling out. Have nuide some new stocks and soon will have some more. AVe are hav- ing plenty of rain, so that bees have all they want to do to tend to their knitting ; but yesterday was so diunp they could get no honey from tlu^ tlo\VL*rs, so they pitcheil into I'verything that had sweet to it, by thousands, and were so cross one couldn't touch them with a ten foot pole. On page 142 Wm. Morris asks, "are large hives less liable to be atfected with dysentery than small ones?' With our bees that died otf in the spring of 'To, they did not get the dysentery till they were reduced to about a liint of bees, none of the stocks in large hives having it, till weak in bees, or the small hives either, for tliat matter. For my part 1 do not think it makes nnich ditfercnce in the size of the hive, if they have plenty of bees ; and as U) the cause of the disease here, we think it is to b(? laiil to the long continued cold rains and winds, keeping the bees from breeding, and what few were left iuul to gorge them- selves so with honey to keep up sufficient warmth, and then being conlined to the hives, gave them the dysentery. D. D. Palmer (page U8) speaks of the ' in- genious bent wire ' that Mr. Dadant uses to secure franuis at the bottom of the hive in shipping, but leaves us with our curiosity unsatisfied. Friend Palmer, can't you give us a description of it so we all can have the benefit of it ? or is it a:patented article '.' If it is, of course we'll fhave to pay for the nse of it." M. Np:vins. Cheviot. Ohio, writes:— "My ;>4 stocks of Italians are doing finely. They have worked nxjre freely on red clover during 1 he past two weeks than 1 ever knew tliem to do before. One swarm, from which I took 4 frames of brood in March. April, and May, has now nuide oO lbs. of comb honey in the small franu's, and ."iO lbs of extracted. This liivejhas been weighed every day since the 4th iust., and on 4 of these days has made 4 lbs. per day of comb honey, and almost entirely from red clover. I see some imiuirv is made through the dif- ferent journals for a con\enient plan for weighing. 1 have a fixture which is conveni- ent. Take three strips of sawed stuff, 2 in. wide by I14 in. thick, (or round poles will do) and .s or ;> ft. long. 8have the top of each so they will fit together when the lower enrls are spread some ."> ft. apart. Fasten the toj) ends together with an iron bolt. Now you liave a tripod. 41^ ft. from the foot fasten a cross piece from leg Xo. 1 to leg Xo. 2 of suf- ficient strength to bear the weight in the cen- tre, of anything you desire to weigh. Across- the centre of this cross piece attach a lever, letting the inside end project just far enough to reach past leg No. :j, fasten a cleat to i-est the end of the lever on. Attach a ring to the lever about midway between the cross bar that supports the lever and leg No, 1]. Take- a piece of rope, tie tin; two ends together and you have it long enough to go under the hive double and come up on each side near the top ot the hive. Tie a spreader to the rope on each side of the hive near the bottom to keei*- the rope sufficiently spread on the bottom of the liive. I nse a leather strap over the top of the hive, and through the rope on each side of the hive to hook the steelyard into so that it can readily be adjusted by a buckh; to the right length to just swing the hive clear, when the lever comes to a horizontal position and rests upon the cleat on leg No. 3, I fre- quently leave the hive suspended there fron» day to day. The outer end of the lever pro- jects over the cross bar far enough to give sufficient leverage to raise the hive easily by bearing down on it. The ring on the lever is for the upper hook of the steelyard. All bee-keepers will readily see the great advantage of weighing a sample hive every day so as to know just what calculation to make about supplying additional storage room etc. etc., without having to open and go through the hives, which is always an inter- ruption to them when storing honey rapidly. The above apparatus is a great conveniencje. 170 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 4 m^wMi^q^ntinnl THOMAS G. NEWMAN, Manager. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. Siugle subscriber, oiu' year $3.00 Two subscribers, seut at the same time 3.50 Three subscribers, sent at the same time 5.00 ■Six subscribers, seut at the same time, 0.00 Ten subscribers, sent at the same time 14.00 Twenty subscribers, sent at the same time, . . . 23.00 Send a postage stamp for a sample copy. Honey Markets. RATES OF ADVERTISING. SOLID NONI'ARIEL MEASUKK. first Insertion, per line # .30 Each subsequent insertion, per line 15 ea!;hes, pears or grajies tliat have been maimed, crushed, eaten into or broken open by some other agency. But not one living soul of all the parties to this ques- tion have seen with the physical eye, a honey bee at any time or under any cir- cumstances pounce upon a bunch of grapes or other fruit untouched by birds or in- sects, perfect in all r{*spects ; and with its mandibles eat through the skin or rind and open up its contents to a free banquet ! And 1 challenge all parties interested ia this controversy to come forward through the columns of this journal, not with cir- cumstantial or superficial evidence, but with facts bearing directly upon this vital point. The season of 187?. visited a fearful drouth on this portion of Ohio, and the bees and l)irds alike were hard up forprov- inder and made sad havoc with our grapes. Some citir.eiis counted their loss as high as twenty bu^^hels and vigorously pressed the Village Council to expel the bees by ordi- nance beyond cor])oration limits. Acting on the spur of the moment they actually passed an ordinance to its second reading (repeating the Wenhaiu farce) imposing a heavy penally for keeping bees within said limits. In tlie mean time I had not been idle, but applying tests to satisfy our peo- ple of their error, I invited them to come upon ray grounds and sec for. themselves the Robhins, Red-birds and Orioles that lay dead under my vines and fruit trees with grape seeds'in tiieir stomachs and mouths, as I had often shot tlienv in the act of biting open the grapes as they hung on the vines. Our bees were undergoing a test also — three hives had as many bunches of ripe concord graj>es tacked to their fronts — that passing out aiid in, contact was unavoida- ble ; on the tilth day they remained un- touched save the bees hunting through and over them to find an open berry. Then I opened with my knife say a quarter of the berries on each bunch and true to their in- stinct they began taking up the juice before 1 completed the job. In about forty-eight hours they had taken up all the juice aud 172 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. and pulp I had offered them, and four days la- ter, when I removed the bunches, not a sm- o-le' berry had they opened, but were busily fnspecting those that remained, doubtless waiting for some stronger power to lead in the business. The bald hornet, both black and yellow, are experts in cutting into peaches, pears, grapes, &c. In handling fruits, I have seen them cut through the rind of ripe and ten- •der peaches with great facility, thus leadmg the way for the more feeble insects to fol- low and take up their contents, and therein lies the great mistake with the hundreds of complainents. Birds and hornets are few indeed when compared with bees, and whilst they glide along opening up and in- viting to the feast, are rarely noticed. The honest bees, tarries to appropriate for the supply of his home, and is seen by the million and condemned as thieves and bur- glars. The most persistent and clamorous ot our citizens, who had threatened bee-men with the law and our bees with strychnine were the first to come forward and thank me for what I had placed before their eyes, as the true solution to the whole question ; for all who took the trouble, accomplished exactly the same results by the same means that I had used, and no further complaints have reached my ears to this day. Would it not be much more commend- able for horticulturists as well as scientists to keep their eyes open to facts as they ex- ist, tlian to make and publish to the world ' their sweeping declarations, founded in er- • ror and so prolific in mischief, wherever ■' they take root. ■■■ To Prof's. Dadaut, Cook and Krusehke: ••■ let us cordially thauk you for the light you li have shed upon this important controversy ' and in the mean time keep your powder '•• dry. : . Athens, Ohio. J. W. Bayakd. For the American Bee Journal. Handling a Delicate Subject. In writing to our friend. Prof. Cook, we did not intend lo convey the idea that Dr. Hamlin never used smoke in handling his bees, as the Professor has it stated in. his July article to beginners ; but we meant to say that he objected very strongly to its general use and only resorted to it when absolutely obliged lo do so. He was of the opinion that smoke of any sort, though it (luieted the bees for a time, left them in a . very irritable condition from which they would not recover for some time. lie im- agined that from handling his bees for a long tune with the use of but little smoke, he had developed in tliem an extraordinary peaceful disposition. Then, too, he thought •the smoke stopped the labor of every bee in the hive and left them filled with honey, idle, and sluggish for some time after its use. On opening hives in the spring with- out using smoke, with the greatest possible care and when the bees were gathering honey, we frequently found that the result would be a hasty retreat and an arming with a good smudge. Simply the odor of the person while standing on the leeward side of the hive often aroused them. Surely the labor of the whole hive was interrup- ted. By using, as has always'been our cus- tom, just a trifle of smoke on first opening the hive and then placing it near at hand so the fumes would scent the air about the hive, those same cross bees are quite easily handled, while the danger of arousing the peaceable ones is wholly avoided. The smoke seems to neutralize the scent of the poison floating in the air as the hive is opened. When properly used we have never seen any ill-eflect arising from the application of a small amount of smoke. Some stocks will require more than others on the start to subdue them, and occasion- ally one will scarcely ever need it, yet it is in- dispensible at times. The greater rapidity in the handling of stocks with smoke, is a strong point in favor of its use, even if it does not leave the bees with as peaceable a disposition. We think bees once irritated will remember the occurrence longer than they would a thorough smoking, and tlnrt, by the timely use of a little smoke, it is much better to prevent their getting once aroused than to attempt the handling of them ^yithout the smoke when there is danger of their becoming angered. In proof that the smoke does not induce an uo'ly disposition I would state that those same colonies that were cross in the spring on the first opening of the hives at a time when they were gathering honey rapidly, can now be handled on w^arm days with little or no smoke and but little danger ; yet they are not gathering a drop of honey, but are persistently endeavoring to take the little sweetness accumulated by some of their less fortunate neighbors. When the smoke is used in the manner describedthey always observe a proper decorum realizing that their master is at hand. We class ourselves as "a beginner," (Northern winters have necessitated our beginning several times,) so Prof. Cook's articles apply to us ; and, though we spent some time studying bee-culture under the Professor's direction and are willing m most matters pertaining to the subjectto follow his excellent advice, yet in the third paragraph of his .hily article he has some advice which for the present at least, we shall have to put along with the advice on queen clipping,— as a total loss upon us. He says to "all who are in the bonds ot single .bitterness, immediately procure a THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 173 brave intelligent helpmeet." But really af- ter writing the sentence wc have come to the conclusion that it docs not include us or else we are not capable of comprehending our own condition. We never became aware that avc were "in the bonds of sin- gle bitterness," but always thought it freedom ; then, too, we have always been accustomed to consider the occupation of the apiarist as a sweet one so we should label tlie condition which the Professor ev- idently means to describe as the freedom of single sweetness. As far as bravery and intelligence are concerned we presume there arc many young ladies both North and JSouth that would answer to that descrip- tion, yet were we not afraid of a "^severe trouncing" (see Sept. Oct. and Nov. No's. of Bee-keepers' Magazine for '73,) we should be inclined to say that most of tliem would take but little interest in the cultivation of the "little busy bee" or as they sometimes term them," miserable stinging things." However we should do injustice did we not mention that there is one Southern jMiss who surely takes an interest in bee- culture, else she would not have ridden six- teen miles horseback through the rain and on the Fourth of July to receive two Ital- ian queens. We well know that Mrs. C. is an excel- ' lenc helpmeet, yet we never remember seeing her in the apiary. Taking the views ' expressed in the above statement of the case we think the Professor ought to try and have the beginner think himself suthcieutly blessed if he but procure a companion who would prove a "brave intelligent helpmeet" outside of the apiary. Besides when too'- mauy "bee-fplks" are around there is great danger of one's getting "bee on the brain," — a very bad complaint Avhichin most cases narrows the mind down to one thing, and , confines its sphere of action, thus making ■of what might be a man, a mevn macJiine. Edgefield Junction, Teun. F. B. For the American Bee Journal. A Lady's Experience. I think as I am considerably indebted to yourself and the Gleanings for the de- gree of success I have been favored with. I will give you an account of the experi- ence I have had, since the fall of 1872. I bought, at that time, 3 colonies of bees in Langstroth hives, for which I paid $2(J. I increased them last summer to 4, and in the fall united my 2 nuclei, thus I win- tered out of doors o stocks on natural stores and fed a little sugar syrup ; I had no sur- plus honey, the season being poor. To say I was afraid of my bees would hardly ex- press it. I almost laugh now when looking- back over the last summer, to think how I have overcame many dithculties, and I al- most dread to think of those nights of al- most hysterical excitement ; how the bees seemed to swarm around me as soon as I closed my eyes to sleep, and nothing Imt the continued angry buzz (as I imagined) greeted my cars day and night, and then those horrid slings. I liad to go to our physician 2 or 3 times. (Now please do not laugh it is not polite you know, espec- ially when one suspects you have been in a similar position yourself.) I asked him Avhether I had not better give up those bees entirely. I had not been well and he thought I needed something to draw my attention out of that gloomy state into which I had sunk. So I attended to the millers, around the blocks, and clipped the grass in front of the hives and watched them whenever I could. If woi-k kept me in the house all day I often stole glances through the wiixdow, or when I rested and I read Longstroth on the Honey Bee in the evenings, (I did not know anything, about bee journals then,) when I made these arti- ficial swarms how I trembled, and how heated I got, and the little rascals seemed to know I was afraid of them. They came out all right last spring. I fed them a lit- tle, and opened the spread, as Mr. Doolittlc recommended. You see I had the Amj^ri- CAX Bee Journal to study then, it has been worth very much to me. I have an acquaintance who lives about 3 miles from us, who owns about lUO colonies ; he has kindly instructed me from time to time ; he has not used the extractor yet, but I pre- sume he Avill soon. Last March I bought 5 stocks in box hives. I transferred them very success- fully. Some were in fine order ; one was destitute of brood and honey, I think. I bought them just in time to save them. I gave them brood and honey from some of the other hives, and now they are my best stock, exceptoue. I drummed them out and opened the side of the hive, on which the combs lay fiat, with a cold chisel, bor- rowed from my liusband's mowing machine. When I asked for it, he laughed and con- sented-to lend it if I would return it to it's place, and remarked that he supposed I would have all of his tools about those hives if he did. not look after them. Of course it was duly returned, I do not like to hear men grumble especially when, thej' are in the house. T)ve first, week in May I visited A. I. RooL & Co., of Medina ; the day was very waim but little daughter Edith and myself hr.d a very pleasant time. Mr. Root certainly is a gentlemen, and Miss Andrews took especial pains to show us their, apiary, and I learned what I could. 1 fear I troubled them with questions, but as some Americans I have heard say, "I wanted to know." Mr. R. has a pleasant home, and a very nice family ; especially 174 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. little blue eyes. We have a little fair-haired girl with a sunny smile, wlio the otlier day got a stiug while adjusting the bloclcs as she had seen me do. She kept me awake that night, and the next morning Mr. M. re- marked my wearied appearance, and said, "Wife. I do not think it pays to have that baby stung like tliat ; I fear your bees are a poor investment." I had iny own private thoughts and again bathed my baby's stiug with amonia, and said nothing. Poor dar- ling, she often puts that hand forme to Hiss, and tries to tell me about it. Sir, I thought I was transferring bees ; but I see I have wandered far away. I will tell you the re- sult of those bees at some other time. Elyria, Ohio. Mrs. W. M. Cause of Bee Swarming and Mij^ra- ting to the Forests. The period of incubation by the queen commences early in the spring. It is rapid- ly generative, and when the honey season approaches, the cells are well stocked with eggs, larvse, &c. At this time, the working bees sally forth to labor day after day with untiring assiduity to stock their homes with a winter'3 supply of provender. During the busy season they intimate a negligence toward the royal blood by packing cell after cell with their wealth and rapidly con- tracting the queens domains — the cells for her deposits. The breeding space of the hive thus becomes rapidly narrowed, and, finally, the queen, having no empty cells, locates in some remote place, generally on or near the edge of a comb, and continues her deposits. The latter, on the edge of the comb, are eaten by the working bees. Thus situated, the royal influence of the queen is limited, and unexerted. The wealth of the community has unsettled the kingdom. The entire swarm seems to be dis-loyal. It presents the condition of a nation which has lost its sovereign. The working bees, powerful in wealth, construct royal residences or "queen-cells," in which they rear queens ; and to be certain lest the royal blood should become extinct. The royal family consists of many queens, heirs expectant, and when these youtliful queens are hatched, the old queen, jealous of lier regal honors, undertakes to destroy her rival queens. Unable to succeed, as an army of workers surrountl and defend the young queens, the old queen abdicates her throne, and sallies forth from her late dominions, accompanied by her loyal sub- jects, old and young, whirling and buzzing in dire confusing. After all of the disaUcc- ted have left the hive they settle with the queen upon a shrub or bush. This i6*tvhat constitutes "swarming." In swarming, it is believed tliat a regular and permanent organization is not entirely affected until after the departure of the swarm from the parent hive to cluster in a body, not unlike a mass convention. Im- mediately on swarming, the greatest tumult and confusion ensues throughout the ranks, at the same time manifesting a desire to alight sufficiently far from their late abode, so as not to be interrupted or annoyed wliile completing their organization and arrangements for their prospective home. Here we notice a striking pecularity. All the bees that are capable of taking wing, young, middle aged and aged (except those that are employed in nursing the young larvae, brooding over the chrysalis, or are out in the fields,) accompany the swarm to seek their new habitation. ~ Here is wisdom and order created out of disorder and rebellion. The Author of all things has " most wisely" fixed their dispo- sitions so as to prevent the overthrow of the old colony. A large number of bees are absent from the fields, amassing honey, at the time when the swarming takes place. These, no doubt, amid the unsettled condi- tion of home affairs, would join the new colony and leave the parent home unprotec- ted and defenceless. • The combs w^ould be- come despoiled and ravaged by the irrup- tion of those little barbarians — the moth family, the infant queens would die from want of careful nursing ; the germ of another new colony — the larvai and chrysa- lis— would be lost in the general wreck, without the protection afibrded by these absentees, who, when they return, oiler the necessary care to preserve the household with its interests. When a new colony leaves the hive, and goes off without alighting on a shrub or bush, it is, as a general thing, those swarms which hang upon the outside of the hive. It is an unusual occurrence, that swarma which hang upon the outside of the hive leave until they have sent oil' ambassadors to select a suitable home for their future abode. Now if bees are hived immediately after they have alighted, or before they have dispatched their agents to select a new tene- ment, they w ill not leave at all, if their new residence has been made agreeable, and clear of everything oilcnsive to them, and sufficiently commodious. (For it is want of room that causes swarming.) Then, to secure the new swarm we reccommend " artificial swarming." — From Flander'a Bee BiO'c. Honey is never found in the second sto- mach of the bee, but only in the first. The latter contains only the Myme, being the digested or partially digested food, which passes into the intestines, and the final ex- creta there show that the food consists mainly of pollen or bee-bread. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAI-. 175 For the American Bee Journal. A Voice from Pennsylvania. i In writing for Uic Jouknai., I wish more j would give their experience in bee-keeping, j whether good or bud, that ntliers might j protit thereby ; for, as I understand it, tlie \ object of tlie paper is to give practical in- j formation, and not to dispute over difter- ences of opinion, until bad blood is aroused among those who should be the best of friends. I believe there arc many success- ful bee-keepers who could give valuable in- formation; but I fear the great fault of humanity— seltishness— may perhaps pre- vent them. Bees have not done so well here this year on account of the late and cold spring; they wintered very well, bui as the season ad- vanced I found three hives did not increase, and upon examination I found them queen- less, a misfortune which I see by the pro- ceedings of the Michigan Convention ; others have met with this winter to an unusual extent. The cause may be in my case the age of the queens, for I have not had a swarm for two years. My room for stands being limited, and honey my object, I have entirely prevented swarming, by giving plenty of room for surplus, early in the season and ease of access to the surplus frames or boxes. I never clip the queens wings, and my experience is that it is entirely unnecessary. My bees are of the black, or as some call them the gray variety. I ex- pect shortly to receive several Italian queens to supply my loss, though I am not over sanguine of great improvement, for 1 see upon occasions that I have visited the fields to observe, that a good many gray bees are at work on the red clover, though I do not think bees like it very Avell, which is per- haps the greatest reason they do not visit it more, for it secretes honey in abundance; and if some can get it, others would try much harder than they do, if they liked it. I use the Quinby hive as described in his work on the bee, enlarged to hold 14 frames 10x18 inches inside measurement, with two dividers, making the main hive, or winter house of S frames, with a dead air space on each side for winter protection. By re- moving the dividers six small 5 Iti boxes or 18 small frames may be placed on each side for surplus, or if the extractor is used, the whole hive filled out with full sized frames. The bottom board under the main hive or 8 central frames is loose and joined to the side bottoms by rabbets. The side bottoms are nailed to the hive which makes it stronger, and keeps it always square and firm. The bottom board is held in place by 2 buttons underneath. I find this form of bottom board nwich more convenient than in those that are all in one, as some of my first were made. Honey board made of G pieces — after Quin- by. I had some willi holes, but threw them away. Cap fits down over all, and rests on a loose moulding frame held in place by a screw or nail on each side, and may be left down to the bottom board for further protc-ction in winter. Top the same as the IJay State hive and loose. Portico moAiible. It makes the hive easier to han- dle and lighter. When I commenced keep- ing bees, I tried wintering in the cellar and lost heavily, but since I leave them on their summer stands, I have not the slightest sign of dysentery, and loose very few. In win- tering, I have never yet (except when I tried the cellar) given upward ventilation, and 1 am not sure tliat it is ever necessary; it is not the true principle of ventilation for buildings, then why for bees, besides why do they so carefully close up every upper hole and crevice — -even to wire gauze put over the holes or openings in the honey board, even in hot weather V I believe the true principle — as I saw recommended some time since in the Jourx.a,l — would be to give plenty of open space below the combs, and not open the top and let the heat pass off. The whole of my stock at this time are natural swarms and yet I liave never had .;i swarm leave for the woods, or leave the hive I introduced them into, and yet I nev- er even gave them a piece of comb to start on. I incline the hive slightly forward and mostly secure straight combs. I am located in the rural part of the 24th Avard of the city of Philadelphia, near George's Hill and the Park, and my bees have a fair field for pasture. They swariu here about the first and second week in June in favorable seasons, am\ I ihave had them as early as the 10th of May darioffith^ blossom season. Our best and largest yie\^\ of honey comes from the Tulip Poplar—' the queen of honey-producing trees. It [ scarcely or never fails as white clover and ^ basswood sometimes do. Its blossoms open successively for a long time, indeed without it bee-keeping here, I think, would be a failure, althoiigh there is considerable bass- wood and white clover. The leaves of the Poplar frotiuently yield largely of honey- dew in the fall. I would like to recommend them to Novice while he is planting au orchard of honey-producing trees. They grow quite as rapidly as basswood and are very handsome shade trees. Bees will not work on fiour here in the ejnlng; perhaps the reason is tliat they get natural pdllen from the shade-tree maple, whicli is so very plenty, and blossoms when the weather is at all favorable as early as February. Being utar to a good market I prefer : boney in tlie comb and iind small frames 5i by 6^ inches in the clear, 7 or 8 to a case, and glass at each end, just the thing. They eell well, are convenient to handle, easy tu I7G the: AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. LC-t the bees out of, when full; and wlien the honey seuson is over 1 join those tilled nnd sealed ones together into full cases, and extract the honey from those partially tilled, find they arc worth pounds of honey the next season in starting tlie tees to work early on surplus, and thereby also })revent .^warming. By having one full siz.ed comb in the middle of the case, and small combs •or pieces warmed and stucli fast to the frames I secure straight combs and a comb to eacli frame every time. "Do bees injure fruit V" I see is now up for debate. I say, no ! I have grapes hang- ing over and all around them, and so have also my neighbors. I have watched them closely and though I frequently see them on the ground at the broken and fallen grapes and occasionally a defective one on the vine I have never yet seen them open a sound grape. I have observed that tliey act in "the presence of, or in going over sound grapes as if tliey liad no idea of sweets being in their neighborliood, but break one open and they then soon go for it. Three years ago one of my neighbors did complain about my bees eating all his grapes, and lie said lie would not get any, tlie latter was really true, for he got very few, but it was because they Avere diseased, as he soon discovered, and nearly all fell off or rotted on the vine. "Do king-birds eat worker bees?" is an- other question whicli has been disputed, but I say from personal knowledge that they do, and a great many of them too; while I am writing, I hear tliem up in tlie air on the top of some large maple trees which sur- rounds my neighbor's house. They are af- ter bees, for I have shot a number of them and sometimes their craws were stuffed with bees, and on careful examination I found most of them to be worker bees. I have also watched them in the park, (which is full of them, as they are not allowed to be shot.) They are very tame there, and there- fore I could get close to them. I have seen them leave a small twig of some ornamen- tal shrub and dart doAvn among the white clover, take a bee, and return to the twig, iirst beat the bee to death holding it in its ))ill, and then swallow it, and in a few min- utes, go for another, I can assure you I felt very much like going gunning for king- birds about that time. Artificial combs have been talked of in Conventions and in the Journal. Has any one succeeded in getting bees to work and raise brood in them ? If so, can any one inform me wdiere to send for one, as I would like to see and try them. I have an idea that they might be made of vulcanite, such as is used in making artifiicial teeth, as it is put to almost every use now. At the Centei-.nial Fair to be held in Phil- .-idclphia in l.S7() almost every' interest that can be mentioned except bee-keeping' has been referred to an appropriate committee. Why is this? There are several org inized bodies of bee-keepers in the United States. I thought I would call attention to it through the Journal, though I know there is some objection to having bees Avhere there will be such a lage number of people and horses. Philadelphia, Pa., J. R. "Wells. P. S. I wish those who advertise would state price, and not wind up w'ith send for circular, for bee-keeping time is often precious, queen raisers I fear sometimes forget that in filling orders. W. For the American Bee Journal. Fruit and Forest Culture in Nebraska. At this time there is great interest at- tached to the subject of tree-planting on the prairies. It is a Avell settled point that the forests of the country — vast as these are — will not forever bear the enormous demands now made upon them. As trees grow rap- idly in prairie soil, it is beyond doubt that the great plains Vtill aflbrd sites for some of the forests of the future. Not forests where for hundreds of miles there is noth- ing but trees ; but forests, after the fashion of the old world — except that the main in- cident in their creation will not be to afford coverts for game — where woodland, arable and pasture alternate Avith each other. In Nebraska, the settler has special induce- ments to plant trees. The law of the State gives a bounty in the shape of remission of taxation for tree-planting; and, in four or five years, tiie farmer begins to reap Iiis ad- vantage in fuel groAvn upon his land, and in the fruit ripening in his orchard. The new timber hxAV, also, will stimulate forest culture. This laAV, as amended by Con- gress during its present session, gives 160 acres of land to Avhosoever will plant forty acres to trees, and cultivate the same for eight years; and this Avithout any condition as to residence, so that a homesteader or buyer of railroad land can, when there is Government land in his vicinity, have 160 acres as a gift, if he will plant one-quarter to one of the most profitable crops that can be put into the ground. Some time ago your correspondent was favored on this matter of tree-growing, Avith the experience of Mr. V. C. Uttley, of Nursery Hill, Otoe county, Nebraska, Avho has resided eleven years on a Nebraska farm, and Avho, be- fore that, Avas a farmer in Ohio. He says that the fruit grower need have no fear in planting on the open prairie. Apple trees tlourish on the highest blulls, care being taken, by the planting of cottouAvood as a wind- break, to shelter the orchard from the liighest Avinds. ]\Ir. Uttley has also found the black Avalnut adapted to Nebraska soil ; and indeed, it is naturally adapted inasmuch as on' the banks of our rivers and creeks THE AMERICAN BEE JOI i;.\\L. tliese trees grow luxuricntly. As the result of expericucc, Mr. Uttley commeiuls to the tree-phi liters! in Nebniskii : bhick wahuit, soft iiiiiple, box-eUler, pophir, cottonwood. honey U)eust, butternut, American and Eu- ropean hirehes and all evergreens, lie has experimented with most kinds of trees ; and his conclusion is that these are the best for the settler to plant — and to plant in the Spring. N. A. E. For (he Aiiu'rifuii Koc Journul. Novice's Answer. 31k. EuiTon : — We should like to make a mild protest against the position in which our excellent correspondent, Mr. Gallup, places Novice in his article on page 1G4. We believe that we should go to work to rear queens in just about the same way that Mr. G. would, and cannot think that our readers have understood us as ever having advocated queen-rearing in the manner he mentions. That many who rear queens for sale, do. 'Tis needless for us to refer to where we have narrated on these pages our experiments in rearing queens with old bees and small clusters, and how they laid eggs only a week or two, A:c., for our readers certainly remember. Please, Mr. Gallup, be a little more neighborly. Although we agree perfectly on queen-rearing, we fear we do not quite agree on hives. As a great deal has been said about the Gallup hive as described on page 1:33, we would like to add our opinion, but it is cer- tainly respectfully tendered, and given in all candor. As to the length of the hive we have nothing further to add than what we liave said heretofore, but we cannot help feeling doubtful about the double casing, and air space; on the same page, mention is made of disastrous losses where double- cased hives were used, and our friend fed on sugar syrup too. Also, the case of Mr. EUvood, mentioned by Quinby, who lost bees by dysentery when fed on syrup, was in double-cased hives, or at least something to the same eflect ; and without going far- ther, we will only mention that our neigh- bors, Shaw ifc Son., put a good colony last fall in a hive or box v\'ith double walls, filled with sawdust on top, bottom and sides, and the walls were eigJtt inches thick; they died with dysentery in its worst form very early in the Avinter. Double-walled liives have been advocated, patented, tried, and abandoned, by bee-keepers the world over from the veriest novice up to both Laugstrotli and Quinby for years past, but yet Mr. G's. plan may be a little ditrerent and it is well not to be too hasty. A colony that can cover 2G combs in February, cer- tainly should be able to keep warm, inde- pendent of any aid from the sun in occa- iionly warming up the sides; but Mr. G. also mentions wintering a weak colony thus : Wiis this simply because bees fre- (luently wintered well almost any way, or was it on account of tlie double-walls V Please Mr. (i. tell us how these hives came through the si)ring. AVe cannot under- stand how it is, tiiat the long hives only build worker comb with friend (iallup, when they build drone-comb almost every time with us, ]\Iedina bee-keepers, as in fact they do from all accounts we receive of them. One of the best bee-keepers in our country who uses the Gallup frames and has followed faithfully Mr. G's. excellent articles from the commencement — uses di- vision boards constantly and would not give it up "no how;" but he cannot yet make comb in large colonies, and he has bees and brood on 20 or more Gallup frames in the long hives at this present time. Now although we have had our say, it may still be that the " New Idea Gallup llive" will cure all the troubles in wintering which we most sincerely hope maybe the case, for if somebody dont help, we really fear we shall forever be only a Novice. P. S. We may be mistaken in saying that Quinby has abandoned double-walls for out-door wintering, if so we are sorry — no, we mean we beg pardon. While we think of it, does any one know that the Quinby hive without boxes is a veritable "New Idea," and although 'twas given to the public years ago, no one has ever even said "thank you." If any one should find that glass for the outer walls of the hive secured all advantage from the sun and the dead air space too, remember we inserted it several years ago, but never tried it, like lotsof other "blamed good ideas that our head is always 'chuck' full of." (Xir 10 colonies are now 31 and are bringing in basswood honey at an un- precedented- rate. We have actually got almost a barrel on this 7th of July, 1874. For the American Bee Jonrnal. Ants and Cockroaches. In my correspondence and the bee journals there is much complaint against ants in bee hives, while there is nothing said of cockroaches. I have ants enough in my apiary ; but the cockroaches are ten times as troublesome. The ant does not steal honey out of the hive, nor trouble the bees to my knowledge, but the cockroaches do both. All the ants want is a warm and dry place, for a nest on top of the honej' board where they can enjoy the warmth of the bees below, and this is but a portion of the year, from 3Iay to October, while the cockroaches are present the year round. When you go to open a stand with an ants' nest on the honey board, it is no small job to brush them oil', and when you raise the board a great many get inside and w^orry 178 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. the bees very much for a few miuutes. Those -who will take the trouble can keep the ants away by rubbing the outside of the liive with green elders or turpentine, or corperas, but none of this will keep the cockroaches away. I find the cockroaches very thick in my apiary all summer, and in winter they are on top to enjoy the warmth of the bees, and inside of weak stands. That they do steal honey and live on it through the win- ter there is no questioning. In proof of their fondness for honey, I have often set out mugs and bowls with honey and water to drown moth flies at night, but the result would be about one hundred drowned cockroaches to one moth fly. Also the sweetened water that I use in introducing (jueens, wintering bees, etc. I can set cups nowhere in the apiary at night but the next morning it will be perfectly clean, and cockroaches found in it. I have tried a great many devices to get rid of them, but all in vain. The best I ever tried was to go through the hives on a very cold day, and brush off the cock- roaches to freeze which they readily do, but there is an evil in this plan ; it disturbs the bees which should not be disturbed in cold frozen days. I have found a still bet- ter plan. I am in the poultry business, and have put a trio of Buff Cochins in the bee yard, and trained them to follow me around on warm days, and eat the cockroaches as fast as I can brush them off. This I find to be a good plan with no evil in it. I have never had a fowl eat a live bee. I have seen fowls go to the entrance of a hive and pick up a worm without disturb- ing the bees. I have also seen them go round a hive looking on the sides for moth flies, and I believe this is one reason why the moth is no trouble to me. Lowell, Ky. R. M. Argo. The most complete check upon robbing bees is to place a bunch of grass or wet hay over the entrance to the hive. The Ijees will find their way to the entrance to their own hive, the robbers will be caught by the sentinels in passing through the grass, and soon cease their pilfering. Crystallization of Honey. — The action of light causes honey to crystallize. The ditficulty may be obviated by keeping it in the dark, the change, it is said, being due to photographic action ; and that the same agent that alters the molecular arrange- ment of iodide of silver on the excited col- lodian plate, causes the syrup honey to as- sume a crystallic form. It is to this action of light that scientists attribute the working of bees by night, and they are so careful to obscure the glass windows that are some- times placed in their hives. Therefore, keep honey away from the light. For the American Bee Journal. Gallup Again. AVithout doubt the Extractor lias killed its thousands of stocks of bees. Now, Mr. Editor, publish the above without explan- ation, and, oh, horror of horrors, how CTal- lup Avould catch it. In many cases it has been used without the least particle of rea- son, and the bees have all died of dysentery, or that terrible bee disease. Perhaps we could illustrate better by telling of one of our mis-moves a number of years ago. — Soon after learning to drum out bees, we made a grand discovery. Mind that there were then no bee journals, or perhaps we, Novice-like, should have been caught giving instructions to others, when we knew nothing ourselves. Right here, allow me to say for Novice's consolation, that we passed through the same ordeal that he is now going through. Tliat is, we were very forward in giving our knowledge to others, before we had any to spare. But to our story. We thought that we could drum out our bees in August, place them in a new hive, (w^e used the old box or chamber hive in those days,) and in 2/ days the young bees would be liatched and we would drum them out also, and unite them with the others ; they would then fill the hive and winter, and I could have the old stores, etc. This was a wonderful dis- covery and I, Novice-like, spread the news of the discovery far and near. But by the month of February these bees had a terrible disease ; in fact, they all died of dysentery, (fine stocks). They had honey enough, but it w'as made or gathered too late in the sea- son, consequently was not properly evapor- ated or matured, and the result as stated above. Now, is it not a fact that many, in order to get a large yield of honey, extract too late in the season ? They have the neces- sary amount in weight but not in quality. You will recollect of one person telling in the back numbers of extracting late in the fall, and their filling up and that all died with dysentery. That person requested some one to give the reason why they died, and we told him he had given the reason himself, etc. Now, if we winter bees on honey we want that honey of good quality and made in the proper season, and when the bees are raising brood rapidly, and have large quantities of bees of the right age to properly manufacture or evaporate it. Here is another question for our consid- eration. The two-story hive has been laud- ed to the skies by Novice, when practice and experience has taught us and others that it is entirely in the wrong form, as the beeB are not able to properly evaporate THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 170 their lioucy iu cool weather and raise brood as rapidly and abundantly as they outrht to in a liive of tla- proper form. In the" New Idea " forni we have the brood nest always warm, consequently breeding can bo car- ried on rapidly, and honey stored at the same time, without the animal warmth es- caping into an upper story and away from the brood nest. Now, if we extract all the honey on the loth of August in our climate except from a few central combs in the In'ood nest, we have room enough for the bees to breed and store from SO to 150 lbs of honey without any more disturbance for the season. This honey we leave in the hive until the bees begin to gather rapidly the following season, and it is stored where it is convenient for tlic bees to get at and still docs not keep the brood nest cool or take away one particle of warmth from the brood nest. The consequence is that we have no feeding to do at any season of the year, for it is a well-established fact that a strong powerful stock of bees with abun- dance of store do not need any stimulation to induce them to breed early enough for iill practical purposes. Now, here is another consideration. A ■^leighbor of mine uses box hives 14 inches liigh and 18 or 20 inches square, and his bees have not died or had the dysentery while the neighbors' bees have died by the thousands ; he winters on summer stands. My impression is that the injudicious use of the extractor, two-story and small stan- dard hives has killed thousands and thou- sands of stocks of bees. Why did not my liees have the terrible disease tliat has been so prevalent all over the country ? There has been other causes besides the injudici- ous use of the extractor to kill the bees. Years ago we lost heavily at dillerent times find at that time we were not willing to at- tribute our losses to our own ignorance, but it was a fact nevertheless. Whose advice is the best — ^the advice of those who fail, or that of those who succeed. Let the "Novices" decide for themselves. Yours truly, Orchard, Iowa. Galllt. For the American Bee Journal. Gallup and Queen Rearing. Don't set it down too positively, friend Gullup, that " abundance" of food of the right kind and "abundance" of warmth are all the requisites of successful queen rearing, simply because you don't see other conditions present when a full colony of bees are raising queens at will. We should remember that a colony of bees are a whole — they are one individual, the same as a swarm of cords and nerves that form the human body are one, except they are seperable for a short time. Taking this for a basis, is not the whole colony the parent of tlie queen as well as all the ofl"- spring? AVe all know that animal magnet- ism is the essence of animal life, and that parents greatly endowed with this life-giv- ing jirinciple will ])roduco the stixtngest otVspring, other things being ctiual. Now, would it not be natural to suppose that a full colony of bees would be sure to pro- duce ihc best (pieens. I believe the best queens we get are those reared in cases of superceedure when' the tchole colony remains together till the /latrhiny of the (lueen, at least. "Novice" says, on page 53 of Gleiminr/s for May, that, "to be sure many will say she can't lay eggs, and brood can't be rear- ed without more than eighty-two bees. — But why V Ans. A lack of "animal mag- netism." Now, friend Gallup, don't accuse us of having been only six years in the bus- iness ; for we see you criticise Mr. Quinby who has been engaged in apiculture much longer than you, and has had no " big farm " to take his attention either. I am no stickles for old methods and systems, nor do I believe that queens reared at will of the colony are as good as those properly reared at the will of the apiarian. I think I can shovv^ that prolificness in the mother- bee, beyond a certain limit, is of no value. The qudUty of the bees in our apiary is what we need, and not a great number /ro?// one queen, or a few queens. Apiarians have dreaded the swarming impulses of their apiaries worse than the moth, and this I believe has been owing to a limited knowledge of the science. We have known how to take a profitable advan- tage of the powers of bees, so long as this impulse did not interfere, but when it did, we were left in the dark and our plans thwarted. AVhen we understand how to ^^se this impulse to the best advantage, we shall foster and encourage it. Then shall we appreciate the Italian bee in its broad- est sense. Now a word for "Novice." No apiarian has done more for me than he. I look upon the changes of his mind, we hear so much about, as evidences of his progressive nature. The above is simply our views. Let the watch-word be "onward " through- out our apiarian lines, and hence let us speak our minds freely, not for spite, but for the advancement of our pet science, and let us change our minds publicly, as of- ten as we do privately, which will be often if we observe closely and experiment large- ly. Convictions do not come at will but are always forced upon us. Dowagiac, Mich. James Heduon. The bees throughout the world, as known collectively to the richest cabinets, number about two thousand species. ]8(> THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. For the American Ece Journal. Our Honey Markets. Mk. Editor : — I v:\s\i to ask through the .TouKNAL wlicthcr other apiarians, wlio ship lioney to any amount, liave any difficulty in getting returns. 1 have had considerable, and it is only because I feel it a duty due to my fellow bee-keepers that I now make public several transactions witli honey mer- chants. For over a year there lias been au advertisement in the American Bee Joxjr- XAL of Baumeister ifc Co., wanting 10,000 lbs. of extracted honey. In answer to that advertisement I otlered lo buy them honey, and have their reply stating what they would pay and what commission tliey would give for buying. I bought consider- able, and with some of the product of my own apiary, collected about six barrels, and Avrote them to that cllecl, stating the qual- ity of each barrel whether basswood, clover, mixed or fall honey. By fall houej'Imeau that collected principally from bone-set, buckwheat, fall astor, butter-weed, (or as some call it, tire-weed,) golden rod and a number of other honey plants of minor im- portance, all blooming at so nearly the same time as to render it dithcult to say which tiavor predominates in taking a sam- ple from a barrel. At the time I wrote I also said that I had had au offer of 15 cents l)er pound for it in the warehouse but as I liad written to them previous about it, they had the right to the lirst choice, and if they wished to take it at that price I would send it, and in repl}' Avas ordered to scud it on. But upon their receiving it they wrote say- ing that the honey was not as represented. In marking the barrels I did not rely entire- ly on my own judgement but on the judge- ment of two other apiarians, to whom I can refer ; Init the trouble came afterwards. I looked for money but none come. After waiting a month or two I went to Chicago ' to see about it and found they had sent $20(1 in a letter addressed with wrong in- itials. That being made clear and satisfac- tory, they faithfuilj' promised to send me iftlOO the following week, giving also a note for f 1.10 payable in one month, and $20 in cash. The liouey amounted to $470. In- stead of the $100, only $.■)() came and that two weeks late. Tlie note was paid on time ; but the $')() they now refuse to pay, saying they will only give $2.") ; and it is three week since they otlered that and I ac- cepted it, liut still llu'v do not even send that. I have given a rather lengthy account of this one transaction, as 1 would like to know if any others have liad business witli this firm, ;ind whether they do business generally in that style. I also sent a bill of honey to J. \V. AVin- der of Cincinuati, amounting to $1L'0; he complained of nothing but "panicky times." AVheu the money was due I received $7.> from liim, but for the last few months can- not hear a word. I wrote to the Chicago Honey House, -JGO Wabash Avenue, asking what they would give for fall honej^, and stated that I had a barrel (I use 500 ft barrels) to dispose of. They offered me 15 cents, if clear. I ship- ped it, saying it was candied, and now they do not want it at all. Who arc the staunch men to whom wc can ship lioncy and feel sure of having speedy returns. AVe can better afford to sell for 13 cents cash, than wait six months at 15 cents, not knowing whether it Avill ever come. Wm. W. Bird Ohio. For the .Viiierifan r,ec .Tournal. Our Opinion of Artificial Queens. Dear Journal ;— IMethinks your contri- bution from S. W., Mo., is far and few between. Last fall, I predicted that many blaclc bees in log gums would starve. So they did. Mine (Italians) all wintered, and liave made some surplus. I like Ga,llup's article in the July No., page 1G4, on artifi- cial cpieens, and commend it to beginners in bee-keeping. I would like to have the line of distinction between natural and artificial queens drawn upon a little differ- ent ground. I think natural queens are those produced by natural sAvarming and none others, (iueens that are produced from any and all other causes are artifi- cial. If Ave take the queen aAvay from a strong colony of bees in Avarm Aveather, Avheu they arc getting plenty of stores from the field and have bees in all stages of existence, from the egg up to the field Avorkers, avc are apt to raise good prolific, Avcll-colored queens, large size and long lived ; but they should know no scarcity of food. If they need it, they should be fed daily the first eight days. Such queens as these Ave call ai-tificiul. Gallup calls them natural. Such queens as Gallup calls artificial, I do not take any stock in. lu fact I do not have any confidence in any of those Ioav- priced queens, and I do not believe the ex- pert bee-keeper can afVord to raise good queens (or Avhat avc call good queens) tested anil Avarranted for $2 and $;5. He Avould do better to devote his time and force for surplus honey. If those cheap (lUeens are thrown on the market, it will have a great tendency to hinder the introduction of the Italian bee. 1 Avould much prefer paying $5 to $8 for a (pieeu that Avas actually Avorth that, than to pay $2 for a cheap one and run the risk of Ix'ing totally disap- pointed. I beg leave to diller with ^Ir. lla/.en, ou THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. LSI page 10;5 of tlie Amkuican Tkk Jouk- XAL, ill regard to over stocking tlie liolil. Probably we in tlie West are diirerently situated ill resjieet to bee pasturage to what they are in the East. When ^Ye have good honey llowers here, we never have bees enough to gather all, until rain or dry weatlier stops them from work, and we should always bi; prepared with our colonies, strong and largo enough, in case of failure in llowers, to secrete honey ; for such colonies will live when others will starve to death, and more especially if they be Italians. E. Listun. Cedar Co., 3Io. For the American Kcc Journal. Double Story Hives. WHiile bees are storing honey vapidly they should have more room within their hives than at other seasons. They need this both to prevent sv/arniing and to secure from them the largest yield of honey. A given number of bees in one liive will store much more surplus honey, than the same number divided out into Jieveral hives. One of the most important rules to be observed, where surplus honey is the object, is to keep tJie stocks strong. The queen should have all the combs she can supply with eggs, and the Avorkers as many as they can till with honey. Yv'hen the hive is in this condition, and the ex- tractor is freely used, there is little if any danger of swarming, and an abundance of honey will be obtained. Ordinary single-cham'ier hives contain about ;25UO cubic inches of space. For mediu'u sized stocks in ordinary seasons of the year, this Avill be room sufficient ; but when the tlowers arc secreting honey pro- fusely, and the queens are laying freely, twice that space should be given them. Some intelligent bee-keepers hold that all this room should be furnished iu a single- story hive. Their theory is that the work- ers will extend their construction of comb, and the queen her deposition of eggs, from the centre to either side, more readily than above or below, this may, or may not, be correct ; I am not jirepared to deny or attirm. But 1 have aiiet with no difficulty in getting either the queens to lay or the workers to work in eitlier upper or lower stories. I have had no experience with these large single-story hives. It seems to me, however, that whatever adviuitages they may have in other respects, tiiey must be very cumbersome and unwieldy A\iicu it becomes necessary to move them. I should think it would also be quite difficult to con- tract the space within them to suit a small stock, or to winter even a full stock. I have been using for several seasons a double-story hive, which has given me entire satisfaction ; and b<'fore ;^iviiig a brief description of it, I will say that I liave no " axe to grind" in doing so, as there is no jKitent o;i it, so far as 1 am con- cerned and I keej) none for sale. It con- sists of two bo.\es of the same si/(% set one on top of the other, each tilled with \<-\\ frames. It is clienply made and easily liandled. Tlu; lees are wintered in the lower story. When they Iccomc strong iu the spring, the second or upper story is set on, and to induce the bees to work above, without any delaj'', a few of the frames of brood are put in the upper box. The work tiieir goes on iu both stories as well as in one before. Ko honey brood or portion of any kind is used between the stories. My hive is modilied after the Langstroth., but, I think it is more convenient and ks^ expensive. Each chamber or stol^>'^ is, Iiy inside measure, 13 in. long, I4i- wide and 10 deep. I have a 4 in. portico in front of the lower story, bat Avhile this answers some good purposes it is not es.sential. I use poplar lumber and have it dressed to I of an inch in thickness. The sides arc 10 in. wide, the front eiid 8/} and the rear end 9i. Both end pieces are set with their tops I of an inch below the upper edges of the sides. On these ends are suspended tlie frames. The upper piece of each frame is made tirst 19 in. long, the ends of which are beveled oft' to prevent interference Avith the ends of the upper story. The upjier story is made without bottom and tits nicely on the lower. Each end of it also drops down i of an inch below tb« edges of the sides. The inside lower edges of these ends are beveled off' so as to lit down over the ends of the frames in the lower chamber. Strips are nailed accross the entls of both stories to strengthen them, and to furnish handles by which to lift them. A cap or cover is made to fit either story, by nailing strips around and under the outer edges of a l.'oard a'nnit bS in. wide and 23 long. Anyone that can use a savr and hammer can make these hives, and I consider them as good as the best. I have never had a swarm of bees from one of these hives since I have been using them. This season I have had 2(5 in use, and have taken from them 110 gallons of honey. From one hive I have extrticted 14 gallons, and taken about a dozen full cords of 1 rood to build up weaker hives. They iire all now in good condition, and Avell supplied with honey. I have already started 2(5 nucleus hives, and as fast as .; value of lion cy per colony, !{;0.40, (f box, j- extracted) 186 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 1873. Average per colony, 16 lbs.; av- erage sales, 25 cents per tt..; average val- ue of honey per colony, $4, (.V frame, i ex- tracted). The most box honey taken any year from 4\ny one hive, !»8 pounds ; that Avas in 1871, and we are confident that twice that amount could have been secured just as well, but our bees then were all in small hives af- fording poor advantage for supplying them with boxes. This year promises to be a ; good one for a honey crop, and with our present increase in colonies, (natural and artificial) Ave hope to be able to make a good report for the current year. One of the main things in successful bee- . keeping is, to keej) all the stocks strong. - If you get very anxious to have colonies in abundance, send for a "bee man" who is : the representative of some new-fangled moth-trap, or some other remarkable de- Aice by means of Avhich the bees are "happy and glorious 0"ur nil the ills of life victorious." and have him divide each one of the old stands into four or five new ones, but you will be likely to i>ronounce bee-keeping in Kansas a humbug as your bees "play out" and leave you debating the question in your own mind whether "it is better to be born lucky than rich." Artificial division, done in a proper man- ner and at a proper time, is a very good Avay to increase the number of colonies, but . (iuecns or capped queen cells, from strong • colonies should be ready to give each di- N vide, and Ave aim to improve the stock at the same time, by procuring queen cells ' made in strong colonies and noted for their good traits as honey gatherers, Avhether they be hybrids or Italians. This year Ave have secured a couple of cells from one of ■ our neighbors, from a colony (and he has several colonies like it) that seems to be a ■ cross betAveen the Italian and an extra large gray looking bee, which kind Avith him gathers one-third more honey than his oth- . er bees. We make new colonies by placing three or four frames containing brood, but no old bees, in an empty hive, first placing . the queen cell in one of the center ones, then Ave remoA'e one of the strongest col- • onies, six or eight feet away on a straight line Avith the front and facing the same way, then Ave place the ncAv one on its stand. ' This is best done Avhen honey is abundant . and in the middle of the day Avhen there are plenty of bees out at Avork, and by night there Avill be a strong SAvarm and the hive removed not materially injured. Thus Ave make a third one from tAvo, or a third one by taking a sheet of brood from each of several diU'ercut hives. As a means of strengthening Aveak colonies a promi- nent bee-keeper suggested the idea to us of V exchanging the queens of the Aveaker ones Avith those of the stronger, as Avith him queens not thought to be very good were generally thus rendered more prolific. There is considerable diflfereuce of opin- ion in regard to the comparative merits of the Italian and the black bee. We have several of what were said to be the pure Italian, but the queens Avere all short-lived. As for profit in honey we doubt their su- periority over the hybrids. The hybrids seem to be very excellent bees and during a year of scarcity Avill do much better than the blacks. Last year fully demonstrated this fact to us. It seems that almost any kind of a change from long continued in - and-in breeding, is beneficial. Kansas. M. A. E. A Visit to a Bee-Hive. UESCRICED BY THE FAIKY FLYAAVAV. '■ How doth the little hiig.y bee Improve each shiuiug hour, And gathering honey day by day. From every opening flower? " " How doth she, indeed ? " I said to my- self as I awoke one bright morning. The thought Avas suggested by a noisy bee, Avho Avaked me by trying to enter my lily-bell, and I resolved that I would look into the matter. So I Acav out of my lily, and to the nearest hive, to make inquiries. Bees are high-spirited and quick-temper- ed persons, I knoAv, but a fairy can make her Avay anywhere. The hive was a neat building, pleasantly situated in an orchard. On one side a clo- ver-field, full of perfume, and on the othc r a gay llower-garden. At the door of the hive I was met by a number of sentinels, one of whom address- ed me rather sharply, Avith "Who goes there." "A friend," I replied, " who wishes to learn something of the Avays of the bees, and how they make honey. " Your passport," said she. "I never thought of such a thing," sai it is ouly fit for the food of young bees. Wc okl ones never eat it." " And do tlie young princesses eat it loo?" I asked. "Not at all," she replied. "They arc fed upon royal jelly." "And'what is that ?" I asked. "Don't ask it !" she replied. " It is tlie greatest secret of all. Off goes my head, if I tell you ! " "And by the way," said she, perliaps it -will be bettor to say nothing about the Drone business." " Perhaps it will," I replied, "for I have known our fairy-queen to imprison one of her subjects in a pea-pod a whole hour, for only pinching a gnat." ^^ "Ah ! yes," said she, " not our idea of discipline." She then escorted me to the door of the Jiive. I thanked her, recommended less work and juore dancing, invited her to call on me in m}^ lily-bell, and took my leave, feeling that I had really learned something of the ways of the busy bee, if not how she makes houey. The next day I sent to my friend Deborah, by a buttcrtly, the finest four-leaved clover I ever saw, knowing that i to be the best return I could possibly make for her kindness. — St. Niclwlas. Entrance Holes to Hives. The honey bee ordinarily in its wild state in- habits hollow trees, the entrances to which are either through long slits or large holes, through which it has ample room to pass, without brushing off the pellets that stick out from its sides. A worker bee can pass easily through a hole three-sixteenths of an inch high, but in passing through a round hole of that diameter the pollen would be dislodged. A drone requires a hole nearly }i of an inch in diameter to pass througli, so that in mak- ing entrance holes to hives it is evident they slioukl be at least H of an inch high, to allow (li'ones, as well as the queen and workers, to pass ; but they should not be any higher, if >ve expect to exclude mice, immble bees, "Sjjliornets and other enemies of the bee, larger than they are. Now, did the bee carry its load behind it as the leaf-entter docs, a round hole of >4 of an Inch in diameter would be large enough, but t-he load on each side sticks out from its sides so that more room must be given laterally, oven for the passage of a single bee at a time -'-but as, during active working, there is. a constant flow of passing bees, it must be mucli Viider. 1 find the width should be at least n in. But a single hole is not sulficieut, even of th.at width, on account of their pecu- liar manner of ventilation, by which they are enabled to keep up a constant circulation of fresh air through the hive and regulate the temperature. There should be two such holes at least four or live inches apart, but on the same side; of the hive. All otlier openings should be closed tiglit. If thus arranged, the left hand hole will be used for ventilation, and the other for tlie passage of most of the bees. (inerry : Why do hv<'<. always use the left hand hole for vent ilatlou '.'—Cor. Suulhern Fanner. Movable Homes for Bees. It is well known tliat bees may be moved from place to place, and, honey-secreting plants being in abundance, they will store large quantities of honey. A contemix>rary. in illu.strating this, n)entions the following circumstances said originally to have appear- ed in the London Tinuss in 1830. It will of course be taken with a large allowajice for "salting " by those who know bees : As a small vessel was proceeding up the channel from the coast of Cornwall and run- ning near the land, some of the sailors ob- served a swarm of bees on an island ; they steered for it, landed, and took the bees on board ; succeeded in hiving them innnediate- ly, and proceeded on their voyage ; as they sailed along the shore, the bees constantly flev? from the vessel to the land, to collect honey, and returned again to their moving- hive ; and this was continued all the way ui> the channel.— TFcs'tcr?! Buvdl. Honey-Dew. Amyntas, in his Stations of Asia, quoted by AthenoBus, gives a curious account of the manner of collecting this article, which was supposed to be superior to the nectar of the bee, in various parts of the East, particularly in Syria. In some cases they gathered the leaves of trees, chiefly the lin- den and oak, for on these the dew was most abundantly found, and pressed them together. Others allowed it to drop from the leaves and harden into globules, which, when desirous of using, they broke, and having poured water on them in wooden bowls, drank the mixture. In the neigh- borhood of Mount Lebanon, honey-dew Avas collected plentifully several times in the year, being caught by spreading skins under the trees, and shaking into them the licpiid from the leaves. The dew was then poured into vessels, and stored away for future use. On these occasions the peasants used to exclaim, " Zeus has been raining honey I" — History of Insects. The rule generally adopt'Ml for taking bees is for the second party to furnish hives, take care of the colonies for a term of years, and return old stocks with half of the increase. 190 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ^nt4iiat||)q^lmtiital AV. F. CLARKE, Editor. AUGUST, 1874. X Bees and Wasps. Sir Jobu Lubbock has just read a paper on the above subject at the Linnasan Society. The paper commenced by pointing out, with reference to the power of communica- tion with one another said to be possessed by Hymenoptcra, that tlie observations on record scarcely justify tlie conclusions which have been drawn from them. In support of the opinion that ants, bees and wasps, possess a true language, it is usually stated that if one bee discovers a store of honey, the others are soon aware of the fact. This, however, does not necessarily imply the possession of any power of des- cribing localities, or anything which could correctly be called a language. If the bees or wasps merely follow their fortunate companions, the matter is simple enough. If, on the contrary, the others are sent, the case will be very different. In order to test this, Sir John kept honey in a given place for some time, in order to satisfy himself that it would not readily be found by the bees, and then brought a bee to the honey, marking it so that he could ascertain whether it brought others or sent them, the latter, of course, implying a much higher order of intelligence and power of com- munication. After trying the experiment several times with single bees and obtain- ing only negative results, Sir John Lub- bock procured one of Marriott's observa- tory-hives, which he placed in his sitting- room. The bees had free access to the open air ; but there was also a small side or postern door which could be opened at pleasure, and which led into the room. This enables him to feed and mark any particular bees ; and he recounted a num- ber of experiments, from whicli it appeared that comparatively few bees found their own way through the postern, while those which did so the great majority flew to the window, and scarcely any found the lioney for themselves. Those, on the contrary, which were taken to the honey, passed backwards and forwards between it and the hive, making on an average, five jour- neys in the hour. Sir John had, also, in a similar manner, watched a number of marked wasps, with very similar results. These and other observations of the same tendency appear to show that, even if bees and wasps have the power of informing one another when they discover a store of good food, at any rate they do not habitu- ally do so ; and this seemed to him a strong reason for concluding that they are not in the habit of communicating facts. When once wasps had made themselves thoroughly acquainted with their way, their movements were most regular. They spent three minutes supplying themselves with honey, and then flew straight to their nest, returning after an interval of about ten minutes, and thus making, like the bees, about five journeys an hour. During September they began in the morning at about six o'clock, and later when the morn- ings began to get cold, and continued to work without intermission till dusk. They made, therefore, rather more than fifty journeys in the day. Sir John had also made some experiments on the behavior of bees introduced into strange hives, which seemed to contradict the ordinary state- ment that strange bees are always recogniz- ed and attacked. Another point as to which very diff'erent opinions have been propounded is the use of the antennae. Some entomologists have regarded them as olfactory organs, some as ears, the weight of authority being perhaps in favor of the latter opinion. In experimenting on his wasps and bees. Sir John, to his surprise, could obtain no evidence that they heard at all. He tried them with a shrill pipe, with a whistle, with a violin, with all the sounds of which his voice was capable, doing so, moreover, within a few inches of their heads ; but they continued to feed without the slightest appearance of consciousness. Lastly, he recounted some observations showing th;it bees have the power of dis- tinguishing colors. The relations of insects to flowers imply that the former can distin- guish color ; but there had been as yet but few direct observations on the point. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 191 Consolidation. AVc think we shall give pleasure to a large majority of the bee-keepers of Amer- ica when we announce that the National Bee JouiiNAi. is with this mouth's issue united wiUi the " old reliable" Amekican Bee Jouunal. The time has passed when the friends of either Journal,, have any points at issue, or any personal feeling in the way of a union, ou the common ground of a deep interest in bee-keeping, and an ardent desire to see a .Iouknal devoted to their interests so sustained as to be worthy their support and an object of national pride. There may have been in the past a divi- sion of interests and a difference of opinion upon patent hives which engendered strife and seemed to make it necessary to support two journals. Those things belong to the past, and we know that the time has come to bury the hatchet and all agree to make our one Jouhnal what it ought to be — a medium where bee-keepers of experience can exchange opinions upon both prac- tice and theory, and also where begin- ners may find reliable counsel, and timely hints upon all doubtful points in their new employment. By the union of these journals we are enabled to secure the services of all the best writers in the World upon the topics of which it specially treats. We shall also be enabled to improve it in all respects, and we are sure that wu shall publish a journal which every bee-keeper will feel a pride in supporting. There is always an increase of strength aJ in a union of interests upon proper grounds, and this consolidation is one so manifestly wise, that we are sure to receive such an endorsement as will make us strong in our aim to issue the best periodical ever sent forth, devoted to any special interest- We have decided to publish the consoli- dated Bee Joui{na_l not only in Chicago, but also in Cedar Rapids, because Iowa is now the centre of the bee-keeping interests of this country. West of us, the business is being rapidly developed. Our subscrib- ers are numerous in California, Colorado, Nevada, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri, while enterprising bee-keepers are found both north and south of us. It is evident that in these new fields the best pasturage for bees ou the continent is found. The State of Iowa has furnished for years some of the most progressive bee-keepers in the country, who arc prepared to be safe ad- visers for beginners at the West. While we are dependent upon our sub- scribers for the material aid which is to enable us to carry out our plans for their good, we ask it not as a favor to us, for we shall send out a journal which no bee-keep- er can afford to do without at any price. Seasonabl3 Hints. If bee pasturage fails at any time by reason of dry weather, it is usually in the early part of tliis month or latter part of July. Ilivcs that have been gaining in weight, may now be losing daily, and except in the morning and evening, when bees are out for water and pollen, they hang idly about tlie hives. Rains in most localities have started buckwheat and fall flowers into growth, and if properly managed, bees will soon begin to gather fall stores abundantly. What they need now, is room near the centre of the hives Avherc the queen can deposit her eggs, so that young bees can be reared to supply the places of those tiiat will be used up in gathering the fall honey. If the combs have not been emptied with the extractor, do it now ; not to take away all supplies, but to make empty space for two purposes : 1st, to give the queen room. 2nd, to stimulate the bees to exertion. There is nothing like a "vacu- um " to do this. Even when there is abundant honey in a hive, it sometimes pays to feed sugar syrup or diluted honey, to colonies in which we find the queen has stopped laying, or she has ceased to cherish her eggs. We have known them to begin again, as if it were spring in 24 hours after tliey had been fed in this way. To use the extractor and return the combs with some honey " loose" upon them will answer the same purpose. A good supply of water is also essential now. Springs and brooks from which they have had their supply may now be dried up. Your neighbors will complain 192 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. for the first time, perhaps, that your bees annoy them by hanging about watering troughs, drains and pump-spouts. Make a place or places, some rods from your hives, where the bees can drink safely, and keep them always supplied. It is well to toll them to their trough by putting pieces of comb, and sweetening the water at first. A little salt thrown in every day keeps the water sweet, and some claim, is beneficial to the bees. While honey is not secreted in flowers, be cautious about opening hives, lest rob- bers are attracted. The morning from 7 o'clock to 11 is tlie time in this month to open hives, safely. Queen raising may proceed now to even better advantage than at any other season, if care is taken to make every nucletis self- supporting ; by this we mean that each queen-rearing hive should have young bees, old bees, brood at all times, and plenty of honey. Queens may be exclianged now, poor ones killed, either impure or not prolific ; and young ones given to them. We never, hoAvever, take a queen from a full colony until we can give it one that we are sure is a better one. We would not put a queen into sucii a colony until we had tested it in a nucleus. The care which we recommend, in order to keep the colony raising brood, is really the first step towards successful wintering ; a subject of vital interest now to bee-keep- ers, and on which we shall have much to say in succeeding numbers. E. S. T. Sees and the Centennial Fair. Mr. J. 11. AVePiS in his communication for this number says " nearly every interest that can be mentioned except bee-keeping, has been referred to committees preparatory to the Centennial Fair to be held in Phila- delphia 1876, etc." He is in error in supposing that the bee- keeping interest has been neglected. At the meeting of the National Society at Louisville, last December, a committee was appointed fconsistingof Gen. Adair, of Ken- tucky ; Mrs. E. S. Tupper, of Iowa ; and J. W. Winder, of Cincinnati ; with the President of the Society, ex-offlcio ; and authorised to appoint sub-committees where ever they deemed proper. The fiuestion as to wliether bees sliall be allowed at tlie Fair is still an open one, except in observa- tion cages ; but tlicre are multitudes of other things — honey extractors, arlific-ial comb, choicest honey in various forms, queen shipping cages, etc.j to say nothing of hives, out of which a most valuable and instructive as well as interesting exhibition may be made. This committee will report at the Pittsburgh meeting, doubtless, and receive aid and counsel as to future prepar- ations. Honey Dealers. We have published the articles from Messrs. Bird and Kruschke, complaining of our honey markets and merchants, with great reluctance. We do it " under pro- test "hoping that no one will feel that we desire to be unjust. Our columns are open to anything that the accused may have to say, as to their reasons for the seeming un- fair dealing. We can say ourselves for them, that times have been hard ; honey as a luxury which people can do without, has been slow of sale, and it takes time to turn it into money. AVe know that if Mr. Winder has made no return.s "for a few months" as Mr. Bird saj^s, it is because he has received no money from his sales, on which to report. Joseph Dutfeler writes to us that he is willing to publish a card to the eflect that Mr. Perrine paid him in full for his honey, even though it was all burned, and he had no insurance on it. We have made collec- tions of Baumeister »fc Co. for parties and have the promise of money from them, for others, as soon as they can pay it. Those who send honey to market es- pecially from a distance must remember that expense and time must be expended by the consignee to get it into market. One firm tells us that they have received 1230 lbs. of honey from California. The first bill paid by them Avas $57 freight charges ! Finding it impossible to sell it in bulk, they went to the expense of $100 for glass jars and tumblers, and took the trouble to put it into them. It will sell now, and at a profit ; but the consignees, doubtless, will begin to grumble before they receive their returns, and then be dissatisfied with scanty i)rofits. Our advice to those who have honey to sell is to sell it out-right, if possible, even if at a less price. If this is not possible, send it to dealers of established reputation, take receipt for exact weight and until returns are made, exercise charity and pati- ence. In some places where you think there is no sale, a liome market may be secured by taking the trouble to put your honey into attractive shape. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 193 fmSrd^i QUESTION. rieaso inform your subscribers in your noxt, how fai- nortli bees may bo kept with prolit ? G. O. Gkisx. ANSWEPv. Boos are kept very successfully in tlie nortliorn part of Russia, and winter tliero out of doors safely. They are also kept in Can- ada and in the extreme north-east of Maine. In Aroostook County, and as far north as Prescpie Isle (Maine), bees winter well and are. very profitable. Anionu the mountains of Colorado bees do well. Gur opinion is that wherever flowers are found, bees may be kept jiuccessfuUy, if their owners have judgment (•nough to adapt their care of them to the climate and location. QUESTIOX. 1st. Does the queen have a call which she constantly makes her presence known by ? 2nd. What state or temperature of the weather it will do to open hives for the pur- pose of examining brood, etc.? Srd. The reason why bees cluster before going to the woods ? W. M. A. 1st. It would seem tliat she does not, from the fact that we have known a populous hive to be without a queen "?A hours without dis- covering her absence. . The only times we have heard the call of the queen are when she was under guard of v/orker bees to prevent her 'going out with a swarm ; and again when we have confined one in our hand for a few moments. It is at times, like the first, that the noise of young ■ queens is heard before a second swarm issues which is called "piping." Sometimes this' •; ' noise is made by a queen before it ' hatches from its cell. 2nd. It will do to open hives and take out ;.,: the comb, whenever bees are flying freely. ^ W When they are not, it is safe to leave them luidisturbed. Tjrd. We think the main reason why bees cluster, before leaving is, that the queen in great swarms, is unable to fly freely when she first leaves the hives, her ovaries being, full. AVe have seen hundreds of eggs on the leaves of a branch where a swann had set- tled. Swarms containing young queens fly longer and usually settle higher. They sel- dom show any disposition to go to the woods at first, as they liave no special attraction to the young queen with them and will not fol- low her as they do the '• mother " bee in first swarms. 'i QUESTION. How long are we to write you nothing encouraging about our bee-keeping '.' Here we are again at the end of our honey year almost, ami still the same ohl story "bees doing poorly." My 4.S swarms came. Out of niy cellar in' the si)ring in very fine condition, loosing only one, and only f(!W cases of dysentery ; "but the spring mouths carried oif 10 or 12 more— some of my best stocks. "N(tv- ice" calls itjby the, rigid nauu!—" dwindled away." No cause for thest^ losses that i could see. Honey plenty, combs bright ; every- thing in perfect condition. Very little us(i to talk about the causes of these losses, for I do not think INIr. Editor, wt; do not, any of us. know. After summer came, swarms came on fast, and swarmed timely ; I'ven in fine condi- tion for the largest blow of whitt; clover J have seen for years ; and the drouth came with the clover blow ; and to-day we are burnt, dried, and roasted. I have got seventy swarms now— that is bees enough. Who cares if they only make honey enough for their own " use." K- Daijt. AXSWEP.. If you want more honey, do not expect to increase your stocks so much. An increase of 23 swarms on 48 is all you can expect, without looking for much surplus. Voices from Among the Hives. X. K. FEDEX, Mitchellville, Tenn., writes : "Bees have done very well here this season. I commenced with 1» colonies in the spring, increased them to 14 ; and got 750 pounds of honey up to June 10th. Since that, they have been cut off by dry weather." .TosiiuA AnxEn, Crestline, O., writes :— "Basswood bloom is over. There were the most flowers on the trees that I ever saw ; but the bees did not collect very much after all. White clover was a failure. There was a profuse swarming. Some hives swarmed as much as three times." E. DiFANY, Norton, 0., writes :— " I began with 24 swarms last spring, and now I have 72. Three have not swarmed yet. Some of my first have swarmed again ; in fact my bees swarm nearly every day. I expect if it does not get too dry, to run up to OU or 100 swarms, all naturafswarms but one." . .T. M. Marvin, St. Charles, 111., writes :— "My 140 old stocks have increased to 200. My surplus is five tons. A neighbor's, under my care, 8 stocks increased to IS ; surplus 7.50 lbs. Honey superior in cpiality. Stocks in splendid condition, and nothing to do, on account of a severe drouth, the worst ever seen in these parts." ■ Chriptophek Ghlmm, .Tefferson, Wis., writes:— "I wintered ]:i4 swarms and lost none through the winter ; l)ut spring was very cold aiid wet, so that I had to unite four swarms, which got very weak with the others. I have got, at this date 07 natural swarms and all are doing finely. The bass- wood, or lime, are nearly through blossom in this part of the country." M. T. EMT5RV, Poplar Bluff, Tenn., writes : —"I went into winter quarters last fall with .57 colonies. They went through safely with the loss of about 7 or 8 (pieens. 1 sold two colonies. The sprinsi was very unfavorable up to the 1st ot May. Since that time we have had but three light showers. I have taken about 2500 lbs. of lioney from them. Some of my bees have considerable honey yet to spare." 194 THE A:^IErJCAN BEE JOURNAL. ck ^^xmf^t^ ^nm\nl THOMAS G. NEWMAN, Manager. TERMS OF SUBSCaiPTION. Single subscriber, one year $2.00 Two Bubscribers. seut at the same time 3.50 Three subscribers, sent at the same time, 5.00 Six subscribers, sent at the same time 9.00 Ten subscribers, seut at the same time, 14.00 Twenty subscribers, seut at the same time, . . . 25.00 Send a postage stamp for a sample copy^ RATES OF ADVERTISING. SOLID NONPARIBL MEASURE. First insertioti, per line $ .20 Each subsequent insertion, per line 15 One square, 10 lines or less, first insertion, 2.00 Next page to Business Department and fourth and last page of cover, double rates. Twelve lines of solid Nonpariel occupy one inch. One column contains SKi lines of solid Nonpariel. Bills of regular Advertising payable quarterly, if inserted three months or more. If inserted for less than three months, payable monthly. Transient advertisements, cash in advance. We adhere strict- ly to our printed rates. Address all communications and remittances to TUOMAS G. NEWMAN. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Special Notice. During the past ten months of " Panic," the receipts of tlic American Bee Journal have been very light. We have cheerfully "carried " tliousands of our subscribers, and now trust that they, will respond as soon as possible, as we have obligations that must be met at once. Many subscrip- tions ran out with the JUNE number, and now we hope to hear from them, as well as from those that expired before that time. We shall continue to send the Amkkica:t Bee Journal to all our subscribera until we get an explicit order for a discontinu- ance, and we hope those who not wish to continue tlieir subscriptions will notify us by letter or Postal card, either v.hen they expire or before that time. We have purchased of Geo. S. Wagner Esq. and the Kev. Yv'. P. Clarke all the back subscription and advertising accounts, and hence everything due to the American Bee Journal of whatever kind or nature must now to be paid to the undersigned. We hope thosu wlio are in arrears will send the amounts due us, during tliis month, as we are in pressing need of it, to cancel obligations already given for these very accounts. Who will respond? TnoMAS G. Newman, Publisher. Honey Markets. ^ We have received a Postal Order from Shanon, Wis., in an envelope containing nothing else. We do not know from whom it came, nor for what it was intei'.ded. Will some one inform us? CHICAGO.— Choice white comb honey, 28 @30c ; fair to good, 24(a)28c. Extracted, choice wliite, 14(i;t'l(5c ; fair to good, 10@12c ; strained, 8(«j10c. CINCINNATI.— Quotations from Chas. F. Muth, 970 Central Ave. Comb lioney, 15@3.5c, according to the con- dition of the iioney and the size of the box or frame. Extracted clioice white clover honey, IGc. ~<^ lb. ST. LOUIS.— Quotations from W. G. Smith 419 North Main st. Choice wliite comb, 2.5@'29c ; fair to good, 16(a)22c. Extracted choice white clover, 16@ 18c. Choice basswood honey, 14@lfic ; fair to good, extracted, 8@12c ; strained, 6@10c. NEW YORK.— Quotations from E. A. Wal- ker. 135 Oakland st., Greenport, L. I. White^ honey in small glass boxes, 2.5c ; dark 15(a2()c. Strained honey, 8@12c. Cnbaa honev. $1.00 ^ gal. St. Domingo, and Mexi- an, 96@95 -^ gal. SAN FRANCISCO. — Quotations from Sterns aiiid Smith, 42S Front st. Southern Coast Honey is coming in very freely, and the crop will be very large. j AVe are selling comb in two pound tins, two * dozen in a case, for shipping at $3.75 per dozen. Sold mostly for the Mantaua and Idaho trade. Strained honey, in 5 gallon coal oil tins, 8 and 10 cents TJ^ft. We have sold several lbs. of clioice Montana strain- ed at 11 cents. Comb honey in frames 14 @ 22 cents, according to quality. Books for Bee-Keepers may be obtained a$ this office. Not one letter in ten tiiousand is lost by mail if rightly directed. Single copies of the American Bee Joub- NAL are wortli 20 cents each. Upon the wrapper of every copy of the JounNAi> will be found tiie date at which subscriptions expire. Any numbers that fail to reach subscribers by fault of mail, we are at all times ready to send, on application, free of charge. The Gorman Bee-Sting Cure can be obtain- ed at this oHice. Sent bv Express for $1.00. It cannot be sent by maif. See notice. Our subscribers in Europe, can noir procure Postal Money Orders on Cliicago. This plan of sending money is safe and economical. Frank Seables, Iladley, Will Co , Ills.. has 50 swarms of itulian Bees which he will sell for??8.00 each, in any amount, if seut for soon. Subscribers wishing to change tlieir post- oftioe address, sliouid mention tiieir old ad- dress, as well a.s the one to whicli tiiey wish it changed. Persons writing to this office should either write their Name, I'ost-office. Ccmuty and State i)lainly, or else cut otf the label from the wrapper of their paper aaid eaciose iL American Bee Journal DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. X. CEDAR RAPIDS, SEPTEMBER, 1874. No. 9. 4<^m$iion(U}Wf Correspondents should write only on one side of the sheet. Their best thoutrhts and practical ideas are ahvajs welcome ; no matter how rough, we will cheer- fully "fix them up." For the American Bee Journal. Spring Dwindling. You may possibly tiiid the following Mortli a place in your pajter : Much has been said about the dwindling down of bees this spring. I have observed the same phenomen without finding the solution. I wintered 20 stocks of Italians on summer stands. 3 stocks died in Feb- ruary with sutficient honey. The balance or 26 stocks remained good and lively. I made in May and June 17 new swarms, but the bees would not increase much. Many stocks even seemed to dwindle down in June, when I found one day that a tly of a peculiar long form, caught and sucked my l)ees. Becoming awake to the subject I found many such bee-killers, who were very greedy on the poor bees. No book or journal speoks of them. At last, I found a description of them in Prof. C. V. Riley's Second Annual Missouri Report, page 121; all three species are there described. I found and killed a large number. At first I found watching on grass, Evaux Barbardi and no other. After that disappeared, a similar fly Asileus Seriieus and then as less Mis- souriensis appeared. The latter two I found in large numbers on buckwheat and wild flowers. They abound at this day, although I catch with an insect net as many as pos- sible, often 50 in an hour. I am sure these creatures have killed over 100,000 of my bees, and I am convinced, that there is no other bee enemy to be compared with these flies. The swallow's seem to be fond of them, also other birds. This fly will des- troy a bee in five minutes. They pounce upon them while alighting on grass or flowers, holding them helpless with their long feet, and inserting their short but pointed proboscis into their chest, they droi) witli them to the lower part of the stem of a plant and sucking a little while, let their victims fall to catch another. Bee-keepers should be awake, as there is no doubt, but this insect retards the progress of hives more than anything else. The flies are from \ to li inches long, with a long pointed ab- domen, marked with light colored wings. Wings transparent, color from yellow to brown. Feet long, strong and hairy. Pro- boscis (the sucking apparatus) strong, short and pointed. I give tliis rough descrip- tion to enable every bee-keeper to recognize them quick. They fly with a short deep "hum" almost like a bee's hum, only short- er and deeper in tone. Bee-keepers should report on this Insect. Sigel, 111. Chas. Some. For the American Bee Journal. Some New Thing. This has been an unusual summer for swarming. Notwithstanding! commenced early dividing them. When the swarming season came on, they went into swarming in real earnest. At first I accommodated them with new homes, and gave each swarm a frame filled with brood. All went on well but still they continued to swarm. I then came to the conclusion, as the basswood harvest was just approaching, there must be something done to keep them together, or lose our favorite supply of surplus honey ; so I commenced cutting out the queen cells from the parent hives, but almost invaria- bly failed in keeping them together. The following day, out they would come and continued day after day to come out. Fi- nally I concluded to try an experiment some- thing entirely new to me, but perhaps not new to our old experienced bee-keepers. As they refused to accept their old homes, I put them in an emjity hive, setting them a proper distance from their first location, then proceeded to take out the frames with adhering bees; examining closely I removed all the queen cells, adding them to the new swarms, I had no more trouble with them coming out. Instead of putting the new with the old, I put the old with the new, having tried the above experiment on some 8 or 10, I consider it a success. The early part of the honey season was poor, the white clover proved a failure. Up ^f!f IHiL AiliJiiULAliJ BLE JULII.nAi.. to the beginning of basswood bloom tliey scarcely gathered honey enough to supply the young bees. There was an unusual crop of basswood bloom, which began to open about the 1st of July and lasted until the 15th. During that time the little fel- lows put in full time. I never knew bees to store up such an amount of honey in as short space of time. The hives now are filled to their utmost capacitor, with the exception of the comb occupied with brood, leaving no place for the queens to propagate their eggs. I have thrown the honey out of 16 frames, wlrich amounted to 65 pounds, sold in the city of Adrian at 18 cents per Iti. I shall use the extractor sparingly, in order to keep them working in the boxes as much as possible. I have now 59 colonies. I calculate I could extract 1500 pounds at this time. I use the Barker & Dicer improved hives with sectional honey boxes. These boxes will stand at par with any I ever used. They can be safely shipped to any part without sustaining the least injury; the retailer can separate each section without injuring the honey, by cutting the paper at each dsvision of tlie section; each section contains from 2i to 3 lbs. and when placed upon the table it cannot fail to please the eye as well as the taste. Samuel Porter. Lenawe Co., Mich. For the American Bee Journal. The Sale of Honey. Mr. Editor: — The burden upon my mind at the present time is, the great disparity be- tween the price obtained by our honey-pro- ducing fraternity for their product and the price paid by the consumer. Large honey houses in Cliicago (for instance) buy up the honey in bulk at 16 cents per lb. for ex- tracted and 25 to 30 cents for comb. Here it is put up in appropriate packages and shipped away again to wholesale dealers in other towns, who in turn distribute to smal- ler wholesale dealers and retailers. I pre- sume there are none of these middle men handling honey for fun, but each one must make his profit, and the consumer pays from 30 to 40 cents per lb for extracted and, from 40 to 50 cents for comb. Now the question arises, is it necessary for the pro- ducer to pay so many shipping bills. I have not found it so in my experience. I put my honey up in attractive style for re- tailing and deliver it direct to retail dealers who sell it for me and retain 10 per cent of sales for their service. I use the square lioney-jar made for the purpose. The smal- lest packages sell most readily. My honey has netted over 30 cents per It) for extracted and 40 cents for comb for the last four years. Cheviot, O. M. Nevins. For the American Bee Journal. Report of my Apiary. Editor Bee Journal : — I congratulate you upon the consolidation of the two great Bee periodicals of America. "Long may it wave," is the worst wish I have for it. I cannot get along without it. We are having a good honey season here ; the best we have had since I have kept bees, (which has only been about 4 years) but I am not gomg to derive much benefit from it, for I have neglected my bees shamefully all summer. I extracted over 300 lbs. on July 21st from 8 colonies of black bees most of whom had cast 2 or 3 natural swarms. I have now 19 colonies, which will all be in condition for winter before the end of this month, if all goes well with them. I put 12 colonies in a clamp last fall and succeeded in wintering them all through, but lost two in " spring- ing," and two others were so near gone they will have to be helped in order to make them fit for winter ; so that I had 8 medium stocks to commence with. I shall try to do better next year. Nelson, Pa. John Atkinson. For tlie American Bee Journal. New Method of Wintering. Dear Edit(jr: — I noticed in j'our July number remarks upon a new method of win- tering bees, by Mr. Bidwell, given to the Michigan Bee-Keepers' Convention, I be- lieve. The manner of wintering is not given, and that is what calls me out to write this article. If Mr. Bidwell has a plan for the safe wintering of bees, he is entitled to as much honor as Langstroth has enjoyed, in giving to the public the moveable frame. There is nothing so puzzles the bee- keeper as the successful wintering of his bees, seventy-five per cent, of the losses arising from the want of that knowledge. Any man that can show the bee-keeping fraternity a safe method of doing so, is a public benefactor, and should not hide the knowledge of the same from us. I do not charge that Mr. B. desires or is doing such a thing; nor do I expect the information gratis, if Mr. Bidwell does not wish to give bee-keepers the same. I would like to know liis address, that I might buy the right. One of these two things Mr. 15. should do: Either to give the public, through your journal, his mode of winter- ing, in season for a trial the coming winter, or let us know, through your columns, what will be the price of it. I will be will- ing to pay liberally for it. If this catches Mr. B.'s eye, I hope he will allow me to know his address, or that you will furnish it if you can, that I may correspond witli him. If he or you will do so, lilia'lbe TUi]' AMJ<]lUUAi\ BKhl JOLOAL. ttt: I more than grateful. It seemed to be no secret to many present at the convention, and you could not tind the subjei-'t that would he more valuable to your subscribers than to get Mr. Eidwcll to give through the columns of the Ameiiic.vn Bkk JouiiNALhis mode of wintering bees. Please give tliis more than a passing notice, and oblige, C. D. HiBKAUO. Chips. Mr. Editor: — 'Tis hot; it's more 'n hot ! While the haysoeders are doing their stack- ing and rosting, and while my bees are pumping the buckwheat and sap blossoms dry, I'm sitting in the coolest part of the house, and enjoying and admiring the in- dustry of Nature's creatures. How grand it is to contemplate how everything is sub- ject to our will ! We are the cap-stone of all creatures — all are beneath us ! The faithful horse does our drudgery; the cow gives us nourishment, and when her milk ceases to flow in sufficient quantities, she bows her head for the fatal blow, after which we consume her very hide and hair ! The tireless bee furnishes us with that sweet luxury with which we are so well acquainted. And the Granger, in his meek- ness, provides us with the toping-out varie- ty. Oh, how everything is adapted to our wants ! especially if we have lots of the "filthy lucre" to get what we want; which I haven't. While in this cheery mood, I would like to run over the images of the "Old Reliable" and stick in a few words right and left; and as Bro. Gallup likes to hear the opin- ion of baby bee-keepers or novices, this is written for his especial benefit. CAN BEES EAT FRUIT ? It is often asserted by some of the best apiarists that bees cannot cut the skin of grapes, &c. Now, if they can gnaw the edge oft' of wood, and eat large holes through building paper, and cut through strong cotton cloth, and all this I have seen them do. Why can they not as well cut the skin of fruit, if they wish ? But the trouble is, I don't believe they have a mind to; they want direct access to the juice. They will suck corn-stalks, raellous — in short, everything that is sweet; but they will not dig for it. C.VN OLD BEES BUILD COMB AND NURSE BROOD? In the American Bee Journal "Adair" saj^s old bees won't build comb or nurse brood. I don't know about the brood, but I've seen them build comb. I saw a hand- full of bees last week (Aug. 5,) that came through the winter queenless, and they had a piece of comb built as large as my hand. WHAT KILLED TIIE BEES? Mr. Gallup, as I expected, attributes my loss of bees to the extractor. Perhaps he is right; but then one of my neighbors lost as many — all lie liad — and had never seen an extractor; didn't know one from a saw- mill; he kept his bees in a similar winter quarter as mine. To nie, now, it would have been a wonder had tliey lived; it was as cold where I hwj tliem as it was out of doors, and occasionally warming them up did the work of destruction com- pletely ! MODEIi BEE MANAGEMENT. I think it cannot be long since that "H. R.," with my "Management of Bees," ever saw the first bee journ.d, for it does seem if he had, he would not mention his hives stuck up on posts, and these wound about with cotton to keep oft" tlie ants — perhaps a balloon attaclied to each hive to suspend it in mid air, would be quite an improvement on his plan. We don't intend to secure a patent on this, so that that progressive(?) bee-keeper may use it if he likes. He still keeps box-hives and considers natural swarming best. Well, no wonder his arti- cle reads as if it had l>een written twenty- five years ago. Forty to fifty dollars' worth of honey from a single stand ! Well, that explains the value of his management. Why, I could get that, if my 1;ees were in the car- cass of a lion, as we read about, provided they followed the ribs in comb-building, and these same ribs were arranged to take out, so I could swarm artificially — but read the article and learn ! DO ANTS ROB TICE BEES ? Mr. Arga says; "Ants don't steal honey out of the hives." Now, tliat's strange; for they will steal it wherever else tiiey can get it, and I have an opinion that they make no sci'uples stealing it from those that give them shelter and warmth. WILL HONEY CRYSTALIZE IN THE DARK. On page 178 there are a few words, writ- ten b> I don't know v.i.o, to the eflect that it Avill not. Wonder how the "tarnal light" goes into cellars and insiJe of a honey-tight cask; for witli me it will crystalize in this condition. But perhaps it wasn't dark enough ; so I would advise bee-keejiers when they think they have their honey in a suffi- ciently dark place to keep it from crystal- izing, to make it a little dci.rker ! A GREAT DISCOVERY ! ! ! Mrs. Tupper says: "Salt thrown into water will keep it sweet." If so, why not feed our bees with salt water, instead of sugar-syrups? But hold on, "Notice" — or any other man ! I made the discovery, al- though ]\Irs. T-. may have spoken of it; but I made the application a'nove mentioned — so keep your hands ott\ To make sugar, all we have to do is to sweeten water with salt, boil it down, and you will get as nice i JU 1 liih AiUiijiiiL/iii'i — nTTTr-TnTnTTTxrn: a sugar as you ever saw; for salt is so clear and white, you know. AVheu this discov- ery is generally known, salt will be worth something. HOW DO YOU LIKE IT? How do you like to hold up a frame for inspection, with a bunch of black bees dangling on the bottom, so you can't set it down witliout crushing about fifty; how do you like to have a bee come at this critical moment and plant you one between the fingers V I don't appreciate this sacri- fice of the "busy bee ! " If I had been brought up in a Christian community, under these circumstances, I think I would swear. Mr. Editor, there is no use trying to white-wash these honey-merchants ; you can't get around their actions, "nohow." bay Perriue did do the fair thing with some; he even paid two of my neighbors 5 per cent, interest on the money not sent on time, but that don't help my case in the least. I think I and Mr. Bird had better light our lanterns, and, like Diogenes, hunt for an honest honey-merchant. Yours, J. D. Kkuschke. Berlin, Wis., Aug. 18. For the American Bee Journal. Scraps. The old "American Bee Journal" since it lost its founder and head, the late Samuel Wagner, has been moving around considerably, though it has been in good and faithful hands. And now as it has "gobbled up" another journal we can say good bye to the "National," but we hav'nt lost it, though it has uuirried and changed its name. / like the change first rate and wish success to tJie new order of things. Friend Argo says his cliickens will pick worms off the bottom board and not touch any bees. I think ours can beat that, for besides getting what few moths there are, they will go uo to a cluster of bees and pick out the flies and drones by the half- hour, and I never saw but one take a work- er and he dropped it and looked as though he had made a mistake and was sorry for it. Plow will that compare witli king birds ? To the advice to "keep bees" I would add keep chickens, set your hives up from the ground and snap your fingers at moths. Friend Hester says: "I have had no experience with these large single story hives," and, "I should think it would also be quite diflicult to contract the space with- in them to suit a small stock, or to winter oven a full stock." AVe use the Langstroth frame, Adair size, IG and 20 frames to the hive, and find them to work well. We had but one strong stock in the spring, a 20 frame hive. Made one new stock, bought 5 light ones, and built them all up mostly from the big stocks, and have extracted 34 lbs. of honey besides. The hive has al- ways been full of brood, at least 16 out of the 20 frames, and is now very strong, enough bees and brood for two good swarms. As to using them for light stocks, that is easy enough ; just put in a division board, or two of them, and give them room as fast as they require it. I transferred a light stock from box hive to 16 frame hive ; could get but five frames of comb out of it for them ; put in the division board and now tliey are a good strong swarm. In wintering you can put the swarm in the centre of the hive, with a board or wire division on each side and pack the two ends with clean straw, or shavings which will absorb the moisture and keep the bees dry and warm. in the old directions for transferring it was always stated to put the brood the same side up as in the old hive. All of us "Novices " thought it was all law and gospel and so took special pains to do it. We have a glass fish tank and the bees gather around it by hundreds to get the dripping water. While looking at the fish we noticed one bee who did'nt seem to care about the ills of life, for she had a big hole stove in on one side as large as a pin head, the scale sticking out at right angles. The said bee came after a load of water 4 or 5 times in an hour, and we uoticed her for several days. How is that for presever- ance under difficulties ? A writer in the National some time ago, said in regard to the qualities of Black and Italian drones : "Don't be afraid of black drones, but let them fly if any should be out at this time. Your Italian drones know what is up. You will then have an oppor- tunity to test the superiority of Italian drones over black ones. You will also no- tice that if there are any black queens fly- ing at this time in your neighborhood, there will be a majority of them fertilized by Italian drones." Your Italian drones know what is up ! Yes, they do, "in a horn." I made three new stocks for a friend, and one of his old stocks raised a new queen. They had hun- dreds of Italian drones, eleven swarms in all. About a fourth of a mile from them are four of the insignificant black stocks, while in difl'erent parts of the town are about 40 stocks of Italians, and uo other blacks within a mile. Three out of the four new queens mated with black drones, and one or two others that I know of. One of the black stock swarmed, and the new queen in the old hive mated with a black drone; — four bhick stocks against over 40 Italians. Superior fiddlesticks ! Oneida, 111. W. M. Kellogg. THE AMi:Kit'AiN BblK JUUilNAL. -rw For the American Bee .Tourniil. Wintering Bees. Ou the 31st of OctoluT last your, I put in my cellar, 12 stands of bees ; and before the loth of November 120 stands. The cellar is lGx'24, and dry. I took from 50 stands from one to live frames each. So ten or twelve swarms had only 3 frames left. The 50 hives had three to seven frames in each. All are 8 frame hives. I took them from the cellar ^larch 17 and 18th, and of the 120 hives but two swarms were dead. I afterward lost G more, by being qiteen- less. jNIy bees were never in better con- dition than last spring. I saw little dif- ference between those from which I took the frames and, those I did not. I would not recommend the removal of more than two frames, and think that beneficial. When swarming began, I had 98 swarms, which I inc:reased by natural and artiticial swarming to 175. I lost several swarms which went to the woods. Swarming closed July 1st. I took with the extractor G,OUU pounds of honey in two weeks, all of which was linden or basswood. Have on hand 8,000 lbs. >• The crop was cut short by not less than 10,000 lbs. Of all honey plants I have tried, the Mel- iott Clover is the best. The drouth does not aftect its product of honey. I shall have ten acres in bloom next year. Seven years experience teaches me that it pays to have plenty of artiticial pasture. My lowest average hive, was 40 lbs. per Mve old and young, the highest 80 lbs. I think the proper average should be 50 to 75 lbs. each. j\Iy bees wintered so well in the cellar, I have enlarged the cellar to 24x58. and 7 feet high, and shall try it again. R. Miller. Campton, Lee Co., 111. For the American Bee Jourual. My Report. We are having an uncommon good run of basswood honey this season. In fact honey has been too plenty for those not having extractors. I have been moving about with mine pretty lively for the past week, and the experience I have liad among my neighbors I think would convince the most skeptical of the usefulness of the extractor, as I have found stock after stock without an egg or young grub in the hive and every cell full of honey, except a very little cap- ped brood. I would like to ask some of those who do not believe there is any use in the extractor, what they would do in that case without it ? It is no use to give them empty frames, for as fast as a cell is built and sufficiently lengthened out to con- tain a drop of honey it is filled, and some hives that I nearly emptied last Saturday (five days ago) were filled again so quick that the ((ueen did not get in a patch of eggs as big as my hand. So much for Michigan. Now a word for the moth. My advice to those that raise such a "hue and cry" about the moth, is to get a mechanic to make their hives. I do not mean a man that lias jack-plane and scratch awl and calls himself a joiner, but a man tliat can and will fit two iiieces of board to- gether so that tiie worms cannot build a nest between them. Then let your stocks be either strong or weak and you will have no trouble with worms. I have thirteen stocks of bees and I do not think I have found to exceed three or four moth worms about the hives this season, and only one inside the hive at that. The only secret there is in it is this : I make my hives so that there is no crack or crevice in them where a worm can hide, and the bees keep them out. Now all you unbelievers come and see for yourselves. But perhaps you will think as the negro told the Irishman wnen he asked what made him so black : "I'ts the climate." Not so, my friends, for my neighbors have the same climate that I have and some of them have plenty of moth-worms in their hives. They buy cheap hives. I very often see advertisements of patent hives with moth-trap attachments, etc. Please let me give my experience with a Buckeye hive ; moth trap and all. Last month in the natural course of events there fell into my hands a stock of bees in a Buckeye hive, and also an empty hive of the same sort. Two or three days after I got them home they swarmed, and not having anything else handy, I hived them in the empty Buckeye hive (after inserting a couple of cards of comb from the other hive) ; and to save speculation I might as well remark that I saw the queen safely on a card of comb, and then closed the hive. They appeared to go to work all right but in about 8 or 10 days they swarmed out. I opened the hive and found they had made but very little comb, and that all drone comb. There was not an egg in the hive — pretty good evidence that they had raised a young queen. Now the question was what had become of the old queen. Time will show. I cut out the queen-cells and hived them back again and the first spare time I had I made a hive and trans- ferred them, when I found that the young queen and the swarm were in the body of the hive, while the old queen and a little handful of bees were down in the moth trap ! That was the reason they raised a young queen and swarmed out, by my not ex- pecting any such thing and cutting the queen cells out. 200 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. If the traps will not catch Millers, they will sometimes catch queens, so buy one by all means of the first pedlar that comes along. H. P. Gallup. Medina, Mich. For the American Bee Journal. How One Man Got Rid of his Drones. Mrs. Tupper : — Your valuable favor of the 8th inst., to hand. The bees reached their home on the evening of the 23rd, in apparent good condition. The next day I noticed some dead ones at the entrance, ■which I removed frequently during the day with a small wire. Prompted by curi- osity and with the hope of relieving the labor of the bees in bringing their dead to the door, I opened the hive in the evening, lifted all the frames out, brushed out and gave the box a good clensing, returned the frames and be^s without offending a single bee so far as I knew. I think about half the colony were dead —say one pint. From book information, I concluded there was a surplus of drones in the colony. How to get rid of them was the question. Drone catchers were patented and what could I do. The laborers were working finely but the surplus of gentlemen of ele- gant leisure was annoying. With a small bit of paste-board, with a notch one-eighth by three inches long placed over the en- trance, settled the question speedily. The laborers could enter but the drones could not. A little squeeze on the head settled the business for them, and to all appear- ances the colony is doing well. Several of my neighbors want bees and the Journal, but are a little demoralized by the delay of our jailroad up the Platte, and think they must wait another year. D. Hausbaugh, South Platte, Colorado. For the American Bee Journal. Wintering Observations. It has been some time since I have felt like writing to the Bee Journal but now that my bees have done well, I am encour- aged to take up the pen again and give my experience and observations that they may possibly be of benefit to brother bee-keep- ers. Trusting that the wintering question will receive the fullest discussion before an- other winter comes down upon us with its uncertainties and disastrous results. I put twenty-six swarms in the cellar November 21st, all except two supplied with natural stores, and nearly all strong swarms. Now, as Mr. Quinby, on page 106, desires to compare notes in relation to temperature, here are a few facts gleaned from personal observation. The portion of the cellar in which the bees were stored was near an outside door, and though bank- ed with straw, during our severest cold the temperature fell two degrees below the freezing point. A few days after, the tem- perature arose to 40 ° , and two swarms, one of them upon which all early honey had been extracted leaving fall honey ex- clusively, showed signs of dysentery. The latter swarm was very large and vigorous, occupying a three-foot hive with Adair size of frame. We had several of these cold snaps and every time the temperature arose dysentery was developed more and more virulent in the large swarms. Until being set upon their summer stand the remainder smeared their combs and themselves in a fearful manner and froze up solid. Now, was it the honey or the cold, or a little of both that accomplished the ruin of this swarm ? All of the rest wintered well whether fed on syrup or natural stores. On the 10th of March they were set upon their summer stands. A careful examina- tion showed no sealed broods except in a very few hives. The queens had apparant- ly just commenced to lay. In two days af- ter setting them out the weather changed and a cold spell intervened. Upon the next warm day an examination showed no seal- ed brood but the queens had just com- menced to lay, the first eggs of the ten days previous being destroyed. Three times we made these examinations through the months of March and April with like re- sults, no brood rearing and all the while a constant dimunition of old bees, and event- ually the swarming out fever left me, by the middle of May, with only six swarms out of twenty-six, and only two of these were strong. These had sealed brood when set upon their summer stands. With the temperature of the cellar at 40 ° or 45 ° the bees were very quiet — about 45 ° would be my " standard." During the past winter bees wintered upon their summer stands and were in better condition than those that were housed. I have also observed that during the past three severe winters, bees wintered in a neighboring village where the hives were entirely surrounded by buildings, and came through in the very best condition. Now having lost heavily and observed closely, let us see if there was not a remedy, if it had been applied in time. Fine food and an even temperature of 45 ° would have banished dyscutary. They would not have dwindled down in the spring if each swarm had been examined and not set out until each had capped brood. This could have been obtained by feeding syrup and supplying pollen. And here let me suggest the experiment of feeding rye meal late in the fall. Will bees work upon it at that time? If they would, a supply might be THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 201 stored and reserved imlil spring. While extriicting we often observe that cells of certain con\hs are about two-thirds tilled with pollen while the other third is filled with lioney and capped over. This was evidently put up for spring use. The honey being put in with it for its better preservation. We all know that pollen moulds very easily. Can we not learn something from this fact also? Several combs containing pollen could be preserved in honey. And we want to know what would give the queen the laying fever in the spring more readily than the insertion of a frame of pollen dripping with honey. We trust these facts will receive due at- tention during the coming fall. " Scientific." For the American Bee Journal. Chips from Sweet Home. Dear Editor : — Ten years ago we be- came interested in bees by taking orders for the Thomas Hive. We handled bees some for six years and four years ago Palmer Bro's made a special business of them for two years, then we dissolved partnership and I bought Sweet Home. In the winter of '72 and '78 I lost all (54 hives) the bees I had. Of some 700 or 800 hives be- tween New Boston and Muscatine (20 miles) only about 15 or 20 were alive in the spring, and last winter took the most of them to parts unknown. In the spring of '73 two neighbors and I bought 96 hives in Ken- tucky, I shipped them 80 miles by rail and about 600 miles by boat. I increased my share (4ame through the winter with 10 stocks losing four, which I 202 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAI-. am confident starved, not giving them syrup sufficient. My stocks came through in a very weak condition,, the spring being very cold and backward they did not get to breeding until late, but after the weather did begin to get warm, their increase was more rapid than I ever experienced before. Seven of the ten is all I have extracted any honey from during the season, that being so nearly gone, it was all they could do to keep or get up the strength of the colony to make one divide from. I use the double Langstroth hive, and from the upper stories of the seven stocks I have extracted four hundred and fifty lbs. of honey this season, the lower stories contain sutficient honey to winter them through. I have divided to eighteen this season. I will try wintering ou their own honey and' if I do not have success hereafter I will try Judge Hester's plan, extract all and feed syrup. I must state how I saved one of my pet stocks af- ter I placed them on summer stand. I went out one warm morning about the 20th of April, I noticed the bees just able to crawl from the front entrance of the hive. I immediately opened the house and found the bees on the cards just able to move and the queen on the bottom of the hive as I thought dead. I immediately got some syrup and on examining closely, found my queen with some life yet. I placed some syrup to her and she eat it. I sprinkled syrup over the mass of bees on the cards lightly. I then filled all the empty cards •with the same, and in one hour I examined again, found them quite lively, during the day they removed the syrup from the outer cards to the center and this summer that stock has made one divide and furnished me over 50 lbs. of honey ; in one half -hour longer the stock would have been gone. The reason of their consuming the syrup so fast was they were breeding rapidly. Jas. R. Wilcox. For the American Bee Journal. Bee Notes. There seems to be a perfect dearth of honey ; no flowers, no honey-dew ; .nothing but pollen from corn tassels, and, what- ever it is, that bees get from fruit. Hives that contained honey a month ago, now have almost none. But for the cotton blos- som now unfolding,* bees would have to be fed, something the fogies never think of. Bees are doing nothing in boxes, and on inquiry find it to be a general thing ; a state of idle inactivity seems to reign through- out the neighboring apiaries. A good patch of Buckwheat and Alsike clover have been very much needed this year, and it be- hooves apiarians to see to it that the same state of afl'airs is not repeated next year. The golden bauds might succeed in finding honey, but our black bees have well nigh given up the game. For one, I am anxious to see an accurate drawing and description of your hive, and am mm anxious to know whetlier or not a different style and size of hive (than the one you use) is best for our long and hot summers and short winters. Dr. I. P. H. B., of Augusta, Ga., could give valuable information on this subject. Can't he be induced to give an article for this paper on "The proper size of Hives for the South." J hope so. S. C. Edgefip:ld. J. P. Moore, Binghampton, N. Y., says : I commenced tlie season of 1873 with sev- enteen stocks of bees, having lost four in the spring, and sold one. Ten were in fair condition by May 20 ; the other seven were much reduced, but by taking brood from strong ones, I was able to build up five of the weak ones by the time honey com- menced to yield. The other two I run for increase or surplus queens, and was able by breeding and using my four hives of empty combs, to increase the two to eight full stocks and five half stocks or nuclei. Two of the nuclei died in the winter, and the other three are very weak, (I prefer full stocks for winter), and raised ten surplus queens. The fifteen that the boxes were put ou were run entirely for box honey, without increase, as we have things so ar- ranged now that when we have got a hive filled with brood in time to put on boxes, we can have them put all their surplus in boxes, if the queen is prolific, without the trouble of handling the brood. Hints from Bee-Keepers. If several days of rainy weather should succeed a warm coming oft", they may die of famine, if timely relief of honey is not given them. — Wildman. Queens are not equally fruitful. While some breed slowly or not at all, others will speedily increase in prodigious numbei's. — Keys. No true lover of bees, I am persuaded, ever lighted the fatal match that was to destroy his little innocents with livid flames and a smoke that strikes them dead with its intolerable stench, without much con- cern and uneasiness. — White. .i It is commonly the practice to rub the sides of the hive with aromatic herbs, or a solution of salt, or other substance. But the most experienced bee-master deems this altogether unnecessary, as it can be attend- ed with no advantage whatever.— //acAer. Always have the cheerful rays ,of the morning sun fall upon your hives ; but contrive to throw a shade'^'irpou their front for a few hours in the middle of tlie day, ±Jtlii AiVlJMVlL/iVlN JJJLJi JUUlViNAlj. iW5 wlieii the ^veatlle^ is very hot. Such a shade will be grateful to your bees. — Nxttt. Bees e.\{>ress no more love for their keep- ers than for strangers, but they (the keep- ers) being used to them, with greater cou- lidence venture among them, while some (more fearful) beholding, fancy that the bees respect and love them more than strangers. — Purchase. Workers alone have the property of secreting wax. Scak's of it ranged in pairs are contained in minute recei)tacles under the lower segnu'uts of the abdomen. * * This substance is produced by a particular organ, after the nuuiner of other secre- tions.— Iluber. When Bee-Keeping don't Pay— What then? Hogs have been sold for less than value of corn fed in fattening. Cattle brought less than cost of raising. Poultry could be had for less than value of food fed them. Yet all required as much care as if sold at a profit. We would, however, think that farmer very unwise who would quit the raising of live stock or grain, because of low prices or severe winters. If the bee- keeping farmers would use as much pre- caution in preparing pasturage and shelter for their bees as they do for other live stock, I doubt not that a few years of ex- perience, backed with a comparative table of facts and figures, would convince them that bee-keeping would prove as remunera- tive as any business in which they are engaged. The man who expects a large crop of fine fruit each year, without pruning or cultivating his orchard ; he who hopes to harvest a heavy crop of wheat, corn, or oats, without properly plowing or pulveriz- ing the soil ; he who expects to cut a heavy swath of hay, every year, from a meadow he devotes half a year to pasturage ; and the bee-keeper who expects to get a large yield of honey without giving his bees any attention whatever — are all sure to be dis- appointed with their business, and will declare it don't pay. — Ex. For the American Bee JouriiRl. Successful Bee-Keeping. I came through the winter with all my colonies, 36 in number, most of which were in good condition. The spring open- ed favorably and my expectations were great, but about the 1st of April the rain set in, and I think my bees only worked two days during the whole month. I fed them occasionally, but nearly every queen ceased laying and all the hives killed their drones. Tlie rain ceased the 1st of May, and the poplar commenced blooming at the same time, but alas I my bees were not strong enough to bring in honey as I wished them to, but to make the best of what could not be helped I commenced doubling up, put- ting two and sometimes three colonies to- gether and so reduced n>y colonies to 22, leaving the queens and what bees adhered to one comb in the old hive with a division board on eac'h side. These I would give room as they increased, and have made strong colonies of them all. From the poplar I took 1('32 lbs. of ex- tracted honey which I thought doing pretty well, but when the sourwood bloomed the bees exceeded my highest expectations. From the sourwood I have taken 2004^ lbs. which makes a total of 8():J0i lbs. and have mcreased my bees to 0!) colonies all in good condition with honey enough to spare at least 5(i() lbs. which 1 will take as soon as the buckwheat commences to bloom. The sourwood makes the prettiest honey I ever saw ; when poured on the whitest letter paper, you can see no differ- .ence in the color of the paper and the honey. I tiiink this a splendid place for bees. I have lived here a little more than two years and am highly pleased, and right here I would say to any of our northern bee-keeping friends who think of emigrat- ing, that I don't think they could find a place more suitable. The woods are thick with poplar and sourwood besides other blooms in abundance. The water which is pure freestone cannot be exceeded any- where. The air is pure and consequently healthy and society as good as could be desired. Lands are cheap ranging from .5 to 15 dollars per acre. AVe have in our midst a great many families who have moved here from the northern States, all of whom are well pleased. These families are all United Presbyterians, have built a large and comodious house for worship, have regular preaching and Sabbath school. We have other churches near by, Metho- dists, Missionary Baptists and Baptists, and within a few hours ride, Cumberland and other branches of Presbyterian churches, We have built and furnished a large two- story academy, which is now under Prof. John A. Ramsey of the Indiana State Uni- versity as principal. Tution has been put down to ihe lowest figures tmd no person could find a better place to educate their children. Any one desiring to learn more of our country can do so by addressing. Rev. J. W. Wait, Prof. J. A. Ramsey, or your humble servant, .1. F. IMoNTooArERY. Lincoln, Lincoln Co., Tenn. For the American Bee Journal. Where the Linden grows. Dear Jouknal : Oue of your corres- poadents (R.H.M. I think), wishes to know uow far south the Linden grows. I am on the high ridge of land or " divide" between the liead-waters of the Guadalupe and the Piedronalis, about two thousand feet above the Gulf, iu lat. 30 deg. ; and a dwarf or mountain linden grows on all the creeks that flow from the " divide" into these two rivers. It lias never been seen any lower down than tiiis, that I know of. I sent to Michigan last March for 50 linden cuttings and set them out in San Antoniii (lat. 29, 30 deg., and 750 ft. above the Gulf) and they all perished though I mulched them and kept them well watered. I think the season was too far advanced and intend trying some more this fall. The " divide " is a fine range for bees. I have known one person to have as many as 7 trees at one time, standing in the forest, which he had found by coursiug wild bees from water, and I obtained my dozen swarms to start with this spring for nothing. Texas. S. J. Newcomb. For the American Bee Journal. Success in Wintering. Is it Attainable? Probably no other topic in connection with apiculture has of late been the subject of such extensive experiment and thorough investigation, as the one which heads our article. In view of the heavy losses which have been sustained by American apiaians during the past three years, the interroga- tion— Is success attainable ? — has become one of no small significance. We believe it requires no argument to convince any candid mind, that the cause of apiculture in our country must m\iterially sutt'er, un- less some method shall be devised that will insure more uniform success in " Winter Bee-Keepiug " than has been attained dur- ing the past few years. 'Tis true that we do not lack for theory to account for these losses in wintering, and demonstrate how the way henceforth be avoided. But the simple fact that many apiaries have again been deciinalecl by that fell destroyer, de- signated as the " bee disease," is sufficient evidence that there is yet abundant need of further investigation. Sugar syrup which was announced with such a llourisii of trumpets, as being the panacea, per se, for all our troubles, has been tried and found wanting. A uniform- ly warm tem])erature has done better, though not a specific for the " bee disease." And so of other theories ; none have prov- ed universally successful. Please tlou't infer from the above, that we intend to convey the impression that no one has succeeded. But we do say that in sections where the bee disease has prevail- ed many have failed, despite extra care and exertion to secure the conditions necessary to success. Really then, is success — complete uni- form success — attainable? We believe it is, 2^fovided the requisite conditions are complied with. But what are these condi- tions ? According to our best authorities, W'e might enumerate an abundance of whole- some food, prolific queens, young bees, empty comb in the brood nest, a uniform temperature of 40 degrees Farenheit, and well, " you know the rest." But are these all ? Let us see. Bees we are told are "natives of warm climate," where polar Masts and arctic's cold is unknown ; where their joyful, busy hum is heard alike in dreary January or bright July. Notwithstanding this fact, the honey bee has vied with man himself in manifesting qualities, characteristically cosmopolitan ; having with him become acclimated to many an uncongenial clime. Yet for all this, a fearful mortality has ever and anon, decimated the ranks of " bee-dom " iu our more northern latitude, blasting fond hopes and depleting unfilled purses. This has no doubt often been the sequence of careless- ness and ignorance, though of late the destroyer has often baffled the hand of skill and science. But must these scenes of desolation be witnessed with the return of each succeeding winter? Is there no "safe retreat" by which success maybe attained? Or, are the conditiotis necessary to success unattainable ? After devoting much time and thought to the investigation of this ])roblem, we arrived at this conclusion, regarding its solution : complete succesi is to be attained only by approximating the conditions which, surround the bee i7i its native clime. This involves a point which seems to have hitherto escaped the discriminating discer- ment and analytical acumen which has characterized the modern Yankee investi- gator ; supply natural conditions and suc- cess is yours. But this is impossible. How are we to arrange our bees so that they may fly in December, January, and Febru- ary wliere the mercury will jiersist in neighboring with Zero? Away with your vain tanlalliziiig theories, 'tis impossible. Be patient dear reader and we'll explain. We, too, thought 'twas impossible, but were mistaken ; and here's how we ascer- tained the fact. A friend, by name of H. (we withold his real name and address, to save him the annoyance of "a thousand and one " inter- rogations) thought if he could manage to give his bees an occasioaal " airing" during the season of frost and snow, it would do 'em good. (By the way, no abler or more successful investigator ever graced the ranks of those engaged in apicultural or pomological science in this or any other country, than this same II.) Tliinking and acting are synonymous terms witli him, in matters that engross his attention. So on a clear frosty morning in December, he l^.laced three colonies of bees in a " hot- l)ed," as an experiment. Presently the genial rays of old Sol raised the tempera- ture of the interior so that a few bees came to the entrance of the hives to reconnoiter. •' Surely" says the advance guard, " spring is here again ; leb's have a play-spell and enjoy the bright, warm sunshine." So say- ing they took wing and commenced buzz- ing around in good earnest. They were soon followed by their napping comrades (?) and in a few moments longer the " voiding room " was a scene of wonderful activity. In less than fifty minutes from the time they commenced to lly all was quiet again, the bees had had a good purifying flight, and strangest of all, scarcely a dead bee could be found to indicate the "'lapse of time." This experiment, so auspicious in inception and satisfactory in results, was followed by others on a larger scale, in- cluding about To colonies in all. As a result, our friend says that hereafter, his bees will go into a hot-bed in November. He thinks that every colony in fair condi- tion in October can be brought through so as to be in just as good, or even better con- dition, the following May. He is naturally quite enthusiastic over the success of his experiments and well he may be, for in our humble opinion, it is one of the discoveries of this age of invention, one that will mark a new era in successful bee-culture. For, despite cold, snow, and wind, we can give our bees an opportunity to fly almost any day in the winter and spring season, when the sun shines, which makes our success in wintering doubly sure. But we're getting verbose again — a com- mon fault of ours when deeply interested in any subject and must close. At some future time we will give the details of management necessary to insure success with this method of wintering,; also its cftect upon early brood rearing, and other topics connected therewith. S. Haven, Mich. Hekbert A. Burch. P. S. Please don't write us, making enquiries relation to bees or bee-culture. Our time is too fully occupied to answer such letters even at " one dollar each." If you wish our opinion upon any given point send your enquiries to the AMf:RicAN Bee Journal for publication, and we'll cheer- fully answer them to the full extent of our ability. Please do try and bear this in mind. H. A. B. For the American Bee Journal. Southern Bee Notes. j\Iks. TiTiTER : — I have just received and perused the June No. of the "National" with interest. It would give more satisfac- tion if corresi)ondents would give their parish or country. I live on the same meridian as your correspondent " Y " of La., and although we had a poor yield of honey after the middle of April, we have not thought of feeiling. We live on Ver- million river near the sea marsh, and have extensive forests on the southern border of an extensive prairie. "Y" may live east of the Mississippi and I should like to know his surroundings. During March and early part of April we had a great flow of honey from willow, peach, plum, etc. The great rains, follow- ed by drought, cut ofl' the yield ; but for some weeks my bees have revived, as have the crops, from bountiful rains. After two years impartial trial I find difTercnt experience from Robert J. Collinson. The Italians are much the easiest handled. — They are also much less -disturbed by worms ; they are more prolific and make more honey. In reply to your correspondent R. H. M. page 145, I will state that every southerner knows basswood by the name of linn, the bark of which is often stripped by negroes for chair bottoms, horse-collars, etc. It grows freely here. J. B. Ramsey, Abbeville, La. jggg"- Who will answer the following question ? How to purify wax, and pre- vent its becoming of a dark color. S. S. Elliot. My bees have stored about 60 lbs. to the stand, so far this season. It is very dry at present. Edgar McNitt. Centre Village, O. For the American Bee Journal. Moving Bees in Winter. Editor American Bee Journal : — I am 40 miles from Milwaukee, in the best honey producing portion of Wisconsin. I moved twice between the last of October and 12th of January, 1874. I moved six hives of bees four miles to the city of Milwaukee on a wagon, then 30 miles on a freight train ; then 4i miles on a half -spring wagon over the roughest road I ever saw. The bees were placed in the cellar and 14 days after I gave them a flight. The cellar is dug into a hillside, is covered with wood and gravel, and averages 80 to 40 deg. heat. The 14th of December it was about 57 deg. on the sunny side and I took the bees out 206 THE AMEIUCAJN HKK JOURNAL. for a flight which entirely cured the dysen- tery of which I liad discovered symptoms. I feed them warm sugar and syrup. On the 6th of January they were again packed for an 18-niile trip on a sleigh over a rough road, and they were again placed in a cellar. On the 11th of February, they had another flight. I lost but half of one swarm which was caused by a frame get- ting loose and chrushing them. Who will say bees cannot be moved in winter ? I would risk a swarm 200 miles on an ex- press train, if packed so as to let the heat out at the top of the hive — not in front, for then the heat remains iu the hive, and the second day the bees are sick. Flat bottom hives are useless iu this cold climate — too damp. I make my own, and use no pat- ents. From 3 swarms bought last May, I have increased to 7, and 4 nuclei, and while basswood was in bloom I could have used the extractor every three days, but I was at home only Sundays and got but half the crop. From one second artificial swarm I took 34 gallons of white clover honey. Kow, the swarms average 60 lbs. per hive. I have sold a few queens. I am partly satisfied with Grimm's sending pure Ital- ians but the queens 3 out of 3 were old. I have raised 15 young queens, and will put them in place of old ones. The bees have cost me ^15 per hive on the stand. I Avill sell as good for $12, in frame hives. I have handled bees 18 years, 12 of which have used frames. This morning I opened a nuclei to search for a queen which I knew was 9 days old. I saM' a drone just letting loose from her, and before my surprise was over, two bees took hold of a small white string hanging from the abdomen of the queen. These drones were laid in the nuclei, by a fertile w^orker, which I killed last Sunday. I can give many interesting facts relating to queens, but have not time now. John II. Ghunther. Therese, Dodge Co., Wis. For the Aniericiin Bee .Journal. Wintering and Springing Bees. Winter is coming on and bee keepers in diftereut parts of the country are beginning to feel anxious about tlie pets. The ques- tion of all absorbing interest at this time is how shall we Aviuter our bees without fear of a repetition of disheartening experiences of the past three winters and springs. Now there are half a dozen men in our immediate ncisihboriiood who keej) from 20 to 80 swarms each, and have had no loss the past four years, neitlu'r have they had any trouble witli swarming out or dwindl- ing down in sjiring, though the two last springs have been unusually cold, back- ward and unfavorable. All wintered on sum- mer stands and on natural stores and none have any fear of disease or extensive losses in the future. All these parties prepare their swarms for winter upon the same general principles, but vary somewhat in their methods. We will state these varia- tions and give our views upon them. One plan is to remove two frames from the hive and put a partition board on each side of the remaining frames and bees, lay a blanket over the frames (after putting some sticks across to keep the blanket up sufficiently to give the bees a passage over tlie frames) put the cap on and pack it full of drj^ leaves. It is my opinion that strong stocks thus closely packed find themselves so comfort- able and warm that they keep on the move, and consequently consume much more food than they would if they had more space, more air to keep them cooler and more dormant. Another ])lan is to leave all the frames in, put blanket on as before and a straw mat over this, with a stick an inch thick across the mat at each end and place the cover ou the sticks. This last plan I think is a little on the other extreme as sudden and severe changes of temperature would have too di- rect a bearing upon the bees, rendering them less dormant, and again consuming more food than is desirable. My own plan is the medium, thus : put the straw mat over the frames the same as a honey board, then put the cap on and put a coft'ee sack or auy kind of a cloth that will let the moisture from below pass through readily, on over, the mat. Tack bits of leather on the edge, of the cap to keep cover raised i of an inch, put the cov- er on, and a stone on top to keep it there, and they are ready for Jack Frost or any thing that may come. Our 38 stocks wintered in this way last winter and they certainly did not consume more than 120 fts. of food each from the time they quit gathering in the fall till they commenced again in the spring, a period of over six months, and a large force of brood reared in the time. The most experienced apiarians in Eu- rope and America decide that straw is the best material to keep bees healthy in win- ter that has ever been used for a hive. Quinby, in his excellent Mysteries of Bee- keeping, advises the wintering of bees iu straw hives and changing them back to wooden ones in tlie sirring. This material, being a more jierfect non-conductor of heat than any otlier, and at the same time a good condiuitor of moisture serves the pur- pose of keejiing the interior of the hive dry and sweet with the least jiossihle expendit- ure of animal heat. Now by placing a well made straw mat (like the sample you have j\lr. Editor) over the entire top of the Tilili AMlliKiUAJN HtjK JUUKJNAL. W7 liive we secure nearly all the advantaije of an entire straw hive. It is very important that all the little details in this matter of wintering;- should be understood and care- fully observed. In conclusion I will state a little incident that came under my obser- vation last winter, to show how a little va- riation (accidental or otherwise) may result in loss. And, to give a hint to some of our writers who still persist that ventilation in winter is, under all circumstances bad for the bees. Calling on friend ]\Iuth about the middle of January I fountl him (as usual) very busy in the store. But when a bee-keeinng friend calls, if the weather is mild, as in this case, the clerks usually have to put in extra licks enough to make his place good while tiie bees are looked into to see if they are rearing brood, to compare the Egyptian queen with Italian or something of the sort. "We Avere soon on the roof and after going through five or six hives we came to one that was quite damp, the bottom board nearly covered with dead bees, and several knots of dead ones between the combs. "I can't understand that " says Muth. " I think the cover must leak." " Ko there is no leak in the cover, there are two blankets and they are stuck togefh er." He pulls them apart and finds on the inside of one of them a pretty nice coating of propolis which had nearly stopped the upward ventilation. The discovery was made in time, and a good swarm saved. Cheviot, O. M. Nevins. P. S. We are glad to see the Journal constantly improving in interest. I don't know how any beekeei^er and takes any interest in them can atibrd to do without it. There is not one page in all my back volumes that I have not read more than once, and still I think so much of them for reference that I would not be willing to part with them for three times their origin- al co.st. M. N. For the American Bee Journal. Bees and Grapes Again. In the autum of 18721 had one and one- half acres of grapes mostly of the Concord variety. I also had 24 stocks of bees and there were 16(1 stocks in and near our town. (By the Avay only ten lived through the next Avinter, out of the IGO.) Before the Grapes were ripe the bees were working on rottou apples and sound ones also when the birds picked into them ; but when the Grapes ripened the birds and tame fowls picked into a great many of them, and then, but not till then, the bees were all over them by the thousands, but not once could I find that the bees opened the grapes first — only working on those already open, and I watched them closely. There was no hon- ey hi the flowers and the bees were every- where, around stores, (;ider mills, and any place where anything sweet could be ob- tained, no matter how nmch acid was mixed in. I think this is the first cause of the great loss of bees here the next winter, as forage was so scarce that they almost en- tirely ceaseil raising brood by the 15th of September, and all that were already hatch- ed w€xrked nearly their time out before cold weather set in, and were too old to start in- to winter. The honey they gathered, too, contained so much acid that it helped the cholera along. Then the unprecedeutal cold winter finished the business for them. But I am digressing. We had but few bees here the summer of 18713 but what there were worked on grapes again in the fall. As before I could not find that they were the first to begin, but only picked up what would spoil. I shall give my attention to it again this fall as I have the grapes yet, and a good crop too, if nothing happens to it. I do not even think they will work on dam- aged grapes at all if there is any honey to be gathered from flowers. "We now have some 60 or 7(1 stocks of bees here, mostly Italians, of which number I have about 25. They did well in June and the first part of July, but since then, until j^esterday, it has been very dry ; and they only got enough to keep brood well going. They are at work now on buckwheat. "We "bee-keep- ers" furnished the seed for a neighbor to sow about 10 acres and the bees are just swarming on it. I sent to "Wisconsin and got the seed and it is the best variety for honey and grain also. "Wishing the consol- idated Journal success I remain Respect- fully, J. "W. Cramer. Knox Co., 111. Jefferson County Bee-Keepers'Meeting. Pursuant to a notice for a meeting of the Bee-Keepers in Jefferson County a goodly number assembled at the farm of Adam Robisch, three miles north of the village of Jefferson, August 16th, 1874, for the pur- pose of organizing an association and dis- cussing the different vital questions arising in bee culture. There were 15 bee-keepers present and reported that over 2400 stocks of bees are kejit in the neighborhood of the village of Jefferson, but they could not re- port the yield of the surplus honey at tlie present time, because bees are not through making honey and that nearly all of the comb honey is in the hives yet. The meeting being called to order the fol- lowing officers were elected : — C. Grimm, President pro icm and William Wolf, Sec'y. Moved by A. Robisch, that a committee to be appointed by the chair to present diff'- erent questions to be discussed in this meet- ing. The committee reported the following questions to be discussed. Is the Italian bee superior to the Hybrids or Natives? 2. Is artificial swarming as good as natural? 3. Is upward ven'tilation necessary after bees are housed in the cellar as repository? 4. Is the single hive as good as the double- story hive for extracting ? All the above questions were warmly discussed and the result to the first question was, that Italian are not superior to a good Hyrbrid in storing surplus honey in boxes, but are superior in gathering honey when empty combs can be given and extracted. Natives or Blacks are nowhere. The second question showed a large preponderance in favor of natural swarming, and artificial swarming or dividing should only be done wdien a quick increase of stocks are wanted. The opinions to the third question was gen- eral, that upward ventilation should be giv- en to bees in damp cellars or repositories, l)ut are not necessary in dry places. Tlie fourth question was answered to that eftect that the single story hive is preferable in a mild and cool season, but in a hard season the two story hives are better for extracting honey and handier for handling the tees when we do not extract. Moved by Wm. AVolf, not to organize and elect otticers this meeting, but to ap- point a committee of three to draw a con- stitution and report next meeting, carried. Wolf, Fuerbringer and Roepler was ap- pointed to serve as said committee. Meet- ing adjourned until the loth day of Septem- ber, 1874, at one o'clock P. M., at Wm. Wolf's residence. AVm. Wolf, C. Gkimm, Becy. pro tei/i. President pro tern. For the American Bee Journal. Chips From Sweet Home. Many bee-keepers are like ourselves — few bees and many hives and combs. How can we get a quantity of honey and a large increase ? We will tell you how we do. Many of our hives were very weak. We took from the strong and gave to the weak, till we had all strong. Then from our best queen we raised queens, and as soon as they were ready, we formed nuclei by taking two combs and cutting out brood and adhering bees, from two ditlerent hives. These we put in a new hive on the right side— as we face the hive — and put ii? a division board. A few minutes or an hour after forming we give them a young queen. Or another way, but a little more trouble, when your queen cells are capped — on the eighth or ninth day — put one in each comb, and leave one day to fasten ; then give one of these frames to nuclei, and all or more bees than adhere to the frame and comb of cutting brood from another hive. We mark on our slate, "Aug. 2. — Got y. q." In five or six days w^e look at them and if queen is seen, we say, "Aug. 7. — Saw q." If she is out of the cell, and we don't see her, we write, "Aug. 7. — Q. out." In a few days we ex- amine and find the queen laying; we mark, "Aug. 12 — Eggs." If the weather is warm we look at them in four days, but if cool, not for six or seven days, and supply them with a comb of cutting brood and an empty comb, and write on slate, "Aug. 16.— 0. K." Thus we continue, and in from two weeks to a month we make a strong colony of them. If they fill in too much honey, we sling out, so as to give the queen "elbow room." When every comb is full of brood and the hive crowded with beea, we put on our boxes; or, if we wish to sling, an upper set of combs. If for box honey, we take off boxes once a month and put those combs with most brood outside, and those filled honey, we sling and put inside — thus we keep a greater quantity of brood rear- ing, and consequently more honey stored. When we have tested the queen we mark on slate, if pure, "I. Q.," if hybrid, "H. Q. 1874." Readers will remember that Sweet Home has a continual average flow of honey the whole honey sea.son. We wrote "Novice" about the slate, and he speaks of them in a manner to appear as though we carried a "slate and pencil" around with us, and then he refers to his "Queen Register Cards," illustrated in his number. (See Oleanings, page 267.) These slates are the cheapest and most convenient register we have used. When we wish to make a new entiy on the slate we erase the old. Sometimes we would wish to make a note, which we could not do on the slate. If we have anything special, we can write on out side of slate — such as "Feeding or gave queen, or queen cells, Aug 4," etc. Eliza, 111. D. D. Palmer. A Proposition. "Can the time of Swarming be controlled? We know if we place a queen cell in a colony of bees without removing the queen, the cell will be destroyed. The writer proposes the following exper- iment to his apariau friends: Isolate one or two combs from the rest of the hive, without removing them from the hive, and so arrange the division board tliat the bees may retain the same scent, and let the bees make queen cells. At the expiration of eight or nine days withdraw the division, whatever it may be — whether of glass, wood, or wire cloth, or a combination of all three — -and as the bees are of the same scent, it is possible the old queen may de- part with a swarm. C. C. Millett. I see noticed, in your excellent journal, that in weak colonies the queen often lays two and sometimes three e^riiig DwiiulHiig li'5 S^(>nn.''Nt'\v Thing l-*-") Sale (if Honey l-'S Ki'poit of ni V Aiiiary 1!'6 Kew Method of W interin- lilU Chips : 1''7 Scraps 1-'^ NViiiteriug Bees I'H) Wy Report l'-'9 How to sret rid of Drones SOO ^Vintel■illtr Observations 300 Chips from Sweet Home 201, 208 Mv Experience 201 Bee Notes 202 Hints from Bee-Keepers 203 When Bee-Keepiug don't pay 203 Successful Bee-Keepiuy 203 Wliere Linden grows 204 Is Success Attailiable 304 Southern Bee Notes 205 Moving Bees in Winter 205 Wintering and Springing 206 Bees and Grapes Again 207 Jefierson County Meeting 207 A Proposition 208 Notes and Queries 209 ^^'ork for the Month 215 Seasonable Hints 216 Honey Kesonrces of the Prairie 216 Voices from Among the Hives 217 Please Report 217 Work for the Month. Kow is the time to look after surplus honey. Little or iioue will be stored dur- ing the remainder of the season, except where buckwheat abounds. "Where there is abundance of buckwheat, it is well to empty the combs by the use of the extract- or, and leave the bees to store up the buck- wheat honey for themselves. They appear to like it, and to thrive on it, quite as well as on that which is more desirable for ta- ble use. No good end is gained by leaving honey boxes in the hive after they are filled. Some think it is a protection against the moth miller, but better protection can be secured by removing them to a dry, cool cellar. Should any moth eggs hatch, the larvae can be quickly destroyed by a dose of brimstone smoke. If boxes of honey are left in the hive, they are apt to depre- ciate in value, owing to their becoming dark in color, as the result of the bees run- ning over the combs. Not unfrequently, too, the surplus honey is all carried below, to the suriirise and disappointment of the overconfidiug bee-keeper. It is therefore on various accounts desir- able to remove the sulphur boxes as soon as the cells are filled and sealed over. There are several ways of doing this, but the method adopted by Captain Ilether- ington is as good as any, and better than some. It is as follows : — Slip two pieces of tin under the box, tlien remove the box with one tin, which will keep the bees in, while the other tin will keep the bees from coming up from the hive below. Now turn the box bottom up on a board and place an empty box on it, removing the tin to let the bees puss up into the empty box. Remove and treat all the full boxes in the same way, rapping on them if necessary to force the bees to go up into the empty boxes, then slip the tin under each box and place them on the hive, when both tins should be withdrawn. Any boxes in which a few bees remain may be placed in a dark room with a small window, or a tub or barrel, covered by a thin cloth, which should be occasionally turned over to allow the bees clustering on the under side to re- turn to the hive. Paste a paper over the holes in the boxes to keep out bees, ants, or moth-millers. There is never any difficulty about sel- ling nice, fresh, white, virgin honey, stored in clean boxes, and look so lusciously tempting that even an ascetic might be ex- pected to bid a liberal price for it. While broken and black looking honey goes a begging for a market, box-honey in A 1 condition is always in demand. Generally speaking, as with other products of the farm, so with this, it is well to seize the early market. But very little is gained by holding over for better prices. Often there is waste and loss as the result of delay. When the yield of honey fails, it is well to take precautions against robbing, especi- allly in the case of weak stocks. Contract- ing the entrance will usually prevent this trouble. Bees are brave defenders of their citadels, if they have a chance to resist attact. Too wide an entrance gives the advantage to an invadading force. Make the entrance a ThcnnophyUe, and the bees will defend it valiantly and successfully, Jl n.±U Zi.i'XJ-i-H'-LWXi.J.l JJJJJJ-I V \J • even though the colony be not a strong cue. Stocks tliat have SAvarmed should be ex- amined, to see if they have fertile queens. Though a sight of the queen may not be obtained, yet the presence in the hive of of eggs and larvte may be taken as evi- dence that there is one. Queeuless colon- ies should be supplied with a queen-cell at once, and, if necessary, strengthened with bees and honey. It is well to have some surplus queens on hand to give to queenless colonies, even if they are not as pure as could be wished. "Better is a living dog than a dead lion." A common stock can be Italianized another year, but an extinct stock is a dead loss. A careful inventory should how be taken of the condition of the apiary as to stores for the CDming winter. Such hives as need feec.in^ should be marked, and pre- parations made to give their inmates an opportunity of laying in what additional supplies may be needed. They must be furnished with syrup or whatever food it is determined to give them, before the nights get too cool to admit of their working. To guard against robbing, which is very apt to take place during the feeding process, they should be fed in the evening, so that before morning their task of storing will be done, and no unusual stir be observed by other bees, else marauders will be attracted, bat- tles fought, and stores pillaged. If any stocks are weak in numbers, as well as de- ficient in stores, feeding will have a ten- dency to stinmlate the queen to lay, and the hives will become recruited with young bees, before winter sets in. C. Honey Resources of the Prairie. The question very frequently comes to us, "Can bees be kept on the virgin prairies of the West?" The impression seems to be gen- eral that away from timber there is little for bees to gather after May. This may be true in a measure; after the prairies are settled up and many cattle are kept that eat the pasture close— weeds, flowers and all. But on tiie new prairies there will be found most abundant bloom, all kinds of which alfurd honey in lioney weather. Keports from those who have tried keeping bees in new sections of the AVest have been good, invariably. On a recent trip by stage, over a hundred miles or more of prairie, fellow-passengers remarked "there was no chance for bees here, away from even the sight of a tree!" We called at- tention to the flowers on every hand, of sev- eral varieties, besides the countless acres of Golden liod in every stage, froni bud to full bloom. We did not cross one half mile of prairie that could not afford honey for 30 or 30 colonies. In the Spring there are numerous oilier honey-produ( ing flowers, giving good success throughout the season— except it may be in July. We are of the impression that no quarter section of prairie can be found where bees may not be kept with profit by following di- rections often given, providing water and keeping only strong colonies. If the country is settled up— unless clover is raised— other honey plants must be provided to take the places of those destroyed by cattle — but while the praiiie is new we warrant success. The income of four or five stands of bees and the honey afl'orded for tiie family wculd make a most valuable addition to the comfort of the "home trade." T. Seasonable Hints. More of the success in wintering bees de- pends on their care in Septeiuber than a "Novice" would easily believe. The way with many is to "guess they are all right," and let them alone, until it is too late in the season to make any changes to good advan- tage. As soon as frost comes the honey secre- tion ceases, and no more can be expected froiu bees for the season. An examination of all stocks should be made before that time, as it is much easier doing it while they are still flying briskly. Some hives will be found to.have a good pro- portion of bees and honey, and may be marked as safe for winter. Others may have bees and comb enough with scanty stores; these may profitably be fed some sugar-syrup or honey, and will then )nake good colonies for the winter. If there are any hives half full of comb, and with too few bees for safety, they may be united, and two of them will make one of more value than any number of weak ones that are sure to perish during winter, unless extra pains are taken with them. There is no trouble in uniting two or more colonies. "When the bees of both are alarmed and induced to fill themselves with honey, they will unite peaceably. Our way is: To take away the (lueen of one of the colonies to be united a few days before doing it; then thoroughly smoke or sprinkle the bees of both hives; select the best and X iriXj xi.i»A±:iXVXv^^».ii j^xjjLj u \j yj xxix^ .n-Ajm fullest combs from both, taking care to ]»lace two or more with some empty cells near the centre of the hive in which they are to remain; brush the bees from both hives before the en- trance of it; put away any surjilus combs for another season— and the work is done. We do it more easily, when there is a loose bottom board to the liives, l)y setting the hives— first one and tlien another— <:»ver an empty hive; then, brushing the bees from all the combs into this empty hive, and arranging the best cond)s in the ujiper one, close all up and allow them to go up among the condis at their leisure. They will be found like one colony the next day, when the lower hive may be removed. We used to think it trouble in making bees adhere to a new location. Af- ter being united, of course, the bees of one of the hives must be in a strange spot, but we lind that after such a stirring up as they get in this process, each bee seems naturally to make a new departure. T. The committee appointed at the meeting of the North American Bee Keepers' Society to provide essays ou interesting topics for tlie coming meeting at Pittsburg, earnestly request those who are writing such essays, or desirous of doing so, to report soon to citlicr members of the committee. No time should be lost, as it is necessary to place the essays in the hands of the critics early iu October. There are bee keepers in every part of the country competent to write essays full of interest and instruction. Let us hear from them. Report to either members of the committee. N. G. MuRRY, Memphis, Tenn. E. S. TUPPER, Des Moines, Iowa. G. S. Hill, Mt. Healthy, O. J^* My Straw Mats are reduced in price to $4.00 per dozen, or 50 cents each for a less number. See advertisement. They Avill last many years and remain as good as new'. Put them on when cold weather commences — the latter part of October — and take them oft" when the bees commence to gather honey, and there will be no propolis ou them. The Mats are very much more convenient than cobs, leaves, &c. Sample ]\Iats can be seen at the Chicago otfice of the American Bee Journal, and at the otHce of Gleanings in Bee Culture, Medina, Ohio. Mats cannot be made by the process given in the June number of Gleanings, that will compare iu auy respect with these samples. M. Kevins. Mrs. S. E. Spaids, as will be seen by adver- tisement in another page, has removed to New York, having been burned out at the late fire in Chicago on the 14th of July. She states that she is prepared to pay cash for honey promptly. Voices From Among the Hives. D. A. PiKK. Maryland, writes:— "The first part of the season was good here; then it be- came dry. but it is now good again for honey." "Xovk'E" writes:— "Allow me to congrat- ulate you on the consolidation of two such valuable journals as the A.MKiiif'AN Bkb JoruNAL and the Xationai, Bkio Jotunal, as our American bee literature will thus come nearer our counuon ground. F. CRAr.iu:, Wilmclte, writes:— "I am glad to hear of the consolidatioH. The "old and relial)le'' A.mkimcan Hi:k .loniNVL is con- ceded to be the best medium tor disseminat- ing iufi)ruiation, cnntrihuted by the most suc- cessful and scientific l)ee-keei)ers in the world ; and now^ with the consolidation of ♦^he Na- TioNAi, Bkk JotriiNAL, wl 11 be the Standard authority and CHAMPION." Dr. Baiver, of Berks County, Pa., writes that he is "very glad to learn that the old American Bkp: Joituxal is consolidated with the National, and hopes that bee-keep- ers will give it that generous support that it so richly deserves." Jas. G. Teter. Farmington, Minn., writes that "the Globe ]\Iieroscoi)e, advertised in the National J3ee Journal a few times, is a fraud." We know nothing of it, but suppo-e it may be as he states. Due caution should always be used alx)ut such matters. Michael Sorrick, Clinton, Iowa, writes: —•■Bees are doing well at present. They are gathering honey fast. The season has been fair all through". I feel glad to see the con- solidation of the two Journals." John F. Dipman, Fremont, O., writes:— "I was glad when I noticed the consolidation of the two Journals. Bees have done well this season on Basswood, white clover being- a failure, on account of dry weather." WALTERNEWTON,DerbyLine,Vt.. writes: — "If it is of any interest to you to listen to our 'voice from among the hives,' permit me .to say that we never have had dysentery among our bees, "We winter them on their own stores, taking away their surplus in the spring. I use the Langstroth hive altogethei'. We pile them two liives high, in upper cham- bers of the house, give them plenty of air, and never have any dampness. Our old swarms refuse entirely to work in the boxes this year, so that we have to remove the frames. Our forced swarms are very heavy, with an aver- ' age of 110 lb. box of frame honey. Their for- age is 33 acres of alsike clover. After reading your Journal, we find we have much to learn, and intend experimenting next spring." W. M. Kellogo, Oneida, III., writes: — "I am very much pleased at the consolidation of the two great Bee Journals." G. W. Zimmerman, Napoleon, O., writes: —"Bees have done well here during the white clover and basswood bloom. They are not doing so well now. AVe have about :3.000 pounds of clover and basswood honey on hand, all extracted, which we are offering at 1(5 cents per pound." Joseph Jones, Centre Co., Pa., writes:— "My bees have not done very well so far this season. ConnuenccMl with ten stocks, the season is very late and cold — June and July very dry. Increased to fifteen. No surplus honey yet. The prospects for buckwheat are good and we think we may get some surplus yet." 218 THE AMERICAI4 BEE JOURNAL. d )LAi ^^tm\^^^$m\\d THOMAS G. NEWMAN, Manager, TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. Single subscriber, oue year, $3.00 Two subscribers, sent at the same time, 8.50 Three subscribers, sent at the same time, 5.00 Six subscribers, sent at the same time (1.00 Ten subscribers, sent at the same time 14.00 Twenty subscribers, sent at the same time, . . . 25.00 Send a postage stamp for a sample copy. RATES OF ADVERTISING. SOLID NONPAKIEL MEASUKE. First insertion, per line, $ .20 Each subsequent insertion, per line, 15 Oue square, 10 lines or less, first insertion 2.00 Next page to Business Department and fourth and last page of cover, double rates. Twelve lines of solid Nonpariel occupy oue inch. Oue column contains !i(j Hues of solid Nonpariel. Bills of regular Advertising payable quarterly, if inserted three months or more. If inserted for less than three months, payable monthly. Transient advertisements, cash in advance. We adhere strict- ly to our printed rates. Address all communications and remittances to THOMAS G. NEW MAX, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Books for Bee-Keepers may be obtained at this office. Not one letter in ten thousand is lost by mail if rightly directed. Single copies of the American Bee Jour- nal are worth 30 cents each. Upon the wrapper of every copy of the Journal will be found the date at which subscriptions expire. Any numbers that fail to reach subscribers by fault of mail, we are at all times ready to send, on application, free of charge. The Cicrman Bee-Sting Cure can be obtain- ed at this ottice. Sent by Express for lil.OO. It cannot be sent by mail. See notice. Our subscribers in Europe, can noiv procure Postal Money Orders on Cliicago. This plan of sending money is safe and economical. Frank Searles, Hadley. Will Co , Ills., has 5U swarms of Italian Bees which he will sell for .•*?8.U0 each, in any amount, if sent for soon. Subscribers wishing to change their post- ofhce address, should mention their old ad- dress, as well as the one to which they wish it changed. Persons writing to this office sliould either write their Name, Post-ohice, County and State plainly, or else cut off tlie label front the wrapper of their paper and enclose it. Journals are forwarded until an explicit order is received by the publishers for the discontinuance, and until payuu'ut of all ar- rearages is nuule as recpiired by law. We have received a Postal Order from Slianon, Wis., in an envelope containing nothing else. We do not know from whom it came, nor for what it was intended. Will some one inform us? Honey Markets. CHICAGO.— Choice white comb honey, 28 @30c ; fair to good, 24(«)28c. Extracted, choice white, 14@16c ; fair to good, 10@12e ; strained, 8@10c. CINCINNATI.— Quotations from Chas. F. Mnth, 97(5 Central Ave. Comb honey, 15@35c. according to the con- dition of the honey and the size of the box or frame. Extracted choice white clover honey, 16c. ^ lb. ST. LOUIS.— Quotations from W. G. Smith 419 North Main st. Choice white comb, 25fa-30e ; fair to good, 16@23c. Extracted choice white clover, 16@ 18c. Choice basswood honey. 14@l(jc ; fair to good, extracted, 8@12c ; strained, (}@10c. NEW YOPtK.— Quotations from E, A. Wal- ker, 13.5 Oakland st., Greenport, L. I. White honey in small glass boxes, 25c ; dark 15(«)20c. Strained honey, 8@12c. Cuban honey, SI. 00 ^ gal. St. Domingo, and Mexi- an, 90@95 f gal. SAN [FPvANCISCO. — Quotations from Stearns and.Smith, 423 Front st. 1^" Our ^Market is weaker and stock very large. Outsiders, who do not make a business of handling honey, do not know where to sell and place it, and are selling at a sacrifice. We quote: Strained Southern Coast, at 7@10c; Comb, 12@20c; the latter figure forSanDeigo, in Harbison frames. Stearns & Smith. Premrnm Queens. Mrs. Tuppcr authorises us to say that she will still continue her otl'er of a tested Ital- ian queen to be sent to anyone who procures four subscribers, and sends the names with $8. This is a rare chance to procure a good queen at absolutely no cost, except the expenditure of time ; and those acting as agents will find it easy to secure names for the consolidated Jocrnal during the approaching season of fairs and exposi- tions. The queen will be sent promptly on receipt of names and money. Any one ordering a Queen at the time of renewing or subscribing for the Journal, will receive it and the American Bee Jour- nal one year for $6. HONEY COMMISSION HOUSE. W^. M. BRACKETT, Room 27, Tribune Building, Chicago, will take consignments of Honey and dispose of it to the best advantage, for those desiring such services, on commission. Or he is prepared to pay cash for honey on delivery. Mr. Brackett is General Agent for the American Publishing Company in Chicago, and may be relied upon to act on the stpiare. American Bee Journal DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. ^ Vol. X. CEDAR RAPIDS, OCTOBER, 1874. No. 10. 4jjttt$ptt4^tt(4, Correspondents should write only on one side of the sheet. Their best thoughts and practical ideas are always welcome ; no matter how rough, we will cheer- fully "fix them up." Kansas Association. Transactions of the Kansas State Bee-Keepers' Association, held at Lea- A'enwortli, Kansas, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, September ijtlt and 10th, 1874. ^ WEDNESDAY EVEXIXG SESSION. The State Bee-Keepers' Association met at 7'.< o'cloclc in the -Mayor's office, Hon. M. A. O'Neil in tlie chair. The Secretary read tlie minutes of tlie last annual meeting wliicli were approved. A committee Avas ai)pointed by the • •hair to select subjects for discussion for Thursday evening'. The committee repoi-ted back the following which were adopted, viz: 1. Is it more protitable to keep bees for honey or to raise stock for sale? 2. How can the largest amount of surplus honey be obtained? 3. AVhich is the cheapest and best plan of feeding- bees? ■1. What is the most successful plan of wintering? 5. Can bees be wintered without bee- bread ? f). Is a single story hive more profit- able than double? 7. What is the best plan to prevent robbing? 8. The best plan to introduce unfer- tile queens? 9. Is it profitable to keep an extract- or ? The President then read a paper entitled 27ie JIope.'>; Disappointments and Realizations of Bee-Keeping, which touched on many points of interest. He give notice that an election of officers for the ensuing year would be held to-night. Adjourned to meet again Thursday evening in the Mayor's office. TIIURSDAV EVENING SESSION. The President in the chair. The minutes of last meeting read and ap- proved. The special order of the evening was the discussion of subjects selected by the committee aiul the election of officers. Subject: ••Is it more protitable to keep bees for gathering honey or increase colonies for the purpose of making sales.'' Mr. Itiling. — AVith me the greatest profit derived is from the sale of honey, but I am of the opinion that it depends considerably on the locality and sea- sou. Mr. Jacot, of l)ouglas County. — My experience is that in my locality th(3 profit is in the sale of bees. As the lioney season does not open until the 15th 'or 20th of August, by that time the colonies are leduced from swarm- ing, and consequently not in as good condition as they would otherwise have been had the honey season open- ed earlier, before the swaiming im- pulse set in. Mr. Ilai-ris — I am unable to discover any ditference. Mr. Wolfron. — I am of the opinion that there is more p.roflt in honey, pro- viding we have empty combs to insert in the hive during the honey season. (). Badders. — r>y a judicious manage- ment of the extracted and properly constructed hives we coidd obtain more profit from honey; but in my locality the two should be worked to- gether; as the honey season opens early Ave can depend on honey in the spi-ing, and after the loth or 20th of July could divide and make sales, pro- viding Ave have the Italians, as they command a higher figure than the com- mon bee. Hon. M. A. O'Neal.— That it Avas rather a difficult problem to solve, as it depended on the locality, demand and price of bees and honey. ItLJCi i\.iVll!iXilUAi>l lilhih JULiliN^ij. Subject : "How can the largest amount of surplus honey be obtained?'' Mr. Riling'. — Stiaiuhite and nourish Iheni in the spring, so as to give them a chance to increase lor the basswood harvest A Member. — How do you prevent swarming? Mr. Itiling. — By keeping the hives cool with plenty of lower ventilation. Hon. M. A. O'Neal. — I. consider top 'ventihition during the summer a decep- tive teaching. O. Badders. — I am of the same opin- ion. Mr. Jacot. — Considered early feed- ing- in his locality unnecessary, as it encouraged swarming and consequent- ly Aveal^ened the colonies so tliat they ■were not in very good condition when the honey harvest opened. Hon. M. A. O.Neal.— I am of the same oi)inion ; did not nourish until the middle of July, so as to have them strong for fall harvest; use the extract- or. Mr. Wolfron. — Thought that plenty of room and some empty combs were necessary to procure a good yield. O. Badders — Thought that we did not quite understand the size of a hive to use; considered a four thousand (;ubic inch hive about the -right size. ]f projierly managed, it would yield about one-third as much more as two colonies of two thousand cubic inches each. Hon. M. A. O'Neal.— I ain of the opinion that such a hive would be diffi- cult to handle. •'What is the cheepest and best plan of wintering bees ?" Mr. King. — Have fed cotf'^e sugar, and consider it very good. Also gave a description of feeder. O. Badders. — I consider cream can- dy, inserted between the combs over the cluster, the besj. winter food that can be given, but think sugar syrup the best to stimulate with in the spring as the candy is a slow feeder, and does not encourage breeding fast enough in the eariy part of the season. Mr. Jacot.— Have fed candy, and was astonished at the result; consider it the best winter feed that could be given, especially to colonies in a cellar or winter repository. He also gave an excellent recipe for making candy, which can be obtained by any member of the Association by addressing the secretary. "The most successful plan of winter- ing." Mr. Jacot. — I think the Quinby plan, in the cellar, with plejity of top venti- lation, the best. Mr. Jiiling. — I have wintered very successfully in the cellar. To some colonies I give upward ventilation; to others oidy bottom ventilation; think that those ventilated only at the bot- tom came out of their winter quarters in the best condition, but am of the opinion that a long hive containing 5 or 6 colonies, divided bj- thin division boards, would be the best for out-door wintering. Hon. M. A. O'Neil. — Have wintered on both, but am most successful with out-door wintering. Place blankets on top of the frames; fill the top boxes witli hay, and place a board up in front of the hive to protect the entrance from the wind. O. Badders. — I have wintered in a cellar very successfully, but am oftlie opinion that they will not increase as fast as out of doors, although a great amount of honey can be saved. I have been astonished at the result of an ex- periment of placing two colonies in one hive and dividing it by a wire cloth,, placing the hive in a large box and packing around the hives with common print paper. Can bees be wintered without bee- bread or polon ? Hon. M. A. O'Neil.— I am of the opinion that they can be brought through, but would not amount to much. Mr. Riling. — I never have had any experience in the matter, but I think it a hazardous undertaking. O. Badders. — I am of the opinion that it could be done with success, but it depends entirely upon conditions. I think that if plenty of young bees were placed in the hive late in the fall and with a favorable early spring, so that the bees could get out (o gather from maple and early bloom, so as to encourage breeding, they could be made a success. Is a single story hive more profitable than a double ? Mr. Riling. — I always considered a two story hive with tny management the best, providing the frames were shallow as they are the easiest hatidled and more convenient in every way, but I prefer the deep frame for rapid in- Hon. M. A. O'Neil,— With my ex- perience the single chafnber is the best, provided it is so constructed that the aparian could adjust it to suit the size of the swarm. O. Badders. — I will have to acknow- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 221 ledge that I am a convert to the Adair and Cjulliip tlieory, believing it to be the true method not to" crowd the i)rood chamber. I have constructed a Galluj) liive, and found it to do all tliat ■was claimed lor it, it properly mau- aged. What is the bci^t i)lau to prevent rob- binji ? lion. jM. a. O'Xeil. — AVet Iiay thrown in front of the entrance is one of the best preventatives 1 have ever found. O. liadders. — Strong colonies with entrance constructed so as to adapt them to the Avants of the colony, is one of the best i)reveutatives of moth or robber bees — that is pi'oviding the hive lias a ventilator opposite the entrance 6 or 8 inches long by one deep, — also consider the snuiU black bee the worst robber. "The best plan to introduce unfertile queens." Hon. M. A. O'Neil. — Cage and place in the hive, and at the end of 24 hours open the cage and place a piece of paper over the opening to allow the bees to cut througli the rest. Mr. O. Badders. — I believe in caging, but in addition would sprinkle the queen and colony with sugar syrup and peppermint mixed, tiien introduce her on a comb taken from the hive. "How soon should honey be extract- ed after gathered." Hon, M. A. O'Neil.— In order to have it good, it should be capped or nearly so, then immediately after ex- tracting seal up in glass jars, in order to preserve the aroma. The President announced that the discussion of subjects would now close, and that the next order of business would be the election of officers. A member moved to suspend the rules, in order to add an amendment to Ihe constitution, which was carried. The following resolutions were carried by an unanimous vote. Jiesolved: That all that clause in the constitution heretofore existing in regard to the membersliip should be struck out, and in place thereof insert the following : That all persons paying an initiation fee of 25 cents, and a membership fee of 25 cents a year, should be considered members in good standing. The Association tlien proceeded to ballot for officers, with the following result : President, N. Cameron, of LaAvrence ; Vice-President, Hon. M. A. O'Neil, of Black Jack, Douglas County ; Secre- tary, O. Badders, of Leavenworth ; As- sistant Secretary, J. V. ]{andolph, of Kmporia ; 'J'l-easurer, J. Piling, of Lea- venworth. After a vote of thanks to the Mayor for the use of his oflice, and the Press for favors grantcMJ. 'J'lie Association adjourned sul)jAi)i>KU8, Sec'y. Hopes, Disappointments and Realiza- tion of Bee-Keepers. A PAPEK HEAD P.EKOKE THE ASSOCIATIOX ' OF TUK STATE, SEPT. QTII, '74, AT ITS AN- NIT.VI. MEETING IN I>EAVENWOKTU CITY, UY THE PHESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION. Like almost other branches of productive industry in the west, bee-keeping is not en- tirely exempt from uncertainties as to results, but there is nothing to mark it as being a peculiarly uncertain 1)ranch of business. As shown by the last annual report of the State Board of Afiriculture, the whole num- ber of colonies kc^pt in the State on the first* day of March 1873 was 14,884. No. of ])Ounds of honey tlie preceeding year 1:35,384. No. of l)0unds of wax the preceeding year 3,686. The counties in the order named reported the largest amounts of honey, viz: Leaven- worth, 12,815 lbs ; Jefferson, 12,611 ; Johnson, 11,384 lbs ; Bourbon, 11,:352 lbs ; Atchison, 10,- • 993 lbs;Doinphan, 9,795 lbs ; Douglas,9,3.s41bs; Miami, 8,756 lbs; Jackson, 6,139,lbs ; Franklin, 5,;331 lbs ; &c. Although such reports are not generally very accurate yet tliey form a basis for calcu- lations. Placing the average value of honey for that j'ear at 25 cents per pound and coloiiies at an average price of ;if 10 each we have the follow- ing estimates : i:35,:;84 lbs honey at 25 cts .^33,846 14,885 colonies at ^SK) 15148,850 3,686 lbs wax at 25 cts 921 Total valuation ,«18:3,716 In the j^ear 1860 the number of pounds of honey reported was only 16,994 lbs. Hence it is quite evident that apiculture is rapidly I gi'owing in importance as one of the wealth ! and luxury-producing pursuits of the State. ! So far as we have been able to learn, the 1 past year has been an unpropitious one to , bee-keepers generally, in Kansas, but in some i localities bees have done very well— perhaps better than many other years. Those situated ' in or near large bodies of native timber and basswood groves ha^■e done the best. To I determine what are the relative advantages I of having apiaries situated in or near timber- I ed districts, or on the up-lands when a good I porticni of the land in each year put under j cultivation, is a subject worthy of considera- tion. ♦ 222 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. It is very evident that bees will not do well under all circumstances and in all localities, and to those who imagine that in their vicinity thousands of dollars worth of honey is an- nually going to waste for want of bees to collect it, we would say : be sure tirst that you are right and then "go ahead," otherwise if you should make much of an investment in the business and build much iipon net results and large profits, you may find when too late that under the surrounding circumstances, all efforts, whether well directed or not, can only end in disaster. But we believe that as the country gets old- er bee-keeping will become more certain and remunerative. A more abimdant flora of other States and countries as it takes root and flourishes in soils, tempered by cultivation to its wants, along with our own indiginous var- ieties will furnish bees a more constant field in which to labor and will play an important pai't in the attainment of this result. Too many in our state have nothing to re- port but their failures and the unprofitable- ness of the business and it would seem from .this phase of the question alone, tliat bee- keeping is like a mirage to a thirsty man traveling on the desert who vainly follows its constantly receeding form until at last he gives up from inability to proceed further. Then he arrive'^, at the conclusion that he has been the victim of a delusion. But there is to this, as well as to all other questions, two side— a bright one as well as the dark one. The present year as well as the preceeding one have been noted in the history of the Siate and country, dating back for the past 35 or .30 years as drouthy. The amount of rain-fall during the summer months being \nipreceedently small and the evaporating power of the air being very great and contin- uous for a long time, the dew point being seldom reached. A consequence is, that dur- ing that time the flowers failed to furnish their ordinary amount of sweets, and the bees have had to remain idle during a time that in other j'ears they were storing honey rapidly. That degree of atmosphere humidity and that electrical condition of the atmosphere most favorably came to an end in our part of the State about the '3f»th of June, since which time the bees have done nothiug ; but prior to that time they did as well if not better than preceeding years. Quite an amount of honey has been taken that was stored in the fore part of the season, and tlie prospects now are that bees will store enough this fall to last them througii the win- ter,and in some localities furnish considerable surplus. This prospect is more cheering in view of the fact that we have been visited by pests in the form of chints bugs and grasshoppers which have made such a heavy onslaught up- on vegetation that it would seem to have "played out" much of the bee pasture. But many of the plants furnishing honey in the fall months are not savory dishes to those pestifer- ous visitors, and hence since the heated tena has come to an end the atmosphere has chang- ed as regards the dew point the bees have again resumed their cheerfiU hum and return- ed to their natural habits of industry. A life is made up of pleasures and sorrows ; hopes and expectations ; happy realizations and bitter disappointments ; the bee keepers have a fair field in which to pass through ail these life-phases, and to see as if in miniature the foreshadowings of all that nuikes life pleasurable or otherwise. He is flushed with hopes and buoyant with expectations, as he sees in the near future the happy realizations of his dreams and very of- ten, whether they be night or day ones, they end in happy realities and success beyond ex- pectation. The more thoi'ough the ac(iuaint- aiice with the business the more certainty there is of satisfactory results. But very freciuently, just as the prospect is brightest and luost flattering, some calamity crosses his pathway and his fair fabrics totter and fall to the ground. In a great many in- stances the calamity with its dire conseciuen- ces might have been averted. It is the main object of such an association as this to determine what is necessary to make the business more generally successful. That many of the causes of past failures can be avoided in the future is, to our mind, ap- parent. A free discussion of all the known causes of past faihu'es as well as the exper- iences of those who have been successful » should constitute a large i)art of the work of this association. In addition to this the pub- lication of everything that will leail to the attainment of better results will place our favorite l)ranch of business wliere it belongs among the leading pursuits of the State. Bee-keepers are generally a hopeful people, but we believe that they are not prone to " hope against hope," as is sometimes the case, as manifested as an inate principle of our being. For instance, we have seen many persons in the last stages of puluionary consumption, and the rule has been that the\ were always hopeful — hopeful that some turn in the dis- ease would prolong their life or tliat they would again be able to go arouutl and attend to their affairs as they had done in the past. But bee-keeping is not like an iiinhift fat'ais that allures with false hopes and daz/.les but to bllud; )>ut it has got something real tangi- ble in its favor and will yet becouie a source of profit as well as pleasure to thousands more of this vast and cnanging west of which our own State is a lit representative. Then, as bee-keei)ers, let us do our duty. Let us keep up our organization, supimrt our jour- nals, and assist in every way in the good work, and thus not only we ourKtivcs will be profited, but the State and nation will be made more prosperous and hajniy in consequence of our havnig lived and clischarged our obli- gations to society. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 223 For the American Bee Journal. Bees Notes from Putnum Co., 111. In the spring of 187:3,1 lost l;?0 stands of bees; had fifty -live left. The loss being made up at this date, in the spring of 1874, I had 145. Now I have 383. My bees did well after May 1, 187;}, so I got ninety swarms for 1873 and heavy surplus honey. In the spring of 1874, our bees came out rich and hardy. They began to make honey in April, of the best quality. They commenced swarming the 20th of May; that is, the yellow bees. The hybrids be- gan the lUlh of June, and swarmed until the 8lh of July. On the 17th of June I got twenty-four swarms. They found the honey. I live along the Illinois river bottom, ■where bees must do well, for they have the best of chance. They have in March the soft maple and willow. Then comes the orchards' bloom. Then the hard maple and ash, white elm and red. In May comes another willow, and quaking asp and cot- ton wood, which are heavy honey-produ- cers. In June we have wild cherry, honey locust, linden and elbow bush. Tlie 20th of July our bees have rest; no more bloom from timber, until the 11th of August. Then the wild flowers are in bloom on the bottoms. My strongest are making box honey now. O. H. Henry, 111. For the American Bee Journal. The Tulip Tree. Since the publication of the communica- tion in which I referred to the honey-pro- ducing qualities of the tulip tree, I have re- ceived several communications from the States and from Canada, inquiring how they may be procured, can I furnish young trees, or inform them who can, and the cost, to send cuttings by mail, etc. As I am so much indebted to the contribu- tors of the Journal who, by giving us the benefit of their experience and labor, have added so much to the cause, both of profit and interesting information, I feel it a duty and pleasure to answer communications, and give all the information I possess that may be of benefit to the fraternity ; but as answering each separately takes up much time, and as there may be others who are desirous of the same infoimation, I pro- pose to answer all through the Journal. The tulip tree, commonly called, and in these parts, universally known as the poplar, is really not a poplar at all, though from the great height to which it grows, the large, green leaves, color and texture of the wood and general appearance, it might readily be taken for a species of poplar. In some localities in the west it is known as white wood. The projicr name is tulip tree (Liriadendron tullpifera), of the natu- ral order of magnoliaceic. It is a native of the United States, and grows abundantly in the fertile i^oil of the Middle and South- western States, and attains a height of from 80 to 100 and 140 feet, with a stem some three feet and over in duimeter. When full grown it has a grayish brown cracked bark, with many somewhat gnarled, easily broken branches; wlu'n young the bark is smooth and greenish in color, and the limbs are beautifully long and slender. The leaves are roundish, ovate, and three lobed. The flowers solitary, ami at the extremi- ties of the branchlets, and resemble tulips in size and appearance, and when first open, so filled with honey that the bees in visiting them make very little humming, as they simply alight, fill themselves and return to the hive. While (he tree grows strong and rapidly, and great numbers of them come up from the seed and young roots in soil and places suited to them, yet they are very hard to propagate in nurseries, as not one seed in hundreds spYout; and it is still more difficult to grow them fi'om cuttings. I am informed by gardeners who furnish all kinds of shade and fruit trees, that they procure them from the woods, and that they must be taken before they pass two years old, as they will not bear transplanting well after that age. The cost of procuring them here of the right age, which, of course, would be in limited numbers, would be about $25.00 per 100, ready for shipping. Being a physician, living in the city, it is not in my line or convenient to procure them, but I would suggest to some of our southern friends that may have unusual facilities for furnishing small treses, that if they make it known through the .Journal they might get orders in paying numbers, and I am sure those who get them will be pleased, and greatly benefited in having both a beautiful shade and honey-producing tree. Although a native of the United States, they arc found in many parts of Europe, having been in- troduced for a shade tree. In Britain they flower only in the southern part, there- fore it is probable that in the extreme northern States, and in Canada they might fail as honey-producing trees. On the prai- ries of the West, once introduced, they would soon spread and become very valu- able for shade and lumber, even if honey was not an object. Some writers for the Journal recommend keeping chickens about the apiary. I in- dorse that, for it is quite a satisfaction to- see them quietly going around and under the hives, looking in every corner for worms and moth. They are also very fond of drones, and I have laughed heartily to see them trying to catch them on th?; wing by snapping at them; but if workers, 224 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. get too thick around, they shake their heads and dodge away for fear of being stung. At the time the bees are driving out the drones, they are most attentive, and will run from one hive to another and pick up the drones that are being worried out of the hive by the workers; but I have never seen them catch or eat a worker bee, not even the cripples that are fluttering on the ground to get away from the hive. They will look at them sometimes carefully, but soon as they find they are not drones, they shake their heads and pass on, as much as to say, You will sting; I don't like you. My hives are from one foot to eighteen inches from the ground, with pieces of old boards resting on the ground and against the alighting board, and it is as the drones ■come rolling down these that the hens catch them. Having been inquired of as to the price of honey here, I will state that I sell most of mine to consumers for 30 cents. Last year I could not dispose of it all that way, and sold several hundred pounds in the comb, in small frames^ for 25 cents gross weight. I do not extract a great deal, but for what I do I get 30 cents from the drug- gists, who want it in that form, knowing it to be pure. J. Ralston Wells. 5134 Lancaster-av., Phila. For the American Bee Journal. A Hint. 'Overstocking is not as liable to occur as loverloadiug the combs, in any hive, or api- ary ; let it be few in numbers, or many, it is liable to occur, and often does with a small neuclei, as well as in a doubled or threbled swarm or stock. Let a small ipart of the space that has been for- merly occupied by the patent hive, that is :seldom overstocked with any real value, be ■occupied in explaining why one stock is ■overstocked; another by its side giving the large surplus, as spoken of by the patent hive man, that does not, or cannot, say anything else but overstocking and recom- mending his hive; when there is location, liives, queens, bees of the difterent qualities and quantities, stores, too little of honey or ■bread, or the reverse. Now, will that big pot hive do all the managing, to make all the conditions right for the big surplus ? There never was a l)lace seen, during a yield of honey, where bees were kept, that was overstocked with well inauaged stocks!! It depends on na- ture, controlled by the superior, and the ikeeper, to keep the conditions right, wheth- •cr in one hive or the other. To get honey, bees should be kept to gather it. The surplus should be kept out -of the way of the earnings of the young bees. One inch of honey stored around the brood nest, while more is to be gather- ed; that hive sutlers for room; it makes no difference, whether there is many thou- sand empty cells around it, it suffers as bad as one of the large stocks, with every cell full of eggs, larva, bread, and honey. A man that says a box hive, or bars are as good as frames, is not supposed to know how to getout the surplus honey, bee bread, eggs, brood, or the different qualities or quantities of bees, or queens; or add any one or more of the above, to make the condition right for obtaining surplus, either from the comb or in boxes, or improving the quality or quantity or stock. J. M. Marvin. St. Charles, 111. For the American Bee Journal. Bee-Keeping in the South. I am pleased to see that the two impor- tant bee-journals of the United States have united, and that we are now to have one first-class paper. I am sorry to see so few communications from the South. Most of the articles and experiments are not adapted to this locality. The difhculties in the North, and the ob- stacles in the way of success are no obsta- cles here. We have no trouble, for in- stance, or danger in wintering bees. We make no preparation for this. Our bees stand on their summer stands, "with no change or protection, and I have not lost a swarm in thirty years. My bees frequently gather honey and pollen all winter. I frequently receive letters making inqir- ies about this country as a bee country, and you will permit me to answer through your paper. 1 find that the questions from different persons and different localities, amount to about the same. 1st. Is yours a good bee country ? Yes. The bees swarm well, and gather plenty of honey. I have taken from a number of hives this season one hundred pounds of box honey, and two hundred pounds extracted honey. I could have taken more with close attention. 2d. What time do bees swarm ? The last of March or first of April. The swarming season continues througli April and May, if it is a good honey season. AVe sometimes liave plenty of honey-dew in September and October, and I have liad swarms in three months. We can begin to raise queens the first of March, and have them ready for sale first of April. 3d. What is your bee pasture ? Ans. Early flowers in February, from wliich bees gather pollen and honey ; peach bloom last of February and first of March; apple, locust, and China bloom first of THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 225 April; linden, and maple, cbiukopin und other trees bloom later. We have usually in April honey dew, from which our bees make honey. I have .'^een it so abundant us to drip from the trees. Generally found on the hickory, but at times on other trees. In some localities we have the muskete tree, producing considerable honey. The clover and buck-wheat do not >!;row liere. The bees make honey from something all seasons, unless it is very dry or very Avet. 4th. AVhat is the jirice of black bees? Ans. From two to three dollars in box hives, sometimes lower. There are plenty in the country, and any amount can be bought. There is but little attention ]nud to the culture of the honey-bee. Some few Italian (jueens have been imported this season from A. J. Murray, of Memphis. A few ere using the movable frames. 1 have the only honey extractor I know of, which I :im using this season Avith great success. I am convinced this is one of the best lo- calities for honey and rearing Italian queens to be foimd iu the laud. I am sorry your American Bee Convention meets so late in the season, as the weather is too cold for us from the extreme south at that season. W. K. Marshall. Sereveport, La. For the American Bee .Tournal. Sale of Honey. It is very evident that the production {lud sale of honey as an industry in this country is still in its infancy. Nearly ev- ery staple article of food has its regular place and price iuthe market reports, while liouey, if put down at all, will be found in the miscellaneous list, with hoop-poles, feathers, etc. Though craved by a great majority of people, honey fails to become a staple arti- cle as a daily consumption, because it is upon tlie market but a comparatively short time, as a luxury, and at a high price. Further- more the great majority of people are unac- <[uainted with the nature of honey, and can easily be imposed upon by an adulterated mixture. This brings extracted honey into disrepute, and the consumer has to be edu- cated in relation to its qualities and its pro- duction. At present the apiarian is striving to learn the consumers all of these facts, but instead of striving to learu those in his immediate vicinity, he too often desires to sell his barrels of honey in bulk as he would his firkins of butter, and ships it in the same manner to his commission merchant iu a distant city, and in consequence gener- ally receives an unsatisfactory price. Now we claim that this education for the consumption of honey should commence near home, where the apiarian and the method of production is known. Thou- sands of pounds could be sold in every farming community, and if a good article was sold every year his sales would in- crease. If the apiarian should start out among this class with a barrel of honey and exact cash, his sales Avould probably be slow; but let him adopt the exchange sj^stem, and take butter, eggs, etc., for pay, and his barrel would soon be empty, while the exchanged articles could be readily converted into cash. Difterent routes can be taken each day, and if his honey holds " out, and his trips are regular, a gieut many will look for his appearance. Regul ar cus tomers will buy their tweuty-five to fifty pounds for winter use. A regular pri('e should be extracted, a single pound should be sold for its price, and a discount be made in favor of those who purchase a quantity. If several apiaries are located near the same vicinity, one man could be kept upon the road a long time. The general introduction of honey in this manner would suggest new uses for it in cooking and preserving of fruits. Some may object to this peddling system, but will not the diflerence between 15 or 16 cents, wholesale, and 20 or 35, retail, pay to put a good retail salesman on the road for several weeks ? A general introduction of honey in this manner through the rural districts would keep the market better iu cities. We are led to this course in this vicinity because in all eastern towns and cities su- gared honey has been sold extensively, and anything in the form of honey in a can is looked upon as sugar syrup, sure. We trust Mrs. Spaids, with western energy, will edu- cate New York City iu relation to this very important product, and give us a reliable market all the year round. Scientific. Hartford, New York. For the American Bee Journal. Test of Italian Purity. Is there any fixed and certain test of Italian purity ? If so what is it ? A bee-keeper of some prominence wrote me a year or two since, that he had " pure Italians" with only two yellow bands. He enclosed in his letter two or three such specimens of his bees. They compared favorably in color with my worst hybreds. Are such bees pure Italians V Mr. Dadant says in the July No. of the American Bee .Journal, that "even in Italy there are a few black bees among the thousands of well-marked," and he adds that this " this is not a mark of impurity." Mr. D. ought to be good authority on this point, as he has imported largely, and has iiad the opportunity of observing the Ital- 226 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. .r ian in its native land. But considering that his opinions are entitled to much credit, it is true in point of fact, that the '^ure Italian queen, purely fertilized, ever produces "black" bees, either workers or queens ? If this be so, then the Italian is only a mongrel species, and has no fixed marks by which it can with certainty be distinguished. I am well aware that many imported queens, as well as many that are bred in this country and called pure, fail to dupli- cate themselves in their queen progeny, and produce workers of various markings. I had, until recently, in my own apiary an imported queen, one that was brought over last year by Mr. Dadant, whose worker progeny were two and three banded, and whose progeny varied from the brightest yellow to the deepest black. She was of extraordinary fecundity, yet fell far short of being what I considered a pure Italian. There was evidently black blood either in her own veins, or in those of the drone by which she had been fertilized. How she received this black blood in Italy is more than I can tell, but the effects of it were loo plain to be mistaken. The true characteristic or test of Italian purity, in my judgment, which is based upon close observation for several years, is the uniform and invariable showing of three yellow bands by the workers. If there is one worker in a thousand that fails to show the third band distinctly, or if there is a want of uniformity in the bright- ness of the bauds, the mother of such workers will prove an unsafe breeder. And it would not do to trust to the appearance of old bees, or of bees after they have begun to work. It is then quite difficult to detect the impurity. The best, and in my opinion, only time when we may determine with certainty, is when the young workers are just emerging from their cells. If there is a two banded young bee on the cord it will soon be discovered ; but if all the young bees are of a light milky color — none Avith a bluish, or dark back, and narrow light brown just behind the Avaist — the mother of such workers may be relied on to duplicate herself without fail in her queen progeny. I think we way restrict the test a little further, and require it to be applied to the brood of young queens only. I have had a few queens, that, when young, produced occasionally a two banded bee, but whose workers, the second and third year, appear- ed to come fully up to the standard. I have tried breeding queens from such mothers, and have had to discard them as impure. I would occasionally find among their queen progeny, young queens with broad dark rings around their bodies, a very bad mark on a young queen. Such ringed queens, if fertilized by black drones are apt to produce, more or less, black workers. My experience convinces me, that an Italian queen, whose own blood is entirely pure, will never produce a black worker, notwithstanding she may have mated with a black drone. And where an Italian queen does produce even a "few" black workers, although " the thousands ** of her brood may be well marked, it may be set down that the mother of such a queen is either impure or impurely fertili- zed. I am aware that the views expressed above diffei's from those held hy several at at least, of our best apiarists. It may be that I am wrong and they are right ; yet I must be permitted to entertain the honest convictions of my mind, which I cannot resist until I have more and very different light on the subject. M. C. Hester, Charlestown, Ind. For the American Bee Journal, Chips From Sweet Home. HOW TO GET THE MOST BOX HONEY. Taking our location where we have al- most a continual flow of honey from early spring till heavy frost cuts it short, we would proceed as follows : Get our hives crammed full of bees by giving no more room to the bees than they can fill ; to ac- complish this we use a division board and crowd one or more combs to one side, as soon as they have sufficient bees we insert an empty comb and move the partition board and continue thus to do till the hive is full of bees and combs full of brood, we then, and not till then, put on our surplus boxes. If previous to this time they gath- er more honey than they consumed in rais- ing brood, we empty with the honey slinger so as to give the queen "elbow room," after our boxes have been on a mouth we remove them and see the condition below, if they have filled the side combs with honey, which they are apt to do, Ave remove them and sling the honey out, placing the empty combs in the center and those Avith most brood outside ; give the queen room to de- posit eggs ; raise all the brood Ave can and the honey A\'ill i;ome. The nearer the brood we put our surplus boxes the less honey Avill be stored below and the move in the surplus boxes. All hives with surplus boxes or a set of frames above for slinging should be ex- amined ibelow once a month and in case much honey is stored there it should be slung out as it cramps the queens brood de- partment. ISIany queens are called unpro- litic because they have no room to deposit eggs. Keep hives strong by raising all the brood possible and the_honey Avill be gath- ered. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 227 SENDING QUEENS BY MAIL AND EXPUE83. Wc have always sent our queens by mail, and expect to do so as long as Uncle Sam will permit. My reasons will be found in the diflerence of the following two ex- ninples. R. M. Argo sent me a ciueen from Lowell, Ky., a distance of 300 or 400 miles by mail which cost 4 cents, it was a week on the road. Ch. Dadant and Son sent mc a queen from Hamilton, 111., a distance of 80 miles by express to Ncav Boston which cost 60 cents, it was over a week getting to New Boston and the express master notified me of it by mail. I had already made one trip (8 miles) for it, and the next day I got it ; they were 13 dai/s on the road. The above needs no comment. 1 get a different box from every breeder, weighing from half an ounce to a pound. I will describe the box I use and the mode of putting up. The end pieces are 1 inch wide, 2^ in. long and i inch thick. Two sides are | in. wide, 3 in. long and one eight in. thick. The top and bottom are 2i in. wide, 3 in. long and one-eighth in. thick. "We use cigar box nails, nail the two sides on the ends and then bottom, in the top put one nail in the middle of one end, which leaves it to swing open, now cut a piece of sealed honey comb 1 inch by 2i in. cut oft' he cells on one side near the base, lay this piece where the bees can clean oft" all the loose honey and no more, now place it in the end of your box, having the capped cells towards the inside of the box, then put in two nails through the box in the comb to prevent its moving, take the queen by the wings and slip her in the box, the cover being swung open a little, then put in 15 or 20 worker bees from the same hive and nail. Put on the sides the address with a lead pencil and a two cent stamp on the cud and drop in the post office and Uncle Sam will do the rest. D. D. Palmer. Eliza, Mercer Co., 111. For the American Bee Journal. Italians vs. Black Bees. As everybody likes to talk of themselves, and as amateur beekeepers seem to be no exception to the rule, I will proceed to do likewise; and now as I promised in the May number of the National, I will give a sort of epitome of my experience, with ])oth black and Italian bees the past sum- mer. I was anxious to know if this talk about the superiority of Italian bees over our blacks was interested talk, or a real fact; at the same time I could not believe that all the eminent bee-keepers of the country would so emphatically praise the Italians unless there was sovie foundation for it. So having two Italian colonies, I bought two black colonies, and placing them side by side, let them proceed to their level best. Previous to my purchase of the blacks (in April, I think), I had been feeding the Ital- ians as often as the weather would allow me to open the cap of the hive (American Farmers', 12x12 inside). So I think the Ita-lians had some the start of the blacks in that respect, though they were about equal in strength on coming out of winter quar- ters. Now for the result. I divided both of the Italians and only one of the blacks, leaving the other for the surplus honey. The Italians have become as strong in num- bers as the one undivided swarm of black bees, and one of them cast a natural swarm July 31st, which I wintered with a nucleus which I had started from one of the other Italians. SUMMARY. From two Italians I now have three very strong colonies and two average ones; total, five. From two l)lacks I have one average colony, and two scarcly fair ones. As to honey, the drouth came in June and white clover was a myth, but during July and August they all held their own, gradually increasing in weight, (I have au apparatus for weighing like one suggested by Burch, I think), and since September 1st they have been carrying in " dead loads " of gold-wood and aster honey, so that I have extracted eighty pounds from the two strongest Italians, and the one strongest black colony. Further, I have been fighting the moth all summer in the two divided black colonies, while the Ital- ians will not allow a moth to slap his vil- lainous little pinion in sight of their hive. I must, therefore, say that my prejudices (if you call them such), have been removed. Though I never was prejudiced against the Italians as such, but it is my nature to as- sist the weaker side always, and when I heard every one praising the Italians, I thought I would give the blacks an equal chance, "a fair field and no favor, and may the best bee win"; and for the future I shall pin the Ligurian colors to my sleeve and continue to say: Glorious little worker, from whom we may learn glorious things ! from whom even the wise king could be in- structed. Long may thy golden bauds con- tinue to flash in the sunlight of happy rural homes ! Worker ! with an industry that is never tiring, never ceasing; a perseverance that could teach a Hannibal lessons in per- sistance; a method that could teach "the art of order to a peopled kingdom" ; a brave- ry in defense of home and kindred that even a Winkelreid could scarely excel! Verily, I should say: "Go to the bee, thou sluggered, consider her ways and be wise!" I would like to ask some reader of the Journal to describe "aster" tome. 228 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ^r There are fields literally covered with yellow flowers near me (Englewood, Cook county, 111., 6i miles south of the court- house, Chicago). These flowers look like sunflowers in shape and color, but are from a half to three inches in diameter. My bees have been working on them since they be- gan to blossom, about September 1st. With a sincere wish for the prosperity of the united Journals, I subscribe myself. With respect, P. J. Colburn. For the American Bee Journal. Bees in New Zealand. Whoever has read Cotton's "Bee Book," published in London, A. D. 1842, will re- member the interesting account which he gives at the end of the book of the manner in which he packed two hives to take with him to the Pacific Island of New Zealand. His success was remarkable, when the great distance is considered — a voyage of five months. The Rev. Mr. Cotton accom- panied the first Bishop of New Zealand in his missionary work, but he found time to introduce his pet bees among the islands of the Pacific, as the following account will show: "The Rev. Richard",Taylor, of New Zea- land, while on a visit to England, reports that ' bees were introduced into New Zea- land before Rev. Mr. Cotton's arrival, hut the chief supply is derived from his stock. ■ They are now very abundant and widely spread; in fact, the swarms which have es- caped have completely stocked the woods. Bees in New Zealand work all the year, and make two kinds of honey. The spring or summer honey is liquid, the autumnal or winter honey is solid and completely crystalized. The honey is very fine, but varies in character according to the pre- vailing plants of tlie district. That of the south is in general better than that of the north, from the great abundance of plants and flowers. "New Zealand will be a great honey country. It now sells at nine pence per pound, and soon will be less. Australia also produces some. We have a native bee which is solitary, and makes but one cell, which is in a hollow stick. Half the cell is filled with wax,* and the otlier half with honey." D. C. Mii.lett. Holmesburg, Pa. *Probably the writer means farina. For the American Bee Journal. Voice from Ontario. Bees have done remarkably well here this summer so far, although I thought in the spring that we would get nothing, as the weather was so very unfavorable. I had three slocks in the spring, and in- creased them to eight, and took nearly three hundred pounds of honey, principally extracted. I am afraid some one will say, that fel- low is going ahead too fast. Well, perhaps so, but my stocks are all very strong, and have plenty of honey. I had about empty combs enough for the whole of my increase. Some of your correspondents have been making considerable ado about an increase of four pounds of honey per day. I do not think that a very big thing, for I had a natural swarm on Monday afternoon, and on the Saturday following I extracted thirty-five pounds of honey from the same swarm, be- ing at the rate of five pounds per day. Of course they had empty combs given them, and nothing to do but clean up house and go to work. I see that Prof. A. J. Cook gives it as one of the special necessities that a new swarm should have a comb of worker brood in the hive to induce them to stay. Now I do not wish to set myself up as an authority, but will give my experience. I have hived a great many swarms during the last seven years, and never had a swarm leave yet. I had no charm for them except nice, clean hives. I never had any trouble to get straight combs built. All the crook- ed combs I have seen, were attributable to the hanging of the frames in the hives. The principal trouble I find here is the wintering. Mine wintered as well as I could wish last winter, but I am already beginning to look forward with dread to the cold weather next spring. I will prob- ably tell you Hiow my bees have done this year, as I count the year from the first of May until May again. Lucknow, Out. Geo. T. Btjrgess. For the American Bee Journal. A Voice Prom the South. The honey season in this section for this year has been an exceptionally good one — better than it has been for the past eight years. My apiary is now not a large one. I am compelled to keep it reduced to a lim- ited number of about 12 hives, as I have but little time to devote to them on account of my occupation. I had one hive to give me four sets — (four boxes each) — 16 lbs. in all, averaging 5 lbs. each, beautiful honey, during the season. The boxes being re- moved as fast as filled, and this, after hav- ing thrown oil" a fine swarm in April, the usual time of swarming; and having no un- usual attention, and will go into their win- ter quarters with abundance of honey, as I never deprive them of honey from the main hive. 1 use the regular Langstroth frame hive. Jno. R. Bledsoe. Natches, Miss. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 229- For the American Bee Journal. A Visit to Mr. T: G. McGaw, Mon- mouth, 111. And a pleasant visit it was too, and to be placed on record in the book of memory to be recalled in after days with other re- collections of our bees and bee men. I found Mr. McGaw's bee-yard by enquiring diligently, and found the bee man at his post with a bee veil tied on top of his hat in readiness for use if the war should be carried too close home, though he said he had but little use for it. 1 told my name and in a few minutes we were like old friends, talking of course about bees, hives, extractors, journals, and last but not least, the bee-keepers themselves. He is a well posted bee keeper in the broadest sense of the term, liaving taken his first start in bees back in Oxford, Ohio, near Kev. L. L. Langstroth, where he got his first Italian queen for a single stock of blacks, the said queen turning out to be a hybrid. There, for the first time, I saw Will. R. King's hive, the Triumpii, Gal'up's and Novice's frames, with Novice's metal corners which are a good thing but costing a little too much to be used in a large apiary where cheapness is the main idea, that is 4 cents per frame. Mr. McGaw has about 65 stocks I think, besides some he has on hand keeping for others, mostly in Langstroth hives. And by the way, he spoke about one thing in regard to getting up a "standard " frame. Why can't they who are getting this new frame into use, or trying to, take tlie Ijang- stroth hive as a beginning. Just cut olf the frame and run it tlie other way of the hive, a frame easier to handle, extractors could all be made to correspond with it, etc. See how easily the standard frame ques- tion could be settled if you but listen to our way of doing it. In the afternoon a slight shower drove us into the house and there we continued our talk of the same old subject. I listened with interest to the account of his transactions with other bee men, those he had been to see, had sold queens to, bought queens of, etc. I think that if I were a patent bee hive man I'd give Mr. McGaw a wide berth, for he seems to have no mercy for humbugs, especially in the bee business. After the shower was over "we went out to the bees again, where we spent the time in looking into and through the hives, which were crowded with honey, bees and brood, and some with nice box honey on top ; inspectiug the workers from imported mothers, etc. Was shown a frame he had put up for fertilizing queens in confinement, and he feels as though it would do him good if he could give the man a good licking who said queens could be fertilized in confinement. Another one of the pet theories laid on the shelf. I did not have the honor (?) of being stung by any of Mr. McGaw 's bees, though several came around us in a threatening maimer and one I had to whack with a shingle to teach him respect to strangers. I did not get the figures of his honey for this season, but think from what he said it has been pretty good. I brought a^vay, as a souvenir, one of his excellent queen ship- ping cages, sent by mail, 1 cent postage. Our bees are working hard yet, buck- wheat most gone, but white clover re-com- mencing and bees working on it good, and heartsease by the acre in our corn- fields. Have had two big rains clear otf with but a slight touch of frost, but are in hopes that we shall have a good honey time yet. W. M. Kellogg. Knox Co., III. Fhe proper season rolls around put them up immediately after tliey have flown out, or in a very few days after, and leave them undisturbed in midnight darkness, and all will be right in tlie spring. 2. To secure the desired end in out door winter ; if the hive is large, holding more than the requisite amount of winter stores it must be contracted to a proper size, and ventilated at the top, so as to let the surplus moisture escape and yet secure the animal heat of the bees. This is easily done. Re- move the surplus frames from one side of the hive, sliping in a dividing board, filling in between it and the outer wall with leaves or straw. Cover the frames with a piece of cloth of any description, first laying a few small strips of board across the frames to give the bees a pass or passes over the tops of the frames under the cloth. Now, put the second storj'- on and fill it with leaves, straw or some other fine warm ma- terial and place the lid on, contracting the fly hole to about one inch, and if the swarm is very strong raise the lid one-fourth inch on one side to dry up the moisture that col- lects rapidly on the top of the straw. Hives should be placed near the ground and underpined with straw, to secure the heat of the earth. Bees cannot be success- fully wintered out door and empty combs prevented from moulding, where the hive is not contracted to a proper size. The ar- rangement is in conflict with the laws of success, and disasterous results must follow. The moisture thrown oft' in animal respira- tion is in fine particles like steam when ex- haled from the lungs and never will con- dence into drops until it reaches a strata of atmosphere colder than the blood. AVhen it cannot escape at the top of the hive it settles in drops at the f urtherest and coldest part of the Live, and when lodging on empty combs they are blighted with mil- dew and in a few years worthless, whereas they should last good 10 or 15 years. When the size of the hive corresponds with the size of the swarm the whole internal air of the hive is kept warm, and the particles of moisture are bourn upon the atmosphere, and condence in the top of the hive above the straw where they will never get back, leaving the bees dry and warm, in which condition cold seldom eftects a good swarm. Camarso, 111. A. Solisbukg. For the Americau Bee Journal. A Proposition. Would it not be well for bee-keepers of America to form clubs, or rather a joint stock company, in order to procure the best variety or varieties of the honey-bees that can be found in the old countries, by sending a c()mi)etent and reliable person there to procure them? I for one would like to invest in tliis direction, provided others would join in sufficient numbers. I am willing to be one of twenty-five to pay one THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 231 hundred dollars each, -which would make $3,500. This sum probably would be suffi- cient to make the cxpcnnu'iit. I have long been of the opinion that there are bees in the old world far superior to any that have been imported; and I liope there will be measures taken at our next annual conven- tion, to be held at Pittsburgh, Pa., to form a company as above. I believe if this subject was laid before the Commissioners of Agriculture at Wash- ington they would assist in this laudable cuterprise. A. Benedict. Ohio. For the American Bee Journal. Artificial Pasturage. For some years past I have been giving much attention to honey-producing plants, and am constrained to believe that the cat- nip plant has not received the consideration that its importance justly entitles it to. For three years past I have been sowing the seed on waste places, in all directions, for the distance of a mile or more from my apiary, and I have never seen anything equal it. It commences to bloom here the last week in June, and lasts fully three mouths, giving a continuous yield from the time the white clover fails, till frost. It thrives in any part of our country; stands our continu- ous summer drouths better than any other plant, and never fails. Our bees are on it every moment of daylight there is, from one month's end to another; not even a smart rain will drive them from it. Notwith- standing it is now the driest time that has been known here for many years, the bees make a constant roaring over the little cat- nip field which I am cultivating. We shall plant more of it for cultivation next spring, or rather winter. January and February is the best time to sow it. Quinby says, "If there is any article that I would culti- vate especially for honey, it would be cat- nip. 1 find nothing to surpass it." M. N. For the American Bee Journai. Wintaring Bees in Ohio. Bees have winteted well with me this winter. I set my bees out on their sum- mer stands the first warm day in March : I found all alive and in good condition. Here let me say that I agree fully with Mrs. Tupper, 3Ir. Quinby aud Mr. Dadant in regard to the loss of bees experienced by bee-keepers the Avinters of '71 and '72. Permit me to relate here my own exper- ience. The fall of '71 I had a number of small colonies that I had made quite late in the fall, and not having honey enough for wintering, I fed melted A sugar. Those that were strong enough to seal it up, win- tered very well, but those colonies that were weak and did not seal their stores, perished with the dysentery. All bee-keepers ought to know tiiat uuevaporated, and unsealed honey will cause dysentery among bees, if they cannot get out of the hives to emi)ty their intestines. This was the case with my bees. If I had set them out a few times for a tly-spell, they Avould have got along all right ; but, .says one, "why not leave them out all winter ?" Because bees, to winter well, on their summer stands re- quire plenty of bees, plenty of good sealed honey (or sealed sugar,) and proper ventila- tion. The fall of '73 my bees remained idle from the middle of July to September, and the queens did not lay to any account, for at least six weeks. So of course, near- ly all the bees in the hives were old, and when buek-wheat and golden rod ofiered plenty of honey, the bees being no longer nurses, but honey gatherers, the hives were soon full of honey and the queens having but few empty cells, the brood was too scarce to replace the old bees, perishing ever}^ day. So when winter commenced my colonies were quite weak, and part of them perished like the others. The only way to prevent such a danger is to see that there is plenty of room in the hives, say in September, and then feed the bees, in order to have the queen laying regularly. Last fall having profited by past exper- ience I housed my bees in good condition the first cold snap in December. I prepared my colonies by taking off honey board, and putting on houey quilts, and then set them into my winter bee house with caps of the hives nearly closed below. The thermom- eter standing all winter at about 35 deg. in my winter depository. Frederick, Ohio. Leonidas Carson. For the American Bee Journal. How I Introduce a new Queen. Perhaps you would like to know my plan of introducing, especially to bees that are cross, or too stubborn to receive a queen. I dont think it is new to you, l)ut I have not seen it in the papers. I take one card of comb containing brood aud houey, and all bees adhering to it. I then cut out a piece large enough to press the cage with_ the queen in to it in a perpendicular position ; giving the queen a chance to get to the hon- ey, and also to be among the bees and brood. Now I put them into an empty hive and add as many more bees to it, so as have plenty of bees to keep her, and shut them in. It seems that when bees are so imprisoned they soon forget all about a strange queen. In about twenty-four hours I open the hive for an hour or two, allow- ing some of the old bees to fly out, and af- ter that release my new queen at once. I ^ST THE AMEKICAN BEE JOUKJSAIi. find that in almost every case she is well received. I go in about half an hour to see that all is right. I now kill my old queen and leave them queenless for a few hours, or all night and let them find out that they are queenless, and then exchange places ; shuting in the bees of the old col- ony, and opening it at intervals of half an hour or longer, according to how fast they they leave for their old home. It takes several days to get all the bees back. This seems slow, but I have found it a safe plan. My bees have been doing well till after linden harvest was over ; but since that time they have not done a great deal. It seems as though tliey had come to a dead stop, for they don't increase in numbers, nor do they lay up stores. I am ghid to learn that the two Journals are consolidated, for it does one good to hear from old friends now and then. Fked Beculy. For the American Bee Journal. Report from Bruce, Canada. Last winter was very mild in the county of Bruce; and Cdnsequently the bees came out from their winter quarters in a very good condition. The spring, however, was very unfavorable. The days were clear, but the winds were cold and frosty; so that a large number of strong and healtliy colo- nies dwindled down to mere handfuUs. To bee-keepers the summer appeared long in coming; but when it really did come, it was most favorable for bees — could not be more so. From the beginning of May to the present — the end of August — the bees had but very few lost days. Blossoms of all kinds were abundant, and honey was brought in most copiously. Let me give you the yield of one Italian hive as a speci- men, which was in a good condition on the 1st of May, but not extra. From it, I took three swarms, or divisions; 50i pounds of box honey; and 82 pounds of extracted honey — making in all 132^ pounds of honey, and three hives. The parent stock, with the three young hives, now weigh an aver- . age of forty pounds each, which thev are to have for winter supply. Of course some of this weight consists of bee-bread; but were I to extract all the honey they now have, as some on your s de are in the habit of doing, this hive, which is situated 44^ de- grees north latitude, would be among the wonders of the day. One thing, however, in favor of the youug swarms, must be told: They had but little comb to make, as this was furnished them. I see from the Jt)UKNAi> that bee-keepers arc agreed respecting the cause of dysente- ry among bees in winter. My humble opinion is that undue excitement produces this disease among bees that have been long confined. Bees are very sensitive, and easily excited. Too much heat; too much cold; dampness, or scarcity of food will ex- cite them. I never yet met the disease in a hive which was freed from all these things; and it is difficult to winter a num- ber of hives in the same building, or apart- ment, so as to be fi'eed from them. For one hive may be too warm, and another beside it too cold; because the one contains nearly twice as many bees as the other. Two hives may have the same weight in the fall, and during the months of confine- ment the one may not consume half of its food, while the other may die of starvation; because some bees consume more food than others; and because the temperature in one hive may differ from that of another; and bees consume food according to the degree of temperature in the hive. Again, food may be in the hive, and the bees may per- ish from want, or by attempting to reach it. The food must be near the cluster, or the bees will get excited while selecting an- other place in the hive where they can reach the food; and during such excitement, or any excitement arising from any cause, dysentery is produced, and the most of the bees, if not all of them, perish. My difliculties are connected not with the wintering of bees, but spring. Though my bees are generally confined for about five months, yet I bring them out strong and in good condition; but they are not long out when they become reduced, unknown to me and in spite of me. The colonies that have brood pretty well advanced during their confinement, do well in spring, if their queens should not die, a misfortune which very frequently meets me, and for which I can give no reason. In winding up my thoughts on tliese important points, for the time being, let me place my diffi- culties on record, and in the form of queries which may meet the eye of some who may be both able and willing to an- swer them through the Ameucan Bee Jour- nal. 1st. Would it be wise, or safe to excite a colony which would be very still during its winter confinement, by feeding it, so as to cause breeding to be commenced two or three weeks before it would be taken to its summer stand ? 2d. What causes so many young, and apparently healthy, queens to die in the spring ? 3d. I have now a queen from an im- ported mother, two years old, which five times her own size of gold w ould not pur- chase; because she is the most prolific queen I ever saw. Her progeny are most beautiful in their appearance and form, ex- traordinary workers, and of a good dispo- sition as ever I had; and all her queen daughters are in color and form like her- self. Very near the half of the eggs laid by THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 233 this valuable queeu last spring produced drones, though the eggs were deposited in worker cells; but now, and during the last two months of suninuT, her eggs are, and have been, all right. How is this to be ac- counted for ? My own opinion is the fol- lowing : When I first made the discovery that so many of her eggs produced drones, I concluded — though much to my grief — that my queen was getting to be an old queen. But now as she shows no signs of old age, but has all the energy and prolitic- ncss of a young queen, I am driven to an- other opinion, namely: That in the spring the queen's body was so small that when she was in the act of depositing her eggs in the worker cells, her body was not suf- ficiently compressed for the eggs to receive their vivifying influence from the sperma- theca; but when the queen was more liber- ally fed, and her body became large, the compression was cft'ected, so that the eggs deposited in worker cells produced work- ers. Is my theory correct ? If not, who will explain the ditficulty? Wishing the American Bee Journal great success, I am, yours respectfully, Bruce, Out. J. Aderson. >~»^^ * «- For the American Bee Journal. What Killed thelBees. In looking over the reports of the bee dis- ease, I am reminded of the story of two men meeting before an Inn. One on each side of the sign. One said it was black, and the other stoutly affirming it was white. After disputing over it a while they chang- ed places, when lo ! and behold they were both right, for one side was painted white and the other black. Both cold and poor-honey may kill the bees. I will give you my reasons of the way it is done. Bees in their various tribes are the only things that live on sweets. All animals die in a short time when fed upon it exclusively. A dog fed on it will die in 20 days. Scientific analysis has shown that sugar is neither mineral, nor vegtable, but that it holds a medium ground easily chang- ed into either, which when thus changed becomes food for vegetable, or animal life. The bee in digestion changes it to vegetable, while a little water causes fermentation, which changes it back to mineral, making it only food for plant life. Now, it is ho7i- ey not vinegar, that is food for bees. Since, honey, or syrup, so readily unite with water, causing it to sour, it can be easily seen why dampness in the hive is so fatal. I come now to consider the cause of dampness in the hive. 1. A hive left out will remain dry so long as all dampness forms into ice. But carry it into the cellar in this condition, and the ice will melt, producing dampness that will prove fatal,, while if it had been left out .so ventilated as to carry off the Avater as it melted it would be dry and safe. 2. Close toi) frames, retain the moisture (in the cellar.) 3. Open top frames, closed below, retain the moisture. 4. A hole in the top with lower ventila- tion creating a draft, causes them to eat so- much, as to pass it in a liquid form, arising in part from the dampness and stench arising from the dead bees at the bottom . Hence it will be seen that the difference in the frame makes it necessary to make a change in ventilation to keep it dry. Hence the difference in the various reports. Honey gathered late, thin and watery, will sour. This is the other side of the sign. Good honey kept dry and warm tcill winter befs ■ every time. But vinegar will not. Cold is the prime cause, with improper ventilation of producing dampness, which united with the honey or sugar syrup producing the mischief. It remains now to determine how to win- ter bees so that tliev shall have good food, be kept warm and dry. Heie I will simply, suggest that the open top frame, covered with a quilt, thin enough to let the damp- ness escape, thick enough to stop a draft with lower ventilation, with the frames raised several inches from the bottom board, in a dry cellar, kept so by a tin pipe connect- ing the bottom of the cellar with the stove pipe, would be in fair condition to winter if it was warm enough. I have known bees to winter in 72-3 buried 3i feet under ground, packed in straw, below, at i\\esides. and top, so that the straw absorbed the moisture, while eveiy body's bees died through the county. They were box hives . set upon coi'n cobs, that is raised about one inch from the bottom board. Two three inch ventilating tubes, this secured dryness and warmth. It is no small study to learn how to ventilate so as to keep the bees dry under all circumstances in all kinds of hives. . Dr. C. M. JosLiN. Bee or Wasp Stings.— Spread over the part stung, a plaster of salad oil and common salt ; if oil be not at hand, the salt may be mois- tened with water or vinegar. Another rem- edy is to keep the part constantly moistened with a rag dipped in sal-volatile and cold wa- ter, as strong as can be borne without raising the skin. Another antidote is everywhere available, for it is nothing more than common soil applied to the wound. This remedy has often been tested with complete success, and. can be implicitly relied upon. The soil should be wet before being applied.— JVew Facts. 234 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. It m\^\\ ^t\mUm\\, CONDUCTED BY CH. DAD ANT & SON. For the American Bee Journal. How a Swarm Hangs to the Branch. There is not a person who, when seeing a limb bending under the weight of a swarm, has not wondered how the bees that are fastened to the branch can support the weight of tlie swarm. The question is asked and an answer sought for, but many remain silent before that problem. Here yet is one of those marvels that the works of nature offer in such large num- bers to our admiration. It seems, indeed, contrary to all the physical laws, that an insect be able at will, to walk or remain still on a polished surface in an upturned position. Such is however the case with flies, for they can walk on the outside of an horizon- glass-pane. This adlieriug capacity is so powerful in bees, that a swarm weighing several kilo- grammes is supported by a few hundred bees who are fastened on the underside of a branch, without their being visibly tired by the weight. Nature shows us there, an application of the physical laws, the ex- istence of which man has discovered only after many centuries of researches. It is hardly 200 years since the discovery •of the power of a void space or vacuum that is, the cessation of equilibrium in the weight of the atmosphere on a determined surface, give us the explanation of this fact. It was in 1650 that Otto of Guerick from Magdebourg invented the pneumatic ma- chine. But for generations, children in play have repeated too simple and conclusive experi- ments on the force of a vacuum. The first consists in taking a liollow key and inhal- ing the air that it contains, thereby holding it suspended to the tongue or lips. This play is common with school boys especially during school hours. The second is not so easy. They take a round piece of leather a few inches in diameter and fasten a string in the center of it taking care to leave no room for air. They wet it and then press it against a heavy and flat body, such as a flat stone, then by pulling on the string they can lift the stone. IIow can it be done, since there is no adhering substance between the leath- er and the rock ? The explanation is of little moment to them ; that which they know is that by pulling a soft membrane from a smooth body they encounter a re- sistance which is capable of lifting a con- siderable weight. Let us suppose this leath- er adhering to the ceiling, and it will sup- port the same M-eight that it has lifted from the ground. It is exactly the same thing which takes place at the extremity of the bees legs when it fastens itself to the ceiling. Enclose a bee in a box with transparent glass lid ; then examine her with a good lens when she remains still with her claws fastened to the glass. You will see a hol- low circular membrane that works exactly like the wet leather with which childrea play ; only in a place of a string the bee lias in the center a horny substance that she can draw at will, and that the weight of her body maintains in the proper position, so that she can sleep in this posture. They are like real cupping glasses, and when once stretched they adhere strongly without any exertion on the part of the bee. The heavier the bee is, the more the membrane is stretched. It explaius the fact that a swarm weighing several kilogrammes, and heavy enough to bend the limb to which it is attatched, adheres to the branch only by a small number of bees, who support the weight of the rest, although in a reversed position. Modern science has even calcula- ted the weight that can be supported by a vacuum in a determined space. It amounts to 1 kilogramme and 33 grammes on a square centimeter of space. The mem- brance of a bee's claw enlarged 60 diame- ter would cover a surface of over one cen- timeter. Each bee having 6 claws, 10 bees would be sutiicieut to bear the weight of 1 kilogramme. It is easy after that, to understand how a swarm, however heavy, can remain sus- pended for hours without fatigue. Dr. Boukgeois. Translated from L Apiculteur, June 1874, Rapidity of Bees' Flight. — Murray says that, connected with the transmigra- tion of bees, is the question of the extent of their flight. He believes that two miles may be considered as the radius of the cir- cle of their ordinary range, though circum- stances will occasionally drive them at least a mile more. Judging from the sweep that the bees take by the side of a railroad train in motion, he should set down their pace at about thirty miles an hour. Varieties of the Bee. — Don Felix d' Azara, a Spanish traveler, describes several species of bees found in Paraguay, South America. One is double the size of the bee of old Spain, and the smallest only one- fourth the size. But few had stings. The honey of the large bee was not good ; taat of another intoxicated ; and another pro- duced violent pains and convulsions, last- ing sometimes thirty hours, without serious consequences. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 335 " I have had two swarms, nice large ones, from my bees, at this late date, Aug. 3. "What shall I do with them ? Of course there is no prosjject of their filling their hives. Please advise me through the Jour- iv'AL ?" Beginneu. It is probable that your swarms will fill their hives and prepare for winter, if they are large ones as you say, though it all depends on your fall honey resources and the season. In the West, there are many localities where the best pasturage of the year, for bees, comes .after the first of Au- gust. We, in our early days of bee-keeping have had swarms the latter part of August, and one year, we remember as late as the loth of September that filled empty hives with both comb and honey, and wintered well. In this, as in every other particular con- nected with bee-keeping, you must consult your own locality and also decide whether bees are more of an object to you than sur- plus honey. If you want an increase of stock, even if an early frost comes and your swarms do not fill their hives, you can strengthen from other colonies or feed so as to make them safe for winter. If you do not care for more stocks, and prefer the honey, such swarms may be easily united with another colony, by fol- lowing directions often given in this Jour- nal. Dear Editor :— My bee enterprise has been truly an uphill business. Last year was so rainy that no honey could be gath- ered. Consequently I had to feed my bees through the summer, fall, and winter. About the middle of February last, the swamp maple and the peach were in full bloom, and I flattered myself that there was a good time coming. But March set in with cold and rainy weather, which has continued so within ten days of the present time ; hence slow progress has been made. About the 20tli ult. the weather culminated in a four days storm of rain, wind, and lightning, Avhich produced such a flood in this state as we have no record of since the days of Koah. The damage done to rail- roads, bridges, and farms, is incalculable. I have this spring discovered a fact that I have not seen mentioned in the books. It is this : that if a few days of cold or wot follow after forming a nucleus, and giving them brood, could they fail to raise a queen ? Tlie reason I suppose to be, that tlicy cannot gather tlie proper food for her embryo majesty until the larva? is too old for the change. During the past unsettled weather, I have had to supply a nucleus with brood comb three several times be- fore they succeeded in raising a queen. Since the weather has been fair they suc- ceeded in every instance with the first comb given them. Query. Will it do to take comb frames with adhering bees, from dift'erent hives and put them together to form a new stock, or would a frame with the adhering bees be put safely into another hive to strength- en it? J. Applewhite. You can take frames with adhering bees from different hives, i^ putting all into a strange hive, and it is safe. Reason, bees are all away from home — all discontented and nothing to quarrel about — but if you take a frame from one hive and put it into another hive, even one containing a weak colony, and every adhering bee will be killed, unless you first seriously alarm and disturb the bees with which they are put. The best way to strengthen a weak colony from another, is to put in a comb of sealed brood, nearly ready to hatch. Dear Editor : — We have had a very good season for honey so far. I don't say this particularly to praise the season, but I notice the majority of the writers to the Journal complain of a poor season every year. The spring was very backward, cold and rainy ; we did not fairly get to breeding bees till June ; most stocks, how- ever, came through the spring well in this section, although many were reduced to a mere handful. Since the honey harvest opened, it has been all the apiarian could desire : bees have swarmed immoderately, black bees in box hives have swarmed 3 or 4 times each. We have had some trouble to keep down the swarming propensity in our apiary, but we have had but one that has made the second attempt. We have taken oft' 40 lbs. each of box honey, from several stocks. Our best stocks have put upwards of 100 lbs. each in boxes at this date ; and have basswood now just open- ing. We would like to know if other box honey producers have the same dilflculty iu getting the very gentle, light colored, pure Italians to work in boxes. Our hy- breds will put 100 lbs. in boxes while the pure pets are putting in 40 lbs. The pure ones are prolific, they keep their hives full ;336 THE AMERICAI^ BEE JOURNAL. of brood, but fail to work in boxes to any- satisfactory extent. We have one or two »of tlie pure ones, out of quite a number, that have cloHe well; but that is not enough to reclaim the race. We conclude they require black about them, to make good Avorkers in boxes. We have queens so bright and yellow that you cannot discover any difference in color between the hip and "upper part of the abdomen. When they are laying to full capacity they are prolific and very gentle ; their hives are full of brood and bees, but they fail in the most •■essential point, that is working in boxes. They will reproduce themselves in queen progeny, as we have bred queens from quite a number. We dislike to kill them, because we have been trying to raise such (•queens for 3 or 3 years, and have killed good hybreds last fall to make place for them. We think they would be just the thing for extracting honey. Would these queens, had they been fertilized by pure black drones, been worth more to us to- ■ day than they are now ? The black bees have failed in my im- mediate neighborhood, so I have had no • opiiortunity to try it the past year. We believe those gentle ones are the pure Italian, and dark colored ones, that some breeders claim to be so smart, have just a dash of black mixed in ; and if such is the case we can get some black drones and mix them in. J. P. Mookk. Binghampton, N. Y. We have never given our Italians a chance to show what they could do in boxes until this year, because we do not believe it pays us or any bee-keeper to sell honey in the comb. This season, being sick through the best of the honey harvest, we were obliged (having no one to manage our apiary for us) to put on the boxes and let them do as they would. We certainly have no reason to complain that " Italians will not work in boxes." They have filled many for us. Let us hear from others who ihave tried it. Please state whether refuse hops from a ibrewery are injurious to bees. There is a brewery located but i of a mile from my apiary ; and I see many of my bees work- ing on them. What do they get from themV E. RiEnSAMEN. We do not know what they get, or if it is injurious. Who can tell ? A little good cider vinegar, say a tea cup full to a half gallon, will prevent the syrup from graining. We prefer this to cream of tartar which some use. Can you tell me what is the method of "hooking together the frames" in the Adair Hive, and how it is done ? I want to try 3 or 4 in my own apiary. If not too much trouble I should be pleased to learn the method. W. Newton. The sections and frames in Adair's hive are hooked by means of an ingenious, though simple wire clamp. It is impossible to describe it, but sections and wire, both, can be sent by mail by applying to Adair. See his advertisement. Query. How shall I prepare sugar syrup so that it will not grain ? A. D. Sewakd. I had a long"' confab with a lady, to-day, on the bee question, an idea she advanced made me think her beside herself as far as the knowledge of the bee went, she said when a bee-keeper dies, his or her bees will not prosper but die also ; what do you think of it? A. McMillaij. This is a very old superstition, but as foolish as false. Yet we have in this nine- teenth century, in our own house, seen a woman take a candle down into the cellar among the bees, and coming up, inform us that " the bees were all right, she had told them the dear little babe was dead ! They would stay contented now." 1. Will it be best to house bees during winter here, where the mercury rarely de- scends below zero ? 3. How do you think it Avould do to cover the hive on its summer stand with hay or straw, so as to keep out the eiiect of warm sunny days ? 3. How many inches should a hive con- tain, wlien the design is a plain box with upper and lower departments same size V 4. If Ave hang the sash across the en- trance, Avill it giv^e better ventilation than to hang it lengthwise. D. A. Shelton. Logan Co., Ky. 1 . Bees are housed to advantage even in such a climate as you describe, because it prevents their being excited by Avarm days and the consumption of honey is less. A friend in Kentucky writes: "My bees have been by your advice placed in a frost proof case for three winters and have paid me a hundred fold for the trouble it has cost me." 3. If you have no frost proof house or cellar they will do well ou their summer THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 337 stands, if each Live is covered separately with straw or hay ; the entrance being left open so that they can come out if they will. Always put a mat or bee-quilt over the frames whether left out or in. 3. 2,000 square inches inside is the right size when two apartments are to be used, one above the other. 4. We can see no difference. I have one swarm of Italian bees in the Buckeye hive, which 1 have had only six Aveeks, being my tirst experience in bee- keeping. They havo already tilled all the combs with honey leaving no room for the •queen to lay. There is plenty of sealed brood but no eggs to be seen. As I have but one swarm, I do not wish to get an ex- tractor this season, so I wish to ask through the columns of your journal, if there is any way in which I can extract the honey from a few combs, having brood in the centre, without the use of a patent extractor. My bees are beginning to work in the small frames for surplus, and honey seems to be abundant yet, as the bees work every day. Winona Washburn. JBig Thompson, Col. We know of no way to extract the honey without an extractor, but you can remove one or more frames from the centre and put in empty combs if you have them ; if not, empty frames. Dear Editor : — Is it natural for bees to die this time of the year V I discover when the nights are a little cool bees drop to the bottom board. Some nights quite a num- ber die or are cripled, and during the day some came out of the hive in a crippled state, attempt to fly, but failing to raise off the ground, tumble around for a few minutes and die. What can be the cause of all this ? Is it natural for them to die off in this way, this time of the season ? I noticed that last season my bees died in the same way. Bees did well in this section of the country up to the 15th of July. Since that time it has been too dry. Bees are consuming more honey than they now gather. I have 84 stocks of bees, and M'inter in the cellar with success. Last winter I lost one out of G3. I would like to know where the Rocky Mountain bee plant can be had. I want some seed. Please answer in the next number of the Journal. Haggerstown, Ind. S. N. Replogle. We have never seen an instance of this kind and can give no information as to cause. Will some one answer who has seen it, and has a reasonable solution of the'question. You can get all necessary information about Die Rocky Mountain bee plant from , H. A. Terry, Crescent City, ■who advertises in our columns. Flax Cultivation in Nebraska. It was once supposed that flax would only thrive on tlie sea shore; and hence Holland had what may be regarded as a gi'cat monop- oly in the growth of flax, and the manufacture of linens. But the plant flourishes in Nebras- ka; and the soil is too rich for even this ex- hausting crop easily to affect it. The cultiva- tion of the crop is therefore yearly increasing — at present with a view to the oil expressed from the seed, tliough (as there is now no linen manufacture worthy of the name in the State,) it may be ultimately to provide fibre for the mills. Certainly the people of Ne- braska may look to this conclusion; and set- tlers in the State ought not to forget that flax may be made a protitable crop. At a recent meeting of the Farmers' Asso- ciation, of Lancaster County, held at Lincoln, (the county-seat and capital of the State,) a discussion took ])lace on the probabilities of a flax crop for this year, and it was stated that some Eastern gentlemen had offered to build an oil mill, if the farmers would guarantee a sufficient quantity of the raw material. The correspondent who sends this item of informa- tion in the interests of farmers moving West, says that in Ohio the flax crop used to be a most profitable one. Half bushel of seed to the acre would produce from ten to twenty bushels, worth $1.50 per bushel. Taking the yield at ten bushels, the seed was worth $15 per acre; and allowing $8 per acre for ex- penses, (which included the delivery of the seed to the mill,) the net profit to the fanner was .157 per acre. The straw also was worth $6 per ton; and the yield was half a ton to the acre. Nebraska is more suitable for flax cul- tivation than Ohio; and farmers whomigi'ate to this promising State, where the land is virgin, rich and cheap, may wisely keep this subject in view. A speculative Scotch gentleman, wanting to dispose of some bees, to attract purchas- ers, printed the following placard: "Ex- tensive sale of live stock, comprising not less than one hundred and four thousand head, with an unlimited right of pasturage." Remedy for Bee Stings — A bee keeper says : "I have made one discovery, that a l^reparation of Ledum palustre (Labrador tea) homcEpathically prepared, is a soverign remedy for bee stings." But he does not tell us how to prepare it. 238 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Voices Prom Among the Hives. John Divickey, Aiirora,Ill.,writes:— "Our bees have not done quite as well as we expect- ed this spring, on account of the drought- Although they liave paid me lUO per cent. I have now 43 good swarms." E. Mangold, Cinciimati, O., writes:— "Hon. ey harvest poor. In the spring of last year I lost 16 out of 36 stocks, and had the bad weath- er continued one week longer this spring, I might have again lost as many. I lost but one, but the "rest were weak. I hope time will overcome our wintering and springing difficulties." B. G. FoRBUsir, Algona, Iowa, Avrites: — "This is ray second season in bee-keeping— began one year ago last April with twenty swarms. Have now about seventy stands in splendid condition. Basswood season was snort but rich, and now we have host of prairie flowers and buckwheat. After twenty-live years of toil in the medi- cal profession, 'tis a rare luxury to feel that I live at home, where my chief care and pleas- ure is my bees as I watch them. 'From every side, from earth and airs, To the old man's ear sweet music comes. As the busy millions bring their loads Of treasure to their neat, white homes.' " Myron Johnson, Hamilton, Ont., writes : — " I cannot get along without the Journal. I have nearly every number from 1868 to July 1874, and I find them very convenient to refer to. With us tills has been a poor season. A cold, late spring, and no flowers since the 1st of August near the city. I have .54 stocks, some of which 1 am feeding up to the proper weight for winter." G. T. W., writes :—" Bees doing splendid this season, what there was left. Nine-tenthts of the bees in this county winter-killed, the past three winters." Mr. M. M., is a beginner with one year's experience, has only one swarm in a Langs- troth hive, and has taken from it, this year, 12 boxes averaging 9 lbs. each of comb honey. Well done for the first year of "bee-ing !" S. W. Stevens, Ridgefield, Conn., writes : — "The season here has i.ot been first rate for honey, yet I have taken an average of 43 lbs. surplus to the stock, and have increased from 21 to 38 good strong stocks." Martin Teiiry, Mo., writes ;— " I have long since known tiiat the large wood or bald hornet destroys bees, especially in cool, damp weatlier. I stood by a hive the other day and saw six hornets catch as many bees and wound others. Jas. B. Wilson, Des Moines, Iowa, writes: — " I am sorry to learn of others loosing bees, in winter, and being troubled with moth worms in their hives. I have kept bees three years, and have wintered them on their sum- mer stands, and have not lost any bees, either by freezing or disease, or been troubled by moths, in the least. I give the reason all to the kind of hive I use, I make it myself, and it is dry and warm in winter and cool in sum- mer." L. F. Arhott, Wilton, Me., writes ;— "The season has bi'en very )ioor for honey in this section. ,Si)ring was" cold and backward, and bees swarnu'd hut little and late. But few bees are kept in tliis i)art of the state and the increase has W'vn less than 50 per cent. Old stocks, and first swarms issued previous to July 20 have generally put in stores enougii for wintering. What surplus honey is taken is stored in boxes. The " extractor " era not having reached here yet, think I shall make the experiment another season if the honey harvest should promise fair, provided my bees don't "go up" this winter." 11. II. B., writes :— "I commenced the sea- son with 40 colonies, some very weak ones, and had an increase of 80 colonies, 126 in all. That will average 7.5 lbs. of honey per hive, i have taken 3,500 lbs. with the extractor and 2,000 of box honey, 5,.500 lbs. in all. I have sold 63 queens, 12 @ $5 each and 51 @ .S1..50, I call this good for local trade. I have also sold 100 hives for ,^1.50 each ; no margins on hives. I have shipped 4,000 lbs. to Chicago. This season has been the dryest ever known. Mrs. W. Harris, Buffalo, N. Y., writes : — " I have taken the Journal ever since its first publication and cannot do without it while I am al)le to take care of one colony of bees. For the i>ast 22 years I have kept bees, and my delight has been to take care of them, but age and infirmity tell me that I nuist soon rest from my labors, as I have already lived my appointed time (three score years and ten). During the past three years I have been disposing of my bees, thinking I would keep only a few colonies for my own family. This spring I had five colonies, and from them I have now 15 new ones, making 20. I have taken off .59 six pound boxes, and there are some 23 more that are nearly ready to take off. ISIy health is so poor that I have never tried to use the extractor, and therefore I did not get as much hfiney as I should, had I used it ; but I am satisfied. I was the first to use the Langstroth hive in Erie County. I have used it 19 years, and still use it. I have had other forms of hives, but the Langstroth is good enough for me. Bees have done well in this vicinity, this season. My best wislies for the lasting prosperity of the American Bee Journal." Kansas Pacific Railway. From Kansas City to Denver and the fa- mous Rocky Mountain Resorts, passes through Central Kansas and all its impor- tant cities and towns; through the finest Farming and Grazing Lands in America; reaches Colorado, with its Charming Clim- ate, its celebrated Hot, Warm and Cold Soda, Sulphur and Chalybeate Springs, Per- petual Snow-Capped INIouutaiu Summits, 14,000 feet high; Magnificent AVaterfalls and Cascades; Pleasant Days and Cool Nights. Colorado has the most desirable climate for invalids, in summer and winter, in the New AVorld. Its climate is a sure cure for Asthma, &c., and has a wonderful crtect on those predisposed to pulmonary afl'ectious. Colorado produces the finest Beef and Flour in the United States; has valuable Gold, Silver, Copper, Lead and Coal Mines; plenty of Hunting and Fish- ing, Fine Roads, Good Hotels, ns^iu JUUitiNAJU. il.> ;(f^^nunican JbeM^nt'H^^l W. F. CLARKE, ^[Ks. E. S. TUPPEK, Editoi{> OCTOBER, 1874. CONTENTS. Kansas Association "ilO Hopes, Disaiipointmonts and Realizations of Bec-Keopers 221 Bees Notes from Putnam Co., Ill 223 Ibe Tulip Tree 223 A Hint 224 Bee-Keei)ing iu the South 22-1 Sale of llonev 225 Test of Italian Purity 225 Chips from Sweet Home 22(> Italians vs Blaek Bees 227 Bees iu New Zealand 22S Voice from Ontario 228 A Voice from the South 228 A Visit to T. G. Mc( iaw. Monmouth, 111 229 Observations on \\'intering 22'.> Philosophy and Practice in Wintering JJees 2:50 A Proposition > . . .TyTT. ,' 230 Artificial Pasturage 1 ^ . . /. £J.4. /...:. 331 Wintering Bees iu Ohio 'HI How I introduce a new Queen ^ 231 Report from Bruce, Canada 232 What Killed the Bees 233 Bee or M'asp Stings 233 How a Swarm hangs to the Branch 231 Rapidity of Bees' Flight 2:34 Varities of the Bee 234 Notes and Queries 235 Flax Cultivation in Nebraska 237 Remedy for Bee Stings 237 Voices from among the Hives 2.38 Kansas Pacific Railway 238 A Disappointed Bee-Keeper 239 Timely Suggestions 241 Premiums at County Fairs 241 A Disappointed Bee-Keeper. A coiTespondent of the yeio York Tribune gives his experience in bee- keeping in the following dolorous com- munication : — ''Eight years since, when I began farming, deceived by the stories 1 had heard of the enornions profits to be made from bee-keeping, I purchased four skips of common bees of a neigh- bor, and tliree skips of Italians of Mr. Quinby, in movable comb hives. I constructed a number of Langstroth hives, and in due time divided my Ital- ians, and as the bhick bees swarmed put in the new swarms into the Lang- stroth hives. I made a bee hat, and rolled up a quantity of tobacco iu old muslin. I frequently examined tho bees in the frames, by tlrst partly stupe- fying them by blowing smoke from the rolled tobacco into the hives and then lifting the lids. The common hive I left alone. On the approach of winter the hives were scarcely half-lllled, and not a drop of honey Avas in the boxes. I made a room in the celhir, where I deposited tliem. Tlic next sjjring all the honey was consumed, and but three living swainis were left; the combs were mouldy. Al Ihe beginning ot tlio next winter I liad four living swarms, which by i)ur(liase I increased to six. I left them on tlie stands all winter and in spring five; wciakly swarms were liv- ing. Hoping to obtain some surplus lioney, I did not allow tliem to swarm ; but not an ounce did they give mo. Thus for five years I continued giving them constant attention, without re- ceiving any sui'plns, and generally in tlie winter loosing all the increase of the swarms. That fall I had three weak swarms left, to which I ap])lied the match, obtained a few pounds of honey, and abandoned the business in disgust. In certain favored localities bees may be profitable ; but that they, on the majority of farms, can be made as profitable as certain venders of patent hives try to make us believe, I absolute- ly deny. Like everything else, they are attended with great risk. There is no royal road to wealth. One thing well tended is better than twenty half tend- ed." The above narration is a very sugges- tive one, and a few comments upon it may prevent others from becoming similarly disgusted with an important and profitable Ijranch of rural industry. In the first'place, it is a proof of re- prehensible gullibility for any man to be "deceived" into bee-keeping by the lure of "enormous profits." It is only speculative lines of business that ever pay enormously, and the instances of wonderful success are the exception and not the rule. For one who makes a fortune by speculation, there are dozens if not hundreds who lose fortunes in that way. The pursuits of honest in- dustry are worthy of being followed, if they pay fair profits on capital and labor. This they usually do. Some- thing is hazarded in every undertaking, but as a general rule, the investment of capital and the bestowal of labor in in- dustrial pursuits, proves remunerative. Hence men are encouraged to persevere in these directions, notwithstanding occasional and exceptional drawbacks and losses. Bee-keeping belongs to that class of human occupations which 240 TtLJi AMJilUUAJN 15EE JOUliJ^AL. promise fairly paying returns for the inouey and time embarked in them. This is the representation nniformly made of it l>y all intelligeut and prac- ticed apiarians, who with one voice are prepared to M-arn beginners against the expectation of "enormous profits." Furthermore, bee-keeping requires to be learnt. It is both a science and an art, and no one need anticipate suc- cess in it, Avho does not acquire a com- petent knowledge of the business. The Tribune's correspondent does not tell us what means he took to qualify himself for the task he undertook. He bought four common hives of bees and three Italians to begin with. This was a very I'isky thing to do. A beginner should not attempt to manage more than one stock the first season. If he ■will throughly attend to that, and take every opportunity of making himself familiar with the habits and wants of the busy little Avorkers, he may, by and b}', venture to keep more. In bee- keeping, as in everv thing else, it is well to heed the couplet : "Little boats must keep near shore, Largej' craft may venture more " Our disappointed apiarian does not inform us wliat system of management lie pursued. He got a bee-hat, a very wise precaution ; he smoked the bees with tobacco fumes, which "svas very foolish, as they stupify the bees instead of taming them; and he "lifted the lids/' a necessary step in order to ex- amine the interiors of the hives and perform the requisite operations there, but whether he did anything after the lids were lifted, and if so, what, he does not tell us. We suspect that, like many more who try bee-keeping for a little while only to abaiidon and speak ill of it, lie supposed the bees would take care of themselves, leaving him nothing to do but watch their movements, and pocket the "enormous profits" of the business. His ignorance and incom- petence are sufficiently evinced by his •winter mismanagement. The bees Mere stowed away with a meagre sup- lily of honey, owing probably to over- multiplication of stocks. They do not appear to have been artificially fed, a most essential precaution when the store of food is insufficient. He had Icnown enough to feed his stocks that first winter, they might all have been kept alive and vigorous, in which case, the second season would have had a very diflerent record, and a prosperous apiary might have existed where now a few deserted hives, redolent of sul- phur, i)roclaim the owner's incompe- tence and failure. No Avonder the bus- iness was "abandoned in disgust." But the "disgust" ought to be awakened in view of the want of common-sense and practical skill painfully conspicuous throughout the Avhole affair. Let no one think these strictures unnecessarily severe. Only fallui'e can be looked for under such circumstances, and it is too bad that an important industry capable of bringing in millions of national wealth every year should be brought into disrepute, bj'^ the negligence and incapacity of people who undertake a task they do not knoAV how to perform, or as the Westerners forcibly express it, "fence in more land than they can till." We have a shrewd suspicion that our disappointed friend is iuAvardly conscious his failure is largely liis own fault, from his concluding reflection, "one thing well tended, is better than twenty half-tended" To w'hich we beg to add, that in agricultural pursuits twenty things well tended are twenty times better tlian only one thing w^ell tended. A system ot farming such as is known by the name of "mixed hus- bandry," includes the culture of grain, stock-raising, fruit-growing, dairying, poultry breeding, and, last but not least, bee-keeping, is in the majority of cases the Avisest one to i)ursue. If several branches of profikible rural industry are kept going, it is not likely all Avill fail. The season that is bad for one branch Avill be good for another, and thus, from year to year, tlie operations of the farm will pay. It is as Avcll to remark, in conclusion, that all localities are not equally suit- TtlJjJ AMJliKiUAiN 15±!i£i JUUitiNAii. able for bee-keeping. AVe believe there are few farms on Aviiicli bees, IH'operly managed, cannot be kept with some profit, bnt there are neighbor- hoods, and mnltitndes of them, pccnli- arly suited to bees, wliere i)crhaps hardly any hives are kept. What we contend for is, that bee-keeping de- serves to rank side by side with the other economies of the farm ; and we maintain that while "enormous profits" are not to be expected nor cases of fail- ure prevented, there are few invest- ments of time, trouble and outlay that "will pay better, if indeed so well, as those connected with a rightly manag- ed apiary. C. Timely Suggestions. The cold nights of this month should remind bee keepers that rugs, mats or quilts are ueeded on all colonies. Even the strongest are the better for this comfortable provision, and the safety of the weak ones absolutely depends on it. Examine and be sure that no hives liave combs of sealed honey in the cen- ter. If there are any,an exchange may be profitably made between the empty combs of one colony and the full ones of another. The entrances of all hives may be contracted and mice absolutely shut out. Though the danger is less now than in the spring, fjtill it is best to prevent it. All necessary feeding must be done now, and enough may be given in two or three days to any colony to prevent starvation. We have taken a hive fill- ed "with combs without one ounce of lioney, put in a good swarm of bees feed them 20 pounds of sugar syrup in three days, had it all taken into the combs and i^ sealed over, and no colony could win- ter better under any circumstances than did this one. AVe do not advise this way, as best by any means ; but sug- gest it as possible to those who liave colonies that will starve in their present condition. If a colony has too few bees, it is use- less to feed it unless it be kejit in a warm place and fed regularly a small quantity at a time to keep it increasing in number. This involves trouble, and may not pay, but it can be done. Be sure that yuu have a queen in each hive. It is not well to disturb bees in this month, except when they are flying Ireely on their own accord. Al- ways select such days to open hives, and do it quickly as i)Ossible. The less they are disturbed, the better, after the working season is over. T. Premiums at County Pairs. The manner of offering and awarding premiums for bees, queens, honey, etc., etc., at some of our County Fairs is amusing to those acquainted with the business. Look at the following, for instance, which we cut from a premium list. Best Italian queen bee, caged. . .$10 00 2d best 5 00 Best black queen bee, caged. ... 8 00 2d best 4 00 Best collection Italian drones, caged 4 00 Best collection black drones, caged 2 00 Best collection Italian workers. . 6 00 Best collection black workers. .. . 3 00 How much the judges can tell about a queen bee bv looking at her caged, any bee man or Avoman can tell you. She may or may not be prolific, she may be a drone layer, (the very best looking queen we ever saw never pro- duced a worker bee 1) How are the judges to decide by her looks whether she is worth the $10.00 premium or is one of the kind which NoAuce describes as dear if sold three for five cents. We have little doubt that one of the Avorthless ones would look better to the judges than a pure prolific imported queen. It is often the case that a beautiful bright queen raised from a pure moth- er is fertilized by a black or hybrid drone, yet this does not etfect her looks in the least. Can our judges decide this matter by looking at her in a cage? We think further comment on this 242 THE AMERICAN BEE JOUKNAL. head unnecessary. The premiums usually offered for honey are generally of like character. Some who have taken no pains with their bees may have a box of honey that will please judges better than the honey on exhibi- tion by a bee-keeper who has taken un- wearied pains and succeeded in making his bees pay big profit. Wo have seen this. Until some way is found to remedy this injustice there is little use in bee keepers competing for premiums, al- though it may, and doubtless does, pay those who wish to make sales to adver- tise their bees, hives or extracts by ex- hibiting when such advertisement is not too expensive. T. Honey Markets. CHICAGO.— Choire white comb honey, 28 @:BOc ; fair to good, a4@28c. Extracted, choice white, U(wUic ; fair to good, 10(«)13c ; strained, 8@10c. CINCINNATI.— Quotations from Chas. F. Muth, 976 Central Ave. Comb honey, 15@35c, according to the con- dition of the honey and the size of the l)ox or frame. Extracted clioice white clo\'er honey, 1()C. f lb, ST. LOUIS.— Quotations from W. G. Smith 419 Nortli Main st. I am overrun witli inquiries for the sale of honey and asking wliat I will give for honey, etc., and I wisli you to say tln-ough the Joun- NAL for me, once for all, that I do not buy honey at all. I liave sold a great deal of honey for parties where they have sent me samples and I have sold from the sample, which I will continue to do and will insure prompt payment for all honey on delivery here, and as the prices are low now I would advise patience to all who have honey to s^U as the market is very dull for extracted here. Now, nice box will command 30 cents, and very good sale, and extracted slow at I'l to 1(3 |< K>. for good to choice. W. G. Smith. NEW YORK.— Quotations from E. A. Wal- ker, 135 Oakland St., Cireenport, L. I. White honey in small glass boxes, 25c; dark 15@20c. Strained honey, 8(iftil2c. Cuban lioney, $l.(w f? gal. St. Domingo, and ilexi- an, 90@95 ^ gal. SAN FRANCISCO. — Quotations from Stearns and Smith, 4;i:3 Front st. t^" Strained Southern Coast, at TC'ttlOc; Comb, 12@2()c; the latter figure for San Deigo, in Harbison frames. Stearns & Smith. Back Volumes. Complete sets of back volumes are scarce. But few can l)e procured at any price. We have a set, consisting of the nine volumes (complete), which we offer for sale, either bound or unbound, for a reasonable sum. Many of the numbers we have paid fifty cents each for. to complete them. We have several single volumes (complete) which we will send postpaid for |!2.00 each. Several volumes, which lack only a single number of being complete, we will send post- paid for $1.50 each. Vol. 1, we can supply in cloth boards,"post- paid, for .'$1.25. Bound in paper covers, .$1.00, postage 10 cents. This volume is worth five times its price to any intelligent bee-keeper. It contains a full elucidation of scientific bee- keeping, including the best statement extant of the celebrated Dzierzon theory. These articles run through eight numbers, and ai'e from the pen of the Baron of Berlepsch. i^° Beginners in bee-culture, who desire to read up in the literature of ])ee-keeping, are earnestly advised to obtain these back vohnues. Many of our best apiarians say they would not sell their back volumes of the American Bee Jouknai. for ten times the sum they cost, if they could not replace them. They are exceedingly valuable alike to begin- ners and more advanced apiarians. We want several copies of No. 1, Vol. 2, of the American Bee Joukxal, and will pay 50 cents each for them. 1^" It will be a source of gratification to us if all those in arrears for the American Bee JoNRNAL will settle the same as soon as pos- sible. Our increasing circulation vastly in- creases our regular monthly expenses for pa- per and printing. "A word to the wise is suf- ficient." When a subscriber sends money in pay- ment for tlie Ameiucan Bee Journal, he should state to what time he thinks it pays, so that we can compare it with our books, and thus prevent mistakes. The postage on this paper is only t\velve cents a year, if paid (juarterly or yearly iu advance at the post-office where received. We prepay i)ostage to Canada, and reciuire twelve cents extra. jet every one writing tliis office make all Postal Orders, Drafts or Checks, payable to Thomas G. Newman. Address everytliing of whatever nature to THOMAS G. NEWMAN. CEDAR RAriDS. IOWA. A Bee J MERICAN BEE JOURNAL DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. X. CEDAR RAPIDS, NOVEMBER, 1874. No. 11. Winter Bee-Xeeping. "- Method. -A New A I'ArEll READ BRFOIIE THE MICHIGAN BEE- KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION, AT KAL- AMAZOO, MAY 6tii, 1874. BY H. E. BIDWELL. When cold weather comes on in the fall, bees collect together in the hive to keep warm. As the cold increases, they pack more closely, and resort to the consump- tion of honey to preserve the heat. This increases the action of the respiratory or- gans, which exertion creates an unusual waste of the system, more than the per- spiratory organs can throw oft"; this col- lects as fteces, and necessitates flying out to remove it. This waste of the system cjills for the consumption of bee-bread, which contains much foreign matter, and further increases the necessity of flying out. If prevented, these accumulations clog and weaken the perspiratory organs, and sooner or later admonish the bees to leave the cluster, when they become chilled and perish. This gradually di- minishes the number of the bees, so that by spring, if the colonies are not wholly reduced, they are weakened so that much valuable time is lost in regaining their strength. If the honey is thin from the want of suflicient evaporation before sealing, or if the perspirations are not removed from the hive, as is usually the case in damp cel- lars or moist weather, the excretions be- come thin, and dysentery follows. This augments the necessity of flying out. Having bought some bees last winter, which we were anxious to fly before put- ting them in the cellar, and having near at hand some empty hot-beds — which had been dug out in the fall for the purpose of filling early in the spring — we thought per- haps a swarm might fly in one ; something risked, something gained ; se we put one in. The beds were; roomy, 6x12 feet, so that four sash 3x(5 feet would cover them. The depth was about three feet, with a slope to the glass of one foot. In about twenty minutes after putting on the sash — it being mid-day, with a clear sky — the temperature arose within to 70 degrees, and the bees commenced flying briskly and voiding freely. At night we found every hee had returned to the hive. The next day being clear, we put in two more ; the next four ; and the next eight. 'I'hese all returned so well to their resj)ec- tive hives, that we next put in eight more, two deep. Being so well satisfied with the result, and having six of these large hot-beds dug out, we flew 111 stocks, as occasion required, until spring. The only caution I would suggest would be not to fly them too often, which can be be readily prevented by covering the sash with boards. Occasionally the bees will alight on the hives or collect on the glass, if the atmos- phere gets hot and close within; they cau, easily be dispersed by sprinkling straw on the glass to shade the bees and cool off the bed. A similar occurrence frequent- ly happens out of doors, on a warm, close day, after the bees have been confined some time i^i their hives ; they alight oa everything, and remain until cold or hun- ger reminds them of their home. The advantages accruing to this method of wintering bees are — you can safely fly them at your pleasure ; none are lost in the chilly winds or snow, or on the cold ground, which increases their value in our estimation two-fold. Ed. Journal : — Some one asks for Mr. H. E. Bidwell's method of wintering bees, as it was given at the Michigan Bee-Keep- er's (Convention. The folio wing letter was received by me just too late to be present- ed at the Convention. South Haven, Mich. April 8()th '74. Frank Benton, Sec'y : — Dear Sir : — Please add to my remarks on wintering bees as follows ; The temperature of the beds on cloudy days, or when covered with boards ou clear days, ranges from forty to fifty de- grees, while on clear days with the sun- shining in, it is from seventy to eighty degrees under the glass. When the tem- perature is suitable outside, the sashes can be removed. '244 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. As far as my observation goes from fif- teen to twenty days is often enough to fly and soon enough to go to their stores for removing honey to the clustering bees. These facts ought not to be overlooked. Sunshine purifies the air, and exercise pre- serves the health of the bees. Yours respectfully, H. E. BiDWELL. Mr. Bidwell certainly deserves thanks for his valuable paper and if his method Should prove a success generally we are sure the bee keepers of the North will give him proper credit. We would like very ■well to try the experiment of wintering some bees under sash, but just now we are chuckling over the idea that we'll not be "tinkering" our pets to death in the "Sunny South." Quite comforting ! Edgefield Junction, Teun. Frank Benton. Bee Report. My bees have not made as much honey as in summers past, owing to the white clover being winter killed. They have swarmed more than usual and laid up winter stores, and made some honey from buckwheat and other flowers. I have been led to ask what has caused such a mortality amongst bees the past few years? Have we not varied from nature's path, in various ways? The Creator placed them in hollow trees in the forest, and this is why they incline to go there in swarming time. It seems they winter there bett(?r than In our hives. How rare is it that a tree is found with bees all dead or mouldy comb ? this has led me to thuik that we have strayed from their original mode of living. They have no upward ventilation, and but one place of egress and ingress, and need but little air ; and had it been need- ful, no doubt divine wisdom would have caused it to be so, for he made all things perfect. The atmosphere is dift'erent in the forest ; the sunshine does not start them out until the air is warm enough for them to fly, and when they swarm they do not go to some apiary, but look for another hollow tree in their native home. But the art of man has brought them to our doors, and now comes a change of climate. The sunshine is more severe, storms and winds much harder, and win- ters more blustering. This makes it necessary to vary in managmeut. I think now that I gave my bees too . much ventilation, and sliall try diflerent ways next time ; part upwards and part other ways, and see which is best ; and I wish that others would do the same, some out of doors, some in the cellar. We had better luck in old box hives, in the spring than now we have with all our improve- ments. The Italian bees are making headway here and will soon be a majority. Marcellus, N. Y. A. Wilson. Bee-Keepers' Meeting. The Utah Bee-keepers' semi - annual meeting was held in the City Hall, Oct. 8th, President A. M. Musser in the chair. Six counties, viz.. Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Juab, Iron, and Tooele, were represented. Mr. Chas. Monk, from Utah Co., stated that he and his son had attended in his own apiary 135 stands. The average in- crease in honey per hive was forty pounds, valued at thirty-five cents per pound. He had owned bees five years, had the moth miller or bee moth there. But no fruit in Spanish Fork was wormy as yet. Vice-president J. Morgan stated that the committee on correspondence had prepar- ed each mouth an article for publication as requested. There was a great difler- ence between the bee moth and the cod- ling moth. He had taken from eleven hives 400 pounds of extracted honey and 120 pounds of capped honey, in surplus honey boxes. Geo. Bailey, of Mill Creek, reported his bees doing well and in excellent condition for wintering. He had considerable loss last winter and spring, but had replenish- ed his slock, and had taken 1,G40 lbs. of houey. He recommended those who owned bees to take a bee journal and at- tend to their own bees, for it was a nice study, and all could learn a lesson from the little honey bee, who was in the United Order. It was not the bees that bred the codling moth. Mr. Samuel McKay slated that bees in his neighborhood had not done well this season. Mr. J. Barlow, of Davis county, said that owing to ill health he had only done tolerably well with his bees, but he could have done better. He had taken 500 lbs. of honey from thirty colonies. He recom- mended to sow seed for pasturage and to keep the bees as purely Italian as possible. He thought the business profitable. D. Miller, of Farmington, said that he lost several hives last spring by a cold east wind, and that indoor wintering re- quired considerable care and a suitable dry cellar. The white or sweet clover, was a good honey plant, especially for late honey. Mr. C. Merkley gave his experience in bee culture. Mr. T. D. Shodder, of Juab Co., stated that he wished to help his bees, and from four hives last spring, they had increased THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 245 to ten, and ho liad taken SO") lbs. of honey. He took a bee boi)k and attended his own bees. Mr. Rydalch, of Tooele Co., said that the disease called foul brood had been in one of his hives last spring, and in divid- ing and swarming, liad sjjread it into other hives. His bees had not done well. j\lr. 1. IJulloek, of Provo, gave his ex- perience with foul brood. Doctor Crockwell recommended a solu- tation of one ounce of carbolic acid to a gallon of water as a disinfectant for hives that had contained foul brood. Mv. L. Root, of Iron Co., stated thathis bees had done well. He had taken 1.")0 lbs. of honey, and had doubled his stock. Motioned that Chas. Monk be added to the publishing committee. Carried. Motioned tliat Messrs. I. Bullock, J. Morgan, C. Minik, and G. Bailey prepare an article, on foul brood, for publication. Carried. Prest. A. M. Musser stated tliat in the southern settlements they accused the honey bee of sucking the juice from the grape, but it was proved that the wasp or yellow jacket punctured and broke the skin of the grape, and the bees Avorked upon the broken fruit, but not upon the sound. He said that Mr. J. E. Johnson, of St. George, had done remarkably well with his bees in increasing of them. He urged it upon the members to be diligent, to learn all they could, and to make bee culture a successful branch of home in- dustry. Dismissed by J. S. Tanner. Adjourned sine die. Geo. B. Bailey, Sec. j^ro tern. Voices From Among the Hives. Henky Bosshaud, Highland, 111., writes : — "This year, all around, the har- vest in honey very rich. Spring and autumn good for our bees. Honey @ 35 cents ^ lt> easy to sell." Davip Brokaw, Maple Work, Wis., writes : — "I am going into the bee busi- nees quite extensively, raising queens etc. I expect the coming winter to get some new subscribers for the Jouknal. We have mostly black bees all in old box hives, and am urged to bring a better liive and bees into this county ; which I can do without patent rights. My report for this year, in short, is this : I com- menced with 13 stocks last spring. In- creased them to 4(>, now in good condi- tion for wintering. In box honej', about 800 lbs., Avliich has paid me about 500 per cent. I expect to transport some 20 stocks of my best Italians to my new home. My family is now there and I am here at Oconomowoc, Oct. 2G, 1874, pre- paring my bees for shipping. Success to you in keeping up a good Bee Journal, filled with facts and not theories merely." S. II. Black, Sciota, 111., writes: — "Bees have not done well here this .sevi- son. From 4() colonies I had 7 natural swarms ; the season being too poor to divide them. The white clover failed, but bees filled up from heartsease, this fall, and stored some in boxes. My bees are Italians. Black bees nearly all starv- ed here last winter. I am well pleased to know that two of our Bee Journals have been consolidated. W.ill try to send you more subscribers." E. Otis, Batavia, 111., writes :—" One year ago I put 50 colonies of bees in win- ter quarters. They all wintered well. The spring was very cold. Host ten, and the rest were very weak. I increased them to 97, and took 2,600 lbs. of extracted honey. My bees are Italians ; they are the bees. My hives were full combed." N. D. West, Breakabeen, N. Y., writes: " Bees done well in this vicinity this sea- son. I use a hive which contains 1,740 cubic inches, inside of the ^frames, and like it well. I think it large enough. Is it not more profitable to use two hives this size than to use a hive twice as^large, when with the small hive it gives^ije the most honey and swarms, and are much more convenient to handle. I winter with success in the cellar." Tnos. Pierce, Gansevoort, N. Y., writes : — " JVIy bees have done better the past season than for five seasons before. I started with IG colonies. I have had over 30 natural swrrms ; have over 500 lbs. of box honey. I shall start this win- ter with 30 swarms and if they live through the w inter, I hope to have a good time next season. This has been a very cool season, and very backward ; but the fall has been very favorable, and my bees made over 100 lbs. of white honey. My bees are all black ; I have tried Italians, without success. Success to the AifbRi- CAN Bee Journal." Wm. Reynolds, Lexington, 111., writes: — " I have had from 40 to 80 colonies every season since 1868, and have lost none, except a few that were queeuless in the winter of '71 and '72. Honey season in '74 very short, in consequence of the drouth, yet I obtained 953 lbs. extracted, and 250 lbs. box honey from 45 colonies, last spring, (sold 15 in May) and now have 47 in good condition to winter. I do not anticii)ate any loss from wintering or springing (unless queenless) at any fu- ture time, as my success, for six years past, is fully demonstrated. I do' not 246 THE AMERICAJN BEE JOUKI^AI.. winter bees in tlie cellar, nor out sf doors but in a brick house, expressly for keep- ing bees both summer and winter, where the mercury varies from 20 to 40 during winter. I would prefer to winter bees below than above 32, when protected from sudden changes." N. P. Allen, Smith's Grove, Ky, ■vvi-ites: — " I send you six new subscribers with the money. I am pleased with the consolidated Bee Journal and will work for its success. Our honey harvest has been the richest we have had for years, and the cultivation of the honey bee has taken a fresh impetus, in conse- quence. I have an apiary of 42 Lang- strotli two story hives, with 20 frames. I succeeded in taking from one hive 428f lbs. of honey, from another 365 lbs., and from 16 stands 3000 lbs.; all extracted. I have R. R. Murphys extractor it runs with ease, and I like it very much. I hope to be able to attend the Annual Meeting of the North American Bee Keepers Conven- tion and to meet many of the prominent Apiarians of the world there." H. GooDLAKDEK, Lccsburg, Ind, writes: — "Last April I had only one queen and 15 workers. I purchased one weak stock of black bees, put my Italian in, and I now have 13 good colonies. I have on hand 39 gallons of houey. Shall winter on sunmier stands this winter. The hives placed in a box, filled with saw dust; entrance open and free. My reasons for so doing is to try to spring them better." If Mr. Replogle will send me his address, I can give him some Rocky Mountain seed. NORTH AMERICAN BEE-KEEPERS' SOCIETY. Officers: Seth Iloagland, Mercer, Pa., Presi- dent; AbnerJ. Po{)e, Indianapolis, Secretary ; J. S. Hill, Mt. Healthy, O., Treasurer; D. L. Adair, Hawesville, Ky., Cor. Secretary. Witii cue Vice President in each State, Territory and Province. The payment of $1.00, annually, entitles to MemberRhip, and a copy of the Transactions, when published. The Fourtli Animal Session of this Society will be held in Pittsbiu-uh, Pa., in the Hall of the GP:KMAN1A SAVINGS BANK building, 4th tioor, corner of Wood and Dia- mond streets, on the Second Wednesday of November next, (lltli day,) at 10 o'clock, a. m., to con- tinue tliree days. HOTEL ARRANGEMENTS. We have arranged with the following Hotels to entertain members of tlie N. A. B. K. Society at the prices named, which is from 50 to 75 cents per day below their regu- lar terms : St. CiiAjiLEs HoTior., corner of Wood and Third streets, Hair\i t>hlrlH i>roprietor, will charge ^2.50 per day. Can entertain seven- ty-live persons. St. Clair Hotel, corner of Penn and Sixth streets, J. N. Anderson, proprietor. Can acconnnodate 100 members at ^2.00 per day, or |;i.50 to those taking rooms with two beds. Haise's Hotel, on Liberty street, near St. Clair, Samuel Hare, proprietor. Can keep 100 members at $l.o() per day. This is a regular Farmers' Hotel. Mr.* Hare lias stabling for 100 horses, and can accommo- date those who come with teams. Mansion Hoiise, No. 344 Uberty street, G. Bennvt. pro])rietor. Terms to members, ii|!1..5o inT (lay. Can keep sixty. This house is situated near the Union R. R. Depot. Central Hotel, on Smithfield street, between 2tl and ;5d avenues, .7. O. Barr & Son, proprietors. Will entertain forty mem- bers, at .^2..50 per day. RAILROAD ARRANGEMENTS. Arrangements with the following named Railroads have been made, and orders re- ceived to procure tickets to pass persons who wish to attend the meeting, to and from, at usual excursion rates. They are signed by the Superintendents of the roads, and require the ticket agent at all the sta- tions on the roads, to sell to persons who present them, a ticket to attend the meeting at usual excursion rates. Within the com- ing ten days, one of these orders will be sent to each of the old members, as well as all others who are known to contemplate attencing the meeting. Those wishing to attend, who do not receive orders by the 1st of November, will notify the undersigned by letter, when a Ticket Order will be promptly forwarded : Pennsylvania Railroad. Piiiladelphia & Erie. Northern Central. Erie & Pittsburgh. Allegheny Valley. Pittsburgh, Cincinnati Sz St. Louis, inclu- ding Indianapolis. State Line and Chicago on the West, and Cincinnati and Dayton on the South, and all points between those places and Pittsburgh on the line of these roa<^lsasfar as and including Steubenvilleon the East. Cleveland & Pittsburgh, lialtimore it Ohio. Pittsburgh & McConnelsville. Negotiations are making with other Rail- roads to obtain .similar grants, with an ex- pectation that they will be conceded. Those sending for Ticket Orders will please name the roads they wish to travel over to Pitts- burgh. All persons interested in Bee Culture, and those wishing to become so, including la- dies, are invite'^i to attend this meeting. Able speakers will be present, and anima- ted discussions will be had on practical Bee- Keeping. Those hnving valuable improvements in Bee-hive, Hoiu-y or Wax extractor, or any other improvenient in Bee-culture are invi- ted to bring them along for exhibitiouj as a room is provided for the safe keeping of such articles in connection with the Hall, and an opportunity will be given to show them. The entrance to the Hall on days of meet- ings will be marked by a display of Honey and the Stars and Stripes. SETH lIOA(iLAND, President, N. Am. Beekeepers, Society. Mercer, I'a., P. O. Box 107. Oct. 17th, 1874. THE AMERICAN BEE JOUHNAL. 247 For the Aniorlcan T?oe Journal. Pink-Blossomed Milk Weed. In " Xotes ami (Queries " iu your Jouu- NAL of September, W. i\I. Page, of Branch louuty, Mich., wants you to tell him what is the matter with his bees. My explana- tion to him is this : It is cause^l by work on the large Pink-Blossomed W\\k Weed, growing on wet ground or sides of ditch- es in wet marshes. I have cut down acres of this weed in August last. His bees are not lighting ; only carrying from the hive, bees that arc affected by work- ing on this milk weed, with their feet gun\med up from the stickey substance, and pollen of this weed. It seems impossible for the workers to remove this from their feet. The workers will carry them out as often as they attempt to enter the hive. Finally you find them lying around on the ground with their feet stuck together, and the bees dead. It yields a large amount of honey, and bees will go miles to work on it. Many bees are found sticking" fast to the blossoms. ]My stocks were suffering badly from work on this weed. I hunted out its location, and cut down all of it within two miles of me, and the cure was complete for this year. It is in full blow here from the '25tli of .July to the middle of August. Ripon, Wisconsin. R. Dart. For the American Bee Journal. Bees Swarming. Why do bees go to the woods when they swarm ? This question has been asked by several, iu the Bee Journal, and answered liy others; but my views are different from most of them in some respects. There are many kinds of bees created, and the Creator has given them the faculty to perpetuate their race. He has provided them a home according to their need. Some, it is said, live iu the ground, but those amongst us, the Creator placed in the forest. He caused trees to leave hollow places in them for a home, and he has caused some kinds of trees to have gum issue from them for the bees to obtain it and wax the inside of their homes; and endowed them with the in- stinct to build one kind of comb for rais- ing drones; another for Avorker bees; another for raising queens, and another for storing honey, and has caused trees and vegetation to produce honey and pol- len for their foocl; and after they have increased and become numerous, He has given them the inclination to divide, and the signal is given for a part to leave. It is supposed that the queen gives the or- ders, but how many are to go, no man can tell, until after they leave; but it is evident that a certain number are called, and they take a portion of honey and pol- len to eat on the way, and until they have a home of their own. Of those that arc to remain, a part are in the field and a l)art are at home taking care of the young. Those that leave, go to another tree and form another colony. The art of man has brought them to our doors, and it would seem that they were intended for our use, for they often lay up more than they need for their own use, and the overplus can be taken away; and when they swarm, there is no con- fusion or disorganization about it. The Creator has ordered that a part should leave and form a new colony, and they leave in regular order, according to the instinct given them; and if not hived in regular order, they go to the forest, their original home, where the Creator first placed them. This is why they go to the woods when they swarm. My bees have swarmed plentifully, but have made but little box honey, owing to the scarcity of white clover. Mar cell us, N. Y. A. Wilson. Honey Men of Oneida, 111. Several of the bee-keepers of Oneida clubbed together, and sent to Wiscong^,- by I. W. Cramer and bought eight busl*- els of buckwheat, which they gave to Mr. Dater, who sowed nine acres of ground with it, just east of town. It has been iu bloom for some time, and consequently there is a lively time just now among our bee-keepers. There are two honey ex- tracting machines in town, W. M. Kel- log's and I. W. Cramer's, which throw the honey out of the comb, leaving bee- bread, etc., in the comb and returning it to be filled again by the bees. Following is a list of the bee-keepers, number and style of hives, and amount of honey taken for the week ending Sept. 12, 1874. By W. M. Kellog, for P. Mohler, T Kel- logg's Improved Langstroth hives, lTel built by tlie bees, with an altar in it, the -walls adorned by marvellous skill of architecture, -\vith windows couvenient- 1\' set in their places; also a door and a steeple with bells. And the Host being- laid upon the altar, the bees making a sweet noise, flew round about it." This legend, in various forms and with difter- cnt details, appears to have been very popular, and is found in various religious works as late as the seventeenth century. The notion that bees will not thrive if ])urchased is prevalent not only in many English counties, but also iu France, and 1 notice that the French bee superstitions generally corresj)Oud very closely with those of England. A hive of bees may, however, be exclianged for another ob- ject ; just as iu Cornwall they are trans- ferred from one owner to another with the tacit understanding that a bushel of corn or in other jdaccs a small pig (which is fair equilavent) is to be given in return, ijoth French and English bees arc so jjos- sessed with the spirit of honesty that they will not thrive if stolen ; indeed, the French bees "will find their -way back to their lawful owner. So discriminating are they, that should they come in the ])ossession of a person of bad reputation, they Avill desert their hives and seek a .more -worthy master. The very aencr.d Euijlish custom of announcing a death to the bees, likewise prevails in some parts of France. The announcement of death iu many English villages, and even in the classic, town of O.xford, is, or was, made by tajtping three times on the hives with the house-key, saying at the same time, "Bees, bees, bees, your master is dead, and you must Avork for — " the future owner. Nor is this all ; for the bees are also invited to the funeral, at least in tlie Sheffield dis- trict ; and it is considered that they will die should this comidiment be omitted. In Devonshire, too, a corres]>ondent of Notes and Queries says: "I once knew an apprentice boy sent back by the funer- al cortege by the nurse, to tell the bees of it, as it had l)eeu forgotten. They usual- ly put some -vN'ine and honey for them be- fore the lave on that day." Another funeral bee custom, formerly very gener- al in Devonshire, was that of turning round the hives belonging to the deceased at the moment when the corpse was taken out of the house. It is a sign of death not only when bees settle on " dead wood," but also when they desert their hives and die -, and in Cumberland if they rise and do not stay during a critical ill- ness, it is a certain indication of death. Bees have a great aversion to quarrel- ing, especially between man and wife, but in some parts of France are supposed to attack those who swear, and on this account children are warned not to use " bad words " near a bee-hive. They also understand what is said to them, and are not slow to avenge any insults offered to them. It is a medi.eval superstition that bees would not live in Ireland ; and another tradition of the same period tells us that a sorcerer, if he should eat a queen bee, Avould be impervious to any torture which might be practiced upon him. A humble bee in the house denotes the approaching visit of a stranger. In the east of England, if a red-tailed bee enters the house, the stranger -will be a man, if a -white-tailed a woman. The en- trance of a humble bee into a cottage is sometimes regarded as a sign of death. The value of a ]\Iay swarm is referred to by Tusser, who says : •■Take heed to thy bees that are ready to swariii. The loss thereof uow is a crown's worth of harm." In Warwickshire the first swarm of bees is simply called a swarm ; the second one from the same hive is known as a cast ; while the third is termed a spindle. In Hampshire it is a common saying that bees are idle or unfortunate at their work whenever there are Avars. Borlase says that "the Cornish to this day invoke the spirit BroAvny A\'hen their bees sAvarm, and think that their crying 250 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Browny, will prevent their returning into their former hive, and make them pitcli and form a new colony." This use of the word "browny" may, however, be no invocation of a spirit, but simply an apostrophe addressed to the bees ; just as in Buckinghamshire the death of the mas- ter of the house is announced to the liives in the words: "Little browny, little browny, your master's dead." AVhen bees stay about near the hive it is regarded, and rightly, as a sign of rain; this generally diti'used notion is given by Virgil in the Georgics ; and lience there is a proverb, " a bee was never caught in a shower." When many bees enter the liive, and none leave it, it is also a sign of rain. They were formerly used in medi- cine, as we learn from Purchas' Theatre of Political Flying Insects (1657) where Ave are told that " bees powdered cure the wind collick. Take 12 to 14 bees pow- dered in anything every morning," etc. B. M., in Gardeners^ Chronicle. For the American Bee Journal. Changing the Pasture of Bees. The practice of moving bees for the pur- pose of obtaining a succession of forage, is not confined to Egypt. It was the prac- tice inltaly inPliny's time. He says : "As soon as the spring food for bees has failed in the valleys, near our towns, the hives are put into boats and carried up the riv- er in the night, in search of better pasture. The bees got, and return to the boats, regularly. Tliis is continued till the sink- ing of the boats to a certain depth shows that the hives are full enough, when they are carried back home and the honey taken from them." • This practice is still followed on the river Po, the same stream Pliny spoke of. Bees were also transported from Achaia to Attica, from Eubea to Scyrus, and from Sicily to Ilybla, for the same purpose. In Scotland, bees are moved to localities where they can gather the honey of the heather when it is in bloom. In Califor- nia, bees are sent up the Sacramento to get a succession of bloom, and in France hives are carried in carts from one section to an- other. Thirty to forty hives are placed on one Avagon. If the weather is very hot tiie Avagons move only in the night, and they move sloAvly, always choosing the smoothest roads. Sometimes, says the author of Natural History, ten or a dozen Avagons thus loaded Avith hives, may be seen at once, in company. Much has been said and Avrilten about hoAV far bees Avill lly, and the immber of trips tiiey make, etc. Keaumer says if Hie total number of excursions be divided liy total number of bees in each hive, the aA-erage Avould be five or six. But says another — half of the bees are employed at home, so that the average number of excursions Avill be ten or twelve; and if the average length of each excursion is one mile, each bee would fly twenty or twenty-four miles, daily. Kity says that the quantity of matter thus transported ex- ceeds a hundred pounds. E. A. For the American Bee JournaU Answer to Mr. Bird. I notice in your August number, a very unjust complaint from a Wm. W. Bird, in which he complains that he shipped a bbl. of honey to the Chicago Honey liousc^ and we would not buy it, and asks wiio are the staunch men that he can ship liou- ey to and get speedy returns. The facts in that case are these : Mr. B. Avrote ta the Chicago Honey House, saying he liad a barrel of nice honey, and asked what I would giA'e for it; and I answered that I was paying 15 cents for good — or that I would pay 15 cents, if good — I am not sure which, as my copy book is burned, but could not Iuxa'c made any other kind of an answer Avithout knowing Avhat the honey Avas. As soon as I examined tlie honey, I found it was very dark, vile stuff, made from fire-weed, such as I could not use at any price, and immediately Avrote him, requesting him to direct me to turn it over to some other person, Avhich he did. I turned over the honey to the party named, instead of using it and then forcing him to take its A'alue and giving him cause to complain. I think Mr. Bird will not find any party " staunch" enough to suit his manner of doing business. Mrs. S. E. Spaids. The Bee in Southern California. The liome of the bee is In the moun- tains. There they seem to thrive, and ranging over the great surface common to all the choicest flowers, immense quanti- ties of honey are gathered by the indus- trious workers. There is little difterence betAveen San Diego and Los Angelos, as far as the prosperity of the bee is con- cerned, but undoubtedly the above named places — especially the mountain regions — are not surpassed by any locality on the globe for successful bee culture. As the invalid comes here he cannot turn his at- tention to a lighter and more remunera- tive vocation. While the vast amount of honey is yearly going to Avaste, let us en- deavour to furnish the means to collect this precious substance and turn to account Avhat otherwise Avould be lost, and thus be uumbercd among the Hst of public benefactors. A. H. Ahnoi-d. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 251 Size of Entrance Holes to Hives. The bouey-bce has, ou each hind log, a ■spoon-sliapecl cavity, stiuldcd arouud liy slitl' liairs, in which it packs the pollen juid propolis — the hairs holding the pel- lets in place when clasped down on them. The leaf-cutter bee gathers and carries pollen also, but has no such baskets on its legs. It has a mass of stitThairs on tiie under side of its tail, among which it fas- tens the load. Here we see the same end accomplished by diti'erent means, and it requires but little observation to see why. The leaf-cutter bee has to pass through a round tunnel or gallery but little larger than its body. If it should attempt to do so with the pollen mass on its thighs, as the honey-bee carries it, it could not do it without pulling oil" its load. Consequent- ly it does not impede the passage. The honey-bee ordinarily in its wild state inhabits hollow trees, the entrances to which are either through long slits or large holes, through which it has ample room to pass, without brushing ofl' the pellets that stick out from its sides. A worker-bee can pass through a hole three- sixteenths of an inch high, but in passing through a round hole of that diameter the pollen would be dislodged. A drone re- quires a hole nearly one-quarter of an inch in diameter to pass through, so that in making entrance holes to hives it is evi- dent they should be at least one-quarter of an inch high to allow drones, as well as queens and workers, to pass; but they should not be any higher, if we expect to exclude mice, humble bees, hornets and others enemies of the bee larger than they are. Now, if the bee carry its load behind it as the leaf-cuttei' does, a round hole one- fourth of an inch in diameter would be large enough, but the load on each side sticks out from its sides, so that more room must be given laterally, even for the pas- sage of a single bee at a time — hut, as diu'ing active working, there is a constant flow of passing bees, it must be much wider. I find the width should be at least three inches. But a single hole is not sufHcient, even of that width, on account of their pecu- liar manner of ventilation, by which they are enabled to keep up a constant circu- lation of fresh air tlirough the hive and i-egulate the temperature. There should be two such holes at least 4 or 5 inches apart, but on the same side of the hive. All other openings should be closed tight. If thus arranged, the left hand hole will be used for ventilation, and the other for the passage of most of the bees. Query : Why do bees always use the left hand hole for ventilation V L. F. F()r the American Bee Journal. A New Idea Hive. In the way of a novelty, we have a swarm of bees in the top of the First Presbyterian Church. Those familiar with Cincinnati will remember it as being sur- mounted Avilli a liand, the index linger of pointing above, and in this metal hand is the hive, 2^5 feet high, being one of the highest steeples in the country. They were discovered by accident a few weeks ago. No one knows how long they have been there. They may be new comers; it may have been their liome for years. It is so high that we have to use a glass in order to see them. We shall watch for them next spring with a good deal of curi- osity. If bees can winter up there, and in a metal hive, too, it will be a wonder. I am giving my bees their fall examina- tion now, preparatory to going into win- ter cpiarters. I have no doubt a good many bee-keepers throughout the country tried the mats last winter. It would l)e interesting to hear the experience of some of them; it is a grand success with us. R. L. CUIIEY. Cost of Fencing in the United States. —Economy in Nebraska. The heaviest item of expense in farm- ing— the heaviest, considering the profit accruing, is probably that of fencing. In many cases fences cost more than the lands. The fences of the country are valued $1,800,000,000 ; and year by year, nearly $100,000,000 are expended to keep the fencing efficient. In Illinois not less than .$3,000,000 have been invested in fencing ; and not less than $175,000 are annually expended to keep these "metes and bounds " in repair. If stringent fenc- ing laws had not been adopted in the State of Nebraska, the settlement of the country would have been much retarded. But a law adapted to the needs of the country has been wisely adopted. This law relieves the settler, at the time when he needs all his money for other improve- ments, for the necessity of investing a large sum in the construction of lumber fences. The law throws upon every owner of live-stock, the onus of keeping his stock from straying on the cultivated lands of his neighbors. The farmer need not build fences around his cultivated fields, for horses, cattle and sheep are "fenced out" by law. The stock when pastured have to be herded ; but the cost of herding is not a tithe of what fencing would be. Fencing goes on, of course, in Nebraska ; but it is live and not dead fences which are constructed. All through 252 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. tlie settled portious of the State hedge rows are appearing, and tliriving. The liedge pUints most used are the liouey locust, the osage orange and the white willow. In some places long hedge-rows of peach trees, from which, frequently, good crops are gathered, may be seen ; and the peach seems to make as good a fence as the white willow. — Correspon- dent. For tbe Ameiii-an Bee Jonnial. Bee -Keeping in Greneral. For years I have had a desire to engage in the bee business, and now have fully determined to do so, next spring, if I can tiud a suitable location. I lately made a visit to Mr. Hosmer, who has a large apiary, only a little dis- tance in the country. After some desul- tory conversation, we sallied out to the apiary, and sat down at the side, or rear of the hives to watch the " little busy bee," Avhile Mr. Hosmer gave me much valu- able instruction. Mr. Hosmer evidently understands the houey bee, and how to make the most out of its labor. .He took out the frames, one after another, from a number of hives, to show me the honey comb in all con- ditions, and answered my various ques- tions. In this Avay we spent about three hours, and at the close of the interview I felt that I had leai'ued something about bees, and how to keep them. I should have said that Mr. Hosmer uses but a trifle of smoke, and his bees seem to understand it as well as he does. He holds the smoke on the wind side, and lets it strike across the top of the frames, after taking ott' the top cover, and the bees, which were on the top, would immediately go inside, and the rest would seem to be paying little or no attention to being handled about and set outside for a time, and then put back, and all the time keep at work. Mr. Hosmer is not working his apiary so much for large quantities of honey, as for increasing his beos and raising Italian queens, the present season. This has been a good season for bees in these parts. Mr. Durkey and Mr. Dolley, of this town, are among the foremost of bee-keepers, and appear to be meeting witli success. I saw by the August number of The .TouRNAi/, that Mrs. M's little child got stung with bees. Oh, how I pitied that dear little thing, when I read about it, and to tliink how much it must have suf- fered, gives me an uneasy feeling even now; and then I thought how easy it would have been for that mother to have given her little one inimediale relief, if she had only been prepared, and had known just what to do. Now, although I don't give this recipe to the public, for the present, yet for the benefit of Mrs. M., I will send it to her, for it will do a great deal to disarm any one of that nervous fear, to know that they have something at hand that is efTect- ual in killing the virus of the bee-sting. If 3Irs. W. M. will send to a Drug Store and obtain a vial filled with pure Spirits of Turpentine, (not Benzine, which is a cheap preparation, and sometimes sold for Spirits of Turpentine) and keep it ready for use, and in case of a sting,, first see that the sting is all removed; then drop on the fluid as fast as it is absorbed and taken into the circulation for a short time, and then a palet of cot- ton may be laid on to the place and kept well supplied with the remedy, and in ten or fifteen minutes the pain will be gone. I have found nothing equal to this, and in no case can it do any harm. Minneapolis, Minn. R. D. Buchanan. For the Aitierioan Bee Jourual. Handling and Quieting Bees. Many persons say to me, and I've no doubt others who have read my articles say, you speak about bees as if they did not sting, and of times the results are bad. Of course bees will sting, but if properly handled, will not sting at all, though some persons say that if they go within one hundred feet of a hive they will be stung. When they say that, I feel like telling them that their habits are bad. Bees dis- like bad odors, especially whisky and tobacco, and when such persons visit my apiary, I first give them a veil to put on, and warn them to keep their hands in their pockets, for I know they will be stung. The most successful bee-keepers are men of good habits, for they can go among their bees at all times without fear of stings. Ladies are very success- ful bee-keepers, for they have no bad habits, except a few who will soil their mouths with filthy suuft" — a habit more repulsive than tobacco-chewing in men — as they arc the purer sex, we expect to see all things pnre about them. Bees, before swarming, fill themselves with honey to carry to their new homes, for the purpose of making comb, and while thus filling, they are very good natured, and seldom sting without they are hurt. We can take them down from » their swarming place, turn them over, and hunt for the c[ueen, or perform any opera- tion we wish. When thus filled Avith honey or syrup, they are quiet, and this is the whole secret of the charms, secrets, &c., of bee-charmers. Many years ago, a celelirated bee- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 253 charmer in London, exhibited his prowess before the king — carrying bees in liis hat, breast, and having them to swarm on his hand and arms; bees tiying away and returning to his hand. The secret was .this: he knew tlie bees would always stay with the queen; he liad her caged, and wherever he placed her the bees would remain. He led them on sugar syrup. 1 le was considered a cliarmed person . 1 Ic died keeping his secret, though by dis- coveries since his charms have been found, as the same can be done at the present day, and has been done at some of the county fairs, and seems wonderful to the unknowing ones. The w'hole art of taming bees is in the following : "A honey bee, rilled with liquid sweets, will not sting of its own accord. Bees, when frightened, will generally fill them- selves with honey, and if given liquid sweets will invariably accept them. Bees may be fiightened thus : by blowing upon them the smoke of butfalo chips, (dried cow manure), punk, tobacco, or cotton rags. By confining tliem to the hive and rapping the sides of it lightly with a small stick; at first the bees will try to get out, but finding that impossible, (first closing the entrance), they will rush to their stores and fill themselves with honey." (Ham- lin), And when this is done, you can do anything with them. Before opening a hive, blow smoke in at the entrance, to alarm them, and in a few minutes they are as good natured as a man after a good dinner. During Spring and summer, bees are less iritable than in the fall. If they are rich in stores they are harder to con- trol; and also on cloudy days. When handling bees, ahvays select a clear, sun- shiny day ; always use care ; make no quick motions; and if the bees rush out on you, stand still; don't fight them, as they are very pugilistic, and will always strike back. Beginners, I would ad- vise to have a veil made of black bobi- uet, fastened arouaid the hat and on the shoulders. The rim of the hat keeps it away from the face. The black bobinet, unlike the white, does not tire the eyes, and interferes but little with the sight. AVlth tlie above liints, no one need fear to perform any of the operations 1 have al- ready spoken of. A. J. Murray. its predecessors. Kalamazoo is one of the finest villages in tlie U. B. — is easily accessible by rail from all portions of the country, while ample arrangements have been made for Die free entertainment of all apiculturists in attendance from abroad. We trust that every ^lichigan bee-keep- er, who takes an interest in improved beo culture, will be present, and endeavor to make the coming session mutually inter- esting and instructive ; wliile we extend a hearty, cordial invitation to those residing in adjoining States to meet with us. Herbert A. Buitcn, Sec. pro tern. South Haven, Mich. Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association. The seventh annual session of this As- sociation will be held in Kalamazoo, ]Mich., on the 16th and 17th of December, 1874. This Association has long been favorably known for the practical char- acter of its proceedings ; and arrange- ments are being perfected which will render the coming session fully equal to Bees and Orchard Houses. A Scottish gardener of Berwickshire, Scotland, practices this novel but entirely practical method of securing a good set of peaches in the orchard house under his control. The method of course may be applied to the fructification of any fruit under artificial cultivation by means of glass : — " Into his early house, as soon as the flower-buds begin to open he intro- duces a "skep" of bees, and althougli they are in a semi-dormant state, the heat; of the house soon brings them into activi- ty, and in a very sliort time they are all over the house, and the result is generally a first-rate set. In looking over the trees a short time ago, it would be difficult to point out one that had missed. In giving air, care must be taken to have the open- ing covered with netting, to prevent the escape of the bees." For tlie American Bee Journal. Reports from Northern Kentucky- The weather has been very dry and and hot the past summer in this section. The honey harvest closed July 4th, since that date bees have done very little at honey gathering, and consequently, but little at brood raising. From July 4th to 20th no eggs were laid in my hives, a few from July 20lh till Aug. 10th when egg laying stopped again, was resumed for a few days early in September but the weather continued so dry that very few eggs were to be found Sept. 20th. Honey was very abundant in May and June and of fine quality. Dr. Martin ex- tracted from two colonies, black bees, 380 lbs. 3Ir. C'ulbertson from tO colonies mostly hybrids in spring, got 850 lbs. ex- tracted, 100 lbs. box honey and 4 swarms. Pelham & Cobb transferred 10 colonies in spring, 700 lbs. and doubled the number of colonies. In my own apiary we start- ed with 10 colonies, blacks, extracted 1:^50 lbs., took 73 lbs. frame honey, 254 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAI-. bought 13 colouies in frame hives aucl cue box hive colony, July 20th, aud now have 50 colonies in the yard. "The 14 colonies purchased July 20th Avere, except two, Italians aud hybrids. During the summer while the blacks were doing almost nothing, the Italians and jiybrids filled up with honey and brood, and, Aug. 12th or 15th, began to swarm. One swarm left the hive, clustered on a tree for a few minutes aud left for parts unknown all before nine o'clock A. M. They were first cross hybrids. Having tried a number of bee-sting remedies with little or no effect, I at last found that tobacco soaked in whisky would, if applied immediately, stop the pain in 20 seconds aud in most cases pre- vent swelling. A half-ounce vial half full of tobacco and then filled up with whisky, is handj' to carry in the pocket during the working season. In my case the pain and swelling are worse just in proportion to the length of time elapsing before the remedy is applied. My neigh- bor Mr. Cobb, on the other hand, can take 50 or 100 stings and enjoy the fun, feeling no ill eftccts whatever. Maysville, Ky. AVm. C'. Peluam. For the American Bee Journal. Over-stocking. A few more weeks will conclude my 84th year ; and my efforts, for my own interests or the interests of others, soon must cease. I wish to state a few facts connected with and relating to the subject heading this article. 1. There is a very great difference in the amount of honey produced in differ- ent fields in the different sections of our country and in the world, varying from the barren waste to its most productive fields. 2. Every field from the most barren to the most productive is limited in amount of its productions. 3. There is a great difference in the .seasons for the production of honey, the same field producing double or treble the amount one season that it will in another. 4. In swarming liives, tlie increase will be from one to four new colouies per annum. 5. If we commence with one colony, aud have one new swarm from each colony per annum, the first j^ear we have 2 colouies, 1 old and 1 new ; the 2nd year 4 ; Ord year 8 ; 4th year 10 ; and so on to the 10th year 1,224. 0. If we commence with one and have two new swarms from each old oue an- nually, the increase will he 3, !), 27, 81, and in ten years our stoek will amount to 59,149 colonies. 7. If we have 3 new swarms from each stock the increase will be 4, IC, 64, 250, 1024, and in ten years the amount is 1,- 048,570. 8. At four new swarms, as allowed sometimes to be given, both by Quinby and Langstroth, it Avill be annually, 5, 25, 125, 025, and in ten years will amount to 9,705,025 colonies of bees. 0. Somewhere along in these years the figures will get a little above the capacity of the field ; the strongest swarms will give some considerable surplus. The weaker ones will, some of them, be rob- bed in the struggle for life. Some of them will be too weak to resist the moth, aud will succumb ; but with feeding and nursing they almost all get through pret- ty well. 10. Another spring has a fine opening, an abundant flora, the colonies double their numbers they have increased to double the number, that but just squeez- ed through the preceeding winter, and now they die half, two-thirds, three- fourths, and sometimes all of them. Was the field overstocked ? Oh no ! they say. 11. Perhaps some of the bees straying over, daubecl up and besmeared the comb. Oh it was the dysentery. Or they might have reached the sides of the hive and frozen to death leaving a little honey at the edges of the comb, and frozen there, leaving that evidence against overstock- ing. 12. I have never occupied a field where 30 colonics were safe to pass through the winter without starvation. Twice in my short experience (having commenced mj" business at three score years of age) I have had almost my whole apiary perish from starvation. 13. But why should we talk about starvation? An apiary that will give half to two-thirds of the honey produced in the field to the keeper ; should not be reckoned unsatisfactory. 14. Neither should a bee-keeper be sat- isfied with a hive that cannot be made strictly a swarming hive at the pleasure of the keeper, or changed to a hive capable of receiving surplus honey boxes in most intimate connection with the breeding apartment, of the capacity of 100 lbs., thus giving such room as would form the colony the disposition to swarm. 14. It is not the principle object to pro- cure bees but honey. AVe should think that the increase at the rate of doubling every year, one new colony from every old one, would give in ten years, in each town six miles square, 1224 hives ; and in 15 years 39,108 hives. But instead of reaching this number, so many would perish from starvation that the business THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 255 ■would be relinquished by almost, if not quite, all of the citizens. 15. Instead of this place one or two colonics in non-nvnrniing hives on each hundred acre lot and each might furnish one or two hundred pounds from each lumdred acres. This result might be proved 15 or 20 years with no trouble but to place the surplus boxes in order in their season, and remove them when filled. So much diflorcnce may be proved by experiment on a larger or smaller scale. '"Woodstock. Yt. Jasper Hazen. For the American Bee Journal. Bee Prospects. la looking over our bee journals •\ve often see leports that read some- thino- like tliis : "We have commenc- ed scientific bee-keeping" and are very successful. We are trying to induce our neighbors to use the movable fi-ame hive and to do away with the sulphur match, etc. But they say we don't want any of your new tangled things, they are humbugs." Now, brother bee-keepers, if this is the easel believe it to be your fault and not that of your neighbors. Al- though I am a novice, my experience has been ditierent. I have kept bees for many years but never made it profitable until the last three years, I saved six swarms from the great bee disaster of the winter of 1872. Transferred tliem in the spring into the Pallace liive (which has the Lang- stroth frame with the Johnson sec- tional honey box). During tliat sea- son, increased to I'o by artificial swarming, sold $120 wortli of cap lioney. In the spring of 1873 I com- menced with 13 swarms (lost three during the winter on account of their not being strong enough in the fall) increased to 20 swarms and sold $300 worth of box honey. Started tliis spring with 2(J swarms, increased by ni'tificial swarming to 61, have taken oir 160 boxes of honev which weigh 12 lbs. to the box, or 1,920 lbs., which we sell at 21: cents ^ttj. Have ex- tracted 500 lbs. and sold it at 18 cents "{?K). Sales of lioney amount to $550.- 80. Considering increase of stock, 35 swarms at $6.~[^ swarm amounts to $204:. Total amount for apiary $751.- 80. Paid for material for liives and lionev boxes $72.50, leaving a profit of $6y2.30. Now, to return to my subject. My neighbors have been Avatching my progress with an unflinching eye, and the moment you prove to them that there are dollars and cents connected with the business, that moment they are ready to take hold. The result is tliat over 25 of my neighbors are using the same kind of hive that I do, and if you should visit them in tlie summer, you would see them armed with a bee hat and busily at Avork with the little harvesters. And almost daily some one is visiting my apiary with observing eyes and attentive ears, to learn what they can. 1 am always glad to im])art know- ledge such as I have, for I like to do all the good I can. I believe that the era of bee-keeping has just begun, and the time is not far hence when tons of hone}' will be sold where only pounds are sold now. I think our locality here is as good as anywhere. We liave early in the spring plenty of willow, elm, soft maple and many other spring flowers. Tlien comes an abundance of fruit blossom, which lasts until the wliite clover begins to appear. The white Avood (liriolen- dron tulipiCcra) comes on about this time, which our bees do excellent on. We liave basswood or linden in abundance. A good deal of buck-, wheat is raised. In the fall we have a great crop of boneset, we have a good many species but the most com- mon and most profitable to bee-keep- ers is the eupatorium perfoliatum in our localitj^ it yields a quantity next to linden. The last bloom that Ave have in the fall is the golden rod, and some other plants belonging to the composital order. But no matter how good a locality Ave have, I believe there is yet something for bee-keep- ers to do to aid nature. I believe Ave should make the honey plant a study, and those of us Avho have the lime and means should experiment and find out Avhich are the best and most profitable for the bee-keeper and farmer. I think by the cultivation of such plants Ave can get a far better yield of lioney than Avith natural advantages alone. I should like to hear more through the JornxAL about the grow- of honey plants. It is through the Joui:xal that we must become posted and up Avith the times. W. L. I'oHTEii. West Ogden, ]\Iich. The sting of a bee is a barbed spear, projected by the insect in defence from real or supposed danger. 256 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. For the American Bee Journal. A Kentucky Apiary. Wishing to keep my bee yard as small as possible, 1 have studied con- siderably how best to arrange the liives so as not to be too crowded and not spread them all over the place. For two years I have had nearly all of my hives in rows running east and west, nine in a row, as follows : Two joists or timbers 20 ft. long, 10 or 12 in. high, are placed on the ground, 18 in. apart, my Langstroth hives rest across these, facing north and south alternately ; under the rear end of each hive a strip 2x2x1-4 in. is nailed to the joist that Ults the hive about enough to suit mc. At one end of the row a hive is placed fronting east. Over this row is a roof of rough boards, about 6 ft. wide, 22 It, long, sloping down towards tiie south, and just high enough for me to work under. The roof is nailed to scant- ling Avhich rest in forked posts set in tlie ground. It is light enough for two men to carrj-, and Avhen the hives • are set out of the cellar in March the roof is set down on the ground at the Avest end of the row, to break otl'the cold winds and let the sun shine on the hives, until May. When placed on the posts again it is secured by wire loops from danger of being mov- ed by the wind. In'opcning a hive I stand behind it, set the cover on a hive at one side, and turn the honey board up edge- wise against an adjoining hive with the lower edge of it on the side of the hive I am working. In a very short time the bees tliat mav be on tlie Jioney board run down into the hive, so they are not in the waj^ when the lionev board is to be replaced. If they are black bees they rush back into the liive in a great hurry. The rows of hives are placed about 20 ft. apart, or may be only IGft; taking care, if they are near a fence, to leave a passage near the fence. I would preier my honey room in the centre of the bee yard if there was good shade. It is now at one side. I have experimented considerably in making bee-brooms or brushes, but liave found nothing to equal an eagle quill-feallicr with the barbs trimmed off about half an incli from the shaft. My uncapping knife I want to be very thin and hard tempered, with the handle ])arallel to the blade, and not an angle to it as mostoftiieju are made. Tliere are several little conveniences in use that I will des- cribe for the benefit of beginners. A pan, to hold caps and trimmings Avhen extracting; made of tin, 16x30 in. and 6 in. deep. Two inches above the bottom is a movable false bottom of galvanized wire cloth, and in one corner at the bottom is a hole witii a thimble soldered in, and cork to fit, so the honey that drains ivom trim- mings can be drawn oti'. Across the top of the pan rests a square stick, supported by a block at each end, with the edge next to you, rounded off for the comb frame to rest upon, and edge from yon, sharp to scrape the honey knife upon. A box to carry combs in is indis- pensible. Mine is made very light and honey tight; it hold^s six combs, is 9,^2 i»- wide inside, with upright strips tacked in each end to hold combs apart, and handles on each end to carry by. I go to work extracting as follows : One man works the slinger and un- caps, one carries combs and handles hives. One comb box is set down by the table at slinger, with five empty combs in another box, I go to a hive, open it, remove tiie comb, the frame slides down in the space in my box like a window sash in a frame, put an empty comb in the hive and take another for the box. TIius I take five combs, spread a cloth over the hive, carry the combs to the extractor, take up the empty box and get the other five combs from the Jiive; by the time I carry them to tlic extractor the first five are empty, so tliey are returned immediately to the hive and it is clos- ed up. Worki'.ig ill this manner two men will extract from :)0<) to 500 combs in in a dav. W. C. P. A Frenchman lias discovered a method of taming and removing bees, and secur- ing honey by tapping on the sides and top of the hives. We remember trying it iu our youthful years, before we had heard of the Frenchman. We tapped on a hive belonging to an old farmer one night, and the bees came out first-rate, but we didn't care to stay to remove the honey some- liow. It seemed to us almost any place in the world would be desirable when compared to the vicinity of that hive. In this experiment, as iu tlie one conducted by the Frenchman, the bees possessed all their usual activity and vigor. So did we. — Udcd Herald. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 257 Bee-Farming in Broome County, N. Y. A Bingliampton Times reporter lias been iavestigating the manufacture of lioney as carried ou in the vicinity of IMiigiianiptou. He reports that : Tlie principle apiaries in Broome Coun- ty are located, one at or near Chenango Bridge, some 5^ miles from Bingliamp- ton, up the Chenango river, west side, and belonging to Mr. J. L. Schofield. The other two belong to jVIessrs. J. P. ^loore and L. Beard, the former living about a mile below Binghamptom, south side of the Susquehanna, the latter still half a mile lower down, on the same side of the river. They are all practical farmers. They are about the only men iu Broome County who may be called scientific bee-farmers, or who are emi- nently successful iu and make the busi- ness profitable. He visited ]\Ir. Moore first, and found him among bis favorites, arrayed as he would be for any farm work, face, hands, and neck bare. He was drawing some large cards of honey from the cen- tre of a hive, a hundred bees darting about his head, and with a large feather, was as cooly brushing the crawling in- sects from each card as though they had been so many wingless ants. A high picket fence surrounds his bee yard, in- side of which are 24 full stocks of bees and 13 nuclei. The yard is well shaded with young apple and pear trees, and grape-vines running over trellises,^ from which hang in profusion rich cluster of grapes. Twenty of his stocks are in a bee house, built about a year ago expressly for the keeping of bees. Entering this house Mr. Moore lifted the covers from several of the hives, exposing to view the many boxes and cards of honey already filled and partially tilled, over which and through which the bees were crawling in countless black legions. The most of Mr. Moore's bees are the Italians, a few hybrids being still left among his colon- ies. The house is 8x12^ ft. inside, walls double and filled with sawdust. Under it is a cellar 5 ft. deep. A system of ven- tilation is so arranged that the tempera- ture of the house in summer may be kept as low as desired, while the sawdust walls keep it sufficiently warm in winter, so that the bees are never moved from the house. The hives used are the Langs- troth, with a slight modification. These hives will hold 32 three pound boxes next to the brood comb and 12 boxes on the sides. From one of the hives he has taken 50 boxes this season. The 50 boxes will weigh 1G5 lbs. Another hive has 50 boxes nearly full. He had a stock last season from which he took 175 lbs. of honey. He states that during the honey season — which in clover lasts about 30 days and in buckwheat about 25 — a strong stock will store from 10 to 15 lbs. of honey per day. He keeps the tempera- ture of his house, wlien the bees are at work, at from 75 to 80 degrees. When, they are not working it stands at about 70. During the winter it is kept from 35 to 40, with an occasional rise to GO. During the whole visit Mr. ]Moore kept up a running explanation of his manage- ment of bees and their habits. His first eftbrt is to prevent swarming as much as possible, by which he keeps his bees at work constantly storing honey during the honey season, instead of devoting a part of this valuable time to swarming. Tlys he does by giving them plenty of room ti> store honey, and keeping them at a com- fortable temperature liy shading or other- wise. He succeeds in preventing from two-thirds to three-fourths of his stock that are out of doors from swarming, and all that are in the house. A stock that does not swarm will make twice (and sometimes more) as much honey as one that does swarm, hence the importance of preventing swarming. Mr. Moore started last spring with 2."] colonies of bees, but one of which has swarmed, one of the out door stands. From these he has already taken l,50t) lbs. of box honey, and will take at least 500 lbs. more. Besides, he has extracted nearly 600 lbs., which gives him a little more than 100 lbs. of honey per stand. This is not as well as he did last season. He last year averaged from 15 stocks about 135 lbs. He has now 12 nuclei swarms, with which he is raising queens. These will be put together before winter, and reduce to 5 or 6 regular stocks for wintering. After looking over the bees of this j'ard Mr. Moore accompanied the reporter to the residence of Mr. Beard, half a mile further down the river. Mr. Beard started with 22 stocks in the spring, and will winter 33 or 34 stocks. His bees are all Italians but one stand, which are hybrids. They are in the Langstroth hive, and are all kept out on tiie ground, but well shaded with apple trees. He manages his bees very much the same as Mr. ]\Ioore's are managed, and his product of honey will vary but little from the product of Mr. Moore's yard. He has one stand that has made this season about ICO lbs. of surplus hon- ey. His surplus honey is all stored in boxes, with four glass sides, and weigh- ing 3i lbs. each. Mr. Schofield's yard was visited the next day. He started in the spring with 258 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 'So stocks, all Italiau. He lias now 44 full stocks, with 54 nuclei. They are nearly all iu the Laugstroth hive. They are summered out of doors, on the ground, the hives standing some eight or ten feet apart, and well shaded by apple trees. Through the winter they are kept in the cellar under the residence. They are put in the cellar in December, and removed as soon iu the spring as the weather will permit, which last spring was in March. The surplus honey is all stored in boxes of Si lbs. wgight, except four stands, in which frames are used in- stead. Two frames hold just the same amount of honey as one box. His 31 stands iu which boxes are used have aver- aged him 01 lbs. of honey the present season. But one of the four stands in Vhich frames are used has had a fair chance to test their merits. Five cases, each containing from 45 to 48 lbs. of honey have been taken from this stand the present season, and another is already partially tilled, and will be quite filled if the present weather holds a week yet. Mr. Schofield puts the weight of these five cases of honey at 235 lbs., which is their minimum weight. He thinks that with these frames his yard would have averag- ed four cases, or 180 lbs. of honey each. One other of these four stands of frames has filled four cases. He has a Bay State hive, a late patent of Henry Ally, near Boston, in which he put a new swarm the 2nd of July last. This stock has fil- led the body of the hive, holding about S5 or 40 lbs., and has also filled 24 boxes, weighing 3i lbs. each, which amounts to about 120 lbs. of honey. After visiting this yard, Mr. Schofield ivccompanied the reporter to Port Crane, Avhere is a yard owned by Mr. D. D. Winn, but which is managed by Mr. ■Schofield. This yard was mostly trans- ferred last spring to their present quarters in the Langstroth hive. He uses the frames exclusively. He had 8 stocks in the spring, which have increased by swarming to 10. The yard has averaged fully 100 lbs. per stock. He has one stock which has filled four cases, or 180 lbs., and has partly filled another. These bee-keepers all send their honey to New York City, where they realize an average of 25 to 30 cents per It. . Their extracted honey is all fed back to the bees, by whom it is converted into the best of box honey. They are men who read bee journals, iu which they are well posted, and who are thoroughly alive to tlie importance of their occupation. From the results of these apiaries it will be evident to all, that bee-farming is a grow- iug industry of Broome County. For the American Bee Journal. Test of Italian Purity. ANSWER TO MR. HESTER. In the last number of the American Bee Journal, Mr. M. C. Hester asks : — Is there any fixed and certain test of Itali- an purity ? If so what is it y I answer : yes ! All the truly pure Italian bees have three yellow bands. During the five weeks that 1 have spent in Italy, I have visited many hundred apiar- ies, I have seen several thousand colonies and I was unable to detect one single bee with but two yellow rings. It is true that I have seen, here and there, a few bees seeming black ; but it is not a proof of impurity, for as far as I could judge, these bees were young, full of feces, and that matter could be formed of dark or even black pollen; for there exists in Italy some plants, such as the red poppy, very abundant iu the field, whose pollen is quite black. Every bee-keeper knows that the three first rings of the Italian bee are transpar- ent. Suppose that the abdomen contains a black matter, her wings will be as black as those of a black bee, yet this dark colored worker can become a very bright yellow bee when full of light colored honey. I have seen, sometimes, iu my apiary among my best workers, some young bees darker than their sisters, but afterwards it was impossible to detect these bees among the regular workers, their dark color having been replaced by a brighter yellow. In the fall, bees eat dark honey, the result is that they are darker than when they find plenty of spring honey in the fields. It is therefore but natural to find some bees seemingly black among thousands of well marked workers, and I contend that such exceptions are not a mark of impurity. Yet, if these black bees were very abundant in the hives, and above all if they were visible among the regular workers such a colony could be consider- ed impure; for it is not so with the bees in Italy, the number of these seemingly black bees iu a hive is very small when compared with the entire population of the colony; may be one or two to every tliousand, j'et I thought that it was my duty to say exactly what I have seen, to prevent complaints from those who could mark such accidents in their hives. Mr. Hester, adds that he has received an imported queen, that icas brought over hy me last year, and whose worker pro- geny were two and three banded. I did not go to Italy last year; further more, I did not sell a single imported (lueeu last year ;* my importation having given me THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 259 only two living queens, wiiich T have in-cservcd for my own apiary. Besides I have never sold any queens to iMr. Hes- ter. If he has received tl\is queen from anotlier party, she was not of my impor- tation, and if she was not a bogus import- ed queen, she came from Tyrol, or from Germanv, or elsewhere, not from Italy ; for, from the Hhetian Alps to the point of tlie peninsula it is impossible to lind a single bee with but two yellow rings, Avhen full of honey. These yellow bands vary somewhat in width according to the districts, but I am sure, and I guarantee that, all the Italian bees that I have im- ported and will import,wiU breed all their workers with three yellow rings around the abdomen. The queens, daughter of the imported queens and drones, will vary ; some being quite dark, but the workers will be all alike in every hive. I voucli for it, hav- ing seen the bees in their native land, and having, for seven years, tested in my apiary, queens coming from more than ten different breeders of Italy. Hamilton, 111. Ck. Dadant. * I am mistaken, I pold au imported queen to yiv. HoUett. tliis queen was from the previou.s year's importation. Last year having received but two queens alive out of 30. I have refunded tlie money to many bee-keepers, among whom I can name M. M. Root, Benedict, Argo, W. Cary, Salisburv, etc. For the American Bee Journal. The Superiority of the Italian Bee and ^Safe Wintering. I have kept bees for thirty years, but found I knew but little about them until I took the Bee Jouiiisal in lsT< > ; at that time I had five hives. In 18T1 I bought two queens of N. C. ]\Iitchell. In thirty days I had two hires of nice three-banded bees, but lost them the next winter. In 1872 I bought a queen of Baldwin & Bros, of Sandusk)'^; from her I have some thirty hives full blood and ten half breeds. In 1871 and '72 I lost twenty-seven hives with disease I have now fifty-five hives all iu first rate condition. In 1871 I bought of N. C. Mitchell a Rough and Ready hive and the right to make. Last fall I had twenty three light and heavy. I pre- pared them and put them away for win- ter. All came out this spring in good or- der. For experiment in Aug. 1878, I di- Aided two Italian hives and made six hives of them, three racks in each. Tliis spring one of them filled their hive and swarmed on the 1st of July. In three Aveeks filled their hive and boxes, and swarmed the 2oth of Aug. and now have their hive full. Last fall I prepared twenty -tliree hives. I took oft' the honey board and covered it with a piece of carpet, then made a box five inches high, the size of the top of the hive; nailed on carpet for bottom, filkxl with cut straw or hay, andputon theliivc. That keeps the bees Avarm, as their brcatli goes through botli carpets in tlie straAV. I have a room made in my barn 12x20 feet witli double doors and packed partitions, so that it is above :3."> degrees llirough the Avinter. I Avent every Aveek or tAvo and lifted up tlic box of cut straw, and found it Avarm between the two carpets, al- though some times Avi't on top of the straAV with their breath. In this manner pre- pared there Avill be no bees lost, and they dont eat over half as much as out in the cold. I lia\-e got a large amount of honey this summer and a AX'ry large increase in Italians. D. A. Sherman. A Bee Parasite. I hasten to send a little insect, ap- parently a red spider, Avhich I took oft" one of my queen bees. She had been dethroned to make room for a Liourian, just sent me, and Avas releas- ed in aqueenless hive into Avhicli I had introduced her on* Saturday last. 1 opened the liive to find out Avlietlier she Avas alive and Aveil, and found her witli this little creature on Iicr back. For a long' time, I Avas unable to remove liim, as he Avas quite indif- ferent to the pokes I administered Avith a little piece of grass, and hid himself under her Avings ; so I Avas obliged at last to capture her majcstv, and in the safe retreat of my study remove this too faithful attendant Avith a pair of twezers. I found only two grubs in the royal cells. Proba- bly tlie ])resence of the spider and the cold Aveather had interfered Avitii the breeding. — Bligh. [The insect Avas sent to an eminent autliority connected Avith the British Museum, Avho writes : The insect sent is the bee louse of p]urope, and in some parts of the Continent is not uncom- mon ; in fact it is a nuisance, as many as 50 to 100 being sometimes on a single bee in Italy, etc. It is a Avingless dip- teron, allied to the forest fly, "Hippo- bosca ;" it is named Branla cwca; the young are said to be produced in the pupa state ; it lives by sucking the bees. No doubt more are to be found iu the hive whence the specimen sent Avas obtained; if so, a specimen or tAvo would be acceptable for the Mus- eum collection. It is not frequently found in England, except in imported swarms of tlie Italian bee. — British Bee Journal. ■2G0 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. CONDUCTED BV C. II. DADANT. L'APICOLTORE. L'Apicoltore is an Italian periodical pub- lished monthly by the Central Association of Milan, for the encouragement of bce- culture. It is edited by Count Miscounti di Sal- iceto with an able corps of contributors. The September number is now before us. It is as usual replete with good articles on bee-topics. On the lirst page we find a document that may be -worth reading ; it is a letter from the well known revolutionary Gen- eral Garibaldi. ^Ve quote : The President of the Central Associa- tion having heard that General Garibaldi is interested in bee-culture, had sent him a copy of the journal L'Apicoltore. In an- swer he has received the following letter Avhich he publishes with pleasure. Caro Signor Presidente: — Your.iournal L'Apicoltore is a previous treat for me. Bee-culture is now my favorite business. I am gratefully yours, G. Gakibaldi. Caprera, Aug. 17th, '74. The second article iu this paper is by F. Clerici. It is one of a series of articles describing and classifying the honey yield- ing flowers of Ital}'. Mr. Clerici has so far classified and described in the Apicol- tore, 185 diflerent honey-yielding plants, with occasional engravings. This same writer is the engraver of the 30 anatomi- cal chromos describing the external and internal organs of the bee, queen and drone, which had been drawn from mi- croscopical studies by Count G. Barto. The third article is a letter from P. Grass! on the question of foul brood. In this article we see u descrii)tion and en- graving of the insect (Phora incrassate) that feeds on the diseased lavra. It is there represented in the three stages, lavra, chrisalis and perfect insect. There is al- .so an engraving of a fungus engendered on a foul brood (melittis melittophorus.) We see a little further an article on hon- ey employed in the manufacture of wine ; then a (luestion and answer department. But the best dej^artment of this paper is undoubtedly the department of "new imb- Jieations of bee-culture" under the direc- tion of Dr. Dubini. In this department, we find every month, translations from l)ee-i)apers in all parts of the world, Ger- many, Switzerland, England, France and America. There the Italian bee-keejier can lind all the new ideas or new discov- eries abroad, faithfully reported. Dr. Dubini searched everywhere and nothing escapes his search. And many of our American writers have been published abroad unawares. The names of Gallup, Isovice, Langstroth, Doolittle, Adair, Mrs. Tupi)er and many others, are seen by the side of the names of Berlepsch, Dzierzon, Hurschka, Leuckart, Mona, and even Hamet. In the present number we find transla- tions for the National Agriculturist and Bee Journal from the Apiculteur of Par- is, from the British Bee Journal, from the RucJier dii Slid Quest, and from the Bienenzeitung. LApicoltore is doing a good work, it is stepjiing towards progress. Long may it live ! A Proposition. I see readers of the Amekicax Bee Journal have asked more than once for some plan to keep syrup from granulat- ing, honey from candying, or either from souring. I bought a receipt for just such a purpose and can dispose of it as I please as there is no patent for it ; and as I paid |30 for it in full, can do as I think fit. Now I am willing to do all I can for bee- keepers (as far as my means will allow) and if any one will raise money and send me a fine imported Italian queen, of this season's importation, I will give this receipt to be published in the American Bee Journal. The queen to be sent in a nucleus hive, well stocked with bees and honej'^ for to do them two weeks. This receipt I can vouch for, for I have given it a thorough trial and never failed. Should any of the bee-keepers send the queen (a fine one only will be received) I will make it public, and it is worth $5 to any man who keeps honey, as it adds greatly to its sale. Dr. AV\ B. Bush. Simpson's Store, Pa. Granulated Honey. The Jews of IMoldavia and the Ukraine, prepare from honey a sort of sugar which is solid and as white as snow, which they send to the distilleries at Dantzie. They expose the honey to frost for three weeks, Avhere sun nor snow can reach it, and in a vessel which is a bad conductor of caloric, by which jjroeess the honey be- comes clear and hard, like sugar.- — Sevan. A Request. Will the contributors to the Ameuicax Bee Journal please mention what patent hive they use, and oblige, S. C. Edcjekield. THE AMEKICA.N BKE JOUKNAL. L'lil You speak of using the straw mat ill -wintering bees. I would lilie to know how they are made. Perhaps you liave answered tlus question but I am a new :subscriber and have not liad the benefit of it. Will it be best to remove one frame from the eentre of my hive or extract the honey and return it ? I have never used the extractor ; this is the lirst season I have had bees in the movable frames. I tliink there is too much honey in my hives. The frames are all full of honey, with but little brood. I have the Lang- stroth ten-frame hive. K. A. Calvix. Send to Albert N. Draper, or C. F. Muth of Cincinnati, for a, mat as a sample. Both advertise them. ^Ve use (luilts instead of mats, but dare say the latter are best. We fear your hives are too full of honey. If so — remove one or more frames from the centre of each, to give room ; moving all the other frames a little further apart. Put on quilts or mats at once. It would have been better to extract the honey, and return the combs, but it is late now to do this, unless you keeiJ the combs twenty-four hours in a very warm jilace before using the extractor. Deak Editor :— Ought newly formed colonies that have gathered no honey, on account of the drouth, to be fed now, or wait until later ? Does feeding stimulate breeding? Do you think bees can gather enough honey from this time to keep them through the winter ? What do you think is the be,st bee food ? J. Ct. Stkeet. Syrup made of sugar and water, is the best bee food. The earlier in the season that bees can be fed the better, after frost kills the blossoms. If they have insufficient stores in this niontli (Novem- ber) they must be fed on very warm days or taken into a warm room to feed. Dear Editor : — J. Davis tells the readers of the JorRXAL on page 184, Aug. Ko., how to introduce virgin queens and make new colonies, but he does not tell tlicni how to construct the queen nursery he uses; will some of our veteran bee- keepers give the younger ones a little light on the subject, if the article is pat- ented or not, if patented where can it be had. Please answer in the Journal. Metamora, O. N. B. Seuking. There are several (jueen nurseries pat- ented— one of them by jMr. Davis. We have tried several of them with very in- difterent success. If you apply to some one who advertises them you may get the information that will aid you in under- standing the principles on which they are made. Dear Editor : — I am a beginner in bee- culture. Bought 4 swarms of black bees last spring. Have 13 young swarms from them in movable hives. I have Quin- by's and Langstroth's bee books. Have not had any trouble in summer manage- ment by following their directions. Will 3'ou please give the best mode of bury- ing bees, in the Journal. Is there any better way than to put them in clamps as Mr. Langstroth describes in his book. If I can winter them I think I am all right. IMost of the bee-keepers about here trust to luck and chance. I asked one man if he wanted to sell his bees. He said, no. Asked him if he took any bee-paper. He replied, no. Asked if he would like to subscribe to one. No, was the reply ; and that is about the way with most of of them. They will not trouble to in- form themselves nor sell their bees. It has been a good season for breeding bees here, but there has not been a large amount of surplus honey made, as there Avas a whole week of windy, rainy weather during the linn harvest. Randallsville, N. Y. E. D. Clark. There is no better way to bury bees, than to put them in clamps as Langstroth describes. Some report good success in that way. We have not sufficient experi- ence to warrant us in recommending it. Dear Editor : — I have two swarms of bees that are full of drones, both large and small, the small ones are regular dwarfs. I suppose they were raised in worker cells. There are plenty of work- er bees, old and young, in both colonies. 3Iy opinion is that they have a fertile queen and fertile workers also. They are in hives that I cannot take the frames out to find out the cause. Please gives me a full explanation, and oblige, Charles E. Sweetser. It is probable that there is a quantity of drone comb in your hivc^, and honey 2G2 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. being abundant tliis year, much of it has been filled with drone bi'ood. When the season is poor, the bees are slow in rear- ing drones. The fact that there are young worker bees in the hive, as you assert, proves that they have a fertile queen, and we have never heard of an instance where a fertile worker, much less a drone-laying queen was tolerated in a hive with a per- fect queen. If you could examine the hives, you would find, we think, that in the centre of them there is much drone comb. The small size of some (the drones) indicates, we think, that part of the brood was fed too little — not more than enough for workers. This is frequently the case where too much drone comb in the cen- tre of the hive is found. We don't know but we guess that the bees get tired of feeding many drones so bountifully. If any one can explain our correspon- dent's trouble any better than this, let us hear from him. Did any one ever know of a fertile worker in a hive that contain- ed a fertile queen ? will serve as a comparison. Has any reader of the Journal seen instances, where the hatching of brood has been suspended in this way ? Dear Editors : — On June Cth, I took off a box of honey with brood enough in it to fill a Langstroth frame. On Septem- ber 8th, I i5ut this in a hive and it all hatched out alive, having laid in the cel- lar three months and two days. Have you among your correspondence any case similar ? Such authority as Mitchell and Zimmerman, think it impossible. Napoleon, O. G. M. Le Van. We should also pronounce it impossi- ble, unless you are certain there is no mistake. Did you see the young bees hatching? Is it not possible that the bees removed this brood, it being dead ? Was the brood left in the cellar with- out any bees about it ? We would be glad of nil the pai-ticulars of a case, which seems to us at variance with all natural laws. What would be thought if we should assert that we have taken eggs nearly ready to be hatched from under a hen, put them in the cellar for months, and then put them again under a hen and then hatch. The cases are not parallel, because insect life is not like that of the fowl, but they arc similar, and Dear Editor : — Please answer the following : 1. Is the black bee more apt to store surplus lioney in boxes than the Itali- an ? 2. "Will a hybrid queen mated with a black drone produce hybrid drones ? 3. I had a swarm of bees this sum- mer that had a queen who begun at the bottom of three honey boxes to fill them, and did fill them. What Avas the matter? 4. How "will it work to pack a double walled hive with sawdust, to stand out of doors all winter? Bees liave done very well here this season. The largest amount of honey that I ever lieard of being taken from one swarm, was one belonging to my neighbor; a young sw\arm that made 56 lbs. of surplus honey. 5. Stockton, N. Y. L. N. Siiedd. 1. We have never seen any differ- ence in the two varieties of bees, in regard to their working in boxes. If honey is plenty antl the colony large enough, and boxes are put on early,, any bees will work in them. 2. We do not know what the drones Avould be called in that case — "hybrid"' we suppose. 3. There was nothing the matter. Bees often fill boxes in that way, es- pecially if the bottom of the box is very near tlie comb below, or if the top of the box is too smooth. 4. We have never tried a double walled hive, packed with sawdust, and cannot advise it ; but if yon jDut a dry goods box six inches larger than the hive, over it and fill the space be- tween with straw, hay, or chaff, covering the top of the hive also with straw and putting on a cover, leaving the entrance of the hive a little way open. Your bees will winter well out of doors. AVe would in'otcct double walled liivcs in this Avay, as well as single. It is not much trouble^ if it does take some words to tell yon how. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 263 Deak Editor :— I have a colony of bees (Italians) that have not yet disposed of their drones, at this date, Oct. ir)tli. Can you account for it? What shall I do ? A SUHSCHIBEK. Examine the hive and be sure they liave a queen. Tlie unseasonable appear- ance of drones sometimes indicates that there is no queen. If they are all right in this respect, do nothing about it. The cold nights that are at hand will dispose of them. When honey is plenty, bees tolerate drones in the hive until they die a natural death. Another season be sure you do not have too much drome comb in the hive. Ed. Journal : — Why does some of my honey granulate while others does not? Is there any remedy ? How can I restore it to liquid form ? Inquikek. We cannot tell why honey granulates. If any onr can, let us hear from them. We only know that some honey in some sea- sons granulates vcrj' quickly, while other seasons the same quality of honey appar- ently remains liquid. Some tell us that if no particles of comb are left in the honey it will not granulate. If this u so, why is it ? What can the comb have to do with granulation ? Others tell us that if kept air-tight, in the dark it will never granulate ; yet we have had it in tight oak barrels become as solid as tallow. Certainly the barrels were "air tight" and in them the honey was in the dark ! We find Linden honey almost sure to granulate. Honey from the fall flowers we have had no touble with. Can any one tell us why this is so ? If there is a remedy we do not know it, will the "doctors" answer this question. To restore it, requires heat. We place it in shallow pans over steam — and it melts readily. If not done in this way there is danger of burning it. It melts before it reaches boiling heat. Many peo- ple prefer to use it in the solid state, but as a rule it does not sell until melted. Some honey dealers refuse to purchase honey of strangers unless in this state, reasoning that they are "sure of its purity when granulated, for none of the imita- tions of honey will harden." Another merchant advises putting acid in the bar- rels of extracted honey to prevent granu- lation. We would give no such advice. Put honey into clean sweet barrels, or kegs, letting it settle a day or two first, and straining carefully ; if it hardens melt it, but add nothing to it, selling pure hon- ey just as it is thrown from the combs. Ed. Journal : — Sliall I break up my nucleus hives, or can I keep them over winter in any way? If I cannot, what shall I do witii the young queens in them ?• A little information on this point will be valuable to us. Can weak columns be wintered over, and how ? J. E. R. Olmstead, Minn. We have kept neucleus hives over win- ter, but always found it cost too much time and care. To be safe, they must be kept in a very warm place, nearly at sum- mer heat and often examined as to their condition, and if neglected you find them dead, and all past trouble with them thrown away. We kept a pint of bees, one winter in a small hive, and in the spring built it up by June to a 15 frame colony, full of brood, from which we made two other strong colonies and took some surplus honey. But we w^ere satis- fied by the experinant that it could be done and since then have never tried the same experiment. It was a costly one. We hardly know how to answer the question as to wintering weak colonies, because it is so hard to know what you mean by weak colonies. Hosmer winters only colonies that are what he calls "small ones." He does not believe in winteriug too many bees, but he keeps them in a very warm place and knows just how to manage them in spring. He is one of our most successful bee-keepers, and we have no doubt his theory is a cor- rect one. Yet he said to us on one occas- ion, "I do not like to have you say too much about my method of wintering ; it is so hard at a distance to explain just how many bees go to make up one of my little colonies ; or to tell just how I pro- pare them for winter. People misunder- stand me, and then when their bees die call me and my method "humbugs?" Our advice to beginners, and indeed to ■264 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. all ordinary bee-keepers, is : Winter none l3ut strong colonies ; be sure thej' have plenty of bees, and enough honey to last until April, (that should be at least 20 lbs. if weighed in this month) and plenty of empty room for the bees to cluster. Give space between each comb for air to pass at top, putting on quilts OA-er the spaces ; nearly close the entrance. These rules ap- ply equally to those who protect on sum- mer stands. Our way of breaking up the nucleus or small hives is : Put the frames of two, three or four together in a full sized hive, and shake the bees together at the en- trance. If all the queens but one are taken from them a few days before, they will unite peaceably. Then we take the queens from No. 1 and No. 2, (perhaps from No. 3, if the nuclei are not strong) and leave No. 4 with its queen. A few days after, have a full sized hive in readi- ness, put all the best combs, with enough honey in it, shaking off what bees you can at the entrance, (if some are left on the combs it is no matter). All the bees will go in, and all being in a strange hive, have no disposition to quarrel. Tiie first cold night will find them comfortably clustered together,' and they are to be treated like any other hive. Unless colonies with two little honey have been fed before this month, they had better be united in the same manner. "What to do with the surplus queens, you must decide for yourself- If they are pure Italians, give them to some hives that have poorer queens. They are few apiaries where some queens may not be ■ found that are worthless or nearly so, and tills is tlie best of all reasons to re- . place them if possible. a cell. Not seeing the old queen, Mr. Rogers supposed her to be killed. The young queen became fertile, but on opening the hive again, some time after, to his surprise he saw the old queen, and on the same frame with her young one. Several times since, he has seen both old and young queens apparent- ly living in peace. We have twice seen a young and old queen together in the same hive, but be- lieve such instances are very rare. Mr. Rogers, a subscriber in Nebraska, ■reports a singular sircumstance. On ex- amining one of his hives containing a choice queen, wings clipped, he found Pink-l^lossomed Millc Weed "-MT Bees Swaniiinii' ;i47 Honey Men of Oneida, 111 ;M7 A Visit at Sweet Home 24^ My Italian Bee Experience iMS The Folk-Lore of Bees ai9 Changing the Pasture of Bees 250 Answer to Mr. Bird 250 Tlie Bee in Southern California 250 Size of Entrance Holes to Hives 251 A New Idea Hive 251 Cost of Fencing in the United States... 2.51 Bee-Keeping in General 252 Handling and Quieting Bees 252 Michigan Bee-Kei'i)t^rs' Association 25:5 Bees and Orchard 1 louses 25:3 Reports from Northern Kentucky 25:3 Over-stocking 254 Bee Prospects ;255 A KentucKy Apiary 250 Bee-Farming in Broome County, N. Y.. 2.57 Test of Italian Purity 258 Superiority of the Italian Bee 259 A Bee Parasite 251) Foreign Department 2(i0 A Proposition 2()0 (Iranulated Honey 260 A Request 2(R) Notes and Queries 2(51 Seasonable Hints 2t)5 Profitable Business for Women '2in Honey Crops of San Diego 2W) Business Department 267 Seasonable Hints. There is nothing to be gained by dis- turbing bees in cold weather. Let them remain clustered together as quietly as possible. If they have been examined, equalized, and those fed that need it, while the weather was warm, there is nothing to do for them until the time for putting into winter quarters. Any time this month it is safe to put them away. AVe always choose a night following a warm day, when they have flown freely, if we can, and move them as ciuietly as possible. We do not like to leave them out until the combs become frosty. If necessary to move bees any distance, before putting them in a cellar or house, we would set them down after moving, and leave them until i)crfectly quiet and compactly clustered before putting them in. A moderately warm time is better than a cold one, to move bees, because, when it is very cold every bee that is made to leave the cluster by the disturbance be- comes chilled. Some upward ventilation is necessary, but if quilts are placed over the frames, enough air is given at the top and yet there is no draught of air through the hive. Nothing is gained by putting bees in a cellar that freezes. If they are to be ex- posed to cold below freezing point, let it be out in the open air. We would never feed during winter. Be sure each hive has food enough to last until spring, then let them alone and save your feed for March and April. AVe like to have a space between the bottom of the frames and the bottom board of a hive, two or more inches deep, in winter, that the tees that die may drop below the comb, and the bad air have room also to fall. After bees are put away, let them alone. Be sure they are comfortable and then forget them. Tou can make hives for next year now, read the Bee Journal and write your experi- ence for it, and be prepared to make your bees "pay" next season. Profitable Business for Women. One of the most profltable as well as in- teresting kinds of business for women is the care of bees. In a recent agricultur- al report it is stated that one lady bought four hives for $10, and in five years she was offered -$1,500 for her stock, and re- fused it as not enough. In addition to this increase in her capital, in one of these five years she sold twenty-two hives and 430 pounds of honey. It is also stated tliat in five years one man, from six col- onies of bees to start with, cleared 8,000 pounds of honey and fifty-four colonies. AVheu properly instructed, almost any wo- man in the city, as easily as in the coun- try, can- manage bees and make more pro- fit than in any other method demanding so 266 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. little time and labor. But in the modes ordinarily practiced few can make any great profit in this employment. It is hoped a time is at hand when every wo- man will be trained to some employment by which she can secure to herself an in- dependent home and means to support a family, in case she does not marry or is left a widow, with herself and family to support. ^ — < ^ ■ * Bee-Keepers' Re-Union. Mr. Hoagland, President of the Bee- Keepers' Association, sends us particulars of arrangements made for the annual meeting at Pittsburg. Our readers will see that he has done his part well toward making the meeting a success. We hope for a very full attendence and a profitable session. Our friends in that part of the country have been for several years desir- ous of having the meeting at Pittsburgh, and we are sure mucli will be gained by every one who attends the meeting. Let all the members of the Society make an effort, and a sacrifice if neces- sary, to attend. We are sure that all who attend will find pleasure as well as profit in the interchange of experience Let all go determined to impart all they can as well as to gain from the relations- of others. These meetings have been in the past, re-unions of great interest, and we expect the one at Pittsburg to be a grand suc- cess. Honey Crop of San Diego. From the San Diego World we learn that the honey crop of San Diego for 1873 was 119,000 lbs., and it is expected that this year it will be equal 200,000 lbs. J. S. Harbison has five apiaries in that county, comprising over 3,000 hives of bees. R. G. Clark has two, comprising over 800 hives. These are the most ex- tensive bee owners in the State. Tlie bees begin working in that country about the first of February, and the sea- son for storing honey lasts from June to September. The finest honey is made from the flowers of the sage plant, which grows here in such abundance. This is the true sage, and must not be confounded with the sage brush of Nevada and the north- ern counties. The flat-top or "buck- wheat " greasewood also aflbrds excellent honey. The bloom of this plant closely resembles that of buckwheat, hence the name. The flowers of the sumac is another source, and the ice plant, which covers so much of the country, is likewise sought by the bees. This latter • plant makes a very white honey, but it is liable to the objection that it turns very quick to sugar, or candies, as the honey men say. The bee-keepers therefore try to avoid it. The bulk of the honey will find a mar- ket in the east. The hooey made in San Diego is very white and handsome, and of excellent flavor, commands a good price and finds a ready market wherever ofl'eced. In Die October number we should have acknowledged the receipt of a nice lithoora))]i of the Hexagonal Apiaiy, from Mr. A. I. Root. It is a nice thing' and shows how an apiary could be s\siematized and carried ou ior both i)leasui'e and profit. H. A. KlMg & Co., have removed ta 75 Barclay Street, New York, and there publisli the Magazine, and Na- tional Agriculturist. This latter pub- lication, came out lor Sci)teniber with a new and ele^fant headinif. It is pub- lished at .$1. a year. Send for sample copdes. Particular attention is called to the ad- vertisement of Mrs. S. E. Spaids' New York Honey House. The address before inserted was a mistake. It is correct as found in this number of the American Bee Jouunal. We will send the American Bee. Journal six months lor a copy of Volume 2, No. 1. We want it to com- plete a set. Who will trade with us? Let every one writing this oflice make all Postal Orders, Drafts or Checks, payable to Thomas G. Newman. Address everything of whatever nature to THOMAS G. NEWMAN, CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA. Ameeigan Bee Journal, DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. X. CEDAR RAPIDS, DECEMBER, 1874. No. 13. For the Ameiican Bee Journal. Western Bee Plants. Deati Editou : — I believe I promised iu a former commuiiieatiou to give you the result of my exi'ierlmcnt with the Western bee phints, Lophanthus Auisatus aud Cleome Integrifolia, in this locality I am not aware of auy previous elVort to introduce them, though others may have tried aud perhaps with better success. As you remember I wrote to H. A. Terry of Crescent City, Iowa, for seed iu Sep., '73. The seed came promptly (after your forwarding mine to you) aud though then the middle of Dec, was sown immedi- ately ; in soil previously well prepared, in drills three feet apart. But being sown so late the plants did not show them- selves until the following spring, aud thcu only very sparingly — here and there one — showing that the locality or time of sowing did not suit tliem. The, perenial, Lophanthus Anisatus only started some dozen plants, with a single stem or stock, which grew 12 to 18 in. high. These produced one or more flower stems somewhat resembling catnip blossoms in appearance, but with the un- mistakable anise fragrance. Though con- tinuing iu Dloom for several weeks I did not notice a single honey bee upon them. The seed ripened in Sep., and was care- fully gathered for replanting. Cleome Integrifolia, the annual, came up much more promptly and evenly. It made a growth of from 2 to 5 feet in height, sending out many branches, aud blooming abundantly by the 1st of July. I watched its growth closely but the bees found the bloom first, and began work upon the very first blossoms. They seemed to enjoy it exceedingly. It was no small gratification to see them as if vieing with each other for the coveted luxury. For two or three hours each morning its sweet fragrance and the buz- zing of the busy little workers were alike interesting. But after the warm sun had evaporated the moisture of the dew, its agreeable odor disappeared, the bees for- sook it and only the dazzling beauty of the finely shaju'd little shrub or plant, with its multitude of flowers rem.iincd. It continued to bloom for six or eight w'ceks and would probably have continu- ed much longer but for the appearance of a striped little bug, in great numbers, destroying the foliage and in a short time killing the whole plant. Thus you see our experiment has not been so satisfactory as we might have de^^ired. But it has not left us without a keener interest aud h(/pe for another year. We are greatly iu need of something 16 fill a vacancy in the honey harvest during the mid-summer ; and we still hope these l)lants may serve to help us through. Bees have done so poorly here for two or three years that many have become com- pletely discouraged. Many persons lost all iheir stocks who had kept bees for over forty years. We kept ours through, by dint of untiring watchfulness and care. Though we had buckwheat aud clover we still had to feed on sugar syrup ; aud frequently united the weak stocks. Late in the spring, however, they began to liveu up, aud when the poplar or tulip bloomed they filled theii' hives in a little time. We had been so discouraged with long continued failure and losses, as to be taken quite l)y surprise to find them so heavy, and I getting ready for swarming. The extrac- ' tor was soon put in readiness and used to excellent advantage. Since then the sea- sou has been favorable. The autumn harvest from wild flowers has been good. We have had to watch closely to prevent filling up the brood chamber. Empty frames of comb placed in the centre of the hive would be filled with honey al- most before the queen could get a chance to deposit eggs in them. It has given us an excellent opportunity of testing the advantages of the moveable frame hive and the extractor. As beginners in ajticulture we liave read your Jouknal with great pleasure and profit. We a.re quite pleased with the union of the two leading bee journals. You have our best wishes. New Gardeu, N. C. A. E. Kitchen. 270 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. For the American Bee Journal. Packing Bees for Winter. Dear Editor: — As I and a friend of of mine bad excellent success last winter in keeping our bees, we will here give the plan we adopted. Suppose you get a box for each liive, four inches larger each \Tay than the hive and 20 in. deep ; have a bottom in the large box. Before nail- ing ou the bottom, make an entrance for the bees to fly out, when weather permits. This we call the front of hive. Now on the back, exactly over the entrance, cut a A shape, one inch long, and just small enough to keep out mice. Now put in a long box a false bottom, leaving a crack 1 in. wide, from front to rear. Now put in your hive, and by looking through the entrance, you have a passage 1 in. wide from front to rear. Now put a strip of board over this passage, front and back, to prevent packing from closing it up. Then put on quilt, mat, carpet, or any- thing woolen to keep the bees in, and pack the 4 in. space between outer hive and hive proper, with chaft", stuff" it well and till the box until full; now put on cover to keep out all storms, and keep l)erfectly dry. Arrange a door step and the job is done. The bees wintered in those boxes to l)erfection, and did not dwindle down like those wintered in cellars, but came through the bad weather in May and April without loss, and eacli one of them contained double the number of bees in April and May, that those did that came out of the cellar. All those swarms were nearly a month earlier than those from the cellar. The reason we think was this : the packing in the large Ikjx prevented every little change of weather from being felt by the bees, and consequently the bees never left the hive until it was warm enough for them to fly and regain the liive again; but those wintered in the cel- lar every time the sun came out and struck it, the hive would be on the wing, and not one-fourth of them ever returned to their lilves again. Probably a great many beekeepers may thiid< this too much trouble. But when we remember that some swarms will pay us a net profit of $40 in one sea- son, we think we can well afi'ord about 40 cents for a box, and an half an hour's lime to pack them for winter. "VVe manu- facture a straw mat for each hive, ou the plan recommended in Gleanings. We put on next to the bees a woolen blanket and the mat ou top. We think the mats O K. Do not remove tlie outer box until all bad spring weather is past. Brother Townley wintered 50 swarms last winter in this way to perfection ; he did not use the mats, but woolen and cotton cloths ; but the mats I am delighted with. The past season was a fair one, al- though we got but little white clover honey ; we got plenty of basswood and fall flowers. We started the season with 33 colonies ; 30 good, and 13 quite weak ones. We have at this date 54 swarms and 3,200 lbs. of honey in glass boxes, and about 350 lbs. of extracted, besides a considerable amount in large frames, not in marketable shape ; but it will come in play next spring in pushing colonies along and starting new ones. J. Butler. Jackson, Mich. For the American Bee Journal. This Year's Honey Season. Friend Editors: — I wonder what some of your correspondents that report such long honey seasons and large yields of honey would say if they had my location and season ? I used my extractor for the first time this year on the 12th of June and on the 24th of June I used it the last time. I took over 200 pounds from ten hives in that short time; one hive giving me sixty pounds. My principal pasturage is white clover, and the extremely dry weather this summer cut that so short, that from the 1st of July till the 1st of August, the bees did not make enough honey to live on. About the first week of August the smart weed, of which there was an abundance, and the buckwheat commenced blooming, and by the middle of the month the bees had so far recruit- ed their hives, that some few in the ueigh- borh' ofl cast swarms, but as flowers can't secret honey out of sunshine, Ad especi- ally as hot as it was about that time, all hopes of surplus honey, and an increase of stock, had to be abandoned. I am -using the two story Langstroth hive, and Winder's new Queen City ex- tractor; two things that arc as essential to success in the bee business, as plenty of flowers, and a favorable season. I found very good sales for my extract- ed honey at 40 and 75 cts., when put up in one and two pound jars. To put in the corks I used a lever that was fastened to the wall just the higlit of the jar. Af- ter pressing tlie tin foil cap on with my hand, as well as I could, I fastened one end of a twine string to the wall and tied the other end around my body; then by sitting down on a chair I could lean for- ward to give slack enough to the string to give one turn around the neck of the THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 271 jar; then by leaning back I could draw the string as'tiglit as I pleased and by roll- ing the jar towards nie I could press the cap on nicely and quickly. If I had nothing but the black bees to work with, I would quit the business; it almost makes me mad to open a hive of them and' have all the little cowards run to the bottom of the frames just as if they were crazy. I have one hive that when I examined it for winter, Oct. 1st, I found a nice Italian queen that had been hatched about two weeks and plenty of drones. As she was hatched so late in the season I came to the conclusion slie did not become fertilized, but all of my queens quit laying about that time so I had not the opportunity of knowing for a certainty. I will know what is the mat- ter with them next spring. I very seldom use smoke or a veil to work with my bees (unless they get too awfully cross), for the first is a bother and excites the bees too much, and the latter shuts up the road to my mouth. I would rather take a few stings than to do with- out eating honey. I use no remedy and can stand 15 or 20 stings a day tolerably well. When I commenced the business one little sting would swell more than a dozen doses now. I suppose "the hair of the dog is good for the bite." Bethany, Ohio. ^V. 8. Boyd. For tlie American Bee .Tournal. Pure Queens Working in Boxes. Messks. Editors : — The JouR^"AL is just received, and in looking over it I find your correspondent from Binghampton, N. Y., complains that he has not succeed- ed in getting his pure yellow Italians to work in boxes. The ditierence in locali- ties may make the diftereuce ; but be that what it may, my experience is just the reverse. I have never had any trouble to get tlie golden beauties into boxes, for the reason that, as lie correctly states, they are prolific and fill their hives with bees, and as soon as mine fill up with bees they go at the boxes with a vim not excelled by the best hybrids, which are certainly good for honey — equal to, but not better, than the pui'e yellow boys. Such queens as he describes would be a very valuable acquisition to any apiarian in anj' State, that rears queens for sale, as such queens are in demand. I would give two good hybrids, and perhaps two more, for such a queen that will duplicate herself every time in lier queen progeny. I have had almost all kinds of queens, and but few such that invariably duplicate themselves in queen progeny. I find it difficult to get such queens, and have had imported and homebred of the first order, and yet comparatively few such as he describes, the ditierence, again, probably being in locality. I am satisfied that success in apiculture varies in dift'erent localities ; so, likewise, do the color of queens, etc. Melrose, Pa. K. W. IIaruisun. Old Harry's Report. Dear Editor — Many bee-keepers have had their say in the journals in regard to wintering;' and their theories are as vari- ous as their pens. Instinct teaches the bees to build comb and fill it with honey; when circumstances place the comb all ready there, instinct teaches them to fill that comb and keep it full. Now by taking advantage of that instinct wc. may empty that comb a thousand times and a thousand times will they fill it; but as cold weather has come I will stop on that train of thought. Soon all will be silent around the hive. Don't let that hum be silence forever; don't let the bees perish in the icy grasp of old boreas. They have worked hard for you the past season, charged you nothing and boarded themselves. Their product has added to your purse. Now study their nature, their habits, and their instinct, and aftord them protection ac- cordingly, but as you value their living, dont try to make them conform to some pet theory on ventilation, or some patent clap-trap ("ventilated,") misscalled a bee- hive, or they will be sure to sufler. They require but little air in the winter and that little they want to keep warm for comfort, now, with your ventilator, you are con- tinually drawing the warm air off, that they much need. As it is continually ^be- ing drawn oft", they must be continually heating more, which exhausts them, and they die before they see the warm sun of spring. They die from over work, try- ing to keep warm. But it is all right, their tombs are patented, and the "hard winter" is to blame. Then nature teaches them to plaster up every crack and crevice except their passage-way. They do it in order to save as much warmth as possible. If you interfere with this, they will al- most be sure to die. Protect the outside of their home from the cold blast, pelting rain and sleet. Keep their hive dry out side; then let them alone, and they will take care of the inside. Bee-keepers, study the nature and instinct of the bees and coniform your operations to that and they will place you on the royal road to wealth. Honor to whom honor is due. We 272 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. would not pluck one leaf from the wreath of any bee-keeper crowned with honor, for any new and beneficial discovery, but when I see that wreath snatched from one and about to be placed upon the brow of another, as I think unfairly, then I will speak. I know neither one, personally. See Bee-keeper's Mag. 1874, Sept. No. page 121. Mr. H. E. Bidwell, last winter made a new discovery ! A what ! AVhy he discovered that bees could be put into hot beds and let have cleansing flights at the apiarian's option. Have all bee-keepers got hot beds ? the "Old Harry" has none ! Some body else made that discovery, long before, on a easier and less expensive plan See NortJi American Bee Journal 1873, April No., page 234, Jewell Davis, of 111., tell us how to give our bees a cleans- ing flight at any time. Last winter I made me a flying-box, and tried it. I sliall try it this winter, if occasion requires. I have mine made about three feet every way; First I make a solid bottom, then cut a hole in two inches less than my hive. I then nailed up sight posts at each corner; then one inch strip across, from post to post, and covered it with a mus- queto-bar; when I want to fly a swarm I bring them into a warm room, remove the covering off the hive. Set on a flying box. It would surprise you to see the Ibees come out into the box and play. Oh ! yes; how do I get them to cluster again? They will cluster themselves when they get through, or you can cover all up with a quilt or a blanket; any thing to make it entirely dark. Well, they will soon return to their nests. Reader, who discovered it ? Bidwell or Davis ? Leesburg, Ind. Harry Goodlander. I > » » » For the American Bee Journal. What I Have Done. I went into winter quarters witli 850 colo- nies, about 50 of them, not in very good condition. I lost 48, during winter and spring, and had more than one half weak colonies, the other half was in a medlnm good condition. I sold and let my gh-ls have 100, and had consequently about 700 left. These were divided into 11 ditt'erent apiaries and later in the season iiato 15. They in- creased to 1,158. And gave on box honey, net weight lb 14.887 extracted " 10.332 Total, - - - ft25.219 This amount was actually shipped and sold to Mrs. I. E. Snaids, honey dealer in New York. 1 have, besides this, about ^(KX) of unfinished box honey on hand, previous- ly sold and given away over 100ft, total amount 25.919ft. Or an average of about 21 ft of box honey and 16ft of extracted. I however, extracted only from 70 hives, which gave aai average of about 147>^ft. Since my white and yellow box honey was sold, delivered at .Jefferson station for 35 cts. per pound, extracted only for 12 cts. I cannot see the very great gain, in extract- ing, when I consider that I had selected the very best stocks for extracting, while there was a very great nund)er of stocks that never gave any box honey, nor could I have extracted nuich from them. To me it seems that I can easier raise box honey at 25cts., than extracted for 12, even if this latter could always readily be sold. The honey business in this neighborhood has becoihe very important. I, myself, shipped, including live lots from other bee- keepers, two car loads of a gross weight of 42,000ft, and a number of other parties shipped and sold, surely not less than 30,- OOOlt) more. And this was only al)Out half as good and favorable a season than four years ago. But I fear we get overstocked, and unfess we sell or spread out much more, our honey yield will diminish. Honey bees are considered very good i)roperty and sell readily at full prices, if offered for sale. Jefferson, Wis. Adaji Grimm. •»♦■»• For the American Bee Journal. My Experience. I made a visit to G. ^Y. Stineberg, Shrevfi, Wayne Co , Oliio. Purchased a queen from him t'.mt I am very mucli pleased with, and he gave me an idea to .?ave comb from moth. He says, stretch a wire near the roof of a barn, and there fasten your comb about lour inches apart and moths will not interfere. 1 had been smok- ing with brimstone, kept in a close box, and soaked them in water, put in extractor, threw the Avater out and dried in the shade, but still lost some. Stineberg's advice was quite a relief. f have tried it and the short experi- ment I have had, has proxed satisfac- tory. If the articles, appearing in the Journal, were as freely written, as our conversation generally is when we meet Bee Friends, we would all feel better and derive more benefit from each others experience, and the failures given as freely as the success- es. But not long ago a veteran said, it does him good to laugh at the arti- cles of young queen raisers. I think it poor policy wliile attempting to teacli the stuttering child to laugh at it. Why cant we have free exchange of ideas and experiments without snapping, ridiculing, &G. ? Who can difier more than the claimed veteran bee-men ? Very few will acknowl- edge failures, except Novice, and he is ridiculed for it. No wonder arti- cles and criticisms appear without signatures. 1. S. Millee. Bucyrus, O. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 273 Annual Meeting of the North Ameri- can Bee-Keepers' Society. Pursuant to notice, the above named Society commenced its annual meeting in tlie hall of the Germania Saving's Bank Pittsburgh, Pa., on Wednesday morning, Xov. 11th, at 10 o'clock. About .lifty members were present, which number was increased to seventy-tive pr eighty by new arrivals in the course of the day. President Iloagland occupied the chair. Organization for regular business was deferred until afternoon, and the rest of the forenoon occupied in suggestions of topics for discussion, and informal con- versation or matters pertaining to tlie suc- cess of the meeting. Kev. W. F. Clarke nmvcd that a tem- porary committee of tluee be appointed by the chair, to prepare business for tlie session. Carried and W. F. Clarke, 11. A. King and Mrs. Tupper wei'c appointed said committee. A motion was also adopted providing for the appointment of a committee of I two, to act with the Secretary, Abncr J. j Pope, of Indianapolis, in preparing the I proceedings of the session for publication, j The meeting then adjourned until half- \ past one o'clock r. h. The following abstract of the proceed- ings is partly made up from the reports of the Pittsburgh daily press, and partly from the notes of our own reporter. AFTEIINOOX SESSION. Tlie Society was called to order by President Iloagland, and tht proceedings opened with prayer by the Rev. W. F. Clarke, of Canada, after whicli the Presi- dent made the following orENiNC4 address: Ladies and Gentlemen of the ]\'vrt]( American Bee-Keepers' Society. Not being present at tlie last annual in«et- ing, Louisville, Ky.. I would embrace the prestint opportunity of thanking you for the honor you have eonfeiicd ujioii luo. in se- lecting me to preside over your (lelil)era- tions. Any errors 1 may eonnnit. I \w\vd > ()U may attribute to the right source — tlie head, and not the heait. 15ee-keeiiing. although not so ]io]nilar a luu-suit as many others, is none the less edi- lying and prolitalile. 'i'lie honey bee is al- iiinst the only insect that has been domesti- cated by man. and aside troni its giving lis wealtli and a delicious luxury, it .possesses many charms, and is a study for tlie nat- uralist. This is only the toiuih >essi()n of a eontinental .society in our land tor the ]im- pose of investigating and leaniiiig of the wonders of this little insect. For ages ]iast, organizations have been etfected by <>ur best men to develoj) the varioifri agricultural resources of tlu' land. And during the same jx-iiod the must indus- trious bees of our continent have been con- signed to tile igiioiiiiny of a death by fire and Itrimstoiie. If apiarians had given the time and atten- tion in selecting the males and females of the largest and most industrious, ]irolitic and docile colonies to breed from, with tlie same care, shrewdness ami attention that has been practised with horses, cattle, sheep, hogs and iioultry, we would not b(! under the neceshity of iiiii)orling queens fnuii Italy, but would have a race of bees miieli superior to the Italians. ISIan can • not obtain labor from any other source as cheap as from the lioiiey-hee. 'I'hey work for notliing and board trieniselve.s, only re- (juiring house rent free. According to the census returns of l>v')0 the amount of wax and hon(\v imiduced in the United States was 14,S.>^,nM) i)ounds; in isco. i:i(;,;iS(;,s5.'i jiouiuls. With the increas- ed attention given to the pursuit, together with the increase of colonies, we have no doubt but the present returns will show a vast increase of i)roiarian pursuits. The reading of the minutes of the last session was dispensed with. They liav- ing been publislied. REPOKT OF TIIK niSINESS COMMITTEE. ~Mv. King, from the temporary business committee appointed at the morning ses- sion, submitted tlic following report: 1. That the eU-ction of oflicers be de- ferred until to-morrow, to take place at a time to be designated by the IJusiness Com- mittee. 2. That the following topics l)e discuss- ed at the afternoon session: First — "Afi- vantages of Bee-K; ejiiiig." Second — "How is the queen ]ii(pduced from the Worker Egg." Third— "The Sting of the Iloney- Bee," to be introduced by President Iloag- lani>ort of these Mrs. T.. who is a tluent and_ ])leasant speaker, referred to observa- tion's made by herself. Slie also claimed that bei'-rai-inu \\;«'- ^jiecially adv.tntaueons THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. to ladies, who were thus aflforded, not only pleasant and protitablf occupation, but aWi P!ave them outdoor -work, and tlius l)enetit- ed their general health. She spoke brietly on the question of profit, and claimed tha't there was no other i)u>iness which offered such strong inducements to those who wisli- ed to make money on small capital. There was further discussion of the topic, by Messrs. Hoagland, Zimmerman, Chapman, Kiug, Clarke, Anderson, Kush, Pope, Benedict and others. PKOBUCTION OF THE QIEK^-BKE. Mr. Alfred Chapman opened tlie dis- cussion of the topic, "How is the queen- f)ee produced from the worker egg '?" lie contended that the egg of the queen was the same as that of the worker; that in some cases the larvte was taken by the bees and put in the queen's cell, and that the drone also wns hatched in the queen's cell. . Mr. A. Benedict said that he had this year noticed a drone in a queen's cell, but it was the only one he liad ever seen there, and, it wus twenty-four days from the egg. Further discussion followed, which was participated in by Messrs, King, Zimtner- luan, Chapman and others. Rev. W. F. Clarke was called upoii to deliver an address upon the next to])ic, aad responded as follows: THE STING OF THE HONEY-BEE. A painful rather than a pleasing interest attaclies to the snl)jcct now ])roposi'd for di.scussion. Fo>,-,ili]y this may account for the fact that so little is said "about it. In most minds it awakens disagreeable memo- ries or nn]>leasant apprehensions. We in- cline to be nnite on distressing tlu'mes. In looking tlirougt) an agi-icultural lihrarv. one is impressed with the idea tiuit thcie tias been a sort of avoidance of tliis subject. You can readily lind ample details conceru- ing the honey-sac, the pollen l>ask<-t, the >vax works, the wings, the eye, but marvel- lously little about the sting. ' Kirby and Sj>ence, in their excellent trea- tise on Entomology, devot*^ a paragraph to "insects which attack man from' revenge or fear," and remark, '-these all belong to the Linnoiau onier. , Hximcnoptern, and the tremendous arms with wliicli they an- noy us arc two darts, liner than a luiir, furnished on tln-ir outer side with several barbs, not visible to the naked eye, and each moving in the groove of a strong and often curved slnnith, frequently taken for the sting, which, when the darts enter the flesh, usually injects a drop of subtle ve- nom, furnished from a peculiar ves.sel in which it is secreted, into the wound, occas- ioning, especially it the darts be not extrat- ed, a considerable tumor, accompanied l>v very acute pain. Many insects are thus armed and hav*- this power." Trominent among them are mentioned the ichneumon, the spider-wa.sp, the honey-bee, the wasp and the hornet. Mr. (^linby has just eight lines on this topic in liis valuable work entitled "Mys- {*!ries of Bee-Keeping Explained." They are as follows: "The sting of tlie bee, as Jl a])l>cars to tlu" naked eye, is a tiny in- strument of war, so small, indeed, that its wound would jiass imheeded by all the larg- er animals, were it not for the'poison intro- duced at the same instant. It has been des- cribed as being composed of three parts, a sheatlie and two darts. Bfith the darts are f m-ju.shei>i. Four cut^ illustrate the ap- pearance of the various parts of of this war- like implement, as seen imder a powerful nncroscope. One of them, whicn shows the point of the sting, is a truly formidable- looking object— a weapon of war well cal- cvdated to intimidate an enemy or appal a victim. Mr. Bledsoe was led to this micro- scopic examination of it from certain pecu- liarities of experience coimected with a sting he received, and it is not surprising, when we look at the terrible pictures drawn by him to find him saying, 'T certainly dread bees more now than before my inves- tigation." The i)ith of Mr. Bledsoe's inter- esting pai>er partly condensed, and partly ((UottHl, literally is as follows: lie observ- (■d in extricating a sting from liis i>erson, that a portion of it remained in the wound, and that the part still fixed in the flesh was extremely fine in size; finer, indeed, than the portion remo\ed, and fully as long. It also ap])earcd to be a tube pulled out of the main sting, much in the manner of the working of a telescope. A microscope view .showed however, that it was not a perfect tuhi'; neither does it work with telescopic action. The bee's sting is a complex in- strument, being composed of three distinct parts, of whicli the sheath forms one. These three parts join near the edges and form a tube, wljich, viewed sectionally, has the shape of a triangle, the angles being lounded oft'. The sheath near its point is narrow, but gn>ws wider towards its base, where it gradually embraces the remaining ])arts, tluTcby keeping them in place in their working. Near each edge or the in- ner or liallow side of the sheath runs a ridge which fits a corresponding groove in each of the outer parts. Near its point, which is rounded ratner bluiity. it is armed with two feeble sets of barbs, numbering as many as four in each set. The base of the sting or slu^ath is large, being broad and somewhat flattened, with an oblong hollow, which constitutes a recejitacle for the ))oison just j)revious to injection into the wound. The other two jmrts constitute the stin.g ])ro])er, and in a sectional view are semi- circular, the upper edge being thicker than the lower ones, and squarer, one of the I'dgcs having a j^rojection extending along the under or inner portion of it, thereby forming a rabbet alon^j which the opposite part freely moves. The under or inner edge of each of these parts, ta])ers down to extreme thinness, while near the termina- tion of the edge, tln're runs a minute groove which corresi)onds w ith the ridge mention- ed in the descrijUion of the sheath, and along which the parts move freely. Each of these parts jnoper, tapers down to an ex- ceedingly fine point. Near the point begin the barbs, which, in some stings, number as many as ten, extending along the sting near- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 275 ly one-half its lenfjth, and are well defined. ' The parts are ot a horny consistency , of a deep red color, and transjmrent; tliey are also nollow alon^ the greater i>ortion of their length, intended, jierhajts, to eoinl)ine lightness and strength. The two chief parts of tlie base of the sting gradually assume a n^^arly round and tubular form, each terminating beyond the base of the sting within the body of the bee, and having an arm attached to it at rignt angles, which forms apart of the mus- cmar mechanism by wliich their movement is effected. Also, to each of the chief parts, and lo- cated In the cavity formed at the base of the sheath, is attached a jdano-couvex valve, the convexity of whicli is athipted to the inner side of this receptacle, and they oc- cupy about one lialf of the space therein. When tlie sting is in action each of the cliief i>art^ are thrust out out and withdrawn alternately; so that when working Its way into a wound the \ alves, by their action, force out the poison which tills the cavit\' and which is received from a sac situated a])rtrt from the base of the sting. The poison readily passes along the tube, (whicli is a continuation of the cavity,) and finds its \\ay into tiie wounds with great facility, owing to the peculiar formation of the sting. It often happeds that one or both of the chief parts ot the >ting are left in the wound, when the sli.Mth is withdrawn. The.se being very minute, are seldom per- ceived, the person stiuig congratulating himself at the same time that the sting has been extracted. Additiniial pain and swel- ling result from lenving any portion of the sting in tlie wound. In common with all the doctors who ])re- ficribe for the bee-stuu'^- patients, Mr. Bled- soe advises the immediate removal of the sting, but there is a touch of grim irony in tlie advice, when it is added, "it continues its worlviug motion tor several seconds af- ter being torn from the body of the bt^e, and thereby buries itself so deep asgi'neral- Iv to make it impossible to withdraw all of it." The peculiarity just noticed, juobably ac- counts for the severity of the consequences .•esulting from bee stingy, in certain cases, ni which highly se7i>iti\ e jiarts of the body are attacked: but in view of the fact that the extremely tine j>oiiit of the stiug is arm- ed with a number of liarlis, may it lutt l)e ()uestioned whether aus tiling but the outer ;-heath is ever got oiil of the wound inllict- c-d by this instrument? Leaving the scieiititic iiaper of itr. Bled- soe, and indulging in some general remarks, Mie celerity and force with whicli the sting IS propelled cannot fail to indicate a remark- ■.ble endowment. It has been styled a weavw)!! of war. and sueh it is, always ready L'ndliighly foriuidalile. Is any other erini- fure, in proportion to its size, so thoroughly (•quiped for martial i)ur|ioses as the li(>e''.' it has been remarked that if man were as .;ood a jumiK'r. a<'coidiiig to his size, as tlu! Tlea, he could clear the dome of St. Paul's ;it a bound. In like manner, if he were armeil iiroportioiially a> perfectly as the tiee, he would be a teriilde warrior indeed. The bee itself, if it had human depravity, would be an insect so intolerable that. si)ite of the sweet honey it hriiigs us, we shoiiUl be ctuiipelled ti> go in for its extermination. Fortunately, ljo\\e\< r. the liee is i>aeifleal- [y disj>osed. It i- armed tor the ]ireserva- tion of peace, and not for the juosecutirm of war. If maintains "an armed neutrality," and must be stirred uj) or interfered with m some way, to show sign of menace or threat of attack. The common idea .seems to be that the bee resembles the devil, who goetli about seeking whom he may devour. But the foraging excursions of this industrious insect are for other i>urposes than to find victims to sting. The stings of the bee colony are undoubtedly meant to defend their stores, and if l)ee.s were as harmless as flies, very little honey would ever find its way to the market or the t^able. Hence, the idea of .some time or other bringing api- culture to such perfection as to bret^l a race of stingless bees, is as unwise as it is Uto- pian. There can be no doubt that fear of being stung is a very great hindrance, probably the greatest, to the extension of bee-keep- ing. Nor is this at all surprising, when you consider what serious and even fatal conse- quences result, in some cases, from being stung. It is no mark of wisdom to de- spise a bee-sting. To do so is to display ig- norance, inexperience, or foolhardiness. No person who has been stung in a highly sensitive part of the .l)ody. when the poisoii injected has been peculiarly virulent, will pooh-pooh the affair. Une such sting is enougn to teach a lesson of caution that will last a life time. The wise course is to look a danger in the face and guard against it. rrecaution can easily be taken if the habits of the bee are properly understood. A bee will sting only under two conditions exas- peration, or presure. The second of these conditions would almost seem to render stinging involuntary. If you press the body of a dead bee, you will find that the sting will dart forth with astonishing celerity and force. Squeezing a Tue bee is very much like touching the trigger of a loaded gun at full cock. A diserarge is the inevitable and immediate result, '["here are a few simple rules the observance of which will reduce the danger of being stung to a minimum if not remove it altogether. 1. The first is tocomjiletelv master the emotion of fear. No person .should under- take to handle bees who cannot maintain a perfectly calHi, self-possessed, cool and de- termined bearing, under all circumstances. Bees know by some subtle discernment. Avhether you " are timid or courageous just as a' spirited lu)r>e knows whether timidity or courage has hold of the reins. A show of feai is j)retty sure to exasperate bees. They seem to re.^ent being meddled with by a tinnd hand. 2. Gentle and (luiet movements alone are safe and proi>er among bees. They are ex- cessively nervous and irritable, and should be treated accordingly. .Vll rough ways, all sudden jars, all hurried motions are to be carefully avoided. Just as nou would make everything as pleasant and .soothing as pos- sible to a nervous and irritable human be- ing, .so should you act among bees. Especi- allj- should this rule be observed in opening out a hive, and ]>erforiiiing any manipula- tions on the interior. To insects accu.stom- ed to a dark. ]>erfectly quiet habitation, with everything lirmly fixed and in a most orderly state, it nnist be a rude interference at best for a hive to be ontiiied, flooded with sunshine, and put completely out of kilter. It they can reason, they should be made to do it in this wise: '■Man is our liege lord, he has a right to control us, he means us no harm, it will he all right." In all but rare 276 THE AMERICAN BEE- JOURNAL. and exct'ptioiial cases, they succumb to firm and gentle treatment, and soon form a habit of aquiescence in tlie )>ee-keeper's will. 3. It is well to avoid meddling with bees, when from any cause, known or unknown, they are excited. Sometimes it may be necessary to siilxluc them under such cir- cumstances, but these cases are unfrequent.^ In any necessary interference with them, clioose a time when all is serene, and they are pursuing the even tenor of their way. 4. When, from any unavoidable causes they become exasperated, a steady, decided course is absolutely indis]iensil)le. Stand \our ground. Have smoke at hand and ply them with it until they become pacified. It is like a controversy with a passionate, self- willed child. If you uive in, worse contests will follow, and the hive, like as]K)iledchild become unmanageable. Now and then a iiybrid colony will have an luigdvernable temper. If it cannot be subdued, it is bet- ter to sentence it to death at the end of the honey season, than to have the nuisance of an uutractalde stock on hand. Such cases arCj liowever, extremely rare, aiul are gen- erally the result of bad management. Spoilt bees, like spoilt children, show bad training. 5. The utmost care should be taken luner to crush a bee, if it can possibly be avoided. Some bee-keepers are very careless in this respect. Witli a strong colony uund)ering thirty or forty thoxisand, what signifies the loss of two or three bees? Well, the slaught- er of a single bee will sometimes infuriate that whole colony. To crush a bee is, as we Jiave seen, to necessitate the thrusting out of the sting and the consequent emission of the poison. No sooner is the odor of that poison detected by the colony than the tone of their music changes from a peaceful hum to a warlike strain, their tails are elevated high in the air, and from every tail the pois- on' odor at once enuinates. winch rouses and lashes up the war spirit, until the entire army is ready and anxious for the fray. t». Whatever style of hive is adopted, it should be such as' to -facilitate ojierations among bees. 'J'he simiiler the better, if it only answers all lU'cessary. practical pur- poses. Comjilicatioiis and nice adjustments are to be avoided as far as possible. A hive easily opened and closed, giving ready fa- cilities of access to all its parts, without nnich danger of crowding or crushing the bees, is the one best adapted for the pur- lK)se. whether it be covered all over with patents, or entirely free from that style of ornament. T. Precautionary measures in the way of l>ersonal defense, and taming the bees, are worthy of adojition by all inexperienced bee-keepers, and by all, however experienc- ed, wlio know thcu'iselves to be obnoxious to bees. Inexperienced bee-keepers are apt to make slips, to haxc accidents, and to lose i)resence of mind, so that however anxious tliey uuiy be and usually are to prove their" skill by handling their bees without protection, it is advisal)le t'ortlieiu to use a bee veil and gloves imi»er\ ious to stings, for a tinu' at any rate. In regard to the other class of liee-keepers, it is a well ; known fact that bees, as well as lunnan be- ings, have tlHur likes and dislikes. There j are those who are bee-loved and there are those who are bee-hated. The sense of | smell is very acute in bees. ]>y this they ; are gui(U'd in" the recognition of the fellow- occu]>ants of their own hive, and in the re- jection of the natives of other hives. 'i'h(>re Is little doubt that it is their keen sense of smell which leads them to take to cei'tain persons, and to turn against others. The law of atitinity which guides these little in- sects is not well understood, but that there is such a law is indisputable, and we must conform to it. Those bee-keepers are to be envieil why are favorites with the busy lit- tle Avorkers, and it is these who should feel called to go largtily into the business, but those who are bee-hate])lication which will take away all the pain and i>reveutthe swelling frou) a bee-sting, we should ]iresent one of the strongest inducements to endjark in bee- keeping that can ]iossibly be held out. Take away the fear of being stung, or provide a neifect antidote, and many w'ould become oee-keepers who now. acting on the princi- ple that "discretion is the better part «tf valor," give the business "a good letting- alone." Secretary Pope, of Indianapolis, said lie had always been hated by bees, and yet he did not fear them. The discussion was continued l\v Messrs. King, Benedict, Cliapnuui and others. SiarUINO SWAliMS. This topic; was introduced by President lloagland, who exhibited a wooden box, perforated with holes, and elevated on a ])ole. This, he said, had been used with great success in securing swarms. Mrs, Ellen S. Tupper, ofTowa, took THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 277 ground against swarming. Greater yields of honey were obtained by the non-swarm- ing system. Swarming could 1)0 prevent- ed by the use of the P^xtractor, by keep- ing the bees well supplied with empty comb between the brood and tiie entrance, and in other ways familiar to bee-keepers who use large hives. She could not ob- tain half as good results from bees that were allowed to swarm. An address on the " Adulteration of Honey" Avas expected from Mr. II. A. King, of New York, but that gentleman stated that he had mislaid his manuscript, and Avould therefore have to defer reading his paper till another session. BUSINESS FOR THE EVENING SESSION. The following committee was appoint- ed to prepare business for the eveuing session : Kev. W. F. Clarke, 11. A. King, !Mrs. E. S. Tupper, D. L. Brown, A. Chapman, A. Benedict and J. W. Win- der. On motion, adjourned to meet at TV o'- clock r. M. EVENING SESSION. The Association reassembled at half- past seven o'clock, President Hoaglaud in the cliair. Rev. W. F. Clarke presented the report of the Business Committee, as follows : 1. Queen-raising and drone preservation, Jind best mode of introducing queens into movable frames and box-hives. 3. Adulteration of honey. To be intro- duced by a paper from .Mr. II. A. King. 3. Moving bees to other localities for win- tering, or pasturage, su^nested by the ques- tion, Would it be prartirable and profitable to shin bees in the fall, l)y l)oat, from East- ern Ohio, to some point on the Mississippi, in Louisiana, to remain, say, until May, re- turninn' by rail in time for elover-blooiu? 4. iJesf method of inducing bees to breed late in the fall. Is it wise to resort to if? 5. Bee-forage, with the special inquiry, Can bee-keeping, as a business, be success- fully prosecuted in a locality producing a large amount of winte clover, but no other source except locust and fr\ut bloom in the spring? 6. Wintering bees under glass. 7. Prevention of honey candying. 8. Suggestions to Business Cummitteeof time and place of next annual meeting. QUEEN-RAISING AND DRONE-PRESERVATION. The discussion of the first topic was opened by Mr. Benedict, who was fol- lowed by Mrs. Tupper, Messrs. Chapman,' Zimmerman, Anderson, and others giv- ing a variety of views upon the subject under consideration. Mr. King was not jiresent, and the sec- ond topic, "Adulteration of honey," upon Avhich he was to deliver an address, was passed over. MOVING BEES. The third topic, "Gloving l>ees to other localities for wintering," was taken up. IIqv. Mr. Clark said he could not speak on the subject from personal experience, but he knew that bee-keepers in Europe moved their bees from one locality to an- other, in order to give them tiie benefit of favorable climates. Mv. CImi)nuin said he had no experi- ence in moving bees South in winter. He did not think it would pay. ]Mrs. Tupper gave the experience of a friend Qlr. Brown) who bought 100 hives in Mississippi during last winter. As soon as the summer harvest com- menced the bees were brought back to Iowa in good condition. Mr. Brown said that bees wintered in the South consumed more hone}', but they would breed a month earlier, 5lr. Mitch- ell had transferred a lot of bees from the South last spring at a small cost. Mr. Pope— At a loss of about f400. Mr. Benedict said that bees re(pured more honey in the South than in Canada. j\Ir. Clark thought that by keeping them in a semi-torpid state during winter they would do belter. Dr. Rush said it was not a good plan to feed bees, as they would consume twice as much honey as they would if permitted to help themselves. BREEDING IN THE FALL. The fourth topic was, "Best method of inducing bees to breed in the fall." Mrs. Tupper recommended the intro- duction of a new queen in the hive. This was a good method, as applied to her lo- cality (Iowa). There the Italians are so eager to gather honey that they will fill every cell, and the queen has no room for breeding. When fall comes we have all old bees and no young ones. At this stage the combs should be emptied with the Extractor, that the C[ueen might have room for eggs. It would be well to introduce a young queen in the fall, so as to get more brood. Mr. Chapman said in his experience it was good to exchange old queens for new ones. Mrs. TuDper, by permission, read a let- ter from J. P. II. Brown, a prominent bee-lieeper, of Augusta, Ga., containing some excellent suggestions in regard to the organization of associations. It was referred to the Business Committee. Mr. Clarke moved that intervening topics for discussion be passed over, and that the last, "Suggestion to the Business Com- mittee as to time and place of holding the next annual meeting," be taken up. Car- ried. Mr. Chirke said that wherever these annual meetings were held the attendance was largely local. It seemed impossible to get a fair representation from all sec- tions. He was in favor of a recoustruc- 278 THE AMERICAI^ BEE JOURNAL. lion of the Association, on the basis of ))raucli or auxiliary societies, which brandies could annually, or at less fre- quent periods send representatives to the National Associaliou. For the next an- nual meeting he was in favor of Chicago. Dr. Rush said he would withdraw his suggestion of St. Louis, and unite with his friends on Dcs ^Vioines. Mrs. Tupper, of Des Moines, said that though she would be glad to welcome the Society to Des ^Sloines, she feared tlie ex- pense of going there would be too great for most of the members. After considerable discussion of the subject, the matter was handed over to llie Business Commiltee. Adjourned till Thursday morning. SECOND DAY — >tORNIXG' SESSION. The following Publishing Committee was appointed : Mr. Pope, Dr. Rush an(,l Mrs. Tupper. The report of tlie Business Committee, giving topics for the morning discusson, was presented, tlie first being the question of "Adulteration of Honey." Upon this subject Mr. King, of New York, read a paper, from which we ex- tract the following concerning the eflfect of adulteration upon the honey producing interests of the country. "A leading honey merchant of New York, who bought largely of the comb honey of Mr. Harbison's great 100,000 pound lioney crop, said (and 1 have it from his own lips) that he refused to purchase the extracted honey, because he could furnish a better ar- ticle by making syrup of white sugar and adding to flavor the mixture, one gallon of honey to every seven gallons of this syrup, costing only "eight or ten cents per pound. He said if the syrup was heated to the boil- ing point, so as to dissolve all the particles in the sugar, the mixture would not granu- l.ate. Others claim a secret of their own by which they prevent granulation. "But what will be the elt'ect upon the price and sale of extracted honey when the dealer increases every 1,000 pounds to 8,00(i to flood the market? 'If one-third of tlie 8ai,(Xio IKHinds referred to be treated in this wav 100,0lWi pounds would be increased to S(Xi,(KtO pounds, which would no doubt glut the mar- ket and greatly reduce the price. But this is not the worst feature in the case. Deal- ers in New York and Chicago have resorted to the use of glucose as a substitute for su- gar syrup, as others have done in the manu- facture or golden syrup. Glusos is a li(iuid which is often made as clear as water, and of about the consistency of honey, though less sweet than even cane sugar. "Messrs. A. Boyer «fe Co., whose address is Auberville. per I'aris, France, are large manufacturers, (ihicose. is found in the Juice of several kinds of fruit, but it is usu- ally manufactured from starch or dried gi-apes. But will the evil stop here, or will glucose, which costs from six to eight cents per pound, soon l)ec()iiie too expeiisive, ami acids be used in its stead? Then will ex- tracted white-clover honey go beggiuix for purchasers, and even biickwheat hone\, though darker, and therefore coiiunanding a better price, will be of dull sale, as these ingenius dealers can color their mixtures to look like the darkest buckwheat honey." As to a remedy for the evils complained of, the speaker said : "Perhaps apiarians will conclude to dis- pense with the extractor and think to rem- edy the evil by raising and selling only bad honey or comb honey in the frame. But these dealers have already found a remedy for such a contingency. They now sell most of their— how shall 1 call it— no, their mix- ture in glass jars, witli one of more narrow strips of honey in the comb, which occu- pies the little space in the jar, but looks well, and sells the mixture with which the jar is fllled. "I can suggest no remedy but education. We must educate the people, and thus qual- ify them to judge between a pure and im- pure article. Apiarians must write on the subject, not simply for their journals, but for the city press, both secular and religious. While earth remains in its present state, evil men, as the Apostle says, shall wax worse and wore, but when Paradise is re- stored, that land flowing with milk and hon- ey, these honey adulteraters shall go into their "own place, and trouble us no more." Mrs. Tupper stated, after the reading of the paper, that she had frequent letters from Honey Dealers, wishing to purchase clean white comb. After some further discussion, Messrs. King, Hoagland and A. Benedict were ap- pointed a committee to draft resolutions ex- pressive of the judgment of the association against the practice of atlulterating honey. The next topic of discussion w^as "Bee- Forage" and was debated at some length. Some of the members expressed themselves ais in favor of buckwheat, others white clo- ver, Mr. Hoagland,. thought the forest was the great home of the bee. The richer the soil the greater would be the amount of hon- ey extracted from the flower. The discus- sion as to the value of various flowers for "bee forage" was continued at some length, and was quite interesting. The sunflower, sassafras, the purple aster, and any quantity of flowers had their respective merits as honey plants thoroughly demonstrated. The third topic reported by the Business Connuittee w^as "The wintering of bees un- der glass."' This was discussed at some length, and the experience of different mem- l)ers of the Convention related. "The best method of preventing honey from candying" was next discussed at some •length, after which the Association ad- journed till 2 p. M. AFTEKNOON SESSION. The Society met at two o'clock p. m. The first hour of the session was occu- pied in the exhibition of patent bee-hives, honey extractors, and, some fine specimens of honey. ELECTION OF OFFICEKS. At the expiration of the hour, the Pies- Ttiti AMJlJtlUAiN ±Sii±J JOUKNAL. 279 ident said tliat the election of otlicers hud been made the spet i;il order lor three o'clock to-day. The Society on m<>tion, went into an election for officers, when the following gentlemen Avere named for President: W. F. Clarke, H. A. King, Seth iloag- land, Aaron Benedict, Abner J. Pope, J. W. Winder. The balloting resulted in no choice. Mr. King, who had the second tiighest vote, moved that the President be authorized to cast tlie vote of the As- sociation for "W. F. Clarke of Canada for President. The motion was carried un- animously, and Mr. ("larke was there- upon voted for and elected. Next in order was the election of a Vice-President from each State and Ter- ritory. The following persons were chos- en : Pennsylvania, Scth Hoagland; Ohio, A. Benedict; West Virginia, A. Chapman; New York, M. Quiuby; Tennessee, M. Benton; Indiana, A. J. Pope; Illinois, F. Grabbe; Iowa, Mrs. Ellen S. Tupper; Ontario, Dr. Thorn. In the States not represented at this meeting, the present Vice Presidents will hold over. Dr. L. Brown, of Indianapolis, was eleted Recording Secretary, and E. S. Hill, of Ohio. Treasurer. Mr. H. A. King was elected ' Cor- responding Secretary. The reports of the officers of the Asso- fiociation for the past year were read and approved. Mrs. Tupper, from the committe ap- pointed to make arrangements for a dis- play at the Centennial in 1877, reported that the committee had arranged for space, •fee, at the Exposition, and that, every- thing bid fair for a successful display. On motion, Setli lloaglaud was added to the committee. The Association adjourned till 7 o'clock P. M. EVENING SESSION. The Association met at half past seven o'clock, and Mr. Seth Hoagland, the re- tiring President, delivered his valedictory address, in which he said that he left tlie chair of presiding officer not in sorrow, but in a jovful mood. Mr. W. F. Clarke, of Ontario, Canada, President elect, was then introduced, and jspoke as follows : Ladies and (Tentlfinnn of the North Avierlcan Bec-Kaiu ix' Ant^ociatUni: — I thank you very sicerely for the hojior you have done me for tlie second time in elect- ing me to the Presidemy of this organi/.a- tion. As the retiring President observed, in the brief remarks wliieh he made, the times are stringent and there have been un- usual diflTiculties ill getting up this nieeti!i.i:. and in view of the ditticulties which the re- tiring President ha- experienced in this re- spect I hope we shall draw up a resolution at some later stage uf our proceedings ex- pressing our iuipreciation of his course and om- thanks, lam not vain enough to sup- ]>ose tliat I owe my elevation to th(! presi deney of this society to my knowledge of apiculture or to my unprecedented sucees.s as abeivkeeper. I thiiik I owe my present position to two causes. First, that 1 have taken an interest in the Society from the outset, and secdudlv, that I have not haurpose-. Bee-kee]iing has made considerable progress during the history of this Society. It has advanced out of w"hat might be called the "slough of patents." ]Many lessons have been learned aoout pa- tents which will never be forgotten. Every business is likely to be traded upon by King Humbug. P. T. Barnum has said that mankind like to be humbugged. Wheth- er they like it or not, they submit to it. An educated ])hysician once met a quack and said: "How is it I have so small a jiractice and you have so large a one?" "Well," said the ipiack, "how many people who go down street, are really wise people?" "Well," said the educated physician, "per- haps one in fifty that pass our office are wise people." "Then," replied the quack, "you get the one and I get the forty-nine^" [J>aughter.] Whether the same philosophy does not ap" ply to a good deal of the quackery we have had in connection with bee-keeping I leave you to judge. We have some principles pretty well established, whit-h I think ought by this time to be pretty well understood. Leaving the movable comb principle and the air chamber, and one or two other con- ditions of successful bee-keeping out of siifht, the rest is not of much account. Those wno like C(miplieated hives with all sorts of fixings, can have them. We know bees arc not particular, and will store honey in ronyh hives proijcrly constructed as well as in the' most tinely adorned palaces ever construct- ed. We have learned a good deal about moth traps and other things, and those who have traded in this kind of apiarian Empy- rean articles have shrunk away, and our so- <-icty has done much to consign them to the jirave they have chosen. Emi>yrean patents have been ignoivd, and this society has done much to spread abroad throughout the land the fundamental principles of apiarian cul- ture. Although the society has not done a.s much a« some hoped for it. it has done much. It has broujiht l)etvkeepcrs together and awakened an interest in the science of api-- culture. but what we want in this .society is to gather together all the intelligent apiari- ans of this country and make this a grand institution in the diffusion of a correct knowled.^e of apicidture. 'i'o do this wo must lind some means of bringing together our best apiarian.-. I do not undervalue the inffiience of thi.'j society in the ]ila< e when it meets from yeai' to year. In all the different cities where its"various session- have been held an in- terest has unquestionably'been awakened. But We want t«.i d(/ j;oo.I-upon a large scale. z«o Tl±±i AMJ^ltiUAlN JtSJliJi dUUitlNALi. This society sliall embody tlie wisdom of all of our apiarians upon the subjects submit- ted to us. Some measures oiisiit to be taken by which we can accomplish this result than by organizing auxilliaries to this society in evei-y county, State and neighborhood. Pe- cuniary dilticuities operate undoubtedly against our liaving as tull a representation as we should have at the meetings of this society. There are many to wliom apicul- 'ture is a sort of side business. Some go into it because of the interest they take in tlu- subject. I have never been so situated that I could keep bees with an eye to profit. Yet. 1 have been well paid for my trouble in the interest in the pursuit. Let an interest be awakened in the minds of the public by lec- tures and all other legitimate means. In conclusion, the speaker said the society had a great work before them, and it could be accniu])lished if they only did their duty. The ruhicou had been passed, ami tliis As- sociiiti, BkN EDICT, W.F. Clarke, Comuiittee. The Chairman of the Business Committee '-y THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 'Z8l reported the followiiis resolutions which were unauiously adopted : WiiKitKAs, Tliis Society has sustained a great loss since its last annua! nieetinu, in tlie death of the late Dr. llaniiin, of Ten- nessee, one of its Vice-Presidents; we desire to put on record the hiffli estimation in which the tlt^ceascd gentleman was de- servedly held hy his fellow agriculturists for his thorough knowledge of the science and art of bee-keeping; the zealous inter- est nianifestatcd by him in tills organiza- tion, from its inccpliou ui> to tlie tinu^ of the annual mecliiig, siiowing before his death, at which he wortliily jiresidcd in the unavoidal)le absence of the President ; and linally for his upright character, urbane manners and kindness of lieart. Honor to ills nu'niorv, -and peace to his aslies ! Rcsnlvid. That the thanks of tliis Society be, and are, hereby i)res(>iited to Ex-Presi- dent lloagland, for the interest shown by him in the prosperity of this organization, and for his ellicient, (•(un-teous, and praise- worthy occupancy of the chair. licsdlvcd. That the thanks of this Society be tendered to the railway companies and hotel keepers, who have encouraged attend- ance at this meeting by a reduction of their usual rates. Rexiilval, That this Society, having re- ceived in every city wiiere it has met, the most polite aiid kind attention from the local press, is plenssii to lind the members of tlie fourth estate in IMttsbnrg not a wliit behind the fraternity elsewhere ; and for their patient attendance, courteous behavi- our and excellent reports of our proceed- ings, we desire to tender them our best thanks. Ecsoli'ed, That any and all of the officers of this Society are hereby authorized to or- nanize auxiliary or branch socith's, mem- bership in which shall (;arry membership in this society ; provided always tliat the 'uiembership fee shall be one dollar annual- ,ly, and that one-half thereof shall be pay- able into the treasury of this Society. A communication was read from the firm of Jesse H. Lippiucott & Co., of Pittsburgh, claiming to deal iu genuine, unadulterated honey, and inviting bee- keepers to deal with them. A standing committee, consisting of ■Messrs. King, Benedict, and Mrs. Tup- per, was appointed to arrange a system of premiums for Italian queens and full colonies, for the next annual meeting. A committee of local arrangements for next meeting was appointed, consisting of the Secretaries, Messrs. Day, Zimmer- man, and Smith. After some routine business and in- formal discussion on one or two points not thought necessary to be embodied in the resolutions, the subject of publication of the proceedings of the Society was taken up. The Secretaries could not en- gage to prepare a report iu time for the December Bee .Journals, and as Dr. Rush volunteered to furnish an abstract of the discussions in time for the Decem- ber journals. The Dr's generous otter was thankfully accepted, and the Society adjourned to meet in Toledo, O., on the first Wednesday in Deccml)er, 1875. jj@^ Since the foregoing Report was "in type," we have received another from Dr. Rush, Simpson's Store, Pa. From it we select such portions as was not elabor- ated in the former Report. This annual meeting is reported as one of unusual harmony and interest, which must result in good, not only to the members present, but to the bee-keepers at large whom they represent. — T. G. N. QUEEN KEAKTXO, DRO'E rKESEKVATION AND BEST .METIIOIJ OF INTKODUCING fJl'EENS. Mr. Benedict — I generally have a hive that holds a half barrel, such a hive keeps a great many drones, though large hives keep drones untd late or very cold weather, while small colonies will kill them as soon as the honey season is over if they have a fertile ciueen. I am gener- ally successful with this kind of a hive and they fly out strong and seem to enjoy themselves and fly finely. Large hives also raise drones two wa^eks earlier, and they are better ones and more active. To introduce queens, put them right in. I sometimes wait a day and sometimes wait longer. I make no difference be- tween a frame or box hive. I use a drum box, take old queen out and kill her, take esence of cinnamon in my mouth and wet them completely and put the ciueen in the top of the hive and let her go down among the bees. Sometimes I cage the queen and put her between the frames and leave her twenty-four hours, then I go to liberate her. I see whether the bees are inclined to sting her, and if they are, I shut the hive and go back the next day again, and they generally are all right. Mr. A. Chapman — I generally intro- duce same way as Mr. Benedict does ; but another way is to put her in a wire cage and put in a cork of comb, not very thick or loosely, cut a comb the size of the hole in the cage and stick it in, they find the queen caged and loose her by eating the end out and liberating her. I never loose one queen in this way. Mr. Zimmerman — When I introduce her I take her to, and put this comb and honey in the end of the cage and to make it more sure, put in a lot of strange bees at the same time ; and thereby disorgan- ize the colony ami they are less disposed to kill the queen. Mr. Chapman — I take a comb of bees from another hive with brood in it, and a strange queen from another and put them together and they do well. :28z Ttit} AiVlJ^KHJAiN 31^h JUUKJNAL. Mrs. Tupper — Queen raising in the most important of all. Eacli one must un- derstand it well, the way I take is one that any one can follow. Take the best queen you have, a good hive and queen, put her in a good colony in the fall for spring operations, stimulate by feeding .early, have them strong in the full and spring both, also feed in the fall ; no dif- ference where, so it seems to come from the outside of the hi-s^e. Go to the colony (early in the spring,) take out the queen, put her in another hive, disturb them as little as possible, put in frames in an- other hive with enough bees to keep them warm, get four frames in another hive, move the hive and put it in the place of the old hive, and if too many leave the old hive change them and continue; in this way you can get ten nuclie, and as soon as it is warm you will have queens. As soon as one comes out, put in another <;ell and continue this rotation, cage or change queens between ten and two o'clock and you can have from ten to six- teen nuclei all the time without mucli care. Mark the entrance for queens be- fore they tly. Mr. Benedict — Those large hives, I would say, which have drones, that they fly early in the day, stop in the drones early, and put in a teaspoonful of honey in the big hive to feed and excite the bees and drones. Open the hive about five o'clock and liberate the drones and young queens and they will come right out and fly finely after all the rest of the drones are done flying. Mr. Chapman — I keep my hives large and strong, and in the spring of the year take out a few drone combs and put them in two hives that have no other comb in their hives and kill all the drones except those in the two hives. I killed all my drones in this way last spring. Have practiced this for a long time, and my best success has been with large hives to keep drones. Mr. J. S. Hill — I have introduced queens and have been successful ; loose one once in a while. I do not like the method of wintering bees, they do not clean off or the queens eitlier. When you want to change queens catch tlie old one, put her in a cage, raise the bottom or ojjcn the hive, put the old queen in the cage, on the bottom of the hive, and in two days if they are quiet, change the old one for a new one, and put her in the same place, stop the cage with bits of comb, get- ting your comb from uncapping hone3\ In two days after, examine to see if she has been liberated, if they have not let her go, then uncage her. Mr. Benedict — I would have my queen to breed from, in a good strong hive in the spring and as soon as the weather is warm enough, change her to another good hive and on the 9th day I would cut out the queen cells, get a nucleus hive and put in it frames of honey and brood cap- ped, with a few bees, next day put the nu- cleus in the place of the old one, have plenty of drones in the old hive. Mr. Anderson — When I raise queens I do the same way, but when I put my cells in (as soon as they are capped) I put them , in a wire cage and leave them an exit. Mr. R B. Price— I first catch old queen and kill her and put her in the cage with the new queen and succeed well, keep them in twenty-four hours. As soon as the bees find their queen dead they will readily accept the new one. Mr. Hill — I generally have bees two weeks before I distrub them after intro- ducing a queen. Mr. Zimmerman — I have lost queens by being killed after they had been liberated two days. To make doubly sure I would take out the bees and put the queen in, and then let the bees go in slowly and they think it a strange place. Mr. Sweitzer — I cannot succeed in that way. 3Ir. Benedict — Be sure and conquer the bees first, by smoking them well, then kill old queen, put the new one in a cage with comb stopcr. In forty-eight hours see if she has been liberated and if not let her be in the cage one week, then pull out the cork and let her go. Dr. B. W. Rush — I have tried the plan with a comb stopper and have succeeded well. BEE FORAGE. Can bee keeping as a business be suc- cessfully practised in a locality producing a large amount of clover, but no other source except locust and fruit bloom iu the spring ? Mr. Chapman — I will give an idea how to get honey from clover. I have been ft farmer. Take a field in a good state of cultivation, sow it in clover, and when it has fairly covered the ground it will draw a moisture from the surrounding land. I do not plow it, but add more to it; this field will deposit much more evaporation than the surrounding, or poorly cultivated fields. Mr. Hoagland — I don't think I am pre- pared to express myself, we cultivate from 20 to GO acres of buckwheat of the black variety. The gray superceeded the black, and then in three years I got the silver quill. Two years ago it produced more than it has since. Sometimes clover is' the best for honey and sometimes bass- wood, but now clover is the honey re- source as basswoon has failed by being destroyed. I wish to say tlial buckwheat ^f THE america:n bee journal. 283 is not so exbaustiug as some think. I liad a new lieUl iu for IG years, and au iidjoiuiug field ouly t\YO crops, tlieu sow- od with timothy, and clover grew liuely. Buckwheat docs uot e.xhaust the soil as it draws most of its dampness from the air. Mr. Benedict — In my locality they do well on clover and locust; the idea I Avould go on would be to select a locality where it is good to secrete honey. Our honey ceases at the end of clover time, the season lasts about five weeks. Linn is the best that we can cultivate — easily ! transplanted — I set out a great deal of it ] last spring, it did well ; set out as soon i as the frost is out of the ground ; blooms last of June with us. Mr. Zimmerman — I discover iu my ex- perience more honey along the rivers, and bees do better on bottom timber. We have clover and basswood. I would re- commend that all would cultivate catnip. Basswood is abundant iu my grove and I cultivate some of it, it is next to fall tlowers. Boneset, golden-rod (three kinds of it), the low sort is the best. Use ex- tractor iu summer, and get winter stores from fall fiowers, and sometimes when these begin I make three hives of one. Mr. N. N. Betsiuger — Asked if sowing two acres of catnip will pay. Mr. Zimmerman — I think it will. Mr. Benedict — I think it will pay better to sow white clover where the ground is moist. Mr. Betsinger— Two years ago I sowedr Alsike, and it came on last June. In pass- ing through the Alsike clover, saw bees swarming on it, (sowed it on low damp ground) while white clover did uot do near so well. Mr. Zimmerman — "Which does the best? Mr. Betsinger — Alsike is my experience. Mr. Benedict — Bees work equally as j well on Alsike as on white clover, think \ Alsike will secrete more honey. Mr. Abner J. Pope — I went to the Shauendoah Valley, Va., was there from June 21st to Oct. 30th. I saw '"blue thistles " in bloom, and some told me it Avas their best honey source ; some fields Avere full of it, and was troublesome ; in • another field. by the side of it I saw white clover. Thistle is the best honey source and does uot hinder cultivation, it enrich- es the soil and never fails to produce honey. 1 also saw it in 3Iaryland. Mr. Clarke — I would say that there is a Canadian thistle and you are welcome to all of it. Mr. J. W. Sherif — I notice growing a species of clover, it grows 3 ft. high, and 1 saw as many as tAventy bees on a flower, both black and Italian bees. Blooms last of August. !Mr. John Stevenson — I planted sun- floAver for ornament and my bees done Avell on it this summer. Mr. Rush — I planted plenty of it and never saw a bee on it only for pollen. Mr.M. Winder — A friend recommended it highly for honey. ]\Irs. Tupper — We need a locality which has locust, clover and fruit bloom. This year my bees did Avell on fruit bloom, but it does not occur one season in ten. We shyuld arrange to have our bees ready for the honey harvest. 1 Avould begin to rear brood freely, early. I Avould give them empty comb in the middle of the hive and get brood iu it, and have the hive strong, and may have as high as two bushels of bees ; continue to feed and keep the queen going. Every- one should study their locality. AVhen I use empty comb I keep them from swarm- ing. Mr. Betsiuger — What kind of a hive do j'^ou use ? Mrs. Tupper — I use a plain box hive with frames 12x12. Alsike clover when sown in a good locality is the best I have, better than Avhite clover. Mr. King — I think if I should go into the honey gathering again I should look to fall plants, -such as golden-rod and aster, the golden-rod is rather yellow but aster is much clearer honey. All through Ohio Ave don't have much fall blooms, and even east of it. Mr. Chapman — I am of the opinion of Mrs. Tupper, I can control swarms by giving empty comb. Mrs. Tupper — Many persons have more fall pasture than they think they have, if they would take the honey out and give them a chance of gathering it. Mr. Replogle — AVhat is the difference of the same kind of floAvers in different localities and same climate ? Mr. Betsinger — Where I am located now in Onondaga Co., N. Y., Ave have all kinds. I saAv basswood so plenty, that if you would shake a tree it would fall in profusion and daub you with honey, it lasted one week each year. Last year I got all my surplus honey from teasel. It is not best to raise over three acres of it, it is a valuable plant, and I would give up bees if I had nothing better than clover. Mr. J. E. ]Sloore — I think, with me it would pay to keep bees on Avhite clover, near Rochester, Pa. I got 107 lbs. from one hive from May 30th to July 4th. WINTERING BEES. Mr. Benedict — I have a plan better than glass. I have a box made square to put on top of my hives and the bees go up in the top of my hive to fly and fall back on the frames, have a quilt over the frames 284 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. the box a foot high, when feeding it is necessary for bees to fly ami discharge their focces. Mr. Zimmerman — My experience at Clevehand, Ohio, was, put the bees in a room and place a mosquito-bar between them and tlie window, so as to keep them from tlie glass, give them liglit in the room by the window and they cool ott', fall down and go back, do not put them in until after a cold spell in March, and tlien take tliem in a room and feed tliem up. I intend to continue the experiments, the one made was in 1873. Mr. Benedict — I can feed my bees by taking them in a room. Mr. D. L. Browne — How many times have you tried tlie experiment? we never put them in winter quarters or even in a room. Mr. Benedict — I think it a good plan, I have had bees cured of the disease in that way, received them when they had the disease mildly and they -recoVercd, and came out in good condiliou from the room. I can fly a good many in that way, if the weather is cold for a long time, I bring them in for a flight. Mr. Stetsers— Will j^our bees keep quiet. Mr. Benedict — When you put them in they will take their flight and fall down (in the top of the hive) and crawl back and do not seem to be much uneasy. Mr. J. W. Parker, Chicago— A' friend keeps his bees in a room, well warmed and ventilated, and they consume a good deal of lioney and he expects to loose money. Mr. Rush— Mr. Benedict, what do you cover hives with, what you put on your hive to give them a flight? Mr. Benedict — I cover the boxes with screen wire. Mr. Rush — If you put on glass they will fret too much, and if you put on wire its too cool and besides they will Avorry to much to get out. I put on a good article of muslin (brown) and they have plenty of light and cannot see out and thus save them so much uneasiness to get out. Mr. Zimmerman — My musquito-bar keeps the bees from comiug in contact with the glass. Mr. Rush — It's too open and they see out too much. Mr. Harrison — Mr. Benedict; Avill not the bees fall down and get daubed on the frames ? Mr. Jienedit;t — A few times it may occur, when I let them fly in February they don't daub themselves, but in some days in March they will daub themselves some, I let my room cool off gradually, to in- duce them to go back. I have fed up my bees in the fall, fed on white sugar syrup. Mrs. Tupper — I don't want the idea that we are to winter bees this way, but must feed up in the fall and you have no more trouble, this talk is only applicable to weak colonies which have been ne- glected. PREVENTION OF HONEY CANDYING. Mr. Pope — I took honey out and put it in a cold place and it would candy, bring it back and it would become fluid again. Keep it in a warm, dry, dark place and it will keep a long time. Mr. Chapman — That is my experience. Mr. McLaue— What cause* honey to be- come thin. Mr. Clarke — tSouring or ferment causes it to become thin. Mr. Betsinger — My experience in keep- ing comb honey is this. I keep it in the cellar and it would get thin and run out. I moved in a thin walled framed house, with tin roof, and when the weather gets cool I build a fire in the room and the houey becomes thicker instead of thiner. Mr. Zimmerman — I had a few barrels of honey, some were air tight and some not, the one air tight did not candy and I the other did. ! Mr. Betsinger — A neighbor extracted some houey and bunged it up tight and in two months it was solid. Mr. Zimmerman — We extracted a barrel of honey, bunged it tight and left it some time, opened it and took out some and it was all right, shut it up and looked in a month and it was solid. Mr. Betsinger — Will honey air tight, keep longer in the dark than in the light. Mr. King — I understand that there is a man here who has a receipt for keeping honey, will he make his receipt, and I see he has ottered to, in the Ameeican Bee Journal ? ]\Ir. Rush — I have been experimenting with the receipt and it has succeeded well so far, and as soon as the terms are com- plied with in the Journal I will let up. Mr. King — Some one sitting by me told me to ask for it, but I see the joke comes on me for the queen. TirURSDAY^ AFTEJiNOON. Pres't Hoagland— There will be one hour given to exhibtioii of articles pertaining to the apiary. Mr J. E. Moore exhibited his sectional liive. Mr King exhibited Barker * Dicer's sec- tional honey box and addeil a few words on their hives. Also exhibited Mr. Quinby's bee smoker for quieting bees; it works by a bellows. Mr. J. W. Winder, Cincinnati, Ohio, exhib- ited his honey extractor No :5 Qiieen City with stationary can, also his No 1 with revol- ving can, and gave manner of using both. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 285 Mr lloasland exhibited animal herb called ''Blue Thistle," same as Mr. Pojte referred to. Mr. Geo. llardesty exhibited his '• vc plu^ i<7f /•((." hive, very eini>yi:ical]y and iiis re- marks and hive attracted a f^ood deal of notice, and criticisms wi-re freely otfereil and the hive condeuuied I)ecause of the un- necessary space between end of frames and hive. SKI.ECTIXG QTKEN IIAISIXO I.OCAT.ITY. The advisability of selecting a locality where queens may be raised by a connnittee appointed for that puri)ose. and save impor- tation. >rr. lienediet— There is so nuich risk in raising ([ueens and so many ([ueens are im- ]>ure. 1 believe there are imi)ure bees in Italy, in some localities, but in others they up the staiulai-d of purity. J do not like to say much on this subject. Mr. Browne— 1 am called on. but can- not say much; will wait to hear from others. ]\rr. Iloagland— I think it would be better to appoint a committee to take the matter in charge, and after due consideration re- port at our next meeting. Mr. Chajiman— I agree with Mr. Iloagland and put it to get the miud of the Conven- tion. Mrs. Tupper — 1 imported (jueeus ten years agoby Colvin at a cost of >!50 each. I im- • ported by Dadant and lost heavily. T have imported since through friends ami have (lone better. But I thiidc we have better queens in this country thau inltaly. 1 sent (|ueens to a man in Ciermaiiy and he replies that they are better than those lu; gets from Italy. 1 thiidv there is danger in importing ()f getting a taint of black stock as tliey may have mixed some of the Kgyptian blood in them. It is like importing cattle and sheep, . they have improved so that they are sending them back to where they came from. I have got line queens. from l)otli \orth and South Jtaly. Mr. ('hai)man— I would earnestly recom- mend, that in sending cjueens, you put in comb from the hive fioiu which the (|ueen was taken. 3[rs..Tui)per — There is not the least diftei- {'Urti to me. >[r. Chapuuin — I think they sjiould not take old comb, that is. comb long out nl' the hive. yir. King— There are persons advei'tising queens of both imjKtrted and home breed as breeders of the same, and at the sanu' time do not own a hive of bees. 1 travtdled in Europe and stopped in a (iermau a))iaryand tonnd no pure stock, and that same man was sending (|ueens to this country. I stoji- )ied with another man aiul found five stocks of blacks. In Italy 1 visited another ajjiary aiul one that ad\-eitised largely in Europe, and had not a pure colony. It is a shame, a burning shauu\ We ought to issue a dii)lo- ma to the old (Hieeu breeders who have long been successful, and those who have a good locality, the one who has thorough ex- perience, the om; who keeps his bees all right. .Select a ntnuber of queens and raise (pieens from them, and select (pieens to rear drones from only. In raising queens, as I pass oyer my apiary, I fiml drones just hatching in a comb, and place this comb in a hive which has a young (pieen in and vict versa with the (jueeus. I'o keep drones iu working with my bees one day, late in the sunnuer, I found a hive with no queen, and the drones when drunuued out came back in large numbers; and if they are excited they will attract others— throw the bees out, . raise the excitement and you will have a tine lot of drones. ]\[rs. Tupper— This is a free country and everyone has the ]il»erty of buying where he wishes, and no diploma will control the queen trade. ]Mr. Anderson— If oiu' stock continues good w(! keep it, if not, we turn it otf, some tjueens are more ))rolific and workers more industrious, and A\lien we find a good pro- ducing hive keep them, and if we find them poor, kill the queen; but how to get good drones is the (luestion. Mr. Clarke—Believe giving dijilomas im- practicable. Let every one get their own di- ]tlonni. If this subject is brought up to the right pitch we must ]>aya good price for queens. ^Ir. King— Eveiy one knows that premi- ' urns have been i)aid all over the country, (iive premiums to persons for extra (jueens. 1 move that a committee of three be aj)- jiointed to get uj) resolutions in regard to it. I'remium shoukl be given. Mrs. Tupper— I have attended my State Fair, and it gave high ])remiums for the best black and Italian (jueens caged. AYliat did it amount to ? 'J'hcy could tell nothing by the (iiu-ens : tliev uuist see their work- ers. It is the wrong time of the year to liandle b -es. when the Society uu'ets. Mr. King — 1 can tell u good (juecn any- where. Ex-]*resident 1 loagiand. iu the chair,— There are many ju-esent who wish to hear Dr. Ii'usli. 1 understand that he has some means or a reci])e for keei)ing honey or synqi. 1 am informed that the Dr. has con- sentetl to faxor us this excning. Will lie lilease to do it now. .Mr. Jiush — 1 have a n!C«upe for keei)ing syrup from souring or granulating, also to kee]> honey from soiu'ing. I can- not say that it is a ceitain sj>ecilic; not at 286 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. all, biat can tnitlifully say, that as far as I have experimented witli it, it has not failed a single time. 1 believe it will succeed in r majority of cases. I have given it to Afessrs. J. S. Hill and G. W. Zimmerman to be tested, and given them special directions, and if they succeed with it, in a majority of ex- periments, then I expect pay for it, and will leave each one to be guided by conscientious duty. If it fails I do not want anything for it. The following is the receipe: "Flavoring Extract of Lemon," "to one gallon of sjTup or honey add one tcaspoonful of the ex- tract" more may be added with safety. Do not add until syrup or honey is cool. It gives a fine flavor. Stir gently. BEST METHOD OF SPKIXGIXG BEES. Mrs. Tupper— Best way to keep bees through spring is to winter them rigiit. One eays he went through finely on my plan. I take my bees out of the <'ellar in the niglit before I expect tliem to fly, and about the time I want to commence to stimulate, bring them out quietly. If you take them out on a sunny day, they come out and fly too sud- den and manj- are lost, when it is warm enough I begin to feed and as soon as safe I examine them and generally find brood, also feed rye meal as Jong as they will take it and as soon as they have plenty of brood. I open the hive and give an empty couib- p'lace in the nnddle of tlie hive, keep quilts on hives so as to protect the brood. I would rather have bees out tluin in a cellar, if not frost proof. But to keep them out doors, set a store box around your hives and fill in with chaff or manure and leave the entrance cx)en. Bees that are in a cellar must not be (.disturbed at all aud left until time for set- ting out in the spring tor when tliey are dis- turbed they consuijje more honey. Mr. Benedict— Bte-; consume but little honey from 1st Dec. to 1st of Feb. but alter that they consxime a good deal, for bruotl icaring requires much more feed. Mr. Chapman— I cool my cellar before I go into it to see niy bees and do not disturb them, I carry them out in March to fly, and if the weather gets too cold I can\- them back. 1 feed syrup warm and get water from a brook to make syrup witii. filso feed rye meal. Mr. Betsinger— Li't your bees be quiet in their winter quarters. I have had ex])eri- i-nce in feeding ^yru|>, and find comb honey t!ie best to winter on. I winter on summer ^rands, I find a cluster of bces4 inches thick will not freeze. I open a hive on a cold da\- rnul out come the bees quite active to meet me. I put a quilt on the frames first. I put <,Mi a paper^about 1st of April. As soon as warm enough aud brood connuences, I i>ut in empty comb in middle of the hive and soon find plenty of brood. I find we must keep them dry. Mr. King— Bead a paper on the coming "Frame." Mrs. Tupper— I never have any trouble in securing comb when I have plenty of bees, and the weather favorable. Put a frame in the middle of a brood chamber in the night when honey is plenty, sometimes put in 3 in a day. I dont think it pays to build comb, I would not build it for less than S!5.00 per comb, Irix Vi. I am in for a standard frame and that they be 12x13. Mr, Benedict— I breed queens for sale and not for honey. I put frames in middle of the hive at night, and have got 3 frames of comb in a day. I attack great importance to a tighti fitting frame and have them fit tight on the sides of the hive. Mr. Bush- 1 obtained 4 nice frames of comb by feeding syrup just at the close of the honey season. Feed 10 lbs. of sugar, one of sugal- to one of water, feed in the eve- ning, Mrs. Tupper— I tried some 20 times by feeding to get comb and did not succeed but 3 times, and then they ^vould soon cease taking the syrup. Pres't Clarke— I think square frames good in the north, in the south a sliallow one. In Canada we need a deep frame. I liave no experience with shallow frames. I find extreme difficulties with light fitting frames in the fall of the year, and I cainiot use a Quinby Hive, find it produces a bad temper among the bees, I would give up something else in place of tight fitting frames. Queen Committee reconiends each one to conduct private experiments. COMMITTEES. Committee on Arrangements— G. W. Zim- merman, A. Benedict, J. L. I'arker. Publishing- A. J. Pope. \V. ij. Bush, D. L. Brown. Centenial— Mrs. Tupper, W. F, Clarke, II, A. King, Seth Hnagland. ,T. "\V. Winder. Queen raising— Mrs. Tui>i>er. II. A. King. A. Benedict. Adulteration of .Tloney- H. A. King, A. Benedict, Seth Hoagland. W. F. Clarke^ What Killed Replogle's Bees? In the October number of the Journat,. I see an inquiry from 3Ir. Beplogle of Indiana, wishing to know the cause of "bees dying at tliis time of year," (Aug- ust and September?) I have been watch- ing affected hives closely for three years to ascertain the cause. If Mr. Replogle's bees are affected like mine, and if he has noticed closely he will liave observed that THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 287 ?7 is only the young bees that are diseased. They crawl out of the hives and die for weeks, until the ground is bhu-k with them, making attempts to fly, but not nno in a hundred can rise, the very few that do fly have no power to guide themselves, cannot keep a straight course, but zig zag about and fall. With me, thi.^ commenced with my 1>ees in Augu>^t and continued till towards the last of Bepteml>or. I have satisfied myself that this conditon of things is the result of an attempt ou the part of the bees to rear more broods than the amount of honey in the hive, or to be obtained in the fields, will support. The brood in the larvtv and chrysalis state, may be said to be put on >*hoTt rations — the short sup- ])lie8 being equally divided among all, none have enough, and when the brood is old enough to seal, there is not food enougJi deposited in the cell to properly mature the bee. ^My reasons for beleiviug this are, Ist. That it occures when the bCes are gathering but little honey, and in stocks that have not much honey on hand. 2nd. In a majority of cases the affect- ed hives were such as had been queenless for a time (either by h>iving tlirown oil' a swarm or otherwise) and consequently were more disposed to rear brood largely. 3rd. The affected stocks were invari- ably black bees, the Italians at the time, feeing able to gather from red clover were letter supplied. 4th. About twenty days from the time the bees commenced gathering honey from the fall flowers, tlie mortality ceased. We have in tliis latitude a honey dearth, from about the 15th of July to about the 5th of September, during which bees gather very little honey. They com- menced gathering from the fall bloom tliis year and last, the "tth of September, as my books show. Bees were gathering lioney freely by the 15th of September, hut the young bees in my two Black Stocks continued to die. I predicted to my bee friends that they would cease to die after the 2Cth, it proved to be so, all the eggs had after the 5th of September (the time the bees began to gather sup- plies) produced healtliy bees. Those having bees la a similar condition the coming season, will please notice in re- gard to the supply of honey, as I did not think of short supplies being the cause of the mortality, until after tiny were gathering freely, when an examina- tiou could not have proved anything, hearing in mind that bees may be found dying as described, with honey in the hive, from an unwillingness ou the part of the bees to consume their sealed stores largely on brood rvv.riiig when gathcriuiT little. I have found it necessary hereto- fore, to unite with others, stocks affected in this way, being all old bees, they would, sometime in the winter or early spring, show signs of dysentery, (caused by the reduc»'d size of the cluster from the old bees dying) which would disap- pear after uniting. I thought of writing to the JocRNAi, on this subject last Sep- tember, but sup]x)sed old bee-keepers were familiar with what was a new idea to me, and it would be, with my limited experience with bees, like landsmen at- tempting to teach sailors navigation, liussellville, Tenn. W.H. Ricmjs. For the American Bee Journal. Death of Doctor L. J. Dallas. Prominent among those who have done much to advance the apiacultural interests of the State, was Dr. L. J. Dallas the sub- ject of this sketch, whose long illness ter- minated fatally this month (^October) in the 63rd year of his age. Since l«5i>, when he removed with his family from Ohio to Kansas, his best ener- gies have been given to tiie development of our young State, Securing a farm near Baldwin City, he put it under "a high state of cultivation, and practiced medicine, also, during the same time. He loft the farm in 1864, and moved into town that he might the more successfully prosecute other branches of business. He was a strong advocate of the cause of temperence ; As a physician he ranked high among his professional brethren; As a friend of education he manifested that same indomitable perseverence, characteristic of the man, that overcomes dilMculiies which to common minds would have appeared in.-urmountable. AYith the taste for all the embellish- ments and adornments of civilized life, he made his home a paradise of beauty. ^Vltli christian fortitude he withstood the storms and contentions of life, which all men like himself, born with positive ideas, have to encounter. With due re- gard for his family of children, he gave each of them a good education, tlius quali- fying them for the various resjionsibilites and duties of life. He was a man of great general information, — a member of tlie 3Iethodist Cliurch and for a long time one of the trustees of "Baker University" located in the same city where he had his home at the time of his death. He evi- dently lived Avith a determination to leave the world better th.m he found it. During the 15 years of his residence in this state he kept bees. The la.st nine years, he lived in Baldwin City and turned Iun attention hiruely to this business. 288 THE AMERICAN BEE JOLKxNAl. He was a strong advocate of the King hive, though he used, principally a modi- fied form of it, having the hives made larger every way so as to accommodate several tiers of frames. He claimed that such a hive was more profitable with him than the others, as he depended mostly upon the Extractor for honey. At the time of his death he had about 80 colonies — all bright Italians and descendents of queens purchased several years ago of jSIrs. Tupper. He was a strong believer in the superiority of the Italians. His colonies were arranged in his bee- yard, in the rear of his dwelling in a very pleasing manner, beneath the shade of cherry, peach, apple and other varieties of trees, with paths, walks, and avenues lietween, reminding one of a miniature city sequestered among shady bowers. For several years he was a zealous ad- vocate of in-door wintering, and he built a house for that purpose, which was quite roomy, having the sides made double Avith saw dust filled between. His bee liouse was veiitillated at the top, and he could maintain any degree of temperature that he desired. He also had wire cloth ventilators in the tops of his hives during their stay in-doors .But he did. not succeed very well winter before last; many of the combs became mouldy and the bees near- ly all manifested signs of dysentery. Bo last winter he resolved to not house them as heretofore but to try and make them comfortable during the winter ou their summer stands. He accordingly pro- cured rough clap-boards, which by using corner posts, he weather-boarded up into boxes, one for each hive and each having a slanting roof. After placing a quilt on the top of the frames and filling in with hay or straw on the top of it and under the cap, he placed one of the large outer coverings around each of his hives and packed between them and the hives with straw or hay, leaving an opening in front, wliich in severe weather he closed with a l)unch of prairie hay, on top of which he placed a rough board with one end of it slanting against the box. ny this plan he claimed that his success Avas perfect, as his colonies were all vig- orous and strong in numbers in the spring, having no signs of dysentery undjno niould- coml)s. For two years he was President of our Btate Association antl made a very ctlici- ent ollicer. Tlie last meeting of the Association, at wiiicli he was present, he di'livered a very ahlc! address, in which he gave us a sum- mary of all tlu! modern ideas and improv- men'ts and pointed out the relative value of eacli to apiculture in Kansas. His energy an,d enthusiasm infused life into this as well as into every thing to which his attention was directed. In his death, the Society lias lost a friend, and the bee-keepers have lost a wise and experienced counsellor — one who was always wide-awake and progressive in his ideas. M. A. O'Neil. Black Jack, Kansas. ■ For tlie American Bee Journal. Toads and Bees. In this locality (7 miles northeast of Saratoga Springs) it will not do to have the entrance, or alighting board of hives nearer than 9 or 10 in. from the ground, on account of toads. Neither will it do to have a board leaned from the ground to the entrance. Toads are numerous and trouble bees most, early in the sum- mer. Later in the summer, fleas, bugs, and other insects are more numerous, and bees seem to be disturbed less by toads. During the day the toads are quiet under bee-hives or boards, or somewhere out of sight, but in the evening and during the night they are out in force. I have, ia the evening, passed in front of hives without a lantern, wheu the alightliig boards were from 4 to 6 inches from the ground and there was from one or two toads at the entrance of nearly every hive catching bees. I have seen them when the hives were raised higher from tlie ground hop against the edge of the alight- Tng board, and fall back. I have also seen a toad hop u\) an inclined board to the entrance of a hive, wheu the entrance was 15 inches from the ground. Early in the summer, as the weather gets warmer and bees more populous, there are usually bees at the entrance all night. Atotufwill set on the alighting board and should a bee go within 2 or 3 inches of it the bee will disappear so (piickly that it is almost impossible to see what becomes of it. Where toads have access to bees they usually in the morn- ing contain from '2 to 8 bees each, and they do not cat dead bees either. Cat birds are very attentive around bee- hives in .luiie and July, but I have not, proved them guilty of catching bees, '^r even drones. They are often immature bees, and moth wnniis. Saratoga, I\. V. S. lU'cciLEs. It is estimated there are two milHwi bee-hives in tli(! United States. A hive yields on an average a little over 22 lbs. of honey. The average price at which lioiiey is sold is 20 cents a It., so that the revenue from bee.v is $8,800,OOtt. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 289 I'or tlu' Aiiiorican Bee Journal. What Shall we Report? Dk.vij Editok :— Aiv IIkti' luit loo many that have nothiuii- to rrpoil but tluMr fail- ures, after trying to ket-)! tlie Italian bees jture ? A free diseussiou of all the known eauses of past failures as well as the experi- ences of tliose who have been sueeessful, wo think, inonU'r. Will our learned Irieml W.^l. Kelloiiii ])lease state the condition those four iiisiunilieant blaek stocks were in at the tinu' his Italian (lueens liecanie fertile, and by so doiu.n will undoubtedly explain to be.n'iuners, for us. He says "one black stock swarmed and the new (jueen in the old hive mated with a black drone." Was not this slock in precisely the sanu; condition we recounuended for beginners to have their Italians in when rearing (lueens? We are very sure that there were black swarms in tlie above condition at the time his (lueens became fertile. We repeat only what we know for the benefit of those that wisli to keep pure Italian bees. Allow those stocks to rear queens where your Ital- ian drones are. at a time when there is no black stocks rearing queens in your vicinity if possible and you will not be troubled much with black drones. We are glad W. M. K. has a good opinion of chickens, for we are very fond of them ourselves, but prefer them stuffed. He says they will go rip to a cluster of bees and pick out flies and drones by the half hour. What kind of bees has K. got ? We are s\n'e Hies do not cluster with our bees, and if they did, woe to the chicken that undertood to pick them. By the way, would it not be well for beginners to keep a chicken inside the hive, for pro- tection ? I see that some writers find a great deal of fault with C. O. Perrine. I sold him a part of my crop uf honey this season and found him a gentleman to deal with. He was the only man I could find in Chicago that would pay cash for honey. He buys at his own price, of course, as there is no com- petition. Is there not room for another honey dealer in Chicago? We are aware that some of our queen breeders have reconnnended Palace hives, with a great number of drones. A barn full of drones would not answer us, though we could open the door and bid them tiy wlren we wished, unless queen rearing was going on in the barn ; in which case verily we say your drones know what is up. Carson City, Mich. H. M. Roop. Length of Plight of Bees. An Irish paper has the following : — " Three men were at work the other day in the neighborhood of Balliugeary, some three or four miles beyond Inchigeela, when suddenly a swarm of bees appeared. The men pursued the swarm, but two of them finding their exertions were of no avail, were unable to continue. The third however, persevered over hills and vales, brakes and brambles, after the runaway insects for the enormous distance of eight miles, until at length they alighted on a heath stalk, convenient to Gougane Bar- ra, on the borders of Kaemaneigh, com- monly known to the tourist, when their pursuer succeeding in ellectiug a capture, and brought them liome in a hive. This uncommon race was run in less than an liour." Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association. The seventh aiinual session of this As- sociation will be held in Kalamazoo, ;Mich., on the ICth and 17th of December, 1874. This Association has long been favorably known for the practical char- acter of its proceedings ; and arrange- ments are being perfected which will render the coming session fully equal to its predecessors. Kidauiazoo is one of the finest villages in the U. S. — is easily accessible by rail from all portions of the country, while ample arrangements have been made for the free entertainment of all apiculturists in attendance from abroad. We trust that every Michigan bee-keep- er, who takes an interest in improved bee culture, Avill be present, and endeavor to make the coming session mutually inter- esting and instructive ; while we extend a hearty, cordial invitation to tliose residing in adjoining States to meet with us. Herbert A. Burch, Sec. |jro tern. GOV. CARPENTER'S .ENDORSE- MENT OF ANDREAS' IOWA STATE ATLAS. State of Iowa, Executive Department, Des Moines, Oct. 28, 74. To lohoiD it may Concern : — I have examined the proof sheets of the Minnesota Illustratecl Historical At- las, by Capt. Aj T. Andreas, of Chi- cago, and I regard it as a work of superior merit, and it seems to me any citizen of Minnesota could hard- ly do wnthout it. I understand from Mr. E. T. Phelps that Capt. Andreas is now taking the preliminary steps preparatory to publishing a similar Atlas of Iowa, with such improve- ments as past experience in this business naturally suggests to his mind. Having known Mr. Andreas intimately and well for many years, I have no hesitation in assuring all who may read this that he will do all he proposes, and that the public will find his work fully equal to the promises of his circular and adver;- tisements. C. C. Carpenter. 290 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ^maitcii( l^^e ^fouiHtil W.F.CLARKE, U^nTTOP^ Mrs. E. W. T upper, ^^ditoPvs. DECEMBER, 1874. CONTENTS. Western Bee Plants 2fi9 Packing Bees for AYinter 270 This year's Honey Season 270 Pure Queens working in Boxes 271 Old Harry's Report 271 What I have Done 272 INIy Exj)erience 272 N. A. B. K. Society Report 273 What killed Re])logle's Bees 286 Death of Dr. L. J. Dallas 287 Toads and Bees 288 What shall we Report 289 liength of Flight of Bees 289 Seasonable Hints 290 Auxiliary Societies 291 Premium for Rearing Queens 291 Close of the Volume 292 Business Department 203 .-^ ♦^•-« Seasonable Hints. This montli is peculiarily tiae season of rest to tlie bees. Whether housed or on summer stands, tliey sliould re- main quiet and be undisturbed. No colony in its normal state lias either brood or eggs in the combs now, and the queen is small and appears to re- ceive little aUention from the bees, even if you stir them up by a light or too great a degree of heat. It is al- ways best to have them in good order before this time and then leave them undisturbed. Even if you have colonies in a doubt- ful state no good comes from inter- ference now. Let them take their chances, until a month or two later, and then tho}' may be fed and stimu- lated. (Of course this advice does not apply to those who are wintering over qneens in small boxes or nuclei. If any one are doing this, they no doubt understand how to do it.) The question whether it was neces- sary to allow bees a flight in winter "was well discussed at the Pittsburgh meeting. Mr. Benedict described a cover made of wire cloth or musquito netting, with which he covered his hives ; and bringing them into a warm room allowed them to fiy within it af- ter which they settled back quietly iu- to the cluster. Mr. Zimmerman also stated that he had treated his colonies in a some- what siiiiiiar manner, after they began to be afiected with dysentery, audit was effectual. Though we have no doubt of this, our advice still is, to have bees put away in the dark, where they are com- fortable and leave them so. If fo*r any reason they have been fed •or unduly disturbed, so that they feed themseles freely, it will no doubt be well to bring them to a place where they can fly and discharge the fcecal matter. But we do not advise be- ginners to trj^ any experimenti, es- pecially in the winter. During these long evenings, we may all find time to study our business; see where we have failed in the past and plan for the future. There is nothing in which fore- thought and care will pay better than in this. Decide how your hives shall be made, and make them. They will cost you much less now than later. Iiead the Journal and during this holiday season endeavor to procure one new subscriber, if no more, and remit for them Avhile renewing your own subscription. We mean to improve it, in all pos- sible ways; but you must bear in mind that we can no more do this without mouev, than the bees can make wax when there is nothing for them to gather. Remember, too, that > our income is all made up of small sums ; just as the bees pile up their great wealth — little by little. The article on Bee Prospects, in the last issue, should have been signed S. Porter. The extreme length of the Report of the Annual Convention has crowded out our '• Notes and Queries " and *' Voices fi'om among the Hives." They will appear in the January number. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 291 Auxiliary Societies. Mr. II. A. Kiiiof, Corrosponding Secretary ofthe North Amcricnnr.ee- Kecper's Society, calls attention in the National AcjricuJturist to a reso- lution authorizinj^ any of the officers ofthe association to f orm local bee- keepers' societies, auxiliary to the North American Bee-Keepers' Society, on condition that the members pay an annual fee of one dollar, half of which shall be paid into the treasury of the National Society. lie says: As Corresponding- Sec- retary of the North Aineric;ui Uec- Keepers' Society lor the coming year, it is my duty to solicit coiresponci- cnce, and render the aid 1 can in the formation of such auxiliary societies. Weknowyour needs, and shall en- deavor to do our pait in providing lor the same. Some have suggested the advisability ol paying $25 per lec- ture to some person to travel and form such local societies ; but we could not give our vote to have money spent thus lavishly upon any person, even if he had uncommon gifts as a lecturer, for the hard-fistcd, honest bee-keep- ers of the country can be better served by some one of their own number who will volunteer (o deliver lectures in and near his county, where bee- keepers are ready to organize, and ■will pay the lecturer's traveling ex- l)euses. We will print alist of names and addresses of lecturers free, and ])ay them a good cash commission on all the subscribers they obtain for our periodicals, and furnish as many cop- ies of December Magazine, containing Report of North American Bee-Keep- ers' Society, as may be desired for their use and no doubt friend New- man and other publishers will do the same. Then let us hear from all with- out delay. 1st. Let all who will volunteer to lecture or talk on bee culture and as- sist in the organization of local socie- ties, send us their name and address alonce, and w^e will publish them in a list, giving postofiice and county ad- dress of each, so that those who wish to organize a local society can have a choice of lecturers and know who lives nearest them. Of course each lecturer will have a light to ask pay for his time, if he choose, when he has to spend more than half a day to reach the place of meeting; but ve cannot agree to publish any lecturers' names in the list without charge, un- less lie agrees to charge nothing ex- cept railroad and hotel cxpeusps, for his services wilhin his or adjoining counties. 2(1. Let us hear from bee-keepera who wish to form a local society in their midst, and we will render all the assistance in our power. II. A. King. Of course we will cheerfully do as Mr. King suggests, but we do think some lectures would be cheaper at $25 than others at one cent. It is quality we need, if anything. If Bee- Keepers want scientific research and practical knowledge embodied in a lecture, it will cost money to obtain it, besides railroad and hotel fare I But few men can afford to give their time for gathering up interesting facts, elaborating personal experience, and delivering lectures, without some re- numeration. We learn that at the Annual Meet- ing Mr. King intimated thatMr.W.F. Clarke might be prevailed upon to take the leccure field for a few months. Now if this can be done, we think it would be of great advantage in devel- oping apiculture and helping local societies. There are others, doubtless, who could do good in this line, but we mention Mr. Clarke, because he was spoken of at the meeting in question. We shall expect to hear from both societies as well as available lecturers in time for our next issue. t.g.n. Premium for Rearing Queens. At the late meeting of the North American Bee-Keeper's Society a committee was appointed, consisting of H. A. King, Mrs. E. S. Tupper, and A. Benedict, to make arrangements and offer premiums for best results in i-earing choice Italian queens and bees. Mr. King remarks : that the committee expect to offer several first 292 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. premiums — one for best nucleus stock with the best colored drones. A tirst premium (perliaps a gold or silver medal) for best queen and workers, etc., etc. It is not yet determined what premiums to offer, or Avhat entry fee to cliarge. Some plan must be devised to secure money enough to offer valuable premiums, and the committee ask the advice, assistance and counsel of local and State bee- keepers' societies and all interested before we publish our plans. Close of the Volume. This number of The Ajiekioan Bee Journal closes Volume X. During the past year we have endeavored to give our pati'ons reliable bee intellig- ence, and able discussions on the various topics of interest to apairians. IIow well this task has been accom- plished we leave our readers to deter- mine. During the next year we shall endeavor not only to keep up to our present standard, but also to vastly improve the "old and reliable" AMEincAif. Bee Journal. Selections from the bee publications of Europe as well as able correspon- dence from ths most reliable and ex- perienced apiarians of our own countrj^, will be given. We shall also increase the quantity of reading mat- ter, by using type two sizes smaller, but having a large face, that can easily be read. We ask our patrons to assist us, by procuring new subscribers among their friends or neighbors, and thus increase the usefulness of the Jour- nal. By getting two new subscribers you can get all three for the year 1875 for $5. This may be divided among the three, or you can get your own copy for $1. Larger clubs would make your subscription still less. See club terms on page 291. Our beautiful Chrome "Just One " will be sent to all who pay in advance for 1875, before next January 1st, whether sent in clubs or singly. In order to assist our friends in procuring new subscribers, we will send specimen copies to tliose that they intend to call upon, if tliey will send us their names and addresses. It will take but a little lime to get parties to subsci-ibe when they see our paper. There are thousands of bee-keepers all over the country who take no bee journal and consequently are uninformed concerning scientilic bee-keeping. These should all be so- licited to take The American Bee Journal, and the tliousands who now read and prize the Journal can easily reach them. AVill they not do it? Every one wlio reads this is specially solicited to act as an agent, and pre-, sent the claims of The American Bee Journal. We feel assured that they will do it. A i'ew hours time from each, devoted to the interests of The Journal will add tliousands to our list. To any person sending us a club of ten, with $14, we will send a copy of the American Bee Journal one year fr'ee, and also the Chromo. To any one sending us a club of twenty witli $25 we will send a copy of Worces- ter's Unabridged Dictionary in addi- tion to The American Bee Journal. and Chromo. Now who will devote a few hours to benefit themselves and also extend practical and scientific knowledge concerning bee-keeping? We shall see. Address all letters to Thomas G. Newnnin, Cedar Rapir.s, Iowa, and make postal orders payable to Thomas G. Newman. -•-•-♦-♦-«- John McAlister & Co, arc our authoriz- ed agents for the Illustrated Journal, at Room 27, Tribune Building, Chicago, with whom any business may be transact- ed with our approval, and be promptly recogni/.ed by the manager of this paper. T II K AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL. FOR THE YEAR 1878. " To Us, both field and grove, Garden and orchard, lawn and flowery mead, The blue-vein'd violet, rich columbine. The wanton cowslip, daisies in their prime, With all the choicest blossoms of the lea, Are free allowed and given." — Pakliament op Bees. John Day, IfiOT. VOLUME XI. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS : PUBLISHED BY THOMAS G. NEWMAN 1875. Index to Correspondents. A. N., 16. Axtell, L. C, 31, 240. Argo, R. M., 35, 40, 40, 01, 94, 163, 239. Apiphilus, 54. Allen, Dr. N. P., 00, 01, 9'J, 165, 279. Aspinwall, A., 75. Applewhite, J., 110, 229. Andersou, K. M., 142. Amateur, 151, 210, 273. Apis, 1.52. Applewaite, I. 198. Abbe, E. P., 206. Aleike, 209. A. A., 211. Arms, W., 230, Armstrong, J. C„ 233. Aldrich, C, 235. Adair, T). L., 240. Andrews, Ira J., 251. Andrews, Wm. J., 263, 277. B., N. A., 7. Burrows, O. B., 8. Bird, Wm. W., 19. Bryant. A. H. K., 19, 115. Brown, J. P. H., 20. Bull, Albert. 21. Burch, H. A., 35, 128, 262. Benton, F., 44. 77, 131. Benedict, Aaron, 47, 105. 210, 336, 262. Butler, J., 57. B., 57, 133, Bidwell, H. E., 74. B., J. C, 75, 186. Bailey, Moses, 76. Book Worm, 79. Becktell, R. S., 100. Brooks, J. M., 112. Barker & Dicer, 116. Baker, Mrs. L. B., 117. B., E., 123. Bingham, T. F., 131. Billing- hurst, C. B., 164, 231. Bessey, C. E., 171. Benson, P., 187. Beginner, 189. Bacon, R., 191, 230. Boyd, A., 196. Brown, J. F., 196. Baldridge, M. M., 300, 207. Bavlor, J. W., 313. Bence, Wm , 23>^. Bo- hart, P.M., 2.W. Bryant, Isaac S., 233. Brown, E., 2;3,5, 243. Burdick, L„ 237. Bills, Mrs. M. A., 2:37. Ball, G., 338, Barnum & Peyton, 239. Bar- clay, Wm. S., 244, 354. Balsley, J., 2^9. Barber, Ira, 249. Blanchard, O. C, 252. Brokaw, D., 255. Burgess, Geo. T., 355. Bruuk & Bruck, 255. Bra- eell, Thos., 256. Bennett, J. M., 259. Ballard, O. L., 363, Bayard, J. W., 372. Bryant, A. H. R., 281. Barrows, O. B., 381. Craudall, S.. lu. Corbiu, G. E., 31, 195. Crabb, J. L., 21. Cameron, N., 43, 114, 227. Colburn, R. J., 56. 143, 15U, 226. C F., 70. Chandler, Mrs. M. E..70. Connlcy, John T., 71. Curry, H. E. 70. Carr, VVni , 80. "Chapman, A., 100, Coe, J. S., 113, 176. Chaddock, Mrs. M. B,, 117. Claussen, H., 143. Grain, Mrs. C. E., 190, 351. Clareby, B. T., 190. Olizbe, J., 195. Cholwell, G., 327. Craw- ford. C. C 227. Cardinal, John, 233. Crosby, A. U., 234. Carson, L., 3:36. Calvin, R. A., 348. Carmach, R. E., 353. Clarke, W. F., 5, 25, 49. Callaud, S., 367. C. J., 267. Dadaiit, Ch., 7, 9, 36, 53, 55, 116, 130, 135, 136, 137, 140,177,202,208. Dnfteler, J., 16. Daugherty, J. C, 10. Davis, John L.. 20. Dunn, J. W., 70, 256, 26r. Dick, Sal lie, 71. 253. Divikey, John, 99. DuBois, iM. D., 190. 282. Kminoaa, K., 7. Eccentric, 11, 64, 81. Ella, 76, 177. E. E., 213. Frost, J., 10. Paul, H., 14. Freeman, W. E., 14, 106. Frost, Thomas, 20. Franklin, B , 21. Fauls, H.,21. Fehr, Jas. E., 117. French, J. L., 124. Paure, E., 178. Fletcher, D. W., 189, 229. Faulk- ner, V/m., 22,5, 257. Finnell, J. W., 247. Flick, H. IL, 247. Forsyth, K., 258. Fisher, A. J., 259. Fotheriiigham, John. 202. G., C, 28. G.. F. M., 8. Grunther, J. P., 14. Grimm, C, 42. Goodlaiider, H., 47, 99. Guen- ther, John U., 75, 76. Grout, Wm. H. 8., 99. G., J., 159 Green, C. W.. 190. Gravenhorst, H., 219. Hazen, Jasper, 13, 140, 179, 201. Hudson, H., 14, 104. Harrington, L. W., 21. Hester, M. C, 44, 149, 166 Harrison, Mrs. L., 40, 78. H., J. H., 70. H., B. F., 70. Hershey, E., 99, 258. Hait, A. H., Ill, 128, 142, 236. H., 113. Hall, Mrs. D. M., 132. HarrWou, R. W.,154, 184. Hoagland, S , 155. Herring, Wm., 101. Hall, Stephen, 164. Harper, S , l(i5, Hjile, E. W., 231. Hall, S. W., 237. Heald. Wm., 237. Harbison, J. S., 340. Hall, Robert, 251. Hutchinson, S. H., 251. llorine, A. F.,253. Hill, Mrs. S. A., 254. Hoadley, G. M., 259. Hubbard, J. L., 259, 362. Harrison, H. S., 267. Heath, H. S. 207. Hullingswortb, M. L., 281. Ives. B. H., 8, 43, 71, 113. Isham, C. K., 15, 110, 363. llisch, G., 09, lt)5. Ingmundson, I., 196, 233. Jones, R. T.,47, 114, 141, 383. Jones, Joseph, 47. Jones, D. A., 07, 138, 141. J., C. A., 312 J., 231. Johnson, T. W., 249. Johnson. J. W.. 281. Kitchum. A. E., 6. 47. Kellogg, W. M., 13, 46, 196, 235. Kruschke, J. D., 47. King, H. A., 149. Kruschke Bros., 153. Kein, D. N., 200. Kimptou, E., 337, 263. Kernberger, A., 245. Kitchen, A. E., 252, K., E.G., 271. Long, G., 12. Livingston, H., 28. Laswell, D. M., 42. Lloyd, J. J<;., 44. Lewis, Aaron, 69. Law- son, L., 70. Langstroth, Ij. L., 98, 99, 175. Listou, E., 103, 2.57. Lingle, J. S., 141, 311. Lippincott, J. D., 155. Lindley,J.W., 183,231. Lohman, C.,196- Lunderer, B., 202, 261. Linswick, Cyula, 205, 275 Lee, H. S., 226. Lord, S. W., 234. Lane. C. F., 235. 244. Larch, E. C. L., 2:37. Love, J. F., 2:39. Long John, 245, 265. Livingston, T. W., 255. Lynch, Wm. W., 263. Lvnn, J. F., 281. McLean. S. D., 19. Mi'lsten, M. H., 20. McKin- ney, J. W., 21, 76, 90. Markle, James, 28, 250. Marriss, Mrs. W. G., 28. McDermot. C, 47. Moore, J. P., 6:3, 103, 109, 143, 166. Miller, P., 70, 76. McCallura, D. S., 70. M., J. D., 76 Murphy, R. R., 99, 103. McDowell, J. H., 100. Muth- Rasmussen, Wm., 104, 188, 256. Moore, W. W., 10.5, 117, 164, 190. Miller, R., Ill, 196, 260, 261. Mc- Fatridge, P. W. & Son, 112. M.. J. W., 134. Maule, J.. 124. Muth, C. F., 136, 166, 280, 381. Mer- riam, G. F., 143. Millett, D. C, 15:3, 3:39. Moon, A. P., 159. M., G. F., 182, 199. Montgomery, J. F., 1S:3. 221, 3:38. McGaw, T. G., 187, 190. McHenry, Mrs. M., 188. Marvin, J. M., 196. Marquis, T. N., 2:30. Miller, E. H., 2:30. Mason, A. B., 2:38. McMaster, M. E., 348. Miller, C. C, 250. Mahin, M., 250. Martin, J. H., 254. McClure, C, P., 256. Macart- ney, Wm., 259. Morgan, J.. 2H3. Mrs. Morris Mc- Henry, 273. Marsh, S. K., 280. M., J., 266. M., D, C, 267. Madisen, Mrs. H., 281. Need, E., 15. Nicholson, W^. H., 19. Newsom Bros., 75, 244. Nellis, J. IL, 89, 147. Noble, H. M.. 99. Novice, 1:39. Nesbit, H., 181. 227. Observer, 40. Oatman, J., & Co., 102. Ogden, D. H., 104, 115, 195, 253. Oliver, Chas., 251. O'Neill, M. A., 256. Oliver, W. W., 259. Puryear, M. C. H., 31. Pelham. W. C, 59, 189. 190, 346. Palmer, D. D., 60, 174. Perry, Geo., 76. P., 1:30. Putnam. H. F.. 142. Pettigrew, A., 159, 180. Peabody. J. L., 164. Porter, W. C, 166. Pyle, Wm. J., 185. Preston, F., 188, 2i9. Porter, Wm., 191. Parent. J. I., 231. Pierce, Warren, 2:34. Pike, D. A., 2:39. Parris, L. G., 240, 2.52, Perrine, C. O., 345. Pellham & Cobb, 259. Quinhy, M., 93,157. Rider, D.. 13. Rapp, J. B., 21, 166. Rush, W. B., 22, 8:3, 191, 263, 269. Riley, C.V., .59, 106. R., 91. Rolfe, H. B., 1:39. Ro-p, H. M., 165, 240, 25:3, Reynolds, W., 195, 2:36.248. Reichie, J. E.,200, 2:38. Riggs, W. H., 2:38. Rogers, B. H., 2:39. Root, H., 247. Rice, Mrs. A. A., 251. Reagan, T., 363. R., J. E.,279. Saxe, John G., 10. S., H. W., 19, :37. Sonne, C, 36,76. Scudder, J: A., 39. Staples, D., 45. Smith, T. A., 58. Sanders, W. H., 69. 161. Selkirk. Chas. E.. 75. Salisbury, A., 76 Smith, Archibald, 100. Sanderson, Mary R., 100. Summers, S. V., 161. Saliceto, Alfonso Visconti di, 105. Sheltou, T. E., 182. Stephens, S. W., 190. Schnerr, L., 196. Street, J. G., 212. Stibbs, M. J., 226, 263. Stiles, A., 338. Snyder, M.. 328. Searles. F., 2-11. Smith, Mrs. IL, 2:34. Simpkins, A. B., 2:34. Smith, Wm. G., 3:37. Sprague, Geo. H., 2:38. Stuart, J., 34:3, 258. Stevens, S. IL, 245. Sigma, 250. Smith, J. L., 254. Sage, C. C. 2.58. Stibbs, A., 260. Smith, M., 203. Sheerer, John, 381. Torrey, R. S., 10. Teller, J. M., 47, 254. T., 75. Thornton, B. Y„ 76. Taylor, B. L., 115. Talbott, B. I., 331. Talbott, S., 339. Tenney, N., 247. Tenant, H. IL, 248 Thompson, J. G., 2.57. Tup- per, Mrs. E. S., 7, 20, 27, 51, 69, 73, 75, 97, 98, 117, 121, 133, 133, 141, 145, 146, 164, 169, 188, 193, 194, 211, 313. 317, 340, 341. Telles, J. M., 366. [Trie, Wm., 94. Vogle, M., 21, 47. Viallon, Paul, 195. VauAnda, Mrs. S. G., 3.57. VanVoris, Geo., 267. Welliugton, Ed , 8, 58, 70, 99. Wills. J. W., 17. Wright, W. D., 20. Wilson, John W., 47. Wil- kins, Wm. G., 58. Wilson, A., 61, 141, 233, 260. Whitney, W. J., 66, 1.57. Weatherbv, A., 69. Wallbridge, L., 69. Williams, G. II.. 75. Will- iams, John J., 76. Wilson, M.. 76. Walbridge, A. F., 93. Wixon, H. W., 93. Wilson. Jas. B., 99. Whiting, L. C, 107. Waters. T. J., 190. Whitta- ker, B., 3ti:3. W., A., 312. Wright, W. W., 313. Walton, II. P., 3:32. W^are, C. J., 348. Williams, A. S., 3,53. Wellman, C. S.,255. Wallace, Geo. B., 2,56. Wiufleld, J., 358. W., G. W., 266. Wood, J, 281. York, Anderson, 253. Zimmerman, G. W., 2:34. Zimmerman, E. A., 2:38. INDEX TO VOL. XI. A few Remarks 12 Alsike Clover in the South 15 Answer to Mrs. Spaids 19 A Scientific Mare's Nest 25 Adulterated Honey, 35, 81, 94, 135, 13G 180, 262 Answer to H. W. S 37 A Friend or Enemy 46 A Dozen of same Ilk 47 Answer to Mr. Dadant 51 A Friend or Enemy 59 Address of Dr. N. P. Allen 60 A Chinese Bee 74 Austin, Texas 113 An Essay on the Size of Frames . . . .133 A Student of Billings 136 A Sad History 138 A Suggestion — Be Honest 151 About California, 157, 174, 198, 207 Age of Bees 159 A Stinging Subject 185 A Essev onto the bee 187 Alsike Clover 200 A Rectification 202 Amende Honorable 200 Another Race of Bees 218 Arkansas and Apiculture 242 A Home Market 261 Annual Meeting N. A. B. Society 268 A few words from Southern CaliforniH 271 A Wild Swarm taken in 273 Amateur 273 Bees and Flowers at Sydi-nliam 5 Bees in Aroostook Co., jNIaine. ...... 16 Breeding Peaceful Hybrids 16 British Bee-Keepers 26 Bee Enemies 36 Bee Notes from Kentucky 39 Birth, Mating and Laymg of the Molii- er Bee 53 Bees, Wasps and Grapes 53 Before the Legislature 74 Bees and Centennial Exposition 98 Bee Lines from Texas 115 Bee Men in Council 125 Bee Keeping and its Interests 128 Brood Raising and Artificial Swarming 132 Bees Communicating Ideas 146 Biographical Sketch of M. Quinby,. .147 Bad Luck 149 Best Bee Location 150 Bee Notes 155 Bee Forage, 157 Bee Pasturage, 158, 177 Bee Report from Italy 218 Bee-keeping in 1875 226, 247 Burying Bees 279 Co-Relation of Bees and flow^ers 52 Chips from Sweet Home 59, 173 Candied Honey — Empty Comb 61 Criticism 77 Comparative Merits of Bees 90 Closing Word 106 Cincinnati Exposition 157 Candied vs. Liquid Honey 136, 163 Coe's Apiary 175 Cultivation of Honey 207 Comb Foundations 261 Comb Foundations 281 Dysentery again 15 Down with Importation 54 Death of M. Quinby 146 Don't Violate the Postal Law 146 Do Bees Sleep? 159 Division and Subsequent Re-union . . .219 Eccentric 11, 64, 80 Evaporating Honey 46 Experiments with Honey 73 Enemies of the Bee 110 Esparcet Culture 152 Exchanging Brood Combs 210 Editorial Items 268 Foul Brood 106 Foreign Department. . .' 9 Fertile Workers 187 Fertile Workers 199 Frame Making 203 From Amateur 209 Feed the Bees 210 Getting Honey in Frames 62 Getting Honey m Boxes 107 Handling Bees 10 Home made Bee Hive 12 Honey-Producing Plants 17 Hives in the South 20 Honey at N. Y. State Fair 40 How to save a Queenless Stock 61 How I built a Bee House 66 Honey Locust for Hedging 74 Honey Granulating 103, 11^ How to make Hives 105 How I Succeeded _^^ 110 How I Wintered 1 15 Historical Notes 116 How to Transfer Bees 121 How my Bees Wintered 137 Hives for Farmers 139 How to Drive away Grasshoppers. . . .147 Handling Bees. 153 How it Looks Here 154 Honey Dew, and Where it Comes from, 162 How to Lodge a Svvarm 163 How about California 181 How a Beginner Succeeds 182 Honey-Producing Wild Flowers 194 How "to Prevent Swarming 223 Honey Plants 243 House Apiary , 261 Honey 246 Iowa B. K. Association 43 Improved Breeding, Queen Raising, etc 90 Introducing Queens 113 INDEX TO VOL. XL Italian Bees 149 Italian Bee Chromos 176 Instinct of the Bee 262 Jeff. Co. B. K. Association 40 Jottings 260 Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Meeting 67 Local B. K. Societies 28 Letter from Kansas 42 Longevity of Bees 113 Letter from Italy, 165 Lincoln County, Tennessee 221 My Experience 16 Mich. Bee-Men in Council 29 My First Year's Experience 57 Marketing Honey 102, 155 Missouri Bee Killer 103 My Report 114 Milkweed Asclepias 171 My Bees 200 My Experience with Italians 206 My First Italian Swarm 209 My New Bee House 220 Michigan Bee Keepers' Association . .262 Maury Co. (Tenn.) Meeting 275 Notes and Queries. 7, 27, 69, 75, 117 123, 164, 188, 211, 240, 266 New Bee Pasturage 13 Notes on Bee-Keeping 58 Numbering Hives 61 North Eastern B. K. Association 82 New System of Bee-Culture 112 Notes on Bee Culture in France 140 Nellie's Experiment 274 Odd Tidings 54 Our Plan of Wintering 101 On the Field Again 150 Officious Meddlesomeness 170 Our Foreign Bee Notes 177 Our New Year's Present 265 Progress of Bee-Culture 52 Posting up the account 58 Proper Winter Temperature 58 Patent Hives and Venders 109 Purity of Italian Bees 130 Pruning Bees, 158 Prevention of Swarming 175, 262 Prospects, etc., in Tennessee 183 Practical Notes 260 Queen Raising 14 Queen Bees 186 Remarks on Eccentric 45 Report from the Pacific Slope 65 Reply to Dadant 105 Report of my Apiary Ill Reply to Mr. Root, . / 163 Retrospection 260 Success in Raising Honey 10 Superior Fiddlesticks 13 Safely Wintering Bees 18 Seasonable Hints, 26, 57, 73, 97, 122, 145 169, 193, 217, 241. 265 Solid Frames 43 Shallow or Tall Frames 55 Swarmers and Non-Swarmers 64 Stray Thoughts 92 Sundry Items 56, 93, 113 Size of Hives 104 Shall we Continue to Import Bees. . . .130 Successful Wintering 132 Sundry Questions Answered 141 Southern Kentucky Convention, 160 Something about Queens 183 Special to our Readers 193 Southern Ky. B. K. Association 277 The Hen and Honey Bee 10 The Tulip Tree again 14 The Italian Test 43 The " Moon " shone Bright 44 Three Hundred Years Ago 78 Tall and Shallow Frames 102 To Double the Capacity of Hives 104 The Hive I Use 104 The Attic as a Bee House 123, 178 The ABC of Bee-Keeping 122 The Winter " Down South " 131 The Peabody Extractor 139 Transferring Bees 154 The Bee Hive, 161 The Bee Enemies 170 The Senses of Bees 179 The Centennial 194, 217, 265 The Swarming of Bees 197 The other Side of Bee Culture 245 Two Queens in one hive 279 Upright Ventillation 14 Utilizing Drone Comb 190 Voices from Among the Hives, 20. 47, 70 76, 99, 142, 165, 190, 195, 240, 263, 281 Whistling down Swarms 15 Wintering Bees in the South 17 Winter without Pollen 35 Why is it? 42 Wintering Bees 42, 49, 91, 93 Winter Passages 57 Word of Cheer for the Workers 77 Wintering in Glass Observatories 79 Wax Melting Ill What has become of Gallup ? 182 Wonderful Instincts of the Honey Bee. 184 Warsaw Horticultural Society 202 Wonderful Bees 205 Wintering and Springing Bees 269 Why is it? 272 What is Honey ? 280 American Bee Journal, DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. XI. CEDAR RAPIDS, JANUARY, 1875. No. 1. Imcritan |)ce journal W. F. CLARKE, Mks. E. S. TUrPER, Editors. Bees and Flowers at Sydenham. The following interesting paper is from the editorial columns of The Farmer, (English), of September 14th, 1874: Tuesday was the first day of the exhibition held by the British Bee- Keeper's Association. The attendance at the Crystal Palace shewed that the bees, the botanical show, and the re- vived comedy of Wild Oats, in wliicli Mr. Lionel Brough appeared, could draw a numerous crowd to Sydenham even in September. Suburban masters who keep bees, as they plant flowers, for the grace- ful adornment of their leisure, were pres- ent in numbers. The Beekeeper's Asso- ciation proposes to its members this mission, and in one particular it specially recommends the co-operation of neigh- bours or the assistance of superiors. A honey-extractor is the most expensive machine in the beekeepers' plant. It is usually dispensed willi, and the conse- quence is that from certain combs very pure virgin honey is got by the slow pro- gress of straining ; from others nothing can be obtained without relentless crush- ing of the cells, and the consequent vitia- tion of the honey by wax, bee-bread, and the bodies of undeveloped bees. The cheapest honey-extractor priced in the Association's catalogues is £3, 10s., and it is fair to presume that the best, which obtained the prize, and has no price affixed to it, is dearer. In a few minutes the extractor empties all tlie combs of the hive, and therefore it is not necessary for every cottager to keep one. But the vil- lage might subscribe for one, or some benevolent person might lend it. Lady Burdett-Coutts has already led the way in supplying swarms of bees gratuitously to labouring people on the sole condition that they shall pass on a swarm to their neighbours when the profitable insects increase after their kind. The principal ai)iarian operation of which examples were given by Mr. Abbott and Mr. Cheshire, and explained by Mr. Hunter, Mr. Hooker, Mr. Syming- ton, and other members of the Provincial Committee, was the driving of bees, which includes a great many minor processes. A few puffs from a pipe caused the bees to retreat among the combs, and the hive was then gently inverted. Above it the new and empty hive was placed with its open end towards the former base of the inverted hive. Then the chief bee-master drummed with his fists upon the lower hive and waited for the rush. At the first disturbance the provident creatures, al- ways (though their life in summer is but six weeks) in fear of a poverty-stricken old age, had hastened to fill their bags with honey. Thus they were heavy and good-tempered, and those who escaped through the gap between the two hives forbore to sting the unprotected face and hands of the bee-masters. In a few min- utes a rushing sound was heard, the bees had begun the ascent ; the queen passed up, the remainder was sure to follow her. It was now safe to incline the top hive backwards so that the spectators could see what was passing idside. Like sol- diers swarming up the walls of a beleag- uered city the bees were observed hurry- ing up in thousands, climbing over each other's bodies several deep, without paying the least attention to the facilities for escape which the open hive gave them. Then the combs were taken out of the old and deserted hive and put in frames into the " slinger " or extractor. A handle is turned and the comb flies rapidily round. Centrifugal action drives out all the honey from the cells; it drops to the bottom of the vessel, and passes thence into the jar placed to collect it. The next thing is to tie up with tape the old combs, some emptied of their honey, some remaining full, in new frames and to place them in the new hive. In twenty-four hours, or, at most, in forty-eight, the fastenings of the tape will become unnecessary, for the bees with cement and wax will have built the combs into the new frames and THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. will quickly proceed to fill them with honey. By thus making use a second time of the old combs the time of the bees is saved; and they give to honey-making preciou days of summer which would otherwise be devoted to the building up of fresh waxen cells. The whole process which we have described lasted less than an hour. The stationary exhibition of the asso- ciation was scarcely less interesting. There were some bees here, but they were imprisoned closely within their glass house or observatory hive. Mr. C. W. Smith exhibited, and obtained a prize for, the most beautiful breed of Ligurian bees a queen accompanied by her progeny. There are fifty diftereut kind of bees known to exhibitors, but the bee of the Maritime Alps which gained this prize is the most highly valued of all for its fine appearance, good temper, and reproduc- tiveness. It is the "yellow-banded bee," of Tennyson, and is used to improve the strain of the common black bee. There are also exhibited here, the detatched glass frames following each other like the leaves of a book, the frame hives as orig- inally constructed by Francis Huber. The blind naturalist flourished at Geneva in the last century, and all his experi- ments were made with the eyes and hands of his assistant, Burnens, guided by the master's judgment. The frame is the key-stone of modern hive-buildiug. The whole show is the development of the discovery of Iluber. In the modern hives, bars of wood are laid across the top of a box, little slits are made in the lower side of the bars. In these slits wax is inserted. When the bees are admitted they find the wax, attach their combs to it, and these are thenceforth formed in straight lines, and are thus more conven- ient for the use and observation of man than the spoke-like and irregular arrange- ments which otherwise are made by the insects. Mr. F. Cheshire took the prize for the best hive frame with moveable combs. For the best cottager's hive on the modern principle the prize was awarded to the untiring Mr. Abbott's 3s. hive. Mr. J. Lee gained another prize in this class for a tall and handsome house of three stories, each story forming a super to the stock hive, or a new stock hive. There were in these classes innu- merable ingenious combinations of detail and whimsical varieties of pattern. The bars are kept apart by pins in some hives, by notches in others. Some hives are made to imitate houses, others are like iron safes. One is a humble imita- tion of the great Palace of human indus- try and amusement in which it is exhibited. The "run" honey which was shewn, varied in colour from the purest shade of primrose yellow to the darkest brown. It is well known that the hue depends upon the food of the bee, white clover producing a comb as white as snow, and primrose honey, while hives which stand near the sycamore will give a fluid as dark as punch. Mr. A. Ferguson, whose • bees feed probably upon the clover fields of Ayr, the Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, of Ilenley-on-Thames, and Mr. Abbott tied for the largest and best harvest of one stock of bees. The Rev. G. Raynor had the best exhibition of super honey from one apiary. The w^eight is not declared, but Mr. W.B.Carr competed in this class with a gross weight declared by him to be about lUO lb. Mrs. W. H. Clark ex- hibited the best straw super, probably about 40 lb. In a similar class the prize was taken by Mrs. Pagden, widow of the Sussex bee-master, who has told how he made £70 a year by his bees. In similar classes the name occurs of Mr. Cowan, who recently informed us that he had 700 K) of honey in the season from twelve stocks of bees; and we are struck with the frequent replition of the name of Ander- son, an Ayrshire family, one of whom came up from the neighbourhood of Stewarton, of honeyed fame, with thirty- four specimens of his own and neigh- bours' growth, and lost not one super by breakage or otherwise in all that journey. In the cottagers' classes, open only to those who work for daily hire, there w^ere twenty-two entries, and Mr. Withnal, Mr. Ferguson, and Mr. W. Martin were the most successful exhibitors. Mr. Cheshire obtained extra prizes for several ingenious inventions. With five pins he formed a little trap for keeping bees out of a hive where they are no longer wanted. The pin bisects the little hole left for egress, making a valve which may be lifted on going out but bars all return. There is a drone trap of dift'erent construction. Another invention is a nucleus hive. Where a queen is desired for adding to the stock, Mr. Cheshire puts in the hive a bar which can double up. W^hen brood cells are attached to the bar he takes it out, and puts it into the nucleus hive. The bees transferred find themselves without a queen, and set to work to feed and house one of the young in such a way that it develops into a (lueen fit to fly abroad and become the mother of many bees. Complete sets of back vohmies are scarce. But few can be procured at any price. We have a sc^t, consisting of the nine volumes (complete), which we offer for sale, either bound or unbound, for a reasonable sum. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. I wish you to answer throuffh the Joun- KAL if I liad not l)ettor i)iit my Italian col- onies in hives with open bottoms; then in early spring, set tliem on other hives lilled with empty combs, and have them work down through them. I use a double-liive, similar to tiie Langstroth. Will that not be the best and easiest way to have access to early brood, for queen raising, and disturb the arrangement of the colon v less, than anv other way ? S. Emmons. r*ottawattamie, Kan. The way you speak of has been tried often in our own apiar.y, but we do not re- connncnd it as being a good plan in early spring. Instead of that, we would keep the hive as tight and close as possible, with quilt, carpet, or mats on the top of the frames. As fast as two frames are tolerably well filled with brood, move them far enough apart to admit of placing an empty comb between the two, and repeat this in a few days. If a colony has a prolific queen and plenty of honey and bee bread, they will increase very rapidly in brood, if man- aged in this way. Later in the season a comb full of unsealed brood may be taken away every three days, and yet the colony keep strong. After the weather is warm, if you do not care to have swarms, you can put a hive filled with comb under another hive to good advantage. We have had both hives in this way, filled with brood in July, and secured large amounts of box honey from them. Mrs. E. S. TUPPER :— I read in the pro- ceedings of the Annual meeting of the Bee- Keepers' Society^ that you have said tliat there is danger, in importing, of getting a taint of black stock ; as they may have mixed some of tlie Egyptian blood ; as I am just now holding, in the bee world, that there are no hybrid bees in Italy. I would be glad to know whether you have ever received tainted queens from Italy, and the name and address of the bee-keeper who sent them. Hoping to receive an answer from you, I am respectfully, Ch. Dadant. We said no such thing as is reported of us at the convention. During the remarks on that point some one asked if the impurities which Mr. King and others were complain- ing about, might not be caused by a cross with the Egyptian instead of the black bee. We replied that it was not probable, as we had never heard that Egyptian bees had been at any time taken to Italy. Our re- marks were all directed to the importance of taking more pains with the stock we have ah'eady brought from Italy, and keeping it pure, while it would be improveil by the in- rtuence of climate and new pasturage — the same as experience demonstrates, cattle,, sheep and horses are improved. Which is the best and cheapest mode of transportation, express, freight, or mail ? Some bees have been received here by mail, all right. I suppose that is the cheapest way— cheaper to feed them than to have the whole hive sent by express. Is this idea correct ? Is it fully settled that the Italians are the best bees on all accounts ? Colorado. N. A. B. We are sure you are mistaken about "colonies of bees being sent by mail." It cannot be done. Queens with a few bees accompanying them are often sent by mail safely, and it is perhaps as good a way as any to send them, if it can be made lawful to send them. At present the rules of the Post-office department forbid it. We have sent bees to Colorado safely, both by freight and express. If only one hive is sent at a time it would go better by express. If a number are sent together we would quite as soon risk them by freight. It is fully settled by the vote of a large majority of those who have tried both varie- ties, that the Italians are best on all ac- counts. As nearly as I can come at it, there are somewliere in the neighborhood of 80.000 stands in N. C. This is probably below the mark. But the losses of the two years past have been very considerable. Enough to reduce the round average by several thou- sands. New Garden, N. C, A. E. Kitchex. We had no idea that so many bees were to be found in North Carolina. When improved modes of keeping bees are introduced there, with all the advantages they possess of soil and climate, we have little doubt that as large results as are reported from California will be obtained. I send you a conundrum — one I cannot guess, if ■ as you teach there is but one queen in a hive, and that every swarm that comes olf has a queen. I had last May (the 2.5th) a nice swarm from one of my hives ; saved it all right : two hours after, another swarm nearly as large came from the same liive ! No mistake about it ! I hived them both myself. How do you explain it ? Southern Illinois. C. G. It is not hard to explain. Your hive had, in some way, lost its old queen ; she may have died, but from the fact of there being so many bees in the hives we judge that she came out with a swarm when you did not see her, was lost in some way, and the bees went back. They waited until the young queens in the hive were perfected and then swarmed. A young queen leading each swarm. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. If there had been bad weather for a few days previous to the occurance, it is possible that the swarm had been kept back so that a young queen hatched the same day the old queen left with the swarm. This second solution is, however, not as probable as the first. Either may be the true one, however, without conflicting with the teachings of any practical bee-keeper. Do you think my bees, prepared as you have advised for wintering, need water to- wards spring ? I have left the caps on, with quilts under them over the frames. Have thev sufficient ventilation ? Blair, Pa., F. M. G. They need no water. Do not disturb them in any way until you set them out in the spring. As to ventilation, we have always left off the caps from the hives. Others report good results, who have left them on, j ust as you described. We are inclined to think that when the quilts are on, they need less venti- lation than we supposed formerly. We saw a hive last spring on the top of which (the quilt being on) another hive had been set, and remained so all winter, cutting off entirely any upward ventilation. We thought it would be ruined, but it was to our surprise in good order ; bees lively, and combs free from mould, with some brood in thom. The quilt, however, was as wet as if it had been wrung out of water. Our in- ference is that, it would have been better, had the cap been on that hive. In that case the quilt would have been dry ; but it shows also that there is air enough in a cap for all premises. Mrs. Tupper :— I am indebted to you for the information I have, and shall give ; for if I get my bees safely through the winter, it will be entirely due to the advice I have received from your writings. All I see from your pen seems to be to the point. Too many connect their advice with the adver- tisement of a patent hive, or something else, and it sounds too much like the old Deacon who said "he knew there was a reality in re- ligion as well as he knew he had flour to sell at four dollars and a half a barrel." In describing my bees, I forgot to mention one thing which I am not certain about, and that is, I nave stopped the entrance nearly up — so close that a bee cannot get out witfi a view to stop a draft of air. The theory which I have adopted, after reading your ar- ticles in the Bee Journals, is, that there should be upward ventilation to let the moisture escape, but if it is left open below the heat of the bees will cause the air to as- cend, and cold air rush in below, and in or- der to keep up the necessary heat, will make an increased consumption of honey. O. B. BUKROAVS. Close the entrance except a passage for a bee or two at a time, just so they know they can get out, if they wish. Then with the quilts on there will be no draught. Our great want here is a plant that will produce honey from the 1st to the middle of June. For two seasons now I have had to feed in June. It looks to me like the wrong time of year to have to feed strong stocks. Riverton, Iowa. Ed. Wellington. While we lived in Washington county, we always sowed buckwheat as soon as possible in the spring. It would bloom in time to just fill in that time of scarcity which is a trouble in many parts of the West. Some years it is true, there seemed little honey in it ; other seasons, it was very valuable. We are told that rape and rapp may be made to bloom early in June. We liave not tried it. Will some suggest a plant that blooms at that season. If bees are not gathering honey from 1st to 15th of June, it "pays" to feed them then, above all other times. You will then have them in good condition for the best honey yield, which comes late in June, lasting un- til the middle of July. Is there any way to evaporate honey that has been extracted before capping ? 1 have heard of setting it near a fire, where it will keep warm, in a wide mouthed can or jar with netting tied over it, but this seems a very slow way. I have heard, also, of evaporating in shal- low pans in the oven ; but when we have one or two thousand lbs. to evaporate, this method is impracticable, it is said, also, that •heat destroys its flavor. Is this correct ? How would it do to put it in a large but shal- low kettle, and heat it up almost to the boil- ing point, and let it stand there for liow long ? There would be some danger of burning it, I suppose. Here in Texas the time saved in uncapping is a great desideratum ; we have no expert cappers here ; ank a good hand opening can keep two of our best hands capping. B. H. Ives. We have no experience in the matter and cannot think it pays to take honey from the hives until at least, it is ready to be sealed over. Others may know more about it than we do, and to them we will leave this cor- respondent. Cincinnati Industrial Exposition. Cincinnati, Sept. 29. 1874. To the Board of Commissiomrs : — (Jentlkmen, Being ai)p()inted jurors in Dei)artment B, Class 21, we have examined the different entries for competition, and re- port as follows : Best Apiary of not less than 50 hives. Sil- ver medal. J. S. Hill, of Mt. Healthy, Ham- ilton Co., O. Best Apiary of not less than 10 hives. Bronze nicdal. Jos. A. Savage, Ludlow, Ky. Best Honey Extractor. Bronze medal. Henry AV. Stephenson, Cincinnati, O., Bi'st Disjilay of Honey in Comb. JRronze medal. James H. Anderson, Hillsboi-o, O. Best Display of Extracted Honey. Bronze m.cdal. Clias. T. Mutli, Cincinnati, O. Howell Gang. ^Ji-uorb. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. CONDUCTED BY CH. DADANT. Who is there that would not have fol- lowed with interest the discussion on the copulation and laying of the mother bee, that had been begun at the Saltzbourg meeting ? At the receipt of each num- ber of the Bienen Zeitung I thought that the minds of the opponents were becom- ing more excited, but I was mistaken. Mr. Collin abandoned the battle tield and •withdrew from the stand, so that Mr. Huber remained alone. Later the Bienen Zeitung published several articles on this question, but nobody treated it in a com- plete manner, so that the question re- mains as it was in the beginning, when taken in a practical view. I write this essay to conduct the novice on the track, through which he will be able to form an opinion, helping it with experiments and observations. In order to ascertain at what age the heat begins in the young queen it is necessary to know at what time she has left the cell. Generally, a mother bee becomes de- veloped into a perfect insect within 16 or 17 days from the time when the egg is laid, if properly attended to. If properly attended to, the larvse is de- veloped in three days. In well stocked colonies and during an abundant harvest, I have seen the larv« hatch after after two days and 4 hours. In a temperature of 32 to 33 degrees (cen- tigrade) I have seen the larvae hatch after 2 days and 6 hours. In artificial swarms made with brood combs, in which the brood was but thinly covered with bees, the larvae often hatched on the 4th or 5tli day after being laid. In a colony that had suddenly become weak, some of the oggs did not hatch for for a week until this same colony had be- come strong again and the bees were able to attend to their hatching. I will simply mention the fact that bee-eggs that have been deprived of sufficient heat are still capable of becoming developed after 10 or 12 days. As the egg needs no nourishment but requires only heat to become a living being, the duration of time in which the larvae becomes developed in the egg de- pends on the brooding, that is on the degree of heat that the bees produce in the brood chamber. We can assert that, as a general rule, the larva; leaves the egg in three days. In too high a temperature all organic life ceases. Tiiere is undoubtedly also for bee-eyirs a maximum of heat that can- not be exceeded. Bees do not produce in the interior of the hive such a degree of heat that the eggs lose their capacity of becoming developed ; I think that the highest temperature in which they still become developed is 37 to 38 deg. (centi- grade— 98 to lUO Farh.). This supposi- tion is based on the observation that such a heat is about the highest that can be supported in the hive when the sun strikes it. I made the same observations on butterfly eggs. Such experiments can- not be tried with bee's eggs as the wax melts. These eggs assuredly would perish rapidly in a temperature of 50 deg. fah. It results from the above remarks that it will always be impossible to establish in every case the length of time in which the larvae becomes developed in the egg. Generally, the royal larvae lives 5 days and 12 hours in the open cell. If it is not a small affair to establish the length of time during which the egg becomes changed to larvae, it is yet much more difficult to determine positively the period during which the larvae lives in the open cell. Let the reader make minute observations on the subject and publish them in this paper, for it is pre- cisely on this question that there is least known. Francis Huber, of Geneva , says that the royal larvae remains in the open cell for live days. According to my observations which differ but a few minutes from those of Van Berlepsch, the royal larvae remains in its open cradle 5 days and 12 hours, supposing that the temperature is regular and that the larvae is amply fed. When I removed the comb containing the uncapped royal cells once an hour for two days to inspect it, I found that these royal cells were sealed over only 5 to 8 hours later. Afterwai'ds I removed from the hive some combs containing royal larvae, I removed the bees and placed one of these combs in an empty hive for 24 hours. I obtained in this hive a temperature of 23 to 26 deg. by means of heated bricks. After this time, I returned this comb to the colony and those cells were sealed 14 hours, and in several cases 15 hours, later than they should have been if in normal conditions. It results from these experiences, that the royal larvic becomes developed more slowly and are therefore sealed more tardily, when the necessary attentions have been interrupted and when food is given them after a prolonged interrup- tion. It is known by everybody that royal larvie requires more than the usual time for their development when raised in an artificial swarm that cannot pro- duce the necessary heat for the brood. — F. W. Vogel, in Bienen Zeitung. 10 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. The Hen and the Honey-Bee. (AN APOLOGUE— FROM THE GERMAN OF GELLETT.) BY JOHN G. SAXE. A lazy Hen— the story goes- Loquacious, pert, and self-conceited, Espied a Bee upon a rose, And thus the busy insect gi-eeted : *' Say, what's the use of such as you, (Excuse the freedom of a neighbor !) Who gad about, and never do A single act of useful labor ? *' I've marked you well for many a day. In garden blooms and meadow-clover ; Kow nere, now there, in wanton play ; JFrom morn to night an idle rover. *' While I discreetly bide at home : A faithful wife— the best of mothers ; About the fields you idly roam. Without the least regard for others. *' While I lay eggs and hatch them out, You seek the flowers most sweet and f rag- And, sipping honey, stroll about, [rant, At best a good-for-nothing vagrant !'' " Nay," said the Bee, " you do me wrong ; I'm useful too, perhaps you doubt it, Because— though toiling all day long— I scorn to make a fuss about it ! " While you, with every egg that cheers Your daily task, must stop and hammer The news in other peoples' ears. Till they are deafened with the clamor ! " Come now with me, and see my hive. And note how folks may work in quiet ; To useful arts much more alive Than you with all your cackling riot !" l'envoi. The Poet, one may plainly see Who reads this fable at nis leisure, Is represented by the Bee, Who joins utility to pleasure ; While in this self-conceited Hen We note the Poet's silly neighbor, Who thinks the noisy " working-men " Are doing all the useful labor ! • » > ♦ » For The American Bee Journal. Handling Bees- I commenced helping my father handle bees in tlie summer of 1818. I have handled them in the old way, most of the time. I have a few gums of my own getting up, tliat 1 can go to, and in one minute, have them open, lift the frames, and give them a thorough examination. Long since I found that one should move slow aronnd the hives, and if the bees should surround him or even come within an inch of his nose, he should be composed. If he should get angry the bees will know it and reciprocate itj and so will they know if you are at ease with them. When you open the hive, if they seem angry or are disturbed a few puffs of smoke will entirely subdue them, and you can proceed with your examination. J. Frost. Gillespie, 111. For the American Bee Journal. Success in Raising Honey. We have often spoken of the business of bee-keeping and raising honey as one of cer- tain profit when conducted as it should be. An apiarian should have a taste for honey raising, he should have a practical knowl- edge of the business to go into it on a large scale, so as to make a business of it. It is very easy to keep a few liives, but to con- duct business on a large scale requires a person of mind, for the study of the habits of this little wondrous creature is a most truly interesting and at the same time a most gratifying one, and when understood, the business can be made very profitable. The largest apiaries in this state are at Sandiago and at Los Angelos, the southern countries are very favorable for the raising of bees and making honey, as many wild flowers and bee feeding trees, shrubs and plants are found there in great abundance. Very recently we had an interview with Mr. J. B. Harbison, the well known apiarian, formerly of Sacramento, but now perma- nently located at San Diego, where he is carrying on a very large and very success- ful apiary. Mr. H. was in this city with tliree car loads of his honey destined for Chicago and the East. Mr. H. had already sent six car loads, and anticipates sending six car loads more this season, thus making twelve car loads of honey from one apiary, this looks like business. We remember well the early days when Mr. Harbison began the bee business with a very few hives, brought here via the Isth- nnis, at heavy cost, at a time when a hive of bees sold quick at SlOO to ^50 each. Mr. Harbison has now at San Diego two thousand hives of bees, these are principally the Italian bees, as they are mucn superior to the black bee. In addition to the large amount of honey raised by Mr. H., and it is about 100 tons, Mr. H. makes 1,000 lbs. of beeswax. Mr. Harbison went East with his late shipment, taking it in his own charge. A. G. Clark, Esq., formerly a partner of Mr. Harbison, has also a large apiary, nearly as extensive as that of Mr. H. For a person of the right turn of mind and a very little capital, we know of no occupa- tion or business more interesting, or one more certain to make good returns than tliat of raising bees and making honey. There will always be a market for good honey here, and a certain fair return for it when ship- ped abroad. All that is needed to insure a complete success is a little capital, intelli- gence, a willingness and readiness to be in- dustrious as the bee, and success is sure. We would commend our lower counties, San Diego, Los Angelos, and all along that line of country. We can always give valuable information on this subject, as we are practically in it in this city, where bees do remarkably well, as we can ahow.— California Farmer. A Fifteen-Year-Oi.d Swakm of Bees. — Early in ,Iuly, 1859, 1 put a swarm of bees in a common box liive made of rough hem- lock boards 12 inches square by 15 inches high. From this liive has issued a swarm every vear until now. Soi.. Chandell, Chatham Village, Col. Co., N. Y. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 11 For the American Bee Journal. Eccentric. Now Mr. Editor : did vou ever ? Tlie old reliable Ameiucak Hkk Jouhnai. lias had it's "Novice," "Aiiiateiir," "Tyro," "Fogy," "Begiimer," " and many others whom we don't recall ; and now here conies another 91071 dc plume in the way of an "Eccentric." Well, it takes all sorts of peoi)le to make a world, thev sav, and we dont know of any good reason why the bee-keeping world should not have an "Eccentric" as well as other people. So please don't laugli at our queer ideas and awkward movements, lest we become embarrassed 'ere we become wavwised in our new relation, for, to tell vou tiie iilain truth, we must confess to feel- ing a little shaky in the role of newspaper correspondent. We realize our own limited attainments while in the company of the brilliant, racy writers of the old A. B. J. and really are' not sure that we'll be seen at all amid" so many great lights, whose bril- liancy outshines all smaller luminaries. But, pleading our youthful years in extenuation of mistakes and blunders, we'll try and behave properly, doing the best we can. By the way, what has become of all our old writers who used to entertain us so of- ten and well ? Where is Gallup ? Has he engaged in the production of corn so exten- siyely, (that yields honey the whole year 'round) that he can find no leisure to tell us of his big feats in bee-keeping ? Or has he found a problem in that big, long, hive which he s unable to solve ? And Novice. He too, used to amuse "us little folks" with his funny stories, and nu- merous experiments. We suppose he's gleaninq the fields of Medina Co. and really has no time to tell us of what he's doing. Or it may be his "mission in life" has been accomplished, now that the "patent-right fellows" have subsided. And where is Quinby with his plain prac- tical ideas and large common sense ; Adair, with his ponderous, jaw-breaking names and brilliant "new ideas :" Dadant whose extensive, accurate knowledge and terse, vigorous sentences were always read with aviditv ; Argo who always had something good to say, and knew how to say it well ; Burch who once wrote regularly, and usually to the point ; and many others, "too numer- ous to mention." Can't they be induced to resume the pen once more ? We trust they may. We notice that some of the Journal's cor- respondents have been bothered in getting the pay for their honey. To toil and sweat through the hot summer months to get a nice ftile of honey, trusting that the pro- ceeds in the fall, from its sale, will remuner- ate us for all our hard work, and then be cheated out of a portion or all of our money, by a dishonest honey merchant, may be a nice thing for the latter gentlemen, but we don't exactly appreciate it. In fact it's a transaction that is becoming so frequent that some means should be devised to put an end to it. What we, as bee-keepers, need to-day above everj-thing else, is, some good, sure market for our honey at a fair price, in cash paid on delivery. The cold and chilling winds of spring may decimate the ranks of "bee-tlom, ' heat and lack of moisture may cut short the summer pasturage. This we can and do bear uncom- plainingly. But to lose what honey we do get, through the dishonest, thieving propen- sity of some city dealer is a little too much; it's the one step from the sublime to the ri- diculous. This may be considered plain, talk, and we are inclined to think so too. We always try to si)eak intelligi))ly, ever aiming to tell the truth. Now, we by n© means wish to be "unch-rstood that wculeem all men (and women) who solicit consign- ments of our honey, as belonging to that class of people who wish to avoid paying for what they buy. Not at all. But there are people of this class, and we would denounce them in unspairiug terms. We know of no better way to make them honest, than to ad- vise people to avoid them altogether. In this connection we would caution all our readers about selling to a New York honey house "on time," unless the parties who run it have a little more regard for their dealing than a Chicago honey nouse, you'll be apt to lose by it. We've been there and "know how it is ourselves." And "Eccentric" isn't the only person who has lost money by deal- ing with these same parties. The season just closed, has been rather a dull one in our localtty. Bees came through, the winter in poor condition, faucity of numbers being the rule ; while the fearful months of April and May, just did a sweep- ing business in the diminution of the rem- nants of what once were, powerful colonies. June was warm and balmy, but the avidity of the atmosphere "played smash" with our honey prospects, though our little "baby col- onies" increased in stature with such celer- ity that with the advent of the linden blos- soms on the 8th of July, they were "forty thousand strong" and ready for concjuest. Ah! yes, they were ready, but the linden hadn't any idea of being pumped of its de- licious nectar ; and after "making believe" ' for sixteen days— days of anxious, weary waiting for the good time a coming, ever waiting, but never appearing— doffed its millions of tiny, pendent blossoms, and bid farewell to honey and 1874. And thus it was during the remainder of the season, save that boneset furnished us with enough liquid for colds, croup and catarrh,, the con- comitants of Northern winters. (By the way have our readers ever investigated tlie medicinal properties of the various kinds of honey? If any of you are ailing, we'd ad- vise you too.) And so we've got but little honey, and as honey is low and dull we've surely got less money ; but we have got a a few bees left to die off next winter when old boreas and the "bee-disease" make their annual appearance. Mr. Editor: we said honey was low, and the probability of it commanding still lower prices in the hiture, stares us squarely in the face. Now, as consumers of honey pay just about as much money for the article as formerly, we'd really like to know what's the matter. Isn't the solution of the prob- lem to be found in the fact that honey deal- ers are constantly endeavoring to depress prices so as to purchase from the producer at the lowest possible figures. By keeping the price to tlie consumer up to the old fig- ures, of course the profits of the business are augmented. Now what earthly use is there in giving all the profits to some honey houses why not adopt the (iranger's princj- jtle of selling direct to the consumer, and save our hard earned shillings, while the consumer will be benefitted by lower prices 12 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. and a purer article ? Of course, if we raise numberless tons os solft«n nectar, it may be necessary for us to secure the aid of the "middle-men," but make him do the busi- ness, on not extortionate principles. We said that the consumer would get a purer article at a lower price. Of course we can afford to sell at a cheaper rate than the consumer has usually paid, and at the same time, sell him something besides sugar and glucose. It seems to us that there should be a distinc- tion between the products of an apiary and a honey-house. Consumers should note this point ; for, while the former represents the delicious nectar of nature's labratory, the latter conveys a strong impression of the conglomeration of a variety of saccharine substances, of which honey forms an insig- nificant proportion. In recently passing over the Michigan Central K. R., vv^e stop- ped off at Dowagiac to visit Michigan's ris- ing apiarian, Mr. James Heddon. We were much pleased with his apiary and its ar- rangements ; and also were particularly im- pressed with the correctness of his ideas up- on the above subject. lie thinks that ex- tracted honey is having a hard time of it, when compelled to compete with the sugar works of New Orleans and the glucose fac- tories of France. We are glad to add that he, is doing good work in redeeming the good name of extracted houey, by furnishing the consumer with a neat, pure article at living prices. Mr. Editor, haven't you been bothered so much with the hive controversy as to be out of all manner of patience witfi the patent- right chaps ? Well, we just want to say a word or two on hives, and as we've no "right" to sell or give away, please tolerate ns just a few minutes. Long idea hives had been lauded to the skies and their praise vociferated the wide world over, so we, too, must have 'em. Well we've got 'em, and tioiv if we could only find the man who in- vented them, we'd be most terribly tempted to call him— well, we wont say what, but 'twould not be pretty, we can assure you. The simple truth, plainly told, is this : these great, long, ungained, ill-shajied monstrosi- ities of a l)ee-hive are unmitigated humbugs, both theoretically and practically. Adair may tell us of the obvious advantages to be derived from using a hive ten feet long ; that we may increase the fertility of the queen ; Gallup may triumphantly point us to his 800 pounds of liquid from one hive in a single season. Novice can predict that these fearful "new ideas" will 'ere long, l-ule the (bee) world. But why won't Adair have the kindness to say that he loses more than 90 per cent of his bees in winter ; Gal- lup the manliness to frankly state that he can get his 800 ]X)unds from the same num- "ber of combs in smaller hives and with much greater certainty ; and Novice the can- dor to' admit that he hasn't used such hives at all. These rose-colored pictiu-es of long, one story hives, are evanescent bubles ready to exi)lode upon practical experiment and investigation. They offer no iiossible ad- vantage over smaller hives, while they are deficient in many prime requisites which small hives possess. And if any "new idea" advocalc wishes to "go for us" because of our heresy in this particular, let him "])itc]i in.' And now in conclusion, we must confess to having been a tri lie. belligerent, ])erhaps, but will try henceforth, to be a steady sober Eccentric. For the American Bee Journal. A Home-Made Bee Hive. A correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette gives such plain directions for making a bee hive that every boy on a farm witii a bit of a taste for mechanics can readily make one for his own bees. He says: In the first place yon want rabets, half an inch deep, at each end of the hive, to receive the ends of the frame; next you want your frames made true so that they will hang plumb in the hive. Tliere should be one frame for every inch and a half of space in the width of your hive. Next prepare your bottom board and lay it level. Put your hive on the board so that tiie frames will run from front to rear; then elevate your hive about three inches, and your hive is ready for the bees. Make your frames just three-fourths of an inch shorter than the inside of your hive, and have them so that they will not touch at either end nor swing against each other. I have a center opening that is very conve- nient, and different from any that I have seen. I wish it understood that when I raise the rear of the hive, I raise the bottom board with it. If your hive leans to one side, the bees will build across the frame. I have my bees in a yard, and each hive is covered with a cover made by nailing two boards together and resting it on the top of tlie hive. I make the ton board of my hive in three pieces, by nailing two cleats on the top of them, and making two holes to run across the frames, each hole six inches long. This is to make room for the bees to pa,ss into tlie sm-plus honey-boxes. When the boxes are on. the cover alluded to rests on the box. G. Long. For tlie American Bee Journal. A few Remarks. I find different writers in our bee journals and standard books, published for our in- struction, often come in conflict on ques- tions of some interest and information to the bee keeping community. There has been considerable written on the sulijt'et of the Italian and native bees in comj)arison with each other. With regard to their peaceable and quiet disposition, I have read reuuirks by some giving preference to the Italians as alto- gethcT more i)eaceable than the native, and that they would hardly ever use the sting, if treated with gentlen"ess. Some have giv- en the hybrids tlie name of being the Gross- est and most difficult to manage. W. M. Kellogg, in your October number, tells us : "Many say that Italians are not so cross in brushing off the coombs as hy- brids and blacks, biit we don't find it so. We have handled a good many stocks this season, of all three kinds; and when we come to tlic extracting, give ns the hybrids and blacks in preference to the Italians, every time. * * and the worst stinging we have had this sunnner, has been by Italians," I think that a little reflection will satisfy lis tliat tlu^ three kinds will probably ]ily their difl'erent weapons when rudely as- saulted; and that under quiet and gentle treatment we may succeed, with little trouble, with either of the three. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 13 I confoss I have never discovered any marked difference in the tliree varieties, in tills partieiilar. Again, it lias been claimed by some that the Italians will gather more honey than the black bees. There has been so nnieh said in their favor, and they look so handsome, I think if a coloney of e(jual strength of eacii kind was otfered me tor choice, I should take the Italian. It may, probably, be favorable to make siich a change as tiieir education among our native bees will etfect. Tlie largest amount of box honey I ever secured as surplus from one hive, in one season, ('iiKJlb), was by hy- brids. The largest amount I ever secured, excei)t in that instance, was by a colony of natives (I74ir)). It was in different seasons, and in different fields— liardly admitting of aaiy satisfactory or certain comparison. i'rom my experiments, thus far, I have no doubt that nuich more depends upon the character of the hive, than of the (piestion which variety of bees are employed. The most important point to secure is the largest force of workers, through the honey season. Take a hive in the early ]iart of the season and divide it into three or tour colonies, and little surplus must be expected. With all the workers operating in one hive, a haud- some surplus may be secin-ed. My doctrine is,— Secure a large working force by removing all disposition to swarm from tlie abundant box rooom, given in in- timate connection with and easy entrance from the breeding apartment, and secure from 100 to 200 pounds of box honey from each coloney. Let others do better that can. Jasi'EK IIazen. Woodstock, Yt. For the American Bee Journal. Superior Fiddlesticks. In the December No. of the Joitknai,, friend Ross pitches into me, and says : "are there not too many that have nothing to re- port but their failures, after trying to keep the Italian bees pure ?" And, " will our learned friend, W. M. Kellogg, please state the condition those four insignificant black stocks were in at the time his Italian queens became fertile ?" I do not know what condition they were in at the time, for they were a neighbor's stocks, and I had nothing to do with tliem. But I know that they were medium strong stocks, and but one of them cast a swarm. But their condition just then hasn't much to do with it, for it was not only at that time that the Italian queens were mated with black drones, but all the season through, when they had no need for their drones. At the time I wrote, but a few queens had been raised, but later a good many have been raised, and some iiuite late in the sea- son, and fully tiiree-fortlis {%) of the Italian queens were mated with black drones, weeks after the blacks were done raising queens ; wiien, according to friend Ross, they should be out of condition, but still we were " troubled with black drones." With one exception none of us were trying to keep the Italians pure, had no black drones of our own, but plenty of Italian drones. One person was raising queens, and of course wanted to kee]) them i)ure. Tried to buy the black stocks of the owner, or put in Italian queens, Init he'd have none of it. So we had to run our chances. We ke])t our Italians in good condition, saved all the drone brood we could get, and I cut out ancl gave to my friend several sheets of Italian (Irone brof)d, so that we had thousands of drones flying. Besides, I killed a gi'eat many black drones while transfering one of the four black stocks, and still we were troubled with black drones, to the extent of three-fourths (%) of our (|ueens. I think now as I did then, " Superior fid- dlesticks." " What kind of bees has K. got ?" The same kind as you have probably, at any rate they have got legs, wings, stingers, etc., and gather honey etc., when there is any to get. Any on(^ who has noticed bees clustering in front of the hive during warm weather, has seen flies around them too : drawn there by the scent of the hive, trying to get in, and continually on the Jump to keep out of the bee-guards way. Then it was the chickens walked up and introduced the flies down their throats, and I never noticed more than one or two that got stung. Our bees are very quiet, generally, ancl friend Ross could step up and pick out the flies himself without being stung. I think it would not be a good plan for any one to put a chicken inside of his hive if living near to friend Ross, for if he is as fond of chickens as he says, he'd " go for " the chicken if he had to take bees and all. Brother bee-keepers, keep an eye on your hen roosts. W. M. Kellogg. Oneida, 111. For the American Bee Journal. New Bee Pasturage. I have been keeping bees in a limited way for the past 27 years, but the lunnber of my colonies never exceeded 40 or 50, until the past season. In the mean time, my experi- ence has met with occasional drawbacks and losses, but I have made the business of producing honey a success, and therefore feel encouraged in my okl days to expand it a little. I have been using the Langstroth hive mostly, but I prefer the large Trellis hive of Mr. Simons, of Fairfield, Iowa ; in which I find no difliculty in wintering on sunnuer stands. My Langstroth hives I have to store away in a dark, dry cellar, to keep them safely tlirou'^h the winter. In my bee yard I liave growing a few bunches of a perenuel plant known here as the "pleurisy root." It is a pretty and fragrant blooming plant, upon which the bees cluster busily for more than a month, and do not forsake it until the bloom is en- tirely gone. What are they after ? Honey, pollen, or both ? I consider it worthy of cultivation for bee pasturage. What do our experienced bee- men know about it ? Will they answer through the Jouknal. Daniel Eidek. Fairfield, Iowa. No other branch of industry can be nam- ed in wliich there need be so little loss on tlie material emjiloycd, or which so com- pletely derives its profits from the vast and exhaustless domains of nature, as bee cul- ture. M THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. For the American Bee Journal. Upright Ventilation. Bees have done better this year than they have for several years past. Two-thirds of them died in this county, last winter, on ac- count of not giving them upright ventila- tion. The frost accumulated in the hive tuitil the bees were frozen, in a solid mass. The first warm day they would thaw and fall down dead, and leave plenty of honey. Some old fogies came to me to know what was the matter with their bees. Tiiey died with plenty of honey, I replied, nothing but laziness. Had you done as I told you, you would have had all of your bees now ! ''Oh," said they, "they died with some dis- ease. I know they did, for they had plenty of honey left. Did not your'sdie?" "No, not one. I fixed them, as 1 told you to do. Take off all the honey; then pack the top of the hive with corn cobs, just high enough so your cap will cover them; put 2 one inch holes in your hive, one on each side, cover well, and your bees will be all right next spring, on their sumer stands." We have quite a large bee firm here. It consists of some 200 persons. They all be- long to the Methodist Church. Their church has a very tall slender steple. On their church, about 20 feet from the top are 4 small holes; left for ventilating the steple. Above those holes the cross timbers are so close together, that I can scarcely get my hand through. Above this is a large space 4 feet at the bottom, and running up to a sharp point. A large swarm of bees have been working all sunnner. Ilow long tliey have been there I don't know; the members all, claim to be members of a new bee firm. H. Faul. Council Bluffs, Iowa. For the American Bee Journal. My Method. The philosophy of my method I believe to he this : The b('(>s when hived in an empty hive, want brood-comb first; and being cramped for room, starts combs in little Idts Dear togetlier, along all the triangular guides which they join at the edges before they have extended tliem so far as to get tlien'i materially diverged from line. I have some- times, (though seldom) had them wavy, and if the fraiiK'S are not i)roperly spaced, they will Iniild to one side, and get iiivgiilar. The difticulty which causes this is having estab- lished their brood nest; the next thing is, to store, for which they need room. Having filled the cells adjoining the brood, they lengthen the cells next a vacant space, before starting comb on the next frame, so that they have to set off a i)rop(n- distajice. Or having started rightly, in extending cond) edgewise, they come to the lengtliened cells, and (liv(>rge from line, to avoid crowding, and()l)tain room for full length cells next to lengtliened ones. This tendency to length- en ccllsv adjoining a vacant space, coiitin- ues; and the further tliey go, the worse tliey get. Of course as soon as they get well started they should have additional room; but hero comes another ditticulty, growing out of this sauK! tendency to lengthen cells for storage, lu building. (ui the fran;cs inserted between those started, they are apt to come in con- tact with those lengthened on the adjoining frames, and hence nave to make short cells to preserve space between combs, which gives irregular surface. This has to be rem- edied by so placing them between straight combs as that they will properly lengthen the short cells on the new comb; but by in- serting the new frames as needed between broad combs or sealed cells, this difliculty is largely avoided. I^nade the discovery accidently by placing two very large swarms in one hive in a hur- ry, when they were coming fast, and the next day having some friends call, and wish- ing to show them what my big swarm had done, I opened them and found the state of things desribed above. The hive used was six and one-half deep, 143^ in width, taking 21 inch frames and they had as stated above, stacked combs close together the whole length of all the 10 frames. This was a grand success under diificulties, which I had found so great that I had be- gun to think camb frames and modern bee- keeping a humbug. I acted on the sugges- tion and had no farther difficulty ; obser- vation and reflection have convinced me that the theory 1 have given you is correct. At all events the method succeeds. H. HUDSOK. Douglass, Mich. For tlie American Bee Journal. Queen Raising- I promised to give more facts on queen- raisnig, in my last letter. This is the main point in bee-keeping; if every bee-keeper sells full colonies or queens it would give them a better reputation. If you send for good stocks of course you want a yovmg and prolital)le (lueen. If I pay the owner the price he asks for good colonies, has he aright to send it with a worn-out queen, that I have to ti'y S or 10 days or a month to raise ; when I have paid for a good hive. Such men should be published through the JouKNAL, so that strangers may know them. After every stock had a good queen, they became strong and yielded over 5 per cent; I had from one good swarm, inSLangstroth hives. Sold 2 queens ($h) and about 9 gal- lons of Extracted Honey, at 2o cents per lb. I had a swarm that was weak in the spring that did not give quite so much. JOHX P. Gkunthek. Theresa, Wis. For nie American Bee .Tournal. The Tulip Tree Again. On page 2S3, October Xo. of the Ameri- CAX Bi-:k .Touunai., I notice an article from the pen of J. lialston Wells, upon tiie value of the tulip as a honey producing tree. As lie says there are many making imiuiries liow they may be obtained, I will take this method of iiiforming the readers of the .lornxAi. that I can furnish a few hundred of the young trees— 1, 2. and 3 years old. The tulip tree will not grow from cuttings, but lives readily when transplanted, from I to 5 years old. 'Older than two years would be unhandy and dilficult to ship long dis- tances. W. E. Fkeeman. Olustee Creek, Tike Co., Ala. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 15 For the American Bee Journal. Alsike Clover in the South- Having had sev(>val years' experience •U'itli tliis specie of clover, 1 trust some of «iy conclusions may be of value to a portion of your readers. Alsike produces more honey than white clover and continues nnich longer in blos- •som. The honey is of a good quality, a lit- tle higher colored than that of the white clover and not quite so delicate in flavor. It branches like red clover, and the same ■stock will often have at the same time many ripe heads, and even to the embryo bud, so that when the crop is cut for seed, the straw makes a second quality of hay if we'd cured. Horses, cattle and sheep are fond of it for My or grazing. I sow about five pounds of seed to the 'acre, with the same (luantity of timothy. It makes better hay than the red clover, though not so productive. It does best on snoderately moist soil. If gi'own with timo- thv for seed, the latter should be cradled ibe'fore the Alsike is cut. Sorrel and other :small seeds should be carefully sifted out After Alsike is threshed out, but before it is ground out of the hull. In my opinion every bee keeper should try Alsike clover for his bees. I say try, for I am not confident that it will succeed in sandy soil at the South. E. Need. For the American Bee Journal. Whistling Down Swarms. Mr. George T. Ilaiiiiuond, of North Ber- gen, X. Y., (a successful and progTessive bee-keeper) tells me that he practices whis- tling down swarms, and has never failed in causing them to alight, since becoming ac- auainted with this method of arresting their ight. His attention was first called to •whistling for them, in this way. A neigh- bor had a swarm that were flying over. Be- ing asked how lu' stojjped them, he replied •"the boy whistled them down," but would orconUrnot tell how he did it. Mr. Ham- mond says he did not take any further notice of it, till the subject was again called to his attention by reading in the proceed- ings of the Bee-Keeper's Convention, that a gentleman stated tliat he could control a swarm of bees on the wing by whistling to them, and by request gave a s])ecimen whistle, which was pronounced by the re- jfbrter to be indescribable upon paper. My informant, at the proper season, prac- tised and hit upon a sound which st'cms to have the desired effect and can be tested by any person of ordinary whistling abilities. As" I heard him repeat the sound I should describe it as not being very peculiar, but a brisk modulated repetition of whist-whist- whist. Now if this whistling theory is a success, liow superior it is to all other known methods for stopping absconding swarms. What easy control it would give to the api- aiian over his bees, during the swarming season. How easily " Novice'' or P. G. could have stopped that swarm of Italians led off by "Giantess." This running through ,the house pell-mell kicking over the stool smd scalding the cat, in your eft'orts to pull the looking glass from its hangings, mean- while one of vour largest swarms may be doing its level Itest for the woods— and then when you think you have your glass in position find the sun does not shine, or is disappearing behind a cloud, is not just the tiling to preserve that mental equilibrium said to be so n(>cessary in handling bees. My object in writing this article is to broach the subject, and get reports from others who have tried the experiment ; as I canhot confirm Mr. Hammond's success by my own experience, not having any confi- dence in my whistling abilities to imitate the call of "the (pieeii, yet think if 1 were again to go through the "past season's labors in the apiary I should attempt some tall whistling when seeing swarms making for the woods, and I without means to hinder their progress. C. li. Isiiam. For the American Bee Journal. Dysentery Again. Bidwell's paper, as printed in the Novem- ber No., will create a general row among bee-keepers, and no doubt new ideas and profitable ex])erinients will be discovered. The discovery of bees flying under glass will be of great importance for bee-keepers who are in a very windy situation, like my- self. Last year every one wintered his bees so well out-doors and int;ellars that no com- plaints about dysentery were heard off ; but I fear very much if Bidwell's plan, when tested with bees having the dysentery, may yet prove a failure ; because the space being so small they will smear each other so much that nearly all will be soiled. I find in time of dysentery that there is always a great loss of bees, partly through weakness and bv the smearing of their wings in their first flight. Last year my bees soiled the snow but very little, and the consumption of honey was very small. By the burning of my farm, and the lack of time in October and November to fiM'd th(Mu. I was compelled to feed every week all through the winter ; so every Saturday afternoon I examined frame after frame, as in mid-snmmer, to see what honey they had, to prevent starvation. Sugar syrup in bulk they would not take, I must coax them in every manner. By care and continual feeding they came through in good condition, although they had to coil over the top of the frames once a week, and I got a good deal of stinging too. No man was ever bothered so much with his bees during winter. Had I given strain- ed honey it might have been quite different. Novice mentions that dysentery is often attributed to the (luality of the honey. That is my opinion and experience. In Belgium the honey season is over with August ; many bt^e-keepers instead of kill- ing them put several stocks together, these new hives are sent to the province of Ant- werp where one-half of the State is very barren, but a low brush is found from which the bees gather fall honey. Some years, in wet seasons they gather very little, and some years enough is stored to winter on. Now many bee-keepers, and myself amorig them, have never Ibeen able to winter a colony without dysentery. It is a common saying that the honey of this flower is too hot to winter them. I believe those bee- keepers do not know what they say ; yet 16 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. dysentery is a fact too well known to be disputed. Ventilation, or warmth, have notning to do with it, because they are set in their straw hives in the same rows with the other hives, and the ventilation and warmth is the same for all. This is a clear proof that " Novice" is right in saying that the nature of honey has much to do with it. A Question, I should be glad to know — Does any bee-keeper's experience in warm- ing his bee house, during a cold season in April, with his hives on the shelves, advise such treatment ? Will any one give his ex- perience on this matter in the Bee Jour- nal ? Will Gallup and Adair gives us a report of their apiaries with their 4 ft. hives ? Wequoick, Wis. Joseph Duffeler. For the American Bee Journal. Bees in Aroostook Co., Me. We have had a very poor season for bees in this county, the past summer; and the causes are very obvious. Last winter there was but very little snow and in consequence the spring fi'osts pulled up and killed all the white clover which is usually abundant in this vicinity, and from which our "little pets" gather the most of their honey. Leaving them not much else to gather from except the blossoms, which are not very plenty in this section, and dandeloin. They were prevented from gathering honey from them by the excessive rains, which Icept up a continual spatter all through the months of May and June, leaving nothing for them to gather until they got at a species of gol- den rod, from which they gathered a small amount. Very few colonies have gathered enough to winter on. Scarcely a hive has swarmed, and the hives on an average are lighter than they were last spring. Hund- reds of colonics will swarm tlie coming winter if not fed. This county lias been, for the last ten years, the honey garden of Maine. But this year we are having a big share of "poor luck." If we keep our bees on "luck," this winter, I am convinced we shall lose most of them. It is so strange that those who keep bees do not iufonn themselves on bee culture, when they have a chance to take a paper like the American Bee Journal, that will repay them the sub- scription price every month, and scarce a volume since it was established but would pay a bee-keeper to lay by at five dollars each, for future reference. Houltou, Maine. K. S. Torrey. For the American Bee Journal. Breeding Peaceful Hybrids. After carefully studying the natural his- tory of the bees for soiiu^. time I have come to the concliisiDU tliat the disposition of the workers (U'pciids altogether on the drones, and that tliere can be a cross made be- tween the Italians and blacks, which will firoduce a race of bees as gentle as the pm-e talians. I began bee-keeping with a few stands of Italians and hybrids; the latter being the progeny of Italian (lueens which had mated witli black drones. These I found to be very cross, which is the reiiorted experience of all who have kept them. The Italians were, as represented, gentle. Last year, some of the old Italian queens, whose worker progeny were hybrids, wer© superceeded and the young queens that, were raised from them mated with Italian drones. This spring I found that the pro- geny of these queens had wintered better; also that the queens began to lay earlier, and were more prolific, and consequently were the first to raise drones and become strong enough to divide. These hybrids, unlike the others, were as gentle as the Ital- ians. Several of my young Italian queens which I raised this summer have mated with drones which are the progeny of these queens, and the workers from this cross are also gentle. I have never owned any black bees, but observing my neighbors, I find tliat the pure blacks are always cross compared with the Italians, but the progeny of a black queen which has mated with an Italian drone is gentle. Thus i conclude that the worker bees which are the progeny of an Italian queen, a hybrid queen, or a black queen which has mated with an Italian drone, are gentle. Those who are the progeny of an Italian queen, or a black queen wliich has mated with a black drone are cross. Those which are from an Italian queen and a hybrid drone are gentle. I have not hail a chance to make any ob- servation concerning the disposition of bees that are from a hybrid queen which has mated with a hybrid drone, but if my con- clusions that the fighting qualities of the workers depend on the drone are correct, they will be as gentle as those of an Italian queen which has mated with a hybrid drone. N. A. For the American Bee Journal. My Experience. Messrs. Emtors : — I am not in the habit of writing anything for publication, but as I am deeply interested on the bee question, perhaps a word from me would not be amiss. I am now 64 years old ; have been raising bees since 1S49 ; but my love for the little insect, whose life is so suggestive of industry and wisilon, is unabated. Last winter I lost between .'ttiSOO and .S.5()0 worth of bees. Since that time, the season has been better, and I have averaged !jp25 to the hive. Have been raising the Italian bees for 4 or 5 years. Am well pleased with them. I see them very busy sometimes, when the black bee is idle. I have sold the Italian bees for $-iO, when the black bees could have been bought for.'if.?. I have been using the Langstroth hive since 1S5G, and think it the best I have ever seen. Your JouKXAL is invaluable. I have been a subscriber to it from its infancy up> to the present time. Its visits are like the visits of an old friend — always welcome. I wish you success. John C. Daugiiekty., Owingsville, Bath Co., Ky. Always have the cheerful rays of the morning sun full upon your hives ; but con- trive to throw a shade uiK)n their front for a tew iiours in the nudille of the day, when the weather is very hot. Such a shade will be grateful to yoiu- bees. — Nutt. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 17 For the American Bee Journal. Honey Producing Plants. We give a notation of lioney-nroducing plants in the vicinity of Aurora, Marion Co., Oregon, for tlie year A. D., 1874; FEBKUAKY. The willow was in bloom from Feb. 14 and continued to April 1!S. Tlie varioniea from Feb. 16 to April ^. Cliiek-wiH'd. from Feb. 1(5 to May 20. Hazel, from Feb. 28 to April 8. MARCH. Lfeadow-cress, March 16 to April 24. Cedar, from March KJ to April 8. Brush unknown, (No. 1) from March 20 to April 24. Balm of Gilead, from March 20 to April 8. Salmon berries, from March 28 to May 4. Dandelion, from March 30 to July 12. APRIL. Peach, from April 1st to April 38. ^Vild currants, from April 1 to May 18. Oregon grapes, from April 4 to May 3. Gossberries, from April 4 to May 10. Plumbs, from April 1 to April 28. Cherries, from April 9 to May 14. Bear, from April 10 to May 0. Soft maple, from April 10 to May 20. Common currant, from April 11 to May 14. Apples, from April If. to May 18, Prunes, from April 16 to May 3. Vine mai)le, from April 18 to May 24. Raspberries, from April 22 to June 3. Iris grass, from April 23 to June 6. AVhite clover, from 25 to Oct 12. June berries, from April 25 to May 22. Sheep sorrel, from Ai>ril 25 to Sept. 2. MAY. Oregon crab apple, May 3 to May 20. Blackberries, May (5 to July 20. Brush unknown (No. 2,) from May 5 to May 28. Barberry tree, from IMay 3 to July 10. Red clover, from May 12 to Sept. 30. Man-in-the-ground, from May 14 to July 2.5. Thimbleberries, from May 14 to June 30. White swale flowers, from May 14 to July 10. Wild and cultivated camomile, from May 14 to Aug. 18. Huckleberries, from May 10 to June 3. The mallow flower family, from May 10 to September 25. Laurel, from may 17 to Jnne 20. Alsike clover, from Mav 18 to September 1st. Snowberries, from May 18 to July 16. Brush unknown (No. 3.) from May 18 to June 20. Thistle, from May 18 to Aug. 10. Roses, from May 20 to July 25. Umbelliferous family, from May 20 to Aiigust 10. Salalberries, from INIay 23 to July 29. Milk weed. May 28 to September 12. JUNE. Lobelia, from June 1 to July 30. Flowers in swamps (unknown), from June 1 to August 15. Common grape, from June 8 to July 10. Spirea, from June 8 to July 20. Ileal-all, from June 15 to July 25. Indian arrow-wood, from June 15 to July A little. bell shaped flower (name un- known), from June 15 to July '24. Elder, from .June 18 to July 26. Cat mint, from June 18 till heavy frost. King's tapers, from June 22 till heavy frost. Weeds in bottoms (unknown) from June 28 to Sejiteiuher 1. Various kinds of the mint family, from June 25 till frosts. JULY. Blackroot, from July 2 to August 25. Corn, from July 8 t-o Aug. 20. A vine in bottom (unknown) from July 12 to September 1. AUGUST. ■ Ripe fruits counnence, such as apples, pears, plums, etc., which bees work on when first pierced by birds or other ani- mals; some last to winter. Spanish needle from August 10 till heavy frosts appear. Farm products that produce honey are sue cessfully raised here, such as rape, buck- wheat, etc. SEPTEMBER. A number of the above named flowers bloom a on which to make a deposit, or a man waling about with an apparently sud- den attack of dropsy, because our city coun- cil has not provided a public water-closet. Others build special houses to winter their bees in. Still others put on their hives, blankets and mats with special provision for ventilation, in the face of the facts that the bees, when they can, will stop air-tight every crevice except their entrance hole. If another hole is left two or three inches in diameter perhaps they will not close it be- cause it is too big a job, but if the owner will put a piece of wire gauze on it, they will plaster it all over and make it air-tight. The blankets and mats appear to be good, because they are non-conductors and not be- cause they ventilate the hive or absorb the moisture. The latest, and therefore most approved, plan, is to winter bees under a cold frame, or, as the phrase is, under glasSy That will have a run for a winter or two. A short time ago one of my acquaintances made an experiment which appeared to be successful. He surrounded one of his hives, early in the spring, with fresh manure, thus making a hot-bed of it. His intention was that the extra heat should start the queen to laying and aid in hatching out the brood. In this he succeeded very well. With a view to public benefit, he wrote a circum- stantial account of it to a certain person who being of a volatile, sanguine, harum- scarum disposition immediately procured several loads of manure and buried up his whole apiary of fifty hives more or less. He published, from time to time, how he was progressieg with this great invention, but suddenly his proclamations ceased and no- body knows from him, how it resulted. They only know that as usual his bees did not. winter well or as it is now fashionable to say they did not spring well. In considering the subject of wintering bees a good plan is to examine the condi- tion and progi'ess of the life of a swarm in a state of nature, and to ascertain what in- stinct teaches ihem to do. Art can only slightly improve on nature but cannot en- tirely change it. Bees in nature are gener- ally found in hollow trees. It is not prob- able that many accurate observations nave been made, but the best knowledge w^ehave, is, that they select a home in tiie hollow of a tree, which, hollow has resulted generally fi'om decay. These hollows are from one foot to per- haps fifty feet in length and of different di- ameters. The walls are generally in a de- caying condition, being spongy, and full of air cells, thus making a first rate non-con- ductor. Here they work from year to year, no honey being taken away by man, comb accumulating every year until the whole cavity is filled ancl it tiie seasons are good the honey also accumulates, so that when a bad season happens they will have prob- ably the surplus of several years to tide them over. If the cavity is large they probably never swarm, their numbers will increase according ty the laying capacity of the queen. Tliese several conditions always ensure large swarms and plenty of food. In such hives where is the ventilation? If there should be a hole Jibt)ve, which would inip- ]ien maybe once in fifty times, such strung swarms would live in spite of its ventilation, but they would stop it up if jjossible. If tliere is any superfluous moisture it may be taken up by the decaying wood lin- ing the cavitv, but tliere is i)robably no moisture. In human life there is so little extra moisture, that it requires accurate ex- periments to find it. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 19 In wliat case of animal life does the mois- ture emanating from their bodies, condense to such an extent as to dampen and mould their beds ? Then why should a swarm of bees be so exceedingly productive of water. From my reading, from conversations with bee-keepers and from my own small ex- perience, I think 1 can pcJint out the prin- cipal causes of our want of success in win- tering. The extended use of frame hives makes it so easy to take away honey that they are often left with insufficient stores. It is so easy to divide or swarm artificially, that in the" fall our swarms are often too weak in bees, to keep up sufficient animal heat for winter. The beauty of the Italian queens and the apparent prosperity indicated oy the number oi swarms, hniderus from doubling Tip, consequently we are very likely to go into winter witli a large number of weak swarms with insufficient food, and come out in spring with one half or one tenth of the number of weaker swarms in starving con- dition. At the Pittsburgh Convention, on the dis- cussion of the question whether it would pay to carry bees to a warmer climate to winter, bringing them back in the spring to this neighborhood, several old oee-keepers seemed to think that such a process would be useless, because nature provides that in very cold weather bees become torpid, and in tnat condition consume almost no food, and that the difficulty of wintering is not directly from the extreme cold but from the lack of means of resisting the effects of the cold. My conclusion from all the foregoing is, that, if swarms are strong in numbers of bees in the fall, and have plenty of honey, all the difficulties of wintering would vanish. Therefore bee-keepers must avoid extract- ing honey to an extreme point. If they mul- tiply swarms in summer oeyong propriety, they must reduce the number in the fall by doubling up or joining to-gether. It is mucn better to lose several queens in the fall, than to lose both bees and queens in the spring. If the swarms are strong in winter and nave plenty of honey, all ex- perience shows that the dangers from want of ventilation, extra moisture &c., are very small snd very remote. Use as many blan- kets and other non-conductors as you please they are generally very useful, and strong swarms can stand a good deal of ventilation if vour ideas run strongly in that direction. Cincinnati. O. H. W. S. Standard Frames.— S. D. McLean, in the Bee World, says : "The size of a sus- pension frame I use in my own apiary is fourteen and one-quarter by nine and one- quarter inches, though not the size I prefer. Were 1 to commence anew I would make my frames fifteen by ten inches, exactly, outside measure, with three-fourths of an inch extension at each end of top bars to rest on the rabbets of the hive. I suggest that size to the advocates of a standard frame, as a compromise among the many now in use. The length would be about a medium between the Quinby and the Gal- lop frames — the longest and the shortest frames made— and the depth would be amp- ly sufficient for brood combs, and not so deep as to be liable to swing together at the bottom or have the wavy combs in them," For the American Bcc Journal, Answer to Mrs. Spaids. If the copy books of the Chicago Honey were not burned, ]\Irs. Spaids would see that her answer to my incpiiry of what they were paying for fall honey, was simply, "We are- paying fifteen cents,''— without any condi- tion of its being good. And as to my saying it was nice, I made no such assertion. When shipped to them, it was candied.. They had it in their posession for several weeks, and when it was turned over to Per- rine, it was thin and watery. How the change come, I cannot say. Has anyone ever known candied honey to turn thin and watery? My advise to bee keepers, and what I intend to do in future, is to keep the fall honey for winter supply, or increase of bees, and sell only the summer honey. William W. 13ird. Napoleon, O. Honey Dew.— A. H. K. Bryant, Kauf- man, Texas, says : "Some two years since I was attracted, by the hum of bees, to a box elder that stood in my yard, and when I looked for the cause, I found not only the- leaves of the tree covered witn honey dew, but the limbs, and also the weeds and the- grass underneath, liberally covered with the honey dew. On my first examination I did not find the aphis, and came to the con- clusion that it was sure enough, honey dew from the atmosphere; but on a closer in- spection, I found the young, tender twigs — which are very green— Utterly covered with a very green aphis, (plant louse), hence the abundance of tne so-called honey dew, that: was litterally dripping from the tree to the- weeds and grass below," Traveling Apiaries.— The New Tork Tribune says ; "Some of our apiarians are talking of a wagon with frames for a. large number of hives, that can be moved about from one location to another. The benefits claimed are to take advantage, first, of the maple and willow blooms; next come back to orchards and white clover; then off to the forest for the basswood and other flowers; then for the blossoms of the tulip tree, and finally back to the fields of buck- wheat and flowers of Autumn. The plan has been pursued in a small way for some years." > » ♦ ♦ > In the ordinary glass honey boxes now in use, it requires about 35 cubic inches to hold' a pound of honey. Larger boxes lose less space, and hence require a less number of cubic inches. Thus a box 4x5x(i inches con- tains 120 cubic inches, and, therefore, when well filled and sealed over, holds about 3>^ pounds. A 5tt) box requires about 33 inches to the pound, and a lOib box about 30 cubic- inches. I get rid of fertile workers thus : Change places with a strong stock and let theni remain a few days. Then open the hive, and if no eggs are found, I introduce a^ queen. I succeeded once in rearing a queen, having her fertilized, and remain m a stock with a fertile worker, and she did well. It. was a stand of pure Italians, very quiet and peaceable. — W. H. Nicholson. 20 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. r>)r the Americam Bee Journal. Hives for the South. Messkr. Editors :— Your correspondent •"Edgefield," of South Carolina, wishes me to give a description of the hive I use and lecommend for our climate. Now there are hardly tvi'o bee-keepers that entertain the -same opinion in regard to the arrangement and construction of hives. What suits one does not suit another. While it is of the utmost importance to have our bees in a good hive, large yields of honey (other con- ditions being the same) are less dependent upon the sort of hive than upon right man- agement of the bees. While I believe it is impossible to con- struct a hive against which no objections ■can be urged, I think they can be made so that very little more need be desired. In making a hive for the South, an observance of the following principles and laws seem to be very essential : 1. Perfect adaptability of the hive to the instinct and habits of the bee. 2. Simplicity. All parts, including frames, ■must be so arranged as to admit of grear ease in opening and closing. There should "be no parts about it that cannot readily be gotten into, and examined when necessary. And all these arrangements must be made •with special reference not to crush any l>ees, and to disturb them as little as pos- sible. 3. Enlargement or contraction of the brood chamber at pleasure, so as to suit the size of the colony. There is nmch diversity of opinion in regard to what should be the size of the brood chamber. I tind about 2,000 cubic inches to be a good size for a strong colony worked for box honey ; if ex- tracted, I prefer it at least 4,000 cubic inches. 4. Shallow frames, not deeper than the Langstroth. Small frames are desirable in the surplus dc))aitiuent. These should be arranged iiumediately above or near the sides of the brood chamber. If boxes are preferred, place them the same. This is very important. 5. Good ventilation. In our climate we need the top of the hive to be kept well shaded and cool, particularly if we desire box honey. If this is neglected, the heat is often too great, and prevents the bees from working in boxes even in the midst of an abundant yield of honey. Shallow frames can be kept cooler than tall deep ones. Large roomy caps with ventilators attached are most excellent. The hive 1 use is a modification of the Langstroth. The frames are W^xS)^ in. in the clear ; open at top, with the excep- tion of each end which keeps them equally distant apart. They are matle to hang true, and rest on the edge of a strip of metal. I use no nails, wires, etc., to keep them apart at the bottom. Allow a half inch si)ace around the en inches wide in the clear, "witli a division board. By iircssiiig this board back against the side of hive, ample room is gained so that frames can be remov- ed with great (^ase. There is a ventilator ■on the side of hive near tlie bottom, next the division board. 'J'liis jiroduces an u])- "ward current of air between the side and division board, and also around the honey- boxes, through the cap. My honey boxes liave small frames in them which are in direct contact with the brood chamber, with no honey board be- tween. When a colony is to be worked for extracted honey, 1 prefer them in long, one- story hives with 20 or 30 frames of the above size. Entrance only at one end. Keep the frames covered with a " honey quilt " made out of gunny bagging. Hive is covered with a shallow cap with ventilators at both ends. With these hives the bees do not hang out in the hottest weather. For the information of all concerned I will say that there are no patents on the above described hive. J. P, H. Brown. Augusta, Ga. Voices from Among the Hives. John L. Davis, Delhi, Michigan, writes: — "We commenced thiS season with forty- seven hives of pure Italian bees, and have obtained 2,500 lbs. of comb, and 500 of ma- chine honey, and sixty-six new swarms or nucleus. We sold seventy queens, and sev- eral swarms also. By the middle of Septem- ber every hive, both large and small, was crowded with honey, except three or four that were hived about the 8th or 10th of September. While trying to obviate, or avoid, the cutting of comb in queen raising, we have discovered that we can, with a pointed instrument, remove the worker lar- vae from the worker cells, and introduce them into incipient queen cells, and the bees will raise tliem into nice queens. This we call the Davis transportation process. It can be done in any queenless colony, and in very populous ones that do not swarm when they should, which is the case with black bees, frequently." W. D. Wright, Knowerville, N. Y., writes :— "The past season has been an ex- cellent one for bees in this section, and hon- ey is very plenty, and low in price. Bass- wood yielded more honey tliau f«)r several seasons past. Bees swarmed abundantly in general. To have had such poor success for several seasons past in wintering bees on their summer stands, that I concluded to try some other way. I have built a reposi- tory similar to Novice's. Size 12x14 feet, walls 12 inches thick, lilled with saw dust, material ; cost about $l'Zo. If I fail to winter bees successfully in this. I will at least have a good building in which to extract and store surplus honey." M. n. MiLSTEX, Frohna, INIo., writes : — "I commenced in the spring with 21 stocks, most of them very weak ; increased to 25 strong ones. From these I took almost 1,4(X) lbs. ot extracted honey, besides running my farm. I had the pleasure of visiting some apiaries this fall, one of whicli was Daihint & Son's, of whom I purchased a small stock of bees with an imported queen." Thomas Frost, Gillespie, 111., writes :— " The past season has been very dry till August. The rains then started white clover and other l)looms so that bees filled their stands, and some of tlie stronger work- ed in boxes. The bees are all black in our neighborhood ; tlu^ season was very poor till the fall blooms came on, then "it was only an ordinary season." THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 21 L. C. Axtp:i.l, Kosevillo, 111., writes :— "Bees have clone very poorly in this vicinity for the past three years. Nearly all tlii' bees that have liad no care have died off. 1 have been keeping bees for two years. Last year they had no honey harvest, 1 fed consider- able. I think their increase naid me for their food, and the labt)r of takinfj care of them. This year no harvest but buckwheat, which yielded bountifully. From '.14 colon- ies I got 2ii swarms and 15()0 lbs. extracted honey, which retails at 2.5 cents per lb. I do not know of a natural swarm that will live through the winter." J. B. RArp. Owsnsville, Ohio, writes:— "1 am very much pleased with the Ameki CAN Bee "Jouhnal; you can count me as one of your life subscribers. 1 would not do without it if it cost twice or three times as much as it does This is a poor honey section. Our main dependence is white clover, and the drouth usually cuts it short. I have thirty colonies, about half of them are Italians, and all but one are in movable comb hives. They have an abundance of honey, and although a part of them are not as strong in numbers as I would like, yet I think I can winter them safely. I carried twenty colonies that were much weaker and had but little honey through last winter and lost but one, and that starved. I bought a weak stock at a sale, this month for ten cents. A neighbor gave me two last evening; all were good swarms when put in hives. Laet spring I bought four good stocks for $10 L. W. Harrington, Clyde, Ohio, writes: — "The American Bee Journal is the best paper published. In it farmers can find information that they can rely upon, and not too much theory and wild-goose speculation; and bee-keepers that make a specialty of the business, can procure in- formation that Is practical, I have stored my bees in my grainery and barn, have given them ventilation above and below that they may know that they are not pris- oners. This grainery is not very cold as it is double boarded, and 1 make this part dark." Albert Buel, Bloomfield, Out., writes: — "I feel thankful for past instructions from your valuable paper, hoping that I may receive more. I have done well this season with my bees. I have 4S swarms. I extracted 4,.350 lbs. from 31 swarms, com- mencing July 29, and finishing August 18." G. E. CoRBiN, St. Johns, Mich., writes: "I observe on page 251, of November num- ber of American Bee Journal, that L. r. asks: ' Why do bees always use the left hand hole for ventilation?' Being something of a yankee — which I suppose implies one with 'an inquisitive turn of mind'— I should like to reply to his ques- tion, by asking another: Why do shads 'always' climb sign-posts, 'tail first?' " B. Franklin, Franklinton N. Y. :— "I lived in Iowa two years, I was in the bee business there, bought 9 hives, paid ^(K) • kept them 2 weeks, brimstoned them, sold the honey in Davenport, lost .i?:i5,00, went to Wisconsin, came back here, started in the business and kept it up. Came out with 47 hives last spring, some very weak ones in- creased so that I have Sfj now, and liave taken 8000 lbs. of honey this season 21.50 lbs. of it box honey in 2 lb boxes, the rest ex- tracted. I have a very simple hive ; my frames are 143-^ by loj^ insule frame, use from 8 to 22 frames in a hive ; they open like the leaves of a book, stood up on end. I have seen a great many dift'erent kinds of hives, but I have not seen one that I can open and change cond)S, or do anything I want to, as in this hive, for boxes. I put boxes on the back end of frame and on top, some on three sides and on top. I have 1.5 hives that I box on 3 sides, these I winter out-doors with chaff around and on top. I wintered some .50, whidi came out in splen- did condition, comb all bright and nice. I see some are in for a standard frame 12x12. Jline is near that ; I have no trouble to get straight combs witiiout elevating the hive, either. I have a thin strip in the top bar sometimes they will build the comb over half way down, before they will touch the top bar. I have transferred quite a number of common hives audi find this size frame is just right. I don't have any trouble to get the combs in all right." M. C. H. Puryear, Franklin, Tenn., writes : — "I do not keep bees for profit, but as a luxury ; have fourteen colonies, give the increase to an old friend who takes charge and manages them, who is engaged in bee-business as a support in old age. I give him my Joitrnal : he files it away and prizes it next to his Bible. I have no "white family : all on the farm except myself, are negroes, most of whom belonged to me be- fore the war. After supplying the family with honey, I distribute the surplus gratu- iously among my neighbors. I have a sub- stantial and permanent shelter over my bees, which protects them from the cold and rain ancl snow of winter. I never move them from their summer situation and have never lost a colony from exposure to the winter's cold. Henry Fauls, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, makes the following exhibit :— He says "a lady can take care of ten swarms, with less labor than is required to take care of an or- dinary lot of house plants. Faul's number of swarms last sjiring was nine ; valued at $10 per swarm. 8'.iii. The increase was six swarms— total fifteen swarms. He sold . eight swarms for §80 ; two hundred and for- ty-one pounds of honey, at .35 cents per lb. $84.35. ' He saved for his own use thirty pounds valued at $10..50. making a total re- alized of $174.85. He has seven swarms on hand valued at $70, making .f 244.85, and the original cost being .$90, leaves Mr. Fauls a net gain of $1.54.8.5." M. Vogle, a pioneer at the head of Pine Lake, Mich., writes :— "The American Bee Journal is a very wecome visitor at my house. May it prosper forever." John L. Crabb, Onawa, Iowa, writes : "I am highly pleased with the consolidation of the National with the Anerican Bee Journal. I connnenced last spring with eleven stands and increased to over thirty, and took several pounds of surplus honey, both extracted and box. It would make you laugh to see my honey extractor. It did not cost me anything, only a little time. I can make one "in half a day, that will sling a barrel a day." J. W. McKinney, M. D., Camargo, III. writes : — "The present con.solidatedformof the "Journal," is not to be excelled by any publication on aparian literature in Ameri- ca." 22 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. nm^m\ %u Mwt^ml THOMAS G. NEWMAN, Manager. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. Single subscriber, one year, $2.00 Two subscribers, sent at the same time, 3.50 Three subscribers, sent at the same time,. .. 5.00 Six subscribers, sent at the same time, 9.00 Ten subscribers, sent at the same time, 14.00 Twenty subscribers, sent at the same time,. 35.00 Send a postage stamp for a sample copy. ADVERTISING RATES FOR 1875. SPACE. 1 Inch 114 Inch.. . M Column. J4 Column. H Column. % Column. 1 Column.. % Page.... 1 Pase 1 Mo. '2 Mo8;3 Mos 6 Mos 1 Year. $ 3 00 $ 3 00 $ 5 00 $ 8 00 $ 13 00 2 50 3 00 6 00 7 00 8 00 10 00 13 00 16 00 4 00 5 00! 10 ool 13 (iO 15 00 18 00 30 00 30 ool 6 001 7 00; 15 00' 17 00' 30 00. 35 00! 30 00! 45 OOi 9 00 10 00 30 00 25 00 40 00 45 00 .55 00 80 ool 15 00 30 00 30 00 40 00 70 00 85 00 100 00 150 00 Next page to Business Department and fourth and last page of cover, double rates. _ Bills of regular Advertising payable quarterly, if inserted three mouths or more. If inserted for less than three months, payable monthly. Transient advertisements, cash in advance. We adhere Btrictly to our printed rates. Address all communications and remittances to TH01MA8 «. IN'EWMAIV, Cellar RapidiJi, Iowa. CONTENTS. Bees and Flowers at Sydenham .5 Notes and Queries 7 Foreign Department .'."9 The Hen and Honey Bee io Handling Bees 10 Success ni Raising Honey ! ! . . ! !lO Eccentric H Home-made Bee Hive ...12 A few Remarks 12 Superior Fiddlesticks .!!!!! 13 New Bee Pasturage • 1.3 Upright Ventilation [u Queen Raising 14 The Tulip Tree again U Alsike Clover in the South 15 Whistling down Swarms 1,5 Dysentery again 15 Bees in Aroostook Co., Maine i(j Breeding Peaceful Hybrids 10 My Experience It; Honey Prodncing Plants ! ! !l7 Wintering Bees ni the South 17 Safely Wintering Bees 18 Answer to Mrs. Spaids 19 I£ives in the South 20 Voices from Among the Hives ..20 We have received so many flattering en- comiums on our Chromo " Just One " from our subscribers who have received it, that they would till a number if we should at- tempt to print them. We appreciate the letters, but cannot publish them for want of space. For the American Bee Journal. For Lectures. Mb. Newman : Dear Sir, According to your remarks and those of Mr. H. A. King, I see there is room for bids for those who are willing to accept a cliance to lecture on apiculture. Put me down on the lowest seat, of that list, " for lectures." My time is precious and valuable and I have engage- ments now until Jan. 22nd, but I am always willing to do my part with common labor of that class called oee-keepers. I would say to those interested, enquire of Mr. H. A. King, New .York ; J. W. Winder, Cincin- nati, 0.; or Mrs. E. S. Tupper, Des Moines, Iowa, concerning my ability, as they are practical apiarians. My terms are K. R. and hotel fare from Pittsburgh, Pa. It takes two days and costs S'S to go to and from my place to Pittsburgh, but call Pittsburgh my starting point. I will go anywhere in the United States, and no other charges unless it requires more than three days from time of leaving Pittsburgh, until I return there ; and for all time over that, I must charge $5 per day. I don't ask anything in advance, but the payment of charges must be secured by deposit in a bank of sufficient amount for expenses to my credit, to be paid on pre- sentation of receipted bills 01 R. R. and hotel. Best to oi'ganize in the morning, have a general talk in the afternoon, lecture in the evening and follow by queries. I will stay longer and give practical lessons, at $5 per day. Notice should be given in time, if practical lessons are wanted. Simpson's Store, Pa. W. B. Rush. We have concluded to continue our offer of the beautiful Chromo, "Just Oxe," to all who will pay up at once for the year 1875, and also to all new subscribers for 1875. One of our advertisers writes us that he gets more answers to his advertisement in the Amerrican Bee Journal than from all other papers put together. We have received a report of the Michigan Bee-Keepers' Convention. It was received too late for this issue and will appear in the February number. That excellent monthly Pitrdj/'s Fruit Recorder has been removed to Roch- ester, New York, where it will be pub- lished in future. We do not give our Chromo when sub- scribers club with other publications, unless they add 25 cents to the amount of the club subscriptions, and say they want the Chromo. When a subscriber sends money in pay- ment for the American Bee Journal, he should state to what time he thinks it pays, so that we can compare it with our books, and thus prevent mistakes. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 23 To Our Patrons and Friends. At its last session, Coiigi'ess passed a new law, making it obligatory on publishers to prepay postage on all the papers and pub- lications sent out from their offices, to take effect on the Istof January, 1875. Then, in- stead of individuals paying the postage on their papers at the odice of receiving them, the publishers are recpiired to pay the post- age in bulk, and charge the same to sub- scribers, with the subscrption price. We have concluded not to ask the addi- tional price of postage from our subscribers, and hope that they will so far appreciate their having no postage to pay in future, as to send us a new subscriber when renewing for next year. We send all papers until a specific order is received for a discontinuance, but promptly stop it when notified. It there should be one of our present sub- scribers who does not wish to take the Bee JouRXAL for 1875, he should notify us at once, so that we may not waste papers and pay postage too, on any one not desiring to "ride with us" another year. We ask especial attention to this Notice. It will be quite a tax on us to pay postage on all our entire edition, and any assistance in the way of new subscribers will be duly appreciated and acknowledged. Mr. H. A. King has disposed of his inter- est in the Bee-Keepers'' Magazine to Mr. Cobb, to whom we extend our |^^ for a welcome. In this No. we issue the Title and Index for Vol. X. By cutting the stitch it can be be taken ont and placed at the beginning of Vol. X for binding, and reference. The ex- treme length of the Pittsburgh Meeting report crowded it out of the last number. John K. McAllister & Co., are our duly authorized agents for the American Bee Journal, at Room 27, Tribune Building, Chicago, with whom any business may be transacted with our approval,and be prompt- ly recognized by the manager of this paper. » ♦ ^-♦H ask our patrons to assist us by pro- curing new subscribers among their friends or neighbors, and thus increase the useful- ness of the Journal. By getting two new subscribers you can get all three for the year 1875 for S5. This may be divided among the three, or you can get your own copy for $1. Larger clubs would make your subscription still less. See club terms on page 28. Honey Markets. CHICAGO.— Choice white comb honey, 83@30c ; fair to good, •:MC<^28c. Extracted, choice white, 14 Front st. Jt^" Strained Southern Coast, at 7@10c; Comb. 12((020c; the latter figure for San Del- go, in Harbison frames. About one hundred and twenty-five tons of honey has been shipped East this season. Our market is firm at 7(«)10 cents for strained; with some fancy lots at 12@12J^c. Comb 18@20c for San Diego. Gold quotations. We have had abundant rains, the grass is sever- al inches high, with some flowers, and a we have had but light frosts, bees are working, and with a good prospect of an abundant season. We shall ship fresh butter East, next month. Surely this is a land flowing with milk and honey. Our Premium Cliromo— "Just One." It is a beautiful design, and one of the finest and richest paintings that has come from the easel of that popular painter, B. S. Hays. The central figure is a beautiful child, (a little girl) who stands by a side- board loaded with fruits, (apples, peaches, and grapes), one foot is advanced forward, which brings the otlier on tip-toe — one hand is grasping tlic edge of the side-board, and the other reaeliing up for the basket of grapes : and two plump fingers are in the act of closing upon one large luscious beiTy. Her face is turned toward you, and wears a look of commingled mischief, anxiety and entreaty, and you can almost hear her say, "Just One." This picture is a complete story of the child's temptation, and her strug- gles to resist, through her awakening sense of right. To every new subscriber as well as every old one who now pays for 1875, we will send post-paid, a copy of this beautiful Chromo. Send on your new names and renewals at once and secure it. Those who have paid for a portion of the year can secure the Chromo, upon sending the balance for the year 1875. A Letter from the Rev. W. F. Clarke in- forms us that he cannot now take the lec- ture field as intimated in our last. His time being fully occupied by other cares. 24 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Specimen Copies. In order to assist our friends in procuring new subscribers, we will send specimen copies to tliose tbat they intend to call upon, if they will send us their names and addres- ses. It will take but a little time to get parties to subscribe when they see our paper. There. are thousands of bee-keepers all over the country who take no bee jour- nal and consequently are uninformed con- cerning scientific bee-keeping. These should all be solicited to take The Ameri- can Bee Journ^al, and the thousands who now read and prize the Journal can easily reach them. Will they not do it ? Every one who reads this is specially solicited to act as an agent, and present the claims of The American Bee Journal. We feel assured that they will do it. A few hours time from each, devoted to the interests of The Journal will add thousands to our list. To any person sending us a club of ten, with $14,we will send a copy of The Amer- ican Bee Journal one year free, and also the Chromo. To any one sending us a club of twenty with $25 we will send a copy of Worcester's Unabridged Dctionary in addition to a free copy of The American Bee Journal and Chromo. The Bee-Keepers'' Magazine of last month said it contained the only report of the late meeting at Pittsburgh, Pa. A postal card from the publisher, states that it was an error to say " the only report." Our report last month was a fuller report of the proceedings than any other paper contain- ed. ^ ,.^.. , The offer of premium queens is now with- drawn, as we cannot supply Spr ing queens for that purpose. Our New Club Rates. We will send the American Bee Jour- nal and the following periodicals for one year, for the prices named below : The American Bee Journal and Novice's Gleanings for ^^3.35. King's Bee-Keepers' Magazine 3.00 Moon's Bee World 3.25 All four Bee publications 5.00 Swine and Poultry Journal 3.50 The Chicago Weekly Tribune 3.20 The " Weekly Inter-Ocean 3.20 The " Weekly Journal 3.20 The " Weekly Post and Mail.... 3.20 The Western Rural 3.70 The Young Folks' Monthly 3.00 The Prairie Farmer 3.70 Purdy's Fruit Recorder 2.25 Mr. J. J. H. Gregory of Marblehead, Mass., has his annual advertisement in our columns. He was the original in- troducer of some of the best vegetables now found on every table. He comes Ibis year with a new squash, and a num- ber of tempting specialties, some of which are finely illustrated from engravings taken from photographs. The fact that so many of his varieties of seed are of his own growing, is a golden fact for farmers and gardeners. Books for Bee-Keepers may be obtained at this olfice. Not one letter in ten thousand is lost by mail if rightly directed. Newspaper Decisions. 1. Any person who takes a paper regu- larly from the post-office— whether directed to his name or another's, or whether he has subscribed or not— is responsible for the payment. 2. If any person orders his paper discon- tinued, he must pay all arrearages, or the publisher may continue to send it, until pay- ment is made, and collect the whole amount —whether the paper is taken from the office or not. .,,,,, J, . 3. The courts have decided that refusing to take newspapers and periodicals from the post-offie, or removing and leaving them un- called for, is prima facie evidence of inten- tional fraud. It^" It will be a source of gratification to us if all those in arrears for the American Bee Journal will settle the same as soon as possible. Our increasing circulation vastly increases our regular monthly expenses for paper and printing. "A word to the wise is suficient." Single copiesof the American Bee Jouk- NAL are worth 20 cents each. Upon the wrapper of every copy of the Journal will be found the date at which subscriptions expire. Any numbers that fail to reach subscribers by fault of mail, we are at all times ready to send, on application, free of charge. Our subscribers in Europe, can now procure Postal Money Orders on Chicago. This plan of sending money is safe and economical. Subscribers wishing to change their post- office address, should mention their old ad- dress, as well as the one to which they wish it changed. Persons writing to this office should either write their Name, Post-office, County and State plainly, or else cut otT the label from the wrapper of their paper and enclose it. Journals are forwarded until an exjilicit order is received by the i»ublishers for the discontinuance, uud until payment of all ar- rearages is made as retiuired by law. American Bee Journal, DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. XI. CEDAR RAPIDS, FEBRUARY, 1875. No. 2. A Soientific Mare's Nest. Prof. A. S. Packard Jr., has discovered a mare's nest in tlie realm of bee-keeping. He amiounces his discovery in an article liead- ed "The Busy Bee" contributed to tlie Chi- cago Advance of Jan. 7th 1875, He says. "Notwithstanding the large number of bee- keepers with more or less leisure on their hands, and honey-bees by hundreds of thousands in the United States, and the many interesting questions constantly aris- ing regarding their economy. The bee has not yet found a Mograiiher on this side of of the Atlantic. * * "He then goes on to say, it has been reserved for one of the busiest of men to study that busiest of in- sects, the bee. Sir John Lubbock, banker, M. P., Vice Chancellor of London Univer- sity, entomologist, anthropologist, fox hunt- er, and what not,— he it is who has played Boswell to the honey-bee, and "noted the daily and hourly doings of the hero of the hive." "We are exceedingly glad that such a very busy man and one so shingled over with titles and honors, has had the inclination and found the time, to study the habits of the bee, and give the fruits of his investiga- tions to the world. Nor can we have the slightest objection to Prof. Packard's trumpeting forth his praises in The Ad- vance, or any other newspaper, whether secular or religious. But we can't permit him to write up his wonderful Englishman at the expense of truth, and at the expense of the reputations of "the large number of bee-keepers" on the American continent. What a discovery this is of the Professoi''s that "the bee has never found a biographer on this side of the Atlantic." Where has the learned Professor spent his days, that he has never heard of Langstroth, Quinby, Wagner, Kirkland, Gallup, King, Thomas, Root, Mrs. Tupper, and a host of others, who have played Boswell to the honey-bee, and noted "with a loving minuteness, the daily and hourly doings of the hero of the hive," giving the results of their observa- tions to the public in the shape of books, pamphlets, periodicals, letters and scientific papers well nigh innumerable ? His prod- igy of acuteness and industry, Sir John Lubbock, has discovered nothing with which all intelligent bee-keepers are not thoroughly acquainted, except those two startling things: Jirnt, that bees are unable to find honey at all hidden except by acci- dent, and secondly, that when a bee hap- pens to light upon honey in a rather by- place, or is carried to it by some scientist like Sir John, it has no means of imparting its knowledge of the store to other bees. Now having seen a pretty full report of a lecture by Sir John, embodying the sub- stance of the pamphlet which has thrown Prof. Packard into such raptures, we find the first of these amazing discoveries if not indeed both of them contradicted by the great discoverer himself. Referring to the pertinacity with which bees pursue honey, he cites the fact that they will go for it even into "sweet shops," where multitudes of them perish. How does this happen, if instinct does not guide them to by-places where sweets may be found, and if one bee camiot, in some way, impart information to another ? We can only say that Sir John's discoveries, as announced by the learned Professor in The Advance, are at variance with the experience of bee-hunters and bee- keepers on this side of the great Atlantic fish-pond. In hunting for bee-trees, de- pendence is put on the instinct and com- municative power which Sir John denies to bees, while the robbing of isolated hives, and the gathering of honey in all sorts of out of-the-way places, point to conclusions the very reverse of those arrived at by the scientific baronet. Prof. Packard remarks, "It would seem that bees have enough intelligence to guide them in conducting the affairs of the hive." Well now, that's very astonishing, especially when you come to think that this was the identical end for which they were created. Its very like observing, with a note of ex- clamation, that birds, fishes, animals and insects generally, have intelligence enough to fill their respective spheres. Certainly the universe would have bi^n very badly contrived, if this had not been the case. C. 26 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Seasonable Hints. The impression prevails .that tlie winter is the best time in which to move bees from place to place. In onr opinion tliis is not correct. We prefer to move them at almost any other time. If it must be done at this season, a warm, instead of a cold time should be chosen, and at the end of the journey it is best to put them at once into a room or cellar quite wamn and dark, unless the weather is so mild that if left out of doors the bees can fly. A neighbor moved ten colonies in a very cold day last winter, putting them, when he reached home, into an out-door building. Many of the bees were lost and the remain- der had dysentery, so that but two or three were saved out of all the ten colonies. Had they been put into a warm room until the agitation was over, the loss might have been avoided. The principle is obvious. The bees when disturbed and alarmed, tilled themselves with honey, the cluster was disarranged, and the bees scattered through the combs. In a warm room in the dark, the agitation would have subsided and the cluster be- come perfect again ; but left exposed to the cold, the scattered bees being full of honey, all perish. From March to November bees can usual- ly be moved any distance with safety, under proper precautions ; but between November and March, only those who are well informed as to the principles that govern the matter should attempt their transportation. We know bees are moved in winter, and moved safely but it is purely accidental. If they have honey enough and bees enough for safe wintering, the chances are largely against their being moved well. If one knows enough to take the honey from them first, and feed them again judici- ously afterwards, it may be done ; though then, all is greatly dependent on the weather. T. British Bee-keepers' Associaton. Below we give the Introduction aijd also the object of the First Exhibition of Bees . and their Produce, Hives, tfec. held by the i^ritish Bee-keepers' Associa- tion at the Crystal Palace, at Sydenham near London, last September. We com- mend them to the careful attention of all those who have anything to do with Fairs and Exhibitions in this country. We have not space for the whole Premium List or numerous entries made, but these extracts give a good idea of its aims. We see that our friend, W. Carr, had a large and interesting collection, as fol- lows. 305. CARR W.— Specimens of Ligu- rian Queens, Workers and Drones, Egyptian Workers and Drones, — Nest, — Brood comb and Bees of the Trigania or Exotic Bees from Honduras, Hornets, Wasps and Humble Bees with Nests^ — combs. Royal cells and Wax scales of the Honey Bee ; combs, showing the rav- ages of the Wax Moth with the male and female Moths. Large Paper Cells showing the Bee's economy, Ten large Pen and Ink drawings of the Honey Bee, viz: The Internal Anatomy, The Bee's Stomach, The Queen's Ovaries, The Bee's Head, The Bee's Leg, The Bee's Sting, The Bee's Wing, The Bee's Antennae, The Bee's Abdomen, Showing the Wax Scales. Hexagonal cells. Showing the Angles enlarged twenty times. Super of Honey, 87fcs. Who will begin now to make a col- lection of equal value and interest for our Centennial Exhibition ? We need a change in all our Exhibitions and Fairs, and we are especially glad that at the last meeting at Pittsburgh, steps were taken to avoid premiums for bees, queens, tfec. We hope and expect this to be the begiuniug of better days' as far as exciting an interest in the objects of the Society are concerned. The following is the Introduction to the Premium List: Bees and BeeKeeping. From the earliest ages, Honey, the pro- duce of the Bee, has been in all civilized countries an esteemed luxury of the hu- man race ; and Wax at great commercial value, as well as a useful adjunct for domestic use, sometimes to illuminate the hulls of the noble and great, at others to brighten the humble furniture of the thrifty cottager. The busy merchant, when wanting a symbol of industry for his house, could tind no better sign than the "Bee-hive" — how common the axiom "a very hive of industry" — the poet and the moralist failed not to quote our little friend as an example to the young, and the beautiful rhyme of Dr. AVatts, of "the little busy Bee," can never be forgotten as a memory of our early days, and in ages to come will be taught to our children's childi'eu THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 27 with the same loviug wish of as good re- sults as we hoped for us. How then have we requited our little friend ? For shame, be it said, by robbery arson, and imirder. For centuries the almost universal practice to obtain the sweets of the hive has been by destroy- ing its inhabitants by lire and brimstone, and appropriating the wholeof their gather- ed riches. With as much reason might the farmer slaughter his sheep to obtain their fleeces. Spare the laborers and they will work again ; and after the toils of a busy summer, grudge not a portion of their gathered harvest to preserve the lives of those who have labored so hard. The British Bee-keepers' Association was instituted in ]May last, for the pur- pose of advancing the cultivation of Bees, and particularly to bring to the notice of cottagers and others, more scientific, profitable, and humane methods of ap- iculture than has hitherto been generally practised. Our rural districts, from the fertile valleys to the mountain tops, wherever fruit, seeds, and flowers grow, offer pasturage to Bees. No rent to pay ! No ti'espassers ! Every farmer, every gar- dener, gladly welcoming the busy Bee ! Darwin tells us that to Bees (of another species truly) we owe the very existence of red clover. Learned men remind us that the beauty of our fields and gardens, and the maturity of our fruits and seeds, are in a great measure attributable to Bees, who in their flights from plant to plant, unconsciously distribute the pollen by which the flowers are fertilized. Thousands of tons of honey and wax are annually wasted in our native land, which might be profitably gathered by Bees, aiad the money expended to foreign countries for Bee produce, put into the pockets of our rural population. There is no reason why every man, and women too, who has enough of garden room to stand a hive upon should not keep Bees. Any man who can make a rabbit-hutch can make a Bee-hive for use, as good as the best, and those who can afford to buy may gratify their taste or suit their pocket by selection from the many very good patterns now on view. A glance at our Catalogue and Honey Show will prove to the enquirer that the profits of Bee-keeping are not to be de- spised. A stock of Bees may ordinarily be obtained for about £1 — a little more or less according to the district, and instan- ces will be found at this Show where the marketable value of the honey obtained this year, from a single hive, equals as much as six or eight times the orignal value of the stock, which is yet main- tained to work again another year ! Such is the result of gocd management, which the Association would like to find general. Now a few words as to the danger of be- ing stung. Bees arc never aggressors without cause ; treat them kindly, or let them alone and have no fear, for you will never be stung. Children soon find this out, and play about the hives as merrily as usual, gaining a lessou in industry and additional pleasure by watching the re- turn of the laden workers. John Hunter, Hon. Sec. Is there any demand for empty comb, and at what price ought we to sell it ? I have about 500 empty combs, 12x16 inches in size, nice, clean and straight; and also a quantity of clean white comb of all sizes and shapes. Where can I sell, to whom, and at what price ? W. There is a good demand for such comb in frames, though the size you name is not a common one. We have paid $1 each for such combs, perhaps no one else would give as much. Would advise you to advertise it, and get all you can for it, if you cannot use it yourself. As to the clean white comb in pieces, you can sell it to any dealer who is putting up honey for sale in jars. If you have much, it may pay you to advertise that also. C. W. inquires if tliere has been any im- provement witl'.in the past five years in making artificial comb ; and says, " the one who perfects any thing in the shape of comb in which bees will work, will be the gi-eatest benefactor of all bee men." We agree with him so far as to fully ap- preciate the importance of artificial combs to bee-keepers. We know that Mr. Wagner was still at work perfecting dyes for the making of his combs at the time of his death, we are not informed as to his pro- gress further than that. Mr. Quinby's arti- ficial comb was a success so far, that the bees used it raising brood and storing honey. Why he has ceased using it we are not informed, or in what respect it failed to answer his expectations. We are sure the time is not far distant when we shall have combs made by men, that will be accepted as good by the bees. In the meantime we may, by proper management, stimulate the bees to build comb in good frames ; and to do it when they would not be storing honey. Then if we cease to sell honey in the comb, we shall have a better supply than we have had in times past. 28 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. I wish to begin the bee business. I am offered ten colonies at 310 each. Is that too much ? and how am I to tell if they are good colonies ? C. G. Missouri. The price is not out of the way for good colonies of black bees, if they are in move- able comb hives. We would not advise you buy without examination, and if possible to defer until spring. Early in spring they ought to weigh near 20 lbs. and have a chisterof bees that extend at least, between four combs. It is hard to give a novice directions so that he can tell exactly the value of the bees he buys, and we would advise you to have the counsel of some one tliat has experience, before pur- chasing, unless you know you can rely on the one of whom you buy, to give you only colonies he can warrant good. Please tell us what colored honey Alsike, Lucerne, Catnip and other plants make. James Makkle. Alsike clover gives us a light colored honey of greater thickness than white clo- ver, and of as good if not better flavor. We know little about the honey from Lucerne, and reports are so conflicting about its value as a honey plant, that we prefer to ask for " more light," before expressing our opini- on. Golden-rod gives a very yellow honey; that from Aster is not so dark though of better flavor. Doubtless the color and flavor of honey from all plants, varies with locali- ty and soil. All who know anything about Sorghum syrup, are aware that much de- pends on the soil where it is grown, and just so we think honey is changed by soil. Please tell a beginner how to fasten mov- able frames securely, when moving some distance. H. Livingston. In most cases it is only necessary, in moving bees, to drive a small- nail into each and every frame and fasten them securely on the top. This is easily done, after smok- ing the bees so that they will not resent it. After doing this, put the cap on tight and fasten the entrance up, either with wire cloth, or a piece of wood, in such away as to give them air, while confining them. We have found no difficulty in moving bees pre- pared in this way, Jolting should be avoid- ed as much as possible, and the less honey in the hives the safer they will go. I am using Langstroth hives, but find great difficidty in getting bees to build in the upper chambers. What is the cause ? Last spring I liad 22 colonies, when the wet weather set in ; when it closed, my apiary was reduced to 9 colonies. 1 took 4('i0 Uis. o'f honey. It became crystalized early in the fall, notwithstanding'! kept it in a dark place. I have let my bees remain out this winter, have them wrapped in straw ; they are keeping well, so far. I am very much interested in the Jouenai.. Tenn. Mks. M. G. Marriss. Without knowing more about j^our hives, we cannot tell why the bees do not build in the upper chamber. Different causes may produce it. The openings into the super from the main hive may be too small, (we would always remove the honey board in such cases). There may have been too small a number of bees to enable them to have sufficient heat in the chamber. Below, the hive may have been so full of honey that the queen has been cramped for room and the bees are in consequence reduced in number. There is something wrong in a fair honey season if bees in a healthy, strong colony do not work in every part of the hive. If there are bees enough, they will work, if honey is being secreted, wherever they can find space. Honey will granulate in all places and under all circumstances, it seems, contrary to all rule. Instead of that being a disad- vantage, it is rather in your favor, since it proves that it is unadulterated. After it has granulated it will keep any length of time and can be restored to a liquid form by warming it, with very little trouble. There is an increasing demand here for honey in the granulated state; many people preferring it so. You speak of honey as "crystalizing"; sugar syrup might crystal- ize, but honey granulates. There is a great diflierence between the two words or rather the states which the words represent. « » > * » Local Bee-Keepers' Societies.— Some correspondents have written to us, enquir- ing how to organize local societies of bee- keepers. We answer, do it as simply as pos- sible. Very little machinery is needed. A President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Com- mittee, are all the ofticers required. A few rules, prescribing the membership fee, times of meeting, order of business, and so forth will be sufficient. In view of the privileges accorded by the North American Bee-Keep- er's Society, it is advisable to organize as auxiliary to the general body, and we hope that many such organizations will be found in various parts of the country during the present winter. C. The Report of the "Michigan Bee-Men in, Council" is so long that many other good articles are laid over for want of room. The Michigan Bee-Keepers had an interesting meeting, and the Report will be read with interest. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 29 Michigan Bee Men in Council. Kalamazoo. Dec. Kith, 1874. The seventli annual session of the Mieli- ie;an Bee-Keepers' Association convened in Corporation llall, at two o'eioclx, p. ni., Pres- ident Balc'li in the einur. Notwithstanding the universal (H)nii>laint of inird times, the attendance was nnusuiilly larnc evincint^ a growinj; interest in this fascinating pursuit. After the transaction of some preliminary business, the convention listened to an Opening Address by President A. C. Balcli, welcoming the members to the hosiiitalities of the large-hearteil and whole-souled i)eo- ple of this lovliest of villages — Kalamazoo. The regular programme of the convention was then taken up. Secretary Burch read a paper fnmi Charles Dadant, of Hamilton, 111., on the best size of frames, in which the writer strongly favored a large frame as giv- ing the greati'st advantages to the apiarian, lie also urged that American apiarians adopt a uniform-size standaril frame, as being a long sought desideratum ; in proof of wliich he cited tlie beneticial results that had fol- lowed such adoption in Italy. The paper elicited much iliscussion. the most impor- tant of which we give, as follows : James Heddon— Large frames, the size of Quinby's, are, in my o])inion, too large. I prefer a small, shallow frame, as it offers the most advantages, and gives the best re- sults in amount of box honey. It has been almost universally recommended tliat a hive should not hold less than 2,000 cubic inches; yet a smaller size will give better propor- tionate results. It is better not to give the queen all the room that she will use, than go to the opposite extreme. Quality of bees, and not quantity is what we shoufd aim to get. Dr. A. L. Haskins— I use the American frame, 12 inches square, and think it about the right size. I like it better than Quin- by's. Prof. A. .7. Cook— In this country of Yan- kee ingenuity and invention, it will be quite impossible to adopt a standard frame, as scarcely any two apiarians will agree on any one size, much less the whole fraterni- ty. I have experienced much difficulty in handling the Quinby frame, in having the combs fall out, which is decidedly un])leas- ant. The bees do not fasten large combs as securely as smaller ones. They are incon- venient for queen-rearing, which is objec- tionable, as all bee-keepers wish to raise queens for their own use. I prefer the Gal- lup frame, as combs do not break out so easily, and are more convenient for rearing queens. They are also better for wintering, as the bees are in a compact cluster, just as they should be. Bees that cluster in an oblong shape, astheydoinLangstroth's will get away from the outside of the cluster and die. C. I. Balch— Would not a shallow frame obviate dampness better than a deeper one"? Prof. Cook — Such has not been my exper- ience. T. F. Bingham— Thought the subject an important one. Give a beginner a good hive, and good advice in the shape of a good text book, and if he has good judgment he is al- most sure to succeed. If I used the Langs- troth frame I should think a standard frame desirable. Small, shallow combs give more broorl earlv in the season. Large combs ob- struct the easy passage of the queen to var- ious parts of the hiv( — shallow combs ob- viate this dirtieidty. Heat ascends sooner than it radiates ; lience, in tall hives, it is lost. In wintering bees we should keej) them near tht; bottom boards, and it will not get clogged u]» with dead bees. Early in the season the queen will lay in one or two large frames ; ni a S(^ries of smaller ones nuich more. Again, small, shallow frames are much easier to handle. There are but two methods of obtaining box honey suc- cessfully. Either use a tall, narrow frame, and side boxes, or a long, shallow one, and top boxes. Small frames are more conveni- ent to manipulate in extracting. I prefer a cloth (luilt, hennned in beeswax, in place of a wooden honey board. J. J I. Everard— Large frames are objec- tionable ; too heavy to handle. In visiting Mr. Bingham's apiary, had witnessed the best results with a long shallow frame, only six inches in depth. C. I. Balch— Have always used a frame nine inches deep ; would use one not to ex- ceed seven inches, were I to commence again. Mr. Bingham once advocated a deep- er frame. T. F. Bingham— And would to-day, if obliged to winter out of doors. By the aid of a good bee-house they can be safely win- tered in shallow combs. Dr. Southard— Use only the regular Langs- troth frame. Were I to change, would make them smaller, and more shallow. Mr. Bryant— Have used ten Bingham frames to the hive, with good results. Have used sectional hives but do not like them. Bingham's gave the most box honey. Prof. Cook — What is "box honey?" Pres. Balch— Honey stored by the bees in small glass boxes. Geo. Stray— I get more brood early from a shallow oblong frame than from a deeper, square frame, and consequently more hon- ey. In wintering, have no mouldy combs. Leave hives on summer stands, pack well with straw keeping it clry, and bees will winter well. Prof. Cook — I would like to hear from those who use deeper combs. I hope we shall not fall into the error that honey can be obtained only by the use of shallow frames. jNIr. Bryant— My twenty-five stocks in shallow, six-inch frames gave me over 3,600 pounds of box-honey. II. E. Bidwell— I have used all sizes and shapes of frames ; now 1 prefer a frame one inch deeper and one inch shorter than the Langstroth. It will give more honey, but is more troulde to winter successfully than deeper combs. James Heddon— Years ago I took the tops off from box-hives, putting on a honey- board. In using all sizes and shapes I found that a hive 22 iiiches deep often gave just as much box honey as one only ten. I prefer the latter depth in movable comb hives, as we get a small hive in better shape, offering greater advantages in manipulation. Mr. Helleney— Am using Langstroth hives ; think them preferable ; can get more honey from an extra set of combs on top, than from boxes. James Heddon then favored the conven- tion with an address on the subject of "The Art of Getting Honey into Money," the pro- minent points of which we give below : Apiarians who raise extracted honey, are 30 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. now obliged to compete with cheap syrup and glucose iu all the large cities. Exclu- sive honey dealers adulterate our honey with this stuff', thereby making one pound of honey sell seven or eight pounds of glu- cose. Had agitated this subject years ago, and now the dishonest practices of these dealers demand that we met the question squarely and firmly, or else we shall soon have no market for our honey — it will be utterly overstocked. If we put only a good article on the mai'ket, and continually keep it supplied, we can create a deuumd for our honey, by educating the people's taste for a prime article. Make honey a staple article. Honey dealers will buy honey, and promise to pay, and sometimes will do so, after selling it at double the price, besides selling eight or ten times as much glucose, worth seven or eight cents per pound. We ought to adopt the grange principle of combination, control our own products, and sell direct to the consumer. VVe must discriminate between the products of an apiary and a honey-house. Teach the people who" eat honey, that the former pro- tluces honey— a pure article ; the latter a conglomeration of honey, glucose and poor syrup. C. 1. Balch— Many people like to be hum- bugged, and will buy a spurious article in preference. James Heddon— Honey dealers have cre- ated a demand for jar honey with a little comb in it, as nuich as to say, "Uquid honey is not good, so we'll put in just a lit- tle that is." This ought to be abandoned at once, as extracted honey is even better, because wax is not a wholesome article. I know from experience that, despite preju- dice, the people who eat it, learn to prefer it. C. I. Balch— Can honey that is canilied in the comb be liquified '.' James Heddon— Honey candies from cold. Put it in a warm place "and it will li(iuify, though it takes time. Pres. Balch— My bees will carry candied honey out of the hive in spring. James Heddon— If you put a comb of such uncapped in the middle of the lu'ood nest they will utilize it. Prof. Cook— Honey is only a kind of sugar. The various kinds are quite readily told by the temperature it will grain. Near- ly all syrups are adulterated. How then can we stop adulteration ? James Heddon— If you find a dealer keep- ing an adulterated "article, publish him. Printer's ink works wonders, sometimes. J. H. Everard— Create a home demand by keeping a good, pure article. Mr. Bryan — Detailed his experience in mixing syrup and honey ; thought it didn't pay. James Hedden —Bee-keepers can raise the piu-e article cheeper than they can man- ufacture it. T. F. Bingham— We njight undoubtedly create a demand for honey, but it is easier to cater to a demand that already exists. Every man likes his own wife's coltee best. People who have long eaten comb honey prefer it. After some further discussion, the Con- vention adjourned until evening. At the evening session, anu)ng the papers read was the following by Prof. A. J. Cook, of the State Agricultural College ; FEEDING AND THE EXTRAf'TOR IN RELA- TION TO PROFITS IN APICULTURE. Success in bee-keeping as in every other pursuit that looks to nature or natural phenomena for those prospective profits which make the heart glad, demand that we understand and take full cognizance of the science underlying those phenomena. To I be sure ignorance ma/jy succeed, while full 1 knowledge removes success from the realms j of doubt. [ Now, as a preface to this essay, let us re- call some of those facts, which science has developed, wliioli have a bearing on the subject matter iu hand. Science determines that, in the economy of the hi\'e, the older worker bees gather the honey, the younger do the work of the hives, as comb-building, feeding young bees, etc. J while the instincts and structural nature of the queen impel her to do the work of egg-laymg alone. Moreover, science taught very early in the world's history, that the instinct of all these classes of the hive incited them to an industry which knows no aliatement, save as the stern hand of necessity is laid upon them. Thus the gatherers work with unparelleled asiduity, so long as there is honey to gather and room in which to store it. Tlie in-door laborers build comb so long as room and the proper internal arrangements of the hive permit. While in the (jueen, a stronger instinct still causes her to labor untiringly in her work of egg-laying, yet leading her to pause, not simply from necessity but often from proba- bilities as well in that the (lueen ceases from egg-laying when the gatiierers cease from stciring. Can it be that parental solici- tude for the welfare of her oifspriug, nuikes her, even in the face of desire, to withold from sending children to brave scarcity, want, mayhap starvation. What lessons has nature for those wise to read. Such breadth of instinct, seeming to reason upon surrounding conditions, and what is more wondrous still, seeming to comport with structural pecularities, is not alone peculiar to the queen bee. The male pigeon for example feeds the young, and with the hatching of the young fledglings, comes a peculiar development of the crop, which assists in the preparation of suitable nourishment. Here too, then, structural conformation, has relation to a peculiar in- stinct, which takes note of outside circinn- stances. Another example is found in the common high-holder, Colaptes Auratus, which usually lays six eggs. Yet if the eggs are taken from the nest, the bird will continue to lay often to the number of thirty, which number was actually taken from a nest at our college, by Prof. W. K. Kedzie, now of the Kansas Agricultural College. Here again then we notice that instinct varies with circumstances, and is attended by a structural change of tlio ovaries. Hence we see, science teaches that to have honey stored, we must have, not only bees, but honey secreted by the flowers, and room in the hive to store the same. And again, to have bees to store, we must keep the queen laying eggs, which demands, not only room for the same in empty cells, but just as imperatively that storing is con- tinued. Now, let us see if these requisites are always at hand, witiiout care and labor by the apiarist. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 31 Siipi)()so, as true of ns at liaiising diirin"' the past season, wo liave an excessive yieUl of lioiiey Ironi the t'lnit blossoms, (huinjj; May. 'I'he workers excr on tlie alert for siidi oimortuiiities, will, in the two weeks of rieli (larvest. fill cvei'y ceil in the hive with the iirecioiis nectai'. AVliat then '.' the ipu'en, like Othello, linds her occupation i>one, for if in the interim between fruit and white clover blossoms, tlu^ comb-builders do i>ly their callinij, which in the general indolence of the hive, is not likely ; still in tlm midst of idleness the ([ueen will not e\en improve such opportunity. So with (dover bloom, wti haxc a depopulated colony all unj^repared to make the most of this, the Uoltlen era of honey .i^atherint^. Wd. even with the fewer bees, insures a repetion of the fruit season exjierience. With a jjood harvest of clover, such as the past season ,i;ave us, coums storin.n' to repletion, and ruinous prosperity a,<;aiu confronts the a|)iarist. From white (dover to basswood, <'ouu>s a repetition of fornu'r exi)eriences, onlv auiimeidcd, of course, so that the long- ed-for period of bassw(»od bloom, linds the a|)iary with depleted colonies, all unpi'cpar- ed to rea]) the ri(di reward which a boun- teous hoiu'y harvest jiresents. ^[ore than this, it never rains, but it pours, as the moth conies to make havoc with colonies too feeble to otfer successful resistance. Xow, If all these seasons of fruitfulness to the bee-keeper have been productive, as during the past siunmer, we go on from bad to worse, a§ we near the period of bn(dvwheat, and golden-rod. And thus Autuuni finds us with feeble colonies, small returns, and long faces, wdien nattne has been uu)st pro- pitious. After September we have no gathering, brood-rearing ceases, we ai)i>roach winter with what few bees we have, old, torn and gray with labor, and ere s|)ring, e\en these succumb, and wdiat NNOuder if we sa.y, "bee- keeping is jilayed out." For in just such ways does it far too often beconu> a source of vexation and discoinagenient. Now is there no escape from these perils? With the science full in nund we see that if we can only keep the bees sniti)Iied with emnty coud), enabling both worker bees and (pieen to meet their fullest capabilities, and more, can keep the worker bees con- stantly storing, so that the (jueen will be stiunilatcd to her best elforts, evi^n in the int(a1nis of honey secretion, w(! shall meet both the above difliculties, and shall wel- couu; such seasons of infinite honey secre- tion as the past has been, with unalloyed l>lt;asure. Now, thardcs to llerr Ilruscdika, of (Jermany, we are enabled by the use of the honey-extractor, wITudi his invcmtive genius gave us, to accoui[ilish flu; former, and by feeding Hunted sujtplies during the periods of no gathering, using this same extracted honey, should it not find a reuuni- erative nuirket, we meet the second ditlicul- ty. Here, then, in use of the (^xtracdor, and by judifdous feeding, the ajiiarist has power to leap oiu! of the greatest obstacdes ni the way of success. And just liere let me say that 1 fully believe that in tins use we receive the greatest benefits of this indis- ])ensible machine. By its use. during the ))ast summer, we have been made to rejoict; in one of the best honey seasons 1 have (jver known. Those who have not used it, have fallen far behind in the amount of profit received. Early during the past season there was an astonishing yield of lioney from the fruit blossoms, so "that we experi- enced a pecularify, new to me, of havinj; our coud)s filled witli this eai'ly hoiu-y. Do you ask me then, when I would ex- tract, and when feed ? I answer that I would extract whenever it was nec<'ssary to give tlu; (piecu em))ty cells, never allowing all the cidls to be filled with honey and brood. Whether I would use it at other times, would depend on tlio market for extracted honey. If I could find ready sale for sn(di honey at 15 cents l)er pound. 1 should extract a good deal at other tiuu's. especially in the fall, as it is valuable to have empty cond)s in tlie spring as by their use we can most easily ootaiii non-swarming hives. I would feed siiarjngl.v, obliging the bees to carry the hone> into ilie hixc fi'om ^rarcli till October, whenever the bees were gather- ing no honey. Do .you urge the trouble and labor involved '.' Let me assun^ you it will prove the most renumerative, expended in your a])iary. Very likely some of you will desire to know where to obtain the best extractor, and bow to feed in the most convenient manner. So far as I know, there is no better ex- tractor made than one sold by A. I. Hoot & Co., Medina, Ohio, for 610, or made to fit his standard frame whicli is lli-4xi:5%— .?!>. Just the gearing, 1 think, can be procured for $3, in which case, each of us can finish to suit liimself. As to feeding, if we have a close chamber above the brood chand>er, all we need to feed is a common tin or wooden box, with a bottom of coarse cotton cloth. Setting the box over a hole the same size in the (pult or honey board, the be<'s will come up and sip the sweets as they oo/.e through. Cloth liags nailed to tlu^ top bar of a frame whicli has a lobe through it and placed in the hive in lieu of one of the frames of the comb, as reconnnened by "Novice," will be cheap, convenient, and easily set asidn when not needed. EVENIXO SESSIOX. Tlie first topic, "Feeding,— How, When, and Why," was introduced by a paper from Prof. A. J. Cook, of the Agricultural College, favoring stimulative feeding, in times of: scarcity, to promote breeding ; also of th(3 value of the extractor in times of great hon- ey secretion. Tiic subject was discussed as follows : T. F. Bingham— Did the bees store from apjde blossoms to excdude the (lueen ? Prof. Cook — They did. T. F. Bingham— bid you have forage from earlier sources ? Prof. Cook— Yes. T. F. Bingham— At that time of the year (last of May) the hive should be full of brood. C. I. Balch— In times ofscandtyof forage, uncapping the honey in the liive will pro- mote breeding. T, F. Bingham — You nughtjust as well feed chips to induce brood rearing as honey. If bees are gathering pollen, as tli(>y usually are in warm weather, and have honey in th(! luve, the brood will \h', abundant. Feeding for this purpose is uscdess. ]{ees have littU3 discretion — man should have it for them. Prof, ("ook— My bees would not breed when gathering pollen and no honey, and my queens were "yellow," too. 32 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. J. Tomlinson— 1 have had combs stored full of pollen, but cot little brood. Prof. Cook— Would Mr. Bingham ever feed stimulatinglv ? T. F. Binghaui— Never. Its requires lots of discretion, which our family don't pos- sess. It may do for amusement, the same as boys play marbh^s. .J. li.Everard— Don't localities differ ? T. F. Binsham— I tiiink bees will gather enough in anv locality— usually too much for the benetit of the bees. Bees do not collect honey or pollen because they neetl it, but because it's their instinct— bees Imve no reason. President Balcli — Hives that have an abundance of pollen, do not work as well on flour in the spring as those that do not. Mr. Walker— I tried every method last spring to get brood early, but failed until natural pollen came in, though they had eggs all the time. Prof. Cook— I had some stocks with no pollen ; stimulated, and got lots of brood. Commence the 1st of April, feed regularly, and you'll be surprised at the amount of brood. Though others claim that Ijrood can be raised without pollen, I don't believe it. C. I. Balch— Did you ever mix honey and pollen together and'feed it ? Prof. Cook— I have never tried it. n. E. Bidwell— Bees cannot brood with- out pollen ; uncapping honey in the hive is a good method to ]n'omote breeding. T. F. Bingham— If one has lots of leisure, it would be good exercise to take a carving knife and go around through the apiary and "carve" 300 stocks. James Heddon — If your combs contain an abundanceof pollen, feeding will pay well. Have tried every plan of feeding, and pre- fer to lill a Mason fruit jar, puncture the cov- er full of fine holes and invert it over the hole in the honey-board. It will not leak, and you can see at a glance just how fast the bees are taking the feed. Fed sugar syrup in this manner last fall, for winter stores ; it is equally good for stimlative feeding. Bees in small hives will have lots of brood, when those in large hives will have less, as they fill up the brood combs with honey. Do not like Eoot's extractor— it's not strong enough. Prof. Cook— What one would you use ? James Heddon— I make my own, after having tried several others. T. F. Bingham— Extractors, to be durable, must DC strong. In extracting, we are often compelled to do it in a hurry, as honey sometimes comes with a rush. Would use np a Novice machine in a half day's run. Use a revolving can machine— a Peabody machine, Bin^ham-ized. Can extract more in a day from Dlack than from Italian bees. C. I. Balch— Black bees run off the combs, making it easier to do a big day's work. James Heddon— I can extract lioney so solid, that a revolving can nuichine would not touch it. As Mr. Burtdi helped me ex- tract some honey a short time since, I wish to ask him if bethinks any other machine woi\l(l have done the work. H. A. Burcli— 1 have seen no other that does as good work. A paper was then read by the secretary from James Bolin, West Lodi, Ohio, on tlie l)est manner of "Wintering Bees." H. K. Tiidwell, of South Haven, Mich., read a [)aper ('ii ''Wintering in Cold-Frames." J. Tomlinson— How many swarms do you put in each cold-frame ? II. E. Bidwell— Sixteen, two deep. Size of frame (3x12 feet, and three feet deep. J. Tomlinson— Would not a conservatory do ? H. E. Bidwell — It might, but is not nec- essary. Besides it's too expensive. J. Tomlinson — How far is the glass above the hives ? H. E. Bidwell— About six inches. C. I. Balch— Do tlie bees cluster on the glass '? H. E. Bidwell— Not if the temperature is right. It should not be too cold, nor too warm — about 70 degrees is the best. II. A. Burch— Wiiat is the slope of the glass. H. E. Bidwell— Eight inches in six feet. Prof. Cook— Would you confine the bees to the frames in spring and let them work on flour '? II. E. Bidwell — I would. They worked freely on it last spring. Would let them fly occasionally — once in four weeks is often enough— kei^ping the frames well covered in the intervals. Dr. Southard- Am trying the experiment of packing hives in a box with straw, so as to guard against sudden changes of tem- ]>erature. Each box holds 16 hives. Think this better than a cellar, as mine were un- easy wlien thus housed. Had them covered with quilts which I think injurious. The cellar was well ventilated— mercury 45 de- grees. A Member— Do not bees when flying in winter go back to the summer location when removed in the fall ? . Dr. Southard— Mine do not. C. I. Balch— As much stress is laid on keeping bees quiet in wintering, I would like to near from Mr. Miliner on this sub- ject. Mr. Milner— I have wintered stocks that had no honey in the fall, by feeding during the winter. 'The bees were kept in a house cellar, under the living room. When my bees are quiet in the cellar, 1 stir them up\ There are many fine theories that are eron- eons. • James Heddon— I think there is an emi- demic around the country. If the bees are right you may pound them — they will stand some abuse ; but if diseased you must exer- cise judgment and work hard to save them. I think Mr. Bid well's rjlan a good one, yet would prefer a house if that will insirre success. Put the bees in carefully ; do not let them know it. Carry bees out and in of- ten in siiring, if necessary. C. I. Balch— There may be a bee disease. Mr. Milner— I have handled my bees only moderately careful for the past four years, yet have succeeded well. They are certain- ly well stirred up in putting them in the cellar. J. H. Everard— I have drawn bees over a rough road in cold weather, and they win- tered well. James Heddon— When I took my bees out last spring they were so dormant that I had to stir them up to induce them to fly at once. AVintered without loss, though I had lost nearly all in the previous winters. A. C. Balch — Bees do not need upward ventilation at any season of the year, much less in winter. Mr. Walker — My bees that liad no upward ventilation died, others did not. Tlu^y were THE AMERICAN BEE JUUIINAL. 33 wintered in a special reiiository with a tem- )>erature (if sinnnier lieat— too liigli. Bees clustereil outside ol' tlie liives. A. C. Balch— If the eoiiditions are just right you can seal them up air-tiKlit and tliey will live. I would prefer a tight bar- rel to a ventilated liive. T. F. Hinghani— I wish I had had 100 swanus "bottled up" last winter. *ro pre- vent mold have the comb "chock full" of lioney. A. C. Balch— TIelated Prof. Cook's experi- ment of wintering bees in a snow hank. One hive was sealed hermetically ; it came out in good condition. James lledden— Can bees live withont a change of air in a winter repository ? A. C. Balch— I think they can. In order to insure success, avoid all currents of air, especially in the hive. Have wintered for years in a house cellar, with no ventilation and no loss. C. I. Balch— In explanation, I would state that the hives referred to are double walled, and will give some ventilation, even when closed so bees cannot get out. J. II. Everard— Will Mr. Balch give the temperature of his cellar ? A. C. Balch— From 40 to 45 degrees— at- mosphere perfectly dry. George Stray — Will Mr. Heddon state his method of wiiitering ? James Ileddon — Mv winter repository is 12x10 ft., with a foot wall tilled with saw- dust. Have shelves, so that each liive is separate. Put them in early, before cold weather. If the weather admits of a good fly, I carry them out, and re-house them be- fore it gets cold again. By this means, loss- es in spring may be avoided. Mr. Miliier — The temperature of my cellar was 32 degrees— the success was excellent. T. F. Buigham— Mr. Quinby and myself (showing the similarity of ideas of great men) tried artificial heat in the winter re- pository. Have had a hot time the past summer— just a little last winter. Withont joking, I want a low temjierature— 32 deg. — to prevent breeding ; and then a judicious use of Mrs. Winslow's sfiothing syrup will bring them out all right. If the "bees are kept quiet, the hives and combs will remain dry. James Ileddon — My bees are more quiet with the mercury at -52 deg. than at 32. Mr. Walker — The temperature in my cel- lar was so warm that one swarm built comb in an upper section which werience with the "New Idea" hive ? II. A. IJurch— It is vt^ry valuable — makes tip-to]) kindling wood. For a bee-hive it is worthless. T. F. Bingham — Artificial swarming is the ditference hetween the instinct of the bee and the will of man. Our suet-ess depends much ujion our knowledge of tlu- instinct of the bee and the honey resources of the lo- cality. Perform the ojjeratiou when clover begins to yield honey, so as to have thehive full of coriil) i)y bass wood time, and you are THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAIi. 35 thtMi ready to secure tliat harvest in glass boxes. Put on but few t)oxe.s at a time— no more tlian thej' ean eccuity. James Ilcddon— The "Xew Idea" iiive will ,nive lots of bees, and some eondt hon- ey of poor (lualitv. Will do very widl for extracted honey, oidy it is twice as much work to tret it. C. I. Balch— How small will it do to make hives '? James Ileddim— To .uive ns a working force that will kee|) ui) animal magnetism, — the essenci' of lite. II. A. Burch— All who wish to manage bees withiileasure and the smallest amount of labor, should use (iuinby's Bee Smoker. It is one of the most valuable implements about an ajiiary. You can get all the smoke ever needed, direct it just where desired and it is always ready for service. J. II. Everard— Let bees out in the spring for a tlight and then replace them. Sun en- tices tl'ieni out and cold winds destroys them. James Heddon— In accounting for the loss of bees let us be sure tliat they have not been wintered, often successfully, in pre- vious years, under precisely similar condi- tions. By this rule, an epidenuc is the only explanation, possible. JNIr. Bryan— We can domesticate bees, or rather educate them, so as to be perfectly docile; careful handling is indespfnsid)le. James Ileddon— Bees" are naturally (|uiet and peaceable. They are made cross by ed- ucation— improper handling. T. F. Bingham— The best educator is a i)lug hat — tliey need no introduction to that, )ut will introduce theiusclves. James Ileddon— EKtrai'ted honey kept for several months is just as good as ever when luigrained. Mr. Walker— Honey that is heated to the boiling point when first extracted will not grain." The committee on resolutions— H. E. Bid- well and Dr. A. >S. Raskins- reported the following, which were adopted without a dissenting voice : Resolved That the Michigan Bee Keep- ers' Association tender to the kind citizens of Kalamazoo, our heartfelt thanks for the generous hospitality they have given us du- ring this session of our association. ilesolved, That we return our hearty tlianks to those at a distance who have fur- nished us valuable papers of great interest to our meeting. Resolved, That this association return our sincere thanks to the reporters and press for their reports. The convention was also unanimous in its condemnation of those engaged in adul- terating honey, and all other dishonest prac- tices. The sessions were harmonious throughout and largely attended. It was, in the best sense of the term, a success, evincing a growing interest in this most fascinating pursuit, and marking a new era in the his- torv of apiculture in this country. lTi)on adjourning the convention decided to hold a spring session in Kalamazoo, on the first Wednesday of May, 1874. Herbert A. Burch, Secretarj". For the American Bee Journal. Can Bees "Winter Without Pollen. Mr. Eimtoi!.— Several of my corresiiond- ents are complaining that they fear tliev will lose their bees during the present winter, from the fact the\ have no pollen. 1 will state a few facts' and try to relieve their fears. In Oct. 1868, Mr. Soloman Brown of Tama Co., Iowa, visited me and while examininjj my bees, :2() stands at that time; he noticed that they were not only nearly out of honey but were entirely destitute of pollen. This had been the poorest season 1 ever knew; the bees had not made one fourth enough to winter on, I was about to feed them for winter when ^tr. Brown asked me if I tliought they coul, as bad as any 1 ever knew, and until jNIay 1st. this season, we hardly had a day tit for bees to lly out, for the great rains. The rains ceased in the 1st week of INIay, Mhen the great draught com- menced that held out about 9 weeks with no rain of any consequence intervening. The honey season was but about thirty days, and when it commenced the bees were very weak and had to have time to recruit, during the honey yield. So weak were my bees when the long rain ceased, that I could have doubled up the thirty- five odd stands into ten strong ones. I had fed liberally during the rains — but it seems that the bees became tired, waiting so long for the rains to cease — and so a great many ventured out in the rain every day nearly and got lost. I had such a number of C[ueens engaged that I did not double up a single stand; keeping them all for nuclei. Now for the result. The thirty days from the day the rain ceased was the best honey season I ever knew. The 35 weak stands soon got strong and increased to 67 and gave me twelve hundred lbs. surplus, besides raising over a hundred queens. Besides this there was the best fall bloom I ever knew, in which I got about six or seven hundred lbs. more of surplus, besides ev- ery stand even the weakest is now very full of honey. I have two New Idea hives with about four or five times enough to winter on. So I think I can safely set the amount of surplus at 20001hs.asl was unable to attend to my bees part of the time owing to indisposition. This is enough to encourage any one who is becoming discouraged by bad sea- sons in succession. Another encourage- ment was I found a ready market of 30 cents for comb and 25 for machine, right at home this season. This was doubtless owing to the great scarcity of bees, caused by the bee mortality the past few winters. The above shows the importance of al- waj^s getting bees strong before the hon- ey harvest sets in. I had my bees stronger the 1st of April than they were the 1st of May. I found it easy to get them strong but how to keep them so during a conMnual rain , in the first part of the honey season, was the main trouble, especially when every day was a wet one. I could not keep them from flying out in the rain. If any of your correspondents know how to keep bees from flyiug out in the rain in the midst of the honey harvest, especially when the rain is a continued one of a week or two — mine was about seven weeks — will they give it through 40 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. the Journal. Had my bees been strong when the rains ceased I ought to have got two or three times as much as I did. Lowell, Ky. R. M. Argo. For the American Bee Journal. Honey at the New York State Pair. In notes on the Fair of 1874, held by New York State Agricultural Society at Rochester, we read that "the exhibition of honey was tine and never better." If the display of honey there made, was such as to draw the encomiums of the officers of the State Society, perhaps a detailed des- cription, as seen by your correspondent, may not be uninteresting to the readers of the American Bee Journal. The first premium for largest amount of box-honey produced by one colony, was awarded to Mr. M. H. Tenuaut, of Strauwix, whose figures stood at 18Ui lbs. The first premium for largest quantity of extracted honey, produced by 1 colonj^ was taken by Mr. J. H. Iladsell, of Breeds- port, whose exact figures I do not recol- lect, but think they were something over 200. The main strife among competitors seemed to be mostly on box honey as to what style of box is best, all things taken into consideration, for marketing our sur- plus honey at the present time, is a ques- tion of dollars and cents with comb hon- ey raisers. The variet}'^ in stjMes of pack- ages attracted much attention and as there were competitors from different parts of the State, the display was not only attractive but practically instructive. Mr. Teunant's sample was in old style of boxes and though of creditable appear- ance, not quite up to present require- ments, the packiiges being too large to bring highest market prices — so with Mr. Griswold's sample — nice honey, but not in shape to call purchaser's attention. Mr. Bettsinger's of jNIarcellus Falls, was in narrow^ sectional boxes. I believe the same as advertised and sold by himself and Mr. Geo. T. Wheeler, of Mexico, N. Y., and largely in use in that section and known in New York as Syracuse style. As Mr. Bettsinger's Avere nicely cased, they showed to the best advantage and could but be very convenient for retailing pur- poses. Mr. Iladsall's sample hung in frames similar in si/e to Mr. Bettsinger's boxes, but not as tastily put up, yet well arranged to show all the merits in that way of getting surplus. Mr. C. R. Isham's boxes were wood tops and bottoms of any desired size and of any kind of timber — some polished olf in fancy style— some merely planed smooth with glass sides and ends held to place by angular bright tin corner pieces pronged to pass through the wood and clinch, mak- ing as strong and nice box as could be de- sired bj^ the most fastidious; and profita- ble to the seller, as they can be manufac- tured about as cheap as almost any style of glass box. Part of Mr. Isham's lot was in small single comb flaked boxes 6ix2J and weighing about 2| lbs. gross, the ends showing the pure liquid honey in cells built against the glass, while the sides gave a view of the white-capped comb iu all its natural beauty and purity. Some empty boxes in which had been fastened pieces of white comb Avere quite a novelty to those not familiar with the workings of the honey-bee and drew forth many expressions of praise to the instinct of the industrious little insect. The 1st premium was awarded to the honey in the glass boxes above mentioned and exhibited by Mr. C. R. Isham, of Pe- oria, Wyoming Co. The committee found more difficulty iu deciding to whom to give the 2nd premi- um, but finally agreed to give it to Mr. Bettsinger's sample; but as he declined the 2nd premium, they gave it to Mr. Peter Miller, of Fredonia, a well merited tribute to Chautauqua's veteran bee-keeper. I will conclude by remarking that a spirit of good-feeling prevailed among the honey exhibitors, and though the premi- ums were liberal, they were not the only inducement that brought them there — but a desire to further the interests of bee- keeping, by presenting samples of honey put up in style to give satisfaction to both producer and consumer, eliciting their in- terest, as was evinced by numerous in- quiries and demonstrating by practical example, what these industrious little workers will do, if care at the i)roper time is taken to give them plenty of room iu which to store away their surplus gains. "Observer." For the An\crican Bee Journal. Jefferson County Bee-Keepsrs' As- sociation. The Jcili'rson County Bee-Keepers' As- sociation had since my last report organi- zed, adopted a constitution and by-laws, and held several meetings. Every meet- ing was well attended and a great deal of interest taken by all who were present to promote the prosperity of the Associa- tion. The following arc the ofiiccrs elected for the ensuing year : Cliristophcr Grimm, President ; William Wolf, Secre- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 41 tary ; aud Adam Fuerbringor, Treasurer. The election of a Vice President was dis- pensed witli. Fifteen members signed the constitution at the first meeting aud a great many morejhave signed since. Altliougli the past season here could not be called a first rate one, the reports from the dilVerent members of this Asso- ciation on increase of swarms and surplus honey are very good, and sum up as fol- lows : Colonies in the spring, 1,285 ; in- crease 1,15U ; total 2,4;>5, put into winter quarters. Comb hone)' 28,4G7 lbs. Extracted. 15,0o2 " Total 43,499 lbs. All of the above comb honey was sold for a price ranging from 18 to 30 cents per ft, aud the extracted from 12 to 18 cents per It), except 250 lbs. of comb, and 400 lbs. of extracted honey on my hands yet. One of the main questions discussed in these meetings was as follows : How can bees be wintered without loss? William Wolf, of the village of Jefferson, opened the discussion on this topic. I have win- tered bees on their summer stands, in clamps, and lately in a house built for that purpose, I would not under any cir- cumstances recommend in this northern country, to winter bees on their summer stands ; bees wintered out-doors would need just double the amount of honey as when wintered in clamps, cellars or re- positories. And further I will state that I always lost one colony out of three when I wintered them outdoors on their summer stands. In regard to wintering bees in clamps I would state that they have done well, except one winter ; when in the spring the snow melted aud water got into my clamp aud drowned many bees. I would therefore advise bee- keepers who winter bees in clamps to select for that pui'pose a dry, high place where no water under any circumstances could get iuto it. The last four winters I wintered my bees in a house built for that purpose, the first winter they wintered well ; 2nd, heavy loss ; 3rd, heavy loss ; 4th, some loss, but not so heavy as 2nd and 3rd winter. I account the cause for losing so many the 2nd winter to the smallness of my house, having put in the house 184 colonies of bees, they produced too much heat and before the weather was favor- able in the spring so that bees could be taken out from the house, they left their hives, fell down on the floor and died, dead bees covering the floor from three to four inches deep. The third winter n-'iich was two years ago, when t].e ther- mometer stood from 28 to 34 degrees be- low zero for one whole week, my house was too cold. The sawdust had settled on the sides and the naked boards were no protection for my bees and they froze to death. The last winter I lay the cause to the weakness in numbers of bees in some of my colonies, at the time I put them in my repositoiy. If our bees are in a good condition at the time we put theni up for wintering, not kept too warm neither too cold, they will winter well, but if kept too warm it will induce them to com- mence breeding, they will get too dry and sufter from thirst, the young bees hatching while in the cellar, clamp or repository have no chance to fly and clean themselves, and on that account will get eftected with disease. If kept too cold, the vaporation of the bees will freeze and the comb will get wet and mouldy. C. Grimm stated, I have experienced very little difticulty in wintering bees. Since 1868, I kept bees in this country, have always wintered them in the cellar aud had very good success. In the summer of 1871, I built a new cellar at my farm for the purpose of win- tering mj'^ bees there. The cellar is built on the side of a small hill, so that from one side where the door leads into it, it is level with the surface aud I can walk in without climbing up cellar-steps. It is only protected on two sides, the other two sides had no protection, except one foot brick wall which was insuflicient to keep the frost out, in this cellar I put my bees the next winter. One cold morning wiieu the tempera- ture was 28 deg. below zero outside, I w^ent iuto my cellar and found it only 10 above zero. I opened nearly all the hives which were on top, and was surprised in finding the bees, in every one I opened, inclosed in a lump of ice ; put a stove in my cellar at once and used artificial heat to thaw them up. From this time until the weather got warm I kept a fire every day to keep the frost out aud to dry the hives. On the 29th of March, 1872, I took my bees from the cellar and put them on their summer stands, and found among 77 colonies only two dead, although I dis- turbed my bees many times during win- ter. In the winter of 1873, I did not use any artifical heat, I protected my cellar with sawdust to keep the frost out, and have succeeded in doing so. On the 26th of INIarch, took them from the cellar and found after examination among 132 col- onies, four dead, all the rest had wintered 42 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. well, but lost six colonies more iu the spring, after I put them on their summer stands. The last winter the weather was very mild and we had a great deal of rain in the months of February and March, so that water got into my cellar. I had it bailed out twice and sometimes three times a day, but one morning when I went to my cellar I found the hives standing next to the bottom, 3 and 4 inches in water, saw at once that it was an impossibility to keep the Avater out by bailing. I there- fore employed some hands and ordered them to dig through on the lowest side under the wall of the cellar to let out the water, which came from the bottom of the cellar in a good stream ; they succeed- ed after a day's hard work. Although I had more or less water iu my cellar for six weeks before I took my bees out, I found (March 18th) when I did take them out not a single colony dead among 1-54 I put in the cellar, and only two afiected with disease. Every comb bright and clean, except those that had stood in the water. This convinces me, that bees in a dry cellar will towards spring suiter more from thirst, than bees will suffer on account of dampness in a damp cellar. I agree with Mv. Wolf, that bees put up for wintering should be in a good condi- tion, they should not be kept too warm, neither too cold ; if kept too warm it would induce them to commence breed- ing, they would get dry and sutler from thirst, the young bees hatching iu the cel- lar, repository or clamp, would not have a chance to fly out and clean themselves, and on that account would be etlected with disease. If bees are kept to.o cold the evaporation of the bees would freeze the combs and get wet and mouldy, and if not sufficient ventilation is secured from the outside and plenty of fresh air admitted, it will create a bad smell and bees will get sick and die. After further discussion on the same subject the opinion was general, that bees can be wintered in a cellar, repository or clamp without any or but very trifling loss ; if, when put up for wintering they are in a good condition ; (that is to have ])lenty of honey, to be strong in numbers, and have a young queen,) they are not to be kept too warm neither too cold ; (tem- perature not below o5 nor above 45 deg. Fahrenheit,) they should not be kept in a too dry nor a too damp place ; if kept too dry they will suller from thirst, if kept in a damp place their combs will mould, create a bad smell, and bees will get ef- fected witli disease if plenty of fresli air is uotadmitled, or artiticial heat used. The meeting then adjourned until Janu- ary iiOth, 1875. Christopher Grimm, President. William Wolp\ Secretary. For the American Bee Journal. Why is it? Mr Editor : — Why is it that my bees always winter well on their summer stands, notwithstanding the mercury goes as low as :33 deg. below zero, as in the winter of 1872-3, and yet no sign of dysentery, when other bee-keepers who wintered otherwise, lost heavily while I lost none? AVhyis it that bee-keepers object to fall honey for wintering, when we in this neighborhood, winter on honey that is gatliered iu September, and never have the dysentery among our bees ? Why is it that some box hives that I bought, wintered (without any upward ventilation at all, and was air tight) as well as my other hives that had on honey quilts and caps filled with chaft'? Why is it that I got 20 cents IR lb. for my extracted honey in half bbls., from the oldest and most reliable wholesale grocery and commission house in St. Louis, and other bee-keepers are com- plaining of dishonest honey merchants ? Oskaloosa, 111. D. 31. Laswell. For the American Bee Journal. Letter from Kansas. Editor .Journal : — Three poor years for the bee-keeper in succession and two poor years for the farmer makes me feel as though there might be a better place for both professions, in fact after reading what bee-keepers are doing iu other places we do not feel like owning that we keep bees at all. We did not keep them very well last summer; during about ten days iu the latter part of June they seem- ed to be determined to fly away without much ceremony. If they would alight they would in many cases not give me time to get from the field to the house be- fore they would be gone. That is one great objection to the Italians, they are bound to swarm just when you want them to stay in the hive and work. 3Ir. Ilazen tells us to use a non-swarming hive, but we have no faith in it, for we have known them to swarm wlien the hive was not half full of comb, and last season we had one to swarm the second day after hiving, but they were put in a hive of empty comb and got away entire- ly unknown to me. I had weighed the THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 4;i hive ia the morning to see how much honey they would gather througli the day, on weighing it again in tiie evening it was just 10 lbs. lighter. 1 then exam- ined the hive and found there was a medium swarm and a queeu. I have said that the last three seasons were poor, and so they were as a general thing, but in some localities they done better than others ; mine has paid but little over expenses in the years mention- ed, last season I got WO lbs. extracted honey, and this winter so far have lost about one-third of my bees. N. Camkrox. Iowa Bee-Keepars' Association. On Wednesday Jan. :30t!i the annua! meet- ing of the Central Iowa Bee-Keepers' Asso- ciation was held in this city. After transacting routine business the following resolutions were adopted : Resolved, That this convention adjourn to Wednesday the nth day of February next at the City Hall, in Cedar Rapids, antl tlie committees are instructed to have their respective reports prepared — especially that relating to the success of Bee-Keepers in 1874. Resolved, That the growing interest and value of the apiary, in tlie iState, especially its central portions, invite not only a full attendence of our mcnbers, but also of others interested in this rapidly increasing source of wealth in Iowa— now standing only second to any .State in the Union in this branch of material prosperity. Resolved, That Thk American Bioe JouKXAL of this city, and other city papers, daily and weekly, are requested to publish these resolutions, and that their exchanges interested in this subject be requested to copy. J. ,^[. May, D. W. Thayek, Secretary. President. For the American Bee Jouniiil, Solid Frame. On page 214, Vol. X, Xo. 9, of the Ameeican Bee JoriiNAi., in your reply to 3Irs. G. W. Church, you say some bee- keepers always allow a margin in this way to secure more care in taking out the first frame. When it is so left, care is necessary when honey is plenty to pre- vent the bees from tilling the vacant space with comb." Now, this care means a great deal of trouble and yet with hives that have no movable sides, this margin is positively necessary to save the life of the bees and perhaps the queen. To avoid all this trouble and j'^et to secure the advantages this margin oft'ers I use what I call a solid frame. It is nothing more than a tliin and light partition of board made the si/e of the frame so as to move easily ; this is put in the extra space or margin, and pushed up to the comb so as to allow a passage for the bees between. There is then no further trouble ; when you want to open the hive you have only to push the solid frame back against the side of the hive and lift it out clear of the combs. You then have room to work freely, be- sides having no bees killed. Austin, Texas. B. 11. Ives. Fertile American Boc.Tournal. The Italian Test. In a late number of tlie JontxAi, I asked If there was any lixed and certain test of Italian purity. 1 did this in part because some of our most prominent bee-keepers were maintaining that " a few black bees " among the Italians were "no mark of im- purity." It seemed to me, that if black bees whereto be found among the Italians, "even in Italy," as had been asserted by Mr. Da- dant in a previous number of the Jouhxal, it would be of little use for us to hope to im- prove the grade of our hives by importations from that country. But Mr. Dadant comes to our relief (?) in the November Jour.NAL, by telling us that it was not black bees, but only "seeming black bees" that he saw in Italy. They were black, yet only in appearance, and that from the effects of their food and ffeces. This ex- ])lanation may be satisfactory to Mr. D. but to :ny mind it seems "rather thin." If they were "seeming black" bees, as termed by Mr. D. how does lie know that their color was caused by the matter within them ? or how does he"^ know they were not genuine blacks '? May I not, with equal reason, say of any one and two banded hybrids, that they are only seeming hybrids ; that one or two of their rings has been temporarily ob- scured by their food or freces, and that their rings will re-appear in their full luster as soon as the dark matter has passed from their bodies ? I don't believe that any three-banded Ital- ian bee ever took anything into its stomach so dark as to render it in appearance like a black bee. On one occasion a year or two since I fed a few of my Italiairstocks a mix- ture of very dark sorghum molasses, I could easily discern the dark matter through the wiuEjs, but the rings themselves were as readily distinguished as before the molas- ses had been taken into their sacs. I have also often seen Italians with their bodies greatly distended with very dark fiecal mat- ter, and yet they had no appearance in com- mon with the black bee. The peculiar workings of the Italian and black bee are so different and distinct, that the merest tyro in bee-keeping can never be at a loss to dis- tinguish one from the other. I have no reason to doubt the statement of Mr. D. that he saw "a few black bees" among "the thousands of well marked" in Italy ; yet I do question very seriously his judgment, that such bees were only "seeni- "ing'black," and not black in blood. His own statement convinces me, that many of the bees he saw, were as much hybrids, as any we have in America. And I believe 44 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. that this fact accounts for the furtlier fact, so many of the qneeus imported from that country are impure. It is useless tor Mr. Dadant to'assert, or to guarantee even, that all the queens he or any body else imports, breed invariably "workers vi'ith their yellow rings." 1 know it is the general complaint with queen-rais- ers, that imported queens are very uncer- tain breeders. I will close this already too tedious article by reiterating my judgment, that any queen that fails to breed workers invariably ivith three yclloin and distinct bands can not be relied "on as a pare queen. Whenever even one "seeming black," or "seeming" one or two-banded worker is found among her •brood, she should be discarded as a breeder. «Charlestown, Ind. M. C. Hestek. For tlie American Bee Journal. ''The 'Moon' Shone Bright." Kind northern reader are you shivering lin the cold ? Are the dreary November days beginning to scatter down the round hard pelletts of snow? Do even these messengers of the Ice King seem afraid of the cold ? Yes, you look pinched up and your face is fairly blue. Why you are half frozen ! Just get in by the lire, tumble in the fuel and let the blaze roar at old Winter, while you doze otf and dream you are with me this warm sun- shiney day, away down in Georgia. Leaving the Chattanooga & Atlanta R. R. at Kingston we take the pleasant little •family railway leading over to Rome — a distance of 20 miles. The beautiful Etowah — " clear water," — down whose banks we wind, sparkles under the sun- light, the bright foliage of the deciduous- leaved trees interspered with somber evergreens, the warm breeze which fans ■us through the open window, and the drowsy cjuietuess, all combine to render almost perfect the illusion that we are euteriug the long-sought Elysium. But be sure, my friend, that your fire is kept up for if you should get chilly and rouse up so as to catch a good glimpse of those fields of cotton clad in their snowy whiteness, the spell would be broken and the stern old Ice King would again reign over you. Members of the "colored per- suasion," of nearly all ages and both sexes are leisurely pulling the cotton from the opening bails, and the train pauses every now and then for a breath, and to afford 'US a better view of the dexterity of the pickers. We have our minds made up that "while in Rome" we will "do as tiie Ro- mans do" but on arriving at that pleasant little city at 2 p. m. we are somevvhat surprised to see the Moon, bearing a face radient with smiles, shining brightly down upon us, while the quiet inhabitants seem to regard the occurence as a com- mon one. We find the sanctum of the Bee World vacant, and wending our way to the apiary fiud its manager, our friend Moon, witli sleeves above his elbows, in the midst of transferring. His cordial wel- come places us at ease immediately. Then comes a ramble and a bee-talk among the 140 neatly painted hives which decorate the south-eastern slope from the house. We fiud a beautiful lot of Italians obtain- ed from various sources and we are grati- fied at having an opportunity to compare the stock of so many of our prominent queen-raisers. Mr. Moon prefers frames 10 in. deep by 15 long — certainly a very good size for a standard frame. What surprises us most is the statement which our friend makes in answer to an inquiry concerning some colonies that appear weak. "Certainly they will winter here. It is no trouble in the world to winter bees in this climate." Then too it takes only about 12 or 14 lbs. of honey. Why couldn't you sorry chaps, that put the quilts over your bees and tucked them up more than a month ago, have sent them down here and had 20 lbs. of honey gathered by each stock after Sept. loth, let them frolic the whole winter, and then (if j'ou didn't change your mind before spring) you could ship them back home after the March and April revels among the Southern flowers, to regale themselves among the linn forests and orchards of the North ? — A winter resort in the South and a summer home in the North. How delightful— eternal spring and summer. After the friendly bee-talk and the pleasant entertainment by our charming hostess — our friend's daughter-in-law, — we find ourselves the next day reluctantly leaving the beautiful little city which nestled among seven hills, like the ancient "Mistress of the world," gives promise that it will yet make its influence felt. We think it is the most beautiful little city we have visited in the "Sunny South." May the culture and evident progress of its inhabitants "rule the world !" FiiANK Bentox. Nov. 19th, 1874. I wintered on summer stands, losing two stocks out of 25. Sold one stock in the spring and one stock became queenless early in the spring, and again in July, and gave me no increase or surplus, so T count 21 work- ing stocks. With tliose I have increased to 44, and took 52418 lbs. of nice comb honey. Average price of honey 27% cents. I iiave kept bees but four years, and my bees are mostly black. Ti:lly, N. V. J. E. LiOYD. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 45 For the American Bee Journal. On Wintering Bees. Mr. Editor :— As tlicre is a great deal said ill your Nortlu'ni journals about wiiitcr- inp; lnH*'s in cellars, oaves, otc, which docs not interest us in tlu' sunny South, whi're we can winter them far better on their sum- mer stands, perhaps it may not be amiss to ?ive my way of winteriuf:; liere. If you hink it will be interesting to your readers you may insert it in your valuable journal. You niay think we need take no precau- tion here to winter our bees, where they are able to tly almost every sunny day during winter, but observation shows me that the mortalitv of bees here is as great in winter as in the far North, for we do not take pains here to prepare them that our North- ern friends do. i5ut if every one here would take a little trouble to cover tlie tops of the frames with a sheet of straw wrapping- paper and put a little cotton-seed on top to the amount of 1 or 2 inches thick, we should hear no more of bees dying in winter. The above is my practice, and of 200 stands put up in this "way last winter, I lost but two, wliich I think died for want of honey. As I kept on swarming my bees last year until the 7th October. It is not strange that I should loose one per cent of them in winter- ing. In preparing for winter I even up all my colonies, Dy taking from the strong and giving to the weak, which I consider no robbery. D. Staples. Columbia, Mauray Co., Tenn. For The American Bee Journal. Remarks on Eccentric. Mr. Editor : — Who is Eccentric ? How do you distinguish a man who is afraid to write over his full address from a coward, or if this name is too hard, I take it back and say "timid." I dislike to read arti- cles under ficticious names, and were I editor of a Bee or Poultry Journal no such articles could enter into its pages. But men difier ; it takes all sorts of people to make a world. I am not condemning at wholesale. But let us examine and see what good such articles do. In reading the Journal my custom is to hop clear over such articles and first read our re- sponsible names, and such as Eccentric's last. Yet, Ecceutic's article was good, notwithstanding. Let us look for the bad. He says : "The season just closed has been rather a dull one in our locality." Now what good does this do the readers of the Journal unless he told us where or in what latitude his locality was. Is it not mere idle scribble ; do we care to know how the honey season was, unless we know the whereats and whereofs, at Black Hill or Florida ? But enough of this. He asks where are the old brilliant wri- ters of the Journal. They are all living, except Dr. Hamlin, of Tenn., whom we miss very much indeed. The others did not disappear from the Journal without cause, known to themselves only. I as well as Eccentric wish they would return, for I want to read their spicy articles again. Next he pitches into the City Honey dealers ; there now, friend. Eccentric, you are right, ''give it to em-" they have no business to damage or destroy our busi- ness. We who have spent seven years of hard study in winter, and hot slinging practice in summer to learn Bee-ology, not for our own but for the benefit of coming generations ; are we now after a hard toil among bees, in the heat of the day, to get nothing but a mere pittance for our honey or be cheated out of it altogether, by these City Ilouey dealers. No, this is too hard for us ; we can't stand it. Something must be done and that quickly. We must either form a Grange, or unite with the Granges and have our own Honey houses. But I would say to Ecccentric, if he does not already know it, that it is not all the City Honey dealers who will adulterate honey. Some of them are too honest and conscien- tious to do such a thing, as for instance C, F. IVIuth, of Cincinnati. Ihave not been in Muth's Honey store, but a friend of mine whose word I have entire confidence in, has assured me that he has been all through Muth's honey store and that he buys and sells nothing but the pure un- adulterated article. This is the sort of a house to recommend itself. I sold my honey at home at fair prices. If I had any so send to a city, I would sell to no other than such a dealer as Mulh. He next pitches into New-Idea hives. True they were lauded to the skies, in such a way as even to induce Argo to try em. Last season was the first one that was fit to try a hive, and I gave four of them a fair trial, reported once or twice and said : "so far, they have given entire satis- faction." By the words "so far" I mean so far as I had trid them. But the winter trial was to come yet, and now Jan. 11th, so far, I am not satisfied with their winter- ing. Thus far we have never had a milder winter, and yet bees do not winter well in those long new-idea hives, at least mine do not. The bees all crowd to the front part, leaving about three-fourths of the hive, or nearly, unoccupied and unpro- tected. In all of Gallup's writing as to how his bees wintered in them he said "splen- didly." So also said Adair ; if I am not mistaken. Well how is it that Gallup's bees in the far and cold north cO'Uld win- ter so splendidly in those long hives and mine here in a much milder climate, not winter at all V Will Gallup or Adair ans- wer ? 46 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. But for Italians in a good honey season I know of no better hive to get large amounts of surplus. I got the most sui*- plus from one of these, and I believe the others give more in proportion. I am well pleased with them in summer so far as tried, but not so in winter, yet I would advise novices to wait until 1 try them further. I promise a faithful report, not like the man who would pursuade himself that a thing was so, then report it as a fixed fact, when it was so only in his head. Lowell, Ky. R. M. Argo. '♦♦■♦• For the American Bee Journal. A Friend or Enemy? The Illinois State Horticultural Society held its annual meeting in this city, from Dec. 8th to 11th inclusive. Prof. C. V. Riley, State Entomologist of Missouri, was present, and delivered a lecture on the grape phylloxera or gall louse, a leaf parasite very troublesome on some varie- ties of grapes, particularly the Clinton. He stated that the phylloxera was less troublesome on sandy than on clay soils. The reverse of that is true in this vicinity at least. During the session of the Socie- ty I took occasion to hand the secretary the following : Mr. President : — I would like to know whether this Association considers the honey bee a friend or enemy ? A certain professor of entomology considers it an enemy, and lias reeoiuniendcd iioi.soning it. I consider it a liDrticultural assistant. Would like an expression of opinion by this Society. Eespectfully, Mrs, L. Harrison. The president read the communication to the Society, and immediately, H. J. Dunlap, of Champaign, moved that the bee be considered a friend, which was promptly seconded. Prof. Riley jumped to his feet and exclaimed "that means me, that's to draw me out," Mr. Presi- dent, I hope that question won't be pass- ed without discussion ; I would like a chance to explain my position, and as the time is all occupied this afternoon I hope the question will be deferred until even- ing. At the request of the president, Mr. Dunlap withdrew his motion for the time ; but at the evening session it was again brought before the house by Mr. Gasten, of Lacou, who said "Mr. Presi- dent, I would like an expression of opinion on the bee question. I consider the bee a friend to horticulturists ; nature's great hybridizer, benificial in the cross fertilization of flowers, and in ren- dering fertile many sterile ones, a true dtililarian, saving many cracked fruits that would otherwise be wasted, and the great nation of Russia finding they can get more clover seed with the fertilizing of the blossoms by bees, are importing bumble bees to fertilize the red clover." The speaker was loudly applauded ; and Prof. Riley being callei^ for, arose and said, "Mr. President, I think highly of the honey bee, very highly indeed ; I am a friend of the bee, I think it does a great deal of good ; but in some seasons, in times of great drouth, when bee forage is scarce, I think it does damage, indeed I am certain of this. I watched the bee very closely for several years, before I could tell whether it did any diamage or not ; but one season, a very dry one, I saw two acres of Herbemont grapes near- ly ruined by them. I think it is only on exceptional seasons that it does any dam- age. I would not recommend poisoning them, but think persons living on a small plot of ground ought not to keep them, in sufficient numbers, to annoy their neigh- bors at times when bee forage is scarce. On the whole, I consider the bee more of a friend than an enemy." The members of the Society, that I conversed with, seemed to think the pro- fessor had "come down," considerably from his first statement on the bee ques- tion ; admitting as he did " that the dam- age bees did (if indeed, they did any) was so slight that it took several years of close observation to discover it." I think the damage is becoming microscopic. Peoria, 111. Mrs. L. Harrison. For the American Bee Journal. Evaporating Honey. Friend Ives, in Jan. number, speaks about evaporating honey by heat, in shal- low pans in the oven, and in a kettle brought nearly up to boiling point. "We tried the latter plan and made a grand success of it, for we suceeded in chang- ing No. 1 honey into third-rate sorghum, without the least particle of a honey taste in it. We used it to make vinegar of. We now have in the cellar some large crocks of honey, very thick and clear, without a sign of souring or candying. Some of it was extracted after being cap- ped over, and some the next day after it was gathered. We put it in large jars, cloth over the top, lay a board on it, and have no trouble in getting it evaporated without any more work. Therefore, friend Ives, if you want to keep the flavor of your honey don't boil it. In my article in Jan. No., page 13, the name "Ross," should re^d "Roof." Oneida, 111. W. M. Kellogg. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 47 A Dozen of the Same Ilk. Yesternay about a dozen bee-keepers met at the house of Mr. Teiinant, about seven miles uortli of Eureka. We spent the day in talking bees and t(ii)ped off witii a line supi)er. Wiiile we were in "eouneil asseni- bleu'' in a large npjier room, tiie wives of the sturdy be'e-nianipuhitors tallced bonnets etc. Ac, below. Those present represented about 800 stocks of bees, and about 15(>0() lbs. honey, of which TOOO was comb and sikki cxtrai'ted. Nearly all doubled their stocks during the season. Mr. Bardwell, of t)nu-o, got 2200 lbs. extracted, and n)ade no comb honey, he sold most of it at :iO cents jier lb. Mr. Editor, this was a nioddel bee-keep- er's convention, for we agreed at least on one thing, and that is, that 4.5 degrees is about tbe right temperature to keep bees in winter. Our next meeting'will be held July 1st. af- ter which semi-annually. No initiation, no fees, no blow, but a good social time ; we hope this may give others a hint. Berlin, Wis. ' J. D. Kkuschke. Voices from among the Hives. C. McDermot, Malone, N". Y., writes :— "I wish some one would advertise cat-nip seed in the Americax Bee Journal. I would sow some if I could find the seed." A. E. KiTCHUM, New Garden, N. C, writes : — "In answer to your enquiry as to the number of bees kept in this State, I estimate 18,000, or about an average of five colonies to each keeper." Egbert T. Jones, Flat Eock, N. C, writes : — "I would recommend all who wish a hedge fence to plant the holly. It is an evergreen, and in a few years vvill make a f:ood impenetrable fence, in good soil, from he seed. The seed should be sown before spring. It is difficult to transplant, unless taken up with great care. J. M. Teller, Chandlerville, 111., writes : — "I have 3<3 stands stands of bees, and four are late swarms. Last smnmer out of 32 stands I had 2,200 lbs. of honey in the comb. Can any one beat that ? My bees are nearly all Italians, never allowing more than one swarm from each stand, and sometimes none. The season will decide about that." Joseph Jones, Pittsburgh, writes : "This has been a poor season for Bees. Very few swarms and little honey. The spring was cold and backward. 1 commenced with nine in the spring, all weak. Increased to sixteen in fair condition for wintering. I winter in a double-walled house this winter. Will let you know how they come out in the spring." H. Goodlander, Leesburg. Ind., writes: — "My bees are all right, so far no signs of dysentery, nor the famous "bee disease," (except stocks under experiment), while my neiglibors' bees are badly affected with the dysentery, and I think fully one half, if not more, will die pefore spring. If Mr. J. W. Margrave will send me his P. O. address he can have the information asked for. Some one has sent me 151.00 for seed but gave no name or address." M. VooLE, Boyne, Mich., writes:— The Decend)er and .lanuary luunbers of the Bc- soiirccs ofCdlifoniia contains particulars about Mr. Harbison's apiaries in San Diego, his crops, sales itc, with the honoring testi- mony tliat our brother bee-keepers there are the best settlers of the country. The edi- tor says: "We are informed that the bee- men alone have done more in the settlement of the country of San Diego this year than all other classes, and more than had been done in the past five years. I long for a chance to sell liere to go there." .John W. Wilson, California, writes ; — "This seems to be the natin-al home for honey bees. They do extremely well in al- most any kind of box, keg, barrel, or hive, for they are kept in all those things here. Of late there has been considerable im- provement made by a few enterprising bee men in this lower country, in the mode of keeping and managing bees. We started in the spring with 120 stands, .50 of which were weak and in the old box hive, which we transferred to frame hives. The other 70 were in frames deeper than we wished to use and we had those to cut down ; so we had rather a l)ad start. Our stock increas- ed naturally to oOO stands. We have taken nine tons oi extracted honey and one ton of comb. I took 302 lbs. of comb honey from one of our early swarms, and they, made % of the combs themselves. Our bees are all doing well and leathering some honey now. If the season eoiitinues as it has set in, we will have swarming in February." Aaron Benedict, Bennington, O., writes:— "The instinct of the bee is to void its excrement only on the wing, and will not do it any other way, as long as it can possibly contain it; hence the advantages of the box. The boards should not be less than a foot wide. Place the hive in the warm room near a window, and the bees will take wing readily and discharge their accumulated fteces— keep bees well sup- plied with flower as soon as they will work on it. Wheat screenings is as good as any- thing. JNlany bees starve after they are nearly wintered; when a little food would save them. If honey is not at hand to feed, take Coffee A Sugar, add soft water suffi- cient to make a syrup about the consistency of thin honey, bring to a boil, audit is ready to feed. Take connnon glass tumblers, till nearly full with syrup, tie a piece of cotton cloth over them, turn bottom upwards, place them immediately over the bees on the frames ; or if common box hives, over holes in the top, place a box, to keep out the rob- bers. If bees have to be fed when it is too cold for them to fly out, and void their fceces make a box of suitable size to cover the hives, make the box without bottom or top, for the upper side, tack on wire, screening or bobinett will answer; take the bees into a warm room, place the box over the feed on top, and let the bees have a chance to fly. There must be strips of cloth or paper spread over the frames, or the bees will smear the tops of the frames. After the bees have consumed their feed and had a good fly in box let the room gradually cool, and the bees will go down and cluster in the hive, they should then be set out on their regular stands. In the above manner I have saved many colonies that otherwise would have perished. Bees should not be fed with liiiuicl food, unless they can fly out. 48 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ^titeijitan |j)ee ^0ttt;mil THOMAS G. NEWMAN, Manager. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION". Single subscriber, one year, $2.00 Two subscribers, sent at the same time,.. . 3.50 Three subscribers, sent at the same time,. .. 5.00 Six subscribers, sent at the same time 9.00 All higher clubs at the same rate. ADVERTISING RATES FOR 1875. SPACE. 1 Mo. 2 MosS Mos 6 Mos 1 Year. 1 Inch VA Inch.. . }i Column. J4 Column. Yi Column. ^ Column. 1 Column.. % Page.... 1 Page $ 2 00 $ 3 00 $ 5 00 $ 8 00 $ 12 00 2 50i 4 00 (J 00 9 00 15 00 3 00 5 00 7 00 10 00 20 00 6 OOl 10 00 15 00 20 00 30 00 7 00 ' 12 (10 17 00 25 00 40 00 8 OO; 15 00 20 00, 40 00 70 00 10 00 18 00 25 00 ! 45 00 85 00 12 001 20 00 30 00; 55 00 100 00 16 OO! 30 OOl 45 OOl 80 OO! 150 00 Next page to Business Department and fourth and last page of cover, double rates. Bills of regular Advertising payable quarterly, if inserted three months or more. If inserted for less than three months, payable monthly. Transient advertisements, cash in advance. We adhere strictly to our printed rates. Address all communications and remittances to THOMAS a. NEWMAN, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Books for Bee-Keepers may be obtained at this oilice. Not one letter . in ten thousand is lost by mail if rightly directed. Single copies of the American Pee Jour- nal, are worth 20 cents each. Upon the wrapper of every copy of the Journal will be found the date at wiiich subscriptions expire. The offer of premium queens is now with- drawn, as we cannot supply Spring queens- for that purpose. Any numbers that fail to reach subscribers by fault of mail, we are at all times ready to send, on application, free of charge. Subscribers wishing to change their post- office address, should mention their old ad- dress, as well as the one to which they wish it changed. Persons writing to this office should either write their Name, Post-office, County and State plainly, or else cut off tlie label from the wrapper of their paper and enclose it. Journals are forwarded until an explicit order is received by the publishers for the discontinuance, and until payment of all ar- rearages is made as required by law. We do not give our Chromo when sub- scribers club with otlicr publications, unless they add 25 ccnits to the amount of tlie club subscripticnis, and say they want the Chromo. When a subscriber sends money in pay- ment tortile .Vmiokk'.vn IIkk .loriiXAL, he should state to wliat time he thinks it pays, so that we can compare it with our books, and thus prevent mistakes. Honey Markets. CHICAGO. — Choice white comb honey, 82@.30c ; fair to good, 24@28c. Extracted, choice white, l-i:(wWc ; fair to good, 10@12c ; strained, 8@10c. CINCINNATI.— Quotations from Chas. F. Muth, 976 Central Ave. Comb honey, 1.5@3.5c, according to the con- dition of the honey and the size of the box or frame. Extracted choice white clover honey, 16c. "^ ft. ST. LOUIS.— Quotations from W. G. Smith, 419 North Main st. NEW YORK.— Quotations from E. A. Walker, loo Oakland st., Greenpoi-t, L. I. White honey in small glass boxes, 2oc ; dark 1.5@20c. Strained lioney, 8(rt)12c. Cuban honey, ^1.00 ^ gal. St. Doniingo, and Mexi- an, 90@9.5 f gal. SAN FRANCISCO. — Quotations from Stearns and Smith, 42.3 Front st. We wrote for your January number, that the season was very forward and the bees were working on new feed. As we have had but two slight rains for fifty days, and none in thirty, once a very heavy frost, the prospect is not now as favorable for an early and abundant crop of honey. Prices unchanged from our last quotations. iW Sti\ained Southern Coast, at 7@10c; Comb, 12(«:'20c; the latter figure for San Dei- go, in Harbison frames. <• *. ^m ■ > » Back Volumes. Complete sets of back volumes are scarce. But few^ can be procured at any price. We have a set, consisting of the mne volumes (complete), which we offer for sale, either bound or unbound, for a reasonable sum. Many of the numbers we have paid fifty cents each for. to complete them. We have several single volumes (complete) which we will send postpaid for 82.(i() each. Several vohuues, which lack only a single number ot being complete, we will send post- paid for $1..50 each. Vol. l,we can supply in cloth boards, post- paid, for .'^1.25. Bound in paper covers, .^1.00 postage 10 cents. This volume is worth five times its ]irice to any intelligent bee-ket>per. It contains a full elueldatinn of seieutilic bee- keeping, including!; the l)est statt'ment extant of the celebrated Dzierzon theory. These articles run through eight iniud)ers. and are from the pen of the Baron of Berlensch. m^" Beginners in bee-culture, who desire to read up in the literature of bee-keeping, are earnestly advised to obtain these uacK volumes. Many of our best ajnarians say they would not sell their back volumes of the American Bkk Journal for ten times the sum they cost, if they could not rejilace them. They are exceedingly valuable alike to be- giners and more advanced apiarians. John K. IMcAllister it Co., are our duly authorized agents for the Amkkicwn Bke Journal, at Room 27, Tribune Building, Chicago, with whom any busiuess may be transacted with our api>roval.au(l be ])rouii)t- ly recognized by the manager of this paper. Q American Bee Journal, DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. XI. CEDAR RAPIDS, MARCH, 1875. No. 3. %mm\ })u ^oimiitl W. F. CLARKE, I Fditoks Mks. E. S. T upper, f^^^^^^'^- Wintering Bees. Sir Robert Peel was accustomed to say, " Ireland is my difficulty." lu like mau- ner, the bee-keeper in this climate, may say with truth, " winter is my difficulty." AVe have found a remedy for most other difficulties, but it is not too much to say, that this one remains uucouquered. The serious losses of the past two or three sea- sens, induce feelings of uncertainty and apprehension, now that another winter is upon us. Lentil recently, the common custom was to winter bees on their summer stands. During a moderate season, this was found to answer very well, but long-continued severe w^eather, and especially the perval- ence of bitterly cold winds, caused great mortality and heavy losses, even with doubled walled and so called frostproof hives. In-door wintering too, has been tried and found wanting. Sometimes it works well, and on the whole, it has been more successful than the other method. But there has been many failures. These have been variously explained. Lack of warmth, iu.sufficient ventilation, too great warmth, close confinement, damp, impur- ity or thinness of honey, disturbances of the bees, extreme quietude, artificial feed- ing, and the want of it, are among the most prominent theories that have been put forward to account for the failure of in door wintering. Mischief usually develops in the form of dysentery, and the explanations above enumerated, relate to the cause of this trouble. In a state of confinement, the ex- crementitious matter is retained in the body of the bee. Its habit is to discharge its foeces when on the wing; If bees can- not fly, the foeces are undischarged, un- less distension and discomfort compel them to befoul the hive. Under favorable con- ditions, in which but little honey is con- sumed, and the bees get into a state of semi-torpor, this retention of the forces may continue a long period. Bees have been known to remain five months in win- ter quarters without a discharge, and yet came out vigorous and well. A warm day is chosen to release them from confine- ment, so that when set out doors they can at once enjoy a cleansing flight. It is not always possible however to secure the conditions necessary to enable stocks to endure a whole winter's imprisonment. If they are too warm they become active. Exercise creates appetite, appetite leads to a larger consumption of food, the digest- ive organs become over-crowded, and vent must be had. When once a hive be- comes foul with excrementitious voidinga, it is unwholesome, and things go on from bad to worse. If there is not proper es- cape for the moisture of the hive, or if the winter quarters are damp, mould is deveL oped and the fatal dysentery sets in. As already stated, other causes lead to the same lamentable result. To prevent the over accumulation of fceces, means have been adopted to give the bees a mid winter flight. The hive has been taken into a warm, well- lighted room, and opened, so that the in- mates might sally forth, and reUeve them- selves. Or a box covered with wire-cloth has been fitted to the top of the hive, and the bees have been permitted to have a 50 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. little liberty in it, once or twice in the course of the wiuter. In some cases these expedients have been successful. But they are attended with considerable troub- le, and with a large apiary, they are well nigh impracticable. An intelligent bee-keeper has recently propounded the theory that the cause of all the trouble is want of water. He ar- gues that bees are well known to be large tonsumers of water during tlie active sea- son. They cannot manufacture honey or rear brood without it. All animals re- quire more or less water, and cannot sus- tain life any length of time without it. lu proportion to its size, the bee consumes more water then the horse or cow. Why then should the bee be expected to do without water all winter, any more than larger stock ? The theorist referred to contends that dysentery is caused by a feverish condi- tion of the system, with a high state of local information in the stomach and in- testines, and an evil condition of the hu- mors or juices of the system, accom- panied by inflammatory action. In this coiTupt condition, these humors have ac- tually become a disease, occupying the whole system of the honey-bee, and be- ing so diseased, the physical system of the bee attempts to expel the oftensive matter, by sending it to the intestines, where it is thrown out in the form of dysentery, and death follows, as there is no supply of water to replenish these juices, which are as essential to life as the breath. Water would have prevented all this, by keeping up a supply of these juices, and maintaining an equilibrium throughout the system ; but dry food can- not replenish the juices without the aid of water. There is certainly an air of reason- ableness about this theory. We do not know whether its author has experiment- ed upon it so as to be able to sustain it by facts. But it is worthy of attention by bee-keepers generally. When bees are wintered out of dojrs, they have occas- ional opportunities for flight, and at such times, can obtain a supply of water, as it is only when the sun has power enough to thaw ice and snow, that bees venture to fly in winter. It may also be the case, that in those well authenticated instances of in-door wintering which are on record, there was enough moisture generated in the hive to supply the bees with moisture and yet not render the hive damp and mouldy. It seems to us that experiments are greatly needed just now in three directions, with regard to this matter of wintering. 1. To get, if possible, a hive for out- door wintering which shall be impervi- ous to frost, and yet not so close as to keep the bees too warm. Keyes & Finn, of Clyde, .Jasper County, Iowa, advertise in the American Bee Journal, that they have a hive which meets these conditions. It is double walled and has a chaflT ventila- tor and feed box. They state that the past three winters have established the fact that their hive "winters bees safely every time on their summer stands." Quite an array of testimony from bee-keepers of good standing sustains their advertisement. We have not tried the hive in question. In fact, our first knowledge of it was de- rived from an advertisement in the De- cember number of the American Bee Journal. 2. The plan of giving bees one or two cleansing flights in winter is deserving of further trial. Though difticult of adop- tion with a considerable number of col- onies, and as we have said, well nigh im- practicable with large apiaries, bee-keep- ers who have only a few stocks might practice it to advantage. 3. The water tlieory should also be thoroughly experimented upon. Serious as the winter difficulty con- fessedly is, it ought not to be regarded as insurmountable. Surely it can be over- come by patient investigation and perse- vering experiment. lie who shall tell us how to winter our bees with unfailing success, will certainly deserve the well wishes of his fellow-bee-keepers, and of mankind at large, for it is here that, just now, we most of all need enlightenment. C. o THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 51 Seasonable Hints- I The first of March is, iu most phices, loo early a date to take bees permanently from a winter repository, or cellar, but if they have become uuoasy and excited, it is well for them if on some warm day, the hives may be set out and opened, so that they can fly freely, and then be re- turned again to winter quarters. We do not advise this, however, when the bees are quiet. In that case they are just as well to be left undisturbed until there is a prospect of continued pleasant weather. In many localities bees flew so freely last fall until a late date, that they will bear a little longer confinement this spring, without injury. No exact time or rule for weather can be given. Every bee-keeper must exer- cise judgment and common sense in this matter. We are always pleased, when we are able to set our bees out early iu !Marcli. A few cold days, after they have once taken their cleansing flight, does not injure them, but much of the season's success depends on the care taken of them the first mouth after they are placed on their summer stands. Every opening iu the hive should be closed except a small entrance — the bee quilt or mat placed snugly over the frames, plenty of food be provided near the cluster of bees, and the entrance shaded iu some way from wind and the direct rays of the sun. One thing must be borne in mind now. We want a good, strong force of bees to gather our honey harvest, when ever it comes. To secure this, brood_,[must be in progress six weeks at least before the time of the harvest, and plenty of it. If, then, we expect our honey harvest in May, we should in this month be' using all efforts to foster brood 'rearing, and if this is done the colony will Tbe full of bees at the time when they are'profitable. This same advice applies to those further South, who expect their harvest a month or two earlier. Their feeding to^stimu- late brood rearing should begin six weeks at least, in advance of the main honey harvest. If bees are amply supplied with sealed honey, it may be unnecessary to feed them, and yet we find that a little diluted honey or sugar syrup fed to them regularly stimulates them to rear brood faster. After the brood is well started, if you can give them a comb or two of sealed honey, it is well. Put out rye meal for the bees just as soon as they are set out of doors. Wc often receive inquiries how to feed rye meal, in spite of all the directions that have been given how to do it. In reply to them we say here, that we feed the meal in some sheltered place and in shal- low pans or boxes, using several of these boxes and putting only a quart or two at a time and spread it thin, dry not wet. The bees can best work it into pellets if given in this way. It is no use to feed it to them inside the hives. A piece of honey comb put with it iu the first place, is useful iu attracting the bees to it ; after they find it, they will take it strictly until natural pollen comes in the fields and trees. We know that in our locality this feeding of meal is very important, We cannot too strongly impress upon beginners the importance of attending well to their stocks when they are first put on their summer stands. Every hour of care bestowed on them now will be repaid largely in the months to come. T. Answer to Mr. Dadant. We are glad to give Mr. Dadant's arti- cle a place in the Journal, being willing that in the matter of imported bees, as iu all else, both sides should have a fair hear- ing. In regard to the assertion that Mrs. Tupper is " changeable " in this matter, we are willing our readers should decide whether a woman who has followed bee- keeping persistently for seventeen years, can hardly be called "fickle;" and leave it to them also to say, if after having spent over three thousand dollars in the one branch of importing, she is not very wise now to let others bear the expense of further risk in the matter, or at least until 52 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. those who have been to Italy and Lom- bardy decide if black bees are fouud there now, even if they have been " imported therefrom outside Italy!" Not having been there, we are not competent to talk on that point. AVe have names and let- ters from those who have received queens from Mr. Dadant direct, that can be given to any inquirer who wish, either privately or in the Journal, asserting that queens direct from Mr. Dadant, said by him to be imported, produced black bees and hybrid ones. To our minds these letters prove nothing until we know the circum- stances under which they were introduced, «&c. Our readers may think differently. Now that Mr. Dadant has "said his say," we cry "enough," unless Mr. Bingham or Mr. King wish to be heard. While our columns are open for both sides on any subject of interest to bee-keepers, we have no room for prolonged controversy. T. Progress in Bee Culture. We clip the following item from the Vinton, Iowa, Eagle. Mr. William Hunt, an extensive farm- er in this county, living three miles west of Center Point, has lately given special attention to bee culture. Mr. Hunt se- cured the services of A. W. Colburn, a practical apiarist, who has recently trans- ferred about a hundred hives of the ordi- nary black bees from the old gum logs to Langstroth's improved two-story hives, in each of which are placed' from sixteen to twenty-four frames. About half a ton of honey has already been secured, without the distraction of a single hive. A friend called at Mr. H.'s the other day, and witnessed the process of extracting the honey. With one of Murphy's im- proved extractors, the honey was removed from several sets of frames in a few mo- ment's time, without injury to the combs, which were replaced in the hives. The hives have been averaging twenty pounds of honey daily. The large forest of bass- wood trees near by, gives the bees a fine chance to make a good report. If bee owners want to make the business pay, they had better take a look at JVIr. Col- burn's operations at Mr. Hunt's. Mr. Hunt is very enthusiastic over the management of his bees. He calculates to clear over a thousand dollars on his bees this year, although the recent trans- fer from one set of hives to another, did not enable them to make as good returns as they would have made had they been ready to go to work on the improved plan early this spring. Co-Relation of Bees and Flowers. The bees, Mr. Darwin says, have solved a difficult problem. They liave made their cells of a proper shape to hold the greatest possible amount of honey with the least possible consumption of precious wax in their construction. No human workman is skillful enough to do what a crowd of bees can do, working in a dark hive — make cells of wax, of the true form. The number of bumble bees in the country will depend upon the number of cats. How can that be ? Because the number of bees is dependent upon the number of field mice, which eat the bees. Hence the more cats, the fewer mice, the more bees. If the whole genus of bumble bees be- came extinct, or very rai-e, the heart's ease and red clover would become rare or w^ould disappear. How is that? Be- cause bees promote the growth of those flowers. The visits of bees are necessary to the fertilization of some kinds of clover, and almost indispensable to the fertilization of the heart's ease. In a word — no bees, no seed ; no seed, no increase of the flowers. The more visits from the bees, the more seed from the flower, the more flower from the seeds. Nearly all our orchidaceous plants ab- solutely require the visits of insects to remove tlieir pollen masses, and thus to fertilize them. Twenty heads of unprotected Dutch clover yielded 2,900 seeds. The same number protected from bees, produced not one seed; one hundred heads of un- protected clover yielded 27,000, and the same number protected from bees, not a seed. Obituary. — R. C. Otis, who is well known to the bee-keeping ifraternity, died at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, August 31st, 1874, in the 61st year of his age. M. M. Bai.dridge. St. Charles, Ills., Jan. U, 1875. John K. McAllister & Co., are our duly autliorized agents for the Amkhican Bke Journal, at Koom 27, Tribune Huililing, Chicago, witli whom any liushu'ss may be transacted with oxir apiu-oval.aud be prompt- ly recognized by tlie manager of this- paper. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 53 CONDUCTED BY CH. DADANT. For the American Bee Journal. The Birth, Mating and Laying of the Mother-Bee. Generally, eight days and twelve hours are neo(\ssarv from tlic sealinjj: of the cell until the birtli of the younji (lueen. Aceonlinti to F. llulicr, eijilit days elapse from tiie moment wiien the cell is sealed over the larva until the time wiien the young uneen leaves lu'r cradle, l)ut she ordi- intrily remains in the sealed cell for eight days and ten hours, provided the i)ro"per heat he furnished, for tlH> royal larva spins its cocoon in a day and a half or thereabout, and is a pupa for seven days. 1 once noticed that a royal cell remained sealed for S days and 15 hours, and anotlier for 8 days and 9 liours oidy. It is known that with an infer- ior heat the pu])a niigiit remain in the cell )nucli longer than tiic usual time. I have introduced royal cells that had only been sealed for three days, in empty hives with a temperature of 111 to 2:3 deg. Centigrade (()(» to TS deg. Far.). The birth of the young queen was then retarded from 3 to fi days, when returned to their colonies two days after. Many i>up;e died on account of the low temperature. In experiences of this kind, when the thermometer is attentively watched to find the degree of heat in the brood chamber one can with certainty as- certain the time that it will take for the young queens to emerge from their cells. In tile ai)sence of a thermoineter. all the obser- vations tliat can be made im the duration of the pupa state, are valueless for scientific bee-culture. We can divide the time that it takes for a queen to hatch in three parts, as follows : — From the time wiien tlu^ egg is laid. From the time when the larva leaves the egg. From the time when the larva is chosen as royal larva. You should proceed with great care to calculate the time during which a queen lives in the brood state. No certain result can be arrived at, if we take a common brood comb and employ it for experiment, for in this case we do not know when each egg was laid that will be chosen for a royal larva. To ascertain exactly the time when the egg is laid I introduce an empty comb, clean, in a rich colony whose queen needed r.iom to deposit her eggs. After half an hour, I found this comb occu- ])ied witli eggs. 1 removed it immediately although it contained but five or six eggs. If I had waited until it was entirely occupi- ed with eggs I wouhl not have known at what time the eggs had i)een laid. 1 did not give this comb to a newly made artificial swarm, for such a swar'iu is not quiet enough to insure that the egg will he pro- perly cared for. on account of the exeite- ment caused among them by their having been queenless for a short time. It often occurs in such swarms that the bees when hunting for larva', extract the eggs from the cells. In such a case the experiment would be without result. I preserved colonies that had been queenless for some time al- ready, especially for this i>urpose. I re- movi'd all the unsealed brood from one of these hives and replaced it with fliat com!) containing but a tew eggs. Now these bees were obliL;cd to raise a iiiieen from eggs of wliicli 1 knew exactly the time of laying. But here again one might mistake, if we did not use the tliennoiiieter in tiie brooil chamber, and if we did not ascertain that the eggs are contiiiualiy and i)roperly hatch- ed, for if tliey lack the ]iroi)er heat, the ])eriod of iary of Major Ilruska, that Mr, King saw, or said that he saw, impure bees. In narrating the fact ]\Ir. King adds : that Mr. Ilruska told him that these bees were brought to his apiary from otlief i)arts. Now, when ?»Ir. King and ISIr. Ilruska were face to face, they were both in great end)arrassmcnt. Mr. Ilruska could not understand Mr. King, and i\[r. King could not understand Mr. Ilruska. The one could only sjieak (ler- man and Italian, the other only English. Ilruska, who is a rich man, worth about .•ijiiioOjWM), is apiarian by pleasure, and enjoys THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 55 his timo in exporiiiuMitiiiff. Iloliad receiv- ed blaek bees to exi)eriiiient on tiie ])iitiien- ogeneis, and these stocks, or tiieir otl'sprinj;, were tliose that .Mr. Kinusaw at liis apiary. ]>ut why is it tliat ,>Ir. Iving does not think best to inention tlie inanie of llruska'.' Aye! liiere's tlu' rnb. A lew months after "his return from Italy. Mr. Kins received IS stocks of bees froin the same Maj. llruska, and advertised tlieni in ins iiaper for $^0 apiece, as ittt(p(csti If, -^ned our 20 swarms were ready for the boxes; so we put them on— and now mark the result : llylu'ids and blacks entered them and commenced work immediately. But those goklen beauties (as some one calls them) preferred to lay out of doors. A few l)ees would go into each box, and some of them started small pieces of comb, always building it upward and some built up and down at the same time, making miserable work. A black bee would have been ashamed to turn out such a job. Sonu' one may say, this is no fair test. Well, for the last three years, our apiary lias been stocked with the same kind of oees, and the great bulk of our Honey has been stored by the li\ brids and blacks, while all luive rccciviHl tiu' same care and attention, and for box honey I will give more for a black or Italian queen that has mated to make a first cVoss, than for a pure Italian. And yet I do atlmire them and honestly believe that they will store considerable more honey than blacks, providing the ex- tractor is used exclusively ; but Inuist have bees that will store box honey, for you know that is my hobby. Some one may say, your hive are not right or the boxes are not adjusted so tliat the bees can enter them without much trouble. Our frames are 12xl2X ; we use from 8 to 13 in a hive ; we use glass .5x7 inches for ends and tops of box scant 3^ inch thick for bot- tom. We get pine lath dressed to 3-1(3 thick ; we cut them to length, and put them on the edge in mitre box and saw down ^and split out the piece. After they are nailed on the bottom you have 3 slots 5^' inches long ^ wide "in each box. Our frames drop 3-K5 or nearly J4 Itelow the top, and wlien we put on boxes, we lay on a strip 3-16 on top of frames, right through the center, and then put on the boxes, resting on the top of hive and strip. The bees can then get into the boxes from any ]ioint, without a guide post, and if any one has anything that is better, and will give better results in box honey, send it at once to our good old A. B. J. for we want all the best plans we can get. SIZE OF HIVE FOR BOX HONEY. After using 3 different sizes of hives, re- spectively >^, 10 and 13 frames, we have come to the conclusion that lo frames suit us the best, for box-honey. This size will accom- modate 6 boxes, about 40 jiounds. We some- times wonder why some writers to the Jouis- NAT. recommend box room for a hundred and fifty pounds all put on the hive at one time. Exjierience teaches us that no ordinary hive will furnish bees enough to work in "more than G or 8 boxes from 40 to 50 pounds, at any time. We will admit that possibly they mi^ht enter a dozen boxes and build" more or less combs in all of them, at the same, time, but we prefer to have on just as many boxes as they can fill. If the flowers are yielding honey •> boxes will be filled before they send out a swarm, but if you had 12 boxes on, you would have more or less in all, but none filled; neither will it prevent swarnung. When we hive new swarms in our 10 frame hive, if we ha\e no combs to furnish them, at first we put two swarms in each new col- ony, about 3 or 4 days apart ; and put on boxes when we put in the last one. The first swarm furnished just bees en(mgh to carry on the labors of the main hive, and the last swarm will furnish bees for the (i boxes, and all will have i)lenty of room. If honey is plenty you may ox' ct two setts of boxes filled, and a radii >; "■ irm the lirst of August. AVe had swarms last year that gave us 18 six pound boxes, and swarmed in Augu^^t. As 1 said before, the Italians have a fash- ion of building upwards, through the slats in the box, and guicfe combs must run the same way or your combs will be in all sorts of shapes. We always get dark or fall honey, broadside to the glass, fortius reason it looks ^nuich better than t^|^a|.wise. Many articles in the Joiikxai,, from vari- ous sources, aftirm that black bees amount to nothing in comparison with Italians. This ctu-taiuly has not oeen my exju'rience, and sometimes I am ahnost led to ask, if they give them an equal chance with Italians. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 57 BKTTKi: THAN QXUI.TS. May 1st, I.ST4, we had a visit trom a hrotlier bee-keeper, and went to examine oui- bees, to show how tiiey wen; doiuf?. He said "I never saw so nmch l)ro(Kl as you liave iu your liives, for the same number of live bees." Tiiis is the way we jjot it: A l)ox on eaeli hive 4 inclics" deep ; some kind of woolen taekcd on foi' a bottom, :> inelu^s of wheat hran packed down firmly, and (piilt nieely taeked down on top : when we i)ut on the eai> or eover wi> raise the (piilt and the bran is warm as toast. J. Buttkh. Jackson, Mich. For tlu' Ameiican Bee Joiinial. Winter Passages— Machine for Cut- ting. Those who are in tlie habit of making win- ter ])assa,2;es in the comb (as all should do who undertake out door wintering,) will at once see the utility of the implement I am about to describe. I make a tin tube H inches long and % of an inch in calibre, on one end lent teeth similar to those of a rip saw, through the middle of the tube there is a slot in which to drive a tack to hold it in position while turning. I then make a wooden piston to fill the tube, insert this into the tube, drive your tack into the slot, and you are ready for work. To use it, you simply draw out the piston, turn until it locks itself ; place it against the coml), turn it half round and push it gently through and the work is done. To prevent tlie l)ees from filling these pas- sages in the summer, I take a thin pine shaving {% of an inch wide) and place it in the cut, the bees will do the rest. I have used this imi)lement forthree j'ears past with nuich satisfaction, it is a decided improvement when compared with a knife used for the same purpose. "B." Beaver, Penn. For the American Bee Journal. My First Year's Experience in Bee Culture. I commenced in the spring of 1857 with two old box hives, in the last stage of decay from tlie moth, with all the care and atten- tion I could give, increased my stocks to 20 in three years and sold not a pound of honey, the war closing out my stocks. I learned two important facts with box hive, that where the bee went, the miller would. Sec- ondly, without soHU' good work on bee-cul- ture one had as well devote his time to other pursuits. But on investigation of the im- proved system, with the movable frame hives, I dctcruiined to make one more at- tempt at bee-keeping. So in the spring of ISTo, I procui'ed the two-story imi)roved Langstroth hive. (I will add and nuike my own hives, what all bee-keepers should do) 1 bought of a friend, two box hives of black bees, paid S3.(X) each. May 8th had a fine swarm to issue, hived them in my new hive all right, eager to have my bees in my new liives the same evening 1 transferred the mother hive, did a good job for the first got one sting, but dark found me gathering up the young bees crawling in every direction. Now don't smile old bee-keepers, you can imagine my feelings next day on examina- tion to lind young brood all d(>ad, with my new liixc full of good woiki'r coudis. 1 went immediately to my friend paid .si. (lO for a swarm, iiiti'oiluced lheu> and they did well. So much my young bee-keepers, for not having the A, li. .J. or L. L. Langstroth on the hoiu'y bee, both of which 1 have now, that would have instructed me to wait 1.5 days helbre making that transfer. I bought .July loth two more box hives, paid .f3.0() each. Iransb-rred them all right. I will not gi\'e in detail, my mode of transferring, you had betti'r have your infornuitiou before- hand. J bought of Dr. T. li. llandin, of Edgefield .JuiK^tion, Tenn., August -Sd, two full stocks of Italians in tlie transiiort box biv»>, i)aif-~3M) each, and with Dr. Hamlin's instruction on the mode of introducing (lueens. 1 destroyed o of my black (|ueeus, after six hours, removed hon- ey-board i)lacing my caged queens on the frames, over the greatest cluster of bees, in twelve hours, (had put four workers witli each queen) on examination, found three of workers in two cages dead, the third all alive, and in twelve hours more, found the two queens and remaining worker all dead, and in the third found all alive, which I liberated in the usual manner, and I was in trouble again. Season far spent and my stocks getting low, I made known my loss to Dr, ilamlin and he agreeing to share half my loss, sent me two more tested queens for .'go.oo, Xow some twenty days had trans- pired. My two queens received, on exam- ination fouutl two fine plump black (pieens, killing them and after waiting six hours, I commenced by moving my frames from the center, leaving room to place my cage, end down between the frames, supported" by a wire pin across the frames, being sure to bring the cage in contact with honey, so if necessary tlie queen can reach the honey if neglected by the bees ; and in forty-eight hours I had my two (pieens safely housed and would advise this plan to the novice. I should have added if weather is cool place your l)lanket quilts over the frames. "Now this brings us up to September 1st. My first queen has her combs full of young Ital- ians, crawling and quiet. Something I had never witnessed in native bees, I am pre- pared to state the Italians far excells the black in gathering honey, I will add that the superiority and value of Italian bee has not been over estimated or half told. Now I have no stocks or (jueens for sale. They are the admiration of all who see them. November the 1st, overhauled my seven stocks ; found as I supposed sufiicicnt stores to run them during the winter and fed some weak stocks some from those that had to spare. I then ma^'e some blanket (luiltsand straw mats. Such as C. F. Muth of Cincin- nati, O,, uses. My bees were out nearly every week through the winter, it being a very mild winter, my bees came through the'winter safe, but we had the worst spring I ever saw in the South. Our fruit trees did our bees no good. 1 lost two stocks during February and March, and came near loosing the third ; had I not taken it in my family room and fed sugar syrup, and kejit it there forty-eight hours they would ha\e perished. My bees made no surplus honey in lS7o, all I got was in transferring. I liave in my yard young peach trees planted eight feet apart, with a hive be- 58 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. tween each tree, and a covering made of five clab boards ; that is all the protection I have had. I dont tiiink it suffieient shade ; my trees were small and headed back well and will be suffieient the coming season. My hives are arranged to face the southeast, on an elevated ])oint. Our people are taking some interest in bee-culture. We plant nothing here for our bees, they depend on natural supply, which is good some years, in our bottom. We have the poplar, holly, and ma]5le, and from these the gums give us the most of our honey. I desire to plant something, did I know what was best adapted to our climate. Will buckwheat do with us, and what time should it be sown ? will some one tell us through the JouRNATv. T. A. Smith. Henderson Station, Madison Co., Tenn. For the American Bee Journal. Notes on Bee-Keeping. Bee-keeping in these parts is far beliind the times ; the general impression being that it is a business that does not pay. Ask a bee-keeper to subscribe for the Bee Joul- NAi- and learn to keep bees right, and he will tell you that he knows all about them, that is necessary. Bather than pay two dollars for the "Journal, wherel)y they might form souie idea of what a patent hive should consist, they will allow themselves to be humbugged as some have been the past season by paying three times as much " for a patent hive, that is a disgrace to the little workers and when their bees are in they look no more to them until the time ar- rives as they suppose to take the suri)lus, but to their disiuay the moth trap has been successful in hatching moths enough to eat up both bees and honey ; such is the result generally. I use a plain simple constructed hive with loose bottom and honey boards with back opening, franu\s set in from front to rear, size of frame 11x18 inches, inside measure- ment, and not less than eight frames to the hive, (no patent.) I used last season two of these hives one upon the othei\ making a two-story hive with ten frames in each ; and once in buckwheat time, I extracted from this one hive four gallons of nice hon- ey, with from three to five hives. I have honey for the table the year round while my neighbors with more swarms in box hives get no surplus. 1 have the only extractor that then' is in my neighborhood. There is another sul)ject that I wish to notice; one which 1 luive been watching with interest and which interests a great many. Tiie(iu('stiou is asked by S. S. Elliot, (l)age iJO.") Sept(Mnber number American^ Bee .loiTKNAi.,) how to purify wax and pre- vent its becoming of a dark color. I have not seen any answer to that (lUi'stion yet, and I will give your readers my plan. Here- tofore the plan iias been to take it through a process of boiling ; but I use no water ni extracting wax. Last season in transfer- ring a swarm from a box liive to moveable frame, 1 had, as is always the case, some, some surplus couib (it for nothing but to be melted into wax ; and having left them in the sun through the day, 1 discovered the sun had melted them and I had an article of ])ure wliiti^ wax from the darkest comb ; and acting u])on that principle 1 procured a piece of sheet iron turned the edges up around, leaving one corner open for the wax to run out as it melted, placed it upon the stove elevating one side, and as it melted put in more being careful not to burn it- the result was I had a wax of beautiful yellow coloi'. In conclusion, I shall as ever press the claims of the American Bee Journal, Adair, III. Wm. G. Wilkins. For the American Bee Journal, Posting Up the Accounts- We should now look over our last year's experience, and take into consideration our success and failures ; examine into and find out the causes of both, so as to profit in the future by our past experience, and avoid failures hereafter. The amount of honey taken by me last season, was about half as nnich ])er stock as the season of 1873, being about 28 lbs per stock : my increase was from 9 to 23. Our honey crop from linden, here, was splendid, and caused bees to swarm to too great an extent, as it was so dry here that there was no honey to be gathered from that time until after the middle of Septem- ber ; that being the first time that we had any rain since the middle of January. We had several days in July and August with hot southwest winds that cooked vegetation to some extent. The thermometer raising as high as 114. I had two stocks out of the 23 that were very strong. They stored honey all through the season. My medium stocks about held their own ; light stocks decreased in weight. That makes it evident that in a poor season, strong stocks are necessary. 1 fed about 300 lbs of sugar this fall, as an experiment to see whether it would pay to feed to any great extent here, in the fall, or not. Ed. Wellington. Iliverton, Iowa. For the American Bee Journal. Proper Winter Temp3rature of the Bee House. In tlie lleport of the U. S. Patent Office 18()(), Department Agriculture pp i)iW)l, is given some account of observations on the winter temiierature of the bee hive, made by Prof. Newi)i)rt. His experinuuits show that the temperatiu'e of the air in the bee hive and right in the cluster of bees uuiy be as low as :iO degrees or two degree's below the freezing point. Upon one occasion the thermouu'ter in the external atuu)sphere stood at seventeen degrees, the one in the bee hive stood at thirty degrees, but upon rousing the bees by tapi)iiig on the hive it rose ill sixteen minutes to seventy, or fifty- three degrees above the external air. lie states that tli(» Ixh's are torpid only at a mod- erate tcTniierature, as it grows colder they generate heat by m(»tion and (piick breath- ing so as to considerably modify thetemper- atun^ of the hive. Although it is (juite common for bee-keep- ers to winter their colonies in the cellar, I know of very few attempts to control the tmiii)erature and to keep a n^cord of the winter temiM'rature of bee houses and eel- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 50 lars. A cellar that will kiH'p fruit is consid- ered good, yet the thfriiioinctcr may work as low as '3S or :;o (Icmccs and the fniit not be frozen. This aiipcars tonic to he (luitc too cold. My ciilonu's are kept in a celhir. have ventilation ahovc and hclow so that the air in the hive must he at very nearly the same tcmoerature as that in the cellar. Now 1 have observed that the bctvs are more quiet when the mercury stands at forty-one (le.uTces tlian wlu-n it is either several de- rives above or below. From rci>catcd ob- servations made diirinj]; last winter and this I can judge pretty well as to the tempera- ture, by the sounds issuing from the hives. Upon allowing the mercury to sink to thirty- six degrees, the increased noise of buzzing told plainly that the bees were trying to keep U]) the temperature. I warmed up the cellar to forty tfegrces in four hours, and twelve hours after the bees had (piieted down to their former condition. Of course it is easy enough to keep the temperature from falling below 40 or 4ldcgrces, but quite another matter to keen it from rising alxive that during warm s]ieils of weather, at least it is so in Northern Kentucky ; and just as soon as it becomes impossible to keep the temperature below 48 or 4'J in the si>ring time, I move my bees out to their summer stands. As to 'the other conditions neces- sary to successful wintering, such as ab- sence of light, moisture, and disturbance from the cellar, they are much better under- stood than the proper temperature ; because their effects may perhaps be more easily traced back to their causes. But I would urge upon every bee-keeper, who houses his bees in winter, the .necessity of keejnng a reccu'd of the temperature of his depository, if not daily, at least at every marked varia- tion of the weather. It may be, tiiat in try- ing to comply with the conditions for suc- cessful wintering in the cellar, we have overlooked one of the most important. January, 1874. W. C. P. For the American Bee .lournal. "A Friend or Enemy." Editors Amekicax Bee JourvXAi. :— In reply to Mrs. L. Harrison's connnuuicatiou in your last issue, permit me, for the pres- ent, briefly to say that your correspondent not only fails to quote iny language correct- ly, but that she misconstrues and falsities my statements. My statement that the Phylloxera is more injurious in a clayey than a sandy soil, was hiade in reference to the root-iiihal)itiug form; while Mrs. II., lacking a proper comprehension of the suh- iect, evidently has reference only to the leaf-inliabiting form. In what I am quoted assaying about the honeybee in its rela- tion to horticulture, my language has been so garbled, and my statements so perveted that no greater injustice could have been done me even by one tilled with malice and bent on carrying a point by fair or foul means. I beg of your readers, therefore, in weighing my opinions and statements, to consider them as given over my own name rather than as presented by' others. In speaking of the injury bees sometimes do to fruit I used no uncertain, but KK JouKNAi., tiiat we were among those who lost heavily in bees. It is now Jan. 22iid and there is no sign of the disease. AVe think the disease was caused by confinement on poor honey. Last fall we fed two hives or rather put in some combs we had saved from those that had died, and as yet I see no difference. Our bees (100 hives) are in the west half of the cellar, a partition running through the cen- tre, we tilled the two opposite window holes with straw, we can raise the windows and have a current of air without admitting any light, but find the bees ((uieter witli the least circulation. Tiie only veiitilatation I give is an opening in the base of chimney which carries off the damp air. One morn- ing I heard quite a roaring among the bees and upon examination I found the noise all proceeded from one hive, with my knife I raised the honey board a little and all was quiet. The thebmometer has ranged from 40 to 45 deg. B. Miller, of Lee Co., 111., in answer to some questions from me on wintering bees, said : "I never lost but two hives in winter- ing. 1 winter in the cellar, never allow the thermometer to go below 35 deg., never dis- turb them, give plenty of ventilation both in the hive and in the cellar, leave the whole front of the hive open and push the honey board forward so as to leave a half inch crack at the back, extract 2 or 3 frames and put the emjity combs in the centre, put in cellar the last of October and take out the last of March." SELLING SLUXG HONEY. We can make more money in selling slung honey at 15 cents than box honey at 25 cents. But there is the trouble to sell. Seeing that others were successful in sell- ing it in small jars nicely labeled that "they went off like hot cakes," we were induced to put up over .500 lbs. in jelly jars, nicely labeled, and started out, passed through the town where "slung honey in jars went off like hot cakes," but the grocerynien told me it would not sell although they had them piled up right in view ; and from a man they knew, I sold some of my jars and left most of it on commission, but they write me : "Have tried to sell your honey but can't. And now I have otfered to exchange 332 lbs. for 100 grajie vines, and return the jars. 1 sell a good deal of slung honej' each year, nearly all in the county, and prefer it 60 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. to be candied, I sell some for money and a consideuable for trade, e. g.,I paid f 4 and the balance in sliuig honey for a bureau, 100 lbs. for a 2 year old Durham heifer, 275 lbs. for carpenter work, some more toj mason, some for corn. A neighbor told me that he was putting up a variety of Illinois fruit for some friends in Indiana, I suggested put- ting in some of our honey, he got 21 lbs., and brought a neighbor who got fi lbs., he thought his friends might want a barrel of honey ; my blacksmith's bill is paid in honey, &c., etc. My neighbors prefer the slung honey because it is cheaper and healthier, and no wax in it. Many persons cannot eat honey because it gives them colic. I have yet one of such to find who cannot eat slung honey when candied solid. Last fall neighbor "SI. told me he wanted some honey and would take luore but his Avife could not eat it. tlie last time she tast- ed it he went for the doctor. When he came for the honey he brought her along and she ate liberally of it and it had no bad effects. We would advise all bee-keepers to make home sale of slung honey, and if city style will have comb honey niake them pav tor it. D. D. Palmer. Eliza, Mercer Co., 111. For tlie American Eee Journal. An Address DELIVERED BEFORE THE SOUTnAVESTERN KEJJTLTCKY BEE-KEEPERS' SOCIETY BY DR. N. P. ALLEN, THE PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY, ON DEC. 30, 1874. The objects of this Association are to ad- vance the science of bee culture, by asso- ciating in one body those who are interested in bee-keeping. The importance of association wdien there are connnon objects to carry out will be readily conceeded. The value of consultation about matters in which all are interested, and especially where there is room for difference of opinion cannot be over-rated. We liavc our Agricultural Societies and our Granges tu look after the great founda- tional industries of the country ; and con- ventions and meetings are held all over the land in order to carry out the ends for whicli they were organized. No sensible individual undertakes to carry out solitary and alone the ends he is aiming to accomplish when there are others equally anxious to succeed in the same di- rection, with whom he can consult and co- operate. There is no class of men whose interests calls louder for consultation and association than hcc-kce|)ers. When we take into consideration the fact that bee culture is both a science and an art ; that but few in our land liave any knowledge of the great discoveries or inven- tions that have been made ; that the mass of bee owners are ignorant of even the simplest oi)crations of the apiarv. It be- lioves us to do all we can to (lis|ierthe cloud of ignorance which over-hangs thcui, and so far as we can to ini])art that knowledge by which they may prosecute bee-culture suc- cessfully. I regard bee-keeping in this country in its infancy. 1 feel sure that the great founda- tional principles of success have been at- tained with the movable frame hive, the honey extractor, and the Italian bees. There is nothing wanting but a thorough knowledge of bee cultine and a determina- tion to succeed. Thei-e are a large number of determined men in the northern States that are ]iro(lucing honey by the ton, they are realizing large profits from the labor of honey bee, many of them are growing rich, and \vhy can we not as well as them^ when our gardens, fields, and forests are strewn with flowees rich with honey '? Bee-keeping has taken a high stand among the productive industries of the world, and many are reaping a rich reward in its pursuit. Honey as food for man was of sufficient importance to be recorded in the sacred Scriptures : " Sampson enjoyed a rich feast of honey taken from the carcass of a lion." John the Baptist while he was preparing the way for the coming Savior, dined upon locusts and wild honey. It is absolutely certain if man is to have honey the bee must collect and store it for him, and it is none the less certain that the proposition of honey gatheretl and made available for human use is very small com- pared with what might be got it' there were bees enough to gather it. The question, Avill it pay ? is the question that interests most persons, in the various l)ursuits of num. I answer that bee-keep- ing, like all other pursuits, has its successes and reverses, but I am fully satisfied that it is no more subject to failure and disappoint- ment than any others. I am aware that many who have bees fail to realize any profit from them, but that is no reason why they should not. If they were to give their farm stock no more at- tention and care than they give their bees they would prove even more worthless than their bees. There is no good reason why our land should not tlow with milk and honey, We could, if we would turn our attention to it, procuce • tons where we now produce pounds. It does not take long to learn to swarm bees artificially, and thereby insure increase of stocks, nor to Italianize ourblack bees and cultivate a superior race of bees that are more prolific and better honey gatherers. We can soon learn to extract the fluid honey and return the comb to be hlled again, in fact all the o])erations of the apiary can be learned by any one who will give it their undivided attention, for there are no secrets in bee-keei)ing. But in order to accomplish this we uuist use exclusively the movable frame hive. "We cannot suc- ceed to but a limited extent with the box hive. Then I would earnestly advise all who are interested in l)ee-keepiug, either for pleasure or for profit, to get the movable frame hive, and transfer your bees into it. Procure a honey extractor and thereby in- crease yoin- honey to an unlimited extent. Take the ]inblicatious on bee culture, I would recommend the Ameimoan Bee Journal, Mixni's Bve ]]'orlil, and Olean- ()i{/,s in Biv Vultnrc^ixs invaluable to those seeking knowledge ni the management of bees. It is s-et exjierienced the bee- disease, and would willingly give every stand of bees in my Apiary to prevent it. I believe that foul brood and dj'sentery are diseases among bees, but I very much doubt whether there are any other. I do not be- lieve there is such a thing as Bee Cholera. Lowell, Ky. E. M. Akgo. For tlie American Bee Joumal. Numbering Hives. I have received much information fi'om bee books, and as far as 1 am able, will do my share in giving information to promote the cause. There is one particular branch that ought to be known to all, especially those thot remove their bees from their sum- mer stands, and that, is numbering. It is said by one standard writer that it is all a whim, but if he has ever read the Pilgrim's Progress, where he often stejiped out of the straight and narrow imtli. he will take warn- ing and not use nidiind words, because oth- ers do not agree with him. I know whereof I speak for I have had two cases this spring. Last fall I liad three Eureka hives, and left them on their summer stands ; two were near together and one a rod off, so I re- moved it near tiie other two, and in Febru- ary tliere was a warm day and they all had a tly, and the bees from many of them went back to their former home and if there had been another hive of bees there, they w^ould have tried to go in, then it would be said they were robbing. At the same time I took some bees out of the cellar, and by nnstake moved two hives tlu-ee rods from their former stand, and on coming out many of them went back to their former stand, and had there been other hives there, they would have tried to go in, and a stranger would have said "your bees are roljl)ing." Now let the unbelievers try the experiment place some hives on tlieir tornu>r stands and nusplace others and see which are robbing. Marcellus, N. Y. A. Wilson. Is it a fact that first swarms issue in the forenoon, and second in the afternoon ? <32 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ^ Getting Honey in Frames. A TAPER READ BEFORE THE MICHIGAN BEE- KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION, DECEMBER IGth and 17rH, 1874. I will here give a description of the small frame for surplus, as we use them here. First, the frame that holds the small frames we call a case. It is simi- lar in construction to the clamp that holds the boxes but requires more accuracy in construction, more lumber, and some glass. The Langstroth hive we use measures on the outside 21i inches in length by 16 inches in width, and I will give the di- mensions to fit that size, as I think I can convey the idea more accurately in that way. The size can be varied, however, to tit any hive. 21':^ in. (top view.') f!%in. -* Take % inch thick stuff by 0^ wide, and cut two pieces (ends) 14i inches long, rab- bit the upper inside corner \ inch only ■J inch deep, to receive the ends of frames; cut two pieces (middle divisions) 14| inches long, 5| inches wide, f inch plump thick; cut four pieces, (sides) | inch stutt', 2 inches wide by 21i long. Now, nail the lower side piece on one end (with thin sixes) flush witli the bottom, then put in a form, 6f inches wide and press the divis- ion against the form and nail, keeping the bottoms all flush; in the meantime put on the upper side piece, and place a movable strip of wood, gauged to 2^ inches wide, between the side pieces while nailing, so as to leave the space for tlie glass always the same width. Then cut the glass with a gauge and it will always fit, press the glass down against the cuds of the divi- sions and tack alight wooden stop against it, and your (;ase is ready for the frames. The top side-piece should be flush with the top of end-pieces, and the top of di- visions should be \ inch lower and on a plane with the rabbit in end-j)ieces. The stuff should be cut with circular saw and gauge, as it is cheaper and more accurate. There is a space of i inch between the honey board and top of small frames, and the same space between frames when tier- ed up. The case is to contain 24 small frames. The end pieces of the firames are tight fitting to each other and also to the case. To make the ends, get a plank plan- ed at the mill on both sides, IJ inches thick, a little plump, so that when you put eight end-pieces side by side they will measure across them 14| inches, and that will leave i inch side shake, for conveni- ence in getting them out when filled; eight frames fill a space across the hive, (the frames run the same way as in the hive.) Now cut the plank into pieces 4 or 5 feet long, for convenience in handling, and set the gauge to a circular rip-saw ^ inch from the saw, and rip the stuff off the edge of the plank i >< If inches; then cut them 5i inches long and you have your small frame ends. To make tops aad bottoms have a plank planed H inches thick, and rip as before; cut the tops 6J inches long, and bottoms 5| long. Tlie saw should be sharp and trued to cut smooth. Nail on the tops of frames in a form, so they will just slip in the case without touching; 4 inch end shake is sufficient. Nail through the top into the end and through the end into the bottom. Leave projections on each end of top-bar alike and nail the tops and bottoms in the middle of ends, leaving space on each side alike. AVhen the frames are all put in there is a space ^ inch wide between the bottoms of every two frames and the same between the tops, making a splendid entrance for the bees, both before and after tiering up. We tliink every working bee can make two or three trips per day more than she can in boxes, if the field is near, making one-third difference in the amount of sur- plus. Use |-inch finishing nails, six to the frame, four in the top and two in the bottom. Stick a nice white piece of drone comb 2x3 inches in the the top of each frame, and when the honey yield com- mences take oft" the honey-board and put on a case of frames, and put a quilt on top of the case or, if the cover is high enough, the honey-board can be put on top of the case instead. The after man- agement is about the same as with boxes, Avith these exceptions. It will not be necessary to take away as much brood as with boxes, to prevent swarming, as the supers are better venti- lated and the clusters are larger, being divided into but :] apartments, while with boxes they are divided into twelve; and in the second place small frames can be tiered up sooner than boxes, as the en- trance and ventilation to tlie upper tier is as good as it is to the lower tier. If the yield of honey is good they can be tiered up as soon as the first case is filled with comb and honey, and before >- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. G3 tliey begin to seal much. The same phiii should be adopted as with boxes to get the tliree rows started all together. If they work the strongest at one side or one end, reverse the case and get them to dis- tribute their work, as it is so much easier to tier up a whole case than it is one or two rows. However, some bees will start one or two rows and leave the others severely alone. In that case, as soon as the one or two rows of frames are ready to tier up you will take the case oft' and set it uj) on end on a bench or chair, and take a thin table knife and run it from the bottom between the frames and the case, on all sides of the empty row, in order to loosen the propolis; then push the row all out together and put them in the tier up case and till it out with new frames, then put it in the liive and put the parll)^ filled case on top; then fold up some cloth and hiy it down in the empty space, so the beee cannot occupy it, and if they have a good lot of food and the yield is good'they will probably start the next case more even. We frequently get the three tier under before the first one is ready lo come off. These cases will weiiili when filled from 50 to 55 lt)S. each, after deducting the weight of the case. The frames sell with the honey and will weigh from one to two ounces each. I see by the journals some advise tak- ing out a frame as soon as it is finished and replacing by an empty one. It seems to me if they had ever made a ton of hon- ey in that way they would think there should be some easier way to do it, as I can certainly tier up a dozen full ' cases while I could overhaul one set. That might be a good plan if the bees were al- lowed to swarm. There are one or two objections urged by beekeepers, when first looking them over. One is, it seems to them as if it was more work than with boxes; but our beekeepers here, after hav- ing a few years' experience in the make and use of them, say they think a man can run 1(H) stocks with frames with about the same labor that it takes to run 5U stocks with boxes. Another objection , is, that as tiie bees cannot get in between the case and tlie frames, they say the moth worms will get in there, but having made a good deal of honey in that way, and liaving seen several tons in diftereut seasons made in this county, I have yet to see the first worm in that place. Of course they are put ou none but strong stocks. One wing of each queen is clip- ped and all swarms returned and managed the same as with box honey. As a result of all this, I advise all to get their supers made in the winter. Make all small frames and boxes that will be needed, put in the glass, stick in the combs, get them all ready to set in the hive, and set away in a safe place till wanted. Make at least super capacity enough to hold 100 lt)S. for each full stock in winter quarters. If you liave twenty such stocks make ten new hives — and no more — and make it you.i business to see to it, that those bees shall fill those supers, and on no account draw more brood than is sufficient to build up ten stocks for the season. If you have the supers all ready it will be half the battle towards getting them fill- ed, as I believe a great deal of box honey is lost by not having the supers ready in season. Get the supers on several days before the yield of surplus commences. If the stocks are strong in bees, (crowded) it will do no harm to have them ou a week or more before they use them. Bet- ter not put them ou at all than to put them ou a week late, as it will probably be labor in vain. I suppose I should qualify the amount of super room to suit the lo- cation. If the location is such that there is little or no surplus from locust trees, white and alsike clover, raspberry, and the tulip tree, and there is au abundance of basswood, the whole crop, nearly, com- ing from the latter source, and all deliv- ered within a few days, my advice would be to use no surplus for comb honey, or if they were used they should be used over a two-story hive and the combs ex- tracted from the upper story of the hive, as the time would be too short to make the wax comb necessary to holdthe wiiole gathering, or daily yield, but if the yield of surplus commences, as with us, ou lo- cust, and runs down through the list, get- ting a slight sprinkling of basswood, and after a few days is followed with buck- wheat, we think we can get nearly as many pounds of comb honey as we cau extract from ten brood combs. My the- ory is that the young bees elaborate the wax as fast as neetled and use but little more honey than they would to perfect the growth of their wings and other or- gans. You will see that as soon as the bees are out of the small frames they are ready to ship. As the case is as cheap as any crate you would make to carry small frames and show the honey. The honey is made in the case, is waxed fast and will ship safely to any distance. We general- ly place a sheet of w'rapping paper over the top of each case and fix thena so they will not slip off from one another where they are piled three or four tiers high. J. P. Moore. Binghamton, N. Y. 64 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. i» For the Americau Bee Journal. "Eccentric." Didn't friend "Argo" go for us right lively, tliough, in the February number of the Amekic'an Bee Journal ? Notwith- standing his vigorous assault we "still live," and if nothing serious occurs to frustrate our intentions or mar the even tenor of our way we shall continue to re- tain the name of "Eccentric ?" Are we timid or cowardly ? Methinks friend "Argo" would hardly have said that had he known us personally. But we had a good, hearty laugh when we had conclu- ded the perusal of "Argo's" article, ^o think that he should skip clear over "us little folks" and read us last of all. Yet we could not help thinking of a private letter in Mr. A.'s own handwriting, stat- ing that he valued our writings and prized them very highly. Ah! friend A., did you but know that "Eccentric" has ai^peared in these pages often, (over his own name, too,) very often before, had often had right lively scuffles with "Novice,'' "Gal- lup" and the other "big boys" who used to box one another's ears so soundly in these columns, you would never have called us cowardly. Many thanks, how- ever, for saying our "article was good." We begin to receive reports again of the destroying w^ork of that fell "l#ee dis- ease," and the indications are that large numbers of our little pets will, ere the re- turn of April showers and balmy spring, "go where the woodbine twineth." Are these things always to continue to baffle our endeavors and thwart our designs? Is sticcessful apiculture to forever remain a thing of the past only, to tantalize us with the sweet remembrance of those hal- cyon days of the long ago ? It may be so, but we are too hopeful yet to indulge the thought. Even now, through the dark and somber clouds which veil the horizon of our vision do we catch a glimpse of the happy, prosperous future that awaits us if we with patience but persevere yet a little while. Success, com- plete and triumphant, can but be the re- ward of patient waiting, thorough inves- tigation and tireless industry. It may not be out of place to state, in connection with the foregoing, that we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a cojty of "Money in the Apiary," which we see is advertised in another column of tlie good, old Amek- ICAN Bke Journal. We arc assured by the author that it contain.s instructions for wintering which will, if put in i)racti('e, enable us to bid defiance to that "bee dis- ease" which has produced such fatal results during tiie reign of old Boreas and Jack Frost. Knowing Mr. Burch has no patent hive to sell, and that he has been a suc- cessful apiculturist, we have indulged the hope that his investigations may give us the key to success, and if this be the case we say "long may he wave." We are glad to note that our bee con- ventions are making it lively for those dealers in a conglomeration of honey and glucose. We smcerely trust that they may persevere in the good work , until these dealers shall abandon "the ways that are dark and the tricks that are vain" and engage in some more legitimate oc- cupation. When we shall have attained complete success in wintering our "little pets," and shall have secured a sure and reliable market for our honey, (which we can do by having it stored in small glass boxes,) then may we hope to make apiculture a pursuit at once "sure, safe and highly re- munerative." That this may be fully realized in the near future is the earnest wish of "ECCEKTIUC." For the American Bee Journal. Swarmers and Non-Swarmers. In the issue of the A. B. J. for Febru- ary, I observe a communication from N. Cameron. lie tells us he has no faith in the non-swarming hive, "for we have known them to swarm when the hive was not half full of comb." Mr. Quinby tells us he took four hives of bees full of comb and placed each upon another empty hive; they each neglected to occupy the added room and sent out a swarm. Probably any bee in the exercise of common sense would have done the same. Bees will issue from any hive from"want of accept- able room, from excessive heat, from the presence of enemies, or from lack of food. Indeed in the home apiary it would be less objectionable to have enough swarms to sustain the working forces for the field. My experience has been, that with ac- ceptable room for the whole colony the whole season, secured from excessive heat from the sun, or want of ventilation, they will not swarm. A few facts, resulting from the use of the non-swarmer hive. 1. An apiary in nonswarmer hives will secure four times the amount of surplus, from the same field that would be secured by an apiary of swarmer hives, in the same field. 3. An apiary in swarmer hives will consume from two to four times the amount of honey gathered from their field, that would be consumed by the apiary of nou-swarmers. 3. The surplus honey gathered by the swarmers costs from two to four times as THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. G5 much by the pound us that gathered by the uon-swarniers. 4. Tlic care and troublo of an ajnary of swarnuTs, is four times that of an apiary of non-swarnicM-s. 5. Au ai)iary of non-swarniers, is more durable than swarniors, nou-sw armors often remaining ellicicnt, thirty years and more, and svvarmcrs rarely enduring cue fourth of that time. G. Swarmers reach periods of destruc- tion, and Avaste in from live to ten years of almost the whole apiary, while uon- swarmers may be efficient for a whole generation. 7. Non-swarmers give from one-fourtli to three-fourths of tlie product of the field iu surplus; the swarmcr gives but from one-thirtieth to ouc-fourth of the pro- duct. I have here presented a few statements that I believe to be a fair comparison of the operation of bees in the two classes of hives, swarmers aud nou-swarmers. If any of my friends have doubts of the correctness of either of the statemeuts made, aud wish for my reasons for adopt- ing these views, I can give my reasons, or some of the reasons that have led me to adopt them. I am aware that longer seasons for gathering honey at the south, and the shorter winter season for consumption of gathered stoies may eflect this question. But how, or how much, I am poorly pre- pared to judge. Jasper Hazen. Woodstock, Yt. ■ »- I 1^ — <>-» Report from the Pacific Slope. I accidentally got hold of the Novem- ber number of the American Bee Jour- nal, and became quite interested in its perusal. Although I am bul a novice in bee-keeping, yet I keep my eyes open, to see what others are doing in that line. I suppose that San Deigo county is as good a honey producing country as there is on the American continent, if not in the world, aud that I am iu the center of the best portion of the county. I notice in au article copied from the S. D. Wo7'ld, that the honey crop of this county for 1878, was 119,000 lbs., I know also, that the crop for 1874 was 475,000 lbs., au in- crease of 350,000 lbs. I know also that since that honey was produced, there has been a large importation of bees into the county from the northern part of-this state. On the loth day of March 1874, Mr. John "Watson got tlie first load of bees here out of the 103 stands he started with from Sacramento. By the time he got them all here and straightened out ready for work, tlicy were reduced by being smothered, to 75 colonies, lie sold six and a half tons of honey in comb from them, and lias now KiO swarms. He sold his honey at 30 cts. per lb. One month earlier than that, or in Feb. 1874, Dr. jNlarsliall started with 53 swarms of Italian bees, (Mr. Ws were the black.) lie increased to '^03, and sold over $1200 worth of honey at from 14@lCicts. per ft here at home, and probably has from one to one and a half tons of honey now in the tops of his Harbison hives, as he was unable to procure section boxes for them to store it in. Last spring Messrs Trask & Thompson, started with 19 swarms which they had got from the woods. They sold over $1,000 worth of honey, and a short time ago sold their apiary, numbering 110 colonies, and their bee-ranch for $2,000 more, to a Mr. Hicks from Chicago. j\lr. Crannell living three miles from me had, last spring, 40 swarms of black bees. He sold six tons of strained honey and has now 150 swarms of black bees. At his place, at the mouth of the San Bernar- do river he had one swarm of Italian bees. From that one hive he saved 24 colonies. How many got away he knows not, but several of his neighbors got swarms of Italian bees that were astraj', and as there were no others nearer than 10 or 12 miles, they think they must have come from his. C. Paine, at Paway, had last spring three swarms in King hives; from the three he got 24 swarms, total 27. I had one in the same kind of hive, my one increased to nine, others have done equally well. Now with the same ratio of increase of the honey product of 1874 over 1873, 1875 ought to produce 1,421,000 lbs; but the probabilities are that it will exceed that by nearly one million lbs. Why? Because large numbers of people who only had a few colonies last year and sold no honey, are gathering up all they can get from the woods and rocks, and are going to make it a business to produce honey for market. Two planing mills have been kept con- stantly running for months at their ut- most capacity, cutting out Harbison and and Langstroth hive stuff; lumber for thousands of hives has been hauled out into the country without being cut. to be made up at home, and large quantities have been cut and shipoed down from Sacra- mento and San Francisco. Some of the statements made above may seem marvelous to your readers, but that they are all facts can be proven be- yond cavil, by affidavits from all of the 66 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. above named persons, and numerous others here who are knowing to the facts. From what I have seen of the workings of tlie dillerent liives here, I prefer the Langstroth witli some modifications which we put on liere. For instance; We tind tliat three section boxes do not give room CDOUgli for the bees to store lioney in as fast as a strong swarm can gather it, so we put on six by deepening tlie lays and placing them two courses high. Of honey producing flowers, we have the Manzanita (little apple) for the past month in full bloom, a sort of wild lilac just in bloom now, and a purple lilac also 'wild, just coming into blossom. By the time these are gone, the valleys will be covered with the blossoms of the Alfilari and burr clover, mixed with a small sort of fleur de luce on the plains, and willow and oak blossoms among the timber. We also have a kind of mountain sage very similar to the garden sage of your locality which comes on earlier than the white sage, and is almost if not equally as good as the white as a honey producer, after which comes the white sage, followed by the Sumac Fusica, and buckwheat, grease- wood, with vast quantities of other flowers of which I do not know the names. Of course they work on the corn tops, fruit, pumpkin and melon blossoms. In fact there is an endless succession of flowers from Jan. 1st to Jan 1st again. Not one day in the year, but that I could show you flowers if you were here. W. J. Whitney. Bernardo, San Diego Co., Cal. For the American Bee Journal. How I Built a Bee-House. I selected a dry piece of ground where no water would stand, dug out a place 18x30, twenty inches deep, dug post-holes a foot deeper than the bottom of cellar, put in posts about six feet apart all around, reaching twenty inches above the top of the ground, and put sills on top of tlie posts; size of sill 6x16. I now had my foundation laid 18x30 feet. I put joist in 2x12 and 18 feet long, thus leaving a cellar underneath about forty inches deep. I now stud with 2x4 scantling, ten feet long, on the outside of the sill and inside also, nailing joist lixl2 on top next to the top plate. I then sheet witli inch lumber outside and inside, nailing at the same time 1x3 inch strips three feet long every two feet from floor to ceiling, from outside to inside stud, letting them project twenty inches into the room, forming sup- ports for shelves all around the inside. Three rows of strips just make fair space for hives, it being just eight feet between ceilings. I now put a blind floor in both, sets of joists, fill between the lower joists with sawdust, then lay floor on top, fill the outside wall, which has sixteen inches of space with dry sawdust, also about fif- teen inches on top. Roof it the same as any other building, and put in two win- dows and one door. I cut a board the size of the windows and put it in when I wish to darken or keep out frost, also double doors. I built a chimney in the end between the door and and window, letting it come down into the room. It forms a ventilator, and I use a stove in the spring to warm up weak stocks, after the bees are moved out. I alwaj's keep several thicknesses of cotton over the chimney-hole, to keep in heat, and allow the damp to escape. I bank the cellar all around the building so that no frost gets in, and have an opening or hatchway two feet square through the lower floor to let the foul air or poisonous gas settle into- the cellar. I have wintered three years in this house and never had any losses in winter- ing. It is no trouble to winter in it when the thermometer goes 25 ® below zero and continues cold a long lime. The in- side temperature never varies more than one or two degrees, standing at about 40 ° or 42 "^ . I frequently go in and can scarcely hear a sound from one hundred pure Italian swarms, they are so quiet. I weigh every swarm when I put them in in the fall, and also when putting them out in the spring, and they consumed in the winter of 1872-3 six pounds and two ounces of honey per hive; in 1873-4 five pounds and three ounces of honey per hive, or about one pound per month. Thus far this year they have been doing well. Now, a word about extractors. I see by your February number that some pre- fer the Peabody, or a revolving can ma- chine, to one of the Eoot style. I have used a Poabody that cost me about $20,, counting express charges, itc, for years. Last season I got one of Root's machines and it ran so easy that the little boys in the village would come and help extract for amusement. One day a small boy extracted over two barrels of honey. I took out and put in the combs for him. I want no more revolving can machines. If the Root machine is not strong enough to suit you, jiuf a steel wire inside the tin braces and put in a §-inch steel rod or mandrel, as you call it, and you can sling out any honey that can be removed. I am making and selling at cost extrac- tors of the Root style, only I strengthen some weak places. I could use a Root THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 67 machine for years, but I find that some uot accustomed to extracting require a stronger inside frame wlicn extracting very lieavy combs. In conclusion allow me to say that I will furnish beehives containing twelve frames of improved style, division-board, beefceder, (latest,) entrance blocks and everything complete, painted three coats, ready to put in your ^ bees, for $1.50 each. I will do this in order to encourage bee-keeping. There is no patent on it that you will be charged for and tliose who wish to do so can get one for a sample and make their own. I also will give any person one hive free ■who will get Ave new subscribers here in Canada for the American Bee Journal for 1875, they sending me the editor's cer- tificate for the same, those already sent in not to count. D. A. Jones. Tecumseth, Ontario, Canada. For the American Bee Journal. Kentucky Bee-Keepers' Meeting. At a meeting of the bee-keepers of Southern Kentucky, at the residence of Dr. N. P. Allen, near Smith's Grove Sta- tion, Warren county, Dec. 30, 1874, Prof. C. M. Wheeler was called to the chair and R. A. Alexander appointed Secretary pro tern. ' Prof. Wheeler stated that the object of the meeting was to organize a Bee-Keep- ers' Society for the promotion of bee cul- ture. The following persons gave their names as members of this society: Rowlet's Station. — Robert S. Munford. Smith's Grove.— J. H. Wallace, H. W. Sanders, Dr. N. P. Allen, David Kirby, Wm. G. Allen, J. T. Allen, L. P. Smith, Mrs. M. J. Wolf, R. A. Alexander, Mrs. Kate E. Allen, Mrs. Amanda Allen, Mrs. Lizzie Alexander, J. C. Elli?, Charlie N. Allen, Mrs. Julia Wheeler, Mrs. Mollic Allen, Mrs. Mattie Sanders. Caverna — Elmore Winn. Bowling Green. — Eli Howel. Glasgow Junction. — P. P. Colier, Prof. C. M. Wheeler, David Lock. Edgefield, Tenn.— H. T. Arnold. The society then proceeded to elect of- ficers for the ensuing year, as follows: Dr. N. P. Allen, President; H. W. Sanders, Secretary; R. A. Alexander, Assistant Secretary; W. W. Wright, Treasurer. The following Vice Presidents were elect- ed : L. P. Smith, Warren county; S. S. Dunall, Barren county; James Reed, Al- len county; R. S. Mumford, Hart county; James Johnson, Todd county; Moses Gath, Butler county; J. IL Ritchy, Cumberland county, James Harlin, Monroe county; J. F. Ray, Metcalfe county; Thos. Syduor, Logan county; James Richards, llardiu county. The President-elect on taking the chair thanked the Society for the honor confer- red on him. The following committees were then appointed: Committee on constitution and by-laws —Prof. C. M-. Wheeler, L. P. Smith, R. A. Alexander. Committee on questions for discussioa at evening session — R. S. Mumford, P. P. Colier, W. W. Wright. While the committees were out the President delivered an able and appropri- ate address on bee-keeping. The committee on constitution and by- laws presented their rejwrt which was ac- cepted and the committee discharged. The Secretary read the constitution and by-laws and on motion they were unani- mously adopted. On motion the wife of each member was declared entitled to membership. The Society then adjourned, to meet at 1 o'clock p. M. Afternoon Session. A communication was received by the President from Mr. Frank Benton, Edg- fiejd Junction, Tenn., on the advancement of bee-culture. The communication was read by the Secretary and on motion the thanks of the Society were tendered Mr. Benton with a request for its publication. Mr. Benton was on motion made an hon- orary member of the Society. The President stated that he had re- ceived a communication from Mr. James H. Ritchy, of Burksvillc, Ky., regretting his inability to attend this meeting. Mr. Ritchy stated that his bees continued to gather honey rapidly up to October 10th. Tlie committee on questions for debate presented the following which were ac- cepted: 1st. What are the advantages of the moveable frame hive over the old box hive ? 3d. Is the Italian bee superior to the native or black bee ? 3d. How can we manage bees so as to secure the greatest yield of honey ? 4tn. Is honey, taken before it is capped over by the bees, pure honey '? 5th. Can bees be tamed by handling, or can they be educated so as to know their owner ? The first question was then taken up. Mr. Alexander said that the moveable frame hive possessed many advantages over the old box hive. First, we can as- certain at any time the exact condition of 68 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAE. our bees. If they are weak we can by cxchangiug a card of emply comb from the weak colony for a card of comb with capped brood in it from a strong colony strengthen them in winter. Or if queen- less, we can f urnisli a queen, or give them eggs from whicli they can raise a queen. Second, if the moths are about to destroy our bees can remove every frame — comb, bees and all — from the liive and destroy the last moth; and if we find them short of stores we can feed them and give them a card of sealed honey from a ricli hive, and thereby save our bees from death. We can also Italianize our bees and culti- vate a much better bee for honey gather- ing. It gives us the advantages of the honey extractor, enabling us to extract the honey and return the comb to be filled again, and we can realize a much larger yield of surplus honey. Mr. Mumford said the moveable frame hive also enabled us to clean our hives of all accumulations of wax and other mat- ter, by removing the combs and bees into a clean hive, an-l we could make any re- pairs the hive might need. We could di- vide our bees and insure increase of stocks without danger of loss by swarms decamping, as w^as often the case with box hives; and that we could improve our bees in size, and in many respects make them more valuable. The President said that during rich yields of honey the bees would store it in the brood nest, and by the use of the movable frame we could extract it and make our colonies much stronger in num- bers; and that we could insert empty cards of comb in the center of broods, en- larging the brood nest and raising double the amount of bees that would be raised in the box hive. That with the frame hive we had as much control of our bees as we have of our domestic animals. The second question was then taken up. Mr. Mumford said that the Italian bee was larger, hardier and more prolific than the black bee, and a much better honey gath- erer. He had seen them gathering honey from the red clover and from the sapling clover, and that they would gathey honey when the black bees were idle; would go farther for it, would defend themselves against the moth better, and that they were more pleasant to handle. He said he had a large gray bee that could gather honey from red clover. The President said he had never seen the Italian bee gather honey from the red clover excci)t wlien the blossom was short from the effects of drouth. Mr. Smith asked what flowers the Ital- ian bees gathered honey from that black bees did not V Mr. Mumford — "From the red clover and various other flowers." Mr. Smith — "I understood the gentle- man to say he had a large black bee that gathered honey from red clover." Mr. Mumford — ''I said I had a large gray bee that gathered honey from red clover. It is an improved variety of the common bee, as Igrge as the Italian." Mr. Smith said he had never seen any bee but the bumble bee gathering honey from the red clover, unless he mistook the Italian for the bumble bee. [Laugh- ter.] Mr. Alexander said in his experience with the Italian bee they were much su- perior to the black bee as honey gather- ers. The President said that the Italian bee was acknowledged by the great mass of apiarians to be much superior to the black bee and in no respect inferior. The third question was then taken up. The President said by feeding early and getting the bees strong by the time the honey harvest opened ; then give them empty comb in top of hive and as fast as it is filled and before it is capped over throw it out with the extractor. By that management he had the past season taken from one hive 423| pounds of honey. The fourth question then came up for discussion. Mr. Mumford thought it was not perfect honey until capped over by the bees. Prof. Wheeler asked if the fact that honey was taken before it was capped was not the cause of the difterence in the flavor of honey. Mr. W. G. Allen said he got some hon- ey from the President of this Society last season that had been extracted before it was capped over. It was so thin he fear- ed it would sour; he put it in his cellar and now it was candied so solid that he could slice it like butter, and richer, bet- ter honey he never saw. The President said the differcice in col- or and flavor of honey was on account of the diflerent sources from which it was gathered; that honey taken before it is capped over by the bees is pure honey, but was not thick and rich like capped honey until all the moisture it contained was evaporated, which coukl be done by heating it or allowing the vessels contain- ing it to remain open, so that moisture could escape. The fifth question was then taken up. Mr. Arnold said he found his bees tamed by handling; that when he visited them often they seemed less spiteful. The President said there was more in our getting used to the bees than in their getting used to us. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 09- The Southern Keutucky Bec-Keepcrs' Society then adjourned, to meet at the residence of Mr. 1>. A. Alexander, near Smith's ^Grovc, Warren county, on the third Wednesday in 3Iay. AV. 11. Sanders, Sec. I found one of my best swarms dead this morning ; it was smothered or frozen. It was a box hive and eontauied about 7.5 lbs. of honey ; the combs wert' like cakes of ice. The weather is very cold and I fear I shall loose more of them. The Journals came to hand and I find them very interesting. Denver, Ind. Aaron Lewis. It is strange that bee-keepers are so long in understanding that frozen honey is no better ice for bees to winter on, than frozen water would be. We have seen many colonies in just the state your bees were in — liives full of sealed honey with no space empty for the bees to cluster. The very first cold weather, all the bees that come in contact with the sealed honey die, and thus with every cold day the cluster is diminish- ed until there are not bees enough to keep up any warmth. Even when protected, bees in this situation are not safe from freezing. We repeat what we have often said : " More bees die every winter in Iowa from too much honey, than from tlie want of it. I have seen it stated that the Italian bees protect their combs from the moth much better than the common bees do ; and that wiien there is no bee disease prevailing the Italian workers are much longer lived tban black ones. Please inform me whether these two points in their favor are generally conceded by those who have tried them. Allen Weatuerby. We are sure that no one who has kept both Italians and black bees, will dispute that the Italians protect tiieir combs from the moth much better than the black bees do. We have never seen an Italian colony injured by the moth while it was in even tolerable condition, while we have seen many black ones ruined by worms. We doubt if Italian workers are any longer lived than black workers, we think they are quite as long, and do more work while they do live ; and if left queenless by accident, an Italian stock will maintain itself longer than a black stock can in like circum- stances. Belleville, Canada. Do you think the tulip tree would grow as far north as this l)laee. Apples, pears, plums and all kinds of fruit grow very well, white clover is in- digenous, basswood is the ordinary fruit wood, with maiiie and beech. Ihickwheat is an abundant cro]) generally; wild rasp- berry and all small fruits grow well. The tulii) tree is a new ifica, to nu>, and I would like to try one to sec; if it can l)e maih^ to grow. Is it more productive of honey than asswood ? L. Wallhridoe. We would like to seethe tulip tree tried in your section of country, and are quite sure it will do well. Here they grow fast and, so far, are handy. It is not more pro- ductive of honey than the basswood, but the honey is of very different flavor, and we tl'.ink it remains in bloom longer. If any reader in Canada has tried the tulip tree, let us hear a report as to growth, even if it has not yet bloomed with him. I am a beginner, and started last spring with an Italian and a black swarm, i got from these one black swarm and nine good hybrid sAvarms, and I received from all, over 200 lbs. of honey, which sold mostly at 20 cents per ft. I have now about. 30 good combs in Langstroth frames. We had a terrible drouth here, I succeeded very well in every operation except introducing queens. Late in the season I ordered two Italian queens from Mr. Dadant, put them in, following Mr. Hamlin's plan ; both died. From eggs tlie bees raised a queen, but it is. doubtful whether she got fertilized or not. Now instead of having two more Italian colonies I lost the queenless one. Now, I intend to move to another place where there are no shade trees at all, so I would like to know what to plant to have shade by the latter part of May. How will hops do '? and how to arrange it, or if it is better to erect a shed ? I shall have to manage from 8 to 12 hives. Also, which is the best way to pro- tect combs not in use in winter, as well as in summer ? Gustav Ilisch. Hickman, Ky. You are unfortunate in getting queens so late, but your experience will help you next season. Try some other way to introduce ; there is no need of loosing queens when putting them in. In regard to shade for your hives, another season, we would recommend sunflowers planted like a hedge, south and east of them, as more sure to afford shade the first year. Grapes or hops, if planted this year, will give them shade next. We do not re- commend a shed ; if your hives have deep caps it is not necessary to have any other protection, but we like shade for bee hives, and believe on the whole it is best. Riverton, Iowa. We are having very severe weather here. Part of my bees are buried, and a part surrounded by straw. I am afraid I shall loose many, because my stocks were weak in the fall. On the last part of September and first part of October, when it was warm, my bees were busy, but I noticed hundreds of fall flowers in a 70 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. stupor. They could crawl but not fly. I can give no cause for it. I noticed it at mid-day, wlien tlie thermometer stood at SO, and on moonlight nights. E. Wellixgtox. What blossoms were the bees on ? Can any bee-keeper account for this, or has any one noticed the same thing ? I think it would be interesting to many readers of the JorRXAi., and particularly so to me, if you will answer the following : Is Florida a good State for the honey bee? If so, what localities are considered best ? At what season do bees swarm there ? What are its honey resources ? Can you give the address of one of its in- telligent apiarians ? J. B. H. Florida is a good State for bees. Reports from bee-keepers there, who are giving at- tention to the business, are very favorable. Any location where man can live is good — none have been tried long enough to decide comparative merits. Bees swarni from the middle of March to May. Honey resources are wild flowers, tulip tree magnolia, various wild shrubs, orange blossoms, etc. Mrs. Charlotte Atkinson, Live Oak, Fla. I have my bees in good comfortable win- ter quarters, a good bee parlor partitioned olf toom the main cellar of the dwelling house where they are apparently enjoving themselves cherily, with the low huuniiing song of the busy bee, wholly unconscious of the rigors of the elements outside, which are consigning millions of their less fortunate fellows to the cold embraces of eternal death. p. Millee. We congratulate all who have their bees housed properly, this terrible winter. We shall hear of many losses when spring comes from those who are wintering on summer stands, without protection. When can I transfer my four hives, now in common, rough boxes, into movable frame hives. I know that they have a good- ly store of honey for the winter, and in this climate the bees go out for a little every day, excepting the few days in the year when it is very cold. At present we have still roses, sweet olives, scented violets, &c. in bloom in the gpen garden. I keep my liives under a large plum tree; they have no shed or other shelter. I know there are some worms in the hives, how can I get them out '.' When is the time to buy Italian queens ? Should I need one for eacii hive '.> We are doing very well ; but the water came and drowned all our little place and washed away the labor of years. Hermitage Landing. La. L. Lawsox. We have great sympathy with them who have seen the labors of years destroyed by floods or insects. AVe send you the Joinj- KAL, being sure that you will find in it needful instruction. You have a good place to keep bees ; they need no other shelter than the plum tree. You will find good methods given in the Jourxal by which to transfer your bees into movable comb hives and after you do that, you can aid the bees to keep clear of worms. We think May or June would be 3'our best time to put in Italian queens, — at the North almost any time from INIay to November will do. We hope to hear of your success. Voices from among the Hives. D. S. MoCallum, Ilornellsville, N. Y., writes :— "My bees have done very well this year. I had 60 swarms in the spring and some of them rather poor. I increased to 100 by natural swarming, and they made 5,100 lbs. of box honey, including that not capped. I put them into winter quarters in Nov., and they appear to be doing well." B. F. n., Livingston, Ala., writes :— " There are plenty of bees in this section, but they are kept on the old plan — allowed to care for themselves ; and if an annual "robbery" yields 15 to 20 lbs. of honey, the " robber " thinks he is doing well. My first task will be to try transferring to a movable frame hive. Shall undertake it with fear and trembling, and numerous stings, I guess." J. W. Duxx, Corpus Christi, Texas, writes : — " Last March I got a hive of Itali- an bees from S. W. Cole ; they were 13 days on the road ; came out in good order, in- creased to five and lost one (run-away) ; the five I have are doing well, plenty of honey and brood. I shall not run mj' bees for honey, as there is a demand for all the bees I can raise at S'iO per hive. I use single- story Langstroth size." F. C, Bethlehem, Iowa, writes :— "Bees have done well, when attended to ; mine average 80 lbs. to the swarm, and an in- crease of X during linn. I extracted 1,300 lbs. in 8-4 days from 20 stands, in hives con- taining 20 frames, one story, "a la Gallup." I am fiUly convinced the majority are upon their right track on wintering. Put your bees away earlj', or at least do'not let their combs become frozen or damp. Keep them dry and cool. If your depository is dark, dry and frost proof and the bees put in proper sliapc with regard to ventilation, ac- coruiiig to size of swarm, you need not fear bee diseases." Mns. M. E. Chaxdt.er, New London, Minn., writes: "There are no Italian bees nearer than :i miles of us, yet out of thirteen (pieens fertilized last summer, four produced hybrids; two of these swarms were very light colored two banded bees; the other two were a mixture of black and one banded hybrids. A friend of ours also had a swarm of hybrids, when there were no Italians near- er than (i miles. lender these circumstances I think it would be well for Italian (pieen breeders to be careful how they warrant their queens, when there are black bees within five or six miles of tiiem, that is, if black drones will go as far from home as the Italian drones." THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. n I B. n. Ivi:>5, Austin, Texas, writes:— "I beffto be excused tor contradictiuff "Pur- cliase"' on page 'iOo vol. lo. No. !♦, of A. 1>. .1. lie savs '"bees express no more love for tlu'ir kee]>ers than for a stranger," my experience Ls different. 1 left m v bees in the country in Mav and went to town where 1 remained until Nov. Wlien 1 left them I could stand near the hives and in front of them without fear of molestation, and could work with the bees without protection. But when I returned I coiild not go near them, they would not let me stand near the hives, and it was several days bt'fore tliey becauu:" acVMA>, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Books for Bee-Keepers may be obtained at this office. Not one letter in ten thousand is lost by mail if rightly directed. Single copies of the American Bee Joi'e- NAL are worth 20 cents each. Upon the wrapper of every copy of the Journal will be found the date at which subscriptions expire. Mellot Clover, for sale at 30 cts. per lb. Larger cmantities at low prices by Ital- ian Bee Co. Des Moines, Iowa. tf Any numbers that fail to reach subscribers by fault of mail, we are at all times ready to send, on application, free of charge. Subscribers wishing to change their post- office address, should mention their old ad- dress, as well as the one to which they wish it changed. Persons writing to this office should either write their Nan'ie, Post-office. County and State plainly, or else cut off tiie label from the wrapper'of their paper and enclose it. Journals are forwarded until an explicit order is received In" the pul)lisher for their discontinuance, and until payment of all ar- rearages is made as re(iuired by law. We do not give our Chromo when sub- scribers club with other publications, unless they add 2.5 cents to the amount of the club subscriptions, and say they want the Chromo. When a subscriber sends money in pay- ment for the American Bee Journal, he should state to what time he thinks it pavs, so that we can compare it with our books, and thus prevent mistakes. 72 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. "Money in the Apiary."— Such is the title of a iiractieal little work just issued. All who wish to make the most money out of their bees should send 25 cents for a copy to Herbert A. Burcli, South Haven, Mich. See advertisement in another column. I use an article that never fails to subdue bees while I work among them. One ounce is enough for ten years issue. Those who wish to know anything about it should write me. I will trade for Italian bees. W. N. CliAVEN. Poplar Bluff, Butler Co., Mo. To Whom it may Concekn.— Mrs. Tup- per has received at different times through this office, in the years of 1873-i imported bees and queens from Italy, to the care of the United States Express Co., at New York, and they have come through in appar- ent good order. W. II. Quick, Des Moines. Div. Supt. We have received a sample of friend Muth's one and two jiound green glass square Honey Jars. They are very nicely made, and have a "hive" and "Pure " Honey " moulded in the glass, besides be- ing labeled. The cork and tin foil are of the best quality, and the cap is also stamped " Warranted IJest Quality." They are very nice, and our readers will do well to get them for retailing and creating home mar- kets for their honey. Our New Club Rates. We will send the American Bee Jour- nal and the following periodicals for one year, for the prices named below : The American Bee Journal and Novice's Gleanings for $\i.2o King's Bee-Keepers' Magazine 3.00 Moon's Bee World 3.25 All four Bee publications 5.00 Swine and Poultry Journal 2.50 The Chicago Weekly Tribune 3.20 The " Weekly Inter-Ocean 3.20 The " Weekly Journal 3.20 The " Weekly Post and Mail. . . . 3.20 The Western Rural 3.70 The Young Folks' Montlily 3.00 The Prairie Farmer 3.70 Purdy's Fruit Recorder 2.25 The American Newspaper Direc- tory is an epitome of newspaper history. It is also regarded as an official register of circulations. This feature, re(Hiires the closest scrutiny to prevent it from leading to abuses. The plan, adopted by the pub- lishers of the DiRKCTORY, to secure correct and trustwortliy rei)()rts, is rigid in its re- (luiretiients ami adhered to with impartial- ity. Successful iiublisiiers wbo have some- thing to gain by a c()mi)arison, are generally prompt, not only to send reports in con- formity but give Messrs. Oeorge P. Rowell &('(). snch iuforuiation as enables them to weed out iinsubstantiiiti'd statements of pre- tenders in jounialisin. The |>opiilarity of the book, ond the general contidence in its accuracy and good faith are attested by the immense body of advertisements it receives. Back Volumes. Complete sets of back volumes are scarce. But few can be procured at any price. We have a set, consisting of the nine volumes (complete), which we offer for sale, either bound or unbound, for a reasonable sum. Many of the numbers we have paid fifty cents each for. to complete tiiem. We have several single volumes (complete) which we will send postpaid for $2.00 each. Several volumes, which lack only a single number ot l)eing complete, we will send post- paid for $1.50 each. Vol. 1, we can supply in cloth boards, post- paid, for f 1.25. Bound in paper covers, §1.00 postage 10 cents. This volume is worth five times its price to any intelligent bee-keeper. It contains a full elucidation of scientific bee- keeping, including the best statement extant of the celebrated Dzierzon tlieory. These articles run through eight numbers, and are from the pen of the Baron of Berlepsch. iW Beginners in bee-culture, who desire to read up in the literature of bee-keeping, are earnestly advised to obtain these back volumes. Many of our best apiarians say they would not sell their back voknnes of the American Bee Journal for ten tiuu^s tlie .sum they cost, if they could not replace them. They are exceedingly valuable alike to be- giners and more advanced apiarians. » « . ^m ■« > It^* Our Club offer made on page 24 of the January number concerning the clubs of ten and twenty is withdrawn. Italian Bees & Q,ueens ! BRF)D from Imported Mothers of undoubted purity bred in full colonies. Warranted pure. Address, D. A. PIKE, mar75mt) Smitheburg, Washinijton Co., M'd. L. W. BALDWIN, Indepen lencc, .Tac-kson Co., Mo., (fonnorly of the firm of Baldwin Bros., .Saiulusky, N. Y.,) will sell a few CHOICE COLONIES in the American Hive, at S15 each ; nlso tested (jueens after .luiu' 1st, S8; warranted queens, #2. Purity and safe arrival guaranteed. No circulars. marT.Mf djC j-„ (tjOn Pfr day. Atrents wanted. All ifiU LU kP^U classes of working people of Ixith sixes, jou'ng and old, making more money at work for us, in their own localities, during their spare nionieuts, or all the time, than aTiylhing else. Wo oll'or employment that will pay liandsomely for every hour's work. Full particulars, terms, d-c.. sent free. Senil us your address, at once. Don't delay. Now is tlie time. Don't look for work or hnsiuess elsowliere, until you have learned what we offer. ti. Stinson iV- Co., marTfiyl J'ortland, Maine. SKNl) •.'.'•)e. to (!. 1>. IJUWKLL & CO., New York, lor Hook (liith eilition( (umtaining lists of iCoU newspapers, and estimates show- ing showing cost of a Iveriising. nuir,5yl American Bee Journal, DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. XI. CEDAR RAPIDS, APRIL, 1875. No. 4. 4 .!.... ^Ji^.. 4rl W.F.CLARKE, [editous Mrs. E. S. TLTPPER, f ^^iTonb. Seasonable Hints. The eggs of a queen are developed by heat, just as are the eggs of a fowl. Bee keepers are apt to forget this, in the spring, and do not economize tlieheatof the hive. We have seen hives out of doors in this mouth of changeable weather — with all the holes or top open, and the entrance as large as it ought to be in summer. Bees need no ventilation now. Every crevice should be closed and the quilts kept on the frames, that none of the heat generat- ed by the cluster escape. If there are but few bees in the hive, we always remove all comb except as much as the bees can cover. For instance if the bees can only protect the brood, deposited in two combs, take out all the others. As the circle of brood grows larger and the weather warm- er, add one comb at a time until the hive is full. In this way we succeed much better than we did when we left the hives full of comb. We have always fed colo- nies that needed it inside the hive, on top of the frames or in one side — and have no experience in feeding all together in the open air ; but Mr. Dale, one of our most successful Iowa bee-keepers, tells us, tliat he has practiced feeding outside the hives with good results. We inquired if he did not in that way feed his neighbor's bees, with his own, and he gave us his method of preventing this, as follows : " I put the sugar syrup into my shallow feeders, near the hive, quite late in the afternoon, after all isquiet about thehives. At that time my neighbor's bees are at home and will not be attracted by tlu' food. To make my own bees find it— I go to the hives, with a dipper of the syrup and a spoon and throw a little into the entrance of the hive. The bees rush out, as bee-keepers know they will do, in such cases, go to the troughs and work busily until all is taken up. J give them no more then they can carry in ; if any remains over, I take it away." Mr. Dale says it is fun to see how busi- ly they work at it, and how much good it seems to do them. We shall try this method in our own apiary as soon as spring comes. We need not say that it should not be tritd when there is any chill in the air, and would also advise that the syrup should be quite warm when put in the troughs. Weak colonies will be the better for feeding inside the hive, in addition to this. Be on your guard against robbery. Prevention of this is easier than cure. See that every hive has a queen — have all entrances closed, and there is litcle dan- ger. If you see that robbers are attacking a hive, take it at once to the cellar until all bees are in the hives, then lake it out and examine it. If it is quecnless, give it a frame of brood from another hive, if you have no queen for it ; but if it is only weak, protect it, and it will take care of itself. T. Experiments with Honey. A correspondent of tlie Scientific Ameri- can has been experimenting to prevent honey can < • iW One of the last Acts of the.late Con gress was to double the rates of postage on books, pamphlets and general merchandise. The following from the new law will be in- teresting to publishers : That section 8 of the Act approved June 23d, 1874, making appropriations for the service of the Post Ollice Department for the year ending June 30th, 1875, and for other purposes. "Be and the same is hereby amended as follows : Insert the word "ounce" in lieu of the words "two ounces." A])proved March 2d, 1875. The second semi-animal session of the Michigan Bee-Keeper's Association will be held in Kalanuizoo, JNIich, JNIay (Uli 1875. We earnestly riMinest a full attcndanct' of the members of the association, as nuitters of vital importance to all engaged in apisti- cal pursuits, will be presented for their con- sideration. We also extend a cordial invi- tation to all persons, interested in bee-cul- ture to be ))resent. llememher the time and place — Kalamazoo, ^favtUh, 1S75. IIEKBEJIT A. HLKCH Sec'y, apl2ni South Haven, Mich. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 15 Are riiieens wings olipjiod to prevent them swarm 1 njj; ? or to prevent tlieni leaving hives at other times. If (luecns do not leave at other times, eannot you give some other method that will accoiiiplish this result ? Would you advise attempting to increase from two strong pure Italian stocks to six this season, the object being to increase with honey enough to winter on. Would it be safe to increase further ? CiiAs. E. Selkirk. Some queens wings are clipped to prevent swarming, but more are marked, we think, to be sure of their being the same one bought. It does not prevent their leaving the hive. They do not seem to realize that they cannot fly and are more liable to be lost if clipped, than if they can manage themselves natur- ally. We do not clip a queen for any pur- pose. AVe are sure you will find no trouble in increasing from two good colonies to six. To do it surely, however, you would have to feed liberally in the spring and perhaps again during dry weather in August. Will you tell us if there is any danger of bringing "foul brood" to our aparies, by purchasing queens from Europe as Mr. Bingham and others assert, T. There may be danger, if the queen is brought from some parts of Europe, but we think foul brood has never existed in Italy. We have never seen a case of this disease in all our experience. All the queens we have received from Europe have been healthy, if alive. I sent my last letter for publication in the JouRXAL. I think where persons impose on us and take a high price for hybrid queens, they should be exposed, that others may not loose money in the same way. G. il. Williams. There are two sides, to this question. This JocRXAL has not taken upon itself to pass judgment upon others ; believing that its. columns may be better filled. If we give place to complaints, we must in justice to the other side give explanation, and the dooj. once opened to complaints and excuses, however just, much valuable matter would necessarily be excluded to make room for them. Therp is still another reason. The law gives us no right to publish /acts eycn, if their tendency is, to injure the business of another. If a suit for libel be brought against us— it would not be sufficient for us to prove that what we had published was the truth. In law "the greater the truth, the greater the libt;!." If we have ourselves been injuitjd by any one, we have redress in a suit for damages. By no law, human or divine, have ive been made a judge of the business, even of those who advertize with us. We admit nothing to our columns, known to partake of the nature of a hum- bug. Though we may not believe all that our advertizers say about their patents — hives or othtu- articles— we learned long ago that all do not think alike on these matters. • Others may value what we do not think val- uable. We try to give rules and records of experience, and let all judge for themselves. Every one has a right as well as a desire, in bee-keeping, as in other matters, to "prove all things, hold fast that which is good." Please describe Melliot clover. Is it good for anything but bees ? John H. Guenther. t INIelliot is good for nothing but honey, [ unless it may pay to plough it under for I mulching. It is the "sweet clover" found in many flower gardens ; grows three feet high or more, branching out at the bottom, and remains in bloom nearly all summer. Is it best to give bees flight before moving them ten miles. They are yet in the cave. Newsom Bros. It is alwas best to give them a flight be- fore moving them any distance, after taking them from any winter repository. Having a friend going to Europe I intend to send for some bees. Can you tell me how many Mr. Dadant hrouglit home alive on his second trip to Europe ? J. C. B. Mr. Uadant did not go to Italy the second time as he advertized and expected to do. We are not informed, why he changed his plans. We sent him an empty comb to take with him by his request, and until July, thought he had gone. No doubt unforseen occurances prevented. Last season he im- ported queens direct but did not go himself. What is the best way to Spring weak colo- nies ? Is wild rice a good honey plant ? What time does it blossom, and how long does it stay in bloom ? A. Aspinwall. You will find this question partially ans- wered in Seasonable Hints. Be sure your weak colony has a good queen, keep the hive closed, leave no more comb than the few bees can cover— and feed them regularly, all the synip they will use. We have seen a pint of bees in 3Iarch with a good queen and two combs changed to a large colony having twelve combs well filled with brood by last of May. Will some one who knows — tell us about wild rice ? T6 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Is sugar syrup as good as honey to feed bees ; and if so, whatgradeof sugar is best.? Ella. We prefer su^ar to lioney, even at the sam^ price. Have always used Coffee A., but Mr. Dale informs us, tliat a good grade of New Orleans sugar goes farther, and lie prefers it, liaving fed it in quantities with best results. Voice] from among the Hives. John II. Cientiiek, Theresa, Wis., writes : — "Poinding my beesuneasy I gave them water and by this means soon resorted the hives to their quiet condition." A. Salishurv, whose directions for win- tering bees were given last fail in the Jour- nal, writes :— Out of near 2()() swarms of bees I shall not loose one this winter. 50 are on their summer stands, the balance in- do )rs. B. Y. Thornton, Knightstown, Ind., writes :— I have received "]\Ionev in tlie Apiary," advertised in the A. B. Journal, and must say it is the poorest thing (the nearest nothing at all) that 1 ever saw or heard of on bee-culture, or any other sub- ject. Two whole pages devoted to manag- ing an apiary for \ni>\\t in that miscrahie lit- tle 2x8 pamphlet, the balance all taken from the A. B. Journal. They are certainly all cheek to ask 3.") cents for such a misera- ble little advertisement." JoHN^ J. Williams, Bachmanton, Ohio, writes :— "I wish to ask a question. My bees commenced dying last f of these were in hives which had straw packing on top, on the l)ack and in front. Tiie sides are double inch boards witii thick wool pa- per in between. Of these 8 ilied, although they had plenty of honey and plenty of bees. The other 2;? were in liives which had straw packing as above, but hail also straw pack- ing of 4 ini'hes on both sides. Of these none died. Query : Does this show that warm packing saves bees ?" Moses Bailey, Wintersett. Iowa, writes: — "J^ast May I had 13 colonies of bees with queens and 2 without. I increased them to 74 colonies, took lUOU lbs. of honey (ext.) and most of them had sufficient stores left to winter well, but on account of several queens mismatiug, i^:c-, (brood hybrids.) I reduced the nuiiiber down to 42 colonies by sale and uniting colonies, the 42 were set in my cellar Dec. KHh, 1ST4, and a chance one shows a slight indication of dysentery for a few weeks past. Some colonies appeared thirsty and I gave water two or three times. Some" took it eagerly. Shall set them out in 8 or 4 weeks if the weather warms up- suflicient to do so." THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. if ^orri|oiiomlcnci(. Forthf Ain(M-i<-:u) l?oo .Idiiriial. A Word of Cheer for the Workers. An AnnuEss hy Fkaxk Bkntc^v, of EnOKFlKM) .Jl'NCTIOX, TlCNN.. I5K- FOKK TiiK SorriiKRN Kkn- TUCK V Bk k-K kepkus' Association. Dec. 31st. 1874. It is gratifying to know that, in a time ■wlion the country is suffering from a great tinanoial depression, a body of lier intelli- gent citizens will gather to unite in the dis- cussion and dissemination of knowledge ooneerning a branch of economy, which, with proper attention would add no incon- siderable amount to the wealth of the coun- try. The eight millions of dollars annually produced in the Ignited States tlirough the agency of that industrious insect, the honey bee. is almost a clear gain to the country since their labor saves what would other- wise go to waste, a fact which has been fre- quently expressed by the sentence : "They work for nothing and board themselves." When we consider that the country could, to say the least, support three times as many bees as are now within her limits, (and that too without decreasing the average yield per hive.) and thus jilace the annual re- turn from this branch of rural economy at twenty-four millions of dollars, we see the importance of such assemblages as this for the promulgation of all i)ractical knowledge of the habits and best method of managing these sweet creatures, and the "Goddess of Liberty" may well afford to smile at the Imneued Vi'ords dropped by her hai-dy sons of toil. There have been three steps in Apiculture which, when compared with the rest of its progress might be termed mighty strides toward perfection : The introduction of tlie movable-comb hive was the first of these. It is well recognized among prwgressive bee- Iceepersthat this step has completely revolu- tionized the keeping of bees. By the use of movable-comb hives the bee-keci)er can as- certain at once the exact cdiKlition of the in- terior of every hive and is thus tMiahlcd to remedy all accidents Which happen in each little community, (for accidents do happen to bees as well as to human beings) ; he can secure larger yields of honey and in a more saleable form, while rapidly increasing tlie number of his colonies in a new and safer manner than by the old method; in short, he can regiUate the labor of his bees as cer- tainly as he can those of any other domestic animals. The second stride in apiarian pursuits was the introduction of the beautiful golden- banded Italian bees. Tliough discovered among tiie Alps mountains early in the pres- ent century they were not brought to this country until ISOO. and this date marks the eommencement of an imjiortant period in the history of bee-culture in the United States, an era of ))rogr('ss. The peacc^ful disposition of the Italians, their great in- dustry, causing them to accumulate a sur- plus of honey while connnon bees are gath- ering none, their complete defense of their combs against th(> ravages of the wax-moth larva\ theirdisjxtsition to adhere evenly and (^nietly to the combs when handled, tlie pro- lificness of the (|ucens. and their great beau- ty,— all these are (lualities which conunend tliemselves to us, while we cannot find that they are inferior in any respect to the com- mon race of bees. Their introduction has aided in the practical solution of many dis- jtuted ])oints in the natural history of the nee. How easy, now, to determine the aver- age length of life of the worker-bee. Just ])lace a purely fertilized Italian (jueen in jilace of a connnon (lueen in a pojiulous col- ony. At the expiration of three weeks the last black workers will have hatched, and the yellow-baiuled Italians will begin to gnaw their way out from their i)rison-like cells. In a few more weeks none but the geuth^ race of Italy can be found in the hive. Kach little laborer has but a few weeks to live and labor, and then, having literally worn herself out tugging in her loads of bread and nectar-food she bequeathes her accumulated wealth to the support of the generations that come after her and which are to perpetuate the little comnnmity through the dreary period intervening be- tween the harvests. Surely here is an ex- ample of patience and persevering industry that should not be unheeded by the fretful, the irresolute, and tlie idle ! Last, but not less justly entitled to rank as one of the mighty strides of modern Api- culture came in 18(17, the honey extractor or mellipult as it has been styled.— the result of the inventive genius of Major Von Ilruscha of Austria. This machine is simp- ly a tin cylinder in which to revolve the combs and throw tlie honey from the cells. It is so simple that the inventive American wonflers why it was not thought of sooner. By its use two or tiiree times as much pure honey can be obtained from each hive ; and many seasons when no surplus can be ob- tained in boxes a good yield can be secured with the extractor ; besides, colonies can be assisted greatly in keeping up their num- bers by having the brood coinbs emptied of honey freciuently. Who can say after all this progress that there will not yet be such additional advancement made as will place apiculture in the front rank among rural specialties ? Thanking you most heartily for your kind attention. 1 close by expressing the hope that, in this— your first meeting yon will not, as true Keiitnckians forget the motto of your beautiful State : "United, we stand ; divided, we fall." For the American Bee Journal. Criticism. In the Proiric Fanner of the 13th, Prof. C. V. Riley takes up the cudgel ostensibly, in defence of Dr. Le Baron, State Entomolo- gist of Illinois, because I had briefly criti- cised the fact of Dr. Le Baron's copyright- ing his Fourth Annual Report. My criticism was in the form of an encpiiry ; and if Dr. Le Baron considered himself aggrieved, he is doubtless abundantly able to defend him- self. But the latter part of Prof. Riley's ctmimunication, shows the animus which prompted it. It was to say a word for Prof. C. V. Riley, and to vent his spite against me. for giving a jtlaiu and correct statement I of facts, albeit said facts were not especial- THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ly flattering to him ; forgetful of the f ct "that in a Republican form of Rovernm 't it is one of our inalienable rights to discuss every question affecting our welfare." Now for Prof. Kiley's investigations in the department of entomological research, in so lar as they have been beneficial to horticulture or agriculture, or to any of the luunan family, in any of the pursuits of life ; he has my thanks and my gratitude. For his language and logic in his commu- nication he has my contempt. lie says, "she puts language into my mouth which 1 was never guilty of, (L e., misquoted him) and otherwise falsifies my statements." ]Iow otherwise could I falsify his state- ments ? And again, "I ask the readers of the Prairie Fanner, who are also readers of the American Bee Joukxai,, to con- sider what I have said on that subject over my own name rather than the garbled ac- count in question." Where "over" or under his own name, has Prof. Riley given an account of what he said on that subject, (the relation of the honey bee to horticulture) at the last meet- ing of the Illinois State Horticultural Socie- ty ? What he may have said at any other time, or place, in the New York Tribune or elsewhere, "over his own name," is no proof of what he said, or did not say at Peoria. If Prof. Riley has said at a Methodist class meeting that "milk is good for babes," is that proof that he has not said at any other time or place that "oysters and champaigne are fine.^' Thus much for his logic. Now for the truthfulness of his language. That he did exi)ress himself substantially as (luoted I affirm ; and for the correctness of my assertion refer to Mr. Dunlap, or to Mr. liabits of the bee, to-day many know it. The book is entitled "A Tlu atre of Political Flying Insects," wherein the nature, worth, work, wonder and right- ordering of the bee is discovered and des- P b cribed together with Scriptural and moral meditations added. Written and pub- lished by Samuel Purchas, M. A., in the year of our Lord, 1000. The moral medita- tions I would like to give the advice, would be of benefit to our more modern bee-keep- ers and there would be less backbiting, ill- feeling and desire to over-reach each other. S. I'urchas speaks of consulting writings on the bee written many years before. His book is dedicated to Lord Robert, Earl of Warwick. I shall only give extracts that relate to the bee so that you can form an idea of his bee knowledge and compare it with yours. In regard to queens, he says : If the queen bee should fall from a swarm through weakness her attendants will remain with her and starve with her rather than forsake her. The queen bee is a very amiable crea- ture, of a bright color and more transparent than other bees, she is somewhat yellow about the belly and on her legs inclining to a golden color, and the color intimates the arincely nature and royal blood (could this )e the Italian ?). If a queen bee miscarry in the hive, or by flying forth for recreation or impregnation, or otherwise stirreth not forth, come in some mischance, all her at- tendants are in mourning and confusion. The (|ueen is a royal creature, therefore she works not, it is beueath her dignity to drudge and toil. Though she has a sting yet rather an ensign of power than an in- strument of revenge, for she never useth it. There is a magnetical attractive force in the i queen bee, so that what the loadstone is to iron so is she to the rest of the bees— where she is, so will they be. In regard to drones, he says : Bees when they are weary of the drones and have no further use for them, and fearing future want by their gormandising, sliow their dis- like by molesting tliem. If this will not cause "them to depart, set upon them and slay them. Drones labor not, but to the eye are goodly creatures, fairer and larger than worker bees, make great noise and are vain glorious. Observe them as often a« you will and you will never find them carefully en- deavoring their present or future good. Nil diqiiKm tants mnita. As to workers, he says : AVorker bees arc laborious in their youth and yet are not idle in their old age. Even if she findeth not honev in one flower goeth she to another. They feed on honey, which over liberally eateii i)roduceth cholera. No wonder they are fiu-ious and choleric creatures. If con- fined closely they will gnaw away the im- pediment, though they have ease and air. The field wherein bees feed is not a whit less from their feeding, but that oxen and shee]) mav grow fat. Bees can with facility dart out their stings, but have no power to withdraw them, except from a dead bodv. which she taketh no hurt, but in a live InMiy she looseth both stiug aud life. It is a fabulous conceit that a bee when she looseth her stiug becomes a drone, for it i'* not so, she dies. Bees though they be en- gaged in a furious strife with other insects wreck their s]ute by biting, and only when transposed witii rage will they use their sting, only to their own ruin and distrnc- tion. She may trouble awhile with her buzzing but can do no further hurt. Bees smelling a field of cole-seed though three miles awav will fly directly thither and be not tempted with other blossoms on the way. > THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 79 As to tlie liabits and cn'ation of boos, he says : Many have Imulilcd tluMiisclvos as to tlie several kinds ot workint^ l)ees, where- as of worUintj; bees in this jiart of the world there is l)ut one sort, and all l)ees a<;ree, if not in size and eolor, yet certainly in opera- tions, so that our bees and bees in Spain, and other parts of the world make all their combs with hexagonal like forms. Bees in frost are torpid, and the little worm from the i'Sfi after a short life of a week, stirs not and feeds n()t but lie dead and entombed in the cell it was bred, yet in a few days it will revive and appear a tar more noble crea- ture than it was l)efoi-e. The first life of a bee is scarcely worthy to be called life.— I'i7a est non x^iudif!. She is in a narrow cell without power, neither can she hear, but awaiteth to be fed. The grub or worm in its first state of life is a rude creature, but when it is shut up to become transnuited then it is for a tiuu^ a fornUess lump, without any beauty, but wait a few days and it will come forth in all its beautv. The younj;; bees as soon as tliey have passed their second birth are winged and stren-Jithened to fly and presently do fall to work and imitate the elder bees. In swarming, he says : If a swarm come forth tliey await with im])atience for the (lueen. go with her. encircle and protect her and where she goeth, so will they go. If a swarm be cheeked and stunted with bad weather after it is hived, or late in the year, the bees will be desperate and gather no- thing to ]iurpose, for they are out of hope to get enough for their winter store. Some hives will live two or three years and cast not a swarm, or if tliey do very late then 10 to 1 they miscarry aiul die, both the old stock and the swarm too. Now the best way to preserve such a stock is timely to drive it into an empty hive, and the bees being many will provide for themselves, if not they liiay be fed sulliciently against winter, and swarm seasonably another year. When bees are most angry in their swarm- ing, or fighting, cast a little sand or water among them and they are presently quiet. Bees when they go forth in a swarm will sometimes be ]")rovided of a habitation Ite- forehaiid. A hollow tree or an old hive, they will at once purge it of dead bees, rot- ton combs and stinking substances, for bees are neat, sweet and cleanly creatures, abhorring stiidving i>laces. J^et a swarm be hived ever so carefully and the hive pre|)areil and shadowed from the sun, yet if the (pu'cn be wanting, there is nothing but discontent and confusion ti!l she be found. Bees that are new driven or go forth in a swarm, even if they be few, will labor more tliligently than other hives that are well provided for. The bee master on all occasions of want will feed his bees but never the drones. Let a sw.arm remain at the place where it was hived for a few ilays and then remove it to a new standing, yet tor 2 or 3 days if they tly a brood will repair with their labors to tiie first i)lace. Bees in violent frosts if they have not a few rays of sunshine liecome diseased from their inability to discharge their foulness, except in the hive. Bees will nf)t continue well without a leader therefore if a union of swarms or castings be nuide the bees will then dethrone all queens but one. Many, observing bees Hying into their hives suppose them best rnrnished when they see tliem go home laden on their thighs. and think the others idle, whereas the- others archest laden being well freighted with honey, riundering l)e»\s will s))()il and rob tlieir neighbors, but if tlu'y fnui sentenels befoic tlieixiststo quesition and oi)pose them, and if ninnenms •will through treachery work their destniction. Bees extract but little honey in July but if a honey dew falls they in a short space- are largely rei)lenished with sweets. Bees, as many other creatures, have wit enough to find out remedies for the cure of their maladies. If they be near tlie sea, delight- fully gather from flowers in salt marshes, it they be remote from the sea tluiy drink Avater from sinks and saw-i)its and extract the nitons saltness therefrom. Bees when they are contented give forth a delightful hum hut if acting illegally give forth an uncertain noise like an instrument out of tune. Bees when they have filled themselves with water cannot gather honey till they have vomitetl it up. Bees live like soldiers, in camp and have always night and day their scouts and sentinels t(>" keep watck lest their enemies surprise them. Bee masters tell us that the hives that make the most noise are the best ones, and they are- also over-diligent to kill all the drones (as they will not only pester but prejudice the liive) and will also feed the bees but never the drones. A bee sting enters easily and when the bee has flown away the sting works itself deeper, diffusing thereby the venom more strongly. The combs of bees are perpen- dicular from top to bottom of the hive and so they are long, yet have breadth likewise. Some cells are filled with bee bread, some with honey, some with brood and others are empty. Mice are hurtful to bees and so are moths but not at all times alike, in the swarms when the bees are lusty and keep constant guard, no hurt will come to them, but when Aveak, or cold weather benumbs them, they can without hazard rob, plunder and destroy them. The enemies of the church are compared to bees. "Fear not their rage they are bees not lions, they buzz and make great noise, they cannot do what they would but work their own destruc- tion " The forgoing are but a few extracts from his book. In his preface he advises all cot- tagers to meet ami form societies for discus- sions on the bee. He would be glad to give them instructions on the bee, as they can. be made of great profit. Mr. Purchas travelled a great deal as he- sjteaks of bees in Spain were he saw and compared them. A Book Worm. P'or the Aincrutan Bee Journal. Wintering B333 in, Glass Obsarva- ^t tory Hives. i • As many Bee-Keeiiers fail hi keeping their I bees alive in glass hives over tlje wLnter I j send you an accouiit of my Improved Glass j Observatory revqlving biir-frame Hive; the I four sides and fop ofwhich are composed of layers of glass, and I have kept bees in them for a great number of years all through the winter, and never lost a stock of bees in one of them yet. My Observatory Hives are kept in anopeiv latticed arbor and are always exposed, win- ter and summer, to the light and cold, and 80 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. are tlie wannest liives in winter of any kind of hive I have tried, either made of wood or straw. The tlierinonieter in the liives (oh- servations of wiiicli luive heen taken for a niindier of years, three times each day all ttie year round) indicate a mean tempera- ture of about 4 degrees in December and .ianuary, and 4}4 degrees in February, high- er than the mean temperature inside iny other woods or straw hives. The bees do tbe best in these glass hives ill winter and sninmer of any liivt^ 1 have ever tried, and I have never lost a stock in any of them yet, and fewer bees die during tbe winter than hi any of my other hives. The great success of these glass hives is caused by being made with several layers of s^lass, with a space of confined air between each, as confined air is the best iicm-conduc- tor of heat of anything we know; and the season I adopted this plan was that I noticed the bees (in some hives with a glass side my father got made in ISOtt) always went the far- fcliest from the glass side in winter. In 1844 a gentleman went to Russia, and when he i-eturned he told me. that it was so cold there in winter, that in their cotton fac- tories they put double windows, otherwise tltey could not spin their cotton yarn. I Haid to myself this is what my hives want, itnd I tried them with two "glasses, which was a great impi-oveinent. but 1 afterwards increased them to four, as I then got three .spaces of confined air instead of one, and the result has been most satisfactory. A great many bee-keepers have tried in this country to keep bees over winter in unicomb liives made of thick wood, and also of glass and they have been placed in green-houses and all other situations where the tempera- ture is kept uniform, but I have not heard of a single stock that did not die before spring, or so many of the bees died that they did no g')od afterwards. It seems to be essential for bees to cluster together to survive the winter, and in the uuicomb-hive they cannot, as both sides of the combs are exposed to an outer sur- t.ice. In November I remove the glass cover of my Observatory hives, and tie one or two tolds of blanket over the top of the hive, and never have any dampness in the hives, the outside combs being as free from mould as the centre ones. 1 leave the blankets on come with equal promptness and regular- ity, as long as bee culture shall engage the attention of the American people. We notice several items in our article this month that are not as we intended to have thein ; but as they are of minor importance it may not be worth while to correct them, especially as we might endanger our nom, de plwnehy the attempt. However, we siiall endeavor to prevent any errors creeping in the manuscript hereafter. The article on "Wintering Bees" by our talented editor, while good in many res- pects, is, it seems to us, a little partial. In speaking of the various means devised to avoid the bad effects of cold and confine- ment, he does not even allude to flying bees under glass, or in other words, Mr. Bid- well's "hot-bed method." Why? Is it be- cause that proof is lacking as regards its utility? Or is it— well, something else? We a'ri^ aware that this method has not been entirely successful as practiced by many ; still, we think it more than likely the result of non-compliance with the requi- site conditions. Mr. Bidwell's reputation for truth and veracity are, we think, above question. 'J'he recent action of our bee conventions seems to puzzle our friend Dadant. We were surprised at what was said at Pitts- burgh by several parties in regard to this (piestion. Though those statements have been considerably modified, it still leaves an impression of the doubtful propriety of eontinuing these importations. The main point in the whole matter is simply this : if Italian bees possess qualities which make them desirable, and these qualities are only fully developed in their native clime, why, we must continue to import. The idea ad- vanced by Mr. Bingham, that we endanger the health of our own apiaries by procuring these queens is, we must think, a little too far fetched, since Mr. Dadant first tests them in his own apiary. On the whole, the moderate price at which JNIr. I>. now sells imported (pieens, ami the obvious advantage of having stock in its original x)in"ity is, we think, an ample inducement to patronize Mr. Dadant. At any rate we shall do so the coining season. There is one topic which, though of vital importance to those engaged in bee-culture, has received but very little attention as yet, ami tliat is, what are we to do with our honey in the near future ? Though our bees have died by the wholesale during the past few winters, and drought has curtailed the secretion of nectar, honey is a drug in most markets, even now. Wlien honey by the thousand tons shall be put on our mar- kets from California, as it seems inevitably to be done, and that at no distant day, it will be no easy task to convert our honey into money. Of course, the demand will in- crease with the supply ; still it seems to us that honey must " come down " in price until it reaches the " bottom," After all, it may be preferable to sell at a lower figure, provided we can do so at a ready cash sale. At this date (March (ith,— we give it to please friend Argo) reports are coming in "thick and fast" of the great loss of bees. Since many were left out on their summer stands we cannot conceive of other than disastrous results in view of the fearful protracted cold and bitter winds of tiie present winter. With the mercury ranging from 30 to 40 (leg. below zero and alniosl continual high winds, it would be surprising THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 81 indeed if bees eould winter out unprotected. Well, bee-keepers like all other peoitle nnist live and learn, we sui)piise, even ii it be at the expense of a dear bouj^lit exi)erience ; at least, so thinks Ecckntuic. For the American Bee.Toiirnal. Adulterators of Honey. In tlie JoniN Ai,. Page :o, Xo, :1, J .se(i Mr. Dadant comes out to defend the adulterers of honey and makes souu' j^rave mistakes, but I do not believe him to do so intention- ally, yet such mistakes brinj; serious injury. If 1 was in tin' business of sellius bogus honey I should not ask any better defense for my trade than this one. He also eon- denins the members of the \. A. Society for wanting a means to prevent honey from crystali'/.ing, granulating or candying. There are two motives behind this, if 1 knew which one then I should reply very plainly. He asks "how can you prove their culpability if you don't kiiow the means of detecting the'adulteration. I will let in the ligiit from the ''Old Keystone" from the hill top that it may be seen a far off, presently. Will some one tell us, was the honey that C. Dadant & Son took through Quincy, HI., not longsince, all candied if not, it iras y))urloiisf He asks that the Journals informs their readers that the best test is candying. That means then, that we cannot sell our honey until cold weather, so that it may candy, to prove its purity. That idea is absurd, but he ad- mits it may be liquid from .June to Decem- ber, but from December to June they can with absolute certainty declare it sophisti- cated honey or that wliich has been ooiled and lost its flavor. I woidd inform the gentleman that we are Americans and not Frenchmen and do not need go to France for candyed honey nor immortality; proud America can eat her vir- gin honey and boast of her morality. Please do not go to circulating such errors in our papers. Kow Bee-Keepers look out, for if such a test is adopted we would not get as much good honey as we do at the present time, mixed with glucose, we do get some now but would not find any soon. I will note Mr. Dadanfs scientific points which are not sustained and jiass on to give the subject a true scientific ventilation and leave all your readers to decide if the points are well taken. His statements are : Hon- ey gi-anulates ; sugar syru]) does not gran- ulate but crystalizes. " Honey candies be- cause it is sugar, wliich granulates and I does not crystalize. .Sugar syrup which is made from cane bugar does not granulate i but crystalizes. i We reply pointedly, that these statements above named may liave exce])tion, l>ut in their relation as they exist in commerce are false. I IIoNEY.— A li(iuid i)re]iared by apin mil- I lifica. Honey exists already in the plant or ! flower of the sanu;, and it is certain that the nectaries of flowers contains a sacicharine matter, which is extracted by the insects. The character and flavor of the honey, are very much affected by the luiture "of the jilants which jiredominate in the vicinity of the hive; still, it ])robably undergoes a change in the organs of the bee ; as the saccharine matter of the nectaries, so far as it has been nossible to examine it, wants some of the clKiracteristics of honey. The finest honey is that which is'extract- ed from new coud) and if from a hive that has not swarmed it is called vinjin Imnty. In^a primary state, (and as it' alwavs ex- ists ill a healthy colony) honey is tluid"; but. in being kept, it is ■.\\A to forui a cr\staline. dejioslt, and ultimately convertedin'fo a soft granular mass. Its c(»'loris white, but .some- times of a brown, or redish tinge. It has a peculiar agreeable odor, dei)ending some- what (in the Mowers from wliich it was col- lected, and a very sweet taste, a feeble aro- matic taste followed by a prickly or senseof acrimony in the I'anrjcs. Its specific grav- ity greatly varies in the early part of the sea- son but in December (in the colony) its sjie- citie gravity is about l.:!:;:!, (Duncan). Cold water dissolves it readily. Alchol with less facility. It contaius hnjst<>li?:(ihlr sii^ar aualagous to gra))e sugar, and according to Mk. Sankokn, two other kinds of sugar, one of which is changed by acids : the other is not. The first of these two sugars are not always present, as it is behind, that in time is changed by acids in granular sugar. It is found abundantly in honey taken from the cond). The second is found to l)e simi- lar to the uncrystalizable sugar produced by the re-action of acids on cane sugar being identical with it in composition, and incap- able of crystalizing and very sentitive to al- kalies. But it is distinguished by the im- possibilitji of converting it into grduular siiriresent aieeting. He suggested in particular the education of the people to do away with the popular and foolish fear of being »tung by the insects. The president spake of the newly-found method of adulterating honey, and suggested that each honey producer place a distinctive aiark upon his i)roduct which would bear Rssurauce of its genuineness. The election of officers was next in the order of business, and an informal ballot was taken for president. A unanimous vote was given to Mr. Quinby. He declined' to again hold the office, however, and upon motion, the election of officers was deferred and the corres- pondence of the Association was read. The first essay presented to the conven- tion was written by Prof. A. J. Cook, of Lansing Agricultural College, Michigan. It was read by Secy. Nellis, as follows : INSECT RESPIRATION AND BEE-CULTURE. It is a curious fact, often wondered at, that no two human faces, nay more, no two blades of grass are exactly alike. Nor is it less won- derful that each class of the various branches of the animal kingdom, has its own peculiar methods of developing structure which im- plies peculiar organs, with special arrange- ment and adaption. Hence in the articulate branch, we find that the insect class, includ- ing the mj'riapods (thousand-leirged worms); arachnids (spiders), and the higher six-legged insects possess a peculiar breathing appara- tus. They, unlike those higher animals, whose physiology is more familiar to us. do not have a common mouth for the reception of both food and air, nor yet specialized lungs, where air and blood come in near contact, that the latter may be purified. But in this class there are always more than one, often several breathing niouths, which are always situated along the sides of the body. These breathing mouths are plainly visable in the so-called tomato worm, the larva of the toma- to moth, which openings looking like period* along the sides of the insect, must be familiar to you .all, though you may never have know their function. The breathing mouths may be seen by close examination along the sides of the larvae of bees, and even in the mature bee, the larger spiracles under the wings upon the side of tlie thorax, may be discovered b.y a little care in scraping ott'the hairs. As in the human nose there are hairs, to intercept the dust particles, so too these insect spiracles are not without even a more complicated ar- rangement, consisting of a sort of double value to etTect the same end. These spiracles or breathing mouths connect with two long tubes, running either side of the body, whicli in rapid flying insects, as our bees, often ex- pand into very large vesicles, whose supposed function is to permit a decrease in the spe- cific gravity of the insect which is efl'ecled by Jilling the.se vesicles with air. These lateral tubes branch intoanindefi- nate numl)er of lesser tubes which ramify to every part of the. insect. Those tubes or trachea', as they are technically called, are composed of a spiral thread, and as micros- copic preparations are very beautiful, looking as if a gold thread had been wound closely around ditJerent sized wires, after which the wires were withdravvn. The number of these tubes is marvelous, and I am sure that I show my classes in entomology, no mi roscopic specimen which interests them more than a prejiaration of these tracheie which I took from a bee. The specimen not larger than a .')Ct. silver piece, with a power of two hundred diameters, shows innumerable tubes, seem- ing to form a most intricate net-work. These minute air tubes exteiul to every part from the tip of the ar.tennie to the verv poripnery of the legs and wings. Thus these air tubes, which are analagous with the lungs of our higher animals instead of bein; localized, or confined to a special part, extend everywhere, hence the blood in insects needs not to con- vey the oxygen of the air t<) the various tissues as in hi^jlier animal.t, for the oxygen is THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. everywhere ready to be taken up by the blood, which as is '^enorally holieved docs not oirculate in special tubes, but penetrates everywhere ainoiii? the origans, i)assinfi tliroujJb the Interstices, nn I everywhere b itli- Inif this labyrinth of traeliea- or air tubes. Kven tlie vein'< of the win;s contain each its tracheiv aroun I which tlii^ nutritive lluid passes freely. It is a denionstrated fai.'t that ainonj lusher animals, it is the function of the red globules of the blood to convey the oxygen, as we also kn')w that it is the iron contained in the henialine of these same globules which gives the blood its chai-aeteris- tic color. Tlius we understand wh.v in in- sects, when tlie o.xygen needs no transporta- tion, there is an almost entire absence of globules in the blood, jis also why their blood is white or yellow instead of red. It was stated above that this tracheal ar- rangement of insects, was analagous to the lungs of liigher animals. Yet there is a marked difference, which it is well to point out. The lungs are localized organs, doing their special work for the whole body, and are doubtless none to large for that purpose, hence tould we get at them, and even lacerate them without liarm to the body, still I tliink all physicians and pbysiologi.sts would hold that even a limited slicing ott' of these organs would injure health. I sujipose that all phy- sicians would hold that even slight ))hthisis would affect the general health, and that our State boards of health would labor most dili- gently to remove any eon lition in nature or domestic life, which had the faintest tend- ency to obstruct the free action of these Important org'ins. But with insects the case is far difTerent. Each organ, or wing, or leg, has its special traclife, whose only function is to minister to said organ. Now if the organ is an eflete ap- pendage, its removal carrying with it the air lubes does no harm. Na.y more, is a benefit, as the slight nourishment which it, even if inactive, appropriated, is saved to minister to useful organs. Who would .say that the am- putation of a leg or arm, would entail per- petual ill-health, because forsooth the blood vessels, whose function it is to carry the blood, were removed? We all know that the vessels served the member removed alone, and the member gone, the vessels are no longer need- ed. So too with tlie insect member — it gone, the air tubes, could they remain, would be in the condition of Othello. That this rea.soning is correct is shown in the life history of tlie coniinon ants (formi- cidiC), and the white ants (termitida) which bite off their queen's wings after the mating is over. This is done to protect against the roving proilivities of her royal highness. Are we quick to learn, if a simil ir need does not beget a like operation in our own manage- ment ? Tlie history of these ants also shows that there is little danger from hereditary tenden- cies, as we never see virgin queen ants void of wings. Else we might pause in alarm since Mrs. Tupper and her followers have failed to convince tne general public that fer- tilization in continoment is practicable. Hence, we see that a thorough understand- ing of the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory apparatus of insects will preclude Gen. Adair's nervousness as regards clipping queen's wings, from becomin.' contagious. I do not wish to be understood as commit- ting myself in favor of in liscriminate clip- pin.j,for I readily concsde that arguments can be advanced on the plea of beauty, and danger of losing valuable queens in time of swarm- ing. Yet I do hold tliat the (luecn receives no physical injury, as proved both by scien -e and experience, and tliat it is a valuable auxiliary to those apiarists who are wise to understand its dangers and advantages. Insects, in common with many animals much higher in the scale of animal life. po.s- sess that strange power to hibernate durin< eold weather, at which lime they seem to be on the "dead line." just between life antl death. In this (-ondltion the vital proces.ses are held in almost entire suspense. No footl is taken, the blood moves very feebly, and little oxygen is re(iuireil. The condition is something like i)rofouMd slfep. As there is no e.xertion or exliausliou. and the breaking down of tissues almost cease, while no doubt there is a slow but continuous recuperation of strength and energy. Is'ow, this being the case, it seems highly jirobable, a.ye, almost certain, that in the interims of productive ex- ertion the more protracted the hibernation, the better the condition of the animal. Now does it not liolil to reason that if we secure the best conditions for wintering, those wliieh will ensure persistent hibernation, as indicated by the most i)erfect quiet, our bees will need scarce a n.y air, and hence no venti- lation either upper or lower. Reason pro- claims t.his as a fact. My experience sustains it. I have had colonies surrounded by snow the winter through, with liives scaled with propolis above, and the entrance below frozen solid with ice, and in this condition from No- vember till .\pril,come out in spring as bright and beautiful as if only restful sleep had visited them, with scarce any dead bees, and hardly any consum))tion of honey. Hence I believe we may conclude from our stud.y of res- piration among insects, first, that the destruc- tion of tracha* will of itself produce no harm; that the onl.y harm will come through the loss of the organ. And, second, that if bees are in condition to winter best, the respira- tory action is at the extreme minimum, and hence we need take no pains to arrange for ventilation. Conclusion from second inference. This being granted, what more important problem awaits solution than a method of wintering, which insures the most perfect hibernation. How can we arrange to keej) our bees always at the proper temperature? Then followed an essay written by H. A Burcli, of South Haven, Mich., con- cerning FACTS AND FANCIES OF APICUbTURE. — LETTER TO THE NOKTH-EASTERN BKE- KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. Genttemcn;— -By request of your worthy secretary I will present you, thou- too true. How "many men who were urged into tlie keeping of bees a few years ago, and who have lost all during the past two or three winters when bee life "took wings and flew away," we know not. We do know that the number has been by far too many, and that it has been to our injurj', bringing our fair calling into disrepute in many sections. We have been made to realize this most forcibly in receiving numerous letters from parties stating that they engaged in bee-culture by our own and the advice of others, given iii bee journals, and had lost all. While pleading guilty to some extent, in this respect, we have resolved to avoid this error in future, and make amends as best we may, by detailing that which may con- tribute to the success of those already en- gaged in apicultural pursuits. A few sug- gestions and we are done. Let us cease to urge people to keep bees. How many men who are eminent in their callings or professions were urged to choose as they did ? The men succeed who en- gage in any business from . II. Byrns, Pratt's Hollow ; Secretary, .]. II. Nellis, Cana- joharie ; Treasurer, L. C. Hoot, Mohawk. A discussion ensued concerning stings, and a.ssurance was given that with deter- mination and intelligent action and pre- caution, the danger of stings may be over- come and fear removed. The Association adjourned until half- past eight o'clock the morning. In the evening an informal meeting was held at the Butterfield House, which was greatly enjoyed by those present. SECOND DAY. The second day's meetings began at nine o'clock, Thursday morning, the new- ly chosen president, Capt. Hetherington, in the chair. J. H. Nellis, reviewing the proceedings of the North American Bee-Keepers' So- ciety, noted the fact that preparations are being made for a honey display at the Centennial ; that the Society adopted strong resolutions denouncing the trade in adulterated honey ; that a standing committee was appointed to arrange a system of premiums for Italian queens and full colonies for the next meeting of the Society ; that the next place of meet- ing will be Toledo, Ohio, and the time, the first Wednesday in December, 1875 ; also that a receipt was read which it was claimed, will prevent syrup or honey from souring or granulating. The receipt is, flavoring extract of lemon, 1 teaspoonful to 1 gallon of syrup or honey. Mr, Van Deuseu moved that the Presi- dent and Secretary act as a committee on behalf of this Association to do what is necessary toward a representation of the Association and the productions of its in- dustry at the Centennial. The motion was carried. Considerable doubt was expressed as to the feasibility of the plan and the ability to judge of the merits of bees and queens bytheir appearance, in order to give pre- miums or diplomas. Mr. Root thought the flavoring extract of lemon should be classed among honey adulterations and denounced. Educate the people to know that the granulation of honey is a good sign of its purity. This seemed to be the general opinion of the Association. 86 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. A paper on "Hives" was read by R. Bacon, Esq., of Verona, as follows. We quote the concludijg portion : I do not propose to discuss the merits of this or that hive, such a course would only result in a buzz about my ears, without, as I think, leading to any good results. It is with hives very much as with mowing machines, the farmer often view- ing and reviewing the different machines is puz- zled to determine which is the best, yet, no doubt, some are preferable to others. So it is with hives, We see in market tall hive.s, short hives, narrow hives, wide hives, two story hives, one story hives, bar hives and box hives, and many other hives, and men ready to show you the good qualities of one hive over the other, and, when you have gone the rounds, if you have hud no practical experi- ence in bee culture or have no judgment of your own, you may be led to believe the poorest hive the best. I would advise the beginner in bee- keeping to use discretion in this mattf^r and take the middle ground. He should choose hives con- taining frames of convenient size, and safe to handle, for general use. They should not be com- plicated or costly ; they should be capable of con- struction by any man who is handy with tools. The bee-keeper who does not depend on his bees for support may lay out money for costly and fan- ciful hives ; but the majority of bee-keepers want a cheap, practical hive. I have had rough, cheap hives, and elegant, costly hives, and I have found in every case, all thinge being equal, bees have done full as well in my rough hives as in the more costly ones. The wants of bees are few, and they are not partial to fancy hives, and all variations from their wants are to benefit or gratify the taste of man. Give the bees a proper-shaped hive, and sufficient amount of room in the hive, and good care, and they will give ample returns. Now, there has been much said and written on what constitutes a proper size and shaped hive. Home contend a hive should be large. Others say twelve inches square is the proper dimensions for a stan- dard hive. Now, my experience with large hives has been anything but salisfactory; tliev neither gave new swarms uor a large amount of surplus honey. Of course I speak of working these hives for box honey. I think an extractor would show better results, but my experience in the other ex- treme of hive has been no better. A hive twelve inches square is too small for bees in any place. The swarms from such hives will be small and generally inferior compared with swarms from larger hives. There is but little room for surplus bees, and therefore not a very large amount of honey can be expected, and with the best of care in two or three years, the bees will be gone. Be- tween these two extremes, I believe is found the correct medium. A hi e sixteen inches long, twelve inches wide and twelve inches deep, and frames to lit, and have it so constructed that side boxes or extractor can be used, if the season re- quires it, conies nearer to what 1 think is the hive for general use. The frames are of convenient size, and safe to handle for either extracting or other uses. The size of the hive is simple for'the wants ol the bees, either in summer or winter, and I think we will hear of less mortality among the bees wintered in this hive than in our shallow ones, and I think for surplus honey will be satis- factory. Of course 1 am speaking of raising bees in the North. If we were in the Southern .States, no doubt a diflerent hive would be required. I believe it is often the case that localities cause very much contention about the style of hive and the management of bees, and were we to consider from each other's standpoint, and rea-ion accor- ■dingly. it would save us many jangles in bee culture. Mr. Alexander asked whether a frame 13 inches deep and 10 inches long, would sustain the comb. Mr. Bacon— My frames fit a 16 inch liive and are not more than 14 inches long and less than a foot deep. These held the comb perfectly and had no difficulty in breaking down. I have two reasons for this size. You will get more surplus hon- 6}^ from this depth of hive and the bees winter in them better. Mr. Hetherington — Combs can be held in the long frames by putting the thorns of the red haw through the frame and into the comb. Mr. Seely — Do not the bees try to eat out the thorns, Mr, Hetherington — Yes, but only a trifle. A soft wood pin they will eat at, but one of tliese thorns with a glossy sur- face they will trouble very little. The thorns should be put in when the bees are gathering honey in abundance. Mr. Betsiuger — Thorns are good in large frames, but in small frames they are a nuisance. A frame ought to be the size of the brood chamber. This is rare- ly over nine inches in width. In the large frames the best honey is placed around the brood chamber and this honey is lost to the bee-keepers. I believe that for box honey the frame should be only the size of the brood chamber. For extracting, a larger frame could be used to an advan- tage. Mr. Alexander — The insertion of the thorns requires time and trouble. What I wish to gain is a frame which will hold the comb without them. Mr. Bacon says his size will do this. Mrs. Tupper recom- mends twelve inches square. If it can be lengthened to 14 or 15 inches it will be a great advantage. It seems to me that a shallow hive like Mr. Betsiuger's is incon- venient and not good for wintering. A. L. Fish — Has there ever been a bead placed on the inner side of the frame to hold the comb steady. Would this be practical ? Mr. Root said experiments had been made in that direction, but they had not beecn found practical. Mr. Nellis wished to know how many frames could be spread laterally to the best advantage in extracting. L. C. Root — I would not have more than twenty-four frames in any hive. The queen is apt to move to one side, and the bees on the other side thinking they have no queen will proceed to rear one. I be- lieve that the two-story arrangement, get- ting the frames into as near a spherical position as possible, is natural and best. If I have twenty-four frames I would have twelve above and twelve below. A. L. Fish — A queen will work in the warmest part of the hire. I find that in a sixteeuframe hive, when a new swarm is put in, it is a good plan to put in a center board, confining the swarm at first to eight frames. If they afterward require 7 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 87 more room the center board may be re- moved. Edward J. Wickson, of the Utica Her- ald, addressed the eoiiveution upon the commercial aspects of the industry. In closing, Mr. Wickson made the following reference to a subject of great importance, both to honej' proilucers and consumers. lie said : Donbtless one of the most vit^il questions oon- uected with the niarkt>ting of lioney is called forth by the effort, which is "now being miule by un- jirincipaled men, to sell the people thiit which is not honey. The article which they falsely offer as honey' is very inferior, and ono who is ac- quainted witli the genuine article would not he misled by it, even if it bad a honey label on the exterior and a comb iiwide. But the very icfnor- ance of the people generally of what good honey is, affords an opportunity for the introduction of this spuriou* article. Tt is in the hands of shrewd, unscrupulous men. and they spare no elfort in l)ushing it forward, because there is great protit involved in it. As it now a|)pears, the people will become educated in bad honey much faster than iu the genuine delicious product of the bee. This W'ill be fatal not only because it will supplant the legitimate demand for the real article, but because of its inferiority it will lead them to look with aversion upon the very name. A land flowing with milk and glucose would not have led tlie Israelites through the wiklemees nor will a co- pious dosing with glucose lead modern people to esteem very highly^the historic sweets of Canaan. The whole matter is exceedingly unfortunate not to say criminal, and bee-keepers should prepare tomeetjind battle against its advance at every point. It seems to me no stronger showing could be made than by securing an accurate exhibition of the fraud, such as a skillful chemist might, make by ascertaining the exact difference between the genuine product of the bee and this substance which can be artificially produced from a num- ber of worthless -sources. So long as the article they offer is not positively harmful. I can not see that there is any opportunity to meet it with a prohibitory law, but if there is any virtue in ef- fort* to inform people of the imposition practiced upon them : if there is any effect in a square, gen- erous exposure of these gentlemen, let them have it at the hand of this associatiou which is formed in the interest of the legitimate production and in the promotion of a growing agricultural industry. I think this convention owes it to the industry to fake immediate steps to meet the advance of this specious fraud. First, we should know more about what it is and in what respect the artitlcial differs from the genuine. It has come upon us suddenly. It seems to me that we could act more wisely after gaining fuller information. I would suggest, Mr. President, that first this convention adopt some expression of a general nature de- nouncing the attempt to defraud and calling up- on people to beware of being imposed upon. Then 1 would suggest that a committee of your leading bee-keepers be appointed to study the (juestion during the coming year, to gain all pos- sible information concerning its exact quality of material, and who is engaged in spreading it over the country, In order that next year, after listen- ing to a full report of the committee, we may be prepared to act intelligently and effectively against the imposition in such way as the wisdom of the convention may indicate. Upon motion of Mr. Nellis, the associ- atiou heartily ap-troved the action taken by the North American Bee-Keepers' So- ciety concerning the introduction of spu- rious honey. After nmch discussion and upon motion of 3lr. Alexander, the fol- lowing gentleman were appointed to pre- sent the fact of adulteration to the Leiris- lature, and ask that an act be passed re- quiring a label, "pure honey," to be placed upon all packages of the genuine article, and making it a misdemeanor to affix the name to a spurious article. The coinmittee are as follows : J. E. Hether- ington, J. II. Nellis, G. G. Daius, M. Quin- by, E. J. Wickson. A short discussion concerning winter- ing bees ensued. Mr. Root would winter bees in a place where they would be as free as possible from out-door influences. The temperature should be as little below 51) degrees as possible. There should be perfect quiet. A. L. Fish — I built a bee house with an air chamber in the walls twelve inches wide. Overhead the space was packed with fine saw-dust and shavings. To overcome this I covered the floor with gravel and cement. I am not troubled with moisture as much as formerly, but still there is too much. I think some ab- sorbent can be placed above to absorb this moisture as it rises. I think of trying a coating of loose straw. I can control temperature until June, if necessary ; but how to get rid of the excess of moisture which comes from the exhalations of the bees has been a puzzle. Mr. Bacon — I have used cut straw for this purpose with excellent results. It is contained in a box with a cloth bottom, and this rests over the frames iu which the bees are. Mr. Betsinger described a way he had devised of giving his bees a fly under glass. He built a bee house, in which each two hives sit in a little stall by them- selves with a little space in front of each hive. The exterior of each stall is a little window, and about three times during the winter he admits the sunlight, and the bees take a fly in the stall. He intends next season to encase all his hives iu the stalls. The cost of the house is a dollar a hive. Mr. Bacon told of a hot-bed which he made in which to fly his bees. He had tried it once with one hive. The bees had a fly. They were left iu the hot-bed all Jay and over night. Altogether, after having this long time in the air, there were found but three table-spoonfuls of dead bees. Mr. Bacon believes the hot- bed good for giving a hive which might have the dysentery a chaace to fliy and recover. He does not believe that it can be recommended as yet for general use. AFTERNOON SESSION. One of the most interesting exercises of the convention was the " question drawer," which was expounded by Mr. Van Deusen, with the aid of Capt. Ilether- 88 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. ington and Mr. L. C. Root. These ques- tious and replies are of such practical value to the bee-keeper that we print this part of the proceedings verbatim. Much discussion was iuterniiugled, but nothing of importance was dieted aside from the answers as given here. Question. Is there any profit in buck- wheat honey ? Answer. Yes. Q. Can brood be reared successfully in March and April V A. It is best to have DO brood started until the weather is suf- ficiently warm and settled to enable them to start a full brood. The presence of a sufficient amount of pollen must be as- sured. Q. What eflfect has the shape and size of the hive on freezing or on the amount of honey stored ? A. Very little provid- ed they have plenty of accessible room and the proper temperature is maintained in the hive. Q. The best mode of caring for bees after they are set out in spring and before the honey harvest ? A. Feed and keep warm. Q. Will bees store enough more honey in boxes with communications from box to box to pay the extra trouble, than to have the boxes separate ? A. Yes, in small boxes, but not in large. Q. How many swarms should be kept in one yard ? A. This depends upon the quantity of honey-producing plants ; from 50 to 100 swarms. Q. What is the best size of the brood department? A. Let it vary according to the quantity of bees. Q. About what amount of honey is sold in New York city, yearly V A. — About 400,000 lbs. Q. What is the most suitable package to put extracted honey in for market ? A. This depends upon the market in which it is to be sold. In some cases it sells best in bulk or by the pound net weight ; in other cases in glass jars. Q. What is the proper thickness for a single comb in a box ? A. 2 to 2-Jr inches. Q. How near to the ground ought hives to be placed during the summer. A. 4 or 5 inches. Q. Will using the extractor on comb containing eggs or larvic produce any in- jury ; if so, at wliat time most? A. — There is no injury unless larva^ are thrown from the cells by too rapid mo- tion. " Q. Is it advisable to undertake to Italianize your apiary when you are sur- rounded by bhick bees? A. It certainly is, if in a locality lliat produces mucli white lioney. Q. How long from the time the are deposited in worker's cells before it cannot be changed to a queen cell ? A. — Would not use it o.lder than the third day after hatching. Q. If a queen's wing is clipped about half off by a trusty, experienced hand, is there any injury ; if any, what, and in what way? A. There is no injury. Q. Making an examination of my stocks in January, I found some stocks from which the honey was leaking. What is the reason? A. This condition is found only in hives that have been so- exposed to the cold as to crack the combs with frost — or in hives^ that are so poorly ventilated as to retain the moisture and sour the honey. A long paper was read by Rev. S. P. Lander, of Clinton, to refute the popular belief that bees do iaijury to fruit. Mr. Lander has raised grapes and kept bees, and after years of observation, he is sure a bee never attacks a sound fruit. Bees do not bite into fruits or blossoms to get the juices. If they did the hive would be enriched with honey of the honeysuckle, and some other similar plants from which full drops of honey might be gained if the bee could bite into it. Mr. Lander took issue with several newspapers in wMch were statements that bees destroy grapes, pointing out many inaccuracies in the statement, and throwing a strong suspicion of falsity upon them. The speaker alluded to Prof. Riley's recomen- dation that milk-weed be planted to rid buckwheat fields of bees. Mr. Lander thought if any man was fool enough to cumber up his land with milk-weeds, for the sake of killing his neighbor's bees, the bees could stixud it if he could. The idea that bees destroy the buckwheat . crop, Mr. Lxinder has considered and watched the growth of the grain and the behavior of the bee, and is convinced there is no truth in It. After some general discussion, the con- vention adjourned to meet in Rome, N. Y., next winter, at the call of the execu-^ tive committee. This year's meetings have been a great success, and have been enjoyed by all present. All of the dLsGussion of the evening meeting and much that occured during the regular sessions, has not been report- ed. The following table will be of interest to all bee keepers. The information was collected by Secretary JMellis. The whole seasons' operations, and a summary of the methods employed by each bee-keep- er, are thus conclensed into a line of type, and the records will reward, a careful study and comparison. THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 89 CO CCrlCciS o o o o a O O ; a fc s i* ) -J a< S- a» .c a o 2 - — ."■ j;o j^ CO OS cc ccoo -1 00 ;;i 00 3> 2o O;CnCj5C0WC)5M-7 CJ'CCOSKHC)— '^SfOCJ^ c>5»oi-'fi<-^»5>'(^o'*ii'>='m'*"*^'^ci'Oo'0(»»o.t^oo.oocjioo-iosocii SJ I Spring, 1874. C5>-' i-'i-'Ni'-'c;' o-^to^o^oaoa^^o^-'05l«•w l;il_**5--l-30;»UmOtt!' l-iOUOOsCOCOtOCOJil-th-ita^OiCOCO^O ^:jiOc;iOc;ic;ioouTa^3:o»^fc».tk4i.^ooo*035i-»as^>4-'-*ti)C!i Fall, 1874. . . B Italians. 051-1 ►.»_iN)>-' ■-»tS- ( M I© cj< 00 ot ic/ »-* c*; t* t:- o • * t© cj> 00 ot ic/ »-* c*; t* ^ CC )w C3 - 09 • Blacks. 'is^or'oooao.xoso )c^:ocooc©J ' CO 00 OC 00 00 -^ o 1^ CO p. »-: i... . . . p 3 . ;^ ! a It OD -I. HI . . m CD ! — re 00 -• H- _ •^Sg ^ti^:^-"*^.- : ■<» X X i-J:r X „" - *" 2-f • '^■:^~ g, M. : : '"'o*'": : 00 02 CO ts iN^ .-. 00- ■ 73 GO o >^ H a > CD o >— 05HJi-«i-iC^tSO5 iO^^ i-> > oc- '-'»2C!;ci-^_-;a;«5-isoai^ "tcoojo o^-'05"OD>-'OOot.£' toat lOOtnOOOOC OCOOOOOOOO 0050 OOOO 0>-»0000000Crti>0S s s cca^co ;-- »oc<5-iai-.o co oo — o tn -loc-jo^-aiwi OOtao o I— ooi en OS =: o c;' CO cc o c;t c;t Box. Extracted. ™ Amount of Wax. o c ^ ^ 2 -■ 2. ^- * .0 < B-^ o ft s:a ^CBJsJw ct ^ -e-s-jf? So s: '^ 5 5 Extra Queens Reared. 2 3-; ' p p S a-3 -" c j; s.-" 2 a? c 3 -I p p c c o o 5 "= i:s-2 e-S "^ o o c :; e-c 2 Average value of the honey sea- son. Amt. of sugar fed in fall. 90 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Comparative Merits of the Italian, Black, and Hybrid Bee. I see in the American Bee Journal during tlie past year, many articles written on tlie superiority of the Italian bee for honey-gathering. Bee-keepers' meetings throughout the country still continue to discuss this sub- ject. In nearly all these writings and dis- cussions, a large majority unite in claim- ing superiority as lioney -gatherers for the Italian bee. Having kept bees for the last ten years, more as a source of pleasure and pastime than for profit, I have been an impartial but not indifferent observer of the habits, disposition, and honey-gathering ability of the Italian, black, and hybrid bee. As a result of my observation I would submit the following short statement. During the ten years I have kept bees, I have had some of each of the above uamed varieties ; a larger portion however has always been pure Italian. The Italian bee is superior to the Black in the following particulars, viz : 1st. In gentleness of disposition. 2nd. In graceful form, size, and color. 3d. In adhering to the combs when being hand- led. 4th. In storing honey close around and in the common cerder or brood nest. 5th. In gathering up and using wax, lying about the apiary. 6th. In defending their h'lte against the encroachments of moth. The Black bee is superior to the Italian in the following particulars viz : 1st. In ability to withstand a greater degree of cold during winter. 2nd. In being less liable to abandon their hive in the spring on account of weakness of numbers. 3d. In maintaining their strength during an abundant hone^^-gathering. This is undoubtedly owing to the queen promptly dcpositiug eggs in the cells as fast as the young bees emerge. 4th. In building neic combs either in boxes or frames for surplus honey. 5th. strong texture of wings thereby enal ling this member to last as long as the life of the bee. 6th. In rearing broods two or three weeks later iu the fall ; thus enablhig them the better to get through the winter. As the Hybrid partakes more or less of the Italian or tlie Black, so will the char- acteristics of the one or the other as above enumerated be manifest. Hybrids that 1 regard as the best in my apiary, are descended from Black mothers ; and were obtained in this way : A Black queen was fertilized by an Italian drone. From the eggs of this queen were reared Hybrid queens and wliere these young queens became fertilized by Italian drones. I have Hybrid colonies the most satisfac- tory. Therefore if we wish to secure in a col- ony, gentleness, beauty of form, size, col- or, etc., and good defenders against moth; ability to withstand cold, maintain their strength during bountiful honey-gathering, and build combs for surplus honey, secure these Hybrids. ■ I obtained more than three times as much box honey from these, as I did from any of my pure Italians last sea- son. To obtain a large yield of surplus hon- ey from the Italians, the extractor must be used. They will not build combs readily in boxes or frames, for the reception of sur- plus, but instead will deposit the honey, when the flow is abundant, in the brood combs and forstall the queen. My Hybrids above described will build combs as readily as the Blacks, and give nearly as much box honey as the extract- or will from the Italians. My advise would be to any one wishing to secure extracted honey only, to keep pure Italians ; because they are the most agreable to handle, and this has to be done very often during the season in using the extractor. If you want to obtain large amounts of surplus honey' partly in boxes and partly extracted, keep the Hybrids. ( Second generation from a Black mother is best.) If you want to secure box honey only, ( a less quantity than you can obtain from the Hybrids,) and do not want to handle your bees often, and do not mind being frequently and unceremoniously stung when in the apiary, keep the Black bees. Camargo, 111. J. AV. McKlnley. Improved Breeding- etc. -Queen Raising, May it not be an important fact in the improved breeding of liees that more par- ticular attention should be paid to the proper manner of raising queens ; and this brings up a question upon which 1 with many others would gladly be enlight- ened. Has any of our numerous queen breed- ers observed any dilference between queens raised from an old queen, say three or four }'ears, and those raised from one in her first year. In looking over the various volumes of our old Journal, I see but lit- tle that lias a direct bearing on the point. Among poultry breeders it is now pretty generally coiiceeded, that the largest and most healthy chickens arc the product not of the pullet, but of the older hens. Such is contended also to be the case in ; THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 91 stock-raising, and even in the propaga- tion of the dilVorcnt varieties of fruit, in fact many other and similar cases niiglit be cited. Sliould tliis he an e,stabli.shed fad, why should it bo otherwise iu queen raising ? It was my intention to have opened this question hxst season, wilii the hope of learning the views of careful and observ- ing queen breeders. It was again brought to my mind by the re-pcrusal of a valua- ble article from the pen of the respected Langstroth, in Vol. 1, Page 93, Amp:iucan Bee Jouknat., (1861), as bearing directly on the question at issue. I will merely cite two instances which came under my observation in the season of 1873. I had A queen in her fourth year ( the largest I have ever seen with one exception ) which was so prolific, and her progency so indus- trious, that although she was a hybrid I concluded to breed from her. Not being satisfied with the drones in my own stocks, I took my nuclei to the apiary of a friend about two miles distant (Mr. J. E. Moore,) he having drones from an imported queen, there I bred a number of queens, crossing with Mr. M's drones, and in ev- ery instance they proved both prolific and easily handled, some of them even excell- ing the queen mother iu point of prolific- ness and the markings of their worker pro- geny. This queen was a descendent of a queen I obtained of Mr. S. B. Par- sons in 1861, (which fact called to mind the penning of this article, Mr. Langstroth having spoken of his Parson's queens) and while herself was quite dark her worker progeny were so well marked that they were pronounced by many bee keepers as pure, and some of her daughters were a beautiful orange color. As she had a cu- rious history I may again refer to her. Again, the same season (1873) I bred from a pure Italian queen the marking of whose bees I was much pleased with, ( she being in her third year,) using the .same precaution as to drones I had before observed, and with ni-arly similar results, the progeny of her tiueeus were fully as industrious as these before spoken of, but no more easily handled, neither were her queens any more prolific than were those of the hybrid mother. The same season 1 bred from young Italian queens ( in their first year ) as I have in seasons before but I must say not with like satisfactory re- sults. The old and familiar adage may here be brouglitto mind " tiiat two swallows never nuike a spring," therefore, the two favorable instances of breeding from old queens ( I am not at all partial to four years but would say at least in the second or third year,) will not establish the truth of the theory of breeding only from old queens, but I ask in all candor, is it not enough by comparison of results to raise at least a doubt and open this fiueslion, if so, one object of my writing this article will at least have been attained, another, and the main oliject iu view is to obtain the opinions or rather the experience of practical queen raisers on the subject. Can we not get the views of our Editors, Quinby, Alley, Dadaut, Grimm, or intleed many others whose experience would be of great importance in the premises. No one, I presume, will deny the asser- tion that to become a successful bee-keep- er, to any considerable extent, one should be able to raise at least the queens he uses in his own apiary, if for no other reason than to have them just at the time they are wanted. If so, how shall he breed them ? If there is any thing of advantage in the position we have taken it should be known. If it isonly an idea, and a mis- taken one at that, the sooner it is proper- ly met and controverted the better for all concerned. But as I have already en- croached too much upon space which might be more profitably occupied by others, I will close this already too ex- tended communication. " R." Beaver, Penn., Feb'y 24, 1875. Note. — Since writing the above I have received Mr. Herbert A. Burch's " money in the apiary " in which 1 perceive he as- sumes tlie same posicion I have taken on the queen raising question. For the American Bee Journal. Wintering Bees. I noticed in the Journal an inquiry from C. D. Hubbard for Mr. Bidwell's, new method of wintering bees. Now I do not know what method Mr. Bidwell has, but after three years trial of my present method I am full satisfied it is just what I want. I have kept from thirty to forty stands of bees and have not lost a swarm from freezing, iu the manner I am about to mention, and I have talked with others, and all have met with the same result. The beauty of it is, that it is the least trouble of any method I have ever tried, and affords the greatest safety to bees in wintering. It avoids the lugiring up and down cellar and the moulding of the comb. It avoids the packing in straw and like material, in the various methods resorted to, to keep them from freezing, my present method will leave them on their summer stands all winter with per- fect safety. This is done by a peculiar construction of the hives. The hive is constructed with double y'2 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. walls and an air chamber between, filled with straw, and the top and sides so con- structed as to allow all moisture arising from the bees to escape, and at the same time keep the cold out. This keeps tlie bees warm and dry, and consequently lively and vigorous, to resist the inroads of insects in spring. The manner of its construction readily meets the approval of one's reason. But it will also convince by the best of all reasoning, actual exper- ience. This hive has not been brought before the public as fast as it ought, owing to the poverty of the inventor not being able to properly advertise it. But if any of the readers of the Bee Journal wants further information concerning it, they can obtain it by addressing Keyes & Finn, Clyde, Jasper Co. Iowa. Marseilles, 111. A. F. WALBRroGE. For the American Bee Journal. Stray Thoughts. At our convention, I failed to get up the interest on some points that 1 wished. The question of wintering was somewhat dis- cussed, but we failed to agree half as well on that point as did that "Dozen of the same ilk" of Berlin, Wis. They agreed at least, that 45 degrees is about the right temperature to keep bees in winter. That agrees with my views ali'eady expressed. Many look at the surface of things only, and get the habit of deciding without due (consideration. We do not get all the facts, which in tune I hope we shall be enabled to. I wrote an essay on the subject, but (lid not get it ready for the press before cold weather. There had not been a winter since 1871 suited to throw more light on the subject than the present, eith- er for or against my theory. In this sec- tion, not a day through Jan. and part of Dec. was warm enough for bees to fly. Much of the time below zero. From Feb. 7th to the 15th, there was but one morn- ing above zero. Feb. 7th, IG dg. below ; Hth, 8 dg. below ; 9th 8 dg. below ; 10th, 1 2 dg. below ; 1 1 th a few degrees above ; 12th 6 dg. below in morning and at sun- down 14 dg ; i;3th 33 dg. below ; 14th 16 dg. below ; 15th 4 dg. below. Bees have withstood weather as cold as this in the open air without harm, when there have been warm days, either immediately be- fore or after. But how they will with- stand such a pull of two months, and the coldest at the least, we have yet to see. One man from Saratoga Co., has just written me that his bees show signs of dys- cnterry now, 15th of Feb. If bees are lost in any section, 1 hope we shall get the temperature to which they have been ex- posed. Another point in which we failed to get up the interest which I thought the im- portance of the subject demands is the fear of stings. I have worked some time for this without much progress. A few^ have got rid of the fear, and made bee- keepers. I cannot advise any one to keep bees that can think of nothing but stings, whenever he goes near them. Education on this subject should begin early. Teach children facts only, and perhaps the most disagreeable of these might be judiciously withlield, while the child is being trained in the methods of avoiding stings. I think I have helped some is this matter, in the smoker given to the public, even though my suggestions may not be fully carried out in regard to careful handling. Many persons are governed mostly by a desire to make money, and consequently are apt to attribute the same motive to the sug- gestion of others, hence my eftbrts to get people acquainted with bees are probably often thought to arise from a desire to sell my wares. I wish more persons having experience, would work in this field. Could not bee-keeping be taught as a branch of practical education in some in- stitutions, thus giving children a chance to receive the right kind of instructiou. Per- •haps Michigan would be central. Standard frames is another point occu- pying considerable thought just now. I fear we shall never asree, because we have d'fferent interests. We have all heard of the old farmer who went to mill with wheat in one end of the bag, and a stone in the other, to balance when it was thrown across the horses back. He had done it, and his father had before him, and the method was sufficiently proved. Let us all look at it. See how it is proved. I will speak of size of frames : Mr. A. wants shallow frames. "He gets more honey, he has' tried it." Mr. B. wants small ones for extracting. Mr. C. wants deep frames, "Bees winter better. They have such in Russia." Mr. D. likes them about square, say 12 inches. Many more want light frames because they are lighter to handle, &c., etc. Now it is not likely we shall all want frames square because D. does, for we probably have not the same reasons for it that he has. I am making surplus boxes 5x0 inches square. I can put six of them inside of one large frame, I don't want the frame any less. This and other advantages,counterbalanced the inconvenience of handling large frames. When one has a smaller frame and to him there are no counterbalancing advantages in a larger one, it seems to me to be very THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 93^ silly to cliiingo. AVe need not expect one IH)und move of honey in one than the other, providing we avoid extremes, and give our bees comb enough, and the same protection. Have wc not lost time enough in discussing this question and gained nothing. Let eacii one use what is most convenient in his circumstances. 'J'he convenience of nianipuhiling any sized frame can be studied to advantage, and much gained by experience. This to- gether vvitli training bees and men into quiet, wintering, and many other things which we do not yet half understand, may be discovered with advantage. St. Johusville, N. Y. M. Quinby. For the American Bee Journal. Wintering Bees. I have tried ditferent plans for wintering bees for the last seven years, and I think tliat some winters reciuire different treat- ment for successful results. This winter I eominenced early in the fall, by feedingand doubling np till they were both strong in colony aiid stores, keeping them on their smnmer stands, with no uiiward ventilation and but little below. If any of the fraterni- ty have had good or bad results in that way, 1 would like to hear from them. It is not convenient with many of liiiuted means to prepare a suitable repository for wintering, and must rely on other ways of manage- ment. Please inform nie in regard to a suit conunenced several years since by Oils & Langstroth against 11. A. King, for infringe- ment on the Langstroth bee hive. lias tlie case ever been settled Ijy the parties, and how ? I have not learned of the result. Let lis hear ; long live the combined Bee Jour- nals. II. W. WlXO.M. Mendota, 111. Sundry Items. In my article page 61, last number of Journal there is a typographical error that destroys the sense of the passage. In sec- ond paragraph sixth line, for then cover, read " then can." I had better be a little more careful how I attack the masked KuKlux, for some of them may be my old friends as 'Eccentric' appears to be. See page G4. This re- minds me what happened one day many years ago when I was a boy ten years old. I went up stairs to dress in a hurry, and ■while in the act of putting on my vest I noticed a white sheet crawling through the door of the next room toward me ; in a sudden fright and seeing nothing with- in reach for defence, I suddenly doubled my vest and gave it a blow with all my strength. The object suddenly rolled over, and out emerged the negro servant, rubbing his eyes and face, smarting from the blow I had given. Since then T could never stand masked objects. I am sorry to hear reports of the bee disease again. I had hoped that from our- close observations and experiments, dur-' ing the past few years, we had got sight of a remedy, or at least a preventitive. But it now apiK'ars that our observation will go on with experiments a few years- longer. jVIy bees to this day are all O. K. not a single stand lost. Ko disease of any sort. All healthy — only one weak stand and I fear that my bungling work with it last night, has destroyed it. Ah ! I know your readers want to know what that bun- gling work was. i>o I will tell it for the warning of others, to let bees alone at night. A few days ago I had put these bees in a nucleus with five frames, so as to nurse them until they got stronger, as they had a fine queen tliat I wished to save. Last night it began to turn cold and I had for- gotten to tidie them in before dark ; so went out with a candle to take them in but the wind would not allow the carry- ing of the candle. So 1 thought I would risk it in the dark, but I had hardly picked up the nucleus and proceeded three steps before dmcn went all in a mass, breaking every comb out of the frames. I then got a light and got the bees back, but found the queen almost dead. To- day, it being freezing, it is not prudent to open to see if I am minis a fine queen, for my attempt to carry bees in the dark. The cause of this staud getting so weak was, water leaking through top of hive be- fore I was aware of it. I would here say to all who don't know how I winter, that I use nothing but ths quilts, and in some cases I stuff the caps with straw. I leave off the honey boards from many stands all winter. Thanks to J. Butler, of Jackson, Mich., for his grand honey board, I made several of them yesterday, after reading his article on page 57. I made my boxes just the size of honey board f thick by 3 in. wide, light pine and tacked a piece of woolen blanket on the bottom, and after filling with bran, tack any sort of cloth on the top ; but for winter use I think I would prefer wheat or clover chaft', or very dry saw dust. I think the frames would be much less trouble than the quilts. We need not put anything else besides these frumes on ; the cpults are not always enough covering for the bees. I have tried the manure hot-bed around hives, but saw no benefit from it. I think these box quilts will prove very serviceable. I for- got to say that I keep a high close board fence on the north and west end of my 94 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. apiary, that efiectually brakes the force the wind. I would here ask friend Dadant if Ed- ward Uhle of Switzerland, is in Italy — if so tlien Uhle's queen according to hira are pure Italians. I have never received a queen from Uhle that was not a hybrid. Nesbit, Winder, and a few othere got Hy- brids of Uhle. I have had but two im- ported queens to suit me in every respect, I can rear better ones, but still I am in favor of importing, and would not do anything to discourage it. Friend Da- dant may have imported good ones. There is rascality somewhere but I rather think it is all with the European bee-keep- ers, sending us hybrids when they could have sent pure Italians. Can it be that they are ignorant of the test of purity. I always take the three yellow band as the most acceptable test of purity. Lowell, Ky. K. M. Argo. Adulteration of Honey. Seeing a good deal of discussion in the Bee Journals on the adulteration of honey, and being quite extensively engaged in raising honey lor market, both box and extracted, I thought perhaps a few words to the many leaders of the Bee JouiiNAL who are en- gaged in the Apiarian business, might not amiss. In the first place, if bee-keepers who are engaged in raising honey for market will take a little more pains to create a home inarket, instead of sliipping all they raise to Chicago and other cities, to honey dealers, to have it adulterated and make tive or six pounds out of one of honey or even more than that, and then for these honey men to ship it back wliere it was raised and sell it at double the price paid for it, looks like making a good deal from the honey raisers. Let every one who raises honey next sum- mer see that every groeery is well sup- plied with good box and extracted honey, and there will be no trouble in selling all the honey at home. If the grocers will not buy it, ask the liberty to place it in their store, which no one will object to; allow them a commission on all sales from lU to 15 per cent and there will be no chance for it to be fixed up with glucose, starch, and slip- pery-elm bark &c. Congress should make a law governing the adulteration of all articles for family use, placing a heavy fine or im- prisonment or both for adulterating any- thing. There is no country on the tace of the glol)e where adulteration business is carried on as it is in the United states. All kinds of spices, l)aking powder and other things too numerous to mention are shame- fully "fi.xed up." 1 put into winter quarters 105 good stocks of Italians, ail riglit ; but the hardest time is to couit\ I hope to come out ali right ; it looks as if tiie i)artles who write; for tlie Bee JoiriiNAi, were ashamed to have their place of business known. Let every one give tluiir address in full, so that we may know where they live. \Vm. Ukie- Aurora, 111. cV* ^nuijit^H Ipi^e "^m^ml TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. Single subscriber, one year, $2.00 Two subscribers, sent at the same time 3.50 Three subscribers, sent at the same time,. .. 5.00 Six subscribers, sent at the same time 9.00 All higher clubs at the same rate. ADVERTISING RATES FOR 1875. SPACE. i 1 Mo. 2 Mos 3 Mos 6 Mos 1 Year. 1 ; i 1 Inch ]$2 00 $3 00 $4 00 $7 00:$ 12 00 1 1/2 Inch 1 3 00 4 50l (J 00 10 OOJ 18 00 2 Inches 3 50 6 00, 8 OOi 13 OOj 23 00 3 Inches I 5 00, 8 5011150 18 OO' 33 00 4 Inches i 6 .50 10 50! 14 00, 23 OOJ 40 00 fi Inches I 9 00 14 50 18 00 33 OOl 60 00 1 Column ! 11 00 18 OOl 21 50, 42 OOl 80 00 ?i Page 16 00 25 001 40 00^ 60 00| 115 00 1 Page I 20 001 35 00, 50 OOl 80 OOi 150 00 Less than one inch, 20 cents per line. Next page to reading matter and last page of cover, double rates. Bills of regular Advertising payable quarterly, if inserted three months or more. If inserted for less than three months, payable monthly. Transient advertisements, cash in advance. We adhere strictly to our printed rates. Address all communications and remittances to THO.*^. Ci. NEWMAIV & SON, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Books for Bee-Keepers may be obtained at this office. Not one letter in ten thousand is lost by mail if rightly directed. Single copiesof the American Bee Jour- nal are worth 2U cents each. Upon the wrapper of every copy of the Journal will be found the date at which subscriptions expire. Mellot Cloa^ek, for sale at 30 cts. per lb. Larger quantities at low prices by Ital- ian Bee Co. I)es Moines, Iowa. tf Anv numbers that fail to reach subscribers by fault of mail, we are at all tinj^s ready to send, on application, free of charge. Subscribers wishing to change their post- office address, should mention their old ad- dress, as well as the one to which they wish it changed. Persons writing to this office should either write their Name, Post-office, County and State plainly, or else cut off the label from the wrapper of their paper and enclose it. JouiiNALS are forwarded until an explicit order is received by the publisher for their > discontinuance, and until payment of all ar- rearages is nuide as reipiired by law. We do not give our Chromo when sub- scribers club with other publications, unless tliey add 25 cents to the amount of the club subscriptions, and say they want the Chromo. Wht;n a subscriber sends money in pay- numt for the American Bee Journal, he should state to what time he thinks it pays, so that we can conq)are it with our books, and thus prevent mistakes. American Bee Jouilnal, DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO BEE CULTURE. Vol. XI. CEDAR RAPIDS, MAY, 1875. No. 5. ^ncricaif J)H '^mn^\l W. F. CLARKE, I Editors Mrs. E. S. T UPPER, P^^^^^"^- Seasonable Hints. luthis month, it is often best, if rapid increase is desired, to divide colonies. If the bees liave been encouraged in brood rearing by feeding, and the heat of the hive economized, the bees are strong now — "whether the season be late or early. We do not find bees, managed as we ad- vise, dependent on early seasons. We would advise all whose colonies are strong, and who desire to increase num" bers as fast as possible, to commence in this month making new colonies. We would not do it in such a way as to Weaken any hive materially. A comb of brood may be taken from one, a comb containing stores from another, and bees from a third. If a queen can be provided for everj' newly made colony, or a queen cell nearly ready to hatch and empty comb is at hand, the increase may be very rap- id and with no danger of failure. Those who wish to start nucleus hives, can do it best in this month, in this lati- tude. There are various ways of doing this. The best one is this : Take a good Italian queen from the hive to which she belong^ and put her in some other hive, from which the queen has been removed ; with the usual precautious. The hive left queenless will at once build queen cells, and at this season of the year, a number may be expected. Leave the hive undisturbed until about the eighth day, then have in readiness several small hives each made to contain three or four frames, the same size as your large hives. Oi)en your hive, ascertain how queen cells they are, and divide its con- tents among these^small hives — putting in each a comb, containing at least one cell — more if you choose. Divide the brood combs and store combs among the small liives and if necessary supply one or more from other hives. Then take the old hive entirely away and set the small hives containing the frames of it close together where the old one stood, the entrance fac- ing the opposite icay. The bees disturbed by the unfamiliar appearance of things, will find the small hives, and as each has a cell and brood, they will soon settle to work. Care must be taken before night to see that each s^nall hive has enough. If one has more than its share, change its place with that of a weaker one. Tou will then have two, three or four small hives in the place of one, and can keep them all the season rearing queens, or ilnite them again into one colony after they have served their purpose. There are other ways of starting a nucleus, which we will give hereafter. Those who use surplus boxes will do well to put them on all strong colonies in this month ; though in most localities, bees do better in them before June. A strong colony of bees has been known to build one hundred square inches of comb in twenty-four hours ; at that rate over sixty sheets of comb a foot square could be costructed in three months. The editor of the Annals of Bee Culture has had a report of a swarm that built nine sheets of comb ten by thirteen inches in ten days. 98 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Office of the Iowa Board of Centen- nial Managers. This is to certify that ilrs. Ellen Tnpper of Des Moines Folic Co., being an expert in such articles as are enumerated in Group Xo. 34 of our Classification of Iowa Products, is duly appointed to act as Group Secretary in charge of her specialty, viz : The Bee-Keeping Industry of the State, subject to such instructions as our Board juay from time to time give in a written form. Signed tliis 16t h day of April 1875, and at- tested by the Seal of our Corporation. Alex. Suaw^ S. II. MALLor.y. Sec'y. President. I, C. B. Carpenter, Governor of Iowa, liereby indorse the foregoing appointment, tMs 16th day of April 1875. C. C. CAT?rENTET!. Centennial Exposition. COMMEXCIXG APRIL 19, AXD EXDIXG OCT. 19, 1876. The undersigned having been appointed, by the Iowa Board of Centeni\ia! IManagers, Secretary of Group No, 34, accepts the ap- pointment with the hope that every bee- keeper in the State will aid her in the work, by preparing for the exhibition any hives, extracts, bees, queens, or anything pertain- ing to 'the industry within reach. Also specimens' of all honey-producing plants and seeds thereof which may be found in any portion of the State of Io>va, for exhibi- tion at the coming celebration of One Hun- dredth Anniversary of the Nation, to be held atPhiladelpliia, Pa., 187(i, I have the honor to request your co-operation in com- pleting this Group, by the preparation and contribution of articles properly belonging within the scope thereof. Any aid or information will be clieerfnlly furnished on application. As the Secretary of this Group is also a member of the com- mittee appointed by the National Bee-Keep- ers Association, applications from any part of the country will be in order. All articles shipped to my care will be properly labeled and transmitted to the Ex- ])Osition, under the care and direction of the State Board of Centennial ^ranagers. Such articles as the individual exhibitor may de- sire can be shipped direct to the care of the Director (ieneral of the Ex])osition, I'liila- delphia, Pa., under such rules as the Direc- tor (ieneral may prescribe. All pcrscnis who desire to be exhibitors will besupi)lied with blank applications for space upon applying to the undersigned. Applications must be made to the Director General of the exposi- tion. For the purpose of keeping a record of Iowa applications, they will be signed in duplicate, one of which will be forwarded to the Director General, Philadelphia, and one to the Secretary of Iowa State Board of Cen- tenial Managers, Des Moines, Iowa. Trusting that State and local pride will in- duce you to give us your hearty co-operation I shall expect, without further solicitation, to secure from you, on or before the 1st day of December, 1875, a specimen of such arti- cles as above enumerated, all of which will be duly acknowledged, and ordinary care exercised ; but the loss of property by the accidents of transportation, by fine, or by the dispensations of Providence, will in no wise subject the undersigned to damages, llespectfully, Ellex S. Tupper. Sec'y. Group 34. Des Moines, Iowa. From the Practical Farmer. Uses of Wool in the Apiary. For the last four years we have used wool quite largely for various purposes in our apiary. We use nothing else for stopping up our queen cages, rolling it for this pur- pose into a tight wad. The bees cannot gnaw it away, and seldom propolise it. We shut up all our nuclei, when first form- ed, with wool. It can be crowded into place in a moment, admits air, and is easily removed. If we wish for any purpose to shut up a hive, we use wool. In the work- ing season, we keep one "pocket full of wool," and know nothing of the vexatious we experienced when using wire-cloth. Oc- casionally a few bees are caught in the fibres of the wool, but they are for the most part veryshyof it, and are quite indisposed to Qommxifelo dc sc, -by hanging themselves in its meshes. Bobbers will very quickly retreat from a hive well wooled. If we use the words to tcoo J and unwool a hive or nu- cleus, instead of to shut up or open the en- trance, our readers will understand what we mean. L. L. Langstroth. Phrsoxal. — This heading, over my sig- nature, may remind some, of my personals in tlu^ Amkuu'AX Bkk .Ioirnal in 187'3. With no intention of reviving past aniniosi- ties, I desire to say tliat soon after these ])ers()nals ainicarcd", I regretted sonu' things in them. For tlie first time in my life, in- stead of a statement of facts with what seemed to me the necessary conclusions from them, 1 iist'd hitter epltlu'ts and invectives. Coming from a man of my age and profess- ion this was the less excusable. Perhaps THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 99 ever lost so good an opportunity of ving the best "way of eomuieting sucli I nev( show „ controversies as we deem necessary in defence of our rights. About two vears ago I itersonally express- ed to Mr. II. A. King, my regret tor the in- vidious comparisons in wliieli 1 liad indulg- ed, and my intention of witiidrawing tlieni as publiclV as tiiey were made. Able again to use niy"pt''i. I 'ii" "hid to carry out this intentit)n. If my example has encouraged llie acrimoniousness with Avhich (lucstions liavebeen discnsed. and controversies car- Tied on amoim American Bee Keepers, I hope this ])crsonai may contribute some- Avhat to soften such needless asperities. April 2ord, 1875. L. L. Langstkotii. Voices from Amono: the Hives. n. GooDLAXDER, Leesbiu'g, Ind, writes : " Bees can be wintered just as safely, and more easily than any other stock. The ma- terial front wiiich a hi\e is made, has a great inlluence on thehealtli of the bee." Er.iAS Hershey, Leaman Place, Pa., writes; " I wintered 27 stands out of doors, ■without protection, except blankets on top of frames, and they all came out strong, and are ready for work as soon as the blossoms come." R. R. MrEPHY, Fulton, 111., writes ; " About March 2()th, some one sent me a reg istered letter, but the Post "Office was bur- glarized on the 25th. The safe blown open, and the building fired. Nothing was saved. This is the reason why I have not been able to answer that letter." .Toiix DivEKEY, Aurora, III., writes ; " I put my bees — i:^swarms— in abasenu^ut on the loth of Nov. They came out all strong •and healthy about the middle of March with- out loss. They had no llightfor4 months. They were carrying natural Pollen on the 4th of April. The winter here was very se- vere, but the opening of Spring is exceed- ingly favorable. Long may your valuable Bee Journal live and prosper." Dr. N. P. Allen, Smith's Grove, Ky., writes; " I have succeeded in wintering my bees in Langstroth hive on suunner stands without losing a single stock. My bees are in fine couditinii and have beeii gathering from the fruit blossoms for the last week. I had eleven in top story, one Aveek ago. I have four new idea hives. I like them very much. I see by the Journal that they are'not so regarded by some, but my experience is that we can raise more bees by inserting empty comb in tiie center of brood-nest. Can eidarge the broofl-uest to double the size, it is ordinary, and that they will come out in the spring witii more bees than the Langstroth hive, and witii more honey. I ho])e to be able to make a good report of this season's operations." H. M. Noble, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, writes: ''My bees have wintered better than for the ])ast three winters. I had 20 swarms last fall. I put 5 of the poorest in a cave and one died. I i>ut 15 in the cellar, fl,nd as some of them got the dysentery I nuide a box 3,1^ ft long and i)ut a wiiulow sash in one end, and out' (Ml the top, leaving one of the sash that 1 could open so that I could put my arms in and takft off the quilt or honey board, i took some of the frames out and set them on the out side of the hive and cleaned out tin; dead bees. itc. The most of my bees came through the winter liealthy. Igotaipicen one year ago last Julv; said to be from an imjiorteil mother. I think she is a regular Kgy|>lian from what I have read about them. I'hcy have the grit; they work well, breed well, and sting like a delnon." .Jas. B. Wilsox, Des Moines, Iowa writes: "The winter that has just passed, has been a verv hard one in Iowa. 1 had 4 colonies of bees to go into winter quarters last fall. My bees have been on their summer stands for the past 4 winters, audi have not lost any by disease or freezing, during that time. During the winter, any day that the sun shined or was a little warmer than other days, thev would flv out as in summer. 1 have not had to feed them this winter or spring, as they laid up enough feed in the lower combs for their own use during the whole winter. I have used the "FinnPorus Wall Hive," ever since I commenced keej)- ing bees. 1 am not afraid to recommend it to apiarians, as the only one that their bees can be safe in, during the summer or winter. Eace colony is so strong in the spring and summer that moths or robbers dare not ven- ture near them." Wm. H. S. Gkout. Poland Center, N. Y., writes :— '"The following is what I have done the past season with five, 32 (Kidder) frame Gallup hives and Italian bees : . iTotal o 1- ^ »-5 " >> 3 m T S ai £." . 1 per <^ Hive. 1 7M 33,( 2014 31! i :3oi.i53 52!4 73 27!/2 304 f 7h'„ 3V„ 121426^:}" m'i 34 HO 24V'2 242 a 64 41^- 18i-4'32ii43'.i44 31 90 27 2961/4 4 0 2 It) 233.£ 1914,48 38 65 18 229M. 5 6 27 4 1754 19 85 ?4 44^ 150 45?4 43ii 35 60 13 2701/2 T. 180 225 1 190 348 110 1,342 Spring Raspberry and Ba sswood. Houey. Clovt-r. 1 Average yield per hi e, 268 2-5 E>8. I think the Gallup hive is just the thing to work bees in, for extracted honey. It is more convenient than two-story hives, and I tliink will yield better. When yon get all the light honey, you have swarms that will gather enough fall honey to winter on, and strong enough to winter on their summer stands. At ' least that is my experience. Mine having gathered enough for winter for the past three years. The supply is princi- pally from smart-wces in small hives. If 'Eccentric' will try them in a good season he may think better of them, and conclude that they are not such a hum- bug after all. lie shouhl remember that strong swarms gallicr the honey, and stand a better chance to winter than if they were divided up." Ed. Wellixotox, Ilivertown, Iowa, writes :— "Our long and severe winter is now past. The l)ee-keeper now knows how many of his stocks of bees has been con- sumed bv it. I came out better with mine than I expected, and as good as the 100 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. most of my neighbors. I lost two very light stocks that only had a pint of bees or less; the loss of which I lay to not having upward ventilation — and another lately. We hsd a fine warm spell. The bees tlew finely, then came a severe cold snap, which lasted a week, when it again turned warm. I found one of my weak stocks had clustered in empty coud), away from their supplies, and had passed in their cheeks, and were dead. Making a total of 4 out of 2.3. Those that I had down 5 feet in the ground covered over with boards and straw, froze as bad as those that I had on top of the ground sur- rounded with straw. I know of 19 stocks that were wintered out doors, ten with tight honey boards on, and nine with (piilts. The result was, that all with the quilts on were alive, and nine out of the ten that had on tight honey boards wei'e dead. The other was a very stmug stock in the fall, now it is very weak and troubled by robbers. My bees are now working finely ou rye flour." Akchibai-d Smith, Roswell, Cobb Co., Georgia, writes :— "I wrote you a few notes of experience. I survived the summer with two hives, large size, single story, inovable frames, about a quart of bees in each, but little honey or comb, and had to take out much comb infested by moth. So little honey was made, that I had to feed ; and looked into the hives the first week in January, when I found but from -1 to ti lbs. honey in each. ' (The winter here has been mild enough to afford the bees a flight every week or two). About the 15tli of June, 1 put a little sugar syrup into each liive, and soon finding great 'activity among the bees, I examined them and found that the bees from the larger hive were robblnci the others ; but the peculUvrity was, that there was 7io fighting only great activity, but as there were no flowers, I looked closely until I found they were passing from hive to hive. 1 have continued to feed ; but leave only one hive open at a time. The question here arises, and I want your readers to investigate ; does not this ac- count for much loss, in the spring, of swarms just put out of winter quarters, be- fore there are flowers enough to supply the large demands of breeding ? And does it not also account for the great increase of some hives ? John Hugh McDowei-l, Red Fork, Ark. writes : '"Bees do well here, never die in winter from cold. I have had five natural swarms this spring from one hive, other hives all sent out more or less swarms. I would like to have a partner who under- stands bee culture, would give him a half interest. I use Adair's and Novice's hives." Alfred Chapman, New Cumberland, W. Va., writes : "It has been exceedingly cold, but my bees have wintered very well on their sunnner stands. 1 have a shed root over them and packed straw all around them, but in front. But they consumed much more honey than those in a cellar or house." In the spring of 1871, we bought a farm remote from neighbors a mile or nearly so and on it was a swarm of bees which the owner did not care to remove, never having received any benefit from them, and in a year or so they were given to us. They were in an old decayed box hive, they swarmed the first season in my absence, a neighbor hived them in another old box hive, and in the following spring they were all dead. We put our new swarms into an old fashioned hive, just to make trial and see if they would live and thrive. It was in June, I think. If they lived through the winter, we intended to get a moveable frame hive. Heard of Kidden, of Burlington, Last spring all were lively in both hives, and I sent for a jiatent hive, but they swarmed before it came to hand and 1 was obliged to put them in an improved, but still a box hive. I had not learned that I must not hive them on the stand. After they seemed (juiet, I went out to see, and the hive was empty. Fortunately, they had gone home, instead of to the woods, as our swarm did the previous year. Now what shall we novices do next. My right hand was large enough for two, from tour stings though gloved, bee-veiled, &c., for the little liive was full, and the weather hot. We studied and mustered coui'age to raise the hive and set another under it, and they accepted it and went to work in it. They built combs and it seemed to me as though were two separate families or swarms. The first year I had one ten pound box of honey, last year probably between forty and fifty lbs. of very nice honey. One box still remains iir the chamber of one hive. They are in the open field protected partially by lioards and pine boughs. Mary E. Sanderson. We send you the January Journal and think you will find [it just what you need. We print your letter without your leave, because we like to show [others interested how one more went to work. You are on the right track and we liope will not loose your bees. We knowlif you read the Jour- nal j^ou will learn how to manage them so as not to dread their sting, but on the con- trary, will enjoy working with them. Your bees that "went home" did not do so because "you hived them on the stand," but they lost their queen and therefore returned to their old hive. Putting another hive un- der the old one, wjvs the best thing you could do under the circumstances. 1^" We have a lot of Adair's Annals of Bee Culture for 1870 slightly damaged, on hand— which we will sell for 10 cents each, Postage 4 cents. _ (Il:^"The Southern Ky., Bee-Keepers' As- sociation will meet at the residence of R. A. Alexander, on Monday the lUth of May next, and all persons interested in the cul- ture of the honey-bee are invited to be pres- ent. We hope some of our Northern Breth- ren who are posted in Scientific Bee-Culture will attend or sendus communications, bee- hives, honey-boxes, iSic., for exhibition. They will be cared tor and put upon exlii- bition by the President. II. W, Sanders, Dr. N. P. Allen. Secretary, President, THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 101 4|0iti;oi)anilcn^. Our Plan of Wintering. As many of our Bee Keeping friends in ditlerent parts of our country are in many cases, yearly being made sorrow- ful through the sad inroads made upon tlieirpets — the beautiful Italians — and we, having been bles^sed by a course of ma i- agemcnt, whieli lias not only given us our number of colonies in full, in the be- ginning of spring, in good shape, but has carried tliem safely through the severe trial put upon them, by our cold and bacliward springs, of which so many have cause to remember, and hoping to benefit some one or more of our suffering friends, we submit our plan of proceed- ure, to-wit : In the first place, our bees are wintered in the cellar, under the main part of tlie house, over which there is a fire but very few times during winter. Cellar 18x22, in chiy ; bee room, 9x12, partitioned off in one corner, between joists over-head we have stutVed with straw, held in place by a few lath tacked on, the partitioned side is also studded and packed with straw in same manner, while one side and end are stone wall, over all the portion stufied witli straw, we have tacked a covering of building paper, shelves arranged around tlie sides and one end, none coming ?iear- (7" than two feet of cellar-bottom, we thus, you will see, have provided an absorb- ant, by which all dampness is"" absorbed. As a consequence, our rooms are as dry as a flint. Here let us say, were we going to arrange an otiier room in the cellar, for bees, would manage to have as little of the stone-xcall in it as possible, for we no- tice, is there an uneasy colony, or one the least inclined to be diseased, or one weak- er than the average in Spring 'tis sure to be, or have come from the stone-wall side, and whenever we were compelled to have a portion of it, would arrange to not let our hives come nearer than 12 to 18 inches. So mucli for cellars. About lUth to loth of Sept, or imme- diately after buckwheat season closes, which winds up the honey season with us. (During the flow of fall honey, should you not be sure your bees would store enough for their winter's use, do not put oft' sup- plying them with a safe amount, either honey or syrup, later than above date as the earlier theh gei their stores, the soon- er will they cap themselves and as a con- sequence tlie better will they winter.) We carefully examine each stock and esit- mate their stores and if any are sliort, im- mediately feed them on Coffee A. sugar syrup made 20 pounds to the gallon of water, until they have from 20 to ;^(J lbs. stores each, according to strength of colo- ny. Tliey are then left to themselves, to be as quiet as may be. As the cool nights of last Sept. and Oct. come on, we con- tract the entrance to keep them warm. Early in Oct., choosing a day in which the bees are flying lively, we open a liive and set frames in an empty one previous- ly provided for the purpose, then proceed to tack a quilt ( made of sheeting lined with a thin l.ayer of batting, quilts made for summer use,) on each of the two sides of tlie hive, doubling over and to the in- side, at top of hive, sutttcient of the quilt to let it just reach bottom on back side, and elevated enough on front to allow the bees free use of entrance, use three 8 oz. tacks at top and one at bottom, driving only half way in, so they may be easily removed in taking ofl' quilts. Your hive is now ready for the bees, which return, and when returning examine and see if they have as many as two empty combs in center of hive, if not supply them, plac- ing a frame of honey or syrup between them. If they have unsealed stores, see that they are placed nearest the bees and the sealed removed toward end of hive, by this means the unsealed stores are first used up and you will have no soured stores to give your bees that fatal disease in spring, known as dysentery. Spread combs a little in center of hive, about where clustering is, and if necessary so to do, remove 1 to o frames, by a lialf inch strip across the top of frame and place on quilt, and your bees are ready to let alone, until time of setting away. You will see upon replacing bees in hive, after lining, that the frames do not go to place as easi- ly as before, but by placing one end in position you can easily bring other to place, when you will find your frames are as firmly held to place as though made close fitting. By this i)rocess of lining, we not only do away with that great objection to frame hives for winter use, the dead air space around frames, chilling bees and combs, but we enclose our bees in a nice warm nest, surrounded with material which absorbs all dampness and keeps them as dry as can be. The fir.st cold snap in Nov;, we prepare to set them in winter quarters by setting them off bottom board, and cleaning that of all litter, and placing a frame, made of inch stuft", in square, on bottom board, then place, have b.ick resting on the frame, take up bottom brood and gently carry them to their place in cellar, setting brood and hive on shelf, cloie door, and above all let them alone, 102 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. only occasionally looking in at door to see that the rats or any thing else have dis- turbed quilts. Our cellar has no ventila- tion, except what it gets when members of the family go into it for vegetables, murcury usually ranges from 40 - to 45^, perhaps for a short time, dropping once or twice in winter to 85 degrees. Well Mr. Editor we have " spun our say," out to a greater length than any idea of at start. We trust you will pardon us if we have tried your patience, but having once been beginners ourselves we realize how necess- ary are the details to assist in understand- ing, after all, success depends more on attending to the details and giving your attention closely, than in a mere attention to general principles alone . Believing as we do, that there is more of a science in successfully "springing" an apiary than in wintering same, we will, if you so desire, give you an item on our course of spring treatment. Dundee, 111. J. Oatman & Co. For the American Bee Journal. Marketing Honey. I find the best method of marketing my honey, both comb and extracted is to sell direct to the consumer or retail deal- er, and not send to honey dealers for them to adulterate. Last year I put a half bar- rel of extracted and about oOltis of comb- honey into my spring wagon, and went among the consumers and sold to them atl2i to 15 cts. per. ft. for extracted and 25 cts. for comb honey, and in a short time I sold all my extracted honey, and could have sold as much more in about a week, as the people found out that it was genuine honey and not glucose, sugar syrup, itc, with a little honey added, as is most of the so-called honey sent out by the city honey dealers, and besides the spui'ious honey is so high in price that it is beyond the reach of many people that would like honey. If the producer would take a little time and trouble to furuish the consumer with the genuiue honey at a moderate price, and thus get a market established, he will be surprised at the amount he could sell and not be swindled oat of his money by honey dealers. Parties that ouly got a few pounds of me last year, are beginning to speak for 50 to 150 lt)S of ext honey, and the prospect is that I cannot half sup- ply the demand, another year, without ; u extraordinary yield of honey, and I will have 80 coloni«s ( if I do not lose any) to commence the season with. By the pro- ducer selling his own honey at a reasona- ble price to the consumer, he will drive out all of the doctored honey, as the re- tail grocers will not handle it. One of our grocery men got some from Chicago, put up last year, and it soured on his hands. He says, no more Chicago honey for him, as he thinks the only honey in it was what little some small pieces of comb contained that was put in and pressed against the glass. I sold of my own raising last year ext. honey 1700 ttis. comb honey 300 pounds, and comb honey I bought from a man six miles from me, 1000 pounds. Fulton, 111. R. R. Murphy. For the American Bee Journal. Tall and Shallow Frames. As Mr. R. J. Colburn takes exception to the shallow frame, in the March num- ber, page 55, I would like to give some of my experience with tall and shallow frames. Mr. Colburn seems to reason a good deal from theory ; but I find in practice, they pay but little attention to keeping brood in an exact circle, but have a wonderful adaptability to circumstances, and will place their brood where they can care for it and keep it warm the easiest. If stocks come out all strong, and keep so through the spring, they will probably breed up well enough in most any kind of hive, but if they get reduced down to a mere handful, as many did the last two seasons, that is what tests the shape of the frame for breeding up. The frames generally used here, takes a comb about 8 inches deep by 17 inches long, and we think that we don't want a comb that will breed up better in the spring ; I have used the same frame stood on end, that is 17 inches deep, and found that when I got a stock reduced in those early in the season, I was completely swamped, no amount of cuddling would induce them to breed bees of any consequence, till hot weather and warm nights, they would have a little brood in the top end of two or three combs, and the ouly way they could s'iread their brood was to carry it downward, and they could not do that, as they were not numerous enough to carry the heat down. Tlie same amount of brood and bees, started in the middle of the shallow frame, would increase to quite a nice colony, by the time the tall one would begin to do anytliing. In the long shallow frame, they will spread the brood each way, along the tops of two or three frames, and they have the heat with them, and will raise a great many more bees than they will in the tall one. With strong stocks, or in warm weather, the THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAI.. 103 tall comb will breed as many bees as the other probably. I have never used a comb 12 by 12, but have used one S inches deep by 12, and found when bees were reduced in spring in that, comb 8 by 17 inches was far su- perior, from tbe fact, that bees will spread their brood along tlie top of a long comb, in weather, when they cannot be induced to spread it hxttcrly across space into another comb. I am now using a comb 10 by 12 inches, and don't think it breeds up as well with weak stocks as the shal- low frame, but can't tell why, unless it is because we leave out the lower cold strata entirely, leaving the hive so much warmer. IMy experience with pure Ital- ians for box honey, corroborates Mr. But- ler's exactly, on page 50. Can't our pres- ent bee, be' improved by judicious select- ions in breeding ? J. P. Mooke. Binghamton, N. Y. For the American Bee Journal. Missouri Bee Killer, &c. On page 36, Feb. No. present Vol., Mr. Sonne's article calls for observers to help him to awaken an interest of all bee- keepers to the importance of it. I have been acquainted with those insects for four or five years here in this section of Southwest Missouri, but never knew them in Central Indiana or the Alleghany ^lountains. In Northern West Virginia, where I have formerly lived, I have seen them destroying many of my bees, and other insects and sometimes each other in the same manner. They are very stupid and dull in cool or rainy weather, and ap- pear to be much more numerous in dry weather and when the sun shines very hot. This country seems to be a nahiral home for them and there aie many of them here, and I think they are on the increase. IIow much they may interfere with our apiary in the future I cannot tell. I know they kill many of my bees but I cannot see that my colonies are weakened by them. ^ly bees are kept at a good breeding stage all summer. Mr. Sonne speaks of there being plenty of flowers, and that his bees would not bring honey in, now we have many times past had plenty of flowers for honey ; but no honey, because the weather was not such that the flowers would secret honey. As yet, the cold winds and rains early in spring, when peach and early bloom comes are more of a drawback to me than the Missouri bee-killer. My bees are in prime order on summer stands. E. Liston. Virgil City, Cedar Co., Mo. For the American Bcc Journal. Honey Granulating- In the February number, on page 30, Mr. Charles Dadant says : "That if they (the readers) on the market, from Decem- ber to June, a so-called honey in liquid condition, they can, with absolute cer- tainty, declare it a sophisticated honey, or at least a honey which, by boiling, or by pure mixture, has lost its character as a true and pure article." That may be the case, where he lives or in any cold country, and cold may be the cause of honey granulating there, but it is not the case here. I am justified in think- ing, that honey from certain flowers has a greater tendency to candy, than that from others, and possibly if both are extracted or strained together, it will all granulate within a short time. I bought in June last, one hundred stands of bees, and com- menced to extract on the 27th of July. The honey of that extracting was gathered from white sage, sumac and other moun- tain flowers. After three or four weeks I extracted again. A great deal of that was gathered from a blue flower, which we here call flea w^ced, (it smells some- what like vinegar, but rather strong and disagreeable), which came into bloom af- ter the first extracting. Both lots were treated alike, sealed up in five gallon tin cans, placed out doors in the warm sun- shine and stood there for several weeks. I use a great deal of honey myself, have for months, had a can of the first extract- ing open, only covered with a piece of thin paper to exclude flies, and it is now as liquid as wiien extracted, only thicker on account of lower temperature. Another can of the same lot, soddered up airtight, was on examination a short time ago like the one mentioned, and a sample of the same in a two ounce bottle simply corked shows no signs whatever of granulating. On the other hand, every drop of the second extracting became within two mouths as solid as lard. Cold could not have done it, for it was in the latter part of summer or heginulug of fall, and it is. even in winter seldom cold enough here, where I live, in tiie mouth of a cannon, to find in the morning a sheet of ice one sixteenth of an inch thick. I am there- fore inclined to think, that the honey from certain flowers, and particularly from this flea weed, itill granulate, while that from others may under certain cir- cumstances do so, and that a mixture of both will granulate within a certain time, dependent on the proportion of the two kinds of honey. I will only add, that I have five ye: r's 104 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. experience in bee keeping, and that what I have stated in regard to last year holds good for the former four. As people here prefer liquid honey to granulated, I had to melt all my honey of the last extracting. On page 28, February number, you say: "There is an increasing demand there for honey." Please inform us, who will buy and at what price and in what size and kind of packages. We have al- ways had trouble with our honej^ candy- ing after it was shipped, and have had to take a considerably lower price on that account. Should be glad to find a market for the candied honey, which, as you say must be the pure article, although our liquid honey also is pure, even if remain- ing liquid for years. AVm. Muth-Rasmussex. LosAngelos,.Cal., Feb. 22, '75. For tlie American Bee Journal, To Double the Capacity of Hives. As the matter published in the January No. v\ras designed simply as an ^explanation of a method, which I acci- dentally hit upon several years ago, of getting bees to build straight combs ; I try to say, in addition, that the method consists in crowding the hive with bees, to double its capacity, (according to ordi- nary ideas), by means of a division board or, what is better, whenever possible, uniting swarms. I fill the hive so full that in hot weath- er some bees will hang out the first night. I prefer the latter way of doing this, for several reasons : I secure not only straight, but mainly worker combs ; avoid large increase of stocks ; am apt to get a big lot of box honey ; and avoid the great amount of labor and fussing, (mentioned in explanation published), which may be properly characterized as an aiDplication of the old laborious method to the new, necessitated by waat of bees enough to properly apply the latter. I had observed that when I filled a hive by doubling, there was little trouble from drone comb in comparison with what there was, when I had to put in empty frames be- tween others as guides, also I thought an increased tendency to build worker comb in boxes, and also a liability of the queen to lay drone comb in the boxes, both of which I attributed to the treatment men- tioned, considering them as objections ; tlie former, to be remedied by using only store or drone comb for guides in boxes, the latter, as the result of a want of drone comb below. ]>ut on refiection, I am in- clined to think it may impart at least, be owing to my exceedingly shallow frames, they being but little over 5i inches deep. I had observed thus far, but had not thought, of this crowding, to get them to build worker combs exclusively, until I saw friend Dean's method of securing all worker combs, published in August No. of Gleaninr/s, when it immediately oc- curred to me that his and my measures each , corrol)orated the other. Novice saw the point, for in publishing, "How to secure straight combs everytime," he comments : "The pricipal is essentially the one friend Dean works on." Glean- ings, Vol. 2, page 160. So it seems "the same stone kills both birds." Douglass, Mich. H. Hudson. Size of Hives. As to the size and shape of hives, I think we should be governed by the cli- mate we live in. All must use their judgment in the matter. As for me, I like deep frames. My 16 stands of bees are all right, on their summer stands, though one only had three cards last fall, and was very weak. Now it is as lively as any of them, having bees enough to cover one comb 12x13. I can open any of my hives, without fear of stings without the aid of smoke or anything else. As no stranger could do this, I argue that my bees know me. Re- cently I gave my bees some flour, and stood in their course, about 10 rods off, they lit on me, and then went to the flour. I tried the same with a neighbor's bees, but they took no notice of me. If bees do not know their master, why this dif- ference '? Wooster, Ohio. D. H. Ogden. For the American Bee Jounial. The Hive I Use. Having experimented with boxes for comb honej- for many years, I conclude the one I now use is the best that has come under my observation. And if you think it of any value to the bee fraternity, you may give it an inser- tion in the Jouunal. I take thin lumber i or | inch thick, cut out two pieces four inches wide, 12J long, than cut ont nine slats loi long, and | wide, then nail the slats on one edge of each of the two sides, leaving a space be- tween the slats of i inch. Then draw lines with a square from each slat across the two sides, and then nail on nine other slats opposite to the first. In put- ting on the last nine slats use ai\ awl and THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 105 shoemaker's pegs, so that they can be taken oil" easily with the hand. Close the ends -with slats A inch square witli spaces as in top and bottom, put on with pegs also. The vacancies should correspond with those of the frames. Boxes can be put on top of each other. One tilled with phoney and bees should be raised up, and the empty one slipped under and left un- til the bees work in the lower comb. The advantages are : the conveniences of taking out the honey, and the perfect view of the whole inside without the use of glass. I had two boxes tilled the last season 10 lbs. each, would have had more, but had only two swarms to start with, and that in the latter part of 3Iay. W. W. MOOKE. Gillett's Grove, Clay Co., Iowa. Reply to Dadant. Dadaut, in the March No. of the A. B. J., says : In the last convention of the N. B. K. A., a few bee-keepers have fired at the importation of bees. He says, A. Bene- dict was the first to begin the fire, and says, he (A. B ) said that he supposed that there were hybrid bees in Italy. Upon reading this, I wrote to him (mt) to know on what he had based his supposition. But in his answer he could give nothing definite. He had seen so called imported queens, that were undoubtedly impure ; and then says, but f(n- himself (meaning me) all the imported queens he had re- ceived were pure. Now if D., will read my letter again, he will see that I did not write him that all the imported queens I received were pure, l)ut far from it. If I am any judge, I have received queens, im-. ported ones, that produced one and two banded workers ; and I have received queens that would produce queens, that if mated with black drones would pro- duce a majority of three banded workers; and I have received queens, if there pro- geny mated with black drones they would produce a majority of black bees. Now, fi lend D., why is this? If one is pure, so is the other. i If 1 am not much mistaken, our friend D. iu an article written a few years back, for one of the Bee Journals, claimed that there was a great difierence in the color of the bees in ditlerent districts in Italy, i He claimed that the dark ones were ! claimed to be the best bees; the light colored not so good. I sent friend Dadant I some money a year or so ago, requesting him to procure me a queen that produced as light bees as could be found in Italy; but he failed to go, and sent back the I money. The best and lightest colored bees I ever saw, were produced from one of six queens purcliased of S. B. Parsons, Flushing, Long Island, several years ago. Parsons had imported a full colony from Italy; this colony was carried over the mountains on mens' shoulders. Undoubt- edly this colony was selected for its bright color. The above ciueen produced workers almost white; the drones were of a dark red_ color; to stand a few paces from the hive and look at the bees, they appear almost white. And the drones look as if they were entirely black, but on close inspection, tliey were very glossy and redish in color. These bees looked very singular, bask- ing iu the sunlight, in front of the hive, the bees so light and the drones so dark, they were readily distinguished, the one from the other. I have never seen but the one queen that procuced exactly such bees. Now, my opinion is, that just such bees can be found iu Italy. I am not down on importing bees. But I am in favor of a careful and judicious selection of the queen. I hope friend Dadant Avill attend our convention, and if we say anything that is not right, he can there correct it, and tell us all about Italian bees. Aaron Benedict. Bennington, Ohio. For the American Bee -TDiiriiul. How to Make Hives. For the benefit of those who do not know how to make bee hives, and who would rather make them than to buy, I will try to give directions a? plain as I can. In the first place get your lumber dress- ed on both sides to exactly I of an inch. Use lumber just 1 2 inches wide for the hive, the frames should run from front to rear; tlie front and back boards are 12x10 with a rabbett |x| across the ends, and |x| across the t'lp edge for the frames, the side boards are 12xl5i, nail on a | board for bottom and clamp, and one with a | clamp [ on top ] for cover. Have an extra wide cover to shade the hive in hot weath- er, make a stand four inches high, with the front board slanting to form an alight- ing board or "down step." The frames are 11x14, top and end bars are 7-lG inches thick, bottom i,top bar is 15i long', ends lOi, bottom 14 inches long. For comb honey place a case six inches deep fiat upon the hive, except that the end bars are only five inches long, of course the cover or honey board must be removed and placed upon the super. 106 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Don't think of using extra rabbetts or bev- els or quilts; its all uonseuse, I think, ex- cept in Spring. Quilts or straw mats are then an advantage. For extracted honey use the | bottom in upper hive, or not, as you prefer. I prefer the board between sections. For comb honey, don't think of using boxes or a honey board below your comb, I and others have seen the folly of it in cold weather. Section frames for surplus are good, but they are more bother than the common surplus, so I think it better to discard them and never more think of them. The above described hive can be made for $2.00, or cut ready to mail for $1.50 or less by the dozen. R. S. Becktell. New Buftalo, Mich. A Closing Word Witli Mrs. Harrison. L. As an offensively personal article pub- lished by Mrs. L. Harrison, some time ago, in the Prairie Farmer^ appears word for word, in the April number of the American Bee Journal, as a commu- nication to the Journal, I ask you, in single justice, to make room for a portion of my reply as published in the Prairie Farmer, as follows : The ill-natured epithets and redundance of ad- jectives in your last week's issue, over the above named title, do not constitute argument. As to luy logic, let me say to my. profound logician- critic that to "put language into my mouth which I Wi's never guilty of" is as she rightly interprets, to misquote me; to ''otherwise" falsify 'my statemeut," is to do so in her own language, with- out quotation marks. Further that ''on that sub- ject," (relation of honey b(?e to horticulture) is quite a different thing from "on that subject at the last meeting of the Illinois State Horticult- ural Society"— this last being her language, not mine. * * * I care not to waste your space in a war of words with Mrs. L. Harrison, and will simply say to her in conclusion that loere she "a man," my pen would not l)e so guarded. As for her contempt, judging from both the matter and manner of tier recent communications, I feel more honored by it than I should by her esteem. The transactions of the Illinois State Horticultural Society, for 1874, which contains a report of the discussion M'hich gave rise to tliis unpleasant controversy, are just publislied. I saw no proofs of this report which, witli few exceptions, is as correct a statement of my remarks, as could well be made in so condensed a form ; and those of your readers wlio can refer to it will judge for themselves whetiier Mrs. Harrison's communication in your February number was warranted or not. In conclusion let me sa}' to ]\Irs. H. that she is mistaken in supposing that I have any "spite" to vent against her or any one else. But wlien unjustly assailed and misrepresented, I am apt to defend myself, even against a lady — however much I may regret the occasion. St. Louis, Mo. C. V. Riley. Foul Brood, Having had some experience with this disease tor the past five years, it occurred tx me that my experiments niiuht l)e of some value to others; I had UDticed for several years, a few cells of foul brood, here and there in the combs, and had been in the habit of cutting them out, but was not aware at the time that it was foul brood, but now recognize it as the genuine disease in a mild form. In the fall of 1870, the bees filled up the combs late in the season with watery honey, mostl.v from fireweed. Cold weather came on suddenly, and the bees were unable to cap it over. The result was, that most of the swarm had the dysentery, and were lost during the winter. Some may say that if they nad been properly housed, they would have come out all right. This, I am inclined to doubt, as one of my neighbors lost fifty swarms in a house constructed for the pur- pose, when they had always done well be- fore. In the spring the uncapped honey soured, and the pollen fermented as though yeast had been put into it. The combs were used the next season to increase the size of the hives, and became the seat of tlie disease, which was spread by changing combs, through all the swarms. The reme- dies resorted to- this season, were to take away the combs most affected and replace with empty combs from the hives when the bees had "died tlie winter previous. I Ijarned in the operation, that while the fir.st brood hatched in combs which had contained sound honey or fermented pollen was badly diseased: brood in cond)s that had bceii filled with ca]ti>c(l honey was but sliglitly atiVcted until the third set of eggs was hatched. All the honey was extracted from these combs before they were put iuto the hives. From two swarms which were badly dis- eased, the combs were all taken away, and the bees put into new hives, and treated as new swarms. One swarm was fed with honey extracted from the diseased combs, and at the end of four weeks, was foimd to be the worst diseased swarm in the apiary. There was not live brood enough to be )s were as^am mt iuto a clean taken away, and the bees pu hive as Ix'forc, together with the bees that had hatched from the old combs. They were fed wilii sugar and water, to give them a start, and in the fall were examined and found free from any signs of disease. The other swarm from which the eond)s were taken, siiowed no signs of infection. The old combs with a few bees to take care of the healthy brood were left in the old hive. The badly diseased cond)s were destroyed as soon as the brood was hatched. Combs that were clean were left for tlu^ bees to store honey in. This swarm though not strong, stored a litthi over one hundred pounds of extraeti'd honey. The bees were Ke])t without a ((ueen, and allowed to wear themselves out gatheriuii honey, and as soon as they were so weak that there was danger of their being robbed, tl.e combs were all taken away, honey extracted, and THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 107 CMiibs tlostvoyed. Tlif tow boes left were given to swarms, under^oiiiff treatment, or destroyed as circumstanees dietated. The old swarms treated as new, this year, and the siicceediiij;- years, have oonie out free trom Infection with the one excei>tioii spoUen of above, riitortunately for my e\- pm-imeuts both these swarms wert^ lost tiu^ winter folhtwiiiii, and 1 was left with none but the old stocks that iiadmort' or less foul brood in them. The next spring I kei>t the disease in eheek until swarming time, by vaporizing the (•oml)s with hyi)osuli)hite of soda. Then removed the combs and treated the same as the year before, with the ex- ception of trying to cleans tlie cells as Dr. Abbee recommends, with an atomizer. It did not work to suit me, and 1 afterwards used a small bulb syringe which did the work easier. 1 found it along and tedious job, to oi)en and cleans the cells tilled with putrid nuitter. It ajJiicared to be effectual m all cases, except when tiiere was a deposit of old pollen in the cells, which the bees would not clean out, and the brood raised on top of it would be infected. The most dif- ficult work of all, was to clean out the cells where the larva had died and dried up in tlie cell, without being capped over. This dried up larva is the coffee colored deposit found on the botton hoard. The bees will clean them out after it is vaporized, but the disease does not ai)iiear to be entirely eradi- cated from them. The bees seldom iuicap a cell tilled with putrid nuitter. They make a small opening to see what the trouble is, and leave it in disgust. The amount of work attending the cleansing of the combs, - and the uncertanty of the result, brought nie to believe that there was no econemy in try- ing to save them. That it was better to keep the bees in the best of these old combs, without a queen, and get all the honey you could from them, and destroy all the combs in the fall. Since then I limited my opera- tions to this idea. As soon as the brood was all hatched, the honey was extracted, the best or cleanest combs were vaporized with liyposulphite of soda, the hive washed with tlie same, making all as clean as possible. Whenever honey is extracted, the combs are vaporized and put back into the same hive until the honey season is over, or the bees are worn out. The combs not used, are melted into wax as soon as possible to make sure that no bees get to them. Too nuich care cannot be taken to prevent the spread of this disease. I should not handle healthy swarms afteropeningan infected one, or use any of the tools fm- that purpose. I am sat- isfied from feeding one swarm with the honey extrai'ted from disi^ased coml)s, that it is almost sure to carry the infection with it. If I wished to experiment further with it, I should try soaking the combs in a s^olu- tion of chloride of lime, and afterward cleans with an extractor as suggested by Dr. Abbee. We ought to be thankful to Dr. Prenss for his microscopic examinations and Dr. Abbee for remedies. 1 treated my liives to a bath of bin-ning sulpher by mak- ing a fire on the grouny this treatment, I have as many healthy swaVms at flu; closi^ of the season, as I had diseased oiu's in the spring, beside the honey which the Ixies hatched from the dis- easecl combs gatluu-, which is largely in ex- cess of what I had expected. I have sometimes got a few boxes of honey from the old swarms treated as new, but am satisfied if the hiv»^ is well stored with honey, and the bees in good condition for winter. One great problem to solve is, is there any danger to other apiaries in this way of man- aging the swarms ? My opinion is that after the honey has been extracted the second time, and the combs have had a second vaporizing, that the honey if taken to a healthy swarm would not carry the infection with it. I should be afraid to use the old condjs for brood combs without further treatment, as the old pollen might still retain the seeds of the disease. I have noticed that the swarms kept without a queen, cap a large portion of the honey with an oval cap like that over drone brood. This has been so universal that I suspect something wrong with the queen in any hive when I find hoaey so capped. L. C. WiiiTrnG. East Saginaw, Michigan. Getting Honey in Boxes. Paperi- read at the seventh annual session of the Michigan Bee-Keepers' Association, Dec. 16th and 17th, 1874. At your request, I will give a brief dis- cripti'on of our way of making box-honey. Not, however, with the idea of instructing your association, or of influencing any one, who has had more experience. We haven't got it perfect yet by any means. THE HIVE. I haven't had experience enough witli the side-box hive, to be able to recommend it for general use. If bees will swarm from them, as readily as from top-box hives, then we have our labor in vain, in making more ex- pensive hives, and in putting on a greater number of boxes. Bees swarmed immoder- ately last season in this section, from all liinds of hives. I can safely recommend the Langstroth hives for box-honey, as I have had experi- ence in their use, and they are successtully used, and are the leading hive in tliis sec- tion. It is ten inches deeii, with ten frames. THE ^rANAUE.MENT. As we have l)ut little basswood, we are obliged to manage our bees, so as to have h )ney stored in boxes, from white and alsike clover, tulip, &c., in the early part of the season, (otherwise, we should have no 108 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. white honey to sell, and the business would be unprofitable). To do this, we design to get our combs w( 11 stocked with brood, and our hives filled with bees, by the time that clover begins to yield honey. Then we keep all old stocks strong, put on the boxes, a full set of 12 at once, and when they get so crowded with bees, both the hive and boxes, that we think there is danger of their swarming, we take away a card or two of cutting brood and adhering bees, and re- place with an empty comb, or an empty irame. The brood and bees drawn, form nuclei. With some stocks, the drawing will have to be repeated after a few days, while others don't seem to start work in the boxes until we put in an empty frame, and set them to making wax in the hive. Those stocks that are building comb in the hive, will need to have their combs looked over, about once a week while the yield of honey lost, in order to cut out the drone comb, before the brood is fed in it, so as to have it nice and white for the boxes. It requires the exercise of some judgment, in drawing brood, as it is better not to draw any and let them swarm out, than to draw too soon, or too much. The amount of brood taken depends so much on the yield of honey, the condition of the hive, and the quantity and age of the brood on hand, that no special rules can be given, and each must learn from experience in his locality. KEEP STOCKS STRONG. Each old stock is kept strong, and the ex- tractor is not used on any stock that is storing honey in boxes. If they are well shaded by laVge trees, and situated so as to have a free circulation of air around the hives, by raising these up a foot or so from the ground, and a little brood taken away from time to time, as they can spare it, they will trouble but little about swarming in seasons when the yield of honey is good. THE nOX ARRANGEMENT. We do away with the honey board entire- ly, in order to bring the boxes neai-er to the brood, and to give more free access to them, than we could do through the honey board; we like the two-comb box best, 6^^ inches long by 3% inches, comb space 5 inches liigh. We put twelve such boxes on a hive that measures 2V4 inches in length by 16 wide (outside measure), by using a rack or clamp in this form. TOP VIEW. CI 6% inches. inches. Take stuff % inch thick, 2% inches wide, cut four pieces 15 inches long, and two pieces 2()% inches long, nail through the long i)iect's, into the ends of the short pieces, witli linisliing sixes, leaving the spaces i>% inches jiUimp, sotlie boxes will slip in easy, four boxes m each row; then take hoop iron, cut four pieces 15 inches long, and punch four holes in each, large enough for a lath nail, turn the rack over, and nail a piece of hoop_ iron on the bottom edge of each cross-piece, so as to support the boxes. The top of the hive should be planed down, until the bottom of the boxes come down within 3-16 of an inch of the frame. This rack will hold 9 three-comb boxes, or 18 one-comb boxes, or 13 two-comb. We prefer the latter, with three slits in the bottom of each box. The slits are 3^ inch wide by 4% inches long, one in the middle and one within }4 inch of either side, leaving an inch of sound wood at each end for strength. There should be }a of an inch side shake, to each row of boxes, for convenience in getting them out. TIERING UP. When the bees get the first tier of boxes full, and begin to seal up, and get it sealed up half way down or so, we raise them up and put a set of empty boxes under them, t with slits in the top to correspond and " guide combs in place. When the first set of boxes are nearly full, is the most critical time with us, as they are then crowded for room, and get the swarming fever in con- sequence. If the whole set are not readj' at once, we would raise one row, or even one or two boxes if no more are ready; can give room by tiering up instead of drawing brood; use a "rim to make the cover six inches deeper for each tier. RISKS OF SWARMING. In keeping all stocks very strong, we of course take some risks of swarming. One wing of each queen is clipped, so that there is no climbing of large trees, or going to the woods about it. We have found the follow- ing plan the most successful to quell the swarming fever after they attempt to swarm : Have saw-dust, or tan-bark around the hives, or else keep the grass cut very close, so as to find the (jueen readily when a swarm rushes out; pick up the queen and jjut her in a wire cage, and wad a piece of paper in the mouth of the cage to confine her till the swarm returns, then cover the old hive with a sheet or large cloth, to pre- vent the bees from entering it, and place an empty hive or box in front of it, in such a manner as to catch the swarm when it re- turns; lay the queen and cage down at the mouth of' this hive, and when the bees be- gin to enter, liberate the (pieen, and they will go in more readily; when they have entered, remove the swaVm to a new locality, a rod or two distant, in the shade if con- venient; having swarmed they will adhere to the new location. Now remove the old hive a few feet to one side, and place a nucleus with an unhatched queen cell, or an empty nucleus hive, on the old stand; take ott' the boxes from the old hive, take out the brood combs, and brush off e\'ery bee re- maining in the hive, into the nucleus. If the hive containing the lunv swarm, is the same size of the old one, W(> would put brood combs (as fast as we clear them of bees,of (pieen cells. and drone brood) directly into the swarm, and let them occuny it. The boxes should be cleared of l)ees also, and put on the swarm, and tiered up if any are ready. Now we have the btn^s sortetf. We have a new swarm on a new stand, that is, we have all the bees that are favorable to the old (|ueen with her, and have given them all the worker brood, and all the boxes, and we have got rid of all the bees that were raising queens. When we have THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 109' served them thus, we have found, that tliey generally resume work in the boxes, and make no fnrtlier troiihl(> about swarming for the season. In view of the eondition of the houey markets, it looks a» tliouj-h box- honey would be sii|itMcc(k'd by small frames, as the excluslNc honey dealers Cot out a great deal of (■onii>-lioney, and put it up in jars with extracted honey. I believe small frames are well liked by consumers everywhere, but are not well liked by large grocers, where they deliver all goods to the consumer in wagons. Binghamton, N. Y. • J. P. ^NroouK. For the American Bee Journal. Patent Hives and Venders. In reading the articles of some of your correspondents, one would almost be led to believe that patent rights on bee hives are and have been all humbugs and those own- ing or selling them the biggest swindlers outside the pale of law. Now let us care- fully examine this subject and see if this business is wrong and deserving the con- demnation of all lionest apiarians. Is it anything against a worthy patent right, that some oue has been made the dupe of sharp- ers and bought a useless article, perhaps, what pur]iorted to be a patented bee liLve, when if they had subscribed for and read any one of our Bee Jouj{xals, they wpuld for half the money, been intelligently posted and proof against all hund)ugs in the shape of worthless bee hives. Query : Does it detract from the merits of the old American Bek .Journal, because its issues were copyrighted ? Are patent laws considered in all civil- ized countries so necessary to foster and encoura^ invention, but blots upon the .Statute Books, which ought to be wipefl out? Can any considerate. person demur at their justness and hesitate to acknowl- edge their protecting influence in fostering improvement whether it be an intricate piece of mechanism, an agricultural imple- ment or a movable comb frame bee-hive. Is Langstroth's work on the Hive and I[on- ey-Bee of less value because it recommends a bee hive invented by its authoi', and ex- plains the advantages of the movable comb frame ? Do we think any the less of the teachings of this eminent ai)iarian because he presumed to obtain a iiatent upon the hive he had spent the best years of his life in devising to meet the wants of the apiary, and which added millions of pomids to the lioney surplus of the country besides giving a new impetus to bee-keeping ? Is not as quoted by Mrs. Tupjier in her Essay for Agricultural Report "The laborer worthy of his hire." Have not patent hive men in bringing their hives to the notice of the pub- lic furnished advertisements for our jour- nals, promoted bee-culture and helped to create an interest in this nuich neglected pursuit ? Do not the articles written by the elderly gentleman. Mr. Jasper Ilazen, though somewhat devoted to his pet theory "overstocking" infuse new life into bee- keeping and well repay an earnest perusal ? Have not Mr. Ilazen an in niiiubcrs var\ iiig with the lociiNt of Kgypt, or grasslio|ipei-s of Kansas. For the firsi month or so, they are seen only at evening, near sun down, but as the season arrives, they operate to some extent the whole day; afways turning out, however, in great numbers, in the evening. They seem to be always on the wing, ex- ceiit'when devouring their prey. The air is filled with them, darting hither and thither swiftly, like bees swarming, and almost as dense. They take the bees while on the wing and when settled on the hive, by pouncing on them, just as a chicken hawk does upon his prey, and then light upon a perch, high up in a" tree, if one is convenient. In what way they operate on the bee in devouring it. or what part they eat, I have never been able to discover, from the fact that my apiary Is in the midst of tall native oaks, to the liinbs of which these cannibals resort to regale themselves on their captives. They all disappear about the first of Sep- tember. From their great numbers and the length of time they operate, say three months, they must destroy millions of bees. How to destroy these " Jayhawkers" or prevent their ravages, is what puzzles me. To knock down a few hundred with a bush, as you may easily do as they whiz past, does not seem to lessen the number, As McBeth said of the English: "The cry is, still they come." Let us hear from some of your bug men, on this mammoth asilus of the South. Last year was a very ])oor year for honey until September, when the bees commenced on the smart weed, and for five weeks they worked on it, gathering abundant winter supplies of the richest and most delicious honey. I never dreamed of that weed pro- ducing honey or being good for anything else before. It grows here in great profu- sion, and is certainly the mo.st valuable honey-producing plant we have in this region. J. Applewhite. For the Ameaican Bee Journal. How I Succeeded. I promised in tlie .Inly No. to report mv success (luring the summer, witli the Higii Presure Hive worked on the different plans proposed, viz: Ilazens' Adair vs. Gallup. Well, after breeding up largely in the spring as I was able, it hc'Dig a very late one, I arranged swarm No. i, to work on Ilazens' jilah.andgot o2 o tt>. boxes imper- fectly filled, about 12.i It.s., divided the swarm in September, and with an extractor took (50 tt)s. that was not needed for winter. Swarm No. 2, I worked on Adair's long one-story, extended it to four feet eight inches, eight inches more than I got occu- pied, worked exclusively with the extractor, got a trifie over two hundred pcmnds, divided in September maile two very large swarms. Swarm No. 3, worked two stories, full size, with fort.\- frames. It seemed too large^ and was not occupied to advantage. I worked with the extractor, got 148 lbs. diviiU'd in September. Swarm No. 4, I divided as soon as bred up, worked them in the single high presure hive, two story each ; got :30.5 tt>s. from the two. Swarm No. 5 and 6, I worked full size, lower stor>'. with twenty frames each, with long boxes and little fiauies, in supers. No. 5 gave a good yield of honey. No. 0 after THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. Ill runnins; some time in the simimer witli a ]i(»or (iiu'i'ii, tlit'v .su]H'r('<'(it'(l Iier or rivlla-r 1 did; liut tln'V hardly more tiiaii ^'ot into C'onilition lor winter." Tlie six li^nred np to 1,;200 lbs. and a tritie over, and foiu- swarms of inerease. 1 wonUI say that I liad tlie benefit of about sixty emi)ty cards. My whole apiary of :!■> swarms, in tlie si)rin,4 inch, standing on edge, every 3 inches across the bottom of the pan, so that when there is flour one half inch deep in the pan, the bees can get up on the lath to fake wing. The trough and pan will be on a car that can be run into the bee- Iiouse when the weather is unsuitable, out of doors. We extracted the honey from the combs fonr times during the season. Four persons can take the combs out of the hives, extract the honey and put it in barrels, at the rate of 1500 Ihs. per day, and put the combs in the hive again easily. Onr extractor is one of our own make, and will take 4 combs at a time. The can is stationary. Next year we expect to have the machine arranged so that the honey will run into the barrel as ex- tracted, which will enable us to take out 2,000 lbs. per day. Our hive is the Langs- troth Double IStory, 30 combs. P. W. McFatkidge & Son. Carthage, Indiana. For the American Bee Journal. Bee Items. I notice in the ^Nfareh No. of the Journai. an article on niunbering hives. I agree with Mr. Wilson, and think it very necessary that every hive should be numbered, and its stand numbered to correspond, especially if the bees are wintered in doors. I once con- cluded to change the location of my nucleus hives by setting them out in spring directly on their new stands. They had been in the cellar about four weeks and I thought would not remember their old location. But I soon found out different. The hees, in returning to their hives, all went back to their old stands, and I was compelled to set their hives back again on the old stands. Now if there had been other hives sitting on these nucleus stands, I would surely have lost all my nucleus swarm, as the bees would all have went into the hives that were sitting on their stands, and I should not have noticed it; but as there were none there I noticed the bees flying about hunting for their hives, and I moved them in time to save them. I raised an Italian Queen in a nucleus, and as soon as she became fertile and lay- ing, I attempted to ijitroduce her to a queen- less stock in the farther end of the Apiary. I caged h(r and waited the usual time, then examined them but they would not accei^t her. 1 kept her caged eight or nine days, feeding her every day myself, but tliey would not receive her. So i coiu'luded to open the cage and let her out ou the comb and see what they would do, but instead of that, she took wing and was out of sight in a twinkling. I st(')od still waiting for her to return to the couih, but she did not come. I gave her up for lost, but thought I would look in her nucleus where she was hatched, and sure enough. 1 found her imprisoned by the bees, they liaving sealed (lueen eeil's would not receive her. It has been said that it makes no difference in sitting bees out in spring if we do set them on one another's stands. • But I can't l>elieve it. They will recollect their old stands a long time, and it causes a disturbance among them by having strange bees trying to get into their hives. Besides a great many are killed in entering the wrong hives, as they ai'e taken for robbers. I have the entrance blocks to my hives numbered and a corres- ponding number on each stand. I carrying my bees out of the cellar, I notice the num- ber on the entrance block and set the hive on its own stand. It is no more trouble or work to set them outright, than it is to set them wrong. "Have a place for everything, and keep everyting in its place," 1 thiiik should be applied to bees as well as any thing else. J. M, Brooks. Columbus, Iiuliana. New System of Bee-Culture. "Coe's Apiary" is a Bee-House and Bee- Ilives combined. The house is used as a permanent receptacle, or summer and win- ter stand, for the hives ; and is so construct- ed, that the room containing the hives, is i;)rotected on all sides by a series of dead-air spaces. And, being warmed and ventilated by the heat generated by the bees, the air inside may. l)y the proper adjustment of the ventilating Hues, be kept of an even temper- ature— higher or lower as desired — quite in- de^jendeiit of the atmosphere outside. It is not claimed specially for this system, that It will produce fabulous amounts of honey from individual hives, ininaturally pushed for that purpose. But it is claimed, that it reduces to a practical, well defined method, all our present knowledge in bee- culture ; by means of which, an average an- nual product may be depended upon with as much certainty as in any other branch of industry. Among the many excellences of this sys- tem the chief one perhaps, is, that It pos- sesses in great perfection, all the conditions necessary to wintering bees without loss, with the smallest consumption of honey — combining the desirable features of a sum- mer stand antl special winter repository, without the expense, labor, and trouble of either. It is also specially adai)ted to the necessities of bees during the changeable, windy weather of early spring, when they require a higher and even temperature to facilitate breeding, and when the hives must be frequently opened. As in winter the temperatiu*e of the room may be kept above that of the outside at- mosphere, so in sunuuer it may be kept b(>- low ; thus protecting the bees from severe extremes, both of heat and cold. Another valuable feature of this system is. that it overcomes entirely that greatest of all objections to bee-culture— the fear of being stung. The hees adhere more closely to the combs, and are less disturbed, than wiien a hive is opened in the bright sun-light, and any that do leave the combs lly directly to the win- dow, and not into the face of the operator. Veil and gloves are dispensed witii. and visitors max stand l)\' and witness ail tlio manipulations of a hi\c without the least fear of l)eing stung. For all the operations to be perfornu'd in an Apiary ; such as, feeding, transferring, nuiking artificial swarms, extracting, placing and remo\ing surplus boxes, intnHlucing queens, queen- THE AMERICAJS BEE JOURNAL. 113 hrftMliiif?. tMiiiaiiziiis. i^'f.. tliis system af- fords oonvtMiicuct's and facilities so far su- licrifir to tilt' out-door syslrm. tiiat it is dif- liiMilt evi'ii to inakc a comiiarison. 'J'iiis mode of ix't'-ciiltiirc also couniu'uds itself for general use, on acoount of its elieaiiness. The house and lifty hives will eost ahont one-iliird less than the same nnniber of jiood out-door hives. And while the house and liivt's will last a life-tinu>, the ont-door liives must be re-plaeed by new ones every four or live years. Also by this system, bee-eultuHC which has been very ai>i)ro|)riately termed "the ])oetry of labor," is brou,u;ht (|'nite within tlie si)here of woman's woiU. How nntirinji industry, tender sensibili- ties, and acute ju'rceplioii, eminently lit her. not only for the duties of this delightful eni- l)loyme"nt, but also for the discovery of means for its more perfect di'velopment. J. S. COK. Montchiir, New Jersey. For the American Bee Journal. Austin Texas. I want to describe Austin, Texas, as plain- ly and concisely as possible, and try to in- rice depends upon the locality. Hives will eo^t from .r;.!.5ii to Sii.OO each. Come, there is pleiU v of room. B. 11. Ives. F(ir I lie Amrricau Bee Journal. Longevity of Bees. In the February nund)er of the Jourxal, Mr. Weatherby encpiires about the compar- itive longevity of the Ulack and Italian bees. I'crhaps the following from my mismoran- dum book, mav interest him : July loth, 1872.— Selected two medium swarnis, one black and one Italian; placed them at considerable, distance from my other hives, changed their (pieens, contined them in cages, and |>lacedthem immediately among their new subjects. At this time the cond)s were well tilled with eggs. July 15th.— Set them l)oth at liberty. July li)th.— Found both queens laying freely. Aug. 5th.— Three weeks from the time they commenced laying in their new hives, I fouiul a few young bees leaving their cells. Aug. loth.— A vei-y few young bees ap- peared at the front of each hive, and after flying a short time returned. Aug. 19th.— A considerable number of young bees appear in front of both hives and seem'to he at work, but do not bring in any bee-bread. Aug. 21st. -The young bees in both hives are very l)usy, and occasionally one comes home with his legs loaded. After this time they are busy and numerous. Sixty-one davs after, I chanj^ed the queens. I examined thein very carefully and found but three or four bees lielongiiig to the old stock in each hive, which shows that these bees lived less than forty days after leaving the.ir cells, the first five of which were spent within the hive ; and they did not appear to be really at work until about the tenth dav. • II. Will Co., Illinois. Introiucing Queens. Have your hive maile tight, and of tliick lumber, to receive the frames of any of your other hives. Have two doors in place of sash or frames, so that you can make the hive any size you wish. When you get your (jueen, go to some of your strongest hives and get two frames with hatching brood, ])lace them in the center of the hive, with the two doors close to them, which makes a hive of two frames ; then put the queen with the bees that come with her in with the two frames of hatching brood, and keep them shut U]) for two or three days in tlu^ parlor or que(m house, or any warm place ; Keep up the warmth by i)lacing bottles of hot wat(!r in the empty space on each side. After three days, add a frame of bees, etc., by i)utting them for VI hours, on the side, in place of the bottles, and then shake them in front and let them go in ; then add the 114 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. frames to the other two, and continue till the hive is full. Place them on the third day, on the stand they are to occupy, and allow them to fly, by opening a small hole. Eelease the queen at once, and there is no danger of her being killed. We had large quantities of honey dew this year again, and bees have paid well, where they have had attention, and I think Western North Carolina is destined to be one of tl.e greatest honey- producing coun- tries in the world. It is well adapted to the culture of all the fruits and gi'apes that will grow in the climate of this temperature. Stock raising is wonderful ; it is very healthy, pin-e air and water, and water power "to run almost all the machinery in the IJuited States, if it was aj^plied. EoBEET T. Jones. Flat Kock, N. C. For The American Bee Journal. Granulated Honey. In an article in the February No. T think Mr. Dadant in his article on adulterated honey does the bee-keepers of this country a great injustice. I was astonished on read- ing that article. I had supposed he was better informed on that subject. He says : "It is consequently of the greatest import- ance that all Bee Joi'rxals inform their readers that the best test for honey is the candying • that honey candies because it is formed of grape sugar, which granulates and does not crystal ize. That on the other hand sugar syrup is made from cane sugar which does not candy hut crystalizes. Tliat if they find on the market from December to June, a so-i'ulled honey in liquid condition, they can with absolute certainty declare it a sophisticated honey, or at least a honey which by boiling, or by pure mixture, has lost its character as true and pure article." If Mr. D. had stopped when he said that can- dying was a good test that the article was not sophisticated, it would have been well enough, but when he asserts that all pure honey granulates before December with an absolute certainty he not only states what is not the fact, but he injures the business of all bee-keepers that wish to put a pure and first class article of extracted honey on the market. Honey will not granulate ex- cept through a process of deterioration while the flavf)r is not injured as much as by boil- ing, yet it is injured so that it is readily de- tected in tasting a sample of each. 1 have had honey two years old. and no more signs of granulation than the day it was extracted. If ^Ir. Dadant would drop in now at the Patron's Corporation store ni Ijawrence. he could see some of my honey that was ex- tracted and bottled last Juiie under four linden blossoms, that is as clear as when put up. The fact is, if honey is iiroperly evaporated, it will not granulate for a long time, it at all. The thinnest honey granu- lates the first, and the best honey is lion(>j^ that is not granulated, the next best is the granulated and the granulated brought back to the licjuid state i)y heating, is still a lit- tle inferior. This of course has reference to honey from a given plant. ]hit if care is taken in heating, the ditlerence is scarcely precejitable. Ir uiusl be held in water and the vessel that contains the honey nuist iu)t come in contact with the bottom or sides of the vessel that holds the water, and the wa- ter must be heated very slowly and must not be brought to the boiling point at all and only enough to dissolve tlie honey. If Kellogg had done that way he could" haVe evaporated his honey without making sor- ghum of it and without very much injuring its flavor, and if the water is not heated more than 150 degrees, we doubt if it would be possible to detect any injury to the flavor of tlie honey. But the best way to evaporate honey is in vats or pans made of galvanized iron or tin and the honey put in about 3 inches deep, in this way in the summer time it will evaporate itself without artifi- cial heat, and you will have from the thin- est honey taken out the same day that it is gathered. Just as thick honey as you choose, you can prepare in that way that will, in many instances keep for ye"ars without any show of granulating. Sometimes honey is very thick when gathered. I will say here, that the honey that I had over two years with- out granulation, was put up as fast as ex- tracted. It was gathered i)rincinally from the poly-gonum and buckwheat. What we want in tTie disposition of our honey, is hon- est dealers. Another way is for bee-keepers to put their own honey on the market, un- der their own name. Many are doing that way now, and there is no reason why it could not be more universally practiced. Lawrence, Kan. N. Cameron. For tlie American Bee Journal. My Report. I have started an apiary, and will show some bee-keepers here, how to keep bees. I think that I can keep more bees than has ever been kept by any one man here yet. Some claim that 1 cannot run my number higher than 40 or 50 colonies, if I do my best, but I don't believe a word of it. Quite a number in this county have started the bee business, and have a bright looking apiary, of 30 colonies, more or less, but when spring would come, they would have iierhaps 10 colonies left to ijuild up again through the summer. This is the way they have done for three or four years, they let their bees go down and then say that there is no mon- ey in thenl. AVe renmrked that they gather honey, and we can get money for that. Yes, but "they will die through the winter, they say ; but I say there is a reason for vour bees all dying. I have handled bees all my lifetime, more or less, and for the three last years I have done but little else. Bees are wintering very well heiT, so far. I have 11 of my colonies put uj) a new way for wintering." I went to the saw-mill and got some slabs, cut short ; ri^i feet is about the right length to sjilit up for stakes, and to cover with. 1 drove 4 stakes around the hive and about a foot from it. leaving the stake about as high as the hive with the cap on ; then stutfed straw all around the hive, clear to the top. my bees all stand with the front to the southeast, then covered the hives, straw and all. with the slabs. Jnone of these hives I have three nuclei, each one having a (jueen. They were all O. K. when last I saw them. A word for the Italians ; they are the only bees for me. I wouldn't give one good Italian eolony for five of the best black bees THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 115 I ever saw. The Italians are not so cross as the hlaoks, and it does not take as nnioii tokeep tlieni. You can j;ive the Italinns some advice and they will take it, luit little advice tlie bhick bees will take. Tiiey would sooner give you a sting. I). H. OODEX. Wooster, Ohio. For thi- Aiiui'uau Beo .Journal. How I Wintered. I have not seen anythinc; for a longtime from Mr. (iallup. rerhaps the abuse he lias received has dis,i;usterey upon our bees, a large brown and 1'4 inch long (I'romachus), and another 1 inch long, redisli brown with green head. (Dasypo/.au), and still another % inches, very much reseiiiblinga buml)le bee in color. They jney on other insects, and ev<'n ou each other. I have seen them capture the Dragon Ity, much larger than themselves. The largest sized Dragon tly (Mus(iuito Hawk), is one of our greatest bee enemies. They hover over our a))iaries by the hun- dreds, and take the unwary bee on the wing, continuing their llight wl'iile they devour their victims bodily, or else alighting on .some limb near by and take their meals more leisurely. I have written several articles on enemies of the bee, particularly of the "Asilus fiy," and I am a little sur- prised that Mr. Some lias not read them. Our winter is pretty severe for Texas, but our bees are wintering well. Kaufman, Texas. A. II. R. Bryaxt. For the American Bee Journal. How we Wintered. Tlie plan of wintering bees, by which we have succeeded in saving every stock, on natural stores, all coming out in splen- did condition, no signs of dysente'y or bee disease, and with but very few dead bees under the frames, is as follows : Fii-st, remove the cap and boxes, cover the frames with a piece of cotton sheet- ing, putting a tack in each corner to keep it in place. Then place the hives in a shed, boarded tight to keep out all storms, in rows about three inches apart ; then pack straw between and around and on top of the frames, so tliey will be covered three inches with wheat straw ; then lay plank on top, to keep the straw in place or you can put another tier of hives, ou them. We prefer wheat straw for sev- eral reason : In extreme cold weather, there would a steam or vapor come out of the straw, like a person's breath; in mild weather it could not be seen. That vapor is what killed tfie bees, we think. Our bees had the same chance to get at cider, bug poison, honey dew, &c., as others in our vicinity, and why did they not die It teas the manner vf winttrinrj^ we think. Several years ago we tried covering half of the hive with straw and the other h ilf empty boxes turned as for storing honey, all covered with cap, with two ventilating holes open in it. In the half of hive covered with straw the combs were wet, and mouldy, and the bees dead ; whilst the other half was all right, combs dry, and bees alive, dry and nice. Can it be possible there was ditlercnt kinds of honey in that half of the hive? No, 116 THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. it was the difference in the manner of wintering. If the cap had been removed so the air could dry out the straw, we think that half would have been all right. The honey boxes on the other half were the common square boxes, made of white wood. When they got wet, they warped and sprung apart so the moisture escaped into the cap out through the ventilating holes and kept the bees dry. The only source of danger we can see in our plan of wintering, is the mice. Yet we have had no such difficulty, the past two winters, and this one so far. We shake out all the chaff, so as to leave nothing in the straw to entice the mice or rats to nest in it. Barker